Acquired by ABC News(CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- A several-day sentencing hearing is underway to determine the fate of former North Charleston, South Carolina, police officer Michael Slager, who has pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights offense in the shooting death of unarmed black man Walter Scott.



Slager could face up to life in prison. The sentence is at the discretion of the judge.



Slager, who is white, went on trial for the murder of Scott, an unarmed black man, after a traffic stop on April 4, 2015, while Slager was an officer with North Charleston's police department. Witness video that surfaced shortly after the encounter appeared to show the moment Slager fatally shot Scott as he ran away. He was fired from the force after the shooting.



Slager was charged in South Carolina with murder and pleaded not guilty. During the murder trial, Slager's attorney said his client shot Scott because he was in fear for his life. In 2016, the case ended in a mistrial. The state retrial and federal trial were expected to take place this year, but instead, in May Slager pleaded guilty to violating Scott's civil rights in federal court, ending the federal case against him and also resolving the state charges that were pending after the mistrial.



The witness video was analyzed in court on Monday to detail approximately how far away Scott was when Slager's first shot and final eighth shot were fired. Five of the shots hit Scott with all of the bullets entering from behind, the Justice Department said. According to FBI expert Tony Imel, who testified Monday, Scott was 16 feet, 5 inches away at the time of the first shot and 37 feet, 5 inches away for the seventh shot. Scott's distance at the time of the final eighth shot was unclear, but it was greater than the seventh.



The day of the shooting, Slager stopped Scotts car when he saw a brake light wasn't working, and during the stop, Scott fled on foot and Slager followed him.



Feiden Santana, the witness who filmed the shooting, told prosecutors in court Monday that he saw Scott running away, and by the time Santana caught up with Scott in an empty lot, Scott was already on the ground, facing the ground with Slager on top of him.



Santana told the prosecution he saw the officer trying to control Scott and he heard something electric, which was later revealed by police to be Slager deploying his Taser.



Santana said he never saw Scott punch Slager, fight with Slager or charge toward Slager.



After Scott got off the ground and tried to run, Santana said he heard gunshots.



Slager told Scott to put his hands on his back, according to Santana, who added that he never saw Scott move after the gunshots.



After Slager used his Taser and Scott fell to the ground, "Scott managed to get off of the ground and again run away," the Justice Department said.



"Scott was unarmed and running away when Scott fired eight shots at him," the Justice Department said.



The Justice Department said in a statement in May that, according to documents filed in connection with the guilty plea, Slager "willfully used deadly force on Walter Scott even though it was objectively unreasonable under the circumstances."



But defense attorney Andy Savage said in court Monday that he will illustrate during the hearing that Slager was only responding to Scott resisting arrest.

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Feeder streams 300 FEET Darker ice Snow covering an old channel This river drains an area of about 24 square miles Collector lake Researchers camp Here the river is about 60 feet wide and up to 6 feet deep. Moulin Feeder streams 300 FEET Darker ice Snow sometimes covers old channels. This river drains an area of about 24 square miles Collector lake Researchers camp Here the river is about 60 feet wide and up to 6 feet deep. Moulin 300 feet wide This river drains an area of about 24 miles Collector lake About 60 feet wide and up to 6 feet deep. Moulin

On Greenlands vast ice sheet, meltwater flows in rivulets as sunlight and warm air heat the surface ice.

Surface variations create thousands of low-lying areas where meltwater collects and eventually drains.

The rivulets drain into larger rivers that carve natural paths across the ice sheet.

Over years, impurities in the ice become concentrated, making it darker. Those areas absorb more sunlight, causing more melting.

Underneath the surface, the ice develops holes, like swiss cheese.

This river reached a large depression in the ice and formed a lake.

The lake fed another fast-moving river on the opposite side.

That river disappeared down a hole in the ice, called a moulin.

Sea level rise depends on how much water drains from the ice sheet into the ocean, and how fast.

New research suggests that more of the water may be trapped inside the ice sheet than previously thought.

On Greenlands vast ice sheet, meltwater flows in rivulets as sunlight and warm air heat the surface ice.

Surface variations create thousands of low-lying areas where meltwater collects and drains.

The rivulets drain to larger rivers that carve natural paths across the ice sheet.

Over years, impurities in the ice become concentrated, making it darker. Those areas absorb more heat, and cause greater melting.

This river reached a depression in the ice and formed a lake, which fed another river on the opposite side.

That river disappeared down a hole in the ice, called a moulin.

Sea level rise depends on how much water drains from the ice sheet into the ocean. New research suggests there may be more water trapped in the ice than previously thought.
Students in gym class at Mildred I. Lavizzo Elementary School in Chicago. Whatever kids come in here, we know we can grow them, the schools principal, Tracey Stelly, says. Lyndon French for The New York Times

CHICAGO  In the Chicago Public Schools system, enrollment has been declining, the budget is seldom enough, and three in four children come from low-income homes, a profile that would seemingly consign the district to low expectations. But students here appear to be learning faster than those in almost every other school system in the country, according to new data from researchers at Stanford.

The data, based on some 300 million elementary-school test scores across more than 11,000 school districts, tweaks conventional wisdom in many ways. Some urban and Southern districts are doing better than data typically suggests. Some wealthy ones dont look that effective. Many poor school systems do.

This picture, and Chicagos place in it, defy how we typically think about wealth and education in America. Its true that children in prosperous districts tend to test well, while children in poorer districts on average score lower. But in this analysis, which measures how scores grow as student cohorts move through school, the Stanford researcher Sean Reardon argues that its possible to separate some of the advantages of socioeconomics from whats actually happening in schools.

In Chicago, third graders collectively test below the second-grade level on reading and math. But this data shows that over the next five years, they receive the equivalent of six years of education. By the eighth grade, their scores have nearly caught up to the national average:

Test scores for 3rd graders in 2,000 large school districts.  Poorer districts Richer districts  Now see 8th grade 

By comparison, children in the Milwaukee Public Schools test at similarly low rates in the third grade but advance more slowly, leaving them even further behind by the eighth grade. In Marylands Anne Arundel County, third graders test above the national average. But growth there lags behind Chicago, where the poverty rate is about five times higher.

Across the country, this analysis shows, the wealth of a district tells us little about the effectiveness of its schools.

Change in test scores between 3rd grade and 8th grade  Poorer districts Richer districts 

One question weve been asking ourselves is: Do urban public school systems simply reflect the poverty of the kids in the schools, or do they overcome those effects to any degree? said Michael Casserly, the executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, which represents large urban districts.

This new data shows that many do overcome them. It also suggests that states that rate schools and select which ones to reward or shutter based on average test scores are using the wrong metric, Mr. Reardon argues. And so are parents who rely on publicly available test scores to identify what they believe are the best school districts  and so the best places to live.

Most people think theres some signal in that, Mr. Reardon, a professor of education, said of average test scores. But its a pretty bad signal.

Standardized tests, he acknowledges, are an incomplete measure of educational success, and some places like the state of Massachusetts have tried to include measures of growth in evaluating teachers and schools because of the limitations that Mr. Reardon points to.

Even the Chicago Teachers Union, however, warns that standardized tests dont measure the richness of a curriculum, or whether students have access to librarians and college counselors. Mr. Reardons data also cant detect when changes occur because students leave or enter a district between third and eighth grade. So demographic change may affect growth rates in a place like Anne Arundel, which has experienced an influx of children who are still learning English.

Educators have long debated whether its better to evaluate students and schools on proficiency levels or growth rates. Mr. Reardons data makes possible a national database of both. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 required states to conduct their own assessments in reading and math. This analysis converts those state scores, from 2009 to 2015, into a common standard measured in grade levels.

Districts with high growth are scattered across the country, in contrast with sharp geographic divisions on proficiency that show Northern schools ahead of those in the Deep South. School systems across Arizona and Tennessee that appear to test well below national averages are in fact overperforming in growth. Many predominantly minority districts where third graders start behind have high growth rates. But in New York City, where third graders test at the national average, slow growth puts them at a disadvantage later.

Highest growth rates School district Growth after 5 years Lowest growth rates School district Growth after 5 years Among the 200 largest school districts.

Even the fastest growth rates Mr. Reardon measures couldnt completely close the proficiency gap that exists early on between typical poor and wealthy districts. That suggests that the most effective school systems alone cant overcome all the disadvantages of poverty that accumulate before children even reach third grade and that shape the countrys racial achievement gaps.

There is promise, however, in a place like Chicago.

Heres the third-biggest school system in the country thats dramatically outperforming not just the other big poor districts, but almost every district in the country, at scale, Mr. Reardon said. If we understood what was causing that, in Chicago and other disadvantaged but high-growth districts, that might help reduce educational inequality, he said.

Lavizzo Elementary School in Chicago serves a student population thats 98 percent black and 93 percent low income. Lyndon French for The New York Times

Even within this city, theres broad disbelief in good news about the schools, in how they could succeed amid perpetual budget cuts, contentious school closings, rising crime and financial crisis.

But Mr. Reardon finds no evidence of inflated test scores in the district (by contrast, the recent cheating scandal in Atlanta is apparent in his data). Researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago have also pointed to positive results for Chicago, relative to the rest of Illinois, and using other metrics.

At some point, youve got to say, O.K., this is getting to be an accurate picture,  Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. The district has come far from 30 years ago, Mr. Emanuel notes, when Education Secretary William Bennett described the citys schools as the worst in the country.

I do wonder, if our students were not predominantly minority and poor, would people have the same level of skepticism? said Janice Jackson, the districts chief education officer since 2015 and a former teacher and principal in the system. In public education we talk all the time about beating the odds, about public education as the great equalizer. But when we see it happen, we question it.

Computer class at Lavizzo Elementary School on the far South Side of Chicago. Lyndon French for The New York Times

Mr. Reardons data shows that every demographic group within the district is growing at rates well above the national average, with Hispanic students outpacing whites. But while growth is broadly distributed, the pattern in Chicago and across the country means that black-white achievement gaps arent narrowing much even in the districts with the strongest growth.

On the citys far South Side, scores have risen at Mildred I. Lavizzo Elementary School, which serves a student population thats nearly 98 percent black and 93 percent low income. Several homes across the street are boarded up, and the area has lost population and jobs. Inside the school, the halls are decorated with emblems of other places: college banners, foreign flags, clocks that tell the time in Nairobi and Dublin.

Tracey Stelly, the principal since 2009, has brought in every enhancement she can find. The school uses an International Baccalaureate curriculum. The students read the Junior Great Books. The school hosts a community farmers market. Outside groups lead choir classes and organized games at recess.

Whatever kids come in here, we know we can grow them, Ms. Stelly said. She peered into the gymnasium one afternoon this fall while the fifth graders were dancing with their teachers to celebrate a schoolwide fund-raising project. When kids come in the building, she said, they know, This is where I belong. 

At Lavizzo, the districts emphasis on data and performance tracking is also conveyed to students in a manner Ms. Stelly hopes will inspire competition while remaining playful. One first-floor bulletin board updates the schools attendance targets. Another records goals that students have set for their standardized test scores.

Across the district, data about attendance and grades is being used to identify the students likely to need extra attention. And the district has emphasized the role of more autonomous principals in improving instruction, an element of reform that Mr. Emanuel said is underappreciated nationally in debates that more often focus on teachers.

Students at Chicagos Lavizzo Elementary School learn an International Baccalaureate curriculum. Lyndon French for The New York Times

The mayor has pushed other changes, including a longer school day and expanded pre-K, but those policies have shifted too recently to explain all the gains in Mr. Reardons data. Mr. Casserly suggests that Chicago and other large urban districts have been focused for years on the quieter work of defining what grade level actually means and how to get children there.

Between all these changes, its hard to untangle whats been most effective, said Elaine Allensworth, who leads an education research consortium at the University of Chicago that works with the district. But she is confident the results are real.

I go into schools now and I see places that are very different from what I saw 15 years ago, she said. Its much more collaborative among teachers and data-focused, and focused on students.

Compare your school district with its neighbors

Use the search box here or elsewhere on the page to see how your local school district compares with others in its county or nearby.

How compares with other nearby school districts in the state District Growth after 5 years Nat. pct. Median inc. National percentiles are based on school districts with reliable data.
Babri demolition verdict: All you need to know about the key figures

25 years ago: Babri Masjid demolition an attack on idea, promise enshrined in Constitution?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Dec 5: Since 1992, every year on December 6, India is reminded of two realities--one a fatal attack on a religious place that could rip apart the entire nation for generations to come, and second, in a secular and democratic country, rule of the majoritarian is the most dangerous idea.

On Wednesday (December 6), India will mark the 25th anniversary of the demolition of controversial Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, which for the first time in independent India divided the nation on communal lines openly.

A day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of medieval-era-structure, which resulted in deadly riots, on Tuesday, the Supreme Court is likely to commence a final hearing in the long-standing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute.

A specially constituted bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will be hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

As politics over the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site grows bigger with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government both at the Centre and in UP, there is a growing sense of uneasiness among the "liberals" that any "wrong decision" on the part the apex court or the government could further divide the country.

Writing for The Indian Express, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo and former chief minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, said, "The Babri demolition in 1992 involves us all. It was an attack on idea and promise enshrined in India's Constitution."

According to Lalu, who is currently at loggerheads with the BJP government both at the Centre and in Bihar, said that demolition of the disputed structure is the reason behind the rise of Hindu-right wing party since 1992.

"We saw the triumphant rise of a Hindu right which has culminated as the most dominant force in the political discourse of present-day India. Beginning in the late 1980s, Indian politics has seen the sudden rise of the BJP and the ascendance of a Hindu nationalist ideology.

"Moving from two to 85 parliamentary seats between 1984 and 1989, the Hindu right-wing party was catapulted onto the national political map, where it remained as the ruling party at the national level until May 2004," wrote the former railway minister.

In the same column, Lalu lashed out at the current Narendra Modi government stating that it is a "challenge to secular-socialist fabric" of India.

"In a majority (the BJP) since 2014, it has posed the most comprehensive challenge to the secular-socialist fabric in India's post-Independence history," Lalu wrote.

Lalu added that the demolition of the mosque "initiated a new phase of sectarian violence and the targeting of the minorities, especially Muslims, in several cities across India".

"What is most worrying about present-day India is that there is a marked shift in the political discourse, where there is not only greater acceptability of the idea of a 'majoritarian homogenous cultural nationhood' but also the relegation of minorities and other vulnerable groups to the status of 'non-citizens'.

"The brazen forms of majoritarian violence being unleashed on the people and communities on the margins through mob lynchings, cow vigilantism and religious assertions by the majority, are reflective of the transition India has undergone from the 1990s to the post-2014 political landscape."

While ending his write-up, Lalu questions, whether "twenty five years later, the demolished medieval mosque seeks an answer from all of us?"

"Will the India of Bapu's dreams remain, or will it succumb to pressures from the ideology that assassinated him?" asked Lalu.

OneIndia News
Why is salary so low

The Congress vice-president who filed his nomination for the post of president on Monday shared a video of a lady speaking about the low pay scale for teachers employed in the states and Centre as well. Seventh Pay Commission mein Rs 18, 000 maasik hone ke bawajood fixed aur contract mahina pagaar Rs 5,500 aur Rs 10, 000 kyun hai? (Despite several recommendations made under 7th Pay Commission suggesting Rs 18,000 per month as minimum pay, why is the pay for fixed and contract workers at Rs 5,500 and Rs 10,000?)" Rahul Gandhi said.

Ill-treatment of employees

Rahul Gandhi has been constantly asking questions about the manner in which the CG employees are being treated. He has said that the Modi government has been ill-treating the CG employees. This is incidentally the first time that a leader from the opposition has raised the issue of the CG employees.

Massive protest

On December 13 the Rajasthan state government employees have planned a major protest across the state unhappy with the manner in which the 7th Pay Commission issue has been handled. They want the recommendations to be implemented from January 1 2016 instead of January 1 2017.

Centre mum on 7th Pay Commission

Meanwhile the Centre is quiet on the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. It has already made it clear that the basic minimum pay hike and fitment factors are not an anomaly. This has dashed the hopes of the CG employees who have been left frustrated and disgusted.
Fall of a titan

On Dec 5, 2016, 68-year-old Jayalalithaa passed away following a cardiac arrest. She was being treated at the Apollo hospital in Chennai for 75 days prior to her death.

Panneeraelvam was made the CM hurriedly

On the same day, within minutes of Jayalalithaa's demise being made public, O Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS was swiftly sworn in as Chief Minister. A whole new cabinet took oath sobbing.

Sasikala Natarajan becomes the AIADMK chief

On December 29, 2016, the party leaders decided to make Sasikala Natarajan, Jayalalithaa's closest aide, the General Secretary of AIADMK. A resolution is passed unanimously at party's general council sans Sasikala.

Pannerselvam pushed to the corner

After taking over as the party chief it becomes obvious that a single person is to head the party and government. On February 5, 2017, Pannerselvam resigned as Chief Minister paving way for Sasikala's elevation. Sasikala is elected as the head of the AIADMK legislature party and decides to stake claim to form a government. While then Governor C Vidyasagar Rao accepts Panneerselvam's resignation, the latter is asked to continue until a new Chief Minister is appointed.

The revolutionary meditation

A calm Panneerselvam sat meditating by Jayalalithaa's memorial on February 7, 2017. When he finished, he began the revolt in AIADMK. A split in the AIADMK became real with many MLAs taking Panneerselvam's side. Jayalalithaa's party was split.

Sasikala herds AIADMK MLAs

Anticipating the possibility of OPS garnering more support, Sasikala Natarajan and TTV Dinakaran take more than 120 AIADMK MLAs taken to a resort near here apparently to prevent any defections to the OPS' camp. Some MLAs escape from the Koovathur resort to join Panneeraelvam camp. Meanwhile, public sympathy grows for Panneerselvam.

Sasikala gets convicted in DA case

On February 14, the Supreme Court set aside the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting Sasikala in a 19-year-old disproportionate assetscase. Before heading to the Bengaluru central prison to serve her sentence Sasikala Natarajan expels Panneerselvam and 19 other senior leaders and appoints Edappadi K Palaniswami as head of the AIADMK legislature party.

Palanisamy becomes Chief Minister

Following Panneerselvam's resignation, Palanisamy takes oath as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu on February 16, 2017. The following day OPS camp announces expulsion of Sasikala and her two relatives T T V Dinakaran and S Venkatesh from the party.

Floor test that ended in drama

On February 18, EPS wins confidence vote by 122 to 11 votes amid high drama in the assembly. DMK's M K Stalin walked out with a torn shirt accusing the marshals of assaulting his party legislators. The DMK as well as the OPS camp launches stirs.

Fight for Jaya's legacy

Split into two, the EPS faction of AIADMK nominates T T V Dhinakaran as thecandidate for the RK Nagar bypoll scheduled for April 12. E Madhusudanan was OPS's candidate.

Two leaves frozen

The EC on March 22 froze the 'Two leaves' election symbol of AIADMK and stops rival camps from using the party symbol as well as its name for the bypoll. EPS camp gets "hat" as its symbol and AIADMK (Amma) as name while

Panneerselvam camp was allotted 'electric pole' as its symbol and named as AIADMK (Puratchithalaivi Amma).

EC countermands RK Nagar polls

On April 9, the EC cancels the bypoll over the alleged use of money power to influence voters. Within days TTV Dinakaran is booked by the Delhi Crime Branch over allegations of attempting to bribe election commission officials to get the Two leaves symbol. Dinakaran is arrested and lodged at the Tihar jail.

When state politics met centre

The months of July and August saw a series of meetings between Palanisamy, Panneerselvam and central leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi individually. The opposition parties accused the centre of fuelling political unrest in Tamil Nadu.

The grand AIADMK merger

On August 17, chief minister Palanisamy ordered a judicial inquiry into Jayalalithaa's death paving the way for a merger with Panneerselvam camp. Within days the Two warring factions merged and conveniently ousted Sasikala Natarajan and her family from the party.

EC grants party symbol

The election commission of India, after a prolonged trial, decided that the name AIADMK and the symbol should belong to the merged Palanisamy and Panneerselvam camp of the party.

R K Nagar bypoll to be held

A year after Jayalalithaa's death, bypolls have been rescheduled in her constituency of RK Nagar. The constituency will go to poll on December 21 and the fight is between AIADMK, DMK and TTV Dinakaran.

Oneindia news
Amarnath Yatra attack avenged: All terrorists who carried out attack wiped out

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The group that carried out the Amarnath Yatra attack has been wiped out. First it was Abu Ismail, the man who was the mastermind of the attack, as he was gunned down in an encounter a couple of months back.

The latest to bite the Army's bullets are Abu Mavia, Fukran and the Yawar group. On September 14, Ismail was gunned down by the security forces.

After months of tracking he was traced to Aribagh in Jammu and Kashmir. His associate Chhota Qasim who was also part of the attack and was killed in the encounter.

In July, Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists opened fired on a bus from Gujarat carrying pilgrims. 8 yatris were killed in the attack. Detailed investigations showed that Ismail was involved in the attack. The police said that he was the mastermind of the attack and was also present at the crime scene. He was the first to open fire on the bus, the police also said.

The killing of Ismail was a major success. He was the fourth A++ terrorist to be killed in Kashmir in recent months after Abu Dujana, Sabzar Bhat and Burhan Wani.

Ismail in his mid 30s had been a part of the Lashkar for the last seven years. He was part of a camp comprising 200 terrorists who had been training to launch attacks in India.

OneIndia News
Measles in Mumbai: Toddler dies, 126 children infected in 2022 so far

Aamir Khan announces break from acting, wants to spend time with family

Cyclone Ockhi: Mumbai on high alert, schools and colleges to remain shut

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Precautionary holiday has been declared in schools and colleges in Mumbai and adjoining districts on Tuesday due to 'serious weather predictions' in view of Cyclone Ockhi, Maharashtra minister Vinod Tawde has said.

A high alert was also issued in Gujarat's Banaskantha District administration declares high alert in the district from December 4 to December 6 over the storm.

Schools and colleges in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Sindhudurga, Thane, Raigad and Palghar Districts will be closed on Tuesday as a precautionary measure.

However, Mumbai University and affiliated colleges will not be closed tomorrow. All exams scheduled to be conducted as announced earlier.

The Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD) Mumbai observatory issued a rain and thundershower warning for the city and suburbs beginning Monday night owing to the cyclonic storm Ockhi.

"Maharashtra and Gujarat are on high alert as cyclone Ockhi has changed its path in the afternoon today. In the next 24 hours heavy to heavy rainfall is expected in both the state," reported IMD.

Break-down equipment such as Accident Relief Train, Accident Relief medical van, Road ART have been kept in readiness for any eventuality, the Central Railway Mumbai Division informed.

All emergency numbers have been updated. An Emergency cell has been opened at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Kalyan.

More than 250 railway police force and Maharashtra State Security Force personnel have been deployed on crowd management and other related activities at stations.

Many districts in South Kerala, Tamil Nadu and island group in the Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep has faced the ramshackle conditions with as much as 19 lives have been lost so far.

Search and rescue operations in the southeast Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands continue and the Navy has deployed 10 naval ships and 8 aircraft, round the clock service late last night for the ongoing rescue operations.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 8:48 [IST]
Depression likely to form in next 48 hours, TN unlikely to feel impact

India

pti-PTI

Chennai, Dec 5: A well-marked low pressure area persisting over the South East Bay of Bengal was expected to turn into a depression and intensify into a deep depression over the next 48 hours, the Regional Meteorological Centre said.

"The system is expected to concentrate into a depression during the next 12 hours and further intensify into a deep depression in the subsequent 48 hours," the Director of the Area Cyclone Warning Centre, S Balachandran, said. The depression was expected to move in the north-western direction, towards north Tamil Nadu and the south Andhra coast, he told reporters here.

The fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea for the next four days, till December 8, Balachandran said, adding that those already in the sea were requested to return to the shore. Light rains were expected at one or two places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the next two days, he said.

To a query, Balachandran said the new system would gain strength and turn into a depression with the weakening of Cyclone Ockhi, which was already on. "As per the present conditions, the depression is not likely to have much of an impact in Tamil Nadu," he said, while responding to another question.

In Andhra Pradesh too, it was expected to weaken as it moved, Balachandran said, adding that however, the system was being monitored and there might be changes as well.

PTI
Bharat Jodo Yatra will proceed to Srinagar, come what may, says Rahul Gandhi as march enters Maharashtra

Does Rahul need a math teacher? Congress VPs 7th query to Modi cites wrong figures

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Dec 5: This time, math proved to be a stumbling block for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. The scion of the Gandhi family is infamous for committing silly mistakes in his speeches often.

However, on Tuesday, he had a facepalm moment when he posted wrong figures to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections. The Assembly polls in the state are scheduled on December 9 and 14.

As a part of the Gujarat polls, Rahul is regularly posting questions to Modi on Twitter regarding various issues. On Tuesday, while Rahul posted his seventh query to Modi he ended up citing wrong figures.

The soon-to-be Congress president in his tweet on Tuesday talked about rising prices of essential commodities. He also tweeted a table with figures showing the percentage rise in prices of gas cylinders, daals, tomato, onions, milk and diesel. However, all the percentages are inflated by 100 points on that table.

"Presenting the data on gas cylinders, Gandhi said that cost of one cylinder in 2014 was Rs 414, whereas, in 2017, it had gone up to Rs 742. Thereafter, instead of saying that there had been an increase of 79 percent, the Nehru-Gandhi scion erroneously mentioned it as a 179 percent increase," stated a report by ANI.

"That was not all! He followed it up by saying that price of pulses had risen by 177 percent instead of 77 percent, the price of tomatoes had gone up by 285 percent instead of 185 percent, that of onions had gone up by 200 percent instead of 100 percent, that of milk had gone up by 131 percent instead of 31 percent and the price of diesel had gone up by 113 percent instead of 13 percent," added the ANI report.

Once the faux pas on his part was cited by various media houses, Rahul deleted the original tweet and posted a new one with correct figures.

Below is the corrected version of the question:

22   #__



-7 :



    

    

GST    

    -

  



    

     ? pic.twitter.com/1S8Yt0nI7B  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 5, 2017

Rahul has sought accountability from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the promises the saffron party made to the state in previous polls. "22 salon ka hisaab, Gujarat mange jawaab (Gujarat demands answers for 22 years of the BJP rule)," is the tagline of Rahul's posers to the PM.

Regarding, why Modi or the BJP is yet to answer any of Rahul's queries, Union minister Jitendra Singh advised the Gandhi scion to change his scriptwriter.

"Its high time he gets his scriptwriter changed. This college-level poetry type statements don't deserve a response," said Singh.

OneIndia News
Dreaded criminal Tahir Hussain to be probed in Gauri Lankesh murder case

India

oi-Anusha

The Special Investigation Team probing the assassination of journalist Gauri Lankesh is all set to question a dreaded criminal and history-sheeter. Tahir Hussain alias Anoop will be questioned for illegal possession of countrymade pistol- a weapon similar to that used by Gauri Lankesh's assassins.

Hussain, infamous for arms supply and extortion, was arrested by the Central Crime Branch police on Sunday in Parappana Agrahara police station limits. The CCB police recovered a country-made pistol from Hussain. The SIT probing Gauri Lankesh murder will question the history-sheeter about the pistol to inquire into the possibility of him supplying the same to the suspects.

"He (Hussain) was arrested by the CCB on Sunday for possession of illegal arms. He has been remanded to police custody and we will question him shortly. He has a criminal history and has been found in possession of illegal weapons and hence, we will question him," DCP Anucheth who is part of the SIT told the media on Tuesday.

The CCB police have booked Hussain, a resident of Chikkaballapur under section 3 and 25 of the Arms Act. Hussain has cases registered against him in Maharashtra as well and is said to have links with the underworld. Hussain, the CCB police claim, was arrested when was plotting to kidnap a financier in Bengaluru.

The SIT's decision to question Hussain comes on the day Gauri Lankesh's family and friends staged a protest questioning the progress in the case. Tuesday marked three months of the journalist's murder but no arrests have been made so far in the case.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 22:23 [IST]
Hindu player from Pak cricket team wishes everyone on Diwali, wants to visit Ayodhya

Construction of Ayodhya mosque likely to be completed by December 2023

Final hearing on Ayodhya dispute in SC today: Mapping a three-decade history

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

The Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi land dispute in Ayodhya is a decades old issue which has proved to be a source of religious and political conflict.

The first suit regarding the structure was filed in 1885, when the Faizabad Deputy Commissioner refused to let Mahant Raghubar Das build a temple on land adjoining the mosque.

Das then filed a title suit in a Faizabad court against the Secretary of State for India, seeking permission to build a temple on the Chabutra on the outer courtyard of the Babri Masjid. The legal battle over the title has gone on for over a century.

Just a day ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya on December 1992, the Supreme Court of India is set to begin final hearing in the politically controversial Babri Masjid-Ram temple dispute case.

Here is the timeline of events of the dispute has gone on for three-decades

1528: A mosque is built on the site, where according to Hindus, Lord Ram, was born.1853: First ever recorded incidents of religious riots in Ayodhya.

1859: British administration erects a fence to separate the places of worship. According to rules set by British, the inner court was used by Muslims and the outer court by Hindus.

1949: 'Miraculous' appearance of idols of Lord Ram inside the mosque. The idols were allegedly placed there by Hindus. Muslims protest and both parties file civil suits. The government proclaims the premises a disputed area and locks the gates.

1984: A Hindus committee is formed to "liberate" the birth-place of Lord Ram and build a temple in his honour, led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad party (VHP).

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishna Advani takes over leadership of the campaign.

1986: District judge orders the gates of the disputed mosque to be opened to allow Hindus to worship there. Muslims set up Babri Mosque Action Committee in protest.

1989: VHP steps up the campaign, laying the foundations of a Ram temple on land adjacent to the disputed mosque.

1990: VHP volunteers partially damage the mosque. Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar tries to resolve the dispute through negotiations, but in vain.

1991: BJP comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, where Ayodhya is located.

1992: The mosque is torn down by supporters of the VHP, the Shiv Sena party and the BJP, prompting nationwide rioting between Hindus and Muslims in which more than 2,000 people die.

Incidents of riots were reported in Pakistan and Bangladesh too, where Muslims vandalised Hindu temples and homes. Hindus living in those countries suffered more harassment and discrimination in the following years.

1998: The BJP forms a coalition government under Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

2001: Tensions rise on the anniversary of the demolition of the mosque. VHP pledges again to build Hindu temple at the site.

Jan 2002: Vajpayee sets up an Ayodhya cell in his office and appoints a senior official, Shatrughna Singh, to hold talks with Hindu and Muslim leaders.

Feb 2002: BJP rules out committing itself to the construction of a temple in its election manifesto for Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. VHP confirms deadline of 15 March to begin construction. Hundreds of volunteers converge on site. At least 58 people are killed in an attack on a train in Godhra which is carrying Hindu activists returning from Ayodhya.

Mar 2002: Between 1,000 and 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, died in riots in Godhra in Gujarat following the train attack.

Apr 2002: Three High Court judges begin hearings on determining who owns the religious site.

Jan 2003: Archaeologists begin a court-ordered survey to find out whether a temple to Lord Ram existed on the site.Aug 2003: The survey says there is evidence of a temple beneath the mosque, but Muslims dispute the findings. Vajpayee says at the funeral of Hindu activist Ramchandra Das Paramhans that he will fulfil the dying man's wishes and build a temple at Ayodhya. However, he hopes the courts and negotiations will solve the issue.

Sept 2003: A court rules that seven Hindu leaders should stand trial for inciting the destruction of the Babri Mosque, but no charges are brought against Advani, who was also at the site in 1992.

Oct 2004: Advani says his party still has "unwavering" commitment to building a temple at Ayodhya, which he said was "inevitable".

Nov 2004: A court in Uttar Pradesh rules that an earlier order which exonerated Mr Advani for his role in the destruction of the mosque should be reviewed.

July 2005: Suspected Islamic militants attack the disputed site, using a jeep laden with explosives to blow a hole in the wall of the complex. Security forces kill five people they say are militants and a sixth who was not immediately identified.

June 2009: The Liberhan commission investigating events leading up to the mosque's demolition submits its report - 17 years after it began its inquiry.

Nov 2009: There is an uproar in parliament as the Liberhan commission's report is published and it blames leading politicians from the Hindu nationalist BJP for a role in the mosque's razing.

Sept 2010: Allahabad High Court rules that the site should be split, with the Muslim community getting control of a third, Hindus another third and the Nirmohi Akhara sect the remainder. Control of the main disputed section, where the mosque was torn down, is given to Hindus. A lawyer for the Muslim community says he will appeal.

May 2011: Supreme Court suspends High Court ruling after Hindu and Muslim groups appeal against the 2010 verdict.

September 2013: SC advanced by about two months the date of hearing in the Babri Masjid demolition case against L.K. Advani and 19 others after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) pleaded for an early hearing which was not opposed by the senior BJP leader.

31 March 2015: SC issues notice to senior BJP leaders, including L.K.Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharati and Kalyan Singh, on a plea not to drop charges of criminal conspiracy against them in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

21 March: SC suggests fresh attempts to resolve Ayodhya dispute.

6 April: SC favours time-bound completion of a trial in the case and reserves order on CBI's plea.

19 April 2017: SC restores criminal conspiracy charge against leaders including Advani, Joshi and union cabinet minister Uma Bharti in the case and clubs the trial in the matter pending against VIPs and karsevaks.

October 2017, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tried to mediate in the Ayodhya dispute, offering an out-of-court solution. It was rejected by political parties and various religious boards.

Last month the Shia Central Waqf Board offered a new proposal to the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi conflict in Ayodhya - a Ram temple in Ayodhya, a mosque in Lucknow. Several Muslim bodies have rejected the Shia Board's proposal.

OneIndia News
Born as Balbir Raj, here's how Shashi Kapoor got his name

Goof up by BBC: Shows Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor during news on Shashi Kapoor's demise

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

In a major goof up by the BBC, the channel aired footage of Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan while the anchor gave the news of Shashi Kapoor's death and described his illustrious career.

The clips show Amitabh Bachchan in popular song Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein, from the film Kabhie Kabhie, as the anchor describes that Shashi Kapoor acted in over 150 films. Another clip from the same news story shows Rishi Kapoor. BBC became a laughing stock on the social media as Twitterati lambasted the reputed channel for not being able to tell actors apart.

Hang on @bbcnews Shashi Kapoor has died not Amitabh Bachan or Rishi Kapoor, who you've weirdly used to illustrate the story. pic.twitter.com/48jo6DGjU6  Media Diversified (@WritersofColour) December 4, 2017

Now, before pointing fingers at BBC we must know what Times Now tweeted on Monday evening which resulted in Shashi Tharoor getting condolence messages.

Times Now official Twitter handle read, "Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar remembering Shashi Tharoor on his sad demise said he is one producer who got parallel cinema on the front."

Tharoor's office was flooded with phone calls due to Times Now faux pas, with some even offering their 'heartfelt' condolences'.

Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor passed away on Monday in Mumbai at the age of 79. The actor was suffering from old age related illness.

OneIndia News
Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth?

Gujarat assembly polls 2017: Photo finish for BJP, Congress says survey

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

A poll conducted ahead of the Gujarat elections has suggested a photo finish. The Lokniti-CSDS-ABP News predicted an equal vote share for both the BJP and Congress.

The report states that the BJP's vote share has dropped 16 percentage points in just four months. A similar survey conducted in August had said that the BJP's vote share would be at 59 per cent. This was down to 43 per cent by the last week of November.

Where the Congress is concerned it had only 29 per cent of the vote share in August. This has grown by 14 percentage points in the four months since, with the party now neck-and-neck with the BJP.

The popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dipped 18 points from 82 per cent in August to 64 per cent in November. Rahul Gandhi's popularity has risen 8 percentage points from 40 per cent in August to 57 per cent in the latest survey.

The survey says that the dip in the BJP's lead could be attributed to anger among traders. As per the survey, in October the BJP had a lead of four points among traders; however, the latest survey shows this has been nearly reversed, with the Congress now getting 43% votes among the trading community, as opposed to the BJP at 40%.

The survey was conducted from November 23 through November 30 2017. The survey indicates that the woman votes too have shifted in favour of the Congress. A month back the women were strongly backing the BJP with 50 per cent as opposed to 39 per cent for the Congress.

Now the gap between the two parties is just two points with 44 per cent favouring the BJP and 42 per cent for the Congress.

OneIndia News
Gujarat Election: Congress releases lucrative people's manifesto

India

oi-Shreya

By Shreya

Recommended Video

Gujarat Election 2017: Congress releases lucrative people's manifesto | Oneindia news

The Congress on December 4 released its 60-page People's Manifesto 2017 for the crucial Gujarat elections which will be held in two phases on December 9 and 14.

The manifesto, released in Ahmedabad by Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Bharatsinh Solanki, had its prime focus on Patel quota, a stipend to youth until employment, loan waivers for farmers, houses for landless women and several other issues that had led to unrest in the state.

The party promised to pay unemployment allowance up to Rs 4000 for every unemployed youth, and said that it would also request the GST council to exempt small traders with an annual turnover up to Rs 1.50 crore. The manifesto also promised quota benefits for unreserved communities without changing the present reservation formula.

The party manifesto also promised reservation to the Patidaars under the Economically Backward Classes category. The manifesto said that without making any changes to the already 49% reservation for the backward communities, the Congress will introduce a bill in the Assembly under article 46 of the Constitution and keeping in view the provisions of Article 31 (c) for the non-reserved communities category.

The Manifesto also said that special investigation teams will be set up to probe corruptions of the BJP Government.

Addressing the farmers the party manifesto promised loan waivers for farmers, free water for irrigation and 16-hour electricity during the daytime, along with crop insurance, bonus for special crops.

Women empowerment also found a prominent space in the party's People Manifesto - 2017 as the party promised that houses will be given to all women from every community. 100% free education from primary to higher education will also be provided to all girls of all communities among others are the party's main agenda for women empowerment.

The party also promised free education from pre-primary to PHD to all students from poor to middle-class families to ensure quality education.

Addressing the need for better healthcare the party manifesto promised to provide Sardar Patel Universal Healthcare Card and free medicines.

For minorities, State minority commission will be constituted as per the manifesto.

Along with the aforementioned features, the manifesto has also addressed issues on social security, construction of fast-track courts, issues about rural development, food security and equal work, equal pay, minimum wages for labourers.

It is yet to be seen if the angst as claimed by the opposition and three activist leaders, Jignesh Mevani, Alpesh Thakore and Hardik Patel will hold relevance in the Gujarat Election and if the BJP will lose power in Gujarat where it has been the ruling party for four terms already.

OneIndia News
Fact Check: This image of huge crowds in Gujarat is not from the AAP roadshow

Gujarat elections: Congress hopes to clinch BJP's bastion Mandvi

India

pti-PTI

Ahmedabad, December 5: The Congress is attempting to breach the BJP's traditional "fortress" -- the Mandvi seat in Kutch district -- by wooing a cross-section of voters as the clock ticking for the high-stakes Gujarat Assembly polls.

Congress heavyweight Shaktisinh Gohil, the 57-year-old Rajput leader, considered by many as the party's chief ministerial choice, would lock horns with BJP's new face Virendrasinh Jadeja, who is also a Rajput, in the Muslim- dominated Mandvi Assembly constituency.

In an apparent bid to avoid anti-incumbency, the BJP, which has maintained its winning streak on the seat since the last four decades, barring a few occasions, has dropped its sitting MLA Tarachand Chheda and given ticket to Jadeja, the 51-year-old local leader who had unsuccessfully contested from Rapar seat of Kutch in 2007.

Gohil is a sitting MLA from Abdasa seat of Kutch, but the Congress has decided to field him from Mandvi this time. After losing in the 2012 Assembly polls from his traditional seat -- Bhavnagar-Rural -- Gohil won the Abdasa bypoll in 2014 with a thin margin of just over 750 votes.

While Jadeja never won any Assembly poll, Gohil, who belongs to the royal family of Bhavnagar, is a four-time MLA and has served as a minister in the past Congress governments.

However, Jadeja is confident of retaining the BJP's stronghold with the support of all communities, including those who are considered to be the Congress' loyal vote bank -- such as Muslims, Dalits, and to some extent the Patidars.

The Mandvi seat, having a total voter base of 2.24 lakh, comprises two talukas of Kutch - Mandvi and Mundra. Out of the 2.24 lakh voters, the Muslims are in a dominating position with over 50,000 voter population, followed by around 31,000 Dalits, 25,000 Patidars and 21,000 Rajputs.

Though it appears to be a lucrative social dynamics for the Congress, the party won from the seat only four times while the BJP emerged victorious seven times since the formation of Gujarat in 1960.

Former BJP chief minister Suresh Mehta won from the seat five times, starting from 1975 till 1998. In 1975, Mehta won for the first time under the banner of 'Jan Sangh' - the BJP's parent body. In 2002, Congress candidate Chhabil Patel snatched the seat from BJP by defeating Mehta with a thin margin of 598 votes.

However, the Congress lost the seat to BJP in the elections of 2007 and 2012. Though the Congress might be hoping to sail through by riding on the back of Muslims, Dalits and Patidars, the BJP is confident of retaining the seat with its "vikas" (development) agenda.

"All these communities were also there when we won in the past. Why did they not vote for Congress at that time?" asked Jadeja. "I recently addressed a function where at least 4,000 Muslims pledged support to me. This has been a BJP fortress since the time of Jan Sangh and it will remain with us," the leader said exuding confidence.

"Above all, our MLA Tarachand Chheda and the BJP government have carried out developmental works worth Rs 1,100 crore in this region during the last five years. Even Narmada canal is being built. We are having support of all the communities," the BJP nominee told PTI.

On the other side, Gohil, who is the national spokesperson of All India Congress Committee (AICC) , claimed that he is receiving "great" response from the people.

"Till today, the work of Narmada canal till Mandvi has not been completed. After water, the biggest problem here is unemployment, and the BJP only made hollow promises all these years," he said. "I am receiving immense support from the locals," Gohil added.

PTI
We cannot wait longer now: SC to hear Vijay Mallyas contempt case in January for final disposal

India relies on 3 chapters of dishonesty while trying to extradite Mallya

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

There were three chapters of dishonesty that was unveiled by the prosecution which is seeking the extradition of former liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

The trial in the case will take place over the course of the next 8 days. The prosecution told the Westminster Court that Mallya had fraudulently obtained loans from Indian banks.

Mark Summers, appearing for the Crown Prosecution Service on India's behalf, told magistrate Emma Arbuthnot that Mallya's companies used a number of these loans for "unintended" purposes. Separate loans of Rs 150 crore and Rs 750 crore taken from IDBI Bank, besides funds acquired from the State Bank of India, were specifically mentioned.

The three chapters of dishonesty were presented before the court while quoting from a large number of bank documents, statements of witnesses and emails.

These chapters, according to him, were the many misrepresentations made to secure financial assistance; the unintended ways in which the funds were used; and what Mallya and his firms did when the loans were recalled.

Further, the prosecution accused Mallya of 'squirreling away' funds while using various tactics to prevent banks from retrieving their money. Further, he was also accused of playing round robin by trying to pay off loans from one bank with those obtained from another.

OneIndia News
Bharat Jodo Yatra will proceed to Srinagar, come what may, says Rahul Gandhi as march enters Maharashtra

Its true that Rahul is a dynast but its wrong for Modi to liken him to Aurangzeb

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Dec 5: These are 'politically' amazing times, definitely. On the one hand, two main political parties of the country--the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress--are fighting an ugly war of words to win the Gujarat Assembly elections, scheduled on December 9 and 14, on the other, the upcoming coronation of Rahul Gandhi as the president of the grand old party has reignited the debate over dynastic politics.

However, there is a twist to the entire debate over dynastic politics, this time.

The debate over whether Rahul is the fittest candidate to rule the Congress prominently features the most hated Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

On Monday, when the Congress with all band, baaja and baaraat (with all pomp, show and strength) accompanied Rahul baba (baby) to file his nomination papers for the election to the Congress president's post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat during an election rally compared the elevation of Congress vice-president to the dynastic succession among Mughal rulers.

"I congratulate the Congress on their 'Aurangzeb Raj'," Modi said on Rahul's promotion, while addressing an election rally at Dharampur town of Valsad district in his home state.

The PM did not compare Rahul with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb out of the blue. In fact, Modi while likening Rahul to the Mughal emperor was referring to senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who during a television interview regarding Rahul's coronation tried to bring an analogy between the Mughal dynasty and the Congress party.

However, in times of fake news and distortion of quotes, Aiyar's comments in defence of Rahul's elevation was twisted by the BJP's information technology cell head Amit Malviya who tweeted a video with the text "Mani Shankar Aiyar does it again! Compares Congress rule with Mughal Raj".

Mani Shankar Aiyar does it, again! Compares Congress rule with Mughal Raj! pic.twitter.com/irijmGjWbY  Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) December 4, 2017

Actually, Malviya did not tweet the entire video of Aiyar. Those who have watched the viral video of Aiyar as tweeted by the BJP shows the Congress loyalist comparing Rahul with Aurangzeb.

But in the "real" video, Aiyar stated that the rebel leader of the Congress, Shehzad Poonawalla, can contest party presidential election against Rahul unlike during the days of Mughal dynasty.

Speaking at the election rally, Modi latched on to Aiyar's remarks. Modi said: "Aiyar never shies away from showing loyalty to one family. I don't know whether he said this fearlessly or sarcastically. But I wish them good luck for Aurangzeb raj."

Modi asked if the Congress accepted that it was a one-family party. "We don't want this Aurangzebi raj." he said. "For us, the country comes first; 125 crore people of this country are our high command."

This is what actually Aiyar said in the controversial interview which was misquoted by the BJP, Modi and several media houses:

"Ek to, jab Jahangir ke jagah Shahjahaan aaye, tab koi election hua? Jab Shahjahaan ke jagah Aurganzaeb aaye, tab koi election hua? Nai. Pehle se pata tha, ki jo bhi badshaah hai, unke aulaad jo hai, woh hi banenge, woh bhi banenge, aapas mein lade to alag baat hai. Lekin, democracy mein chunaav hota hai, aur Shehzaad Punawala ko amantran mein de raha hoon, ki aapko yahaan aake khada hona ho to aap pahonch jaiye, application dijiye, aapne kabhi Shehzad Poonawala ka naam pehle kabhi suna tha?"

("When Shahjahan took the place of Jahangir, was an election held then? When Aurangzeb succeeded Shahjahan, was an election held then? This was always known that the heir to the emperor will inherit power, although it is another matter if the successors fight among themselves. But, in a democracy, elections are held. I invite [Congress functionary] Shehzad Poonawala to come and file an application to contest the election.")

In the past, Aiyar's comments have created a lot of furore, which includes the infamous chaiwala jibe against the PM. This time, however, the veteran Congress leader was trying to disassociate the Gandhi family from allegedly being a dynasty by bringing in the Mughal dynasty analogy.

Unfortunately, he was not fully quoted and was censored midway by 'mischief mongers'. The result is that the PM went on making wrong statements attributing to Aiyar.

While the BJP's IT cell department might be happy by trending #RahulMughalEmperor on Twitter on Monday, sadly, the whole fiasco once again brought to light how gullible we are in today's time when we end up believing, like the PM did, wrong information because of the unimaginable spread of fake news.

The entire process of Rahul taking over as the Congress boss was going smooth until Shehzad decided to blow the 'anti-dynastic politics' bugle.

The 30-year-old Shehzad, who is the Maharashtra Congress secretary, had alleged that the party president's election is rigged to favour Rahul.

During a rally in Gujarat on Sunday, Modi praised Shehzad for exposing the Congress for its lies. "A youngster Shehzad has exposed the rigging that is taking place in the Congress president poll. And Shehzad is a senior Congress leader in Maharashtra. The Congress Party has tried to muzzle his voice and wants to even remove him from their social media groups. What tolerance is this?" the PM said at a rally in Surendranagar.

After being praised by Modi, the rebel Congress leader thanked the PM on Sunday.

"The person whom I criticised (PM Modi) is supporting me, while the party (Congress) for which I gave my life is criticising me and saying that I am not a member of it."

"Thank you @PMOIndia (Prime Minister's Office). I will continue my fight against dynasty politics -- I will not be cowed down by attempts to silence me," said Shehzad on Twitter.

Talking to reporters in the national capital on Sunday, Shehzad said that the Congress had "no place for Shehzad (himself), but for shehzada (Rahul Gandhi)."

"I have been trying to raise the most important issue of dynastic politics and fair opportunity to the non-dynasts within the party for the past six to eight years. I also wrote to Rahul ji on this.

"Instead of answering my claims about delegates being fixed and one family one ticket rule--they are making baseless allegations against me that I am a BJP agent. I have to become a whistle-blower. I am not spineless like the other Congress leaders," the 30-year-old was quoted as saying by ANI.

All the issues raised by Shehzad are valid and the silence on the part of Congress and Rahul are equally deafening. The Congress should have come clean on the allegations made over the "opaque" process of party presidential poll.

What is more astonishing is that Rahul, who always claimed that he would promote young talent irrespective of their backgrounds, failed to live up to his words and like a despot (definitely not Aurangzeb as suggested by Modi and his team) decided to rule over the Congress.

In fact, Rahul had a great opportunity to end dynastic and feudal politics, as indicated by Assam BJP minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was earlier with the Congress.

Sadly, the trappings of power devoured Rahul, the reluctant politician, too, who in the race to get the top Congress job, forgot to give a chance to his party mates who have worked much harder than him.

OneIndia News
Where it all started

O Panneerselvam, Jayalalithaa's man Friday who stepped in as Chief minister twice when she was alive started the trend of 'samadhi politics' in Tamil Nadu. This picture of O Panneerselvam meditating at Jayalalithaa memorial went on to lay the foundation of the roller coaster ride that AIADMK has put itself through.

First stop, Jayalalithaa memorial

After being elevated as the interim General secretary of the AIADMK, Sasikala Natarajan visited the Jayalalithaa memorial. This image, dated February 2, 2017, was Sasikala visiting Jayalalithaa memorial before her first meeting with then Governor of Tamil Nadu Vidyasagar Rao.

Fight for Jayalalithaa's legacy

Deepa Jayakumar, J Jayalalithaa's niece para-dropped herself into the fight for Jayalalithaa's legacy. After accusing Sasikala Natarajan and the Chennai police of denying her permission to visit an ailing Jayalalithaa in the Apollo hospital, Deepa Jayakumar claimed a stake in Jayalalithaa's political and legal legacy.

Extended family at memorial

Not just Deepa but her husband too staked claim for Jayalalithaa's legacy. Days after Deepa floated her political front, her husband Madhavan too announced his independent political venture. Quite naturally, the spot he chose to visit first was Jayalalithaa memorial.

The promise of vengeance

One of the most powerful images that will be etched in Tamil Nadu political history. Sasikala Natarajan visited the Jayalalitha memorial after being convicted in the disproportionate assets case and before heading to Bengaluru central prison. Sasikala thumped Jayalalithaa's memorial thrice in a promise of vengeance

Memorial to political hotspot

Jayalalithaa has turned into a mandatory visit spot for any political activity in Tamil Nadu. D Jayakumar, the state's Finance Minister visited Jayalalithaa memorial with the budget for the year 2017-18 before taking it to the assembly. The theatrics continues.

Everybody wants the memorial

The AIADMK split into factions, Jayalalithaa's party broke into pieces but each piece diligently went to her memorial before any move. Supporters of TTV Dinakaran too visited Jayalalithaa memorial to pledge their support to Sasikala and her Mannargudi family.

A 'united visit' to the memorial

After forging a merger, O Panneerselvam and Edappadi Palanisamy went straight to Jayalalithaa memorial. Despite several differences, the two leaders put up a united front at their leader's final resting place. From the rebellion to the union, the memorial has seen it all.

Not just the AIADMK leaders

Jayalalithaa memorial has become a politically relevant venue, so much so that it is not just the AIADMK leaders who visit. The latest entrant into the electoral fray in Tamil Nadu, actor Vishal too, visited the memorial on Monday before filing nomination papers to contest as an independent in the R K Nagar poll.

OneIndia News
Kerala Love Jihad: Is there an Islamic State link?

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The National Investigation Agency has found a large conspiracy in the Kerala love jihad case. It has been found that Shafin Jahan whose marriage with Hadiya was annulled by the Kerala High Court was in touch with two chargesheeted operatives of the Islamic State.

The NIA questioned Jahan once again to seek clarity on his statements as some were found to be contradictory in nature.

The NIA learnt that Jahan was in touch with Safvan and Manseed via a closed Facebook group. It may be recalled that these persons had been arrested in October last year and were chargesheeted by the NIA. The case related to a conspiracy hatched by the ISIS in which the target were judges and senior police officers.

NIA officials tell OneIndia that the probe is still on and they are trying to get more information. The agency has also learnt that it was not a website called waytonikah that brought Jahan and Hadiya together. It was a person by the name Muneer who arranged the alliance.

This is a crucial breakthrough in the case since there were contradictions on how the two go together. Before the Kerala High Court, both had said that they met through the website. However, they had not paid the website and hence their full profile was not accessible. It appears as though some interested parties had collected their details and shared it, the NIA further learnt.

While their browsing history of the website is available, it was found that they had viewed each other's profiles. The first time that they viewed each other's profiles was in December and by that time they were already married.

NIA sources said the probe team "re-examined" Jahan on Monday for clarifying certain facts from his earlier statement.

They, however, did not elaborate as the matter is sub-judice.

The NIA had earlier investigated Jahan and submitted its statement before the Supreme Court.

The marriage of the couple was annulled by the Kerala High Court in December 2016 after her father alleged that his daughter was being indoctrinated and may be taken ISIS territories in Iraq and Syria by extremist Islamic outfits.

"We make it clear that the NIA investigation shall continue in accordance with law," the Supreme Court had said last week while allowing the 24-year-old woman to resume her studies at the homeopathic college in Tamil Nadu's Salem.

She was placed in her parents' custody since her marriage was annulled by the Kerala High Court.

OneIndia News
Ghaziabad: Mother kills newborn girl, stuffs body in washing machine

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

A 22-year-old woman has been arrested from Patla town here for allegedly smothering her newborn girl child as she wanted a boy.

Aarti, who gave birth to a baby girl just three months ago, said she was frustrated and angry at herself for not having a son," Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Tomar said.

In a fit of rage, Aarti, allegedly killed her daughter, Shivani, by suffocating her with a pillow on Sunday around 8 am. Other family members, including her in-laws, had gone out of the house.

The woman later called up police emergency number 100 and claimed that her daughter had been abducted by some unidentified persons.

The family members of the woman claimed that they had never pressurised her for a boy, police said. An investigation is underway.

Aarti is from Khanjarpur village near Modi Nagar and got married to Mohit over a year ago.

In a similar incident, the mother of a four-year-old girl was arrested after she allegedly forced her daughter to sit on a hot frying pan in Hyderabad. The child had reportedly damaged a laptop of an inmate at the hostel. Infuriated by this, Lalitha thrashed her daughter.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)
Case against Maha former minister for allegedly threatening to kill man

Alleged Pak caller threatens to blow up SBI bank if loan rejected, probe on

Mumbai: Gathering of 5 or more, loud speakers, illegal processions banned for a fortnight from Nov 1

Comedian Atul Khatri's joke on seatbelt becomes one on him as Mumbai Police responds

Mumbai police pays moving tribute to Shashi Kapoor

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Mumbai police have paid a touching tribute to Dada Saheb Phalke award winner actor Shashi Kapoor who breathed his last on Monday evening.

The Mumbai police posted a picture of Shashi Kapoor from the iconic movie 'Deewar', in which the actor played the role of an upright cop. Also, the police hailed the role of Ravi Verma played by Shashi Kapoor for setting up a benchmark for an upright policeman.

"The 'Deewar' between the 'Good' and 'Bad' that shall always stand tall till many generations to come to #RIPShashiKapoor, " tweeted Mumbai police.

The Deewar between the Good and Bad that shall always stand tall till many generations to come #RIPShashiKapoor pic.twitter.com/Z3x37OSC9G  Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) December 5, 2017

Shashi Kapoor, the youngest brother of Raj Kapoor, is immortalized by "Mere Paas Maa Hai"- the iconic dialogue from the movie 'Deewar' where he tells an irate and angry Amitabh Bachchan who chooses the wrong path to achieve materialistic success.

Shishi Kapoor was admitted for a reported chest infection at Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai on 3 December 2017 and passed away on 4 December 2017 due to prolonged liver cirrhosis.

OneIndia News
Yatra's impact not in Himachal, Guj polls but in 2024: Congress

Only women to walk with Rahul Gandhi in Bharat Jodo Yatra on Indira Gandhi Jayanti

Only candidate Rahul 'frontrunner' in Congress presidential polls

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Rahul Gandhi has emerged the lone candidate in the fray, and decks have been cleared for him to succeed his mother, who has headed the Congress party for 19 consecutive years. This was announced by M Ramachandran, Returning officer on Tuesday.

"89 nomination papers all proposing names of #RahulGandhi have been received, have scrutinized each &found all valid. There is now only one validly nominated candidate that is Rahul Gandhi left in the fray for Congress president election," he added.

There is now only one validly nominated candidate that is #RahulGandhi left in the fray for Congress president election: M Ramachandran, Returning officer pic.twitter.com/h3TZPZ5Y7D  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

Rahul Gandhi on Monday filed nomination for the post of party president, heralding a generational shift in the leadership of the grand old party seeking a revival in its electoral fortunes.

With no other claimants in the fray, his elevation as Congress president is almost certain.

The 47-year-old Gandhi scion is set take over the party's reins from Sonia Gandhi, who has steered the party for 19 years, including the 10 when it led the UPA government.

Accompanied by a host of senior party leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi filed his papers before the party's Central Election Committee.

With speculation over whether or not Rahul Gandhi who was appointed vice president in January 2013 will step into his mother's shoes finally ending, the party's leaders hailed the day as "historic".

They exuded confidence that he will carry forward the party's traditions and lead it to victory in the next general elections in 2019.

The move also comes just ahead of the elections in Gujarat, which goes to the polls on December 9 and 14.

OneIndia News
UP ATS picks up two more accused in Al-Qaeda radicalisation case

Newly elected UP BJP Mayors meet PM Modi in Delhi

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

All the newly elected mayors of Bharatiya Janata Party met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday.

This year, the party has won 14 out of 16 mayoral seats in Uttar Pradesh, while two have gone to the Bahujan Samaj Party.

While the meeting is being termed a courtesy call, the Prime Minister is expected to share with the new mayors, his vision of the development of cities. The meeting is significant because the Prime Minister wants to establish direct communication with the public representatives.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey had met these newly elected mayors here on Sunday.

Out of the 16 municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh that went to polls late in November, the BJP candidates won the mayoral seats in 14, including in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Moradabad, Kanpur, and Allahabad.

OneIndia News
R K Nagar bypoll: How actor Vishal's nomination drama unfolded

India

oi-Anusha

The R K Nagar bypoll has become synonymous with drama and the perception is here to stay if Tuesday's incidents are anything to go by. Actor Vishal's nomination for R K Nagar took multiple twists and turns ultimately resulting in disappointment for the actor and his supporters. In a drama that seemed straight out of a movie plot, Vishal Krishna, popularly referred to as Vishal, faced rejection, staged a rebellion, announced victory only to be rejected by the Election Commission yet again in his attempt to enter the electoral fray.

While the actor claimed that his nomination to contest the R K Nagar bypoll as an independent had been accepted after multiple hurdles, the Election Commission clarified that the affidavit was invalid and hence rejected. Making the election commission's stance clear, the returning officer of R K Nagar bypoll Velusamy in a statement said that Vishal's nomination was rejected.

"...I conclude that required number of the proposers have not validly proposed the candidature of Thiru. Vishal Krishna and that he had been proposed only by 8 valid proposers and hence he has not fulfilled the conditions for valid nomination. Therefore, I conclude that the nomination of Thiru. Vishal Krishna filed in Sl. No 72, is rejected upon my summary enquiry," the statement said.

Rejected, accepted, rejected: How the saga unfolded

On Tuesday evening reports quoting Election Commission officials claimed that Vishal's nomination papers were rejected owing to complaints raised over forged signatures. The actor along with his fans stormed into the returning officer's office to inquire about the status of his nomination. Within minutes, Vishal followed by his fans blocked roads and staged a protest demanding answers.

Reports quoting poll officials claimed that the actor's nomination was rejected after a complaint was raised that two out of the ten signatures of proposers on the affidavit were forged. An angry Vishal told the media that those who proposed his name as a candidate were being threatened. He also produced an audio clipping, that he claimed, proved his allegations. The audio clipping, the authenticity of which could not be independently verified by OneIndia News, purportedly contains Vishal's conversation with a supporter.

The controversial audio clipping

"My family members were threatened by Madhusudhanan supporters for supporting you. They threatened my family members to claim that they haven't signed on your nomination affidavit and that their signatures have been forged. They were even offered money in Rs 2,000 currency notes," a man identified by Vishal as Velu is heard saying in the audio clipping.

The election commission in its statement had claimed that the veracity of the person speaking to Vishal in the audio clipping could not be ascertained. "Upon the summary hearing, it is clear that two proposers have appeared in person and staked claim that it was not their valid signatures and the representatives of the nominee of Thiru Vishal Krishna only brought a telephonic audio clip, the veracity of the person speaking therein cannot be ascertained..." the statement from the returning officer said.

Multiple twists and turns

By late Tuesday evening, Vishal finally broke his silence over the nomination and declared that after initial hiccups, his papers were accepted. "Because of a few hurdles, my nomination was kept under scrutiny but now it has been accepted. The election commission officials have done what was necessary. I will now meet the people of R K Nagar as their candidate for the bypoll and fight fairly," Vishal Krishna told the media outside the election commission office. He even took to Twitter to make the announcement official.

After much struggle, my nomination for the RK Nagar election is finally accepted....



Truth Always Triumphs !!#JusticeServed#DemocracyPrevails  Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) December 5, 2017

Within hours of Vishal's statements, however, the Election Commission contradicted the same and declared that Vishal's nomination had been rejected. The EC maintained that it had taken objections raised over signatures as well as Vishal's counter to it for summary enquiry before arriving at a decision.

After heated debates with the police and election commission officials and a high-intensity drama, actor Vishal declared that his nomination had been accepted only for the election commission to contradict the same.

OneIndia News
Railways New Year resolution: No greeting cards or bouquets

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 5: This new year, railways will only send greetings digitally and all its events will be sans the traditional presentation of bouquets. The railway board has banned issuing of greeting cards and presentation of bouquets, according to two separate circulars issued.

"It has been decided that printing and issuing of hard copy of New Year greeting card may be stopped forthwith. Greeting cards for new year may now be sent through email only," said the circular issued to all departments of the railways including its PSUs for "strict compliance".

This is the latest in a string of directives from the board Chairman Ashwani Lohani and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to banish ostentation and VIP culture in railways. Earlier, the ministry had brought to an end a 36-year-old protocol where it was mandatory for general managers to present themselves on arrival and departure of the Railway Board chairman and other board members during zonal visits.

"It has been decided to impose a blanket ban on presentation of floral bouquets by any officer or official to anyone including important dignitaries during official occasions or functions in all offices of the ministry of railways," said another circular issued today.

As part of this initiative to go austere, Goyal had also asked senior officials to give up travelling in cosy saloons and executive class travel privileges for sleeper and AC three-tier classes. These include members of the Railway Board, general managers of railway zones and divisional railway managers in each of the 50 divisions.

PTI
Rajasthan: Kota bride calls off wedding after dowry demand

India

pti-PTI

Kota, December 5: A woman dentist called off her marriage to a doctor after a last-minute Rs one crore dowry demand by the family of the groom on the wedding day.

The bride, the daughter of senior professor Dr Anil Saxena at the Medical College, Kota, was set to tie the nuptial knot on Sunday evening with Dr Saksham Madhok, an assistant professor at a medical college in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh when the demand was put forth. The sudden demand for dowry by the groom and his parents just before the marriage left us in deep shock, said Dr Anil Saxena.

At the time of the engagement on Saturday, the groom was given a car and five gold coins of 10 grams each but on the day of marriage they sought more gifts, cash and jewellery worth Rs one crore, Dr Saxena said.

The woman's family claimed that they had already spent around 30 to 35 lakhs on the dowry and arrangements for the wedding besides gifting a car to the boy. Confronted with the fresh demand, Dr Saxena and his wife spoke to their daughter Dr Rashi, who in turn spoke over phone to the groom.

"On finding that the groom was adamant on the demands, my daughter refused to marry the man," Dr Saxena said. They then conveyed the decision to call off the wedding to the groom's family and filed a complaint with the police against the groom, his sister, brother-in-law and his parents at Nayapura police station.

However, the bride's family played the gracious host and broke the news to the guests only after the wedding feast was served. The guests appreciated the woman's decision to call off the wedding and said it would inspire other women to fight the menace.

"My parents had planned a grand wedding and had given all possible gifts and cash but the groom and his family were expecting more cash," the woman said. "Noticing the greed for dowry by groom and his family members, I decided to call off the wedding," she said.

Police have received a complaint from Dr Saxena against the groom and his family members and investigations in the matter are underway, said Harish Bharti, circle in-charge at Nayapura police station.

PTI
With another ISIS module busted, TN has become a paradise of Islamic Jihadists

'Medicine can also be studied in Tamil medium!' - CM Stalin's efforts are getting a growing response

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RK Nagar bypoll: Nomination accepted says Vishal, rejected says EC

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

After a prolonged drama over actor Vishal's nomination for the R K Nagar bypoll, the Election Commission of India finally rejected the same. While actor Vishal declared that his nomination had been accepted and made the announcement official, the returning officer for the R K Nagar bypoll in a statement declared Vishal's nomination invalid.

"...I conclude that required number of the proposers have not validly proposed the candidature of Vishal Krishna and that he had been proposed only by 8 valid proposers and hence he has not fulfilled the conditions for valid nomination," a statement from the Returning officer said.

Hours before the EC's official announcement, Vishal claimed that his nomination had been accepted after being rejected initially. After Election Commission rejected nomination papers of actor Vishal's for the December 21 RK Nagar bypoll in Chennai, his supporters blocked the road outside the returning officer's office in Chennai. However, after he released a phone recording this evening suggesting that his proposers had been threatened, his nomination was kept in abeyance. Vishal took to Twitter to declare that his nomination had been accepted.

After much struggle, my nomination for the RK Nagar election is finally accepted....



Truth Always Triumphs !!#JusticeServed#DemocracyPrevails  Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) December 5, 2017

"After much struggle, my nomination for the RK Nagar election is finally accepted.... Truth Always Triumphs !! #JusticeServed #DemocracyPrevails" the actor tweeted.

Earlier in the day, EC had rejected nominations of former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar for RK Nagar bypoll.

The EC rejected Deepa and Vishal's nominations after several discrepancies were found in their forms.

Deepa had filed her nomination for the by-election yesterday as an independent candidate. Her nomination papers were accepted in April when bypoll was originally scheduled to be held for RK Nagar.

However, Election Commission decided to cancel the vote on charges of distribution of money and gift items to lure the electors.

In February, Deepa had floated the MGR Amma Deepa Peravai party to start her political career. The R.K. Nagar constituency, which was represented by Jayalalithaa, fell vacant upon her death on 5 December last year.

OneIndia News
Truly worrisome: Minors allegedly rape class 2 girl in a Ghaziabad school

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Days after a complaint was filed against a four-year-old boy for allegedly raping his classmate in a Delhi school, an equally disturbing incident has come to light. In a Sahibabad school, two minor students have been booked for allegedly raping a Class 2 girl of their school, said reports.

The accused, students of Class 4 and 5, have been booked under sections of rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The issue is truly worrisome and calls for serious attention by parents and school administrators. Experts believe that it is it is not possible for children of that age to understand sexual behaviour.

The incident in Sahibabad school is said to have taken place on November 8. A Hindustan Times report says that the boys tried to insert some object into the class 2 student's private parts.

This is very similar to what had happened in Delhi school incident, where the four-year-old boy had allegedly done a similar thing with a pencil.

[Four-year-old allegedly rapes classmate, cops unsure how to proceed with case]

The girl, however, did not inform her about the incident on the day it happened. It was only when she reportedly started bleeding from her private parts, that her parents took her to a doctor. When the parents asked the girl about how she got injured, she told them about the incident, an HT report quoted police as saying.

OneIndia News
'Used a Hindu name to conceal identity and plot terror', says Headley 2

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The questioning of Abdul Naeem alias Headley 2 has revealed that he went about his operations using a Hindu name.

Naeem said that he landed in Bihar and worked at a private firm under a Hindu name. From Bihar I visited the Nepal border several times. I was trying to find an easy and safe route for the terrorists from Pakistan to sneak in and carry out the attack.

An NIA official told OneIndia that by using the Hindu name he went about his operations and this helped him conceal his identity and not get suspected. I had made friends with several Hindus including women which helped gain easy access to several places and also carry out my operations without being suspected, Naeem told his interrogators.

Naeem an operative of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba also said that he had visited several places in Agra, Varanasi, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar to gather information about possible targets.

"During the first round of investigation Naeem had told the NIA that the initial plan was to launch me into India in 2011, but my handlers felt that it would be better if there was more cooling off period. In 2014, I was sent to Bangladesh and told to infiltrate into India. They felt that it would be easier for me to infiltrate through West Bengal.

Things however did not go right and I was arrested as there was a look out notice for me in the Aurangabad case. When I was being taken to Mumbai from Kolkata, I realised the cops were complicit. I managed to escape from the train at Chhattisgarh.

I left for Uttar Pradesh where I stayed underground for several months. Gradually I began contacting other operatives who were to be part of this big operation. I went around collecting information about military installations and other big tourist locations in Himachal Pradesh", Naeem had also told the NIA

OneIndia News
Trump delays Jerusalem verdict as pressure mounts

International

pti-PTI

Washington, December 5: US President Donald Trump delayed a decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there amid warnings of a historic misstep and widespread unrest.

The White House said Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv, after a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and private phonecalls between world leaders.

The mercurial president has yet to make his final decision, officials said, but is expected to stop short of moving the embassy to Jerusalem outright, a central campaign pledge which has been postponed once already by the new administration.

"The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go: It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, who said a declaration on the move would be made "in the coming days."

Domestic politics may however push Trump toward recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital instead, in a gesture towards conservative voters and donors. The status of Jerusalem is a key issue in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, with both Israelis and Palestinians claiming the city as their capital.

With Trump's decision looming, leaders from across the Middle East and elsewhere ramped up public warnings against any shift in decades-old US policy.

French President Emmanuel Macron was among those who warned Trump that Jerusalem's status must be decided "within the framework of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians."

Amid internal White House disagreements, several US administration officials were unable or unwilling to say with certainty what Trump would decide.

"The president's going to make his decision," his Middle East peace envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said. Israeli's defense minister Avigdor Lieberman urged Trump to grasp a "historic opportunity." But from elsewhere in the region the message was clear: don't do it.

"If the status of Jerusalem is changed and another step is taken... that would be a major catastrophe," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.

"It would completely destroy the fragile peace process in the region, and lead to new conflicts, new disputes and new unrest."

PTI
What does the US actually want in Syria?

Car bomb blast kills eight passengers in Syria's Homs city

International

pti-PTI

Beirut, Dec 5: An explosives-laden bus blew up in a predominantly pro-government neighbourhood of the central Syrian city of Homs that has been repeatedly targeted, killing eight people, a monitor said.

The blast rocked a street in the Akrama neighbourhood mostly inhabited by members of the Alawite minority to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"At least eight people died when a mini-bus exploded on the edge of the Akrama neighbourhood," the head of the Britain-based monitor, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP.

The attack, for which there was no immediate claim, was confirmed by Syrian state media and officials. Akrama has been hit by several such attacks in the past, the deadliest of which killed dozens of schoolchildren in October 2014.

PTI
Corruption in Pakistan prompts China to stop funding for CPEC

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Following reports in Pakistan, China has decided to temporarily stop funding to at least three major road projects being built as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

A Dawn report in Pakistan said that the decision by the Chinese government is likely hit over Rs 1 trillion-worth road projects of the Pakistan's National Highway Authority (NHA), and initially, may delay at least three such ventures.

(All Rupee values in story are Pakistani Rupee. 1 Pakistani Rupee equals 0.61 Indian Rupees)

According to a senior Pakistani government official, the funds would be released after Beijing issues 'new guidelines'.

The nearly $50 billion CPEC, a flagship project of China's prestigious One Belt One Road, passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK. It links China's restive Xinjiang region with Balochistan.

The road projects that are likely to be affected include 210-km-long Dera Ismail Khan-Zhob Road, being built at an estimated cost of Rs 81 billion. Of this, Rs 66 billion would be spent on construction of road while Rs 15 billion on land acquisition.

The other project which is going to be hit is 110-km-long Khuzdar-Basima Road in Balochistan, having an estimated cost of Rs 19.76 billion.

The third project, valued at Rs 8.5 billion, is the 136-km of Karakarom Highway (KKH) from Raikot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to Thakot.

Originally, all the three projects were part of the Pakistan government's own development programme, but in December 2016, Pakistan's National Highway Authority spokesperson had announced that they would be included under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor umbrella so as to become eligible for concessionary finance from China.

"The funds for the three road projects were approved in Pakistan's 6th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting held last year, pending necessary procedural formalities."

"It was expected that the funding of the three projects would be finalised during the Joint Working Group meeting held on November 20, but Pakistan was informed in the meeting that 'new guidelines' will be issued from Beijing under which new modus operandi for release of the funds will be described," the official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The decision of the Chinese government was conveyed to Pakistan in the Joint Working Group or JWG meeting and the existing procedure for release of funds had been abolished, he said.

Under the previous procedure, the projects were to be approved by six different forums after which the funds were released, the official added.

"In fact, the Chinese authorities informed us that the previous procedure of release of funds was meant for early harvest projects only and new guidelines will be issued for future projects of the CPEC," the official said.

The official said the Pakistani side was left "stunned" when informed about this development, as it was the first time they were hearing it.

He, however, claimed that the Chinese side was quite disturbed with media reports, published in Pakistan, about corruption in the CPEC projects and and that was the reason Beijing has temporarily halted release of funds for the corridor.

CPEC was launched in 2015 when President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan and it now envisages investment of around $50 billion in different projects of development in Pakistan.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 19:21 [IST]
Don't mess with China, Dongfeng 41 can strike anywhere in the world

International

oi-Vikas SV

By Vikas

China's progress in the last five decades has been phenomenal in almost every sphere. It has emerged as a global superpower not only on the economic front but also militarily. With a massive army and an array of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, China is a force to reckon with in the current geopolitics.

China's Dongfeng series of missiles are feared by the enemy and there is a good reason for it. The latest addition to the Dongfeng family is DF-41, an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) evolved from the DF-31 featuring an enlarged third stage to achieve an improved range of 12,000 km. Its extended range will provide China capability to target the whole United States, Europe, Asia and Africa territories.

After its first test in 2012 from the Wuzhai Space and Missile Test Center, Dongfeng-41 or DF-41 has been test fired eight times. It is now ready to be inducted into the forces and according to an estimate, China could have around 50-100 DF-41s ready by 2020.

DF-41 would be able to carry 10 independently targetable reentry vehicles or MIRVs. Dongfeng-41 will have a speed of more than Mach 10 and can use decoy devices to pierce its way through the enemy's missile warning and defence systems. DF-41 is believed to be 33 tonnes and approximately 15 meters long - and can be mounted on a truck, or launched from a silo.

Other missiles of the Dongfeng family:

Dongfeng is a family of missiles developed by China which consist of short, medium, intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Development of Dongfeng missiles started in the 1950s with Soviet assistance after signing of Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance in 1950.

Dongfeng 1 and Dongfeng 2 were the first two developed in this missile family with ranges of 500 kms and 1,250 kms respectively. Both were in use in the 1960s but are not in operation anymore. Dongfeng 3 or DF 3, considered to be a copy of soviet R-14 Chusovaya missile, had a range of 2,500 kms, but even this has been retired from the service and replaced by DF 21.

Dongfeng 4 and 5 were also developed, while the former will be replaced by DF-31 and the latter has an improved version, DF-5A, that can carry nuclear warheads over 12,000 kms.

Several other missiles in the series like DF-21, DF-26 and DF-31. DF-26, a two-stage solid fuel rocket IRBM, measures 14 meters long with a diameter of 1.4 meters and a launch weight of 20 tonnes. It can carry a nuclear or conventional warhead that weighs 1,200-1,800 kilograms and has an estimated maximum range of more than 5,000 km.

OneIndia News
Former Nepal PM says removed from office for including Kalapani

Nepalese infant with rare liver tumour is cancer free in 3 months

Nepal elections: Security increased along India-Nepal border

International

oi-PTI

Security along the 500 km-long India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh has been beefed up in view of the general and assembly elections in Nepal on December 7.

The decision to seal the border was taken during a recent meeting of officials from both the countries, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) commandant Shiv Dayal said on Tuesday.

"The India-Nepal border will be sealed completely three days before polling and movement of people would also be banned," he said.

Security has been increased in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri, Siddharth Nagar, Pilibhit, Kushinagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, and Balrampur districts.

"Security personnel are maintaining vigil round-the- clock," the commandant informed.

Paramilitary force, civil police and intelligence organisations are also keeping a close vigil on all activities in the border areas, he added.

PTI
North Korea missile test: UN envoy heads for Pyongyang

International

pti-PTI

Beijing, Dec 5: Amid soaring tensions over North Korea's latest ICBM test, a senior United Nations envoy arrived at Beijing's airport on Tuesday on his way to North Korea for a rare visit.

The unusual trip by Jeffrey Feltman comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. AFP journalists saw Feltman arrive in a UN-flagged car at the Chinese capital's international airport in the morning. North Korea's Air Koryo airline has a 0455 GMT flight to Pyongyang today. His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise - manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation".

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said. Feltman arrived in China yesterday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world. China is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, and its main trade partner.

Once in the North, Feltman will discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern" with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether Feltman will meet with the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-Un.

It will be Feltman's first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago, and the first by a UN under- secretary-general in more than seven years. The UN envoy is also planning to see foreign diplomats and UN workers in the North on humanitarian missions, Dujarric said.

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan. Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula five days ago when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target - key technological hurdles for Pyongyang. A Cathay Pacific crew spotted what was "suspected to be the re-entry" of the missile as they flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong, the airline said. In a separate message to staff, Cathay general manager Mark Hoey said the crew described seeing the missile "blow up and fall apart," The South China Morning Post reported.

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility. US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit- for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy". North Korean state media has hit back with a flurry of its own colourful insults, calling Trump a "dotard", a "frightened dog" and a "gangster."

Over the weekend, Pyongyang countered that Washington was "begging for nuclear war" as the North blasted the joint US- South Korean drills. As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this year's war games involve simulated precision attacks on the North's military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources. As tensions surged, US Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential Republican and foreign policy hawk, warned that the US was moving closer to "preemptive war" if the North continued its nuclear tests.

His remarks echoed those of Trump's National Security Adviser HR McMaster, who told a security forum on Saturday that the potential for war with the North "is increasing every day." But some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital - only around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people.

Tokyo's parliament yesterday slammed the North's weapons programme as an "imminent threat". Last week's missile landed in Japan's economic waters. China's foreign ministry warned that the situation on the Korean peninsula remained "highly sensitive" and called on all sides to "do more things to ease the tension and avoid provoking each other."

The North has boasted that the Hwasong 15 ICBM tested on Wednesday is capable of delivering a "super-large" nuclear warhead anywhere in the US mainland. While analysts agree the latest test showed a big improvement in potential range, they say the North may not have yet mastered all the technology required to successfully hit the US with a nuclear warhead.

PTI
Saudi Arabia, allies snub Qatar at crisis-hit Gulf summit

International

pti-PTI

Kuwait City, Dec 5: Gulf powerhouse Saudi Arabia snubbed its former regional ally Qatar at the annual summit of regional monarchies as King Salman stayed away despite the presence of the Qatari emir.

The crisis-hit Gulf Cooperation Council summit was going ahead in Kuwait City but amid uncertainty over which leaders from among Riyadh and its allies would join their Qatari rival for the talks. The future of the six-nation GCC -- formed 36 years ago to bring together energy-rich Sunni Arab Gulf states -- appeared to be hanging in the balance.

This year's meeting comes with Saudi Arabia and its allies engaged in a bitter dispute with fellow GCC member Qatar, in the worst crisis ever to hit the bloc. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani accepted an invitation to attend, but with only hours before talks were due to begin, Saudi King Salman sent his foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, in his stead. Bahrain sent its deputy prime minister and Emirati media said the state minister for foreign affairs would represent Abu Dhabi.

Those three Gulf states, together with Egypt, cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival. Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi- led bloc of aiming to incite a change of regime in Doha.

Kuwait has been leading mediation efforts within the GCC to resolve the crisis, but so far with little success. Casting further doubt on the group's future, the UAE said Tuesday it was forming a new military and economic committee with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC. The committee "will coordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields," according to a decree issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Founded in 1981, the GCC is a political and economic union grouping Qatar with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman and Kuwait. Dominated by Riyadh, it has been a regional counterweight to Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia's Shiite rival across the Gulf.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar attended round-table talks ahead of the gathering, in their first such encounter since the diplomatic crisis erupted in June. Omani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yussef bin Alawi sat between them at the meeting which the foreign ministers of the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait also attended.

After cutting off all ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a land, sea and air blockade of the emirate and issued a list of 13 demands to have it lifted. Bahrain in October called for Qatar's membership of the GCC to be suspended until it accepted the demands. Experts warn that the crisis could lead to the demise of the once-powerful GCC.

PTI
With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones

Why have Indian astrologers left Pakistan spooks spooked

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Pakistan of late has been having an uncomfortable relationship with Indian astrologers. After the ISI put out an earthquake warning following a prediction from Kerala, now another astrologer has put the country in a spot of bother.

In October an Indian astrologer had said that a terror attack in Pakistan was imminent. Not just that, but Pakistan is upset that the same astrologer has predicted 5 more attacks in February.

On October 13 a person called Anirudh Kumar tweeted saying that terrorist attacks may happen in Pakistan within November. He had also tagged the Dawn newspaper.

On December 1, terrorists disguised in burqas attacked an agriculture training institute in Peshawar. 13 persons were killed in that attack. Following this Mishra tweeted that his prediction was accurate, but off by just one day. He had also said that there would be five more attacks in Pakistan in February.

This has sent the Pakistan mechanism into a tizzy and they have asked how an Indian national could have made such a prediction that was so accurate. One lawmaker, Rehman Malik went on to accuse India of instigating acts of terror in Pakistan.

Last month the ISI had sent out information warning of an earthquake. This warning was given on the basis of a prediction made by an organisation in Kerala. The organisation had written a letter to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi warning of the earthquake.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 19:40 [IST]
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady around 30. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 22F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
The seven-million strong American Muslim community was dismayed Tuesday (Dec 5) over the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to allow President Trump's "Muslim Ban 3.0" to be implemented until the court makes a final decision about the executive action's constitutionality.

Earlier Monday, the Supreme Court issued two orders staying the Hawaii and Maryland federal courts' injunctions that had, until Monday, largely prevented the Trump administration from implementing Muslim Ban 3.0's visa restrictions.

"This decision ignores the very real human consequences to American citizens and their families abroad imposed by President Trump's Muslim Ban 3.0," said Lena Masri, National Litigation Director of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

"The Supreme Court's actions today are a good reminder that we can't simply rely on the courts to address the Trump administration's efforts to marginalize Muslims and other minorities," said CAIR Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas. "We must all do everything we can to oppose Muslim Ban 3.0."

It may be recalled that the CAIR and the Brennan Center for Justice filed suit against President Trump's Muslim Ban 3.0 on behalf of six American Muslims impacted by the immigration restrictions. Civil rights attorneys, including CAIR National attorney Gadeir Abbas, delivered oral arguments against the ban in mid-October.

In a broad ruling on October 18th, U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang (Hawaii) granted CAIR and other groups' request for a nationwide injunction prohibiting the Trump administration from implementing its latest attempt to exclude Muslims from the United States.

Judge Chuang ruled that the plaintiffs were likely to ultimately succeed in proving that anti-Muslim animus motivated the travel ban in violation of the Establishment Clause. He also noted that the ban violates federal law, which forbids the government from discriminating against visa applicants based on their nationality.

Sirine Shebaya, senior staff attorney for Muslim Advocates, a national legal advocacy organization, said the Supreme Court decision and the administration's efforts are deeply injurious to Americans since families have been divided, businesses have suffered, and the American Muslim community has been marginalized and stigmatized. "We will continue to fight against the ban with even greater resolve knowing that the consequences are so imminent for millions of families."

The apex court's Monday orders mean that the administration can fully enforce its new restrictions on travel from eight nations, six of them Muslim. For now, most citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, and North Korea will be barred from entering the United States, along with some groups of people from Venezuela.

It was a victory for the White House, which has seen the courts trim back various iterations of the travel ban, and it bodes well for the administration if the Supreme Court is called upon to finally decide the merits of the president's actions, the Washington Post said adding:

"Two lower courts had imposed restrictions on Trump's new order, exempting travelers from the six countries who had "bona fide" connections with relatives -- such as grandparents, aunts or uncles -- or institutions in the United States. Those exemptions to the president's order, issued in the fall, were along the lines of those imposed by the Supreme Court last summer on a previous version of the travel ban.

"But in an unsigned opinion Monday that did not disclose the court's reasoning, the justices lifted the injunctions, which had been issued by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland."

The court's move is "a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a written statement. "We are pleased to have defended this order and heartened that a clear majority Supreme Court has allowed the President's lawful proclamation protecting our country's national security to go into full effect. The Constitution gives the President the responsibility and power to protect this country from all threats foreign and domestic, and this order remains vital to accomplishing those goals."

The orders from the two district judges will be reviewed this week. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit is set to consider the Hawaii case Wednesday, and the entire U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond will consider the Maryland judge's decision Friday.

The supreme court's brief, unsigned orders Monday urged appeals courts to move swiftly to determine whether the latest ban was lawful, according to New York Times. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the administration's request to allow the latest ban to go into effect.

''President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret,'' Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project, told the Associated Press. "He has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter.''

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Ayatollah Khomeini

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There is the report on CNN that Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been assassinated by the Islamic Shi'a forces (i.e. Houthi rebels) loyal to Iran. Yemen's Houthi rebels say they have killed their former ally, the instigator of the civil war, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The former president was reportedly gunned down by Houthi attackers on Monday after his armored convoy fled the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa for Marib, the neighboring loyalist province. Fighting between the Houthis and forces loyal to Mr. Saleh broke out in Sanaa last week after months of rising tensions and allegations that Mr. Saleh was seeking to switch sides in the civil war. The Houthis and Mr. Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) party were formerly allied against the exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a powerful Saudi and UAE-led coalition. The Iranian government is helping Islamic Shi'a forces (Houthi rebels) of Yemen against the exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a powerful Saudi and UAE-led coalition.

There are reports that Israel and Saudi Arabia have joint to attack Iran sooner rather than later, because Iranian allies are already in control of Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. According to German intelligence, as reported in the Jerusalem Post, Iran is continuing to develope technologies to make the atomic bomb, while they signed a treaty with the US and EU countries not to. Iran is developing missiles to carry atomic bombs and working on technologies to develop a system to use atomic bombs against Israel and Saudi Arabia first, before using such weapon against the US and EU countries.

Indeed, Israel and Saudi Arabia are under pressure to do something to stop Iran before it is too late. Ex-President Obama of the USA allowed Iran to have time with his treaty. And the US current President Donald Trump is talking much, without meaningful actions against Iranian forces in the Middle East.

Islamic Shi'a forces loyal to Iran are the kind of forces who believe Islamic Shi'ism teaching. They are Islamic fanatic forces of Islamic Shi'ism religion, which is similar to the ISIS Islamic Sunni terrorist forces. The Islamic fanatic Shi'a forces loyal to Iran are in control of Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

If and when they develop the atomic bomb, they can take over the entire Middle East and parts of Asia too. Russia, the EU countries and the US will then pay for their negligence to stop Iran. Islamic fanatic forces (Sunni or Shi'a Islam) will be a threat to the West, as well as India and China too.
The preliminary design for a new assisted living facility have been approved by the Holmen Planning Commission despite the concerns of the Holmen Area Fire Department chief.

The planning commission voted at its Nov. 28 meeting to approve the design for the Seven Bridges Care Center. Holmen Village Administrator Scott Heinig assured the commissioners the plans for the care center meet the requirements of zoning, siting, materials, lighting and signage. In approving the design, the commission was acting in its capacity as the villages site plan and architectural review (SPAR) board.

The proposed single-story care center on Circle Drive in Holmen would provide 20 beds for seniors and others who could benefit from assisted care.

Holmen Fire Chief Paul Menches asked the planning commissioners and village staff permission to review proposed development plans before they are approved to ensure the fire departments equipment would have full access to the structures. Menches said he was concerned that response vehicles should have 360-degree access to these types of facilities.

We request to see the plans for a couple days before they are approved by the state, said Menches. We dont get to see the plans; we would like to be in the loop.

Heinig informed Menches that the process carried out by the commission doesnt need to be approved by the state. He added that the village cant legally require the developers to have the plans approved by the fire department. Review by the fire department also could delay plan approvals, Heinig noted.

It would add an additional week to the planning, said Heinig. The downside is the review wouldnt allow time to present the plans to the planning commission if modifications have to be made. The fire chiefs comments would only be advisory.

Heinig said a fire departments review could delay development projects for a month, which could disrupt the construction schedule regarding financing and building contracts. The SPAR board is only responsible for reviewing the architectural aesthetics of the buildings exterior and not safety issues related to the construction.

I support the desire of the fire department to ensure public safety at all levels, so I have no issue with sharing our received materials with them, said Heinig. But due to the tight time restrictions on the applicant, if we share information with the fire department, which is not required of the applicant, that additional time must not impede the applicants legal time constraints.

He added, Any requirement to have 360 degrees of paved vehicle access is simply not legally defensible, and it is not a provision the SPAR Board could even consider.

Heinig also pointed out that none of the neighboring structures have 360 degree paved access.

How now do we consider appropriate ways to involve someone else like the fire department when and where it makes sense to do so under our existing ordinance structure? said Heinig. That is something well sincerely work to accomplish.

The fire department has asked the three municipalities making up the Holmen Area Fire District Association Board to standardize their building codes to meet regulations set by the National Fire Protection Association and the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. Along with the village of Holmen, the other two municipalities making up the district are the towns of Holland and Onalaska.

Landscaping and buffer yards ordinance

The planning commission also voted to recommend that the village board adopt an ordinance regulating landscaping and buffer yards in new development projects. Buffer yards are a type of landscaping installed to obstruct the view of adjacent property.

Heinig informed the commission that the villages current requirements are ambiguous and havent been evenly implemented.

Some investors would do a fine job on the proposal but when it came time to put in the proposed landscaping, Ive found its not consistent with the plan, said Heinig.

He found some developers cut corners by putting in smaller, less expensive trees in the landscaping than proposed in their plans.

We need this ordinance in order for there to be more fairness and consistency, said Heinig. This would be the first time a comprehensive landscape ordinance is considered to fully support existing site plan development requirements. Some older development projects wouldnt meet the ordinance requirements.

The ordinance provides a formula through a points system based on the size of the building and parking areas to determine the scope of the materials and plantings for a site. A public hearing was held at the beginning of the meeting with no one from the public speaking for or against the ordinance.


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It has been very disappointing the poor job most journalists have been doing to debunk the GOP lies about their tax cut scam. Velshi & Ruhle are a couple of journalists that's been hard hitting. Velshi, in this clip, shows how one should do these types of critiques.

Ali Velshi's brought together the story in three discernable segments that made it objective, understandable, and unbiased.

Velshi starts by calling out all the lies that Republicans have been spewing about the tax cut scam.

It focuses on the middle-class (LIE)

It won't benefit the wealthy (LIE)

It's terrible for Trump's family fortune (LIE)

The tax cut scam will pay for itself (LIE)

It will help pay down the national debt (LIE)

.4% boost in GDP will pay for the tax cut scam and more (MISLEADING)

Velshi then educates by pointing out that there has been no period in American history where the required GDP boost was sustainable. As such the Republicans are pegging success on something that has never happened, something our economic system is resistant to systemically. He enumerated studies from left-leaning, non-partisan, and right-leaning organizations who all debunked the fallacies emanating from misinforming Republicans. They all show that the Republican tax cut scam explodes the deficit. He then pointed out that 42 leading American economist polled made it clear that the tax cut scam will not grow the economy in such a manner that it pays for itself.

"Tax cuts, any tax cuts, sure sound great," Ali Velshi said. "But if we are going to bust the bank to enact them, we should be honest about what they are going to cost us."

If our journalists did this kind of reporting, Americans would be informed, and politicians would be unable to pull the wool over the heads of most. Ali Velshi has been doing this type of compelling journalism for some time now. Great job Mr. Velshi.
From Alternet

It's a way bigger deal than the way the internet works.

Without network neutrality -- the ability of individual citizens to get and share the information they want with a modicum of privacy and anonymity -- the American Revolution wouldn't have happened. Maybe that's why the Trump administration wants to kill net neutrality now.

The flyer from "Rusticus" appeared on trees all over the community one morning in the Boston autumn of 1773:

"Are we in like Manner to be given up to the Disposal of the East India Company, who have now the Assurance, to step forth in Aid of the Minister, to execute his Plan, of enslaving America? Their Conduct in Asia, for some Years past, has given simple Proof, how little they regard the Laws of Nations, the Rights, Liberties, or Lives of Men. "They have levied War, excited Rebellions, dethroned lawful Princes, and sacrificed Millions for the Sake of Gain. The Revenues of Mighty Kingdoms have centered in their Coffers. And these not being sufficient to glut their Avarice, they have, by the most unparalleled Barbarities, Extortions, and Monopolies, stripped the miserable Inhabitants of their Property, and reduced whole Provinces to Indigence and Ruin. "Fifteen hundred Thousands, it is said, perished by Famine in one Year, not because the Earth denied its Fruits; but [because] this Company and their Servants engulfed all the Necessaries of Life, and set them at so high a Rate that the poor could not purchase them. "Resolve therefore, nobly resolve, and publish to the World your Resolutions, that no Man will receive the Tea, no Man will let his Stores, or suffer the Vessel that brings it to moor at his Wharf, and that if any Person assists at unloading, landing, or storing it, he shall ever after be deemed an Enemy to his Country, and never be employed by his Fellow Citizens."

That flyer, in part, kicked off the first big event of what eventually came to be known as the American Revolution. Today we call the 1773 rebellion the Boston Tea Party (although for the first 50 years after it happened, it was simply known as "that incident in Boston Harbor"). But if the British of the day had been able to suppress the colonists' free speech and anonymity, the USA might still be part of the UK.

You can arguably draw a direct line from Rusticus' flyer to both the creation of our independing nation, and to the First Amendment, because Rusticus' flyer was an important part of the "free and independent press" of the day.

Today that role is filled in large part by the internet. Instead of running around in the dead of night nailing flyers to trees, people now post their political missives to blogs and Twitter feeds, and those very posts, in overwhelming numbers, led former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler to put net neutrality into law via Title II of the Telecommunications Act. Arguably, they also led to lots of political upheaval over the past few years, ranging from the Bernie Sanders phenomenon to the election (and impeachment investigations) of Donald Trump.

Consider how differently the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution might have gone down if the East India Company owned the right to regulate and censor all pamphlets before or immediately after they were put up. Or if the EI Company were able to track with great precision who posted a notice, when and where.

That's what the big internet service providers want to do with you and me.

Once net neutrality is dead at the hand of former Verizon lawyer and now FCC-chief Ajit Pai, do you really believe Comcast or Verizon will let people click through to sites like "ComcastSucks.org" or "VerizonSucksAss.com"?

China locks down the internet to control politics, but here politicians are largely corporate-owned, so these big ISPs simply paid (er...donated...) to put their guy in charge of the FCC. Soon, they'll be able to block any protest activity you may be considering, particularly if it'll hurt their profitability. And, of course, ISPs want to stay in the good graces of the politicians they've bought, so if busting you on behalf of the State ingratiates them to the political powers-that-be, all the better...

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From Mondoweiss

Former Trump aide Mike Flynn's guilty plea in federal court to lying to the FBI makes all-but transparent Benjamin Netanyahu's meddling in U.S. politics. As the United Nations Security Council was preparing to condemn Israeli settlements one year ago, Netanyahu was calling everyone he could to try to block the measure. There can be little question that he or his dear friend Sheldon Adelson reached out to the Trump transition team. Now two members of that transition team are in trouble for trying to stop the resolution, Flynn and (reportedly) Jared Kushner, whose family Netanyahu is close to. But the resolution went through anyway, with the Obama White House abstaining.

Netanyahu famously once said that the United States "can be easily moved." There are many examples of his seeking to move United States policy. Let's forget about the Russians for a moment and look at Netanyahu's record. Here are nine examples of interference that would make Vladimir Putin blush.

-- In 2002, Netanyahu urged Congress to authorize the use of force against Iraq, because it was building nukes and an invasion would transform the Middle East.

"There is no question whatsoever that Saddam is seeking, is working, is advancing towards to the development of nuclear weapons. Once Saddam has nuclear weapons, the terror network will have nuclear weapons... "If you take out Saddam, Saddam's regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region, and I think that people sitting right next door in Iran, young people, and many others, will say the time of such regimes, of such despots is gone."

Congress approved that use of force.

-- In 2011, Netanyahu addressed Congress and said Jerusalem is not a settlement. He got 27 standing ovations, many of them led by Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Florida congresswoman and Democratic boss, who shared a big donor with Netanyahu and who has said that there must never be daylight between the Israeli government and the U.S. government.

-- That speech was written with the help of Gary Ginsberg, a high exec at Time Warner who is a friend of Netanyahu's and has penned several Netanyahu speeches. I exposed this collusion, but no one in the media has ever followed up on it.

-- In 2012, Netanyahu all but campaigned for Mitt Romney against Barack Obama. Netanyahu's backer Sheldon Adelson held a fundraiser for Romney in Jerusalem and issued coded messages supporting Romney's efforts, in what Joe Klein called an "unprecedented" interference by a foreign leader in a U.S. election. Obama was of course reelected.

-- In 2015, Netanyahu spoke to the U.S. Congress in a joint session and urged them to reject the Iran Deal being pushed by the U.S. president. The move by a foreign leader was also unprecedented, and may well have backfired. The deal went through.

-- Donald Trump decertified the Iran deal this year -- with the urging of Netanyahu and Sheldon Adelson. Jane Eisner of the Forward, reasons that that this was Netanyahu's achievement. "[T]he prime minister skillfully (and dismayingly) turned Iran into a wedge issue in American politics, something that Trump gleefully exploited." Some of that skill: three pro-Israel billionaires, including Adelson, gave money to Trump and pushed him to heed the Netanyahu line.

-- John Kerry says that Netanyahu (and Egyptian president al-Sisi) urged the U.S. to bomb Iran before the deal went through. "Each of them said to me, you have to bomb Iran, it's the only thing they are going to understand," he said last week. The U.S. did not of course bomb Iran.

-- The Atlantic ran a cover article in 2010 warning that the Iranian nuclear program was about to go past the point of no return and that if the U.S. did not attack Iran, Israel was going to attack Iran. The article, written by the former catspaw for Israel, Jeffrey Goldberg, parroted Netanyahu's rhetorical efforts to manipulate Washington leaders. "But the view from Jerusalem is still more dire: a nuclearized Iran represents, among other things, a threat to Israel's very existence... [W]ho, if anyone, will stop Iran before it goes nuclear, and how?"

-- After seeking to subvert the president's Iran deal in 2015, Netanyahu was invited to the Democratic-Party-affiliated think-tank Center for American Progress for a fawning conversation with Neera Tanden, the Clintonite who headed the think-tank. The invitation alienated many of the think-tank's own intellectuals; but Tanden later crowed that it brought in a big donor: Jonathan Lavine, a Boston philanthropist to liberal causes who also supports the Israeli right wing. "Netanyahu was worth it," she said. And: "We'll never be called anti-semitic again."

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From George Lakoff Blog



Net Neutrality - Corporate Interests keep working for death

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Donald Trump and the Republicans are trying to restrict American freedom and destroy the Internet as we know it.

They want to hand control of a crucial public resource -- the Internet -- over to corporations. These corporations will then be able to restrict the flow of information, effectively censor voices of dissent, and charge outrageous prices for access to online services.

This is an attack on American freedom, and it should alarm every citizen who cherishes the free flow of information in the digital age. We can't allow corporations take control of our Internet. But stopping this nefarious scheme requires urgent action on this issue, most commonly known as Net Neutrality.

I don't like the term Net Neutrality because it obscures what's really at stake: FREEDOM. Our freedom to access the information and resources we need to keep our democracy healthy is under threat. Yet, Republicans on the Federal Communications Commission -- led by former Verizon lawyer Ajit Pai -- seek to hand our Internet over to private corporations.

But the Internet is a public resource that belongs to the People. That's because the Internet was developed by our federal government in the 1960s and 1970s. The idea was to "build robust, fault-tolerant communication via computer networks." The result was the Internet, which allows me to type these words on my laptop and share them with all of you immediately.

The US government funded the research and technology to create the Internet. This means American taxpayers paid for it. So, if the Internet belongs to anyone, it should belong to Citizens, not corporate fat cats.

According to Scientific American: "In truth, no private company would have been capable of developing a project like the Internet, which required years of R&D efforts spread out over scores of far-flung agencies, and which began to take off only after decades of investment. Visionary infrastructure projects such as this are part of what has allowed our economy to grow so much in the past century."

The Internet belongs to us. But we have to fight for it right now, or we may lose it. There's ample evidence that fake bots have flooded the Federal Communications Commission's inbox with over a million fake comments supporting corporate control of the Internet. The corporations are working hard to take away your Internet freedom. It's time to make sure the real voices of American citizens are heard on this matter!

Internet freedom is especially important because our entire economy now depends on the Web. Online sales on shopping holidays like Black Friday are overtaking in-store sales. This means the private profit of corporations in this digital age now depend on the use of a public resource we created through our government decades ago. The Internet -- like roads, bridges, ports, and telecommunication systems -- is a publicly funded resource that makes all private profit possible. The private depends on the public! We must never forget this, and we must make a point of saying it -- especially at a time when Republicans are trying to sign away our property to corporations.

It's time for us to make our voices heard. Please join me in standing up for American freedom and the public's right to maintain fair control of a crucial public resource, the Internet.

Please click on the link below to make your voice heard -- and share this with your friend and family.
Reprinted from www.fairvote.org

In my 25 years as director of FairVote, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with remarkable men and women from all walks of life and parts of the globe. One of my most prized and enduring friendships was with former Congressman, presidential candidate and FairVote board chair John B. Anderson, who died this week at age 95. John's passionate embrace of innovation, independence, and voter empowerment defines what FairVote has been and aspires to be.

I first heard of John as a 17-year-old who was excited by what he had to say in 1980 in the Republican presidential primaries and his independent campaign. Already white-haired, John had seemed older to me in 1980 than he really was, so I was surprised he was still so actively engaged in opening up politics when I first met him in June 1992. Introduced to FairVote by Howie Fain, John came to hear about our reform vision at the Washington, D.C., home of Sam Smith just a week after our founding meeting in Cincinnati. He immediately became an energetic and insightful ally who helped steer our efforts for decades.

John first agreed to serve as chair of our national advisory board and within weeks wrote an oped in the New York Times on how Ross Perot's presidential campaign helped show the value of ranked choice voting. Later he served as our president and board chair until turning over the reins in 2008 to Krist Novoselic. John was always willing to do what we asked, embrace new ideas, and draw energy from the young people who so regularly were drawn to our reforms, like Illinois' Dan Johnson. When a college student, Dan met John at our 1995 national conference in Boston and ultimately became a close family friend who worked with John in creating a string of reform openings in Illinois.

John spoke on our behalf in states across the country and was always willing to hop on public transportation for a key meeting or media appearance in D.C. Given how unassuming he was, it was always a refreshing reminder to be with him when meeting our leading political lights, who invariably showed just how much respect he had earned during his 20 years in Congress and decade in the House Republican leadership. Whether it was conservative Republicans like Henry Hyde, moderate Republicans like Jim Leach, Tom Campbell and John Porter, Democrats like Lee Hamilton and Mo Udall, independent and third party leaders like Lowell Weicker and Ralph Nader, or journalists like Eleanor Clift and Brian Lamb, John was someone people wanted to listen to and appreciate.

Although slowed physically in recent years -- and not happy about it, as he would be quick to tell you --John continued to be a devoted father, loving husband of his ever-delightful wife of 64 years Keke, and sage source of advice and insight. When I last saw him in September and realized those days were likely over, it was a hard blow that left me weeping. He truly was a great man and indefatigable optimist about what our democracy can be. I will miss him, and offer a final toast: to John B. Anderson, leader, reformer, visionary, husband, father and friend. Thank you for a life well-lived.


Silence of the Lamb

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In Jonathan Demme's superb 1991 film "The Silence of the Lambs" homicidal manic Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) asks FBI agent Sparrow (Jodie Foster) about the killing of the Spring lambs. She relates how the lambs all went to their slaughter in silence. Such it is with most of our Amerikan public, under the command of our current Empire. Many go forth to their demise in relative apathetic silence:

* Half of our tax money goes down the rabbit hole of military spending, with few complaints or perhaps even FULL RECOGNITION of this fact from the Congress, the mainstream media and of course John and Joan Q Public.

* This new ' Tax Reform Bill' AKA ' Giveaway to the Super Rich, the Corporations and the Pentagon' will cut more and more of the once cherished ' Safety Net ' while not one word of how much is still being spent on the military.

* The propaganda spin that ' We are at war' will continue to mesmerize most of the public and of course the media and Congress. We have NOT been officially ' At war' since Congress last declared war was in 1945.

* Our military operates out of over 1,000 bases in over 100 different countries, and we still occupy Afghanistan and parts of Iraq... ILLEGALLY!

* All of our sporting events still spend the opening minutes in celebration of our military even though we are NOT at war!

*Many of our neighbors drive around with cars carrying specialized license plates honoring our military, as if we are still ' At war'.

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[Summer] Zervos -- a former contestant on "The Apprentice" -- alleges in the lawsuit that she and her business were damaged after Trump's derogatory statements about her in the wake of her sexual misconduct allegations against Trump.

Trump's lawyers have argued in court filings that the president's comments were "non-actionable fiery rhetoric." They have alleged the statements made by Zervos were politically motivated.

Justice Jennifer Schecter is expected to rule on Tuesday whether the case should go on to the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

In addition to claiming that Trump was just engaging in political speech when he repeatedly called Zervos (along with a number of his other victims) a liar, Trump's lawyers say that the president can't be sued in state court -- but the Supreme Court established, in Clinton v. Jones, that a sitting president can be sued in federal court.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"In Bottom-Up, Rob Kall offers a blueprint for human surviving and thriving that everyone can follow. Using personal stories from his many famous contacts (from Capra to Quinn), he shows how in every aspect of life we can reconnect with that which is in our DNA by replacing our artificial and oppressive hierarchical priorities via a return to a consciousness based on the kind of egalitarian relationships that we honored for most of human history."



Four Arrows, aka Don Trent Jacobs, PhD, EdD, author of Unlearning the Language of Conquest and Teaching Truly: A Curriculum to Indigenize Mainstream Education
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall's Bottom Up is a revaluation of values, not the empty mouthing of the word 'democracy' that is so common, but the application of belief in popular wisdom to every aspect of life. Actually believing that the views of more people is better, means a new way of thinking about the world that is democratic, feminist, localist, populist, and radically richer than the elitist perspectives that are more common even in the parts of the world that shout the word 'democracy' the most. Here we come to understand both the power of small groups and the upsides to internet crowd sourcing, the potential of nonviolent movements and ways in which the past has not been what we supposed. Don't just read this book; get lots of people to read and talk about it."



David Swanson, host, Talk Nation Radio, author of War No More: The Case for Abolition.
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From The National

Israel has turned on liberal Jews -- but will those in the US continue to support a state that openly attacks them?

For decades most American Jews have claimed an "Israel exemption": resolutely progressive on domestic issues, they are hawks on their cherished cause. Racism they would vigorously oppose if applied in the United States is welcomed in Israel.

Reports at the weekend suggested that Donald Trump was about to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, throwing a wrench in any peace plan.

If true, the US president will have decisively prioritized support for Israel -- and pro-Israel lobbies at home -- over outrage from Palestinians and the Arab world. But paradoxically, just as American Jews look close to winning the battle domestically on behalf of Israel, many feel more alienated from a Jewish state than ever before.

There has long been a minority whose concerns focused on the occupation, but most American Jews' support for Israel itself was unwavering. A Law of Return denies non-Jews the right to migrate to Israel. Admissions committees bar Palestinian citizens -- one in five of Israel's population -- from hundreds of communities. A refusal of family reunification has torn apart Palestinian families in cases where one partner lives in Israel and the other in the occupied territories.

Most Jews have justified to themselves these and many other affronts on the grounds that, after the European holocaust, they deserved a strong homeland. Palestinians had to pay the price.

Given that half the world's Jews live outside Israel -- the great majority in the US -- their support for Israel is critical. They have donated enormous sums, helping to build cities and plant forests. And they have lobbied aggressively at home to ensure diplomatic, financial and military support for their cause. But it is becoming ever harder for them to ignore their hypocrisy.

The rift has grown into a chasm as Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government widens its assault on civil rights. It now targets not just Palestinians but the remnants of liberal Jewish society in Israel -- in open contempt for the values of American Jews.

The peculiar catalyst is a battle over the most significant surviving symbol of Jewishness: the Western Wall, a supporting wall of a long-lost temple in Jerusalem.

Jews in the US mostly subscribe to the progressive tenets of Reform Judaism. In Israel, by contrast, the hard-line Orthodox rule supreme on religious matters.

Since the 1967 occupation, Israel's Orthodox rabbis have controlled prayers at the Western Wall, marginalizing women and other streams of Judaism. That has deeply offended Jewish opinion in the US.

Trapped between American donors and Israel's powerful rabbis, Mr Netanyahu initially agreed to create a mixed prayer space at the wall for non-Orthodox Jews. But as opposition mounted at home over the summer, he caved in. The shock waves are still reverberating.

Avraham Infeld, a veteran Israeli liaison with the US Jewish community, told the Haaretz Israeli newspaper this week that the crisis in relations was "unprecedented." American Jews have concluded "Israel doesn't give a damn about them."

Now a close ally of Mr Netanyahu has stoked the storm. In a TV interview last month, Tzipi Hotovely, the deputy foreign minister, all but accused American Jews of being freeloaders. She condemned a failure to fight in the US or Israeli militaries, saying they preferred "convenient lives."

Her comments caused uproar. They echo those of leading Orthodox rabbis, who argue that Reform Jews are not real Jews -- and are possibly even an enemy.

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North Florida Land Trust proudly announces the 2017 Volunteer of the Year

Forrest and Nancy Penny

www.northfloridalandtrust.org

Jacksonville, Fla., Nov. 30, 2017  North Florida Land Trust is honored to recognize two people this year as their 2017 Volunteer of the Year. This year the award goes to Forrest and Nancy Penny. Since becoming volunteers in 2014, the couple has dedicated dozens of hours on numerous NFLT projects and attended many fundraising and community events. In 2015, the couple worked on removing invasive species from Big Talbot Island. Because of their time and efforts, NFLT was able to successfully complete this project.We are so thankful for volunteers like Forrest and Nancy, said Jim McCarthy, president of NFLT. Without their dedication and enthusiasm for helping our mission to conserve Floridas lands, we wouldnt be nearly as successful in our initiatives. Its always a pleasure to see their smiling faces at every event.McCarthy said Forrest and Nancy Penny are always eager to sign up to help, whether its an annual fundraiser like the Fish Fry or Salt Marsh Brewgrass Festival or special events like the fundraising event for the Spanish-American War Fort. They also volunteer for the quarterly roadside clean-ups on Big Talbot Island and in 2017, the couple committed to join Team Terrapin, a volunteer team dedicated to monitor diamondback terrapin nesting sites near Big Talbot Island and Sawpit Islands. The two devoted more than 40 hours in the summer to monitor the terrapin nests. The continual monitoring of these turtles throughout the year is crucial to maintain protection of the species within the region.Volunteering with North Florida Land Trust is the perfect way for us to give back to our community, said Forrest Penny. We especially love helping preserve the terrapin nests. Just knowing that you are helping preserve a species in your region is such a rewarding feeling.Forest and Nancy Penny will be honored during NFLTs annual meeting set for Feb. 13, 2018, which will include keynote speaker and former Governor Bob Graham. The event is a chance for NFLT to give the community and supporters a report on their accomplishments and to award volunteers and supporters for their efforts on behalf of NFLTs mission.About North Florida Land TrustNorth Florida Land Trust is a non-profit organization who serves as a champion of environmental protection primarily in Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Union and Volusia counties. NFLT was founded in 1999 and has protected thousands of acres of environmentally significant land including property at Big Talbot Island, the River Branch Preserve, Pumpkin Hill State Park, Moccasin Slough, along the St. Marys River and other valued natural areas predominantly in Northeast Florida. NFLT is funded largely by private and corporate contributions and works closely with private landowners and other public agencies at all levels of government, not-for-profit partners, and foundations. For more information, visitNorth Florida Land Trust2038 Gilmore StreetJacksonville, FL 32204
Global Automotive Exhaust System Market | Industry Size, Analysis 2011-2017, Future Scope 2018-2023

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Global Automotive Exhaust System Market Analysis 2011-2017 and Forecast 2018-2023Global Automotive Exhaust System Market research report gives a systematic and competent approach to gather important statistics of Global Automotive Exhaust System industry. In which includes industry chain structure, Automotive Exhaust System market classification, dominant market players, product definition, and product scope. Global Automotive Exhaust System Market research report also interprets different market scenarios along with future market trends. Global Automotive Exhaust System research report performs SWOT analysis to gain better insights on Strengths, Opportunities, and Threats muddled in Automotive Exhaust System industry. Automotive Exhaust System Market dynamics, production capacity, consumer volume, supply to demand ratio, Automotive Exhaust System market share and revenue is also deliberated in this research report.Global Automotive Exhaust System Market is branched into different product types, applications, and major geographical zones. Further Automotive Exhaust System Market research report contains Company profiles of top manufacturers, their information, sales revenue, annual revenue, sales volume, and consumer volume is also specified. Major highlights of the Automotive Exhaust System Market report include market perceptions such as import/export details, market overview, end customers/users of the Automotive Exhaust System industry, market performance and cost of the product.Regional classification of the Global Automotive Exhaust System Market research report:Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, Middle East and Africa are the major regions of the globe involved in Automotive Exhaust System research report. Global Automotive Exhaust System Market in European regions covers Germany, France, Italy, UK, Russia and Spain that will show a colossal growth in the Automotive Exhaust System market over next five years. Global Automotive Exhaust System Market in Asia-Pacific regions covers Japan, China, India, China, India, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Due to the progressive technology used in North American countries including the United States, Canada and Mexico there will be a drastic increase in the Automotive Exhaust System market share and Automotive Exhaust System market revenue. Global Automotive Exhaust System Market in Latin American countries comprise of Argentina and Brazil whereas the Middle East and Africa include Saudi Arabia, South Africa.Get Automotive Exhaust System market Sample Research Report with complete table of content atMajor Companies List :-FaureciaTennecoEberspacherBoysenSangoHITERYutaka GikenCalsonic KanseiMagneti MarelliBentelerSejong IndustrialKatconFutabaWanxiangBosalHarbin AiruiDinexCatarApplication- Petrol Vehicle, Types - Single Exhaust SystemDual Exhaust System.Do Inquiry Before Accessing Report Here:Global Automotive Exhaust System Research Report study mainly covers below chapters to deeply display the Automotive Exhaust System market.1) Chapter 1 - Automotive Exhaust System market report describe Automotive Exhaust System Industry Overview, Automotive Exhaust System Market Segment(Upstream, Downstream), Automotive Exhaust System Cost Analysis, Automotive Exhaust System market driving force.2) Chapter 2 - Automotive Exhaust System market Industry Environment(Policy, Economics, Sociology, Technology).3) Chapter 3 - Automotive Exhaust System Market by Type.4) Chapter 4 - Major Companies List - market report Analyze the top manufacturers of Automotive Exhaust System, Automotive Exhaust System industry Profile, and Sales Data of Automotive Exhaust System.5) Chapter 5 - Market Competition(Company Competition, Regional Market by Company), Global Automotive Exhaust System industry report evaluate the key regions.6) Chapter 6 - Market Demand(Demand Situation, Regional Demand Comparison, Demand Forecast).7) Chapter 7 - Automotive Exhaust System Market report also describes Region Operation (Regional Output, Regional Market, by Region, Regional Forecast).8) Chapter 8 - This report also describes Automotive Exhaust System sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Automotive Exhaust System market Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Concluding part of the report provides numerous traders, contributors involved in the Automotive Exhaust System industry along with research discoveries, results, data source and postscript.MarketDesk is the terminal where all industrial, commercial and profitmaking venture will get the best research reports of the market in all sectors like automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, food and beverages etc. The company aims to fulfill market research requirements of both national and international clients. We provide you the important and necessary information to identify and analyze the need of market and the market size.Indian Office Address:Survey No. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Telephone Numbers:+1 (857) 2390696+91 91308 55334Email ID: inquiry@market.biz
Get Detail Analysis on Global Cloud Logistics Software Market by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022

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A new market research report, titled Global Logistics Software Market, analyzes the market by stating its current value, size, and market performance and statistics. The report is an in-depth study of the key dynamics of the global shipbuilding market. An overview of the types, the process, and value chain has been included in the report for the benefit of the readers. Companies in the Logistics Software industry engaged in the aspects are mentioned in this study report. Logistics Software Industry is one of the highly competitive markets in the world. The industry is highly capital concentrated and thus, requires strong government support and political stability. How these factors are driving the market is precisely explained in this study. This report studies the global Cloud Logistics Software market, analyzes and researches the Cloud Logistics Software development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, like: Softlink Global, SSI SCHAEFER, Oracle, JDA, TRANSPOREON, Minster, Royal 4 Systems, Logimax, 3PL Central, Abivin, Eyefreight, Soloplan, Logistics Software Solutions, Ramco Systems, Jaix, TMW Systems, Jungheinrich, Logisuite Corp, Yonyou (HongKong), Dovetail, ECFY Consulting, Integrated Logistic Solutions, Verizon, HighJump, DreamOrbit Softech, EPROMIS, LogiNext, Infor, TranscountFor Sample copy of this report:The testament on the Global Logistics Software Market is an in-depth section of work and is amassed by organizing both major as well as minor research. The data integrated in the report has been taken by mentioning superior-quality whitepapers, report descriptions, press releases, and by taking responses from top industry contestants. The top sectors in the market have been emphasized. These fragments have been reachable by giving information on their present and foreseen position by the end of the forecast horizon. These facts help the forthcoming players to gauge the speculation scope within the sections and sub-sections of the Global Logistics Software Market.Analysis tools such as Porters five forces analysis and SWOT analysis have also been utilized for analyzing the market data. The major strategies adopted by the already established players for a better penetration in the global Logistics Software market also form a key section of this study. This market report offers a comprehensive analysis of the global market. Furthermore, each section in this report includes expert insights that will help to address the problem areas experienced in supply chain issues. To make the report easy to understand, the study features graphics, charts, and infographics.The increasing need for this product and the growing acceptance of its concept are likely to fuel the demand for Logistics Software market across the world in the near future. The faster deployment of these industry and the scalability and flexibility they offer are expected to add to their popularity over the forecast period are clearly mentioned.For More information:The report also presents a 360-degree overview of the competitive scenario of the global Logistics Software market, thus helping organizations understand the major threat and opportunities that vendors in the market are dealt with and includes detailed business profiles of some of the major vendors in the market. Also, the report offers a SWOT analysis of the global market. This report gives a clear picture of the Logistics Software market scenario for the better understanding to the readers.The competitive landscape of the global Logistics Software market is discussed in the report, including the market share and new orders market share by company. The report profiles some of the leading players in the global market for the purpose of an in-depth study of the challenges faced by the industry as well as the growth opportunities in the market. The report also discusses the strategies implemented by the key companies to maintain their hold on the industry. The business overview and financial overview of each of the companies have been analyzed.About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat United States competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.10916, Gold Point, Dr, Houston, TX,Pin - 77064.Email:sales@researchnreports.comPhone:+1 888-631-6977
Travel Insurance Market Review, current trends, Research to 2022: Allianz, Munich Re Group, AIG, Assicurazioni Generali, Prudential, ACE&Chubb, Manulife

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Global Travel Insurance Market Size, Status And Forecast 2022 Purchase This Report by calling ResearchnReports.com at +1-888-631-6977.Travel insurance covers the expense, such as trip cancellation, cancellation due to the medical emergency, resulting from unexpected events during domestic and international travel. Some of these policies also pay for damage to rented equipment, such as car, or for ransom in case of kidnapping.This research report provides an in-depth analysis of the global Travel Insurance Market based on enterprise size, services, solution, end-use industry, and geography. The report also provides an analysis of the factors that drive and restrain the growth of the Travel Insurance market. It discusses the prevailing market trends, prospective growth opportunities, and major strategies increasing the popularity of the global market. It provides market estimates and forecasts for all the segments in terms of revenue.Get Sample copy of this Report @:The report covers all the major trends and technologies playing a major role in the market growth over the forecast period. The competition in the global market for Travel Insurance will likely heat up in the next couple of years on the back of entry of a substantial number of solution providers. This statistical surveying report presents an all-inclusive assessment of the worldwide market for Travel Insurance, taking several market verticals, such as the production capacity, product pricing, the dynamics of demand and supply, sales volume, revenue, and the growth rate of this market into consideration.Companies Profiled in this report includes, Allianz, Munich Re Group, AIG, Assicurazioni Generali, Prudential, ACE&Chubb, Manulife, UnitedHealthcare Global, Mapfre, AXA, Tokio Marine Holdings, China Pacific insurance, Hanse Merkur, Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, People's insurance company of China, China LifeGet 20% Discount on this Report @:The report provides competitive landscape of the Travel Insurance market, thereby listing out all the major players according to their geographic presence, market attractiveness and recent key developments. The competitive landscape section of the report gives an overview about the market share of several key players for forecast period. Moreover, key takeaways section provided at the end of competitive landscape section would help the operating companies to make the best move in the market.These market estimates have been analyzed by taking into account the impact of different political, social, economic, technological, and legal factors along with the current market dynamics affecting the market growth. Factors including market position, offerings and R&D focus are attributed to companys capabilities. This section also identifies and includes various recent developments carried out by the leading players.Access Complete Report @:The regional analysis of the Global Market splits the global market into key regions that include both continents as well as specific countries that are currently shining in terms of either demand, volume or overall growth. Users of the report can focus on these regions if they are looking to expand their business borders.The stages of development of Travel Insurance market with respect to many geographic regions have also been presented thoroughly. This information which is provided helps the emerging players gain up-to-date information which can help them take perfect business decisions. In similar way, many other segments and sub segments are mentioned in this market helping in conveying impeccable data to the users.Table of ContentsGlobal Travel Insurance Market Research ReportChapter 1 Travel Insurance Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3 Global Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Global Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12 Global Travel Insurance Market ForecastResearch N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin  77064,+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com,
Dec 5, 2017: Radio Communication Cables Market Forecast 2023 Siemens, Cable USA, Prysmian

Radio Communication Cables

https://goo.gl/vQi8PA

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-radio-communication-cables-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022

A market study  Global Radio Communication Cables Market  examines the performance of the Radio Communication Cables market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Radio Communication Cables market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Radio Communication Cables market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Radio Communication Cables Market 2017 report includes Radio Communication Cables market Size, Revenue, market Share, Radio Communication Cables industry volume, market Trends, Radio Communication Cables Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Radio Communication Cables Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Radio Communication Cables Market Forecast 2017:1. Siemens2. Cable USA3. PrysmianFirstly, the report covers the top Radio Communication Cables manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Browse Report :Further, the Radio Communication Cables report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Radio Communication Cables industry, Radio Communication Cables industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Radio Communication Cables Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Radio Communication Cables research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Radio Communication Cables market revenue worldwide.Finally, Radio Communication Cables market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Dec 5, 2017: Mobile Phone Power Adapters Market Forecast 2023 ThinkPad, Lenovo, Toshiba

Mobile Phone Power Adapters

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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-mobile-phone-power-adapters-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022

A market study  Global Mobile Phone Power Adapters Market  examines the performance of the Mobile Phone Power Adapters market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Mobile Phone Power Adapters market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Mobile Phone Power Adapters market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Mobile Phone Power Adapters Market 2017 report includes Mobile Phone Power Adapters market Size, Revenue, market Share, Mobile Phone Power Adapters industry volume, market Trends, Mobile Phone Power Adapters Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Mobile Phone Power Adapters Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Mobile Phone Power Adapters Market Forecast 2017:1. LG2. ThinkPad3. Lenovo4. Toshiba5. SAMSUNG6. PISEN7. HuntkeyFirstly, the report covers the top Mobile Phone Power Adapters manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Browse Report :Further, the Mobile Phone Power Adapters report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Mobile Phone Power Adapters industry, Mobile Phone Power Adapters industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Mobile Phone Power Adapters Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Mobile Phone Power Adapters research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Mobile Phone Power Adapters market revenue worldwide.Finally, Mobile Phone Power Adapters market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
WEST UNION, Iowa  James Jim Charles Larson, 75, of West Union died Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, at Gundersen Health System, La Crosse. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at Burnham-Wood-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service, West Union. Burial with military honors will follow at West Union City Cemetery. Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and one hour before services Friday, both at the funeral home.
Dec 5, 2017: Macroporous Adsorption Resins Market Forecast 2023 Dow, Amicogen, Shanghai

Macroporous Adsorption Resins

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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-macroporous-adsorption-resins-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022#enquiry_for_buying

A market study  Global Macroporous Adsorption Resins Market  examines the performance of the Macroporous Adsorption Resins market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Macroporous Adsorption Resins market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Macroporous Adsorption Resins market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Macroporous Adsorption Resins Market 2017 report includes Macroporous Adsorption Resins market Size, Revenue, market Share, Macroporous Adsorption Resins industry volume, market Trends, Macroporous Adsorption Resins Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Macroporous Adsorption Resins Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Macroporous Adsorption Resins Market Forecast 2017:1. Mitsubishi Chemical2. Dow3. Amicogen4. Shanghai Hualing ResinFirstly, the report covers the top Macroporous Adsorption Resins manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Browse Report :Further, the Macroporous Adsorption Resins report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Macroporous Adsorption Resins industry, Macroporous Adsorption Resins industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Macroporous Adsorption Resins Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Macroporous Adsorption Resins research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Macroporous Adsorption Resins market revenue worldwide.Finally, Macroporous Adsorption Resins market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Dec 5, 2017: Laptop Power Adapters Market Forecast 2023 ASUS, Lenovo, Toshiba, SAMSUNG

Laptop Power Adapters

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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-laptop-power-adapters-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022#enquiry_for_buying

A market study  Global Laptop Power Adapters Market  examines the performance of the Laptop Power Adapters market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Laptop Power Adapters market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Laptop Power Adapters market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Laptop Power Adapters Market 2017 report includes Laptop Power Adapters market Size, Revenue, market Share, Laptop Power Adapters industry volume, market Trends, Laptop Power Adapters Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Laptop Power Adapters Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Laptop Power Adapters Market Forecast 2017:1. HP2. ASUS3. Lenovo4. Toshiba5. SAMSUNG6. PISEN7. HuntkeyFirstly, the report covers the top Laptop Power Adapters manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Browse Report :Further, the Laptop Power Adapters report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Laptop Power Adapters industry, Laptop Power Adapters industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Laptop Power Adapters Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Laptop Power Adapters research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Laptop Power Adapters market revenue worldwide.Finally, Laptop Power Adapters market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Dec 5, 2017: Furniture Handles Market Forecast 2023 HNI Corporation, Haworth, Teknion

Furniture Handles

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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-furniture-handles-market-2017-demand-insight-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022

A market study  Global Furniture Handles Market  examines the performance of the Furniture Handles market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Furniture Handles market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Furniture Handles market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Furniture Handles Market 2017 report includes Furniture Handles market Size, Revenue, market Share, Furniture Handles industry volume, market Trends, Furniture Handles Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Furniture Handles Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Furniture Handles Market Forecast 2017:1. Steelcase2. Herman Miller3. Haworth4. HNI Corporation5. Okamura Corporation6. Global Group7. KI8. Teknion9. Knoll10. Kinnarps Holding11. Kimball Office12. Kokuyo13. ITOKIFirstly, the report covers the top Furniture Handles manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Browse Report :Further, the Furniture Handles report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Furniture Handles industry, Furniture Handles industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Furniture Handles Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Furniture Handles research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Furniture Handles market revenue worldwide.Finally, Furniture Handles market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Dec 5, 2017: LCoS Projectors Market Forecast 2023 Canon, JVC, Sony

LCoS Projectors

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A market study  Global LCoS Projectors Market  examines the performance of the LCoS Projectors market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the LCoS Projectors market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of LCoS Projectors market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global LCoS Projectors Market 2017 report includes LCoS Projectors market Size, Revenue, market Share, LCoS Projectors industry volume, market Trends, LCoS Projectors Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, LCoS Projectors Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global LCoS Projectors Market Forecast 2017:1. Canon2. JVC3. SonyFirstly, the report covers the top LCoS Projectors manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Browse Report :Further, the LCoS Projectors report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of LCoS Projectors industry, LCoS Projectors industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. LCoS Projectors Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The LCoS Projectors research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the LCoS Projectors market revenue worldwide.Finally, LCoS Projectors market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Dec 5, 2017: Large Format Scanner Market Forecast 2023 Plustek, HP, Xerox, Canon

Large Format Scanner

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A market study  Global Large Format Scanner Market  examines the performance of the Large Format Scanner market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Large Format Scanner market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Large Format Scanner market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Get Free Sample Of Report:The Global Large Format Scanner Market 2017 report includes Large Format Scanner market Size, Revenue, market Share, Large Format Scanner industry volume, market Trends, Large Format Scanner Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Large Format Scanner Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2023.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Large Format Scanner Market Forecast 2017:1. Mustek2. Plustek3. HP4. Xerox5. Canon6. Epson7. ContexFirstly, the report covers the top Large Format Scanner manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Browse Report :Further, the Large Format Scanner report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Large Format Scanner industry, Large Format Scanner industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Large Format Scanner Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Large Format Scanner research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Large Format Scanner market revenue worldwide.Finally, Large Format Scanner market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:Spire Market Research is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244United States
Cage Free Eggs global Market Key Players- Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., Midwest Poultry Services, L.P., Eggland's Best, LLC., Weaver Brothers, Inc., Herbruck Poultry Ranch, Inc., Kuramochi Sangyo Co., Ltd

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Market Overview:Cage-free eggs are produced from poultry that is allowed to wander in open. Cage-free poultry has observed a healthier lifestyle, which has uplifted the nutritional quality of the eggs. Commercially available cage-free eggs come in white and brown color, having varying size like small, medium, large, and others. Also, cage-free eggs are moderately bigger in size and more yolk content than the conventional caged eggs.Cage-free eggs embrace many health supporting qualities, which has raised its consumption in the population suffering from high cholesterol level in the recent years. Moreover, extraordinary demand from the consumers has encouraged the manufacturers to shift to cage-free eggs business over conventional caged eggs. Furthermore, high content of omega-3 fatty acid in cage-free eggs makes it a good choice for consumers, which also promotes a better heart health.Also, elevated amount of cage-free poultry products from different food manufacturers and food traders is predicted to elevate the market growth. Furthermore, increasing consumer curiosity towards product origin and poultry health is likely to surge the growth of the global cage-free eggs market. In addition, all these factors are estimated to contribute to the estimated CAGR of 5.8% of cage-free eggs market during the forecast period 2017-2023.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players:The major players in the cage-free eggs market Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (U.S.) Midwest Poultry Services, L.P.(U.S.) Eggland's Best, LLC. (U.S.) Weaver Brothers, Inc. (U.S.) Herbruck Poultry Ranch, Inc. (U.S.) Kuramochi Sangyo Co., Ltd. (Japan) Lakes Freerange Egg Co., Ltd. (U.K.)Downstream AnalysisCage-free eggs are segmented on the basis of egg color, egg size, and distribution channel. The egg color segment is comprised of white and brown color. The white colored cage-free egg is dominating the global market. White egg is low-priced and involves low investment in feed. In addition, the white egg gets matured in a shorter period, so its yield is high. However, the poultry industry is experiencing high demand for brown eggs owing to the high amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which maintains an optimum level of body cholesterol.On the basis of egg size, the cage-free eggs market is segmented in small, medium, large, and others. Among all the sizes, the large egg size is dominating the market owing to consumer preference for large eggs. Moreover, the demand for large egg size is anticipated to experience a high growth from the consumers, which is likely to grow the cage-free eggs market rapidly during the forecast period.On the basis of the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the store-based and non-store based distribution channel. However, the store-based distribution channel is dominating the market based on the one-stop shopping experience.Regional AnalysisThe global cage-free eggs market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (RoW). Europe is dominating the global market followed by North America. In Europe, Poland is accounted for a greater consumption of cage-free eggs owing to the large size and bright orange yolks, which is rich in fatty acids and maintain an optimum level of body cholesterol. Additionally, it has a better taste than the conventional caged eggs.Furthermore, owing to increasing sensitivity towards poultry health and extraordinary demand for cage-free eggs among the consumers, a strong growth is expected in the cage-free eggs market in the North American region. Combined efforts from the government and regulatory authorities on the poultry industry to produce cage-free eggs are likely to uplift the market for cage-free eggs at the global level.Access Report Details @Market SegmentationCage-Free Eggs Market is segmented on the basis of color, size, distribution channel and region.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Industrial Boiler Market - Industry Analysis,Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Industrial Boiler Market: OverviewThe global industrial boiler market is driven by the presence and development of various projects of ultra-mega power in the developing economies, especially in countries such as China and India, where the population is extremely high, resulting in an increased demand for power consumption. Ultra mega power projects are also increasing across countries on account of the regulations imposed by various environmental bodies, which encourage industries, especially in the power generation sector to take strict measures so as to save energy and help in reducing harmful emissions.During the forecast period of 2017 to 2025, the global industrial boiler market will be driven by the growing need to improvise the combustion efficiency of biomass, making use of new materials. The reduction of cost of biomass boilers as well as enhanced efficiency of the waste are some of the benefits of using new materials in biomass. This in turn will boost the growth prospects of the industrial boilers market. In addition to this, oxygen distribution in boiler bed improves the efficiency and uniformity of combustion, thereby widening the dependence of various economies on industrial boilers.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Players within the industrial boilers market are competing with each other on the basis of cost. Key vendors are concentrating their efforts on giving customers reliability, ease of operation, safety, and sustainability.Global Industrial Boiler Market: SnapshotIndustrial boilers are closed vessels, basically used for burning fuels such as natural gas and coal for the purpose of providing steam to a stationary engine. The material that the pressure vessel of an industrial boiler is mainly made of is steel or alloy steel or wrought iron in the past. Owing to the risk of corrosion cracking, stainless steel is not employed in the wetted boiler parts. Nevertheless, ferritic stainless steel is employed in the section of superheater that is not exposed to heating water. Growing demand for energy efficient devices along with government regulations and norms are the prime factors influencing the demand for industrial boiler during the forecast period. Moreover, the burgeoning demand for clean energy fuel is further expected to trigger the need for industrial boilers over the coming years.According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, over 21% of the global greenhouse gas emissions is from industries. Greenhouse gas emissions from industries include mineral transformation, metallurgical, and chemical processes which are not linked with energy consumption and waste management activities.Request TOC of the Report @Global Industrial Boiler Market: Key TrendsThe growth of the industrial boiler market is likely to be supplemented by the positive outlook of food processing and chemical industries towards emission reduction. Government measures taken up to decrease the level of carbon emissions is expected to boost the growth of the market in the coming years. The EPA has further implemented several regulations and rules such as national emission standard for hazardous air contaminants in order to mitigate the impact of toxic gas emissions which is released during furnace operations. It is aimed at protecting the environment from the adverse impacts of air pollutants by implementing maximum allowable concentration if contaminants in the ambience. Degrading performance coupled with a gradual rise in the operation and maintenance cost is leading to the replacement of installed boilers with advanced industrial boilers. Rising fuel prices is expected to further augment the demand for high-end heating furnaces. In order to minimize the incurring expenses and optimizing the resources that are available, the deployment of industrial boilers is anticipated to take a leap.Global Industrial Boiler Market: Market PotentialLeading companies in the market are focusing on leveraging on the upcoming opportunities from the demand for low-cost, energy-efficient, and reliable products. For instance, a prime company, Cleaver-Brooks Inc. developed a completely integrated set of boilers that received cUL and UL certification after meeting the safety standards defined by Underwriters Laboratories. Cleaver-Brooks Inc. also acquired leading boiler providing companies, Holman Boiler Works and Affiliated Power Services, LP and focused on an aggressive inorganic growth strategy which has been recently gaining traction in the global industrial boiler market. Another leading company, Vapor Power International, LLC acquired all the assets of Tennessee based Precision Boilers, LLC in order to expand its production units.Get Discount @Global Industrial Boiler Market: Regional OutlookRegion-wise, the global industrial boiler market can be segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World. North America is expected to emerge as a prominent region owing to growing demand for efficient energy and robust installation of numerous power plants. Asia Pacific is also likely to present lucrative growth opportunities with growing demand for boilers from metal, refining, chemical, and food industries. Demand for boilers from Indonesia, India, China, and Japan is likely to bode well for the market growth in the near future.Global Industrial Boiler Market: Vendor LandscapeSome of the leading companies in the market are Thermax Limited, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd., IHI Corporation, Harbin Electric Group, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, General Electric, Siemens AG, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc., Cleaver-Brooks Inc., and Vapor Power International, LLC.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Medical Image Management Market Driven By R&D Activities, Technological Innovations And Growing Occurrence Of Various Disease Till 2022 | Million Insights

Million Insights - World's Fastest Growing Market Research Database

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Global Medical Image Management Market is classified on the basis of product type, end users, applications, and geography. Medical image management (MIM) is a type of solution that offers report storage, study and robust solution to radiology image archiving. The global MIM market is expected to show considerable growth rate during the forecast period. The factors that propel the growth of the Medical Image Management Market include increasing demand, technological innovations, rising geriatric population, growing occurrence of various diseases and awareness about early diagnosis of disease. On the other hand, there are also factors that may hamper the growth of the market such as extended product lifecycle of VNAs and budgetary constraints.Medical Image Management Market is classified on the basis ofproduct type asPicture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), Vendor Neutral Archives (VNA) and Application-independent Clinical Archives (AICA). Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) is classified as Departmental PACS, Enterprise PACS and others.Vendor Neutral Archives (VNA) is classified based on type, procurement model, and type of vendor. Based on type, VNA is classified as on premise, hybrid VNA and cloud-based VNA. Based on procurement model, VNA is classified as departmental VNA, multidepartment VNA and multisite VNA. Based on type of vendor, VNA is classified asPACS Vendors, independent software vendors and infrastructure/storage vendors.Full Research Report On Medical Image Management Market Global Analysis available at:Application-independent Clinical Archives (AICA) is classified based on type of vendor as VNA vendors and native AICA vendors. Medical Image Management Market is classified on the basis ofapplications as standard radiography, oncology imaging, cardiovascular imaging, neuroradiology, interventional radiology, musculoskeletal imaging & pain management, advanced body imaging, and others.Medical Image Management Market is classified on the basis ofend users as hospitals, diagnostic imaging centres and others. The other segment includes ambulatory surgical centres, contract research organizations and small clinics. Among end users, hospital segment is projected to account a major share of the Medical Image Management Market. Medical Image Management Market is classified on the basis ofgeography as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Middle East and Africa.The North American region consists of the U.S., and Canada. Latin America region consists of Mexico and Brazil. The Western European region consists of Germany, Italy, France, England and Spain. The Eastern European region consists of Poland and Russia. Asia Pacific region consists of China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand. The Middle East and Africa region consists of GCC, South Africa and North Africa.In case of geographical region, North America is projected to account a major share of the Global Medical Image Management Market. The major factors that attribute to the growth of this region is due to implementation of technically advanced imaging system, prevalence of several disease, and R&D activities.Some of the key players that fuel the growth of the Medical Image Management Market include Agfa-Gevaert Group, McKesson Corporation, Carestream Health, Inc. (Onex Corporation), GE Company, Merge Healthcare Inc. (IBM Corporation), Siemens Healthcare (Siemens AG), Philips Healthcare (Royal Philips Electronics)(The Netherlands), BridgeHead Software, Fujifilm Holdings Corporation and Novarad Corporation.Market Segment:Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Medical Image Management in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaRequest for Free Sample Copy at:Global Medical Image Management market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including McKesson Corporation GE Company Fujifilm Holdings Corporation Merge Healthcare (IBM Corporation) Agfa-Gevaert Group Philips Healthcare (Royal Philips Electronics) Siemens Healthcare (Siemens AG) Carestream Health BridgeHead Software Novarad CorporationOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) Vendor Neutral Archives (VNA) Application-independent Clinical Archives (AICA)On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Medical Image Management for each application, including Hospitals Diagnostic Imaging Centers Other End UsersRelated Reports of this Category available at Million Insights:About Million InsightsMillion Insights, is a distributor of market research reports, published by premium publishers only. We have a comprehensive market place that will enable you to compare data points, before you make a purchase. Enabling informed buying is our motto and we strive hard to ensure that our clients get to browse through multiple samples, prior to an investment. Service flexibility & the fastest response time are two pillars, on which our business model is founded. Our market research report store, includes in-depth reports, from across various industry verticals, such as healthcare, technology, chemicals, food & beverages, consumer goods, material science & automotive.Contact Details:Office No. 302, 3rd Floor, Manikchand Galleria,Model Colony, Shivaji Nagar, Pune, MH, 411016 IndiaPhone: 91-20-65300184Email: sales@millioninsights.com
Nov 05, 2017: AC Switch Cabinet Market Forecast 2023 EATON, SIEMENS, GE

AC Switch Cabinet Market

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AC Switch Cabinet Market Research 2017A market study  Global AC Switch Cabinet Market  examines the performance of the AC Switch Cabinet market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the AC Switch Cabinet market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of AC Switch Cabinet market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global AC Switch Cabinet Market 2017 report includes AC Switch Cabinet market Revenue, market Share, AC Switch Cabinet industry volume, market Trends, AC Switch Cabinet Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, AC Switch Cabinet Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global AC Switch Cabinet Market 2017 : EATON SIEMENS GE Mitsubishi Electric Fuji Electric Hyundai Heavy Industries Toshiba SENTEG Schneider Electric ABBFirstly, the report covers the top AC Switch Cabinet manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the AC Switch Cabinet report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of AC Switch Cabinet industry, AC Switch Cabinet industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. AC Switch Cabinet Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The AC Switch Cabinet research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the AC Switch Cabinet market revenue worldwide.Finally, AC Switch Cabinet market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Nov 05, 2017: Accent Pillow Market Forecast 2023 Jaipur, Fresh American, Dash & Albert

Accent Pillow Market

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Accent Pillow Market Research 2017A market study  Global Accent Pillow Market  examines the performance of the Accent Pillow market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Accent Pillow market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Accent Pillow market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Accent Pillow Market 2017 report includes Accent Pillow market Revenue, market Share, Accent Pillow industry volume, market Trends, Accent Pillow Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Accent Pillow Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Accent Pillow Market 2017 : Jaipur Fresh American Dash & Albert Lili Alessandra Surya Square Feathers Lacefield Design Artisan Bella Notte Lili AlessandraFirstly, the report covers the top Accent Pillow manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Accent Pillow report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Accent Pillow industry, Accent Pillow industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Accent Pillow Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Accent Pillow research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Accent Pillow market revenue worldwide.Finally, Accent Pillow market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Nov 05, 2017: Active Electronic Components Market Forecast 2023 Texas Instruments, ST Microelectronics NV

Active Electronic Components Market

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Active Electronic Components Market Research 2017A market study  Global Active Electronic Components Market  examines the performance of the Active Electronic Components market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Active Electronic Components market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Active Electronic Components market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Active Electronic Components Market 2017 report includes Active Electronic Components market Revenue, market Share, Active Electronic Components industry volume, market Trends, Active Electronic Components Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Active Electronic Components Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Active Electronic Components Market 2017 : Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. Texas Instruments, Inc. ST Microelectronics NV ON Semiconductor Diotec Semiconductor AG Toshiba Corporation Renesas Electric Corporation Infineon Technologies AG Maxim Integrated Products Inc. Analog Devices, Inc. Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd.Firstly, the report covers the top Active Electronic Components manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Active Electronic Components report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Active Electronic Components industry, Active Electronic Components industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Active Electronic Components Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Active Electronic Components research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Active Electronic Components market revenue worldwide.Finally, Active Electronic Components market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Cloud PBX 2017 Global Industry Key Players - Microsoft Corporation, RingCentral Inc., Vonage America Inc., ShoreTel, Inc., Nextiva Inc., Phone.com Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022

Global Cloud PBX Market

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Global Cloud PBX MarketIn this report, the global Cloud PBX market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Global Cloud PBX market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingMicrosoft Corporation (U.S.)RingCentral Inc.(U.S)Vonage America Inc.(U.S.)ShoreTel, Inc. (U.S.)Nextiva Inc.(U.S.)Avaya Inc.(U.S.)MegaPath Inc.(U.S.)Jive Software Inc. (U.S.)Phone.com (U.S.)Request a Sample Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Cloud PBX in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoWANLANOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingCommercialIndustrialTo enquire about this report visit @Table of Contents-Key Points CoveredGlobal Cloud PBX Market Research Report 20171 Cloud PBX Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Cloud PBX1.2 Cloud PBX Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Cloud PBX Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Cloud PBX Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 WAN1.2.4 LAN1.3 Global Cloud PBX Segment by Application1.3.1 Cloud PBX Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Commercial1.3.3 Industrial1.4 Global Cloud PBX Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Cloud PBX Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Cloud PBX (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Cloud PBX Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Cloud PBX Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022).7 Global Cloud PBX Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Microsoft Corporation (U.S.)7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Cloud PBX Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Microsoft Corporation (U.S.) Cloud PBX Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 RingCentral Inc.(U.S)7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Cloud PBX Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 RingCentral Inc.(U.S) Cloud PBX Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Vonage America Inc.(U.S.)7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Cloud PBX Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Vonage America Inc.(U.S.) Cloud PBX Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 ShoreTel, Inc. (U.S.)7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Cloud PBX Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 ShoreTel, Inc. (U.S.) Cloud PBX Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Nextiva Inc.(U.S.)7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Cloud PBX Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Nextiva Inc.(U.S.) Cloud PBX Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Avaya Inc.(U.S.)7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Cloud PBX Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Avaya Inc.(U.S.) Cloud PBX Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 MegaPath Inc.(U.S.)7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Cloud PBX Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 MegaPath Inc.(U.S.) Cloud PBX Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Jive Software Inc. (U.S.)7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Cloud PBX Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Jive Software Inc. (U.S.) Cloud PBX Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Phone.com (U.S.)7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Cloud PBX Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Phone.com (U.S.) Cloud PBX Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued..Buy Report@Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Power Transmission Components Market - In-Depth Analysis & Forecast upto 2025

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Global Power Transmission Components Market: OverviewAdvancement of several industries and robust urbanization have set off a noteworthy rush of power and energy in the last couple of years. This has raised worries about high utilization of energy and has started a discussion among countries to devise approaches to check power a use. Altogether, the two variables have brought about a colossal interest for control transmission components, which are known to guarantee compelling transmission of vitality. The use of power transmission components has relentlessly ascended because of the need to decrease the carbon discharges and checking the greenhouse effect, which is a consequence of inordinate power utilization.The capacity of power transmission components to present a continuous power supply on a long haul premise is the key development factor for these components. The market is additionally flourishing with developing help from different governments, which is seen through motivators offered in terms of money to units making new establishments of power transmission components to guarantee energy savings. The market is relied upon to get a lift from more seasoned and obsolete power plants that are required to update their foundation to hold fast to standards of conserving energy sooner rather than later.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The continuous crisis in energy has persuaded players active in the worldwide power transmission components market to create items that are of unrivaled quality. Pairing with this need, organizations are concentrating on presenting items that help digitization of grids for demonstrating dependable and safe power supply alongside taking a dynamic part in savvy electrification ventures. In a most recent news, Schneider Electric India praised Indian Government's endeavors to electrify rural areas of the nation with an emphasis on creating sustainable energy.Global Power Transmission Components Market: SnapshotEvolution of industries and rapid urbanization have triggered a major wave of energy and power over past few decades. This has raised concerns about high consumption of energy and has initiated a conversation amongst nations to devise ways to curb energy expenditure. Collectively, both factors have resulted in a huge demand for power transmission components, which are known to ensure effective transmission of energy. The adoption of power transmission components has steadily risen up due to the need to reduce the carbon emissions and curbing the greenhouse effect, which is a result of excessive power consumption.Request TOC of the Report @Global Power Transmission Components Market: Key TrendsThe ability of power transmission components to offer an uninterrupted power supply on a long-term basis has key growth driver for these components. The market is also thriving with growing support from various governments, which is seen through incentives offered to units making new installations of power transmission components to ensure energy savings. The market is expected to receive a boost from older and outdated power plants that are expected to upgrade their infrastructure to adhere to norms of conserving energy in the near future.Global Power Transmission Components Market: Market PotentialThe ongoing energy crisis has coaxed players operating in the global power transmission components market to develop products that are of superior quality. In tandem with this need, companies are focusing on introducing products that support digitization of grids for proving reliable and safe energy supply along with taking an active part in smart electrification projects. In a latest news, Schneider Electric India congratulated Indian Governments efforts to electrify rural parts of the country with a focus on developing sustainable energy. On a similar note, the company initiated Energy Access Ventures Fund in 2015 for helping 20 small to medium-sized companies gain access to electricity. This venture aims to offer electricity supply to 625 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa access to electricity by the end of 2020. Such efforts, which require large-scale distribution of electricity and power, are expected to augment the demand for power transmission components in the near future.Get Discount @Global Power Transmission Components Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global power transmission components market is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Analysts anticipate that North America is likely to dominate the global market in the coming years as power plants are showing a keen inclination toward upgrading their facilities. Furthermore, growing investments toward reducing carbon emissions are also expected to propel the progress of the regional market.The report also suggests that Asia Pacific is also expected to show steady demand for power transmission components in the near future. The emerging economies such as India and China and their evolution into manufacturing hubs for some of the major companies in the world has significantly contributed toward driving the demand for these components in the region.Key Players Mentioned in this Report are:Some of the key players operating in the global power transmission components market are Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock, Siemens AG, Hitachi, Schneider Electric, Eaton, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, General Electric Company, Emerson, ABB, and Toshiba. The competitive landscape in the global market is quite fragmented due to the presence of several players in the market. Several players are focusing on teaming with local players to reduce production and marketing costs and make a mark in foreign markets.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Nov 05, 2017: Agricultural Biologicals Market Forecast 2023 Syngenta, The Dow Chemical Company

Agricultural Biologicals Market

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Agricultural Biologicals Market Research 2017A market study  Global Agricultural Biologicals Market  examines the performance of the Agricultural Biologicals market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Agricultural Biologicals market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Agricultural Biologicals market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Agricultural Biologicals Market 2017 report includes Agricultural Biologicals market Revenue, market Share, Agricultural Biologicals industry volume, market Trends, Agricultural Biologicals Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Agricultural Biologicals Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Agricultural Biologicals Market 2017 : Syngenta The Dow Chemical Company Bayer Cropscience Ag Basf Se Isagro Spa Novozyme A/S T.Stanes & Company Limited Marrone Bio Innovation Inc. Arysta Lifescience Limited Certis Usa Llc Koppert B.V.Firstly, the report covers the top Agricultural Biologicals manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Agricultural Biologicals report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Agricultural Biologicals industry, Agricultural Biologicals industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Agricultural Biologicals Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Agricultural Biologicals research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Agricultural Biologicals market revenue worldwide.Finally, Agricultural Biologicals market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
PVC Pipe Market - Current Trends Analysis & Market upto 2025

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Global PVC Pipe Market: SnapshotPolyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a lightweight, adaptable, but solid plastic. PVC pipe is generally utilized as a part of the irrigation and construction industries, and as these two industries touch new crests with swift urbanization and expanded endeavors for appropriate water system, the demand in the worldwide PVC pipe market is relied upon to extend at an exponential development rate amid the estimate time of 2017 to 2025.Other than the upsurge of the irrigation and construction industries, commitment of the governments in a few developing economies towards enhancing their rural water administration is the essential driver for this market. As indicated by the World Bank, about 80% of the populace in the rural regions over the world does not have approach to drinking water. It has been stated that PVC is the third most popular plastic item after polypropylene and polyethylene. Attributable to its advantages, for instance, strength, substance resistance, recyclability, and minimal effort, PVC is rapidly supplanting metal, clay, wood, and cement in different applications.Request Sample Copy of the Report @As of now, PVC pipes are habitually utilized by the construction industry for building systems of drain and sewer and additionally water supply. Then again, cancer-causing property of PVC, combined with poisonous quality to the earth, are two of the variables that are anticipated adversely affect the progress rate amid the conjecture time frame.Global PVC Pipe Market: OverviewPolyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a lightweight, flexible, and yet strong plastic. PVC pipe is commonly used in the construction and irrigation industries, and as these two industries touch new peaks with rapid urbanization and increased efforts for proper irrigation, the demand in the global PVC pipe market is expected to expand at a healthy growth rate during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025.This report on global PVC pipe market has been prepared with a solitary goal to act as an information guide for the audiences such as manufacturers and distributors of PVC pipes, aspiring to help them in making more informed business decisions. The report contains an in-depth analysis of all the elements that are expected to influence the demand for PVC pipe in the near future, and based on that, it estimates the scenario until 2025. The report also profiles a number of key players who are currently operational in the global PVC pipe market, estimating their market shares and analyzing their operating business segments and recent strategic moves.Request TOC of the Report @The global PVC pipe market can be segmented on the basis of product type into chlorinated PVC pipes (CPVC pipes), plasticized PVC pipes, and unplasticized PVC pipes. On the basis of materials, the market can be segmented into PVC resin, stabilizers, plasticizers, lubricant, pigment base, and others. By application, the market can be categorized into irrigation, water supply, plumbing, sewer and drain, oil and gas, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), and others. Geographically, the report studies the potential of the PVC pipe market in region such as Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa.Global PVC Pipe Market: Trends and OpportunitiesBesides the upsurge of the construction and irrigation industries, dedication of the governments in several emerging economies towards improving their rural water management is the primary driver of this market. According to the World Bank, nearly 80% of the population in the rural areas across the world does not have access to drinking water. The report observes that PVC is the third most in-demand plastic commodity after polypropylene and polyethylene. Owing to its benefits such as durability, chemical resistance, recyclability, and low cost, PVC is quickly replacing metal, wood, clay, and concrete in various applications. Currently, PVC pipes are frequently used by the construction industries for building sewer and drain systems as well as water supply. Conversely, carcinogenic property of PVC, coupled with toxicity to the environment, are two the factors that are expected to negatively impact the growth rate during the forecast period.Get Discount @Global PVC Pipe Market: Regional OutlookAnnually, 37.7 million people in rural parts of India suffer from waterborne diseases, according to a recent survey by the WHO. The government in India has noticed this and is actively working towards improving the water delivery infrastructure. This makes Asia Pacific the most lucrative region for PVC pipe market. The WHO, in 2006, also estimated that only 16% of the sub-Saharan Africa had access to clean drinking water, and is working with local governments to improve infrastructure such as household tap water connection. Consequently, African is another profitable region for the global PVC pipe market.Companies mentioned in the research reportFinolex Industries Ltd, China Lesso Group Holdings Ltd., Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc., Plastika AS, Polypipe Plc, Egeplast a.s., IPEX Inc., North American Pipe Corporation, JM Eagle Company, Inc., Pipelife International GmbH, Sekisui Chemical Company Ltd, Royal Building Products, Tessenderlo Group, and Formosa Plastics Group are some of the key players currently operational in the global PVC pipe market. The competition among these players is quite intense, with joint ventures and new product launches are the most frequent strategy adopted by them to gain ground over their competitors.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Crowd Funding Market Set to Witness Steady Growth through 2016- 2022

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The term Crowd funding refers to a collection of funds for any venture or project through various sources like equity and non-equity, the platform for collecting funds can be the internet and other social media. These crowd funding platforms help investors to meet entrepreneurs in need of funds for their ventures. Mostly, none- equity sector can be considered as the main source of crowd funding rather than equity sector. The crowd funding market had started in the early or mid of 2000s, and since then it has noticed an enormous growth owing to the increase of Start-Ups and many new projects globally. Moreover, such crowd funding platforms have been able to collect billions of dollars for meeting millions of campaigns in the year 2012. Nowadays, Investors are getting attracted to such crowd funding market because of the potential of the untapped market in many regions. North America is having a greater potential in crowd funding market due to the presence of economically sound countries like the US in this region. Likewise, every year crowd funding platforms are launched, thus globalizing the crowd funding market.Request Sample:The increase in a number of Start-Ups and many new small projects are responsible for the growth of crowd funding market for their capital needs. Moreover, Real Estate sector is growing with a significant rate in developing regions like North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Hence, increasing fund requirement in Real Estate sector is a driving force for crowd funding market. In addition, this sector is having a good market share in crowd funding market.Besides the driving factors of crowd funding market, there are many stringent conditions of crowd funding platforms which can restrain the crowd funding market in further future. Many entrepreneurs are not aware of the existence of crowd funding platforms which can hamper the growth of crowd funding market. Like Kickstarter launched a mission to empower artists and creative projects owners for their ideas through reward crowd funding, but due to lack of awareness many entrepreneurs were not able to avail the benefits of crowd funding.Browse Research Report:The global Crowd Funding market is segmented into seven key regions as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Japan. North America is having the maximum market share in the global crowd funding market, specially the US in this region is having a big chunk in crowd funding market because of its higher economy than other countries. North America is followed by Europe in crowd funding market and in Europe also, the best performing countries are UK and France. Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness a moderate growth in crowd funding market due to many new business opportunities in various sectors.Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United States+1-646-568-7751+1 800-961-0353 (USA-Canada Toll free)Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Zeolite 4A Market - Future Market, Growth & Forecast upto 2025

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Global Zeolite 4A Market: SnapshotThe eco-friendly nature and high ion exchange capability zeolite 4A makes it an alluring alternative to Sodium Tri Poly Phosphate (STPP) in the detergent market. Its utilization gives advantages such as extreme sequestering power at extraordinary temperatures and no fertilizing impact. Drying, oil refining, gas separation, packaging, and water treatment are some of its key applications. Zeolite 4A is being contemplated widely as a heterogeneous catalyst that can be recovered and reused with the lower cost and better simplicity, thus prompting less byproducts.A substantial share of the revenue of the worldwide zeolite 4A market is produced from the detergent industry. Zeolite 4A is significantly utilized as a substitute for phosphorous for producing detergents, as it has high proficiency in forestalling remote particle deposition and soil evacuation. Furthermore, the enhancing awareness among consumers with respect to the negative impacts of detergents based on phosphate on the environment is likely to work in favor of the market. Moreover, stringent government measures relating to the conservation of the environment is expected to supplement the progress of the market in the years to come.Request Sample Copy of the Report @On the other side, the developing entrance of less expensive eco-accommodating catalyst materials and chemicals is making pressures relating to pricing on players in the market. Moreover, the prevalence of various substitutes, for instance, metals and different mixes is obstructing the growth of the zeolite 4A market.Global Zeolite 4A Market: OverviewThe environment-friendly nature and excellent ion exchange capacity of zeolite 4A make it an attractive substitute for Sodium Tri Poly Phosphate (STPP) in the detergent industry. Its use provides benefits such as high sequestering power at extreme temperatures and no fertilizing effect. Water treatment, packaging, gas separation, oil refining, and drying are some of its key applications. Zeolite 4A is being studied extensively as a heterogeneous catalyst that can be regenerated and recycled with the lower expense and better ease, leading to fewer byproducts. The research report is a professional study on the global market for zeolite 4A, offering insights into various critical aspects.Global Zeolite 4A Market: Key TrendsA large share of the revenue of the global zeolite 4A market is generated from the detergent industry. Zeolite 4A is majorly used as a substitute for phosphorous for manufacturing detergents, as it possesses high efficiency in preventing foreign particle deposition and dirt removal. In addition, the increasing consumer awareness regarding the harmful effects of phosphate-based detergent on environment is working in favor of the market. Moreover, stringent government measures pertaining to environment conservation are augmenting the market.Request TOC of the Report @On the flip side, the growing penetration of cheaper eco-friendly catalyst materials and chemicals is creating pricing pressure on players in the market. Furthermore, the presence of numerous substitutes such as metals and other compounds is hampering the growth of the market.Global Zeolite 4A Market: Market PotentialThe demand for zeolite 4A in the refining industry is anticipated to increase in the near future due to the rising volume of refinery output in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific regions. The global refinery output was 76,865.1 thousand barrels per day in 2015. Because of the high selectivity, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency of zeolite catalysts, they are often the most preferred method for a number of refinery conversions. The growing research and development activities in product-based catalyst applications to keep pace with the flourishing refining industry are also likely to facilitate the uptake of zeolite 4A. Moreover, the increasing usage of catalysts in various processes in the petrochemicals industry such as fluid cracking is estimated to bode well for the growth of the market in the foreseeable future.Global Zeolite 4A Market: Geographical SegmentationThe key segments analyzed in the report on the basis of geography are North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Europe will be a prominent market throughout the review period, with countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands being the major contributors. Stringent regulatory framework for greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions along with high-capacity manufacturing units for detergents and refrigerants is contributing to the growth of the region.Get Discount @North America will also account for a noteworthy share in the market, owing to the increasing demand for zeolite 4A for infrastructural applications, particularly in the U.S. Asia Pacific will post a significant CAGR during the same period. The mounting infrastructural expenditure in emerging countries such as India and China is fuelling the growth of the region. The rising demand in Latin America can be attributed to the growing application in animal feed to improve nutrition intake.Global Zeolite 4A Market: Competitive LandscapeThe global zeolite 4A market is a highly fragmented arena. Players are willing to invest sizeable funds in research and development activities to launch a wide range of zeolite 4A grades over the forthcoming years. Some of the key global participants in the market are Clariant International Ltd., Zeolyst International (a subsidiary of PQ Corporation), Tosoh Corporation, and BASF.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Cancer Gene Therapy Market - Current Scenario and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: SnapshotGene therapy is a massive and swiftly expanding field that could hold promising cures and treatments for several diseases and genetic problems. One of the more innovative segments in gene therapy falls under cancer treatment. It is one of the widely researched aspects of gene therapy, and thanks to increasing interest and investments from both government and private organizations, is showing a swift rate of development towards actually becoming a feasible and strong treatment alternative for cancer. These treatment options could be used to save a large number of lives of patients who are suffering from cancer, a disease that is causing one of the leading causes of deaths.Of the several types of gene therapy approaches, the more promising ones include gene transfer, oncolytic virotherapy, and immunotherapy. The latest versions of vaccines being developed for cancer using gene therapy, are also expected to show an optimistic rate of development. These vaccines could potentially be used against malignant melanoma, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lung cancer, to name a few. Gene therapy involves modifying the genetic information in materials in order to effectively devise a cure.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: OverviewCancer results from the multiple mutations in a single cell that makes it to proliferate out of control. Cancer cells invade new cellular territories, have a high metabolic rate, and an altered shape. The various methods to treat cancers are surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. When the aforementioned therapies fail to achieve desired results, gene therapy is leveraged. Gene therapy involves the insertion of a functional gene, also known as therapeutic DNA, into the cells of a cancer patient to rectify the metabolism, to change or repair an acquired genetic abnormality, and to provide a new function to a cell. The two main types of gene therapy are germinal and somatic.Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: Key TrendsMajorly promoting the global cancer gene therapy market is the swift pace of technological breakthroughs and the growing popularity of emerging genomic technologies like next-generation sequencing and high-density DNA microarrays. Additionally, the government support for these technologies is also slated to stoke growth in the near future. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for example, supports screening programs for breast cancer control and cervical and colorectal cancers among low-income group women sans health insurance in the U.S.Request TOC of the Report @Besides, the rising occurrence of cancer worldwide is will substantially drive up demand for gene therapy in the years ahead. According to WHO, cases of cancer will likely touch US$15 million mark by the end of the decade.Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: Market PotentialAt present, most of the cancer gene therapy products are in being tested. The market is predicted to grow once the trials bear results. An US pharmaceutical company named Kite Pharma, for example, recently revealed the results from the initial six months of the trial of a new gene therapy treatment called CAR-T cell therapy. It helped up patients own immune cells and has eliminated the disease from one third of terminal patients. Around 36 per cent of the 101 patients on the trial were still in complete remission at six months, and eight in 10 saw their cancer reduced by at least half during the study.Groundbreaking therapies such as this is slated to revolutionize the global cancer gene therapy market.At present, adenoviral vector is a popular oncology application because of its effective nuclear mechanism and low pathogenicity. Adenoviral vectors are leveraged in gene replacement approaches, suicide gene, gene-based immunotherapy, and syndicate gene with chemotherapy. Retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer also plays a key role in the gene therapy industry for it brings about the crucial benefit of changing the single stranded RNA genome into a double stranded DNA molecule, which eventually integrates into the target cell genome.Get Discount @Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: Regional OutlookNorth America and Europe are key regions in the global cancer gene therapy market on account of a massive elderly population and significant technological progress in the region. In the years ahead, however, the market is Asia Pacific is forecasted to surge on account of supportive government initiatives, improving economy, bettering healthcare infrastructure, and growing thrust on research and development.Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the prominent players in the global cancer gene therapy market are Altor Bioscience Corporation, SiBiono., Shanghai Sunway Biotech company Limited, BioCancell, GlobeImmune, Inc.,Aduro Biotech, OncoGeneX, New Link Genetics., ZioPharm Oncology, and GENELUX. At present the market is led by small pioneering biotech firms who may eventually collaborate with prominent players for clinical development or commercialization of products.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Drill Pipe Market - Industry Analysis,Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Drill Pipe Market: SnapshotDrill pipes are hollow pipes, usually made of aluminum alloys or steel and are a core component in the drilling process. The hollow drill pipes enable for the transfer of drilling fluids downwards towards the drill point or back upwards through the annulus. Although a standard length for drill pipes is up to 32 feet, there are longer pipes that could stretch till 45 feet and are used in special circumstances.Most stems in drilling systems need to be created in a way that allows for efficient drilling torque transfer that can be sent downward, over many miles and through the Earths crust. In order to do this, the pipes need to be able to withstand the massive pressure exerted by the ground towards the outer walls of the pipe, as well as the pressure exerted by the fluids from within. This involve the use of tempered steel tubes that can be expensive in nature. Due to this, the reusability of drill pipes is a highly regarded quality that could end up hampering the overall demand rates for them.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Drill Pipe Market: OverviewDrill pipes, usually made from aluminum or steel, are hollow and thin-walled and utilized in drilling rigs. Drilling fluid is pushed down the hole and back up the annulus. They are available in the market in different sizes, strengths, and wall thicknesses. Their length is usually between 27 and 32 feet. They can withstand massive internal and external pressure, distortion, bending, and vibration as they can rotate and lift the bottom hole assembly (BHA). The two types of drill pipes are standard drill pipes and heavy weight drill pipe.Global Drill Pipe Market: Key TrendsAt the forefront of driving growth in the global drill pipe market is the spiking demand for energy, which has necessitated exploration of offshore reserves on account of tanking production from onshore fields. The progress in drilling technologies such as pad drilling and horizontal drilling have also helped up output and lowered drilling rig downtime, which has expedited drilling operations. This is slated to push up demand even further.Countering the growth in the global drill pipe market is the tanking crude oil prices. This has also resulted in a steady decline in rig rental capital in the offshore market. Customers now have strong bargaining power in negotiating new contracts and extensions too on account of the downward pressure on prices.Request TOC of the Report @Global Drill Pipe Market: Market PotentialAt present there are way too many offshore drilling rigs chasing too little work. Hence, many are being idled or scrapped. Offshore opportunities, however, are abound in Africa and the Middle East that provide an avenue for growth for the market. The onshore oil and gas presents much greater opportunity than the offshore ones because the explosive drilling activities from shale reserves, coal bed methane, and tar sands. Additionally, the continued spike in global petroleum consumption is also predicted to create major growth opportunities for the market in the near future.Going forward, the premium grade drill pipe segment is slated to hold out a lot of potential because of the growth in the exploration activity in deepwater and ultra deepwater regions primarily in Europe and Africa, where recent oil and gas discoveries have occurred in the offshore regions. Premium grade drill pipe is helpful in deepwater exploration on account of it being immune to high pressure and high temperatures.Global Drill Pipe Market: Regional OutlookFrom a geographical perspective, North America is a key region on account of the burgeoning shale gas exploration and production in the U.S., which has favored the drill pipe market and will continue doing so in the near future. Canada is another important market in the region. The Middle East and Africa are other crucial markets on account of the presence of a large number of reserves.Get Discount @In terms of growth, however, Asia Pacific, powered by China, will outshine all other regions. This will be mainly on account of the flexible and hassle-free regulatory scenario in the countries of China, India, Indonesia, and Singapore.Global Drill Pipe Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the prominent players in the global drill pipe market are Superior Manufacturing, Tenaris S. A, Drill Pipe International, Oil Country Tubular Limited, Texas Steel Conversion, Inc., Hilong Group of Companies, TMK Group, DP Master, Vallourec S.A., Tejas Tubular Products, Inc., Jiangyin Long Bright, National Oilwell Varco.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Astronomical Telescope 2017 Global Industry Key Players - Celestron , Meade , Vixen Optics , TAKAHASHI , ASTRO-PHYSICS , Bushnell Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022

Global Astronomical Telescope Market

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Global Astronomical Telescope MarketThis report studies Astronomical Telescope in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringCelestronMeadeVixen OpticsTAKAHASHIASTRO-PHYSICSBushnellBresserORIONBarskaSky WatcherBosmaSharpStarVisionkingTianLangRequest a Sample Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoRefracting TelescopeReflector TelescopeCatadioptric TelescopeBy Application, the market can be split intoEnter-levelIntermediate LevelProfessional ResearchBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaTo enquire about this report visit @Table of Contents-Key Points CoveredGlobal Astronomical Telescope Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Astronomical Telescope1.1 Definition and Specifications of Astronomical Telescope1.1.1 Definition of Astronomical Telescope1.1.2 Specifications of Astronomical Telescope1.2 Classification of Astronomical Telescope1.2.1 Refracting Telescope1.2.2 Reflector Telescope1.2.3 Catadioptric Telescope1.3 Applications of Astronomical Telescope1.3.1 Enter-level1.3.2 Intermediate Level1.3.3 Professional Research1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Astronomical Telescope2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Astronomical Telescope2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Astronomical Telescope2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Astronomical Telescope.8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Astronomical Telescope8.1 Celestron8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 Celestron 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 Celestron 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 Meade8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 Meade 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 Meade 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Vixen Optics8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Vixen Optics 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Vixen Optics 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.4 TAKAHASHI8.4.1 Company Profile8.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.4.2.1 Product A8.4.2.2 Product B8.4.3 TAKAHASHI 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.4.4 TAKAHASHI 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.5 ASTRO-PHYSICS8.5.1 Company Profile8.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.5.2.1 Product A8.5.2.2 Product B8.5.3 ASTRO-PHYSICS 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.5.4 ASTRO-PHYSICS 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.6 Bushnell8.6.1 Company Profile8.6.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.6.2.1 Product A8.6.2.2 Product B8.6.3 Bushnell 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.6.4 Bushnell 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.7 Bresser8.7.1 Company Profile8.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.7.2.1 Product A8.7.2.2 Product B8.7.3 Bresser 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.7.4 Bresser 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.8 ORION8.8.1 Company Profile8.8.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.8.2.1 Product A8.8.2.2 Product B8.8.3 ORION 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.8.4 ORION 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.9 Barska8.9.1 Company Profile8.9.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.9.2.1 Product A8.9.2.2 Product B8.9.3 Barska 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.9.4 Barska 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.10 Sky Watcher8.10.1 Company Profile8.10.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.10.2.1 Product A8.10.2.2 Product B8.10.3 Sky Watcher 2016 Astronomical Telescope Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.10.4 Sky Watcher 2016 Astronomical Telescope Business Region Distribution Analysis8.11 Bosma8.12 SharpStar8.13 Visionking8.14 TianLangContinued..Buy Report@Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy 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Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
State taxpayers in 2015 paid $75,000 to a former lawmakers aide who complained of sexual harassment and discrimination and filed a complaint alleging she was wrongfully fired from her job, records show.

Jana Harris first filed a complaint against former Sen. Spencer Coggs, D-Milwaukee, in 2009  one of four complaints of sexual harassment filed in the state Legislature in the last 10 years, according to its chief clerks.

One other complaint was brought in the state Senate in 2011, while two complaints were filed in the state Assembly, in 2014 and 2017, Senate Chief Clerk Jeff Renk and Assembly Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller said in response to requests by the Wisconsin State Journal.

Neither provided details about the complaints nor released any documents related to them aside from the six-page 2015 settlement agreement between the Legislature and Harris, who went by Jana Williams at the time. Renk said he was releasing the settlement agreement because it was reached through the Department of Workforce Developments Equal Rights Division complaint process, which is public, although the initial complaint was filed with his office. Harris filed the complaint in 2011 after she was fired from her job in Coggs office.

Deborah Little Cohn, an administrative law judge who oversaw the complaint proceedings, found in 2015 that there was probable cause to believe Coggs discriminated against Harris and sexually harassed her, according to documents obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal.

In one case, Coggs asked Harris if she was showing more cleavage lately and said her breasts were a distraction in the office. Coggs also said Harris should cover up by wearing a jacket because she worked with men, according to Little Cohns findings.

He noted that anyone who came in would not know the color of her eyes, Little Cohn wrote.

In another instance, Coggs asked Harris if she had a taste for white meat when she and a white co-worker both asked to take the same day off. Coggs also criticized Harris appearance  once saying she was not black enough.

Harris reported her concerns in 2009 to the Legislatures human resources office. Staff from the office met with Coggs, who reportedly said Harris should have kept her concerns in-house. When Harris told the HR official Coggs was upset by the complaints, the official said Coggs was formulating a plan to address her concerns but declined to reveal details because the meeting with Coggs was confidential.

Coggs eventually began to exclude Harris from staff meetings, Little Cohn wrote, and Harris began to experience hives and difficulty sleeping because of stress.

When Republicans took control of the Legislature in 2010 and Coggs needed to downsize staff, Harris told Coggs how important her job was to her. According to the report, Coggs responded by saying: You cant create an adversarial situation and then come back and ask me for something.

Little Cohn concluded Coggs both tolerated and contributed to the creation of a hostile work environment in his office and that there was probable cause to believe the Legislature permitted sexual harassment.

Innocent of all claims

Coggs, who is now Milwaukee city treasurer, did not return a phone call seeking comment but said in a statement he is innocent of all claims regarding the case and has never engaged in or condoned harassing or discriminatory behavior. He said Harris was fired because her position was eliminated. He said he had no part in the settlement.

In over 35 years in public office, at no time have I engaged in or condoned behavior which could be viewed as harassment or discrimination with respect to the complainant or anyone else who has worked for me, he said.

Harris did not respond to a request for comment.

Harris filed another complaint in 2011 with the now-defunct Government Accountability Board alleging a Coggs staffer used his taxpayer-funded job to work on Coggs unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor. She also alleged Coggs used Capitol staff members to take care of personal matters for his family.

Coggs also denied the allegations to reporters then.

Nationally, dozens of women and some men have come forward in recent months to report alleged sexual harassment, assault and misconduct by powerful men, bringing fresh scrutiny to state legislatures and Congress over how such behavior is being addressed.

Assembly and Senate leaders have said they will not release complaints about such behavior because doing so could have a chilling effect on employees confidence that their complaints would remain confidential. Renk and Fuller declined to provide the records with the victims identifying information blacked out, and Fuller also has denied State Journal requests for records of any taxpayer-funded settlements resulting from such complaints.

Wolves at henhouse

The scrutiny also comes at a time when the Legislature is working to improve its system for reporting harassment and training to deter it.

In the Legislature, fear of retaliation is underscored by the fact that staff work on an at-will basis for lawmakers and can be fired for any reason. Lawmakers also have a say in the employment of legislative staff in charge of receiving complaints.

The fear of retaliation often keeps staff from reporting sexual harassment involving their bosses, experts say.

This is like the wolves guarding the henhouse, said Jennifer Drobac, a sexual harassment law professor at Indiana University. The legislative staff work directly for the lawmaker, so if they had a problem with the lawmaker they would have to go to human resources staff who also work for the lawmakers  so both sets of subordinates are going to have to worry about losing their jobs if the person that they are complaining about is the lawmaker.

In other states, like Minnesota and Illinois, staff work for legislative caucuses instead of individual lawmakers.

Amanda Jorgenson, who oversees the Legislatures human resources office, said she was hired about a year ago and since then has been working to overhaul the Legislatures employee manuals and hiring process. Jorgenson said she also started working with legislative leaders this spring to create regular training for all staff and lawmakers.

She said any staff members who share concerns with her office are assured retaliation from supervisors or co-workers wont be tolerated and is illegal. She also emphasized that her office is independent and that no lawmakers were involved in her hiring.

Leadership did approve of hiring an HR Manager but was not involved in the hiring process, she said. In addition, the Legislative Human Resources Office is an arm of the Chief Clerks Offices but is a completely separate office.

Some legislative staff say they have felt unwilling to come forward, or were unaware of protections the HR office could provide.

Historically we tell our stories to each other over lunch or drinks. We dont go to HR, we dont file complaints, said one female staff member who spoke on condition she not be named because of concerns over her employment. I think this is getting better as people are learning more about the HR process and the protections from retaliation and the privacy that we have.
Alarming Prevalence of COPD to Propel Oxygen Therapy Devices Market

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"Oxygen therapy equipment market driven by increasing urbanization and rising levels of air pollution."An intelligence report on the global oxygen therapy equipment market has been added to the burgeoning portfolio of MarketResearchReports.biz. Titled, Global Oxygen Therapy Equipment Market - Analysis By Product, Portability, Application, Region, Country: Opportunities and Forecast (2017- 2022) - By Product (Oxygen Concentrators, Liquid Oxygen Devices and Oxygen Cylinders), By Portability (Stationary, Portable Devices), By Application (COPD, Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, Respiratory Distress Syndrome), the report discusses growing inclination of of patients towards home social insurance will drive the development prospects for the worldwide oxygen treatment gadgets market until the end of 2021. The cutting edge medication and change in social insurance services and gadgets to oversee respiratory diseases from home have impelled the interest for oxygen treatment gadgets in the market.View Report @The predominance of constant respiratory infections, for instance, asthma, aspiratory hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), occupational lung illnesses, and respiratory hypersensitivities has been surging around the world, particularly in mid-wage and low-pay nations. The World Health Organization expresses that every year, no less than 3 million individuals face death from COPD. This disturbing ascent in the pervasiveness of different respiratory diseases is the essential factor boosting the take-up of oxygen treatment and oxygen treatment gadgets. The various advantages of oxygen treatment will likewise add to the development of this market. These incorporate decreased danger of heart disappointment, better mental stamina, and enhanced breathing instances.The segment of oxygen concentrators has risen at a critical rate since its organization in the medicinal business. Because of developing air contamination, especially in developing nations including China, India, and Brazil, the occurrences of COPD, Acute Asthma and other deep rooted respiratory illnesses has been on the ascent.Send An Enquiry Request @Among the geographical regions, North America represents the biggest provincial offer in the worldwide oxygen treatment gear showcase in 2016. Rising countries in Asia Pacific district, for example, China and India showed a great deal of potential and is foreseen to be one of the quickest developing area in the coming years. Factors driving the powerful development rate of APAC region include unsafe levels of air contamination, increment in per capita consumption on social insurance combined with substantial patient pool. In the current years, medicinal gadget makers, for example, DeVilbiss Healthcare, Philips Respironics, Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, Invacare Corporation, Chart Industries among others, have devoted themselves in creating oxygen treatment arrangements that can give therapeutic review oxygen high effectiveness while guaranteeing greatest solace to the patients.Significant industry players have pushed for inventive products in the current past and have plans to dispatch new innovations and grow over geographies through organizations and acquisitions later on. Philips Healthcare, Linde Healthcare and Chart Industries have been distinguished as the best players in this market. These organizations have a wide product portfolio with extensive highlights. Further, these pioneers have items for all end clients in this portion, a solid land nearness, and all the more critically concentrate on constant product advancements.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Some of the leading players of the global oxygen therapy devices market are Teleflex Incorporated, Invacare Corporation, CareFusion Corporation, Paykel Healthcare Limited and MAQUET Holding B.V.About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Mr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Market Study on Automotive Paint is Reach a Valuation of US$ 11,966.1 Mn by 2022

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A new report added to the repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine Global Market Study on Automotive Paint: North America to Dominate the Market in Terms of Revenue During the Forecast Period (2017 - 2022) is a comprehensive repository of information, providing market share, size, and forecast.Request for Sample Report @IntroductionPersistence Market Research (PMR) publishes yet another comprehensive, insightful and objective market research report on the global market for automotive. In this research report, the reader will gain excess a descriptive briefing on the overall automotive paint industry. Also, the report offers a comprehensive outlook on the trends, drivers and restraints of the market. Moreover, thorough analysis on various parameters of the market has been conducted in order to arrive on certain concrete conclusions. The report offers accurate market figures concerning automotive paint. Besides, the reader will also gain knowledge regarding the markets competition landscape, including information on the current competitive scenario. This report also delivers crucial information on key strategies and undertaking of market players.Report StructureThe report commences with an executive summary and an introduction of the market. In this section, an overview of the global automotive paint market has been provided that comprise of pertinent market figures, which are of high significance. This section also consist of historical compound annual growth rate during the period 2012 to 2016 along with projected growth of the market between 2017 and 2022. The reader will also come across data pertaining to revenue share, annual growth, year-over-year and CAGR. Next, a brief introduction of automotive paint market is provided with proper definition and relevant facts so that the reader gets a clearer picture regarding the scope of the market.The following section of the report delivers information on the important aspects of the over automotive paint market. Some of the key topics covered in this section include fiscal stimulus, global economy and bottom line of companies. Also, the information on pricing analysis and cost structure analysis of the global market for automotive paint is offered in this section. A study on the current market position of the leading players (intensity map) is also given.Market SegmentationOne of the sections of the report comprise of analysis and forecast on the global automotive paint market by coating type, finish, vehicle type, paint base and region. In this part of the report, crucial market figures have been mentioned by observing year-on-year growth and drawing comparison of revenue and market share. The global market for automotive paint has been analyzed across six key regions  Latin America, Europe, North America, APEJ, MEA and Japan.Competition LandscapeIn the final section of the report, the reader will come across a detailed analysis on the markets competitive landscape. This section comprise of profiles of the key companies that are operating the global market for automotive paint. The analysis presented in the competitive landscape is dissected into financial information of the market players, company overview, key strategies and important developments pertaining to particular company. This section of the report also contain the SWOT analysis of the selected market participants that offers meaningful insights regarding their performance.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Research MethodologyTo obtain such information PMR uses innovative research methodology that is proven as well as tested. A thorough and exhaustive secondary analysis is carried out to reassure and support the finds offered in the report. The data in the report is resourced after interactions and interviews with stakeholders, distributors, industry experts and executives. The information collected from secondary and primary research is validates by utilizing the triangulation method. The data in the report is compared and authenticated using leading-edge research mechanism to draw certain conclusions on the global automotive paint market.Send an Enquiry @Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At:
Oil Storage Market - Detailed Analysis and Forecast upto 2025

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Global Oil Storage Market: SnapshotKey oil product storage types include those meant for crude oil, gasoline, aviation fuel, as well as middle distillates such as diesel, fuel oil, marine bunker fuels, naphtha, kerosene, gas oil, and petrol. Oil storage provides a greater level of constancy in costs of these products through the removal of fluctuations in the short term supply market for crude and all its derivatives. The Middle East is expected to continue being a primary target region for manufacturers of oil product storage units, due to the continued lead taken by the region in the production of crude.Leakage of oil products is one of the leading causes of product wastage and traders and manufacturers are aware of the investments that are required into developing superior alternatives in storage that can help avoid these losses. This also includes diverting manual labor and manufacturing capabilities towards expanding the manufacture of these storage units. Carbon steel and stainless steel are the two key materials currently being used to manufacture oil storage units. Carbon steel has been a staple in the market primarily due to its lower cost, but provides several disadvantages that stainless steel can mitigate. It is very likely for more players to shift towards stainless steel storage units over the coming years.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Oil Storage Market: OverviewOil storage products are mainly comprised of gasoline, crude oil, aviation fuel, and middle distillates such as fuel oil, diesel, naphtha, marine bunker fuels, kerosene, petrol, and gas oil. Oil storage brings about stability in pricing by eliminating short term supply fluctuations of crude and its derivatives. On account of different stringent norms to thwart leakage, vendors of storage equipment have invested heavily in manpower and in building steel tanks. There are two types of material used in this process, namely, carbon steel and stainless steel. Although carbon steel is low priced, stainless steel will likely see significant demand in locations of high air salinity and open storage facilities. Further, the chromium content enhances resilience against strong chemicals, resulting in its higher demand in the global market.Global Oil Storage Market: Key TrendsWith the global glut in oil on account of the Middle East countries showing little signs of reducing production and the U.S. production of shale in massive quantities, supply has outpaced demand. This has necessitated the effective storage thereby resulting in a major growth in the global market for oil storage. Suppliers worldwide have augmented their inventories and infrastructure to store massive quantities of crude oil. Another factor fuelling an uptick in demand is the governments endeavors to increase oil reserves to avert an economic crisis.Request TOC of the Report @A noticeable trend in the market is the stockpiling initiatives undertaken by nations such as the U.S., China, and India to cushion the price volatility and achieve consistent supply to the end-use sector.Global Oil Storage Market: Market PotentialWith the global oil supply not showing much signs of letting up, the future for the global oil storage market looks promising. These tanks are used mainly for gasoline, aviation fuel, crude oil, and middle distillates. Storage demand for crude oil is predicted to cross 1 billion cubic meters by 2025. However, capacity expansions and high demand for diesels and fuels for power and transportation sectors are expected to up demand for gasoline, aviation fuel, and other petrochemical derivatives in the next couple of years.A major concern, however, is the increasing inventory due to lessened consumption. This results in economic losses to suppliers. Besides, strict rules pertaining to stockpiling of oil in above and below-ground tank installations is another factor hobbling the market. Control of Pollution (England) Regulations 2001 and the Water Environment (Scotland) Regulations 2006 are some of the primary legislations that industry participants in Western Europe need to comply with.Get Discount @Global Oil Storage Market: Regional OutlookFrom a geographical perspective, the Middle East spearheads the global oil storage market on account of the increasing oil production and rising refinery throughput. Robust requirement for distillates, petroleum, and fuel in different industrial and commercial segments has significantly upped tank demand in the region. Nations such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are at the forefront of driving growth in the region. Crude oil storage demand in Saudi Arabia is anticipated to reach 67.4 million cubic meters by 2025.North America too contributes significantly to oil stockpiling demand. Asia Pacific oil storage market is also predicted to see a turnaround in petrochemical demand in the years ahead.Global Oil Storage Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the prominent players in the global oil storage market are Marquard & Bahls AG, ZCL Composites, Zepnotek Storage TanksLF Manufacturing, Columbian Steel Tank, Belco, and Palmer. Among them, Marquard & Bahls provides a wide array of tank designs to store crude oil, biodiesel, bioethanol, vegetable fats, and middle distillates.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Peripheral Vascular Stents Market Boosted By Growing Awareness Of PAD Among People, Development Of New Imaging Techniques Till 2022 | Million Insights

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Global Peripheral Vascular Stents Market is expected to grow at a significant CAGR in the upcoming years as the scope and its application are rising enormously across the globe. Peripheral vascular stents are used to open the blocked arteries and restore blood flow. Stent is a tiny metal-mesh tube, placed to hold the artery open by reducing the risk of the artery narrowing. These stents are mainly used to treat disease like peripheral artery disease (PAD). With the help of angioplasty or vascular surgery, peripheral vascular stents are placed in the arteries to prevent blockage.Prominent factors that are playing major role in the growth of Peripheral Vascular Stents Market are, growing occurrence of PAD, growing geriatric population, development of new imaging techniques, and rising use of advanced technology for treatment. On the other hand, low awareness and high price of peripheral vascular stents are the factors that are restraining market growth.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that, around 8.5 million people in the United States suffer from peripheral artery disease (PAD). Peripheral Vascular Stents Market is segmented based on product type, end user, and region. Peripheral Vascular Stents Market is classified, by product type into Bare Metal Stent, Balloon Expanding Stent, Drug Eluting Stent, and Self-Expanding Stent. Peripheral Vascular Stents Market is classified, by end-user into Specialty Clinics, Hospitals, and Ambulatory Surgical Centers.Full Research Report On Global Analysis available at:Peripheral Vascular Stents Market is segmented, geographically into America (North America, South America), Europe (Eastern Europe, Western Europe), Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. Globally, North American and Western European regional market are projected to be the dominant market in terms of revenue. The reason being, growing awareness and rise in stenting procedures that are performed. Moreover, the high occurrence of PAD in these regions is estimated to boost the growth of Peripheral Vascular Stents Market in foremost period.On the other hand, Asia Pacific regional market is expected to grow at fastest pace in the upcoming years. The reason being, increasing occurrence of PAD, and growing awareness of peripheral vascular stents among population. China and India are the major consumer of Peripheral Vascular Stents Market. Moreover, Latin American and Middle East and African regional market is expected to grow at lucrative pace in future in terms of revenue. This is mainly due to the factors such as increment in diabetic population, obesity, smoking and people suffering from hypertension. The key players of Peripheral Vascular Stents Industry are Medtronic, Abbott Laboratories, Cordis Corporation, Boston Scientific, Cook Medical, C.R. Bard and Biotronik.Market Segment:Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Peripheral Vascular Stents in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaRequest for Free Sample Copy at:Global Peripheral Vascular Stents market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including Abbott Laboratories B. Braun Melsungen Boston Scientific Intact Vascular AMGOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Medical Stainless Steel Nickel-titanium Alloy OthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Peripheral Vascular Stents for each application, including Hospital Clinic OrhersRelated Reports of this Category available at Million Insights:About Million InsightsMillion Insights, is a distributor of market research reports, published by premium publishers only. We have a comprehensive market place that will enable you to compare data points, before you make a purchase. Enabling informed buying is our motto and we strive hard to ensure that our clients get to browse through multiple samples, prior to an investment. Service flexibility & the fastest response time are two pillars, on which our business model is founded. Our market research report store, includes in-depth reports, from across various industry verticals, such as healthcare, technology, chemicals, food & beverages, consumer goods, material science & automotive.Contact Details:Office No. 302, 3rd Floor, Manikchand Galleria,Model Colony, Shivaji Nagar, Pune, MH, 411016 IndiaPhone: 91-20-65300184Email: sales@millioninsights.com
Top 10 Cloud Technology Market - Current Trends Analysis & Market upto 2025

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Global Top 10 Cloud Technology Market: SnapshotCloud computing is a type of computing that involves the use of the Internet to allow for the transfer and storage of data as well as the processing of data by the users, on remote servers. The use of data processing tools based on other devices is currently a highly sought-after technology that provides massive advantages to users in terms of savings in time, space, and money. Cloud computing today involves on-demand services that are provided through shared resources in computing technologies. These resources can be swiftly released or provisioned and doing so needs very little effort from the management aspect.The top cloud computing technologies can provide clients, users, and enterprises with the option to process as well as store critical data in privately owned clouds, or even shared clouds with other clients, users, or enterprises. Security is a key concern in cloud computing, something that is receiving a high degree of attention from the providers of cloud computing technologies. The reinforcement of safe and secure data storage and processing services is likely to create a higher volume of demand for cloud computing over the coming years.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Cloud Technology Market: OverviewIn general terms, cloud computing is the delivery of hosted services over the Internet. Rather than maintaining and building an in-house computing infrastructure, cloud computing enables companies to use resources of compute, such as machines, storage or an application. Pay-per use, self-service provisioning, and elasticity are the key benefits of cloud computing that can be availed by businesses and end users. Cloud migration, cloud analytics hybrid cloud, cloud orchestration, cloud storage, Integration Platform-as-a-Service (iPaaS), multi cloud management, Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS), Video-as-a-Service (VaaS), and Wi-Fi-as-a-Service are the major cloud technologies.Global Cloud Technology Market: Key TrendsThrough a massive shift to cloud, organizations and businesses are able to move their computing resources such as databases, infrastructure, applications, platforms, and email onto the cloud. It assists in lowering the costs, aids in recovering files, speeds operations, and manages other mission-critical tasks. It also enables business continuity while shifting workload to the virtual environment from the data center. Faster deployment, agility, mobility, scalability, lower total cost of ownership, and business continuity are the major drivers of cloud migration.Request TOC of the Report @The exponential growth of digital services and their applications, along with the increasing need of business enterprises for greater scalability and flexibility, has augmented the implementation of hybrid cloud services and solutions, thereby driving the demand for cloud technology.Global Cloud Technology Market: Market PotentialMore and more organizations and end-use industries are resorting to cloud computing. Several health organizations digitize their abundant data and are on a constant lookout for cloud providers to help them understand the scalability of cloud environments without foregoing compliance and security controls. As per a report by SADA Systems  a premier business and technology consulting firm and cloud partner, 58% of healthcare organizations globally that are not using cloud today are likely to do so in the next two years, while 95% of healthcare organizations using cloud today propose to increase their cloud usage.Recently it was announced that by late 2018, Belarusian government agencies will start using beClouds cloud computing platform. After signing relevant documents, all government agencies have to migrate to the beCloud platform. Over 60 government organizations and agencies are required to make the switch.Get Discount @However, many federal agencies are not in sync with the given cloud computing advantage and find that such migration has little or no impact on functionality. It is causing newer applications to load slowly, become non-intuitive, and above all, difficult to work with. According to the findings of Deloitte and the Government Business Council (GBC), many employees from major government, defense, and civilian agencies have reported that cloud computing had no obvious influence or any impact on their organization.Global Cloud Technology Market: Regional OutlookNorth America, especially the U.S., accounted for a large share in the f cloud technology market in 2015. Collaborations, content and communications along with customer relationship management are the key drivers for the growth of the regional market during the forecast period. However, as the market in North America is nearing maturity, various industry players are venturing into the emerging markets of the Middle East, hence boosting the market for cloud technology.The Middle East is fast becoming a lucrative market for cloud technology. Under the paid-subscription category, numerous organizations have started implementing cloud-based applications that do not require any downloading or upgrading nor is there any need to maintain any servers. To be at par with IT developed nations, governments in the Middle East have largely invested in the development of IT skills to help solution providers to tackle the dearth of skilled professionals in the region.Global Cloud Technology Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the prominent players operating in the global cloud technology market are IBM Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., VMware, Inc., Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, HP Enterprise, Rackspace Hosting, Inc., Google, Inc., and SAP SE.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Autonomous Vehicles Market 2017 with Focus on future Scope and Key Players: Google, General Motors, BMW, Ford Motor, Toyota, Tesla, Audi, Jaguar

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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Autonomous Vehicles Market Research Report- Global Forecast 2027  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2027.Market OverviewAn autonomous car AKA robotic Car (driverless car, auto/ self-driving car) is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input. Many such vehicles are being developed, but as the recent study (of February 2017) proves that automated cars permitted on public roads are not yet fully autonomous. They all require a human driver at the wheel who is ready at a moment's notice to take control of the vehicle.Market Research Future offers an exorbitant Market Research Report on Global Autonomous Vehicles Market empowering you to browse through the full Market Analysis, Opportunities, Price, Growth, Trends and the market forecast up to the year 2027.The report Global Autonomous Vehicles Market comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. It gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides detailed information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. It also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.The global market for Autonomous Vehicles Market is expected to grow over the CAGR of 26.2% during the period 2016 to 2027 from USD 3.6 billion in 2015.Key Players Google (U.S.) General Motors (U.S.) Volkswagen (Germany) BMW (Germany) Ford Motor Company (U.S.) Baidu (China) Toyota (Japan) Tesla (U.S.) Audi (Germany) Jaguar (U.K.)Get Sample of Report @Regional Analysis of Autonomous Vehicles Market:Globally, North America is the largest market for Autonomous Vehicles and is estimated to witness a healthy demand for driverless cars in 2017, accounting for over a good market share in the same year. North America holds the largest market share 39.08% of global Autonomous Vehicles market and is expected to reach $24.40 billion by 2027 from $1.42 billion in 2015.Consumers in Europe are often more adaptive toward new technologies and the change in regulation, particularly in Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, is expected to fuel the demand over the forecast period. Europe is the second largest market for autonomous vehicle with market size of US $1.10 billion in the year 2015.However Asia-Pacific will become the second biggest market by the end of year 2027 due to the high technological advancement. Asia-pacific region is expected to be the fastest growing region globally, registering 29.2% CAGR during the forecast period.Key Utility Aspects of the Report - Global Autonomous Vehicles Market: Provides detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Autonomous Vehicles Market Offers insights about factors affecting the market growth Enables to analyze the Autonomous Vehicles market based on various factors- supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. Provides historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) Offers country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective Provides country level analysis of the market for segment by sensor, by hardware & software, by type and sub-segments. Offers strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market Enables us to track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Autonomous Vehicles MarketGet Complete Report @Report Segments - Global Autonomous Vehicles Market:The Report is mainly segmented on the basis of sensors which comprises of ultrasonic, radar, lidar, image and other. Secondly, the report is segmented on the basis of hardware and software which comprises of cameras, communication systems, and GPS systems. Furthermore, the report is segmented by type which is comprises of semi-autonomous vehicles and fully autonomous vehicles. The fully functioned segment wise study gives you the forecast up to 2027.About Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Nasal Aspirator Market

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Nasal aspirator is a small medical device which is used to clear the nose of a baby. When babies suffered from cold, the snot (nasal mucus) develop in their nose. Unfortunately, babies do not know how to blow their nose to clear, nasal aspirators, however, work effectively in clearing up their stuffy nose and give them immediate relief from breathlessness. A nasal respirator is cheap and is easy to use. Moreover, the device is also suitable to remove the snot in infants. There are various types of nasal aspirators and parents should choose it carefully according to the need and age of their babies. Bulb nasal aspirator is a rubber bulb which can easily insert in babys nostrils to remove the mucus. They are cheap and disposable and are suitable for the thin secretion. The human suction nasal aspirator is another device which has high control over suction and is easy to clean. Electric nasal aspirator does not require squeezing or sucking and they just provide constant suction for thin or runny snot.Request Sample:Nasal Aspirator Market: Advantages and disadvantagesThe common and obvious advantage of using nasal aspirator is that it gives instant relief to a baby from breathless due to the stuffy nose. The nasal aspirator makes them sleep peacefully at least for a temporary period. With mucus in the nostrils, babies are not able to suck the milk from mothers breast or from the bottle. The hunger makes them fussier and therefore it becomes necessary to remove the snot from their nostril before the breast or bottle feeding. Nasal aspirator works well in such situation. Nasal aspirators are cheap and easily available in the market. They are easy to use and there is no need to visit the doctor every time in order to remove the secretion from babys nostril.However, the excess use of a nasal respirator can also be dangerous for babies. For instance, babys nose tissues are extremely delicate and thin. On the other hand, bulb nasal aspirators function aggressively, which can be resulted into nose bleeding and eventually damage of nasal tissues. The repetitive use of nasal respirators can also result in the swellings of the membrane inside the nostrils. Doctors, therefore, suggest the minimum use of the nasal respirator. Some nasal respirators, for example, human suction nasal aspirator, needs the parent to suck the other side of the aspirator in order to suck the mucus of the baby. In this exercise, there are high chances of cross-contamination and germs can be transferred from child to parents.Nasal Aspirator Market: Drivers and restraintsThe lesser options available in the market to remove the mucus in the nostril of the infants, babies and toddlers are automatically driving the growth of the nasal aspirator market across the globe. As the nasal aspirators do not use any medication to give relief to the babies, especially infants, they are largely preferred by the parents as well as paediatrics which boost the global market of the nasal aspirator. Rising air pollution is creating allergies among babies. The dust particles cause black mucus which needs to be removed in order to give immediate relief to babies. This particular factor is creating a positive impact on global nasal aspirator market. However, there are few factors which are hindering the growth of the global nasal aspirator market. For instance, the risks of babys nasal tissue damage and cross-contamination are some of the factors which are pulling the parents back from using nasal aspirators.Obtain Report Details @Nasal Aspirator Market: Key ManufacturersRumble Tuff, Baby Bubz, Bremed, Graco, NoseFrida, Little Martins Drawer and NeilMed are some of the global manufacturers of nasal aspirator market.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to market segments such as geographies, types and applications.Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United States+1-646-568-7751+1 800-961-0353 (USA-Canada Toll free)Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Mortgage and Loans Software Industry Is Set to Boom in 2018 And Coming Years

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Mortgage and Loans Software to its huge collection of research reports.The global market for Mortgage and Loans Software has been highly dynamic in the last few years. This research study on the worldwide Mortgage and Loans Software market attempts to assess the changes this market has gone through and presents a complete overview of this market. It offers vital information and statistical data of this market such as growth boosters, restraints, future prospects, and prominent trends and opportunities.The research report studies the global Mortgage and Loans Software market on the basis of the qualitative as well as quantitative assessment of various market verticals. The regional markets for Mortgage and Loans Software has also been evaluated based on their performances during the period from 2017 to 2022. The dynamics of the manufacturing and supply chain and the significant government norms and policies in this market has been discussed in details in this market report. The global market for Mortgage and Loans Software has also been assessed in terms of the production chain of the products, their pricing, and the revenue generated by them.Get free sample report of the research study at:Analysts have carried out multiple analyses to determine the volume of production and efficiency of the market, considering the performances of its regional Mortgage and Loans Software markets. The demand and supply statistics for Mortgage and Loans Software in the global arena has also been discussed in this market report.Conclusively, the study make use of various assessment tools on the key participants including feasibility analysis, investment return analyses, and SWOT analysis to identify the market hierarchy prevailing in the worldwide Mortgage and Loans Software market.This study is aimed at providing a complete and unbiased picture of the global Mortgage and Loans Software market and assist companies, consultants, and stakeholders operating in this market to make winning strategies for the further expansion of their businesses.This report studies the global Mortgage and Loans Software market, analyzes and researches the Mortgage and Loans Software development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeIntegrated Accounting SolutionsBNTouchMagna ComputerFloifyEllie MaeByte SoftwareCalyx SoftwareMortgage LensQC SolutionsPCLender.comMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoCloud-basedOn-premisesRead Complete Table of Content of the Report at:Table of ContentsGlobal Mortgage and Loans Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Mortgage and Loans Software1.1 Mortgage and Loans Software Market Overview1.1.1 Mortgage and Loans Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Mortgage and Loans Software Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Mortgage and Loans Software Market by Type1.3.1 Cloud-based1.3.2 On-premises1.4 Mortgage and Loans Software Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Small Business1.4.2 Midsize Enterprise1.4.3 Large Enterprise1.4.4 Other2 Global Mortgage and Loans Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Mortgage and Loans Software Market Size (Value) by Players (2016 and 2017)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Integrated Accounting Solutions3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Mortgage and Loans Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 BNTouch3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Mortgage and Loans Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Magna Computer3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Mortgage and Loans Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 Floify3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Mortgage and Loans Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)...About QYReseachReports.comQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact US:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Increasing Demand of Sensitivity in Diagnostics to Boost CAD Market

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"The Report Computer Aided Detection Market (Imaging Modality -Imaging Modality, Mammography, MRI, Ultrasound Imaging, Tomosynthesis, CT; Application - Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Liver Cancer, Bone Cancer) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"A study on the global computer aided detection market has been added to the accumulating portfolio of MarketResearchReports.biz. Titled, Computer Aided Detection Market (Imaging Modality -Imaging Modality, Mammography, MRI, Ultrasound Imaging, Tomosynthesis, CT; Application - Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Liver Cancer, Bone Cancer) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024, the report discusses the market for computer aided detection in terms of market revenue share (US$ Mn). The market report involves an intricate official outline, which incorporates a market preview that gives data about different portions of the market. The study likewise incorporates key market elements, for instance, drivers, limitations, and openings, influencing the interest for computer aided detection items universally and nation savvy.View Report @Computer aided design programming instruments have been acquainted with help radiologists to adapt to the developing number of pictures requiring understanding. Expanding frequency rate of bosom, prostate and lung malignancy, rising mechanical progressions, and expanding utilization of CAD with other imaging modalities, for example, ultrasound and attractive reverberation imaging are relied upon to serve this industry as high-affect rendering drivers.In the U.S., prostate growth is a standout amongst the most widely recognized tumors among men and has expanded the interest for multi-parametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MP-MRI) CADx frameworks for determination and detection of prostate disease.In screening mammography, the conventional idea of twofold perusing by the second clinician is required to be supplanted by CAD, of bosom disease totally. This is because of the extra repayment produced by computer-aided detection dissimilar to the twofold readings that request a greater amount of radiologists' opportunity with no repayment for the second read.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Wide research has been attempted to think of new discoveries setting up the connection of tumor with life systems. For example, Johns Hopkins analysts set up the nearness of thick bunches of microscopic organisms in climbing colon to growth. Digital imaging technique advancements are the other contributing factors for market growth as it has increased ease-of-integration of CAD solutions with imaging equipment and has also improved the efficiency of computer aided detection solutions.Computer aided design is most broadly utilized for bosom tumor imaging because of a higher frequency of disease in ladies with dismalness of 14 million new cases and 8.2 passings as per the WHO 2012. With the expanding interest for imaging and the developing rate of ceaseless sicknesses, the interest for imaging innovations is relied upon to increment. Computer aided detection is currently utilized with other imaging modalities, for example, ultrasound, atomic imaging, attractive reverberation imaging, and so forth.Based on utility, the computer aided detection showcase has been classified into breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal malignancy, prostate disease, liver growth, different malignancies, and other cancers. As far as imaging methodology, the market has been fragmented into mammography, attractive reverberation imaging, ultrasound imaging, tomosynthesis, CT, and others.Send An Enquiry Request @Regarding district, the computer aided detection showcase has been sectioned into four noteworthy areas: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Additionally, examination for the significant nations, for example, the U.S., Canada, Germany, the U.K., Japan China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa have been given in the report.About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Increasing Motor Vehicle Production in Europe is Expected to Drive Growth of Vehicle Leasing Market in Region

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"The Report Vehicle Leasing Market in Europe 2017-2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Vehicle Leasing Market in Europe 2017-2021 is the latest report added in the vast report database of ResearchMoz.us. The research report talks about the global market landscape light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the given forecast period of 2017 to 2021 and aims to offer an overview of the market. The research report maps the global light-emitting diode market with respect to the latest trends that are coming up in the market. Important driving factors along with aspects that might impede the market growth and opportunities that may arise during the given forecast period are also studied in the report. The research report also provides an in-depth assessment of the current market dynamics and maps the competitive landscape of the global light-emitting diode market. The study report gives out extensive information on both qualitative as well as quantitative assessment of the global light-emitting diode market by studying the data collected from key market players as well as industry professionals. The report also provides crucial information on the established market players that are presently plying their trade in the global light-emitting diode market. The report gives out the overall growth prospects of the market across the globe for the given forecast period of 2017 to 2021.View Report @Vendor who lease vehicles buy them from vehicle manufacturers at a reasonable rate and then lease them out to the companies managing vehicle fleets, corporate entities, individual clients, retail vendors, SMEs, and other segments vendors. The lease period and lease rate varies depending up the millage of the vehicle. Other factors such as age of the automobile, type of vehicle, type of lease, and economic development of the country are also taken into account. At the end of the lease contract, all the lessors try to maximize the valuation of the vehicle either by selling it or scrapping it at a favorable time. Commercial vehicles and passenger cars are among the most commonly used vehicle in Europe for the purpose of leasing.There is a popular trend in the Europe market for vehicle leasing is that of electric cars. The leasing of electric cars is expected to lead the segment of passenger car of the Europe vehicle leasing market. The increasing concerns about pollution and environment among the customers in Europe along with the strict regulations by the local governments about emission of carbon are acting as strong driving factors for the growth of the vehicle leasing market. Moreover, the governments are also offering subsidies for the use of electric cars and thus it is shifting the preference of the end use customers from fuel engine to electric car automobiles. The shortage of fossil fuel is also helping to propel the growth of this trend. Thus, leasing of electric cars is expected to significantly help in driving the overall development of the vehicle leasing market in Europe over the course of the given forecast period of 2017 to 2021.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @One of the key driving factors for the growth of the vehicle leasing market in Europe is the booming motor vehicle manufacturing industry in Europe. The growth rate of production of new vehicles in countries across Europe such as Germany and France have been on the higher side. There has been an increasing demand for moto vehicles across Europe and thus, vehicle manufacturers and retailers are heavily investing in the region. This comes in spite of the strict regulations put up local governments across Europe about regulating the carbon emission. These factors are thus expected to drive the overall growth of the vehicle leasing market in Europe over the coming years.Send An Enquiry Request @Some of the key players in the Europe market for vehicle leasing include names such as Arval, Deutsche Leasing, VTB, UBI Leasing, and DLL among others.About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Mobile Payment Technologies Market Reporting & Evaluation of Recent Industry Developments

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The global mobile payment technologies market is foreseen to grow manifolds in coming times. Rising interest for cutting edge payment innovation and expanding center around making cashless economy has prompted the solid emergence of mobile payment innovation suppliers in the market. A portion of the significant players in worldwide mobile payment technologies market are Visa, Inc., Boku, Inc., PayPal, Inc., Vodafone Ltd., AT and T, Inc., Apple, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, MasterCard International Inc., American Express, Co., Fortumo, Bharti Airtel Ltd., and Google, Inc.Download exclusive Sample of this report:According to a recent research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) the global mobile payment technologies market is anticipated to flourish with a tremendously strong CAGR of 20.5% within its forecast period from 2016 to 2024. In year 2015 the overall mobile payment technologies market was evaluated to be worth US$ 338.72 bn. This value is expected to reach around worth US$ 1,773.17 bn by the end of year 2024. Based on type, near field communication (NFC) segment is expected to dominate the other segments because of advancement in technologies in mobile payment sector all over the world. Geographically, Asia Pacific will stand out in the coming time as it is slated to represent an offer of 42.5% in the worldwide market before the finish of 2024.Integration of IoT with Payment Application to Boost the Global Market DemandMobile payment is an innovation which enables buyers to make quick payments for items and administrations by utilizing a versatile electronic gadget, for example, tablets, smartphones, and cell phones which are worked as a payment vehicles. Developing selection of cutting edge technologies, for example, wearable gadgets, near field communication, and mobile point-of-sale are relied upon to lift the interest for mobile payment technologies in anticipated years. The appropriation of prompt payment technologies are persistently expanding in developing districts, for example, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific. This is likewise a central point which is relied upon to help the mobile payment technologies market in the coming years.Obtain Report Details @Aside from this, fast advancements in the mobile payment answers for give better payment administration to the end-clients are additionally foreseen to fuel the development of the mobile payment technologies market. What's more, developing government drove activities and expanding appropriation of shrewd machines are expected to drive the market. Besides, combination of IoT with payment applications gives real chances to expand payment arrangement offerings and create upgraded payment technologies. Thusly, it is foreseen that the Internet of Things will support more payments through advanced wallets amid the figured time frame.Lack of Engagement among the Users to Hamper the Mobile Payment Technologies MarketIn any case, low consumer demand for picking new innovation is a major aspect controlling the development of the mobile payment technologies market. On the other side, there are a lot of chances in market to help up the development. Top-end security highlights, speedier and more secure exchanges, joining of traditional exchange strategies in the present working framework will draw in more clients.Despite the fact that the mobile payment innovation market is thriving, there is a lack of engagement among clients about tolerating the new innovation. It is one of the enormous limiting elements for the development of the market. Shoppers are likewise put off by the deferrals in exchange some still like to direct the exchange in the antiquated ways. Both the clients and shippers are not completely mindful of the working framework of the mobile payment innovation and that is a reason for worry for the general development of the market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Tuberculosis Diagnostic Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace Over 2025

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Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), which is characterized by the growth of tubercles (a small rounded projection specially formed in the bone or on the surface of an animal) in lung. It usually affect the lungs, but also affects other parts of body such as brain, kidney, and spine. There are two types of tuberculosis: latent tuberculosis and active tuberculosis. The condition in which bacteria remain in an inactive state and cause no symptoms is called latent tuberculosis. The condition in which bacteria are in active state and show symptoms is called active tuberculosis. Chronic cough with blood containing sputum, fever, and night sweat are some symptoms of active tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease which spreads through air. Diagnosis of active tuberculosis is done through chest X-rays and microscopic examination of culture body fluids. Latent tuberculosis diagnosis is done through tuberculin skin test or blood test.Report Overview and TOC @People with prolonged and close contact with tuberculosis infected people, already suffering from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and have weak immune system are particularly at high risk of developing tuberculosis. According to the World Health Organization, 10.4 million people are infected with tuberculosis globally i.e., 28,500 people/day and 1.8 million people have died from tuberculosis, including 400,000 with HIV positive tuberculosis i.e., 4,900/day. Tuberculosis is among the top 10 causes of death globally.Request for Broucher @Based on test, the tuberculosis diagnostic market has been segmented into diagnostic laboratory method (culture based tests, nucleic acid testing, serological tests, interferon-gamma release assays, phage-based tests, and others) and radiographic method (chest X-ray). The diagnostic laboratory method segment holds significant market share because it is cost effective and easy to perform as compared to radiographic method. However, compromised accuracy and longer processing time are factors that restrain the diagnostic test method segment. Hence healthcare industries are looking for the advanced technique to overcome from the problem of diagnostic laboratory. Advances in X-ray systems, especially mobile radiography and portable equipment such as Practix 400 Plus, are likely to fuel the growth of the tuberculosis diagnostic market. Increase in morbidity and mortality rate and high unmet needs to current diagnostic tools such as no rapid test available to detect the resistance of anti-tuberculosis drugs(rifampin and isoniazide), no rapid test available to detect the latent tuberculosis , and other than DNA there is no good biomarker are the opportunities that boosts the tuberculosis diagnostic market. However, most of the tests require a good quantity of sputum which some patients are unable to produce. Moreover, high cost of diagnosis and requirement of highly developed infrastructure to perform the diagnostic tests are the major factors restraining the market.For Specific and Customized Requirements @Geographically, Asia Pacific dominated the global tuberculosis diagnostic market because of large patient pool (about 60% of the worlds population). According to the World Health Organization, countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and South Africa are affected with tuberculosis. Increase in awareness about the disease, better purchasing power, and developed health care infrastructure boost the growth of the tuberculosis diagnostic market in North America. Affordability issues, lack of availability of diagnostic tools, and poor patient education are factors restraining the market in Middle East & Africa.Key players in the tuberculosis diagnostic market include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Hologic Company, Alere, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Becton, Dickinson and Company, bioMerieux SA, Hain Lifescience GmbH, Sanofi S.A., Cepheid Inc., and QIAGEN.Pre Book Full Report @ABOUT US:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.CONTACT:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-345
global Mice Models Market, which is expected to be valued at US$1.79 bn by the end of 2023

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The extremely consolidated global market for mice models is primarily dominated by the players Charles River, The Jackson Laboratory, and Harlan Laboratories  three companies that collectively occupied 75% of the market in 2014 in terms of value. At the time, the market was predominantly controlled by a small number of players, mostly owing to the disparity in demand between developed and developing economies. However, as the rate of development of emerging economies and their biomedical industries ramps up, so does their demand for mice models. The resultant effect on the competitive landscape for the global mice models market is a significant growth in the number of regional players in the emerging economies. They pose a direct threat to the globally prominent players that are trying to invest in the opportunities that these regions hold. According to a new publication by Transparency Market Research, the trend of outsourcing mice models to CROs and pharma companies is also driving the global demand for mice models.Request to View Sample Report @There is, however, considerable strain on the markets growth rate due to the stringent regulations applied by global healthcare and pharmaceutical bodies.mice-model-market Advancements in Mice Model Types and Services Add to Research Scope and Capabilities The ALS Association had recently shown the use of mutated mice models for the study of the disease, states a TMR analyst. This is only one of the many examples that can show that the recent advancements in mice model types and services have not only added to the strength of existing research processes, but have also expanded the scope of mice model use within other medical research fields.New mice models are found to be acceptable in the studies of advanced diseases, a fact which is greatly driving the demand for mice models. They can now be used in advanced research such as lung disease repair. The integral nature of the mice models market with the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields has allowed companies from these industries to form alliances that can even revolve around further advancing the mice models types and services in the future. Growing Scope of Alternative Technologies Restrains Use of Mice Models A lot of companies are currently seeking non-animal test methods for their research processes in order to either eliminate animal use completely or to restrict it as much as possible. Alternatives include solutions such as the Irritation Assay System which is a simplified procedure in a test tube used for skin irritation, or even human skin culture. A lot of these alternatives are not only cheaper but also provide a faster and more accurate conclusion formation process. This complements the reduction in use of animal models due to the growing protests by people against their use.Read Report Overview @In another alternative, professionals are adopting computer-generated simulations to test their processes, further reducing the need for animal models. North America Retains Leading Demand for Mice Models While APAC Demand SoarsThe global market for mice models is expected to be evaluated at US$1.79 bn by the end of 2023. North America has consistently been a key region in terms of demand for mice models. By the end of 2023, this region is expected to generate a revenue of US$785.4 mn. Meanwhile, the demand for mice models is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.1% in Asia Pacific, from 2015 to 2023.An immense demand for genetically engineered mice models is expected to put this service type in the leading position by 2023, with an expected revenue of US$155.2 mn. Mouse breeding and re-derivation have so far been the more popular mice model service types but are likely to be replaced by genetically engineered models soon. Inbred mice models have consistently been the more popular mice model types. By the end of 2023, the revenue earned by the inbred mice model segment is expected to reach US$340.6 mn.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453
Microarray Market size in terms of volume and value 2016 - 2024

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Microarray is an advanced molecular biology technique used to spot expressions of many genes at the same time. Gene expression is a crucial part of normal gene functioning and plays significant role in understanding normal growth and development of life. Any abnormalities in gene functioning can lead to critical disease. Research involving the study of many genes by traditional method is next to impossible. Microarrays serve the purpose. Thousands of genes can be arrayed at one time and analyzed accurately. It is fast, accurate, cost effective and easy to do assay design. Microarray can be used for many micro molecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins, and also for enzymes, carbohydrates, and tissues. It can be used for gene expression profiling, molecular interactions, biomarker profiling, enzyme activity, pathway identification, and mutations. Microarray is not limited to basic research, but has expanded to clinical research and diagnosis.Report Overview and TOC @Based on type, microarrays can be segmented into DNA microarrays, protein microarrays, and antibody microarrays. DNA microarrays can be used for single nucleotide polymorphism-based diagnostics, forensic detection, gene expression profiling, etc. Large number of applications of DNA microarrays makes it a major segment of the microarray market. Protein microarrays are used in biomarker screening, enzyme substrate profiling, small molecule profiling, protein-protein interaction, etc. Antibody microarrays find applications in immunology in antibody specificity profiling, electronic immunoassays, etc.In terms of application, microarrays can be segmented into gene expression profiling tool, comparative genomics tool, disease diagnosis, drug discovery, and toxicological research involving the uncharacterized microbial populations exposed to toxins and pollutants. With the help of microarrays some of the uncharacterized microbes can be identified and their original gene pattern and functionality can be studied. Microarray technology has provided a new insight into the evolutionary studies, as many arrays can be studied parallel that are specific for particular species. Microarrays can be used in comparative genomics and pathway probing.Request brochure @Microarrays provide information, though not complete but useful, about the gene or group of genes that can be studied further, illuminating the biological pathways. Microarray has helped in better understanding of some diseases, their pathogenesis, and genetics. Scientists are able to differentiate cancer on the basis of organs harboring tumor, leading to a better understanding of gene pattern in the tumor cells. Microarray has also benefitted therapeutics development. Better understanding of any drug addiction followed by better treatment in any patient is an example of it. In diagnosis of diseases, particularly at the time of outbreaks, where a quick and accurate diagnosis is required, microarray has gained recognition in identifying the causative agent or the pathogen and the specific strain or antigen (serotype). Based on product type and analysis, the microarray market can be segmented into consumables and instruments. Large number of applications of microarray has led to high demand for consumables such as reagents, primers, buffers, DNA chips, and reagent kits.Microarray has widespread applications in genomics as well as proteomics. The progressively evolving information and software technology and emerging bioinformatics are some of the factors driving the microarray market, making it economical, unfailing, and durable. The development of biological products such as vaccines and therapeutic proteins involving microarray technologies could lead to promising results. However government protocols have mentioned that minor changes in the biological process may lead to distinguished end product, there is an urgent need of extensive testing and authentication. And these factors may hamper the market.For Specific and Customized requirements@In terms of region, the microarray market can be segmented into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America was the largest market for microarrays. Advanced technology, high quality result oriented research, public awareness about personal health, and government initiatives are the factors contributing to the growth of the microarray market in North America. Europe was the second largest market for microarrays, followed by Asia Pacific. Increasing awareness among the people about genetic diseases, education, government initiatives, and modern technology in diagnosis and treatment of diseases are propelling the microarray market in Asia Pacific. Key players in the microarray market are Agilent Technologies, Illumina, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific and Merck. Other companies include Applied Microarrays, BioGenex, Perkin Elmer, QIAGEN, and Phalanx Biotech.Pre Book full report@Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453
Asia-Pacific Mobile Phone Protective Cases Market Estimated to Reach Value US$ 17,680.9 Mn by 2026

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https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/asia-pacific-mobile-protective-cases-market.asp

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Surging demographics of mobile phone and smartphone users in Asia-Pacific countries such as Japan, China, South Korea, and India, among others, has prompted the production of protective cases to a large extent. Persistence Market Research has recently published its forecast report on the mobile protective case market in Asia-Pacific, insights from which project that the market will rake in US$ 17,680.9 Mn in revenues by the end of 2026. The market, which is presently valued at closed to US$ 10,000 Mn, is anticipated to exhibit a steady CAGR of 5.9%.Request for Report Sample @In the report, titled Mobile Phone Protective Case Market: Asia-Pacific Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016-2026, the demand for mobile phone protective cases is cited to grow at the expense of strengthening distribution network across the Asia-Pacific region. While rising population and proliferation of smartphones offer the necessary boost for markets growth, absence of standardization is expected to curtail the development of advanced mobile phone protective cases. World leaders in mobile phone manufacturing such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. are profiled in the report as key market players. The report also observes Reiko Wireless Inc., Pelican Products Inc., Incipio, LLC, Moshi, Otter Products, LLC, Belkin International Inc., Griffin Technology, Inc., and CG Mobile Ltd. as key manufacturers of mobile phone protective cases in Asia-Pacific region.Request for Report TOC @According to the report, over half of the regions mobile phone protective case revenues will be accounted by China alone. In 2016, Chinas outright dominance on the Asia-Pacific mobile phone protective case market helped it attain a value of more than US$ 4,000 Mn. India is also expected to join China by being at the forefront of market value contribution throughout the forecast period.Obtain Report Details @At present, a majority of mobile phone protective cases sold across the region are projected to be available at low price range. Towards the end of 2026, the demand for mobile phone protective cases at premium and medium price range will gain traction, accounting for more than 60% share in terms of revenues. Likewise, the report also predicts that in 2017, multi-brand stores will be largest distributors of mobile phone protective cases in Asia-Pacific. However, the dominance of multi-brand stores as well as single-brand stores will incur marginal decline towards the end of forecast period. This downtrend is anticipated to be recompensed by rising prominence of online distribution channels.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Our client success stories feature a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups. PMRs collaborative environment is committed to building industry-specific solutions by transforming data from multiple streams into a strategic asset.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Blowing Agents Market Growth to be Affected by Consolidation of Leading Vendors

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Blowing Agents Market: OverviewBlowing agents are widely used as additives in the polymeric foam industry. They are used as a part of the production process mainly to lend certain desired properties to polymeric foam. The importance of blowing agents is steadily rising for companies as the demand for low-cost foam products rises.A sample of this report is available upon request @Blowing agents play a crucial role by helping to induce a specific cellular structure to the foamed material. This helps reduce the density of the foam, improve its acoustic and thermal insulation abilities, and also improve the relative toughness of the original material. Blowing agents can lend the desired characteristics to a myriad of materials. These characteristics could range from light-weighting, heat insulation, and sound absorbency to elasticity, permeability, electrical insulation and shock absorbency.One of the most widely used blowing agents were chloro fluoro carbons (CFCs). However, they were phased out because of their harmful effects on the ozone layer. While developing new products with similar or better functionality than CFCs, players have to face several challenges such as the impact of the products on the environment and getting suppliers who can supply them with the requisite materials seamlessly among others.Blowing Agents Market: Growth EnablersIncreasing demand for polymeric foams, especially polyurethane foams, owing to rapid development in their end-user industries such as construction and appliances is driving the demand for blowing agents. Additionally, high growth of end use industries in Asia Pacific is anticipated to further fuel the demand for blowing agents. However, stringent environmental regulations regarding chemicals used as blowing agents might hamper the growth. Development of new environment friendly biobased products for utility as blowing agents might bring future prospective opportunities for market growth.Blowing Agents Market: SegmentationThe major types of blowing agents that find use in the industry are: Hydrocarbons (HCs), hydro-chloro-fluoro-carbons (HCFCs), and hydro-fluoro-carbons (HFCs). Of these, hydrocarbons currently stand as the dominant product segment. Among hydrocarbons, butanes and pentanes are the most common blowing agents used. HCFCs have been gradually phased out in industrialized nations. In many other developing regions as well, HCFCs are being phased out gradually because of their reported adverse effects such as Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and Global Warming Potential (GWP). This has in turn led several companies to develop and launch alternative blowing agents that are environment friendly.Among the key foams that see the utilization of such blowing agents are: Polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam, phenolic foam, and polyolefin foam. The polyurethane foam industry makes use of all types of blowing agents and as a result, holds a major share in the market. Owing to its wide range of applications in chemicals, construction and automotive industries, demand for polyurethane products is rising at a high growth rate, which, eventually, generates demand for blowing agents.Blowing Agents Market: Region-wise OutlookCurrently, Asia Pacific is estimated to be the largest market for blowing agents worldwide. It is also the fastest growing blowing agents market. The region consumed well over 50% of the blowing agents produced worldwide. It stands as one of the leading consumers of foam insulated products. China is among the top blowing agent consumers in Asia Pacific. Moreover, other Asian countries such as India and South Korea also generate considerable for blowing agents thanks to high industrial production levels. Mature markets in North America and Europe are expected to witness a relatively slower growth in demand for blowing agents. Additionally, these regions are at the forefront of the initiatives taken towards sustainable growth practices to protect the environment.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @The market place is dominated by a few global players with major market share. However there are a large number of small and medium sized players, especially in Asia Pacific, competing for the market share with aggressive pricing schemes. Leading manufacturers in the blowing agents market include E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, Arkema SA, Haltermann GmbH, Foam Supplies Inc, Solvay SA and Honeywell International Ltd.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact Us-U.S. OFFICE:State Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207
North America Region will Contribute Enormously in Antifouling Coatings Market Growth

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Antifouling Coatings Market: OverviewAntifouling coatings are a special type of coating that is applied with paint to the bottom of a ship or marine vessel to prevent or retard the degeneration of the metallic surface that remains submerged. Usually, subaquatic organisms start building colonies on the parts of the ship that remain underwater.A sample of this report is available upon request @Excessive growth of these organisms often leads to a hydrodynamic drag, leading to high fuel consumption and poor performance. In order to maintain the performance and the life of the vessel, manufacturers use antifouling coatings that contain special chemicals designed to prevent growth of algae, barnacles, and other such living organisms.The antifouling coatings market has gained momentum due to rising sea trade activities, which has led to a rise in the number of ships. The various types of vessels using antifouling coatings are bulk carriers, cargo ships, and container ships.The research report on the global antifouling coatings market provides a thorough analysis of the overall market and the answers pertinent to questions about the scope of the market. The report aims to explain the competitive scenario and the nature of the vendor landscape to the readers through well-researched chapters. Furthermore, the document contains Porters Five Forces Analysis and SWOT analysis to highlight the various factors responsible for the growth or decline of the overall antifouling coatings market.Antifouling Coatings Market: Key Trends and OpportunitiesPoor output of vessels due to the growth of organisms is the primary driver of the global antifouling coatings market. A drop in speed not only slows down the time taken for transportation, but also increases the risk of goods perishing in transit. The possibility of corrosion of metallic coating and the chances of shipworms causing decay to the goods prompt ship manufacturers to use antifouling coatings. Furthermore, the threat of marine organisms being transported out of their ecosystems and the potential hazard of this to the marine life is fueling demand for these coatings.The new-age antifouling coatings contain special chemicals such as biocides, organotin compounds, copper, and synthetic chemical compounds. Unfortunately, these are known to have a negative impact on the environment. For instance, usage of paints containing tributyltin has been banned due to high level of toxicity. Companies in this market are also looking at ways to reduce the use of copper in antifouling coatings, as copper too has adverse effects on marine flora and fauna.On the other hand, players are looking at using slime for making antifouling paints that are friendlier to marine life. Technological advancements and increasing investments in research and development are likely to create several growth opportunities in the market in the near future. The burgeoning oil and gas industry is also expected to offer newer growth platforms to the global antifouling coatings market.Antifouling Coatings Market: Region-wise OutlookAsia Pacific dominates the global antifouling coatings market due to the massive shipbuilding industries in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Rise of the shipbuilding industry in Asia Pacific is expected to keep the performance of the antifouling coatings market steady. Demand for antifouling coatings is also expected to rise in this region due to increasing expenditure on exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil in Thailand, India, and China.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @The top players in the global antifouling coatings market are PPG Industries, Inc., BASF SE, AkzoNobel N.V., Hempel, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Nippon Paint Holdings Co. Ltd., Jotun, Sherwin-Williams Company, Chugoku Marine Paints Ltd., Kansai Paint, and Advance Marine Coatings AS, among others. These companies focus on developing eco-friendly coatings from palm oil to reconcile the issue of rising environmental concerns and the need to safeguard the vessels.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact Us-U.S. OFFICE:State Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207
Luggage & Leather Goods Market - Global Industry Analysis & Forecast upto 2025

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Innovatively designed baggage & leather goods will remain in great demand as tourists from all parts of the world will prefer travelling in style. Soaring demand for trendy suitcases and hand bags will also be instrumented by higher durability of leather goods and luggage. A latest report published by Persistence Market Research projects that during the 2016-2024 forecast period, the global market for luggage & leather goods will reach US$ 361,326.1 Mn value. The report further estimates that the market, which is presently valued a little over US$ 244,000 Mn, will soar steadily at a CAGR of 5%.Request for Report Sample @Key factors impacting the dynamics of the global luggage & leather goods market are compiled in the report, which follow:Growing preference to vegetable-tanned leather is influencing the global consumption of leather luggage. Manufacturers of such goods are labelling their products according to such popular consumer preferences.Flourishing tourism industry is directly boosting the global sales of luggage & leather goods, with favors pouring in from both domestic and international tourism.However, the demand for luggage & leather goods is also expected to witness restrain from surging adoption of substitute materials. The demand for leather luggage products is expected to lose traction, gradually, to polyester, nylon, rexine, and other equally-durable synthetic materials.Rising demand for lightweight bags, organic leather products and affordable luggage goods is also expected to favor the growth of global market for luggage & leather goods. Over nine out of every ten luggage goods sold in the world will continue to be leather goods. The report predicts that by the end of 2024, the world will have witnessed sales of US$ 331,000 Mn worth of leather goods. Among which, footwear and leather accessories are anticipated to be top-selling leather products.Request for Report TOC @The report further reveals that specialty & multi brand stores, single brand stores, and general retail outlets will collectively serve as largest sales channels for luggage & leather goods. In 2016, over 2,000 million units of luggage & leather goods were sold through general retailers, while online sales accounted for a little over 4.5% revenue share. Key findings in the report also exhibit that North America and Europe will collectively dominate the global market for luggage & leather goods. Nevertheless, these regions are likely to showcase value CAGRs below 5%. Contrary to this, Latin Americas luggage & leather goods market is projected to soar at 5.3% CAGR. Asia-Pacific region, on the other hand, will witness fastest revenue growth at 5.8% CAGR.Obtain Report Details @View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and TablesThe report has also profiled globally-prominent manufacturers of luggage & leather goods, which include, Knoll, Inc., Samsonite International SA, Hermes International SA, American Leather, Inc., Aero Leather Clothing Ltd., Timberland, Woodland, Johnston & Murphy, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, and VIP Industries Ltd.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.Our client success stories feature a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups. PMRs collaborative environment is committed to building industry-specific solutions by transforming data from multiple streams into a strategic asset.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Flat Panel X-Ray Detectors Market Expected to reach US$1.7 bn in 2024

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A collective share in the global flat panel x-ray detectors market of 56.1% in 2015 was held by Konica Minolta, Inc., PerkinElmer, Olympus Corporation, and Rayence, Inc. Their strong presence in the market has overshadowed the much smaller shares held by regional players in the key regions of North America and Europe.Download exclusive Sample of this report:As stated in a research report published by Transparency Market Research, the global flat panel x-ray detectors market is likely to continue being dominated by these players in terms of size and revenue generation rates. The degree of rivalry between them is expected to be very high over the coming years, while players are trying to cater to the growing demand for new, improved, advanced flat panel detectors. The leaders in the market are largely interested in creating cost-effective solutions in order to penetrate the markets in emerging economies.The global flat panel x-ray detectors market is expected to reach US$1.08 bn by the end of 2016. The markets value is expanding at a CAGR of 5.9% within a forecast period from 2016 to 2024 and will lead the market to reach US$1.7 bn in 2024.Technological Improvements in Flat Panel X-Ray Detectors Find Greater Regional ContactMany markets have taken up the advantages to civilization brought about by globalization and attaining a global commercial perspective, including the global flat panel x-ray detectors market. The introduction of newer technologies is being received positively by all key regions, thereby creating a surge in uptake for all advanced X-ray systems. Digital X-ray systems are far more advanced than the older analog technologies and have been successfully introduced to the large client pools from emerging economies, states a TMR analyst.Obtain Report Details @The global flat panel x-ray detectors market is also being driven by the steadily lowering price caps of flat panel technologies, primarily due to an increase in their manufacturing rate as taken up by nations such as India and China. The market is also benefitting from the current advancements in radiology. One of the key application segments that players from the global flat panel x-ray detectors market need to look out for is the manufacturing sector. Manufacturers are increasingly adopting flat panel x-ray detectors in order to improve product quality to get an edge over competitors. This is seen especially in the manufacture of automobiles, healthcare devices, and defense and aerospace equipment. Security companies are also taking up flat panel x-ray detectors amid the growing concerns over safety and anti-infiltration advancements in aerospace.Advancements Slowed by High Regulatory PressureOne of the key factors hindering the overall growth rate of the global flat panel x-ray detectors market is the extremely strict regulatory framework surrounding them. Flat panel detectors technically fall into the category of radiation emission and radiation devices. This puts an additional strain on manufacturers into building devices considered as safe under these norms.The emerging economies are currently showing a great deal of promise to ramp up their demand for flat panel x-ray detectors. India, China, Brazil, and South Africa are among the key countries that global entities are targeting in terms of increasing sales of flat panel x-ray detectors as well as introducing manufacturing facilities. Countries in the Asia Pacific regions are showing an especially positive outlook towards adopting newer technologies, thereby improving the revenue generation scope of current players, adds the analyst.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Airport Retailing Market : Worldwide Industry Analysis and New Market Opportunities Explored 2025

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Global Airport Retailing Market: SnapshotAirport retailing is basically the presence of many retail services of many products inside the airport for providing enhanced convenience to the people travelling. Airport retailing also delivers a broader variety of merchandizes and is a comparatively easy choice for travelers. As many retailers tend to think that airport retailing is just strategy diversification and market expansion. However, this kind of thinking is expected to lead to negative results related to the perception of airport business as the brands that are found in the airport are of high quality and are considerably the high-end ones.The factors that are expected to drive the growth of the market are rising retail promotion in airports, availability of products at low prices, and rising tourism. The market players can further gain from the rising customer airport experiences and fall in jet fuel prices. However, factors such as the prevalence of downtown retail stores, strict government regulations and rules and rising political unrest.In the last couple of years, airport retailing has witnessed a substantial rise across airports not only in developed regions but also in developing regions. In the last few years. Europe has seen a substantial rise in airport retailing owing to inexpensive air fare and rise in tourism. Furthermore, the growing disposable income of people in the Asia Pacific region and their inclination towards luxurious lifestyle is further expected to trigger the growth of the market in the region.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Airport Retailing Market: OverviewAirport retailing is referred to as the availability of retail services of various products within the airport in order to provide greater convenience to travelers. Airport retailing provides a wider variety of products and is an easy option for travelers. With value customer services as the top priority in the aviation industry, airport retailing is expected to gain momentum over the coming years owing to its feasible services to customers. The provision of goods and services in airports will vary depending on the type of travelers such as business travelers or vacationers and on the manner in which the airport manages domestic and international passengers. It is also subject to the economic, geographic, and demographic specificity of the location of the airport. In addition to the regional feature, airports retailers are also required to meet the unique and specific shopping patterns and needs of air passengers such as speed of the service, convenience, store layout, cleanliness and appearance, and product quality and variety.Many retailers assume airport retailing just as a market expansion and diversification strategy. However, this perception is likely to lead to negative results if the environment of the airport is not seriously taken into consideration. The quality business proposals in the airport are the ones which comprise a considerate and thorough evaluation of the product and how it visually appeals to the consumer.Request TOC of the Report @The market intelligence publication delves into the possible growth opportunities for the global airport retailing market and the chronological growth of the market throughout the forecast period. It also uniquely provisions required data related to facers such as dynamics influencing the progress in all possible retrospective manner. Several ubiquitous and non-ubiquitous trends have also been mentioned in the study. An outlook of extensive nature keeping in mind the Porters five forces analysis has been provided to make the vendor landscape transparent to the reader. The report further reaches out to point out accomplishments related to R&D, acquisitions, mergers, and crucial partnerships and verifications. The companies in limelight have been analyzed on market shares, products, and key strategies.Global Airport Retailing Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe global market for airport retailing is projected to expand at a significant rate over the next couple of years owing to the growth in the tourism sector, rising income of the middle class across the globe, and easy accessibility of brands. By type, the global airport retailing market can be segmented into supermarkets, specialty retailers, department store, and direct retailer. The segment of direct retailer has been estimated to lead the market in the coming years accounting for the leading market share until 2025. Stores such as Levis, Hugo Boss, and Lacoste are known for generating maximum revenue. In terms of airport size, large airports are expected to emerge dominant in the global airport retailing market.Request Discount of the Report @The global market for airport retailing is expected to grow tremendously owing to the rising promotional activities by companies and individual brands and incessantly growing passenger traffic. Retailing has turned out to be the leading source of income for airports across the globe. This can be attributed to the rise in the number of air travelers and enhanced duty-free shopping experience. The market for global airport retailing is also expected to be driven by the growing demand for local destination products.Global Airport Retailing Market: Regional OutlookOver the last couple of years, Europe has witnessed immense progress in the market for airport retailing owing rising investments in retail services in airports, feasible air fares, and upsurge in tourism. Moreover, due to several projects in pipeline such as refurbishments, renovation of current airports, and expansion and development of new terminals, the market is expected to witness tremendous growth. Owing to development of high-end airports in countries such as China and India, Asia Pacific is likely to grow at a significant rate.Global Airport Retailing Market: Companies Mentioned in the ReportSome of the chief players in the market are World Duty Free Group, Dubai Duty Free, Duty Free America, Gebr. Heinemann, Dufry, and Autogrill.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
North America Adult Diapers Market Size by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report North America Adult Diapers Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"This report studies the Adult Diapers market. An Adult Diapers (or adult nappy) is a diaper made to be worn by a person with a body larger than that of an infant or toddler. Diapers can be necessary for adults with various conditions, such as incontinence, mobility impairment, severe diarrhea or dementia. Adult Diaperss are made in various forms, including those resembling traditional child diapers, underpants, and pads resembling sanitary napkins (known as incontinence pads).View Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Adult Diapers in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversKimberly ClarkSCAUnicharmFirst Quality EnterprisesDomtarCovidienTranquilityMedlineHengan GroupCocoChiausFuburgAbenaHartmannP&GGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Market Segment by Countries, coveringUnited StatesCanadaMexicoMarket Segment by Type, coversPad TypePants TypeMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHealth CareFetishism and InfantilismAstronautsOtherSend An Enquiry Request @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the North America Adult Diapers market.Chapter 1, to describe Adult Diapers Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by countries, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Adult Diapers, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the North America market by countries, covering United States, Canada and Mexico, with sales, revenue and market share of Adult Diapers, for each country, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the segment market in United States, Canada and Mexico, by manufacturers, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and market share by manufacturers, types and applications;Chapter 10, Adult Diapers market forecast, by countries, type and application, with sales, price and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 11, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 12, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 13, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 14 and 15, to describe Adult Diapers Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data sourceTable of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Adult Diapers Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Pad Type1.2.2 Pants Type1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Health Care1.3.2 Fetishism and Infantilism1.3.3 Astronauts1.3.4 Other1.4 Market Analysis by Countries1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Mexico Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Canada Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Kimberly Clark2.1.1 Profile2.1.2 Adult Diapers Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Kimberly Clark Adult Diapers Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.1.4 Business Overview2.1.5 Kimberly Clark News2.2 SCA2.2.1 Profile2.2.2 Adult Diapers Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 SCA Adult Diapers Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2.4 Business Overview2.2.5 SCA News2.3 Unicharm2.3.1 Profile2.3.2 Adult Diapers Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Unicharm Adult Diapers Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3.4 Business Overview2.3.5 Unicharm News2.4 First Quality Enterprises2.4.1 Profile2.4.2 Adult Diapers Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 First Quality Enterprises Adult Diapers Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4.4 Business Overview2.4.5 First Quality Enterprises News2.5 Domtar2.5.1 Profile2.5.2 Adult Diapers Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 2About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Smart Building Market Size, Status and Forecast Report to 2022 by Radiant Insights

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This report studies the global Smart Building market, analyzes and researches the Smart Building development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, like ABB Group Siemens Schneider Electric Cisco Systems International Business Machines Corporation Delta Controls Johnson Controls Honeywell International United Technologies Corporation Legrand BuildingIQRequest a Free Sample Copy of this Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers United States EU Japan China India Southeast AsiaMarket segment by Type, Smart Building can be split into Building Automation Software ServicesThe report Global Smart Building Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 is available now atTable of ContentsGlobal Smart Building Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Smart Building1.1 Smart Building Market Overview1.1.1 Smart Building Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Smart Building Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Smart Building Market by Type1.3.1 Building Automation Software1.3.2 Services1.4 Smart Building Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Intelligent Security System1.4.2 Building Energy Management System1.4.3 Infrastructure Management1.4.4 Network Management SystemRead more related reports by Radiant Insights: Laser Technology Market LED Services MarketAbout Radiant Insights, IncRadiant Insights is a market research and consulting company offering syndicated research studies, customized reports, and consulting services. Market research studies are designed to facilitate strategic decision making, on the basis of extensive and in-depth quantitative information, supported by extensive analysis and industry insights. Using a patented and robust research methodology, we publish exhaustive research reports covering a host of industries such as Technology, Chemicals, Materials, and Energy. Radiant Insights has a strong base of analysts, consultants and domain experts, with global experience help for delivering excellence in all research projects.Media Contact:Michelle Thoras201 Spear Street 1100,Suite 3036,San Francisco,CA 94105, United StatesTel: 1-415-349-0054Toll Free: 1-888-928-9744Mail: sale@radiantinsights.com
Bariatric Walkers Market 2016-2026; Recent Industry Trends and Developments

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The countries like U.S. and United Kingdom are combating bariatric diseases for decades. Bariatric ailments are caused due to obesity. Obesity is not only an ailment but it is a deep rooted lifestyle disease which can further aggravate and can usher several other diseases into the body. A massive population of the world is at the brink of aging and a major chunk of that population is obese and they are fighting a long term war with their extra flabs. Its a challenge for the healthcare leaders to support and create a healthcare friendly climate for this massive population of over weight adults. In the last few years the healthcare leaders of U.S., U.K., China, Japan and India are mulling over this issue. The top honchos in the healthcare ecosystem are planning to create a proper support system for these people who are crippled by age.The industry insiders believe that the bariatric walkers market will grow and shall churn out a whooping revenue from the markets which are directly related with the obese elderly population. The constant demand will generated in several potential markets across the globe which will further spike the periphery of the Bariatric Walkers market.Report Overview:The Bariatric walkers are normally light weight and tailor made for bariatric elders. They are made of aluminium and they are normally equipped with two button mechanism which also makes them portable and user friendly. There are several other bariatric walkers available in the markets made of plastic and wood. But the bariatric walkers markets are predominated by aluminium made walkers. They can shoulder a weight of 600 lb. The size of the bariatric walkers market will soar in the recent future. Amongst many the United States is one of the leading manufacturers and procurers of bariatric medical items such as Bariatric walkers. Presently the bariatric walkers market in U.S. worth few billions and it will jump in the coming few years.The Bariatric Walkers market: DriversThe size of Bariatric walkers market is surging steadily in U.S. and North America. Diseases like obesity is spreading like an epidemic in the U.S. and thus it is creating a proper market for bariatric walkers manufacturers. A recently tabled report suggests that the adult population in U.S. will shoot up in the coming few years. The report further reveals that the elderly population in U.S. will gallop from 35 million to approximately 71 million by 2030. The medical bills of the obese adults are likely to swell in the recent future which will directly impact the growth of the Bariatric Walkers market in U.S. The bariatric market in U.S. and U.K. and China has grown in the past few years. These nations have ducked others and they are presently leading the flock of the obese nations. Experts believe that China is another potential market which has an ocean of opportunities for Bariatric Walkers makers.Request to view Sample Report:Bariatric Walkers Market: RestraintsThough the bariatric walkers market is dominated by manufacturers from U.S. and U.K. but Chinese manufacturers are at loggerheads with them and they are constantly trying to earn an extra piece of pie from the global market. The local competition maiming the growth of the bariatric walkers market in the South East Asian, Indian and other emerging markets. Though there is a clear difference in quality and pricing of the products manufactured in the local markets, but still they are dominating the local markets and fetching ample revenue from the markets which is spread across the length and breadth of South East Asia.Bariatric Walkers Market: Key RegionsThe bariatric walkers market in China touch few billions in the coming few years and can give a stark competition to countries like U.S. and India. A study reveals that the 15 percent of the worlds obese population resides in India and China and both the South Asian giants are aging steadily. China and India are fighting for the top position in this region. They both have a thriving bariatric walkers market because of their massive population and stable healthcare ecosystem. Even foreign manufacturer are eyeing this massive south East Asian bariatric walkers market, but industry observers believe that the bariatric walkers market in this region is hard to penetrate as cost and quality and income disparity will be some of the deciding factors which will surely dominate the surge of bariatric walkers market in this region of the globe.Buy Bariatric Walkers Market Research Report:Bariatric Walkers Market: Key PlayersThough the local bariatric walkers markets in India and China are flooded with products made by local manufacturers but the demands of the medical tools are equally high in these markets. Varied income groups, steady economy and a massive population of obese adults are some of the key components which is adding fodder into the expansion and growth of bariatric walkers market in this parts of the globe. Some of the U.S. based bariatric walker makers such as Medline, Drive are revamping their strategy to foray into this market and to compete with some of the local manufacturers and importers of bariatric walkers in India and China such as, Kazunga.com Made in China .com, Karma.com, RKM Global Products and Xcellance Medical Technology.About UsFuture Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends.Contact Us616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705T (UK): +44(0)20-7692-8790Sales: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Military Logistics Market Outlook to 2017 - Boston Dynamics, Elbit Systems Ltd, Turkish Aerospace Industries and Others

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Military Logistics Market 2017-2025 has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Military Logistics are the being majorly used for military and homeland security purpose, it has been designed for armed tasks like gunfire, airborne, and for underwater surveillance. These robots help military capable of image capturing, bomb disposal, gunfire, carry wounded military personnel, and detect mines among others. The major driving factors for the Military Logistics market is the advancement of automation in the defense industry. Moreover, these robots can traverse through rough and hazardous environment, which is increasing the interest among the defense forces across the globe to incorporate robots in to their battalions.Request Sample Copy is Available atThe "Global Military Logistics Market Analysis to 2025" is a specialized and in-depth study of the Military Logistics industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global Military Logistics market with detailed market segmentation by platform, application, end users, and geography. The global Military Logistics market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global Military Logistics market based on platform, components, and end users. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Military Logistics market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM). The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 16 counties globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Complete Report is Available atGlobal Military Logistics Market Players:1. Boston Dynamics2. Elbit Systems Ltd.3. Lockheed Martin Corporation4. Israel Aerospace Industries5. Rheinmetall AG6. Turkish Aerospace Industries7. SAAB AB8. Endeavor Robotics9. Aerovironment, Inc.10. Qinetiq North AmericaAbout ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.Contact Us:Phone: +1-646-491-9876Email Id: sales@reportsweb.com
Global 3D NAND Flash Memory Market 2017 Forecast to 2022

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Global (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) 3D NAND Flash Memory Market 2017 Forecast to 2022View Table of Contents:This report studies the 3D NAND Flash Memory market. 3D NAND flash is a type of flash memory in which the memory cells are stacked vertically in multiple layers. Flash manufacturers developed 3D NAND to address challenges they encountered in scaling 2D/planar NAND technology to achieve higher densities at a lower cost per bit.Request for Sample Pages for this Report:Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the 3D NAND Flash Memory in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Purchase this Report:Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversSamsung ElectronicsToshiba/SanDiskSK Hynix SemiconductorMicron TechnologyIntel CorporationMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversMLC TypeTLC TypeOtherMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoSSDConsumer ElectronicsThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global 3D NAND Flash Memory market.Chapter 1, to describe 3D NAND Flash Memory Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of 3D NAND Flash Memory, with sales, revenue, and price of 3D NAND Flash Memory, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of 3D NAND Flash Memory, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, 3D NAND Flash Memory market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe 3D NAND Flash Memory sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceResearch By Markets is an Online Reports Repository.We have a huge database of Research Reports that are segmented Country Wise and Industry Wise.Research By Markets3, Nagar Road,Pune 411 014, Maharashtra, Indiaenquiry@researchbymarkets.com+1-800-416-3124
Single-Use Bioreactors Market Has Been Estimated to Account for US$ 1.5 Bn in revenues by 2026 end

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Single-use bioreactors available today are robust and offers high performance which is necessary for the commercial manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products. Improvements in the bioreactor designs, film technology, sensor systems and stirring mechanisms are resulting in the increasing adoption of the single-use bioreactors. Manufacturers are also closely working with their customers to comply with the changing needs such as for next-gen gene and cell therapies, and for continuous bioprocessing. New generation single-use bioreactors are being designed while keeping in mind the processes and final drug product perspectives by the end users.Recent developments in single-use bioreactors by manufacturers are focused on improving mixing, reducing complexity, and avoid leakage and integrity issues. Improvements in the cell-culture processes are also leading to the rise in adoption of single-use bioreactors.Some of the key market players in the report are Sartorius Merck Millipore, Stedim Biotech, GE Healthcare, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Danaher, Parker Hannifin, Eppendorf, Applikon Biotechnology, Cesco Bioengineering, Celltainer Biotech, Cellexus, PBS Biotech, Distek, Pierre Guerin, and Solida Biotech.Read Report Overview @Global Single-Use Bioreactors Market to Witness Strong Growth during the Forecast Period 2017-2026According to the latest report compiled by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global single-use bioreactors market is expected to witness robust growth. It is also estimated to increase to 13.5% CAGR throughout the forecast period 2017-2026. The market is also projected to reach US$ 1,547.3 million revenue by 2026 end.The global single-use bioreactors market is segmented on the basis of product type, cells type, end user and molecule type. Based on the product type, the segmentation consists of media bags, single use bioreactor systems and filtration assemblies. Among these, single use bioreactor systems are anticipated to witness significant growth throughout the forecast period. Based on the cells type, the market is categorized into bacterial cells, mammalian cells, yeast cells, and others. Between 2017 and 2026, mammalian cells are expected to witness the highest growth.By end user, biopharmaceutical companies are anticipated to emerge as the largest users of the single-use bioreactors during 2017-2026. In the terms of molecule type, the segment includes gene-modified cells, stem cells, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies (MABS) and others. Among aforementioned molecule types, monoclonal antibodies (MABS) is likely to witness strong growth in the global single-use bioreactors market between 2017 and 2026.Request Sample Report @Europe to Emerge as the Most Lucrative Market in the Global Single-Use Bioreactors MarketEurope is anticipated to be the most dominating region in the global single-use bioreactors market during 2017-2026. Owing to the presence of some of the worlds leading pharmaceutical companies in Europe, the region is likely to witness growth. The region is expected to account for the largest share, due to the patient cliff of many biologics drugs in the region and the strong support by the government to the biopharmaceutical companies in order to establish new therapies in biologics. Also, the increasing use of single-use bioreactors in cell culture-based manufacturing is driving the demand in the region. Single-use bioreactors are also becoming technologically advanced and are also being provided at competitive cost.Meanwhile, North America and APEJ are also likely to witness growth in the single-use bioreactors market. Increasing investment by biopharmaceutical companies to establish their manufacturing facilities is driving the growth in APEJ. Increasing focus on research activities and well-established healthcare industry is resulting in the growth of the market in North America.ABOUT US:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.CONTACT:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-345
Current Trends and Future Growth of Cell Sorting Market 2017 - 2025

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Global Cell Sorting Market: SnapshotCell sorting implies the capacity of a technology to segregate cells in a sample based on specific parameters, usually on cell properties. The properties on which cell sorting takes place can be extracellular or intracellular, where the former refers to the size, surface protein expression, and morphology, while the latter refers to protein molecule interactions, RNA, and DNA. So far, the science and process of cell sorting has been an extremely valuable tool in the research efforts taken up in physiology and medicine.The general methods of cell sorting have changed over time. The more primitive methods, while still used and in some cases useful, are far too inaccurate and inefficient to meet with modern requirements. The overall methods can be segmented into single cell sorting, FACS, and magnetic cell sorting. Single cell sorting involves the separation of a heterogeneous cellular mix on the premise of multiple intracellular and extracellular properties. This process can involve IsoRaft arrays or DEPArrays. Fluorescent activated cell sorting makes use of flow cytometry in order to provide rapid results that are both objective as well as qualitative in terms of measuring cellular properties. However, FACS does not make use of cell morphology as a parameter for sorting. Magnetic cell sorting can be used to enrich a mix of cells primarily heterogeneous, by differing between cells based on extracellular properties. This process commonly makes use of antigen composition on the cell and can be segmented into MACS or SEP.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Cell Sorting Market: OverviewThe global market for cell sorting has witnessed significant traction in the past few years. Factors such as increasing and easy availability of advanced cell sorters in the global market, rapid technological advancements in product features, and increasing investment and funding are among the key factors to have driven the market in recent times. Over the period between 2017 and 2025, the market is expected to gain increased traction owing to the thriving biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors globally and the rising usage of cell sorters for research purposes.The market will also be driven due to the vast rise in prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes, the pressing need for the development of targeted therapies, and increased healthcare expenditure across emerging economies. However, factors such as the lack of awareness regarding cell sorters, lack of trained resources, and the high cost of instruments will hamper the growth prospects of the market to a certain extent in the next few years.Request TOC of the Report @This report on the global market for cell sorting provides a detailed overview of the markets growth trajectory over the past few years and projections regarding the future scope of growth over the period between 2017 and 2025.Global Cell Sorting Market: Scope of the ReportThe report combines vast primary and secondary information collected via a variety of industry-standard sources over the course of research. Primary research forms the bulk of the research efforts, with data sourced from e-mail interactions and telephonic interviews. Secondary research efforts involved the detailed analytical overview of data sources such as stock analysis presentations, company websites, annual reports, press releases, and data from national and international databases. Growth rates for all key segments included in the report within the global cell sorting market have been determined through a detailed analysis of technological developments, past and present trends, and regulatory aspects.The report also presents an analytical overview of the determining factors such as growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, and market trends. In addition, the report also contains a detailed market attractiveness analysis by country, applications, and end-user, along with a comprehensive account of the competitive landscape with the help of detailed profiles of key players operating in the global cell sorting market. The competitive scenario between leading vendors in the market has been examined with the help of a market share analysis.Request Discount of the Report @Global Cell Sorting Market: Geographical and Competitive DynamicsOn the basis of geography, the report analyzes the global cell sorting market across regions such as Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Middle East and Africa. Of these, North America is presently the leading contributor of revenue to the global cell sorting market, owing to the thriving pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the region. The large number of pharmaceutical companies operating in the region are also driving the increased demand for cell sorters. Moreover, the rising prevalence of a number of chronic and autoimmune diseases is also contributing to the increased demand for cell sorters in the region.Over the reports forecast period, however, the cell sorting market is expected to observe a significant rise in promising growth opportunities across Asia Pacific. The region, with emerging economies such as China and India, is increasingly becoming a preferred destination for companies in the cell sorting market owing to the vast rise in prevalence of diseases such as cancer and funds being poured into research and development activities.Some of the key vendors operating in the global cell sorting market are Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Affymetrix Inc., Sysmex Partec GmbH, Union Biometrica, Inc., Sony Biotechnology, Inc., On-Chip Biotechnologies Co., Ltd., Miltenyi Biotec GmbH, Cytonome/ST, and Beckman Coulter, Inc.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Industrial Wax Market - Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 2025

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Global Industrial Wax Market: SnapshotThe usage of paraffin wax has been quite common over the years after its discovery and the ability to be synthesized at large scales. Waxes have been used in the manufacture of candles, as coatings on structural surfaces, as additives in packaging materials, and even in the food and beverages industry. Paraffin wax can be derived from coal, shale, or petroleum and is an assortment of hydrocarbons. Wax is generally solid at room temperature and on average, starts to melt above 99 degrees Fahrenheit. The discovery of wax was advantageous to the manufacturers of candles, who previously used tallow which was less reliable as well as expensive.The industrial applications of wax are already diverse and increasing at a slow rate over time. The most common applications of wax are created through the alteration of the crystals of wax, usually through the addition of branches to their current chains. The use of additives such as specific types of polyethylene can improve the functional properties, viscosity, and even the crystalline structure of wax. In the food industry, food-grade wax can be used to produce shiny coatings on top of candies. Food-grade wax is non-digestible, but is classified as edible and harmless and cannot be broken down in the body. Wax is also used as a protective coating for several types of cheese, which helps maintain their qualities.Request Sample Copy of the Report @From the manufacture of candles to its use in coatings, packaging, polishing, food, and a vast variety of application areas and industrial products, the wax industry plays a key role in the smooth functioning of many industries. In the past few years, the rising application of candles manufacturing along with the increased use of wax across the packaging and personal care industries have significantly driven the global industrial wax market.This report on the global industrial wax market presents a thorough overview of the present state of the markets growth dynamics and the future growth prospects over the period between 2017 and 2025.Global Industrial Wax Market: Scope of the ReportThe report analyzes the key indicators expected to have a notable impact on the markets growth prospects, including growth restraints, challenges, growth opportunities, and trends. Forward-looking statements in the report have been backed with vast qualitative and quantitative details about the market and its key segments.Request TOC of the Report @To provide a comprehensive analysis of the market, the report examines notable players in the market with the help of SWOT analysis, value chain analysis, and Porters five forces analysis. Analysis of key market vendors with the help of value chain and Porters five forces model allows the reader to gauge the state of competitiveness in the global modified bitumen market.The study also includes a thorough section covering the market attractiveness analysis, wherein key regional markets, product varieties, applications, and end-use segments have been analyzed on the basis of attractiveness of each key region analyzed in the report. Details related to aspects such as the availability of raw materials, growth rate, profit margin, market size, technological advancements, and environmental and legal liabilities have been examined so as to derive the general attractiveness of the global industrial wax market.Global Industrial Wax Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe market for industrial waxes is largely dependent on the growth dynamics of the global oil and gas market as paraffin waxes, the most common variety of wax used across industrial applications, are derived from petroleum. Since the beginning of 2015, the global oil and gas industry has witnessed significant slowdown owing to overproduction, reduced global demand, and the consecutive reduction in prices. The resultant volatility in raw material prices, in addition to the stringent environment protection laws, has compelled companies to focus on sustainable raw materials such as polyethylene wax and beeswax.Request Discount of the Report @The trend is expected to have a moderate impact on the overall development of the industrial wax market in the next few years as the global oil and gas industry is expected to achieve stabilization in terms of prices in the near term. The application of candles is expected to remain the leading consumers of industrial wax over the reports forecast period as well. The packaging industry is also expected to be one of the leading consumers of industrial wax in the next few years.Global Industrial Wax Market: Geographical and Competitive LandscapeThe report provides a detailed overview of the industrial wax market across regions such as North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East and Africa. Of these, the Asia Pacific market is presently the leading contributor of revenue to the global industrial wax market and is also the region with the most promising future growth prospects. China accounts for a significant share in the Asia Pacific industrial wax market owing to the presence of some of the leading companies in the global industrial wax market. India is also steadily becoming one of the leading markets for industrial wax. The country is expected to emerge as one of the prominent consumers of the industrial wax over the reports forecast period.Some of the leading companies operating in the global industrial wax market are Royal Dutch Shell Plc., Sinopec Corp., Sasol Limited., OJSC Lukoil, and ExxonMobil Corp.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Pediatric Interventional Cardiology Devices Market Research Report 2015-2021: by Types, Application, Products, Technology, by Geography and Company Profile

Pediatric Interventional Cardiology Devices Market

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Globally, cardiovascular devices industry is growing at a significant rate, due to increasing number of cases with heart diseases and other cardiovascular problems. In addition, technological advancement in this field and growing awareness has increased the growth of cardiovascular devices market. Interventional cardiology refers to a process of treatment of structural heart diseases with the help of catheters and guidewires. Pediatric interventional cardiology refers to a process of performing interventional cardiology on infants, children and adolescents up to 18 years. Various procedures that can be performed under interventional cardiology are angioplasty, valvuloplasty, congenital heart defect correction and coronary thrombectomy. Pediatric interventional cardiology devices market is growing at a significant rate due to increase in the number of heart diseases among young pediatric population and technological advancements in the field. On the basis of type of product, pediatric interventional cardiology devices market can be segmented into heart defect closure devices, transcatheter heart valves and others. Other devices in pediatric interventional cardiology devices are angioplasty stents, angioplasty balloons, catheters and guidewires.Read Report @North America dominates the global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market due to increasing prevalence of cardiac diseases in pediatric population and technological advancement in the region. Asia, followed by Europe, is expected to experience high growth rate in the next few years in pediatric interventional cardiology devices market. China and India are expected to be the fastest growing pediatric interventional cardiology devices markets in Asian region. This is due to large investment by various major companies in these countries. Some of the key driving forces for pediatric interventional cardiology devices market in emerging countries are large pool of patients, rising government funding and improvement in the healthcare facilities.Request Sample Report @Rising incidence of congenital heart diseases, technological advancements and government initiatives in this field are some of the major factors driving the global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market. In addition, increasing awareness and growing popularity of minimally invasive procedures are driving the global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market. However, high cost involved in the pediatric interventional cardiology procedure and strict government regulations are restraining the global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market. In addition, poor reimbursement scenario is restraining the global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market.Growing demographics and economies in the developing countries such as India and China are expected to offer good opportunities for pediatric interventional cardiology market. In addition, growing awareness and innovation of some new products with better efficiency are expected to offer good opportunity for global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market. High cost involved is one of the major challenges faced by global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market. Some of the latest trends that have been observed in global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market include companies involved in mergers and acquisitions. In addition, it has been observed that companies are involved in R&D and product launches of more efficient products. Some of the major companies involved in global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market are St. Jude Medical, Gore Medical, Boston Scientific, Edward LifeSciences, Abbott Vascular, GE Healthcare and Siemens Healthcare.Buy now @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Military Robotics Market Key Player 2017 - Boston Dynamics, Elbit Systems Ltd, Lockheed Martin Corporation and Other

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Military Robotics Market 2017-2025 has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Military Robotics is an electronic device which is used for measuring and rectifying the deviation in resistance occurs in the testing and measurement instruments. The major drivers for driving the Military Robotics market are growing awareness of quality standards, more emphasis on preventive maintenance, and government regulations made for electronic instruments.Request Sample Copy is Available atThe "Global Military Robotics Market Analysis to 2025" is a specialized and in-depth study of the Military Robotics industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global Military Robotics market with detailed market segmentation by type, end users, and geography. The global Military Robotics market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global Military Robotics market based on type, and end users. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Military Robotics market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM). The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 15 counties globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Complete Report is Available atGlobal Military Robotics Market Players:1. OMEGA2. Shanghai Yihua V & A Instrument Co., Ltd.3. AOIP4. GHM Messtechnik GmbH5. FLUKE6. Time Electronics Ltd.7. Transmille Ltd8. GE Measurement and Control9. WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG10. Yokogawa Europe B.V.Besides this, the report analyzes factors affecting market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA and South America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors effecting the market in these regionsAbout ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.Contact Us:Phone: +1-646-491-9876Email Id: sales@reportsweb.com
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Madison-based Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin against Dr. Brian Peterson, Milwaukee Countys medical examiner.

The suit in August alleged that Peterson, who switched to Seattle-based SightLife for cornea recoveries in June, excluded the eye bank from recovering corneas in violation of state law.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Ellen Brostrom dismissed the case last month.

Darise Langham, executive director of the nonprofit Lions Eye Bank, said Tuesday the judge determined that a state statute requiring tissue banks to operate in the best interest of the communities they serve doesnt apply to eye banks.

The ruling is very disappointing, Langham said in a statement. We had hoped that the court would provide us, and our great Wisconsin residents who choose eye/cornea donations, the same protections it provides to those donor recovery agencies who recover other tissues such as skin, bone, tendons and veins.

The eye bank will discuss this technical error in the law with Wisconsin lawmakers in an effort to get a correction in the law expedited, Langham said.

Margaret Daun, corporation counsel for Milwaukee County, told the Wisconsin State Journal in August that Petersons agreement is with the Wisconsin Tissue Bank and complies with the law.

The tissue bank is part of the Blood Center of Wisconsin, which in June announced a partnership with SightLife, a nonprofit with a for-profit subsidiary.

I am happy to have had my name, and the reputation of my office, cleared by the definitive outcome of this lawsuit, Peterson, chairman of an advisory board for the organ donor part of the blood center, said in a statement Tuesday. I am confident that Wisconsin Tissue Bank and their new partner, SightLife, will continue their excellent work for our community.
Trends in the Blood Preparation Market 2015-2025

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Blood components refer to products derived from platelet-rich plasma or whole blood. Blood components such as platelets, plasma, red blood cells, and white blood cells are derived from blood by the process of phlebotomy or hemapheresis through the technique of differential centrifugation. These blood components are separated from whole blood in hospital laboratories and blood centers, and are administered to patients suffering from various diseases through transfusion. The whole blood is often collected and separated into major components before transfusion. However, automated collections are becoming increasingly popular nowadays and only blood components that are needed for transfusion are collected.On the basis of product type, the global blood preparation market has been segmented into whole blood and blood components. While whole blood comprises platelets, plasma, red cells, and granulocytes, blood components constitute whole blood components, leukocyte reduced RBC, packed red cells, frozen plasma, and platelet concentrate. According to the antithrombotic and anticoagulant type, the blood preparation market has been divided into anticoagulants, fibrinolytics, and platelet aggregation inhibitors. Major application segments in the blood preparation market include renal impairment, thrombocytosis, and pulmonary embolism.Report Overview and TOC @Global Blood Preparation Market: Drivers and Restraints The growing demand for blood transfusion across emergency departments in hospitals has boosted the growth of the global blood preparation market. The rise in blood disorders such as thrombocytosis and the increasing requirement for blood during accidents and surgical procedures have supported the growth of the market.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) lead to over 60,000 deaths in the U.S. every year. Various initiatives taken by the National Institutes of Health and other regulatory bodies to spread awareness about the complications associated with these conditions have also propelled the markets growth.Request brochure @However, during blood transfusion, the chances of transmission of diseases such as viral hemorrhagic fever, HIV, and Hepatitis B are high. This is the single major restraining factor impacting the growth of the global blood preparation market. The overall market has a significant opportunity to grow with the development of high speed technology to separate blood components without losing their activity. The introduction of new oral anticoagulants and the re-launch of drugs such as Urokinase, the growing demand for source plasma, and the need for specific blood components such as packed red blood cells will create new growth opportunities for the market.For Specific and Customized requirements@Global Blood Preparation Market: Region-wise Outlook The global blood preparation market has been segmented into four key regions: Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World. North America has been contributing significantly to the growth of the market owing to the presence of a robust healthcare infrastructure. In the U.S., the collection, preparation, storage, and transport of blood is regulated by the FDA. Other federal agencies are working toward the implementation of health insurance portability standards to achieve adequate reimbursement for blood components.However, during the forecast period, the Asia Pacific blood preparation market is anticipated to expand rapidly due to various initiatives taken by governments, especially in countries such as India and China. The positive growth of the healthcare sector across Japan and Australia will also support the growth of the regional market.Pre Book full report@Global Blood Preparation Market: Competitive Landscape Some of the key players in the global blood preparation market are GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Pfizer Inc., Leo Pharma Inc., Celgene Corp, Sanofi Aventis, Baxter Healthcare Corp., Shandong East Chemical Industry Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., and AstraZeneca Co. The blood preparation market worldwide is being driven by technology. As a result, market players are investing heavily in research and development to introduce novel and cost-effective drugs.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453
Mobile Pet Care Global Market Trend, Research Approach, Data Analysis and Forecast to 2020

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The mobile pet grooming segment accounts for the major share of the market. The demand for grooming services is high as pet owners are enrolling their pets in pet grooming shows such as Groom Expo and Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference. Mobile pet grooming services are used regularly to maintain the appearance and hygiene of the pet.Publisher's analysts forecast the global mobile pet care market to grow at a CAGR of 5.27% during the period 2016-2020.Request Sample Copy atCovered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global mobile pet care market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated through the service provided by mobile pet care service providers to individual consumers.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:-North America-APAC-Europe-ROWPublisher's report, Global Mobile Pet Care Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors-4 Paws Mobile Spa-Aussie Pet Mobile-Dial a Dog Wash-Hollywood Grooming-My Pet Mobile Vet-The Pooch Mobile USAInquire before Buying atOther prominent vendors-Alpha Grooming Pet Salon-Aussie Mobile Vet-Bonkers-Haute Pets-Jones Mobile Veterinary Service-Jungle Pet Spa-Pampered Tails-Pet Calls Mobile Veterinary-PurrFurred Pet Styling-The Shot SpotMarket driver-Need for convenience-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge-Licensing and regulations for mobile pet care-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend-Increasing focus on using eco-friendly products and technologies-For a full, detailed list, view our reportFor more information about this report:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Plywood Market Value Share, Supply Demand, share and Value Chain 2017  2027

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Plywood is a type of wood product, an engineered wood. It is a panel made of wood, manufactured from thin sheets of wood veneer that are stuck together. Due to its improved qualities, such as resistance to shrinkage, splitting, cracking and twisting, it finds application as a substitute for wood. Plywood also displays high strength as compared to plain wood and it is flexible, workable, reusable and inexpensive.Request For Report Sample:Rising construction activity worldwide, increase in the number of homes and the rising application of plywood in the interior designing of home floorings, walls, and ceilings, especially in high-cost residential spaces, along with a growing furniture industry are expected to drive the global plywood market for the next few years.The advantages of using plywood as a low-cost yet durable substitute for raw wood, along with its growing demand make it imperative to study the global plywood market.Market SegmentationThe global plywood market can be segmented in several ways, two of the prominent ones being on the basis of product type and application type.On the basis of product type, the global plywood market is segmented as follows:Commercial plySemi-waterproof plyWaterproof plyOn the basis of application type, the global plywood market is segmented as follows:Softwood plywoodHardwood plywoodTropical plywoodDecorative plywoodKey Trends, DriversIn recent times, manufacturers of commercial vehicles require increasing quantities of chequered plywood for applications in automotive flooring. This is expected to propel global plywood market growth in the near future.Plywood also finds applications in the marine industry for the construction of decks. The structural panel industry has also been a major consumer of plywood, thereby driving the market.However, the cost associated with plywood is relatively high as compared to oriented strand board (OSB), which provides similar features to that of plywood. Thus, growth rate of the plywood market could be hampered as a result of a shift of usage from plywood to oriented strand board (OSB).It should be noted that the North American region has been consistently dominant globally, in terms of the market demand for plywood. This has been primarily due to high plywood consumption by the construction sector. In terms of plywood demand, North America is followed by the European region, which is mainly driven by the high demand from Germany and the U.K. However, the region displaying a relatively high market growth is Asia Pacific, as China, India and Japan have been witnessing massive construction, thereby driving the demand for plywood applications to a considerable extent.It could be observed that countries with rich forest resources and wood plantations, such as India, Brazil and South-East Asian countries have a potential to be key suppliers of plywood in the near future, as they could look at possible vertical integration to produce plywood after making relevant infrastructural investments for the same, thereby driving the supply side of the plywood market. For instance, the rich and varied forest wealth of India with a variety of deciduous, coniferous, tropical and evergreen trees could be an important resource for the wood panel industry in the future. Also, the growing indigenous demand for plywood in India as a result of rising disposable income among the growing middle and affluent class and the growing infrastructure in recent times is expected to make India an important consumer of plywood in the near future.However, it should be noted that the plywood demand growth has been facing resistance from the packaging industry, which has been finding preferences of other materials, such as metals, plastics and cardboards.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the global plywood market are as follows:Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd.Boise Cascade LLCAtlantic Plywood CorporationEksons Corp. BhdCentury Plyboard (India) Ltd.Greenply Industries Ltd.Georgia-Pacific CorporationUniply Industries Ltd.Weyerhaeuser CompanyJaya Tiasa Holdings BerhadRoseburg Forest Products Co.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
ENT Devices Market Research Report 2015-2021: by Types, Application, Products, Technology, End-use, by Geography and Company Profile

ENT Devices Market

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Ear, nose and throat are some of the most important parts of the human body. It is very essential to keep these parts function properly. There are many factors, such as aging and sinusitis, affect the normal function of these organs. ENT, one of the most important branches of medical science, primarily focused to diagnosis and treatment of the various problems associated with ear, nose and throat. In addition, various ENT devices are available for the diagnosis and treatment of these organs associated diseases. Some of the most common ENT devices are diagnostic devices, surgical devices and therapeutic devices. Deficiencies related to hearing, smelling and speaking are diagnose and treated by the help of these ENT devices.The global ENT devices market is segmented into hearing aid devices, voice prosthesis, diagnostic devices and hearing implants.Read Report @In terms of geographic, North America dominates the global ENT devices market due to technological advancement in ENT arena in the region. The U.S. represents the largest market for ENT devices followed by Canada in North America. In Europe, France, Germany and the U.K. holds major share of ENT devices market. However, Asia is expected to show high growth rates in the next five years in global ENT devices market. This is due to many companies constructing their device manufacturing facilities in the region. In addition, increasing awareness about ear, nose and throats related medical conditions is also supporting in the growth of ENT devices market in the region. Moreover, rapid urbanization in developing countries of the Asia has also contributed to the growth ENT devices market. Rapid urbanization has increased the prevalence of ENT disorders in the region. This has resulted in significant rise in the demand of ENT devices in Asia. Japan, China and India are expected to be the fastest growing ENT devices markets in Asia.In recent time, increasing aging population and prevalence of ENT disorders are some of the major drivers of global ENT devices market. Aging enhances the probability of hearing loss and disorders of nose and throat. To overcome this problem, aged people require ENT devices for treatment of hearing loss and disorders of nose and throat which further increase the demand of devices.Request Sample Report @Technological advancement in hearing aid devices has also fueled the growth of global ENT devices market. For instance, introduction of rechargeable consumer hearing aid devices offers numerous advantages compared to the conventional hearing aid devices. Rechargeable hearing aid devices are smaller in sizes. Moreover, these rechargeable hearing aid devices are environmentally friendly and easy to use.However, problem associated with voice prosthesis and high cost of ENT devices are some of the major restraints of global ENT devices market. In addition, less battery life of hearing aid devices and lack of adequate number of professionals to dispense and fit ENT devices also hamper the growth of global ENT devices market. Increasing mergers and collaborations between ENT devices manufacturing companies is key trend of the market.Buy now @Some of the major companies operating in the global ENT devices market are Cochlear Ltd., Sonova Holding AG, Siemens Healthcare, Starkey Laboratories Inc., William Demant Holding A/S, Widex A/S, GN ReSound A/S, Sonic Innovations Inc., Panasonic Corp., Beltone, Rexton Inc., Avada Hearing Care, Miracle-Ear Inc., MED-EL GmbH, Nuear Hearing Aids Inc., Audiosync Inc., Bernafon, American Hearing Systems Inc., Unitron Hearing Inc. and Zounds Inc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Industrial Biomass Boiler Global Market Research Methodology, Research Scope Forecast 2020

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Industrial biomass boilers are sometimes called bio boilers. The boilers primarily use wood chips or wood pellets as they are both efficient and sustainable when compared with traditional boilers that primarily use fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas. These boilers can cover the heating and power generation requirements of an entire building or a network of buildings.Publisher's analysts forecast the global industrial biomass boiler market to grow at a CAGR of 7.11% during the period 2016-2020.Request Sample Copy atCovered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global industrial biomass boiler market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the key emerging trends and their influence on the current and future market scenarios.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:-Americas-APAC-EMEAPublisher's report, Global Industrial Biomass Boiler Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors-Amec Foster Wheeler-Babcock & Wilcox-GE & Alstom Energy-Hurst Boiler and Welding CompanyOther prominent vendors-Aalborg Energie Technik-AFS Energy Systems-ANDRITZ AG-Baxi-Byworth Boilers-Clyde Bergemann Power Group-Dongfang Boiler Group-Enertime-ISGEC Heavy Engineering Ltd.-Thermax-Treco-Valmet-VYNCKE-ZBG IndustriesInquire before Buying atMarket driver-Reduces energy cost-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge-Threat from conventional boilers-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend-Rise in use of biomass district heating-For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report-What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?-What are the key market trends?-What is driving this market?-What are the challenges to market growth?-Who are the key vendors in this market space?-What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?-What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?For more information about this report:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Orthodontic Supplies Market : Startup Strategy Resources, Grow Pricing Activity and Forecasts to 2025

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Global Orthodontic Supplies Market: SnapshotThe global market for orthodontic supplies is primarily driven by factors such as growing number of patients with malocclusions, increasing trend of cosmetic dentistry, tooth decay or tooth loss, jaw diseases, and jaw pain, increasing awareness among the consumers regarding the availability of advanced orthodontic treatments, and increasing disposable income of the expanding population of middle-class. On the other hand, unfavorable reimbursement policies, apathy towards dental care, high cost of advanced treatments, complications pertaining to the orthodontic treatments, and limited insurance coverage for orthodontic treatments are a few factors challenging the global orthodontic supplies market from achieving its true potential.Nevertheless, the vendors operating in this market will gain new opportunities in the emerging market in Asia Pacific, which resides nearly the half of the worlds population and has high unmet need for orthodontic treatment, and increasing demand from aesthetic orthodontic treatment among adults and teenagers.This report on the global orthodontic supplies market has been prepared to act as dependable business tool for the stakeholders of this market such as orthodontic product manufacturers, hospitals, orthodontic product suppliers and distributors, research laboratories, orthodontic clinics, and market research and consultancy firms. The report provides in-depth assessment of the driving and restraining factors, catches the latest trends, segments the market into lucrative aspects, highlights most profitable regions, and profiles a number of vendors in order to gauge the competitive landscape.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Orthodontic Supplies Market: OverviewThe world orthodontic supplies market is looking forward for a steadfast expansion with the rise of digital orthodontics that is currently boosting patient confidence and benefiting the outcomes of orthodontic treatment. The traditional forms of orthodontic treatment are challenged by invisible braces and clear aligners. Cosmetic orthodontics is inching toward a vertical advancement on the back of the increasing consciousness about appearance and need for its maintenance. Young adults are heavily demanding innovations in aesthetic and unique dental treatments.The global orthodontic supplies market could be classified according to various parameters such as archwire, removable and fixed braces, anchorage, ligature, and patient. With a customized analysis of this potential segmentation, report purchasers can gain a decisive insight into the world market.The tailor-made approach of the analysts at TMR Research has made it possible for business players to fix their eyes on a tangible growth in the global orthodontic supplies market and make practicable advancements in the right direction.Request TOC of the Report @Global Orthodontic Supplies Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe worldwide market for orthodontic supplies is forecasted to run its advancement on the steep rise in the number of patients suffering from jaw pain, tooth loss or decay, jaw diseases, and malocclusion. There has also been a striking advancement in the technology used for orthodontic treatments. As a result, a wealth of technologically sophisticated orthodontic products have been introduced in the global orthodontic supplies market. With the furtherance in orthodontic technology, a colossal number of patients are becoming aware of the new products introduced. This could remarkably help the global market to win strong attention amongst consumers. A large focus on orthodontic supplies could also be ascribed to the broadening middle-income group and swelling disposable income of emerging nations.However, the influx of cheap China-made products, high-priced modern treatments, confined insurance coverage, and inauspicious reimbursement schemes could rein in the progress of the world orthodontic supplies market. Having that mentioned, vendors in the global market can score favorable opportunities with the flourishing demand by adults and teenagers to get access to aesthetic treatments. The countries listed under Rest of World and Asia Pacific are expected to present themselves as fertile grounds for more opportunities to crop up in the market.Request Discount of the Report @Global Orthodontic Supplies Market: Regional OutlookAmidst the presence of the top geographies of the orthodontic supplies market, North America and Asia Pacific are anticipated to outshine while riding on their individual drivers. North America, for instance, is predicted to bet the bottom dollar to good effect on the incrementing worries about facial aesthetics. As the regional population is provided with more counts of orthodontic treatment, the North America market is envisaged to gain traction over other regions forecasted. Likewise, the entry of furthered orthodontic treatments and products is projected to boost the market in North America.The higher CAGR growth of Asia Pacific could be assignable to the mounting attention received by its developing economies through the augmenting interest of international dental and orthodontic firms. The other factors deemed responsible for the development of the Asia Pacific market are more or less similar to those of North America. The markets in Europe and Rest of the World are prognosticated to catch up their growth but at a gradual pace.Global Orthodontic Supplies Market: Companies MentionedA significant estimate of the top industry players are envisioned to rest their maturation in the international orthodontic supplies market through geographical expansions, product enhancements, and acquisitions and mergers. TP Orthodontics, Inc., Dentaurum GmbH & Co. KG, G&H Orthodontics, Inc., Rocky Mountain Orthodontics, Inc., American Orthodontics, DENTSPLY International, Inc., Henry Schein, Inc., Danaher Corporation, Align Technology Inc., and 3M Company have managed to keep their heads up amidst the challenges to come forth as prominent players in the global market.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Islamic Banking Software Market to grow at a CAGR of 12.6% during 2017-2021 - ITS, Oracle, Path Solutions, Temenos

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Islamic banking software refers to the banking software that functions according to the Shariah norms for managing and monitoring banking operations. To calculate the market size, we have considered the revenue generated from the sales of Islamic banking software offered by the vendors. Integrated solutions are not included in the software suites. Reseller revenues are also not considered as part of the market revenue. The report includes software sales for retail banking, corporate banking, capital markets, dealing, brokerage, and investment banking.The global islamic banking software market to grow at a CAGR of 12.6% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global islamic banking software market for 2017-2021. The report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.Click to get Sample PDF:The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEATechnavio's report, Global Islamic Banking Software Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.View Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Key vendors- ITS- Oracle- Path Solutions- TemenosOther prominent vendors- AutoSoft Dynamics- BML Istisharat- EdgeVerve (an Infosys company)- ICS Financial Systems- INFOPRO- Infrasoft Technologies- Intertech- Millennium Information Solution- Misys- Nucleus Software Exports- SAB- Silverlake Axis- Sopra Banking Software- Tata Consultancy Services- VIRMATI SOFTWARE & TELECOMMUNICATIONSMarket driver- Increasing Sukuk issuance- For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Cutting Tools Market in North America by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report North America Cutting Tools Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"In the context of machining, a cutting tool or cutter is any tool that is used to remove material from the workpiece by means of shear deformation. Cutting may be accomplished by single-point or multipoint tools. Single-point tools are used in turning, shaping, planing and similar operations, and remove material by means of one cutting edge. Milling and drilling tools are often multipoint tools. Grinding tools are also multipoint tools. Each grain of abrasive functions as a microscopic single-point cutting edge (although of high negative rake angle), and shears a tiny chip.View Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Cutting Tools in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversSandvikKennametalIscarOSGMitsubishiKyoceraSumitomoMapalNachi-FujikoshiLMTZCCCTYG-1Shanghai ToolKorloyUnion ToolTiangongGuhringHarbin No.1 ToolTivolyCeratizitHitachiFeidadrillsChengdu ChengliangBIG KaiserAddisonHanjiangEST ToolsXiamen Golden ErgeAHNOSandhogCertrix-EGAlorisKilowoodGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Market Segment by Countries, coveringUnited StatesCanadaMexicoMarket Segment by Type, coversCemented CarbideHigh Speed SteelCeramicsDiamondOthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoMillingTurningDrillingGrindingOthersSend An Enquiry Request @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the North America Cutting Tools market.Chapter 1, to describe Cutting Tools Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by countries, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Cutting Tools, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the North America market by countries, covering United States, Canada and Mexico, with sales, revenue and market share of Cutting Tools, for each country, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the segment market in United States, Canada and Mexico, by manufacturers, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and market share by manufacturers, types and applications;Chapter 10, Cutting Tools market forecast, by countries, type and application, with sales, price and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 11, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 12, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 13, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 14 and 15, to describe Cutting Tools Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data sourceTable of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Cutting Tools Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Cemented Carbide1.2.2 High Speed Steel1.2.3 Ceramics1.2.4 Diamond1.2.5 Others1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Milling1.3.2 Turning1.3.3 Drilling1.3.4 Grinding1.3.5 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Countries1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Mexico Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Canada Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Sandvik2.1.1 Profile2.1.2 Cutting Tools Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Sandvik Cutting Tools Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.1.4 Business Overview2.1.5 Sandvik News2.2 Kennametal2.2.1 Profile2.2.2 Cutting Tools Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Kennametal Cutting Tools Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2.4 Business Overview2.2.5 Kennametal News2.3 Iscar2.3.1 Profile2.3.2 Cutting Tools Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Iscar Cutting Tools Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3.4 Business Overview2.3.5 Iscar News2.4 OSG2.4.1 Profile2.4.2 Cutting Tools Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 OSG Cutting Tools Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4.4 Business Overview2.4.5 OSG News2.5 Mitsubishi2.5.1 Profile2.5.2 Cutting Tools Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 Mitsubishi Cutting Tools Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5.4 Business Overview2.5.5 Mitsubishi News2.6 Kyocera2.6.1 Profile2.6.2 Cutting Tools Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 Kyocera Cutting Tools Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6.4 Business Overview2.6.5 Kyocera News2.7 Sumitomo2.7.1 Profile2.7.2 Cutting Tools Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 Sumitomo Cutting Tools Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7.4 Business Overview2.7.5 Sumitomo News2.8 Mapal2.8.1 Profile2.8.2 Cutting Tools Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Mapal Cutting Tools Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8.4 Business Overview2.8.5 Mapal News2.9 Nachi-Fujikoshi2.9.1 Profile2.9.2 Cutting Tools Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 Nachi-Fujikoshi Cutting Tools Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9.4 Business OverviewAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the 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MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Human Identification Market Research Report 2015-2021: by Types of Technologies, Applications, Product, by Geography and Company Profile

Human Identification Market

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Forensic identification technologies are used to identify specific objects from the various types of traced evidences at the place of accident and disaster. Human identification techniques are mainly used in forensics for the identification of criminals. Fingerprints are used as a source of identification of human beings.Human identification process is based on the recognizing of ridges present on the fingers of the suspect. Every human being has a unique formations and sequences of ridges on their figures. This philosophy is used in forensics along with the analysis of hair, skin, blood, DNA and semen. In addition, samples are also collected from teeth.Read Report @DNA analysis is one of the most powerful techniques used in forensic investigations. Forensic scientists use short DNA fragments (known as short tandem repeats [STRs]), collected from human cells and measured by fluorescent labels and automated instruments. STRs are found in the human genome. Scientists around the world use between 13 and 24 STR locations, known as loci, to create DNA profiles for individuals involved in a crime.The global human identification market is categorized based on various types of technologies, applications and product. Based on technology, the report covers polymerase chain reaction (PCR), automated liquid handling, microarray, capillary electrophoresis, next generation sequencing, nucleic acid purification and extraction and rapid DNA analysis system. The application segment is further sub segmented into forensics, paternity identification, disaster victim identification, population genetics, migration or home trafficking and anthropology. Based on product, the report covers consumables, assay kits and reagents, DNA extraction kits, DNA amplification Kits, DNA quantification kits, electrophoresis, rapid DNA analysis, software and other consumables.Request Sample Report @In terms of geography, North America dominates the global human identification market. This is due to increased government funding on forensic science in the region. In addition, expansions of the U.S. DNA database have also fueled the market in North America. The U.S. represents the largest market for human identification in North America, followed by Canada. In Europe, Germany, France and the U.K. hold major shares of the human identification market. The human identification market in Asia too, is expected to show high growth rates in the next five years. This is due to various initiatives taken by government to increase awareness about the forensic technologies in DNA analysis. In addition, increased investments by many foreign countries have also propelled the growth of the human identification market in the region. India, China, and Japan are expected to be the fastest growing markets for human identification in Asia.Advanced applications of forensic technologies is a key driver for the global human identification market. Also, increased government supports in the form of funding and rapid technological advancement have fueled the growth of this market.However, price erosion in genomics instruments and services obstructs the market growth. Moreover, integration of technology also restricts the growth of DNA analysis instruments market. Increasing number of mergers and acquisitions of nucleic acid isolation and extraction consumables manufacturing companies and rapid product launches are key trends of the global human identification market.Buy now @The major companies operating in this market are Agilent Technologies, GE Healthcare, Bode Technology, Illumina, Orchid Cellmark, Inc., LGC Forensics, Promega Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. and QIAGEN N.V.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Phlebotomy Equipments Market 2016-2026; Strategies of key players and products offered

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Diagnostic services act as a lifeblood for the entire healthcare industry. An ideal medical facility is always cushioned by a proper diagnostic infrastructure. Immediate detection of disease not only helps in reducing the life risk of the patient but it also reduces the pressure of the patients on the healthcare industry as a whole. The diagnostic market is steadily increasing around the world and it is also complimenting the growth and development of the Phlebotomy Equipments market. The need of skilled phlebotomist are immense in the market and as the numbers of healthcare facilities are soaring every single day. The Phlebotomy equipments market is directly dependent on the growth and expansion of the entire healthcare and diagnostic industry. The healthcare industry has registered a steady growth in the last few years through revamped and public friendly policies and public, private partnerships and by exposing more people to the insurance backed healthcare system. Which is directly impacting the development of the Phlebotomy Equipments market around the globe. Apart from this, the entire diagnostic industrys growth is also pushing the Phlebotomy markets spread across the globe.Read Report Overview:The diagnostic industry is revamping itself to meet the present challenges. The industry is consolidating and growing steadily. A massive influx of investment has eroded the entire diagnostic industry which is pushing many small and medium level players into the global arena. This is also building up the base of the phlebotomy equipments market and creating a new avenue for the Phlebotomy Equipments market globally.There is a wide variety of Phlebotomy Equipments which are present in the Phlebotomy Equipments market. The wide array of equipments which are used by technicians is personal protective equipments, torniquets, antiseptics, gauze pads, lancets, butterfly needles, sharp containers, evacuated collection tubes, centrifuge machines, blood drawing tray and much more. The compliment the rising demand of the phlebotomy equipments several new players have entered the Phlebotomy Equipments market. The manufacturers of these equipments are spread across the globe but there is a stark difference in the quality of the products which are manufactured in India, China and in western countries of the world.Request to view Sample Report:Phlebotomy Equipments market: DriversThe Phlebotomy Equipments market has grown by leaps and bounds and there are several pivotal factors which are influencing this growth. The first and foremost is the overall evolution of the healthcare and diagnostic market. The expansion of the market is directly effecting the demand and supply ratio and expanding the periphery and the depth of the Phlebotomy Equipments market. The Phlebotomy equipments are mostly used for detecting blood-related diseases and presently ailments like Hyperuricemia, high blood cholesterol, kidney diseases, white blood disorders have grown manifold. This sudden rise has created a massive ground of opportunity for Phlebotomy Equipments market. Countries like India, China, Malaysia and Japan are some of the emerging healthcare markets of the world which is influencing the growth of the Phlebotomy Equipments market.A massive flow of investment in the global diagnostic industry has changed the entire framework of the Phlebotomy Equipments market. It has not only encouraged new players also it has promoted new inventions in this segment.Phlebotomy Equipments market: RestraintsThe Phlebotomy Equipments market is completely driven by the overall development of the healthcare industry spread across the world. The development of the industry is fragmented in some parts of the world and it is dominated by the fee players based in the western markets of the world. This is adversely affecting the development of the Phlebotomy Equipments market worldwide.Buy Phlebotomy Equipments Market Research Report:Phlebotomy Equipments market: Key RegionsThe demand of this tailor-made equipments are spread across the world. The key manufacturers and exporters are based in US and Australia, UK. On the other hand, the Asian market is largely dominated by players from India, China, Malaysia and Japan.Phlebotomy Equipments market: Key PlayersPhlebotomy Equipments are manufactured by several big and small makers spread across the world. In the US, Cardinal health is one of the major stakeholders of this segment and they are planning to plunge into the Asian market. Market Lab in the UK, BD worldwide in the US are also boosting their productions to meet the demands of the emerging Phlebotomy Equipments market.About UsFuture Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends.Contact Us616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705T (UK): +44(0)20-7692-8790Sales: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Michael Heifetz is resigning as state Medicaid director to pursue career opportunities in the private sector, the state Department of Health Services said Tuesday.

Heifetz, who became Medicaid director in October 2016, previously served as state budget director starting in 2013 and worked before that in government affairs for Dean Clinic and SSM Health of Wisconsin.

Medicaid "is strong and stable," said Heifetz, whose resignation is effective Dec. 13. "Four years in these (state government) leadership roles ... was a good run, and it's time for me to try some other things."

He said he doesn't have a private sector job lined up.

In a statement, Gov. Scott Walker and health department Secretary Linda Seemeyer praised Heifetzs work as Medicaid director.

About 1.2 million people, or one in five residents, are on some form of Medicaid, the state-federal health program primarily for the poor, elderly and disabled.

Heifetzs departure comes as the state has submitted a proposal to the federal government to drug-screen childless adults seeking Medicaid coverage. The plan would also impose a four-year time limit on coverage unless recipients work or train for a job, and require premiums and ER co-pays for many of the enrollees.

"It is designed for moving folks from dependence to independence," Heifetz said early this year.
Animal Feed Enzymes Market: Carbohydrases to Generate Significant Revenues through 2026

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Increasing production of livestock including pigs, fish and poultry has led to a surge in demand for the animal feed enzyme globally. In addition, prevalence of the food-borne diseases is further projected to impact the global market growth of animal feed enzymes positively. Transparency Market Research states that the global animal feed enzymes market is projected to reflect a CAGR of 7.8% over the forecast period, 2017-2026.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Factors Fuelling Global Market GrowthGrowth of the global animal feed enzymes market is mainly bound to various macro-economic and micro-economic factors. Increasing demand to keep the metabolism rate and energy values intact has led to a surge in demand for the animal feed enzymes in the global market. Surge in demand to improve the quality of the product will further continue to rev up consumption of the global market.Prevalence of the food-borne disease will continue to impact the global market growth of animal feed enzymes significantly. Zoonotic diseases including avian flus has revved up sales of the animal feed additives. For example, the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has predicted that around 320,000 cases of the food-borne diseases and zoonotic diseases occur each year in the European Union countries. In 2012, nearly 220,000 people in the European Union countries were majorly affected with zoonotic disorders including campylobacteriosis. This has led to a surge in demand for the animal feed additives including amino acids, phytogenic nutrients and probiotics is projected to increase bound to healthy benefits.Increasing number of retail chains are supplying meat products in various developed markets such as Netherlands, Australia, U.S. and U.K. The retail chains in these countries have elevated their quality and safety standards before offering the products to the customers. Growing awareness among the end users regarding the quality standards of the meat products and the safety measures is projected to impact the global market growth of animal feed enzymes.Browse Market Research Report @Moreover, manufacturers are increasingly concentrating adopting nanotechnology for enhanced product development. Animal feed enzymes produced through adoption of the nanotechnology boosts the drug absorption and digestive capacity in the livestock. Moreover, this technology helps in development of advanced and innovative drug system that enables the end users to supplement medicated feed additives including antibiotics in small quantity. These factors will further contribute towards the global market growth of animal feed enzymes over the forecast period.Surge in collaborations and strategic partnerships among the manufacturers is projected to expand across the supply chains globally over the forecast period. Increasing investment in the aquaculture will continue to impact the global market growth of animal feed enzymes attributed to increasing demand for fish as staple food. Such factors are projected to rev up demand for the animal feed enzymes in the global market.Sales for Carbohydrases to Remain HighDemand to improving nutrient uptake and digestion process has led to a surge in demand for the carbohydrases globally. Based on product type, the proteases segment is projected to register a robust CAGR throughout the forecast period. However, the the carbohydrases product type segment is projected to witness the highest revenue growth, representing more than US$ 200 Mn by 2026-end.In terms of revenue, the dry form segment is projected to represent the highest revenue growth, accounting for more than US$ 200 Mn by 2017-end. In addition, this segment is projected to reflect a significant CAGR over the forecast period.Market PlayersMajor players in the global market of animal feed enzymes are BASF SE, Novozymes, Associated British Foods PLC, E. I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company, Novus International, Inc., Azelis Holdings SA, Bio-Cat, Rossari Biotech Ltd, Lesaffre and Alltech Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Tubeless Tyre Market Outlook 2017  The Goodyear Tyre Rubber Company, Continental AG, Bridgestone Corporation and Others

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Tubeless Tyre Market 2017-2025 has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Tubeless Tyres are the tyres which have no inner tubes and the outer surface of the tubeless tyre makes an air tight sealing with metal rim. The tubeless tyres are made of tread, steel belt, and spiral layer, and they assist vehicles in different functions, such as supports vehicle load & breaking force to road surface, absorbs road shocks and maintains direction of travel. Tubeless Tires have many advantages such as fuel efficiency, less balance weight required, light weight, Stability, no wanted friction, safety and cost effective due to which they are the most attractive tyres in the tyre industries.Request Sample Copy is Available atThe "Global Tubeless Tyre Market Analysis to 2025" is a specialized and in-depth study of the tubeless tyre industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global tubeless tyre market with detailed market segmentation by type, vehicle types, rim size and geography. The global tubeless tyre market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global tubeless tyre market based on type, vehicle types and rim size. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall tubeless tyre market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM). The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 15 counties globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Complete Report is Available atGlobal Tubeless Tyre Market Players:1. Bridgestone Corporation2. The Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company3. Continental AG4. MICHELIN5. Pirelli Tyre S.P.A.6. Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.7. Hankook Tire Co. Ltd.8. Toyo Tire and Rubber Co. Ltd.9. Yokohama Tire Corporation10. CEAT, Ltd.Besides this, the report analyzes factors affecting market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA and South America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors effecting the market in these regions.About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.Contact Us:Phone: +1-646-491-9876Email Id: sales@reportsweb.com
IGZO Display Market - Technological Breakthroughs Analysis in Next Few Years

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Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) is a transparent, crystalline, thin film transistor (TFT), comprising semiconductor materials such as Indium, Gallium, Zinc and oxygen. IGZO display is considered as one of the most efficient thin film transistor to be used in flat panel displays and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels. The IGZO display is able to overcome the traditional limitations posed by silicon technology, resulting in high resolution with low power consumption. IGZO technology is increasingly adopted for display devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs which have ever rising demand for power efficiency, reliability and high resolution.The IGZO display is being touted as the technology that will drive next generation flat panel displays. Besides offering high resolution with low power consumption, IGZO display,Supports high electron mobility as compared to amorphous siliconCan be made smaller in size to achieve same performanceOffers better battery life and supports touch sensitive displays for devices like smartphones and tablets.Although IGZO technology is still at a nascent stage, it is expected to drive the market for next generation displays.Get an exclusive sample of this report @IGZO Display Market DriversIGZO displays are affordable, and this is one of the major factors for their increased demand. As the demand for high resolution, touch sensitive and power efficient display devices like, smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions etc. increases, the demand for IGTO displays will eventually increase. IGZO technology based displays can easily replace existing silicon based displays with very little modifications. On other hand, IGZO displays face slow and negative market growth in some segments due to adoption of low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) and other competitive display technology. The global IGZO display market is expected to exhibit double-digit growth in next five years for primary applications in smartphones and other displays.Obtain Report Details @IGZO Display Market SegmentationThe global IGZO display market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, and geography. On the basis of product type, the global IGZO display market is categorized into smartphones, television, tablets, laptops, wearable devices, monitors, wall size displays and others. On the basis of key applications, the global IGZO display market is categorized into  home application, consumer application, industrial application, automotive healthcare and others. On the basis of geography, global IGZO display market is segmented into  North America, Latin America, Easter Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Middle East & Africa.Innovative advancement in IGZO displays are continuously focusing on making it more efficient and on increasing its performance on different applications. IGZO displays with High sensitivity sensors are driving new opportunities in various fields. IGZO displays are powering various displays that are used in medical devices such as high sensitivity sensors that can transform X-ray images into high resolution images. IGZO display technology is receiving recognition all over the world for its unbeatable capabilities and future scope.IGZO Display Market: Key PlayersSharp Corporation (Japan), Sony corporation (Japan), Apple Inc. (U.S.), Asus (Taiwan), Samsung Group (South Korea), LG Electronics (South Korea), Fujitsu (Japan), AU Optronics (Japan) are some of the top players in the global IGZO display market. Sharp Corporation was the first company who started mass production of LCD IGZO-TFT LCD panels in 2012.The basic strategy adopted by the top players in global IGZO display market is diversification and product innovation. With the continuous introduction of new innovative products and exploitation of wide range of possibilities in next generation displays, IGZO displays will dramatically transform future display market.This research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the IGZO display market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically-supported and industry-validated market data and projections with a suitable set of assumptions and methodology. It provides analysis and information by categories such as market segments, regions, product types and distribution channels.About FMIFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact FMI3rd Floor, 207 Regent Street,London W1B 3HHUnited KingdomT: + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790D: +44 (0) 20 3287 4268Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.com
Electrochemical Instruments Market Analysis- Size, Share, overview, scope, Revenue, Gross Margin, Segment and Forecast 2017

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ReportBazzar has released its latest research-based report entitled Electrochemical Instruments Market. This report studies the Electrochemical Instruments market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Electrochemical Instruments market by product type and applications/end industries.This report studies Electrochemical Instruments in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.For Free Sample Copy, click here:Information & Communication Technology industryThe information and communication technology market nowadays is growing in double digit. We deliver both syndicated and consulting reports for ICT market according to client needs and industry needs. We mainly focus on different new technologies, smart markets, mobile applications, telecommunications, software, middleware, audio-visual systems and storage.A holistic report covers exhaustive information obtained from reliable industrial sources and through proven research methodologies. The report goes through both secondary and primary survey. The base year taken for the report is 2015 and 2016, and a forecast is done from 2017 to 2022.The data thus obtained is then combined with relevant tables and graphs to support the information revealed.The following points are covered in the report: Market segmentation Penetration & Growth Mapping Market Trends Market Driver Analysis Market Restraint Analysis Growth opportunities Porters Analysis SWOT AnalysisApplication Insights:Various competent analytical tools have been used to offer a comprehensive assessment of the market. The report comprises of each aspect of the global market for Electrochemical Instruments. It starts with the basic information and then advances to the market segmentation based on different criteria such as technology, industry areas and regions in general. A detailed analysis is given on the areas of industries it is used and basically how the technology is helping the particular industry or driving the market growth of that particular industry.Regional Insights:Major regions, countries, and sub-segments have been analyzed for providing the better understanding of the market scope worldwide. The regions taken into consideration are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Central & South America. The regional markets for the Electrochemical Instruments market are analyzed by evaluating the demand, and supply, the assembly of the products, how it is getting connected with the human interface as well as the historical performance of the market in the given region.Competitive Insights:The report also provides insights on the competitive landscape of the global Electrochemical Instruments industry with the leading players profiled in the report. Company profiles are purely tentative in nature and we can profile companies according to your interest at free cost. The company overview, trends, tactics, merger & acquisitions, business strategies, financial metrics of the major participants operating in the global Electrochemical Instruments market have been reviewed in this study.To view the table of contents and know more details please visit:Some Points Of Table Of Content:1 Industry Overview of Electrochemical Instruments1.1 Definition and Specifications of Electrochemical Instruments1.1.1 Definition of Electrochemical Instruments1.1.2 Specifications of Electrochemical Instruments1.2 Classification of Electrochemical Instruments1.2.1 Electrochemical Meters1.2.2 Titrators1.2.3 Ion Chromatographs1.2.4 Potentiostats/Galvanostats1.2.5 Others1.3 Applications of Electrochemical Instruments1.3.1 Environmental Testing Industry1.3.2 Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries1.3.3 Food and Agriculture Industries1.3.4 Academic Research Institutes1.3.5 Others1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Electrochemical Instruments2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Electrochemical Instruments2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Electrochemical Instruments2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Electrochemical Instruments3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Electrochemical Instruments3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Electrochemical Instruments Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Electrochemical Instruments Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Electrochemical Instruments Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Electrochemical Instruments Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Electrochemical Instruments Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Electrochemical Instruments Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Electrochemical Instruments Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Electrochemical Instruments Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Electrochemical Instruments Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Electrochemical Instruments Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Electrochemical Instruments Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)5 Electrochemical Instruments Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Electrochemical Instruments Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Electrochemical Instruments Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2016 Electrochemical Instruments Market Share Analysis5.2 China Electrochemical Instruments Market Analysis5.2.1 China Electrochemical Instruments Market Overview5.2.2 China 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2016 Electrochemical Instruments Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe Electrochemical Instruments Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe Electrochemical Instruments Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2016 Electrochemical Instruments Market Share Analysis5.4 Southeast Asia Electrochemical Instruments Market Analysis5.4.1 Southeast Asia Electrochemical Instruments Market Overview5.4.2 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.4.3 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Sales Price Analysis5.4.4 Southeast Asia 2016 Electrochemical Instruments Market Share Analysis5.5 Japan Electrochemical Instruments Market Analysis5.5.1 Japan Electrochemical Instruments Market Overview5.5.2 Japan 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.5.3 Japan 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Sales Price Analysis5.5.4 Japan 2016 Electrochemical Instruments Market Share Analysis5.6 India Electrochemical Instruments Market Analysis5.6.1 India Electrochemical Instruments Market Overview5.6.2 India 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.6.3 India 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Sales Price Analysis5.6.4 India 2016 Electrochemical Instruments Market Share Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Sales by Type6.2 Different Types of Electrochemical Instruments Product Interview Price Analysis6.3 Different Types of Electrochemical Instruments Product Driving Factors Analysis6.3.1 Electrochemical Meters of Electrochemical Instruments Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.2 Titrators of Electrochemical Instruments Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.3 Ion Chromatographs of Electrochemical Instruments Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.4 Potentiostats/Galvanostats of Electrochemical Instruments Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.5 Others of Electrochemical Instruments Growth Driving Factor Analysis7 Global 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Segment Market Analysis (by Application)7.1 Global 2012-2017E Electrochemical Instruments Consumption by Application7.2 Different Application of Electrochemical Instruments Product Interview Price Analysis7.3 Different Application of Electrochemical Instruments Product Driving Factors Analysis7.3.1 Environmental Testing Industry of Electrochemical Instruments Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.2 Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries of Electrochemical Instruments Growth Driving Factor AnalysisCheck Discount:About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors. Our intelligence database comprises of vast arrays of strategically analyzed and high-level market research reports that encompass all major industries worldwide. All the specialized research reports available at Reportbazzar.com are tailor-made to suit your every business need, no matter how diverse or demanding it is.Contact Us:ReportBazzar30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.United States.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525
Femtocells Market Analysis- opportunities sales, revenue, Gross Margin, Outlook and Forecast To 2017

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ReportBazzar has released its latest research-based report entitled Femtocells Market. This report studies the Femtocells market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Femtocells market by product type and applications/end industries.This report studies Femtocells in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.For Free Sample Copy, click here:Information & Communication Technology industryThe information and communication technology market nowadays is growing in double digit. We deliver both syndicated and consulting reports for ICT market according to client needs and industry needs. We mainly focus on different new technologies, smart markets, mobile applications, telecommunications, software, middleware, audio-visual systems and storage.A holistic report covers exhaustive information obtained from reliable industrial sources and through proven research methodologies. The report goes through both secondary and primary survey. The base year taken for the report is 2015 and 2016, and a forecast is done from 2017 to 2022.The data thus obtained is then combined with relevant tables and graphs to support the information revealed.The following points are covered in the report: Market segmentation Penetration & Growth Mapping Market Trends Market Driver Analysis Market Restraint Analysis Growth opportunities Porters Analysis SWOT AnalysisApplication Insights:Various competent analytical tools have been used to offer a comprehensive assessment of the market. The report comprises of each aspect of the global market for Femtocells. It starts with the basic information and then advances to the market segmentation based on different criteria such as technology, industry areas and regions in general. A detailed analysis is given on the areas of industries it is used and basically how the technology is helping the particular industry or driving the market growth of that particular industry.Regional Insights:Major regions, countries, and sub-segments have been analyzed for providing the better understanding of the market scope worldwide. The regions taken into consideration are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Central & South America. The regional markets for the Femtocells market are analyzed by evaluating the demand, and supply, the assembly of the products, how it is getting connected with the human interface as well as the historical performance of the market in the given region.Competitive Insights:The report also provides insights on the competitive landscape of the global Femtocells industry with the leading players profiled in the report. Company profiles are purely tentative in nature and we can profile companies according to your interest at free cost. The company overview, trends, tactics, merger & acquisitions, business strategies, financial metrics of the major participants operating in the global Femtocells market have been reviewed in this study.To view the table of contents and know more details please visit:Some Points Of Table Of Content:1 Industry Overview of Femtocells1.1 Definition and Specifications of Femtocells1.1.1 Definition of Femtocells1.1.2 Specifications of Femtocells1.2 Classification of Femtocells1.2.1 Picocell1.2.2 Femtocell1.3 Applications of Femtocells1.3.1 Enterprise1.3.2 Residential1.3.3 Other1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Femtocells2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Femtocells2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Femtocells2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Femtocells3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Femtocells3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Femtocells Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Femtocells Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Femtocells Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Femtocells Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Femtocells Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Femtocells Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Femtocells Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Femtocells Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Femtocells Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Femtocells Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Femtocells Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)5 Femtocells Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Femtocells Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Femtocells Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2012-2017E Femtocells Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2012-2017E Femtocells Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2016 Femtocells Market Share Analysis5.2 China Femtocells Market Analysis5.2.1 China Femtocells Market Overview5.2.2 China 2012-2017E Femtocells Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2012-2017E Femtocells Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2016 Femtocells Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe Femtocells Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe Femtocells Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2012-2017E Femtocells Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2012-2017E Femtocells Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2016 Femtocells Market Share Analysis5.4 Southeast Asia Femtocells Market Analysis5.4.1 Southeast Asia Femtocells Market Overview5.4.2 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Femtocells Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.4.3 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Femtocells Sales Price Analysis5.4.4 Southeast Asia 2016 Femtocells Market Share Analysis5.5 Japan Femtocells Market Analysis5.5.1 Japan Femtocells Market Overview5.5.2 Japan 2012-2017E Femtocells Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.5.3 Japan 2012-2017E Femtocells Sales Price Analysis5.5.4 Japan 2016 Femtocells Market Share Analysis5.6 India Femtocells Market Analysis5.6.1 India Femtocells Market Overview5.6.2 India 2012-2017E Femtocells Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.6.3 India 2012-2017E Femtocells Sales Price Analysis5.6.4 India 2016 Femtocells Market Share Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E Femtocells Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017E Femtocells Sales by Type6.2 Different Types of Femtocells Product Interview Price Analysis6.3 Different Types of Femtocells Product Driving Factors Analysis6.3.1 Picocell of Femtocells Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.2 Femtocell of Femtocells Growth Driving Factor Analysis7 Global 2012-2017E Femtocells Segment Market Analysis (by Application)7.1 Global 2012-2017E Femtocells Consumption by Application7.2 Different Application of Femtocells Product Interview Price Analysis7.3 Different Application of Femtocells Product Driving Factors Analysis7.3.1 Enterprise of Femtocells Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.2 Residential of Femtocells Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.3 Other of Femtocells Growth Driving Factor AnalysisCheck Discount:About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors. Our intelligence database comprises of vast arrays of strategically analyzed and high-level market research reports that encompass all major industries worldwide. All the specialized research reports available at Reportbazzar.com are tailor-made to suit your every business need, no matter how diverse or demanding it is.Contact Us:ReportBazzar30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.United States.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525
Industrial Batteries Market - Industry Size, Share, Analysis and Trading Growth 2025

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Global Industrial Batteries Market: SnapshotThe global market for industrial batteries is gaining traction from a number of factors, such as rising demand for grid-connected solutions for uninterruptable power supply, government incentives for clean energy sources, growing adoption of electric vehicles, and high requirement of lithium-ion batteries in various applications. On the other hand, safety issues pertaining to battery usage and high capital investment are the two most prominent factors obstructing the global industrial batteries market. Nevertheless, escalating demand from telecom companies and data centers is expected to open new opportunities for the vendors of this market, provided they cope up with the advent of new technologies including compressed energy storage, chemical energy storage, and pumped hydro technology. Increasing the power density of these batteries is another requirement for the companies to overcome.This report on the global industrial batteries has been created using proven research methodologies and aspires to serve as a credible business tool for targeted audiences such as manufacturers of industrial batteries, industrial battery traders and suppliers, government and research organizations, raw material suppliers, and shipping companies. The report provides detailed analysis of all driving and restraining factors that will impact the demand in the global industrial batteries market, gauges the potential of smaller segments, highlights the most lucrative geographical regions, and profiles a number of leading vendors in order to understand the competitive landscape, as well as their recent development strategies and activities.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Industrial Batteries Market: OverviewThe world industrial batteries market is projected to march its way along the path of a steady expansion while spreading its presence to different sectors. Telecom and data communication being the stallion end-user sector is foreseen to secure a larger share in the international market. A major part of the demand in this sector is foretold to take charge while riding on the need for high-efficient electricity backup and upswing in telecom growth. High capital investment and safety problems could check the expansion of the market but to a minimal extent. Howbeit, the soaring want of telecom businesses and datacenters for industrial batteries, adoption of powered automobiles, and clean energy sources supported by government incentives are envisaged to provide laudable opportunities.In respect of product type and end use, the report on the global industrial batteries market can provide a meticulous segmentation for the buyers to comprehend the forecasted share of each segment.In a customized form, the publication enlightens the interested parties about the vital dynamics of the global industrial batteries market, viz. industry-specific challenges, opportunities, restraints, and drivers. It also strategically profiles the important industry players and analyzes the crucial developments witnessed on a competitive platform. Apart from a compendious evaluation of the competitive landscape, the report has stood for its preciseness and usability by studying the top market leaders with SWOT analysis. It is well-addressed to a range of target audiences extending from manufacturers to industry associations.Request TOC of the Report @Global Industrial Batteries Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe international market for industrial batteries could look forward to attain an imposing revenue growth on the back of a decent CAGR. With reference to energy density, industrial batteries offer a superior performance which is called for by the end users in different sectors. Lithium-based and lead-acid industrial batteries can be recycled with amplified efficiency. This has obtained support from the burgeoning growth witnessed in the renewable energy field. Besides this, the automotive domain has been counting on industrial batteries as one of the key operational components. All of these factors have pronounced the advancement of the global market.Although the lead-acid segment by type has been sitting at the apex of the world industrial batteries market, lithium-based industrial batteries are forecasted to advance as a faster growing segment in the near future. On the grounds of their impressive attributes, i.e. low emission, recyclability, and long life, lithium-based batteries have been swiftly adopted for a number of industrial applications. Applications which deem low maintenance, temperature sensitivity, weight, and volume more important than initial cost have found extreme suitability for lithium-based batteries.Request Discount of the Report @Global Industrial Batteries Market: Regional OutlookThe world industrial batteries market is prognosticated to rest its tangible furtherance on the back of the demand for power backups boasting a higher capacity and multiplying industrial undertakings in North America and Asia Pacific. With countries such as Japan, China, and South Korea on the scene, the Asia Pacific region will look to capitalize on the implementation of renewable energy in various devices supported by the governments. The lengthening demand for industrial batteries in this region is expected to help it grow faster than other geographies such as Europe, Central and South America, and the Middle East and Africa.Global Industrial Batteries Market: Companies MentionedThe tough players in the international industrial batteries market have taken to different strategies to prove their toughness for survival. Companies such as GS Yuasa Corporation, EnerSys Inc., Exide Technologies Inc., Johnson Controls, and Saft Groupe S.A. are focusing on agreements, new product development, partnerships, and acquisitions to further their progression in the global market.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
China Mitomycin C Market Analysis 2017 to 2022 Major Key Players  Kyowa-kirin, Intas Pharmaceuticals, Teva, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Aspen, Speciality European Pharma, Alkem Laboratories, Varifarma, APOGEPHA

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MarketResearchNest.com adds China Mitomycin C Market By Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type And Application, Forecast To 2022 new reports to its research database. The report spread across 116 pages with tables and figures in it.This report studies the Mitomycin C market, Mitomycin C is an antibiotic which acts as a double-stranded DNA alkylating agent. It covalently crosslinks DNA, inhibiting DNA synthesis and cell proliferation It acts by way of reductive activation either through low pH or NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (DT-diaphorase) or NADH cytochrome c reductase (Mao et al.; Cummings et al.).Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Mitomycin C in China market, to split the market based on manufacturers, Regions (Province), type and application.Get more details about report atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversKyowa-kirinIntas PharmaceuticalsTevaBristol-Myers SquibbAspenSpeciality European PharmaAlkem LaboratoriesVarifarmaAPOGEPHAMarket Segment by Regions (Province), coveringSouth ChinaSouthwest ChinaEast ChinaNortheast ChinaNorth ChinaMarket Segment by Type, covers2 Mg10 Mg40 MgOtherMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoCancer TreatmentOphthalmic UseOthersRequest a Sample Report Copy atThere are 18 Chapters to deeply display the China Mitomycin C market.Chapter 1, to describe Mitomycin C Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by Region (province), market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Mitomycin C, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4,to show the China market by Regions (Province),covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northeast China,Northwest China and Central China,with sales, price,revenue and market share of Mitomycin C,for each region,from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 to analyze the key Province by Type and Application,covering South China,East China,Southwest China,North China,Northwest China,Central China and Northeast China,with sales,revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 14, Mitomycin C market forecast, by Regions (Province), type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 15, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 16, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 17, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 18, to describe Mitomycin C Appendix, methodology and data sourceOrder a Purchase Report Copy atMarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on global industries, organizations, products, and trends.Mr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070 / +44-20-3290-4151
Global Radiopharmaceuticals Market Analysis By Procedural Volumes with Growth Rate +8.7% and Manufacturers (Cardinal Health Inc., MallinckrodtPlc., GE Healthcare, Lantheus Medical Imaging Inc., Bayer AG) Forecasts By 2024

Global Radiopharmaceuticals Market ? Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024

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Data Bridge Market Research added new industry report "Global Radiopharmaceuticals Market" is expected to reach USD 9.49 billion by 2024 from USD 4.87 billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 8.7% in the forecast period 2017 to 2024. The new market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Click Here for Sample Report Visit @Radiopharmaceuticals are a group of pharmaceuticals drug which have radioactivity. It can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic agent. Radiopharmaceuticals are unique medicinal formulations containing radioisotopes which are used in major clinical area for diagnosis or therapy. The procedures and facilities for the production, use, and storage of radiopharmaceuticals are subject to licensing by national or regional authorities. This licensing includes compliance both with governing radioactive materials and with those regulations governing pharmaceutical preparations. Additional regulations may apply for issues such as transportation or dispensing of radiopharmaceuticals.Market Segmentation:The global market is segmented based on type, procedural volumes, application, sources, end-user, and geography.On the basis of type, the global radiopharmaceuticals market is sub-segmented into Diagnostic Therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals.In 2017, diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals segment dominate the market and is expected to grow at the highest in the forecast period. This is due to the production of MO-99 in the U.S., FDA approvals of radiopharmaceuticals, initiatives of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), new irradiation facility in Germany, installation of PET scanners in India, andgovernment investments in Rest of Asia-Pacific.On the basis of procedural volumes, the global radiopharmaceuticals market is sub-segmented into1. Diagnostic procedure single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) radiopharmaceuticals positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals2. Therapeutic procedures beta emitters alpha emitters brachy therapyOn the basis of application, the global radiopharmaceuticals market is sub-segmented into1. diagnostic application single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) - positron emission tomography (PET)- oncology, cardiology, neurology and others2. therapeutic application thyroid, bone metastasis, lymphoma, endocrine tumours othersOn the basis of sources, the global radiopharmaceuticals market is sub-segmented into nuclear reactors cyclotronsOn the basis of end user, the global radiopharmaceuticals market is sub-segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, diagnostic centers, cancer research institutes and othersIn 2017, hospital segment dominate the market with the highest market share due to accessibility of highly skilled medical practitioners in the radiology departments of hospitals.Request for Table of Content of Full Report @Competitive Analysis:The global IoT healthcare market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes IoT healthcare shares for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and South America.Major Market Competitors: Cardinal Health Inc. MallinckrodtPlc. GE Healthcare Lantheus Medical Imaging Inc. Bayer AG Bracco Imaging SpA Eczacibasi-Monrol Nuclear Products Nordion Inc. Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A. IBA Molecular Imaging CovidienPlc Positron Corporation NTP Radioisotopes Pty. Ltd. Advanced Medical Isotope Corporation Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Jubilant Pharma Actinium Pharmaceuticals Inc., Among others.Read more about Report Visit @Related ReportNorth America Digital Health Monitoring Market  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024North America Digital Health Monitoring Market By Product Type Devices (Blood Pressure Monitors, Blood Glucose Monitors, ECG, Oximeters, Peak Flow Monitors, Multi Parameter Monitors, Sleep Neap Monitors, Neurological Monitors, Others), Software (Healthcare Apps, Chronic Disease Apps, Personal Health Apps, Others), Services (Remote Monitoring, Consultancy Services, Treatment Services, Fitness and Wellness Services, Others), By Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit Blog:Follow us on LinkedIn:
Oral Hygiene Market - An Array Of Graphics and SWOT Analysis of Major Industry Segments

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Global Oral Hygiene Market: OverviewThe global oral hygiene market is characterized by the presence of a copious number of players, making it highly fragmented. The vendors  both large and small  try of outshine one another on the basis of product quality, differentiation, price, service, brand recall, and marketing strategies. The stiff competition in the market is slated to put a downward pressure on prices in the near future, thereby negatively impacting the revenues, profit margins, and growth opportunities of companies operating in the market. Some of main products purveyed in the market are mouthwash, breath fresheners, dental floss, denture care, toothpaste, and toothbrushes and replacement heads.Obtain Report Details @The global oral hygiene market can be segmented into primary and secondary oral hygiene. Among the two, the primary oral hygiene segment dominates with a whopping share in the market on account of the robust demand for primary products such as toothbrush, toothpaste, and replacement heads. Secondary oral hygiene products, however, are also witnessing a strong demand on account of their tanking prices and going forward will likely dent the market share of primary products slightly.A report by TMR Research offers key insights into the global oral hygiene market. To do so, it takes into consideration historical and current market data and arrives at the current size of the market. It studies the different factors promoting or hindering the market, the current competitive scenario, and the growth prospects in the near future. It also leverages market-leading analytical tools to uncover opportunities and threats facing both and new existing players in the market.Global Oral Hygiene Market: Drivers and TrendsIn the recent past, the oral hygiene market has become a lucrative segment of the personal and beauty care market. A major growth driver in the global oral hygiene market is a burgeoning geriatric population who have generated substantial demand for oral care offerings. Another noteworthy driver is the rising awareness about the importance of keeping the mouth and teeth clean and healthy and about the services of different dental care providers. Further, development of innovative products and growing demand for aesthetic dentistry, especially in emerging economies of the world, is expected to further boost growth in the market in the near future.In the years ahead, further progress in technologies will bring about more improvement in products leading to their swift uptake. Attractive and better packaging solutions will also predictably drive growth. Not-so-strict regulations governing new products and their prices is expected to fillip the market too in the near future.Global Oral Hygiene Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the key segments of the global oral hygiene market are Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Rest of the World. Among them, Europe and North America are key markets because of a large pool of elderly population. The massive thrust on research and development to bring about cutting-edge products has also led to the growth in the markets in the two continents. Asia Pacific is another lucrative market. With the rising fortunes of the middle class, a fast expanding elderly population  especially in Japan, and growing availability of an array of products, the market is poised to gain significantly in the near future. The densely populated and fast-expanding economies of India and China are other attractive markets, apart from Japan, powering Asia Pacifics growth.Request a PDF Sample for this Research Report @Companies Mentioned in ReportTo present a detailed assessment of the competition prevailing in the global oral hygiene market, the report profiles companies such as Procter & Gamble Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Wal-Mart, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Costco, Kroger, Safeway, Dentsply International, Danaher Corporation, Heraeus Dental, and GC Corporation.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Baby Weight Scale Market to Witness a Pronounce Growth During 2017 : Report Bazzar

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ReportBazzar has released its latest research-based report entitled Baby Weight Scale Market. This report studies the Baby Weight Scale market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Baby Weight Scale market by product type and applications/end industries.This report studies Baby Weight Scale in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.For Free Sample Copy, click here:Information & Communication Technology industryThe information and communication technology market nowadays is growing in double digit. We deliver both syndicated and consulting reports for ICT market according to client needs and industry needs. We mainly focus on different new technologies, smart markets, mobile applications, telecommunications, software, middleware, audio-visual systems and storage.A holistic report covers exhaustive information obtained from reliable industrial sources and through proven research methodologies. The report goes through both secondary and primary survey. The base year taken for the report is 2015 and 2016, and a forecast is done from 2017 to 2022.The data thus obtained is then combined with relevant tables and graphs to support the information revealed.The following points are covered in the report: Market segmentation Penetration & Growth Mapping Market Trends Market Driver Analysis Market Restraint Analysis Growth opportunities Porters Analysis SWOT AnalysisApplication Insights:Various competent analytical tools have been used to offer a comprehensive assessment of the market. The report comprises of each aspect of the global market for Baby Weight Scale. It starts with the basic information and then advances to the market segmentation based on different criteria such as technology, industry areas and regions in general. A detailed analysis is given on the areas of industries it is used and basically how the technology is helping the particular industry or driving the market growth of that particular industry.Regional Insights:Major regions, countries, and sub-segments have been analyzed for providing the better understanding of the market scope worldwide. The regions taken into consideration are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Central & South America. The regional markets for the Baby Weight Scale market are analyzed by evaluating the demand, and supply, the assembly of the products, how it is getting connected with the human interface as well as the historical performance of the market in the given region.Competitive Insights:The report also provides insights on the competitive landscape of the global Baby Weight Scale industry with the leading players profiled in the report. Company profiles are purely tentative in nature and we can profile companies according to your interest at free cost. The company overview, trends, tactics, merger & acquisitions, business strategies, financial metrics of the major participants operating in the global Baby Weight Scale market have been reviewed in this study.To view the table of contents and know more details please visit:Some Points Of Table Of Content:1 Industry Overview of Baby Weight Scale1 Industry Overview of Baby Weight Scale1.1 Definition and Specifications of Baby Weight Scale1.1.1 Definition of Baby Weight Scale1.1.2 Specifications of Baby Weight Scale1.2 Classification of Baby Weight Scale1.2.1 One Piece Type1.2.2 Split Type1.3 Applications of Baby Weight Scale1.3.1 Home1.3.2 Hospital1.3.3 Baby Care Center1.3.4 Other1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Baby Weight Scale2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Baby Weight Scale2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Baby Weight Scale2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Baby Weight Scale3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Baby Weight Scale3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Baby Weight Scale Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Baby Weight Scale Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Baby Weight Scale Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Baby Weight Scale Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Baby Weight Scale Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Baby Weight Scale Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Baby Weight Scale Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Baby Weight Scale Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Baby Weight Scale Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Baby Weight Scale Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Baby Weight Scale Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)5 Baby Weight Scale Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Baby Weight Scale Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Baby Weight Scale Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2016 Baby Weight Scale Market Share Analysis5.2 China Baby Weight Scale Market Analysis5.2.1 China Baby Weight Scale Market Overview5.2.2 China 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2016 Baby Weight Scale Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe Baby Weight Scale Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe Baby Weight Scale Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2016 Baby Weight Scale Market Share Analysis5.4 Southeast Asia Baby Weight Scale Market Analysis5.4.1 Southeast Asia Baby Weight Scale Market Overview5.4.2 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.4.3 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Sales Price Analysis5.4.4 Southeast Asia 2016 Baby Weight Scale Market Share Analysis5.5 Japan Baby Weight Scale Market Analysis5.5.1 Japan Baby Weight Scale Market Overview5.5.2 Japan 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.5.3 Japan 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Sales Price Analysis5.5.4 Japan 2016 Baby Weight Scale Market Share Analysis5.6 India Baby Weight Scale Market Analysis5.6.1 India Baby Weight Scale Market Overview5.6.2 India 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.6.3 India 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Sales Price Analysis5.6.4 India 2016 Baby Weight Scale Market Share Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Sales by Type6.2 Different Types of Baby Weight Scale Product Interview Price Analysis6.3 Different Types of Baby Weight Scale Product Driving Factors Analysis6.3.1 One Piece Type of Baby Weight Scale Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.2 Split Type of Baby Weight Scale Growth Driving Factor Analysis7 Global 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Segment Market Analysis (by Application)7.1 Global 2012-2017E Baby Weight Scale Consumption by Application7.2 Different Application of Baby Weight Scale Product Interview Price Analysis7.3 Different Application of Baby Weight Scale Product Driving Factors Analysis7.3.1 Home of Baby Weight Scale Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.2 Hospital of Baby Weight Scale Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.3 Baby Care Center of Baby Weight Scale Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.4 Other of Baby Weight Scale Growth Driving Factor AnalysisCheck Discount:About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors. Our intelligence database comprises of vast arrays of strategically analyzed and high-level market research reports that encompass all major industries worldwide. All the specialized research reports available at Reportbazzar.com are tailor-made to suit your every business need, no matter how diverse or demanding it is.Contact Us:ReportBazzar30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.United States.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525
Utrasound Doppler Market 2016-2026; Recent industry trends and developments

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The term ultrasound treatment is a known one, while some of us may even have undergone some kind of check-up with its assistance. As the name suggests, a Doppler Ultrasound test uses higher frequency sound waves to measure blood flow in the arteries and veins and is usually done on the arms and legs. It is a completely risk and pain free procedure as it only involves using high intensity sound waves. It is recommended by doctors to check for signs of deep vein thrombosis, superficial thrombophlebitis, arteriosclerosis or even if tumours are suspected in any of the limbs. The ultrasound Doppler market can broadly be classified into two main types based on portability- handheld and trolley based ones. The trolley based ones account for the majority sold at present but the handheld ones are expected to show larger growth because of ease of use, cheaper initial expenditure and also lower long term cost of running due to less electricity consumed as compared to trolleys.Read Report Overview:Utrasound Doppler Market DriversThere are several drivers responsible for the growth of the ultrasound Doppler market. In the developed world, an aging population at a greater risk of chronic and lifestyle-related problems, technological advancements making the devices (relatively) more affordable, increasing healthcare investment both in the public and private sectors and also a growing preference for therapeutic and non-invasive kind of treatments. In the developing world, the high birth rate, in-vitro fertilization treatment and required gynaecological care for young mothers are fuelling the demand for ultrasound devices. It can also be used for detecting breast cancer and the American Cancer Society and Radiological Society of North America recommends periodic mammographic screening to women above the age of 40 years. An increasing awareness from the public and government support and encouragement ensure the continued demand for ultrasound Doppler market products.Utrasound Doppler Market RestraintsThe picture is not all rosy for the ultrasound Doppler market as there are several impediments to its growth. As is the case with almost all other specialized equipment, there can be a dearth of qualified and trained technicians to use the equipment in the developing world. Sale of refurbished devices at lower prices also makes them more attractive, making first time sales difficult in places where the disposable income is less. There are also cultural and social issues involved in Asian countries like China and India. Preference for the male child and sex-selective abortions have made governments pass laws like the Prenatal Diagnostic Test Act (PNDT). This requires registration of all counselling centres, laboratories, and clinics like solography centres, mobile solography vans and those having advanced ultrasound machines. Strict compliance with the law can also hamper adoption of such equipment to an extent.Request to view Sample Report:Utrasound Doppler Market Key RegionAn aging population in the western world while continue to ensure that both North America and Europe remain among the largest ultrasound Doppler markets. They benefit from world-class infrastructure, many healthcare benefits provided by the governments and also increasing adoption of home and remote patient monitoring to cater to their privacy concerns. They will drive the demand for compact, handheld devices in the medium to long term. Asia Pacific on the other hand, is expected to demand for greater trolley based ultrasound devices due to a proliferation of hospitals in underdiagnosed rural areas of these populous and fast growing countries. There have also been an increasing number of lifestyle-related health issues, especially in the polluted metropolis cities of China and India. Greater public awareness of benefits offered by the ultrasound treatments along with a special focus of global players on this highly dynamic region ensures thriving demand for the ultrasound Doppler market here as well.Utrasound Doppler Market Key Market PlayersGeneral Electric Company (U.S.), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Siemens AG (Germany), Hitachi Ltd. (Japan), Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea), FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation (Japan), Esaote S.p.A. (Italy), Mindray Medical International Ltd. (China), and Analogic Corporation (U.S.) are some of the Utrasound Doppler Market key market players in 2016.Buy Utrasound Doppler Market Research Report:About UsFuture Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends.Contact Us616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705T (UK): +44(0)20-7692-8790Sales: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Diabetic Neuropathy Market Research Report 2015-2021: by Medication, Radiotherapy, Physiotherapy, Technology, Product, by Geography and Company Profile

Diabetic Neuropathy Market

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Diabetic neuropathy refers to the nerve damage caused due to diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in the legs and feet. However, it can injure nerve fibers throughout the body. Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Increasing diabetic population and growing awareness among people about diabetes and related complications are some of the major factors that drive the diabetic neuropathy market. Types of diabetic neuropathy include peripheral neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy, proximal neuropathy, focal neuropathy, and other diabetic nerve damage.Read Report @The peripheral diabetic neuropathy affects the feet and legs. It causes loss of sensation, and sometimes pain in the feet, legs, and hands. Autonomic diabetic neuropathy affects body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, perspiration, and digestion. Proximal diabetic neuropathy affects thighs, hips, buttocks, and legs. Focal diabetic neuropathy affects the nerves, most often in the wrist, thigh, or foot. In addition, it also affects the nerves of the back, chest, and the nerves that control the eye muscles. Some of the factors that cause nerve damage in diabetes condition includes poor blood sugar control, kidney disease, smoking, excess weight, and length of time to have diabetes. However, anyone who has diabetes can develop neuropathy. Some symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are pain, tingling, numbness, and loss of feeling in the hands, arms, feet, and legs. The treatment options for diabetic neuropathy include drugs, radiotherapy, and physiotherapy.Request Sample Report @The global diabetic neuropathy market is categorized based on medication, radiotherapy, and physiotherapy. Based on medication, the report covers antispasmodic, antidepressant, and others. Based on radiotherapy, the market comprises transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).North America has the largest market for diabetic neuropathy, followed by Europe. This is due to the increasing number of patients with diabetes, rise in research and development activities, increasing awareness among people about diabetes and related complications, and improved healthcare infrastructure in the region. The diabetic neuropathy market in Asia is expected to experience high growth rate in the next few years. This is due to rising R&D activities for drug discovery and development, increasing government supports in the form of funding, growing awareness about diabetic neuropathy, and developing healthcare infrastructure in the region. In addition, growing demographics and economies in the developing countries such as India, China, and Japan are expected to lead growth in the diabetic neuropathy market in Asia.Increasing prevalence of diabetes cases, growing, aging population, rise in healthcare expenditure for diabetes, growing awareness about diabetes and related nerve complications, and rise in R&D activities in drug discovery and developmemt are the key factors driving the global diabetic neuropathy market. However, high failure rate in clinical trials, stringent regulatory requirements, and longer approval time for drugs are some of the factors restraining the growth for global diabetic neuropathy market.Buy now @Increasing number of mergers and acquisitions, rapid product launches, and rise in number of collaborations and partnerships are some of the latest trends that have been observed in the global diabetic neuropathy market.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Slip Rings Market by Major Players (Schleifring, Stemmann, Morgan, Deublin, LTN, etc...), Application (Medical Equipment, Space, Mining Equipment, etc...), Segmentation & Regional Analysis - Global Forecast 2022

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The latest study on Global Slip Rings Market adds to its vast collection of research Database. The current growth status in each of the regions along with an analysis of growth in these regions in the future is presented in the report.The Global Slip Rings Market Research Report 2017 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Slip Rings industry.In a word, This report studies Slip Rings in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer.Key companies included in this research are Schleifring, Cobham, MERSEN, Stemmann, Morgan, Deublin, LTN, Cavotec, GAT, Pandect Precision, BGB, Moog, DSTI, UEA, Conductix-Wampfler, Rotac, Molex and Michigan Scientific.Browse complete report @Market Segment by Region, this report splits Global into several key Region, with sales, revenue, market share and growth rate of Slip Rings in these regions, from 2011 to 2022 (forecast), like North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India.Firstly, Slip Rings On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Real round Slip Rings, Empty round Slip Rings and Other. On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales) , market share and growth rate for each application, including Medical Equipment, Space, Mining Equipment and Other.Request for Sample @Major points from Table of Contents:1 Slip Rings Market Overview2 Global Slip Rings Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Slip Rings Output, Revenue by Regions4 Global Slip Rings Supply (Output), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5 Global Slip Rings Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Slip Rings Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Slip Rings Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Slip Rings Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Slip Rings Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Slip Rings Market Analysis by Applications7 Global Slip Rings Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Schleifring7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Slip Rings Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Schleifring Slip Rings Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Cobham7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Slip Rings Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Cobham Slip Rings Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 MERSEN7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Slip Rings Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 MERSEN Slip Rings Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview8 Slip Rings Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis11.1 Technology Progress/Risk11.1.1 Substitutes Threat11.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry11.2 Consumer Needs/Customer Preference Change11.3 Economic/Political Environmental Change12 Global Slip Rings Market Forecast13 Research Findings and ConclusionKey Points from Tables and FiguresTable Manufacturers Slip Rings Product CategoryFigure Slip Rings Market Share of Top 3 ManufacturersFigure Slip Rings Market Share of Top 5 ManufacturersTable Global Slip Rings Capacity (Units) by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Slip Rings Capacity Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Slip Rings Capacity Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Figure 2016 Global Slip Rings Capacity Market Share by RegionTable Global Slip Rings Production by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Slip Rings Production (Units) by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Slip Rings Production Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Figure 2016 Global Slip Rings Production Market Share by RegionTable Global Slip Rings Revenue (Million USD) by Region (2012-2017)Table Global Slip Rings Revenue Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Slip Rings Revenue Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Table 2016 Global Slip Rings Revenue Market Share by RegionFigure Global Slip Rings Capacity, Production (Units) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)Place a DIRECT Purchase order of complete report @. Else place an Inquire before Purchase Global Slip Rings Industry 2017 research study @Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support Team is always available to help you on your research queries.533, 5th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Point-Of-Care Breathalyzer Market 2016 - 2026; By Product, Product Technology and End User

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Breathalyzer is a non-invasive medical device used for estimation of Blood Alcohol content (BAC) from breath sample. Breathalyzer is used to test intoxication levels caused by alcohol and drugs. Breathalyzer was invented by Dr. Robert Borkenstein while being appointed as police photographer at Indiana State Police lab. Since 1954, Breathalyzer is a genericized trademark for many instruments like Alcotest, Alcosensor, Datamaster, Intoxilyzer and Intoximeter. Breathalyzer device consists of three parts, first part consists of system where breath is sampled, second part consists of two glass tubes with chemicals and third part consists of photocells that are connected to meter showing colour change. Breathalyzer system together works on redox reaction causes change in colour that is directly proportional to amount of alcohol in breath, wherein red-orange colour of dichromate ion changes to green.Breathalyzer has been of importance in point-of-care services where initially it was necessary to draw blood out of the body and sent to the hospital to test alcohol concentration in blood, thus making the test time consuming. Till date it has been most important device to monitor and regulate drink and drive accidents or cases. In 2015 in US, there were about 290,000 people injured and about 10,265 died in drunk driving cases. Also there have been published reports on loss of work quality and time due to alcohol consumption. All over the world it is a legal offense to be detected of alcohol during working hours and while driving. The driver is charged fine or respective legal action is taken against him if his Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is found out to be above normal (0.08). Also strict actions are taken against employees in government or private sectors if they are detected of alcohol consumption during office hours. Due to use of Breathalyzer there is no need of any invasive procedure, device is portable and test results are out in seconds. Another important use of Breathalyzer is in maintaining high order discipline in National and International air transport to maintain safety and standards while travelling. Breathalyzer is of very significant use to prevent order and discipline in government or private offices, road traffic management and forensic studies too. It is also used for management in rehabilitation centres, mining and construction centres.Read Report Overview:Point-of-Care Breathalyzer Market: Drivers and RestraintsPoint-of-care Breathalyzer market has seen enormous growth due to its significant use to maintain safety, order and discipline amongst population. The major drivers for point-of-care Breathalyzer market is alarming increase in alcohol consumption seen at all age groups and also increase in road accidents due to drink driving. Due to strict government regulations, drink driving and alcohol abuse during work hours has led to increase in demand for modern use portable Breathalyzer. Use of personal portable Breathalyzer to check for alcohol content within normal limits to keep a check on safe driving and productive working hours has given a drive for point-of-care Breathalyzer market worldwide. Moreover easy availability of personal Breathalyzer that can be ordered online according to ones choice, has also been a factor to drive point-of-care Breathalyzer market. Awareness initiative taken by government has also led to increase of market size for point-of-care Breathalyzer market.High cost of Breathalyzer and less market for new brands producing Breathalyzer were seen to hamper in the past for but modern portable cheap Breathalyzer are taking over the point-of-care Breathalyzer market now.Request to view Sample Report:Point-of-Care Breathalyzer Market: OverviewAccording to a study report published in South Africa about 10% of the countrys GDP is lost due to alcohol abuse annually which is equal to R240 billion. Also worldwide there is much loss due to alcohol abuse leading to immense destruction in drunk driving accidents, expensive alcohol abuse treatment and loss of manpower and productive working hours brings an overall effect on worldwide economy. Thus awareness due to such losses have led government to take strict measures in field of law enforcement and highway safety administration to bring down losses. Efficient use of point-of-care Breathalyzer to prevent such loss has proved beneficial and made people aware of its legal consequences being the reason for increasing market for of point-of-care Breathalyzer market.Mandatory alcohol test are carried out worldwide in workplaces such as transport, construction sites mining, shipping, airlines, defense centres, rehabilitation centres to maintain safety of individuals increasing market size for point-of-care Breathalyzer market over globe.Point-of-Care Breathalyzer Market: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the point-of-care breathalyzer market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Use of personal Breathalyzer, intelligent market networking and advances in technology has led to growth of global market for point-of-care Breathalyzer. Highest growth in point-of-care Breathalyzer market is seen in North America due to highest population, increase in drunk driving road accidents and strict law enforcement on alcohol. Developed countries like Europe have seen to have highest market for point-of-care Breathalyzer market due to leading manufacturers of point-of-care Breathalyzers, high income population purchasing personal Breathalyzer being alert and aware of legal actions in case of alcohol abuse.Buy Point-Of-Care Breathalyzer Market Research Report:More alcohol consumption, increase in transport and transport facilities, development of transport system, national and international awareness programs, improvement in market network and strict rules and regulations and variety in affordable Breathalyzer brands has led to increasing market in developing countries like India and China. Underdeveloped countries have scope for increase in market size of point-of-care Breathalyzer market if awareness is brought amongst population.Point-of-Care Breathalyzer Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in point-of-care Breathalyzer market include Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Intoximeters,Lion Laboratories Limited, Lifeloc Technologies, Inc., Inc., , BACtrack, Quest Products, Inc., Alere, Inc., and C4 Development, Andatech Private Limited Ltd. Most of the providers of point-of-care breathalyzer are adopting the strategy of providing these products through e-commerce, so that buyers can browse the products according to their needs.About UsFuture Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends.Contact Us616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705T (UK): +44(0)20-7692-8790Sales: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Hospital Asset Management Market - Understanding The Key Product Segments And Their Future

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Global Hospital Asset Management MarketIn hospitals, the key assets include people, devices, and medication. However, the management of thousands of expensive mobile equipment is labor-intensive and challenging. Asset management is thus of prime importance across hospitals owing to its significant impact on staff productivity, assets performance, operations, and lifestyle costs. Asset tracking is a potential area of improvement for hospitals that can be achieved with quantitative results. With the help of asset management solutions, hospitals are able to improve service quality while reducing managing costs and risk of non-compliance.Obtain Report Details @Hospital asset management solutions are equipped with various technologies such as radio-frequency identification (RFID), infrared, ultrasound, and Wi-Fi based real-time location systems (RTLS). The RFID technology is extensively used across the pharmaceutical sector where manufacturers and distributors are able to precisely track drug products through the supply chain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced guidelines for the implementation of RFID technology in November 2004 to ensure the safety and security of drug supply across the health care industry. For staff management and to provide better service to patients, RTLS is widely used for nurse call automation and real-time locating of patients. RTLS tags are also implemented to monitor, track, and manage strategic assets such as ventilators for critical care, cardiac monitoring devices, machinery for ultrasound diagnostics, and others.Global Hospital Asset Management Market: OverviewThe increasing number of complex equipment in modern-day hospitals, along with the growing incidences of drug counterfeiting and supply chain issues have boosted the demand for hospital asset management solutions. The declining cost of hardware utilized in various systems such as RTLS and their extensive usage across the health care industry have also augmented the growth of the global hospital asset management market. However, initial investment requirements, operational and technical issues, and privacy and ethical concerns will hamper the growth of the global hospital asset management market. Various initiatives taken by government institutions to decrease operational costs at government-run hospitals are expected to define the future outlook of the global hospital asset management market.Hospital asset management includes staff management, patient management, temperature and humidity monitoring, and equipment management. With the growing demand to manage vast supplies of medical equipment across hospitals, equipment management has emerged as one of the largest application segments in the global hospital asset management market.Global Hospital Asset Management Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global hospital asset management market has been segmented into four key regions: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. In North America, the robust health care infrastructure has propelled the demand for hospital asset management solutions. North America and Europe are the leading regions in the global hospital asset management market. Various government initiatives to boost the health care industry and rising demand for efficient supply chain management in Asia Pacific will fuel the demand for hospital asset management software in the region in the coming years. India and China will significantly contribute toward the growth of the market in the region owing to the standardization of RFID technology through various government initiatives.Make an Enquiry @Some of the prominent players in the global hospital asset management market are GE Healthcare, IBM Corporation, Tyco International Ltd., AeroScout Inc., Vizbee RFID Systems Ltd., Infor, Awarepoint Corporation, Motorola Solutions Inc., Trimble Navigation Ltd., Ekahau Inc., Siemens Healthcare, Versus Technology Inc., Sonitor Technologies Inc., and Zebra Technologies Corporation.This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report includeTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Growth of Global Debt Collection Software Market 2017 Analysis and Forecast to 2022 Research Report at MarketResearchNest.com

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MarketResearchNest.com adds Global (North America, Europe And Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East And Africa) Debt Collection Software Market 2017 Forecast To 2022 new reports to its research database. The report spread across 123 pages with tables and figures in it.Debt Collection software is used to automate the management and accounting process to go after overdue invoices on behalf of an organization or a specialized collection agency.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Debt Collection Software in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Get more details about report atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversExperianCDS SoftwareComtronic SystemsQuantrax CorpICCOTotality SoftwareComtech SystemsCODIXSeikoSoftDecca SoftwareCollect TechClick NoticesCodewell SoftwareSPNAdtec SoftwareJSTIndigo CloudPamar SystemsCollectMOREKuhlektLariat SoftwareCase MasterTrioSoftLegalSoftMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoCollection AgenciesFinance CompaniesRetail FirmsLaw Firms and Government DepartmentsOthersRequest a Sample Report Copy atThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Debt Collection Software market.Chapter 1, to describe Debt Collection Software Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Debt Collection Software, with sales, revenue, and price of Debt Collection Software, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Debt Collection Software, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Debt Collection Software market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Debt Collection Software sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceOrder a Purchase Report Copy atMarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on global industries, organizations, products, and trends.Mr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070 / +44-20-3290-4151
Unisecure favors customers with lower pricing for cloud VPS services

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Philadelphia, US, December 5, 2017  Unisecure the leading data center in the US which is specialized in cloud hosting services and disaster recovery services recently announce their new virtual private server Cloud Packages starting at just $19 per month. Cloud VPS service offers scalability, robustness and the control over your server compare to traditional shared services.Unisecures cloud VPS hosting solutions offers advantages of a dedicated server, however at a much lower cost. Virtual private Cloud fills the gap between less cost VPS hosting and expensive dedicated servers at the same time offering the benefits of cloud hosting. Cloud VPS hosting solutions are offered as both Managed as well as unmanaged, contingent upon your necessities.Following are the few key features of Unisecures Cloud VPS services: Full Root Access: Full root/administrator access for comprehensive system control over software, services, users and rights. SSD Storage: You have the choice of standard HDD storage or SDD storage instead which offers access times over ten times faster. Choice between Linux and Windows: Choose between various Linux and Windows distributions such as CentOS 6, openSUSE 12.3 Debian 7.0, Windows 2008, Windows 2012, Windows 2016 and more Backup: Simple access to a reliable backup solution to guarantee the security of data. 99.995% Uptime Guarantee: Our cloud platforms use only the highest quality state-of-the-art components. Guaranteeing 99.995% of uptime meaning your servers and business run smoothly 24/7 Customer Support: Our technicians are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for any questions regarding setting up or operating your server.Unisecure's VPS cloud hosting is a reliable, reasonable and brilliant choice, especially if you are planning to shift your hosting from shared hosting. The platform can suit a lot of traffic without slowing off and your data will stay protected and secure too. There are numerous choices for web hosting options out there (shared, dedicated, and so forth.) however the VPS cloud is a shrewd choice that highlights a significant number of the advantages. said Benjamin, Vice President - Business Development at Unisecure.About UnisecureUnisecure is one of the leading data centers and cloud hosting provider in the US established in 1996. Unisecure data centers guarantee 99.995% uptime, high-density redundant power, flexible configurations, carrier-neutral facilities, and 24x7x365 customer support. We have 5 data centers among which 2 are located in Philadelphia and Conshohocken, U.S embed with Information Security Management System (ISMS) to examine risks and develop better processes for security our data centers are most secure and reliable. Our data centers offer services from vps hosting, cloud services, server co-location hosting services, and dedicated hosting to the firewall and advanced backup solutions. We have 50000+ customers over 17 countries including brands such as Canon, DHL, HP, Microsoft, Pepsi, Mc Donalds and much more.For more information about their services, visitUnisecure is a data center & vps server, cloud web server hosting, colocation hosting services, managed dedicated server hosting company in US.4, Sunrise lane, Scarsdale, New York - 10583, United States
Aerospace Data Recorders Market is projected to Reflect 5.8% CAGR throughout 2017-2025

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According to a new market research study titled Aerospace Data Recorders Market to 2025  Global Analysis and Forecasts by Types and Application, the global aerospace data recorders market was valued at US$ 1460.9 Mn in 2016 and is estimated to reach US$ 2379.5 Mn by 2025. The report highlights the current trends in the global aerospace data recorders market and the factors influencing the growth of the market along with inhabitant factors.Request Sample is Available atThe rising demand for air travel across the globe has increased significantly, which is demanding for more, technologically enhanced aircraft. In order to meet the rising demand of passengers, the number of aircraft orders and deliveries are also increasing rapidly. The factor is highly beneficial for the aerospace data recorders manufacturers as they can offer and deliver the new, lightweight, compact, technologically robust data and voice recorders. In addition, the aircraft manufacturers are witnessing a substantial growth in modernization of aircrafts from commercial as well as military sectors in order to enhance the technicalities of the aircrafts. Owing to this factor, the aircraft manufacturers are increasing the number of aerospace data recorders numbers, as a result of which, the market for aerospace data recorders is growing at fair rate over the periods. However, the vulnerability to cyber-attack is restraining the growth of the market for aerospace data recorders.Aerospace Data Recorder Market Key PlayersHoneywell International Inc.L3 Technologies, IncTeledyne Technologies, Inc.RUAG Holdings AGAstroNova Inc.Universal Avionics Systems CorporationCurtiss-Wright Defense SolutionsFLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.Leonardo DRSMadgeTech Inc.The report segments the global Aerospace Data Recorders market as follows:Global Aerospace Data Recorders Market  By TypeCockpit Voice RecorderFlight Data RecorderData LoggersQuick Access RecorderGlobal Aerospace Data Recorders Market  By ApplicationCommercial AircraftsMilitary AircraftsGlobal Aerospace Data Recorders Market  By GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaMexicoEuropeItalyGermanyRussiaU.KRest of EuropeAsia Pacific (APAC)ChinaJapanIndiaRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & Africa (MEA)Saudi ArabiaSouth AfricaUAERest of Middle East and AfricaSouth America (SAM)BrazilRest of South AmericaComplete Report is Available atCompany: The Insight PartnersContact: Sameer JoshiPhone: +91 9666111581Email: sam[@]theinsightpartners.comAbout Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.533, 5th Floor,Amanora Chambers, East Block, Amanora Township,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Dec, 5 2017: Automotive Chemicals Market Forecast 2023 Chevron, AkzoNobel, Fuchs Lubricants, Exxon Mobil

Automotive Chemicals

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Automotive Chemicals Market Research 2017A market study "Global Automotive Chemicals Market" examines the performance of the Automotive Chemicals market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Automotive Chemicals market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Automotive Chemicals market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Automotive Chemicals Market 2017 report includes Automotive Chemicals market Revenue, market Share, Automotive Chemicals industry volume, market Trends, Automotive Chemicals Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Automotive Chemicals Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Automotive Chemicals Market 2017 : AkzoNobel BASF SE British Petroleum Exxon Mobil CNPC Chevron Corporation DuPont Fuchs Lubricants Shell Sinopec Lubricant Company TEEC Automotive Chemicals Co., Ltd. The Dow Chemical CompanyAutomotive Chemicals Market : By Application OEMs AftermarketAutomotive Chemicals Market : By Type Lubricants Adhesives Cleaning Maintenance Chemicals CoatingsFirstly, the report covers the top Automotive Chemicals manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Automotive Chemicals report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Automotive Chemicals industry, Automotive Chemicals industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Automotive Chemicals Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Automotive Chemicals research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Automotive Chemicals market revenue worldwide.Finally, Automotive Chemicals market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Advanced Visualization Market Share,Size,Forecast,Trends (2017-2024)

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Advanced Visualization market size is projected to experience significant growth from 2017 to 2024.Advanced Visualization (AV) market size should witness significant growth due to increased technological advancements in AV software like amalgamation of AV and PACS tools. Growing demand for advanced diagnostic procedures, enhanced diagnostic interpretation with AV tools, mounting prevalence of diseases will drive industry share. Advancements in AV technology leads to better-quality data interpretation. It is becoming an important component of the healthcare ecosystem as it enables physicians to access archived data and exchange it with other professionals over a common platform.Request In-depth table of contents @Rising investments in R&D of advanced visualization systems by government and private authorities, and shift from big to small clients will create immense growth opportunities for industry players. Factors like inadequate reimbursements for diagnostic procedures like radiology applications and technological limitations related to existing advanced visualization analysis may hamper the industry growth.Make Inquiry about this report @Enterprise solutions market will account for the major industry share due to existing benefits such as data transfer capabilities, enhanced data storage capacity, streamlined analysis, multi-user interface and centralized post-processing solutions. Based on imaging platform, the business can be segmented into computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, positron emission tomography, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy and other imaging platform. Magnetic resonance imaging segment is projected to lead the market owing to the rising application of MRI in numerous clinical areas such as radiology, oncology, and cardiology.Increasing adoption of centralized server-based AV software, growing preference for process automation and digitization of radiology diagnostics will drive radiology market. Hospitals and surgical centers embrace the major share of the business due to mounting demand for advanced diagnostic technologies and patient preference for accurate and early disease diagnosis. Growing digitalization and automation of diagnostic workflow in healthcare facilities will further boost the hospitals share.U.S advanced visualization market share will witness significant growth over the forecast period due to existence of bigger healthcare base and rising government initiatives. For instance, in December 2015, FDA had made digitization and storing of patients data mandatory. Rapidly growing elderly population, growing patient awareness, robust regional economics and easy access to advanced technology will fuel industry share.UK advanced visualization market size will exhibit profitable growth over the forecast period pertaining to changing clinical environment and growing need for quick, detailed understanding of pathologies to deliver effective patient therapy by physicians. Growing partnership of companies with new cancer care network, increasing IT investment, and availability to all clinical applications coupled with extensive development of healthcare infrastructure will boost Indian advanced visualization market.Some of the industry players include GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, CONMED, Fujifilm Holding America, Carestream Health, Intelerad Medical Systems, Siemens Healthcare, Terarecon, QI Imaging, Toshiba Medical Systems, Visualization Sciences Group and Visage Imaging. The industry players focus on research and development of products with innovative technologies to expand their business portfolio as chief strategies. For instance, in November 2016, Philips healthcare launched IntelliSpace Portal 9.0 to upgrade neurological diagnosis.Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a challenge by Madison Teachers Inc. to a state agencys decision to withhold union recertification records  a case that could have broader implications for the states open records law.

The case stems from a 2015 decision by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission to deny the Madison teachers unions request for a list of which teachers did and did not vote in the annual recertification election.

MTI sought the records under the state open records law so it could urge district employees who had not yet voted to do so. The union was overwhelmingly recertified.

WERC denied the request because it feared the union would coerce voters. It cited a report that coercion had happened in the Racine School District, although that report was never investigated.

WERC also cited voter privacy as a reason for not releasing the records. By state law, employees who dont vote are counted as no votes after the voting period has ended. By seeing who had not voted while the voting period was still under way, WERC argued, it was possible for MTI to assume that those who hadnt voted were votes against recertification.

The agency released the list of names after the election was completed.

A Dane County judge ruled last year that WERC should have provided the records because of the state open records laws strong presumption of openness.

In questioning MTI lawyer Susan Crawford, Justice Michael Gableman, one of five conservatives on the court, keyed in on the concern that teachers who dont vote would somehow be targeted because not voting carries the same weight as voting no in the recertification elections, which must be approved by 51 percent of all eligible members of a bargaining unit.

They knew that by not voting, their ballot would be counted as a no vote, Gableman said, repeating and stressing the phrase they knew. Why do you need to target? Why do you need this list?

Crawford said the issue was more broadly about the records law, and that denying this request would create a blanket exemption to the law  something only the Legislature can do.

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, one of the two liberal justices, said in questioning Crawford that voter intimidation is of great concern, but in questioning Assistant Attorney General Steven Kilpatrick also raised the concern that WERC was creating a blanket rule.

It really is a blanket exemption youre asking us to create, rather than the Legislature, Bradley said.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Crawford explained the case has broader implications related to a state agencys ability to justify denying a public records request out of concerns about how those making the request will use the information.

Its sort of the you cant handle the truth rationale, she said.

Crawford said after the oral arguments that she expects a ruling by the spring.

A Department of Justice spokesman didnt respond to a request for comment.
Dec, 5 2017: Automotive Drivetrain Market Forecast 2023 Delphi, Aisin, Valeo, American Axle, Bosch

Automotive Drivetrain

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Automotive Drivetrain Market Research 2017A market study "Global Automotive Drivetrain Market" examines the performance of the Automotive Drivetrain market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Automotive Drivetrain market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Automotive Drivetrain market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Automotive Drivetrain Market 2017 report includes Automotive Drivetrain market Revenue, market Share, Automotive Drivetrain industry volume, market Trends, Automotive Drivetrain Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Automotive Drivetrain Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Automotive Drivetrain Market 2017 : Aisin American Axle Bosch Delphi ZF ValeoAutomotive Drivetrain Market : By Application Passenger Vehicle Commercial VehicleAutomotive Drivetrain Market : By Type AWD FWD RWDFirstly, the report covers the top Automotive Drivetrain manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Automotive Drivetrain report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Automotive Drivetrain industry, Automotive Drivetrain industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Automotive Drivetrain Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Automotive Drivetrain research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Automotive Drivetrain market revenue worldwide.Finally, Automotive Drivetrain market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USAWeb:Email: sales@spiremarketresearch.com
Counter IED System Market 2025 Forecasts by Deployment Type, System, End Users and Global Regions

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The Insight Partners has announced the addition of the Counter IED System Market 2025  Global Analysis and Forecasts by Deployment Type (Airborne Mounted, Ship Mounted, Vehicle Mounted, & Man-Portable); System (Electronic Countermeasures, Counter-IED Vehicles, Unmanned Systems, & Others); End Users (Military & Homeland Security) report to their offering.Counter IED System is used for detecting explosives and explosive components by using improvised explosive devices (IEDs). These devices are being triggered from safest distance by operator via remote control such as wrist watch and mobile phones. The major factor for driving counter IED system market is due to the growth in terrorist activities across the world and technological innovation in IED detection systems. Furthermore, the increasing demand for unmanned systems like driverless trucks and lighter robots, and demand for counter-IED equipment for homeland security will also boost the market.The factor acting as a restraint to the growth of market for counter IED is the high cost of the research and development which in turn increases the price of final product, may hamper the counter IED system market. However, the increasing demand of these system mainly in developing countries will create new opportunities in the market of counter IED system in the forecast period.Request Sample is Available atThe report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global counter IED system market based on deployment type, systems, and end users. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall counter IED system market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM). The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 16 counties globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Complete Report is Available atList of Companies1. Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.2. Defence Land Systems India (DLSI)3. Lockheed Martin4. Northrop Grumman Corporation5. Thales Group6. Boeing Defense7. iRobot Corporation8. Netline Communications Technologies9. Rheinmetall Defense10. Harris CorporationContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.533, 5th Floor,Amanora Chambers, East Block, Amanora Township,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Cold, Cough and Sore Throat Remedies In-depth analysis and Growth of Market and Opportunity Assessment 2016 - 2026

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"Cold, Cough and Sore Throat Remedies Market: Oral Syrups Segment Will Remain the Most Attractive and Dominant Dosage Type Segment Throughout the Forecast Period: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2016 - 2026" The Report covers current Industries Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Global Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.. .Description-' '-- -- The oral syrups segment is expected to dominate the global cold, cough and sore throat remedies market in the coming decade-- --Oral syrups segment is expected to expand at 2.9% CAGR over the estimated period and be valued more than US$ 10 Bn by the end of 2026. The segment is expected to create absolute $ opportunity of a little more than US$ 300 Mn in 2017 over 2016. The segment is the most acceptable dosage form for cough, cold, and sore throat medicines due to ease of administration and pleasant taste.The oral syrups segment dominated the global cold, cough and sore throat remedies market in terms of revenue in 2016 and the trend is projected to continue throughout the forecast period. Oral syrups segment is the most attractive segment, with attractiveness index of 1.5 over the forecast period.. .Get Sample Report With TOC @' '-- -- Pleasant taste and easy intake of oral syrups are the key factors boosting segmental growth during the forecast period-- --The majority of paediatric and geriatric patients prefer liquid as a delivery method over solid dosage forms, which is attributed to high proportion of oral syrups in the global cold, cough and sore throat remedies market. There is large scale adoption of oral syrups by pharmacy chains, especially in European countries, which is expected to fuel the sales of oral syrups in the global market. Most of the oral syrups are OTC (Over-the-Counter) drugs which do not need a doctors prescription. Consumers are conditioned to treat cold, cough and sore throat with OTC drugs than to seek healthcare professionals and this propels the growth of the oral syrups segment across the globe.Continuous launch of new and improved drug types and increasing investment in research and development by manufacturers in oral syrups would lead to the growth of the oral syrups segment in the global cold, cough and sore throat remedies market. An intake of oral syrups is suitable for all patients irrespective of their age. Particularly, oral syrups are prescribed mostly for children and elderly patients and this factor is creating a positive impact on the oral syrups segment.Emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and China represent the larger market for OTCs and generics. Pharmaceuticals industry in these countries is dominated by the private sector, where pharma companies can reap larger revenue from the strong sales of oral syrups.-- -- The oral syrups segment is projected to grow in North America during 2016-2026-- ---- Oral syrups segment dominated the North America cold, cough and sore throat remedies market by doses type segment in terms of revenue in 2016, and the trend is projected to grow throughout the forecast period. Oral syrups segment is the most attractive segment in the North America cold, cough and sore throat remedies market, with attractiveness index of 1.5 over the forecast period.-- Revenue from the oral syrups segment is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 1.9% over 2016-2026, to reach more than US$ 3,000 Mn by 2026. OTC cough syrups for children are receiving exceptional attention in the U.S. by regulators, physicians and parents due to safety concerns. In the last 3 years, FDA has withdrawn more than 200 cough syrups containing hydrocodone from the market.-- In Latin America, revenue from the oral syrups segment is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 3.6% over 2016-2026, to reach more than US$ 500 Mn by 2026. The segment is expected to record attractiveness index of 1.7 over the forecast period in Western Europe. Revenue from the oral syrups segment is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 4.1% over 2016-2026, to reach a market value of a little more than US$ 5,000 Mn by 2026 in the APEJ cold, cough and sore throat remedies market.. .Report Enquiry and Other Query @ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Researchmoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074
Real-Time Bidding 2017 US Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 24.78% and Forecast to 2021

Real-Time Bidding Market

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US Real-Time Bidding MarketDescriptionWiseGuyReports.Com adds Real-Time Bidding Market in the US 2016-2020 Research To Its Database.Media consumption has been on the rise globally because individuals own multiple electronic devices. Increasing disposable income and a burgeoning middle-class population are driving the sales of electronic appliances like smartphones, tablets, televisions, notebooks, and PCs. Increased use of electronic devices and internet penetration has raised the amount of time spent by users watching online videos and thus drives media consumption. For instance, in the US, people spend about 80% of their time on different sources of media such as the internet and mobile devices. These dynamics are rapidly shifting advertising expenditure from traditional media platforms to digital platforms. Advertisers are now allocating bigger budgets for online video advertising to ensure better reach, targeting, transparency, and efficiency.The analysts forecast the real-time bidding market in the US to grow at a CAGR of 24.78% during the period 2016-2020.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the real-time bidding market in the US for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of online advertisements through RTB.Get sample Report @The Real-Time Bidding Market in the US 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors ONE by AOL BrightRoll SpotXchange Tremor Video TubeMogulOther prominent vendors Adconion Media Group AppNexus Convertro Criteo Darriens Media Exchange Facebook Google Kontera LiveRail Microsoft Platform One Rocket Fuel Rubicon Project StickyADS.tv TobeMogulMarket driver Improved targeting of audience For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Low transparency in market For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Shift of RTB advertisements to mobile web For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Enquiry About Report @Table of Contents -Major Key PointsPART 01: Executive summary HighlightsPART 02: Scope of the report Market overview Definitions Base year Vendor segmentationPART 03: Market research methodology Research methodology Economic indicatorsPART 04: Introduction Key market highlightsPART 05: Market landscape Market overview Benefits of RTB RTB processPART 06: Revenue flow in RTB marketPART 07: RTB versus TV advertising Market size and forecast Five forces analysisPART 08: Market segmentation by type of auction US RTB market segmentation by type of auction Open auction market in US Invitation-only auction market in US Market attractiveness by type of auctionPART 09: Market segmentation by type of ad US RTB market segmentation by type of ad RTB image ad market in US RTB video ad market in US Market attractiveness by type of adPART 10: Market segmentation by device US RTB market segmentation by device US RTB market by mobile device US RTB market by desktop device Market attractiveness by type of devicePART 11: Market segmentation by application US mobile RTB market segmentation by applicationPART 12: Buying criterionPART 13: Market driversPART 14: Impact of driversPART 15: Market challenges..CONTINUEDAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, Industry research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)
Audio Equipment Market Trends Forecast Analysis by Manufactures, Regions, Type and Application to 2022

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http://www.reportsweb.com/global-audio-equipment-market-research-report-2017-2022

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Global Audio Equipment Market Research Report 2017-2022 newly adds in ReportsWeb.com database. This report covers leading key company profiles with information such as business overview, regional analysis, consumption, revenue and specification.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD) , market share and growth rate of Audio Equipment in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast) , covering United States, EU, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Global Audio Equipment market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including Bosch, Anchor, Siemens, Dynaudio, Yamaha, Philips, Sony, Sonos, Seeknature, Lenovo and Samsung.Get Free Sample Copy atOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Loudspeakers, Microphones, Amplifiers and Turntables. On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales) , market share and growth rate for each application, including Household, Commercial and Others.Browse Complete Report atTable of Content1 Audio Equipment Market Overview2 Global Audio Equipment Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Audio Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Audio Equipment Supply (Production) , Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)5 Global Audio Equipment Production, Revenue (Value) , Price Trend by Type6 Global Audio Equipment Market Analysis by Application7 Global Audio Equipment Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Bosch7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Audio Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Bosch Audio Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Anchor7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Audio Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Anchor Audio Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Siemens7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Audio Equipment Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Siemens Audio Equipment Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview8 Audio Equipment Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Audio Equipment Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase this report at-Note: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Pulverized Fuel Boiler market 2017 - GE Alstom, Babcock & Wilcox Co., AMEC Foster Wheeler, Siemens AG, Thermax Ltd.

Global Pulverized Fuel Boiler market

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Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Pulverized Fuel Boiler Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Pulverized Fuel Boiler Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Pulverized Fuel Boiler industry, and estimates the future trend of Pulverized Fuel Boiler market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Pulverized Fuel Boiler Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportGE AlstomBabcock & Wilcox Co.AMEC Foster WheelerDongfang Electric Corporation Ltd.Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Sytems Ltd.IHI CorporationHarbin Electric CompanyDoosan Heavy Industries & ConstructionBharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.Ansaldo S.P.ASiemens AGThermax Ltd.The market research report explores the Pulverized Fuel Boiler market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Pulverized Fuel Boiler Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Pulverized Fuel Boiler market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Pulverized Fuel Boiler. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Pulverized Fuel Boiler market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Pulverized Fuel Boiler is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Pulverized Fuel Boiler market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Pulverized Fuel Boiler market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The global Pulverized Fuel Boiler market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Pulverized Fuel Boiler production volume, data pertaining to demand and Pulverized Fuel Boiler supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Pulverized Fuel Boiler along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Pulverized Fuel Boiler across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -
Global Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug market 2017 - Cavion LLC, e-Therapeutics Plc, Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc.

Global Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug market

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Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug industry, and estimates the future trend of Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportAxelar ABCavion LLCCelldex Therapeutics, Inc.e-Therapeutics PlcNovartis AGPfizer Inc.The market research report explores the Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The global Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug production volume, data pertaining to demand and Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma Drug across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -
Global Deepwater Support Vessel market 2017 - Seacor Marine, LLC, Tidewater, Inc., Bourbon, VARD

Global Deepwater Support Vessel market

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Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Deepwater Support Vessel Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Deepwater Support Vessel Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Deepwater Support Vessel industry, and estimates the future trend of Deepwater Support Vessel market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Deepwater Support Vessel Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportHavyard Group (Norway)Seacor Marine, LLC (U.S.)Edison Chouest Offshore (U.S.)Harvey Gulf International Marine, LLC (U.S.)Tidewater, Inc. (U.S.)Bourbon (France)VARD (Norway)Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (South Korea)Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (South Korea)Swire Group, Ltd. (U.K.)The Maersk Group (Denmark)Farstad Shipping (Norway)Siem Offshore (Norway)The market research report explores the Deepwater Support Vessel market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Deepwater Support Vessel Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Deepwater Support Vessel market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Deepwater Support Vessel. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Deepwater Support Vessel market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Deepwater Support Vessel is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Deepwater Support Vessel market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Deepwater Support Vessel market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The global Deepwater Support Vessel market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Deepwater Support Vessel production volume, data pertaining to demand and Deepwater Support Vessel supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Deepwater Support Vessel along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Deepwater Support Vessel across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -
Global Core Materials Market 2017 by Players - Armacell International, Gurit Holding, Euro-Composites, The Gill Corporation

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The research report, titled Core Materials Market 2017, presents essential information and analytical data about the Core Materials market with respect to the world. Statistics about the Core Materials market are presented and analyzed in the Core Materials research report. It includes a professional and in-depth complete study on the current state of the Core Materials worldwide.Download Free Sample Report @Along with strategically analyzing the key micro markets, the report also focuses on industry-specific drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges in the Core Materials market.This report covers Global Core Materials market studies, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.The analysis of the market share, major market segments, market size (revenue), different geographic regions, key market players, premium industry trends, and forecast for the next five years have been included in this research report. It also focuses on the key drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges.Report will give an overall worldwide overview of the market which initially includes the statistical data about the size of the market and this is both in terms of volume and value. In the beginning of the report, market description has given in brief which will give the user deep knowledge of the market.Various development policies and plans as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are discussed. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin with respect to regions.Furthermore, the report presents concerning factor such as key trends, deployment models, strategies, value chain, standardization, future roadmap, drivers, and opportunities. If offers data and analysis such as Market Type, Applications, Technology, and Segments in order to define future scope of the market in various fields. Moreover, it also presents an outline regarding the Core Materials markets dynamics, by detailing numerous aspects such as value chain, constraints, drivers, and customer acceptance.Access Full Report @The global key leading market players combining the details such as Product Specifications and Images, Market Share, Sales, Contact Details, and Company Profiles are highlighted in the report.Highlights of the report:Evaluating and reporting current developments in the industryCompany strategies, plans and policies that are involved in the marketSuggestions that will help to the growth of the company in the marketPast, present, and the future market scope and positionTop down approach was taken into consideration for deriving the market numbers for the product application and type segments.In the market segmentation, the market size and the revenue that was generated by each sub-segment are included in the report.The demand of the product from different application areas and its future consumption is also been discussed in the report.About Fior MarketsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerOffice-102, Sanskriti AspirationsBaner Road, Pune,MH 411045IndiaPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
There is no constitutional right to refuse service to a person based on his race or sex or religion or sexual orientation.

This seems obvious and well established, yet that is precisely the issue in an important case to be argued in the U.S. Supreme Court today: Does a business have the right to violate state law and refuse to serve gays and lesbians based on the business owners beliefs?

Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission involves a bakery in Colorado that refused to bake a cake for a gay couples wedding celebration. Charlie Craig and David Mullins got married in Massachusetts and wanted to celebrate their wedding where they lived in Colorado. They went to a local bakery, Masterpiece Cakeshop, and sought to purchase a wedding cake. The owner, Jack Phillips, refused to bake the cake, saying that gay marriage violated his religious beliefs.

Colorado law, like that in California and many other states, has a public accommodations law that prohibits business establishments from discriminating based on race or sex or religion or sexual orientation. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission found that Phillips violated Colorados statute because he would bake a cake for opposite-sex couples celebrating a wedding, but not for same-sex couples. The Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed the commissions ruling against Masterpiece Cakeshop and the U.S. Supreme Court granted review.

This should be a simple case for the Supreme Court: The government has a compelling interest in stopping discrimination. All anti-discrimination laws interfere with freedom to discriminate; there is an inherent tension between liberty and equality. But our society has made the choice for more than a half century that preventing discrimination is more important than upholding the freedom to discriminate.

Indeed, this was exactly the argument raised against the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits hotels and restaurants from discriminating based on race and forbids employers from discriminating based on race or sex or religion. The claim was that businesses should have the freedom to choose their customers and their employees. Congress and the courts rightly rejected this argument.

Under First Amendment law, Phillips argument based on religious freedom is quite weak. Constitutional law is clear that people cannot seek an exemption from a general law on the ground that it burdens their religion.

The landmark case, Employment Division v. Smith (1990), involved Native Americans who sought to use peyote in their religious observances in violation of Oregon state law. The Supreme Court, in an opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia, ruled against the Native Americans and held that free exercise of religion is not violated by such a general law, even when it significantly burdens religious beliefs. Under this precedent, Phillips cannot claim that he is entitled to a religious exemption from Colorados anti-discrimination law.

Phillips other argument has potentially dire consequences for all laws that forbid discrimination. He contends that forcing him to bake a cake is impermissible compelled speech in violation of the First Amendment. The Court has held that the First Amendment prohibits forcing someone to speak unless the government has an overriding, crucial interest that is served.

Phillips says that he is a cake artist and that baking a cake is inherently expressive activity.

But if the Supreme Court accepts Phillips argument, then any business can discriminate by claiming that forcing it to provide services is impermissible compelled speech. If baking a case is expressive activity, then so is cooking food. Any restaurant could discriminate based on race or religion or any other ground by claiming that forcing it to serve customers is requiring it to engage in speech. All work can be described as a form of expressive activity and prohibiting discrimination always then is compelled speech.

Even accepting that baking a cake is expressive activity, there is a clear and easy answer: The government has a compelling interest in stopping discrimination. Freedom of expression is never absolute. The governments need to end discrimination, including based on sexual orientation, should be deemed to outweigh the claim of a right to discriminate.

For decades, our society has made the correct choice that it will interfere with freedom to discriminate in order to have a more just and equal society. The Supreme Court must not abandon this commitment and instead should use Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission to reaffirm it.
Global Pet Food Bowl market 2017 - Felli Housewares, Unleashed Life, Bergan, GAMMA2, KONG

Global Pet Food Bowl market

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Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Pet Food Bowl Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Pet Food Bowl Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Pet Food Bowl industry, and estimates the future trend of Pet Food Bowl market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Pet Food Bowl Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportFOUND MY ANIMALAlessiMason CashLola and Daisy DesignsFenellaFelli HousewaresUnleashed LifeBerganGAMMA2KONGNeater FeederOutward HoundPetEgoPetSafePlatinum PetsThe market research report explores the Pet Food Bowl market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Pet Food Bowl Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Pet Food Bowl market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Pet Food Bowl. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Pet Food Bowl market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Pet Food Bowl is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Pet Food Bowl market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Pet Food Bowl market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The global Pet Food Bowl market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Pet Food Bowl production volume, data pertaining to demand and Pet Food Bowl supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Pet Food Bowl along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Pet Food Bowl across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite -
Overview of Aftermarket Fuel Additives Market in Global Industry : Demands, Insights, Research and Forecast 2017-2025

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Albany, NY, 5th December : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "Aftermarket Fuel Additives Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025" globally.Aftermarket fuel additives are employed to improve the performance of gasoline and diesel fuel. They are utilized for preemptive maintenance and also to reduce fuel-related issues. Aftermarket fuel additives help resolve issues such as engine performance, lost fuel economy, poor drivability, and excessive emissions. Aftermarket products are used to clean the components in which the lubricant operates, in order to enhance the performance of the lubricant itself.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @Global Aftermarket Fuel Additives Market: Scope of StudyThe report estimates and forecasts the aftermarket fuel additives market on the global and regional levels. The study provides forecast between 2017 and 2025 based on volume (tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2016 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the aftermarket fuel additives market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the aftermarket fuel additives market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes substitute analysis of fuel additives and global average price trend analysis.The report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the aftermarket fuel additives market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein end-users and regions have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for aftermarket fuel additives market between 2017 and 2025.View Complete TOC with tables & Figures @Global Aftermarket Fuel Additives Market: Research MethodologySecondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to, OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), International Energy Agency (IEA), Independent Chemical Information Service (ICIS), Additive Technical Committee (ATC-Europe), European Environment Agency, World Energy Outlook, FuelsEurope, International Maritime Organization (IMO), SAE International, European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), U.N. Comtrade, U.S. Department of Transportation, and Department of Transport Statistics, company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis teams expertise and market understanding.Global Aftermarket Fuel Additives Market: Market DynamicsRising demand for aftermarket fuel additives is primarily driven due to the adherence to stringent environmental emission control regulations. Consequently, the aftermarket fuel additive market has expanded at a significant growth rate due to adherence to the various norms and regulations about carbon emission.Aftermarket fuel additives offer a wide range of benefits; however, awareness about them is low. This is primarily due to the utilization of aftermarket fuel additives only in the oil & gas industry, along with the lack of awareness of aftermarket fuel additives among consumers. Moreover, the non-availability of aftermarket fuel additives as a retail product in developing and under-developed countries, further hampers its market.The implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), which requires 10% of energy used in transport to be from renewable sources by 2020, and secondly, the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) requires fuel suppliers to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of energy supplied for road transport by 6% by 2020, supported the usage of aftermarket fuel additives.The chemical industrys competitive landscape is changing rapidly. The discovery of shale gas in the U.S. is driving the supply base of the chemical industry towards the West. Meanwhile, the demand base of the chemical industry continues to move to emerging markets, though at volatile growth rates which means the most attractive markets are changing from one year to the next. This lack of visibility is increasing the risk of supply chain disruption, which is anticipated to dramatically impact the market. Therefore, manufacturers are focusing on key markets to fuel their growth. This is anticipated to have a considerable impact on the market for aftermarket fuel additives during the forecast period.Global Aftermarket Fuel Additives Market: Market SegmentationThe study provides a comprehensive view of the aftermarket fuel additives market by dividing it into product, fuel type, end-user industry, and geography segments. The applications are segmented into octane booster, cetane improver, corrosion inhibitor, antioxidants, deposit control, cold flow improver, combustion improver, anti-icing, dehazer/demulsifier, biocide, and others. Fuel types have been segmented into gasoline, diesel, and others. End-user industries have been divided into automotive (further divided into passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and heavy commercial vehicles), oil & gas, and others. These segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast consumption of aftermarket fuel additives in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Market segmentation includes demand for consumption in all the regions individually.Global Aftermarket Fuel Additives Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report Afton Chemical Corporation, Lubrizol Corporation, Chevron Corporation, Total S.A., and Evonik. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).The global aftermarket fuel additives market has been segmented as follows:Aftermarket Fuel Additives Market  Product AnalysisOctane BoosterCetane ImproverCorrosion InhibitorAntioxidantsDeposit ControlCold Flow ImproverCombustion ImproverAnti-icingDehazer/DemulsifierBiocideOthersBrowse Report @Aftermarket Fuel Additives Market  Fuel Type AnalysisGasolineDieselOthersResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on :
Distribution Transformer Market is set to exceed 80 thousand units by 2024

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Rapid residential expansion coupled with favorable inclination towards the integration of a sustainable electrical network will drive the distribution transformer market size. The industry is set to witness a comprehensive turnaround subject to volant expansion of distribution networks across the emerging markets. In addition, rising investments from financial institutions to sustain the demand and supply parity across the globe will further stimulate the product demand.Germany distribution transformer market is projected to exceed 3,500 annual installation by 2024. Favorable regulatory reforms toward the institution of a robust, and reliable electricity infrastructure will foster the business growth. Rapid expansion of micro grid networks along with rising energy demand from residential and commercial establishments will positively influence the industry landscape.Advancing smart transformer technologies coupled with stringent energy efficiency compliances will comprehensively augment the global distribution transformer market. Volume manufacturing practices adopted by the leading manufacturers along with growing consumer awareness toward environmental security will encourage the product adoption. Escalating demand for the refurbishment of existing grid infrastructure across developed economies will further complement the industry outlook.Request for Sample Copy of this research report @2.6 MVA to 10 MVA distribution transformer market on account of rapid urbanization across developing regions in the recent years has witnessed a significant turnaround. Briskly expanding utility aided grid networks to cater the rising rural electrification demand will considerably proliferate the industry growth. Renewable capacity addition across residential and commercial establishments to integrate a sustainable energy mix will further enhance the product penetration.Propositions in line with energy efficiency along with expeditious expansion of smart grid networks has structured a favorable industrial scenario. Rapid technological advancements along with favorable inclination towards the integration of smart monitoring technologies will fuel the distribution transformer market growth. The European nations in 2017, have approved over USD 133.7 billion investment towards the deployment of smart grid infrastructure across the region.The U.S. distribution transformer market is anticipated to witness growth in line with the appreciable rise in investments toward the upgradation of existing infrastructure across the nation. Rapid infrastructural expansion in compliance to peninsula corridor electrification program will further embellish the industry outlook. In 2017, the U.S. regulators provisioned USD 100 million to sustain the increasing electricity demand across its rail networks.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Middle East & Africa distribution transformer market is set to witness comprehensive growth subject to the ongoing adoption of distributed generation units along with the rapid expansion of off-grid electricity networks. Indulgence of major financial institutions including the Asian Development Bank, World Bank and the African Development Bank to cater the lagging power sector across the region will substantially boost the product demand. In 2017, ADB provisioned over USD 12 billion to across the African electricity sector. The investment aims at sustaining the rising electricity demand across the region consequently with establishing an effective grid infrastructure.Eminent participants in the distribution transformer market include Toshiba Corp., GE, Kirloskar, ABB, Schneider Electric, SPX Transformer, EATON, Ormazabal, Siemens, Crompton Greaves, Ruhstrat, Mitsubishi Electric, Hyosung, Daihen, Hyundai Electric, Celme, and BHEL.To access sample pages or view this report in detail along with the table of contents, please click on the link below:Browse Related Report:Power Transmission Components Market Size By Product (Transformers, Circuit Breakers, Isolators, Insulators, Arrestors, Transmission Lines , Transmission Towers), By Voltage Level (132 kV, 220 kV, 440 kV, 660 kV, 765 kV & above), By Current Level (HVDC, HVAC), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Mexico, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Peru), Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary researchContact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Microbial Pesticide Market

Valent BioSciences, Certis, BioWorks, Morrone BioInnovations, among others, Coexist in the Global Microbial Pesticide MarketThe Global Microbial Pesticide market was valued at USD 1,388.55 million in the year 2015, and it is projected to record a CAGR of 12.51% in the forecast period to reach a value of USD 3,075.88 million by 2022.Latest DevelopmentsCrop protection multinationals have shown a lot of interest in the bio-control industry, giving the highest priority to the microbial market segment. More than USD 2 billion was invested in acquisitions since the last semester of 2012. The acquisition of AgraQuest & Prophyta by Bayer CropScience, BASF acquired Becker Underwood, and Valent BioSciences acquired Pace International are few examples.Market InsightsWith agricultural production increasing rapidly, dependence on agrochemicals has increased. While chemical crop protection is found to be effective in disease management, broad host range, and less cost, the negative impact on the environment is leading the shift toward a greener approach, microbial crop protection products being one of them. The global microbial crop protection scenario suggests that almost 322 Bt-based products occupy more than 53% of the market, while almost 50% of these products are consumed in America, particularly in the United States and Canada. North America and Europe have the major countries consuming maximum microbial crop protection, while Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing market.Get the Full Report Here: Global Microbial Pesticide MarketThe major segmentation in the report, includes market estimates based on ingredient type, which are  bacteria-based, fungi-based, virus-based pesticides, and others. Based on product type, the market is segmented into  microbial herbicide, microbial fungicide, microbial insecticides, and others. Based on application type, the market has been segmented  into crop-based and non-crop based. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the microbial pesticides market across different geographical regions viz. North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Africa, along with further country-wise segmentation. It also includes competitive vendor landscape, while considering major companies, such as Valent BioSciences, Certis, BioWorks, AgriLife, Marrone Bio Innovation, and others.About Mordor IntelligenceMordor Intelligence is a market intelligence and business advisory firm. The company operates in the business of industry analysis & consulting, in over 16 verticals. In todays fast-paced and competitive business environment, every customer has unique information requirements. With an eye for such requirements, Mordor offers custom market intelligence and advisory services, along with syndicated reports, to help gain an edge over the competition. The company has successfully catered to over 500 (40% of whom are Fortune 500) clients, since 2013.For more information mail us at: info@mordorintelligence.comAbout the Author: Ayushi works as a Research Associate with Mordor Intelligence, a market research and consulting firm based in Hyderabad, India, with expertise in accurate research and analysis.Mordor Intelligence is a market research and consulting firm with expertise in accurate research and analysis.9,000+ comprehensive reports across 60+ industry segments. Trusted by 300+ brands across the globe.5th Floor, Brigade Towers,Financial District, Gachibowli,Hyderabad - 500032,India
IXYS UK Westcode launch new 4.5kV very high di/dt fast recovery diode (HP Sonic FRD)

IXYS UK Westocde 4.5kV Recovery Diode

IXYS UK adds new addition to its range of 4.5kv fast recovery diodesThe new addition to its range of 4.5kV fast recovery diodes (HP-sonic FRDs) with very high di/dt capability and soft recovery characteristics. The new diode has a nominal operating current of 460A and is optimised to be used in conjunction with IXYS UKs extensive range of press-pack IGBTs.The new diodes incorporate IXYS UKs most advanced die bonding technology, where the silicon die is bonded to a metallic disc using a low temperature sinter technology, replacing the older designs based on floating silicon. The new bonded die design offers a diode with improved thermal stability and very robust mechanical properties. The silicon is optimised with advanced processing to give unrivalled di/dt capability to more than 2kA/s while retaining a soft recovery characteristic and low stitching losses.IXYS UKs diodes are packaged in fully hermetic 26mm thick ceramic packages with copper electrodes and are compatible for series clamping in the same stack as IXYS UKs range of very high current press-pack IGBTs. The 460A device has a 43mm die and is packaged in a 38mm electrode package with overall diameter of 60mm.The new HP sonic FRD is optimised for use with IXYS UKs range of 4.5kV press pack IGBTs; as both anti-parallel and neutral point clamp diodes (for multi-level converters) with IXYS UKs press-pack IGBT types T0240NB45E, T0340VB45G and T0510VB45A. The new diode is also suitable to be used as a snubber diode with IXYS UKs larger press-pack IGBTs such as T1600GB45G, T1800GB45E and the recently launched T2960BB45E. Alongside applications using the press-pack IGBT, the new diode is also suitable to be used as a snubber or clamp diode with other faster switching devices which require a diode with di/dt greater than 500A/us. The part number designation for the new diode is E0460QC45E.Typical applications for this new device include: utilities and HVDC applications, flexible AC transition systems, HVDC transition, statcoms, VSC SVC etc, medium voltage AC drives for harsh environments and ultra-high power, such as mining, marine and off-shore, gas and oil installations, renewable energy for wind turbines, hydro generation, wave generation and solar energy.GD Rectifiers is an official distributor for IXYS UK Westcode, and stock their complete range of Fuses, Heatsinks, Capacitors, Power Assemblies, Diodes, Distributed Gate Thyristors, Fast Turn-off Thyristors, GTO Thyristors, Medium Voltage Thyristors and IGBTs.For further information on all IXYS UK Westcode products, please call GD Rectifiers on: 01444 243 452 or email: enquiries@gdrectifiers.co.uk.GD Rectifiers is a Global Manufacturer and Distributor of products, services and solutions to commercial and industrial users of power electronic components.Established in 1964, GD Rectifiers has over 50 years of extensive experience across a large range of markets, specialising in new and current technologies for industrial power control applications. An extensive product offering has built GD Rectifiers exceptional reputation as the go-to power specialist with innovative experience across: Aviation, Automotive, Rail, Medical, Industrial and Electronics markets.GD Rectifiers have extensive experience in the rail industry and are RISQS Qualified.GD Rectifiers is a ISO 9001:2015 registered company that design and develop bespoke power semiconductor assemblies to control voltage, current and frequency for international industrial markets.GD RectifiersBentley House2 William WayBurgess HillWest SussexRH15 9AG
The Global Natural Gas Refueling Stations Market will Grow Impressively at a CAGR of Almost 4.17% by 2021

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Albany, NY, 5th December : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "Global Natural Gas Refueling Stations Market 2017-2021" globally.Natural gas is produced using conventional or renewable method. It is a clean-burning alternative fuel in the transportation sector and must be compressed or liquefied for use in vehicles. In most cases, CNG is supplied to the refueling stations via the existing natural gas distribution and is compressed at the station. LNG is cooled and stored in its liquid state and must be converted to gas again for use in vehicles. CNG is primarily used in light and medium vehicles and to some extent used in heavy-duty vehicles. CNG refueling stations are more common than LNG refueling stations. Since the use of LNG is limited but not restricted to long haul vehicles, fleet operators prefer having their own (private) LNG refueling infrastructure.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @Technavios analysts forecast the global natural gas refueling stations market to grow at a CAGR of 4.17% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global natural gas refueling stations market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the compressors, CNG refueling equipment, fuel dispenser etc., and the market size has been estimated based on vendors that provide complete solutions and few other vendors of individual components..The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global Natural Gas Refueling Stations Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.View Complete TOC with tables & Figures @Key vendorsAtlas CopcoClean Energy FuelsKWANGSHINWayne Fueling SystemsOther prominent vendors"O" Ring CNG Fuel SystemsAerotecnica ColtriANGI Energy Systems (part of Gilbarco)BAUER COMPRESSORSChicago PneumaticCryostar (part of THE LINDE GROUP)Cummins WestportENGIEHoneywellIngersoll-RandParker HannifinSiemensMarket driverDemand for cleaner fuelsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeFall in oil pricesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendIncreasing use of natural gas in transportation sectorFor a full, detailed list, view our reportBrowse Report @Key questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on :
Quantum Computing Market Rising at 35.12% CAGR During 2017-2021: Analysis of Key Players, Trends, Drivers & Challenges

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Global Quantum Computing Market is Projected to grow at 35.12% CAGR during the period 2017-2021. Quantum Computing Industry research report also provides granular analysis of the market share, Size, segmentation, revenue forecasts and geographic regions of the market.Quantum computing is a technology that applies the laws of quantum mechanics to computational ability. It includes three states, namely 1, 0 as well as the superposition of 1 and 0. Superposition indicates that two states exist at the same time. These bits are known as quantum bits or qubits. The global quantum computing market consists of the hardware that is required to develop quantum computers and its peripherals.Request a Free sample PDF of this research to evaluate more @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global quantum computing market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from sales of quantum computers only.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: Americas, APAC and EMEAThe research report, Global Quantum Computing Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Enquire Discount on Global Quantum Computing Market Research Report @Global Quantum Computing Market Key vendors as D-Wave Systems, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, 1QB Information Technologies, Anyon Systems, Cambridge Quantum Computing, ID Quantique, IonQ, QbitLogic, QC Ware, Quantum Circuits, Qubitekk, QxBranch and Rigetti Computingonda.Market driver:Increasing expenditure by stakeholdersFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge:Quantum decoherenceFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend:Growth of AI and machine learningFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the Global Quantum Computing Market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key of Global Quantum Computing Market trends?What is driving this Global Quantum Computing Market?What are the challenges to Global Quantum Computing Market growth?Who are the key vendors in this Global Quantum Computing Market space?For more information on this report, Please visit at:Related Reports: -Global Quantum Computing Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022This report studies the global Quantum Computing market, analyzes and researches the Quantum Computing development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News:
Contactless Payment Observe Huge Demand in Australia Payment Market

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Pune, India, 04 December 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Payments in Australia 2017: What Consumers Want.A 'payment system' is new technology that allows consumers, businesses, and many organizations to transfer money to a financial institution and vice versa. This includes Payment Instructions - Cash, Card, Check and Electronic Funds Transfer which customers use to pay - and generally unseen arrangements ensure that the funds move from one financial institution to another.The Technology advancement have introduce new payments platform is a major industry initiative to develop new infrastructure for Australian payments. This will provide a fast, all-round, data-rich payment system for the Australian customer, business and government to make their daily payments.Australian Payments Market is one of the world's most advanced customers, with high penetration of payment cards. Australian customers are very comfortable with both Debit and Credit cards at the time of sale (POS) - Indeed, the two card types have almost changed with each other due to the increasing popularity of contactless payments due to increase in payment card transaction volumes in POS.As a result of this, the usage of the cash is gradually decreasing, the card is sometimes not used at ATMs, and some businesses have completely stopped accepting cash. But cash is an important part of the market.GET SAMPLE REPORT @The Australia is not yet a cashless society, with the growing preference of payment cards, new payroll solutions are increasing in the market using international options like Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. However, the peer-to-Peer (P2P) sector is particularly less profitable, especially with other payment options such as store and online.Prepaid cards cover various types of issues used in Australian markets, most popular for purchases abroad. Electronic Overseas Money Sector is a major driver of prepaid market, while the domestic general purpose prepaid cards are not relatively popular - only 11% of prepaid cardholders have taken their cards to use for regular expenses.The new services like digital wallets, prepaid cards, and mobile phone transfers they are still growing, nut major of population depend on Bank transfers which is most popular methods of P2P transfer in the Australia.The Payments in Australia report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and regional major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2017-2022 market shares for each company.The Payments in Australia market report comprises an elaborated executive summary, which includes market snapshot that provides information about various segments of the market. It also provides information and data analysis of the market with respect to market segments based on media type, end-user, and geography. The market overview section of the report analyzes market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities that influences the culture media market in the current and future scenario.The study of report has a complete understanding of market value and quantity, technological progress, macro-economic changes and governmental policies based on past and present data, along with the current and upcoming trends in the market.The major players cover in the Payments in Australia report are Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ, National Australia Bank, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, citibank, Coles, Woolworths, JetStar, Qantas, EFTPOS, Visa and MasterCard.For accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Carpets & Rugs Global Market 2017: Key Players Home Depot, Interface, Dixie Group

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Pune, India, 5th December 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Global Carpets & Rugs Sales Market Report 2017.In this report, the global Carpets & Rugs market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Carpets & Rugs for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGET SAMPLE REPORT @Global Carpets & Rugs market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Carpets & Rugs sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingMohawk IndustriesShaw IndustriesLowes CompaniesTaekettHome DepotInterfaceDixie GroupOrientals Weavers Company for CarpetsTai Ping Carpets InternationalVictoriaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoNylonPolysterPolypropyleneOthersOn 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 Carpets & Rugs for each application, includingResidentialNon-residentialAutomotive & transportationTable of Content: Key PointsGlobal Carpets & Rugs Sales Market Report 20171 Carpets & Rugs Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Carpets & Rugs1.2 Classification of Carpets & Rugs by Product Category1.2.1 Global Carpets & Rugs Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Carpets & Rugs Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Nylon1.2.4 Polyster1.2.5 Polypropylene1.2.6 Others1.3 Global Carpets & Rugs Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Carpets & Rugs Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Residential1.3.3 Non-residential1.3.4 Automotive & transportation1.4 Global Carpets & Rugs Market by Region1.4.1 Global Carpets & Rugs Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Carpets & Rugs Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Carpets & Rugs Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Carpets & Rugs Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Carpets & Rugs Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Carpets & Rugs Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Carpets & Rugs Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Carpets & Rugs (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Carpets & Rugs Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Carpets & Rugs Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 Global Carpets & Rugs Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Carpets & Rugs Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Carpets & Rugs Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Carpets & Rugs Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Carpets & Rugs (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Carpets & Rugs Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Carpets & Rugs Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Carpets & Rugs (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Carpets & Rugs Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Carpets & Rugs Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global Carpets & Rugs (Volume) by Application9 Global Carpets & Rugs Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data9.1 Mohawk Industries9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.1.2 Carpets & Rugs Product Category, Application and Specification9.1.2.1 Product A9.1.2.2 Product B9.1.3 Mohawk Industries Carpets & Rugs Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.2 Shaw Industries9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.2.2 Carpets & Rugs Product Category, Application and Specification9.2.2.1 Product A9.2.2.2 Product B9.2.3 Shaw Industries Carpets & Rugs Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.3 Lowes Companies9.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.3.2 Carpets & Rugs Product Category, Application and Specification9.3.2.1 Product A9.3.2.2 Product B9.3.3 Lowes Companies Carpets & Rugs Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.4 Taekett9.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.4.2 Carpets & Rugs Product Category, Application and Specification9.4.2.1 Product A9.4.2.2 Product B9.4.3 Taekett Carpets & Rugs Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.5 Home Depot9.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.5.2 Carpets & Rugs Product Category, Application and Specification9.5.2.1 Product A9.5.2.2 Product B9.5.3 Home Depot Carpets & Rugs Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.6 Interface9.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.6.2 Carpets & Rugs Product Category, Application and Specification9.6.2.1 Product A9.6.2.2 Product B9.6.3 Interface Carpets & Rugs Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.7 Dixie GroupContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants analysis Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Lipase Market : Industry Analysis, Forecast And Detailed Profiles Of Top Industry Players

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Lipase Market research report helps to get access to industry data and upcoming trends which will give you avenues to know about the market. This report gives opportunities to go through with industry analysis, share and forecast, Providing brief description about the market size its competitors and product identification.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Lipase in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest For Free Sample Of The Report @Global Lipase market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingNovozymesKoninklijke DSM N.V.Chr. Hansen Holdings A/SDupont...On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoMicrobial LipasesAnimal LipasesOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingAnimal FeedDairyBakeryConfectioneryObtain Report Details @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.About UsContact UsAlltake Market Research16192, Coastal Highway Lewes,DE 19958, United StatesUS - 188 8587 9717UK - 4480 0680 0195Email sales@alltakemarketresearch.comAlltake Market Research is division of the Alltake LLC. that offers premium quality market intelligence, market research, industry analysis reports & forecast data for different domains across the business industry.Alltake Market Research understands the importance of market analysis for any strategy that is implemented in any organization or association. In order to provide the best solution, Alltake Market Research have associated with major organizations within market research and consultancy firm. This portfolio offers market analysis report at one place for different business verticals. Alltake Market Research ensures to offer you with the most reliable and quality market research available.Contact UsAlltake Market Research16192, Coastal Highway Lewes,DE 19958, United StatesUS - 188 8587 9717UK - 4480 0680 0195Email sales@alltakemarketresearch.com
Superyachts Market Size in Global Industry : Overview, Research, Share and Trends 2017

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Albany, NY, 5th December : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "Global Superyachts Market: Analysis By Type (Motor, Sailing, Open, Expedition, Sport Fishing), By Region, By Country: Opportunities and Forecast (2017-2022) - By Region (North America, Europe, Middle East, APAC, ROW), By Country (U.S., Canada, Italy, Netherlands, U.K, U.A.E, Japan, China)" globally.A comprehensive research report created through extensive primary research (inputs from industry experts, companies, stakeholders) and secondary research, the report aims to present the analysis of Global Superyachts Market on the basis of Type (Motor, Sailing, Open, Sport Fishing, Expedition), By Region (North America, Europe, Middle East, APAC and ROW) and By Country (U.S., Canada, Italy, Netherlands, U.K, U.A.E, Japan, China)Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @Over the recent years, the global superyachts industry has been growing rapidly as the Ultra-High and High Net Worth Individual Population is increasing. Globally, the growth in the luxury yachts market is driven by rising trend of maritime tourism and recreational activities.According to Azoth Analytics research report, Global Superyachts Market: Analysis By Type (Motor, Sailing, Open, Expedition, Sport Fishing), By Region, By Country: Opportunities and Forecast (2017-2022) - By Region (North America, Europe, Middle East, APAC, ROW), By Country (U.S., Canada, Italy, Netherlands, U.K, U.A.E, Japan, China), global market is projected to display a robust growth represented by a CAGR of 7.26% during 2017  2022, chiefly driven by rising number of ultra-wealthy clientele.Among the vessels, motor currently dominates the global superyachts market but the long ranger expedition vessels are anticipated to witness maximum growth in forecasted period. Among the regions, APAC is predicted to advance at the highest rate, mainly driven by increase in ultra-high and high net worth population in the regionThe report titled, Global Superyachts Market: Analysis By Type (Motor, Sailing, Open, Expedition, Sport Fishing), By Region, By Country: Opportunities and Forecast (2017-2022) - By Region (North America, Europe, Middle East, APAC, ROW), By Country (U.S., Canada, Italy, Netherlands, U.K, U.A.E, Japan, China), has covered and analysed the potential of Global Superyachts Market and provides statistics and information on market size, shares and growth factors. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses the emerging trends along with major drivers, challenges and opportunities in the global superyacht market. Additionally, the report also highlights market entry strategies for various companies across the globe.View Complete TOC with tables & Figures @Scope of the ReportGlobal Market(Actual Period: 2012-2016, Forecast Period: 2017-2022) Total Superyachts Market Superyachts Market By Type - Motor Superyachts Market, Sailing Superyachts Market, Open Superyachts Market, Sport Fishing Superyachts Market, Expedition Superyachts MarketRegional Markets  N. America, Europe, Middle East, APAC, RoW(Actual Period: 2012-2016, Forecast Period: 2017-2022) Total Superyachts Market Superyachts Market By Type - Motor Superyachts Market, Sailing Superyachts Market, Open Superyachts Market, Sport Fishing Superyachts Market, Expedition Superyachts MarketCountry Analysis - US, Canada, UK, Italy, Netherlands, U.A.E, Japan, China(Actual Period: 2012-2016, Forecast Period: 2017-2022) Total Superyachts Market Superyachts Market By Type - Motor Superyachts Market, Sailing Superyachts Market, Open Superyachts Market, Sport Fishing Superyachts Market, Expedition Superyachts MarketBrowse Report @Other Report Highlights Market Dynamics  Trends, Drivers, Challenges Pricing Analysis Policy and Regulation Company Analysis  Azimut Benetti, Ferretti Group, Sanlorenzo spa, Heesen, Lurssen, Feadship, Princess Yachts, Amels, Sunseeker Yachts, Oceanco.ResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on :
North America Marble Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report North America Marble Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Marble is a metamorphic rock that forms when limestone is subjected to the heat and pressure of metamorphism. It is composed primarily of the mineral calcite (CaCO3) and usually contains other minerals such as: clay minerals, micas, quartz, pyrite, iron oxides and graphite. Under the conditions of metamorphism the calcite in the limestone recrystallizes to form a rock that is a mass of interlocking calcite crystals.View Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Marble in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversLevantinaPolycor incIndiana Limestone CompanyVetter StoneTopalidis S.A.AntoliniTemmer MarbleTekmaPakistan Onyx MarbleDimpomarMumal MarblesCan Simsekler ConstructionMrmoles Marn, S.A.Aurangzeb Marble IndustryEtgranAmso InternationalUniversal Marble & GraniteBest Cheer Stone GroupFujian Fengshan Stone GroupXiamen Wanlistone stockKangli Stone GroupHongfaXishi GroupJin Long Run YuXinpengfei IndustryJinbo Construction GroupFujian Dongsheng StoneGuanghuiGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Market Segment by Countries, coveringUnited StatesCanadaMexicoMarket Segment by Type, coversWhite MarbleBlack MarbleYellow MarbleRed MarbleGreen Marble and OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoConstruction and DecorationStatuary and MonumentsFurnitureOthersSend An Enquiry Request @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the North America Marble market.Chapter 1, to describe Marble Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by countries, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Marble, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the North America market by countries, covering United States, Canada and Mexico, with sales, revenue and market share of Marble, for each country, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the segment market in United States, Canada and Mexico, by manufacturers, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and market share by manufacturers, types and applications;Chapter 10, Marble market forecast, by countries, type and application, with sales, price and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 11, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 12, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 13, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 14 and 15, to describe Marble Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data sourceAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Can Gynecomastia Come Back Even After The Surgery?

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Overly developed man boobs frequently affect how a man gets dressed and presents himself in front of the world. But the surgical procedure of reducing male breasts could be ones ultimate savior for creating a masculine appearance of the chest region.However, before going for the surgical procedure, one needs to know the underlying factors which are causing the enhancement of male chest region. There are lots of potential culprits which can cause the condition and few of them are listed below:Causes Of This Condition: Frequent usage of marijuana Obesity Hormonal imbalance Consumption of excessive steroids Usages of marijuana Side effects of certain marijuana Chronic diseases Certain genetic disorders Age factorsWhy Should A Candidate Know About The Causes Of Gynecomastia?The surgical procedure of reducing man boobs usually produces permanent and life-changing outcomes. But one needs to identify the underlying cause of the condition in order to find out the best possible way of minimizing it and eliminate the chances of the recurrences. Consumption of anabolic steroids, significant weight gain, hormonal imbalances, certain medications, significant weight gain, chronic usage of marijuana are all the factors which can increase the risk of enlarged man boobs. Therefore, one needs to balance his lifestyle so that the chances can be prevented.Factors Which May Cause Man Boobs To Reoccur:If the earlier cause of man boobs enlargement was the chronic usages of marijuana and the patient has not eliminated the usages drastically even after the surgery, the chances of getting man boobs back are high.In addition to it, if the previous cause of male boobs was a medical issue like pituitary or adrenal tumor which has been left untreated even after the gynecomastia surgery, the chances of getting enhanced man boobs are still there.Apart from these, if a person gains excessive weight after the surgery, his chest region can get swelled up due to simple fat accumulation. If the previous surgery was done to aspire out the fat cells beneath the chest muscle, remaining fat cells have a chance to grow bigger. Along with that, significant weight gain may also make way for the accumulation of new fat cells in both the treated and untreated areas.The Lasting Effect Of Man Boobs Surgery:For most of the men who are experiencing overly developed male breasts, this surgery is the only method to address it fully. Fortunately, in most of the treatment cases, this surgical procedure has been able to leave permanent results. But as it is said before, only the surgery of male boobs wont be enough, one needs to address the underlying factors as well.As it is always recommended to go for a board-certified surgeon who has considerable experience of dealing with the gynecomastia surgery, Harley Body Clinic would be the best service provider who ensures that each candidate obtains best possible outcomes. One can access all the details of our website by clicking this link belowHarley Body Clinic(Subsidiary of Harley Cosmetic Group)61 Harley StreetLondon W1G 8QU
Winter Hats Industry 2015 Market Research Report Trends,Size,Status and Forecast

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Winter Hats Industry 2015 Market is provided in the report based on product scope and market status & outlook. The market is segmented on the basis of type, end-users/application, and geography. The report provides information about the production, price, revenue, market share, and growth rate of each type. Geographically, the market has been analyzed across North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and India. The status and prospect through 2012-2022 for each of these regions are listed in the report.Get Sample@The report entails the qualitative and quantitative analysis of current and future market estimations. It also divulges details about the mode of research methodology used for the study. It includes data from primary as well as secondary resources. The report is a useful resource for industry players, new entrants in the marketplace, and investors as it helps them plan their business to gain fruitful and meaningful outcomes. It makes them aware of the production, capacity, revenue, supply, consumption, export, import, the challenges and risks associated with the industry, and much more. Factors that drive the growth of the market are detailed in the study. Key players are profiled in the report and their developments in recent years are mentioned, which helps in understanding the competitive outlook of the Global Winter Hats Industry 2015 MarketGet 15% discount on this report @The Winter Hats Industry 2015 Market is report has a mention of the industrial chain, sourcing strategy, and downstream buyers. This incorporates the overall industrial chain analysis, upstream raw materials sourcing, raw materials sources of the product major manufacturers in 2015, and downstream buyers.The report also throws light on the marketing strategy used for the study. It includes marketing channel (direct marketing, indirect marketing, and marketing channel development trend) and market positioning (pricing strategy, brand strategy, and target client).The Global Winter Hats Industry 2015 Market is report also covers an analysis of the market effect factors. This includes the technology progress/risk (substitutes/threat and technology progress in the related industry), consumer needs/customer preference change, and economic/political environmentalThe report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) Basic information;2.) The Asia Winter Hats industry;3.) The North American Winter Hats industry;4.) The European Winter Hats industry;5.) Market entry and investment feasibility; and6.) The report conclusion.Check Full Report With TOC@About Us:Research Beams uniqueness lies in its highly ethical reports at economical rates because we value your relationship and growth more than money. Your growth is our aim. With the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.Contact Us:Global Head Quarters5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United Statesphone+1 (800) 910-6452mail help@researchbeam.com
Meningococcal Vaccines Market to Garner Brimming Revenues by 2021

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Meningococcal vaccines are used in the treatment of meningitis, septicemia, meningococcemia and pneumonia. Meningitis is characterized by inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. This type of inflammation is caused by infection of bacteria, viruses and by drugs.Based on various cause of the disease, meningitis is classified into two main types: non-infectious meningitis and infectious meningitis. Non-infectious meningitis is a type of aseptic meningitis. Aseptic meningitis is caused by something other than the bacteria that typically cause acute meningitis. Non-infectious meningitis does not spread from person to person. Infectious meningitis is further sub-divided into bacterial meningitis, fungal meningitis, viral meningitis and parasitic meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is extremely severe form of the disease which is caused by bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumonia. These bacteria can spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing. Viral meningitis is mainly occurred by diarrhea causing virus. Fungal meningitis is rare in healthy people. However, person who has an impaired immune system is more prevalent with this form of the disease.View Report Preview @Septicemia arises from infections throughout the body. It includes infections in the lungs, urinary tract and abdomen. Meningococcemia is also caused by bacterium Neisseria meningitidis.The global meningococcal vaccines market is segmented into conjugate vaccines, polysaccharide vaccines and combination vaccines. Conjugate vaccines reduce incidences of bacterial meningitis. This is due to prolonged immunization influence of the vaccine which is developed for various serogroups of bacteria. Major brands of conjugate vaccines include MenAfriVac, Nimenrix, Menactra, Meningitec, NeisVac-C and Menveo.Polysaccharide provides immunity for a short period of time. Major brands of polysaccharide vaccines include NmVac4, Menomune, Bi Meningo, Mencevax and Quadri Meningo.Combination vaccines are prepared with the combination of other microorganism. Major brands of combination vaccines include Menitorix and MenHibrix.Request to View Sample of Research Report @In terms of geographic, North America dominates the global meningococcal vaccines market. This is due to increased healthcare awareness in the region. The U.S. represents the largest market for meningococcal vaccines followed by Canada in North America. In Europe, France, Germany and the U.K. holds major share of meningococcal vaccines market. However, Asia is expected to show high growth rates in the next five years in global meningococcal vaccines market. This is due to increasing awareness among people about meningitis in the region. Several government associations have launched various immunization programs and awareness campaigns to provide education about meningococcal disease. Japan, China and India are expected to be the fastest growing meningococcal vaccines markets in Asia.In recent time, increased government support is key driver for the global meningococcal vaccines market. Various government associations have launched mandate immunization programs for school children. This increases the demand of meningococcal vaccines to provide immunity against meningococcal disease.However, stringent regulations hamper the growth of global meningococcal vaccines market. Increasing mergers and acquisitions between manufacturing companies and government bodies and rapid product launches are some of the major trends of global meningococcal vaccines market.Some of the major companies operating in the global meningococcal vaccines market are GlaxoSmithKline plc, JN-International Medical Corporation, Novartis International AG, Sanofi SA, Pfizer, Inc. and Baxter International, Inc..Buy now @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Botanical and Plant Derived Drugs Market Estimated to Flourish by 2013  2019

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Botanical drugs are drugs develop through botanical drug and research pathway, whereas plant derived drugs are combination of botanical as well as other approved drugs that contains plant materials, synthetic and semi synthetic substances. These botanical products are intended for use in the mitigation, cure, diagnosis and treatment or prevention of diseases in humans.Report Overview and TOC:The global market for botanical and plant derived drugs is witnessing a significant growth over recent years due to rising usage of these drugs in different parts of the world. Increased focus of research institutes and clinical trial studies, price reduction and improved technological and sociological development are major driving factors for the growth of this market. However, low acceptance of these drugs for the treatment of lethal diseases is a major restraint for the market. On the other hand, rising number of FDA approved botanical drugs and their application is a key opportunity for the market. Some of the major classes of botanical and plant derived drugs are Tarpenes and Steroids, Glycosides, Ergot Alkaloids, Morphine Alkaloids and Vinca Alkaloids.Request brochure:Global market of botanical and plant derived drugs market is primarily divided into two segments: based on geography and based on therapeutic applications. The U.K., Germany and France are major countries of the European Region. On the basis of therapeutic application, the market is segmented into hormone related disease therapy, infectious diseases, pain and central nervous system disorders, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, respiratory and oncology diseases treatment. Some of the major players operating in the market are Abott Laboratories, Bayer Healthcare, Bionova, Bristol Myers and Curapharm.for Specific and Customized requirements@This research report analyzes this market depending on its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report includeNorth AmericaAsia PacificEuropeRest of the WorldThis report provides comprehensive analysis ofMarket growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for upcoming yearsThis report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porters five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.Pre Book full report@About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Global Luxury Vehicles Market 2017 - Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, Maserati, Bentley, Ferrari, Land Rover, Jaguar

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This report studies the Luxury Vehicles market, Luxury vehicles is the vehicle of luxury brands, like Mercedes-Bens, Audi, BMW, Volvo, Lexus and so on.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Luxury Vehicles in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Request For Sample Report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversMercedes BenzBMWAudiLexusVolvoLand RoverMINICadillacPorscheInfinitiAcuraJaguarSmartLincolnTeslaMaseratiBentleyFerrariRolls-RoyceLamborghiniMcLarenAston MartinMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversCompact CarMid-size CarFull-size CarLarger CarSUV/CrossoverSuper Sport CarMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoFinancing/LoanCash PaymentLeasingAccess Full Report With TOC @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Luxury Vehicles market.Chapter 1, to describe Luxury Vehicles Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Luxury Vehicles, with sales, revenue, and price of Luxury Vehicles, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Luxury Vehicles, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Luxury Vehicles market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Luxury Vehicles sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.About Fior MarketsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry. Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise. We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Optical Lens Material Global Market Is Projected To Exhibit A CAGR of 7.76% During 2016  2021 | Menicon, Paragon Vision Sciences, Bausch & Lomb, PPG Optical

Optical Lens Material Market

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on " Global Optical Lens Material Market: Analysis By Type (Soft Lens, Gas Permeable Lens), By Material (Silicone hydrogel, Fluoro-Silicone Acrylate, Hydrogel, PMMA), By Region, By Country (2016-2021) - By Region (North America, Europe, APAC, ROW); By Country (U.S., Canada, Germany, U.K., China, India, Japan, Brazil, U.A.E)" to its huge collection of research reports.A comprehensive research report created through extensive primary research (inputs from industry experts, companies, stakeholders) and secondary research, the report aims to present the analysis of Global Optical Lens Material Market on the basis of Analysis (By Type  Soft contact lens, Gas Permeable lens); By Material (Silicone Hydrogel, Hydrogel, Fluoro-silicone Acrylate, PMMA); By Region (North America, Europe, APAC, RoW); By Country (U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, China, Japan, India, Brazil, U.A.E.).Global increase in vision problem due to excessive use of smart gadgets has led to the growth of Optical lens material market. Because of changing lifestyle and awareness, majority people are going for the better quality contact lens which is overall promoting the rising sales in new advanced contact lens material.Market for Optical lens material is growing steadily on account of the growing old age population suffering from refractive errors. Today the eye problem is also very common in young age people which prefer for better quality contact lenses. Therefore, leading contact lens manufacturers are growing their market both in developed and developing countries which is leading the growth in material market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @According to Azoth Analytics research report, Global Optical Lens Material Market: Analysis By Type (Soft Lens, Gas Permeable Lens), By Material (Silicone hydrogel, Fluoro-Silicone Acrylate, Hydrogel, PMMA), By Region, By Country (2016-2021)  By Region (North America, Europe, APAC, ROW); By Country (U.S., Canada, Germany, U.K., China, India, Japan, Brazil, U.A.E), Global Optical Lens Material market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.76% during 2016 - 2021. On the basis of market segment, Global Optical Lens Market has been segmented on (By Types: Soft Contact Lens, Gas Permeable Contact Lens; By Material: Silicone Hydrogel, Fluoro-silicone acrylate, PMMA; By Region: North America, Europe, APAC, and ROW; By Country: U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, China, Japan, India, Brazil, U.A.E.)Among the segments, market is expected to be driven by Silicone Hydrogel soft contact lens both in developed and developing countries on account of more oxygen permeability which provide more comfort and ease to adjust. The gas permeable lens material, Fluoro-silicone acrylate is also growing due to its vision clarity especially for the people having astigmatism, presbyopia and other refractive errors. The wide use of scleral lens will promote the growth in Gas Permeable market in the future. North America region remains the major market among all the regions. In the forecast period, European region will witness strong growth driven by the countries such as U.K. and Germany.The report titled, Global Optical Lens Material Market: Analysis By Type (Soft Lens, Gas Permeable Lens), By Material (Silicone hydrogel, Fluoro-Silicone Acrylate, Hydrogel, PMMA), By Region, By Country (2016-2021)  By Region (North America, Europe, APAC, ROW); By Country (U.S., Canada, Germany, U.K., China, India, Japan, Brazil, U.A.E), has covered and analysed the potential of Global optical lens material Market and provides statistics and information on market size, shares and growth factors. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses the emerging trends along with major drivers, challenges and opportunities in the global market. Additionally, the report also highlights market entry strategies for various companies across the globe.Get Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @Scope of the ReportGlobal Market (Actual Period: 2012-2016, Forecast Period: 2017-2022)- Optical Lens Material Market- Type of lens Market  Soft Lens, Gas Permeable Lens- Type of Material Market  Silicone hydrogel, Fluoro-silicone Acrylate, Hydrogel, PMMARegional Markets  N. America, Europe, APAC, RoW (Actual Period: 2012-2016, Forecast Period: 2017-2022)- Optical Lens Material Market- Type of lens Market  Soft Lens, Gas Permeable Lens- Type of Material Market  Silicone hydrogel, Fluoro-silicone Acrylate, Hydrogel, PMMACountry Analysis - US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, China, India, Brazil, U.A.E. (Actual Period: 2012-2016, Forecast Period: 2017-2022)- Optical lens Material MarketOther Report Highlights- Market Dynamics  Trends, Drivers, Challenges- Policy and Regulation- Company Analysis- Menicon, Paragon Vision Sciences, Bausch & Lomb, PPG Optical, OPRI Inc., Benz Research & DevelopmentMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMozState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Anti-Inflammatory Therapeutics Market Projected to Garner Significant Revenues by 2013  2019

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Also known as non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs, anti-inflammatory therapeutics help in easing acute and mild chronic pain. Be it migraines and headaches, rheumatic arthritis, sprains, or even menstrual pain, anti- inflammatory therapeutics can provide faster relief as compared with other drugs. They are capable of lowering the levels of prostaglandins, the chemicals responsible for inflammation, reducing pain and swelling.Aspirin, acelofenac, celecoxib, etoricoxib, acemetacin, etodolac, ibuprofen, Meloxicam, tenoxicam, dexketoprofen, fenoprofen, sulindac, naproxen, dexibuprofen, and mefenamic acid are some anti-inflammatory painkillers. By class, immune selective anti-inflammatory derivatives and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the two major categories in the global market for anti-inflammatory therapeutics.Report Overview and TOC:The report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) analyzes the key aspects of the global anti- inflammatory therapeutics market, offering a 360 degree view. The prominent regions, leading segments, and market attractiveness have been discussed in detail in the report, with an aim to address the needs of the buyers.Global Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Market: Drivers and RestraintsAs the incidence of respiratory diseases and autoimmune conditions is rising globally, the demand for anti-inflammatory therapeutics is expected to increase. According to the findings of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Network (RASN), more than 1.3 million people in the U.S. suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. On a global scale, almost 1% of the population is diagnosed with this disorder. As the treatment and cure for this autoimmune disease is still unknown, the only possible way of easing pain is the intake of anti-inflammatory therapeutics. As a result, the global market for these drugs is slated to witness considerable growth.Request brochure:Moreover, anti-inflammatory therapeutics offer cost efficient remedies. New drugs are being developed for relieving depression and treating ocular pain. Recent studies have revealed that consumption of anti-inflammatory drugs can confer protection against Parkinsons disease.On the other hand, the risk of cardiovascular disorders associated with the heavy intake of these medications might restrict growth. The market might also face challenges due to the side effects of these drugs such as nausea, dizziness, headaches, and diarrhea. The expiry of parents is another key restraint of the market. However, as new drugs with superior effectiveness are being developed by several leading manufacturers, significant opportunities will arise.For Specific and Customized requirements@Global Anti-inflammatory Therapeutics Market: Regional OutlookBased on geography, the global market for anti-inflammatory therapeutics can be segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World (RoW). North America has emerged as the leading segment of the global anti-inflammatory therapeutics market. The introduction of advanced anti-inflammatory therapeutics has encouraged greater acceptance of these drugs by consumers in North America. With France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the U.K. being the key contributors, the anti-inflammatory therapeutics market in Europe is also expected to flourish.However, Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as the fastest growing regional market, driven by a vast patient pool, increasing disposable incomes, growth in healthcare spending, and rising awareness about health. India and China house several leading pharmaceutical companies that are aiding the expansion of the market.Companies Mentioned in the ReportJohnson & Johnson, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Amgen, Inc., Sanofi Aventis, Abbott Laboratories, and AstraZeneca are some of the leading companies operating in the global market for anti-inflammatory therapeutics.Pre Book full report@About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
SMis Defence Logistics: Optimising Logistics Support Through Enhanced Command and Control (C2) Systems and Processes

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SMi are delighted to welcome Colonel Matt Wilkinson MBE (Late RE), Chief of Staff, Logistics Delivery Operating Centre, Defence Equipment & Support, UK MoDColonel Matt Wilkinson joined the British Army in 1991. As a military engineer, he served in air assault and armoured brigades, commanding at platoon, company and regimental level. Throughout his career he has been heavily engaged in logistics at unit and formation level, deploying on operations to the Balkans, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq.Highlights include serving as Regimental Operations Officer during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and as Deputy Chief of Staff 16 Air Assault Brigade during the Brigades deployment to Afghanistan in 2010.As Chief of Staff, Logistics Delivery Operating Centre, he is currently responsible for the daily management of the UKs Defence Supply Chain.Colonel Wilkinson's presentation will be on: 'Optimising Logistics Support Through Enhanced Command and Control (C2) Systems and Processes.' - Day 1 | 14:40Summary of presentation:- Creating supply chain mission analysis to identify critical areas for improvement- Advancing logistics planning through C2- Enhancing military distribution network security- Capacity planning processes: creating best practice for inventory management- Joint force supply chain integrationThe Defence Logistics team had the opportunity to interview Colonel Matt Wilkinson about his experience in the industry.1. What are the key areas for development in defence logistics?Three areas as key priorities for the development of defence logistics:- Exploiting commercial best practice and technology in the application of military logistics at the tactical, operational and strategic levels- Multinational collaboration- The development of lean agile systems in the Land, Air and Maritime environments, to reduce logistic need3. What are the future challenges for the land force operations in terms of logistics command and control?Download the full interview here:For those looking to attend there is currently a 200 early-bird saving, ending December 15thFurther information is available at:SMi presents the 3rd Annual Conference:Defence LogisticsDate: 6th  7th March 2018Location: Hotel Angelo, Prague, Czech RepublicWebsite:Proudly Sponsored by: HIAB Limited | TVS Supply Chain Solutions | World Fuel Services---end---Contact Information:For all media inquiries contact Pavan Solanki on Tel: +44 (0)20 7827 6048 / Email: psolanki@smi-online.co.ukAbout SMi Group:Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the world's most forward-thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found atWestminster Bridge Road
Wisconsin families work too hard to let the government waste their money. In the spirit of U.S. Sen. Bill Proxmire, I am continuing his work shedding light on government agencies and projects that waste your hard-earned tax dollars.

The Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska was founded in 1996 with an $18 million earmark and has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars over the years. The PSCA has rarely been used and when it was used in 2014 was the site of a dramatic launch failure. However, just last year the Missile Defense Agency awarded a contract for up to $80.4 million to keep the base open.

Why should we expect taxpayers to sink millions of their hard earned-money into a project that has failed to deliver? It is simple  we shouldnt. 20 years and well over 100 million dollars later it is time to admit that Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska was a failure and cut our losses. This is especially true since we already have another base in Alaska that is solely dedicated to missile defense. The last thing we should do is throw more money at a failed duplicative program.

The people of Wisconsin shouldnt foot the bill for wasteful programs. I will continue to keep a close eye on how the government is using taxpayer money and fight against government waste.

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind

D-La Crosse
Home Healthcare Market Ultimate Analysis & Global Foresight to 2022

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Market Research Future published a Cooked research report on Global Knee replacement Market Research Report- Forecast To 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Global Knee replacement Information, by type of test (total knee replacement (TKR), partial (half) knee replacement (PKR) and others), by end users (hospital, clinics, rehabilitation centers and others) - Forecast to 2022The report for Global Knee replacement Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regionsGet a Copy of Sample Report @Key Players for Knee replacement market:Some of the key players in this market are: ConforMIS, Stryker, Zimmer Inc., Smith & Nephew, DePuy Synthes Companies, Wright Medical Group N.V., Biomet, Inc., Exactech, Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG and others.Segments:Global Knee replacement market has been segmented on the basis of type of test which comprise of total knee replacement (TKR), partial (half) knee replacement (PKR) and others. On the basis of end users; market is segmented into hospital, clinics, rehabilitation centers and others.Study Objectives of Knee replacement Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 10 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Knee replacement market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the knee replacement market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by type, by end users and its sub-segments. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Knee replacement market.Browse Full Report Details @Intended Audience: Knee replacement devices manufacturers Supplier of knee replacement device Research and Development (R&D) Companies Independent Research Laboratories Market Research and Consulting Service Providers Medical Research LaboratoriesContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Global Knee replacement Market Research Report- Forecast To 2022 chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
CCTV Camera Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017 - 2025

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "CCTV Camera Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.CCTV cameras offer a secure medium to monitor and record images and video. The demand for CCTV cameras for the purpose of surveillance has soared globally. This demand is attributed to the rising threat to public security due to criminal and terrorist attacks. Apart from public security surveillance CCTV cameras are used to monitor areas such as shopping malls, hotels, streets, banks, and government buildings.CCTV cameras vary on the basis of technology and model type. The CCTV camera market consists of a large number of software and hardware providers. The CCTV camera market value chain is characterized by system integrators and service providers. The CCTV camera market is highly competitive since it has a large number of hardware, software, and technology providers. Intense competition in the market affects the pricing strategy adopted by the players in the CCTV market. Investments in research and development initiatives is largely prevalent in the CCTV camera market.Global CCTV Camera Market: Regional SegmentationBased on geographical regions, the report segments the global CCTV camera market into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and South America, which are analyzed in terms of revenue generation. The report provides country level revenue for CCTV camera market. The U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, India, China, Japan, GCC, South Africa, Brazil, and Argentina are the countries covered in the report. The report also provides the country level data of each of the market segments for all the countries mentioned above.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @North America is expected to lead the CCTV camera market during the forecast period. The region houses a large number of CCTV camera system and solution providers. The Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the highest growth rate of 14.6 percent during the forecast period.The Middle East and Africa and South America are in the early phases of large scale installation of CCTV cameras. The anticipated growth of tourism sector of the Middle East and Brazil is expected to support the market growth of the CCTV camera market of these regions during the forecast period. The CCTV camera market comprises large number of medium and large players. Product innovation, mergers and acquisition, and research & development investments are the key growth strategies adopted by the players in the CCTV camera market. The market is expected to be hit by a huge wave of mergers and acquisitions in the coming years.Global CCTV Camera Market: SegmentationThis research report provides an in-depth analysis of the global CCTV camera market based on model type, technology, end-use application, and geography. The global CCTV camera market is categorized based on model type into PTZ camera, box camera, dome camera, bullet camera, and others (hybrid, etc.). The technology segment for the global CCTV camera market consists of analog CCTV systems, wireless CCTV systems, IP-based CCTV systems, and hybrid CCTV systems. The end-use segment is classified into retail, hospitality, BFSI, home security, government, and others (transportation, healthcare, etc.). The report analyzes each of these segments for the various geographies considered under the scope of the study.Global CCTV Camera Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report includes analysis of the factors that drive and restrain the growth of the CCTV camera market. It discusses the prevailing market trends and prospective growth opportunities in the global CCTV camera market. It provides market estimates and forecasts for all the segments in terms of revenue. Also provided in the report is the market positioning of the companies in the CCTV camera market.Browse TOC @Major business strategies adopted by key players, their SWOT analysis, and competition matrix has also been identified in the research report. Axis Communications AB, Bosch Security Systems, Inc., Geovision Inc, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co Ltd, Hanwha Techwin Co. Ltd, Honeywell International Inc., Panosonic System Network Co. Limited, Pelco Inc, Toshiba Corporation, and Zhejiang Dahau Technology Co. Ltd. are major players profiled in the global CCTV camera market report.Global CCTV Camera MarketBy Model TypePTZ cameraBox cameraDome cameraBullet cameraOthers (Hybrid, etc)By TechnologyAnalog CCTV SystemsWireless CCTV SystemsIP-based CCTV SystemsHybrid CCTV SystemsBy ApplicationRetailHospitalityBFSICommercial InfrastructureHome SecurityGovernmentOthers (Transportation, Healthcare, etc.)By GeographyNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaRest of North AmericaEuropeGermanyThe U.K.FranceRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaSouth AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Pressure Sensitive Labels Market Expected To Rise To A Value Of More Than Us$112 Bn By 2022

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Pressure Sensitive Labels Market Expected To Rise To A Value Of More Than Us$112 Bn By 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.The report on the global pressure sensitive labels market profiles various aspects of the market to deliver a comprehensive elaboration on the market to readers. The various factors affecting the global pressure sensitive labels market are assessed to deliver an accurate understanding of the various ways the growth trajectory of the pressure sensitive labels market is likely to be affected in the coming years. The report provides a detailed look at the segmentation of the global pressure sensitive labels market in order to provide readers with a clear idea of the hierarchy of the market and which segments are most likely to prosper in the coming years. The geographical dynamics of the global pressure sensitive labels market are also studied in the report, along with information on how the growth of major segments is likely to affect the growth potential of the global pressure sensitive labels market in the coming years.According to Transparency Market Research, the global pressure sensitive labels market was valued at US$86.8 bn in 2017 and is expected to rise to a value of more than US$112 bn by 2022. The market is thus likely to exhibit a steady 5.2% CAGR in the 2017-2022 forecast period.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Pressure Sensitive Labels Market: DynamicsThe global pressure sensitive labels market is highly dependent on the dynamics of its end use industries, as the dynamic working conditions in several leading end use applications of the pressure sensitive labels market can lead to changes in demand patterns. The report studies the various factors likely to affect the growth trajectory of the global pressure sensitive labels market in the coming years and delivers a comprehensive assessment of which factors are expected to have a lasting impact on the markets growth.The logistics and transportation industry is likely to play a key role in the growth of the pressure sensitive labels market in the coming years due to its growing commercial scope. The pressure sensitive labels industry has benefited from the advantages pressure sensitive labels provide at relatively cheap prices, making its steady growth likely in the coming years. The growing amount of effort from pressure sensitive labels industry players to make the labels more environmentally viable is also likely to aid the growth prospects of the pressure sensitive labels market in the coming years.Browse TOC @Global Pressure Sensitive Labels Market: SegmentationPaper is likely to remain the material of choice for the global pressure sensitive labels industry in the coming years. The paper pressure sensitive labels market accounted for more than US$37 bn in 2017, taking up 42.7% of the global market, and is likely to rise to US$46.7 bn by 2022 at a solid CAGR of 4.7%. The convenience and environmental viability of paper in the production of pressure sensitive labels is likely to remain vital for the pressure sensitive labels market in the coming years.Geographically, Asia Pacific except Japan is expected to dominate the global pressure sensitive labels market, with a revenue valuation of around US$35 bn allowing the region to account for 33.5% of the global pressure sensitive labels market in 2017. The Asia Pacific except Japan market for pressure sensitive labels is likely to further increase its presence in the global market figures in the coming years thanks to the steady growth prospects of the transportation, logistics, retail, and consumer electronics industry in countries such as China, India, Taiwan, and South Korea.Global Pressure Sensitive Labels Market: Competitive DynamicsLeading companies in the global pressure sensitive labels market include Avery Dennison Corporation, Henkel, CCL Label Inc., Lintec, Constantia Flexibles Group GmbH, Coveris Holdings SA, 3M, Inland Labels, Fuji Seal International, Inc., and UPM-Raflatac.About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Airbag Market Share 2017 Global Industry Growth, Demand, Segment, Statistics & Forecast to 2022

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MarketStudyReport.com adds New Global Airbag Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 new report to its research database. The report spread across 121 pages with table and figures in it. The report provides information on Industry Trends, Demand, Top Manufacturers, Countries, Material and Application.Airbag is a soft pillow to land against in a crash. Airbags can inflate in less than a tenth of a second to protect people from the forces of a head-on collision. Since introduced in the early 1980s, airbags have saved thousands of lives. Now, airbag has been a necessary part of automotive.Request a Free sample PDF of this research to evaluate more @Scope of the Global Airbag Market Report:This report focuses on the Airbag in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, Global Airbag Market report covers as Autoliv, Takata, ZF TRW, Toyoda Gosei, KSS, Hyundai Mobis, Nihon Plast, Ashimori and East Joy Long.Global Airbag Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers: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).Global Airbag Market Segment by Type, covers as Driver Front Airbag, Passenger Front Airbag, Side Airbag, Knee Airbag and Other AirbagGlobal Airbag Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into: Passenger Vehicle and Commercial VehicleEnquire Discount on Global Airbag Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Airbag market.Chapter 1, to describe Airbag Market Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Airbag, with sales, revenue, and price of Airbag, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global Airbag market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Airbag, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to Airbag Industry analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the Airbag Market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Airbag market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Airbag Industry sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.For more information on this report, Please visit at:Related Reports: -Global Motorcycle Airbag Jacket Market 2017-2021The airbag technology has been existing since world war II. It has evolved as an efficient trend to save human lives. The airbag acts as a soft pillow that provides a cushion against the crash shocks (highly accelerated sudden movements). Airbags are gas-inflated cushions.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News:
Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market to rise US$4.26 bn by 2022

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market to rise US$4.26 bn by 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.With the increasing need for fuel energy, the worldwide oil and gas industry is witnessing a substantial rise, which, subsequently, is reflecting greatly on the global market for unmanned underwater vehicles market. The recent increase in exploration activities is fueling the demand for unmanned underwater vehicles remarkably across the world. This research report on the global unmanned underwater vehicles market presents a thorough analysis of the current scenario and the future status of this market. It consists of an elaborate executive summary, including a snapshot of the market that offers information regarding the performance of various market segments, bifurcated on the basis of the products, applications, propulsion systems, and the geography.The report includes a market overview section, in which a detailed qualitative assessment of the driving forces, limiting factors, opportunities, and challenges has been provided. This section also offers an assessment of the market attractiveness in terms of the geographical segmentation and the market share analysis, carried out on the basis of the key players, thus offering a thorough evaluation of the entire competitive scenario prevalent in this market. The market size, growth rate, availability of raw materials, profit margin, strength of the impact, competitive landscape, technology used, and various legal and environmental factors have also been evaluated here in a bid to determine the general attractiveness of this market. Further, an exhaustive analysis of the entire value chain for each of the segments have been carried out in this report. The value chain analysis offers an in-depth information about the value addition at every stage.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market: SegmentationIn this research report, the global unmanned underwater vehicles market has been evaluated on a number of parameters, such as the availability of products, their cost efficiency, and the preference for technological systems among end users. The market is broadly evaluated on the basis of the product, propulsion system, application, and its regional reach. Based on the product, the market has been classified into autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). By application, the market has been categorized into the defense sector, scientific research, and commercial exploration. On the basis of the propulsion system, the market has been segmented into mechanical systems, electrical systems, and hybrid systems.In terms of the geography, the worldwide market for unmanned underwater vehicles has been bifurcated into six main regions: North America (the U.S. and Canada), Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico), Europe (the U.K., Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and Nordic countries), Asia Pacific excluding Japan (India, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Australia, and Singapore), the Middle East and Africa (South Africa, Turkey, Israel, and GCC countries), and Japan. The market size and the prediction for each of these segments have been presented in this research report for the period from 2017 to 2022, along with their respective cumulative average growth rates for the period of the forecast.Browse TOC @Companies Mentioned in the ReportThe research report also reviews the profiles of the key players in the global market for unmanned underwater vehicles on the basis of various attributes, such as the overview of the company, its financial situation, product portfolio, the strategies adopted for business expansion, SWOT analysis, and the recent developments. The leading players reviewed in this market report are Subsea 7, Thales SA, Teledyne Gavia ehf, Boeing Co., Kongsberg Maritime AS, Oceaneering International Inc., General Dynamics Corp., Saab AB, Atlas Elektronik GMBH, and Lockheed Martin Corp.Table of Content1. Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market - Executive Summary2. Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market Overview2.1. Introduction2.1.1. Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market Taxonomy2.1.2. Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market Definition2.2. Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20222.2.1. Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market Y-o-Y Growth2.3. Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market Dynamics2.4. Supply Chain2.5. Cost Structure2.6. Pricing Analysis2.7. Raw Material Sourcing Strategy and Analysis2.8. List of Distributors2.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By Region3. Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market Analysis and Forecast By Product3.1. Global Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market Size and Forecast By Product, 2012-20223.1.1. AUV Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20223.1.1.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region3.1.1.2. Market Share Comparison, By Region3.1.1.3. Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By RegionAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
MATERIAL HANDLING COBOTS- Global Market 2017: Key Players Blue Ocean Robotics, Fanuc, KUKA

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In this report, the global Material Handling Cobots market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Material Handling Cobots for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGET SAMPLE REPORT @Global Material Handling Cobots market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Material Handling Cobots sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingABBAdept TechnologyBionic RoboticsBlue Ocean RoboticsFanucKUKARethink RoboticsScape TechnologiesUniversal RobotsRobotnik AutomationOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (Units), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoDual Arm ManipulatorSingle Arm ManipulatorOn 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 Material Handling Cobots for each application, includingAutomotive IndustryElectrical and Electronics IndustryChemical IndustryMachinery & Metal IndustryFood & Beverage IndustryTable of Content: Key PointsGlobal Material Handling Cobots Sales Market Report 20171 Material Handling Cobots Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Material Handling Cobots1.2 Classification of Material Handling Cobots by Product Category1.2.1 Global Material Handling Cobots Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Material Handling Cobots Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Dual Arm Manipulator1.2.4 Single Arm Manipulator1.3 Global Material Handling Cobots Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Material Handling Cobots Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Automotive Industry1.3.3 Electrical and Electronics Industry1.3.4 Chemical Industry1.3.5 Machinery & Metal Industry1.3.6 Food & Beverage Industry1.4 Global Material Handling Cobots Market by Region1.4.1 Global Material Handling Cobots Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Material Handling Cobots Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Material Handling Cobots Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Material Handling Cobots Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Material Handling Cobots Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Material Handling Cobots Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Material Handling Cobots Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Material Handling Cobots (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Material Handling Cobots Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Material Handling Cobots Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 Global Material Handling Cobots Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Material Handling Cobots Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Material Handling Cobots Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Material Handling Cobots Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Material Handling Cobots (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Material Handling Cobots Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Material Handling Cobots Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Material Handling Cobots (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Material Handling Cobots Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Material Handling Cobots Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global Material Handling Cobots (Volume) by Application.9 Global Material Handling Cobots Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data9.1 ABB9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.1.2 Material Handling Cobots Product Category, Application and Specification9.1.2.1 Product A9.1.2.2 Product B9.1.3 ABB Material Handling Cobots Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.2 Adept Technology9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.2.2 Material Handling Cobots Product Category, Application and Specification9.2.2.1 Product A9.2.2.2 Product B9.2.3 Adept Technology Material Handling Cobots Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.3 Bionic Robotics9.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.3.2 Material Handling Cobots Product Category, Application and Specification9.3.2.1 Product A9.3.2.2 Product B9.3.3 Bionic Robotics Material Handling Cobots Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.4 Blue Ocean Robotics9.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.4.2 Material Handling Cobots Product Category, Application and Specification9.4.2.1 Product A9.4.2.2 Product B9.4.3 Blue Ocean Robotics Material Handling Cobots Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.5 Fanuc9.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.5.2 Material Handling Cobots Product Category, Application and Specification9.5.2.1 Product A9.5.2.2 Product B9.5.3 Fanuc Material Handling Cobots Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.6 KUKA9.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and CompetitorsContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants analysis Pvt. 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Global Container Weighing System Market Will Grow At A CAGR Of 6.20% Between The Period 2017 - 2021

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Container Weighing System Market Will Grow At A CAGR Of 6.20% Between The Period 2017 - 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.Container weighing systems perfectly integrate the container load monitoring methodology and current container handling equipment to deliver accurate weight verification data as a part of their regular lift cycle within the terminals and the ports. Container weighing systems are being specifically developed to meet the International Maritime Organization's amendments to Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) safety guidelines. SOLAS delivers accurate weight verified data on the real-time basis, as a component of the port's regular container lifting cycle through rubber tire gantry or rail mount gantry.Technavios analysts forecast the global container weighing system market to grow at a CAGR of 6.20% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global container weighing system market for 2017-2021. The report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global Container Weighing System Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Key vendorsAvery Weigh-TronixConductix-WampflerMETTLER TOLEDORice Lake Weighing SystemsOther prominent vendorsBISONBrommaFairbanks ScalesFlintecFUTEK Advanced Sensor TechnologyHottinger Baldwin MesstechnikTamtronBrowse TOC @Market driverRising volume of international maritime tradeFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeVolatile steel pricesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendWeighing systems on reach stackersFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Micro Irrigation Systems Market Sprinklers to Remain Dominant

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The presence of a large pool of participants characterizes the competitive landscape of the global micro irrigation systems market. As the market faces intense competition, major players are focusing on innovations as well as the integration of latest technologies into their existent offerings in order to retain their position, finds Transparency Market Research.In the recent times, a number of leading companies have introduced advanced micro irrigation systems. For instance, Netafim launched its next-generation low-flow drippers and Toro introduced Aqua-Traxx Flow Control drip tape in 0.13 GPH emitter flow rate.Obtain Report Details:However, over the coming years, manufacturers will undertake strategic partnerships to expand their product portfolios as well as to increase their sales, notes TMR.Water Scarcity Provides Ground for Growth to Micro Irrigation SystemsMicro irrigation systems are widely recognized as one of the fast-emerging segments in the worldwide agriculture industry. The immense rise in the adoption of these systems is mainly attributed to the encouragement by various governments across the world.With water scarcity being a looming concern, micro irrigation can prove beneficial as it is capable of saving 50 to 60% of the ground water compared to other conventional irrigation practices.Consequently, governments in Asian and African countries, where water scarcity is severe, are offering subsidies over the installation costs of micro irrigation systems, prompting farmers to adopt these systems.Besides, farmers are also preferring micro irrigation systems over traditional ones as the former allow them to water plants evenly and when required, optimizing crop yields and improving their quality.Considering these factors, the future of the global micro irrigation systems market looks teeming with opportunities. However, the high cost associated with the installation and maintenance of these irrigation systems may limit their application to large-scale and corporate farming in the coming years.Make Enquiry @Sprinklers to Remain Dominant among Micro Irrigation Products, Europe to Lose Ground to Asia PacificAnalysts at TMR estimate the global opportunity in micro irrigation systems, which stood at US$2.6 bn in 2014, to expand at a CAGR of 15.10% during the period from 2015 to 2023 and possibly worth US$9.1 bn by the end of the forecast period.Currently, sprinklers dominate the market with a majority share and are expected to remain dominant in the near future. However, drip irrigation systems are poised to report their adoption at the fastest rate over the forecast period. While the demand for pumping units is the highest in the sprinkler segment, filters draw the maximum demand in the drip irrigation systems segment.Regionally, Europe led the global market with a revenue share of 32% in 2014. The region, however, will lose its ground to Asia Pacific in the coming years, thanks to the increasing involvement of technology in agriculture in countries such as Australia, China, India, and Japan.Get TOC @About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
STERLING MEDIAS GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR #WHATIREALLYREALLYWANT WINS THE "GRAND PRIX" ACCOLADE AT THE DRUM CREATIVE AWARDS 2017 & BEST FILM-ONLINE The award-winning global PR and viral campaign for the film #WhatIReallyReallyWant by Project Everyone, supported by Getty Images and SAWA and launched by the international communications agency Sterling Media, has ended the year on a high after being awarded the prestigious top accolade Grand Prix as well as the Film-Online award at the Drum Creative Awards 2017.



The awards took place on Thursday 30th November at the Emirates Stadium, London, and the glamorous ceremony and dinner recognised and celebrated the achievements of the digital and creative industry over the past year.



Sterling Media was shortlisted for the Film-Online category alongside several other innovative and creative online campaigns, but it was the iconic and inspirational #WhatIReallyReallyWant video that was honoured as the winning entry. This would not be the only award the film would win however, as at the climax of the ceremony, #WhatIReallyReallyWant was named the winner of the "Grand Prix". Selected by the judging panel, which included Kat Hann, Regional Head of Creative Shop, Facebook, this was the Drum Creative Awards highest honour. The campaign was praised by the judging panel for its powerful message and called it a perfect piece of advertising.



These awards are the consultancys latest accolades at the end of an incredibly successful 2017 for Sterling Media. The film #WhatIReallyReallyWant also recently received the Best Video/Video Website award at the Drum DADI Awards and Sterling Media was presented with an award at the British Media Awards for the film in May.



In September 2016, World Leaders marked the first anniversary of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. These Global Goals are a mighty plan to end poverty, fix climate change and address inequalities over the next 15 years, but they will only succeed if they address the needs of the most marginalised first, particularly those of girls and women. Issues like quality education, an end to violence, an end to child marriage and equal pay for equal work need to be at the top of every governments agenda in order to give the Goals the best possible start.



Founded by renowned filmmaker Richard Curtis for the United Nations and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Project Everyone launched the United Nations Global Goals signed by 193 world leaders at the UN General Assembly in September 2015. In 2016, Project Everyone, with partners from across the world, convened the first Global Goals campaign with a focus on fighting and achieving Goals which are salient, financed and focused on girls and women.



On the 20th anniversary of the release of the Spice Girls Wannabe video, an updated short version of the iconic track was launched, #WhatIReallyReallyWant, to mark twenty years of Girl Power. The film reflects the voices of girls and women all over the world telling world leaders what Goals they really really want to be achieved to help improve their lives. The campaign was supported by Getty Images and SAWA.



Sterling Media was engaged to launch and popularise the film globally, securing mass coverage in media in Europe, USA, India, the Far East, Australia and Africa. Sterling also secured talent such as Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who opens the film. The video received support from high profile personalities such as Spice Girls Victoria Beckham, Melanie C and Emma Bunton on Social Media, the public and international media to help it generate a staggering 150 million views online in just a few days of its launch. The video was the 3rd highest trending topic in UK on Facebook in the first 24 hours after release.



Discussing the extraordinary double win at the Drum Creative Awards, Natasha Mudhar said, We are honoured to have been awarded the Grand Prix and FilmOnline awards at the Drum Creative Awards. It is exciting to see #WhatIReallyReallyWant recognised alongside cutting edge online films of the creative industry.



The campaign received a spectacular response online, with the film receiving millions of views across social media platforms within hours. In the year since its debut, it is clear that the campaign #WhatIReallyReallyWant was meaningful and made an impact in spreading the message of female empowerment; it is rewarding to see its influence continue to be acknowledged.



Thank you to the Drum Creative Awards judges for honouring #WhatIReallyReallyWant for this great accolade.



Sterling Media is an international business and communications consultancy established in 1995 to represent countries, corporates, consumer brands, celebrities, charities, governments and thought-leaders. The company is recognised for being at the nexus of convening government, corporate, media, NGOs and celebrity, to help develop incisive business and communications strategies to bring clients closer to their purpose and ultimately the people they wish to reach. Sterlings other clients in the campaigning and advocacy sector include Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, UN Environment, Sabin Vaccine Institute, Global Open Data on Agriculture & Nutrition (GODAN) amongst others.



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Cardiac Pacemaker In Global Market: North America Regional Market to Register a Declining CAGR of 1.4 Between 2016 - 2024

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Cardiac Pacemaker In Global Market: North America Regional Market to Register a Declining CAGR of 1.4 Between 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.This report by Persistence Market Research (PMR) examines the global cardiac pacemaker market for the period 20162024. The primary objective of the report is to offer updates and information related to market opportunities in the Global Cardiac Pacemaker Market.The global cardiac pacemaker market report begins with an exhaustive executive summary giving the report data overview and the market taxonomy or segments covered in the report. It is followed by an overview of market dynamics of the global cardiac pacemaker market, which includes Persistence Market Research analysis of key trends, drivers, restraints and opportunities, and reimbursement scenario that is influencing the growth of the global cardiac pacemaker market. It also includes an insight into pricing of the products. Impact analysis of key growth drivers and restraints based on a weighted average model have been included in the global cardiac pacemaker market report after detailed analysis of individual regions to better equip readers with meaningful insights on ongoing developments in the market.Based on product type, the market has been segmented into implantable pacemaker and external pacemaker. Implantable pacemaker are further sub segmented into single chamber, dual chamber and biventricular pacemaker, all the three sub segment have exhibited a negative CAGR due to device malfunctioning. Further, based on end-user segmentation, hospitals segments are the most attractive segment for cardiac pacemaker market compared to ambulatory surgical centers as most of the pacemaker implants are performed in registered hospitals.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The next section of the report analyses cardiac pacemaker market by region and provides market outlook for 20162024. The report also analyses the impact of drivers and restraints in each region. Key regions assessed in this report include North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Middle East & Africa (MEA).The above sectionsby product type, end users, and regionevaluate the present scenario and growth prospects of the global cardiac pacemaker market for 20162024. We have considered 2015 as the base year and provided data for the forecast period, i.e., 20162024.In the final section of the report on the global cardiac pacemaker market, Competitive Landscape is included to provide report audiences with a dashboard view, based on categories of providers in the cardiac pacemaker market product portfolio and key differentiators. Key categories of providers covered in the report are pacemaker devices. This section is primarily designed to provide clients with an objective and detailed comparative assessment of key providers specific to a market segment in the cardiac pacemaker market value chain and the potential players for the same. Report audiences can gain segment-specific vendor insights to identify and evaluate key competitors based on in-depth assessment of capabilities and successes in cardiac pacemaker market.Browse TOC @Detailed profiles of the providers are also included in the scope of the report to evaluate their long- and short-term strategies, key offerings, SWOT analysis, and recent developments in the global cardiac pacemaker market.Key competitors covered in terms of manufacturers include Medtronics, St.Jude Medical Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, Lepu Medical Technology Co ltd., MEDICOWEB, Pacetronix ltd., LivaNova Plc., and Osypka Medical GmbH.Research methodologyTo ascertain cardiac pacemaker market size, we have also considered revenue generated by device manufacturers. The forecast presented here assesses the total revenue by value across the cardiac pacemaker market. In order to offer an accurate forecast, we started by sizing up the current market, which forms the basis of how the cardiac pacemaker market is expected to develop in the future. Given the characteristics of the market, we triangulated the outcome of three different types of analysis based on supply side, downstream industry demand, and the economic envelope.In addition, it is imperative to note that in an ever-fluctuating global economy, we not only conduct forecasts in terms of CAGR, but also analyze it based on key parameters such as year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth rates to understand the predictability of the market, and to identify the right opportunities across the cardiac pacemaker market.The cardiac pacemaker market segments in terms of product type, end users, and regions are analyzed in terms of Basis Point Share (BPS) to understand individual segments relative contributions to market growth. This detailed level of information is important for identifying various key trends in the cardiac pacemaker market.To understand key growth segments in terms of growth and adoption for pacemaker implant globally, Persistence Market Research has developed the cardiac pacemaker market Attractiveness Index. The resulting index is expected to help providers identify real market opportunities.Company ProfilesBIOTRONIK SE & Co. KGBoston Scientific CorporationMedtronicSt. Jude Medical Inc.LivaNova PLC.lepumedical.comOsypka Medical GmbHPacetronix.comMEDICOWEBOthers.About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Precision Medicine Markets Lead to Remain Unchallenged throughout 2016 - 2024

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Precision medicine is an upcoming disease treatment approach which is devised based on individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person. Often the term is used interchangeably with personalized medicine, however, precision medicine is not the same as simple individualized medicine, but rather a medicine mode which combines standardization with individualization.The benefit rendered by such a treatment approach is the accurate prediction of the treatment and prevention strategies for a particular disease will work in particular groups of people. The standard medicines available in the market, often present the limitation of a one-size fits-all approach, which may not be suitable for every individual due to genetic differences. Precision medicine is an answer to this limitation.Report Overview and TOC @Precision medicine is a completely new concept and technology which has been gaining momentum in the past few years, and by doing so, has become a promising domain for business investment for major pharmaceutical companies. Precision medicine makes possible the diagnosis and treatment of diseases by relying on genomics and specific biomarker techniques.A precision based approach to formulating medicine could lead to new insights into disease biology and occurrence whose applications may be population wide. By doing so it is likely to be easier for doctors to select the right drugs, optimal dose and time for medicine usage along with the least side effect. The enhancement in popularity of precision medicine in the recent past can be gauged by the increase in research pertaining to precision medicine during the past few years. For instance, in 2015, there were 1737 papers with the term precision medicine on Pubmed versus just a single paper mentioning precision medicine in 2005.Request brochure @Moreover, rising awareness regarding the benefits of adapting to precision medicine as promoted by the Precision Medicine Initiative by President Obama in January 2015. The overall market for precision medicine shall be driven by increase in research, coupled with unmet needs in several diseases, especially oncology. The market growth shall be bolstered by favorable government regulations and support, especially in developed countries. However, the high cost of these therapies is anticipated to restrain market growth.The market for precision medicine has been segmented on the basis of type of technology, application and geography. Based on type of technology, the market has been segmented into drug discovery, companion diagnostics, sequencing, bio-informatics and big data analytics. The companion diagnostics and drug discovery segments are anticipated to lead the market in terms of revenue share owing to a greater utilization rate of these technologies in congruence with precision medicine.For Specific and Customized requirements @For instance, in 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new cystic fibrosis medication called Kalydeco (ivacaftor). The approval of Kalydeco was noteworthy since it was a precision medicine based approach which targeted one of the causal genetic mutations of the disease rather than a more traditional approach focused on symptom relief.Based on application, the market has been segmented into oncology, hematology, Infectious disease, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology and others. The others segment includes ophthalmology, nephrology, rare diseases and pulmonary diseases). The oncology segment is anticipated to witness high revenue share owing to the rise in cancer incidence, prevalence and suitability of precision medicine for the same.Patients with several forms of cancer, such as breast, lung, and colorectal cancers, as well as leukemias and melanomas, regularly undergo molecular testing as part of patient care and treatment regime, and this enables physicians to select treatments that increase chances of survival at the same time reducing exposure to adverse side effects.Based on geography, the market has been segmented into the following regions: North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to be the leading markets in the precision medicine market, owing to greater adoption to leading edge technologies coupled with a favorable legal environment created through grants and initiatives by the government.For instance, in January 2015, the President of the U.S., Mr. Barrack Obama launched the Precision medicine initiative which included an increased funding request of US$ 215 million in the 2016 federal budget. Moreover, initiatives for precision medicine research and its implementation are already underway at major centers in the U.S., which shall fuel the market growth in the region. For instance, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Boston Childrens Hospital, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard formed the Joint Center for Precision Cancer Medicine. This collaboration aims to create precision medicine pathways for patients with advanced cancers, thus enabling the fast development of personalized therapies.The major players operating in the precision medicine market include F-Hoffmann La Roche, Pfizer, Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals, Novartis AG, Qiagen, Inc., Medtronic, Illumina, Inc. and Quest Diagnostics.Pre Book full report @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Financial Services Cybersecurity Systems and Services Market: Rise in Cyber Theft to Bolster Growth The global financial services cybersecurity systems and services market is prophesied to up its growth in the near future with the surge in the successfulness and sophistication of cybercrimes against banks, retail chains, and financial services enterprises.



Millions of customer payment cards and bank records are compromised till this date, which calls for a burning need to implement effective financial services cybersecurity systems and services. From market drivers and inhibitors, the report provides a detail account of market size, current pipeline technologies, and crucial business prospects.



According to the statistics of Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global financial services cybersecurity systems and services market is estimated to earn an approximately US$24.3 bn by the end of 2022 from US$12.5 bn in 2017. Between the forecast years, the market could expand at a 14.1% CAGR.



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Mobile Enterprise Management at the Helm of Market with Leading Share



As per the analysis of the publication, the international financial services cybersecurity systems and services market could witness the dominance of the mobile enterprise management segment by solution and services. By 2022 end, mobile enterprise management is expected to clasp a share of 19.5%.



Other classifications of the market according to this category could be endpoint security, identity and access management, mobile security, security information and event management, content security, data loss prevention (DLP), datacenter security, and firewall.



By end user, the international financial services cybersecurity systems and services market is anticipated to be grouped into banking, insurance, credit unions, stock brokerages, stock exchange, investment funds, consumer financing services, payment card and mobile payment services, and government-related financial services.



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North America in Commanding Position with High Revenue Growth



On the basis of geography, the world financial services cybersecurity systems and services market is projected to be classified into regions such as the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific except Japan (APEJ), Europe, Latin America, and North America and countries such as Japan.



Out of these geographical markets, North America could take the drivers seat while expanding at a 15.8% CAGR. The attractiveness of this regional market could continue to reign until the end of the forecast period.



Europe and Japan could be among the fairly rising markets for financial services cybersecurity systems and services, whereas APEJ is envisaged to lose 86 BPS in its share by 2022 over 2017.



Some of the leading industry players in the worldwide financial services cybersecurity systems and services market could be Experian Information Solutions, Inc., Accenture PLC., Agiliance, Inc., IBM Corporation, and Airbus SE.



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Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.



Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.



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Home Healthcare Market Comprehensive Analysis & Global Forecast to 2022

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Market Research Future Published Analysis report on Home Healthcare Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2022  Market Trends, Scope, Stake, Progress, Analysis and Forecast to 2022.Home healthcare market information, by type (products, services, solutions), by application (wound care, patient education, nutrition therapy, monitoring, others) - Forecast to 2022Market Synopsis of Home healthcare Market:Market Scenario:Home healthcare services provides extensive variety of healthcare benefits that can be given in a patient for an injury or illness that he/she is suffering from at the comfort of his/her home. Home healthcare services are usually less expensive, more helpful and as effective as you will get by doctors or skilled nursing facility.The report for home healthcare market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regionsGet a Copy of Sample Report @Key Players for Home healthcare Market:Some of the key players in this market are: Johnson & Johnson, Omron Healthcare, Philips, McKesson, Roche, HTL Strefa, BD, Sarstead AG, eCaring, Kindred at Home, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, GE Healthcare Interim HealthCare Inc., Linde Group (Healthcare) and others.Segments:Home healthcare market has been segmented on the basis of type which comprises of products, services, solutions and others. On the basis of applications, the market is segmented into wound care, patient education, nutrition therapy, monitoring and others.Regional Analysis of Home healthcare Market:Globally North America is the largest market for home healthcare. Europe is expected to be the second-largest market. Whereas Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market for home healthcare.Study objectives of home healthcare market:Providing detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the home healthcare market. Providing insights about factors affecting the market growth. Analyzing the market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters Five Force Analysis etc. Providing past and future revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa. Providing country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future market growth. vnGiving country level analysis of the market for segments by type, by applications and its sub-segments. Giving an overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies as well as giving detail about the present competitors of the market. Tracking and analyzing competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, research and developments in the global home healthcare market.Browse Full Report Details @ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Global Home Healthcare Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2022chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Diabetes and Obesity Drugs Market to 2022 - Insulins and GPCRs Retain Commercial Prominence, While High Unmet Need Remains in Weight Loss Treatment

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Diabetes and Obesity Drugs Market to 2022 - Insulins and GPCRs Retain Commercial Prominence, While High Unmet Need Remains in Weight Loss Treatment" to its huge collection of research reports.Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels) that results from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetic patients is associated with long-term damage, dysfunction and failure of multiple organs, including the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels. The vast majority of diabetes mellitus patients can be classified as having either type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Obesity, meanwhile, is defined as abnormal or excessive body fat accumulation that presents a risk to health.A current global rise in T2DM prevalence is intrinsically linked with the current global rise in obesity. The rapidly increasing global obesity prevalence has resulted in it being considered a global epidemic, and there is a vast and growing global patient population potentially requiring pharmacotherapeutic treatment.Historically anti-obesity therapeutics have been out of favor due to safety concerns. Both diabetes and obesity products are commonly associated with cardiovascular adverse events, and this is further compounded by concerns relating to cancer development through long-term usage of anti-obesity products. This has resulted in an unmet need for products with favorable safety and efficacy profiles, particularly in the case of obesity.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The market size for the diabetes and obesity disease cluster is set to increase considerably, driven by the success of a number of T2DM pipeline products, and a rapidly expanding global patient population. However, obesity pipeline activity is set to remain markedly low, despite a patient population of epidemic proportions.ScopeWhat are the current treatment options for diabetes and obesity?What are the common molecular targets of pipeline therapies, and how strongly do they overlap with the current market?Will the pipeline address unmet needs such as a lack of safe treatment options for diabetes and obesity patients?Which late-stage pipeline products are likely to impact the current market?How are revenues of key companies, targets and molecule types anticipated to change over the forecast period?Which companies are anticipated to be the most prominent players over the next seven years?How do licensing and co-development deals compare between diabetes and obesity?Browse TOC @Reasons To BuyUnderstand the current clinical and commercial landscape by considering disease pathogenesis, diagnosis, prognosis, and the treatment options available at each stage of diagnosis, including a clinical comparison of marketed therapies.Visualize the composition of the diabetes and obesity market in terms of the clinical and commercial standing of current dominant therapies. Unmet needs are highlighted to allow a competitive understanding of gaps in the current market.Analyze the diabetes and obesity pipeline and stratify pipeline therapies by stage of development, molecule type and molecular target. There is a strong contrast in the amount of pipeline activity for diabetes and obesity.Analyze how individual company, molecule type and molecular target revenues are anticipated to change over the forecast period, highlighting prominent companies and the most promising molecule types and targets.Identify which companies are the current key players for the disease cluster, and how this pattern is anticipated to change over the forecast period.Identify commercial opportunities in the diabetes and obesity deals landscape by analyzing trends in licensing and co-development deals by stage of development, molecule type and molecular target.About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
North America Silo Bags Market Forecast To Reach Nearly Us$ 51 Mn In 2024, Registering A CAGR Of 4.8% During The Forecast Period

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "North America Silo Bags Market Forecast To Reach Nearly Us$ 51 Mn In 2024, Registering A CAGR Of 4.8% During The Forecast Period" to its huge collection of research reports.The need for a cost-efficient solution for storage of grains and animal fodder has led to extensive preference for silo bags among farmers in the U.S. and Canada. The North America silo bags market is expected to witness healthy growth rate owing to small farmers demanding silo bags for short-term and affordable packaging and storage purposes. Silo bags, also known as harvest grain bags are used as an alternative storage system for grains such as wheat, corn, maize, sorghum, etc. in order to fulfil shortage of cattle fodder during dry seasons. The North America silo bags market is expected to create good opportunities for suppliers, distributors and manufacturers operating in the market.Revenue generated from the North America silo bags market is estimated to touch nearly US$ 34 Mn in 2017 and is forecast to reach nearly US$ 51 Mn in 2024, registering a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period. In terms of volume, the North America silo bags market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.4% to reach 62,700 units by 2026.Factors fuelling the demand for silo bags in the North America regionRising demand for convenience packaging among new generation farmers has compelled the manufacturers of silo bags to innovate in terms of optimum space requirements, storage efficiency, high performance and flexible plastic sheets. A growing trend among manufacturers and suppliers of silo bags in North America is to leverage the changing demographics of farmer size. Manufacturers are increasingly addressing the demand from small farmers who prefer silo bags over capital intensive silo systems for storage purposes. Farmers with very short-term storage requirements prefer renting or leasing silo bags as silo bags have good reusability and longer product life.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The North America silo bags market is characterised by substantial consolidation among market players. In order to expand their market presence and strengthen order fulfilling capacity, large players are strategically acquiring smaller manufacturers to serve a broader customer base.Restraints limiting the growth of the North America silo bags marketStringent guidelines issued by regulating authorities concerning food and environment have consequential implications on the silo bags market in North America. Stringent FDA regulations regarding the use of harmful chemical substances, and also various regulations for specific thickness, length and breadth for manufacturing of silo bags has led to market preference for alternative environment friendly products.North America Silo Bags Market Forecast, by Application, 2016-2026Browse TOC @Among all applications of silo bags, grains is predicted to be an attractive segment for investment during the forecast periodBy application, the North America silo bags market can be segmented into grains, forages, fertilisers, dried fruits and others. The demand for silo bags is prominently for storage of grains, which is estimated to constitute over 60% of the North America silo bags market.Grains storage is expected to be a highly attractive packaging type among silo bags manufacturers due to its wide usage by farmers. The Forages segment is likely to maintain its market share with a steady rise in CAGR over the forecast period.Increasing production of crops likely to lead to the adoption of silo bags in the North America regional marketThe silo bags market, which saw evolution and growth in the Latin America market, is now gaining substantial footprint in the North America market. With boom in crop production across the North America region, farmers in the U.S and Canada will invest in on-farm storage means, such as silo bags, for temporary and affordable storage of forage, grains and other produce. The North America market for silo bags will witness healthy growth of 1.6X owing to convenient packaging solutions demanded by small farmers as an alternative to large silo systems. The market will also witness additional growth prospects due to affordable silo bags being made available through lease and rentals.About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Laundry Care Market Research Report by Key Players Analysis 2027

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A new report published by Future Market Insights titled Laundry Care Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012  2016) and Opportunity Assessment (2017  2027) studies the performance of the global laundry care market over a 10 year assessment period from 2017 to 2027. The report presents the value and volume forecast of the global laundry care market and provides key insights into the factors driving market growth as well as the factors restricting market growth. The estimates point to a revenue growth from about US$ 75,580 Mn in 2017 to nearly US$ 126,990 Mn by 2027 end, resulting in a CAGR of 5.3% over the forecast period.Request For Report Sample:The report segments the global laundry care market on the basis of product type (fabric softeners, laundry detergents, others), on the basis of source type (synthetic, organic, others), on the basis of form type (powder, cake/block, liquid, others) and on the basis of distribution channel (wholesaler/distributors, supermarket/hypermarket, convenience Stores, ecommerce, grocery stores, others).Future Market Insights tracks the performance of the global laundry care market across the key geographies of North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East and Africa. As per the forecast of Future Market Insights, the Asia Pacific excluding Japan market is estimated to be valued at US$ 20,599.8 Mn in the year 2017 and is slated to reach a value of US$ 35,809.5 Mn in the year 2017, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.7% during the assessment period. The Western Europe market is estimated to be valued at US$ 15,727.1 Mn in the year 2017 and is poised to reach a value of US$ 26,699.4 Mn in the year 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.4% during the assessment period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):The report has included some of the key players operating in the global laundry care market such as Procter & Gamble Co., Unilever PLC, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, Amway Corporation, Kao Corporation, S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., LG Household & Health Care Ltd., Golrang Industrial Group, Lion Corporation, Church & Dwight Co., Inc. and Alicorp S.A.A. among others. The market for laundry care is highly lucrative which is dominated by various local and international players. Thus, to compete in the market companies are adopting various differential strategies to enhance their market position such as frequently launch of laundry products with multi-functional features.Browse Premium Industry Research Report with Analysis:ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT US:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs Market Overview  Key Futuristic Trends and Opportunities 2022

Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs Market

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QY Research Groups has published its new and latest market report based on thorough research on the Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs Market. This detailed, all-inclusive report renders an integrated approach to growth of the market along with an elaborate and accurate analysis of the complete competitive situation of this market on a global level with the key market trends and newest technologies, being a major part in the markets growth during the estimated period. Besides the current analytical and statistical account, the report cloaks the trends, market drivers, challenges, potential opportunities, which have an effect on the market.This market report discusses the present situation to predicted trends and aspects of the Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs Market. Furthermore, it gives a dynamic overview and insights related to the market at both global as well as regional scale.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Analysis of Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs Industry Key Manufacturers:PfizerNovartisAstraZenecaEli LillyMerckNovo NordiskSanofiF. Hoffmann-La RocheTakeda PharmaceuticalsSun PharmaPerle BiosciencesArbutus BiopharmaBelrose PharmaMitsubishi Tanabe PharmaDong-A STEisaiGlobally, the healthcare industry is garnering more attention in the last few years with new and latest technologies emerging. The prevalence of increasing diseases and rising awareness and concerns pertaining to the health are elements being contributive factors to revenue generation and overall growth of the healthcare sector and its associated industries. Escalated use of new inventions, and enhanced technologies along with ascending rate of investments in R&D, are encouraging the scope of the market and revenue growth of the global market.Distinguishing the increasing predominance of Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs Market, this market research report demonstrates to be a key source of management and thorough data on the market across the globe. In order to strategize the outlook and prospects, this report assesses the current market status along with the altering trends in the market. It is a methodical research depending on the market and examines the competitive framework of the global Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs Market industry. Comprehensive information attained from trusted sources from the industry and via proven research methodological analysis, this report gives the 360 degree data on this market. The report features market figures, graphs, and data and renders a superior level strategic plan of the global market.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Several acknowledgeable tools based on analysis have been put to use to render an in-depth evaluation of the market. The report cloaks every aspect of the global market for Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs. Starting from basic ground-level information to advanced market segmentation and classification depending on separate criteria. It studies the prime segments and the regional segregation of the market and assists in establishing the future of the market in the global arena.Prime countries, regions, and sub-sectors have been studied for giving improved knowledge of the market scope across the globe. The market report classifies the market by assessing the manufacturing chain, market manufacturers and their contribution in the industry, dominant policies and revenue structure, and regulatory aspects. The geographical markets of the Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs Market are thoroughly examined by assessing the profits garnered, product pricing, demand, logistics, production capacity, and supply, along with past performance of the market in the said region.The report renders penetrates into the competitive landscape of the global market industry along with major manufacturers profiled in the report. The Diabetic Therapeutic Drugs Market is extremely competitive and regulated. Lastly, trends, plans, company profiles, business strategies, M & As, financial metrics and strategically business planning of the leading market players in the global market of this industry have been analyzed in this study.Check for Discount @About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on Global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Email- sales@qyresearchgroups.comWeb-
Photo Printing Market Estimated to Flourish by 2026

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Future Market Insights recent report predicts a very unavailing future for the global photo printing & merchandise market. Above factors have been compiled in the report to define the dynamics of global market for photo printing & merchandise. Based on these, the US$ 16.8 Bn market for photo printing & merchandise will see a decelerated revenue growth at 2.6% CAGR, bringing in just over US$ 21.7 Bn by the end of 2026. Future Market Insights projects that in the ten-year forecast period, photo printing & merchandise worth a little less than US$ 5 Bn will be sold across the globe. The report also highlights trends which will, in one way or another, boost the sluggish adoption of photo printing among digital age consumers.Firstly, manufacturers of photo printing merchandise are expected to maintain more focus on introducing kiosks for increasing marketing exposure. Companies like Fujifilm Group have already deployed their SmartPix photo kiosks across various commercial settings such as supermarkets, malls and camera shops, and have also augmented them with enhanced connectivity features. Instating NFC capabilities in photo printing kiosks can be also observed as another promising opportunity for manufacturers to generate interest among customers towards conventional photo printing.Request For Report Sample:Although, almost half of global photo printing & merchandise revenues are likely to be coming from online sales. While instant kiosks account for less than 10% of the market value, online distribution of photo printing & merchandise will bringing more than US$ 12.2 Bn revenues through 2026. Meanwhile, distribution of photo printing & merchandise through retail channels will be scaling down rigorously, exhibiting a negative 1.6% CAGR during the forecast period.The report has analysed that in 2016, an estimated one-third of global photo printing & merchandise revenues emanated from sales of film printing. This indicates that a majority of consumers are preferring digital printing merchandise. Also, over the forecast period, the report projects an impressive growth in demand for mobile application-based photo printing. Desktop applications are expected to lose out to mobile applications as this mode of printing is projected to register a comparatively faster revenue growth at 4.9% CAGR.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):The report also predicts fastest revenue growth in the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan region  3.9% CAGR. North America is also expected to dominate with nearly one-fourth stake in global revenues, although the region is likely to lose out its presence beyond 2020. Leading manufacturers of photo printing & merchandise, profiled in the report, include Sanpfish, Eastman Kodak Company, Cimpress NV, Bay Photo Inc., Digitalab, AdoramaPix LCC, Shutterfly, Inc., and Mpix.Browse Premium Industry Research Report with Analysis:ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT US:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Bio-Implants Market 2015-2025 Shares, Trend and Growth Report

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An implant is a medical device which replaces, supports or enhances a missing, damaged or existing biological structure. An implant is man-made device which is inserted into the human body cavity. Bio-implants are made from biological cells which are compatible with the human body cells. For instance, bio-implants are used in the treatment of skin burns or sores caused by surgeries. Eye bio-implants are used in the treatment of cornea sores or chemical damages in the eye.Bio-implants Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe advantage of bio-implants over the conventional forms of implants is that bio-implants is a fast method of treatment with negligible complications. The bio-implant owing to its nature builds into the human body organ naturally. The bio-implants are similar in morphology to the original human body tissue. Bio-implants do not necessarily need incisions but bio-implants are pressed through the human body organ. Bio-implants provide lifetime guarantee and heal the human body organ rapidly. However, high treatment costs and reimbursement issues are the factors that could hamper the growth of the global bio-implants market. The bio-implant approvals are regulated by a large number of laws which could act as a hurdle in the global bio-implants market due to this time consuming approval process.Read Report Overview@Bio-implants Market: SegmentationThe global bio-implants market is classified on the basis of type of implant, therapeutic area and geography.Based on type of implant, the global bio-implants market is segmented into the following:AllograftAutograftXenograftBased on therapeutic area, the global bio-implants market is segmented into the following:OrthopedicsDentalOphthalmicOthersBio-implants Market: OverviewThe global bio-implants market is forecast to witness significant growth rates due to the rapidly improving healthcare infrastructure in developed as well as developing regions. The increasing prevalence of chronic health disorders especially in the aging population coupled with rising disposable incomes is expected to propel the growth of the global bio-implants market. The geriatric population is expected to double in 2030 as compared to 2010. This is a major factor that is expected to determine the growth of dental bio-implants and orthopedic bio-implants. The dental therapeutic area subsegment is estimated to account for a significant share in the global bio-implants market. By therapeutic area, orthopedics is the key growth subsegment in the global bio-implants market which is projected to register a high CAGR among other subsegments during the forecast period.Request Sample Report@Bio-implants Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic regions, global bio-implants market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the largest market for bio-implants in terms of revenue due to the large number of players in bio-implants and strong healthcare infrastructure. Europe is the second largest bio-implant market owing to the technological advancements in healthcare and considerably high geriatric population in the region. North America and Europe together account for a major share in the global bio-implants market. The MEA region has witnessed mass productions of bio-implants in diverse therapeutic areas which makes the MEA a potential bio-implant market. Also, the bio-implants in MEA bio-implant market are cheaper as compared to the global prices and are able to meet domestic demand.Bio-implants Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players identified in global bio-implants market are LifeNet Health, Arthrex, Inc., Clinic Lemanic, Nobel Biocare Services AG, Osprey Biomedical Corporation, Alpha Bio Tec, MiMedx Group, Inc to name a few. The global bio-implants market players are involved in collaborations, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions in order to enhance product development process and expand the global bio-implant footprint.Buy Bio-Implants Market Research Report@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite :
Market Research on Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices Market 2015 and Analysis to 2025

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Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery is performed to treat disease occurring in various parts of brain, spinal cord or skull base through a small opening. Diseased area may require repair, removal and in the worst cases replacement which is being done through neurosurgery. Neurosurgical device used for the visualization purpose inside the human brain or spinal cord is known as Endoscope which is kind of a small microscope inserted through minimal invasion. Endoscope helps in magnifying critical anatomical structure and assist the surgeon in the treatment. Endoscopic neurosurgery requires minimal incision thus it is also known as Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery. Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery avoids complication post-surgery, leads to faster recovery, minimal scarring/pain and high accuracy. Recent advancement in endoscope design produced endoscopes that are compact, more efficient with improved resolution and better illumination than the earlier devices.Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices Market: Drivers & RestraintsMinimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market is probably the last speciality to move to minimally invasive because of the complexity involved in the surgery however due to continuous advancement in medical technology for the treatment of neurological disorders have raised the demand of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices. Rise in the ageing population leading to increase in the incidence of neurological disorders are some major factors driving the growth of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market. More awareness amongst the surgeons is helping the market to dwell in developed countries however the market of developed countries are more or less saturated and have a limited growth opportunity as compared to developing countries especially Asia Pacific countries where due to large population the market growth can be significant in the upcoming years. Lack of skilled professionals in the developing countries and poor or unstable reimbursement regulations are hampering the growth of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices in developing countries.Read Report Overview@Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices Market: SegmentationMinimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market is classified on the basis of product type, surgery type and geography.Based on product type, the global Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market is segmented into the following:Fiber optic cablesMiniature video cameras (Endoscopes)Special surgical instrumentsExternal video monitorsBased on surgery type, the global Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market is segmented into the following:Intracranial SurgeryEndonasal NeurosurgerySpinal SurgeryMinimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices Market: OverviewMinimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices is a growing market due to various benefits offered like less recovery time, shortened hospital stay, greater accuracy, less pain and muscle sparring which is making minimally invasive neurosurgery a preferred option for the medical practitioners and surgeons. Proliferation of joint ventures and cross utilization of technology in minimally invasive surgical devices market is a plus for different market players as they dont have to invest much on the research and development of different types of products. Introduction of robotic devices to perform the surgery is an alternative for better outcomes and increased accuracy.Request Sample Report@Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic regions, global Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the leading region in Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market due to the high volumes of surgical procedures being performed. Also, the availability of established healthcare infrastructure, high contribution of healthcare to economy, patient compliance are the reasons for the high demand in North America. Europe has the second largest Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market due to vast technological advancement in terms of healthcare sector. Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at a good rate as compared to NA and Europe as there is ample market opportunity in countries like India and China.Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players in global Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market are Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG, Olympus Corporation, Conmed Corporation, Richard Wolf GmbH, Boston Scientific Inc., Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation, Aesculap Division, Smith & Nephew Plc, Medtronic and NICO Corp. to name a few.Buy Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices Market Research Report@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite :
Worldwide Business Survey: Alcohol Based Flavors Market Size & Share, Analysis, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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The report analyzes and presents an overview of "Alcohol Based Flavors Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" worldwide.The objectives of this study are as follows:To define, describe, and forecast the "Alcohol Based Flavors" market by type, application, component, delivery model, end user, and regionTo provide detailed information regarding major factors influencing market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges)To analyze micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall marketTo analyze opportunities in the market for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape for market leadersTo forecast the market size of market segments with respect to the four key regions: North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW)Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Market Introduction:Alcohol-based flavors are those type of flavor which contains alcohol in some amount. In alcohol-based flavor, alcohol acts as a carrier where another flavor is blended in it. Mostly, the alcohol-based flavors are used in the bakery & dessert products such as cakes, biscuits, rum balls etc. The alcohol-based flavors and concentrates are predominantly used in chocolate pralines and are used to flavor chocolates, cakes and in the fine bakery. The alcohol-based flavors are also known as spirits and distillates and are less viscose than alcohol-based concentrates.Market Segmentation:The alcohol-based flavors product market is segmented on the basis of flavor, end user, and region. On the basis of flavor the market is segmented into the classic flavor, fruit flavor, spice, and herbs flavor and others. Among all these segment fruit flavors is expected to grow enormously in the coming future, followed by the classic flavor segment. Moreover, the classic flavor can be sub-segmented into the coffee flavor, chocolate flavor and vanilla flavor, whereas the fruit flavor can be sub-segmented into the lemon flavor, orange flavor, and berry flavor. On the basis of end use the alcohol-based flavors market is segmented into the chocolate industry, bakery industry, food, and beverage industry and others.Market Regional Outlook:A regional segment for the market of alcohol-based flavors is divided into five different regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and MEA. Among these segment, Europe is expected to have the major market share globally, as it is the largest producer and consumer of alcohol-based flavors products. In Asia-Pacific region, the countries like China and Australia are generating the major revenue. While Asia-Pacific region is estimated to account the highest CAGR, owing to a larger consumer base, combined with a higher number of retail outlets than any other region. The Latin America market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period, but are anticipated to account for a lower growth rate than the Asia-Pacific region, owing to a greater number of emerging economies in Asia-Pacific.View Report @Market Drivers:According to the recent past activities in various regions in the world, it can be concluded that consumption of alcohol or alcohol-based products has become an accompaniment for a number of reasons such as celebrations, commiserations, the end of the working day, and others. In many developed regions such as Europe, Canada, the U.S., alcohol is a socially accepted part of their daily life. Younger population of the world is influenced by their peer group or peer thinking, which is a factor driving the growth of the alcohol-based market. Changing lifestyles, an influence of social media and Internet, increasing social parties, adolescents with high social network influence, greater family incomes, and others have easier access to alcoholic drinks and alcoholic products, which is also driving demand for alcohol. Moreover, globally, the gender gap in terms of alcohol consumption is closing as there is increasing acceptance of female drinking in the societal norms. Because of all these factors, people are attracted towards alcohol and alcohol-based products, which is driving the growth of the alcohol-based flavor market and this is expected to continue over the forecast period. According to WHO, in 2015, the worldwide consumption of alcoholic beverages was around 8.13 liters of pure alcohol per person, who were above 15 years of age. The highest consumption level was mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere and also in the areas of Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. Spending on R&D is increasing, as global alcohol products manufacturers are now facing competition from the regional players. The pace at which new technologies are impacting the food and beverage sector is high, and it has become necessary for manufacturers to increase the speed and scale of their R&D efforts. Many flavor manufacturing companies are shifting their R&D activities away from their headquarters. It is expected that focus on R&D will increase over the forecast period, as companies are expected to offer products that are better than its rivals. Manufacturers of alcohol-based products are also focused on the positioning their brands better, to improve its sales. As manufacturers are focusing towards the research and development of their products, they are innovating new flavors and alcohol-based beverages for consumers.Market Key Players:Some of the key players in alcohol based flavors Market are Givaudan SA, Dohler GmbH, Kerry Group plc, Firmenich International SA, Symrise AG, Sensient Flavors International, Inc., and Frutarom Industries Ltd. among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request For Enquiry @ The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Check Discount @Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales Market 2017 Top Players-Aricent Inc, Agilent Technologies, Broadcom, Bosch

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The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. Whats more, the Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Get Free Request Sample@This Global Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales report represents the mainly focused key purposes, which includes various tasks such as to identify, predict, and explain the global market. The markets which are based on the several aspects such as solution, organization size, service, deployment mode, vertical and region have been thoroughly studied. Every sub-segment has been deliberately scrutinized by through this report to concern the growth trends of individual, future prospects and the contribution in the global market.The Global Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales Market Report features as follows:The market definition that helps to understand the market background fall the entities which the Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales market majorly deals with. Market has been well segmented in the broad way to help analyzing the market well.The report also includes the market sub-segments in addition to perform the better analysis. The segment and sub-segment are contributed and coupled with the segments popularity.The next part of the report discloses the contributing factors in the market development are included. The present and the future market trends have been summarized to enable the market players for making smart decisions in maintaining the competitive edge.The leading companies in the Global Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales Market mentioned in the report:AcomeAricent IncAgilent TechnologiesAISIN AW Co LtdAnalog DevicesBroadcomBoschDaimler AGFreescaleHarmanNXPRenault SAOther points covered in report are as follows:The Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales report doesnt only provides the whole details of key drivers but also the restraining market factors. The currently availed opportunities of the Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales market are explained along with future avenues. The quantitative analysis and the future evaluation of Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales market through 2011 - 2022 have been included in the report.Get Full Report Sample@For consideration, the various research methods were reviewed while performing the data collection for this market research report. Also the top-down and bottom-up approaches are used for data analysis.Porters Five Forces model and the SWOT analysis of the Next Generation In-Vehicle Networking (IVN) Sales industry are used to illustrate the market potentials of the leading manufacturers.About Fior MarketsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Fior Markets provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gaps.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerOffice-102, Sanskriti AspirationsBaner Road, Pune,MH 411045IndiaPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:
Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps (LRVP) Market Poised to Rake US$ 2,871.3 Mn Through 2024

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Global LRVP market will witness promising growth in the first half of the forecast period (5.5% CAGR), which will incur a slight dip post-2020, (4.9% CAGR). However, the overall CAGR of the market estimated for 2016-2024 is estimated at 5.2%. Research Analyst, Industrial Automation Domain, Persistence Market ResearchAccording to Global Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps Market Industry Analysis and Forecast 2016-2024, the global liquid ring vacuum pumps market will reach US$ 2,871.3 Mn by the end of the forecast period.Regional analysis indicates that the US$ 535 Mn North American market will rule the roost with an estimated 6% CAGR over 2016-2024. Towards the close of 2024, this region is expected to attain revenues worth US$ 851.1 Mn. Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific are identified to be the next key markets for LRVP. North America, Europe, and APAC will collectively hold a whopping 75% share of the total market size in 2024.A sample of this report is available upon request @In developing economies within Asia Pacific, leading LRVP manufacturers are tackling the competitive pricing issue in order to deliver customer-centric products. Moreover, China and India host a swelling number of small manufacturers specifically serving pharma and chemical process industries. These factors will play a vital role in pushing the sales of liquid ring vacuum pumps in near future within Asian markets. Reaching a value beyond US$ 504 Mn, APAC market is likely to expand at a moderate CAGR of 5.3% over 2016-2024.LRVP market expanding at the backdrop of a slew of factorsIncreasing demand from oil & gas, and power industriesGrowing preference for high capacity-high cost liquid ring vacuum pumpsExtending applications in chemical and general process industriesConstant innovation by manufacturersStrict EPA regulationsPromising emergence of low water consuming pumpsBurgeoning M&A between key playersLucrative opportunities in Asia countriesSegment analysis: Consumption by oil & gas segment crossing US$ 931 Mn by 2024In terms of capacity, 500-1500 cfm segment will continue to lead with the maximum revenue sales, followed by < 500 cfm segment. However, < 500 cfm segment will possibly thrive fastest at a CAGR of 5.2%, followed by > 1500 cfm segment with an estimated 4.4% CAGR over 2016-2024.Considering material type, cast iron segment will continue dominance with over 60% value share, reaching a value of US$ 1,718.2 Mn in 2024. This segment will also demonstrate the fastest CAGR of 5.3% over the forecast period. Stainless steel segment will also grow moderately at 5%, attaining a value worth US$ 876 Mn in 2024.Based on the end-use industry, oil and gas sector will retain dominance over others, with over US$ 931 Mn by the end of 2024 in terms of revenues. Chemical processing and general process industries will continue to maintain the second and third largest segments respectively. Among these, general process industries will display a higher CAGR of 5.8% over 2016-2024, bagging the revenues of over US$ 511 Mn. Paper and pulp, and power segments are expected to grow steadily throughout the assessment period.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Report analyzes the key company profilesDekker Vacuum Technologies Inc., Busch Vacuum Technics Inc., Flowserve Corporation, Tsurumi Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Atlas Copco Airpower N.V., Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Tuthill Vacuum & Blower Systems, and Graham Corp. are some of the key players that constitute the competitive landscape of the global liquid ring vacuum pumps marketplace. Persistence Market Researchs report includes in-depth profiling of key companies.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Worldwide Business Survey: Cookie Butter Spread Market Size & Share, Analysis, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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The report analyzes and presents an overview of "Cookie Butter Spread Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" worldwide.The objectives of this study are as follows:To define, describe, and forecast the "Cookie Butter Spread" market by type, application, component, delivery model, end user, and regionTo provide detailed information regarding major factors influencing market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges)To analyze micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall marketTo analyze opportunities in the market for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape for market leadersTo forecast the market size of market segments with respect to the four key regions: North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW)Get Sample Copy Of This Report @ Introduction:Cookie Butter also called as speculoos butter is a food paste which is made primarily from speculoos cookies crumbs. Speculoos is a type of crunchy, shortbread spice biscuits, traditionally baked for consumption during St Nicholas' day in the Netherlands and Belgium and during Christmas in Germany. These biscuits are mixed along with other ingredients including vegetable oil, flour, and sugar along with added flavor in order to produce a spread with the similar consistency as peanut butter. Cookie butter spread is a great alternative to currently available spreads such as peanut butter, hazelnut butter, chocolate spread and are used for various applications across the food industry including, bakery, dairy and ice-cream, spreads and dips and others. The cookie butter spread market is expected to witness significant growth in value terms over the forecast period mainly attributed to its growing application as an alternative to other products in the market due to its low sugar content.Cookie Butter Spread Market SegmentationGlobal cookie butter spread market is segmented on the basis of application, flavor, sales channels and region. On the basis of application the global cookie butter spread market is segment in to industrial, household and commercial application segments. The industrial segment is further sub-segmented into, bakery products, dairy and ice-cream, spreads and dips, desserts and other segments. Cookie butter spread is widely used as a spread on toast, bagels, pancakes and baffles. Apart from this cookie butter spread is also used in several cookie recipes. Increasing application of cookie butter spread in bakery and desserts application segment is expected to result in significant revenue generation in the overall market for cookie butter spread over the forecast period. The commercial segment is sub-segmented into, hotels, restaurants & cafes (HoReCa) and institutional foods. By flavor the global cookie butter spread market is segment into, chocolate, vanilla and others. Kids demand for food products with unique taste which is creating immense popularity of flavored cookie butter spreads among consumers especially kids. Furthermore, cookie butter spreads are also available in the form of creamy and crunchy texture which can be used for specific needs across several food applications as per desired by food manufacturers.On the basis of sales channel the global cookie spread market is segmented into, direct and indirect sales channels. Indirect sales channels are further sub-segmented into hypermarkets/supermarkets, convenience stores, specialty stores, e-commerce and other retail formats.On the basis of region the global cookie butter spread market is segmented into, north America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa. North America and Europe are the largest markets for cookie butter spread globally attributable to increasing demand for several food products across the regions. Cookie butter spread are derived from cookies native to European region which is contributing towards its overall market share in the region. Also, popularity of cookie butter spread is also attributed to its reasonable price and expanded applications across several food domains.View Report @Cookie Butter Spread Market Global Market Trends and Market Drivers:The growth of cookie butter spread market across the globe is expected to depict significant growth in the overall market owing to increasing demand for convenience food products. Consumers across globe are demanding for food products without any artificial flavors, which is pushing manufacturers of food products to offering organic food products. This is expected to fuel the consumption of cookie butter spread among consumers across the globe. The global cookie butter spread market is expected to witness limited growth potential across regions such as Asia Pacific and MEA due to less awareness regarding nutritional benefits of cookie butter spread as compared to other spreads.Cookie Butter Spread Market Key Players:Variety of Cookie Butter Spread have been introduced by the manufacturers and some of the global market players manufacturing cookie butter spread market include; Natural Nectar, Trader Joe's, Lotus Bakeries, Tumbador Chocolate, American Roland Food Corp., Kruger GmbH & Co. KG and others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request For Enquiry @The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Check Discount @ Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation Market : Worldwide Industry Analysis and New Market Opportunities Explored

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An indoor positioning and indoor navigation (IPIN) system is a network of devices used to locate people and objects inside a building wirelessly. Whereas navigation is concerned with finding places in large office buildings, museums, university buildings and malls, indoor positioning and indoor navigation (IPIN) solutions improve accuracy of Wi-Fi based navigation and positioning.Earlier GPS devices were used intensively, as these devices were robust for outdoor environments. However, GPS signals are unavailable in indoor environments. Advanced indoor positioning and indoor navigation devices and solutions ensure better connectivity, access and indoor navigation.Obtain Report Details @Global Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation (IPIN) Market: SegmentationThe indoor positioning and indoor navigation (IPIN) market can be segmented by six major criteria: devices, software, system types, applications and end users. The indoor positioning and indoor navigation (IPIN) market can be segmented on the basis of types of devices used into three major categories, namely network devices, proximity devices and mobile devices.On the basis of application the indoor positioning and indoor navigation (IPIN) market can be segmented into eleven major categories, namely commercial buildings & offices, healthcare, hospitality, government, security, aviation, oil & gas, mining, education, manufacturing and others (distribution, transport & logistics).Request Sample @Global Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation (IPIN) Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe indoor positioning and indoor navigation (IPIN) market across the globe is expected to show a substantial CAGR from 2013 to 2019. There is a significant increase in the IPIN market because of technological advancement and cost reduction.The key drivers of this market include increasing customer awareness. IPIN technology is replacing GPS technology and government initiatives, which are the biggest revenue generators for indoor positioning and indoor navigation (IPIN) market. The key restraint to this market is indoor environment and capex issues.Some of the key players in the Indoor positioning and indoor navigation (IPIN) market are Apple Incorporation, Cisco Systems Inc., Broadcom, Ericsson, Microsoft, Google Inc., Nokia Corporation, Qualcomm-Atheros, Motorola Solution Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Stmicroelectronics, Siemens, Spirent Communications PLC, Aisle, Nowon Technologies Pvt Ltd. and Insiteo among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Industrial Dryers Market Expected to Increase at a CAGR 3.5% through 2016 to 2024

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Robust demand for industrial dryers in the food and pharmaceutical industry is expected to influence the overall growth of industrial dryers market in the near future. In order to maintain a superior product quality and functional value, end user industries such as food and pharmaceutical heavily depend on high performance dryer systems. In addition, stiffer government guidelines for manufacturing processes coupled with increasing concerns over sustainable industrial expansion has compelled these industries to intensify production operations. A study conducted by Persistence Market Research (PMR) reveals that the demand for new industrial dryers will reach at 3,049 units globally by 2024.Owing to the arrival of advanced drying technology, the application base for industrial dryers has expanded rapidly in recent years. The industrial dryer is a manufacturing equipment in chemical, fertilizer and mineral processing industries. Dryer manufacturers are developing industry specific dryer systems depending on the processing requirement.A sample of this report is available upon request @BottlenecksWhile industrial drying equipment greatly enhances both product value and quality, constraints such as high cost of operation and its severe environmental limitations pertaining to excessive smoke emission may slow down the surging spirit of the market during the forecast period. Moreover, a considerable amount of post processing is involved to minimize the thick discharge of fumes from dryers that entails additional dispensation cost.TrendsPMRs study further sheds light on the technological aspect of industrial dryer systems, major players in the global market for industrial dryer are actively focusing on making higher investments in R&D pipelines. In the recent past, demand for energy efficient dryers has gained traction, as a result of which manufacturers have shifted their concentration towards developing cost-effective and low-energy consuming dryers. Further, growing preference for superheated steam dryers that offer 70-80% energy recovery and have lower operating cost is a key trend governing the global market for industrial dryers.Market OverviewOn the basis of product type, spray dryers is expected to be the predominant segment of the market during the projected period, followed by continuous dryer type. The spray dryer segment is expected to account for 26% share of the market over 2024.Industrial dryers work on two basic principles, direct or indirect, amongst which dryers working of indirect principles are expected to witness a relatively higher demand during 2016  2024. Demand for dryers working on indirect principle is anticipated to remain strong in the near future.Amongst various end user industries chemical, food, and pharmaceutical collectively is expected to account for the majority share of the market both in value and volume terms. In addition, demand for industrial dryer particularly from the chemical industry in expected to remain high throughout the forecast period.Based on region prospect, the market in Asia Pacific is projected to remain dominant over the next couple of years. The region is expected to witness a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period. In North America, sales revenue for industrial dryers is expected to grow to US$ 1045.6 Million, expanding at a CAGR of 3.8%. Moreover, key players operating in the global market are implementing market strategies that involve acquisitions and mergers, expansion of facilities and launch of newer products, especially in APAC and North America in order to strengthen their presence in these two regions.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Competitive DashboardSpooner Industries Ltd, Metso Corporation, ANDRITZ AG, Carrier Vibrating Equipment, Inc., Separation Group, Ventilex Inc., ThyssenKrupp AG, Buhler AG, GEA Group, and HEINKEL Drying are some of the key participants operating in the Global market for Industrial Dryer.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Corneal Neovascularization Market to Register Significant Growth Globally During 2016 - 2024

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Global Corneal Neovascularization Market: OutlookCorneal neovascularization is a disorder of the eyes, which is mainly characterized by the incursion of novel blood vessels into the cornea of the individuals suffering from the disease. This disorder is majorly caused due to disruption of the balance between the factors that protects and maintain the corneal transparency. The two factors that need to be balanced include angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors. The incursion of new blood vessels, which are relatively immature, hence can cause lipid exudation as well. Other major symptoms include scarring in eyes, persistent inflammation, which leads to diminishing corneal transparency and visual perception. The corneal neovascularization disorders if left untreated it may lead to high growth of new blood vessels that may reach visual axis to permanently threat the vision of the affected individual. Presently, several patients suffering from various eye problems, many a times undergo corneal grafts; corneal neovascularization may lead to rejection of such grafts as well. Thus, timely and proper treatment (may include surgical intervention and therapeutic drugs) of corneal neovascularization is necessary for effective management of the disease to ensure proper eye vision.Report Overview and TOC @Global Corneal Neovascularization Market: Drivers and RestraintsMajor driving factors for the growth of corneal neovascularization market include increasing incidences of ophthalmic disorders, rising number of corneal grafts, aging population, increasing obesity rate, increasing number of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and increasing demand for advanced treatment options. Ophthalmic disorders are one of the leading disorders that affect very large population globally; several eye related disorders require ophthalmic interventions that may increase the risk of developing corneal neovascularization, hence accompanied by graft rejections. Increasing geriatric population will also contribute towards the growth of this market as aged individuals are more prone to several disorders and hence, tend to suffer from ophthalmic disorders. Increasing obesity rates are also adding to various eye related disorders mainly the lipid deposition increase the chances of developing corneal neovascularization, hence will contribute towards the growth of this market. Several diseases like diabetes, hypertension and others also lead to ophthalmic diseases, in turn require diagnostics and therapeutics from this market, thus will contribute towards the growth of corneal neovascularization market. Several pharmaceutical companies are having many therapeutic drugs for the effective treatment of this disorder in different phases of clinical trials, which will soon hit the market.Request brochure @Global Corneal Neovascularization Market: Regional AnalysisGeographically, North America and Europe are expected to dominate the corneal neovascularization market. Major factors responsible for their expected dominance in the corneal neovascularization market are high prevalence of ophthalmic disorders in the region, aging population, rising overweight as well obese population, and high awareness levels of the population. However, emerging economies like China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, and Malaysia among others from Asia-Pacific, LATAM, Middle East and other regions will present tremendous opportunities towards the growth of this market. Major factors responsible for the growth of the corneal neovascularization market in these regions are availability of high patient population, high prevalence of diseases like diabetes and hypertension, increasing healthcare awareness in these regions and increasing purchasing power of the people in APAC and RoW.For Specific and Customized requirements @Global Corneal Neovascularization Market: Companies Mentioned in the ReportSome of the major players operating in this market include, Amakem NV, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., GTx, Inc., and Sirnaomics, Inc. that have their drugs in different phases of clinical trials, which will soon be commercialized in the global corneal neovascularization market.Pre Book full report @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Embedded Security Market 2017 Key Players -Infineon, STMicroelectronics, NXP, Gemalto, Microchip, Samsung,Texas Instruments,..

Embedded Security Market

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Embedded Security Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Embedded Security Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.Executive SummaryGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Embedded Security in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Embedded Security market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingInfineonSTMicroelectronicsNXPGemaltoMicrochipSamsungTexas InstrumentsIDEMIARenesasInside SecureRequest Sample Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSecure Element and Embedded SIMTrusted Platform ModuleHardware Security ModuleOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingAuthentication and Access ManagementPaymentContent ProtectionIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.For further information on this report, visit -Table of ContentsGlobal Embedded Security Market Research Report 20171 Embedded Security Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Embedded Security1.2 Embedded Security Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Embedded Security Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Embedded Security Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Secure Element and Embedded SIM1.2.4 Trusted Platform Module1.2.5 Hardware Security Module1.3 Global Embedded Security Segment by Application1.3.1 Embedded Security Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Authentication and Access Management1.3.3 Payment1.3.4 Content Protection1.4 Global Embedded Security Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Embedded Security Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Embedded Security (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Embedded Security Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Embedded Security Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Embedded Security Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Embedded Security Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Embedded Security Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Embedded Security Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Embedded Security Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Embedded Security Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Embedded Security Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Embedded Security Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Embedded Security Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Embedded Security Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Embedded Security Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Embedded Security Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Embedded Security Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Embedded Security Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Embedded Security Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Embedded Security Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Embedded Security Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Embedded Security Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Embedded Security Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Embedded Security Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Embedded Security Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Embedded Security Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Embedded Security Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Embedded Security Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Embedded Security Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Embedded Security Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Embedded Security Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Embedded Security Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Embedded Security Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Embedded Security Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Embedded Security Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Embedded Security Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Embedded Security Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Embedded Security Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Embedded Security Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Embedded Security Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global Embedded Security Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/CountriesContinuousBuy this Report @Contact Us:Norah Trentsales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042
Special Mission Aircraft Market: Emergence of Advanced Technologies and Global Industry Analysis

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Special mission aircraft are versatile aircraft that can be used by all three sectors of the armed forces for various operations. Special mission aircraft are equipped with surveillance equipment to detect the movement of enemy units but usually lack major offensive weapons. In combat, special mission aircraft are mainly used to support the active combatants through surveillance and delivery of supplies. Maritime patrol is another major emerging application sector of the global special mission aircraft market.The report examines the historical trajectory of the special mission aircraft market and presents solid forecasts for the market in the coming years. The major segments of the global special mission aircraft market are examined in the report to provide a granular overview. Reliable research techniques such as SWOT analysis and Porters five forces analysis are employed in the report, while the competitive dynamics of the market are examined by studying the operations of major players.Obtain Report Details @Global Special Mission Aircraft Market: Drivers and RestraintsOne of the major drivers for the global special mission aircraft market is the increasing geopolitical tension around the world. Due to the growing amount of active engagement, the demand for special mission aircraft is growing due to the crucial role they play in supporting combatants.Apart from engagements between two nations, the prime factor driving the global demand for special mission aircraft is the increasing need to curb illicit activities such as drug trafficking, piracy, and terrorism. The rise in the consumption of illicit drugs in developed countries has given rise to significant trafficking operations, which are also often connected to more serious evils and thus need to be curbed.Piracy is also becoming a serious concern, particularly in regions such as the Indian Ocean. For instance, Piracy in the waters of Somalia has become a major concern for trade operations in the Indian Ocean, apart from adding to the geopolitical tension in the Middle East and Eastern Africa. Marine patrol has thus become a major application segment of the global special mission aircraft market and is expected to exhibit increasing demand in the forecast period.Request Sample @Global Special Mission Aircraft Market: SegmentationBy application, surveillance was the largest segment of the global special mission aircraft market. Apart from military operations, the demand for special mission aircraft in spotting oil spills and aiding recovery operations for the same is growing at a steady rate and is expected to become a major part of the global special mission aircraft market in the coming years. The air force accounted for the highest demand from the special mission aircraft market, followed by naval units.Regionally, North America accounted for the highest share in the global special mission aircraft market in 2015. The dominant position of the North America market can be attributed to the high defense spending in the U.S., which has by far the largest air force in the world and thus operates the highest number of special mission aircraft. Japan and China are the other major national markets for special mission aircraft.Global Special Mission Aircraft Market: Competitive DynamicsApart from a detailed look at the segmentation of the global special mission aircraft market, the report looks into the competitive landscape of the market to aid readers in formulating favorable stratagems. Key players profiled in the report include Boeing, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bombardier Inc., and Northrop Grumman Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Advanced Data Centre Infrastructure Market : Evolving Technology, Trends and Industry Analysis

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Advanced data centre infrastructure enables organizations in possessing the critical capability of establishing whether the business needs all the hardware by identifying and measuring data centre assets and their inherent value. Moreover, advanced data centre infrastructure also offers the organization insight into power usage, applications, utilization, cooling requirements and overall performance.The market has been segmented by type into software and services. Furthermore, the market is also segmented by application telecommunications, retail, healthcare, finance and banking among others. The market by geography has been segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and Rest of the World (RoW).Advanced Data Centre Infrastructure Market: Growth EnablersWith the help of advanced data centre infrastructure, organizations establish business guidelines, set measurable goals and properly investigate in future scenarios.Obtain Report Details @Furthermore, with the increasing stress on energy and green utilization compliance, enterprises are aggressively searching ways to set proper goals and to achieve those goals without any burden on the business resource and base infrastructure. Disparate and unmanaged data centres results in financial pressure and huge budget overlays on organizations. With the help of advanced data centre infrastructure, organizations properly manage the integrated environment of IT and facilities.Advanced data centres are not only an enabler to the business, but also they provide competitive advantages to the organizations. Effective and advanced data centre infrastructures propel the utilization, efficiency and availability of data centre services and assets. However, facilities and IT organizations invested heavily in technology resources such as tools, processes and people in order to manage the data centre infrastructure but failed due to gaps between IT infrastructures component and data centre facilities. With the help of advanced data centre infrastructure, organizations can now focuses on future goals properly.Advanced Data Centre Infrastructure Market: Regional InsightNorth America is leading the market for advance data centres infrastructure market globally. Furthermore, Asia pacific is expected to witness positive growth over the forecast period from 2015 to 2021. At present, banking sector is dominating the market for advanced infrastructure in terms of application. However, telecommunication segment is expected to witness rapid growth over the forecast period from 2015 to 2021.The key driving factors contributing in the positive growth of this market is availability and sustainable IT, which is having a positive impact on the advanced data centres infrastructure market at the global level.Request Sample @The market for advanced data centre infrastructure is expected to witness rapid growth over the forecast period from 2015 to 2021 benefiting facility vendors as well as IT.Advanced Data Centre Infrastructure Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players operating in the advanced data centre infrastructure market are Emerson Electric Co., nlyte Software, Inc., FieldView Solutions, Inc. and International Business Machines Corporation, Modius, Inc., CA Technologies, Panduit Corp., JouleX LLC, iTRACS Corporation, Inc., Raritan, Inc., SynapSense Corporation, Sentilla Corporation in North America. Rittal GmbH & Co. KG in Europe.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Barcode Verifiers Market Size 2022 RJS Technologies, Cognex Corporation, Axicon Auto ID Ltd, REA VERIFIER, Stratix

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MarketSizeForecasters.com adds a new Barcode Verifiers Market research report that provides a detailed market overview as well as industry analysis for / of companies, manufacturers and distributors covering data on gross margin, cost structure, consumption value, sale price and more.Barcode verifiers are used to guarantee that the barcodes you print are high quality and 100% compliant to your symbology specifications. Barcode verifiers are able to provide a detailed report about the print and read quality of a barcode as set out by ANSI and ISO specifications. Additionally, barcode verifiers are able to suggest remedial actions based on the deficiency. Barcode verifiers are ideal for businesses that are spending time and money on re-labeling costs, rejected shipments due to label errors, and compliance fines.Request a Free sample PDF of this research to evaluate more @Scope of the Global Barcode Verifiers Market Report:This report focuses on the Barcode Verifiers in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, Global Barcode Verifiers Market report covers as RJS Technologies, Cognex Corporation, Axicon Auto ID Ltd, REA VERIFIER, Stratix Corp., Microscan and Oriental Speedv Code Tech &DEV.Global Barcode Verifiers Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers: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).Global Barcode Verifiers Market Segment by Type, covers as Portable Barcode Verifier and Desktop Barcode VerifierGlobal Barcode Verifiers Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into: Packing Printing Industry, Quality Control Department, Manufacturing & Retailing Industry and OthersEnquire Discount on Global Barcode Verifiers Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Barcode Verifiers market.Chapter 1, to describe Barcode Verifiers Market Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Barcode Verifiers, with sales, revenue, and price of Barcode Verifiers, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global Barcode Verifiers market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Barcode Verifiers, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to Barcode Verifiers Industry analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the Barcode Verifiers Market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Barcode Verifiers market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Barcode Verifiers Industry sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.For more information on this report, Please visit at:Related Reports: -World Barcode Verifiers Market Research Report 2022 (covering USA, Europe, China, Japan, India, South East Asia and etc)Barcode Verifiers market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability. The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.MarketSizeForecasters.com, a Skyline Market Research LLP brand, is an online aggregator of market research reports. MarketSizeForecasters.com offers a comprehensive collection of full length reports on global and regional markets in 100+ industry verticals. We have partnered with some of the leading business and market research publishing houses and regularly update our online library to offer wide range of reports to our customers.Market size forecastersThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketsizeforecasters.comWebsite:News:Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter
Global Sewn open mouth bags Market Size & Share, Analysis, Growth, Trends, Forecast 2017 - 2025

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The report analyzes and presents an overview of "Sewn open mouth bags Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" worldwide.The objectives of this study are as follows:To define, describe, and forecast the "Sewn open mouth bags" market by type, application, component, delivery model, end user, and regionTo provide detailed information regarding major factors influencing market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges)To analyze micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall marketTo analyze opportunities in the market for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape for market leadersTo forecast the market size of market segments with respect to the four key regions: North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW)Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Sewn open mouth bags: Market introductionThe global food packaging market has undergone significant changes over the past decade and creating opportunities for the manufacturers for product innovation and absolute customization. The sewn open mouth bags are primarily used in various packaging applications such as seed, fertilizers, groceries etc. Sewn open mouth bags are made from woven paper and plastic materials to carry food products and raw materials. Sewn open mouth are economical, easy to manufacture, convenient to use and easy to handle thus influencing manufacturers to opt for sewn open mouth bags over other formats of packaging solutions. Sewn open mouth bags have moisture and dust resistance barrier properties which helps in driving the market value of sewn open mouth bags. Sewn open mouth bags offers easy filling process with dust-tight sewing leading to greater food safety. Apart from easy filling sewn open mouth bags provides convenience in stacking and transportation of the products.Sewn open mouth bags: Market dynamicsIncreasing awareness towards the type of product packaging, manufacturers lay emphasis on eco-friendly and customizable solutions. Increasing demand of sewn open mouth bags in retail outlets, takeaway outlets, supermarts etc. helps in driving the market share of sewn open bags. Factors accentuating demand of sewn open mouth bags are the rise in retail outlets, supermarkets, takeaway outlets etc. Some of the characteristics that are expected to increase the market share of sewn open mouth bags are excellent barrier properties, moisture resistant etc. in addition to the barrier properties, sewn open mouth bags have less weight than rigid packaging solutions such as drums, containers, IBCs hence resulting in reduced shipping and transportation cost. Further adding to the reduced weight, sewn open mouth bags also occupies less storage space during transportation as well as when kept on retail outlets. Moreover, another property of sewn open mouth bags is that sewn open mouth bags are easily palletized which further helps in reduction in packing time and increases the efficiency of the manufacturers. Moreover, low-cost availability of raw materials of sewn open mouth bags has inclined manufacturers towards sewn open mouth bags.However, paper woven bags may absorb moisture as paper woven sewn open mouth bags are less moisture resistant which may have adverse effect product packed resulting lower demand in the sewn open mouth bags market.View Report @Sewn open mouth bags: Market segmentationSewn open mouth bags are segmented on the basis of material type, plies type and, applications.On the basis of material type, sewn open mouth bags are segmented asWoven paperBleached kraftNatural kraftClay-coatedOthersPlasticPEHDPELDPEPPOthersOn the basis of lining type, sewn open mouth bags is segmented asPE linerMetallized coated pliesAluminum coated pliesOn the basis of applications, sewn open bags market is segmented asFood productsAnimal feedsFertilizersMineralsCementsOthersSewn open mouth bags: Regional outlookIndustrial plastic bags market has been segmented on the basis of the region into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Latin America. North America region is attributed to account for majority of market share in sewn open bags due to the growth in demand of agro based products. APEJ region is expected to register higher CAGR in sewn open mouth bags market over the forecast period due to expansion of food and agriculture sector. Increasing number of retail outlets in Western Europe region is attributed to register above average CAGR in sewn open bags market.Request For Enquiry @ Sewn open mouth bags: Key playersSome of the key players in the field of sewn open mouth bags market are Eldorado Packaging, Inc., BANCROFT bag, Inc., Gelpac Inc., SeaTac Packaging Mfg. Corp., Pacific Bag, Inc., Mondi Industrial Bags, Trombini Embalagens S.A., UNITED BAGS, INC., GLOBAL-PAK, INC., Coveris Holdings S.A.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Check Discount @Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Point of Use Water Treatment Systems 2017 Global Key Players  3M, Philips, Pentair, Panasonic, Unilever, LG Electronics Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market

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Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Point of Use Water Treatment Systems -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:In this report, the global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Point of Use Water Treatment Systems in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Point of Use Water Treatment Systems market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including3MPhilipsPentairPanasonicUnileverLG ElectronicsEcoWater systemsA.O. SmithCulligan InternationalAmwayRequest for Sample Report@On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoReverse osmosis technologyDistillation systemsDisinfection methodsFiltration methodsOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingResidentialNon-residentialEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Contents:Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market Research Report 20171 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Point of Use Water Treatment Systems1.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Reverse osmosis technology1.2.4 Distillation systems1.2.5 Disinfection methods1.2.6 Filtration methods1.3 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Segment by Application1.3.1 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Residential1.3.3 Non-residential1.4 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Point of Use Water Treatment Systems (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion.7 Global Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 3M7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 3M Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Philips7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Philips Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Pentair7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Pentair Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Panasonic7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Panasonic Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Unilever7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Unilever Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 LG Electronics7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 LG Electronics Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 EcoWater systems7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 EcoWater systems Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 A.O. Smith7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 A.O. Smith Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Culligan International7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Culligan International Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Amway7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Amway Point of Use Water Treatment Systems Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.10.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued..Buy now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune  411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042
Data Brokers Market: Technological Advancements, Evolving Industry Trends and Insights

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Data broker is a business that collects and stores the personal information about consumers and sells to organizations who require that data to design their marketing strategy based on the preferences of the customer. The data brokers collect this information from a variety of sources such as government records, browser cookies and credit/debit card transactions. The brokers integrate and synthesize the data using advanced analytics tools such as rapid miner and Google fusion tables to formulate individual profiles of the customers.These individual profiles are updated regularly and are sold as per the demand of the buying organizations. The data brokers collect various kinds of data such as consumer data (personal information such as name and contact detail), commercial data (companies data), scientific data (weather information & drugs composition), real estate data (homes, farms or properties) and location data (global positioning, traffic and landmarks).Obtain Report Details @Data Brokers Market: Key Growth EnablersThe data brokers store every bit of the information such as Internet activity, bulk transaction records and personal data such as date of birth, and books read. Various businesses are looking forward for that data to target the customers accordingly. This is the major driver for the growth of the market. Absence of data protection compliances in the emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil supports the growth of data brokers market. The data broker organizations support the companies in analyzing the buying pattern of the customers, thus support the organizations in developing products according to demand of the customers.Growth of Internet of Things (IoT) and rising demand of data analytics is anticipated to create immense opportunities for data brokers market. However, the customers are unaware of data being collected, thus privacy issues occur consistently. This is expected to provide hurdles in the growth of the data brokers market. The sector specific compliances pertaining to data privacy such as Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is further anticipated to present challenges to the players in this market.Data Brokers Market: SegmentationData brokers market is broadly segmented on the basis of product type, data type, insight level, and geography. On the basis of product type, the data brokers market is segmented into marketing products, risk mitigation products and people search products. Various data types associated with this market include consumer data, commercial data, scientific data, real estate data and geo-location data.Request Sample @On the basis of insight level, the data broker market is segmented into basic insights, smart insights and adaptive insights. Moreover, in terms of geographies, the global data brokers market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Latin America.North America has been the key contributor to the revenue generated by data brokers market during the last few years. This is attributed to presence of highly digit tech savvy population in the region which generates huge amount of data. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region in terms of adoption of data broking services as it enables the businesses to design personalized promotional campaigns to target the mass population present in the region.The major participants in the data brokers market include Acxiom Corporation, CoreLogic Inc., DataLogix Inc., eBureau LLC, Experion Plc, Intellius Inc., Peekyou LLC, Databroker Ltd., Pipl Inc. and Epsilon Data Management LLC.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Body Worn Insect Repellent Market Is Expected to Reach US$378.3 mn by 2021

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"The Latest Research Report Body Worn Insect Repellent Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"The market size in terms of revenue of the global body worn insect repellent market is forecast during 2014 to 2021 at each sub-segment level. Body Worn Insect Repellent market is segmented by product type into: oils and creams, apparel and stickers and patches. Amongst various product types, oils and creams held the largest market share followed by stickers and patches in 2014. Based on oils and creams types, body worn insect repellent market are segmented into plant based and synthetic. Increasing health awareness is the major drivers for body worn insect repellent market globally. Apparel is further sub segment into trousers, shirts, jackets, head nets and others. Amongst various apparel segments, head nets held the largest market share in 2014 and expected to be the same during the forecast period of 2015  2021.Get Sample copy of this Report @Increasing geographical arena for body worn insect repellent products is the major factor driving the expansion of market globally. In addition, body worn insect repellent is sold through different distribution channels such as supermarkets, online stores, and convenience stores. Manufacturers also sell body worn insect repellent products through their websites. Availability of the product is one of the key drivers for the body worn insect repellent market and is expected to fuel demand for this market in developing countries such as India and Brazil. The relief from irritation and discomfort caused by insect bites that is provided by body worn insect repellent is another major factor driving its use. In addition, body worn insect repellent products act as a shield from protecting people from insect bites working in agriculture, oils and mining among others. It does not have any substitute products.Stringent government regulations across different countries such as France, Canada and U.S. among others restrain the growth of the global body worn insect repellent market Different organizations such as FDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have set different rules in order to maintain consumers safety. The law mandates that the safety of body worn insect repellent products and its ingredients be substantiated before being made available in the market. Also, these products should not contain any prohibited ingredients.Many countries across the globe are expected to serve as attractive markets for body worn insect repellent products. For instance, the demand for body worn insect repellent products has increased in the countries of Asia Pacific. Moreover, growing demand for body worn insect repellent products in the countries of RoW such as Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa among others is expected to open up new avenues for this market over the next few years.View Sample PDF @Based on geography, the global body worn insect repellent market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW). In 2014, North America held the maximum market share of this market, followed by Asia Pacific. Among the different countries globally, the U.S body worn insect repellent market is expected to hold the maximum share during the forecast period. Increasing health awareness is the major factor that is driving the growth of the body worn insect repellent market in North America. North America is expected to be the largest regional market with 34.1% market share in 2021, followed by Asia Pacific, which is expected to occupy 30.3% share of the global market in 2021.The report includes profiles of major participants operating in the global market. Major players include Avon Products Inc., S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc., E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, BASF SE, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, Sawyer Products Inc., The Orvis Company Inc., Mountain Warehouse Ltd., ExOfficio LLC and Insect Shield LLC among others.The report also provides an understanding of value (USD million) of Body Worn Insect Repellent market. The study also provides forecast from 2015-2021 and highlights current and future market trends. The market attractiveness analysis is also covered in the report along with qualitative data relating to the drivers, restraints and opportunities governing the global Body Worn Insect Repellent market.?The segments covered in the Body Worn Insect Repellent market are as follows:Global Body Worn Insect Repellent Market: By Product TypeOils and CreamsSyntheticPlant basedApparelTrousersShirtsJacketsHead NetsOthersStickers and PatchesGlobal Body Worn Insect Repellent Market: By GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaRest of North AmericaEuropeU.K.GermanyFranceItalyRest of EuropeAsia PacificIndiaChinaJapanRest of Asia PacficRest of the World (RoW)Middle EastLatin AmericaAfricaSend An Enquiry Request @Table Of ContentsChapter 1 Preface1.1 Report Description1.2 Market Segmentation1.2.1 Body Worn Insect Repellent Market Segmentation, by Type and Geography1.3 Research Scope1.4 Research MethodologyChapter 2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Body Worn Insect Repellent Market Revenue, 2014 - 2021 (USD Million)2.2 Global Body Worn Insect Repellent Market SnapshotChapter 3 Body Worn Insect Repellent Market  Market Overview3.1 Introduction3.2 Key Trend Analysis3.3 Market Dynamics3.3.1 Market Drivers3.3.1.1 Increasing Health Awareness3.3.1.2 Increasing Distribution Channels3.3.2 Market Restraints3.3.2.1 Stringent Government Regulations3.3.3 Market Opportunities3.3.3.1 Increasing Geographical Arena3.4 Body Worn Insect Repellent: Market Attractiveness Analysis3.5 Market Share by Key Players (%),2014Chapter 4 Global Body Worn Insect Repellent Market: By Product Type4.1 Body Worn Insect Repellent Market: By Product Type4.1.1 Global Body Worn Insect Repellent Market Revenue Share, By Product Type, 2014 - 20214.2 Oils and Creams4.2.1 Global Oils and Creams Revenue and Forecast, 2014  2021, (USD Million)4.2.2 Global Body Worn Insect Repellent Market, by Oils and Creams, 2014  2021, (USD Million)4.3 Stickers and Patches4.3.1 Global Stickers and Patches Market Revenue and Forecast, 2014  2021, (USD Million)4.4 Apparel4.4.1 Global Apparel Market Revenue and Forecast, 2014  2021, (USD Million)4.4.2 Global Body Worn Insect Repellent Market, by Apparel, 2014  2021, (USD Million)Buy Now This Report From Here @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Worldwide Business Survey: Industrial plastic bags Market Size & Share, Industry Analysis, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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The report analyzes and presents an overview of "Industrial plastic bags Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" worldwide.The objectives of this study are as follows:To define, describe, and forecast the "Industrial plastic bags" market by type, application, component, delivery model, end user, and regionTo provide detailed information regarding major factors influencing market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges)To analyze micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall marketTo analyze opportunities in the market for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape for market leadersTo forecast the market size of market segments with respect to the four key regions: North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW)Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Industrial plastic bags: Market introductionThe global industrial plastic bags market is vastly driven by the development of food, pharmaceutical, electrical and electronics industries. To expand geographical outreach, manufacturers are focusing on product innovation and technological advancement by developing their products in packaging market. However, to overcome government stringent regulations manufacturers are focusing on bio-degradable plastic bags as these bags are easy to recycle and do not pose a threat to environment. The industrial plastic bags are mostly used for the transportation industrial products at relatively low cost. The industrial plastic bags are generally termed as single-use bags as these plastic bags are used only for short period of time. The industrial plastic bags reduces the weight of goods and materials during transportation over other packaging solutions such as drums, cartons etc. Industrial plastic bags are lightweight, have high elasticity which helps in adhering the weight of the product packed. Industrial plastic bags have excellent barrier properties and are best suited to carry dry products over other packaging bags such as jute bags, paper bags etc.Industrial plastic bags: Market dynamicsWith global industrial packaging growing at a CAGR of over 4% is expected to reach over 80 Bn by the end of forecast period. Increasing demand for food and beverages, grocery, dairy products are expected to fuel the growth of industrial plastic bags market. The factors accentuating the market growth of the industrial plastic bags are rapid industrialization, rising demand of consumer goods, increase in retail outlets etc. Increased traction of industrial plastic bags in humid regions for providing protection against rain, moisture and other liquid contents is expected to propel the demand in industrial plastic bags market. Factors such as abrasion resistance, moisture resistance will drive the growth of industrial plastic bags market. In addition to the barrier properties, industrial plastic bags are easy to open and pack which in turn increases the efficiency of the manufacturers. Furthermore, another factor that is leading to the increase in demand of industrial plastic bags is the growth of healthcare industries and pharmaceuticals and the popularity of using convenient packaging solutions. Industrial plastic bags are recyclable and reusable which helps in driving the market value of industrial plastic bags. Consumer preferences towards bio-degradable industrial plastic bags may incline the manufacturers to focus on innovation and technology. Moreover, reduced prices of crude oil in developing economy is expected to increase the momentum of industrial plastic bags market attributed to cheap availability of raw materials.However, government stringent policies against using plastic bags may hamper the market share of industrial plastic bags. Furthermore, industrial plastic bags are non-bio-degradable which may affect the eco-system if not disposed of properly.View Report @Industrial plastic bags: Market segmentationIndustrial plastic bags is segmented on the basis of material type, product type and end use.On the basis of material type, industrial plastic bags can be segmented asBio-degradablePHAPLAStarchNon-biodegradablePELDPEHDPEPPPSOthersOn the basis of product type, industrial plastic bags is segmented asGusseted bagsSewn open mouth bagsOthersOn the basis of end use, industrial plastic bags is segmented asFood and beveragesPharmaceuticalsElectricals and electronicsAgricultureOthersIndustrial plastic bags: Regional outlookIndustrial plastic bags market has been segmented on the basis of the region into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Latin America. APEJ region is estimated to account for the majority of market share in industrial plastic bags market due to the growth of food and beverages sectors. North America region is anticipated to register above-average CAGR due to rapid urbanization and growth of retail and supermarket in the region. Western Europe region is expected to register above-average CAGR attributed to the growth of electronics sector. MEA region is expected to attribute below average CAGR due to the stagnant economy.Request For Enquiry @ Industrial plastic bags: Key playersSome of the key players in the field of industrial plastic bags market are Mondi plc, Ampac Holdings LLC, Interplast Group, Dana Poly Inc., Packaging Industries Ltd., Rutan Poly Industries, Inc., New York Packaging & RediBagUSA, Lindamar Industries.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Check Discount @ Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Car Air Fresheners Market Is Estimated To Expand At a CAGR of 3.6% between 2014 - 2020

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"The Latest Research Report Car Air Fresheners Market - North America Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2014  2020 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Demand for car fresheners in North America is projected to increase due to rise in consumer confidence, result of economic recovery, and strategic marketing efforts by key market players. Car freshener has now become an important product in the automotive after-market in North America. Spending on discretionary consumer goods increased in the region between 2012 and 2013 due to recovery of the economy in the U.S. and Canada. This trend is likely to continue in these markets over the next six years, which would drive impulse buying of car fresheners in North American consumers. Furthermore, growth in the car air freshener market will be supported by constant product innovations and innovative marketing strategies by key players across North America. Demand for organic/natural car-freshener products would drive the innovations in product offerings by large players in this market. Furthermore, longer hours spent in cars and trucks have created a need for attractive and chemical-free car freshener products among consumers in North America.Get Sample copy of this Report @The car air fresheners market in North America is likely to expand at a healthy CAGR over the next six years, thanks to consistent innovations and product updates in car air fresheners by key market players. Furthermore, The U.S. would remain the largest consumer of car-fresheners in this region followed by Mexico by 2020, due to large consumer base in these markets. Rapid growth in the middle class population and changing lifestyles of the immigrant population in North America will boost consumption of car-freshener products in the region during the forecast period. Currently, domestic companies such as American Covers, Inc., dba Handstands, CAR-FRESHNER Corporation along with multinational companies such as Procter & Gamble Co. and S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. account for significant market shares in the car air fresheners market in North America. Expanding mass merchandise channels and developments in digital marketing will further boost growth of these companies in the near future.Car air fresheners are sold through a variety of retail channels. Companies with strong distribution networks will dominate the North American car fresheners market and enjoy market leadership. Mass-market channels such as supermarkets/hypermarkets, auto repair/ auto wash shops, and carwash stations and automotive shops are among the most preferred retail channels for the sale of car-freshener products. The car air fresheners market in North America is expected to experience significant shift from synthetic car air fresheners to organic car air fresheners during the forecast period.This report segments the market by types and countries. It includes major drivers, restraints, and opportunities (DROs), along with the value chain of the car air fresheners market. The value chain analysis helps suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors to understand the focus areas in the supply chain. The study highlights current market trends of the car freshener product segment in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. In addition, it provides market size forecast for these markets from 2014 to 2020. The market dynamics chapter in this report provides insights about the existing trends and future prospects in the industry.The study covers the analysis of countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in North America. The current market size and forecast until 2020 is also provided in the report, in terms of value (USD million).View Sample PDF @The report also analyzes macroeconomic factors both driving and hampering growth of the car air fresheners market. Porters five forces analysis is also included, which helps in analyzing the rivalry among existing market players in North America, as well as analyzing the competition for new entrants. The market attractiveness analysis included in the report highlights key investment areas (product/region) in the industry. The report will help manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors to understand the present and future trends in this market and to formulate strategies accordingly.The report includes detailed profiles of major players in this market under pointers such as product portfolio, business strategy, SWOT analysis, and recent news/developments. Major market players of car air fresheners in North America include American Covers, Inc., dba Handstands, CAR-FRESHNERS Corporation, Procter & Gamble Co., The Yankee Candle Company, Inc., Auto Expressions, LLC., ABRO Industries, Inc., and S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.The car-fresheners market in the report refers to the market by product type and by geography/country.The market is categorized into the following segments:North America Car Air Fresheners Market by TypeDifferent types of car air freshener products covered under this research study are:Gels and cansSprays/aerosolsPaper car freshenersVents and clipsOthersNorth America Car Air Fresheners Market by GeographyCountries covered under this research study are:The U.S.CanadaMexicoSend An Enquiry Request @Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preface1.1 Report description1.2 Research scope1.2.1 Market segmentation1.3 Research methodologyChapter 2 Executive Summary2.1 North America Car Air Fresheners Market Snapshot, 2013 vs. 2019 (USD million)2.2 North America Car Air Fresheners Market, 20142020 (USD million)Chapter 3 Market Overview3.1 Introduction3.2 Value chain analysis3.3 Market Dynamics3.3.1 Drivers3.3.1.1 Rise in purchase of discretionary products due to recovery of economy in North America3.3.1.2 Longer time spent in cars drives the need for purchase of organic/natural car fresheners.3.3.1.3 Demographic shifts shape demand for car air fresheners3.3.2 Restraints3.3.2.1 Concerns about allergens and chemicals limits the use of synthetic car air fresheners3.3.3 Opportunities3.3.3.1 Organic and natural car air fresheners3.3.3.2 Innovative product packaging, design and distribution channel3.4 Porters five forces analysis3.4.1 Bargaining power of suppliers3.4.2 Bargaining power of buyers3.4.3 Threat of new entrants3.4.4 Threat of substitutes3.4.5 Degree of competition3.5 Market Attractiveness3.5.1 Market attractiveness for car air fresheners market3.6 Car Air Fresheners : Distribution Share Analysis3.7 Car air fresheners market : Pricing Policy3.8 Import StatisticsChapter 4 Car Air Fresheners Market Analysis: By Types4.1 North America Car Air Fresheners Market by Applications: Overview4.1.1 Car air fresheners, by types: Market analysis4.1.2 Car air fresheners market by types: Market share4.2 Gels and Cans4.2.1 Gels and cans, car air fresheners: Market analysis4.2.2 Gels and cans car air fresheners: Trend analysis4.3 Sprays/Aerosols4.3.1 Sprays/aerosols car air fresheners: Market analysis4.3.2 Spray/aerosols car air fresheners: Trend analysis4.4 Papers4.4.1 Paper car air fresheners: Market analysis4.4.2 Paper car air fresheners: Trend analysis4.5 Vents and Clips4.5.1 Vents and clips car air fresheners: Market analysis4.5.2 Vents and clips car air fresheners: trend analysis4.6 Other Car Fresheners4.6.1 Other car air fresheners: Market analysis4.6.2 Other car air fresheners: Trend analysisBuy Now This Report From Here @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Management Consulting Services 2017 Global Industry Key Players  Deloitte Consulting , PwC , EY , KPMG , Accenture , IBM Global Business Service McKinsey Market Analysis and Forecast

Global Management Consulting Services Market

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Global Management Consulting Services MarketThis report studies the global Management Consulting Services market, analyzes and researches the Management Consulting Services development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeGovernmentDeloitte ConsultingPwCEYKPMGAccentureIBM Global Business ServiceMcKinseyBooz Allen HamiltonThe Boston Consulting GroupBain & CompanyBarkawi Management ConsultantsRamboll GroupSolon Management ConsultingPoyry PLCImplement Consulting GroupManagement Consulting Group PLCAltairManagement Consulting PrepRequest a Sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, Management Consulting Services can be split intoOperations AdvisoryFinancial AdvisoryTechnology AdvisoryStrategy AdvisoryHR AdvisoryMarket segment by Application, Management Consulting Services can be split intoClients Market Capitalization: 5000 MillionGovernmentTo enquire about this report visit @Table of Contents-Key Points CoveredGlobal Management Consulting Services Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Management Consulting Services1.1 Management Consulting Services Market Overview1.1.1 Management Consulting Services Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Management Consulting Services Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Management Consulting Services Market by Type1.3.1 Operations Advisory1.3.2 Financial Advisory1.3.3 Technology Advisory1.3.4 Strategy Advisory1.3.5 HR Advisory1.4 Management Consulting Services Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Clients Market Capitalization: 5000 Million1.4.5 Government2 Global Management Consulting Services Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Management Consulting Services Market Size (Value) by Players (2016 and 2017)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Government3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Deloitte Consulting3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 PwC3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 EY3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 KPMG3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 Accenture3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 IBM Global Business Service3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 McKinsey3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 Booz Allen Hamilton3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 The Boston Consulting Group3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 Management Consulting Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.10.5 Recent Developments3.11 Bain & Company3.12 Barkawi Management Consultants3.13 Ramboll Group3.14 Solon Management Consulting3.15 Poyry PLC3.16 Implement Consulting Group3.17 Management Consulting Group PLC3.18 Altair3.19 Management Consulting PrepContinued.Buy Report@Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Worldwide Business Survey: Disposable PVC Gloves Market Size & Share, Analysis, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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The report analyzes and presents an overview of "Disposable PVC Gloves Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" worldwide.The objectives of this study are as follows:To define, describe, and forecast the "Disposable PVC Gloves" market by type, application, component, delivery model, end user, and regionTo provide detailed information regarding major factors influencing market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges)To analyze micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall marketTo analyze opportunities in the market for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape for market leadersTo forecast the market size of market segments with respect to the four key regions: North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW)Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Disposable PVC gloves are designed for single use after which they are disposed. They are made of polyvinyl chloride. Disposable PVC gloves are used extensively in medical and catering industries. The application of PVC gloves is also common in the field of equipment manufacturing, foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, and pharmaceutical.Consumer sector is one of the key end users of disposable PVC gloves.These gloves are primarily used for protection. Increased emphasis on health and safety across various industries is one of the key factors promoting the growth of the disposable PVC gloves market. Disposable PVC gloves are available in both powdered and non-powdered form and in various sizes. According to end-use application, these gloves are manufactured from materials which comply with the regulations laid down on product specification. In the food industry, disposable PVC gloves are manufactured taking into consideration the regulations laid down by food and drug administration organizations across nations.The selection of gloves depends on the application for which they are used and also on the end-use industry where these gloves are used. The purchasing power of disposable PVC gloves has increased in recent times. The increased domestic consumption of disposable PVC gloves is vital in driving the growth of these gloves across various industries. Demand for PVC gloves in the medical and catering industry has grown tremendously, and the trend is expected to continue in the future. In chemical and pharmaceutical industries, demand for these gloves is high in order to avoid the risks associated with chemical exposure. Additionally, consumers have started to opt for disposable PVC gloves in place of traditional latex gloves.Manufacturing companies find it challenging to meet the ever increasing demand for disposable PVC gloves. Shortage of raw materials is a major factor affecting large scale manufacture of disposable PVC gloves. Shortage of raw material can affect the price of raw materials which in turn can affect the pricing of gloves. The disposable PVC gloves market is highly price sensitive; it is challenging for disposable PVC glove manufacturers to offer good quality gloves at affordable prices.The disposable PVC gloves market consists of a large number of small and large players which compete on price. Availability of gloves made from varied materials such as nitrile offer stiff competition to the market growth of disposable PVC gloves. Although disposable PVC gloves are available at affordable prices, consumers prefer to choose good quality gloves.View Report @ The global disposable PVC gloves market is segmented on the basis of type, application, and region. On the basis of type, the market has been classified into powdered disposable PVC gloves and non-powdered PVC gloves. The global disposable PVC glove market by application has been segmented into healthcare, pharmaceutical, food service, and others. On the basis of geography, the global disposable PVC gloves market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and South America. The report also provides country level analysis for each of the segments. The U.S., Canada, Germany, Italy, France, U.K., China, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Brazil, and Argentina are the countries included in the study of the global disposable PVC gloves market.Some of the key players in the global disposable PVC gloves market include Ansell Healthcare, Zhonghong Pulin Medical, Bellcross Industries, Glovenation, Superior Glove, Rubberex, Custom LeatherCraft Manufacturing Co., Inc., Revital Cryogenic & Biotech Systems, ProChoice, and Motex.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisRequest For Enquiry @The regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Check Discount @ Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Retailing in Russia Market 2017- Revenue, Price and Gross Margin Research Report 2017

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SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, titled Service Station Retailing in Russia"Service Station Retailing in Russia 2017", a Sector Report by provides an executive-level overview of the Russian service station market today, with values and volumes up to 2017. It delivers quantitative and qualitative insight into the fuel market, based on in depth interviews with major fuel operators across Europe and proprietary data from service station retail databases. It provides: National Fuel Volumes and Values. Breakdown of the top five fuel retailers shop, car wash, company owned, motorway and unmanned sites. Company Fuel Volumes, Values and Market Shares. Major competitor analysis by country.Total fuel consumption in Russia increased by 3.5% in 2016 compared to the previous year. Rosneft has the largest service station network, at 2,697 sites, amounting to 9.7% of the national network. The top five fuel retailers in Russia accounted for 93.8% of the number of service station shops in the country. The total number of service stations with a car wash in Russia increased by 8.3% to 586 sites.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scope- Total fuel consumption in Russia increased by 3.5% in 2016 compared to the previous year.- Rosneft has the largest service station network, at 2,697 sites, amounting to 9.7% of the national network.- The top five fuel retailers in Russia accounted for 93.8% of the number of service station shops in the country.- The total number of service stations with a car wash in Russia increased by 8.3% to 586 sites.Key points to buy- Identify who are the top five players in Russia and how many fuel outlets, motorway & unmanned sites, shops & car wash they have.- Plan effect market strategies by uncovering market share and average fuel throughput per site of the top five players in the market.- Understand how the service station network evolving and which players are opening new outlets as well as increasing forecourt shops and car washes.- Identify what strategies the key players have across their fuel and non- fuel offerings in terms of products sold, branding, promotions, partnerships and suppliers used.Table of ContentsService Station Competitor OverviewService Station Market OverviewCompetitor ranking in 2015 compared to 2016Market Size - LUKOILMarket Size - RosneftMarket Size - Gazprom Neft (Sibneft)Market Size - Tatneft OJSCMarket Size - BashneftService Station Shop Network..CONTINUEDFor accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Future Growth of Capnography Market | World Top Key Players - Athena GTX, Dragerwerk AG, Medtronic, Masimo Corporation, Nonin Medical, OSI Systems

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Capnography is the technique of monitoring of the concentration or partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the respiratory gases. Capnographs are used as a monitoring tool during anesthesia and intensive care. It is usually presented as a graph of expiratory CO2 plotted against time. The plot may also show the inspired CO2, which is of interest when rebreathing systems are being used. The capnogram is a direct monitor of the inhaled and exhaled concentration or partial pressure of CO2, and an indirect monitor of the CO2 partial pressure in the arterial blood. Technological advancements, rising prevalence of respiratory diseases, and limitations in the use of pulse oximeter are some of the factors responsible for the growth of the capnography market. The market for capnography is booming.Sample Report Available atGlobal capnography market has been segmented on the basis of types which comprises of mainstream capnographs, sidestream capnographs, microstream capnographs, and disposables. On the basis of end users, market is segmented into Hospitals, Surgical centers, Ambulatory and others.Study Objectives Capnography Market- To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 10 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the capnography market, To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth, To analyze the capnography market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective, To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by product type, end users and its sub-segments. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market, To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global capnography market.Browse complete report atKey Players for Capnography MarketSome of the key players in this market are: Athena GTX Inc, Dragerwerk AG, Medtronic, Inc., Masimo Corporation, Nonin Medical, Inc., OSI Systems, Inc, Philips Healthcare, Welch Allyn, Inc. and other.The report for Global Capnography Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regionsAbout usAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContinueContact:Market Research FutureMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: salesteam@Marketresearchfuture.Com
Function as a Service Market Growth Opportunities Report 2025

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Transparency Market Research (TMR) observes that competitive landscape in the global Function as a Service (FaaS) is quite dynamic and has a distinct presence of a few big players. Amazon Web Services Inc., Microsoft Corporation, VMware Inc., and Google Inc. are some of the leading players in the global market. As of 2016, these companies held a whopping share of above 80% in the global market. Research and development and mergers and acquisitions are anticipated to be key strategies of these players in the near future.Read Report Overview @According to the research report, the global FaaS market was valued at US$1230.0 mn in 2016 and is expected to be worth US$4280.0 mn by the end of 2025. Over the forecast period of 2017 and 2025, the global market is expected to progress at a CAGR of 15.3%. Among the various end users, the global FaaS market is likely to be driven by the telecommunications segment in the coming years as it is slated to surge at a CAGR of 15.3% during the forecast period. From a geographic point of view, the North America FaaS market is estimated to progress at a steady pace in the near future due to strong adoption of technology in the region. As of 2016, this region held a share of 34.0% in the overall market.Possibility of Server-less Computing Draws Attention to FaaS SolutionsThe global FaaS market has been gaining traction in recent years as the service allows end users to conduct programming, manage and run application along with other functionalities without the need to manage services. Thus, the convenience of a platform that eliminates the requirement of building and maintaining infrastructure in developing and run new applications has augmented the demand for FaaS. The biggest advantage of this service is that has considerable reduced the cost of operations for various organizations. The only cost organizations have to bear is that of resource used during execution, as FaaS allows easy to scale independent services triggered to action by events.The global market is also being driven by the fact that FaaS offers real time file and data processing. Analysts indicate that FaaS can be deployed for transcoding thumbnail images, videos, process logs, filter, index files, and aggregate data in real time. These factors are likely to bolster the growth of the global market in the near future. Furthermore, the server less computing is anticipated to be its unique selling point over the forecast period. This evolutionary process in promoting cloud computing is estimated to leverage the market to its full potential.Request to view Sample Report:Lack of Flexibility within Cloud Environments to Hamper GrowthDespite the strong market drivers the global FaaS market is being stymied by a few factors. Currently, the key restraint in the global market is the inability of FaaS to move data and applications formats from one cloud environment to the other without any disruptions. This could translate into big losses for companies that save data on multiple cloud environments. Thus, this factor anticipated to be a major restraint for the global market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Terrestrial Trunked Radio Market Players Strive to Offer Differentiator Services to Gain Competitive Edge

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A fresh market intelligence study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) detects the global Terrestrial Trunked Radio Market is largely a concentrated one with key market share held by a few dominant players that operate globally as well in regional markets. In a highly competitive business landscape, prominent companies are striving to stay ahead by providing differentiator services such as in public safety and critical communication spaces. This is also helping these companies to expand their geographical outreach. For instance, in May 2017, Hytera Communications acquired Sepura Gropup Plc. to expand their services in the European region.Key players that operate in the global TETRA market include Motorola Solutions, ROHILL Engineering B.V., Damm Cellular Systems A/S, Airbus Defense and Space Oy, Rolta India Limited, Simoco Wireless Solutions, Cobham plc, JVCKENWOOD Corporation, Hytera Communications, and Leonardo among others.As per the TMR report, the global TETRA market is likely to expand at a healthy 11.97% CAGR during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. At this pace, the market will become worth US$12,166.7 mn by the end of 2025.The application segments of the global TETRA market include transportation and logistics, aviation, oil & gas, public safety, and others. Of them, the public safety segment is anticipated to account for the leading revenue contribution to the overall market over the forecast period. Among the key component types, hardware is likely to occupy for the leading 43.9% revenue contribution to the TETRA market by 2025. Geography-wise, Asia Pacific TETRA market is a significant one mainly due to the adoption of TETRA in a host of service areas.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Terrestrial Trunked Radio Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market :Foolproof Communication Needs of Public Safety Agencies Boosts AdoptionFirst and foremost, the rising need to provide foolproof mission-control critical communication system for homeland security of nations is primarily driving the TETRA market. Further, the need to serve communication needs of various public safety agencies such as fire department, police, utility companies, and other services is also stoking the markets growth. These agencies handle critical information that needs to be transmitted in a timely manner.TERA is a set of standards developed by the European Telecommunications Standardization Institute. The standard is developed to serve the mobile radio needs of various public safety agencies that handle critical data.Need for Secure Communication Drives Deployment at Global Public SpectaclesFurther, several governments in the world are deploying TETRA network for mission critical communication needs. For example, in 2015, the office of the public security secretary in Rio de Janeiro engaged a company called Teltronic to provide secure communications for the 2016 Rio Olympics. As per the contract, Teltronic provided TETRA network provided TETRA network across the region to be connected with approximately 18,000 police radios.In addition, TETRA has been deployed to provide secure foolproof communication for many global events. For example, in February 2017, Hytera bagged the contract for deploying TETRA systems for mobile radio needs of 2017 FIFA Confederation Cup.The increasing use of TETRA radios and base stations is also acting in favor of TETRA market. For example, in October 2017, Airbus S.A.S deployed TETRA base station for improved radio communication by a public telecommunication company based in Middle East.GET TOC @Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Updated Edition Reports Smart Government Market Size & Share, Industry Analysis, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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The report analyzes and presents an overview of "Smart Government Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" worldwide.The objectives of this study are as follows:To define, describe, and forecast the "Smart Government" market by type, application, component, delivery model, end user, and regionTo provide detailed information regarding major factors influencing market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges)To analyze micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall marketTo analyze opportunities in the market for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape for market leadersTo forecast the market size of market segments with respect to the four key regions: North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW)Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Smart government is an extension of e-government which applies information, communication, and operational technologies to all operational areas across multiple domains, process areas, and jurisdictions to generate sustainable public value. The smart government market is characterized by the presence of numerous well-established and highly competitive market entities/players. These players adopt various strategies like expansion, acquisition, partnership, collaboration, and technology to gain competitive advantage and defend their market share. The market is also characterized by growth in R&D activities in recent times. The global smart government market is expected to showcase impressive growth in the coming years.There are many factors driving the global smart government market. Growth in demand for digital mediums and smart technologies is attributed to technological advancements leading to increased investments in smart government technology which is expected to be a major driver of the market. High acceptance rate of cloud computing even from countries that have regular concerns about data privacy and security is also expected to boost the markets growth. Moreover, growth in the data generated from multiple sources which can be processed for digital transformation is also expected to propel the market. However, issues about data privacy and data theft are expected to be a major restraint in the growth of the global smart government market. The market is also expected to be hindered by the threat from hackers and data breaches.The global smart government market can be segmented on the basis of solution, service, deployment, and geography. On the basis of solution, the market can be segmented into security, analytics, government resource planning system, remote monitoring, open data platform, network management and others. Amongst these solutions, remote monitoring solutions are anticipated to grow at a substantial rate during the forecast period. This is primarily due to the solutions impressive ability to track and monitor the health of the deployed assets. Other advantages provided by remote monitoring solutions such as improved capacity and utilization, safety assurance, operational visibility and analysis, proactive solutions for asset failure situations, and reduced asset downtime are also expected to drive the segment. Another reason for the growth of the segment is the declining cost of sensors which in turn is making deployment of such solutions feasible and economical.View Report @ On the basis of service, the market can be divided into professional services and managed services.Professional services segment is expected to hold prominent share during the forecast period owing to the increased deployment of smart solutions that need technological consulting, and continuous support & maintenance. On the basis of deployment, the market can be segmented into cloud and on-premise.On the basis of geography, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America. North America is expected to hold a major share of the total market owing to prominent developments in the smart government market resulting from the technical advancements and increasing use of mobiles and tablets in that region. Europe, driven by countries like U.K., Germany, and France, is expected to follow North America in terms of market share. Across Europe, the presence of advanced infrastructure is expected to ensure higher penetration of mobile devices which ultimately helps in driving the smart government market in the region. Middle East & Africa and South America are expected to hold a smaller share of the market, mainly driven by countries such as Saudi Arabia and Brazil respectively.Major players in the global smart government market are Amazon Web Services, Inc., Capgemini SE, Cisco Systems, Inc., Entrust Datacard Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., IBM Corporation, Imex Systems Inc., Nokia Corporation, Oracle Corporation, and Symantec Corporation. Other prominent players include ABB Ltd., Avaya Inc., Hughes Identification Devices (HID) Global Corporation, OpenGov, Inc., Socrata, Inc. and UTI Grup Ltd.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request For Enquiry @ The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Check Discount @ Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Flight Data Monitoring and Analysis Market Growth Opportunities Report 2025

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Transparency Market Research (TMR) observes that the competition in the global flight data monitoring and analysis market is extremely high due to the strong presence of several well-established players in the market. Entry of smaller players in the international market has made the scenario tough for the existing players. To remain relevant, leading companies are focusing on mergers and acquisitions to expand their product portfolio in the coming years. The top three players in the global market are Safran Electronics & Defense, Curtiss-Wright Corporation, and Teledyne Controls LLC. The collective share of these companies is estimated to reach 92% by the end of 2017.Read Report Overview @North America to Lead the Global Flight Data Monitoring and Analysis MarketAccording to the research report, the global flight data monitoring and analysis market is expected to be worth US$ 1,623.16 mn by the end of 2025 from US$677.6 mn in 2016. During the forecast years of 2017 and 2025, the global market for flight data monitoring and analysis market is estimated to progress at a CAGR of 10.4%. The fixed-wing segment is estimated to lead the global market as it is slated to acquire a share of 90.7% in the overall market. Higher safety offered by fixed-winged aircraft is expected to propel the segment. From a geographic point of view, the North America flight data monitoring and analysis market is expected to be the largest one. This regional market is slated to register a CAGR of 8.8% during the forecast period.The demand for flight data monitoring and analysis (FDMA) has spiked in recent years due to the growing air traffic and mushrooming airline companies. These systems are used for proactive recording of flight data to understand the repetitive nature of operational inefficiencies. Thus, the primary purpose of FDMA to improve flight and maintenance operations and establishing excellent aviation safety standards. Today, application of FDMA extends to improving flight crew performance, air carrier training programs, air traffic control procedures, aircraft operations, and maintenance areas of a fleet operator along with improving flight operations. Thus, the widening application of these programs is expected to bolster the growth of the global market in the coming years.Higher Profit Margins Ensure Swift Uptake of FDMA ProgramsAdoption of flight data monitoring and analysis programs has resulted has led to a drastic reduction in accidents, allowed fuel economy, increased availability of aircraft, eliminated the need for unnecessary repairs and maintenance, and thereby ensured a higher profit margins for the aviation industry. In light of these reasons, the FDMA market is likely to find lucrative opportunities across the globe. According to the International Aviation Civil Organization (ICAO), it is now mandatory to have FDMA for aircraft that are above a specified maximum certificated take-off mass.Request to view Sample Report:Despite the brilliant market drivers steering the growth of the global market, it faces a few challenges. The key restraint for the global flight data monitoring and analysis market is the concern about data security. Though Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) maintains a tight lid on the data, making sure it is not misused, several airline operators continue to be hesitant about it. This factor is expected to tug the market in the downward direction in the coming years.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
United States Silver Graphite Brush Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report United States Silver Graphite Brush Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz""A carbon brush is a sliding contact used to transmit electrical current from a static to a rotating part, in a motor or generator, and as regards DC machines, ensure a spark-free commutation.Silver graphite grades brush belongs to the category of carbon brushes, which gives the most exact power transfer and are therefore suitable where strict requirements are imposed for even, exact electrical signals."View Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Silver Graphite Brush in United States market, to split the market based on manufacturers, states, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversCarbexMersenMorganSchunkToyo TansoSGL GelterHelwig CarbonAnglo CarbonAnqiao CarbonNational CarbonHaimen Shuguang CarbonMortengXianghai CarbonGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Market Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisMarket Segment by Type, covers>80%Ag50%-80%Ag80%Ag1.2.2 50%-80%Ag1.2.3About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Purified Terephthalic Acid Market to Partake Significant Development During 2014 - 2020

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Purified terephthalic acid (PTA) is a chemical which is synthesized from crude oil. It is majorly used to manufacture polyester fiber. Its end-user industries include textile and home furnishing where PTA is required to manufacture garments such as bed sheets, curtains and clothes. The market for purified terephthalic is expected to witness noticeable expansion in the coming years with the growing demand for polyester, specifically in China. Furthermore, the country is emerging as a global textile manufacturing hub with low-cost labor further driving the growth of the purified terephthalic acid market. Polyethylene terephthalate which acts as a successor to PTA is also expected to make an impact on the PTA market in accordance to its end-user industries.Request For Report Sample:Several growth factors such as growing per capita consumption in emerging regions such as China and significant growth of the textile industry is expected to boost the demand for the PTA market. However, fluctuating prices in energy sources such as crude oil required to produce PTA is expected to affect profitability of PTA manufacturers thereby impacting the growth of the market. Beer and other alcoholic beverage industries as well as household product containers are still dominated by the glass industry, which could be an unexplored market for PTA consumption thereby, providing new opportunities for the growth of the market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Asia Pacific was the largest consumer for purified terephthalic acid, followed by North America and Europe. Future market growth is expected to be from Asia Pacific as well owing to the improving living standards as well as cross-country usage of PTA products.Alfa, S.A.B. de C.V., CPC Corporation, Far Eastern Group, Honam Petrochemical Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc., Reliance Industries Ltd., Samyang Chemical Co., Ltd. and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation are some of major producers of purified terephthalic acid dominating the market.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Aircraft Radome Market to Reach USD 741.47 Million By 2025

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Aircraft Radome market is expected to grow to US$ 741.47 million by 2025 from US$ 403.81 million in 2016. The sales of aircraft radomes is largely influenced by numerous economic and environmental factors. The sales pattern for aircraft radomes have faced similar ups and downs as the global economy. Therefore, the global economy plays a key role in the development of aircraft radome market. Amongst the environmental factors, weather anomalies affect the business of the industry. The market for aircraft radome market is influenced by various factors such as rise in demand for air travel, and increasing demand for quartz fiber. These factors are poised to drive the market for aircraft radome during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. However, the growth of market is being hindered by lack of skilled engineering labor required for maintenance of aircraft radome, and high cost of advanced fiber materials.Request Sample is Available atNonetheless, the rapid increase in modernization of existing aircrafts is influencing the up gradation of conventional radome to latest technology radome in order to enhance the operational efficiency and to provide increased protection to the radar from external influences. This factor is acting as a key opportunity factor for the market of aircraft radome in the coming years from 2017 to 2025. Moreover, the various research and developments being carried out by different aircraft radome manufactures are poised to help the market for aircraft radome to escalate over the years in future.Aircraft Radome market by systems is segmented into design type, material type and aircraft type. The rise in disposable incomes of individuals in the developed as well as developing economies, compliance to strict regulations by the aviation bodies are some of the factors that are conducive to the growth of aircraft radomes into the systems. The market for aircraft radomes is moderately consolidated market with the top ten companies accounting for significant share of the market. Significant barriers to enter the business has favored the established companies to command their positioning into this sector.Place a Direct Purchase Order of Aircraft Radome Market atThe overall market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source. The research process begins with an exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. Also, primary interview were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers and national sales managers, and external consultant such as valuation experts, research analysts and key opinion leaders specializing in the aircraft radome industry.The List Companies1. Airbus S.A.S2. General Dynamics Corporation3. Jenoptik AG4. Kitsap Composites5. Meggitt PLC6. NORDAM Group, Inc.7. Orbital ATK8. Saint-Gobain9. Starwin Industries10. Vermont Composites (Kaman Composites)Inquire before Buying atMajor Points from Table of Contents7 Global Aircraft Radome Market Analysis  By Design Type 337.1 Overview 337.2 Nose Radome 347.2.1 Overview 347.2.2 Global Nose Radome Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2025 (US$ Mn) 347.3 Fuselage Mounted Radome 367.3.1 Overview 367.3.2 Global Fuselage Mounted Radome Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2025 (US$ Mn) 368 Global Aircraft Radome Market Analysis  By Material type 388.1 Overview 388.2 Glass-Fiber 398.2.1 Overview 398.2.2 Global Glass-Fiber Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2025 (US$ Mn) 398.3 Resin 418.3.1 Overview 418.3.2 Global Resin Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2025 (US$ Mn) 418.4 Quartz 438.4.1 Overview 438.4.2 Global Quartz Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2025 (US$ Mn) 439 Global Aircraft Radome Market Analysis  By Aircraft type 449.1 Overview 449.2 Commercial 459.2.1 Overview 459.2.2 Global Commercial Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2025 (US$ Mn) 459.3 Military 479.3.1 Overview 479.3.2 Global Military Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2025 (US$ Mn) 47Complete Report is Available atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.533, 5th Floor, Amanora Chambers,Amanora Township, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Folding Bicycles Global Market 2017: Key Players  Giant Bicycle, Dahon, A-bike, GOGOBIKE, Montague Bike

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Folding Bicycles IndustryDescriptionWiseguyreports.Com Adds Folding Bicycles -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecast To 2022 To Its Research DatabaseFolding bicycles are a category of bicycles. General folding car frame folding joints and riser folding joints. Through the folding frame, the front and rear two fold together, can reduce the length of about 45%. After folding the vehicle can be placed in the boarding box and folding bag, as well as the car trunk. In the folding process does not require the use of external tools, can manually fold the car to start. After the folding through the seat rod as a supporting point in order to make stable after folding. Folding bike to carry, easy to use and comfortable, mature production technology.The global Folding Bicycles market will reach Volume Million USD in 2017 and CAGR xx% 2011-2017. The report begins from overview of Industry Chain structure, and describes industry environment, then analyses market size and forecast of Folding Bicycles by product, region and application, in addition, this report introduces market competition situation among the vendors and company profile, besides, market price analysis and value chain features are covered in this report.Company Coverage (Sales Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Main Products etc.):Giant BicycleDahonA-bikeGOGOBIKEMontague BikeBrompton BicycleHelixBike FridayBirdy BikePhoenix BikeFOREVER BicycleRequest for Sample Report @Product Type Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Major Company of Product Type etc.):20 Inch24 Inch26 InchOther sizeApplication Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Different Demand Market by Region, Main Consumer Profile etc.):AdultChildrenRegion Coverage (Regional Output, Demand & Forecast by Countries etc.):North AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaLeave a Query @Table of Content1 Industry Overview1.1 Folding Bicycles Industry1.1.1 Overview1.1.2 Development of Folding Bicycles1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 Upstream1.2.2 Downstream1.3 Cost Analysis2 Industry Environment2.1 Policy2.2 Economics2.3 Sociology2.4 Technology3 Folding Bicycles Market by Type3.1 Segment Overview3.1.1 20 Inch3.1.2 24 Inch3.1.3 26 Inch3.1.4 Other size3.2 Market Size3.3 Market Forecast4 Major Companies List4.1 Giant Bicycle (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.2 Dahon (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.3 A-bike (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.4 GOGOBIKE (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.5 Montague Bike (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.6 Brompton Bicycle (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.7 Helix (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.8 Bike Friday (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.9 Birdy Bike (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.10 Phoenix Bike (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)4.11 FOREVER Bicycle (Company Profile, Sales Data etc.)5 Market Competition5.1 Company Competition5.2 Regional Market by Company6 Market Demand6.1 Demand Situation6.1.1 Demand in Adult6.1.2 Demand in Children6.2 Regional Demand Comparison6.3 Demand Forecast7 Region Operation7.1 Regional Output7.2 Regional Market7.3 by Region7.3.1 North America7.3.1.1 Overview7.3.1.2 by Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico)7.3.2 Europe7.3.2.1 Overview7.3.2.2 by Country (Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Russia, Spain etc.)7.3.3 Asia-Pacific7.3.3.1 Overview7.3.3.2 by Country (China, India, Japan, Southeast Asia etc.)7.3.4 South America7.3.4.1 Overview7.3.4.2 by Country (Brazil, Argentina etc.)7.3.5 Middle East & Africa7.3.5.1 Overview7.3.5.2 by Country (Saudi Arabia, South Africa etc.)7.4 Regional Forecast8 Marketing & Price8.1 Price and Margin8.1.1 Price Trends8.1.2 Factors of Price Change8.1.3 Manufacturers Gross Margin Analysis8.2 Value Chain8.3 Marketing Channel9 Research ConclusionBuy Now @Continued...Contact Us: Sales@Wiseguyreports.Com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (Us) Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (Uk)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt LtdPune  411028Maharashtra, GlobalPh: +91 841 198 5042
Military Land Vehicles Market to Witness Exponential Growth by 2021

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Land military is one of the basic forms of border defense of a country. Military land vehicles have been growing at a rapid pace due to increasing purchases by the emerging economies with large population who need increased land-protection. However, the military land vehicles market is expected to grow at a sluggish rate in the short term due to austerity in several major markets. The economic slowdown in Europe is another factor for the low growth in the short term. The traditional markets for military land vehicles such are the U.S. are mostly up-grading and maintaining their existing military fleets rather than replacing them with the new ones.Request For Report Sample:The expected cuts in the U.S. vehicle programs are expected to lead to a slowdown of military land vehicles market in the region in the short term. The major land military vehicles of the U.S. include Stryker program, MI I3 replacement, Abrams/Bradley/Paladin Capability enhancement, Ground Combat Vehicle JLTV and FMTV. The major land vehicles owned by other countries include FRES, OUVS, Warrior & Challenger (the U.K.), Boxer (Netherlands), Future AIFV (Spain), PUMA AIFV (Germany), Freccia (Italy), Strategic Military Program (Brazil), Altay MBT (Turkey), K21 AIFV and K2 MBT (South Korea), Abrams Tank up-gradation (Iraq), Future MBT and Abhay (India), Land 121 and Project Overlander (Australia), Project Vistula, Sepula, Hoefyster (South Africa), TSS MBT up-gradation (Peru) and Main battle tank (Columbia) .The asymmetric warfare and increasing operation pressures are compelling the governments to focus on new breed of military land vehicles with focus on mobility and transportation, propulsion, transportability, interoperability with other elements, logistics footprint and lifetime cost. The increasing need for agile and efficient vehicles is driving the market for lightweight and hybrid military land vehicles. The U.K. which played significant role in Iraq and Afghanistan operation faced a defense budget deficit of USD 60billion post operation which led to an aggressive Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) to recover from this. The legacy vehicles in France including AMX-10 RC, VAB and ERC-90 are to be replaced by VBMR and EBRC vehicles.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):The governments in the western countries are practicing lean military force and are therefore downsizing their armed forces. However, they are replacing their cold-war era equipments and investing in new technologies. The Department of Defense (DOD) in the U.S. is planning to downsize its soldiers strength by 80,000 and the marine corps by 20,000. Among regions, North America dominated global sales followed by Asia Pacific. With the economic recovery of Europe by the mid of the decade the military land vehicles market in the region is expected to grow at a fast pace. Military land vehicles market is consolidated with small number of players operating in the market. The key players in military land vehicles market are General Dynamics, BAE Systems, Oshkosh Corporation, Rheinmetall, ST Engineering and Navistar. The military land vehicle manufacturers are increasing their focus on Asia Pacific and Middle East markets. In the decade 2001-2010, the series of wars led to Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs) where the manufacturers of military land vehicles enjoyed great profits. The present decade mostly features cold war thus marring the scope for UORs. However, any eruption of war can give the military land vehicles industry a skyrocketing growth.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
String Inverter Market Size, Top Key Players, Share, Growth Analysis, Forecast to 2023

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Market HighlightsA string inverter is connected with a string of solar panels, which is called the solar array and each solar panel is connected in series to the string inverters. The inverter combines all the direct current received from each individual solar panel and, at once, converts it into alternating current. Moreover, easy replacement and more flexibility as well as availability are some of the factors which driving the market of string inverter.The report has analyzed the market based on the four segments: product, phase, application, and end use in the regions of North America, Europe, APAC and rest of the world. On the basis of product it includes On-grid, off-grid. On-grid segment is expected to hold the largest share of the string inverter market due to the market of three-phase string inverters, which are being commercialized at a huge scale in Asia-Pacific and Europe. On the basis of phase it includes Single, Three. It is referred as largest market owing to rising installations of large utility-scale solar systems in Japan, China, and other European countries. Moreover On the basis of application, it includes Residential, Commercial, Industrial, utilities. The utilities segment is expected to hold the largest share. Utility-scale large projects are improving for renewable integration and accelerating the growth of the string inverter market for the utility segment. String inverter in utility-based solar systems, integrated with energy storage systems expected to grab the market Whereas Asia pacific region expected to grow the String Inverter market. The scope of the market has widened over many years owing to the flourishing markets of Asia pacific .The global String Inverter market is expected to cross USD XX Billion at the end of the forecasted period and is expected to grow at CAGR of approximately XX from 2016 to 2022.Key PlayersThe major player operating in the market of Global String inverter are SolarMax, Huawei Technologies, Sungrow Power Supply, Fronius International, KOSTAL Solar Electric, Growatt New Energy Technology, Schneider, Ingeteam, Ginlong Technologies, Advanced Energy Industries, KACO New Energy.Request a Sample Copy @Market Research Future Analysis:Market Research Future analysis show that the global market of String Inverter market is estimated to grow at US $XX billion by the end of year 2022.Geographically, Asia Pacific dominates the global string inverter market with utilities segment .Utility-scale large projects are improving given regulations for renewable integration and accelerate growth of the string inverter market. Moreover, government also helps by providing policy support such as tax incentives, as well as incentives such as feed-in tariffs and tenders. It is estimated to rise in demand due to growth in demand for inverter. The global String Inverter is expected to grow at CAGR of XX% between years 2016 to 2022.Table of Content1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope Of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market Structure:1.3.1 Global String Inverter Market: By Product1.3.2 Global String Inverter Market: By Phase1.3.3 Global String Inverter Market: By Application1.3.5 Global String Inverter Market: By Region2 Research Methodology2.1 Research Type2.2 Primary Researchpt2.3 Secondary Research2.4 Forecast Model2.4.1 Market Data Collection, Analysis & Forecast2.4.2 Market Size Estimation2.4.3 Market Crackdown & Data Triangulation3 Market Dynamics3.1 Introduction3.2 Market Drivers3.3 Market Challenges3.4 Market Opportunities4 Executive Summary5. Market Factor AnalysisEnquire about this Report @6 Global String Inverter Market6.1 Introduction6.2 Market Statistics6.2.1 By Product6.2.1.1 On-Grid6.2.1.2 Off-Grid6.2.2 By Phase6.2.2.1 Single6.2.2.2 Three6.2.3 By Application6.2.3.1 Residential6.2.3.2 Commercial6.2.3.3 Industrial6.2.3.4 Utilities6.2.4 By Geography6.2.4.1 North America6.2.4.2 EuropeContinue..List of TablesTable 1 Global String Inverter Market, By ProductTable 2 Global String Inverter Market, By PhaseTable 3 Global String Inverter Market, By ApplicationTable 4 Global String Inverter Market, By RegionsTable 5 North America String Inverter Market, By CountryTable 6 North America String Inverter Market, By ProductTable 7 North America String Inverter Market, By PhaseTable 8 North America String Inverter Market, By ApplicationTable 9 U.S. String Inverter Market, By ProductTable 10 U.S. String Inverter Market, By PhaseContinue..List of FiguresFigure 1 Research TypeFigure 2 Global String Inverter Market: By Product (%)Figure 3 Global String Inverter Market: By Phase (%)Figure 4 Global String Inverter Market: By Application (%)Figure 6 Global String Inverter Market: By RegionFigure 7 North America String Inverter Market, By Product (%)Figure 8 North America String Inverter Market, By Phase (%)Figure 9 North America String Inverter Market, By Application (%)Figure 10 North America String Inverter Market, By Countries (%)ContinueBrowse Full Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
MVNOs in Emerging Asia Market 2017 - Current and Future Plans

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Summary"MVNOs in Emerging Asia: MVNO friendly regulatory framework and unique product offerings to drive MVNO market" a new Telecom Insider Report by offers a thorough study of the MVNO market in the emerging Asia region. The report analyses different MVNOs operating in the region on various parameters such as product and service offerings, target customers base and business models.The MVNO business model plays a very crucial role to cater the different needs of the increasing subscribers base. In partnership with telecom operators, MVNO helps to increase their presence in the niche and untapped segments, thus creating profitable business environment for both MNOs and MVNOs. Major factors driving the market are increasing smartphone penetration, rising data traffic, telecom infrastructure development, expansion in rural and remote areas, rollout of 3G/4G services and growing adoption of M2M and IoT solutions. The report examines the various business models adopted by different MVNOs in APAC region, their products and service offerings and provides an in-depth look at the changing landscape of trends in MVNO adoption and investment.GET SAMPLE REPORT @The report consists of following sections -- MVNO Definition and Main Business Models: This section briefly describes MVNO market structure and introduction of the different business models adopted by them.- Global and Regional MVNO Market Context: This section provides overview of the MVNO market in Emerging Asia and analysis of the different business models adopted by the MVNOs.- Market Evolution: This section provides information about MVNO market evolution in Emerging Asia and also provides overview about the regulatory scenario.- Case Studies: Three case studies are presented of the leading MVNOs in Emerging Asia which includes Ali Telecom, redONE and Smart Pinoy. These case studies focus on the MVNO offerings, their sales and promotional strategies and recent moves by the telcos in the MVNO space.- Key findings and recommendations: It consists of a summary of key findings and a set of recommendations for regulators, MVNOs and network operators.Scope- Among different business models adopted by the MVNOs in the region, niche business model is the widely adopted by 28% of the total MVNOs present in this region catering various segments including youth, immigrants, students and health enthusiasts. This is followed by retail and enterprise models. Retail and business models are also gaining popularity, accounting for 16% and 14%, respectively.- Report estimates MVNO market in emerging Asia will record a CAGR of 56% over 2016-21. MVNO subscriptions estimated to reach 233.5m (5.5% of emerging APACs total mobile subscription count) by 2021-end from 25.3m in 2016 (0.7% of total mobile subscriptions) which are far below the levels in developed markets like North America, Western Europe and developed Asia.- Chinas MVNO market is expected to witness the strongest growth among emerging Asia countries with a CAGR of 65.1% from 2016 to 2021.Reasons to buy- The report provides analysis of MVNO businesses in the Emerging APAC along with detail examination of the various business models adopted in countries such as China, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines among others by the MVNOs for increasing their subscriber base.- Provides in-depth understanding about the product and service offering portfolio being offered by MVNOs in Emerging Asia to help new entrants to align their product offerings.- Helps executives build business growth strategies by offering comprehensive, relevant analysis of the Emerging Asia regions growing MVNO market, regulatory framework, competitive environment and best practices of the existing MVNOs.- The case studies focus on different product and service offerings and strategies being adopted by them to drive subscriber growth of the leading MVNOs operating in the region.- By understanding the interests and positions of the main stakeholders in the MVNO market - MNOs, end users, regulators, content providers and ISPs - telecom professionals/operators can develop strategies and increase their participation in the growing MVNO market.Table of Content: Key PointsTable of contents 3List of exhibits 4Executive summary 7Section 1: MVNO definition and main business models 8MVNO definition 9MVNO business models 10Section 2: Global and regional MVNO market context 16MVNO market worldwide 17MVNO market in emerging Asia 18Most prevalent MVNO business models in emerging Asia 19Section 3: MVNO market evolution in emerging Asia 27Regulatory context 29Regional market outlook 33Section 4: Case studies 35Ali Telecom: China 36redONE: Malaysia 38ContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants analysis Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Almond Oil Market Forecast By End-use Industry 2017-2025

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Almond oil is considered extremely popular among the consumers due to its all-purpose properties as carrier oil. The almond is a species of tree that is native to South Asia and Middle East. Almond oil tree normally grows between three and six meters height. The almond trees are seen to prosper in sunny slopes at a height of seven hundred to seventeen hundred meters and normally prefers stony grounds. Almond oil obtained from almond trees are rich in minerals, proteins, vitamin E and essential fatty acids. Almond oil is specifically high in monounsaturated fatty acid which is called Oleic acid. Almond oil are beneficial in the treatment of skin diseases such as pimples, eczema. Such oils are also beneficial for the treatment of diabetes, kidney problems, gastro enteritis, gastric ulcers and facial neuralgia. They are also considered to be a useful food remedy for anemia.Download exclusive Sample of this report:The global almond oil market has been segmented on the basis of different types and distribution channel. By type the global almond oil market has been segmented into sweet almond oil and bitter almond oil. Sweet almond oil is considered as the refined vegetable oil that helps to improve the skin texture and has intrinsic properties.Sweet almond oil consists of fatty acid composition and are colorless or pale yellow. Sweet almond oil consists of vitamins such as A, B1, B2, B6 and also small amounts of vitamin E and D. Due to the presence of vitamin E in almond oil it has antioxidant capabilities. Vitamin oil present in almond oil also is an excellent addition in skin care and hair care products. Sweet almond oil offers deep penetration into the skin and has significant moisture retention together with the presence of high nourishing properties. Antioxidants present in almond oil helps to protect the vital cell structures by neutralizing the free radicals thus providing healthy skin. On the other hand bitter almond oil is colorless or yellow and are prepared by the method of steam distillation of the almond meal of bitter almond seeds. A compound which is called amygdaline differentiates sweet almond oil and bitter almond oil. The market has been further segmented into distribution channel namely online distribution channel and offline distribution channel. Offline distribution channel is further segmented into super markets, hyper markets and specialty stores. Super markets are anticipated to capture a large part of market share of global almond oil market due to the rising number of demands among the population.The global almond oil market is mainly driven by the rising skin care benefits among the population due to the presence of vitamin E in almond oil. The most beneficial quality of almond oil is that it helps in skin rejuvenation and also protects the dry skin. Almond oils are designed for all kinds of cosmetic and skin care products. However lack of awareness regarding the useful benefits of almond oil coupled with fluctuating prices of the almond oil are restraining the global almond oil market in recent years.Obtain Report Details @In the region wise study the global almond oil market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.Middle East and Asia Pacific region are anticipated to capture a significant market share due to the presence of large number of manufacturers of almond oil in these regions. China, India, Japan among the Asia Pacific regions are anticipated to show the fastest growth during the forecast period.Global key participants in the industry includeAAK, Frontier Natural Products, Flora, Oil seed extractions, Proteco, Bajaj, Caloy, Dabur, ESI, GrupoPilimon, HuilesBertin, Humco Compounding, K.K. Enterprise, Mountain Ocean, Now Foods Oliofora, Provital Group among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Peracetic Acid Market to Witness Exponential Growth by 2021

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Peracetic acid (PAA) or peroxy acetic acid is a colorless and highly acidic liquid. Hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid are used as principal constituent in commercial manufacturing of peracetic acid. It is used in various products with concentration ranging from 5%-35% content. Peracetic acid is one of the most effective oxidizing agents after ozone. It is highly water soluble and does not produce any health and environmentally hazardous byproducts.Based on the different application of the peracetic acid the market can be further segmented as disinfectants, sterilant, sanitizer and others. Disinfectant segment held largest market share worldwide in 2013. Disinfectants are used in healthcare, food and beverages industry, water treatment and bleaching application in pulp & paper industry. Sterilant and sanitizer were the two of the fasted growing application segment in 2013.Request For Report Sample:The Peracetic acid market is mainly driven by the increasing application of peracetic acid in various allied industries such as food processing and beverage industries. Peracetic acid got recognition from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as antimicrobial and as safe chemicals to protect food for longer time. This has developed many new application of peracetic acid as food preservatives and microbial disinfectants over the past few years. In food industry peracetic acid is widely used as a preservative for meat and poultry and fisheries products. Moreover, rising demand of peracetic acid in various beverages processing application is also acting as a leading growth driver for the market. Nevertheless the traditional application of peracetic acid market such as industrial cleaning disinfectants, healthcare and personal care applications is rising which in turn is driving the market of Peracetic acid.Advancement in manufacturing technology, growing popularity of bio-based chemicals and innovative techniques developed for the use of peracetic acid in many new applications in an array of product is expected to lay new opportunities for of peracetic acid market in upcoming years.Direct exposure to Peracetic acid can cause severe burns, allergy, and other hazardous health effects to the eyes, skin, and respiratory organs. Peracetic acid can cause severe health issues if ingested in higher concentrations, together these factors are restricting its wide acceptance in at house hold application which is one of the major challenges for peracetic acid market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Europe is the largest market of Peracetic acid followed by North America, Asia Pacific and rest of the world (RoW). Asia Pacific and RoW (include Latin America, Middle East, and Africa) are two of the fasted growing Peracetic acid market of the world. Country wise, China and India are two of the largest regional market of peracetic acid. China held the largest market share in terms of regional consumption of peracetic acid in 2013. The size of peracetic acid market is relatively low in the RoW region, but expected to display a healthy growth throughout the forecasted period.Some of the major companies operating in global peracetic acid market include, Kemira Chemicals, Mitsubishi Gas Chemicals, Seitz GMBH, Aditya Birla Chemicals, Ecolab, Solvay Chemicals, Peroxychem, Evonik Industries, Enviro Tech Chemical Services, Helios Group, Christeyns and Promox S.P.A.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Electrical Steels Market Growth and key Industry Players 2017 Analysis and Forecasts to 2022

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MarketSizeForecasters.com adds a new Electrical Steels Market research report that provides a detailed market overview as well as industry analysis for / of companies, manufacturers and distributors covering data on gross margin, cost structure, consumption value, sale price and more.Electrical steel is an alloy that contains iron and silicon. It can be manufactured by modifying the magnetic properties of steel for efficient magnetism and electricity conversion. Also called silicon steel, lamination steel, relay steel or transformer steel, this type of steel is very often used to build the cores of transformers as well as the stators of generators and motors. An electrical steel sheet is a functional material used as an iron core material for electrical equipment. There are two types of electrical steel sheet: grain-oriented electrical steel sheet and non-oriented electrical steel sheet, and they are used for different applications. In this report we researched the two types of steel sheet respectively.Request a Free sample PDF of this research to evaluate more @Scope of the Global Electrical Steels Market Report:This report focuses on the Electrical Steels in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, Global Electrical Steels Market report covers as Baowu, ArcelorMittal, JFE Steel, Shougang, TISCO, NSSMC, NLMK Group, AK Steel, ThyssenKrupp, Ansteel, Masteel, Posco, Cogent (Tata Steel), Voestalpine, Benxi Steel, APERAM, Nucor, ATI, Stalprodukt S.A. and CSC.Global Electrical Steels Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers: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).Global Electrical Steels Market Segment by Type, covers as Oriented Electrical Steels and Non-Oriented Electrical SteelsGlobal Electrical Steels Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into: Transformer, Power Generator, Electric Motor and OtherEnquire Discount on Global Electrical Steels Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Electrical Steels market.Chapter 1, to describe Electrical Steels Market Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Electrical Steels, with sales, revenue, and price of Electrical Steels, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global Electrical Steels market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Electrical Steels, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to Electrical Steels Industry analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the Electrical Steels Market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Electrical Steels market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Electrical Steels Industry sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.For more information on this report, Please visit at:Related Reports: -North America Electrical Steels Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022This report focuses on the Electrical Steels in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.MarketSizeForecasters.com, a Skyline Market Research LLP brand, is an online aggregator of market research reports. MarketSizeForecasters.com offers a comprehensive collection of full length reports on global and regional markets in 100+ industry verticals. We have partnered with some of the leading business and market research publishing houses and regularly update our online library to offer wide range of reports to our customers.Market size forecastersThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketsizeforecasters.comWebsite:News:Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter
Veterinary Chemistry Analyzer Market to Raise at a CAGR of 7.8% During 2017-2022

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Growing prevalence of zoonotic diseases is projected to boost demand for veterinary chemistry analyzer globally. In addition, increasing demand to test animal-derived food products is projected to impact the global market growth of veterinary chemistry analyzers positively. Transparency Market Research states that the global market of veterinary chemistry analyzer is projected to reflect a CAGR of 7.8% over the forecast period, 2017-2022.Read Report @Growth of the global veterinary chemistry analyzers market is mainly bound to various macro-economic and micro-economic factors. Increasing population of various animals is projected to impact the global market growth of veterinary chemistry analyzer. Surge in the pet adoption is further expected to fuel demand for pet insurance and healthcare maintenance. Moreover, prevalence of diseases has further led to increasing awareness about animal healthcare globally. With the increasing awareness related to animal healthcare, demand for veterinary chemical analyzers is likely to contribute towards the global market growth. Surge in demand for animal healthcare has further led to growing number of practitioners in the veterinary hospitals and clinics. Growing need to maintain animal healthcare is projected to rev up the sales of veterinary chemical analyzer in the global market.Growing need for conducting the hematology tests will further continue to impact the global market growth over the forecast period. As requirement for delivering accurate results and maximizing the testing facilities arises, sales for veterinary chemistry analyzer is likely to remain high globally. Increasing preference to consume animal derived edible products is further expected to boost demand for veterinary chemistry analyzer in the food industry. With the growing need to eliminate the illegal residue and contamination increases, demand for veterinary chemical analyzers is projected to increase. Imposition of regulations by FDA regarding the elimination of illegal residue and contamination in the animal food product is projected to impact the global market growth of veterinary chemistry analyzers positively. Veterinary chemistry analyzers are further used for testing various animal derived medications and prevalence of zoonotic diseases. Increasing demand for testing prevalence of various diseases in the animals is projected to contribute towards the global market growth of veterinary chemistry analyzers over the forecast period.Demand for veterinary chemistry analyzer continues to gain momentum in the global market bound to increasing prevalence of zoonotic diseases globally. A recent study by CDC reveals that tens of thousands of the Americans will fall sick due to the zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that spread between the people and animals. E.Coli infections, dengue, salmonella infection, malaria and chikungunya are some common zoonotic diseases. WHO recently revealed that malaria caused 429,000 deaths and 212 million clinical incidences in 2015. With the growing need for the control measures for zoonotic diseases increases, sales of veterinary chemistry analyzer is projected to increase significantly. Increasing demand for cheap and convenient rapid diagnostic test is projected to fuel the global market growth positively.Increasing preference for the edible animal derived products has led to an upsurge in demand for consumable products in the global market. Based on product type, the glucometer segment is projected to reflect a robust CAGR through 2022. In terms of revenue, the consumable product type segment is projected to represent a significant growth, recording more than US$ 180 Mn by 2022-end. Representing the fastest growth, the veterinary hospitals application segment is projected to represent more around US$ 180 Mn by 2017-end.Request Sample Report@Major players in the global market of veterinary chemistry analyzer are Alfa Wassermann, Inc., Abaxis, Inc., Arkray, Inc., Biochemical Systems International Srl, Diasys Diagnostic Systems GmbH, Chengdu Seamaty Technology Co., Ltd., Eurolyser Diagnostica GmbH, Elitechgroup, Idexx Laboratories, Inc., Randox Laboratories Ltd.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Tyre Inner Tubes Market to Significant Growth Foreseen by 2021

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Tyre inner tubes are the internal components of the primary tyre which are designed to sustain air pressure. Majority of the tyres which are used in motorcycles, bicycle, large vehicles such as tractors, heavy trucks, cars, and buses are designed for their application with inner tubes. These are made from impermeable materials such as synthetic, elastic, soft rubber for the purpose of avoiding air leakge and are torus shaped in nature. In addition, inner tubes which are larger in size possess the ability to be re used for other applications such as rafting and swimming. These tubes are large inflatable toruses which are manufactured for these applications while also offering a choice of decks, handles, fabric covering, colors and other various accessories, eliminating the protruding valve stem. Manufacturers such as Schrader International develop inner tubes for two wheeler vehicles which provide high performance to motorcycle tube tyres. The company provides valve vulcanization for inner tubes ensuring high quality rubber adhesion and leaks. Schrader International also provides inner tubes for other vehicles such as agricultural and industrial machinery, buses, trucks and cars.Request For Report Sample:The global inner tube industry is dependent on raw materials such as rubber suppliers as well as the buyers which mainly include automotive manufacturers. More than half of the global rubber production goes into the manufacturing of automotive tyres. In addition, the inner tube and tyre industry serve as the largest application segment in the overall rubber industry. The Rubbers Manufacturers Association (RMA) represent the rubber industry where members of the association contribute to more than half of revenues generated in the rubber industry. The industry for inner tubes has always been dependent on the automotive industry. The degree of competition between the tyre inner tube manufacturers has been strong, specifically for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) among the tyre manufacturers. Due to the fact that automobile end users are more inclined towards purchasing replaced tyres of the same product which is originally sold on the car, tyre and inner tube manufacturers have to reluctantly reduce the prices and have to make the automobile manufacturers select their product, which leads to high bargaining power of buyers.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Besides automotives, tyre inner tubes are used largely in the aerospace industry. Large scale corporations such as Goodyear, Bridgestone Corporation, and Dunlop are significantly involved in the manufacturing of aircraft tyres that are eco-friendly, more intelligent, economical, safer and less noisy. They are consumed in significant quantities for various civil and military applications, where military operation hold huge demand on aircraft tyres where loads can be highly substantial with speed going more than 225 miles per hour. Companies such as Dunlop have been involved in the industry as a key player which manufactures tyres used in military aircrafts from the well known Vulcan and Spitfire to the modern F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Heavy military aircraft such as C-130, the Tornado and the Hawk, and the latest A400M. The company serves various segments of the military aviation industry such as marine corps, naval forces and air forces across the world with tyres designed to give maximum operation characteristics in the fluctuating environmental conditions as well.Bridgestone Corporation, Dunlop, Goodyear, Michelin, and Schrader International are some of the key players involved in the tyre inner tube industry.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Orphan Drugs Market Will Expand At a Healthy 12.1% CAGR By 2025

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been serving as an active source to cater intelligent research report to enlighten both readers and investors. This research study titled Orphan Drugs Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025Orphan diseases can be defined as the medical conditions which impacts a small group of the population and are mostly genetic in nature. For the treatment of these rare diseases pharmaceutical agents are specifically developed which are known as orphan drugs. The market for these orphan drugs is anticipated to grow significantly in the forecast period, owing to the rising prevalence of rare diseases, focus of government and non-government organizations on creating awareness, research and development grants, and fee waivers and tax credits offered, among others.Request For Free Sample Report @Global Orphan Drugs Market: Research MethodologyThe research is a combination of primary and secondary research, conducted for understanding and arriving at trends, used to forecast the expected revenue of drugs employed in the treatment of rare diseases in the near future. Primary research formed the bulk of our research efforts with information collected from in-depth interviews and discussions with a number of key industry experts and opinion leaders. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, investor presentations, analyst presentation and various international and national databases. The report provides estimated market size in terms of US$ Bn for disease type, product type, distribution channel, and geography for the period 2015 to 2025, considering the macro and micro environmental factors. The revenue generated from each disease type, product type, and distribution channel was calculated by considering the prevalence of rare diseases, orphan drug approvals, regulatory procedures, and the awareness of orphan diseases across all the geographies.The market report comprises an elaborated executive summary, which includes market snapshot that provides information about various segments of the market. It also provides information and data analysis of the market with respect to market segments based on disease type, product type, distribution channel, and geography. The market overview section of the report analyzes market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities that influences the nurse call systems market in the current and future scenario. The report also provides Porters five forces analysis, the acquisitions timeline of orphan drug companies, SWOT analysis of the market, regulatory scenario, comparative analysis of orphan drug policies, rare diseases prevalence, pricing scenario of the orphan drugs, major selling orphan drugs, and drug exclusivity of certain of the orphan drugs, for the market.Browse Full Report With TOC @Market share analysis among the market players is analyzed to signify the contribution of these players in the market in terms of percentage share. All these factors will help the market players to decide about the business strategies and plans to strengthen their positions in the global market. Based on geography, the market has been analyzed for major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The study also covers detailed country analysis contributing majorly in the nurse call systems market.Global Orphan Drugs Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also profiles the major players in the market and provides various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. Companies profiled in the nurse call systems market report are Novartis AG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Celgene Corporation, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Pfizer, Inc., Sanofi S.A., Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk A/S, AstraZeneca plc, Eisai Co., Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited, Bayer AG, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Merck & Co., Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Biogen, Inc., Shire plc, and Amgen, Inc., among others.The Orphan Drugs Market has been segmented as follows:Orphan Drugs Market, by Disease Type, Revenue (US$ Bn) 2015-2025OncologyGastrointestinalPulmonaryNeurologyHematologyCardio-vascularMetabolic disordersEndocrinologyInfectious diseasesOthersOrphan Drugs Market, by Product Type, Revenue (US$ Bn) 2015-2025BiologicNon-biologicOrphan Drugs Market, by Distribution Channel, Revenue (US$ Bn) 2015-2025Hospital PharmaciesSpeciality PharmaciesRetail pharmaciesOthersOrphan Drugs Market Revenue, by Geography (US$ Bn), 2015-2025North AmericaS.CanadaEuropeK.GermanySpainFranceItalyRest of EuropeRest of the WorldJapanAustraliaChinaBrazilSouth KoreaOthersMake An Enquiry @About UsMarket Research Reports Search Engine(MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTelephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite :Read More Industry News At:
Variable Data Printing Labels Market 2017: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, Forecast to 2022

Variable Data Printing Labels Market 2017

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Variable Data Printing Labels Market 2017Summary:Global Variable Data Printing Labels Market Information Report by Type (Release Liner, and Linerless Labels), by Composition (Facestock, and Topcoat), by Application (Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care, Consumer Goods, and others) and Region - Global Forecast To 2022Key PlayersThe key players of Global Variable Data Printing Labels Market report include-HP Inc. (U.S.)WS Packaging Group, Inc. (U.S.)Canon Inc. (Japan)Cenveo, Inc. (U.S.)3M Company (U.S.)Quad/Graphics Inc. (U.S.)Xerox Corporation (U.S.)Avery Dennison Corporation (U.S.)R. Donnelley & Sons Company (U.S.)Mondi Plc. (South Africa)Global variable data printing labels market is expected to grow at around 14% CAGR during the forecast period.Request For Sample Report @Market Scenario:Variable data printing is a form of digital printing where elements such as text, graphics and images are changed from one printed piece to another by using information from an external database. Variable data printing labels allows personalizing the printing requirements according to a specific set of data. The growth of the market is expected to be driven by the ability of variable data printing labels to generate customized product information and serialized number printing at low cost and in less time. The variable data printing label is gaining importance with the rapid increase in the use of printing barcodes in various industry verticals such as pharmaceutical, consumer goods, and food & beverage. With the increase in the concept of barcode scanning for generation of invoices and the increase in demand for huge volume inventory tracking, the variable data printing labels market is growing significantly. The growth of packaging industry is also contributing significantly to the growth of the market.Study Objectives of Variable Data Printing Labels MarketTo provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Variable Data Printing Labels marketTo provide insights about factors affecting the market growthTo Analyse the Global Variable Data Printing Labels market based on various factors such as supply chain analysis, and Porters five force analysisTo provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to regions and their respective key countriesTo provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospectiveTo provide country level analysis of the market for segments by type, composition, application and regionTo provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analysing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the marketTo track and analyse competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Variable Data Printing Labels MarketThe report for Variable Data Printing Labels Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.Complete Report Details @Table of Contents1 Executive Summary..8 Competitive Analysis8.1 Introduction8.2 Competitive Scenario8.2.1 Market Share Analysis8.2.2 Market Development Analysis8.2.3 Type/Service Benchmarking8.3 HP Inc. (U.S.)8.3.1 Overview8.3.2 Type/Service Offering8.3.3 Strategy8.4 WS Packaging Group, Inc. (U.S.)8.4.1 Overview8.4.2 Type/Service Offering8.4.3 Strategy8.5 Canon Inc. (Japan)8.5.1 Overview8.5.2 Type/Service Offering8.5.3 Strategy8.6 Cenveo, Inc. (U.S.)8.6.1 Overview8.6.2 Type/Service Offering8.6.3 Strategy8.7 3M Company (U.S.)8.7.1 Overview8.7.2 Type/Service Offering8.7.3 Strategy8.8 Quad/Graphics Inc. (U.S.)8.8.1 Overview8.8.2 Type/Service Offering8.8.3 Strategy8.9 Xerox Corporation (U.S.),8.9.1 Overview8.9.2 Type/Service Offering8.9.3 Strategy8.10 Avery Dennison Corporation (U.S.)8.10.1 Overview8.10.2 Type/Service Offering8.10.3 StrategyContinued.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.CONTACT US:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Blister Packaging Market by Raw Material, Trends, Analysis and Forecasts to 2020

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The pharmaceutical industry employs blister packaging to pack medicines and small medical devices as it reduces production time and offers increased product protection. The adoption of this packaging solution is the highest in this industry because of rapid growth in the demand for tamper-evident and convenient packaging. Blister packaging protects solid dose pharmaceuticals from oxygen, moisture, odor and also enhances shelf life. Blister packaging will gain popularity because of its flexibility to the unit-dose format with high visibility, expanded label content, and implicit track and trace features.Publisher's analysts forecast the global blister packaging market to grow at a CAGR of 5.81% during the period 2016-2020.For more informationThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global blister packaging market for 2016-2020. The report also presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed profiling of the major vendors across the value chain of the global blister packaging market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:-APAC-Europe-North America-ROWPublisher's report, Global Blister Packaging Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors-Amcor-Bemis-Owens-Illinois-Sonoco-WestRockRequest Sample CopyMarket driver-Cost reduction through automation-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge-Adverse effects of PVC films-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend-Smart blister packaging-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMake an enquiry:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Memristor Market: Industry Analysis And Detailed Profiles Of Top Industry Players

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Memristor is a passive non-Volatile electronic component, it possesses the property of both the memory and resistor. Memristor is considered as the fourth fundamental component after resistor, Capacitor and Inductor. The concept of memristor and memristance was first introduced by Prof. Leon Chua from university of California, Berkeley. A memristor a two terminal electrical component that can regulate the flow of electrical current in a circuit and can remember the amount of charge that have previously flowed through it. When the current is stopped by turning of the applied voltage the component would remember the last resistance it had. Memristance is a phenomena wherein if the current flows in one direction through mermistor then its resistance increases and when the current flows in opposite direction its resistance decreases.The greatest advantage of the memristance over other conventional devices is that, the conventional devices uses 0 & 1 logic whereas memristor can use anything between 0 & 1 (i.e. 0.3, 0.5, 0.6 etc.). It provides greater reliability when power is interrupted. This system can be very useful in datacenters when the power is interrupted. Hewlett Packard made the first Reliable discovery of memristance in 2008. Currently Hewlett Packards version of titanium Dioxide memristor is most commonly pursued in the market. The first commercial memristor was brought into market by Knowm Inc. with bidirectional incremental resistance change property.Sample With Latest Advancements @There are various factors which are driving the growth of memristor Market. The key factor which would help to grow the memristor market is due to strong demand from smartphones, tablets, computer peripherals, and cloud vendors .The other factors which could accelerate the growth of memristor market is due to its property of remembering its previously known resistance and its unique design. This helps to takes less time for booting up and it is faster than using transistor. As complex devices have more transitions, thus memristor can be a replacement of increasing number of transitions in a circuit.It provides flexibility of storing information, thus acting as a great threat to DRAM, NAND flash memory and hard drives market space. Miniaturized design of memristors takes less space and consumes less voltage which can be used in programmable logic, signal processing processing and RFIDs. However, as they are still in the developing stage, there -can be many threats such as error rates, reliability, ease of programming etc. which can decline the memristor market. Also, companies such as Rambus, Panasonic & Crossbar are working on Resistive RAM Technologies which is can be an alternative to memristor.Browse Our ToC @The memristor market is segmented by type into the following categories: By type it is divided into titanium dioxide memristor, polymeric (ionic) memristor, ferroelectric memristor, resonant tunneling diode memristor, graphene oxide memristor, silicon oxide memristor. On the basis of memory size, the Memristor market can be divided into amount of memory size required in electronic devices into 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB & more than 64GB. It can also be segmented on the basis of industry vertical into following segments: datacenters, computer peripherals, healthcare and telecommunications.On the basis of Geography, the market can be subdivided in to North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East Africa and South America. North America can continue to dominate the memristor Market in the coming years. The North America and Europe are majorly leading the memristor market, as the developed countries here majorly invests into research and development. Asia can be their potential largest market, as the populated countries like India, China and Indonesia are the major consumers of electronics industry.View Report @Key players in the Memristor market includes Hewlett-Packard, SanDisk, Knowm Inc., Crossbar Inc., SK Hynix, IBM, Samsung, Rambus, HRL Laboratories, Micron Technology, AMD Inc, Panasonic Corporation. Currently Hewlett Packards version of titanium Dioxide Memristor is most commonly pursued into the market .In order to gain a competitive advantage in the industry, these players are actively involved in researching, discovering and prototyping thousands of various types of memristors.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Industrial Cyber Security Market: Industry Analysis And Detailed Profiles Of Top Industry Players

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ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Temperature Controlled Container Market Predicted to Witness Healthy Growth in the Coming Years

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Temperature controlled containers are something that many different industries need, including the pharmaceutical and food & beverages industry where products are perishable and delivered in extreme conditions. Temperature controlled containers ensure that the shipment of any product arrives in perfect condition with no damage to the product and the product is still in saleable and usable condition. Temperature controlled containers can also be used while shipping live tissue products like donor organs, medicines, blood transfers, clinical trial distribution, food and beverage products, etc. In a temperature controlled container, the temperature can be checked by various temperature-controlling devices such as temperature indicators and data loggers. The temperature controlled container market has grown substantially at a healthy CAGR due to an overall growth in pharmaceutical and food and beverage industry. With rapid technological advancement and innovation, the temperature controlled container market is expected to grow globally.Sample With Latest Advancements @Temperature controlled container Market- Market Segmentation:Temperature controlled packaging solutions are segmented on the basis of product type, application type, and region. On the basis of product type, the temperature controlled container market is segmented into insulated shippers, insulated containers, and others (refrigerants). On the basis of applications, the temperature controlled container market is segmented into pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, industrial products, chemical products, and others (clinical trials/biomedical sector). And on the basis of region, the temperature controlled container market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa.Browse Our ToC @Temperature controlled container Market- Market Dynamics:Prominent factors driving temperature controlled container market include increasing demand for packaged food, technological advancement and increased usage in pharmaceuticals and food and beverages sector, urbanization, and change in lifestyle among others. Moreover, since temperature controlled containers maintain the hygiene and nature of a product irrespective of what the weather condition is or the problems faced during transportation, the demand for temperature controlled containers has increased regardless of the geographical location. On the other hand, there are some challenges which are impeding the market for temperature controlled containers. Factors like high maintenance and service cost, import/export regulations while manufacturing, the need for higher investment in temperature controlled container products, the time consuming process of equipment and product check while dispatching for the quality auditor, etc. are responsible for the restricted presence of temperature controlled container solutions in rural areas including developed nations.View Report @Temperature controlled container Market- Regional Outlook:The temperature controlled container market is expected to register a high CAGR for the forecast period. Based on the geographical region, the temperature controlled container solutions market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Given the increase in sale of pharmaceutical products and rising disposable income, the Asia Pacific will be one of the fastest growing markets. Increasing demand for cloud computing from the developed nations like Europe and North America may also increase the demand for real-time e-healthcare systems by the end of the forecast period.Temperature controlled container Market- Major Players:Some of the key players of the global temperature controlled container market are Hamburg Sud, Hapag-Lloyd, Spacewise, Blue Dart, Cold Chain Technologies, Inc.,Biotempak, Kryotec, Tempack, World Courier, Envirotainer, Cryopak, and DHL.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Barrier Food Cups Market Predicted to Witness Healthy Growth in the Coming Years

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The packaging industry continues to witness an impressive growth rate, moving in sway with the food industry, creating tailwind for the packaging manufacturers. In addition to this, the packaging industry is undergoing changes with prior focus on offering innovative packaging solutions to the food industry. Moreover, rising consumer awareness towards health and safety has led to the introduction of barrier protection technology for fresh food packaging. Barrier protection technology in food packaging not only helps to keep the food clean and fresh but also intends to increase the shelf life of the product. Adoption of barrier protection films is now gaining traction with more packaging manufacturers looking to introduce barrier food cups in their product offerings. Barrier food cups withstand high temperature of sterilization which maximizes the shelf life of the food packed, and is now meeting other essential requirements such as non-breakable, microwaveable and lightweight packaging of food products. Barrier food cups is slowly gaining attention by food packaging companies, with some niche segments such as baby food, pet food and seafood looking to benefit from the properties that barrier food cups offer.Sample With Latest Advancements @Barrier Food Cups Market- Market Segmentation:The global barrier food cups market is segmented on the basis of application, material and region. On the basis of application, the global barrier food cup market is segmented into nuts and snacks, dairy & confectionary products, seafood, meat products, baby food, pet food and ready to eat meals. Demand of barrier food cups from baby food application segment is anticipated to offer lucrative opportunities to the global barrier food cup market in terms of growth prospects. On the basis of material type, the global barrier food cups market is segmented into linear low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), biaxial oriented polypropylene (BOPP), Polystyrene (PS) and others.Browse Our ToC @Barrier Food Cups Market- Market Dynamics:Rising concerns among consumers towards healthy and safe food consumption is expected to drive the demand for barrier food cups market. Moreover, the demand from the food industry to maintain stable shelf life and freshness of the packaged food is one of the significant driving factor for global barrier food cups market. Furthermore, improved living standards and growing demand for ready-to-eat meals is anticipated to fuel the demand for barrier food cups in the next half of the decade. From the packaging manufacturers perspective, barrier food cups is low cost solution that not only saves cost but also the amount of packaging film used to prepare food cups. This trend is expected to slowly attract more manufacturers adding value to their product offerings. The trend of replacing cans with barrier food cups to provide convenience, quality, freshness, taste, single serve options and shipping weight savings is expected to propel the demand for barrier food cups throughout the forecast period. Despite high growth opportunities provided by barrier food cups, manufacturers and consumer inclination towards alternative solutions such as flexible pouches and other alternative plastic containers is expected to hinder the growth of the global barrier food cups market in the long run.View Report @Barrier Food Cups Market- Regional Outlook:Geographically, the barrier food cups market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). The growth of the global barrier food cups market is expected to witness a steady CAGR over the forecast period of 2016-2024. North America is expected to witness a sluggish growth of barrier food cups market. However, the region showcases lucrative opportunities for growth in terms of revenue in the pet food and baby food application segment. Moreover, the emerging cluster of the globe such as China, Brazil, ASEAN and India is expected to heavily contribute to the global barrier food cups market. Asia-Pacific region is estimated to account for highest market value share in the global barrier food cups market and is likely to maintain its dominance over the forecast period.Barrier Food Cups Market- Major Players:Some of the players identified across the globe in the barrier food cups market are EDV Packaging S.A., Clear Lam Packaging Inc., Winpak Ltd, Mullinix Packages Inc., Portage Plastics Corporation, and Toyo Seikan Company Ltd amongst others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cedar wood Oil Market- Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Trends and Future Growth

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Cedar wood essential oil is extracted from the juniperus virginiana plant species belonging to the Cupressaceae family native to Eastern North America. The cedar tree grows up to 30 meters and lives about a 1000 years. Cedar wood exhibits a rich color, warm temperature, and woody scent. Cedar wood oil is employed in skin care across the globe due to its numerous health benefits. The process of extracting essential oil from cedar wood involves distillation of steam in pieces of wood. Key components present in this oil include cedrol, widdrol, thujopsene, alpha cederene, beta cedrene, and a range of sesquiterpines. Cedar wood was brought into focus by the chemical selection working group (CSWG) as a widely used insect repellent. The extracted crude oil is yellowish or darker in color. No additives, chemicals, or solvents are used at any point during the recovery process.Sample With Latest Advancements @There are three distinct types of cedar wood oil, namely Texas cedar wood oil, virginiana cedar wood oil, and Western red cedar. The oil harvested from J. virginiana is known in the essential oils trade as virginiana and it is recovered from the process of partial pressure steam distillation of saw dust, old stumps, chipped logs, and others. The oil harvested from J. ashei is called Texas cedar wood oil.It does not compete with the virginiana variety, which is primarily used for its fragrance formulas. Texas cedar wood oil, on the other hand, is employed in the manufacture of chemical derivatives. By product type, virginiana cedar wood oil is categorized into different groups namely natural cedar wood perfume, biotin shampoo for men, fly repellent ointment, and others. Its applications include aroma therapy, cosmetics & skin care products, and toiletries. Geographically, this market is distributed over Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Asia Pacific is a highly attractive region for the cedar wood oil market and exhibits rapid growth due to the high economic growth resulting from the presence of emerging countries such as China in the region.Browse Our ToC @Rising skin care benefits of cedar wood oil including its sedating capabilities which cause relief from itching are predicted to drive this market during the forecast period. The oils astringent action works on acne, hair dandruff, as well as oily skin issues. It has a calming and soothing effect which relieves the mind from all kinds of anxiety. Cedar wood oil also helps combat chest and urinary infections and is even used as a general tonic, apart from having a pronounced effect on membranes. However, the lack of public knowledge about all these benefits is restraining the development of the cedar wood oil market. Awareness about its various uses needs to spread globally and target all sections of the population.View Report @Key participants operating in the industry include Foreverest Resources Ltd, Essential oil in., SSS biotic.com, Texarome, Venus Enterprise Limited, Mother Herbs & Agro Products, Henan Allgreen Chemical Co., Ltd, Finetech Industry Limited, ORCHID Chemical Supplies Ltd, Shanghai Eykits, Wuhan Shenqu Biological Chemical Co., Ltd., and Grayden CedarWorks.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Emollients Market - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Trends and Future Growth

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Emollient or moisturizer is an ingredient, which is used in skin and hair care products for moist, flexible and soft skin and hair. Emollients are non-cosmetic moisturizers and are available in the form of creams, lotions, ointments, and gels.The global emollients market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. The market is primarily driven by the trends in skin care, hair care, and cosmetics industries. In addition, changing lifestyles and increasing consciousness about personal grooming are boosting the market of emollients. Furthermore, rise in the purchasing power for personal care products and cosmetics in emerging countries such as Brazil, Vietnam, South Korea, and Indonesia is expected to drive the global emollients market during the forecast period. Moreover, E-commerce has several benefits such as a variety of product offerings, different options, easy delivery, and time saving. Through online distribution channels, manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products reach out to a wider customer base, which results in growth of the emollients market. This growth is expected to sustain during the forecast period.Sample With Latest Advancements @However, high prices of emollients and cosmetics are coupled with less availability of some products are acting as a restraint for the global emollients market. Those who require these products to deal with skin and hair problems in winter often cannot really afford them, due to their high prices. The high price of these sophisticated cosmetics and personal care products acts as a hindrance for customers, primarily in developing nations. The impact of this restraint is high in the short run. However, it is expected to remain medium in the next few years. Innovations in cosmetics and personal care products are projected to offer new opportunities for the global emollients market in the near future.The emollients market has been segmented by application and by region. In terms of applications, the market can be segregated into skin care, oral care, makeup, hair care, toiletries, and fragrances.Browse Our ToC @In terms of regions, the market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Developed nations such as the U.S. and European countries are expected to witness growth of the emollients market, in terms of volume and revenue. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to experience high growth during the forecast period. This is due to rising disposable income of consumers, especially in developing countries such as India and China. Furthermore, high demand from Australia is leading to increased focus on cosmetics and personal care products. This, in turn, is estimated to augment the demand for emollients. Inclination of consumers toward spending on personal care products, cosmetics, and other related products may also result in rise in the demand for emollients in Australia.View Report @Key players operating in the global emollients market are Cognis (a subsidiary of BASF Company) (Monheim am Rhein, Germany), Croda International plc (East Riding of Yorkshire, the U.K.), Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany), Kunshan Shuangyou Daily Chemical Co., Ltd. (Jiangsu, China), Oleon (Klang, Malaysia), Sasol Limited (Johannesburg, South Africa), Stearinerie Dubois (Boulogne-Billancourt, France), and Stepan Company (Northfield, Illinois).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Bubble Wrap Packaging Market 2017: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, Forecast to 2022

Bubble Wrap Packaging Market 2017

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Bubble Wrap Packaging Market 2017Summary:MarketResearchFuture adds Bubble Wrap Packaging Market 2017: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, Forecast to 2022reports to its Database.Key PlayersThe key players of global Bubble Wrap Packaging market report include -Sealed Air Corporation (North Carolina)Veritiv Corporation (Georgia)Pregis Corporation (U.S.)Tarheel Paper & Supply Company (U.S.)Jiffy Packaging Co. (U.K.)iVEX Protective Packaging Inc.(U.S.)Barton Jones Packaging Ltd (U.S.)Automated Packaging System (U.S.)Abco Kovex Ltd (Ireland)Future Packaging and Machinery (PTY) Ltd (Johannesburg)The bubble wrap packaging market is expected to reach a market size of USD 10.73 Billion by the end of 2023. The market is expected to grow with 7.04% CAGR.Request For Sample Report @Market Synopsis of Bubble Wrap Packaging MarketBubble wrap packaging is majorly a form of protective packaging which is composed of a two-layer polyethylene film, entrapped with air inside to form a bubble.The major driver for the growth of the bubble wrap packaging market is the continuous growth of the online shopping market. Rapid growth in the electronic sector and the increase in adoption of online payment systems is ultimately driving the demand of the bubble wrap packaging. Most of the consumers as well as manufacturers today are concerned about the impact of packaging on the environment due to the rising awareness of environment protection. This raising awareness for use of biodegradable bubble wrap is also driving the growth of the market.Study Objectives of Bubble Wrap Packaging MarketTo provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 6 years of various segments and sub-segments of the Global Bubble Wrap Packaging MarketTo provide insights about factors affecting the market growthTo analyze the Global Bubble Wrap Packaging Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc.To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, APAC, and Rest of the World (ROW)To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospectiveTo provide country level analysis of the market for segment by material, product, application, and regionsTo provide strategic profiling of the key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the marketTo track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Bubble Wrap Packaging Market.The report for Global Bubble Wrap Packaging Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.Complete Report Details @Table of Contents1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2 INTRODUCTION.11 COMPANY PROFILES11.1 Sealed Air Corporation 7211.2 Veritiv Corporation 7511.3 Pregis Corporation 7811.4 Tarheel Paper & Supply Company 8011.5 Jiffy Packaging Co. 8211.6 IVEX Protective Packaging Inc. 8411.7 Barton Jones Packaging Ltd 8611.8 Automated Packaging System 8711.9 Abco Kovex Ltd 8811.10 Future Packaging And Machinery (PTY) Ltd 89Continued.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.CONTACT US:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Travel Duffle Bags Market Forecast Research Reports Offers Key Insights

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Travel duffle bags are a latest trend in the luggage bag segment and is a latest version of improved version of quality bags in the market. These are found usually in a rectangular shape and other attractive shapes and sizes. Being trendy is a style quotient for most individuals and in order to maintain it, manufacturers are producing innovative products with a premium quality and strategic price. Travel duffle bags are light weight in nature and made of leather or microfibers material that maintains it durability. These bags are made in such a way that are adjustable in size and can fit in any luggage carriers on the transport. Duffle bags are famous amongst people who go for short trips and have lots of luggage to carry along.Download exclusive Sample of this report:The travel duffle bags are in huge demand amongst all young travelers. The tourism industry has always been a trending market globally. These duffle bags are found carrying with style and usually found to match it with their attire. There are certain drivers that push the product in the market. The usage of travel duffle bags is predominant with fitness freak woman as they prefer taking these bags to gym as well for travel for a shorter distance. Recently, the travel duffle bags market has experienced a shift from bigger duffles to smaller along with the increasing preference for off-price channels driven by demand from brand conscious millennial population. Moreover, the growing affluence in the emerging economies and awareness of better brands has had a significant influence in the market. However, counterfeit products are always a major restraint acting in the handbag industry. Additionally, high import duties and declining store presence coupled with decreasing global GDP growth have been affecting the growth of the satchel and saddle market.The travel duffle bags market can be segmented on the basis of material type and distribution channel. On basis of material the travel duffle bags market can be further categorized into leather, jute, polyester and others. Duffle bags are usually kept lighter and are spacious to carry good number of things at a go. Their unique capacity to adjust and hold on to the luggage makes it a popular travel bag that is carried by both men and women. Moreover, on basis of distribution channel, the travel duffle bags can be further categorized into supermarkets, hypermarkets, departmental stores, specialty stores and also online stores. The online stores offer relatively lower prices for the travel duffle bags and more variety for consumers to choose and get it delivered before they plan their travel.Obtain Report Details @The travel duffle bags market is a popular product and manufacturers of the premium brands face heavy competition globally and they need to keep up to the demand and consumer preference of the global market. North America, Europe, Asia- Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa manufacture and sell handbags. Owing to its rising demand, manufacturers are spending on preparing better quality duffle bags and using improved leather and chains. North America followed Europe are the leading regions globally that are reported to heavily purchase handbags as they are more trendy and have more purchasing power. Other regions like the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa are also reported to show a remarkable growth in the consumption of this product due to their adoption of culture from the western countries. The strategic pricing of these products has attracted the customers with unique selling ideas and have contributed massively in the handbag industry.The major players dominating the caffeine market are Eagle Creek, Everest, Luggage America, Netpackbag, Samsonite, Delsey, Ralph Lauren, Rimowa,Travelpro,Antler, VIP Industries are a few among other leading producers of travel duffle bags in the world.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Hot Drinks 2017 Global Industry Key Players - Orimi Trade, Starbucks, Tchibo GmbH, Tata Sons Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022

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Pune, India, 5th December 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Opportunities in the Global Hot Drinks Sector: Analysis of Opportunities Offered by High Growth Economies.Summary"Opportunities in the Global Hot Drinks Sector", report brings together multiple data sources to provide a comprehensive overview of the global Hot Drinks sector as part of our global series. It includes an analysis on global Hot Drinks sector with consumption analysis highlighted for all regions. The report also identifies high potential countries by region that have been identified by creating a risk-reward analysis with multiple parameters.The global Hot Drinks sector was valued at US$153.8 billion in 2016 and is forecast to record a CAGR of 5.7% during 2016-2021. The Asia-Pacific region represented the largest global market for Hot Drinks, with a value share of 37.5% in 2016, led by China, the single largest global market, with a 14.9% value share. Improving global economies, the falling unemployment rate across major markets, and the resulting increase in consumer purchasing power will remain the major macroeconomic factors driving the sector globally. Hot Coffee held the largest value share of 55.5% in the global Hot Drinks sector in 2016.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scope- The report provides an overview of global and regional markets covering - Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe - highlighting sector size, growth drivers, latest developments, and future inhibitors for the region.- It also identifies top ten high potential countries and provides deep dive analysis of top countries in each region.- The report draws on the sector data by analyzing key distribution channels for Hot Drinks in the global market. Sector data is also used for studying the level of competition in the sector by identifying the top brands at a global and regional level with insights on sector shares of private label products.Reasons to buy- To have a thorough fact based analysis with information about the global Hot Drinks sector across the six regions in value terms and the underlying factors that are driving the sales- To gain confidence to make the correct business decisions based on a detailed analysis of the global Hot Drinks sector and to identify high potential countries over the next 5 years- The analysts have placed a significant emphasis on the mega trends that drive consumer choice and will provide a clear picture about the future opportunities that can be explored across the regions, resulting in revenue expansion- To gain competitive intelligence about leading brands in the Hot Drinks sector at global and regional level with information about their sector share, business descriptions and product profilesTable of Content: Key PointsExecutive SummarySector OverviewCurrent scenario and future outlookGlobal Hot Drinks sector overview - what are the growth drivers, latest developments, and future inhibitorsRegional Hot Drinks sector overview - what are the growth drivers, latest developments, and future inhibitorsKey challenges in the global Hot Drinks sectorShift in Coffee & Tea Consumption PatternsChange in consumption levels in the major markets, 2011-2021Reasons for shift in consumption patternsIdentifying high potential countriesAnalysis of 10 countries on the basis of Risk-Reward analysis (market assessment, economic development, socio-demographic, governance indicators, and technological infrastructure)Analysis across regions - Asia-Pacific, North America, Latin America, Western Europe and Eastern EuropeHigh potential country analysisFuture outlookCase StudiesCompetitive LandscapeLeading brands by regionLeading brands by marketMarket Share of private labelKey Distribution ChannelsShare of key distribution channels - global and regional levelKey Packaging FormatsAnalysis on use of key package material, pack type, closure, and primary outer typeContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants analysis Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Automotive Protection Films Market Worldwide and Regional Market Size and Forecasts 2018 to 2023

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MarketResearchNest.com adds Automotive Protection Films-Global Market Status And Trend Report 2013-2023 new reports to its research database. The report spread across 153 pages with tables and figures in it.Automotive Protection Films-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 offers a comprehensive analysis on Automotive Protection Films industry, standing on the readers' perspective, delivering detailed market data and penetrating insights. No matter the client is industry insider, potential entrant or investor, the report will provides useful data and information. Key questions answered by this report include:Worldwide and Regional Market Size of Automotive Protection Films 2013-2017, and development forecast 2018-2023 Main manufacturers/suppliers of Automotive Protection Films worldwide, with company and product introduction, position in the Automotive Protection Films market Market status and development trend of Automotive Protection Films by types and applications Cost and profit status of Automotive Protection Films, and marketing status Market growth drivers and challengesGet more details about report atThe report segments the global Automotive Protection Films market as:Global Automotive Protection Films Market: Regional Segment Analysis (Regional Production Volume, Consumption Volume, Revenue and Growth Rate 2013-2023):North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanRest APACLatin AmericaGlobal Automotive Protection Films Market: Type Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume, Average Price, Revenue, Market Share and Trend 2013-2023):PolyethylenePolyurethaneOthersRequest a Sample Report Copy atGlobal Automotive Protection Films Market: Application Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume and Market Share 2013-2023; Downstream Customers and Market Analysis)Commercial VehiclesPassenger VehiclesGlobal Automotive Protection Films Market: Manufacturers Segment Analysis (Company and Product introduction, Automotive Protection Films Sales Volume, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin):Dunmore CorporationXPEL Technologies Corp.Surface GuardAmeripak, Inc.3M CompanyFabricoSaint-GobainWhitlam Grouptesa SEArgotecIn a word, the report provides detailed statistics and analysis on the state of the industry; and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Order a Purchase Report Copy atMarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on global industries, organizations, products, and trends.Mr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070 / +44-20-3290-4151
Raw Milk Vending Machine Market Will Reach US$17.97 mn by 2024

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"The Latest Research Report Raw Milk Vending Machine Market - Europe Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Raw milk vending machine consists of an automatic dispenser which dispenses raw milk to a container/bottle after successful payment from the end-user. Some vending machines also provide container/bottle with the milk. Raw milk vending machine dispenses milk collected from cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep. The report provides both revenue and volume for each sub-geographic region. In terms of geographical regions, the report segments the Europe raw milk vending machine market into EU7, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Rest of Europe. EU7 is further segmented into the U.K., Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, while CIS is divided into Russia and Rest of CIS. Majority of Western European countries follow strict regulations regarding the consumption and sale of raw milk whereas Eastern European countries primarily do not comply with any regulation. Considering this variation in regulations across countries, the report also includes analysis of regulatory environment in the Europe market.Get Sample copy of this Report @The raw milk is directly sold to customers at farm in countries such as France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ireland and the U.K. Many dairy farmers produce traditional cheese, buttermilk, yogurt and chocolate from raw milk in their farms. The major countries that have adopted raw milk vending machine include Italy, France, Romania, Germany, the U.K., Slovakia, Slovenia and Czech Republic. The key reason for adoption of raw milk vending machine was due to the revisions in regulations of respective countries regarding raw milk sale. Furthermore, majority of end-users in these countries prefer drinking raw milk and consuming raw milk related products due to their nutritional benefits. Spain, Poland and Norway restrict the sale of raw milk due to reported cases of food poisoning. During the coming years, in order to help small farmers, these countries are anticipated to ease the regulations pertaining to the sale of raw milk through vending machines.Furthermore, the report analyzes the factors that drive and restrain the growth of the raw milk vending machine market for each sub-region. The report also discusses the prevailing market trends, prospective growth opportunities, and major strategies increasing the popularity of raw milk vending machines. Also provided is the market share analysis and competitive strategies adopted by key players in the Europe raw milk vending machine market. Furthermore, the report also provide market share analysis of key players for each sub-geographic region.View Sample PDF @Major business strategies adopted by key players, their market positioning, and product offerings have also been identified in the research report. The prominent manufacturers who offer raw milk vending machine in Europe include DF Italia S.R.L., Brunimat GmbH, Letina Inox D.O.O., Milk Automation S.R.O. and Risto Gbr.The raw milk vending machine market is segmented as below:Raw Milk Vending Machine MarketBy GeographyEU7 (The UK, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands)CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States)Rest of EuropeTable Of ContentsChapter 1 Preface1.1 Report Scope1.2 Market Segmentation1.3 Research MethodologyChapter 2 Executive Summary2.1 Europe Raw Milk Vending Machine Market Snapshot2.2 Europe Raw Milk Vending Machine Market Revenue and Volume, 2014  2024 (US$ Mn and Units) and Year-on-Year Growth (%)Send An Enquiry Request @Chapter 3 Europe Raw Milk Vending Machine Market Analysis, 2014  2024 (US$ Mn and Units)3.1 Key Trends Analysis3.2 Market Dynamics3.2.1 Drivers3.2.2 Restraints3.2.3 Opportunities3.3 Europe Raw Milk Vending Machines Market Analysis, By Sub-region, 2014  2024 (US$ Mn and Units)3.3.1 Overview3.3.2 EU7 (The U.K., Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands)3.3.3 CIS3.3.4 Rest of Europe3.4 Competitive Landscape3.4.1 Market Share of Key Players in Europe, 2015 (% Revenue and % Volume)3.4.2 Competitive Strategies Adopted by Key Players3.4.3 RecommendationsChapter 4 EU7 Raw Milk Vending Machines Market Analysis, 2014  2024 (US$ Mn and Units)4.1 Key Trends Analysis4.2 Market Dynamics4.2.1 Drivers4.2.2 Restraints4.2.3 Opportunities4.3 EU7 Raw Milk Vending Machines Market Analysis, By Sub-region, 2014  2024 (US$ Mn and Units)4.3.1 Overview4.3.2 The U.K.4.3.3 Italy4.3.4 Spain4.3.5 France4.3.6 Germany4.3.7 Belgium4.3.8 The Netherlands4.4 Competitive Landscape4.4.1 Market Share of Key Players in EU7, 2015 (% Revenue)4.4.2 Market Share of Key Players in EU7, 2015 (% Volume)Chapter 5 CIS Raw Milk Vending Machines Market Analysis, 2014  2024 (US$ Mn and Units)5.1 Key Trends Analysis5.2 Market Dynamics5.2.1 Drivers5.2.2 Restraints5.2.3 Opportunities5.3 CIS Raw Milk Vending Machines Market Analysis, By Sub-region, 2014  2024 (US$ Mn and Units)5.3.1 Overview5.3.2 Russia5.3.3 Rest of CIS5.4 Competitive Landscape5.4.1 Market Share of Key Players in CIS, 2015 (% Revenue)5.4.2 Market Share of Key Players in CIS, 2015 (% Volume)Buy Now This Report From Here @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Composites Market To Observe Major Growth in Coming Years, Says Report

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Pune, India, 04 September 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Composites Market (Product - Polymer Matrix Composite (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic, Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic, and Aramid Fiber Composites), Metal Matrix Composites, and Ceramic Matrix Composites; Technology  Pultrusion Process, Layup process, Filament Winding, Compression Molding, Injection Molding, Resin Transfer Molding, Automated Fiber Placement, and Automated Tape Laying; Application Automotive & Transportation (Interior, Exterior, Power Train Components, Brake Pads, Chassis), Construction, Aerospace & Defense, Electrical & Electronics, Marine & Oil & Gas (Pipes and Top Side Application), Wind Energy, and Consumer Goods) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025.The demand for light demand for automotive and aircraft components and the increasing demand for wind power is expected to run the global composite market for the next few years. An increased need for lightweight and high-performance materials in automotive, aerospace and wind mill applications; Demand for carbon fiber is increasing.This is due to the high ductile strength, hardness, and temperature tolerance and the special properties of carbon fiber such as low thermal expansion and weight. However, the expensive nature of carbon fiber is limited to its use in most applications. Currently, the cost of carbon fiber composites is four times the cost of steel. Therefore, reducing the cost of carbon fiber is likely to give attractive opportunities to joint producers.GET SAMPLE REPORT @According to research report, the global composites market is expected to reach US$101.88 bn by the end of 2025 with a CAGR of 8.9% between 2017 and 2025.Composite is a component in which both elements are important properties. This is a continuous phase in the matrix and a disrupted phase reinforcement. This polymer is commercially available in various products like Matrix Composite, Metal Matrix Composite and Ceramic Matrix Composites.This report provides a comprehensive view of composite markets based on applications. The main applications included in the report are automotive and transportation, construction, aerospace and protection, electricity and electronics, marine and oil and gas, wind power, and others (consumer goods, etc.). In terms of technology, markets have been divided into: pultrusion process, layout process, field warming, compression molding, injection molding, resin transfer molding and others. Depending on the type of product, market is divided into: Polymer matrix composite, metal matrix compositing and ceramic matrix composite.On the basis of applications, technology, production types and countries, the eligibility of each segment has been examined by the charming device in the report. This study has included an analysis of the value chain, through which it is well understood by the key players in the supply chain (from raw materials producers to the end user). In addition, market analysts and market players are analyzed using Porter's five bubble analysis.North America dominated the global composite market and covered about 40% of volume in 2016. There is a possibility that 9 00% CAGR in Asia Pacific is likely to be witnessed and there is a possibility of a composite market attractive. This is due to the rapid development of technological advances and the optimization of composites in applications like automotive and wind turbine blades. Europe is a major manufacturer of premium cars, it's a compelling market for composites. Due to the increasing use of the next generation aircraft, the aerospace segment in Europe is likely to offer 8.6 percent attractive opportunities for CAGR.Major Key players in the composites market include Toray Industries, Owens Corning, Teijin Limited, Hexcel Corporation, TPI Composites, Inc, Faurecia, Performance Composites Inc., Enduro Composites, Inc., KINECO, APPLIED POLERAMIC INC., Hexagon Composites, Creative Composites Ltd., and HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc.For accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
United States Vinyl Tile Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report United States Vinyl Tile Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz""Theres a lot of ground to cover in the world of flooring. Vinyl has been a popular choice for its durability and wide range of styles for many years. Vinyl tile is a flooring material that is generally inexpensive, easy to install, and easy to maintain. Made primarily from polyvinyl chloride resins and plasticizers, these flooring tiles are waterproof and very durable.There are many types of vinyl tile: vinyl composition tile or reinforced vinyl tile (VCT), luxury vinyl tile (LVT), and solid vinyl tile (SVT)."View Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Vinyl Tile in United States market, to split the market based on manufacturers, states, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversTarkettGerflorPolyflorForboArmstrongMohawkMannington MillsBeaulieuMarket Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisMarket Segment by Type, coversLuxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT)OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoCommercial UseResidential UseGet Sample Copy Of This Report @There are 17 Chapters to deeply display the United States Vinyl Tile market.Chapter 1, to describe Vinyl Tile Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by States, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Vinyl Tile, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the United States market by States, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, price, revenue and market share of Vinyl Tile, for each state, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, to analyze the key States by Type and Application, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 12, Vinyl Tile market forecast, by States, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 14, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 15, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 16 and 17, to describe Vinyl Tile Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source.Send An Enquiry Request @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Vinyl Tile Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)1.2.2 Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT)1.2.3 Others1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Commercial Use1.3.2 Residential Use1.4 Market Analysis by States1.4.1 California Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Texas Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 New York Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Florida Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Illinois Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Tarkett2.1.1 Profile2.1.2 Vinyl Tile Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Tarkett Vinyl Tile Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.1.4 Business Overview2.1.5 Tarkett News2.2 Gerflor2.2.1 Profile2.2.2 Vinyl Tile Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Gerflor Vinyl Tile Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2.4 Business Overview2.2.5 Gerflor News2.3 Polyflor2.3.1 Profile2.3.2 Vinyl Tile Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Polyflor Vinyl Tile Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3.4 Business Overview2.3.5 Polyflor News2.4 Forbo2.4.1 Profile2.4.2 Vinyl Tile Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Forbo Vinyl Tile Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4.4 Business Overview2.4.5 Forbo News2.5 Armstrong2.5.1 Profile2.5.2 Vinyl Tile Type and ApplicationsAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketaState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Solar Street Lighting Market will Register a CAGR of 23.4% through 2025

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Leading players in the global solar street lighting market include VerySol GmbH, Bridgelux Inc., Solar Street Lights USA, Dragons Breath Solar, Urja Global ltd., Philips Lighting Holding B.V., SOKOYO Solar Group, Sol Inc., Omega Solar, Solektra International, and Sunna Design. The global solar street lighting market has become a highly lucrative business avenue in recent years due to the steady support of major economic and regulatory bodies in a number of regions. New players are thus likely to enter the global solar street lighting market in the coming years, but established players in the solar sector will find it easier to expand into the solar street lighting industry due to the reduced need for infrastructure expenditure.According to Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global solar street lighting market is expected to exhibit a robust CAGR of 23.4% between 2017 and 2025. The market was valued at less than US$3.5 bn in 2016, but is likely to rise to more than US$22 bn over the 2017-2025 forecast period.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Developing Countries in Asia Pacific, Africa Vital for Solar Street Lighting MarketGeographically, the global solar street lighting market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. While developed countries in North America and Europe are also likely to play a key role in the development of the global solar street lighting market due to the widespread demand for replacement of conventional street lighting systems, developing countries in Asia Pacific and Africa are the key consumers in the solar street lighting market. The widespread unmet demand for large-scale lighting systems in dynamic economies such as India and China is vital for the Asia Pacific solar street lighting market, with India topping the global solar street lighting market charts in 2016.Rising African powers such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana are likely to contribute significantly to the global solar street lighting market in the coming years. The high volume of unmet demand in these countries has led to the conception of several research efforts aimed at improving on-site energy generation capabilities, of which the solar street lighting market has been a vital part. The rising government support as well as research initiatives aimed at underdeveloped countries in Africa is thus likely to remain a key driver for the global solar street lighting market.Commercial Applications Dominate Demand from Solar Street Lighting MarketBy application, the global solar street lighting market is segmented into commercial, residential, and industrial applications. Due to the rising government support to the use of solar street lighting in public spaces, the commercial application segment of the global solar street lighting market is likely to remain the leading contributor to the solar street lighting market in the coming years. The rising use of solar lighting in parking lots, subways, and perimeter security lighting is thus a major driver for the global solar street lighting market.Request for Customization @Solar street lighting has become popular primarily due to the reduction in energy expenditure enabled by its renewable source of energy. This has become a key concern due to the rising costs of energy generation and mounting problems created by the scarcity of exhaustible energy sources. Apart from this, the low maintenance costs of solar lighting have become an important driver for the global solar street lighting market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Management Consulting Services Market 2017: McKinsey, Bain & Company, Ramboll Group, Accenture, Deloitte Consulting

Management Consulting Services Market 2017

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The research Report titled Global Management Consulting Services market is an in-depth and a professional document that provides a comprehensive overview and depth perception of the key regional market standing of the Management Consulting Services trade on an global level that especially focuses on the core regions such as North & South America, Europe, Africa, South & Middle East Asia and Australia and also the key countries like (USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Russia, India, China, South Korea and Japan).Get Sample Copy of Report Here:This Management Consulting Services market state and future prospects of the segment have jointly been examined. Additionally, key methods within the Management Consulting Services market that features partnerships, product developments, link-ups, and acquisitions, etc., mentioned. Besides, Upstream raw materials, equipment, and downstream consumers analysis is equally carried out. Top Manufacturers Analysis in Management Consulting Services market including;1. Government2. Deloitte Consulting3. PwC4. EY5. KPMG6. Accenture7. IBM Global Business Service8. McKinsey9. Booz Allen Hamilton10. The Boston Consulting Group11. Bain & Company12. Barkawi Management Consultants13. Ramboll GroupEnquiry Here: Management Consulting Services Market: Type Analysis1. Operations Advisory2. Financial Advisory3. Technology Advisory4. Strategy Advisory5. HR Advisory Management Consulting Services Market: Application Analysis1. Clients Market Capitalization: 5000 Million5. GovernmentInitially, The Management Consulting Services report covers the marketing research and forecast of Management Consulting Services Market on a regional also the world level. The Management Consulting Services report is generically divided into six components and each half aims at the summary of the Management Consulting Services past, present and future conditions of the market, the feasibility of the investment on many methods and policies. Excluding the classification and definition, the Management Consulting Services market report conjointly discusses the analysis crucial and export and explain a comparison of the Management Consulting Services market that is targeted at the trends and development.After that, This Management Consulting Services report deals with the precise info on the selling Channels and novel project investments. So the new contender, as well as the established market players, get the direction of trends and regional analysis in these markets. This report also supports the readers, investors, new entrants, and established players to decide which segment or sub-segment to invest on so as to reap maximum profits.Finally, Management Consulting Services report, complete key details, methods, and variables are examined and also whole helpful data are combined together for the learning and understanding the key facts related the worldwide Management Consulting Services market. The Management Consulting Services market share and production price with the SWOT analysis everything is integrated into this report.About Us:Business Worldwide is a trusted brand in the research industry with a capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Business Worldwide, we believe in building long-term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries including Energy, Chemicals and Materials, Automotive, Software and Aerospace.Contact Us:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
North America Hydraulic Fluid Connectors Market Poised to Register 7.1% CAGR through 2016 - 2024

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The North America hydraulic fluid connectors market demonstrates a highly consolidated and competitive landscape, finds a new study by Transparency Market Research (TMR). The market is majorly led by Parker Hannifin Corp. and Eaton Corp. In 2015, both the companies, together, held a share of nearly 63% in the overall market.Innovations and technical advancements in products is the key strategy adopted by leading players in this market. However, a shift in their focus towards mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships can be observed in the forthcoming years, states the research report.north america hydraulic fluid connectors marketAs per the study, the market for hydraulic fluid connectors offered an opportunity of US$535.9 mn in 2015. Rising at a CAGR of 7.10% over the period of 2016 and 2024, the market is likely to reach a value of US$987.6 mn by the end of the forecast period.Presence of Strong Aviation Industry to Ensure Dominance of U.S.The report also presents a comprehensive analysis of the North America hydraulic fluid connectors market on the basis of the product available in this market and the markets reach in terms of geography. Based on the product, the report has classified the market into mobile hydraulics and stationary hydraulics. Currently, the demand for mobile hydraulics is much higher than stationary hydraulics and the scenario is projected to remain so throughout the forecast period, thanks to the growing demand for newer and larger aircraft and the subsequent expansion in the ground support vehicle fleets.Request Report Brochure @In terms of geography, the U.S. and Canada have been considered as the key segments of this market in this research report. The U.S. dominated the overall market in 2015 with more than 85%. Thanks to the presence of a strong aviation industry, strengthening of economy, and the increasing disposable income of consumers in this country are likely to propel the U.S. hydraulic fluid connectors market in the years to come, retaining its dominance.Increasing Need for New Aircraft to Reflect Positively on Demand for Hydraulic Fluid ConnectorsAccording to an analyst at TMR, the market for hydraulic fluid connectors in North America has been witnessing impressive growth and is expected to continue to rise steadily over the next few years. The escalating need for new aircraft, thanks to the significant progress in the regions civil aviation industry and the surging number of air travelers, boosted by the rise in tourism and business activities, is the main factor behind the growth of the North America hydraulic fluid connectors market. Apart from this, the rising application of hydraulic fluid connectors in military aviation, with the U.S. having the most powerful air force in the world, is also expected to boost this market substantially over the forecast period.Request For Customization@North America boasts of the presence of a number of leading aircraft manufacturers, such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Bell Aircraft Corp., which currently provide promising opportunities for growth to market players. The increasing investments by these manufacturers for the advancements in the offerings are likely to add significantly to the growth of this market over the forthcoming years. However, the implementation of strict government norms and regulations and the enforcement of the standards set by the aviation industry may hamper the progress of the hydraulic fluid connectors market in North America to some extent in the near future, states the report.About Us  Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others.Contact Us:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Stressing on R&D Efforts to Amplify Fungicides Market Growth by 2020

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Fungicides is a type of pesticide used to kill the fungi or fungi spores. Fungicides finds major use in the agricultural sector for crop protection. It is used to prevent the damage to crops caused by the attack of fungicides. It gives higher yield with better quality of the crops. It is also used to kill the fungal infections in animals. The use of fungicides differ according to the type of crop. Different types of fungicides available are translaminar, systemic and contact fungicides. The active ingredients include chlorothalonil, mancozeb, prochloraz, propicanazole, prochloraz, propicanazole and many more. One of the most common active ingredient in the fungicides is sulfur. Some fungicides are dangerous to human health and so the major laws governing the use of fungicides in different countries is expected to hamper the growth of global fungicides market in the near future. However, the global fungicides market is expected to witness a moderate single digit growth in the forecast period.The most significant demand driver for the global fungicides market is the increasing demand for fungicides in the crop protection sector for ensuring higher crop yields. The growing population is also expected to be the major driving factor for the global fungicides market. The increasing concerns pertaining to the disease control is anticipated to drive the global fungicides market. The shrinking arable land and the growing demand for food is projected to increase the demand for fungicides, thereby driving the global fungicides market.A sample of this report is available upon request @The growing technological advancements in the seeds is expected to restrain the global fungicides market in the upcoming years. The use of genetically modified crops is projected to restrain the growth of global fungicides market in the near future. The development of new organic fungicides is expected to create new opportunities in terms of revenue for the major players in the global fungicides market.The global fungicides market can be segmented on the basis of product type and crop typeOn the basis of type, the global fungicides market is segmented as:BenzimidazolesTriazolesDithiocarbamatesChloronitrilesPhenylamidesStrobilurinsOthersOn the basis of crop types, the global fungicides market is segmented as:FruitsVegetablesCereals and grainsOilseedsOthersThe global fungicides market is segmented into five key regions on the basis of geography as North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Asia pacific holds the largest market share in the global fungicides market, owing to the large agricultural business in this region. India and China is expected to be the maximum market share holding countries in the global fungicides market. Use of fungicides in the European countries is also expected to increase in the near future due to the stringent regulatory authorities in this region. The consumption of fungicides is also anticipated to escalate in the European countries in the upcoming years. The consumption of fungicides in Middle East and Africa is projected to demonstrate a stagnant growth in the forecast period.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the key players identified in the global fungicides market are, BASF SE, Bayer AG, Syngenta AG, The Dow Chemical Company, E.I. Dupont De Nemours & Company, Cheminova A/S, Nufarm Ltd, Chemtura CorporationPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsAbhishek BudholiyaPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Power Market Outlook to 2030 Update 2017-Market Trends Regulations and Competitive Landscape

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ReportsWeb.com published Power Market from its database. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.This report elaborates Thailand's power market structure and provides historical and forecast numbers for capacity, generation, and consumption up to 2030. Detailed analysis of the Thailand power market's regulatory structure, import and export trends, competitive landscape, and power projects at various stages of the supply chain is provided. The report also gives a snapshot of the power sector in Thailand on broad parameters of macroeconomics, supply security, generation infrastructure, transmission infrastructure, degree of competition, regulatory scenario, and future potential. An analysis of the deals market scenario in the country's power sector is also included in the report.Request a sample copy@Scope:-Snapshot of the country's power sector across parameters-macro economics, supply security, generation infrastructure, transmission infrastructure, degree of competition, regulatory scenario and future potential of the power sector.-Statistics for installed capacity, power generation and consumption from 2000 to 2016, forecast for the next 14 years to 2030.-Break-up by technology, including thermal, hydro, renewable and nuclear-Data on leading current and upcoming projects.-Information on grid interconnectivity, transmission and distribution infrastructure and power exports and imports.-Policy and regulatory framework governing the market.-Detailed analysis of top market participant, including market share analysis and SWOT analysis.Companies Mentioned:Electricity Generating Authority of ThailandRatchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Public Company LimitedGlow Energy Public Company LimitedElectricity Generating Public Company LimitedInquire for Report@Reasons to buy:-Identify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the country's power sector-Identification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the country's power sector-Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data-Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events-Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industry's growth potential-Identify key partners and business development avenues-Identify key strengths and weaknesses of important market participants-Respond to your competitors' business structure, strategy and prospects.Table of Contents:1 Table of Contents 22 Executive Summary 73 Introduction 104 Thailand, Power Market, Snapshot 115 Thailand, Power Market, Market Analysis 146 Thailand, Power Market, Regulatory Scenario 207 Thailand Power Market, Capacity and Generation Overview 258 Thailand, Power Market, Transmission and Distribution Overview 389 Thailand, Power Market, Competitive Landscape: Snapshot of Leading Power Generating Companies 4310 Appendix 58For more information about this report@About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.Contact Us:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Phone : +91-20-67278686E-Mail : info@reportsweb.com
Medical Inventory Software Market  In- Depth Study of leading key players DSS, inBeam Tech., Phoenix Data,TCLogic

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Medical Inventory Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 to its huge collection of research reports.This research study on the global Medical Inventory Software market has been accumulated by market experts, based on a detailed and unbiased assessment of this market, considering its segmentation and the important market verticals. An in-depth assessment of the industrial chain, supporting this market has been presented in this report, which incorporates statistical information about each and every aspect of the Medical Inventory Software market in the global arena such as production chain, manufacturing capacity, sales volume, and revenue.The research report studies the worldwide market for Medical Inventory Software on the basis of the products and their application. The production volume, product pricing, supply chain dynamics, and the policies and regulation, influencing the production are described at length in this market study.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @The global Medical Inventory Software market has also been evaluated on the basis of its spread across various regions across the world, presenting an analysis of the performance of each of the regional markets in this study. The market dynamics between the industrial chain and every application is studied in connection with each of the regional markets to provide a better understanding their performance and functioning.Researchers have utilized several methodical tools, such as investment feasibility analysis, market attractiveness analyses, and investment return analysis to present a descriptive study of the market for Medical Inventory Software across the world. Porters five forces and SWOT analysis has also been performed in order to evaluate the key market participants in this report.The research report has been aimed at providing a complete picture of the global Medical Inventory Software market and assisting market players in creating profitable strategies for their business expansion, gaining a competitive edge over peers.Table of ContentsGlobal Medical Inventory Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Medical Inventory Software1.1 Medical Inventory Software Market Overview1.1.1 Medical Inventory Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Medical Inventory Software Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Medical Inventory Software Market by Type1.3.1 Cloud-based1.3.2 On-premises1.4 Medical Inventory Software Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Hospitals1.4.2 Clinics1.4.3 OtherAccess the full Report TOC in Detail @2 Global Medical Inventory Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Medical Inventory Software Market Size (Value) by Players (2016 and 2017)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 EZOfficeInventory3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Medical Inventory Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 ASAP Systems3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Medical Inventory Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Surgi-Sys3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Medical Inventory Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 Binary Stream Software3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Medical Inventory Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)4 Global Medical Inventory Software Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)4.1 Global Medical Inventory Software Market Size by Type (2012-2017)4.2 Global Medical Inventory Software Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.3 Potential Application of Medical Inventory Software in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of Medical Inventory Software5 United States Medical Inventory Software Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States Medical Inventory Software Market Size (2012-2017)5.2 United States Medical Inventory Software Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)QYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Flow Pack packaging machines Market Intelligence Report Offers Growth Prospects

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Flow Pack packaging machines Market: OverviewPackaging is playing an important role in improving the profitability and increasing the marketability of the end-user companies. With the increase in geographical consumer base firms are now directing more on packaging than before, as packaging also retains the product work it reaches to the customer. Flow pack mechanism is majorly used for packaging of by-products from food and other end-use industries such as cake packaging, Cotton bandage packaging, chocolate packaging, detergent packaging, etc. Flow pack packaging machines are mechanical and automatic machines. Flow pack packaging machines can be digitized to regulate the overall manufacturing process. Flow pack packaging machines can be adjusted and are easy to operate with numerous forms of the products. Flow pack packaging machines functions at a continuous cycle with a plastic film reel is interleaved into the machine which keeps sealing and wrapping the film around the product.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Flow Pack packaging machines Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe major factors which are boosting the growth of flow pack packaging machines market are increasing use of flow pack packaging machines in FMCG industry, technological advancement, and the rapid growth of packaging industry. Flow pack packaging machines being used for packaging of the varied range of FMCG products, the packaging requirements for such fast and vast consumption of FMCG products is boosting the demand and growth of the flow pack packaging machines market. The affluence of handling the speed of packaging for flow pack packaging machines are vital factors enhancing the demand for the flow pack packaging machines market. The usage of flow pack packaging machines for industries with high and small medium production volume of the products is subsidiary the demand for the flow pack packaging machines market. Though, the primary capital needs for installing flow pack packaging machines is relatively high which can result in a restraint for small scale businesses for using the flow pack packaging machines. Flow pack packaging machines use plastic as a raw material for packaging of the products which are to be consumed in one go. The usage of plastic for packaging of such products have a risk of inadequate dumping of the plastic and rising plastic waste can act as a restraint for the overall growth of the flow pack packaging machines market. Though, the competence managed by the use of flow pack packaging machines is advanced for the businesses and is likely to offer better opportunities for the flow pack packaging machines market.Flow Pack packaging machines Market: Market SegmentationSeveral industry products such as pharmaceutical cosmetic and many other are promoted from automatic flow pack packaging machines that increase the efficiency of the entire process of streamline of production to the packaging of the end product. The flow pack packaging machines market is segmented into four parts based on the machine type, the material used, industrial application, and geography.Obtain Report Details @Based on the machine type flow pack packaging machines market is segmented into:AutomaticManualBased on the material used flow pack packaging machines market is segmented into:Aluminum foil laminatesPaperPlastic-LDPE-HDPE-PP-PVCBased on the Industrial application Flow Pack packaging machines market is segmented into:FoodHomecarePersonal careMedical & PharmaceuticalsOthersFlow Pack packaging machines Market: Regional OutlookRegarding geography, the flow pack packaging machines market has been fragmented into seven key regions including North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. The flow pack packaging machines market is expected to account healthy CAGR during the forecast period due to the high demand for flexible packaging in FMCG products and in packaging machines across the globe. Technological advancement, the rapid rate of urbanization, and presence of the less populated areas in the APEJ region inculcate the growth and demand for flow pack packaging machines market in the APEJ region. North America and Western Europe are likely to follow APEJ region in terms of demand in flow pack packaging machines and packaging market due to the changing lifestyle of the consumers in the particular region. Latin America being a developing economy is likely to register rapid growth for the flow pack packaging machines market. Flow pack market in MEA region is expected to be small but attractive regarding growth rate. Moreover, the North America region accounts for the healthy share in terms of FMCG industry, flow pack packaging machines are widely used in the region is anticipated to further add value to the flow pack packaging machines market in the region. In terms of developing a region of Asia-Pacific, the growth of the flow pack packaging machines is significantly high and with significant CAGR in estimate period due to factors such as such as rapid economic development, globalization and increasing demand of the flow pack in food & beverages industry and pharmaceutical as well as personal care products. Moreover, over the projected period, APEJ market for is expected to grow significantly attributed to the growth of packaging industry in the region. Overall, the global market for flow pack packaging machines is expected to grow significantly by the end of forecast period. The flow pack packaging machines market for Asia Pacific is also expected to witness rapid growth during the estimated period mainly due to the growth of advance and smart packaging market and increasing usage of flow pack packaging machines in different industry verticals, especially in India and China. The flow pack packaging machines market is growing at faster pace and is expected to grow at significant CAGR in forecasted years.Flow Pack packaging machines Market: Few PlayersThe leading manufacturer of the flow pack packaging machines market is expanding their presence in developing economies with technological advancement and the wide range of product offering in different industry verticals. For example, Bosch packaging technology, one of the leading manufacturers of flow pack packaging machinery has expanded its market presence in the India with new plant set up in Goa.Few players identified in flow pack packaging machines market are:-Robert Bosch GmbHCARIBA S.r.l.ULMA Packaging S CoopItaldibipack GroupKoyka Electronics Pvt. Ltd.Interpak B.V.Amcor LimitedPFM Packaging Machinery S.p.A.Multi Pack Systems Pvt. LtdRedpack Packaging MachineryBemis Company, Inc.The Brand Company S.p.A.,OthersAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Sea Cargo Packaging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trend and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Sea Cargo Packaging Market: IntroductionSea cargo packaging is packaging of goods which is shipped from one place to another via sea route. Sea cargo packaging is one of the prominently used packaging among air, train, and truck. Sea cargo packaging is preferable due to higher goods carrying capacity as compared to the air and truck cargo packaging. Sea cargo is packed into various packaging solutions such as bulk containers, flexitanks, large corrugated boxes, drums, flexible intermediate bulk containers, jumbo bags and others. The sea cargo is packed properly to avoid the damage to shipping products. The sea cargo have several benefits such as cost- effectiveness, traffic less and eco-friendly. Sea cargo packaging saves time as there is no traffic in sea routes and use less fuel as compared to the others. Sea cargo packaging have various end-users such as automotive, food & beverages, petroleum & oils and others. Majorly the petroleum & oil products are shipped from one region to another via sea route.Browse Market Research Report @Global Sea Cargo Packaging Market: DynamicsThe global sea cargo packaging market is anticipated to grow over the forecast period. There are several factors which drives the global sea cargo packaging market. One of the drivers of the global cargo packaging is the cost effective cargo packaging. Bulk amount of cargo is packed in bulk containers, drums, flexitanks etc. The packaging in bulk containers reduces the manpower. The other is the high storage capacity of the ships leads to shipment of bulk amount of goods such as containers, pales, drums, flexitanks and others. Ships have larger container capacity as compared to other cargo solutions. The sea cargo packaging saves time as there is no traffic in sea routes compared to the other cargo packaging. Increasing trades and exports leads to propel demand of the sea cargo packaging. However, weather fluctuations may lead to longer delivery time. It is difficult to know the exact location of goods in shipment. Mostly petroleum & oils are shipped through sea cargo packaging. The restraining factors which may hamper the growth of the sea cargo packaging is the over capacity shipment of goods which may rise the situation of accidents.Global Sea Cargo Packaging Market: SegmentationThe global sea cargo packaging market is segmented on the basis of the products, on the basis of the applications, and on the basis of the end-users.On the basis of the products, the sea cargo packaging can be done using various packaging solutions such as bulk containers, drums, pails, flexitanks and others.On the basis of the end users, the sea cargo packaging have various end user industries such as petroleum & oils, electronic goods, food & beverages, commercial, automotive and others.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @Global Sea Cargo Packaging Market: Regional Outlook:The global market of sea cargo packaging is segmented in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Europe. The Europe is expected to dominate the global sea cargo packaging market. APAC and North America also contribute in the global sea cargo packaging market. In APAC, the countries such as India and China are likely to contribute in the growth of the global sea cargo packaging market in near future. Middle East & Africa is also dependent on the export of the petroleum and oils which gives rise to the sea cargo packaging market.Global Sea Cargo Packaging Market: Key PlayersSome of the players of the global sea cargo packaging market are Grief Inc., RPP Containers, Hawman Container Services, Mauser Industries Pvt. Ltd., C.L. Smith Company, Skolink Industries, Inc., Great Western Containers Inc., TPL Plastech Limited, Berry Global, Inc. and others.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
The Baby Food Market in Austria 2017

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ReportsWeb.com published The Baby Food from its database. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market."The Baby Food Market in Austria 2017", is an analytical report by Publisher which provides extensive and highly detailed current and future market trends in the Austrian market.Austrian baby food market has been stimulated by higher birth numbers since2012, and by manufacturers' efforts to target the toddler age group and by product innovation, resulting in a market worth over million. Baby milks account for just over half of all retail sales value but in volume terms meals are dominant, claiming 45%. Both have increased their share of sales to the detriment of cereals and drinks. Drugmarkets/drugstores claim over 70% of baby food sales. A rise in the number of births will contribute to volume growth of about 10%. Growth is likely to be strongest in milks and meals. Per capita consumption will increase by 4.9%.For more information about this report:Report Scope- Despite an already high per capita consumption rate, sales have been buoyant, increasing by 42% in terms of value and 17% in volume between 2010 and 2016. The market has been stimulated by higher birth numbers from 2012 onwards.- Baby milks account for just over half of all retail sales, and meals for a further 35%. In volume terms, however, meals are dominant, claiming 45% of total consumption.- All Milupa (Danone) products are imported from Germany. Hipp has a production facility in Gmunden, while Nestle Osterreich imports all its products.- Austrian market, accounting for almost two-thirds of volume imports of milks and cereals and half of imports of other baby food in 2015. Exports of baby foods have remained more or less stable in volume terms at tons per year.- The annual number of births is expected to experience a consistent rise up to 2022. The market is therefore forecast to show overall growth, with absolute volumes set to increase by 9.5% between 2016 and 2022.Request Sample Copy atCompanies Mentioned:Hipp GmbH & Co Export KGMilupa GmbH (Danone)Nestle Osterreich GmbHBWK GmbHMaresi Austria GmbHTable of Contents:IntroductionExecutive SummaryDefinitionsBackground to the MarketBirthsThe ConsumerSocio-demographic TrendsWorking WomenRegulationsBreastfeeding TrendsMarket OverviewKey Features and DevelopmentsMarket OverviewManufacturers sharesThe futureSector AnalysisBaby MilksBaby CerealsBaby MealsBaby DrinksFinger FoodsProduction and tradeProductionImportsExportsCompany profilesIntroductionHipp GmbH & Co Export KGMilupa GmbH (Danone)Nestle Osterreich GmbHBWKMaresi Austria GmbHDistributionRetail StructureDrugstore retailingBaby Food RetailingEconomic backgroundEconomic BackgroundKey Macro-economic ForecastsProspects and forecastsBirth And Population ProjectionsForecast OverviewFuture TrendsAppendixAdditional Data TablesSummary MethodologyAbout PublisherInquire for Report atAbout ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.Contact Us:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Phone : +91-20-67278686E-Mail : info@reportsweb.com
The European Car Wash Market 2017: Market Size, Major Competitors and Channel Shares

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ReportsWeb.com published Car Wash Market from its database. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Analysis of the commercial car wash market across 19 European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and Russia. Includes volume of car wash sites, number of wash occasions per year, value of the market and insight into strategic issues impacting the sector. Based on research with service station and standalone car wash operators, it provides an analysis of the car wash market across two commercial wash channels, and covers the four main types of car wash installation; jet, roll over ,tunnel and hand washes.Wash price has become increasingly important for motorists over the last few years as rising wash prices have forced them to either reduce commercial wash occasions or switch from luxury and medium wash types such as rollover and tunnel to low cost jet washes, in order to maintain wash costs.Request a Sample Report@Report Scope:- The value of the European car wash market (made up of 19 countries in our analysis) rose by 60.9m in 2016 as wash operators increased wash prices. Rising wash prices across Europe is the primary cause of wash market value growth in 2016, as wash occasions declined over this period.- More than 1,500 car wash installations closed across Europe in 2016 as a drop in fuel volumes and disposable incomes caused wash operators to close their wash sites. The majority of wash site closures came from Germany and the UK, as wash occasions per installation declined, due to increased wash costs and home wash occasions in each market respectively, causing wash operators to close sites.- The total number of wash occasions in Europe declined by 0.9% in 2016 as motorists reduced their wash occasions as disposable income levels fell and operators increased wash prices across a number of European markets. 77.0% of wash occasions in Europe were undertaken at rollover and jet wash installations, as these wash types remained dominant in Europe in 2016.Reasons to buy:- Make informed investment decisions by understanding the size of the car wash retail market and the nature of the competition within it.- Understand motorists wash habits and plan effect strategies to maximise wash occasions- Formulate market share objectives for your company and assess performance using our value data segmented by channel and installation type.- Develop superior strategies to those of your competitors by accessing information on their site numbers and marketing activities.Inquire before Buying@Companies Mentioned:ShellBPEssoCircle KQ8TexacoWashtec. Otto Wash Christ AGTammermaticKarcherIMOARCElephant BleuHypromatIstobalTOTALLUKOILOMVTable of Contents:Executive Summary 3European Wash Trends 8European Market Overview 15Standalone Wash Operator Profiles 25Wash Manufacturer Profiles 35Country Analysis:Austria 44Belgium 58Croatia 72Czech Republic 83Finland 97France 111Germany 125Greece 139Hungary 153Italy 167Netherlands 181Norway 195Poland 209Romania 223Slovakia 237Spain 251Sweden 265Turkey 279The UK 293Appendix 307Wash occasions by vehicle type 308Wash occasions by gender 309For more information about this report@About ReportsWeb:ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.Contact Us:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Phone : +91-20-67278686E-Mail : info@reportsweb.com
Microbial Agricultural Inoculants Market - Historical, current, and projected size of both value and volume

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Microbial agricultural inoculants are specially formulated for soils or seeds to boost plant health and to increase agricultural productivity. Microbial agricultural inoculants also known as soil inoculants and are considered beneficial for plant growth and nutrition. The use of microbial agricultural inoculants enhances the plant growth, suppresses the diseases and increases the yield and also protects the environment. For better productivity in crops, microbial agricultural inoculants focus upon the symbiotic rhizobia that are used for the establishment of the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with the legumes. Microbial agricultural inoculants also play an important role in the aggregation of soil and also stabilize the soil. The agricultural sector has undergone major changes in the last few years with improvement in the agricultural practices. The uses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have undoubtedly increased the agricultural production over a couple of years. However, indiscriminate use of chemicals and fertilizers has resulted in various environmental disasters as well as ecological imbalances. Thus this has triggered the growth rate of the microbial agricultural inoculants market. Also, the rise in demand for organic farming and other eco-friendly agricultural techniques has resulted in the positive impact on the microbial agricultural inoculants market. Microbial agricultural inoculants are considered to extend the agricultural productivity more than the application of bio fertilizers into crops.Download Brochure@The global microbial agricultural inoculants market has been segmented on the basis of different types, source, application and crop type. By different types, the global microbial agricultural inoculants have been segmented into plant growth promoting microorganisms, biocontrol agents, and stimulants. Plant growth promoting micro-organisms are expected to lead the microbial agricultural inoculants market throughout the forecast period, because they play an important role in enriching the soil and provide ample immunity to the seeds or plants.By source the global microbial agricultural inoculants has been segmented into fungal inoculants, and bacterial inoculants. The bacterial inoculants have been further segmented into photobacteria, rhizobacteria, and azetobacter. Similarly, fungal inoculants are further segmented into Trichoderma Spp and Micorrhizal. Bacterial inoculants held the dominant share in 2016 and the same is expected to lead the microbial agricultural inoculants market throughout the forecast period.Based different application, the global microbial agricultural inoculants market includes soil inoculation and seed inoculation. The global market has been further segmented on the basis of crop type namely oilseeds and pulses, fruits and vegetables, cereals and grains.The global microbial agricultural inoculants market is mainly driven by rising demand of organic farming among the farmers. Organic farming involves the use of different techniques to achieve better crop yields without harming the natural environment. Organic farming improves the soil fertility and helps to control diseases and pests without harming the environment. Such farming also ensures the water applied on the crops are clean. The rise in the prices of the agrochemicals and their negative impact on the crops is also providing a positive impact to the microbial agricultural inoculants market. However, lack of awareness regarding the benefits of the usage of microbial agricultural inoculants coupled with limited availability is restraining the global microbial agricultural inoculants market. Additionally, continuous research and development of new technologies are expected to generate opportunities to the global microbial agricultural inoculants market during the forecast period. Also, growth potential from the developing regions is also anticipated to promote positive growth opportunities for the growth of the microbial agricultural inoculants market in the coming years.In the region wise study, the global microbial agricultural inoculants market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. North America which includes U.S., Canada is anticipated to capture a significant part of the microbial agricultural inoculants markets share over the years. Further, U.S. accounts for more than 30% of the global microbial agricultural inoculants market. This is mainly due to the adoption of new technologies in order to increase the crop productivity and minimize the cost of production.Asia Pacific has significant potential for the growth of the microbial agricultural inoculants market with major contributors being China, India and Japan among others.Latin America is anticipated to show the fastest growth rate due to the rise in demand for commercial crops such as corn and soybean.The global microbial agricultural inoculants market is considered to be highly fragmented due to huge presence of several established companies. The global key participants in order to expand their market share in the microbial agricultural inoculants market engage upon strategic acquisitions and joint venture techniques to ensure long term sustenance in the microbial agricultural inoculants market.Browse Report@Some of the key participants in the microbial agricultural inoculants market include BASF S.E., E. I. Dupont De Nemours Company, Bayer Crop Science, Novozymes A/S, Verdesian Life Sciences LLC, Advanced Biological Marketing Inc., Brettyoung, Precison Laboratories LLC, Queensland Agricultural Seeds Pty Limited, Xitebio Technologies Incorporated.About Us:-Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact Us:-State Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
New Baby Monitor Market Worldwide and Regional Market Size and Forecasts 2018 to 2023

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MarketResearchNest.com adds New Baby Monitor-Global Market Status And Trend Report 2013-2023 new reports to its research database. The report spread across 147 pages with tables and figures in it.New Baby Monitor-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 offers a comprehensive analysis on New Baby Monitor industry, standing on the readers' perspective, delivering detailed market data and penetrating insights. No matter the client is industry insider, potential entrant or investor, the report will provides useful data and information. Key questions answered by this report include:Worldwide and Regional Market Size of New Baby Monitor 2013-2017, and development forecast 2018-2023 Main manufacturers/suppliers of New Baby Monitor worldwide, with company and product introduction, position in the New Baby Monitor market Market status and development trend of New Baby Monitor by types and applications Cost and profit status of New Baby Monitor, and marketing status Market growth drivers and challengesGet more details about report atThe report segments the global New Baby Monitor market as:Global New Baby Monitor Market: Regional Segment Analysis (Regional Production Volume, Consumption Volume, Revenue and Growth Rate 2013-2023):North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanRest APACLatin AmericaGlobal New Baby Monitor Market: Type Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume, Average Price, Revenue, Market Share and Trend 2013-2023):Internet Baby MonitorVideo Baby MonitorAudio Baby MonitorGlobal New Baby Monitor Market: Application Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume and Market Share 2013-2023; Downstream Customers and Market Analysis)Home and family ApplicationCommercial ApplicationRequest a Sample Report Copy atGlobal New Baby Monitor Market: Manufacturers Segment Analysis (Company and Product introduction, New Baby Monitor Sales Volume, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin):Safety1stMotorolaSummer InfantSamsungInfant OpticsLevanaAngelcareWiFi BabyLorexPhilipsWithingsIBabyBabyPingMobiSnuzaVtechMCDevicesFoscamSi Bao JianIn a word, the report provides detailed statistics and analysis on the state of the industry; and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Order a Purchase Report Copy atMarketResearchNest.com is the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services on the Web. We offer reports from almost all top publishers and update our collection on daily basis to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and recent database of expert insights on global industries, organizations, products, and trends.Mr. Jeet JainSales Managersales@marketresearchnest.com+1-240-284-8070 / +44-20-3290-4151
Blister Packaging Market Poised to Grow at 6.6% CAGR Between 2017 and 2027

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Future Market Insights has recently announced the publication of a market research report that covers the global market for blister packaging. The report, titled Blister Packaging Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012 - 2016) & Opportunity Assessment (2017 - 2027), states that the market will exhibit a healthy 6.6% CAGR over the period between 2017 and 2027, rising to a revenue opportunity of US$18 bn by the end of 2027.The report states that the global blister packaging market boasts vast growth opportunities and several untapped areas that can be exploited to strengthen foothold in the market. A number of companies are focusing on ways of making blister packaging for pharmaceutical products smarter with the help of technological interventions. Instances include the facilitation of product tracking technology in blister packaging, which when connected with smart computing devices such as smartphones or tablets can remind patients to take medication on time. Several products in the market also have attributes on the blister packaging that allow disabled or blind people to easily identify basic details of the product that is inside the packaging. Such and other varieties of smart blister packaging are expected to witness a massive rise in adoption in the next few years, especially in the pharmaceutical sector.Request for Sample @However, some factors could restrict the growth of the market, such as the intense level of competition from flexible parenteral solutions and the fact that blister packaging does not serve well in case of heavy products. Moreover, as blister packs are easy for peeling, they could be considered risky around children, who can inadvertently consume medications and fall prey to medicine poisoning. Also, the conventional materials used for blister packaging owing to their low costs, which may contain a range of chemicals, could also affect the consumer-base as health conscious people will want to switch to safer packaging options. Another factor posing a threat to the growth of this market is the conventional material used for production in developing nations in a bid to reduce cost. These chemicals can pose serious health issues and will drive health conscious people to switch to safer materials.The report states that the market in North America, which accounted for a significant 32% of the overall market in 2017, will continue to remain one of the most promising regional markets for blister packaging. Registering a healthy 6.6% CAGR from 2017 to 2024, the North America market for blister packaging will thrive on account of the healthy demand from the regions well-established food and pharmaceutical industries.Request for Table of Contents @The market in Asia Pacific except Japan (APEJ) will achieve great heights owing to high demand from the pharmaceutical industry in developing nations such as India, China, and several ASEAN countries. The market in APEJ will exhibit a promising CAGR of 6.2% from 2017 to 2027, accounting for a significant share in the overall revenue of the global market by the end of the reports forecast period.Some of the leading companies operating in the global blister packaging market are Amcor Limited, Constantia Flexibles GmbH, Rohrer Corporation, Bemis Company, Inc., Winpak Ltd., Sonoco Products Company, West Rock Company, ACG Pharmapack Pvt. Ltd., Honeywell International, Inc., Uflex Ltd., Klockner Pentaplast Group, Display Pack, Inc., R-Pharm Germany GmbH, SteriPack Group, Tekni-Plex, Inc., Transparent Container, Inc., FormPaks International Co. Ltd., Blisterpak, Inc., Ecobliss Holdings BV, and VisiPak.Report Overview @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market Predicts to Grow at 9.9% CAGR Between 2015 and 2020

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Future Market Insights (FMI) has published a new report, which is titled, Halal Cosmetics Market: Asia Pacific Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015  2020.According to the report, the growing awareness among consumers about religious obligations has created a high demand for Halal products especially in the Asia Pacific region. This report thus studies the halal cosmetics market within the Asia Pacific region. According to report, the Asia Pacific halal cosmetics market is estimated to expand at a 9.9% CAGR between 2015 and 2020.The growing awareness about transdermal nature of cosmetics is one of the key factors boosting the growth of the halal organic cosmetics market in Asia Pacific. The increase in the distribution and marketing channels as well as the high demand for organic vegan cosmetics will boost the growth of this market. The increased availability of color cosmetic variants will also aid in the growth of the market.Request for Sample @The report is a complete overview of the halal cosmetics market in Asia Pacific. It analyzes the various trends in the market that are expected to have an impact on the future of the halal cosmetics industry. The key opportunities within the market have also been analyzed in the report. The report also studies the various factors that are having a negative impact on the growth of the Asia Pacific Halal cosmetics market.By product, the Halal cosmetics market is segmented into color cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, hair care. Eye care, lip care, face care, nail care are the sub segments of the color cosmetics segment. Of these the skin care segment is anticipated to gain a market share of 10 BPS through 2020. The color cosmetics is the leading segment and is estimated to account for 38% of the total market. The color cosmetics segment is anticipated to witness in increase of 60 BPS during the forecast period. This segment is likely to expand at a 10.2% CAGR from 2015 to 2020.Request for Table of Contents @On the basis of geography the Asia Pacific Halal cosmetics market is segmented in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania. Of these, Southeast Asia is anticipated to emerge as a dominant market for Halal cosmetics. The Southeast Asia region is estimated to expand at the fastest pace as compared to other areas of Asia Pacific. The report also states that South Asia is estimated to emerge as the second most attractive market for Halal cosmetics. Both these regions have a wide consumer base for Halal certified products.Top players within the halal cosmetics market are taking efforts to launch newer products and extend the variety and product range. Leading players within the Asia Pacific Halal cosmetics market include: Wipro Unza, INIKA, Clara International, Martha Tilaar, Brataco Group Of Companies, Paragon Technology & Innovation, and Ivy Beauty Corporation Sdn Bhd. The report profiles the leading players and studies the business and financial overview of these companies. The key strategies adopted by these players are also revealed in the report. The recent developments by the players and information on partnerships, collaborations, and mergers and acquisitions are given in the report. The degree of competition and the collective shares accounted for, by top companies have been given in the study. The bargaining power of buyers and suppliers and the threat of substitute and new entrants are also analyzed.Report Overview @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Cancer Diagnostics Market is Expected to Rake in Revenues Worth US$168.6 bn by 2020

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According to the World Health Organization, there were 8.2 million cancer related deaths in 2012 alone, with 14 million new cancer cases registered globally. This surge in the prevalence of cancer has fueled the cancer diagnostics market, states Transparency Market Research in a recent report. The research report, titled Cancer Diagnostics Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2020, finds that expanding at a strong CAGR of 7.60% from 2014 to 2020, the global cancer diagnostics market is estimated to grow from a value of US$100.9 bn in 2013 to US$168.6 bn by 2020.Read Report overview @The global cancer diagnostics market is driven by growing prevalence of different forms of cancer, rising cancer awareness, support of government initiatives and funding, and increase in healthcare expenditure. The introduction of non-invasive screening methods and novel diagnostic biomarkers are anticipated to create new revenue streams and boost the cancer diagnostics market over the next five years. However, uncertain reimbursement scenario in certain countries and lack of specificity and sensitivity threaten to impede the growth of the cancer diagnostics market.By method type, the cancer diagnostics market is divided into endoscopy, imaging, biopsy, and tumor biomarker tests. Global efforts to boost cancer detection and prevention has made imaging the most popular method of cancer diagnosis and this segment is projected to retain its lead throughout the forecast period, developing at a strong CAGR of 8.20% from 2014 to 2020.By geography, the global cancer diagnostics market is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. Accounting for a 40.70% share of the overall cancer diagnostics market in 2013, North America dominated the scene owing to rising initiatives by the government to support cancer awareness, high adoption rate of preventive diagnostic techniques, and high incidence rate of cancer among the population. This regional market for cancer diagnostics is anticipated to register a 7.0% CAGR from 2014 to 2020.Coming in second, Europe accounted for a share of 29.10% in 2013. Registering the highest CAGR of 8.20% during the forecast period, Asia Pacific has been identified as the most rapidly expanding regional market for cancer diagnostics. Developing economies such as China, Japan, India, Australia, Thailand, and Singapore present enormous opportunities for growth, especially owing to increasing incidence of breast cancer. Growing prevalence of lung cancer, on the other hand, is anticipated to boost the cancer diagnostics market in the Rest of the World region.Request Sample Report@The most prominent participants of the cancer diagnostics market include Eli Lilly and Co., Genoptix, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, bioMerieux, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Pfizer, Abbott Laboratories, Ambry Genetics, Novartis, and AstraZeneca. These players are profiled in the cancer diagnostics market report based on aspects such as company overview, recent developments, product portfolio, business strategies, and financial standing.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:TMR Blog:
Mouth Ulcers Treatment Market Will hit at a CAGR of 3.8% between 2014 and 2020

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Transparency Market Research has recently published a new research report that studies the global mouth ulcers treatment market in absolute detail. The research report, titled Mouth Ulcers Treatment Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020, explains the historical data pertaining to the market and compares it with the current market situation to map a trajectory for the global mouth ulcers treatment market.Read Report overview @The research report also includes SWOT analysis to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats influencing the segments of the overall market. For a holistic understanding of the market, the researchers have included Porters five forces analysis to highlight the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitute products or services, the bargaining power of customers, the bargaining power of suppliers, and the intensity of competitive rivalry.mouth-ulcers-treatmentThe primary growth drivers of the global mouth ulcers treatment market are the rising pool of geriatrics and increasing awareness amongst people about mouth ulcers. Researchers predict that the Asia Pacific market will grow at a significant pace in the coming years due to the strong presence of several players in the region. According to the research report, the global mouth ulcers treatment market was valued at US$1.2 bn and is anticipated to reach US$1.6 bn by 2020, rising at a remarkable CAGR of 3.8% between 2014 and 2020. However, some of the factors restraining the growth of this market are side-effects of treatment for mouth ulcers such as blurred vision, constipation, headache, and stomach pain.The global mouth ulcers treatment market is segmented on the basis of formulation, indication, drug class, and geography. The formulations available in this market are mouthwash, gel, spray, and lozenge. On the basis of indication, this market is divided into aphthous stomatitis, oral lichen planus, and others. The drug classes in this market are corticosteroid, anesthetic, analgesic, antihistamine, and antimicrobial. Geographically, this market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World.As of 2013, competitive pricing, wide distribution, and rising preference by medical practitioners for gels led this segment to hold a dominating share in the overall market. However, analysts predict that the lozenges segment will grow at an accelerated pace in the forecast period. Amongst the indications, the application of mouth ulcers treatment for aphthous stomatitis is expected to grow at the fastest pace due to its increasing prevalence.Request Sample Report@Some of the important players operating in the global mouth ulcers treatment market are Pfizer, Inc., Church & Dwight Co., Inc., 3M, Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, BLISTEX, INC., GlaxoSmithKline plc, ECR Pharmaceuticals, and The Colgate-Palmolive Company. The research report profiles these players and offers a comprehensive outlook of the competitive landscape of the global mouth ulcers treatment market. Furthermore, the research report also analyzes the financial overview, research and development activities, investment outlook, business and marketing strategies, and strategic mergers and acquisitions of these top players in the coming few years.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:TMR Blog:
Social Media Engagement Applications Market: Emergence of Advanced Technologies and Global Industry Analysis

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Social Media Engagement Applications allows different kinds of users to exchange data which can be in the form of text, image, video, audio etc. via social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn etc. Because of variety of features and advantages offered by these media services, their user base have grown exponentially and is still growing.A lot of established companies have their business model based on social media applications such as Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn etc., while there are other companies who are attracting huge traffic from these social media applications which ultimately reflects as sales conversion.With the advent of smartphone and its increasing penetration among the users, mobile applications now contributes major chunk of the revenue for social media companies. Even government organizations are actively participating in social media platforms either to advertise about their works, or to provide information about a particular topic to users or for opinion polls. Increasing penetration among social media users have enabled many advertisement agencies, PR firms, mobile apps and service provider companies whose business model is based on social media engagement applications and this trend is expected to continue.Obtain Report Details @Social Media Engagement Applications Market SegmentationOn the basis of platforms:Social Networks-applications which allow users to connect with each other via a profile or group of profiles. Most common social networking sites are Facebook, LinkedIn etc.Media Sharing- media sharing platforms allows users to upload and exchange different sorts of media such as video, pictures etc. YouTube, Instagram are the most common platforms for media sharing.Microblogging microblogging platforms allows users to exchange content in the form of comments, images, video links etc. Twitter is a famous microblogging platform.Blog Forums  blog forums allows users to exchange ideas with each other in the form of blogs and posts. Wordpress is one such famous blogging platform and there are several others.Social New - websites and their mobile apps publishing news articles or information comes under this category. Some of the famous social news platform are Digg, Reddit, etc.Others - lots of other social media platforms have come in the market such as location based services, social bookmarking, aggregators, collaboration tools, broadcasting tools etc.Obtain Sample Of Report @There are other sub segments of social media engagement applications market. Some of them are:Sub segment on the basis of device usage:Desktop - users accessing social media applications from desktopsSmartphone Web  smartphoneusers accessing social media from websites but not mobile applicationsSmartphone App - smartphoneusers accessing social media from mobile applications but not websiteTablet Web - tabletusers accessing social media from websites but not mobile applicationsTablet App - tabletusers accessing social media from mobile applications but not websitesSub segment on the basis of users:Individual  individual users using social media for personal usageCorporates - corporate entities using social media for advertisement, ad sales or other purposesGovernment Agencies - government agencies using social media platforms for advertisement or to provide public domain informationOther - lots of other users such as NGOs, communities, organizations etc.Sub segment on the basis of demography:Gender - usage of social media applications is relatively high in males than femalesAge  according to age, social media users can be segmented into age brackets such as < 15, 15-30, 30-50, 50 >Profession  by profession market can be segmented into professional and personal usersOthersSegmentation of social media engagement applications market on the basis of geography:North America (U.S., Canada)Latin America (Mexico. Brazil)Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)JapanMiddle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa)Regional OverviewRegional usage of social media platform depends highly on regions population and accessibility of the internet and smartphone devices, which is why largest percentage of users are located in APAC regions followed by European, American and other regions. With increasing accessibility of the technology and supporting devices to poorer nations, distribution of usage of social media platforms will solely rely upon population of regions.Increasing internet usage, smartphone penetration will be the major drivers for global social media engagement application market. Other drivers which will contribute in market growth are increasing awareness among non-users, decreasing cost of broadband and data tariffs, increasing benefits offered through applications etc.Difficult to use GUIs, social and economic factors, accessibility issues will restrain the growth of social media engagement application market. Government regulation also restrict social media usage for example China has blocked social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. and thus deprive a huge chunk of worlds population away from the benefits of social media.Major social media engagements applications are Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram etc. Business model may differ from company to company but the underlying structure of these companies is based upon usage of social media engagement applications traffic.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.FMIs team of over 200 research analysts provides market intelligence at global, regional, and country level. Our analysts are committed to provide independent insights, relying on our cognitive defusion training module, which conditions them to look at data objectively and unbiasedly.ContactFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Dan Trevas reports on the web page of the Ohio Supreme Court

The recently retired Niles city law director was suspended for two years, with one year stayed, by the Ohio Supreme Court today for professional misconduct associated with the private law practice he maintained in conjunction with his public office.

A unanimous Supreme Court found J. Terrence Dull violated several rules governing the conduct of Ohio attorneys, including misappropriating $37,000 in client funds that he was instructed to invest. The per curiam opinion noted that the presumed sanction for an attorney who misappropriates client funds is disbarment, but several mitigating factors weighed in favor of a suspension, including Dull making full restitution and paying interest on the funds to his former client. Dull retired from his law director post in early 2017.

Investment Money Diverted on Office Space

In 1996, Dull created an investment trust for his client, Joseph S. Scaglione, and Dull became the trustee of Scagliones trust. In 2011, Scaglione gave Dull two checks totaling $45,000 and instructed him to invest the money in a Vanguard fund. Instead of investing the money, Dull placed it in his client trust account.

Scaglione discovered from Vanguard statements that Dull did not make the additional investment, but because of market fluctuations at the time, he instructed Dull to hold the investment until market conditions improved.

In 2012, Scaglione asked Dull to provide him $8,000 from the investment trust, which Dull did by writing a check from the client trust account. In 2015 Scaglione requested $27,000 from the trust to buy a new car, but Dull informed him he no longer had any of Scagliones money. Dull told Scaglione that he used the remaining $37,000 he had been holding in the investment trust.

Scaglione terminated Dull as the trustee and filed a grievance against him with the Trumbull County Bar Association.

At a disciplinary proceeding, Dull indicated that he had moved into new office space in 2010 and the operating costs were more than he anticipated. He admitted that between 2011 and 2013, he periodically withdrew Scagliones money to cover his expenses, hoping that he would make enough money to refund the client trust account before Scaglione requested more withdrawals.

Dull Admits Wrongdoing

In 2016, the bar association filed charges against Dull with the Board of Professional Conduct.

Dull admitted he failed to properly maintain client trust account records, and failed to make the required disclosure to clients that he lacked malpractice insurance.

Dull was able to collect the resources to refund Scagliones $37,000 and Dull paid him an additional $11,500, which was to make up for lost interest and opportunity from the failure to invest the money when Dull originally received it.

The board found Dull violated the rule that requires a lawyer to inform a client if the lawyer does not maintain malpractice insurance and to obtain the clients written acknowledgment of that notice. He also was found to have engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation; to have failed to keep client funds in an account separate from the lawyers own property; and to have failed to maintain proper records of client funds.

The board recommended the Supreme Court suspend Dull for one year, with six month stayed, with conditions.

Court Imposes Tougher Sanction

When imposing a sanction, the Court considers several factors including aggravating circumstances that could enhance a penalty and mitigating factors that could lead to a less-severe punishment.

The board found Dull had a dishonest or selfish motive and engaged in a pattern of misconduct. The board described Scaglione as Dulls longtime, trusting friend, and that Dulls misconduct was directed at a vulnerable victim.

The board also found that Dull had no prior disciplinary record during his 40-year legal career, made full restitution, cooperated with the disciplinary proceedings, and presented evidence of good character and reputation.

The board examined numerous cases of other attorneys disciplined for misappropriation and determined that the cases where attorneys were disbarred or indefinitely suspended generally involved more serious misconduct, including prior disciplinary records; failure to make restitution; and failure to cooperate in the disciplinary process.

The opinion stated that the board concluded an actual suspension was warranted for Dull because it would protect the public and give him time to be educated about the proper use of a client trust account.

While the board recommended the one-year suspension, the Court found his behavior warranted a longer time out from practice. The Court wrote that at the time of his disciplinary hearing, which was seven months after the bar association filed its complaint, Dull had not yet requested his clients sign the acknowledgments stating he lacked malpractice insurance. He also admitted at that time he had not started to retain the required trust account records.

Under these circumstances, a two-year suspension with the second year conditionally stayed is more appropriate. This sanction takes into account the significant mitigating factors in this case, gives Dull the necessary time to become more knowledgeable about the professional-conduct rules relevant to private practice, and reinforces our long-held position that the continuing public confidence in the judicial system and the bar requires that strict discipline be imposed in misappropriation cases, the opinion stated.

The second year of the suspension was stayed on the conditions that he complete a continuing legal education course regarding client trust accounts and that he commit no further misconduct.

2017-0490. Trumbull Cty. Bar Assn. v. Dull, Slip Opinion No. 2017-Ohio-8774.

(Mike Frisch)

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Foot Care Tools Market - Global Industry Segmentation, Drivers, Restraints and Trends Analysis

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Rising number of individuals across the globe are getting concerned about hygiene and started to become conscious about their appearance. Individuals have increasingly started to visit salons for manicure and pedicure frequently. Owing to these reasons, foot care tools market is expanding with a significant CAGR across the globe. Increasing fashion trend and consciousness among individuals regarding status in society, the pedicure is increasingly adopted by people. Foot care tools are extensively used by podiatry professionals, pedicure centers such as salons, etc. and used by individuals for personal use as well.Foot care tools market is expected to increase in terms of revenue significantly over the forecast period, owing to increasing inclination of individuals towards pedicure.Download Brochure@Foot Care Tools Market: SegmentationFoot care tools market can be segmented on the basis of product type, end-use, sales channel and region.On the basis of product type, foot care tools market is segmented into nippers, files, scissors, burs, curette, callus trimmers, tips, forceps, nail clippers, nail splitters and others.Foot care tools market can be further segmented on the basis of end-use into podiatry, pedicure and personal use.On the basis of sales channel, foot care tools market can be segmented into direct and retail sales. Direct sales refer to direct selling of tools to hospitals, salons, spa and beauty centers. Retail sales are further segmented into pharmacies/drug stores, beauty and cosmetics shops, specialty stores, online retail, modern trade, convenience stores and other retailing formats.On the basis of region, Foot care tools market can be segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East and Africa and Japan.Foot Care Tools market: Drivers, Restraints, and TrendsIncreasing consciousness among individuals regarding personal care is expected to fuel the growth of the foot care tools market. Pedicure and manicure are getting popular among customers and increasing fashion trend is driving the sales of foot care tools. Owing to increasing inclination of consumers, salons and spa are increasingly buying the foot care tools. Increasing problems related to foot among individuals is also increasing demand for podiatry treatments which is fueling the demand for foot care tools in hospitals and podiatry clinics.Low penetration of foot care tools and weak distribution channel could be considered as a restraint and could hamper the sales of foot care tools. Regions with low disposable income and personal care spending such as African countries are expected to contribute minimal revenue share.Increasing sense of fashion among individuals is trending across the globe and is expected to increase the pedicure segment sales over the forecast period.Foot Care Tools Market: Regional OutlookDepending on the geographic regions, global foot care tools market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, MEA and Japan.Foot care tools market is expected to have a relatively high share in North America and Western Europe. Latin America also holds significant value share.Asia Pacific excluding Japan is expected to expand with relatively high CAGR over the forecast period, owing to increasing fashion trend across the region and increasing cosmetics and personal care expenditure. The Middle East and Africa is expected to expand with relatively low CAGR over the forecast period. Japan is a saturated and fully grown market owing to which foot care tools market is expected to expand slowlyPopulation around the globe is getting concerned about their appearance among society and are increasingly adopting fashion trends.Browse Report@Foot Care Tools Market: Key PlayersSome of the prominent manufacturers of Foot care tools are A. Algeo Limited, Gehwol, CPC Healthcare, Supremed, Pedicare Professional Footcare Instruments Limited., Gebruder Nippes GmbH & Co. KG, and other regional players.About Us:-Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact Us:-State Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
United States Car Care Products Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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"The Report United States Car Care Products Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Car Care Products MarketCar care products are high performance chemicals used to improve shine, gloss, and durability of vehicles. These chemicals also protect and retain the visual appeal of vehicles. There are different types of automotive appearance chemicals available in the market which includes wheel care, tyre shine, interior-exterior care, glass cleaner, paint cleaning and protection, paint restoration and many more.Get Sample copy of this Report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Car Care Products in United States market, to split the market based on manufacturers, states, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers3MTurtle WaxIllinois Tool WorksArmored AutoGroupSOFT99SONAXTetrosylNorthern LabsLiqui MolySimonizAutoglymBotnyBullsoneBiaoBangCHIEFRainbowMothersAuto MagicMarket Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisView Report @Market Segment by Type, coversCleaning ProductsRepair ProductsProtection ProductsOther ProductsMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoAuto Beauty ShopAuto 4S ShopIndividual ConsumersThere are 17 Chapters to deeply display the United States Car Care Products market.Chapter 1, to describe Car Care Products Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by States, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Car Care Products, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the United States market by States, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, price, revenue and market share of Car Care Products, for each state, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, to analyze the key States by Type and Application, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 12, Car Care Products market forecast, by States, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 14, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 15, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 16 and 17, to describe Car Care Products Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source.Send An Enquiry Request @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Car Care Products Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Cleaning Products1.2.2 Repair Products1.2.3 Protection Products1.2.4 Other Products1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Auto Beauty Shop1.3.2 Auto 4S Shop1.3.3 Individual Consumers1.4 Market Analysis by States1.4.1 California Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Texas Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 New York Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Florida Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Illinois Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 3M2.1.1 Profile2.1.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 3M Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.1.4 Business Overview2.1.5 3M News2.2 Turtle Wax2.2.1 Profile2.2.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Turtle Wax Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2.4 Business Overview2.2.5 Turtle Wax News2.3 Illinois Tool Works2.3.1 Profile2.3.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Illinois Tool Works Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3.4 Business Overview2.3.5 Illinois Tool Works News2.4 Armored AutoGroup2.4.1 Profile2.4.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Armored AutoGroup Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4.4 Business Overview2.4.5 Armored AutoGroup News2.5 SOFT992.5.1 Profile2.5.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 SOFT99 Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5.4 Business Overview2.5.5 SOFT99 News2.6 SONAX2.6.1 Profile2.6.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 SONAX Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6.4 Business Overview2.6.5 SONAX News2.7 Tetrosyl2.7.1 Profile2.7.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 Tetrosyl Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7.4 Business Overview2.7.5 Tetrosyl News2.8 Northern Labs2.8.1 Profile2.8.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Northern Labs Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8.4 Business Overview2.8.5 Northern Labs News2.9 Liqui Moly2.9.1 Profile2.9.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 Liqui Moly Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9.4 Business Overview2.9.5 Liqui Moly News2.10 Simoniz2.10.1 Profile2.10.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.10.2.1 Type 12.10.2.2 Type 22.10.3 Simoniz Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.10.4 Business Overview2.10.5 Simoniz News2.11 Autoglym2.11.1 Profile2.11.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.11.2.1 Type 12.11.2.2 Type 22.11.3 Autoglym Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.11.4 Business Overview2.11.5 Autoglym News2.12 Botny2.12.1 Profile2.12.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.12.2.1 Type 12.12.2.2 Type 22.12.3 Botny Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.12.4 Business Overview2.12.5 Botny News2.13 Bullsone2.13.1 Profile2.13.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.13.2.1 Type 12.13.2.2 Type 22.13.3 Bullsone Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.13.4 Business Overview2.13.5 Bullsone News2.14 BiaoBang2.14.1 Profile2.14.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.14.2.1 Type 12.14.2.2 Type 22.14.3 BiaoBang Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.14.4 Business Overview2.14.5 BiaoBang News2.15 CHIEF2.15.1 Profile2.15.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.15.2.1 Type 1.2.2 Type 22.15.3 CHIEF Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.15.4 Business Overview2.15.5 CHIEF News2.16 Rainbow2.16.1 Profile2.16.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.16.2.1 Type 12.16.2.2 Type 22.16.3 Rainbow Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.16.4 Business Overview2.16.5 Rainbow News2.17 Mothers2.17.1 Profile2.17.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.17.2.1 Type 12.17.2.2 Type 22.17.3 Mothers Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.17.4 Business Overview2.17.5 Mothers News2.18 Auto Magic2.18.1 Profile2.18.2 Car Care Products Type and Applications2.18.2.1 Type 12.18.2.2 Type 22.18.3 Auto Magic Car Care Products Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.18.4 Business Overview2.18.5 Auto Magic News3 United States Car Care Products Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 United States Car Care Products Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)3.2 United States Car Care Products Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)3.3 United States Car Care Products Price by Manufacturers (2016-2017)3.4 Market Concentration Rate3.4.1 Top 3 Car Care Products Manufacturer Market Share3.4.2 Top 5 Car Care Products Manufacturer Market Share3.5 Market Competition Trend4 United States Car Care Products Market Analysis by States4.1 United States Car Care Products Sales Market Share by States4.2 United States Car Care Products Sales by States (2012-2017)4.3 United States Car Care Products Revenue (Value) by States (2012-2017)5 United States Market Segmentation Car Care Products by Type5.1 United States Car Care Products Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.1.1 United States Car Care Products Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.1.2 United States Car Care Products Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Cleaning Products Sales Growth and Price5.2.1 United States Cleaning Products Sales Growth (2012-2017)5.2.2 United States Cleaning Products Price (2012-2017)5.3 Repair Products Sales Growth and Price5.3.1 United States Repair Products Sales Growth (2012-2017)5.3.2 United States Repair Products Price (2012-2017)5.4 Protection Products Sales Growth and Price5.4.1 United States Protection Products Sales Growth (2012-2017)5.4.2 United States Protection Products Price (2012-2017)5.5 Other Products Sales Growth and Price5.5.1 United States Other Products Sales Growth (2012-2017)5.5.2 United States Other Products Price (2012-2017)Buy Now @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Automotive Semiconductors Market Growth to be Stimulated by Brisk Technological Expansions

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Increasing safety systems, not only passive safety e.g. seat belts, but mainly by electronic such as air bags, anti-lock braking systems (ABS), electronic stability control (ECS), blind spot detection (BSD), adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lane change assist (LCA) among others. These all intelligent functions mentioned above require a semiconductor device to perform their function. The main function of a semiconductor is to conduct electricity easily in one direction among other more specific functions.A sample of this report is available upon request @Regulations regarding safety and emission will drive the market for connected components and devices in the vehicle to ensure monitoring and reporting of vehicle emission complying to the regulations set by the government. They require increasingly powerful semiconductors to ensure that vehicles performance is in compliance. Thus the above reason in turn is helping the market for automotive semiconductors to grow during the forecasted period from 2016  2024.Moreover vehicle standards such as New Car Assessment program (NCAP) that gives safety ratings to new vehicles manufactured as star-ratings, is boosting the car manufacturers to provide more and more electronic components to provide more safety and security systems for the vehicle. Obtaining the highest level of five star rating can act as a strong selling point for the vehicles. Its achievement relies on complex and sophisticated assisted driving systems that require significant semiconductor content for these systems to function.The major drivers of automotive semiconductors market are growing numbers of electronic devices in a car to add passenger safety features and driver assistance systems. Even connected cars concept and other electronic devices present in the car that need to coordinate with the electronic control unit (ECU) are helping the growth of automotive semiconductors market during the forecasted period.For the purpose of detailed analysis, the global automotive semiconductor market can be segmented on the basis of vehicle type, component, application and geography. Based on vehicle type, the market can be bifurcated into passenger car, light commercial vehicle (LCV), heavy commercial vehicle (HCV) and hybrid vehicle. The passenger car segment can be further classified into compact and sub-compact vehicle, sedan, and SUV among others. On the other hand, various components used in automotive semiconductor includes processors, analog ICs, sensors, discrete power and memory. In automotive, different types of semiconductors also finds it application in telematics & infotainment, safety and powertrain. In addition, information regarding current market situation as well as future predictive growth trend of various above mentioned segments is also provided across different regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle-East and Africa (MEA) and Latin America.Based on component, the global semiconductor vehicle market is majorly driven by the discrete power segment during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. Increasing demand for electrification of the major automobile applications such as powertrain and ABS among others is the most important factor anticipated to accelerate the demand of power components such as IGBT and MOSFET.Again by application, telematics & infotainment segment held the largest market share in 2015. Increasing competition among various vehicle manufacturers to offer better comfort and convenience to their customers is encouraging different automobile manufacturers to use various semiconductor components for telematics and infotainment applications.Geographically, Asia Pacific region is predicted to dominate the automotive semiconductor market during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. Rapid technological advancement taking place in the automotive sector in Asia Pacific region in respect of increased safety, reduced fuel consumption and powertrain applications is the primary factor anticipated to drive the demand of semiconductors used in automotive.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the major players operating in the automotive semiconductor market includes Infineon technologies (Germany), NXP Semiconductors N.V. (Netherlands.), Texas Instruments Inc. (U.S.), Toshiba Corporation (Japan.), Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany) and ON Semiconductor Corp. (U.S.) among others.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact Us-U.S. OFFICE:State Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207
Webbing Market Size will Escalate Rapidly in the 2017 - 2025

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Webbing Market: OverviewWebbing is a strong woven fabric made from cotton, flax, polypropylene, nylon, and polyester tubes or strips of various sizes. It is used widely in furniture, sporting goods, automotive and racing safety equipment, apparel, military, transportation, hardware, pet collars, and leashes. Webbing is also employed in towing, climbing, parachuting, load securing, and slacklining. Of late, polymers with exceptionally high tensile strength such as ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), Kevlar, Dyneema, aramid synthetic fibers, and Vectran (high performance multifilament yarn) are being used in the manufacture of webbing.A sample of this report is available upon request @Polyester is primarily used in the manufacture of webbing owing to better results as compared to the currently available alternatives. Owing to U.V resistance, polyester made webbing can be applied for outdoor purposes as well. Properties of webbing can be controlled depending upon the type of substance used for manufacturing. Webbing can be classified into two types: flat webbing and tubular webbing. Flat webbing is a solid weave used in straps of backpacks, rucksacks, and seat belts. Tubular webbing is a flattened tube used in industrial and climbing applications. Webbing products are employed in industrial purposes for applications such as welding, cutting, etching, rivets, prototyping, lifting webbing, tie-down webbing, and printing.Webbing Market: Trends and OpportunitiesWebbing applications can be classified into sporting goods, automotive and transport, furniture, military, bags and canvas, footwear, and industrial. automotive, transport, and military applications are anticipated to dominate the webbing market till 2023. Bags and canvas is expected to experience decent growth during the forecast period due to expansion in shipping and storage industries. Rising usage of webbing for seatbelts is projected to drive the automotive market during the forecast period. The usage of seat belts is rising due to increasing safety concerns. This is likely to act as an opportunity for the webbing market in the next eight years. However, implementation of strict environmental regulations regarding the usage of non-biodegradable substances in the manufacture of webbing is a challenge. This is projected to act as restraint during the forecast period. Extensive research and development is being conducted to find out better raw materials with enhanced properties. This will help in increasing the number of applications. The webbing market is expected to experience decent growth due to increase in industrial activities.Webbing Market: Geographical and Competitive DynamicsAsia Pacific was the largest market for webbing, accounting for almost 65% share of the global revenue in 2014. Expansion in end-user industries such as automobile and sporting goods is driving the webbing market in Asia Pacific. Growth in industrial applications and rising safety concerns in the military sector are estimated to propel the webbing market in North America, Latin America, and Africa. The webbing market in Brazil, Mexico, China, and India is expected to register growth owing to increase in industrial activities. The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) has resulted in the installation of seat belts and other safety straps in automobiles. This is driving the webbing market. Increase in manufacturing activities and growth in the automobile industry in Germany and Italy are other factors augmenting the webbing market in Europe.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Key manufacturers of webbing include E. Oppermann GmbH, Narrowtex Australia Pty Ltd, BioThane, Jiangsu Daxin Webbing Co., Ltd, Universal Webbing Products Co., Ltd, National Webbing Products Co, Tennessee Webbing Products, Ohio Plastics Belting Co., and Southern Weaving Company. The webbing market is characterized by intense competition among companies striving to gain maximum market share by launching innovative products with superior properties.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact Us-U.S. OFFICE:State Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207
Asia Pacific Automotive Telematics Market is Expected to Reach US$ 15,248 Million by 2020

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Future Market Insights (FMI) with sharp focus on emerging regions delivers key insights about the Asia Pacific automotive telematics market in its recent report titled, Asia Pacific Automotive Telematics Market Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2014 - 2020. According to this report, the global telematics market is expected to expand at a single-digit CAGR during forecast period 20142020. On the other hand, APAC will demonstrate the fastest growth in the global automotive telematics market at a double-digit CAGR during the forecast period. During this period, the contribution of the telematics market in the Asia Pacific region to the overall market is projected to increase from 26% to 30%, reflecting an increase of 400 BPS.Make an Enquiry @This growth is attributed to high penetration of technologies and steadily increasing GDP. Moreover, Asia Pacific benefits from the presence of established vendors in the commercial vehicle telematics market, which includes PeopleNet, FleetMatics, Trimble, Telogis and Omnitracs. Furthermore, over 42% of the worlds Internet users in Asia (2013), combined with hundreds of millions of 4G users, will fuel growth of the APAC automotive telematics market during the forecast period.FMI lead consultant, Nikhil Kaitwade, sheds light on why Asia Pacific will emerge the fastest growing market in the near future. Telematics in the automotive industry has become increasingly relevant with a palpable emphasis on safety and security globally. New business models combined with increased technology adoption and remote vehicle diagnostics is fuelling growth of the Asia Pacific automotive telematics market, he said.The three key technologies that will drive the Asia Pacific automotive telematics market are:Embedded Technology  Currently, this segment dominates the Asia Pacific automotive telematics market. Greater ease of assembly, ease of troubleshooting, reliability of components and fall in cost of electronic parts are factors driving demand for automotive embedded systems in this region. Increasing use of cloud-based telematics will also influence the APAC automotive telematics embedded technology market segment. FMI projects that this segment will display a double-digit CAGR during the forecast period.Tethered Technology  The tethered technology segment in the Asia Pacific automotive telematics market will demonstrate the lowest growth at a single-digit CAGR during forecast period 20142020.Smartphone Technology  Price advantages and growing smartphone penetration will fuel growth of the smartphone technology segment in the Asia Pacific automotive telematics market. FMI anticipates that evolving smartphone technology will witness the highest CAGR in double digits during the forecast period.Currently, North America dominates the global automotive telematics market, followed by Europe. High penetration of the aforesaid technologies in Asia Pacific combined with saturation of European and North American markets will continue to fuel growth of the APAC automotive telematics market.Elaborating on this trend, Kaitwade further stated, In order to differentiate their product offerings, automotive OEMs are integrating telematics technologies into vehicles they manufacture.Request Report Methedology @In addition, the expanding safety and security end-user segment and increasing prominence of social media in Asia Pacific will drive the automotive telematics market in the region. The safety and security end-user segment is anticipated to dominate the Asia Pacific automotive telematics market between 2014 and 2020 due to increasing consumer focus on safety and security aspects. Growing prominence of social media in the Asia Pacific region will also contribute to the growth of infotainment segment during the forecast period.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.FMIs team of over 200 research analysts provides market intelligence at global, regional, and country level. Our analysts are committed to provide independent insights, relying on our cognitive defusion training module, which conditions them to look at data objectively and unbiasedly.Contact UsFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
Lead Acid Battery Market Poised to Hit US$ 31,708.4 Million by 2020

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Future Market Insights, in its latest report titled,Lead Acid Battery Market: Asia Pacific, Latin America, Japan, Middle East & Africa Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2014 - 2020, states that the target regions lead acid battery market accounted for US$ 24,210.5 Million in 2014, and is expected to reach US$ 31,708.4 Million at a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period. Asia Pacific, which accounted for the major chunk in the target regions lead acid battery market, is expected to expand at an estimated CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period.By application type, the target regions lead acid battery market is segmented as transportation, stationary industrial, motive industrial, commercial, residential, and grid storage. Transportation and stationary industrial collectively contributed to around 82.4% of market revenue in 2014. Transportation was the largest end-use application in the target regions lead acid battery market in 2014, and is anticipated to continue its dominance through 2020. Stationary industrial is the second largest contributor to the target regions lead acid battery market, and is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period.Make an Enquiry @The report finds that grid storage is one of the smallest end-use application segments in the target regions lead acid battery market, but is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period.Lead acid batteries are predominantly used in passenger cars, commercial vehicles and two wheelers. In addition to that, demand for lead acid battery has also surged due to the increasing adoption of UPS, owing to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. Adoption of grid storage technology in developing countries such as India and China is expected to fuel the target regions lead acid battery market. In addition to that, an increase in the demand for electric vehicles is expected to further accelerate the expansion of the lead acid battery market globally.Moreover, key challenges in the lead acid battery market are raw material price volatility and stringent emission regulations. Lead is the essential raw material used in the manufacturing of lead acid batteries. Lead prices account for approximately 49% of the overall cost of the lead acid batteries. Any fluctuations in lead prices affect the overall profitability of lead acid battery manufacturers.Region-wise, Asia Pacific is the largest contributor in the target regions lead acid battery market, and is expected to continue its dominance till 2020. Currently, the Asia Pacific lead acid battery market is valued at US$ 15,995 Million and is expected to reach US$ 19,881 Million by 2020. Latin America and Japan are other major markets contributing 14.4% and 14.1% respectively, to the target regions lead acid battery revenue. Middle East & Africa accounted for the lowest contribution in terms of revenue in 2014, but is expected to register a significant growth at a CAGR of 4.9% over the forecast period.Request Report Methedology @The degree of competition in the target regions lead acid battery market has been analysed in the report, which also presents the comparative view of the key strategies and financial outlook of major companies operating in target regions lead acid battery market. These include Johnson Controls INC, Exide Technologies, GS Yuasa Corporation, EnerSys and Yokohama Industries.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.FMIs team of over 200 research analysts provides market intelligence at global, regional, and country level. Our analysts are committed to provide independent insights, relying on our cognitive defusion training module, which conditions them to look at data objectively and unbiasedly.Contact UsFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
Farm Animal Drugs Market Will Rise At CAGR 6.3% by 2027

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been serving as an active source to cater intelligent research report to enlighten both readers and investors. This research study titled Farm Animal Drugs Market Global Industry Analysis 2012 - 2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017 - 2027The global farm animal drugs market is expected to reflect a CAGR of 6.3% over the period starting from 2017 and forecasted till 2027 from the market value standpoint, to reach a value of US$ 23,150 Mn by 2027. This positive growth over these years can be attributed to a rapid rise in the demand for quality pharmaceuticals and food security that fuel the increased adoption of farm animal drugs.Request For Free Sample Report @North America is poised to grow at a healthy 7.1% CAGR in terms of market value over the forecast period, with the anti-infective product type segment dominating the market in this regionThe anti-infective product type segment is expected to witness higher growth and this trend is anticipated to continue through the forecast period. The North America region seems favourable for the farm animal drugs market. The anti-infective segment is estimated to reach a value of over US$ 1500 Mn in 2017 to project a high CAGR of 8.9% till 2027, and reach a value of more than US$ 3500 Mn by 2027 end in the North America regional market. Whereas, the parasiticides segment is estimated to be valued a bit less than US$ 1100 Mn in 2017 to reach a market value higher than US$ 2100 Mn in 2027. This reflects a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period. Canada and the United States show a higher contribution to the growth of the farm animal drugs market and are the most lucrative markets with a 1.0 Market Share Index. Many key players such as Zoetis, Elanco Animal Health, Merck and Phibro Animal Health Corporation in the farm animal drugs market in North America are coming up with new developments considering the potential of this region in terms of growth per year.The anti-infective segment by product type dominates the global farm animal drugs market throughout the forecasted timeline, becoming the most lucrative segment to reflect a market attractiveness index of more than 2.8. The market share of the anti-infective and parasiticides segment is estimated to be 35.5% and 24.5% of the global farm animal drugs market in 2017.Browse Full Report with TOC @A number of factors are contributing to the growth of the farm animal drugs market on a global scaleThe major factors impacting the growth of the global farm animal drugs market include a rising demand for fresh meat; a focus on animal health, which ensures their protection from various infectious diseases with the administration of several drugs; and pain administration, which is an important aspect in animal health. Moreover, high demand for proteins obtained from animals along with a rise in demand for horse meat especially in Eastern Europe is contributing to the growth of the global farm animal drugs market. In Eastern Europe, horse meat is a preferred choice and a viable substitute to cattle meat. The increase in livestock, for example in Brazil, poultry farming in Australia, as well as unfortunate events such as an outbreak of bird flu and avian influenza that need immediate drug administration together aid the growth in adoption of farm animal drugs, thereby impacting the global farm animal drugs market. Asia Pacific is also a major contributor to global market growth as more drugs are required in this region. APAC is known for its growing animal industry, which is affected by zillions of diseases that necessitate treatment  this in turn drives the farm animal drugs market in this region.The anti-infective segment by product type is expected to gain 393 BPS in its market share while the parasiticides segment will gain 61 basis points, owing to a rapid increase in drugs used to treat farm animals. Various factors, their relevance, and impact on the global farm animal drugs market are considered. Factors such as investments in anti-infectives, the rate of treatment of animals, the number of animals affected with diseases, research in drug development for the animal sector, growth of product portfolios of several key players, government regulations and spending etc., are slated to have a varied impact on the market. Out of these factors, the number of animals affected with diseases show highest impact followed by the rate of treatment of animals. The global farm animal drugs market reflects an incremental opportunity of US$ 10,563 Mn from 2017 till 2027 and an absolute dollar opportunity of US$ 765 Mn in 2018 over 2017.Make An Enquiry @About UsMarket Research Reports Search Engine(MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTelephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite :Read More Industry News At:
Satellite Transponders Leasing Market to 2025 - Global Analysis and Forecast by Services, Application and Bandwidth

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Satellite is the economically most important of the space application. Satellite transponders are a communication satellites transponder which are in series of interconnected units that forms a communication channels between the receiver and the transmitting antennas. They are a small chip circuit that are included in the satellite for the purpose of transmitting the uplink information to downlink. Transponder leasing services includes full time transponder lease which will provide a flexible capacity solution, short term transponder lease which will offer a cost-effective and secure transponder capacity for new services and occasional transponder lease are suitable for those customer who have a dynamic demand. Each satellite transponder have set of bandwidth capacity, which are used by the internet service provider for customer accounts. Satellite transponder leasing includes some of the benefits such as connecting remote asset, driving the use of sensor networks, transforming transportation infrastructure, facilitating mobile banking and retail. Transponders are provided on lease basis to various industry such as telecom industry, research & development industry, media & broadcasting industry, transportation industry, government sector and retail & banking businesses.With the emergence of internet across the globe broadband connectivity has become a vital source of information for each and every individual on this planet. Thus the telecom industries are looking forward to lease more number of transponders in order to provide broadband facility to the most isolated places on this globe. Additionally the rising number of video broadcasting subscribers are also driving the satellite transponders leasing market. Several private and public media organizations a authorizing the long term agreement for extending their transponder lease period, because they high growth opportunity in the broadcasting market. Advancement in the channel quality and evolution of high definition channels and UHDTVs is anticipated to fuel the growth of satellite transponders market. Also rising demand for FSS and HTS are expected to generate new opportunities for the market in the coming years. The satellite transponders leasing market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.43% during the forecast period of 2015-2025 and accounts for US$ 19,225.3 Mn in the year 2025.Request Sample Copy @The major factor which drives the market for satellite transponder leasing is rising demand for video broadcasting subscriber, increasing demand for HDTV, satellite operators have already initiated the deployment of capacity claimed to be HDTV, other major trend which have affected the demand for satellite capacity is induced by technological innovation such as personal video, multimedia home platform, recorder and definitive rise of HDTV. In addition to this there are several other factors which drives the market such as broadband connectivity, telecom industry, cost-effective, speed, integration, reliability and ubiquitous coverage. However, the factor hindering the growth of satellite transponder leasing market is that manufactures requires more time. Continuous growth in the demand of conventional satellite transponder, rise of new generation of broadband and mobile services is expected to boost the market over forecasted period.Satellite transponder leasing market is segmented on the basis of bandwidth which includes Ka-band, Ku-band, C-band and others (S-Band, L-Band, X-Band, K-Band) and the market is further breakdown on the basis of services such as protected service, unprotected service and preemptible service. Similarly, the market is further segmented on the basis of application which includes government & military, telecom, commercial, research and development, navigation and remote sensing.The market is segmented into major regions that include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM). The major countries included are considered in the scope of the study such as U.S, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Luxembourg, ROE, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, China, India, ROAPAC, Australia, South Arabia, UAE, Israel, ROMEA, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and ROSAM. Some of the key players which dominate satellite transponder leasing are Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat, Telesat, SingTel Optus, MEASAT satellite systems, Asia Broadcast Satellite, Arabsat, ISRO and China Satellite Communications Co.Browse market data tables and in-depth TOC of the Satellite Transponders Leasing Market to 2025 @Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comThe Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. 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Enterprise Collaboration Service Market by Product Size and Segment Forecast to 2024

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The degree of competition among the existing players in the global enterprise collaboration service market is quite high. The prevailing competition is forecast get fiercer in the future with the entry of new market players, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new report. Currently, IBM Corporation, Cisco System Inc., Nokia Network, HP Corporation, and Polycom, Inc., are the top players in the global enterprise collaboration service market. The dominance of these enterprises is on account of their persistent funding and efforts towards innovation and in providing collaboration services. Through strategic collaborations and mergers, vendors in the market are competing against one another and looking to strengthen their market position, observed the TMR reports author. Exhibiting a CAGR of 10.3%, the global enterprise collaboration service market is forecast to reach US$56.51 bn by the end of 2024.Read Report Overview @North America and Mobility & Telephony Emerge Dominant Based on Region and Solution, RespectivelyRegionally, North America will held a majority share of 53.1% of the overall market in 2015. This regional market is gaining impetus from the increasing demand application of video conferencing in the defense and military. Reporting a robust CAGR, the North America market will successfully maintain its position as the market lead through the course of the forecast period.By solution, the overall market is led by mobility and telephony. However, over the forecast period the video conferencing segment is likely to emerge dominant exhibiting a CAGR of 11.5% between 2016 and 2024. Besides this, collaborative tool and mobility and telephony will cumulatively account for a significant market share.Rising Demand for Mobile Workforce to Aid GrowthThe increasing demand for mobile workforce and enterprise mobility is creating lucrative prospects for the global enterprise collaboration service market. To continue witnessing sustainable growth, enterprises are nowadays looking to expand their global footprint by conducting cross-border businesses. This created accelerated demand for collaborative tool as without technology enabling effective communication enterprises will fail to conduct business across borders.Due to various benefits offered by enterprise collaboration services their uptake is expected to surge in the coming years. In addition, the rising penetration of mobile devices will have a strong influence on the market, positively propelling its growth. For instance, the availability of low-priced smartphones around the world has provided immense opportunities for the leading vendors to capitalize on.Increasing Incidence of Cyber-attacks Poses ThreatOn the downside due to the rising incidence of cyber-attacks in the last few years, data breaches have become crucial concerns for enterprises. As enterprises often communicate voice data via Internet lines, streaming media services, and voice over internet protocol, they often encounter security threats and have become more vulnerable to cyber-attacks, said a lead TMR analyst. Such concerns cause hindrances for the overall market.Request Sample Report @Rising Use of Social Media for Business to Create Lucrative OpportunitiesNevertheless, there has been a considerable rise in number of enterprises using social media to propagate their businesses. As these companies harness the power of social collaborative tools such as Office 365 and Lync, they can empower partners and employees and create customer engagement in real time. Leading vendors in the market are therefore intending to build ecosystems to make social business integration more compelling for organizations. Furthermore, the market will gain from the rising use of enterprise social software solutions such as Yammer, Jive, and Salesforce Chatter.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Digital OOH Market by Product Size and Segment Forecast to 2024

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Though, OOH (out of home) is one of the advertising mediums used since long, it has definitely been more so, of late on account of the increasing adoption of digital outdoor advertising. Digital OOH is impactful as it is larger than life and can come in varying shape, size, and format. It can effectively target customers by behavior, location, demographic, and day-part. All these factors are propelling their use across the globe and driving the market for digital out of home. The customer-focused nature of this form of advertising along with innovative, and media fluency are estimated to continue to drive the growth prospects of the global digital OOH market.Read Report Overview @The digital OOH media can deliver continually across customers of all demographics, a brands message, when they are out for any of their out of home activities. As many of the companies are realizing the importance of extending their marketing strategies outdoors, the demand for digital OOH market is increasing. Moreover, with technological advancements ensuring innovative changes in the type of digital screen used for advertising, these form of advertising are becoming increasingly more interactive and engaging.Although the market may be matured, there still exists intense competition among players. The presence of many local and global players is intensifying the competitive nature of the global digital out of home market. It is becoming more and more difficult for players to stay abreast the advances in technology and thus, to survive in the market, it is becoming compelling for players to stay ahead of each other. Distinguishing their product and service offerings is the best bait and players are achieving this through a unique value proposition.Digital out-of-home (DOOH) form of advertising is a dynamically-served visual mode of advertising that targets customers when they are outdoors, in-transit, and waiting or at commercial venues. It intercepts customers with extremely targeted messages when they go about their day-to-day activities and effectively increases a brands message, thus creating a deep level of engagement with on-the-go customers. Such advertising campaigns take into account the customer mindset and location. The traditional mode of OOH advertising is the use of billboards. In recent years, there has been substantial growth in digital billboards and place-based networks. Digital OOH is dynamic media distributed across place based networks at locations such as colleges, gas stations, bars, health clubs and restaurants. DOOH networks feature stand-alone screens and kiosks. Recent years have seen these advertising networks transform into real-time marketing platforms because of the increased use of mobile beacons and dynamic data feeds. DOOH encompasses a variety of screen shapes, sizes as well as levels of interactivity. It provides a bridge between context and location and has high level of impact and flexibility. Each DOOH advertising campaign is relevant to the unique environment outdoors.The growing mobility of customers is increasing the visibility of outdoor media. This is contributing significantly to the growth of digital OOH market. Also, the price erosion of digital screens has further fostered this markets growth. DOOH advertising can also be implemented on public transport. With long travel times and increase in leisure travel, it is continually reaching a large number of target audiences. Innovation in this form of advertising has resulted in real-time campaigns. Advertisers are able to target the right people by being able to change the content of ads based on location, time of the day and weather. The relevance achieved as a result of the flexibility and the ability of DOOH to be able to reach the masses is giving brands the chance to create campaigns that will be remembered by the customers. Also, the use of text, images and real time content is more attractive to customers and has a significant influence on their purchasing decisions. However, the high initial spending incurred in installing digital signage is a barrier in the growth of DOOH market. Also, the return on investment of such campaigns is hard to calculate and can become further complex when the costs incurred on the repair and maintenance of screens is also considered.Request Report Brochure @The digital OOH market can be categorized into billboards, street furniture, and transit. Billboards can be traditional billboards and digital billboards. Street furniture can be further categorized into bus shelters, mall kiosks, telephone booth advertising and news racks. Also, transit advertising can be further categorized into electronic advertising at bus stops, train stations, airports and advertising in buses, taxis, airplanes and subway advertising.Some of the companies offering digital signage software include Broadsign, Scala  Digital Signage Software, Ayuda Media Systems, Signagelive Limited, Net Display Systems, ONELAN Limited, YCD Multimedia, Four Winds Interactive, ADFLOW Networks, DISE International AB, Omnivex Corporation and Navori digital signage software.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Kristi Spiegel and Mysti Killough of Holdrege, Janice Howell of Cambridge, Rick Rasmussen of Doniphan and Suzie Wahlgren of Gothenburg are now showcased in the Fine Art in Towns Under 10,000 online art gallery at http://nebraskaruralliving.com/art-gallery/.

The gallery features 29 talented artists who live and work in Nebraska towns with populations of 10,000 or less. Nebraska Rural Living readers from around the globe can view and purchase art from the gallery.

Kristi Spiegel enjoys expressing herself through painting. Mother Nature and music inspire her to paint movement through color. Her goal as an artist is to have the viewer look into her paintings and be able to feel and hear the movement of waves or the breeze through the trees and feel the cold night air and snowflakes on their faces.

Mysti Killough owns a full-time photography studio in downtown Holdrege, Mystic Images Photography. She loves searching for and finding the beauty in everything and enjoys capturing the perfect moment, whether it be a portrait session or everyday life on the farm

Janice Howell is the K-12 art instructor at Cambridge Public Schools. She enjoys all forms of art, but she particularly loves pencil drawings. She loves to draw famous faces and textures in wrinkled and craggy skin.

Rick Rasmussen has been an avid wildlife and nature photographer for more than 35 years. His love of the outdoors inspires him, and his hope is that through his images, others will try to conserve what exists on the fragile planet called Earth.

Suzie Wahlgren enjoys photographing a variety of subjects, but her children inspire her the most. Her interest in photography has grown over the years and was fueled after having son with a disability who uses a wheelchair to move about. She strives to tell a story with her photography and relies heavily on natural light.

A few of these new artists plus six other NRL artists will showcase their work at a special event in downtown Holdrege on Thursday, Dec. 14. The public is invited to stroll through local stores and view and visit with artists during the Downtown Christmas Art Walk organized by the Holdrege Young Professionals. The event takes place from 6:30-8 p.m. at many downtown Holdrege stores.

Each quarter, Nebraska Rural Living invites artists to submit photographs, paintings, drawings or sculptures to be juried by professional artists who also live and work in rural Nebraska.

The goal of the gallery is to give artists a platform to share and sell their art while at the same time increase knowledge and appreciation of life in rural Nebraska.

The next quarterly submission period is now open, and art can be submitted online through Feb. 1, 2018.

To submit pieces for review, artists must have a Nebraska address in a rural town with a population of 10,000 or less. For rules and criteria and to submit art to be juried for the online gallery visit nebraskaruralliving.com/fine-art.

The Nebraska Rural Living Fine Art in Towns Under 10,000 gallery is funded with the support of the Phelps County Community Foundation, the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Great Western Bank and private donors.

For more information, contact gallery coordinator Kristine Jacobson at krjacobson@nebraskaruralliving.com.
Mobile Workforce Management Market Competition, Value chain Analysis and Forecast 2024

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Mobile workforce management refers to software and related services used for managing the employees working outside the company premises. Mobile workforce management emphasizes on mobile workers and their usage and selection of hardware, services and software by industry, company size and liability. Mobile workforce management helps in distributing the workforce efficiently across various departments in an organization. The core function of mobile workforce management include time and attendance management, labor planning, tasking and staffing, payroll management and performance reporting. Mobile workforce management uses location technology mainly GPS on mobile handheld devices such as smartphone, feature phones, tablets and rugged devices. By deploying mobile workforce management solution an organization can boost its performance and future proof the investment. Mobile workflow management solutions in an organization focus on work scheduling, field force automation and fleet management, that helps to tackle various objectives including reducing expenditures, improving asset tracking, and streamlining workflows, among others.Read Report Overview @Mobile workforce management market is segmented on the basis of end user, deployment, and geography. Based on deployment, the mobile workforce management market is segmented into on premise and cloud based. On the basis of end-user, the mobile workforce management market is categorized into BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), communication, logistics, manufacturing and others (utilities and media). BFSI sector is expected to witness high adoption of mobile workforce management solutions owing to significant demand in the insurance sector. Furthermore, on the basis of geography, the mobile workforce management market is segmented into five major regions including North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Latin America.With the growing popularity of enterprise mobile as-a-service in organizations, the vendors are focusing to develop solutions with advance security features. These solutions enable secure access to business processes across devices and enhance the functionalities for managing mobile workflows. Thus, increasing demand of enterprise mobile as a service is driving the growth of mobile workforce management as a service market globally. New application development in workflow solution space coupled with the increasing need to improve productivity within organizations are some of the factors that are stimulating the growth of mobile workforce management market. However, lack of appropriate technical expertise is one of the factor that is anticipated to inhibit the growth of mobile workforce management market over the forecast period globally.The leading market vendors are expected to develop mobile self-service applications over the next few years which are expected to boost the application of workforce management solution. For instance, a smartphone based mobile application could give employees direct access to HR data and help in log in and out remotely. Similar areas of application are anticipated to emerge as an opportunity for leading players in the mobile workforce management market.Request Report Brochure @Some of the key players in the mobile workforce management market include ClickSoftware Technologies, IFS Solutions Ltd., Oracle Corporation, SAP AG, Service Max, Verizon Wireless, Actsoft Inc., ADP LLC., Airclic Inc., Aricent Inc., AT&T Inc., FeedHenry (Red Hat Inc), MobiWork LLC, Pegasystems Inc., ProntoForms Corporations, ServicePower, Sprint, TeleCommunications System Inc., Zebra Technlogies Corporation, Vox Mobile, Work Force Software LLC, Telus International, and Trimble Navigation Ltd. among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Hosted PBX Market Segmentation and Forecast Analysis up to 2025

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The degree of competition is considerably high among the existing vendors in The Canada Hosted Pbx Market. Furthermore, the market exhibits considerable opportunities for the new players to venture in. Considering such high potential for the entry of new players, the hosted PBX market in Canada will witness intensified competition in the near future, prophesized Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study.The vendors in the market are competing through strategic collaborations and even partnerships. Currently, Allstream, Inc., Telus Communications, Bell Canada, Cisco System, Microsoft Corporation, and Mitel Networks Corporation hold dominance in the Canada hosted PBX market. These companies held nearly 54% of the Canada hosted PBX market in 2016. Besides forging new partnerships, these companies are also working towards expanding their offerings to gain competitive advantage. As these strategies are forecast to reflect positively on any companys overall proceeds, they can considerably influence the markets trajectory as well.Request to view ToC of Report -According to TMR, the hosted PBX market in Canada will rise at a whopping 18.2% between 2017 and 2025. At this pace, the market will reach US$1.75 bn by the end of 2025, from its valuation of US$398.6 mn in 2016. By application, telecom & IT and BFSI emerged as the two leading segments in the market. Of these, telecom & IT held dominance with a share of just over 20% in the market in 2016. By enterprise size, large enterprises left behind SMEs to emerge as the market lead. By the end of 2017, it is expected to hold over 68.7% of the Canada hosted PBX market based on value.Vulnerability to Cyber-attacks could Hamper TrajectoryOn the downside, security concerns related to cloud-connectivity can negatively affect the overall market. The recent incidents of cyber-attack and data breaches have compelled organizations to opt for technologies that are more secure. As VoIP and other streaming media are more vulnerable to these attacks, smaller companies are discouraged from adopting hosted PBX. While this could act against, the market is projected to gain from the rising demand for VoIP with higher bandwidth. As companies look towards maximizing their bandwidth to be able digitally transmit greater volume of data, the demand for hosted PBX will rise in response.Request to view Sample Report -Steps Adopted by Government to Fuel GrowthThe hosted PBX market in Canada is primarily gaining from the countrys progress in deploying wireless services. With the government pulling up its stock to make Canada a leading digital nation by the end of 2017, there could be no dearth of opportunities for the hosted PBX market. said a lead TMR analyst. Considering this target, the government has adopted several initiatives to provide high-quality spectrum to help wireless service providers ensure improved standard of services.Integrating the latest technologies is therefore a key aspect observed by organizations across Canada. Among the latest technologies to have forayed in Canada in the last few years, adoption of IP based services have left a lasting impact. The adoption of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) has therefore gained pace in the country. As the hosted PBX technology works on the basis of VoIP, which enables PBX to connect with smartphones, personal computer, and other technologies, proliferation of VoIP will mean lucrative opportunities for the expansion of the hosted PBX market in Canada.Besides adopting hosted PBX can also help organizations minimize OPEX. Spurred by these factors, the demand for hosted PBX is poised to soar in Canada through the forecast period.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
WebRTC Market Detailed Analysis And Forecast up to 2025

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According to a new research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the rivalry between Twilio Inc., Avaya Inc., Dialogic Corp., Genband, Mitel Networks, and Oracle Corp. points towards a highly fragmented and competitive landscape present in The Global Web Real-Time Communication (webRTC) Market.As the leading players are increasingly being involved into the acquisition of smaller participants to increase their market share, the competition within this market is likely to intensify in the coming years. WebRTC solution providers are also expected uptake innovation and product advancements strategy to strengthen their presence in this market over the next few years, notes the research study.As per TMRs estimations, the global webRTC market, which reached US$10.71 bn in 2016, will expand at a CAGR of 24.30% during the period from 2017 to 2025 and attain an opportunity worth US$81.52 bn by the end of the forecast period. Video webRTC solutions have been enjoying a stronger demand across the world compared to other solutions, thanks to their expanding application range. Analysts expect this scenario to continue like this throughout the period of the forecast.Request to view ToC of Report -Increasing Uptake of WebRTC Technology to Help North America Safeguard its DominanceIn this research study, the worldwide webRTC market has been evaluated on the basis of various parameters, among which the geography holds an important place. According to the report, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, North America, and South America are the primary geographical segments of the global market for webRTC. North America, among these, acquired the leading position in 2016 with a share of more than 40% in the overall market and is anticipated to retain it throughout the forecast period, thanks to the increased uptake of webRTC technology in this region. The expanding application of these solutions in UCaaS and telecom services, high internet speed, and the surging number of mobile subscribers are also projected to boost this regional market over the next few years.Europe has held the second position in this market in 2016. Researchers anticipate it to remain seated in this position over the forthcoming years on the grounds of the advancements in technologies and their swift uptake. Asia Pacific is also predicted to witness a substantial rise in its market share on account of the advancements in its telecom and IT sector and the burgeoning base of internet users. Japan, China, and India are expected to emerge as leading domestic markets in Asia Pacific with noticeable rise in the uptake of WebRTC solutions in the years to come, states the research report.Request to view Sample Report -Rising Popularity of IMSs to Drive DemandThe increasing popularity of IP multimedia subsystems (IMS) is having the most prominent impact on the uptake of webRTC solutions, states the author of the study. IMSs offer standardization of voice call services through IP packet switched network across the telecommunication industry. With the emergence of 4G LTE, the uptake of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and rich communication services is likely to increase considerably among mobile users in the coming years.Since webRTC operates on IP based systems, mobile network operators, nowadays, have begun to use webRTC solutions to leverage the adoption of VoLTE among their end users, which is likely to boost this market significantly over the forecast period. Apart from this, the ease of usage and device compatibility are also projected to reflect positively on this market in the near future.Although the future of this market looks bright, the increasing dependency on Internet for better quality of services may hamper its growth to some extent over the next few years, notes the research study.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market Size will Observe Substantial Growth by 2025

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With only six companies holding the majority, The Latin America Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market demonstrates a highly consolidated landscape, states a new research study by Transparency Market Research (TMR). The top six companies, namely, Illinois Tool Works, Metalfrio Solutions, United Technologies Corp., Lennox International, Dover Corp., and Daikin Industries Ltd., accounted for nearly 92% of the overall market in 2016.These companies are focusing heavily on intensive collaborations in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina to improve their distribution network in order to strengthen their presence. This, as a result, is likely to intensify the rivalry between them in the near future, reports the study.As per the research report, the opportunity in this market, which was worth US$927.4 mn in 2016, is anticipated to proliferate at a CAGR of 6.50% during the period from 2017 to 2025 and attain a value of US$1,619.0 mn by the end of the forecast period. The food and services application segment has been reporting a greater demand for commercial refrigeration equipment. The scenario is projected to remain so over the period of the forecast.Request to view ToC of Report -Brazil to Retain Dominance in Latin America Commercial Refrigeration Equipment MarketA geographical assessment of the Latin America market for commercial refrigeration equipment has also been presented in this research report. According to the study, the market stretches across Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and the Rest of Latin America. Among these, Brazil has led the overall market in 2016 with a share of 38%. The country is a prominent exporter of soy beans, fruit juices, meat preparations, fresh and frozen chicken, poultry meat, and oil cakes and, hence, the abounding export of these products has been fueling the uptake of commercial refrigeration equipment here.Over the coming years, the significant rise in the travel and tourism industry would result into a tremendous increase in the demand for stored and refrigerated food items, augmenting the need for commercial refrigerators, and subsequently commercial refrigeration equipment in Brazil. Researchers anticipate this domestic market to retain its position over the forecast period.Among others, Mexico is anticipated to witness notable growth in the years to come, thanks to the escalating demand for ready-to-eat and frozen foods in this country. The presence of a strong food processing industry is also projected to propel the Mexico commercial refrigeration equipment market over the next few years, states the report.Request to view Sample Report -Increasing Trade of Food Items to Boost Markets GrowthThe increased production, consumption, export and import of food items that require refrigeration is the most prominent factor behind the growth of the Latin America market for commercial refrigeration equipment, says the author of this report. Various countries in Latin America, such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Mexico, have been registering a surge in the trade of food items over the past few years, especially, livestock and poultry-based food items, such as chicken, beef, pork, and turkey meat.The scenario is likely to intensify over the forthcoming years, creating phenomenal demand for commercial refrigerators, which eventually, is expected to boost the Latin America market for commercial refrigeration equipment during the forecast period. The rising number of supermarkets, hotels, and cafes in this region is also projected to influence this market over the next few years. However, the current economic growth challenges faced by Latin America may impact the progress of this market negatively in the long run.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Customer Communication Management Market Growth Set to Surge Significantly during 2025

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The U.S. over the years has remained one of the early adopters of the latest technologies. On account of this, the demand for customized communication solutions is considerably high, rendering The U.S. Customer Communication Management (CCM) Market highly competitive. As the existing retailers enjoy a strong presence, the market doesnt provide much scope for the entry of new players, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study. In addition, the market is reeling under the availability of substitutes, which makes sustenance of market share difficult key players.Considering the scenario, the leading CCM vendors are focusing on offering diverse customized solutions by developing and integrated CCM software with cloud environment, said a lead TMR analyst. Also the presence of several large companies has exacerbated the prevailing competition. Currently, companies such as HP Enterprises, Pitney Bowes Inc., OpenText Corp., and Adobe Systems Incorporated hold strong position in the U.S. customer communication management market. Together these companies held the dominant share of 30.6% in the U.S. CCM market in 2016.Furthermore, Oracle Corporation, EMC Corp. (Dell), and Cincom Systems, Inc., are among the other prominent vendors in the U.S. CCM market. According to TMR, the U.S. CCM market stood at US$423.1 mn in 2016. Rising at a CAGR of 11% between 2017 and 2025, the market is forecast to reach US$1.06 bn by the end of 2025. Among various solutions available in the market, software suite held the dominant share of 46.9% in the overall market in 2016. By end use, the IT & Telecom emerged as the lead holding over 20.5% of the market in the same year. The aforementioned segments are also expected to remain dominant through the course of the forecast period.Request to view ToC of Report -Demand for Multifarious Communication Channels to Drive GrowthCustomer communication has become more dynamic with the advent of ground-breaking communication channels. These innovations over the last few years and knowledge about benefits they offer have brought organizations to their feet. They are now keener on multifarious communication channels to establish their presence across diverse platforms as these technologies have empowered them to connect with customers in any corner of the world. Consequently, the demand for customer communication management is accelerated and the trend is less likely to slow down any time soon.It is important to note that the U.S. is a relatively mature market. The enterprises operating from this nation are therefore more interested in batch, interactive and on-demand communication solutions. This is further triggered by the rising demand for solutions that will help organizations acquire, serve, and grow customer relationship. As on-demand CCM systems support non-linear development model, they help organizations rationalize messy application platforms. This is one of the key factors driving the customer communication management market in the U.S. In addition, the rising emphasis on context-rich information and multi-channel output will impel companies invest more in advanced customer communication management solutions.Request to view Sample Report -Security Concerns Related to CCM Software may Hamper GrowthOn the flip side, security concerns related to CCM software could act against the market in the near future. Sectors such as BFSI, government, healthcare, and retail require robust customer interaction platform. While CCM software caters to the requirement, it is yet to eliminate a few inherent security concerns that comes with the technology. This could hinder the markets trajectory to an extent.Nevertheless, the evolution of the CCM software technology to cloud will facilitate the deployment of communication software without much complexity or incurring huge expense. The evolution of cloud-based environment will enable customer communication management software to cater to small, medium, as well as large enterprises, observed the TMR reports author. This will open lucrative opportunities for the markets growth in the near future.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Operational Database Market to Discern Magnified Growth During 2024

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A database is collection of data, organized in digital form. There are several databases available in the market which are differentiated based on their functions. Examples of such databases are document-oriented database, embedded database, graph database, hypertext database, Operational Database and distributed database. An operational database is a data warehouse, containing data related to an organization, which can be used to run the day to day operations and can generate huge amount of data related to customers, inventory, purchases, transactions and financials. The operational database can be easily modified depending upon the requirements and can store and supply information for ongoing calculations.As technology advances, the need for more agile and prompt solutions is growing. Enterprises have also turned toward real-time information for more efficient and effective decision making. As operational databases meet these needs, they are expected to find sustained growth in the market during the coming years. Furthermore, they offer better integrity, reduced data repetition and independence from application programs. They are also cost efficient as compared to traditional databases. Additionally, these databases can be easily modified based on the business rules. There are numerous customizations offered by operational databases including data formatting, error tracking, and validation of data. Operational databases also allow multiple users to edit data simultaneously, which is an important factor driving the growth of operational database market.Request to view ToC of Report -Databases are integration of complex hardware and software systems. Designing and development of databases is a complex undertaking. Building a suitable database architecture keeping in mind the future needs is very crucial for an organization. Additionally, the cost associated with customizing the database is high and may require frequent changes in the system making it difficult for small organizations to adopt these changes. Data breaches, security threats and reluctance of small and medium-sized enterprises to invest in IT systems are some of the factors hindering the growth of operational database market.With growing understanding toward the importance of data for decision making, database providers are offering solutions which are intuitive in nature. Moreover, trends such as Internet of Things (IoT) and analytics are likely to boost the market for database in coming years. Emergence of database-as-a-service (DBaaS) is a key trend in database market.Request to view Brochure of Report -The key players in operational database market include Amazon Web Services, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, SAP SE, EnterpriseDB Corporation, InterSystems Corporation, MarkLogic Corporation, MongoDB, Inc., DataStax, Inc., Cloudera Inc., and Redis Labs, Inc. Some additional players are Fijitsu Ltd., Couchbase Inc., MemSQL Inc., NuoDB Inc., MapR Technologies, Inc., and Altibase Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Server Software Market Projected to Gain Significant Value by 2024

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Servers are classified into various types such as application servers, web servers, database servers, cloud computing servers and file servers. Application servers are designed to install, operate and host applications for the end users. Web server is a system that uses network protocols such as hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to deliver the HTML files requested by the end user through its Internet browser. Database server is the backend system of the database application which is used to perform functions such as data analysis, data manipulation, storage and archiving.Cloud computing servers are remotely accessed servers, built, hosted and delivered through a cloud platform over the Internet. File server is a computer or device that handles the request for files and transfers the files as requested by the end user. Server Software is specifically designed for operating, managing and increasing server computing power. Server software is built to interact with servers hardware, which includes processor, memory devices, input/output devices and other communication ports. Server software is installed on the server and could be accessed by multiple users on the network.Request to view ToC of Report -The deployment of server in the organization enables the centralization of data and installed applications. This factor would significantly help in the growth of server software market. Extensive usage of computers, laptops and smartphones is the major factor driving the growth of server software market. Rising Internet penetration in emerging economies such as India and Brazil has created huge demand of web servers which supports the growth of web server software market. Growing demand from developers to create applications for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets supports the growth of server software market. Growth of cloud based applications and development in Internet of Things (IoT) applications are likely to create immense opportunities for server software market. However, integration and compatibility issues with processors/storage devices servers pose a challenge to server software market.Server software market is broadly segmented on the basis of server type, deployment and geography. On the basis of type, the server software market is segmented into application server software, web server software, database server software, cloud computing server software and file server software. On the basis of deployment, the server software market is segmented into on-premise and cloud deployment. Moreover, in terms of geographies, the global server software market is segmented into North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Middle East and Africa; and Latin America. North America is one of the leading regions in terms of adoption of server software due to huge adoption of cloud services in the region. Server software market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow significantly during the coming years due to high rate of growth in Internet penetration and digitalization in the region.Request to view Brochure of Report -The major participants of the server software market include Microsoft Corporation, Dell Corporation, International Business Machine (IBM) Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Red Hat Inc., SAP SE, Apache Software Foundation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LLC, CodeLathe LLC, and Aprelium.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automotive Fuel Filter Market Will Hit At A CAGR Of 6.5% By 2023

Automotive Fuel Filter Market

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Market Highlights:The automotive fuel filter is used to prevent the dust particles from interfering with the system. It eliminates the dust particle from the fuel, preventing the dust to enter into the fuel pump. Fuel pumps are generally used for controlling emissions to protect the environment. If dust particle enter the fuel pump, they cause a system breakdown. So fuel filters are widely used in automobiles to reduce instances of breakdown. The major drivers for the automotive fuel filter market are increase in the vehicle production and stringent government regulation for the emission control. Other factors that are responsible for the growth of this market are growth in automotive industry and technology advancement.Request a Sample Copy @Market Research Analysis:Asia-Pacific is expected to dominate the automotive fuel filter market during the forecast period due to the rising vehicle production in the developing countries such as India, China, South Korea, and Indonesia. The rising per capita income in these countries is also expected to result in the growth of this region. North America is expected to be the second largest region in the fuel filter market due to the increase in the number of the eco-friendly automobiles and stringent government regulations for the use of eco-friendly components in the vehicles. Europe is expected to emerge as a small portion of the fuel filter market during the forecast period. The global automotive fuel filter market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5 % during the forecast period.Key Players:The key players in automotive fuel filter market are Mann+Hummel (Germany), ALCO Filters Ltd (Cyprus), Ahlstrom Corporation (Finland), Cummins Inc. (U.S.), Sogefi SpA (Italy), Donaldson Co. Inc. (U.S.), Mahle GmbH (Germany), Clarcor Inc. (U.S.), Denso Corp. (Japan), and Hengst SE & Co. KG (Germany).Scope of the Report:This study provides an overview of the global automotive fuel filter market, tracking three market segments across four geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW). The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region. The scope of the study segments the global automotive fuel filters market by its vehicle type, by fuel type, by sales channel, and by region.By Vehicle Types Passenger car LCV HCVBy Fuel Type Gasoline DieselBy Sales Channel OEM AftermarketBy Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of the WorldTable of Contents:1 Executive Summary2 Research Methodology2.1 Scope Of The Study2.1.1 Definition2.1.2 Research Objective2.1.3 Assumptions2.1.4 Limitations2.2 Research Process2.2.1 Primary Research2.2.2 Secondary Research2.3 Market Size Estimation2.4 Forecast Model3 Market Dynamics3.1 Market Drivers3.2 Market Inhibitors3.3 Supply/Value Chain Analysis3.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis4 Global Automotive Fuel Filter Market, By Vehicle Type4.1 Introduction4.2 Passenger Car4.3 Light Commercial Vehicle4.4 Heavy Commercial VehicleContinueBrowse Full Report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Agriculture Equipment Market Growth, Trends, Industry Analysis and Global Forecast 2022

Agriculture Equipment Market

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Market Highlights:Agriculture equipment is the machinery used by farmers at various stages of agriculture such as planting, harvesting and agro processing. Traditional tools are now replaced by the agricultural equipment, such as crop processing equipment, drip irrigation equipment and others. The major driver for the growth of agriculture equipment market is the emergence of the concept of contract farming and increase in agricultural production targets. The rapid increase in population is generating the demand for food and thereby seeking even better agricultural equipment. Though farmers benefit from the use of agricultural equipment, the huge cost involved in the acquisition of such agriculture equipment is restraining the growth of this market.Request a Sample Copy @Key Players of Agriculture Equipment Market: AGCO Corp. (U.S.) JC Bamford Excavators Limited (U.K.) Deere & Company (U.S.) CNH Industrial N.V. (U.K.) Kubota Corporation (Japan) Iseki & Co., Ltd. (Japan) Daedong Industrial Co., Ltd. (U.S.) Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (India) Escorts Limited (India)Market Research Analysis:The tractor is dominating the agriculture equipment market and is known as the workhorse of agriculture. Tractors can perform many functions on agricultural land and are the most versatile equipment used in farming. When tractor technologies are combined with the GPS systems, they function as highly efficient and productive equipment which assist in performing major agricultural tasks. With the major concern of water conservation, drip irrigation equipment is also expected to grow significantly.Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the Agriculture equipment market with the highest CAGR. The low rate of mechanization in the agriculture sector in developing nations such as India and China is expected to reveal huge opportunities for adopting mechanized farming practices in the region. This would, in turn lead the agricultural equipment market in the Asia-pacific region. North America and Europe are forecast to witness slow growth, owing to the existence of highly mechanized agricultural practices in the region.However the cost of materials for the manufacturers is high which can hamper the growth of the market.Scope of the Report:This study provides an overview of the Global Agriculture Equipment Market, tracking two market segments across four geographic regions. The report has studies of the key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW). The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region. The scope of the study segments the Global Agriculture Equipment Market by its product type, function and region.By Product type Tractors Harvesters Cultivation & soil separation equipment OthersBy Function Harvesting Planting & fertilizing Haying Plowing & cultivationBy Region North America Asia Pacific Europe Rest of the WorldBrief TOC:1 Executive Summary2 Research Methodology2.1 Scope of the Study2.1.1 Definition2.1.2 Research Objective2.1.3 Assumptions2.1.4 Limitations2.2 Research Process2.2.1 Primary Research2.2.2 Secondary Research2.3 Market size Estimation2.4 Forecast Model3 Market Dynamics3.1 Market Drivers3.2 Market Inhibitors3.3 Supply/Value Chain Analysis3.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis4 Global Agriculture equipment market, By Product Types4.1 Tractors4.2 Harvesters4.3 Cultivation & soil separation equipment4.4 Others5 Global Agriculture equipment market, By Functions5.1 Introduction5.2 Harvesting5.3 Planting & fertilizing5.4 Haying5.5 Plowing & cultivation5.6 OthersContinueAccess Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Programmable Logic Devices Market: Technological Growth Map Over Time To Understand the Industry Growth Rate

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Programmable logic devices are semiconductor logic blocks which have applications for developing reconfigurable circuits. Programmable logic devices has the capability to be reprogrammed multiple times, which in turn benefits the end-users at the time of producing new advanced circuitry on a trial and error basis.Reprogramming is possible for the programmable logic devices as a result of these devices being primarily dependent on re-writeable memory technology through which a better flexibility is provided by changing the design along with making this process of reprogramming easier. Programmable logic devices market has been segmented into by type which includes programmable array logic (PAL), mixed signal programmable logic devices or complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) and Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs).The market is also segmented on the basis of end use industry which includes consumer electronics, avionics, aerospace and defense, information technology, automotive and telecommunication among others. The market has been segmented geographically into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, South America and Middle East and Africa.Obtain Report Details @Increasing demand for reducing power consumption electronic devices are one of the prime driving factors the programmable logic devices market globally. The increasing advancement in the field of electronic devices and increasing concern towards the miniaturization devices is fueling the demand for programmable logic devices market. The growing application of programmable logic devices in the avionics, networking, defense and automotive industry is also contributing in the positive development of the market.Moreover, programmable logic devices have applications in the distributed monetary systems which are another major driving factor for the market. Data computing is another prime end use of application of the programmable logic device market. Increasing application of programmable logic devices across the consumer electronics industry is also anticipated to boost the growth of the market over the forecast period.Introduction of advanced 3D technologies along with lack of standardized verification techniques are some of the restraining factors market globally. Increasing adaptation of programmable logic devices in the research equipment are one of the major opportunities for the market.Request Sample @In 2016, North America is leading the market for programmable logic devices in terms of revenue, followed by Asia Pacific and Europe. The U.S. is dominating the market across North America. China, Japan, India, Taiwan are some of the prime countries are contributing in the positive development of the market across Asia Pacific.Increasing number of semiconductor and electronics manufacturing hubs is one of the prime drivers for the market across Asia Pacific. The U.K., Germany, France and Italy are holding prominent position across Europe. Increasing adoption of programmable logic devices across consumer electronics and telecommunication industry is also contributing in the growth of the market across Brazil, Argentina, and U.A.E, South Africa across South America and Middle East and Africa.The major companies operating in the programmable logic devices market are concentrating on research activities along with joint ventures, geographical expansion to strengthen its presence in this market globally. Product innovation with upgrading features of already existing product lines are major business strategies taken by the organizations in programmable logic devices market.In addition, acquisition and merger is one of the business strategies that help the companies to expand its product portfolio globally and eventually to strengthen its customer base worldwide. Xilinx, Inc. (The U.S.), Altera Corporation (The U.S.), Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (The U.S.), Microsemi Corporation (The U.S.), QuickLogic Corporation (The U.S.), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSMC) (Taiwan), Atmel Corporation (The U.S.), Achronix semiconductor corporation (The US.), S2C Inc. (The U.S.), United Microelectronics Corporation (Taiwan) and GlobalFoundries (The U.S.) among others.Strategic business partnership agreement with other firms is another key business strategies practiced by the programmable logic devices companies across different regions globally. Furthermore, partnership agreements with different distributors and supplier are also part of major business strategies.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
It is often asserted that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 proved that HWA was right and he really did see the future.

This of course is nonsense. Herbert W. Armstrong said that Christ would return within twenty years in his book Mystery of the Ages. (PCG has since deleted those words so someone in there knows HWA spoke nonsense.) How convenient for them to forget this.

Also Herbert W. Armstrong never said the Soviet Union would collapse. He thought it would survive intact until a few years after Christ's return. It shows how biased some many in the COGs are that they never seem to notice this. This inconvenient truth is just tossed into the memory hole.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".
Rotary Torque Sensor Market: Structure and Overview of Key Market Forces Propelling Market

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Torque sensors play an important role in many technological applications. The measurement of torque is paramount in applications such as turbine, engine and transmission testing, pump testing, and measurement of power within propulsion systems. Rotary torque sensor is one of the major types of torque sensors which have wide range of applications n different industries.Rotary torque sensors are rigorously applied in the fastener assembly market to verify the usability and performance of power and hand torque tools. The rotary torque sensor market has been segmented into power and signal transfer method which includes contact and non-contact. The market has been segmented by mounting methods which include fixed and floating.The market for rotary torque sensors has been furthermore segmented into by end use industry which includes industrial, automotive, test & measurement, oil and gas, aerospace & defense and healthcare among others. The market for rotary torque sensor has been segmented geographically into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America and Middle East and Africa.Obtain Report Details @Increasing proliferation of electric vehicles and technological advancement in the field of automotive is fueling the application of rotary torque sensors. Rising demand for better fuel efficient vehicles is another major driving factor for the market. Measuring as well as monitoring torque is a crucial parameter in most of all rotating parts, equipment and machines, which ensures high quality and optimum performance.Increasing demand for upgraded and advanced devices across different industrial setups is acting as a major driving factor for the market. Increasing research activities focusing on technological advancements in signal and power transfer for instance rotary electronics, rotary transformers, digitization, rotary torque sensors have wide range of applications in the hybrid and electrical automobile engines, healthcare device among others.Lack of reliability issues related to the measurement and monitoring along with design complexities are some of the prime restraining factor for the rotary torque sensor market globally. However, increasing research and development in the field of rotary torque sensor and innovation of new technologies related to rotary torque sensors is one of the major opportunities for the market globally.Request Sample @In 2016, Asia Pacific is leading the market for rotary torque sensor in terms of revenue, followed by North America and Europe globally. Growing development in the automotive sector is driving the market for rotary torque sensor across Asia pacific. China accounted for the largest market share across Asia Pacific, followed by Japan, India, Taiwan and South Korea. The U.S. is dominating the market for rotary torque sensor across North America, followed by Canada and Mexico in 2016.In Europe, Germany, U.K., France and Italy is leading the market for rotary torque sensor. The U.A.E and South Africa along with Brazil and Argentina is contributing in the positive development of the rotary torque sensor market across Middle East and Africa and South America owing to growing technological advancement in different industries. Moreover, growing advancement in the field of oil and gas is also fueling the application of rotary torque sensor across Middle East and Africa.ABB Group (Switzerland), Applied Measurements (U.K.), Ati Industrial Automation (The U.S.), Crane Electronics (The U.S.), Datum Electronics (The U.S.), Teledyne Technologies International Corporation (The U.S.), Honeywell International Inc. (The U.S.), Futek Advanced Sensor Technology (The U.S), HBM Test and Measurement (Germany) and Kistler Group (Switzerland) among others are some of the major companies operating in the rotary torque sensor market globally.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Rotary Wafer Cleaning System Market: Pin-Point Analysis For Changing Competitive Dynamics

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Etching is a part of micro fabrication for chemically removing different layers from the surface of a wafer during the process of manufacturing. Semiconductor wafers undergoes the process of etching for protection of wafers by masking materials that generally includes silicon among others. Rotary wafer etching is crucial equipment that is used for semiconductor wafer etching techniques. These cleaning systems are wet stations where chemical etching or wafer cleaning is offered where transfer between tanks takes place in a design.Rotary wafer etching system primarily provides an automated safety oriented semiconductor batch processor primarily for precise chemical developing, etching, resist etching, stripping, and cleaning of semiconductor substrates or wafers. These systems are used for cleaning, etching, developing, stripping as well as relearning semiconductor wafers and substrates. Different types of designs are maintained along with dual tanks being used for transfer of etching, cleaning and rinsing related substrates for precision etching of aluminum layers within wafers.Rotary wafer cleaning system market has been segmented on the basis of technology into etch cleaning, wet chemistry based cleaning and the front side up cleaning among others. The market is also segmented on the basis of end use which includes chemical contamination, particle contamination and metallic contamination. The market has been segmented geographically into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, South America and Africa and Middle East.Obtain Report Details @Rising proliferation of advanced printed electronics is driving factors responsible for the growth of the rotary wafer cleaning system market. With the growing usage of printed electronics in different end use industry, this in a way is anticipated to have a positive impact on the market. Rising semiconductor production hubs in developing regions is considered to be one of the major driving factors for the rotary wafer cleaning system market.The rising demand for PCBs (printed circuit boards), integrated circuits and other advanced electronics equipment in developing nations and increasing number of semiconductor equipment manufacturing units in developing economies is driving the market for rotary wafer cleaning system globally. High price of rotary wafer cleaning system along with huge initial investment for establishment is one of the restraining factors of the market and is likely to inhibit rotary wafer cleaning systems market growth to an extent.Request Sample @Introduction of new materials and the technological development surrounding the replacement of and aluminum with copper and SiO2-based dielectrics with low k materials is opening new opportunities for the rotary wafer cleaning system market globally.In 2016, Asia Pacific is leading the market for rotary wafer cleaning system in terms of value, followed by North America and Europe. China, Taiwan, Japan, India are some of the prime economies contributing in the positive development of the market across Asia Pacific. Growing demand of portable consumer electronics devices and constantly improving quality standards of production are considered as some of the prime factors contributing in the positive development of rotary wafer cleaning system market.The U.S. is dominating the market for rotary wafer cleaning system across North America. The U.K., Germany, France and Italy are holding prominent position across Europe. Increasing advancement in the technological front of semiconductor devices is one of the key factors fueling the demand for rotary wafer cleaning system across Brazil, Argentina, and U.A.E, South Africa across South America Africa and Middle East.Some of the important companies of the rotary wafer cleaning system market are Speedline Technologies, Inc. (The U.S.), Akrion Systems LLC (The U.S.), AP&S International GmbH (Germany), Modutek Corporation (The U.S.), SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. (Japan), Cleaning Technologies Group (The U.S.), Tokyo Electron Limited (Japan), Lam Research Corporation (The U.S.) and MEI Wet Processing Systems and Services LLC (The U.S.) among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Agricultural Films Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Qing Tian Plastic Industrial, Shandong Tianhe Plastic and Others

Agricultural Films Market

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Global Agricultural Films Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Qing Tian Plastic Industrial, Shandong Tianhe Plastic and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Agricultural Films is plastic film used in agricultural production in general.Agricultural films provide a wide range of benefits such as reducing erosion and soil compaction, providing nutrients, increasing soil temperature, supporting seed germination, suppressing the growth of weeds, and protecting against UV raysRequest for Free Sample Copy of Global Agricultural Films Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:TrioplastBritish Polythene Industries (BPI)Berry PlasticsArmando AlvarezPolypakBarbier GroupPlastika KritisRani PlastAgriplastJIANYUANCHUNBig East New MaterialsHuadunTianjin PlasticQing Tian Plastic IndustrialShandong Tianhe PlasticXinguang PlasticZibo Zhongyi PlasticOthersGlobal Agricultural Films Market: Key Product TypeHigh GradeMiddle GradeLow GradeOthersGlobal Agricultural Films Market: Key ApplicationShed Plastic FilmMulch Plastic FilmOthersGlobal Agricultural Films Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Agricultural Films Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Agricultural Films 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 Global Agricultural Films 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 High Grade1.1.2.2 Middle Grade1.1.2.3 Low Grade1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Shed Plastic Film1.1.3.2 Mulch Plastic Film1.1.3.3 Others1.2 Global and Regional Market Size......................Continue (Global Agricultural Films Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Ultrasonic Anti-collision Sensor market: Up-to-Date Analysis of Market Trends and Technological Improvements Ultrasonic Anti-collision sensors measure the echoes which are coming from the radio or the sound waves for the purpose of calculating the attributes of that particular subject. These sensors performs the action of sending and then receiving waves to detect the different distance rangeof the materials. Ultrasonic Anti-collision sensors are being used for varied applications like medical food & beverage and industrial applications.



The continuous growth of these industries has got a direct correlation with the growth of ultrasonic sensor market. The application of these sensors is also increasing, particularly in the healthcare sector, wherethe real time visualization are required. These also include the tissue biopsy sampling and therapeutics while tracing the targeted organs. The demand of the ultrasonic anti-collision sensors is likely to be driven by the technological advancement and the organic growth in target market.



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For purpose of in depth analysis, the Ultrasonic Anti-collision Sensor market has been segmented on the basis of type, applications and geography. Based on the type, the market has been segmented into five types they are like ultrasonic proximity sensor, ultrasonic retro reflective sensors, ultrasonic 2 point proximity switch, ultrasonic through beam sensors and others. Various types of applications of Ultrasonic Anti-collision Sensor include measurement of the liquid levels, object detection, measurement of distances, pallet detection, anti collision detection and others.



Increasing demand of the industrial automation and growing focus on the improvement of the production efficiency is expected to drive the market for Ultrasonic Anti-collision Sensor. Therefore, the continuously growing need for differentadvanced feature like automatic steering control, parking assistance system, detection of blind spots and adaptive cruise controlling is also expected to have a very strong positive impact on the demand for ultrasonic sensors globally during the forecasted period from 2017 to 2025.



Inspite of many driving factors, the Ultrasonic Anti-collision Sensors market is expected to show fluctuation in growth rate because of the high degree of operating skills and integrity it requires to use these sensors effectively. Absence of the water resistant inspected items when used for water based couplants which does not contain rush inhibitors and irregular shape and non-homogeneity of the ultrasonic waves are restraining factors for the global Ultrasonic Anti-collision Sensors market.



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Low accuracy and slow response speed of the ultrasonic sensors compared to the optical sensors is going to act as a restraint forUltrasonic Anti-collision Sensors in coming years.Apart from that heavy vapour,surface turmoil and ambient temperature and noise is also acting as a restraint for theUltrasonic Anti-collision Sensors market in the forecasted period from 2017-2025.



By type, the ultrasonic proximity sensortype held the largest market share because of its growing usage to identify volumetric and crack type of defects. Proximity sensors can also help in detecting black sonars used to identify the rival ships and submarines. However, the ultrasonic through beam sensor segment is expected to witness the fastest growth rate during the forecasted period.



Continuously increasing demand forthe microprocessor controller and the ability of detecting the fast moving objects in a very short range will make it a very appropriate choice in the end user segment in near future.



Geographically, the global Ultrasonic Anti-collision Sensors market is mainly driven by Asia Pacific region. Rapid expansion of the production facilities and continuously falling prices of sensor components is driving the market of ultrasonic anti-collision sensors across Asia Pacific region.



Rapidly growing demand of ultrasonic devices in healthcare sector is predicted to fasten the demand of ultrasonic sensors in this region, thereby expected to drive the Ultrasonic Anti-collision Sensors market rapidly. This region is expected to maintain its dominance in the market during the forecasted period owingto the presence of huge number of semiconductor manufacturers.



Some of the leading players operating in the Ultrasonic Anti-collision Sensor market includes Siemens AG (Germany), Pepperl+Fuchs (Germany),Cambridge Ultrasonics (U.K), HielscherInc (Germany), Baumer Ltd (The U.S.), Crest Ultrasonics (The U.S.), Rockwell Automation (The U.S.) and Murata Manufacturing (Japan) among others.



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Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.



Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.



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Baby Stroller Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Artsana, Newell Rubbermaid, Shenma Group and Others

Baby Stroller Market

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Global Baby Stroller Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Artsana, Newell Rubbermaid, Shenma Group and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.A stroller is designed for infants who have begun to sit. A stroller should have safety equipment like harness and safety belts to ensure that the baby is safe sitting inside one. Besides, a stroller also comes with a hood or a canopy to protect the baby. Strollers today come in many varieties with many different features, giving lots of options to choose. And consumers may prefer the strollers with advantages like lighter, compact, easy to store and avoid waking baby.A stroller generally has three or four wheels for move easy. Some can folds into a significantly smaller size, which can make storage in a back of a small car trunk practical and makes storage at home simpler too.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Baby Stroller Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:CombiGood BabySeebabyArtsanaNewell RubbermaidShenma GroupBBHMybabyAingEmmaljungaUPPAbabyStokkeRoadmateHauckDorelABC DesignOthersGlobal Baby Stroller Market: Key Product TypeSingle-Child StrollerMulti-Child StrollerPramOthersGlobal Baby Stroller Market: Key ApplicationUnder 1 years old1 to 2.5 years oldAbove 2.5 years oldOthersGlobal Baby Stroller Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Baby Stroller Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Baby Stroller 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 Global Baby Stroller 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Single-Child Stroller1.1.2.2 Multi-Child Stroller1.1.2.3 Pram1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Under 1 years old1.1.3.2 1 to 2.5 years old1.1.3.3 Above 2.5 years old1.2 Global and Regional Market Size....................Continue (Global Baby Stroller Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Wavefront Sensor Market : Clear Understanding of The Competitive Landscape and Key Product Segments

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Wavefront sensor is a device primarily used for measuring the aberrations of an optical wavefront. They are commonly used in lens testing, adaptive optics systems and increasingly in ophthalmology. Wavefront sensors primarily play a major role in evaluating and measuring the wavefront with suitable speed and enough spatial resolution for real time compensation. The wavefront sensor market has been segmented into by type which includes wavefront curvature sensor, shack-hartmann wavefront sensor, pyramid wavefront sensor, foucault knife-edge test, common path interferometer, multilateral shearing interferometer, ronchi tester, shearing interferometer among others.The market for wavefront sensor is also segmented by end use which includes security & defense, consumer devices, communication and information technology, biomedical, manufacturing among others. The market for wavefront sensor has been segmented geographically into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America and Middle East and Africa.Obtain Report Details @Increasing research activities in the field of adaptive optics along with growing application of wavefront sensors across defense sector is acting as some of the major driving factors for the wavefront sensors globally. Increasing advancement in the field of astronomy, defense and consumer devices is also fueling the application of wavefront sensors globally. Shackhartmann wavefront sensor is primarily used for characterizing an imaging system.ShackHartmann sensors are primarily applied to characterize eyes for sensitive corneal treatment of complex refractive errors. Increasing advancement in the medical devices, wavefront sensors has applications in the high end advanced medical devices which is one the major driving factor for the market.Wavefront sensors also have applications across consumer devices which are also contributing in the positive development of the market. Wavefront sensors have found applications in the field of information and communication technology which is acting as one of the driving factor for the market. Technical improvements and research and development activities related to use of adaptive optic technology in the developing nations is another major driving factor for the wavefront sensor market globally.Increasing complexity in the designs and high installation cost of the wavefront sensors are some of the major restraining factor for the market. Growing application of wavefront sensors across different industrial applications which include high end medical devices are considered to be some of the major opportunities for the market.Request Sample @In 2016, North America is accounted for the largest market share in terms of revenue in the wavefront sensor market, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific globally. Increasing technological advancement in the field of defense and security and medical industry is fueling the market for wavefront sensors across North America. The U.S. is leading the market for wavefront sensor across North America, followed by Canada and Mexico.The U.K., Germany, Italy and France is leading the market for wavefront sensor across Europe. China is dominating the market for wavefront sensor across Asia Pacific, followed by Japan, India, South Korea and Taiwan across Asia Pacific. The U.A.E, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina among others are dominating the market for wavefront sensor across Middle East and Africa and South America owing to increasing application of wavefront sensor in consumer electronics, medical and defense and security sector.Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (The U.S.), IRIS AO, Inc. (The U.S.), Olympus Corp. (Tokyo), Flexible Optical B.V. (The Netherlands), Northrop Grumman Corporation (The U.S.), ALPAO (France) and Boston Micromachines Corporation (The U.S.) among others are some of the major companies operating in the wavefront sensor market globally.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Abrasives Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Huanghe Whirlwind, Hermes Schleifmittel, Husqvarna and Others

Abrasives Market

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Global Abrasives Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Huanghe Whirlwind, Hermes Schleifmittel, Husqvarna and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.The research process involved the study of various factors affecting the industry, including the government policy, market environment, competitive landscape, historical data, present trends in the market, technological innovation, upcoming technologies and the technical progress in related industry, and market risks, opportunities, market barriers and challenges. The following illustrative figure shows the market research methodology applied in this report.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Abrasives Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Saint-Gobain3MMurugappa GroupTyrolitNoritakeAsahiHuanghe WhirlwindHermes SchleifmittelHusqvarnaBoschFujimiPferdSharpnessRhodiusKlingsporSuhner GroupOthersGlobal Abrasives Market: Key Product TypeBonded AbrasivesCoated AbrasivesSuper AbrasivesOthersGlobal Abrasives Market: Key ApplicationAutomotiveMachineryMetal FabricationElectrical & ElectronicsOthersGlobal Abrasives Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Abrasives Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Abrasives 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 Global Abrasives 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Bonded Abrasives1.1.2.2 Coated Abrasives1.1.2.3 Super Abrasives1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Automotive1.1.3.2 Machinery1.1.3.3 Metal Fabrication1.1.3.4 Electrical & Electronics1.1.3.5 Others1.2 Global and Regional Market Size....................Continue (Global Abrasives Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Bimetallic Temperature Sensor Market: Projection of Each Major Segment over the Forecast Period.

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Temperature sensors primarily refer to devices which helps in recording data related to temperature. Temperature sensors help in converting any sort of current or voltage into a specific numerical value. Bimetallic is a specific type of temperature sensor which has different applications in oil & gas, chemical processing, mining, metal and plastic among other industries. Bimetallic temperature sensors primarily convert a temperature change into mechanical displacement. It consists of two strips made of metals for example copper or steel, which expands while connected with heat.These types of sensors have basic applications in thermostats, clocks, thermometers, heat engines and electrical devices among others. The bimetallic temperature sensor market has been segmented into by application which includes electrical devices (household appliances), thermometers, thermostats, clock, heating devices, heat engines and grills among others. The market for bimetallic temperature sensors has been segmented geographically into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America and Middle East and Africa.Obtain Report Details @Increasing demand for temperature sensors in different industries which includes oil and gas, mining, metal, chemical processing and automotive is stimulating the market for bimetallic temperature sensors globally. Moreover, increasing application of temperature in household appliances and growing advancement in the field of consumer electronics is also contributing in the positive development of the bimetallic temperature sensors market. Domestic water and steam based central heating systems have bi-metallic strip thermostats, which is also influencing the market in a positive way.In 2016, North America is leading the market for bimetallic temperature sensor in terms of revenue, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific globally. With the technological advancement in the field of healthcare and other industries are fueling the market across North America. The U.S. accounted largest share in terms revenue across North America. Germany, the U.K., Italy and France are holding prominent positions in the bimetallic temperature sensor market across Europe.Request Sample @China is leading the market across Asia Pacific, followed by Japan and India. Increasing number of semiconductor devices manufacturing hubs and increasing proliferation of different sort of advanced consumer and household appliances is fuelling the market across Asia Pacific. The U.A.E, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina among others are dominating the market for bimetallic temperature sensors across Middle East and Africa and South America.Strategic alliances with the distributers and suppliers along with other firms are one of the major business strategy adopted by the companies for better presence in the bimetallic market. Establishing new research facilities and increasing number of offices across different countries, geographical expansion is another major strategy adopted by the companies.Analog Devices, Inc. (The U.S.), Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (The U.S.), Panasonic Corporation (Japan), Texas Instruments Incorporated (The U.S.), ABB Group (Switzerland), Honeywell International Inc. (The U.S.), Danaher Corporation (The U.S.), Siemens AG (Germany), Kongsberg Gruppen (Norway), TE Connectivity Ltd. (Switzerland), Emerson Electric Company (The U.S.), General Electric (The U.S.), ON Semiconductor (The U.S.), Stmicroelectronics (Switzerland), Microchip Technology Incorporated (The U.,S.), Infineon Technologies AG (Germany) and NXP Semiconductors N.V. (The Netherlands) among others are some of the major companies operating in the bimetallic temperature sensor market globally.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Wood Adhesives Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Avery Dennison Corporation, Adhesives Research Inc. and Others

Wood Adhesives Market

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Global Wood Adhesives Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Avery Dennison Corporation Adhesives Research Inc.. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Wood Adhesives Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:3M CompanyAshland Inc.H.B Fuller CompanyHenkel AG & Co. KGaABASF SEHuntsman CorporationAvery Dennison CorporationAdhesives Research Inc.Dow Chemical CompanyBostik SAW.F.Taylor LLC.Royal AdhesivesAkzoNobelDonghe AdhesivesOthersGlobal Wood Adhesives Market: Key ApplicationFlooring & PlywoodFurniture & SubcomponentsWindows & DoorsOthersGlobal Wood Adhesives Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Wood Adhesives Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Wood Adhesives 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 Global Wood Adhesives 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Global Market Overview1.1 Scope of Statistics1.1.1 Scope of Products1.1.2 Scope of Manufacturers1.1.3 Scope of Application1.1.4 Scope of Regions/Countries1.2 Global Market Size2 Regional Market2.1 Regional Production2.2 Regional Demand2.3 Regional Trade3 Key Manufacturers3.1 3M Company3.1.2 Company Information......................Continue (Global Wood Adhesives Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Lignin Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Metsa Group, Fibria and Others

Lignin Market

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Global Lignin Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Metsa Group, Fibria and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Lignin Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Borregaard LignoTechTembecDomtar CorporationAsian Lignin Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd.Northway Lignin ChemicalGreen Value SAAditya Birla GroupChangzhou Shanfeng Chemical Industry CompanyThe Dallas Group of America.Liquid Lignin Company LLCMetsa GroupFibriaLenzing A.G.OthersGlobal Lignin Market: Key ApplicationStrengthening AgentBonding AgentAnti-Scaling AgentOthersGlobal Lignin Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Lignin Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Lignin 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 Global Lignin 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Global Market Overview1.1 Scope of Statistics1.1.1 Scope of Products1.1.2 Scope of Manufacturers1.1.3 Scope of Application1.1.4 Scope of Regions/Countries1.2 Global Market Size2 Regional Market2.1 Regional Production2.2 Regional Demand......................Continue (Global Lignin Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Citric Acid Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Weifang Ensign Industry., Gadot Biochemical Industries Ltd. and Others

Citric Acid Market

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Global Citric Acid Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Weifang Ensign Industry., Gadot Biochemical Industries Ltd. and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Citric Acid Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:CargillorporatedTate & Lyle PLCJungbunzlauer Suisse AGCofco Biochemical (Anhui).Huangshi Xinghua Biochemical Co.LtdRZBC Group Co. Ltd.Weifang Ensign Industry.Gadot Biochemical Industries Ltd.S.A. Citrique Belge N.V.Major applications as follows:Global Citric Acid Market: Key ApplicationFoodPharmaceuticals & Personal CareDetergents & CleansersAnimal FeedOthersGlobal Citric Acid Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Citric Acid Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Citric Acid 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 Global Citric Acid 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Global Market Overview1.1 Scope of Statistics1.1.1 Scope of Products1.1.2 Scope of Manufacturers1.1.3 Scope of Application1.1.4 Scope of Regions/Countries1.2 Global Market Size2 Regional Market2.1 Regional Production2.2 Regional Demand2.3 Regional Trade3 Key Manufacturers3.1 Archer Daniels Midland Company.....................Continue (Global Citric Acid Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
White Board Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Neoplex, Umajirushi, Deli, Canadian Blackboard and Others

White Board Market

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Global White Board Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Neoplex, Umajirushi, Deli, Canadian Blackboard and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.A whiteboard (also known by the terms marker board, dry-erase board, wipe board, dry-wipe board, pen-board, and the misnomer [citation needed] grease board) is any glossy, usually white surface for nonpermanent markings.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global White Board Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:MetroplanGMi CompaniesQuartetLuxorBi-silqueNeoplexUmajirushiDeliCanadian BlackboardLanbeisiteXIESKKedaShandong FangyuanFoshan YakudoWhitemarkZhengzhou AucsOthersGlobal White Board Market: Key Product TypeMelamine WhiteboardPorcelain WhiteboardGlass WhiteboardOthersGlobal White Board Market: Key ApplicationSchoolsOfficeHouseholdOthersThe Global White Board Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global White Board 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 Global White Board 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Melamine Whiteboard1.1.2.2 Porcelain Whiteboard1.1.2.3 Glass Whiteboard1.1.2.4 Others1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Schools1.1.3.2 Office1.1.3.3 Household1.1.3.4 Others1.2 Global and Regional Market Size......................Continue (Global White Board Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Solar Photovoltaic Glass Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 Anci Hi-Tech, Irico Group, AVIC Sanxin and Others

Solar Photovoltaic Glass Market

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Global Solar Photovoltaic Glass Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Anci Hi-Tech, Irico Group, AVIC Sanxin and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.In the structure of solar panel, Solar Photovoltaic Glass is placed on the top of silicon cells. Solar Photovoltaic Glass is used to transport solar energy. For solar panels, it also plays role in the module protection. The following is the picture of solar module structure. Solar Photovoltaic Glass is an important component of the structure.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Solar Photovoltaic Glass Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Xinyi SolarFLATCSGAlmadenAnci Hi-TechIrico GroupAVIC SanxinHuamei Solar Photovoltaic GlassTaiwan GlassSaint-GobainNSGAGCInterfloatGuardianXiuqiangOthersGlobal Solar Photovoltaic Glass Market: Key Product TypeAR Coated GlassTempered GlassTCO GlassOthersGlobal Solar Photovoltaic Glass Market: Key ApplicationSilicon Solar CellsThin Film Solar CellsOthersThe Global Solar Photovoltaic Glass Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Solar Photovoltaic Glass 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 Global Solar Photovoltaic Glass 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 AR Coated Glass1.1.2.2 Tempered Glass1.1.2.3 TCO Glass1.1.2.4 Others1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Silicon Solar Cells1.1.3.2 Thin Film Solar Cells1.2 Global and Regional Market Size1.2.1 Global Overview1.2.2 China Overview2 Global and Regional Market by Company.......................Continue (Global Solar Photovoltaic Glass Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Hologram Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 HoloTech Switzerland AG, Vision Optics GmbH, Eon Reality, Inc and Others

Hologram Market

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Global Hologram Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely HoloTech Switzerland AG, Vision Optics GmbH, Eon Reality, Inc and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Hologram refers to the acquisition and processing of holograms with a digital sensor array, typically a CCD camera or a similar device.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Hologram Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Lyncee TeczSpace, IncHoloTech Switzerland AGVision Optics GmbHEon Reality, IncHoloxica Limited4Deep inwater imagingGeolaLeia, IncOvizio Imaging Systems NV/SARealView ImagingPhase Holographic ImagingMach7 TechnologiesFraunhofer IPMNanolive SAOthersGlobal Hologram Market: Key Product TypeHardware (HW)Software (SW)ServiceOthersGlobal Hologram Market: Key ApplicationCommercialHouseholdOthersThe Global Hologram Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Hologram 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 Global Hologram 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Hardware (HW)1.1.2.2 Software (SW)1.1.2.3 Service1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Commercial1.1.3.2 Household1.2 Global and Regional Market Size1.2.1 Global Overview1.2.2 China Overview2 Global and Regional Market by Company.......................Continue (Global Hologram Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Smart Doorbell Market Report for Period 2017 till 2022 Honeywell, Panasonic, Skebell and Others

Smart Doorbell Market

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Global Smart Doorbell Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Honeywell, Panasonic, Skebell and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Basically, a smart doorbell is a device that your visitors push just like a normal doorbell. However, thats where the similarities between traditional and smart doorbells end, because you also get all kinds of cool features thanks to the ability to connect to a WiFi network.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Smart Doorbell Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:LegrandHoneywellPanasonicSkebellRingCHUISandboxKivosDNAKEGuangdong Roule ElectronicsGuangdong AnjubaoLeelenAdvanteOthersGlobal Smart Doorbell Market: Key Product TypeWireless Video DoorbellsWireless Invisible DoorbellOthersGlobal Smart Doorbell Market: Key ApplicationResidentialCommercialOthersGlobal Smart Doorbell Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Smart Doorbell Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Smart Doorbell 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 Global Smart Doorbell 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.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Smart Doorbell Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Wireless Video Doorbells1.2.2 Wireless Invisible Doorbell1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Residential1.3.2 Commercial1.4 Market Analysis by Regions.......................Continue (Global Smart Doorbell Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, 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. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Asia Pacific Suture Needles Market Ready to Grow at a Powerful Pace More than 2023

Asia Pacific Suture Needles Market

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The Asia Pacific suture needles market Research Report provides detailed analysis of the key regional market status of the Healthcare Industry.The Asia Pacific Suture Needles Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 7.5% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Suture needle is used for the placement of the suture within the tissue by carrying the material with minimal residual trauma. An ideal suture needle should be rigid enough to avoid distortions, and flexible enough to bend before breaking. There are various types of suture needles used in a number of surgical procedures. They are made of steel, have blunt or sharp points, and can be curved or straight. Round-bodied needles pierce and spread the tissues with minimal cutting. They are used in easily penetrable tissues like the peritoneum and abdominal viscera. Blunt, and round body needles are used to dissect through friable tissues like liver and kidney.Needles need to be strong enough to pass through tough tissues, causing minimal trauma to them and reducing tissue reactions. Thus, specific requirements for different type of needles set for a particular surgical procedure, has led to an increase in their demand in the hospitals. Most of the surgeons prefer specific types of needles based on their application, for instance needles required for suturing after laparoscopic and bariatric surgery are different from those required for an ophthalmic surgery. It is important for suture needle manufacturers to analyze the demand for various types of needles and then plan their quantity to be manufactured and supplied in order to avoid wastage of resources, time and money.Notably, increasing incidence of chronic diseases is the key factor driving the Asia Pacific suture needles market. As per a study published in the BMC Public Health in 2017, prevalence of type-2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease has increased rapidly in the recent years.Various other push factors such as, increasing advancement in technology, and rising adoption rate of new technology continuously contribute to the growth of the Asia Pacific suture needles market.Despite these drivers, lack of a proper sterilization system, low healthcare expenditure, and unfavorable taxation policies may hamper the growth of the market. Additionally, many healthcare professionals have started using surgical staplers for suturing, especially in super specialty hospitals and tertiary care centers which may pose as another restraint and may reduce the demand for suture needles.Get Sample Copy AtKey PlayersTop key the players in the Asia Pacific suture needles market are 3M Health Care, Roboz Surgical Instrument, Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co., LLC, TNI medical AG, Unimed Medical Supplies Inc., Medline Industries, Inc., Ethicon US, LLC, Sutures India Private Limited, Dolphin Sutures, Karl Hammacher, and H&H Medical Corporation.SegmentationThe suture needle is segmented on the basis of type, application, needle end type, and end-users.On the basis of type, market is segmented into round bodied needle, blunt point needle, reverse cutting needle, conventional cutting needle, spatula needle, tapercut needle and others.On the basis of needle end type, market is classified into eyed and eyeless needles.On the basis of application, market is classified into general surgeries, gynecological surgeries, others.On the basis of end-user, market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers and others.Regional AnalysisThe Asia Pacific suture needles market consists of countries namely China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, Australia and the Rest of Asia Pacific. Growing demand for outpatient surgeries, easy suturing using various types of needles according to intended medical specialty use and time saving technology, further tends to increase the demand of suturing needle in Asia Pacific.Japan is the largest market for suture needles. Increase in prevalence of chronic diseases that require surgical procedures and medical tourism in Asia Pacific region are favoring the growth of this market.Countries like China and Japan are focusing on exporting surgical equipments and surgical suturing material to countries worldwide. China is the second largest market followed by India. India is seen to be the fastest growing market for medical equipment manufactures. In India, the market of suture needles in increasing due to availability of low cost of raw material, better access to labor, increasing number of hospitals and healthcare centers. India is one of the top destinations for medical tourism, especially for orthopedic surgeries.There is steady growth of this market in Australia and the Republic of Korea.TABLE OF CONTENTChapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentContinuedGet Discount atAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comMRFR has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.Our Research Analysts are eager to share their knowledge and assist you in refining market research parameters, choosing right market studies, and evaluating both the market scope and the research methodologies of varied segments.We bridge the gap between our clients and their clients by identifying and decoding just the target group, while generating leads with the highest accuracy.Years of research into diverse fields of work has ingrained within us, a proficiency so distinguished that our industry-specific specialists identify with your business ideas and feel the pulse of your challenges and opportunities. This enables us for providing assistance, through our consulting and strategic consulting services, in informed managerial decision making. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industries, WantStats Research and Media often conducts industrial visits for its research analysts. Relevant inputs from various established market participants, help our clients make significant contribution in respective markets are a huge motivation for all of us to endlessly furnish quality. We depend greatly on profound insights into complex realms of our study.Pune, India
Asia Pacific Blood Glucose Monitoring Market to Expand with Significant CAGR by 2021

Asia Pacific Blood Glucose Monitoring Market

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Market Research Future.com add new report of Asia Pacific Blood Glucose Monitoring Market Research Report Forecast till 2021 it contains Company information, geographical data and Table of ContentBlood glucose monitoring is the process of testing the glucose level in the blood. It helps to identify the blood glucose level within the specified target range. Thus, it helps to understand the food intake, exercise, insulin, and blood glucose level. The blood glucose monitoring devices provide useful information to manage diabetes. It helps to track the progress of treatment goal as well as monitor the effect of diabetes meditation on blood sugar level and understand the effect of illness and stress on the blood sugar level.Get Sample Copy AtVarious blood glucose monitoring devices are available in the market, which is referred as blood glucose meter. These device help to track the blood glucose level at home, clinics, hospitals, etc. Furthermore, they are designed to apply to the different type of diabetes.The blood glucose monitoring devices market growth is majorly attributed to the increasing prevalence of diabetes, developing technology for monitoring and diagnosis of diabetes, early detection of diabetes, and increasing demand for continuous glucose monitoring devices.The Asia Pacific blood glucose monitoring devices market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10% over the review period. China and India are potential market players owing to the largest diabetes patient population.According to the Diabetes prevalence figures suggested by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 5.1% of the Australian population diagnosed with diabetes in 2016.However, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of transmitting hepatitis B virus (HBV) and other infection during assisted blood glucose monitoring and insulin administration is more.Key PlayersAbbott Laboratories, Arkay, Inc., Bayer Healthcare AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Goldsite Diagnostics Inc., GlySure Ltd, Sphere Medical, Dexcom, Inc., and LifeScan.SegmentationsThe Asia Pacific blood glucose monitoring devices market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, and end userOn the basis of the product type, it is segmented into invasive glucose monitoring devices, continuous glucose monitoring devices (CGM), flash glucose monitoring devices, and others.On the basis of the application, it is segmented into type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and others.On the basis of the end user, it is segmented into diagnostic centers, hospitals, clinics, research centers, and home care diagnostics.Regional AnalysisChina dominates the Asia Pacific blood glucose monitoring devices market owing to well-developed technology, increasing patient population with diabetes, high health care spending, and increasing government support for research & development. Furthermore, increased R&D activities and the concentration of major companies have fuelled the growth of the market in this region.India holds the second position in the Asia Pacific blood glucose market owing to the government support for research & development and availability of funds for research. This is expected to continue driving the Indian market over the forecasted period. Moreover, countries like Japan, Australia, and the Republic of Korea are showing a considerable growth in the blood glucose monitoring market.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing blood glucose monitoring market owing to the presence of rapidly developing healthcare technology, huge patient population, and high healthcare expenditure. Moreover, increasing demand for new treatment methods in countries like India and South Korea is likely to emerge as the fastest growing market across the globe. Furthermore, increasing demand for quality devices in the healthcare is projected to lead the demand for advanced equipment, which, in turn, may increase the market demand for the blood glucose monitoring devices in the region.Table Of Content1. Report Prologue2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 Limitations3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size Estimation4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment5. Market Factor AnalysisContinuedGet Discount atAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comMRFR has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.Our Research Analysts are eager to share their knowledge and assist you in refining market research parameters, choosing right market studies, and evaluating both the market scope and the research methodologies of varied segments.We bridge the gap between our clients and their clients by identifying and decoding just the target group, while generating leads with the highest accuracy.Years of research into diverse fields of work has ingrained within us, a proficiency so distinguished that our industry-specific specialists identify with your business ideas and feel the pulse of your challenges and opportunities. This enables us for providing assistance, through our consulting and strategic consulting services, in informed managerial decision making. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industries, WantStats Research and Media often conducts industrial visits for its research analysts. Relevant inputs from various established market participants, help our clients make significant contribution in respective markets are a huge motivation for all of us to endlessly furnish quality. We depend greatly on profound insights into complex realms of our study.Pune, India
Asia Pacific Respiratory Therapeutic Devices Market Projected to Register a Significant Growth Rate from 2016 to 2023

Asia Pacific Respiratory Therapeutic Devices Market

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The Analysis presents the study of Asia Pacific Respiratory therapeutic devices market facilitating the regional and country wise analysis covering the strategic analysis of each market player and the market share they holdRespiratory therapeutic devices are the instrument or the devices used to treat the respiratory diseases. These therapeutic devices are used in the treatment of chronic and acute respiratory diseases such as Asthma, COPD, tuberculosis and many more. Respiratory devices market is continuously growing in Asia Pacific region due to increasing number of cases of respiratory problems and is expected to growing with a healthy rate of ~9.5%. Increasing population has increased the pollution and different air borne disease which has serve as a driving factor for the increase in the respiratory therapeutic devices market.Get Sample Copy AtDifferent types of respiratory therapeutic devices are present in the market. Positive airway pressure (PAP) is the most famous and widely used device in the Asia Pacific region. While high cost of the product and lack of awareness about management of respiratory diseases can hamper the growth of the market.Key Players for Respiratory Therapeutic Devices Market:Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherland), Hamilton Medical AG (Switzerland), Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited (New Zealand), Masimo Corporation (U.S.), Becton, Dickinson and Company (U.S.), Chart Industries, Inc. (U.S.), Portex Division of Smith Industries Medical System, Teruma Medical Corporation, HTL STREFA SA, Greinier Bio One International GmBH. (Germany), F. Hoffman La Roche AG, Bayer Cropscience Ltd., Acare Technology Co., Medline Industries Inc., Ltd., Hill-Rom Holdings Inc., Allied Healthcare Inc. and Rotech Healthcare Inc and others.Segments:Asia Pacific Respiratory Therapeutic Devices market has been segmented on the basis of-By types of respiratory therapeutic devices used which includes- Nebulizers [Mechanical Nebulizer (Soft mist inhaler, Human powered nebulizer) and Electrical Nebulizer (Jet nebulizer, Ultrasonic wave Nebulizer and Other), Humidifiers (Bubble Humidifiers and Electrical Humidifier), Oxygen Concentrators (Continues Oxygen Concentrators and Portable Oxygen Concentrators), Ventilators (Volume-cycled ventilators, Pressure-cycled ventilators, Flow-cycled ventilators and other), Gas Analyzers, Capnographs, Positive airway pressure (Continuous Positive airway pressure, Automatic Positive airway pressure and Other ), Masks (Nasal Mask, Full Face Mask and Other) and others devicesBy technology used which includes Electrostatic Filtration, HEPA Filter, Hollow Fiber Filtration, Microsphere Separation and othersBy end user they are Hospital and HomecareBy Countries they are Japan, China, India, Australia, Republic of Korea and Rest of Asia-Pacific.Regional AnalysisOn regional basis Asia Pacific is segmented into Japan, China, India, Australia, Republic of Korea and Rest of Asia-Pacific. Increasing prevalence of diseases has increased the respiratory therapeutic device market. According to COPD foundation, it was estimated that 6.2% of total Asia Pacific population is suffering from COPD. And COPD will be the fifth leading cause for death till 2020. India has 30 million COPD patient while 8% of total china population is suffering from COPD due to increasing pollution.Brief TOC1 Report Prologue2 Market Introduction2.1 INTRODUCTION2.2 SCOPE OF STUDY2.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE2.4 ASSUMPTIONS & LIMITATIONS2.4.1 ASSUMPTIONS2.4.2 LIMITATIONS3 Research Methodology3.1 RESEARCH PROCESS3.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH3.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH4 Market Dynamics4.1 DRIVERSContinuedGet Discount atAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comMRFR has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.Our Research Analysts are eager to share their knowledge and assist you in refining market research parameters, choosing right market studies, and evaluating both the market scope and the research methodologies of varied segments.We bridge the gap between our clients and their clients by identifying and decoding just the target group, while generating leads with the highest accuracy.Years of research into diverse fields of work has ingrained within us, a proficiency so distinguished that our industry-specific specialists identify with your business ideas and feel the pulse of your challenges and opportunities. This enables us for providing assistance, through our consulting and strategic consulting services, in informed managerial decision making. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industries, WantStats Research and Media often conducts industrial visits for its research analysts. Relevant inputs from various established market participants, help our clients make significant contribution in respective markets are a huge motivation for all of us to endlessly furnish quality. We depend greatly on profound insights into complex realms of our study.Pune, India
Boyne Golf first to join E-Z-Go green ambassador program

Boyne Golf is the first to join the E-Z-Go Green Ambassador Program aimed at bringing together leaders in sustainability in the golf industry.
Chengdu Pandas Win the First Season of Global Poker League China

December 05, 2017 Matthew Pitt Editor

The inaugural season of the Global Poker League China has concluded and it was the Chengdu Pandas who emerged victorious, winning one million Chinese Yuan (approx. $151,000) and writing their names into the GPLs history books.

Twelve teams competed during the GPL Chinas first season, all from different regions of China.

Beijing Great Dragons

Chengdu Pandas

Guangzhou Pioneers

Hangzhou Legends

Hong Kong Treasure Ships

Kunming Phoenix

Macau Lions

Shanghai Golden Tigers

Shenzhen Eagles

Taiwan Black Bears

Tianjin Guardians

Xian Warriors

By the time the finals came around, it was only the Chengdu Pandas and the Hong Kong Treasure Ships who were in with a chance of GPL glory. The Pandas and Treasure Ships faced off in a best-of-three contest showcasing their six-max, heads-up and 2v2 skills on the big stage.

The Pandas won the first round despite falling behind during the six-max element. Consecutive wins in the 2v2 and traditional heads-up battle gave the Pandas a one-nil advantage.

In the second round, the action went right down to the wire and ended in spectacular style courtesy of a three-way all-in. The Pandas won the 2v2 contest so a victory in either the traditional heads-up or six-max would see them crowned champions.

Winfred Yu won the heads-up contest for the Treasure Ships to even matters up. The six-max event was packed with drama and saw the last remaining Panda flanked by two of the Treasure Ships players. On a flop, all three players moved all-in. The Panda held and while he was ahead of one of his opponents, who held , he needed some help to beat the of the other Treasure Ship member.

That help arrived on the turn as the dealer put the onto the felt and when the completed the community cards, the Pandas were crowned GPL Chinas champions.

Fans of the Chengdu Pandas enjoyed an exciting and successful debut season and must be delighted with their teams performances off the table because the Pandas generously donated five percent of their winnings to local charitable causes.
In an age when the compact disc has been pushed aside by downloads and streaming, the time, effort, and expense of putting together a CD box set might seem like an exercise in futility, of blind nostalgia for a dying form. But there was a time, however brief, when a well-curated box-set was something that could actually shift the cultural zeitgeist and re-frame the conversations of popular music history and reception. The Complete Robert Johnson box set (1990), for example, brought household name status to that artist in a way that a hundred testimonies from Jimmie Page, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan could never do despite Johnsons great influence upon them. It did so by making Johnson a status purchase, a commodity. But the care in restoration and research that went into the collection transcended its existence as a product and served to revise popular history. That was the power of the box set in its heyday.

Cherry Reds John Reed hasnt forgotten that, and To the Outside of Everything: A Story of UK Post Punk 1977  1981 is a box set that does everything right to a level that is capable of re-writing the common history. Simply put, this is the definitive story in sound of post punk in the UK. This is a collection that will stand alongside Simon Reynolds equally definitive history of the age, Rip It Up and Start Again. We wait only for the comprehensive work that would collect Americas bold provocateurs of the period who were content to let New York and Los Angeles wallow in piss-filled punk while occupying outlying urban centers like Boston and Cleveland, which produced the mutated art of Mission of Burma, Human Sexual Response, and Pere Ubu, among dozens of others.

Indeed, To the Outside of Everything offers hours of discovery and renewed acquaintance with a time when, disrupted by the slash and burn of punk but also disaffected by it, anything seemed possible. Neil Taylor has composed an enlightening collection of liner notes for the set, from the extensive opening essay through the informative write-ups on each of the performers compiled, often with their first-hand input. Taylor smartly refuses to argue for any kind of stylistic consistency to post-punk while also avoiding the romance of calling its period of dominance an era, akin to, say, the 60s. Rather, for Taylor post-punk is neither a genre nor an era, but an approach, one where innovation and playfulness, the deliberately odd and the purposefully unconventional meet. It is, he continues, an approach to creativity that has always been here and always will be here.

Taylor describes how the next wave of artists learned from punks disappointingly quick commodification and descent into scenester prescriptivism and chose to be inspired by its DIY anything-goes spirit and distaste for nostalgia. This aligns with Reynolds take on the transitory period following punks quick decline: By the summer of 1977, punk had become a parody of itself. For Reynolds, the first wave of post-punk artists defined punk as an imperative to constant change and dedicated themselves to fulfilling punks uncompleted musical revolution, exploring new possibilities by embracing electronics, noise, jazz and the classical avante-garde, and the production techniques of dub reggae and disco. Post-punk, it becomes plain, is an amalgam comprised of anything that seemed to fit together, or better still, did not fit but could be hammered into a justifiable framework.

The 111 cuts from as many distinct performers argue for the adventurousness of the times while capturing a captivating collection of the known, the vaguely familiar, the rumored, and the forgotten. Numerous among the groups collected here would go on to commercial success, though most would have to go through significant reorganization of members (and vision) in order to coordinate a successful assault on the charts. Future UK pop sensations who appear here in earlier, less mass-appeal iterations include Adam and the Ants, Ultravox!, Thompson Twins, Human League, and Modern English. Others who would burn bright but briefly earning early critical praise and growing into legendary status over time such as PiL, Wire, Joy Division, Raincoats, Birthday Party, Gang of Four, and Josef K. Still more, like Au Pairs, Crispy Ambulance, and Pop Group would become the focus of apocryphal legend and cult followings. And a few, like The Fall, The The, and Killing Joke would stubbornly forge singular and surprisingly long-term careers.

Possibly most fascinating here are those collectives whose raw visions echoed or shaped those of others while being overlooked by the masses. These are among the most vivid, exciting, and important inclusions on the anthology. Consider Art Objects whose track Hard Objects captures cold war malaise in brilliant succinctness: The nuclear bomb is a blunt instrument in the hands of disturbed children. Then theres Glaxo Babies whose This is Your Life offers up a British perspective of the kind of existential urban paranoia mastered by Talking Heads. The Last Gangs lone single Spirit of Youth grinds forward with a Gang of Four-like aggression while throwing shade on the spastic if sincere passions of youth. The excavation of lost or forgotten tracks like this is what makes a box set of such imposing reach special.

Another particularly refreshing element of the collection is the way in which the compilers clarify and acknowledge the role of women in the music of this time. The feminine perspective is an often under-examined element of the post-punk stew of influence, but To the Outside of Everything serves to emphasize the fact that female artists were actively influencing from the inside of the agglomerative movement. Indeed, some of the best and defining cuts of the set, and the time, come from female-fronted bands. Of course Raincoats, The Slits, and Throbbing Gristle (whose Cosi Fanni Tutti deserves equal visionary credit with Genesis POrridge) are all represented here, but so too are important contributions from Poison Girls, Family Fodder, Mo-dettes, Ludus, Occult Chemistry, and Blue Orchids (featuring Una Barnes, a founding member of the Fall). While still greatly outnumbered by the boys, some of the most refreshing and important tracks among the five discs collected here are shaped by a feminine vision.

In all, To the Outside of Everything is a challenging and enlightening listen from start to finish, and it is a triumph of curatorship that provides near-encyclopedic insight into this important chapter of UK popular music history. From the punk hangover of O Level and The Addicts, to the cold war paranoid drone of The Membranes and Tubeway Army, to the art-noir funk of Spoon Fazer and 23 Skidoo, the proto-goth of The Birthday Party, and the ever-forming dark-pop sensibility of bands like Human League and Psychedelic Furs that would come to dominate the charts under the banner of new wave: To the Outside of Everything captures its age in full.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 53F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low near 35F. Winds light and variable.
Officials with the U.S. Government Accountability Office are interviewing veterans on island as they proceed through the halfway point of an investigation into the use of Agent Orange and other herbicides.

Congressional interest into the use of Agent Orange and other so called "rainbow herbicides" during the Vietnam War, including a request from Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo to review the use of dioxin-based herbicides on Guam, led to the investigation.

"That request letter asked us to look at what was known about where Agent Orange was developed in the United States, how it was tested, how it was shipped to Vietnam. And for that amount not used in Vietnam, where it was destroyed. That's the first thing we're looking at," said Brian Lepore, the GAO's director of defense capabilities and management.

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Other aspects of the investigation include determining what the U.S. government and federal agencies told service members about the potential health effects of being exposed to the herbicides, determining what is known about other major "hotspots" in the U.S. and what is the status of cleanup efforts for these areas, if such efforts exist.

The Department of Defense has maintained that Agent Orange was never present or transited through Guam, but veterans stationed on island during the Vietnam War, such as Leroy Foster, have said that they sprayed Agent Orange in military facilities and defense properties on island.

Some of these individuals, Foster included, have been afflicted with debilitating diseases and cancers, reportedly as a result of being exposed to the toxic chemicals.

'We are still doing the work right now'

However, Lepore could not comment on whether the investigation so far has led to information that contradicts the DOD position on Agent Orange on Guam.

"I can't really disclose the result of our work right now," Lepore told The Guam Daily Post.

"It would be premature. ... I can't directly answer that question right now. What I can tell you is we are continuing to look to see where it was used and transshipped to all locations in the United Sates to include Guam. But we are still doing the work right now so we do not have a definitive answer at this time."

Guam is specifically outlined in the House Armed Services Committee report accompanying the Fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, according to Lepore.

"We would have done it anyway, but the directive report language specifically called out Guam, so that's in part why we're here," he added.

Conferences were scheduled for yesterday and today at the Guam Veterans Center at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., but were limited to veterans and not open to the general public. Lepore said this decision was made because the team is trying to find out what is known about where Agent Orange was used.

"Ultimately, to the extent that we identify locations where (Agent Orange) may have been used ... DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs would then have to decide what the correct course of actions is for taking care of anybody who may have experienced health effects," Lepore said.

'Trying to find answers'

Susan Quenga Olivares' family is among Guam residents seeking answers.

She said she has family members who worked on military properties and have since died from cancer. Her father worked at the public works center at the naval station from 1962 to 1990. He died about four years ago from cancer. Her uncle served in Vietnam and died from cancer in the 1970s. Her stepmother worked at Naval Hospital and also died of cancer.

While her father did receive some compensation in the '80s for asbestos exposure, Olivares wonders whether possible Agent Orange exposure also played a role in his death and the death of other family members who worked in military installations.

"I'm just trying to find answers," she said.

A final GAO report on its investigation is expected by May 2018.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-05 07:02:01

Absorb Software Inc. Announces Stephen Miller to Join as Sales Director, UK

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Absorb Software Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based learning and performance management software and analytics for corporations and higher education institutions, announced it has appointed Stephen Miller as Sales Director, UK. Stephen will be located in Absorbs new London office.

Absorb is thrilled to welcome Stephen as Sales Director, UK said Al Kinnear, Executive Director of Global Sales. Stephen will be responsible for the leadership of our sales efforts and developing new business opportunities for Absorb in the UK. Stephen is very well-known in the UK LMS and Learning industry with over 12 years of experience creating solutions to meet customer needs, and has a strong reputation for developing strong client relationships and marketing initiatives.

Stephen joins Absorb with experience across a range of authoring tools, LMS and bespoke content solutions, eLearning consultancy and sales management approaches, helping to advise and shape digital learning strategies for global organisations.

Across his career, Stephen has implemented LMS solutions, including large-scale roll outs for over 200 organisations across all industries, while managing LMS client revenues in excess of 3 million. Many of Absorb LMS existing UK and European clients have worked directly with Stephen or members of his teams under previous partnership roles, which makes his appointment a natural and exciting fit for Absorb and its clients.

On 31 January and 1 February 2018 Absorb Software will be in attendance at Learning Technologies taking place at the Olympia London event venue. Being my tenth year of attendance, I have never been more excited. We will be showcasing Absorbs growth in scale and pace of development with demonstrations of both our new learner experience and the Absorb LMS App says Stephen.

Stephen will be hosting the January webinar series which will introduce Absorbs stunning new learner experience, as well as the Absorb LMS App that is currently available on the Salesforce App Exchange. For more information, visit www.absorblms.com/webinars/

About Absorb Software Inc.

Absorb Software is a learning technology company based in Calgary with a subsidiary (Absorb Technology) located in Dublin, Ireland. Absorbs flagship product, Absorb LMS, is an industry leading and award-winning learning management system for businesses, higher education, and government/non-profit agencies around the world. Founded in 2003, the company employs over 130 employees.

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Argus Metals Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Argus Metals Corp. (TSX Venture:AML). has issued a press release with the following headline:Argus Metals Announces Change of Name to ePower Metals Inc. and Provides an Update on Its Option to Acquire the Panther Creek Cobalt Project in Idaho and Its $2,000,000 Private PlacementsTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Argus Metals Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Argus Metals Corp.Source: Argus Metals Corp. (TSX Venture: AML, OTC Bulletin Board: ARGXF, FWB: O4V2)Date: December 05, 2017Time: 9:00 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Argus Metals Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
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According to the report Asia Pacific Proteomics Market, published by Market Data Forecast, the market has been estimated at USD 2.51 billion in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 4.83 billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 14% during the forecast period from 2016 to 2021.The term proteome refers to the whole complement of proteins, including the modifications made to a specific set of proteins, produced by an animal or a cell framework. Proteomics refers to the complete comprehensive study of proteomes. Proteomics is used to find proteins which causes cancer and other biological illnesses. Proteomics involves a complete analysis of proteins in complex biological samples. It has evolved as an exciting but challenging discipline. The invention of Mass Spectrometry (MS) has revolutionized the study of proteomics. Continuous improvisation of MS instrumentation has enabled the researchers for better analysis of the proteome. The application of MS is not limited to proteome analysis but also extends to metabolites, lipids, carbohydrates, and metals, among others. One of the remarkable achievements in proteomics was combining liquid chromatography systems with MS.Proteomics is used to evaluate the rate of protein production, interaction of proteins with one another, involvement of proteins in metabolic pathways, and modification of proteins. In addition, it finds extensive applications in drug discovery, development of personalized medicines, and identification of markers for disease diagnosis, which has led to the stellar growth of the proteomics market in the past few years. With the increase in awareness regarding the benefits of personalized medicines, companies and government organizations have increased their R&D expenditure on the development of proteomics. As per the proteomics market research report, it is estimated that reagents segment will continue to lead the overall market during the forecast period.Get a comprehensive overview of the Asia Pacific Proteomics Market: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-proteomics-market-1997/ Asia Pacific Proteomics Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe growing incidence of target diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular is expected to be the major factor for the market growth. Increasing requirement for customized medicine, R&D use, technological advancements, and increased financing for proteomics ventures are some of the factors driving the Asia Pacific market. Customized therapies and medicines such as protein sequencing are under research for such diseases. The sudden climatic changes, unhealthy lifestyle, and low awareness about infectious diseases in the low-income countries foster the demand for better diagnosis of fatal diseases. However, decreasing funds in key markets, sequestration cuts in the U.S. and decreased assets for proteomics research, high cost of instruments and hardware, and lack of talented scientists are some of the major factors restraining the Asia Pacific market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Asia Pacific Proteomics Market. Request a sample to stay up-to-date on the main trends affecting this market: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-proteomics-market-1997/request-sample From simple data collation through secondary and primary research to ad-hoc research requests relating to specific information, we provide our services via customization. Get customization at http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-proteomics-market-1997/customize-report Asia Pacific Proteomics Market: OverviewProteomics is the study of the structure and functions of proteins that can be used in the drug discovery, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. A proteome is never constant as it differs from one cell to other with time. Large number of organizations invest in the R&D of proteomics to understand the metabolic pathway involved in the progression of disease and the development of novel molecules for its treatment and diagnosis. In addition, organizations such as National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) raise funds for various proteomics projects. For instance, in September 2016, NIH announced to fund research on Proteomics, Immunoassay for TB Activation in HIV Patients. In 2015, National Cancer Institute offered grants for Clinical Proteomic Tumour Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) program. The governments of European countries also take various initiatives to promote proteomics research. The European Unions Seventh Framework Programme supports proteomics research by funding a group of proteomics researchers from European institutes for the next four years. In Australia, with assistance from government funding, the R&D expenditure on proteomics is expected to increase by 58% in 2016.Asia Pacific Proteomics Market: Region-wise OutlookThe Asia Pacific region is geographically segmented into China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Asia Pacific is one of the most lucrative markets for the growth of Proteomics market and is projected to grow the highest during the forecast period. Factors such as growing demographics and emerging economies in countries such as India and China are anticipated to lead the growth of the market in this region. The Asia Pacific is growing at a CAGR of 14%.Key Questions Answered What is the current and future Proteomics market outlook in Asia-Pacific? What trends are affecting the Asia Pacific market? Market definition along with the identification of key drivers and restraints. Identification of factors instrumental in changing the market scenario, rising prospective opportunities, and identification of key companies that can influence this market on a regional scale. What is the competitive landscape and market share of major players in the Proteomics market in Asia-Pacific? What are the key market segments that currently occupy the highest market share? Which market segments are growing the fastest? What challenges are restraining the growth of the Proteomics market? How will emerging technologies answer these challenges? What is physician perception and market outlook of Proteomics?About Market Data Forecast:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, they cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. From all-encompassing umbrella markets to extremely specific niche markets covering all the major regions across the globe as part of the research scope, their research services offer one of a kind specialities with competitive pricing options. For more information, kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit Market Data Forecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases
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According to the report Global Cardiac Assist Devices Market, published by Market Data Forecast, the global market is projected to reach USD 1988.8 Million by 2020, at a CAGR of 8.43% from 2016 to 2021.Globally, there are around 25 million cases of Heart failure. The scarcity of donor organs to meet the demands has steered to the development of Cardiac Assist Devices. These are sort of mechanical pumps that work laterally with the heart to enhance its pumping efficiency and uphold the optimum blood flow throughout the body. These devices are employed in patients suffering from End-Stage Congestive Heart Failure, where the chances of survival through medications alone is minimal. Various pipeline products are going through clinical trials in order to provide vigorous clinical data on the safety and efficacy of the devices. The launch and approval of novel technologically advanced products will further increase the demand for cardiac assist devices in the future.For Full Report refer to: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-cardiac-assist-devices-market-25/ Thoratec Corporation is the leading provider of Ventricular Assist Devices, which controls nearly half of the European Market. It also occupies the prime position in the US market accounting for 75% of the market. MAQUET GmbH & Co occupies the second position with dominance on about 15% of the market. Thoratec Corporation and Berlin Heart are the prominent players in the VAD segment whereas Teleflex and MAQUET are dominant players in the Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps (IABP) segment. SynCardia is the foremost company to provide the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Total Artificial Heart (TAH).The factors influencing the Global Market for Cardiac Assist Devices Market, either positively or negatively are presented in the DROC analysis. Some of the things discussed in the section are Rise in global aging population, upsurge in occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, technological advancements and availability of more efficient and minimally invasive devices in future are driving the global cardiac assist devices market. Furthermore, lack of donor hearts for transplantation is also driving the cardiac assist devices implantations in patients with severe heart complications, thereby increasing the market opportunities.Free Sample for report: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-cardiac-assist-devices-market-25/request-sample For granular level understanding the global Cardiac Assist Devices Market is segmented based on the following categories with Market Size Estimations and Y-o-Y Forecasts presented for each sub-segment.By Type: Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD)Right Ventricular Assist Device (RVAD)Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)Bi-Ventricular Assist Device (Bi-VAD)External Ventricular Assist Devices Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps (IABP) Total Artificial Heart (TAH)Customized report URL: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-cardiac-assist-devices-market-25/customize-report In addition, on the basis of geography the market is analysed under various regions namely, North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia- Pacific, Middle-east & Africa. North America accounts for the major share in the Global cardiac assist devices, with highest prevalent cases with heart failure. And high patient awareness, technological development, and reimbursements for cardiac assist devices implantation procedures are also helping the market growth in this region. It is followed by Europe, with the second largest market.For more of regional analysis check out the following reports. North America Cardiac Assist Devices Market Europe Cardiac Assist Devices Market Asia-Pacific Cardiac Assist Devices Market Latin America Cardiac Assist Devices Market Middle East and Africa Cardiac Assist Devices MarketThoratec Corporation and Berlin Heart are the prominent players in the VAD segment whereas Teleflex and MAQUET are dominant players in the Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps (IABP) segment. SynCardia is the foremost company to provide the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Total Artificial Heart (TAH).Some other major players on the market include Teleflex Incorporated, Berlin Heart GmbH, Abiomed, Inc., HeartWare International, Jarvik Heart, Inc. and Terumo Corporation. BiVacor Pty Ltd, Braile Biomedica Ltd., Calon Cardio-Technology Ltd., CardiacAssist, Inc., CardioBridge GmbH, Carmat SAS, Cleveland Heart, Inc., CorAssist Cardiovascular Ltd., Evaheart Medical USA, Inc., Leviticus Cardio Ltd., MyoCardioCare, Inc., SynCardia Systems, Inc., Windmill Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.The Global Cardiac Assist Devices Market study offers the following deliverables: Global, regional and country-level analysis and forecasts of the study market; providing Insights on the geographical areas in which this industry is blooming Segment-level analysis on basis of product type, application, colour along with market size forecasts and y-o-y estimations to detect key areas of industry growth in detail Identification of key drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges (DROC) in the market and their impact on shifting market dynamics Study of macro and micro environmental factors that effect the global market presented in an extensive strategic analyses section containing PESTLE and Porters Five Forces Analyses A comprehensive listing of key market players along with company overview, product portfolios, key financial information (subjected to availability), SWOT analysis and analyst overview to study and sustain the market environment Competitive landscape analysis listing out the mergers, acquisitions, collaborations in the field along with new product launches, comparative financial studies and recent developments in the market by the major companies Expertly devised Market Outlook along with Investment opportunities to provide both individuals and organizations a strong financial foothold in the marketBuy Now: https://www.marketdataforecast.com/cart/buy-now/global-cardiac-assist-devices-market-25 About Market Data Forecast:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, they cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. From all-encompassing umbrella markets to extremely specific niche markets covering all the major regions across the globe as part of the research scope, their research services offer one of a kind specialities with competitive pricing options. For more info kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com Visit MarketDataForecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases
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Broadens Capital Base & Accelerates Education Operation Business DevelopmentHONG KONG, Dec 5, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - China First Capital Group Limited ("CFCG" or the "Group"; stock code: 1269), announced today that the Group has entered into the Subscription Agreement with Champion Sense Global Limited (the "Investor"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Huarong International Financial Holdings Limited to issue Convertible Bonds worth up to HK$800 million.According to the Agreement, the Investor has conditionally agreed to subscribe convertible bonds at the initial Conversion Price of HK$3.27 per share, amounting in all up to HK$800 million. The amount represents approximately 5.12% of the existing issued share capital of the Group. CFCG intends to use the net proceeds from the Convertible Bonds issuance for the development of its education operation business and financial services business including investment in educational institutions and projects, launch of educational consultancy and management services, acquisition of overseas financial service licences, and expansion of the scope and scale of service of its existing financial service business.Huarong's interest in making an investment into the Group reflects its confidence in the Group's business and growth potential. The directors of CFCG (including the independent nonexecutive directors) are of the view that the raising of funds by the issue of the Convertible Bonds is fair and reasonable having considered the recent market conditions which represent an opportunity for CFCG to enhance its working capital, strengthen its capital base and financial position and broaden its shareholders' base.Dr. Wilson Sea, Chairman and Executive Director of CFCG, said, "We are happy to have earned the trust and support of the Investor. The funds raised can help enhance the Group's capital base and speed up development especially of its education operation business and financial services. Building on the Group's industry leadership and the funds to be secured, we will continue to optimize our development prospects and actively implement set business strategies, taking advantage of the favourable national education policies to capture market opportunities. In addition, we will continue to consolidate our advantages from owning various financial service licenses and diligently implement our 'Education Operation plus Financial Services' dual-pronged approach to grasp opportunities in and outside China, and realize the goals of driving growth of the Group and generating satisfactory returns for shareholders." About China First Capital Group (stock code: 1269)China First Capital Group focuses on consolidating education industry operation and our advantages from owning various financial service licenses. Through the coordination of financial services businesses, the Group strives to establish an operation, investment and financing platform for education business guided by its "Education Operation plus Financial Services" dual-pronged strategy, with the expectation of the education investment business to be the key driver of the Group's focus. Currently, the Group wholly owns First Capital Securities Limited (with a license for Type 1 and 4 SFC-regulated activities), First Capital Asset Management Limited (with licenses for Type 1, 4, and 9 SFC-regulated activities), First Capital International Finance Limited (with a license for Type 6 SFC-regulated activities), First Capital Finance Limited and First Capital International Holdings Limited. Thus the Group provides services such as dealing in securities, asset management, merger and acquisition, financial consultancy, credit financing and immigration financial services. First Capital Fund Management Company Limited, the subsidiary of the Group, focuses on exploring and investing in excellent educational projects in coordination of the financial services business, and is dedicated to advance the Company to become a well-known international education brand. For more information about CFCG, please visit the website: www.cfcg.com.hk Topic: Press release summarySectors: Daily Finance, Daily NewsFrom the Asia Corporate News NetworkCopyright  2017 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.
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According to the report Europe Proteomics Market, published by Market Data Forecast, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.2% and reach USD 5.12 billion in 2021 from USD 3.01 billion in 2016.Proteomics is the study of the structure and functions of proteins that can be used in the drug discovery, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. A proteome is never constant as it differs from one cell to other with time.Proteomics is used to evaluate the rate of protein production, interaction of proteins with one another, involvement of proteins in metabolic pathways, and modification of proteins. In addition, it finds extensive applications in drug discovery, development of personalized medicines, and identification of markers for disease diagnosis, which has led to the stellar growth of the proteomics market in the past few years. With the increase in awareness regarding the benefits of personalized medicines, companies and government organizations have increased their R&D expenditure on the development of proteomics. As per the proteomics market research report, it is estimated that reagents segment will continue to lead the overall market during the forecast period.Personalized medicine is a new and better approach to healthcare based on each person's unique genetic makeup. In personalized medicine, diagnostic testing is often employed to select appropriate and optimal therapies based on the context of a patients genetic content or other molecular & cellular analysis. Personalized medicine finds extensive applications in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Proteomics is an emerging field that can make unique contributions to the field of personalized medicines.Get a comprehensive overview of the Europe Proteomics Market: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-proteomics-market-1996/ Europe Proteomics Market: Drivers & RestraintsIncreasing requirement for customized medicine, R&D use, technological advancements, and increased financing for proteomics ventures are some of the factors driving the market. However, decreasing funds in key markets, sequestration cuts in the U.S. and decreased assets for proteomics research, high cost of instruments and hardware, and lack of talented scientists are some of the major factors restraining the market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Europe Proteomics Market. Request a sample to stay up-to-date on the main trends affecting this market: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-proteomics-market-1996/request-sample From simple data collation through secondary and primary research to ad-hoc research requests relating to specific information, we provide our services via customization. Get customization at http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-proteomics-market-1996/customize-report Europe Proteomics Market: OverviewProteomics is the study of the structure and functions of proteins that can be used in the drug discovery, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. A proteome is never constant as it differs from one cell to other with time. Large number of organizations invest in the R&D of proteomics to understand the metabolic pathway involved in the progression of disease and the development of novel molecules for its treatment and diagnosis. In addition, organizations such as National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) raise funds for various proteomics projects. For instance, in September 2016, NIH announced to fund research on Proteomics, Immunoassay for TB Activation in HIV Patients.In 2015, National Cancer Institute offered grants for Clinical Proteomic Tumour Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) program. The governments of European countries also take various initiatives to promote proteomics research. The European Unions Seventh Framework Programme supports proteomics research by funding a group of proteomics researchers from European institutes for the next four years. In Australia, with assistance from government funding, the R&D expenditure on proteomics is expected to increase by 58% in 2016.Europe Proteomics Market: Region-wise OutlookThe Europe market has been geographically segmented into Germany, U.K, France, Spain, and Italy. In Europe, Germany leads the Proteomics market, followed by France and U.K. The market in this region is projected to grow strongly during the forecast period due to various factors such as growing awareness about Proteomics, financial strength to procure expensive tools, and favourable reimbursement policies.Key Questions Answered What is the current and future Proteomics market outlook in Europe? What trends are affecting the Europe market? Market definition along with the identification of key drivers and restraints. Identification of factors instrumental in changing the market scenario, rising prospective opportunities, and identification of key companies that can influence this market on a regional scale. What is the competitive landscape and market share of major players in the Proteomics market in Europe? What are the key market segments that currently occupy the highest market share? Which market segments are growing the fastest? What challenges are restraining the growth of the Proteomics market? How will emerging technologies answer these challenges? What is physician perception and market outlook of Proteomics?About Market Data Forecast:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, they cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. From all-encompassing umbrella markets to extremely specific niche markets covering all the major regions across the globe as part of the research scope, their research services offer one of a kind specialities with competitive pricing options. For more information, kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit Market Data Forecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Eviana Health Corporation--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Eviana Health Corporation (CSE:EHC). has issued a press release with the following headline:Eviana Provides Update on Harvest and Herb ProcessingTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Eviana Health Corporation, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Eviana Health CorporationSource: Eviana Health Corporation (CSE: EHC)Date: December 05, 2017Time: 9:00 AM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Eviana Health Corporation and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
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Sleeping pods are enclosed beds, or state-of-the-art chair that converts into a sleeping pod with a fold-flat bed, which are used by passengers during layover at airports. These sleeping pods offer facilities such as Wi-Fi, television, and minimum requisite space for a human body resting. Increasing government investment for offering passenger-friendly facilities at airports is one of the major factors for growth of the global airport sleeping pods market. For example: in 2016, the Indian government announced plans to invest US$ 120 Bn for infrastructure development of airports. Most governments focus on allotting space for sleeping pods in airports to private parties who handle the installation and maintenance of pods. Also, rising numbers of air passengers plays a key role for growth of the global airport sleeping pods market. The Federal Aviation Administration Aerospace forecast, in 2017, around 229 million passengers are estimated to travel by flight in the U.S., up from 218 million passengers in 2016.Rising capsules hotels at airports is one of the major trends for growth of the global airport sleeping pods market. Capsules hotels are small box type hotels, which provide facilities such as Wi-Fi connectivity, electric components, television, and other facilities. Increasing demand for hotels or waiting rooms at airports have accelerated demand for capsules hotels.Request Sample Copy of this Report  https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/1022 Moreover, some of the major challenges, which are adversely affecting growth of the airport sleeping pods market are high product costs, high maintenance costs, and adherence to stringent regulations regarding electrical components.Airport Sleeping Pods Market TaxonomyOn the basis of product type, the global airport sleeping pods market is classified into:Single occupancy sleeping podsShared occupancy sleeping podsOn the basis of End-users, the global airport sleeping pods market is classified into:ChildrenAdultNorth America airport sleeping pods market is projected to retain its dominance in the global airport sleeping pods market.On the basis of geography, the global airport sleeping pods market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. North America was the leading region in the global airport sleeping pods market in 2016, in terms of market share and is projected to retain its dominance over the forecasted period. Increasing number of air passengers is a major factor, driving growth of the market in North America. For instance, according to Federal Aviation Administration, by 2021 around 262 million passengers are estimated to travel by flight in the U.S. In addition to this, large number of airports in the U.S. have also accelerated adoption of this product. According to the United States Department of Transportation, in 2016, the number of airports in the U.S. was around 19,536 airports.Asia Pacific market is projected to register the highest growth rate over the forecast period, with India, China, and Japan being the major growth engines. Rising smart city projects, and increasing number of aero plane passengers in emerging economies are some of the major factors driving growth of the market in Asia Pacific. For example: according to Directorate General of Civil Aviation India, in January 2016, the passengers carried by domestic airlines was 7.65 Mn up from 6.24 Mn in 2016. Moreover, increasing travel and tourism industry in Asia Pacific further fuels demand for capsules hotels at airports, which fuels growth of the sleeping pods market in this region. For instance: according to India Brand Equity Foundation, direct contribution of tourism and hospitality industry to GDP is US$ 72 Bn in 2016 and is projected to reach US$ 178 Bn by 2027.Key industry participants are focusing on strategic initiatives such as collaborations with government bodies, offering better facilities in sleeping pods, and others to increase its market share. For instance, in 2013, government of Abu Dhabi announced installation of GoSleep sleeping pods, which enables passengers to rest in a private and secure environment at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Also, in 2017, SleepBox launched a cozy luxury sleep pods with features such as drop-down desk, Bluetooth-enabled speakers, Wi-Fi, and electrical outlets.Some of the major companies in the global airport sleeping pods market include GoSleep, Sleepbox, SnoozeCube, and MetroNaps.For More Information  https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/airport-sleeping-pods-market-1022 About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@ coherentmarketinsights.com
Middle East and Africa Advanced Visualization Market was worth $ 0.15 billion in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 9.483%, to reach $ 0.24 billion by 2021.

Advanced Visualization Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-05 13:22:44

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Advanced Visualization (AV) refers to 3D and 4D viewing and analysis software for postprocessing of images in the body from imaging apparatus. The healthcare systems across the world issuing imaging scans, there is a huge need for Advanced visualization (AV) solutions that enable clinicians to efficiently visualize and analyse examination results.View Full Report @ http://marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-advanced-visualization-market-2899/ Advanced visualization solutions play a vital role in healthcare organizations as they are used in several imaging modalities as well as clinical areas and are widely adopted in hospitals and diagnostic centres. AV systems include hardware and software applications used in advanced 3D or 4D processing of data acquired by CT, MRI, PET, conventional nuclear medicine and ultrasound.Free sample of the report is available @ http://marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-advanced-visualization-market-2899/request-sample The market over the world is witnessing growth due to factors such as technological advancements in Advanced Visualization software such as integration of PACS & AV tools, improved diagnostic interpretation with AV tools, rising frequency of target diseases, and rising demand for advanced diagnostic procedures. However, some factors may restrain the market growth such as limited medical reimbursements, technical limitations related with present advanced visualization analysis.Inquire before buying @ http://marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/middle-east-and-africa-advanced-visualization-market-2899/inquire The Advanced visualization market is broadly categorised by Product and Services, by Solution, Imaging Modality, by Clinical Application, by End user. Product and services is further segmented by Hardware, Software and services. Solution is segmented into enterprise-wide thin client-based solutions and stand-alone workstation-based solutions. Imaging Modality is segmented into Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Ultrasound, Radiotherapy (RT), Nuclear Medicine, Others (PET and SPECT). Clinical application is segmented into Radiology, Orthopedics, Cardiac, Neurology, Oncology, Vascular, Neurology and Others. End user is further segmented to Hospitals and Surgical Centres, Imaging Centres, Academic and Research Centres and Others.The market has been geologically divided into Middle East and Africa. The private companies play a key role in funding the healthcare sector in Africa, with more than 50% of the investment being undertaken by them. The Advanced Visualization market is growing slowly because of many problems the region faces, in terms of battles and also, the unstable economy. However, countries like the USA, China and UK are investing in the region and this increased financial revenue will aid the healthcare sectors in this region. The Middle East and Africa has a share of 8% of the Global Visualization market.Some of the major companies dominating the market, by their products and services include General Electric Company (U.S.), Canon Inc, Siemens AG (Germany), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), Fujifilm Holdings Corporation (Japan), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Terarecon, Inc. (U.S.), Carestream Health, Inc. (U.S.), Pro Medicus Limited (Australia), Ziosoft (Japan), Agfa-Geveart N.V. (Belgium), and Qi Imaging, LLC (U.S.).Scope of the Report Regional and country-level analysis and forecasts of the study market; providing Insights on the major countries/regions in which this industry is blooming and to also identify the regions that are still untapped Segment-level analysis in terms of technology, component, and type along with market size forecasts and estimations to detect key areas of industry growth in detail Identification of key drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges (DROC) in the market and their impact on shifting market dynamics Study of the effect of exogenous and endogenous factors that affect the global market; which includes broadly demographic, economics, and political, among other macro-environmental factors presented in an extensive PESTLE Analysis Study the micro environment factors that determine the overall profitability of an Industry, using Porters five forces analysis for analysing the level of competition and business strategy development A comprehensive list of key market players along with their product portfolio, current strategic interests, key financial information, legal issues, SWOT analysis and analyst overview to study and sustain the market environment Competitive landscape analysis listing out the mergers, acquisitions, collaborations in the field along with new product launches, comparative financial studies and recent developments in the market by the major companies An executive summary, abridging the entire report in such a way that decision-making personnel can rapidly become acquainted with background information, concise analysis and main conclusions Expertly devised analyst overview along with Investment opportunities to provide both individuals and organizations a strong financial foothold in the marketAbout Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and sksillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for New Age Farm Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - New Age Farm Inc. (CSE:NF). has issued a press release with the following headline:New Age Farm Issues SecuritiesTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on New Age Farm Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/New Age Farm Inc.Source: New Age Farm Inc. (CSE: NF, FWB: ONF, OTC Pink: NWGFF, WKN: A12C9F, ISIN: CA64157D1087)Date: December 04, 2017Time: 11:20 PM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of New Age Farm Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
"Browse And Choose From Our World Class Research Reports"

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The North America Controlled Release Fertilizers Market was worth $816 million in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 5.25%, to reach $1053.9 million by 2021. North America is the leading market for controlled release fertilizers market.Controlled release fertilizers efficiently rise the nutrient accessibility for the plant by decreasing the nutrient loss to environment. They either gradually release the nutrients or transform them to different forms for loss reduction. Controlled release fertilizers cover the major share of enhanced efficiency fertilizers.To view full report: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-controlled-release-fertilizers-market-966/ The advantages offered by controlled-release fertilizers to surge the efficacy of crop production, easiness of application, condensed application cost, environment-friendly properties, reduction in arable land have led to the growth of controlled-release fertilizers market. The growing food security issues always rise challenges for the fertilizer industry to deliver improvised and effective product. The complex production process is a major restraint for the North America controlled release fertilizers market.North America market for controlled release fertilizers is segmented by type into Chemical Condensation Products, Coated and Encapsulated Fertilizers, Nitrogen Stabilizers and Other Controlled Release Fertilizers. Based on application the controlled release fertilizers market is segregated into crop based and non-crop based fertilizers. Crop based fertilizers are further divided into Grains & Cereals, Oil seeds and Fruits & Vegetables. While non-crop based fertilizers are bifurcated into Turf & Ornamental Grass and other non-crop based fertilizers. Crop based controlled release fertilizers segment is expected to increase at highest rate due to increase in demand for crops because of increase in population.Free sample of the report is available at: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-controlled-release-fertilizers-market-966/request-sample Geographically the North America market is segmented into USA and Canada. United States is the leader in production of cereals and grains which also increases the demand for fertilizers.The global market for controlled release fertilizers is described with strong competition with the large number of big and small players. The Chisso Corporation, Shandong Shikefeng Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., Kingenta Ecological Engineering Group Co. Ltd., Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Agrium, Yara International, Israel Chemicals Ltd. (Israel), Compo GmbH Co., Sociedad Quimica Y Minera S.A. and Haifa Chemicals Limited are some of the big players in controlled release fertilizer industry.About Market Data Forecast:The publisher of this report is Market Data Forecast whose forte lies in Market research and Business Intelligence. Handling both individual and corporate clients across multiple business domains they offer syndicated/customized research to suit the clients research objective. Their research reports section offers a wide variety of market studies ranging from all-encompassing comprehensive market studies to product specific niche markets covering North America among other regions of the global market as well. For more info kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit MarketDataForecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases
Spine Biologics Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-05 12:10:43

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Spine biologics are used during spine fusion surgery for the treatment of spinal deformities such as trauma, tumors, degenerative disc disease, and spinal cord injuries by stimulating bone growth formation through inflammatory stage, repair stage, and remodeling stage. Therefore, surge in the number of spinal fusion surgeries have fueled the adoption of biologics.View Full Report @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-spine-biologics-market-4276/ Spine Biologics market is growing due to advancement in technology as well as demand for better minimally surgical procedures which make it more convenient for both the patient and doctor. A rise in prevalence of diseases due to aging population, increased government funding, is driving the market in most regions. Biologics help in faster recovery and activate cellular growth. The biggest restrain in the market is the healthcare cost for such procedures and the substitute product available. There is a lack of expert professionals and unfavourable reimbursement scenario.Free sample of the report is available @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-spine-biologics-market-4276/request-sample North America Spine Biologics Market is broadly categorized into surgery type and product type. By surgery type the market is segmented into Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion , Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion, Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion, Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion, Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion, Others. Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion contributed to a a large share in the market. By product type the market is classified into bone graft, bone graft substitutes, platelet rich plasma and bone marrow aspirate therapy. The bone grafts substitutes segment accounted for a major share of the market. On the basis of geography, the market is analysed under various regions namely U.S.A and Canada. The Spine Biologics market was dominated by North America followed by Europe. The North American spine biologics market is experiencing significant growth in the region as a result of the growing population, awareness of newly developed technologies, increased per capita income of the hospitals and the people, improved medical literacy.Inquire before buying @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-spine-biologics-market-4276/inquire The major companies profiled in the report include Alphatec Holdings, Inc., Depuy Synthes (Johnson & Johnson), Exactech, Inc., Globus Medical, Inc., Medtronic plc, NuVasive, Inc., Orthofix International N.V., RTI Surgical, Inc., SeaSpine, and Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.Scope of the Report Regional and country-level analysis and forecasts of the study market; providing Insights on the major countries/regions in which this industry is blooming and to also identify the regions that are still untapped Segment-level analysis in terms of technology, component, and type along with market size forecasts and estimations to detect key areas of industry growth in detail Identification of key drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges (DROC) in the market and their impact on shifting market dynamics Study of the effect of exogenous and endogenous factors that affect the global market; which includes broadly demographic, economics, and political, among other macro-environmental factors presented in an extensive PESTLE Analysis Study the micro environment factors that determine the overall profitability of an Industry, using Porters five forces analysis for analysing the level of competition and business strategy development A comprehensive list of key market players along with their product portfolio, current strategic interests, key financial information, legal issues, SWOT analysis and analyst overview to study and sustain the market environment Competitive landscape analysis listing out the mergers, acquisitions, collaborations in the field along with new product launches, comparative financial studies and recent developments in the market by the major companies An executive summary, abridging the entire report in such a way that decision-making personnel can rapidly become acquainted with background information, concise analysis and main conclusions Expertly devised analyst overview along with Investment opportunities to provide both individuals and organizations a strong financial foothold in the marketAbout Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and sksillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.
Smart Pills Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-05 08:43:21

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Smart pills can be used to monitor the drug adherence, temperature and some other parameters in the patients. Smart pills are ingestible medical devices that can be taken orally to examine the gastrointestinal tract (GI).The advanced technology of smart pills helps in monitoring of patients, disease diagnosis, and help to improve the drug delivery. This might help physicians to monitor the patients conditions, and to check the timely routine of patients medication. The smart pills may alert about the expiry date of medicines, drug completion course and prevent from adverse events. These are expected to replace conventional diagnostic techniques such as endoscopy and colonoscopy. The need for convenient, and accurate treatment strategies has generated the interest in the research of smart pills.The increasing number of gastro-intestinal diseased population to drive the smart pills marketIncreasing geriatric population creates a large target group for smart pills manufacturers. This demographic group is highly susceptible to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The market has wide scope in the monitoring and diagnosis of the diseases. According to World Health organization (WHO) 50% of people forget to take pills or take wrong medication which will be dangerous for their health, the new smart pills technology is helping in monitoring this conditions. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 1 million people suffered from IBD in the U.S. in 2015. The changing lifestyles, low intake of fibers in the food, stress, food intolerance and allergies are causing the increasing number of gastrointestinal diseases. To cure this disease, conventional methods do not provide accurate results. Need for accurate diagnosis and monitoring for this diseases are some of the major factors driving the smart pills market.Though the adaptability in the patients and to customize the product according to consumer needs will be some of the causes which might slowdown the smart pills market.Request For Sample Copy@The global smart pills market is segmented on the basis of applications, disease indication and geographyOn the basis of application,Capsule Endoscopy,Small-bowl Video Capsule Endoscopy,Colon Capsule Endoscopy,OMOM Capsule Endoscopy,Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy,Controllable Capsule Endoscopy,Storable Capsule Endoscope,Colon Capsule Endoscope,pH Capsule Wireless Monitoring System,Impedance-pH Monitoring System,MiroCam,Upgraded MiroCam,Advanced Capsule Endoscope,OthersOn the basis of disease indications,Occult GI Bleeding,Crohns Disease,Small Bowel Tumors,Celiac Disease,Inherited Polyposis SyndromesThe increasing healthcare awareness and early adoption to novel technologies driving the smart pills market in EuropeRegional segmentation of smart pills market by Coherent Market Insights comprises North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. North America and Europe collectively dominate the market. The adoption of these regions for novel technologies which is essential for the smart pills market, new marketing and commercialization strategies, large patient population are some of the causes driving this market in North America and Europe. The Asia Pacific region is one of the growing market however, increasing healthcare awareness, training in endoscope handling, growing predominance of colon cancer and intestinal infections, and major corporate investments in research and development in Japan and other Asian countries would help boost the smart pills market. The development of novel technologies and partnership between companies helping to boost growth in the smart pills marketThe key players operating the smart pills market globally are Boston Scientific Corporation, Olympus Medical Technology, Smart Pill Inc, Medtronic, Philips Healthcare, Given Imaging Ltd and Novartis, Siemens Healthcare, Pentax Medical Company, GE Healthcare, Stryker Corporation.Get More Details On this Report:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@ coherentmarketinsights.com Visit Coherent Market Insights Blog @ https://blog.coherentmarketinsights.com Connect with us on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/company/coherent-market-insights
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Synstream Energy Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Calgary, Alberta (FSCWire) - Synstream Energy Corp. (TSX Venture:SHM). has issued a press release with the following headline:Synstream Energy Corp. Announces Termination of Non-Binding Letter of IntentTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Synstream Energy Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Synstream Energy Corp.Source: Synstream Energy Corp. (TSX Venture: SHM)Date: December 04, 2017Time: 11:23 PM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Synstream Energy Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Increase in research activities for new vaccines and availability of funds for the same could be the key growth factor of vaccine contract manufacturing market

Vaccine Contract Manufacturing Market

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Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies are focusing more on their respective core strengths to manage the rising price pressure. Thus, the demand for contract manufacturing is increasing. However, vaccine manufacturing is a complex venture, in which safety, effectivity, and consistency are the most challenging part for the manufacturers. It offer many services that include production process, construction and operation of manufacturing product, cell line development, fermentation, process optimization, and analytical characterization, which fuels growth of the global vaccine contract manufacturing market.Global Vaccine Contract Manufacturing Market Taxonomy:On the basis of service type, vaccine type, and product type, the global vaccine contract manufacturing market is segmented into,By Service Type:Fill-Finish,Bulk product,.By Vaccine Type:Subunit Vaccines,Live Attenuated Vaccines,Conjugate Vaccines,Inactivated Vaccines,Recombinant Vector Vaccines,Toxoid Vaccines,Synthetic Vaccines,.By Product Type:Single Vaccine,Ebola Virus,Influenza Virus,Smallpox,Chickenpox,Tetanus,Polio,Tuberculosis,Others,Combination Vaccine,.Request to download and view Sample Report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/1083 Increase in research activities for new vaccines and availability of funds for the same could be the key growth factor of vaccine contract manufacturing marketSoligenix Inc. received a fund of around US$ 2.5 million for the contract of bioterror vaccine from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in August 2017. The fund is granted for good manufacturing practices (GMP) of RiVax bulk drug substances and finished drug manufacturing to conduct future preclinical, clinical, and efficacy studies. Soligenix is aiming to develop advanced Soligenixs thermostabilization technology (ThermoVax) in combination with ricin toxin vaccine candidate  RiVax. The studies are conducting to prevent the effects of ricin exposure.Colorado State Universitys (CSU) vaccine manufacturing facility, BioMARK, is developing a vaccine against a mosquito borne viral pathogen, which causes Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE). The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has funded around US$ 3 million to BioMARK for the development of this vaccine The purpose of this vaccine is to protect U.S. soldiers from fatal mosquito-borne pathogen. However, CSU is a subcontractor in vaccine project of Battelle and DoDs Medical Countermeasure Systems Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program. CSU is determined to develop vaccine against aerosolized viruses to protect U.S. soldiers.Emergent BioSolutions agreed to sign a contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the manufacturing of BioThrax anthrax vaccine in 2016. According to the contract, Emergent will supply over 29 million doses of BioThrax anthrax vaccine in five years period of worth around US$ 911 million. Moreover, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority planned to order more Bio Thrax worth US$ 100 million. This would further augment growth of the global vaccine contract manufacturing market in the near future.Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation (MMRF)  subsidiary of the Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc.  decided to enter a contract with Goodwin Biotechnology Inc., in March 2017, to develop and manufacture two vaccines to treat opioid. The research is funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse for next three years (2017 to 2019) grant to MMRF.Request a Customization: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/1083 Bavarian Nordic A/S has received a source contract from Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for the manufacturing and storage of freeze-dried IMVAMUNE smallpox vaccine in September 2017. According to the contract, Bavarian will provide services for clinical development, regulatory commitments, establishment, and validation of fill-finish activities for manufacturing of the product.In September 2017, Thomas Jefferson University received contract of around US$ 2.6 million from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to prepare and test vaccine formulation against Ebola, Sudan, Marburg, and Lassa fever viruses. This would be the first tetravalent vaccine to enhance protection against four hemorrhagic fever viruses, which has high mortality rate by damaging blood vessels and cause internal bleeding.Increasing prevalence of various viral and bacterial infections is expected to fuel growth of the marketAccording to World Health Organization (WHO), in 2016, around three to five million cases were recorded with severe illness and around 250,000 to 500,000 deaths were estimated due to influenza worldwide.In 1952, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with the World Health Organizations (WHO), under the program  Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS). The GISRS network consist of around 142 National Influenza Centers (NICS) worldwide, which are conducting influenza surveillance and viral trends in 112 countries. The study helps in research and analysis of influenza pattern and may contribute to develop candidate vaccines. This in turn, fuels growth of the vaccine contract manufacturing market.The key players operating in the global vaccine contract manufacturing market include Soligenix Inc., Bavarian Nordic A/S, Goodwin Biotechnology Inc., BioMARK, Emergent BioSolutions, Catalent Biologics, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Thomas Jefferson University, and Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation (MMRF).Complete Report Details @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/vaccine-contract-manufacturing-market-1083 About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@ coherentmarketinsights.com Visit our news Website: http://www.coherentnews.com
The son of Yemeni ex-president Ali Saleh, who was killed by the armed Houthi movement after switching sides in the civil war, called for revenge against the Iran-aligned group on Tuesday.

It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the report by the Saudi-owned al-Ekbariya TV which quoted Ahmed Saleh as saying.

I will lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen  the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran, Ahmed was quoted as saying.

He called for his fathers backers to take back Yemen from the Iranian Houthi militias.

The veteran former leader was killed in a shooting attack on Monday after switching sides, abandoning his Houthi allies in favour of a Saudi-led alliance.

Salehs death deepens the complexity of the multi-sided war.

Much depends on the future allegiances of his loyalists.

The Saudi-led coalition was counting on him to give them an edge in the conflict.

Saleh had a wide following in Yemen, including army officers and armed tribal leaders who once served under him, and his supporters may still be able to have some impact on the war.

Ahmed Ali has lived under house arrest in the United Arab Emirates, where he once served as ambassador before it joined ally Saudi Arabia to make war on the Houthis, who until this week had ruled much of Yemen together with Saleh.

Political sources say he had been held incommunicado and under guard at a villa in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi.

His reported first public statement may indicate that his former enemies in the coalition are unleashing him against the Houthis.

The UAE is a key member of the mostly Gulf Arab alliance that sees the Houthis as a proxy of their arch-enemy Iran but had struggled to make gains against the Houthi-Saleh alliance despite thousands of air strikes backed by U.S. and Western arms and intelligence.

Ahmed Ali, the powerful former military commander of Yemens elite Republican Guards, appeared to have been groomed to succeed his father, and he may be the familys last chance to win back influence.

The whereabouts of Salehs other key relatives, who had led six days of street battles against the Houthis in the capital Sanaa before their rout on Monday, were unknown.

Residents reported that fighting had subsided but that Saudi-led coalition jets pounded several targets, including the downtown presidential palace where a governing body led by Houthi-Saleh politicians had regularly convened.

The Houthi leader, Abdul Al-Houthi, hailed Salehs death in a speech on Monday as a victory against a treasonous conspiracy by Yemens Saudi enemies and called for a mass rally on Tuesday at a parade ground near the site of the air strikes. (Reuters/NAN)
The Rivers State Government has bought new SUVs  Toyota Land Cruisers  worth hundreds of millions of naira for the 16 National Assembly members from the state, despite the fact that the state is owing retired civil servants their pensions and gratuities for over three years now.

Three of the vehicles are said to be for the senators, while 13 are for the House of Representatives members.

The State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday, released the vehicles in Port Harcourt to two federal lawmakers who were around, according to a Government House press statement.

The two lawmakers are Betty Apiafi and Bari Mpigi. Both are members of the House of Representatives.

This is from the Government of Rivers State which you are part of, Mr. Wike was quoted to have said, as he gave out the new vehicles. This is to aid you to carry out your official functions in Abuja.

Defend the interest of the state wherever you are, he said

Mr. Wike said the vehicles were for all members of the National Assembly, irrespective of party affiliation.

By PREMIUM TIMESs calculation, the cost of the 16 vehicles should be more than N484.720 million, going by the unit price of $83,665 for a Toyota Land Cruiser in the U.S.

The N484.720 million does not include other costs such as customs duties and clearing cost.

The lawmakers from Rivers, like other federal lawmakers, are entitled to and had received their official vehicles from the National Assembly, Abuja.

Besides, the purchase of the vehicles is coming at a time that Rivers, like most other states in Nigeria, is facing an economic crisis due to the slump in oil prices.

President Muhammadu Buhari a few days ago ordered that more money from the Paris Club refund be released to the states, including Rivers, before Christmas to help ease their financial hardship.

Meanwhile, the Rivers government appears unable to meet its financial obligations to some of its retired civil servants whose main source of income ought to be their pension.

Edward Abibo, the state Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners in Rivers, told PREMIUM TIMES, Monday, that over 1,850 retired civil servants in the state were yet to be accommodated in the state pension payroll for more than three years now, even when, according to him, they went through screening during the state biometric verification exercise.

He also said that the state government for 15 years now hasnt done an upward review of the pensioners monthly take-home.

An average pensioner collects less than N5,000 monthly from the Rivers State Government, he said.

Rivers State Government has remained silent over the Paris Club refund which was meant to help them clear the entitlements of pensioners in the state.

Our governor has refused to make any comment about the money he has received.

Those on the contributory pension scheme are also suffering because the state government has refused to contribute its counterpart funds totaling about N30 billion to the pension funds administrators, Mr. Abibo said, adding that the pensioners were going through terrible hardship and emotional pains.

Apart from the pensioners, Rivers has also been unable to meet the financial needs of its students who are studying abroad under the state foreign scholarship scheme.

The states financial burden for the scheme is uncertain for now.

Stranded abroad, the students recently protested in front of Chatham House, London, against Governor Wike who was there to speak on the effort of his administration to develop the oil-rich state.

The state Commissioner for Information, Emma Okah, however defended the purchase of the vehicles. He told PREMIUM TIMES, Monday, that it was a long-standing policy of the state to buy vehicles for federal lawmakers.

Celestine Omehia did the same thing when he was in office as governor; he bought Toyota Land Cruisers for senators and Toyota Camry for House of Representatives members.

I dont know about Amaechi, but I know that he was paying money. So, it is always the policy of the state government to give them support.

It shouldnt be seen from the purview that they already have vehicles; it should be seen from the purview that it is part of the entitlements that the state government accords to them.

Would anybody say that part of the government policy should no longer be carried out? Mr. Okah said, adding that it took the government more than two years to buy the vehicles because it was doing so in bits because of lack of money.

Mr. Okah said the purchase of the vehicles shouldnt be compared with the governments inability to fund the scholarship scheme initiated by the previous administration of Rotimi Amaechi.

Its not every policy that you meet that you must continue, particularly if you cannot carry it, Mr. Okah said.

By the admission of one of the students who spoke inside the Chatham House, the payment that should be made to the final year students alone in the foreign scholarship scheme is N3 billion.

If you put final year students, put the fourth year, third years and the rest of them together, how much would that be for a state government in one year?

Now, the government has come out very clearly to say look those who are doing core science courses continue to stay there, we will manage to pay and we have been paying. Those who are doing arts-related and management courses, those courses that can effectively be taught in Nigeria, please come back, we will secure admission for you and give you scholarship here in Nigeria.

Some of them are attracted by the lure of staying overseas, they dont want to come back home.

So, if you cannot carry a problem and you give reasons why you cannot, the minimum that anybody expects is understanding. Even in homes, if things change for a family and they can no longer do the kind of things they use to do, eat the kind of food they used to eat, and drive the kind of vehicles they used to drive, you scale down according to your circumstances, the commissioner said.

The commissioner said it wasnt true that some pensioners in the state were receiving as low as N5, 000.

He said Governor Wike deserved commendation for clearing salary and pension arrears that were left behind by the Amaechi administration.

Pension is not the only problem that the Rivers State Government has to contend with. There may be cases where pension have not been extended to a few persons for one reason or the other, some due to the biometric problem, some due to the fraudulent pension system that the government has to battle with and all of that.

I am not saying that we are running a 100 per cent perfect administration; the point I am making is that where we have done well, it is important that people should appreciate us. We are calling for the understanding of everybody, the commissioner said.

Magnus Abe, an All Progressives Congress, APC, senator from the state, is among the beneficiaries of the new vehicles.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr. Abe, he corroborated what was said by the information commissioner.

As far as I know, every government in Rivers State in the past has bought vehicles for the legislators at the national level. It has been like that for sometimes.

I have not received a vehicle so far from this administration, but I have heard that the governor gave out vehicles today.

But for the question, whether it is okay to buy those vehicles or not considering the present day economic realities, it is the governor who should be able to make that determination because he knows his challenges and his priorities, the senator said.
Senator Isa Misau, Bauchi-APC, on Tuesday lent his voice to the trending social media outcry against the activities of the Nigeria Police Forces Special Anti-robbery Squad, SARS.

An hashtag #ENDSARS, calling for the scrapping of the police unit, trended on the social media over the weekend.

Nigerians, who used the social media to recount their experiences with SARS operatives, listed allegations of extra-judicial killings, wanton arrests and dispossession of properties through physical assault and other intimidation tactics.

Presenting the issue as a point of order, Mr. Misau said SARS has grown out of the authority of state police commissioners who are supposed to regulate their activities.

He said, According to the Police Act and regulations, the force Criminal and Investigation and Intelligence, force CID, is the highest investigating arm of the Nigerian police. And for effective and efficient administration, the department is divided into 14 sections of which the Special Anti-robbery squad, SARS, is one of them. SARS is supposed to be a section in each state command criminal investigation department with sole responsibility of handling armed robbery cases and answerable to the state commissioner of Police.

Relaying experiences of Nigerians in some of the petitions he received, the former cop hinged on dangers of keeping a unit of the police force which has placed itself above the law.

Mr. President, I have in the last few months received several petitions from my constituency against SARS. The complaints vary from extra-judicial killings, brutality, torture, arrest for bribe and other menacing conduct by the men of the unit.

Most of the tweets with the hashtag, EndSARS, reported several cases of harassment, and arbitrary arrest of Nigerian youths labelling them Yahoo Boys.

Mr. President, the complaints have ranged from how officers waylaid citizens at ATM points to how they often threaten to kill avowing they will get away with it. There are specific cases of how SARS officers allegedly murder citizens for declining to pay bribes.

Mr. Misau said the Senate must take a bold stand on the issue and end the operation of SARS.

It is dangerous for us to have a unit of the Police Force act as if it is above the law. We must now take a major decision to end SARS until a unit built around the rule of law and human rights observance is created by the police.

Mr. Misau condemned the polices reaction to the series of allegations against SARS.

Following growing outrage against the activities of SARS, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, on Sunday ordered the immediate reorganisation of the notorious unit.

But the Senator is pessimistic about this move, noting that previous attempts by the police Force to sanitise the unit has proved ineffective.

Im aware that in 2015, the then IGP, Solomon Arase, had due to incessant reports of abuses by the squad split SARS into two units with a view to checking its human rights abuses. This was done to ensure that officers dont make arrest and investigate the same case. However, the abuses have continued.

The police high command had earlier said that it has no intention to scrap the squad and contrary to claims. Rather than to take note of complains by the general public, and proceed to investigate and take actions against these human rights abuses, they only make matters worse by calling these campaigners criminals, he said.

He prayed that the Senate set up a committee to investigate the allegations of human rights abuse by SARS.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, noted that the issue should be given urgent attention as it affects many Nigerians.

I think it is clear that something wrong is going on and it needs urgent attention, he said.

The Senate referred the issue to the ad-hoc committee on security already set up.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja commended the Guards Brigade for demonstrating a high-level of discipline and professionalism expected from officers and men of the Nigerian Army.

Speaking at the decoration ceremony of the Commander, Guards Brigade, Musa Yusuf, who was promoted from Brigadier General to Major-General, Mr. Buhari, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina, said it was instructive that the senior officer displayed a high level of discipline during his two-year stint as commander.

I congratulate the Brigade Commander for his achievements these past two years.

I never received any serious report of indiscipline in your formation that is in-charge of my security.

Hope you will get a command that will complement your experiences in the political headquarters.

I congratulate you very much for making it to this new rank at a very competitive time. I know there are so many Generals but when you go to the records you pick the best and place them at very strategic appointments, he said.

The president expressed confidence that Major General Yusuf would take his experience in the field as a former Guards Brigade Commander to his next posting, as directed by the Defence headquarters.

Recounting his days as a military officer, Mr. Buhari said officers earned the respect of their colleagues because of their intellectual disposition and experience in the field.

An officer is what he is when he gets into the field. Certainly, there was the need for intellectual officers but then what you do in the field is what earns you respect from those who are under you, he said.

In his remarks, Mr. Yusuf while reaffirming his unalloyed loyalty and that of his troops to the President and Commander-in-Chief, thanked President Buhari for the honour of decorating him with his new rank.

He conveyed the appreciation of his troops in Keffi, Nasarawa State and those at Gwagwalada, in the Federal Capital Territory to the president for the renovation works in the barracks.

In Keffi, this is the first time in the last 25 years that 14 blocks of accommodation for soldiers are being renovated, he said, adding that in Gwagwalada, the Chief of Army Staff approved funds for renovation works in the barracks to make it habitable.

Born on November 6, 1966, Mr. Yusuf had served as a member of Nigerian contingent to UN peacekeeping missions abroad including United Nations Mission in Eritrea-Ethiopia (UNMEE) and United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNAMID).

He also served in ECOMOG and Operation Harmony in Bakassi, among several other appointments in army units and formations in the country.

A graduate of Chemistry from the Nigeria Defence Academy, he holds Masters Degree in Transport Management and additional Masters Degree in Strategic Studies.
An Iyaganku Magistrates Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State on Tuesday remanded a sexagenarian, Rafiu Olalekan, in Agodi Prison for alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl.

The magistrate, Modupeola Olagbenro, in her ruling remanded Mr. Olalekan in the prison pending the outcome of the case file at the state Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) as her court does not have jurisdiction to try the case.

She, thereafter, adjourned the case till January 10, 2018 for mention.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr. Olalekan, a farmer from Abedo village near Moniya, Ibadan, is facing a one  count charge of unlawful carnal knowledge of a minor.

The police prosecutor, Oluseye Oyebanji told the court that Mr. Olalekan on November 20, at about 8 p.m. at Abedo village allegedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of the girl in his neighbourhood.

According to Mr. Oyebanji, Mr. Olalekan was alleged to have been having carnal knowledge of the victim mostly on her way back from school.

On the fateful day, the victim who stays with her grandmother, was running errand for her when Olalekan waylaid her and had carnal knowledge of her without her consent.

When the victims grandmother could not see her on time, she raised alarm before the victim was seen with Rafiu with the help of the villagers in an uncompleted building, he said.

Mr. Oyebanji said the offence was reported to the police by the victims mother, one Olaide Kehinde of Sapati area, Yemetu, Ibadan.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened section 218 of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol .II, Laws of Oyo State 2000.

(NAN)
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to put an end to continued indiscriminate illegal arrests and detention of some Nigerian citizens as well as foreigners by the State Security Service.

In a letter to Mr. Buhari on Tuesday, Mr. Falana said the development has left unfulfilled, the presidents pledge to run a responsible and accountable governance at all levels of government.

Owing to the failure of the federal government to call the leadership of the security agency to order, the misleading impression has been created that Your Excellencys administration does not have respect for the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people, said Mr. Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria.

The incessant disobedience of court orders by the DSS has questioned the commitment of the administration to operate under the Rule of Law. At the recently concluded annual conference of Nigerian Judges which held in Abuja, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Honourable Justice Walter Onnoghen was compelled to condemn official disregard for court rulings and orders.

Since Mr. Buharis assumption of office in 2015, at least four notable persons have remained in SSS detention despite repeated court rulings granting them bail.

Sambo Dasuki, a retired colonel and former National Security Adviser, NSA was arrested and charged with money laundering at the Federal High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in 2015.

He was also charged with illegal possession of firearms at the Federal Capital Territory High Court by the SSS.

Although both courts had admitted the defendant to bail and he had met the conditions, the SSS continues to keep Mr. Dasuki in custody. The order of the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States directing the federal government of Nigeria to release the defendant from further custody has also been ignored by the SSS.

Ibraheem Elzakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN and his wife, Zainab, were also arrested in December 2015 after the military invasion and destruction of their home in Zaria, Kaduna State.

The invasion followed a deadly clash between Mr. Elzakzakys Shiite group and Nigerian soldiers, which left over 300 members of the group, including the leaders three children, dead.

In December last year, an Abuja judicial division of the Federal High Court declared the arrest and detention of both Mr. Elzakzaky and his wife illegal and unconstitutional and ordered their release from custody.

The court awarded N50 million damages to both detainees and directed the federal government to provide them with a temporary accommodation since their residence was burnt down by soldiers. However, the federal government ignored the order while the SSS continues to hold the couple in custody.

The authorities have said they are keeping the duo for their safety.

In October this year, Nitin Verma and Umesh Asudani, two Kano-based Indian businessmen, were arrested by the SSS over allegations of money laundering. An order by Justice Usman Mallam Naabba of the Kano State High Court for the production of both detainees in court has also been ignored by the SSS.

Mr. Falana said the continued detention of the suspects by the SSS had caused embarrassment to Mr. Buharis government as the operatives now use the agency to settle personal scores with political opponents.

The lawyer also preempted a possible defence by the SSS to his request.

The DSS may claim that some of the political detainees mentioned in this letter are our clients, Mr. Falana said.

While that is correct, we have always kicked against the illegal arrest and detention of law abiding citizens even during the military era. Hence, we did not hesitate to condemn your Excellencys detention by the Ibrahim Babangida junta even though your military regime had detained some of us.

In the light of the foregoing, we urge your Excellency to use your good offices to direct the DSS to either release all the citizens and foreigners being held in illegal custody or arraign them in the appropriate courts in line with the avowed commitment of your administration to respect the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people under the Rule of Law.

Furthermore, the DSS should be directed to desist from further arresting and detaining innocent people and criminal suspects without court orders contrary to the provisions of section 293 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

The reaction of the presidency to the letter could not be immediately sought as at the time of filing the report. Also, the SSS also has no spokesperson to interface with the media currently.
The Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of shying away from taking actions against killer herdsmen.

Mr. Fayose said this on Tuesday in a condolence message to those killed in fresh attacks in Adamawa state by alleged Fulani herdsmen.

Today, my heart goes to the families of those people killed in Adamawa by herdsmen. It appears that herdsmen have replaced Boko Haram in that State and one wonders why the president is always reluctant to take actions against the herdsmen, he said on Twitter.

The attacks which was confirmed by the police spokesperson in the state, Othman Abubakar, are suspected to be reprisals for the killings of dozens of Fulani residents allegedly by their Bachama neighbours.

According to Mr. Abubakar, the crisis started on Monday in Dong, Demsa Local Government Area following a misunderstanding between farmers and Fulani herdsmen.

Residents who confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES said homes were set ablaze, locals killed, forcing helpless people to flee into the bushes for safety.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday travelled to Numan to condole with the people of the area over the recent spate of violence which led to several deaths.

PREMIUM TIMES had on December 1 reported how at least sixmobile police officers were allegedly killed while trying to make arrest at a predominantly Fulani settlement.

PREMIUM TIMES in November also reported the Numan Killing of at least 30 women and children.

The report which generated outrage especially in the Northern part of the country propelled the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad AbubakarIII, to condemn the killing of dozens of Fulanis in Numan area of Adamawa State.
The Nigerian government generated a total of N1 trillion from American businesses in Nigeria in 2016, the American Business Council, ABC, said on Tuesday.

The details was contained in a report presented by the ABC in Ikoyi, Lagos, titled Nigeria Economic Impact Survey.

The report, put together by the ABC in collaboration with Accenture, General Electric and PriceWatersCoopers, represents the responses of 48 American companies operating in Nigeria.

The report highlights the U.S. companies impact on the Nigerian economy through gross value added to the nations energy future, economic output, investment, jobs and communities, remarked Lazarus Angbazo, ABC president.

Mr. Angbazo explained further that the aim of the survey is to assess the collective impact of the companies in terms of wealth and job creation in the country.

Presenting the report, Darrell McGraw of PwC, noted that over N340 million was spent on training by the companies in the year under review.

Similarly, he disclosed that a total of N34.4 billion was contributed to the tax revenue of the government by the companies in 2016.

On corporate social responsibility, Mr. McGraw said the companies have embarked on projects like free internet connectivity to premier incubation hub; building of community schools; and provision of scholarships to secondary school students.

Other CSR projects embarked upon included volunteer works in several communities, visits to schools, among others. These CSR projects, he said, was estimated at over N217 million.

The report also identified the top issues impacting business in Nigeria to include foreign currency access and policy; specific industry regulations; and crime and security.

While responding to questions on the report, Mr. Angbazo noted that there are over 100 American businesses in Nigeria but the report only captured figures from 48 companies. This development, he said, makes it plausible that the figures might be more than the one presented.

The ABC is the affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce and an integral stakeholder in the Nigeria-US bi-national Commission (BNC).
The first and biggest victory in life is victory over oneself, Pastor Enoch Adeboye said at the ongoing Holy Ghost Congress of the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), where he identified the three major enemies of man as death, the devil, and self  the individual.

On behalf of Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the Board of Trustees, and the Governing Council of the Church, I declare the 2017 Holy Ghost Congress of RCCG open, Professor Fola Aboaba, a professor of Agricultural Engineering, who is in his 80s, announced at about 8 pm on Monday to formally kick of the event the Redemption Camp of the Church.

The night had started earlier with prayer and intercession, followed by an hour of Praise and Worship, but telltale signs that something big was happening at the Camp were visible at available spaces from the gate of the camp down to the auditorium with people selling various items that may be required by participants of the Congress.

As the Congress progresses, every available space along the major routes would be eaten up. So was every space in the three-million-seater auditorium, where the first ministration of the day was made by Alex Bamgbola, chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

Dressed in an all-white outfit , with a white cap pressed on a long hair, his emergence on the pulpit surprised some people, who were wondering what a man from a white-garment church was doing there. But as he said later, he is one of the spiritual sons of Pastor Adeboye, with whom he had shared a vision recently.

He spoke on the topic God is a spirit, in measured tones, each word emphasized as if in reverence to God. Quoting from Bible passages, he showed how God referred to Himself as a spirit, which leaves man with no choice than to treat and relate to him as a spirit.

That, he said, required that God can only be worshiped in spirit and in truth, and not in any other way.

Nigeria is noted as a praying nation but many of us need to change the way we worship God, he said. We have to worship God truly and in spirit.

He prophesied to participants they would eventually sing the song of victory, like Abraham and Sarah did when they were waiting for a child.

After greetings, recognition of some quests and announcements, the National Overseer of the Church, Pastor Obayemi, led the congregation in thanksgiving for the success of the Holy Ghost Services.

This edition, according to officials, is the 20th annual session of the churchs monthly Holy Ghost Services which, indeed, started in 1977.

Among the dignitaries present at the event were Benue Governor, Samuel Ortom, and his wife; and Bola Obasanjo, wife of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Three testimonies were given on the night, among them a lady who showed drugs she refused to take when God cured her of cancer, and left her doctors in UK wondering where the lumps in her body had disappeared to during a surgery to remove them.

Pastor Adeboyes session was preceded by choir ministration, which included a song on the theme of the Congress he had written. He looked trim and much younger as he mounted the pulpit, a few minutes to 11 pm.

After the opening prayers, he declared: Let somebody shout Halleluyah. I want to welcome you all to this Special Congress. I am very sure that God will settle all our cases once and for all. Today however, we will lay foundation for what God will do.

Ministering on Victory over Self, he counted the three major enemies of man as death, the devil, and self  the individual. He however said, with the intervention of Jesus, death has been conquered, and it is now like our horse to ride to our Glorious Home heaven.

Similarly, through God, it is now possible to overcome the devil by resisting him, commanding him and staying away from sin to avoid him.

But, as he illustrated, mans greatest enemy is himself. The biggest enemy of all is yourself. If you win the battle over yourself then the rest is history.

There was no time for many of his usual testimonies, but he gave one of a gentleman, whose breakthrough got stalled anytime he got close to one. It was discovered that anytime he was close to having a breakthrough; he was tempted to commit adultery, thereby denying himself of the opportunity of a better life.

When he was challenged to make a commitment to God by praying that he should be made impotent if he committed adultery again, he backed out initially but later agreed.

Today, according to Pastor Adeboye, he has had multiple breakthroughs that have turned his life around. Rather than blame others and look for excuses for our problems, Pastor urges us to do first self-examination to ensure we are living right.

The first and biggest is victory over you, he stressed.

He however noted that victory over self, as difficult as it is, can be guaranteed by God.

He added, If truly born again then you are a child of God and if your salvation is genuine then something in you will say No to sin every time. So, if you are really born again then the seed of God which is in you will guarantee victory

Jesus overcame and so you and I too will overcome. In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ that no matter the temptation, you will overcome.

God wont allow you to be tempted more than you can bear, and for every temptation, He will provide a way of escape.

God said specifically that sin shall have no dominion over you.

The power of God Himself will keep you.

The Holy Spirit will help us. We cannot run this race on our ownwe need the Help of the Holy Spirit.
Aliko Dangote was honoured last night at the Bloomberg 50 annual gala dinner at New Yorks iconic Gotham Hall.

Bloombergs list of 50 most influential names who have had an impact on the world in 2017 included Mr. Dangote, Africas richest person, for his outstanding commitment of over $4B USD to increase Nigerias food production capacity.

Represented in New York by the CEO of his Foundation, Mr. Dangote was joined by electric car visionary Elon Musk; Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmon; Beatrice Fihn, anti-nuclear weapons advocate and Nobel Peace Laureate; Amazons Jeff Bezos; Robert Mueller, special counsel investigating Donald Trumps potential collusion with Russia; and Vitalik Buterin, whose invention of the cryptocurrency Ethereum is revolutionizing the new blockchain craze.

Mr. Dangotes contribution to the world this year revolves around his dynamic attention to lessen food imports into his own country and Africas largest nation, Nigeria, by focusing on domestic production of sugar and dairy, with 500 million liters of Nigerian milk to be produced by 2019.

Earlier this year he announced a $50B USD plan to invest in renewable energy.

What sets The Bloomberg 50 apart from other lists is that each person chosen has demonstrated measurable change over the past year, Bloomberg Businessweek editor Megan Murphy said.

The event was emceed by actor Keegan-Michael Key, with a performance by Mandy Gonzalez of Broadway sensation Hamilton.

Mr. Dangote claimed another distinction at the Bloomberg 50; he was the only African.
The Former Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said that Nigeria was losing N175 billion annually to medical tourism.

Mr. Chukwu made the claim at opening ceremony of the 2017 Faculty of Clinical Sciences 10th Faculty Week & Scientific Conference, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on Tuesday, with theme: Medical Tourism in Nigeria.

He said that the wasted fund was more than 50 per cent of the proposed total budget for 2018 for the federal health sector.

According to him, the health sector is being denied the much needed funding which is affecting its development.

Skill proficiency becomes a victim as both trainers and trainees are not exposed to enough cases and of course quality of care ultimately suffers.

As outbound medical tourism gradually becomes the preference of patients, the local sector loses the confidence of the populace resulting in low esteem and loss of morale among the health personnel, he said.

He called on federal government to support the health sector by providing standard medical equipment that will compete with those found outside Nigeria, so that people will partronise local medical facilities.

Also, Akin Ogunbiyi, the Group Chairman, Mutual Benefits Assurance PLC, Lagos, called on federal government to address the issue of medical tourism.

Mr. Ogunbiyi said that Nigeria leaders needed to release enough fund and provide modern equipment that would boost the health sector.

He added that Nigeria has competent profesdionals that are qualified to treat all ailments, and called on the government to standardise the health sector.

In her remarks, the Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, OAU, Ife, Bernice Adegbehingbe, said the theme of the week was carefully selected because of the realisation that medical tourism was a threat to the delivery health care services.

She canvassed public private partnerships in funding of highly sophisticated diagnosis tools, adding that development of innovative procedures and treatment must also be encouraged.

The Dean said a lot of advancement had been introduced into health care delivery service across the nation, but awareness was generally low due to restriction on advertisements.

She urged the government to allow medical practitioners to educate Nigerians on services they offer as obtained in foreign medical centres.

(NAN)
The arraignment of a former Executive Director of Aso Savings and Loans, Maimuna Aliyu,did not hold on Tuesday, as the prosecution failed to serve her the hearing notice.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission, ICPC, is prosecuting Mrs. Aliyu for alleged diversion of N57 million from the sale of some houses located in the Federal Capital Territory.

Her arraignment had been adjourned till December 5 from November 28.

When the case was called on Tuesday, however, counsel to the ICPC, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, took responsibility for the absence of Mrs. Alyu in court.

Since we did not procure hearing notice from the court to serve, we take responsibility of her absence in court, Mr Akponimisingha said.

Mrs. Aliyu is accused of diverting funds belonging to Aso Savings while she served as head of the financial agency owned by the Nigerian government through the Federal Capital Territory.

The commission said she sold three plots of land in Abuja, without handing over the proceeds totalling N57 million to the company.

Mrs. Aliyu is the mother of Maryam Sanda, who allegedly killed her husband, Bilyaminu Haliru-Bello. The husband was the son of former Peoples Democratic Party chairman, Mohammed Haliru.

Maryam is standing trial at a Federal Capital Territory High Court for the alleged crime..

Mrs. Aliyus trial was adjourned till December 14.
The Nigerian Army on Tuesday said its troops had killed three Boko Haram insurgents in Sabsawa axis of Sambisa forest area of Operation.

Sani Usman, the Director, Army Public Relations, made the disclosure in a statement issued in Maiduguri.

Mr. Usman said that the troops killed the insurgents in an ambush on Monday at Sabsawa while trying to cross into Tangos area.

He further disclosed that the troops recovered an AK-47 rifle and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from the insurgents.

Troops of 202 Battalion, Sector 1, Operation LAFIYA DOLE at the early hours of Monday Dec.4, sprang an ambush on unsuspecting Boko Haram terrorists along Sabsawa axis.

During the encounter, the troops neutralised 3 Boko Haram terrorists trying to cross between Tangos.

In addition, the troops recovered AK-47 rifles and Improvised Explosives making devices from the terrorists, he said.

(NAN)
The Federal Government of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja inaugurated an 11-member committee to organise a state burial for late former Vice- President, Dr Alex Ekwueme who died on November 19 in London.

Inaugurating the committee in Abuja, Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), urged the committee to ensure that the late Ekwueme gets a befitting state burial.

Mr. Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the committee, said that it was open to new ideas, stressing however that the work plan to be used was in tandem with previous state burial committees.

He described late Mr. Ekwueme (85) as an all-rounder who earned different levels of degrees in various fields; ranging from Architecture to Sociology, History, Philosophy and Law.

Owing to the top public office he once held in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari thought it befitting to organise a state burial for him.

This is also in keeping with the tradition in that regard as was done to the late Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, former Chief of General staff that died in 201.

Same for the late Admiral Mike Akhigbe, former Chief of General staff who died in 2013.

The only difference now is the absence of the Nigerian Navy in the burial committee.

The Nigerian Navy had played prominent roles in the burial activities of former chiefs of general staff, who incidentally were both at different time, Chiefs of Naval Staff, he said.

The SGF, however, said that the Nigeria Police would effectively play some of the roles that the Nigerian Navy had played previously.

Mr. Mustapha pledged that the committee would work assiduously to ensure Mr. Ekwueme got a befitting state burial.

He said the late Mr. Ekwueme rendered valuable services and was a strong voice to ensuring unity and stability of Nigeria.

Other members of the committee are: Roy Ugo, Secretary of the committee; Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing; Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information; Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance; Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment.

Other members are Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra, Ibrahim Idris, Lawal Daura, Director-General, State Security Service, Goodheart Ekwueme and Osita Chukwulobelu.

(NAN)
The Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, says 75 per cent of Nigerian Air Force, NAF, personnel now stay in the barracks unlike 45 per cent in July 2015.

Mr. Abubakar disclosed this on Tuesday in Jos at the inauguration of 30-room transit accommodation for airmen/airwomen.

He said that the projects were part of the present administrations efforts at enhancing welfare of Air Force personnel in order to enhance professionalism in the service.

Under this administration, housing, hospitals and office accommodation as well as school infrastructure have been constructed and old ones renovated across the country.

It is part of the Air Force commitment of providing the infrastructure to effective response to the service exigencies.

The Air Force will continue to pay attention to addressing infrastructure deficit as part of efforts to motivate staff, improve the life regimentation and es spirit de corps, he said.

He said accommodation in Air Force Station Jos was for transit airmen/airwomen to have where to stay.

He said that the newly-constructed hostel block for Airforce Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Jos, was to enhance learning in the institution.

Mr. Abubakar had earlier paid a courtesy call on Governor Simon Lalong and commended him for the cooperation and support to the air force personnel in the state.

Mr. Lalong, who inaugurated both projects commended President Muhammad Buhari for massive attention given to security.

He also commended the Air force for establishing a Search and Rescue Unit in Kerang, Mangu Local Government Area.

The governor appreciated the military for the prevailing peace in the country, saying that without peace there could be no development.

Abdullahi Bello, Commander NAF Station 551, Jos, said that improving the working condition of the air force personnel such as the provision of accommodation would boost their morale.

(NAN)
The House of Representatives on Tuesday did not discuss the ongoing outcry by Nigerians against the alleged atrocities of officers of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS.

Many Nigerians had over the weekend on social media backed the hashtag #EndSARS, calling for the scrapping of the police unit, saddled with the responsibility of combatting armed robbery across the country.

Numerous Nigerians recounted their experiences in the hands of SARS operatives which included extra-judicial killings, wanton arrests and dispossession of property through physical assault and other intimidation tactics.

Following growing outrage against the activities of the police squad, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, through a statement by the force public relations officer, Jimoh Moshood ordered the immediate reorganisation of the unit.

The police boss also ordered an investigation into the alleged criminal activities of SARS, with the aim of prosecuting those found wanting in cases of human right abuses.

The peace overture has however not doused the tension as campaigners continue to push for the scrapping of the unit.

Several Nigerians had expected the matter to be at the fore of discourse at both chambers of the National Assembly as both prepared to suspend plenary for two weeks, today.

While it was brought up in the Senate by Isa Missau (Bauchi  APC) who has been at loggerheads with the police boss for months, the matter was not discussed at the House of Representatives.

When contacted to comment on why the lawmakers did not treat the matter, the chairman, house committee on rules and business, Orker Jev, did not pick his calls or respond to text messages requesting for information.

However, the house spokesman, Abdulrazak Namdas, told PREMIUM TIMES that the matter is being handled by the committee on police affairs and will be discussed when the house resumes.

The committee on police affairs is still studying the reports submitted by the inspector general of police. The house will take a position after studying the reports, hopefully when we resume in two weeks.
The police are investigating Segun Awosanya, one of the major voices demanding the scrapping of the notorious anti-robbery squad, SARS, known for human rights abuses and brutality against citizens, a spokesperson has said.

Mr. Awosanya, a lead campaigner in the citizen-led #EndSARS initiative, was accused of hobnobbing with politicians in some of his pictures that police have seen online.

When you see someone like that who regularly mingles with politicians now leading a campaign to scrap a critical department in the police, then you know his activities are not genuine, said police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, in a telephone exchange with PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday morning.

Mr. Moshood emailed a picture which Mr. Awosanya took with Speaker Yakubu Dogara and another one he took at a business forum as indicative of his political ties.

But he said the police was not accusing the Speaker of sponsoring Mr. Awosanya and other #EndSARS campaigners.

Mr. Awosanya told PREMIUM TIMES he took the picture with Mr. Dogara when his team submitted a petition for the scrapping of SARS to the Speaker in September.

The disclosure comes as #EndSARS campaign dominates discussion on social media for the fourth day.

Mr. Moshood said the police respect the rights of Nigerians to express themselves online or offline, but that would not stop officers from investigating mischievous elements who cloak their agenda with popular causes.

Our investigation does not mean were trying to infringe on peoples rights, but the quarters where some of the claims are coming from and those leading them should be looked into, Mr. Moshood said.

Allegations of extra-judicial killings, torture, wanton arrests for bribes and other menacing conducts flooded social media since Saturday, with citizens taking their rage to the Internet and demanding action.

As one of the coordinators of #EndSARS, a hashtag many Nigerians have adopted to amplify the issue, Mr. Awosanya PREMIUM TIMES the aim is to compel the National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari to scrap SARS.

He led a team to deliver a petition to Mr. Dogara and Senate President Bukola Saraki in September and received assurances that something would be done. An online petition for the abolition of SARS has garnered more that 25,000 signatures as at Tuesday.

Police Inspector-General, Ibrahim Idris, responded to the campaign on Tuesday with a directive that SARS should be reorganised for efficiency and accountability. But he rejected calls to scrap the embattled squad.

Amongst the new measures to be adopted is the stripping of state commissioners of the power to control SARS at state level. A new commissioner to be based at Force Headquarters, Abuja, will now control SARS throughout the country.

But Mr. Awosanya and other campainers said the intervention was insufficient, although they appreciated the efforts of Mr. Idris. They insisted that nothing short of absolute shutdown of the department would be acceptable.

Mr. Moshood said Nigerians should ignore Mr. Awosanya and others who have allegedly politicised the #EndSARS campaign.

Nigerians should reject any dubious attempt to paint the institution of police in a bad light, the spokesperson said.

Mr. Awosanya, however, said he would not be intimidated.

Our campaign is for SARS to be scrapped so that the killing, maiming, beating and robbing of the citizens can stop, Mr. Awosanya told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone Tuesday morning. We will remain resolute in that call no matter the antics deployed by the police.

Mr. Awosanya said he was not ashamed to pose for pictures with politicians and wondered how that should be an issue at a time of nationwide outrage over the conduct of SARS personnel.

Theyre bringing up issues of pictures which I didnt take yesterday to divert attention from issues being raised by over 100,000 Nigerians, Mr. Awosanya said. The excruciating facts are out there that demonstrate how vicious and uncivilised the conduct of SARS has been over the years.

Nigerians have a right to decide if they want to continue to tolerate the criminalities of SARS officers into the future, he added.

The activist said a nationwide protest to further demand an immediate ban of SARS would go on next week as planned.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is currently in Numan, Adamawa State, to condole with the people of the area over the recent spate of violence which led to several deaths.

Attacks by opposing sides in the area have led to dozens of deaths in the last two weeks.

On Monday, fresh fighting erupted in a predominantly Bachama community, in what locals said was a reprisal by their Fulani neighbours whose relatives had earlier been killed.

Residents told PREMIUM TIMES homes were set alight as locals were killed as some fled into the bush early Monday.

After arriving Yola Airport, where he was received by Governor Jibrilla Bindow, Mr. Osinbajo proceeded to the palace of the Lamido Adamawa, Barkindo Mustapha.

The vice president held a closed-door meeting with Mr. Mustapha and other chiefs across the state.

He then proceeded to Numan, where he was received by the chief of the community, the Hamma Bachama, Honest Irmiya, in his palace.

I am here on Mr. Presidents instruction; he wants a first hand report of what happened in Numan and Mubi earlier, Mr. Osinbajo said, promising that, a permanent solution would be worked out.

The spokesperson to the vice president, Laolu Akande, later tweeted that Mr. Osinbajo condoles victims and adds that impunity would not be condoned anymore regarding this conflicts.

What our people want is to be led to progress. As leaders, our duty is to lead the people towards prosperity & development, Mr. Osinbajo was quoted as saying.

That is the kind of leadership we must provide. If we dont provide that, then we have lost our rights to be leaders.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja Division, has adjourned its hearing into an application filed by the senator representing Bauchi State Senatorial District, Isa Misau, seeking the compulsory appearance of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in his trial.

Mr. Misau, a former police officer, is facing trial for alleged dissemination of falsehood against Mr. Idris.

He is also accused of faking his retirement letter from the police before engaging in active politics.

The office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, filed a five-count charge against the defendant after the police under Mr. Idris accused Mr. Misau of the offences.

The police service commission however cleared Mr. Misau of being a deserter from the Force.

The allegations by the police chief came shortly after Mr. Misau accused Mr. Idris of receiving bribes worth millions of naira from police officers and engagement in sexual misconduct.

Both Mr. Idris and Mr. Misau have since been engaged in war of words over the development.

Mr. Misaus lawyer, Joshua Musa, had asked the court to order the appearance of Mr. Idris as a defence witness saying his client had a constitutional right to invite any person deemed necessary to prove his innocence.

The case had earlier been adjourned till December 5, but was further postponed because the judge, Ishaq Bello, did not sit on Tuesday.

The case was subsequently adjourned till January 15.

The court is also expected to decide on an application by the prosecution to amend Mr. Misaus charge from five to seven-count on the next adjourned date.
Days after defecting from the All Progressive Congress, APC to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, former vice president Atiku Abubakar visited the PDP secretariat on Tuesday and urged other defectors to return to the fold.

Speaking at the meeting with party leaders, the former vice president urged defectors to return to rebuild the former ruling party.

Mr. Abubakar arrived at the the secretariat at about 12 noon accompanied by a large number of supporters. He was received by the chairman, National Caretaker Committee, NCC, Ahmed Makarfi, and other leaders of the party.

Mr. Abubakar said he will not compromise internal party democracy, noting that no party had achieved as much as the PDP.

Mr. Makarfi said the party was expecting more returnees and assured them of equal opportunity.

Meanwhile, an APC chieftain and former military governor of Lagos State, Buba Marwa, has said the exit of Mr. Abubakar would not affect the chances of APC in the 2019 election.

Mr. Marwa told journalists in Yola that though the exit was a loss to APC but APC in Adamawa cannot be subdued by any party.

Mr. Marwa said party stakeholders in Adamawa would deliver the state particularly in the governorship and presidential elections.

The former governor, who was speaking after his group,The Marwa Group endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in office, said so far, there is no better presidential candidate for 2019 in APC than President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that the Special Anti-robbery Squad, SARS, is being prepared by the authorities for the rigging of the 2019 General Elections.

Mr. Wike stated that the so-called review of the operation of SARs following the outcry by Nigerians over the deadly illegal acts of the organisation, is merely aimed at diverting public focus.

Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Board of Editors of Sun Publishing Limited at the Government House Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Mr. Wike described SARS as a gang of criminals, leading Nigeria to disaster.

The Management of Sun Publishing Limited led by its Managing Director, Eric Osagie, visited to present the letter of nomination to the Rivers State Governor as Sun Newspaper Governor of the Year 2017.

He said: SARS is being prepared for the rigging of elections in 2019. Time has come for people to resist these criminals in uniform because they cannot kill everyone.

SARS has not helped in Rivers State. Rather they perpetrate criminal activities. With the sustained activities of SARS, Nigeria is heading for disaster .

He pointed out that when Rivers State Government alerted the nation on the alleged criminal activities of SARS across the state, the authorities disregarded the evidence presented.

Mr. Wike added that the same thing happened when the Inspector General of Police deliberately withdrew his security details to give the APC an advantage.

He said: When the Inspector General of Police took his impunity to Anambra State and withdrew the security details of the Anambra State Governor, the Senate quickly intervened because they knew that the acts of lawlessness of the Inspector General of Police was getting close.

Commenting on the award by the Sun Newspaper, Mr. Wike said it will spur him to continue the execution of projects across the state.

He said that as long as the award is based on the tangible of projects delivery, Rivers State will continue to emerge victorious.

Earlier, Managing Director of Sun Publishing Limited, Mr. Osagie said for the first time in 15 years, Mr. Wike has emerged as the first person to win the Sun Newspaper Governor of the Year back to back.

He said that Mr. Wike was voted by the Sun Board of Editors for his incessant ground breaking infrastructural projects across Rivers State.

Mr. Osagie said Mr. Wike will receive the award on February 24, 2018 in Lagos. The Sun Publishing Limited lauded the governor for his developmental strides across the three senatorial districts of the state.
In Imo State, Governor Rochas Okorocha has appointed his sister as the Commissioner for Happiness and Couples Fulfilment.

At a ceremony in Owerri, the state capital, on Monday, Mr. Okorocha administered the oath of office to Ogechi Ololo (Nee Okorocha) and 27 others in a cabinet reshuffle.

Mrs. Ololo is expected to keep her initial appointment as the Deputy Chief Of Staff (Domestic and International Matters).

Mrs. Ololo is the first commissioner at the newly-created Ministry of Happiness and Couples Fulfilment.

I want to remind all of you that this appointment is not business as usual, Mr. Okorocha admonished the new appointee according to details of the event circulated by Sam Onwuemeodo, the chief press secretary to the governor.

We shall not tolerate any sharp practice or corruption of any type. Neither shall we accept indolence or laziness.

You have been called to duty to help us achieve our vision in the Rescue Mission Project, the governor added.

The appointments come weeks after the governor was criticised for mounting statues for South African President Jacob Zuma and other controversial personalities on the continent.

It was not immediately clear if theres any anti-nepotism law in Imo State which the appointment could breach, but critics say theyre hardly surprised.

Governor Rochas Okorocha has brought government and governance to great height of public nuisance and ridicule, said Cyril Njoku, a blogger based in Owerri.

Mr. Njoku told PREMIUM TIMES he was at the ceremony on Monday, and the announcement made him put together a few instances of Mr. Okorocha appointing family members to government position.

His Son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, is the Chief of Staff. His wife, Nkechi Rochas Okorocha, is the Chairman of Imo Amnesty Committee with a huge budget.

His father-in-law and the current Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwuka, was the former Secretary to Imo State Government, Mr. Njoku said.

Reached for comments Tuesday morning, Mr. Onwuemedo told PREMIUM TIMES there was no immediate reaction to the allegations, promising to get back with a reponse later.

The 27 other commissioners sworn-in and their portfolios are:

Nnamdi Obiaraeri, Information; Ugochi NnanaOkoro, Agric. and Food Security; Gertrude Oduka, Primary and Secondary Education; Jones Uzoka, Niger Delta Affairs; Uchendu Chijioke Mark, Public Utilities; Gerald Okolie, Rural Development and Cyril Okafor, Tourism.

Others include: Emmanuel Umunnakwe Ojinere, Trade and Investment; Lasbery Anyanwu, Transport; Onwueyiagwu Valentine, Youth Development; Ngozi Njoku, Gender and Social Development; Josephine Udoji, Works; Achilike Nwawuike, Internal Resources and Pension Matters; Emenalo Chizoba, Tertiary Education; Nwamerenini Chukwuka, Labour; Iyke Njoku, Planning, Budget and Statistics; Emma Ibediro, Local Government; Obinna Mbata, Finance; Martin Ohiri, Sports; Mgbeanulu Obinna, Environment and Natural Resources; Emma Buka Iwuanyanwu, Science and Technology and Vocational Education; Angela Uwakwem, Health.

The rest are: Joy Mbawuike, Informal Sector and Market Development; Tony Umezuruike, Housing; Chidi Nwaturuocha, Public Safety; Hon Dr. Ernest Nwigbo, Inter-Government Affairs & Donor Agencies; Hon Duru Okechukwu, CGC and Traditional Affairs; Emeka Benjamin, Special Duties and Kingsley Uju, Supervisory Commissioner Ministry of Land and Chairman Bureau for Land.

All the new appointees are to work as if their appointments would only last for a few weeks, Mr. Onwuemeodo said.
Three principal officers of the Imo House of Assembly on Tuesday in Owerri resigned their positions following alleged controversies surrounding the 2018 appropriation bill.

The principal officers who resigned their positions are the Majority Leader, Lugard Osuji; his deputy, Kenneth Ibe; and the Chief Whip of the House, Marcel Odunze; all of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Tendering their resignation, the former majority leader said the action was in the `collective interest of the assembly.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that 17 of the 27 members of the assembly boycotted the plenary session and observed proceedings from the press gallery.

NAN also reports that there was a heavy presence of armed security personnel at the assembly earlier, prompting members to converge at the Speakers lodge.

Meanwhile, the Speaker, Acho Ihim, announced the appointment of the member representing Ikeduru, Uche Oguwike, as the new Majority Leader and Chinedu Offor as the new Deputy Minority leader.

Mr. Ihim also replaced the chief whip with Arthur Egwim, APC, representing Ideato North.

The speaker said the action was in a bid to get over the `intrigues and counter intrigues in the house.

He said that the former principal officers were relieved of their duties before their resignation following a request by the APC in a letter signed by the state chairman, Hilary Eke, calling for their recall.

Addressing journalists at the lodge, the minority leader of the House and representative of Ahiazu Mbaise, Ken Agbim, said that the lawmakers were acting in defence of democracy.

Mr. Agbim described the presence of armed military and police officers at the assembly as an `attack on democracy.

According to him, the legislators had sought clarifications from the executive regarding the 2018 budget which was presented to the assembly on Dec. 28.

We needed some clarifications from the Executive concerning the budget and it is clear our questions did not go down well with the governor.

We believe what happened today is an attack on democracy and for the first time in a long time, we are trying to ensure our nascent democracy does not suffer, he said.

He also urged the state government to give the legislators the opportunity to work for their people, lamenting that they had been unable to execute constituency projects in their areas.

Mr. Agbim, however, stressed that they were not fighting with the state government but to ensure that things were done the right way.

NAN recalls that all the legislators boycotted the presentation of the 2018 appropriation bill on November 28.

(NAN)
A 37-year-old grocer has dragged her husband, Ramoni Kazeem, before an Igando Customary court for the dissolution of their 12-year-old marriage over allegations of financial misappropriation, unfair accusations of infidelity, and lack of care for his family.

Aminat Kazeem told Moses Akin, the president of the Court, on Tuesday that Mr. Kazeem, 40, had transferred N100,000 from her (Aminat) account to his without her knowledge.

She said her husband has been stealing her money because he has a spare key to her wardrobe, adding that she had confronted him on several occasions about the act, but he continued unabated.

My husband steals my money all the time. He is an enemy of progress, she said.

The lady also told the court that she stood as surety for her husband to borrow N250,000 from one Iya Wale a local money lender. The money was lent to him to complete a payment for the purchase of a commercial bus.

Sir, two years has passed, he only pay (sic) N95,000. The woman we borrow money from is worrying me because I stand for him.

She further revealed that her husband always embarrassed her male customers and accused her of keeping extramarital affairs with them.

He get their numbers from my phone and call them and insult them for sleeping with me.

She also cited lack of care for her and children as part of the reasons seeking for dissolution.

He doesnt care for me and children. Every time, I always take care of the children feeding and school fees.

He no even respect my family members. He even insult my elder sister. Sir, I dont love him again, Mrs. Kazeem said.

Mr. Kazeem, a native of Ibadan, Oyo State, who lives with wife and children at 7, Okesalu street, Ikotun, Lagos, admitted he was guilty in all the allegations and pleaded with the court to help save his marriage, revealing that he still loved the wife.

A commercial bus driver, he assured the court that he would pay back money borrowed from Iya Wale, the money lender his wife stood for him as surety.

On his accusations of infidelity against his wife, Mr. Kazeem said he called those male customers of hers to make them know shes married and should stop calling her at odd hours.

He then promised to take up his responsibilities at home and denied disrespecting wifes families.

Delivering his ruling, Mr. Akin rolled out the modalities for paying back the loan collected by Mr. Kazeem. According to the court, he would be remitting N10,000 weekly, beginning from the week of judgement.

The court further instructed the husband to release the spare key to the wifes wardrobe. Mrs. Kazeem was also advised to be more careful in keeping her money.

Mrs. Kazeem was persuaded to rescind her decision to sue for separation due to her husbands pledge to turn over a new leaf. And furthermore, because of his profession of love for her and the children.

The lady, however, insisted she wants to go ahead with the separation, forcing the matter to be adjourned till the 15th May, 2018.

This adjournment will enable both parties to find a common ground and possibly, reconcile. We are not here to always dissolve marriages but to as well reconcile, Mr. Akin said.
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The Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, on Tuesday said five out of eight ships waiting to berth in Lagos ports contained petrol.

The ports authority stated this in its daily `Shipping Position released in Lagos.

The document indicated that the remaining three ships were laden with diesel, bulk fertiliser and general cargo.

It said that 26 other ships with petroleum products, food items and other goods consignments were expected in Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports between December 5 and December 30.

The expected ships are carrying buck wheat, containers, general cargoes, bulk salt, trucks, diesel and aviation fuel, NPA said.

Fuel queues have resurfaced in several states despite assurances from the state oil firm, NNPC, that there is enough petrol in the country.

The queues have been largely based on panic buying by motorists.
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.




The tourism sector in Africa, which according to UNWTO saw an 8% increase in international arrivals in 2016, is becoming prominent largely due to an increased commitment from governments. Possessing massive potential to foster positive change and transformation, it is timely that most heads of state and governments are seeing the urgency in prioritising the sector - a sector now directly accounting for 10.2% of the world's GDP ($2.3 trillion).

Image by Sopotnicki (Image Supplied)

Following Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyattas directive after taking the oath of office for the second term on 28 November 2017, Africans visiting the country will henceforth receive a visa on arrival, in a move to further enhance collaboration between Kenya and her African counterparts.

The freer we are to travel and live with one another, the more integrated and appreciative of our diversity we will become, emphasised Uhuru during his inaugural speech.

Tackling the visa challenge

Kenya joins 21 other African countries that have scrapped or lessened visa restrictions for Africans - among them Ghana, Seychelles, Mauritius, Benin, and Rwanda. These efforts by African governments to adopt visa liberalisation policies are towards the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 policy document that outlines seamless borders and could increase Africas tourism revenue by about 25%.

The visa challenge has in most cases hindered Africans who wish to tour the continent. Such a move by the Kenyan government as well as other African governments that have already implemented the policy is a major endorsement on the tourism sector. After a significant drop in performance during the electioneering period, we believe this will boost tourism numbers especially during this festive season, says Jumia Travel Kenyas country manager, Cyrus Onyiego.

East Africans will now only require an identity card to travel, do business, and live in Kenya. Like her East African compeer, Rwanda also recently announced that from 1 January 2018, travellers from across the world will receive a 30-day visa on arrival from the previous policy that was only open to Africans. This will no doubt enhance Rwandas trade relations with the rest of the world, but also further grow tourisms prominence both in the country and within the East African region.

Destination Africa set for impressive performance

With a margin of $35bn in international tourism receipts in 2016, the continent is set for impressive performance by the end of this year and 2018 going forward. With improved investment and aggressive positioning in both the public and the private sectors growth agenda, the sky - for destination Africa - is the limit.
PRESCOTT, Ariz., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T, Disney and Southwest Airlines have won top honors in the 2018 Elliott Readers' Choice Customer Service Awards, an annual recognition of companies that offer outstanding customer support and service.

The award, now in its 13th year, is widely recognized as one of the premier customer service honors in America. For 2018, readers of Elliott.org (http://www.elliott.org), a leading consumer advocacy site, nominated and voted for their favorite companies in 17 categories ranging from airlines to wireless service providers.

Here are the winners:

Domestic airline - Southwest Airlines

International airline - Virgin Atlantic

Domestic car manufacturer - Ford

International car manufacturer - Toyota

Car rental company - Hertz

Cruise line - Royal Caribbean

Ground transportation - Uber

Hotel chain - Marriott

Theme park - Epcot (Disney World)

Travel insurance - Allianz Global Assistance

Online travel agency - TripAdvisor

Subscription TV - DirecTV

Vacation rental - Airbnb.com

Wireless company - Verizon Wireless

"The Readers' Choice Awards serve as an authoritative buyer's guide for consumers next year," says Christopher Elliott, editor of Elliott.org. "They highlight the companies that offer the best products and customer service."

One of the most noteworthy trends for this year was the closeness of the vote. In many categories, only one or two votes separated the winner from second place and in many categories, there were two- or three-way ties.

"That's good news for consumers because it suggests that when it comes to customer service, there's a lot of competition," says Elliott.

For 2018, there are also three new award categories:

The Above and Beyond Award, sponsored by Insuremyrentalcar.com and curated by good-news columnist Andrew Der. A recognition of companies that have gone "above and beyond" to help their customers. Southwest Airlines is 2018 winner for diverting a passenger so she could be with her ailing son. Read the full story here: http://www.elliott.org/the-good-news-guy/southwest-still-taking-passenger-under-wing

The 140 Award, sponsored by Generali Global Assistance (formerly CSA Travel Protection) and nominated by readers. The "140s," named after Twitter's traditional 140 character limit, recognize excellence in social media responsiveness and customer service. Alaska Airlines won for its innovative approach to social media and lightning-fast response times.

The Service Recovery Award, which celebrates the recovery process from customer service mishaps. Readers choose the companies that have made the best recovery in 2017. This year, the winner is United Airlines for efforts to recover from the David Dao dragging incident.

Here's the full list of year's winners by industry:

Domestic airline

1. Southwest Airlines

2. Delta Air Lines

3. Alaska Airlines

4. United Airlines/JetBlue Airways (tie)

5. American Airlines

International airline

1. Virgin Atlantic

2. Emirates

3. British Airways/Singapore (tie)

4. Air France/KLM (tie)

5. Cathay Pacific

Domestic car manufacturer

1. Ford

2. Tesla

3. Chevrolet

4. Buick/Chevrolet/Jeep (tie)

5. Lincoln

International car manufacturer

1. Toyota

2. Subaru

3. Mercedes

4. Acura/Lexus (tie)

5. VW

Car rental company

1. Hertz

2. Enterprise

3. Avis/National (tie)

4. Alamo/Budget (tie)

5. Thrifty

Cruise line

1. Royal Caribbean

2. Disney

3. Holland America

4. Celebrity

5. Viking/Carnival (tie)

Ground transportation

1. Uber

2. Lyft

3. Megabus

4. Greyhound

5. Zipcar

Hotel chain

1. Marriott

2. Hilton

3. InterContinental

4. Wyndham Hotel Group

5. Best Western

Theme park

1. Epcot (Disney World)

2. Disneyland

3. Magic Kingdom (Disney World)

4. Universal Studios (Orlando)

5. Animal Kingdom (Disney World)

Travel insurance

1. Allianz Global Assistance

2. Travel Guard

3. Generali Global Assistance (formerly CSA Travel Protection)

4. Amex Assurance/Travelex/Trip Mate (tie)

5. Seven Corners

Online travel agency

1. TripAdvisor

2. Kayak

3. Expedia

4. Booking.com

5. Priceline

Subscription TV

1. DirecTV

2. Comcast/Verizon Fios (tie)

3. AT&T U-verse

4. DISH Network

5. Time Warner

Vacation rental

1. Airbnb.com

2. VRBO.com

3. HomeAway

4. Vacasa.com

5. Flipkey.com

Wireless company

1. Verizon Wireless

2. AT&T

3. T-Mobile

4. Consumer Cellular

5. Sprint

This year's awards were sponsored by Allianz Travel Insurance, Boingo, Enterprise, Generali Global Assistance (formerly CSA Travel Protection), Insuremyrentalcar.com and Southwest Airlines.

Balloting for the 2018 Elliott Readers' Choice Customer Service Awards was conducted from Nov. 1 to 30, 2017. You can review a list of previous winners and cast their vote online at http://www.elliott.org/elliott-awards/

About Elliott.org

Elliott.org, founded in 1997, is a leading consumer advocacy site published by author and columnist Christopher Elliott. The site's goal is to empower consumers to solve their problems and to help those who can't. Elliott writes the syndicated Travel Troubleshooter and Problem Solved features for King Features Syndicate and is a columnist for USA Today and the Washington Post. He's the author of several books, including How To Be The World's Smartest Traveler (National Geographic.) The site is based in Prescott, Ariz.

SOURCE Allianz Global Assistance USA

Related Links

http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com


IFIF, co-organized by the Sichuan Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau, the Sichuan Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce, the Guangzhou Office of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government and the China Furniture & Decoration Chamber of Commerce, was held from November 25 th to November 29 th . The event, which brought together more than 2,000 exhibitors from around the world, was a showcase for a variety of product demonstrations, promotions, forums and lectures taking place in six pavilions. The show also attracted buyers with the affordable prices of the wares on display. Traffic and turnover on the first day exceeded the numbers of any day of the first year's event.

The 2nd IFIF, in addition to serving as a venue for the promotion of the exhibitors' furniture and decorative products, proved to be a staging ground for more technological innovations, leading a new round of smart changes across the furniture market. Zhai Dongliang, chairman of the Innovation Fair Club and director of Heungkong Group, said that the biannual fair aims to build an international display and trading platform for the furniture industry and create a permanent, professional-level furniture exhibition venue within Chengdu Furniture Industrial Park. "As an innovation-oriented event, the 2nd IFIF can be expected to take the lead in adopting mobile web technologies, the Cloud City concept, the integration of online and offline platforms as well as IoT technology, while promoting a trading platform specifically for original designs. The sum of these transformative actions will allow the new and cutting-edge technologies and concepts to benefit the industry as well as numerous merchants and families."

The Cloud City system formally went live at the 2nd IFIF. Products on display were simultaneously showcased on the Cloud City platform, in a configuration that mimicked the layout of the exhibition halls, assuring a seamless integration of the presentation of the products both online and offline. An extensive range of features including every product having a unique product code across all vendors, as well as QR code-based shopping in addition to promotional events, advertising, traceability and cross marketing, enabled the synchronization of online and offline product displays as well as synergy between online and offline resources.

Zhang Chuanxi, honorary chairman of IFIF and executive president of the China Furniture & Decoration Chamber of Commerce, said in his speech that the 2nd IFIF creates a new "furniture IoT ecosystem" and is expected to rewrite the landscape that is China's furniture industry. Lu Qifeng, secretary general of IFIF and assistant general manager at Heungkong Group, said, "With the arrival of the IoT era in the furniture industry, we will drive the transformation of the industry with technological innovations, opening the door to new and unprecedented opportunities."

The fair received extensive positive feedback from the Chinese branches and representatives of chambers of commerce worldwide. Daniel Miller, manager at China-Britain Business Council Southwest China, said that the 2nd IFIF's adoption of innovative technologies including the Cloud City platform and advanced IoT is good news for companies outside China and will help British institutions to quickly enter the Chinese market.

The fair is expected to serve as a catalyst for the transformation of Chengdu Furniture Industrial Park, as well as for the next stage of development across the entire industry and its service chains. Chen Zhi, deputy district head of the People's Government of Xindu District, said that Chengdu Furniture Industrial Park will become much more actively engaged in the commercial and financial aspects of the industry. The park plans to establish six centers of activity, the three key ones being a center for creative design and research, a center for raw materials purchasing and processing as well as a center for intelligent manufacturing and processing, in a move to promote innovative transformation through multi-faceted integration.

International Furnishings Innovation Fair (Chengdu)'s official website: www.cdifif.com

SOURCE International Furniture Innovation Fair (Chengdu)

Related Links

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- An article published in Experimental Biology and Medicine (Volume 242, Issue 18, December 2017) describes a new approach for profiling patients with joint injuries. The study, led by Dr. Ursula Anderer, Professor for Cell Biology and Head of the Department Cell Biology and Tissue Engineering at Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany, demonstrates that a microtissue culture assay can be used to identify patients that will benefit from cell-based therapies.

Trauma- and osteoarthritis-related joint injuries are rising due to increases in life expectancy and the number of individuals participating in sports-related activities. A central event in joint injuries is damage to or loss of cartilage, the strong elastic tissue in joints that absorbs shock and allows bones to smoothly glide past each other. Because the ability of cartilage to self-repair is limited, treatment options include replacing the damaged tissue with artificial cartilage or transplanting cells, chondrocytes, that can generate new cartilage. While using a patient's own cells (autologous transplantation) has the fewest side effects, this approach does not always produce functional cartilage. A ''personalized diagnostic tool'' that can predict the ability of a patient's cells to form functional cartilage would improve outcomes for patients with joint injuries.

In the current study, Dr. Anderer and colleagues used a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture technique to assess the ability of cartilage cells isolated from human donors to form cartilage. Previous studies have demonstrated that chondrocytes grown as a monolayer using standard two-dimensional (2D) cell culture techniques do not retain the characteristics associated with mature chondrocytes. In contrast, chondrocytes grown in a more physiological 3D environment that promotes organization into a tissue, resemble mature chondrocytes. All of the donor cells examined in this study exhibited an identical chondrocyte profile in 2D culture. However, there were clear differences in chondrogenic potential among individual donors in 3D microtissues. These findings suggest that this 3D assay may be a suitable ''personalized diagnostic tool'' for identifying patients that will benefit from autologous cell-based therapy. Dr. Anderer stated that "Choosing a cell culture system which is as close as possible to the natural tissue situation made it possible to identify personalized tissue forming properties in vitro. This individualized characterization of the potency of cartilage cells will be the basis for a "patient profiling" by identification of specific intrinsic markers (biomarkers) to classify these patients.

Dr. Steven R. Goodman, Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology & Medicine, said, "Anderer and colleagues have provided a 3D microtissue in vitro model platform that they demonstrate to be of value in predicting the personalized therapeutic value of autologous cell-based cartilage repair. This could be a valuable step towards regenerative medicine for traumatic or degenerative defects of cartilage tissue."

About Experimental Biology and Medicine

Experimental Biology and Medicine is a journal dedicated to the publication of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in the biomedical sciences. The journal was first established in 1903. Experimental Biology and Medicine is the journal of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine. To learn about the benefits of society membership, visit www.sebm.org. If you are interested in publishing in the journal, please visit http://ebm.sagepub.com.

Disclaimer: Newswire is not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to Newswire by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the Newswire platform.

SOURCE Experimental Biology and Medicine
NEW YORK and LONDON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Membership of the global professional body for accountants ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has grown to more than 200,000, ACCA announced today.

To celebrate this important milestone, ACCA is highlighting the achievements of its global membership by creating a transportable wall of member names, featuring every one of ACCA's 200,000 members as of October 2017. ACCA also has created a digital replica of the wall for members to find their names and leave a message to describe what their membership has meant to them.

"Reaching 200,000 members is a landmark occasion, an opportunity for us to champion the profession," said Helen Brand OBE, chief executive of ACCA. "Over the last 113 years, our members have helped lead and advise organizations of all sizes across geographies and economic sectors. We want all of our members to feel immense pride in what they have achieved in qualifying with ACCA and to celebrate with them their career success."

The digital wall launches today at ACCA's online event, Accounting for the Future, and the physical wall will be unveiled in Ethiopia at ACCA's first-ever member engagement event for sub-Saharan Africa on Wednesday.

"ACCA is committed to shaping the future of the accountancy profession, enabling individuals and organizations to unlock their potential," Helen Brand said. "Our story is one of opportunity and inclusion, and to showcase our heritage we have created The ACCA Story, a short film that features our founder Arthur Priddle, reflecting on our founding values, which remain as relevant today as they were in 1904."

She added, 'We're proud of our members' achievements and recognize the ACCA story has only been possible because of the imagination, courage and determination of our members past and present. We invite all of them to celebrate this important milestone for the profession."

About ACCA

The 200,000th member campaign is here: http://200k.accaglobal.com/

The ACCA Story is here: https://youtu.be/D3u0XvfsBYI

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants, offering business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.

ACCA supports its 200,000 members and 486,000 students in 180 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. ACCA works through a network of 101 offices and centres and more than 7,200 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through its public interest remit, ACCA promotes appropriate regulation of accounting and conducts relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

ACCA is currently introducing major innovations to its flagship qualification to ensure its members and future members continue to be the most valued, up to date and sought-after accountancy professionals globally.

Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. More information is here: www.accaglobal.com

SOURCE ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
RESTON, Va., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ardent Management Consulting, Inc. (ArdentMC) announced today that it was awarded a subcontract to support the US Marine Corps Infrastructure Reset Strategy (MCICOM) for the Department of Defense (DoD) as a subcontractor to Logistics Management Institute (LMI). The one year task order provides support services for the DoD and United States Marine Corps (USMC).

This new work supports programmatic information management, program analysis, and technical and professional services for the MCICOM's Infrastructure Reset Initiative. This includes ArcGIS software, data management, cartographic expertise, and geospatial modeling.

Brandon LaBonte, President and Chief Executive Officer of ArdentMC, said, "As a subcontractor to LMI, ArdentMC has the opportunity to support efforts with the Marine Corps with one of our areas of expertise in GIS map planning and visualization. This joint effort will provide multiple areas of support, and we are motivated by the opportunity."

About ArdentMC

Virginia-based software development firm, Ardent Management Consulting, Inc. (ArdentMC) is a Small Business Administration (SBA), CMMI Dev Level 3 firm with offices in Reston, VA, Washington D.C., and Tulsa, OK. ArdentMC brings a significant history of working with the Geospatial Management Office in support of geospatial objectives through its ongoing contract engagements on the National Operations Center (NOC) Common Operating Picture (COP) and the Geospatial Information Infrastructure (GII), both programs focused on information sharing and collaboration. For more information on ArdentMC visit www.ardentmc.com or call 703-964-8010.

About LMI

ArdentMC is the subcontractor on MCICOM to LMI. As a global strategic consultancy focused on the public sector since 1961, LMI works with leaders and managers to help them make decisions that create immediate and enduring value. LMI has made a profound impact for clients across the U.S. government and in global ministries, helping them operate with greater predictability and less risk, building efficiency and transparency and far-reaching outcomes.

Contact:

Lana Puljic

5714466207

[email protected]

SOURCE ArdentMC

Related Links

http://www.ardentmc.com


CHICAGO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Concept Schools believes the recent Associated Press (AP) report on racial segregation in U.S. charter schools failed to recognize charter schools are often limited to operate in socioeconomically segregated communities with failing traditional district schools, and poverty is widely understood to correlate with low student proficiency.

The AP reported, "resegregation has been blamed on the effects of charters and school choice." While the report raises real concerns regarding the deeply rooted tradition of racial tension and segregation in our country, it missed the opportunity to explain how charter schools provide families with a high-quality public school option that may otherwise not be afforded to them.

The AP also failed to report on the valuable interpersonal relationships that form between charter schools and the families that choose them. The corresponding AP video exemplifies how charter schools establish meaningful relationships with families struggling with adverse experiences.

"Public charter schools like Milwaukee Math and Science Academy are tuition-free, non-selective schools that provide historically underserved families a better option than what local schools may offer," said Concept Schools spokesman Dr. Christopher Murphy. "Families choose charter schools like MMSA because it is a nearby option that challenges students to think collaboratively and critically in a safe and secure learning environment."

In his response, Democrats for Education Reform National's Shavar Jeffries stated: "Charter schools are not by themselves a panacea for the racial inequities that have undercut opportunities for children of color for well over 100 years. But across this country, they're providing students a high-quality public school option previously unavailable to them. Parents need more, not fewer, of those kinds of choices."

"The AP's misleading headline has come before and will come again," summarized Robin Lake, Director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education. "The only thing the (AP) analysis shows is that charter schools are serving the at-risk kids we  and state legislatures  asked them to serve. The fight to end racial segregation in our schools is laudable, but to pin the blame for current circumstances on charter schools is irresponsible."

Concept Schools is a nonprofit charter management organization that provides a high-quality, STEM-focused and college-preparatory education through a network of 31 U.S. charter schools while offering exceptional programs, comprehensive services, and opportunities to partner in education.

SOURCE Concept Schools

Related Links

http://www.conceptschools.org


"Brazil represents an important opportunity for Astellas to bring value and hope to patients and their families," said Barretto-Ko. "Joao Carlos' more than 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience will help ensure that our ongoing commitment to therapies in oncology, urology, immunology and other areas reach patients in need."

A native of Brazil, Britto most recently served as regional head of Latin America at Baxalta US Inc. (now part of Shire), where he was responsible for leading an organization focused on hematology, immunology and oncology. Prior to Baxalta, he had a successful career at Novartis where he held various leadership positions for more than 17 years, including cluster head of Central America and the Caribbean, country president for Ecuador, global head of Access and Affordability marketing programs and commercial director for Brazil. He also held several marketing and sales roles of increasing responsibility in Brazil for various pharmaceutical companies including Ache and Pfizer.

Britto holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo (PUC), a postgraduate degree in marketing from Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), and an MBA from the Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP).

About Astellas

Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at http://www.astellas.us/. You can also follow us on Twitter at @AstellasUS, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AstellasUS or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/astellas-pharma.

About Astellas Farma Brasil

Astellas Farma Brasil, an affiliate of Astellas Pharma Inc located in Tokyo, Japan, is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. Astellas Farma Brasil focuses on Urology, Oncology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases as core therapeutic areas. Astellas is on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information on Astellas Farma Brasil, please visit: http://www.astellasfarma.com.br.

SOURCE Astellas

Related Links

http://www.astellas.us


"Sheng is a true master of her trade, a trusted leader with the utmost command of product and engineering, uniquely qualified to take AutoGravity technology to the next level," said Andy Hinrichs, founder and CEO of AutoGravity. "Sheng's authentic, hands-on leadership has been instrumental to our speed and success in setting the pace of digital retailing in the automotive industry. We are confident in her ability to rally our world-class engineering team to definitively own the digital car buying journey, beginning to end and beyond."

Prior to her appointment as CTO, Wang led AutoGravity product development as the company's first Director of Product, building cross-functional teams to develop and launch the award-winning AutoGravity platform, as well as branded platforms for Volkswagen Credit and Kia Motors Finance. Wang joined AutoGravity with more than fifteen years of leadership experience in the technology industry and an uncompromising dedication to building dynamic teams and high-impact products that people love.

"As mobile technology matures and mobile usage continues to surge, more and more people are looking to shop and buy their cars online. Car shoppers want an easy way to find the right car, check affordability, secure their financing and get the car delivered to them in a few simple steps," said Sheng Wang. "It has been rewarding to see how AutoGravity has already changed the car financing process and I can't wait to continue the journey to provide the best digital car buying experience to all consumers."

As CTO at AutoGravity, Wang will elevate the AutoGravity platform by applying her passion and expertise in user experience, customer relationship management, program management, project planning and workflow analysis to the forefront of the company's developmental efforts.

Wang is inspired by audacious missions, challenging problems, thoughtfully opinionated people, and positive work culture. Prior to AutoGravity, Wang led product development teams at eBay, Microsoft, and The Walt Disney Company. Wang holds a Bachelor of Science from Taiwan University and a Master of Science in Computer Engineering from Santa Clara University.

About AutoGravity:

AutoGravity is revolutionizing the way people buy and finance cars. Harnessing the power of the smartphone, AutoGravity technology provides a new level of transparency, convenience and speed to the car shopping and financing process. AutoGravity partners with the world's leading banks and financial services companies to give car buyers direct control over their car financing options while connecting them to a nationwide network of trusted car dealerships. Available on iOS, Android and Web, AutoGravity empowers car buyers with up to four binding offers in minutes. Based in Irvine, California, AutoGravity was founded by an international team of digital natives and auto industry veterans. For more information on AutoGravity, please visit www.AutoGravity.com and follow @AutoGravity on Twitter.

SOURCE AutoGravity

Related Links

https://www.autogravity.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced that Rob Lowe, film and television actor, producer, writer and director and New York Times best-selling author, has been selected for membership in this prestigious organization. Lowe joins 11 other esteemed business, civic and cultural leaders from across North America in receiving 2018 honors. For more than 70 years, the Horatio Alger Award has been annually bestowed upon admired leaders who have succeeded despite facing adversities, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their local communities.

Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, and raised in Dayton, Ohio, eight-year-old Rob Lowe dreamed of being an actor. Throughout a tumultuous childhood, he focused on his goal despite his young age, appearing in many productions throughout the mid-west. In 1976, following his mother's second divorce, the family moved to Malibu, California, where Lowe began to work professionally. By the age of 15, he was starring on network television in ABC's A New Kind of Family. By the 1980s, Lowe was an international icon, a member of the "Brat Pack," and the star of seminal youth films of that era. The Outsiders, St. Elmo's Fire, and About Last Night are movies that remain classics. In the 1990s, Lowe transitioned into comedy, memorably hosting SNL three times and starring in smash movies, Wayne's World, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Tommy Boy. In 1999, Lowe began a remarkable streak of starring in a television series every season for the last eighteen years!

Lowe has starred in numerous memorable projects. In addition to his leading role as "Sam Seaborn" in the acclaimed drama, The West Wing, which earned 51 Emmy nominations, he has starred in Brothers and Sisters and Parks and Recreation, as well as Killing Kennedy and Behind the Candelabra. He has written two New York Times best-selling memoirs, Stories I Only Tell My Friends and Love Life. In honor of his four-decade career, Lowe received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015. He recently wrapped his second season on the CBS medical drama, Code Black, and is currently directing and starring in a remake of the four-time Academy Award nominated The Bad Seed.

"Rob has been an outstanding supporter and friend of the Horatio Alger Association for many years," said Matthew Rose, president, Horatio Alger Association and 2013 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "He has already done so much to not only further our mission and widen our reach, but to elevate our scholarship programs. It is our distinct honor to officially induct him as a lifetime Member as we are certain that he will continue to serve as a source of inspiration for the Association's Scholars."

Lowe has worked passionately in the area of drug and alcohol recovery, being sober himself since 1990. His mother died of breast cancer in 2005 and Lowe became the first male spokesperson for Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Since then, he has traveled across the country advocating for education and funding.

Lowe remains active in the philanthropic space. In 2006, he founded the Homeowners Defense Fund, a land-use advocacy group, and he is also a founding member of the Dream Foundation, providing end-of-life dreams to terminally ill adults and their families. Lowe also remains a supporter of The Elton John Pediatric AIDS Foundation and White Hearts, a fundraising website that matches wounded veterans with the best prosthetic limbs; as well as Best Buddies. Lowe has been married to designer, Sheryl Lowe, since 1991. They have two sons, Matthew and Johnowen, who attend Loyola Law School and Stanford University, respectively.

"Throughout my personal and professional life, I've been lucky enough to have strong, supportive mentors to encourage and guide me," said Lowe. "I understand that many Horatio Alger Scholars must deal with extremely difficult situations on their own. Their resilience, determination and strength inspire me and I hope that through my work with the Association, I can support these students as they navigate life's challenges. I look forward to meeting many of the Scholars this spring, and to witnessing all that they will accomplish in the future."

Through its Members, Horatio Alger Association aims to educate young people about the limitless opportunities afforded to them by the free-enterprise system. To further this mission, the organization awards scholarships to outstanding high school students who are committed to pursuing higher education and giving back to their communities. Like Association Members, Horatio Alger Scholars have faced significant adversities, but have also displayed unmatched resilience in overcoming their challenges. Since the scholarship program was established in 1984, Horatio Alger Association has provided more than $125 million to students in need, all of which has been funded solely through the generosity of Association Members and friends.

Lowe and the Member Class of 2018 will be formally inducted into the Association on April 5-7, 2018, during the Association's 71st Horatio Alger Award Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The annual three-day event honors the achievements of both Members and National Scholars, affording both groups the opportunity to meet and interact, exchanging stories of hardships and triumphs.

For more information about Horatio Alger Association and its Member Class of 2018, please visit www.horatioalger.org and/orfollow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #HoratioAlgerAward.

About Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans:

Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have accomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them the Horatio Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime Members. Horatio Alger Members support promising young people with the resources and confidence needed to overcome adversity in pursuit of their dreams through higher education. Through the generosity of its Members and friends, in 2017, the Association awarded more than $18 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships across the United States and Canada, and also provided college support and mentoring services to its Scholars. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $125 million in college scholarships to more than 25,000 deserving young people. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

CONTACT:

McKenna Young

484-385-2913 (office)

[email protected]

SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.horatioalger.org


WELLESLEY, Mass., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College is offering four-year, full-tuition Diversity Leadership Awards to public high school students in San Francisco, Miami, and Boston, as well as neighboring Lawrence, Massachusetts. Students receiving such scholarships demonstrate the greatest potential for leadership in creating a diverse community at Babson.

In addition to its main campus located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Babson has established education hubs in Boston, San Francisco, and Miami, which is why students from these communities are being offered this opportunity.

"We are pleased to expand the Diversity Leadership Awards, enhance our partnership with the cities of San Francisco, Miami, Boston and Lawrence, and continue our efforts to increase access to Babson's undergraduate degree program," says Babson College President Kerry Healey. "By supporting talented and diverse public school students from across the country, we are seeking to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs  providing a transformative educational experience and equipping aspiring leaders with the skills and resources they will need to create social and economic value everywhere."

Diversity Leadership Award candidates are evaluated based on the information in their admission and financial aid applications; no additional application is required. Scholars with greater levels of financial need will also be awarded additional grant funds, in varying amounts based on need, to help with room and board, books, and supplies.

"We look forward to offering the Diversity Leadership Awards to incoming students we know will be extremely deserving of such support," says Babson's Dean of Undergraduate Admission Courtney Minden. "Our diverse community is what makes the Babson experience so special, and we look forward to continuing to create an even more culturally-rich environment for our students."

Babson College, committed to providing the financial resources needed to support its students, awards $43 million in undergraduate aid, with $36 million coming directly from Babson in the form of grants and scholarships. Approximately 50 percent of Babson's undergraduates receive financial assistance.

Diversity Leadership Scholars at Babson

Recipients of this award participate in:

First-Year Scholars Retreatjoining other scholars and mentors for an off-site weekend retreat comprised of community building and leadership development activities.

Lead Partnersmatched with upperclass students who will help them achieve outlined goals and navigate the many opportunities on campus.

Monthly Meet-Upsgathering periodically for community building, information sharing, and fellowship.

Community Buildingincluding social events and outings each semester, in addition to professional and personal development opportunities throughout the year.

One-on-One Advisingmeeting with advisors to communicate progress and identify resources for success.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

Media Contact:

Michael Chmura

Public Relations Director

[email protected]

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise. For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.



SOURCE Babson College

Related Links

http://www.babson.edu


LEWIS CENTER, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new study released by Clean Label Project, Nature's One brand Baby's Only Organic toddler formulas ranked highest among all baby formulas tested for purity and nutrition. Clean Label Project released the recent results of an independent laboratory study encompassing most U.S. baby formula and baby food brands. The testing looked beyond nutrition to include metalloids like arsenic and lead, pesticides, environmental toxins and processing chemicals. These toxins are hidden from the consumer and not considered by government regulations. Yet these toxins can have a profound negative impact on a baby's normal growth and development. Nature's One and Baby's Only Organic toddler formulas were tested and rated "Best in Class" for all formulas tested.

Jay Highman, Founder and CEO of Nature's One said, "Anymore, it is not enough to talk about what is added to a formula to make it beneficial. Also, we need to talk about toxins hidden behind the marketing glitz and unregulated hype."

Unlike most organic formulas on the market, Nature's One owns its nutritional science and sources all of its organic ingredients. "Organic is one step toward cleaner food," continues Highman, "but purity matched with organic is better. We strive to make organic better."

For 20 years, Nature's One has worked to find only the purest ingredients. Jay Highman says, "Purity has not been an easy journey even when using organic ingredients. We have been blindsided by naturally occurring environmental toxins in the past, but as a company we learned how to make our products even more pure." Highman continues, "It's our goal as citizens to be the leader in providing the purest formulas for children and we encourage others in the industry to not wait on governmental regulations. We all need to take action in reducing toxins in foods for our most precious consumers."

About Nature's One:

Founded in 1997, Nature's One is the recognized leader by informed parents in organic nutrition for their families. Brands include Baby's Only Organic toddler formulas, PediaVance electrolyte replacement quick-mixes and PediaSmart complete nutrition beverage. Nature's One celebrates 20 years dedicating its resources to the research, development and production of high quality nutrition. Nature's One is sold nationally through Sprouts, Whole Foods and also available direct from Nature's One and Amazon.

Contact: Lisa Edwards

[email protected]

(740) 548-0135

SOURCE Nature's One

Related Links

http://www.NaturesOne.com


BRENTWOOD, Tenn., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Has Donald Trump's less than one-year tenure as president of the United States been good for the banking industry? Yes, according to 58 percent of the executives and directors who participated in Bank Director's 2018 Bank M&A Survey, sponsored by Crowe Horwath LLP.

The "Trump bump" and rising bank valuations experienced earlier this year have likely fueled this sentiment, along with the president's appointment of regulators that are expected to be more sympathetic to the industry. And more than three-quarters of survey participants believe that the U.S. economy will experience modest growth through the end of 2018an improvement over last year's survey, when 31 percent expected an economic downturn.

When asked about their personal views, however, more than half of these bank leaders54 percentindicate they are personally dissatisfied with Donald Trump's ability to do his job as the country's chief executive.

The 2018 Bank M&A Survey was conducted in September and October of 2017, and surveyed 189 chief executive officers, senior executives and board members of U.S. banks to gain their perspectives on the U.S. economy, the bank M&A environment and their own M&A strategies.

"While many banks and their boards seek growth through acquisition, it is important to note that investors continue to value efficiency and profitability," says Al Dominick, CEO of Bank Director.

Respondents also reveal mixed opinions about the ability of the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that will benefit the banking industry. Fifty-nine percent expect modest regulatory relief to occur by the end of 2018, while one-third lack confidence that this will come through.

Additional findings include:

Almost half believe that the current environment for bank M&A is more favorable for deals, and 55 percent say their institution is likely to purchase another bank by the close of 2018.

Forty-four percent indicate that rising bank valuations have made it more difficult for their bank to compete for or attract acquisition targets.

When asked about the kinds of acquisitions the bank is willing to make, 83 percent say their board and management team would consider a market extension and 78 percent would consider an in-market deal. Twenty-eight percent would consider an out-of-market deal.

Fewjust 7 percentare likely to acquire a fintech company by the end of 2018.

"While many banks and boards of directors would like to be acquisitive, the survey also indicates the primary roadblock is that more banks would like to be independent, creating a gap between the pool of buyers and the pool of available banks," says Rick Childs, a contributor to the survey and a partner at Crowe Horwath.

Full survey results are available online at BankDirector.com and will be featured in the 1st quarter 2018 issue of Bank Director magazine.

About Bank Director

Since 1991, Bank Director has served as a leading information resource for the directors and officers of financial institutions. Through its print and digital editions of Bank Director magazine, executive-level research, annual conferences and its website, BankDirector.com, Bank Director reaches the leaders of the institutions that comprise America's banking industry. Bank Director is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.

About Crowe Horwath LLP

Crowe Horwath LLP (http://www.crowehorwath.com/) is one of the largest public accounting, consulting, and technology firms in the United States. Crowe uses its deep industry expertise to provide audit services to public and private entities while also helping clients reach their goals with tax, advisory, risk and performance services. Crowe is recognized by many organizations as one of the country's best places to work. Crowe serves clients worldwide as an independent member of Crowe Horwath International, one of the largest global accounting networks in the world. The network consists of more than 200 independent accounting and advisory services firms in more than 120 countries around the world.

Contact: Michelle King, chief brand officer, (615) 777-8465, [email protected]

SOURCE Bank Director

Related Links

http://www.bankdirector.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of the West Wealth Management Group's Family Wealth Advisors hosted the Silicon Valley segment of the BNP Paribas' 2017 Global NextGen Experience program for ultra-high-net-worth Millennials. The four day event brought together the next generation of clients with some of the world's largest tech companies centered on three key themes: entrepreneurship, multi-generational family wealth and investing with purpose.

"Bank of the West was thrilled to host the NextGen Experience's final program this year in the global epicenter of entrepreneurship and technological development," said Pierre Ramadier, Head of Wealth Management at Bank of the West. "Through the global reach of our parent company, BNP Paribas, and our local presence in Silicon Valley, we were able to offer international clients a hands-on look at the startup process and the financial decisions involved in innovative business growth and multi-generational family wealth."

Attendees explored the lifecycle of an entrepreneur through a live pitch session, panel discussions and tours of a number of technology companies across the region. Attendees served as judges during a pitch session, voting on the best start-up idea among participants. The full program was recorded by a graphical note-taker, who provided attendees with takeaway materials in a unique format. Attendees also saw presentations by guest speakers like Ben Bingham, author of "Making Money Matter," and sessions with local family offices and foundations.

For more information on the NextGen Experience and materials related to the program, visit:

Bank of the West Blog here.

Video recap of Next Gen Silicon Valley here.

BNP Paribas Wealth Management website here.

About BNP Paribas Wealth Management

BNP Paribas Wealth Management is a leading global private bank and #1 Private Bank in the Eurozone. Present in three hubs in Europe, Asia and the US, over 6,600 professionals provide a private investor clientele with solutions for optimizing and managing their assets. The bank has 358 billion worth of assets under management (as at 30 September 2017) and was elected "Best Private Bank for Entrepreneurs" in 2016 and 2017.

BNP Paribas Wealth Management leverages all of the Group's capabilities to help entrepreneurs build a bridge between professional and personal projects at each step of development of their company.

https://wealthmanagement.bnpparibas/en/who-we-serve/entrepreneurs.html

About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 74 countries, with more than 192,000 employees, including more than 146,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main activities: Domestic Markets and International Financial Services (whose retail-banking networks and financial services are covered by Retail Banking & Services) and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors. The Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the European leader in consumer lending. BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail-banking model in Mediterranean countries, in Turkey, in Eastern Europe and a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Institutional Banking and International Financial Services activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific.

About Bank of the West Wealth Management

Bank of the West Wealth Management provides wealth planning, investment management*, personal banking, philanthropy, and trust and fiduciary services. The group is part of BNP Paribas' global wealth management business of more than 6,600 professionals present in three hubs in Europe, Asia and the U.S. with more than $12.9 billion** in assets under management in the United States and 358 billion ($414.7 billion) in assets under management globally as of September 30, 2017.

About Bank of the West

Bank of the West is a financial services company headquartered in San Francisco with $89.8 billion in assets as of September 30, 2017. Founded in 1874, Bank of the West provides a wide range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services through more than 600 branches and offices in 23 states and digital channels. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, a leading bank in Europe, which has a presence in 74 countries with more than 192,000 employees. To learn more about Bank of the West, visit About Us via BankoftheWest.com.

Deposit and loan products offered by Bank of the West, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.  2017 Bank of the West. Doing business in South Dakota as Bank of the West California.

Connect with us

*Securities and variable annuities are offered through BancWest Investment Services, a registered broker/dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC, and SEC Registered Investment Adviser. Financial Advisors are Registered Representatives of BancWest Investment Services. Fixed annuities/insurance products are offered through BancWest Insurance Agency in California, (License #0C52321) and through BancWest Investment Services, Inc. in all other states where it is licensed to do business. This is not an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where we are not authorized to do business. Bank of the West and its various affiliates and subsidiaries are not tax or legal advisors. BancWest Investment Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of the West. Bank of the West is a wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas.

**Assets under management refers to assets under administration, management, advisement, and on deposit, including assets with our affiliate BancWest Investment Services ("BancWest") as of September 30, 2017.

Deposit and loan products offered by Bank of the West, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. In South Dakota, Bank of the West operates under the name Bank of the West California. Bank of the West Wealth Management offers products and services through Bank of the West and its various affiliates and subsidiaries.

Investment and Insurance products:

NOT FDIC INSURED NOT BANK GUARANTEED MAY LOSE VALUE NOT A DEPOSIT NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY

SOURCE Bank of the West Wealth Management
CLEVELAND, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Banyan Technology, the pioneer and industry leader of live carrier connectivity, was selected as one of the 100 fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio and was honored at the 30th annual Weatherhead 100 awards ceremony.

Each year, the ceremony acknowledges the fastest growing companies in the area based on revenue growth over the most recent five years. Banyan Technology experienced exponential revenue growth by powering live connectivity with freight and parcel carriers throughout North America.

This award acknowledges the rapid and ongoing growth of Banyan, which comes as a result of aligning strategic business initiatives and homegrown talent from Northeast Ohio dedicated to innovation. The result is the most complete and flexible client solution available in the freight industry.

"We are honored to be recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio amongst an elite group of businesses," said Banyan CEO Brian Smith. "Banyan is innovating the freight industry, and we're excited to lead that charge right here in Northeast Ohio. This award is a credit to our clients and our entire team at Banyan Technology."

About Banyan Technology

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Banyan Technology is North America's leading innovator of live carrier and API connectivity for transportation management. With more than 1,400 parcel, LTL, volume, and full truckload carrier connections and 30,000 client locations accessing the application, Banyan Technology provides commercial shippers, brokers, and 3PLs with unparalleled access to carrier data. These connections boost efficiency, improve visibility, and deliver permanent reductions in shipping costs. For more information on Banyan Technology, visit www.banyantechnology.com.

SOURCE Banyan Technology
A portion of the proceeds from Ben & Jerry's new One Sweet World limited batch flavor will benefit the campaign's efforts to promote economic and racial justice. After the announcement, Aloe Blacc, Maxwell, Sweet Honey in the Rock, JPeriod, Yara Allen, Gina Belafonte and Van Jones headlined the "We are Here" concert presented by Sankofa.org in support of the campaign.

Ben & Jerry's is proud to support the organizers of the new Poor People's Campaign, which is a national grassroots movement, led by those who have been historically marginalized, to build political power for a more just and equitable America. With One Sweet World, Ben & Jerry's intends to bring the message of the campaign and its calls to action to fans and freezer cases all around the country. Inspired activists are urged to sign up for the Poor People's Campaign with a commitment to mobilize their community, receive text updates, or take direct action, including civil disobedience.

Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s call for a Poor People's Campaign to confront the "three evils" in society: poverty, racism and militarism. "While it's true that we've made some progress since then, it's unfortunate that the issues of income inequality, racism, and a bloated military budget are as pressing today as they were a half century ago," said Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry's co-founder.

Since Ben & Jerry's founding in 1978, the company has tried to use its business and its connection to fans to promote greater economic and social justice. From LGBTQ rights and marriage equality to Occupy Wall Street, Ben & Jerry's believes in using the power of business to motivate fans and promote policies that further the cause of justice. This commitment is as strong today as it has ever been.

One Sweet World is a Limited Batch flavora blend of coffee caramel ice cream with fudge chunks and swirls of marshmallow and salted caramel. Fans can find it in Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops or use the Ben & Jerry's flavor locator to find it at a nearby location. MSRP is $4.89 per pint.

For more information on Ben & Jerry's social mission, visit Benjerry.com/values.

For more information on the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, click here.

About Ben & Jerry's

As an aspiring social justice company, Ben & Jerry's believes in a greater calling than simply making a profit for selling its goods. The company produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream, yogurt and sorbet using high-quality ingredients. Ben & Jerry's incorporates its vision of Linked Prosperity into its business practices in a number of ways, including a focus on values-led sourcing. In 2015 the company completed its transition to using entirely non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) ingredients by source as well as to fully source Fairtrade-certified ingredients wherever possible, which benefits farmers in developing countries. Ben and Jerry's products are distributed in 35 countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchise Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops, restaurants and other venues. Ben & Jerry's, a Vermont corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part Mission Statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community. Ben & Jerry's became a certified B Corp (Benefit Corporation) in 2012. The Ben & Jerry's Foundation's employee-led grant programs totaled $2.5MM in 2016 to support grassroots organizing for social and environmental justice around the country.

For the inside scoop on Ben & Jerry's visit www.benjerry.com.

SOURCE Ben & Jerry's
WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bentley University will play a key role in today's New England Board of Higher Education summit, "Employability: A National Imperative," at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Today's event will highlight Bentley's leading role in connecting universities and employers to better prepare the workforce of the future and will feature three Bentley participants - President Gloria Larson, Associate Vice President of Career Services Susan Brennan and student Alexandria Steinmann '18 -- more than any other university.

Last month, Bentley partnered with The Chronicle of Higher Education to host another event, "The Future of Work: The Path from College to Career," that drew more than one hundred employers, university officials, faculty and students to Bentley's campus in Waltham, Mass.

"Now more than ever, we need to connect higher education and the world of work," said President Larson, author of PreparedU: How Innovative Colleges Drive Students Success. "Graduates today are heading into an innovation economy where they will land jobs that don't even exist yet and where the impact of automation is forever changing the landscape. It's crucial that we forge strong partnerships between the world of higher education and employers in the marketplace."

Just 44 percent of college seniors feel "very prepared" for their careers, according to a recent study by McGraw Hill Education. Employers agree, with many saying new graduates don't have the skills they require.

At the New England Board of Higher Education event, President Larson will discuss the demands of today's employers, the expectations of students and their families of a return on their college investment, and how universities can innovate to meet today's demands.

Brennan, who leads Bentley's nationally recognized career services team, is a member of the New England Board of Higher Education's Commission on Higher Education and Employability, which helps colleges update their career advising to better align with the marketplace. Brennan will present the commission's recommendations on how to achieve that.

Steinmann, a senior at Bentley, will be the only student panelist at the summit. Steinmann is a career services director at Bentley who oversees a team of Career Colleagues  juniors and seniors who are trained to advise first-year students and sophomores at Bentley on career skills such as interviewing, networking, cover letters and resumes.

Read more about Steinmann's experience advising other Bentley students in this Huffington Post article.

At the Chronicle of Higher Education "Future of Work" event at Bentley last month, employers and educators met to debate what jobs will look like in the future and how they could partner to make sure graduates are ready for the changing market.

Read more about the takeaways and comments from the "Future of Work" event at Bentley.

SOURCE Bentley University
NEW MONMOUTH, N.J., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It's not too late to do the holiday baking in style and comfort this year, thanks to SMART Carpet and Flooring's brand-new kitchen flooring recommendations designed specifically for homeowners whose holidays include time spent together in the kitchen.

Bake in style this holiday season with new flooring from SMART Carpet and Flooring.

"The majority of Americans will be spending more time in the kitchen this month carrying on cherished family traditions and preparing for annual holiday celebrations," explained Brendan Phillips, SMART Carpet and Flooring founder and president. "Many of us know the discomfort of standing for hours on an unyielding kitchen floor, so this year, SMART Carpet and Flooring wants to help homeowners update to flooring that enhances the look of the home while providing greater comfort underfoot."

To that end, the company is recommending Congoleum AirStep Plus luxury sheet flooring. Designed for today's busy family, AirStep Plus features Scotchgard Protector for industry-leading stain and soil resistance, which is a plus for families whose youngest members love to help with the holiday baking. Built-in silver particles add antimicrobial properties that protect against mold and mildew to keep everyone breathing easier.

Since AirStep Plus is a vinyl flooring, it offers a more forgiving surface--and that allows more hours free of the foot and leg discomfort that can come with cooking and baking for prolonged periods on wood or tile floors. Available in two dozen colors and styles ranging from weathered hardwood to classic marble, AirStep Plus offers something for every style. This month, try AirStep Plus in NorthStar for a modern take on a warm, rustic slate tile or Trade Winds for a breezy, sea-weathered hardwood look.

SMART Carpet and Flooring has been the flooring provider of choice for homeowners in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York since the mid-Nineties. Today, thanks to the company's pioneering mobile flooring showrooms, homeowners can see thousands of carpet, tile, wood, vinyl and stone flooring samples right at home, under their own lighting and against their existing decor. SMART Carpet and Flooring offers a full suite of flooring services, from removing the old flooring to financing the new flooring installation in-house.

About SMART Carpet and Flooring

As the Tri-State area's premiere shop-at-home flooring provider with deep roots in New Jersey, SMART Carpet and Flooring eliminates the hassle of buying new carpet and flooring by doing everything at the client's home, where color and quality selection matter most. Because the company is a mill-direct buying service and not a store, SMART Carpet and Flooring customers can save up to 50% off typical store prices. SMART Carpet and Flooring includes everything from measuring and layout to quality padding, installation and financing.

Contact:

Danielle D'Angelo

SMART Carpet and Flooring

732-292-6100

[email protected]

http://www.smartcarpet.com

SOURCE SMART Carpet and Flooring

Related Links

http://www.smartcarpet.com


TROY, Mich., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bianchi Public Relations, Inc., the Detroit affiliate of the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN)  one of the largest international networks of independent public relations agencies  announced today the results of a worldwide PRGN media survey that finds increasing pressure on reporters to produce multimedia stories and perform well on social media.

According to PR firm president James A. Bianchi, the PRGN survey polled reporters from around the globe and offers CEOs and business leaders new details into the research that goes into reporters' vetting process when considering interview sources.

"PRGN's goal was to give our members and their clients the most up-to-date understanding of how reporters and bloggers go about their jobs and consider their sources," said Christina Rytter, president of PRGN and founder of Copenhagen, Denmark-based Scandinavian Communications. "As a result, agencies can better prepare our clients by giving them a broader appreciation for the pressures and processes that media professionals face on a daily basis."

With more than 110 respondents to each question, the survey analyzes how media professionals vet CEOs prior to, and during, an interview to determine their story-worthiness. The survey also asks members of the survey pool to assess how their reporting responsibilities  print, audio, video, social media, etc.  have changed compared to two years ago.

"As PR practitioners, we certainly have anecdotal evidence and experiential knowledge of how these factors impact the success of our clients. We also recognize that quantifiable data is 'king' when it comes to supporting opinions," said Leeza Hoyt, president of PRGN's Los Angeles agency The Hoyt Organization, Inc., which designed the survey and coordinated its implementation with the network's more than 50 members. "In this case, we discovered that while business leaders can adapt to a rapidly changing media landscape, there is a great deal of added pressure on media professionals to populate additional channels. That said, reporters still rely on past news coverage, websites and information from PR agencies as their top research tools."

Interview Vetting

To determine how reporters assess whether a CEO is a qualified and credible interview source, the survey asked respondents to name the top three factors they consider during the interview-vetting process. The responses revealed:

85 percent look at industry or market knowledge

53 percent consider their professional track record

41 percent analyze past news coverage

40 percent assess the CEO's personality.

Interview Preparation

To assess how reporters conduct research on their sources before an interview, the survey asked which research tools were used by priority. The results paint a clear picture of how reporters prepare:

86.7 percent of reporters use past media coverage of a CEO as a top consideration when determining their credibility (36.3 percent consider it the first source)

75.2 percent refer to company websites (20.4 percent consider it their first source)

63.7 percent use info supplied by a PR agency (10.6 percent consider it their first source)

Google searches (57.5 percent), company annual reports (35.4 percent) and professional sources who know the company (35.4 percent) were the other top sources reporters use when vetting and preparing for interviews

Surprisingly, no respondents consider social media among their first source for media preparation, though 21 percent did name it among the sources they do check. Social media showed 69 percent of reporters used Facebook, 65.5 percent used Twitter, 62.8 percent used LinkedIn and 37.2 percent used YouTube. Neither Instagram, Snapchat, nor other social media sources exceed 7-percent usage in reporters' interview preparation.

Interview Methods

When it comes to reporters' willingness to conduct an interview in writing  often the preference of many PR clients  the survey found:

33 percent of reporters never offer email interviews

62.5 percent will conduct an email interview in certain situations

Only 4.5 percent prefer to conduct interviews via email.

Fact-Checking

More than two-thirds of reporters will allow interviewees or PR agencies to review direct quotes before publication in all or some cases. Specifically, the survey found:

24.3 percent of reporters often allow quote reviews

34.2 percent occasionally allow reviews

29.7 percent will never allow reviews

11.7 percent allow reviews by the sources only (not their PR firms).

Social Media & Other Reporting Duties

To assess the growing pressure reporters feel to perform well on social media, the survey asked reporters to compare their current emphasis on print stories, social media channels, blogs and visual content versus two years ago. Specifically, the survey found:

Only 57.3 percent of respondents are being asked to provide print content. This is a 10.3 percentage point decrease compared to 67.6 percent two years ago

Those reporters required to provide basic online content remains virtually unchanged at around 89 percent

Reporters required to provide visual content continues to increase with 49.1 percent required to provide video (versus 36 percent two years ago) and 29.1 percent required to provide photography (versus 22 percent two years ago)

Social media requirements for reporters have seen a significant uptick across all platforms compared to two years ago: 55.5 percent must post to Facebook (up from 37.8 percent); 47.3 percent are required to Tweet (up from 35.4 percent); 20 percent utilize LinkedIn (up from 14.4 percent); and 14.6 percent have a blogging requirement (up from 10.8 percent).

PRGN was founded 25 years ago and today comprises 51 agencies spread across six continents and 40 countries. This survey is among countless industry insights, tools and resources that PRGN members use to better serve clients around the world. Companies or organizations interested in the services of the PRGN agency network can visit www.prgn.com for more information. Independent agencies interested in joining the network can visit the member recruitment section of the PRGN website for more information or email its membership chair, Layth Dajani, founder of The Content Factory at [email protected].

About Public Relations Global Network (PRGN)

Clients across six continents depend on the combined resources of the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) to deliver targeted public relations campaigns in markets around the world. With revenues of more than $101 million (US), PRGN is one of the world's largest international public relations networks. PRGN harnesses the resources of more than 50 independent public relations firms and 900-plus communications professionals to connect international companies and organizations with individual and culturally diverse markets globally. Visit PRGN online at www.prgn.com, on Twitter at @PRGN and on Instagram at @PublicRelationsGlobalNetwork.

About Bianchi PR

With special expertise in PR and social media for automotive suppliers, professional service firms and other business-to-business enterprises, Bianchi PR is now celebrating its 25th year. The firm is ranked the top independent PR agency based in Metro Detroit, according to PRWeek's most recent ranking of public relations firms.

Among Bianchi PR's ongoing automotive, industrial and business-to-business PR clients are Adient, ATA National Title, BASF, Cooper Standard, Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, KIRCO, Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, Schaeffler Group, SRG Global and Yanfeng Automotive Interiors. The firm's experience also includes work with organizations such as SAE International, the Automotive Industry Action Group, the Center for Automotive Research and the Steel Market Development Institute.For more information, visit http://www.bianchipr.com or call 248-269-1122.

SOURCE Bianchi Public Relations, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.bianchipr.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Blis, the global pioneer in advanced location data technology, today announced the beta launch of Smart Trends, a new analytics tool that allows marketers to analyze consumer behavior, from audience profiling, to exposure, to attribution, by capturing and activating mobile movement data. To demonstrate the capabilities of Smart Trends, the company also announced the release of a ground-breaking report, Mastering Consumer Trends: A Global Retail Study, giving side-by-side behavioral comparison of user groups across four global brands in seven countries.

Smart Trends offers robust in-store consumer behavioral insights and in-store comparison of multiple location types and brands, allowing marketers to break down demographic, contextual, time/day, and device type analysis, as well as compare behavior of user groups side by side.



Smart Trends is powered by mobile movement data, a passively collected data set that overlays device ID, longitude and latitude, and timestamp data. This passive data set is then merged with a wide range of behavioral data to create a more comprehensive consumer profile, thus exceeding the scope of traditional location data in that it represents a consumer's location movement over a period of time.

"Mobile movement data provided by Smart Trends plays a pivotal role in allowing brands to gain a fuller, richer view of their customers, such as where they go and how they interact with competitive brands. These insights can be used to make game changing strategic decisions about products they carry, store location and advertising campaigns," said Greg Isbister, CEO & Founder at Blis.

Brands can use this non-biased data set to gain a factual perspective of their competitive marketplace and consumers' behaviors. For instance, while marketers generally have good insight on how their customers interact with their own brands, they lack the ability to understand how their customers behave when they're shopping with competitors, or even their more general day-to-day behaviors. Smart Trends fills those gaps, ultimately enabling more effective campaign planning, delivery and attribution in order to deliver competitive advantage.

Comparing shopper behavior in the US, the UK, South Africa, the UAE, Germany, Singapore and Australia as consumers interacted online and offline with H&M, Topshop, Victoria's Secret and Zara touch points, Mastering Consumer Trends: A Global Retail Study illustrates Smart Trends' ability to unlock consumer behavior insights on purchase intent, shopping patterns and mobile consumption while shopping. Insights were often counterintuitive, such as the power of a nearby competitive outlet to increase foot traffic, and that for certain sectors, such as fashion, the retail week is flatter than assumed.

Visit blis.com for more information, or download Mastering Consumer Trends: A Global Retail Study to what see what insights Smart Trends can provide for brands.

About Blis

Blis is the global pioneer in location data. Our proprietary technology and platform helps agencies and brands use location data to better understand consumer behavior, allowing for effective targeted advertising to drive business outcomes. We believe that where you go defines who you are, and advertisers must capitalize on these insights for meaningful marketing experiences across devices. Our technology filters and scales location data, giving advertisers access to the most accurate location events, location data, and unique devices. The data is then applied across the apps that matter most to their consumers for targeting based on rich insights. Clients are supported by our location experts or can work in an agnostic service model of their choice. Since creating the world's first location data technology platform in 2004, Blis has grown to be a global company with 17 offices across 5 continents. Blis' clients include all major holding companies as well as leading brands in top verticals including Samsung, McDonald's, HSBC, Mercedes Benz and Peugeot.

Contact information

Jamie Crespi

VP Marketing, Blis

[email protected]

SOURCE Blis

Related Links

http://www.blis.com


Despite being the largest segment within the cheese category, the shreds segment typically has lacked innovation and product advancement. Borden  Cheese is shaking up the relatively unchanged segment with new shreds featuring a thicker cut for a smoother melt. Available in Mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Mozzarella and Mexican, Thick Cut Shreds provide an excellent source of calcium and are perfect for blanketing casseroles, skillets and cold-weather comfort foods with creamy, delicious flavor.

"Borden Cheese is committed to fueling American families, and our new offerings uphold our ongoing commitment to provide quality, wholesome dairy, packed with nutrition and flavor the whole family will enjoy," said Flavia Panza, Senior Director of Marketing, Dairy Farmers of America. "Families are busier than ever and looking for simple, convenient mealtime solutions. We're excited to introduce these new offerings to add wholesome dairy goodness to dinnertime."

This innovation offers smooth-melting shreds packed with 20 percent of the daily recommended calcium per serving, along with six to seven grams of protein at only 110 calories per serving. With each individual shred being five times as large and almost two times the weight of a regular cut shred, Borden Cheese Thick Cut Shreds deliver the look of home-shred cheese and a superior melting experience for family favorite recipes.

Known for the iconic Elsie the Cow, the popular heritage brand continues to focus on product innovation and staying relevant within the cluttered market. With the new packaging graphics rollout earlier this year, the recent introduction of Snack Bars and now Thick Cut Shreds and a strong pipeline of new products launching in 2018, Borden Cheese continues its dedicated efforts toward reinvention of the century-old brand name, including new TV advertisements and a strong digital and social presence.

Borden Cheese products, including these new Thick Cut Shreds, can be found in major grocery stores and independent retailers.

About Borden Cheese: Every slice, shred, bar and chunk of Borden Cheese is crafted with quality, wholesome ingredients brought to you by a cooperative of family-owned American dairy farms. Our hardworking dairy farmers work with integrity and care to deliver the best possible cheese. Borden Cheese can be found in the refrigerated dairy aisle in retailers across the country.

Borden Cheese is used under license by Dairy Farmers of America (DFA). For more information about our products and Borden Cheese recipes, visit BordenCheese.com, Facebook.com/BordenCheeseUSA or Instagram.com/borden_cheese.

SOURCE Borden Cheese

Related Links

http://www.bordencheese.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas law firm Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC is pleased to announce that firm shareholder Brady Ortego has been named a Fellow in the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL), one of fewer than 175 attorneys nationwide to have been granted fellowships in this prestigious organization.

Mr. Ortego is managing shareholder of the firm's San Antonio office. He represents property owners' associations across Texas, including master-planned communities, condominiums and townhomes and single-family communities. Mr. Ortego is Board Certified in Residential Real Estate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. To learn more about his practice, visit http://rmwbhlaw.com/attorneys/brady-ortego.html.

Fellows of the CCAL are among the most respected community association attorneys in the country. Members have distinguished themselves with their contributions to the practice of community association law and are committed to high standards of professional and ethical conduct.

Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey is known for its sizable practice in community association law across the state. More than 68 million people live in America's estimated 338,000 homeowner and condominium associations, cooperatives and other planned communities.

Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC is committed to providing an enhanced level of service to clients seeking counsel in professional liability, directors and officers litigation, fiduciary litigation, commercial disputes, labor and employment, appeals, community association law, and corporate and real estate transactions. The firm has offices in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Bend County. To learn more, please visit http://www.rmwbhlaw.com/.

Contact Information

Kit Frieden

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC

Related Links

http://www.rmwbhlaw.com


Bacteria use electrical interactions to communicate with each other in a process called quorum sensing (QS), signaling them to adhere to a wound, multiply, and encase themselves within a protective structural substance known as a biofilm. This protective biofilm barrier impedes the body's immune defense system and renders the bacteria highly resistant to antibiotics, making biofilm infections extremely difficult to treat.

Approximately 80% of infections in chronic and surgical wounds are thought to be caused by bacteria within biofilm.1,2 Chronic wounds affect an estimated 6.5 million patients a year and over $25 billion is estimated to be spent annually on their treatment.3 Surgical site infections (SSIs) occur in 2% to 5% of all patients undergoing inpatient surgery and affect up to 300,000 patients a year in the U.S. alone. Annual costs of managing SSIs range from $3.5 billion to $10 billion.4,5

In the fight against biofilms and antibiotic resistance, current wound care practices and infection control strategies are no longer adequate. New antibiotics are likely not the answer as they can take up to a decade to reach the market. The need for alternative non-antibiotic solutions has never been greater.

Dr. Sen and his research team used an established porcine model of chronic biofilm infection to understand the wireless electroceutical dressing's (WED) (i.e. Vomaris' bioelectric technology) mechanism of action in the presence of an intact immune system.

In this study, burn wounds were inoculated with P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii and subsequently treated with either a placebo dressing or with the WED. One cohort, the "prevention group," tested WED's ability to prevent biofilm formation. The other cohort, the "rescue group," tested WED's ability to disrupt an existing biofilm.

Sen and colleagues report:

When used preventively, WED circumvented biofilm formation.

Even after a pathogenic biofilm infection had formed, WED disrupted biofilm infection and related pathological complications.

WED markedly blunted the biofilm-induced expression of QS genes. This effectively disabled the biofilm's structural integrity.

"Electric principles offer significant potential to fight biofilm infection and address antibiotic resistance," said Dr. Sen. "The approach is safe for humans and relies on principles that are not subject to conventional drug-resistance mechanisms often employed by bacteria to overcome pharmacological interventions," he added.

Sen also found that WED blunted the expression of genes responsible for biofilm-induced loss of skin barrier function. "This is significant because wounds can sometimes appear closed, yet functionally they are open because skin barrier function remains compromised. We found that the wounds appeared to be healing visually and yet, upon deeper examination, only the wounds treated with WED demonstrated significant restoration of skin barrier function  or true functional closure," Dr. Sen explained.

"We are very excited to have this anti-biofilm data published in the most widely cited surgical journal in the world. No other wound care company to date has published in vivo anti-biofilm evidence," said Vomaris President and CEO Michael Nagel. "Our technology is simple to use, extremely cost effective, and has the potential to disrupt the advanced wound care market. It may provide surgeons and wound care clinicians with a non-antibiotic solution to the growing wound biofilm infection and antimicrobial resistance problems."

About Vomaris

Vomaris Innovations, Inc. (www.vomaris.com) is a privately held company in Tempe, AZ specializing in bioelectric technologies that are redefining regeneration, healing, and recovery. Vomaris' core technology platform powers the only non-antibiotic antimicrobial technology that is inspired by the body's natural electrical healing process. It employs embedded microcell batteries that generate an electric field designed to mimic the body's own physiologic electric fields, which are essential for cell migration and wound healing. It is a new generation solution for wound and incisional care with demonstrated antimicrobial impact against a broad spectrum of microbes including antibiotic-resistant and biofilm-forming bacteria.6

References

Edmiston CE, McBain AJ, Roberts C, et al. Clinical and Microbiological Aspect of Biofilm-Associated Surgical Site Infections. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2015;830:47-67. Wolcott R, Dowd S. The Role of Biofilms: Are We Hitting the Right Target? Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011;172:28S-35S. Sen CK, Gordillo GM, Roy S, et al. Human Skin Wounds: A Major and Snowballing Threat to Public Health and the Economy. Wound Repair Regen. 2009;17:763-771. Korol E, Johnston K, Waser N, et al. A Systematic Review of Risk Factors Associated with Surgical Site Infections Among Surgical Patients. PLoS One. 2013;8:e83743. Loyola University Health System. Surgical Site Infections are the Most Common and Costly of Hospital Infections [ScienceDaily web site]. January 19, 2017 . Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170119161551.htm. Accessed September 12, 2017 . Vomaris. Available at: http://vomaris.com/. Accessed September 12, 2017 .

Contact: Mary Maijer

Tel: 480.921.4948

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Vomaris Innovations, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.vomaris.com


JERUSALEM, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

At a moving ceremony held recently in the Canadian city of Toronto, the leadership of Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal conferred the organization's prestigious Yakir Keren Hayesod Award upon international businessman Aaron Frenkel. The award is conferred annually to leaders of Keren Hayesod-UIA who, through their exceptional contributions and efforts, have helped advance the goals of Keren Hayesod in Israel and in the Jewish world. Past recipients of the Yakir Keren Hayesod Award have included many other outstanding philanthropists, public figures and international leaders, among them Israel's late President Shimon Peres, late Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and former Knesset Speaker Shlomo Hillel. The award ceremony was held at the International Leadership Reunion of major donors of Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Federations of North America in the presence of Keren Hayesod Honorary President Julia Koschitzky; the chairman of the Keren Hayesod World Board of Trustees, David Koschitzky; Keren Hayesod Director General Greg Masel and hundreds of major donors to the State of Israel, including Sheldon Adelson.

Aaron G. Frenkel, who was born in 1957, is an international businessman and entrepreneur. Since the late 1980s, he has been the owner of the Loyd's Group, which is engaged in investments in the fields of real estate, civil aviation, energy and high tech. In the 1990s, Frenkel provided major assistance in bringing new immigrants from the former Soviet Union to Israel, in close cooperation with the Jewish Agency and the government of Israel. In addition to his global business activities, Frenkel plays an active role in a number of public initiatives in Israel and abroad. By virtue of his efforts, he was awarded the French Legion of Honor by French President Nicolas Sarkozy; was made a chevalier of the Ordre de Grimaldi by Prince Albert II of Monaco; and Mecenate of Russia by the president of the Russian Federation. Frenkel was chairman of the Israeli Presidential Conference during the presidency of the late Shimon Peres and currently serves in a number of leading public positions, including serving as president of Limmud FSU; chairman of the governing board of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress; honorary consul in Jerusalem of the Republic of Croatia; and president of the Monaco Jewish community.

Since its founding in 1920, Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal has been at the forefront of Israel's growth and development. Early in its history, Keren Hayesod brought hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees to Israel who had survived the horrors of the Holocaust, providing support for their integration into the country, as well as assistance in establishing more than 900 urban and agricultural communities around the country. After Israel's establishment, Keren Hayesod became a national institution and in 1956 received special status by virtue of the Keren Hayesod Law enacted by the Knesset. In cooperation with Jewish communities in more than 45 countries around the world, Keren Hayesod has helped bring and absorb nearly 4 million new immigrant to Israel. It is currently working to advance national priority projects of the State of Israel, with special emphasis on communities in outlying areas of the country, the advancement of disadvantaged youth and support for immigration and absorption of new immigrants.

For additional information, please contact Ronnie Vinnikov at [email protected].

SOURCE Keren Hayesod
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, December 5, a coalition of American Muslim, Arab-American, human rights, and Interfaith groups will hold a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to demand that President Trump not alter the status of Jerusalem that has been maintained by past administrations.

Trump may soon alter previous policy on the holy city by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a move that could harm America's role the Mideast peace process.

SEE: What's at stake if the US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, moves embassy

http://abcnews.go.com/International/whats-stake-us-recognizes-jerusalem-israels-capital-moves/story?id=51561836

WHAT: Coalition Holds News Conference on Maintaining Status of Jerusalem

WHEN: Tuesday, December 5, Noon

WHERE: National Press Club, Bloomberg Room, 529 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20045

MEDIA CONTACT: Dr. Osama Abuirshaid, National Policy Director, American Muslims for Palestine, 571-276-6030, [email protected]

News Conference Participants Include:

American Muslims for Palestine

Council on American-Islamic Relations

Jerusalem Fund/Palestine Center

Virginia Coalition for Human Rights

Freedom 2 Boycott in Maryland Coalition

Islamic Circle of North America

US Council of Muslim Organizations

Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) today announced an agreement with Clarity Money allowing Capital One customers to more securely import their financial data to Clarity Money without sharing login credentials. The agreement allows Capital One customers to benefit from Clarity Money's personal financial management tools powered by the latest innovations in machine learning, data science, and artificial intelligence.

The agreement with Clarity Money utilizes Capital One's application-programming interface (API) enabling customers to directly connect their Capital One account data with Clarity Money's services. Aligned with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently released principles for protecting consumer-authorized financial data sharing, Capital One's API provides transparency and helps consumers share their financial data with trusted third parties in a way that is within the consumer's control.

"We know that many of our customers rely on financial tools, and they want companies to have access to the account information necessary to power these tools. The agreement with Clarity Money helps achieve that goal in a way that is secure, transparent and under the customer's control," said Becky Heironimus, Vice President of Enterprise Digital Products and Data Connections at Capital One. "We look forward to building on this relationship to offer users new ways to share their data and importantly, to continue enhancing the customer experience."

"At Clarity Money, we're committed to acting as a true financial advocate for our users, equipping them with the tools to better manage their finances," said Colin Kennedy, Chief Revenue Officer at Clarity Money. "This agreement with Capital One allows our mutual customers to share their data in a simplified and more secure manner, better enabling them to focus on what's important - getting the most out of their money."

Through the direct data-sharing API partnership, mutual customers of the two companies will benefit from access to accurate and stable data, and increased transparency and control over how, when and with whom they choose to share their Capital One financial data. Shared customers will be empowered to better manage daily bank reconciliation activities and cash flow  and ultimately make smarter decisions fueled by a more comprehensive and accurate feed of financial data.

Capital One's Customer Transactions API leverages oAuth capabilities to provide Clarity Money with tokenized authorization to access account information upon a customer's request, without requiring customers to directly enter their login credentials with a third party. The integration gives Capital One customers more control over the financial data they choose to share.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $239.1 billion in deposits and $361.4 billion in total assets as of September 30, 2017. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has branches located primarily in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Capital One launched its Customer Transactions Application Programming Interface (API) in 2017, providing its customers with the ability to more safely and securely share their transaction data with participating third party organizations that they trust. As of December 2017, Capital One has executed contracts for its Customer Transactions API with Intuit Inc., Abacus, Clarity Money, Expensify, and Xero.

Visit the Capital One newsroom for more Capital One news.

About Clarity Money

Clarity Money is a personal finance mobile app that acts as your financial champion. Ushering in a new era of mobile personal finance management apps, Clarity Money uses artificial intelligence and data science to help consumers make smarter financial decisions and get the most from their money. The revolutionary features allow users to cancel and lower bills, get a better credit card, get their credit score and create a savings account, all from within the app, and all at the push of a button. Launched in 2017 by venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur Adam Dell, Clarity Money is backed by leading investors, including Citi Ventures, RRE Ventures, Soros Capital, and Bessemer Venture Partners. To learn more about Clarity Money, click here.

SOURCE Capital One Financial Corporation

Related Links

http://www.capitalone.com


LOS ANGELES, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC PINK: NUGS) today announces its formal name and stock symbol change, its new strategic direction, and operational successes in the fast-growing legal cannabis marketplace. Cascade Energy, Inc., under the previous stock symbol CSCE, has received FINRA's name change and symbol approval and has now become Cannabis Strategic Ventures under the new stock symbol NUGS.

One of main focuses of Cannabis Strategic Ventures, under the BudHire brand, is to provide temporary and permanent staffing, payroll services, HR consulting and professional employment organization services to Cannabis businesses.

"We are excited to complete the name and symbol change process with FINRA. We feel the name change is extremely important to us as it marks a new era in the organization. We feel that our new name and stock symbol represents the organization's branding and strategic direction well. While we are just now effecting the name and symbol changes, our operations are already developed. We already have our first customer in the State of Washington and there are several more in the negotiation processes. We are finding there is significant interest in our services within the legal cannabis marketplace as growing companies seek professional services to help with the complicated task of HR and Recruiting," commented, Simon Yu, CEO of Cannabis Strategic Ventures.

The Company's goal is to grow it operations inline with, or in excess of, the growth rates forecasted for the cannabis sector, especially as revenues move increasingly into the legal sector of the marketplace. It is forecasted the legal portion of the cannabis sector in North America is currently producing only approximately 12% of the $56.1 billion in overall cannabis marketplace revenues. In states where legalization has occurred, there has been a rapid shift toward the legal sector, resulting in one of the fast-growing consumer markets ever seen in North America.

Mr. Yu continued, "The overall marketplace is booming and there is certainly a need for our outsourced Human Resource and Staffing services. We have already signed our first contract, which is valued at approximately $400,000 through 2018. Under the terms of this agreement, Cannabis Strategic, via our BudHire brand, will staff employees at a Washington State Tier 3 Cannabis Cultivator and assume the responsibilities of payroll, benefits administration and other HR duties. We think this will be the first of many such deals for our growing company."

Cannabis Strategic's BudHire services are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of cannabis business operators. While the growing cannabis sector is expected to create thousand of new jobs, many industry operators are having problems finding and retaining qualified staff. Additionally, the costs of hiring, managing and compensating employees and the employment risks are often beyond the means of many operators. BudHire services will offload many of these burdens, allowing cannabis entrepreneurs to focus on growing or selling their products and services.

About Cannabis Strategic Ventures

Cannabis Strategic Ventures is based in Los Angeles and is focused on supporting entrepreneurial growth within the fast-growing legal cannabis sector. We help business owners launch their dreams. The Company, recently completed a name and symbol change from Cascade Energy, Inc. Cannabis Strategic Ventures offers outsourced personnel solutions that are tailor made to match the growth dynamics of cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, dispensaries, and other cannabis marketplace participants. Cannabis Strategic Ventures is publically traded on the U.S. Over the Counter Market with the stock symbol NUGS.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements also may be included in other publicly available documents issued by the Company and in oral statements made by our officers and representatives from time to time. These forward- looking statements are intended to provide management's current expectations or plans for our future operating and financial performance, based on assumptions currently believed to be valid. They can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "would," "could," "will" and other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance.

Examples of forward looking statements include, among others, statements relating to future sales, earnings, cash flows, results of operations, uses of cash and other measures of financial performance.

Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward- looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others such as, but not limited to economic conditions, changes in the laws or regulations, demand for products and services of the company, the effects of competition and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or represented in the forward looking statements.

Any forward-looking information provided in this release should be considered with these factors in mind. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this report.

Contact:

Phone:+1-310-359-6860

Email: [email protected]



Website: http://www.cannabisstrategic.com

SOURCE Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Since 2011, the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) has publicly called for the non-renewal of chronically underperforming charter public schools. Today, CCSA calls for the non-renewal of five charter schools across the state.

As the number of charter schools continues to grow in California, it is more important than ever to hold them accountable to their promise of academic achievement. We want all schools to provide a high-quality option to their students. When charter schools do not meet that standard, they should close.

"Just as we call on authorizers to approve strong charter schools, we must ask them not to renew schools that are not performing at minimal benchmarks," said Jed Wallace, president and CEO, CCSA. "We urge the authorizers of these schools to continue to put students first and today that means closing schools that aren't performing well despite what may be the best intentions and the hardest efforts."

Recommending a school's closure is a difficult decision and CCSA is committed to working with closing schools to find new options that will better meet the academic needs of students and families.

"Charter schools exist on the premise of greater flexibility for greater accountability," said Elizabeth Robitaille, SVP, Achievement and Performance Management, CCSA. "We work with schools to assess their impact on student learning in as many unique and nuanced ways as possible. But in the end, charter schools set out to provide better options for students to succeed and thrive - when they fail to do so, they should close."

As the membership and advocacy organization that supports nearly 1,300 charter schools in California, CCSA has worked with its member schools over the past several years to establish an accountability framework and minimum criteria for charter renewal. This framework assesses a multi-year view of a school's performance using multiple student outcome measures. We start by using publicly available data, and we take into account students' demographics. We also work individually with charter schools below our minimum criteria and give them an opportunity to provide additional compelling evidence of growth in student achievement.

The following schools fall below CCSA's minimum renewal criteria for the 2017-18 school year and are chronically underperforming on several other academic performance measures.

Charter Public Schools Below CCSA's Minimum Criteria for Renewal Charter Schools Renewing in 2017-18 School Name Authorizer County Epiphany Prep Charter San Diego San Diego Unified School District San Diego Three Rivers Charter Fort Bragg Unified School District Mendocino Sonoma Charter Sonoma Valley Unified School District Sonoma Kepler Neighborhood School Fresno Unified School District Fresno Union Hill Elementary Union Hill Elementary School District Nevada

CCSA's Accountability Framework

To qualify for CCSA renewal support in 2017-18, a school needed to meet one of the four criteria outlined below. Charters meeting ANY initial filter OR showing academic success through the Multiple Measure Review met the academic threshold to receive CCSA's full advocacy support for renewal or replication. The schools included in the table above did not meet any of the initial criteria and the Multiple Measure Review did not yield evidence of student outcome success and growth in achievement beyond that which is seen at other schools.

CCSA's Minimum Academic Criteria for Renewing and Replicating Schools, 2017-18

1) Status measure: Above the 40th percentile on Smarter Balanced Assessments "SBAC "

CCSA uses a weighted average of SBAC scale scores measuring how far the average student is above/below the "Met" standard and ranked 0-100th percentile statewide. (This is called the "Average Point Difference" or "APD.")

Additionally, schools performing in the bottom 5% of performance statewide need to participate in CCSA's Multiple Measure Review before receiving CCSA's advocacy support for renewal or replication

2) Growth/Postsecondary readiness

Elementary/middle schools: Growth over time on SBAC

An increase on the Average Point Difference "APD" measure by at least 18 scale score points on CAASPP between 2014-15 and 2016-17 (the 75th percentile of growth statewide)

High schools: 75% or more of 12th grade graduates completing all "a-g" requirements (college readiness measures)

3) Similar Students: "Within or above predicted" on two of the last three years on CCSA's Similar Students Measure (measures how schools are performing with similar students across the state)

Multiple Measure Review

4) Schools below ALL the initial filters or in the bottom 5% statewide on SBAC can share outcomes aligned to California's 8 state priorities as described in the school's Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). Schools can tell their own story of success by choosing measures most closely aligned to their mission.

CCSA's Minimum Academic Accountability Criteria would not apply if a school is designated as alternative "DASS," less than four years old, or has less than 30 valid test takers.

Learn More

About the California Charter Schools Association

The California Charter Schools Association's vision is to increase student learning by growing the number of families choosing high quality charter public schools so that no child is denied the right to a great public education. Our mission is to ensure a million students attend charter public schools by 2022, with charter public schools outperforming non-charter public schools on every measure. We do this by serving as the advocacy organization that builds the policy environment needed to grow as quickly as possible the number of students attending high quality charter public schools. For more information, please visit our website at www.ccsa.org.

CONTACT: Steven Baratte, [email protected], (619) 458-4364

SOURCE California Charter Schools Association

Related Links

http://www.ccsa.org


"High costs are limiting too many students from being able to access and succeed in their learning," said Michael Hansen, CEO, Cengage. "Students are either spending hundreds of dollars a year on materials, or else put off buying them altogether because they can't afford them. And, for many students who do find a way, it is because they are taking on student loan debt that will impact them for years.

"With Cengage Unlimited, students finally have an alternative to the traditional and costly approach of paying for each course's materials individually. We are taking unprecedented action to break down cost barriers and end the cycle of students having to choose between course materials they can afford and the results they want," Hansen continued.

Beginning in August 2018, students at U.S. higher education institutions can subscribe to Cengage Unlimited at Cengage.com. After paying a one-time subscription fee, students will access a dashboard offering unlimited access to the company's comprehensive library of content that includes renowned authors such as Gregory Mankiw and the late James Stewart. A subscription includes the award-winning digital learning platforms MindTap and WebAssign; students using these platforms also will have the option of free print rentals. When their subscription ends, students will retain reference access to their key course materials for the first year for free. Cengage plans to work with its partners at on-campus and off-campus bookstores, and online retailers, to make subscriptions available to students.

"Cengage Unlimited underscores how students are the primary focus of everything we do at Cengage. Knowing that cost is among the highest hurdles facing students, we embarked on a very deliberate path to find a solution. A subscription to Cengage Unlimited gives students access to all of our best-in-class authors and learning products at significantly lower cost than they might pay otherwise," said Fernando Bleichmar, EVP and Chief Product Officer, Cengage. "Today's announcement shows how Cengage can quickly scale and adapt to customers' needs, and how we are best-positioned to be the catalyst for change in our industry."

Underscoring the company's transition from traditional print publisher to a digital company, Cengage recently announced its strategic goal to be a 90 percent digital company by 2019. The company has pioneered multiple initiatives to provide students more value in their learning, including Cengage Inclusive Access, which can save students up to 55 percent and ensures they have access to their course materials on the first day of class; and OpenNow, a suite of low-cost, technology-enhanced OER products for general education courses.

For more information, visit Cengage.com/Unlimited.

About Cengage

Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. As the largest US-based provider of teaching and learning materials for higher ed, we offer valuable options at affordable price points. Our industry-leading initiatives include Cengage Unlimited, the first-of-its-kind all-access digital subscription service. We embrace innovation to create learning experiences that build confidence and momentum toward the future students want. Headquartered in Boston, Cengage also serves K-12, library and workforce training markets around the world. Visit us at www.cengage.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter.

Media Contacts:

Susan Aspey, Cengage

202-695-6012, [email protected]

Lindsay Stanley, Cengage

203-965-8634, [email protected]

SOURCE Cengage

Related Links

http://www.cengage.com


"We're honored to partner with the Huntsville Center as it returns to its historic ballistic missile defense mission, advancing all aspects of our national security  from design studies to services during construction," said CH2M USACE Account Manager Stephen Browning.

CH2M, as the majority partner of the Joint Venture, will deliver a variety of services related to pre-design engineering studies and design of tactical and tactical support facilities for missile defense weapons systems, such as:

Preparing design criteria, architectural and engineering designs, specifications, design-related analyses and studies, economic analyses and cost estimates for missile launch, test and evaluation, administrative and training facilities.

Conducting environmental documentation, permits, special studies and other environmental activities as required by federal, state and local laws and regulations, feasibility studies, other studies, geotechnical investigations and topographical mapping services, programmatic support services, manuals, as-built drawings and engineering and design support during construction.

Additionally, the CH2M-Merrick JV will work with the Center on electronic and physical security design, including antiterrorism protection and design to protect facilities against chemical, biological and radiological threats.

CH2M's history with USACE spans more than 20 years and includes similar projects such as integrated air and missile defense system design for the Middle East District in Qatar and power plant and radar facility upgrades at the Alaska District's Clear Air Force Station.

About CH2M

CH2M leads the professional services industry delivering sustainable solutions benefiting societal, environmental and economic outcomes with the development of infrastructure and industry. In this way, CH2Mers make a positive difference providing consulting, design, engineering and management services for clients needing world-class solutions in environmental; industrial and advanced facilities; transportation; and water markets, from iconic infrastructure to global programs like the Olympic Games.

Ranked among the World's Most Ethical Companies and top firms in environmental consulting and program management, CH2M in 2016 became the first professional services firm honored with the World Environment Center Gold Medal Award for efforts advancing sustainable development. Connect with CH2M at www.ch2m.com; LinkedIn; Twitter; and Facebook.

Contact: Tom Doerr

CH2M, Corporate Marketing and Communications

720-286-3004

[email protected]

SOURCE CH2M

Related Links

http://www.ch2m.com


CHICAGO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Chicago Crime Commission recognized Cook County State's Attorney Kim Fox and the men and women in her office for the successful prosecution of six Black Souls gang leaders. The conviction marked Cook County's first test of the Illinois Street Gang RICO Act, passed by the Illinois Legislature in 2012.

The seven-man, five-woman jury found six Black Souls bosses guilty of racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy. The jury also found the gang's leader and gang "vice-president" guilty of four murders. All six gang members face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"The Chicago Crime Commission congratulates State's Attorney Kim Fox and her team who successfully prosecuted the Black Souls gang leaders," said J.R. Davis, Chairman and President of the Chicago Crime Commission. "We are particularly excited about their success in applying the Illinois Street Gang RICO Act, which was patterned after the federal Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute. Additionally, we are proud to be among those who advocated for the Illinois RICO bill re-authorization in 2017.

"This prosecution stands as an example of how to apply the Illinois RICO Law, and we are strongly encouraging other state's attorneys throughout Illinois to utilize this important crime fighting tool to dismantle entire gang networks," Andrew Henning, Vice-President and General Counsel of the Chicago Crime Commission said. "To assist in that effort, the Chicago Crime Commission will soon announce a new initiative to help educate law enforcement and prosecutors on how to apply Illinois RICO laws when prosecuting street gangs at the state level," he concluded.

Contact:

John Pastuovic

312-925-9092

SOURCE Chicago Crime Commission

Related Links

http://www.chicagocrimecommission.org


DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital innovation is playing a huge role in disrupting businesses in almost every industry, forcing companies to transform the way they do business or face the possibility of shutting their doors for good. Clarkston Consulting, leaders in global business consulting, has announced new leadership to further strengthen the digital transformation services they offer clients across their management, operations, and implementation consulting practices. These services are specifically designed to meet the complex needs of both the consumer products and life sciences industries from discovery to delivery (D2D).

"Digital advancement is an ongoing challenge for many industries with no end in sight for innovation. As we continue to expand our comprehensive suite of services to meet the full scope of business functions, we need to add senior talent with industry and subject matter expertise to solve these needs. We're expanding the breadth and depth of services to support the full spectrum of needs of our clients," Tom Finegan, CEO.

With new solutions and leadership to meet the evolving needs of the life sciences and consumer products industries, Clarkston Consulting is able to drive greater business value in strategy, process, and technology for their clients. Clarkston Consulting's strategy practice is the newest area where the firm continues to expand its offerings around strategic innovation, digital services, advisory on artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) investments, and end-to-end mergers and acquisition advisory.

"We count on Clarkston Consulting as our service provider because they understand our business and our industry. Clarkston truly cares about delivering exceptional client service and the quality of Clarkston's people differentiates them from other consulting companies," said Chhaya Shah, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Synergy Pharmaceuticals.

We value our partnership with Clarkston Consulting because of the combination of their depth of experience and commitment to Rodan + Fields success," said Ralph Loura, Chief Technology Officer of Rodan + Fields. "Clarkston has delivered on their promises and exceeded our expectations."

"There is a clear need for our clients to have professional service partners who are able to provide services from discovery to delivery; where these service partners can help formulate the strategy and execute the strategy in the digital age. Our goal is to continually evolve our services and leadership talent to meet the needs of consumer products and life sciences companies. This goal has necessitated the advancement of these individuals into their new roles," said Finegan.

Kim Kuesel, Associate Partner

Kuesel's invaluable supply chain experience, with notable work in the retail industry, will further bolster Clarkston Consulting's industry-recognized supply chain expertise in the operations consulting practice. Kuesel's experience will also help expand Clarkston Consulting's west coast presence as the firm grows revenue and serves clients in this region. Kuesel is based in San Francisco, California.

Sham Karim, Associate Partner

Karim has been involved in growing and leading some of Clarkston Consulting's biggest and most strategic clients over the past 19 years and has helped others at the firm grow and develop in their careers. Karim has considerable experience driving business transformation through the enablement of enterprise wide technologies and technological capabilities. Karim will continue to build Clarkston Consulting's leadership as an SAP implementation partner through his continued work leading the SAP service practice. Karim is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Cara Ridenhour, Associate Partner

Ridenhour has led numerous technology projects in the US and globally over her 18-year career at Clarkston Consulting with a particular focus on enabling greater talent, workforce, and resource management through technology. Ridenhour's experience connecting strategy with technology has enabled transformational value for clients across both the life sciences and consumer products industries. Ridenhour is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Michelle Tartalio, Associate Partner

Tartalio was named associate partner with responsibilities to set and execute the market-driven business development strategy for 2018 and beyond. Tartalio's extensive background in strategic planning, marketing, technology, and corporate governance will also support Clarkston Consulting's clients in actualizing the potential of next-wave technology for improvements to strategy and operations. Tartalio is based in Durham, North Carolina.

About Clarkston Consulting

Founded in 1991, Clarkston Consulting provides management, operations and implementation consulting services for life sciences and consumer products companies worldwide. Clarkston has achieved a 16-year average client satisfaction rate of 97% by continuously pushing for success for its clients, its consultants, and its company. Clarkston Consulting has offices in Durham, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit and New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.clarkstonconsulting.com.

SOURCE Clarkston Consulting

Related Links

http://www.clarkstonconsulting.com


DRESHER, Pa., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascensus, a technology-enabled service provider that helps more than 7 million Americans save for the future, is pleased to announce that over $500 million has been gifted to 529 college savings account beneficiaries through Ascensus' Ugift program. In total, these gifted dollars could fund one year of tuition at a public in-state, four-year university for nearly 25,000 students.1

"We're thrilled that so many families have seen a meaningful increase in their college savings due to the generosity of family and friends. Our vision for Ugift was to provide a simple, easy tool for friends and family to gift into 529 accounts, and to see that vision fulfilled is truly gratifying," says Peg Creonte, Ascensus' senior vice president of business development for the college savings division. "We're also delighted to offer Ugift to individuals living with disabilities and blindness as a benefit of their ABLE savings accounts."

Ugift first launched in 2007 and serves as a free and user-friendly service that enables family and friends to contribute money to a beneficiary's 529 college savings account. Gift givers are provided a unique code for the beneficiary, which allows contributions to be made easily and securely. Parents have the ability to share their child's account code with friends and family as the holidays, a birthday, or another major milestone approaches. Contributions can be given at any time, either electronically or by mail.

"Our Ugift program allows family and friends to join in the savings effort, helping account owners achieve their savings goals one gift at a time," adds Creonte. "We're excited to have facilitated half a billion dollars in gift contributions, and we look forward to helping more Americans give the gift of savings."

All Ugift contributions are directed to the beneficiary's 529 college savings or ABLE savings account. Contributions can be made through the Automated Clearing House (ACH), a secure electronic network of financial transactions, or by check at any time with no associated fees for the beneficiary or contributor. For more information on Ugift, visit Ugift529.com or UgiftABLE.com.

About Ascensus

Ascensus helps more than 7 million Americans save for the futureretirement, college, and healthcare through technology-enabled solutions. With more than 35 years of experience, the firm offers tailored solutions that meet the needs of asset managers, banks, credit unions, state governments, financial professionals, employers, and individuals. Ascensus supports approximately 50,000 retirement plans, more than 4 million 529 college savings accounts, and a growing number of ABLE savings accounts. It also administers more than 1.6 million IRAs and health savings accounts. As of June 30, 2017, Ascensus had over $155 billion in total assets under administration. For more information about Ascensus, visit ascensus.com.

View career opportunities at careers.ascensus.com or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ascensus. For the latest company news, follow @AscensusInc on Twitter.

1 Average Published Undergraduate Charges by Sector, 2016-2017; 1-year tuition at an in-state, public four-year university: $20,090. Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges.

Before investing in any 529 plan, please consider whether your or the beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other state benefits such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors that are only available for investments in that state's 529 plan.

Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information such as specific benefits, limitations, rules and guidance are included in a 529 plan's offering statement/disclosure statement; read and consider it carefully before investing.

When you invest in a 529 plan you are purchasing municipal securities whose value will vary with market conditions. Depending on market conditions, you could lose all or a portion of your money by investing in a 529 plan. Account owners assume all investment risks as well as responsibility for any federal and state tax consequences. Consult with a tax advisor for specific tax applications or consequences.

Ugift is a registered service mark of Ascensus Broker Dealer Services, Inc.

SOURCE Ascensus

Related Links

https://www.ascensus.com


LONDON and NEW YORK, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

- Exchange Data International partners with Chancellor Publications to release 'The LEI Handbook, Exchange Data's Guide to Financial Codes.'

The LEI Handbook, written by Ozren Cvjetic, is now available, just in time for MiFID II and Christmas. Key to all those working in RegTech in financial institutions, this is the most comprehensive and up-to-date reference work on the complexities of Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs). The book is a comprehensive, single-source reference work examining the codes governing the global financial system. The guide is now available in both print and online and looks at more than 40 identifiers, giving readers access to the crucial information required to deal with trading financial securities and meeting the new compliance regulations in January 2018.

Published by Exchange Data International (EDI) and Chancellor Publications, the book offers insight into LEIs. No other financial handbook on the market provides such detailed and structural tier-level components of the LEI, which allows readers to fully understand the business process and requirements linked to implementation of LEIs.

Ozren Cvjetic, economist and author, said: "With the increase in regulatory requirements, and MiFID II looming in the beginning of January, The LEI Handbook breaks down the ins and outs of the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), proving to be an essential tool for professionals in the financial, legal, accounting and academic communities."

Jonathan Bloch, CEO of EDI, says: "The timing of the book is pure coincidence, but it couldn't be at a more appropriate time. With MiFID II coming into force within weeks there will be a significant increase in regulatory pressure, coupled with a harsh focus on accuracy, and accuracy begins with the LEI: get that wrong and everything else will be a nightmare. The book is the only source of real quality which clearly sets out, in one resource, everything you need to know about Legal Entity Identifiers."

After the global financial crisis of 2008, the world focused on the instability and volatility of the financial system as new regulations emerged with a common purpose: 'to bring transparency to the financial market.' The LEI has become a vital tool for this, enabling institutions to identify parties involved in transactions and to aggregate data from different jurisdictions, thus attaining a complete overview of a company's exposure to financial risk.

Francis Gross, Senior Adviser, Directorate General Statistics of the European Central Bank (ECB), says: "The global network of machines and databases handles financial data in volumes and at speeds that dwarf human capacity to exercise control as in the slower, data-poorer pen-and-paper age. In that network, the diversity of human languages and cultures collides ever more visibly with the computers' need for uniformity in language. Yet the speed of ongoing technical change cannot be matched by the speed of social change. There is therefore no quick solution to what has grown into a profound global problem. However, there is a beginning to a solution. It lies in identification: one object, one name. Globally. Period. The present work is an important step in the beginning of that beginning."

The LEI Handbook is available as an ebook and in print from Chancellor Publications

About Exchange Data International:

Exchange Data International helps the global financial and investment community make informed decisions through the provision of fast, accurate, timely and affordable data reference services. EDI's extensive content database includes worldwide equity and fixed income corporate actions, dividends, static reference data, closing prices and shares outstanding, delivered via data feeds and the Internet. The firm covers all major markets with special emphasis on emerging and frontier markets e.g. Africa, Asia, Far East, Latin America and the Middle East. EDI is based in London, with offices in New York, India, and Morocco. For more information about EDI, please visit http://www.exchange-data.com

Editorial contacts

Alla Lapidus / John Norris

Moonlight Media

Tel: +44(0)-207-250-4770

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Exchange Data International Ltd (EDI)
STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With great sadness Conair Corporation today announced the passing of Leandro P. Rizzuto, its beloved co-founder and Chairman of the Board. After bravely battling a long and difficult fight with pancreatic cancer, Mr. Rizzuto passed peacefully on Sunday, December 3rd, surrounded by his family.

Ronald T. Diamond, President of Conair Corporation, said, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our leader. Mr. Rizzuto was a man who loved life and people and deeply loved our company. He was our leader, mentor and teacher, encouraging those around him to always strive to do more than we thought we could do, and be greater than we thought we could be." The company will grieve the absence of its leader. Mr. Diamond says the company will honor him by continuing to develop innovative new products that use emerging technology to improve the everyday lives and businesses of Conair's consumer and professional customers all over the world."It is what Lee would want us to do," says Diamond,"and we'll do it!" The entire staff of the worldwide Conair Corporation extends its sincerest condolences to Mr. Rizzuto's four children and the entire Rizzuto family.

The family will announce arrangements as they are made. It is expected that Mr. Rizzuto's funeral will be private; Memorial Masses will be held for Conair's thousands of worldwide employees to honor Mr. Rizzuto.

About Conair Corporation

Lee Rizzuto founded Conair with his parents in 1959. Over the last 58 years, he and his family grew the small hair appliance and haircare company into a multinational corporation. Today Conair is marketed in over 125 countries, together with its BaByliss, Cuisinart, Waring and many other world-renowned brands. The Rizzuto family is committed to continuing the business and gives thanks for the over- whelming number of heartfelt condolences extended from around the world.

SOURCE Conair Corporation
MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentric Energy Advisors, Inc. ("Concentric"), is pleased to announce that Karl McDermott, Ph.D. and Carl Peterson, Ph.D. have joined the Company as Executive Advisors.

Dr. Karl McDermott is the Ameren Distinguished Professor of Business and Government at the University of Illinois at Springfield, where he specializes in public utility regulation and public policies toward the regulation of business. He directs and participates in numerous projects in both the energy and telecommunications areas. Dr. McDermott has also testified before numerous state regulatory commissions and legislatures, as well as before the FCC, FERC, and the Missouri state court. Dr. McDermott holds a B.A. in Economics from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, M.A. in Public Utility Economics from the University of Wyoming, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Carl Peterson has been a faculty member at the Institute for Public Utilities at Michigan State University and has taught Economics at Illinois Central College and Eureka College. His work has appeared in The Electricity Journal, Natural Gas and Electricity, and several edited volumes. Dr. Peterson has advised governments and private entities in Europe and the United States on issues related to the regulation of public utilities since 1998. Dr. Peterson holds a B.S. and M.S. in Economics from Illinois State University and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"We are excited to have Dr. McDermott and Dr. Peterson join the Concentric team," said John J. Reed, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Concentric. "Karl and Carl are passionate about solving the complex economic and business problems that develop in a changing utility landscape. We are pleased to offer their knowledge and experience to Concentric's clients as we navigate the changes and adapt."

Concentric Energy Advisors specializes in management consulting and financial advisory services with a focus on the North American energy industry. Through its subsidiaries, CE Capital, Concentric Advisors ULC, and Concentric Energy Publications, Concentric provides capital market advisory support, consulting services in Canada, and publishes The Foster Report. Information about Concentric Energy Advisors is available on the company's website, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages, which can be accessed via ceadvisors.com.

Media Contact:

Wendy Preston

508-263-6272

[email protected]

SOURCE Concentric Energy Advisors, Inc.

Related Links

www.ceadvisors.com


PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Roberto Garcia proudly announces the availability of Silhouette InstaLift, a minimally invasive skin lifting procedure, at his private practice, Contoura Facial Plastic Surgery, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Silhouette InstaLift is the only facial rejuvenation treatment with a unique dual action that lifts the mid-face and adds volume for a naturally lifted look.

For the first time in the United States, Silhouette InstaLift gives both men and women a safe and effective solution to reverse facial sagging without surgery. The procedure helps increase volume while restoring the contours of the mid-face and cheek areas gradually and naturally. During this minimally invasive in-office procedure, the physician lifts the deeper layers of the skin with an innovative cone technology.

The treatment takes approximately 45 minutes under local anesthesia. Unlike facelifts of the past, there is minimal downtime.

"Silhouette InstaLift has changed the aging process because it offers immediate results that actually get better over time due to the overall collagen stimulation," says Dr. Garcia. "It is wonderful to be able to offer patients another option to their facial concerns that does not involve a surgical procedure."

Results are visible immediately and improve over a three-month time span, with lasting lifting effects. Patients love the instant lift to the mid-face area, plus the treatment gradually adds volume by stimulating the regeneration of Type I and Type III collagen. At two weeks, the majority of patients rated themselves looking 4-5 years younger.*

Silhouette InstaLift technology is made from glycolide/L-lactide (PLGA), a biomedical copolymer that is well tolerated by the body. Over time the sutures will naturally be absorbed by your body while stimulating production of collagen to aid in healthy skin renewal for natural-looking, long lasting results.

To find out if Silhouette InstaLift is right for you, schedule a consultation by calling (904) 686-8020 or visiting www.contourafps.com.

Contoura Facial Plastic Surgery

190 Florida A1A North, Suite 1

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082

About Thermi

Thermi, an Almirall Company, is a leading global manufacturer of temperature controlled radiofrequency technology. The company's flagship product is ThermiRF, a platform technology that uses temperature as an endpoint for various minimally and non-invasive applications (ThermiTight, ThermiRase, ThermiSmooth Face, ThermiVa). Thermi also offers the Thermi250TMdevice as the newest innovative RF for body and is the distributor for Silhouette InstaLift (lifting to redefine mid-facial contours).

About Sinclair Pharma

SINCLAIR is an aesthetic dermatology company renowned for its skin-care expertise: Providing best in class products that enable physicians all around the world to meet their patients need for safe and effective rejuvenation solutions. SINCLAIR is committed to support medical professionals with excellent customer service and high quality training programs.

For more information: www.instalift.com

https://www.facebook.com/silhouetteinstalift/?fref=ts

*A Prospective, Masked, Controlled Feasibility Study of the Method for Measuring Facial Lift Following Treatment with SIlhouete InstaLift. (n=20 subjects)

SOURCE Thermi

Related Links

http://www.thermi.com


The service is targeted to both consumers and businesses. For consumers it means that only they control the key that digitally protects their sensitive information with their biometric. With this, consumers can now privately share their personal documents and even include a time constraint. For businesses it means being able to leverage Covault for bank level Know Your Customer service, enabling them to verify customer identities while offering a cost effective, more secure and seamless on-boarding experience.

Louie Gasparini, CEO of Covault commented, "Storing and sharing your personal data, and proving your identity on-line isn't always secure, as the recent hacks have shown. Based on Private Key Technology, Covault encrypts your data on your phone, accessible via your unique biometric signature, offering an easy to use and highly secure way to store, share, and control IDs, passwords, and other personal information including financial, health, tax, insurance, and legal in a secure digital safety deposit box."

Gasparini collaborated with BBVA's fintech-focused and Silicon Valley-based New Digital Business (NDB) unit, where Covault was incubated.

Every Covault user gets a free verified identity account, offering an efficient and safe way to access and register for services that require higher assurance levels of identity verification.

Teppo Paavola, Chief Development Officer and General Manager of NDB at BBVA, said, "Our goal at BBVA is to support banking disruptors that are identifying new solutions to unforeseen problems and challenges. Covault embodies just that, offering a service to safeguard your identity and personal electronic property. Led by one of the pioneers of online banking and featuring strong authentication, Covault is well poised to help you manage your personal security data in a secure and efficient digital identity account," he added.

The features, level of security, and identity verification offered by Covault are like no other in the market today. Phone biometric access allows you to share documents safely, and control how long the recipient can access them. With Covault your device and your biometric signature are your credentials, so there are no passwords or security questions that easily can be stolen to allow access. In addition, you can use your Covault Verified Identity to access services such as notarizing your documents online with Notarycam.com.

Covault is built on Private Key and AES 256 Encryption and offers automatic document ingestion via camera or web upload, instant document and identity verification, multifactor authentication & password-less login. Enterprise partners will be able to leverage Covault for bank-level Know Your Customer service, enabling them to verify customer identities while offering a more secure and seamless onboarding experience. Customers will be able to install the app onto their smartphone and then load up their personal data ensuring faster and more secure verification when needed.

About Covault

Covault is a secure identity management innovator providing a secure way to store, share and verify identities and documents online for consumers and businesses. Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, the company offers the world's first digital account for your identity and a mobile app that can electronically store and share sensitive, personal documents and data, behind industry-leading encryption. Covault issues identity account holders with a verified unique ID tied to a biometric  thumb or face, to securely access and share documents. Covault is an independent fintech leader incubated in BBVA's New Digital Businesses group in San Francisco, California, the innovation arm and global business unit of multinational bank BBVA bbva.com. For more information on Covault visit, www.covault.com.

About BBVA

BBVA [NYSE: BBVA] is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a solid position in Spain, it is the largest financial institution in Mexico and has a leading franchise in South America. BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc. is a Sunbelt -based bank holding company and its primary subsidiary, BBVA Compass, ranks among the top 25 commercial banks in the United States. Its diversified business is focused on high-growth markets and it relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies the best practices. The Group is present in the main sustainability indexes.

BBVA's NDB unit, including its U.S. operations, invests in, partners with, incubates and acquires disruptive financial technology firms as part of BBVA's focus on delivering innovation in the banking sector. From its offices in Madrid, San Francisco, Hong Kong and London, NDB is actively searching for leading, innovative businesses to shape the future of the sector. Through NDB, BBVA has acquired Simple (U.S.), Holvi (Finland) and Openpay (Mexico) and owns a substantial stake in Atom (UK). It has incubated a number of fintech start-ups including, Azlo, Covault, Denizen, Muno, and Trust-u. BBVA also invests in fintech through its venture capital arm, Propel Venture Partners.

Editor's Note: BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank

SOURCE BBVA

Related Links

https://www.bbva.com


ATLANTA, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Media Group's (CMG) 97.1 The River (WSRV-FM/Atlanta), Atlanta's Classic Hits, is celebrating their 12th birthday on Saturday, July 7, 2018 at Verizon Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, GA with The River's Rockin' Birthday Bash: Foreigner's "Juke Box Heroes Tour" with Whitesnake and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening.

Chris Eagan, Director of Branding and Programming, said, "The River's Rockin' Birthday Bash has quickly become an Atlanta summer tradition, and our 12th birthday party is going to be the best one yet! Thanks to Foreigner, Whitesnake, Jason Bonham and our great partners at Live Nation for coming up with an awesome show!" In 2017 97.1 The River saw some of the highest ratings in station history and there's no better way to thank our loyal listeners than to bring them one of the best tours of the summer."

In 2006, 97.1 The River made its debut and has been playing Classic Hits for Atlanta rock fans ever since. The current talent lineup includes radio veterans and local legends, Steve Craig, Kaedy Kiely and English Nick. The River's Rockin' Birthday Bash inaugural event, in celebration of 97.1 The River's 10th Birthday took place at Verizon Amphitheatre in 2016 and featured Boston and Dennis DeYoung, followed by Steve Miller Band and Peter Frampton in 2017.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017 at 10 a.m. Get an exclusive pre-sale code by signing up for the River Guide E-Newsletter before the end of the day Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Get more information on The River's Rockin' Birthday Bash 2018 at 971TheRiver.com.

The River's Rockin' Birthday Bash 2018 is produced by Live Nation and presented by Gordo's Cheese Dip.

About Cox Media Group

Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company. The company's operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, more than 60 radio stations, seven daily newspapers and 11 non-daily publications; and more than 100 digital sites and services, like Rare.us, Clark.com, Dawg Nation, SEC Country, Hookem.com, Mundo Hispanico, Southern Kitchen and All22. Additionally, CMG operates the National Advertising Platform businesses of CoxReps - the country's biggest television rep firm - Gamut, and Videa. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 31 million TV viewers, more than 3.5 million newspaper readers, and nearly 15 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.

SOURCE Cox Media Group

Related Links

http://www.coxmediagroup.com


Foreign parties have been looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of how the CPC, with over 89 million members, governs China and maintains its vitality over decades of rule. Particularly, they want to know what changes were likely to occur and what could remain unchanged with the CPC, when China entered a new era after the 19th CPC National Congress. In this context, the first high-level meeting attended by the largest number of political party leaders was held to present the CPC to the world, making breakthroughs in the history of the relationship among world political parties.

"Managing our own affairs well is China's biggest contribution to building a community with a shared future for humanity," Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of CPC Central Committee, observed in his keynote speech at the meeting's opening ceremony. The development of China, a country with one-fifth of the world population, delivers benefit to both itself and the world. As the ruling party in a country with 1.3 billion people, the CPC assumes heavy responsibilities. Under its leadership, China has achieved remarkable progress, especially in the past five years. The country has deepened reforms, conducted economic restructuring, and maintained medium-to-high speed growth. In addition, it has made a significant contribution to world poverty alleviation by lifting over 13 million of its people out of poverty on average each year. Therefore, the CPC is defined as being practical, confident and responsible.

At the meeting, the CPC explained the reasons for its success. Is that an attempt to "export" the Chinese model? Definitely not. The CPC sincerely shared lessons and experiences it has gained with its foreign counterparts, hoping to pursue better joint solutions through equality-based dialogue. Chinese approaches are just "public goods" available for all countries in the world.

Nowadays, the peoples of different countries are increasingly connected with each other. All humanity aspires to live in a safe, prosperous, open and beautiful world. Realizing this aspiration requires joint efforts of all governments and political parties. Therefore, the CPC suggested that the high-level meeting be institutionalized and developed into a dialogue platform for world political parties to increase communications and exchanges for enhanced strategic trust and the development of a shared future.

China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

CPC in dialogue with world political parties

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2017-12/05/content_50086427.htm

About China.org.cn

Founded in 2000, China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn/China.com.cn) is a key state news website under the auspices of the State Council Information Office, and is managed by China International Publishing Group. We provide round-the-clock news service in ten languages. With users from more than 200 countries and regions, we have become China's leading multi-lingual news outlet introducing the country to the outside world.

We are one of the country's authoritative outlets for government press releases and are authorized to cover various major events. "Live Webcast" is our online webcasting service to present State Council Information Office press conferences in both Chinese and English languages. We are reputed for timely and accurate delivery of news and information, and wide interactions with audiences. In addition, we are authorized to publish and live broadcast major events and press conferences of ministries, local government agencies and institutions as well as enterprises.

In the era of mobile internet, we endeavor to create an array of products for mobile devices headed by the multilingual WAP platform and the mobile APP. We also use Chinese and international social media to publish information for different user groups.

In the future, CIIC will continue to offer authoritative information about China, tell China's stories, voice China's opinions, and introduce a vivid, panoramic and multicultural China to the world through multi-language, multi-media and multi-platforms.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE China.org.cn
NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DadeSystems, a leading provider of integrated receivables solutions, announced it has signed an agreement with Transactis, a leading provider of electronic billing and payment solutions. This agreement brings DadeSystems' advanced AR solutions to Transactis' clients, which include Fortune 1000 corporations, major technology businesses and 12 of the top 25 banks in the U.S. In addition, DadeSystems will now offer Transactis' advanced payments technology, BillerIQ, to their clients.

"The needs of the dynamic payments industry continue to evolve with new products consistently entering the market," said Transactis' CEO Joe Proto. "Our relationship with DadeSystems allows us to offer our clients their advanced invoice matching and payment re-association cloud-based solution so businesses can capture payment and remittance information in a straight thru process."

"Transactis is well positioned as the leader in the electronic billing and payments space. We are excited to bring our technology to Transactis' world-class clients and to also offer their solution, BillerIQ, to our growing customer base," stated Bill Zayas, CEO of DadeSystems.

About DadeSystems

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, DadeSystems automates the invoice-to-cash application process to increase efficiency and accelerate cash flow. DadeSystems serves multiple industries including distribution, food and beverage, manufacturing, financial, transportation, wholesale, property management, healthcare, retail, travel and agriculture. DadePay AR Automation, part of a SaaS suite of fully integrated products, automatically captures all incoming payments, including cash, checks, ACH, EFT, and credit cards. Using patented technologies and machine learning, payments are automatically matched to open invoices and update the companies' ERP systems. All checks received are electronically transmitted to the bank for immediate deposit. The DadePay product suite also includes an ePayment customer portal and Mobile AR application. The DadePay ePayment customer portal, allows companies to send notifications and alert customers when payments are due. DadePay portal payments accommodate both ACH and credit card and are 100% matched to corresponding invoices. DadePay Mobile allows sales and delivery drivers to capture images of checks and remittances and electronically transmit them to AR Automation for immediate processing. The entire product suite is part of a single enterprise solution.

About Transactis

Transactis transforms traditional paper billing and payment processing by enabling businesses of all sizes to replace paper bills, statements, invoices, payments and documents with efficient and cost effective digital alternatives. Transactis goes to market exclusively with resellersfinancial institutions, technology companies, printers and business process outsourcersto provide their customers with secure, configurable, white-label, industry-leading SaaS solutions. More than a technology provider to resellers, Transactis is a full-service business partner, delivering a broad and deep suite of sales, marketing, technical and operational support, empowering resellers to more successfully serve their clients. Transactis meets the strictest regulatory and compliance requirements including HIPAA, SSAE 16, PCI Level 1, and SOC 2. Transactis has received the Inc. 500 Award, Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Award, AlwaysOn OnFinance Top 100 Award, Red Herring Top 100 Award, PYMNTS Innovation Award, PayStream Advisors Innovative Technology Award, and has been named a 'Cool Vendor' by Gartner. Transactis' investors include ff Venture Capital, MacAndrews & Forbes, Metamorphic Ventures, Safeguard Scientifics, StarVest Partners, Capital One, Fifth Third Bank, PNC, TD Bank and Wells Fargo. For more information, please visit transactis.com or follow us on Twitter @TransactisUS.

DadeSystems Contact:

Tom Berdan / DadeSystems

855-418-2786 x705/ [email protected]

Transactis Contact:

Laura Mitchell / Transactis

347.844.6742 / [email protected]

SOURCE Transactis

Related Links

http://transactis.com


LOCKPORT, N.Y., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dan Tidwell has joined J. Fitzgerald Group (JFG) in Lockport as vice president, national sales. In this new capacity, Tidwell will be working as a brand ambassador and strategic consultant, speaking with new clients and potential customers about the capabilities of the marketing communications firm at a national and international level.

Dan Tidwell, VP National Sales

Tidwell brings to JFG a wealth of experience and a track record of success, including a 25-year career with Randall Reilly in Tuscaloosa, Ala., publisher of Equipment World and RentSmart magazines. During his tenure, Tidwell formed key business partnerships with leading customers including Caterpillar, Chevron, Bridgestone and Shell. He also led Equipment World to achieve market dominance with more than 50 percent of total market share while growing the trade media business at Randall Reilly from $2 million to $10 million over the course of seven years as vice president and senior vice president of the construction division.

The hiring of Tidwell also expands the reach for JFG, as he will be based from a new branch office based in Tuscaloosa, where he currently resides. In his new position with the firm, Tidwell will be focused on cultivating strong and professional relationships with new high-profile clients and partners throughout the U.S. and abroad, with a focus on highlighting the capabilities and achievements of the JFG team and how the agency can help improve their brand awareness and achieve better results with their traditional and digital marketing campaigns.

In addition, Tidwell will bring additional exposure to Space Between, the new ideation and dynamic training and meeting space that recently opened in Lockport. The only workspace of its kind in Western New York, Space Between offers creative meeting space, access to facilitators and trainers, modern technologies and ample room for small- and large-group sessions. A perfect complement to JFG's marketing and advertising capabilities  and located amid the firm's offices  Tidwell will invite clients to Space Between as an ideal destination for out-of-office meetings, business retreats, focus group testing and much more.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Tidwell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature with a concentration in business administration. In addition, Tidwell is a member of several professional societies, including the Association of Equipment Management Professionals, where he formerly served as a board member, and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, where he served as both a former associate board member and membership committee member. He also belongs to the Construction Writers Association and Ornamental Communicators Association.

Founded in January 2002, J. Fitzgerald Group is an integrated marketing company specializing in full-service branding, digital and traditional advertising, web design, and research. JFG's clients span local, regional, and worldwide markets. For more information, visit them online at www.jfitzgeraldgroup.com.

Contact:

Andrea Ridge

(716) 433-7688

[email protected]

SOURCE J. Fitzgerald Group

Related Links

http://www.jfitzgeraldgroup.com


DETROIT, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- High school students around the nation now have an opportunity to attend Michigan's premier urban research university  without having to pay out-of-state tuition. Wayne State University's new Discover Detroit Scholarship eliminates nonresident charges valued at approximately $60,000 for four years of undergraduate education for qualified students.

With a proud history of providing both educational opportunity and academic excellence on Michigan's most culturally diverse campus, Wayne State is seeking to ease the financial burden of a college education for another generation of students.

In addition to the Discover Detroit Scholarship, students will also be considered for other merit and need-based awards, decreasing their out-of-pocket costs. Wayne State even waives its application fee for low-income and first-generation students who apply as incoming freshmen.

"In today's global society, we believe that students deserve access to an internationally recognized education without prohibitive out-of-state fees," said Dawn Medley, associate vice president for enrollment management. "Now students who have may have wanted to attend Wayne State but didn't think it was possible because of cost can take advantage of this great opportunity. It's also a way for the university to market itself and recruit out of state in an increasingly competitive environment."

To qualify for the Discover Detroit Scholarship, entering freshmen must have at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale, plus an ACT score of at least 24 or an SAT score of 1160 or higher earned after March 2016.

Transfer students can also qualify with at least a 3.0 or higher overall cumulative GPA and at least 24 transferable hours from a qualified community college. Transfer students with fewer than 24 hours must meet the requirements for both entering freshmen and transfer students.

Wayne State, one of the nation's 50 largest public universities, is classified as a "doctoral university: highest research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation. It offers nearly 350 degree and certificate programs in 13 schools and colleges.

Wayne State's institutionally funded financial aid this year totals $74.2 million  an increase of more than 150 percent since 2007. More than 900 freshmen, or 34 percent of the 2017 incoming class, have their tuition and fees fully funded through the Wayne Access award, which provides free or nearly free tuition to eligible students after a combination of federal, state and other institutional aid.

In addition to the academic requirements, Discover Detroit award recipients must be U.S. citizens or legal residents. Students must also complete an application for admission, submit test scores and high school transcripts, and file their FAFSA. Students are encouraged to complete the application and financial aid process as soon as possible to ensure maximum scholarship and aid consideration.

Contact:

Matt Lockwood

313-577-9098

[email protected]

SOURCE Wayne State University

Related Links

http://www.wayne.edu


DETROIT, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Business executive, local entrepreneur, educator and small business expert Mark S. Lee launched "Small Talk with Mark S. Lee" on Entercom's CBS Detroit's WXYT AM1270, in June 2014. Since its initial launch, Lee has interviewed over 600 individuals, including entrepreneurs, business and community leaders who have provided their perspective on what it takes to start, grow and sustain a successful business.

Beginning in January 2018, Ann-Arbor-based Domino's (NYSE: DPZ) assumes title sponsorship for "Small Talk with Mark S. Lee," a leading business program focused on small business development and entrepreneurship. Its mission is to provide a forum where entrepreneurs and business leaders share business practices focused on developing and growing sustainable businesses.

The weekly show airs 8-9 a.m. EST on Sundays, and is streamed via radio.com (1270/Detroit), cbsdetroit.com (click on 1270). A same-day podcast is available at 9 a.m. via leegroupinnovation.com, WWJPlus.com, SoundCloud.com and thehubdetroit.com.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, small businesses continue to be an economic force as part of the U.S. economy. Between 1993 and mid-2013, approximately 63% of net new jobs were created by this sector of the economy. Since the end of the 2008 recession, small businesses accounted for 60 percent of the net new jobs created across the country.

"We appreciate Domino's continued support," says Mark S. Lee, a Detroit native and President & CEO of the LEE Group, LLC. "They continue to be an outstanding partner in helping 'Small Talk' be a source of information for all businesses."

Lee continues, "With Domino's continued support, we can continue to provide relevant and essential information necessary to help entrepreneurs achieve business growth and sustainability, which are key ingredients for continuing the region's revitalization efforts while developing successful small businesses."

"Mark's audience continues to grow and provide a forum for small business owners and entrepreneurs to learn from their peers," said Tim McIntyre, Executive Vice President of Communication for Domino's. "We're proud to have helped him launch 'Small Talk' and we're happy to keep this innovative program on the air."

For previous "Small Talk with Mark S. Lee" broadcasts, please click on the following link:

http://leegroupinnovation.com

You can follow Lee on Twitter @leegroup. For additional information visit: leegroupinnovation.com.

About The LEE Group, MI LLC

The Plymouth, MI-based LEE Group, MI LLC, founded in 2008 by Detroit native, Mark S. Lee, President & CEO, is an independent integrated marketing consulting firm focused on providing strategic marketing planning, branding/rebranding, training and development and integrated communication solutions to clients.

About Mark S. Lee

Mark S. Lee is President & CEO, The LEE Group (TLG), MI LLC, an independent integrated marketing consulting firm focused on providing marketing, branding and communication solutions to clients. Additionally, TLG provides training & development to organizations in the areas of branding, re-branding and communications and has advised on how to effectively implement in an integrated fashion.

He is the former Vice President of Brand Development and Marketing Communications at Florida Blue, Florida's Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, where he was responsible for leading the company's brand initiatives, marketing communications and the development and implementation of promotional programs focused on supporting strategic priorities. Prior, Mr. Lee held senior-marketing leadership roles with nationally known companies across the country including, PepsiCo, The Auto Club Group (AAA), et. al.

His column turned blog, "Small Talk with Mark S. Lee", appeared in the Michigan Chronicle for three years and now appears via blog for Crain's Detroit Business. It provides tips to businesses who are interested in growing their business and to individuals who aspire to become entrepreneurs. Lee also hosts a weekly radio show, "Small Talk with Mark S. Lee", which is broadcast on CBS Detroit's WXYT 1270 and streamed via cbsdetroit.com.

In addition to being a noted public speaker, he's also an adjunct professor, Marketing, at Eastern Michigan University and has been invited to speak as guest lecturer at Boston University and the University of North Florida (UNF). Additionally, Lee was an adjunct professor of Marketing & Management, at Walsh College, in Troy, Michigan. Lee is also the past Detroit instructor for Interise's Emerging Leader's Program (formerly, e200)--an initiative focused on assisting entrepreneurs focused on growth.

Throughout his career, Mr. Lee has received numerous awards, been the focus of many articles and has been invited to speak on various Marketing and Branding topics across the country, including recently being named a Comcast Newsmaker. Lee also contributes on WXYZ, Channel 7's (ABC affiliate in Detroit) "Spotlight on the News" and has been interviewed for Detroit's Channel 56's (PBS) "American Black Journal", "Michigan Matters" (CBS, Detroit) and on Fox 2, in Detroit. Lee is also currently the creator and host of "EMU Today", a general affairs program focused on Eastern Michigan University. Additionally, he has provided his perspective on local radio in New York City.

He holds a Master's degree (MBA) in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management (KGSM) at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Eastern Michigan University.

For more information, go to www.leegroupinnovation.com and follow him twitter (@leegroup), Facebook and/or Linked in (www.linkedin.com/in/leegroup).

SOURCE Domino's Pizza
AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Drillinginfo, the energy industry's leading SaaS and data analytics company, announced today it has acquired Dallas-based Pattern Recognition Technologies (PRT), a global leader in energy forecasting. This acquisition marks a significant addition to Drillinginfo's current offerings while diversifying its solution-focused capabilities as the foremost analytics firm in the energy industry.

PRT is the leading provider of short-term power demand and price forecasts to the electric, gas, solar and wind markets, with an operating history of more than 20 years. PRT's forecasts help utilities, including 70% of the largest ones in North America, realize cost savings through operational efficiencies and hedging, while also providing insights to inform arbitrage opportunities for power traders. This acquisition expands Drillinginfo's offerings in the power and utilities sector, including electricity market participants, generation owners, power companies, investors, analysts, and traders involved in electric, gas, solar, and/or demand forecasting.

PRT specializes in using machine learning technologies to predict how much energy will be needed in an electricity market or by a load-serving entity such as a utility, municipality, retail or electric provider. It uses similar technologies to forecast power generation of renewable resources such as wind and solar farms. PRT's predictions cover various forecast horizons, spanning from hours ahead to several days and weeks out. These forecasts are used by customers to optimize their operational and energy transaction decisions.

"Machine-learning technologies are the future of analytics on both the supply and demand side of the energy equation. In addition to growing our vertical offerings with utilities and expanding our base in power, bringing PRT on board will enhance our technical capabilities in other markets as we move forward with the application of data science across all our products and services. Making fast, accurate forecasts and other predictions is a capability that every sector can benefit from, and the proven technology that PRT uses everyday can be leveraged to solve more problems for more markets, significantly improving the value of the services we provide. Answers and actionable intelligence will arrive faster and be clearer than ever before," said Jeff Hughes, Drillinginfo's CEO.

"With the advent of deregulated markets, increased energy efficiency, conservation incentives and other factors, the way we use energy continues to change and evolve. We're seeing the past patterns of use become less and less relevant for modeling and forecasting the future. This is a significant problem that the power industry faces in modeling forward-looking power demand. PRT's technology allows us to take an objective look at the forces that drive energy consumption," added Al Khotanzad, PRT's Founder, President & CEO.

"Bringing estimates closer in line with reality always saves money. For those providing power to businesses and customers, not having an accurate forecast of the expected load ahead of time causes significant problems and capital losses. Combining our technologies with Drillinginfo will improve our supply side technology while identifying new information for them on the demand side  it's a classic win-win," said Khotanzad.

"For much of its history, Drillinginfo has focused on the supply side of energy markets  helping customers recover hydrocarbons and deliver them downstream. This new holistic picture  supply and demand  helps us generate more value for our customers and puts Drillinginfo in an energy analytics category of its own. Regardless of where you sit in the energy ecosystem, be it with fossil fuels or renewables, or as an energy trader or on the utility side, our combined capabilities will improve virtually everything we do, save companies money and further remove subjectivity from business decisions," added Hughes.

In the short term, Drillinginfo plans to implement PRT's technologies into its existing downstream and trading business portfolios, both in the U.S. and in international markets. Longer term, it expects to leverage the technology across all its products and services to deliver more accurate, predictive modeling.

This acquisition falls squarely in line with the company's commitment to tirelessly develop products and services that transform data into wisdom as it solidifies its reputation as the foremost analytics firm in the energy industry.

About Drillinginfo

Drillinginfo is the leading energy SaaS and data analytics platform that provides predictive tools and technology to drive exploration decisions, evaluate rapidly evolving opportunities and achieve better, faster results. The company delivers actionable intelligence over mobile, web and desktop to analyze and reduce risk, conduct competitive benchmarking, and uncover market insights. Drillinginfo serves more than 3,000 companies globally from its Austin, Texas headquarters and has more than 400 employees. For more information visit drillinginfo.com.

About Pattern Recognition Technologies

PRT is an industry leader in providing load/price/wind/solar generation forecasting services for the energy industry. For more than 20 years and with over 150 clients, PRT's highly-accurate forecasting systems are among the most widely used in the industry. For more information visit prtforecast.com.

SOURCE Drillinginfo, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.drillinginfo.com


LONDON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Drive with Belron, powered by investor and innovation partner L Marks, is back, launching a ten-week startup accelerator running from 30 April to 10 July 2018. Belron and L Marks will make available a fund of 200,000 to invest in winning startups.

Drive with Belron 2018: Overview

Designed to fast track the growth of startups in areas that disrupt Belron's ways of working, the accelerator is looking to invest in startups that: Implement Artificial Intelligence technologies; Transform the vehicle body damage market; Create the easiest personalised customer experience; Make working life easier for Belron people; and a Wildcard category open to any startup with new technology that could make a difference to Belron customers.

It follows the conclusion of the second accelerator cohort, this year which saw tech startups Blitzz, Locpin, Talking Circles and ThriveMap spend ten weeks working with Belron, immersing themselves in its global business operations in the US, Spain and France trialling their products. Three of the startups have also received direct investment so far.

Entrepreneurs and startup companies worldwide looking for an opportunity to trial and develop their products or technology in a global company can apply for the programme. Following a pitch day, five companies will be selected for a place on the accelerator programme, which is due to begin in April 2018.

There are five categories and Belron is looking for startups that want to trial their solutions and help them innovate:

Artificial Intelligence : any innovative product or service that can help Belron improve and automate its interaction with its customers and partners; use data to make autonomous real-time decisions and help to support Belron field technicians diagnose damage.

: any innovative product or service that can help Belron improve and automate its interaction with its customers and partners; use data to make autonomous real-time decisions and help to support Belron field technicians diagnose damage. Transform the vehicle body damage market : ideas and solutions that can transform the motorist and insurer experience when solving a vehicle body damage problem, or improve internal Belron processes when completing a body damage repair.

: ideas and solutions that can transform the motorist and insurer experience when solving a vehicle body damage problem, or improve internal Belron processes when completing a body damage repair. Creating the easiest personalised experience for Belron customers who want a seamless journey: serving over 15 million people a year, Belron is looking for ideas that make the end-to-end customer journey as seamless and easy as possible.

serving over 15 million people a year, Belron is looking for ideas that make the end-to-end customer journey as seamless and easy as possible. Make working life easier for Belron people : technology to help improve internal systems, process and communication to make the working life of the 13,000 on-the-road technicians and other Belron people easier, so they can better help customers.

: technology to help improve internal systems, process and communication to make the working life of the 13,000 on-the-road technicians and other Belron people easier, so they can better help customers. Wildcard: Belron is open to learn and to be surprised by what new technologies and different approaches can do for its people and customers. This new category aims to welcome startups with ideas they believe can make a difference.

Each team will receive:

The chance to trial their product in a ready-made international market

Access to expert mentoring from Belron senior leadership as well as experienced entrepreneurs

Dedicated office space at Belron's UK premises just outside London

Sponsored visits to the Belron business unit the startup is partnered with

The chance to secure follow-on funding of up to 100,000 [ * ]

* The chance to secure a contract with Belron

Access to a range of benefits and startups perks

Applications will be open from 5 December 2017. Belron welcomes young businesses as well as startups at every stage to apply for a chance to pitch their ideas in March 2018.

Nick Burton, Chief Information and Digital Officer at Belron, said: "We're thrilled to be launching Drive today. This is our third programme and we're looking forward to bringing in more innovators with technologies that they want to test in a global company. By giving these startups unparalleled access to our brands around the world, along with education and investment support, we can help them accelerate their businesses. Our team is looking forward to learning how entrepreneurs think and approach problem solving, which will challenge us to think and act differently."

Stuart Marks, Chairman, L Marks said: "After a hugely successful second programme of Drive with Belron, we are excited to announce Drive is back for its third year. As previously, we offer startups access to Belron's global brands, expert mentorship and the potential of investment. We anticipate another great cohort and will ensure we help startups develop their business while bringing new ideas and innovation to Belron."

Each company accepted into the Drive with Belron Accelerator will be supported to refine their business model, culminating in a Drive with Belron Demo Day in July 2018.

Applications are open now at www.drivewithbelron.com and will be open until 4 February 2018. The programme will begin at the end of April 2018, with the Demo Day scheduled for week commencing 10 July 2018.

For more information, please visit: www.drivewithbelron.com.

To learn more about Drive watch the video here.

About Drive with Belron

Drive with Belron was designed to find startups with disruptive solutions who could help improve operations and discover new ways of working. Understanding that innovative collaboration is crucial for continued development, the Drive with Belron accelerator is back for its third year.

With around 15 million consumers in over 30 countries, Drive provides startups with the opportunity to trial their solution in a global market.

Each team involved in the programme will be partnered with one of several participating countries (last year's participants included Spain, France, Germany and the US) with whom they will get an unparalleled opportunity to trial their products and solutions.

As well as this opportunity to validate their business in international markets, participating companies will have access to desk space at Belron's offices in Egham, UK and receive dedicated mentoring from senior leadership. Belron wants to create long lasting partnerships, which is why they, and their investment partner L Marks, will ensure potential investment is available for participating companies.

About Belron

Belron makes a difference by solving people's problems with real care. It is the worldwide leader in vehicle glass repair and replacement, trading under more than 10 major brands including Carglass, Safelite AutoGlass and Autoglass. In addition, it manages vehicle glass and other insurance claims on behalf of insurance customers. Belron is also expanding its services to focus on solving problems for people who need assistance with repairs to their vehicles and homes.

Belron looks after around 15 million consumers each year in over 30 countries on six continents with a focus on service quality generating a very high level of customer satisfaction.

About L Marks

L Marks are innovation specialists and early stage investors. We work with some of the UK's best known brands, including John Lewis, BMW and EDF Energy to identify the challenges in their business, and create bespoke partnership and scouting projects to turn these into opportunities for improvement and innovation. Founded in 2012 by serial entrepreneur Stuart Marks, L Marks aims to build bridges between corporates seeking to innovate and young companies with disruptive tech.

[*]Belron and L Marks have committed a total investment pot of 200,000 to invest in the startups participating in the programme. The investment will be allocated at the discretion of Belron and L Marks between participating startups, up to 100,000 per startup.

You can find out more about Drive at: www.drivewithbelron.com.

To learn more about Drive watch the video here.

Follow us on social: #DriveWithBelron or find us on Twitter @DriveBelron.



Contact

The PR Office

Rajmeena Aujla

e: [email protected]

t: +44(0)20-7284-6954

m: +44(0)7919-145-895

Tom Gilby,

e: [email protected],

t: +44(0)20-7284-6950

m: +44(0)7979-082-356

SOURCE Belron

Related Links

http://www.drivewithbelron.com


VANCOUVER, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - eCobalt Solutions Inc. (TSX: ECS; Frankfurt: ECO; OTCQX: ECSIF) ("eCobalt" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will begin trading its shares on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol "ECSIF" effective today, as announced by the OTC Markets Group.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, announced today that eCobalt has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. eCobalt upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB Venture Market. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

eCobalt was sponsored for OTCQX by Scarsdale Equities LLC, a qualified third-party firm responsible for providing guidance on OTCQX requirements and recommending membership.

"We are very pleased to begin trading on OTCQX which will provide us with additional exposure to both institutional and retail U.S. investors," stated Paul Farquharson, President & CEO of eCobalt. He continued, "A recently completed feasibility study on our advanced flagship project, the Idaho Cobalt Project, has laid the path forward for project optimization, near term construction and production of environmentally sound cobalt products produced responsibly in the United States. Cobalt is a critical component in rechargeable batteries utilized in the rapidly growing electric vehicle sector."

About eCobalt Solutions Inc.

eCobalt is committed to providing a unique opportunity for consumers to acquire ethically sourced, environmentally sound, transparently supplied cobalt products, essential for the rapidly growing rechargeable battery and renewable energy sectors, produced responsibly in the United States. The company is dedicated to the principles of environmentally sound mining and refining practices. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries it has interests in base and precious metals and uranium projects in Canada, United States and Mexico. The Company's primary asset, is the 100% owned, fully NEPA permitted Idaho Cobalt Project (ICP). It is the only primary cobalt deposit in the United States. The ICP is comprised of the mine and mill near Salmon, Idaho and the proposed cobalt production facility for refining ICP mine concentrate in Blackfoot, Idaho. The ICP mine site is now fundamentally prepared to commence underground development contingent on successful conclusion of mine financing.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market, and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS, it connects a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. OTC Markets enables investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empowers companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

eCobalt Solutions Inc.

"J. Paul Farquharson"

J. Paul Farquharson

President & CEO

Cautionary Statement on Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements in this news release pertaining to expected financings, filings, uses of proceeds or project completion dates are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Such projections are and will inevitably always be dependent on assumptions about future mineral prices and development costs which will be subject to fluctuation due to global and local economic and industry conditions. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties which may cause results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements is included in filings by the Company with securities regulatory authorities and is available at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Although the Company has disclosed that the Idaho Cobalt Project remains the sole, near term, environmentally permitted, primary cobalt deposit in the United States and offers a unique potential for North American consumers to secure an ethically sourced, environmentally sound supply of battery grade cobalt chemicals, there is no guarantee that the Company will attain commercial production of such cobalt chemicals for use in the rechargeable battery sector. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The statements contained in this news release in regard to eCobalt Solutions Inc. that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including eCobalt Inc.'s beliefs, expectations, hopes or intentions regarding the future. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to eCobalt Solutions Inc. as of such date. It is important to note that actual outcome and the actual results could differ from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties such as technological, legislative, corporate, commodity price and marketplace changes.

SOURCE eCobalt Solutions Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ecobalt.com/


SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Elastifile, the enterprise hybrid cloud data management company, announced today that it has been named to the 2017 Emerging Vendors list in both the Cloud and Storage categories by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company. This list recognizes up-and-coming technology innovators that are shaping the future of the IT channel through unique technological solutions. In addition to celebrating these standout companies, the Emerging Vendors list serves as a valuable resource for solution providers looking to expand their portfolios with cutting-edge technology. This year, for the first time, the list is divided into seven categories: Cloud, Data Center, Security, Big Data, Networking/VoIP, Internet of Things and Storage.

Elastifile enables dynamic real-world hybrid cloud workflows by integrating on-premises and on-cloud environments within a unified, high-performance storage and data management platform. By leveraging the Elastifile Cloud File System with CloudConnect dynamic object tiering, enterprises can now manage both active and inactive data via cost-effective infrastructure that scales dynamically with the needs of their applications, both on-premises and natively in all major cloud environments. With this cross-cloud data fabric, Elastifile enables both service providers and HPC enterprises across a range of markets, including life sciences, financial services, life sciences, and oil & gas, to increase performance, reduce cost, and succeed with new business process agility. It is the ideal next step for hybrid cloud and infrastructure modernization, with elastic workload consolidation and production workflow mobility like cloud bursting with stateful containers.

"This impressive group of technology supplier startups is already disrupting the status quo, aggressively creating and innovating to meet the ever-changing demands of the IT market," said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. "CRN's 2017 Emerging Vendors represent the next generation of IT change agents, producing a wide range of leading-edge products that solution providers should keep an eye on in the coming year and beyond."

"Being recognized as an Emerging Vendor by CRN for both the Cloud and Storage is certainly twice as nice, and it is a true validation of our disruptive strategy to deliver the cross-cloud data fabric" said Andy Fenselau, VP Marketing at Elastifile. "This recognition shows that Elastifile is not just a product for storage or cloud data management, but in fact a new category solution that crosses both segments to free your data from its underlying infrastructure."

The Emerging Vendors: Storage list is featured online at www.crn.com/emergingvendors. Interested customers and partners can contact Elastifile for more information here.

Follow Elastifile:

https://twitter.com/elastifile

https://www.linkedin.com/company/elastifile

https://www.facebook.com/Elastifile/

About Elastifile

Elastifile is redefining the way data is stored and managed, enabling seamless deployment of private and hybrid cloud solutions. With enterprises and service providers looking to support both on-premises and cloud workflows across both active and inactive data workloads, Elastifile uniquely delivers this to application, analytics, and infrastructure teams as the single global namespace of a distributed file and object system. This elastic, scale-out, software-only BYOH (bring-your-own-hardware) solution provides all the advantages of public IaaS to the data center and uncompromised enterprise data services and SLAs in the cloud.

With nearly 100 employees, Elastifile is based in Santa Clara, California and Herzliya, Israel, with global Sales and Marketing offices in North America and Europe, and R&D in Israel. Elastifile was founded in 2013 and is backed by Battery Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and CE Ventures, plus seven strategic investors from the cloud, data center and storage industries including Dell Technologies Capital, Cisco Investments, and Western Digital Capital. Elastifile's founders and leadership team includes a powerful mix of experience across enterprise storage, virtualization, applications, and flash to help transform its customers' hybrid cloud workflows.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com

SOURCE Elastifile

Related Links

http://www.elastifile.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EP Energy LLC ("EP Energy"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE), today announced that it has extended the early tender time until 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on December 8, 2017 (the "Extended Early Tender Time"), with respect to its previously-announced exchange offers (the "Exchange Offers") and consent solicitations (the "Consent Solicitations") that it and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Everest Acquisition Finance Inc., as co-issuer (together with EP Energy, the "Issuers"), launched on November 20, 2017 to exchange up to $1.2 billion aggregate principal amount (subject to change, the "Maximum Exchange Amount") of new 9.375% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the "New Notes") for the Issuers' outstanding Senior Notes (collectively, the "Old Notes") as described in the confidential offering memorandum and consent solicitation statement, dated November 20, 2017 (the "Offering Memorandum"). The deadline to validly withdraw tenders of Old Notes was not extended by the Issuers, and expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on December 4, 2017 (the "Withdrawal Deadline").

Holders of the Old Notes that validly tender their Old Notes prior to the Extended Early Tender Time will still be entitled to the Total Consideration (as defined in the Offering Memorandum) on the previously-announced terms and conditions of the Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations. Except as set forth herein, the complete terms and conditions of the Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations remain the same as set forth and detailed in the Offering Memorandum, copies of which were previously distributed to eligible holders of the Old Notes.

The Issuers may terminate, withdraw or amend the Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations, either as a whole, or with respect to one or more series of Old Notes, at any time and for any reason, including based on the acceptance rate and outcome of the Exchange Offers or if any of the conditions described in the Offering Memorandum are not satisfied, subject to applicable law.

The issuance of the New Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities laws. The New Notes are being offered and issued only (1) in the United States to holders of the Old Notes that are "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and (2) outside the United States to holders of the Old Notes that are not U.S. persons in reliance upon Regulation S under the Securities Act. Accordingly, the New Notes will be subject to restrictions on transferability and resale and may not be transferred or resold except as permitted under the Securities Act and other applicable securities laws, pursuant to registration or exemption therefrom.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offering, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The offering documents will be distributed only to holders of the Old Notes that complete and return a letter of eligibility confirming that they are "Eligible Holders" for the purposes of the Exchange Offers. D.F. King & Co., Inc. is acting as the Information Agent for the Exchange Offers. Requests for the offering documents from "Eligible Holders" may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc. at (212) 269-5550 (for brokers and banks) or (800) 207-3158 (for all others).

Neither the Issuers, their respective boards nor any other person makes any recommendation as to whether the holders of the Old Notes should exchange their notes, and no one has been authorized to make such a recommendation. Holders of the Old Notes must make their own decisions as to whether to exchange their notes, and if they decide to do so, the principal amount of the notes to exchange.

About EP Energy LLC

The EP Energy team has a passion for finding and producing the oil and natural gas that enriches people's lives. EP Energy has a proven strategy, a significant reserve base, multi-year drilling opportunities, and a strategic presence in a number of the country's leading unconventional resource areas in North America. EP Energy is active in key phases of the E&P value chainacquiring, developing and producing oil and natural gas. For more information about EP Energy, visit epenergy.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes certain forward-looking statements and projections of EP Energy. We have made every reasonable effort to ensure that the information and assumptions on which these statements and projections are based are current, reasonable, and complete. However, a variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, anticipated results or other expectations expressed, including, without limitation, the volatility of and sustained low oil, natural gas and NGL prices; the supply and demand for oil, natural gas and NGLs; the company's ability to meet production volume targets; changes in commodity prices and basis differentials for oil and natural gas; the uncertainty of estimating proved reserves and unproved resources; the future level of service and capital costs; the availability and cost of financing to fund future exploration and production operations; the success of drilling programs with regard to proved undeveloped reserves and unproved resources; the company's ability to comply with the covenants in various financing documents; the company's ability to obtain necessary governmental approvals for proposed E&P projects and to successfully construct and operate such projects; actions by the credit rating agencies; credit and performance risk of our lenders, trading counterparties, customers, vendors, suppliers and third party operators; general economic and weather conditions in geographic regions or markets served by the company, or where operations of the company are located, including the risk of a global recession and negative impact on oil and natural gas demand; the uncertainties associated with governmental regulation, including any potential changes in federal and state tax laws and regulations; competition; and other factors described in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. While the company makes these statements and projections in good faith, neither the company nor its management can guarantee that anticipated future results will be achieved. Reference must be made to those filings for additional important factors that may affect actual results. EP Energy assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements made by EP Energy, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE EP Energy Corporation

Related Links

http://www.epenergy.com


PORT WASHINGTON, New York, Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Equashield, a leading provider of Closed System Transfer Devices (CSTDs) for the safe and simple handling of hazardous drugs, announced hosting a first-of-its-kind Safe Handling Summit, where pharmacy professionals from 14 countries met to exchange knowledge and learn from industry leaders about recent developments in the CSTD market.

Summit attendees, including 25 hospital pharmacists, pharmacy purchasing decision makers, industry Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), as well as international distributors from across Europe, Asia and North America, discussed safe handling practices, the CSTD competitive landscape, and strategies for new market penetration. Additionally, several KOLs delivered presentations on key issues related to the FDA's ONB product code and the NIOSH protocols for testing the efficacy of the various CSTDs on the market.

"We see significant value in learning from pharmacy professionals whose sole focus is increasing the safe handling of hazardous drugs," said Adi Shor, VP, Sales, ROW for Equashield. "Attendees shared experience and knowledge from their home markets, and gained insight from the various lectures and case studies presented. We also toured Equashield's manufacturing facility, which includes new state-of-the-art automation technology, and showcased the Equashield Pro  the market's first closed system drug compounding robot."

Flay Charbonneau, Pharmacy Manager for Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada, gave a presentation on, "The ONB Product Code and Drug Vial Optimization."

"Equashield's Safe Handling Summit was an important opportunity to learn from other distributors. I left the meeting excited to make an impact in the coming year," said Ian Churchill, National Sales Manager for Australian distributor REM Systems. "We are confident in Equashield's product, and, after hearing further perspectives from industry KOLs, we believe this is the top CSTD that compounding pharmacists should be using."

"It was eye opening to learn more about the competitive landscape, and we gained a greater understanding of the regulatory realities in the safe handling market," said Anna Wieczorek, Pharmacist for NU-MED Center for Diagnostic and Oncology Therapy, Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland. "We were also impressed with Equashield's manufacturing facility; it is clear the company has invested to ensure they are delivering the safest CSTD to the market."

About Equashield

Equashield is a leading provider of a full range of manual and automated solutions to hospitals for the compounding and administration of hazardous drugs. Equashield's product suite includes EQUASHIELD II, its flagship Closed System Transfer Device (CSTD), and EQUASHIELD Pro, the first ever closed system drug compounding robot. Equashield's CSTD is clinically-proven to protect healthcare professionals from hazardous drug exposure. The globally awarded EQUASHIELD II covers more routes of exposure than alternative systems by preventing contamination of syringe plungers and drug residuals on connector surfaces, as well as exposure to drug vapors. Studies have shown Equashield's CSTD to be faster to deploy and easier to use than competing systems, and the system has passed the proposed 2015 alcohol vapor containment protocol from NIOSH, confirming that it can contain the harshest vapors and emissions. EQUASHIELD is in use by hundreds of hospitals and clinics around the world, and has been both cleared by the FDA under the ONB product code, and substantiated in FDA-cleared labeling as preventing microbial ingress for up to seven days.



Follow Equashield on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

For more information: www.equashield.com

Media Contact:

Finn Partners for Equashield

Nicole Grubner

[email protected]

@nicolegrubner

+1-929-222-8011

SOURCE Equashield

Related Links

https://www.equashield.com/


NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Equinox, the high-performance lifestyle leader, today announced that Vimla Black Gupta, formerly senior vice president of global marketing at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, has been named Chief Marketing Officer of Equinox Fitness Clubs.

Gupta will oversee marketing strategy development and execution on behalf of Equinox and its growing portfolio of 91 fitness club locations, reporting directly to Niki Leondakis, Chief Executive Officer of Equinox Fitness Clubs.

"As a gifted brand marketer with strong lifestyle credentials, Vimla will be an invaluable asset to the team as we continue to set the standard for luxury fitness and inspire fresh conversations about high performance living," said Niki Leondakis, Chief Executive Officer of Equinox. "Her global perspective and entrepreneurial instincts will be especially important as we expand into new markets and drive innovations that further enhance our member experience."

Gupta brings more than 25 years of marketing expertise to Equinox, most recently leading the Bobbi Brown Cosmetics business at Estee Lauder as senior vice president of global marketing. There she managed, led and created the product, consumer and digital marketing strategy for the $1 Billion brand. Prior to her four-year tenure with Bobbi Brown, she held the position of vice president, new brand development of Idea Bank, the Estee Lauder Companies' in-house innovation unit. Gupta has also held key marketing leadership roles at Procter and Gamble and the Gilette Companies.

"As a marketer, it is rare to receive an opportunity to lead a brand that is so meaningfully ingrained both physically and emotionally in its members' daily lives," said Gupta. "Fitness has always been central to who I am personally, so I look forward to deepening the Equinox narrative during this pivotal time in the organization's growth."

Gupta, who will be based at Equinox's headquarters in New York City, will also oversee portfolio brands including Furthermore from Equinox, PROJECT by Equinox and Pure Yoga.

ABOUT EQUINOX

Equinox operates 91 upscale, full-service clubs in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Houston, and Washington, DC, as well as international locations in London, Toronto, and Vancouver. The company offers an integrated selection of Equinox-branded programs, services and products, including strength and cardio training, studio classes, personal training, spa services and products, apparel and food/juice bars. Launching in 2019, Equinox Hotels will cater exclusively to the high-performance traveler to serve as the ultimate hotel destination with a 360-degree lifestyle experience. For more than 25 years, Equinox has consistently offered bespoke experiences and unparalleled services to consumers, developing a lifestyle brand that represents service, value, quality, expertise, innovation, attention to detail, market leadership and results. IT'S NOT FITNESS. IT'S LIFE.

Contact:

Alison Rappaport

[email protected]

SOURCE Equinox

Related Links

https://www.equinox.com


MORRISVILLE, N.C., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Etix, an international ticketing solutions provider with more than 55 million tickets sold in over 40 countries each year, announced today the growth acquisition of ticketing software company, Interactive Ticketing. The acquisition follows October's announcement of the purchase of ExtremeTix and TicketBiscuit.

"Interactive Ticketing was the next step in our plans for growing the company," says CEO and founder Travis Janovich. "We are excited to welcome Interactive Ticketing's client base and employees to the Etix family and look forward to continuing the exceptional level of service that their clients are used to," adds Paxton Badham, Etix's President.

Based in Seattle, Washington, Interactive Ticketing has built a boutique ticketing system around state-of-the-art marketing tools, reporting features and wireless capabilities drawing a strong client base in amusement parks, consumer shows, fairs, expos and more. Interactive Ticketing was advised by ASG Partners in the transaction.

"We're excited to end the year with Travis and Paxton and their great team," shares Interactive Ticketing CEO and President David Arevalo. "Terry and I founded the company with the principle of making it as simple as possible to sell tickets online. The ticketing industry has changed a lot since 1999 and Etix has been leading the way - continuously adding and updating features. "

Terry Howisey, Interactive Ticketing's cofounder and CFO added, "We feel fortunate to be able to give our clients access to new tools and technology that will help them sell more tickets in 2018 and beyond."

For more than a decade, Etix has been the top independent ticketing company for state and county fairs, museums, music clubs, festivals, casinos and more. Their scalable, feature-rich platform nicely matches the needs of Interactive Ticketing's stellar roster of clients.

2017 has been a banner year for Etix thanks to three growth acquisitions, continued organic growth and key staff additions. It's an exciting time for Etix and the ticketing industry. Janovich plans to carry this momentum into 2018 with goals for continued growth and expansive technology development.

"We've been proud to be an industry leader for nearly 20 years; continuously developing new tools and pioneering new concepts. We are fortunate to be positioned to expand and are poised for even more growth."

About Etix

Founded in 2000, Etix is an international, web-based ticketing service provider, processing more than 55 million tickets per year in 40 countries. As the largest independent ticketing company in North America, Etix provides flexible and secure ticketing solutions, digital marketing services, and robust e-commerce fulfillment for over 17 years. Etix is proud to work with 1,800 venues, including theaters, arenas, music clubs, festivals, fairs, performing arts centers, casinos and more. Headquartered in Morrisville, NC, Etix has offices in Houston, TX, Birmingham, AL, Austria, China, Germany, Holland and Japan, as well as a full-service digital marketing agency in Morrisville, NC.

Press Contact:

Aaron Bare

Director of Marketing

[email protected]

Press Kit

http://hello.etix.com/press-kit/

SOURCE Etix

Related Links

http://hello.etix.com


LONDON, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Roger Ohan is an excellent fit for BlockEx due to the depth of his experience in the financial services industry. Roger can help BlockEx understand how to best position their products for more traditional financial market participants. He said: "I am impressed by how much the BlockEx team have developed so far, and I am pleased to join to help them roll out their solutions to users across the world."

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/608924/BlockEx_Logo.jpg )



BlockEx is a company that is about to grow rapidly. BlockEx combines the regulatory framework and governance of traditional finance, with the efficiencies of blockchain. Their Digital Asset Exchange Platform (DAxP) is an institutional grade exchange with blockchain asset origination, dematerialisation and lifecycle management tools. It includes a digital asset creation tool, exchange, clearing, settlement, registry and brokerage software. Traders can trade fiat crypto pairs, and other high quality digital assets, like ICO tokens. Currently, BlockEx is launching their ICO for the BlockEx ICO Market. Part of the DAxP, the ICO Market will allow users to list and participate in compliant, high quality ICOs. BlockEx's token, the DAXT, can be used to guarantee an allocation of tokens during ICO pre-sales hosted on their platform. Participants in the ICO Market will be provided with a constant flow of highly vetted ICOs.

BlockEx is positioning itself as a bridge between the financial services industry, and the new world of blockchain. Roger Ohan's experience can help them build their business, and appeal to traditional financial institutions.

About BlockEx - BlockEx's Digital Asset Exchange Platform (DAxP) is an institutional grade exchange with blockchain asset origination, dematerialisation and life-cycle management tools. The offices are in London, Bulgaria, Taiwan and Israel. https://www.blockex.com/

SOURCE BlockEx
NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dec. 1, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced a grand jury indictment charging Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove with two counts of official misconduct and one count of perjury in the first degree related to the investigation of a fatal police shooting.

In 2015, Governor Cuomo signed executive order 147 that empowers the Attorney General's office to take over cases when police officers kill unarmed citizens. On April 29th, Governor Cuomo signed executive order 147.4 that allowed Schneiderman to "specifically investigate and prosecute any unlawful acts or omissions by any law enforcement officer" in the case of Edson Thevenin. The indictment of the District Attorney for failing to conduct a proper investigation and failing to cooperate with the Attorney General's office is the first of its kind in New York state history.

According to a statement released by Attorney General Schneiderman: "As we allege, District Attorney Abelove's actions violated the law and undermined a criminal investigation. The Governor's Executive Order was designed to restore public confidence in our criminal justice system  yet the actions we detail today only served to further erode that confidence. My office will continue to work collaboratively with law enforcement agencies across the state, including district attorneys, to ensure fair, comprehensive, and independent investigations of every case within our jurisdiction, so that families like the Thevenins get the answers they deserve."

New York law firm Hach & Rose, LLP had previously filed a civil lawsuit (Docket: Thevenin vs. City of Troy, et. al  1:16-cv-01115-DJS) on behalf of the widow of Edson Thevenin, the unarmed Watervliet man who was fatally shot by Sergeant French. Attorney Michael Rose filed the lawsuit on behalf of Thevenin's widow, Cinthia, and her two sons. The complaint alleges civil rights violations and assault and battery against the city of Troy and Sergeant French.

The incident occurred in the early morning of April 17th, when Officer French fired eight shots through the windshield of 37-year-old Edson Thevenin following a traffic stop for suspicion of DWI. Two civilian witnesses told police that they did not feel that the officer was in imminent danger when he opened fire on Thevenin's vehicle. The District Attorney's office interviewed both witnesses but failed to subpoena either of them to testify before the grand jury that eventually cleared officer French five days after the shooting.

Attorney Michael Rose had this to say about the indictment of District Attorney Abelove: "This is a giant step forward for Edson Thevenin's family in their pursuit of justice for his death. The indictment of District Attorney Abelove demonstrates that Governor Cuomo's executive order must be taken seriously. The Attorney General's office is empowered to investigate situations just like this due to the inherent conflict that arises when a District Attorney's office is investigating the police department within its own jurisdiction. We are confident that justice will be served in this matter and the responsible parties will be held fully accountable."

About Hach & Rose, LLP

Hach & Rose is one of New York's premier civil litigation law firms. Its main office is located in Manhattan. Visit their website at www.unionlawfirm.com to learn more about the firm.

SOURCE Hach & Rose, LLP

Related Links

http://www.unionlawfirm.com


MCARTHUR, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For nearly four years, the only option for over 13,000 Vinton County residents to buy fresh produce, meat, dairy and other healthy foods was to travel many miles to another county. That obstacle has been remedied by yesterday morning's long-awaited grand opening of Campbell's Market, a new full-service grocery store located at 630 W. Main Street in McArthur, Ohio.

Finance Fund Capital Corporation

The new store is the result of a collaborative effort among many partners, including local community members, the Campbell family, Finance Fund Capital Corporation (FCAP) and representatives from local, state, and federal governments. FCAP, a statewide community development financing institution, provided funding for the project through its Healthy Food for Ohio (HFFO) program. The HFFO program is Ohio's first ever statewide healthy food financing program and provides flexible financing to eligible rural and urban healthy food retail projects in low-income, underserved areas throughout the state. Through this program, Campbell's Market received nearly $1.6 million to build the 12,000 sq. ft. full-service grocery store. The store has already attracted additional businesses, created over 30 jobs for local residents and is improving the quality of life for this community.

Speakers included:

Campbell's Market's owner, Beth Campbell

Finance Fund Capital Corporation's President and CEO, Diana Turoff

U.S. Congressman Steve Stivers (OH-15)

(OH-15) Ohio Senate President Pro Tempore Bob Peterson (R- Sabina )

Senate President Pro Tempore (R- ) Ohio House Finance Chairman Ryan Smith's Aide, Cameron Garczyk (R- Bidwell )

Aide, (R- ) Public Affairs Liaison with the Ohio Treasurer's Office, Jamie Barker

Southeast Ohio Regional Liaison for the Governor's Office, Kathleen Young

Representative of the Board of Vinton County Commissioners, Tim Eberts

U.S. Representative Steve Stivers exclaimed, "Today, we get to declare the food desert in Vinton County over!" as he thanked a gathering of community members as well as the Campbell's family, FCAP's President and CEO, Diana Turoff, state Representative Ryan Smith and state Senator Bob Peterson.

The Campbell's family will be continuing the celebration by raffling off a 55" TV and 25 bags of groceries towards the end of the week.

Media Contact:

Cara Penry

Phone: 614.735.6920

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Finance Fund Capital Corporation
MILWAUKEE, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation, the company announced today a first-of-its-kind art exhibit open to the public. Through the power of visual arts, Giving Gallery: Community in Process will highlight the collective impact of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation and its nonprofit partners in the greater Milwaukee community and beyond.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7991457-northwestern-mutual-giving-gallery/

Giving Gallery: Community in Process

For the past 25 years, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation has driven its communities forward by investing in the people who stand up, tune in and engage every day to ensure that everyone has a chance at a brighter future.

"This year, we're commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation, which has improved the lives of children and families in our hometown of Milwaukee and across the country," said John Schlifske, chairman and CEO, Northwestern Mutual. "We are bringing 25 years worth of stories to life through art, highlighting our commitment to the communities we serve and celebrating the work we've done in partnership with outstanding nonprofits."

The exhibitat no cost to the publicwill be open from 8 a.m.  6 p.m. during regular business hours beginning in February 2018 and will be hosted in The Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons for one year. Those who attend the experience will be encouraged to get involved with the organizations that move them personally through donations, volunteer opportunities and more.

The exhibit will consist of 26 pieces of original artwork, completed in a variety of media by 17 artists with Wisconsin ties. Each artist was paired with one or more nonprofits to bring to life the stories of these organizations and the profound impact they have had in collaboration with the Northwestern Mutual Foundation.

Artist (in alpha order) Nonprofit Nova Czarnecki Northwestern Mutual Foundation Matthew Duckett Teach for America Milwaukee Schools That Can Milwaukee Eduin Fraga Milwaukee Public Schools United Community Center Amy & Jonathan Gelfman Sojourner Family Peace Center Mutope Johnson Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee Shelby Keefe Dominican Center Metcalfe Park Community Bridges Milwaukee Christian Center Nancy McGee Milwaukee Succeeds Margaret Muza Giving Gallery Artist Portraits Mike Miller Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Beads of Courage Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Steve Ohlrich United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County United Performing Arts Fund Sonja Oldenburg Betty Brinn Children's Museum Milwaukee County Zoo Tom Queoff COA Youth & Family Centers Milwaukee Public Museum Julie Roth Milwaukee College Prep Jordan Waraksa Ronald McDonald House Charities Eastern Wisconsin Della Wells City Year Milwaukee Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin Hiroko Yamada American Red Cross

Each participating nonprofit also received a $10,000 grant from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. Since its inception in 1992, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation has given more than $320 million to improve education, revitalize neighborhoods, enhance the quality of life in its hometown of Milwaukee and accelerate the national search for childhood cancer cures. Of that total, more than $87 million has been given to these featured organizations.

"Our 25th anniversary is the perfect opportunity to pause and look back at the investments we've made, the work we've done and the countless lives that have been impacted," said Eric Christophersen, president, Northwestern Mutual Foundation. "It's also the chance to acknowledge the incredible partnerships we've fostered in the nonprofit community. We hope the stories of these unsung heroes will inspire those who visit this exhibit to join us in achieving our community's full potential."

Patronage of the visual arts also has a longstanding place in Northwestern Mutual's culture. The Northwestern Mutual Art Program features a variety of contemporary artwork throughout the company's campuses. Through artwork, the program's mission hopes to start meaningful conversations, inspire thinking and stimulate curiosity.

To learn more about Giving Gallery: Community in Process, visit the website for additional information.

About Northwestern Mutual Foundation

The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in need. The Foundation has given more than $320 million since its inception in 1992 and is designed to create lasting impact in the communities where the company's employees and financial representatives live and work. We accomplish this by combining financial support, volunteerism, thought leadership and convening community partners to deliver the best outcomes. Our efforts are focused nationally on curing childhood cancer, and locally on education, neighborhoods and making our hometown of Milwaukee a great destination. Visit Northwestern Mutual Foundation to learn more.

About Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual has been helping families and businesses achieve financial security for 160 years. Through a distinctive, whole-picture planning approach including both insurance and investments, we empower people to be financially confident so they can live life differently. We combine the expertise of our financial professionals with a personalized digital experience to help our clients navigate their financial lives every day. With $250.4 billion in assets, $28.2 billion in revenues, and more than $1.6 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.4 million people who rely on us for life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, brokerage and advisory services, trust services, and discretionary portfolio management solutions. The company holds more than $100 billion of client assets as a part of its wealth management company and investment services. Northwestern Mutual ranks 97 on the 2017 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2017.



Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a comprehensive approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, life insurance with long-term care benefits, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual

Related Links

http://www.northwesternmutual.com


BOSTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Following nearly a decade of significant underfunding of Massachusetts nursing homes, five facilities filed notice with the state Department of Public Health last week of their intent to shut down. More than 1,000 residents and staff will be impacted by the announced closures. The Massachusetts Senior Care Association today stressed that these decisions underscore an industry on the brink of collapse due largely to inadequate state Medicaid funding, and that many more closures are possible.

According to state cost report data, each of the homes was operating at a significant loss with most residents having their care paid for by Medicaid.

Statewide, 70% of nursing home residents have their care paid for by the state's Medicaid program, MassHealth. State funding for nursing home care over the last decade has remained largely stagnant, not nearly keeping pace with the cost of resident care and labor to provide care.

As a result, Massachusetts ranks fourth worst in the nation for funding quality nursing home resident care resulting in more than half of the state's nursing facilities operating at a loss. Because three-quarters of a nursing facility's budget is used to fund employee wages and benefits, a facility's ability to invest in staff is directly tied to state funding.

"It is crucial that Governor Baker and the Legislature elevate nursing facility care to a top priority," said Massachusetts Senior Care Association President Tara Gregorio. "We fear these closures are just the beginning, as nursing facility operators and Boards of Trustees contemplate their continued ability to provide high quality care given the state's refusal to provide sufficient resources."

In September, the Legislature overrode Governor Baker's veto of $7.5 million for quality nursing home care. The Governor has yet to implement the authorized funding.

Massachusetts spends approximately $1.7 billion annually for Medicaid nursing home care for about 30,000 long term care residents who receive housing, 24-hour nursing care, therapy and assistance with all activities of daily living. Half of the spending is reimbursed by the federal government. In addition, about 120,000 Massachusetts residents rely on skilled nursing facilities to provide quality care when they are undergoing rehabilitation services after a short hospital stay so they can return home safely.

The Massachusetts Senior Care Association continues to advocate for passage of legislation that would provide immediate funding relief to ensure quality resident care and a living wage for our dedicated frontline staff.

ABOUT MSCA: The Massachusetts Senior Care Association represents a diverse set of organizations that deliver a broad spectrum of services to meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Its members include more than 400 nursing and rehabilitation facilities, assisted living residences, residential care facilities and continuing care retirement communities. Mass Senior Care facilities provide housing, health care and support services to more than 150,000 people a year; employ more than 77,000 staff members; and contribute more than $4 billion annually to the Massachusetts economy.

Contact: Kate Kahn

Phone: 617.513.8849

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Massachusetts Senior Care Association
DRAPER, Utah, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Flexpoint Sensor Systems today announced it ranked #382 on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500; a ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies in North America spanning 2013-2016. Flexpoint grew 210% percent during this period.

Flexpoint's chief executive officer, Mr. Clark Mower, credits product lifecycle evolution and market segment focus with the company's significant revenue growth. Mr. Mower said, "We are extremely proud to be listed to Deloitte's Fast 500 among these other reputable and growing technology companies. Our Bend Sensor has proven to be a superior product and widely adaptive to industries including virtual reality/augmented reality, medical rehabilitation, robotics, gaming and a number of other multi-million and multi-billion dollar sectors. We are projected to have one of our strongest years ever in 2017 and plan to continue this major growth going forward."

"The Deloitte 2017 North America Technology Fast 500 winners underscore the impact of technological innovation and world class customer service in driving growth, in a fiercely competitive environment," said Sandra Shirai, vice chairman, Deloitte Consulting LLP and U.S. technology, media and telecommunications leader. "These companies are on the cutting edge and are transforming the way we do business. We extend our sincere congratulations to all the winners for achieving remarkable growth while delivering new services and experiences for their customers."

"Emerging growth companies are powering innovation in the broader economy. The growth rates delivered by the companies on this year's North America Technology Fast 500 ranking are a bright spot for the capital markets and a strong indicator that the emerging growth technology sector will continue to deliver a strong return on investment," said Heather Gates, national managing director of Deloitte & Touche LLP's emerging growth company practice. "Deloitte is dedicated to supporting the best and brightest companies of the future in the emerging growth company sector. We are proud to acknowledge the significant accomplishments of this year's Fast 500 winners."

Overall, 2017 Technology Fast 500 companies achieved revenue growth ranging from 135 percent to 59,093 percent from 2013 to 2016, with median growth of 380 percent.

About Deloitte's 2017 Technology Fast 500

Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 provides a ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies  both public and private  in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2013 to 2016.

In order to be eligible for Technology Fast 500 recognition, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or technology that is sold to customers in products that contribute to a majority of the company's operating revenues. Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least $50,000 USD, and current-year operating revenues of at least $5 million USD. Additionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of four years and be headquartered within North America.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the "Deloitte" name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.

About Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc.

Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. (FLXT) is an innovative technology firm specializing in developing products that feature the Company's patented Bend Sensor and related technology. The Bend Sensor is a groundbreaking sensing solution that is revolutionizing applications in the automotive, safety, medical and industrial industries. The Bend Sensor's single-layer, thin film construction cuts costs and mechanical bulk while introducing a range of functions and stylistic design possibilities that have never before been available in sensing technology. Flexpoint's technology and expertise have been recognized by the world's elite business and academic innovators for over 17 years. The company is setting a new standard for sensing solutions in the "smart" age of technology.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" and involve both known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such uncertainties include, among others, certain risks associated with the operation of the company described above. The Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results.

Contact Information:

Flexpoint Sensor Systems

Clark Mower, President

801-568-5111

Brokers and Analysts

Chesapeake Group

410-825-3930

SOURCE Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc.
The report "Flue Gas Analyzer Market by Installation Type (Inline, Portable), Technology (Electrochemical, Paramagnetic, Zirconia, Infrared), Gas Component (COx, NOx, SOx), Application (Oil & Gas, Waste Incineration), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023" , published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is estimated to grow from USD 576.2 Million in 2017 to USD 814.2 Million by 2023, at a CAGR of 5.93% between 2017 and 2023. The key driving factors for the growth of the flue gas analyzer market is the rise in the demand for environmental protection, stringent environmental and legal regulations, and increase in health and safety concerns.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 56 market data tables, 52 figures spread through 154 pages and in-depth TOC on "Flue Gas Analyzer Market - Global Forecast to 2022"

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/flue-gas-analyzer-market-19875626.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report



"Market for inline flue gas analyzers is expected to hold a larger market share, in terms of value, than portable flue gas analyzers during 2017-2023"

In general, inline flue gas analyzers are used to monitor and analyze flue gases constantly. Flue gas analyzers offer accuracy and reliability during long-term measurements. Inline flue gas analyzers are installed for applications in hazardous environment owing to their feature of weatherproof and explosion-proof enclosures. Most manufacturers prefer inline flue gas analyzers as they can be used for continuous emission monitoring of flue gases.

"Market for NOx gas components is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2017 and 2023 owing to emission of NOx gases during combustion process"

Oxides of nitrogen, such as nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, are usually formed when nitrogen of the fuel, usually at high temperatures, reacts to a certain amount of oxygen during the combustion process. Both oxides are toxic. NOx gases are formed as combustion occurs in the presence of nitrogen in fossil fuel engines. NOx emission is increasing due to the increase in combustion of fossil fuels.

Download PDF Brochure : https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=19875626

"APAC is expected to drive the growth of the flue gas analyzer market between 2017 and 2023"

The market growth in the APAC region is attributed to the rapidly increasing industrialization and urbanization in this region. Further, stringent air pollution regulations and growth in power generation plants in countries such as China and India are the key factors responsible for the increasing adoption of flue gas analyzers in this region.

Inquiry Before Buy @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=19875626

ABB (Switzerland), SICK (Germany), Teledyne Analytical Instruments (US), Emerson (US), AMETEK (US), HORIBA (Japan), California Analytical Instruments (US), Environnement (France), Testo (Germany), Nova Analytical Systems (US), Dragerwerk (Germany), Thermo Fisher Scientific (US), and Siemens (Germany) are some major companies in this market

Browse Related Reports

Gas Sensors Market by Gas Type (Oxygen, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Ammonia, Chlorine, Hydrogen Sulfide, Nitrogen Oxide, Volatile organic Compounds, Hydrocarbons), Technology, End-Use Application, Geography - Global Forecast 2023

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/gas-sensor-market-245141093.html

Emission Monitoring Systems Market by System Type (CEMS, PEMS), Element, Vertical (Power Generation Plant, Oil & Gas, Chemicals & Fertilizers, Cement, Metal & Mining, Pulp & Paper), and Region - Global Trend and Forecast to 2020

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/emission-monitoring-systems-market-72002872.html

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MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

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MarketsandMarkets INC.

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Visit Our [email protected] http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/electronics-and-semiconductors

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
VALLEJO, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

DONATION OFFER:

Making the holiday season a bit brighter for residents of Napa and Sonoma counties and other areas in Northern California who have lost homes during the recent wildfires, Meyer Corporation, U.S. is donating a set of cookware during its popular 21st annual holiday Factory Outlet Sale, open now through Monday, December 11th.

One set of cookware will be gifted to each household that visits the Factory Outlet Sale at either Meyer's Fairfield or Vallejo Outlet Store locations. To receive the donation, fire victims will need to present satisfactory documentary proof of loss of their home, such as an insurance claim form. This offer is limited to one set of cookware per lost home.

FACTORY OUTLET SALE:

The 21st annual holiday Factory Outlet Sale at Meyer Corporation, U.S.  one of the largest cookware companies in America  offers an extraordinary holiday shopping opportunity with savings of 40-70 percent off on top-brand cookware, bakeware, oven to table stoneware, dinnerware, pantryware, teakettles, cutlery, tools and gadgets, and more.

Bonus Shopping Incentives :

Free Cookware Recycling  Bring your old pots and pans to make room for the new! (And in the spirit of being earth-friendly, shoppers are kindly asked to bring carrying bags with them for transporting home their great deals.)

 Bring your old pots and pans to make room for the new! (And in the spirit of being earth-friendly, shoppers are kindly asked to bring carrying bags with them for transporting home their great deals.) Free Parking at both locations.

WHEN:

Dates: Now through Monday, December 11th Times: Monday-Sunday: 10 am  6 pm

TWO OUTLET LOCATIONS:

Meyer Corporation, U.S.

One Meyer Plaza

Vallejo, CA 94590

Meyer Corporation, U.S.

2001 Meyer Way

Fairfield, CA 94533

For consumer inquiries : 1-707-551-2800, and online at: www.meyer.com/sale - Downloadable coupon available and directions to sale locations.

BACKGROUND:

Established in 1981 and headquartered in Vallejo, California, Meyer Corporation, U.S. is one of the largest cookware companies in America. Widely recognized brands distributed by Meyer Corporation, U.S. include Anolon, Circulon, Hestan Nanobond, Ruffoni, Breville, Farberware, BonJour, Rachael Ray, Cake Boss, Ayesha Curry, Paula Deen and SilverStone.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @PotsandPans

Follow us on Pinterest at @PotsandPanscom

SOURCE Meyer Corporation
ORPINGTON, England, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

FUCHS LUBRICANTS, a global leader in developing and manufacturing lubricants and specialities, has selected Real Asset Management's (RAM) computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) to boost its UK based maintenance processes. In order to comply with IATF 16949 standards and the complexity of the plant, the company decided to replace two existing tools with RAM's solution. FUCHS UK will benefit from improved work order management, enhanced Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reporting as well as refined communication across the maintenance department.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/615025/RAM_Logo.jpg )



The FUCHS Group comprises of around 60 companies and 5,000 employees globally, making it the world's leading independent lubricant manufacturer and supplier. Founded in Mannheim, Germany in 1931, FUCHS provides specialist products for a wide variety of applications and sectors. It prides itself on performance, sustainability, safety, efficiency, reliability and ability to reduce costs for its customers. The UK branch is headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, employs over 300 people and enforces the group's reputation for outstanding customer service and lubricant solutions.

The company selected RAM's specialist solution to improve asset management processes across its UK sites. Jack Millward, HSEQ Assistant at FUCHS LUBRICANTS (UK) Plc comments, "We needed a maintenance system that would enhance productivity, refine reporting procedures and reduce the time it takes to raise work orders. Our existing software was not allowing us to fulfil all of the requirements associated with IATF 16949 and implementing the CMMS will simplify meeting the guidelines that apply to us whilst helping us to manage our labour force more effectively."

Prior to purchasing RAM's CMMS, the company was utilising SQL-based tools. The requirement for a specialist solution was outlined due to the lack of effective communication between the disparate programs. Millward states, "We used two pieces of software, one for planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and calibration scheduling and another for breakdowns. We identified the need for an all-encompassing package as there was no connection between the existing systems and cross-referencing was not easily accomplished.

"RAM's software covered all of the requirements that we had outlined." Millward continues, "The knowledge demonstrated by our account manager and the implementation team has been impressive and all queries have been addressed in a professional manner. We compared the CMMS with other offerings on the market and found that most of the alternatives seemed to be adaptations of document control software that had been adjusted to cover certain aspects of maintenance management. The difference was easily noticeable with RAM's system, which will provide us with a great platform to manage PPM, work orders and report on breakdowns and labour costs."

With RAM's solution in-place, FUCHS UK will benefit from KPI dashboards and extensive reports providing a greatly enhanced view of downtime, resources used and which areas of the asset base are incurring most costs. This improved visibility will enable the company to make more informed decisions when it comes to repairing or replacing equipment that is proving expensive to maintain. Millward explains, "Reporting on monthly KPIs was difficult previously and inaccurate data was common due to the lack of communication between our old systems. The new CMMS will give us a complete maintenance management tool in line with IATF, more precise reporting and an easy way for our engineers to schedule calibration tasks wherever they are on site.

"The Android work order management app is something that will improve our maintenance processes further," Millward continues. "It will provide our engineers with complete access to jobs when they are navigating around the site." Configurable alerts ensure users are kept up-to-date with the status of tasks they have been assigned, whilst also notifying them when deadlines have passed. Within the mobile solution, the option to issue and return items will improve equipment monitoring and provide a full audit trail of asset movements.

About Real Asset Management:

Real Asset Management (RAM), an MRI Software Company, is a leading provider of fixed asset management and logistics software & services. Over the last 30 years, its products have been implemented at thousands of customer sites worldwide.

RAM maintains a global presence with offices located around the world. The product range includes modules for fixed asset accounting, lease accounting, asset tracking, maintenance management and facilities management, making it a powerful and flexible solution to meet all requirements and financial regulations.

The company has developed a powerful range of software modules around a central data repository that enables organisations of any size to manage every aspect of the asset lifecycle.

For further details please contact:



Miki Wardell, Marketing Executive,

Real Asset Management, An MRI Software Company

Tel: +44-(0)-1689-892-127

Email: [email protected]





SOURCE Real Asset Management
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Future Farm Technologies Inc. (the "Company" or "Future Farm") (CSE: FFT) (OTCQB: FFRMF) is pleased to announce it has entered into an offer to Purchase Real Estate for the acquisition of a 15,000-sq ft building in Providence, Rhode Island. The building is located in a M-1 zone, which legally permits the cultivation of cannabis by right. Once licensed, the Company expects that this property will be used as a licensed medical marijuana cultivation space, providing wholesale cannabis to Rhode Island's state-sanctioned dispensaries.

"With this asset purchase, Future Farm is building a solid foundation in the Northeastern part of the United States," says Bill Gildea, CEO of Future Farm. "The Northeast has a large population but has lagged behind the Southwest in the permitting of cannabis cultivation and dispensaries, which creates opportunity." Rhode Island is in the New England region of the Northeastern United States and is the second most densely populated of the 50 United States.

The definitive terms of this transaction shall be disclosed in the closing press release.

On behalf of the Board,

Future Farm Technologies Inc.

William Gildea, CEO & Chairman

About Future Farm

Future Farm Technologies Inc. is a Canadian company with projects throughout North America including California, Florida and Maryland. The Company's business model includes developing and acquiring technologies that will position it as a leader in the evolution of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) for the global production of various types of plants, with a focus on cannabis. Future Farm provides scalable, indoor CEA systems that utilize minimal land, water and energy regardless of climate, location or time of year and are customized to grow an abundance of crops close to consumers, therefore minimizing food miles and its impact to the environment. The Company holds an exclusive, worldwide license to use a patented vertical farming technology that, when compared to traditional plant production methods, generate yields up to 10 times greater per square foot of land. The contained system provides many other benefits including 90% less water, fertilizer and land used, less travel costs, seed to sale security, scalability, consistency due to year-round production, cost control, product safety and purity by eliminating environmental variability. The Company also utilizes a leading cannabis oil extraction technology, which enables the Company to process 20lbs/hour of cannabis plant to yield approximately 908 grams/hour of oil.

The Company is also in the business of designing and distributing LED lighting solutions utilizing the COB and MCOB technology. The Company is focused on delivering cost efficient lighting to North America via advanced e-commerce sites the Company owns and operates. LEDCanada.com, which caters to B2B customers, is a supplier of the newest and highest demand LED solutions. The Company also owns and operates COBGrowlights.com, which caters to both large and small agriculture green houses and controlled cultivation centers.

The Company recently acquired the exclusive right to use a patented, augmented reality (AR) technology in the cannabis industry. The Company will work with its partner to merge AR and ad-tech with the cannabis industry through the CannaCube LiveTM platform.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts

responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not in any way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

For further information:

William Gildea

Director

+1-617-834-9467



SOURCE Future Farm Technologies Inc.
ALBANY, New York, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Considering big data analytics in the marine sector is an upcoming technology, the global marine big data market is poised to witness a highly competitive environment. As the market is at a booming phase, Transparency Market Research (TMR) forecasts strong growth for in a new study. "In order to emerge at fore, a majority of the market players are focusing on product differentiation," said a lead TMR analyst. "In consequence of the same, companies are in keen on adding innovative functions to the products they offer," he added. Besides this, the market players are keen on strategic collaborations through partnerships. This would help companies operating in the global marine big data market strengthen their foothold. TMR has identified Intertrust Technologies Corporation, Splunk, Inc., Teradata, BigOceanData, Datameer Inc., among others as some of the leading companies operating in the global marine big data market.

Impacted by strategies adopted by the key market players and various other factors, the global marine big data market is forecast to expand at a robust 21.5% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. At this pace, the market's valuation will reach US$3,240.5 mn by the end of 2025. Based on component, service segment held larger share in the global marine big data market as compared to software packages as the former offers better affordability. Regionally, Asia Pacific held lead in the global marine big data market as the region boasts the presence of large shipping corporations in South Korea, China, Singapore, and Japan.

Request to view Sample Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=35177

Technological Advancements in Marine Sector Push Demand for Marine Big Data

Shipping is highly regulated and responsible nearly 3% of carbon emissions reported globally. Considering the high dependence of global trade, the shipping industry accounts for a significantly large share of the commercial demand. In the coming years, the industry is likely to navigate through various twists and turns and bear effects of climate change, upcoming regulations, technological advancements, and energy shortages. Also several technological developments are on card for the marine sectors on account of the advent of proliferation of the sensor technology. Against this backdrop, experts are of the opinion that the marine sector is likely to develop at a rapid pace in the coming years. This will in turn create lucrative prospects for the global marine big data market's growth.

Ship intelligence will emerge as a driving future shaping lucrative prospects for the industry. A staggering volume of data is generated on a daily basis in marine sector. Furthermore, this data is generated from diverse sources and in diverse formats. Big data has therefore emerged as a key solution as it helps discovering correlations between various measurable or unmeasurable criteria. Results thus obtained enables determination of hidden trends and patterns.

Request a Custom Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=35177

Information Provided by Marine Big Data Considered Indispensable for Marine Sector

Marine big data provides forecasts regarding unforeseen hazards be it regarding climate or ecology and helps in decision-making. In addition, marine big data also provides valuable temporal and spatial information, besides data on water attributes such as density, salinity, temperature, and velocity. All these factors will help in growth of the global marine big data market in the coming years. As future of ship intelligence traverses beyond ultra-monitoring and nanotech, the market will welcome a fresh burst of opportunities. Experts are of opinion that in the coming years, bridges will focus on analyzing high level data to efficiently manage navigation and propulsions.

This review is based on a TMR report, titled "Marine Big Data Market (Component - Software (Data Analytics, Data Collection Data Discovery & Visualization, and Data Management), Services (Consulting, System Integration and Operation, and Maintenance); Application - Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas, Fishery, Whale Watching, Marine Protected Area, Dredging, Harbor, and Offshore Construction; Data Source - Environmental, Oceanographic, Geological Data, and Economic) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2017 - 2025."

Browse Press Release at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/marine-big-data-market.htm

The report segments the global marine big data market as:

Marine Big Data Market Analysis, by Component

Software Data Analytics Data Collection Data Discovery and Visualization Data Management

Services Consulting System Integration Operation and Maintenance



Marine Big Data Market Analysis, by Application

Renewable Energy

Oil and Gas

Fishery

Whale Watching

Marine Protected Area

Marine Traffic

Dredging

Harbor

Offshore Construction

Others

Marine Big Data Market Analysis, by Data Source

Environmental

Oceanographic

Geological Data

Economic

Others

Marine Big Data Market Analysis, by Region

North America The U.S. Canada Rest of North America

Europe Germany France The U.K. Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific Japan China India Australia Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle-East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA

& South America Brazil Rest of South America



Popular Research Reports by TMR:

Smart Grid Data Analytics Market:

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/smart-grid-data-analytics.html

Smart Agriculture Market:

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/smart-agriculture-market.html

About Us

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.

TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

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SOURCE Transparency Market Research
Tony joins Goldfinch from AstraZeneca, where he was head of early clinical development for the Innovative Medicines and Early Development Biotech Unit. Prior to AstraZeneca, he was a venture partner at OrbiMed Advisors and held R&D leadership roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and GlaxoSmithKline. Altogether, Tony has been responsible for advancing more than 25 positive proof of concept studies to completion, and contributed to multiple drug filings and approvals. He received his medical training and research doctorate at the University of New South Wales, his MPH from the University of Queensland and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Tony served as a Board Director for Cardioxyl until they were acquired by BMS, and has had 18 years of broad clinical practice.

Mike joins Goldfinch from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where he spent 16 years in areas of increasing responsibility, most recently vice president and head of R&D business development. He has led or played a significant role on over 75 transactions totaling over $25 billion, including the acquisitions of Millennium, Nycomed and Envoy Therapeutics, and he established Takeda's externalization practice to spin out R&D assets through new ventures and innovative alliances. Mike began his career as a toxicologist for CH2M Hill, a global engineering consulting firm. He holds BA and MSPH degrees from Tulane University, an MBA from the University of Chicago and is a CFA charterholder. Mike currently serves on the board of directors of Molecular Templates, Inc.

"As a clinician, I have witnessed first-hand the unmet medical need in patients with kidney disease," said Dr. Johnson. "Goldfinch's multidisciplinary approach will revolutionize the discovery and development of new treatments for such patients. I'm delighted to work with our innovative scientists, renowned founders and many underserved patients to make this vision a reality."

"Goldfinch is leading the charge to bring precision medicine to kidney disease, and it has been impressive to see the team's accomplishments advancing an innovative portfolio of therapeutic programs and building out the patient registry and product engine," said Mr. Broxson. "This is an exciting time for all the stakeholders in the nephrology community and we look forward to further collaboration as we advance new treatments for patients with kidney disease."

Dr. Johnson and Mr. Broxson succeed interim chief executive officer Abbie Celniker, Ph.D., and interim chief operating officer Neil Exter, both partners at Third Rock Ventures, who will remain on Goldfinch Bio's board of directors.

"Tony and Mike are respected industry leaders who together bring decades of biopharma R&D and business expertise, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the Goldfinch team at this critical time," stated Dr. Celniker. "Tony's breadth of clinical experience across academia, industry and venture will serve as a strong complement to Mike's diverse background in finance, strategy, new product planning and business development. Together, Tony and Mike will be invaluable as the team applies Goldfinch's patient registry and biology platform to elucidate new treatments for kidney disease, while also rapidly advancing the company's lead program toward the clinic."

About Goldfinch Bio

Goldfinch Bio is a biotechnology company that is singularly focused on discovering and developing precision therapies for patients with kidney disease. Just as the goldfinch has long been a symbol of healing and renewal and was a prominent figure of the Renaissance, Goldfinch Bio is leading a new age of therapeutic discovery to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with kidney disease. Goldfinch was launched in 2016 by Third Rock Ventures, and is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please visit www.goldfinchbio.com.

Goldfinch Bio Contact

Jennifer Williams

Cook Williams Communications, Inc.

[email protected]

360-668-3701

SOURCE Goldfinch Bio

Related Links

https://www.goldfinchbio.com


BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SANS Institute today announced Governor Carney and Delaware's Chief Information Security Officer Elayne Starkey have been named among the winners of the 2017 SANS Difference Makers Award. The Difference Maker Awards were created to honor the unsung heroes in cyber security whose innovation, skill, and hard work have resulted in real successes in information security.

"Delaware's Congressional delegation have been leaders in cybersecurity for more than a decade. Here we see Delaware once again being 'first in the nation.' And Elayne Starkey did a spectacular job at giving students in Delaware a chance to discover their talent  in some cases their hidden talents. Kudos," said Alan Paller, National Program Manager, U.S. CyberStart and Director of Research, SANS Institute.

Governor Carney was recognized for his leadership in finding new ways to develop the cyber-capable workforce by bringing CyberStart pilot program to students in Delaware. CyberStart is a forward-thinking skills program designed to inspire the next generation cyber security professionals while identifying talented young Americans. In addition to providing a unique learning opportunity and scholarships for students, the program can lead to job growth and improved cyber security in Delaware.

The CyberStart pilot program was managed by Ms. Starkey who in just two weeks, with the help of her communications team, signed up 359 Delaware students; 47 percent of whom qualified for the CyberStart Game. Of the nearly 3,300 students competing from seven states, four Delaware high school and college students were in the top 50 nationally. A total of 20 Delaware students won CyberStart scholarships for more advanced education in cyber security.

Participant Soohan Kim, a junior at Dover High School sent a note to Governor Carney saying, "Thank you so much for sponsoring CyberStart. This truly was an incredible experience that allowed me to learn so much. I am definitely considering a career in cyber security because of this program."

To learn more about the SANS Difference Makers Awards, visit: www.sans.org/cyber-innovation-awards

About SANS Institute

The SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. SANS is the most trusted and, by far, the largest provider of cybersecurity training and certification to professionals at governments and commercial institutions world-wide. Renowned SANS instructors teach over 50 different courses at more than 200 live cybersecurity training events as well as online. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, validates employee qualifications via 30 hands-on, technical certifications in information security. The SANS Technology Institute, a regionally accredited independent subsidiary, offers master's degrees in cyber security. SANS offers a myriad of free resources to the InfoSec community including consensus projects, research reports, and newsletters; it also operates the Internet's early warning system--the Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners, representing varied global organizations from corporations to universities, working together to help the entire information security community. (www.SANS.org)

SOURCE SANS Institute

Related Links

http://www.sans.org


BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SANS Institute today announced Governor Ige and the Cybersecurity Manager for Hawaii's Department of Defense Reynold Hioki have been named among the winners of the 2017 SANS Difference Makers Award. The Difference Maker Awards were created to honor the unsung heroes in cyber security whose innovation, skill, and hard work have resulted in real successes in information security.

"The cybersecurity talent among Hawaiian students is impressive. Reynold Hioki and the leadership of Cyber Hawaii did a spectacular job at giving students in Hawaii a chance to discover their talent  in some cases their hidden talents. Kudos," said Alan Paller, National Program Manager, U.S. CyberStart and Director of Research, SANS Institute.

Governor Ige was recognized for his efforts help find, motivate, and develop the state's next generation of cyber security talent by bringing the CyberStart pilot program to students in Hawaii. CyberStart is a forward-thinking skills program designed to inspire the next generation of cyber security professionals while identifying talented young Americans. In addition to providing a unique learning opportunity and scholarships for students, the program can lead to job growth and improved cyber security in Hawaii.

The CyberStart pilot program was managed by Mr. Hioki with help from Arnold Kishi and IT and security leaders at the University of Hawaii. In just two weeks the team signed up 317 Hawaii students. Of the nearly 3,300 students competing from seven states, eight Hawaii high school and college students were in the overall top 50 nationally; 22 Hawaiian students won scholarships for more advanced education in cybersecurity. Hawaii had a far larger number of high scorers and scholarship winners on a per capita basis than any of the other states.

Participant Nicholas Shaw, a junior at Mililani High School sent a note to Governor Ige saying, "I would like to thank the Governor who sponsors the CyberStart program. After this past month I can truly say that my skillset and grasp of a wide amount of the topics covered and tested in the competition has expanded. The program has given me a platform to jump from and compete in future CTFs. I insist that you all continue to sponsor and improve this competition so that many others like myself can be inspired and feel confident in exploring the deeper realms of cyber security."

To learn more about the SANS Difference Makers Awards, visit: www.sans.org/cyber-innovation-awards

About SANS Institute

The SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. SANS is the most trusted and, by far, the largest provider of cybersecurity training and certification to professionals at governments and commercial institutions world-wide. Renowned SANS instructors teach over 50 different courses at more than 200 live cybersecurity training events as well as online. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, validates employee qualifications via 30 hands-on, technical certifications in information security. The SANS Technology Institute, a regionally accredited independent subsidiary, offers master's degrees in cyber security. SANS offers a myriad of free resources to the InfoSec community including consensus projects, research reports, and newsletters; it also operates the Internet's early warning system--the Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners, representing varied global organizations from corporations to universities, working together to help the entire information security community. (www.SANS.org)

SOURCE SANS Institute

Related Links

http://www.sans.org


BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SANS Institute today announced Governor Snyder and Michigan's Senior Federal Policy Representative Katie Toskey have been named among the winners of the 2017 SANS Difference Makers Award. The Difference Maker Awards were created to honor the unsung heroes in cyber security whose innovation, skill, and hard work have resulted in real successes in information security.

"The cybersecurity talent among Michigan students is impressive," said Alan Paller, National Program Manager, U.S. CyberStart and Director of Research, SANS Institute.

Governor Snyder was recognized for his leadership in finding new ways to develop the cyber-capable workforce by bringing CyberStart pilot program to students in Michigan. CyberStart is a forward-thinking skills program designed to inspire the next generation cyber security professionals while identifying talented young Americans. In addition to providing a unique learning opportunity and scholarships for students, the program can lead to job growth and improved cyber security in Michigan.

The CyberStart pilot program was managed by Ms. Toskey who in just two weeks, with the help of her communication team, signed up 104 Michigan students; 60 percent of the students qualified for the CyberStart Game. Of the nearly 3,300 students competing from seven states, three Michigan high school and college students were in the overall top 50 nationally. Eight Michigan students won scholarships for more advanced education in cyber security.

Participant Robert Corser, a junior at Spring Arbor University sent a note to Governor Snyder saying, "I really appreciate this program and think it is a great way for someone to test their skills or to get people interested in cyber security who otherwise wouldn't be."

To learn more about the SANS Difference Makers Awards, visit: www.sans.org/cyber-innovation-awards

About SANS Institute

The SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. SANS is the most trusted and, by far, the largest provider of cybersecurity training and certification to professionals at governments and commercial institutions world-wide. Renowned SANS instructors teach over 50 different courses at more than 200 live cybersecurity training events as well as online. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, validates employee qualifications via 30 hands-on, technical certifications in information security. The SANS Technology Institute, a regionally accredited independent subsidiary, offers master's degrees in cyber security. SANS offers a myriad of free resources to the InfoSec community including consensus projects, research reports, and newsletters; it also operates the Internet's early warning system--the Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners, representing varied global organizations from corporations to universities, working together to help the entire information security community. (www.SANS.org)

SOURCE SANS Institute

Related Links

http://www.sans.org


BRYN MAWR, Pa., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Graphite GTC sets a new standard of excellence in the software industry by guaranteeing zero warning security scans to their enterprise customers. Their Source Code Perfection program ensures 100% defect free security scans of generated application code, providing their clients a peerless level of core application security. As the demand for faster development timelines increase and the complexity of modern systems grow, developers struggle to complete software initiatives leading to vulnerabilities in the code. According to a Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, application-level vulnerabilities are responsible for one-third of all data breaches. Security gaps are often derived from poorly designed applications and human error, both of which are difficult to locate and as a result systems are exposed to unwanted threats.

Graphite GTC - Perfect Code

To combat security threats, Graphite GTC's no-code platform eliminates the need for hand coding efforts. Applications are developed visually and generate perfectly written third-generation language based applications. Graphite GTC is uniquely qualified to provide its Source Code Perfection program because it generates accessible source code.

"With our Source Code Perfection program, companies using the Graphite GTC Platform to build solutions no longer need to worry about leaving their customers' private information exposed," said Christopher Gali, Graphite GTC Founder.

This places Graphite GTC in a category of one. The validation provided by best-of-breed security scanning software tools ensures that all source code generated by the Graphite GTC Platform is impenetrable and in compliance with industry best practices. All security features are built into the system and require no additional development.

"Development teams no longer need to dedicate time to ensure applications are safe because security is built into Graphite GTC's generated code," said Ed Czajka, Graphite GTC's security expert.

Graphite GTC continues to disrupt the high-productivity software development sector with the only true no-code software development accelerator. The Perfect Code Platform offers clients a full contractual guarantee that the source code generated by the Graphite GTC Platform will meet or exceed all current industry security standards.

About Graphite GTC

Graphite GTC provides tools and technology for the development of cloud-based enterprise software without coding and in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Graphite GTC promotes accelerated development for large-scale software projects and enables efficient production of software applications. By leveraging its technology, Graphite GTC empowers teams to build better software.

For more information, visit www.GraphiteGTC.com.

Media Contact:

Meredith McGrath

(215) 395-6311

[email protected]

SOURCE Graphite GTC

Related Links

http://www.graphitegtc.com


(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/614060/DEPsys_GridEye.jpg )

Power grids face new challenges from decentralized generation and e-mobility, that cannot be handled by a legacy grid. The traditional solution is grid reinforcement, which comes at a high cost. The latest development brings intelligent systems into the grid to balance generation and consumption in real-time while providing perfect visibility of the grid state. After four years of development and testing, DEPsys now provides its commercial smart grid solution. In September 2017, Romande Energie started deploying GridEye, making it the first Swiss grid operator deploying a smart grid at a large scale. This is an important signal to the market.

"GridEye is THE ideal solution that integrates the current regulatory framework while reducing operating costs due to digitalization and automation." Michael De Vivo, CEO of DEPsys.

"GridEye gives us a qualitative and predictive tool for our grid operations. Unlike other solutions, it provides a decentralized control without making use of a network model, which is a big advantage for us." Partick Bertschy, Grid Director at Romande Energie.

"GridEye helps to integrate renewable energies and provides visibility. It lets operators be more efficient and optimize their infrastructure investments." Joel Jaton, CTO of DEPsys.

"The Swiss energy strategy 2050 requires the grid to interact with decentralized generation, controllable loads and storage. GridEye is the answer to this request." Arnoud Bifrare, Smart Grid Technology Manager at Romande Energie.

About DEPsys

DEPsys SA is a Swiss technology company establishing thought leadership in the energy market. It provides evolutive solutions enabling traditional low-voltage networks to cope with the constraints of decentralized production from renewable energy sources, as well as emerging storage technologies and electromobility.

About Romande Energie

Biggest electricity supplier in Western Switzerland, Romande Energie provides power to over 300'000 customers. It generates, distributes and sells energy, as well as energy services. Romande Energie invests heavily in renewables and promotes innovative solutions.

Contact

Marc Schreiber

Marketing & Communications

DEPsys SA

Route du Verney 20B

1070 Puidoux, Switzerland

+41(0)79-901-19-67

[email protected]

http://www.depsys.ch

SOURCE DEPsys SA
HOUSTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: GPI), ("Group 1" or the "Company"), an international, Fortune 500 automotive retailer, today announced that senior management will present in New York City at the KeyBanc Capital Markets Consumer Conference on December 6, 2017.

KeyBanc Capital Markets Consumer Conference Details:

Location: InterContinental Barclay  New York City, New York

General Session Time and Date: 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Panel Time and Date: 12:05 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 6, 2017

The Company's presentation provided at this conference will be available within the Investor Relations section of the Company's website, which can also be accessed at www.group1corp.com/events.

About Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

Group 1 owns and operates 173 automotive dealerships, 227 franchises, and 47 collision centers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil that offer 32 brands of automobiles. Through its dealerships, the Company sells new and used cars and light trucks; arranges related vehicle financing; sells service contracts; provides automotive maintenance and repair services; and sells vehicle parts.

Investors please visit www.group1corp.com, www.group1auto.com, www.group1collision.com, www.facebook.com/group1auto, and www.twitter.com/group1auto, where Group 1 discloses additional information about the Company, its business, and its results of operations.

Investor contacts:

Sheila Roth

Manager, Investor Relations

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

713-647-5741 | [email protected]

Media contacts:

Pete DeLongchamps

V.P. Manufacturer Relations, Financial Services and Public Affairs

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

713-647-5770 | [email protected]

or

Clint Woods

Pierpont Communications, Inc.

713-627-2223 | [email protected]

SOURCE Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.group1auto.com


RESTON, Va., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- comScore today announced that a growing number of regional and local advertising agencies are continuing to choose comScore for their local TV currency, with 84 regional and local agencies signing new or expanded agreements in 2017 to use comScore's local television service for planning and buying. Of the 84 local agency contracts inked thus far this calendar year, 45 are agency new business and renewals and 39 are agency expansion agreements, contributing to a 20 percent year-over-year growth in number of local agency clients compared to 2016.

Client business categories are varied, with automotive, healthcare, furniture and tourism among some of the many industries that have chosen comScore's local TV currency as their exclusive negotiation tool to deliver more efficient, effective and successful TV campaigns for their clients. From comScore's current client roster of more than 200 regional and local agencies, 62 percent are exclusively using comScore's local market data for all of their advertising campaigns and buys.

"We are pleased, not only by the stability of the methodology and massive number of households being passively monitored, but by the depth of comScore's analytics," said Lisa Huebner, Partner and VP, Media Director at Boelter + Lincoln Marketing Communications in Milwaukee, who has been using comScore for more than three years. "It wasn't long before we started using comScore data for all our markets."

With more than a decade of experience measuring television viewership from the set-top box level across millions of households in all 210 markets, comScore is the industry's trusted source of passively-measured local television audience data. comScore's clean matching of local TV viewing data combined with Advanced Audience insights such as automotive purchasing behavior and voter registration information continues to provide local agencies with the tools to reach audiences in ways they had not previously considered and reposition their buys with insights not available from other sources.

"Given the fragmented cable and TV landscape, comScore is invaluable in helping us make key buying decisions for automotive," said Malinda Minzenmayer, VP and Media Director at The Automotive Advertising Agency in Austin. "comScore's local TV information provides a true representation of local audience data in our markets," added Minzenmayer. "This actual viewing behavior combined with audience demographic information gives us an analysis of viewers in our market that we can't find anywhere else."

"Not only does comScore help us retain our business, but we have doubled in size every year since we began using comScore data four years ago," said Marco Camacho, Principal, The Automotive Advertising Agency.

"We are excited that more and more agencies continue to rely on comScore Local's proven expertise in set-top box measurement and Advanced Audience insights to gain a greater understanding of their target audiences' viewing and purchasing behaviors," said Steve Walsh, EVP, Local Markets at comScore. "As our agency client base continues to grow, it's clear that, when equipped with the right tools for planning and buying, agencies feel more confident in the results they deliver for their clients. We're proud to provide the resources needed to make smarter, better-informed decisions and, as a result, build more efficient and effective TV campaigns."

About comScore

comScore is a leading cross-platform measurement company that measures audiences, brands and consumer behavior everywhere. comScore completed its merger with Rentrak Corporation in January 2016, to create the new model for a dynamic, cross-platform world. Built on precision and innovation, comScore's data footprint combines proprietary digital, TV and movie intelligence with vast demographic details to quantify consumers' multiscreen behavior at massive scale. This approach helps media companies monetize their complete audiences and allows marketers to reach these audiences more effectively. With more than 3,200 clients and a global footprint in more than 75 countries, comScore is delivering the future of measurement. Shares of comScore stock are currently traded on the OTC Market (OTC:SCOR). For more information on comScore, please visit comscore.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, without limitation, comScore's expectations as to the impact of StationView Essentials and the broader family of products on the success of comScore's business. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from expectations, including, but not limited to, comScore's ability to achieve its expected financial and operational results. For additional discussion of risk factors, please refer to comScore's respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other filings that comScore makes from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which are available on the SEC's website (www.sec.gov).

Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made. comScore does not intend or undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or new information after the date of this press release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

SOURCE comScore

Related Links

www.comscore.com


ANNAPOLIS, Md., Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. ("Hannon Armstrong," "we," or the "Company") (NYSE: HASI), a leading investor in sustainable infrastructure, including energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced that management will be presenting at the upcoming conferences:

Morgan Stanley Energy & Clean Tech Corporate Access Day

Date: Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 12pm ET

New York, New York

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Solar and Alternative Energy Symposium

Date: Friday, December 15, 2017 at 3:15pm ET

New York, New York

Hannon Armstrong's presentation at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Solar and Alternative Energy Symposium will be webcast live over the internet and can be accessed through the Company's website, www.hannonarmstrong.com. To listen to the presentation, please go to the website's "Investors" section at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the broadcast to register and download any necessary audio software. For those who are not able to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available shortly following the conference on Hannon Armstrong's website, and will be accessible for 90 days.

In addition, management will hold one-on-one and small group meetings with investors. A copy of the presentation that the Company will use for upcoming investor meetings is available on its website under, "HASI Investor Relations Presentation  November 2017."

About Hannon Armstrong

Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI) invests in sustainable infrastructure markets, including energy efficiency and renewable energy. We focus on providing preferred or senior level capital to established sponsors and high credit quality obligors for assets that generate long-term, recurring and predictable cash flows. We are based in Annapolis, MD.

Contact: Investor/Media Relations

Phone: 410-571-6189

Email: [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160125/325673LOGO

SOURCE Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.hannonarmstrong.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- High Performance Counsel, a leading legal industry publication delivering high-quality thought-leadership and commentary, announced today its new content partnership with Foxwordy, the digital collaboration platform for lawyers and law professionals.

High Performance Counsel and Foxwordy Form Content Partnership - announced Dec. 5, 2017

"We are delighted to announce this partnership and provide High Performance Counsel's leadership perspectives to the entire Foxwordy network and our enterprise customers," said Monica Zent, Founder and CEO of Foxwordy. "This partnership represents Foxwordy's ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality content and resources for our customers as they navigate an ever-changing legal industry."

David Kinnear, Founder & CEO of High Performance Counsel Media Group, said, "We're enthusiastic about having our content shared with top legal industry professionals through our partnership with Foxwordy. With the legal sector evolving so rapidly, legal professionals have much to gain through collaborating and sharing ideas, experience and opportunities, which Foxwordy's platform helps facilitate."

About Foxwordy

Foxwordy is the digital collaboration platform for the legal industry  bringing secure, efficient, social cloud collaboration to lawyers and law professionals everywhere. Launched in 2014 in Silicon Valley, Foxwordy's mission is to provide the ultimate collaborative destination for legal professionals. Foxwordy offers breakthrough features for legal professionals, including anonymity, which allows lawyers to have 'off-the-record' conversations with their colleagues, and Foxwordy Teams, a streamlined collaboration solution designed to help lawyers save time. Foxwordy was founded by seasoned entrepreneur, investor and lawyer Monica Zent. For more information, visit www.foxwordy.com.

About High Performance Counsel

High Performance Counsel is a leading legal industry publication featuring the individuals, organizations and solutions driving innovation and change in the modern legal industry over the next decade. Delivering high-quality thought-leadership and commentary, it is published online and via eMagazine formats. It has seen a significant uptick in interest in both the technical and business leadership issues raised by this sector evolution and keen readership support in the thought-leadership formats used to cover it. The #BakersDozen and #FearlessLaw interview series have proven very popular  bringing forward the leadership experience and perspective of senior figures in the sector. High Performance Counsel was founded by veteran legal industry expert and commentator David Kinnear. For more information, visit www.highperformancecounsel.com.

Media Contact:

Mark Pasetsky

Mark Allen & Company

212-243-8543

[email protected]

Harry Buck

High Performance Counsel Media Group

917-937-6898

SOURCE High Performance Counsel

Related Links

http://www.highperformancecounsel.com


Compact Pickup: Honda Ridgeline

Midsize Crossover: Honda Pilot

Compact Car: Honda Civic

Subcompact Crossover: Honda HR-V

Midsize Car: Honda Accord

Each year Consumer Guide Automotive editors select the best vehicles from 20 segments to receive Best Buy Awards, with vehicle price and value being major factors in their selection process. By prioritizing these key consideration points in the car-buying process, the Consumer Guide Automotive Best Buy Awards serve a practical purpose to everyday car shoppers. Celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, Consumer Guide Automotive is one of the most trusted names in the automobile industry.

About Honda

Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies sold through over 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Fit, Civic, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot sport/utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan.

Honda has been producing automobiles in America for 35 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2016, more than 95% of all Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

For More Information

Additional media information, including detailed pricing features and high-resolution photography of the Honda Accord, Civic, Ridgeline, Pilot and HR-V is available at hondanews.com.

SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Related Links

http://www.honda.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo released its annual educational commitment for 2018, awarding more than $26.7 million to support young Texans and statewide educational programs. This brings the Rodeo's total educational commitment to more than $450 million, since 1932.

"The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's annual educational commitment is a testament to the efforts of 33,000 dedicated volunteers, 100-plus staff members, and the generosity of hundreds of loyal donors and sponsors," said Jim Winne, chairman of the board. "It takes a diligent workforce to host millions of visitors at the world's largest livestock show and rodeo, and we are proud to pay it forward and give back to our communities by supporting educational efforts across the state of Texas."

For 2018, the organization has committed to presenting more than 750 college scholarships, supporting 70 educational programs through grants, awarding numerous graduate assistantships, and providing sizable prizes and premiums to junior livestock show exhibitors and calf scramble participants.

The Rodeo's 2018 educational commitment of $26,709,110 is comprised of the following:



Scholarships $14,271,000 Junior Show Exhibitors/Calf Scramble Participants $8,125,250 Educational Program Grants $3,726,820 Graduate Assistantships $586,040 Total $26,709,110

More than 750 scholarships will be administered through 13 different scholarship program types that allow students to pursue majors in any field of study at a Texas college or university. Graduate assistantships are awarded at 11 different universities in Texas.

Houston Livestock Show premiums are awarded to Texas 4-H or FFA junior exhibitors for each competition. Exhibitors must be Texas residents and between the ages of 9 and 18.

Calf scramble participants also must be members of a Texas 4-H club or FFA chapter, and winners are given certificates to purchase a registered beef heifer or market steer to show at the Houston Livestock Show the following year.

Educational program grants are awarded to 501(c)(3) charities and accredited institutions of higher education that align with the Rodeo's goals. Grant recipients must benefit youth, support education, expand agricultural horizons, or preserve and honor pioneer heritage and cultures.

New educational grant recipients for 2018 include Chinquapin Preparatory School; Houston Community College; Houston Health Foundation; Houston Police Foundation; Lonestar Flight Museum; Sam Houston State University  Department of Agriculture Sciences and Engineering Technology; Texas A&M University  Kingsville  King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management; and the Texas Tech Foundation.

The Rodeo will continue to support organizations such as BakerRipley; Books Between Kids; Children's Museum of Houston; Crime Stoppers of Houston; The Hobby Center Foundation; Houston Symphony; Project GRAD Houston; Teach for America  Houston; and YMCA of Greater Houston, among others.

For more information about the scholarships and educational programs supported by the Rodeo, visit rodeohouston.com/commitment.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo promotes agriculture by hosting an annual, family-friendly experience that educates and entertains the public, supports Texas youth, showcases Western heritage and provides year-round educational support within the community. Since its beginning in 1932, the Rodeo has committed more than $450 million to the youth of Texas. For more information, visit rodeohouston.com and connect with #RODEOHOUSTON online via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for all of the latest news. The 2018 Rodeo is scheduled for Feb. 27  March 18.

SOURCE Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo

Related Links

http://rodeohouston.com


MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunter Fan Company, the leading manufacturer of ceiling fans, is giving desktop and mobile shoppers a more engaging experience with the launch of the company's new website. Extending a suite of user-friendly features, the revitalized website presents consumers with the ability to take their experience beyond shopping, as the site blends effortless navigation with captivating content to spark design ideas and inspiration for their next home design project.

"Creating a captivating user experience that connects consumers with the brand and products in a more deep-rooted way was our first priority when designing the new website," said Hunter CEO, John Alexander. "As a ceiling fan presents a unique merging of function and style like no other design choice can, it was important to not only provide a seamless shopping journey, but to also serve as a resource for all of the consumer's design needs, as we are always looking for opportunities to inspire."

With a fresh and engaging layout, consumers will not only enjoy a more streamlined and intuitive shopping experience, but will find opportunities to engage with the brand and shoppers via user-generated content and inspiration boards published throughout the website. With the new roll out, consumers can now utilize social media to share their "Design-it-Yourself" room photos and videos featuring Hunter products. By using the brand hashtag, #itsahunter, or tagging the Hunter handle, @HunterFanCo, customers are offered the opportunity to have their room spotlighted on the website. Additional features to conjure consumer creativity include a more robust 'Inspiration' section, which highlights a number of curated blog posts, from 'how-to' tutorials to the latest trends in home, lifestyle, design and fashion.

Further design enhancements include a dedicated section focused on Hunter's newest line of SIMPLEconnect smart home fans, providing a one-stop-shop and education platform for those seeking to easily integrated technology within their room design. Consumers can also look forward to simple navigation, extended product filtering, quick view options, prominent featured product browsing, thumbnail shopping and dedicated landing pages help to round out the navigation and design enchantments of the new website.

To shop or learn more about upcoming product releases and discover creative tips from the Hunter design team, visit HunterFan.com.

About Hunter Fan Company

The maker of 'Trusted Fans for Inspired Spaces' since 1886, Hunter Fan Company is the world's original ceiling fan manufacturer. As the #1 most installed ceiling fan for over 100 years, Hunter continues to provide a deep heritage of performance, comfort and everyday style for any room, giving consumers confidence, peace-of-mind and ultimately more control over their home environment. The Memphis-based brand is in the midst of an unprecedented new product launch  offering an array of over 100 new models, from rustic and contemporary designs to classic and retro statement pieces. In addition, the brand has recently debuted their exclusive line of Wifi-Enabled SIMPLEConnect fans, which are now compatible with both Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa. As an industry-leader, Hunter's cutting edge design and quality craftsmanship continues to bring unmatched performance into every space. Hunter ceiling fans are available on Hunterfan.com, as well as in lighting showrooms, home centers and online retailers nationwide.

For more information, visit HunterFan.com, and connect with Hunter Fan Company on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube and Twitter.

Media Contacts:

olivia abbazia

the zimmerman agency

[email protected]

(850) 668-2222

SOURCE Hunter Fan Company

Related Links

http://HunterFan.com


"Hyundai is proud to support the national parks with America's most fuel-efficient car, the Ioniq Hybrid," said Dean Evans, CMO, Hyundai Motor America. "Hyundai's brand promise of 'better' aligns perfectly with what the national parks do to preserve and maintain the country's most historic and treasured places. Our Ioniq Hybrid will deliver fuel-efficient and versatile transportation for the important work that the National Park Service does on a daily basis."

"The National Park Service is grateful to Hyundai for this donation, which reflects the long-standing tradition of private sector support for national parks and the National Park Service," said Reginald Chapple, division chief, Partnerships & Philanthropy, National Park Service.

"In these very large parks with widespread facilities and visitor services areas, these vehicles will improve the ability of park staff to care for these iconic places. The donation also supports our effort to convert our fleet to fuel-efficient vehicles to increase sustainability and reduce costs."

The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient car in America, with an EPA-estimated 58 combined MPG. The Ioniq is the first eco-focused vehicle in the world to offer three distinct electrified powertrains on a single, dedicated vehicle platform  the Ioniq Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid and Electric models. Hyundai's approach for the Ioniq line delivers an uncompromising design and driving experience coupled with the latest in safety and convenience technologies.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 830 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a 5-year/60,000-mile fully-transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.

For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com

Please visit our media website at www.hyundainews.com

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America

Related Links

http://www.hyundainews.com


DUBAI, UAE, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

On November 9-11, IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), sent four students from Egypt, Qatar and UAE to represent the Middle East and Africa region at the organization's annual Student Leadership Conference in Houston, Texas, USA. IMA chose the students from leading university partners in the region, namely American University in Cairo, Qatar University and the American University in Sharjah.

"Every year, we send four to six students from the region where they meet over 600 students from China, Europe, India and the Americas to let them explore their career options in management accounting and help address the skills gap in accounting," says Rishi Malhotra, academic and student relations manager at IMA Middle East.

The skills gap in accounting has been a concern for many decades now. Traditional accounting curriculum has been too narrowly focused on financial accounting, particularly in audit, tax, statutory reporting, and compliance. In 2015, IMA published a report that found 90% of CFOs have a hard time finding the right talent, with deficiencies existing in both technical and nontechnical skills.

"Typically, these students come to the conference unaware that roles exist outside of public accounting firms. The exposure encourages them to seek out a well-rounded course load and prepares them for a meaningful job experience as accountants and financial managers in business later on," explains Malhotra.

At the conference, students also got a glimpse of the challenges they will be facing in the workplace. The most popular speaker at this year's conference was Andrew Fastow, the former CFO of Enron. Fastow shared his personal experience on fraud and how he and other Enron executives rationalized their decisions on "technically" complying with rules and regulations that ultimately led to the downfall of the company.

"We have had a lot of debates and discussions about this topic in my management class. However, as Andrew Fastow talked about his experience, I felt that I too could one day be facing the same dilemma as an accountant in business. His talk gave me a different perspective. I learned that there could be rules we might think are right to follow but are not always ethical," says Ola Shalab from the American University in Sharjah.

IMA is the only global management accounting organization to consistently be a forerunner in delivering relevant research on the evolution of the financial professional to a business partner. To promote curriculum reform, IMA has a Higher Education Endorsement Program which evaluates university accounting programs that meet high educational standards. Schools recognized by IMA prepare students to enter the profession of management accounting and pursue CMA (Certified Management Accountant) certification.

"It is my dream to be a professional in accountancy. After listening to all those speakers and how successful they have become over time, I am confident that I have chosen the right path. I want to help drive businesses forward," adds Sara Elsaid Elhusseiny an accounting student from the American University in Cairo, one of four universities in the region that successfully earned Endorsement from IMA.

This year, IMA also published its first textbook, "Management Accounting - An Integrative Approach" in yet another effort to bridge the gap between what is taught in academia and the skills students need to be prepared for the workforce.

"IMA is keen to partner with schools and universities with high-quality, up-to-date educational programs that support the changing needs of businesses. We want to help future professional management accountants accomplish their career objectives and meet the competency expectations of employers," concludes Malhotra.

About IMA (Institute of Management Accountants)

IMA, named 2017 Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 90,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit https://imamiddleeast.org/.

SOURCE IMA (Institute of Management Accountants)
PALO ALTO, California, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Inspired by the success of past funding initiatives to train thousands of public school teachers, Infosys Foundation USA will host the Pathfinders Summer Institute 2018, a national convening for K-12 teacher education in Computer Science and Making.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/610722/Infosys_Logo.jpg )



#InfyPathfinders will be an intensive week of professional development to be held at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) from July 15-20, 2018. Over 800 teachers from across the United States will convene on the IUB campus for high-quality, hands-on training for K-12 grade level Computer Science (CS) and Maker education.

Interested teachers and school administrators can find out more and register their interest at: infy.com/Pathfinders

"An inspired teacher will be one of the most influential guides for children to discover their own unique paths. And a teacher will influence hundreds, if not thousands, of children over the course of her or his teaching career," said Kaustav Mitra, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation USA. "We are honored to host the Pathfinders Summer Institute to both celebrate teachers and to get them the resources they need to be even more effective in helping students navigate this world."

"As Indiana's flagship public university, we embrace the challenge of employing our resources to inspire life-long learning and excellence in teaching" said Laurie Burns McRobbie, First Lady, Indiana University. "We are delighted to offer the IUB campus as a venue for Infosys Foundation USA's inaugural Pathfinders Summer Institute, which will enable over 800 teachers to benefit from superior professional development in Computer Science and Maker education. The teachers will gain valuable insights and tools that they can take back to classrooms in both Indiana and across the nation."

All tuition, travel, accommodation and food expenses for teacher participants will be paid. Funds from Infosys Foundation USA will be matched by school districts and by individual donations through education crowdfunding leader DonorsChoose.org in order to make it possible for teachers to attend the Pathfinders Summer Institute at no cost.

"We're deeply grateful to work with Infosys Foundation USA for the third consecutive year to help teachers gain the necessary skills to deliver a 21st century education to their students," said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org. "It's been inspiring to see a community of citizen donors come alongside the Foundation to support these bold teachers, and Computer Science and Maker education across the nation."

Participating curricular partners include ATLAS Institute, Beauty and Joy of Computing, Bootstrap, Code/Interactive, Exploring Computer Science, KCI Computer Science Crash Course, KISS Institute for Practical Robotics, Mobile CS Principles, Nextech, Project GUTS CS in Science, Stanford Logic Group, Tapestry Workshop, and UTeach CS Principles. In addition to teachers, school counselors will also attend to receive training from NCWIT's Counselors for Computing (C4C) program on how to better support all students in exploring CS education and careers.

"High-quality professional development is something all teachers need, along with the opportunity to build community across regions, curricula and subject areas," said Emmanuel Schanzer, Bootstrap Program Director. "Bootstrap is delighted to offer training on several of our curricula at the Pathfinders Summer Institute - especially our new Data Science module, which offers rigorous data analysis in an introductory programming module that can be integrated into multiple subject areas. We invite CS, Statistics, Business and Social Studies teachers who want to use real data and lightweight programming to join us in Bloomington."

Formal applications for Infosys Foundation USA Pathfinders Summer Institute 2018 will open in January 2018. All K-12 public school teachers are welcome to apply. Special consideration will be given to high-needs schools, teachers from under-represented communities, those new to teaching CS and Making, and districts demonstrating significant commitment to these subjects.

About Infosys Foundation USA

Infosys Foundation USA is focused on bridging the digital divide in America by supporting high-quality Computer Science education and coding skills with a particular focus on underrepresented communities. It aims to give children and young adults the skills they need to become creators, not just consumers, of technology. In pursuit of this mission, the Foundation has partnered with internationally acclaimed non-profits and institutions like Code.org, Computer Science Teachers Association, DonorsChoose.org, and the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. In addition, Infosys Foundation USA committed a million dollars to the Infy Maker Awards to inspire makers across the U.S. to demonstrate creative excellence in making projects with genuine impact. Learn more at http://www.infosys.org/usa/, follow on Twitter @InfyFoundation or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/InfosysFoundationUSA

2017 Infosys Foundation USA

SOURCE Infosys
Representing a major leap forward from the traditional and one-dimensional recipe format, the Innit app is the first and only to integrate all four phases of the eating ritualplanning, shopping, preparing and cookingand assists home cooks with each phase through a seamless system that builds confidence in the kitchen. The Innit experience serves a wide range of home cooks, from those struggling to get food on the table to those looking to cook more frequently at home, and even those aficionados looking to cook more creatively.

"There is nothing more personal than the way we eat," said Eugenio Minvielle, founder of Innit, who previously served as CEO of Unilever North America and Nestle France. "The Innit app is designed to help anyone cook and think differently about meal logistics at home. We built the Innit platform to not only help you prepare a meal, but also to give you the confidence to conquer the daily kitchen challenges that get in the way of making and sharing great-tasting home-cooked meals every day."

Key highlights of the app include:

PERSONALIZED TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

You don't need to overhaul your life to use Innit. Innit adapts to you and your family's wants, needs and existing rituals. Innit makes home cooking more accessible by recommending delicious personalized meals for you and your family based on diet, allergies and dislikes. Then, it lets you easily customize elements of your meal, allowing you to experiment with new flavors and ingredients to match your cravings by making the most of what you have in your fridge or by creating a time-saving smart shopping list through the tap of a button.





You don't need to overhaul your life to use Innit. Innit adapts to you and your family's wants, needs and existing rituals. Innit makes home cooking more accessible by recommending delicious personalized meals for you and your family based on diet, allergies and dislikes. Then, it lets you easily customize elements of your meal, allowing you to experiment with new flavors and ingredients to match your cravings by making the most of what you have in your fridge or by creating a time-saving smart shopping list through the tap of a button. CULINARY GPS FROM POINT A TO B

Follow your inspiration and orchestrate delicious meals with ease with Innit's guided how-to videos and real-time cooking guidance that update with every customization you make. The app intelligently sequences multiple steps from several dishes simultaneouslyensuring that all components of your meal are fresh and ready at the same timesaving you precious time and energy.





Follow your inspiration and orchestrate delicious meals with ease with Innit's guided how-to videos and real-time cooking guidance that update with every customization you make. The app intelligently sequences multiple steps from several dishes simultaneouslyensuring that all components of your meal are fresh and ready at the same timesaving you precious time and energy. MAKES YOUR APPLIANCES WORK HARDER AND YOUR KITCHEN SMARTER

Innit coordinates even the most complicated meals seamlessly, helping you take full advantage of the appliances you own and automatically controlling ones that are smart. At launch, Innit connects with GE Appliances ovens and Bosch smart ovens with Home Connect technology. When connected, Innit's adaptive cooking programs seamlessly send cooking instructions specifically tailored to your food and your appliancedelivering optimal results and notifying you when your meal is ready.

Innit has partnered with GE Appliances, the first manufacturer offering a full suite of connected products in the US with more than 100 connected models available. Innit has also partnered with Bosch Home Connect, an open-platform solution that allows appliances from different brands, including Bosch Smart Ovens, to be controlled with one app. Philips Kitchen Appliances, who created the original Airfryer and Smoke-less Grill, Perfect Company, the leading developer of smart kitchen scales, and Chef'd, an at-home, high-quality ingredient meal store have also partnered with Innit and further details regarding these and other partnerships will be available when they launch on the platform early next year.

"It is a privilege to play an important role in helping people eat, a responsibility we take to heart," said Innit's Chief Operating Officer, Josh Sigel. "Together with our incredible team and dedicated partners we are looking forward to continuing to build our global connected food platform spanning appliance manufacturers, grocery and e-commerce retailers, food brands, publishers and others." Sigel added, "Our goal is for consumers to experience that their lives are better and simpler with Innit. We are committed to making a difference in people's lives and continuing to build a brand that stands for The Way You Eat."

This year during the Smart Kitchen Summit, Innit announced the launch of its platform together with celebrity chef Tyler Florence. Innit is also working with Sam Kass (a former White House chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition) and Gerard Dupont (honorary President of the French Culinary Academy). Innit's Advisory Board members include Arnaud de Puyfontaine (Vivendi CEO), Julio Frenk (President of Miami University), Maura O'Neill (former USAID CIO), and Raymond McCauley (Biotech Chair of Singularity University).

Consumers can download the Innit app for iOS in the Apple App Store.

ABOUT INNIT

Silicon Valley-based Innit is an "eating technology" company that has developed the world's first Connected Food Platform. Realizing and leading the vision of the connected kitchen, Innit is a centralized hub that integrates a disjointed food system by focusing on the way individuals want to eat. Combining the strengths of its partners' products and services with its platform, Innit provides a personalized, connected, and confidence-building consumer experience across the eating ritual. Follow us on Facebook @eatinnit on Twitter @innit and on Instagram @eatinnit. For more information visit http://www.innit.com.

ABOUT GE APPLIANCES

GE Appliances, a Haier company, makes moments that matter for our owners through our passion for making great appliances and providing unparalleled services. Owners have more choices than ever before under the Hotpoint, GE, Haier, GE Cafe, GE Profile and Monogram brands. Our products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners and water filtration systems. For more information visit http://www.geappliances.com/our-company.

ABOUT BOSCH WITH HOME CONNECT

Home Connect is the first solution in the world to allow home appliances from different brands to be controlled with a single app. The system is designed as an open platform that will keep evolving to cover a growing range of services. Home Connect is a global solution and is offered in the US and Canada through BSH home appliance corporation. Home appliances fitted with the Home Connect function and the accompanying app have been available in the US since October 2016. For more information about Home Connect, go to: http://www.home-connect.com

ABOUT ROYAL PHILIPS

Royal Philips is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 73,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.

ABOUT PERFECT COMPANY

Perfect Company designs, develops and manufactures connected products to help consumers succeed in the kitchen. Perfect Drink, Perfect Bake, Perfect Blend and Perfect Kitchen Smart Scales + Recipe Apps guide anyone, regardless of experience, through each recipe to make cocktails, treats, smoothies, soups, dips and more consistently perfect each time. It also licenses its core patented technology to other brands, powering kitchen appliances with Perfect technology. Follow us on Facebook @makeitperfectly, Twitter @makeitperfectly and Instagram @makeit_perfectly. For more information, visit http://www.MakeitPerfectly.com.

ABOUT CHEF'D

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif, Chef'd is an at-home, high-quality ingredient meal store that partners with celebrated chefs, media outlets and culinary influencers to create recipes that make it easy for anyone to cook like a pro at home. Launched in late April 2015, Chef'd was created to help consumers rethink the home-cooked meal by offering fresh, pre-portioned ingredients that aim to eliminate food waste and in turn cut consumer grocery costs, all without the hassle of subscription or membership fees. Chef'd branded recipes are currently available from noted chefs, health experts and renowned media publications. Follow on Twitter @get_chefd and Instagram @Chefd. More information available at http://www.chefd.com.

SOURCE Innit
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Revolution announced that three dozen of America's most respected entrepreneurs, investors and families have joined together to back startups outside of Silicon Valley with a $150 million Rise of the Rest Seed fund. Investors in the new fund include legendary entrepreneurs Jeff Bezos, Sara Blakely, Tory Burch, Dan Gilbert, Ted Leonsis, Sheila Johnson, Joe Mansueto, Sean Parker, Eric Schmidt, Howard Schultz, Romesh Wadwhani, and world-class investors and executives such as Jim Breyer, Ray Dalio, John Doerr, Henry Kravis, Michael Milken, Adebayo "Bayo" Ogunlesi, David Rubenstein, Byron Trott, Jeff Vinik, Meg Whitman, William M. Lewis, Jr., and members of the Koch, Pritzker, and Walton families.

"We're pleased so many of America's most iconic investors, executives and founders have joined with us to invest in Rise of the Rest cities," said Steve Case, the CEO of Revolution and the anchor investor in this new fund. "Their support validates our hypothesis that there are great startup investment opportunities all across the country, and that by leveling the playing field we can help more entrepreneurs in more places build companies that can improve our lives, and create jobs that can help lift up our communities."

Leading the new fund as Managing Partner will be J.D. Vance, author of the bestselling book, Hillbilly Elegy, who joined Revolution earlier this year after serving as a Silicon Valley venture capitalist. Vance leads the dedicated Rise of the Rest investment team that now includes David Hall, a longstanding Partner at Revolution, and Anna Mason, who joined Revolution last year as Director of Investments for Rise of the Rest.

"I've seen first-hand the incredible entrepreneurs trying to build great businesses outside of Silicon Valley," said Vance. "They often possess all the ingredients for success, but struggle to find enough investment capital to break through and have a positive impact on their region. This fund can help change that dynamic. We're now positioned to partner with the dozens of regional investors we've met and join with them in backing the next generation of entrepreneurs with breakthrough ideas."

Last year, three states (California, New York, and Massachusetts) received 75 percent of all venture capital funding, leaving the other 47 states to compete for the remaining 25 percent. However, recent demographic shifts and infrastructure growth have positioned rising cities for success: the steady increase of accelerator and incubator programs (now in at least 35 states), more startup-friendly public policies, and the institutional knowledge and partnership opportunities provided by the concentration of Fortune 500 companies, 85 percent of which are located outside of the traditional tech hubs.

For the past four years, Revolution and Steve Case have made bi-annual Rise of the Rest road trips to shine a spotlight on emerging startup ecosystems across the country. The Rise of the Rest bus has visited 33 cities to date. In each city, Revolution's Rise of the Rest team has visited startups in various stages of growth and invested $100,000 in at least one local startup. The new seed fund will set out to amplify this investment strategy by applying it at a larger scale and actively seeking out and investing in companies year-round. The fund plans to make initial investments of up to $1 million, in partnership with regional investors. The fund will not lead rounds or serve on boards, as it wants to work with other investors as an ally and catalyst.

Case added: "This new fund will enable us to back more than 100 promising startups taking on some of society's biggest challenges, in sectors such as healthcare, education, transportation, energy, financial services, food and government services. We want to help accelerate the growth of companies we invest in by building a network that links them to other people and organizations that can help catalyze their growth."

A complete list of investors can be found at: https://www.revolution.com/entity/rotr.

About Revolution

A Washington, D.C.-based investment firm founded in 2005, Revolution's mission is to help build disruptive, innovative companies that offer consumers more choice, convenience, and control in their lives. The new Rise of the Rest Seed fund complements the existing Revolution Growth and Revolution Ventures funds. Revolution's funds now exceed $1.3 billion and are positioned to back startups at nearly every stage of their lifecycle. For more information, please visit: www.revolution.com or follow us on Twitter @Revolution.

SOURCE Revolution

Related Links

https://www.revolution.com


NEW YORK and LONDON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Io-Tahoe LLC, a pioneer in machine learning-driven smart data discovery solutions that span data lakes and relational databases, today announced it has been accepted into the Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives.

Io-Tahoe's Chief Data Scientist, Dr. Winnie Cheng, joins other Forbes Technology Council members, who are hand-selected to become part of a curated network of successful peers and get access to a variety of exclusive benefits and resources, including the opportunity to submit thought leadership articles and short tips on industry-related topics for publishing on Forbes.com.

Forbes Councils combine an innovative, high-touch approach to community management perfected by the team behind Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) with the extensive resources and global reach of Forbes. As a result, Forbes Council members get access to the people, benefits and expertise they need to grow their businesses  and a dedicated member concierge who acts as an extension of their own team, providing personalized one-on-one support.

"There is one inarguable certainty across virtually every size and type of business in the world  that data continues to grow exponentially, while becoming ever more complex to manage. Likewise, data management continues to evolve. What could previously be managed manually, must be managed via a vast IT network today. And yet, for most, the data and sophisticated networks that support it have grown to the point where efficient and effective management is nearly impossible. Of course, that's exactly where Io-Tahoe comes in  providing businesses and IT professionals with the ability to regain control and unlock valuable data insights," said Dr. Cheng. "I am delighted to be a member of the Forbes Technology Council and look forward to the opportunity it presents to work with like-minded thought leaders and innovators in their respective areas, to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible."

Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, said, "We are honored to welcome Io-Tahoe's Winnie Cheng into the community. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to curate successful professionals from every industry, creating a vetted, social capital-driven network that helps every member make an even greater impact on the business world."

Tweet this: [email protected] Accepted into @Forbes Technology Council https://io-tahoe.com/press-room/ #DataDiscovery #DataLakes #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #AI

About Forbes Councils

Forbes partnered with the founders of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) to launch Forbes Councils, invitation-only communities for world-class business professionals in a variety of industries. Members, who are hand-selected by each Council's community team, receive personalized introductions to each other based on their specific needs and gain access to a wide range of business benefits and services, including best-in-class concierge teams, personalized connections, peer-to-peer learning, a business services marketplace, and the opportunity to share thought leadership content on Forbes.com. For more information about Forbes Technology Council, visit https://forbestechcouncil.com/. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com.

About Io-Tahoe

Io-Tahoe is a smart data discovery product which enables organizations to discover data in lakes and relational data instances, helping enterprises trace data elements across their systems in spite of outdated metadata definitions. The product utilizes machine learning algorithms to dramatically increase the accuracy, intelligence and speed of learning of complex data elements and data relationships throughout the entire business environment. Our product has been custom-built by a team with a deep understanding of data challenges, giving us first-hand insight and appreciation into our customers' diverse and complex data needs. Our solutions are particularly valuable to businesses with large numbers of customers and diverse data sets, such as those in the financial services, utilities, retail, transportation, insurance, healthcare and manufacturing industries. For further information, please visit: https://io-tahoe.com/.

Follow Io-Tahoe on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/iotahoe

Follow Io-Tahoe on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9194521/

About Dr. Winnie Cheng, Chief Data Scientist, Io-Tahoe

A results-driven leader in data science with over $60 million in positive business impacts at world renowned leaders such as IBM Watson and JP Morgan, Dr. Winnie Cheng currently serves as Chief Data Scientist for Io-Tahoe. As such, Dr. Cheng plays a key role in helping to drive product innovation, as well as helping to ensure that Io-Tahoe continues to lead in its ability to extract meaning and interpret data. Her expertise is in areas such as large scale distributed systems, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Dr. Cheng was co-founder and CTO of a fintech machine learning company Flowcast and held Chief and Senior Data Scientist positions at Bankrate, Inc., J.P. Morgan, American Express, and IBM, as well as senior engineering roles at Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. Dr. Cheng serves as an advisor to Hatcher+, Fundnel Ltd., and ADSKOM, and serves as a mentor to Shoo-in Career. Dr. Cheng holds a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, and a Masters in Science (MS) from Stanford University in Engineering.

Io-Tahoe LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centrica plc.

PR contact:

Nicole Gorman

Io-Tahoe

[email protected]

M: 508-397-0131

SOURCE Io-Tahoe

Related Links

https://io-tahoe.com/


TORONTO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ioFABRIC Inc. today announced that premium IT services provider Xenium IT Corp has chosen ioFABRIC as part of its Xenium X Protect offering, a simple, turnkey data protection and data availability solution that eliminates the risk of ransomware, data loss and downtime.

Xenium is a premium provider of IT services, focusing on setup and support of networking infrastructure, server installations and specialized applications. With knowledge of customers' changing IT needs, coupled with the escalating risk of losing data from cyberattacks, Xenium developed its X Protect offering, which leverages ioFABRIC's multi-site, multi-cloud data fabric to store data in an immutable format that cannot be altered. "We had immediate traction, a pipeline and deployment at several customer sites within 30 days of signing up. Offering a managed service with a subscription price, keeps us closer to our customers," said Frank Kuschmierz, Xenium CEO.

"While ioFABRIC's data fabric was developed as a data management solution, it provides complete ransomware protection out of the box. With our X Protect offering, we install storage hardware at the customer site, and that data gets duplicated and encrypted offsite using the ioFABRIC platform. X Protect manages the entire processfor the user nothing changes with how data is accessed except it is 100% secure from ransomware," added Kuschmierz.

Xenium X Protect uses core ioFABRIC functionality bundled with premium value added services such as back up validation, ransomware screening and instant recovery, so data is always safe and easily recoverable. X Protect automatically manages a copy of data on-premises and a copy in the cloud, providing always-available data for business continuity. If local access to data is interrupted for any reason, X Protect automatically fails-over to the cloud copy. In addition to ensuring business-critical information is stored and backed up safely, data is encrypted to meet security and compliance requirements, as well as compressed to reduce storage costs.

"Juniper Research predicts that by 2019 the cost of cyber crimes will reach $2.1 trillion. Ransomware is avoidable with a solution like X Protect where organizations can be sure they they'll never lose data and will never have to pay a ransom to get their data back," said ioFABRIC CEO and Co-Founder Steven Lamb. "X Protect targets data protection for small to mid-sized organizations."

About ioFABRIC Inc.

ioFABRIC Inc. is a data management company whose software delivers a multi-site, multi-cloud data fabric that ensures complete data protection and availability with artificial intelligence and industry-unique cost optimization features. ioFABRIC Vicinity ensures storage is always available, always protected, and always evergreen. Vicinity creates a data fabric supporting applications running on servers, VMs, containers, and clouds. Vicinity is sold through ioFABRIC's reseller and distribution channel as licensed software or by white-labeling it with additional hardware and/or software. For more information visit www.iofabric.com.

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SOURCE ioFABRIC Inc.

Related Links

http://www.iofabric.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Attorneys from the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) and the Bopp Law Firm today filed suit against the City of Gary, Indiana, its Mayor and its Common Council members in Indiana's Lake County Circuit Court to challenge the City's sanctuary law sheltering illegal aliens. This groundbreaking legal action zeroes in on Gary's policy of protecting illegal aliens, even those with criminal records.

At issue is Gary's ordinance 9100, which proclaims the community 25 miles southeast of Chicago to be a "welcoming city." The complaint filed by IRLI and Bopp lawyers contends that the ordinance is in violation of Chapter 18.2 of Article 2, Title 5 of Indiana's State Code, which prohibits governmental bodies in the state from adopting non-cooperation policies regarding immigration-law information and enforcement.

Chapter 18.2 further imposes on law-enforcement officers a duty to cooperate with state and federal officials on matters pertaining to enforcement of laws governing immigration, to the full extent permitted by federal law.

By a vote of 6-3, the City of Gary Common Council passed and adopted the ordinance on May 16, 2017. Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson approved and signed the ordinance. Freeman-Wilson and members of the Council are named as defendants in the suit.

"By enacting ordinance 9100, the leaders of Gary have flagrantly violated Indiana's law prohibiting sanctuary cities," said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. "In addition to defying state law, they are also endangering the safety of their constituents. As we saw in the Kate Steinle case, sanctuary city policies can result in tragic consequences. To allow this ordinance to stand would set a dangerous precedent in Indiana."

Residents of Gary and other sanctuary cities are victimized by these illegal policies. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement estimates, roughly 2.1 million criminal aliens are living in the U.S., over 1.9 million of which are removable. These criminal aliens continue to live in communities and engage in further criminal activity when state and local law enforcement are prohibited from cooperating with federal immigration officials.

IRLI was involved in Indiana's anti-sanctuary law from its inception, advising lawmakers during the drafting process and defending it against attacks by the amnesty lobby.

SOURCE Immigration Reform Law Institute

Related Links

http://irli.org


ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- (ISC)2  the world's largest non-profit membership association of certified cybersecurity professionals  will host its annual (ISC) Secure Summit DC (formerly CyberSecureGov) training event May 7-8, 2018, at the MGM National Harbor in the Washington, D.C. area. More than 1,000 cybersecurity practitioners from federal government agencies, private enterprises, government contractors and academic institutions are expected to participate in two days of expert-led sessions on a wide array of cybersecurity topics.

"When we look at our most critical cybersecurity challenges, like defending critical infrastructure and protecting the integrity and confidence in our digital economy, it's clear that we need to foster more collaboration and coordination between the public and private sectors," said (ISC) Managing Director, North America, Brian Correia. "That's why we expanded the scope of our D.C.-area event to address challenges and issues facing cybersecurity professionals in all industries. Secure Summit DC will be a platform to share solutions and best practices, and help foster the broader cooperation we need to better secure our data."

(ISC) Secure Summit DC will bring together some of the best minds in cybersecurity for two days of insightful discussions, workshops and best-practice sharing that will better equip attending cybersecurity practitioners to tackle today's threats, strengthen their organization's security posture and advance their careers.

Call for Secure Summit DC Speakers Open

(ISC) is currently accepting speaker submissions for the following topic areas:

Cloud Security

Threat Intelligence

Critical Infrastructure Protection

Automation and Agility

Incident Response and Forensics

NIST Cybersecurity Framework (Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover)

Professional Development

Business, Financial and Risk Implications

Identity Access Management

The Privacy Challenge

Game-Changing Solutions

Confirmed expert speakers already include:

David Kennedy , QSA, OSCE, OSCP, CISSP, ISO 27001, GSEC, MCSE, founder of TrustedSec, Binary Defense Systems and DerbyCon, and member of the (ISC) Board of Directors

, QSA, OSCE, OSCP, CISSP, ISO 27001, GSEC, MCSE, founder of TrustedSec, Binary Defense Systems and DerbyCon, and member of the (ISC) Board of Directors Dr. Michaela Iorga , senior security technical lead for Cloud Computing, co-chair, NIST Cloud Security Working Group; co-chair, NIST Cloud Forensic Science Working Group; director, ITL SURF Program, Secure System and Applications Group 773.03, Computer Security Division, ITL, National Institute of Standards and Technology

, senior security technical lead for Cloud Computing, co-chair, NIST Cloud Security Working Group; co-chair, NIST Cloud Forensic Science Working Group; director, ITL SURF Program, Secure System and Applications Group 773.03, Computer Security Division, ITL, National Institute of Standards and Technology Marcus J. Carey , CEO, Threatcare

Learn more about Secure Summit DC event and submit for the conference's call for speakers here Deadline for speaker submission is Feb. 1, 2018.

Learn more about (ISC) at www.isc2.org.

About (ISC)

(ISC) is an international nonprofit membership association focused on inspiring a safe and secure cyber world. Best known for the acclaimed Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, (ISC) offers a portfolio of credentials that are part of a holistic, programmatic approach to security. Our membership, over 125,000 strong, is made up of certified cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals who are making a difference and helping to advance the industry. Our vision is supported by our commitment to educate and reach the public through our charitable foundation  The Center for Cyber Safety and Education. For more information about (ISC) visit www.isc2.org, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn or the (ISC) Community.

 2017 (ISC) Inc., (ISC), CISSP, SSCP, CCSP, CAP, CSSLP, HCISPP, ISSAP, ISSEP, ISSMP and CBK are registered marks of (ISC), Inc.

Contact: Amanda Tarantino, [email protected], 1-727-877-2230

SOURCE ISC2

Related Links

http://www.isc2.org


WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced that James H. Pugh, Jr., CEO, owner and chairman, Epoch Residential, has been selected for membership in this prestigious organization. Mr. Pugh joins 11 other esteemed business, civic and cultural leaders from across North America in receiving 2018 honors. For more than 70 years, the Horatio Alger Award has been annually bestowed upon admired leaders who have succeeded despite facing adversities, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their local communities.

Born in Winter Haven, Florida in 1937, Mr. Pugh came from a family of carpenters. When he was four, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and she passed away two years later. From that point on Mr. Pugh moved frequently, living with his father and various relatives throughout childhood. This nomadic lifestyle taught him to be resourceful and adaptable. At age seven, he joined the Cub Scouts and later became involved in the Boy Scouts. He enjoyed pursuing new merit badges and learning different skills, but eventually quit when his friends lost interest in the organization. Mr. Pugh later viewed this as a personal failure and vowed that he would never again be a quitter.

Mr. Pugh went on to attend the University of Florida and paid his tuition by working three on-campus jobs. An active college student, he was involved in student government, Greek life and Army ROTC. Mr. Pugh earned his degree in construction management and then accepted his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army. He served in Special Forces and eventually become a 1st Lieutenant before he was honorably discharged from active duty in 1966. After his military service, he took a job with a general contractor in Orlando, but soon he embraced his entrepreneurial spirit, forming Epoch Residential, a development, construction and management company specializing in luxury multifamily apartment communities. Today, Epoch is one of the largest multi-family developers in the country, having developed more than 37,000 apartments in 60 U.S. cities. Mr. Pugh has also founded several other companies including American Momentum Bank, Timescape Resorts, a timeshare resort near Disney World, and BARNIES, a regional coffee company.

"Jim is an incredible business person and philanthropist, but an even better man," said Matthew Rose, president, Horatio Alger Association and 2013 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "Many of our Scholars can relate to the way in which he grew up and understand how his experiences shaped him as a person. I am certain that Jim will serve as an inspiration to these young people. I look forward to working alongside him to further the mission of the Association and better the lives of even more outstanding students."

A prolific fundraiser, Mr. Pugh has provided the financial leadership that led to the success of numerous nonprofit campaigns. He and his wife, Alexis, have supported hundreds of organizations and causes, including the Alexis and Jim Pugh Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, an acclaimed $650 million arts center in Orlando, which he founded and is the chair. The couple has also given generously to a host of organizations, including the University of Florida, which opened its Jim and Alexis Pugh Hall in 2008, the Atlantic Center for the Arts and the Orlando Museum of Art.

"I have long-admired the important work of the Horatio Alger Association, and couldn't be more pleased to be inducted as a new Member in 2018," said Mr. Pugh. "I promised myself at a young age that I wouldn't give up on the things that I loved. The Association gives exceptional students the means to keep going, and I look forward to being a part of that."

Through its Members, Horatio Alger Association aims to educate young people about the limitless opportunities afforded to them by the free-enterprise system. To further this mission, the organization awards scholarships to outstanding high school students who are committed to pursuing higher education and giving back to their communities. Like Association Members, Horatio Alger Scholars have faced significant adversities, but have also displayed unmatched resilience in overcoming their challenges. Since the scholarship program was established in 1984, Horatio Alger Association has provided more than $125 million to students in need, all of which has been funded solely through the generosity of Association Members and friends.

Mr. Pugh and the Member Class of 2018 will be formally inducted into the Association on April 5-7, 2018, during the Association's 71st Horatio Alger Award Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The annual three-day event honors the achievements of both Members and National Scholars, affording both groups the opportunity to meet and interact, exchanging stories of hardships and triumphs.

For more information about Horatio Alger Association and its Member Class of 2018, please visit www.horatioalger.org and/or follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #HoratioAlgerAward.

About Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans:

Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have accomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them the Horatio Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime Members. Horatio Alger Members support promising young people with the resources and confidence needed to overcome adversity in pursuit of their dreams through higher education. Through the generosity of its Members and friends, in 2017, the Association awarded more than $18 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships across the United States and Canada, and also provided college support and mentoring services to its Scholars. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $125 million in college scholarships to more than 25,000 deserving young people. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

CONTACT:

McKenna Young

484-385-2913 (office)

[email protected]



SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.horatioalger.org


The products are the brainchild of Brian Tocci, 25, who has a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and later this month will receive his MBA from Florida Institute of Technology. His day job is director of operations at Larsen Motorsports, a Florida-based company operating four jet dragster race teams.

"I love building stuff, whether a race car or furniture," Tocci said. "With these extra parts, we decided to reuse them and not scrap them. So this gives me another outlet to be creative while putting these items to good use."

A table or clock, a business card holder or lamp, earrings or a necklace, there are unique items for all interests and price ranges. Find more at www.ShockDiamondDesigns.com.

Still have more people on your list? Larsen Motorsports co-founders Elaine and Chris Larsen have their own gift suggestions, and they are, not surprisingly, perfect for the automobile enthusiast in the family  or even just the drivers.

Consider updating or adding to the essentials: jumper cables, tire pressure gauge (doesn't have to be the digital style), car care detail kit, flashlight for the glove box, a sunshield, or even a full-car cover.

Thinking about safety? Maybe a seatbelt cutter or emergency hammer for smashing out a window, or a first aid kit.

And there are always great deals this time of year on tools. Consider a basic tool kit that has screw drivers, socket wrenches, a hammer and other items.

"If you are a car owner, we recommend having these essential things," said Chris Larsen, Larsen Motorsports' head crew chief. "They will look great under your Christmas tree and even better in your car or garage."

Contact: Adam Lowenstein

FIT News Bureau

321-674-8964

[email protected]

SOURCE Florida Institute of Technology

Related Links

http://www.fit.edu


SHANGHAI, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. ("JinkoSolar" or the "Company") (NYSE:JKS), a global leader in the photovoltaic (PV) industry, announced that it supplied polycrystalline photovoltaic panels to the first solar power plant in Armenia. The opening ceremony took place earlier in November in the city of Talin. Due to its scale, this project is of significant importance to the Armenian solar, ecology, and economic development sectors.

The opening ceremony was well-attended by various leaders in Armenia, including, but not limited to, Prime Minister Mr. Karen Karapetyan, Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Mr. Davit Loqyan, Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Mr. Hayk Harutyunyan, Deputy Ambassador of German Federal Republic to Armenia Mr. Klaus Wendelberger, and General Secretary of the Energy Charter Secretariat Mr. Urban Rusnak.

Approximately 3700 JinkoSolar's high efficiency polycrystalline photovoltaic panels were installed in this 1MW solar power plant and will operate there throughout the 25 year product lifespan. Arpi Solar, which designed the project and implemented the construction, cooperated with its leading international partners such as JinkoSolar, Staubli, Enerparc, Sungrow, which guarantees long-term and productive revenues for the next 25 years.

"Talin-1 is at the moment the largest solar power plant in Armenia and can cover the energy demands of almost 400 families. With this we launch a procession of massive solar power plants in Armenia." the General Director of Arpi Solar company Mr. Hayk Chobanyan said, "We will start working on another larger power plant of 55 MW capacity in Masrik (Gegharkunik region) very soon. Such interest in solar energy can significantly improve the Armenian energy sector."

"Talin-1 sets new standards in solar energy sphere in Armenia," Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Mr. Harutyunyan mentioned, "The engineering activities were delivered in 20 days, which is a very short period for implementation of such initiatives according to international standards and which also proves the competence of the project construction company."

Arda Kristaporyan, Country Manager for JinkoSolar, commented, "We're pleased to have contributed to the realization of this milestone project for Armenia. Our Eagle solar panels have already been successfully implemented in large-scale projects all over the world and they will secure the highest energy yields in the years to come. We will keep working closely with Arpi Solar to fulfill our shared target of creating a solar future in Armenia."

Artun Istepan Sabciyan, Divison Manager for Staubli Electrical Connector Systems (formerly Multi-Contact) Turkey, commented: "We are happy to share the honor of being able to contribute to this project and working closely together with Arpi Solar. This will be a milestone in Armenia reflecting the power of the sun. Our original MC4 connectors and DC solar cables have already been successfully implemented in 1MW Talin project. We will uphold a strong partnership with Arpi Solar to fulfill the roadmap and to advance Armenia's photovoltaic industry.''

About JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is a global leader in the solar industry. JinkoSolar distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and other countries and regions. JinkoSolar has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 6.0 GW for silicon ingots and wafers, 4.5 GW for solar cells, and 7.5 GW for solar modules, as of June 30, 2017.

JinkoSolar has over 15,000 employees across its 8 productions facilities in China(5), Malaysia, Portugal and South Africa, 16 oversea subsidiaries in Japan (2), Singapore, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Australia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates, and 18 global sales offices in China (2) ,United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico.

To find out more, please see: www.jinkosolar.com

About Staubli Electrical Connectors

Staubli is a recognized specialist for advanced contact technology and sophisticated solutions with a product portfolio ranging from miniature connectors up to high-power connectors for power transmission, test and measurement, transportation and many other industries. In Photovoltaics, Staubli is global market leader with its MC4 connector components. The core of all Staubli electrical connectors is the unique MULTILAM contact technology.

About Arpi Solar

Arpi Solar is a leader in the field of solar energy in Armenia for five years, offering solar thermal and photovoltaic systems, energy efficient solutions. Arpi solar systems are widely used in households, businesses, industries and educational and cultural institutions to save costs by reducing harmful emissions to the atmosphere. The company not only stimulates the development of the field, but also contributes to the solution of our country's environmental problems through more than 1000 installations in all over Armenia.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends, "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Company's operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in JinkoSolar's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Mr. Sebastian Liu

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

Tel: +86 21-5183-3056

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.jinkosolar.com


SHANGHAI, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson Innovation, today announced a collaboration with the Shanghai Municipal Government, Pudong New Area Government, and Shanghai Pharma Engine Company, Ltd. to launch a new Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS in Shanghai (JLABS @ Shanghai), China. The 4,400-square-meter facility will be located in Shanghai's Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park and will open in Q2 2019.

JLABS @ Shanghai will be the first JLABS location established outside of North America and will accommodate up to 50 life science and healthcare startups, both single entrepreneurs and larger companies, focused on innovations across the entire healthcare spectrum, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer. JLABS @ Shanghai will provide resident innovators with a capital efficient and flexible platform including an extensive network that will enable them to accelerate the delivery of life-saving, life-enhancing health and wellness solutions to patients in China and around the world.

"We are excited about the launch of JLABS @ Shanghai, which will be an integral investment in the city's life science ecosystem. It will support entrepreneurship as it relates to science and technology and strengthen our position as a global innovation hub," said Mr. Liu Qin, Deputy Inspector General, Science and Technology Commission, Shanghai Municipal Government.

"We are proud to collaborate with Johnson & Johnson Innovation for the opening of the first JLABS outside of North America," said Mr. Zhou Zhengyu, Deputy Director General, Science & Technology and Economic Development Division, Pudong New Area Government. "Through JLABS, we can drive innovation across pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer healthcare and have a positive impact on the development of Pu Dong as an industrial leader and of Shanghai as an innovation hub for science and technology."

The launch of JLABS @ Shanghai demonstrates Johnson & Johnson's continued commitment to enabling the best science and technology with the ambition of solving the greatest unmet medical and healthcare needs of our time. JLABS @ Shanghai builds on the successful no-strings attached JLABS model and will be the ninth JLABS location to open globally.

"We are thrilled to be part of the flourishing life sciences community in Shanghai and to contribute to China's vision to help drive the Asia Pacific region toward becoming a world leader in healthcare innovation," said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson.

"We look forward to collaborating with the many enterprising innovators in the region who are working to turn science into tangible, commercial products of benefit to people, as part of our unique vision to empower entrepreneurs in an open innovation model," said Melinda Richter, Global Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS.

"China, and Shanghai specifically, have become a global hotspot for healthcare innovation," said Vladimir Makatsaria, Johnson & Johnson China Group Chairman. "JLABS @ Shanghai will join our Asia Pacific Innovation Center, Janssen China Discovery Labs, Emerging Markets Innovation Center, and other initiatives across our Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies' China organization in creating a Shanghai-based hub that strengthens our ability to meet the rapidly evolving healthcare needs of people in China and around the world."

JLABS @ Shanghai will provide startups with many of the advantages of being part of an established innovation hub, such as access to talent and mentors, large existing firms and research universities, capital and convergence opportunities with other sectors. When complete, the 4,400-square-meter facility will include cutting-edge, modular and scalable lab space, equipment, with access to scientific, industry and capital funding experts. The space will also feature a JLABS device and digital prototype lab that will provide entrepreneurs with access to highly specialized tools as well as skill-building programs to design and develop smart health technologies.

The agreement to operate a JLABS was signed by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Division of Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., and Shanghai Pharma Engine Company, Ltd.

Applications to join JLABS @ Shanghai and other JLABS sites are currently being accepted from biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and digital health companies. For more information, visit jlabs.jnjinnovation.com.

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation

Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC focuses on accelerating all stages of innovation worldwide and forming collaborations between entrepreneurs and Johnson & Johnson's global healthcare businesses. Johnson & Johnson Innovation provides scientists, entrepreneurs and emerging companies with one-stop access to science and technology experts who can facilitate collaborations across the pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer companies of Johnson & Johnson. Under the Johnson & Johnson Innovation umbrella of businesses, we connect with innovators through our regional Innovation Centers, Johnson & Johnson Innovation | JLABS, Johnson & Johnson Innovation  JLINX, Johnson & Johnson Innovation  JJDC, Inc. and our Business Development teams to create customized deals and novel collaborations that speed development of innovations to solve unmet needs in patients. For more information, visit www.jnjinnovation.com or follow @JNJInnovation.

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS

Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS (JLABS) is a global network of open innovation ecosystems, enabling and empowering innovators to create and accelerate the delivery of life-saving, life-enhancing health and wellness solutions to patients around the world. JLABS achieves this by providing the optimal environment for emerging companies to catalyze growth and optimize their research and development by opening them to vital industry connections, delivering entrepreneurial programs and providing a capital-efficient, flexible platform where they can transform the scientific discoveries of today into the breakthrough healthcare solutions of tomorrow. At JLABS we value great ideas and are passionate about removing obstacles to success to help innovators unleash the potential of their early scientific discoveries. JLABS is a no-strings-attached model, which means entrepreneurs are free to develop their science while holding on to their intellectual property. JLABS is open to entrepreneurs across a broad healthcare spectrum including pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and digital health sectors.

JLABS currently has eight locations in innovation hot spots across North America and produces entrepreneurial programs and campaigns to seek out the best science, like the QuickFire Challenges around the globe. The JLABS flagship opened in 2012 in San Diego at Janssen's West Coast Research Center, and since then, has established two locations in San Francisco - one through a collaboration with the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) and a second standalone facility in South San Francisco. JLABS is also located in Boston through a collaboration with LabCentral, in Lowell, Massachusetts through a collaboration with UMass, in Houston through a collaboration with the Texas Medical Center (TMC), and in Toronto through a collaboration with the Ontario Government and the University of Toronto. A new JLABS @ NYC (in collaboration with the New York Genome Center) is planned to open in 2018 and the new JLABS @ Shanghai is expected to open in Q2, 2019.

SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Innovation

Related Links

https://www.jnjinnovation.com


MANILA, Philippines, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cargill Joy Poultry Meats Production, Inc. (C-Joy), a joint venture between Cargill and Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), inaugurated its new poultry processing plant in Santo Tomas, Batangas today. The plant increases income opportunities for local poultry farmers in Batangas and nearby provinces as they will supply the chickens to be processed at the JFC facility.

With a processing capacity of 45 million chickens per year, the plant is the largest in the Philippines and provides dressed and marinated chicken to meet the increased demand at JFC brands in the country. The investment, which underscores C-Joy's commitment to deliver convenient, safe and affordable chicken products to the JFC brands in the Philippines was celebrated in the presence of the Batangas 3rd District Congresswoman Ma. Theresa Collantes, Sto. Tomas Mayor Edna Sanchez, and the United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim.

Paul Fullbright, President and CEO of C-Joy said: "We are bringing protein to families' tables across the Philippines. Cargill and Jollibee came together to start this plant because of our common commitment to the highest standards in product quality and food safety. This is reflected in this new plant which harnesses technology and global experience to deliver tasty chicken products in an environment which is safe for our employees and is environmentally sustainable."

C-Joy is partnering with local poultry farmers in Batangas and nearby provinces to supply chickens to the new facility. The farming community expressed their excitement at the income opportunities and highlighted their eagerness to be providing chicken to JFC brands in the country.

"We are looking forward to producing the chickens that will be supplied to the C-Joy plant to meet the poultry meat requirements of Jollibee. One thing I was impressed about is the biosecurity requirements to control food safety at every stage of production. They are surely raising the bar there," said Mr. Vic Lao, President of Highcrest Corporation, a partner-grower of C-Joy. "We have already built a strong relationship with C-Joy and the executives from Cargill that we have met, and I am assured that this partnership will be a successful one for all parties."

Sto. Tomas Mayor Edna Sanchez welcomed the investment from Cargill and Jollibee and highlighted the positive contribution it will have on the local communities in Sto. Tomas, the province of Batangas and nearby provinces, strengthening the development of the local economy.

"We hope that this plant will eventually provide and augment work and business opportunities to poultry growers, allied services and qualified Tomasinos alike," said Mayor Sanchez. "We are looking forward to more effective and enhanced partnership between this municipality and soon to be city of Sto. Tomas and C-Joy in providing high quality and safe food products and most prominently in improving the general welfare of the community."

U.S. Ambassador Kim views the continued investments from Cargill in the Philippines as an example of the strong economic relationship between the United States and the Philippines. Philippines was the first country Cargill established its presence in Asia back in 1948.

"We are proud that U.S. companies like Cargill make investments that strengthen the economic partnership between our two countries and contribute to the economic development of the Philippines by providing livelihood opportunities, particularly in rural areas," said United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim.

JFC Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ernesto Tanmantiong gave the following statement, reiterating the one he made in May 2016 when JFC and Cargill entered into an agreement to form a joint venture to build and operate a poultry processing plant:

"We partnered with Cargill to deliver high quality chicken products through Cargill's technology and quality standards. The facility will provide JFC with dressed and marinated chicken to augment the chicken supply requirements of the growing needs of JFC brands. This partnership will meaningfully benefit our customers, our operations as well as the overall Philippine food industry. We will continue to maintain our strong relationship with key chicken suppliers in the country and look forward to sustained long-term supply arrangements with them as our businesses grow together."

About Cargill

Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and 150 years of experience. We have 155,000 employees in 70 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

About Jollibee

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), the largest Asian food service company, has over 3,600 stores in 16 countries with 7 wholly-owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King and Hong Zhuang Yuan), 2 franchised brands (Burger King in the Philippines and Dunkin' Donuts in certain territories in China) and a 60% ownership in a joint venture, the SuperFoods Group that owns Highland Coffee and Pho 24 brands. It also has minority ownership in Smashburger which has 358 stores, mostly in the United States that are not included in JFC's consolidated store count. With a strong portfolio and a mission of spreading the joy of eating, JFC aims to be among the top 5 restaurant companies in the world.

From sourcing to serving, JFC constantly works to uphold the high quality of its products by partnering with reputable suppliers and implementing stringent safety standards. JFC also empowers local farmers through programs like the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program which enables small-time farmers to directly supply to institutional buyers, thus increasing their income."

SOURCE Cargill

Related Links

http://www.cargill.com


TORONTO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Kerr Mines Inc. (TSX: KER, OTC: KERMF, FRA: 7AZ1) ("Kerr" or the "Company") is pleased to announce further results of its Phase I drilling program. KER-17U-12 interval of 32.0 feet @ 16.0 g/t Au has been extended by 28.5 feet @ 39.1 g/t Au for a final total interval length of 60.5 feet @ 27.0 g/t Au (see press release dated November 2, 2017). Phase I of the program continues to confirm significant gold mineralization and increases the confidence in expanding the resource at the Company's Copperstone project in Arizona.

Highlights

New intervals drilled from underground through the Coppertone Zone include:

28.5 feet @ 39.1 g/t Au (KER-17U-12)



10.5 feet @ 8.8 g/t Au (KER-17U-13)



28.8 feet @ 38.6 g/t Au (KER-17U-14)



14.5 feet @10.9 g/t Au (KER-17U-16)



12 feet @ 6.7 g/t Au (KER-17S-01)

Results continue to extend down-dip and up-dip gold grade and extend mineralized areas along strike in the Copperstone Zone

Drill hole spacing designed to upgrade resources from inferred to measured and indicated

Martin Kostuik, President, stated, "these continuing achievements support the confidence we have in developing this resource to its fullest potential. Attributes of high grade and continuity are regularly displayed in the drilling results"

The Copperstone Zone detachment fault system historically produced over 500,000 ounces of gold from an open pit. Continuing below the open pit, the down-dip extension of the Copperstone Zone has an undiluted mineral resource of 313,000 oz Au at 10.35 g/t Au (0.302 ounce per ton)-(311,000 measured + 2000indicated), estimated in 2010* which is being further enhanced by the Phase 1 drilling program. The Phase I 15,000 feet underground program is currently using three drills to test along strike and up/down-dip in the D and C portions of the Copperstone Zone. The program is confirming mineralized detachment fault breccia continuity from existing underground workings at depths from 100 to 400 feet below the open pit bottom.

KER-17U-12 was drilled in the northwestern portion of the Copperstone Zone, starting from below and drilling towards the northeast into the Copperstone Zone. This hole was designed to confirm previous results and had total updated results of 71 feet @ 23.1 g/t Au. Important silicic and hematitic alterations including magnetite replacement were encountered. These strong results will potentially increase the size and grade of the historic mineralized zone.

KER-17U-13 was drilled from below and towards the Copperstone Zone. KER-17U-13 is a confirmation hole ending 140 feet to the south of KER-17U-12. The results of this hole confirm historical results and also improve continuity in a sparsely explored area with the best intercept of 10.5 feet @ 8.8 g/t Au and 0.41% copper (Cu). The beginning of the mineralized portion of this hole is only 45 feet from existing workings.

KER-17U-14 was drilled from below towards the northeast and tests the down dip extension of the Copperstone Zone. KER-17U14 is designed to upgrade resources and demonstrate continuity. It also increases the dimensions of the mineralized lens in this area with high grade intercepts in two locations. This hole is 70 feet from each of KER-17U-12 and KER-17U-13 and displays an over-all interval of 88 feet @ 13.9 g/t Au. Limestone, skarn, sandstone and siltstone were encountered-with limestone becoming important to the understanding of mineral deposition. This interval has intercepts as high as 28.8 feet @ 38.6 g/t Au.

KER-17U-16 was drilled from below the Copperstone Zone but upward towards the northwest to test and confirm the up dip potential of the Copperstone Zone. KER-17U-16 tests the up dip potential of the Copperstone Zone by confirming historic results and extending the mineralized lens along dip. The overall interval of 105 feet @ 4 g/t Au included several high grade intercepts ranging from 7.7 g/t Au to 10.9 g/t Au and as high as 0.99% Cu to help define this zone. Important units of limestone and alteration including silica and hematite were encountered. The overall average grade of Cu for this 105 foot interval is 0.29%.

KER-17S-01 was drilled from the surface and vertically down into the Copperstone A Zone. KER-17S-01 tests the down dip potential of the Copperstone A Zone. An overall interval of 17 feet @ 4.8 g/t Au included a high grade interval of 7.6 feet @ 10.5 g/t Au. Important silicic and hematitic alteration was encountered in the Copperstone breccia. The results in KER-17S-01 are approximately 200 feet down dip and east of historic drill results and extend the known Copperstone A Zone mineralization by approximately 85 feet down dip while also serving to extend mineralization along strike.

Table 1. Selected Drill Results















Hole ID Zone From To Interval* Interval* Gold



ft ft ft m g/tonne KER-17U-12 D 153.0 224.0 71.0 21.6 23.1 includes

153.0 213.5 60.5 18.4 27.0 also

163.0 210.8 47.8 14.6 33.8 also

178.0 191.0 13.0 4.0 89.9 also

185.0 213.5 28.5 8.7 39.1 KER-17U-13 D 46.5 57.0 10.5 3.2 8.8 KER-17U-14

155.0 243.0 88.0 26.8 13.9 includes

178.0 206.8 28.8 8.8 38.6 also

217.0 226.0 9.0 2.7 5.6 KER-17U-16 D 48.0 153.0 105.0 32.0 4.0 includes

48.0 58.0 10.0 3.2 7.7 also

104.9 113.0 8.1 2.5 10.6 also

138.5 153.0 14.5 4.4 10.9 KER-17S-01 A 381.0 393.0 12.0 3.7 6.7 * not true width

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Michael R. Smith, Registered Geologist., who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101 for this project.

The Company is pleased to announce that Carmelo Marrelli (CPA) has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and Andrew Newbury Corporate Secretary. The Company has accepted the resignation of Christopher Hopkins from these roles.

About Kerr Mines Inc.

Kerr Mines is a North American gold development and exploration company currently advancing the 100% owned, fully permitted past-producing Copperstone Mine project. Copperstone is a high-grade gold project located along a detachment fault mineral belt in mining-friendly Arizona. The project demonstrates significant upside exploration potential within a 4,775 hectare (11,800 acres) land package that includes a production history of over 500,000 ounces of gold. The Company's current focus is on maximizing Copperstone's potential by defining and expanding current resources and strengthening the mine's economics leading to a production decision.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control Statement

Procedures have been implemented to assure Quality Assurance Quality Control (QAQC) of drill hole assaying being done at American Assay Laboratories (American), which is ISO Accredited. All portions of drill holes are being assayed and samples are securely stored for shipment to American, with chain of custody documentation through delivery. Mineralized commercial reference standards and coarse blank standards are inserted every 20th sample in sequence and results are graphed to assure acceptable results, resulting in high confidence of the drill hole assay results. When laboratory assays are received, the QAQC results are immediately evaluated and graphed to analyze dependability of the drill hole assays. As the Copperstone Project advances, additional QAQC measures will be implemented including 1) selected duplicate assaying being done at a second accredited assay laboratory, 2) duplicate assaying of selected intervals of core (quarter splits) and reverse circulation drilling samples, and 3) metallic screen assays of selected remaining laboratory rejects. All results will be analyzed for consistency.

*Mineral Resource Tabulation  Model capped at 5.0 oz Au/t with a 0.15 oz Au/t cutoff grade, 1,038,000 tons (1,029,000 measured + 9,000 indicated) - NI 43-101 Technical Feasibility Report, Copperstone Project, February 11, 2010. Limited mining of this resource occurred in the period between Q4 2012 and Q3 2013 and updated tons will be tabulated when a new resource is estimated in early 2018.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including current expectations on the timing of the commencement of production and the rate of production, if commenced. These forward-looking statements entail various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on current expectations, are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, and actual results may differ materially from those contained in such statements. These uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, the strength of the Canadian economy; the price of gold; operational, funding, and liquidity risks; the degree to which mineral resource estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources; and the degree to which factors which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable are present; the risks and hazards associated with underground operations. Risks and uncertainties about Kerr Mines' business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials, including its annual information form and MD&A, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and available at www.sedar.com and readers are urged to read these materials. Kerr Mines assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such statements unless required by law.

Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release and no stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

SOURCE Kerr Mines Inc.

Related Links

www.kerrmines.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kroll ("the Company"), a global leader in risk mitigation, investigations, compliance, cyber resilience, security, and incident response solutions, today announced it has partnered with data science consultancy Sigmoidal as its artificial intelligence (AI) technology partner for Kroll's Due Diligence and Compliance suite of services. Together with the Company's deep knowledge, global resources, and wide-ranging compliance offerings, the integration of AI into Kroll's proprietary technology reflects the Company's commitment to continuous innovation and process improvements in support of compliance professionals worldwide.

"Organizations today are under extraordinary pressure to meet expanding regulatory mandates. The seemingly endless torrent of disparate sources, types, and volumes of available information further complicates the challenge. Kroll will use AI to facilitate and continuously refine our rigorous and comprehensive search processes; this in turn will optimize our ability to provide clients with highly relevant information and meaningful context in the most timely way possible," said Steven Bock, Managing Director and Head of Operations and Research with Kroll's Compliance practice. "Sigmoidal emerged as our AI partner for its innovative, robust, and scalable capabilities  as well as strong customer-centric philosophy  to deliver on the complex and evolving needs of our clients worldwide."

"Artificial intelligence is the catalyst that gives humans more time to do what they do best  think creatively," said Mariusz Kierski, CEO of Sigmoidal. "We are pleased to partner with Kroll and its world-class team of distinguished analysts and investigators to take artificial intelligence to the next level for its clients. By leveraging Kroll's deep research expertise and decades of fieldwork, we will continually refine Kroll's artificial intelligence capabilities to help provide curated insights faster than ever before. The ultimate goal is to rapidly provide Kroll's team with a comprehensive and relevant baseline data set, enabling analysts to focus more on adding valuable context and insights that matter most to clients."

About Kroll:

Kroll is the leading global provider of risk solutions. For more than 40 years, Kroll has helped clients make confident risk management decisions about people, assets, operations and security through a wide range of investigations, cyber security, due diligence and compliance, physical and operational security and data and information management services. Headquartered in New York with more than 35 offices in 20 countries, Kroll has a multidisciplinary team of nearly 1,000 employees and serves a global clientele of law firms, financial institutions, corporations, non-profit institutions, government agencies and individuals. For more information visit www.kroll.com.

About Sigmoidal:

Sigmoidal is a data science and machine learning consultancy that helps businesses automate data and text processing using data analytics and artificial intelligence, with a global clientele spanning hedge funds, financial institutions, military, and autonomous drone companies. Sigmoidal's staff of AI researchers, engineers, and data analysts brings experience from working with technology companies, such as Microsoft, Google, and NVIDIA, management consulting firms, such as McKinsey and PwC, and government agencies. For more information, visit sigmoidal.io.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's performance and growth, and other non-historical statements. Forward-looking statements identify prospective information. Important factors could cause actual results to differ, possibly materially, from those stated in the forward-looking statements. In some cases you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "potential," "should," "will" and "would" or the negatives thereof, variations thereof or other similar words. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss the Company's future priorities, goals, strategies, actions to improve business performance, market growth assumptions and expectations, future business opportunities, capital expenditures, financing needs, financial position and other information that is not historical information or state other "forward-looking" information. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by which, such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking information is based on information available at the time and/or management's good faith belief with respect to future events, and is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect thereto or with respect to other forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Kroll

Related Links

http://www.kroll.com


L2L has gained an outstanding reputation connecting brands, talent, business, communities, government and media partners to create winning solutions. The company has experienced exponential growth, reporting a 52 percent increase in new client signings since 2016. The company's founder and president, Arminda "Mindy" Figueroa, credits much of the success to her team's laser-focused mission to "romance clients at every turn," a paradigm shift in how traditional marketing agencies view and work with their clients.

"We've made a conscious and concentrated effort to be different, to internalize our clients' fears and goals, and make them our own," said Figueroa. "We develop quick-to-market engagement solutions based on insights that drive growth and ROI."

Other high-profile clients recently joining the Agency include Trustbridge Hospice, Latinarrific, Novus Shoes, GYM GUYZ Fort Lauderdale, Elements Massage Fort Lauderdale, The Surgery Center at Doral, Dr. Doggie-Victor Oppenheimer, MARC Institute and South Florida Symphony Orchestra. These are in addition to existing partners, including Badia Hand to Shoulder Center, Hispanic Unity, Northwell Health-Lenox Hill Hospital, OrthoNOW Orthopedic Urgent Care Center and PBS Kids.

L2L embarks on a further expansion of services by acting as the U.S. marketing arm of Puerto Rican and Latin American corporations and organizations seeking expertise in the United States. As the AOR for AGMUS in the United States, L2L is responsible for building awareness and driving enrollment for both the university and its unique dual-language model of higher education. The Agency's first campaign, entitled, Tu Tienes Valor (You Have Courage / Worth), hit the market earlier this year.

"From the first meeting with Latin2Latin, we were very impressed with their keen ability to internalize our goals and opportunities, and then develop a quick-to-market strategic roadmap that would contribute to the turnaround of the Ana G. Mendez U.S. organization," said Jose F. Mendez Mendez, president. "L2L's years of marketing expertise, coupled with its unmatched education experience, has transformed our outreach to effectively engage today's student population through a multi-media platform strategy, reducing cost per enrollment by 60 percent and generating cost savings of $1M by eliminating an outsourced call center, in just the first three months of their engagement."

On the heels of this rapid growth, Figueroa was named a 2017 Influential Business Women of the Year by South Florida Business Journal and awarded a Golden Mouse for Multicultural Marketer of the Year by the Florida Chapter of Women in Ecommerce. The Agency was nominated for the third time for the Small Business of the Year Award by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce after having won the award twice prior and, most recently, the Agency took 2nd place at the 2017 NAMIC Excellence in Multicultural Marketing Awards (EMMA) in the Integrated Marketing Campaigns category for Life YES! Diabetes NO! a diabetes prevention education and engagement campaign for client partner Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

About Latin2Latin Marketing + Communications (L2L)

Latin2Latin Marketing + Communications is an MBE-certified, award-winning agency headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, with a network of collaborators across the United States and LATAM. L2L connects brands, talent, businesses, communities, government and media partners to create winning solutions that are quick-to-market and deliver ROI for its client partners. L2L is also the creator of Latin Ready Assessment, an innovative growth tool that evaluates how prepared organizations are to address the Latino community. Learn more at https://goo.gl/gmrHd1.

Media Inquiries

Debra Kronowitz

[email protected]

954-376-4800

SOURCE Latin2Latin Marketing + Communications (L2L)
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leanplum, the leader in mobile engagement, today announced the release of Campaign Composer, an intuitive visual solution for building personalized marketing campaigns that sets a new standard for usability, ease, and sophistication. Sitting at the heart of the Leanplum platform, Campaign Composer leverages rich mobile insights and behavioral data to help marketers map the customer journey at every touchpoint and build responsive, multi-channel campaigns at the individual user level.

Leanplum: Mobile engagement delivered

Campaign Composer is the industry's first and only solution to unify the campaign workflow across all engagement channels, in and out of the app, delivering a connected, end-to-end user experience that drives deeper engagement and long-term loyalty.

"The mobile phone is a uniquely engaging device, enabling rich context and personalization for today's marketing teams to leverage," said Momchil Kyurkchiev, CEO and co-founder, Leanplum. "The new Campaign Composer helps marketers move away from the batch and blast approach, and instead respond to their users' behaviors in real-time. Leanplum is building the next generation marketing cloud, deepening customer relationships and driving growth through the most personal device we know."

Key capabilities of Campaign Composer include:

Responsive campaigns across channels. Build campaigns across push notifications, in-app messages, email, web push, app inbox, and the in-app experience. Based on individual user behaviors, marketers can tailor campaigns to each unique journey, resulting in closer relationships at scale.

Campaigns that extend to the app experience. Develop campaigns that align messaging and in-app content, images, UI, or even features or functionality. Marketers can easily respond to user actions and context to deliver a personalized in-app experience  all without additional engineering resources. For example, automatically apply a discount or activate a free trial of a premium service based on user behavior or campaign response.

Automated intelligence for campaign optimization. Because of Leanplum's rich data collection, Campaign Composer delivers campaign feedback to help marketers optimize timing, audience size, channel impact, localization languages, and more. Marketers can proactively understand both the future impact of their campaigns and how to improve results for higher business impact.

Full end-to-end campaign previews. Marketers can now see previews of how individual messages will appear on a mobile device, as well as a bird's eye view of entire campaigns at-a-glance.

"In a crowded climate, hotel brands are striving to achieve long-term loyalty through innovation," said Andy Pollinger, product marketing manager, Choice Hotels International. "Choice Hotels is a company that uses technology to connect more than 200 million people to our hotels every year. Understanding our users and their preferences across their individual customer journey is key to engaging with them. Campaign Composer by Leanplum is an important solution that helps improve and tailors the guest experience by receiving real-time responses to customer behavior."

Capturing more than 16 billion mobile data points daily across its end-to-end platform, Leanplum provides the real-time insights and capabilities to help marketers deliver in-the-moment engagement across every user's journey  at volume. Last month, the company announced $47 million in Series D funding to build the marketing cloud of the future, and Campaign Composer is the next step in this journey.

To demo Leanplum and find out about job opportunities, come say hello at www.leanplum.com and follow us on Twitter @leanplum.

About Leanplum

Leanplum is the mobile marketing platform built for engagement. Brands rely on Leanplum to help them orchestrate multi-channel campaigns  from messaging to the in-app experience  all from a single, integrated platform. Global brands such as Tinder, Grab, Tesco, and Zynga turn to Leanplum to accelerate growth and build long-term customer relationships. Founded in 2012, Leanplum is based in San Francisco, with offices across North America, Europe, and Asia. Leanplum has received more than $93 million in funding from Norwest Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Shasta Ventures. Leanplum has been named to Business Insider's Most Valuable Enterprise Startups and SF Business Times' Best Places to Work. Learn more at www.leanplum.com.

Media Contacts

Leanplum

Maya Komadina

925-200-2469

[email protected]

SOURCE Leanplum

Related Links

http://www.leanplum.com


QUEBEC CITY, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At CES 2018from January 9 to 12 in Las Vegas, NevadaLeddarTech will be presenting the LeddarCore LCA2, the industry's first 3D solid-state LiDAR (SSL) integrated circuit (IC) enabling mass production of automotive LiDARs, in the Leddar Ecosystem pavilion.

Get Ready for CES 2018: LeddarTech Is Taking Center Stage The Leddar Ecosystem pavilion LeddarTech's Delegates

The LeddarCore LCA2 has been named a CES 2018 Best of Innovation Awards Honoree in two categories: Vehicle Intelligence and Self-Driving Technology, and Embedded Technologies. This groundbreaking product is the world's first solution enabling rapid industrialization of 3D solid-state flash LiDARs that meet the automotive industry's stringent requirements in terms of cost, performance and reliability. Delivering on LeddarTech's aggressive product roadmap to support autonomous driving applications, the LeddarCore LCA2 makes commercial SSL deployments by automotive OEMs possible as early as 2020.

The latest SSL solutions based on the company's flagship LeddarCore solid-state LiDAR ICs will be on demonstration in the Leddar Ecosystem pavilion at CES 2018. These include LCA2 IC engineering samples and LCA2-based 3D Flash LiDAR modules (A-samples). Also on display will be discrete implementations of LiDAR systems showcasing the LeddarCore LCA3, which is currently under development with the first samples to be made available in 2018.

The powerful LeddarCore ICs generate up to 245 000 digitized waveforms per second, from nearly 1.3 billion samples and as many sample-based arithmetic operations. These waveforms are further processed using LeddarTech's proprietary signal processing algorithms, which perform over 25 billion operations per second; this produces a rich LiDAR data set enabling the most advanced ADAS and autonomous driving applications.

The Right Technology with the Right Business Model

Backed by a recent investment of US$101 million from strategic partners, in addition to multiple commercial agreements with key automotive industry players, LeddarTech sets itself apart from other LiDAR suppliers with its unique business model based on patented Leddar technology. Through this approach, LeddarTech delivers its core proprietary LiDAR know-how to Tier-1 manufacturers embedded within LeddarCore ICs, and partners with them to develop custom SSL reference designs that meet the specifications of individual OEMs. The strategic investors, who have also signed commercial agreements with LeddarTech, include Delphi, IDT, Magneti Marelli and Osram.

"More key suppliers and Tier-1 manufacturers are turning to us over other LiDAR vendors because we deliver on our promises," said Charles Boulanger, LeddarTech CEO. Added Boulanger, "They now see LeddarTech as a definitive reference in automotive SSL and recognize that the combination of our unique technology and flexible business model represents the safest and fastest path to high-volume production and deployment of LiDARs for autonomous driving applications."

Leddar Ecosystem Pavilion

LeddarTech will be joined in its pavilion by many Leddar Ecosystem members who supply various specialized components, software and systems for use in the design of SSLs based on LeddarCore ICs.

These exhibiting members include:

Optical components: Osram, Hamamatsu, Trilumina

Osram, Hamamatsu, Trilumina R-Car systems on chip: Renesas

Renesas Integrated circuits: IDT

IDT Operating systems: Blackberry QNX

Blackberry QNX Optics simulation tools: OPTIS

OPTIS Sensor cleaning systems: dlhBowles

dlhBowles Integrator: AutonomouStuff

AutonomouStuff Industry association: Mov'eo

A complete list of the Ecosystem members is available on the LeddarTech website .

"The Leddar Ecosystem is a unique consortium of world-renowned suppliers that meets industry requirements for multiple sourcing of critical components used in the development of LiDAR solutions," said Luc Langlois, LeddarTech's Vice-President of Marketing. "Its members are truly committed to the LeddarCore program and provide product offerings that fulfill the requirements of Leddar technology for optimal alignment with our roadmap and our customers' needs," he added. "This ecosystem benefits our Tier-1 clients by giving them access to a wide variety of design choices, as well as various cost and performance optionsallowing them to tailor LiDAR end-products to their intended applications, and not the other way around."

Product integrations featuring Leddar SSLs will also be displayed in the CES exhibition booths of various LeddarTech Ecosystem members and strategic partners, including Magneti Marelli, Osram, Trilumina, Renesas and AutonomouStuff.

Follow LeddarTech news from CES at LeddarTech.com/CES2018.

About LeddarTech

LeddarTech is the developer and owner of Leddar, a patented solid-state LiDAR sensing technology that constitutes a novel approach to light detection and ranging. Developed over 10+ years of R&D, Leddar is a unique combination of advanced light wave digital signal processing and software algorithms that enable the production of solid-state LiDARs delivering superior performance and reliability at a highly competitive price. LeddarTech sensors are used in multiple mobility-related markets including automotive, intelligent transport systems, drones, and industrial vehicles. Its technology contributes to improving safety and quality of life through applications minimizing the risks of accidents, reducing traffic congestion, and improving transport efficiency. www.leddartech.com

LeddarTech, Leddar, Leddar Ecosystem and LeddarCore are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeddarTech Inc.

Source and information:

Marc Antoine Morin

Marketing Communication Manager, LeddarTech

+1-418-653-9000, ext. 221

Cell: +1-514-515-0607

[email protected]

Stephane Duquet

Product Marketing Manager, LeddarTech

+1-418-653-9000, ext. 244

Cell: +1-418-455-1650

[email protected]

SOURCE LeddarTech
DALLAS, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Accomplished trial lawyer Mark Werbner of Dallas litigation firm Sayles Werbner will address Texas lawyers about his decade-long quest to hold the Arab Bank responsible for providing financial support to U.S.-designated terror organizations.

Werbner will discuss Linde, et al. v. Arab Bank PLC in a presentation titled, "Fighting Terror-Financing in the Courtroom," during the State Bar of Texas Litigation Update Institute's 34th annual course in January 2018.

In 2014, a jury in New York sided with Werbner, finding Jordan-based Arab Bank responsible for providing financial services to Hamas for 24 terror attacks during the "Second Intifada" in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The verdict was the culmination of a lawsuit filed in 2004 to obtain justice for nearly 300 American victims and their families. The case marked the first liability verdict against a foreign bank for violating the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Currently under review by the U.S. Supreme Court is Jesner, et al., v. Arab Bank, a related case that would clarify if the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) applies to corporations under the 1789 U.S. law.

The Linde verdict earned Werbner the 2016 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from Public Justice, which honors attorneys who made the greatest contribution to the public interest through their work in precedent-setting, socially significant cases. His work has also been consistently recognized in top legal publications, such as The Best Lawyers in America.

Sayles Werbner maintains an international reputation as a proven trial law firm in complex business litigation, life-altering personal injury cases, and practically every type of case that requires courtroom expertise. To learn more, visit swtriallaw.com.

Media Contact:

Sophia Reza

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Sayles Werbner

Related Links

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"Lockheed Martin values our partnership with NSPA to provide NATO member countries with realistic live-fire training for employment of Paveway II Laser Guided Bombs," said Jason Golden, ELGTR program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "International and domestic air and ground crews benefit from this cost-effective and capable solution to refine operational employment tactics."

Lockheed Martin has produced more than 160,000 advanced training rounds for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and international customers. Recognized worldwide as the only live-fire training solution for warfighters, ELGTR is compatible with F-16, F/A-18, AV-8B and various international aircraft platforms.

In addition to ELGTR, Lockheed Martin's 350,000-square-foot production facility in Archbald, Pennsylvania, designs and manufactures combat-proven Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) kits and the Paragon direct attack munition. More than 100,000 LGB kits and 7,000 Dual Mode LGB kits have been delivered to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and 24 international customers.

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

PAVEWAY is a registered trademark of a third party in the EU and several other countries and is used by Lockheed Martin Corporation under license.

SOURCE Lockheed Martin
Each year, L'Oreal USA partners with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to identify five exceptional U.S.-based female postdoctoral scientists who are granted $60,000 each to advance their research. Over the last 14 years, the L'Oreal USA For Women in Science fellowship program has awarded 70 postdoctoral women scientists more than $3.5 million in grants. The program attracts incredibly talented applicants from a variety of scientific fields, representing some of the nation's leading academic institutions and laboratories.

"The For Women in Science program was created out of the belief that the world needs science and science needs women," said Lauren Paige, Vice President of Public Affairs & Strategic Initiatives at L'Oreal USA. "As a company that relies on the contributions of a global scientific workforce that is 70% women, we're proud to honor extraordinary female scientists and support their ongoing research to change the world."

The 2017 For Women in Science fellowship recipients were recognized last month at a ceremony at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. for their pioneering research across a broad range of fields including immunobiology, mechanical and biomedical engineering, evolutionary biology, physics and biology.

"I feel proud to have been chosen as a For Women in Science fellow, and honored with the responsibility of encouraging more women to pursue careers in STEM," said Sydney Schreppler, a 2017 L'Oreal USA For Women in Science Fellow and current postdoctoral researcher in Physics at UC Berkeley. "I appreciate that the program not only awards women's achievements in research, but also celebrates their contributions in mentoring. Having strong female mentors has been critical to my career as a research scientist, so I'm thrilled that I can support a new young woman colleague in my group with my fellowship funding."

Application Process:

The 2018 L'Oreal USA For Women in Science fellowship application period begins on December 4, 2017 and runs until February 2, 2018. Applicants should have exceptional academic records, clearly articulated research proposals with the potential for scientific achievement, outstanding letters of recommendation from advisors and demonstrated success or interest in supporting women and girls in STEM through community service or outreach initiatives.

AAAS manages the program's two-round application and peer-review process. In the first round, applications are evaluated by experienced scientists in the candidates' respective fields. In the second round, a distinguished Jury of eminent scientists evaluates the top-ranked candidates and selects the five winners. Fellowship winners will be announced in October and the awards ceremony will follow in Washington, D.C. Applications and additional information are available at www.lorealusa.com/forwomeninscience.

The U.S. fellowships are part of the global For Women in Science program, a partnership between the L'Oreal Foundation and UNESCO, to provide support for women researchers on all continents and at different points in their careers. Throughout its nearly twenty year history, the program has recognized more than 2,500 women, including two Nobel Prize recipients, in 115 countries.

ABOUT L'OREAL USA

L'Oreal USA is the largest subsidiary of the L'Oreal Group, the world's leading beauty company. L'Oreal USA manages a portfolio of more than 30 iconic beauty brands, including Garnier, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Kerastase, Lancome, La Roche-Posay, L'Oreal Paris and Yves Saint Laurent Beaute. L'Oreal USA also serves as the international hub for the product development and marketing strategy for L'Oreal's 16 American brands: Baxter of California, Carol's Daughter, Clarisonic, Dermablend, Essie, IT Cosmetics, Kiehl's, Matrix, Maybelline New York, Mizani, NYX Professional Makeup, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Softsheen-Carson, SkinCeuticals and Urban Decay. Generating more than $6 billion in sales annually, L'Oreal USA is committed to growth through sustainable innovation, driven by the company's Sharing Beauty With All ambition for sustainable development across the Group's value chain. The company is headquartered in New York City, employs more than 11,000 people, and operates administrative, research, manufacturing and distribution facilities across 14 states, including Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Washington. For more information, visit www.lorealusa.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @LOrealUSA.

ABOUT AAAS

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science as well as Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, the digital, open-access journal Science Advances, Science Robotics and Science Immunology. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes some 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news website, a service of AAAS. See www.aaas.org.

SOURCE L'Oreal USA

Related Links

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PARK CITY, Utah, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- LuMee LLC, creator of the original patented, illuminated LuMee, LuMee Two and LuMee Duo cases, today unveiled the LuMee Duo and LuMee Selfie cases for iPhone X. The new cases offer a 15% thinner design, pass through wireless charging capability, softer rails for easy removal, a detachable wrist strap to effortlessly capture impromptu photos and enhanced lighting to complement the phone's portrait feature, making the LuMee iPhone X cases the sleekest and most technologically advanced products LuMee has ever produced.

Like the original LuMee Duo, the new LuMee Duo for iPhone X has front and back-facing LED lights on both sides of the case, now with four additional LEDs on the back to provide brighter rear-facing lighting to capture life's special moments. Similar to the LuMee Two, The LuMee Selfie for iPhone X is equipped with two rows of LED lighting on the front of the case, providing a professional glow that allows users to take their photos to the next level, because every selfie should be a LuMee selfie.

"As a professional photographer, I developed LuMee with the goal of offering all mobile photography enthusiasts a tool for creativity that outshines all others, which is why as smartphones advance, LuMee cases advance right alongside them," said Allan Shoemake, Creative Director and inventor of the original LuMee case. "Complementary to the iPhone X's advanced picture-taking capabilities, the LuMee Duo and LuMee Selfie cases for iPhone X provide continuous illumination for photos and videos; featuring soft, flattering, customizable ambient lighting that brightens and heightens all mobile studio needs, from start to finish."

The LuMee Duo for iPhone X, available for pre-order at LuMee.com today, comes in Rose Matte, Black Matte, Pearl White and White Marble, retailing for $69.95. Available for pre-sale later this month, The LuMee Selfie for iPhone X will be available in Black Marble and Pink Quartz, retailing for $49.95.

"The LuMee Duo and LuMee Selfie for iPhone X were created to grant customers instant accessibility to capture breathtaking images and videos of the highest quality, straight from the iPhone X, with the idea that every moment can be a well-captured memory," said Robert G. Pedersen II, partner and LuMee's Chairman and CEO. "As our most advanced technology to date, LuMee's iPhone X cases are unlike any others on the market and are an absolute must-have for all mobile content creators."

In addition to the new iPhone X cases, LuMee is expanding its accessory offerings, which will soon include the LuMee Power Light, a power charger with an LED lighting panel and a USB-C charging port to allow for ultra-fast charging capabilities. The Power Light is another great tool that provides an additional light source for photographers and cinematographers, offering a strobe light effect and dimming capabilities. Available for purchase at LuMee.com on December 15th, the Power Light will retail for $49.95 and comes in Rose and Black. LuMee's new line of accessories also includes the LuMee Ring, available in Rose Matte and Black Matte for $9.95, and LuMee Wallet, available in Rose Matte and Black Matte for $12.95, both on sale now on LuMee.com.

About LuMee LLC:

LuMee is one of the fastest-growing consumer electronics accessories and lighting companies in the world, with a line of smartphone cases that enable users to capture professional quality images and create optimal conditions for video chatting. Since the 2014 launch of the LuMee Case, the brand's flagship and patented front-facing LED lit smartphone protective case, the company has caught the eye of celebrities and trendsetters like Kim Kardashian West, who rave about the product's ability to achieve the perfect smartphone photo. Co-founder & partner Allan Shoemake, a professional photographer who has taken pictures of many U.S. presidents and celebrities, devised the concept as a way to improve mobile phone lighting in his own life; now, the company, with offices in in Park City and Holladay, Utah, is revolutionizing the way mobile photographers of all skill levels are able to shoot images on their smartphone. LuMee Cases range from $49.95 to $69.95 and are available in many colors. To order or for more information, visit LuMee.com.

Media Contact:

Chelsea Giacobbe

Coburn Communication

[email protected]

SOURCE LuMee LLC

Related Links

http://lumee.com


PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Luxul , a Draper, Utah-based designer and manufacturer of simple-to-deploy, professional-grade IP networking solutions for residential and commercial installations, has selected InGear as its exclusive media relations and content marketing agency. Effective immediately, InGear will work with Luxul to increase its brand awareness in the AV industry.

Designed for custom installation professionals, and only available through authorized distributors, Luxul offers a complete line of routers, wireless solutions, switches, and accessories that dramatically simplify network design and deployment  resulting in a scalable network that is both powerful and easy to install.

"As IP networking continues to grow in importance for smart spaces, we need to raise our brand awareness in the AV industry and show how our solutions impact integrators' offerings and make their customers' lives easier," said Mike Grubb, vice president of marketing at Luxul. "With its unmatched expertise and industry knowledge, InGear is in a unique position to develop an integrated marketing-communications approach that will reach all key shareholders, from dealers and prospects to the media."

"As a central element of the smart home and office, IP networking as a category fits quite nicely within the InGear ecosystem of brands," said Veronica Esbona, president of InGear. "It's an addition made even more exciting by Luxul's reputation for quality and leadership in networking technology. We look forward to working closely with the company to tell its story to the world."

About InGear

InGear is a full-service content marketing agency focused on the professional AV, custom installation, and consumer electronics markets. With offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Portland, and Salt Lake City, the agency serves an international range of clients with global media relations activities, social media strategies, and high-impact customer outreach and influencer programs. Visit InGear on the web at www.InGearPR.com.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AV_Buzz

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/InGearPR

SOURCE InGear PR

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LONDON, Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5228063







Report Details

M2M  our new study reveals trends, R&D progress, and predicted revenues

Where is the M2M market heading? If you are involved in this sector you must read this newly updated report. Visiongain's report shows you the potential revenues streams to 2027, assessing data, trends, opportunities and business prospects there.



Discover how to stay ahead

Our 202-page report provides 160 tables, charts, and graphs. Read on to discover the most lucrative areas in the industry and the future market prospects. Our new study lets you assess forecasted sales at overall world market and regional level. See financial results, trends, opportunities, and revenue predictions. Much opportunity remains in this growing M2M market. See how to exploit the opportunities.



Forecasts to 2027 and other analyses reveal the commercial prospects

 In addition to revenue forecasting to 2027, our new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares.

 You find original analyses, with business outlooks and developments.

 Discover qualitative analyses (including market dynamics, drivers, opportunities, restraints and challenges), product profiles and commercial developments.



Discover sales predictions for the world market and submarkets

Along with revenue prediction for the overall world market, there are forecasts for 10 sub-markets, each forecasted at a global and regional level.



Global M2M Market by Sub-Market

 Retail

 Automotive and Transport

 Healthcare

 Aerospace and Defence

 Industrial and Manufacturing

 Security

 Utilities / Energy

 Financial Services

 Government

 Others



In addition to the revenue predictions for the overall world market and segments, you will also find revenue forecasts for 5 regional and 12 leading national markets:



North America:

 US

 Canada



Latin America:

 Brazil

 Rest of Latin America



Europe:

 Germany

 The UK

 Italy

 France

 Russia

 Rest of Europe



Asia-Pacific:

 Japan

 China

 India

 Rest of Asia-Pacific



MEA:

 South Africa

 Rest of MEA



The report also includes profiles and for some of the leading companies in the M2M market, with a focus on this segment of these companies' operations.

There will be growth in both established and in developing countries. Our analyses show that the both developed and developing markets, India, the UK and Italy in particular, will continue to achieve high revenue growth to 2027.

Leading companies and the potential for market growth

Overall world revenue for M2M will surpass $31bn in 2017, our work calculates. We predict strong revenue growth through to 2027.

Our work identifies which organisations hold the greatest potential. Discover their capabilities, progress, and commercial prospects, helping you stay ahead.

How the M2M Market report helps you



In summary, our 202-page report provides you with the following knowledge:

 Revenue forecasts to 2027 for the M2M market, with forecasts for 10 sub-markets, each forecasted at a global and regional level  discover the industry's prospects, finding the most lucrative places for investments and revenues

 Connections forecasts to 2027 for the M2M market, with forecasts for 10 sub-markets, each forecasted at a global and regional level  discover the industry's prospects, finding the most lucrative places for investments and revenues

 Revenue forecasts to 2027 for 5 regional and 12 key national markets  See forecasts for the M2M market in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and MEA. Also forecasted is the market in the US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Russia, China, India, Japan and South Africa

 What stimulates and restrains companies and the market

 Prospects for established firms and those seeking to enter the market  including company profiles for 11 of the major companies involved in the M2M market



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5228063



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pareteum Corporation (NYSE American: TEUM), ("Pareteum" or the "Company"), the rapidly growing mobile Cloud Communications Platform company, announced today that its previously awarded $24 Million agreement with a leading Eastern European telecommunications company has been extended to now include Smart City.

A Smart City is an urban area that uses different types of electronic data collection sensors to supply information used to manage assets and resources efficiently. This includes data collected from citizens, devices, and assets that is processed and analyzed to monitor and manage traffic and transportation systems, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals, and other community services. The smart city concept integrates information and communication technology with various physical devices connected to the network (the Internet of Things or IoT) to optimize the efficiency of city operations and services and connect to citizens. Smart City technology allows city officials to interact directly with both community and city infrastructure and to monitor what is happening in the city and how the city is evolving.

The Smart City award will add an incremental $8 Million revenue over the next five years. The overall program with the Eastern European telecommunications company is currently in deployment and activation. The Smart City initiatives include clean air monitoring, first responder networks, smart grid, smart meters, energy management, location tracking and high bandwidth Internet.

Vic Bozzo, Chief Executive Officer of Pareteum, commented, "We are really pleased with our progress with our leading Eastern European telecommunications client and this incremental contract award further demonstrates our abilities and expertise in connectivity and the Internet of Things enablement of mobility, messaging and security. This new contract adds an incremental $8 million in revenue and we look forward to participating in additional growth as we build out this Smart City."

Hal Turner, Founder and Executive Chairman of Pareteum, stated, "The Smart City vision is a significant one and so is the global market opportunity. Smart Cities are interconnected, sustainable, low carbon cities striving to be more competitive, livable and attract more investment than traditional counterparts. We believe our connectivity and IoT's enablement position us well to succeed in this emerging opportunity. The vision spans mobility, transport, buildings, infrastructure, energy and water management, security, even healthcare and governance and is expected to grow to $1.5 trillion in 2020."

About Pareteum Corporation

The mission of Pareteum Corporation (NYSE American: TEUM) is to connect "every person and everything". Organizations use Pareteum to energize their growth and profitability through cloud communication services and complete turnkey solutions featuring relevant content, applications, and connectivity worldwide. By harnessing the value of communications, Pareteum serves retail, enterprise and IoT customers. Pareteum currently has offices in New York, Sao Paulo, Madrid, Barcelona, Bahrain and the Netherlands. For more information please visit: www.pareteum.com.

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, without limitation, statements with respect to Pareteum's plans and objectives, projections, expectations and intentions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Pareteum's industry, management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Because such statements involve risks and uncertainties, the actual results and performance of Pareteum may differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise required by law, Pareteum also disclaims any obligation to update its view of any such risks or uncertainties or to announce publicly the result of any revisions to the forward-looking statements made here. Additional information concerning certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested in Pareteum's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available from the SEC or may be obtained upon request from Pareteum Corporation.

Contractual Revenue Backlog Definition:

Contractual revenue backlog is measured on a forward looking 36 month snapshot view monthly, and, is generated by each of the Company's Managed Services, Global Mobility Cloud, and Application Exchange & Developer's Platform customers. The Pareteum multi-year Software-as-a-Service agreements include service establishment and implementation fees, guaranteed minimum monthly recurring fees, as well as contractually scheduled subscribers, in some cases including subscriber usage, during the term of the agreement, and, their resulting monthly recurring revenue. There can be no assurances that we reach the total revenue backlog. The revenue backlog assumes timing of revenue recognition that may vary from actual results.

Pareteum Investor Relations Contacts:

Ted O'Donnell

Chief Financial Officer

(212) 984-1096

[email protected]

Hayden IR

(917) 658-7878

SOURCE Pareteum Corporation

Related Links

http://www.pareteum.com


STAINES-UPON-THAMES, United Kingdom, Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, announced results from a retrospective, claims-based analysis providing health economic insights on the use of medication and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) among patients with infantile spasms in the 90 days prior to receipt of H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) therapy. The findings were presented in a poster session at the American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting, held Dec. 1-5, in Washington, D.C.

"This analysis showed a substantial healthcare burden among all patients with infantile spasms prior to initiation of H.P. Acthar Gel therapy, suggesting a delay in diagnosis or the possible presence of complex seizure types, as well as a delay in receipt of appropriate therapy," said Tunde Otulana, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Mallinckrodt. "Children who develop infantile spasms are at great risk for seizures, autism spectrum disorders, and developmental delays.1 Therefore, gaining insight into real-world treatment patterns leading up to the use of approved therapy is critical."

Infantile spasms is a rare condition that is often difficult to recognize,2 even by physicians. Symptoms may appear similar to other common disorders, which may adversely impact time to diagnosis, receipt of approved therapy and health outcomes.2 H.P. Acthar Gel is a first-line monotherapy indicated for the treatment of infantile spasms in infants and children under two years of age.3 Please see Important Safety Information below.

The intended audiences of the study below are population-based decision makers with knowledge and expertise in the area of health care economic analysis and its limitations.

Medication Utilization Patterns Prior to Use of Repository Corticotropin Injection in Patients with Infantile Spasms (AES# 3.279)

Key study highlights include:

Antiepileptic drugs were the most frequently dispensed medications (38.3% of patients).

A substantial mean all-cause HCRU was observed among all patients with infantile spasms in the 90 days prior to initiation of H.P. Acthar Gel therapy, as delineated by the following:

11.4 outpatient care visits



10.0 non-specialist healthcare provider visits



2.5 specialist healthcare provider visits



1.0 inpatient/hospital stay



0.4 emergency room visits



4.2 medications dispensed via pharmacy

All measures of HCRU, per person per month, generally increased with time and across treatment groups, peaking in the one month prior to initiation of H.P. Acthar Gel.

The lowest mean all-cause HCRU was seen in patients receiving H.P. Acthar Gel first and patients receiving corticosteroids only, with the latter group having more inpatient/hospital stays (+0.2) and prescription medications (+2.8). The highest mean all-cause HCRU was seen in patients taking multiple classes of medication prior to H.P. Acthar Gel.

Even the lowest HCRU (i.e., patients receiving H.P. Acthar Gel first) imposed a notable and potentially mitigable healthcare burden, including: 9.5 outpatient care visits; 8.4 non-specialist healthcare provider visits; 1.9 specialist healthcare provider visits; 0.8 inpatient/hospital stays; 0.3 emergency room visits; and 1.9 prescription medications.

"This analysis provides new insights into the impact of potential delays in diagnosis and management of infantile spasms," said Laura Gold, PhD, Primary Investigator and lead author of the study. "These findings underscore the considerable healthcare burden placed on patients with infantile spasms, their caregivers, and the healthcare system."

Study Methodology

This retrospective analysis used Truven MarketScan  Commercial Claims and Encounters data from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2015 and included 462 patients with infantile spasms, with 54% of patients receiving H.P. Acthar Gel first.

Commercial Claims and Encounters data from to and included 462 patients with infantile spasms, with 54% of patients receiving H.P. Acthar Gel first. HCRU was measured using medical claims that reflected outpatient care visits by location (office, hospital, or other); outpatient care visits to specialist and non-specialist healthcare providers; inpatient/hospital stays; and emergency room visits. Pharmacy claims were used to measure medication use by drug class: corticosteroids only; Sabril  (vigabatrin) 4* only; antiepileptic drugs only (excluding Sabril); and multiple drug classes (one or more previously mentioned). Patients who received H.P. Acthar Gel first were classified as having had no prior treatment for infantile spasms.

(vigabatrin) only; antiepileptic drugs only (excluding Sabril); and multiple drug classes (one or more previously mentioned). Patients who received H.P. Acthar Gel first were classified as having had no prior treatment for infantile spasms. Administrative health insurance claims data is collected for reimbursement purposes; it does not typically contain robust clinical detail (e.g., seizure types) or test results.

MarketScan results may not be generalizable to other populations (e.g., patients with infantile spasms enrolled in other US health plans).

Prescription use outside of claims and the reasons for use (e.g., diagnoses, events) could not be evaluated. Prescription claims reflect dispensation; utilization is assumed.

The time interval between diagnosis of infantile spasms and H.P. Acthar Gel initiation could vary. The specific chronology of diagnoses and outcomes pre-index was not evaluated.

Sample size for some groups was small, complicating conclusions (e.g., nine patients received Sabril  only, prior to H.P. Acthar Gel). Between group differences were evaluated descriptively.

only, prior to H.P. Acthar Gel). Between group differences were evaluated descriptively. By evaluating drug classes for infantile spasms, rather than medications for infantile spasms, the true heterogeneity in medication use is likely underestimated.

Mallinckrodt sponsored the study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of Washington and Mallinckrodt. The poster with additional study details is available on the Mallinckrodt website.

ABOUT INFANTILE SPASMS

Infantile spasms, sometimes called West syndrome, is a rare seizure disorder that occurs in approximately 2,000 to 2,500 infants per year in the U.S., based on a review of population-based studies of the condition.5 It most commonly occurs between four and eight months of age.6 Early identification, diagnosis, and treatment of infantile spasms are essential to help limit lasting effects.2 Children with infantile spasms generally have one or more of the following symptoms: a certain type of seizure (called "spasms"), a disorganized and chaotic brain-wave pattern called hypsarrhythmia as recorded on an EEG (electroencephalogram), or a failure to meet developmental milestones.7

H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) Indications

H.P. Acthar Gel is an injectable drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of 19 indications. Of these, today the majority of Acthar use is in these indications:

Monotherapy for the treatment of infantile spasms in infants and children under 2 years of age

The treatment of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis in adults. Controlled clinical trials have shown H.P. Acthar Gel to be effective in speeding the resolution of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis. However, there is no evidence that it affects the ultimate outcome or natural history of the disease

Treatment during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic lupus erythematosus

Inducing a diuresis or a remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome without uremia of the idiopathic type or that due to lupus erythematosus

Treatment during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic dermatomyositis (polymyositis)

The treatment of symptomatic sarcoidosis

Adjunctive therapy for short-term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (selected cases may require low-dose maintenance therapy)

Treatment of severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory processes involving the eye and its adnexa such as: keratitis, iritis, iridocyclitis, diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis, optic neuritis, chorioretinitis, anterior segment inflammation

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Contraindications

Acthar should never be administered intravenously

Administration of live or live attenuated vaccines is contraindicated in patients receiving immunosuppressive doses of Acthar

Acthar is contraindicated where congenital infections are suspected in infants

Acthar is contraindicated in patients with scleroderma, osteoporosis, systemic fungal infections, ocular herpes simplex, recent surgery, history of or the presence of a peptic ulcer, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, primary adrenocortical insufficiency, adrenocortical hyperfunction or sensitivity to proteins of porcine origins

Warnings and Precautions

The adverse effects of Acthar are related primarily to its steroidogenic effects

Acthar may increase susceptibility to new infection or reactivation of latent infections

Suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis (HPA) may occur following prolonged therapy with the potential for adrenal insufficiency after withdrawal of the medication. Adrenal insufficiency may be minimized by tapering of the dose when discontinuing treatment. During recovery of the adrenal gland patients should be protected from the stress (e.g. trauma or surgery) by the use of corticosteroids. Monitor patients for effects of HPA suppression after stopping treatment

Cushing's syndrome may occur during therapy but generally resolves after therapy is stopped. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms

Acthar can cause elevation of blood pressure, salt and water retention, and hypokalemia. Blood pressure, sodium and potassium levels may need to be monitored

Acthar often acts by masking symptoms of other diseases/disorders. Monitor patients carefully during and for a period following discontinuation of therapy

Acthar can cause GI bleeding and gastric ulcer. There is also an increased risk for perforation in patients with certain gastrointestinal disorders. Monitor for signs of bleeding

Acthar may be associated with central nervous system effects ranging from euphoria, insomnia, irritability, mood swings, personality changes, and severe depression, and psychosis. Existing conditions may be aggravated

Patients with comorbid disease may have that disease worsened. Caution should be used when prescribing Acthar in patients with diabetes and myasthenia gravis

Prolonged use of Acthar may produce cataracts, glaucoma and secondary ocular infections. Monitor for signs and symptoms

Acthar is immunogenic and prolonged administration of Acthar may increase the risk of hypersensitivity reactions. Neutralizing antibodies with chronic administration may lead to loss of endogenous ACTH activity

There is an enhanced effect in patients with hypothyroidism and in those with cirrhosis of the liver

Long-term use may have negative effects on growth and physical development in children. Monitor pediatric patients

Decrease in bone density may occur. Bone density should be monitored for patients on long-term therapy

Pregnancy Class C: Acthar has been shown to have an embryocidal effect and should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus

Adverse Reactions

Common adverse reactions for Acthar are similar to those of corticosteroids and include fluid retention, alteration in glucose tolerance, elevation in blood pressure, behavioral and mood changes, increased appetite and weight gain

Specific adverse reactions reported in IS clinical trials in infants and children under 2 years of age included: infection, hypertension, irritability, Cushingoid symptoms, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, pyrexia, weight gain, increased appetite, decreased appetite, nasal congestion, acne, rash, and cardiac hypertrophy. Convulsions were also reported, but these may actually be occurring because some IS patients progress to other forms of seizures and IS sometimes mask other seizures, which become visible once the clinical spasms from IS resolve

Other adverse events reported are included in the full Prescribing Information.

Please see full Prescribing Information.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. Areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; and analgesics and hemostasis products. The company's core strengths include the acquisition and management of highly regulated raw materials and specialized chemistry, formulation and manufacturing capabilities. The company's Specialty Brands segment includes branded medicines and its Specialty Generics segment includes specialty generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and external manufacturing. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners. 2017 Mallinckrodt ARDUS/01-02/1117/0048 12/17

CONTACTS

Media

Rhonda Sciarra

Senior Communications Manager

908-238-6765

[email protected]

Meredith Fischer

Chief Public Affairs Officer

314-654-3318

[email protected]

Investor Relations



Coleman N. Lannum, CFA

Senior Vice President, Investor Strategy and IRO

314-654-6649

[email protected]

Daniel J. Speciale, CPA

Director, Investor Relations

314-654-3638

[email protected]

* Sabril, a registered trademark of Lundbeck, is FDA-approved for the treatment of infantile spasms in infants one month to two years of age.

1 Gold LS, Schepman PB, Wang WJ, et al. Healthcare costs and resource utilization in patients with infantile spasms treated with H.P. Acthar Gel. Adv Ther. 2016; 33:1293-1304.

2 Child Neurology Foundation. Disorder Directory: Learn from the Experts. Infantile Spasms. http://www.childneurologyfoundation.org/disorders/infantile-spasms/. Accessed November 15, 2017.

3 H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) [package insert]. Hazelwood, MO: Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals; 2015. http://www.acthar.com/pdf/acthar-pi.pdf. Accessed November 28, 2017.

4 Sabril (vigabatrin) [package insert]. Deerfield, IL: Lundbeck; 2017. http://www.lundbeck.com/upload/us/files/pdf/Products/Sabril_PI_US_EN.pdf. Accessed on November 28, 2017.

5 Wheless J, Gibson P, Rosbeck K, et al. Infantile spasms (West syndrome): update and resources for pediatricians and providers to share with parents. BMC Pediatrics. 2012;12(1):108. doi:10.1186/1471-2431-12-108. Accessed August 28, 2017.

6 Hrachovy R. West's syndrome (infantile spasms). Clinical description and diagnosis. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2002;497:33-50.

7 Go CY, Mackay MT, Weiss SK, et al. Evidence-based guideline update: medical treatment of infantile spasms. Neurology. 2012;78:1974-1980.

SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc

Related Links

http://www.mallinckrodt.com


COLUMBIA, Md., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Maxim Healthcare Services has reached a settlement with the Massachusetts Attorney General and MassHealth to resolve an error the company identified and self-reported to MassHealth in 2016.

The settlement refunds overpayments from MassHealth for home health aide services Maxim provided to certain MassHealth beneficiaries between 2010 and 2016. Maxim discovered and self-reported the error after MassHealth issued a notice to all providers clarifying eligibility requirements for home health services and implementing a new prior authorization process in February 2016.

Upon receiving the notice, Maxim began a thorough review of its practices as a MassHealth provider and ultimately determined it had misinterpreted a regulation concerning the provision of home health aide services to beneficiaries who fail to meet certain criteria. In addition to self-reporting the overpayments, Maxim proactively took corrective actions including retraining staff and adopting new authorization and record review protocols to strengthen its internal processes and prevent future errors.

Under the terms of the agreement, Maxim will pay the State of Massachusetts $14.2 million and provide additional training to all employees involved in the MassHealth billing process for a period of three years.

"Maxim is deeply committed to maintaining a strong culture of compliance and integrity and we take our obligations to MassHealth and the other programs we serve very seriously," said Bill Butz, Maxim CEO. "While we regret this error, we are pleased we were able to identify it on our own and take the necessary steps to resolve it quickly."

About Maxim Healthcare Services

Maxim Healthcare Services, Inc. provides home healthcare, healthcare staffing, behavioral care, and population health and wellness services across the United States. Founded in 1988, Maxim is focused on delivering quality patient care and a commitment to employee development with an emphasis on customer service. Today, Maxim is an established partner in the healthcare industry and is constantly evolving to address the needs of our patients, caregivers, and clients. Our focus on quality patient care and compliance is the foundation for our success. Learn more about Maxim Healthcare Services, or get more information about available Maxim Healthcare positions.

SOURCE Maxim Healthcare Services, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.maximhealthcare.com


SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The MCS Foundation and Accion Social de Puerto Rico celebrated the opening of Accion Social's community laundry services provided at its 24 centers during an event in Cidra, Puerto Rico. MCS Foundation has donated 30 washing machines, two of which are in the Cidra center; and 30 power generators. The remaining appliances have been distributed among the remaining 23 Accion Social de Puerto Rico's centers across the island. MCS also participated in the Cidra event by delivering health clinics and informational sessions to the attending audience.

"We expect this effort to help more than 10,000 people in the communities near the centers and are honored to be part of this project," said Liana Marante O'Drobinak, Executive Director of MCS Foundation. "Because we operate right here in Puerto Rico, we can quickly adapt our post-hurricane relief to what is needed at a particular point in time. We were drawn to this project because it can make a huge difference to a person's emotional and physical health to put on clean clothes and sleep in a clean bed. We applaud the creativity of this initiative and believe that it underscores Accion Social's unique ability to bring practical solutions to the island's challenges. That is possible because of its proximity to and everyday contact with the needs of the underprivileged across the island, even in the most remote areas."

Accion Social de Puerto Rico is one of the non-profit organizations that benefits from the MCS Foundation's Green for Puerto Rico fundraising campaign. With a total goal of $1.5 million, the campaign seeks to raise $750,000 that will be matched dollar for dollar by MCS. Other organizations benefitting from the MCS Foundation campaign include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico, Caras Las Americas' www.connectrelief.com and the YMCAs of Puerto Rico.

Alicia Ramirez, Executive Director of Accion Social de Puerto Rico, described what moved them to come up with the laundry program. "With no electrical power in many regions, laundry service for our low income communities has become an essential need. But it's more than just doing laundry -- it's also to connect residents with other services they might need and to let them know there are people who care about them with no strings attached. With programs like this, we can give them hope as well as help. Through our alliance with the MCS Foundation, we give life to our slogan: Joining forces to transform lives," she said.

To contribute to the MCS Foundation's Green for Puerto Rico fundraising campaign, log on to www.greenforpuertorico.org and make your donation through PayPal or credit card.

About the MCS Foundation

The MCS Foundation is a Section 501c3 organization created by MCS Healthcare Holdings, LLC. (MCS) to promote positive and lasting changes in society. Through collaborative efforts with various nonprofit organizations, the MCS Foundation looks to help improve the quality of life for thousands of people, and to support collective development through initiatives that support education, health, culture and sports. During the past seven years, MCS has donated more than $4.5 million to charitable causes important to Puerto Rico, directly or through the MCS Foundation or the MCS Sponsorship Program. In addition to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico, other recipients of MCS scholarships in the past have included Caras Las Americas, el Instituto Psicopedagogico de Puerto Rico, el Instituto Nueva Escuela and Jovenes de Puerto Rico en Riesgo, among others. Website: www.mcsfoundationpr.org; Twitter: @MCSHealthCares

About MCS

For 35 years, MCS Healthcare Holdings, LLC. (MCS), has been one of the leading companies in Puerto Rico's healthcare industry. Since its founding, MCS has established a solid reputation in the market for providing service quality excellence and competitive products. MCS Life Insurance Co., a subsidiary of MCS, offers a wide range of commercial health plans for groups and individuals, as well as group life insurance. MCS Advantage, Inc., through its MCS Classicare products, offers an extensive variety of Medicare Advantage coverage aimed at promoting quality of life and wellness for Puerto Rico's Medicare population. Website: https://www.mcs.com.pr/en/Pages/default.aspx; Twitter: @MCSPuertoRico

About Accion Social

Accion Social de Puerto Rico, Inc. (ASPRI), is a private non-profit organization created in 1982 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. ASPRI has many years of experience serving economically disadvantaged individuals and families at a community-based level by delivering human services and fostering community and economic development activities. ASPRI's strategy is based on promoting the engagement of the community residents they serve and addressing their problems in partnership with the public and private sectors and the general public.

CONTACT:

Suzie Boland

RFB Communications Group

813-786-1019

[email protected]

SOURCE MCS Foundation

Related Links

http://www.mcsfoundationpr.org


Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, today announced the FDA 510(K) clearance of the benchtop embryo incubator Geri. This innovative technology, designed to improve processes in fertility laboratories, will be commercially available to IVF clinics in the U.S. in the first half of 2018.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/615557/Merck_Geri.jpg )



With the FDA 510(K) clearance of Geri, an incubator for continuous embryo monitoring, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will help to advance assisted reproductive treatment (ART) technologies by offering new, relevant solutions to patients and their healthcare professionals.

"Geri is one of the flagship products of our fertility technologies portfolio and has been successfully used in clinics across Australia, Europe and Asia for the last two years," said Rehan Verjee, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany's biopharma business. "Offering Geri in the U.S. will allow us to further our aspiration of becoming an integrated fertility treatment partner, continuously aiming to improve treatment outcomes."

An incubator is critical for embryo development while it is being cultured outside of the uterus. Getting as close as possible to in-vivo incubation conditions is essential to ensure the most favorable environment for embryonic development, given that exposure to non-optimal conditions outside of an incubator may affect the viability and quality of embryos.[1],[2],[3],[4] Geri[TM] was designed by embryologists who know the lab processes and what optimizes successful embryo growth. Geri has six individual chambers, each independently controlled, facilitating the care of the embryos of six patients at the same time. It is equipped with high-definition cameras to take a picture of the embryos every 5 minutes and provide continuous imaging so the supervising embryologist can observe embryos as they develop without removing them from their optimum environment. This minimizes lid openings and potential disruptions that can cause stress to embryos.

"Genea Biomedx is an IVF medical device company uniquely positioned within a clinical fertility business allowing itdirect access to world leading IVF laboratories. This enabled us to develop Geri in collaboration with the embryologists that use it day in, day out," said Dr. Tammie Roy, General Manager at Genea Biomedx. "We are looking forward to working with EMD Serono to bring our innovative technology to clinics across the U.S."

With the exception of Australia, Geri is distributed by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany through its Fertility Technologies unit, in accordance witha global distribution agreement executed with Genea Biomedx in May 2015. Additional products in the Fertility Technologies portfolio of EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada, include Gems, culture media allowing for high-quality embryo cultivation that was granted an FDA 510(k) clearance this summer, and Gidget, a hand-held witnessing system that provides electronic witnessing, visual lab workflow management and support for traceability and audit reporting.

References

Zhang et al. Reproductive BioMedicine Online (2010) 20, 510-515 Swain, J.E., Decisions for the IVF laboratory: comparative analysis of embryo culture incubators, Reproductive BioMedicine Online (2014), doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2014.01.004 Bontekoe S, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, Issue 7 Kirkegaard, K.et al. Fertility and sterility 99.3 (2013): 738-744

About Geri

Geri is a benchtop incubator with individually controlled incubation chambers per patient to minimize disruptive events to the early-stage embryo and blastocyst. It also incorporates a camera to real-time monitor the developing embryos. Geri was developed by Genea Biomedx, a company that creates and manufactures practical, accessible and precise fertility technologies that help standardize and automate fertility treatment.

About Gems

Gems[TM] is the latest generation of Genea Biomedx's culture media suite for high-quality embryo cultivation.

About Gidget

Gidget is a hand-held witnessing system for the IVF laboratory that allows the embryologist to focus on the science by helping to ensure that gametes and embryos are matched correctly. Gidget provides electronic witnessing, visual lab workflow management and support for traceability and audit reporting.

All Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the EMD Group Website. In case you are a resident of the USA or Canada please go to http://www.emdgroup.com/subscribe to register again for your online subscription of this service as our newly introduced geo-targeting requires new links in the email. You may later change your selection or discontinue this service.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life - from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of  15.0 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

Contact: Dr. Raphaela Farrenkopf +49 6151 72-2274

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160629/384917LOGO )



SOURCE Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
MARIETTA, Okla., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercy Health/Love County Hospital and Clinic (Love County Hospital) discovered a theft of medical records which may have affected patients receiving services from this facility. Protecting privacy and security of patient health information is very important to Love County Hospital. This news release is being issued to supplement a notice about this incident previously issued in Love County, Oklahoma.

On June 23, 2017, Love County Hospital learned that ten medical records were stolen from one of its storage units. The medical records contained medical information, names, addresses, dates of births, social security numbers and driver's license numbers. The ten records were stolen by a former employee and used to obtain fraudulent credit cards. The matter has been investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies and Love County Hospital has been cooperating with their investigation. Upon discovering the incident, Love County Hospital took the steps necessary to address the matter, including immediate measures to enhance security of the storage units and to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

While only ten medical records appeared to be stolen, all individuals whose medical records were in the storage units were notified of this incident and resources were made available to assist them with protecting their information. As a precaution, affected individuals should carefully monitor their credit reports for any unauthorized activity in the upcoming months. To help protect from any potential negative consequences from this incident, all affected individuals are offered credit monitoring and identity protection services free of charge for 12 months through AllClear ID.

Love County Hospital has established a dedicated call center to answer any questions about the incident. If you have any questions or would like to learn additional information, please call 1-855-742-6046. The call center is available to answer questions Monday through Saturday, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Central Time. You may also submit any questions about this incident by mail directed to: Privacy Officer, Mercy, 14528 South Outer Forty Drive, Suite 100, Office 1036, Chesterfield, MO 63017.

SOURCE Mercy Health

Related Links

https://www.mercy.net


PITTSBURGH, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Baker International, a global leader in engineering, planning and consulting services, today announces the expansion of the firm's Federal Markets practice group. The strategic effort adds key personnel and realigns expertise to help Michael Baker more effectively and efficiently serve existing clients and manage growth opportunities in the key federal business market.

Michael Baker International has supported the U.S. Government for more than 70 years in various critical capacities, both domestically and internationally. The firm's Federal Markets group provides world-class engineering solutions to help meet complex challenges in support of the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

"The U.S. Government has long been a key client partner for Michael Baker International, and the new team members we added bring specialized relationships and expertise that allow us to continue delivering innovative solutions across multiple market areas," said Frank Terak, Senior Vice President, Federal Markets at Michael Baker International. "The growth of Michael Baker's Federal Markets practice group demonstrates how 'We Make a Difference' by aligning the right team to meet our clients' needs and aspirations."

Mr. Terak oversees the Federal Markets group that is based in Michael Baker's Moon Township, Pa., office with support from team members in the firm's Alexandria, Va., and Virginia Beach, Va., offices.

As part of the expansion, Michael Baker announces the following personnel changes:

Frank Terak Promoted to Senior Vice President, Federal Markets

Frank Terak will have direct oversight and management of Michael Baker's Federal Markets practice group, driving the direction and focus of all business initiatives. Mr. Terak and his team will work closely with counterparts throughout the Michael Baker organization in the development, evaluation and targeting of new clients and opportunities. During his 30-year tenure with Michael Baker, Mr. Terak has enjoyed success as the National Market Lead for the U.S. Army/United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Market segment of the Department of Defense, where he was responsible for sales and marketing, strategy development and tactical action plan implementation nationwide.

Jeff Sparrow Promoted to National Market Lead for Federal Civilian Clients

Based in the firm's Alexandria, Va., office, Jeff Sparrow, P.E., CFM, will shift his focus to serve the Federal Markets practice group by identifying new opportunities with Federal Civilian clients, developing new client relationships, leading or assisting offices with capture planning, proposal development, and team development with partners. Mr. Sparrow has more than 27 years of experience working with federal, state and local clients. He previously served as Michael Baker's National Market Lead for both FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security.

Bill Shiderly Promoted to National Market Lead for the U.S. Army and USACE

Bill Shiderly, P.E., will implement and manage the strategic growth and success for Michael Baker among the U.S. Army, USACE and related clients. Additionally, he will work to coordinate activities with Michael Baker's other Federal and Department of Defense National Market Leads to grow the firm's overall Federal and Defense Market Programs. Based in Michael Baker's Moon Township, Pa., office, Mr. Shiderly brings more than 20 years of experience working with USACE in design-build delivery, program management, planning and design, and project management.

John Alberghini Joins the Firm as the National Market Lead for the U.S. Navy

Based in the firm's Virginia Beach, Va., office, John Alberghini, P.E., will serve as the firm's U.S. Navy subject matter expert working with client service teams, local offices and practice leaders in developing both tactical plans and strategic positioning for key opportunities. Mr. Alberghini brings more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience working in the U.S. Navy's Civil Engineer Corps and eight years of federal market business development experience in private industry as a senior U.S. Navy market lead.

About Michael Baker International

Michael Baker International is a leading global provider of engineering and consulting services, which include planning, architectural, environmental, construction, program management, and full life-cycle support services as well as information technology and communications services and solutions. The company provides its comprehensive range of services and solutions in support of U.S. federal, state, and municipal governments, foreign allied governments, and a wide range of commercial clients. Michael Baker International has more than 6,000 employees in more than 90 locations across the U.S. and internationally. To learn more visit www.mbakerintl.com.

SOURCE Michael Baker International

Related Links

http://www.mbakercorp.com


"More than a century ago, Michigan put the world on wheels and we are continuing to lead the world in shaping the future of the auto industry," said Governor Snyder. "As the manufacturing industry converges with the IT sector in the evolution of autonomous vehicles and mobility, we are staying at the forefront. Nowhere else has the manufacturing strength, entrepreneurship growth and automotive R&D leadership that Michigan does. I look forward to sharing our incredible story at the Washington Auto Show in January."

The governor's remarks are expected to include his vision of the auto industry's future, Michigan's role in automotive mobility, autonomous vehicles and trade as well as other comments. Snyder's remarkably varied background as a venture capitalist, business executive, account and, for the last seven years, governor of ninth largest state in the country, gives him a unique perspective on the auto industry.

"We couldn't be more excited to have Governor Snyder as our kickoff speaker at the Washington Auto Show's Press Day," said Washington Auto Show and Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association President and CEO John O'Donnell. "The governor's leadership in the areas of technology, autonomous driving and the entire auto industry makes him particularly well qualified to share his views at such a critical time for vehicle development, a time when there is more change than any we have seen since the industry began."

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON AUTO SHOW

The annual Washington Auto Show will take place from January 26 to February 4, 2018. It is one of the five top auto shows in the United States and is the largest indoor consumer event in the District of Columbia. It is preceded by two show-sponsored industry events, Public Policy and Press Days and the MobilityTalks International Conference, with both taking place January 23-25, 2018. During these three days, industry leaders, global public policy makers and members of Congress will discuss proposed and existing rules and laws governing the automotive industry, this year focusing on autonomous vehicles.

The show takes place in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center where more than 35 automakers will display over 650 vehicles.

For more information on The Washington Auto Show, please visit: www.washingtonautoshow.com

Twitter: @WashAutoShow

Facebook: The Washington Auto Show

Instagram: WashAutoShow

SOURCE Washington Auto Show

Related Links

http://www.washingtonautoshow.com


BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When an individual enlisted to serve and protect our great nation, they don't have a full understanding of what that entails. Some may have an idea, but for most the future is unforeseen. This future is a heavy one to bear. As their job is to enter into the most dangerous areas of the world, to fight in some of the scariest battles on Earth. Then after all those battles they must return to their "lives as normal". They have no buffer between those two realities. This is where Midway Labs USA and Charities across the Nation come into play allowing an opportunity or even the means to try and enter society as healthy as possible. Supplements can only help so much as to physical health and well being. But the most effected area that is altered during this venture is the person's mental well being. Even family obligation that can not be met due to illness. That's were a number of organizations create an outlet for these veterans to contact and work with to improve their lives. Here are the 11 organizations in which Midway Labs USA will donate 5% of 2017 USA sales too:

- Wounded Warrior Family Support

https://www.wwfs.org/

- Armed Services YMCA of the USA

https://www.racingforheroes.org

- National Military Family Association

https://www.militaryfamily.org/

- Labs 4 Liberty

https://www.labsforliberty.org/

- American Hero Adventure

https://americanheroadventures.org/

- 22 Kill

https://22kill.com/

- Honoring American Warrior

https://honoringamericaswarriors.org/

- American Veteran Dog

https://www.vetdog.org/

- Connected Warrior

https://www.connectedwarrior.org/

- C.O.P.S

https://www.nationalcops.org/

Midway Labs USA is changing the world one step at a time. With these High Grade Formulations that have been developed with calorie intake and needs of military personnel in mind. This is only the begging to what is to come from this young team over at Midway Labs USA. 2018 is a new begging and this start up in the USA will be sure to surprise you in the months to come. Military Trail Brazil has been recognized as Best 2017 International Brand in South America by Revista Suplementacao. http://revistasuplementacao.com.br/index.php

Midway Labs USA

6401 Congress Ave

Boca Raton, FL, 33487

Contact: Troy Cannata

(561) 571-6252 Office

[email protected]

http://midwaylabsusa.com

SOURCE Midway Labs USA

Related Links

http://midwaylabsusa.com


DALLAS, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University (SDSU) announced today they will collaborate to create the first graduate-level degree program offered in the United States focused on meeting and event management for mid and senior-level professionals. In addition, they plan to develop a related academic certificate program for non-traditional students.

Scheduled to launch in 2019, the master's degree program will incorporate experiential learning, simulations, and industry partner mentoring, and will be delivered online with meet-ups on the SDSU campus to accommodate work schedules of students. It will be taught by faculty who have worked in the meeting and event industry, and feature guest lecturers from the industry as well. After successful completion of the program, students will be awarded a master of science degree in meeting and event management from SDSU.

"We are thrilled about this opportunity to co-create unique and rigorous educational programming with the globally-recognized L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at SDSU," said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. "MPI continuously strives to bring more visibility and credibility to the meeting and event industry, and the new master's degree and academic certificate programs are stellar examples of how we fulfill our mission."

The MPI/SDSU academic certificate program is slated to launch in 2019 as well. The program's curriculum will cover select core content from the master's degree program, and it will be administered online with meet-ups on SDSU's campus. The MPI/SDSU academic certificate will be presented to participants upon successful completion of the program. Participants will also earn college credits, which can be applied towards the master's degree program if students wish to pursue that path.

"We could not be more excited about co-creating this first of its kind master's degree in meeting and event management. It is about time that this profession is recognized as needing high-level knowledge, skills and abilities taught in an academically rigorous and relevant manner at the graduate level. This master's degree will assist mid- to senior-level professionals in developing their skills while still employed, benefitting both themselves and their organizations," said Carl Winston, Director, L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

"MPI has been an industry leader dedicated to enhancing the skills and career success of its core constituency, meeting professionals. MPI continues to facilitate the professionalization of the meeting and event industry. The leadership and faculty at the SDSU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management are equally committed to excellence and innovative approaches in delivering a graduate level educational experience of the very highest caliber. This collaboration is the genesis of what could very well become a game changer in the meeting and event industry," said Vince LaRuffa, senior vice president of Resort Sales and Marketing at Universal Orlando Resort, SDSU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Master's Program alumnus, and previous member of the MPI Foundation Global Board of Trustees and MPI Board of Directors.

Since 2015, MPI and SDSU have worked together in partnership with Event Model Generation to present the Event Design Certificate (EDC) Program, an immersive three-day training course that teaches a systematic 10-step visual approach to event design. The next EDC Program course is scheduled for January 11  13, 2018, on the SDSU campus, and registration is open until January 1.

About MPI

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals including more than 17,000 engaged members and its Plan Your Meetings audience. It has more than 90 chapters and clubs in 19 countries. "When we meet, we change the world." www.mpiweb.org

About SDSU

At San Diego State University, Leadership Starts Here is a bold statement of our ethos. It is a fundamental principle that guides our actions and an enduring promise fulfilled through the lives of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. Each year, SDSU provides 36,000 students with the opportunity to participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. The university is strong and getting stronger. United by pride in our Aztec roots, the SDSU community is committed to improving student success, advancing research and creative endeavors, contributing to the community and building our culture of philanthropy.

San Diego State University continues to gain recognition as a leader in higher education. It is currently ranked in the top 140 national universities and in the top 70 public universities in U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of America's Best Colleges. San Diego State University will continue to focus on Student Success by emphasizing high-impact practices that produce transformational educational experiences and by fostering an institutional culture that recognizes and rewards student achievement. Student Success is at the heart of San Diego State University's mission. Everything in which the university is engagedresearch, teaching, internationalization, faculty and staff activities, diversity initiatives, campus life, facilities and outreach servicesis intended to enable our diverse student population to achieve at the highest levels. Maintaining a university-wide commitment for our diverse community to ensure student academic achievement and personal well-being is highly valued and essential to student success.

SOURCE Meeting Professionals International

Related Links

http://www.mpiweb.org


(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/615538/New_3D_sweetener_with_stevia.jpg )



The facility will produce 8,000 retail packages per day in the first stage, and will double production within a few months. The company invested more than US$500 thousand to increase production of the sweetener, which is available as either a stevia- or sucralose-based product. The plant is BRC- and kosher-certificated to meet food manufactures', retailers', and consumers' highest standards of requirement.

"Production is now fully automated and modular, to allow maximum flexibility for increasing capacity as well as creating additional, customized sweeteners," says Noam Kaplan, CEO of Lampados.

The new Lampados sweetener delivery system, designed like a meringue kiss, is egg-free, and vegan, without compromising on flavor. Two Liteez contain only two calories, versus 20 calories in one teaspoon of table sugar. "Put just two meringue kisses in your coffee, stir, and drink. Or, eat them as a sweet treat," says Kaplan.

One third of hot drinks served in high-street chains in the UK contain the same or more sugar than Coca-Cola, according to the non-profit group Action on Sugar.

Action on Sugar reported that its experts analyzed 131 hot flavored drinks, including coffees, mochas, lattes, hot fruit drinks, and hot chocolates, among other drinks that are widely bought from some of the UK's best-known coffee shops and fast-food chains.

Calling the findings "shocking", a spokesman for the non-profit group said that 98 percent of the drinks tested would receive a red nutritional-value label for high sugar content. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/one-third-of-hot-drinks-in-high-street-chains-as-sugary-as-coca-cola-a6877866.html

"The demand for our 3D sweetener has grown extensively in Australia, India, South Africa, Europe and Central America," adds Kaplan. "Most of our clients are seeking to expand their portfolio with innovative sweeteners and/or cookies, and are keen to launch a next-gen sweetener that will give them a competitive edge in the market. Customers from the food service market commented that they were impressed by the innovation and the sensation experience reported by their consumers."

Lampados Ltd., a family-owned company, was founded in 1975. The company specializes in tabletop sweeteners and health products, such as sugar-free syrups. CEO Noam Kaplan joined the company in 2009. Following substantial technology development and investment in plant facilities, including new equipment and automatic packaging systems. The manufacturing site has BRC Grade A certification.





Company contact:

Lampados International Ltd.

Mr. Noam Kaplan

CEO

Tel: +972-4-6231515

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: http://www.liteezsweeteners.com

Press Contact:

NutriPR

Ms. Liat Simha

Tel: +972-9-9742893

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @LiatSimha

Web: http://www.nutripr.com







SOURCE Lampados
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force recently completed a series of successful flight tests of its next-generation Military-code GPS using a Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) receiver onboard a B-2 Spirit at Edwards Air Force Base, California. This first ever M-code test onboard the B-2 is an important milestone for the U.S. Government-led GPS Modernization effort to enhance security, positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for U.S. military and civilian applications. Military GPS User Equipment M-code receivers will give military aircraft, ships and ground vehicles access to the modernized GPS network.

"M-code receivers unlock the next-generation GPS network for military users," said Rick Yuse, president of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. "This test demonstrated M-code capability onboard the B-2 for the first time, marking an early milestone for the overall GPS modernization effort."

The tests verified the integration of an MGUE-equipped risk reduction prototype of Raytheon's Miniaturized GPS Airborne Receiver MAGR-2K-M receiver with B-2 systems in representative flight and mission profiles.

Raytheon is developing M-code receivers under a contract with the USAF Global Positioning System Directorate GPS User Equipment Division. The company is also under contract with the USAF Joint Service Systems Management Office to qualify and certify the MAGR-2K-M and deliver production representative units to support platform integration and testing.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2016 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 95 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter.

www.raytheon.com

Raytheon Company

Space and Airborne Systems

McKinney, Texas

Media Contact

Lorenzo Cortes

+1.310.647.0130

[email protected]

SOURCE Raytheon Company
Frisbee, who previously served as editor of Luxury Las Vegas and director of content for Niche Publishing Group for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, will serve as CLASS' editor in chief. She has assembled a highly experienced team of journalists, writers, photographers, videographers, designers and consultants with a wealth of knowledge in all sectors of the luxury market, including fashion, jewelry, fine dining, wine and spirits, upscale travel, high-end real estate and other luxury goods and services. Founding team members include award-winning celebrity journalist Marsala Rypka; managing editor Carla Zvosec; multimedia journalist Buford Davis; and award-winning designer Lindsay Rholfsen.

CLASS will be the first luxury endeavor to offer multiple media platforms synergized to enhance its messaging for readers and advertisers. These include print, digital, personalized video, proprietary ecommerce, special luxury events and social media outreach. Six annual print issues are planned with the first launching in January 2018. The first issue will feature a tribute to a Las Vegas icon in a bold cover and multi-page feature created by world-renowned, London-based artist Nuno da Costa. The magazine, exquisitely designed and proportioned in a special size befitting its unique nature, will be mailed to high-income households throughout Southern Nevada and selectively distributed at luxury hotels, restaurants, retailers and other targeted destinations and venues throughout Las Vegas.

"'Luxury with a purpose' is our mantra and is foundational to our focus," said Frisbee. "Interviews and features of celebrities, influencers, tastemakers and leaders will include individuals as well as corporations and organizations using their high-profile positions and platforms to do good in the world. Our content, designed to be entertaining and informative, will also be inspiring to incite and motivate others to action. Our team is local. We have all worked as Las Vegas journalists and are vested in our community to make it #VegasStrong."

"Many leading luxury brands have long partnered with social and environmental causes to advance a better world," said Frisbee. "We plan to illuminate these brands on both a global and local level to showcase the art of living well while living consciously."

In addition to creating this multi-media platform, TheCLASSProject Initiative has been established as a philanthropic arm designed specifically to promote the platforms of featured philanthropists and nonprofit organizations. TheCLASSProject aims to align influencers and celebrities with causes they support to create engaging, entertaining and informative digital shorts. Select and targeted charities and nonprofits will be granted the opportunity to use these sponsored videos on their websites and social media platforms.

"I am excited to be part of the team at CLASS and TheCLASSProject as I truly believe that successful people with a passion can affect change much faster and more effectively than centralized social programs," said Haddrill, who will act as CLASS' Advisory Chairman. "Leslie and I share that passion, and together, we hope to inspire many others through The Class Project."

About CLASS and TheCLASSProject Initiative

CLASS is a Las Vegas-based multiplatform luxury lifestyle publication with a focus on branded content, philanthropy and ultra-exclusive events. CLASS marries luxury and living well with community and environmental betterment via its business model based on five pillars  compassion, living consciously, authenticity, service and solutions. In addition to its print publication, other CLASS platforms include digital and video, email, social media and special events.

TheCLASSProject Initiative, the philanthropic arm of CLASS, is a digital and social media campaign designed specifically to promote the platforms of philanthropists and charitable organizations. TheCLASSProject aims to align influencers and celebrities with causes they support to create engaging, entertaining and informative digital shorts.

About Leslie Frisbee

With more than 20 years of experience in print, digital, TV and social media, Leslie Frisbee is a respected, award-winning journalist, editor and tastemaker specializing in the luxury lifestyle market. Frisbee's astute eye for detail and design, along with her ability to generate unique and compelling editorial, makes her one of the industry's most sought-after luxury ambassadors. Most recently, Frisbee served as the editor in chief of Luxury Las Vegas magazine. She is 2017 Style Ambassador for House of Diffa in conjunction with the Las Vegas Fashion Council and named one of Hakkasan Group's 2017 Woman on Top.

About Richard Haddrill

Richard Haddrill is Executive Vice Chairman of Scientific Games, Inc., a global leader in gaming technology, and Chairman of CEC, a leader in restorative justice. He was previously CEO of three successful publicly traded technology companies  Bally Technologies, Manhattan Associates and Powerhouse Technologies  and has served on the Board of Directors of nine companies. He is active in various charitable endeavors including The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and Boys Scouts. Richard recently founded a family office which has invested in and advised a variety of private companies, including socially responsible for-profit companies in the areas of drug and alcohol rehabilitation, restorative justice and environmental affordable housing.

SOURCE TheCLASSProject
WAYNE, Pa., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As teenagers look forward to holiday activities, a new survey of teens (defined as ages 15-19 who are high school juniors/seniors or college freshmen/sophomores attending a school in the US) reveals that acne has a negative impact on their body image and self-esteem, and that translates into anxiety over using social media, mainly the online posting of photos, videos and "selfies."1

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8189451-cutanea-teen-acne-social-media-survey/

The national online survey was commissioned by Cutanea Life Sciences, Inc. (CLS), a U.S. based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology, and was conducted this past summer by Harris Poll among 1,010 teenagers, ages 15-19.

The survey found that 71% of participants who've had acne feel that acne has a negative effect on their body image and attractiveness, while 67% say it has a negative effect on their self-esteem. The poll results further revealed that 72% of teens who use social media and have had acne agree most people their age are self-conscious about their acne on social media, and 68% of teens believe that most of their peers edit or alter their photos on social media if they have acne to hide it. Moreover, 58% of teens who've had acne have offered to take a photo to get out of being in the picture.1

Other key findings include the following:

Impact of Acne on Social Media

Half of teens who are using social media (51%) say social media makes having acne harder 1

45% of teens who use social media and have experienced acne say that at times, they are embarrassed to post photos of themselves on social media because of their acne 1

Half of teens who use social media and have experienced acne (50%) say they have taken at least one of the following actions on social media to avoid displaying their acne: Chose not to include a photo on social media because I had acne Deleted or untagged a photo of myself where I had acne Asked someone else to take down a photo of me where I had acne Altered, edited, retouched, or cropped a photo to try and hide my acne Avoided having my picture taken with someone who had clearer skin Stayed off of social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, etc.) so I wouldn't have to post/see photos of myself 1

About 1 in 3 teens who use social media and have experienced acne say: Social media increased their anxiety about their own acne (34%) Their acne makes them hate the way they look on social media (33%) Social media makes dealing with acne in real life harder for me (29%) 1



Psychosocial Impact of Acne

More than one out of three (37%) teens with self-described moderate or severe acne say their primary concern was their complexion when they returned to school this fall

86% of teens say acne makes their peers less confident in going about their lives 1

85% agree most people their age worry about acne 1

62% of teens who have had acne are very or somewhat concerned about their acne 1

51% of teens who have had acne feel unattractive because of their acne 1

More than 2 in 5 teens (44%) who've had acne have avoided having their photo taken because of acne 1

34% of teens with acne avoid video chatting1

"As school counselors, we see every day the profound impact that acne can have on teenagers' self-image, confidence, acceptance and social relationships, at an already challenging time in their lives," said Anne LP Flenner, Ed.S. Professional School Counselor and Florida Counseling Association Past-President. "One of my takeaways from the Harris Poll was that the social isolation sought by many teens who are anxious about their acne is now transitioning into a reluctance to engage in the most popular form of peer communication among teens today, social media, a concerning insight. We would all like our teens to spend less time on social media, but not because they're embarrassed by their appearance."

Most teens with acne (61%) stated that they were doing everything they can to manage their acne, however one in three teens with acne (35%) admit to having difficulty managing the condition. When asked about an effective treatment, the majority felt it was at least very important to use a therapy that worked quickly to clear up acne (83%), is affordable (80%), easy to use (78%), and convenient (72%).1

"The teens that I interact with as a school counselor are very active, on the go and very into technology, so it's alarming to see them withdraw from social media because of acne," said Flenner. "Parents of teens who are struggling with acne should seek the medical care of a dermatologist, who may prescribe medications to successfully manage this condition."

About Acne

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), acne is the most common skin condition in the U.S., affecting up to 50 million Americans annually, and 85 percent of people ages 12 to 24 will experience at least mild acne. It is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder characterized by blackheads, whiteheads and pimples that occurs on the face, neck, shoulders, upper arms, chest and back. Acne has been shown to cause significant psychological problems, including poor self-image, depression and anxiety.2

About the Survey

The survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Cutanea Life Sciences, the makers of Aktipak (erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide), Gel, 3%/5%,3 within the United States between July 13 and 31, 2017 among 1,010 US teens aged 15-19 who are juniors or seniors in high school or freshman or sophomores in college and who attend school in the US. Figures for age within gender, race/ethnicity, and region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Teens 15-17 were also weighted by school location, parents' highest level of education, and internet usage; teens 18-19 years old were also weighted by education. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for 18-19 year old teen respondents' propensity to be online.1

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.1

The vast majority of teens surveyed (86%) say they've had acne. Of teens who have had acne, 84% say they experience it more often than once a month, with over a quarter (26%) saying they experience it daily. While only 2% of teens who have had acne would describe their case as severe (deep, inflamed, painful blemishes), more than 2 in 5 teens (42%) would describe their acne as moderate (noticeable breakouts) and around half of teens (53%) describe it as mild (some bumps and blackheads).1

About Aktipak

Aktipak (erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide) Gel, 3%/5%, is a combination therapy indicated for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris, available through dermatologists' offices. Aktipak is contraindicated in individuals who have shown hypersensitivity to any of its components.3

Aktipak is a portable, freshly mixed, patient-blended therapy that offers a flexible and convenient treatment option for active, "on-the-go" acne patients. The product comes in pocket-sized, single-dose, dual-chamber pouches (60 to a carton), each of which contain the antibiotic erythromycin and the antibacterial benzoyl peroxide in separate chambers. The patient opens the pouch and blends the gel contents immediately prior to use, enabling simple, convenient application with no mixing needed in the pharmacy. Aktipak has an 18-month shelf life from the date of manufacture, and no refrigeration is required. The 1.5" x 2.5" pouches tuck easily and discreetly into purses, gym bags and backpacks.3

In July 2017 CLS launched "Facing Forward," a free mobile application for people prescribed Aktipak. The app is designed to help teenagers and young adults use the acne medication as directed and dosed.3

Indications and Usage

Aktipak (erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide) Gel, 3%/5% is indicated for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris.3

Important Safety Information

Contraindications: Aktipak is contraindicated in those individuals who have shown hypersensitivity to any of its components.3

Precautions: For topical use only; not for ophthalmic use. Concomitant topical acne therapy should be used with caution because a possible cumulative irritancy effect may occur, especially with the use of peeling, desquamating or abrasive agents. If severe irritation develops, discontinue use and institute appropriate therapy. The use of antibiotic agents may be associated with the overgrowth of non-susceptible organisms. If this occurs, discontinue use and take appropriate measures. Avoid contact with eyes and all mucous membranes.3

Pregnancy: It is not known whether Aktipak can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Aktipak should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed. It is not known whether the ingredients of Aktipak are excreted in human milk. Therefore, caution should be exercised when erythromycin is administered to a nursing woman.3

Pediatric Use: The safety and effectiveness of Aktipak in pediatric patients below 12 years of age have not been established.3

Adverse Reactions: The most frequently reported adverse events reported in clinical trials include: dry skin, application site reaction, blepharitis, pruritus, and photosensitivity.3

Please see full Prescribing Information and Important Safety Information. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.

Visit http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please click here for the full Prescribing Information or paste into your browser: http://bit.ly/2njB0Ie.

About Cutanea Life Sciences

Cutanea Life Sciences, Inc., headquartered in Wayne, PA, is a specialty pharmaceutical company whose mission is to develop innovative technologies, optimizing intellectual property and therapeutic applications culminating in market leading products to treat diseases and disorders of the skin and related tissue. CLS seeks to improve human health and appearance, and create value for patients and medical professionals by satisfying underserved medical needs. CLS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Osaka-based Maruho Co., Ltd., a leading dermatology company in Japan that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015.

CLS is pursuing therapies for the treatment of acne, rosacea, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and various forms of warts caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). It also has a novel soft tissue augmentation agent in early development. CLS intends to direct these products through the required regulatory pathway and, upon FDA clearance, commercialize them directly through a CLS sales force and commercial infrastructure that will focus primarily on dermatology medical practices.

For more information, visit www.cutanea.com and follow CLS on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may, in some cases, use terms such as "predicts," "believes," "potential," "proposed," "continue," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," "intends," "may," "could," "might," "will," "should" or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from CLS's current expectations. CLS's expectations and, therefore, any forward-looking statements in this press release could be affected by risks and uncertainties relating to a number of factors, including the following: the success, cost and timing of CLS's product development activities, studies and clinical trials; the success of competing products that are or become available; CLS's ability to commercialize its product candidates; the size and growth potential of the markets for CLS's product candidates, and CLS's ability to service those markets; CLS's ability to develop sales and marketing capabilities, whether alone or with potential future collaborators; the rate and degree of market acceptance of CLS's product candidates; and CLS's expectations regarding its ability to obtain and adequately maintain sufficient intellectual property protection for its product candidates. Any forward-looking statements that CLS makes in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. CLS assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

References

1 Teen Acne Survey; Harris Poll. Conducted between July 13 and 31, 2017 by http://www.theharrispoll.com/

2 Acne; American Academy of Dermatology. Retrieved September 26, 2017 from https://www.aad.org/media/stats/conditions

3 Aktipak (erythromycin 3%-benzoyl peroxide 5%) Topical Gel [package insert]. Wayne, PA: Cutanea Life Sciences, Inc.; 2017.

Media Inquiries: Karen Dombek, MCS Healthcare Public Relations

(908) 234-9900

[email protected]

Andy Hachadorian, Cutanea Life Sciences

(484) 568-4323

[email protected]

SOURCE Cutanea Life Sciences, Inc.
The new medical campus was designed from the ground-up to provide the latest in medical technology for patients seeking the most advanced medical care in Southern California. Scott Leggett, CEO Surgery One said: "Our vision was to build a medical campus where patients are the priority and the care they receive is the most advanced available, and we have realized that vision."

NextMed Center Medical Campus Features

Fully Encompassing Women's Center

Femina Careo Uro-Gynecology , Dr. Moukarzel offers patients complete obstetrical and gynecological care, including diagnostic examination, procedures, surgical and non-surgical management of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapses.

, Dr. Moukarzel offers patients complete obstetrical and gynecological care, including diagnostic examination, procedures, surgical and non-surgical management of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapses. Fertility Specialists Medical Group's top physicians have been guiding patients along the path to parenthood for over fifteen years.

top physicians have been guiding patients along the path to parenthood for over fifteen years. West Coast OB/GYN is an expanding group of dynamic physicians who provide full-spectrum obstetric and gynecological healthcare for women. The doctors specialize in minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic-assisted procedures.

State-of-the-art Orthopedic Care - From urgent orthopedics to an outpatient surgical center with a team of exceptional surgeons leading the way in patient care. Direct Orthopedic Care (DOC) provides local patients' immediate admittance to orthopedic care seven-days a week. Carlsbad Surgery Center and Orthopaedic Specialists of North County provide comprehensive medical care and gives patients access to the most advanced orthopedic treatments and technology available.

World Renowned Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine - San Diego Orthobiologics Medical Group led by Dr. Christopher Rogers provide the most comprehensive treatment options currently available in San Diego.

The Sharp Mary Birch Education Center - Includes physician offices and an education space where the hospital will host classes such as Childbirth Preparation, Baby Care Basics and Breastfeeding.

NextMed Center of Carlsbad features a medical campus comprised of independent medical providers. Based in Carlsbad, California, the campus serves San Diego County and beyond with access to Exceptional Doctors, Superior Experience, Affordable Care, and Easy Access. Learn more: www.nextmedcenter.com

SOURCE NextMed Center of Carlsbad

Related Links

http://www.nextmedcenter.com/


STOCKHOLM, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- During the Nobel Week when the Nobel Laureates come to Stockholm and Oslo, HTC VIVE and Nobel Media announced a partnership to create the first virtual reality experience for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The VR experience "The Circadian Rhythm" takes viewers on a journey into the cellular level of the human body, where they are able to learn about and interact with our biological clock to gain a greater understanding of its inner workings. This truly unique VR experience showcases the contributions of Nobel Laureates and explains how plants, animals and humans adapt their biological rhythm so that it is synchronized with the Earth's revolutions.

The Nobel Prize is based on recognizing great contributions to humanity, and the receivers of the Nobel Prize are among those who have advanced our knowledge of the universe and our bodies. Nobel Media and HTC Vive are creating the virtual reality experience to visualize the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm. The experience will be shown for the first time during the Nobel Week while the full free experience will be available globally on Viveport and at the Nobel Museum starting in 2018.

"Together, with HTC Vive, we are creating unique VR experiences that showcase important moments and lessons that the world can benefit from," said Mattias, Fyrenius, CEO Nobel Media. "'The Circadian Rhythm' is another great testament to how emerging technologies like VR can provide an unparalleled experience and moment of learning."

"We believe that the mysteries of our physiology and the world of physics can best be explored when you experience the breakthrough achievements of Nobel Prize Laurates in VR - imagine being in a cell and see the biological clock at work or at the beginning of time when the Big Bang happens," said Rikard Steiber, President, Viveport.

This initiative with Nobel Media is the latest in HTC Vive's effort to expand the world's understanding of the impact VR can have in educating and engaging the public on the world around us. Vive recently launched Vive Arts, an initiative set to change the way the world creates and engages with the arts. Vive's partnership with Nobel Media further demonstrates the power VR has in shaping the way we educate and appreciate important concepts.

About HTC VIVE

VIVE is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality platform, built and optimized for room-scale VR and true-to-life interactions. Delivering on the promise of VR with game-changing technology and best-in-class content, Vive has created the strongest ecosystem for VR hardware and software, bringing VR to consumers, developers and enterprises alike. The Vive ecosystem is built around the best VR hardware in market, supported by Vive X, a $100 million accelerator for VR and related technology start-ups, Viveport, a global platform and app store with the world's first VR subscription model that operates in more than 45 countries, and Vive Studios, its VR content development and publishing initiative.

For more information on Vive, please visit https://www.vive.com.

SOURCE HTC VIVE

Related Links

http://www.vive.com


CARLSBAD, Calif., Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nortek Security & Control LLC (NSC), a global leader in the security, smart home, access control and personal digital health markets, joined forces with Casa de Amparo and Saved In America in donating access control products and safety services for the Casa Kids Campus project. NSC is providing telephone entry systems, automated gate operators and electronic key fobs to ensure the continued safety and well-being of children housed at the Casa Kids Campus. Casa Kids Campus provides a safe environment for children and families traumatized by severe child abuse and neglect.

"At NSC our responsibility to the communities we live and work in is foundational to our corporate culture. We believe that giving back to the San Diego community is a privilege and feel honored to donate our goods and services to Casa de Amparo alongside Saved In America," said Mike O'Neal, President of NSC. "It's incredibly rewarding to know that NSC has a hand in keeping some of San Diego's children safe."

"With physical access control solutions from NSC, as well as boots-on-the-ground services from Saved in America donated, we have the invaluable peace of mind that our Casa Kids Campus is secure," said Tamara Fleck-Myers, Executive Director of Casa de Amparo. "Knowing we have the best equipment and resources to keep us safe, we can continue to provide a truly nurturing environment to our kids that promotes healing, growth and healthy relationships."

Saved in America, a non-profit committed to locating missing and runaway children, has donated their time and services to securely patrol the Casa Kids Campus to monitor for and address on premise safety risks, in addition to keeping an eye on the children housed at the campus.

"Casa de Amparo and their Casa Kids Campus are very near and dear to our organization's heart and core mission," said Joseph Travers, President of Saved In America. "We're honored to offer our services and work alongside a great community partner like NSC to eliminate security risks and facilitate the amazing work that the folks at Casa de Amparo do."

Nortek Security & Control LLC

Nortek Security & Control LLC (NSC) is a global leader in smart connected devices and systems for residential, security, access control, and digital health markets. NSC and its partners have deployed more than 4 million connected systems and over 20 million security and home control sensors and peripherals. Through its family of brands including 2GIG, GoControl, ELAN , Linear, Mighty Mule and Numera, NSC designs solutions for national telecoms, big box retailers, OEM partners, service providers, security dealers and consumers. Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, NSC is a subsidiary of Melrose Industries PLC, a global investment company specializing in acquisition and performance improvement.

 2017 Nortek Security & Control LLC

About Casa de Amparo

Casa de Amparo is recognized as a leader in treating and preventing child abuse and neglect in San Diego County and beyond, with locations in Oceanside and San Marcos. The nonprofit organization annually serves over 1,000 Casa Kids, from prenatal to 25 years old, as well as 950 families, through integrated trauma-informed programs that promote healing, growth, and healthy relationships. These programs include Residential Services, Counseling Services, Family Visitation, Child Development Center, New Directions, and Young Parent Network.

About Saved In America

Saved In America is a non-profit of former law enforcement officers and Navy SEALS-turned licensed, insured private investigators. Saved In America assists parents and law enforcement in locating missing and runaway children  one of the groups most vulnerable to sexual exploitation. For victims of exploitation, Saved In America assists in procuring legal representation, safe housing and rehabilitative therapy.

SOURCE Nortek Security & Control

Related Links

http://www.nortekcontrol.com


VISTA, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NuZee, Inc. (OTCQB: NUZE) ("NuZee" or "the Company") announced today that it has signed a joint agreement with Japan's Fuso Industries Co Ltd and NASA Corporation that grants NuZee the exclusive North America rights to utilize NASA's proprietary machinery brand FUSO in the manufacturing of NuZee's Coffee Blenders line of Drip Cup coffee products. The agreement will commence January 1, 2018.

The Drip Cup market in Japan is estimated to be approximately 2.3 billion cups per year, with the majority of these cups manufactured by the FUSO brand Drip Cup packing machine.

"This exclusive U.S. license provides us with a significant barrier to entry with respect to the manufacture of Drip Cup coffee," said Masa Higashida, NuZee's Chief Executive Officer. "Our total revenues for the nine months ended June 30, 2017 rose to $1.2 million from $455,000 in all of FY 2016, driven in large part by higher sales of our Drip Cup line of functional coffees, which we began selling in the U.S. and Asia in 2015. We expect Drip Cup sales to rise throughout FY 2018, and this technology will allow us to meet anticipated growing market demand."

"We are very pleased to formalize our relationship with NASA, whose technology we have utilized for the last several years," said Travis Gorney, President and COO of NuZee. "The Drip Cup is a common and popular brewing method in Asia and we are encouraged by the reception it has received in the United States. The portable Drip Cup is ideal for campers, college students, outdoor enthusiasts, and coffee-lovers in general, and allows consumers to conveniently craft quality gourmet coffee virtually anywhere."

NuZee manufactures and sells its Drip Cup line of single serve, pour-over functional coffees in the following varieties: Lean Cup (for weight loss), Think Cup (for cognitive performance), Relax Cup (for stress reduction), Active Cup (for a pre-workout boost of energy), Nude Cup (100% Arabica coffee with no added functionality), and Kona Blend, as well as its newly released 100% all-natural Twin Peaks line of pour-over coffees with blends from Honduras, Costa Rica, and Colombia.

About NuZee and Coffee Blenders

NuZee, Inc. (d/b/a Coffee Blenders) is the pioneer in functional coffee, offering gourmet specialty grade coffee in convenient single serve cups using only natural ingredients with clinically supported nutraceuticals. Coffee Blenders also manufactures and sells in the United States its Drip Cup line of single serve, pour-over functional coffees, including Lean Cup (for weight loss), Think Cup (for cognitive performance), Relax Cup (for stress reduction), Active Cup (for a pre-workout boost of energy), Nude Cup (100% Arabica coffee with no function), and Kona Blend, as well as its newly released 100% all-natural Twin Peaks line of pour-over coffees with blends from Honduras, Costa Rica, and Colombia. The Company also sells Matcha Cup tea, as well as a Whole Bean coffee line. For more information on Coffee Blenders, please visit: http://www.coffeeblenders.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Any statements that are not historical facts contained in this release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions, estimates, intentions, and future performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control, and which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements upon information available to management as of the date of this release and management's expectations and projections about certain future events. It is possible that the assumptions made by management for purposes of such statements may not materialize. Such statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those relating to product demand, pricing, market acceptance, the effect of economic conditions, intellectual property rights, the outcome of competitive products, risks in product development, and other factors discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement for events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made.

SOURCE NuZee, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.coffeeblenders.com


PURCHASES WILL SUPPORT TOGETHER FOR SHORT LIVES

From Thursday 7th December 2017 fans and collectors across the globe will get the chance to own an official commemorative note that has been specially created to celebrate the launch of the year's most anticipated film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the follow up to the UK's biggest film of all time.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/615549/eBay_Star_Wars_Note.jpg )



The note will be available exclusively on online marketplace ebay.co.uk and has been created using the technological and design expertise of British company De La Rue, which provides currency to over two thirds of the world's countries, including the United Kingdom. This forms part of a special initiative between Disney and the GREAT Britain Campaign to celebrate the 40 years of British creativity behind the Star Wars films.

100% of the money raised from the commemorative note will be donated to Together for Short Lives, on behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change. Together for Short Lives, a UK-based charity, supports children's hospices and all children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions, and their families. Star Wars: Force for Change, a charitable initiative from Lucasfilm and Disney, harnesses the strength of Star Wars to empower and improve the lives of children around the world. This holiday season, Disney UK has combined forces to launch a broad campaign across its range of businesses and its partners' platforms to raise money, awareness and to create magical memories for the children under hospice care.

eBay will be the exclusive home to a limited run of 1,000 commemorative notes, available at a fixed price of 100 plus a further 50 unique premium notes up for auction. The notes are crafted with 100% cotton cylinder mould paper, securitised and printed in De La Rue's high security proofing department based in Hampshire. They incorporate an original light side/dark side artwork composition and several special features including serial numbers; pattern work of the First Order and Resistance emblems; hidden scenes (discoverable under 365nm UV light); hidden messages in microtext (discoverable with an eye glass); a message in Aurebesh, one of the languages of the galaxy; and the signature of Director/Writer Rian Johnson. The 50 unique, premium notes will also include an intaglio (a raised, hand-engraving of Rey) and each will have a unique, sequenced serial number.

"It's incredibly exciting to be part of this one of a kind initiative to mark the release of The Last Jedi and for such a fantastic cause," says the film's director Rian Johnson, whose signature appears on the official note. "It was a joy filming in the UK and working with a British crew and I'm delighted the GREAT Britain Campaign and De La Rue are celebrating this with the commemorative note."

The commemorative notes support the Star Wars: Made GREAT in Britain initiative which celebrates the special relationship between Great Britain and the Star Wars films. Over 40 years ago the incredible story between Great Britain and Star Wars began with the production of Star Wars: A New Hope at Elstree Studios. The imagination, inspiration and innovation of the filmmakers included the original lightsaber design by British set decorator Roger Christian - who fashioned it from spare camera parts and collected junk, Academy Award-winning costume designs from British-born John Mollo - the man who brought Darth Vader's iconic look to life; and the key roles of the London Symphony Orchestra and Abbey Road - the birthplace of one the most iconic themes in the galaxy. The story continues this year with Star Wars: The Last Jedi which was filmed in the UK using world-class British talent in both the production team and amongst the on screen stars.

Creative Industries Minister Matt Hancock said: "We are thrilled the new Star Wars film will be celebrated with a commemorative note. The film proudly flies the flag for the UK's creative industries. Shot at the iconic Pinewood Studios, it features some of the best British talent in front and behind the cameras and bodes well for the future of UK film. Star Wars is part of the huge success of our film industry. Supported by the Government's highly successful film tax relief, UK film contributes over 4 billion a year to the economy and supports nearly 70,000 full time jobs. We love film and support the film industry at every turn."

On Thursday 7th December from 8pm GMT the 1,000 commemorative notes will become available to buy at a fixed price on http://www.ebay.co.uk/starwars and the 50 premium notes will be up for auction for 10 days until Sunday 17th December 2017.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI RELEASES IN UK CINEMAS FROM 14TH DECEMBER 2017

THE STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI COMMEMORATIVE NOTES WILL BE AVALIABLE FROM EBAY.CO.UK FROM 7TH-17TH DECEMBER 2017

http://www.ebay.co.uk/starwars

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE eBay
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) Project continues to experience rapid growth with the addition of four new members, including Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Hangzhou Eastcom Software Technology Corporation, KT Corporation and LG Uplus Corporation. Together with the community, these new ONAP members join more than 50 global service providers and technology leaders, all working to deliver a neutral automation platform for network, infrastructure and services.

"We are delighted to grow our global community by welcoming four new members to the project," said Arpit Joshipura, general manager of Networking and Orchestration, The Linux Foundation. "Our ongoing membership growth demonstrates that the industry understands the demand for network automation and establishes ONAP as the defacto standard. With the announcement of Amsterdam, we are well on our way to uniting organizations from around the world to create a new business model around a shared architecture and implementation for network automation."

The new members will contribute to ONAP's 30 projects with a variety of other industry-leading organizations. ONAP brings together service providers, telecommunication vendors, cloud service providers, system integrators and others to deliver a unified architecture and implementation, with an open standards upstream focus, faster than any one project or organization could on its own. Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications has joined as an Associate member. Hangzhou Eastcom Software Technology Corporation, KT Corporation and LG Uplus have joined as Silver members.

The first ONAP release, Amsterdam, was unveiled on November 21, 2017. For more information about ONAP and how to participate in its global membership community, please visit: https://www.onap.org/members/join.

About the Newest ONAP Members:

The Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) is a key national university distinguished by teaching and research in the field of cable communications, wireless communications, computer and electronic engineering. BUPT is ranked as one of the top engineering schools in China and was created in 1955 under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Communications Department of the General Staff Department of the People's Liberation Army.

Hangzhou Eastcom Software Technology Co., Ltd. (Eastcom Software) was established in 1999 as a state-controlled enterprise jointly established by Potevio Eastcom Group Co., Ltd. (Eastcom Group), Eastcom Corp. and technical backbones. It is registered in the Hangzhou High-tech Zone. Eastcom Software is the leading provider of O & M software and service management software in China. A key part of Eastcom Software's main business is computer software development services. The company provides complete set of OSS solutions as well as solutions and professional services for telecom, finance, government, public utilities, large commercial organizations and more. Its product areas cover operation and maintenance support, customer service management, big data service and support, education and training, mobile payment and Internet of Things.

KT Corporation provides telecommunications services in Korea. The company offers fixed-line telephone services, including local, domestic long-distance, and international long-distance fixed-line and voice over Internet protocol telephone services, as well as interconnection services. With its GiGA-class wired and wireless network infrastructure and ICT technologies, KT focuses on various convergence services including IoT, Big Data, AI, aiming at a global market. KT first introduced smartphone to Korean market in 2009 and now KT is preparing to deploy the first 5G trial network in 2018.

Founded in 1996, LG Uplus Corp. is a telecommunications company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. LG Uplus provides a wide range of telecommunications services from mobile telephone, broadband Internet, Internet protocol TV through IDC and IoT. Some IDC services include data center, network connectivity, managed cloud, and IT operation and management.

About ONAP

The Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) Project brings together top global carriers and vendors with the goal of allowing end users to automate, design, orchestrate and manage services and virtual functions. ONAP unites two major open networking and orchestration projects, open source ECOMP and the Open Orchestrator Project (OPEN-O), with the mission of creating a unified architecture and implementation and supporting collaboration across the open source community. The ONAP Project is a Linux Foundation project. For more information, visit https://www.onap.org.

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Media Contact

Sarah Conway

The Linux Foundation

(978) 578-5300

[email protected]

SOURCE Open Network Automation Platform

Related Links

http://www.onap.org


"As the Bank of the Packers since 1919, Associated Bank is proud to celebrate the success of the Packers organization and its fans," said Christopher Piotrowski, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Associated Bank. "The Keys to Lambeau celebration provides fans with an amazing opportunity to experience Lambeau Field from a very different perspective."

Fans can show their Packers pride with Associated Bank's Packers Checking, which comes with a one-of-a-kind Packers Debit MasterCard and eye-catching checks. Packers Checking customers can also take advantage of a 10 percent discount on purchases made at the Packers Pro Shop (in-store or online).

Visit AssociatedBank.com/PackersFan for official rules and to enter through February 28, 2018.

ABOUT ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP

Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) has total assets of $30 billion and is one of the top 50 publicly traded U.S. bank holding companies. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Associated is a leading Midwest banking franchise, offering a full range of financial products and services from over 200 banking locations serving more than 100 communities throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, and commercial financial services in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas. Associated Bank, N.A. is an Equal Housing Lender, Equal Opportunity Lender and Member FDIC. More information about Associated Banc-Corp is available at www.associatedbank.com.

Contact: Jennifer Kaminski

Vice President | Public Relations Senior Manager

920-491-7576

[email protected]

SOURCE Associated Banc-Corp

Related Links

http://www.associatedbank.com


The USS Ward was a Wickes-class destroyer that famously fired the first American shot in World War II at 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941 just outside of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The ship and its crew sighted and sank a Japanese midget submarine. The submarine they sank was one of five top secret Japanese vessels, each armed with two torpedoes that intended to penetrate the harbor under cover of darkness before the attack began. The enemy air attack on Pearl Harbor, and throughout Oahu, started about an hour after the USS Ward sank the midget submarine.

On December 7, 1944, three years to the day, the USS Ward was lost after coming under attack by several kamikazes. She had been patrolling Ormoc Bay off the island of Leyte, serving as a high-speed transport for troops. She was hit at the waterline amidships by one of the attacking kamikaze. Unable to extinguish the resulting fire that was now consuming the ship, the crew was ordered to abandon ship. She was soon scuttled by an accompanying ship, the USS O'Brien. Poetically, O'Brien's commanding officer was Lt. Cmdr. William Outerbridge, who had been in command of the USS Ward during the attack on Pearl Harbor three years earlier. Amazingly, only one USS Ward crew member was injured throughout the day's events.

While her remains rest at the bottom of Ormoc Bay, the Ward's historical significance is not forgotten.

"The USS Ward found herself in the crucible of American history  at the intersection of a peacetime Navy and war footing. She took decisive, effective and unflinching action despite the uncertain waters. Now 76 years on, her example informs our naval posture," said Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

R/V Petrel is a 250-foot research and exploration vessel purchased in 2016 by Mr. Allen. Petrel's advanced underwater equipment and technology makes it one of the few ships on the planet capable of exploring to 6,000 meters deep (more than 3.5 miles). Following a 2017 retrofit, Petrel and its crew use state-of-the-art underwater technology for deep-sea search and exploration expeditions.

"The Petrel and its capabilities, the technology it has and the research we've done, are the culmination of years of dedication and hard work," said Robert Kraft, director of subsea operations for Mr. Allen. "We've assembled and integrated this technology, assets and unique capability into an operating platform which is now one among very few on the planet."

To ensure the location of the ship was accurate, the USS Ward's wreckage was identified and cross-referenced with historic drawings and schematics of the ship. The survey of the USS Ward was part of a combined mission to document the Imperial Japanese Warships that were lost during the Battle of Surigao Strait in the Philippines. During the November expedition, the R/V Petrel was able to capture video of IJN Yamashiro (FUSO class dreadnought battleship), IJN Fuso (FUSO class dreadnought battleship), Yamagumo (Asashio class destroyer), Asagumo (Asashio class destroyer) and Michishio (Asashio class destroyer). These ships and more than 4,000 men were lost during a decisive battle on October 25, 1944, considered the largest naval battle in history.

Allen-led expeditions have also resulted in the discovery of the USS Indianapolis (August 2017), Japanese battleship Musashi (March 2015) and the Italian World War II destroyer Artigliere (March 2017). His team was also responsible for retrieving and restoring the ship's bell from the HMS Hood for presentation to the British Navy in honor of its heroic service. Mr. Allen's expedition team and R/V Petrel are dedicated to continuing exploration, marine archaeology and oceanographic research.

For more information, contact:

[email protected]

The following link provides visual assets, materials and video interviews from:

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen

Director of subsea operations for Mr. Allen, Robert Kraft

Robert Cressman , Naval History and Heritage Command

, Naval History and Heritage Command B-roll of the R/V Petrel in its expedition for the USS Ward

Footage from the underwater survey of the USS Ward

Historic photos of the USS Ward

The following links are recommended resources, providing the history of the USS Ward.

Naval History and Heritage Command's USS Ward Pages:

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/w/ward.html

https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-001/h-001-2.html

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/archives/digitized-collections/action-reports/wwii-pearl-harbor-attack/ships-s-z/uss-ward-dd-139-action-report.html

USS Ward Photos -- Imagery in this section can be attributed to "U.S. Navy Photo Courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command" or "U.S. Navy Photo."

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-92000/NH-92694.html

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-50000/NH-50261.html

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-50000/NH-50263.html

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-102000/nh-102296-lcdr-commander-william-outerbridge.html

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor-raid/other-raid-related-events/NH-97446.html

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor-raid/other-raid-related-events/NH-75537.html

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor-raid/other-raid-related-events/NH-95582.html

Naval History and Heritage Command's information on Japanese Midget Submarines:

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor-raid/japanese-forces-in-the-pearl-harbor-attack/japanese-midget-submarines-used-in-the-attack-on-pearl-harbor.html

About Paul G. Allen

Four decades after co-founding Microsoft, entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul G. Allen is still exploring the frontiers of technology and human knowledge, and acting to change the future. Mr. Allen is working to save endangered species; combat climate change; improve ocean health; share art, history and film; develop new technology; tackle epidemics; research how the human brain works; and build sustainable communities.

Mr. Allen is deeply committed to honoring our past and the lessons it provides to our future. He has created public spaces including the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Collection, MoPOP and the Living Computer Museum + Lab where people learn and interact with historic, cultural and musical heritage. The inaugural Seattle Art Fair helped put the city on the map as one of the premier art destinations in the country. He also thinks globally, making impact investments that will help developing countries expand their health and infrastructure and nurture a diversified economy.

Many of his ventures were seeded in his youth, and reflect the depth and diversity of his passions. Honoring his father's service in World War II, Mr. Allen is especially interested in collecting and protecting the artifacts that speak to the heroism and service of that day. His recently acquired Research Vessel Petrel provides a platform to search for historic artifacts that have been lost at sea.

To learn more, visit PaulAllen.com.

SOURCE Paul G. Allen

Related Links

http://www.paulallen.com


READING, Pa., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With new products such as Genentech's Hemlibra (Emicizumab-kxwh) entering the United States marketplace, PFI interviewed personnel in critical business positions across multiple Hemophilia organizations to gain a full understanding on how they are penetrating such a specialized market.

Joyce Wedemeyer, Director of Marketing and Sales at PFI, says that commercial operations approaches are evolving within the Hemophilia space.

"We have been noticing that hemophilia organizations are starting to focus more on deploying ultra-specialized Market Access account teams with expertise in hemophilia," Wedemeyer said.

"However, efforts to target non-hemophilia-specific channels, such as community hospitals, have been generally unsuccessful."

Additional industry insights captured in this report include:

Strategic Overview of the Hemophilia Franchise

Number of Key Sales and Marketing Personnel by Type

Structure of the Sales and Marketing Organization

Market Access Teams

Management of the Product Portfolio

Approach to Field Reimbursement

Response to Biosimilar Developments

Typical Compensation Package for Hemophilia Sales Representatives

For more information on the report mentioned above, please contact Joyce Wedemeyer at [email protected] or by phone at 610-370-2906.

PharmaForce International (PFI) is a competitive intelligence firm with over two decades of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. PFI has become the market leader in commercial operations benchmarking and competitive intelligence. The globally focused company employs marketplace experts uniquely qualified to perform primary research required by clients in most major pharmaceutical markets around the world, including Europe, India, Japan, Latin America, and the United States.

SOURCE PharmaForce International
CRANBURY, N.J., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PMV Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of p53-targeted small molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer, today announced the appointment of industry veteran Winston Kung as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

Prior to joining PMV Pharma, Mr. Kung was Vice President of Business Development and Global Alliances at Celgene, and previously held the position of Chief Business Officer at Celgene Cellular Therapeutics. With his experience leading multiple transactions and a team that managed Celgene's alliance portfolio of over 100 collaborations, equity investments and company integrations, Mr. Kung will help manage the development of PMV Pharma's mutant p53 restoration drug pipeline, which got a boost this past February when the company completed a $74 million series B financing round.

"Winston's track record of deal-making and his financial acumen and leadership will be instrumental as we develop drugs that use a unique mechanism of action to restore mutated p53 proteins to their pivotal role in defending against cancer," said David Mack, Ph.D., President and CEO of PMV Pharmaceuticals.

"I joined PMV Pharma's stellar leadership team to help advance the company's world-class research and emerging pipeline," Mr. Kung said. "Like many people, I have family and friends who have been impacted by cancer. PMV is developing drugs that may dramatically improve cancer treatment, and I'm excited to be a part of the exceptional team driving this effort."



Prior to joining Celgene, Mr. Kung held senior positions at Citigroup's Global Healthcare Investment Banking group and at Lehman Brothers' Global Mergers and Acquisition group, where he oversaw public and private financings, mergers, acquisitions, spin-outs and financial advisory engagements.

Mr. Kung has also led multiple transactions as part of Genentech's and Amgen's Business and Corporate Development groups.

Mr. Kung earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and an A.B. in Biology and International Relations with honors from Brown University.

About PMV Pharma

PMV Pharma was co-founded by Dr. Arnold Levine, one of the discoverers of the p53 protein and a professor emeritus at the Simons Center for Systems Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study. p53 is the most commonly mutated gene in cancer, with over 50 percent of all human tumors containing a p53 mutant protein. PMV Pharma is developing first-in-class p53 and p53 pathway modulators for the treatment of cancer. Bringing together leaders in the field to utilize over three decades of p53 biology, PMV Pharma combines unique biological understanding with pharmaceutical development focus.

Cancer cells often have mutations in p53 that enable them to escape death. PMV Pharma's unique mechanism of action promises to restore p53 to its normal function, eliminating this escape route and selectively killing the mutant cancer cells without affecting normal tissues. The protein plays a pivotal role in the body's natural defense mechanism against cancer and induces a highly-organized program of cellular death to prevent the proliferation of potentially cancerous cells.

PMV Pharma is headquartered in Cranbury, New Jersey. The Company has raised over $100 million since its founding in 2013 through investments from Topspin Biotech Fund in association with Euclidean Capital, OrbiMed Advisors, Osage University Partners, and from founding investor InterWest Partners.

Contact:

David H. Mack, Ph.D.

President & CEO

PMV Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

[email protected]

Amiad Finkelthal

Russo Partners

[email protected]

(646) 942-5626

(917) 217-1838 mobile

SOURCE PMV Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pmvpharma.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Popbar, the maker of customizable popGelato, popSorbetto, and yogurtPops, founded in New York City in 2010, has opened its second location in Texas. Texans are welcoming this newest location at Pearland Town Center. Popbar's fans and Houston foodies have been eagerly anticipating opening day. A Grand Opening celebration will be held Saturday, December 16th to mark the special occasion. Festivities will include complimentary pops to the first 100 customers and prizes like the chance to win free Popbar for a year!

Handcrafted, all natural, customizable pops Display case full of customizable pops

Dedicated to serving 'the best' in frozen treats, Popbar serves handcrafted gelato, sorbetto, and yogurt in a new way  on a stick. All pops are made in-house daily with all natural ingredients. On the menu, you'll find 40+ rotating flavors ranging from classics to the more unique (Green Tea, Passion Fruit), and even seasonal ones too. You can enjoy your pop as-is, or customize to your liking. Premium dippings and toppings include dark, milk, and white chocolate, nuts, sprinkles, waffle cone, caramel corn, and more!

At Popbar, a mouthwatering experience awaits everyone, even those looking for vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free options. All popSorbettos are vegan-dairy-gluten-soy-free, and all popGelatos and yogurtPops are gluten-soy free. Other indulgences include Hot Chocolate on a Stick, Frozen Hot Chocolate, and the newest addition to the menu, popWich, which allows customers to customize their very own gelato sandwich on a stick  YUM!

All of this decadence can be attributed to Italian roots and a love for supremely delicious treats. Blending authenticity, innovation, and high quality ingredients, Popbar became a recipe for success, and the contemporary concept has been changing the way we enjoy our favorite Italian desserts since - on an international scale.

Popbar currently has 25 stores in the USA and international countries like Canada, Panama, Singapore and Russia, but this is just the beginning. There are currently 7 stores under construction in new territories, and many to come. Popbar Pearland is the sixth to open this year and is located in Pearland Town Center, the prime lifestyle destination for the rapidly growing Pearland community.

"We're thrilled to be opening our second Popbar in Houston! It's been a pleasure serving Baybrook Mall these past couple months and we can't wait to do the same in Pearland. Our all natural, handcrafted pops are beyond delicious - they're truly irresistible and the joy of customizing makes the experience even sweeter, literally," says franchisee, Vanitha Pothuri. "My favorite flavor is Gianduia! It's oh so yummy, especially dipped in milk chocolate with crushed waffle cone."

While Popbar is expanding rapidly, the brand maintains a 'mom and pop' feel at all locations with the help of its hand-selected franchisees. Each store prides itself on Popbar's original values - superior quality, in-house production, outstanding service, authenticity, and family-friendly fun. New stores quickly become classic neighborhood spots, and supplies like fruit and milk are purchased locally.

Popbar is a perfect treat for anyone - baby to adult, and for any occasion - dessert date to post-game celebratory treat to midnight snack. With so many flavors and combinations to try, just one visit won't do. You'll definitely want to stop in for a "love at first bite" experience, but if you're a foodie, don't forget to snap a picture of your pop first  that is, if you can wait.

To keep up with everything Popbar, follow the brand on Instagram @popbar and Facebook @popbarUSA, or visit www.pop-bar.com.

New territories are available for franchising. For more information, email [email protected].

Media Contact:

Megan Lewkowicz

212-444-8141

[email protected]

SOURCE Popbar

Related Links

http://www.pop-bar.com


IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- POPin today announced a new survey of C-level executives and vice presidents across a variety of industries, which found that most companies still struggle with significant misalignment issues between management and employees, making it difficult to implement key initiatives and retain top talent.

According to the survey, 41% of respondents say town hall meetings are "typically one sided" with information flowing from management to employees. An alarming 47% of respondents say employee opinions are "only sometimes" heard and addressed in such meetings. Moreover, 45% of respondents fail to conduct town hall employee meetings at all.

56% of respondents say executives rely on email as the "primary" method of employee communication. Only 21% of executives surveyed solicit feedback from employees in person, and often that feedback in not candid for fear of negative career consequences.

"Businesses today are in crisis when it comes to employee engagement and organizational alignment," said Brian Anderson, Chief Marketing Officer of POPin. "As social collaboration continues to create new methods of bringing people closer together, most companies continue to follow older, less effective practices. Business leaders continue to prove they are completely unable to establish an effective process for employee engagement and fail to build organizational alignment on key initiatives."

Survey Results:

Lack of Productivity: Most managers do not prioritize employee feedback when it comes to productivity improvements. Only 26% make this a "high priority." Nearly 55% will listen to employee concerns but admit they are challenged to address them. 20% said it is "too difficult" to sift through feedback to identify employee challenges.

Most managers do not prioritize employee feedback when it comes to productivity improvements. Only 26% make this a "high priority." Nearly 55% will listen to employee concerns but admit they are challenged to address them. 20% said it is "too difficult" to sift through feedback to identify employee challenges. Failure to Gauge Employee Satisfaction: 24% of respondents say they have "frequent" conversations with employees to solicit feedback but there is "no quantifiable method" to do so. An alarming 52% say they have conversations with employees but often "do not receive candid feedback." 25% say there is "no process whatsoever" to gauge employee satisfaction.

24% of respondents say they have "frequent" conversations with employees to solicit feedback but there is "no quantifiable method" to do so. An alarming 52% say they have conversations with employees but often "do not receive candid feedback." 25% say there is "no process whatsoever" to gauge employee satisfaction. Inability to Solicit Candid Feedback: 54% say employees will share their opinions but typically "withhold" critical feedback about the organization. 26% consider that they have "open and honest" conversations with employees. 20% say employees try to communicate honestly but are hesitant to offer critical feedback for fear that it would reflect poorly and affect their career.

54% say employees will share their opinions but typically "withhold" critical feedback about the organization. 26% consider that they have "open and honest" conversations with employees. 20% say employees try to communicate honestly but are hesitant to offer critical feedback for fear that it would reflect poorly and affect their career. Employee Retention: 53% of managers can predict when an employee is not happy but are often unable to remediate the problem. 29% say it's "usually a surprise" when an employee resigns. Only 18% do well to predict employee dissatisfaction and can usually remediate the problem in time.

53% of managers can predict when an employee is not happy but are often unable to remediate the problem. 29% say it's "usually a surprise" when an employee resigns. Only 18% do well to predict employee dissatisfaction and can usually remediate the problem in time. Misalignment on Technology Initiatives: 57% of respondents say their company is "slightly out of alignment" on new initiatives and that it "takes some time to come up the learning curve." 14% say employees are reluctant to embrace new ideas. Only 29% of respondents are "well aligned" and "in lockstep" with senior management.

57% of respondents say their company is "slightly out of alignment" on new initiatives and that it "takes some time to come up the learning curve." 14% say employees are reluctant to embrace new ideas. Only 29% of respondents are "well aligned" and "in lockstep" with senior management. Ideation Challenges: 52% of respondents say that although they have an "open line" of communication between departments, there's "no solid process" to share ideas. 25% say they are "not effective" at ideation with "limited interaction" with disparate departments. Only 23% of respondents they have a "solid infrastructure" in place to develop new ideas.

52% of respondents say that although they have an "open line" of communication between departments, there's "no solid process" to share ideas. 25% say they are "not effective" at ideation with "limited interaction" with disparate departments. Only 23% of respondents they have a "solid infrastructure" in place to develop new ideas. No Standard Process for Sourcing Ideas: Responses were mixed on how ideas are sourced internally. 22% use an internal solution; 12% use social collaboration tools, 32% use a survey; 15% arrange large brainstorming sessions and 20% admit they "don't know" how to source ideas and concerns from the organization.

Responses were mixed on how ideas are sourced internally. 22% use an internal solution; 12% use social collaboration tools, 32% use a survey; 15% arrange large brainstorming sessions and 20% admit they "don't know" how to source ideas and concerns from the organization. Mobile Communications: Only 20% of respondents say that mobile has had a "significant" impact on employee communications. 39% say mobile capabilities have had a "moderate" impact, creating "an important communication channel" for "alignment." 36% say mobile has had "no improvement on alignment and ideation." Only 5% consider mobile to be a "hindrance."

Only 20% of respondents say that mobile has had a "significant" impact on employee communications. 39% say mobile capabilities have had a "moderate" impact, creating "an important communication channel" for "alignment." 36% say mobile has had "no improvement on alignment and ideation." Only 5% consider mobile to be a "hindrance." Senior Management Fails to "Take Action": 20% of respondents say they have processes in place that enable senior management to react quickly to employee concerns. 44% say they have "some processes" but need to be "more nimble in this area." 36% of respondents say e-level executives are "slow" with "limited resources to react in a timely manner."

"Our research continues to show that that crowdsourcing techniques are an indispensable tool in helping management engage with employees to ensure the success of corporate initiatives," added Mr. Anderson.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted between November 7, 2017, and November 14, 2017, and reflects responses from 163 business leaders, including c-level executives and vice presidents across a variety of industries.

Resources:

Download survey infographic here.

About POPin

POPin is a leadership tool that enables leaders to measure and solve real issues across the enterprise. POPin turns insights into action, helping leaders drive alignment and reduce obstacles to corporate objectives. POPin runs on the web and on mobile. Headquartered in Irvine, CA, POPin is already helping organizations such as CoreLogic, OldCastle, Ford and NYU. For more information visit www.popinnow.com.

Media Contact

Lumina Communications

Michael Gallo

212-239-8594

[email protected]

SOURCE POPin

Related Links

http://www.popinnow.com


This past fall, PureCircle partnered with North Carolina farmers to successfully plant and harvest StarLeaf stevia in small trial plots. PureCircle and its partner-farmers will significantly increase commercial production of StarLeaf stevia for the next planting season.

PureCircle's StarLeaf is a variety of the stevia plant that contains rich amounts of the most sugar-like tasting, zero-calorie stevia sweeteners. The project in North Carolina is part of PureCircle's global program to scale up StarLeaf production, while also providing domestically grown stevia to the North American market.

The trials this fall confirmed stevia grows well in soil and climate conditions that were conducive to growing tobacco. With the declining demand for tobacco, stevia cultivation offers farmers in North Carolina the opportunity to increase returns and productivity of their acreage.

Stevia is becoming the preferred zero-calorie sweetener among consumers and consumer product companies. The percentage of beverage and food products launched containing stevia increased by 13% in Q2 2017 compared to Q2 2016. StarLeaf stevia will help companies accelerate launches of reduced and zero-calorie products by making available sweeteners with the most sugar-like taste derived from a plant-based source.

James Foxton, Vice President of Agricultural Operations at PureCircle, said:

"We are proud to introduce stevia as a crop in North Carolina. This program will boost the economic prospects of agriculture in that state by providing a viable alternative to tobacco. We look forward to working together with farmers in expanding stevia production and establishing a North American stevia supply chain for PureCircle.

About PureCircle

PureCircle is the only company that combines advanced R&D with full vertical integration from farm to high-quality, great-tasting innovative stevia sweeteners.

The Company collaborates with farmers who grow the stevia plants and with food and beverage companies which seek to improve their low- and no-calorie formulations using a sweetener from plants.

PureCircle will continue to: lead in research, development and innovation; produce a growing supply of multiple varieties of stevia sweeteners with sugar-like taste, using all necessary and appropriate methods of production; and be a resource and innovation partner for food and beverage companies.

PureCircle stevia flavor modifiers work in synergy with sweeteners to improve the taste, mouthfeel and calorie profile, and enhance the cost effectiveness, of beverage and food products.

For more information, visit: www.purecircle.com

SOURCE PureCircle

Related Links

http://www.purecircle.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Questback, the global leader in enterprise feedback management, today announced MySafety, its innovative operations risk and safety management solution, was selected to present on workforce-centric methodologies for safety and operations risk at PowerGen International 2017, the world's largest power generation event. Questback Vice President of Sales, Americas, Justin Flanagan will present, Ensuring Operational Safety from Within, in the "Business Trends & Regulatory Issues" track on Wednesday, December 6th at 9:30 a.m.

As organizations strive towards operational excellence, clearly there is more to be realized when it comes to safety and risk management. "Despite advances in technology, best practices, processes and procedures, we still lose more than $3 trillion annually due to failures and incidents," states Flanagan. "The missing piece  bringing technology, process and external factors together  is the workforce." Ensuring Operational Safety from Within delves into that missing piece  the workforce  and how organizations can leverage a workforce-centric strategy to generate tangible improvements and business results.

"A workforce-centric approach bridges the long-standing gap between practice and process," states Flanagan. Named a 2017 "Smart Innovator" in worker safety technologies by Verdantix, MySafety is among "the most innovative technologies altering the safety management landscape." An innovative solution in the market, MySafety leverages a worker-centric methodology that delivers a true workforce-centered solution. Through establishing a workforce-centric approach that captures critical, actionable operational insights, MySafety improves safety and reduces operations risk in the thousands of decisions made each day by people across every level of an organization. "It focuses on the individuals doing the work, not just what should be done. And in doing so, it generates and sustains a true culture of safety. One that will remain when the processes, policies, and guidelines fail," states Frank Mllerop, Questback CEO. "MySafety focuses on ensuring that pertinent insights are delivered to the relevant workers at the right time."

Advances in technology and the rapid digitization of the world undeniably require organizations to evolve not only their solution architecture but their mindset and traditional practices. Operations risk and safety technologies are among the most crucial for organizations to operate a more successful and sustainable business  financially and competitively. They are fundamental as organizations drive toward a state of continuous improvement and operational excellence to meet today's challenges and, most importantly, continue to compete.

Learn more about PowerGen International at http://www.power-gen.com.

ABOUT MYSAFETY

MySafety aligns company strategy to execution by leveraging a workforce-centric approach that captures critical operational insights which improve safety and reduce operations risk in the thousands of decisions made each day by people across every level of an organization. As a business of Questback, MySafety is a cloud-based software solution that empowers your workforce to take ownership and control of an organization's safety and operations risk agenda.

Learn more at www.mysafetyquest.com.

ABOUT QUESTBACK

Questback is a complete feedback system that helps companies transform customer, employee and market research programs. Used by thousands of companies, including one-third of the Forbes list, Questback is the smarter, faster way to manage feedback. Get the software, services and human support you need to manage customer, employee and market feedback  all in one place. People matter. Get their insight.

Learn more at www.questback.com.

Contact:

Roslyn Sakaguchi

8324828003

[email protected]

SOURCE Questback

Related Links

http://www.questback.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and Pivotal Software, Inc., today announced that Raytheon has joined the Pivotal Ready Partner Program to assist the Department of Defense to develop software capabilities to more rapidly bring new technology to the military. The agreement establishes an important relationship that will help the DoD migrate legacy applications to the cloud and accelerate software development and delivery timelines.

"This partnership marks the end of 'business as usual' for defense contractors," said Todd Probert, vice president of mission support and modernization at Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. "The software enabled battlefield of the future demands new tools for the modern warfighter. Raytheon's deep mission knowledge and expertise in systems and software combined with Pivotal's innovative processes, tools and speed will change the way our military harnesses the power of technology."

Pivotal Cloud Foundry brings a software-led digital transformation to its customers. Through its cloud-native platform, Pivotal has helped hundreds of commercial customers, and recently the DoD, modernize their legacy systems, significantly improving delivery time and generating millions in cost savings.

"Today we are seeing government organizations embrace software as a strategic asset to rapidly respond to change, and Pivotal is helping enable that shift," said Nick Cayou, vice president, global alliances at Pivotal. "Since moving at startup speed is on the minds of every government organization, the collaboration between Pivotal and Raytheon will help customers drastically improve cycle time and go from idea to production software in days and weeks, not months and years."

About Pivotal Software, Inc.

Pivotal's cloud-native platform drives software innovation for many of the world's most admired brands. With millions of developers in communities around the world, Pivotal technology touches billions of users every day. After shaping the software development culture of Silicon Valley's most valuable companies for over a decade, today Pivotal leads a global technology movement transforming how the world builds software.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2016 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 95 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter.

Media Contact

Raytheon

Rachael Duffy

571-250-1517

[email protected]

SOURCE Raytheon Company

Related Links

http://www.raytheon.com


"Good CPR is a skill that almost anyone can do, but using the correct technique can be the difference between life and death for a person in cardiac arrest," said Richard N. Bradley, MD, FACEP, member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council, and chair of its Resuscitation Sub-Council. "The unique technology in the BigRed manikin enhances an amazing tool to improve students' ability to learn the right way to provide lifesaving assistance."

The BigRed manikin's 'LightSaving' technology will help instructors and students determine whether CPR is being performed accurately. Lights within the BigRed manikin's body reveal depth of chest compressions, rate of blood circulation and the quality of someone's CPR technique. Only proper technique will show the success of blood circulating to the brain which improves a sudden cardiac arrest victim's chance of survival.

Continuously improving on its world-class, award-winning instruction, the Red Cross is rolling out the BigRed manikin in all of its full-service and community-training classes. Although the technology utilized in the BigRed manikin is highly recommended, the BigRed manikin is not required to be used by Red Cross Authorized Providers or Licensed Training Providers.

"The technology used in BigRed manikin is a breakthrough in how instructors will teach CPR. It will improve class efficiency and skill retention for students taking CPR classes," Bradley added. "Without a doubt, it will lead to more lives being saved from sudden cardiac death."

Other notable features of the BigRed manikin include a tilting head, realistic rise and fall of the chest for rescue breaths, and realistic nasal and oral structures.

Additional information, including a video, is available at redcross.org/bigred. Red Cross training gives people the knowledge and skills they can use to save a life. For course information and registration, visit redcross.org/takeaclass.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE American Red Cross

Related Links

http://www.redcross.org


PRINCETON, New Jersey and OR AKIVA, Israel, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Regentis Biomaterials proudly announced that company co-founder and chief scientific officer Prof. Dror Seliktar was awarded the Rita Levi Montalcini Award last month for his regenerative medicine research over the past 15 years at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.

Regentis Biomaterials co-founder and chief scientific officer Prof. Dror Seliktar (left) accepts congratulations upon winning the Rita Levi Montalcini Award from Vincenzo Amendola, Italian Undersecretary of State of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Prof. Seliktar was in Rome for a special award ceremony held at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to receive the 40,000 prize. Established in 2015, the prize is aimed to promote the exchange of scientific scholars between Italy and Israel with funds provided to an Italian researcher to work in Israel and an Israeli researcher to work in Italy.

"It is a great honor to be awarded this prize," said Prof. Seliktar. "I am especially grateful for my collaboration with Tor Vergata University professor Sonia Melino, and look forward to continue researching regenerative medicine technologies in Italy. With international scientific cooperation, there is an enormous opportunity to face global challenges while strengthening bonds between countries."

Prof. Seliktar has researched regenerative medicine while serving as an associate professor in the faculty of biomedical engineering at the Technion  Israel Institute Technology. It was during his first year there that he established the technology that would form the basis of Gelrin, a unique hydrogel matrix of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEG-DA) and denatured fibrinogen.

With exposure to UVA light, Gelrin turns into a gel that can be molded into any shape and size. It can also be injected directly into the injury site and solidified to fill any shape of tissue defect. The implant then degrades over time to allow the growth of new tissue.

GelrinC is the flagship product of Regentis Biomaterials and is currently undergoing FDA-approved trials for regenerating damaged articular knee cartilage caused by sudden trauma. Gelrin has even further potential clinical applications such as finding treatments for nerve regeneration, muscular dystrophy and improving the recovery of heart attack patients.

About Regentis Biomaterials

With offices in Or Akiva, Israel and Princeton, NJ, Regentis Biomaterials is a privately held company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary hydrogels for tissue regeneration. The company's core technology is Gelrin, a biodegradable hydrogel based on polyethylene glycol diacrylate and denatured human fibrinogen originally developed at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology by Dr. Dror Seliktar. The Gelrin hydrogel platform combines the stability and versatility of a synthetic material with the bio-functionality of a natural substance for a range of clinical applications. For more information, please visit www.regentis.co.il.



For media inquiries, please contact:

Josh Turner

Media Relations

Phone: 1-917-231-0550

[email protected]

USA

Alastair Clemow, PhD

President & CEO

1-508-930-8865

Israel

Livnat Ben Zur

General Manager

+972-52-860-4735

SOURCE Regentis Biomaterials

Related Links

http://www.regentis.co.il


PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rightsify is providing a new way for businesses to license and play music.

Rightsify helps businesses save money on music while providing them with custom and expertly designed playlists for their brand, all while ensuring that artists get paid every time their music is played.

Traditionally, the way businesses license music has come from collection societies/performing rights organizations (PROs) or background music service providers. Rightsify is simplifying this by providing businesses with a one-stop license and expertly curated music service so they can save money and be sure that they don't have to pay any additional third-parties.

By working directly with independent artists, Rightsify is able to cut out traditional industry middle-men and provide businesses with an average annual cost savings of 50 percent compared to PROs or legacy background music service providers.

With Rightsify, any business, anywhere in the world, can sign up, get licensed and start playing music in under two minutes. From cafes in Australia to hotels in Southeast Asia and restaurants in the United States, Rightsify's music is widely distributed. Rightsify's pricing starts at $99 per year for businesses with one location. For businesses with multiple locations, the license and service pricing is based on the specific needs of each business.

Rightsify's music is sourced from independent artists all over the world who have licensed their music directly to Rightsify. Instead of the traditional collective management model, Rightsify's artists have opted to appoint Rightsify to license their music to business globally, and Rightsify pays them every month with full analytics and reporting on when and where their music is being played.

Alex Bestall, Founder of Rightsify says: "From small business owners to global brands, Rightsify can help businesses save money while designing music playlists that fit their brand."

About Rightsify: Rightsify is a global music licensing and royalty collection agency. Rightsify offers an alternative to traditional background music service providers and collection societies. Rightsify provides retail, hospitality and service businesses with a cost-effective music solution while artists are paid accurately when their music is played.

Jeff Thomas

[email protected]

1-800-217-6703

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwU31DI42j8

SOURCE Rightsify
Prior to serving as RiseSmart's EVP of global operations, Davenport, then SVP of operations and finance, was named 2016 CFO of the year by Silicon Valley Business Journal based on his exceptional leadership, insight and judgment. Davenport has been with the company for over ten years and currently oversees RiseSmart's delivery organization, global operations and global partnerships. As the company's president and general manager, he will carry RiseSmart's mission, innovation excellence, and global opportunities forward.

Sanjay Sathe, who founded RiseSmart over a decade ago, will move on from his role as CEO and president. His vision of addressing the inefficiencies of traditional outplacement quickly disrupted the career transition industry and landed RiseSmart on Deloitte's Technology Fast500 companies list with 453% revenue growth. "We have brought accountability for results to a service not typically known for outcome or ROI," said Sathe. "It has paid off in a big way."

Under Sathe's leadership, RiseSmart achieved key milestones, including:

Built an industry-leading outplacement technology platform, which is focused on results for impacted employees and organizations alike.

Grew the customer base of Fortune 500 and SMB across 40+ industry segments.

Launched the industry's first, real-time outplacement platform for HR, which was recently named a 2017 Top HR Product of the Year by Human Resource Executive  .

. Developed nimble RiseSmart AI technology architecture that facilitates rapid global deployment.

Launched a global network, RiNGS, which provides local support in 80+ countries.

Effectuated the acquisition for $100 million by Randstad Holding in 2015 to facilitate global, long-term growth and market dominance.

"I thank Sanjay for his vision, strategic leadership and dedication to the company's mission, which brought our two companies together in the first place," said Linda Galipeau, CEO Randstad North America and executive board member of Randstad Holding nv. "We welcome Dan to the role of president, and have no doubt he is well-suited to lead the RiseSmart team to continued global growth and success."

"Dan Davenport has been my right-hand man since the beginning," said Sathe. "I feel confident he will continue RiseSmart's proud tradition of being a great place to work and a leader in contemporary outplacement solutions for HR departments and their transitioning employees."

"It's an honor and privilege to serve our customers and employees in this new role," said Davenport. "We will build on Sanjay's legacy around innovation, results, and accountability  leading the way forward in our industry. We wish Sanjay the very best as he moves on to his next venture."

For more information about RiseSmart, visit www.RiseSmart.com

About RiseSmart

RiseSmart, a Randstad company, is the leading provider of contemporary career transition services and serves organizations in more than 40 industries. Since 2007, RiseSmart's contemporary approach to outplacement  which combines personalized services from trained professionals with proprietary cloud-based technology  has earned awards and recognition from more than a dozen organizations, including Bersin by Deloitte, Gartner Inc., the Brandon Hall Group and Best Workplaces for Women by Fortune magazine. As an operating company of Randstad, one of the leading HR services providers in the world that places more than 600,000 people in new roles every day, RiseSmart delivers meaningful results with landing rates exceeding 80 percent and time-to-placement averages 60 percent faster than national averages. For more information about RiseSmart's career transition solutions, visit www.risesmart.com.

Media Contact:

SSPR

Jocelyn Linde

[email protected]

719-634-8055

SOURCE RiseSmart

Related Links

http://www.risesmart.com


HONG KONG, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been appointed by German real estate company Bayerische Hausbau to manage Rosewood Munich, which will open in early 2023 as the brand's first property in Germany and seventh property in Europe. Housed in two landmark, historical buildings comprised of the former headquarters of the State Bank of Bavaria (19 th century) and the adjacent Palais Neuhaus-Preysing, a former grand aristocratic residence (early 18th century), Rosewood Munich will be ideally situated on Kardinal-Faulhaber-Strasse in the heart of the historic city center. The hotel will be located within walking distance of several of the city's most popular sites and destinations, including central Marienplatz square, the Residenz city palace, Bavarian State Opera, and the Maximilian- and Theatinerstrae shopping districts, as well as world renowned museums offering guests exceptional access to one of Europe's most noteworthy travel and business destinations and important cultural capitals.

Rosewood Munich will blend the most exemplary features of traditional German architecture with modern and contemporary elements, creating a warm and convivial atmosphere that captures the spirit of the destination. The hotel will offer 132 spacious guestrooms and suites designed to complement the property's original facade and iconic stairways, which remain well preserved and contribute to the city of Munich's ensemble of historical buildings.

The property will boast an inviting lobby lounge and two distinct dining venues, which include a full service restaurant and a vibrant bar. Rosewood Munich will also feature a full service spa, which will house five treatments rooms, as well as an indoor pool and fitness area. Additionally, the hotel will include extensive meetings and events spaces to accommodate a variety of private gatherings, conferences, and special events for up to 400 guests.

"With its rich history and distinct culture, Munich is an ideal destination for Rosewood's ever-expanding global portfolio, and we are thrilled to bring our guiding 'A Sense of Place' philosophy to this dynamic city," says Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer of Rosewood Hotel Group. "Combining the long standing traditions and heritage of Bavaria with the dynamism of modern Germany, Munich offers guests a unique glimpse into the distinct character of the region and gifts all who visit access to a fascinating European adventure, making it the perfect destination for Rosewood's affluential explorers seeking authentic and meaningful travel experiences."

"We are pleased to have gained an internationally renowned partner for our project in Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. The objective of the project is to offer the city an entirely new hotel experience: a hotel in the most exclusive hotel segment that will provide a contemporary interpretation of the historical charm of the buildings," says Dr. Hermann Brandstetter, CFO Bayerische Hausbau.

"We want to enhance the historical part of Munich with a unique hotel concept and open the doors of the buildings, with their unmistakable historical charm, to both international guests and the people of Munich  the restaurant, the bar and the spa will, of course, also extend a warm welcome to Munich's residents."

Rosewood Munich will join Rosewood's distinctive European properties including Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco in Tuscany, Rosewood London, and the newly reopened Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris. Additional upcoming properties in Europe include Rosewood Vienna, Rosewood Edinburgh, and Rosewood Hotel, Grosvenor Square in London.

About Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts manages 21 one-of-a-kind luxury properties in 12 countries, with 16 new hotels under development. Each Rosewood hotel embraces the brand's A Sense of Place philosophy to reflect the individual location's history, culture and sensibilities. The Rosewood collection includes some of the world's most legendary hotels and resorts, including The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris, as well as new classics such as Rosewood Beijing.

For more information: rosewoodhotels.com

Connect with us: Facebook Twitter Instagram @rosewoodhotels

About the Bayerische Hausbau

Bayerische Hausbau is one of the largest full-service real estate companies in Germany. With a portfolio valued at about 2.5 billion euros, it holds a leading position in its core market Munich. Approximately 200 employees contribute to this success. Bayerische Hausbau bundles the Schorghuber Corporate Group's real estate and construction activities under its roof. The range of services it offers covers the business segments real estate and development. This includes professional portfolio and asset management, the management of the properties in the Group's own portfolio, as well as classic property development activities. Bayerische Hausbau is part of the Schorghuber Corporate Group, which operates three other business divisions, Beverages, Hotels and Seafood.

For more information: www.hausbau.de

SOURCE Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Related Links

http://rosewoodhotels.com


MIAMI, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) today declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per common share payable on January 5, 2018, to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 21, 2017.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise vacation company that owns and operates three global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. We are a 50% joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises, a 49% shareholder in the Spanish brand Pullmantur and a minority shareholder in the Chinese brand SkySea Cruises. Together, these brands operate a combined total of 49 ships with an additional twelve on order as of September 30, 2017. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 535 destinations on all seven continents. Additional information can be found on www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com, www.azamaraclubcruises.com, www.tuicruises.com, www.pullmantur.es, or www.rclinvestor.com.

SOURCE Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.royalcaribbean.com


SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco-based broker-dealer SageTrader, LLC is pleased to announce the appointment of Dan Weingarten as CEO of SageTrader, LLC, the operating subsidiary of Sage Brokerage Holdings, LLC.

Mr. Weingarten will also become a member of Sage Brokerage Holdings, LLC, Board of Managers. This appointment will become effective after Mr. Weingarten's satisfaction of certain obligations to his current employer.

Doug Engmann, Chairman of the Board of Sage Brokerage Holdings, LLC, commented, "Dan brings extensive knowledge of the execution and clearing business. He has a strong business development background with client and industry relationships across the entire spectrum of the business."

Also commenting on the appointment, Sean Malloy, EVP of Global Sales, said, "I have known and worked with Dan for the greater part of my career and I am excited to be again partnered with him as we look to expand our business at SageTrader and our industry footprint."

Mr. Weingarten brings an extensive career and record of accomplishment with him. As a Managing Director at ITG, Mr. Weingarten was responsible for sales and business development for their U.S. sell side business, a position he held since 2010.

Before ITG, Dan was co-head of sales and strategy at Penson Worldwide, a global multi-asset clearing and execution services firm. Additionally, during this time, Mr. Weingarten was President of Penson Execution Services, a startup broker/dealer built to expand execution services, including the creation of an Alternative Trading System.

Mr. Weingarten is a board member of the Security Traders of New York (STANY) and a past member of the market structure advisory committee at Security Traders Association (STA).

Mr. Weingarten started his career on an institutional agency desk at TD Ameritrade and has had sales and business development roles at the Island ECN, Credit Suisse, and NYFIX Millennium.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Weingarten said, "I am excited to join such a qualified team of industry experts as we look to expand technology, client service and trading capabilities to professional traders and broker dealers." Weingarten added, "These are interesting times in our industry and I am excited to align with an organization focused on investing and growing."

About SageTrader

SageTrader, LLC was formed in 2012 and is the operating subsidiary of Sage Brokerage Holdings, LLC. Sage Brokerage Holdings was founded by Douglas Engmann, a 40-year pioneer in the trading and clearing industry. SageTrader is an introducing broker dealer that provides execution and brokerage services to professional traders, including proprietary trading firms and emerging hedge funds. SageTrader currently executes over 2 billion shares a month, accounting for over 1% of the consolidated US equity volume.

SageTrader is a member of FINRA, SIPC and the NFA. For additional information, visit the website at www.SageTrader.com.

Contact:

Tim Taylor, Senior Advisor

SageTrader, LLC

[email protected],

(415) 595-3471

Home Office

340 Pine Street, Suite 501

San Francisco, CA 94104

SOURCE SageTrader, LLC

Related Links

http://www.SageTrader.com


BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of a landmark Supreme Court hearing, two women are pursuing legal action against a baker who turned down a custom cake order for a same-sex marriage celebration. Religious liberty lawyer Charles LiMandri and the San Diego-based Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (FCDF) are defending Cathy Miller, a devout Christian and owner of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, California.

In August, a lesbian couple entered the bakeshop purportedly to order a wedding cake, even though they had gotten married the previous December. Miller let the couple know that designing a custom cake to celebrate a same-sex marriage violated her religious beliefs about marriage. She then recommended a local baker who could create their cake. The women promptly left and took to social media to broadcast what had happened.

Two months later, the women filed a complaint with California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), which enforces the state's civil rights law that makes it illegal to refuse service to people based on their sexual orientation. On October 26, the DFEH placed Miller under formal investigation, which includes mandatory responses to 41 personal and business-related questions.

"Cathy Miller is a devout Christian with sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage," LiMandri, FCDF's President and Chief Counsel, said. "To be clear, she would have gladly sold the same-sex couple anything from her bakery or create a cake for them for another occasion. There is little doubt, however, that the lesbian couple's purpose for ordering a cake was to destroy Cathy and her business. And now the state of California is all too willing to join in on the warpath."

LiMandri added, "Fortunately, the First Amendment forbids the government from forcing creative professionals like Cathy to express messages that violate their conscience and religious convictions."

The same-sex couple's announcement comes on the eve of the Supreme Court's consideration of the case of Jack Phillips, the Colorado cake artist and owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop who declined for religious reasons to design a cake for a gay couple's wedding.

LiMandri commented, "We hope and pray that in the Masterpiece case the Supreme Court will uphold the Founding Fathers' clear intent to protect the religious beliefs of all people of conscience, including Cathy Miller."

The DFEH refused Miller's request to pause the investigation until the Supreme Court's decision in Masterpiece. Miller has 30 days to respond to the questions.

Led by Charles LiMandri, the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund is a team of experienced trial lawyers who litigate pro bono cases related to religious freedom, bioethics, and education. For inquiries, please contact Daniel Piedra, FCDF Executive Director at [email protected] or (858) 759-9948.

SOURCE Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund

Related Links

http://www.fcdflegal.org


JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi Limited, a leading global producer of dissolving wood pulp, speciality and packaging papers, graphic (printing and writing) paper and biomaterials, today announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire the speciality paper business of Cham Paper Group Holding AG (CPG) for CHF146.5 million (approximately $149 million).

The transaction includes the acquisition of CPG's Carmignano and Condino Mills in Italy, its digital imaging business located in Cham, Switzerland as well as all brands and know-how. It will be funded through internal cash resources. The transaction is conditional on the approval from certain competition authorities. We expect the acquisition to be completed during the first calendar quarter of 2018.

The main benefits of the acquisition include:

Supports Sappi's diversification strategy and 2020 vision to grow in higher margin growth segments

Strengthens Sappi Europe's speciality and packaging papers footprint and skills; adds 160,000 tons of speciality paper to our capacity

Increases Sappi's relevance in speciality papers, opening up new customers and markets to Sappi's existing products and generating economies of scale and synergies

Gaining greater share-of-wallet with valued brand owners; accelerating innovation and new product development

Improved near-term profitability and serve as platform for organic growth and further acquisitions. Will add 183 million of sales and approximately 20 million of EBITDA before taking into account synergies

Builds on the investments currently underway to increase speciality paper capacity at our Somerset, Maastricht and Alfeld Mills

Unlocks the growth potential of the CPG speciality paper business

Commenting on the transaction Steve Binnie, Chief Executive Officer of Sappi Limited, said:

"This acquisition further strengthens Sappi's speciality paper business both in Europe and globally by combining Cham's strong brands and assets with Sappi's global reach. This transaction will increase profitability and unlock the significant growth and innovation potential inherent within the speciality paper market. I am very pleased that we have taken another signification step towards realizing our Vision2020 goal."

Berry Wiersum, CEO Sappi Europe stated:

"We are very excited about the possibilities this transaction opens up for Sappi as well as for Cham's highly respected business. The products and brands which have been acquired are an excellent complement to our market offering, enabling us to offer our existing, as well as new customers in Europe, North America and globally, a broader range of products coupled with excellent customer service."

The speciality paper business of CPG will continue to operate separately and independently from Sappi until clearances from the authorities are obtained.

Further information can be found at www.sappi.com

Note to Editors:

About Sappi Limited

A global leader in dissolving wood pulp and paper-based solutions, Sappi Limited (listed and in the Top 40 on the JSE - SAP), is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa; has over 12,000 employees; manufacturing facilities on three continents, in seven countries (eight operations in Europe, three operations in America and five operations in South Africa) and customers in over 150 countries worldwide

Sappi works closely with customers to provide relevant and sustainable dissolving wood pulp, paper (speciality, packaging and graphic), paper pulp, and biomaterial products and related services and innovations. Our market-leading range of paper products includes: flexible packaging, label, release liner, containerboard and fluting, coated fine papers, casting release papers and in our Southern African region newsprint, uncoated graphic and business papers. These products serve the fashion, FMCG and industrial sectors. Our dissolving wood pulp products are used worldwide by converters to produce viscose fibre, pharmaceutical products as well as a wide range of household and consumer products.

We continue to grow into a profitable and cash-generative diversified business with an exciting future in woodfibre, a renewable resource.

About Cham Paper Group Holding AG (CPG): CPGN (SWX) The Cham Paper Group Holding AG is a leading manufacturer of coated speciality papers. The company was founded in 1657. Following the divestment of the paper business, the company will focus on its real estate business and will operate under the name Cham Group.

Carmignano Mill (Carmignano di Brenta, Padua, Italy): This is a non-integrated paper mill with two paper machines. The plant can produce 100 000 tons of paper and employs 210 people. Paper grades include C1S FlexPack, C1S Label Papers, Wet Glue and Self-Adhesive applications, base paper for metallisation

Condino Mill (Borgo Chiese, Trento, Italy): This is a non-integrated paper mill, with one paper machine. The mill employs 120 employees and can produce 60 000 tons of paper per year. Paper grades include glassine (silicone base paper) and super calendared, uncoated flexible packaging papers.

Digital Imaging Business (Cham, Canton Zug, Switzerland): A finishing plant is located in Cham Switzerland, in a 4000sqm industrial warehouse where the base paper from Condino or Carmignano mills are converted to produce 12 000 tons of digital imaging paper. The business employs 50 people.

SOURCE Sappi Limited
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Shareholder and consumer rights law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP has launched an investigation into whether certain officers and directors of K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) breached their fiduciary duties by causing the company to issue false and misleading statements. K12 provides online curriculum, software systems, and educational services to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

On August 30, 2017, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order denying the motion to dismiss securities fraud class action claims against K12 and certain of its executives. The operative complaint in that action, filed on October 2, 2017, alleges that during the period October 10, 2013 through October 27, 2015, the defendants misrepresented key aspects of K12's business, thereby inflating the company's stock price. Specifically, defendants are alleged to have made false and misleading statements regarding the company's relationship with one of its largest school clients, the Agora Cyber Charter School. According to the complaint, defendants failed to adequately disclose that the Agora contract would not be renewed, resulting in a substantial stock price decline when the truth was finally revealed.

Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe's investigation concerns when and how much certain of K12's officers and directors knew about these practices. Shareholders interested in seeking the recovery of damages on behalf of K12 and securing other remedial measures should contact the firm.

If you are a long-term holder of K12 stock and wish to obtain additional information about Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe's investigation and your legal rights, please contact us via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (415) 788-4220, or fill out the form on our website at http://classactionlawyers.com/k12.

About Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe

Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe has extensive experience in prosecuting securities claims, representing investors throughout the nation in securities and shareholder lawsuits. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

SOURCE Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe
OREM, Utah, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite advances in security technology and increased governmental cybersecurity initiatives, attackers will not abandon their pursuit of unprotected patient data. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, this past year healthcare entities accounted for 27.4% of reported data breaches.

It's clear that the healthcare industry is less prepared with HIPAA compliance than patients expect. HIPAA compliance, especially the Security Rule, has never been more necessary as the value of patient data continues to rise on the dark web.

To help organizations protect themselves, SecurityMetrics has released the 2018 Guide to HIPAA Compliance. With new survey data from over 300 healthcare professionals, insights and tips from HIPAA security analysts, recent case studies, and recommended best practices, this 135-page guide will serve as a comprehensive reference to help practice managers, IT teams, doctors, CEOs, and others understand HIPAA compliance, become compliant with applicable HIPAA requirements, and protect patient data and privacy.

Based on the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), SecurityMetrics conducted 4 surveys in 2017. These surveys were intended to analyze various aspects specific to HIPAA's Security, Breach Notification, and Privacy Rules. Over 300 healthcare professionals responsible for HIPAA compliance at their organization responded. Here are a few examples of the responses, which shed light on organizational security habits in areas like HIPAA training, risk analysis, and encryption:

26% of organizations do not conduct a formal risk analysis

16% of organizations report they send emails with unencrypted patient data

Only 34% of organizations train employees on the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule

"Our guide was specifically created to help covered entities and business associates address the most problematic issues within HIPAA compliance," says Brand Barney

The new guide focuses on important elements from the HIPAA Privacy, Breach Notification, and Security Rules, including:

Incident response plans

PHI encryption

Business associate agreements

Mobile device security

HIPAA-compliant emails

Remote access

Vulnerability scanning

Penetration testing

It also includes a new section called "How to Read this Guide," intended to direct readers of all HIPAA knowledge and experience levels to the sections of the guide that will be most relevant and useful for them.

Whether the reader is a new employee with limited HIPAA knowledge or an experienced system administrator, SecurityMetrics hopes this guide will ultimately help organizations secure their environment, become compliant with applicable HIPAA requirements, and protect patient data and privacy.

Download the 2018 SecurityMetrics Guide to HIPAA Compliance

To learn more about SecurityMetrics or HIPAA, contact 801.705.5665, email [email protected], or visit www.securitymetrics.com/hipaa.

For press inquiries contact 801-995-6516, or email [email protected].

About SecurityMetrics (www.securitymetrics.com)

SecurityMetrics is a global leader in data security that enables organizations of all sizes to comply with government, healthcare, and financial mandates. Since its founding date, the company has tested over 1 million systems for data security and compliance. Among other services, SecurityMetrics offers HIPAA compliance services, penetration testing, security consulting, mobile device vulnerability scanning, payment data discovery, and incident response. Founded in October 2000, SecurityMetrics is a privately held corporation headquartered in Orem, Utah.

Related Links

http://www.securitymetrics.com

SOURCE SecurityMetrics

Related Links

http://www.securitymetrics.com


ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

American Energy Partners, Inc. (OTC: AEPT) (the "Company", "American Energy" or "AEPT"), a diversified energy company, today announces that SeeThruEquity has initiated analyst coverage on American Energy.

The report is available here: http://www.seethruequity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/AEPT-Nov-2017-DRAFTv2.pdf

About SeeThruEquity

Since its founding in 2011, SeeThruEquity has been committed to its core mission: providing impactful, high quality research on underfollowed smallcap and microcap equities. SeeThruEquity has pioneered an innovative business model for equity research that is not paid for and is unbiased. SeeThruEquity is the host of acclaimed investor conferences that are the ultimate event for publicly traded companies with market capitalizations less than $1 billion.

SeeThruEquity is approved to contribute its research reports and estimates to Thomson One Analytics (First Call), the leading estimates platform on Wall Street, as well as Capital IQ and FactSet. SeeThruEquity maintains one of the industry's most extensive databases of opt-in institutional and high net worth investors. The firm is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

For additional information, visit: http://www.seethruequity.com/

American Energy Partners, Inc. (AEPT)



AEPT and its group of companies focus on providing solutions in markets where energy production and water meet technology. Collectively, the subsidiaries are engaged in the energy sector as well as the design, construction and operation of regional water treatment facilities that serve the industrial, energy and government sectors.

Hydration Corporation of PA, LLC ("HCPA") is engaged in the businesses of water exploration, water augmentation, and the treatment of impacted waters. Notably, its intellectual property delivers one of the highest energy yields from a broad range of water-bearing assets, with one of the lowest capital expenditures of any other known water processes. American Energy Solutions, LLC provides treatment technologies that contribute to HCPA's business model of low-cost treatment and distribution. As a provider of design, this subsidiary is capable of repeatable and synergistic services across the value chain. Gilbert Oil & Gas Company is leveraging broad industry valuation experience to source drilling, operating, and partnership opportunities in the upstream oil and gas space. It is positioned to become a strong customer of AEPT's other subsidiaries while providing them with the foundation to attract other customers and enter new markets.

For additional information, visit: http://americanenergy-inc.com

Safe Harbor

This press release contains forward-looking statements, particularly as related to, among other things, the business plans of AEPT, statements relating to goals, plans and projections regarding AEPT's financial position and business strategy. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "may result," "are expected to," "will continue," "anticipates," "expects," "estimate," "project," "indicate," "could," "potentially," "should," "believe," "think", "considers" or similar expressions are intended to identify "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements fall within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934 and are subject to the safe harbor created by these sections. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, involve known and unknown risks, a reliance on third parties for information, transactions or orders that may be cancelled, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in our industry, to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results include risks and uncertainties related to the fluctuation of global economic conditions, the performance of management and our employees, our ability to obtain financing, competition, general economic conditions and other factors that are detailed in our periodic reports and on documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. AEPT cautions readers not to place undue reliance on such statements. AEPT does not undertake, and AEPT specifically disclaims any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statement. Actual results may differ materially from AEPT's expectations and estimates.



Company Contact:

[email protected]

+1-610-217-3275



SOURCE American Energy Partners, Inc.
-- Sekisui Diagnostics becomes exclusive distributor for Mesa Biotech products in the U.S. and Canada

-- Strategic alliance expands Sekisui Diagnostics' portfolio and facilitates entry into the molecular point-of-care (POC) market starting with Flu A/Flu B test (pending FDA clearance) followed by additional upper respiratory infectious disease assays

-- Mesa Biotech products will have immediate access to established distribution into North America markets due to Sekisui Diagnostics' market strength and strong reputation among healthcare providers

LEXINGTON, Mass., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Sekisui Diagnostics and Mesa Biotech Inc. announce a strategic alliance, to distribute the Mesa Biotech POC molecular system for Flu A/Flu B. Sekisui Diagnostics will assume exclusive distribution of the Mesa Biotech POC system in the U.S. and Canada, pending FDA clearance.
TOKYO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shiba Park Hotel in Tokyo announced on December 5 that it will hold an event on December 31, 2017, to celebrate the coming of the New Year, and visit Zojoji Temple. The event is designed to allow guests from overseas to experience and enjoy celebrating the New Year in Japanese style.

(Photo: http://prw.kyodonews.jp/opn/release/201711298454/?images)

On December 31, guests will eat "toshikoshi-soba" (noodles eaten on New Year's Eve), and join the countdown to the New Year at the Japanese Culture Salon SAKURA. Hotel staff will escort guests to Zojoji for "hatsumode" (year's first visit to temple) to participate in a traditional bell-ringing ceremony and observe other ceremonies. Guests at the Shiba Park Hotel are welcome to join the event by paying a JPY3,000 participation fee.

Shiba Park Hotel President Rentaro Yanase said: "This event will focus on introducing attendees to the most prominent of Japan's many New Year traditions: "toshikoshi-soba," "bell-ringing" and "hatsumode." We invite you to usher in a wonderful New Year by experiencing Japan's unique New Year's cultural events firsthand."

The Shiba Park Hotel hopes that all guests will enjoy experiencing the traditional Japanese New Year celebrations and that their experience will last as an unforgettable memory of the Shiba Park Hotel.

About Shiba Park Hotel (Tokyo, Japan)

The Shiba Park Hotel is a city hotel established in 1948 as a hotel for foreign trade delegations. Since then, the hotel has welcomed many guests from overseas. There are 269 guest rooms of various types, Japanese restaurant Hanasanshou, Chinese restaurant Peking, steak restaurant Old City Grill House, bar Fifteen's and Japanese Culture Salon SAKURA. Conveniently located in central Tokyo, the Shiba Park Hotel is easily accessible to and from both Haneda and Narita airports by the Airport Limousine Bus. There are four train and subway stations within a walking distance, offering great access to Tokyo's major sightseeing spots and business districts. The Shiba Park Hotel continues to welcome guests from around the world with the hope for guests to "feel relaxed as they are at home, even in the midst of a trip."

Website: http://en.shibaparkhotel.com/

SOURCE Shiba Park Hotel
LAS VEGAS, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Social Play USA, Inc. (OTC: SPLY), ("Social Play" or the "Company") announces that significant advances in its corporate vision and mobile payment platform infrastructure. The Company, along with development and acquisition partner Spot And Pay Inc. (http://www.spotandpay.com ) has integrated the first of a number of cryptocurrency payment options into the Spot&Pay mobile payment platform.

Bitcoin is the first digital currency to be added to the existing Spot&Pay payment system infrastructure and allows users an additional choice when it comes to paying for goods and services. In addition to the current method of paying by credit card or direct debit, users can scan a QR code and choose the Bitcoin payment option on the checkout screen. If Bitcoin is selected, Spot&Pay will connect to our gateway and generate the URL for the user to complete the transaction by opening their Bitcoin wallet and providing payment for the purchase.

The Spot&Pay platform is now integrated with Bitpay, a leading Bitcoin payment gateway and digital currency wallet service and is available on both IOS and Android apps. As the digital currency market continues to grow, Spot & Pay will add other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Ripple, and Speedcoin options to its payment solutions.

Additionally, Social Play is in the initial stages of planning and developing its own reward based cryptocurrency which will form the basis of a strategic User Loyalty Program.

About Social Play and Spot&Pay

Spot&Pay is a mobile payment application that is used in connection with third party QR codes that have been generated for specific uses; i.e. individual consumer products, specific services or group of services offered to the general public, B2B product and service offerings, monetary donations to charitable organizations, and quick and easy bill payments on recurring monthly accounts.

QR codes allow consumers a quick, simple, and paperless method of making purchases, donating to their favorite charity, and paying bills. The process relies on setting up a Spot&Pay mobile payment account attached to a credit card, direct debit account or Bitcoin wallet, and then simply scanning a QR code with a mobile device for a particular product or service the consumer wishes to purchase. The Spot&Pay application will instantly facilitate the order and purchase of the product associated with the QR code and pay for it from the pre-designated method of payment set up by the user.

The most unique aspect of the Spot&Pay application is the ability to purchase products remotely, without having to visit a website or physically attending a retail establishment. This is accomplished simply by scanning a product's QR code wherever it can be seen; such as from a bus shelter advertisement or other media, i.e. television or computer screen situated in a public space.

While QR Codes have been used for years in direct marketing, they are only quite recently being used more widely for mobile, remote purchasing, banking, and payments. Wal-Mart, which introduced QR code payment solutions as part of its Wal-Mart Pay feature in 2015, reports that usage of its internal application was up 45% as of July 2016, with 38% of payments coming from repeat users in all of its 4,600+ stores nationwide. This evolution speaks to the growing acceptance of QR Codes as a more sophisticated tool for problem solving and information delivery.

Social Play USA is a Business to Business solutions provider for online companies; providing marketing, monetization, and support services for companies in the mobile applications marketplace.

Forward-looking Statement:

THIS NEWS RELEASE CONTAINS "FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS," AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN SECTION 27A OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND SECTION 21E OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED. STATEMENTS IN THIS NEWS RELEASE, WHICH ARE NOT PURELY HISTORICAL, ARE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INCLUDE ANY STATEMENTS REGARDING BELIEFS, PLANS, EXPECTATIONS OR INTENTIONS REGARDING THE FUTURE.EXCEPT FOR THE HISTORICAL INFORMATION PRESENTED HEREIN, MATTERS DISCUSSED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE CONTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM ANY FUTURE RESULTS, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY SUCH STATEMENTS. STATEMENTS THAT ARE NOT HISTORICAL FACTS, INCLUDING STATEMENTS THAT ARE PRECEDED BY, FOLLOWED BY, OR THAT INCLUDE SUCH WORDS AS "ESTIMATE," "ANTICIPATE," "BELIEVE," "PLAN" OR "EXPECT" OR SIMILAR STATEMENTS ARE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES FOR THE COMPANY INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, SALES & MARKETING, AND FUNDING AS WELL AS THE RISKS SHOWN IN THE COMPANY'S MOST RECENT ANNUAL AND QUARTERLY REPORTS FILED AND PUBLISHED ON WWW.SEC.GOV, RESPECTIVELY, AND FROM TIME-TO-TIME IN OTHER PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION REGARDING THE COMPANY. OTHER RISKS INCLUDE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REGULATORY APPROVAL PROCESS, COMPETITIVE COMPANIES, FUTURE CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS AND THE COMPANY''S ABILITY AND LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR ITS EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES. THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THAT THE COMPANY''S SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, SALES & MARKETING EFFORTS WILL SUCCEED AND THE COMPANY WILL ULTIMATELY ACHIEVE COMMERCIAL SUCCESS. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE MADE AS OF THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, AND THE COMPANY ASSUMES NO OBLIGATION TO UPDATE THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, OR TO UPDATE THE REASONS WHY ACTUAL RESULTS COULD DIFFER FROM THOSE PROJECTED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. ALTHOUGH THE COMPANY BELIEVES THAT THE BELIEFS, PLANS, EXPECTATIONS AND INTENTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE ARE REASONABLE, THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THOSE BELIEFS, PLANS, EXPECTATIONS OR INTENTIONS WILL PROVE TO BE ACCURATE. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSIDER ALL OF THE INFORMATION SET FORTH HEREIN AND SHOULD ALSO REFER TO THE RISK FACTORS DISCLOSED IN THE COMPANY'S PERIODIC REPORTS FILED AND PUBLISHED FROM TIME-TO-TIME ON WWW.OTCMARKETS.COMTHIS NEWS RELEASE HAS BEEN PREPARED BY MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY WHO TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS CONTENTS. NO SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. THIS NEWS RELEASE SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY NOR SHALLTHERE BE ANY SALE OF THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL PRIOR TO REGISTRATION OR QUALIFICATION UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION.

For more information please contact Investor Relations at 855-780-4878 or [email protected]

This news release was prepared on behalf of the Board of Directors, which accepts full responsibility for its contents. For more information please contact Investor Relations at 855-780-4878 or [email protected], Robert Rosner, President & CEO.

SOURCE Social Play USA, Inc.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Southern Research has been selected to receive nearly $1.7 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding (DOE) to develop a new, cost-efficient gasifier capable of converting low-grade coal into synthesis gas (syngas) that can be used in a number of applications.

Birmingham-based Southern Research's gasifier is based on a small-scale, modular design that is simple to deploy at site-specific locations, even at remote spots. The syngas produced can be converted into electricity, heat, chemicals, gasoline and other fuels, or a combination of these products.

The gasifier's technology could open new markets for domestic coal, providing a boost to a major industry that is struggling with declining demand and massive job losses.

Southern Research's novel gasifier will have a number of advantages over existing large-scale systems, said Santosh K. Gangwal, Ph.D., director of business development at the organization's Energy & Environment (E&E) division and principal investigator on the project.

"Gasifier systems provide product flexibility, but large gasifiers have high capital costs and are complex to operate," Gangwal said. "Also, the raw syngas produced by many gasifiers contains significant levels of tar that is undesirable and must be separated to prevent damage to downstream process equipment.

"The unique, simple, and modular Southern Research gasifier design has the potential to achieve low capital cost and to produce a nearly tar-free syngas," he added.

UNLOCKING POTENTIAL

The Southern Research gasifier project is valued at $2.1 million, including $1.7 million in funding from DOE's Office of Fossil Energy, which is seeking to foster the early adoption of modular coal-gasification technology. Southern Research and its partners on the project will provide $425,000 in cost sharing.

Partners include Murray, Utah-based Reaction Engineering International, which will lead the computational modeling effort on the project, and Mt. Prospect, Illinois-based Unitel Technologies, which will provide technical services on modeling, gasifier design and construction.

The project aims to move the technology through pilot scale development and testing, with the goal of being ready to construct a gasifier for a 1-5 megawatt energy conversion system at the end of the 36-month program. A system producing 1 megawatt of electricity would need to gasify about 1,200 pounds of low-rank coal an hour, Gangwal said.

The Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory will oversee the project.

FLEXIBLE DESIGN

Advances in gasification technology represent an important facet of unlocking the full potential of domestic coal resources, which will improve U.S. economic competitiveness and contribute to the protection of the global environment.

Gangwal said the small-scale, modular design of Southern Research's gasifier reduces financial risk while offering a conversion system with new levels of flexibility and affordability.

"Modular systems can be standardized and shop fabricated with standard designs that can allow simple assembly in the field and result in significant cost reduction for small plants," he said. "Several shop fabricated small gasifier modules can be run in parallel in the field to increase the size of the plant to the desired scale."

Although the project will target coal gasification, the system's unique design incorporates operating adjustments to allow it to be used for other solid fuels including wood, agricultural resides and municipal waste, Gangwal said.

Bill Grieco, vice president of E&E at Southern Research, said the gasifier's versatile design and its ability to produce tar-free, cost-efficient syngas using a variety of raw materials are major advantages.

"The technology being developed by Southern Research has the potential to expand the uses of the nation's abundant fossil fuel resources by allowing coal to be utilized in new and cleaner forms," Grieco said. "Developing and deploying lower-cost systems that convert coal cleanly to fuels and chemicals make sense. It helps drive energy independence and offers new opportunities for the coal industry."

Slightly more than 30 percent of the nation's electricity was generated from coal in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Coal production in the United States declined 18 percent in 2016 from the previous year, hitting the lowest level of production since 1978, the agency said.

Media Contacts:

Rossi Carlson

Advanced Marketing Specialist

[email protected]

Phone: 205-581-2266

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE Southern Research

Related Links

http://www.southernresearch.org


This is due to an aging population, with roughly 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day. This trend is expected to continue for the next 19 years. By 2020, the healthcare industry will require 5 million direct-care workers to support the projected 117 million Americans needing assistance, making it the fastest growing occupation in the U.S.

Recognizing this significant workforce crisis and the impact on Florida's aged and disabled population, Staywell Health Plan offered by WellCare of Florida, Inc., a WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) company dedicated to serving Medicaid members in Florida, has established a scholarship program to promote CNA training.

"If staff shortages among direct-care workers continue, it will become increasingly difficult to have adequate support for individuals who wish to age in place or remain in the community setting as they require more care and assistance with activities of daily living," said Dr. Alan Smith, WellCare of Florida's senior medical director. "In addition, quality in healthcare facilities could be impacted as research shows nursing homes with higher nursing aid turnover levels tend to have worse quality outcomes."

The Staywell Way Scholarship Program for Certified Nursing Assistants in Long-Term Care will provide financial resources to encourage students to gain training and future employment in the field of long-term care. The scholarship program, offered through selected colleges and training centers across the state, will fund up to 44 scholarships valued at approximately $45,000. Each college and training center selected will receive two scholarships for the next two years. The scholarships will cover the entire cost of the training program and certification.

Sixteen scholarships are going to the American Red Cross Nurse Assistant Training Program. This nationally recognized program, which enrolls approximately 5,400 students annually, has recently averaged a 91 percent national graduation rate and a 93 percent state exam passage rate.

A primary benefit of the Staywell Way Scholarship Program is its workforce development potential. Several factors limit the earnings of low-income adults, among them include the lack of necessary skills and credentials and a lack of access to quality jobs that provide opportunities for advancement.

"I began my career as a nursing assistant while studying to become an RN and recognize the value of a program like this," said Elizabeth Miller, president of Staywell. "A scholarship like this could be life-changing for the students who receive this assistance and can lead to a very meaningful career in healthcare."

"My children get to see their mom helping people through my nurse assistant job, as well as providing for them. And they are excited and very proud of what I've accomplished," said Chelle Ingram, a graduate of the Nurse Assistant Training Program and single mother of three children.

For more information or to apply for the Staywell Way Scholarship Program, contact the financial aid department at each college or training center below.

As of Sept. 30, 2017, Staywell serves approximately 757,000 Medicaid members, of which 65,000 members are in the Florida Healthy Kids program, 101,000 Medicare Advantage members, and 30,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members in Florida.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.

Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. The company serves approximately 4.3 million members nationwide as of Sept. 30, 2017. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.

SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.wellcare.com


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Steelcase Education has announced it is accepting applications for the fourth year of its Active Learning Center Grant program. The grant invests in visionary educators and educational institutions that promote the advancement of active learning. Steelcase Education seeks to identify leading educators and educational institutions looking to implement and expand active learning initiatives by leveraging their learning spaces.

"Students today are preparing for futures they can't predict and jobs that have yet to be invented," said Sean Corcorran, General Manager of Steelcase Education. "At the same time, employers complain graduates lack critical skills for real world success  collaboration, critical thinking, communication and creativity. It's these gaps and recent research that has led many leading educators and institutions to implement active learning pedagogies. These new teaching and learning strategies involve engaging students with hands-on group work, synthesis, analysis and creativity."

Research shows that the change from passive to active learning often happens in places that hinder the adoption of new ways of teaching and learning. In too many cases the classroom remains static: desks arranged in rows and columns facing forward with little flexibility for the varied types of learning necessary today. It's often the classroom that hinders the adoption of active learning strategies.

"The lack of flexible learning spaces is often the tension schools face as they shift from a passive to active learning model," said Craig Wilson, director of the Steelcase Education Active Learning Center Grant. "At Steelcase, we are focused on helping schools, colleges and universities create the most effective, rewarding and inspiring learning environments to meet the evolving needs of students and educators. The Active Learning Center Grant helps schools advance their active learning strategies while furthering our understanding of the impact of active learning on pedagogy, technology and the physical environment."

Steelcase has invested $3 million in classrooms in the first three years of this grant program. This year's Active Learning Center Grant will award up to 16 classrooms for grades 6-12 or within a college or university located in the United States, U.S. Territories, Puerto Rico, Canada or Mexico. The grant provides one active learning classroom, including furniture, design review, installation, onsite training and the Steelcase Education "Learning Environment Evaluation measurement tool". Grant recipients will choose from four types of classrooms designed for up to 30 students, valued at $67,000.

Additionally, grant recipients agree to provide sufficient dedicated space, participate in Steelcase Education onsite training, and conduct and share research over a two-year period.

Steelcase Education

steelcaseeducation.com

As lifelong learners, Steelcase Education aims to make a difference in education. For students, educators and designers, the organization creates the most effective, rewarding and inspiring learning spaces. As a dedicated group within Steelcase exclusively focused on education, it brings evidence-based design, technology and innovative solutions to education environments, wherever learning happens.

SOURCE Steelcase Education

Related Links

http://steelcaseeducation.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. pursuant to an Order of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware:

IN THE COURT OF CHANCERY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

CITY OF MONROE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM, derivatively on behalf of TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FOX, INC.,

Plaintiff,

v.

RUPERT MURDOCH, LACHLAN MURDOCH, JAMES MURDOCH, CHARLES G. CAREY, DAVID F. DEVOE, RODERICK I. EDDINGTON, ROGER S. SILBERMAN, JACQUES A. NASSER, JAMES W. BREYER, JEFFREY W. UBBEN, VIET DINH, DELPHINE ARNAULT, TIDJANE THIAME, AND THE ESTATE OF ROGER AILES,

DEFENDANTS,

and

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FOX, INC.,

Nominal Defendant.

C.A. No. 2017-0833-AGB

SUMMARY NOTICE OF PENDENCY OF DERIVATIVE ACTION, PROPOSED SETTLEMENT OF DERIVATIVE ACTION, SETTLEMENT HEARING AND RIGHT TO APPEAR

TO: ALL RECORD AND BENEFICIAL HOLDERS OF THE COMMON STOCK OF TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FOX, INC. ("FOX" OR THE "COMPANY") AS OF THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON NOVEMBER 20, 2017.

PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY AND IN ITS ENTIRETY.

YOUR RIGHTS WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE ACTION.

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED, pursuant to Rule 23.1 of the Delaware Court of Chancery and a Scheduling Order of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (the "Court"), of the pendency of the above-captioned stockholder derivative action (the "Action"), which was brought by plaintiff City of Monroe Employees' Retirement System ("Plaintiff") on behalf of and for the benefit of the Company.

YOU ARE ALSO NOTIFIED that the Parties have reached a proposed settlement of the Action (the "Settlement"), subject to Court approval, as provided in the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement, Compromise, and Release, dated as of November 20, 2017 (the "Stipulation"). Pursuant to the Stipulation, as consideration for the Settlement, the Director and Officer Defendants and the Ailes Estate will cause their insurers to make a payment of $90 million in cash, less the amount of any attorneys' fees and expenses awarded by the Court to Plaintiffs' Counsel, to the Company, and the Company shall implement the corporate and compliance enhancements set forth in Exhibit A to the Stipulation.

A more detailed description of the Settlement terms, as well as a description of the history of the Action and an explanation of stockholders' legal rights with respect to the Settlement, is provided in the full Notice of Pendency of Derivative Action, Proposed Settlement of Derivative Action, Settlement Hearing, and Right to Appear (the "Notice"). Each of the Notice and the Stipulation has been filed as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 30, 2017, and the Notice and Stipulation are available for review in the "Governance" section of the Company's website, www.21cf.com.

A hearing will be held before the Court on February 9, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., in the Delaware Court of Chancery, New Castle County, Leonard L. Williams Justice Center, 500 North King Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 (the "Settlement Hearing"). At the Settlement Hearing, the Court will, among other things: (a) determine whether the Settlement should be approved by the Court as fair, reasonable, adequate, and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders; (b) determine whether the Court should enter a Final Order and Judgment, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit E to the Stipulation, dismissing the Action with prejudice, and settling, releasing, and enjoining prosecution of any and all Released Plaintiff's Claims (as defined in the Stipulation) against the Released Defendants' Parties (as defined in the Stipulation); (c) consider the application by Co-Lead Counsel for an award of attorneys' fees and litigation expenses; (d) hear and determine any objections to the Settlement or Co-Lead Counsel's fee and expense application; and (e) rule on such other matters as the Court may deem appropriate. Stockholders do not need to attend the Settlement Hearing.

Any objections to the proposed Settlement or Co-Lead Counsel's fee and expense application must be filed with the Court and delivered to Co-Lead Counsel and Defendants' counsel such that they are received no later than January 26, 2018, in accordance with the instructions set forth in the Notice.

Please Note : Because the Action was brought as a derivative action, which means that it was brought on behalf of and for the benefit of the Company, the benefits from the Settlement will go to the Company. Individual Fox stockholders will not receive any direct payment from the Settlement. Also, please note that there is no proof of claim form for stockholders to submit in connection with this Settlement, and stockholders are not required to take any action in response to this notice.

DO NOT CALL OR WRITE THE COURT OR THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTER IN CHANCERY REGARDING THIS NOTICE.

All questions regarding this notice and the Settlement should be made to Co-Lead Counsel:

Mark Lebovitch, Esq.

Bernstein Litowitz Berger

& Grossmann LLP

1251 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

(800) 380-8496

www.blbglaw.com Michael J. Barry, Esq.

Grant & Eisenhofer P.A.

123 S. Justison Street

Wilmington, DE 19801

(302) 622-7000 www.gelaw.com

Dated: November 30, 2017

By Order of the Court

SOURCE Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.21cf.com


ITHACA, N.Y., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Survivor, Melissa Matthews, is empowering women, promoting perseverance, and supporting charities through her new, story-inspired Meljourne Women jewelry line. Celebrating today's women who have transformed personal tragedies into positive, purpose-driven missions, Meljourne Women consists of individual jewelry collections that symbolically convey these powerful, real-life journeys through a unique blend of meaningful design and dual finishes. A portion of the proceeds from each Meljourne Woman's collection will be donated to a designated charity also working to help people overcome life's adversities.

"The Meljourne Women endeavor has been many years in the making," explains Matthews. On Dec. 18, 2003, Matthews sustained permanent, life-altering injuries to her legs, left arm, and head in a devastating car accident. Her road to recovery has included 14 surgical procedures, learning how to walk again, and overcoming numerous language and processing issues. "My journey has definitely been rocked by pain, disabilities, discrimination, poverty, and isolation," says Matthews. "It has also been a journey full of hope, determination, resilience, and faith." Matthews' conviction to turn her own pain into purpose has been the catalyst for Meljourne Women. As such, the word meljourne  a combination of Melissa's Journey  means to transform personal tragedy into a positive, purpose-driven mission.

Aspiring to become one of the most inspirational start-ups of 2017, Meljourne Women launched its debut collection this holiday season. Fittingly entitled Perseverance - Personified, "The Melissa Necklace" and "The Melissa Bracelet" featured in this first collection artistically represents Matthews' tragedy-to-triumph journey. 10 percent of the net profit from the sales of Matthews collection will be donated to charity: Strong Memorial Hospital/The University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York and Calm Waters Center for Children and Families in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma will each receive 5 percent of the proceeds for the next year.

"A lot of thought and vetting went into selecting my two charity beneficiaries," explains Matthews. "Throughout my journey, some of my greatest challenges were in trying to process and reconcile the various physical and emotional aspects of my accident." Matthews continues, "With those experiences in mind, I selected Strong Memorial Hospital/URMC because it was their dedication to delivering 'Medicine of the Highest Order' that saved my life that fateful night in 2003. I selected Calm Waters because their free grief support services over the past 25 years have helped more than 34,000 individuals overcome the mental grief and anguish from their tragedies and adversities. Strong Memorial Hospital/The University of Rochester Medical Center and Calm Waters Center for Children and Families are two amazing nonprofit organizations that deserve our collective support!"

Meljourne Women's dedication to "empowering women, promoting perseverance, and supporting charity" is a powerful message that is especially relevant and timely in our world today. To further this purpose-driven mission, Meljourne Women is currently searching for new women to celebrate in future collections. Each selected woman will receive: (1) a necklace and bracelet set custom designed to artistically represent her tragedy-to-triumph journey; (2) 5 percent of the net profit from the online and boutique sales of her collection; (3) the publication and active promotion of her story on Meljourne Women's website and social media; (4) a personalized press kit sent to her local/regional media outlets; and (5) a matching 5 percent donation for an approved charity of her choice.

To make a purchase benefiting charity or to apply to become a future Meljourne Woman - please go to www.meljourne.com.

CONNECT WITH MELJOURNE WOMEN

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/MeljourneWomen

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/MeljourneWomen

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/MeljourneWomen

For more information, please contact Melissa Matthews at [email protected] or (607) 377.4018.

ABOUT STRONG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL/URMC

Strong Memorial Hospital/The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is dedicated to improving the well-being of patients and communities by delivering innovative, compassionate, patient and family-centered care that is enriched by education, science, and technology. Strong Memorial Hospital/URMC is defining and delivering "Medicine of the Highest Order" whereby setting the standard for compassion and innovation that places patients and their families first. For more information about Strong Memorial Hospital/The University of Rochester Medical Center, please visit www.urmc.rochester.edu.

ABOUT CALM WATERS CENTER FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Calm Waters' mission is to help children and their families in their grief journeys. Since 1992, Calm Waters has provided grief support groups free of charge to the community, serving more than 34,000 individuals. Through our Center-based support groups, School-based support groups, and other educational opportunities, Oklahoma children and families find the support they need during some of the most tragic and difficult times in their lives. For more information about Calm Waters, please visit www.calmwaters.org. Calm Waters is a United Way of Central Oklahoma partner agency.

Related Images

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Meljourne Women Logo + Tagline

image2.jpg

Melissa Matthews

image3.jpg

Melissa Matthews' Car

image4.jpg

The Melissa Bracelet

Related Links

Website

SOURCE Meljourne Women

Related Links

http://www.meljourne.com


ATLANTA, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Synthio, the fastest-growing Customer Data Platform (CDP), today announced the appointment of technology leader Tim Poschel as Chief Information Officer.

"I am excited to join Synthio in this phase of development as we take the platform to new and unprecedented heights," said Tim. "I look forward to working alongside the ever-innovative Synthio team and contributing to the company's inevitable success."

Tim joins Synthio after multiple positions at Equifax (including Vice President of Global Omnichannel Platform Management and Vice President of Global Consumer Services Technology). In the latter role, Tim was responsible for the four-year transformation of a $200M offshore-centered waterfall development organization into a $400M right-shore scaled agile team of 100+ spanning Atlanta, Dublin and Santiago.

At Synthio, Tim plays a critical role as head of Synthio's product management, development and data teams.

"As we expand as a company, we are focused on making strategic decisions to facilitate our growth," said Aaron Biddar, CEO, Synthio. "Bringing Tim on as CIO is one such strategic decision. His technical prowess and demonstrated track record of success in the IT industry seamlessly integrates with Synthio's future-oriented mindset. I am eager to watch our platform flourish in his very capable hands."

Tim is a technology veteran with decades of IT experience with a specialty in enterprise platform architecture. Prior to Equifax, he served as a senior technology leader at CocaCola, ChoicePoint, LexisNexis, IHG, ADP, McKesson and more, where he provided strategic and tactical guidance while balancing conflicting business and technology imperatives.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of South Alabama and has completed the Field Group Institute Technology Leadership Development Program. To learn more about Synthio, click here.

About Synthio

Synthio is a new kind of customer data platform that helps B2B sales and marketing teams get to the right people faster. Since 2011, Synthio has served over 1,500 customers, including global companies like Oracle, Microsoft, and Gartner. Synthio has also been listed in the Inc. 5000, ranked among Georgia Technology's Top 40, and named one of Atlanta's Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. To learn more about Synthio, visit www.Synthio.com.

SOURCE Synthio

Related Links

http://www.synthio.com


LONGMEADOW, Mass., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In the United States today, 76 million adult women do not have a bachelor's degree. Many of those 76 million women had started their educational journey, but were unable to graduate as a result of various life factors. According to a new study just released by The American Women's College at Bay Path University (TAWC), conducted by Research Now, 82% of adult women surveyed didn't complete college because they were putting other priorities first  family, work, and financial obligations, just to name a few. More than half of the women in the survey, which focused on 2,000 women ages 25  44, had attempted to but never finished their degree. Of this segment, 94% claimed they would feel better about themselves if they received their bachelor's degree.

The majority of women surveyed shared that in the past, when attempting to balance education and other life commitments, their previous higher education institutions did not provide the flexibility they needed to continue: lack of access to online learning, faculty support, and accessible financial assistance. Furthermore, respondents overwhelmingly pointed to financial barriers and family commitments, at 57% and 54% respectively, as the most critical factors standing in the way of achieving a degree. This is a harsh reality, as the survey also indicates that 66% were left feeling disappointed that they did not complete their degree. Yet, promisingly, most expressed the determination to still finish.

"For adult women today to achieve their dream of a degree, colleges and universities need to reconsider their educational delivery models," said Dr. Carol A. Leary, President of Bay Path University. "We developed The American Women's College to meet the needs of women pursuing higher education while also balancing the competing demands of their complex lives. From accelerated online coursework that adapts to the students' learning styles to significant support systems, including career preparation, we have seen students thrive and successfully attain a degree as a result. Adult women students are not the only ones to gain from a college degree. Generations for decades to come will benefit." said, Leary. "Educate the woman, and you educate her children."

For women interested in returning to college, the survey findings showed that 96% agreed that furthering their education would allow them to seek the employment opportunities they've always wanted, and 95% shared that completing a degree would open many new doors, enabling them to have more control over their future. Also, industry research* shows that women with a degree can earn up to 74% more income over their lifetime than those with just a high school diploma. There is no question that women see the value in education; it is clear there is a dire need for universities to alter the way coursework is being delivered. In fact, 79% of respondents claimed that flexible learning hours would make returning to college easier, while 77% expressed that online learning would make the transition possible. The American Women's College has answered these needs, and developed programs to meet students entirely online.

Returning to class after time away can be daunting, and the majority of women who have considered returning are nervous (69%) and somewhat overwhelmed (58%) by the prospect. Due to this, it is not surprising that 76% of women claimed they would find it easier to return if they were surrounded by peers also returning to college. This may be particularly true for women balancing family commitments especially given that 70% believe going back to college will demonstrate the importance of education to their children.

Higher education in America is tasked with finding new ways to reach, encourage, educate and challenge adult women. The American Women's College at Bay Path University is the first entirely online, not-for-profit college, created to meet the unique needs of adult women and ensure the success of education within their multifaceted lives. Through the development of the revolutionary, award-winning model SOUL, Social Online Universal Learning, which adapts to each individual student's learning style, women pursue accelerated programs designed to propel them to career success. With this proprietary technology and the guidance and support of an all-women's community, these students are provided the tools they need to reach the finish line of their college education.

* https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2011/collegepayoff.pdf

About Bay Path University:

Bay Path University was founded in 1897. With locations in Longmeadow (main), East Longmeadow (Philip H. Ryan Health Science Center), Sturbridge (MA), and Concord (MA), Bay Path's innovative program offerings include traditional undergraduate degrees for women, The American Women's College on-ground and online, the first all-women, all-online accredited bachelor's degree programs in the country; graduate programs for women and men; and professional development programs to organizations and individuals through its Strategic Alliances division. Bay Path's goal is to give students confidence in the fundamentals of their chosen field, the curiosity to question the ordinary, the leadership to show initiative, and the desire to make a difference.

Survey Methodology:

The American Women's College at Bay Path University Survey was conducted in October 2017 by Research Now (www.researchnow.com) among 2,000 women ages 25-44 with a secondary (high school) education, some college/university, technical school or further education or vocational or technical degree.

SOURCE The American Womens College at Bay Path University
SAN FRANCISCO, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Grand View Research Inc., has recently introduced, a BI enabled intuitive market research database, the Grand Library. The design of the platform is an outcome of multiple customer expectation surveys. The objective of the survey was derived from the following observations.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160524/371361LOGO )

A google search on the market of one's interest will render multiple results advertising holistic and in-depth market research reports. Reports that are available off-the-shelf and are designed to cater a syndicate, ranging from manufacturers to investment bankers.

Although a syndicated market research report, is a good introduction to a business space, it mostly is not an answer to one's business problems. Over the years, the business of market research has transformed into customizations and due diligence based studies. While the syndicated studies are still the bestsellers, the market is slowly, but firmly moving towards personalization.

Constant interactions with clients and Grand View's business intuitions have suggested that syndicated market research reports may eventually be replaced by market research databases. A client now either wants a customized report/study or needs access to a wide array of data points which can be used to create one such study on his/her own.

The Grand Library is an attempt at moving forward in the field of market research. Apart from it being a knowledge store encompassing a comprehensive amount of information on market spaces and associated micro and macro factors, it is a one-of-its-kind platform for direct and real-time customizations.

The clients will have direct communication channels established with research analysts. Customized data sets will be presented in a flexible and editable BI enabled platform, with PDF, XLS and PPT download options. The platform is extremely cost-effective, with a complete access priced at that of a syndicated report. All customizations are free with a standard purchase and are delivered on a mobile cloud-enabled platform.

To request a free fourteen day trial, please visit https://www.grandviewresearch.com/grand-library;

About the Author

Swayam Dash is the Managing Director at Grand View Research Inc. He is one of the founding members of Grand View Research Inc. and has an extensive understanding of the business of market research. Swayam holds a Master's degree in management, and has more than 6 years of experience, in management roles. He has an eclectic approach to doing business and firmly believes in delivering positive customer experiences.

Connect on LinkedIn with Swayam Dash, MD, Grand View Research, Inc.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc

Phone: +1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]



Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has expressed the country's deep concerns over media reports that the United States of America's (U.S.) Administration intends to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to relocate its embassy there.

The MOFA went on convey that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would view the step, if taken, as a contradiction to immutable international resolutions that emphasize the rights of the Palestinian People to Jerusalem. Additionally, the implications of such a move will signal a fundamental change and unwarranted shift in the U.S.'s typically impartial position at a time when the world views the United States of America as an integral part of the peace process. Given the important status of Jerusalem, this potential move would also widen the regional ripple effects by further complicating the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; obstructing the on going peace process; and provoking the sentiments from the global Muslim community.

The MOFA further emphasized the importance for the U.S. Administration to consider the gravely negative consequences of taking the step to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and recognize it as the capital of Israel. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes that the U.S. administration does not move forward with it; so as to not comprise the ability of the U.S. to continue in its effort to achieve a just resolution for the Palestinian People aligned with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and other relevant international resolutions.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States of America, His Royal Highness Ambassador Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud also iterated: "We remain committed to the Arab peace initiative of 2002 based on the 1967 borders including east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state. We are working with the President's peace negotiation team to achieve a fair and just settlement.

Any announcement prior to a final settlement would have a detrimental impact on the peace process and would heighten tensions in the region. The Kingdom's policy -has been - and remains in support of the Palestinian People, and this has been communicated to the US Administration."

https://www.saudiembassy.net/news/kingdom-saudi-arabias-statement-jerusalem

SOURCE Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Information Office
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the second time this year, U.S. immigration policy is putting a Mexican journalist's life at risk.

Unless the Board of Immigration Appeals overturns a July 19 decision by El Paso Immigration Judge Robert Hough, Emilio Gutierrez Soto will be deported to Mexico, a country he fled nearly a decade ago after his reporting on corruption in the military made him a target.

For Gutierrez, a 2017 winner of the National Press Club's prestigious John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award, an unfavorable decision could be tantamount to a death sentence.

The dangers for reporters operating in Mexico have been well documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists, by Reporters Without Borders and by Freedom House. It was to recognize the risks they are taking that the National Press Club earlier this year invited Gutierrez to accept the Press Freedom Award on their behalf.

Two days after Gutierrez accepted the award Oct. 4, another Mexican journalist, Edgar Daniel Esqueda, was murdered, according to CPJ. Ten days later, shots were fired at a Quintana Roo television station.

In an open letter to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto over the summer, Reporters Without Borders said Mexico is now one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

But just two weeks after Reporters Without Borders Secretary General Christophe Deloire penned his letter, Hough handed down a ruling, denying Gutierrez and his son the asylum they sought in the United States and questioning why Gutierrez could not entrust himself to the safekeeping of the same Mexican government that once threatened him. Some Mexican journalists have attempted to take advantage of the protection that the government has promised. One of them, Candido Rios Vasquez was brutally murdered Aug. 22 in Veracruz.

In a statement to the Press Club, Gutierrez offered a much dimmer view of the situation. "We can't nor want to return to our country," he wrote. He described the Mexican military as an "elite unit of organized crime, very well organized," adding that: "Until a judge decides on our request to stay our deportation, we are standing on the staircase to the gallows."

Numerous outside organizations corroborate Gutierrez's view, including Freedom House, a non-profit that receives substantial financial support from the U.S. government. It has written of "violence against journalists carried out with impunity" in Mexico.

Nonetheless, Hough concluded that "despite evident problems with the Mexican government, there is no basis for concluding that the Mexican state and its officials would participate in torturing" Gutierrez.

The threats to Gutierrez and his son follow unfortunate case of Martin Mendez, another journalist who fled to the United States following threats of reprisals for his reporting.

Despite a finding that Mendez had "credible fear" of returning to his home country, ICE refused to parole Mendez from a prison fit for the most malicious felon while his asylum case was being adjudicated. After months in legal limbo, the 27-year-old gave up and returned to Mexico, where he has remained in hiding since June under the protection of Reporters Without Borders.

Rather than deporting brave Mexican journalists, U.S. officials should permit them to stay in the country where they can continue their valuable work from this side of the border.



Jeff Ballou, president

National Press Club

Barbara Cochran, president

National Press Club Journalism Institute

Dan Shelley, executive director

Radio Television Digital News Association

Margaux Ewen, acting North America director

Reporters Without Borders

Rebecca Baker, president

Society of Professional Journalists

John Donnelly, president

Military Reporters and Editors

Mark Hamrick, president

Society of American Business Editors and Writers

Sandy Johnson, president and COO

National Press Foundation

Alberto B. Mendoza, executive director

National Association of Hispanic Journalists

Sarah Glover, president

National Association of Black Journalists

Melissa Lyttle, president

National Press Photographers Association

Suzanne Nossel, executive director

PEN America

Yvonne Leow, national president

Asian American Journalists Association

Lowell Peterson, executive director

Writers Guild of America, East

Margaret Engel, director

The Alicia Patterson Foundation

Dr. Celeste Gonzalez de Bustamante, associate professor

School of Journalism, Center for Latin American Studies

University of Arizona

Joshua Hatch, president

Online News Association

Alfredo Carbajal, president

American Society of News Editors

Jason Zaragoza

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

Courtney C. Radsch, advocacy director

Committee to Protect Journalists

Bruce Brown, executive director

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Contact:

Kathy Kiely, National Press Club Journalism Institute Press Freedom Fellow, [email protected], 202-256-4748



John Donnelly, chair, National Press Club First Amendment Team, [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club

Related Links

http://npc.press.org


NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden, the leading North American day and resort spa operator, announced today the addition of three hair experts. Heather Packer, Rachel Bodt, and Joyce Gallagher will join the team of talented stylists and colorists behind the chair at The Red Door Salon in Union Square.

Heather Packer, a New York City hair stylist with over a decade of experience, joins The Red Door as Style Educator. In her new role, Ms. Packer will focus on updating the curriculum, training, and education for special occasion and bridal style hair.

Packer received a business degree from St. Thomas University and attended beauty school in Miami, before moving to New York City. She began her career at Bumble & Bumble, assisting acclaimed stylist Jimmy Paul, and has since styled fashion shows in New York, Paris, and Milan. Heather has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, Keira Knightley, and Cate Blanchett and executed editorial shoots for Vogue, Italian Vogue, French Vogue, and ID. In 2007, Packer began working at Cutler Salon and later developed the editorial hair styling curriculum for incoming and prospective stylists.

Rachel Bodt joins the team at The Red Door as Master Colorist. Previously a Senior Colorist at Cutler/Redken Salon in New York City, Ms. Bodt is immersed in the fashion and beauty industry and known for her knowledge of color and refined technique. Rachel's celebrity clientele includes Charolette Gainsbourg, Tilda Swinton, Michael Pitt, Michelle Williams, Maggie Rizer, Emily Blunt, and Marisa Tomei. Her model list includes Kate Moss, Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Karen Elson, and Gigi Hadid.

Ms. Bodt has also worked on campaigns for Saint Laurent, Rag and Bone, NARS, Sonia Rykiel, Just Cavalli, and Versace and regularly collaborates with Balenciaga during Paris Fashion Week. Her editorial work is featured in Vogue, W Magazine, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar.

Joyce Gallagher, Senior Colorist, joins the team with nearly a decade of experience. Gallagher previously worked at Cutler Salon where she was active in educating and training a future generation of colorists. Joyce specializes in multi-dimensional blonde techniques, including balayage, an advanced coloring technique that paints the hair for a blended, natural look. Her work has been featured on The Rachel Ray Show.

"The Red Door is proud to welcome Heather, Rachel, and Joyce to our hair team," states Zdenka Olic, Regional Vice President The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. "Their expansive, creative, editorial background, along with presence within the elite fashion industry will stimulate new energy with our world class team at Union Square."

Heather Packer, Rachel Bodt, and Joyce Gallagher can be found behind the chairs at The Red Door Salon & Spa location in New York City, at 200 Park Avenue South, Union Square. To book an appointment, or for more information about The Red Door Salon & Spa and Salon, please visit www.thereddoor.com.

For more information, please visit www.TheRedDoor.com.

Check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

About The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden

The Red Door is a national destination for women and men looking for the best in salon and spa services. Its beauty and wellness expertise stems from day spa pioneer, Elizabeth Arden, and continues to grow with advanced technologies in skin care. The Red Door operates 28 locations nationwide and offers convenient salon and spa services, including manicures, pedicures, waxing, makeup application, haircuts, and coloring as well as facials, massage therapy, and body treatments. For more information, please visit thereddoor.com.

SOURCE The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden

Related Links

https://www.thereddoor.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The growth of direct injection engines and rise in vehicle production fuel the demand for the timing belt market



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05228502



The timing belt market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.21% during the forecast period, to reach a market size of USD 9.22 billion by 2025. The key factors driving the growth of the timing belt market are the rising adoption of direct injection engines and growing vehicle production globally. The rising vehicle parc and increased average miles per vehicle drive the growth of the timing belt aftermarket. The rising demand for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), which do not deploy an ICE, may act as a restraint for the timing belt market

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is estimated to be the largest market, by value, for timing belt by hybrid vehicle type from 2017 to 2025



The HEV segment is estimated to be the largest market for timing belt, by hybrid vehicle type. The widespread adoption and higher production of HEVs, as compared to PHEVs, has led to the growth of the timing belt market in this vehicle segment

Tensioner Market: Largest component type market in timing belt market from 2017 to 2025



Tensioners ensure efficient working order of a timing chain or belt. The timing chain tensioner maintains appropriate tension in the timing chain or belt. Automotive tensioners are used in timing belts as well as timing chain systems. Tensioners are costlier than other components of the timing drive system. Thus, tensioners are estimated to hold the largest share of the timing belt market, by component, in terms of value, during the forecast period.

Asia Oceania: Largest and fastest-growing region in timing belt market from 2017 to 2025



Asia Oceania is estimated to dominate the global timing belt market. The Asia Oceania timing belt market is projected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. Countries such as China, Japan, and India are the leading markets in the region in vehicle production. China alone contributed around 61.2% of the vehicle production in Asia Oceania in 2016. Thus, the increasing vehicle production in Asia Oceania acts as a major growth driver for the timing belt market.

BREAKDOWN OF PRIMARIES

The study contains insights provided by various industry experts, ranging from component suppliers to Tier-1 companies. The break-up of the primaries is as follows:

 By Company Type: Tier-150 %, Tier-2-33%, OEMs--17%

 By Designation: C level17%, D Level33%, Others50%

 By Region: North America49%, Europe35%, Asia Oceania16%

The report provides detailed profiles of the following companies:

 Continental (Germany)

 Aisin Seiki (Japan)

 Schaeffler (Germany)

 Goodyear (US)

 SKF (Sweden)

 BorgWarner (US)

 Toyoda (Japan)

 NTN (Japan)

 Hutchinson (France)

 Gates Corporation (US)

Research Coverage

The primary objective of the study is to define, describe, and forecast the timing belt market based on ICE vehicle type (passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles), hybrid vehicle type (HEV and PHEV), Timing Drive type (Dry Belts, Chains, Belt-In-Oil), Component (Idler Pulleys, Sprockets, Timing Shield/Cover, Tensioner), and timing belt aftermarket. The report analyzes the regional markets for growth trends, prospects, and their contribution to the overall market. The report also tracks and analyzes competitive developments such as new product launches, expansions, joint ventures, acquisitions, and other industry activities carried out by key industry participants.

Reasons for buying the report:



The report shall help the stakeholders in gaining a detailed analysis of the timing belt market with respect to country-level market of belt type, and other markets at regional level, such as vehicle & hybrid vehicle type, components, and aftermarket. The study provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of each segment, which is represented in terms of volume (thousand units) and value (USD million). Stakeholders also get information on the top ten companies that have a significant impact in the market. These companies are profiled along with their financial structure, recent developments, and product portfolio.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05228502



About Reportlinker



ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


SAN MATEO, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SiFive, the first fabless provider of customized, open-source-enabled semiconductors, today announced that Think Silicon, a leader in developing ultra-low power graphics IP technology, has joined the growing DesignShare economy. Through DesignShare, Think Silicon will make its complementary NEMA|GPU and NEMA|dc IP available for SiFive's Freedom SoCs Platform at reduced upfront investment from customers.

With a silicon footprint 2.5 times smaller than competitive IP, Think Silicon's proprietary compression techniques reduce the memory size six-fold, eliminating the need for external DDR memory. The result is a reduction of active power consumption by 73 percent, and 58 percent in idle mode.

"The DesignShare concept is the key platform that will help Think Silicon extend its ultra-low power GPU technology into the next generation of mobile and embedded display devices and provide developers with the necessary tool chain for an easy integration and application development," said Ulli Mueller, vice president of marketing and business development, Think Silicon. "We are excited to partner with SiFive and the other DesignShare participants breaking down barriers to assist and encourage customers developing innovative products."

Since the launch of the DesignShare initiative earlier this summer, companies like Think Silicon have provided low- or no-cost IP for proof of concept projects and to emerging companies, lowering the upfront engineering costs required to bring a custom chip design based on the SiFive Freedom platform to realization. In turn, this gives any company, inventor or maker the ability to harness the power of custom silicon, enabling an entirely new range of applications.

"It's exciting to see SiFive's DesignShare movement grow as more companies are taking up the mantle to help reduce the barriers that have traditionally blocked system designers from developing custom silicon," said Shafy Eltoukhy, head of the DesignShare program at SiFive. "With Think Silicon on board the DesignShare initiative, we look forward to seeing the inventions inspired by our collaboration."

In addition to Think Silicon's ultra-low power graphics and memory IP, developers can access cryptographic cores, precision clocking macros, embedded analytics, debug and trace technology, embedded, reconfigurable FPGA and logic-based, non-volatile memory through the DesignShare program.

About SiFive

SiFive is the first fabless provider of customized semiconductors based on the free and open RISC-V instruction set architecture. Founded by RISC-V inventors Andrew Waterman, Yunsup Lee and Krste Asanovic, SiFive democratizes access to custom silicon by helping system designers reduce time-to-market and realize cost savings with customized RISC-V based semiconductors. SiFive is located in Silicon Valley and has venture backing from Sutter Hill Ventures, Spark Capital and Osage University Partners. For more information, visit www.sifive.com.

About Think Silicon

Think Silicon S.A. is a privately held Limited Company located in: Patras/ Greece (HQ), Toronto/ Canada (Business Development & Marketing office), San Jose/CA, USA (Sales office), Cologne, Germany/EMEA region (Sales office), Taipei/TW (Sales office), Tokyo/JP (Sales office). Think Silicon is specialized in developing and licensing high-performance graphics and AI IP technology for ultra-low power and area limited digital mobile, wearable, embedded devices and IoT end-nodes for fabless semiconductor technology customers.

SOURCE SiFive

Related Links

http://www.sifive.com


DENVER, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), the only national trade association representing the legal marijuana industry, announces Tony Magee, Founder and Executive Chairman of Lagunitas Brewing Company, as the keynote speaker for Seed to Sale Show, returning to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO from February 7-8, 2018.

Tony Magee head shot

Founded in 1993, Lagunitas Brewing Company was conceived on Tony's kitchen stove in Lagunitas, CA and has grown today to become a globally distributed brand. The brewery, known for its iconoclastic interpretations of traditional beer styles and descriptive packaging, was at the forefront of the craft beer movement through the mid-2000s, remaining one of the fastest-growing breweries in the United States. In May 2017, Lagunitas announced Heineken International's acquisition of the brewery, helping expand the beer brand globally.

For much of his life, including the time he spent building his company into the international brand it is today, Tony has remained both a vocal proponent of the cannabis industry and an enthusiastic consumer. Lagunitas has brewed beers such as the Kronik, Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale and in August 2017, the company released SuperCritical Ale, a limited-edition beer infused with cannabis terpenes, finally marrying Tony's passion for beer with his fondness for cannabis.

As an industry pioneer, Tony joins NCIA's Seed to Sale Show to discuss the similarities between the two rapidly expanding industries and to share the lessons he has learned over the last 25 years through scaling and operating his business in a highly-regulated industry.

"It's an exciting moment for the cannabis industry right now. It strongly reminds me of when we were first getting started . . . it's almost as if cannabis is where craft beer was some fifteen, twenty years ago. I'm very much looking forward to reminiscing on those years and to sharing my experiences, both good and bad, with other entrepreneurs," remarks Tony.

Tony is scheduled to deliver his keynote speech, titled "A Glimpse into the Future: Lessons from 20 Years of Craft Brewing Give Traction to the Cannabis Industry" on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at 10:15 AM at the conference.

NCIA's Seed to Sale Show is the only national show focused solely on innovative best practices, science, and cutting edge technology surrounding the whole life cycle of the cannabis plant grown, processed, and sold in a regulated market. Registrations for the show are now open. Prices will increase after December 8, 2017. For more information on attending or to register for passes, please visit: https://www.seedtosaleshow.com/ or call (888) 409-4418.

Representing more than 1,400 member-businesses nationwide, the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) is the largest cannabis trade association in the U.S. and the only association representing cannabis-related businesses at the national level. NCIA promotes the growth of a responsible and legitimate cannabis industry and works toward a favorable social, economic, and legal environment for that industry in the United States.

Contact: Bethany Moore, Communications and Project Manager

(303) 223-9727, [email protected]

SOURCE National Cannabis Industry Association
NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TransPerfect Life Sciences, a leading provider of technologies and services to support clinical trials and product development for the biopharmaceutical industry, today announced the hiring of Christine Morris and Jay Smith, two e-clinical and life sciences veterans, to its leadership team.

Christine Morris has been named Executive Director for TransPerfect Life Sciences Solutions, and she will lead strategy and operations for the company's Trial Interactive product as well as for the integrated solutions that incorporate both technology and services that the company offers. Christine brings more than 20 years of consulting, product, leadership, and management experience from companies including PPD, Quintiles, Salix Pharmaceuticals, and most recently, Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).

"What I love about our solutions is that they were designed by clinical research professionals for clinical research professionals," said Christine Morris. "Pair those products and service offerings with an amazing group of people and you've got a recipe for success. I've seen the industry from a number of perspectivessoftware specialist, consultant, corporate, non-profit/academiaand it's clear to me that TransPerfect's offering is something special that can have a broad impact across all parts of the industry."

Jay Smith has joined TransPerfect as Senior Director, Product Management for Trial Interactive, and he has over 25 years of product management, consulting, and engineering experience in the life sciences industry. Jay has extensive experience in bringing cloud-based enterprise solutions to market with companies that include Apogy, Cureatr, Medidata, and Thomson Reuters.

"Life sciences technology is about so much more than just going paperless. While global eTMF adoption continues to rise, the industry is also heading toward unifying systems across multiple areas to increase transparency, control, and collaboration," commented Jay Smith. "Trial Interactive is a versatile and powerful platform that will continue to broaden its impact, and I look forward to helping lead the next steps in assisting our clients with the simplification of their product development lifecycles."

Michael Smyth, General Manager of TransPerfect Life Sciences Solutions, welcomed both new additions, "Christine and Jay have an incredible amount of industry expertise between them, and having them join the team is a natural next step for a product whose development has always been led by clinical professionals. Trial Interactive is designed to increase efficiency for our customers by using innovative technology combined with specialized services, and both Christine and Jay will help immeasurably as we shape the future. We are thrilled to welcome them to the team."

About Trial Interactive

TransPerfect's Trial Interactive solution provides a collaborative web-based platform for clinical development that enables sponsors, CROs, IRBs, and other vendors to maintain and update clinical trial documentation in a secure online environment, adhering to global regulatory requirements. With fully searchable solutions including investigator portals, Trial Interactive streamlines study timelines and reduces the administrative burdens of global clinical trials. As part of TransPerfect's Life Sciences division, Trial Interactive is dedicated to working with clients on a global, collaborative level, supporting a wide range of requirements including e-feasibility, study start-up, eTMF review/reconciliation, mobile applications, learning management and document management systems, investigator portals, pharmacovigilance and safety management, and endpoint adjudication. For more information on Trial Interactive, please contact [email protected] or +1 212.400.8848, or visit www.trialinteractive.com.

About TransPerfect

TransPerfect is the world's leading provider of language services and technology solutions for global business. From offices in over 90 cities on six continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide. More than 4,000 global organizations employ TransPerfect's GlobalLink Product Suite to simplify management of multilingual content. With an unparalleled commitment to quality and client service, TransPerfect is fully ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified. TransPerfect has global headquarters in New York, with regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit our website at www.transperfect.com.

SOURCE TransPerfect

Related Links

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new national poll of America's 18- to 29-year-olds by the Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School, finds that two-thirds of young Americans (67%) are more fearful than hopeful about America's future. Less than one year before the 2018 midterm elections, likely young American voters cite preference for Democratic control of Congress, 65% to 33%.

The Fall 2017 poll, the IOP's 34th major public opinion poll since 2000, also shows that President Trump's approval ratings continue to decline, heightened concern about the state of race relations in the country and increased support for stricter gun control laws.

"American political institutions are at a tipping point," said John Della Volpe, Polling Director at Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics. "Millennials are now the largest generation in the electorate. This poll and the Virginia election show that they are becoming more motivated -- and I believe the fear that exists today about our future will soon be turned into the fuel that will reform our government. The only question is whether this comes from inside or outside the traditional party structure."

This poll of N=2,037 18- to 29-year-olds, which was organized with undergraduate students from the Harvard Public Opinion Project, was conducted between October 31 and November 10, 2017. The margin of error for the poll is +/- 3.05 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

A detailed report on the poll's findings is available online at http://bit.ly/IOPFall17Poll.

KEY FINDINGS

1. 14% of young Americans believe America is generally headed in the right direction; at this moment, fear outpaces hope for our future, 67% to 31%

By nearly a 4:1 margin (54% to 14%), young Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, compared to the right direction. When asked whether they are more hopeful or fearful about America's future, 67% expressed fear, while 31% expressed hope. Over four in five Democrats (82%) voiced fear compared to 17% expressing hope; in contrast, 58% of Republicans expressed hope while 39% expressed fear.

2. President Trump job approval rating down 7 points to 25% since spring; down 12 points among young Republicans, 8 points among Independents

Just one quarter (25%) of 18- to 29-year-olds approve of the President's job performance overall, which is a 7-point decrease since the spring release. Two thirds (66%) of young Republicans approve of the President's job performance, which is a 12-point drop since the spring. The President's approval rating on specific issues is flat or down across the board; his highest rating on any issue comes from his handling of the economy and his response to the hurricanes with 34% approval on both. Approval of the President's handling of ISIS is 32%, gun violence 30%, tax reform 29%, health care 26%, North Korea 25%, climate change 24% and race relations 22%.

3. 79% of young Americans concerned about the state of race relations today; 68% of black Americans and 46%of Hispanics believe their race is under attack "a lot" in America, while 15% of whites feel the same way

Nearly four in five (79%) young Americans register concern about the state of race relations in the country today, a five-point increase over the last year. The percent of young Americans across all racial backgrounds who felt that their race was under attack "a lot" also increased by five points (24% to 29%) since last fall. The percent of young whites who felt under attack "a lot" remained stagnant at 15%, while the percent of young blacks who felt under attack "a lot" increased from 62% to 68% and the percent of young Hispanics increased by more than half, from 30% to 46%.

4. Democratic control of Congress preferred 2:1; Democrats more engaged, Republicans less so, compared to 2014 midterm cycle; motivation among Democrats +9 since January

Among 18- to 29-year-olds who are likely to vote, 65% would prefer to see Democrats control Congress after the 2018 midterms. One third of young voters (33%) prefer Republican control. Independent voters prefer Democratic control by over 30 points (66% to 32%). Across most measures, young Democrats in our poll are more engaged politically than they were at a comparable time in the 2014 midterm cycle, while Republicans are less engaged. The percentage of Democrats who consider themselves politically engaged has increased 8 points, from 24% to 32%, while Republican engagement is down 7 points, from 31% to 24%.

5. Despite Democratic advantages, only 34% agree that the party cares about people like them; 21% believe same is true for Republican Party and 19% for President

When young Americans were asked whether the major parties and the President cared about people like them, only about one in five believed that the Republican Party (21%) or President Trump (19%) did so. Thirty-four percent (34%) of young Americans agreed that the Democratic Party cared about people like them.

Included in the topline and executive summary presentation of the report are additional findings, including:

6. 67% of Millennials believe that America's greatest threats come from forces inside, not outside, our country. In response to an open-ended question about top threats, President Trump, "ourselves," and racism were the top responses.

7. 61% of young Americans believe gun laws should be more strict , representing a marked change since 2013 when less than half (49%) felt the same way.

8. 50% of young Americans have little to no confidence that the U.S. midterm elections in 2018 will be free from Russian interference .

9. By more than a 3:1 margin, young Americans believe that social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have an obligation to regulate fake news ; this is a non-partisan issue, as Democrats (53%) and Republicans (52%) hold similar views.

10. A majority of college students (51%) agree that opportunities to hear highly controversial speakers adds value to the educational experience .

11. College Democrats (60%) are significantly more comfortable than Republicans (25%) sharing political opinions on campus without fear of censorship or repercussions.

12. 56% of young Americans in our survey support single-payer health care policies, while 21% oppose.



13. A majority of 18- to 29-year-olds (53%) approve of some professional athletes' decision to kneel during the National Anthem , but this issue is among the most divisive in our poll: 80% of Democrats approve, while only 17% of Republicans feel the same way.



14. 46% of young Americans support and 28% oppose race-based affirmative action programs designed to increase the number of African-American and Hispanic students on college campuses , again on highly partisan grounds; 70 percent of Democrats support these initiatives, compared to 18% of Republicans.

15. Young Americans are more likely than two years ago to believe that global warming is man-made and mostly caused by emissions ; nearly two-thirds (64%) agree, compared to 55% who agreed in the spring of 2015.

The Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School was established in 1966 as a memorial to President Kennedy. The IOP's mission is to unite and engage students, particularly undergraduates, with academics, politicians, activists, and policymakers on a non-partisan basis to inspire them to consider careers in politics and public service. The Institute strives to promote greater understanding and cooperation between the academic world and the world of politics and public affairs. More information is available online at http://www.iop.harvard.edu.

SOURCE Harvard's Institute of Politics

Related Links

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LONDON, Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Executive Summary

The report titled "US Chewy Candy Market Outlook to 2021  Increasing Demand for On-The-Go Snacking and New Flavor Launches to Drive Market Growth" provides a comprehensive analysis of chewy candies in the US.







Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5228531







The report focuses on US chewy candy market introduction, US chewy candy market size (by revenue), market segments (by type of candies, by distribution channels and by flavors), value chain process for chewy candy industry, trends and developments in the market, key issues and challenges in the market, industry norms and regulations for chewy candy, trade scenarios in US, consumer profile for US chewy candy market, product portfolio of major players in the US chewy candy market, future outlook of the US chewy candy market and covering competitive landscape of major companies including Wrigley, Mondelez International, Ferrara Candy Company, The Hershey Company and Perfetti Van Melle. The report concludes with market projection for future and analyst recommendations highlighting the major opportunities and cautions.



US Chewy Candy Market

Chewy candies have become a staple in the US households and are considered as one of the vital gifts on holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas. The chewy candy market in the US is in maturity stage with companies majorly competing on the basis of price, brand association, distribution channel, flavors, shapes, size and packaging.



US market witnessed increasing interest of convenience store in this industry and they have been stocking more chewy products and bite-size brand extensions. Millennials' desire for more chewy candy varieties has also favored market growth of US chewy candy market. US Chewy Candy market witnessed positive growth rate during 2011-2016, increasing from USD ~ billion during 2011 to USD ~ billion during 2016 ending December at a CAGR of ~% during this period.



US Chewy Candy Market Segmentation

By Type of Candies: Gummy chewy candies dominated the US chewy candy market in terms of revenue accounting for ~% (USD ~ billion) of the overall market share during 2016. Gummy sticks followed the gummies segment in terms of revenue in the US chewy candy market during 2016 accounting for ~% of the overall market share.



By Flavors: Sweet chewy candies dominated the market share of the US chewy candy market accounting for ~% (USD ~ billion) of the overall market revenue during 2016. In terms of revenue, sour & sweet chewy candies follow sweet chewy candies in the US chewy candy market accounting for ~% of the overall market share during 2016.



Rising cases of diabetes, obesity and tooth decay led to the introduction of sugar free or sour chewy candies in the US by various companies in the market. This segment accounted for ~% of the overall chewy candy revenues during 2016.



By Distribution Channel: In terms of value, the sales of chewy candy at convenience store increased from USD ~ million during 2012 to USD ~ million during 2016 at a CAGR of ~% during 2012-2016. The major growth driver for increasing revenue was presence of chewy candies on shelves which attracted customers to buy chewy candies in bulk. Chewy candies are an intentional purchase rather than impulsive purchase as these have their personal shelf space, unlike other confectionary items which are placed near the cash counters and are mostly impulsive sales.



Competitive Landscape of Major Players in US Chewy Candy Market

The chewy candy market in the US is fragmented with wide presence of over 30 manufacturers in the domestic industry. The most prominent among all the companies is Wrigley which is the market leader with ~% market share during 2016.



Wrigley has three major chewy candy brands including Starbust, Skittles and Life Saver Gummies. Skittles dominated the US chewy candy market in terms of both convenience store sales value and volume during 2016. In terms of revenue, Starburst followed Skittles in the US chewy candy market during 2016.



This product has a variety of fruit flavors and a chewy texture with a juicy centre. The Ferrara Candy Company followed Wrigley in terms of revenue earned from chewy candy and the company's revenue accounted for ~% (USD ~ million) of the overall market share during 2016. In terms of revenue, Mondelez International follows Ferrara Candy accounting for ~% of the overall chewy candy market share during 2016.



During 2016, The Hershey Company followed Mondelez International in terms of revenue from chewy candy in the US. The company sells chewy candy in various flavors under various brands including Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers and Reese.



Private Label followed Starburst in terms of convenience store sales value and sales volume during 2016. Air Heads followed Skittles and ranked second in terms of convenience store sales volume in the US chewy candy market during 2016.



Future Outlook to US Chewy Candy Market

Chewy candy is the largest non-chocolate industry segment and with continuous product innovation and introduction of new flavors in the market, the US chewy candy market will grow at a positive growth rate in the forecasted period 2016-2021. It has been anticipated that the market will grow positively on the back of strong economic conditions in the country coupled with growth in personal disposable income of the citizens which will enable them to spend more on sweet treats.



It is expected that millennial population in the US will account for ~ million during 2021 which will continue to dominate the consumption of chewy candies in upcoming years. In terms of revenue, the US chew candy market is expected to augment positively rising from USD ~ billion during 2016 to USD ~ billion during 2021 at a CAGR of ~% during 2016-2021.



Key Topics Covered in the Report

 US Chewy Candy Market Overview and Genesis

 Value Chain Analysis of US Chewy Candy Market

 US Chewy Candy Market Size, 2011  2016

 US Chewy Candy Market Segmentation by flavor, by type of candies and by distribution channels

 Trade Scenario for US Chewy Candy Market

 Trends And Development In US Chewy Candy Market

 Issues and challenges in US Chewy Candy market

 Consumer Profile of The US Chewy Candy Market

 Market Share and Competitive Profile of Major Players in US Chewy Candy Market

 US Chewy Candy Market Future Outlook and Projections

 Analyst Recommendations



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5228531



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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The thirteenth annual Accenture Strategy Global Consumer Pulse Research gauged the attitudes and expectations of more than 25,000 consumers around the world, including 2,000 U.S. consumers, about their appetite for more intuitive, technology-driven brand experiences. As organizations strive to become 'living businesses'  companies that are extraordinarily pre-emptive and responsive to changing customer needs  the study revealed a significant digital trust deficit that must be addressed before true customization can be delivered.

"As technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and digital assistants become more sophisticated and mainstream, companies are creating new touch points, offerings and services that intelligently anticipate and flex to their customer's precise needs, offering a level of hyper-relevance not experienced before. Those that succeed will hit a 'sweet spot' whereby U.S. customers will be willing to share more personal insights into their world in return for greater value and the confidence that their data is protected," said Robert Wollan, senior managing director and Advanced Customer Strategy global lead at Accenture Strategy.

U.S. consumer appetite for hyper-relevant experiences

Forty-three percent of U.S. consumers are more likely to shop with companies that always personalize experiences, as long as their trust isn't compromised. Nearly a third (31 percent) say they would find great value in services that intuitively learn about their needs over time to customize product, service or content recommendations.

Nearly half (48 percent) of U.S. consumers would use 'smart-reordering' services where intelligent sensors in the home pre-empt when a product, such as laundry detergent, is running low and automatically re-orders it on their behalf. Another 36 percent use digital assistants. While the vast majority (89 percent) are satisfied with the experience, 40 percent say it can feel slightly creepy when technology starts to correctly interpret and anticipate their needs.

Digital trust deficit

Digital trust remains a critical barrier to enabling hyper-relevant experiences. Expectedly, a clear majority (92 percent) of U.S. consumers say that it is extremely important that companies protect the privacy of their personal information. Another 79 percent say it is frustrating to realize that some cannot be trusted to use it appropriately.

Forty-three percent of U.S. consumers fear intelligent new services will come to know too much about them and their family. Overall, 66 percent want companies to earn their trust by being more open and transparent with how their information is being used.

Building digital trust

"Digital trust will become increasingly challenging for companies to achieve as they look to capture new categories of customer data, such as biometric, geo-location and even genomic data, in their drive for greater relevance. Customer concerns will inevitably rise, so it's critical that companies have strong data security and privacy measures in place, they give customers full control over their data, and are transparent with how they use it," said Kevin Quiring, managing director, Advanced Customer Strategy North America lead, Accenture Strategy.

Hyper-relevance is the next wave of growth for companies operating in consumer industries, but it cannot be achieved without engendering digital trust. To pivot to hyper-relevance, companies should consider:

Giving customers full control over their data  As customers demand greater control over how companies use their personal information, organizations must become more transparent. Customers must be given full access to, and control over, their data which will demonstrate responsible stewardship and ethics. Furthermore, they must ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it.

 As customers demand greater control over how companies use their personal information, organizations must become more transparent. Customers must be given full access to, and control over, their data which will demonstrate responsible stewardship and ethics. Furthermore, they must ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. Creating new customer value  Companies that distinguish themselves with hyper-relevant experiences look beyond the traditional customer journey. They prioritize areas where they can dynamically deliver something that customers value, at the right moment every time.

 Companies that distinguish themselves with hyper-relevant experiences look beyond the traditional customer journey. They prioritize areas where they can dynamically deliver something that customers value, at the right moment every time. Investing in precise insights  Hyper-relevant companies invest in predictive analytics, collaborate with an ecosystem of partners to capture real-time customer insight, and mine data in new ways to understand their specific needs.

To find out more about the report, visit www.accenture.com/GCPR-Hyper-Relevance. Join the conversation at @AccentureStrat #GCPR #CX.

About the research

The thirteenth annual Accenture Strategy Global Consumer Pulse Research (GCPR) surveyed more than 25,000 consumers from around the world about their appetite for more intuitive brand experiences. The survey included online responses from respondents in: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom and the United States. The survey was fielded in June  July 2017.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions  underpinned by the world's largest delivery network  Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 425,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Strategy operates at the intersection of business and technology. We bring together our capabilities in business, technology, operations and function strategy to help our clients envision and execute industry-specific strategies that support enterprise wide transformation. Our focus on issues related to digital disruption, competitiveness, global operating models, talent and leadership help drive both efficiencies and growth. For more information, follow @AccentureStrat or visit www.accenture.com/strategy.

SOURCE Accenture Strategy
MILL VALLEY, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- According to job site Glassdoor, the annual median base pay in the United States grew 1.2 percent year over year (YOY) in November 2017 to $51,059. The Glassdoor Local Pay Reports show pay growth ticked down from a revised 1.5 percent growth last month. Pay growth peaked in January 2017 at a revised 3.5 percent.

The Glassdoor Local Pay Reports provide a unique monthly view into the country's wage picture with salary estimates for nearly 85 job titles and year-over-year pay growth trends in the United States. The reports include details on 10 major metros: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.1

"U.S. wage growth is sluggish and November recorded the slowest pace of growth in the past three years. Despite being eight years into an economic expansion, salary increases are not where they should be and workers' paychecks are not growing alongside overall improvements in the economy. While we are seeing bright spots in e-commerce and healthcare, these areas alone are not enough to create a positive overall picture for American wages," said Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist of Glassdoor.

Low Paid Workers Seeing Big Salary Increases

Low-paying positions were among the jobs seeing the biggest YOY wage gains in November. Food service roles, including restaurant cook (up 4.2 percent to $28,452) and barista (up 3.8 percent to $24,563), as well as bank teller (up 3.5 percent to $28,676) were in the top 10 fastest pay gains this month.

Chamberlain noted, "We are experiencing a 17-year low unemployment rate today, which means there are fewer candidates competing for jobs at all levels. Salary increases among some of the lowest paying positions suggests the low-skill labor market is tightening and employers who are struggling to fill open roles are beginning to offer higher pay to attract workers."

Holiday Demands Continue to Impact Retail Salary Outlook

Holiday shopping and online retailer growth continue to help drive salary increases among retail roles. Brick-and-mortar positions, including cashiers (up 3.5 percent to $27,620) and store managers (up 2.9 percent to $48,388), have seen positive growth over the last two months. Online retailers, like Amazon and Walmart, are pushing an uptick in back-end operations wages as demand for these roles continues to climb. Salaries are on the rise for warehouse associates (up 3.9 percent to $42,282), truck drivers (up 3.8 percent to $52,945), and delivery driver (up 3.0 percent to $37,907).

"As the holiday season continues, we anticipate salaries among retail roles to continue to grow, especially as online retailers expand their footprint. We are seeing an increase in online shopping  this year, shoppers spent a record $5 billion on Black Friday alone.2 In turn, the need for operations and delivery staff is on the rise and that is fueling an uptick in wages for these workers," said Chamberlain.

Healthcare Wages Continue to Rise

Rapid wage growth in the healthcare sector continued this month, with positions like medical technologist (up 4.0 percent to $54,625) and emergency medical technician (up 2.7 percent to $34,994) seeing the biggest increase. Similar to October's Local Pay Reports, insurance agents (up 4.1 percent to $41,636) are also seeing growth given their understanding of both health and life insurance, especially tailored to the country's population of aging Baby Boomers. There are more than 804,000 open jobs in the healthcare industry on Glassdoor.

"Among the nine healthcare positions we track, pay is rising faster than the national average for the majority. These roles are often highly specialized and require unique skills and training. Thanks to healthcare labor shortages in many cities across the U.S., this translates to increased bargaining power and better offers for workers in a variety of healthcare fields," continued Chamberlain.

Among jobs experiencing the biggest declines in YOY pay growth in November, bartender (down 4.9 percent to $30,822), loan officer (down 3.7 percent to $43,456) and java developer (down 3.8 percent to $71,379) topped the list.

For a list of j obs with the biggest pay declines, visit the Glassdoor Economic Research blog.

Fastest Pay Growth in Seattle and Los Angeles; Houston Falls Far Behind

Among the 10 metros tracked, wage growth was fastest in Seattle (up 2.1 percent to $60,351), and Los Angeles (up 2.0 percent to $59,638). Houston pay growth was slow again this month (0.3 percent to $54,215) and lagged well behind the U.S. average.

For more on jobs with the highest and lowest pay, visit the Glassdoor Economic Research blog.

The full data sets for the Glassdoor Local Pay Reports can be found on the Glassdoor Economic Research site, along with report methodology and Frequently Asked Questions.

To read more trends and insights from Chamberlain on this month's report or his predictions regarding the November Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employment Situation Report, visit the Glassdoor Economic Research blog.

Any individual can also keep tabs on their personal worth in their local job market through Know Your WorthTM by Glassdoor. Visit Glassdoor or download the Glassdoor Job Search apps for iPhone or Android.

To speak with Dr. Chamberlain regarding the Glassdoor Local Pay Reports or his predictions for this month's jobs report: [email protected].

About Glassdoor

Glassdoor is one of the largest and fastest growing job sites in the world today. Set apart by the tens of millions of reviews and insights provided by employees and candidates, Glassdoor combines all the jobs with this valuable data to make it easy for people to find a job that is uniquely right for them. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like job advertising and employer branding products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for more than 700,000 companies in more than 190 countries. For labor market trends and analysis, visit Glassdoor Economic Research. For company news and career advice and tips, visit the Glassdoor Blog and for employer-related news and insights to help employers hire, visit the Glassdoor for Employers Blog. Visit Glassdoor.com or download our apps on iOS and Android platforms.

Glassdoor is a registered trademark of Glassdoor, Inc.

Know Your Worth, Salary Explorer and the Glassdoor logo are trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc.

1 For full methodology of the Glassdoor Local Pay Reports and how salary estimates are compiled, visit: https://www.glassdoor.com/research/studies/glassdoor-local-pay-reports-methodology/.

2 Adobe Digital Insights: http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/25/news/black-friday-holiday-shopping-foot-traffic/index.html

SOURCE Glassdoor

Related Links

http://www.glassdoor.com


"It is truly an honor to join the Board of McClatchy," said Ravindran. "I look forward to working with the Board to ensure a rich future for local news."

"We are excited to welcome Vijay to the Board of Directors," said McClatchy President and CEO Craig Forman. "Vijay's understanding of the essential role of local journalism, coupled with his broad technology and leadership experience, will contribute significantly to our business growth and digital transformation."

Ravindran's career spans digital commerce and news media. He joined Amazon in 1998 when the company sold books and music. He later served as director of the ordering department at Amazon and led the team that launched Amazon Prime. As Chief Digital Officer for The Washington Post Company, he founded WaPo Labs and oversaw the development of over a dozen products in digital news and launched Washington Post Social Reader and Trove, a personalized news web application.

He is an engineering graduate of the University of Virginia and serves on the Board of the Lenfest Institute, which develops and supports sustainable business models for local journalism.

With the appointment of Ravindran, McClatchy's board of directors now consists of twelve members, including three Class A directors and nine Class B directors.

About McClatchy

McClatchy operates 30 media companies in 14 states, providing each of its communities with high-quality news and advertising services in a wide array of digital and print formats. McClatchy is a publisher of iconic brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News & Observer, and the (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., and listed on the New York Stock Exchange American under the symbol MNI.

SOURCE McClatchy

Related Links

http://www.mcclatchy.com


ISNES, Belgium, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE American: VNRX) today announced that its Executive Vice President, Scott Powell, is scheduled to attend two conferences in December.

During the conferences, management will outline Volition's business, clinical, regulatory and operational milestones, as well as the Company's recently announced two large clinical trials in colorectal cancer at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, expected to be completed in the first half of 2018.

Details of the conferences are as follows:



Conference: LD Micro Conference Main Event X

Date: Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Time: 11:00 a.m. PST

Location: Luxe Sunset Hotel, Los Angeles, CA







Conference: Benchmark Company, LLC Micro Cap Discovery One-on-One Conference

Date: Thursday, December 14, 2017

Location: Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL

Persons attending any of the above-referenced conferences who would like to schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with Volition management during such conference may do so by contacting Joseph Green of Edison Advisors at [email protected] or Scott Powell, Executive Vice President, at [email protected] .

About Volition

Volition is a multi-national life sciences company developing simple, easy to use blood-based cancer tests to accurately diagnose a range of cancers. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid - an indication that disease is present.

As cancer screening programs become more widespread, Volition's products aim to help to diagnose a range of cancers quickly, simply, accurately and cost effectively. Early diagnosis has the potential to not only prolong the life of patients, but also to improve their quality of life.

Volition's research and development activities are currently centered in Belgium, with additional offices in London, Texas and Singapore, as the company focuses on bringing its diagnostic products to market first in Europe, then in the U.S. and ultimately, worldwide.

For more information about Volition, visit Volition's website (http://www.volitionrx.com) or connect with us via:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/volitionrx

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/volitionrx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VolitionRx/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/VolitionRx

The contents found at Volition's website address, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are not incorporated by reference into this document and should not be considered part of this document. The addresses for Volition's website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are included in this document as inactive textual references only.

Media / Investor Contacts

SOURCE VolitionRx Ltd

Related Links

http://www.volitionrx.com


LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dave DeLaus, senior vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of Wegmans Food Markets, has been appointed to the GS1 US Board of Governors. He will help guide the GS1 US strategy for driving adoption and usage of GS1 Standards across multiple industries to enhance supply chain and e-commerce efficiencies as well as in-store and digital shopping experience for consumers. GS1 Standards uniquely identify products, services and locations globally, and are the most widely used information standards in the world.

Mr. DeLaus is a retail grocery and technology veteran, having served several executive leadership roles throughout his 31-year tenure at Wegmans. Most recently, as senior vice president and CIO, he is responsible for the vision, strategy, and execution of all information systems powering the company. Previously, he was vice president of IT development and held other leadership roles in operations, support, and procurement across the organization. Mr. DeLaus also serves as chairman of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Technology Leadership Board and is the programs co-chair for the Western New York chapter of the Society for Information Management.

"With an impressive career spanning three decades at Wegmans, Dave's unique perspective will be influential in guiding how GS1 Standards can help solve business challenges for industry," said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of GS1 US. "The retail grocery industry is transforming rapidly and Dave's expertise is invaluable as we continue to strive for greater product transparency and traceability as well as a seamless shopping experience to meet the growing needs of consumers."

The GS1 US Board of Governors includes executives from 20 leading organizations including: Campbell's Soup Company; The Coca-Cola Company; eBay Inc.; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson & Johnson; Macy's, Inc.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Pensiamo, Inc.; Procter & Gamble; Publix Super Markets; PVH Corp.; Quality Supply Chain Co-op, Inc.; QVC, Inc.; Sysco Corporation; Wakefern Food Corporation; Walmart; and Wegmans Food Markets. The full list is available at www.gs1us.org/about-gs1-us/corporate/board-of-governors.

About GS1 US

GS1 US, a member of GS1, is an information standards organization that brings industry communities together to solve supply chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. More than 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code (EPC)-based Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC). www.gs1us.org

SOURCE GS1 US

Related Links

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BALTIMORE, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States, today hosts its 11th annual Employee Giving Program. Foundation employeesnot including the trustees or the presidenthandle every step of their grant evaluation. This includes selection of the grantee, a site visit, collection and review of financials, and preparation of the final grant recommendation. The Foundation's Board then reviews each recommendation to ensure that the grant is consistent with Foundation grantmaking goals and guidelines.

At today's event, 25 employees will each present a check for $20,000 to a Maryland nonprofit of their choicea total of $500,000 awarded in a single day! More than $3 million has been distributed since the inception of this professional development and mission-focused effort.

Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park at Living Classrooms

1417 Thames Street

Baltimore, MD 21231

11:45 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Here are this year's grantees:

Afrikan Youth Alchemy  Fusion Partnerships Shakera Tuggle , Program Assistant

Baltimore

to support the general operations of this organization that uses African values, media advocacy, community-supported agriculture, and travel-study as tools to foster self-discovery and personal transformation among urban youth Akoben Foundation Rachel Duden , Program Associate, Libraries & General Community Support Grants

Baltimore

to support the general operations of this organization that provides after-school literacy programs for children in West Baltimore schools A Wider Circle Kallie Wasserman , Executive Assistant, Investments

Throughout Maryland

to support the general operations of this organization that provides basic needs, workforce development, wraparound support, and neighborhood revitalization services for individuals and families Baltimore Design School Arlene Cox , Chief of Staff

Baltimore

to support the purchase of books and other resources for this school's library with the goal of improving literacy rates Bello Machre Brian Clark , Investment Analyst

Anne Arundel and Carroll Counties

to support the general operations of this organization that provides loving care, opportunity, and guidance for individuals with developmental disabilities Benjamin Franklin Center  United Way of Central Maryland Chrissy Laumann , Program Assistant Manager

Baltimore

to support the general operations of the United Way Family Center, a day care center at Benjamin Franklin High School, that serves students who are also parents Bridges  Boys School of St. Paul Sheryl Goldstein , Managing Director, Programs & Grants/Program Director, Education (US)

Baltimore

to support the general operations of Bridges, a year-round out-of-school time program that provides academic support, enrichment, and mentoring for Baltimore City Public Schools' students, grade four through college Caroline Friess Center Marci Hunn , Program Director, Workforce Development

Baltimore

to support the general operations of this organization that provides career and life skills training as either a certified/geriatric nursing assistant or certified pharmacy technician Catherine's Cottage  The Salvation Army of Central Maryland Amy Kleine , Program Director, Basic Human Needs & Health

Baltimore

to support Catherine's Cottage, a program that provides shelter and other services to victims of human trafficking Girls on the Run of the Greater Chesapeake Kate Sorestad , Program Director, Northeastern Pennsylvania and Veterans Grants

Baltimore

to support a program focused on educating and empowering elementary and middle school girls through running and small group instruction Harford Family House Jen Banks , Graphic/Web Design Coordinator

Harford County

to support the general operations of this organization that helps homeless families transition into permanent housing The Ingenuity Project Rafi Rone , Program Director, Israel and Jewish General Community Support

Baltimore

to support the general operations of this organization that provides accelerated math, science, and research programs for students, grades 6-12, in Baltimore City Public Schools The Institute for Integrative Health Megan Franey , Marketing Associate

Baltimore

to support this organization's Mission Thrive programs serving youth, families, and communities by promoting lifestyle changes that will support their health and well-being Maryland SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Jack Meeker , Network Administrator/Real Estate Associate

Throughout Maryland

to support the Humane Education program that helps students, prekindergarten through grade 12, understand the importance of kindness, respect, and responsibility for all living beings Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood  Light Health & Wellness Comprehensive Services Kyle McNair , Controller

Baltimore

to support a program that provides a safe environment, mentoring services, educational activities, and character development for male youth The Middle Grades Partnership Fund at Baltimore Community Foundation David Gilmore , Managing Director of Investments

Baltimore

to support the general operations of this organization that provides summer and after-school programs designed to improve educational outcomes and personal development, as well as increase acceptance of middle school youth into the high schools of their choice NPower Caleb Bowers , Program Assistant

Baltimore

to support classroom improvements for this organization that prepares young adults to enter the field of information technology Penn-Mar Human Services Craig Demchak , Director of Marketing and Communications

Baltimore County, Maryland and York County , Pennsylvania

to support the general operations of this organization that provides a variety of services, including housing and integrated employment, for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities Point Source Youth Aaron Merki , Program Director, Older Adults (US)

Baltimore

to support the general operations of this organization that works to implement three interventionsFamily and Kinship Strengthening, Short-Term Host Homes, and Rapid Rehousingwith the goal of preventing youth homelessness P.O.P. (Play on Purpose) Jennifer Finch , Executive Assistant

Baltimore

to support the general operations of this organization that works to equip youth with the tools to become better scholars, athletes, and leaders on and off the court Project Safe Haven  Koinonia Baptist Church Frank Jarrell , Accounting Manager

Baltimore

to support Project Safe Haven, an after-school program that provides academic and recreational activities for students, pre-kindergarten through grade eight, in the Frankford , Hamilton , and Overlea communities St. Francis Neighborhood Center Angie Winston , Custodian/Maintenance Assistant

Baltimore

to support the Power Project, an afterschool program that addresses the educational and behavioral needs of youth in the Reservoir Hill neighborhood St. Mary's Outreach Center Yvonne Sporrer , Special Projects Coordinator/Assistant to Director of Marketing & Communications

Baltimore

to support the general operations of this organization that works to help vulnerable older adults in and around the Hampden community remain independent Story Tapestries Leisel Harry , Program Associate, Library and Special Projects

Throughout Maryland

to support the expansion of this organization's programs that teach children and adults to integrate arts into all aspects of their lives Urban Teachers Nakia Horton , GIFTS Administrator

Baltimore

to support the recruitment, selection, training, ongoing support, and evaluation of this organization's participants who teach in City schools

About The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private charitable foundations in the United States, provides approximately $100 million in annual grants to nonprofits that provide direct services to low-income and vulnerable individuals and families, primarily in the United States and Israel. Grants are focused on meeting basic needs and enhancing an individual's ability to meet those needs with emphasis on older adults, the Jewish community, and the Foundation's priority communities of Maryland, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Chicago, New York City, rural communities in the United States, and Israel. The trustees, some of whom also serve as executive officers of the Foundation, are Chair Robert T. Kelly, Jr., Donn Weinberg, Alvin Awaya, and Fay Hartog-Levin. Rachel Garbow Monroe serves as the Weinberg Foundation's President and Chief Executive Officer. For more information, please visit www.hjweinbergfoundation.org.

Media Contact: Craig Demchak, 443-738-1159

[email protected]

SOURCE Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

Related Links

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NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the Board of Directors of General Cable Corporation ("BGC" or the "Company") (NYSE: BGC) in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by multinational corporation Prysmian Group ("Prysmian"). Under the terms of the agreement, shareholders of BGC will receive $30.00 in cash for each BGC share they own.

WeissLaw is investigating whether BGC's Board acted to maximize shareholder value prior to entering into the agreement. Notably, according to the acquisition announcement, Prysmian anticipates that the transaction will generate EPS accretion in the range of 10%-12% for its shareholders in the first year post-close. Moreover, according to Valerio Battista, Prysmian's CEO, this deal will enhance Prysmian's position in the cable industry by increasing its presence in North America, and expanding its footprint in Europe and South America.

Given these facts, WeissLaw is investigating whether BGC's Board acted in the best interests of BGC's public shareholders to maximize shareholder value prior to entering into the agreement. If you own BGC shares and would like more information about your rights or our investigation, or if you have information to share with us, please contact Joshua Rubin by telephone at (888) 593-4771 or by email at [email protected].

WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected] or fill out the form on our website, http://www.weisslawllp.com/general-cable-corporation/

SOURCE WeissLaw LLP

Related Links

http://www.weisslurie.com


KINGFISHER, Okla., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Global Oil, has pledged to purchase 18 wells in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma. The Payne, Woods and Kay Counties, also carry potential wells for Western Global Oil's future. These counties, which inhabit 34 wells, produce 658 BOPD (barrels of production per day) and all wells are less than six years old. The company spokesman Brooke Thompson states, "The company has studied and calculated for future growth on multiple properties. We feel the potential for producing income on these properties will continue to grow for the next 20 years and beyond."

Arkoma and Anadarko Basins, which hold large amounts of oil and gas, are the main focus of Western Global Oil. Basins like Granite Wash, Cana Woodford, Mississippian, Hunton, Springer, Stack, and Scoop, have also been taken into consideration. When it comes to potential opportunities, nothing is left without intricate examination. Future purchases include a wide variety of properties with production as low as 5 BOPD, and acreage as low as 200 acres. However, Western Global Oil always inspects property that has multiple wells and acreage. In this process, Oklahoma continues to provide some of the most lucrative opportunities. The main focus is finding reliable properties and providing for our potential capital partners.

Our goal is to generate maximum cash flow after acquiring and managing oil and gas properties. Additionally, Western Global Oil will capitalize on current producing conventional oil and gas assets in the Mid-Continent oil field. Our number one priority, is providing stability and long-term growth for our capital partners and employees.

If you have any questions please go to our website and fill out a contact form we will gladly get back to you as soon as possible. www.westernglobaloil.com

Brooke Thompson

[email protected]

855-378-8929

Related Links

Company Website

SOURCE Western Global Oil
NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. announced today that it is launching a new product, State Tax Plus, available exclusively on its Cheetah legal research platform. A complete resource for legal tax researchers, State Tax Plus is an expert solution that provides users with a centralized location to monitor state tax statutory and regulatory changes and enables point-in-time research capabilities for all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

The research tool features point-in-time navigation and redlining comparison capabilities, allowing users to instantly distinguish laws on a state-by-state level, and ultimately increasing accuracy, efficiency and speed when comparing statutes and commentary. The release of State Tax Plus follows the success of Standard Fed Plus  the tax research tool for legal professionals that also features point-in-time navigation and redlining capabilities. Earlier this year, Standard Fed Plus was named a 2017 SIIA CODiE Awards finalist in two categories, Best Legal Solution and Best Solution for Integrating Content into Workflow.

"If new federal tax legislation is enacted, many states will embark on amendments to their own tax codes," said Susan Gruesser, Portfolio Director, Legal Markets & Innovation. "State Tax Plus will help customers to not only see these future changes to state tax laws for all fifty states, but also provide an historical analysis of the state tax codes and regulations back to 1994."

In launching State Tax Plus, Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory has created a proprietary centralized, online location for tax professionals to understand changes to state tax law as accurately and efficiently as possible. The tool thereby eliminates the often time-consuming and labor-intensive task of moving between documents to identify changes in the law, and facilitates greater depth and accuracy of understanding those changes. State Tax Plus also includes a calendar feature to help attorneys navigate the tax law back to 1994 and on a monthly basis going forward.

Visit our web site to learn more about State Tax Plus.

About Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.

Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. is a part of Wolters Kluwer N.V. (AEX: WKL) a global leader in professional information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2015 annual revenues of 4.2 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries and employs 19,000 people worldwide.

For more information about Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S., visit WoltersKluwerLR.com, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Linda Gharib

Director, Communications

Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.

Tel: +1 (646) 887-7962

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.

Related Links

http://www.WoltersKluwerLR.com


Over the years the World's Largest Menorah was also lighted by New York City Mayors, Ed Koch, David Dinkins, Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio and Governors Mario Cuomo, George Pataki and David Paterson, United States Senator Charles Schumer, as well as many other dignitaries.

The first candle will be lighted on Tuesday evening December 12, and the full Menorah will be lighted on Tuesday evening December 19. All weekday lightings are at 5:30 PM. Following each night's Menorah lighting ceremony, hundreds will dance, sing and celebrate.

The 36-foot high, gold colored, 4,000 pound steel structure will be lighted nightly with genuine oil lamps. Specially designed glass chimneys will protect the Chanukah lights from the Central Park winds.

"The menorah serves as a symbol of New York City's dedication to preserve and encourage the right and liberty of all its citizens to worship Gd freely, openly, and with pride. Specifically in America, a nation that was founded upon and vigorously protects the right of every person to practice his or her religion free from restraint and persecution," said Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman, director, Lubavitch Youth Organization.

DESIGNED BY WORLD RENOWNED ARTIST YAACOV AGAM AND CERTIFIED BY GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS

The Menorah was certified by Guinness World Records as the World's Largest. It was specially designed by world renowned artist Yaacov Agam who lighted the Menorah many times. It was inspired by a hand drawing by the Rambam (Maimonides) of the original Menorah in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem.

REBBE PERSONALLY APPROVED MENORAH

The Menorah had the singular honor of standing in miniature on the desk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M Schneerson. The Rebbe personally approved the form of the Menorah. It was only after the Rebbe's personal approval that the Menorah was built to its present dimensions.

REBBE WANTED THIS MENORAH TO BE THE LARGEST.

The Rebbe wanted this Menorah to be the world's largest and when there was talk about making a large Menorah in another city the Rebbe instructed that the height of that city's Menorah should be 27 feet.

The 36-foot high, gold colored, 4,000 pound steel structure will be lighted nightly with genuine oil lamps. Specially designed glass chimneys will protect the Chanukah lights from the Central Park winds.

Due to the height of the Menorah, it will be lit nightly with the help of a special 45 foot "cherry-picker" crane as well as two lifts on both sides of the Menorah that lift the lighters to the "Menorah Heights."

"REBBE LIKED THIS MENORAH"

"The Rebbe liked this Menorah," said Yaacov Agam. "The Rebbe wanted that this Menorah should be the World's Largest."

THE REBBE LIGHTING UP THE WORLD

The annual event is part of a worldwide Chanukah campaign set into motion in 1973, by the Rebbe.

Today, the unprecedented public display of Chanukah has become a staple of Jewish cultural and religious life, forever altering the American practice and perception of the festival. This year, Chabad-Lubavitch will set up more than 15,000 large public menorahs in more than 100 counties around the world, including in front of landmarks such as the White House, the Eiffel Tower, and the Kremlin.

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS TO VIEW MENORAH

The lighting of the World's Largest Chanukah Menorah is always the central event of Chanukah for the millions of residents of New York and visitors to the Big Apple. It is also a favorite with the International media who put the World's Largest Chanukah Menorah in the center of their "Chanukah story," bringing the World's Largest Menorah into the homes of hundreds of millions of people throughout the world.

GRAND MENORAH PARADE

On Shabbos, Saturday, evening, December 16th, the Grand Menorah Parade of over 300 Menorah vehicles will take place. The Parade will leave Lubavitch World Headquarters at 6:00 PM and will pass by the World's Largest Chanukah Menorah at approximately 9:00 PM.

HOT "LATKES" ON FIFTH AVENUE

Every Chanukah evening a special Chanukah celebration will take place at the World's Largest Chanukah Menorah. The celebration will include live music, singing and dancing, "Chanukah Gelt" for the children and hot "Latkes" (potato pancakes), the traditional food of Chanukah, will be distributed to everyone. "We want people to 'taste' the tradition," said Rabbi Butman.

A CAMPAIGN TO "COME LIGHT THE MENORAH."

New York's most popular radio stations, WCBS and WINS, will carry a steady Chanukah call to millions of people to "Come light the Menorah." The message by Rabbi Butman is for everyone to light the Menorah in their own home, "It's exciting, it's triumphant. It's many voices as one cheering light over darkness, joy over sorrow, freedom over oppression."

"The prominence of the Menorah carries an additional message," adds Rabbi Butman. "The Rebbe teaches that soon there will be another light, an eternal light, the eternal light of Moshiach, the eternal light of the Great Redemption."

The lighting schedule for the World's Largest Chanukah Menorah is as follows:

Tuesday, December 12 - 5:30 PM

Wednesday, December 13 - 5:30 PM

Thursday, December 14 - 5:30 PM

Friday, December 15 - 3:30 PM

Shabbos, Saturday, December 16 - 8:30 PM

Sunday, December 17 - 5:30 PM

Monday, December 18 - 5:30 PM

Tuesday, December 19 - 5:30 PM

This release was issued through The Xpress Press News Service, merging e-mail and satellite distribution technologies to reach business analysts and media outlets worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.XpressPress.com.

SOURCE Jewish News Agency
NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- YeloSpa (www.yelospafranchise.com), a one-of-a-kind urban day spa concept, launched today a nationwide franchise program offering its exclusive business model to qualified owner-operators and multi-unit developers in select markets across the U.S. The franchise opportunity aims to help qualified investors and passionate professionals create a go-to health and wellness destination in their own communities.

"We launched YeloSpa 10 years ago in one of the most difficult markets in the U.S., New York City. What we've created since is unlike anything else in the spa industry," said Nicolas Ronco, founder and CEO of YeloSpa. "New Yorkers are notoriously demanding, plus the city's leasing and labor costs are the highest in the nation. Because we've cracked the code on how to flourish in such an environment, we're now eager to share our brand, system and know-how with people across other urban centers."

YeloSpa, founded in 2007 by Ronco, a former executive with multiple major U.S. and international corporations, combines traditional spa services with its most unique offerings, power napping and sleep therapy. As a corporate executive, Ronco experienced for years the rush of city life and the disruption of constant travel. He decided instead of continuing down that path, he would create a unique environment that would fulfill his health and wellness needs, and bring those benefits to others like him.

Now, with this new franchise program, YeloSpa looks to attract other passionate investors into the nearly $17 billion wellness and spa industry, initially targeting the surrounding states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. As the company expands gradually, additional markets in major metro areas across the country will be added.

"Our top priority is to ensure the business health of our franchisees which is why we're taking a deliberate approach to expansion and only targeting markets that we can fully support," said Ronco. "Our efforts will also include combining the local market expertise of our investors with our unique approach to wellness, allowing us to build a strong foundation of franchisee operations."

Qualified franchise owners will gain access to YeloSpa's vast market knowledge, time-tested business model and unique brand identity, in addition to comprehensive operational training, business development and marketing support. To learn more about the YeloSpa franchise opportunity, visit www.yelospafranchise.com or email [email protected].

About YeloSpa

YeloSpa is an urban day spa franchise concept based in New York. In addition to traditional spa services, YeloSpa is the first spa concept to offer a sensorial sleep experience within its patented YeloCab treatment cabins.

The YeloSpa franchise system offers passionate owner-operators, multi-unit investors and area developers the opportunity to enter a market with significant staying power, with a concept that is unlike any other. With two locations currently operating and a brand new franchise program underway, YeloSpa looks to add multiple franchise locations in the next two years across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

For more information about the YeloSpa franchise opportunity, visit www.yelospafranchise.com, or contact Aisling O'Shea, director of franchise operations, at (646) 630-8570 or [email protected].

Contact:

Amy Kent

708-249-1042

[email protected]

SOURCE YeloSpa

Related Links

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AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Zilliant, a leading AI-driven SaaS platform for maximizing the lifetime value of B2B customer relationships, today announced a strategic partnership with Integrated Commercial Excellence (ICE), a consultancy firm headquartered in The Netherlands.

"ICE is committed to helping B2B organizations achieve commercial excellence through improvement of their sales and marketing organization and processes," said ICE Founder and Director Phil Coady. "We continue to see large B2B organizations struggle with data-driven decision making. This is most apparent in the areas of margin management and pricing. Zilliant is a natural extension of how ICE supports large B2B businesses in this area."

Zilliant and ICE will work together with clients whose transactional data reveals that hidden pockets of profit and revenue exist in their organizations and can be recaptured. The two companies will work with EMEA-based B2B companies to maximize company strengths and use artificial intelligence as a competitive advantage.

"ICE has deep experience in sales and marketing change management," said Zilliant Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales Greg Howe. "Paired with the company's expertise in the B2B automotive, chemicals and coatings vertical industries, the partnership stands to drive tremendous value to our shared clients."

Representatives from ICE and Zilliant will be presenting at these upcoming events:

ICE previously sponsored a change management session at Zilliant MindShare Europe on September 19, 2017.

About Zilliant

Zilliant offers the only AI-based SaaS platform enabling B2B companies to grow share and profits while maximizing customer lifetime value. The company's advanced intelligence is delivered seamlessly through the Zilliant IQ platform, which is integrated within existing field sales workflows, CRM applications and ecommerce channels, to inform pricing and sales decisions and increase the value of every B2B customer interaction. Learn more about how Zilliant helps maximize the lifetime value of B2B customer relationships at www.zilliant.com.

About Integrated Commercial Excellence (ICE)

ICE helps B2B organizations connect the dots by delivering sustainable sales and marketing performance improvement in B2B organizations. By identifying what works best in an organization and building on those strengths, we develop practical approaches to improve commercial performance through the integration of people and processes. More information at http://www.commercialexcellence.co.

SOURCE Zilliant

Related Links

http://www.zilliant.com


Over recent weeks, auction clearance rates across the nations two largest housing markets (Sydney and Melbourne) have been significantly lower than they were 12 months ago however, they havent necessarily been all that much lower than the previous years. While comparing auction volumes and clearance rates to a year ago is valuable, it is much more valuable to look at how these metrics compare across a number of years.

Melbourne

Auction clearance rates in Melbourne are currently substantially lower than they were a year ago. In fact, the clearance rate of 66.9% last week was the lowest since July of last year. Although clearance rates are lower than they were a year ago, they are at fairly similar levels to what was being recorded at the same time of year in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The chart really highlights just how much stronger the auction market in Melbourne was a year ago relative to other recent years.



The volume of properties being taken to auction, particularly over recent months, has generally been higher than over recent years. By comparison, in 2016 when clearance rates were much higher than they have been this year, the number of properties being taken to auction was relatively lower than over recent years. The higher number of properties being taken to auction is likely to be having some impact on the weaker clearance rates this year relative to last however, volumes are also much higher currently than they were in 2013, 2014 and 2015 a time at which clearance rates were fairly similar to current levels. Given this, clearance rates are actually holding up quite well considering much higher volumes of auctions.

Sydney

Auction clearance rate in Sydney have been at their lowest levels since 2012 over recent weeks and have been on a steady decline throughout 2017. If you exclude the low volumes in January, last weeks auction clearance rate of 54.8% was the cities lowest clearance rate since December 2015. Clearance rates have not been consistently as low at this time of year since 2012. Clearance rates are substantially lower than they were a year ago and are also slightly lower than they were two years ago when APRAs first round of macroprudential policies were significantly impacting Sydney housing demand. If the previous round of macroprudential policies is a guide we can expect a further weakening of clearance rates over the coming weeks.



Unlike Melbourne, Sydney is not seeing a substantially higher number of properties being taken to auction compared to recent years. In fact over recent weeks there has been an equivalent number of auctions across the city to volumes last year when clearance rates were much higher than they are currently, while there have been fewer auctions than in 2015 when clearance rates were similarly weak.

There has been clear evidence over recent weeks that auction clearance rates have softened in Sydney and Melbourne. The falling clearance rates in Sydney are occurring on similar volumes of auctions to recent years but matches the recent declines in dwelling values. In Melbourne, auction clearance rates have slowed and there has also been a moderate slowdown in value growth. The big difference in Melbourne has been that auction volumes have been much higher so it is difficult to know if the weaker clearance rates are because of the market overall or due to their being too much stock being put up for auction each week. Keep in mind that clearance rates typically soften through Spring as auction volumes increase so we may have to wait until 2018 to truly understand what is driving the apparent weakness in the Melbourne auction market.

Cameron Kusher is head of research for CoreLogic. You can contact him here.
Dubbo, the regional city in NSW, has sprung to the top of the retail property clock for December, according to valuation firm Herron Todd White latest report.

Meanwhile, Sydney has dropped a notch to a rising market position from the previous approaching the peak cycle in HTWs retail property clock in September. Brisbane has also transitioned to a starting to decline position from its approaching the peak position in September.

At the bottom of the property cycle, Rockhampton joins Darwin and Perth. Others at the same position are Emerald, Townsville and Wide Bay.

Click to enlarge





A rush to yield helped drive prices up in many commercial markets, but of course this only served to tighten returns over the long term, said HTW in the report.

Not every market was the same in 2017 of course  were a diverse country with opportunities galore across our wide, brown land, it adds.
Famous Italian fashion designer Versace will soon open its first stand-alone store in Australia, having signed a lease for a store in the revamped T&G building in Melbournes Collins Street.

Versace signed a 10-year lease for a 307 sqm company-owned store with prime Collins Street frontage in the former banking chamber.

Italian brands such as Gucci store and Bottega Veneta already trade in the building.

The only other Versace store in Australia is in Westfield Sydney on Pitt Street Mall.

Pembroke, the investment arm of Boston fund manager Fidelity, bought the iconic T&G Building in a $275 million deal in 2015. It has since upgraded the ground-floor shops and the office floors above.

Rents in the new T&G retail arcade streets are understood to have been struck at about $4000 per sqm.

Collins Street is a favourite with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani.

Matthew Knight, head of Australia for Pembroke Real Estate, was quoted by the AFR as saying that the three luxury tenancies would make a "real statement" at the T&G building's Collins Street entrance and went "hand in glove with other tenants in the area".

He said he did not expect the arrival of Amazon in Australia to have much impact on the luxury retail sector.

"I think people who shop for luxury go for the experience and to get looked after. You don't get that personal touch and attention from shopping on Amazon. I think it will be more the middle-tier retailers that will be impacted," he said.

The Versace, Gucci and Bottega Veneta deals were through leasing agent Zelman Ainsworth of CBRE. Another luxury retailer, Max Mara, is also part of the retail mix.
Regions around Sydney and Melbourne recorded the strongest growth in property values over the last 10 years, while the remaining capitals experienced comparatively moderate value increases, according to CoreLogics recent analysis of 10-year suburb data.

In fact, for each state and territory, the top five listed areas shows a significant slant towards capital city regions rather than regional housing markets.

In New South Wales, Pennant Hills  Epping located in the Hills District of Sydney top value growth with an increase of 126.2% over 10 years. The region also has the second highest rate of value growth across the country.

Click to enlarge

CoreLogics methodology is based on the best performing property markets at an SA3 level (SA3 represents a regional area serviced by major transport & commercial hub with a population of between 30,000 and 130,000 people).

The median dwelling value in Pennant Hills-Epping region was $1,719,229 as of October, according to CoreLogic.

A three-bedroom house at 45 Dunlop Street, Epping (pictured top) sold in November 2017 for $1.75 million. Previously, it transacted in December 2009 for $882,000, according to CoreLogic data.

Another house, a five bedroom property, at 108 Boundary Road, Pennant Hills, (picture above) sold for $1.45 million in November 2017. It previously sold for $550,000 in 2002, according to CoreLogic data.
Terry Blamey, the long time former manager of Aussie singing sensation Kylie Minogue, has bought a renovated Albert Park home.

Blamey, who managed Minogue for over 25 years, hasn't had to move far, having sold his classic Victorian a few doors down on Montague Street mid-year for $2 million.

He's upgraded to a $3.05 million more modern Victorian residence, though still with its classical facade (above and below).

The home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a rear courtyard.

Greg Hocking Holdsworth sold the home that hadn't traded since it sold for $670,000 in 2005.

Blamey co-owned another Montague Street property but that was sold off in 2012 to his mate, music entrepreneur Michael Gudinski.

Blamey, who has been a music manager in 1966, was with Minogue at her first show in front of 38,000 people at the Tokyo Dome in 1989.
None of the capital cities are at the peak of the housing market cycle, according to property valuation firm Herron Todd Whites December Month in Review.

2017 was the year some of our hottest markets decided it was time to take a breather, according to HTWs report.

Sydney remains at the start of decline on the property clock, like November. Same for Melbourne, which remains at approaching the peak of market position.

Brisbane has risen one notch from start of recovery and joins the other capital cites of Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra at the rising market position.

Meanwhile, Perth has slipped one notch to reach the bottom of market cycle, joining Darwin, which is the only other capital city at the bottom.

Click to enlarge

However, HTW writes that there were "those sectors that continued to lay dormant while a few even outdid expectations.
Melbourne stays firmly perched at the peak of cycle for unit markets, while Sydney remains at the start of decline, according to property valuation firm Herron Todd Whites (HTW) recent report.

This year will undoubtedly be seen as the one where the collective boomtown mentality of Sydney took a breather, according to HTWs Month in Review for December.

In Melbourne, it was a very good year for property with great fundamentals and many investors still confident theres a way to go.

Ballarat, which had made it to the peak of the unit market cycle, slipped one notch to approaching the peak.

The peak of the market position is dominated by cities or regions from NSW, with Gold Coast and Melbourne the only outsiders.

As HTW put it: 2017 was the year some of our hottest markets decided it was time to take a breather.

The bottom of market has new entrants in Darwin and South West WA, which join an already long list led by Adelaide. Darwin was approaching the bottom in November.

Meanwhile, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth remain at the declining market position.

Click to enlarge
Melbournes appeal as an investment hot spot and an alternative for Sydney owner occupiers has been rising, according to John McGrath, especially with many Sydneysiders being priced out of their home market.

The Victorian capitals comparatively affordable property, a strong economy, top schools and the tag of one of the most liveable cities are all fuelling Melbournes record population growth.

And there is still room for future property price growth despite exceptional capital gains over the boom, says McGrath in a recent Switzer blog.

Taking a two-decade view, Melbournes annual compound growth rate for house prices is 8.4%, a whisker ahead of Sydney on 8.2%, he writes.

And Melbourne is far more affordable than Sydney today, with the median house price more than $200,000 cheaper, according to CoreLogic figures.

In the 12 months to June 2017, Melbourne house prices rose by 9.8% to a median $675,000 while apartment prices rose by 2.0% to $500,000.

Outstanding value for money is helping Victoria remain the fastest growing residential population in Australia, with record numbers of new interstate and overseas residents choosing Melbourne as their home and more investors seeing better potential here, says McGrath.

Melbourne is also turning a favourite for investors for its lower price base, strong population growth and buoyant economic landscape, with a state budget surplus of $1.2 billion forecast for FY2018 and $22 billion flagged for infrastructure spending.

Good job prospects and top schools are a big factor in Melbournes population and property price growth.

Jobs in Melbourne grew by 94,100 in the year to July 2017  more than anywhere else in Australia; and the city has been ranked the worlds most liveable for the seventh consecutive year.

Top public education campuses, including two in the Top 100 World University Rankings, helped attract 65,007 migrants in FY16 alone.

Many Melburnian families are willing to upsize or even downsize their homes in order to enter top secondary school catchment zones in suburbs like Balwyn, Mount Waverley and McKinnon.

In these suburbs, housing stock is already in short supply due with empty nesters and retirees opting to stay put in family homes, resulting in fierce competition for limited listings, price rises and often price ripples to adjacent suburbs, says McGrath.

For example, median house prices in Bulleen rose 13.9% in FY17 as neighbouring Balwyn North became too expensive. Buyers are also finding better value in Cheltenham over next door neighbour Black Rock, he adds.

Meanwhile, stamp duty exemptions for first home buyers for properties up to $600,000 and concessions up to $750,000 are encouraging them back into the market.

FHB hot spots include Hoppers Crossing and Werribee in the west, Craigieburn in the north and Pakenham and Clyde in the outer south east. The city fringe is also attractive to FHBs, with 17 new suburbs offering 100,000 rezoned lots to be released by the end of 2018.

At the same time, Melbournes trophy homes command record prices. The citys record house price reached $40 million in August 2017 when the Toorak home of Mirvac director, Marina Darling sold to a Chinese buyer, smashing the previous record of $26.25 million set in December 2016.

Melbourne CBD is now the most densely populated region of Australia with 37,754 residents living within 2.4 square kilometres. Chinese buyers, local downsizers and students flock to the CBD.

An oversupply of new apartments is softening prices, but also creating buying opportunities for those with a long-term view.

We see an exciting future for investors who can expect strong long-term capital gains, as well as owner occupiers who can also expect great growth as they continue to enjoy living in one of the most desirable cities on the planet, he concludes.
One of many things that will be different in real estate in 2018 is that well be talking a more about Adelaide.

I see the South Australian capital as the most under-rated of the capital city markets, largely because of the popular perception that South Australia lacks economic muscle and population oomph.

But something is building in SA that will change its image and cause investors to pay greater attention.

There are many clues to bigger and better things brewing. The first of them was the elevation of SA in the latest edition of CommSecs State of the States report, in which it was promoted from No.6 to No.4 in the economic rankings.

South Australia scored well on business investment, employment and dwelling construction.

The latest Business SA-Statewide Super survey of business expectations showed confidence and business conditions are on the rise (but with lingering concerns about the future direction of the state economy).

The latest ABS jobless data showed the SA unemployment rate steady at 5.8 percent in seasonally-adjusted terms (a little above the national average of 5.4 percent) but with the trend data showing the SA jobless rate dropping 0.2 to 5.6 percent - which was the lowest in five years.

So the current indicators look a little more positive. But the big game-changing events are yet to come.

Weve seen the beginnings of the impact from the biggest of them, the $89 billion program of building vessels for the Navy, which will be focused primarily on Adelaide.

The first step is a $535 million infrastructure build at Adelaides naval shipyard and reports indicate this means 600 jobs, for which hiring is under way. Lendlease has been selected as the managing contractor for the Osborne South Shipyard construction.

This infrastructure is expected to be ready for the $35 billion project to build nine frigates, starting in 2020. But the total project is considerably bigger than that.

A PwC study has forecast the overall $89 billion naval shipbuilding program, headlined by the $50 billion project to build 12 new submarines, will create 8,000 jobs in South Australia over 40 years and deliver a $134 billion boost to Gross State Product.

Another big impact will come from revival in the resources sector. SA is a significant resources state, though much less in the headlines than Western Australian and Queensland.

BHP has indicated it plans to spend over $3 billion expanding its Olympic Dam mine. It recently announced an immediate $US800 million injection to stabilise Olympic Dam over the next few years, to be followed in 2020 by a $US2.1 billion brownfields expansion that would double the mines output.

Theres plenty more action in the SA mining sector, including the decision by OZ Minerals to invest $900 million in the Carrapateena project and CU River announcing an $800 million expansion of its Cairn Hill mine, creating 1,300 jobs.

Energy production is potentially a massive industry in SA, with a dozen projects worth around $5 billion targeted on the Port Augusta area, many of them solar and wind developments.

Last week the (allegedly) worlds largest lithium-ion battery was officially turned on at Jamestown by Premier Jay Weatherill, who said: South Australia is now leading the world in dispatchable renewable energy, delivered to homes and businesses 24/7.

Not so sure that SA is leading the world, but it certainly presents as a national leader is this field.

By coming in ahead of schedule, Tesla tech billionaire Elon Musk fulfilled his promise to build the 100-megawatt facility in 100 days or provide it free. The battery is paired to the neighbouring Hornsdale Wind Farm, owned by French company Neoen.

Infrastructure spending has a big influence on the health of real estate markets - and the infrastructure spend in Adelaide is mounting, with a significant ongoing investment in improving road and rail links across the metropolitan area.

Recent announcements include funding totalling $659 million for facilities at the RAAF Base Edinburgh in Adelaides north to support the anti-submarine and surveillance plane, the P-8A Poseidon. These facilities are targeted for completion by early 2019.

A recent report listed extensive private sector investment in South Australia, which included a number of firms making Adelaide their headquarters.

Strike Energy has committed to relocate its headquarters from Sydney to Adelaide; French company Dassault Systemes has decided to establish its Australian head office in Adelaide; and Indian renewable energy company Enzen Global Solutions is opening its Australian head office in Adelaide.

In addition, cyber security firm VeroGuard Systems says it will begin manufacturing in Adelaide in 2018, producing cards and software to enable hyper-secure online transactions. The companys $57.5 million investment is expected to create 596 jobs in the first three years.
Cassie McGinty

Senior publicist, Disney Publishing Worldwide

One book that I had been meaning to readI had major read-gretbut never quite got around to until recently is Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. If you are a fan of high fantasy I cannot recommend it enough. With deft writing, characters that resonate as real and complex, and a unique world and magical system, Truthwitch is a character-driven epic fantasy at its best. This book has it all: swoon-worthy romance, an uplifting and powerful female friendship, and at its core a beautifully woven world that readers will never want to leave. It is truly a must-read.

Hayley Parker

Associate designer, Candlewick

This past summer I traveled to Prince Edward Island, so I figured I had better read Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery before I arrived. It was a good year to be surrounded by strong female characters, and Green Gables is in no short supply of them. I quickly fell for Annes fiery personality, exuberant tales, and her ability to make the best of every situation she found herself in. Marilla, not to be overlooked, is as steadfast as they come. Montgomerys vivid description of the landscape did not disappoint eitherthe island is gorgeous.

Meredith Mundy

Executive editor, Sterling Childrens Books

Ive been a childrens book editor for 23 years and have always felt sheepish that I had never gotten around to reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (published in 1943). Id always heard it was sad and heavymaybe for that reason, I put off picking it up. But on a trip to tiny Hobart, N.Y., in the Catskills (home to six bookstores) I spied a beautiful edition and vowed to make it my summer pleasure read. And what a pleasure it was.

The flap copy in my edition hooked me from the get-go: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of Francie Nolan and the world of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that made her. It is a story of tears and laughter, cruelty and compassion, so crowded with life and people and incident that no description can begin to convey its spell.... [It] will be remembered because within the compass of its characters is all of humanity: the good, the bad, the pitiful and the ridiculous and those with stardust in their eyes.

I was so taken by how fresh and modern a character Francie seemed: rebellious and curious, kind and daring100% her own person. Also, it was an eye-opener to linger in the everyday life of Williamsburg long, long before it became such a fashionable place to live.

An added bonus: because the edition I bought was from the original publication year, it is a true artifact of its time: the back cover is an ad for war bonds, sponsored by the books author. And a note in teeny type on the front flap is a war-time reassurance to readers: This book has not been condensed. Its bulk is less because of government paper quota regulations restricting all publishers. Fascinating.

Jennifer Heddle

Executive editor, Lucasfilm

I finally read Susan Beth Pfeffers Life as We Knew It and proceeded to devour the entire four-book series. It depicts a scenario in which an asteroid hits the moon and knocks it out of its orbit; this leads to a chain of catastrophic events on Earth, including tsunamis, earthquakes, and erupting volcanoes. It all feels entirely too plausible, and the horrifying thrill of that was part of the appeal for me. The first book is told entirely from the perspective of a teenager named Cynthia, and the reader only knows as much as she does about what is happening in the world. She and her family must survive without electricity or gas and by scavenging whatever food they can. Its a story of survival but also about appreciating what is truly important in life after everything else has been stripped away.

The second book in the series, The Dead and the Gone, is about a completely different charactera teenager named Alex in New York Cityand at first I was resistant to the idea, but my doubts disappeared almost instantly. Navigating a densely populated city like New York in the wake of apocalyptic disaster is a fascinating subject, and the character of Alex is a compelling one. Eventually Alex and Cynthia meet, bringing the world Pfeffer created together into one family. I tore through all four books over the summer.

Laurent Linn

Art director, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

This year I finally read The Impossible Knife of Memory by the glorious Laurie Halse Anderson. Right away, I was put in the shoes of the main character, Hayley. In only a few pages, the reader is grounded in the character, the world she lives in, and the core emotions of the book. And then it just gets better and better from therethe emotions are powerful. This book is honest, masterfully written, and so needed for our world today. I loved it.

Sydney Tillman

Publicity assistant, Random House Childrens Books

This spring, I finally got around to reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Its very rare that a book moves me to tears; Im honestly not quite sure its ever happened before. However, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda had me full-out ugly-crying in the airport. This was not because of feelings of overwhelming sadness, but because its such a happy and uplifting story. It deals with issues like homophobia and loneliness and ultimately tells young, queer kids that they, too, can have happy endings. Each character felt lifelike, and Becky has a gift for writing authentically about teens. I loved each character, and reading about Simon and Blues relationship was like experiencing first love all over again. Theres a blurb on the front that says the book is a remarkable gift, and it absolutely is a gift. Its pure candy: sweet, fun, and so heartwarming.

Mari Bolte

Senior editor, Capstone

I finally read To All the Boys Ive Loved Before (and then the two sequels) by Jenny Han. Its about a half-Korean, half-white high school student, Lara Jean Song Covey. When she decides shes not in love with a boy anymore, she writes him a love note, which she puts in a box. Somehow, those letters all get sent to the five boys to whom she wrote.

As an adopted Korean, I loved reading a story written by another Korean, and as a mother of a biracial girl, I loved that her protagonist is biracial, tooand that its not part of the characters identity, just a fact about her. Lara Jeans an introverted girl who doesnt feel like shes the main character in her own story, and she continues to grow and develop along with the trilogy. She experiences real-world teen girl problems and theyre not sugarcoated (although the situations are still safe enough to put parents and librarians at ease).

Im so excited for the movie to come out. Even though the actress portraying Lara Jean isnt of Korean descent, it will be incredibly refreshing to see an Asian leadand an adopted Asian, at that.

Wendy Lamb

V-p and publishing director, Wendy Lamb Books

One of my favorite books this year is the middle grade novel Confessions of an Imaginary Friend: A Memoir by Jacques Papier (as told to Michele Cuevas). Its a disarming treasure that made me laugh out loud. The cover is terrific, and so are the authors comical illustrations.

Jacques Papiersnarky, wise, loving, and hilariousshares the twists and turns of his job. First, Jacques must cope with realizing hes imaginary, which brings on an existential crisis. Luckily, he discovers Imaginaries Anonymous, a support group where he meets colleagues like Roller Skating Cowgirl, and Stinky Sock, the imaginary friend to the worlds messiest boy. All of them face the inevitable: what happens when your child grows up? New assignments, new roles, over and over and over...

Read it and you will understand why Jacques says, Youre only as invisible as you feel, imaginary or not.

Jasmine Hodge

Publicity assistant, Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing

I passed by Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton when I was working at Barnes & Noble earlier this year, and was immediately hooked by the cover. I didnt even realize at the time that it was the sequel to Rebel of the Sands, because the covers looked so different, but I recognized the name. During my break I checked on my phone and, lo and behold, there was Rebel of the Sands, sitting in my iBooks library for over a year, unread. That night, I finished it. And then I downloaded the second one and finished that too.

Rebel of the Sands is as if Aladdin, 1001 Nights, and a Wild West movie had a beautiful, magical baby. So much of the world is recognizable and yet so utterly unique, filled with magic and djinn and bandits but also with trains and guns. Amani is such a strong character who really drives the story forward, who isnt afraid to adapt and do what she must to protect herself and those she cares about (I mean, shes a gunslinger, how cool is that?) Alwyn Hamilton has created characters and a world that is refreshing and rich and utterly captivating. It might have taken me far too long but Im so glad I found Rebel in the Sands and cant wait for the conclusion to the trilogy next March.

Rex Ogle

Senior editor, brand, licensed, and media tie-in publishing, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

As a young boy, I saw Judy Blumes Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret hundreds of timesalways being read by girls. I was always curious what was happening in those pages. But I was way too self-conscious and insecure (and even scared) to be caught reading a girls book. Cut to a few months ago when I saw a girl reading it on the subway. I was like, Im an editor; its my job to read that book. I bought a copy and devoured it in one sitting.

My thoughts? Blown away. I cant believe this was written in 1970. Not only did the story hold upproving its status as a classicbut I was shocked that it pushed so many boundaries in such a delicate and sensitive way as to be appropriate for young readers. Blume navigates religion, puberty, and first crushes in a way that Ive rarely seen done so well. Though I dont know if I would have been able to grasp the complexities, part of me wishes I had been brave enough to read it as a boy so I could have better understood girls and what they had to go through at such a young age. This book was a purely fantastic read that Ill revisit again.

Kevin Pearl

School and library marketing associate, Disney Publishing Worldwide

On my way back from ALA Midwinter this year, I got the chance to catch up on the Lumberjanes comic series from Boom Studios, and I am so glad I did. Since then Ive been devouring every Lumberjanes adventure I can get my hands on, whether at my local comic shop, bookstore, or library. The adventures of Ripley, Molly, Jo, April, and Mal are just awesome. I had to beg for a galley of the middle grade novel from Abrams at ALA Annual this summer, and somehow I was lucky enough to get one. Mariko Tamakis prose expansion of the graphic novels is a delight, and I cant wait for more.

Annika Voss

Marketing operations assistant and job traffic coordinator, Scholastic Trade

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch was actually published in 1980, and I have a vague memory of having this book read to me as a child. I couldnt remember the story line, so when I saw the book earlier this year and recognized the cover, I decided to pick it up and give it a quick read. The story amazed me, especially with the knowledge that the book was written in the 80s. The book has all the typical characters that you would expect from a fairy tale: a prince, a princess, and a dragon, but this is no damsel in distress story. I fell in love with it because of the strong female leadshes clever, resilient, and isnt afraid to be herself. Its the type of book I can imagine reading in the future when I have children of my own.

Katherine Harrison

Editor, Knopf Books for Young Readers

Ive been hearing glowing reviews of Kate Milfords writing for yearsalways from people whose taste I respectbut not until recently did I find the time to pick up Greenglass House and see for myself. It had been a while since Id fallen for a new middle grade voice (or a new-to-me middle grade voice), and it had somehow come to pass that my submissions pile was overflowing with gritty, 14-plus YA. Between the middle grade dry spell, the flood of teenage grit, and the general tenor of 2017, things were feeling pretty bleak, but Greenglass House proved to be the perfect antidote. Reading this book was like wrapping up in a cozy, quilted blanket from which I would have been content never to emerge. What a storyteller! What an observer of character! How delighted I was to meet Milo and see him come into his own as the mystery unraveled. I suppose I could kick myself for taking so long to become acquainted with Kates wonderful storytelling, but considering that the sequel is newly available, I think my tardiness was rewarded.

Susan Van Metre

Executive editorial director, Walker Books U.S.

For a decade some of my favorite authors and editors have encouraged me to read The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd, convinced I would love it. But somehow I never managed. Maybe it was the sense of sadness around the book, because I knew Siobhan Dowd had died young and there would be no more books to follow if I did fall in love with it. But a trip to London and a ride on the Eye with my ecstatic daughter made me pull it out at last. Its narrated by Ted, an incredibly bright and funny kid with Aspergers, whose cousin, seemingly impossibly, disappears during a ride on the London Eye. With the help of his fed-up but loving sister, Ted investigates and manages to solve a mystery that flummoxes the adults around him because his mind works differently. I read mysteries because I love great family portraiture, which they so often provide. Ted and his family are so real on the page, with their squabbles and hugs and deceits and confessions. I am sad that the hugely talented and compassionate Siobhan Dowd has left our childrens book family.
Welcome to Publishers Weeklys fifth Childrens Starred Reviews Annual! In these pages, youll find nearly 400 reviews of books for children and teens published in 2017 that received a star from PW, indicating that they are titles of exceptional merit. Weve arranged these reviews into three categoriesPicture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adultand further grouped them by genres, topics, and themes, making it easy to find that swoon-worthy YA romance, quirky middle grade graphic novel, or new read-aloud favorite.

Our issue also includes a look at the backlist gems that publishers finally caught up with this year, interviews with some of todays top childrens authors and illustrators, and a list of our 50 best books of 2017.

Happy reading!

About Our Cover Artist

Dan Santat

Dan Santat grew up reading comic books and studiously drawing his favorite Marvel characters, but it wasnt until after college that he considered a career in the arts. My parents never let me take art classes, he says. They wanted me to grow up to be a doctor.

That pressure followed him until graduation, when his roommate at the University of California, San Diego, encouraged him to ditch his plans of becoming a dentist to pursue his passion. After careful research, Santat enrolled in the Art Center College for Design in Pasadena.

From art school, Santat set his sights on the video game industry. I heard that studios like Disney were seeking animators, and they paid six-figure salaries, he says. I thought maybe this was the thing to show my parents, to legitimize art as a profession. I still had their voice in my head.

At the same time that he was working as a background artist at Activision for a series of Spider-Man video games, Santat was developing ideas for picture books. More than just illustrating books, he says, I wanted the opportunity to tell my own stories.

A fortuitous meeting at a 2002 SCBWI conference in Los Angeles opened the door to publishing opportunities. About an hour into the judging for the Don Freeman Grant (which Santat won), a Scholastic editor approached the illustrator, offering him a two-book deal on the spot. Santat politely declined, as another editor had previously expressed interest in the project. But Santats SCBWI mentor immediately persuaded him to take the new offer, saying: That was Arthur Levine! He does Harry Potter! Santat accepted, and his debut picture book, The Guild of Geniuses, was published in 2004 by Scholastics Arthur A. Levine Books.

Santat went on to develop an animated series for Disney in 2006, The Replacements. But as with the video game business, he was frustrated by the pressure from studio executives and realized, I didnt want all that big budget stuff.

With more than 60 published titles to his credit, Santat is firmly planted in the childrens book world, which he finds to be an amazing, liberating experience. That creative freedom has paid off; Santat received the 2015 Caldecott Award for The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. Santat is currently at work on a YA graphic memoir, You Bad Son, due from First Second in 2018.

And how do his parents view his career path? Santat says they made a point of telling him when he first set out for art school, We just want you to be happy. E.K.
Its hard to imagine a septuagenarian Canadian author inspiring squeals of excitement in scores of teenage girls. If you attended this years BookCon, though, you would have seen just that when Margaret Atwood took the stage. There to discuss the Hulu adaptation of her 1985 novel The Handmaids Tale, Atwood was one of the big headliners at the show. It was a fitting reception for someone who has, this year, become a cultural icon.

Canadas best-known author (at least according to a 2017 survey from BookNet Canada), Atwood has always been incredibly productive. While The Handmaids Tale may arguably be her most famous work, her resume is bursting with titles across genres; in addition to her 14 novels and 10 works of nonfiction, she has written childrens books, poetry, short fiction, a graphic novel, TV scripts, and an opera. (As it happens, The Handmaids Tale is just one notable Hollywood adaptation of Atwoods work this year; Alias Grace was released as a six-part miniseries by Netflix in September.)

Atwood has not gone without recognition, either, having been shortlisted for the Booker Prize five times, been awarded the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and earned a place on Canadas Walk of Fame. But 2017 was different.

The Handmaids Tale, which Atwood started writing in 1984, became a frighteningly prescient story, for some, this year. The book is set in a near-future America, ruled by a totalitarian regime, in which women are treated like property and divided into classes with tasks ranging from housekeeping to reproducing; the handmaids of the title are responsible for the latter. With the election of Donald Trump, who ran on various conservative platforms (including the call to defund the womens health provider Planned Parenthood), The Handmaids Tale seemed, to certain factions of the American public, a novel very much for the here and now.

The love the book got from Huluits 10-episode series adaptation, made available by the streaming service earlier this year, picked up eight Emmy Awardscertainly helped drive the books renewed popularity. According to NPD Bookscan, The Handmaids Tale has sold more than 500,000 copies in paperback in 2017 to date. But something else happened, as the novel became a symbol for groups fighting against the positions being taken by the White House. Lines from the novel appeared on signs carried by participants in the Womens March on Washington, D.C. Protesters stormed the Texas Senate in March dressed as Atwoods fictional handmaids.

To capitalize on all of this attention, publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (which licenses the paperback rights to Anchor Books) released a new hardcover edition of The Handmaids Tale earlier this year that has sold about 35,000 copies; the e-book edition has sold more than 736,000 copies year to date. Ken Carpenter at HMHs Mariner Books imprint said the new edition reflects the fact that the book has gone from bestseller to something more. It has tapped into the zeitgeist and, as he rightly summed it up, become a sort of cornerstone of the resistance.

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TWIN FALLS  A Twin Falls man who drunkenly threatened to kill all Americans at a bar and then hit two people with his car in the parking lot pleaded guilty on Friday to careless driving and two counts of battery.

Adnan Ibrahimovic, 40, was arrested after a Mar. 1 incident at the Windbreak 55 bar on Kimberly Road, previously the Pressbox. He was already drunk when he arrived at the bar that night, customers and bar employees said, and became upset when a bartender refused him service and asked him to leave.

Ibrahimovic began arguing with other customers and threw a bar stool, according to witnesses. The bartender told authorities that Ibrahimovic stated he wanted to kill all Americans.

After he had been escorted to his car, Ibrahimovic rapidly accelerated toward three other customers in the parking lot, hitting two of them, court documents said. One of the men who was hit claimed to be injured.

When confronted by Twin Falls police at his home, Ibrahimovic told officers that the men he had hit with his car were surrounding the vehicle with guns and knives, a statement he later recanted. He also told police that the customers at the bar threatened him because he dresses nice and is Muslim, according to court documents.

He was initially charged with two counts of felony aggravated battery, a felony count of leaving the scene of an injury accident, and a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence.

On Friday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor battery and one count of careless driving, also a misdemeanor. The driving under the influence charge was dismissed.
The main sources of strain in Moscow's ties with the West are actions, such as Russia's aggression in Ukraine. But untruths, such as Moscow's repeated denials of interference in the 2016 U.S. election, add fuel to the fire. They can provoke stronger Western reactions and impede the search for solutions.

This is not Moscow's first untruth. In October 1962, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrey Gromyko denied to U.S. President John Kennedy that the Soviet Union had installed offensive arms in Cuba. In a dramatic appearance a week later at the United Nations, Ambassador Adlai Stevenson unveiled U-2 photos of Soviet missiles secretly emplaced there and capable of hitting America. This episode increased international support for Kennedy's steps to defuse the crisis.

In some cases, Kremlin untruths bolster support for Western sanctions.

In July, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that President Donald Trump, on the margins of the G20 summit in Hamburg, had pressed Putin on election interference. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Trump had accepted Putin's denial. Two weeks later, an energized U.S. Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill authorizing sweeping new sanctions on Russia. Trump signed it into law.

In 2009, Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who uncovered tax fraud of over $200 million by Russian officials, perished in prison after being denied essential medical treatment. A Kremlin-sanctioned Russian human rights council said he was probably beaten to death. Kremlin denials of official responsibility fired up supporters of U.S. sanctions. The 2012 U.S. Magnitsky Act authorizes punishment for those responsible. Last month Canada adopted similar legislation.

At times untruths harm Russia's international image.

Last year an independent commission found that more than 1,000 Russian athletes across 30 sports participated in an institutional doping conspiracy. After the Kremlin denied this, the world's leading anti-doping agencies opposed Russia's participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

In April, more than 80 people were killed in a suspected Syrian chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. Putin called the incident a provocation, but last month a U.N. investigative panel concluded that the Syrian government conducted the attack. Apparently excusing the Assad regime's action, Russia vetoed an extension of the panel's mandate.

The Kremlin sometimes retreats when untruths seem politically unsustainable or excessively damaging.

After a suspected Syrian government chemical weapons attack at Ghouta in 2013, Putin said it would have been been utter nonsense for Damascus to have done this. But within a month Moscow leaned on Damascus, and they worked with Washington to remove and destroy Syria's declared chemical weapons.

In 2014, Putin denied that Russian personnel had seized Ukrainian government facilities in Crimea, but a year later Putin admitted that he had ordered the operation.

In other cases, the Kremlin sticks to positions that enjoy little credibility.

The Kremlin pretends that Russia is not a party to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, even though successive NATO commanders and independent observers have pointed to Russian forces and proxies fighting there. Moscow's stance complicates the Normandy format negotiations to resolve the crisis.

In July 2014, an anti-aircraft missile downed Malaysia Airlines flight 17 over an area of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed rebels, killing 298 aboard. Last year an international team concluded that the missile had entered Ukraine from Russia and was launched from a field under rebel control. Russia still denies responsibility and has paid no compensation to victims.

On occasion U.S. leaders have told untruths as well, leading them to make embarrassing retractions. In May 1960 after Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev revealed the capture of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, a chastened U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower conceded that the aircraft had been on a reconnaissance flight, not a weather mission. In April 1961 when reports of a U.S.-backed invasion at Cuba's Bay of Pigs began seeping out, Stevenson told the United Nations, these charges are totally false. Days later a chastened Kennedy took responsibility.

Kremlin untruths on several key issuesMagnitsky's death, aggression in Eastern Ukraine, and election interferencehave had notable effect. They have led to unprecedented Western sanctions on Russian entities and major sectors of the country's economy and have spurred NATO to change its posture and start rotating substantial forces through its eastern and Baltic flanks.

Untruths can undermine the credibility of a state's foreign policy, as they have Russia's. Being truthful does not undo misdeeds, but it can create space for dialogue to examine problems and explore possible solutions.

This happened in 1962 after Khrushchev conceded that missiles were in Cuba and worked with Kennedy to resolve the crisis. Building on this momentum, the next year the two leaders concluded a landmark treaty banning nuclear testing in the atmosphere, outer space, and under water.

William Courtney is an adjunct senior fellow at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation, and was U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan, Georgia, and a U.S.-Soviet Commission that implemented the Threshold Test Ban Treaty.

This commentary originally appeared on RealClearWorld on November 28, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
American jihadists are made in the United States, not imported. Homegrown terrorists have accounted for most of the jihadist activity in this country since 9/11. Nearly half of those who carried out or plotted terrorist attacks were born here. And most of those who were born abroad arrived in the United States as children. They would not join the armed jihad for many years.

This partial portrait of jidahism in the U.S. springs from my just-published research for the RAND Corporation. The report examines the backgrounds of the 178 people who have participated in the 20 domestic jihadist attacks or who were arrested for participating in one of the 86 plots aimed at carrying out jihadist terrorist attacks in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001. The numbers are current through May 2017.

The U.S. homeland faces a multilayered threat. Foreign terrorist organizations could try to carry out a major terrorist operation in the United Statesseveral foreign-based plots were reported in the years immediately after 9/11or sabotage a U.S.-bound airliner, a continuing concern. Americans returning from jihadist fronts or European returnees might try to enter the United States to avenge U.S. attacks on terrorist groups abroad. Homegrown terrorists inspired by jihadist ideology have tried to carry out attacks in the United States.

Whether most of these terrorists come from abroad or are homegrown carries policy implications. Concerns about terrorist infiltrators can lead to calls for tighter border controls, travel restrictions and thorough vetting to keep out jihadists. Homegrown terrorism could result in domestic efforts to impede terrorist recruiting in the community and on the internet.

The number of actual and would-be jihadist terrorists in the U.S. is relatively small, which is good news. Efforts by jihadist terrorist organizations to inspire terrorist attacks in the United States have seldom been successful. American Muslims appear to be unreceptive to the violent ideologies promoted by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Public opinion polls conducted by the Pew Research Center show a small percentage of U.S. Muslims express favorable views of the terrorist tactics, but expressions of support for political violence have not translated into a willingness to engage in violence.

Except for a shared ideology, most of the attacks and plots are unconnected. Unlike the terrorist bombers of the 1970s, no American jihadist group has emerged to sustain a terrorist campaign. There is no evidence of an organized jihadist underground, no army of sleepers, no American intifada, just an occasional isolated plot or attack.

Of the 178 jihadist plotters and perpetrators, 86 were U.S.-born citizens. The others were naturalized U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

Of the 178 jihadist plotters and perpetrators, 86 were U.S.-born citizens. The others were naturalized U.S. citizens or legal permanent residentspeople who had long residencies in the United States before arrest. One more was a U.S. citizen, but it is unclear whether he was born here or naturalized.

Only eight of the 178 terrorist attackers and plotters were in the United States on temporary visas, three were asylum seekers, four had been brought into the country illegally as children, and two were refugees. Three foreigners were participants in a domestic plot to attack John F. Kennedy International Airport, but did not enter the United States. The status of the remaining few is unknown.

Vetting those who enter the United States is a necessity that merits constant review, but the system does not appear to be broken. It is a needles-in-haystacks problem. Who knows how many potential terrorists may be trying to come to the United States, but few appear to be getting through. Out of tens of millions of foreign arrivals every yearincluding temporary visitors, immigrants, and refugeesonly 91 people known to have been born abroad were involved in jihadist terrorist plots since 9/11. And most of these entered the country before entry procedures were tightened following 9/11.

Nationality is a poor predictor of later terrorist activity. Foreign-born jihadists hail from 39 mostly Muslim-majority countries, with about 20 percent coming from Pakistan. The remainder emanated from 38 countries scattered across the globe. There is concern about foreign fighters with European passports gaining entrance to the United States.

No manner of vetting, regardless of how extreme, can identify immigrants who radicalize after they arrive in the U.S. Most foreign jihadists came to this country at a young age. The average age upon arrival was 15 years. The average age at thetime of the attack or arrest was 28. The bureaucratic equivalent of divine foresight would be needed to determine whether a young teenager might, more than a dozen years later, transform into a jihadist terrorist.

Finding those already here who were later recruited to the terrorist ranks or decided to join them is also an enormous challenge. Federal and local authorities have publicly indicated they have followed hundreds of thousands of tips and conducted thousands of investigations since 9/11. Effectively peering into those haystacks is made more difficult because almost 90 percent of the plots involved a single individual. Unless the plotter attracts attention to himselfsuch as by making threats on the Internetthere is little to go on.

Despite the difficulty, the FBI and local police have been able to uncover and thwart more than 80 percent of the potential jihadist terrorist plots in the U.S., keeping the total death toll under 100 during the 16 years since 9/11. It is a tragic loss of life, but a remarkable intelligence and law enforcement success.

Brian Michael Jenkins is a senior adviser to the president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and the author of the 2017 report The Origins of America's Jihadists.

This commentary originally appeared on The Hill on December 1, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
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CASTLEFORD  Castleford teenager Keegan Myers started learning to weld in junior high school and now wants to pursue it as a career.

Hes already getting a head start.

The 18-year-old Castleford High School senior spends his mornings taking high school classes and afternoons in the College of Southern Idahos welding program in Twin Falls.

I like it, Myers said. I think its a pretty well put together program. Its supposed to be one of the best around here.

By the time the school year ends in May, hell have a basic technical certificate from CSI. He plans to continue in the program next school year to earn an associate degree.

Myers is among three high school seniors in CSIs new Expanded Technical Dual Credit program, which launched this fall.

It allows students to earn a technical certificate or start along that path by the time they graduate from high school. There are four program options: autobody technology, welding technology, drafting technology or food processing technology.

Its among a few new initiatives CSI is pursuing to help high schoolers accelerate their education. The college is adapting to a changing student body, with high schoolers making up nearly half of its total enrollment.

Some of CSIs technical programs arent full and the colleges overall enrollment has dropped following the economic recession, but theres a big need among Magic Valley employers for skilled workers.

Statewide, theres a need for more students to be in CTE field, said Melissa Chantry, CSIs career and technical education coordinator. Theres a variety of initiatives going on to promote that.

CSIs program gives high schoolers, particularly in rural areas, the opportunity to come to the CSI campus, Chantry said. Theyre enrolled in dual credit classes, meaning theyre earning high school and college credits simultaneously.

But unlike most dual credit classes  which are taught by high school instructors on high school campuses  students spend half their school day at CSIs campus.

This semester, two high schoolers are in CSIs welding program and one is in autobody technology.

CSI is looking to potentially add a couple more program options for high schoolers, depending on interest and funding levels, Chantry said.

The college also wants to boost the number of participating students to 15-20 among the four programs and eventually expand from there.

Once more interest is generated, we may be able to open up sections reserved for high school students, Chantry said.

Interested high schoolers must meet with their school counselor to get a letter of recommendation and look at their progress toward high school graduation.

Through the Expanded Technical Dual Credit program, high schoolers can typically finish a basic technical certificate in one year. The exception is drafting, which offers an intermediate technical certificate, and requires more time to finish.

After that, students they can either go into the workforce or continue on to earn an associate degree from CSI.

Myers said his mother saw a news story about the Expanded Technical Dual Credit program and told him about it.

I applied for it because I was thinking about pursuing my career in welding after high school, he said.

Myers went through a phone interview with CSI and received an email over the summer saying hed been accepted.

Myers takes English, math and physical education classes each morning at Castleford High. Around lunchtime, he drives to Twin Falls to attend CSIs welding class from 1-4:50 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Earlier in his high school years, Myers took the welding classes offered in Castleford. He also participated in welding competitions last school year, including at Idaho State University and in Buhl through FFA.

That has helped him at CSI.

I think coming into the program with welding abilities before makes it a lot easier, he said, adding the lessons were pretty basic in the beginning.

To pay for classes, high schoolers use money through the Idaho State Department of Educations Advanced Opportunities program. Each public school student has $4,125 available to use from seventh through 12th grades.

It covers $75 of the $130 per credit fee at CSI for the Expanded Technical Dual Credit program. The remaining tuition money is bundled with the cost of tools and equipment, and families are responsible for paying half of that.

CSI is also trying out another new program for high schoolers this fall, the Dual Credit General Education Academy. It allows students from Magic Valley high schools to earn 40 college credits over two years.

For this years high school juniors, applications are due in April or early May for next school year. This summer, instructors will choose the next cohort of students.

As for Myers career options, hes interested in possibly starting a mobile welding business or working for a local welding shop.

He said hell likely stay in the Magic Valley, but there are welding opportunities hed consider elsewhere, such as for Nevada mines or North Dakota oilfields.

For now, he said hes gaining a lot of knowledge through CSIs welding program. And that will help him prepare for his next step.
The end of Robert Mugabes rule in Zimbabwe has sparked hope among the people and the Zimbabwean diaspora. It is unfortunate, however, that the personality of Mugabe, rather than Zimbabwes dearth of institutions, has been declared as the principle barrier to the countrys progress. Zimbabweans dont need simply to trade one despot for another. They need real property rights and a limited government.

Whether as president or prime minister, Mugabe had led Zimbabwe since 1980, and for a significant period of time during his rule, Zimbabwe was regarded as a democracy. It was only after the intensive land-grab program of the early 2000s that the world came to regard Mugabe as a dictator who needed to be pushed out. By that time, Mugabe had already long overstayed his welcome, but no institution stopped him.

Mugabe is undeniably a bad person. He did not liberate Rhodesia from anything, since Zimbabweans continued to live under a tyranny when the so-called liberators came to power. But to mistake the tree for the forest would serve only to set Zimbabwe up for more disappointment and tyranny. The real problem in the landlocked African country is a lack of institutions, chief among which are the rule of law, limited government, and property rights.

A constant mistake made in postcolonial societies is to grant the incoming revolutionary regime broad powers to correct wrongs of the colonial past. One of the exceptions to this rule was when the United States was decolonized in 1776. The liberators recognized that the Constitution was not a transient instrument meant to fix the present problems faced by society, and thus appreciated that it needed to constrain the potential tyranny of future regimes. They created a political dispensation that has more or less survived for over 200 years by consciously setting out to limit government. Government was not to be empowered, but rather the people.

At the center of every significant period of civil strife in history has been the question of government control. It is because government does much that different factions want a turn at the steering wheel. And it has been understandably difficult to convince the former underdog factions during transitions that the power used to subjugate them in the past should be abolished. They want their turn. The tyrannical dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba was not replaced in 1959 by a limited constitutional government, but by a communist regime. Meanwhile the Chilean coup detat that toppled Salvador Allende in 1973 and put an end to his disastrous economic policies, produced an oppressive, if misunderstood, military junta.

During all its stages of independence from Britain in 1910, 1931, and 1961 respectively, South Africa continued to choose a government with virtually unbridled power, by way of parliamentary sovereignty, in dealing with problems. Apartheid was the consequence of having no bill of rights and a legislature thought to be, in legal terms, omnipotent. In 1996, South Africa adopted a constitution that came close  but not close enough, as recent Zuptagate controversies illustrate  to limiting our government and empowering the people. At least we strengthened our institutions by committing South Africa explicitly to the rule of law and to property rights (sections 1(c) and 25 of the Constitution respectively).

If Zimbabwe is to truly shake off the shackles of tyranny and become a prosperous democracy, it would do well to disregard who the next president will be, and rather concern itself with what that president will be allowed to do. The appropriate answer should be, next to nothing.

Were Zimbabweans to revise their constitutional makeup, Harare would be wise to relegate the presidency to a largely ceremonial office (ideally rotated, as in the case of Switzerland), with executive power dispersed among the various provinces and independent government departments. Most important of all, a justiciable bill of rights handicapping government power and enabling a strong judiciary should be included.

The rule of law in Zimbabwe would mean that property rights are no longer debatable. If you acquired the property through original acquisition (homesteading the unowned property) or voluntary transfer (buying it from a previous owner), your title is absolute. It would mean that even the most senior military chief will be disobeyed (if he orders a coup) by the decentralized command structure which swears to uphold the rule of law rather than the diktat of the president or the interests of whichever faction is paying the most in money or favors. It would mean the people of Zimbabwe, rather than the government, would become the drivers of progress.

ZANU-PF, the party that brought Mugabe to power and has supported his oppressive tyranny, appears set to remain the governing force in Zimbabwe. The former Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, also appears to be the partys preferred successor. Mnangagwa, a long-time sidekick to Mugabe, is not much better than his predecessor, having participated in the killing of supposed opposition sympathizers in the early 1980s and having been a leading proponent of the violent expropriation of property in the early 2000s.

With him and ZANU-PF remaining at the helm, Zimbabweans should remain vigilant. Cautious optimism is warranted given that a 37-year dictatorship has come to an end, however, a free and prosperous future can only be guaranteed if Zimbabwe adopts strong institutions that hinder the emergence of despots.

Martin van Staden is Legal Researcher at the Free Market Foundation in South Africa, and is pursuing a Master of Laws degree at the University of Pretoria. The views expressed here are the author's own.


How many steps will it take to walk off Thanksgiving dinner?
TWIN FALLS  The Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office is seeking the publics help finding a missing woman.

Keri Anne Jensen left her home in Twin Falls on the morning of Nov. 29 and has not returned. She was last seen Friday at the Camas Creek Store in Fairfield.

Jensen is 36, 4 feet 11 inches tall, 85 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing a white head scarf and a black hoodie. She is known to always wear a thick knitted head band. She may be driving her white Hyundai four-door Elantra with a sun-roof with Idaho plates 2T AS187.

She is considered a vulnerable adult and may be suicidal, the sheriffs office said in a statement.

If you have any information or have seen Jensen, call SIRCOMM at 208-735-1911.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story included the wrong license plate number. Also, the car is a four-door, not a two-door.
Bakhayevs artwork elicited an emotional response. Dozens of people around the globe sent him pictures of their relatives so he could bring them to life in his collages. These photos show people in one of the most critical moments of their lives: they were photographed before entering a slaughterhouse. This is the doorway to hell. You look at these people and realize what their fate would be. This gives special energy to these photographs. This job takes a lot of mental energy from me, but I cant stop doing it.
Two UN human rights experts are urging Azerbaijan to lift its travel ban on investigative journalist and RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova in order to strengthen media freedom in the country.

David Kaye and Michel Forst, UN Human Rights Council special rapporteurs on freedom of opinion and expression and the situation of human rights defenders, respectively, said in a December 5 statement, The measures against Ismayilova by the authorities go far beyond what is legitimate. It is detrimental to her individual case and also to the exercise of independent journalism in the country.

Ismayilova was invited to speak at a seminar and to receive an award for her investigative work on December 1 but was unable to attend because of a five-year travel ban placed on her in 2016.

Khadija Ismayilovas courageous work as an investigative journalist has earned her a Right Livelihood Award for 2017, which she is unable to receive because the very same work has been used to place her under the travel ban, Kaye and Forst said.

The ban stifles her right to freedom of expression as it is aimed at preventing her from traveling abroad to speak about human rights issues," they said. "We urge the authorities to lift it and to ensure that journalism is not being restricted under false pretenses.

Ismayilova -- who has unsuccessfully challenged the travel ban in court -- has also been invited to an event at the Graduate Institute of Geneva on December 6.

After spending nearly 18 months in jail on charges widely viewed as retaliation for her investigative work, Ismayilova was released in May 2016.

Kaye and Forst also criticized a November 14 court decision that froze Ismayilovas bank account and prevents her from receiving award money, which they said hinders her work as a journalist.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the five Caspian states have agreed on "all the outstanding key issues" regarding the legal status of the Caspian Sea.

Lavrov made the announcement in Moscow on December 5 after meeting with his counterparts from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.

Russia's top diplomat said the draft text of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea was "practically ready" to be signed by the presidents of the Caspian states at their summit in Kazakhstan next year.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that there is "a need for maximum efforts to reach a consensus" on all remaining issues before the summit.

The foreign ministers did not say what the remaining sticking points were.

The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water in the world, with huge hydrocarbon resources.

Its legal regime has been under discussion since 1991, when Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union,

If the Caspian is legally declared a sea, all five littoral countries would map out their territorial waters and exploit the resources as they see fit.

If it is designated as a lake, all the resources of the Caspian, and profits from those resources, would be split equally among the five countries.

Based on reporting by apa.az, Interfax, and TASS
WASHINGTON -- An American stockbroker who made a fortune in the Russian market in the 1990s and 2000s and later co-founded a posh Moscow nightclub before leaving the country died of blunt force injuries suffered as a result of a fall from a Washington, D.C. building.

The findings, released on November 16 by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), confirm that Dan Rapoport died on August 14 after falling from a height, but do not conclusively explain the circumstances leading up to his death.



Washington police told RFE/RL that an investigation into his death had ended and declined further comment. Earlier this year, a police spokeswoman told RFE/RL that foul play was not suspected, but that final conclusions were pending the autopsy.

Rapoport's untimely death triggered much speculation because he had voiced support for ardent Kremlin foe Aleksei Navalny before leaving Russia and, while living in Kyiv in recent years, had been a vocal supporter of Ukraine and an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.



Washington metropolitan police found Rapoport's body on August 14 on the sidewalk outside 2400 M Street, a nine-story apartment building in the northwest part of the city.



The medical examiner's report said Rapoport, 52, died of multiple blunt force injuries due to fall from height and described the death as sudden/unexplained. The report also said the manner of his death was undetermined.



The OCME said no other information would be immediately released.



A preliminary police report said officers responded to a report of a jumper on the evening of August 14, and the man, later identified as Rapoport, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.



The apartment building has an open rooftop with a pool, running track, and seating area for residents.

The police report said officers found $2,620 in cash on Rapoport when they discovered his body on the sidewalk, along with headphones, a cracked cell phone, a Florida drivers license, and other items.



He was wearing flip-flops, perhaps indicating he had been at the pool on the roof prior to falling.



Brianna Burch, a police spokesperson, told RFE/RL in August that there did not appear to be anyone with Rapoport at the time and there were no listed witnesses. In follow-up correspondences with RFE/RL through early November, the police continued to say they did not suspect foul play.



Rapoport had recently moved back to Washington after spending several years working in finance in Ukraine. He told RFE/RL in an interview in Washington in June that business had been tough due to the countrys high political risk and war with Russia.



While some friends said they did not believe he would have committed suicide, others said he had appeared depressed.



Go-To Location



A native of Latvia and a fluent Russian speaker, Rapoport emigrated with his family to the United States in 1980. After graduating from a U.S. university, he moved to Russia in the early 1990s as a wave of privatizations swept across the country.



The sale of former state-owned companies created a booming stock market, minting a new generation of millionaires, Russian and foreign.



Rapoport was respected within Russian financial circles, where he worked for more than a decade at a local brokerage called CenterInvest, making his way up to managing partner. He claimed his clients included some of the nation's wealthiest tycoons.

In 2007, he opened a swanky nightclub in downtown Moscow called Soho Rooms, which became the go-to location for Moscows elite.



In 2012, he left Russia and returned to the United States, saying the stock brokerage industry that had made him a fortune "had died" as commission fees shrunk with improvements in technology.

But in a media interview prior to his departure, he also criticized the direction Russia had taken under Putin and expressed support for Navalny, who was jailed last year on what Western governments say were trumped-up charges.

It has really become unbearable to live in Russia, Rapoport told media outlet FinParty in June of that year. We are all now dependent on one ruler. If this person decides that you will give birth to his child, then you will give birth, and if he decide to put you in prison, then you will serve time.

He told FinParty that he would give up his American citizenship and return to Russia if Navalny became president, saying the opposition leader was sincere in his desire to fight corruption.

He is a real hero of our time and deserves respect, Rapoport said of Navalny.

Rapoports frustration with Russia and his decision to leave may have been triggered by pressure on his businesses, friends and family have said.

Under Putin, the raiding of profitable businesses by -- or with the help of -- the nations security services has flourished. Rapoport allegedly lost his stake in Soho Rooms when his partners teamed up with security officials.

"Our flight to Washington is in 12 hours. It's sad to leave Russia, but for thoughtful people, living here has become unbearable and disgusting," Rapoport wrote on his Facebook page on June 13, 2012.

When Rapoport moved to Washington, where he said his parents lived, he set up a company called Rapoport Capital to advise and assist technology startups as well as venture capital funds on fundraising options.

In 2016, four years after leaving Russia, Rapoport set up an office in Kyiv and opened a private equity fund. It was tough going. Ukraines economy struggled amid an ongoing war with Russia-backed separatists in two eastern regions and the slow implementation of Western-backed reforms.

In social-media posts over the ensuing years, he was a vocal supporter of Ukraine and an outspoken critic of Putin.

Rapoport gained a degree of publicity in January 2017 after The New York Times reported that the daughter and son-in-law of newly elected President Donald Trump had purchased a mansion owned by him and his first wife. The mansion was located in an exclusive neighborhood of the U.S. capital.

In 2018, the open-source investigative organization Bellingcat reported that Rapoport, who was Jewish, had been the creator of a fictional persona named David Jewberg, who was frequently quoted in Ukrainian media as a senior Pentagon analyst.

With reporting by Todd Prince in Washington, D.C. and Mike Eckel in Prague
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan says it plans to withdraw a complaint it filed with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Kazakhstans moves to step up controls on the border, which preceded a two-month bottleneck.

Deputy Prime Minister Tolkunbek Abdykulov told reporters in Bishkek on December 5 that the complaint will be withdrawn after Kyrgyz and Kazakh authorities agreed on a "road map" to solve the problem.

RFE/RL correspondents reported on December 4 that, for the first time since mid-October, all trucks started passing the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border without any delays and the long lines of cars and trucks had disappeared.

Kazakhstan introduced tougher inspections of all trucks crossing the border on October 10 after then-Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev publicly criticized Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev and accused Kazakhstan of meddling in Kyrgyzstan's October 15 presidential election.

Kazakhstan denied Bishkek's accusations, saying the checks had been intensified to curb goods being smuggled into the country.

On November 30, Nazarbaev and Kyrgyzstans newly elected President Sooronbai Jeenbekov met in Moscow and agreed to work out a plan to resolve the situation.
WASHINGTON -- A city police report found that Mikhail Lesin, the former Russian press minister who later fell out of favor with the Kremlin, had been drinking heavily in the days prior to being found dead in a Washington hotel in November 2015.

The heavily redacted documents reveal some new details about Lesins final days but leave many other questions unanswered, including with whom Lesin was interacting in the U.S. capital and his reasons for being there in the first place.

Lesins death was declared accidental, due to blunt force injuries to the neck, torso, and lower upper extremities, according to a final report released in October 2016 by the U.S. Attorneys office for Washington and city police. Acute ethanol intoxication was a contributing factor, the report said.

But the death of a once powerful, wealthy Russian figure who was instrumental in the Kremlins crackdown on independent TV and in the creation of the Russia Today TV channel, in a hotel just a few blocks from the White House, was met with deep suspicion among many journalists and Russia-watchers, as well as some business acquaintances.

The police report was first published by The Washington Post on December 5.

Lesin owned mansions in Beverly Hills, California, where his children and estranged wife, live, and was not known to be a regular visitor to Washington.

Gala Fund-Raiser

It later emerged that one of his reasons for being in the U.S. capital was to attend a gala fund-raiser at the Wilson Centers Kennan Institute on November 3, two days before his body was found. One of the philanthropists being honored that night was the influential Russian banker Pyotr Aven. However, Lesin never attended the event.

Aven also attended a private event at the Atlantic Council, another Washington think tank, on November 4. According to one person with knowledge of that event, Lesin had sought to attend as well, but the organizers declined to include him.

In the 58-page police report, investigators said Lesin was drinking heavily in the Four Seasons Hotel, as well as in the Dupont Circle Hotel, where he was ultimately found.

The report cites staff from both hotels saying that security guards saw Lesin walking drunk through the halls, sometimes wearing black underwear and a dress shirt.

While at the Four Seasons, the report said, hotel officials called the U.S. Secret Service, who advised that a guard be posted at his door to prevent him from leaving. Lesin twice walked behind a hotel bar and took liquor bottles even after security guards told him he could have no more.

n November 3, at 1:45 p.m., the report said, Lesin met a friend at the Four Seasons. A few minutes later, a security guard checked on Lesin in his room and found him "passed out on the bed."

The report gives no indication who the friend was, nor does it mention the persons name again, though it said the person was staying at the hotel.

On November 4, the report said, Lesin left the Four Seasons at around 5 a.m. and took a taxi to the Dupont Circle hotel where he checked in, paying for a $1,200 room on the hotels luxury ninth floor in cash.

Not long afterward, he returned to the Four Seasons, where staff reported him being intoxicated, and where he came and went to his room, once with more liquor from a nearby store. Hotel security locked him out of his room around 9.30 a.m. and he then took a taxi back to Dupont Circle.

'Stumbling Drunk'

A clerk at the Dupont Circle noted he was "very intoxicated." A video security camera showed "the only visible injury is to the left eye," the report said.

On November 4, at around 2 p.m., a Dupont Circle security guard who reported finding Lesin "stumbling drunk" in his room, asked if he needed medical help. Lesin put his arm on the guards shoulder and replied "nyet," the report said.

About six hours later, at 8:16 p.m., another guard found Lesin lying face down on the floor in his room. He was breathing but the guard said he was unable to wake him, the report said.

The following morning, at 11:30 a.m., a security guard who went to Lesins room to remind him to check out found him still face down on the floor. The guard called for medical help, and responding police determined Lesin was dead.

Russia officials have said little publicly about Lesins death, aside from indicating early on that they expected U.S. law enforcement to provide full details. An e-mail was sent to the spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington on December 5, but there was no immediate response.

Asset Sales

In 2014, a year before his death, Lesin had drawn attention from the U.S. Senate, where at least one lawmaker had called on the FBI to investigate him for possible money laundering.

Since his death, some of Lesins assets have been gradually sold off. His yacht was sold in Florida in 2016, listed for $40 million.

Earlier this year, his two Beverly Hills mansions were listed for sale, at $23 million and $29 million. It wasnt immediately clear if the homes had sold already.

Much of Lesin's wealth came from a private company he set up in the 1990s to sell television advertising on Russia's then-exploding TV-advertising market. That company, called Video International, or VI, was later acquired by Yury Kovalchuk, the main shareholder of Bank Rossia, which has been closely linked to the Kremlin.

With reporting by Carl Schreck
A Macedonian court has ordered that three opposition lawmakers be held in custody for a month pending an investigation into their alleged involvement in violence at the parliament building earlier this year.

The Criminal Court in the capital, Skopje, on December 5 placed three other members of parliament suspected in the case under house arrest.

The six lawmakers -- all from the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party -- are among 36 people under investigation for suspected "terrorist endangerment of the constitutional order and security" in connection with the April 27 riot in which protesters stormed into the parliament building.

More than 100 people were injured in the violence, including lawmakers and police officers.

Parliament stripped the six deputies of their immunity from prosecution in a session last week that was boycotted by the conservative VMRO-DPMNE. The party called the session a "political farce."

The VMRO-DPMNE governed for more than a decade until the current government led by the Social Democratic Union (SDSM) took over earlier this year.

In an interview published on December 1, VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski said that he plans to step down "soon."

Gruevski faces criminal investigations involving allegations of corruption and a wiretapping scandal dating back to his time as the country's prime minister.

His comments came just over a month after the SDSM won a sweeping victory over the VMRO-DPMNE in two rounds of local elections.
Pakistani officials say at least six people have been killed and eight others wounded in a roadside bomb blast in the North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.

Local officials said the attack took place on a road in the Khadi area on December 5. All those killed and injured were civilians.

Witnesses and some officials were quoted as saying the bomb was planted in a motorcycle parked on the side of the road.

The attack was said to have targeted at least one vehicle transporting military recruits.

The scene was cordoned by the security forces soon after the blast and the injured were rushed to the hospital in neighboring Bannu district for medical treatment.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.

Violence in Pakistan has declined in recent years following a series of military offensives against militants along the country's northwestern border, but militant groups has continued to carry out deadly attacks.

With reporting by dpa, AFP, and Dawn
The Russian Justice Ministry has declared Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Voice of America (VOA), and several affiliated news services "foreign agents " under new legislation that has been criticized by Western governments and media-freedom advocates.

A statement on the Justice Ministry website said that in accordance with a new Russian law on mass media, it has decided to list RFE/RL, VOA, Current Time TV, and RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service, Siberia.Reality, Idel.Reality, Factograph, Kavkaz Realii, and Crimea.Reality as "foreign mass media performing the functions of a foreign agent."

The one-sentence Justice Ministry statement did not specify what potential restrictions the media outlets could face, but lawmakers have said designated media could be subjected to detailed financial-reporting requirements and required to label published material as coming from a foreign agent.

A Russian bill enabling the government to designate any foreign media outlet a "foreign agent" passed quickly through parliament and was signed by President Vladimir Putin on November 25.

RFE/RL President Thomas Kent said that the broadcaster was aware of the Justice Ministry's announcement but has "received no details of what this designation may mean for us."

"We will study all communications from the ministry and other Russian official organizations carefully," he added. "At the same time, we remain committed to continuing our journalistic work in the interests of providing accurate and objective news to our Russian-speaking audiences."

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Russia's Justice Ministry to "immediately reverse its anti-press action."

"It is reprehensible that Russia, which restricts its own independent, critical media, is now taking action to obstruct the work of international outlets that provide a vital alternative news source to Russian citizens," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said in a December 5 statement.

INFOGRAPHIC: How Russia Has Implemented Its 'Foreign-Agent' Law (click to view)

Russian officials have said the law is a "symmetrical response" after state-funded channel RT -- which U.S. authorities accuse of spreading propaganda -- was required to register its U.S. operating unit under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

U.S. officials say the action is not symmetrical, arguing that the U.S. and Russian laws are different and that Russia uses its "foreign-agent" legislation to silence dissent and discourage a free exchange of ideas.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on December 4 that media outlets designated as foreign agents would not be stripped of their accreditation with the ministry and would be able to "go ahead with journalistic activity in Russia calmly and without any hindrances."

However, the State Duma is expected to pass a bill this week that would bar U.S. media outlets that are designated as foreign agents from entering the lower house of parliament. A senior lawmaker in the Federation Council said the upper parliament house will also consider a ban.

Both chambers are dominated by the ruling United Russia party and do the Kremlin's bidding.

The European Union has said the Russia legislation "goes against Russia's human rights obligations and commitments" and called it a "threat to free and independent media and access to information."

Human Rights Watch has condemned the Russian legislation as a "full-throttle attack on media freedom" and said it was "tailor-made to be selectively and politically enforced, and to silence voices they do not want Russian people to hear."

RFE/RL and VOA are overseen by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, a U.S. agency that supervises civilian government broadcasting and media operations. VOA is a federal entity, while RFE/RL is a private, nonprofit organization funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress.

With reporting from Interfax, TASS, and RIA Novosti
He lunched with Hitler and Mussolini in wartime, but was awarded postwar medals by Truman and Stalin. He met his future wife at the wedding of his cousin, the young Queen Elizabeth, but tended chickens and vegetables as a farmer in England during lean years in exile. He survived to see his beloved Romania emerge from a half-century of Soviet domination, only to be banned by a jittery postcommunist government alarmed by the former monarch's popularity.

King Michael of Romania, who died on December 5 aged 96, was a study in contrast.

As the oldest surviving World War II-era head of state and for decades the patriarch of a waning monarchy, he spent most of his twilight years not in any of a choice of Romanian royal palaces but in a small house overlooking Lake Leman, in the Swiss countryside.

In March 2016, Michael announced his retirement from public life, with duties to be carried out by his eldest daughter, Princess Margareta. At the time, he was said to be suffering from chronic leukemia and epidermoid carcinoma.

His death now draws the curtains on a unique window on the 20th century.

Years ago, during an interview in his Swiss home, the king's eyes lit up as he talked about confronting Romania's feared fascist dictator, Ion Antonescu, in August 1944. Momentum in World War II had shifted dramatically and the then-21-year-old ceremonial head of state ordered the arrest of Antonescu -- a fierce soldier whom Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler had come to respect -- after Antonescu refused to break his alliance with the Axis powers.

Michael's action, accomplished with co-conspirators, allowed Romania to switch to the Allied side and had a notable impact on the war. "From what we know, we...shortened the war by several months," he told RFE/RL. "The whole eastern front in Greece and Yugoslavia collapsed because of us."

Antonescu, who was also responsible for the extermination of hundreds of thousands of Jews and Roma during the war, was executed in 1946.

Michael was decorated by both Soviet leader Josef Stalin and U.S. President Harry Truman.

But that wouldn't help him much after the war, when Romania came under Soviet occupation and political parties were banned and elections falsified to install a Moscow-imposed communist regime.

Michael, under guard by troops loyal to the communist coup leaders, was forced to abdicate and leave the country in December 1947. Once abroad, he renounced his abdication as forced and again took to using the title "King of Romania."

He also married Anna of Bourbon-Parma, whom he had met at the wedding of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth, and they eventually had five daughters.

'You Don't Forget'

But while his life in exile was kaleidoscopic, it was not easy. He worked for a Wall Street brokerage, then flew as a test pilot for an aircraft equipment manufacturer. He and his wife even ran a chicken farm in England for a while, before eventually settling in Switzerland.

As he told it, his endeavors sometimes attracted media attention but never any concrete political backing, as Romania had been abandoned to the Soviet sphere of influence.

It was only after the demise of both communism and Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in December 1989 that it looked like Michael would finally return home. But Romania's postcommunist authorities kept him away, refusing to restore his citizenship, particularly after he drew an estimated 1 million people to downtown Bucharest on a short visit in 1992.

Finally, in 1997, a newly elected, pro-Western government officially recognized Michael as a Romanian citizen and former head of state.

In 1992, he refused an offer to run for president on an opposition ticket, snubbing politics, unlike his cousin, Simeon of Saxe-Coburg, who ran for office and became Bulgarian prime minister in 2001.

Michael eventually regained many of his royal family's properties, but he continued to spend most of his time in the house on the shores of Lake Leman.

In a 2009 interview with RFE/RL, King Michael said that despite the hardships he and his family had been through, he held no personal grudges.

But he warned that the suffering communism had imposed on the Romanian people should not be forgotten. "Because tens of millions of people have been destroyed practically, gone through absolute hell, and then suddenly they say, 'Well, it's all finished, let's forget it.' You don't forget it," he said.
In 2009, Romania's former sovereign, King Michael, was one of the three surviving heads of state from World War II (alongside Bulgaria's King Simeon and Cambodia's Norodom Sihanouk), and the only one involved directly in the war.

RFE/RL spoke to the 89-year-old former monarch in August 2009 at his residence in Aubonne, Switzerland, about the start of the war and the impact of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on Romania and the rest of Eastern Europe.



RFE/RL: We're marking this month the 70th anniversary of two fateful events in European history that also had a subsequent impact on Romania. On August 23, 1939, Nazi Germany and the USSR signed a nonaggression pact with a secret protocol that would result, less than a year later, in Romania losing territories to the USSR. And on September 1, as a direct consequence of the pact, Germany attacked Poland, thus triggering World War II. I would like to ask you to recall the moment when you learned about the beginning of the war -- what did you feel then?



King Michael: At that time I was still in school, and I wasn't involved with the running of the state, my father [King Carol II] did it all with his government. Of course, we knew what was happening around us, but the implications -- deep implications -- at the time, were difficult to understand, because I was concerned with what I had to do in school. But we felt deep down in a way without saying it, so to speak, that something very nasty was going on. And finally, what we felt was exactly what has actually happened.



RFE/RL: Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, and on September 17, the USSR invaded eastern Poland. The Allied powers, however, did not declare war on the Soviet Union, and Romania felt threatened from two sides. This feeling of unease you mentioned, the instinct that something bad was to come, did it have anything to do with the fact that even though Romania had established diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia, it knew that the issue of Bessarabia was still pending?



King Michael: Yes, of course. The question of the Soviet Union at the time -- we always kept it in our minds as something to be very careful of, because you never quite knew what was coming next. We had seen a lot of things about the history [of Romania and Russia]; it was enough to understand we could have been in a dangerous situation later on.



Because we had the possible danger from the Soviets, on the other hand, the German Nazis were also working up something and we were sort of caught between the two. So there are many, many things that people may be criticizing and so on, but we ought to -- this is the thing I realized later, not at the time itself -- we were facing danger in the sense that either the Soviets or the Nazis, if we didn't do the one thing or the other that they might have liked, we might have lost our independence. So it's a very difficult situation, come to think of it, after it happened. How do you try and steer as much as one can without being too dangerous? That was our problem.



RFE/RL: With the benefit of hindsight, as Your Majesty said, there are historians who say that if Romania had chosen to resist the Soviet ultimatum of 1940 and defend Bessarabia and Northern Bucovina, even though it would have been defeated and lost several tens of thousands of soldiers, it would have stood to gain more morally and even politically, like Finland. Why did Romania not fight?



King Michael: This is a question we have thought about very deeply. It is quite obvious that we all thought about that, even if later. Maybe something should have been tried, at least morally speaking. Now we were facing a colossus -- the Soviets -- and it would have been very possible that if we had presented some resistance, morally good as it may have been, we might have had an invasion, with the Russians all over the country. You could never tell exactly, but you know, you have to be very, very careful about certain things. So it is also possible that it was the thought of the government and of some other people then that it was perhaps safer to take a humiliating situation and try to safeguard the rest and the independence of the country. This is something that many other people in the West, of course, do not quite understand and not see the true situation that we were in.



RFE/RL: So basically Romania could have been in mortal danger as a state, it could have disappeared from the map, because Hungary might have taken Transylvania as well?



King Michael: That could have been the very possibility because the Nazis were on one side, the Soviets were on the other side, and we had certain problems with the Hungarians. Who knows what might have happened. We tried to be as friendly as we could with our neighbors but sometimes you don't know what might come out of it if you're not careful.



RFE/RL: Yes, someone once said that the only friendly neighbor Romania had was the Black Sea. In 1941, Romania took part in the invasion of the USSR initially under the justification of liberating Bessarabia, but later on it kept fighting alongside Germany on Russian territory and experienced the Stalingrad catastrophe. Many have said that Romania should have stopped at the River Dniester. Would that have been possible in 1941? What was it that Romania had risked?



King Michael: This was a very complicated situation. Because we were trying, at least, to get Bessarabia and Northern Bucovina back, and it would have been absolutely impossible to do that by ourselves. So at the time when [Marshal Ion] Antonescu was leading the state, he wasn't the head of state, he was leading the state -- the fuehrer...[chuckles] he decided that, probably for a short period, the only thing that could be done was to join the German troops and get back Bessarabia and Northern Bucovina. The problem was, how far could we go?



Because I remember very well, sometime later, Marshal [Carl Gustav Emil von] Mannerheim in Finland was, to a certain degree, in the same sort of situation that we had been in -- he joined the war against the Soviets but he stopped at the previous Finnish frontiers [after recovering Karelia]. And the result was that he lost the same part [Karelia] again anyhow. So we might have found ourselves in the same type of situation, that we might have taken back our territories and then lost them anyhow, and the situation might have been even worse. It is possible. In view of what happened afterward, it could have been very dangerous.



RFE/RL: But at least, could it have been presented to the great powers afterward not as a war of aggression but rather as a justified attempt of getting back what had been lost?



King Michael: I am very sorry to have to say this: The United States was still much too far away, while Great Britain and France, based on some experience I had afterward, they couldn't care less about our part of Europe. I remember very well when in 1938 my father took me to London on an official visit. I was not directly involved but I remember hearing that he was trying to get some sort of understanding from the British government to, not exactly safeguard us, but at least to have a minimum of [British] interest in our country and what was happening in that part of Europe, but unfortunately it did not happen that way.



King Michael in 1947

I've said it before, many Western countries did not know or care much about the history of our part of Europe. They didn't care much about what happened if we lost independence and the whole place was occupied or not -- not enough interest.



RFE/RL: In 2005, you were invited by then-Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the Moscow celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. You have declared repeatedly that the Soviet Union's actions were "extremely horrific for Romanians" and said Russia should officially condemn the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Do you still maintain this statement?



King Michael: I've been saying that since long before 2005. And when I was invited to Moscow for the celebrations, I was extremely surprised about that, I must say, because after all the history we and Russia had together I couldn't quite believe my ears. But I must say that now that the Soviet Union's finished and gone, I would like to see the Russians -- how should I say -- a little more open and honest about these things. They should say something about the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact to put it right. I think it would be the right thing to do.



Memories Of Churchill, Hitler



RFE/RL: You mentioned earlier that Marshal Antonescu was the leader of the state -- the Conducator -- but Your Majesty was the official head of state, and in your capacity you negotiated and met with the main players in the events during the war. Did you ever meet any of them personally? What impression did they make on you?



King Michael: Although I was the head of state, I wasn't allowed to do anything, because [Antonescu] was dealing with everything, taking care of politics and all. So, negotiations as such, no I couldn't conduct them. I didn't meet all of the leaders, only some of them. I met British Prime Minister Winston Churchill after the war, and also U.S. President Harry Truman when I visited the United States in 1948.



Churchill was very polite, as he usually was, but my impression was that he didn't even really know much about our country. One moment we were talking about some situation, and then he all of a sudden just said something like, "I don't know, does Romania have a constitution?" I was flabbergasted when I heard that, and I couldn't continue and I replied, "Yes, of course we have a constitution." I mean, Churchill was such an intelligent man and he had done so much to serve Britain during the war, but in a way, [about] all the rest of it [Europe], not that he really didn't know [about it], I don't know, I really can't quite understand how he came to that.



Something else, he did not actually recognize us when they had the conference in Yalta [in February 1945]. As far as I could make out, from what I understood, they drew up this list which was scribbled by hand with the spheres of influence, so we were already given up, so to speak.



RFE/RL: How about Hitler? Have you ever met him?



King Michael: Hitler, yes, I met twice. Once, with my father, when we came back from England and France in 1938. My father had discussions with him. I don't know what went on because I don't speak German at all. And then the second time, when my mother [Queen Elena, Carol II's estranged wife] wanted to go back to Florence to arrange some things, and we talked to Antonescu, and he gave us permission, but he said if you go to Italy you will have to meet the royal family of Italy, so you can't go without meeting [Italian dictator Benito] Mussolini probably, and Hitler! [chuckles] So, Antonescu fixed our trip, that we should go to Florence by going through Berlin! Mother didn't want that, but we did it. That's how it happened. We had lunch with Hitler someplace in Berlin. As I said, I don't speak German, but my mother could speak a little German. Not very much came out of the meeting, even though we had an interpreter.



RFE/RL: What was the impression Hitler made upon you? Did he strike you as someone extraordinary, or was it only the legend that was being built around him?



King Michael: When he came on a problem that interested him, I don't remember exactly what it was, but when he started...he was just making speeches to the people who were there for lunch...he suddenly had an expression fixed in his eyes, which looked to me very uncomfortable. When he started the speech he sort of went off, round and round. It was just a question of a few minutes, but you could see it on his face, when he came on the subject he'd wanted, he just went on like, huh...a bit unpleasant, though.



RFE/RL: Was he, excuse me for asking that, Sire, but you're actually someone who did see him, was he frightening?



King Michael: No, you know, we were so far [apart] on mentalities, that it [Hitler's intimidating impression] was like water off a duck's back, you know [chuckles]. It didn't go in. And my mother also wasn't impressed at all.



RFE/RL: You've mentioned Mussolini. Did you also meet him?



King Michael: I met Mussolini in Rome for 20 minutes during that same trip. He was, well, like all Italians we knew. How he got himself involved so much with Hitler, it's hard to tell, that's another problem.



RFE/RL: In 1940, at the Vienna Arbitration where Hitler and Mussolini decided to break a part of Transylvania and give it to Hungary, Mussolini shocked the Romanians by demanding "justice for wounded Hungary." Romanians felt betrayed by what they had seen as a "Latin brother," to such an extent that then-Foreign Minister Mihail Manolescu collapsed when he saw the new map of Romania.



King Michael: That was something that we didn't quite understand. What did Mussolini have with the Hungarians? Why was he pushing them so much, and not us? After all we were a Latin nation like the Italians. This was a situation that was very difficult to understand.



Helping Romania's Jews



RFE/RL: Romania's alliance with Nazi Germany was marked, aside from the hundreds of thousands of Romanian military casualties, by despicable acts, such as the extermination of Jews and Roma from Romania and Transdniester. I would ask you to tell us about the action Your Majesty and the Queen Mother took to stave off these crimes.



King Michael: You know, Antonescu was a very funny character in a way. I should mention that he had been our military attache in London before the war. Did that [period] leave some leftovers in his mind? I can't tell. But he had a certain respect for my mother. After all, after my father left in 1940 [after Antonescu took over and forced Carol II to leave], he very quickly told my mother to come back [from her exile in Italy]. He did that. But with me, he treated me like a child, therefore I could not conduct many discussions with him, because it was useless.



What happened with the Jewish situation especially was that we knew, we had very close relations with the chief rabbi of Romania, Alexandru Shafran, and thanks to him, we knew exactly when something was being prepared against the Jews. He used to come and see us, especially my mother, and explained exactly what was happening, and then she sent word to Antonescu and to [Foreign Minister] Mihai Antonescu and managed to get certain things through. Not as much as one would have liked, but she did. She managed to save about one hundred and something thousand Jews in Romania and from Transdniester. It wasn't as much as she would have liked, but it was something all the same. And that was because of Antonescu's respect for my mother.



She managed to stop a very nasty thing that was being prepared in Bucovina, and she managed somehow to get Antonescu to stop a part of that -- the deportation of the Bucovina Jews to Transdniester. For some Jews and Roma in Transdniester, she also managed to get the approval of Antonescu to send several trains with food and clothing for them. And this went on for quite some time, because Rabbi Shafran used to come every two or three weeks to say that something else was being prepared against the Jews, and she immediately let Antonescu know how she felt about that, and even enlisted the help of the Orthodox Patriarch Nicodim. I could do only very little personally since Antonescu didn't consider me anything very important [chuckles].



RFE/RL: How wrong he was in the end....



King Michael: The other Antonescu, [Foreign Minister Mihai Antonescu] was more respectful toward me, but Ion Antonescu, once he decided what he was going to do, he didn't explain anything.



RFE/RL: Your Majesty, did you have any hint at the time that something horrific was taking place in territories occupied by Nazi Germany? Was there any rumor about the Nazis perpetrating a horrendous act of mass murder against the Jews?



King Michael: Very little, but we had an inkling. Some of our people coming back from Europe smelled something. But details as to where or how, no. We knew though that something very unhealthy was going on, but we couldn't put our finger on it.



RFE/RL: The Queen Mother was subsequently honored by the Yad Vashem Museum.



King Michael: Yes, it was a number of years afterward, because they have very strict rules about Yad Vashem, and it took about two-three years to go through all the files, and they had a lot of documents from the SS concerning my mother.



There is something else that maybe I should mention. Antonescu wanted me to go and see the troops during the war, because I was also the head of the army. So he wanted me to go to Odessa, to Trasndiester and so on. I refused. I refused flatly. I told him, "We have no business over there." And then I took a plane and flew directly from Bucharest to Crimea. I spent two days there seeing the troops, then I came back. I refused to put my foot in Transdniester. And as far as I know, the Russians knew that, because they mentioned something to me afterwards.



Deposing Antonescu



RFE/RL: August 23 has dual significance for Romania. One side, the Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939, is profoundly negative. But the other, August 23, 1944, is positive. That is when Your Majesty ordered the arrest of Antonescu and brought Romania out of the war against the allied powers. Historians agree that your courageous action actually saved Romania. Could you evoke that day of August 23, 1944?



King Michael: The preparation for August 23 actually started in late 1942. In spite of Antonescu's dictatorship, Romania's traditional political parties -- the so-called historical parties -- were left alone and were not abolished, and we had a lot of contacts with them in Romania, besides, myself and the parties sent emissaries to discussions with the Allies in Ankara and Cairo.



As time went by these discussions were getting very acute because the situation was getting out of hand on the front, and we were telling them, "We need some help, we want to get out of this but we cannot do that alone." Much later on I understood that all the appeals we were sending to Americans and the British to help us, they were letting the Russians know about. Which was not very...how should I put it...I'll not say anything.



And this went on for quite a long time, because we never got even the slightest help. Yes, morally, maybe, but that doesn't help much when you're with the noose around your neck. So, finally when the situation got completely out of hand after Stalingrad, and the Russians were already getting very close to Bessarabia again, we discussed with political parties. Because the British and Americans had insisted that we bring the communists and the socialists in our group, we did that.



And then, accidentally -- this is very queer how history does things -- I was in Sinaia [royal residence in the mountains] at the time, and then an indiscretion of our doctor happened -- it was a very awkward situation if you like, but that's how it happened, a couple of days before August 23. We were discussing that we had to talk to Antonescu, and that we had to ask him to make the armistice and stop the war, but we had yet to come up with a particular date. And finally we decided that it was going to be August 26.



Our personal doctor was hosting one of Antonescu's staff officers at his house in Sinaia. The officer received a phone call from Bucharest, and, as the doctor's residence had three phones, the doctor accidentally picked up one of the receivers and overheard by chance the conversation in which the officer was being informed that Antonescu was leaving for the front the following days. See how history happened! And then the doctor came rushing to us and told us, "Look, I heard that Antonescu is going to the front the day after tomorrow!" and we all understood that something urgent had to be done. I immediately came back to Bucharest and gathered all the people we were talking to and informed them.



And that's how we came to act on August 23. We decided I should summon him for an audience to me to explain to him what was going on, and that the Russians were at the Dniester. Then I had a two-hour meeting with the head of my military household, [future Prime Minister] General Constantin Sanatescu and we set the details, that if Antonescu refuses, we will put him away.



So after many discussions, after I asked him and told him that we had to do something and stop the war, General Sanatescu told him, "If you can't do it, then let someone else do it!" and Antonescu then turned to him and said, in front of me, "What, leave the country in the hands of a child?" So finally, when he said flatly that he refused to declare an armistice, we had a code word, and I said very loudly, "Well, I'm very sorry, but there's nothing else I can do!" and then a door opened and three noncommissioned officers and a captain came in and took him. Locked him up in a room in the building.



RFE/RL: What was his reaction? Did he say anything to anyone?



King Michael: He turned around to the general and said, "What is this?" And then he wouldn't say anything, we locked him up in a house.



RFE/RL: There are reports that when the news of Antonescu's arrest reached Berlin, Hitler ordered his ambassador to Bucharest, Manfred von Killinger, to arrest you in turn. Your bold move could have had a different, dire outcome for you. Were you aware of the time that this was a fast-moving game and whoever moved faster would gain the upper hand?



King Michael: It was very fast indeed, because we had arranged with the commanding officers of Bucharest garrison, where we had few troops, and we even managed to get a few from outside the capital, and instructed them that, in case something happened with my life, they take over the situation. What I found afterward was that Berlin tried to find another Romanian general to take over the situation in Bucharest and replace Antonescu, but there was no such general. They were all loyal to me. Ambassador Killinger then came to the palace, but he did not try to arrest me or something, he just told me that I was playing with fire.



RFE/RL: Sire, I will attempt to set the record straight. There have been voices in Romania saying that Antonescu was hugely popular among the troops and in the country while you had been isolated. Or, the very fact that those troops chose to side with you and not with Antonescu, indicates that you have made the right decision in the eyes of history.



King Michael: That is, of course, true, because I was the commander in chief of the army, and had already had contacts with the commanders of some big units on the front line. No one, absolutely no one tried to set Antonescu free.



Moldova's Future



RFE/RL: The Republic of Moldova, whose territory is largely that of Bessarabia, is an entity that came into being as a direct consequence of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. We could say that the Republic of Moldova is the place where World War II has not yet ended: Transdniestrian separatism, political instability, a struggle for geopolitical spheres of influence, immense poverty, all these are consequences of the appearance of an artificial state resulted from the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia. How do you see the future of this entity?



King Michael: It is a very difficult question to answer really. I very, very often think about that place and the people, and a feeling comes around sometimes.... And I know very well that they have an extremely difficult, horrible situation there, I know very well about that. The trouble is that we can't do very much about it. The one thing we could do, we should do, is to have a very good relationship with them, even as things are now, because in fact, it is up to the Bessarabians themselves to try and do something. We can't interfere. I've noticed that the last election there seems to be a little different from the others. Is that positive? I hope so. But I think about the people there very, very often, and it is very, very painful.



RFE/RL: Do you see the Republic of Moldova turning West or East in future?



King Michael: Well, as far as I understand they want to be West -- the people -- but, can they? That is the big question, because as I said, it is up to them to decide.



RFE/RL: Do you think the European Union should have a more prominent role in helping Moldova get closer to Europe?



King Michael: That would be the normal, logical thing, yes. But how far are they willing to go, that is the question. Because still, it is inexplicable to me, there's a sort of fascination that comes out of Russia. I don't want to say too much about this, but Russian people are very special people, and they have also gone through absolute hell for 80 years or whatever it was, but there is a fascination about them [in the West], of course it is an enormous country, and sometimes, the Western Europeans don't always put the foot down where it should be. They should also try and get Bessarabia back into Europe. Not because they are changing frontiers for the moment and all that, but it is part of Europe because it was [part of Europe].



Bringing Romania Back To Europe



RFE/RL: After 1989, you made substantial efforts to promote Romania's Euro-Atlantic integration, even when the new power in Bucharest treated you with hostility. The recognition and influence Your Majesty enjoys in Western chancelleries contributed to a great extent to speeding up Romania's joining EU and NATO. You are a most eloquent example that in spite of adversities of history and fate, patriotism and moral rectitude always win in the end, no matter how long the battle. It was a long way, marked by sacrifices for the king, but now the king has returned home, even though it is a changed home. When you look back, what are your feelings?



King Michael: It is difficult to put it exactly in a row of words. We were part of Europe, always have been, and I think that one of the things which are part of my duty is to try and get the country back the way it was, as much as possible, which is very difficult. Don't forget that when I went there was from 1997 on after Emil Constantinescu was elected president. With the few governments before that I couldn't even get back to Romania. Now we are in a place that we should be, but we still have a long way to go. But we are in the right kind of alliance and we have to stick together with the other Europeans.



During the drive to help Romania gain NATO membership, I and the rest of my family involved in this effort had some very interesting meetings with military people and politicians and it worked. I even saw some of the military people that I wasn't supposed to see because it [Romania's NATO membership] wasn't [a] done [deal] yet. There are ways of doing things, anyhow, we managed to do it somehow, I have a lot of explanations. And, that's never come up and it shouldn't come up, but the fact is that I managed to see quite a number of people then and it finally worked. But we had to pull our weight [chuckles].



RFE/RL: In a book published in 1992, you affirmed that you believed in miracles. Now, no matter how much fateful significance this year may have, there is still one event that we mark this year which was nothing short of a miracle: the fall of communism in 1989. In the summer of 1989, much of Eastern Europe was still under the grip of totalitarianism. Several months later, the "socialist" camp crumbled like a sand castle, culminating with the violent uprising of the Romanians. Two decades on, do you believe that, in Romania's case, this miracle has been completed?



King Michael: No...I would say, no.... A lot has been done, yes. But I have said that a lot of times, even though people probably don't like that -- that the Soviet Union, the system collapsed, but communism has not disappeared. No. Much has changed, but a lot of things underneath...it's enough to scratch a little bit and you'll find that again.



You know, after 40-50 years of what we went through, this is something like the Chinese drop, you know. Drop after drop after drop, I don't know how many people understand that, but after you get that [ideology] drop by drop for so many years, you start thinking it's your own idea. It is a very insidious way of behaving. On the surface of things much has changed, yes. But every once in a while you'll find some little things [from the past] that suddenly begin appearing again. And, you know, in all honesty, it's not just about my country but other countries as well.



You see, my idea, or my feelings about certain things are like this: one talks a lot about forgiveness, which is the right Christian, moral thing to do. There are certain things though, and certain positions. In my case, whether I'm still the active king of Romania or not, it is still my duty to look after my country. You said before that they treated me so badly and so on.



Yes, it's quite true. While I was away, and even after I came back. But that is a personal thing. And, the personal things, you can forgive, or not forgive, that is your own business.



But when you see what some people have done to one's own country can you forgive that sort of things? In my mind, as a Christian, I say no, you cannot. Because tens of millions of people have been destroyed practically, gone through absolute hell, and then suddenly you say, well, it's all finished let's forget it. You don't forget it. You know, the Jewish people, they have something like a prayer, I guess the title of that prayer is "We Remember." And, if our people and others will remember [the crimes of communism], that will be an extremely positive and moral way of thinking. But I know it is very difficult after all those years, because you lose your sense of direction.



RFE/RL: As the sovereign of the Greater Romanian Kingdom, which Your Majesty identifies with, do you have now, seven decades after the tragic events of 1939, a message for all Romanians -- inside and outside Romania's borders?



King Michael: If they want things to go on better than they are now, the thing I want to ask the Romanian people very much is to stick together, because some people are trying to separate them and we are not going to get where we should. We have to show solidarity among ourselves, remember that we are in Europe, and behave properly toward the others. Because it is not good doing certain things that everybody knows about in Romania now and when the foreigners criticize us we say it's none of their business. Of course it is their business, because we are part of Europe.



The Romanian people should really get together and wake up, because we've still got a long way to go. We have to get together and pull together and bring back Romania as it should be. I won't say necessarily as it was, because those are things of the past. But those things of the past should be an inspiration for the future.



That is my deep wish for the Romanian people to get together and stick together and try and think of the future. Not necessarily the private future, even though that is a good thing too. The thing is that if you're part of your country you have to pull your weight for your country.
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Ukrainian security forces arrested former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on suspicion of assisting a criminal organization but he later escaped from custody in Kyiv with help from his supporters. (RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili freed the former Georgian president from a police van amid chaotic scenes after Ukrainian security forces stormed his apartment in Kyiv, dragged him off the roof, and detained him.



Amid a dramatic standoff between officers in riot gear and hundreds of protesters who blocked streets in an effort to prevent the authorities from taking him away, Saakashvili was pulled from the van despite police resistance and called for President Petro Poroshenko's exit from power.
Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking Chinas resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia. Im RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish.

Before we get started, a few announcements: The newsletter is now biweekly, rather than going out only on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. To subscribe, click here.

And I will also be launching Talking China In Eurasia, a new podcast. Im joined by the Royal United Services Institutes Raffaello Pantucci to talk about Xi and Putin. Listen to the first episode here or below.

Xi Gets Pragmatic About Russia At The G20

It was light on optimism, but U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping injected a healthy dose of pragmatism back into the U.S.-China relationship with their meeting in Bali at a time when global anxiety is rising over Russias war against Ukraine.

Finding Perspective: The meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit was far from a breakthrough, but it did repair some damage from the recent backslide in relations between both countries and send some signals that the world isnt necessarily destined for Cold War 2.0.

The more than three-hour talks saw some blunt exchanges over contentious issues like Taiwan and North Korea, but the two leaders also pledged more frequent communications and decided that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Beijing for follow-up talks in 2023.

Of particular note, Biden raised Russias invasion of Ukraine and threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons. Both leaders reiterated their agreement that a nuclear war should never be fought, according to a White House readout.

While far from a sea change for Chinese policy, thats notable. The credibility of Beijings claims to be neutral on the Ukraine war continue to come under scrutiny, and China has shown discomfort of late with the Kremlins nuclear saber-rattling.

Xi made similar comments after a November 4 summit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and during another G20 meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the French readout.

Why It Matters: Xi is not abandoning Putin, but this marks the latest shift for Beijings balancing act over Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Four Chinese officials briefed on the February 4 meeting between Xi and Putin, where they declared a no-limits partnership, told the Financial Times that Putin didnt tell Xi the truth about the invasion and that Beijing was caught off guard by it.

What Xi knew about Putins war plans has been a topic of debate, and there is evidence to support both the idea that Xi was aware and that he was caught off guard.

Many analysts are of the opinion that Xi knew about Putin's decision to invade but expected a quick victory, which perhaps was what Putin believed at the time.

Others point to a steady stream of dismissals from Chinese officials and experts about the likelihood of an invasion in February and the fact that Beijing did not evacuate its citizens from Ukraine  like Western nations did  as evidence that China was not expecting a war.

China certainly has its own interests in keeping a distance from Moscows war and using that space to do some upkeep with the West. But perhaps the most important point here is that even if Putin did blindside Xi, China has stuck with Russia despite its battlefield failures, political isolation, and the atrocities its troops are accused of committing.

Again, this is pragmatism more than anything else. As Chinese experts often say, even if Russia is looking unattractive these days, why would Beijing abandon its main anti-Western partner as China continues to be in the crosshairs of rising American pressure?

Read More

 Want to hear more about Russia and Chinas complex relationship amid the Ukraine war? Then tune in to the debut of Talking China In Eurasia today at 2 p.m. CET/ 8 a.m. EST. You can listen live here and find the episode on RFE/RLs website and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

 Condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine and its global fallout is shaping up to be the key theme of the G20, with the Financial Times reporting that a joint communique from the summit takes aim at Moscow.

Expert Corner: The Future Of The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

Readers asked: Did Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifs recent trip to Beijing breathe new life into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)? How do Islamabad and Beijing really feel about the project after all these years?

To find out more, I asked Filippo Boni, an expert on China-Pakistan relations at the Open University in Britain:

Shehbaz Sharif's visit to China was high on symbolism and relatively low on substance. While the two sides were keen to reaffirm and emphasize the strength of their strategic partnership, no significant new commitment was made. Apart from a few memorandums of understanding and attempts from the Pakistanis in the run-up to the trip to address some of CPECs issues  including payments to Chinese independent power producers  nothing major came from the visit. This is despite Sharif's attempts at revitalizing CPEC since April and the very close ties he enjoys with the Chinese leadership.

The outcome of this visit is not entirely surprising, especially if interpreted against the backdrop of Pakistan's current domestic predicaments. The security situation for Chinese nationals has deteriorated, the economy is struggling, and political instability is at one of its highest points in recent years. All these dynamics, coupled with the global scaling down of Belt and Road Initiative financing, have likely impacted Beijing's lack of commitment to new projects.

After almost 10 years and $25 billion worth of projects, there seems to be a general consensus on both sides that the first phase of CPEC  the one focused primarily on energy projects  was largely successful. The same cannot be said for the second phase, including the slow progress on the development of Special Economic Zones, and for the port of Gwadar, where little progress has been made for the ports full commercial functioning.

Do you have a question about Chinas growing footprint in Eurasia? Send it to me at StandishR@rferl.org or reply directly to this e-mail and Ill get it answered by leading experts and policymakers.

Three More Stories From Eurasia

1. 'Sweep It Under The Rug'

Recent allegations of China operating 54 overseas police stations have fueled controversy around the world and sparked investigations, but in Hungary and Serbia the new findings are being met with swift denials by authorities, despite growing evidence.

The Details: My colleagues Akos Keller-Alant from RFE/RLs Hungarian Service, Mila Durdevic from RFE/RLs Balkan Service, and I reported on the fallout from these revelations and the slew of probes launched in many European countries recently.

The stations are overseas operations of the public security bureaus from two Chinese provinces and are used to persuade citizens to return to China, including through pressure on family members at home. While most of those involved appear to be suspected of crimes such as telecommunications fraud or corruption, dissidents have also reported that the stations have been used to monitor and threaten them.

Fourteen governments have already launched investigations into the overseas police stations, and the Dutch and Irish governments have ordered China to shut down the facilities in their countries.

But in Hungary and Serbia  two countries where Beijing is said to operate such facilities and whose governments prize their warming political and economic ties with China  officials appear to be trying to sweep it under the rug, as one analyst characterized it, despite growing scrutiny from opposition lawmakers in each country.

2. Global Ripples Hit Central Asia

Political and economic shocks from Moscows war in Ukraine, coupled with added strains from tensions between Beijing and Washington, are taking their toll around the world, especially in Central Asia, where countries in the region are closely tied to both China and Russia.

What It Means: As RFE/RLs Uzbek Service reported, Vladimir Norov, the countrys foreign minister, warned about geopolitical tensions affecting stability in the region and beyond while addressing his counterparts at an Organization of Turkic States meeting in Samarkand.

The breakdown in global cooperation is felt particularly strong in Central Asia. While some economies have been able to benefit by becoming a new home for businesses and capital relocated from Russia, others are seeing investment dry up and their economies coming under strain.

World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde recently warned that Uzbekistan needs to continue with its market reforms in order to withstand the global economic shocks that are to come.

RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service also reported that the countrys government is trying to court more investment but that questions remain from investors about Kyrgyzstans stability and investment climate. According to official statistics from January to June of this year, China is the leading source of foreign investment, with $129 million during that span.

3. The Tech In Moscows Iranian Drones

A new investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, looked into electronic components underpinning Tehran's production of the Mohajer-6 drone, which Russia has used in its war in Ukraine, and found that theyre far from homegrown.

What You Need To Know: The Mohajer-6 drones contain components produced by companies from the United States and the European Union, both of which have sanctions restricting the export to Iran of technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

The investigation also found drone components produced in China, including a real-time mini-camera made by a Hong Kong firm.

The drone also contains a microchip bearing the logo of a California technology company and a thermal-imaging camera that Ukrainian intelligence says may have been produced by a firm based in Oregon or China.

The international tech in the drone not only highlights the complex ecosystem that allows firms and buyers to circumvent sanctions slapped on both Iran and Russia, but also the close networks between Chinese and Western tech companies that still exist, despite a recent push to break some of those linkages.

Across The Supercontinent

On The Mainland: The watchdog group Freedom House recently launched a new project called the China Dissent Monitor, which tracks protests and other forms of dissent inside China. Read it here.

Censored: Chinese authorities behind a major trade expo in Shanghai pulled an opening ceremony address by European Council President Charles Michel that was set to criticize Russia's illegal war in Ukraine and call for reduced European dependency on China, Reuters reported.

Backtracking: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has softened his countrys stance toward China, moving away from his predecessor Liz Trusss decision to label it a threat.

One Thing To Watch

How long will Chinas stringent COVID policies stay in place?

New infections are rising as a winter wave hits and popular frustration continues to boil over inside the country as investor confidence stays dented over the measures. New footage also showed crowds of residents in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou escaping a compulsory lockdown and clashing with police.

Thats all from me for now. Dont forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have.

Until next time,

Reid Standish

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your in-box on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
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KYIV -- Hundreds of anticorruption protesters clashed with police in Kyiv, calling for the ouster of Ukaine's president, as authorities launched a manhunt to find protest leader Mikheil Saakashvili after his dramatic escape from police custody.

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office spokesman Andriy Lysenko said late on December 5 that the authorities ordered the manhunt for the former Georgian president after a chaotic scene in which Saakashvili's supporters freed him from a police van after security forces stormed his apartment and detained him.

Lysenko said in a Facebook post that prosecutors had informed National Police chief Serhiy Knyazev that Saakashvili, who is also the former governor of Ukraine's Odesa region whom the authorities accuse of ties to an "organized crime" group, was a wanted man.

But Saakashvili vowed to continue resisting arrest, saying in an interview with the German Bild tabloid due to be published on December 6 that "the secret service won't manage to detain me."

Following Saakashvili's initial detention on December 5, his supporters surrounded the police van and prevented it from taking him away. After a long standoff, they appeared to force a door of the van open and pull Saakashvili out as officers inside fired pepper spray in the melee.

He then led hundreds of people in a march to parliament and urged Ukrainians to rally on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, the epicenter of Euromaidan protests that pushed Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's Russia-friendly predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, from power in 2014.



Speaking to a crowd of a few thousand people outside Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, Saakashvili demanded Poroshenko's resignation, calling him a "criminal" and a "traitor to Ukraine."

"An organized criminal group has seized power in our beloved Ukraine," Saakashvili told the rally. "I call on everyone, every real Ukrainian, to demand his resignation."

Saakashvili urged "all Ukrainians to take to the streets and drive out the thieves" as his supporters clashed with police.

"Do not let lawlessness happen. Do not let chaos happen. Do not let Poroshenko and his gang continue the robbery," he said. "Ukraine is under a real threat. These people have completely usurped power."

At least five people were detained amid clashes between Saakashvili's supporters and authorities, the Interior Ministry said.

Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko, meanwhile, alleged at a briefing that an "organized crime" group led by Yanukovych, who is in exile in Russia, had financed protests organized by Saakashvili.

Lutsenko later issued an ultimatum to Saakashvili, telling lawmakers that, if he did not appear before investigators within 24 hours, "the entire law-enforcement system of Ukraine will do everything necessary" to bring him into custody.

Speaking to RFE/RL before addressing the crowd outside parliament, Saakashvili said the accusations against him were "all fake."

"How in the hell would I know these people? Who are they? Its fake," he said in English. "Its all fake.

Saakashvili again rejected the charges in remarks to supporters, saying "all the accusations against me are cynical and ridiculous."

"There is no more bitter foe of Putin in the world than me, and the accusation that I am linked to Russia is completely absurd," said Saakashvili, who also called for Lutsenko's resignation.

Poroshenko's office issued a statement saying law enforcement had found evidence to back up the accusations against Saakashvili.

"These facts clearly demonstrate the true price of all the political and 'incriminating' statements, which were recently made by Mikheil Saakashvili," it said.

Saakashvili won support from other opposition leaders, however. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, speaking in parliament, criticized the attempt to arrest Saakashvili as "political terror."

Oksana Syroyed of the Self-Reliance Party also denounced the attempted arrest as an action by a "despotic machine."

While Saakashvili was speaking to the demonstrators outside parliament, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv called for "all sides to de-escalate tensions and avoid violence."

"We are monitoring the situation closely and expect any investigation will be conducted expeditiously and in accordance with Ukrainian law," the embassy said in a tweet.

The commotion began shortly after 7 a.m. and was first made public by Saakashvili associate David Sakvarelidze.

"They're breaking down the door at Mikheil Saakashvili's home!" he wrote on Facebook, giving the address and apartment number.

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said that Saakashvilis residence was being searched as part of a criminal inquiry conducted by the Prosecutor-General's Office.

"Investigative procedures are indeed taking place. SBU officers are providing investigative support to a criminal inquiry of the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office, SBU spokeswoman Olena Hitlyanska told RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service.

Hitlyanska did not specify the nature of the criminal inquiry, but the SBU later said Saakashvili was accused of "complicity with members of criminal organizations and concealing their activity by providing premises and by other means."

At a news briefing, Lutsenko alleged that Saakashvili had held protests financed by allies of Yanukovych, who was pushed from power by pro-European protests in February 2014 and fled to Russia.

The prosecutor-general said the alleged Yanukovych allies included Serhiy Kurchenko, a businessman who also fled to Russia, and claimed that Saakashvili had received $500,000 in a bank transfer from Russia.

As the search unfolded, live videos shared on social media showed a chaotic and sometimes violent scene outside Saakashvilis building, steps away from Independence Square.

A shoving match between law enforcement agents and supporters of Saakashvili ensued as the latter tried to push their way into the apartment.

Saakashvili appeared on the roof, and officers quickly seized him and moved him away from the ledge before bringing him out of the building.



Video on Facebook showed dozens of riot police around the apartment building preventing people from entering.

The search of Saakashvili's home was conducted two days after his Movement of New Forces party organized a rally in Kyiv calling for Poroshenko's impeachment and for legislation that would allow it to take place.

Poroshenko has accused the protest organizers of seeking to destabilize Ukraine, which is struggling with economic troubles and a deadly conflict with Russia-backed separatists in two eastern regions.

Saakashvili was swept to power in Georgia's peaceful Rose Revolution in 2003 and served as president of Georgia from 2004-13. He conducted major reforms and fought corruption in the former Soviet republic but was accused of abusing his power and is wanted in his home country on suspicion of trying to organize a coup there after leaving office, an allegation he denies.

In the wake of the Euromaidan protests that brought a pro-Western government to power in Ukraine, Poroshenko appointed Saakashvili -- an acquaintance from university days -- as governor of the Odesa region in 2015. Saakashvili surrendered his Georgian citizenship to take the post.

But Saakashvili resigned in November 2016, saying his reform efforts had been blocked by Poroshenkos allies, and went into the opposition. Saakashvili was then stripped of Ukrainian citizenship by Poroshenko while he was in the United States in June 2017, a move he is challenging in court.

Weeks later, Saakashvili forced his way back into Ukraine and was found guilty of violating the state border. He paid a fine and has since been touring the country, speaking out against Poroshenko and trying to garner support for his fledgling political party.

Saakashvili has indicated he wants to be Ukraines next prime minister, a post that he could theoretically hold as it is a position appointed by the president upon ratification by parliament. With his citizenship status in flux, under current law he is forbidden from officially running for president.

While well-known across Ukraine, Saakashvili and his party enjoy little public support, with nearly all polls putting them at around 1-2 percent.

Saakashvili recently claimed that Poroshenko was planning to force him to flee to another country to avoid extradition to Georgia.

During the rally on December 3, Saakashvili alleged in comments to Georgias Rustavi-2 television that Poroshenko and former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili had "agreed that a sentence on trumped-up charges will be quickly issued next week.

Poroshenko's office has not commented on the allegations or Saakashvili's detention on December 5.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Reuters, AP, UNIAN, dpa, and Ukrayinska Pravda
Prosecutors investigating Russias alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election have accused President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, of working with a colleague "assessed to have ties" to a Russian intelligence service to draft an opinion piece about his work for Ukraine.

In court filings, the prosecutors working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team said on December 4 that Manafort and the colleague sought to publish the op-ed under someone else's name and intended it to influence public opinion about his work.

They said Manafort's request to lift his house arrest should be denied because, had it been published, the draft opinion piece would have violated a court order not to publicly discuss the case.

The op-ed was being drafted as late as last week.

Prosecutors did not name the colleague but said the person is based in Russia.

Manafort and three other people have been criminally charged in connection with Mueller's investigation.

Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates were indicted in October on charges that included conspiracy and lying to federal agents.

Former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents and was cooperating with Muellers investigators.

On December 1, Michael Flynn, who briefly served as U.S. national security adviser under Trump, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia.

Russia denies it meddled in last year's election, despite what U.S. intelligence officials say is powerful evidence, and Trump denies there was any collusion between his associates and Russia.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP


The U.S. State Department is raising "concerns" about signs that Ukraine may be backtracking on its commitment to fight corruption, jeopardizing support for Kyiv in the West.

A campaign against public corruption through stepped up enforcement and reforms of the judicial system has been a key requirement for Ukraine to obtain loans and closer relations with the European Union, United States, and International Monetary Fund.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement late on December 4 that "recent events -- including the disruption of a high-level corruption investigation, the arrest of officials from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), and the seizure of sensitive NABU files  raise concerns about Ukraines commitment to fighting corruption."

Nauert's statement apparently refers to the disruption last month of an advanced undercover operation investigating corruption in Ukraine's Migration Service described on the website of NABU, an anticorruption agency set up recently in exchange for the EU's relaxation of visa restrictions for Ukrainians in the eurozone.

The NABU said its investigation into allegations that the migration service took bribes to provide foreigners with Ukrainian citizenship, passports, and residency permits began in April.

NABU said it found one of the migration service's deputies was a "leader of the criminal organization" taking bribes within the agency, and she offered to arrange to provide Ukrainian passports and residency permits to an embedded special agent for about $30,000 apiece.

But when the undercover agent arrived at a scheduled November 29 meeting to provide the migration official with half the bribe money, he was arrested by officers of the Ukrainian security service, NABU said on its website, thus the operation "was disrupted."

Nauert said in the U.S. statement: "These actions appear to be part of an effort to undermine independent anticorruption institutions that the United States and others have helped support. They undermine public trust and risk eroding international support for Ukraine."

Nauert noted that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said: It serves no purpose for Ukraine to fight for its body in [the] Donbas if it loses its soul to corruption. Anticorruption institutions must be supported, resourced, and defended.

"Reflecting the choice of the people of Ukraine, the United States calls on all branches of Ukraine's government to work together cooperatively to eliminate corruption from public life," Nauert said.

"Eliminating corruption is key to achieving stability, security, and prosperity for all Ukrainians," she said.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani have discussed bilateral ties and regional security at a meeting in Tashkent.

Joint efforts against terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking were also on the agenda at the December 5 talks.

Officials said several documents were signed after the talks, including agreements on cooperation in trade, education, health care, and creation of a joint commission to enforce security along the Uzbek-Afghan border.

The documents also included deals on a new electricity line from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan and Tashkent's involvement in construction of a new railway line connecting the Afghan cities of Herat and Mazar-e Sharif.

Ghani arrived in Tashkent on December 4.

He is scheduled to visit the ancient city of Bukhara and meet with teachers and students of Bukhara State University before the end of his official visit on December 6.

Based on reporting by uz24.uz and uzdaily.com
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has signed a decree on introducing new visas allowing foreigners to stay in the Central Asian country for 30 days.

According to the decree made public by the Tourism Ministry on December 4, the cost of a tourist visa for individuals was cut from $60 to $40.

Before the decree, tourist visas were given for one week or 15 days only.

The decree also cut the number of people for so-called tourist groups from 10 people to five. Visa costs for a member of a tourist group is $15 for 15 days and $25 for 30 days.

Mirziyoev's move to allow foreigners to stay longer in Uzbekistan on one visa is one of a number of initiatives that appear aimed at opening up the tightly controlled former Soviet republic.

Mirziyoev came to power after the death of longtime autocrat Islam Karimov, which was announced in September 2016.
Spied earlier this year in the Middle East, the new Mahindra XUV500 petrol variant has now gone on sale in India. New Mahindra XUV500 petrol is offered with FWD in India (AWD will launch laer). It is priced from Rs Rs.15.49 lakhs (ex-Delhi). The Mahindra XUV500 is available in only one variant as of now  G AT.

Mahindra XUV500 is powered by a 2.2 liter, turbocharged petrol engine called the mHawk G140. This engine offers 140 bhp peak power and 320 Nm peak torque mated to 6-speed automatic transmission sourced from AISIN, Japan.

Mahindra XUV500 petrol is similar in features and design to the diesel variant. It carries a mHawk G140 logo on the fender. It boasts of static bending headlamps and projector headlamps with light guide. Interiors are done up in black and sport a host of infotainment features with a 7 touchscreen, 6 speakers, iPod, AUX-in, Bluetooth connectivity and video playback. The SUV also gets safety features such as tyre pressure monitoring system, rain sensing wipers and disc brakes on all four wheels.

Veejay Ram Nakra, Chief of Sales & Marketing  Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd , Since its launch, the XUV500 has been a trendsetter in the premium SUV segment with a great value proposition plus head-turning style and a plethora of hi-tech features. The introduction of the XUV500 G AT petrol variant will excite consumers who have been eagerly awaiting a petrol option. The G AT variant delivers impressive performance that has come to be synonymous with the XUV500.

This is a new petrol engine from Mahindra. With demand for petrol SUVs on the rise, Mahindra has plans to launch petrol variants of all their SUVs in the near future.

Key Features Of The XUV500 G Automatic Variant

 7 (18 cm) touchscreen infotainment system

 Logo projection lamp on ORVMs

 Static bending headlamps

 ESP with rollover mitigation

 Android Auto

 Emergency Call

 Fully automatic temperature control (FATC)

 Dual airbags

 ABS with EBD

 Intelligent light sensing headlamps

 Smart rain sensing wipers

 Tyre-tronics

 Cruise Control

 Push button start

 Passive keyless entry

 8-way adjustable driver seat

News Release


U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 23999 / December 4, 2017 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Dawn J. Bennett, DJB Holdings, LLC, and Bradley C. Mascho, No. 17-cv-2453 (D. Md. filed Dec. 1, 2017) SEC Files Amended Complaint Charging Financial Adviser with Aiding and Abetting Offering Fraud The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that it has charged Bradley C. Mascho, a Maryland-based financial adviser and the onetime CFO of DJB Holdings, LLC, with aiding and abetting an offering fraud involving the sale of over $20 million in convertible and promissory notes. On August 25, 2017, the SEC filed a complaint charging Dawn J. Bennett and her company, DJB Holdings, LLC, with fraud in connection with their sale of notes backed by the company. According to the complaint, Bennett repeatedly misled investors regarding the financial condition of DJB Holdings, LLC and her plan to divert millions of dollars in investor funds to personal use. The complaint also alleged that Bennett perpetuated her fraud by, among other things, lying to regulators and repaying investors with loan proceeds obtained through loan applications that substantially overstated her net worth. Today, the SEC amended its complaint to add Mascho as a defendant. The amended complaint alleges that Mascho aided and abetted Bennett's fraud by various means, including preparing false financial statements and related offering materials, lying to regulators and to his employer regarding his knowledge of and role in the sale of notes, facilitating Bennett's efforts to target his firm's brokerage customers, and attempting to disguise certain note sales by creating new, "backdated" notes as well as false affidavits misrepresenting the details of the note offering. In a parallel case, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland unsealed criminal charges against Mascho. The SEC encourages investors to check the backgrounds of people selling them investments by using the SEC's investor.gov website to identify whether they are registered professionals and to search for any disciplinary history. Seniors often are targets of investment fraud. The SEC previously issued an alert warning seniors to look out for red flags of fraud when making an investment decision. The amended complaint charges Mascho with violating Section 5(a) and (c) of the Securities Act of 1933, and with aiding and abetting Bennett and DJB Holdings, LLC's violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The SEC seeks a permanent injunction, disgorgement plus interest, and civil penalties. The SEC's investigation has been conducted by Kelly L. Gibson, Brendan P. McGlynn, Patricia A. Paw, Matthew B. Homberger, and Brian R. Higgins in the Philadelphia Regional Office. The SEC's litigation will be led by Jennifer C. Barry. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. For additional information, see Litigation Release No. 23922 (Aug. 28, 2017). SEC Complaint https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2017/lr23999.htm

Modified: 12/04/2017


Securities and Exchange Commission v. Premier Holding Corp. et al., Civil Action No. 1:17-cv-09485 (S.D.N.Y. filed December 4, 2017) Litigation Release No. 24000 / December 4, 2017 SEC Files Fraud Charges Against Microcap Company and Its CEO The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a microcap company and its CEO with conducting a fraudulent scheme to mislead investors about the company's success and prospects, hide its losses, inflate the value of its assets, and artificially prop up its stock price. The SEC's complaint, filed on December 4, 2017, alleges that Premier Holding Corp. ("Premier"), a California-based company that describes itself as a green energy services provider, and its CEO, Randall Letcavage, orchestrated a series of purportedly important transactions with related parties designed to create the false appearance of an active company with a vibrant and promising business. According to the complaint, Premier and Letcavage used these transactions to mislead investors about the financial health of the company and to hide losses in Premier's financial statements. Among other things, Premier and Letcavage assigned a high value to Premier's most significant tangible asset, a promissory note, that they knew, recklessly disregarded, or should have known was incorrect. Premier and Letcavage allegedly misled investors about the value of this promissory note in filings with the SEC in 2013 and 2014. The SEC also charged Joseph Greenblatt, a consultant who provided accounting services to Premier. According to the SEC's complaint, Greenblatt assisted Premier in preparing certain of its fraudulent financial statements, which included a valuation of the promissory note that he knew, recklessly disregarded, or should have known was inadequately supported. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that: Premier is liable for violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"), Sections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act"), and Rules 10b-5, 13a-1, 13a-11, and 13a-13 thereunder;



Letcavage is liable: (i) for violating Securities Act Section 17(a) and Exchange Act Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, Exchange Act Sections 13(a) and 13(b)(5) and Rules 13a-14 and 13b2-1 thereunder; (ii) as a control person under Exchange Act Section 20(a) for Premier's violations of the Exchange Act; and (iii) under Exchange Act Section 20(e) and Securities Act Section 15(b) for aiding and abetting Premier's violations of Securities Act Sections 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3), Exchange Act Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B), and Rules 13a-1, 13a-11, and 13a-13 thereunder; and



Greenblatt is liable: (i) for violating Exchange Act Section 13(b)(5) and Rule 13b2-1 thereunder; and (ii) under Exchange Act Section 20(e) and Securities Act Section 15(b) for aiding and abetting Premier's violations of Securities Act Sections 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3), Exchange Act Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B), and Rules 13a-1, 13a-11, and 13a-13 thereunder. The SEC complaint seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest thereon, and civil monetary penalties as to all defendants, as well as a penny stock bar and an officer-and-director bar against Letcavage. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Bennett Ellenbogen, Leslie Kazon, James Addison, and Michael Paley, members of the Microcap Fraud Task Force in the SEC's New York Regional Office. The litigation is being led by Howard Fischer and Mr. Ellenbogen. The case is being supervised by Sanjay Wadhwa. SEC Complaint https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2017/lr24000.htm

Modified: 12/05/2017


U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 24001 / December 4, 2017 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Donald E. MacCord, Jr., et al., Civil Action No. 2:17-cv-1809 (W.D. Wa., filed Dec. 4, 2017) Digital Display Advertising Firm, Executives Bilk More than $2 Million from Investors The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Seattle-area based outdoor digital signage advertising company and two of its senior executives with stealing more than $2 million from retail investors. According to the SEC's complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Digi Outdoor Media Inc.'s former chief executive officer, Donald MacCord Jr., and its chief financial officer, Shannon Doyle, raised nearly $4.5 million in promissory notes by claiming they would use investor money to construct and install digital signs for commercial advertising around Washington, D.C. Instead, the complaint alleges that MacCord and Doyle secretly diverted millions of dollars of investor money for their own personal use, including MacCord's luxury cars, $20,000 per month rent on a Southern California mansion, nanny and housekeeping services, and private school tuition for his children, while Doyle diverted several hundred thousand dollars to his other unrelated businesses. The SEC's complaint further alleges that MacCord and Doyle tried to hide their theft by creating fake invoices and sham loans to justify the money they took. They then encouraged investors to convert their promissory notes to common stock, provided forged leases to Digi's independent auditor, and filed false financial statements with the Commission in an attempt to take the company public rather than pay off their outstanding debt to their investors. The SEC's complaint charges MacCord, Doyle and Digi with violating the anti-fraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The complaint also charges MacCord and Doyle with violations of Exchange Act Rule 13b2-2. The SEC seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement of ill-gotten monetary gains plus interest and penalties, along with officer-and-director and penny stock bars. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced criminal charges against MacCord and Doyle for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, submitting false writings to a government agency, obstruction of official proceedings, and destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations, and against Doyle for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruction of official proceedings. The SEC's investigation has been conducted by Justin M. Lichterman and Michael Foley of the San Francisco Office and supervised by Tracy Davis. The litigation is being conducted by Robert Tashjian and Jason Habermeyer and supervised by Susan LaMarca. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, the FBI, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. SEC Complaint https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2017/lr24001.htm

Modified: 12/04/2017


U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 24002 /December 5, 2017 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Tom Simeo, Misc. Action No. 1:17-MC-03194 (TNM) (D.D.C. filed December 5, 2017) SEC Seeks Court Order to Compel Witness to Produce Documents and Testify in Investigation The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that it has filed a subpoena enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Tom Simeo ("Simeo"), a resident of New York, New York, for failing to comply with subpoenas to produce documents and testify in an investigation being conducted by the SEC's Division of Enforcement. As noted in the SEC's application, Simeo formerly was the Executive Chairman of a public company. According to the SEC's application and supporting papers, the SEC staff is investigating potential violations of the federal securities laws with regard to the public company. In the course of its investigation, the SEC staff issued a subpoena to Simeo on March 10, 2017, requiring the production of certain documents and communications. As stated in the SEC's supporting papers, the company's counsel had represented to the SEC staff that Simeo was the only person who might possess certain responsive documents, including communications with two members of the company's board of directors, one of whom was the company's chief financial officer. As further stated in the SEC's supporting papers, the company's counsel represented to the SEC staff that Simeo had communicated with the board members and CFO by using a social media application on his personal electronic devices. Simeo produced only two documents in response to the March 10, 2017 subpoena, neither of which are communications with the two former board members and CFO, and has asserted that he is unable to access the communications on his personal electronic devices. The SEC staff issued a second subpoena to Simeo on August 3, 2017, compelling his testimony. According to the application, although Simeo acknowledged to the SEC staff that he had been served with the subpoena and, initially, agreed to appear for testimony, he subsequently declined to testify and failed to appear on the appointed date. The SEC's application seeks an order compelling Simeo to comply with the SEC's subpoenas by producing documents and appearing for testimony. The SEC staff is continuing its fact-finding investigation and, to date, has not concluded that any individual or entity has violated the federal securities laws. https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2017/lr24002.htm

Modified: 12/05/2017
Labor unions representing thousands of city workers in Oakland said they will go on strike starting Tuesday, interrupting nearly all non-emergency services with the first major walkout in the city in four years, after negotiations came to a halt Monday.

Mayor Libby Schaaf said the strike would be unlawful because the two parties have not mutually declared an impasse. She said the city would file a labor complaint if workers walk off the job. But leaders for Service Employees International Union Local 1021 dismissed Schaafs concerns.

The mayor is incorrect, said Rob Szykowny, Local 1021s chief negotiator. Its an unfair labor practices strike, which is lawful, protected activity.

A UC Berkeley lecturer in labor law whose Alameda practice represents Local 1021 agreed with the union.

Mike Kepka/The Chronicle

A public-sector union has a right to strike in this context because I assume theres no contract in effect and they havent reached one. Thats basic public-sector law, David Rosenfeld, the lecturer, said. I dont know what the citys problem is.

Local 1021 represents Oakland librarians, street cleaners, sewer workers, parking enforcement officers and others. The union proposed Monday to bring in as an informal mediator former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown  a Chronicle columnist whos previously refereed BART labor disputes. But the city rejected that offer.

Willie Brown convened politicians on behalf of the union several months ago, Schaaf said, adding that she was disappointed in the union for planning to strike. I love Willie Brown. I have tremendous respect for him. But he does not appear to be neutral in this matter.

The union, which has been without a contract since June, agreed with the citys first-year contract proposal, which would increase wages by 4 percent, retroactive to July 1. The parties dispute what should happen next: The city has offered future salary increases tied to its revenue growth, but the union wants the city to commit to another 4 percent increase the following fiscal year.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Had the city agreed on a one-year deal or to Brown as mediator, Szykowny said, the strike would have been canceled.

Karen Boyd, a city spokeswoman, said the city hadnt gotten the opportunity to present the latest proposal to the City Council for consideration. The council is scheduled to meet Wednesday, which city officials said was the soonest legally possible time.

It baffles me, Szykowny said. All they have to do is sit in the room in good faith, and its shocking they wouldnt want to do that.

Other labor conditions  overtime, use of part-time workers, retention problems, vacancies, and health and safety concerns  are major issues that need to be addressed, according to union members. They say their peers are fleeing Oakland for better-paying but identical jobs in nearby cities.

We were able to get some really good noneconomic agreements, but when you get down to money, it really starts to get challenging, said Lauren Takeshita, an Oakland police administrative analyst and member of a sister union, which will also go on strike. Its their role to say no, which they unfortunately are doing very well. Its our role to say, Why not? and How come? and Be fair. We continue to chip away at it, and we continue to ask them to be reasonable.

Rising costs of pensions and employee health care are outpacing the citys revenue growth, Boyd said.

We cannot spend money we do not have, Schaaf said. We have to preserve basic services for Oaklanders  not just today, not just tomorrow  but for the long term.

The city gave Local 1021 its best and final offer Friday and said if any portion were rejected, the entire proposal would be considered null. Schaaf, who has been the target of much of the unions displeasure and its advertising campaign, said Monday night she was still hoping to avoid a strike.

This will have an impact on so many Oakland residents, particularly vulnerable residents, she said. We are continuing to ask labor to wait until we have an opportunity to present their offer to the City Council.

Local 1021 members overwhelmingly voted in late October to give its bargaining team the authority to call a strike. Another union, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, approved a solidarity strike. And a third, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245, said its members would not cross the picket line.

About 3,000 workers were expected to strike Tuesday starting at 7 a.m.

City Council committee meetings were canceled for the week. Nearly all nonemergency city services  child care programs, libraries, senior centers, parking enforcement, fire and building inspections, street sweeping and more  were suspended for Tuesday.

Police officers and firefighters are barred from participating in the strike, and emergency dispatchers will come to work too. The Oakland Animal Shelter and the citys website, including its online bill-collection services, will also remain open.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
Back home at Southold, first Black director aims to broaden reach

Sarah Taylor performed in "The Nutcracker" as a girl and now as a "party parent." She's trying to get more kids exposed to ballet.
This artist's illustration shows the evolution of the universe over time, starting with the Big Bang (left).

Was the universe created with a Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, or has it been expanding and contracting for eternity? A new paper, inspired by alternative explanations of the physics of black holes, explores the latter possibility, and rejects a core tenet of the Big Bang hypothesis.

The universal origin story known as the Big Bang postulates that, 13.7 billion years ago, our universe emerged from a singularity  a point of infinite density and gravity  and that before this event, space and time did not exist (which means the Big Bang took place at no place and no time).

There is ample evidence to show that the universe did undergo an early period of rapid expansion  in a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second, the universe is thought to have expanded by a factor of 1078 in volume. For one, the universe is still expanding in every direction. The farther away an object is, the faster it appears to move away from an observer, suggesting that space itself is expanding (rather than objects simply moving through space at a steady rate). [Big Bang Theory: 5 Weird Facts About the Universe's Birth]

Another key piece of evidence is the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is thought to be heat left over from this great cosmological event. It can be observed in every direction and has no single origin point. Scientists think the CMB began propagating through the universe about 380,000 years after the Big Bang, when atoms began to form and the universe became transparent, according to the European Space Agency.

However, there is no direct evidence of the original singularity. (Collecting information from that first moment of expansion is impossible with current methods.) In the new paper, Brazilian physicist Juliano Cesar Silva Neves argues that the original singularity may never have existed.

This map of the sky shows light from the cosmic microwave background (CMB), or light left over from the initial expansion of the universe. The colors indicate temperature variations in the CMB. (Image credit: NASA)

Most astronomers believe the universe began 13.8 billion years ago in a sudden explosion called the Big Bang. Other theorists have invented alternatives and extensions to this theory. [ See the full Space.com infographic here (Image credit: By Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)

"The Big Bang as the initial singularity is only a speculation," Silva Neves told Space.com. He said that "there are many observations in cosmology" that support the hypothesis that the universe went through a period of rapid expansion, but that there is no direct evidence that this expansion started with a singularity.

In a paper published Aug. 29 in the journal General Relativity and Gravitation, Silva Neves, a researcher at the Mathematics, Statistics & Scientific Computation Institute (IMECC-UNICAMP) of the University of Campinas, in Brazil, proposes an alternative cosmological model that does away with the necessity of this original singularity. His model includes a concept known as bouncing cosmology.

The concept first appeared at least 40 years ago, and it agrees that the universe is expanding, but does not assume that the universe came into being when that expansion started and the universe was infinitely small. Instead, it proposes that the universe is eternally undergoing a cycle of contraction and expansion. These alternating phases smoothly follow each other like the phases of the tide. (Bouncing cosmology models are variations on Albert Einsteins proposed cyclic cosmology model.)

Silva Neves combines this concept with alternative theories of the physics of black holes. Similar to the original singularity from which the universe emerged, black holes are believed to have a point of infinite density in their center. But while a point of "infinite" mass can exist easily on paper, scientists have always struggled with how such a thing could exist in reality. And general relativity suggests that the normal laws of physics break down inside a singularity, and thus it offers little guidance to resolve this conundrum.

In a 1968 paper, physicist James Bardeen proposed a concept of the so-called regular black hole  that is a black hole without a singularity in the middle. Such a black hole is mathematically possible if its mass is not constant, but rather depends on the distance to its center.

Silva Neves said his "cosmological model was built from studies in regular black holes," and avoids the need for a singularity in both black holes and the beginning of universal expansion. He notes, however, that this is still purely hypothetical.

"There is no empirical evidence for bouncing cosmologies today," he said. "But there is no evidence for the initial singularity as well."

Silva Neves said that if indeed the universe is infinite, it might be possible to find what he calls "vestiges of the previous phases"  remnants and leftovers of the previous cosmic contraction and expansion period.

"Black holes or gravitational waves from the previous phase may be present today," he said. (Gravitational waves are ripples in the universal fabric of spacetime; they were directly detected for the first time in 2015.)

According to astrophysicist Gonzalo Olmo from the University of Valencia, in Spain, Silva Neves model is mathematically feasible; however, it might not be supported by some accepted scientific observations.

"To mathematically implement this black hole trick in a cosmological model implies going from a homogeneous universe where all spatial points have identical properties to inhomogeneous models," Olmo told Space.com.

"Observations of the cosmic microwave background indicate a high degree of homogeneity in the early universe and it is unclear how this inhomogeneous model could yield a homogeneous universe like the one we observe."

That, however, doesn't mean that another bouncing cosmology model could not get it right in the future, Olmo said.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
O ne of the UKs best-known asset managers is urging shareholders to vote down Cineworlds reverse takeover of the Regal Entertainment Company.

Jupiter Asset Managements Alastair Gunn is dead set against the deal, which would catapult the UK-listed cinemas group into the number two spot in the world behind Odeon owner AMC.

He said: [Cineworld is] diluting all our growth to put a large amount of money into the most mature market in the world with tired assets.

We are turning a dynamic business with a rock-solid balance sheet into one that is low growth and highly leveraged.

Following the deal, Cineworld will operate in 10 countries across Europe and the US with over 9500 screens giving it significant negotiating power with the big Hollywood studios.

The takeover comes amid a wave of consolidation in cinemas, following years of falling audiences and the advent of streaming services like Netflix.

Cineworld will pay 2.7 billion for the US chain, or $23 a share, raising the money through a mammoth 1.7 billion rights issue. The shares plunged more than 20% last week when the deal was revealed.

Global City Holdings, the Greidinger family, which owns 28% of Cineworld has already said it will take up its full rights, with the backing of an unnamed sovereign wealth fund.

However, investors point out that the US owners of Regal want cash, which suggests they see no remaining upside for the business.
I t marks the end of a year that was supposed to see Angela Merkels coronation as a fourth-term Chancellor. Instead, it has produced a protracted negotiation, from which the best outcome is the one that neither side really wanted: a continuation of a grand coalition, with all the joy of a shotgun wedding.

The outcome of this on-off matchmaking has implications for Britains post-Brexit relationship with Berlin and Europe as Germans contemplate a future in which Merkel remains in power after 12 years but on terms less commanding than her previous domination.

Germanys Social Democrats meet for a special conference this week sorely divided at the prospect of another stint under Merkel. She is weakened by a disappointing election result, the rise of the far-Right AfD and the failure to forge a broad-spectrum Jamaica coalition.

Martin Schulz, the leader of the Social Democrats, has his own woes. He is the latest in a line of leaders to preside over the decline of the centre-Left party, having brought home a lamentable result in the autumn election. Bad temper and inexperience moved him to rule out a coalition straight after the election. But the German system dislikes instability and the appetite for new elections is low. So the hapless Schulz is being prodded into talks about the very alliance he disdained a couple of months ago.

Both leaders face grass roots disillusioned with their leadership. The Chancellors party is Merkel-mude suffering from Merkel fatigue. It hangs on to her because she has delivered the top job and because the road to her succession looks too disruptive to contemplate  for now.

In the old East Germany I am struck by how quickly former loyalists talk of the need to think of life after Merkel

Travelling through the old East Germany I am struck by how quickly former loyalists talk of the need to think of life after Merkel. One of the clearest mainstream voices dissenting from a new alliance with the Chancellor is Manuela Schwesig, the tough, photogenic SPD Minister President in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a rising star in the opposition and devoid of Merkel-worship. I dont admire her because she fudges so many difficult questions, she told me recently, adding that she didnt consider the Chancellor a feminist.

If the Germany Merkel projects is inclusive, stable and moderate, the country Schwesig portrays suffers too much child poverty, too many short-contract jobs and no more spending on health, schools and social care.

Schwesig (who clearly covets the SPD leadership) and her allies are seeking to address the concerns of those who feel squeezed out of prosperity and tempted to vote for the far-Left or the far-Right AfD. There can, she says, be no more business as usual with Merkel.

Even allowing for pre-coalition big talk, the concessions Merkel has to offer her partners will be more substantial. Even her close allies accept that the rise of the AfD is in great part a result of anxieties about the integration of refugees.

The East is not the only part of Germany where political opinions are diverging. Losses to the AfD have caused upheaval in the Christian Socialists, Merkels sister party, resulting yesterday in a shake-up that saw Markus Soder become state president of Bavaria. Sharp-tongued and self-deprecating, Soder poses for cheeky selfies in lederhosen and seeks to give momentum to a party outgunned by the AfD on the right. The likely result is more pressure on Merkel over her handling of immigration and refugee policy.

German politics are becoming scrappier and less obviously in hock to the joys of Mutti. At the same time she remains the figure with the votes (nearly 12 per cent ahead of the SPD) and authority to stitch a coalition together.

The underlying purpose is to defeat the cynical appeal of the AfD as voters figure out that its mixture of dog-whistle nastiness about refugees and immigrants with its hand-me-down revanchism is a shoddy offer. Still, a viable coalition needs glue, beyond merely the hope of defeating a populist insurgency.

One figure that matters is Emmanuel Macron. The French President has been instrumental in prodding Schulz to return to the bargaining table in pursuit of a reinvigorated European vision.

The Macron-Merkel alliance has, if anything, been strengthened by her difficulties because, as one former aide observes, hardly anyone in Europe gets to do Angela Merkel a favour. The wily Macron has the chance to provide one in return for pressing Berlin to take more seriously his plan for reform of the European Union.

The French offer, whispers an adviser to Merkel on foreign affairs, resembles a lot of very rich courses, served in a bit of hurry. It aims, inter alia, to consolidate budgets, expand military and security co-operation and harmonise tax rates and market access between the two countries. The selection Merkel makes from that crowded menu will signal the direction of the EU. It will also influence the arrangements Britain will get in practice in return for a hefty EU divorce fee (the short answer being: probably not such frictionless trade as optimists eyeing up a deal in Brussels this week like to imagine).

For all the bravado talk in Germany about Brexit being a regrettable irrelevance, the Europe that emerges during Merkels final stint in power will need better ways to deal with a Britain on the fringes of institutional Europe. The current stance of leaving the talks to Brussels cant be sustained for much longer. One reason May should hope that a coalition in Berlin happens before the end of the year is that she is more likely to engage Merkels attention to conclude early negotiations faster once the German leader is back to her day job.

It will require BMW-level engineering precision to create a smooth coalition from a messy start. However reduced the Chancellors appeal, 60 per cent of Germans polled this week would rather see her doling out the EU summit handshakes than anyone else. But the coalition saga is an early indication that the road to life after Merkel is bumpy terrain  not just for Germans.
I nvisible for two decades, the Irish border is back in the news, poisoning relations throughout these islands and threatening to wreck Theresa Mays negotiations over Brexit. The Prime Ministers shambolic lunch with Jean-Claude Juncker yesterday has made matters worse, deepening suspicions in all directions and making agreement more elusive.

At the heart of the problem is the contradiction between Mays promise to keep the border open and her determination to take the UK out of the customs union and the single market after Brexit. Dublin wants to know how she will square that circle before agreeing to move on to the next phase of the Brexit talks.

That deal on the table yesterday promised to continue regulatory alignment between the two parts of Ireland even if the UK leaves the EU with no deal. The DUP saw this as a threat of divergence between Northern Ireland and Britain that could weaken the Union and become a slippery slope to a United Ireland.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, whose party, Fine Gael, is fiercely hostile to Sinn Fein and its irredentist agenda, protests that Dublin has no hidden agenda to engineer a United Ireland by stealth. The irony is, however, that Brexit has made a United Ireland more likely, putting the national question back on the agenda in Ireland for the first time in decades.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement has been sustained by a kind of constructive ambiguity that has allowed each community in Northern Ireland to interpret it in their own way.

Northern Irish citizens can be British or Irish or both, a concept that made little difference as long as the UK and Ireland were in the EU.

Brexit has cast a harsh light on that ambiguity, forcing the people of Northern Ireland into being British or European.

A majority in Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU, but Brexit means that to choose to be European is to choose to move closer to the rest of Ireland.

Mays decision to leave the single market and the customs union has made that choice inescapable.

To avoid a hard border, Northern Ireland must choose Irelands regulatory regime over Britains, creating an all-island economy if not a United Ireland. The alternative could be worse: the return of a border that divides communities, disrupts trade and becomes a focus for violent discontent.

When Brexit-backing Conservatives such as Jacob Rees-Mogg and Iain Duncan Smith line up to proclaim their unionist credentials in the next few days, they might reflect on the fact that their other passion, leaving the EU, may be propelling Ireland towards a union of its own.
O f all the rumbling divides in British life one of the sorest and deepest always remains over private versus state education. Having run the gamut of our nations school system its a subject on which I have as strong opinions as anyone. So when a public school recently asked me to address its sixth form I said yes, partly because it said pupils from a local state school with whom it was in partnership would also attend the talk.

For any author, such events are worth a hundred book festivals. You get to learn what the next generation are preoccupied by, what their presumptions are and discover what you have lived through that has already become as ancient as Ethelred.

But on the day itself I turned up to the campus of the private school to find that there had been a boycott from the sister school. Apparently the teachers at the state school had decided that due to the diversity of their pupils and the famous trickiness of my specialisms it could prove upsetting for them to have the opportunity even to ask questions of me.

The event went ahead. The private school pupils behaved beautifully and demonstrated considerable intellectual curiosity. Some were about to embark on Oxbridge entrance exams and got a good bit of verbal jousting when one of their most Left-wing teachers gently tried to savage me and then gamely allowed me to eat him alive in front of his thrilled pupils. Neither human nor animal lives were lost. All great experience was how one of their delighted teachers summed it up afterwards. Except that it was an experience which only the most privileged section of society  the section that arguably needed it least  was able to participate in.

Though its hardly imperative that pupils hear from me, they should certainly hear the widest range of opinions from as wide a range of people as are willing to give up a morning to address them. Not just because hearing the widest range of opinion is the only way to come to your own opinions and the only route to any kind of truth but because it is the only plausible preparation for the life beyond the school gates.

I suppose the state-school teachers thought they were protecting their pupils. They werent. They were hobbling them at the very start of a long and already uneven race.

Blame it on karma if Lily Allens homeless at Christmas

Anthony Harvey/Getty Images

Lily Allen has announced on Twitter that she may be homeless for Christmas. In what must count as a humblebrag, the hereditary celebrity has announced that her tenants wont leave her flat because they cant find anywhere else up to their standards.

Now the tenants are apparently claiming diplomatic immunity. Ms Allen is unimpressed. Perhaps she should accept it as karma.

During the migration crisis Allen was one of those celebrities who lectured governments while insisting 100 per cent that she would take in a migrant. Yet as far as Im aware no migrants were accepted into any of the Allen households.

Like many other people I have infinite admiration for people who practise what they preach but unending contempt for those who morally preen when the world is watching then sneak out of their promises when it has turned away.

Insulting Trump is an own goal

It seems likely that London will be the only European capital Donald Trump hasnt visited. In July he appeared in Paris with considerable bonhomie (not to mention the French military rendition of Daft Punk that still feels as though it was concocted by a Francophobe). He has visited Germany and Poland.

Only in Britain has a noisy group decided to insult the American President until he stays away.

Im no fan of his tweets, but the hysteria and hypocrisy are too much.

Foreign leaders have to be able to come to Britain. And of course people should be free to protest.

The third version of Donald Trump's controversial travel ban has been backed by the Supreme Court / Getty Images

But why should the American Presidents Twitter crimes stir up more outrage than the human rights abuses of the Chinese Communist Party or the House of Saud (to give just two examples)?

It is striking that those who most virulently insult the President are also those most opposed to Brexit. Is their aim to stoke him into abandoning any special treatment in Britain so that they can say: You see. We are all alone in the world.

What a great victory that will be.

No rush to commute around LA

An advert has gone up in some Tube stations asking How different would your commute be in Los Angeles?

Having just returned from LA I can only assume that this ad was arranged by TfL.

With its absent infrastructure and hideous traffic, LA is the only city apart from Cairo where Ive hankered for a crowded Northern line train at rush hour.
P oliticians are prisoners of the choices they make. The humiliation of the Prime Minister in Brussels yesterday, forced in front of the world to turn around and go home because she did not have the authority to sign a deal on behalf of her country, was not the fault of the EU, or caused by the intransigence of the Irish, or because the DUP were unreasonable.

It was a direct consequence of decisions made by Mrs May and her government last year.

The British people were asked only one question in the referendum: should the UK remain a member of the EU or leave the EU?

It was Mrs Mays government that chose to interpret the result as a decision to leave not only the European Union but the single market and the customs union too. They are not synonymous.

Norway is in the single market, and Turkey is in the customs union, but neither are members of the European Union.

Of course, there is a price to be paid if you are part of the single market or customs union but not in the EU. You have less influence over regulations that affect your country and its businesses.

Yet the likes of Norway and Turkey, and Switzerland through bilateral agreement, are proud of their sovereignty but believe it is a price worth paying for the frictionless access you get to the European market.

Our Government, with no detailed analysis, or any careful weighing of the options, simply asserted that it was not a price worth paying.

It told us being outside the single market gave us the chance to cut red tape, and that leaving the customs union meant we could strike trade deals with the rest of the world.

Never mind that every idea from the Government since the vote has been for more red tape, and no trade deal being suggested  even if passed  can make good the loss of trade with Europe.

Border

What the Government didnt tell us was that this approach inevitably meant a hard border with the Irish Republic, because the two countries on either side of it would have different regulations.

Ireland, which now has a veto over Britains future thanks to Brexit, said no. To square the circle, Downing Street came up with what Baldrick might call a cunning plan whereby Northern Ireland would have regulatory alignment with the south and the EU  even if the rest of the UK would not.

Decisions affecting Belfast would be taken in Dublin and Brussels, not London. Over time this would (as Denis Staunton of the Irish Times writes opposite) lead to an all-island economy, and make a United Ireland more likely.

The irony that the Brexiteers might be doing more to advance the cause of Irish nationalism than OConnell, Parnell and Gerry Adams was not lost on the DUP. So Ulster said no.

You might have thought the PM would have checked with the faction that is keeping her in power before offering her plan to the EU. Clearly not; hence the fiasco yesterday. So what next?

Today Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who commands far more authority among Tories than Mrs May, pointed out the obvious. We have to keep the Irish border open. That means keeping the rules that apply on each side of it broadly the same.

But we cant countenance, in her words, a Northern Ireland-only deal which compromises the political, economic or constitutional integrity of the UK.

So logic suggests that regulatory alignment with the EU must be on a UK-wide basis.

In short, although Mrs Davidson wont say so, Britain should stay in the customs union and perhaps the single market.

Whether its a formal arrangement, or a hybrid one like Switzerland, well see.

Labour has come to the same conclusion. And, as the Evening Standard noted the day after the general election, the lost majority means Mrs May doesnt have the votes to resist.

So well leave the EU but largely abide by EU rules that we no longer help write.

Once again, Ireland has taught us some home truths about the decisions our politicians make.
T he volcano rumbling on in Bali has again begun spewing out greyish-white plumes of ash, continuing a weeks-long period of activity.

Mount Agung had calmed down in recent days and was emitting jets of steam, before Friday brought a return to the ash cloud that continues today.

The ash was shot as high as 1.3 miles into the air, the Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

The volcano, which is capable of very violent eruptions, has shown a marked increase in activity in the last few weeks, stoking fears of a repeat of an eruption in 1963 that killed more than 1,000 people.

This blog is currently paused, but check back soon for the latest updates from Bali.
L ast year saw Londoners glued to their laptops, watching all the royal drama unfold in Netflix's The Crown.

Claire Foy and Matt Smith are reprising their roles as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on the streaming service later this week and to celebrate the arrival of season two of the royal odyssey, mobile network Three is launching a 'Borrow My Corgi' service on Friday, which will give fans of the show the opportunity to binge watch The Crown as Her Majesty would: on the couch with a corgi (and gin, obviously).

All the corgis of London will be allocated to puppy-loving Londoners via email ballot between December 8 and December 10. If you manage to secure a pup for the day, an extremely photogenic fluffy beast will be hand delivered to your door by a special regal butler. Best part? It's all yours for the duration of an entire episode (roughly 1 hour).

If borrowing (and possibly stealing) a dog for the day sounds likes the best thing in the entire universe, email borrowmycorgi@cowpr.com and tell them which part of London you live in and what day you'd like your corgi to arrive. It's as simple as that.

We don't know about you, but we've created a load of fake email addresses to double our chances of getting one.

Good luck.

The 'Borrow My Corgi' email ballot is open now until 5pm on December 7
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a serious depression that affects a small minority of the population.

But changing seasons and darker days affect most people's behaviour, including our cell phone activity.

Psychologists say there are a few simple ways to help maintain mental health in the winter.

The idea that our mood might darken in the dark winter days has been around for millennia.

The coldest months of the year were a terrible time for the Greek Gods: Persephone was banished to the underworld every winter, while Boreas ushered in the cool winter winds and his nasty temper. Later, Shakespeare wrote, "a sad tales best for winter."

Well, bring on the sad tales, because were barreling towards the darkest day of the year. On December 21, people in New York will get just over 9 hours 15 minutes of sun, while in Anchorage, Alaska therell be fewer than 5 and a half hours.

A correlation between lower latitudes and less seasonal sadness

Emanuel Hahn/Unsplash

The idea that darker days could make a portion of the population susceptible to depression wasnt picked up by modern clinicians until the 1980s, when South African psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal moved to the US and noticed a change in his mood during the New York winters.

He wondered whether he felt more glum and low-energy because the days were darker than in his home city of Johannesburg.

Rosenthal put the question to the masses in the Washington Post in 1981, saying he wanted to hear from anyone who felt sad in the wintertime and had "gone through enough cycles to know that this is going to happen again."

The results of his subsequent telephone surveys were conclusive  he found a clear correlation between lower latitudes and sunnier dispositions. Only about 1% of people living in Florida reported experiencing sadness, Rosenthal found, while nearly 10% of those in dark corners of the country like Alaska and New Hampshire said they were feeling down.

Rosenthal also found that women between the ages of 20 and 40 were twice as likely to have SAD compared to men, and suggested the hormones estrogen and progesterone may have an impact.

His new term for this seasonally-linked depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), was first included in the 'DSM'  the go-to-guide for psychologists and mental health experts  in 1987.

According to the DSM, people who have SAD are excessively fatigued, lose interest in their hobbies, tend to crave more starches and sweets, may gain seasonal weight, and have difficulty concentrating during darker months.

If you suspect you have this type of depression, it's best to see a professional  dont try to diagnose it on your own.

20 travel Instagrams you should follow now 1 /25 20 travel Instagrams you should follow now Cole Rise Cole is a talented photographer and self-style "escape artist". His photos of faraway lands will get your wanderlust going in no time. Jared Chambers If you love a great view, this Instagram is for you. Classic American vistas and magazine-perfect shots. Le Postcard Wondering what the jetsetting crowd are up to? We're not going to lie - it's pretty fabulous. Paris in Four Months Carin Olsson moved to Paris for four months, but ended up staying permanently. Her blog is a love letter to the city with a dash of high fashion thrown in for good measure. Expert Vagabond With a dash of adrenaline and a lot of colour, Matthew Karsten's blog is endlessly entertaining. A Girl Who Travels Thinking about traveling on your own? Marta's solo jaunts around Europe and elsewhere are proof that it can be pretty amazing. Kimi Juan These faded, beachy pictures are sure to get you dreaming about long summer days. Hirozzz Edgy and intense, Japanese photographer Hiroaki Fukuda has a unique view on urban travel. This Wild Idea An absolutely addictive blog for travel and animal lovers alike. Theron Humphrey and his dog Maddie road trip it around the States. Lonely Planet You can't go wrong with the foremost authority on travel. See the world (if only through your screen) with these amazing photos. A Lady in London Although based in London, this popular blogger travels wide and often, making for an envy-inducing Instagram feed. Chris Burkard One for those active, outdoorsy types. Chris's Instagram features mother nature at her finest. Passion Passport This Instagram features photos taken by a community of travelers and photographers around the world. The ultimate in travel porn. Foster Huntington Follow Foster's adventures as he travels around the United States in his camper van. Lvis.Ca Luis Cardenas is a Mexican photographer who documents the everyday life and beauty of his country. Great for anyone thinking of going to Central or South America. Dear Leila This London-based photographer's Instagram is part travel and part lifestyle, but beautiful the whole way through. Features lovely photos of our fair city, along with pictures of Leila's European travels. Matthias J Barker Haunting, dramatic photos for the would-be hiker. Elle Croft You'll enjoy this London-based writer's lifestyle photos as much as her travel shots. Elle's energy and enthusiasm make her easily relatable. Lucy Laucht Beautifully styled holiday inspo from this travel photographer with an eye for detail.

But is SAD a real thing?

Recently there's been some debate about whether 'SAD' deserves its place among other disorders. Psychologist Steven LoBello published a study of nearly 35,000 Americans in 2016 that found no variation in their depression that could be explained by latitudes or seasonal changes.

"The belief that winter is a cause of depression, sadness, 'the blues' is very widespread in western culture," LoBello told Business Insider. But just because we believe we have SAD, he said, doesn't mean we really do.

LoBello's study, however, didn't rule out the possibility that major depression with seasonal variation exists for a very small portion of the population.

Thats an assessment other clinicians largely agree with. Kelly Rohan, who studies adult mood disorders and SAD therapies at the University of Vermont, said estimates that up to 10% of people in places like Alaska have SAD are likely due to overstated self-reports. The real number of people with SAD is probably between 1-2%, she said.

"It's going to be a pretty pervasive mood state that is going to affect the person for four to five months of the year, Rohan told Business Insider. Its not going to wax and wane depending on whats going on at work.

What you can do about SAD

There are at least three ways that people whove been diagnosed with SAD can combat the problem.

Light therapy boxes

Artificially adding some bright light to the dark days via a light therapy box (some people call these 'happy lamps' or phototherapy boxes) can help  when used regularly and as prescribed. The

boxes are meant to mimic natural, outdoor light, and researchers believe they can cause some chemical shifts in a depressed brain. Most emit more than 10,000 lux (for comparison, a typical house lamp emits around 50-80 lux, and office lights about 500 lux.)

Good light therapy boxes are designed to filter out damaging UV light, however, these are not FDA-regulated so it can be tricky to find a reliable one.

The bulbs, which are usually white florescent and may carry the full spectrum of light, can come with side effects like mild sunburns, eye strain, and migraines. On the more serious side, some research has suggested the lights can increase thoughts of suicide, or trigger mania.

The Mayo Clinic says they should be used in the morning, and patients should spend around a half hour of time in front of their lights after waking up. But again, it's not a device that should be self-prescribed.

"Just because you can walk into Costco and buy one doesnt mean that you should," Rohan said.

Drugs

Because SAD is a form of depression, antidepressants that increase serotonin in the brain and pharmaceuticals that treat major depressive disorders  particularly Bupropion, or Wellbutrin XL  have also been shown to work.

Joshua Ness/Unsplash

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CBT is a form of talk therapy that's meant to change a person's patterns of doing and thinking. Rohan said that with the approach,"we're working with a person to identify negative thought patterns and habits" and then break them.

For example: If the person is having the repetitive thought of  I hate winter, we might change that to I prefer summer to winter, which is more of a neutral thought, she said.

Unlike light therapy, which is palliative (you have to keep doing it to reap the benefits) CBT can have a lasting effect from year to year, so the treatment is more of a long-term solution, Rohan said. Startups in Silicon Valley are working to bring this kind of talk therapy to the masses with inexpensive texting apps and chatbots.

What to do about winter blues, even if you don't have SAD

Most people feel a little down in the winter months  it's a time of year when depression rates spike (though suicides dont). Some clinicians refer to this sub-syndromal kind of doldrum as 'S-SAD.'

And theres no doubt that seasonal changes impact on our routines. A November 2017 study studied cell phone use data from a million people living in densely packed, artificially lit European cities. The researchers found that people were up and on the phone well past 11 or 11:30 p.m. in the summer months, while in the winter, they stopped gabbing by 10:30.

Here are some things that can help.

Drew Coffman/Unsplash

Go for a walk first thing in the morning, just after the sunrise.

Light therapy is based on the theory that the biological clock becomes sluggish in the wintertime due to later dawns, Rohan said.

With a morning walk, youre getting aerobic exercise (always helpful for mental health) while the light is jump-starting your circadian clock.

Dont shift your routine to the couch.

The fact that it's dark and cold at the end of a work day isn't a good reason to ditch your gym routine. Keep staying active, and if you enjoy winter sports, bundle up and get out there.

Make an effort not to change your activity level too much.

During the darker months, continue seeing people, making dates with friends, and keeping appointments. The Swedes deal with their 24-hour dark days by celebrating 'mys': their annual winter tradition of getting cosy, relaxing with friends, and eating delicious food.
Meghan Markle is pretty well travelled. In fact, pre-Harry she spent the time she wasnt filming Suits, jetting around the world and sharing her travel tips on her now defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig.

Despite being snap happy in the likes of Tulum, Montreal and New York though, one look through her (also now-defunct) Instagram and its obvious she has a real thing for Europe. Over the last three years shes ticked off countless cities, beaches and islands in our neighbouring countries.

From Ibiza to Capri, Hydra to Madrid - here are the Meghan-approved destinations that are worth booking for 2019.

Ibiza and Formentera, The Balearic Islands

Girls trip to Ibiza anyone? / Instagram/Meghan Markle

Ibiza is a paradoxical island. On one side (literally) you have a party animal's paradise - some of the most extravagant clubs this side of the hemisphere and world renowned DJs that fly in weekly - and on the other a chiller's haven. Lush beaches, yoga retreats, unspoilt rolling hills dotted with olive trees and hilltop villages.

For those that arent partiers - avoiding July and August is wise. The shoulder months will provide fewer crowds, less traffic, the opportunity to get bookings at sought after lunch spots as well as more forgiving temperatures.

Split your time between between Ibiza and Spains smallest Balearic island, Formentera. Every-supermodel-ever approved, rent bikes and ride around the island. Stop when you fancy a dip in the neon turquoise waters or for lunch at one of the luxe beach clubs where ice cold rose magnums are de rigueur. Gecko Club or Beso Beach are good options.

Come evening you can get a 40 minute ferry back to Ibiza in time for tapas.

The top beaches on Ibiza included Cala Moli, Cala Mastella and Benirras. Situated in a pebbly cove, Cala Moli offers great snorkeling opportunities with its crystal clear water. You're much more likely to be joined by locals rather than tourists which is never a bad thing.

Cala Mastella is a small, picturesque beach and although secluded, it does get busy so make sure to get there early. The restaurant on the beach, El Bigotes, offers whats widely regarded as the best fish stew on the island but book well in advance.

If youre looking for something a little different, venture to Benirras on a Sunday and watch the sunset to the sound of hippie drums.

Positano, Italy

Meghan with one of her best friends, Jessica Mulroney in Italy / Instagram/Meghan Markle

Situated on the Amalfi Coast, this small fishing village is located just one and a half hours from Naples but feels like a different world with its pretty pastel houses that cascade down cliff rocks towards the sea. Its so photogenic, the mayor of Positano actually introduced a 1,000 photography fee for all advertising or commercial property this year due to high demand.

Once a town that rivalled Capri as a destination for the jet-set, it still enjoys visits from silver screen veterans and remains the most expensive town in the region. The jack-pot booking? A night in the world-famous Le Sirenuse where Meghan, Sienna Miller and Reese Witherspoon have all stayed.

A family-run hotel, the ox-blood red villa was the family's holiday house before they converted it into a luxury hotel during the 1950s.

Each room offers a balcony to look out over the ocean, theres a Michelin starred restaurant with an oyster bar and of course a private pool for those who dont want to schlep back up a hill after the beach.

Perhaps the best thing about the property though is its ability to provide quiet luxury. It has all the frills without any of the pretension.

Capri, Italy

Meghan, a self-described foodie, eating the local cuisine in Capri / Instagram/Meghan Markle

Another Amalfi hotspot, Capri is a small island located 40 minutes by boat from Naples. Regarded by many as Italys Rivera on the rocks, its long been a magnet for the rich and famous.

As predicted theres a slew of luxury hotels (Capri Palace, Grand Hotel Quisisana and JK Place to name a few) as well as excellent restaurants and pristine white beaches.

The island is in fact just four miles long but there are plenty of walks for keen hikers (not all vertically up a limestone crag) as well as two towns.

Capri Town is where to go to watch yachts, impeccably dressed women swan about in Melissa Odabash cover-ups and dine on just-out-of-the-sea fresh shellfish.

If you want less-razz more-rustic though head to Anacapri where most of the islands population lives and farms. Its just a 15 minute bus ride between the two.

Madrid, Spain

Meghan with friends in Madrid / Instagram/Meghan Markle

Madrids a city where youll find people queuing to see Goya masterpieces as well as crowds dancing away at festivals set in dreamlike fairgrounds.

Youll enjoy Michelin-starred dining as well as some of the worlds best backstreet tapas.

You can opt for bars on the strip where theyll serve you goblets of G&T before you hit a club or while away an evening at a neighbourhood wine bar where the Spanish elite sip white rioja.

This really is where to go if you want both heavyweight culture as well as blow-out fun.

If you want to do all of the sites, stay centrally at somewhere like Gran Melia Palacio de los Duques. Within walking distance of all the main attractions, the hotel itself is worth touring. Velazquez reproductions line the walls, one of the citys most celebrated restaurants, Dos Cielos, is on the same site and theres a rooftop thatll give you unrivalled views across the city.

For those who want to go a little more rogue, the Malasana neighbourhood is essentially the Hackney of Madrid. Independent hotels and Airbnbs galore, by day you can drink craft beer, visit independent bookshops and boutiques and dance to live music come evening. This is the laid back option.

Hydra, Greece

Meghan looks diving in this maxi white dress in Greece / Instagram/Meghan Markle

Meghan previously wrote about her experience of Hydra on The Tig after she planned her friends hen party there back in 2016.

Why here? The thought of running around a city trying to get into clubs and wearing headbands of the phallic persuasion didnt seem very on brand for us, I opted instead to woo the bride-to-be with a more low-key stagette, she wrote.

Low-key indeed, Hydra is one of the lesser-known Greek Islands and a haven of relaxation. Here its about the three pillars of a great summer escape. Good food, reliable weather and the feeling of being away from it.

A two hour ferry from Athens, the Saronic island is fringed with stoney enclaves and aqua waters. Its an island of two seasons - sometimes its home to royalty and celebs alike (Sophia Loren holidayed here) and sometimes just to locals.

With no wheeled vehicles allowed (not even bikes) or street names, it's about as traditional as you can get.

Explore though and you will find excellent food. Ask around and youll either be told about the secret luxe hotel on the far side of the island or invited by a local to rent their upper apartment. This is proper island life and it couldnt sound more idyllic.
E ight members of a 1 million drugs gang who used secret compartments in cars to flood the market with cocaine have been jailed for more than 44 years.

The gang equipped vehicles with storage areas hidden behind panels in the dashboard and boot, each capable of holding up to 15kgs of cocaine, to distribute across London and the south-west on an industrial scale.

The National Crime Agency and the Met smashed the plot in April after seeing Admir Simeqi, 41, distributing bags of cocaine to three fellow couriers in a shopping centre car park in Brentford.

Officers who had been watching the gang for two months then swooped on ringleader, Albanian Lulezim Zefi, 36, as he met with lieutenants Valon Bajgora, 34, and Valentin Malocaj, 36, at a restaurant in West Hampstead.

The National Crime Agency and the Met smashed the plot in April

Kingston crown court heard cocaine with a street value of 720,000 - including 4kgs still hidden in a hydraulically-sealed compartment in the boot of Simeqis car  was seized along with 110,000 in cash.

Simeqi showed officers how the secret compartments could only be opened by attaching a USB cable and pressing a combination of buttons simultaneously.

The secret compartments could only be opened by attaching a USB cable and pressing a combination of buttons

Bajgoras fingerprints were also found on 212,000 hidden in a Macedonian-registered lorry as it entered Dover in April, while Zefi had been seen handing over 153,000 in cash to Kamel Safieddine, 46, at Bajgoras flat in Kilburn.

At court on Friday, Zefi was jailed for 12 years, Malocaj was sentenced to eight years behind bars,

Couriers Ramadan Doci, 26, and Gergi Marku, 25, were both jailed for six years and Simeqi was sentenced to six years and nine months.

Admir Simeqi, 41, was witnessed by investigators distributing bags of cocaine to three fellow couriers

Bajgora and Admir Bici, another courier, were both jailed for two years and eight months, and Safieddine was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Matt McMillan, from the Met and the NCAs Organised Crime Partnership, said the operation had made a significant dent in a criminal network, which was plotting the wholesale distribution of cocaine on an industrial scale.

Zefi, of Uxbridge, and Marku, from Primrose Hill, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and money laundering.

Doci, of no fixed address; Malocaj, of Colindale; and Simeqi, from Bristol, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Bici, of no fixed address, admitted being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, Safieddine, of Marylebone, pleaded guilty to money laundering, and Bajgora, who lives in Camden, admitted money laundering and escaping lawful custody.
T his is the first picture of a father and daughter murdered in a double killing at a home in south-east London.

The bodies of Marie Brown, 41, and Noel Brown, 69, were found when police officers forced their way into Mr Browns Deptford flat in the early hours of Monday after a tip-off.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 2.45am.

Ms Brown, who lived in Peckham, is believed to have worked as a creche leader at a primary school in Nunhead.

Marie Brown lived in Peckham / Met Police

A close family friend paid tribute to the murdered pair, describing them as a lovely, caring family.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said Ms Brown had two daughters, one with autism, aged nine, and another aged 18.

Scotland Yard have not confirmed the injuries the pair suffered that led to the deaths.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, leading the investigation, said: I am asking the public to assist police by providing information relating to those coming and going from the New Butt Lane address.

Noel Brown, from Deptford / Met Police

Noel Brown had a significant routine and at this stage it appears that he was not seen after Thursday, November 30.

"I would like to hear from anyone who either saw Noel in the week leading up to his death, or who has information concerning anyone who visited him at home.

Similarly, anyone who can provide information concerning the movements of Marie Brown is asked to call our incident room.

No matter how insignificant or small a detail it may seem, any information will assist my team in piecing together the events leading up to this tragic incident.

Next of kin have been informed and post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course.

A police cordon remained in place around the crime scene on Tuesday as detectives trawled for clues. No arrests have been made.

If you have any information that will assist the investigation, please call the incident room on 020 8721 4205 or 101. Alternatively call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or tweet @MetCC.
A rmed police stormed a flat and arrested a man during a counter-terror operation in south-east London, witnesses said.

Counter-terror officers detained a 21-year-old man at an address in Woolwich on Tuesday afternoon, Scotland Yard said.

Police confirmed a 27-year-old woman had also been arrested as part of the same investigation when she was stopped by police in a vehicle in a nearby street.

Witnesses described hearing a loud bang and seeing a large armed police presence outside a block of flats near to Edge Hill.

One man, who asked not to be named, said that police officers smashed in the door of a flat at around midday. He said he heard a loud bang followed by three smaller ones from the flat opposite to his home at 12.30pm.

Witnesses said they saw police officers near to Sandy Hill and Edge Hill in Woolwich / Google Maps

The witness said: We went to the back window and saw 10 to 15 heavily armed police officers... had smashed in the door of a flat opposite.

They were inside for a few minutes as more vehicles turned up with plain-clothed officers and detectives. A barefoot man was led out."

The witness added: The road was taped off as further officers looked around the local area.

Another witness, Nigel Hewitt, 49, said he heard a loud bang" that sounded like "a bomb or a stunt grenade" from his friends flat near to Sandy Hill.

Mr Hewitt, from Reading, said he saw police stood around the door of a third floor flat near to the Co-op supermarket.

The wholesale manager said there were around 20 officers at the scene, and various police vehicles, including a large van.

A spokesperson for Met Police said: Officers have this afternoon (December 5) executed a search warrant at an address south-east London.

This was carried out with the assistance of armed officers and is part of an on-going investigation by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command and 21-year-old man was arrested at the address.

Officers continue to carry out a search at the address.

A 27-year-old woman was also arrested earlier today as part of the same investigation after she was stopped by police in a vehicle in a nearby street.
T hree Labour councillors from the same Haringey ward today blamed a poisonous climate of anger, cynicism and distrust as they simultaneously quit in response to an attempted Left-wing takeover of the town hall.

A fourth councillor, in a neighbouring ward, also announced his decision to step down ahead of threatened deselections.

So far 17 have either withdrawn or been deselected by activists and Haringey is poised to become the first council to be run by Jeremy Corbyns Momentum group after borough elections in May.

In a joint statement, Jason Arthur, Natan Doron and Sarah Elliott, who represent Crouch End, said: We do not believe that our views will be heard with an open mind, nor our track-record assessed in a fair manner...

"The current climate of Haringey Labour politics feels factional and poisonous  anger, cynicism and distrust now shape too many debates within the local party.

The bitter dispute between centrist and Left-wing party members has its roots in the authoritys decision to set up the Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV)  a 2 billion transfer of council assets to a 50-50 partnership with Australian developer Lendlease.

The council has said the partnership is the only way it can afford to build 5,000 new homes in the borough.

Council leader Claire Kober last night broke her silence on the deselections, tweeting: Sad times. Three talented councillors whove made a huge contribution since 2014.

Labour MP Caroline Flint tweeted: Purging of decent hardworking councillors is bad for @UKLabour, bad for democracy and bad for local communities.

Councillor James Patterson, who has announced his withdrawal from Alexandra ward, said Momentum was using the HDV as a Trojan horse and flagged up the Eighties war between Labour moderates and Militant, which led to the expulsion of Liverpools hard-Left deputy council leader Derek Hatton: Given their tactics to date, I can only imagine that a local authority they controlled would be like Liverpool council during Derek Hattons heyday.

Momentum said its no secret that activists are appalled at the councils plans to push through HDV.

Labour grandee Roy Hattersley said Momentum posed a far more serious threat to Labour than Militant did thirty years ago.

He urged members to challenge the subversion and fight for democratic socialist values, adding: The threat to Labours future is real and obvious. Tonight Haringey council meets in full to discuss a key stage in the roll out of the HDV scheme.

A row erupted in Watford with claims that Corbyn supporters are trying to ensure their ally, Unites Mike Hedges, becomes Labours candidate for the seat in the next general election.
L ondon has become the top destination for European travellers following a fall in the value of the pound amid Brexit uncertainty, a new report has revealed.

The weak pound after Brexit may have helped the capital top the travel charts, eDreams ODIGEO said, despite a spate of terror attacks on the city in recent months.

The online travel agent reported a 24 per cent year-on-year rise in visitors to the capital from Europe in 2017.

The data also showed people are increasingly opting for 'staycations' in the capital with London rising to become the destination of choice for UK-based travellers in 2017.

Tourists flocked to the capital, possibly due to the weak pound after the European referendum in 2016, a study suggested / Getty Images

eDreams, which is one of the world's largest online travel companies, noted that the drop in Sterling after Brexit could be responsible for the spike in visitors from Europe in 2017.

The pound currently sits at around 1.13 against the euro, according to currency converter XE.

Sterling plummeted against the euro after Britain's vote to leave the EU in June last year.

This may also have contributed to a shift in travel habits at home, according to the study.

'Staycation': London also jumped to the top of the chosen destinations for UK consumers, who opted to holiday at home / AFP/Getty Images

UK consumers appear to have opted to stay closer to home in 2017 with a rise in UK 'staycations' - holidays spent in a home country.

London jumped from fourth to the first most popular location among UK travellers.

Dublin, Malaga and Alicante followed the capital as chosen holiday spots for Brits.

The report also showed that it was a "very good" year for UK tourism overall, with foreign visitors up 8 per cent on last year.

Terror: London Bridge was hit by an attack in June (DANIEL SORABJI/AFP/Getty Images) / Getty Images

This comes in spite of a number of recent terror attacks in London including at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Borough Market in 2017.

But traveller numbers to European cities including Paris, London and Berlin have remained "resilient" despite attacks, the report said.

Data showed "no signs of long-term impact" to numbers of travellers visiting these major European cities in 2017.

London Terror Attack: Armed Police at Westminster - 27 March 2017 1 /6 London Terror Attack: Armed Police at Westminster - 27 March 2017 Two heavily armed police officers at the scene of the attack in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn There is increased security at the Carriage Gates Jeremy Selwyn Four police officers behind the barrier at Carriage Gates Jeremy Selwyn Days after the attack, security has been increased at the Houses of Parliament Jeremy Selwyn Sniffer dogs on patrol at Parliament today Jeremy Selwyn

The travel firm said that Istanbul was the fastest growing destination for UK travellers next year, with a 327 per cent increase in future bookings on last year.

Also in the top 10 are San Francisco and Oslo, Norway, perhaps due to the growth of budget carrier Norwegian.

The UK boss of eDreams Odigeo, Robert McNamara, said: "The choice and competitive pricing offered by low-cost airlines has really opened up the travel market in recent years, so it's great to see new destinations vying for visitors alongside more traditional destinations.

"Our report bears good news for London, with an increase in the number of European travellers choosing to visit the capital. It's Europe's number one destination for 2017, a welcome boost to the tourism industry post Brexit."

The Insights Report 2017 is based on the company's online travel agency brands (eDreams, Opodo, Go Voyages and Travellink) data from all European bookings made via the eDreams ODIGEO platform between two timeframes: January 2016 to September 2016, and January 2017 to September 2017.
A billionaire prince is being sued for 1.8 million by a couple who claim he left them with a huge hole in their finances when he pulled out of a deal to buy their London mansion.

Richard and Deborah Conway say they were left stranded on the housing ladder when Nigerian oil magnate Prince Arthur Eze withdrew from the deal on their 5 million home in Mill Hill.

They were already committed to buying a house in Cambridge and had to take out an expensive bridging loan when the deal with Prince Eze fell through, the High Court heard.

The couple claim they were forced to sell their home at a reduced price of 4.2 million, and are suing the prince to recover losses as well as family expenses.

Property dispute: the swimming pool inside the home in Mill Hill

However the Nigerian royal, said to be worth 2 billion, denies breach of contract and is counter-suing the couple for the return of a 500,000 deposit.

Mr Conway, 62, said he and his wife wanted to pay off all our debts and start again  with an eye on retirement  when they put their home up for sale for 5 million.

It was necessary for them to obtain bridging finance to fill the huge hole left by Prince Ezes failure to complete, and failure to pay the balance of the purchase price, said their barrister, Matthew Collings QC.

The court heard they exchanged contracts for the nine-bedroom home in August 2015, but Prince Eze had been acting through a go-between and had never seen the house.

The Nigerian royal, said to be worth 2 billion, denies breach of contract

The 62-year-old prince, the founder of oil firm Atlas Oranto Petroleum, paid a 10 per cent deposit of 500,000 but now alleges the deal was void because the Conways agreed to pay the agent a secret commission to secure the sale.

The Conways, who deny any inappropriate conduct, said the go-between contacted them initially without Prince Ezes knowledge and later raised the prospect of a 75,000 finders fee.

Dispute: Richard Conway

They claim he then threatened to scupper the deal unless he was paid.

Giving evidence, Prince Eze said he had good intentions when he agreed to buy the house, saying he wanted a genuine investment in the UK.

I wasnt concerned about the price but I was concerned about people being open, he said.

I thought there was something funny going on.

The Prince rejected a suggestion he had pulled out of the deal because of a drastic drop in oil prices.

Judge Andrew Keyser QC reserved his judgement to a later date.
S adiq Khan today promised to hold urgent talks with David Davis on the prospect of London staying in the single market after Brexit.

The Mayor said he would press the Brexit Secretary for a bespoke deal for the capital within days of returning from his Indian trade mission.

He said: Im meeting David Davis shortly and will raise the issue of Londons access to the single market and customs union as a matter of urgency.

City Hall officials said he considered the matter a top priority after claims that Downing Street plans to keep Northern Ireland aligned with some EU laws.

Mr Khan said the deal meant the Government had accepted the principle of different parts of the UK having bespoke arrangements with Brussels.

Brexit Secretary: David Davis / PA

He claimed the potential Northern Ireland arrangement  which insiders suggested could be limited to a degree of alignment  opened the door for London to stay in the single market.

The Mayor said he could work with Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland  which like London voted Remain  to press for a deal.

He suggested that Brussels chiefs were amenable to the idea of the capital having its own relationship with the EU, potentially even by staying in the single market and customs union. Rumours that they could consider a bespoke deal with London first emerged after Mr Khan met EU figures Donald Tusk, Jean-Claude Juncker and Guy Verhofstadt in Brussels earlier this year.

Mr Khan said: If it is the case that the entire country doesnt stay in the single market and customs union then Im sure that the EU, as demonstrated by their willingness to do a deal with Northern Ireland, would be amenable to a conversation with London.

He said he was prepared to work with Ms Sturgeon, who today demanded that Scotland should be allowed to opt out of parts of Brexit.

If us working together leads to our economies doing better than they otherwise would be Id be very happy to work with Nicola Sturgeon, Mr Khan said.

The Mayor said a leaked draft document that seemed to claim that Northern Ireland could continue to have regulatory alignment with Brussels beggars belief.

The Government has accepted that its not one-size-fits-all across the entire UK. I will say to them that if its good enough for Northern Ireland, its good enough for London, he said. Bearing in mind membership will lead to tens of thousands of jobs being protected, we should have the same deal in London.

Mr Khan dismissed suggestions that such a move could lead to the three boroughs that voted Leave calling to join a full Brexit as facetious.
T heresa May has been urged to drop the Brexit deadline of March 29, 2019, after her attempt to strike a deal with the EU was shot down by the Democratic Unionist Party.

Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister should "rethink her reckless red lines" and also consider remaining part of the customs union and single market.

He said there needed to be a UK-wide response to Brexit, after the DUP refused to accept proposals on a customs border on Monday, leading to a deadlock in negotiations.

He told Brexit Secretary David Davis: "Yesterday confirmed what we already knew: the DUP tail is wagging the Tory dog.

"This is now deeply serious, so what assurance can the Secretary of State give to the House that a deal will be agreed by the end of the week?

"Will he now drop the proposal for a fixed deadline in law for exit day of 29 March 2019? If ever there was an example of why that would be absurd, yesterday was it."

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer speaks in the House of Commons / PA

Brexit Secretary David Davis hit back, saying Labour's policy on the customs union and single market had changed "10 times" in the last year.

Sir Keir, who asked an urgent question on the negotiations, said: "Labour is clear that there needs to be a UK-wide response to Brexit.

"So the question for the Government today is this: will the Prime Minister now rethink her reckless red lines and put options such as a customs union and single market back on the table for negotiation?

"Because if the price of the Prime Minister's approach is the break-up of the union and reopening of bitter divides in Northern Ireland then the price is too high."

Brexit Secretary David Davis responds in the House of Commons / PA

Mr Davis pointed to comments made by members of the shadow cabinet on remaining in the single market and customs union, and said: "So much for Labour policy on this matter, we can see why it's changed 10 times in the course of the last year."

He continued: "The suggestion that we might depart the European Union but leave one part of the United Kingdom behind still inside the single market and customs union - that is emphatically not something that the UK Government is considering."

Mr Davis said the Government was in the middle of an "ongoing round", and that, while progress had been made, a final conclusion had not yet been reached.

"I believe we are now close to concluding the first phase of negotiations and moving on to talk about our future trade relations," he said.

"There is much common understanding, and both sides agree that we must move forward together."

Juncker and May remain 'confident' of Brexit deal

He told MPs the Government had always been clear that it wanted to protect "all elements" of the Good Friday Agreement to "maintain the common travel area and to protect associated rights".

Mr Davis said the Government recognised that the "integrity" of the EU single market and customs union must be respected after Brexit, but added that it was "equally clear we must respect the integrity of the United Kingdom".

But Sir Keir claimed the last 24 hours had given a "new meaning to the phrase 'coalition of chaos"'.

He said: "It's one thing to go to Brussels and fall out with those on the other side of the negotiating table; it's quite another to go to Brussels and fall out with those supposedly on your own side of the negotiating table."

Tory MPs clashed over the Government's Brexit strategy, with Conservative former minister Anna Soubry saying: "The British people are fed up to the back teeth with all of this.

"They want a solution. It may be regulatory alignment is the solution. But if it's good enough for Northern Ireland, it's good enough for the rest of the country.

"And we are a union and we will not allow one deal for one part of our great union and not for the other."

Jacob Rees-Mogg, Conservative MP for North East Somerset, asked Mr Davis if he shared his "sense of gratitude" to the DUP, noting: "(They) have helped Her Majesty's Government stick to its own policy in these negotiations.

"Is it not essential that the red lines on maintaining the United Kingdom and on regulatory divergence whence the benefits of leaving come are indelible red lines?"

Mr Davis replied: "The red line for me is delivering the best Brexit for Britain, and that's what we'll do."
T heresa May was plunged into a fresh bout of Tory infighting today after her attempt to strike a Brexit deal was shot down by her allies in the Democratic Unionist Party.

A former Whitehall mandarin warned that the Prime Ministers authority had been damaged by yesterdays chaotic public failure in Brussels.

With No 10 looking weakened, Conservatives on opposite sides of the Brexit divide seized the chance to step up their demands, leaving Mrs May facing what one senior Tory described as a s***storm.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and former business minister Anna Soubry called for a deal to keep close trade relations between the UK and the European Union, avoiding the risk of a hard border in Ireland or Northern Ireland being separated from the mainland.

But hardline Brexiteers David Jones and John Redwood, both former Cabinet ministers on the partys Right wing, threatened a rebellion, pushing instead for a full break with the EU that critics say would endanger peace in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Mays authority was being put to the test at this mornings weekly Cabinet, where colleagues were watching for dissent from Brexit-backers such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove.

Ruth Davidson called for a deal to keep close trade relations between the UK and the European Union / Getty Images

However, the former top Foreign Office official Peter Ricketts said the damage had been done in yesterdays shambolic talks. It leaves an impression that the Prime Minister hasnt got the authority to get through these difficult negotiations, he said.

Mrs May was humiliated after she set out to agree a draft deal with the EU offering continuing regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit.

The Prime Minister then had to leave a lunch with the European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, to speak with DUP leader Arlene Foster, who effectively vetoed the deal.

Her partys 10 MPs at Westminster are propping up Mrs Mays minority government through a confidence and supply agreement.

The DUP, Northern Irelands largest party, objects to the phrase in the draft agreement apparently guaranteeing regulatory alignment between the province and the Republic. The DUP says this would prevent Northern Ireland from leaving the EU on the same terms as the rest of the UK.

Lord Ricketts told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Its pretty extraordinary that this wasnt all stitched up with the DUP beforehand. Were used to prime ministers going to Brussels and having a row with the EU and coming back without an agreement, but to go agree with the EU and then have a row on your own side is inconvenient.

The former diplomat said a fudge that suits both Dublin and the DUP would be more difficult to find ... under the glare of the political spotlight.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader at Westminster, told the Standard that he had constructive talks with Tory chief whip Julian Smith last night in the Commons.

"He said he hoped for a solution this week but insisted it must be one that protects the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said: "We are very confident" at a meeting of EU finance ministers

A government source said David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, may return for further negotiations in Brussels tomorrow. The source was confident of a deal being reached before next weeks summit of EU leaders, which Mrs May hopes will lead to approval for trade talks. He blamed inflated expectations in Brussels for the breakdown, including a leak to the Irish media.

The source said the idea of some regulatory alignment for the UK and EU had been agreed by the Cabinet ahead of Mrs Mays Florence speech in September.

Chancellor Philip Hammond was upbeat at a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, saying: We are very confident.

Mrs May plans to return to Brussels before the end of the week, aiming to get a draft deal agreed for the summit on December 14-15.

Ms Davidson called for a full trade arrangement, saying: If regulatory alignment in a number of specific areas is the requirement for a frictionless border, then the Prime Minister should conclude this must be on a UK-wide basis. Ms Soubry said: If regulatory alignment is good enough for Northern Ireland then its good enough for the entire UK. So lets embrace it & keep UK together.

However, Mr Jones, a former Brexit minister, said: If we are to have Brexit at all, we have to make sure we are free to conduct our own trade arrangements. If we maintain regulatory alignment with the EU that makes it difficult, if not impossible.

Ex-Welsh Secretary Mr Redwood said: I continue to support the Governments stated view that it must take back control of our money, our borders and our laws, and that no deal is better than a bad deal.

Irelands deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney, insisted Dublin would not budge from its pledge to veto trade talks unless Britain gave an assurance there would be no hard border.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn: This could be the moment for opposition and soft Brexit/remain Tories to force a different, less damaging approach  keep the UK in the single market and customs union.

"But it needs Labour to get its act together. How about it?

On Twitter, his predecessor Ed Miliband said: What an absolutely ludicrous, incompetent, absurd, make it up as you go along, couldnt run a piss up in a brewery bunch of jokers there are running the government at the most critical time in a generation for the country.
T heresa May is in a race against the clock to reach an agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on the post-Brexit status of the Irish border.

The Prime Minister's hopes of securing a deal on the terms of Britain's EU withdrawal were dashed on Monday when the DUP refused to accept proposals which would have shifted Northern Ireland's customs border to the Irish Sea.

Mrs May is planning to return to Brussels before the end of the week to again attempt to reach an agreement on Brexit.

Time is now running out to persuade leaders of the remaining 27 EU nations at a summit on December 14-15 that "sufficient progress" has been made on divorce issues to move Brexit negotiations on to their second phase, which will deal with trade and the transition to a new relationship.

Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker talked over lunch on Monday / AP

She is expected to today speak by phone with DUP leader Arlene Foster as she grapples to find a form of words acceptable to the Northern Irish party, on which she relies to prop up her minority in Westminster following Junes snap election.

Mrs May had to break off from talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday for an urgent call with the DUP leader, after she dramatically declared her party's implacable opposition to proposals which would have imposed "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and the Republic in order to avoid the need for a hard border.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar said that the deal had been agreed by the European Commission, UK and the Republic before the process was thrown into disarray by Mrs Foster's eleventh-hour intervention. He said he was "surprised and disappointed" by Mrs May's request for more time.

European Council president Donald Tusk confirmed that, until the surprise developments at Stormont, he had been preparing to issue new negotiating guidelines for the second phase of talks on Tuesday.

It is also understood that differences also remain between the EU and Britain over the issue of European Court of Justice jurisdiction over EU nationals living in the UK after Brexit.

Prime Minister Theresa Ma with DUP leader Arlene Foster outside 10 Downing Street / PA

Mrs May insisted she was still "confident" of getting a green light for trade talks at next week's summit.

Failure to do so would risk throwing the whole Brexit process into crisis, as many companies are believed to be preparing to activate contingency plans to start moving staff and activities out of the UK if there are no signs of progress by Christmas.

EU officials are understood to believe that a text of the deal must be thrashed out by the end of the week to allow it to be included in draft summit conclusions and give other leaders time to consult their own governments - and in some cases parliaments - before convening in Brussels.

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar 'surprised and disappointed' at lack of Brexit deal

Prominent Tory MPs voiced their opposition to any deal which threatened the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom by forcing Northern Ireland to operate under different regulations from the mainland.

Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "I don't think that can possibly happen. The Government doesn't have a majority for that."

Leaders of devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and London that they would want the option to adopt in their parts of the UK any special status afforded to Northern Ireland.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the failure of talks showed Mrs May's Government was "completely ill-equipped to negotiate a successful Brexit deal for our country", while former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said she should "leave office now".

But many Conservatives were optimistic of a deal being struck.

The chairman of the Commons Northern Ireland Committee, Tory MP Andrew Murrison, told BBC2's Newsnight: "We understand that later this week there is every prospect of a deal satisfying the European Union that, in its words, sufficient progress has been made which will set us up for a favourable conclusion to the summit.

"The mood here at Westminster at the moment is far more upbeat than I've known it for some considerable time now. I think, with compromise on both sides ... we are set fair for some good news before Christmas."

Irish agriculture minister Michael Creed told Newsnight that "with goodwill on all sides" a deal could be agreed by Friday, but added: "I don't want to underestimate the significance of the issues that have yet to be agreed."
C orrie McKeague's brother is engaged to a woman he met while searching for the missing RAF gunner.

Darroch McKeague, 22, proposed to 30-year-old Leah McElrea after the pair met handing out flyers in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, last year.

The couple was at a charity ball held in aid of SULSAR  a search team that helped to look for Corrie  when Darroch popped the question on the Friday night.

His mother, Nicola Urquhart, wrote on Facebook: Darroch met this amazing, beautiful, kindhearted lady because of Corrie.

Nicola Urquhart, mother of missing Corrie McKeague / PA

Tonight, in front of the people that are important to him, he asked Leah to marry him.

"Im delighted beyond words that she said yes.

Ms McElrea added on the social media site: "Myself and Darroch would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has said congratulations, I am totally shocked Darroch asked me to marry him last night and I can't quite take this big smile of my face!

It comes as police said the landfill search for Corrie is expected to finish by Christmas.

Corrie McKeague, 23, has been missing since September 24 last year. / PA

He was 23 when he was last seen walking through Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in September 2016 after a night-out with friends.

It is thought he may have climbed into a waste bin and was taken away by a bin lorry, prompting a five-month search of the landfill site at Milton near Cambridge.

The initial search was called off in July after no evidence of his body was found but it resumed again in October in another area of the landfill.

Suffolk Police said the search is "progressing well" with work to continue until mid-December.

Police officers search a landfill site in search of missing RAF airman Corrie McKeague. / Getty Images

Corrie, from Fife but based at RAF Honington in Suffolk, was last seen on CCTV at 3.25am on September 24 2016.

A bin lorry was seen on CCTV near Brentgovel Street in Bury St Edmunds around the time Corrie was last seen.

It took a route which appeared to coincide with the movements of his phone.

The lorry linked to Corrie's disappearance was initially thought to have collected a 24lb (11kg) load but police said it was later found to be more than 220lb (100kg).

A police spokeswoman said: "The search at Milton landfill is progressing well, with continuing review of processes to ensure nothing is missed.

"It is recognised that whilst the designated search area remains the same, timescales are not set in stone and subject to many variables.

"It is currently anticipated that the search may progress through to early-mid December. We continue to engage with the family to keep them fully informed."

A review of Suffolk Police's investigation earlier this year said the force had "explored all reasonable lines of inquiry".
T wo retired army dogs who faced being put down because they were too aggressive to be rehomed have been saved at the last minute.

Belgian shepherds Kevin and Dazz helped save thousands of lives by working with troops to locate explosives in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

The hero dogs, who retired from frontline service in 2013, were due to face lethal injections next week, as well as a police dog called Driver.

But Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan wrote to the Ministry of Defence calling for a reprieve, while former soldiers and handlers also joined the campaign.

Belgian shepherd Kevin with his dog handler, Lance Corporal Kelly Wolstencroft / British Army blog

More than 370,000 people signed a petition to save all three dogs, which was launched by special air sergeant turned author Andy McNab.

Stars including Ricky Gervais, TOWIEs Pete Wicks and actress Kate Mara also backed calls to rescue the three canines.

Following the public outcry, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson reportedly ordered a reprieve for all three dogs.

He told the Sun: Ive instructed my department these dogs are to be saved. Were talking with charities and looking at a programme as to whether they can be re-housed with a handler in a more normal environment.

Were going to ensure they have a golden future. Well do everything we can to look after animals that form such an important part of the military family.

Lance Corporal Kelly Wolstencroft with dog Kevin / British Army blog

Sir Alan Duncan said he was thrilled to hear the dogs would be saved. He said: "I'm absolutely thrilled that army hero dogs Kevin and Dazz have been saved. They can now enjoy a very happy and well deserved retirement!"

The dogs have been working with trainers at the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, since being retired.

The MoD had said on Friday: "Wherever possible, we endeavour to re-home them [dogs] at the end of their service life.

"Sadly, there are some occasions where this is not possible."
T he ringleader of the London Bridge terror killings was under active investigation at the time of the attack over intelligence that he was plotting an Islamist outrage in this country, an official report revealed today.

Khuram Butt, who led two accomplices as they murdered eight people in June this year, had been the principal target of the MI5 and police probe since 2015 because of his terrorist intent.

But despite his status as a live subject of interest for the security agencies and several attempts to discover more about the precise threat he posed, his plot was not detected.

The disclosure was made today by Home Secretary Amber Rudd as she published the findings of a report by the former terror watchdog David Anderson QC into reviews by MI5 and police about what they knew about the perpetrators of the four major terror attacks this year.

London Bridge attack: two of the terrorists were shot dead by police / EPA

They also include the Westminster killings, the Manchester Arena bombing, and the Finsbury Park attack.

Ms Rudd said that a potentially crucial piece of intelligence had also been received in January this year about the terrorist threat posed by Manchester bomber Salman Abedi.

Killer: Khuram Butt was behind the London Bridge terror attack / PA

But this had not resulted in his risk rating being elevated to a level which would have put him under ongoing investigation.

Mr Andersons report says that it was conceivable that the bombing could have been stopped if this had happened.

That revelation and the disclosure about the London Bridge ringleader Khuram Butt will revive concerns that opportunities to halt at least two of this years attacks were missed.

Floral tributes to victims of the London Bridge attacks / AP

But Ms Rudd said Mr Andersons report had indicated that although different decisions could have been taken that might have allowed the London Bridge and Manchester plots to be thwarted, the actions of both MI5 and police were understandable given what was known at the time and the unprecedentedly high number of other terror suspects under investigation.

One man also died after the Finsbury Park attack in June / Jeremy Selwyn

She said, however, that MI5 and police had identified more than 100 improvements that should be made to enhance their ability to protect the public and that each reform would be implemented.

She also warned that the scale of the threat was expected to continue at an intense level and praised counter terrorism police and the intelligence agencies for their success in foiling many nine plots since the Westminster attack in March this year and a further 13 since the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby in 2013.

Khuram Butt, who led two accomplices as they murdered eight people in June this year, had been the principal target of the MI5 and police probe since 2015 / Channel 4

Unveiling the findings today, Ms Rudd said: In the case of London Bridge, Khuram Butt was an active subject of interest who had been under investigation since mid-2015. A number of different investigative means were deployed against him, but they did not reveal his plans.

On the Manchester attack, she said that Salman Abedi was a closed subject of interest at the time of the attack and not under active investigation.

London Bridge terror attacker Khuram Butt Khuram Butt first came to public attention when he openly posed with the black flag of Islamic State in Regents Park. Butt and other extremists linked to the banned terror group al-Muhajiroun appeared in the Channel 4 documentary, entitled The Jihadis Next Door. He was filmed aggressively confronting police officers when they attempted to search one of the groups leaders, raising his voice and angrily asking them: Why are you touching him? They were even detained by police for an hour over the stunt in 2015 but released without being arrested or charged. Born in Mujahidabad, a village outside the Pakistani city of Jhelum in 1990. the family moved to the UK when Butt was a toddler. The family settled in Barking, east London with Butts father Saif working on a fruit and veg stall at Queens Market in Upton Park. Butt attended Shaftesbury Primary and then Rokeby School in Newham. He gained an NVQ in business administration in 2009 and a diploma in teaching English as a foreign language before starting administration job for KFC and then working as customer services assistant on the Tube. Known as Abz to his friends, the Arsenal fan, was said to have grown more religious around 2012 swapping his Western clothes for Pakistani and Arabic garments and entering into an arranged marriage with a Pakistani woman called Zahrah Rehman with who he had two children. Butt clashed with anti-terrorism protesters at a rally in Parliament led by notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudhary the day after the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in 2013. Former friends said they reported Butt to police after growing concerned about his behaviour with a neighbour contacting the authorities after Butt tried to brainwash her children. The father of two was ejected from a mosque for clashing with an imam shortly before he carried out the London Bridge terror attack in which eight people were killed and 48 injured. After being shot dead by police after carrying out the London Bridge terror attack, he was reported to have been buried in secret after hundreds of imams reportedly refused to perform his funeral. Rashid Razaq

But she added: In early 2017, MI5 nonetheless received intelligence on him, which was assessed as not being related to terrorism.

In retrospect the intelligence can be seen to be highly relevant. Had an investigation been re-opened at the time, it cannot be known whether Abedis plans could have been pre-empted: MI5 assess that it would have been unlikely.

David Anderson notes that in relation to the Manchester Arena attack .. it is conceivable that the attack might have been averted had the cards fallen differently.

Ms Rudd said the reviews had not found any similar missed opportunities over the Westminster and Finsbury Park attacks and that taken as a whole, MI5 and counter terrorism policing conclude they could not find any key moments where different decisions would have made it likely that they could have stopped any of the attacks. 

But she said that 126 recommendations covering four main aspects of counter terrorism efforts would be implemented.

These included better data gathering and analysis and the wider sharing of MI5 intelligence, including more work with local authorities over the handling of the 20,000 people currently logged as former subjects of interest.

A new approach to dealing with far-right extremism was also needed, as well as a large number of technical changes.

For the future, Ms Rudd added that not every attack can be stopped because we do not live in a surveillance state but that we should remember that most attacks continue to be successfully disrupted.

She also said that it would be wrong to blame police and MI5 for the attacks and added: We should be united in our clarity that it lies squarely with those whose cowardly acts killed 36 innocent people this year, and those who encouraged them. At the same time, we must learn all that we can from these attacks, and make sure our overall counter terrorism response is equal to the shift we have seen in the threat.

The London Bridge attackers, Butt and his accomplices Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba, killed eight people and injured 48 in June before being shot dead by police.

In May, Salman Abedi killed 22 and injured more than 200 by blowing himself up in Manchester Arena.

The Westminster attack in March led to further deaths. One man also died after the Finsbury Park attack in June.
A man who claims to have lost 74 million worth of Bitcoin in a rubbish dump has offered his local council a 10 per cent cut if they manage to find it.

Four years ago, Welsh IT worker James Howells claims he accidentally threw away a hard drive full of Bitcoin, which he believes could now be worth 74 million.

The digital cryptocurrency has increased in value by more than 11,000 per cent in the last year and continues to climb further.

The 32-year-old told Wales Online that Newport council had repeatedly "stonewalled" his requests for a permit to dig at the local site - despite offering them a 10 per cent cut.

He said: "How can they leave $100 million (74 million) in the ground when making cuts to services left, right and centre?

"They are not interested in helping at all because the people in charge have never given me the chance to explain the details and the exact situation to them.

"Here I am offering them a 10 per cent cut for doing zero work at zero risk to them...It just doesn't make sense.

"They are under the impression I want to dig the whole landill site when this isn't the case...It can be done, and it could be done safely, they just don't want to."

Mr Howells believes he can pinpoint the laptop's location by estimating its depth based on the date it was thrown away.

A spokesman for Newport city council told Wales Online: "[We have] been contacted in the past about the possibility of retrieving a piece of IT hardware said to contain Bitcoins.

"However, the cost of digging up the landfill, storing and treating the waste could run into millions of pounds - without any guarantee of either finding the hardware or it still being in working order.

"The council has told the individual concerned on several occasions that excavation is not possible under our licencing permit, added to the fact excavation itself would have a huge environmental impact on the surrounding area."
M ore than half of motorists are in favour of changes to the driving test that improve road standards.

A recent poll also showed support for frequent updates to the test and regular retesting.

Participants felt the test should reflect new automotive technologies and changing driving practices, a study of 2,000 motorists revealed.

The research was released by Continental Tyres as a new driving test came into force on Monday amid a row that saw thousands of exams cancelled.

North London driving examiners on a picket line outside the Barnet driving test centre as part of a 48-hour strike over their pay and conditions / PA

The study found that motorists believed there should be retests every five years to improve road safety and cope with new automotive technologies.

This would mean drivers would have to take the test at least 12 times during their lifetime, researchers estimated based on the average UK life expectancy of 81 years old.

Updates to the driving test on Monday included an increased independent driving time, taking directions from a sat nav and different driving manoeuvres.

But the controversial move led to a two-day strike by driving examiners on Monday, who said examiners were told to work longer, harder and for no extra pay when the new tests are announced.

Around 10,000 driving tests were for the duration of the strike, according to the Public and Commercial Services Union.

The new exam marks the eighth revision to the practical test since it was introduced in 1935.

Now research revealed that nearly half of participants agreed that the driving test should be updated often to account for new vehicle technologies and driving practices.

The study also showed that drivers want to see revisions that are more safety-focused, such as better understanding of laws around mobile phones (64 per cent), in addition to how to do routine safety checks including tyre tread depth and tyre pressures (57 per cent).

Mark Griffiths, safety expert at Continental Tyres, said: It is interesting that people would accept sitting their practical driving test every five years. Its good to see people recognise safety is important and that they understand there are a lot of automotive technologies to keep up with.

He added: The findings are at odds with the confirmed changes to the driving test. Clearly people want safety prioritised  like knowing more about the legal use of mobile phones when driving as well as other issues around driving practice.
P rince Harry today congratulated a former child refugee and a medical student who will be honoured by the Queen at Buckingham Palace next year for their work transforming lives.

Harry Phinda, 24, of Croydon, who came to the UK after fleeing Zimbabwe 11 years ago, now campaigns for womens rights and will receive a Queens Young Leaders Award in June.

Medical student Leanne Armitage, 22, of Peckham, will also receive the award for her work inspiring people from under-represented backgrounds to enter careers in medicine.

Prince Harry said: I would like to congratulate the winners of the Queens Young Leaders Award for 2018. This award recognises the enormous effort and courage of these inspiring young people who are tackling some of the Commonwealths most pressing challenges and inspiring others to realise their full potential.

Prince Harry attending the London Fire Brigade service's Christmas carol event / EPA

Mr Phinda is a co-founder of Youth For Change, a global organisation which has taught 100 teachers in six London schools about tackling female genital mutilation and forced marriage.

He said: My passion to work on these issues has come from growing up in a household full of women. I came here as a refugee in 2007, partly because of the political violence but also because of domestic violence, and that is a huge motivation for me working on gender-based violence. Ms Armitage, who studies at St Georges University of London, said the capitals diversity was not replicated in the medical profession, which was a problem as doctors should be able to relate to the society that theyre serving.

Honoured: medical student Leanne Armitage

She set up Leannes Amazing Medics, a six-session programme to equip young people with the skills to go into medicine by giving them a realistic experience, including a trip to St Georges.

Ms Armitage said it was designed to get them thinking like doctors, doing activities that doctors would, teaching them communication skills.

She added: Ive got two more years and then Ill graduate from St Georges as a doctor, and then my desire is to become a trauma surgeon after doing surgical training.
A smiling Pippa Middleton brought some festive cheer to a cardio ward in Bristol during a visit to see sick children and their families.

She met with patients as young as four-weeks-old at the ward of the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, which provides cardio treatment across the South West of England and South Wales.

She met excited children and was even handed a home-made Christmas card by one toddler.

The 34-year-old is an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation and visited the hospital in support of the Christmas appeal to raise money for cardio research.

Festive: Pippa was given a Christmas card by one of the children / PA

The charity has launched a campaign to raise more than half a million pounds towards research into congenital heart disease.

The Duchess of Cambridges sister was shown around the wards where she met toddler Daniel Tomsett, three, who presented her with a glittery card.

Ambassador: She has worked with the charity since 2014 / PA

Pictures of Pippa also show her gently stroking a sick baby as he lay cradled in his mothers arms and beaming at a heart model shown to her by 11-year-old Callum Morris.

Dressed in a navy turtle neck and striped skirt, she looked completely at ease with the little ones.

Pippa has worked with the charity since 2014.

She has carried out few public engagements since marrying her husband, James Matthews, in the summer.

Bride Pippa Middleton and groom James Matthews arrive for wedding 1 /26 Bride Pippa Middleton and groom James Matthews arrive for wedding REUTERS PA Getty Getty Images AP Newlyweds: Pippa Middleton and James Matthews kiss as husband and wife. REUTERS Mother and daughter: Kate and Princess Charlotte. Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Royal wave: Prince George as he leaves the wedding of his aunt. REUTERS Kiss: Husband and wife Pippa and James. REUTERS Duchess: Kate walks with the children as she tells them to be quiet. Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Vintage: Father and daughter arrive in a 1951 Jaguar Mk V car, for her wedding to James Matthews. AFP/Getty Images Duchess of Cambridge: Kate arrives with the pageboys and flower girls for the wedding of sister Pippa. AP Beaming: A veiled Pippa arrives at the church. AP Expectation: Kate and the children wait for bride Pippa. AFP/Getty Images Children: Kate waits for the bride. AP Special day: Shortly before entering the church. AP Entrance: Pippa Middleton arrives with her father Michael Middleton shortly after 11.15am for her wedding. AP Father of the bride: Michael and daughter Pippa. AP Entrance: Kate tends to sister Pippa's wedding dress train. AP Stunning: Beaming bride Pippa wore a dress by British designer Giles Deacon. AP

But she made the exception for the charity, who later shared the touching photos and tweeted: "Earlier today BHF Ambassador Pippa Middleton visited young heart patients at Bristol Royal Children's Hospital to hear their stories and support our Christmas campaign to raise over half a million pounds towards research into congenital heart disease."
A young woman who launched a nationwide Twitter hunt for a man named "Ben" who she claims she overheard bragging about cheating on his girlfriend during a train journey today said she doesn't think the man will ever be traced.

Emily Shepherd took to social media in attempt to expose "Ben" for telling his friends he had been unfaithful to his partner.

But speaking on ITV's This Morning just days after the incident, Ms Shepherd expressed fears that he was never going to be found.

The Bournemouth University student added that she did not regret sparking the social network man hunt.

After her tweet on December 1 went viral, Ms Shepherd appeared on This Morning to discuss the hunt for "cheating Ben".

She said she overheard the man boasting to his friends while on a train from Bournemouth to Manchester over the weekend.

The student tweeted: "If anyone has a boyfriend called Ben on the Bournemouth - Manchester train right now, he's just told his friends he's cheating on you."

The post divided users online, with many suggesting she should not have got involved with a stranger's personal life.

Explaining the incident further on Tuesday, Ms Shepherd said: "He was bragging about it and shouting it on the train carriage."

When pressed by presenter Philip Schofield as to whether she felt any sympathy for "Ben" now that Twitter was on a rampage to find him, she replied: "No."

She added: "If he had some respect for his girlfriend he wouldn't have even cheated on her, let alone bragged about it on a train where anyone can hear."

Mr Schofield probed her on whether she was right to have sparked the online hunt, but she said it was only intended to be a "lighthearted tweet".

The post, which has since been retweeted more than 27,000 times, resulted in a social media frenzy that even saw BBC Dragons' Den's Deborah Meaden getting involved.

But Ms Shepherd said: "I don't think he is going to be found."

She continued: "He must know that the nation is on the hunt for him, the amount of response the tweet has had."

"I have had so many messages of people asking me, 'Is this him?', 'What does he look like?', 'Has he got a picture?'. I haven't had anything yet that has confirmed."
D onald Trump is facing a backlash from environmentalists after dramatically shrinking two major national parks, known as monuments.

The US president signed a proclamation to cut 85 per cent of the Bears Ears National Monument and a 50 per cent cut to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, both in Utah.

He pledged to "reverse federal overreach and restore the rights of this land to your citizens".

Mr Trump made his plans official during a speech at the state Capitol, where he was cheered by the Utah's Republican leaders who had lobbied him to undo protections they claim close off the area to energy development and other access.

Protesters hold placards in support of the national parks, or monuments / AP

However, environmental and tribal groups plan to file lawsuits against the policy, claiming the parks are vital to protect important archaeological and cultural resources.

For example, Bears Ears National Monument, a more than 1.3 million-acre site, features thousands of Native American artefacts including ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.

"Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington," Mr Trump said. "And guess what? They're wrong."

Around 3,000 demonstrators lined up near the State Capitol protesting his announcement. They held signs that said, "Keep your tiny hands off our public lands," and they chanted, "Lock him up!"

Bears Ears National Monument currently measures 1.3 million acres / EPA

The Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments were among a group of 27 monuments that Mr Trump ordered Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to review this year.

Bears Ears, created last year by President Barack Obama, will be reduced to 201,876 acres.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, designated in 1996, will be reduced from nearly 1.9 million acres to 1,003,863 acres.

Mr Zinke accompanied the president aboard Air Force One, as did Utah's Republican senators, Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee. Mr Hatch and other Utah Republican leaders pushed Trump to launch the review, saying the monuments declared by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton locked up too much federal land.

Mr Zinke has also recommended that Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou monuments be reduced in size, though details remain unclear.
T he US Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trumps travel ban on six mainly Muslim countries can go into full effect.

Seven of the nine justices granted the Presidents request to lift injunctions imposed by lower courts blocking the controversial ban.

The latest version of the ban, announced by Mr Trump in September, is the third since he came to power in January.

The ban applies to travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

Lower courts had said people from those nations with a claim of a "bona fide" relationship with someone in the United States could not be kept out of the country.

Grandparents, cousins and other relatives were among those courts said could not be excluded.

Two of the Supreme Court justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, would have left the lower court orders in place.

The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals and the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, will be holding arguments on the legality of the ban this week.

Both courts are dealing with the issue on an accelerated basis, and the Supreme Court noted it expects those courts to reach decisions "with appropriate dispatch."

Quick resolution by appellate courts would allow the Supreme Court to hear and decide the issue this term, by the end of June.

In June this year, the Supreme Court allowed a previous version of the ban to take partial effect.
T he UN political chief is heading to North Korea for a rare four-day visit amid fears over the country's nuclear threat.

Jeffrey Feltman will arrive in Pyongyang today for a wide-ranging policy dialogue, following an invite by the country in September.

His current schedule includes meetings with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk, diplomats and UN staff. It is not known whether he will meet leader Kim Jong-Un.

It comes a week after North Korea tested its most powerful missile yet, claiming the new weapon is capable of reaching anywhere on the US mainland.

Jeffrey Feltman arrives to take a flight for North Korea at the International Airport of Beijing / AFP/Getty Images

Mr Kim and US president Donald Trump have traded insults as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly in September, Mr Trump threatened "to totally destroy North Korea" if the US is forced to defend itself or its allies and he later tweeted that Mr Kim - whom he called "little rocket man" - "won't be around much longer".

The North Korean leader responded to the Mr Trump by promising to "tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire", and Foreign Minister Ri called Mr Trump's tweet a "declaration of war" and said that North Korea has the right to retaliate and shoot down US bombers.

North Korea TV shows video of ballistic missile launch

Mr Trump announced on November 20 that the United States was returning North Korea to the list of state sponsors of terrorism and promised to intensify a campaign of "maximum pressure" and sanctions as part of a rolling effort to compel Kim's government to negotiate over its nuclear program.

Mr Feltman's visit comes as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres prepares to brief a Security Council ministerial meeting on December 15 about North Korea that was called by Japan, which holds the council presidency this month.

Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho said the meeting will focus on finding peaceful ways to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile tests and denuclearise the Korean peninsula.

Mr Dujarric said Mr Feltman was informally invited to visit North Korea during the annual gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly in September, presumably by foreign minister Ri who attended the session. But he said the invitation wasn't issued until November 30.

Mr Feltman is the highest-ranking American in the UN Secretariat, after serving for nearly 30 years in the US Foreign Service where his last post was as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs.
T ributes have been paid to a New York financier killed by a shark days before her 50th birthday.

Rohina Bhandari was coming up from a scuba dive in Costa Rica when she was attacked by a tiger shark, according to a report in The Times.

Ms Bhandari had been in a group of 18 people in the waters off Cocos Island when she was attacked, suffering serious wounds to both legs.

She was treated by a group of doctors, also on the diving holiday, but died of her injuries. The group's tour guide was also injured.

The attack reportedly happened 340 miles from the mainland / AFP/Getty Images

Reports say friends learned of Ms Bhandari's death as they prepared to gather for her 50th birthday party.

Her friend Silvia Francescon, also director of the Rome office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, described her as "fun, kind and full of life" in a Facebook post.

It is reportedly the first shark attack in the Cocos marine conservation area and only the 13th ever recorded in Costa Rica.

The tiger shark is considered among the most dangerous shark species / AFP/Getty Images

According to the Bangalore Mirror, she was born in southern India, to a well off family, before studying at a management institute in the Philippines.

She moved to America to complete a masters at George Washington University in 2000 before going on to work for WL Ross & Co, a company founded by US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross.

She is survived by her boyfriend, a plastic surgeon who runs a clinic in Connecticut.
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Some things are only possible because of better, cheaper, and more compact electronics. For example in November 2017 the Russian Air Force received the first eight of 26 Mi-28UB helicopter gunships. The UB (dual control) training version of the Mi-28NE was first demonstrated in 2013 and both Russian and export customers expressed enthusiasm for this model. Dual control aircraft have long been used for training, usually by building two-seat versions of single-seat fighters so that an instructor can accompany trainee pilots until the new pilots had proved they could handle the aircraft on its own. Single seat helicopters were never common and two-seat helicopter gunships first appeared in the late 1960s (the AH-1) and it was soon obvious that some dual-control models would make training quicker and safer. Because the AH-1 used mechanical flight controls the TH-1 dual control versions were not suitable for combat.

Fly-by-wire (electronic flight controls) made it more practical to give both seats in a helicopter gunship flight controls. This was not seen as a useful feature for combat models in the West but in the 1990s Russia began introducing two-seat helicopter gunships equipped with electronic controls and found that this could be supplied in such a way that the cost difference was not enormous and combat performance was not compromised.

Since 1990s fly-by-wire has become increasingly common. This technology replaces mechanical linkages for flight controls, with electronic commands sent over wire. It is more reliable, and saves weight. The U.S. Army has successfully tested a UH-60M helicopter equipped with fly-by-wire flight controls in 2009 and went on to make it a common upgrade for older helicopters of all types.

A year after the new two-seat Russian Mi-28 helicopter gunship entered service in 2009 the manufacturer began working on a combat capable dual control UB version. Prototypes were demonstrated in 2013 and customer response was enthusiastic. Fly-by-wire made it possible. Algeria was the first export customer to specify that a large number of the Mi-28NE helicopter gunships they ordered in early 2014 be UB versions. This was not just for training but so both crew members can be pilots and fly the aircraft. This would come in handy if the designated pilot is wounded. One crew position will still have the weapons controls and the two pilots could switch roles as pilot and weapons officer.

Russia began replacing its 250 Mi-24 helicopter gunships with 300 Mi-28s in 2013. The Mi-28N, the first model of the Mi-28, was a much more complex aircraft than the Mi-24 and required more skillful and better trained pilots. To deal with this problem the Russian Air Force developed a dual control model early on and the Russian air force sought to obtain 60 of these Mi-28UB helicopter trainers. The UB model has dual controls that enable an instructor to also control the helicopter from the weapons systems operators seat. Each squadron was to receive 4-6 of the UB model to help build and maintain pilot skills. The Mi-28UB solves the problem of quickly getting new pilots up to speed on how to handle this much more capable gunship. Algeria is a long time user of the Mi-24 and has about 30 in service. Apparently Mi-24 pilots will be trained to handle the Mi-28, just as many Russian Mi-24 pilots are doing, with the help of the UB model.

The older Mi-24 helicopter gunship has been in service for nearly half a century. It is a twelve ton chopper based on the Mi-8/17 transport comes with dual controls. Although the Mi-24 had the same pilot-weapons officer layout as the AH-1 Russia resisted building dual-control versions because the Mi-24 was still close to the Mi-8 in flight characteristics. Eventually about 25 dual-control Mi-24s were built and, of course, they were unarmed.

The U.S. did the same thing with the AH-1, developing it from the UH-1 "Huey" in the 1960s. But rather than adopt the radical redesign seen in the AH-1 and AH-64 Apache, the Mi-24 could still carry troops or cargo in the back and was not as nimble as the AH-1. The 11 ton Mi-28 looks more like the AH-64. That's because, by the end of the 1960s, the Russians realized that the AH-1 design was superior. For several years there was intense competition, to decide which of its two new helicopter gunship designs (the Ka-50 and Mi-28N) to make standard. The Mi-28N is a more capable helicopter, costing about the same as the earlier American AH-64A ($15 million each).

The Mi-28NE "Night Hunter" is an all-weather, night attack version of the 1980s era Mi-28A, with added FLIR (night vision sensor), night fighting optics, and a two man crew. The basic Mi-28 is an 11.6 ton helicopter that can carry 1.6 tons of rockets and missiles. The aircraft also has a 30mm cannon. The cockpit for the two man crew is armored and the helicopter has missile countermeasures (chaff and flares), GPS, head up display, laser designator, and other gadgets. The Mi-28N has a top speed of 300 kilometers an hour and a one way range of 1,100 kilometers. It can carry up to 16 anti-tank missiles (with a range of up to eight kilometers). The helicopter can also carry 80mm rockets, bombs, or fuel for additional range. The Mi-28 has been around in small quantities since the 1990s and the Mi-28N is the most advanced model, on par with the American AH-64D gunship (which is a little lighter). The first version of the Mi-28N was shown in 1996, although the manufacturer, Mil, wasn't ready to offer it for sale until 2004. The fact that the basic Mi-28 has been around for decades and was known to be reliable and effective made it an easy, and safe, choice for the Mi-24 replacement.
The Iran backed Shia rebels in Yemen are losing more local allies. Over the last week fighting in the rebel controlled capital has caused at least 400 casualties. The tensions and growing violence became more visible since August when Shia rebels in the Yemeni capital placed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh under house arrest. Forces loyal to Saleh had clashed in the capital the day before the arrest and continued sporadically ever since. Tensions between Saleh, a long-time ally of the Shia rebels, had been developing since late 2016. The Shia rebels are losing territory and popularity and Saleh was apparently seeking to make a deal with the Saudi-backed Yemen government. Saleh was always willing to make deals but apparently decided to seek refuge outside of Iran-controlled territory and was killed yesterday while trying to flee the rebel held capital. His followers insist he is alive while the Shia rebels say they will parade his body though the capital. It appears Saleh is dead. Over the last few days more Saudi airstrikes in the capital appeared to be in direct support of pro-Saleh forces. While the Shia rebels still control the capital the loss of Saleh will cost them at least a third of their current supporters, especially the non-Shia ones and veterans of the pre-2011 Yemeni military.

Saleh had been a vital Iranian ally. The Shia rebels got their ballistic missiles because most of the Yemeni armed forces remained loyal to former president Saleh, who took good care of the military and that was one reason Saleh rule lasted for three decades. Meanwhile the Iran backed Shia rebels and some Sunni groups still control most of the northwest (to the Saudi border), the capital and key towns and cities that must be fought over and garrisoned before the government can claim more territory. The government and coalition forces have taken most of the Red Sea coast but have not got enough troops to stop the rebels from moving about and continuing to receive weapons and other equipment smuggled in by Iran. The Arab coalition has internal disagreements which limit what the group can do. But with Saleh gone and the rebel coalition falling apart there are now former rebels willing to switch sides and provide local security (especially where they live) in return for more foreign aid and a monthly salary. Suddenly Yemen is not a lost cause for the Arabs and Iran is seen as less clever and effective than they claim to be.

What all the Arab coalition members share (aside from oil wealth) is fear of Iran. What has been going on in Yemen reinforces that fear. Iran has created a serious threat to the Gulf Arabs while spending far less than the half billion dollars a month the Yemen effort is costing the Arab coalition. Iran has only a handful of Iranians in Yemen. Most of what are described as Iranians in Yemen are Lebanese (Shia Arabs belonging to Hezbollah). The Iranians have always been able to do a lot more with a lot less and this worries the Arabs more than anything else. But it does not always work and Yemen is turning to be another reminder of that vulnerability.

The Second Silk Road

Yemen may be a loss but both China and Iran are having more success restoring the ancient overland Silk Road trade route from China throughout Eurasia (including India and Europe). The Chinese version is called Obor (One Belt, One Road) and it has actually been under construction since the late 1990s. Earlier in 2017 China went public with Obor via a PR campaign that described it as a revival of the ancient Silk Road. Thats not accurate as the ancient Silk Road was only partially run by the Chinese. Most of it was operated by other major powers (Iranian, Indian, Turks and Arabs) and was largely put out of business after the 16th century by European innovations in ship building and management of sea routes that provided a safer and cheaper way to move goods worldwide. Obor is more ambitious and is a grand strategic economic plan but in some areas (like Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand and Burma) its unravelling a bit. All of these countries are pulling out of economic deals with China because the terms, as interpreted by China, are unacceptable.

Iran, unlike most areas Obor money is going into, already has a lot of infrastructure and is not the target of heavy Obor spending. At the same time China has become the largest foreign investor in Iran (since sanctions were lifted in 2015) and most of these investments support Obor directly or indirectly. Thus in most cases Obor investments are seen as a positive (or potentially so) thing by Iranians.

For over a thousand years Iranians were involved with running a large section of the original Silk Road and developed a reputation of being formidable negotiators. The Iranians dont trust the Chinese and have made deals with India and Afghanistan to resurrect the ancient Iranian portion of the Silk Road and expand it a bit. This involves the new Iranian port of Chabahar in southeastern Iran on the Indian Ocean. There is a new railroad and highway connection from Chabahar to Afghanistan and Central Asian railroads. Projects like this help keep the peace because they provide competition for projects like Obor, which are seen as an attempt to establish a cartel and then control trade and prices mainly to favor China. The Iranians deal with the Chinese as equals but many other Obor countries are deemed more exploitable by the Chinese and often, but not always, are.

Chabahar will free India and Afghanistan from dependence on Pakistan for a trade route and will also open up Central Asian markets for everyone since the new rail and road network goes from the northern border of Afghanistan to an enlarged Iranian port on the Indian Ocean. Everyone involved, except Pakistan, is enthusiastic about this economic development project. The Chabahar route was originally set to be operational by 2020 but began limited operations (from Chabahar to Afghanistan) in 2017 and was officially declared operational in December. At the same time Iran has expressed interest in linking with the new Chinese funded rail link from China to the Pakistani coast. China likes this because their expensive Pakistani link to the Indian Ocean is more at risk from Islamic terrorist violence than the one in Iran. As with the ancient Silk Road, Iran and China are willing to do business.

While Iran has made a bold move with the new Silk Road they have been less wise in its empire building. Iran often takes whatever allies it can get (or create) and this has turned out to be a rather unsavory bunch. For all its inherent and historical advantages Iran is more corrupt, unstable and inefficient than many of its opponents. For example a recent international survey of Global Competitiveness ranked 137 countries on how well the local conditions (low corruption, economic freedom and opportunity and robust economy) facilitated the ability of that nation to compete in global markets. The top five were Switzerland, the United States, Singapore, Netherlands and Germany. The rest of the rankings say interesting things about the Iranian coalition and its opponents. Iran was number 69 in those rankings while Lebanon was 105, Turkey 53, Russia 38, Venezuela 127, Israel 16, UAE 17, Qatar 25, Egypt 100, Saudi Arabia 30, China 27, India 40 and so on to the bottom five; Mauritania, Liberia, Chad, Mozambique and Yemen. Being last in this survey is a dubious distinction but it explains much of what goes on in Yemen. Note also that Syria is one of the few countries (like Iraq, Libya, Cuba and North Korea) that is not rated at all because of insufficient access to reliable data.

Iraq

Some problems are particularly difficult to deal with. The Iraqi Kurds still control the northern provinces they have held since the early 1990s and are threatening civil (and guerilla) war if the federal government does not control (preferably expel) the growing number of Iranians (mainly Quds Force personnel) and curb the power of the Iran backed Shia militias. Its not just the Kurds and the Sunni Arabs who fear the Iranian influence. Most Iraqis do, including most Shia Arabs.

The Iraqi PMF (Popular Mobilization Force) militias were organized in 2014 after the Iraqi army fell apart in the face of the ISIL advance that took Mosul and about a third of Iraq in a few months. Iran offered to train and advise some of these PMF groups. By late 2016 the Iraq parliament passed (after much Iranian pressure) a law making the PMF a part of the armed forces. These militiamen were already on the government payroll (for about $500 a month). Now the militia leaders were demanding a share of the military budget and enough money (nearly half a billion dollars to start with) to build their own bases. That did not happen and it reminded all Iraqis what the Iranians were up to. The signs were already there. By 2015 there were about 100,000 of these largely Shia militia and they were already a contentious issue in Iraq.

The 2016 laws providing pay and other benefits for the PMF also included rules making it mandatory that non-Shia militia be included if they were of proven loyalty. There were plenty of those and by the end of 2016 about a quarter of the PMF were Sunnis. A smaller number were Turkmen, Christian and other minorities ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and Shia conservatives wanted to wipe out. More than half the militias were always Shia. Much publicity was given to instances where Shia militias massacred Sunni civilians and the use of many Iranian trainers and military advisors by some (at one point most) of the Shia militias and the Iran connection in general. But most of the PMF just concentrated on defeating ISIL.

Although the Shia Arabs feel an affinity with Shia Iran, the ancient (we're talking thousands of years here) Arab fear of the Iranians makes it possible for Shia and Sunni Arabs to make deals. And that's what Saudi Arabia, and the other Sunni Arab Gulf States, are doing with Iraq. Saudi Arabia sees Iran as the neighborhood bully, and Iraq as an Arab, not an Iranian, asset. Part of this came about because of the pro-Iran PMF militias in Iraq. By 2016 most Shia Arab politicians in Iraq tended to feel they are expendable to the Iranians, who are, quite naturally, more concerned with taking care of Iran, than Iraq, in all of this. Blood is thicker than religion.

The Iraqi Shia Arabs dont want to be dominated by non-Arab Iran (where Arabs are openly despised, especially the few percent of Iranians who are Arab) but also dont want to be dominated by their Sunni Arab neighbors and especially not by their own Sunni Arab minority (which created ISIL and has been a major supporter of Islamic terrorism since 2003).

There are constant reminders of the Iranian threat, which is considered equal, or even worse than the Sunni Arab Islamic terrorism attacks on Shia. For example in September 2017 a leader of one of the PMF Shia militias went public with his belief that his men would start killing American troops once ISIL was no longer a threat in Iraq. That was no surprise to many Iraqi Shia, especially clergy who had studied in Iran. In August 2017 s enior Iraqi Shia cleric (and Iran educated) Moqtada al Sadr called on the Iraqi government to dismantle the Iran backed Shia militias and incorporate loyal (to Iraq) members into the armed forces. The Iraqi prime minister (a Shia), wants to dismantle these Iran backed Shia Arab militias with more care and take more time doing it.

In part that is because Iran has sent hundreds of IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) officers, most of them from the Quds Force (similar to the U.S. Special Forces, but which specializes in supporting Islamic terrorists not fighting them) and even more enlisted IRGC personnel to Iraq. Dozens of senior IRGC officers have been killed in Syria and Iraq since 2012. These IRGC personnel are seen by most Iraqis as hostile foreign agents.

This can be seen by the fact that since ISIL was defeated (even before Mosul fell) the number of Shia religious and militia leaders who openly supported Iran was declining. More Iraqi Shia are doubting Iranian intentions towards Iraq and believe Iran ultimately wants to control the Iraq government or even partition Iraq and annex the largely Shia (and oil rich) south. At the same time Iranian efforts to discourage Iraqi Kurds from obtaining more autonomy are unwelcome with many Arab Iraqis who see this as another example of Iran treating Iraq like a subordinate, not an ally.

Adding to the fears are reports that Iran backed (and sometimes led, officially or otherwise by Iranian officers) Shia militia are ignoring earlier promises and entering liberated areas of Mosul and seeking disloyal civilians who can be arrested and perhaps murdered.

There are still over a thousand Iranians providing training, advisory and support assistance to the PMF Shia militias. The Iraqi government fears that these IRGC advisors and trainers are secretly building pro-Iran armed militias in Iraq. Thats simply not true because the IRGC is quite open about what they are doing to encourage Iraqi Shia to organize armed groups so they can work with Iran someday to impose the same kind of religious dictatorship in Iraq that has existed in Iran since the 1980s. That is equally unlikely (because of popular opposition inside Iraq) but the Iranians tend to think long-term.

Syria

Israel and Russia are trying to negotiate a deal with prevent a war between Iran and Israel over Iranian plans (already announced and underway) to establish bases in Syria and organize anti-Israeli forces. Thus for Israel any Iranian presence in Syria once the current war is over is intolerable. Russia says it can work out such a deal but many Israelis are skeptical and Iran says such a deal is not possible. When it comes to opposing Iran Israel has some very public backing from Russia despite the fact that this puts Russia at odds with their two other allies (Turkey and Iran) in Syria. The Russians see the Israelis as a more powerful and reliable ally than the Turks or Iranians. Russia is also backing the Kurds in Syria and that is causing problems with Turkey.

The Israelis keep pointing out that Iran and their dependency Syria have, since the 1980s, openly called for the destruction of Israel. Many Westerners saw this as absurd while Russia sees it as an opportunity and the Israelis point out that they have nukes, the most effective military (and economy) in the region and no tolerance for more Iranian forces moving into Syria or agreeing that the Assads are a legitimate government. For Russia this is a challenge since as outsiders they realize that Israel is right and long-term a more dependable and desirable ally. But the current Russian government is getting by on uncertainty, deception and hope that this approach will work. There are reasons why Russian roulette is accepted as a typically Russian form of whatever. That dangerous game has begun because Israel is already bombing the new Iranian bases in Syria and killing Iranians.

December 4, 2017: In Syria Israeli missiles struck three military facilities on the outskirts of Damascus. Two are believed to be rebuilt or under the control of Iran while the third target was an SA-5/S-200 SAM (Surface to Air Missile) base. The SA-5 is a 1960s Russian design that Russia has updated and Syria received the latest S-200 version of the missile in 2010. Each seven ton S-200 missile has a range of 300 kilometers but Israel has apparently developed effective countermeasures for the anti-aircraft capabilities. However the S-200 can apparently also be used as a ballistic missile (as can many modern SAM missiles) and given the fact that the SA-5 base is less than 60 kilometers from Israel, it has always been a potential target.

In Yemen former president (and Iranian ally) Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed by Iran backed Shia rebels when he tried to defect to the Arab coalition forces outside the rebel held capital Sanaa.

In the north, where the borders of Armenia, Turkey and Iran meet a group of Iranian soldiers and engineers working near the Turkish border were fired on by unidentified gunmen leaving one soldier dead and three wounded. The attackers fled, largely unseen.

December 3, 2017: General Qassem Soleimani was proclaimed (via Iranian TV) the best commander of the Iranian armed forces over the last year. Soleimani commands the IRGC Quds Force and has been regularly praised as responsible for victories in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Soleimani is seen as some sort of master of mayhem and an ideal Iranian hero. The United States and many other nations consider Soleimani an international terrorist. To that end the head of the CIA recently warned Soleimani that he and his Quds Force associates would be held personally responsible if the Iran backed forces in Iraq or Syria attacked American troops. Soleimani had recently said that would happen if American troops did not leave Iraq and Syria. Most Iraqis want the Americans to stay until the Iranian threat is diminished. In Syria, the rebellion against the Iran-backed Assad government continues because most Syrians still do not want to be ruled by Iran or the Iranian backed Assads.

In Yemen the Iranian embassy compound in the capital Sanaa caught fire. The cause appeared to be nearby fighting between pro and anti-Iran factions. Some Iranian diplomatic staff are now trapped in the smoldering embassy.

December 2, 2017: In Syria several Israeli missiles struck a new Iranian base under construction south of Damascus. Later reports indicated that seven building were destroyed, seven heavily damaged and twelve Iranian personnel killed (plus a larger number of non-Iranian personnel).

In Yemen a prominent Shia politician (Ali Abdullah Saleh) announced he was seeking a negotiated peace with the elected government that replaced him and the Arab coalition that halted the Shia rebel attempt to take over the entire country. Even before the Saleh announcement there had been more fighting in the rebel held capital as the Iran backed rebel coalition visibly split.

November 29, 2017: In Yemen Saudi Arabia reported that it had intercepted another ballistic missile fired from Yemen (by Iran backed Shia rebels) at a target in southwest Saudi Arabia. The Saudis used one of their Patriot anti-missile missiles to intercept.

November 28, 2017: Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have gone public in support of an Arab-Israeli alliance to oppose Iran. Many (Arabs, Israelis and Iranians) believe that such an alliance wont last long but that is not crucial. The alliance only has to last long enough to halt the spread of Iranian power and influence. Israel has been through this before. The peace deals with Jordan and Israel have largely held even though there are ups and downs. The Israelis know that the anti-Semitic attitudes in the Arab world go back to before the emergence of Islam in the 7th century and have waxed and waned ever since.

Currently the Arabs of Arabia, or at least key leaders, have decided that decades of denouncing the one nation in the region with a functioning democracy, the most advanced and successful economy and the most powerful armed forces, ought to be seen as a potential ally, not a battlefield opponent. As a result Arab journalists and leaders are speaking openly, and more frequently, about such an alliance. Some countries, like the UAE, can now speak openly of the discreet (and often not so secret) commercial, military and diplomatic links they developed with Israel over the years. To a lesser extent Kuwaiti and Saudi Arabian connections are now admitted. The motivation here is survival against an increasingly aggressive Iran. Hang together or hang separately. Israel already has powerful allies for dealing with Iran and welcomes an Arab alliance, even if it wont last, or at least will be under constant attack going forward, as was the case with the Jordanian and Egyptian peace deals.

The young Saudi crown prince (and soon to be the king as his elderly father announced his abdication) pointed out that Iran is officially obsessed with destroying Israel while a growing number of Arabs see Israel as a potential ally. Everyone knows that before the current religious dictatorship took control of Iran in the 1980s Israel and Iran had many diplomatic and economic links, far more that Israel had with the Arab world. But Iranian religious leaders decided that Israel was at the top of the list of things that had to change. Next on the list was who should control the Islamic shrines in Saudi Arabia and so on. Iran has always been scary to its neighbors but was usually ruled by some aristocrat. Now that the Iranian Shia clergy (who were long known to be aggressive) are in charge it is time for neighbors to reconsider traditional alliances.

Meanwhile Israeli and Arab military officials are working out a joint strategy and procedures for how it will work. This includes many Arab nations quietly urging Hamas and Fatah to make a serious and public effort to negotiate a peace deal with Israel. The implication is that if the Palestinians refuse (which seems likely) or simply fail again more Arab leaders will go public with their opinions on the hopelessness of the Palestinian leadership. That will lead to Palestinians becoming more isolated and dependent on charity from the West, Iran and Israel and that source of support is running out of patience as well. The Arab world still technically backs the Palestinians and the effort to destroy Israel but have lost confidence in the Palestinians to do anything in their own best interest. Iran is making the most of this situation and few Palestinians will do much to stop it.

November 25, 2017: Iranian, Russian and Turkish leaders met in southern Russia (Sochi) to work out how the three nations will continue to cooperate in Syria. More of these meetings will be held and will become more contentious as Iran carries out its plan to take complete control of Syria.

November 24, 2017: Saudi Arabia said it had proof that the ballistic missile components used for the missile that had been fired at the Saudi capital on the 5th was smuggled in through the Yemeni port of Hodeida. This evidence apparently came from a UN report that identified four missile fragments found in Saudi Arabia (after it had been shot down by a Patriot anti-missile missile) as apparently coming from the Iranian Qiam-1 ballistic missile. The 6.1 ton single stage liquid fueled missile was used against targets in Syria in June 2017. Iran had publicized the development of Qiam-1 and released pictures and video showing many of its unique design elements and distinctive components. The UN report stated that it was unclear how the components got to Yemen. The Saudis point to the Red Sea port of Hodeida which currently is the only way for the rebels to accept legitimate imports. Those aid shipments contain a lot of smuggled items. The smuggling is no secret and UN officials are unable to do much to stop it because of the armed Shia personnel (mostly Yemeni, but also a growing number of Iranians and Lebanese) are there to prevent inspection. Russia will also use its veto to block any serious UN moves to investigate or punish Iran for this sort of thing. Hodeida has been the main port for the delivery of foreign aid for civilians in rebel held areas and, in theory, government controlled areas as well. The UN has been, without much success, trying to get the rebels to allow the UN to police the port and basically control the smuggling and diversion of foreign aid the rebels have been engaged in. Evidence of rebel theft of foreign aid and depriving civilians of essential supplies is piling up and has become difficult to ignore. But Iran has organized an effective media and diplomatic campaign to divert pressure from Hodeida to the impact of the Arab coalition airstrikes on Yemeni civilians. These casualties are largely the result of the rebels deliberately moving and hiding in the midst of civilians. This does offer a lot of protection but does not make the rebels immune to air attack. Iran would use air power the same way the Arabs do and have when they had the opportunity during the 1980s war The Iranians employ their standard response to the Saudi evidence. In short the Iranians deny everything and insist that the Shia rebels built these ballistic missiles themselves using components from black market smugglers. If pressed the Iranians will blame Israel. After all many Moslems in the region believe that ISIL and al Qaeda are creations of the United States and Israel as were the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Never underestimate the effectiveness of the big lie frequently repeated. For many folks that sort of thing is comfort food for the mind and highly addictive. Help with handling this Information War edge Iran has is one reason for the increasingly active and public Arab alliance with Israel. It is no secret in the Arab world that the Israelis have been most effective is dealing with these propaganda and Information War tactics, usually when used by Iran, the Palestinians or increasingly numerous anti-Israel groups in the West.

November 20, 2017: Two Pakistani Navy vessels (a frigate and a training ship) arrived at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas for five days of joint training. Pakistan and Iran have been conducting these visits to each others naval bases with increasing frequency to demonstrate peaceful intentions and willingness to cooperate between traditional enemies.

As the current religious war between Iran and Saudi Arabia became more intense Iran tried to persuade Pakistan to abandon Saudi Arabia as an ally and work closely with Iran instead. The Pakistani military did not want to say no but at the same time they could not even indicate any possible disloyalty towards the Saudis. Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are Sunni majority states with significant Shia minorities. While some Pakistani officials favor more cooperation with Iran most Pakistanis do not. But Pakistan does not consider itself owned by the Saudis. For example in June 2017 Saudi Arabia told Pakistan it had to choose a side in the current Saudi feud with Qatar. Pakistan said it was remaining neutral and the Saudis didnt press the issue, at least not in public.

November 19, 2017: The Arab League held an emergency meeting in Egypt to condemn Iran backed Hezbollah for gradually taking control of Lebanon. Arabs also noted that most (about 80 percent) of the Assad forces in Syria are Iranian mercenaries. They are mostly Arab and Afghan Shia recruited, led, armed, trained and sustained by Iran.

For the first time since the 1990s the head of the Pakistani military visited Iran and tried to project willingness to be friendly and cooperative. This is a hard sell because for thousands of years the people of what is now Pakistan (mainly Punjab and Sind) have been rivals of the Persians (what is now Iran). A common source of friction was control of trade routes and for a long time that disputes were over who controlled what in Afghanistan. While both Pakistan and Iran supported Afghan tribes opposing the Russian occupation during the 1980s once the Russians were gone in the late 1980s and Russian support for Afghan government they left behind ended in 1991 that changed. The Afghan civil war of the early 1990s had Pakistan supporting the Pushtun tribes (40 percent of Afghans) while Iran supported the non-Pushtuns (the Northern Alliance) which the Taliban (another Pakistani invention) were still trying to defeat when September 11, 2001 happened. At that point the Americans entered the conflict. One reason (aside from threat of war with the U.S.) the Pakistanis cooperated with the Americans in Afghanistan was the opportunity to reduce Iranian influence. Now Pakistan is trying to avoid getting caught in the religious war between Iran and the Gulf Arabs. Despite the fact that Pakistan has long supported Saudi Arabia (and been well paid for that support) they have also tried to maintain peace on their Iranian border and not antagonize what has been an ancient foe. Although Pakistan currently has an advantage (nukes and the support of China) Iran is run by a religious dictatorship that regards largely Sunni Moslem Pakistan as due for eventual retribution (for being Sunni and for not doing enough to halt attacks on Pakistani Shia by Pakistani Sunni Islamic terrorists). At this point the Pakistan military wants Iran to know that the Pakistani military is the power to deal with in Pakistan and would prefer peace with Iran and an opportunity discuss how much that will cost both countries.

In eastern Syria five IRGC personnel were killed over the last few days. One of them, Kheirollah Samadi, was a general and another was a retired colonel. The five all appear to be involved with a fierce battle with a group of ISIL fighters holding Bukamal a small town on the Euphrates River near the Iraq border. Earlier Iran had declared the area free of ISIL presence.

November 15, 2017: Six Russian Tu-22M3 bombers hit ISIL targets in eastern Syria, flying from Russian bases and then over Iran and Iraq on their way to and from the target. Tu-22s have been doing this since mid-2016. The Iraqis believe it best not to complain. Earlier Iranian officials elaborated that they also had no problems with Russian bombers flying into Iran, launching their cruise missiles against Syrian targets and returning to Russia without ever flying over Iraq or Syria.

In the southeast (near the Pakistan Baluchistan border) fifteen men from Punjab province (east of Baluchistan) were killed as they sought to sneak into Iran as part of a people smuggling (to Europe) operation. The killers were local Baluchi tribal separatists who declared that the dead men were actually working on the Chinese Obor projects. China is spending $18 billion to build a road from Gwadar to the Chinese border in northwest Pakistan. Much of the construction takes place in Baluchistan and local Baluchi separatists saw this as another effort to make Baluchistan less Baluchi. While this attack actually had nothing to do with Obor Pakistan does have more security forces in Baluchistan to protect Obor projects and they quickly hunted down and killed Younas Taukali a known leader in the separatist BLF (Baluchistan Liberation Front).

November 14, 2017: Iranian media featured a photo of Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani in eastern Syria (Deir Ezzor province) at a recently captured border crossing (Bukamal) into Iraq. Suleimani proclaimed that Iran now had a clear land route from Iran to the Mediterranean coasts in Syria and Lebanon. Suleimani has been appearing in Iranian media since late 2014 visiting Iraq and Syria.

November 13, 2017: Without admitting it, Iran has been spotted building a military base in Syria, about 15 kilometers south of Damascus and too close (50 kilometers) to the Israeli border as far as the Israelis are concerned. The base is not large and appears to have facilities for about 500 troops. Israel believes this will be a headquarters for Iranian operations against Israel. Normally Israel waits for construction to finish before launching an attack (usually an air strike).

Further south the head of the Russian intelligence agency (the FIS) visited Israel to discuss how to handle the dispute between Israel and Iran over the continued presence of Iran controlled (and often led) irregular forces. There are still as many as 3,000 armed ISIL fighters in Syria and they are scattered in over a dozen locations, none of them close to Israel. Turkey wants Russia to pressure the United States to stop providing weapons and other assistance to Syrian Kurds, something the U.S. has been doing more of since mid-2016 when it became obvious that the Kurdish led SDF rebel coalition had the best chance of driving ISIL out of Raqqa, which the SDF proceeded to do by late 2017. The SDF is still the most effective armed group fighting ISIL in Syria and the U.S. will continue supporting the SDF until ISIL no longer has a presence in Syria. That is fine with Israel but not with Turkey or Iran. Russia is trying to negotiate a peace deal between all the major antagonists and is having some success. But ultimately Israel sees this as a fools errand.

November 12, 2017: In the northwest a major earthquake hit a largely Kurdish area near the Iraqi border. Over 500 died and about 8,000 were injured in Iran. Another form of damage, that over 80 percent buildings in the worst hit areas were destroyed or badly damaged. Many of these structures had been built after 2005 when the new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad created a reconstruction program for buildings destroyed in earthquakes because corruption in the government and construction industry tolerated sub-standard building practices. In 2017 most of the newly built structures proved less resistant to collapse than older buildings. While in power (2005-13) Ahmadinejad proclaimed that he would change that and repeated his belief that these misfortunes were all the work of Israel. Apparently not. This is an old story in Iran. During 2012 two earthquakes in the northwest (near the Azerbaijan and Armenian borders) left over 300 dead and 0ver 30,000 injured. The government relief effort was not what people expected and blaming it all on Israel only increased the popular anger. This was not a new problem. In 2004 A large earthquake in the southeast, around the city of Bam, killed over 30,000 people and embarrassed the government. Most of the dead were the result of government corruption that allowed for shoddy building practices. Relief aid was slow in arriving, which was also blamed on corruption. The Islamic conservatives that have controlled Iran since 1979 get blamed for just about everything. However, corruption and shoddy building practices were around in Iran long before 1979. The current Iranian government has a different view. Some clerics blame earthquakes (and other misfortunes) on Israelis using magic. Other clerics blame it all on Iranian women who wear short skirts, revealing tops and other immodest clothing. The Kurds in the earthquake area reported that rescue and relief efforts were slow in arriving and organized their own emergency efforts.

November 9, 2017: In Europe (Netherlands) Ahmad Mola Nissi, an Iranian separatist leader, was shot dead. Nissi was the leader of ASMLA (Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz) an organization that used violence (like bombing oil pipelines) to get attention. ASMLA has been active since 2005 but not in a big way. The most recent ASMLA bombing was in early January. But there are other active Arab rebels. In July 2016 the al Farouq Brigade carried out two pipeline attacks. At the same time the Hawks of Ahwaz took credit for a fire in a local petrochemical plant. Hawks of Ahwaz took credit for two other similar fires that have occurred since 2015. Iran is acutely aware of how unruly its own Arab minority can be. There are a growing number of terrorist incidents inside Iran traced to Iranian Arabs. Most Iranian oil is pumped from the ancestral lands of these Arabs, who have become increasingly bitter about how they receive little benefit from all that oil wealth. The three million Arabs in Khuzestan province (formerly Arabistan) are Shia and have been ruled by non-Arab Iranians for centuries. Arab unrest here has grown since 2003, when the Sunni dictatorship of Saddam Hussein was overthrown in Iraq and the Shia majority won elections to take power. Since 2003 hundreds of Iranian Arabs have been arrested for separatist activities. Many are still in prison and nearly 30 have been executed. Iran has been known to order murders of exiled opponents like Nissi but most of these cases are never proven one way or another. But enough of these foreign killing have been tracked back to Iran that they are always a usual suspect.

November 6, 2017: Saudi Arabia declared a total blockade on rebel held ports and air space. This was in response to another ballistic missile fired into Saudi Arabia. This was a longer range Iranian missile that was intercepted near the airport outside the Saudi capital. Saudi intel had already been collecting debris from earlier ballistic missiles believed to be Iranian and this one was later confirmed to be a Burkan. Saudi Arabia called this an act of war but did not announce a military response. The total blockade was lifted on the 25th when aid related flights were allowed to land and take off from the airport outside the capital for the first time since early November. The first flights arriving carried vaccines to protect over half a million children from things like whooping cough, diphtheria, tuberculosis, meningitis and so on. Over the next two days ships carrying food and other supplies docked and unloaded.

November 3, 2017: In the northwest (West Azerbaijan province) eight border guards were killed during a clash with unidentified hostiles. It was believed to be Kurdish rebels but no one has taken credit for the deaths.
His name is Dr. Philip Nitschke. If that doesn't sound familiar, perhaps you'll recognize him by the nickname that he inherited from Dr. Jack Kevorkian --- "Dr. Death." Nitschke is a physician in Australia famous for being the first medical practitioner to administer a lethal injection to one of his patients, way back in 1996. Kevorkian would do the same thing two years later and go to prison for second-degree homicide.

Nitschke believes that choosing to die should be a fundamental human right, regardless of illness. He wrote the book "The Peaceful Pill," which is essentially a handbook on committing suicide. He is also the founder of Exit International, an advocacy group for euthanasia that is mostly responsible for campaigning for the legalization of assisted suicide.

Nitschke's latest efforts in the field have gone high-tech. According to Newsweek, he has designed a suicide machine he calls the Sarco and claims the device will allow people to die peacefully.

The Sarco evolved from another solution nicknamed the "Exit Bag." It was a breathing mask that used carbon monoxide to asphyxiate the patient. Despite being highly efficient and painless, it was not very appealing to patients.

"People don't want to leave the world in such an aesthetically displeasing way."

With 3D printing continually becoming more mainstream, Nitschke spent several years designing a more "aesthetically pleasing" way for patients to go out. He describes the Sarco as "sleek and luxurious." Indeed, it looks like a futuristic vehicle or a personal spaceship.

"It resembles a spaceship and is intended to convince its user that he or she is journeying to the great beyond," said Newsweek.

The Sarco is comprised of two parts --- the sarcophagus and the base. The base acts as a stand and houses canisters of liquid nitrogen. The capsule is designed so that it can detach from the stand and be used as a coffin.

Once triggered, the nitrogen is released and enters the capsule. After a minute and a half, there is a brief period of drunkenness (nitrogen narcosis). Three minutes in, the patient goes unconscious with death occurring at about the five-minute mark.

"Nitschke vowed that a Sarco death was relatively painless---there is no asphyxiation, and the user breathes easily, he said, comparing it to an airplane cabin depressurizing."

He is currently working on licensing agreements with several suicide clinics in Switzerland but eventually plans on releasing the design open-source.

While the device will not be legal everywhere, several locations do allow physician-assisted suicide. Washington, California, Vermont and Oregon have all enacted euthanasia laws. Several European countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands have also legalized it. The state of Victoria in Australia passed legislation just this week allowing euthanasia.

As morbid as some may find it, there is a market for Nitschke's Sarco.
Historical investigations show that the United Kingdom presented falsified maps that defined borders in its favor. | Read More
SHANGHAIBuilding on a decade of significant investments and growth, Ford today outlined the next phase of its China expansion strategy, focused on SUVs, electric and connected vehicles, a streamlined business structure and closer connections to Chinese customers.

Executive Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Hackett shared the vision today while in China this week to meet with employees, customers, dealers and government officials.

China is not only the largest car market in the world, its also at the heart of electric vehicle and SUV growth and the mobility movement, said Bill Ford. The progress we have achieved in China is just the start. We now have a chance to expand our presence in China and deliver even more for customers, our partners and society.

Added Hackett: Fords aspiration is to become the worlds most trusted mobility company, designing smart vehicles for a smart world. We are very excited to see this vision come to life in China.

To enable future growth in China, Ford will contain structural cost in the region throughout 2018, aiming to generate greater efficiencies, become more operationally fit and deliver additional value to shareholders.

Even as the team works to streamline, Ford plans to grow its China revenue by 50 percent by 2025 versus 2017 and is focusing its business expansion on three areas: even more smart, connected vehicles; closer connections to Chinese customers, and a streamlined business structure.

Even More Smart, Connected Vehicles: The company plans to offer more than 50 new Ford and Lincoln vehicles in China by 2025.

The expanded product portfolio will reflect an even stronger emphasis on SUVs  with eight all-new utilities, along with more electric vehicles.

The company will launch at least 15 new electrified vehicles from Ford and Lincoln. And the new Zotye-Ford joint venture will deliver a separate range of affordable all-electric under a new brand, pending regulatory approvals.

From luxury Lincolns, to Ford cars and SUVs, to an all-new electric vehicle brand, we will meet the growing desire and need in China for great new energy vehicles, said Jason Luo, chairman and CEO, Ford China. Each of them will be safe, efficient, fun to drive and backed by an ecosystem that makes charging, sharing and servicing easy.

Plus, by the end of 2019, 100 percent of new Ford and Lincoln-badged vehicles in China will be connected through either embedded modems or plug-in devices. Company leaders also are working on broader infrastructure opportunities to improve future mobility experiences.

Ford is one of the founding members of the Board of Baidus Project Apollo, building on the agreement signed earlier this year. The Apollo Open Platform accelerates the development, testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles. Fords participation supports the companys robotics and artificial intelligence research efforts and provides an opportunity to contribute to a platform that will be key to developing autonomous vehicles in China.

We are responding to the rapid pace of change by delivering increased connectivity and working to improve and simplify mobility for everyone, Hackett said. This builds on our commitment to deliver smart vehicles for a smart world, helping people around the world move more safely, confidently and freely.

Closer connections to Chinese customers: In 2019, the company starts producing five additional Ford and Lincoln models in China for Chinese customers, including a new Lincoln premium SUV, and the companys first global fully electric small SUV.

Producing vehicles locally speeds time to market, while providing greater opportunities to fully leverage the local supply base. It also allows Ford to further tailor vehicles to more closely meet the needs of Chinese customers.

Some of our most advanced manufacturing and innovation facilities are here in China, said Peter Fleet, group vice president and president, Ford Asia Pacific. Producing more vehicles for China locally allows us to improve the benefits for our customers, our partners and our bottom line.

Ford last month opened the Nanjing Test Center, which furthers product development capability and innovation in China. The test center  which includes close to 80 different types of real road surface conditions, a three-kilometer test track and a sophisticated emissions testing facility, will allow Ford to speed development of new products, services and technologies to meet the unique driving requirements of Chinese customers.

The company also is committed to improving the ownership experience for customers with the launch of Quick Lane, its global fast, high-quality service provider.

The first two outlets open in Nanjing and Chongqing this month, offering routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, light repair services including brake repair and tire replacements on all vehicle makes and models. Ford plans to open 100 new outlets next year.

Streamlined Business: Ford is strengthening ties with its joint venture partners Changan and Jiangling in 2018, establishing one distribution services division responsible for the marketing, sales and services associated with all Ford vehicles sold in China.

The new distribution services division will seek to offer a simplified, improved and consistent customer experience for all Ford customers in China.

Lincoln, which has become the fastest-growing luxury brand in China, remains a stand-alone consumer-facing brand and maintains its separate dealer network to offer the brands unique Lincoln Way one-size-fits-one customer experience.

Now is the time to deepen the partnerships we have with Changan and Jiangling Group and present one Ford brand in China, Fleet said. The new distribution services division will enable us to offer an enhanced experience for our customers and more closely connect with our dealers and the community.

All of the actions outlined today reflect an unprecedented commitment to focus on the needs of consumers in China through a more fit and streamlined Ford, he added. They are proof of our dedication to grow our business in China.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 203,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Ford's wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and investment in China include Ford Motor (China) Limited, Ford Motor Research & Engineering (Nanjing) Co., Ltd., Ford Automotive Finance (China) Ltd., Changan Ford Automobile Co., Ltd., Changan Ford Mazda Engine Co., Ltd., Jiangling Motors Co., Ltd., and Zotye Ford Automobile Co. Ltd. Subject to regulatory approval, Zotye Ford will produce small all-electric vehicles under a new indigenous brand.
OTTAWA, Dec. 5, 2017;Drug-impaired driving has been on the rise in Canada since police-reported data became available in 2009 and is a major contributor to fatal road crashes in Canada. Young people continue to be the largest group of drivers who die in crashes and test positive for drugs.

Today, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, launched the Government of Canada's drug-impaired driving public awareness campaign to communicate to Canadians the risks associated with driving under the influence of cannabis and other drugs. Canadians will soon see ads in public spaces, on social media, on television and in movie theatres. Public awareness efforts will include evidence-based information on the risks of drug-impaired driving.

According to recent public opinion research, half of youth (50%) aged 16-24 believe that driving while under the influence of cannabis is more socially acceptable than driving under the influence of alcohol. Youth need to know the real facts about driving while impaired by cannabis or other drugs. The Government is making significant investments in public education to inform Canadians, particularly youth and young adults, about the health and safety risks of cannabis and other drugs. The current approach to cannabis does not work. It has allowed criminals and organized crime to profit, while failing to keep cannabis out of the hands of Canadian youth. That is why the Government of Canada introduced legislation to legalize, strictly regulate and restrict access to cannabis.

In addition to this campaign, the federal government will continue to engage young Canadians on social media and leverage partnerships with other levels of governments and organizations that are working toward the same goal to eliminate drug-impaired driving on Canadian roads. "Like" our Don't Drive High Facebook page for more information.

Quotes

"Don't drive high. Too many Canadians badly need to hear that messagetoo many people downplay the potentially deadly risks of driving high. With this new campaign, along with our partners like MADD Canada, Young Drivers of Canada, the Canadian Automobile Association and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, we will help Canadians, and especially youth and their parents, understand how your life can change in an instant when you drive high. I encourage you to talk about the risks of drug-impaired driving with your family and friends. It might just save someone you love."

- The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

"While most people understand the dangers of mixing alcohol and driving, many people don't fully understand the dangers of driving while under the influence of drugs. MADD Canada looks forward to working with Public Safety Canada to highlight the risks and consequences of drugged driving, and to promote safe and responsible driving practices."

Patricia Hynes-Coates, National President, MADD Canada

"There is much misinformation about your ability to drive safely after using drugs out in the world. Canadians, and particularly young people, need to understand the very real dangers of drug-impaired driving."

Peter Christianson, President, Young Drivers of Canada

"CAA is excited to partner with the Government of Canada to get an incredibly important message out  drugs and driving don't mix. That means arranging a designated driver, calling a ride, or simply not getting behind the wheel  in other words, recognizing the potential consequences and acting responsibly."

Jeff Walker, CAA Chief Strategy Officer

"Our officers see the devastation of impaired driving daily.on our roads, in emergency rooms and within our communities throughout the country. Current perceptions and attitudes towards drug-impaired driving must change, especially amongst our youth. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is committed to working with Public Safety Canada and leading national organizations to promote greater education and awareness. The message must be 'Drugs and Driving Never Mix.'"

Mario Harel, President, Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police

Quick Facts

22% of youth who have used cannabis said they drove while impaired and most said they did it because they don't think it's as dangerous as drunk driving.





One in three Canadians report that they have ridden in a vehicle operated by a driver who was under the effects of cannabis.





28% of Canadians who have used cannabis say they have operated a vehicle while under the influence.





The Government of Canada is working on an ongoing basis with federal, provincial and territorial partners and stakeholders, including MADD Canada, Young Drivers of Canada , the Canadian Automobile Association and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to help raise awareness of the dangers of drug-impaired driving.





is working on an ongoing basis with federal, provincial and territorial partners and stakeholders, including MADD Canada, of , the Canadian Automobile Association and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to help raise awareness of the dangers of drug-impaired driving. Drug-impaired driving violations have been on the rise in Canada since data became available in 2009. In 2016, there were 3,098 incidents of police-reported drug-impaired driving, an increase of 11% over the previous year.





since data became available in 2009. In 2016, there were 3,098 incidents of police-reported drug-impaired driving, an increase of 11% over the previous year. The percentage of Canadian drivers fatally injured in vehicle crashes who test positive for drugs (40%) now exceeds that of drivers who test positive for alcohol (33.3%).

Associated links

www.canada.ca/dontdrivehigh

Government of Canada's support to provinces and territories, law enforcement, research and public education to detect and deter drug-impaired drivers

support to provinces and territories, law enforcement, research and public education to detect and deter drug-impaired drivers Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada

Young Drivers of Canada & Public Safety Canada join forces to combat drug impaired driving

of & Public Safety Canada join forces to combat drug impaired driving Canadian Automobile Association

Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police

Police-reported crime statistics in Canada , 2016

SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

CONTACT: Scott Bardsley, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 613-998-5681, scott.bardsley@canada.ca; Media Relations: Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, media@ps-sp.gc.ca
Christiane Amanpour. Photo: Kevin Hagen/Getty Images

Following Charlie Roses exit, Christiane Amanpour is headed to PBS for a nightly global-affairs show. According to PBS, the network will run her CNN show Amanpour  in which the journalist talks with world leaders  on an interim basis, retitling it Amanpour on PBS. Amanpour on PBS adds to the long tradition of public-affairs programming that has been a hallmark of public media for decades, PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement announcing the news. Amanpours show will begin airing on New Yorks PBS station tonight, Monday, December 4, and on other PBS stations beginning December 11 at 11 p.m. PBS is also planning another public-affairs show, which was not named, to air at 11:30 p.m.

PBS cut ties with Rose and ended his eponymous hour-long program after the Washington Post reported a history of sexual-assault allegations against the reporter.
If youve been searching for the one winter accessory that communicates both I love to be cozy and I hate interacting with people, your day has come. Bulgarian knitwear brand Dukyana is selling a chunky knit scarf thats basically an eight-foot-long mohair tube that you can hide in.

The chunky mohair tube  which retails for $280 and comes in four colors  is ideal for any and all life situations. Are you stuck in a conversation you dont want to be in at your office holiday party? Just retreat into the tube. Did you read news and feel overwhelmed at the horrors of the world all before breakfast? Into the tube you go. Is your significant other very reasonably asking you to pitch in with cleaning the apartment when youre clearly busy bingeing The Good Wife in a catatonic state? Tube time!

A similar style, the huge mohair tube, is $220 and also seems optimal for retreating into a womblike state.

Should you want to reap the benefits of being swaddled by a giant piece of knitwear, but with access to your arms and hands, Dukyana has an entire huge-sweaters section aptly named huge sweaters. (There are also, uh, sexier options for the summer months.)

Bye now!
Photo: Courtesy of Max Mara

Any fashion girl worth her clogs knows that a classic, tailored coat is an essential staple. And few brands have mastered outerwear the way that Max Mara has  and they know it. Currently in Seoul the brand is putting on an exhibit, aptly named Coats! The show opened last week and features more than 90 Max Mara coats, from their iconic 101801 overcoat to a furry blue number with oversize pockets. Design sketches from the labels early days in the 50s and 60s are also on view. The exhibit previously traveled to Berlin, Tokyo, Beijing, and Moscow.

The exhibit is housed in Seouls Dongdaemun Design Plaza, which was designed by famed architect Zaha Hadid (no relation to Gigi or Bella), and will run through December 7. If youre not headed to South Korea, the ladylike runway coats, moodboards, and fur-trimmed capes in the slideshow ahead are still worth a look.

Photo: Courtesy of Max Mara

Photo: Courtesy of Max Mara

Photo: Courtesy of Max Mara

Photo: Courtesy of Max Mara

Photo: Courtesy of Max Mara

Photo: Courtesy of Max Mara

Photo: Courtesy of Max Mara

Photo: Courtesy of Max Mara
Photo: lucydphoto/Getty Images

Last week, the technology magazine Ars Technica published a bombshell of a story questioning the integrity of the work of French psychologist Nicolas Gueguen. You may not have heard of Gueguen, but youve almost certainly heard of his research. Its even been covered by New York. One French Scientist Found Five Research-Backed Ways to Get a Womans Number, a helpful Science of Us piece touted in 2014. Time covered one of his studies in a story titled Science Proves It: Men Really Do Find High Heels Sexier. The Atlantic and the New York Times have written about his work, too.

The Ars Technica story describes the dogged efforts of two scientists, Nick Brown and James Heathers, who started asking questions of Gueguen in 2015 after noticing weird things. It started with a study they laughed over one evening  one that reported that men are less likely to help women whose hair is tied up in a bun or ponytail. When they carefully read the study, they noticed that many of Gueguens reported numbers didnt make sense considering the calculations involved. Things smelled fishier when they saw just how huge the differences were that he was reporting  differences that are, in social science research, highly improbable. There were other things, too, like the fact that Gueguen was unusually prolific  according to Researchgate, a kind of Facebook for scientists, Gueguen has published 11 papers already this year, impressive considering that most of his papers require extensive field work.

Brown and Heathers sent detailed critiques of ten of Gueguens papers to the French Psychological Society in December 2015, highlighting various statistical and ethical concerns. The organization asked Gueguen for a response but didnt get one until nearly a year later, in October 2016, when Gueguen shared 25 papers that, Brown and Heathers say, didnt have anything to do with the ten papers theyd asked about. The papers he shared were studies conducted by his undergraduate students, nothing like his polished published work. (If you took an intro to psych class in college, you know that in the U.S., students are often used as study participants. In France, they are often the study testers.) The back-and-forth continued. Brown and Heathers then sent Gueguen more questions, asking for specific data sets as well as contact details for the research assistants (also supposedly students, Gueguen said) who had conducted the field work in his published studies  because, bizarrely, none were listed as study co-authors or even acknowledged in the papers. Indeed, in many, Gueguen is listed as the sole author.

Gueguen finally got back to Brown and Heathers again two months ago with answers to some questions but not others. He failed to share any information about his research assistants. Fed up, Brown and Heathers decided to go public with what they had found  hence last weeks Ars Technica story. They are also running a series of blog posts  the latest was published on Monday  containing detailed study critiques.

That this is all coming out in the midst of the #metoo movement is fitting. We are finally, as a country, publicly acknowledging that men have been treating women like shit for ages. Now, even the science that lends support to our iconic gender stereotypes  the science that reinforces the idea that men are biologically programmed to be sex-crazed and that women are basically sex objects  is coming crashing down, too. Making matters worse, Gueguens research may also have been conducted in an ethically dubious way.

**

Gueguen publishes on many topics, but much of his work on seduction and sexual behavior fits into the rubric of evolutionary psychology, a controversial field that uses evolutionary theory to understand human behavior. Findings in evolutionary psychology can be used to explain our sexual and sexist behaviors using biology  weve evolved to be this way; its in our nature; boys will be boys. For instance, Gueguens high heels paper concludes that men focus so much on womens physical attributes in part because men are evaluating the womens mating value, a biological impulse. However well-intentioned researchers goals might be in trying to understand the biological underpinnings of behavior, evolutionary psychology findings are often used by the media and the public to blame biology for behavior, effectively absolving men of responsibility. (Some even shift the responsibility to women: One evolutionary psychology paper titled Why Men Rape points out that women should be advised that the way they dress can put them at risk.) As one university psychology professor who did not want to be named in this article said to me about the field, it says that men are just animals that respond to these cues women are putting out  and that women cant help putting out the cues but also have to accept the mens behavior. I think the implications are really dangerous.

Brown, one of the researchers who sparked the Gueguen controversy, points out that scientific findings themselves shouldnt necessarily be interpreted as good or bad. There is kind of a rule in science that you dont argue with empirical results even if they dont tell you what you want to hear, he says. That may be true, but recent studies have questioned the conclusions of a number of evolutionary psychology findings, pointing out that sexual preferences and behaviors might not be innate, but instead shaped by our sexist culture. Moreover, Browns investigation raises the possibility that some portion of Gueguens conclusions might not just be frail but, in fact, fraudulent. If thats the case, and Gueguens work is essentially fake news that is reinforcing dangerous sexual stereotypes, thats a huge, messy problem.

Theres yet another twist, too: Gueguen may not give proper credit and compensation to his female research assistants (assuming they really exist). And he is putting them in ethically questionable situations.

Take, for instance, Bust Size and Hitchhiking: A Field Study, a 2007 paper Gueguen published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills. In this study, a handful of 20-year-old females had their bust sizes rated by 15 male students to ensure that their breasts were smaller than young women of their age typically possess on average. If they passed the test, the women then had to insert a latex leaf into their bras to increase their bust size, put on a white figure-hugging shirt which highlighted the bust and jeans, and then attempt to hitchhike along a busy road. After 100 cars had passed, the women then had to change their bras (its unclear where) and continue trying to hitchhike. In another study, female research assistants had to lie on the beach in red bikinis; in yet another, women had to wear very short skirts and off-the-shoulder tight-fitting tops with plunging necklines and then, in the late evening for 16 nights, sit at tables near a bar at which single men usually stood. None of the women tasked with these jobs were acknowledged by name.

The papers do say that a few male observers were stationed nearby for safety reasons, which is reassuring. But still: These were college women who were putting themselves in highly sexualized situations, presumably because participating in these studies was a requirement of Gueguens class. (Gueguen did not respond when contacted for an interview.) Or, possibly, they said yes to impress their college professor or curry his favor. This seems really creepy, says Jonathan Moreno, a bioethicist, historian and philosopher at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Its one thing to run an advertisement to find women willing to dress provocatively for a study and be compensated for it, he says; but the individuals used should never, ever be in an unequal power relationship with the person who will benefit from their work. (I contacted Universite Bretagne Sud administrators to find out whether the university is investigating any of the ethical issues raised by Brown and Heathers, but no one got back to me in time for my deadline.)

And the women should certainly be compensated and credited. Brown and Heathers have specifically asked Gueguen for more information on how they are compensated, but they havent gotten answers. These junior researchers, usually women, are working hard, Heathers says. Dozens of days of participation, often as sexual lures, and with no authorship, no mention, no credit, beyond the fact that their measurements are outlined in the appropriate method sections. A few female scientists have been listed as co-authors with Gueguen on his papers; Christine Bougeard-Delfosse, a researcher with Gueguen at the Universite Bretagne Sud, assured me that Gueguens student researchers conduct the experiments to learn methods of survey and that their aim was not to write a scientific article. But Moreno says that if theyre going out in the field and doing something, they should be acknowledged.

***

Beyond these obvious problems, Gueguens work is problematic on yet another level, too: It reinforces the very sexual stereotypes that can fuel sexual misconduct. To understand why, lets go back a few years. Lets start when you were a baby.

By the time you celebrated your first birthday, you could tell the difference between male and female faces. Little brains notice patterns. Soon after, you learned that gender is an important construct, because your parents, siblings, and teachers were constantly labeling it, pointing it out. Look at that cute boy over there! Should we ask that woman where the bathroom is? Youre such a sweet girl. If gender wasnt socially meaningful, your brain deciphered, everybody wouldnt be calling it out all the time.

Then you probably started noticing patterns, including hierarchical differences, between the genders. You may have noticed that the vast majority of powerful businesspeople and politicians were men, whereas most grocery store cashiers and daycare providers were women. You might then have started to make causal inferences from these observations. Gee, if men tend to be in these important jobs, then maybe theyre just inherently better and smarter. Because this is what little brains do: They over-interpret. They over-generalize.

While this was happening, you were constantly bombarded with social signals reinforcing the notion that the two genders are very different  and should stay that way. You noticed that girls were dressed in pink and boys wore blue; that girls carried dolls, while boys gravitated to trucks. Research tells us that your parents, your teachers and your friends reinforced these stereotypes: studies have found that teachers encourage gender-stereotypical play during recess, that preschool boys ridicule boys who play with dollhouses or dresses, and that parents reward kids for playing with gender-appropriate toys and scold them for doing the opposite.

(Even parents who think they are gender egalitarian do things like this sometimes without realizing it.)

The problem is, these gender stereotypes are like poisonous seeds  seeds that blossom into misogynistic beliefs and behaviors. Studies have shown that in adolescence, kids gender stereotypes change into sexualized gender stereotypes. They come to believe that boys are obsessed with sex, while girls are expected to look pretty and seek male attention. One study found that the stronger boys gender stereotypes were during the teen years, the more likely they were to make sexual comments and jokes and to grab girls bodies.

Put another way, some men may come to think its okay to harass and assault women in part because of deep-seated beliefs rooted in childhood observations: Beliefs that started with the seemingly harmless idea that girls and boys are different, which then morph into the notion that boys are more able and deserving than girls, and that transform, eventually, sometimes, into sexualized beliefs that give men the impression that its acceptable for them to take sexual liberties.

Is it a coincidence that the Gueguen expose was published in the midst of #metoo? The zeitgeist feels appropriate, but the timing is mostly accidental, Heathers says. He and Brown did, however, speculate if people would pay more attention to these problems given the present discussion concerning the rotten souls of powerful men.

The goal of science is to inch ever closer to the truth. The truth that Gueguen has been peddling is unsavory, in that it bolsters beliefs that men are hard-wired to ogle certain types of women and that such women are destined to be the objects of their advances. Yet his findings may not just be culturally pernicious  they could be flat out fraudulent. If he has been doctoring data to manipulate the truth surrounding sexual beliefs and behaviors, and if he has done so while putting young women under his power into debasing situations, its only fitting that he should fall now  with the other powerful men who have harmed women and gotten away with it for far too long.
GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Eight women have now accused Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct. Moore has denied their claims, and on November 29 said, I do not know any of these women, did not date any of these women, and have not engaged in any sexual misconduct with anyone.

But now, one of the women, Debbie Wesson Gibson, has shared new evidence with the Washington Post that Moore did know her, and that they had a relationship. Gibson said she briefly dated and consensually kissed Moore when she was 17 and he was 34. She said she came forward after watching Moore repeatedly lie about their relationship.

This news comes as President Trump has given Moore his full endorsement. At the same time, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has backed away from his original call for Moore to resign.

Gibson told the Washington Post she was going through Christmas decorations in her attic when she discovered her high-school Memories Book. In the book, she discovered notes she had taken about a date with Moore, and a card that he had given her.

Happy graduation Debbie, the card read in slanted, cursive handwriting. I wanted to give you this card myself. I know that youll be a success in anything you do. Roy.

Of course, Moores handwriting has been the subject of debate. When another accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, came forward and showed Moores signature in her yearbook, the Senate candidate claimed it was forged. (Handwriting analysts disagreed.)

The Washington Post again enlisted a forensic examiner to review the similarity between the handwriting in Gibsons card and Nelsons yearbook.

The forensic examiner told the Post: The style of writing, as well as certain letter features, appear to be similar. See both samples below.
Australia, Citing Concerns Over China, Cracks Down on Foreign Political Influence

SYDNEYAustralia, concerned about rising Chinese influence, will ban foreign political donations as part of a crackdown aimed at preventing external interference in domestic politics, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Turnbull told reporters in Canberra that foreign powers were making unprecedented and increasingly sophisticated attempts to influence the political process in Australia and the world. He cited disturbing reports about Chinese influence.

New laws, modelled in part on the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act, would criminalize foreign interference and require the registration of lobbyists working for nation states. The laws would be introduced to parliament to counter perceived vulnerabilities, Turnbull said.

These are the most significant reforms to foreign interference laws in decades. It will protect our way of life & the democracy that keeps us free, Turnbull told a press conference in Canberra.

Some detail on the new foreign interference laws: https://t.co/7Lxszk3eUe  John Garnaut (@jgarnaut) December 5, 2017

The announcement came as concern grows in Australia that Beijing may be extending its influence and as relationships between politicians and Chinese Communist government interests have become increasingly contentious.

Fairfax Media and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported in June on a concerted campaign by China to infiltrate Australian politics to promote Chinese interests.

China denies the claims, which its Foreign Ministry has described as totally unfounded and irresponsible.

However, leading opposition Senator Sam Dastyari quit some senior Labor Party positions last week after a tape surfaced of him appearing to endorse Chinas contentious expansion in disputed areas of the South China Sea, against his partys platform.

The tape, which showed him standing next to property developer Huang Xiangmo, a major political donor with the Chinese Communist Party, was leaked to the media.

I take those reports, as do my colleagues, very seriously, Turnbull said. The new laws are not about any one country, he said.

Foreign interference is a global issue, Turnbull said.

The new laws, should they pass parliament, would ban foreign donations to political parties or any political group that has spent more than AU$100,000 (US$76,350) campaigning in the past four years  a rule that could also likely affect environmental and other campaign groups.

Australia expressed deep concern last month over a crackdown on pro-democracy groups in Cambodia. Despite that, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said foreign donations to activist group GetUp!, a non-partisan but vocal critic of the centre-right government, would be banned under Australias new laws.

The definitions of treason and espionage would also be broadened under the new laws to include possessing or receiving sensitive information, rather than just transmitting it.

Australian concern about the scope of acquisitions and influence by Chinese Communist Party interests has grown, particularly since 2015 when the government of the Northern Territory sold the port of Darwin, in the territorys capital city, to a Chinese company despite U.S. objections.

The Australian government has since been at pains to demonstrate limits to its ties to China, its biggest export partner, and has blocked sales of Australias biggest cattle station and biggest power grid to Chinese interests.

By Tom Westbrook
Legendary actor and producer Shashi Kapoor pictured as he celebrated his 78th birthday in Mumbai on Mar. 18, 2016, with Bollywood actress Nafisa Ali. Kapoor has died aged 79. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Bollywood Legend Shashi Kapoor Dies Aged 79

Veteran Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor has died aged 79. He died in Mumbai on Monday, Dec. 4 after years of kidney problems, his nephew confirmed.

Kapoor was a member of the Kapoor dynasty, which has been hugely influential in the Bollywood industry. He also acted in over 150 movies including hits like Deewar and Kabhie Kabhie, and featured in American and British movies.

He died in hospital in Mumbai in west India.

Yes he has passed away. He had kidney problem since several years. He was on dialysis for several years, his nephew, actor Randhir Kapoor, told Press Trust of India.

A funeral was held on Tuesday morning in Mumbai and was attended by Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, and Anil Kapoor, reported Hindustan Times.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes, saying on Twitter, His brilliant acting will be remembered for generations to come. Saddened by his demise.

Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor (no relation of Shashi) wrote on Instagram: Theres never has been nor will there ever be anyone like Shashi Kapoor. He was a man of his own and transformed what it meant to be an actor. We miss you and love you always.

Kapoor was married to the late British actress Jennifer Kendal, with whom he starred in English-language Merchant Ivory productions like Bombay Talkie and Heat and Dust. His sister-in-law is British actress Felicity Kendal.

He began his career as a child actor in the 1940s and 50s but only became a major star in the 1970s after a series of hits including Jaanwar Aur Insaan (1972), Kabhi Kabhie (1976), and Trishna (1979).

Kapoor had a huge following among women and was known for his charming smile, often described as the handsomest star ever, according to the BBC.

Following the death of his wife Jennifer from cancer in 1984, Kapoor cut back his acting.

He is survived by sons Kunal and Karan and daughter Sanjana.

Please help support independent journalism by sharing this article with your friends and family. It takes less than a minute. Thank you!
Armed British Police officers stand on duty outside of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, central London on May 23, 2017, following the terror attack at the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in Manchester on May 22. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images)

Bombing of Ariana Grande Concert May Have Been Prevented: Report

The bombing of the May 22 Ariana Grande concert in Manchester may have been prevented, according to an independent assessment of the United Kindom intelligence reviews.

The bombing, which killed 23 and hurt 116, was conducted by Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old known to MI5, the U.K. intelligence agency.

In the months prior to the attack, MI5 received information that, if interpreted differently and sooner, could have led to an investigation and possibly to preventing the attack, according to a report by David Anderson QC (Queens Counsel), a lawyer tasked with assessing U.K. counterterrorism internal reviews conducted by MI5 and U.K.s Counter Terrorism Policing after four terrorist attacks, including the one in Manchester, struck Britain between March and June.

It is conceivable that the Manchester attack in particular might have been averted had the cards fallen differently, Anderson wrote.

Abedi, a British citizen, was a person of interest to MI5 (meaning the agency had a file on him) since at least 2014, when he was allegedly acting suspiciously with another person of interest. But it turned out the other person was somebody else. Abedis file was closed. He was again investigated in 2015, when he was supposedly in contact with an ISIS figure in Libya. MI5 concluded any contact was not direct, Anderson wrote. Abedis file was closed again.

But in the months prior to the attack, MI5 received intel on two occasions that, had its true significance been properly understood, would have caused an investigation into him to be opened, Anderson wrote.

But MI5 didnt recognize the significance at the time and considered Abedis activities non-nefarious or criminalnot terrorist.

In retrospect, the intelligence can be seen to have been highly relevant to the planned attack, Anderson wrote.

There was another red flag on Abedi.

MI5 was using targeted data exploitation and other automated techniques to scour through the 20,000 persons of interest with closed files to find people who may have become dangerous enough to reopen their cases. Abedi was among a small number of such people.

His case would have been considered on May 31, Anderson wrote. He bombed the concert a week earlier.

The MI5 internal review concluded that even if the agency had reopened an investigation into Abedi, on the clear balance of professional opinion, a successful pre-emption of the gathering plot would have been unlikely, Anderson wrote.

The review noted, though, that MI5 should have put Abedi on ports action following his travel to Libya in April. That would have alerted authorities upon his return and allowed them to search and question him.

Anderson served as the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation in the United Kingdom between February 2011 and March 2017. He completed the aforementioned report on a commission from U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd after he stepped down from the post.

For the assessment, he observed the work of MI5 and U.K.s Counter Terrorism Policing. He also reviewed nine classified internal reviews conducted by the agencies.

He commended the agencies for thwarting 20 terrorist plots over the past four years and endorsed the recommendations for improvements made in the internal reviews conducted by the agencies.

Please help support independent journalism by sharing this article with your friends and family. It takes less than a minute. Thank you!
California Teen Admits to Molesting 50 Children: Police

A California teenager charged with sexually assaulting two young boys, admitted to molesting as many as 50 children over the past eight years in the state, according to police.

Joseph Hayden Boston, 18, was arrested on Saturday when his mother brought him to a police station after he allegedly told her he had molested two boys, ages in 8 and 4, in his room at a Riverside motel just hours earlier, the Riverside Police Department said in a statement.

The suspect had been staying at the motel, where he befriended the male victims who were staying there with their parents, police said. Boston called his own mother stating what he had done shortly after molesting the boys.

Josephs profile photo on Facebook (Facebook)

The County of Riverside Child Protective Services responded and took custody of both victim children, police said.

Officers interviewed the suspect and he confessed to sexually assaulting the two juvenile victims in his motel room. He also admitted to molesting upwards of 50 children since he was 10 years old in different cities where he had lived, police spokesman Ryan Railsback said in the statement.

Josephs Facebook post about children (Facebook)

Josephs Facebook post about young boy (Facebook)

Boston was charged with two counts of oral copulation on a child under the age of 10 and booked into the county jail with bail set at $1 million, according to the Riverside Sheriffs Department website.

It could not be determined if Boston had an attorney on Sunday.

Police are investigating and believe the suspect, who had previously resided in Lakewood and Buena Park in Southern California, has victimized other children, police said.
He Lizhi, a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, speaks of his experience being imprisoned and tortured in China, in this file photo. (Faluninfo.net)

Chinese Regimes Secret Plan to Eradicate Religious Belief Worldwide

As Trudeau aims to deepen ties with Beijing, a former prisoner of conscience reveals the sinister ultimate motive behind Chinas communism

With Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau currently visiting China on a trade mission that aims to deepen ties with the communist country, a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience is speaking out about a sinister plan the Chinese regime has up its sleeve.

Toronto resident He Lizhi is now safe in Canada, but in March 2000, while still in China, he was abducted by police due to his spiritual beliefs and later, during house arrest, was made to watch a highly confidential internal Communist Party video that aimed to transform him.

The video revealed the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) plan for religious believers around the world that totally shocked He.

The video was of a talk given by Ye Xiaowen, head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), to Party heads and officials within the state councils different ministries.

The talk took place a few months after then-CCP head Jiang Zemin launched a persecution of the traditional spiritual discipline Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, but encountered resistance from high-ranking Party officialsmany of whom practised the discipline themselves at the time.

The SARA chief was deployed to give a theoretical lecture to top officials to convince them that the eradication of Falun Gong was what the Party needed to do in order to achieve its ultimate goal: the obliteration of religion, not only in China but worldwide, and the elimination of the concept of God from peoples minds.

In the video, Ye explained that the reason the Chinese regime still had religious freedom in its constitution was to use it as a deceptive temporary tactic, so as not to overly alienate the many minorities in China who believe in various faiths and also occupy large portions of the countrys landmass, He recalled.

Even though in the brainwashing environment of China we were taught to believe that communism is good because it promises you will have everything you want, I didnt realize that the Party was planning to eventually eliminate religious belief, and people would not have the spiritual concept of God, and divinity would be eradicated from peoples mind, He said.

He added that he was dumbfounded because the video made it clear that the regime wants to eradicate religion from the globe.

When I heard that the CCP was aiming at eliminating spiritual belief, my first thought was that in reality, they want to destroy humankind. Thats why I was so shocked.

Hes superiors at his workplacehe was an award-winning civil engineer in Beijingwanted him to watch the video because they hoped it would convince him to quit his practice of Falun Gong and be rescued from the CCPs persecution campaign, which could well destroy his career, his family, and his future.

A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing

Soon after the CCP launched its campaign of persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, a special Gestapo-like office was set up to arrest, detain, and incarcerate in labor camps hundreds of thousands of adherents.

Many died under torture, many had their careers and families destroyed, and, as investigations years later by human rights activists revealed, many became victims of a state-sponsored forced organ transplant system that has filled the pockets of the officials involved with billions of dollars.

A report released last year by Canadian and American researchers found that this mass murder for organswith an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 forced transplants conducted each year since 2000is directed by the CCP and carried out by the military, state institutions, hospitals, and transplant professionals.

It became a serious mission for He and other adherents to try to counteract the propaganda directed at the practice they had so benefited from, whose guiding principles are truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. So every chance He got, he began telling acquaintances or even strangers about the peacefulness of Falun Dafa and the states lies.

After appealing for Falun Gong in March 2000, He and his wife were abducted by police and detained, and He endured 3.5 years of incarceration because of his beliefs.

He was eventually released from prison thanks to an international human rights campaign. But many prisoners of conscience are not so fortunate; there are hundreds of thousands of Hes fellow Falun Gong practitioners who are still imprisoned in China, and even face being killed for their organs.

Calling the CCP a wolf in sheeps clothing, He said he hopes the worlds democratic governmentsincluding Canada, which may pursue a free trade deal with Beijingwill not be hoodwinked by the public facade put forward by the regime.

He added that he worries that with China gaining so much influence internationally in recent years, the regime may one day be able to realize its wish of wiping out religious belief worldwide.

That would be a terrible thing, as people need to have the freedom to have their faith, their beliefs, he said.
A coyote keeps pace with a car (not seen) as it runs down the road October 8, 2012 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/GettyImages)

Coyote Attacks 3-Year-Old Girl on Porch, as Sightings Increase in Washington

A father in Snoqualmie, Washington, said his 3-year-old daughter was attacked by a coyote, according to reports.

On Thursday, Nov. 30, Sophia was outside with by her father, Douglas Lucas, on the front porch of their home near Swenson park, Lucas told Q13FOX.

Lucas said he was on a ladder hanging Christmas lights when the wild canine approached their home. He recalled seeing the coyote around dusk.

The father said he saw the coyote walking down the street, up onto their porch, and then pounced on Sophia.

The coyote came from behind, knocked Sophia, she landed on her mouth, Douglas chases him off, ripped through her jacket and scratched her, grandmother Susan Chavez told Q13FOX.

The family showed the scratches still visible on the childs arm in the televised interview. According to her family, her purple winter coat that got torn apart by the coyote may have saved her from more serious injury.

It was traumatic, its a scary situation, Chavez told Q13FOX.

The Snoqualmie Police Department said there have been several reports of coyote sightings in recent weeks.

In a Facebook post, the department urged residents to call 911 to report coyote sightings. The officers work closely with the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife to maintain public safety.

Young Sophia recalls the day of the attack as being scary, but she told Q13FOx that daddy saved my life.

The department encouraged residents to take care of their garbage and ensure that all food sources are inaccessible. They suggest residents to keep garbage cans with tight-fitting lids in a shed, garage, or fenced area.

They also said residents should spray their garbage cans and dumpsters regularly to remove odors.

If anyone would like more information on wildlife in neighborhoods, call Police Captain Nick Almquist at 425-999-1522.

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From NTD.tv
Firefighters are battling a fast-moving brush fire, officially named the "Thomas Fire", that has burned at least 500 acres and is threatening homes. (Ventura County Fire Department)

Devastating Wildfire Threatens Hundreds of Homes North of Los Angeles

A rapidly growing wildfire in the foothills north of Los Angeles threatened hundreds of homes on Tuesday, forcing nearby residents to evacuate after causing at least one death and power outages throughout the area, officials said.

Some 1,000 households in Ventura County, California, about 70 miles (115 km) northwest of Los Angeles, were told to leave as the 10,000-acre wildfire, known as the Thomas Fire, burned dry brush after erupting earlier in the evening, Ventura County officials said on Twitter.

One motorist was killed fleeing the fire, a local ABC affiliate reported. More than 150,000 homes were without power and at least two structures were destroyed, media reported.

We got my kids out first, Melissa Grisales told ABC 7 in Los Angeles. Pretty scary, really. I didnt think it was going to come to that, but I am starting to get pretty concerned.

Strong winds were pushing the fire toward the cities of Santa Paula and Ventura, where about 140,000 people live, the Ventura County officials said.

Chief Lorenzen and Sheriff Dean updating the Media on the most up-to-date information on the #ThomasFire moving into the Ventura area. pic.twitter.com/zfBpVD8OzH  VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) December 5, 2017

Were really just trying to catch it around the edges and just pinching it off as quickly as we possibly can, Ventura County firefighter Jason Hodge told the Los Angeles Times.

The fire was stoked by wind gusts of up to 70 mph (115 kph) that were expected to remain in the area along with low humidity through the week, the National Weather Service forecast.

The 390 students at Thomas Aquinas College were evacuated as a precaution, the school said on Twitter.

Evacuation centers were opened at a high school and the county fairgrounds, media reported.
This photo taken on Nov. 29 and released on Nov. 30 by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the Hwansong-15 missile which is capable of reaching all parts of the U.S. (KCNA via KNS/AFP/Getty Images)

Experts Say Attack by North Koreas Hwasong-15 Hard to Stop

Experts have cast serious doubts over Americas ground based defense capabilities to defend mainland U.S. against North Koreas new Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile.

Several experts told the National Interest that the U.S.sground-basedd midcourse defense (GMD) system is ill prepared to tackle North Koreas new missile.

The system is garbage, Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

It is intended to deal with a threat like this, but the test record stinks and the payload is roomy enough that we need to think worry about countermeasures, Lewis said.

North Korea's missile test last week demonstrated that the Hwasong-15 is capable of reaching the continental United States. To learn more about this threat, visit https://t.co/YXV5PVimTr. @CSIS @Missile_Defense pic.twitter.com/3W1AAA6Au1  CSISAerospace (@CSISAerospace) December 4, 2017

Lewis and others spoke with the National Interest after North Korea launched the Hwasong-15 on Nov. 29. The missile reached an altitude of 2,800 and came down 130 miles off the coast of Japan.

Based on North Korean released images of the Hwasong-15, experts say it is capable of delivering a nuclear weapon anywhere in the U.S. The new missile could only be several tests away from being fully capable of being used in a wartime scenario.

Heres how North Koreas new ICBM stacks up. @CSIS pic.twitter.com/wOa54ZGgOo  CSIS Missile Defense (@Missile_Defense) December 2, 2017

Kingston Reif, director for disarmament and threat-reduction policy at the Arms Control Association, said the new missile is more than large enough to carry decoys/countermeasures that would put pressure on the GMD.

Reif explained that the Defense of Department said the GMD system has a demonstrated capability to defend against a small number of simple ICBM threats that also employ simple countermeasures.

Its not clear how DoD defines simple countermeasures,' he said.

We do know that the system has never been tested against complex countermeasures, which DoD defines as Use of target dynamics and penetration aids, Reif said.

Are such countermeasures beyond the capability of North Korea to develop? I highly doubt it.

Reif said test results have not been promising.

Overall, flight intercept testing of the system has not demonstrated that GMD is capable of reliably defen[ding] the U.S. homeland against even a limited threat, Reif said.

Senior intel analyst tells me that the North Korean Mobile Missile launcher was produced by the Wanshan Special Vehicle Company in China, and sold to North Korea, who made modifications, including adding a 9th axle pic.twitter.com/M4yMJqpZqG  Jacob Wohl (@JacobAWohl) December 4, 2017

Missile expert Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said policymakers cant rely on the GMD to shield U.S. cities from a North Korean missile attack.

I wouldnt bet New York on GMD working, said Narang.

Arms-control expert and president of the Ploughshares Fund Joseph Cirincione said the Hwasong-15 would most like overwhelm U.S. efforts to stop it in an attack.

This missile potentially has enough throw weight to carry multiple warheads plus decoys, chaff, jammers and other countermeasures to defeat any known missile defense system, said Cirincione.

It could overwhelm, fool and blind the radars, sensors and kill vehicles. You cannot stop this thing.

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From NTD
Family Speaks out on Grandmothers Death After Robbery, Police Still Looking for Suspects

The family of an 87-year-old grandmother who died after thieves knocked her overspoke out on Sunday.

In a statement obtained by KCRA, the family said that they will always cherish the memory of Marilyn Stribley but they said- they are still reeling from the news.

We continue to be in shock over the sudden loss. The emotions of sadness and shock have been with us all week. Honestly, some anger is setting in. But because of the fundamentals Marilyn taught her daughters and the family values that continued in the extended family, Marilyn leaves behind a small, close-knit family that is supporting one another, the statement said.

On Monday, Nov. 27, police responded to a 911 call about a robbery at a Rite Aid pharmacy on the 6600 block of Auburn Boulevard.

Three male suspects jumped the pharmacy counter and demanded prescription drugs. The staff, fearing for their lives handed over an undisclosed amount, according to a press release from the Citrus Heights Police Department.

Then as the robbersbetween 18 and 20 years oldwere fleeing the scene, one of the men ran into the 87-year-old grandmother just as she was entering the store. The impact knocked the grandmother unconscious as she fell backward onto the ground.

The grandmother sustained critical injuries due to the impact and died later on Saturday, Dec. 2, according to the Sacramento Bee.

As of writing on Tuesday, police were still searching for the three suspects and is asking for the publics help in identifying and locating the three men. Surveillance footage of the incident can be seen below.

Family members of Stribley said she was a mother of two daughters, a grandmother and the widow of a veteran in the Army Air Corps in World War II.

Her neighbors in Citrus Heights told KCRA that they enjoyed her company and already felt the absence.

Stribleys family said her Citrus Heights neighbors always commented on how much they enjoyed her company.

The Christmas tree she puts up every year, thats her tradition, Shelly Horn, a neighbor who lives across the street told KCRA. Its nice now to look out and think of her, and shes just a very sweet lady. We enjoyed her, and were going to miss her a lot.

"Her family adored her, loved her and will fondly remember the lady in this picture as 'mom' who always had a smile for everyone." Remembering the 87-year-old woman who died after being knocked out by 3 pharmacy robbers: https://t.co/41cQmP7bva pic.twitter.com/3UO1Nmwmud  Derek Schnell (@DerekKCRA) December 4, 2017

Her family said Stribley was known on a first-name basis at the neighborhood Rite Aid store.

Staff there has led us to believe she was one of their favorite customers, the family said in the statement. Last month, she proudly renewed her drivers license to continue doing her own shopping and getting out in the community.

According to the Sacremento Bee, Stribley was raised in Long Beach before she moved to the Sacremento area in 1993 with her husband, William Stribley. Later, the rest of her family moved over to the area as well. She continued to live independently after her husband died in 2014.

Her family adored her, loved her, and will fondly remember the lady in this picture as mom who always had a smile for everyone, the statement read. We would like to put a human face to the lady knocked down during the robbery. The details of what happened, everyone has seen. Progress toward apprehending the suspects will be left to law enforcement.

The Rite Aid Corporation is offering up to a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

Stribleys family said she will be buried with her husband of 63 years at the VA cemetery in Dixon, KCRA reported.

From NTD.tv

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Jeffrey Rosenthal (L) and Rohina Bhandari attend The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award USA New York Metropolitan Chapter at JW Marriott Essex House in New York City on May 14, 2014. (Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award USA)

Fiancee of Wall Street Executive Who Died in Shark Attack Speaks Out

The fiancee of Wall Street executive Rohina Bhandari, who was killed in a shark attack near an island about 300 miles from Costa Rica, has blamed the diving company.

Dr. Jeffrey Rosenthal, a plastic surgeon who was engaged to her, told the New York Post that divers didnt have the equipment to handle the shark.

Bhandari was a senior private-equity director for WL Ross & Co., founded by current U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.

Apparently they didnt have any protectionthe divers or the instructors had nothing to ward off any of these fish, sharks, Rosenthal was quoted as saying. I dont understand that aspect of it, that there was no protection for her or for the other guests for that matter.

The doctor added, I just feel that the safety precautions they took were not as good as they should have had.

Rosenthal said he could find some solace that Bhandari, 49, died doing something she enjoyed.

She loved seeing the fish, he said, adding that shes gone on dives before. The wildlife fascinated her.

He said that she was a person who touched the lives of many.

In one instance at President Donald Trumps inauguration party, she introduced Rosenthal to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan after she met his wife in the ladies room.

Wall Street fund manager, Rohina Bhandari, killed by shark while diving in Costa Rica https://t.co/QPvUgtyEBc pic.twitter.com/WxWr9TACOB  konniemoments1 (@KonnieMoments1) December 3, 2017

She was someone who befriended everyone, he told the paper. There was a universe of stars, and she was the brightest, Rosenthal said, adding that she was a 10-star person.

Rosenthal said that numerous people have reached out to him since her death.

Costa Ricas Ministry of Environment and Energy confirmed her death in a statement on Friday. The woman suffered strong lacerations on both legs at the Cocos Island National Park, hundreds of miles off the coast of Costa Rica.

A spokesperson for WL Ross & Co. said that she had worked with the firm until she quit in October.

We were saddened to learn of the death of Rohina who was a dear friend and colleague, the spokesperson told People magazine. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of her family during this difficult time.

Others remembered her in social media posts.

Desperately sad to hear of the tragic and untimely passing this week of my dear friend Rohina Bhandari, Jon Benjamin said in a Facebook post. Always generous and gregarious, she was a mainstay of social life in NYC a decade ago, visited us in Chile and so kindly lent us her apartment in NYC in July this year, also hosting a party for us. One of a kind.

Another person said, RIP Rohina Bhandari you were one of a kind, You will Be truly missed my friend!

Tiger sharks can reach around 15 feet in length and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. They are among the most dangerous shark speciessecond only to great white sharks in recorded attacks on humans.

Last month, a swimmer was attacked and killed by a shark just around 10 feet from the shore in Cuba, The Sun reported.

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Chinese workers of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) work in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on Jan. 30, 2010. (Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images)

How the Chinese Regime Controls Chinese Abroad

Nationalistic paper reveals network of overseas Party branches

It is well-known that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rules with an iron fist, with party organizations at all levels of society. Recently, the push to establish party organs has extended to foreign companies and foreign-funded universities inside China.

Its not as apparent how the Party exerts control over its citizens abroad. A recent article by Global Times, Chinas nationalistic state-run publication, shows how overseas Chinese continue to live under the shadow of the Party. A recent incident at the University of California, Daviswhere mainland Chinese scholars established a party branch but scrapped it after fearing that it may have violated U.S. federal lawwas just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the CCPs influence on Chinese citizens living abroad.

According to the Global Times article published on Nov. 28, the National University of Defense Technology, one of Chinas top military academies, established eight overseas Party branches for its exchange students and scholars in 2012. Citing the PLA Daily, the official publication of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), the article stated that a Party branch helps overseas Chinese students resist the corrosive influence of harmful ideologies in the West.

Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) has a student Party branch for its overseas exchange students in Mexico, Chile, and European countries, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands. Wang Xinyu, the head of the Spanish branch who currently studies at the Autonomous University of Madrid, said Chinese students in the branch wrote reports about their thoughts. A thorough report usually consists of a persons views and opinions about the Chinese Communist Party, and is a means of determining whether the person is loyal to the Party.

On a regular basis, we study Party theory according to the requirements of our higher Party branch in China, Wang told The Global Times.

Besides foreign colleges and universities, Chinese companies doing business in foreign countries through the One Belt One Road Initiativean infrastructure project and trading network promoted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, based on the ancient Silk Road connecting China with Eurasian countriesalso established their own local Party branches.

Citing a report from state-run media Guangming Daily, the Global Times reported that Zheng Xuexuan, vice president of the state-owned construction company, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, thought a Party branch for employees was necessary to monitor their thinking and ensure they toe the Party line.

It is easy for their thoughts to fluctuate, posing challenges to ideological and political work, Zheng told Guangming Daily.

Meanwhile, the Chinese regime has pushed for foreign companies doing business in China to establish Party organizations within their firms. According to the CCP, those organizations can take part in the companys decision making, to ensure business activities are in line with Chinas policies.

German firms operating in China have recently voiced concern, via the Delegations of German Industry and Commerce. A statement published on the organizations website on Nov. 24 says, We have observed that business decisions without outside interference are a strong basis for innovation and growth.

Should these attempts to influence foreign invested companies continue, it cannot be ruled out that German companies might retreat from the Chinese market or reconsider investment strategies, the statement reads.

Contrary to the less favorable business environment in China, German companies continue to have confidence in their investments in Taiwan, according to the latest annual business confidence survey published by German Trade Office Taipei on Nov. 30.

The survey found that 39 percent of the companies plan to invest at a new location in Taiwan within the next two years, while 67 percent found Taiwanese authorities to be either friendly or very friendly towards business.

While mainland China continues to live under one-party rule, the Taiwanese have enjoyed a democratic government since the 1990s. The business environment is likewise more free.

[In Taiwan], a system based on democracy and freedom, the cooperation between industry and the government is the basis for future development, said Axel Limberg, executive director of the German Trade Office Taipei, in an interview with New Tang Dynasty Television Asia Pacific (NTDTV AP), adding that he hasnt seen the Taiwan authorities interfering with foreign businesses.
Human Rights Lawyers in China Defend Hundreds of Falun Gong Practitioners This Year

By defending Falun Gong, lawyers argue for the rule of law

Chinas human rights lawyers, despite suppression, are continuing to take on the toughest cases, defending Falun Gong practitioners.

In China in July 2015, hundreds of human rights lawyers were swept up by an unprecedented crackdown, and many of those lawyers are still in prison and facing torture. Yet, in 2017, lawyers have defended hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners in court.

According to the latest statistics from Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that tracks the persecution of Falun Gong in China, Chinese lawyers have represented over 350 Falun Gong adherents in court and argued for their innocence, since the beginning of the year to the end of October. In October alone, lawyers represented 31 practitioners facing trial.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual discipline with meditative exercises, and core teachings of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Since its introduction to the public in 1992, practitioners shared with family and friends the improvements in physical health and spiritual well being they had experienced, and the practice spread rapidly in all parts of China among all parts of society.

In July 1999, the Chinese regime, headed by then Party leader Jiang Zemin, became fearful of Falun Gongs growing popularitythe state had estimated 70 million in China had taken up the practice, and practitioners reported that number was 100 millionand launched a nationwide persecution, throwing Falun Gong adherents by the millions into prisons, brainwashing centers, and labor camps, with the goal of forcing them to abandon their faith.

In Defense of a Teacher

Defending Falun Gong practitioners are perhaps the toughest cases lawyers can take in China: Lawyers have been beaten, detained, and had their licenses revoked.

By taking the Falun Gong cases, lawyers have an opportunity to argue for the rule of law in China by appealing to the protections in Chinas law for freedom of belief and freedom of speech. Two cases from this year illustrate their approach.

Liang Jianjun, a teacher of over 20 years at Lechang City Occupation Senior High School in Chinas southern Guangdong Province, was kidnapped at her workplace on May 25, 2017, by local public security officers and thrown into a local detention center, according to Minghui.org.

The local 610 office, a Gestapo-like secret police force established with the sole purpose of executing the persecution, worked in secrecy with the local public prosecutors office to charge Liang with a criminal code forbidding superstitious sects or secret societies, which the Chinese regime uses to legitimize the persecution of Falun Gong. On Nov. 7, Liang was defended by a lawyer surnamed Li and another lawyer surnamed Zheng from Beijing, at a Lechang court.

To defend Liang, Zheng cited Article 36 of Chinas Constitution, which guarantees citizens the freedom of religious belief.

Zheng also stated that Article 251 of the Criminal Law stipulates: Any functionary of a State organ who unlawfully deprives a citizen of his or her freedom of religious belief or infringes upon the customs and habits of an ethnic group, if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than two years of criminal detention.

The trial lasted for three hours. According to the latest information on Minghui.org, Liang is currently being held at Sangongli Detention Center in Lechang, pending a sentencing announcement expected to come in three months.

An Illegal Sentence

Wang Yuhong, 54, a former employee working in Beijings electricity sector, began practicing Falun Gong in 1996. After July 1999, she was repeatedly persecuted, including being subjected to forced labor and brainwashing. She was also fired from her job because of her faith.

The persecution gave such stress and despair to her father that he died shortly after learning that Wang was detained by local public security in March 2008.

On May 13, 2017, Wang was once again forcibly taken to a local police station. The police subsequently ransacked her home, taking away four computers, one printer, and several books of Falun Gong teachings, according to Minghui.org. Wang was tried on Nov. 2. She hired Wang Lei (no relation) as her lawyer.

On the day of the trial at a court in Chaoyang District in Beijing, Wang Lei argued that the police illegally arrested her by taking Wang away without showing their IDs or an arrest warrant. In addition, the so-called incriminating evidencebooks, computers, and other materials about Falun Gongwere baseless accusations given how freedom of speech is guaranteed by Chinas constitution. The lawyer argued that freedom of speech makes it lawful for Falun Gong materials to be published and for Wang to possess them.

Wang has since been sentenced to one-and-a-half years in prison.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (4th L) speaks to Chinese leader Xi Jinping (3rd R) during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Dec. 5, 2017, in Beijing. (Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images)

Justin Trudeau Brings Up Cases of Detained Canadians in China with Chinese Leadership

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he has talked with the Chinese leadership about Canadian citizens currently imprisoned in China.

Trudeau is currently on a five-day visit to China, where he met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

The Canadian Press reported that Trudeau said he has raised human rights and specific consular cases and the fact that Canadian diplomats cannot visit some of the Canadians incarcerated in China.

Among the Canadian citizens currently detained in China are Sun Qian, founder of a billion-dollar company who was detained for her faith in Falun Dafa, a spiritual meditation practice persecuted by the Chinese regime; Huseyin Celil, an Uyghur dissident; and British Columbia winery owner John Chang, who was arrested along with his wife, Allison Lu, over a customs dispute issue. Lu was later released but remains unable to leave China.

I brought them up last nighthuman rights and consular caseswith Premier Li and I will certainly be addressing those issues with President Xi, Trudeau said ahead of his meeting with Xi, according to The Globe and Mail.

Before Trudeaus trip, foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland told The Globe and Mail that both she and the prime minister take the cases of these four Canadians very seriously.

I personally mention them at every opportunity. They are very troubling to me.  It is dreadful for the Canadians jailed in China and it is dreadful for their families, she told the Globe.

On Monday, no plans to launch formal free trade negotiations were announced after Trudeau and Li met privately.

Trudeau will next travel to Guangzhou, where he will meet with local officials and the business community.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks during the annual Valdai club conference of international experts in Sochi on Oct. 19, 2017. (ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/AFP/Getty Images)

Kremlin Says Putin Not Influenced by Ex-Trump Official Flynn

MOSCOW The Kremlin said on Monday Russian President Vladimir Putin had taken a decision to hold off responding to new U.S. sanctions last year independently and had not been influenced by former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors delving into the actions of President Donald Trumps inner circle before he took office.

U.S. prosecutors said Flynn and Sergei Kislyak, then Russian ambassador to the U.S., last December discussed economic sanctions that the Obama administration had just imposed on Moscow for allegedly interfering in the U.S. presidential election, something Moscow denies.

Incoming White House National Security Advisor Gen. Michael Flynn, speaks at the 2017 Passing The Baton conference at the United States Institute of Peace, on January 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Obama at the time expelled 35 Russian diplomats and the U.S. authorities seized two Russian diplomatic compounds in the United States.

But Putin said he would wait to see how relations developed with the new Trump administration before responding. Russia only went ahead and took retaliatory measures this summer.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had taken the decision to hold off retaliating independently and had not known of Flynns alleged request to Russia to refrain from an immediate response.

Flynn was not in a position to ask Kislyak, the then Russian Ambassador to the U.S., to do anything, said Peskov, calling the idea absurd.

Of course Putin took the decision, it was his decision, Peskov told a conference call with reporters.

It (the decision) could not have been connected to any requests or recommendations. The president takes his decisions absolutely independently.
NASA Fires up 40-Year-Old Boosters From 13 Billion Miles Away

NASA engineers have fired up 40-year-old technology from a distance of 13 billion miles.

Voyager 1 has been hurtling through space since 1977, the same year that saw the first home computer hit the market.

Despite being NASAs fastest and furthest spacecraft, however, the last time it fired its main boosters was 37 years ago when it steered past Saturn.

So when they tried to wake up the ancient engines to tweak the orientation of the craft last week, NASA engineers crossed their fingers as they settled back for the long wait as their signal crossed the solar system.

Voyager 1, launched in 1997 to investigate the solar system and beyond is traveling at a speed of 38,000 mph (relative to the sun).

It takes 19.5 hours for a radio signal to reach the craft in its current location outside of our solar system, owing to its distance from Earth (13.1 billion miles)

On Nov. 29, the day after the signal was sent, NASA had confirmation that the boosters, after 37 years of inaction, still worked.

The mood was one of relief, joy, and incredulity after witnessing these well-rested thrusters pick up the baton as if no time had passed at all, said Todd Barber, a JPL propulsion engineer, according to a NASA statement.

The boosters were originally made to tweak the spacecrafts path through space as it gathered data from the solar system, including close encounters with Jupiter and Saturn in 1980.

Those big boosters then lay dormant, with only small ones used to orientate the aircraft so its antenna could beam information back to earth.

When those small thrusters began to deteriorate, the engineers hit on an idea: use the large thrusters in tiny bursts to spin the craft.

With these thrusters that are still functional after 37 years without use, we will be able to extend the life of the Voyager 1 spacecraft by two to three years, said Suzanne Dodd, project manager for Voyager at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

The technology in the Voyager craft was so old that, like trying to revive some old electronics in the attic, the team had to dust down the old manuals and learn the old software.

The Voyager flight team dug up decades-old data and examined the software that was coded in an outdated assembler language, to make sure we could safely test the thrusters, said Jones, chief engineer at JPL.

According to NASA, Voyager 1 and its sister Voyager 2 continue to communicate with NASA daily.

Each spacecraft carries a Golden Record of Earth sounds, pictures, and messages.

Voyagers mission is now to explore the outer reaches of the suns influence and magnetic field, and the outward flow of the solar wind.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a welcoming ceremony inside the Great Hall of the People on Dec. 4, 2017 in Beijing. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

No Plan to Start Free Trade Talks as Trudeau Continues China Trip

Formal free trade negotiations between Canada and China have been put on hold, at least for now. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang emerged from their private meeting in Beijing on Dec. 4 without announcing a plan to pursue an agreement.

According to reports, the meeting between Trudeau and Li took longer than expected, and a joint press conference scheduled after their meeting was cancelled at the behest of the Chinese side.

The Canadian Press reported that Chinese security guards blocked photographers from The Canadian Press and even the Prime Ministers Office from taking photos of Trudeau and Li as they walked a red carpet after their meeting. There was also an angry exchange between a Chinese foreign ministry official who berated a Canadian diplomat for not bringing the passports of reporters travelling with Trudeau, to which the diplomat fired back.

Following the talks, both Trudeau and Li said the two countries will continue exploratory discussions toward a free trade deal.

Canada is committed to moving forward on progressive trade deals that involve things like chapters on gender, on the environment, on labour, Trudeau said.

China is very aware that this is a precedent as they move forward with the first trade deal with a G7 country, and theres a desire to make sure that we get it right.

According to the Globe and Mails Steven Chase, who is reporting from Beijing, an industry source has said that among points of disagreement between the two sides is Ottawas insistence on including standards for labour and the environment in any deal.

China has been eager to enter into a free trade agreement with Canada, while insisting that human rights issues and conducting national security reviews before allowing Chinas state-owned enterprises to take over key Canadian companies be kept out of the talks.

Editorials in Chinas English-language state-owned media, including the China Daily and Global Times, seem to be pushing the idea that pursuing a free trade agreement with China is in Canadas interest since Canada has been facing challenges in NAFTA re-negotiations with the United States.

The Liberal government, which has touted a potential free trade agreement with China since coming to power, made no mention of such talks in its announcement of the prime ministers trip to China.

Results of government consultations on a free trade deal with China published last month showed that Canadian businesses were sceptical that an agreement would address the fundamental problems of doing business with China, including adverse affect on Canadian jobs, Chinas lack of rule of law, unfair competition from Chinas state-owned enterprises, and lax labour and environmental regulations in China that dont create a level playing field for all parties, among other concerns.

The National Posts front page on Dec. 2 featured the headline Dealing with the red devil, with a column by Terry Glavin sounding a warning regarding the governments pursuit of closer relations with China.

[A]s a trade partner, Beijing, with its many friendly corporate dependencies in Canada, has behaved from the outset more like an embezzler, wrote Glavin.

Australia and New Zealand are desperately attempting to extract their democracies from Beijings money and influence, he noted in the column.
On North Korea, Is It the End of the Road With China and Russia?

Russia and China are sending a message through their state-controlled media that they have reached their limit cooperating with the U.S.-led pressure campaign against North Korea.

President Donald Trump said new sanctions against the North Korean regime would come soon, but efforts to get Russia and China to participate look unlikely.

So too does any escalation of United Nations Security Council sanctions, based on the positions Russia and China are broadcasting.

And if that is the case, Trumps recent signals that his administration is prepared to take decisive unilateral action on the Korean Peninsula looks all the more serious.

Capped Cooperation

Global Times, one of the official papers of Chinas ruling Communist Party, staked out the Chinese regimes position in a recent editorial titled US, NK should not make China scapegoat.

When tensions on the Korean Peninsula reach a new height, a large portion of the pressure is transferred to China. But the U.S. and North Korea must shoulder their own responsibility without making China the scapegoat, it reads.

The article states an oft-repeated position of the Chinese regime: that despite its overwhelming share of North Koreas total foreign trade, China can do little to affect the regime; nor should China be pushed to do more than what is set out in the earlier U.N. Security Council sanctions, which the Chinese regime worked to weaken before they were passed.

The Chinese regime has negotiated a careful balance. It has pushed North Korea enough to appear a credible participant in international efforts to isolate and pressure Kim Jong Uns regime, but not so much as to materially threaten its stability.

The editorial says the United States and North Korea should solve the problem themselves without bringing further pressure on China. Another Global Times editorial says China will not issue any unilateral sanctions.

It also rejects a key U.S. demand to cut off oil supplies to North Korea. The United States had advocated for an oil embargo earlier at the U.N. when the Security Council passed a resolution in September that paved the way for the current sanctions.

Rather than cut off oil exports to North Korea, China agreed to the current cap, essentially giving Kim a predictable but reduced supply of oil.

Russia has taken a similar tack, largely echoing Chinas positions.

But because China accounts for 75 to 90 percent of North Koreas foreign trade, Chinas adherence to even watered-down sanctions has been significant. Russia, however, has used Chinas trade restrictions as a way to increase leverage with the Kim regime.

Russia, which shares a short land border with North Korea, has been accused of skirting the sanctions and stepping in as China steps out. Russias state-run media have been particularly critical of U.S. policies on the Korean Peninsula.

Trump addressed Russias role in late October during an interview on Fox News.

China is helping us, and maybe Russias going through the other way and hurting what were getting, Trump said, adding, When I say maybe, I know exactly what Im talking about.

Sputnik, one of Russias outward facing state-run news outlets responsible for conveying the views and narratives of the Russian government, has taken a particularly dim view of the U.S. effort to deter Kims nuclear missile program.

The outlet has frequently overlooked Kims bombastic statements, instead focusing on dissecting the United States position in the conflict.

Now it looks like Russia is prepared to concede the effort to keep North Korea from gaining nuclear weapons.

In recent days, Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that further sanctions are useless.

We have repeatedly stressed that the sanctions pressure is essentially exhausted, he said, reported Sputnik News.

He has also warned that Russia wont abandon North Korea if the United States takes military action against the regime, saying they will do everything to prevent this from happening, and promote solving the issue exclusively by peaceful political and diplomatic means, reported Sputnik News.

North Koreas Sponsors

Russia and China are more than North Koreas most essential alliesthey are its progenitors.

Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Uns grandfather, was appointed to run the country by the Soviet Union in 1948 after the peninsula was split between the Soviets and Americans following World War II.

When the elder Kim decided to invade South Korea in 1950 with his Soviet-supplied army, he nearly conquered the entire peninsula. But once U.N. forces rallied and swept North, they began to overwhelm the North Korean regime. That was when China sent troops to push U.N. forces back to the current border.

Later, when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and Soviet aid suddenly stopped flowing to North Korea, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost due to famine. China then became the regimes lifeline.

The North Korean regimes dependency on Russia and China is a dynamic that continues to this day.

China and Russia signaled very early on that they would not implement the kind of sanctions that would force Kim to the negotiating table. While Trump has tried to convince them to do more, that position hasnt changed.

This is likely why U.S. officials have been signaling that the United States is prepared to take unilateral steps to end the current crisis.

Its a message meant as much for Russia and China as it is for North Korea.

On Saturday, White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said North Korea represents the greatest immediate threat to the United States, during an event at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California.

McMaster also said the possibility of war was growing.

I think its increasing every day, which means that we are in a race, really, we are in a race to be able to solve this problem, McMaster said.

Trump is prepared to go to war to keep Kim Jong Un from getting a nuclear-armed ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States, republican senator Lindsey Graham told CNN last week.

While Russian and Chinese state media have denounced U.S. military drills in the region and Trumps strong statements toward the North Korean regime, Russia and China also know that limited sanctions were unlikely to stop Kim from pursuing nuclear weapons.

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These three teenagers, 14-year-old Brandon Conrad, 16-year-old Malik Page and 17-year-old Emmanual Harris will be charged as adults for the beating death of a 57-year-old man. (Philadelphia Police Department)

Philadelphia Teens to Be Charged as Adults Over Senseless Killing

Three teenage males are being charged as adults for killing a 57-year-old man in north-east Philadelphia.

Police are charging 14-year-old Brandon Conrad, 16-year-old Malik Page, and 17-year-old Emmanual Harris as adults over the beating death of Kevin Cullen, reported Fox 29.

Police said Cullen was attacked by the teenagers just before 6 p.m. Sunday night, Nov. 26, in the Mayfair neighborhood.

One local resident tried to help Cullen after he was attacked.

They were laughing, like it was funny, that resident told Action News. They hit his head into a wall so hard I felt it in my house on the second floor.

Cullen died in hospital the next day.

57 year old Kevin Cullen fatally assaulted in Mayfair. His family says he was the 4th of 6 siblings, was deeply loved and is very missed. Search for teen suspects continues. pic.twitter.com/dYWRHycSm7  Katherine Scott (@KScott6abc) November 28, 2017

The three teenagers are students at Mayfair high school and police are investigating their possible involvement in other assaults in the area.

A fourth individual present at the time of attack wont be charged, said Homicide Capt. Jack Ryan, who declined to elaborate on that persons involvement, reported The Inquirer.

Ryan said Cullens death was due to a blow to the head. He discussed the futility of what occurred.

Committing robbery is not the answer for boredom, he said.

It shouldnt be your rite of passage. It can have tragic consequences. This man died as a result of it and these three young men are going to jail for some time.

Cullen was born and raised in the neighborhood and contrary to prior news reports, he was not homeless. He was well-known and well-liked by the local community, said Ryan.

I wouldnt characterize him as homeless; he was definitely bouncing from place to place, living with different people all the time, Ryan said. He was definitely well-known in the neighborhood. Frankly, we didnt encounter any neighbors that had a bad thing to say about the man.

The Inquirer reported that the police were alerted that a robbery was taking place at 5:50 p.m. and arrived on the scene to find Cullen unconscious on the sidewalk.

People from the local community held a vigil at the location where the attack was carried out. At the vigil, Cullens distraught family thanked those in the neighborhood who tried to help Cullen as he lay unconscious.

Especially, the woman Donna who sat with him when he was dying. Glad somebody was there to show him compassion when he was dying, said Tom Cullen, a brother of the deceased.

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From NTD
School Bus Crash in Georgia Kills 5-Year-Old, Injures 22 Children

Officials said that a 5-year-old girl died and 22 other children were injured when a school bus hit a tree near Hinesville, Georgia.

The Georgia State Patrol said that 5-year-old Cambra Shuman died in the accident, WSAV reported. The driver, Evelyn Rodriguez, 62, was rushed to Memorial Health in Savannah.

Liberty County EMA Deputy Director Larry Logan said that the bus was going down Ray Road toward Highway 196 when it went off the road and into a ditch, WTOC reported.

Winn Army Community Hospital is responding to a bus accident on Highway 196 and Ray Road near the Gumbranch area, Winn Army Community Hospital said in a statement. It said that its caring for 13 patients, and all of the children who have been received here have come in attentive and alert before adding in an update that all 13 of the students have been discharged from Winn Army Community Hospital.

At Liberty Regional Medical Center. I've seen several parents leave with kids. Just spoke to mom and dad leaving with 4 and 5-year-old daughters. One had cuts, blood on face, but both walked out of ER with parents. Didn't want to speak on camera. pic.twitter.com/rzMKIWGSuy  Amanda LaBrot (@AmandaLaBrot) December 5, 2017

BREAKING: Officials confirm 1 child killed, several injured in bus crash on W Hwy 196 in Liberty County https://t.co/smbzQABJyq pic.twitter.com/cVinzPtqaj  WTOC 11 (@WTOC11) December 5, 2017

The children on the bus were between the ages of 5 and 12, officials said.

Upon impact, the roof of the bus caved in on the occupants, Georgia State Patrol told the Atlanta Journal-Consitution newspaper. Rodriguez was trapped in the bus after the accident, and she was later freed.

In a statement, the Liberty County School System confirmed the crash.

Update: The school bus has been towed from the scene of the crash in Liberty County. The young girl tragically killed in the wreck has been identified >> https://t.co/K1auk2DO12 pic.twitter.com/IkFB4gFaVN  WALB News 10 (@WALBNews10) December 5, 2017

This morning a Liberty County school bus was involved in a single vehicle accident, which resulted in one student fatality. Our thoughts and prayers are with the students family in their time of grief. The remaining students and driver were transported to local hospitals. Grief counselors have been made available to all students and staff. The bus accident is currently under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol, the statement reads, per WTOC.

The Liberty County School System asks the community to join them in continued thoughts, prayers and support for all individuals affected by todays accident.

Other details about the crash are unclear.

The crash took place around 50 miles southwest of Savannah and about 235 miles southeast of Atlanta.

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The Louisville Police Department has had twice to three-year-olds shooting themselves in the past three weeks. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Second Louisville Toddler Shoots Self in Three Weeks

The Louisville Metro Police Department reports that a 3-year-old child accidentally shot himself on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 3. The childs injuries were not life-threatening.

Louisville Metro Police spokesperson Alicia Smiley said that the child shot himself shortly before 11 a.m. in an apartment at the 1500 block of Oleanda Avenue, in Louisville, Kentucky.

The childs father placed the injured, but conscious, child in his car and headed northeast towards the Norton Childrens Hospital, about 10 miles away.

However, while crossing the intersection of South Fourth Street and West Hill Avenue, the fathers car collided with another vehicle, according to The Associated Press.

LMPD officers responded to the scene and found the wounded child with his father. They put the child in an ambulance and took him the rest of the way to Norton Childrens Hospital. They say the childs injuries are non-life-threatening.

Police are investigating how the child got hold of a gun.

This is the second such tragedy in just under three weeks in Louisville.

On the night of Monday, Nov. 13, another three-year-old child was seriously injured when he somehow found a gun at a car lot in the 2000 block of South Hurstbourne Lane and shot himself in the head.

It appears that the firearm was in the car and unsecured, though exactly how the child got the gun is unclear.

The childs parents had just finished looking at car they were considering buying and were preparing to drive home.

The child was in the car with a sibling and his mother when the incident occurred.

The wounded child was reported to have been alert and trying to open his eyes after the shooting.

The child was rushed to Norton Childrens Hospital for immediate surgery and listed in serious condition.

Police have ruled the incident an accidental shooting. LMPD Sgt. Scott Beatty told WLKY that the tragedy points to the importance of firearm safety.

We always want to stress safety. Just always be mindful if you do have firearms and small children please be smart about it. Make sure theyre stored safely, unloaded, and the safety is on, he said.

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Teenager Opens Amazon Parcel, Finds Help Me Message

A teenager in the UK discovered a help me message in her Amazon parcel that claimed the bosses at the online retailers recruitment agency are evil.

The parents of April Dorsett, 13, ordered a gift from Amazon and organized for a note on the invoice to read love from mum and dad.

But when it arrived at their house in the town of Bolton, northwest England, it instead read, Help me please, PMP staff are evil.

Part of the Cordant Group which was established in 1957, PMP are Amazons recruitment agency in the UK.

Needless to say Aprils parents, Kim and Philip Dorsett, were surprised by what was scrawled on the invoice.

Kim Dorsett told the Mirror that her husband ordered the present, He ordered a note in it saying love from mum and dad.

We asked April have you read the note? and she said do you mean this one?

Thats when we saw it. I thought this isnt right.

Then I thought it must be a prank and I was overreacting, but then people pointed out all the stories about Amazon lately, Kim said, presumably referring to a recent investigative report about staff being worked to exhaustion levels to meet targets at Amazons newest warehouse in Essex.

This is quite worrying. Its the sort of thing you hear about happening in sweatshops in China, she said.

Kim also sent a photo of the invoice and its message to Amazon via Facebook.

My 13-year-old daughter received her advent calendar today from her dad. She was all excited to open it because it was addressed to her, wrote Kim.

She found this inside of her box and is worried Amazon are running sweat shops. Ive told her its probably a prank but can you just confirm this Amazon, she wrote.

Kim soon got a reply.

Oh no! I am so sorry your daughter received this note in her package, Kim. Wed like for our team to look into this for you, replied Amazon customer support person named Aisha who asked Kim to fill out a form.

Amazons recruitment agency PMPwho are the ones mentioned in the note as being evilrefuted the anonymous claim.

[We] do not recognize the comment made as being an accurate or fair representation of the employee experience we provide, said part of a reply from PMP to the Daily Mail.

We do, however, take such comments extremely seriously and will be investigating in conjunction with our client.

The note in the teenagers Christmas present comes a few years after a widely-reported incident of a women in the U.S. finding a note exposing forced labor in China.

In 2012, Julie Keith from Oregon opened a Halloween kit she bought from a Kmart store to find inside a help message from a Chinese prisoner of conscience.

If you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization, said the handwritten note in English written in a labor camp. Thousands people here who are under the persicution [sic] of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever.

The writer of the letter was later found to be a Falun Gong practitioner by the name of Sun Yi who had been detained for four years because of his faith. To avoid further persecution, Sun Yi later fled China. He ended up meeting Julie Keith last year in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Labor camps were officially abolished in China in 2013, but human rights observers noted the regime still uses prisons, detention centers, mental health centers, and unofficial black jails for the very same purposes.



With reporting by Petr Svab.

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Toll Booth Worker Killed in Massive SF Bay Bridge Crash

Driver of truck arrested on DUI, manslaughter charges

A major crash on San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge killed a toll booth worker, according to reports over the weekend.

A rented box truck smashed into a booth Saturday, according to the California governors office.

Gov. Jerry Brown confirmed the lone victim was 46-year-old California Department of Transportation employee Si Si Han, who worked for Caltrans for more than a decade.

Anne and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Caltrans Toll Collector Si Si Han, who died today while serving the traveling public. On behalf of all Californians, we extend our condolences to her family, co-workers, and friends, Brown said in a statement.

KPIX Chopper 5 video shows the Bay Bridge toll plaza crash scene where a toll-taker was killed early Saturday morning. https://t.co/KCIahoiL06 pic.twitter.com/4wF4yfFdif  KPIX 5 (@CBSSF) December 2, 2017

Han is survived by her husband, Ryan, and their 10-year-old daughter, Ashly, Browns office stated. Capitol flags were flown half-staff in honor of Han.

KCRA-TV reported that the driver of the rental truck, as well as another occupant, were badly hurt when it struck five cars before hitting the toll booth at around 5:11 a.m.

Toll collector killed in Bay Bridge accident identified, mother of 10-year-old daughter https://t.co/trjnsfyXjP  KTVU (@KTVU) December 2, 2017

CHP Officer Vu Williams said that officials dont believe the truck, which was filled with sound or lighting equipment, intentionally hit the booth but the cause of the crash is under investigation, according to KCRA. The people inside the five cars were moderately injured in the crash.

Were investigating exactly why the driver lost control and struck the toll plaza, so weve got to determine all the factors involved, including impairments, medical issues or mechanical issues, Williams said.

A #toll booth worker was killed and another person badly injured when a westbound box truck smashed into a toll booth on the Oakland side of the #BayBridge early this morning. https://t.co/jlpnvZ9Rh3  ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) December 2, 2017

Ive never seen this, Williams added. Ive seen them damage the booth before. Never to this extent.

Daniel Berk, 32, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter, ABC7 reported.

#BREAKING: Box truck driver arrested on suspicion of DUI and vehicular manslaughter after ramming into Bay Bridge toll booth and killing 46-year-old Caltrans employee, @CHPSanFrancisco says. https://t.co/SripO4IcEu pic.twitter.com/L4WBD9JkAR  NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) December 2, 2017

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Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, Roy Moore (R) greets supporters at an election-night rally in Montgomery, Alabama, on Sept. 26, 2017. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Trump Endorses Roy Moore in Alabama Senate Race

President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Republican candidate Roy Moore for Senator in the Alabama special election race.

Trump wrote on Twitter that he is supporting Moore because We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more.

Trump cited the vote on the tax bill in the Senate, where not a single Democrat voted in favor of it.

He also described Moores opponent, Doug Jones, as a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet, referring to the House and Senate minority leaders.

Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama. We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2017

Putting Pelosi/Schumer Liberal Puppet Jones into office in Alabama would hurt our great Republican Agenda of low on taxes, tough on crime, strong on military and borders& so much more. Look at your 401-ks since Election. Highest Stock Market EVER! Jobs are roaring back!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2017

Trump spoke to Moore by phone to discuss the Alabama race, and to give his endorsement, Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said aboard Air Force One on Dec. 4.

The President would much rather have someone in the Senate who supported his agenda as opposed to someone who did not, Gidley said.

President Donald Trump departs the White House for St. Louis, Mo., on Nov. 29, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Moore, a former Alabama state judge, came under fire last month after The Washington Post reported that he had made unwanted sexual advances on a 14-year-old girl, at the age of 32.

Moore, however, has disputed the claims, and The Washington Posts reporting has not been independently verified.

The Judge has been married to Kayla for nearly 33 years, has 4 children, and 5 grandchildren. He has been a candidate in four hotly-contested statewide political contests  After over 40 years of public service, if any of these allegations were true, they would have been made public long before now, Moores campaign said in a statement.

Alabama Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore and wife Kayla leave the Gallant Fire Hall after voting in the GOP runoff election in Gallant, Alabama, on Sept. 26, 2017. (Hal Yeager/Getty Images)

Moores legal team has also requested the release of a yearbook signature, which had been cited by Gloria Allred, an attorney representing one of Moores accusers, as proof of potential misconduct.

Allred said on CNNs New day that she would only release the yearbook signature over to a third party if Moore appears before a Senate committee under oath.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News that an ethics investigation of Moore is almost certain if he wins the election.

McConnell has been a fierce critic of Moore and backed his opponent, Luther Strange, in the Republican primaries.

Moore is currently 1.5 points ahead of Jones in a Real Clear Politics average as of Dec. 3.

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President Donald Trump arrives at the White House in Washington on Dec. 2, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Trump Informs Middle East Leaders of Plan to Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem

President Donald Trump has informed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II of his intention to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Trump also has a phone call scheduled about this with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The United States is required under law to move its embassy to Jerusalem after Congress adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act in 1995.

Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, have used waivers to postpone the move for 6-month periods citing national security interests.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a meeting with congressional leadership in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Nov. 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Trump vowed during the presidential race that he would move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.

Trump signed a six-month waver in June, but did not issue a new one earlier this week.

The president has been clear on this issue from the get go that its not a matter of if but a matter of when, Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said on Dec. 4.

It is unclear when Trump plans to move the embassy. In the absence of a waiver, Congress could freeze funding to the State Department if the embassy is not moved.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas gives a speech in Ramallah on Sept. 16, 2011. (Thaer Ganaim /PPO via Getty Images)

Palestinian leader Abbas told Trump that there is no Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as its capital, reported The Times of Israel.

Trump reportedly criticized Abbas earlier this year over continued incitement of hatred against Israel as well as payments to the families of convicted Palestinians who committed terror offenses.

Abbas also threatened that the move would have repercussions on the peace process. White House adviser Jared Kushner is currently working on a Middle East peace plan.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner in the Cabinet Room of the White House on June 30, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Olivier Douliery  Pool/Getty Images)

Earlier this year, Republican senators introduced a bill that would have withheld some part of State Department funding until the embassy had been moved.

Jerusalem is the eternal and undivided capital of Israel, said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said on Jan. 3.

Unfortunately, the Obama administrations vendetta against the Jewish state has been so vicious that to even utter this simple truthlet alone the reality that Jerusalem is the appropriate venue for the American embassy in Israelis shocking in some circles.

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Trump Wins Travel Ban Battle in Supreme Court

Full ban to take effect as lower courts continue to hear appeals

WASHINGTONThe Supreme Court has ruled that President Donald Trumps newest travel ban for seven terror-prone countries can go into full effect.

Seven of the nine Supreme Court justices ruled in favor of Trumps Sept. 24 proclamation that nearly all citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen be banned indefinitely from entering the United States as of Oct. 18.

Citing national security threats, Trump also placed restrictions on some Venezuelan citizens and heightened scrutiny requirements for Iraqi citizens. Sudan had been placed on the initial travel ban list, but was later removed.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented from the opinion.

The ruling said the ban can go into effect while the lower courts resolve the ongoing challenges against it.

We cannot afford to continue the failed policies of the past, which present an unacceptable danger to our country.  President Donald Trump

Circuit courts had said that people from the affected countries who had a bona fide relationship with someone in the United States could not be banned from entering the countryincluding grandparents and cousins.

White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said the president was not surprised by the Supreme Court decision.

The proclamation is lawful and essential to protecting our homeland. We look forward to presenting a fuller defense of the proclamation as the pending cases work their way through the courts, Gidley said.

The Immigration and Nationality Act states that the president may suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens whenever he finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.

Trumps September travel restrictions were his third attempt and were tailored to the countries involved, based on a review of almost 200 countries between March and July by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

We cannot afford to continue the failed policies of the past, which present an unacceptable danger to our country. My highest obligation is to ensure the safety and security of the American people, Trump said in a statement at the time.

The restrictions and limitations imposed by this proclamation are, in my judgment, necessary to prevent the entry of those foreign nationals about whom the United States government lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose to the United States.

The new rules do not apply to legal permanent residents of the United States, and visas already issued to citizens from those countries were revoked. Once nonimmigrant visas expire, however, they are subject to the new restrictions. Citizens from most of the countries listed will be unable to emigrate under the new ban.

The DHS review identified countries that needed to provide more information with visa applications to satisfy U.S. authorities that the individual is not a security or public-safety threat.

A country was also examined if it was a known or potential terrorist safe haven; whether it is a participant in the visa waiver program; and whether it regularly refuses to take back its nationals who are subject to deportation from the United States.

The DHS initially identified 16 countries as being inadequate and 31 additional countries as at risk of becoming inadequate, based on its criteria.

The State Department then spent 50 days engaging with those countries to help them meet the criteria and avoid travel restrictions.

Those engagements yielded significant improvements in many countries, the proclamation in September stated. Twenty-nine countries, for example, provided travel document exemplars for use by Department of Homeland Security officials to combat fraud. Eleven countries agreed to share information on known or suspected terrorists.

The Supreme Court said it expected any appeals decisions to be rendered quickly.

Updated at 6:47 p.m. to add White House remarks.
Two Australian Men Charged With Importing Almost 5KG of Bath Salts

Two Brisbane men were arrested and charged with importing almost 5kg (11 pounds) of a border-controlled drug in Queensland, Australia, on Nov. 30, after a joint federal operation.

The Australian Federal Police arrested 24-year-old Sammuel Bartrim of Bridgeman Downs and 26-year-old Corey James Miller of Ferny Grove for importing commercial quantities of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), commonly known as bath salts.

MEDIA RELEASE: Brisbane men arrested following importation of bath salts Read more: https://t.co/nHdyzv33kY pic.twitter.com/jdPKx0n7ay  AFP (@AusFedPolice) December 1, 2017

They have also been charged with attempting to possess commercial quantities of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug.

The joint operation, involving Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF), began earlier this month when two packages were intercepted by ABF officers at the International Mail Facility in Sydney, the AFP said in a statement on Dec. 1.

After the packages were opened, officers found several bags of rock sugar containing a brown crystalline substance. The substances returned a presumptive positive for MDPV after testing.

The pair faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Dec. 1. Bartim was denied bail while Miller was granted bail under strict conditions, reported Courier Mail.

According to the newspaper, the court was told 4.48kg (9.88 pounds) of MDPV was found in nine packets. Five packets were found in a car.

MDPV is an emerging psychoactive substance (EPS), which is a drug that can have mind-altering effects that are relatively new to the recreational drug market, according to National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2016 report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

This drug can induce panic attacks, hypertension, and psychosis, and has resulted in violent uncontrollable behaviour by users, according to the AFP. It has been dubbed a zombie drug due to its effects on users.

If convicted the pair can face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or a fine of over AU$1.5 million (about US$1.1 million), or both.

The men are due to reappear in court on Dec. 15, reported the Courier Mail.

From NTD.tv

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Two-Month-Old Son Dies, Father Admits He Exploded

Utah police arrested a teenage father on Monday after he admitted to exploding when his two-month-old son would not stop crying, KUTV reported.

Clint Nokes, 19, reported that his baby was not breathing on Dec. 1. First responders who arrived at the scene could not revive the boy and rushed him to Davis Hospital.

Nokes at the time told an officer that he was feeding the baby and tried to burp the infant, but the infant would not burp. Nokes told the officer that the boy went limp when he pulled him away.

Nokes said he saw the baby was not breathing and took a big gasp of air. He claimed that he then called his girlfriend, Krista Larsen, to let her know that something was wrong.

The young fathers story began to fall apart when officers contacted the hospital. Doctors there reported that the babys head and ribs were bruised and that a CT scan showed a skull fracture. The boy also had detached retinas and bleeding in the brain.

The doctors feared for the boys life and rushed him to the Primary Childrens hospital. The baby died on Dec. 2 at 1:25 a.m.

The shocking extent of the injuries was revealed after an autopsy. The boy had a four-inch skull fracture, hemorrhaged optic nerves, and bloody spinal fluid. The babys ribs, humerus, and tibia were broken.

Faced with the facts of the autopsy Nokes admitted to police that he exploded after getting tired of the baby crying. He says he chucked the child on the couch and into the swing.

Nokes then revealed more horrifying facts. He told investigators that he pulled the child by the leg and carried the baby by the leg from the living room into the kitchen. He said he held the baby and jumped up and down, causing the babys head to flop back and forth.

Nokes also told police that he dropped the baby on his head in the kitchen sink earlier this week.

Nokes is being held at the Davis County Jail without bail.

Krista Larsens profile on Facebook has photos of the child with the couple. According to her profile, the couples relationship began in August, 2015.

The babys name was Hudson, according to Facebook posts by several of Larsens family members. Seven family members changed their profile pictures to show the baby.

This little boy lit up our lives for the short time he was here, Larsens sister, Savannah Fielding Larsen, wrote on Facebook.

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Mali, a Belgian Malinois British Military Working Dog, received the prestigious Dickin Medal in November 2017, after his role in military operations in Afghanistan. Two retired military dogs who were also on duty in Afghanistan were facing being put down because they couldn't be re-homed. (MOD)

Two Retired Army Dogs Saved From Lethal Injections

Two army dogs that faced being put down because they were too aggressive to be re-homed have been saved, according to a politician.

Distraught dog handlers and ex-soldiers had vowed to give the two dogs, named Kevin and Dazz, every chance possible to be housed and not killed.

The Belgian Shepherds sniffed out lethal IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, while on duty in Afghanistan before being retired.

Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan tweeted that he was thrilled to bits that the retired army dogs Kevin and Dazz had been saved from being put down.

Thrilled to bits that army hero dogs Kevin and Dazz have been saved. Happy Christmas and happy retirement to them both https://t.co/R0raeKclQE  Sir Alan Duncan MP (@AlanDuncanMP) December 4, 2017

The dogs are based at the Defence Animal Centre in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, which is located in the constituency that Sir Duncan represents.

The animal loving minister expressed his dismay over the decision to put down the canines in an earlier tweet that featured an image of his dog, with the caption, Even my dog Noodle says Save the army hero dogs!'

Hero dogs who saved lives in Afghanistan due to be put down in Melton's Defence Animal Centre in my constituency, though there are experienced handlers willing to look after them. Even my dog Noodle says "Save the army hero dogs!" https://t.co/nClBsTVeNR pic.twitter.com/dNfwPmRSwh  Sir Alan Duncan MP (@AlanDuncanMP) December 1, 2017

A third dog named Driver that worked with the police force could also be reprieved.

Defence Minister Gavin Williamson told The Sun that he will ensure the dogs have a golden future.

Ive instructed my department these dogs are to be saved. Were talking with charities and looking at a programme as to whether they can be re-housed with a handler in a more normal environment.

Were going to ensure they have a golden future. Well do everything we can to look after animals that form such an important part of the military family.

According to a tweet from from Alistair Bunkall from Sky News, the Defence Minister had the dog handlers in the Ministry of Defence for a meeting on Monday, Dec. 4.

A petition campaigning to halt the dogs being put down was launched by former SAS officer Andy McNab. It racked up over 367,000 signatures in a few days.

Service dogs have saved my life on numerous occasions. We have a duty to save them. Please sign this petition. https://t.co/ABOvA7VVr0  Andy McNab (@The_Real_McNab) December 1, 2017

Service dogs have saved my life on numerous occasions. We have a duty to save them, he wrote on the page.

In Afghanistan when I was on a patrol the dogs found an IED in front of us, I was number three in line, I was very, very lucky to survive.

They also saved countless lives when I was in the Special Air Service sniffing out explosives.

He added that the dogs are an asset when they are on duty, but even more of an asset when they are retired.

Hero army dogs who faced being put down saved 'at last minute' https://t.co/vb2MHTNM6L  Evening Standard (@standardnews) December 5, 2017

Wherever possible we endeavour to re-home military working dogs, an Army spokesman previously said. Sadly there are occasions where this is not possible.

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Two Teachers Arrested for Allegedly Smoking Pot Inside Elementary School

Two Virginia teachers were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana Friday, Dec. 1 at their school after the police received an anonymous tip.

Police arrested 25-year-old Luke Lloyd and 28-year-old Michael Diaddigo, both physical education teachers at Taylor Elementary School in Arlington. Both teachers have been suspended from the school. A third teacher is being investigated and has been placed on administrative leave, reported NBC.

According to NBC, a police informant revealed that the teachers regularly smoked marijuana and hashish together in the physical education office. The teachers would smoke before school started and cover the scent using air freshener.

The informant also said Diaddigo distributed marijuana to other teachers on school property, reported the news station.

A letter from the school principal, Harold Pellegreen, was sent to parents on Dec. 1 after the arrests, reported Fox News.

As educators, we are obviously shocked and dismayed by this news, and our first concern has been for our students. While I cant share the details about the investigation with you because it is an ongoing personnel and police matter, I want to share how we are rallying to support our children, families, and staff, Pellegreen said in the letter.

We believe the investigation is only focused on the adults and does not involve any of their interactions with our children, he added.

In a similar scenario took place last month in which a teacher was arrested at an Indiana high school after her students recorded her allegedly snorting drugs in the classroom. The 24-year-old English teacher was led out of the school in handcuffs, and faces charges of possessing a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

Also last month, a Bronx public school teacher was found dead in a school bathroom from an apparent overdose. Next to his body was drug paraphernalia and a glassine envelope with an unknown substance inside.

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U.S. Secretary for Defense, Jim Mattis, sits opposite Britain's Secretary of State for Defence, Gavin Williamson, before a meeting at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in central London, Britain Nov. 10, 2017. (Reuters/Simon Dawson)

U.S. Defense Chief Urges Pakistan to Redouble Efforts Against Extremist Groups

ISLAMABADU.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met Pakistans civilian and military leaders on Monday and urged them to redouble their efforts to rein in extremist groups accused of using the country as a base to carry out attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.

Mattis, on a one-day visit to Pakistan, said the South Asian nation had made progress in the fight against militancy inside its borders but needed to make more.

More than 100 days since U.S. President Donald Trump announced a South Asia strategy that calls for a firmer line toward Islamabad, U.S. officials and analysts say there has been only limited success and it is not clear how progress will be made.

U.S. officials have long been frustrated by what they see as Pakistans reluctance to act against groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network that they believe exploit safe haven on Pakistani soil to launch attacks in Afghanistan.

The Secretary reiterated that Pakistan must redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Mattis, who visited Pakistan for the first time as defense secretary, said before the trip that the goal for his meetings with Pakistani officials would be to find common ground.

In his discussion with Mattis, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the two allies shared objectives.

Were committed (to) the war against terror, he said. Nobody wants peace in Afghanistan more than Pakistan.

Mattis also met with high-ranking officials from Pakistans powerful military, including army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Lieutenant-General Naveed Mukhtar, the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency that U.S. officials say has links with Haqqani and Taliban militants.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mattis conversations had been straightforward and specific. The official said one of the topics of conversation was getting Pakistan to help bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

In August, Trump outlined a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, chastising Pakistan over its alleged support for Afghan terrorists. But beyond that, the Trump administration has done little to articulate its strategy, experts say.

U.S. officials say they have not seen a change in Pakistans support for terrorists, despite visits by senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

We have been very direct and very clear with the Pakistanis  we have not seen those changes implemented yet, General John Nicholson, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, said last week.

Pakistani officials have pushed back on the U.S. accusations and say they have done a great deal to help the U.S. in tracking down terrorists.

Limited Leverage

U.S. officials expressed hope that relations could improve after a U.S.-Canadian couple kidnapped in Afghanistan were freed in Pakistan in October with their three children.

While the Trump administration has used tougher words with Pakistan, it is has yet to change Islamabads calculus. Some experts say the U.S. loses clout in Pakistan when it is seen as bullying.

While Mattis traveled to the region earlier this year, he did not stop in Pakistan, but visited its arch-rival, India, a relationship that has grown under the Trump administration.

There is not an effective stick anymore because Pakistan doesnt really care about U.S aid, it has been dwindling anyway and it is getting the money it needs elsewhere, said Madiha Afzal with the Brookings Institution.

Mattis brief visit to Islamabad comes a week after a hardline Pakistani Islamic group called off nationwide protests after the government met its demand that a minister accused of blasphemy resign.

Separately, a Pakistani Islamist accused of masterminding a bloody 2008 assault in the Indian city of Mumbai was freed from house arrest. The White House said the release could have repercussions for U.S.-Pakistan relations.

I think for Pakistan, the timing is very bad. There is talk about progress being made against extremists and here you have a situation where religious hardliners have basically been handed everything they wanted on a silver platter, said Michael Kugelman, with the Woodrow Wilson think tank in Washington.

By Idrees Ali
Jeffrey Feltman, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs, arrives at the Pyongyang International Airport on Dec. 5, 2017. Feltman's visit, the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010, comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. (KIM WON-JIN/AFP/Getty Images)

UN Official Responsible for Preventing Conflict Lands in North Korea

The United Nations has dispatched its Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs to North Korea to ease tensions in an effort to stave off war on the Korean Peninsula.

The United Nations has not been explicit about his mission in its official statements, claiming the under secretary, Jeffrey Feltman, is there to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern.

Feltman oversees the U.N.s diplomatic efforts to prevent conflict. He arrived in North Korea on Dec. 5 and will stay till Dec. 8, meeting with North Korean officials and staff of the United Nations Country Team and diplomatic corps in North Korea.

The visit comes a week after North Korea launched an intercontinental missile the regime claims completes its state nuclear force.

It also comes as the United States and South Korea carry out their massive annual air force drill, Vigilant Ace. The pre-planned recurring exercise runs Dec. 4 to 8 this year and will see the United States and South Korea dispatch 230 aircraft in drills aimed at improving understanding and trust between the two nations, according to the Air Force.

Some 12,000 U.S. personnel will participate.

In the event we need to help defend our 51 million Korean allies, I need to be sure the 51st Fighter Wing is synchronized with the Combined-Joint force, said Col. William D. Betts, commander of the 51st Fighter Wing.

Vigilant Ace is an opportunity for us to do just that; focus on getting smarter, faster and more capable than we were yesterday while we generate combat airpower and strengthen the alliance.

The exercise has infuriated Pyongyang, with a North Korean foreign affairs spokesperson blasting the drills in an article in the ruling regimes Workers Party newspaper.

The spokesperson, who remained unnamed, said the exercises push the current touch-and-go situation of the Korean peninsula to a flare-up.

The article claims the drill will be unprecedented in size and nature, on overstatement given last years drill included a similar number of personnel and planes.

This year however, there is a large contingent of stealth F-22 and F-35 jets involved. North Korea currently has limited ability to track such planes, which could prove essential to taking out North Korean artillery aimed at South Korea if tensions erupt into war.

The Trump team is begging for nuclear war by staging an extremely dangerous nuclear gamble on the Korean peninsula, claims the North Korean spokesperson.

The United Nations issued just a few sentences about what Feltman will do and what his aims are while in North Korea. According to a brief U.N. statement, Feltman will also visit China while in the region and will meet with Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong.

Its been nearly 8 years since the last Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, visited the country, according to the U.N.

The U.N. has six agencies active in North Korea, including UNICEF and the World Health Organization, with approximately 50 international staff. Feltman will check up on their efforts there.

South Koreas Foreign Ministry welcomed news of Feltmans trip, reported Yonhap News Agency.

So too did South Koreas Unification Ministry.

We hope that the visit can pave the way for North Korea to come to dialogue, a unification ministry official, asking not to be named, told Yonhap.

Feltman is a former U.S. diplomat who speaks five languages. After a career that saw him rise through the ranks at the State Department to career minister, he moved to the United Nations.
Lifestyle: If You're Not Getting Closer to Achieving Your Goals, Try Using a Different Metric
U.S. Navy sailors conduct flight operations Tuesday, May 2, 2017 aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) in the western Pacific Ocean. U.S. Navys top leadership said on Monday that the size of the United States Navy is now at its smallest in a century, while still facing ever-rising threats. (Sean M. Castellano/US Navy via Getty Images)

We Need More Money: US Navy Chiefs Urge Congress to Adequately Fund American Sea Power

The U.S. Navys top leadership said on Dec. 4 that defense budget hiccups and uncertainty are hurting the nations efforts to maintain its sea power around the globe. The Navy is now at its smallest in a century, while at the same time facing ever-rising threats from the naval powers of multiple adversaries, including China.

At the U.S. Naval Institutes 2017 Defense Forum Washington, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer said in his speech that the foundations of the Navy today are woefully underfunded. If we dont invest in our future, we will be in a corner, said Spencer.

Speaking at the same event, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. William Moran put it even more bluntly: We need more money! Moran said that the budgets awarded to the Navy must not only be in the right amount, but also be delivered at a steady pace so as not to jeopardize the Navys needs of maintaining ships, aircraft, equipment, and sailors for its many critical missions.

Spencer and Moran both called for an end to Congresss established practice of providing temporary funds in the form of continuing resolutions, instead of passing formal budgets that would guarantee the Navys steady access to needed resources. The practice, combined with the 2011 Budget Control Act, has been increasingly criticized as putting unnecessary stresses and disruptions on the Navys operations, especially concerning maintenance and training.

If we dont invest in our future, we will be in a corner.  Richard Spencer, secretary of the Navy

The disruptions and inefficiencies resulting from continuing resolutions have caused the Navy to waste at least $4 billion, according to Spencer. Since 2011, we have put $4 billion in a trash can, put lighter fluid on top of it, and burned it, he said.

Spencer also warned that U.S. adversaries have been quickly making technological leaps that increasingly erode U.S. positions around the globe, and that these adversaries have shown a level of renewed aggressions that have not been seen before.

Chinas ever-growing aggression in the South China Sea also shows how critical it is for the United States to maintain a strong presence in response, said Moran. He pointed out that the Navy, being significantly smaller today, cannot be expected to adequately respond to the growing threats it faces.

Speaking from his experience serving as a second lieutenant in the Navy during the 1980s, Moran said that at the height of the Cold War, the Navy could immediately deploy around 100 ships. That number remains the same today, he said, yet unlike during the Cold War, when there was only a single threat (the Soviet Union), the United States now faces multiple adversaries, including Russia and China.

The problems caused by the lack of funding appear in the daily operations of an overstretched Navy.

In response to questions from reporters, Moran said that there was no question that budget instability was a contributing factor that led Aegis destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain to collide with commercial vessels earlier this year, causing the deaths of a combined 17 U.S. sailors. The hiccups in funding forced the Navy to take risks they would not otherwise take in critical areas such as training and certifications, said Moran.

In November, the Navy released the results of its investigations into the collisions of the two destroyers, and cited the accumulation of smaller errors and over-confidence and lack of procedural compliance as the primary causes. Such flawed practices were said to have been greatly exacerbated by the sub-standard levels of training and knowledge among the crews on both ships.

In addition to Spencer and Moran, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has also criticized the practice of continuing resolutions, citing the disruption and waste they cause in a Sept. 8 letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Despite the top naval chiefs public appeals and Mattiss comments, Congress could still end up relying on continuing resolutions to fill up the gaps in the defense budgets this year, as the prospect of a government shutdown on Dec. 8 looms.
Woman Finds Lost Dog After Seeing It on the News

An Oceanside, California, woman was surprised to see her missing 9-month-old puppy on the news after it disappeared shortly after Thanksgiving.

The puppy owner, Salina Hurtado, was in disbelief after watching a news report describing how a dog was wounded during a police chase in Valley Center.

The dog was accidentally shot by police when a man allegedly tried to run the officers over in a stolen van that the dog was in.

She quickly recognized the dog in the footage as her white pit bull, Catalina, which has distinctive spots.

I felt hurt. I couldnt believe it was her. I was shocked, Hurtado said in an email.

Catalina disappeared from the apartment complex where Hurtado and her husband live on Nov. 25, reported The San-Diego Union-Tribune.

They searched the area for her, but couldnt find her. They started to believe someone had taken her.

A week after Catalina went missing, someone told Hurtados husband that they had seen Catalina on the news.

After watching the report, the couple contacted the news station and learned that she had been taken to the County of San Diego Animal Services shelter in Carlsbad.

The worried puppy owner said she went to the animal shelter with photos and veterinary documents to reclaim Catalina, but was told that the pit bull has to be kept there for another week by law.

For 14 days after an animal comes in, the county is legally required to let anyone contest someones claim of ownership if the animal is not licensed or microchipped, Dan DeSousa, director of the countys animal services department, told the Tribune. Catalina didnt have a license or a microchip.

Hurtado was able to see Catalina at the animal shelter for a short while, however. I am grateful that she is safe now, Hurtado said.

Kevin Meza, the suspect who was arrested after the high-speed chase, claimed the dog was his, according to the Tribune.

Hurtado started a GoFundMe page to raise $3,000 to pay for Catalinas unexpected medical bills.

Im so happy shes healing great and hopefully she can come home soon, Hurtado said on her GoFundMe page.

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Thief in Michigan Caught by Determined Woman With Loaded Pistol

The armed man who entered the Arbys in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on the morning of Monday, Nov. 27, probably expected to walk out with a handful of money. While he did get the money, he didnt get away thanks to some quick-footed employees.

According to the Macomb Daily, the day started as usual for workers at the Arbys on Van Dyke Avenue north of 17 Mile Road. Around 9 a.m., before the restaurant was open for business, workers inside heard a knock on the back door. Assuming it was a co-worker arriving for the early shift, a worker opened the door.

Instead of an Arbys employee, who stepped through the door was a pistol-wielding robber who demanded all the money in the cash registers.

After collecting the cash the robber ran south.

Meanwhile, one of the shift managers alerted Arbys director of operations Marcia Rabideau. Rabideau looked across the parking lot and saw the fleeing robber. She charged out the door, jumped into her Dodge Charger, and gave chase, along with some other employees.

The alleged robber ducked into some nearby woods, and emerged on another street, only to find that it was a dead endand there facing him was Rabideau with her loaded 9mm Glock.

In a Facebook comment Rabideau explained: There was no way  I was going to allow this cat to get away with all of our deposits. The suspect tried reaching for his gun but I told him if he lowered his [expletive] hands again that I would shoot him dead and I meant it!!!! He stood in the river bank with his hands above his head until the fuzz arrived!

Police arrested the armed robber, as well as his accomplice who was driving a getaway car, and took them to the Macomb County Jail, MLive reports. In the car was a one-year-old baby, who was the child of the gun-wielding robber.

So now they will also face child endangerment charges, Rabideau told MLive.

Neither the names nor the charges against the two men have been released.

Later that day, Rabideau posted on Facebook: Starting the day out being robbed was not expected but after chasing the suspect down with the charger & holding him there by gun point until the police arrive was priceless! Thank you boys for going after him with me!!!

Police generally tell people not to resist armed robbersand definitely not to chase them. Rabideau certainly knew thisher husband is the police chief for the village of St. Charles and a retired Saginaw police officer, MLive reports.

But when one of her managers told her, I was just robbed! she said she didnt think. I just reacted, Rabideau told MLive. Just being stupid, I guess.

In this case, it turned out well.

Sterling Heights Police Lt. Mario Bastianelli told the Macomb Daily that the child was unharmed and has been reunited with its mother.

He re-emphasized that people should not chase armed suspects, no matter how well it worked out this time.

Its strongly advised for victims not to pursue an armed robber after they were robbed at gunpoint, due to obvious safety concerns, Bastianelli said.

And money is just moneythat can be replaced. Lives cant. Its brave of them to do it, but we dont encourage it. Being a good witness is the best most people can do. Thats what we want people to do.

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Noem tells NYT former President Trump doesn't offer 'best chance' for GOP

In an interview with The New York Times, Gov. Kristi Noem spoke about her reservations about former President Donald Trump announcing his bid for re-election.
VANCOUVERMarijuana producer Aphria Inc. announced it has entered a five-year agreement to supply pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart with medical cannabis.

The company said Monday that it will provide the pharmacy with four strains of dried marijuana flower in two different sizes and four cannabis oils. All 12 products will carry the Aphria brand name.

The deal comes after many months of discussions and is subject to Health Canada approving the application of the chains parent company, Loblaw Companies Ltd., to dispense medical marijuana. Loblaw applied for a licence in October 2016, but neither company can say if or when that application will be approved.

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If granted, Aphria said it expects Shoppers Drug Mart will sell Aphria-branded cannabis products online. Current federal regulations allow licensed producers to distribute medical marijuana direct to consumers by mail.

The agreement is expected to have a positive material impact on Aphrias medical sales revenue, said Aphria CEO Vic Neufeld during a conference call with analysts shortly after the news was announced.

We have an opportunity to grow as Shoppers Drug Mart grows, he said, adding Aphrias committed to not entering discussions or making any business transactions with other national pharmacy banners in excess of a certain size.

If the federal government changes the rules to allow pharmacies to dispense medical marijuana in stores, Neufeld said, the home run turns into a grand slam.

The companys stock closed nearly two per cent higher on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday. It gained 22 cents to $11.62.

Aphria is one of several voices advocating for pharmacies to be permitted to distribute medical cannabis.

Loblaw has previously said it believes pharmacists and pharmacies should play a role in medical marijuana distribution, and posted a job ad for a medical marijuana brand manager as Shoppers Drug Mart last month.

We have been very transparent in our view, said Catherine Thomas, a spokeswoman, in an email.

As the federal and provincial governments finalize their respective cannabis frameworks, we remain optimistic that they will allow pharmacists in stores, in communities to apply their professional care to medical cannabis patients.

The Aphria deal is one of several recent agreements between marijuana producers and pharmacies.

Maricann Group Inc. announced last month it entered into a letter of intent with Lovell Drugs Ltd. to be its primary and exclusive provider of medical cannabis. Lovell Drugs has a dozen pharmacies across Ontario.

Earlier this year, CanniMed Therapeutics Inc. signed a letter of intent with member-owned co-operative PharmaChoice to be its exclusive medical cannabis distributor and to train its pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. The deal is on hold until the first legislation change that allows pharmacies to distribute medical cannabis and will be completed within 60 days of that change.

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The average retirement age will rise about two years over the next four decades among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), thanks to efforts in past years to shore up state-funded pension schemes.

The greatest projected jump will be in countries such as Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands where the retirement age is now linked to life expectancy. Only five members  including France  of the OECDs 35 will have standard retirement ages below 65 by 2060.

Canada has been among the most active on the pension front.

Plans to increase the retirement age from 65 to 67 were cancelled under the new Liberal government in Ottawa. As a result, the retirement age for the full pension will remain at 65, while it will increase by just shy of two years from about 64 to 66 by 2065, on average, across the OECD, says the latest annual report by the Paris-based think-tank.

Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands will have a retirement age at 68 or higher based on current legislation. At the same time, Canada will be aging at a pace similar to that of the average OECD country, says the annual report. So the number of people older than 65 per 100 people of working age (20-64) will increase from 26 in 2015 to 48 in 2050 in Canada, compared to 28 and 53 on average in the OECD.

Canada is among the three OECD countries who backtracked from planned increases in retirement age, along with the Czech Republic and Poland.

More changes to the CPP are coming soon. In 2016, Ottawa announced an enhanced CPP that will increase benefits paid out  although many years down the road  through an increase in contributions over five years starting in 2019.

Meanwhile, future pensions from mandatory schemes will increase. The future net replacement rate from mandatory schemes for a full-career average-wage worker will increase by about 10 percentage points to 53 per cent compared to 63 per cent on average in the OECD.

The cost of public pensions will continue to grow in some of the OECDs largest economies, such as the U.S., though the rate of growth will be slower than in the past two decades. Some countries will see drops, especially Greece, which slashed pension rights during the financial crises.

In its annual report on pensions, the OECD warns that members should take further steps to shore up pension systems to cope with demographic changes, greater inequality among senior citizens, and the changing nature of work in a digital economy.

With many people switching to non-traditional jobs, a strict fixed retirement age may no longer be in the general interest, it says.

With files by Lisa Wright

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Winter is coming and Stelco Holdings Inc.s steel plant on the Canadian shore of Lake Erie is stocking up for the stormy months ahead. Iron ore from Minnesota and Appalachian coal are streaming off ships on conveyor belts toward the blast furnace and coke ovens.

Behind the docks, 25-ton coils of steel are lined up for shipment, still radiating heat three days after they were produced.

After decades of crisis, a renewed sense of purpose has settled over the 107-year-old company, which just completed the first initial public offering of a North American steelmaker in seven years. The question hanging over the reinvigorated enterprise is whether Stelco is finally on the cusp of sustained profitability, or whether it will wilt in an industry dominated by global giants and cheap Asian producers.

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In the pantheon of great Canadian corporate names, Stelco doesnt exactly scream confidence. The Hamilton-based Steel Company of Canada was once the countrys biggest producer, with a workforce of 25,000 in the 1970s.

Its since gone through two stints in creditor protection while it struggled with operating losses, bitter labour relations, high debts and pension deficits. Its most recent owner, U.S. Steel Corp., plucked some of Stelcos best contracts and abandoned what was left of the company in 2015. Ahead, the winter freeze is the least of its worries as protectionist moves in the U.S. threaten to restrain its ability to expand in North America.

Who in their right mind would want to take control of such a business?

Meet Alan Kestenbaum, the 55-year-old Brooklyn-born turnaround artist whos now Stelcos principal owner and chief executive. Where others see a picked-over carcass, Kestenbaum sees an agile global player. Where some see old facilities and a potentially fractious workforce, Kestenbaum talks up unused capacity, strategic locations on the Great Lakes and fixable labour relations.

Investors seem willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, for now. Stelcos stock is up almost 13 per cent since the companys $17-a-share early-November IPO, giving it a market value of about $1.7 billion. Bank of Montreal analyst David Gagliano initiated coverage with an outperform rating and a price target of $23, saying, Stelco represents a compelling investment vehicle within the North American steel sector.

Purchased through Kestenbaums Miami-based private equity firm Bedrock Industries Group LLC in June, Stelco has major advantages over some of its predecessors and competitors.

After $4.4 billion of debt and pension obligations were eliminated through a restructuring that ended this year, Stelco has a clean balance sheet, along with $230 million of fresh cash raised in the IPO. The company says in its prospectus its total costs are among the lowest in North America and it expects its margins to expand as it uses more of its assets and regains lost volume.

Whats more, Kestenbaum has a track record of finding and turning around struggling metal companies at Miami-based Globe Specialty Metals Inc., which he bought for $1 million in 2006. After 11 acquisitions and a merger with Grupo FerroAtlantica, London-based Ferroglobe Plc is now worth about $2.7 billion (U.S.). Kestenbaum believes he can achieve similar returns at Stelco.

Two or three more acquisitions down the road and well turn around and well be $6 billion, $7 billion, $8 billion, why not?, Kestenbaum says in an interview at Stelcos Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ont.

The company declined to say how much Bedrock invested in the Stelco acquisition.

Joe Ragan, who worked as Kestenbaums chief financial officer at Globe Specialty Metals, says the man has the magic.

He always gets an extraordinary deal for the assets he buys, Ragan, now Ferroglobes CFO, said of his former boss. Hes got a very sharp acuity on how to structure a deal to get a really good value.

The origins of Kestenbaums grand gamble on the Great Lakes trace back to an unsavoury dispute over 40 cents.

While he was still at Globe Specialty Metals, that company acquired a ferrosilicon facility in Bridgeport, Ala., from a New York-based hedge fund. When Kestenbaum looked into the situation, he was appalled at the way the workers had been treated.

All around this facility I saw probably the poorest neighbourhood Ive ever seen in my life. These are $5,000 homes and kids walking around without shoes, he recalls. And I remember sitting with this hedge fund manager at the plant and he was bragging to me how he knocked 40 cents an hour off the workers, $3.20 a day, for a savings of $100,000 a year.

When the deal closed, the first thing Kestenbaum did was to give workers back the 40 cents an hour.

That move came to the attention of Leo Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers union, who asked to meet him. I thought that was pretty unique, Gerard said by phone from Pittsburgh.

A few years later, Gerard suggested Kestenbaum take a look at a Canadian steelmaker languishing in bankruptcy protection. Kestenbaums interest was piqued. This is part of the payback for the lousy $100,000 I gave to those workers in Alabama, he says.

A productive labour relationship would be a sea change for Stelco. When it was a subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, the company locked out workers three separate times, was sued by the Canadian government for breaking employment promises after the financial crisis and finally shut the Hamilton blast furnace in 2013.

Hamilton was an Academy Award performance on both sides of how you do bad labour relations, said Peter Warrian, a senior fellow at the University of Torontos Munk School of Global Affairs who is a former USW research director. They both heavily invested in rewarding the wrong behaviour.

The Kestenbaum era looks like its off to a better start. He has already secured a five-year agreement with the remaining 1,650 hourly workers, and hes made symbolic changes, such as allowing the union to fly its flag at the plants and inviting workers to a bell-ringing ceremony at the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Forces beyond Kestenbaums control have also been moving in Stelcos favour. Steel prices have been rising as China, the worlds biggest producer, takes steps to reduce output to cut pollution and close illegal and inefficient plants, while prices for key inputs iron ore and metallurgical coal have declined in the past year.

The near-term picture, though, looks less rosy. The unpredictability of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks is a risk for Stelco and its ability to win U.S. contracts. If Stelco gets through that unscathed, the Trump administration may still follow through on threats to slap tariffs on steel imports, or otherwise ramp up Buy American provisions limiting the use of foreign steel.

The company is hinging a good part of its growth on winning contracts in the auto industry, which used to be an important part of its business before U.S. Steel migrated many of those contracts to its U.S. plants. This is where a collapse of NAFTA, which favours North American automakers, could really pose a unique threat to Stelco, Warrian said.

U.S. Steel doesnt comment on its commercial relationships or labour relations of other companies, spokesperson Meghan Cox said in an email.

Stelco will have to offer lower prices to compete with its former parent company and other major players, and that wont be easy without scale, said James May, managing director of Toronto-based price forecaster Steel-Insight. Theyre screwed in a downturn, when smaller companies will have to discount their price in order to generate sales, May said.

Kestenbaum says his new company is ready for the worst. On the threat of reduced access to the U.S., he points out hes also looking to boost sales to Mexico and Europe, taking advantage of the companys location on the Great Lakes. And he says hell be more careful than previous owners in preserving a clean balance sheet.

You dont take on debt that can only be repaid in optimal market conditions, he says.

Back on the Lake Erie dock, the CEO will soon begin ramping up exports from a port that was primarily built for imports, with a goal of eventually exporting 500,000 to one million tons of steel a year to customers around the world.

We look at ourselves as a global player, Kestenbaum says.

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Its the power, stupid.

Thats Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg synthesizing for the masses  via Facebook, naturally  her take on the seemingly ceaseless revelations of sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Maybe Sandberg has hit on something. Maybe its time to battle the imbalance of corporate power with political campaign-style tactics. Maybe a slogan should be part of the strategy.

It worked well enough for Bill Clinton in the 92 election. Campaign strategist James Carvilles sound bite  Its the economy, stupid  was shorthand for inequality in America and proved effective in focusing the mind of the electorate. We remember what a big win it was for Clinton.

We also recall the Carville slogan was a deft way to deflect the chilling evidence around the candidates own relations with women.

So lets not go there.

But Sandberg is to be commended for taking to Facebook Sunday, laying down her thoughts and prescriptions for urgently addressing a behavioural crisis. We need systemic, lasting changes that deter bad behaviour and protect everyone, from professionals climbing the corporate ladder to workers in low-paid positions who often have little power, she wrote. We need to end the abuse of power imbalances due to gender  and race and ethnicity, too. We must not lose this opportunity.

The COO was bound to come in for criticism given her privileged perch as a member of the corporate elite. (Stop pretending you are a regular person! read one response to her post. Shut up!) But she makes herself relatable by recounting her own journey. Like almost every woman  and some men  I know, I have experienced sexual harassment in the form of unwanted sexual advances in the course of doing my job. A hand on my leg under the table at a meeting. Married men  all decades older than I  offering career advice and then suggesting they could share it with me alone late at night. The conference where a man I declined leaving a dinner with came to my hotel room late at night and banged on my door until I called security.

Heres the power piece: I didnt work for any of these men. But in every single one of these situations, they had more power than I did. Thats not a coincidence. Its why they felt free to cross that line.

Fighting back has cost women careers and opportunities. Stories of this type mount daily. In the wake of these revelations, Susan Fowlers experience sounds less and less astounding.

You may recall that Fowler was the Uber engineer who wrote of her experiences at the frat-boy ride-hailing company in her blog. Day One on the job Fowler received a string of chat messages from her boss, explaining that he was in an open relationship. Fowler wrote: He was trying to stay out of trouble at work, he said, but he couldnt help getting in trouble, because he was looking for women to have sex with.

Fowler reported her bosss behaviour to human resources. I was told by both HR and upper management that even though this was clearly sexual harassment and he was propositioning me, it was this mans first offence, and that they wouldnt feel comfortable giving him anything other than a warning and a stern talking to. Upper management made a point of telling Fowler that her boss was a high performer  the standard response when protecting misbehaving corporate stars.

That first offence defence was a lie, as it turned out. Other women subjected to the same come-on from the same manager were told the same thing.

Sandberg is right when she says we have arrived at a critical moment. Sexual harassment has been tolerated for far too long in the halls of government and companies large and small, she writes.

The remedies? Sandberg has a set list, including clearly stated policies and principles; a commitment to treat all claims seriously, urgently and with respect; a process that is fairly and consistently applied for victims and the accused; reinforcing the importance that all employees have a role to play in keeping the workplace safe.

Directives such as those are only effective if the people at the top make it so. Ultimately, the most important cultural change is one Sandberg has been championing for years: having more women with more power.

It wouldnt solve all the problems we face if more women were in power, she writes. But one things for certain: many fewer people would be groped and worse while trying to do their jobs. And that would be a major step in the right direction.

jenwells@thestar.ca

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In 2008, Lisa Marie DiLiberto had an idea: to make a theatre production celebrating Canadian main streets and downtowns. This came to her while touring across Canada, but she decided to make the new production about the neighbourhood she was then living in: Parkdale.

Among the team that she brought together was Charles Ketchabaw, a theatre technician with a background in radio. The production they made, The Tale of a Town, gathered oral histories from people living in Parkdale and presented them in a storefront theatre, using live actors and recorded media.

Nearly a decade, 124 towns, 3,259 interviews, 157 performances, one marriage and two kids later, DiLiberto and Ketchabaw are bringing The Tale of a Town  Canada to Theatre Passe Muraille next week, as part of a nationwide tour.

To say the The Tale of a Town struck a nerve with Canadians is clearly an understatement. After making a number of Tales around Ontario, in 2014 the pair turned it into a national project and have since made shows about and for every province and territory in the country. Theyve raised over half a million dollars in government and foundation support and employed 119 artists along the way.

The Tale of a Town  Canada is a sort of live highlights reel, which DiLiberto and Ketchabaw perform along with a local choir, live band and special invited guests from the community. Some of the narration involves what they call Tiny Towns: miniature mock-ups of the downtowns theyve visited, projected onto a screen using live video to illustrate the stories being narrated.

DiLiberto says the impetus for the first show was to capture the spirit of a Toronto community that seemed in danger of disappearing; shed seen globalized retail outlets come into her native Ancaster and erode its downtown.

Parkdale is such an amazing neighbourhood. And then we thought, Wow, what would happen if big box stores invaded Parkdale? . . . We decided wed celebrate the stories and the places around us.

In some of the communities they visited, participants brought history books or tried to explain what was commemorated on plaques, but DiLiberto says this is not the focus: Were actually interested in what you can remember in your own lifetime, personal stories about the way it used to be, here, in your downtown, where you grew up.

So are these sad stories about main streets dying and communities losing their souls?

No, not at all, says Ketchabaw. I think its a series of stories that have touched us, and then along the way you sort of discover that things change. And change is inevitable . . . I think its illuminating to hear things that are from another part of the country, yet totally relatable . . . you start to find connectivity.

I think there is a sense of loss, says DiLiberto, buildings that are torn down or things that are gone, but then theres also the thought of, Well, why were those things so memorable? . . . Maybe it wasnt the place but the feeling people had in those places and how can we carry that feeling of community forward?

People would all go to Main Street to see each other, to connect and now people connect in a different way, says DiLiberto. So perhaps the play can question: if that was so wonderful, how can we make sure that theres still space for that to happen, in whatever we build or create or whats next?

This project has shaped and transformed the couples lives. It started off as just a little idea for us to do and now its grown into an organization, says Ketchabaw, who is managing director with DiLiberto artistic director of their company, Fixt Point. Were able to provide a lot of jobs for a lot of people.

Many of these are artists who work in the companys two Storymobiles: teardrop trailers that they drive to different locations, where they identify interviewees and record their tales.

Theyre also the creators of Main Street Ontario, an animated TVO video series about 10 main streets in the province, and they take on side gigs such as The Cyprus Project, an audio/video installation that accompanied Driftwood Theatres touring production of Othello this past summer. Their website, thetaleofatown.com, includes an interactive map of their Canadian travels and excerpts of many of their interviews.

While the current tour is a milestone, they say the project is far from over. Were looking at our next steps, says DiLiberto. Theres a lot more towns and no lack of interest in The Tale of a Town. . . . Were going to continue; not necessarily us, but were going to train artists, hire people, send them out, get funding and continue the oral history of main streets and downtowns.

While towns might not always be the subject, Ketchabaw says hell always be interviewing people and investigating things and working with interesting folks . . . I like finding the extraordinary in ordinary people.

The Tale of a Town  Canada plays at Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave., from Dec. 13 to 17 (passemuraille.ca or 416-504-8988); Milton Centre for the Arts on Jan. 20; the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines Jan. 25 to 27; the Grand Theatre in Kingston Jan. 30 to Feb. 4; and the Burlington Performing Arts Centre Feb. 8 to 10.Karen Fricker is a Toronto Star theatre critic. She alternates the Wednesday Matinee column with Carly Maga.

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If you have trouble picturing the actress who played kind-hearted Mrs. Patmore in Downton Abbey as the child-hating villain in the musical Annie, may we suggest catching up with The Catch?

When the executive producers of the Shonda Rhimes drama decided to add more British actors to the cast a couple of years ago they called Lesley Nicol, who hung up her apron as Mrs. Patmore in 2015.

A very amazing writer called Allan Heinberg . . . he wrote me an absolute bitch of a woman, said Nicol, on the phone from Los Angeles: a London gangland matriarch who would take you out in a heartbeat.

So Nicol will have the nasty bit down when she comes to Toronto in April to play Miss Hannigan in Annie at the Ed Mirvish Theatre. What about the singing and dancing? Well, before Nicol, 64, became famous worldwide as the Crawley familys cook on Downton she started her career in musical theatre in her native England, beginning with Jesus Christ Superstar and including starring roles in Mamma Mia! and Our House, which featured songs from the ska band Madness.

Shes also currently developing a one-woman, autobiographical show featuring eight songs created by Mark Mueller (a veteran pop-rock songwriter known for the theme song from DuckTales).

This is my trip back to theatre, she said of Annie. Theres still the ever present slight fear of Oh my gosh . . . will that be a challenge or will it be like getting back on a bike? I hope thats what it will be like.

Nicol is looking forward to playing the very funny, crazy part of Miss Hannigan, who runs the orphanage where Annie is living and conspires to prevent her from finding happiness with benefactor Oliver Warbucks. Other cast members have yet to be announced.

To make people laugh is a great feeling, said Nicol, who has been rediscovering the exciting relationship of playing to a live audience with workshops of her one-woman show How the Hell Did I Get Here?

Shell have another theatre engagement before she comes to Canada: a revival of the 1960s-set play The York Realist at Londons Donmar Warehouse in January, February and March.

Then I get home for, I think, seven days and then come to Toronto.

Her first time in this city was in September 2010 to promote the British film West Is West at the Toronto International Film Festival. Downton Abbey hadnt started airing yet. (She has also been to Vancouver to film guest spots in Once Upon a Time and Supernatural, in which she had quite good fun playing a child-eating witch.)

Its a safe bet that Nicols Downton pedigree will be a big draw for theatre audiences on this visit and shes OK with that.

She and other Downton cast members were recently in New York promoting Downton Abbey: The Exhibition (which is there through January and then expected to tour other U.S. cities). A woman broke into tears upon encountering Nicol, her favourite Downton character, and Sophie McShera (who played kitchen maid Daisy) in Whole Foods.

Nicol has encountered Downton fandom as far afield as rural China, where she visited a farm as part of her work with the charity Animals Asia, which rescues moon bears from bile farms in China and Vietnam.

And, of course, Downton has opened doors to jobs in her adopted home of L.A.

People show that they have a real emotional connection to (Downton) and to my character as well, said Nicol.

Its very, very touching as an actor to think that actually has an impact on them.

The 40th anniversary West End production of Annie will be at the Ed Mirvish Theatre April 24 to May 27. Tickets go on sale Dec. 11. See mirvish.com for details.

A "Downton Abbey" movie is in the works, with production likely to begin in 2018, an NBC Universal executive said in June at the launch of "Downton Abbey: The Exhibition" in Singapore. (The Associated Press)

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Nuit Blanche has travelled broad-ranging turf in its nearly a dozen years, from spectacle to activism and everything in between. Next year, it ranges farther than it ever has: To Scarborough, where a sizeable chunk of the annual overnight art event will touch down at dusk on Sept. 29, 2018.

If Alyssa Fearon, the Scarborough segments newly named curator, has her way, Nuits move will break ground in more ways than one.

You always hear about Scarborough as a place thats underprivileged, thats at risk, thats a priority, she says. I really think that does a disservice to whats happening there. Theres a lot of resilience, a lot of creativity. Thats what I want to illuminate  the great things that are there already.

Nuit Blanche, Scarborough edition, will centre around its Civic Centre, which will serve as a hub in much the same way as Nathan Philips Square does for the downtown core. The two events will take place the same night.

Born in 2006 as a bring-back-the-tourists campaign in the wake of the citys image-battering SARS crisis, Nuit Blanche over time has moved away from spectacle to become smarter, tighter and more in tune with the city it serves.

This year, it contracted to a handful of tight zones centred around Nathan Phillips Square. It displayed a strong activists bent: Groups such as Black Lives Matter T.O. and a slate of Indigenous artists and movements had a strong presence, situating the event explicitly in the current, politically-charged moment.

Moving a portion of Nuit Blanche to Scarborough, said the citys director of arts and culture, Patrick Tobin, was the natural extension of that shift. With the recent census revealing that visible minorities now comprise more than half the citys population, the events 2018 theme, You Are Here, was chosen to reflect not only that demographic shift, Tobin said, but the shifting character of the city itself.

Toronto is an arrival city on a global scale, and Scarborough in particular functions that way even more intensely, Tobin said. All the dynamics that come with that, people, finding their way in a new city, and the city finding its way with newcomers, really comes to the fore in a place like Scarborough.

Tobin said that Nuit Blanche programmers met early on with partners in Scarborough, such as Scarborough Arts, and Y+ Contemporary, to define what the event would look like.

While its far too soon to suggest specific installations or artists who might be involved  those will be announced along with the full Nuit Blanche program in mid-2018  Tobin began with unequivocal first principles from the community.

They were very clear  this needs to not be a Nuit Lite, he said. They expected to be treated with the same respect as our partners in the downtown core.

When it arrives, Nuit Blanches suburban segment will come with the full slate of programming and local mentorship programs that its downtown progenitor has. Tobin said as much as a third of Nuit Blanches total resources will be allocated to the new zone, which will use the Scarborough Civic Centre as a hub with installations and projects pinwheeling outward within easy walking distance from there.

The citys commitment will be for two years, Tobin said, with the event likely to shift to a new location outside the core in 2020.

The new-look Nuit Blanche puts it in tune with a rising sentiment in the citys cultural communities, which challenges the notion of art as an exclusively downtown phenomenon. This is less a concept than a practical reality. As the central core of the city has become prohibitively expensive for most artists, cultural activity has increasingly sought affordable space farther afield.

With Fearon, 30, the city has anointed a natural-born ambassador for the sometimes-maligned suburbs many virtues. Born and raised in Highland Creek near Meadowvale and Ellesmere Rds., Fearons Scarborough roots run deep  a fact she has no intention of changing.

Much of her creative practice has been centred there. No Vacancy, a project she did earlier this year, was focused on a strip of tumbledown mid-century motels along Kingston Road, and their constant evolution from tourist accommodation to sex-trade venue to, now, a haven of temporary shelter for refugees.

Shes quick to refute the notion that Scarborough is undergoing a cultural awakening  and that instead, the city core is the one finally waking up to what her home turf has to offer.

Its unfortunate when stigmas get attached, she said. Those singular narratives dont speak to the nuances at all. Theres a lot of complexity there, and I really want to put that on display.

The next Nuit Blanche 2018 takes place on Sept. 29, 2018, with hubs in Nathan Philips Square and the Scarborough Civic Centre. For more information please see nbto.com

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OTTAWAFederal tax assessors are clamping down on Canadians suffering type 1 diabetes to restrict their qualification for the disability tax credit, an internal memo suggests, contradicting public claims by the government that nothing has changed.

Groups that advocate for diabetes research accused the Canada Revenue Agency and Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier of deliberately misleading them about a change that has seen hundreds of Canadians with Type 1 diabetes denied the tax credit this year.

I consider that the CRA lied to us, Kimberley Hanson, Diabetes Canadas director of federal affairs, told a news conference Monday.

Theres been a lot of surprise at some of the statements weve heard ... and theres been a great deal of frustration, she said.

For months, advocates have been complaining that theres been a spike in denials among those living with type 1 diabetes, even for those who previously had qualified for the credit.

People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who required intensive insulin therapy would qualify for the disability tax credit if their medical practitioner certified they spent 14 hours a week looking after their illness.

But starting in May, that was no longer the case. Those with type 1 diabetes found themselves denied the credit, even if they had a doctors note, the advocacy groups say.

On Monday, they released an internal CRA memo they obtained under the Access to Information Act informing agency staff of updates to procedures related to adults with diabetes. The update means that CRA now deems that unless there are exceptional circumstances, adults with diabetes can manage their daily insulin therapy in less than 14 hours a week.

The May 2 memo says that the procedures for claims will be updated shortly to reflect the changes.

Its a really significant change in practice that makes it basically impossible for an adult with type 1 unless they have complications, to quality for DTC (disability tax credit), Hanson said.

That has not been the case in the past, she said.

Dave Prowten, president and CEO of research foundation JDRF Canada, said the new interpretation by CRA makes it virtually impossible for those with type 1 diabetes to qualify for the tax credit.

This email clearly shows a change in procedure affecting those with diabetes went into effect, Prowten said.

Yet Lebouthillier insists there have been no changes and indeed, claimed the Liberal government is making the credit more accessible. She told reporters Monday that absolutely nothing has changed around the eligibility for the credit.

And her office said that the email cited by the advocacy groups was an update to communications. However, no change has been made to the eligibility criteria for this credit ... Every file is examined on a case-by-case basis, spokesperson John Power said.

He said the government approves 80 per cent of the estimated 250,000 applications for the disability tax credit it gets each year.

Yet Jillene Combs, a mother of two from Grande Prairie, Alta., has collected the credit since 2008 but was denied this spring, even though nothing about her condition had changed.

I feel its unfair to everybody, she told the news conference.

The credit, worth about $1,500 a year, helps offset medical costs that can reach $15,000 annually for those living with Type 1 diabetes.

Advocates fear that the change now jeopardizes the Registered Disability Savings Plans  meant to help people set aside money to cover future medical expenses  held by some Canadians. People who were denied the disability tax credit have been told they will have to close their disability savings plans as well, Hanson said.

The groups are pressing the federal Liberals to reverse the change.

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GUANGZHOU, CHINASignalling that Canadas hopes to launch free trade talks with China may yet bear fruit, International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne abruptly changed plans at the 11th hour and stayed in Beijing as the prime minister left the capital to attend a business summit in southern Guangdong province.

The scramble came immediately after Canadian leaders sat down with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a private dinner in Beijing Tuesday night.

While the Canadian governments plane was readying to take off from Beijing, at least two of Champagnes aides sprung from their seats, snatched their luggage and darted off the aircraft.

An official from the Prime Ministerss Office confirmed that Champagne stayed behind to continue trying to nail down a framework to launch trade talks, stating that the Canadian side did not want to squander the momentum they had built over two days of discussions in the capital.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed optimism that free trade talks would kick off between the two countries. Canadas ambassador to China, John McCallum, also told reporters that, despite an apparent setback when an expected announcement failed to emerge on Monday, the formal beginning of trade talks during Trudeaus visit was still conceivable.

The PMO released a brief summary of Trudeaus meeting with Xi Wednesday morning, as the prime minister prepared to deliver a keynote address on attracting investment to Canada to the Fortune Global Forum, a massive business conference in Guangzhou that is expected to include wealthy executives like Apple CEO Tim Cook.

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Trade, not human rights, is top of mind as Trudeau visits China

Trudeau set to meet Chinas paramount leader as free trade talks fail to emerge in Beijing

During their meeting, Xi and Trudeau discussed the ongoing exploratory discussions on potential trade negotiations, as well as climate change, North Koreas nuclear and missile tests, and the plight of Rohingya people in Burma, according to the readout of their meeting.

The release made no mention of human rights or Canadians imprisoned in China, which Trudeau had said he would raise with Xi as he had done with Premier Li Keqiang earlier in the week.

Before their dinner, which included a private dinner with foie gras-fried steak, and abalone with oyster sauce, Trudeau and Xi shook hands and briefly exchanged words in front of reporters.

I know that as we look to building a better future for the entire world, the friendship between Canada and China will play an important role in setting the tone and the approach that will characterize the 21st century, Trudeau told Xi.

Trudeaus second official visit to China as prime minister has been couched in expectations that Canada would become the first Group of Seven country to launch free trade talks with China, the worlds second-largest economy.

But those prospects were dampened Monday when Trudeau emerged from a bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the countrys No. 2 leader, only to announce that the long-standing exploratory discussions on free trade would continue between the two sides.

Canada and China have held four rounds of exploratory discussions on free trade since Trudeaus last visit to China in September 2016.

In a sign that Chinas Communist Party rulers are eager for closer ties with Canada, the state-run China Daily newspaper ran a photo on its front page Wednesday morning of Trudeau and Xi smiling before a row of Canadian and Chinese flags. An accompanying report quoted Xi touting the benefits of warm Canada-China relations and calling for more two-way investment between the countries.

The prime minister met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing Monday but the two did not announce the start of formal free trade talks. Justin Trudeau says Canada is looking for progressive trade deals. (The Canadian Press)

In general, we both have our own advantages, and our co-operation is complementary, Xi reportedly said.

On Tuesday morning, Trudeau sat down with a group of business leaders and industry representatives at a Beijing hotel, where he tried to reassure them that Canada is still working to create a strong framework to launch free trade discussions with China.

Preston Swafford, chief executive officer of Candu Inc. and chief nuclear officer at SNC Lavalin, said he was a little disappointed that formal trade talks werent announced on Monday, but added he understands the governments position that it cant rush into negotiations without clear-cut parameters for the talks.

Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada, also said he hoped the trade talks would have been formally launched by now.

We are keen to see whether anything can come out of it today and on this mission (to China), but if not, we would really encourage the government of Canada to stay at the table and continue, he said.

Trudeau and Champagne have said Canada is pushing for progressive issues like labour standards, gender rights and environmental regulations to be on the table for any future trade talks with China.

The prime minister did not say Tuesday what is holding back an agreement to launch negotiations, but described the process toward free trade as a long-term endeavour that will take years to complete.

We now that the Chinese economy is going to continue to grow and modernize and evolve over the coming decades until it becomes the worlds largest economy, and its very much in our interest to make sure that were setting a framework and a clear set of rules and expectations for that relationship, Trudeau said.

But this is not an overnight process. This is a process that has been ongoing over the past two years and will continue, and once we get to the stage of negotiating a trade agreement, thats going to take years as well.

John Masswohl, director of government and international relations with the Canadian Cattlemens Association, said the biggest risk of failing to start negotiations with China would be continued reliance on the U.S. market at a time when the North American Trade Agreement is under threat by a protectionist administration in Washington.

For us, to manage that risk . . . we want to be able to do agreements with all the other countries, he said.

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A group of thalidomide survivors says the federal government has fallen short of its promise of financial support and still owes millions.

When Parliament unanimously pledged full support of thalidomide survivors in December 2014, the group said that was an endorsement of a victim-sponsored plan to pay each a $250,000 lump sum payment, plus $75,000 to $150,000 a year in support payments.

But the support package, when finalized in May 2015, included a lump-sum payment that was half, and annual support payments anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the proposed amounts, the group claims.

That was an insult, said Fiona Sampson, one of six thalidomide victims who have organized to advocate for change. The injury to us was a result of the federal governments negligence. For them to break the promise and then force us to have to fight for the last three years to secure our right to full support has really compounded that insult.

The group also alleges that during a recent meeting with Kent Hehr, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, Hehr made insensitive statements and managed to insult and degrade four members.

A press release for the group alleges Hehr said, Lots of people have it bad in Canada  poor people, other disabled people, not just you.

Further, the group alleges in the release, When it was made clear to the Minister that thalidomide victims are not looking for new money, just the money promised, and that the life expectancy of thalidomiders is apx. 10-15 years less than the average person, he exclaimed with apparent delight Then youve only got maybe 10 years left  thats good for us as the government. 

A spokesperson for Hehr told the Star that the first quote attributed to Hehr was misconstrued, and that upon hearing that the group members were offended, he called them to apologize on Nov. 17.

Hehr denied making the alleged statement about the survivors having 10 years left, saying in a statement: I respectfully disagree as I did not say these words nor do I share this sentiment.

My heart goes out to thalidomide survivors. I have listened to their stories and I know our government, led by the Minister of Health, is taking the concerns very seriously, his statement said. As someone with a disability myself, it was certainly not my intention to offend anyone. While some of my comments were misconstrued, as soon as I learned that my comments were felt to be offensive, I immediately called the organization directly and apologized.

Thalidomide was a government-approved anti-nausea drug prescribed to pregnant women in the 1950s and 1960s. Children of those mothers were born with a range of problems including missing or malformed limbs, deafness, blindness, disfigurement and other disabilities. There are currently around 120 victims receiving support from the federal government, Health Canada said.

A Health Canada spokesperson said the government is committed to providing support to confirmed Canadian thalidomide survivors so that they may age with dignity. Health Canada said it will consider (Sampsons) views along with other input on the effectiveness of the program.Mercedes Benegbi, head of Thalidomide Victims Association of Canada (TVAC), which was instrumental in pressuring the government in 2014, said in a prepared statement that the original support request was a starting point for discussions and that the motion in the House of Commons was not a vote on our specific proposal and more a general commitment to provide support.

While no amount of financial support will ever be enough to compensate these individuals for the pain and suffering theyve endured, the program that exists today is making a significant difference in the lives of thalidomide survivors and is allowing them to live with dignity.

In a statement Tuesday, TVAC said: These individuals do not speak on behalf of TVAC or the Thalidomide Survivors Taskforce (created by TVAC). Their actions are as individuals and do not reflect the work and achievements of the Thalidomide Survivors Taskforce that successfully obtained the $180M (est.) settlement for thalidomide survivors in Canada.

It would cost the government about $4.8 million more per year to provide the full amount that was originally requested and, the group says, endorsed by the unanimous Parliamentary motion in 2014.

They ought to get their pen out and write a cheque for what they originally said they would give, said victim Lianne Powell, 55, of London, Ont.

Colleen Gallagher of Surrey, B.C., agreed. Were not asking for new money, just asking for what was voted for.

An email from Health Canadas Strategic Policy Branch to Sampson in October called the approved support package voluntary.

While parliamentary motions may enjoy the support of the government, they are declarations of opinion or purpose and are not binding, says the email, which Sampson provided to the Star. As you may be aware, there was no legal obligation to provide support to thalidomide survivors. However, it was agreed that there was a moral obligation to help meet their changing needs.

Survivor Lee Ann Dalling said she appreciated TVACs efforts to get the current support package, but she is frustrated with the level of annual support payments.

To only come through with $25,000 a year for some people? Thats just not even respectable, Dalling said.

The effort to get Ottawas attention continued Tuesday with a press conference, where four survivors  including Sampson, Alexandra Niblock of Chilliwack, B.C., Lee Ann Dalling of New Glasgow, N.S., and Mary Ryder of Tillsonburg, Ont.  attended to give testimonials.

Given the shortened average lifespan of a thalidomide survivor, it would cost the government a projected $50 million in total to top up the support package over the next 10 years, Sampsons group said.

Powell told the Star her message to the government is simple: There are so few of us . . . . Just take care of us. You can afford it.

Powell, who is missing her right leg and had to have a deformed kidney removed at 13 months old, said she just got out of hospital after she fell seriously ill following a routine surgery. She said her already-compromised lungs filled with fluid, and it took medical staff one week to stabilize her condition.

Her daughter Madison Powell said: Ive spent many nights unable to sleep worrying about how my mother will be cared for as she ages . . . . I felt betrayed by the Canadian government when I heard that the amount was lowered despite a unanimous vote.

Niblock said the government needs to act now.

Our financial needs are increasing, she said. I struggle very much with the fear that I will be able to remain independent . . . living in a fashion that I determine, not what somebody else determines.

Correction  December 7, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version to update an incorrect photo caption. Two members of the Thalidomide Survivors Task Group, Alexandra Niblock and Lee Ann Dalling, were misidentified.

With files from The Canadian Press

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BEIJINGCanadas push to launch formal trade talks with China did not stop Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from raising a host of human rights concerns with the countrys No. 2 leader, something he said he would do again when he met with the regimes President Xi Jinping Tuesday night.

Over the course of a bilateral exchange with Premier Li Keqiang and subsequent dinner on Monday, Trudeau said he voiced Canadas opposition to the death penalty and pressed Li on the importance of gaining access to Canadian citizens who face difficulty in legal situations.

Read more:

Canadas trade minister stays behind in Beijing to keep hopes of free trade with China alive

Trudeau set to meet Chinas paramount leader as free trade talks fail to emerge in Beijing

Trade, not human rights, is top of mind as Trudeau visits China

The prime minister has been under pressure from human rights campaigners to push Chinas senior-most leaders on the treatment of at least three Canadians who are jailed in the country. His apparent opposition to Chinas use of the death penalty comes after Premier Li defended the practice during his visit to Ottawa last year.

Trudeau told reporters at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that his Liberal government in Ottawa can have such discussions with China because of its push for deeper links with the authoritarian state.

We can have strong and frank discussions about issues that we see differently without endangering the positive relationship we have, Trudeau said.

Whenever I meet with world leaders, I bring up the issues of human rights. This is no exception. I brought them up last night  human rights and consular cases with Premier Li  and I will certainly be addressing those issues with President Xi.

The prime minister later met with Xi at an official guesthouse for a private dinner Tuesday evening. There was no immediate word on what was discussed during the meal, which featured an array of dishes including foie gras-fried steak and abalone with oyster sauce.

Before their meal, the leaders shook hands and spoke briefly in front of reporters.

I know that, as we look to building a better future for the entire world, the friendship between Canada and China will play an important role in setting the tone and the approach that will characterize the 21st century, Trudeau told Xi.

During his press conference earlier in the day, Trudeau gave no indication that any of the jailed Canadians were set to be released, as was the case last year with Kevin Garratt, a pastor from British Columbia who was deported from China in early 2016, after spending two years in prison on spying charges.

The prime minister met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing Monday but the two did not announce the start of formal free trade talks. Justin Trudeau says Canada is looking for progressive trade deals. (The Canadian Press)

Of the Canadians known to be in Chinese jails, Huseyin Celil has been imprisoned the longest. The Uighur man from western China was arrested on terrorism charges in 2006 and has been imprisoned ever since.

Sun Qian, a Falun Gong practitioner and Canadian businesswoman, was detained earlier this year, while B.C. wine seller John Chang was charged with smuggling his products into China and has been locked up since early 2016.

Since taking power and trumpeting its intention to improve relations with China, the Trudeau government has made the case that closer ties would make it easier to have frank discussions on matters of human rights and consular cases.

Speaking Monday after his meeting with Trudeau, Premier Li said they discussed human rights and the rule of law, and that it was only natural that we dont see eye-to-eye on such issues. He said the countries were entering a golden era in their relationship, pursuing economic ties, promoting tourism and striking agreements to work together on climate change and other issues.

We see tremendous potential in such co-operation, Li said.

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Organizers with the international campaign that inspired Torontos Vision Zero plan are questioning the citys commitment to road safety after staff outlined a donations program to help pay for traffic calming measures.

If a city commits to Vision Zero, they need to invest the resources necessary to prioritize safety, said Vision Zero Network spokesperson Kathleen Ferrier. Treating safety as a nice-to-have amenity rather than a need-to-have priority is just not acceptable.

These are life and death decisions and cannot be shortchanged.

At a public works committee meeting last week, city staff proposed a donations program for residents to contribute online to any specific countermeasure or program to help offset future costs of road safety initiatives, in a report focused on how to accelerate Vision Zero, a five-year action plan aimed at reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries.

Residents who have voluntarily donated funds to support (Vision Zero) may contact their councillor to advise what improvements they would like the funds to apply to.

Council will this week consider the donations program, along with other ways to accelerate Vision Zero. The plans data-driven countermeasures aim to, over the next five years, make roads safer for pedestrians, school children, older adults, cyclists and motorcyclists, and prevent aggressive and distracted driving, said the report. Between 2016 and 2017, the city fast-tracked pedestrian safety corridors and senior safety zones.

Barbara Gray, transportation services manager, said despite what the report says, We werent in any way asking the public to fund Vision Zero.

Is (accepting donations) feasible? Yes. Is it something that we would likely do? Its not likely.

City departments that accept donations are Animal Services for animal medical care, Parks, Recreation and Urban Forests for memorial trees and benches and Long-Term Care for celebrations and outings at seniors homes.

The idea for a Vision Zero donations program was floated by Councillor Christin Carmichael Greb at a council meeting last November. She said shed received expressions of interest from schools and resident associations that wanted to purchase Watch Your Speed signs that cost about $6,000 each.

The signs arent overly expensive, but difficult to get, she told the Star last week. The city currently owns four, which residents can request to have put on their street. If the city doesnt have the funds, then why not let residents purchase these signs?

Council directed city staff to look into donations, after previously committing $80.3 million Vision Zero over five years, including the purchase of 44 more Watch Your Speed signs.

A donations program would allow neighbourhoods that raise funds to receive Watch Your Speed signs sooner than through the Vision Zero budget, which prioritizes locations based on data, said Carmichael Greb.

Torontos road safety plan earlier generated controversy when it initially aimed to reduce, not eliminate, traffic deaths by only 20 per cent over the next 10 years. Toronto has had 55 traffic deaths so far in 2017.

Some advocates believe the proposed donations program is another example of Toronto not taking road safety seriously.

Vision Zero is all about our most vulnerable users of public space  pedestrians, cyclists, children and the elderly  the question is, do we see their safety as something that ought to be frivolous? said former chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat.

David Stark, co-founder of Friends and Families for Safe Streets, said hes concerned about inequality.

When residents donate funds that may be setting up an unequal system, said Stark, whose wife Erica Stark died after she was struck by a minivan in 2014. Road safety should be funded through taxpayer dollars for all Torontonians no matter where they live.

Other cities that have received praise from the Vision Zero Network for their commitment to road safety include Portland, Ore., Seattle, Wash., and Fremont, Calif. (in Silicon Valley), all of which confirmed they do not accept donations and prioritize Vision Zero in their budgets.

Last year, Portland implemented a 10 per cent local gas tax, with close to half the funds going to safety projects, said city spokesperson John Brady.

Fremont has experienced a culture change in recent years, said Hans Larsen, public works director. His city of 230,000 people reallocated $2 million from car-oriented projects, including traffic light signaling, to road safety improvements.

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One person is dead and two others are in critical condition after a two-alarm fire at a lowrise building on Monday night.

Toronto Fire Service said the blaze began around 9:26 p.m. at a Toronto Community Housing building near Flemington Rd. and Allen Rd. It was upgraded to a two-alarm fire before it was knocked down around 10 p.m.

Cpt. David Eckerman said firefighters found three people in life-threatening condition inside a first floor unit and they were rushed to hospital.

Toronto paramedics said the victims are two brothers, 16 and 18-years-old and a woman in her 40s. It is currently unknown which person died in hospital, but officers have confirmed the three are a family.

The fire originated in the living room of a two bedroom unit, and was confined to that unit, according to William Hay, an officer with the Office of the Fire Marshall.

Although Hay said the amount of material objects consumed by the fire wasnt that severe, he said there was a very heavy layer of smoke and soot, left inside the unit. This was described as a little unusual, and likely from a smoldering fire, though they are still looking into the origin of the blaze.

Toronto police initially received reports that the three were trapped in the building.

Toronto Fire Services Chief Matthew Pegg told reporters at the scene more than 10 fire trucks arrived and that shelter trucks were available for anyone who was displaced.

The Office of the Fire Marshall is continuing to investigate.

Everything is on the table at this juncture, said Hay.

At a morning news conference, Mayor John Tory expressed condolences to the families of the person killed in the blaze and to those injured.

Tory said he spoke to the fire chief this morning.

He indicated to me that the building has last been inspected on Nov. 13, just a couple of weeks ago, Tory said, adding that there will now be a very thorough investigation.

I just wanted to express my concern that there had been such a fire and give my condolences to those who have lost loved ones or who have casualties that are still in hospital, he said.

When asked if the scarcity of funds for TCH repairs could have played a factor in the fire, Tory said: Im confident that the kinds of repairs that are not left in question at all, because of funding or no funding, do not include fire safety measures. I think that the fire safety measures are being rigorously enforced to the point where we are doing an inspection of every Toronto Community Housing building once a year, and for that matter every highrise in Toronto once a year, and that is a standard that is not met or exceeded anywhere else in Canada.

With files from David Rider and Alexandra Jones

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A man is in life-threatening condition after he fell about 20 feet from scaffolding on Monday afternoon.

Toronto police said around 3 p.m. the floor of the scaffolding broke and the man fell to the street below at Shaw and Hallam Sts., just south of Dupont St. Police said he suffered a head injury.

He fell about 20 feet after the scaffolding gave way and there was significant bleeding. He was then rushed to hospital, said Const. David Hopkinson.

Police are not releasing the mans age. It is believed he is a construction worker.

Police said the Ministry of Labour was contacted.

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After months of lobbying, accusations and counter-claims, Toronto should this week get rules regulating Airbnb and other short-term rentals.

The stakes are high for San Francisco-based online platform Airbnb, its thousands of local hosts and the increasing number of Torontonians unable to find affordable homes in the drum-tight, long-term rental market.

At a busy monthly meeting starting Tuesday councillors will debate proposed new restrictions recommended by the planning committee. People on all sides expect some council colleagues to try to make the framework more Airbnb-friendly, and others to try to make the rules more restrictive.

I know that theres been a lot of pressure on a lot of councillors, said Gord Perks, the Parkdale representative who, like many councillors, has been inundated with pleas from Airbnb hosts and potential hosts. Many have also heard competing voices from the Fairbnb coalition pointing to ghost hotels and other potential hazards of legalizing lucrative rentals of less than 28 days.

I couldnt tell you the final vote, or whether the proposed rules will be loosened, said Perks, who expects to vote against legalizing Airbnb at all. I suspect the vote will be very close.

The planning committee agreed with city staff proposals to allow Torontonians to short-term rent out only homes that are their principal residence.

Airbnb hosts renting out up to three bedrooms for an unlimited period, or their whole home for up to 180 nights per year, would pay the city $50 per year. Short-term booking agencies would pay the city a $5,000 licence fee and $1 a night per booking and have policies to curb noisy, disruptive tenants.

Councillors on the planning committee rejected a staff recommendation to allow landlords to short-term rent out secondary suites, including basement apartments.

Ana Bailao, Mayor John Torys housing advocate, said she will stand by that decision at council, arguing such contained suites  with kitchen and bathroom facilities for exclusive use of the tenant  must remain long-term rentals.

Bailao also wants to ensure the ban applies to all self-contained secondary units in Toronto, not just the roughly 1,700 with that legal designation.

The Ward 18 Davenport councillor plans, however, to propose an amendment making it clear the new rules would allow somebody who is renting a secondary suite as their primary residence to in turn use part of it for short-term rental.

This is about creating the flexibility so people who live in a dwelling unit have the opportunity to participate in Airbnb, while ensuring we dont remove units from our housing stock she said in an interview Monday.

Torys office said the mayor will support Bailaos proposals. However his deputy mayor, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, said he will go into council with an open mind on new rules.

Airbnb welcomes Toronto council finalizing short-term rental regulations, said Alex Dagg, the companys director of Canadian public policy.

But Airbnb is lobbying some councillors to reject the secondary-suite ban and the cap on total nights owners can rent out their whole home and running radio ads to build public support for that position.

We also have a poll that says 68 per cent of Torontonians support allowing short-term rentals in secondary suites, so weve been trying to share that with councillors who have also heard from many Airbnb hosts in their wards, Dagg said.

Were really urging city councillors to not cause harm to families who are trying to purchase their first home or stay in homes.

One homeowner estimated at the planning meeting she earns 30 per cent more with Airbnb than if her unit was on long-term rental.

Meanwhile Fairbnb, which includes unions, hotel owners and residents groups, is pushing for tighter restrictions.

Thorben Wieditz, spokesman for the group, said owners should have to prove an address is their primary residence with government-issued identification.

Wieditz said he is cautiously optimistic council will strengthen, not soften, the proposed regulations.

Other issues coming to council include updates on SmartTrack and the Rail Deck Park proposal; proposed new security measures at city hall; a proposal to establish an Indigenous office at city hall; and a strategy to combat anti-black racism in Toronto.

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The Toronto police task force formed to investigate the disappearances of Andrew Kinsman and Selim Esen from Torontos Church and Wellesley neighbourhood announced Tuesday that the longer the men are missing, the more concerned theyre becoming that there was foul play involved.

Project Prism  formed in August, exactly four months after 44-year-old Esen went missing from Yonge and Bloor and around a month and a half after 49-year-old Kinsman disappeared from Parliament and Winchester  has also sought information from Project Houston, an unconnected investigation looking into three missing men from the same area.

The community has actively participated in this investigation, allowing officers to move the cases forward, the Tuesday release read. From the communitys input, investigators know there are concerns regarding the use of online dating applications.

Read more:

Toronto police continue search for two men

Police tell worried crowd at Church-Wellesley meeting theyre ramping up investigation into missing men

Police are urging individuals to get to know the person theyre connecting with as well as possible, including asking for photos and social media profiles or speaking on the phone before meeting.

When you decide to meet someone, even for a casual connection, do so in a safe space and consider telling a friend or family member where you are going. If this is not possible, consider leaving a note behind, they wrote.

If, at any time, the situation has left you feeling suspicious or uncomfortable, please consider reporting this information to police or Crime Stoppers.

Toronto police spokesperson Mark Pugash told the Star hed spoken with the task force on Monday, and they have no evidence to believe any of the disappearances  or murders, in the case of 22-year-old Tess Richey, whose body was found last week  in the area are connected to one another.

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Attorney General Yasir Naqvi says provincial justice officials  not politicians  will determine whether federal prosecutors are needed to handle a Progressive Conservative imbroglio being investigated by police.

Any criminal investigation of any kind is a very serious issue, especially (one) of the nature were discussing, Naqvi told reporters Tuesday at Queens Park.

That was a reference to an ongoing Hamilton police probe of fraud and forgery allegations related to the disputed Tory nomination election last May.

Decisions like these are made by the deputy attorney general and the assistant deputy attorney general (in charge of) criminal (matters), the attorney general said, emphasizing elected officials cannot be involved.

Of course, I am making it very clear to not engage my office or myself in any of those discussions, because it is the most prudent thing to do, he said.

We will let our officials then make those determinations. They also understand the seriousness of matters like these and, as in the past with previous cases, taking the appropriate action of referring the matter to the public prosecution service of Canada.

Naqvi pointed to the precedent set when police have investigated other matters at Queens Park, including the Sudbury byelection affair that ended with two Liberal operatives being acquitted of all charges.

Obviously any intersection with politics . . . I take that very, very seriously, he said.

Our past action speaks very clearly that, when weve seen a likelihood of criminal charges being laid, or, in fact, (when) charges were laid, we have taken immediate steps in making sure that the independent prosecution service . . . (of) the federal government is the one that is used, not our own prosecution service.

Stressing police operate separately from government, Naqvi noted any criminal probe is also independent of the Ministry of the Attorney General.

But NDP House Leader Gilles Bisson said it is critical that another level of government be involved.

How they go forward, with or without charges, I think can be influenced by who the prosecutor is, said Bisson.

If its a provincial or federal prosecutor may have some bearing on is there or isnt there any charges. Thats why its important to follow the same precedent that we did in the other cases, so that everything is dealt with in the same way, he said.

Any time that youre investigating a political official, it should never be done by the same branch of government.

Hamilton police have said no one has been ruled out as a suspect in their investigation of unnamed Conservative officials related to the May 7 candidate election in Hamilton WestAncasterDundas.

Vikram Singh, a Hamilton lawyer and runner-up in the four-contestant race, launched a civil action against the party, alleging wrongful insertion of false ballots.

In that suit, he named Tory Leader Patrick Brown, party president Rick Dykstra, PC executive director Bob Stanley and senior Brown aide Logan Bugeja.

The Tories deny any wrongdoing and the allegations have not been proved in court.

Singh also filed a complaint with Hamilton police. That criminal case is separate from the civil action.

Brown has said that his team has offered full disclosure to detectives, and this includes two bankers boxes of documents, handed over on Oct. 27 by PC lawyers.

Police have said their investigation will continue into the New Year, which is significant as Ontario voters head to the polls on June 7.

Criminal fraud and forgery charges can carry stiff penalties; a conviction can lead to a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

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SANAA, YEMENYemeni rebels on Monday killed their one-time ally Ali Abdullah Saleh, the countrys former president, as they gained the upper hand in days of fighting with his forces for control of the capital, Sanaa. The tumult threw the countrys three-year civil war into an unpredictable new chapter just as Yemens Saudi-backed government had hoped the Shiite rebels would be decisively weakened.

Salehs recent defection from the rebel camp and now his death shattered the alliance that had helped the Iranian-backed rebels, known as Houthis, rise to power in 2014  giving the government and the Saudi coalition supporting it with airstrikes hope for a turning point in a stalemated war that has brought humanitarian disaster.

But with Salehs forces seemingly in disarray, it was not immediately clear if the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels will be able to turn the split to its advantage in the war.

Read more:

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Yemeni children receive first aid shipment since borders tightened by Saudi-led coalition

Yemen quietly slips away, much like its starving children

It was a grisly end for Saleh, who ruled Yemen for more than three decades until an Arab Spring uprising forced him to step down in 2012. He later allied with the Houthi rebels hoping to exploit their strength to return to power. That helped propel Yemen into the ruinous civil war that has spread hunger and disease among its 28 million people.

Salehs death was announced by the Houthis and confirmed by two Saleh associates and a Yemeni government official. The exact circumstances were unclear: Houthi officials said their fighters killed him as he tried to flee the capital for his nearby hometown of Sanhan. The Houthis top leader said Saleh paid the price for his treason, accusing him of betraying their alliance to side with the Saudi-backed coalition.

A video circulated online showed Salehs bloodied body with a gaping head wound as he was carried in a blanket by rebel fighters chanting God is great! as they dumped it into a pickup truck. The images recalled the death of another Arab leader slain in the midst of his countrys uprising: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, whose body was shown in a video being abused by rebels who killed him in 2011.

Salehs killing appeared to stun members of his camp and to help consolidate the position of the Houthis  at least for now.

Houthi and Saleh-loyalist forces have been fighting in Sanaa since late last week. In response, the Saudi-led coalition threw its backing behind Saleh, hitting Houthi positions with airstrikes, hoping that having Saleh on its side could provide a foothold in the capital for the forces of the Saudi-backed president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

But by Monday evening, hours after Salehs death, witnesses said his forces had abandoned some of their positions in Sanaa and that Houthi fighters had moved into one of the most heavily contested districts, seizing Salehs house and those of some of his family members. Saudi airstrikes hit several Houthi positions in the evening, but otherwise the city saw the first easing of fighting in days.

In a televised speech, the Houthis top leader, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, called Salehs killing a dark day for the forces of the coalition. He said he had known Saleh was communicating with the coalition and had warned him to stop.

Hadi, in turn, gave a televised speech of his own from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where he has been in self-imposed exile for most of the war. He tried to rally Salehs allies to keep up the fight against the Houthis.

Lets put our hands together to end this nightmare, Hadi said. He said his government forces would support any uprising against the Houthis in Sanaa.

An official in Hadis government told The Associated Press that members of Salehs political party and military forces were co-operating with the coalition and would provide co-ordinates for airstrikes against the Houthis. He said strikes will intensify so that the closest pro-Hadi ground troops  located at Nihm about 30 miles northeast of Sanaa  can push toward the capital. The hope is that as the forces advance, tribes in the area will be encouraged to rise against the Houthis, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans.

One of Salehs sons, Salah Saleh, posted a call on his Facebook page for his allies to take up the fight against the rebels. He also urged the United Arab Emirates to allow Salehs most prominent son, Ahmed Saleh, who headed the elite Republican Guard under his fathers rule, to return to Yemen and lead forces against the Houthis. It has been reported that the UAE had been preventing his return throughout the conflict

Revenge for my father and for every Yemeni, Salah Saleh wrote. Fight them wherever you find them. God bless you, my father.

But it was unclear whether the break with Saleh weakens the Houthis.

When Saleh left power, he stayed in the country and kept the loyalty of many military commanders, splitting the armed forces between himself and Hadi. Salehs forces were key to helping the Houthis overrun Sanaa in 2014 and then much of the north and centre of the country.

But over the past year, the Houthis appear to have undermined Saleh, wooing away some of his commanders, strengthening their own fighters and reducing their need for him. It appears that pushed Saleh into flirting with the coalition, ultimately leading to the breakdown of the alliance with the Houthis and the recent outbreak of clashes.

The fighting has brought new suffering to Sanaas residents as Houthi forces battled Sunday and into Monday morning to uproot the Saleh loyalists centred in the southern part of the city, battering buildings with artillery.

Suze van Meegen, the Sanaa-based protection and advocacy adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the violence left aid workers trapped inside their homes and was completely paralyzing humanitarian operations.

No one is safe in Sanaa at the moment. I can hear heavy shelling outside now and know it is too imprecise and too pervasive to guarantee that any of us are safe, she said.

Massive urban clashes with heavy artillery and airstrikes. Yemenis stuck in their homes, too scared to go out. Reduced access to water, health care, food and fuel, Robert Mardini, the regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, posted on his Twitter account.

Residents said the night was shattered by the sounds of gunfire and children screaming.

Its like horror movies, said Bushra, a local woman who asked that her last name not be published for fear of retribution. I have lived through many wars but nothing like this.

Witnesses said the bodies of slain civilians and fighters littered the streets as no ambulances were able to reach the area. The ICRC said at least 125 people had been killed and some 240 wounded in Sanaa since the fighting began last week.

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SALT LAKE CITYPresident Donald Trumps rare move to shrink two large national monuments in Utah triggered another round of outrage among Native American leaders who vowed to take the fight to court to preserve protections for land they consider sacred.

Environmental and conservation groups and a coalition of tribes began filing lawsuits Monday that ensure that Trumps announcement is far from the final chapter in the years-long battle over public lands. The court cases are likely to drag on for years, maybe even into a new presidency.

Trump decided to reduce Bears Ears National Monument by about 85 per cent and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by nearly half. It earned him cheers from Republican leaders in Utah who lobbied him to undo protections by Democratic presidents that they considered overly broad.

Conservation groups called it the largest elimination of protected land in American history. The move comes a week after tribal leaders decried Trumps use of the name of a historical Native American figure as a slur.

At a White House event honouring Navajo Code Talkers last week, he took a political jab at Sen. Elizabeth Warren by referring to the Massachusetts Democrat as Pocahontas, mocking her claim of having native American heritage.

Its just another slap in the face for a lot of us, a lot of our Native American brothers and sisters, Navajo Nation Vice-President Jonathan Nez said. To see that happen a week ago, with disparaging remarks, and now this.

Trump also overrode tribal objections to approve the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines.

The Navajo Nation was one of five tribes that formed a coalition and spent years lobbying former president Barack Obama to declare Bears Ears a monument to preserve ancient cliff dwellings and an estimated 100,000 archeological sites. Native Americans visit the area to perform ceremonies, collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual purposes, and do healing rituals.

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The coalition of the Hopi, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni tribes and Navajo Nation sued late Monday to challenge the Bears Ears reduction. Two lawsuits have been filed to try to block the Grand Staircase decision.

Earthjustices suit called it an abuse of the presidents power that jeopardizes a Dinosaur Shangri-La full of fossils. Some of the dinosaur fossils sit on a plateau that is home to one of the countrys largest known coal reserves, which could now be open to mining. The organization is representing eight conservation groups.

Another lawsuit from three groups including the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology makes similar claims.

Meanwhile, two Utah congressmen said Tuesday that they will introduce legislation to create a modest national park at Grand Staircase and allow Native Americans and local residents manage the land in Bears Ears.

Trump, in a speech at Utahs Capitol with the governor and other politicians, said the states lands should not be managed by very distant bureaucrats located in Washington.

Your timeless bond with the outdoors should not be replaced with the whims of regulators thousands and thousands of miles away, Trump said. Ive come to Utah to take a very historic action to reverse federal overreach and restore the rights of this land to your citizens.

It marks the first time in a half century that a president has undone these types of land protections.

Utahs mostly Republican officials have lobbied Trump for months, saying the monuments closed off the areas to energy development and other access.

Environmental and tribal groups say the designations are needed to protect important archeological and cultural resources. Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch said only Congress, not the president, has the power to reduce a national monument, which the tribal coalition argued in its lawsuit.

Additional legal challenges were expected from environmental groups and outdoor clothing company Patagonia.

Outside Trumps announcement Monday, roughly 3,000 protesters lined up near the state capitol. Some held signs that said, Keep your tiny hands off our public lands, and they chanted, Lock him up!

A smaller group gathered in support, including some who said they favour potential drilling or mining there that could create jobs. Bears Ears has no oil or gas, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told reporters, though Grand Staircase-Escalante has coal.

Bears Ears, created nearly a year ago, will be reduced to 315 square miles. Grand Staircase-Escalante will be reduced from nearly 3,000 square miles to 1,569 square miles.

Both were among a group of 27 monuments that Trump ordered Zinke to review this year.

Democrats and environmentalists accuse Trump and Zinke of engaging in a secretive process aimed at helping industry groups that have donated to Republican political campaigns.

Zinke accompanied Trump aboard Air Force One, as did Utahs Republican U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee. Hatch and other state Republican leaders pushed Trump to launch the review, saying the monuments designated by the former Democratic presidents locked up too much federal land.

Trump framed the decision as returning power to the state, saying, You know and love this land the best and you know the best how to take care of your land. He said the decision would give back your voice.

Public lands will once again be for public use, Trump said to cheers.

Hatch, who introduced Trump, said that when you talk, this president listens and that Trump promised to help him with federal overreach.

No president has tried to eliminate a monument, but some have reduced or redrawn the boundaries on 18 occasions, according to the National Park Service. The most recent instance came in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy slightly downsized Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.

Trump signed an executive order in April directing Zinke to review the protections, which Trump is able to upend under the 1906 Antiquities Act. The law gives presidents broad authority to declare federal lands as monuments and restrict their use.

Zinke has also recommended to Trump that Nevadas Gold Butte and Oregons Cascade-Siskiyou monuments be reduced, though details are unclear. His plan would allow logging at a newly designated monument in Maine and more grazing, hunting and fishing at two sites in New Mexico.

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DETROITBesieged by allegations of sexual harassment, Democratic Rep. John Conyers resigned from Congress on Tuesday, bringing an abrupt end to the Detroit liberals nearly 53-year career in the House.

The 88-year-old civil rights leader becomes the highest-ranking figure on Capitol Hill to be brought down by the sexual misconduct allegations that have toppled powerful men in Hollywood, the media and politics in recent weeks.

While continuing to deny any wrongdoing, Conyers announced what he referred to as his retirement on Detroit talk radio calling in from the hospital where he was taken last week after complaining of light-headedness. He endorsed his son John Conyers III to succeed him.

My legacy cant be compromised or diminished in any way by what were going through now, said the congressman, who has denied any wrongdoing. This, too, shall pass. My legacy will continue through my children.

Conyers, who was first elected in 1964 and went on to become a founding member in 1971 of the Congressional Black Caucus, easily won re-election last year in the heavily Democratic district. Until Tuesday, he was the longest-serving current member of Congress.

But amid a drumbeat of allegations he groped or sexual harassed women who worked for him, he faced growing calls to resign from colleagues in the House, including House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

As the furor grew in recent weeks, he stepped down as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and the House Ethics Committee began looking into the allegations.

Whatever they are, they are not accurate, Conyers said of the allegations in resigning. Theyre not true, and I think that theyre something that I cant explain where they came from.

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Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York said he was saddened by the resignation of his friend and mentor but added: There can be no tolerance for behaviour that subjects women to the kind of conduct that has been alleged.

It will be up to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to set a date for a special election to select someone to serve out the remaining year in Conyers two-year term. Michigan state Sen. Ian Conyers, a grandson of Conyers brother, said he plans to run for the seat.

On Monday, a woman who said she worked for the congressman for more than a decade said he slid his hand up her skirt and rubbed her thighs while she was sitting next to him in the front row of a church.

Two businessmen from Detroit are expressing their appreciation for the work longtime Michigan Rep. John Conyers has done in Washington, despite a report that the 88-year-old legislator engaged in sexual misconduct while in office. (The Associated Press)

I was startled and sprang to my feet and exclaimed, He just ran his hand up my thigh! Other staffers witnessed the event, said Elisa Grubbs, who made the allegation in an affidavit released by her attorney.

Grubbs also said she repeatedly saw Conyers touching and stroking the legs and buttocks of Brown and other female staffers. Such behaviour was a regular part of life while working in the office of Rep. Conyers, she said.

Grubbs, who said she worked for Conyers from around 2001 to 2013, is the cousin of another accuser, Marion Brown, who reached a confidential, taxpayer-funded settlement of more than $27,000 (U.S.) over allegations he sexually harassed her. That settlement came to light in mid-November, setting off a cascade of allegations against the congressman.

At least two other women who worked for him have accused him of sexual misconduct.

This is about much more than one congressman, Grubbs attorney, Lisa Bloom, said in an email after Conyers announced his resignation. Systemic change is urgently needed so no other women have to endure the retaliation, secrecy and delays my client Marion Brown and others experienced.

Conyers said in a statement read Tuesday on the floor of the House by Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee that he was resigning to preserve my legacy and good name.

The congressman also complained that he was not being afforded due process to defend himself, and cited his health problems as another factor in his decision. He added that he hopes his retirement will be viewed in the larger perspective of his more than 50 years as a lawmaker.

Conyers regularly won elections with more than 80 per cent of the vote.

He co-sponsored a 1972 resolution recommending President Richard Nixons impeachment for his conduct of the Vietnam War and regularly introduced a bill from 1989 onward to study the harm caused by slavery and the possibility of reparations to the descendants of slaves.

After a 15-year struggle, Conyers succeeded in establishing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday a federal holiday in 1986. Also, his district office in Detroit employed civil rights legend Rosa Parks for more than two decades.

Word of Conyers resignation was met with sadness among House Democrats, even though many had called on him to step down. The issue had divided Democrats, especially members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Pelosi had struggled, calling Conyers an icon but days later pressing for his resignation.

The furor unfolded as the sexual misconduct allegations against Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota and Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore sent members of both parties rushing to choose sides.

I think that we lose our moral authority if we also dont call out those we love who have done things that are bad, said Rep. Pramila Jayapal. I think we have to recognize and be able to hold the dueling possibilities that somebody can be a great man and have done great things for our country and for civil rights but also have done terrible things that require accountability.

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BRUSSELSWhat do you do when youre Americas top diplomat, fourth in line to the presidency, and the White House makes it publicly known youre living on borrowed time? If youre U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, you brush it off, pack a suitcase and hop a flight to Europe, as if nothing had happened.

On the surface, at least, Tillerson carried on in ordinary fashion Tuesday on his first day in the Belgian capital, stoically sauntering from meeting to meeting in his characteristically subdued style. He praised U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly for holding Iran to account and demanding equal contributions from NATO allies, even as he acknowledged getting a little criticism over his management of his agency.

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Arriving at NATO headquarters for a gathering of foreign ministers, Tillerson ignored a shouted question from a journalist about whether he was confident he still spoke for the president.

Tillersons tenuous future in the Trump administration has followed him to Europe days after the White House signalled he might be fired  possibly soon. White House officials told multiple news organizations last week a plan was afoot to replace Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, a humiliating disclosure that cast a dark shadow over the secretary as he tries to sell Trumps policies to the rest of the world.

Even though Tillerson brushed it off as laughable and Trump tweeted it was FAKE NEWS, the damage to Tillersons standing had been done.

In Belgium, Austria and France this week, Tillerson will contend with European officials who now have more reason than ever to question whether he truly speaks for the president, how much credence to give his policies, and if hell remain long enough to see them through. For foreign governments, it has created even more uncertainty over dealing with a mercurial administration in which the only voice that seems to matter is that of Trump himself.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is dismissing as "laughable" reports that the White House is trying to get rid of him. Tillerson was asked about the reports during a photo-op with the visiting Libyan prime minister. (The Associated Press)

There were signs that at least some of those leaders were keeping him at a distance. Federica Mogherini, the European Unions foreign policy chief, spent three hours in meetings with Tillerson before using the occasion to air major European grievances with the United States.

I dont think you want a list of issues on which our positions are different, Mogherini told reporters. But then she offered one anyway: The Iran nuclear deal, climate change, Mideast peace and multilateralism at the UN.

Mogherini subtly urged the Trump administration to avoid undermining future Mideast peace talks by declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel, as Trump has been considering. She took particular issue with Trumps campaign to alter the Iran deal brokered by the EU, the U.S. and world powers.

The message was heard, I think, loud and clear in Washington, Mogherini said.

It was difficult to tell whether the chilly reception was a consequence of Tillersons diminished standing or broader, growing European distaste for his bosss agenda. Tillerson, for his part, said all the right things: He affirmed the ironclad U.S. commitment to NATOs collective defence, and praised the Europeans effusively for their help pressuring North Korea over its nuclear program.

At the embassy, though, Tillerson was in clear damage-control mode, owing largely to his planned overhaul of the State Department that is deeply unpopular among the American diplomatic corps. He downplayed concerns about rampant vacancies in ambassadorships and other key posts  including, in Brussels, no U.S. ambassadors to either Belgium or the European Union.

Tillerson said his redesign of the State Department was moving into its final phase, sure to show positive results soon.

While we dont have any wins on the board yet, I can tell you we are much better positioned to advance Americas interest around the world than we were 10 months ago, Tillerson said.

Yet Tillersons uncertain footing in the administration loomed awkwardly over his trip, which will take him later in the week to Vienna and then to Paris.

Though Trump insisted on Twitter that he and Tillerson work well together, he allowed news stories about Tillersons impending demise to percolate for more than 24 hours before pushing back. Trumps spokesperson didnt explicitly dispute that a plan had been hatched to replace Tillerson. Nor did she declare outright Trumps confidence in the former Exxon Mobil CEO.

In Trumps Washington, such is often the way. Trial balloons are floated in the press, and competing factions swipe and snipe from behind a cloak of anonymity. Its left to Americans at home to try to discern whether its happening against the presidents wishes or at his direct behest.

Republican Sen. Bob Corker, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairperson and Tillerson ally, said its clear someone has sought to undermine Tillerson.

I dont know who that is, Corker said after word emerged of the White House plan. I know hes taken on some tough issues like the reform of the State Department. I know it hasnt gone in a spectacular way.

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WASHINGTON A German business newspaper is reporting that former FBI director Robert Mueller has subpoenaed records from Deutsche Bank as part of his investigation into possible Russian involvement in the U.S. presidential election campaign.

The report in the Handelsblatt newspaper cites only "informed circles." Several other media outlets had similar reports, also citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation.

A bank spokesman said Tuesday that Deutsche Bank had no comment on the Handelsblatt report. The bank said additionally in a statement that "Deutsche Bank takes its legal obligations seriously and remains committed to co-operating with authorized investigation into this matter."

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Handelsblatt said it was not clear whether the records demand sought information regarding U.S. President Donald Trump or on other members of his circle. It said the subpoena was received several weeks ago.

Deutsche Bank has been one of the few major banks willing to regularly lend to Trump, who alienated large banks in New York with his past financial troubles. Over the years, the bank's cumulative loans to Trump added up to billions, and loans originally worth $300 million remain outstanding.

In May, five Democratic members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan asking the bank to turn in any records relating to Trump's accounts and any ties to Russia. The bank refused, saying it had to respect legal requirements to keep client data private.

On Tuesday, a financial report indicated that the special counsel investigation into possible co-ordination between President Donald Trumps campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election has cost more than $6.7 million so far.

The release of the report by special counsel Robert Muellers office comes as the investigation appears to be gaining steam: Prosecutors have gained a key co-operator in their investigation and revealed that they are keenly focused on the actions of the president and his inner circle.

Of the overall price tag, only about $3.2 million was spent directly by the special counsels office. An additional $3.5 million was paid out by the Justice Department to support the investigation, though the special counsels office says that money would have been spent on ongoing probes anyway, even if Mueller had not been appointed.

Mueller incorporated several active investigations within the Justice Department including those of Trump campaign contacts with Russia, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manaforts business activities and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

The details of the expenditures related to Muellers investigation were laid out in a report released publicly by the special counsels office. The report covers from May 17, the date of Muellers appointment, through Sept. 30, the end of the federal fiscal year.

According to Muellers report, the special counsels office spent about $1.7 million for salaries and benefits and more than $223,000 for travel-related expenses. The majority of the travel costs stemmed from the relocation of Justice Department employees temporarily assigned to the expanding investigation.

The office also spent nearly $734,000 on equipment and about $363,000 on rent, communications and utilities.

Previous special counsel investigations, including probes of President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s, have also spent millions over a few months time.

A 1999 General Accounting Office report, for example, showed that Independent Counsel Kenneth Starrs office spent $6.2 million in the last six months of 1998, though its unclear if that amount included both direct expenditures by the special counsel and supporting agency costs. In the report released Tuesday, Muellers office noted that previous special counsels only reported direct costs and not those incurred separately by the Justice Department on their own expenditure reports.

The four-and-a-half year investigations headed by Starr and his successor, Robert Ray, cost more than $52 million in taxpayer funds as they probed Clinton and then-first lady Hillary Clinton.

A 2000 General Accounting Office report that detailed those figures said that $36 million came from congressional appropriations and $16 million from other federal agency costs. Starrs predecessor, Robert Fiske, spent an additional $6 million investigating the Clintons involvement in the Whitewater real estate deal, according to a May 1999 GAO report.

Starrs investigation turned over documentation to the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee, which impeached Bill Clinton in December 1998 on single charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related to his affair with intern Monica Lewinsky. A Senate vote in February 1999 failed to convict Clinton on those charges.

So far, Muellers team has charged four people as part of the ongoing investigation.

Last week, Flynn pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lying to the FBI and agreed to co-operate with Muellers investigators. George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, made a similar plea deal with Muellers prosecutors in October. Both men admitted to lying to the FBI about their contacts with Russians related to their work for Trump.

In addition, Manafort and his longtime business associate, Rick Gates, are currently facing several felony charges brought by the special counsels office. Those charges involve allegations of money laundering and other financial crimes related to their political consulting work in Ukraine.

In its report, Muellers team notes that it draws its funding from a revolving permanent, indefinite appropriation for independent counsels provided by Congress, as well as from nonreimbursed Justice Department agency expenditures and from intelligence agency appropriations.

In a statement, the special counsels office said it will release a similar expenditure report after March 31, 2018.

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BUCHAREST, ROMANIAFormer Romanian King Michael I, who was forced to abdicate by the communists in the aftermath of the Second World War, died on Tuesday. He was 96.

Michael, who played a pivotal role in Romanias switch to the Allied cause following a coup in 1944, spent decades in exile working as a chicken farmer and aircraft pilot. He finally got his citizenship back in 1997, eight years after the collapse of communism.

Michaels death leaves only two people alive who headed their nations during the war  former King Simeon II of Bulgaria, and the Dalai Lama of Tibet, both of whom were children at the time.

Read more: Romania's ex-king Michael I has seen it all before

In a statement, the Romanian royal house said Michael died in his residence in Aubonne, Switzerland. Michael had been suffering from leukemia and another type of cancer and last year withdrew from public life, handing over his responsibilities to his oldest daughter.

President Klaus Iohannis declared days of mourning, saying Michael wrote the history of Romania.

British Ambassador Paul Brummell said in Romanian that Michael fought against communism; he fought against fascism.

Michaels body will be flown to Romania and will lie in state for two days at the Royal Palace in Bucharest. No funeral plans were immediately available.

Michael, a great-great grandson to Britains Queen Victoria, acceded to the throne in 1927 when he was six years old after his father Carol II eloped with his mistress and abdicated. After three years Carol returned to the throne and stayed there until abdicating again in 1940 and Michael became king for a second time.

Michael reigned for seven years until he was forced to abdicate.

Michaels reign is best-remembered for his coup on Aug. 23, 1944, against pro-Nazi leader Marshal Ion Antonescu, which took Romania into the war on the side of the Allies. For this, he was awarded Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit by U.S. President Harry S. Truman and was decorated with the Soviet Order of Victory by Joseph Stalin.

Romanias switch gave the Soviets the opportunity to advance into the country. After the war, Michael was little more than a figurehead as the Soviets installed a communist-led government and Romania became part of the Warsaw Pact.

Many thought that he would remain in exile in London after his arrival for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to his cousin Prince Philip of Greece in November 1947. However, he was summoned to the Elisabeth Palace in Bucharest and told to sign a pre-typed abdication or else 1,000 soldiers would be executed.

The communist government abolished the monarchy on the day of his abdication. Romanias was the last monarchy in the Warsaw Pact countries to fall. Michael was then stripped of his citizenship.

After his abdication, Michael settled with his wife and five daughters in Switzerland and later Britain, where he worked as a test pilot and chicken farmer.

On Dec. 25, 1990, a year after the revolution that overthrew the Communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, Michael and several other members of the royal family entered Romania for the first time in 43 years. Using a Danish diplomatic passport, Michael was able to obtain a 24-hour visa. He intended to reach Curtea de Arges Cathedral, pray at the tombs of his royal ancestors and attend the Christmas religious service. However, Michael and his companions were stopped by tanks, taken to the airport and forced to leave the country.

In 1992, however, the government allowed Michael to return to Romania for Easter celebrations, where more than a million people turned out to see him. His popularity alarmed President Ion Iliescu, and Michael was forbidden to visit Romania again for five years.

A year after Iliescus defeat to President Emil Constantinescu in 1996, the Romanian government restored Michaels citizenship, allowing him back into the country. Savarsin Castle in western Romania was returned to him while the Elisabeth Palace in Bucharest was made his residence. Though Romania remains a republic, the royal house looks after the familys properties and bestows honours.

Michaels relations with the countrys leaders following his return were often uneasy. In 2010, President Traian Basescu accused Michael of being a traitor for abdicating and signing an armistice with the Soviets.

On his 90th birthday in 2011, Michael addressed Parliament for the first time in 65 years and attacked the countrys post-communist leaders.

Tomorrows world cannot exist without morals, without faith and memory. Cynicism, narrow interests and cowardice mustnt occupy our lives. They remind us too much of the years before 1989, he said while sitting on a thronelike chair.

Romanians associate their royal family, particularly Michael, with elegance and dignity, in sharp contrast to their views of the political class.

Born Oct. 25, 1921, Michael married Anne of Bourbon-Parme in 1948. She died in August 2016. They are survived by five daughters, the eldest of whom, Princess Margareta, will succeed him as head of the royal family.

As great-great-grandson of Britains Queen Victoria, Michael was also related to the Danish, Spanish, Norwegian and Swedish royal families.

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SANAA, YEMENHeavy airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition pounded Yemens capital overnight, targeting Sanaas densely populated neighbourhoods in apparent retaliation for the killing of the former Yemeni president by the countrys Shiite rebels, residents said.

The body of ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, which had appeared in a video by the militias with a gaping head wound, was taken to the citys military rebel-controlled hospital but it was not immediately clear if the rebels would allow Salehs family to hold a funeral later in the day.

The gruesome images from the previous day sent shockwaves among Salehs followers  a grisly end recalling that of his contemporary, Libyas Moammar Gadhafi, in 2011.

Read more: Yemeni rebels kill former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as alliance collapses

Salehs son Salah said on Facebook on Tuesday that he wont receive condolences for his fathers death until after avenging the blood of the longtime strongman. Salah also urged his fathers followers to fight their former allies, the Shiite rebels known as Houthis.

From Cairo, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit issued a statement Tuesday denouncing Salehs assassination at the hands of criminal militias, and warned Yemens situation could explode further and worsen humanitarian crisis. The League spokesperson, Mahmoud Afifi, quoted Aboul-Gheit as saying the international community should label the Houthis a terrorist organization.

All means should be tackled for the Yemeni people to get rid of this black nightmare, he said.

Salehs slaying likely gives the rebels the upper hand in the days-long fighting for Sanaa while also shattering hopes by Yemens Saudi-backed government that the former presidents recent split with the Houthis would have weakened them.

That would give Yemens internationally recognized government and the Saudi-led coalition backing it and waging war on the Houthis a chance for a turning point in the stalemated conflict that has brought humanitarian disaster.

But with Salehs forces seemingly in disarray, it was not immediately clear if the Saudi-led coalition will be able to turn the split to its advantage in the war. Many Sanaa residents remained hunkered down in their homes, fearing the rebels and the Saudi airstrikes, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fears for their safety.

Saleh ruled Yemen for more than three decades until an Arab Spring uprising forced him to step down in 2012. He later allied with the Houthi rebels hoping to exploit their strength to return to power. That helped propel Yemen into the ruinous civil war that has spread hunger and disease among its 28 million people.

Houthi officials said their fighters killed Saleh as he tried to flee the capital for his nearby hometown of Sanhan. The Houthis top leader, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, said Saleh paid the price for his treason, accusing him of betraying their alliance to side with the Saudi-led coalition.

Houthi and Saleh-loyalist forces have been fighting in Sanaa since late last week. The Saudi-led coalition has been hitting Houthi positions with airstrikes, hoping that having Saleh on its side after his split with the rebels could provide a foothold in the capital for the forces of the Saudi-backed president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

From the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where he has been in self-imposed exile for most of the war, Hadi tried on Monday to rally Salehs allies to keep up the fight against the Houthis.

When Saleh left power, he stayed in the country and kept the loyalty of many military commanders, splitting the armed forces between himself and Hadi. Salehs forces were key to helping the Houthis overrun Sanaa in 2014 and then much of the north and centre of the country.

But over the past year, the Houthis appear to have undermined Saleh, wooing away some of his commanders, strengthening their own fighters and reducing their need for him. It appears that pushed Saleh into flirting with the coalition, ultimately leading to the breakdown of the alliance with the Houthis and the recent outbreak of clashes.

The fighting has brought new suffering to Sanaas residents; many said the night was shattered by the sounds of gunfire and children screaming.

Witnesses said the bodies of slain civilians and fighters littered the streets as no ambulances were able to reach the area.

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MADRIDA Spanish judge on Tuesday withdrew international arrest warrants for ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four members of his former cabinet who have been fighting extradition from Belgium.

A Supreme Court spokesperson said that the five could still be arrested if they go back to Spain, however, because they are still being sought for possible crimes related to the independence bid in northeastern Catalonia.

In a surprise move, Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena said on Tuesday that individual warrants dont apply anymore because the alleged crimes were a group action according to new evidence.

Read more:

Spain to brief EU on alleged cyber interference in Catalonia referendum

Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy urges Catalans to oust separatists in election

Thousands demand release of jailed Catalan separatists in Barcelona

He also said that the probed politicians have shown their intention to return to Spain in order to run for regional elections in Catalonia.

But Puigdemonts Belgian lawyer, Paul Bekaert, said that the Catalan separatist leader wasnt planning an immediate return.

For the moment he stays in Belgium, Bekaert told VTM network.

A spokesperson for the Brussels prosecutions office said that Belgian authorities will call for an extra session on the extradition court case so the proceedings can be stopped.

Catalan separatist lawmakers on Oct. 27 have passed a motion to establish a new republic independent of Spain. Thousands of people gathered outside the parliament building to celebrate. (The Associated Press)

But with the warrant withdrawal official, Puigdemont is fully free in his movements and no longer bound to respect the initial restrictions from the court case, which included the provision that he had to stay in Belgium, spokeswoman Ine Van Wymersch said.

The restrictions that were set up by the Brussels investigating judge are no longer in effect. So here in Belgium. Mr. Puigdemont and his four ministers are free to leave the country if they want, Van Wymersch said.

The five Catalans are facing rebellion, sedition and embezzlement among other charges for their roles last month in staging an illegal independence referendum that led to an independence declaration in the regions parliament.

The crimes are punishable in Spain with decades in prison.

Spanish, European and international arrest warrants for the five who fled to Belgium were issued on Nov. 3, after members of Puigdemonts government who remained in Spain were jailed on provisional charges.

The Spanish court spokesperson said that the judges decision applies to both European and international warrants, not to the domestic ones. He asked not to be named, citing internal court rules.

Two former cabinet members, including former Vice-President Oriol Junqueras, and two separatist activists remain in custody.

Tuesdays decision seemed to leave up in the air the battle in Brussels over extradition for the five Catalan separatist politicians. A decision had been announced for Dec. 14, but the Belgian prosecutors office said it was assessing the new situation.

The Belgian judge could have chosen to rule against the Spanish request or agreed to send the five back as requested, or reduced the number of crimes that Spain could try them for.

That possibility was mentioned by the Supreme Court judge in a nine-page document issued on Tuesday to withdraw the warrants. Responsibility should be shared among all the defendants, Llarena said in the document, adding that diminished charges would mean a distortion for those already facing the probe in Spain.

Puigdemont is leading his partys campaign for the Dec. 21 election called by Spains government in an attempt to find a democratic fix to the nations worst institutional crisis in nearly four decades.

Campaigning officially began on Tuesday and early polls are predicting a close race between the parties for and against independence, foreshadowing a scenario of difficult post-electoral deals to end the deadlock.

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First things first: The most-retweeted tweet of 2017  and for that matter, of all time  was by a teenager who wanted Wendys to give him free chicken nuggets.

But this is not another piece about the Chicken Nuggets Boy, so lets move on to the second-most-retweeted tweet of the year. Its by a guy who used to be president.

Obama tweeted No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. . .

This tweet was posted in the wake of the white-nationalist rally in August in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a 20-year-old with a long history of sympathizing with Nazi views was arrested for allegedly plowing a car into a crowd of anti-racism demonstrators, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others.

Obamas tweet in response to Charlottesville was retweeted 1.7 million times and has 4.5 million likes. Not long after it was posted, it became the most-liked tweet on Twitter, ever.

In 2017, when the current president regularly steers an entire days news cycle by tweeting a bunch of things before dawn, President Donald Trump is, unsurprisingly, at the top of the list of most-talked-about global elected leaders and U.S. politicians. The messages hes embraced  #MAGA, #TrumpTrain and #BoycottNFL, for instance  are some of the top activism hashtags of the year, according to Twitter.

But @RealDonaldTrump is absent from the 10 most-retweeted tweets of the year and Twitters most-liked tweets of 2017. Meanwhile, his predecessor appears a total of five times across both lists.

Obama tweeted three of Twitters 10 most retweeted tweets of the year, including two from the official @POTUS account before leaving office (Obamas Twitter history as president is now archived at @POTUS44):

Obama tweeted Its been the honor of my life to serve you. You made me a better leader and a better man.

Obama tweeted Thank you for everything. My last ask is the same as my first. Im asking you to believe-not in my ability to create change, but in yours.

Other tweets in the top 10 included Ariana Grandes response after the massacre at her concert in Manchester, Britain, and a couple of tweets raising money to support those recovering from the hurricane in Houston.

One tweet on the most-retweeted list doesnt mention Trump, but is about him.

LeBron James tweeted U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he aint going! So therefore aint no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!

Trump and Obama use Twitter very differently: Obama, now under @BarackObama, has nearly 100 million followers and he doesnt tweet very much. His tweets about Charlottesville and John McCains cancer diagnosis were both well-timed, supportive messages during major news events.

Trump, meanwhile, has 44 million followers and tweets all the time about everything. Hes had an enormous impact on Twitter this year, but not because of any one tweet above all the rest.

People talk about Trump, obviously. Replying to his tweets has become performative for both his supporters and the #Resist crowd. However, its hard for any one of his tweets to capture attention in the way Obamas most popular tweets have. If youre talking about a Trump tweet, chances are there will be another one to talk about in about five minutes.

In case youre curious, here are the full lists referred to in this piece.

Most-retweeted tweets of 2017:

1:

2:

3:

4:

5:

6:

7:

8:

9:

10:

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Here is todays lesson from the Toronto District School Board. Ignore the majority of voices surveyed, disregard the TDSB statement of missions and values about safety and community relationships, dont wait around for planned research, forget the heavy lifting and take the easy way out. It might be funny if it was a Cheech and Chong laugh track. But alas, it isnt. Im talking about the TDSB decision to cancel an effective community based police-in-schools program.

Implemented after the 2008 murder of Jordan Manners at Torontos C.W. Jefferys Collegiate, this program was intended to enhance safety and security. It did much more. As noted in Rosie DiMannos recent column, C.W. Jefferys principal lauded the positivity associated with the program and went on to say in no uncertain terms that there is a place for police in schools. He should know.

There is a good body of evidence to support the continuation of this program. First, a survey of students, staff, and community members found majority support for this program. Most people felt safer. And data from year one indicated a significant statistical drop in arrests and suspensions during the school year.

That comes as no surprise to this writer. This is in line with the original Toronto police-in-schools program commenced in response to an explosion of youth violence in the late 1980s and early 90s. Newly formed street crime units commenced a police-school partnership eventually operating in most of the preamalgamation Toronto school boards.

The brainchild of then Deputy Chief William McCormack, the units provided both anti-violence education and enforcement, and most importantly, a tight connection between officers and schools. I was one of the original supervising detectives and saw first hand how well it worked.

But dont take it from me. The federal government commissioned an in-depth research report authored by three academics, including much-lauded Toronto psychologist Dr. Fred Mathews. The results were impressive.

The 1993 report titled, The Anti-Violence Community School showed a significant drop in formal interventions (arrests) as the partnership developed over time. Students and staff felt safer. Many students bonded with the partnered police officer receiving advice and support. Officers often attended and participated in special school events. And, it wasnt a school to prisons pipeline.

Unfortunately after several years this program too ended as a result of what I consider an ill-advised political decision by the then Toronto Police Services Board.

So, why reference this dated partnership? Well, the programs are similar in nature. The 1993 research showed positive results from police in schools. That suggests to me that similar unbiased and fact-based research today might have produced similar results. Ryerson University was contracted to do just that.

But research conducted by academics with conclusions based on information and evidence? No sir, not for the TDSB. Critical thinking and pedagogy this is not! I take comfort in the fact that the Catholic Board didnt follow suit.

So, why did the TDSB cancel the program? Just 10 per cent of the surveyed students felt watched or uncomfortable. That was enough for the School Board. In an opinion piece for The Star, Chair Robin Pilkey, wraps up her explanation in support of the decision by suggesting that Toronto Police continue to respond quickly to threats to student, staff and school safety as they have always done  and done well.

Of course they do. But does anybody really believe that busy primary response units going from call to call will be able to give the same service as officers permanently assigned to a collection of schools? I dont.

Im not suggesting the concerns expressed by the 10 per cent be dismissed. Why couldnt working with, and helping students who feel uncomfortable or intimidated by police presence be what they call a teachable moment in the education profession? Instead, the board has taken the easy way out.

Mike McCormack the president of the Toronto Police Association said it best in a recent Star article. Heres an opportunity to look at that 10 per cent and say, Why do you have these perceptions? I couldnt agree more.

In my opinion, bowing to pressure from Black Lives Matter and other activists, the TDSB has made a terrible decision that wont soon be corrected. I can only hope educators make better decisions when a terrified student, a student who has been bullied or worse, takes that very long walk to the principals office desperate for real help.

John Muise is a retired Toronto police detective sergeant and recently served for five years as a board member at the Parole Board of Canada. He currently serves as volunteer director of public safety at Abuse Hurts.

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The Spadina subway extension into York Region is finally opening this month, 11 years after it was first announced. While overdue and overbudget, the extension is generally being welcomed.

Meanwhile, the proposed extension of the Bloor-Danforth line further into Scarborough is being vilified as a subway to nowhere that would cost too much and serve too few. Why the different reactions?

Three years absence from the clamshell and two years working in Scarborough have made me even more amazed than I was about the rabid opposition to a reasonable transit expansion in an area that is woefully underserved by higher-order transit.

The ridership on the Spadina subway extension will likely be similar to the proposed Scarborough extension; yet the anti-Scarborough agitators dont seem the least bit bothered by the fact that York Region, which is outside the City of Toronto, will now have the same number of subway stops (two) as all of Scarborough, which is an integral part of the city.

I dont need an official report to know that the number of subway riders getting on or off at the Highway 407 subway stop in York Region will not remotely meet the usual cut-off thresholds for subway construction.

The downtown councillors who are opposed to the Scarborough extension are the same councillors who benefit from subway stops in their own wards. One suspects they will oppose any new subways anywhere beyond the citys core.

When I was the councillor for Ward 16, I represented 50,000 people and had three subway stops in my ward. Scarborough has more than 600,000 residents and has two subway stops: Warden and Kennedy. How is that fair?

To be sure, the current plan for a one-stop extension of the subway to the Scarborough Town Centre is far from ideal.

A longer extension to Sheppard Ave. would have provided continuous service for commuters who currently rely on the aging Scarborough SRT.

If the objective is to improve transit for commuters in Scarborough, it makes sense to replace the SRT with a subway, not another LRT.

Transit is arguably the most critical infrastructure in a city. It connects residents to jobs, schools, and each other. How is it that Torontos elites can argue that residents in certain parts of a city do not deserve what residents in other parts take for granted?

Spending on transit will always be political because it is built with public dollars. And public expenditures on transit are made with several considerations: who will benefit, what is the growth potential, how will it support other public policy objectives, and how will it contribute to city-building?

The existing Sheppard subway  also much maligned at the beginning  may not have met all its ridership objectives. But it has transformed Bayview and Sheppard, brought a subway stop to a major hospital (North York General), and connected riders to a major shopping centre (Fairview Mall).

The extension of the Spadina subway will terminate in a field. But it will also support York University and the Downsview Park development. And it will be the first step toward building a regional transit system.

Critics of the Scarborough extension often reference Rob Ford and his subways, subways, subways mantra. As chair of the TTC, I opposed Ford, but I supported the Scarborough extension.

Just because Rob Ford campaigned on a subway for Scarborough doesnt make it wrong. Although light rapid transit is a less expensive alternative than a subway construction, it doesnt mean that is should be the solution in every case.

Before the last election, city council approved a property tax surcharge to fund new transit, namely the extension of the Bloor-Danforth line into Scarborough. The provincial and the federal governments have also agreed to fund the extension. When in our history has a project with support from three orders of government ever been so contentious?

The money is there. The need is there. It is time to stop debating and move ahead on the Scarborough extension.

Karen Stintz is a former city councillor for Ward 16 and Chair of the TTC. She is currently president and CEO of Variety, the Children's Charity & Variety Village.

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It may take some time to figure out exactly why things went sideways for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in China this week.

But this much is clear: He went all the way to Beijing holding out the promise that Canada and China would open talks toward a full-scale trade agreement.

But unless he pulls a last-minute rabbit out of his hat, hell be flying home pretty much empty-handed. No formal trade talks; just an agreement to keep talking about talking.

Does it matter? On one level, not really. Negotiating with the Chinese, especially now that theyre flexing their muscles on the world stage, will be fraught. Theres a persuasive school of thought that says Canada is better off going slow and avoiding giving up too much to China.

And in the real world, working out a deal with China would take years, as Trudeau himself acknowledged in Beijing. In the meantime, two-way trade continues apace under the rules of the World Trade Organization. That wont change.

But all this does matter in a couple of important ways.

First, it doesnt say much good about Canadas ability to deal with a country that is very much on the rise, filling the power gap being vacated by the United States under Donald Trump. Not for nothing did The Economist magazine recently label President Xi Jinping as the worlds most powerful man.

The key thing in such visits is that theres no point in the prime minister travelling half way around the world unless he can count on getting something concrete to show for it. Apparently, according to various reports, the Canadian side thought the Chinese were on board with Trudeaus idea of beginning formal talks toward an ambitious deal that would include progressive chapters on labour, the environment and women.

But once he got into a one-on-one meeting with Premier Li Keqiang, the agreement he thought was in his hand melted away. The leaders could only agree to keep on with preliminary discussions. Having come all that way, Trudeau looked, frankly, foolish.

There were also some odd slip-ups, according to reporting in the National Post. A Canadian pool cameraman was manhandled; the prime ministers official photographer was barred from a photo session; the Chinese suddenly cancelled a joint news conference by Trudeau and Li.

Small things, perhaps, but nothing in such meetings happens by accident. Last year the Chinese forgot to roll stairs up to Air Force One when Barack Obama landed there for his last visit as president, forcing him to forgo the usual red-carpet arrival. Few doubted it was Beijings way of sending a blunt message to Obama: you dont matter anymore.

The prime minister says pursuing free trade with China and preserving NAFTA are part of Canadas mission to combat rising populism and nationalism. Justin Trudeau made the comments during his four-day state visit to China. (The Canadian Press)

Were the Chinese trying to send a message to Trudeau by allowing him to come all the way to Beijing and then fail to produce what he had expected and promised? We cant know at this point, and its not at all clear why they would want to do so.

But the reality is that unless theres a last-minute deal (not unthinkable, given that Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne stayed behind in Beijing to continue work on that even as Trudeau left the capital), all this will certainly undermine the prime minister among those who focus on trade issues.

Most importantly, it wont impress the Trump administrations negotiators who are holding Canadas feet to the fire on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

A quick move by Canada to open trade talks with China would, in the straightforward words of a Wall Street Journal report, signal to the U.S. that Ottawa has other trading options should NAFTA collapse. The failure to get that done will send quite another signal at a time when the U.S is ratcheting up pressure on Canada.

Bottom line: Theres no big rush to reach a deal on trade and investment with China. But going down that path and then having the carpet pulled out from under you is worse than nothing at all. Its a setback that risks costing Canada in areas where the stakes for this country are much bigger.

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A series of racist social media attacks  as evidenced by screen shots  on a Black first-year engineering student at the University of Toronto is throwing light on the continuing legacy of anti-Black racism on campus as well as institutional barriers to redress the issue.

Last week, the universitys Black Students Association held a town hall to highlight the latest incident as part of larger systemic structural anti-Blackness.

A senior U of T official acknowledged the existence of anti-Black racism on U of T campuses and that there is more that we can do to address it.

In June, an international student from an African nation preparing to come to U of T was invited to a WhatsApp group chat called Chestnut 2017, named after a U of T residence.

She had chosen Canada over the U.S. because after last years elections it became very evident that the States wouldnt be safe for a Black student. U of T brochures depicting itself in glowing terms as a draw for international students also helped.

She was introducing herself on the chat, as were others, when a senior year frosh leader who organized and facilitated the chat said, Im a trap n----- spelling out a diminutive form of the N-word. That is the term used for someone who hangs out in a trap, or areas where drugs are sold. The Star has reviewed screen shots of their conversations.

She was taken aback.

Youre not Black, are you? she asked him.

Only between my legs, he responded.

Dont say the N-word, please she wrote.

At one point he wrote, You made it all the way to university, dont be a little bitch over a word. This isnt California.

This set the tone of the conversation that followed  for three days. It involved her posting links to stories explaining why it was wrong to use the word, and the painful history tied to its use.

It spiralled out of control, she told me on Thursday, speaking to me reluctantly on the phone and on condition of anonymity for fear of a bigger backlash. Everybody was giving their two cents, even people not in the Chestnut chat.

People were messaging me privately why being an SJW (social justice warrior) is detrimental.

On the chat, she was told to calm down and stop ruining the chat and creating trouble before school has even started.

When she messaged the frosh leader privately, the best she could get from him was, Ill try not to say it anymore.

She came to Toronto but decided to live off campus after this incident and move on.

In September, she came across a public Facebook group called U of T Confessions, where people anonymously post lighter questions.

There, someone asked, Where are all the Black boys in engineering?

One response: In prison.

She let it go.

A few days later, another U of T Facebook chat, another incident where someone else used the N-word. This time, when she asked him to stop, the student apologized. He said he didnt know it was wrong, that his friends said it all the time.

In the discussion that followed, one student shared an image that was sent to him by another student. It was of a digital Blackface with the words Yo yo n---- also with the diminutive form of the word spelled out.

That was the end game for me. The point I decided I needed to speak up, she told me. It became evident it wasnt an isolated incident. It was a culture of anti-Black racism in the institution.

To paint your face black and lips red, thats a direct attack. I felt small and belittled at that point.

And I decided to take it to the BSA (Black Students Association).

The incident brought back memories for Beverly Bain, who teaches women and gender studies in the department of historical studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

I was an undergraduate in the 70s, she said. We had a similar situation come up with two students who were in the engineering department. One from Africa, the other from the Caribbean, who actually faced similar kinds of taunts. In those days it was really in your face. One student was called monkey. The other was told if living in Canada was an issue, they should go back to where they came from.

The students brought it to the attention of the African-Caribbean Students Association.

We took it to administration, said Bain, and, of course, nothing was done about it. If anything during that period we were often targeted by security as a group that was problematic.

We were seen as a threat.

The authorities said the information was sketchy, she said. And if the student felt offended, they can make a complaint, they should take it to their head department and launch a formal complaint.

There was no process in place to deal with discrimination, she said. It wasnt at all seen as something that needed attention. It wasnt seen as grievous.

On Nov. 5 this year, the Black Students Association took up the international students case and sent an email to the dean of engineering and other faculty in which they referenced the code of student conduct.

On Nov. 20, they met with Sandy Welsh, the vice-provost of students, Cristina Amon, the dean of engineering, Michael Stickel, an engineering professor, and Sandra Carnegie-Douglas, the head of Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office.

At the meeting, we went over the breaches in the code of conduct and the repercussions that are listed in the code of conduct as well as responsibilities to uphold the code of conduct, said Justice Huyer, the vice-president of the BSA.

The student representatives were told the procedure involved informally reaching out to the accused (called a respondent), appointing a third-party investigator and, finally, a hearing.

We asked how long this process takes, said Anyika Mark, president of the BSA. We were told the average time this takes is about a year. We cant accept that as a sufficient answer.

The longer it takes the longer the complaining student is vulnerable. And what happens if the BSA executives now involved graduate from school? In addition, they are full-time students with full course loads  now expected to make time to prepare and attend multiple meetings.

They had no answers about how we can work around that and how that process works with us being students, said Mark.

Sandy Welsh, the universitys vice-provost of students, said to me, The focus is on doing it in as timely a way as we possibly can but in the fairest way possible.

I cant speculate on exactly how long the process is going to take  the majority of it takes under a year.

According to U of Ts database, which captures all code cases at the university since 2011, there were 82 cases related to a breach of code of student conduct, and two that may have a connection to racial discrimination, according to Althea Blackburn-Evans, director of media relations.

Forty-six of those cases were resolved in less than six months, 12 within a year, 13 within 18 months and four took longer than 18 months.

The longer timelines are for complex cases, generally with multiple offences or ones involving the Criminal Code, Blackburn-Evans told me by email.

Although she did not speak about this specific incident, Welsh acknowledges, This is a type of behaviour that could be an offence under the student code of conduct.

Bain was invited to speak at the Nov. 28 town hall. I looked around and said, the only difference here is that there are more of us. More Black students. Were still dealing with those issues.

Black students today say hearing the N-word from non-Black students is a frequent occurrence. They are a minority on campus (the university does not keep race-based data, so exact figures are unknown) and there is no Black faculty at the engineering college.

Back in the 70s, there were no policies to deal with racism on campus, Bain said. There are policies now, but they are a deterrent.

What is in place to resolve those issues is not meant to actually enforce. Whatever is in place is meant to discourage any kind of challenge to issues of racism, sexism and other forms of direct, oppressive violence that students experience.

These policies are meant to make the institutions look good. They are not meant to change the structure of the institution.

So what next?

Justice Huyer of BSA said, There is a list of penalties (in the code of student conduct) that was not created by us. We demand they be upheld. Thats what is acceptable for us. And going forward we will accept nothing but a safe space for Black people on campus and to do better in terms of dealing with cases of racism.

An adequate space where Black students can feel supported is one of the other demands of the BSA, which is also seeking funding toward an anti-Black racism campaign and for the National Society of Black Engineers program, which has no physical space at all. Its members are contactable only by email, Huyer said.

We have LGBTQ positive spaces that have signs and invitations, she said. We have a First Nations House for Indigenous students to come together.

But the Black Students Association, we have the third-largest student association on campus. We have a cubicle that is semi-private with glass windows in a basement that can hold approximately five people and we serve hundreds.

The students say when they tried to raise the other issues at the meeting, the faculty didnt engage with them. We were just met with blanks stares. And kind of silence, said Mark.

Then the faculty suggested another meeting, a move Mark sees as a derailing tactic to tire them out.

There certainly have been discussions around (office) space issues for Black students, Welsh said. I think these are things we are talking about right now.

Its past time to still be in the discussion phase of these changes. And the university could extend some of its own solutions used for other marginalized groups.

At an orientation for international students on campus, the complainant who is anonymous, says, We were taught about how the university is an LGBTQ-friendly space and we were made very aware of the fact that we needed to use neutral pronouns, that we needed to not be transphobic, not be queer phobic because a lot of our backgrounds are countries where homophobia is unfortunately the culture.

There shouldnt be a reason they cant do that as well with anti-Blackness, she said.

There shouldnt be a reason they cant do that with all students. An Asian Canadian, a South Asian Canadian and a white Canadian were involved in the N-word and digital Blackface messages, she said.

We know anti-Black racism exists on our campuses and I know there is more that we can do to address it, said Welsh. We need to continue to listen  and hear  what are the concerns of our students, our faculty and our staff.

More than anything else, students are saying, we want to see change, said Bain.

Were asking for something fundamental, something concrete. We want to see the institution itself start looking at the way it functions on a day-to-day basis.

Shree Paradkar writes about discrimination and identity. You can follow her @shreeparadkar

Correction -- December 6, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that misspelled Cristina Amon's name.

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Deutsche Bank AG (DB) - Get Free Report shares fell Tuesday amid reports that German's biggest lender has been asked by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to provide details on accounts held by U.S. President Donald Trump and his family.

German business daily Handelsblatt first reported the subpoena, which it said was received several weeks ago, and noted it was linked to certain loan deals with Trump or his family. The request from Mueller is likely linked to his ongoing probe into Trump campaign ties with Russia officials and any attempt to meddle in the 2016 election.

Trump's ties to the German bank are well known and, for the most part, a matter of public record. The President's financial disclosure forms revealed outstanding loans with Deutsche Bank - mostly in the form of mortgages on some of his key U.S. assets - worth around $400 million last year. A Wall Street Journal report from March 2016 , however, pegged the total figure in the region of $2.5 billion.

Regardless of the figure, there's little precedent for an American President to have such significant financial ties for a foreign lender - let alone one that only last year agreed to pay one of the biggest corporate fines in U.S. history.

Deutsche Bank agreed a $7.2 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to settle civil claims in connection with the bank's mortgage bond activities in the run up to the global financial crisis last December, in the form of a $3.1 billion penalty and $4.1 billion in customer relief.

Germany's biggest bank was also fined 163 million ($218 million) by Britain's financial watchdog, its largest fine ever, over so-called "mirror trades" that allowed customers to potentially launder money from Russia.

The penalty followed a similar levy agreed with New York's Department of Financial Services, which fined Deutsche Bank $425 million for allowing some customers to buy stocks in Russia only to allow people linked to those customers sell the same stocks through Deutsche Bank's London office.

CNN reported last month that a DoJ investigation into Deutsche Bank had "gone dormant" and said the civil settlement agreed last year had "no connection to bank accounts held by the President or Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser."

Deutsche Bank shares were marked 0.25% lower in Frankfurt and changing hands at 16.09 each by 1:10 pm local time.

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Snap Inc. (SNAP) - Get Free Report shares traded firmly higher Tuesday, Dec. 5, after two investment banks lifted their recommendations on the social media app as it goes head-to-head with Facebook Inc. (FB) - Get Free Report in the youth messaging market.

Snap rose 5.3% in early trading to $14.29, its highest level in nearly a month.

The moves followed an upgrade from Jefferies, which raised its recommendation on the messaging app maker to "buy" from "hold," and a similar endorsement from Barclays, which raised the Venice, Calif.-based group to "overweight" with a price target of $18 a share, up from a previous forecast of $11.

In fact, Barclays analyst Ross Sandler said now may be a "good time" to start accumulating shares," noting that the group may start hitting -- or beating -- consensus revenue estimates into the new year. He also suggested the recent narrative that Facebook is "killing" Snap may be starting to reverse. "In short, we think the worst is behind SNAP and company is likely to get back on track in 2018," Sandler wrote.

Facebook made further inroads into Snap's youth-market territory Monday, Dec. 4, with news it would launch a messaging app aimed at children under the age of 12 who can't legally set up their own page on the social media giant. With no ads and no automatic conversion to Facebook's main page, the company is hoping to engender a "safe space" for kids with the hope that they'll migrate to Facebook-owned properties -- such as Instagram -- when they hit their teens.

That could prove an enormous challenge for Snap, whose messaging app is hugely popular with younger users but has nonetheless struggled to generate a profitable business model.

Those concerns have continued to weigh on Snap shares, which failed to find support at the $15 level even after China's Tencent Holdings Ltd. (TCEHY) revealed last month that it built a 10% stake

Tencent, which owns China's biggest social media app WeChat, told Snap that it purchased around 145.78 million non-voting Snap shares on the open market, taking its overall stake to the 10% threshold that requires formal notification.

The investment announcement came just hours after Snap revealed weaker-than-expected third-quarter earnings and vowed to re-design its flagship messaging app.

Snap posted a loss of 14 cents a share in the three months ended in September while revenue, the bulk of which come from selling ads, did rise 61% to $208 million, but even that figure trailed analysts' estimates of $237 million. Revenue per user, a key metric for the group, increased to $1.17 but again fell shy of the Wall Street consensus of $1.30.

The dispiriting numbers -- not to mention the stock's 48% decline since its post-IPO peak -- were not lost on the company's founders, including Evan Spiegel, who essentially pledged a hard re-set of the hard-to-use app which is slowly losing the hold it once had on the imagination of users and investors alike.

"The one thing that we have heard over the years is that Snapchat is difficult to understand or hard to use, and our team has been working on responding to this feedback," Spiegel told investors on a conference call late Tuesday. "As a result, we are currently redesigning our application to make it easier to use."

"There is a strong likelihood that the redesign of our application will be disruptive to our business in the short term, and we don't yet know how the behavior of our community will change when they begin to use our updated application," he added. "We're willing to take that risk for what we believe are substantial long-term benefits to our business."

Southwest Airlines CEO Discusses Tax Reform, Hawaii Routes and Bitcoin

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Investing in oil could be a fantastic opportunity for 2018: Sorry for the dramatics, just channeling my inner stockbroker trainee (which I was at one point). It would appear Goldman Sachs is channeling its inner enthusiastic broker trainee, too, with a call on oil for 2018. The investment bank raised its forecast for crude oil prices over the next 12 months, citing OPEC's oil output curbs. Goldman sees positive returns of 9% from oil over the next 12 months. A couple ways to play this bullish forecast are Action Alerts PLUS holdings Schlumberger (SLB) - Get Free Report and Apache (APA) - Get Free Report . If you hate the world and want to bet against oil then the fine folks at Citigroup are your friends -- unlike Goldman, Citi is bearish on oil as it fears fear OPEC will look to add supply to the market (probably as prices rise).

Bitcoin ... bitcoin ... BITCOIN: The CBOE Futures Exchange said Monday night it plans to offer trading in bitcoin futures starting 5 p.m. CST on Sunday, Dec. 10. Trading will be free through December. The move comes as CME Group, the parent of Chicago Mercantile Exchange, announced last week it would launch bitcoin futures on Dec. 18. As you would expect, bitcoin is trading up into each debut. You can almost feel bitcoin $20,000 by year end, no?

Interesting, Starbucks: Coffee giant Starbucks (SBUX) - Get Free Report is getting some play on the internet as it prepares to open a coffee stadium in China. Dubbed a Reserve Roastery, the 30,000-square-foot coffee shrine created by Executive Chairman Howard Schultz opens in Shanghai today. Like others opened before it, the location is a wonderful marketing centerpiece for the future of Starbucks: boost margins by getting people to pay $11 for a super premium coffee and $5 for a scone. And why not pay that as you could sit in the building darn near all day watching coffee being roasted?. Super fun. What I am most interested in though is how the stock of Starbucks, which has been a dog all year, has finally come back to life. Shares of Starbucks are up about 5% over the past month. My gut tells me the move is tied to the general rebound in retailers off solid Black Friday sales data rather than Starbucks experiencing a major re-acceleration in U.S. same-store sales.

What's Hot

More Popping Than Tesla

Sorry Tesla (TSLA) - Get Free Report , but Mercedes is still the standard bearer when it comes to driving excellence. Below is a review of the $180,000 Mercedes AMG S63 I had in my possession for a few days. Sick.

Apache, Sclumberger and Starbucks are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells APA, SLB or SBUX? Learn more now.

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Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers. It also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation, and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine, and top-of-rack data center switches; and juniper access points, which provide Wi-Fi access and performance. In addition, the company offers security products comprising SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP. Further, it offers Junos OS, a network operating system; Contrail networking, which provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN; Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless, and WAN assurance solutions to set and measure key metrics; Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, which identifies the root cause of issues; Juniper Paragon Automation, a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications; and Juniper Apstra to automate the network lifecycle in a single system. Additionally, the company provides software-as-a-service, technical support, maintenance, and professional services, as well as education and training programs. It sells its products through direct sales, distributors, value-added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers to end-users in the cloud, service provider, and enterprise markets. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
General Cable Corporation develops, designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes copper, aluminum, and fiber optic wire and cable products for the energy, industrial, construction, specialty, and communications markets. It offers electric utility products, including low- and medium-voltage distribution cables; high- and extra-high voltage power transmission cables; bare overhead conductors; and submarine transmission and distribution cables. The company also provides electrical infrastructure products, such as rubber-and plastic-jacketed wires and cables, low- and medium-voltage industrial power cables, and cable wire harnesses, as well as rail and mass transit, shipboard, oil and gas, armored mining, and alternative energy power generation cables. In addition, it offers communications products comprising high-bandwidth twisted copper and fiber optic, multi conductor and pair fiber and copper networking, telecommunications exchange, coaxial, and low detection profile cables, as well as fiber-optic submarine cable systems, submarine networks, and offshore integration systems. Further, the company provides construction products consisting of construction cables, flexible cords, halogen-free, low-smoke, and flame retardant cables, as well as rod mill products, including copper and aluminum rods. Additionally, it offers design, integration, and installation services for products, such as high and extra-high voltage terrestrial and submarine systems. The company sells its products directly to utilities, independent distributors, retailers, contractors, and original equipment manufacturers in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Africa/the Asia Pacific. General Cable Corporation was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
The following companies are subsidiares of AON: 6824625 Canada Ltd., 7193599 Canada Inc., A.B. Insurances Limited, ADIS A/S, AIB Services Limited, AIS Affinity Insurance Agency Inc., AIS Insurance Agency Inc., AMXH LLC, ARM International Corp., ARM International Insurance Agency Corp., ARMRISK CORP., AS Holdings Inc., ASPN Insurance Agency LLC, Access Plans USA Inc., Acumen Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Adm Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Administradora Aon C.A., Admiseg SA, Admix, Admix - Administracao Consultoria Participacoes e Corretora de Seguros de Vida Ltda., Aeropeople Limited, Affinity Group Insurance Services Limited, Affinity Insurance Services Inc., Affinity Risk Partners (Brokers) Pty Ltd, Agenion N.V./SA, Agility Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Alexander & Alexander Holding B.V., Alexander Clay, Alexander Insurance Managers (Netherlands Antilles) N.V., Alexander Reinsurance Intermediaries Inc., Allen Insurance Associates Inc., Alliance HealthCard Inc., Alliance HealthCard of Florida Inc., American Insurance Services Corp., American Special Risk Insurance Company, Anviti Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Aon (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon (CR) Insurance Agencies Company Limited, Aon (DIFC) Gulf Limited, Aon (Fiji) Ltd., Aon (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon (Thailand) Limited, Aon 180412 Limited (in liquidation), Aon ANZ Holdings Limited, Aon APAC Holdings B.V., Aon Acore Sarl, Aon Adjudication Services Limited, Aon Affinity Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Aon Affinity Argentina S.A., Aon Affinity Chile Ltda., Aon Affinity Colombia Ltda. Agencia de Seguros, Aon Affinity Mexico Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Mexico S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Servicos e Participacoes Ltda., Aon Affinity do Brasil Servicos e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Aon Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Americas Holdings BV, Aon Angola Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Antillen N.V., Aon Aruba N.V., Aon Assurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Australia Group Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 1 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 2 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 3 Pty Ltd, Aon Austria GmbH, Aon Bahrain W.L.L., Aon Belgium B.V.B.A., Aon Benefit Solutions Inc., Aon Benfield (Chile) Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Argentina S.A., Aon Benfield Australia Limited, Aon Benfield Brasil Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Canada ULC, Aon Benfield China Limited, Aon Benfield Colombia Limitada Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Benfield Fac Inc., Aon Benfield Global Inc., Aon Benfield Group Limited, Aon Benfield Inc., Aon Benfield Israel Limited, Aon Benfield Italia S.p.A., Aon Benfield Japan Ltd, Aon Benfield Latin America SA, Aon Benfield Limited, Aon Benfield Malaysia Limited, Aon Benfield Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro SA de CV, Aon Benfield Middle East Limited, Aon Benfield New Zealand Limited, Aon Benfield Panama S.A., Aon Benfield Peru Corredores de Reaseguros SA, Aon Benfield Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Bermuda Holding Company Limited, Aon Bermuda QI Holdings Ltd., Aon Beteiligungsmanagement Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Aon Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Aon Botswana (Pty) Ltd., Aon Brazil Holdings LLC, Aon Broking Services SA, Aon Broking Technology Limited, Aon CANZ Holdings B.V., Aon CANZ Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Inc., Aon Canada Intermediaries GP, Aon Captive Services Antilles N.V., Aon Captive Services Aruba N.V., Aon Cash Management B.V., Aon Central and Eastern Europe a.s., Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics Ltd, Aon Charitable Foundation Pty Ltd, Aon Chile Holdings LLC, Aon Commercial Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Commercial Services Ireland Limited, Aon Commercial Services and Operations Ireland Limited, Aon Consolidation Group Pty Ltd, Aon Consulting & Insurance Services, Aon Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Aon Consulting (Thailand) Limited, Aon Consulting Bolivia S.R.L., Aon Consulting Ecuador S.A., Aon Consulting Financial Services Limited, Aon Consulting Inc., Aon Consulting Kazakhstan LLP, Aon Consulting Limited, Aon Consulting Private Limited, Aon Consulting Romania SRL, Aon Corporate Services (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Corporate Services Limited, Aon Corporation, Aon Corporation Australia Limited, Aon Corporation EMEA B.V., Aon Credit International Insurance Broker GmbH, Aon Cyprus Insurance Broker Company Limited, Aon DC Trustee Limited, Aon Danismanlik Hizmetleri AS, Aon Delta Bermuda Ltd., Aon Delta UK Limited, Aon Denmark A/S, Aon Deutschland Beteiligungs GmbH, Aon Direct Group Inc., Aon Edge Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Energy Caribbean Limited, Aon Enterprise Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Finance Bermuda 1 Ltd., Aon Finance Bermuda 2 Ltd., Aon Finance Canada 1 Corp., Aon Finance Canada 2 Corp., Aon Finance International N.S. ULC, Aon Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Finance N.S. 1 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 5 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 8 ULC, Aon Finance US 1 LLC, Aon Finance US 2 LLC, Aon Financial & Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Finland Oy, Aon France, Aon Global Holdings 1 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 2 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 3 Limited [In strike-off], Aon Global Holdings Limited, Aon Global Operations plc, Aon Global Risk Consulting B.V., Aon Global Risk Consulting Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Global Risk Research Limited, Aon Grana Peru Corredores de Seguros SA, Aon Greece S.A., Aon Groep Nederland B.V., Aon Group (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Group (Thailand) Limited, Aon Group Holdings International 1 B.V., Aon Group Holdings International 2 B.V., Aon Group Inc., Aon Group International N.V., Aon Group Pty Ltd, Aon Group Venezuela Corretaje de Reaseguros C.A., Aon Hewitt (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Ireland) Limited, Aon Hewitt (PNG) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Thailand) Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting Korea Inc., Aon Hewitt Financial Advice Limited, Aon Hewitt GmbH, Aon Hewitt Health Market Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Hewitt Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hewitt Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Management Inc., Aon Hewitt Japan Ltd., Aon Hewitt Limited, Aon Hewitt Ltd., Aon Hewitt Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Aon Hewitt Management Company Limited, Aon Hewitt Middle East Limited, Aon Hewitt Risk & Consulting S.r.l., Aon Hewitt Risk & Financial Management B.V., Aon Hewitt Trust Solutions GmbH, Aon Hewitt US Holdings Limited, Aon Holding Deutschland GmbH, Aon Holdings (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Holdings Antillen N.V., Aon Holdings Australia Pty Limited, Aon Holdings Austria GmbH, Aon Holdings B.V., Aon Holdings Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Aon Holdings Corretores de Seguros Ltda., Aon Holdings France SNC, Aon Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Aon Holdings International B.V., Aon Holdings Israel Ltd., Aon Holdings Japan Ltd, Aon Holdings Limited, Aon Holdings Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Holdings Mid Europe B.V., Aon Holdings New Zealand, Aon Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hungary Insurance Brokers Risk and Human Consulting LLC, Aon Insurance Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Agencies (Macau) Limited, Aon Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Aon Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd., Aon Insurance Management Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Antilles) N.V., Aon Insurance Managers (Barbados) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd, Aon Insurance Managers (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Dublin) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Holdings) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Isle of Man) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Liechtenstein) AG, Aon Insurance Managers (Luxembourg) S.A., Aon Insurance Managers (Malta) PCC Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Puerto Rico) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (Shannon) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (USA) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (USVI) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers Gibraltar Ltd., Aon Insurance Micronesia (Guam) Inc, Aon Insurance Underwriting Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Philippines Inc., Aon International Cooperatief U.A., Aon International Energy Inc., Aon International Holdings Inc., Aon Investment Holdings Ireland Limited, Aon Israel Insurance Brokerage Ltd., Aon Italia S.r.l., Aon Japan Ltd, Aon Jauch & Hubener Gesellschaft m.b.H., Aon Korea Inc., Aon Latam Holdings N.V., Aon Lead QI B.V., Aon Life Agency of Texas Inc., Aon Life Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Aon Life Insurance Company, Aon MacDonagh Boland Group Ltd, Aon Majan LLC, Aon Management Consulting Taiwan Ltd., Aon Mauritius Holdings, Aon Meeus Assurantien B.V., Aon Mexico Business Support SA de CV, Aon Mexico Holdings LLC, Aon Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Aon Middle East Co LLC, Aon Nederland C.V., Aon Netherlands Operations B.V., Aon Neudorf Finance S.a.r.l., Aon New Zealand, Aon New Zealand Group ULC, Aon Norway AS, Aon Overseas Holdings Limited, Aon PHI Acquisition Corporation of California, Aon PMI International Limited, Aon Parizeau Inc., Aon Pension Trustees Limited, Aon Pensions Insurance Brokers GmbH, Aon Polska Services Sp. z o.o., Aon Polska Sp. z o.o., Aon Portugal - Consultores Unipessoal Lda., Aon Portugal - Corretores de Seguros S.A., Aon Premium Finance LLC, Aon Private Risk Management Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Private Risk Management of California Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Product Design & Development Australia Pty Limited, Aon Product Design and Development New Zealand Limited, Aon Product Risk Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Property Risk Consulting Inc., Aon Qatar LLC, Aon Re (Thailand) Limited, Aon Re Bertoldi - Corretagem de Resseguros S.A., Aon Re Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Re Canada Holdings SARL, Aon Real Estate B.V., Aon Realty Services Inc., Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Aon Retirement Plan Advisors LLC, Aon Retirement Solutions Limited, Aon Risiko & Unternehmensberatungs GmbH, Aon Risk & Asset Management Pty Ltd, Aon Risk Consultants Inc., Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc., Aon Risk Management (Pty) Ltd, Aon Risk Services (Chile) Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of Latin America Inc., Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of the Americas Inc., Aon Risk Services (NI) Limited, Aon Risk Services (PNG) Ltd., Aon Risk Services (Thailand) Limited, Aon Risk Services Argentina S.A., Aon Risk Services Australia Limited, Aon Risk Services Canada Inc., Aon Risk Services Central Inc., Aon Risk Services Colombia SA Corredores de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Companies Inc., Aon Risk Services EMEA B.V., Aon Risk Services Ecuador S.A. Agencia Asesora Productora de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Holdings (Chile ) Ltda., Aon Risk Services Inc. of Florida, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Hawaii, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Maryland, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Washington D.C., Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc., Aon Risk Services South Inc., Aon Risk Services Southwest Inc., Aon Risk Services Venezuela Corretaje de Seguros C.A., Aon Risk Solutions (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Risk Solutions Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas SA de CV, Aon Risk Solutions of Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Riskminder A/S, Aon Romania Broker de Asigurare - Reasigurare SRL, Aon Rus Insurance Brokers LLC, Aon Rus LLC, Aon S.p.A. Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Aon Saver Limited, Aon Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Aon Securities Investment Management Inc., Aon Securities LLC, Aon Securities Limited, Aon Service Corporation, Aon Services (Guernsey) Ltd, Aon Services (Malta) Ltd, Aon Services Group Inc., Aon Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Services Pty Ltd., Aon Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi ve A.S., Aon Soluciones S.A., Aon Soluciones S.A.C., Aon Southern Europe UK Limited, Aon Sp. z o.o., Aon Special Risk Resources Inc., Aon Superannuation (PNG) Limited, Aon Superannuation Pty Limited, Aon TC Holdings Inc., Aon Taiwan Ltd., Aon Treasury Ireland Limited, Aon Trust Company LLC, Aon Trust Corporation Limited, Aon Trust Services B.V., Aon UK Group Limited, Aon UK Holdings Intermediaries Limited, Aon UK Limited, Aon UK Trustees Limited, Aon US & International Holdings Limited, Aon US Holdings 2 Inc., Aon US Holdings Inc., Aon Ukraine LLC, Aon Underwriting Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Underwriting Managers (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Underwriting Managers Inc., Aon Versicherungsberatungs GmbH, Aon Versicherungsmakler Deutschland GmbH, Aon Vietnam Limited, Aon Ward Financial Corporation, Aon-COFCO Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc., Asevasa Argentina S.A., Asevasa Caricam S.A., Asevasa Chile Peritaciones e Ingenieria de Riesgos S.A., Asevasa Mexico S.A. de C.V., Asevasa Panama S.A., Asian Reinsurance Underwriters Limited, Asscom Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Association of Rural and Small Town Americans, Associacao Instituto Aon, Assurance Licensing Services Inc., B E P International Corp., B.V. Assurantiekantoor Langeveldt-Schroder, BMS Insurance Agency L.L.C., Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships (Ireland) Limited, Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships Limited, Bain Hogg Group Limited (in liquidation), Baltolink UADBB, Bankassure Insurance Services Limited, Bayfair Insurance Centre Limited, Beaubien Finance Ireland Limited, Beaubien Finance Limited, Beaubien UK Finance Limited, Becketts (Trustees) Limited, Becketts Limited, Beech Hill Pension Trustees Ltd, Bekouw Mendes C.V., Benefit Marketing Solutions L.L.C., Benfield Advisory Inc., Benfield Corredores de Reaseguro Ltda., Benfield Finance (London) LLC, Benfield Group, Benfield Investment Holdings Limited, Benfield Juniperus Holdings Limited, Benfield do Brasil Participacoes Ltda. (dormant), Benton Finance Ireland Limited, Benton Finance Limited, Blanch Americas Inc., Bowes & Company Inc. of New York, CEREP III Secondary Manager LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners I LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners II LLC, CIF-H GP LLC, Cammack Health LLC, Cananwill Corporation, Cananwill Inc., Cardea Health Solutions Limited, Casablanca Intermediation Company Sarl, Celinvest Amsterdam B.V., Chapka Assurances SAS, Citadel Insurance Managers Inc., CoCubes, CoSec 2000 Limited, Coalition for Benefits Equality and Choice, Cocubes Technologies Private Limited, Coles Hewitt Partnership, Contingency Insurance Brokers Limited, Contractsure Limited, CoverWallet, Coverall S.r.l. Insurance and Reinsurance Underwriting Agency, Credit Insurance Brokers (Reynolds) Limited, Crion N.V., Custom Benefit Programs Inc., Cut-e, Cut-e (UK) Limited, Cut-e Assessment (Hong Kong) Limited, Cut-e Assessment Solutions Europe Limited, Cut-e Australia Pty Limited, Cut-e Consult DMCC, Cut-e Danmark A/S, Cut-e Finland Oy, Cut-e GmbH, Cut-e Ireland Limited, Cut-e Nordic AS, Cut-e Norge AS, Cytelligence, Delany Bacon & Woodrow Partnership, Dempsey Partners, Denney O'Hara (Life & Pensions) Limited, Doveland Services Limited, E. W. Blanch Holdings Limited, E. W. Blanch Investments Limited, E.W. Blanch Capital Risk Solutions Inc., E.W. Blanch International Inc., EW Blanch Limited, Elysium Digital IP Products LLC, Elysium Digital L.L.C., Ennis Knupp Secondary Market Services LLC, Essar Insurance Services Limited, Exploitatiemaatschappij Beukenlaan 68-72 B.V., Farmaseg - Solucoes Assistencia e Servicos Empresariais Ltda., Farmsure Limited [In strike-off], Finaccord Limited, Financial & Professional Risk Solutions Inc., Futurity Group Inc., GTCR/AAM Blocker Corp., Ge.f.it. S.r.l., Gefass S.r.l., Glenrand M I B (Mocambique) Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Global Safe Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Globe Events Management, Gotham Digital Science LLC, Gotham Digital Science Ltd., Grant Liddell Financial Advisor Services Pty Ltd, Grant Park Capital LLC, Groupe-Conseil Aon Inc., Grupo Innovac Sociedad de Correduria de Seguros SA, HIA Insurance Services Pty Ltd., Hall Rhodes Holdings Limited, Hall Rhodes Limited, Hamburger Gesellschaft zur Forderung des Versicherungswesens mbH, Harbourview West Lake Co-Invest (GP) LP, Health Index Advisors LLC, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Henderson Corporate Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Partnership Limited [In strike-off], Henderson Risk Management Limited, Hewitt Amalco 3 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 4 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 5 ULC, Hewitt Associates (a partnership), Hewitt Associates Administradora e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Hewitt Associates Corp., Hewitt Associates Outsourcing Limited, Hewitt Associates Pty Ltd, Hewitt Associates S.C., Hewitt Associates SAS, Hewitt Associates Servicos de Recursos Humanos Ltda., Hewitt Beneficios Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Hewitt Holdings Canada Company, Hewitt Insurance Brokerage LLC, Hewitt Insurance Inc., Hewitt International Holdings LLC, Hewitt Management Ltd., Hewitt Risk Management Services Limited, Hewitt Western Management Amalco Inc., Hogg Group Limited, Hogg Robinson North America Inc., Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency Inc., I. Beck Insurance Agency (1994) Ltd., IAO Actuarial Consulting Services Canada Inc., INPOINT INC., IRM/GRC Holding Inc., Impact Forecasting L.L.C., Inspiring Benefits, Inspiring Benefits Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Insuractive Limited [In strike-off], Insurance Broker Aon Kazakhstan LLP, International Risk Management (Americas) Inc., International Risk Management Group Ltd, International Space Brokers Europe Limited, International Space Brokers France, International Space Brokers Inc., International Space Brokers Limited, Inversiones Benfield Chile Ltda., J H Minet Puerto Rico Inc., J. Allan Brown Consultants Inc., JDPT Manager LLC, Jenner Fenton Slade Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Credit Insurance) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Insurances) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Life & Pensions) Limited, Johnson Rooney Welch Inc., K & K Insurance Brokers Inc. Canada, K & K Insurance Group Inc., K & K Insurance Group of Florida Inc., K2 Technologies Inc., KVT GP LLC, Kloud S.a.r.l., Krumlin Hall Limited, Lake Erie Real Estate General Partner Limited, Lake Tahoe GP LLC, Lake Tahoe II GP LLC, Lake Tahoe III GP LLC, Lake Tahoe IV GP LLC, Lenzi Paolo Broker di Assicurazioni S.r.l., Lincolnshire Insurance Company PCC Limited, Linx Underwriting Solutions Inc., Lombard Trustee Company Limited, M.A. Shakeel Management Ltd. Amalco, MacDonagh Boland Crotty MacRedmond Ltd, Marinaro Dundas S.A., Marinaro Dundas SA, Mark Kelly Insurance and Financial Services PTY LTD, McLagan (Aon) Limited, McLagan Partners Asia Inc., McLagan Partners Inc., Membership Leasing Trust, Minet Consultancy Services Ltd, Minet Group, Minet Holdings Inc., Minet Inc., Minet Re North America Inc., Modern Survey Inc., Muirfield Underwriters Ltd., NBS Nominees Limited, National Insurance Office Ltd., Nauman Insurance Brokers Limited, Nexus Insurance Brokers Limited, One Underwriting Agency GmbH, One Underwriting B.V., One Underwriting Health B.V., One Underwriting Pty Ltd, Optica Agency A/S, Optimum Risk Solutions Limited, Ovatio Courtage SAS, P.G. Bradley & Co Limited, PGOF Manager 1 LLC, PRORUCK Ruckversicherungs Aktiengesellschaft, PT Aon Benfield Indonesia, PT Aon Hewitt Indonesia, PT Aon Indonesia, PWZ AG, Paragon Strategic Solutions Inc., PathWise Solutions LLC, Penn Square Manager 1 LLC, Penn Square Manager II LLC, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting (Leamington) Limited, Portus Online LLP, Praesidium S.p.A. - Soluzioni Assicurative per il Management, Premier Auto Finance Inc., Private Client Trustees Ltd., Private Equity Partnership Structures I LLC, Probabilitas N.V./SA, Protective Marketing Enterprises Inc., Randolph Finance Unlimited Company, Rasini Vigano Limited, Redwoods Dental Underwriters Inc., Richard Kiddle (Insurance Brokers) Limited, Risk Laboratories LLC, Riskikonsultatsioonide OU, Ronnie Elementary Insurance Agency Ltd, SA Special Situations General Partner LLC, SG IFFOXX Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, SLE Worldwide Limited, SN Re S.A., Salud Riesgos y Recursos Humanos Consultores Ltda. (former Aon Corporte Advisors Ltda.), SchneiderGolling IFFOXX Assekuranzmakler AG, SchneiderGolling Industrie Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, Scritch Inc., Shanghai Kayi Information Technology Co. Ltd, Sheppard Netherlands B.V., Specialty Benefits Inc., Sports Insure Limited [In strike-off], Strategic Manager-III LLC, Stroz Friedberg (Asia) Limited, Stroz Friedberg Inc., Stroz Friedberg LLC, Stroz Friedberg Limited, Stroz Friedberg Risk Management Limited, Superannuation Management Nominees Limited, Suresport Limited [In strike-off], Swire Blanch MSTC II SA, Swire Blanch MSTC SA, TTG BRPTP GP LLC, TTG Cayuga Bavaria Intermediate 2 S.a.r.l, TTG Core Plus Investments LLC, TTG German Investments I LLC, TTG Investments II LLC, TTG Irish Investments I LLC, TTG Manager LLC, Tecsefin S.A. en liquidacion, The Aon Ireland Mastertrustee Limited, The Aon MasterTrustee Limited, The John Reynolds Company Limited, The Key West Saxon Group LLC, The Townsend Group Inc, The Townsend Group LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager I LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager II LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager III LLC, Townsend Group Asia Limited, Townsend Group Europe Ltd., Townsend HWL GP Ltd., Townsend Holdings LLC, Townsend Lake Constance GP Limited, Townsend REF GP LLC, Townsend Re Global GP Limited, Townsend SO Manager I LLC, Tyche, UAB One Underwriting, UADBB Aon Baltic, UK Credit Insurance Specialists Limited, UNIT Versicherungsmakler GmbH, US Underwriting Solutions S.r.l., USLP Underwriting Solutions LP, Underwriters Marine Services Inc., Unidelta AG, Unirobe Meeus Groep, UnitedPensions Deutschland AG, Univers Workplace Solutions, VERO Management AG, Ventiv Technology, WT Government Services LLC, WT Technologies LLC, Wannet Speciale Verzekeringen B.V., Wannet Sports Insurance GmbH, Ward Financial Group Inc., Welfare S.r.l, West Lake General Partner LLC, West Lake II GP LLC, Wexford Underwriting Managers Inc., White Rock Insurance (Americas) Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Europe) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Gibraltar) PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Guernsey) ICC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Netherlands) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (SAC) Ltd., White Rock Insurance Company PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance PCC (Isle of Man) Limited, White Rock Services (Bermuda) Ltd., White Rock USA Ltd., Willis Towers Watson, Worldwide Integrated Services Company, Wrapid Specialty Inc., Zalba-Caldu Correduria de Seguros SA, and cut-e USA Inc..

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Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. manufactures, and distributes life science research and clinical diagnostic products in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company operates through Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics segments. The Life Science segment develops, manufactures, and markets a range of reagents, apparatus, and laboratory instruments that are used in research techniques, biopharmaceutical production processes, and food testing regimes. It focuses on selected segments of the life sciences market in proteomics, genomics, biopharmaceutical production, cellular biology, and food safety. This segment serves universities and medical schools, industrial research organizations, government agencies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology researchers, food producers, and food testing laboratories. The Clinical Diagnostics segment designs, manufactures, sells, and supports test systems, informatics systems, test kits, and specialized quality controls for clinical laboratories in the diagnostics market. This segment offers reagents, instruments, and software, which address specific niches within the in vitro diagnostics test market. It sells its products to reference laboratories, hospital laboratories, state newborn screening facilities, physicians' office laboratories, and transfusion laboratories. In addition, the company offers products and systems to separate complex chemical and biological materials, as well as to identify, analyze, and purify components. The company offers its products through its direct sales force, as well as through distributors, agents, brokers, and resellers. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Hercules, California.
Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Commercial Renewables. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, renewable generation, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity. It also engages in the wholesale of electricity to municipalities, electric cooperative utilities, and load-serving entities. This segment serves approximately 8.2 million customers in 6 states in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States covering a service territory of approximately 91,000 square miles; and owns approximately 50,259 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure segment distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation natural gas customers; and owns, operates, and invests in pipeline transmission and natural gas storage facilities. It has approximately 1.6 million customers, including 1.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as 550,000 customers in southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky. The Commercial Renewables segment acquires, owns, develops, builds, and operates wind and solar renewable generation projects, including nonregulated renewable energy and energy storage services to utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities, and corporate customers. It has 23 wind, 178 solar, and 2 battery storage facilities, as well as 71 fuel cell locations with a capacity of 3,554 MW across 22 states. The company was formerly known as Duke Energy Holding Corp. and changed its name to Duke Energy Corporation in April 2005. The company was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Thomson Reuters Corporation provides business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments. The Corporates segment provides a suite of content-enabled technology solutions for legal, tax, regulatory, compliance, and IT professionals. The Tax & Accounting Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on tax offerings and automating tax workflows to tax, accounting, and audit professionals in accounting firms. The Reuters News segment provides business, financial, and international news to media organizations, professional, and news consumers through news agency and industry events. The Global Print segment offers legal and tax information primarily in print format to legal and tax professionals, governments, law schools, and corporations. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Thomson Reuters Corporation operates a subsidiary of The Woodbridge Company Limited.
The following companies are subsidiares of Marsh & McLennan Companies: 8WORKS INC., 8WORKS LTD, A. Constantinidi & CIA. S.C., A.C.N. 000 951 146 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 001 572 961 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 076 935 683 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 102 322 574 Pty Limited, ACE Insurance Agents Limited, ACE Insurance Consultants Limited, ACE Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Limited, AD Corretora de Seguros, AFCO Premium Acceptance Inc., AFCO Premium Credit LLC, Access Equity Enhanced Fund GP LLC, Admiral Holdings Limited, Agnew Higgins Pickering & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd, Aldgate Investments Limited, Aldgate Trustees Ltd, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, Alpha Consultants Limited, Alta SA, Altius Real Assets (GP) LLC, Amal Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Anda Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd, AssetVal Pty Ltd, Assur Conseils Marsh S.A., Assurance Capital Corporation, Assurance Services Corporation, Australian Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Australian World Underwriters Pty Ltd., BBPS Limited, Barney & Barney Orange County LLC, Beaumonts (Leeds) Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Services Limited, Beneficios Integrales Oportunos SA, Benefitfocus Inc., Blue Marble Micro Limited, Blue Marble Microinsurance Inc., Bluefin, Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, Bluefin Insurance Services Limited, Boulder Claims LLC, Bowring (Bermuda) Investments Ltd., Bowring Marine Limited, Bowring Marsh (Bermuda) Ltd., Bowring Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Bowring Marsh Asia Pte. Ltd., Bowring Marsh Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Bowring Marsh Limited, Broderick Piller Pty Ltd, Broker 2 Broker Limited, BuildPay LLC, Burke Ford Trustees (Leicester) Limited, C.T. Bowring Limited, CMC-Belgibo NV, CPRM Limited, CPSG Partners LLC, Carpenter Marsh Fac Chile Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Carpenter Marsh Fac Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Carpenter Marsh Fac Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.C., Carpenter Marsh Fac Re LLC, Carpenter Turner Cyprus Ltd, Carpenter Turner S.A., Cascade International Holdings C.V., Cascade Regional Holdings Limited, Central Insurance Services Limited, Charter Risk Management Services LLC, Chartwell Healthcare Limited, Chronos Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Claims and Recovery Management (Australia) Pty Limited, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Limited, Client Provide Limited, Colombian Insurance Broking Wholesale Limited, Consultores 2020 C.A., Cronin & Co Insurance Services Limited, DVA - Deutsche Verkehrs-Assekuranz-Vermittlungs GmbH, Dawson Insurance, DeLima Marsh S.A. - Los Corredores de Seguros S.A., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Managing General Agency Corporation, Dovetail Technology Service India Private Limited, Draw Connect Limited, Draw Create Limited, Draw Group London Limited, Eagle & Crown Limited, Echelon Australia Pty Limited, Echelon Claims Consultants Sdn Bhd, Echelon New Zealand Limited, EnBW Versicherungs Vermittlung GmbH, Encompass Insurance Agency Pty Ltd., English Pension Trustees Limited, Epsilon (US) Insurance Company, Epsilon Insurance Company Ltd., Eustis Insurance & Benefits, Evolution Management Ltd, Exchange Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Exmoor Management Company Limited, Faulkner & Flynn LLC, Freedom Trust Services Limited, GC Genesis LLC, GCube Insurance Services Inc, GCube Underwriting Limited, Gama Consultores Associados Ltda., Gem Insurance Company Limited, Global Premium Finance Company, GrECo International Holding AG, Gracechurch Trustees Limited, Gresham Pension Trustees Limited, Group Promoters Pty Limited, Guy Carpenter & Cia (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter & Cia. S.A., Guy Carpenter & Co. Labuan Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company AB, Guy Carpenter & Company Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Guy Carpenter & Company Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company GmbH, Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd./Guy Carpenter & Compagnie Ltee, Guy Carpenter & Company Participacoes Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company Private Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Proprietary Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Pty. Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A. (Uruguay), Guy Carpenter & Company S.A.S., Guy Carpenter & Company S.r.l., Guy Carpenter (Middle East) Limited, Guy Carpenter Bermuda Ltd., Guy Carpenter Broking Inc., Guy Carpenter Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter Insurance Brokers (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Guy Carpenter Japan Inc., Guy Carpenter Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, HAPIP GP 2009 LLC, HAPIP GP LLC, HSBC Insurance Brokers International (Abu Dhabi) LLC (in liquidation), Hamilton Bond Limited, Hansen International Limited, Hayward Aviation Limited, INSIA Europe SE, INSIA SK s.r.o., INSIA a.s., INSURANCE BROKERS OF NIGERIA LIMITED, IRC Asia Insurance Brokers Limited, InSolutions Limited, Industrial Risks Protection Consultants, Ingeseg S. A., Ingeseg S.A., Insbrokers Ltda., InsurTech Alliance LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC [BAHRAIN BRANCH], Insure Direct - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers LLC, International Loss Control Services Limited, International Risk Consultants (Asia) Limited, Invercol Limited, Irish Pensions Trust Limited, Isosceles Insurance (Barbados) Limited, Isosceles Insurance Company Limited, Isosceles Insurance Ltd, Isosceles PCC Limited, J&H Marsh & McLennan Limited, J.W. Terrill Benefit Administrators Inc., JI Holdings Limited, JIB Group Holdings Limited, JIB Group Limited, JIB Holdings (Pacific) Limited, JIB Overseas Holdings Limited, JIB UK Holdings Limited, JL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co. KG, JLM Verwaltungs GmbH, JLT (Insurance Brokers) Limited, JLT Actuaries and Consultants Limited, JLT Advisory Limited, JLT Affinity Colombia Solutions SAS, JLT Agencies Limited, JLT Asesorias Ltda, JLT Asia Holdings BV, JLT Asia Shared Services Sdn Bhd, JLT Belgibo, JLT Benefit Consultants Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Bermuda Ltd, JLT Brasil Holdings Participacoes Ltd, JLT Chile Holdings SpA, JLT Colombia Retail Limited, JLT Colombia Wholesale Limited, JLT Consultants & Actuaries Limited, JLT EB Holdings Limited, JLT EB Services Limited, JLT Employee Benefits Holding Company (PTY) LTD, JLT Employee Benefits SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Financial Planning Limited, JLT France Holdings, JLT Group Services Pty Limited, JLT Holdings (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Holdings (NZ) Limited, JLT Independent Insurance Brokers Private Limited, JLT Insurance Agencies Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited ( Shanghai Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Beijing Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Guangzhou Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers SA, JLT Insurance Group Holdings Ltd, JLT Insurance Management Malta Limited, JLT Intellectual Property Limited, JLT Intellectual Property [UK Branch], JLT Interactive Pte. Ltd., JLT Investment Management Limited, JLT LATAM (Southern Cone) Wholesale Limited, JLT Latin American Holdings Limited, JLT Life Assurance Brokers Limited, JLT Management Services Limited, JLT Marine (Pty) Ltd, JLT Mexico Holdings Limited, JLT Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., JLT Netherlands BV, JLT Norway AS, JLT PLA, JLT Pension Trustees Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Holdings Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Limited, JLT Peru Reinsurance Solutions Limited, JLT Peru Retail Limited, JLT Peru Wholesale Limited, JLT QFM Services Limited, JLT RE Brasil Administracao e Corretagem de Resseguros Ltda, JLT Re (French Branch), JLT Re (Northern Europe) AB, JLT Re Argentina Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.U., JLT Re Labuan Limited, JLT Re Limited, JLT Re Pty Ltd, JLT Reinsurance Brokers GmbH, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited [French Branch], JLT Risk Management Limited, JLT Risk Solutions AB, JLT Risk Solutions AB Branch - Germany, JLT SA IB Holdings Company (Pty) Limited, JLT SCK Affinity Administracao e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., JLT SCK Corretora e Administradora de Seguros, JLT Secretaries Limited, JLT Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerlii A.., JLT Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., JLT Specialty France, JLT Specialty Insurance Broker A/S, JLT Specialty Limited, JLT Specialty Limited [DUBAI BRANCH], JLT Specialty Pte. Ltd., JLT Towner Insurance Management (Anguilla) Limited, JLT Trust Services (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Trustees (Southern) Limited, JLT Trustees Limited, JLT UK Investment Holdings Limited, JLT Vantage Risk and Benefit Consulting Private Limited, JLT Wealth Management Limited, JLT do Brasil Corretagem de Seguros Ltda, JLTPCS Holdings Pte. Ltd., JMIB Holdings BV, JSL Securities Inc., Japan Affinity Marketing Inc., Jardine IBR Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson (Proprietary) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Australia Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada Inc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited (UK Branch Office), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Consultants Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc., Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Holdings Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Unlimited Company, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Korea Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited [Macao Branch], Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS (Dubai) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS SA, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Sdn Bhd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Valencia y Iragorri Corredores de Seguros SA, Jardine Pension Trustees Ireland Limited, Jardine Risk Consulting Co. Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited [Macao Branch], Jardines PF- Consultoria Em Gestao De Risco Limitada, Jelf, Jelf Commercial Finance Limited, Jelf Financial Planning Limited, Jelf Insurance Brokers Limited, Jelf Limited, Jelf Risk Management Limited, Jelf Wellbeing Limited, John Lampier & Son Ltd, Johnson & Higgins (Bermuda) Limited, Johnson & Higgins Limited, KESSLER & CO AG, Kepler Associates Limited, Kessler & Co Inc., Kessler Consulting Inc., Kessler Prevoyance Inc., Key Underwriting Pty Limited, Kroll, Lambert Brothers Holdings Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Employee Benefits) Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Hong Kong) Ltd, Laterlife.com Limited (in liquidation), Lavaretus Underwriting AB, Lavaretus Underwriting AB (BRANCH - Denmark), Libra Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Lloyd & Partners Limited, Local Government Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Lomond Macdonald Limited, Lynch Insurance Brokers Limited, M&M Vehicle L.P., M.P. Bolshaw and Company Limited, MAG JLT SpA, MERCER ALTERNATIVES LIMITED, MM Risk Services Pty Ltd (for dissolution), MMA Mid-Atlantic Employee LLC, MMA Securities LLC, MMB Consultores S.A., MMC (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd., MMC 28 State Street Holdings Inc., MMC Borrower LLC, MMC Brazilian Holdings B.V., MMC Capital Inc., MMC Cascade Regional Holdings LLC, MMC FINANCE (EUROPE) LIMITED, MMC FINANCE HOLDINGS LTD, MMC Finance (Australia) Limited, MMC Finance (Singapore) Limited, MMC France Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., MMC GP III Inc., MMC Group Services sp. z o.o., MMC Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, MMC Holdings (New Zealand) ULC, MMC Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC International Finance (Barbados) SRL, MMC International Holdings LLC, MMC International Limited, MMC International Treasury Centre Limited, MMC Middle East Holdings Limited, MMC Poland Holdings B.V., MMC Realty Inc., MMC Regional Asia Holdings B.V., MMC Regional Caribbean Holdings Ltd., MMC Regional Europe Holdings B.V., MMC Regional LATAM Holdings B.V., MMC Securities (Europe) Limited, MMC Securities LLC, MMC Treasury Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC UK Group Limited, MMC UK Pension Fund Trustee Limited, MMOW Limited, MMRC LLC, MOW Holding LLC, MPIP III GP LLC, MPIP IV GP LLC, MPIP V GP LLC, MPIP VI GP LLC, Mangrove Insurance Europe PCC Limited, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC Limited, Manoel Management Services Ltd, Marchant McKechnie Insurance Brokers Limited, Marine Aviation & General (London) Limited, Marsh & McLennan (PNG) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agencies AS, Marsh & McLennan Agencies Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency A/S, Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Marsh & McLennan Agency Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency Pty Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Argentina SA Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh & McLennan Colombia S.A., Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Funding Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Asia Pacific Treasury Center Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies BVBA/SPRL, Marsh & McLennan Companies Finance Center (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies France S.A.S., Marsh & McLennan Companies Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies Regional Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Services B.V., Marsh & McLennan Companies UK Limited, Marsh & McLennan Europe S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan GP I Inc., Marsh & McLennan Global Broking (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Holding GmbH, Marsh & McLennan Holdings (Canada) ULC, Marsh & McLennan Holdings Inc., Marsh & McLennan Incorporated (for dissolution), Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings II, Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Limited, Marsh & McLennan Insurance Services Limited, Marsh & McLennan Ireland Limited, Marsh & McLennan Management Services (Bermuda) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Risk Capital Holdings Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Servicios S.A. De C.V., Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Canada Limited, Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Corporation, Marsh (Bahrain) Company SPC, Marsh (Beijing) Risk Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Marsh (China) Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh (Insurance Brokers) LLP, Marsh (Insurance Services) Limited, Marsh (Malawi) Limited, Marsh (Middle East) Limited, Marsh (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh (Pty) Ltd, Marsh (Risk Consulting) LLP, Marsh (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Marsh A/S, Marsh AB, Marsh AG, Marsh AS, Marsh Advantage Insurance Holdings Pty Ltd, Marsh Advantage Insurance Pty Ltd., Marsh Africa (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Argentina S.R.L., Marsh Associates (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Austria G.m.b.H., Marsh Aviation Insurance Broking Pty Ltd (for dissolution), Marsh B.V., Marsh Botswana (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh Brockman y Schuh Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Marsh Broker Japan Inc., Marsh Broker de Asigurare-Reasigurare S.R.L., Marsh Brokers (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh Brokers Limited, Marsh Canada Limited/Marsh Canada Limitee, Marsh Company Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Compensation Technologies Administration (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Isle of Man Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Malta Limited, Marsh Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Marsh EOOD, Marsh Egypt LLC, Marsh Emirates Consultancy LLC, Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokerage LLC, Marsh Employee Benefits Limited, Marsh Employee Benefits Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, Marsh Eurofinance B.V., Marsh Europe S.A., Marsh FJC International Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh For Insurance Services S.A.E., Marsh Franco Acra S.A., Marsh GSC Servicos e Administracao de Seguros Ltda., Marsh GmbH, Marsh Holding AB, Marsh Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Marsh Insurance & Investments LLC, Marsh Insurance Brokers, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Macao) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Private) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers AO, Marsh Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh Insurance Consulting Saudi Arabia (in liquidation), Marsh Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC, Marsh Intermediaries Inc., Marsh International Broking Holdings Limited, Marsh International Holdings II Inc., Marsh International Holdings Inc., Marsh Investment B.V., Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited, Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited (UK Branch), Marsh Ireland Holdings Limited, Marsh Israel (1999) Ltd., Marsh Israel (Holdings) Ltd., Marsh Israel Consultants Ltd., Marsh Israel Insurance Agency Ltd., Marsh Israel International Brokers Ltd. (in liquidation), Marsh JCS Inc., Marsh Japan Inc., Marsh Kft., Marsh Kindlustusmaakler AS, Marsh Korea Inc., Marsh LLC, Marsh LLC Insurance Brokers, Marsh LLC [Ukraine], Marsh Lda., Marsh Limited, Marsh Limited [Fiji], Marsh Limited [New Zealand], Marsh Limited [PNG], Marsh Ltd. [Wisconsin], Marsh Management Services (Bahamas) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Dublin) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Labuan) Limited, Marsh Management Services (MENA) Limited, Marsh Management Services (USVI) Ltd., Marsh Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Management Services Guernsey Limited, Marsh Management Services Inc., Marsh Management Services Isle of Man Limited, Marsh Management Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Marsh Management Services Malta Limited, Marsh Management Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., Marsh Management Services Sweden AB, Marsh Marine & Energy AB, Marsh Marine Nederland B.V., Marsh Medical Consulting GmbH, Marsh Mercer Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Marsh Nest Inc., Marsh Oman LLC, Marsh Oy, Marsh PB Co. Ltd., Marsh Philippines Inc., Marsh Privat A.I.E., Marsh Private Client Life Insurance Services, Marsh Pty. Ltd., Marsh Qatar LLC, Marsh RE S.A.C. Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh Rehder Consultoria S.A. (MRC), Marsh Rehder S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Marsh Resolutions Pty Limited, Marsh Risk Consulting B.V., Marsh Risk Consulting Limitada, Marsh Risk Consulting Ltda., Marsh Risk Consulting S.L., Marsh Risk Consulting Services S.r.L., Marsh Risk and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd, Marsh S.A. Corredores De Seguros, Marsh S.A. Mediadores de Seguros, Marsh S.A.S., Marsh S.p.A., Marsh SA [Argentina], Marsh SA [Belgium], Marsh SA [Luxembourg], Marsh SA [Uruguay], Marsh SIA, Marsh Saldana Inc., Marsh Saudi Arabia Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Marsh Secretarial Services Limited, Marsh Semusa S.A., Marsh Services Limited, Marsh Services Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Marsh Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Szolgaltato Kft., Marsh Takaful Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Treasury Services (Dublin) Limited (in liquidation), Marsh Treasury Services Limited, Marsh Tunisia S.a.r.l., Marsh UK Limited, Marsh USA (India) Inc., Marsh USA Borrower LLC, Marsh USA Inc., Marsh Uganda Limited, Marsh Venezuela C.A. Sociedad de Corretaje de Seguros, Marsh Vietnam Insurance Broking Company Ltd, Marsh Zambia Limited, Marsh Zimbabwe Holdings (Private) Limited, Marsh d.o.o. Beograd, Marsh d.o.o. za posredovanje u osiguranju, Marsh for Insurance Services - Jordan, Marsh i-Connect (Pty) Ltd, Marsh s.r.o., Matthiessen Assurans AB, Mercer (Argentina) S.A., Mercer (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer (Austria) GmbH, Mercer (Belgium) SA-NV, Mercer (Canada) Limited/Mercer (Canada) Limitee, Mercer (China) Limited, Mercer (Colombia) Ltda., Mercer (Danmark) A/S, Mercer (Finland) OY, Mercer (France) SAS, Mercer (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer (Ireland) Limited, Mercer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Mercer (N.Z.) Limited, Mercer (Nederland) B.V., Mercer (Norge) AS, Mercer (Polska) Sp.z o.o., Mercer (Portugal) Lda, Mercer (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer (Sweden) AB, Mercer (Taiwan) Ltd., Mercer (Thailand) Ltd., Mercer (US) Inc., Mercer Administration Services (Australia) Pty Limited, Mercer Africa Limited, Mercer Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Mercer Asesores de Seguros S.A., Mercer Asesores es Inversion Independientes S.A. de C.V., Mercer Broking Ltd., Mercer Career Unipessoal Lda, Mercer Consultation (Quebec) Ltee., Mercer Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Mercer Consulting (France) SAS, Mercer Consulting (India) Private Limited, Mercer Consulting B.V., Mercer Consulting Group Inc., Mercer Consulting Holdings Sdn. Bhd., Mercer Consulting Limited, Mercer Consulting Middle East Limited, Mercer Consulting S.L.U., Mercer Consulting Venezuela C.A., Mercer Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Mercer Corretora de Seguros Ltda, Mercer Danismanlik Anonim Sirketi, Mercer Deutschland GmbH, Mercer Employee Benefits - Medicacao de Seguros Unipessoal Lda., Mercer Employee Benefits Limited, Mercer Financial Advice (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Financial Services Limited, Mercer Financial Services Limited liability company, Mercer Financial Services Middle East Limited, Mercer Global Investments Europe Limited, Mercer Global Investments Management Limited, Mercer HR Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer HR Services LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, Mercer Holdings Inc., Mercer Holdings Inc. [Philippines], Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltda, Mercer Human Resource Consulting S.A. de C.V., Mercer ICC Limited, Mercer Investment Consulting Limited, Mercer Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mercer Investment Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Investments (Australia) Limited, Mercer Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer Investments (Japan) Ltd, Mercer Investments (New Zealand) Limited, Mercer Investments LLC, Mercer Ireland Holdings Limited, Mercer Italia Srl Socio Unico, Mercer Japan Ltd., Mercer Korea Co. Ltd., Mercer LLC, Mercer Limited, Mercer MC Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer Master Trustees Limited, Mercer Mauritius Ltd., Mercer Oliver Wyman Holding B.V., Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Outsourcing S.L.U., Mercer Pensionsfonds AG, Mercer Pensionsraadgivning A/S, Mercer Philippines Inc., Mercer Private Investment Partners IV General Partner S.a.r.l., Mercer Private Markets AG, Mercer Private Markets Advisers (US) AG, Mercer Services Poland Sp. z.o.o., Mercer Sigorta Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Mercer South Africa (Pty) Limited, Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited, Mercer Switzerland Inc., Mercer System Services LLC, Mercer Technology Acquisitions Limited, Mercer Treuhand GmbH, Mercer Trust Company LLC, Mercer Trustees Limited, Mercer WorkforcePro LLC, Mercury Insurance Services Pty Ltd, Moola Systems Limited, Mountlodge Limited, Muir Beddal (Zimbabwe) Limited, NERA Australia Pty. Ltd., NERA Economic Consulting GmbH, NERA Economic Consulting Limited, NERA S.R.L., NERA SAS, NERA UK Limited, NERA do Brasil Ltda. (for dissolution), National Economic Research Associates Inc., NetComp Insurance Corp., Neuburger Noble Lowndes GmbH, Normandy Reinsurance Company Limited, Northern Alliance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), OWL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co.KG, OWL Marine Verwaltungs GmbH, Oliver Wyman (Bermuda) Limited, Oliver Wyman (Hong Kong) Limited, Oliver Wyman AB, Oliver Wyman AG, Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Inc., Oliver Wyman B.V., Oliver Wyman Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Oliver Wyman Consultoria em Estrategia de Negocios Ltda., Oliver Wyman Energy Consulting Limited, Oliver Wyman FZ-LLC, Oliver Wyman Group KK, Oliver Wyman Inc., Oliver Wyman LLC, Oliver Wyman Limited, Oliver Wyman Limited Liability Company, Oliver Wyman Limited/Oliver Wyman limitee, Oliver Wyman Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pte. Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pty. Ltd., Oliver Wyman S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman S.A.S., Oliver Wyman S.L., Oliver Wyman S.r.l., Oliver Wyman SNC, Oliver Wyman SPRL/BVBA, Oliver Wyman Sdn. Bhd., Oliver Wyman Services Limited, Oliver Wyman Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman sp. z o.o., Omega Indemnity (Bermuda) Limited, Organizacion Brockman y Schuh S.A. de C.V., Osbornes Insurances Oxford Limited (in liquidation), PFT Limited, PI Indemnity Company Designated Activity Company, PT JLT Reinsurance Brokers, PT Jardine Lloyd Thompson, PT Marsh Indonesia, PT Marsh Reinsurance Brokers Indonesia, PT Mercer Indonesia, PT Nexus Asia Pacific, PT Oliver Wyman Indonesia, PT Quantum Computing Services, PT Quantum Investments, PT Quantum Support Services, Pallas Marsh Servicos Ltda., Pavilion Alternatives Group (Singapore) PTE. Ltd, Pavilion Financial Corporation Holdings UK Limited, Pavilion U.S. Investments Holdco LLC, Pension Trustees Limited, Pensionsservice Benefit Network Sverige AB, Perils AG, Personal Pension Trustees Limited, Pet Animal Welfare Scheme Limited, Portsoken Trustees (No. 2) Limited, Portsoken Trustees Limited, Potomac Insurance Managers Inc., Premier Pension Trustees Limited, Premium Services Australia Pty Limited, Professional Claims Handling Limited (in liquidation), Profund Solutions Limited, Promerit AG, Promerit Hungary Kft, Promerit Schweiz AG, Pymetrics Inc., R G Ford Brokers Limited, R R B Beratungsgesellschaft fuer Altersversorgung mbh, R. Mees & Zoonen Holdings B.V., Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters LLC, Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters Limited, Resource Benefit Associates, Rightpath Reinsurance SPC Ltd., Risk Management Australia Pty Limited, Rivers Group Limited, Rockefeller Risk Advisors Inc., Rutherfoord International Inc., SAFCAR-Marsh, SBJ Holdings Limited, SCIB (Bermuda) Limited, SCM Global Real Estate Select GP LLC, SCM Infrastructure General Partner S.a r.l., SCM International Private Equity Select III GP LLC, SCM LT General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE II GP Ltd., SCM PE II Scotland GP Ltd, SCM Strategic Capital Management (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., SICAR Marsh S.a.r.l., SME Insurance Services Limited, Sail Insurance Company Limited, Scalene Re Ltd, Seabury & Smith Borrower LLC, Seabury & Smith LLC, Secure Limited, Sedgwick (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Consulting Group Limited, Sedgwick Dineen Group Limited, Sedgwick Financial Services Limited, Sedgwick Forbes Middle East Limited, Sedgwick Group, Sedgwick Group (Australia) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Group (Bermuda) Limited, Sedgwick Group (Zimbabwe) Limited, Sedgwick Group Limited, Sedgwick Internationaal B.V., Sedgwick Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Singapore) Pte Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes (UK) Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Group Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Limited, Sedgwick Overseas Investments Limited, Sedgwick Private Limited, Sedgwick Re Asia Pacific (Consultants) Pte Ltd (for dissolution), Sedgwick Trustees Limited, Sedgwick UK Risk Services Limited, Sedgwick Ulster Pension Trustees Limited, Settlement Trustees Limited, Shanghai Mercer Insurance Brokers Company Ltd., Shorewest Insurance Associates LLC, Sirota Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Sirota Consulting UK Limited, Smith Long Term Disability Management Group Inc., Societe d'Assurances et de Participation Guian SA, Software Underwriting Systems Limited (in liquidation), Southern Marine & Aviation Inc., Southern Marine & Aviation Underwriters Inc., Sudzucker Versicherungs-Vermittlungs GmbH, Sumitomo Life Insurance Agency America Inc., Sylvite Financial Services, TBX Solutions Limited, Talent Tech Labs LLC, The Benefit Express Holdings Limited, The Benefit Express Limited, The Carpenter Management Corporation, The Insurance Partnership Holdings Limited, The Insurance Partnership Services Limited, The Positive Ageing Company Limited, The Purple Partnership Limited, The Recovre Group Pty Ltd, Thomsons Online Benefits (HK) Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits Inc., Thomsons Online Benefits Limited, Thomsons Online Benefits Pte Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits S.R.L, Torrent Government Contracting Services LLC, Torrent Insurance Services LLC, Torrent Technologies, Torrent Technologies Inc., Tower Hill Limited, Tower Place Developments (West) Limited, Tower Place Developments Limited, U.T.E. AMG, U.T.E. Marsh - Caja Castilla La Mancha Junta de Comunidades, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus (in liquidation), U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus 2012, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Vila-Seca 2010, UAD BB Marsh Lietuva, Vezina & Associes Inc., Vezina Assurances Inc., Victor Insurance Europe B.V., Victor Insurance Holdings Inc., Victor Insurance Italia S.r.l., Victor Insurance Managers Inc., Victor Insurance Managers Inc./Gestionnaires d'assurance Victor inc., Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd., Victor O. Schinnerer & Company Limited, Victoria Hall Company Limited, Wellnz Limited, William M. Mercer (Canada) Limited/William M. Mercer (Canada) Limitee, William M. Mercer AB, William M. Mercer Comercio Consultoria e Servicos Ltda., Wortham Insurance & Risk Management, everBe SAS, and realright GmbH.

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If you're looking for a new way to save some data on your smartphone, Google's Files Go app might be a good option.



The search giant announced today (Dec. 5) that its Google Files Go app is coming out of beta and now available globally. The app, which works on Android devices running Lollipop (5.0) or later, analyzes what's on your smartphone and offers up ways to save space.

MORE: 40 Best Free Android Apps

From the Google Files Go app, you'll find recommendations for removing app cache, eliminating unwanted photos and video, and ditching large files. And the amount of work you'll actually need to do to carry those recommendations out that is minimal.



Here's a look at how to save space on your Android device from Google Files Go:





1. Open the app and let it scan your storage.



2. Choose Storage at the bottom and go to your first "card" about media. Tap it.



3. You'll see an option to remove unwanted media. Simply tap the options you want and tap Delete.



4. When you're done, hit the back button and follow the same steps with all the other options, which will include app cache, large files, and more.



5. All set? Back on the app's home screen, tap the Files button at the bottom.



6. In there, you'll see a variety of files categories, including downloads, apps, videos, and more. Follow the same procedure by tapping each category and choosing which items in each should be removed from your smartphone.



7. Head back to the main Google Files Go page to see how much data you've freed up.


Any advise please

I have read so many answers on the forum regarding visas. and I have read that that until June 18 we allowed 15 consecutive days without a visa.We are travelling in February 2018

We fly into Ho Chi Minh for 3 days from UK out again to Cambodia for 3 days and back into Hoi an for 11 days. I realise that this will be classed as a multiple trip as we are leaving the country for 3 days. I think the visa on arrival is the best route as it will be cheaper. my question is will we need to pay for the 2 entries into the country or just the second one as the first is less than 15days ??

any help please would be very much appreciated.
Hi everyone, we're a couple in our late 20s and can't make up our mind between Vietnam and Japan for our next trip. It will be our 2nd time in Asia as we felt in love with that continent after visiting Bali last summer for 2 weeks. We have something like 10/12 days to spend in April in one of those countries and we would like to do mostly a cultural trip (interesting food, amazing landscapes, photo -opportunities, traditions, people) . We live by the beach all year round in Italy so we definitely want to spend NO days to visit it.

We know that they are two completely different countries but what we'are looking for is a kind of inspiration from more-Asia-expert travelers.

PS the debate "less-more expensive country" is no such an issue for us.

We would appreciate any feedback

Thanks in advance
There are some confusing sites and untangling them is not obvious.

The actual site is https://www.tykousoku.jp/reserve/ and there is some help on http://www.yakumonkey.com/p/travel-by-jetfoil-to-yakushima.html as well.

The really not-obvious bit is you do need to reserve seats, and the travel agency link says at least two weeks beforehand. The official site even says four days, but it's for their online booking. You can also phone them if you speak Japanese.

But you can actually do the reservation at the port in Kagoshima shortly before you travel - took me ages to find that scrap of information and it worked fine when I did it last year. The process was slightly weird - reserve a seat and then do the ticket purchase - a two stage process.

Will the jet foil be full - currently availability is good. Best place to rent a car - someone else might have a preference.
Hello, I will be travelling to Japan and am looking into the best way to get around the Tokyo metro. I came across this site: http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/travel/

It says a 72 hour ticket would come to 1,500 yen, which is a very appealing price. However, it also notes "only sold together with other travel products (transportation, accommodation, travel packages, etc.) for Tokyo"

The place where I discovered this deal made no mention of this fact, so I am wondering what it means. For example, would I be able to buy this ticket if I bought a separate ticket to Osaka?

Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!!
I land in Liberia at 9:30pm on Christmas Eve, and need to get to my family's house in Playa Flamingo. I know the public buses will have stopped working by then, so that's not an option. What are my options? I know most shuttles mentioned in the forum are about $100+ which is a bit much for me since I'll be traveling alone and not in a group...

Gracias!

Kenisha
Is your company in need of the most reliable and efficient best Best Jasmine Tea s in the market? Your good luck led you to the ideal situation, so congratulations! You are in the best possible place. By eliminating the need to read through dozens of Best Jasmine Tea reviews, we are saving you time and stress.

Many customers find it difficult to decide which Best Jasmine Tea product to buy. The dilemma is brought about by the many types of Best Jasmine Tea in the market. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a clear understanding of how you may choose the most suitable Best Jasmine Tea available in the market.
- NASA strategist and economist David Ndii will be charged in court on Monday, December 4

- He will face two charges of incitement to violence

- Ndii was arrested by Flying Squad officers in Kwale while attending a relative's wedding

- He was then transferred to Nairobi for grilling at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices on Kiambu Road

- NASA lawyers had been camping at the DCI gate after they were denied entry

Economist David Ndii was arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts on the afternoon of Monday, December 4, where he faced charges related to incitement to violence.

Ndii spent the better part of Monday at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations offices along Kiambu road before he was driven to the Milimani Law Courts.

READ ALSO: Wakenya washambulia kampuni ya maziwa ya Kenyatta - Brookside Dairy

David Ndii waiting to be arraigned in court Photo: Facebook/Geoffrey Mosoku

READ ALSO: Are you the boss I worked for in 2014? David Ndii's wife asks Uhuru after arrest of her husband

He was driven in two VIP cars and held at the basement of the court cells before being charged.

In court, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keriako Tobikoa ordered that Ndii be released on police bond awaiting conclusion on investigations.

Tobiko further directed that once investigations are completed, the resultant inquiry file be forwarded to him for appropriate directions.

Ndii was then driven to the Muthaiga police station to pay the bond.

As reported by TUKO.co.ke, his lawyers including Senator James Orengo and MP Otiende Amollo spent hours outside the DCI gate as they were denied access.

READ ALSO: David Ndiis family cant find him following his abrupt and controversial arrest

Ndii was arrested on the evening of Sunday, December 3, while attending a family wedding in Kwale county.

Ndii will be charged with incitement Photo: Star

He was driven to Nairobi where he recorded statements at the DCI offices.

READ ALSO: Kenyans left unimpressed with dramatic arrest of top NASA strategist

His arrest came days after the National Super Alliance (NASA) appointed him to be in charge of plans to swear in Raila Odinga through the people's assembly motions past by over 10 counties.

The government has termed the assemblies illegal.

NASA coalition breaths new life into the people's Assembly forums on TUKO TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
If you're on the Credit Reference Bureau Kenya (CRB) blacklist, you need to be guided on how to get clearance from CRB Kenya. This is the only tool that you have at your disposal to improve your creditworthiness and increase your chance of being granted a loan by any lender. Thankfully, you can complete this process online without any hassle.

Photo: canva.com (modified by author)

Source: UGC

CRB collects data on loans issued by the lenders and creates credit reports of the borrower based on the current and past loans. In Kenya, there are three CRB agents that are licensed for operation, which are regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya: Trans Union, Metropol, and Creditnfo. A CRB clearance certificate from any of the agents affirms your creditworthiness to the potential lenders.

How to know your CRB status

It is easy to know your status on CRB just by looking at your credit history with lenders. As long as you have never defaulted on loan repayment with a bank, mobile money platform, Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) or employer, then your creditworthiness is good, and you are not in CRB.

However, if you have breached the terms and conditions for loan repayment by missing out on three consecutive instalments or more, then chances are that you are on the CRB list. If you are uncertain about your status, you can use any of the following options to check your listing status.

Photo: canva.com (modified by author)

Source: UGC

Metropol

Follow these steps to check your listing status on Metropol:

Dial *433# on your mobile phone on your Safaricom line

Enter your National ID Number

Confirm your details to complete the registration process

Go to the M-Pesa menu on your phone and send Kshs 50 via the Metropol Paybill number, which is 220338

Enter your ID as the account number

An SMS with a unique pin, reference number, and a special link that to be followed to access the Metropol service will be sent to your phone.

Use the USSD code *433# to check your status. Enter your pin, and you will receive an SMS on the listing status after a few minutes.

Alternatively, you can download the Metropol app from Playstore. Register, log in, make payment and request to view your listing status using the app.

You can also visit the Metropol website, register, log in, make a payment, and proceed to check your status.

If you want to know your credit status, you will pay a fee of Kshs 150 to get your credit score per year. The lowest score is 200, while the highest score is 900. If your score is less than 400, you will not be able to access loans from lenders because you are a defaulter.

On the other hand, lenders will give you loans with a lot of caution if your score is slightly above 400. For you to access easy loans, your score must be somewhere around 900. If you wish to get detailed information on institutions that have listed you, you will pay a fee of Kshs 250.

Transunion

You can also check your listing status via Transunion using this procedure.

Begin by sending your full names via SMS to the number 21272

You should enter your ID number.

Choose CC, which stands for "Credit Status."

You will receive an SMS with your status either "good" or "negative". "Good" means that there is no lender that has reported you for defaulting on loan repayment. "Negative" means that you have defaulted on the repayment of current or past loans.

Remember that you only have one free chance to confirm your credit status on the platform. After exhausting the first chance, you should pay Kshs 650 via the paybill number 212121 to know your status. Enter your ID number in the account number section.

Creditinfo

You can check your status online via the Creditinfo website using this procedure;

Open the Creditinfo website, sign up, and request for the credit report.

You will receive an email message showing your status.

You will receive a free credit report for a period of one year and free monitoring of financial services for the same period.

After the expiry of this period, you will be required to pay Kshs 350 annually to get the credit report.

What is CRB clearance?

This is a certification issued by CRB Kenya to those clients as proof of their "clean bill of health" on their credit background. The certificate is issued by Creditinfo, Metropol, or Transunion. All three agents have records for all Kenyans aged 18 years and above regardless of whether they have borrowed or not.

You can be issued with a CRB clearance certificate Kenya if you have never borrowed or if you have not defaulted on loan repayment. It is imperative to note that the procedure on how to apply for CRB clearance certificate can be completed online from the comfort of your home.

How to get the clearance certificate if you are not listed on CRB

If you do not have a negative listing on your credit report, you can proceed with CRB clearance certificate download. All that you need to do is to register with either Creditinfo, Metropol, or Transunion. You can then follow this simple procedure on how to get a CRB clearance certificate.

Transunion CRB clearance certificate

If you want to download your clearance certificate from Transunion, you should follow the below procedure.

For the Transunion certificate, send Kshs 2200 via the paybill number 212121.

Enter your ID number in the account section.

Forward the Mpesa message to the email cert@transunion.co.ke

Metropol CRB clearance certificate

If you want to apply for the clearance certificate from Metropol, follow this step by step procedure:

Visit the Metropol website

Log in using your mobile number and the reference number you received through SMS.

After you have logged in, select 'Clearance Certificate.'

Pay Kshs 2,200 for the certificate through the Paybill number 220388

Follow the instructions provided to download your clearance certificate

How to clear with CRB if you are a defaulter

You can only be cleared if you have paid the outstanding debt with the lender. If you have defaulted on loan repayment, you should try to clear the loan.

In the case of a banking institution, you can renegotiate the loan terms and come up with manageable instalments if you cannot clear in one instalment. In some cases, you might be forced to release your collateral to cover the loan so that you can improve your credit score.

As soon as you have repaid the loan in full, you can only wait for a day or two for the credit score rating to be updated. Afterwards, you can follow the above procedure on how to get CRB clearance certificate.

How long does CRB clearance take?

Aminika poster. Photo: @crbkenya

Source: UGC

Once you have cleared with the lender, you need to wait for at least three days before beginning the process of CRB certificate application. In some instances, you only need to wait for a day before you submit your application. This holds where the bank submits the credit reports to the bureau daily.

So, how long does it take to get CRB clearance certificate? The waiting time depends on the agent you are working with, either Metropol, Trans Union, or Creditinfo. It is imperative to note that the CRB certificate is valid for 24 hours upon issuance.

This is because the credit records of the borrower are updated on a daily basis. Therefore, you should only apply for credit reference bureau clearance when you need it. Certificates that have lasted for more than 24 hours are usually not accepted by lenders.

Consequences of being listed with CRB in Kenya

Most of the institutions and companies avoid hiring candidates listed by the CRB. If CRB Kenya lists your name, there is a slim chance that you will be considered for a position, especially if the potential employer assesses the candidates based on their credit rating. For public service positions, the CRB certificate is a mandatory requirement for integrity clearance.

Credit score. Photo: @crbkenya

Source: UGC

When applying for insurance, you will be charged a higher premium on personal health cover or car insurance than applicants with a good credit score rating. Financial institutions will be cautious about granting you simple loans and asset financing if you are on the defaulter list. In such a case, the lender has every reason to believe that you will default on loan repayment.

Frequently asked questions on how to get clearance from CRB Kenya

There are so many questions that Kenyans have on the CRB clearance certificate online application. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions on this topic.

Can you still get CRB clearance if you have a loan that you are still servicing?

If you are servicing a loan, you can be cleared by the CRB as long as you have not defaulted on loan repayment. Any of the CRB agents will clear you and issue you with the CRB certificate.

Can you get your CRB certificate if you have defaulted and have not settled the arrears?

The CRB firms do not issue a certificate to those Kenyans who have outstanding non-performing loans. To be eligible for CRB clearance, you must settle the debt either in full or make a partial payment to make the account active and performing.

How long is a CRB certificate valid?

The clearance is valid for 24 hours on the date of issue. This is because CRBs receive information on a daily basis which could alter the customer information.

How much will it cost you to get a CRB clearance certificate in Kenya?

A clearance certificate costs Kshs 2200, payable through the M-Pesa paybill number of Transunion or Metropol.

If you have been blacklisted for defaulting on the loan payment, there is no need to panic. All you need to do is pay your outstanding balance and follow the above step by step procedure on how to get clearance from CRB Kenya. Then, you will be issued with the CRB clearance certificate as proof of your creditworthiness.

Tuko.co.ke published an article about M-Shwari loan defaulters consequences. This is one of Safaricom's marvellous inventions that the telecommunication subscribers have found quite helpful. It is a paperless banking service that allows clients to operate an M-Shwari bank account via mobile phones.

The savings platform also enables users to borrow money in times of need, incurring a one-time service fee of 7.5% of the borrowed amount. Clients who access an M-Shwari loan and pay their dues early can qualify for increased loan limits. It is easy to qualify for such loans, but what if you fail to pay? What are the M-Shwari loan defaulters consequences?

Source: TUKO.co.ke
-The Kenyan government on Tuesday, December 5 denied it had dispatched Foreign Affairs PS Monicah Juma to South Sudan to secure release of Kenyans detained there

-Four Kenyans were sentenced to life in prison in Juba on charges that they had defrauded the South Sudanese government

-A local daily had reported that the PS had gone to Juba to receive the Kenyans after they were released following talks between presidents of the two countries

The government on Tuesday, December 5 dampened hopes of Kenyans that four of their compatriots detained in South Sudan had been finally set free.

Kenyans had been filled with joy after reports by the Daily Nation indicated that the Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Monica Juma had traveled to Juba to receive the Kenyans following their release.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Rachel Shebesh ampoteza jamaa wake miezi tu baada ya kifo cha babake

There had been public outcry and pressure on the government, with Kenyans joining the families of those detained, to ensure the four are released and brought back to the country.

Foreign Affairs PS Monicah Juma. The Government denies she travelled to South Sudan to secure release of detained Kenyans. Photo: Star

"Reports appearing in a section of the Kenyan press alleging that Ministry of Foreign Affairs PS Monica Juma has travelled to Juba to secure release of four Kenyans held in South Sudan jail is false," a message posted by the ministry on its Twitter page and sen by TUKO.co.ke said.

The message did not please Kenyans who slammed the ministry of being insensitive and neglecting the Kenyans who are languishing in a foreign jail.

Kenyans demanded that the ministry states the correct position after it dismissed the media reports instead.

Anthony Kenya. He is one of the six Kenyans detained in South Sudan. Photo: Anthony Keya/Facebook

"The issue is not whether the PS has travelled, it is whether our compatriots are being released!" former justice minister Martha Karua responded.

The ministry was accused of failing Kenyans and said it was a shame that it could deny the reports but could not give updates on the welfare of the Kenyans.

The four Kenyans include Antony Keya, Anthony Mwadime, Ravi Ramesh and Boniface Muriuki.

The NASA and police face off at Jacaranda rally - on TUKO TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
NHIF is a health parastatal indirectly managed by the government, seeking to help Kenyans to enjoy benefits of medical cover at an economic price.

The insurance covers specific charges in hospital bills to ease the strain of hefty medical bills that may be incurred by the common Kenyan.

This guide will take you through a user friendly way to pay for your National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).

You can now make your NHIF payment via Mpesa.

NHIF Kenya has been assisting citizens since time immemorial and has helped ease the burden of heavy medical bills that would be nearly impossible for any average Kenyan to shoulder.

Read this article and gain more insight on how to pay for access to benefits available to you!

How to access NHIF benefits and make payments

NHIF portal

Kenyans can access the NHIF portal through the URL 'www.nhif.or.ke'. Through this NHIF website you can access information about inpatient and outpatient services as well as any inquiries on civil servant schemes.

You can also register online and download NHIF forms from the NHIF website.

The list of available hospitals can also be found online.

How to access NHIF benefits and make payments

NHIF payment

NHIF payment is made every month and it is deducted directly from the payslip by the employer.

Whereas if your self employed you can make your payments individually through any bank, Mpesa or online.

NHIF online payments have been made more efficient and convenient and rather than dealing with physical documents one can just register and upload information when logged in.

The computerised system allows for less errors to be committed and opens the way for smoother processing of information.

This system has also introduced a quicker method of collecting employers monthly payroll by products via the byproduct system accesible online on the NHIF website.

How to pay NHIF via mpesa

Head to the sim-card menu on your Safaricom line and choose the Mpesa option

Select the paybill option

Key in the NHIF Mpesa Paybill number 200222

Enter your contributors National identitity card Number

Input the amount you would like to contribute

Put in your Mpesa PIN

Check and confirm that details are accurate

Wait for a confirmation SMS

NHIF Mpesa pay bill number

This article has shown you how to pay NHIF via Mpesa and make NHIF online payments.

By following these simple instructions and making your monthly contribution you will be able to fully access all the benefits made available to you courtesy of NHIF.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
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Thanks to a 56-page leaked document, more details of Microsoft's next-gen Xbox 720 have emerged. The presentation looks to be from quite sometime ago, August 2010, and is loaded with future improvements such as SmartGlass, a Metro dashboard and Xbox TV apps.

Microsoft list their clear vision for the Xbox 720, including Blu-ray, native 3D output, and glasses, concurrent apps, additional sensor and peripheral support. They've also teased us with a '6X performance increase', as well as mention of true 1080p output with full 3D support, as well as an "always on" state for the Xbox 720.

The document tells us that the Xbox 720 is designed to be scalable in the number of CPU cores and their frequencies, it seems that the Redmond-based company have been finding it hard to decide between six or eight ARM-based cores, or going down the x86 route, each clocked at around 2GHz each, with 4GB of DDR4 memory as well as some backward-compatible PPC cores clocked at 3.2GHz. Backwards compatibility will be a great selling point for the Xbox 720.
Russian-backed militants launched 21 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ATO area in Donbas in last day.

This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center.

The enemy violated ceasefire in ATO area 21 times over the past day, particularly using the weapons which are banned under the Minsk agreements. As a result of the enemy shelling, three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded, the statement reads.

In Luhansk direction, Russian-backed militants used mortars of different calibers and all types of infantry weapons to launch attacks near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk). A military clash, which lasted five hours, occurred in this area. Ukrainian troops repulsed the attack of the sabotage-reconnaissance group from the 7th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 2nd Army Corps of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation. "As a result of the clash, the enemy suffered losses: one serviceman was killed and another two were wounded. In this direction, the enemy also used heavy machine guns to fire at the defenders of Novoluhanske [53km north-east of Donetsk]," the ATO Headquarters press center reports.

In addition, jeopardizing the lives of civilian population, the terrorists fired 152mm artillery near Vrubivka (72km west of Luhansk), a village several kilometers away from the contact line. Doing so, the Russian-occupation forces grossly violated the Minsk agreements.

The enemy also fired several dozens 120mm mortars on Ukrainian strongholds near Prychepylivka (50km north-west of Luhansk) and Krymske (42.5km north-west of Luhansk).

In Donetsk direction, ATO troops came under 82mm mortar and infantry weapons fire outside Pisky (12km north-west of Donetsk) and Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk).

ol
Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO Oleksandr Motuzianyk said this at a press briefing on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

A serviceman of the National Guard of Ukraine was wounded in enemy attacks near Vodiane. Another two servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were wounded near Luhanske and the village of Pisky, Motuzianyk said and added that they were immediately sent to hospital.

He also added that Russian-backed militants over the past day violated the ceasefire 21 times, using weapons which are banned under the Minsk agreements. The Ukrainian Armed Forces returned fire six times.

iy
Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda has issued the annual Report on Preliminary Examination Activities regarding the events which took place in Ukraine during the Revolution of Dignity, the annexation of Crimea and the Russias aggression in Donbas.

The report contains the results of the investigation for the period from October 1, 2016 to November 30, 2017.

"On 27 February 2014, armed and mostly uniformed individuals wearing no identifying insignia seized control of government buildings in Simferopol, including the Crimean parliament building. The Russian Federation later acknowledged that its military personnel had been involved in taking control of the Crimean peninsula," reads the section of the report relating to the annexation of Crimea.

The document also states that "the law of international armed conflict would continue to apply after 18 March 2014 to the extent that the situation within the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol factually amounts to an ongoing state of occupation.

The conclusion on the qualification of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which the Kremlin is trying to present as an internal one, says: "The Office also cited additional information, pointing to direct military engagement between the respective armed forces of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, suggesting the existence of an international armed conflict in eastern Ukraine from 14 July 2014 at the latest."

Among the alleged crimes which have occurred in Crimea, the document mentions disappearances and killings, ill-treatment, forced conscription of Crimean residents to serve in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, deprivation of the rights of fair and regular trial, transfer of part of the civilian population of the Russian Federation into Crimea and of part of the population of Crimea outside the territory, harassment of Crimean Tatar population.

As for eastern Ukraine, the Office has recorded more than 1,200 incidents involving crimes allegedly committed since 20 February 2014 in the context of events in eastern Ukraine, including destruction of civilian objects, detention, torture/ill-treatment, sexual and gender-based crimes and disappearances.

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King Salman has sacked an official from the ministry of commerce who attended in capital Riyadh a fashion show, decried by the kingdoms top clerics.

The royal decree issued on Sunday targeted Ghassan al-Sulaiman, a senior advisor in the Ministry of Commerce.

Al-Sulaiman drew public ire after attending last week a fashion show organized in the Saudi capital. A video of the models dressed in black robes without headscarves, walking on the catwalk went viral on social media causing wide spread condemnations.

In an interview at the event organized by a beauty academy, al- Sulaiman, who heads the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises, praised the beauty of the show.

Succumbing to condemnations, the ministrys official on Twitter condemned the show indicating that it does not represent Saudi Arabias Islamic tradition. Sulaiman added that the ministry was not aware the event was to take place.

The kingdom is known for its harsh implementation of Islam unlike other Gulf countries, which are opened to western culture.

However as the country faces budget deficit and the collapse of oil revenues, the ambitious Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Salman who is driving reforms, has embarked the home of Islam on a more moderate path.

The kingdom allowed for the first time women in a stadium in October. They can enter on regular basis from next year.

Women can also start driving as of June next year.

The reforms are likely to pave way to musical concerts and lift of the ban on cinema.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has ratified the agreement between Ukraine and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on prolonging the period of effect of the agreement between Ukraine and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on the international mission to protect investigation into MH17 crash until August 1, 2018.

A total of 257 Ukrainian lawmakers voted for the adoption of the relevant draft law No. 0169, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Thus, the Verkhovna Rada extended the period of effect of the agreement between Ukraine and the Netherlands on the international mission to protect investigation into MH17 crash which occurred on July 28, 2014. This agreement provides for the formation of an international mission to protect investigation into the causes of downing Malaysia Airlines MH17 flight over the territory of Ukraine on July 17, 2014. The mission is led the authorities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

As a reminder, Malaysia Airlines MH17 Boeing 777 heading from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur was shot down over militant-occupied territory in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on July 17, 2014. All 298 people on board were killed in the crash.

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Ukraine continues to view the Budapest Memorandum as an important instrument for ensuring the security of the country and believes that provision of lethal weapons would attest the full readiness of the Budapest Memorandum signatories for honoring the undertaken commitments.

This is said in the statement of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine on the occasion of the anniversary of signing the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

"Ukraine continues to view the Budapest Memorandum as an important international political and legal instrument for ensuring the security of Ukraine by the United States, the United Kingdom as well as France and China and demands that Russia fully complies with its obligations," the document reads.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Ukraine highly appreciates the actions of the United States, the UK and France which really confirm the support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, condemn the unlawful actions of the Russian side and take measures in response to aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

"We are sure that strengthening political support by means of practical aid to boost Ukraine's defense capability by providing lethal weapons should become an effective response to the growing threat from the Russian Federation. This step would attest the readiness of the Budapest Memorandum signatories for honoring undertaken commitments and strengthen the European security architecture," the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine states.

As a reminder, on December 5, 1994, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia signed the Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (the so-called Budapest Memorandum).

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The Cyborgs, an Akhtem Seitablayev's film about the defenders of the Donetsk airport, will soon be screened abroad.

"We primarily shot this film for Ukrainian viewers as we are deeply concerned with this topic which is a part of our contemporary history. However, when shooting the film, we also realized that the world should see this film because the war is ongoing in Ukraine. The world should know and remember what is happening in Ukraine. Currently, the Baltic countries, Poland and Canada show interest in screening this film," producer of The Cyborgs Ivanna Dyadyura told a press conference.

In addition, she said, an agreement has already been reached with the Foreign Ministry to screen the movie at the Ukrainian embassies in different parts of the world throughout the year.

The Cyborgs feature motion picture is a story about present-day heroes who create a new Ukraine. Despite the difference in origin and age, the defenders had one common goal to protect their native land from the aggressor.

The picture tells the story of one combat alert mission within several weeks in September 2014.

The premiere screening is scheduled for December 6, the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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A Russian lawyer, a defense lawyer for Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia and Crimea, including Ukrinform journalist Roman Sushchenko, has appealed to European leaders for protection from persecution in his country.

The lawyer wrote this in an address to German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. The text of the document was given by Feygin to Ukrinform.

"Under the prevailing circumstances, Germany and France are involved in resolving the crisis in Ukraine as part of the quadripartite Normandy format. This was followed by a mission negotiating the release of hostages in eastern Ukraine and Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia itself. Regarding the fate of one of them, Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko, who was arrested in Moscow in September 2016, I myself appealed to you, the first persons of France and Germany," he said.

According to Feygin, efforts are aimed at the rapid return home of his client, who has worked for six years in Paris as a permanent correspondent of the Ukrinform agency.

"As a lawyer, I tried, by combining procedural and political efforts, to achieve the best possible ways to rescue my principal. Realizing that the background of such lawyer's protection is, in fact, the war between Russia and Ukraine, I understood the riskiness of my position," Feygin said.

He recalled that, as a Russian lawyer, he participated in high-profile political processes - from Pussy Riot to Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko and Crimean Mejlis activist Ilmi Umerov.

"It would seem that over the years, I got used to open persecution by those who are dissatisfied with my work. However, in the case of Roman Sushchenko, who is accused of espionage in Russia, I faced the scale of pressure that had never been seen before. Russian officials, who are in charge of Ukraine's issues and Ukrainian political prisoners, launched a public campaign against harassment and persecution against me," the lawyer said.

Feygin said that today in Russia, he may lose his lawyer status and be prosecuted under trumped-up reasons, including his posts in social networks.

"However, the reality is that in the near future, by the end of 2017, they are going to deprive me of the opportunity to engage in professional activities and remove from the protection of journalist Roman Sushchenko," he said.

He explained that the meaning of this letter is to make sure that European mediators understand the whole picture of the struggle of independent political advocacy with arbitrariness and lawlessness in Russia.

"I hope that dear Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Macron, you will also not spare the efforts to liberate Roman Sushchenko from the Russian prison after I'm removed from his defense," Feygin said.

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President Mansour Hadi Monday called on forces aligned with former President Ali Abdallah Saleh to join his troops to forge alliance in order to ouster Houthi rebels, who killed Saleh.

Yemen is passing through a decisive turning point that needs our unity and steadfastness in the face of these sectarian militias, Hadi said in a speech on the Yemeni state television hours after the killing of Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Lets put our hands together to end this nightmare.

Hadi is currently in Saudi Arabia where he has been living along with his top commanders after losing capital Sanaa and large parts of the country to the Houthi rebels in 2015.

The rebels Monday killed their former ally Saleh outside capital Sanaa after waylaying his convoy as he tried to flee the capital two days after breaking with rebels and inching towards the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

The rebels stopped his convoy at 40 km from the capital and fired his group, killing him, along with the secretary of his General Peoples Congress party, Arif Al-Zouka.

His son, Ahmed Ali Saleh reportedly called for revenge from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he has been under house arrest.

I will lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen  the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran, he was quoted as saying.

Saleh who ruled Yemen for more than three decades was forced to step down in 2012 and replaced by his deputy Hadi. The former President known for switching sides later joined the Houthis to remove Hadi who received the support of the Saudi-led coalition, which launched international forces in 2015 to roll back the rebels advance.

The alliance between Saleh and the rebels broke off over the weekend after the former President joined the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels.

Heavy fights broke out following his defection. The rebel paraded with his body to celebrate his killing.
Washington, DC (UroToday.com) Urethral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a rare disease with limited clinical recommendations. Dr. Werntz and colleagues presented their population-level analysis assessing the impact of inguinal lymph node dissection in men with urethral SCC. Despite the similarities to penile cancer in terms of histology and lymphatic drainage, no consensus exists on the role of inguinal lymph node dissection for men with high-risk tumors. The objective of this study was to define the rate of inguinal lymph node dissection performance and its impact on survival.The authors assessed the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to identify all cases of primary urethral cancer in men from 2004 to 2014. Patients with other cancer diagnoses, metastasis, non-squamous histology, and a history of radiation therapy or chemotherapy were excluded. For penile cancer comparative purposes, only male patients with urethral SCC of the anterior urethra with clinical stage T1 were included for analysis. Overall survival (OS) was compared using multivariable Cox regression. There were 725 men that met inclusion criteria. The median age was 63 years (IQR 33-83) and 189 (26%) underwent lymph node dissection. Patients who underwent lymph node dissection were of significantly higher clinical T and N stage. In patients with clinical N0, the lymph node dissection rate was 21.8%, with 9% pathologically positive. In patients with clinical N1-2, the lymph node dissection rate was 76%, with 84% pathologically positive. On multivariable Cox regression, lymph node positivity was associated with worse overall survival when controlling for clinical T stage, clinical N stage, Charleston comorbidity, age, and sex (HR 1.56, 95%CI 1.3-1.9, p<0.001). On multivariable analysis, lymph node dissection was not associated with improved OS in clinically N0 patients (HR 1.4, 95%CI 0.96-2.00, p=0.07), however was associated with improved OS in patients with clinical N1 or N2 disease (HR 0.46, 95%CI 0.28-0.78, p=0.002). A limitation of the NCDB is the inability to perform analysis assessing cancer-specific survival.The authors concluded that the lymph node positivity rate in patients with clinical T1-T4 and N0 urethral SCC is 9%, substantially lower than reported in penile cancer, arguing against routine prophylactic inguinal lymph node dissection in this population. Lymph node dissection in clinically N0 patients was not associated with improved OS, however it was for patients with clinical N1-2 disease.Presented by: Ryan P. Werntz, MDCo-Authors: Ryan Werntz , RIchard Fantus , Zachary Smith , Melanie Adamsky , Chris Riedinger and Gary SteinbergWritten by: Zachary Klaassen, MD, Society of Urologic Oncology Fellow, University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre @zklaassen_md at the 18th Annual Meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology, November 20-December 1, 2017  Washington, DC
Amid a worsening humanitarian crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees flee violence in Myanmars Rakhine State, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sought support for a durable solution from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.



The plea came as Hasina visited Cambodia on Monday to meet with her Cambodian counterpart.



We have also discussed the Rohingya crisis that threatens peace and stability of our region, Ms. Sheikh Hasina said. As we continue our bilateral negotiation with Myanmar for [the] Rohingyas safe return back to their homeland, I request Prime Minister Hun Sen for his support of a durable solution of the crisis, she said after the meeting.



Hasina said her country is now hosting about 1 million Rohingya refugees, which won Bangladesh praise from Hun Sen. However, Hun Sen, who last week met Myanmar State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi in Beijing, did not use the word Rohingya during the press conference.



We highly appreciate Bangladesh which, despite its population of approximately 160 million, the country still shoulders another approximately one million refugees from Myanmar, Hun Sen said.



We will consider together about the repatriation of the refugees in the hope that the two countries  Bangladesh and Myanmar  will work together smoothly for the safe return of the refugees back to Myanmar, he added.



Cambodia has historically considered upheaval in its fellow Asean members states as internal affairs not warranting intervention. Last month, Cambodia was one of ten states to vote against a resolution on te Rohingya, along with Laos, Vietnam, China, Russia, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Syria, Belarus, and Myanmar itself.



Phay Siphan, government spokesman, said Cambodias position remains to not internationalize the crisis, which it sees as a bilateral issue between Myanmar and Bangladesh.



We do not use any term that may effect any decision or make an identification of the crisis. We firmly believe that is the internal affair of the Burmese people, he said, referring to the use of the term Rohingya.



Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watchs Asia division, said there was no chance given the current circumstances for a safe return to Myanmar of the Rohingya.



To date, there have been basically no protection guarantees made to returning Rohingya, who obviously dont trust the Myanmar military and will not go back anywhere close to them because of the atrocities that they and their family members recently suffered, Roberson said.



Chheang Vannarith, a Singapore-based analyst with the ISEAS Ishak Yusof Institute, said Cambodia had potentially put its relationship with Myanmar at risk by speaking out about the crisis.



By engaging with the Rohingya topic, one country put their relations with Myanmar at risk, he said.
A group of former opposition lawmakers from the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party visited Washington last month to lobby U.S. Officials.



The former lawmakers, led by the partys former leader, Sam Rainsy, called on the United States to intervene against the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.



Last month Cambodia banned the CNRP and distributed its seats among unelected members of minor parties that failed to win any seats at the last election. The ruling Cambodian Peoples Party claimed CNRP officials, including Rainsy and the partys current president, Kem Sokha, had plotted with Washington to overthrow Hun Sen.



The opposition denied the claims, which were dismissed by the United States as baseless. But Sokha was arrested in September and charged with treason. He awaits trial in Cambodia.



The CNRP delegation in mid-November met with congressmen, including Alan Lowenthal and Steve Chabot, co-chairs of the Congressional Cambodia Caucus, and Senator Cory Gardner, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on East Asia.

The former parliamentarians were well-received and met with understanding, according to To Vanchan, one of the delegates. I believe that its going to be effective on the government for what theyve done to CNRP," he said.



The crackdown on dissent in Cambodia has not been restricted to the opposition, with independent media outlets and civil society also targeted by a combination of lawsuits, false media reports propagated by pro-government websites and political pressure.



Ho Vann, a former lawmaker for Phnom Penh, puts the blame solely on Hun Sen. Its because of Hun Sen, he alone has crushed our democracy, he said. We all regret it. We, both the party and people, are advocating for a democratic and legitimate leadership in Cambodia. This is what we have been fighting for in the past years. That's our purpose."

The governments claim that the CNRP conspired with the United States to foment a color revolution to overthrow Hun Sen rests on statement Sokha made years ago at a rally that he had been advised to follow the Serbia model by unnamed Americans and to establish a human rights group to lay the groundwork for an opposition political victory at the polls.



The government also insinuated that the CNRP had tried to encourage violence in the aftermath of the disputed 2013 general election, when tens of thousands of Cambodians joined mass anti-government protests, leading to a violent crackdown ordered by Hun Sen, in January 2014, which left at least five dead.



"In fact, we actively advocated for nonviolence, said Vann. Even though we used to protest, they were aimed at reforming the National Election Committee. That was our goal, not a color revolution."



The oppositions strategy is to call for international sanctions, to lobby for the release of Sokha and other political prisoners, and to pave the way for the CNRP to be allowed to contest the next election, scheduled for next year.



So far, the United States, European Union, Australia and France have begun to apply pressure on Hun Sens government, according to one of the delegates. This reaction is not going to go away, said Eng Chhai Eang. "If Mr. Hun Sen does not back down, then they will take concrete action."



Some proposed punitive actions include the removal of Cambodia from preferential trade initiatives. Cambodia relies heavily on the schemes for access to E.U. and U.S. Markets. Unions and employers have recently warned against such action, which they say would be unpopular with the hundreds of thousands of Cambodians who work in the countrys garment industry.



But Nuth Romdoul, another of the delegates, said: The majority of the people and workers are not worried. They said that no matter what the CPP does to the CNRP, their salary would be the same, but they believe that once the CNRP is in the government, their living conditions would be improved.



Most of the CNRPs former lawmakers have fled the country, fearing arrest.



Phay Siphan, government spokesman, said it would be impossible for the CNRP lobbyists to achieve their aims. Like throwing a rice husk against the wind, he said.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco has voiced his deep concern and that of Arab and Muslim countries over the U.S. administrations plan to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move its embassy to this city.

In a message he addressed, in his capacity as Chairman of Al Quds Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation  a grouping that comprises 57 countries representing over one billion citizens, to President Donald Trump, the Moroccan King stressed the importance of the city of Jerusalem, not only to the parties to the conflict, but also to the followers of the three revealed religions.

With its unique religious character, historical identity and special political symbolism, the city of Jerusalem should remain a land as well as a symbol of coexistence and tolerance among all people, said the royal message, recalling the great determination showed by Mr. Trump to revive the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

The US Administrations intention to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to transfer the United States Embassy to that city, would have a negative impact on prospects for achieving a just, comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, particularly as the United States of America is one of the main sponsors of the peace process  one that enjoys the trust of all parties, the Monarch pointed out.

As is clearly indicated in the relevant international resolutions, especially those of the Security Council, Jerusalem is at the heart of final status issues. For this reason, its legal status needs to be preserved and nothing should be undertaken that might affect its current political status, the King insisted.

The Moroccan Monarch who underlined that the Middle East region is in the grip of several serious crises, in addition to a series of tensions and many perils, warned against taking any measure, which could fuel the feelings of injustice and frustration that extremism and terrorism feed on, undermining the fragile stability in the region or frustrating hopes for meaningful negotiations to achieve the vision of the international community concerning a two-State solution.

The Monarch went on to say in the conclusion of his message that the Kingdom of Morocco, which has untiringly worked for the achievement of a just, comprehensive peace in the region, firmly believes that the US Administrations far-sightedness as well as the Presidents personal commitment to peace and stability in the region, and his resolve to facilitate the revival of the peace process and avoid any measure that might impede the peace process or ruin it altogether.

In this connection, King Mohammed VI reiterated in a phone call Tuesday with President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas Moroccos strong and unwavering support for the brotherly Palestinian people in defending their just cause and legitimate rights, mainly concerning the status of Al Quds Asharif, announced the Royal Office in a statement.

The King voiced his flat refusal of any action that could undermine the multi-religious aspect of the holy city or alter its legal and political status, the statement added.

The Palestinian president, on his part, hailed the Kings role and action, and deplored the fact that the American administrations agenda includes such inappropriate initiative. He expressed the deep concern of the Palestinian authority over the serious consequences of this matter on the peace process in the Middle East and the regions security and stability, the statement noted.

It added that the two leaders agreed to maintain direct contacts and continuous consultations on this issue, as well as a close coordination between the two governments to set, together, steps to take and actions to undertake.

In a message he addressed last week to the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, King Mohammed VI had stressed the need for Israel, as the occupying power, to respect the historical and legal status of the al-Aqsa Mosque and the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound and stop all unilateral measures aimed at changing the Arab, Islamic and Christian identity of East al-Quds.

And last July, the King sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, drawing his attention to the Israeli authorities continuing and systematic violations in al-Quds and in al-Aqsa Mosque designed to impose new facts on the ground.

He had then called for swift measures to be taken to compel the Israeli government to respect the legal and historical status of al-Quds and the holy sites, and warned against the perils of turning the Palestinian-Israeli political dispute into a religious conflict.

Trumps decision is expected to be announced in a speech on Wednesday and if the reports are confirmed, that would fan the flames of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and would probably spark protests across the Arab-Islamic world.
U.S. Congressman Alan Lowenthal has told a meeting of Cambodian-Americans that the U.S. government and international community is prepared to take further action against the Cambodian government if the deteriorating political situation does not improve.



He told the crowd at a gathering in Annandale, Virginia, that real changes needed to take place in order for relations to improve.



And the United States cant do that alone. I am going to ask for support, community support, activist support, NGO support, congress is going to be part of it and we have to begin to reach out to our friends throughout the world and to say we need to work together on this to ensure free and fair elections, he said.



He added that the European Union and Japan, as large economies with strong ties to Cambodia and also major aid donors, could also help apply pressure to the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.



In order for the international community to restore full relations with Cambodia, he said the leader of the opposition, Kem Sokha, must be released. Sokha was jailed in September on treason charges widely seen as purely politically motivated. Lowenthal added that other steps must be taken by Phnom Penh, including stopping a crackdown on independent media, journalists and civil society.



Kem Monovithya, Sokhas daughter, said she hoped that the E.U. would withdraw all election assistance to Cambodia ahead of the 2018 election, as the U.S. has already announced it will do.



In November, the U.S. expressed grave concern over the dissolution of Sokhas Cambodia National Rescue Party, calling the allegations against the party meritless and politicized.



On Thursday, Washington announced it was cutting $1.8 million in aid to the countrys national election body, a move Hun Sen claimed was intended to kill off Cambodian democracy.



Ren Hong, an attendee at the meeting in Virginia, said while he welcomed international pressure on Hun Sens government, he was concerned that any economic action taken by the major powers could affect poor Cambodian workers disproportionately.



Buth Buntenh, head of the Independent Monk Network for Social Justice, urged Cambodians living outside the country to continue to work with foreign governments to seek a solution to the crisis.
A preliminary ballot count in Honduras' disputed presidential race pointed on Monday to a win for incumbent Juan Orlando Hernandez, but authorities held back from declaring a winner following deadly protests and claims of fraud by opponents.

U.S.-backed Hernandez had 42.98 percent of the vote, compared with opposition challenger Salvador Nasralla's 41.39 percent, based on 99.96 percent of ballots tallied after a partial recount of more than 1,000 polling stations.

Delays in counting the votes since the Nov. 26 election and a sudden reversal in the trend mid-week has left many Hondurans and international observers with doubts about whether the outcome really reflects the will of voters.

David Matamoros, who heads the electoral tribunal and is a member of Hernandez's party, did not declare a winner, saying parties could still file legal challenges and a wider recount is possible. He said there would be further announcements on Monday.

Additional powers granted to the army and police and a nighttime curfew from Friday have led to more than a thousand arrests but failed to stamp out protests over the election, with tens of thousands marching peacefully on Sunday, and violent clashes at night.

Protesters flooded streets across the country on Sunday to decry what they called a dictatorship. As night fell, the sounds of plastic horns, honking cars, fireworks and the beating of pots and pans echoed over the capital Tegucigalpa under curfew.

Two policemen patrolling to enforce the curfew were shot dead in the east of the country on Sunday night, national police spokesman Jair Meza said. Two protesters were killed in the capital overnight, their relatives said, although authorities did not confirm the deaths.

Early last week, Nasralla, a former sportscaster and game show host, appeared set for an upset victory over Hernandez, gaining a five-point lead with more than half of the ballots tallied.

The counting process suddenly halted for more than a day and began leaning in favor of Hernandez after resuming. Opposition leaders said on Sunday they wanted a recount of all the polling stations that were entered into the system after the delay.

The tribunal began the partial recount on Sunday.

The Organization of American States and the election monitors for the European Union said Nasralla's demands to recount more than 5,000 polling stations were doable, and urged the tribunal to make further checks.

"We condemn all forms of repression (and) regret all the deaths. In a democracy, it's normal that people have the right to peacefully protest," said Marisa Matias, head of the EU mission.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the United States of backing vote fraud in Honduras, while the top official at the U.S. embassy praised the peaceful protests and the "orderly" final count then under way.

Honduras struggles with violent drug gangs, one of world's highest murder rates and endemic poverty, driving a tide of its people to migrate to the United States.

Hernandez, 49, implemented a military-led crackdown on gang violence after taking office in 2014. He has been supported by U.S. President Donald Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly.

Nasralla, 64, is one of Honduras' best-known faces and is backed by former President Manuel Zelaya, a leftist ousted in a coup in 2009.

Since late last week, three people have been killed as soldiers broke up protesters' blockades of rubble and burning tires. There were also reports that four or five more had been shot dead in the north of the country on Friday.
More than half the ballots cast in Bolivia's judicial elections on Sunday were spoiled, or nullified, by voters, a sign that the opposition said showed dwindling support for President Evo Morales.

Tensions are high in Bolivia after the Constitutional Court last week gave Morales the green light to run for a fourth straight term in 2019. Morales' opponents encouraged voters to spoil their ballots in protest of the ruling.

Morales, a former coca farmer in power since 2006, had previously accepted the results of a referendum in 2016, when 51 percent of voters rejected his proposal to end term limits.

"The citizens have defeated Evo Morales, a leader who is trying to impose re-election on Bolivia, along with corruption and the manipulation of the justice system," businessman and former presidential candidate Samuel Doria Medina tweeted.

The 26 judges elected on Sunday will be seated in January.

Morales said in a news conference on Monday that the high number of spoiled ballots should not be seen as a protest against him, but as an attempt by the opposition to block his plan for a judiciary with elected rather than appointed judges.

"The unpatriotic right wing wanted the election of an organic judiciary to fail, but the people have elected their authorities; judges who answer to the people, not to politicians," Morales said.

The 96 candidates on the ballot were preselected by Congress, where Morales has a majority. Opposition leaders said the vote was a ploy to give Morales supporters control over the electoral court.

Ballots were spoiled by marking more than one candidate, scratching or ripping the papers or doodling on them.

A preliminary report by Bolivia's elections authority said 78 percent of the country's 6.4 million eligible voters participated in the election and that more than 50 percent of the ballots cast were spoiled.
Al Naeem Square in Raqqa was bustling with life before Islamic State took over the city and declared it its de facto capital in 2014. During the group's reign of terror, Al Naeem  or "Paradise Square"  became a stage for a murderous campaign of beheadings, gruesome public executions, and the burning of books and cigarettes. It got so bad residents started calling it "Hell Square."

Shaima recalls her childhood memories in her hometown of Raqqa. She remembers her daily summer trips to Al Naeem Square, when her brother used to take her to buy Syrian-style ice cream and she would eat it sitting on the grass amidst city lights and children's laughter. In 2015, she escaped Islamic State and her abusive husband, and went to southern Syria where she earns her living picking apples.

Despite the daily struggle to survive, Shaima never lost her passion for Raqqa's food and heritage. Her passion for her hometown's culinary arts is one of many collected and documented in a book of Syrian food culture put together by two women seeking to show a different side of Syria  a place that is so often associated with violence.

The authors

Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi, who work in theater production, met in London. The idea of writing a book about Syrian food culture came to them when they were working in Beirut with a large group of Syrian women on a theater project.

"Sadly, Syria has become famous for playing host to one of the most hideous organizations on earth: ISIS," Azzam, a coauthor of Our Syria: Recipes from Home, told VOA. ISIS is an acronym for Islamic State.

Azzam, an award-winning filmmaker and theater producer based in Britain, grew up in Swaida in Hauran, an unglamorous mountain region on Syria's border with Jordan that gained its fame for being a hiding place for rebels and heretics. Mousawi, also a theater producer and filmmaker, grew up in Baghdad and experienced the tragedy of war when her family fled the city during the Iraqi war.

"We saw this was something positive about Syria  a way to highlight the country's food and culture, not just the misery, as well as the strength and resilience of Syrian women. And, of course, we just wanted to connect others with Syrians through food, which is something we all love," Azzam told VOA.

The inspiration

Azzam and Mousawi said they traveled around Greece, Germany, Lebanon and Syria meeting women who were displaced by the war, and learning their tricks and their secret recipes and, in the process, hearing their food memories, or how they still use food to connect them with home.

"Spending day after day with women who'd only recently escaped the war, we discovered what was special about each individual, and we found that, as well as resilience, a love of singing, jokes, and stories, all the women we worked with had another common ground: food," Azzam and Mousawi wrote in the foreword of their book.

Both women were seeking to present Syria's human face. Despite the gloom shadowing an entire country that is ravaged by war, Syrians in tiny flats in Beirut, Berlin and Bradford are searching for fresh ingredients "to recreate the dishes that remind them of home," they wrote.

Azzam and Mousawi said the people of Syria have been reduced to mere statistics, portrayed in the news as either villains or victims. Instead, the authors want to present Syrians like people from any other nation: "We have good people, bad people, we have doctors and teachers, plumbers and dancers. Just like everyone else, we're mums and dads, sisters, wives, brothers ... and we love to eat!"

About 11 million Syrians have been displaced, almost half of the population, according to United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), with 4.8 million people fleeing to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, and 6.3 million displaced inside Syria.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged strong U.S. support for the European Union, as he met with officials in Brussels Tuesday.



"The partnership between America and the European Union, I think as everyone knows, is long-standing," Tillerson said alongside EU's Federica Mogherini. "It one that is based upon shared values, shared objectives for security and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, and we remain committed to that."



The U.S. top diplomat and EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy discussed the Iran nuclear agreement, North Korea's nuclear threat and cooperation on counterterrorism.



"Our shared objectives in terms of defeating ISIS are important, but not just defeating ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but defeating ISIS globally," Tillerson said, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group."And we certainly see the result of ISIS' caliphate and its long reign of terror that they have carried out in Iraq and Syria, which is now coming to an end."



On the Iran nuclear agreement, the secretary said the United States and European Union continue to hold Tehran compliant with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA , while "recognizing that Iran is carrying out a number of other destabilizing activities throughout the region."



"We also know of Iran's destabilizing effect of exporting weapons and militia to Syria, an area of conflict, and ongoing support for Hezbollah, a terrorist organization," Tillerson said. "These issues and activities of Iran cannot be ignored, and cannot go unanswered and we intend to continue to take action to ensure Iran understands this is not acceptable to us."



For her part, Mogherini said the EU was willing to work closely with the U.S. "on the basis of continued implementation."



"It was decided that the nuclear deal would be purely on the nuclear issue," she said, adding that it was unwise to dismantle a deal that the U.N. nuclear agency, the IAEA, has repeatedly certified.

Replacement rumors

Tillerson's Europe trip comes just days after U.S. media reported the White House was considering replacing him with CIA chief Mike Pompeo. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday tweeted that Tillerson was not leaving anytime soon, and Tillerson dismissed the reports as "laughable."



On Monday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tillerson's job insecurity speculation was not a distraction, saying the trans-Atlantic alliance "and NATO ministers are able to focus on the core tasks of the job we have to do despite any speculation and rumors."

Tillerson's senior advisor R.C. Hammond said the issue of whether the secretary of state still has the administration's confidence had not come up in any of Tillerson's conversations with diplomats in Brussels Tuesday. But he acknowledged that foreign ministers had been open about sharing disagreements with the U.S. on various issues.



"Allies have been very frank today in sharing some of their views," Hammond said. "Dialogues only work if they go two ways."



During their short meeting Tuesday, Tillerson and Stoltenberg discussed progress toward burden-sharing, with more NATO countries on their way to contributing two percent of their GDP to defense. Hammond said the two men also focused on NATO's commitment to fighting Islamic State in Iraq, the need for Russia to withdraw from eastern Ukraine, and the role of U.N. peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.



"We really appreciate your strong leadership for so many important issues for the alliance and your iron-clad commitment to NATO and to trans-Atlantic calm and the fact that the U.S. is increasing your presence in Europe," Stoltenberg told Tillerson. "And NATO is the place where North America meets Europe every day. "



Tillerson thanked Stoltenberg for his "strong leadership" of NATO.



"Certainly many have stepped up to reaffirm their commitment to the alliance, not just in words but in treasure as well, which as you know is very important to President Trump, to see this alliance fully capable," the secretary of state said.



From Brussels, Tillerson will travel to Vienna for the annual meeting of the OSCE, with the emphasis on arms control and human rights, and the senior State Department official said, a message of support for Ukrainian sovereignty.



A senior administration official said his final stop will be in Paris "where we have a very special and deep cooperation with the French on a global agenda that encompasses issues on Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea and Sahel."
Hillary Clinton is returning to New Hampshire for the first time since just before the 2016 presidential election.

The former Democratic presidential candidate is signing copies of her new book, What Happened on Tuesday in Concord. Clinton won New Hampshires four electoral college votes in last years election, though President Donald Trump  without offering evidence  blames voter fraud for his loss in the state.

Clinton also is heading to Boston, where she will be honored with the Big Sister Association of Greater Bostons Believe in Girls award for working to improve the lives of women and girls.

Greater Boston chapter president and CEO Deb Re says Clinton embodies the resilience and self-confidence the group hopes to inspire in young women.
The United States-led international coalition fighting Islamic State estimates that fewer than 3,000 fighters belonging to the hardline Sunni militant group remain in Iraq and Syria, its spokesman said on Tuesday.

Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate has crumbled this year in Syria and Iraq, with the group losing the cities of Mosul, Raqqa and swaths of other territory.

Current estimates are that there are less than 3,000 #Daesh fighters left  they still remain a threat, but we will continue to support our partner forces to defeat them, U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon tweeted, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Dillons tweet was part of his responses to an online question and answer session in which he also said the coalition had trained 125,000 members of Iraqi security forces, 22,000 of which were Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

When asked if the United States planned to build permanent military bases in Iraq or Syria with the defeat of Islamic State, Dillon said it would not. No  the Government of #Iraq knows where and how many from Coalition are here to support operation to defeat #Daesh; all bases are #Iraqi led, he tweeted.
The longest-serving member of the U.S. Congress, John Conyers, retired Tuesday, amid multiple allegations that he had made unwanted sexual advances on women who worked for him.

Conyers, in a radio interview, endorsed his son, John Conyers III, to replace him in the House of Representatives as a congressman from the Detroit area.

The elder Conyers had a long record of promoting civil rights causes and co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus, but he becomes the first lawmaker to quit during the current raft of sexual harassment allegations that have toppled or embarrassed prominent men in U.S. entertainment, media and political circles.

"My legacy can't be compromised or diminished in any way by what we're going through now," said Conyers, who has denied the sexual misconduct allegations. "This, too, shall pass," he said, adding, "My legacy will continue through my children."

Several women have come forward recently, accusing the 88-year-old Conyers of harassment. Among them is former aide Marion Brown, who said her one-time boss propositioned her for sex multiple times over more than a decade. Brown, 61, told NBC's Today program that she was fired for rejecting Conyers's sexual advances.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and the speaker of the chamber, Republican Paul Ryan, had called on Conyers, who served in Congress for 53 years, to step down.

Conyers acknowledged he had reached a $27,000 settlement with Brown, but denied her allegation of an unwanted advance and said he only settled the case to avoid protracted litigation.

The House Ethics Committee had launched an investigation into whether Conyers used taxpayer money in his office funds to settle the case, and whether he engaged in the sexual harassment of other women.

Congress has introduced legislation that, if passed, would end the two-decade-old practice of paying settlements with taxpayer money and force lawmakers to pay the damage claims out of their personal funds. The Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act would require transparent disclosure of the nature of claims settled in the Office of Congressional Compliance.

Both houses of Congress last week approved resolutions requiring mandatory annual anti-sexual harassment training for all 535 members of Congress and their staffs.
2 Ukrainian Security Service officers detain former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili at his house in Kyiv. Ukraine's intelligence agency detained Saakashvili, who has emerged as an anti-corruption campaigner in his new country, but faced an angry backlash of protesters who would not let the officers to take him away.
The government's star witness in the New York trial of a Turkish banker once said its necessary in America to admit crimes that never occurred to get out of prison, defense lawyers wrote in a letter to the trial judge Monday.

The letter from lawyers for Halkbank executive Mehmet Hakan Atilla was publically filed but was later deleted from the public record.

In it, the lawyers said that prosecutors over the weekend had turned over to them a summary of five jailhouse audio recordings of Reza Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian gold trader who pleaded guilty in late October in a cooperation deal with the U.S. government.

Zarrab testified for a fourth day Monday that he paid bribes in a conspiracy to help Iran move $1 billion of oil and gas revenues through world financial markets, including U.S. banks, despite sanctions meant to prevent the financial transfers.

Defense lawyers said prosecutors had violated the trial judges order that any trial exhibits that might help the defense be turned over to Atillas team immediately. To make their case, they cited several passages in a two-page English summary of audio recordings made in a foreign language.

Fabricated testimony

In a September 2016 recording, Zarrab is quoted as saying that there was a perceived need when incarcerated in the United States to lie in order to get out or to get a reduced sentence and that you need to admit to crimes you haven't committed to get out of prison, the lawyers said.

Zarrab is proclaiming his willingness to fabricate testimony out of whole cloth in order to obtain a reduced sentence, the lawyers wrote.

They said the delay in turning over the evidence to Atillas team significantly impairs the ability of the defense to properly and effectively utilize them at trial.

Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for prosecutors, declined to comment.

The criminal case has strained relations between the U.S. and Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly demanded Zarrabs release and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag has called Zarrab a hostage being forced to testify against Turkey.

Bribes paid for release in Turkey

The defense submission came on a day when Zarrab testified that bribes were paid to help secure his release from a Turkish prison after he was arrested in 2013 as part of a sweeping corruption investigation involving the state bank, Halkbank, and several top Erdogan lieutenants.

As Zarrab testified about payments made to secure his release, a prosecutor asked him if the payments were bribes.

Partly, Zarrab responded.

Zarrab, 34, of Istanbul, has been in custody since his March 2016 arrest as he arrived with his family in Florida for vacation. He is a well-known personality in Turkey partly because he's married to Turkish pop star and TV personality Ebru Gundes.

Earlier this year, Zarrab hired former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to try and broker a diplomatic solution to the case.

Jailhouse conversations

The summary of jailhouse conversations attached to the defense letter showed that Zarrab was being told by visitors that diplomatic efforts might win his release.

In an October 2016 summary, there was talk that six people will be exchanged for four people, according to the exhibit.

In the summary of a November 2016 conversation, there was mention that someone working on Zarrab's behalf would try to call then-President Barack Obama if necessary.
Human Rights Watch in a report released on Monday said senior security force officers in the Democratic Republic of Congo mobilized over 200 former M23 rebel fighters from neighboring Uganda and Rwanda to quash protests against President Joseph Kabila at the end of his constitutionally mandated term limit in December 2016.

The 69-page report titled Special Mission: Recruitment of M23 Rebels to Suppress Protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo, documents that Congolese security forces along with recruited M23 fighters killed at least 62 people between December 19 and 22.

Between October and early December 2016, senior Congolese security officers recruited M23 fighters from military and refugee camps in neighboring Uganda and Rwanda, the Rights group said.

The findings are based on over 120 interviews, including with victims of abuse, their family members, witnesses, local activists, nine Congolese security force officers, government and United Nations officials, and diplomats, as well as 21 M23 fighters, commanders, and political leaders.

The M23 (March 23 Movement), a largely Tutsi rebel group, began as a mutiny but rapidly gained ground in North Kivu, taking control of the provincial capital, Goma, in November 2012. It was finally defeated by the Congolese army and the UNs Force Intervention Brigade.

Earlier this year the Democratic Republic of Congo has accused neighboring Uganda of allowing former M23 rebels to cross the common border, sparking fears of a new armed rebellion and yet more humanitarian suffering in a region long ravaged by violence.
Funding for the U.S. government runs out Friday, and some Democratic lawmakers are threatening to vote against spending bills unless Congress addresses the plight of roughly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children  a group whose protection from deportation was revoked by President Donald Trump.

Congress must pass the #DREAMAct before years end, tweeted Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, underscoring his support for a bill that would grant U.S. residency to beneficiaries of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA], a program, crafted by the former Obama administration, that Trump rescinded in September.

Time is running out to pass the #DreamAct before the end of the year, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California wrote on Twitter. GOP leadership must bring a bill to the floor for a vote immediately before Members go home for the holidays.

The push for a DACA fix gained bipartisan momentum on Tuesday when more than 30 House Republicans signed a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan urging congressional action.

We must pass legislation that protects DACA recipients from deportation and gives them the opportunity to apply for a more secured status in our country as soon as possible, the letter said. Reaching across the aisle to protect DACA recipients before the holidays is the right thing to do.

Republican congressional leaders point out that, while ending DACA, Trump delayed potential deportations until March 5 of next year, giving Congress several more months to pass a legislative solution for young immigrants.

There is no emergency. The president has given us until March to address it, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said Sunday on ABCs This Week program. I dont think Democrats would be very smart to say they want to shut down the government over a non-emergency that we can address anytime between now and March.

Some of our Democratic friends are threatening to shut down the government this month, without an agreement on DACA, said Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas. Thats simply a hysterical and cynical ploy, putting their party and their agenda ahead of the nation.

Cornyn acknowledged that negotiations between Senate Republicans and Democrats over a DACA fix, U.S. border security, and other immigration-related items are at an impasse.

Immigrant advocacy groups were swift to respond.

Nothing in life is certain except death, taxes, and John Cornyn talking a good game but getting to no on immigration when it counts, said Americas Voice in a statement. Call it the Cornyn Con.

Democrats said the delay is causing real harm, with hundreds of thousands of DACA beneficiaries who have worked and studied in the United States unsure of their future in the country where they grew up.

Here we are three months after that challenge from President Trump, and what has the Republican majority done in the Senate or the House? Absolutely nothing, said Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. Its pretty easy for any member of the U.S. Senate to say, Whats the hurry  lets go slow. Until they sit down and talk to the young people who are affected.

Many of them are extraordinarily talented young people, Durbin added. The uncertainty, the worry, the stress for these young people will continue while we do nothing.

Cornyn insisted he needs no lectures on the needs of young immigrants.

I come from a state where there are 124,000 DACA beneficiaries, so I understand whats at stake, the Texas senator said. Were going to have to come up with a negotiated outcome that demonstrates our compassion to these young adults who came here as children through no fault of their own, and now find themselves trapped. We need to make sure we stop, or limit as much as we can, illegal immigration into the United States, and that we enforce our laws.

Under DACA, undocumented people who arrived as minors were able to study and work in the United States for two-year periods that could be renewed indefinitely. Former President Barack Obama launched the program by executive order in 2012.

A year later, the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would have addressed the legal status of all undocumented aliens, including DACA beneficiaries. The House never voted on the bill, and the initiative stalled. Neither chamber has taken up immigration reform since then.

Unless Congress extends federal funding, a partial shutdown of the U.S. government will begin Friday at midnight, Washington time. Although Republicans control both houses of Congress, they are expected to need Democratic votes to pass a spending bill, giving Democrats leverage in negotiations.

Congressional leaders of both parties are expected to meet with President Trump to discuss legislative priorities on Thursday. Democrats boycotted a White House meeting last week after Trump preemptively scoffed at the encounter on Twitter.

With the days counting down to a government shutdown, Democrats are mostly united in pressing for a DACA fix. Republicans, on the other hand, are showing divisions.

The House Republican letter urging prompt congressional action on DACA by years end was rejected by several other members of the caucus, including Bradley Byrne of Alabama.

DACA is not going to be a part of this. We made that very clear, Byrne told reporters. We will deal with DACA in the first part of the year. I think there will be enough votes. Its a funding bill, not a DACA bill.

Democrats took note of the chaos and uncertainty on Capitol Hill.

They [Republicans] are in turmoil, said House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland. Its been a standard operating procedure for them.
The European Union named and shamed 17 states that it accuses of being tax havens Tuesday, and put another 47 countries on notice that they risk being blacklisted, too, unless they start tackling tax evasion.

The blacklist was agreed on after 10 months of investigations and diplomatic wrangling, but transparency activists say it doesn't go far enough.

After a meeting in Brussels, EU finance ministers announced the blacklist.

The list doesn't include any European countries, but does name several Caribbean islands, including former British colonies Barbados, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago  a reflection, analysts say, of Britain's reduced political clout in the European Union.

Completing the list are American Samoa, Bahrain, Guam, South Korea, Macau, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

Countries on the list could lose access to EU funds and face further as-yet-undetermined sanctions from the economic bloc.

"To be on a blacklist is, in itself, bad enough and, of course, there will be consequences for these countries," said Luxembourg's finance minister, Pierre Gramegna.

Immediate consequences will be felt by multinationals that do business with any of the blacklisted jurisdictions, as they will face additional and burdensome financial disclosure requirements.

The EU move, part of a broader effort to tackle tax evasion, comes less than a month after the publication of the so-called Paradise Papers, an investigation by nearly 100 media outlets into a leak of 13.4 million files from two offshore service providers.

British officials drew comfort from the exclusion of the Cayman Islands and Bermuda from the list; but their omission prompted an outcry from transparency activists, who dubbed the exercise a "whitewash." Other transparency campaigners, including Oxfam, argue the blacklist should have included well-established EU tax havens: Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Malta, as well as Switzerland.

Another 47 jurisdictions were included Tuesday in a "grey list." Among those are other British-tied jurisdictions, the Isle of Man and Jersey. The finance ministers deemed them as not currently compliant with EU standards, but all have formally committed to changing their tax rules.

Critics of list

The Tax Justice Network, an advocacy group that campaigns against tax avoidance and corruption, said the European Union had flunked the tax haven test, arguing it had missed an opportunity.

"The list appears to be a politically-led list, that includes only the economically weak and politically unconnected," it said. The blacklist is hard to take seriously, it added, saying, "EU members like the Netherlands, Ireland and Luxembourg are the greatest procurers of global profit-shifting, but are excluded."

Pierre Moscovici, the European commissioner for economic and financial affairs, dismissed the complaints, describing Tuesday's naming and shaming as a vital "first step."

"This list represents substantial progress. Its very existence is an important step forward," he said, adding, "It is the first EU list; it remains an insufficient response to the scale of tax evasion worldwide."

Toomas Toniste, Estonia's finance minister, agreed that the list was an important step.

"This initiative is already proving its value, as numerous countries have worked to meet the deadline for making commitments on the basis of our criteria," he said.

Pushing for change

In the past few weeks, countries at risk of inclusion have been scrambling to promise reforms. To remain off the list, countries had to promise to implement "fair tax rules," which Brussels defines as not offering preferential treatment for companies enabling them to move profits to avoid taxes elsewhere. They also had to pledge to meet international transparency standards of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD.

Hours before the list was announced, officials from Panama, Samoa, Guam and the Marshall Islands said they thought they had done enough to escape being blacklisted. Several of the named Caribbean islands appealed for exclusion on the basis of the devastation they suffered this year from hurricanes. Several other hurricane-impacted Caribbean islands have been put on probation and their cases will be addressed in February.

Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers in Britain accused the British government of being weak on tax avoidance, criticizing London's diplomatic efforts to persuade EU finance ministers to go easy on the Caribbean islands. Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable accused Downing Street of helping the super-rich hide their cash.

Cable argued the British government had a long history of "dragging its heels" when it comes to tax havens, saying he witnessed a lack of action when he was in government.

"Some Caribbean islands in particular were operating to very poor standards, sometimes to the cost of the British government," the former business secretary said.

British officials dismiss such accusations, saying London is at the forefront of tackling avoidance and ensuring tax transparency.
Qatar's Emir said on Tuesday he hoped a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Kuwait would help maintain stability in the region, Al-Jazeera TV said, though three Arab heads of state involved in a rift with Qatar stayed away.



Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain sent ministers or deputy prime ministers to the annual event.



The countries and non-GCC member Egypt have imposed economic, diplomatic and trade sanctions on Qatar in a dispute that began in June.



Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said the summit took place in "highly sensitive circumstances." He and Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah were the only heads of state to attend the meeting.



"I am full of hope that the summit will lead to results that will maintain the security of the Gulf and its stability," Tamim said, according to the Doha-based Al-Jazeera.



Sheikh Sabah said in a speech at the end of the summit: "We proved once again the resilience of our Gulf institution and its ability to be steadfast, simply by holding into the mechanism of convening these meetings."



In his opening speech, the Kuwaiti ruler called for a mechanism to be set up in the Western-backed grouping to resolve disputes among its members.



Relations within the Gulf have soured since the four Arab states accused Qatar of supporting terrorism. Qatar denies the charges.



Kuwait, which had spearheaded unsuccessful mediation efforts since the rift began, had hoped the summit would give leaders a chance to meet face-to-face, two Gulf diplomats said.



Earlier, the UAE said it would set up a bilateral cooperation committee with Saudi Arabia, separate from the GCC, on political, economic and military issues.



UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan said the new committee would be chaired by Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, Mohammed Bin Zayed, state news agency WAM reported. Saudi Arabia has not yet commented.



The proposal coincides with an escalation in a conflict in Yemen that involves Saudi Arabia and UAE.



Veteran former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed in a roadside attack on Monday after switching sides in the war and abandoning his Iran-aligned Houthi allies in favor of a Saudi-led coalition.



The GCC was founded in 1980 as a bulwark against bigger neighbors Iran and Iraq.



Writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg.
Ali Haris dreamed of getting a college degree and a well-paid job. Instead, he had to quit his education after high school. Going to Balochistan University, the only public university in the area that he could afford, would require him to travel through areas unsafe for him, putting his life at risk.

At that time, around 2013-14, there was no chance that if we went there we would come back alive, he said. He wasnt alone in giving up the prospects of a comfortable future.

Out of my class in school, almost 70-80 percent quit higher education, he added. Some who could afford it migrated to other cities or other countries. The ones left behind were doing odd jobs in the area.

The 21-year-old belonged to the Hazara community, a minority Shiite sect that primarily resides in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. For years, Sunni militant groups in Pakistan have targeted Shiites across the country for their faith, but the Hazaras seem to have an extra-large target blazed on their backs.

While it is usually hard to physically distinguish between Shiites and Sunnis, the Hazaras are an exception. Their distinctive facial features, a mixture of Mongolian and Central Asian ancestry, make them easily identifiable. In addition, many of them live in two large clusters in Quetta, the capital city of Pakistans restive Balochistan province, making attacks easier to plan.

Over the last 10 or so years, hundreds have been killed in suicide bombings or targeted attacks. Stories of near death experiences are aplenty.

We were saved just because the car took a turn. If we were a few seconds late, we would be gone, said Daud Changezi, describing the day when a massive blast ripped through Quettas Alamdar road, killing more than 90 people. In the car with Changezi were his wife and four kids.

He now works from home, consulting for various NGOs, but feels his professional growth has stagnated.

The favorite part of my job was field work. Now I cant go out, he said, although he still feels he is one of the luckier onesat least he has a job. Many of his friends were less fortunate.

My friend Abdul had a mobile phone shop in the main bazaar, but he closed his business and left the country. He is now in Indonesia, in a transit center for refugees, Changezi said.

Protection for Hazaras

After several particularly heinous attacks in 2013, the government started providing Hazaras extra protection. A paramilitary force called the Frontier Corps set up check posts at main entrances to Hazara areas. Anyone going inside is now stopped, their identity documents checked. Peripheral entrances are blocked by thick walls.

While these measures have helped stem attacks on Hazaras, they have also stifled the communitys social and economic life. The designated safe areas for Hazaras mean the rest of the city is inherently unsafe for them.

We've been economically strangled. We had a lot of shops around town. Now there are none. We had a successful transport business across town. Now we are limited to our own areas, said Ahmed Ali Kohzad, a politician and a member of the Hazara Democratic Party.

Many have left their jobs because they feel unsafe traveling to work. Haris recalled how one of his friends was called for a job interview. It could be a lucrative career in a government office. But he was the only son and the family decided against sending him.

Others, like a local journalist Qadir Nayel, complained of social isolation.

While the city is multi-cultural, our kids are learning only one culture and one language. They are not getting ready for the world, he said.

The government says it has taken remedial steps and the situation has significantly improved as a result.

Since the beginning of the violence, several thousand Hazaras from Pakistan have tried to migrate to other countries, sometimes illegally. Several thousands of them are languishing, along with Hazaras from Afghanistan and Iran, in transit camps in Indonesia, waiting, sometimes for years, for the UNHCR to help them settle in another country. Meanwhile, since Indonesia does not recognize refugees, they cannot enroll in a school, work, or travel.

Meanwhile back in Pakistan, the young Hazara men who once hoped to support families are now struggling to support themselves.

Right now I am working here as a laborer, Haris said. The dreams I had, the prospects of income I imagined, theyre all gone.
The special envoy of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to South Sudan Ismail Wais told South Sudan in Focus in an exclusive interview Tuesday that he expects rebel leader Riek Machar, who's been under house arrest in South Africa for months, to attend an upcoming forum on the 2015 peace agreement.

Wais said the high-level revitalization forum will get under way December 17 in Addis Ababa, a day after a consultative meeting.

"The main objective of the forum is to be all inclusive, and it will be fatal to exclude any key stakeholder in this revitalization forum," Wais told VOA.

"Of course, everybody cannot be invited, but we conducted the mapping exercise of the key stakeholders and this exercise was approved and we will send to all of the key stakeholders and they have accepted that these are the key players of the issues in South Sudan," Wais said.

The former economic adviser to the president of Djibouti said he and other members of the IGAD consultative team traveled recently to South Africa to meet with Machar.

"We consulted with him. And we discussed the forum and he agreed to the concept that IGAD is proposing for the upcoming forum," Wais said.

Senior government officials, including South Sudan's Information Minister Michael Makuei, have said on several occasions that Machar should not attend the forum for reviving the collapsed 2015 peace deal, insisting that someone within Machar's SPLM-In Opposition could attend in his place.

Asked if Machar will be Addis Ababa in person, Wais demurred.

"We are now in the process of sending the invitations. So far, no one has received an invitation, but be assured when the invitations go out, he will also receive an invitation letter."

Other South Sudanese opposition officials have criticized IGAD's track record on efforts to bring peace to South Sudan.

In July, Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, a leading member of the opposition faction allied to Machar, voiced skepticism that the revitalization forum would make a difference and said the forum proves the peace agreement has collapsed. Wais, however, defended IGAD's participation in South Sudan peace talks.

He noted IGAD has been involved in the peace process regarding the South Sudanese since the 1980s, "and it continued, and when this conflict erupted it was IGAD that was on the table, before any other institution."

Wais told VOA that the region is united on one issue: "restoring peace to South Sudan."
Doctors across the U..S could soon be prescribing formerly illegal drugs as therapy for two hard-to-treat diseases - childhood epilepsy and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A growing body of scientific evidence is leading the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take a closer look at cannabidiol, an extract of marijuana, and MDMA, an ingredient in the party drug ecstasy.

The makers of a cannabidiol product named Epidiolex have now completed all three phases of FDA-approved clinical studies. The submission for FDA approval includes clinical data on 1,500 patients, 400 of whom had used it for more than a year. If it is approved, Epidiolex could be part of the legal arsenal for treating epilepsy within a year.

MDMA

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a non-profit organization focused on beneficial medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana. It funded six Phase 2 FDA-approved clinical studies of MDMA combined with therapy for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The only PTSD medicines currently approved by the FDA usually dont work well, says Boulder, Colorado, psychiatrist Will Vanderveer, and leave millions of people still symptomatic and suffering. And dying from suicide."

Vanderveer worked with psychotherapist Marcela OtAlora, who led the study, which ran for more than three years. Each of the 28 participants was given a monthly dose of MDMA and weekly therapy sessions over the course of three to six months. When they were given MDMA, therapists stayed with them during the eight hours the drug was active, helping them process past traumas in a more effective way.

OtAlora says the MDMA promoted trust with the therapists, and the insights gained were profound.

It could be crying, it could be even screaming. They realize, 'wow, I was completely going away and dissociated from the experience, and now I see what was really happening.' Anger can come up, really getting in touch with the anger at what was done to them.

Karen, one of the participants, was plagued by nightmares and dread after being sexually abused as a child. She says that decades of therapy and anti-depressant drugs did not help, but this protocol did.

I don't walk around just thinking I'm garbage anymore. You know, I feel like, wow, you know, I'm kind of a good person here. James was a combat medic, and returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan with PTSD. He tried a number of different therapies, but still felt like he was in a dark cave, with no way out. Then he found the MDMA study. In an on-line documentary about the study, he describes the drug as "a kind of light," and the therapists as "guides. And I could see around the cave and figure out how to get out of there. It was really helpful."

The MDMA plus therapy protocol eliminated symptoms in nearly 70 percent of the participants previously diagnosed with treatment resistant PTSD. The final step before requesting FDA approval as a prescription medicine is Phase Three trials, which are scheduled to begin next year.
Ireland has struck a deal with Apple to collect up to 13 billion euros ($15 billion) in back taxes and hold it in an escrow account pending an appeal before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The government said in a statement Monday that an agreement had been reached "in relation to the framework of the principles that will govern the escrow arrangements."

The European Commission had ordered Ireland to collect the money after concluding that two Irish tax rulings allowed Apple to pay less tax than other businesses  thus giving them an unfair advantage. The Commission ordered Ireland to collect back taxes for the years 2003-2014, which it estimated to be as much 13 billion euros plus interest.

Ireland disagreed with the Commission's analysis and appealed the decision.

Apple said in a statement that it remains confident the court will overturn the commission's decision once it has reviewed the evidence.

"The Commission's case against Ireland has never been about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government gets the money," Apple said in a statement. "The United States government and the Irish government both agree we've paid our taxes according to the law."
Thousands of migrants flown back from Libya are likely to attempt the perilous journey to Europe again unless they find jobs at home, Senegal said Tuesday, after reports that slave traders were selling Africans in markets.

The West African country has some of the highest numbers of young men who get trafficked, imprisoned and sold in lawless Libya while trying to reach Europe, according to the United Nations migration agency.

"If we don't provide for their needs, they'll leave again," said Mariama Cisse, who coordinates government programs for returnees, including job training, loans and community projects.

"At the moment we cannot cover all the needs," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The trafficking and enslavement of African migrants has been in the spotlight after footage broadcast by CNN last month appeared to show Africans being sold in Libya, sparking a global outcry and protests across Europe and Africa.

Since then, countries such as Senegal have pushed to bring their nationals home.

Senegal is a stable democracy, but its rural villages have emptied of young men who are unemployed and see Europe as the only means to a better life.

"I cannot stay in this country and watch my parents suffer," said Djiby Diouf, one of 162 migrants who returned from Libya on Tuesday on a charter flight organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the government.

Tortured, burned

The 25-year-old electrician had hoped to find a job in Europe and send money back home. But he was tortured in Libyan detention centers for a year and suffered severe burns from gasoline that spilled on him in a boat that capsized while crossing the Mediterranean, he said.

Diouf plans to stay home only long enough to recover from his injuries.

"If the state doesn't help us, I will leave again," he said.

Other migrants on the flight said they were unsure of their plans, while several said that they would be content to stay in Senegal and try to get by.

To stem the tide of departures, the European Union has given Senegal over 160 million euros ($189 million) for youth opportunities, reintegration and development projects, IOM's chief of mission in Senegal, Jo-Lind Roberts, said.

But returnees in need of assistance are increasing, with many more expected in the coming months, she said.

More than 2,600 Senegalese migrants have flown home this year with IOM's voluntary repatriation scheme, compared with about 1,800 in all of 2016.

"It would be ideal for additional support for reintegration programs to be set up," Roberts said.
Afghanistan's security forces, in joint counterterrorism raids with U.S. partners, this week have killed several high-profile leaders of al-Qaida, along with 80 other members of the terrorist network and the Taliban insurgency,



The Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), announced details of the operations Tuesday, saying Omar bin Khetab, also known as Omar Mansoor, was among the dead.



Khetab was the second-in-command of al-Qaida in Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent.He also was the most senior member of al-Qaida to have been killed in the country since 2001 when a U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul for sheltering the leadership of the international terrorist group.



The joint security operations focused on the provinces of Ghazni, Zabul and Paktia, bordering Pakistan.They also destroyed five al-Qaida bases and arrested 27 militants, the NDS said.The agency did not give further details about the nationalities of Khetab and other high-profile slain commanders.



In a separate statement, the U.S. military confirmed the death of Khetab in operations it said were conducted on Monday.



The Taliban has rejected the claims as baseless, saying the Islamist insurgency has no links with any foreign organization.In a statement sent to media, the group's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, also denied any Afghan-U.S. operations this week in the three provinces.



The U.S. military in its statement also confirmed the killing of a top Taliban commander in a separate kinetic strike conducted in southern Helmand province. The Afghan spy agency announced earlier this week the death in a security operation of Mullah Shah Wali, also known as Haji Nasir, who commanded the so-called "Red Unit" elite force of the Taliban in the largest Afghan province.



Nasir and his "Red Unit" are responsible for planning numerous suicide bombings, IED attacks and coordinated assaults against civilians, Afghan and coalition forces," stated the U.S. military.



The commander of U.S. troops and NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, praised the operations as a "testament to the real growth" Afghan forces have achieved over the past year.



"It is also another example of the lethality of the undefeated Afghan Special Forces and the success of working side by side with our Afghan partners."



Borhan Osman, a senior analyst at International Crisis Group for Afghanistan, described Nasir's death as a major loss for the Taliban insurgency. Osman wrote on his official Twitter account that the slain insurgent commander led decisive Taliban battles in northern Helmand and fought militants of the Afghan branch of rival Islamic State.

Tactical collaboration



Last week, General Nicholson spoke in detail about the presence ofal-Qaida remnants and its affiliates and their ongoing collaboration with the Taliban.



Even though the Taliban would not publicly acknowledge ties with al-Qaida, there is still a close relationship at the "tactical level" between the two, the general noted.



"They [al-Qaida] tend to provide some of the expertise, the training on specialized weapons or IEDs or bomb making. It is al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent fighters who are the ones who are training a lot of local Taliban, and in return for this, the Taliban affords them sanctuary," Nicholson said.



Nicholson also said U.S. forces continue to hunt al-Qaida fighters and strike them wherever they find them, primarily in the eastern part of Afghanistan.



"And when you find them, they are existing within a friendly environment created by the Taliban," Nicholson said.



U.S. forces two years ago located and destroyed a major al-Qaida camp in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, killing a large number of militants.



The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan 16 years ago to bring al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his associates to justice, accusing them of masterminding the terrorist attacks on U.S. cities on September 11, 2001.



The U.S. military has since killed a large number of commanders and fighters of the group in Afghanistan. Bin Laden was located and killed by U.S. special forces in 2011 in a covert raid against his hideout in neighboring Pakistan.
The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday that it was considering whether to ban certain bump stocks, the attachments that make semiautomatic rifles fire faster and were used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in Las Vegas in October.

The Las Vegas gunman's use of bump stocks to allow his weapons to fire like fully automatic machine guns, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds, has led to rare bipartisan agreement in Congress on the need to review whether they should be banned.

"Possessing firearm parts that are used exclusively in converting a weapon into a machine gun is illegal, except for certain limited circumstances," U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said in a joint statement. "Today we begin the process of determining whether or not bump stocks are covered by this prohibition."

Authorities said Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock's ability to fire hundreds of rounds per minute over 10 minutes from his 32nd-floor hotel suite was a major factor in the high casualty count. Paddock, 64, killed himself before police stormed the suite.

Feinstein bill

Previously, Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California introduced a bill that would outlaw bump stocks, while several Republicans who have typically opposed gun restrictions signaled a willingness to explore the issue.

As part of the ATF's review of bump stocks, it plans to publish a notice that will eventually appear in the Federal Register seeking public comment.

The legal analysis will revolve around the definition of the term "machine gun" and whether bump stock weapons are covered by that definition.

The acting director of the ATF, Thomas Brandon, is scheduled to testify on Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he is expected to field questions on bump stocks.

In addition, the hearing will explore issues related to the government's database used to conduct background checks on gun buyers, after a man who killed 26 people in a Texas church was left out of the database despite his criminal record.

Last month, Sessions ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the ATF to conduct a review of the gun owner background check database, known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, to ensure criminals are prevented from buying guns.
President of South Africa Jacob Zuma said his country is eager to foster ties with Morocco and to give substance to the promising future awaiting bilateral relations.

Zumas remarks came in an interview with South African news outlet News 24 following the meeting he held with King Mohammed VI in Abidjan last week on the sidelines of the African Union  European Union Summit, a meeting that heralded a new era in the two countries relations.

During the talks in Abidjan, the two leaders agreed to work together for a promising future, especially as Morocco and South Africa are two important poles of political stability and economic development in the continent.

They also agreed to maintain direct contact and to launch a fruitful economic and political partnership in order to build strong, lasting and stable relations and to go beyond the situation that had characterized bilateral relations for decades.

They also agreed to upgrade their bilateral relations to ambassadorial level.

Morocco had recalled its ambassador from South Africa in 2004 after President Thabo Mbeki recognized the Sahrawi republic.

In the interview published Sunday, Zuma said that Morocco would send its ambassador back to Pretoria as a first sign that the two countries were resuming diplomatic relations.

Morocco is an African nation and we need to have relations with them, Zuma said, adding We never had problems with them (Moroccans) anyway.

He recalled Moroccos support for the South African people in its fight against racial segregation. Morocco was one of the countries in which former President Nelson Mandela had acquired military experience in the early 1960s, Zuma added, stressing that they (Moroccans) helped us a great deal.

That is why, when Mandela was released from prison, he felt it was important for him to go to Morocco and say thank you to them, Zuma said.

Commenting on Zumas meeting with the king, the Johannesburg-based website dailymaverick.co.za, highlighted Moroccos major diplomatic offensive in Africa.
Kosovo's president on Tuesday openly called for international missions to leave the country and complained that the international community is discriminating against Kosovo when it comes to war crimes investigation and the process to join the European Union.

Hashim Thaci told security force troops that the time of the international missions in Kosovo has passed. Complaining of their unjustified number operating in Kosovo, he said now accountability for our path, for the present and the future is in our hands.

'Bilateral recognition'

After NATO's 78-day air campaign to stop a bloody Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists ended in June 1999, Kosovo was governed by a U.N. mission. It still operates but in a more minor role since the country declared independence in 2008.

Kosovo is recognized by 114 countries but not by Serbia.

Thaci said the six-year EU-facilitated negotiations with Serbia should end with a bilateral recognition. He said that Kosovo's goal is EU membership and not to have its lifelong missions (in its territory).

The president openly complained about the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a court based in The Hague, Netherlands, with international judges. It has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under Kosovo law which allegedly occurred between Jan. 1, 1998, and Dec. 31, 2000.

More courts needed



Thaci said the court wouldn't strengthen the feeling of justice for the war victims since its focus will only be on Kosovo Liberation Army fighters. He said that 100 such courts need to be created to cover all the war crimes committed by Serbia and that the international community is discriminating against Kosovo.

He also said that the EU door to Serbia, which he blamed for most of the war crimes in the Balkans, is open ... while Kosovo is isolated.

Thaci considered unfair that Brussels has linked the visa liberalization for Kosovo to the approval of the border demarcation deal with Montenegro, signed in 2015 but harshly contested by the opposition.

Does Kosovo enjoy a European prospect, or not, he asked.

Pleased with mandate

Thaci was pleased the mandate of the EU mission supporting Kosovos path to European integration in the areas of rule of law and fighting corruption since independence in 2008 would be over next year.

Thaci didnt complain, however, about the presence of around 4,500 troops from 31 countries deployed in Kosovo since June 1999.

He said that the country's security force would turn into an army in close cooperation with NATO and other Western forces.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri will meet ministers from major powers in Paris on Friday to discuss ways of stabilizing his country a month after his shock resignation plunged it into political turmoil, three diplomats said.

The Arab and European diplomats said Hariri would take part in the meeting of the International Lebanon Support Group, a body that includes the five members of the U.N. Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Hariri resigned as prime minister in early November while he was in Saudi Arabia, prompting a political crisis in Lebanon and thrusting it back into a regional tussle between Riyadh and its main regional foe, Iran.

Hariri has now returned to Beirut and indicated that he might withdraw his resignation, which was never accepted by the president.

Lebanese officials say Saudi Arabia had coerced Hariri, a long-time ally of the kingdom, into resigning and held him there against his will until an intervention by France led to his return to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia denies this.

A European diplomat said the aim of the meeting would be "to put pressure on the Saudis and Iranians."

He added that the meeting would be an opportunity to reinforce that the Lebanese must stick by the state policy of "disassociation," or keeping out of regional conflicts.

Before Hariri sets off, Lebanon's cabinet is this week set to meet for the first time since the political crisis erupted.

The date of the cabinet meeting has not yet been confirmed but it is expected to address Hariri's resignation.

A Lebanese MP who met Hariri on Monday said discussions among politicians were "moving positively" and would result in a "unanimous stance" by the cabinet soon.

The comments from MP Wael Abu Faour were published by Hariri's office on Monday.

The Lebanon support group, launched in 2013, also includes the European Union, the Arab League and the United Nations.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri rescinded his resignation on Tuesday, drawing a line under a month-long crisis triggered when he announced from Riyadh that he was stepping down and remained outside Lebanon for weeks.

His coalition government, which includes the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, reaffirmed a state policy of staying out of conflicts in Arab states. Hariri's Saudi allies accuse Hezbollah of waging war across the Middle East as agents of Iran.

Hariri's shock resignation had thrust Lebanon to the forefront of the regional quarrel between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which has been played out on battlefields in Syria, Iraq and Yemen in recent years.

Lebanese officials said Saudi Arabia had coerced Hariri, a long-time Saudi ally, into resigning and put him under effective house arrest until an intervention by France led to his return to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and Hariri have denied this.

President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, refused to accept his resignation while he remained abroad.

Saudi concern over the influence wielded by Shi'ite Iran and Hezbollah in other Arab states, notably Yemen, had been widely seen as the root cause of the crisis, which raised fears for Lebanon's economic and political stability.

The Lebanese policy of "dissociation" was declared in 2012 to keep the deeply divided state out of regional conflicts such as the Syrian civil war. Despite the policy, Hezbollah became heavily involved there, sending thousands of fighters to help President Bashar al-Assad.

In its first meeting since Hariri's resignation, the cabinet on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to the policy.

"All (the government's) political components decide to dissociate themselves from all conflicts, disputes, wars or the internal affairs of brother Arab countries, in order to preserve Lebanon's economic and political relations," Hariri said.

"The cabinet thanks its leader for his position and for revoking his resignation," he added, reading out a government statement that referred to himself.

Lebanon, where Sunni, Shi'ite, Christian and Druze groups fought a civil war from 1975-1990, has a governing system designed to share power among sectarian groups.

Hariri, a wealthy Sunni businessman with financial interests in Saudi Arabia and long ties to the kingdom, had denounced Iran during his resignation speech and said he was outside Lebanon because he feared for his family's safety. His father, a former prime minister, was assassinated in 2005.

In a speech during the cabinet session, Hariri warned that the tensions in the region could easily drag Lebanon down a dangerous route, and the issues which had led to the crisis cannot be ignored.

"Developments in the region suggest a new wave of conflict ... Perhaps the conflict is nearing the end, and Lebanon cannot be plunged into chaos on the finish line," he said.

"The attack on Gulf states in the media and politics is an issue which threatens the Lebanon's interests and especially the interest of Lebanese working in the Gulf," he said.

"If we are rejecting interference by any state in Lebanese affairs, it cannot be that we accept that any Lebanese side interferes in the affairs of Arab states," he said, an apparent reference to Hezbollah.

"We have to address this issue, and take a decision announcing our disassociation, in words and deeds. We must be convinced that interfering in the internal affairs of the Gulf States has serious repercussions on our situation and our interests," he said.

Hariri's resignation was accompanied by a sharp escalation in Saudi statements targeting the Lebanese state, with Riyadh at one point accusing the Beirut government of declaring war against it.

Western governments, including the United States, stressed their support for Hariri and Lebanon.

Before leaving Riyadh, Hariri said Lebanon was at risk of Gulf Arab sanctions because of Hezbollah's regional meddling.

He indicated the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese in the Gulf could be at risk, as well as trade, vital to the stability of the Lebanese economy.
The Maldives government on Monday defended its free trade agreement (FTA) with China against criticism from the opposition that it was signed in haste and with insufficient parliamentary scrutiny.

Under the deal signed last week, China will exempt Maldives exports from tax while the archipelago nation will waive tariffs on Chinese imports. Fish is the main export from the Maldives, an Indian Ocean country of 400,000 that relies on tourism.

The government said the deal would help diversify the $3.6 billion economy and boost fish exports, crucial since the European Union declined in 2014 to renew a tax concession. Fish account for 5 percent of GDP and last year earned $140 million.

President Abdulla Yameen's government has had good relations with China since it came to power in 2013. Talks on the deal started in 2014, said Mohamed Hussain Shareef, the Maldives ambassador to Sri Lanka.

China has struck deals with countries in Asia and Africa to ease its import of key commodities and boost its diplomatic clout.

"The issue to some people is not the fact that there is a free trade arrangement but because it is China," Hussain told reporters in Colombo.

The EU declined to extend tax exemptions for Maldives fish because the country failed to comply with international conventions on freedom of religion, European diplomats in Colombo have told Reuters. That decision raised the cost of fish exports to the European Union by 25 percent.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party said in a statement on Sunday it was deeply concerned over what it said was a rushed deal. It said lawmakers had requested access to FTA paperwork but the government gave parliament less than one hour to approve a document of more than 1,000 pages.

"The MDP is deeply alarmed that the Yameen government is entering a trade deal that will have immense economic repercussions on the Maldivian economy," it said, adding that key details were shrouded in secrecy.

Authorities have disqualified key opposition candidates from contesting next year's election citing prior convictions. The country has seen unrest since its first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Nasheed, was ousted in 2012.

He was sentenced to 13 years on terrorism charges after a trial criticized as unfair. He was later allowed to seek medical treatment in Britain. The country is largely Muslim, and some youths have fought for Islamic State in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia has pledged $100 million to a new regional military force battling jihadist groups in West Africa's Sahel region, force member Mali said on Monday.

The contribution would be a major boost to the cash-strapped force and bring pledged commitments to more than half the roughly $500 million the G5 Sahel says it needs for its first year of operations.

The G5 Sahel  composed of the armies of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad  launched its first military campaign in October amid growing unrest in the Sahel, whose porous borders are regularly crossed by jihadists, including affiliates of al-Qaida and Islamic State.

Those groups have stepped up attacks on civilian and military targets, including tourist attractions in regional capitals, raising fears the zone will become a new breeding ground for militants.

Malis foreign ministry said Saudi Arabian authorities made the pledge during a visit to the kingdom late last month by Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.

Saudi Arabias foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Sunni Muslim kingdom is competing with its main rival, Shiite power Iran, for influence across West Africa and other parts of the Muslim world. Donors from both countries have given money to mosques and other causes there.

France, the G5s most vocal foreign backer, has pressed Saudi Arabia to take concrete actions to fight Islamist militants. French President Emmanuel Macron asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to contribute to the G5 when he saw him in Riyadh last month.

The European Union, France, the United States and each of the G5 countries have also promised to fund the force.
President Donald Trumps policy of pressuring Islamabad to rout terrorists seems to have had little effect, adding to the need for U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis to mend badly frayed ties, analysts say.

Mattis met Monday with Pakistans prime minister, defense minister and army chief of staff during his brief stop. The repeated theme was to find common ground to foster peace in neighboring Afghanistan to benefit the entire South Asian region.

But the response from Pakistan was little changed: it would benefit most from stability in Afghanistan, it doesnt harbor terror organizations, and it has sacrificed heavily supporting the U.S. war on terrorism. That leaves the question of whether Pakistan is willing to risk a break in its relationship with Washington and an end to the flow of the billions of dollars in U.S. aid.

I think the time-delaying tactics are still in play, Dr. Ijaz Khattak, a professor at the University of Peshawars Department of International Relations, told VOA Deewa. I believe this time these talks will be a bit unusual as some progress will come out, whether for good or bad. I dont think things can move in ambiguity anymore.

'Miscreants' blamed

Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistan armys chief of staff, claimed success in Pakistans fight against terror and said only miscreants are left.

We have eliminated safe havens from Pakistans soil but are prepared to look into the possibility of miscreants exploiting Pakistans hospitality to the Afghan refugees to the detriment of our Afghan brothers, an army statement quoted Bajwa as saying after meeting with Mattis.



Bharat Gopalaswamy, director of the Atlantic Councils South Asia Program, said that while Afghanistan feels a sense of urgency in fighting the resurgent Taliban and Islamic States new presence, Pakistan may not feel as serious about the situation because it has its own priorities.

Focus on India



The country has been leaning increasingly toward conservatism and religious intolerance, and the powerful militarys focus has always been on rival India.

Trumps approach provides India with a stronger role to play in the region, and New Delhi has eased the pressure that Pakistan has exerted on landlocked Afghanistans international trade by providing alternative delivery routes.

Gopalaswamy told the VOA Urdu show View 360 that Pakistans claims it is fighting extremism have been undercut by the release from house arrest of Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed, who has been accused of masterminding terrorist attacks in India.

Saeed said Sunday that his Jamaat-ud-Dawa group, which has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S., plans to run in next years elections.

This is the right time to enter the countrys politics and highlight the Kashmir cause, Saeed told reporters in Lahore.

Mattis softer approach in Islamabad contrasts with recent comments by other U.S. officials.

'Clear demands'



Last week, Gen. John Nicholson, head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said Islamabad had not carried out the clear demands made by Washington. CIA director Mike Pompeo added Saturday: We are going to do everything we can to ensure that safe havens no longer exist, if Pakistan does not heed the U.S. message on militants.

Since 2004, the CIA has conducted drone strikes  mostly against al-Qaida and Pakistani Taliban targets  in northwest Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.

The United States is considering expanding those strikes, along with several other measures, according to media reports.

VOA Deewa and VOA Urdu contributed to this report.
Criticism of President Donald Trump's reported plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital is pouring in from across the Middle East, Europe and around the world.

One of the strongest statements of opposition to such a plan came from key NATO ally Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan Tuesday.

Erdogan told a parliamentary group meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), "This could go as far as cutting our diplomatic relations with Israel. You cannot take such a step."

He described Jerusalem as a "red line" for Muslims and said Ankara would take measures in the event of a possible U.S. move, including convening the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul. Such recognition by the U.S. not only would be a violation of international law but also would be "a big blow to the conscience of the humanity," Erdogan said. He warned of serious diplomatic consequences if Washington proceeded with the move.

Israeli officials in turn criticized Erdogan's remarks. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted a senior Israeli official as saying, "Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for 3,000 years and the capital of Israel for 70 years, whether Turkish President Erdogan recognizes it as such or not."

The status of Jerusalem is at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the Palestinians backed by the rest of the Arab and Islamic world. Israel regards the entire city as its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

'Grave consequences'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked other world leaders to intervene, saying "such a U.S. decision would destroy the peace process." In his phone call with Trump, Abbas said he relayed to the U.S. president "the grave consequences of moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem or making any announcement that alters the long-held U.S. policy regarding Jerusalem."

Jordan warned of "grave consequences," and close Trump ally Saudi Arabia expressed hope that the United States would not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Saudi state news agency SPA quoted an unnamed official at the Saudi Foreign Ministry:

"The recognition will have very serious implications and will be provocative to all Muslims' feelings."

The announcement on Jerusalem could take place in a planned speech by Trump on Wednesday, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is on a trip abroad, meeting with EU and NATO officials in Brussels.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Tuesday, "A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states, so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled."

Tillerson ignored a shouted question from a reporter about whether U.S. diplomats would still be safe around the world if the embassy moved to Jerusalem. The State Department also has been quiet on the issue of the possible need to issue security warnings to U.S. diplomatic personnel in the Middle East and Islamic countries.

In a security message Tuesday, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem restricted American government workers and their families from personal travel in Jerusalem's Old City and West Bank, to include Bethlehem and Jericho, amid widespread calls for demonstrations on Wednesday.

'Day of rage'

Palestinian factions and militant groups already were calling for a "day of rage" Wednesday against the possible U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

In Gaza City, Talal Abu Zarefa, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader, said, "We must strengthen the popular movement, which is rejecting this policy, and it is necessary to express the unity of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, the 48 regions and the refugee camps in order to emphasize that Jerusalem is a red line and it's a capital of the Palestinian state, and we cannot accept in any way any harm to Jerusalem city."

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday voiced his opposition to U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

"The Iraqi cabinet vehemently rejects this step and expresses deep concern over such step, and over moving the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem," Abadi said. "The Iraqi government strongly warned of the decision fallout and ramifications. This move would unleash turmoil in the region and the world alike."

While Trump is not expected to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem now, U.S. administration officials say recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital would show his resolve to do it eventually. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump had promised to move the embassy to Jerusalem.

VOA's Turkish service, Robert Berger and Dorian Jones contributed to this report.
Native American tribes on Monday said they will immediately file a lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump, who signed a executive order shrinking two national monuments on land in southern Utah which tribes consider to be sacred.

The order calls for cutting and dividing Bears Ears National Monument, currently about half a million hectares, into two units to be called Shash Jaa (Navajo for Bears Ears) and Indian Creek, which together will total fewer than 93,000 hectares.

The order will also modify the three-quarters-of-a-million-hectare Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument into three units, cutting the total size to just over 400,000 hectares.

The Navajo Nation, together with the Hopi, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni and the Ute Indian Tribe Native Americans, say the president doesnt have the constitutional authority to make the cuts, and they are set to challenge him in what will likely be a drawn-out a test of Trumps legal powers.

The 1906 Antiquities Act allows the president to establish national monuments. But it does not provide additional authority for the president to revoke or modify those designations. Thats an authority that only Congress retains, said Ethel Branch, attorney general for the Navajo Nation, speaking by phone from Salt Lake City.

Branch noted that while she represents only the Navajo Nation, she is coordinating and will be filing the suit jointly with the other tribes.

As an Indian Nation, one of the most important aspects of tribal authority is the ability to continue our existence as Native people into the future. Thats a big part of why we wanted Bears Ears protected as a national monument. And we intend to defend that and make sure that our people have continued access to those lands and the resources that they contain.

In April, Trump called on the Department of the Interior (DOI) to review all national monuments larger than 4,047 hectares with an eye toward their status and use.

"The Antiquities Act does not give the federal government unlimited power to lock up millions of acres [hectares] of land and water, and it is time we ended this abusive practice," the president said, saying the order would end "another egregious abuse of federal power" and return that power to the states and to the people.

No president has yet abolished or revoked national monument status, though presidents have shrunk national monuments in the pastacts which were not challenged but which Branch said were also unconstitutional.

The original intent of the Antiquities Act was to protect our tribal sacred sites and the cultural objects in those sites," said Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians, in a statement. He expressed solidarity with the tribes impacted by the order. "The history of our indigenous ancestors lives in these sacred places. Todays action to reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante endangers our freedom of religion, our histories and our communities."

Navajo Nation spiritual healer Jonah Yellowman, a member of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, told VOA hes disappointed by the order.

We tried to get the Interior Department to come down to where we live and talk to some of our elders and some of the medicine people, but they never did, he said. "They dont really know what it is we are trying to tell them. They dont understand how sacred it is to us.

The White House said Monday that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visited eight monuments in six states and personally held more than 60 meetings with hundreds of local stakeholders.

In a press conference streamed on Facebook after the order was issued, Branch told reporters the five tribes would be filing a lawsuit later in the day.

At the time of this writing, that suit has not yet been filed.

Yellowman, despite his disappointment, expressed confidence for the future.

Whatever will happen, were still together. We still have our beliefs. Were going to prevail.
It is not easy for residents of New Delhis largest resettlement colony to rush out of their homes and scramble to fill water jars on cold, foggy winter mornings when they hear a water tanker arrive.

But after living without access to a tap for years, the 30,000 residents of this area are grateful when the tanker shows up every day.

We used to bring water from such a long distance. We could not even offer anyone a glass of water, we had to keep it for our children, recalls Urmila Devi, one of the residents.

For years, the residents struggled without basic civic amenities in this distant suburb where they were relocated from city slums when the Indian capital was being dressed up for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

That has changed now that women like Devi have learned how to exercise their legal rights to access basic services.

Using a law that empowers Indians to seek information from the government to promote accountability and transparency, these women waged an effective campaign with city authorities to improve access to water, sanitation and transport. Their success is a rare example of economically disadvantaged people using the Right to Information Act to transform their community.

Filing applications under this law, they found out that water tankers allocated to their area were often going elsewhere  a common practice in a city where water shortages prompt residents of other areas to buy the water from the tankers.

The complaints prompted local authorities to fit the tankers with GPS trackers to ensure they reach their destination. Since then the tankers have arrived regularly easing off their water woes. An automated water dispensing unit has been installed in case household supplies run low.

Since the Right to Information was enacted in 2005, tens of thousands of applications have been filed by ordinary citizens to hold authorities to account for grievances such as broken roads or clogged drains. Some media reports have called RTI the fifth pillar of democracy.

But the queries have rarely come from poorer communities. However activists hope this resettlement colony, where the battle for water prompted a sustained campaign for other services such as public toilets and buses, will show the way to others. Once poorly served by public transport, more buses now come to the area, easing commuting woes. A health center has been built and a community center is also coming up.

These barely literate women learned how to handle the paper work and deal with city officials under a project led by the non-profit Marg. It was not an easy endeavor. Urmila Devi and the other women recall traveling for miles to attend meetings. After being accustomed to living on the margins for years, they were confused when they were told they had civic rights. And it took almost a year to understand how to petition authorities.

Initially our writing was crooked. But gradually it improved. The young girls and boys involved in our project here helped us, said Devi.

The women were motivated to learn because they were the worst hit by the lack of amenities, points out Mohammed Noor Alam, a program manager at Marg, who has been at the forefront of the program to train the women. Water became the test case on which they were able to learn, prove to themselves that they can achieve their rights. And the women brought about change, he pointed out.

It was a slow, gradual process that has set fire to their ambitions to transform their area.

Women like Nazra Khatun are now turning their attention to social problems such as safety for women and young girls. We feel empowered after our efforts. We want to work to end domestic violence here and have more harmony in homes, she said.

The power of activism has turned these women into community leaders. Alam said empowering women in this manner could help millions of residents who crowd slums in sprawling Indian cities. They are like hawks who keep a watch on everything. If you see holistically such change led by women can transform the entire society, he said.

And the battle to upgrade the resettlement area is not over. The women are pressing authorities to improve cleanliness and campaigning to get piped water on their doorsteps. Urmila Devi says she wants a water tap in her home. I get wet when I go out to fill water every day, she said. If so many people in the city have piped water, why cant we?

Chants for a pipeline are now ringing loud in the narrow lanes of this resettlement colony.
The Organization of American States on Monday said it could not be sure Honduras' president won a second term in an election last week, citing irregularities and errors in the process and calling for a recount of nearly a third of the votes.

Authorities finished counting votes on Monday after a week of increasingly widespread criticism about the Nov. 26 election, with the diplomatic body lending credence to opposition claims the government manipulated the results to ensure a win.

"The tight margin, along with the irregularities, errors and systematic problems that have surrounded this election, does not allow the mission to be certain about the results," said former Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga, heading the OAS election observation mission in the Central American country.

Early on Monday electoral authorities said President Juan Orlando Hernandez won 42.98 percent of the vote, compared with opposition challenger Salvador Nasralla's 41.39 percent, based on 99.96 percent of ballot boxes tallied.

However, the authorities refrained from declaring a winner, with Nasralla's center-left opposition Alliance demanding a wide recount of nearly a third of votes, a request supported by the OAS and European Union election observers.

The Alliance, which claims that results sheets from ballot boxes were altered, is also likely to formally contest the results.

Hernandez, who has been praised by the United States for his crackdown on street gangs, also refrained from calling himself the winner on Monday, despite claiming victory several times since the election.

"I make a call for peace, for brotherhood, for sanity, for national unity. My commitment to work for peace and tranquility of Honduras is more firm than ever," he told reporters.

Police unit disobeys

His government was struggling to contain the fallout from the chaotic election.

Additional powers granted to the army and police and a nighttime curfew from Friday have led to more than a thousand arrests but failed to stamp out protests. Up to 12 people have been killed in the protests or during a nighttime curfew imposed since Friday to try to contain the unrest.

Tens of thousands peacefully took to the streets on Sunday in a show of force for the opposition. Overnight, residents in the capital Tegucigalpa banged pots and blew horns to show anger at the curfew.

Apparently responding to former TV star Nasralla, who has called on security forces to rebel, more than 200 members of the elite Cobras riot police unit in two cities said they would no longer help enforce the curfew, saying it was tantamount to taking sides.

"We are rebelling," said one of the policemen, who covered his face in a ski mask and declined to give his name. "We call on all the police nationally to act with their conscience."

The police also said they were angry about the death of two colleagues shot while they were enforcing the curfew on Sunday night, an attack a spokesman said was unrelated to the election protests.

Two civilian protesters were killed in the capital overnight, their relatives said, although authorities did not confirm the deaths.

Television images showed tear gas drifting over the elite police unit's base and their armored riot trucks returning from the streets to cheers. Media reports said some members of other police units also protested, adding pay and conditions to their complaints.

It was not clear if the police rebellion would spread, as night fell and another curfew began.

The OAS called for peaceful protests, said politicians must not incite violence and said security forces must respect human rights.

Last week, at least three people were killed as soldiers broke up protesters' blockades of rubble and burning tires. One police source and local reports said five more had been shot dead in the north of the country on Friday. The deaths have not been confirmed by authorities.

In a striking sign of support for Hernandez, the U.S. State Department cleared the way for Honduras to receive millions of dollars in U.S. aid two days after the election, certifying that the government has been fighting corruption and humans rights, a document seen by Reuters showed.

'Stolen'

Early last week, Nasralla, a 64-year-old former sportscaster and game show host, appeared set for an upset victory over Hernandez, gaining a five-point lead with more than half of the ballots tallied.

The counting process suddenly halted for more than a day and began leaning in favor of Hernandez after resuming.

Opposition leaders on Monday showed a sample of their own records of polling that did not match with the tribunals and they reiterated demands for a recount of all the polling stations that were entered into the system after the delay.

"We're not going to let the election be stolen," said Manuel Zelaya, a former leftist president who was ousted in a coup in 2009 who has backed Nasralla.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the United States of backing vote fraud in Honduras, while the U.S. embassy on Monday called for a "transparent, impartial, and opportune election result."

Honduras struggles with violent drug gangs, one of the world's highest murder rates and endemic poverty, driving a tide of its people to migrate to the United States.

Hernandez, 49, implemented a military-led crackdown on gang violence after taking office in 2014. He has been supported by U.S. President Donald Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly.
Georgian Govt Looking to Simplify Tax Legislation

(TBILISI)  The Georgian government is drawing up plans to overhaul the countrys tax code in the hope that the move will improve the investment climate, while attracting more investors and additional capital to the country.The draft law envisages the promotion of capital market development - part of the fulfilment of obligations undertaken by Georgia within the EU Association Agreement - and identifying separate issues regarding taxpayers' annual dues.A special system will be created where entrepreneurs will not have any additional bureaucracy-related challenges by allowing them to pay VAT returns within 5-7 business days via an electronic application.Georgias business association is already aware of the planned amendments to the tax code. The countrys Finance Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze personally met the representatives of Georgias business association and introduced the amendments at the weekend.The draft law will be sent to the Georgian Parliament for further debate in the coming days, said Bakhtadze.
The Trump administration intends to name a former U.S. ambassador to the Philippines and Bolivia to run its embassy in Cuba.



A U.S. official says the administration has selected Philip Goldberg to be the charge d'affaires in Havana. That's the top diplomat at U.S. missions where there is no ambassador. The Senate hasn't confirmed an ambassador to Cuba since relations were restored in 2015.



The official wasn't authorized to disclose the decision and demanded anonymity. The State Department declined to comment.



Goldberg is a long-serving diplomat once kicked out of Bolivia after the government accused him of fomenting unrest. He served in the Philippines under President Barack Obama. It's unclear how long he'll serve in Cuba.



Word of Goldberg's selection came as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Brussels.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday slammed a Republican bill that would make it easier for gun owners to legally carry concealed weapons across state lines ahead of a House vote later this week. It would be the first action by Congress on guns since mass shootings in Nevada and Texas killed more than 80 people.



Pelosi accused Republicans of doing the bidding of the National Rifle Association, which calls the concealed-carry law its top legislative priority.



"Two months after two of the most deadly shootings in modern American history, Republicans are brazenly moving to hand the NRA the biggest item on its Christmas wish list,'' Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement.



"Far from making Americans safer, this deadly, extreme Republican bill would make it legal for more dangerous and untrained people to carry loaded, hidden guns in more public places and would inexplicably try to make the weakest and most dangerous state concealed-carry laws the law of the land in all 50 states,'' she said.



Republicans said the bill would allow gun owners to travel freely without worrying about conflicting state laws or civil suits.



Lawmakers expect House action on Wednesday.



The bill includes a provision to strengthen the FBI database of prohibited gun buyers after the Air Force failed to report the criminal history of the gunman who slaughtered more than two dozen people at a Texas church.

The Air Force has acknowledged that the Texas shooter, Devin P. Kelley, should have had his name and domestic violence conviction submitted to the National Criminal Information Center database. The Air Force has discovered several dozen other such reporting omissions since the Nov. 5 shooting.



If the concealed-carry bill is approved by the House and Senate and signed into law, key state and local laws protecting against gun violence could be overridden, Pelosi said, "inviting concealed weapons into schools, churches, bars and public lands.''



The bill is the latest "but certainly not the last Republican attempt to wipe out common-sense'' gun laws, she said, citing GOP efforts to block legislation tightening laws on background checks, refusal to create a bipartisan Select Committee on Gun Violence and a push to ease restrictions on silencers and armor-piercing bullets.
Members of the United Nations Security Council are expressing deep concern about the situation in Yemen, a day after rebels killed the country's former president and their former ally, Ali Abdullah Saleh, following a spike in violence in the capital with the dissolution of their alliance.

The latest developments in Yemen create a period of maximal risk, a zone of all dangers  both on the humanitarian and military front, said Frances Permanent Representative to the United Nations Francois Delattre. Our first priority is to silence weapons and to allow a complete and immediate humanitarian access on all Yemen and via all its ports and airports."



Following Salehs death, his son Ahmed Ali vowed to confront the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

In a statement, Ali said that he would "confront the enemies of the homeland and humanity, who are trying to obliterate its identity and its gains and to humiliate Yemen and Yemenis."



Britain's Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Jonathan Allen said the escalation in fighting couldnt have come at the worse time for the people of Yemen.



There are nearly 8 million now who are in dire humanitarian need, said Allen, We need humanitarian access, we need commercial access and this is critical.

U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed briefed the Security Council during a closed-door meeting Tuesday.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric earlier told reporters the death of former President Saleh adds an extreme level of complexity to already a very difficult political situation.

Dujarric reiterated that the world body stands ready to broker a negotiated halt to the conflict that has left 10,000 people dead and millions in desperate need of humanitarian aid in Yemen since 2014.

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, called for a humanitarian cease-fire on Tuesday to allow civilians to seek assistance.

"The streets of Sana'a city have become battlegrounds and people are trapped in their homes, unable to move out in search of safety and medical care and to access basic supplies such as food, fuel and safe water," McGoldrick said in a statement.

Saleh ruled Yemen for more than three decades before he was ousted under popular and political pressure in 2012, but continued to wield power behind the scenes, forming an alliance with the Iran-backed Houthis as they seized control of Sana'a in 2014 and forced President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi into exile.

Arab League chief Abul Gheit warned Tuesday that Saleh's killing could bring an "explosion in the security situation in Yemen."

Saleh's death Monday capped a dramatic stretch of days that followed him denouncing the Houthis and suggesting restoring ties with Saudi Arabia, which for two years has led a military coalition in support of Hadi.

"He was martyred in the defense of the republic," said Faiqa al-Sayyid, a leader of the General People's Congress, blaming Houthi rebels for Saleh's killing in south Sana'a.

The rebels said Saleh was on his way to Saudi Arabia when he was killed, calling his death the foiling of what they claim was his attempt at a "coup" against "an alliance he never believed in."

In a televised speech, Houthi leader Abdul-Malek al-Houthi called Saleh's killing a "dark day for the forces of the coalition."

Hadi, in his own address from Saudi Arabia, called on Yemeni people in Houthi-controlled areas to rise up against the rebels.

Clashes between fighters loyal to Saleh and the Houthis first erupted last week when Saleh accused the rebels of storming his giant mosque in Sana'a and attacking his nephew, the powerful commander of the special forces, Tarek Saleh.

Jamestown Foundation senior analyst Michael Horton told VOA on Tuesday while Saudi Arabia is not capable of launching the kind of all out ground invasion that is necessary to defeat the Houthis, the Saudis are likely to intensify the bombing.



There is a real danger that the Saudis will escalate their bombing--this is already in evidence--and thereby exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen," Horton said. "An escalation by Saudi Arabia could in turn cause the Houthis to seek a closer relationship with Iran--as it is now, this relationship is limited at best."

Middle East Institute scholar Zubair Iqbal told VOA that Saleh went too far in supporting the group led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and wrongly expected those countries to provide forces to reinforce his own.

"Now the Houthis will never agree to anything that comes from the side of Saleh or his family or his friends," Iqbal said.

VOA's State Department Correspondent Nike Ching and Victor Beattie in Washington DC contributed to this report.
Qatar's ruling emir will attend a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council this week in Kuwait, his government said Monday, a summit coming amid a boycott of the energy-rich country by three of the council's members.

The ongoing dispute has threatened to tear apart the six-member GCC, all U.S. allies who serve in part as a Gulf Arab counterbalance to Shiite power Iran. Already, the island nation of Bahrain had threatened that it wouldn't take part in any meeting that Qatar attends.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani would fly to Kuwait City for the two-day meeting scheduled to begin Tuesday. It quoted Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani as confirming the emir's attendance and saying he hoped "all parties involved do not need a Western party to intervene."

Later Monday, Kuwait announced Sheikh Tamim had sent a letter to Kuwait's 88-year-old ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, without elaborating.

GCC members Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have cut off Doha over allegations that Qatar supports extremists and has too-friendly relations with Iran. Qatar long has denied supporting extremists, while it shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran.

On Monday, both Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir attended a ministerial meeting in Kuwait City ahead of the summit. Bahrain said it sent Assistant Foreign Minister Abdulla bin Faisal al-Doseri to that meeting that the Qatari foreign minister also attended.

Kuwait has been trying to mediate an end to the crisis that began in June. Sheikh Sabah has flown between Gulf capitals carrying messages. Oman, another neutral party, has acknowledged receiving an invitation for the summit for its ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, though a deputy prime minister will attend in his place.

At Sheikh Sabah's ceremonial Bayan Palace, soldiers in machine-gun-mounted SUVs stood guard as the ministerial meeting took place there. Flags of the six GCC nations flew along the road running past it all the way to the airport, with giant billboards also welcoming the GCC countries.

A similar dispute involving Qatar erupted in 2014. But this time positions have hardened against Qatar, whose support for Islamist opposition groups has angered those now boycotting it. The UAE in particular views Islamists as a threat to hereditary rule in its federation of seven sheikhdoms. Egypt, long angered by Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, is also boycotting Doha.

U.S. role

The U.S., which has some 10,000 troops stationed at Qatar's sprawling al-Udeid Air Base as part of its campaign against the Islamic State group and the war in Afghanistan, also has sought to end the crisis. However, President Donald Trump has made comments seemingly supporting the Arab nations' efforts at isolating Qatar, complicating those efforts.

A Trump-prompted Sept. 9 call between Qatar's Sheikh Tamim and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that offered a chance at negotiations also broke down in mutual recriminations.

Stratfor, a U.S.-based private intelligence firm, said in an analysis Monday that even holding the meeting may signal that the GCC is trying to "sweep its dispute with Qatar under the rug" after rumors circulated for weeks the summit wouldn't be held.

"Holding the GCC summit in any capacity means that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are trying to improve relations with Qatar, or at least keep the dispute behind closed doors," Stratfor said. "Division within the GCC distracts the bloc from its initial role as a security alliance against Iran. As Saudi Arabia ratchets up regional pressure against Iran, Riyadh would prefer to keep the GCC alliance intact."
Russia's justice ministry has designated nine U.S.-government funded media outlets, including Voice of America, as "foreign agents," a move that could complicate their news-gathering operations in Russia.

The ministry also listed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven of its affiliates, after warning last month they could be affected.

The new Russian designation forces the U.S. news outlets to adhere to the same requirements that are applied to foreign-funded non-governmental organizations under a 2012 law. The news outlets, in any information they publish or broadcast to Russian audiences, would be required to mention their designation as a "foreign agent."

They would be required to submit regular reports on their funding, their objectives, how they spend their money and who their managers are.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, Heather Nauert, told reporters Tuesday that the move is "wrong" and added that the State Department is concerned that the new status might result in harassment of U.S. journalists.

Moscow's action Tuesday came in retaliation to Washington's move last month forcing a U.S.-based affiliate of Kremlin-funded RT, formerly known as Russia Today, to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, also known as "FARA." The act requires people acting as agents of foreign governments to publicly disclose their relationship.

Last week, the committee of journalists that issues credentials for media access to cover the U.S. Congress withdrew accreditation for RT, citing the FARA registration. Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, says it will vote this week on whether it will ban access for media organizations designated as foreign agents. Russian officials have called the new legislation a "symmetrical response" to what they describe as U.S. pressure on Russian media.

Reaction

Reacting to Russia's move Tuesday, VOA Director Amanda Bennett said the Russian Ministry of Justice has indicated the new designation will involve more "limitations" on the work of VOA in Russia.

"So far, the full nature of these limitations is unknown. We will study carefully all communications from the ministry and other official Russian organizations," Bennett said. "At the same time, we remain committed to continuing to serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news to our Russian-speaking audiences."

VOA's digital, TV and radio news and information reports are carried in more than 40 languages around the world and weekly reach more than 236 million people.

RFE/RL president Tom Kent, in his reaction to the development, vowed that the network remains "committed to continuing our journalistic work, in the interests of providing accurate and objective news to our Russian-speaking audiences."

Radio Free Europe's journalists report news in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. Five of its affiliates in Russia provide news on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, Siberia, the predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region, provincial Russia and the mostly Muslim region of Tatarstan. It also has an online TV station and a news portal that fact-checks the statements of Russian officials

In an interview with VOA, Congressman Eliot Engel, a ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, called the move "ridiculous" but added, "that's typical for a totalitarian state with a totalitarian leader." He said democracy and free speech are "alien concepts" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law in November empowering the government to designate media outlets receiving funding from abroad as "foreign agents" and impose sanctions against them.
Ukrainian authorities have called for a manhunt for former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, hours after his dramatic escape from police custody in Kyiv.

The announcement by Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office spokesman Andriy Lysenko on December 5 followed chaotic scenes in Kyiv in which Saakashvili's supporters freed him from a police van after security forces stormed his apartment, dragged him off the roof, and bundled him into the vehicle.

Lysenko said in a Facebook post that prosecutors had informed National Police chief Serhiy Knyazev that Saakashvili, the former governor of Ukraine's Odesa region whom authorities accuse of ties to an "organized crime" group, was a wanted man.

Following Saakashvili's initial detention on December 5, his supporters surrounded the police van and prevented it from taking him away. After a long standoff, they appeared to force a door of the van open and pull Saakashvili out as officers inside fired pepper spray in the melee.

He then led hundreds of people in a march to parliament and urged Ukrainians to rally on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, the epicenter of Euromaidan protests that pushed Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's Russia-friendly predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, from power in 2014.

Speaking to a crowd of a few thousand people outside Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, Saakashvili demanded Poroshenko's resignation, calling him a "criminal" and a "traitor to Ukraine."

"An organized criminal group has seized power in our beloved Ukraine," Saakashvili told the rally. "I call on everyone, every real Ukrainian, to demand his resignation."

Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko, meanwhile, alleged at a briefing that an "organized crime" group led by Yanukovych, who is in exile in Russia, has financed protests organized by Saakashvili.

Lutsenko later issued an ultimatum to Saakashvili, telling lawmakers that, if he does not appear before investigators within 24 hours, "the entire law-enforcement system of Ukraine will do everything necessary" to bring him into custody.

Speaking to RFE/RL before addressing the crowd outside parliament, Saakashvili said the accusations against him were "all fake."

"How in the hell would I know these people? Who are they? Its fake," he said in English. "Its all fake.

Saakashvili again rejected the charges in remarks to supporters, saying "all the accusations against me are cynical and ridiculous."

"There is no more bitter foe of Putin in the world than me, and the accusation that I am linked to Russia is completely absurd," said Saakashvili, who also called for Lutsenko's resignation.

While Saakashvili was speaking to the demonstrators outside parliament, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv called for "all sides to de-escalate tensions and avoid violence."

"We are monitoring the situation closely and expect any investigation will be conducted expeditiously and in accordance with Ukrainian law," the Embassy said in a tweet.

Saakashvili's detainment prompted clashes between his supporters and law enforcement officers while Saakashvili urged "all Ukrainians to take to the streets and drive out the thieves."

"Do not let lawlessness happen. Do not let chaos happen. Do not let Poroshenko and his gang continue the robbery," he said. "Ukraine is under a real threat. These people have completely usurped power."

The commotion began shortly after 7 a.m. and was first made public by Saakashvili associate David Sakvarelidze.

"They're breaking down the door at Mikheil Saakashvili's home!" he wrote on Facebook, giving the address and apartment number.

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said that Saakashvilis residence was being searched as part of a criminal inquiry conducted by the Prosecutor-Generals Office.

Investigative procedures are indeed taking place. SBU officers are providing investigative support to a criminal inquiry of the Ukrainian Prosecutor-Generals Office, SBU spokeswoman Olena Hitlyanska told RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service.

Hitlyanska did not specify the nature of the criminal inquiry, but the SBU later said Saakashvili was accused of "complicity with members of criminal organizations and concealing their activity by providing premises and by other means."

At a news briefing, Lutsenko alleged that Saakashvili has held protests financed by allies of Yanukovych, who was pushed from power by pro-European protests in February 2014 and fled to Russia.

The prosecutor-general said the alleged Yanukovych allies included Serhiy Kurchenko, a businessman who also fled to Russia, and claimed that Saakashvili had received $500,000 in a bank transfer from Russia.

As the search unfolded, live videos shared on social media showed a chaotic and sometimes violent scene outside Saakashvilis building, steps away from Independence Square.

A shoving match between law enforcement agents and supporters of Saakashvili ensued as the latter tried to push their way into the apartment.

Video on Facebook showed dozens of riot police around the apartment building preventing people from entering.

The search of Saakashvili's home was conducted two days after his Movement of New Forces party organized a rally in Kyiv calling for Poroshenko's impeachment and for legislation that would allow it to take place. Poroshenko has accused the protest organizers of seeking to destabilize Ukraine, which is struggling with economic troubles and a deadly conflict with Russia-backed separatists in two eastern provinces.

Saakashvili was swept to power in Georgia's peaceful Rose Revolution in 2003 and served as president of Georgia from 2004-13. He conducted major reforms and fought corruption in the former Soviet republic but was accused of abusing his power and is wanted in his home country on suspicion of trying to organize a coup there after leaving office, an allegation he denies.

In the wake of the Euromaidan protests that brought a pro-Western government to power in Ukraine, Poroshenko appointed Saakashvili - an acquaintance from university days - as governor of the Odesa region in 2015. Saakashvili surrendered his Georgian citizenship to take the post.

But Saakashvili resigned in November 2016, saying his reform efforts had been blocked by Poroshenkos allies, and went into the opposition. Saakashvili was then stripped of Ukrainian citizenship by Poroshenko while he was in the United States in June 2017, a move he is challenging in court.

Weeks later, Saakashvili forced his way back into Ukraine and was found guilty of violating the state border. He paid a fine and has since been touring the country, speaking out against Poroshenko and trying to garner support for his fledgling political party, Movement of New Forces.

Saakashvili has indicated he wants to be Ukraines next prime minister, a post that he could theoretically hold as it is a position appointed by the president upon ratification by parliament. With his citizenship status in flux, under current law he is forbidden from officially running for president.

While well-known across Ukraine, Saakashvili and his party enjoy little public support, with nearly all polls showing putting them at around 1-2 percent.

Saakashvili recently claimed that Poroshenko was planning to force him to flee to another country to avoid extradition to Georgia.

During the rally on December 3, Saakashvili alleged in comments to Georgias Rustavi-2 television that Poroshenko and former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili have "agreed that a sentence on trumped-up charges will be quickly issued next week.

Poroshenkos office has not commented on the allegations or Saakashvili's detention on December 5.
The powerful exiled son of Yemen's slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed on Tuesday to lead a campaign against the Houthi movement that killed his father after he switched sides in the civil war.

The intervention by Ahmed Ali Saleh, a former leader of the elite Republican Guard once seen as a likely successor to his father, gives the anti-Houthi movement in Sanaa a potential figurehead, after a week of fighting that saw the Houthis rout Saleh's supporters in the capital.

Yemen's war, pitting the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has brought what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The world body says millions of people may die in one of the worst famines of modern times, caused by warring parties blocking food supplies.

Saleh had helped the Houthis win control of much of the country's north including Sanaa, and his decision to switch allegiances and abandon the Houthis in the past week was the most dramatic change on the battlefield in years. But the Houthis swiftly crushed a pro-Saleh uprising in the capital and shot him dead in an attack on his convoy.

Tens of thousands of Houthi supporters staged a rally in the capital on Tuesday to show support for their leader and celebrate the death of Saleh. They chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and its allies.

Mahmoud Ali al-Houthi, head of the movement's Revolutionary Committee, denied allegations that the group was executing members of Saleh's party after their capture: "We have been treating some of Saleh's sons and we haven't executed them," he told the crowd.

Sanaa saw no fresh fighting on Tuesday after five days of combat that the Red Cross said killed more than 230 people. The Saudi-led coalition struck the city with 25 airstrikes overnight, but U.N. and Red Cross aid flights were able to land at the airport, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said.

"People are now emerging from their houses after five days being locked down basically as prisoners," McGoldrick told a U.N. briefing by phone from Sanaa. "They are now seeking safety, moving their families in case things erupt again and at the same time seeking medical treatment and trying to pacify very terrified kids who have endured five days of relentless shelling, shooting and ground fire and airstrikes."

The Saudi cabinet, in a statement that did not mention Saleh by name, said it hoped the Sanaa uprising against the Houthis would "help rid sisterly Yemen of repression, death threats, ... explosions and seizure of private and public property."

Dancing on Snakes

The death of Saleh, who once compared ruling Yemen to dancing on the heads of snakes, deepens the complexity of the multi-sided war.

Much is likely to depend on the future allegiances of his loyalists, who had previously helped the armed Houthi group, which hails from the Zaidi branch of Shi'ite Islam that ruled a thousand-year kingdom in northern Yemen until 1962.

In a statement sent to Reuters by an aide, his son said his father was killed at "the hands of the enemies of God and the country". Ahmed Ali said he would "confront the enemies of the homeland and humanity, who are trying to obliterate its identity and its gains and to humiliate Yemen and Yemenis."

In an earlier statement carried by Saudi state media, Ahmed Ali said he would lead "the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen ... the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran."

The Arabian peninsula's poorest country, Yemen is one of the most violent fronts in a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who have also backed opposing sides in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere across the Middle East.

Tipping the Balance

The Saudi-led coalition appears to have been counting on Saleh's decision to switch sides to tip the balance of the war.

Saleh, who ruled in Sanaa from 1978-2012, had a strong following in Yemen, including army officers and armed tribal leaders who once served under him.

During the years the ex-president was allied to the Houthis, Yemeni political sources say Ahmed Ali was living incommunicado under house arrest at a guarded villa in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, where he had served as ambassador.

The UAE is a key member of the mostly Gulf Arab alliance that sees the Houthis as a proxy of their arch-enemy Iran.

The Gulf countries had struggled to make gains against the Houthi-Saleh alliance despite thousands of airstrikes backed by Western arms and intelligence. They have used their air and sea power to tightly restrict imports, action that the United Nations says could lead to mass hunger.

Ahmed Ali may be the family's last chance to win back influence. A nephew of the former leader, Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, a senior military commander, was also killed during clashes with the Houthis, Saleh's party said on Tuesday.

Residents reported that fighting had subsided but that Saudi-led coalition jets pounded several targets, including the downtown presidential palace where a governing body led by Houthi-Saleh politicians had regularly convened.

The Houthi leader, Abdul Malek al-Houthi, hailed Saleh's death in a speech on Monday as a victory against a treasonous conspiracy by Yemen's Saudi enemies and called for Tuesday's mass rally at a parade ground near the site of the airstrikes.

In the southern city of Aden, where the Saudi-backed government is based, residents set off fireworks and expressed joy. Saleh was hated throughout southern Yemen after he launched a war to unify the country in 1994, lobbing ballistic missiles at the city.

But his legacy is mixed. He is still loved in much of the north and many supporters will bear a grudge towards his killers. Some feared Saleh's death would only create more instability in Yemen.

"We expect things will get worse for us. This will be the beginning of a new conflict and more bloodshed. The war will not end soon," said Aswan Abdu Khalid, an academic at the psychology department at the University of Aden.
Spains Supreme Court on Tuesday withdrew an international arrest warrant for Catalonias former leader, now in self-imposed exile in Belgium after an illegal independence referendum, in a move to bring his case back solely into Spanish jurisdiction.

Carles Puigdemont and four of his cabinet members went to Belgium when Madrid imposed direct rule on the wealthy northeastern region after an Oct. 27 declaration of independence by his local government.

The decision to withdraw the warrant leaves Puigdemont without an international legal stage on which to pursue his independence campaign. He is likely to be detained if he returns to Spain, pending investigation on charges of sedition, rebellion, misuse of public funds, disobedience and breach of trust.

The battle between Madrid and Catalan secessionists has hurt the Spanish economy and prompted thousands of companies to shift their legal headquarters outside of Catalonia, which accounts for a fifth of Spains economy.

On Tuesday, campaigning began for the Dec. 21 Catalan regional election that Madrid called in an attempt to resolve the crisis by installing an administration in favor of Spanish unity.

However, pro-independence parties view the election as a proxy vote on a split from Spain. Polls show the two sides neck and neck on a high turnout.

Warrants issued

A Spanish court issued the international arrest warrant for Puigdemont on Nov. 3.

On Monday, a Spanish court declared it would keep Puigdemonts former vice president, Oriol Junqueras, in custody in Madrid while he is investigated for his role in preparing the independence referendum.

Removing the international warrant takes Belgiums legal system out of Puigdemonts case. Months of legal wrangling would have ensued if appeals against his extradition were moved through the Belgian courts.

Investigating magistrate Pablo Llarena of the Supreme Court said it was important that just one legal entity oversaw proceedings against the former independence leaders to ensure they get equal treatment.

The Brussels prosecutors office said in a statement it had received the Spanish Supreme Courts decision and on Wednesday it would ask the judge to re-examine the extradition process.

The judge would set a date for a hearing at which they will have no choice but to declare the affair void, the statement said. Afterwards, Puigdemont would be able to leave Belgium.

Puigdemonts lawyer, Paul Bekaert, said legal proceedings in Belgium were now over. Puigdemont would be arrested if he went to Spain, he said.

The Spanish court said Puigdemont and his cabinet members had shown a willingness to return from Belgium to Spain to take part in the election.

Puigdemont gave a televised address from Belgium at a campaign rally on Monday, telling the central government in Madrid that his party would win the election.

Im very sorry I cant be with you now, he said to cheers from members of his pro-independence Junts per Catalunya party, which organized the rally.
Do U.S. laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation infringe on religious freedom and freedom of expression?

The question lies at the heart of Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, one of the closely watched cases before the U.S. Supreme Court this year.

Justices are hearing oral arguments in the case on Tuesday, more than two years after the high court handed down a landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

The case involves a Colorado baker, Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, who refused to design a custom cake for a gay couple's wedding in 2012.

Phillips, a Christian "cake artist," told the couple that while he was happy to sell them other baked goods, he could not bake them a wedding cake because doing so would be tantamount to participating in a religious ceremony to which he objected.

The couple complained to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and later sued Phillips. The commission and state courts found that Phillips had violated Colorado's anti-discrimination laws. Colorado is one of 22 states that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Phillips appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, arguing that the state's anti-discrimination law violated his religious freedom and freedom of expression, both protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

Mastershop's supporters  among them, the Trump administration  argue that the First Amendment prohibits the government from forcing individuals to participate in ceremonies to which they object.

Civil rights organizations assert that personal and religious beliefs can't be used to violate the Constitution's promise of equal protection under the law.

Stephen Wermiel teaches constitutional law at the American University Washington College of Law and talked to VOA about the case.

Can you walk us through the case and how it ended up in the Supreme Court?

The case involves a bakery and its owner in Colorado. The bakery serves the general public, sells all sorts of bread, croissants and things to anybody who comes in. It also has a specialty of wedding cake baking. And the owner refuses to bake wedding cakes for same-sex marriages. He says that it violates both his religious views and also to be ordered to make such cakes for same-sex couples would violate his freedom of expression. He considers the cakes to be a form of expression and that this would interfere.

His argument there is essentially that he would be being forced to express points of view that he doesn't agree with if he has to make a cake for a same-sex couple and he believes that same-sex marriage is immoral or inappropriate. He'd be being forced to endorse same-sex marriage against his own views and that violates his freedom of expression.

And the second aspect of the argument is the "Free Exercise Clause" of the First Amendment?

Yes. He believes same-sex marriage is inconsistent with his religious views  that, therefore, being forced to serve same-sex couples with wedding cakes would violate his freedom of religion, his right to free exercise of religion.

In recent years, there have been a number of similar cases involving small businesses refusing service to same-sex couples. What is different about Masterpiece?

These issues have been out there for a while. I think the time may simply have come that the court felt this issue is prevalent enough or rising enough that it needs to go ahead and weigh in and try to settle the issue.

Is this case about gay rights or the First Amendment?

Yes. The case really pits two values against one another. (The petitioner) basically says this is about his First Amendment rights and not being forced to take positions that he disagrees with, either expressively or religiously.

The state and the parties supporting the state (say) he's entitled to object to same-sex marriage all he wants but he doesn't have a right to discriminate, that this case isn't about his freedom, it's about the discrimination laws of the United States being upheld.

Some of the briefs raise parallels between this and earlier eras of discrimination in the United States. For example, there were segregationists in the 1950s and 1960s that believed they had religion and God on their side. They believed that God had intended to separate the races and they had a religious right to continue to segregate. And the courts have pretty roundly rejected those arguments and said that Congress had a right to pass a public accommodation law requiring businesses not to discriminate on the basis of race and various other characteristics. So this raises some pretty profound issues that we've been dealing for many decades in a different form.
Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has sent a tweet that seems to read like a farewell, amid rumors in Warsaw that she might be replaced.

Szydlo sent the tweet after midnight following talks in her conservative ruling Law and Justice party on reshuffling the government.

There have been rumors for weeks that party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski could become next prime minister though recent Polish reports suggest the most likely new leader will be Mateusz Morawiecki, minister for development and finance.

Szydlo wrote: "Regardless of everything Poland is the most important. One that takes care of family and values (and is) safe. That grew from the foundation of Christian values, tolerant and open. Modern and ambitious. That is my country. An example for Europe and the world. That's who we Poles are.''
Award-winning documentary filmmaker and fine-art photographer Miguel Gandert shows his work highlighting his mestizaje heritage, and the fusion and tension of the relationship between Spanish Colonial and Native Cultures of the Americas. Runs through 12/29.

Querer means to want, to desire, to be in a place, with its people. In folk terminology, querencia is such a place, the center space of desire, the root of belonging and yearning to belong, that vicinity where you first beheld the light. Querencia, in collective terms, is homeland. ~Enrique Lamadrid, Nuevo Mexico Profundo

Miguel Gandert tells stories. He tells stories of his homeland, New Mexico (and beyond), its people and the cultural practices that distinguish communities from each other while simultaneously revealing their kinship. You will have to form your own words, however. Ganderts stories are told through penetrating, black and white photos. A primary focus of his work is his own mestizaje heritage and the fusion and tension of the relationship between Spanish Colonial and Native Cultures of the Americas.

Miguel Gandert, a native of Espanola, NM, is an award-winning documentary and fine-art photographer and filmmaker. His photographs have been shown in galleries and museums throughout the world and are in numerous public collections including the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the National Museum of American History and Art at the Smithsonian.

Querencia: Rituals of the Rio Arriba opens Friday, October 6 at the New Mexico Humanities Council, 4115 Silver Ave SE, Albuquerque. An artists reception will be 6:00 pm  8:00 pm with an artist's discussion at 7:00 pm. The exhibit closes December 29, 2017.
Ombudsman appeals to Govt to strictly monitor fire safety

By Messenger Staff

The Public Defender of Georgia Ucha Nanuashvili has expressed sorrow over the fire broken out at the Leogrand hotel in the city of Batumi on November 24, 2017, claiming 11 lives, and demanded strict fire regulations.According to the Public Defender, it is important to quickly and effectively investigate the cause of the blaze.The investigation was launched under Article 243 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, pertaining to the violation of fire safety rules. In the first place, the investigation should determine whether the fire safety rules were observed in the process of construction of the hotel and whether protection of the rules was required by the respective competent agency when approving the construction project. It should be established if the safety rules were not requested, or not protected despite the request, and the officials who issued permit for the construction and operation of the hotel should be identified, Nanuashvili added.The Public Defender of Georgia has repeatedly appealed to the Government to strictly monitor fire safety.Not only the hotel personnel, but also the state is responsible for the safety of the hotel, Nanuashvili said.Nanuashvili said he will continue to monitor the investigation and hopes that the results of the impartial and objective investigation will be available for the public.
Thousands of people are fleeing villages in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon less than a week after President Paul Biya declared war against anglophone separatist groups. Fleeing villagers complain troops are engaging in rape, killings, and harassment, but the military says they are out to defend the population.

The number of people traveling along the Kumba Mamfe Road in the English-speaking southwest region of Cameroon has drastically dropped. It is along this road that goods from Nigeria are brought into Cameroon and vice versa.



Thirty-two-year-old merchant Takem Ethel said she and her peers suspended business trips between Cameroon and Nigeria after President Biya declared war on separatist groups.

"The number of checkpoints are just unbearable," said Ethel. "Since the president announced that he was fighting against terrorists, it is as if he removed his hungry lions called the military from their den. Those who want to be killed can travel. I still have my life ahead, so I will not move."

Ongoing violence



Violence in the towns of Mamfe and Eyumojock last week claimed the lives of at least six soldiers and a police officer.



Eyumojock is also the hometown of Julius Ayuk Tabe, the man who said he is the first president of Ambazonia, the state the separatists say they have created.



The government of Cameroon says many fighters were being trained there and across the border in Nigeria.



Residents say most youths have escaped to the bushes to flee the heavy presence of the military.



Nyeke George Likiye, an independent analyst in southwestern Cameroon, said he has written to the national government to complain about the troops.



"They are doing their job in excess proportions," said Likiye. "There are some arrests, some unreasonable arrests that are being done, people are being tortured, people are being beaten. This is not correct."

Military denials



General Melingui Noma, one of Cameroon's highest-ranking military officers, denied the southwest has been militarized or that soldiers are committing atrocities. The general said he is aware of alleged excesses but insisted the military is there to protect the population.



"We know that if we want to overcome this crisis, we have to make sure the population is with us," he said. "How can you go and embarrass and harass people whom you want to take information from? If they cannot give us the correct information, if they cannot tell us the truth of what is happening in the field, you will see that the population will then turn and follow those secessionists."



Schools have been closed in most of the English-speaking northwest and southwest since November of last year, when lawyers and teachers called for a strike to stop what they believed was the overbearing use of the French language. Violence erupted when separatists joined in and started asking for complete independence.



President Biya has said he is not open to any negotiation on the form of the state and that Cameroon is one country.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he plans to affirm an "ironclad" U.S. commitment to NATO during a visit to Belgium, Austria and France this week.

Dogged by reports by several media outlets that the White House is considering replacing him with CIA Chief Mike Pompeo, Tillerson called those reports laughable. President Donald Trump also tweeted that Tillerson is not leaving any time soon.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg dismissed Tillersons job insecurity speculation Monday as a distraction, saying the trans-Atlantic alliance and NATO ministers are able to focus on the core tasks of the job we have to do despite any speculation and rumors.

Stoltenberg also praised Tillersons strong personal commitment to the trans-Atlantic bond and to NATO. Tillerson is set to meet with Stoltenberg to discuss a range of global security issues.

The U.S. envoy to NATO, former Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, said that there has been no change to plans for two days of talks starting Tuesday in Brussels between Tillerson and his NATO foreign minister counterparts.

A senior State Department official briefed reporters ahead of the trip, Tillersons seventh visit to Europe since talking the job as chief U.S. diplomat. The official said while in Brussels, Tillerson will also meet with EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, have lunch with the 28 EU foreign ministers and meet with Belgian officials to discuss defense cooperation, Afghan strategy and the defeat of the so-called Islamic State.

The senior state department official said Tillerson will reinforce President Trumps central message of shared responsibility in Europe and the global agenda that includes North Korea, Syria and issues related to Russia. The president has repeatedly called on NATO countries to pay more for mutual defense.

From Brussels, Tillerson will travel to Vienna for the annual meeting of the OSCE, with the emphasis on arms control and human rights, and the senior State Department official said, a message of support for Ukrainian sovereignty.

The official said his final stop will be in Paris where we have a very special and deep cooperation with the French on a global agenda that encompasses issues on Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea and Sahel.

But some analysts say Tillerson's main obstacle abroad may be his own strained relationship with President Donald Trump, as he seeks to reassure U.S. allies at a time of multiple foreign policy challenges with North Korea and a potentially explosive U.S. decision that might be coming later this week on recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The President of the American Academy of Diplomacy, former Ambassador Ronald Neumann told VOA: The greatest effect on his ability to do his job is whether people are confident that he speaks for the president and it is the president who makes that uncertain from time to time with tweets and position changes.

But Neumann added: I think by and large NATO members are reasonably comfortable with what Tillerson has been doing with diplomacy.

Aaron David Miller of the Wilson Center served five or six different Republican and Democratic secretaries of state and said the presidents treatment of Tillerson is unprecedented.

No president ever undercut a working secretary of state while on a mission [to Asia], as he did in North Korea. No president ever adopted positions that were antithetical to the ones that the secretary was taking on Qatar.

But James Carafano of the Heritage Foundation said he finds there an been a healthy and open airing of differences on foreign policy views among Tillerson and other members of Trumps team, and that this is appreciated abroad.

By and large I think there is a recognition of a generally clear direction from U.S. foreign policy that a lot of our friends and allies appreciate," he said. "And Tillerson, has -the leaders that I have talked to  think that he has well represented U.S. views and engagement with him has been helpful and useful.
President Donald Trump will not announce a decision on Monday on whether he will again delay moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a White House spokesman said, despite Mondays deadline for doing so.

An announcement on the decision will be made in coming days, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters aboard Air Force One as Trump was returning from a trip to Utah.

Temporary order expected

Trump had been due to decide whether to sign a waiver that would hold off relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, as every U.S. president has done since Congress passed a law on the issue in 1995.

Senior U.S. officials have said that Trump is expected to issue a temporary order, the second since he took office, to delay moving the embassy despite his campaign pledge to go ahead with the controversial action.

No final decision yet

But the officials have said Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, a step that would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East. They have said, however, that no final decisions have been made.

The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go; that its not a matter of if, but a matter of when, Gidley said.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the international community does not recognize Israels claim on all of the city, home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions.
President Donald Trump is telephoning several Middle East leaders ahead of an expected announcement that could come as early as Wednesday that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.



A White House statement said Trump was speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Jordans King Abdullah in the morning, and would be calling other regional leaders later in the day.



There was no immediate word from the White House on the substance of the conversations, but the Palestinian press reported that Trump had confirmed to Abbas that the recognition of Jerusalem would be forthcoming.



Arab and Muslim states have warned that such a declaration could destroy U.S. efforts to reach an Arab-Israeli peace agreement. Senior Palestinian leader Nabil Shaath said Trump would no longer be seen as a credible mediator.

The Palestinian Authority does not condone violence, but it may not be able to control the street and prevent a third Palestinian uprising, Shaath said, speaking in Arabic.



Jerusalem lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the international community maintains its final status must be determined in negotiations. Nevertheless, President Trump says he is committed to a promise he made last year during the election campaign to move the U.S. Embassy out of Tel Aviv, a move favored by many American Jews and Christian evangelicals.

Jerusalem is home to the Mosque of Al Aqsa, the third holiest place in Islam. For Jews, it is the Temple Mount, the holiest site of all.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to cut ties with Israel if Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israels capital.

"Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims," Erdogan said, adding that Turkey "could go as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Israel over the issue.



Under a law signed by President Bill Clinton in 1995, the embassy must be relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv unless the president signs a waiver every six months stating that the matter is to be decided between the Israelis and Palestinians. Every president since Clinton has signed the waiver, including Trump, who did so when it came due last June.



On the eve of Trumps expected announcement, Reuters quoted unnamed U.S. State Department officials as expressing concern about the potential for a violent backlash against Israel and also possibly against American interests in the region.



U.S. embassies worldwide have been ordered to increase security in anticipation of potential protests.



Gerald Feierstein, director for Gulf affairs and government relations at the Middle East Institute in Washington, says the level of anger the announcement might provoke depends greatly on exactly what Trump says.



If the president just says we recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel' without trying to define it further and without actually beginning the process of moving the embassy, then its a big nothing burger (insignificant), he told VOA.



Feierstein, who served as U.S. ambassador to Yemen, and later as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs under President Barack Obama, says if Trump goes any further, it could trigger a backlash and deal a crushing blow to the peace effort.



If what he says is perceived, or is in fact, a recognition of all of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and he is no longer maintaining the international position that Jerusalem is to be divided and that East Jerusalem is to become the capital of the Palestinian State once there is an agreement, then that is going to have a very negative effect on the peace process, he said.



So the devil is in the details about how significant this is going to be."

Robert Berger contributed to this report from Jerusalem, Dorian Jones - from Istanbul.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has been treated unfairly by investigators looking into Russias influence on the 2016 presidential election.

"I feel badly for General Flynn. I feel very badly," Trump told reporters. "Hes led a very strong life. And I feel very badly."

Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation last January about his contacts with Russias ambassador to the United States. The conversations came weeks before Trumps inauguration.

The president compared Flynns lies to the FBI with comments made by his presidential rival Hillary Clinton when federal investigators asked about her use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state.

"Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI. Nothing happened to her. Flynn lied and they destroyed his life. I think its a shame," Trump said Monday as he departed the White House on a trip to Utah.

The president noted Clinton was not under oath when she spoke to the FBI, while Flynn was.

Former FBI director James Comey testified in July 2016 that Clinton did not lie to FBI agents investigating her emails.

"We have no basis to conclude she lied to the FBI," Comey told House Oversight Committee during an open hearing.

Trumps comments come as legal experts and investigators are parsing a tweet that appeared over the weekend on his Twitter account.

Trump tweeted that he "had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!"

That suggests the president was aware that when he fired Flynn on February 13 -- after less than a month as his national security adviser -- he knew that the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency had lied to the FBI when agents interviewed him weeks earlier.

The presidents personal lawyer John Dowd told the Axios news website that he had written the tweet himself. Dowd called it "my mistake," saying he had drafted it and passed it to White House social media director Dan Scavino, who then posted it to the @realdonaldtrump account.

The tweet has led to intense scrutiny about whether the president knew when he fired Flynn that his aide had lied to the FBI, which could be construed as an admission that he obstructed justice when he asked former FBI director James Comey to end his investigation of Flynn, and then later fired Comey.

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is formulating a case of obstruction of justice against the president as he moves forward with his investigation into Russian election meddling

"I think we see this in the indictments, the four indictments and pleas that have just taken place, and some of the comments that are being made. I see it in the hyper-frenetic attitude of the White House: the comments every day, the continual tweets," said Senator Dianne Feinstein on NBCs "Meet the Press."

"And I see it, most importantly, in what happened with the firing of Director Comey and it is my belief that that is directly because he did not agree to lift the cloud of the Russia investigation," according to Feinstein. "Thats obstruction of justice."

Several Trump defenders have dismissed the possibility of any obstruction of justice charge against the president, saying the president was within his constitutional rights in talking to and subsequently firing Comey.

The "president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution's Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case," presidential attorney Dowd told Axios.

Former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz agreed. "You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate and who not to investigate," Dershowitz said in comments to Fox News.

Many other legal analysts, however, argue that the president's tweet is a clear admission that he was trying to alter the course of the investigation at a time when he was aware that Flynn had lied under oath.

Ned Price, who was a special assistant to President Barack Obama on the National Security Council staff, questioned whether Trumps seemingly incriminating tweet could have been written by someone else. "It seems as implausible as it is convenient to President Trump," Price told VOA.

"The idea that a lawyer would draft that  without any input from or clearance by Trump  doesn't strike me as believable," said Price, a former CIA senior analyst and spokesperson. "Add that to the long list of cover-ups."

Republican Senator Susan Collins, speaking to "Meet the Press" on Sunday, said the president should not be commenting on the case at all. "The president should have no comment whatsoever on either of these investigations," Collins said. "And the only thing that he should be doing is directing all of his staff and associates to fully cooperate."
President Donald Trumps order restricting travel now goes into effect in its entirety - for the first time since the original travel order was signed last January.

The nations highest court, the Supreme Court, okayed the order Monday with one important caveat: it still has to make its way through two appeals courts, both of which have scheduled hearings later this week.

The Supreme Court said there should be a full implementation pending merits and explicitly noted they believe that the merits hearings would be happening expeditiously, Betsy Fisher, policy director at the International Refugee Assistance Project, told VOA.

Seven of the High Court justices ruled in favor of the administration, while two - Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor - said the partial stay on the ban should continue.

The court did not give a reason for its decision.

The travel order has been mired in the courts for almost a year during which time the Trump administration has re-written it three times. The third version is the one the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

At issue is the governments desire to ensure national security while pro-immigration groups that have sued to stop the order say it is discriminatory and amounts to a ban on Muslims.

What now?

The new order alters a previous Supreme Court order in June regarding the second version of the travel order. In that ruling, the justices said that anyone with bona fide relationships to the U.S. must be allowed to enter. Relationships included family, school and business ties.

Both the Fourth and Ninth Circuit Appeals Courts applied that ruling to travel order 3 in the last two months, ruling the travel could take effect except for those with bona fide relationships.

Now, with the Supreme Court decision, the entire order may be implemented. But the latest ruling is not conclusive, and Fisher says it was procedural.

So cases can go back and forth, and in this instance it's a preliminary decision and that once [they hear] the merits, it could go back. I think last time (in June) we saw that the Supreme Court seemed hesitant in weigh in and I think [they] would like to see the appeals court resolve it, she said.

For now, travelers from six Muslim-majority countries are banned to varying degrees. The countries include Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Restrictions against Venezuela and North Korea, also included in travel order 3, have been allowed to take effect.

The Trump administration had tailored travel ban 3 to each of the individual countries, for instance, banning only Iranian students, and prohibiting immigrants from Somalia, while allowing visitors.

Mixed reaction

Angie Plummer, the director of Community Refugee and Immigration services (CRIS) says the decision is upsetting lives for many refugees who have been dreaming of one day resettling in the U.S. She says more than 100 Somali families whose family members got approved are on hold.

This is devastating to them [refugees]; we have so many people who have followed the rules and they applied some as many as five years ago, they paid [for] the DNA tests, they were approved and what it does to their emotional state is horrible, she said.



What we have, you know, a caseload of several hundred people and only some of them are active right now, many of them are on hold, almost all the Somali cases are on hold.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions called Monday's ruling a "substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people," and said Trump's travel ban is necessary to protect the country from threats.

A lawyer for the Trump administration argued that some foreign governments are deficient in sharing information about those seeking U.S. visas, posing a possible risk to the United States.

White House Deputy Press Spokesman Hogan Gidley said Monday's Supreme Court decision is not surprising and it is "essential to protecting our homeland."

But the Council on American-Islamic Relations again called the travel order a Muslim ban.
The top U.N. human rights official is condemning the persecution, and widespread and systematic brutal attacks against the Rohingya in Myanmar, suggesting this treatment might verge on genocide. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva, the site of a special session on Myanmar at the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Speaking in Geneva at a special session on Myanmar at the U.N. Human Rights Council, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein says genocide is a legal concept and only a competent court can determine whether the actions of the government of Myanmar against the Rohingya qualify as genocide.

But he says the many decades of violations against the Rohingya in Myanmars Rakhine state and the deliberate efforts to erase its ethnic identity are very troubling.

Considering the decades of statelessness as well as systematic and systemic discrimination against the Rohingya.... Considering also that Rohingyas self-identify as a distinct ethnic group with their own language and culture, and are also deemed by the perpetrators themselves as belonging to a different ethnic, national, racial or religious group. Given all of this, can anyone, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present? asked Zeid.

Zeid noted that a staggering 626,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since August to escape persecution and violence in Myanmar. No members of the international community are allowed access to northern Rakhine State, so he says it is impossible to assess the number of people who may have been detained, disappeared, killed or died on route.

He is urgently calling on the Myanmar authorities to put an immediate and absolute halt to the violence targeting the Rohingya. He also is calling for an international investigation to bring to justice the perpetrators of these crimes.

Myanmars response to these accusations was relatively mild given the High Commissioners blistering words. Myanmars ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva acknowledged attacks against the Rohingya by individuals. But he denied this was government policy, and said his government was doing everything possible to stop this.
A high-ranking United Nations official has arrived in North Korea to help lower tensions over the secretive regime's nuclear and ballistic missile testing programs.

Jeffrey Feltman, the world body's undersecretary-general for political affairs, left for Pyongyang Tuesday after a stopover in Beijing the day before. Feltman is the first U.N. official holding that rank to visit the isolated regime since his predecessor, Lynn Pascoe, in 2010.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday that Feltman will discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern" with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk during his visit, which ends on Friday.

Feltman's visit comes less than a week after Pyongyang announced it had successfully test fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the U.S. mainland. The launch heightened tensions between the North and the United States, highlighted by months of insults between the regime and President Donald Trump.

The visit also coincides with a joint U.S.-South Korea air force exercise that began Monday.

Dujarric said Pyongyang issued an invitation for Feltman to visit back in September, during the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.

Feltman will also meet with the heads of various U.N. humanitarian programs operating in North Korea, including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the U.N. Population Fund. But Dujarric would not say if Feltman would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his trip.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday recommended President Donald Trump reduce the size and change the management of more national monuments in the western United States, and lashed out at critics of cuts already announced to protected areas in Utah.

The effort by the Trump administration to roll back monument designations by past presidents covering millions of acres of wilderness and tribal sites has rekindled the national debate over how best to manage America's vast public lands - pitting conservationists against development advocates.

Zinke said the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument straddling the border of Oregon and California and the Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada were both too big for the purpose of protecting important historical sites and should be reduced in size. He said Trump should also consider changing the boundaries of the Pacific Remote Islands and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments in the Pacific Ocean.

He also recommended changes in the management of 10 other monuments to allow for more grazing, timber, fishing, road access and other uses.

Trump on Monday had already acted on Zinke's recommendations to shrink Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments, ordering cuts amounting to millions of acres in a move that triggered swift legal challenges from tribes and environmental groups.

Unlike national parks that can only be created by an act of Congress, national monuments can be designated unilaterally by presidents under the century-old Antiquities Act, a law meant to protect sacred sites, artifacts and historical objects. But Trump has said former presidents abused the act by putting unnecessarily big chunks of territory off-limits to drilling, mining, grazing, road traffic and other activities.

He had ordered the Interior Department in April to identify which of 27 monuments designated by past presidents should be rescinded or resized.

Zinke on Tuesday blasted critics of the effort, including clothing retailer Patagonia, which recently changed its website home page to read: "The President Stole Your Land."

"You mean Patagonia, made in China? This is an example of a special interest," Zinke told reporters. "I think it is shameful and appalling that they would blatantly lie in order to get money in their coffers."

"No land, not one square inch, has been transferred or sold," Zinke said.

U.S. lawmakers from Utah on Tuesday introduced a bill that would carry out the president's proclamations reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase, by creating smaller monument areas and establishing management councils to govern them.

Another bill, introduced by Utah Republican Congressman Chris Stewart, would create a national park out of part of the Grand Staircase monument and transfer an area important to Mormons called the Hole in the Rock Road to the state.

Sharon Buccino, a director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the Utah legislation and Zinke's monument recommendations were an attack on public lands.

"Zinke's report, like yesterday's outrageous and illegal actions by his boss, makes it crystal clear: the Trump administration is waging a war on our treasured national monuments  by land, sea and air," she said in a statement.

Chris Saeger, executive director of the Western Values Project, said in a statement that the proposed monument changes were "unpopular" and do not reflect the majority of public comments that were submitted in favor of protecting existing monuments.

Zinke acknowledged in his report that public comments were "overwhelmingly" in favor of preserving monuments, but were the result of a "well-orchestrated national campaign" by environmental groups.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said Zinke ignored "what the majority of Oregonians signed up for when they spoke out in favor of expanding protections for Cascade-Siskiyou."

Zinke's report said monument opponents "were often local residents associated with industries such as grazing, timber production, mining, hunting and fishing, and motorized recreation."

The National Coalition for Fishing Communities on Tuesday praised Zinke's recommendations for allowing commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyon and Seamounts monument off the Massachusetts coast, as well as the two Pacific monuments.

Zinke's recommendations also included beginning a process to consider three new national monuments: The Badger II Medicine Area in his home state, Montana; the Camp Nelson Civil War site in Kentucky; and the Medgar Evers Home in Jackson, Mississippi, where the civil rights activist lived at the time of his assassination in 1963.
U.S and Russian ships carrying remotely operated vehicles capable of deep seafloor searches are joining other vessels hunting for an Argentine submarine that went missing in the South Atlantic 19 days ago, the navy said Monday.

An explosion occurred near the time and place where the ARA San Juan disappeared Nov. 15. The navy says it is no longer looking for survivors although a multinational operation continues to search for the vessel, which had a crew of 44.

Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said Russia's Yantar oceanographic research ship would arrive in the search area Tuesday. The U.S. Atlantis research vessel is expected to arrive Saturday. They are equipped with deep submergence vehicles that allow them to examine undersea areas nearly 20,000 feet deep (6,000 meters).

The ships will join five vessels from Argentina and a Chilean ship combing an area of some 1,500 square miles (4,000 square kilometers), where sonar detected three unidentified objects on the sea floor to see if they belong to the missing sub.

The San Juan disappeared as it was sailing from the southernmost port of Ushuaia to the coastal city of Mar del Plata after a patrol.

The navy has said the vessels captain reported that water entered the snorkel and caused one of the submarines batteries to short circuit. The captain later communicated by satellite phone that the problem had been contained, the navy says.

Some hours later, an explosion was detected near the time and place where the San Juan was last heard from. Balbi has said the blast could have been triggered by a concentration of hydrogen caused by the battery problem reported by the captain.

The German-built TR-1700 class submarine was commissioned in the 1980s and was most recently refitted between 2008 and 2014. It was built by a subsidiary of Germany's ThyssenKrupp that is no longer operational.

Balbi said a group of navy officials who traveled to Germany last week to obtain more information about the design of the submarine had returned to Argentina. He said they will submit all documents to a local judge investigating the subs disappearance.

The spokesman said the information gathered in Germany as well as information from an Argentine submarine from the same model that is under repair at a state-owned shipyard could help provide evidence to find out what happened to the San Juan.

When asked if the refit of the submarine had been certified, Balbi said there are some processes that the Germany company might have been involved in and others where it was not.

But of those things that it certified, surely there must be a record. Everything was duly registered and I imagine that all these reports made on the activation of batteries and repairs will be subject to investigation, he said, without providing more details.
U.S. Treasury authorities on Tuesday sanctioned a Jamaica-based Islamic cleric for suspected links with the Islamic State terrorist group.

Abdullah Ibrahim al-Faisal has been added to the Specially Designated Global Terrorists list for providing "recruitment services" to IS and influencing people to carry out terror attacks, a statement by the U.S. Department of Treasury read.

"Faisal has recruited for and provided support to ISIS and his actions have influenced terrorists who engaged in bomb plots and other horrific attacks on innocent civilians," John Smith, director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in the statement, which used an acronym for the militant group. "This designation will help deter Faisal's global following and prevent U.S. persons from supporting him in any manner."

Faisal, who is currently facing extradition proceedings in Jamaica, was indicted in New York in August on charges of recruiting and providing support to IS members, U.S Department of Treasury said.

Faisal reportedly facilitated and helped connect IS recruits with those who could arrange for travel and entry into IS-controlled territory.

London connection

Faisal was jailed in 2003 in London for inciting racial hatred, and murder. He was deported to Jamaica in 2007, according to Reuters.

According to U.S officials, Faisal has "directly or indirectly influenced" several alleged terrorists to carry out terror attacks on the west, including the United States. He has allegedly influenced Abdul Razak Ali Artan, the Ohio State University attacker who carried out a terror attack on the university campus during the Thanksgiving weekend in 2016.

He is also accused of influencing Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square bomber in New York City in 2010 who failed to carry out his attack.

Faisal has allegedly maintained ties to Mohammed Chowdury, who planned and attempted to bomb the London Stock Exchange in 2010, and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber who attempted to down an airliner over Detroit, Michigan, in 2009.

The sanctions put forth by the assets control office prohibit U.S. companies and Americans from doing business with Faisal, block his assets in the U.S., and place him as a high-profile target for law enforcement worldwide.
Home Affairs and Culture Minister Obert Mpofu has pledged to address the large number of roadblocks and corruption in the police force.

In an interview with the state-controlled Herald newspaper soon after he was sworn in on Monday, Mpofu noted that many people are complaining about roadblocks and corruption in the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

He is quoted as saying he will deal with these issues that have been raised by motorists over the years.

This is the first assignment I want to deal with. I have received a lot of complaints about the behaviour of some of our officers and I am going to address that. This is a peoples police force and it has to abide by the expectations of the people, at the same time maintaining law and order.

Some people claim that police normally ask for bribes at various roadblocks, a situation that has compromised their status in modern Zimbabwe.

At times the ZRP officers manning roadblocks, some of them not sanctioned by the police force, demand spot fines even if this was outlawed.

Police are currently patrolling the streets in Zimbabwe in conjunction with members of the Zimbabwe Defence Force in what has been termed Operation Restore Order.

The Zimbabwe Defence Force staged a coup resulting in the removal of Robert Mugabe from power.

He has been replaced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
On 19 October KVERT reported that gas-and-steam activity at Karymsky continued, and that quiet or cloudy conditions had been observed in satellite data since 3 October. The Aviation Color Code was lowered to Yellow (the second lowest level on a four-color scale). ...

Based on satellite data KVERT reported that an eruption at Karymsky began at about 0630 on 4 December and generated an ash cloud that rose to an altitude of km (9,000 ft) a.s.l. An ash cloud 16 x 12 km in dimension was identified in satellite images about three hours later, 92 km E of the volcano. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale). ...

Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Tokyo (VAAC) issued the following report:FVFE01 at 11:50 UTC, 04/12/17 from RJTDVA ADVISORYDTG: 20171204/1150ZVAAC: TOKYOVOLCANO: KARYMSKY 300130PSN: N5403 E15927AREA: RUSSIASUMMIT ELEV: 1513MADVISORY NR: 2017/129INFO SOURCE: HIMAWARI-8AVIATION COLOUR CODE: NILERUPTION DETAILS: VA IS NOT IDENTIFIABLE ON SATELLITE IMAGERY.OBS VA DTG: 04/1120ZOBS VA CLD: VA NOT IDENTIFIABLE FM SATELLITE DATA WIND FL180 250/15KTFCST VA CLD +6 HR: NOT AVBLFCST VA CLD +12 HR: NOT AVBLFCST VA CLD +18 HR: NOT AVBLRMK: VA IS NOT IDENTIFIABLE DUE TO MET CLOUD OR DISSIPATED. WE WILLISSUE FURTHER ADVISORY IF VA DETECTED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY.NXT ADVISORY: NO FURTHER ADVISORIES=

Background:

Karymsky, the most active volcano of Kamchatka's eastern volcanic zone, is a symmetrical stratovolcano constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera that formed during the early Holocene. The caldera cuts the south side of the Pleistocene Dvor volcano and is located outside the north margin of the large mid-Pleistocene Polovinka caldera, which contains the smaller Akademia Nauk and Odnoboky calderas.

Most seismicity preceding Karymsky eruptions originated beneath Akademia Nauk caldera, which is located immediately south of Karymsky volcano. The caldera enclosing Karymsky volcano formed about 7600-7700 radiocarbon years ago; construction of the Karymsky stratovolcano began about 2000 years later. The latest eruptive period began about 500 years ago, following a 2300-year quiescence. Much of the cone is mantled by lava flows less than 200 years old. Historical eruptions have been vulcanian or vulcanian-strombolian with moderate explosive activity and occasional lava flows from the summit crater.

---

Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution
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Rome, the Eternal City, Italys capital and one of the top destinations for tourism in Europe clearly doesnt need much introduction as an interesting and beautiful place to visit.

But what many dont know is that some of the city's must-have experiences are also free of charge. Here are our top ten.

1. Visit the Pantheon

Visit the Pantheonthe 2,000-year-old Pantheon while it is still free, ahead of a proposed entry fee by Italy's culture ministry in 2018. Mon-Sat 09.00-19.30, Sun 09.00-18.00.

2. Watch the sun set

Watch the sun set over the city in the romantic Giardino degli Aranci, on the Aventine hill, which was once a monastic orchard containing an orange grove within its enclosed walls.

Giardino degli Aranci

3. Public squares

Hang out in public squares such as Piazza di Spagna and sit on the stairs after shopping on nearby Via del Corso; Piazza Navona where you can admire the fountains while exploring the historic centre; or Campo de Fiori for a stroll through its morning open-air market.

4. Parks

Walk around Romes parks such as Villa Borghese and find the Pincio viewing area from which you can admire Piazza del Popolo below, or Villa Ada where you can take a break from the city by getting lost in its peaceful woods.

5. Trevi Fountain

Marvel at the Trevi Fountain and throw a coin into its waters to ensure a return visit to Rome, according to the local legend. But dont expect a perfect Instagram shot while youre at it: the fountain is usually crowded with other tourists trying to do the same.

6. The Gianicolo

Visit the Janiculum hill for a panoramic view of some of the city's best known monuments, from St Peters to the Altare della Patria.

Panorama from Janiculum hill

7. Coppede district

Explore the Coppede district and find a whole neighbourhood of Italian art nouveau architecture with a pinch of gothic, Greek, baroque and mediaeval influences. This melting pot of architectural styles is attributed to architect Gino Coppede and was built between 1913 and 1926.

8. Visit the Ghetto

Spend some time on the streets of the Ghetto, Romes Jewish neighbourhood established in 1555. While there, also walk around under the Theatre of Marcellus, an ancient open-air theatre which was built in 13BC and resembles the Colosseum.

9. From Piazza Venezia

Walk from Piazza Venezia along Via dei Fori Imperiali, with its majestic views of the Roman Forum, before reaching the Colosseum.

Roman Forum seen through the Arch of Septimius Severus

10. St Peters Basilica

Visit St Peters Basilica but make sure to give yourself plenty of time to queue and remember to wear modest clothing, even during the summer heat. Open daily Oct-March 07.00-18.00, and April-Sept 07.00-19.00.

by Paula Berner Magalhaes
The parent company of Bethesda-based EagleBank saw its stock price lose a quarter of its value Friday after Aurelius Value, a website that works with short-sellers, published an anonymously written report accusing chief executive Ronald D. Paul of improperly benefiting from bank loans at shareholders' expense.

EagleBank sharply criticized the report, which Paul described as a "bogus, self-serving article" meant to hurt his financial institution. EagleBank representatives said they do not know who is behind the report and did not hear from its author before its release. The stock recovered about half of its losses in Monday trading, and was trading at about $56.40 a share Tuesday morning.

This is the ultimate stock manipulation, Paul said Monday in a phone interview, where they own a short position or represent people that own a short position, come out with an extremely negative article, and drive the stock down to their own benefit.

In its report, Aurelius Value acknowledged it has a short position in Eagle Bancorp, meaning it would stand to profit from a dip in the companys stock price. Like many short-selling research firms, Aurelius Value does not list the names of any of its employees, executives or clients, though the website occasionally refers to itself as he in online disclosures. The website did not respond to requests to speak with the reports authors.

We are short Eagle Bancorp . . . because we have uncovered evidence of an insider loan scheme involving the CEO and certain Board Members that we believe jeopardizes the safety and soundness of the bank while potentially leading to severe regulatory penalties, Aurelius Value wrote. In our opinion, insiders treat Eagle as their own private piggy bank.

The report drew attention to close business relationships between EagleBank and certain commercial development projects tied to interests bearing Ronald D. Pauls name. The report said the financing relationships were not properly disclosed under federal law, something EagleBank officials deny.

After founding EagleBank in the D.C. area in 1998 and helping grow its assets to $5 billion through mergers and acquisitions, Paul has simultaneously served as the chief executive and chairman of Ronald D. Paul Companies, a trade name assigned to developments Paul has participated in.

Paul has been active as a commercial real estate investor throughout D.C.'s development boom in recent years, and he has appeared at groundbreaking ceremonies with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) for projects funded by his bank.

At least eight projects managed by Ronald D. Paul Companies have received multimillion-dollar loans from EagleBank, company officials confirmed Monday. They include a former YMCA building in the center of the District that is being converted into high-end office space, a 2 million-square-foot mixed-use space in Tysons Corner, and a 220,000 square-foot mixed-use development across from Nationals Park in Southwest, all of them joint ventures with other prominent developers.

These guys have been in the banking business for a long time . . . they know what the rules are and they are not prone to break them, said Chip Akridge, a longtime D.C. developer who partnered with Pauls companies on projects that received loans from EagleBank.

EagleBank officials said the deals have been carefully structured to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, and the company has never been formally cited for violating federal regulations pertaining to Pauls dual involvement.

Paul says he recuses himself from all loan-approval decisions at EagleBank when the deals involve ventures he is involved in. He said that when his construction projects get loans from his bank they are managed through Potomac Investment Trust, an investment trust managed by his family members in which he himself does not have a vote.

EagleBank said the Aurelius report contained numerous factual errors and misleading statements.

Please do not allow anonymous fast buck artists to rattle your confidence in us, and our systems, our controls, our regulators, and our success, it said in a statement issued Sunday.

Paul denied claims made in the Aurelius report that suggested the bank approved preferential loans to developers who, in return, gave Pauls company a favorable stake in the project.

Never, never, never, never, never. There were no sweetheart deals, no wink, wink, no nothing, he said.

He said his dual roles are appropriate and beneficial to the community.

The definition of a successful community bank is the level of involvement from the directors and those throughout the bank, Paul said. There is nobody that I associate with that I dont try to bring into another bank, as all of our other directors do.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) walks to the House floor Tuesday for a vote to formally send their tax reform bill to a joint conference committee with the Senate. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Top House Republicans said Tuesday they were exploring changes to their tax plan that would lower tax bills for Californians and others who pay high state income taxes  including by allowing Americans to deduct some state income tax payments from what they owe in federal taxes.

House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) told reporters Tuesday that tax writers are looking at a number of ways to give relief to residents of high-tax states. One would involve opening up the property tax deduction, capped at $10,000, to state and local income and perhaps sales taxes. Others would involve expanding eligibility for the child tax credit to more affluent households or simply rearranging the individual tax brackets so taxpayers pay lower rates.

But making any of those work within the larger plan could be difficult. Brady said all of the options cost significant amounts of revenue, and the overall plan cannot cost more than $1.5 trillion over the coming decade. Its got a pretty big figure to it, he said of the potential expanded deduction.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that he, too, favored expanding state and local tax deductibility, and also said he hoped the House bills limit on the deductibility of mortgage interest would be raised. The House bill excludes deductions of interest on loans larger than $500,000; the Senate bill keeps the current $1 million threshold intact.

McCarthy also said he was looking at provisions that could help victims of disasters such as the wildfires that have hit California in recent months, including a deduction for property losses. "There's a lot of things that Californians are working on," he said.



House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady R-Tex.) told reporters Tuesday that tax writers are looking at a number of ways to give relief to residents of high-tax states. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

The negotiations took place as House and Senate Republicans prepared for a conference committee that would meld the tax bills passed separately by each chamber into a final conference report. That legislation would then have to be passed by the House and the Senate before being sent to President Trump for his signature.

The aim is to complete that process before Christmas.

At the White House, Trump offered his own explanation of the process thats underway. I call it the mixer, he said. Its a conference where everyone comes together, they pick all the good things and get rid of the things they dont like.

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a senior Ways and Means Committee member who is also serving on the conference committee, said he did not believe that the state and local tax deduction  known as SALT  needed to be addressed in the final bill, but said he would be open to discussions.

Its not really necessary, he said. Theres ways we can tweak it to make it better . . . but this whole SALT issue is a red herring unless youre looking for tax breaks for really, really rich people.

He said his Golden State colleagues were listening to the mainstream media, who continue to perpetuate a rumor, which is that somehow people arent getting tax breaks when it only gets better for the people of California, not worse.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who represents a high-tax coastal area north of San Diego, voted no on the House tax bill and dismissed the changes McCarthy is seeking as "minuscule." He said the ability to deduct $10,000 in state taxes from their federal tax bill would not go far enough to help his constituents.

If two people go to college, do whats right, and theyre at the height of their career and theyre making $150,000 apiece  which, by the way, would include school administrators, its not that hard in California to be making that  at the pinnacle point of their career, theyre being completely disenfranchised by the existing bill or by the one that we just mentioned where they would have this $10,000,  Issa said.

Issa said he was open to compromise but said he didnt foresee the bill being able to move far enough in his direction. He predicted that some of his California GOP colleagues who voted yes on the bill in the expectation of future changes would end up without much to show for it.

"Once you vote yes to move it along, you're stuck with you already voted yes. . . . And so there are only three of us that voted no, and there are only three of us that can vote no again," Issa said, referring to the no votes by California Republicans

Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Calif.) represents a high-tax Orange County district but voted in favor of the tax bill. She's now seeking assurances that the state and local property tax issue will be resolved, and said that if the $10,000 deduction can be applied to state taxes, or split between state and local taxes, that's enough to get her to vote yes.

Walters said she would like to see the deduction higher than $10,000, but understands that's unlikely to happen because of the high cost it would entail.

Walters acknowledged that her constituents have been concerned about the legislation, particularly the state tax and local taxation issue. "Tax reform is a complicated issue and it's taking a lot of education," Walters said. But she insisted that the bill would ultimately prove a political plus for the GOP despite poor polling numbers.

The House also faces pressure to eliminate the corporate alternative minimum tax, a flat tax aimed at ensuring that companies don't use deductions to avoid paying taxes. The AMT, which remains in the Senate tax plan, has kicked up opposition from many business sectors  including California technology companies  concerned that they will lose the ability to use various tax incentives preserved in the new code, such as the research and development tax credit.

"It's one of the priorities, no doubt," Brady said of eliminating the corporate AMT.

Nunes said he saw little desire to keep the Senate provision in the final bill: Im guessing they just needed something quick to make the bill work.

Compared with members from high-tax states such as New York and New Jersey, the California Republicans were not among the most vocal critics of the push to partially repeal the popular SALT deduction as the tax bill moved through the House. Only three of the 13 GOP members of the states delegation ultimately voted against the bill, but McCarthy assured them he would continue pushing to improve the bill as it was taken up in the Senate, according to GOP aides familiar with the process.

Neither the House nor Senate bills contain provisions allowing for the deductibility of state income taxes, which would typically mean the provision would be off limits in a conference. But House Republicans believe they can airdrop the provision, in congressional lingo, to firm up support from Republican House members in California and other high-tax, largely Democratic states.

Erica Werner contributed to this report.
The Senate GOP tax bill includes a provision aimed at encouraging employers to offer paid family leave to middle- and lower-income workers. Critics, including Democrats whove made paid leave a talking point, say its too limited to help much.

The measure by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) stands out in a piece of legislation that skews toward corporations and the wealthy. It allows employers to claim a credit of as much as 25 percent of the wages they pay to employees who take time off under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.

That law allows employees up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave per year to care for a new baby or ill family member, or when they themselves are unable to work because of a serious health condition. The leave is unpaid, and the law applies only to companies with 50 or more employees.

A few states  California, New Jersey and Rhode Island  have passed laws providing for paid family leave. Otherwise, unlike in many other industrialized nations, workers in the United States have access to paid leave only if their employers choose to offer it. As a result it tends to be only the best-compensated workers who get the benefit.

Democrats have united around calls for mandatory paid leave, and such a proposal was part of Hillary Clintons campaign platform last year.

Then-candidate Donald Trump, urged on by daughter Ivanka, proposed six weeks of paid maternity leave.

Trump has not pushed much on the issue since becoming president. Although his daughter has discussed the issue and other family-friendly programs with Fischer and other lawmakers, her advocacy has had little apparent impact.

Legislating requirements on businesses is not big with Republicans. Fischer has been working for years on a way to incentivize employers to move on their own. She seized on the fast-moving tax bill as a vehicle for her proposal.

This provision is historic. It would be the first national paid leave policy in the U.S., Fischer said in a statement Monday. With my balanced, fair, and reasonable approach, Congress can make a meaningful impact on the lives of American workers caring for their families.

Fischers provision applies to workers making under $72,000 annually and would be in effect for two years. Fischer has described it as a pilot program and hopes to have the Government Accountability Office study its effectiveness.

The measure is not in the House version of the tax bill. It does have House sponsors, and Fischer said shed fight to ensure it makes it through to the final legislation, which House and Senate Republicans will be crafting in coming days.

Democrats say even if the provision survives, it doesnt go far enough to address the problem.

Its great Senate Republicans recognize that paid family leave is an important issue, but this provision wont help the vast majority of workers and small businesses who dont already have access to paid leave, said Whitney Brennan, a spokeswoman for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

Brennan said Republicans should back a proposal from Gillibrand and other Democrats to offer 12 weeks of paid time off for any worker with a new child.

Daniel Hemel, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School, criticized Fischers plan, critiquing its brevity and noting the tax incentive doesnt apply when employees are already getting paid leave, including from states. Hemel argued although some workers will benefit from Fischers measure, it might have the effect of discouraging states from adopting paid leave laws of their own, if federal incentives are already in place.

The minus side is if youre a state and youre on the fence between enacting a comprehensive paid leave program and not, this actually discourages you from doing so, Hemel said. Theres a world in which this leads to less paid leave.
FEDERAL RESERVE

Thomas Barkin to head Richmond Fed

The Federal Reserves Richmond regional bank announced Monday that Thomas Barkin, a senior executive at McKinsey & Co., will be the banks next president.

He, 56, will succeed Jeffrey Lacker, who resigned as bank president in April after revealing his involvement in a leak of confidential information in 2012 that had triggered congressional and FBI investigations.

Barkin, who will take over the Richmond bank Jan. 1, will be a voting member next year of the Federal Open Market Committee the panel that sets interest-rate policies for the Fed.

Currently a senior partner and the chief risk officer at McKinsey, the global management consulting firm, Barkin served from 2009 to 2014 on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He was chairman of that Feds board from 2013 to 2014.

 Associated Press

MEDIA COMPANIES

Oprah sells majority stake to Discovery

Discovery Communications is paying $70 million to Oprah Winfreys Harpo to obtain a majority stake in their jointly owned cable channel, OWN.

Discovery lifted its holding in OWN to 70 percent from about 45 percent. Winfrey will remain chief executive, according to a statement Monday, and will extend her commitment to the channel through 2025. It's the first time she's sold stock in the network since it started a decade ago.

Winfrey will keep a significant minority interest in OWN, which was founded as a joint venture between her and Discovery.

 Bloomberg

Also in Business

The developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Army Corps of Engineers must complete an oil spill response plan for the stretch of pipe beneath the Missouri River in North Dakota, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ruled Monday. The order grants a request by the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes for additional measures by the Corps and developer Energy Transfer Partners to protect the river's Lake Oahe reservoir. The tribes draw drinking water from the lake and also consider it sacred.

Montana is suing OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, joining a growing list of states that are pursuing individual lawsuits, breaking off from a multistate investigation by attorneys general into opioid manufacturers' marketing practices. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox announced a lawsuit Monday accusing Purdue of misrepresenting the likelihood that long-term use of its drug would lead to addiction and falsely claiming it was safe for treating chronic pain. Purdue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 From news reports

Coming today

8:30 a.m.: Commerce Department releases international trade data for October.

10 a.m.: Institute for Supply Management releases its service sector index for November.
Logos of CVS and Aetna are displayed on a monitor above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

When drug company chief executive Heather Bresch was hauled in front of Congress last year to defend the high price of lifesaving EpiPens, she drew skeptical lawmakers' attention to a large poster board that blamed the skyrocketing price tag on a coterie of drug supply chain middlemen. Of EpiPen's $608 list price, her company, Mylan, received only $274, Bresch said.

What the patient is paying is not . . . coming back to Mylan, Bresch said. And when we were speaking earlier of the people, the middlemen in the system, thats either the pharmacy benefit managers, retailers, wholesalers, insurers.

That supply chain  rarely seen by most consumers  is the center of attention in the corporate world after CVS Health announced a $69 billion deal to buy Aetna, the nation's third-largest insurer.

Familiar as a corner drugstore, CVS Health actually makes most of its money from one of the most lucrative points along the supply chain as a pharmacy benefit manager, negotiating drug prices for health insurers and employers.

The merger, which would be one of the biggest health-care deals of all time, signals the primacy of those negotiations in the health-care system.

"This is kind of uncharted territory  a pharmacy benefit manager [PBM] buying a major national health plan. I think it's a sign of the times," said Michael Rea, chief executive at Rx Savings Solutions, a company that provides transparency prescription drug tools. "PBMs represented a little-known entity no one knew about not that long ago, and now they're the controlling piece of the deal to take over a national insurer."

The deal comes at a time when health care is in flux, moving toward preventive care and managing chronic conditions  while shifting more of the cost of medicine onto customers through high-deductible health plans.

[CVS agrees to buy Aetna in $69 billion deal]

That evolution has cast a spotlight on the typically behind-the-scenes business of negotiating drug discounts  which have become a growing source of frustration to consumers and industry players because of spiraling costs.

When drug prices were all covered through co-pays, and so consumers were insulated, there was less concern, said Brian Marcotte, president of the National Business Group on Health, a membership organization of large employers. When everyone started focusing more on the sensitivity around the price of drugs, that has brought more attention to the pharmaceutical supply chain model, and I think thats why youre seeing more activity around: How do you possibly do this differently.

CVS says it is buying Aetna to expand into managing the entire continuum of patients' health, not just their drug costs. And more cross-industry deals like the CVS-Aetna merger are anticipated, partially because siloed industries, such as a stand-alone company that wrings rebates on drug prices, don't make as much sense in a health-care system where companies are increasingly trying to put as many functions as possible under one roof  whether it's seeing doctors, surgery or prescriptions.

Thats what the nations largest insurer, UnitedHealth Group, has done  running its own pharmacy benefit manager as well as acquiring a growing network of clinics and surgical care centers.

It does highlight that pharmacy benefit management is taking on a more significant role in a world that, even 10 years ago, was completely dominated by major medical health insurance, said Mark Merritt, president of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the lobbying organization for PBMs.

But many people see industry changes as realigning players in the opaque drug pricing system.

One sector at risk in this kind of reshuffling is companies whose core business is negotiating drug prices, where it may be unclear how much they contribute to the intended outcome: healthier patients.

You go to the players kind of sitting in between  the PBMs and the pharmaceutical distributors. It really is a middleman  its not diagnostics and therapeutics, its not really wellness. Theyre going to get the most squeezed, said Gurpreet Singh, leader of health services at PwC, an accounting and consulting firm.

[Fears of Amazon moving into prescription drug sales are already disrupting health care]

Earlier this year, health insurer Anthem broke up with its pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts Holding, and brought drug price negotiation in house, amid questions about whether the company was charging too much for drugs.

UnitedHealth Group runs its own pharmacy benefit manager through its Optum business segment.

After a great multidecade run, [drug] industry growth is slowing down, because the industry is so big that its drawing intense scrutiny, from consumers, payers and the government, said George Hill, an equity research analyst at RBC Capital Markets. When an industrys growth slows down . . . dynamics become more competitive and more hostile.

The powerful alliance is unsettling to some doctors, who worry their roles could be usurped by a company eager to manage care in a cheaper setting. Michael Munger, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said his organization isn't opposed to the merger but has concerns  for example, that the merger could push Aetna patients into MinuteClinics instead of appointments with primary care doctors.

I think theres a very powerful omission of the word physician. I think everything that is described is what we do, said James Cunnar, a family physician from Naperville, Ill., who said he read about the deal with growing horror.

In the background to all this change  and partially spurring it  is the threat that online retailer Amazon.com could enter some part of the middleman business, further disrupting the drug supply chain with a new business model. (Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Amazon's possible entry into the drug business has become a sort of health-care Rorschach test, with analysts, consumers and others projecting onto it ways the company could make a byzantine drug-pricing system simple and cheaper.

As consumers are increasingly on the hook for their medical costs, however, and the workings of the drug supply chain are increasingly drawing public scrutiny, the idea of new competition from a company that has built an empire out of disrupting how people shop is, for some, appealing.

We see this as a tipping point; we see Amazon as a catalyst or an enabler, said Richard Evans, an analyst at SSR Health. All these discordant notes that are echoing around, and people are starting to envision what the symphony is going to sound like once the warm-up period is over. Lets put it this way: something very different.


Pekka Strang as Touko Laaksonen, a.k.a. Tom of Finland. (Photo by Josef Persson/Kino Lorber) )

Freelance writer

Tom of Finland opens on a great expanse of a room, as two men sit on a bench, discussing a rabbit. We dont know who they (or the rabbit) are, or what they are waiting for. Just as you begin to wonder whether youre watching a bunny-based Waiting for Godot, we are transported to Finland, on the front lines of World War II.

One of the men, as we learn, is Touko Laaksonen (Pekka Strang), a wide-eyed, high-cheekboned Finnish officer who doesnt quite fit in. Tom of Finland is the dramatization of his real-life story. Laaksonen, who died in 1991, is known for sexually charged drawings of leather-clad, impossibly handsome men with impossibly high buttocks  images reproduced in comics and magazines that became beloved throughout the gay communities of the world. (Not, however, in Laaksonens home country, where public sentiment regarding gays was, at the time, as cold as the weather.)

Tom of Finland, which takes its name from the artists nom de porn, tracks Laaksonens life from the 1940s through the 1980s, by which time his pictures had became icons of gay culture. The entire story rests on the sloping shoulders of Strang, who captures the emotional reticence of a man who can find sexual release and emotional comfort only in dark parks, at poker games where not a lot of gambling goes on, and sometimes in underground  literally  bars. Strang is at his best in these scenes, in which men make connections with each other via coded language and loaded glances, knowing that if they look too long at the wrong guy it could end in violence. Celebrated Finnish director Dome Karukoski and cinematographer Lasse Frank use the interplay of light and shadow  some scenes are illuminated as if by Caravaggio  to underscore how Laaksonen and his few friends must remain hidden for their own safety (not just physical, but financial and familial). Even in their sanctuaries, the looming threat of discovery is real.

Later, when Laaksonens art becomes a sensation, particularly in the United States, the film accentuates the stark difference between relatively freewheeling Los Angeles and repressive Helsinki by contrasting the blue California sky with the claustrophobic gray atmosphere of Scandinavia. Yet even when Laaksonen travels to L.A., where he finds a freedom hes never known and a hearty welcome  it turns out that the first scene takes place just before Laaksonen is greeted by a cheering crowd of fans  Strang plays him as someone whos almost crippled by a life lived in fear. Its a moving performance, rendering a character who, even when the sun is out, cant quite bring himself to emerge from the shadows.

In the end, the overarching theme of Tom of Finland is the power of art, even  or maybe especially  so-called deviant art. Laaksonens drawings are something more than salacious, the film suggests, signaling to generations of teenage boys who looked at them with flashlights under bedcovers that they werent the only ones who felt what they felt, and wanted what they wanted. In the end, its not a story about naughty pictures at all, but about how one artists loneliness helped create a global community.

Unrated. At Landmarks E Street Cinema. Contains nudity, sex, coarse language and smoking. In English, Finnish and German. 115 minutes.
The New York City Ballet and its affiliated training arm, the School of American Ballet, are investigating allegations of sexual harassment against Peter Martins, who heads both institutions, according to statements issued Monday night. Martins, 71, has been removed from teaching his weekly class at SAB while the investigation is underway.

The allegations were made in an anonymous letter, which made general, non-specific allegations of sexual harassment in the past by Peter Martins at both New York City Ballet and the School, SAB said in its statement. SAB said it had hired a law firm to conduct a thorough investigation.

Thus far, the investigation has not substantiated the allegations in the letter or discovered any reason to be concerned about student safety, the statement said.

NYCB issued a similar statement that said the letters allegations had not been substantiated.

Reached at their home Monday night, Darci Kistler, Martinss wife, told The Washington Post that Martins had no comment on the matter.

According to the New York Times, Martins said in response to the accusations, The company has already addressed it. Asked if he had anything to add, he told the Times, At this point, no.

Martins is ballet master in chief of NYCB  the top job that most companies call artistic director  and is artistic director and chairman of faculty at SAB.

In a recent interview with The Post, Wilhelmina Frankfurt, a former NYCB dancer, said she was among the SAB alumni called in to meet with SAB Executive Director Carrie W. Hinrichs shortly before Thanksgiving to discuss the investigation. She said she was contacted after Hinrichs saw an article Frankfurt wrote in 2012, which Frankfurt recently posted on Facebook.

In it, Frankfurt compares Martins to NYCB founder George Balanchine: As a dancer, Peter Martins was a magician. To see him dance was to forgive him everything. But as a Dance Master? The only way that Peter rivaled Mr. B was as a casanova. However, where Mr. B. was charm incarnate, Peter was a basher.

Frankfurt said Hinrichs told her, Its come to our attention that theres been sexual misconduct on a very high level at our school. Frankfurt said she was also told that the investigative team includes Kay Mazzo, co-chair of faculty; SAB Chairman Barbara M. Vogelstein; and a lawyer, and that the team was seeking dancers who have knowledge of misconduct.

In 1992, Martins was charged with third-degree assault against his wife, Kistler, who at that time was a 28-year-old principal ballerina with the company. The charges were made while the company was performing at its summer home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Martins was arrested and briefly jailed after Kistler called the police early one morning to report that during an argument, Martins, then 45, had pushed and slapped her so that she fell into another room and cut her ankle and that he had continued to hit her.

The arrest was front-page news, with headlines such as this one in the New York Daily News: BALLET BULLY: NYC Ballet boss busted in beating of ballerina wife.

Ballet officials immediately downplayed the assault charge. Peter Wolff, a member of the schools board of directors at the time, told the New York Times that the assault charge was a personal matter and would not affect Martinss career.

It has nothing to do with his competency or his support in the ballet community, Wolff said then.

At the time, Martins and Kistler declined to comment.

A few days later, Kistler dropped the charges.

This story has been updated.


ABC correspondent Brian Ross speaks on "Good Morning America" in November 2015. The veteran newsman was suspended Saturday for four weeks without pay after an erroneous report on Michael Flynn. (Fred Lee/ABC via AP)

In 2006, ace ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross went on the air with a big scoop: Pakistani officials, he reported, had arrested Matiur Rehman, an al-Qaeda explosives expert who kept an "official" list of terrorist recruits. Ross suggested the arrest could lead to Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader who was a fugitive at the time.

One problem: Rehman hadnt been arrested. A Pakistani foreign ministry official denied the story, calling it fictitious. ABC retracted it.

A few months earlier, Ross had had another exclusive: House Speaker Dennis Hastert was under FBI investigation for bribery in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.

Only that wasnt clear either. In an unusual move, the Justice Department issued public statements denying any federal probe of Hastert, who demanded a retraction and threatened to sue ABC. The networks veteran reporter stood by his story but later conceded, its really a question of semantics about the meaning of under investigation (Hastert was indicted and convicted in 2015, but in a completely unrelated matter).

All journalists make mistakes, but Rosss blunders have often been spectacular  and unusually plentiful for someone of his prominent status in broadcasting.

On Friday, Ross caused an uproar with another errant report. This time, he reported that Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser, was prepared to testify that Trump had ordered him to contact Russian officials before the election, an admission that, if accurate, would be tangible evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and a hostile power. Shortly after his report was published, the stock market took a brief but sudden dive, which may have been triggered by the Flynn news.

But later in the day, Ross read a "clarification" on "World News Tonight": Trump, he said, had asked Flynn to speak with the Russians after the election, when Trump was president-elect, and their discussion concerned joint antiterrorism efforts. Under intense criticism, ABC upgraded the "clarification" to a full-fledged correction on Saturday for what it termed a "serious error."

It also suspended Ross without pay for a month, an apparent first in his 46-year television career.

Among the many who eagerly pounced on Ross and ABC was Trump, who tweeted mock congratulations to the network for Ross's suspension. The president also urged people who lost money in the stock market on Friday to sue ABC for the false report.

Ross has broken a number of big stories during his long career at NBC and ABC, including the congressional page scandal involving Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) in 2006. He has been the lead reporter on stories that have won television journalism's highest honors  Emmys, Peabodys, Polks, Overseas Press Club Awards  multiple times.

But hes also had more than his share of high-profile clunkers.

In 2001, for example, he reported that the anthrax used in deadly attacks in Washington and New York was coated with bentonite, a chemical compound found only in biological weapons manufactured by Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. He was wrong. The FBI subsequently reported that there was no bentonite present in the poison that killed five and that it was manufactured domestically. The agency's chief "person of interest" was an American researcher, Bruce Ivins, who committed suicide in 2008 before he could be charged.

At the start of the Iraq War in 2003, Ross reported that Ali Hassan al-Majid, an Iraqi general known as "Chemical Ali" for his gas attacks on Iraqi Kurds, had been killed in American airstrikes. But six months later, Pentagon officials announced that Chemical Ali was alive and in American custody. He was executed in 2010.

Ross came under attack, especially among conservatives, in 2012 when he mistakenly reported that the suspect in the mass shooting at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater was a member of the tea party movement. Ross based his inaccurate report about the suspect, James Holmes, on a Web page that listed "Jim Holmes" as a member of the Colorado Tea Party Patriots. Ross later apologized for the mistake.

The false Holmes report bears an unfortunate similarity to Rosss Flynn reporting in at least one way. In both cases, ABC said Ross reported the news before it was fully vetted. It did not explain what it meant.

But a former network news producer said ABC shared some of the responsibility for Rosss errors because it gave him excessive deference due to his awards and seniority.

He was given a long leash, said the former journalist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didnt want to publicly criticize a longtime competitor. With other reporters, these kinds of mistakes would be career-ending. He had nine lives.

He added, Brian always needed a strong editor as a final check on his work. ABC never really figured that out. Hes made so many mistakes that at a certain point, deference should have given way to sanity, and someone at ABC should have said, We need a strong, independent person to make sure hes right. Someone to say, Who are your sources, how do they know that, demonstrate their veracity to me. 

ABC News said on Monday that it would have no further comment on Ross. A spokeswoman said he was not available for comment.

Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog group, characterized Ross's misreporting as a symptom of both increased media sensationalism and liberal bias. ABC's primary news programs, "Good Morning America" and "World News Tonight," he said, have become lighter on substance over the years, with diminished interest or investment in investigative reporting.

But Graham said Rosss latest mistake was most telling for its implied politics. It comes from the ardor to get Trump, he said. The belief that Trump is uniquely dangerous is what creates the sort of atmosphere where [journalists] get reckless and they get ahead of themselves. Theres a fever going around to get rid of Trump. . . Thats what causes this.
Dear Readers: Are your bank accounts insured? Yes, they are. They are insured through the FDIC. What is the FDIC? The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., an independent agency of the federal government, was established in 1933, during the Great Depression. It will protect your checking, savings, money market and some other accounts if your bank were to fail up to at least $250,000 per individual, according to its website, fdic.gov.

If you are a member of a credit union, your money is insured by the National Credit Union Administration (ncua.gov), whose guidelines are similar. Once you open an account, you are covered.

Some investment products sold through financial institutions are not insured, such as mutual funds and life insurance policies.

Also, the FDIC and the NCUA dont protect you against fraud on your account. But if theres a check written against your account that wasnt written by you, or if theres other fraud on your account, your bank or credit union should fully reimburse you.

The law says banks and credit unions have to give you provisional credit within 10 days, but most banks will give you the credit right away. Check with your bank or credit union for more information.

Dear Heloise: Heres how I prevent losing my phone:

I never place anything over my phone  no newspaper, mail, purse or blanket.

I put a brightly colored case on my phone, because many car interiors, furniture and purse interiors are black, and trying to see a black phone can be difficult.

I love your column!

Estelle in Cleveland

Dear Heloise: After I open a package of baby wipes or hand wipes and pull one out, I turn the whole plastic package of them upside down, flat, so the opening is on the bottom.

This seals out air and ensures that the next one you pull out will be clean, moist and ready to use. I rarely waste any this way.

Heidi M., Kerrville, Tex.

Heidi M.: This works for the pouches of wipes; leakage can occur if you turn a jar of wipes upside down. Thank you, Heidi!

Dear Heloise: Hard to find the end of a roll of tape? Leave just enough at the end to turn it back onto itself. When you go to use it again, just grab the tab you left the last time.

Dick E., via email

Dear Heloise: My husband had open-heart surgery, and the hospital staff could not get his wedding ring off. They used a common window cleaner to spray his finger, and the ring came right off. It also worked to get rings to slide over my arthritic knuckles.

I always enjoy reading your column in The Washington Post.

Kathy S., via email

Heloises column appears six days a week at

washingtonpost.com/advice

. Send a hint to

Heloise

, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or email it to

Heloise@Heloise.com

.


Tents and a red carpet were rolled out for Cafe Milanos 25th anniversary party last month. (Photo by John Harrington) )

For Cafe Milanos 25th-anniversary celebration last month, a maze of tents was erected on Prospect Street in Georgetown, and crimson carpets were rolled out for the more than 1,200 people who had RSVPd. The entire street was shuttered, which seemed only to lend more importance to the affair, though it forced a series of black-tinted SUVs to deposit BET mogul Bob Johnson and television talking heads Wolf Blitzer and Greta Van Susteren, along with a few Real Housewives, on Wisconsin Avenue, leaving them to totter the rest of the way to the restaurant.

For many, it was a prized invite. And that was before Michael Jordan rolled in.

When Bon Appetit gave Washington the title of Restaurant City of the Year in 2016, it described a town where you could eat goat lasagna and locally sourced vegetarian tacos and bitter melon with black bean confit, where there are great chefs and eager diners.

[In the hot D.C. dining scene, the allure of the power restaurant is waning]

But it snubbed the Washington restaurants whose main attraction has never been the food. At Cafe Milano, it has always been about whoever is walking in the door.

Last weekend, it was Kennedy Center honorees Lionel Richie, Norman Lear and Gloria Estefan, who mingled at a Friday night party with the likes of Gen. Colin Powell and chef Jose Andres. Sometimes, it was Prince.

The late rocker arrived a few years back at 1 a.m. with Stevie Wonder in tow after a searing night of concerts.

They left at 6 a.m., recalls Laurent Menoud, Cafe Milanos do-it-all maitre d of 24 years.

Or Lebron James, who has been known to commandeer a private room and play his own music, on his own portable speaker.

There aren't many restaurants like Cafe Milano left in Washington, that offer discretion and a clubby scene and will open at any hour and make you a lasagna, even if it's not on the menu, if that's what you're hankering for. Particularly if you're someone.

The center of the universe

Cafe Milano opened on Nov. 3, 1992. It was Election Night in Washington, when approximately half the town loses and half the town wins, but everyone has good reason to find their way to the bottom of a glass of Scotch.

The bar hopped from night one, everyone seems to agree, because of Franco Nuschese, Milanos soigne owner, who had restaurants in Las Vegas and had been general manager at Bice, one of the Districts premier Italian restaurants (and a training ground for chef Fabio Trabocchi and his wife, Maria, who went on to open Fiola).

Nuschese, who is given to wearing Zegna and Prada, framed and hung silk neckties and designer scarves on the walls  Moschino, Gianfranco Ferre, vintage Versace (Gianni era, because it matters)  and named pasta dishes after fashion designers, too.

Before Milano had even opened, Nuschese said in an interview, hed invited his regulars, turning the opening night of his new endeavor into a by-invitation-only party.

It took less than a year for the place to establish a reputation as the citys swingingest pasta joint. (Some credit due to the fabulous Marlene Cooke, the fourth wife of then-Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke, who left Milano one Tuesday night in 1993, hopped into a Jaguar convertible and was promptly nicked for drunken driving, with her handsome young companion, who you probably have guessed was not Jack, clinging to the hood of her car.)

In those heady days, The Posts then-food critic, Phyllis C. Richman, wrote that Cafe Milano was designed to make you feel awfully close to the center of the universe.

As for the food, she deemed it too-tame.

Washington was always full of plenty of other restaurants, says longtime Washington food critic Todd Kliman. Ive never had the impression that people went [to Milano] for some kind of gastronomic experience, or that they wanted an exquisite Italian meal.

They went, he muses, because it made them feel important, because diners believed that some of the power that seems to concentrate in its butter-yellow dining room might rub off on them.

Exerting his own gravitational pull was Nuschese, who is given to a tinge of hubris (blame Las Vegas) that seems particularly useful in his line of work.

We try always to recognize people. Its no secret, he says, referring to his guests not as customers, or even diners, but as clients.

It is our business.



Wolf Blitzer and his wife, Lynn, at Cafe Milano. (Essdras M Suarez for the Washington Post) )

The restaurant was a place you went to see and be seen, recalled Bernard Koissy, a Potomac banker, at the anniversary party. And also, if you wanted to pick up the nice ladies. . . .

He drifted off, perhaps thinking of the ladies, like Marlene, who used to occupy the bar stools, often dressed in some strappy little thing designed by Karl Lagerfeld, underwear optional.

Theyre long since gone. The bar used to be more busy at night, late night, Menoud says. The evenings used to drift into early mornings. Now, the bar scene has shifted to 14th Street, Clarendon, Shaw. Theres not so many young professionals in Georgetown anymore.

Now, theyre at the boites that buzz under the dim light of Edison bulbs, serve cocktails in glasses shaped like bugs and offer endless helpings of foie gras and uni and cacio e pepe.

This year, Michelin doled out 17 stars to Washington-area restaurants. There was none for Milano.

The Georgetown mainstay was also absent from Washingtonians list of the citys 100 very best restaurants. And though the Posts current restaurant critic, Tom Sietsema, has mentioned Cafe Milano a few times in the past five years, once was only to describe another restaurant (which shall go unnamed) as Cafe Milano for VIPs who care whats on their plate.

But corner Mark Ein, the Washington venture capitalist and society fixture, just outside a roped-off corner of famous people at Milanos anniversary and ask him why the restaurant endures. Its always been about the people, he says above the din. They always make you feel like this is your home.

Another partygoer ticks off a list of new, hip restaurants he frequents. But dont tell Franco, he adds anxiously.

Nuschese is aware of the competition. He has eaten elsewhere in Washington. And well.

Great food, he concedes. But, he says dismissively, they care less.



Cafe Milanos butter-yellow dining room, hung with designer scarves, lures those who want to rub elbows with Washingtons power set. (Photo by Joseph Victor Stefanchik for The Washington Post) )

A case of staying power

A restaurant anywhere that makes it to 25 is a wonder.

After all, rents spike. Lately, whole neighborhoods go out of vogue. Tastes change, too, and trends are especially cruel to restaurants we think of as hot, drawing in cachet-chasing guests one day, siphoning them away the next.

Just look at the early 1990s, when Cafe Milano opened: Red Sage, also opened in 1992, was as hot as the ghost peppers it sneaked into its dishes. Citronelle, a wall-to-wall scene of white tablecloths and French je ne sais quoi, was a scene. There was Vidalia, sumptuous and Southern in a way that seemed timed to match Washington under its new Arkansas-bred president; Jean-Louis at the Watergate, all souffles and decadence; and Nora, serving cuisine so new, this very newspaper used quotes around the word organic, as if it were a foreign term.

Each and every one, gone.

With its terra-cotta floors and Georgetown address, frozen forever in mid-1990s amber, Cafe Milano might have gone that way, too. (The recession that began in 2007, Nuschese says, was a particularly difficult period.)

Were not a starred Michelin restaurant, Nuschese concedes. But if youre asking me to have a star Michelin dinner  yes, we do that. Great meals happen in the restaurants private rooms for smaller parties all the time, he says. And everybody else, approximately 300 diners a day, get Milanos hospitality, which is to say almost anything they want.

I probably have the names and table preferences of almost a thousand people in my head, confirms Menoud, whose job is to accommodate them all, to seat Republicans far from Democrats and know, before he has even ordered, what Michael Jordan will be drinking. I have to know who they are. Its like a chess game.

The names and faces Menoud must know instinctively these days include Rex Tillerson and Tiffany Trump; the people in President Trumps orbit are only the latest generation of Washington suits to dine at Cafe Milano. (People often credit Nuschese and his staff with discretion. What Cafe Milano practices, in truth, is something in between  a little Fort Knox, but also a little Page Six.)

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt dined there in better times. So did Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas (on the same night as the Jolie-Pitts, everyone who is anyone will tell you); Jordan (repeatedly during his Wizards days); Andre Agassi; Geraldine Ferraro; Placido Domingo (so frequently during his tenure with the Washington National Opera that a private room is named for him, and his face is painted on the ceiling); King Abdullah of Jordan; and all the former presidents and their wives from the past 25 years.

Even the Panzanella J.K. on the Milano menu is not a reference to just kidding, but to former secretary of state John Kerry, whos said to love the stuff. One wonders whether the polpo arrostito may soon get an S.M.  thats how often Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has been spotted on Prospect Street these days.

Another administration, another clique bound for Milano.


Joyal Mulheron at home with a photo of her infant daughter, Eleanora, who died at nearly five months. (Dayna Smith/For the Washington Post)

It's not what she set out to do, but Joyal Mulheron has become a collector of the worst kinds of stories. The ones no one wants to hear.

About the mom who was lying in bed when her 20-year-old son was shot just down the block. About the dad whose teenage daughter collapsed and died from unknown causes in the front hall of their home. About the single mother whose 7-week-old baby stopped breathing at his day-care center and was dead by the time she arrived.

Joyal knows that people turn away from these stories, that the suffering is too much to comprehend. She might have turned away, too  if she hadn't lived it herself.

As a kid in Crosby, Tex., she watched her best friend grow ill with leukemia. When the 7-year-old died, Joyal didn't think much about her friend's parents. She mostly wondered why they'd kept her away during her friend's waning days.

She was sure, throughout her teens, that she'd become a pediatric oncologist. But at Virginia Tech, the humanities beckoned and she majored in English and biochemistry. After college, she found work blending her areas of interest, translating science into layman's terms for the American Cancer Society. She spent seven years there while getting married, earning a master's in biochemistry, consulting for the National Academies of Science and doing a little teaching on the side.

Joyal, who now lives in Montclair, Va., was helping to lead an anti-obesity initiative with the National Governors Association when she gave birth to her first child, a daughter. She and her husband adopted a second girl from Ethiopia. Everything seemed fine when she became pregnant with their third daughter, too, until the end of the second trimester, when a doctor and a technician started using hushed tones as they studied her sonogram. Something was off, though doctors offered no definitive diagnosis.

Immediately after delivery in June 2010, the baby was whisked off to the neonatal intensive care unit. The Mulherons were told that she had a chromosomal abnormality that affected her digestive system and that she could die within hours, maybe even minutes. But Eleanora lived for almost five months. Thanks in part to her scientific background, Joyal was able to take the baby home, calculate the right concentrations of food that Eleanora's tiny stomach could hold and insert a feeding tube into her nose.

[A baby girl. A baffling disease. And the only way to help her is to hurt her.]

But nothing prepared her for what came after Eleanora died. Family members would find Joyal outside in the frigid November wind, coatless, rocking back and forth. "I couldn't tell you for weeks if I had showered or if I had eaten that day," says Joyal, now 41.

"See a therapist," well-meaning friends urged.

"But to even think I would have had the wherewithal to navigate that? To find the support I would have needed was incomprehensible," she says.

Slowly, over weeks and months and years, some of the fog lifted, even as the insomnia and the grief persisted. She found a new job in health-care policy and cried every day, driving to and from work.

All the while she replayed the events surrounding her daughter's life and death, mulling the circumstances that compounded the pain, and the kindnesses that offered slivers of relief. She thought often of the anonymous stranger who gave up a bed in the hospital sleep center so that she could rest for a few hours without being far from Eleanora. And she thought about the calls from the insurance company, asking when, precisely, they expected their daughter to die.

"Do you think she's going to live for 10 days? Or do you think she's going to live for more than 10 days? Because I have to fill out different paperwork," Joyal remembers the insurance representative saying.

Joyal began applying her policy brain to the issue and found that parents who've lost children are a vastly understudied group. Yet the little research that has been done shows devastating results. "The National Academies of Science said in a report that child death is the most stressful [event] and enduring type of stress a person can experience," she says. Other studies showed that losing a child results in increased likelihood of psychiatric hospitalization, cardiac problems and premature death.

"When people say, 'Isn't it so amazing, so sweet that Debbie Reynolds died the day after Carrie Fisher?' the answer is no. This is one health outcome for people who lose a child," she says.



Joyal, right, confers with Jennie Cullen, who lost a daughter to cancer, before recording her story for Evermore, the organization Joyal founded to help parents cope with the loss of a child. (Dayna Smith/For the Washington Post)

Joyal left her job and spent a year interviewing dozens of parents who'd lost children. Some, like her, had lost infants. Others had lost adult children. Some had died of cancer, others from suicide, or in war or car accidents, or as a result of violence. Though the circumstances varied, the parents all shared the same feeling: "I should have protected my child. I should have done something differently. I am the parent and ultimately it was my responsibility."

[This Life: He never imagined being a priest. But then he felt the call.]

Many of the parents she spoke with also had a lingering wish to die, "to be with my child," and were plagued by questions about their relationship with God.

In 2015, Joyal formally created a nonprofit called Evermore to help address the issues she was finding. She set up a parent-to-parent network so that people who'd lost kids to drug overdoses, for instance, could connect with one another. She began videotaping lengthy interviews with grieving parents so that others could at least experience the comfort of knowing that they're not alone.

And she began making the rounds in Washington, banging the drum to make the major government and national health organizations pay attention, in hopes that they'll devote research money and develop best practices to support parents who've lost children.

Joyal, who now has a fourth child, a son, knows that no one can prevent child death. "Unfortunately, it will continue to happen," she says. "So when it does happen, how do we make it the least traumatizing for people?"

What she didn't expect was that she'd receive calls late at night, from parents in Anacostia facing eviction as they grapple with a dead child's medical bills. Or before 9 a.m., from upper-middle-class parents already intoxicated and overcome with regret that they hadn't found better doctors to treat their child's cancer.

She's not a grief expert, but she has developed a vast directory of people who are. So she points the anguished callers in the right direction and tries, at every turn, to spread the word about the kind of support grieving parents need.

"When a family is in chaos, you need stability," she says. "Even if that means that at 4 o'clock every Tuesday, someone is going to bring you an ice cream bar. The level of stability you can help a family feel when they're in an unstable environment is such a gift."

This is not the kind of wisdom Joyal ever hoped to accrue. But it's hers now. And all she can do is wake up each day and put it to use.

This Life is an ongoing series about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. If you know someone you think should be featured, email ellen.mccarthy@washpost.com.
After suspending visa services for Americans, which prevented travelers from visiting Istanbul and taking the Bosphorus ferry, Turkey is accepting applications again  but only at its consulates and embassies. (Suna/EPA-Efe/Rex/Shutterstock)

When we last left off in early October, Turkey had suspended visa application services for Americans. Turkish Airlines was offering refunds on Turkey-bound flights through Christmas. And U.S. citizens with plans but no visa were stuck in limbo, likely hyperventilating over the recent development.

Americans, you can now exhale.

Early last month, the country partially lifted the directive. U.S. travelers can apply for visas at Turkish embassies and consulates, including the mission at 2525 Massachusetts Ave. NW in Washington. However, Americans cannot obtain the document through two previously available channels: the online system called e-Visa and visa booths at Turkish airports.

To apply for a visa, start by filling out the online form and select a date for an in-person appointment with consular services. The next available time could be two weeks out, so plan accordingly. For the interview, bring a bank statement, proof of travel insurance, one passport photo, a passport valid at least six months after time of entry, your travel itinerary and $160 in cash. The process should take about five business days, and travelers can pick up their visa-adorned passport at the consulate.

Companies that help tourists obtain travel documents have also resumed their visa services to Turkey. Justin Chapman, director of sales at VisaHQ, said the firm's average processing time is 20 to 25 business days. He added that travelers typically do not have to step foot inside the consulate, but never say never. "The embassy may request an appointment," he said.

Peggy Goldman, founder and president of Friendly Planet Travel, was relieved to hear the news. The company offers a 15-day Turkey tour, with its first departure in April.

"We have not had to cancel any departures for Turkey, and, in fact, we have been getting a growing number of reservations for our Best of Turkey tour," Goldman said. "While the volume is nothing like in previous years, it's enough to give us some optimism that Turkey is still a viable destination for American travelers."

Goldman said that after a rough patch, Turkey appears to be bouncing back as a vacation spot. As an incentive, the tour operator is discounting its Turkey trip by $400 on bookings made by Dec. 14.

And while on the topic of visas, Brazil plans to expand its online application service to Americans. Before, only Australians could apply from the comfort of their beanbags and recliners, whereas we Yanks had to trudge to the Brazilian Consulate. Once the system is in place  the target start date is the third week of January  travelers can conduct the entire proceeding online (price to be determined). Check the Brazil consulates in the United States for more information on the eVisa.

More from Travel:

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Dolphins, alligators and tribes in Brazil's Amazon forest
A bill introduced Tuesday in the D.C. Council would prevent the city from suspending low-income residents drivers licenses because they have unpaid parking fines and traffic tickets, a practice some say unfairly punishes the poor.

Driver's license suspensions have been criticized by anti-poverty advocates since a 2015 federal investigation focused on Ferguson, Mo., showed that law enforcement used fines to raise revenue for state and local governments. One study of five states released in September found that more than 4 million people had lost their licenses for failure to pay court debts.

[Millions of drivers lost their licenses for failing to pay court fees, study finds]

Its not clear how many people in the District would be affected by the proposed legislation.

In October testimony before the D.C. Council, Department of Motor Vehicles Director Lucinda M. Babers said the city doesnt track the number of licenses lost for failure to pay fines because those violators are included in a larger count of licenses suspended for failure to appear in court. She said about 3,800 people had their licenses suspended for failure to appear in fiscal year 2015, while the number last year was 3,300.

The bill would end such suspensions, calling them "punishment for low-income District residents."

Under the proposal, D.C. residents earning less than $39,000 per year would be exempt from having their licenses suspended for not paying court debts, as would those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits. The bill also would end the practice of suspending licenses for failure to pay debts in civil actions  such as unpaid debt to a car-insurance company that resulted from a civil judgment  and would allow some people convicted of driving with a suspended license to get their licenses back.

Drivers could still have their licenses suspended for dangerous driving or criminal convictions.

In no instance will an operators permit or driving privileges be revoked or suspended for failure to pay a debt without a finding that the person is able to pay, the bill says.

Elissa Silverman (I-At Large), the bills author, said in a statement that an unpaid parking ticket or two can plunge a D.C. low-wage worker into prolonged financial and legal jeopardy.

Suspending a drivers license over relatively small debts means that a resident might not be able to get to work, which puts their job at risk and makes it even harder for the debt to be paid off, she said. And if they choose to drive anyway, they risk a felony charge. We can avoid these bad choices by allowing low-income residents to pay off their debt without losing their ability to drive.

Department of Motor Vehicles officials did not respond to requests for comment.

At an October D.C. Council hearing on license suspensions, Ward 8 resident Regina Pixley told lawmakers she learned her license was suspended in 2012 when she tried to renew it but couldnt because she owed about $6,500 in fines after her car was towed to D.C.s impound lot.

She couldnt afford to get the car out of impound, she said, so it was sold. Then she couldnt pay the fines, which doubled even as she no longer had the vehicle.

Pixley said she still had to make car payments, and her D.C. tax refunds were garnished to pay the fines.

She said she wasnt sure whether to drive to Baltimore when her mother had a heart attack in 2015.

I believe in the law, I obey the law, but I had to make a decision, said Pixley, a former school bus driver who says she lost her job because of the suspension. Do I go and be by my moms bedside and drive without a license? She added: This is a system thats broken. It really needs to be fixed.

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In January, she said she would work to change a D.C. law that suspends the driver's licenses of those convicted of drug offenses  even ones that do not involve a motor vehicle.

Advocates for the poor praised the proposed legislation.

This legislation, if adopted, will be a necessary step forward for D.C., said Ariel Levinson-Waldman, president of Tzedek DC, a nonprofit that represents low-income D.C. residents. Suspending D.C. residents drivers licenses for nonpayment of debt is unfair.
Homeless families in the District will likely have to take additional steps to prove theyre eligible for shelter on freezing winter nights after the D.C. Council on Tuesday approved sweeping changes to the laws that govern homeless services in the nations capital.

The legislations backers  including Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who originally proposed the changes  say the new eligibility requirements are needed to make sure the citys overburdened shelter system is used by those who need it most.

But some advocates for the homeless say the rules  which, among other things, require that those who live on the streets provide detailed documentation that they were District residents before becoming homeless and that they have no other safe housing options  will lead to many being turned away with nowhere to go.

The mayor praised the councils action in a statement Tuesday.

As we continue to produce and preserve affordable housing across all eight wards, this legislation will ensure that our most vulnerable residents are always first in line for the resources and support they need to get back on their feet, Bowser said.

Officials said it is unlikely that the new rules will be in place for this winter, when demand for shelter peaks.

The council voted 10 to 2 in favor of the bill, with members David Grosso (I-At Large) and Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) opposing it. Council member Brandon T. Todd (D-Ward 4) was absent.

[D.C. Council weighs tougher shelter admission rules for homeless]

Council member Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large) said that while he had profound concerns about the bill when it was introduced in May, it had been revised in ways that would soften the strict shelter-entry requirements originally envisioned.

Among other changes, council member Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1), chairwoman of the Committee on Human Services, reduced the number of documents the homeless must present to demonstrate D.C. residency and included a catch-all provision that would allow the city to accept any document as proof of residency on a case-by-case basis.

This bill is far better than it was when it was introduced, White said Tuesday. Our residents are demanding that we do more for those who have the least, not less.

Still, many advocates for the homeless had opposed the councils approach to curtailing shelter access, and more than 40 organizations  including the ACLU of D.C., Bread for the City, the D.C. Public Defender Service and the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless  signed a letter to D.C. lawmakers last month urging them to reconsider.

[A homeless family needed shelter. D.C. put them on a bus to North Carolina]

Amber Harding, a staff attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, said after the vote Tuesday that the final version of the bill created an unworkable standard for families to get into shelter.

The new law comes as the District continues to struggle with a dearth of affordable housing and one of the nations worst homelessness crises. A survey of 32 U.S. cities last December found that the District had the highest per capita rate of homelessness.

While the District is one of the few places in the country that guarantees a legal right to shelter on freezing nights, thousands of families seeking help are still turned away each year. In November and December of 2016, the city rejected about two-thirds of the families who applied for emergency shelter, according to figures from the D.C. Department of Human Services.

City officials say their gatekeeping efforts preserve shelters as a true last resort for those who need it and that many applicants can be helped in other ways, such as financial assistance or help finding a place to stay with relatives.
D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) authored legislation that requires insurance providers in the District to provide womens preventive health services at no extra charge. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

In anticipation of regulatory rollbacks and the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the D.C. Council voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to block insurance providers in the District from charging additional fees for preventive womens health services.

The legislation requires insurance providers to offer contraception, breast cancer screening and counseling for sexually transmitted infections without raising co-pays or deductibles. These benefits are required by guidelines released with the Affordable Care Act but are not written into the text of the law and could be erased by federal action.

Women should not have to pay anything extra for the basic health care they need  not just that they deserve but that they need, said D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who wrote the legislation. This is incredibly important.

The council voted 12 to 0 in favor of the bill, with member Brandon T. Todd (D-Ward 4) absent.

Repeated efforts by Republicans to repeal the health-care law have failed. But Allen said that his bill will protect women's health services in the District if Republicans fulfill their seven-year promise to roll back Obamacare.

When President Trump took office, we knew he was going to try to hurt women. We just knew that, Allen said during a rally Tuesday morning with fellow council members and advocates from Planned Parenthood and NARAL, an abortion rights organization.

The council passed emergency legislation to protect womens health benefits in April, and the Defending Access to Womens Health Care Services Amendment Act of 2017 that it approved Tuesday is the permanent version of that legislation. The bill is scheduled for a second and final vote Jan. 9.

The legislation is then subject to congressional review. But Allen said that if the Republican-controlled Congress objects to the bill, lawmakers should be prepared for strong resistance from D.C. residents.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) said she would defend the bill from congressional interference.

D.C. women are the only U.S. residents whose local jurisdiction is blocked from spending local dollars on abortion services, Norton said in a statement. Our residents should not also be forced to pay for contraceptives, which make abortions unnecessary, and other essential services, such as cancer screenings. I will fight tirelessly to defend this important D.C. bill from being overturned by Republicans in Congress.

Allen, Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1) and Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large) said the legislation is especially important to them as parents.

I remember the day that birth control first became free  it was a day that women across the country celebrated, said Nadeau, who gave birth to a daughter in September. As a new mom, Im already thinking about birth control because I want the opportunity to be able to plan and space out my children.

White said thinking about his young daughter growing up in a world where she did not have autonomy over her reproductive health is upsetting.

It is not okay for women to have to be at the discretion of someone elses beliefs, White said. That is not the type of country we should live in.
Two Arlington County physical education teachers were charged with marijuana possession after police executed a search warrant at an elementary school campus last week, authorities said.

Michael Diaddigo, 28, and Luke Lloyd, 25, were suspended from Taylor Elementary School after police searched the school about 9 a.m. Friday, school and police officials said.

An anonymous tip had led police to the campus, police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. A drug-sniffing dog found narcotics in the desks of Diaddigo and another teacher, according to the search warrant. Two unnamed informants told police that Diaddigo, Lloyd and a third gym teacher were regularly using marijuana in the school building throughout the school day, the warrant read.

The teachers used marijuana in a windowless physical education office, according to the warrant, and used air freshener to mask the smell.

Both teachers were released on a summons. Diaddigo and Lloyd are scheduled for arraignments at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Arlington County General District Court, according to online court records. Diaddigo and Lloyd could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

A third staff member was placed on leave pending a further police investigation, according to a letter Principal Harold Pellegreen sent to parents.

The principal told parents that the investigation is focused on the staff members and does not involve the teachers interaction with students. As educators, we are obviously shocked and dismayed by this news, and our first concern has been for our students, Pellegreen wrote.

Counselors were expected to visit classes this week to share information about the incident, the principal said.

This is a disheartening situation for Taylor, Pellegreen said in the letter. Please be assured that we will continue to work together to ensure that Taylors students, families and staff are supported during this transition.
Yetunde Reeves, principal at Ballou Senior High School in the District, has been reassigned. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

The Districts top school official removed the principal at Ballou Senior High School from her post Monday amid allegations the Southeast Washington school graduated students who were chronically absent and others who could scarcely read and write, officials announced.

The action came less than a week after Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson had given Ballou Principal Yetunde Reeves a vote of approval.

An article published last week by WAMU and NPR said the school awarded diplomas to seniors who did not meet graduation requirements and that administrators pressured teachers to pass students. The school system and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education are conducting investigations to determine what potentially went awry at Ballou.

[D.C. plans probe of Ballou High School following report questioning standards]

We take this issue very seriously, and we know that policies must be explained clearly and implemented with fidelity, Wilson wrote in a Monday news release. This investigation will restore integrity to the process by providing students, parents and the broader community with answers.

Reeves has been assigned to another function in the district, according to the news release.

Reeves did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Monday evening.

The school system named Willie Jackson, principal of Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School  and a Ballou alumnus  as principal of Ballou until the investigation is completed and a permanent leader is named. Jackson is expected to return to Phelps once a permanent principal is selected for Ballou.

Its unclear what prompted the chancellor to reverse his earlier position that he had no plans to remove Reeves, who has led Ballou since 2014.

I personally believe Principal Reeves should be renewed based on my visits with the school, Wilson said at a news conference Wednesday.

D.C. Public Schools spokeswoman Kristina Saccone would not say Monday whether public pressure or findings in the investigation might have prompted the chancellor to reassign Reeves.

The investigation is ongoing, and we are not going to speak to details until we have results, Saccone said.

The investigation is expected to be completed within 45 days, school district authorities said.

The WAMU-NPR report found that a majority of Ballous 2017 graduating class missed more than six weeks of school. D.C. school policy dictates that students will fail a class if they are absent 30 times.

The school posted a graduation rate of 64 percent in 2017, up from 50 percent in 2012. The school also showed steady improvement in its Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) scores, a standardized test.

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said last week that the citywide investigation will look into adherence to attendance and graduation policies throughout the District.
THE DISTRICT

Son is sentenced to 20

years in moms death

Derek Cook beat his 81-year-old mother with his fist, a wooden stick and an iron at the apartment they shared in Northeast Washington after smoking crack. His mother died, and a federal judge has sentenced Cook, 52, to 20 years in prison.

Authorities said the killing occurred Aug. 12, when Cook was talking to his mother  Ann Alfredia Cook  in a bedroom at their apartment in the 500 block of Fourth Street NE.

The two argued about him smoking a cigarette inside, officials said. He started to hit his mother with a closed fist. She yelled for help. He also hit her with an iron and a wooden stick.

When police arrived, Cook would not let them into the apartment. Officers rammeddown the apartment door, and found his mother severely injured. She died that night at a hospital.

 Dana Hedgpeth

D.C. man charged with

first-degree murder

D.C. police arrested a suspect Monday in the fatal stabbing of a 46-year-old man who was attacked three months ago near the Eckington neighborhood of Northeast Washington.

Gregory Williams, 42, of Northwest Washington was charged with first-degree murder while armed. He could make an initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday.

The stabbing occurred about 11:20 p.m. Sept. 23 in the 1700 block of North Capitol Street NE. The victim, Andrew A. Cook III, 46, of Northeast Washington was pronounced dead at a hospital.

 Peter Hermann

MARYLAND

1,000 evacuated

after gas line breaks

More than 1,000 staff and students at several buildings, including a day-care center, were evacuated Monday after a natural gas line broke at Montgomery Colleges campus in Germantown, Md. No one was injured.

Construction was being done about 10 a.m. at a science building on the campus. Pete Piringer, a spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said a backhoe struck a 4-inch line.

Some local roads were closed. The cause of the break was unknown.

Officials said that buildings were evacuated as a precaution and that children and staff were sheltered in a bus owned by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

 Dana Hedgpeth

THE REGION

Man allegedly hurls

bike onto the tracks

Metro Transit Police arrested a 50-year-old man Sunday after he allegedly hurled a bike-share bike onto the train tracks at the Minnesota Avenue station, causing significant damage to an oncoming train.

According to Metro, Demarcus Joseph Graves entered the station in Northeast Washington about 7 p.m. and approached the platform, where he found a bike owned by LimeBike, one of the Districts recently launched dockless bike-share services.

After use, the dockless bikes are supposed to be left in legal bike parking spaces, but many have been abandoned in inappropriate places.

Graves, 50, is accused of throwing a bike onto Metro tracks, damaging an oncoming train.

The incident was caught on surveillance video.

 Martine Powers
Kuwaits Jazeera Airways Expressed Interest in Georgian Aviation Market

(TBILISI)  The largest private airline of oil-rich Persian Gulf nation Kuwait, Jazeera Airways, is currently in early discussions with Georgian officials about possibly entering the local aviation market, according to an announcement from TAV Georgia, the Turkish-owned company that operates the countrys Tbilisi and Batumi international airports.Jazeera Airways, which flies 17 different destinations and serves 1.2 million passengers per year, is the second Kuwaiti airline to express interest in the Georgian market.Wataniya Airways began flying to Tbilisi in July. The airline recently announced plans to increase the number of flights from two to three per week between Georgia and Kuwait City for the winter season.
Montgomery County council members from left, Craig Rice, George Leventhal, Roger Berliner, Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen, Tom Hucker and Sidney Katz on Dec. 1 in Rockville. A recent budget shortfall has become political fodder for a non-council member in the race to succeed County Executive Isiah Leggett in 2018. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Montgomery County is preparing to draw up a savings plan in coming weeks in response to a budget shortfall of nearly $120 million.

More than half the gap, about $64 million, comes from a decline in projected income tax revenue, officials said. Another $25 million is a revenue shortfall from fiscal 2017. Most of the rest is from projected lags in revenue from the countys fuel and energy tax, and in income tax for the rest of fiscal 2018.

County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) is asking all county agencies under his control to propose ways to cut their budgets by 2 percent to cover the shortfall.

Leggett will take those recommendations and present the council with his own proposed savings plan, probably by Dec. 15. In a memo to County Council President Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), Leggett strongly encouraged the legislative and judicial branch departments to identify savings of 2 percent as well.

Berliner said lawmakers will weigh changes and adopt a plan to cover the shortfall by early February. The countys annual operating budget is about $5.5 billion.

In a Nov. 30 memo, chief administrative officer Timothy Firestine said the shortfall was driven primarily by a nearly 30 percent decline in income tax revenue from taxpayers filing extensions for tax year 2016.

The memo cites the Maryland Comptrollers Office as saying other jurisdictions in the state are shouldering a similar burden.

Berliner said the shortfall came as a surprise to county lawmakers, given that the economy is pretty strong, we have low unemployment. He said the council assumed that in Montgomery, the largest and one of the wealthiest jurisdictions in the state, our high-income taxpayers would have more dollars, not less.

That assumption turned out to be wrong, he said.

Leggett said it was unlikely that departments would ultimately face 2 percent across-the-board cuts. Instead, he said, some agencies would probably be required to make greater spending reductions than others.

Berliner noted that the council, too, would be reluctant to impose a uniform cut.

In his memo, Leggett encouraged the council to act as soon as possible once the body receives his recommendations.

The longer you wait, the less time you have to deal with it, he said.

Next year is an election year in Maryland, with Leggett retiring and three sitting council members  Berliner, at-large council members Marc Elrich (D) and George L. Leventhal (D)  among the candidates vying to succeed him. The budget shortfall immediately became political fodder for one of the non-council members in the race.

State Del. C. William Frick (D-Montgomery) issued a news release saying the revenue situation reflects the need for new leadership in local government.

Despite an increase in the recordation tax, and a nearly 9 percent increase in property taxes, we find ourselves without sufficient revenues to pay for these councilmembers pet projects, and, as a result, public services are being cut, Frick wrote. Our county deserves better.
King Carol II of Romania, right, with son Prince Michael at the Royal Palace in Bucharest, Romania, on Nov. 14, 1938, just before their departure for a state visit to London. (AP)

Romanias former King Michael I, a onetime boy monarch who later engineered the ouster of pro-Nazi strongman Gen. Ion Antonescu during World War II, only to be forced at gunpoint to abdicate by a communist-led postwar government, died Dec. 5 at his home in Aubonne, Switzerland. He was 96.

The cause of death was not immediately announced in a statement from the royal house, but the former monarch had been treated for leukemia and another type of cancer for at least the past year, the family had earlier announced.

King Michael, a member of the House of Hohenzollern and a distant cousin of Britains Queen Elizabeth II, was one of the last surviving links to Europes royal heads of state before and during World War II. He lived a life defined by political intrigue and buffeted by nearly every major upheaval on the continent in the past century.

Banished by the communists in early 1948, he spent decades in exile before returning to his homeland amid the collapse of the Soviet bloc. He eventually carved out a role as an unofficial diplomat, helping Romania join NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007.

At age 5, in 1927, he became Europe's youngest king after the ouster of his father, Carol II, who had been given an ultimatum to pick his mistress or the throne. Known for his errant ways, Carol chose the former and went into exile. A council of advisers was set up as a proxy leadership for the young king, but it fell into bickering and rivalries, and Carol returned in 1930 to replace King Michael as monarch.



Britains Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain talks to Crown Prince Michael of Romania during a luncheon at the Guildhall in London on Nov. 16, 1938. (AP)

As King Michael finished his education, Carol abolished the constitution and paved the way for his overthrow in 1940 by a military government led by the fascist Antonescu and his Iron Guard regime. Suddenly reinstalled at 18 as a figurehead, King Michael said Antonescu treated him like a child and excluded him from strategic decisions even though he was nominally head of state and the military.

Although King Michael was said to have harbored loyalties to the West, his country formalized ties with Berlin. The Allies responded with attacks that included a daring, low-level 1943 mission by U.S. bombers against key oil facilities in Ploesti that were feeding the German war machine.

Decades after the war, King Michael told Radio Free Europe that his mother, Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark  whose influence spanned from Antonescu to Romanias chief rabbi  saved more than 100,000 Jews as Nazi backers ravaged the country.

In 1944, as Soviets advanced on Romania, King Michael built a clandestine network of pro-Allied plotters  including Soviet-linked factions  to lead a revolt that ousted Antonescu, who was later put to death for crimes including the deaths of Romanian Jews and others during the war. King Michael said he rallied his countrymen and staved off attempts by the Germans to replace Antonescu with a puppet leader.

He told Radio Free Europe that the German ambassador came to the palace, but he did not try to arrest me or something, he just told me that I was playing with fire.

Under King Michaels command, Romania signed an armistice with the Allies, speeding the Red Armys push through the Balkans. The Soviet Union bestowed on him one of its highest military honors, the diamond-studded Order of Victory. But after the war, with thousands of Russian troops stationed in Romania, communists gained a firm grip on power despite opposition from King Michael and his supporters.

He left the country in late 1947 to attend the wedding of the future Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in London. When he returned to Romania, a trap was set.

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On Dec. 30, 1947, King Michael was preparing for a New Years party at Peles Castle in Sinaia, north of Bucharest, when he was summoned to the capital by government leaders. The streets were filled with pro-communist forces, and King Michael was presented with a typed letter of abdication.

A communist leader  accounts vary on precisely who  pointed a gun at the monarch with a demand: Leave the throne or up to 1,000 detained students could be shot. Later that day, a proclamation was read abolishing the monarchy. Days later, King Michael was forced to leave the country, and his relatives followed.

It was blackmail, King Michael told the New York Times in 2007. They said, If you dont sign this immediately we are obliged  why obliged I dont know  to kill more than 1,000 students that they had in prison.

Later in 1948, he married Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, the independent-minded daughter of Denmarks princess and a distant cousin he met at the Elizabeth-Philip wedding.

They joined a collection of exiled monarchs whose bloodlines often intersected. King Michael, tall and lanky even into old age, was rarely seen in public without a well-tailored suit and carefully knotted tie. His English carried an upper-crust polish yet still hinted at his Romanian roots.

The couple bounced between Britain, Italy and Switzerland as their family grew to include five daughters who all were given the title princess even though their royal line was outlawed in Romania.

During more than four decades in exile, King Michael was variously a chicken farmer in England, a pilot and instrument tester for a European subsidiary of U.S.-based Lear aircraft (he had learned to fly during the war), and a stockbroker often working from a villa near Geneva.

I never had my heart in it, King Michael told the Times of London in 1989 of his time in finance. I could never reconcile the double life I was leading, one minute mixing with high society, the next acting on behalf of my oppressed countrymen.

The fall of the Iron Curtain opened a new chapter for the couple.

On Christmas Day in 1990  a year after the toppling of Romania's communist strongman Nicolae Ceausescu  King Michael led an entourage back to the country on a 24-hour visa. Less than two years later, on Easter 1992, Romanian authorities gave full permission for his return. A speech from the window of his hotel room drew staggering crowds, which so alarmed Romania's leaders that King Michael was denied reentry until 1997 after his citizenship was restored.

King Michaels popularity went only so far. A movement urging the return of the monarchy took root in the late 1990s but never developed serious political clout.

On his 90th birthday, in 2011, he addressed Romanias Parliament in a speech that included some old-style noblesse oblige that seemed awkwardly out of step in a nation that was by then part of major Western military and political institutions.

Eighty-four years since I became king, I can say without hesitation to the Romanian nation: After freedom and democracy, the most important things to be gained are identity and dignity, King Michael told the lawmakers. Here a major responsibility rests upon the Romanian elite.

Michael I was born Oct. 25, 1921, at Foisor Castle in Sinaia as the only child of Crown Prince Carol II and Princess Helen. Carol soon threw the family into turmoil with an open affair with a red-haired courtesan whose family background included a Roman Catholic mother and Jewish father.

It was too much scandal for Romania's royal court. Carol was pressured to renounce his right to the throne in 1925 and left for Paris with his mistress, Elena "Magda" Lupescu, at his side.

In 1927, Prince Michael ascended to the throne after the death of his grandfather, Ferdinand I. A postage stamp issued at the time shows the new King Michael as a chubby-cheeked boy with slightly tousled hair and wearing a shirt and tie.

After King Michael and Queen Annes return in the 1990s, the former monarch increasingly was seen as a symbol of national unity and identity.

In March 2016, King Michael announced retirement from public life as he suffered from such ailments as leukemia. His duties fell to his eldest daughter, known as Crown Princess Margareta.

Queen Anne died in 2016. Survivors include his daughters.

In 2009, King Michael told Radio Free Europe that the hardships of the Cold War should not be forgotten even as Romania found relative prosperity with the West.

Because tens of millions of people have been destroyed, practically, gone through absolute hell, and then suddenly they say, Well, its all finished, lets forget it,  he said. You dont forget it.
A man was critically injured in a fire in Southeast Washington. (Courtesy of D.C. Fire and EMS)

One person was critically injured Monday night after a fire in an apartment house in Southeast Washington, authorities said.

The injured person was taken to a hospital after being extricated from the apartment house in the 4500 block of Third Street, the DC Fire and EMS department said.

Other persons were safely removed from the building. No cause of the fire could be learned immediately. The nature of the victims injuries was not known.
A man was critically injured in a fire in Southeast Washington. (Courtesy of D.C. Fire and EMS)

Police are investigating a Monday night fire in Southeast Washington, in which a man was critically injured, as an assault case, with an intent to kill.

A report of a fire in the 4500 block of Third Street came in around 6:30 p.m.

[Critical injury in apartment house fire in Southeast]

A police report said the victim was found lying on the floor of an apartment and tied and taped up. His hands were restrained behind his back and he had injuries to his face.

The injured man was taken to a hospital after being extricated from a first-floor apartment in the three-story building, the D.C. fire department said. Other people were safely removed from the building.

D.C. police said the case is being investigated as an assault with intent to kill, according to a spokesman for the department.

Martin Weil contributed to this report.
William Fears, a white supremacist and neo-Nazi from Houston who is holding the flag, clashes with a counterprotester at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post)

Charlottesville residents criticized the review of the citys handling of the white supremacist rally in August, saying that it focused on the technicalities of the response but failed to discuss underlying racism.

Residents and officials packed a council meeting Monday evening, where former U.S. attorney Timothy Heaphy presented the findings of the independent review, which sharply criticized the police department for lacking the proper training and preparation to respond to the violent rally. At the first meeting since the report was publicly released Friday, residents expressed their anger and frustration with city officials and police.

[Charlottesville response to white supremacist rally is sharply criticized in report]

City Manager Maurice Jones announced an action plan, which included the creation of an emergency management team, additional training for the police department and support for an amendment to the state code that would allow local authorities to restrict the carrying of certain weapons and firearms during events.

The city also is seeking a change to the state code that would make it a criminal offense to use lit torches with the intent of intimidating people. On the night of Aug. 11, white supremacists marched through the University of Virginia campus with torchlights, chanting Jews will not replace us and blood and soil.



Counterprotesters from Black Lives Matter at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post)

"There is a lot of distrust right now in our community," Jones said after listening to hours of discussion. "We know that race is an issue in Charlottesville. . . . We are working to ensure that we can enhance the quality of life for people in our city."

The 207-page report examined the city's response to three white supremacist events, including the weekend of Aug. 11 and 12, when hundreds of white supremacists came to Charlottesville for the Unite the Right Rally to oppose the planned removal of the Robert E. Lee statue from Emancipation Park.

Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy said Tuesday that the council heard "very clearly" from residents that racism was missing from the report. He said the meeting, which included yelling, crying and calls for "civility," showed officials that they have "a lot of work to do in regards to improving race relations, in regards to our community."

Bellamy, the councils only African American member, asked Heaphy on Monday night why race was not part of the report. Heaphy responded that his review did not find evidence that race affected decisions from city officials about the rally and that examining race was beyond the scope of what the firm was asked to do.

This response angered residents in attendance, showing deep concerns in the city about fair treatment for minorities. One speaker called the report a "whitewash."

Many said the report repeated what those who were at the rally have been telling officials about police officers failing to protect the safety of residents.

"It falls woefully short," Don Gathers, a local activist, said during the public comment period. "You don't address the specific issue that brought the Nazis here in the first place."

Residents at the meeting blamed city officials and law enforcement for the violence that broke out when white supremacists and neo-Nazis clashed with counterprotesters. That same day, a Nazi sympathizer is alleged to have driven his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19.

Before the rally, police did not seek input from law enforcement personnel in other cities who had experience handling similar events, Heaphy told the council. A review of body-camera footage, Heaphy said, showed officers turning to each other during the white supremacist rally saying:

Do you know what were supposed to do?

I dont know what were supposed to do.

[They tried to kill my child to shut her up, Heather Heyers mother mourns at funeral for woman killed during Nazi protest in Charlottesville]

When Mayor Mike Signer asked Heaphy what the largest problem was, Heaphy said that city government  and law enforcement specifically  didnt know what they didnt know.

Those in the crowd yelled: We told you!

People, including Bellamy, criticized the reports cover photo, which showed an African American police officer looking down as white supremacists marched behind him, one in a red hood and another with his arm outstretched in a Nazi salute. Heaphy said that the photo wasnt intentionally disrespectful but that he understands how it was ignorantly disrespectful.

Residents urged the council to take time for a thoughtful review of the report and hear community input before making comprehensive changes.

Im sorry, Bellamy said. We let you all down.
The Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015. Mikhail Lesin, a former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin who helped found the English-language news service Russia Today, was found dead in the upscale Washington hotel room, Russian authorities said. He was 57. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

A onetime senior Russian political aide who died in 2015 in a Dupont Circle hotel room had been drinking heavily over the three days before his body was found, including consuming beer, wine and liquor from small bottles kept in the hotels mini-fridge and larger bottles of tequila and Johnnie Walker whiskey.

The copious amount of alcohol purchased and consumed is listed in a 58-page D.C. police report on the investigation into the Nov. 5, 2015, death of Mikhail Y. Lesin, obtained by The Washington Post on Monday in a Freedom of Information Act request.

Much of the report is blacked out, including key pages that detail the autopsy, thus leaving unanswered how authorities reached their conclusion that the 57-year-old died accidentally after falling and hitting his head in his hotel room. The death had sparked conspiracy theories because of Lesins links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The report says Lesin had been drinking in excess from nearly the time he checked in to the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown on Nov. 2, 2015, until he was found dead three days later in a ninth-floor penthouse room at the Dupont Circle Hotel.

Extensive timelines from both hotels show that Lesin was confronted numerous times by security staff as he wandered drunk through the halls, sometimes wearing only a blue shirt and black underwear. Hotel officials once called the Secret Service, who advised a guard be posted at his door. He twice walked behind a hotel bar and grabbed bottles of liquor after he was cut off, the report says.



Inside the guest room of former Russian press minister and Kremlin insider Mikhail Lesin at The Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, DC where Lesin found dead Nov. 5, 2015. (N/A/D.C. Police via FOIA request from Washington Post)

[Mystery deepens with death of former Putin aide in Dupont Circle hotel]

Lesin was a former advertising executive who later created the Kremlins English-language Russia Today television network. He was an architect of the Kremlin-dominated media enterprise under Putin and served as minister of press from 2000 to 2004. Lesin was in Washington to attend a $10,000-a-table fundraiser organized by the Woodrow Wilson Centers Kennan Institute, whose attendees included the chief executive of Russias largest private bank  although Lesin failed to show up for the event. He had reportedly angered powerful media interests in Russia.

His death fueled widespread speculation and international intrigue  and doubts that his demise was accidental.

The D.C. medical examiners office complicated the narrative by first ruling Lesins death undetermined while also noting that he had suffered blunt-force injuries to his head and elsewhere on his body. That was later amended to the cause of death being ruled accidental. His family said in earlier statements that they thought he died of a heart attack.

Calls to Lesins family in the United States were not returned on Monday. D.C. police did not respond to interview requests.

[Death of former Putin aide ruled accidental]

The reports say Lesin checked into the Four Seasons on the afternoon of Nov. 2. He took a Coke and a small airline size bottle of vodka from the minibar five minutes after he entered the room, according to the report.

The report says Lesin met a friend at the hotel at 1:45 p.m. on Nov 3, though its not clear where the friend went. Seven minutes later, a security guard went to Lesins room and found Lesin passed out on the bed. Four hours later, Lesin took more alcohol from the minibar. The report does not mention the friend again, although it does say that after the guard visited, both returned to the lobby and [redacted] stays at the hotel. Numerous interviews with witnesses are blacked out.

On the night of Nov. 3, the report says, a security guard noticed a contusion under Lesins left eye. It does not say how he was injured.

Through the night and into the morning of Nov. 4, police said, Lesin left his room and returned, often escorted by security. Once, a security guard told police that he noticed a contusion under Lesins left eye. Twice Lesin left the hotel grounds and returned with alcohol, once a bottle of Johnnie Walker whiskey.

He left the Four Seasons about 5 a.m. on Nov. 4 and checked into the hotel at Dupont Circle at 5:30 a.m. He then returned to the Four Seasons, where for several more hours he went back and forth to his room, once with more alcohol from a convenience store. The hotel locked him out of his room and he took a taxi back to Dupont Circle.

The report notes that video surveillance from him entering that hotel shows the only visible injury is to the left eye and that it appeared Lesin was not in pain, although a desk clerk noted he appeared to be very intoxicated.

About 2 p.m. that day, a security guard visited Lesins room and described him as stumbling drunk. Another guard returned at 2:23 p.m. and asked Lesin whether he needed medical help. The report says Lesin put his arm on the guards shoulder and said, Nyet. At 8:16 p.m., another guard went into his room and found Lesin facedown on the floor, but breathing. The guard couldnt wake him.

At 11:30 a.m. Nov. 5, police said a security guard again went to his room, this time to remind him to check out. The report says Lesin was still facedown on the floor. The guard called 911. Lesin was pronounced dead.

Police reported finding numerous empty bottles of liquor from the minibar, and also three full bottles of Guinness beer and two unopened bottles of red wine.
Terrence Sterling, 31, of Fort Washington, Md., was fatally shot by a District police officer after he crashed the motorcycle he was riding into a police cruiser during a traffic stop on Sept. 11, 2016. (Family Photo)

A review board has concluded that a D.C. police officer should be fired for shooting an unarmed motorcyclist last year in Northwest Washington, saying he violated department policies.

Officer Brian Trainer is appealing those findings, police said, which could lead to a public inquiry early next year that resembles a trial but is adjudicated by a panel of senior police leaders.

Federal prosecutors in the District already have decided not to pursue criminal charges against Trainer in the shooting of Terrence Sterling, 31, announcing in August that there was not enough evidence to show that the officer used unreasonable force. Still, officials including Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) did call on Trainer to resign, and Sterlings family and supporters continued to question the incident.

Our family has continued to pray that the truth will come to light, Sterlings father, Isaac Sterling, said in a statement. We are encouraged by the Use of Force Review Boards finding that Terrences killing was unjustified, which brings us one step closer to finding justice for Terrences death.

[Police officer will not face criminal charges in shooting of unarmed motorcyclist]



A candle burns as protesters shut down an intersection following a candlelight vigil and rally for Terrence Sterling on Oct. 3, 2016 in Washington. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Although Sterlings Sept. 11, 2016, death never gained the national attention of some other police shootings of unarmed suspects, marches and vigils were held in the weeks and months afterward.

Police said Sterling was shot when he intentionally ran his motorcycle into the door of a marked police cruiser as Trainer was getting out to stop the bike.

Sterling had been driving erratically that night, running red lights and reaching speeds of more than 100 mph, prosecutors had concluded. But some have questioned whether Trainer and another officer who sought to arrest Sterling acted appropriately, including pulling into an intersection to block the motorcyclists path. Trainer also did not activate his body-worn camera until after the shooting, officials have said, violating department policy.

A hearing on the recommendation to fire Trainer, called a trial board, could offer the most detailed account of the shooting, which occurred near the Third Street Tunnel. Such proceedings are typically open to the public.

Neither Trainer nor his attorney could be reached for comment Tuesday. The police union declined to comment beyond noting that Trainer is entitled to due process. The officer, in his later 20s, has been on the force for more than four years.

On Tuesday, D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham noted that a review such as this is a very lengthy process. . . . I understand it has taken a very long time. I appreciate the familys patience. . . . This is a milestone, but we have a little ways to go. Newsham first discussed the outcome of the shooting review during an appearance on a FOX 5 morning news show.

Authorities would not discuss what specific procedures Trainer is alleged to have violated. The police began their administrative review in August after prosecutors decided not to press criminal charges.

[Many unanswered questions in police shooting of motorcyclist]

Three officials with knowledge of the case said the officer who was driving the car previously was suspended for 20 days for a variety of administrative infractions, including engaging in an unauthorized pursuit.

District officials treated the shooting of Sterling differently than in other cases. The department does not generally identify officers involved in shootings, but Bowser ordered Trainers name be made public to demonstrate transparency and to encourage witnesses to come forward.

On Tuesday, the mayor said she was pleased with the outcome of the internal review. I said early on that I thought it best the officer separate from the department, she said in a news conference to announce a decline in robberies.

D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At Large) also said he wants the officer to resign.

This is the right course of action, he said. I hope that it can give those who loved Mr. Sterling some sense of justice.

Sterlings family has filed a civil suit that is pending.

The incident began about 4:20 a.m., when officers got a call about a motorcycle being driven erratically in the Adams Morgan area. An autopsy found that Sterlings blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit, and he tested positive for marijuana.

Later, Trainer and his partner saw the motorcycle near Third and M streets NW and pulled into an intersection ahead of the biker. Police have not detailed what happened between Adams Morgan and the tunnel.

Prosecutors determined that Trainer had unholstered his gun, keeping it pointed down and toward his body, as he began to get out of the car. Sterling drove toward the cruiser, and the impact caused by the advancing motorcycle caused a dent in the cruisers open door and a bruise to the officers knee.

[Unarmed motorcyclist shot in neck and back by police]

Two witnesses interviewed by The Washington Post said that the crash did not appear deliberate and that they thought that Sterling was trying to move around the police car.

Authorities said that Trainer was getting out of the cruiser when Sterling revved his motorcycle and then accelerated toward the car. Prosecutors said Trainer felt the motorcycle hit the door and reacted by firing two rounds at Sterling through the cars front window.

Keith L. Alexander and Clarence Williams contributed to this report.
(DC Police Department photo/After seizing phones from a cabinet, robber stuffs them into trash bag, then into carton, and starts to head out of the store. Soon a confederate brings a wheeled trash receptacle. )

In conventional business, there is retail, and there is wholesale. But sometimes retail can be wholesale, in an activity such as robbery, in which a holdup at a retail store stocked with smartphones may seem more of a wholesale operation than trying to take them on the street, one by one.

At any rate, a retail phone store on Pennsylvania Avenue SE, just beyond the eastern edge of Capitol Hill, was held up on Sunday, and available evidence indicated that a wholesale quantity of the devices was taken.

In an account provided later that day, police said that once inside the store in the 1300 block of Pennsylvania, one of the robbers went to the storage room and loaded several boxes of cellular phones.

The D.C. police posted video of the robbery on Monday. It shows someone going to a cabinet, and swiftly scooping out items by the handful. Into a large plastic trash bag they go.

In a later scene, the trashbag has been stuffed into a cardboard carton. One robber is carrying it. Within seconds, his confederate, making himself useful, and showing himself as resourceful, comes into view.



After cramming phones into trash receptacle, robbers head towards the door of the phone store with their loot on Sunday near Capitol Hill DC police photo) (DC Police Department photo)

He brings with him a heavy duty trash receptacle, not more than perhaps three feet tall, but with wheels. The two robbers quickly cram their loot into it, and head for the door.

Some viewers of the surveillance footage might ALMOST be amused by the meticulous care with which the robbers carry out their tasks. When one or two of what appear to be phones or other valued items fall to the floor, the getaway is briefly interrupted. A robber carefully picks them up, before heading out.

Watching the video, in which the robbers move in that spasmodic fashion familiar from ancient motion pictures , might provide a hint of amusement.

But it is hard to sustain such a mood. According to a police account, after the robbers entered the store at about 11:45 a.m. they made it clear to those inside that they meant, it might be said business. Of a sort.

They ordered everyone onto the ground, the police said.

An employee is partially shown in the surveillance footage. The tension is not hard to recognize. The employee is lying flat on the floor, his legs together, and the soles of his shoes visible. He does not move.
A federal judge in Virginia has briefly delayed the trial for a former Metro Transit police officer accused of supporting the Islamic State, partly over concerns about publicity surrounding the case.

Nicholas Young spoke to The Washington Post about the allegations in an article that ran in Sunday's paper, saying he is being unfairly painted by authorities as a supporter of both the Islamic State and neo-Nazism.

[This police officer is accused of being an ISIS-supporting neo-Nazi. He says he just has a dark sense of humor.]

The Alexandria, Va., native, who is charged with attempted material support for terrorism, is accused of buying mobile messaging cards he believed would be used by terrorists. The person he purchased them for was an FBI informant.

The defense plans to argue Young was entrapped.

Because of Youngs interview in The Post, as well as disputes over documents, U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema on Tuesday said jury selection would not begin as planned that day and instead the trial would start on Dec. 11.

The defendant has not had time to review material handed over by the government in the days before trial, defense attorney Nicholas Smith said in court Tuesday.

Brinkema said she had looked over all the classified papers released by prosecutors in recent days and had seen nothing relevant.

Theres nothing there, Brinkema said, but internal discussions and conversations about other investigations.

But Smith argued that a particular issue of whether Youngs first mention of the Islamic State was recorded or not was important to the defense.

Brinkema agreed to give Youngs lawyers a little more time. She said she was also concerned the Post article might taint the jury pool this week.

Prosecutors pushed against the delay, saying they have witnesses who might be difficult to bring into court in the future. The judge, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg argued, could have asked the jurors if they can put the paper out of mind.

The trial is expected to last one to two weeks. A separate hearing will be held Friday, in part to determine what evidence related to Youngs interest in Nazis will be allowed in court. Prosecutors have argued there is a nexus between radical Islam and white-supremacist beliefs.

After a jury is seated, Brinkema told the lawyers, she will instruct them that any evidence of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic views as well as possession of white supremacist and Nazi materials will be presented only to show Youngs alleged predisposition to support terrorism.

He is not being prosecuted for those beliefs, she said.
Looking west on Lee Highway in Arlington, lines of cars split between taking Interstate 66 or staying on Lee during rush hour. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

The Interstate 66 toll lanes opened Monday in Washingtons Northern Virginia suburbs with prices so steep they could be among the highest drivers have paid for the privilege of traveling on a state-owned highway in the United States.

Tolls in the high-occupancy toll lanes hit $34.50  or close to $3.50 a mile  to drive the 10-mile stretch from the Beltway to Washington during the height of the morning commute. The toll reached $40 on Tuesday morning.

The lanes, on one of the regions most congested highways, were billed as a way to help the state better manage traffic, foster carpooling and public transit use, and give commuters more options.

But whatever excitement drivers might have initially felt at having another choice quickly gave way to shock as they watched toll prices tick up  from $4.50 at 5:36 a.m. to $28.50 just before 8 oclock to $34.50 at 8:36 a.m.

[Toll reaches $40 on Tuesday morning]





I drove onto I-66 around 8:10 this morning to Washington and my one-way toll was $17.25  which I at first thought Id misread, Justin Cole said. With tolls reportedly climbing to around a daily one-way peak of $34.50, that is going to introduce a real hardship for people on low wages or working in the nonprofit or public sector.

Others took to social media to express their outrage, with the hashtags #I66tolls and #highwayrobbery trending.

This is like a bad telethon, watching the number go higher and higher all morning, tweeted commuter Cameron Gray.

The tolls on I-66 are being increased so only the 1% can afford to use it. Time to get that private jet, said another.

Its price gouging, said Virginia Del.-elect Danica Roem (D), who won office last month on a platform that focused on traffic in her suburban Prince William County district. She said she will push to cap tolls in the coming General Assembly session.

We are talking about $34.50 for a few miles inside the Beltway. Thats clearly price gouging, Roem said. Where else in the country do you pay a $34.50 toll to go somewhere?

[Interstate 66 tolling starts Monday. Heres what you need to know.]

Critics complained that state officials sold the project on projections that tolls would peak at $7 for the morning rush and $9 in the afternoon. State transportation officials said Monday that those projections were based on the average trip  not peak-of-the-peak trips.

This was the very first rush hour, said Michelle Holland, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation. Every express lane facility has a ramp-up period because it is such a major change. It probably will take at least three months for us to be able to determine the typical traffic pattern and toll price pattern.

Heres how it works: From 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. eastbound and from 3 to 7 p.m. westbound, Monday through Friday, tolls will fluctuate to maintain a minimum average speed of 45 mph; there is no cap on tolls. Put simply, as traffic increases the toll rises to help manage the vehicles entering the roadway. The tolls change every six minutes.

Solo drivers, who before were barred from I-66 during rush hour, can use the lanes if they pay. That includes drivers of hybrid vehicles, which are no longer exempt. Motorcycles and vehicles carrying two or more people have free use of the lanes.

State transportation officials said average speeds Monday morning were 57 mph (the posted speed limit is 55), and about 37 percent of vehicles were carpools that traveled free.

Holland said state officials dont expect tolls of $34.50 to be the norm. Rates were lower for the evening commute, with westbound I-66 drivers paying $6.25 to travel from Washington to the Beltway at 4:15 p.m.

But theres no guarantee that prices wont top $30 again. Monday, for example, is typically a lighter commuting day because of federal workers who telework, so its conceivable that tolls will rise again on days when there is typically more traffic.

Although Mondays prices on I-66 are higher than average for U.S. toll roads, experts and transportation officials say they arent unheard of in an industry that generates $13.8 billion in annual revenue.

Driving on U.S. toll lanes costs drivers an average of 10 cents per mile, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration. The data, however, doesnt include average costs from all U.S. road systems. The most expensive interstate tolls cost drivers about 50 cents per mile, and those are on relatively short lengths of road  including the 14 miles of Virginias Interstate 495 express lanes, where tolls have hit $32.30.

This is the point of the dynamic pricing  it doesnt prohibit someone from using the lane but it raises the price to keep traffic flowing and a driver considers their time, value for the cost, said Bill Cramer, a spokesman for the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, which represents toll facility operators.

Some commuters and officials said those complaining about high tolls should simply choose a different option. They note that solo drivers have never been able to use I-66 during rush hour  with the exception of hybrid owners. However, the rush-hour periods were extended 90 minutes with the toll lanes. So drivers who timed their morning commutes to leave before 6 a.m. or at 9 a.m. to avoid the restrictions no longer have that option. For those in the outer suburbs, Metro and carpooling arent easy choices.

The I-66 lanes are unique when compared with the regions other toll lanes, the 495 express lanes. The 495 express lanes added capacity and give drivers the option of using general travel lanes if they dont want to pay a toll. I-66 was tolled without adding lanes.

If officials thought the tolls would encourage more people to use transit, that did not happen Monday morning  at least not for Metro. According to the transit agency, the four stations at the western end of the Orange Line in Northern Virginia (Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church) had 13,239 entries during the rush-hour time frame  about 2 percent lower than the same time one week ago.

There also did not appear to be a significant amount of bailout traffic as some had feared might happen on arterial routes such as the George Washington Parkway and Routes 7, 29, 50, 123 and 193. State transportation officials said that on average, traffic volumes, speed and travel times were similar to the same time last year.

Officials are still betting that more people will turn to mass transit even if tolls dont come close to $35 again. And toll revenue will be used for transit improvements in the corridor, including new bus routes and park-and-ride facilities.

Lori Aratani and Martine Powers contributed to this report.
Signing Ceremony for the project financed by the Government of Japan within the framework of Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects

On November 24, the Signing Ceremony for the Project for Provision of Medical Equipment for Mobile Gynecological Cancer Screening Program in Imereti Region within the framework of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects was held at the Official Residence of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Georgia.The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Georgia HE Tadaharu Uehara, representatives of Georgian authorities, international and Georgian organizations related to the project.The grant contract of the above-mentioned project was concluded between the Embassy of Japan in Georgia and Women Wellness Care Alliance HERA. The grant of the Japanese Government for the project amounts to 81,200 US dollars. Under this project medical diagnostic equipment will be provided for a mobile cancer screening program that Women Wellness Care Alliance HERA will run in Imereti region. The National Screening Program is fully funded by the Government of Georgia and all eligible beneficiaries will be served by HERA free of charge. HERAs mobile unit with mammography system and other equipment will visit towns and villages of Imereti region on regular basis and provide cancer screening service to women at the place of their residence. The project will significantly increase access to cancer screening for women in Imereti region and will help diagnose this disease at a very early stage, saving many lives.The Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP) provides assistance to relatively small projects implemented by NGOs and aims at improvement of standard of living of Georgian people and promotion of education and culture. It applies to projects in the field of public health, education, social protection, agriculture, environment, poverty reduction and culture. Since 1998, 158 GGP projects have been financed in Georgia by the Government of Japan, totaling 15,919,078 USD.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said Tuesday that his state has done its part for Metro by urging board reforms and pledging to provide dedicated funding, and he called on Maryland and the District to join the effort.

McAuliffe spoke at a news conference marking the official release of a report on fixing Metro prepared by former U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood.

The event lost its element of surprise when The Washington Post obtained a copy of the report and published it last month. That didnt stop McAuliffe from proclaiming that the time for studying Metro was over and that the time for action has arrived.

We have got enough reports, McAuliffe said. We dont need any more planning. We know what we need to do.

[LaHood report on Metro urges dedicated funding, bus fare hike, trim in pension costs]

The outgoing governor said he has completed his final budget, to be released Dec. 18, and it will include guaranteed, long-term funding for Metro as LaHood recommended. He declined to say what form the financing will take but suggested it would not involve a tax increase.

Virginia today has done their part. We are putting up our money, McAuliffe said. It is dedicated, sustainable and it will go on perpetually into the future. I am asking the other jurisdictions to do it.

But McAuliffes claim of success was premature insofar as there is no guarantee that the Virginia General Assembly will approve dedicated funding. McAuliffe also will not be around to see his proposal through; he steps down as governor next month at the end of a four-year term.

[Maryland transportation secretary raises new objections to LaHood plan for Metro]

McAuliffes air of confidence also is, in some respects, at odds with the reality of the reaction to LaHoods report from some of the regions leaders. The proposal has drawn objections from Maryland and, to a lesser extent, from the District, and in a sign of the lack of consensus around the recommendations, neither Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) nor D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) attended the news conference.

McAuliffe recruited LaHood in March to conduct the study in hope of forging a regional consensus about Metros governance and funding. Hogan and Bowser were wary of the project from the start.

Bowser strongly supports dedicated funding but wants it to take the form of a regionwide sales tax, which McAuliffe has rejected on grounds it would disproportionately burden Virginia.

Hogan has declined to support dedicated funding, partly because of concern that it would involve tax increases. He instead has proposed that Maryland, Virginia, the District and the federal government each contribute an additional $500 million to the transit agency over four years.

McAuliffe said he expects Hogan to change his mind because the Maryland plan is inadequate.

[Virginia Gov. McAuliffe taps Ray LaHood to head panel to study Metro]

I assume that Maryland will come along with dedicated funding, McAuliffe said.

The plan that [Maryland] offered was short term, four years, he said.

McAuliffe said Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld, who was present at the news conference, cant do any long-term, dedicated financing under what was proposed by Maryland, so that does not solve the problem.

He added that without dedicated funding, Metro would eventually have to reduce service.

When you begin to cut service, it is a death spiral for Metro, McAuliffe said.

McAuliffe urged Maryland and the District to support LaHoods call to replace the 16-member Metro board with a five-member, temporary reform board to accelerate efforts to address the agencys challenges in governance, finances and operational efficiency.

We need a reform board, and Mayor Bowser and Governor Hogan need to get on board to do that, McAuliffe said.

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) also proposed a five-member, temporary reform board in legislation she filed Monday.

[Rep. Comstocks bill would give Metro more federal money in exchange for reform board and controls on labor costs]

Hogan has said that he likes the idea of a reform board but that it would be illegal without going through the difficult, time-consuming process of amending the Metro compact, which spells out how the agency is governed and financed.

McAuliffe and LaHood say a reform board could be set up on a voluntary basis without changing the compact. LaHood released an eight-page legal memorandum Tuesday, prepared by his law firm DLA Piper, describing how the reform board could be created in that way.

Hogan was in Baltimore on Tuesday announcing initiatives to curb violent crime. In general, the governor doesnt attend other peoples press conferences about reports that were leaked to the media weeks ahead of time, Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said.

At the time of the news conference, Bowser was speaking at a meeting of the Federal City Council, but her office said she met with LaHood two weeks ago to discuss the report.

Bowser has expressed support for a reform board in principle and agrees it can be done without amending the Metro compact. But she has said she can support a reform board only on the condition that all parties commit to dedicated funding.

The U.S. Transportation Department, in its first comment on LaHoods recommendations, said in a short statement that it strongly believes leadership from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia is critical in determining specific strategies for meeting [Metros] needs.
E.W. Jackson, pictured in Richmond, will seek the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine (D) in Virginia next year. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

E.W. Jackson, a firebrand minister who says that yoga leads to Satan and that gay people are ill, plans to announce that he is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) next year, Jacksons finance director said.

Jackson will announce his candidacy on Monday in the Chesapeake area, said Steven Thomas, who said he is raising money for Jacksons campaign and filled the same role during Jacksons 2013 losing bid for lieutenant governor.

A website registered to Jackson was updated Tuesday and announces EW Jackson for U.S. Senate.

Jackson did not return calls seeking comment.

Rumors are flying that Im going to run for US Senate in Virginia, he tweeted last week. Stand by for the official word sometime next month.

Jackson has a history of controversial comments, including calling gay men and lesbians "very sick people" and suggesting that the practice of yoga invites Satan to possess one's soul.

He will face Corey Stewart, a bombastic Prince William County official who ran for the GOP nomination for governor earlier this year in the mold of President Trump. Several other Republicans are considering whether to join the race.

The Senate field is expected to solidify this weekend when Virginia Republicans gather for their largest annual event  dubbed the Advance  at an Allegheny Mountain resort in western Virginia.

In an interview on WAMU Radio last week, Virginia GOP Chairman John Whitbeck said the party will remain neutral, but noted, Its not going to be just Corey Stewart in this race by himself.

Stewart, who declared his candidacy in July, on Tuesday announced the endorsement of Jerry Falwell Jr., the influential head of Liberty University and an ally of Trump.

In a statement, Falwell alluded to Stewarts narrow loss to Ed Gillespie in the GOP gubernatorial primary in June, calling him a proven vote-getter who will win back Virginias U.S. Senate seat for conservatives.

[He sold himself as a Trump mini-me and lost to Gillespie]

Trump needs Stewart in the U.S. Senate to help clean up the swamp in Washington, Falwell said.

In response to the endorsement, Stewart said, Virginias awakening is happening, and Mr. Falwells endorsement is proof positive [that] conservative Republicans will take back Virginia.

Stewart has promised a vicious campaign to try to unseat Kaine, a popular former governor and 2016 vice-presidential running mate to Hillary Clinton who is seeking a second term in the Senate.

[Stewart says he will run the most vicious, ruthless campaign against Kaine]

In addition to Stewart, the only other candidate who filed federal paperwork to run as of Tuesday is Ivan Raiklin, an Army veteran who recently jogged an average of 22 miles a day to bring awareness to suicide among veterans and to begin his campaign.

As a Green Beret, he advised the Salvadoran army on ways to counter the MS-13 gang, and he has served as a foreign affairs specialist and intelligence officer, according to his website. He has lived in Virginia since 2004, the site says.

Republicans turned off by Stewarts approach are looking to another candidate, Del. Nick Freitas (Culpeper), who said Tuesday that he is considering a run for the nomination.

The two-term state lawmaker is a former head of the Culpeper County GOP and moved to Virginia in 2009. He served in the Army Special Forces as a Green Beret and is a defense contractor.

John Norton Moore, an international law expert who has taught at the University of Virginia School of Law on and off for half a century, is also considering a run, he said in an interview Monday.

Moore, who established the U.S. Institute of Peace under President Ronald Reagan, said he is focused on big policy questions about the economy, health care, Social Security and criminal justice.

Freitas, Moore, Raiklin and Stewart will host small parties in hotel suites at a GOP retreat in Hot Springs, a sign to party activists that they are interested in running for public office.

Also Tuesday, a nonpartisan organization advocating for term limits released a pledge signed by Jackson saying that if he is elected, he will support a constitutional amendment limiting House members to three terms and Senate members to two terms.


Mike Beck, who retired from the National Security Agency last year, thinks his Parkinsons disease is linked to a visit he made to a hostile country in 1996. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

One of the first signs came at the keyboard. Mike Beck, a National Security Agency counterintelligence officer, could always bang out 60 words a minute. But in early 2006, Beck struggled to move his fingers at their usual typing speed. He had to hunt and peck.

Soon after, a brain scan showed why: Beck had Parkinson's disease, the second-most-common neurodegenerative disorder in the United States, behind Alzheimer's. He was only 46  unusually young for Parkinson's. No one in his family had ever had it. Then, in an unsettling coincidence, he learned that an NSA colleague  a man he'd spent a pivotal week in 1996 with in a hostile country  had also just been diagnosed with Parkinson's.

Eventually, Beck read a classified intelligence report that convinced him that he and his co-worker on the trip were likely the victims of a covert attack that led to their illnesses  and that has prompted a highly unusual workers compensation claim.

Beck believes that while he and his colleague were sleeping in their hotel rooms, the hostile country, which he cannot name for security reasons, deployed a high-powered microwave weapon against them, damaging their nervous systems.

I was sick in the stomach and shocked when I read that report, said Beck, who now struggles to drive, fold the laundry, clean the dishes, or get deep sleep. I am familiar with other things this hostile country does, and it just felt raw and unfair.

For the last four years, Beck, 57, has been trying to persuade the Labor Department to award him 75 percent of his salary, or about $110,000 a year.

But the Labor Department wont approve Becks request without solid evidence that he was targeted. In Becks case  short of obtaining proof from the hostile nations spy service  hed need the endorsement of the NSA, which has refused to provide it.

Glenn Gerstell, the NSAs general counsel, said the agency has not found any proof that Beck or his co-worker were attacked. Absent evidence, the NSA cant tell the Labor Department whether it agrees or disagrees with Becks claim, he said.

We have tremendous sympathy for him, and wed like to try and help him. But we cant manufacture evidence, Gerstell said. If the Department of Labor asked us, Do you think this is a possibility? then that would be different. But they didnt ask that.

A Labor Department spokesperson said the agency does not comment on active cases.

This is not your average workers compensation claim case, like someone falling while they were working on the roof of a government building, said Mark Zaid, Becks attorney, who has represented spy agency employees for decades. How often is it that a foreign government attacks a federal employee with devastating microwaves?

Working overseas can be dangerous for U.S. intelligence and diplomatic personnel. The State Department said in September that it was pulling most of its staffers back from Cuba, after revelations about a series of mysterious attacks that injured 24 Americans stationed in the country. The Americans complained about numerous symptoms, including hearing loss, dizziness, headaches, even cognitive issues. Cuba has denied responsibility. The ordeal has led to speculation that the Americans were victims of a sonic or acoustic attack.

[Two more U.S. officials confirmed injured by mysterious attacks in Cuba]

Beck, a former Secret Service officer who joined the NSA in 1987, was accustomed to working in hostile terrain. He made sure that U.S. facilities around the world could protect intelligence in physical spaces known as sensitive compartmented information facilities, or SCIFs.



Mike Beck keeps mementos from his NSA career at his home in Columbia, Md. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

In 1996, Beck and his colleague, Charles W. Gubete, were sent to a foreign nation to assess an American facilitys safeguards for classified information. He cant say exactly where, not even which hemisphere. The NSAs presence in the country is secret, the agency told the Labor Department.

When they arrived, Beck said, a soldier detained them in a small conference room at the airport but didnt explain why, and then released them after about two hours. Beck said he and Gubete didnt identify themselves as NSA employees.

Afterward, Beck said their translator intimated that the host country had been observing them. The two men stayed for about a week in side-by-side hotel rooms. Beck cant divulge much about what they did, he said, But we found something very important to the focus of our mission, something threatening near the building.

A disease reveals itself

A decade later, the right side of Becks body began to deaden.

His right arm didnt swing normally while he walked. His right hand stiffened, so he typed with his left. Then his right leg started to drag. He felt like he was always about to slip on his offices polished stone floors.

At the time, Beck, his wife, Rita, and two children were living outside London, while he worked at the NSAs British counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters.

The brain scan revealing young-onset Parkinsons was a shock. Only 10 to 20 percent of those diagnosed with the illness are younger than 50.

Beck was put on standard Parkinsons medication, called dopamine agonists, that helped restore his body movement. As his three-year tour in Britain wrapped up, he was offered a fourth year, and accepted.

Beck was well-regarded. He'd received a personal note of thanks from then-FBI director Robert S. Mueller III for helping catch Brian P. Regan, a retired Air Force master sergeant who tried to hawk classified material to China, Libya and Iraq for $13 million.

But even as the medication reduced many of his symptoms, Beck learned that Gubete, his travel partner, had also been diagnosed with Parkinsons. He thought back to their trip in 1996 and wondered whether their ailments shared a link.

Then, in 2012, Beck and others were emailed the intelligence that convinced him there was a link.

Over lunch, he shared his suspicions with Gubete, who by then was retired and no longer held a security clearance. So Beck couldnt tell him much about the intelligence. Gubete, who lived in Laurel, Md., died a year later, though the cause remains unknown. He was 61.

Parkinsons ran in Gubetes family. His mother and great-grandmother had it, according to Gubetes sister, Carol Owens, who lives in Pennsylvania.

Becks doctor, Paul Fishman, a professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in an interview that because Gubetes relatives had Parkinsons, it is far less likely the alleged microwave attack led to his diagnosis. And he wasnt sure it had a connection to Becks.

Still, Fishman maintained it was possible that a microwave weapon could have helped cause both mens neurological damage.

[A treatment for Parkinsons reveals a brain switch for sadness]

"There are genes that raise your risk for Parkinson's, but it's not 100 percent that people who carry those genes get Parkinson's," Fishman said. "It's well-

established that two causal factors can add together."

The exact cause of Parkinsons is unknown, but genetics and exposure to environmental elements  pesticides and other toxic chemicals  can increase someones risk.

Military veterans with Parkinson's who were exposed to Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant the U.S. deployed during the Vietnam War, may be eligible for disability benefits.

But David Standaert, chairman of the American Parkinson Disease Associations scientific advisory board, said he doesnt know of any published literature linking high-energy microwave rays and Parkinsons.

Weaken, intimidate or kill

Beck began exploring a workers compensation claim in 2012. At that point, six years into his diagnosis, Beck was getting tired much more easily and his dexterity was diminishing. He filed the claim in 2013.

As the Labor Department gathered evidence, the NSA never commented on whether it agreed with Becks allegation that his Parkinsons was connected to his 1996 trip overseas, according to the cases records.

Beck gave the Labor Department an unclassified version of the intelligence hed read: an NSA statement saying that the hostile countrys weapon may have the ability to weaken, intimidate, or kill an enemy over time and without leaving evidence and that it is designed to cause numerous physical effects, including a damaged nervous system.

Beck also submitted a paper by an NSA counterintelligence agent declaring that the attack against Beck was highly probable.



Beck rehangs a plaque from his time with the NSA at his home in Columbia, Md. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

But the NSA refused to allow Becks attorney, Zaid, to review the classified information, although Zaid holds the highest-level security clearance for his cases.

Not only did the NSA refuse to help Mike, they also obstructed my ability to help him, Zaid said.

Gerstell, the NSA general counsel, said that not even the classified information proves Becks allegation that his Parkinsons is work-related.

In September 2014, the Labor Department rejected his claim, citing the absence of the NSAs endorsement.

Beck felt deflated. He was inching toward three decades of service at the NSA.

I felt frustrated and confused as to why the agency didnt respond, said Beck, who is appealing the case. There were no limitations on what the NSA could have said. They could have said it was possible.

Last year, Beck tried to win the NSAs endorsement by arranging a meeting with several high-ranking officials and a senior counterintelligence official from a sister agency who is an expert on the hostile nations spy service.

At the briefing, the sister agency officer gave a technical summary of the things the host country does to people that could harm them seriously, said Beck, who cant fully describe the meeting because it was classified. Afterwards, he sent me an email saying it was a no brainer that this attack happened to me.

The NSA declined to discuss the briefing.

But the agencys director of security and counterintelligence, Kemp Ensor, emailed the NSAs then-chief of staff in August 2016 saying that he agreed that Becks injuries were work-related  and that the NSA should convey his opinion to the Labor Department, Beck said.

Zaid, Becks attorney, said he asked the NSA to hand over Ensors email to the Labor Department. But Zaid said the NSA rejected that request because it viewed the email as a personal opinion  not the official agency stance.

The NSA declined to make Ensor available for an interview, nor would it show The Washington Post his email, saying that it contains classified information and equities of other intelligence community partners which would be inappropriate for us to discuss.

A Tom Clancy career

Beck retired last December after nearly 30 years at the NSA. He was entitled to a ceremony at NSA headquarters with a military color guard.

Instead, he opted for cake in his Maryland office and, during his speech, joked that he felt like he had a career lifted from the pages of a Tom Clancy novel. Except for a few friends and his bosses, hardly anyone knew of his unresolved battle with the agency.

After work, he and several dozen colleagues headed to the Rams Head, a favorite NSA haunt, where one longtime official approached him.

It was a senior executive at the NSA. We couldnt talk much because we werent in a secure facility, Beck said. He said to me, in his opinion, that my injury was work-related.
Katryna Grisson, outside her home in Morven, Ga., has been on the liver transplant list since 2014. (Kile Brewer/For The Washington Post)

After years of debate, the organization that oversees the allocation of livers for transplant took steps Monday to address a long-standing geographic disparity in supply of the scarce organs.

The policy approved by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network will make more livers available in some places  including cities such as New York and Chicago  where the shortage is more severe than it is in regions such as the southeastern United States.

The essential thing to stress about this proposal is that it does move things in the direction we want to go, across the country, said Julie Heimbach, chairwoman of the committee that developed the proposal after considering 63 alternatives over more than five years of often-heated debate.

Many speakers Monday described the approach as a compromise that most could adopt but that completely pleased few.

David S. Goldberg, a hepatologist at the University of Pennsylvanias Perelman School of Medicine who has studied the liver disparity, said in an email that he has concerns about the policy because it does not consider liver donation rates, which vary sharply across the country.



The United Network for Organ Sharing UNOS) regional map showing how the country is currently divided into regions for liver distribution. (United Network for Organ Sharing)

But, Goldberg said, in the spirit of compromise and maintaining the value of democratic debate and discussion within our transplant community and the broader public, I can support this proposal.

The geographic disparity in available livers has plagued transplant patients for decades. The United Network for Organ Sharing, the nonprofit organization that coordinates organ transplantation, divides the country into 11 regions for the purposes of liver distribution.

In Region 9, for example, which includes New York, just 327 livers were donated in 2016, continuing a pattern of meager procurement that goes back decades. In Region 3, which includes the Deep South and Puerto Rico, 1,336 livers were obtained from deceased donors.

That is partly because the Deep South is the center of the nations stroke belt, where higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes lead to fatal strokes, leaving more donors with intact livers. Many Southern states also have above-average death rates from traffic accidents.

Overall, however, there are far too few livers available for the people who need them. Last year, 7,841 livers from deceased donors were transplanted in the United States, while 14,000 people remained on the national waiting list. More than a thousand people die on the waiting list every year.

Since 2002, people have been placed on waiting lists at the nations 143 liver transplant centers based on a score derived from blood tests that indicate the progress of their disease. The higher the score, the sicker the patient.

Using the scores, an organ is first offered within the local district and region where it was donated, before it can be distributed to other regions if there is no match between donor and recipient. People with means can register at multiple transplant centers, which is how the late Apple founder Steve Jobs, who lived in California, received a liver in Tennessee.

The complex new plan, approved by a vote of 36 to 3 with one abstention, would extend the area in which an organ can be offered by drawing a 150-nautical-mile circle around donor hospitals, although some exceptions would apply. It is expected to make hundreds more livers available to patients in areas where they wait the longest.

Hanging over the vote was a demand made Friday by a severely ill patient at New Yorks Mount Sinai Medical Center, who contended that the board should abandon its policy of first offering organs within each of the 58 districts where livers are procured, known as donor service areas.

An attorney for Tamiany de la Rosa, 25, said in a letter to Eric D. Hargan, the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that arbitrary geographic boundaries violate the law, which emphasizes giving livers to the sickest patients first.

Last month, a court-ordered deadline in a New York lawsuit prompted an emergency change in policy that reduced the importance of geographic divisions in the allocation of lungs for transplant.

Under the plan approved Monday, the state of New York would become one very large district for the purposes of distributing livers.

Read more

Experts address decades-old disparity in availability of livers for transplant

People with intellectual disabilities fight bias in organ transplants

Donor organs kept alive may help ease shortage
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday called on President Trump to shrink a total of four national monuments and change the way six other land and marine sites are managed, a sweeping overhaul of how protected areas are maintained in the United States.

Zinke's final report comes a day after Trump signed proclamations in Utah that downsized two massive national monuments there  Bears Ears by 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante by nearly 46 percent. The president had directed Zinke in April to review 27 national monuments established since 1996 under the Antiquities Act, which gives the president broad authority to safeguard federal lands and waters under threat.

In addition to the Utah sites, Zinke supports cutting Nevadas Gold Butte and Oregons Cascade-Siskiyou, though the exact reductions are still being determined. He also would revise the proclamations for those and the others to clarify that certain activities are allowed.

The additional monuments affected include Northeast Canyons and Seamounts in the Atlantic Ocean; both Rose Atoll and the Pacific Remote Islands in the Pacific Ocean; New Mexicos Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande Del Norte, and Maines Katahdin Woods and Waters.

The Antiquities Act over time has done great things for our country, and it has protected some of our greatest treasures, he said in a call with reporters. But its power had been abused, he said, with monument designations extending far beyond the objects they were designed to protect.



The boundaries of Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks National Monument in New Mexico could be cut back by President Trump. (Lisa Mandelkern/AP)

Some of the objects defined in past proclamations, he noted, were too abstract: Stars, biological diversity, remoteness, emptiness.

Trump shrinks two national monuments in Utah, sparking praise and protest

Zinke criticized the federal governments past action halting motorized vehicle traffic in Cascade-Siskiyou until a transportation plan could be finalized, saying it interfered with local cross-country ski operators ability to maintain trails.

For several sites, Zinke recommended amending the monuments proclamation language to ensure activities such as grazing, hunting and fishing can continue. While these practices often go on even after a presidential designation, Zinke said he wants to make that legality clear because ranchers have felt marginalized and fear they will face future restrictions.

In the case of New Mexicos national monuments, Zinke said, he listened to the states two Democratic senators and others in deciding not to modify their boundaries. Still, he wanted to make sure that the proclamation protects the long-standing grazing [in parts] of those monuments and that management of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks does not interfere with U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations in the area.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) wasnt buying the explanation. He blasted Zinke in a statement, saying the report is based on hearsay and erroneous data, and the secretary and Trump have turned a deaf ear to the overwhelming consensus to protect New Mexicos conservation legacy.

The administration is already facing multiple lawsuits over the presidents decision Monday to scale back both Bears Ears, a sacred tribal site designated last year by former president Barack Obama, and Grand Staircase-Escalante, a reservoir of prehistoric fossils Bill Clinton established in 1996.





More litigation could be coming. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said to Zinke in a letter in July that the state was "ready to take appropriate legal action" if Trump rescinds or reduces the size of Cascade-Siskiyou.

Interior received more than 2.5 million comments on the review, and they overwhelmingly said all of the monuments should remain unchanged, Zinke wrote in his report. But he attributed the extreme tilt to a well-orchestrated national campaign organized by multiple groups.

I dont yield to public pressure, Zinke said Tuesday. Sound public policy is not based on threats of lawsuit. Its doing whats right.

[Meet the nations most endangered monuments]

The final document is almost identical to the draft Zinke submitted to the White House this summer, and much of the language is vague. For example, it appears to open the door to commercial fishing in three marine monuments where this practice is either being phased out or is already banned. Yet the report calls for amending the sites proclamations to allow regional councils to make fishery-management decisions as authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Thats something that our members have argued for from the beginning, said Bob Vanasse, who serves as executive director for the commercial fishing industry group Saving Seafood. The act, he added, is broadly viewed as one of the best laws in the world in terms of sustainability.

But Tom Wathen, a vice president at the Pew Charitable Trusts, which works on environmental and other issues, said in an email that commercial fishing within the marine monuments would undermine the protection provided for these habitats and for the threatened whales, turtles, fish and seabirds that gather there.

In the report, Zinke also finalized his recommendations to create three new national monuments: at Kentuckys Camp Nelson, a Civil War training site for African American soldiers; at the home of Medgar Evers, a civil rights activist who was assassinated by a white supremacist, in Jackson, Miss., and at the Badger-Two Medicine area in Zinkes home state of Montana.

The secretary said he was "fairly confident" Trump would accept all of his recommendations, and he intends to brief him "multiple times" in coming weeks to get his sign-off. Zinke also rejected the idea that any of these alterations of existing monuments would amount to relinquishing control of federal land, describing such criticism as "nefarious, false and a lie."

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) commended Zinke on Tuesday for actually listening to the people on the local level and Trump for showing some real courage against well-funded litigation machines.

Bishop and members of the Utah congressional delegation have introduced legislation that would create a new national park out of a portion of Grand Staircase-Escalante, to be called Escalante Canyons National Park.

I know other people say this, but Im telling you: Dude, theres nothing quite like Utah, said Rep. Chris Stewart (R), the bills lead sponsor. Utah is an extraordinary state when it comes to natural beauty. We want to share that with as many people as we can.

Zinke said "Interior would be supportive" of establishing a national park along the lines of Stewart's bill.

Sharon Buccino, who directs the land and wildlife program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group, said in a statement that "Zinke's report, like yesterday's outrageous and illegal actions by his boss, makes it crystal clear: the Trump administration is waging a war on our treasured national monuments  by land, sea and air."

Buccino called Stewart's bill "part and parcel of the same attack."

Dino Grandoni contributed to this report.

Read more:

In the push to deliver on Trumps energy agenda, Interior looms large

How a sacred tribal site got the attention of the Obama White House

U.S. Forest Service didnt call for pulling its land from Bears Ears
Azerbaijans SOCAR Says They Have Not Been Fined for Environmental Violations in Months

(BAKU)  A top official from Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR announced Monday that the energy giant has not been fined for environmental violations since early this year.While speaking at an industry conference in the Azeri capital, Baku, SOCARs Environment Department Chair Azer Aliyev made the claim after guaranteeing the audience that the company is in the process of a robust audit of its activities for the whole of 2017.He said SOCAR conducts permanent environmental monitoring.An in-depth analysis of (this years) monitoring results is underway. Everything is being reviewed and, when needed, the necessary steps to resolve certain issues will be taken, said Aliyev.
As soon as Hurricane Maria had passed, Ernesto Rios got on his BMW motorcycle and began the trek to Puerto Rico's capital city from Salinas, a town on the island's southeastern coast. The ride usually takes 45 minutes. This time it took three hours.

Roads were blocked by felled, leafless trees or rendered impassable from flooding. Power lines snaked across roads and sidewalks. There was virtually no electricity or cellphone service. Gas lines stretched for miles, and some people were camping out overnight at stations to power their cars and generators.

When Rios had returned to his apartment in Condado  a touristy, affluent, beachfront neighborhood in San Juan  he immediately wanted to turn around and head back to the coast to do whatever he could. He and two friends brought $200 worth of groceries  rice, beans and pasta  and $500 in cash to pass out to the people in his familys devastated neighborhood in Salinas.

Since Maria swept through the island on Sept. 20, leaving a path of destruction from coast to coast, Puerto Ricans have been working to make their homes livable again. Although more than two months have passed, much of the island is still crippled, hundreds of thousands are waiting for federal disaster relief, and many residents have relied on neighbors and volunteers rather than waiting for external help that they say might never come.

[Federal aid claims jump tenfold in 2017, after series of record-breaking natural disasters]

Neighborhoods bound together and took to the streets, cutting down dead trees and branches with axes and rusty machetes and clearing corrugated zinc roofing to make travel possible. They made massive piles of tree branches, broken glass and shattered utility poles and waited for municipal garbage collectors to take the refuse away  something that in many small towns has yet to happen. And they sought out those who needed the most help, sharing whatever stored food, water and medicine they could scrounge.

Now, almost 75 days after Maria, Bori Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Fund, which consists of Rios and his partner, Steve Soto, and more than 30 unpaid volunteers, continues to find areas of the island that havent received any help.

People are getting accustomed to what life on the island is like now, and there are lights in some places, Rios said. But there are also places where things havent changed since the first day after the hurricane took everything. Yabucoa hasnt changed, and there are many sectors and small towns where the only work that has been done, clearing the roads and rebuilding homes, has been done by the people who live in that community.

Energy is the most important issue for many people in Puerto Rico, Rios said, but the little work that can be done hasnt been focused on the parts of the island that need the most help.

Once you leave the bubble of the metro area, things havent changed that much. Luckily, those that have are willing to give back. Every weekend, more Puerto Ricans join the cause and give whatever they can. They donate food, money or their time, Rios said.

Maria changed everything in Puerto Rico, he added. If you havent seen that yet, you havent opened your eyes. Culturally, economically, the island will never be the same. And if the government cant organize itself enough to help us when we need it, then we will help ourselves.

The Bori Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Fund has fed nearly 1,000 families by driving out into the country in borrowed trucks and Jeeps and passing out bags of food and supplies. In the coming weeks and months, the group will turn its attention to providing more lasting relief, such as tarps for homes that have no roofs and the possibility of installing solar panels and generators.

Passing out food can only do so much good. Its like trying to heal a serious wound with a Band-Aid, Soto said, adding that Puerto Ricans need employment, training and the ability to solve these same problems the next time around. We need to empower people, to give them homes to live in, to get them back to work and to restore their sense of pride. . . . This will happen again. Theres no doubt about that. We need to start thinking about long-term solutions, and we have to understand that we will be doing this mostly on our own.

Edgard Rodriguez Luiggi, 49, an artist who lives in Rio Piedras, part of the San Juan Metro area, said many people in Puerto Rico have grown used to the new way of life and have opened their eyes to the broader situations affecting the island.

Our power system was obsolete and had been for years. We are becoming more conscious of what the island needs and what we need to do to survive now and in the future, Luiggi said. Were also keenly aware now that we have always been an afterthought and that our political status needs to change. We dont have the capacity to handle another storm like this. . . . We have to make our island a more modern place, with modern technologies, solar and wind power, and up-to-date building codes. And we need a voice, we need to be heard by those who govern us.
The Rev. William J. Barber II, architect of the Moral Mondays movement, announces the details of his next challenge, helping to lead a national Poor People's Campaign, during a news conference in May. (D.L. Anderson/For The Washington Post)

Columnist

Fifty years ago this week, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference announced the Poor People's Campaign. Calling for a cross-racial coalition of Americans living in poverty to demand better living conditions, King described the need for the campaign in terms that feel particularly timely in the Trump era. "All of us can feel the presence of a kind of social insanity which could lead us to national ruin," King declared.

Half a century later, as Republican leaders ram through a ruinous tax bill that will exacerbate economic inequality, a coalition of faith and social justice organizations is bringing King's vision into the 21st century. Led by Rev. William J. Barber II and Rev. Liz Theoharis, the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is planning 40 days of coordinated action in the spring of 2018 at statehouses across the country. Like its predecessor, the modern Poor People's Campaign is focused on what King described as the "triple evils" of racism, poverty and militarism  with the addition of ecological devastation, a global crisis that disproportionately affects people living in poverty.

A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) details why it's so critical at this moment to not merely commemorate the anniversary of the Poor People's Campaign, but also to reengage with King's crusade to organize and build the power of people who are too often marginalized in our society.

Beyond the emergence of increasingly emboldened white nationalists, who have existed on the fringes of society for years, the scourge of systemic racism continues to affect large segments of the population. As the IPS notes, "More than 50 years after the Voting Rights Act, people of color still face a broad range of attacks on their voting rights, including racist gerrymandering and redistricting, felony disenfranchisement, and a variety of laws designed to make it harder to vote." Mass incarceration and the failed war on drugs have wreaked havoc on communities across the country. The state and federal prison population has skyrocketed from less than 200,000 in 1968 to nearly 1.5 million in 2015, while the proportion of non-white inmates has jumped from less than half to more than two-thirds.

In the wealthiest country in the world, poverty is still taking a devastating toll on millions of people of all races. Today, there are 95 million poor or low-income Americans. Fifty-eight million work for less than $15 an hour, meaning they are denied a living wage. More than 30 million children currently live at or below twice the federal poverty line, according to IPS, which is "considered the minimum for meeting basic family needs." Income inequality is growing, and the toxic combination of tax breaks for the rich and devastating cuts to the social safety net threatens to make the problem much worse.

The challenges facing the poor are exacerbated by America's bipartisan addiction to militarism. In his famous 1967 speech at Riverside Church  where Barber delivered a sermon in April at a celebration of the King address's 50th anniversary  King argued that the United States would "never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic, destructive suction tube." Fifty year later, King's words still ring true. In 2016, IPS reports that "military spending was almost four times the investment in people's lives at home  $630 billion for the military versus a paltry $183 billion for education, jobs, housing and other basic human needs."

And while the United States turns a blind eye to the rising threat of catastrophic climate change, environmental pollution and ecological devastation are already causing real suffering among low-income people and communities of color in particular. The most salient example, of course, is the water crisis in Flint, Mich., where the callous decision to switch to a cheaper water source left some residents with a severely contaminated water supply that met the EPA definition of "toxic waste." Across the country, up to 4 million people could be exposed to unsafe drinking water, according to a December 2016 USA Today investigation.

In the face of a hostile government and a President Trump-obsessed media, the Poor People's Campaign will be fighting an uphill battle. In 26 presidential debates last year, the issues at the heart of the campaign were overwhelmingly overlooked  there were no questions about poverty in nine Democratic primary debates  so putting the plight of the working poor on the national agenda will not be easy.

Yet Barber, who launched the Moral Monday protests in North Carolina in 2013 that grew into a national movement, may be the man for the moment. He has been compared with King for his commitment to advancing a "fusion politics," which aims to unite people of all races and creeds by framing the fight for progress in moral terms rather than ideological ones. "The language of left versus right and liberal versus conservative is too puny to challenge the extremism we're facing now," Barber wrote earlier this year. While the Poor People's Campaign aspires to change the policy conversation, it is ultimately about changing how society defines true morality in these difficult times. "This is about the moral center," Barber has declared. "This is about our humanity."

Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvel's archive or follow her on Twitter.
Columnist

When I was a kid, I went door to door in my neighborhood, asking for donations to the Jewish National Fund, best known then for its Israel forestation program. At the age of 11 or so, I imagined myself a regular Johnny Appleseed, responsible for vast forests. My neighbors were easy pickings. No one asked about the occupation of the West Bank, the civil liberties of Palestinians, the awesome political power of intolerant ultra-Orthodox Jews or the appalling mendacity of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was a different time. If I went to my neighbors today, my imaginary grove might be barren.

Of all the divisions regarding Israel  Arab vs. Jew, etc.  maybe the most consequential in the long run is the widening gap between American Jews and the policies of the Netanyahu government. This does not mean that American Jews  largely Democratic and liberal  no longer support Israel. They do. But that support is conflicted, fraught with worry and dismay, and, increasingly among the younger generation, sometimes barely existent.

The Israeli government proceeds as if none of this matters. Its preoccupation, naturally enough, is with its domestic constituency  the voters of the upper Galilee and not the donors of the Upper West Side. Not only don't American Jews vote in Israel, but as Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely dismissively put it, they don't serve in the army, either. Just as important, the vast majority of American Jews are not Orthodox, and they resent the hold that the very religious have over Israeli political life. As we see with Sunni and Shiite Muslims, interreligious fights are the most ugly.

For moderate or liberal Jews  in other words, for the 76 percent who did not vote for Donald Trump  Israel has become like a relative who always has to be explained. While religious restrictions matter a great deal, the overriding issue is the future of the West Bank  whether, along with the Gaza Strip, it will comprise a future Palestinian state or whether Israel will simply swallow it. This is usually called a one-state or a two-state solution. Another way of putting it is whether Israel will remain a Jewish democracy or will need to repress a Palestinian majority far into the future.

The one-state solution is where the government seems headed. At the close of his last election campaign in 2015, a panicked Netanyahu vowed that he would not permit the creation of a Palestinian state. (Previously, he had hinted he might.) Netanyahu had clearly caved to the so-called settler movement, which wants more and more West Bank settlements, eventually foreclosing any chance of creating a Palestinian state. The drift toward one state is a reason former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak recently called the Netanyahu government "irrational, bordering on messianic."

Barak wrote that in a New York Times op-ed piece. He was even stronger a bit later in remarks to the Israel Policy Forum, which largely shares his views. Several times he referred to Israels loss of the moral high ground and the effect that this is having on Jews everywhere. We are losing the next generation, he said.

Barak is a unique figure. He is a former minister of defense, a onetime chief of the general staff and, not incidentally, the most decorated soldier in Israels history when he retired from the army. He is a former commando.

But he is also somewhat typical. He is one of many retired generals or intelligence chiefs who favor a two-state solution. These are men who would not trifle with Israels security, and so when Netanyahu argues, as he has, that a Palestinian state would become a terrorist enclave, Barak and others insist otherwise. They can handle the situation.

In the meantime, Israel is increasingly criticized. On American campuses, it is routinely accused of being a racist and colonial power. Not so. But American Jews on those very campuses find it harder and harder to mount a defense. The continuing occupation of the West Bank and the Trumpian persona of Netanyahu leave them mute. Jeremy Ben-Ami, head of the liberal pro-Israel group J Street and a frequent campus speaker, finds that many college students feel a contradiction between what they believe are Jewish values and the policies of the Netanyahu government.

Back when I was going door to door for the Jewish National Fund, Chaim Weizmann was Israel's president. He was a monumental figure whose autobiography, "Trial and Error," is both readable and prescient. On page 462 he wrote, "I am certain that the world will judge the Jewish State by what it will do with the Arabs."

Alas, not just the world is doing so, but American Jews are as well.

Read more from Richard Cohen's archive.
In its Nov. 29 editorial "Egypt's misguided terrorism answer," The Post in essence blamed Egypt's government for a terrorist attack in Sinai, the worst ever in our modern history, instead of the hateful extremist ideologies that have inspired this and other acts worldwide.

Rather than acknowledge that Sinai-based terrorist cells predate the current government or that, under President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, Egypt has dedicated billions of dollars to economic development in Sinai, The Post used this tragedy to condemn a vital ally of the United States in the war on terror. The contrast between its approach to this extremist attack and those committed elsewhere is troubling.

Instead of allowing extremists to divide us, we must reaffirm and reinforce our unity to defeat terrorism in all its forms. Egypt and the United States are working together to do just that. Recent military exercises between our nations focused on enhancing counterinsurgency capabilities, which is just one element of a robust security cooperation agenda. Simultaneously, Egypt's work with religious leaders to reassert Islam's peaceful and inclusive foundations, along with profound economic reforms, are strengthening communities and marginalizing extremist messages. And Egypt's diplomatic leadership to promote regional stability  from Libya to Lebanon  is further evidence of our shared resolve in confronting the root causes of terrorism.

Casting blame in the wrong places doesnt help. To succeed, we must collaborate on all fronts and not let the acts of extremists distract or divide us.

Yasser Reda, Washington

The writer is ambassador of Egypt to the United States.
Dan Schwerin was director of speechwriting for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign and collaborated on her memoir What Happened.

As a Democrat, I have appreciated Republican senators such as Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and John McCain (Ariz.) warning about the damage President Trump is doing to our country. I wish they would oppose a tax bill that explodes the deficit and punishes working families. But if theyre not going to do that, they should at least use this moment of maximum leverage to impose some checks on what they themselves describe as an out-of-control president.

Under normal circumstances, it would be surprising if GOP senators didn't fall in line. After all, no policy unites Republicans like cutting rich people's taxes. But these are not normal circumstances. Flake himself warned his Senate colleagues never to "regard as normal the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals." Yet Flake, McCain, Susan Collins (R-Maine) and others gave away their votes on the tax bill for practically nothing. This was either terrible negotiating or a failure of imagination. Or maybe their big talk about Trump is just that  talk.

Trumps GOP critics should use their power as swing votes to extract specific concessions that would limit the damage the president can do. They missed a golden opportunity on Friday, but they will likely get another chance after the tax bill emerges from a joint Senate-House conference committee. Here are some concrete steps they should take.

First, they should protect special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation. Now that former national security adviser Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is cooperating with Mueller, preventing Trump from rashly firing the special counsel is more important than ever. Two bipartisan bills have already been introduced to do just that, one by Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and another by Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.). These lawmakers and their colleagues should insist that a version of their legislation be approved and signed into law before they vote for the final tax bill.

Second, the GOP anti-Trumpers should require some form of congressional approval for any future first strike attack with nuclear weapons. Even better would be a no first use policy for nuclear weapons. This wouldnt prevent the commander in chief from responding to an incoming attack on our homeland, but it would prevent the most terrifying danger we face under this president: the prospect of an angry and impulsive Trump firing off a nuclear missile the way he fires off a tweet.

Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has warned that Trump is putting the nation "on the path to World War III," recently held a hearing on the issue. He and other Republicans concerned about national security and worried about Trump's capacity as commander in chief should strongly consider something like Sen. Edward J. Markey's (D-Mass.) legislation, which would put a check on this doomsday nuclear scenario.

Third, they should force the president to meet basic standards of ethics and transparency. The House GOP has voted down legislation that would require Trump to release his tax returns and official visitor logs from the White House and Mar-a-Lago. Flake and like-minded Republicans should make passing such legislation a prerequisite for final passage of the tax bill.

This list is just the beginning of what Congress could do to constrain the risks of the Trump presidency. Of course, the best outcome would be for Republicans in both houses of Congress to vote the final tax bill down on the merits. But if thats not going to happen, then the presidents critics should insist on these steps.

Many Republicans wont want to vote for these measures and Trump certainly wont want to sign them. But they really want to cut taxes for billionaires. Now may be the single best opportunity to force real action. Based on the dire warnings coming from Flake and Corker, we cant afford to wait another minute.
"WE NEED Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama," President Trump tweeted on Monday.

No doubt his endorsement will carry weight with some voters. We hope, as they decide how to cast their ballots next Tuesday, they also remember what Leigh Corfman had to say about how Mr. Moore, then 32, behaved with her when she was a 14-year-old girl in 1979. As The Post reported last month:

Alone with Corfman, Moore chatted with her and asked for her phone number, she says. Days later, she says, he picked her up around the corner from her house in Gadsden, drove her about 30 minutes to his home in the woods, told her how pretty she was and kissed her. On a second visit, she says, he took off her shirt and pants and removed his clothes. He touched her over her bra and underpants, she says, and guided her hand to touch him over his underwear.

 I wanted it over with  I wanted out, she remembers thinking. Please just get this over with. Whatever this is, just get it over. Corfman says she asked Moore to take her home, and he did.

[The Republican Party, following Trump, just embraced Roy Moore. Now what?]

We hope voters also weigh the account of Beverly Young Nelson, who alleged Mr. Moore sexually assaulted her when she was 16 years old and working as a waitress at the Old Hickory House restaurant in Gadsden, Ala. Mr. Moore signed her high school yearbook in December 1977. Then, as The Post reported:

On a cold night about a week or two after that, Nelson alleges, Moore offered to give her a ride home from work after her shift ended at 10 p.m. Instead of taking her home, Nelson said, Moore pulled the two-door car into a dark and deserted area between a dumpster and the back of the restaurant.

When she asked what he was doing, Nelson alleges, Moore put his hands on her breasts and began groping her. When she tried to open the car door and leave, Nelson said, he reached over and locked the door. When she yelled at him to stop and tried to fight him off, she alleges, he tightly squeezed the back of her neck and tried to force her head toward his lap. He also tried to pull her shirt off, she said.

 I was determined that I was not going to allow him to force me to have sex with him. I was terrified, Nelson said . . . I thought that he was going to rape me. 

Mr. Moore denies these stories, though he does not outright deny dating teenage girls as an older man. Many other women allege that he preyed on them as teenagers. None of them have reason now to lie.

This is the man Mr. Trump has decided he needs in the Senate. Alabama voters must decide if they agree. Is it so important to have a senator who will vote the presidents way on tax cuts or judicial appointments that they are willing to be represented by a person who would do such abhorrent things to young girls?
Columnist

There will come a time, hopefully before long, when it wont be legal to discriminate against gay people any more than it would be to deny goods or services to African Americans, women or the disabled.

But were not at that point yet. Hence the need for Tuesdays food fight at the Supreme Court.

On the justices' plates: whether a baker can refuse on First Amendment grounds to make a cake for a gay wedding because it offends his Christian beliefs. Layered throughout the oral argument: Is food speech? Or is it, well, food?

Kristen Waggoner, arguing for Masterpiece Cakeshop of Colorado, made the creative argument that the Christian confectioner intended to speak through that cake and that when the cake maker bakes, he is creating a painting on that canvas that expresses messages  and is therefore covered by the First Amendment.

Trump administration Solicitor General Noel Francisco, also arguing for the cake maker, said that the first question was whether the cake rises to the level of speech. He gave no indication that his pun was intended.

To the casual consumer of cakes, its obvious that cake does not rise to the level of protected speech. Cake is dessert. Or possibly breakfast, if in muffin form. But for a Supreme Court that has determined that corporations are people, it is not settled law that cake is food.

This raises the possibility of other goods and services being denied to gay people by those who cite their free-speech and free-expression-of-religion rights  just as Jim Crow merchants did when refusing to serve African Americans a half-century ago.

The person who does floral arranging, asked Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Would that person also be speaking at the wedding?

Yes, Waggoner answered, if they are custom-designed arrangements.

How about the person who designs the invitation to the wedding or the menu for the wedding dinner?

Certainly.

Justice Elena Kagan decided to play. The jeweler?

Possibly, Waggoner reasoned.

Hairstylist?

Absolutely not.

The makeup artist? Kagan persisted.

Waggoner said that the makeup artist would not be speaking  neither, she replied to Kagans further questions, would the wedding tailor or the chef.

Whoa! Kagan pounced. The baker is engaged in speech, but the chef is not engaged in speech?

And lets not even get into the butcher and the candlestick maker.

The case could go either way, with four justices apparently on the cake-is-speech side, four on the cake-is-food side and the inscrutable Anthony M. Kennedy in between. But Kennedy did tell Francisco that his side in the case has a "problem," because "there's basically an ability to boycott gay marriages. If you prevail, could the baker put a sign in his window: 'We do not bake cakes for gay weddings'?"

Francisco allowed that the baker could.

And you would not think that an affront to the gay community?

Of course it would be. But lawyers for the cake baker argued that discrimination on the basis of race or disability is different because it is based on who the person is  as if being gay isnt who the person is.

The high court has enshrined the right to same-sex marriage, but neither the court nor Congress has protected sexual orientation the way they protect race, religion, gender and disability. Several states and localities have such laws  including Colorado, whose law is being questioned in the cake case  but those will have little effect if the justices decide that anti-gay discrimination is protected as free speech.

Hence the slippery-slope questions. If the custom-cake guy, the florist and the people who design invitations and menus can discriminate, I dont see a line that can be drawn that would exclude the makeup artist or the hairstylist, Ginsburg pointed out.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wanted to know whether sandwich artists are First Amendment-protected.

Justice Stephen G. Breyer asked whether tableside mole preparations at Mexican restaurants would enjoy free-speech protection.

Kagan asked about a chef refusing to do an anniversary dinner for same-sex couples.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. asked about architects.

Generally that would not be protected, Waggoner ventured.

Breyer interjected. So, he said, Mies or Michelangelo or someone is not protected when he creates the Laurentian Steps, but this cake baker is protected when he creates the cake without any message on it for a wedding?

This is important, Breyer said, because we want some kind of distinction that will not undermine every civil rights law from the Year Two, including African Americans, including the Hispanic Americans, including everybody who has been discriminated against in very basic things of life, food, design of furniture, homes and buildings.

Piece of cake: If you cant do it to racial and religious minorities, women and the disabled, you shouldnt be able to do it to gay people.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbank's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Georgian Officials Receive International Rebuke over Criticizing Ombudsman

By Vladimer Napetvaride

The confrontation between the Public Defender and high ranking officials has become one of the most discussed political topics in recent weeks in Georgia.The dispute has heated up over a so-called cyanide case. In early February, the Georgian law-enforcers detained priest Giorgi Mamaladze, accusing him of an attempt of murder of Patriarchs female secretary.The Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani criticized the Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili calling him unfair.It is hard to comment as it is last days of Nanuashvilis activities at the Public Defenders Office, stated Minister Tsulukiani adding he is the first unfair ombudsman in the history of Georgia.Another representative of the Georgian Government, Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia David Sergeenko agreed with Tsulukiani.Nobody, including the Public Defender has a right to doubt and criticize the decision of Court. This is unacceptable and I join my colleague," Sergeenko announced.However, the criticism of Georgian officials against the ombudsman was defined as an attack against the Institute of Public Defender. In a joint letter, eleven non-governmental organizations proclaimed the government to stop criticizing Nanuashvili for his report about a so called "cyanide case," since it would damage the countrys international image."We call upon the high ranking government officials to abstain from such statements, contributing to disgrace and degrade the institution of Public Defender, especially on an international arena," a joint letter signed by 11 NGOs reads.The letter was signed by Transparency International Georgia, Media Development Foundation, Center for Human Rights Teaching and Monitoring, Civil Development Agency (CIDA), Human Rights Center, Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA),Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSI), International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Union Safari, Civil Movement Multinational Georgia, and Multi-ethnic Resource Center for Civic Education Development.Later, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muinieks, also urged the Georgian authorities to refrain from criticizing the Public Defender.I understand that a series of negative statements have been made by certain high-ranking officials in Georgia against the Public Defender. I am very concerned about the harm that such sustained verbal attacks can cause to the standing and effectiveness of this important institution. Like all Ombudsmen, the role of the Public Defender is to act in defense of human rights, be a check on the power of governments and to help improve the quality of governance. As such, his very role is to identify possible shortcomings in law and practice in his reports and interventions, said Muinieks in an exclusive interview with FrontNews International.The Public Defender of Georgia is a constitutional institution, which supervises the protection of human rights and freedom within its jurisdiction on the territory of Georgia. It identifies the human rights violations and contributes to restoration of violated rights and freedom. According to the Georgian legislation, the ombudsman of Georgia studies cases related to: Decisions of public institutions; Violations of human rights and freedom during the review of cases in courts; Violations of the rights of detainees, prisoners or individuals whose liberty have been otherwise restricted; Compliance of normative acts with the second chapter of the Constitution of Georgia; Constitutionality of the norms regulating referendums and elections.A 16-page Ombudsmans report on the cyanide case is comprised of four parts: Process of interrogation; Process of legal procedures; Shortcomings during interrogation; Conclusion.In the report, Public Defender underlines that preliminary statements of Government representatives in relation to priest Mamaladze was violation of the presumption of innocence.The ombudsmans report maintains the statements of public officials contributed to the creation of public prejudice against Mamaladze long before his conviction and the defense side was placed in unequal conditions due to being obliged not to disclose case details, which according to the Public Defender, did not serve the goals of procedural legislation and was a superfluous and unnecessary restriction.The report also questions the fact that the court case, which caused high public interest, was closed. In addition, the defense side was not allowed by Tbilisi City Court and Court of Appeals to obtain camera recordings from the Airport where Mamaladze was detained in early February.
In his Nov. 29 op-ed, "China's plan to rule the world," David Ignatius highlighted a wide array of strategic moves by China as it adapts for a future with a shortage of agricultural land, potable water, temperate climate, breathable air and space for a growing world population and its trash. We are easily blinded by less significant, short-term concerns.

A Chinese companys 2013 acquisition of Smithfield Foods is noteworthy. Nothing like controlling a major source of food supply, either to compensate for a potential outbreak of swine flu at home or something more nefarious. I accept that I will never have another confidential conversation at the Waldorf Astoria , but imagine a United States without bacon. Wouldnt it be wonderful if our capitalist democracy could act in the long-term best interest of its citizens? I hope Congress will reconsider the wisdom of visas in exchange for investment and of citizenship for those born on U.S. soil, regardless of parental citizenship. No need to make it so easy to get in under the tent.

Janie Holbrook, Oakton
Michael Morell was deputy director and twice acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2010 to 2013. Benjamin Haas is a student at Stanford Law School and a former intelligence officer in the Army.

President Trump, who has played down and outright denied climate change, has drawn widespread criticism from both the scientific community and the public by announcing his intention to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

And now, Congress has joined the critique of Trump's views  at least indirectly  by passing legislation affirming its belief that climate change is a national security threat. On Thursday, that bill was presented to the president for his signature. This is an interesting moment for Trump, who must now decide whether to stand up for his stance on climate change and the Paris agreement.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2018 contains a provision making clear that "the sense of Congress" is that "climate change is a direct threat to the national security of the United States." The provision cites statements from authoritative figures including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, former defense secretary Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The legislation calls upon the Defense Department to submit a report within a year of the NDAA's enactment, outlining the effects that climate change will have on military installations and the interests of senior military commanders around the world. To be sure, the provision does not invoke congressional funding power, refer to the Paris agreement or explicitly address the role that humans play in causing climate change. Yet without a doubt, the bipartisan statement by Congress is forthright and represents an encouraging step in the right direction.

At first blush, Trump may view the provision unfavorably. He might accordingly consider including a signing statement expressing his disagreement with the provision, instead of plainly acknowledging climate change as a national security threat with his signature. Alternatively, he might avoid the issue by allowing the NDAA to become law after 10 days without his signature. Or perhaps he could use this opportunity  however unlikely  to reverse course and address in earnest the national security challenges presented by climate change.

The reasons why climate change is a national security threat are numerous and well established. It is, of course, one of just a few threats carrying the potential for true global catastrophe, as it could eventually make our planet uninhabitable. But beyond this sobering reality, climate change serves as a "threat multiplier," to borrow language from a 2014 Pentagon report. It increases the risk of resource conflicts, both between and within states. It will lead to troublesome waves of humans migrating in search of food and water. It will facilitate the spread of diseases, possibly leading to epidemics and pandemics. It will lead to failed states. It will feed the recruitment of terrorists. It even threatens our military bases due to rising sea levels, among other things.

In addition, the Defense Department, the intelligence community and the Department of Homeland Security will have to dedicate finite resources to assessing and addressing threats caused or exacerbated by climate change, including humanitarian crises and extreme weather disasters. But if climate change were mitigated, these resources could instead be directed toward other national and international priorities.

When the intelligence community and the military warn of the national security risks associated with climate change, they do so without a political agenda. Their only agenda is providing impartial analysis and recommendations for the sake of our nation's security interests. Besides, this issue is now bipartisan: Last year, a group of U.S. House members formed the Climate Solutions Caucus, which can only be joined if members bring along someone from the other party. Membership in the caucus is growing.

The president should follow suit. To continue disregarding the perils of climate change would be an affront to the professionals whose assessments strongly suggest that he should act otherwise. It would also eschew his presidential responsibility to prevent and confront national security threats in good faith.

It was mildly reassuring when the administration, perhaps reluctantly, did not impede the release of an extensive, multi-agency climate change report last month. Signing the NDAA without any objections on the climate change issue would be another small but constructive step for Trump.

If he does this, perhaps he might be willing to marshal national resources in the effort to blunt climate change by properly addressing and prioritizing the issue in the administration's forthcoming national security strategy. And if he does that, maybe  eventually  he could get back in step with the international community by recommitting to the Paris agreement.
Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat, represents Rhode Island in the Senate. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, represents Massachusetts in the Senate.

The blandly named American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is one of the most powerful groups you may have never heard of. ALEC describes itself as the largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism. In reality, it is an almost entirely corporate-funded front group looking to roll back environmental, consumer and workplace protections in state legislatures across the country. When ALEC talks, conservative state legislators listen and act.

Most state legislators serve part-time and dont have large staffs to develop legislation. Thats where ALEC comes in. With its money and marching orders from corporate America, ALEC churns out bills and resolutions ready-made for state legislators to introduce in their home states. Want to kill off public unions in your state? ALEC has a bill for you. Looking to roll out the red carpet for for-profit education companies? Call ALEC. Voter ID laws? Anti-immigration laws? Privatizing government services? Check. Check. Check.

Now, with a White House occupant who has said climate change is a hoax, ALECs anti-climate campaign is in overdrive. And complicit in that push are corporate supporters  such as Pfizer and UPS  who have not woken up to how inconsistent ALEC is with their values.

ALEC receives a large share of its funding from the fossil fuel industry, notably the Koch brothers and ExxonMobil. The group has pushed a number of bills to undermine efforts to cut carbon emissions and combat the effects of climate change. Way back in 1998, ALEC drafted a model resolution that would have forbidden states from regulating greenhouse gases in any way. In 2004, ALEC again urged states to reject efforts to limit carbon pollution, arguing that global warming was a myth and that the carbon dioxide generated by burning fossil fuels was actually beneficial. During the Obama administration, ALEC repeatedly opposed the Environmental Protection Agencys efforts to limit carbon emissions.

With President Trump in office, the group is pushing a model resolution at its summit this week that would have states call upon EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to withdraw the agencys 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare. This finding underpins the EPAs legal authority to regulate carbon emissions. If the fossil fuel industry succeeds, it will seriously undermine our countrys ability to fight climate change for decades to come.

While ALECs 20-year anti-climate crusade perfectly corresponds to the priorities of its fossil-fuel funders, it has driven off several of its corporate supporters. Google left ALEC in 2014 because of ALECs position on climate change. Shell left in 2015 for the same reason. They joined major American brands ranging from Coca-Cola to Ford to CVS that have left ALEC in recent years because of its extreme positions. Unfortunately, not all companies have recognized this reality.

Take Pfizer and UPS. Both sit on the ALEC Task Force that votes Wednesday about the endangerment finding. Pfizer says that it has long recognized the risks posed by global climate change and that it believe[s] industry, government, and the public all have a responsibility to address this evolving challenge. As a pharmaceutical company, Pfizer understands the health impacts of climate change, noting that more frequent heat waves and floods may contribute to an increase in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as well as infectious diseases spread by insects, such as malaria and dengue. It has taken steps toward reducing its own emissions by 60 to 80 percent by 2050 and supports governmental policy frameworks that . . . reduce [greenhouse gas] emissions.

UPS recognizes that carbon emissions affect our climate and pose a serious challenge to the environment  and ultimately to the global economy and supports global and national efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change. The company has committed to reducing carbon pollution from its ground operations by 12 percent and get 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

Yet Pfizer and UPS fund a group engaged in a decades-long anti-climate campaign.

Both companies investors may want to know why their money is being used in a manner that may reduce their companies profitability. UPS acknowledges that climate change poses a serious threat to the global economy  and by extension, to its own bottom line. And Pfizer recently saw how a warming world can upend its global supply chain when Hurricanes Maria and Irma, fueled by abnormally warm waters, damaged or idled its factories in Puerto Rico, costing the company $55 million in the third quarter alone.

With the Trump administration busily undoing environmental safeguards and the president announcing his decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, business leadership on climate is more important than ever. Hundreds of American businesses have signed the We Are Still In declaration, affirming their ongoing support for climate action.

When corporate America backs an anti-climate agenda contrary to the express policies of the corporations, consumers and investors  and the world  will be watching.
Columnist

We know that President Trump and his campaign either colluded with the Russian effort to undermine U.S. democracy or tried mightily to do so. We know that Trump has apparently obstructed justice to try to halt investigation into what happened. What we dont know is whether Congress, in the end, will do its sworn duty to protect the Constitution.

We also don't know what else special counsel Robert S. Mueller III might have discovered, especially about the Trump family's international financial dealings. Or what Mueller might be learning from Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI and is cooperating with investigators. Or how far Trump, who is increasingly frantic, might yet go to squash the Mueller probe.

It is true that there is no federal statute against collusion. But a specific law is not necessary for citizens and their representatives in Congress to make a judgment: Is it acceptable for a presidential candidate and officials of his campaign to encourage an adversarial foreign powers efforts to meddle in the U.S. election process  and then seek to reward that foreign power by easing sanctions? Yes or no?

Im no fan of conspiracy theories, which usually fall apart under scrutiny; and Im not interested in carrying water for the Democratic Party, which should have been able to beat Trump, who was manifestly unqualified and unfit, no matter what the Russians did. But what we have learned thus far is truly shocking.

[The White Houses latest fallback: Who cares if Trump colluded with Russia?]

In July 2016, Trump issued a public plea: "I will tell you this, Russia: If you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing." He was referring to deleted material from the private email server Hillary Clinton used when she was secretary of state. Previously, according to U.S. intelligence officials, state-sponsored Russian hackers had obtained thousands of private emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, and the material was being released in a manner clearly intended to damage the Clinton campaign.

We now know that in June 2016, three of the most important figures in the Trump campaign  Trump's son Donald Trump Jr.; his son-in-law, Jared Kushner; and his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort  had eagerly met with a Kremlin-tied lawyer who promised to share damaging information the Russian government had on Clinton. We also know that in April, another go-between had promised Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos "thousands of emails" containing "dirt" on Clinton.

Did anyone report these shady approaches to the FBI? No.

We know that in the last days of the campaign, Russian cyberwarriors targeted the social media accounts of potential Trump voters in key states. We dont yet know how they aimed their propaganda so accurately.

We have learned, however, that after the election, the Trump transition team actively undermined sanctions that President Barack Obama had imposed on Russia for its election interference. Flynn discussed relaxing the sanctions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak  then lied about it to the FBI. Transition adviser K.T. McFarland wrote in an email that the sanctions would make it harder for Trump to improve relations with Russia, "which has just thrown the U.S.A. election to him." The White House says McFarland meant only that Democrats would claim Russia had thrown the election to Trump.

[Trump always lashes out when hes cornered. He told me so years ago.]

And we know that members of the Trump campaigns inner circle consistently failed to disclose their meetings with Russian officials and emissaries. There is a pattern of behavior here. It may or may not be illegal, but it is certainly shocking and unacceptable.

As for obstruction of justice, Trump tweeted Saturday that "I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI." This indicates the president knew Flynn had committed a crime before meeting with FBI director James B. Comey and, according to Comey, instructing him to drop the Flynn investigation. Trump later fired Comey, telling NBC's Lester Holt that the reason was the Russia probe. Trump has reportedly hectored other administration officials and members of Congress to stop investigating the Russia connection.

One of Trump's lawyers, John Dowd, said that he, not Trump, authored that incriminating tweet. He later argued to Axios's Mike Allen that the president "cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer" under the Constitution.

With Flynn now cooperating, Muellers investigation enters a new phase. But lets not lose sight of the big picture. Ask yourself a common-sense question: If nothing wrong happened with Russia during the campaign, why is Trump so desperate to cover it up?

Read more from Eugene Robinson's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
The Supreme Court seemed closely divided Tuesday over whether the First Amendment protects a Colorado baker from creating a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy likely to cast the deciding vote.

Kennedy, who wrote the courts 5 to 4 decision in 2015 saying gay couples have a constitutional right to marry, speculated about what might happen if a decision in baker Jack C. Phillipss favor prompted requests for bakers across the country to refuse to make cakes for same-sex couples. Would the federal government feel vindicated? Kennedy asked.

On the flip side, just moments later, Kennedy sharply questioned Colorado Solicitor General Frederick R. Yarger. The justice seemed offended by a comment made during the deliberations of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission when one commissioner said: And to me it is one of the most despicable pieces of rhetoric that people can use to  to use their religion to hurt others.

At one point, Kennedy and some conservative justices raised the possibility that the proceedings against baker Jack C. Phillips had been infected by bias.

[Wedding cakes can be stunning creations. But do they qualify as art?]

1 of 18 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene outside the Supreme Court as justices hear the Colorado baker wedding cake case View Photos The Supreme Court heard arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. In 2012, a same-sex couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins, were denied a wedding cake by Lakewood, Colo., baker Jack Phillips. The baker said he would sell them other kinds of cakes but that he could not in good conscience sell them a wedding cake, because same-sex weddings violate his religious beliefs. Caption The Supreme Court heard arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. In 2012, a same-sex couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins, were denied a wedding cake by Lakewood, Colo., baker Jack Phillips. The baker said he would sell them other kinds of cakes but that he could not in good conscience sell them a wedding cake, because same-sex weddings violate his religious beliefs. Chip Somodevilla Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.

The rest of the court seemed to line up as expected. Liberal justices worried that an exception for Phillips would gut public accommodations laws that require businesses to serve the public without discriminating because of race, gender, religion and, in the case of Colorado and more than 20 other states, sexual orientation.

Justice Stephen G. Breyer said the court did not want to undermine every single civil rights law.

The courts conservatives were concerned with what Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said was a disturbing record from the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the Colorado Court of Appeals, which ruled against Phillips.

That raised the possibility that the case could be returned. But they also seemed sympathetic to Phillipss argument that, as a cake artist, the law violates his freedom of expression to create a custom cake for a same-sex wedding. His religious beliefs teach that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

David D. Cole, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins, acknowledged there were complicated issues, but they did not apply to Phillipss decision that he would not create a cake for the couple.

All he knew was that they were gay, Cole said.

[The spurned couple, the baker and the long wait for the Supreme Court]

Several of the liberal justices questioned what other types of business owners would be exempt if the court made an exception for Phillips.

Who else is an artist? asked Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

What about a hair stylist, a chef or a makeup artist, asked Justice Elena Kagan.

Phillipss attorney, Kristen K. Waggoner, distinguished between the bakers highly-stylized, sculpted creations and the services provided by other professions that she said were not speech.

Some people might say that about cakes, responded Kagan.

The Trump administration filed a brief on behalf of Phillips; supporters of the couple said it was the first time the government has argued for an exemption to an anti-discrimination law.

But the government agreed with Phillips that his cakes are a form of expression and that he cannot be compelled to use his talents for something that he does not support.

U.S. Solicitor General Noel J. Francisco, representing the Trump administration, told the court Tuesday that the exemption should apply only to a narrow category of business owners who should not be forced to create or contribute to an event they disagree with on the basis of their religious beliefs.

[Edible art: Bakers want Supreme Court to acknowledge theres more to a cake than baking]

He repeatedly used as an analogy an African American artist, who he said should not be compelled to sculpt a cross that would be used for a Ku Klux Klan service.

When asked where to draw the line, he said the justices should ask whether the creation is predominantly expressive in its purpose and whether customers are paying a premium for it.

That prompted a lighthearted retort from Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who noted that high-priced wedding cakes rarely taste as good as they look.

It was to Francisco that Kennedy posed his question about whether the baker could post a sign in the window notifying potential customers that the shop does not make cakes for same-sex couples and asked whether that would be an affront to the gay community.

Phillips contends that dual guarantees in the First Amendment  for free speech and for the free exercise of religion  protect him against Colorados public accommodations law, which requires businesses to serve customers equally regardless of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or ancestry.

Scattered across the country, florists, bakers, photographers and others have claimed that being forced to offer their wedding services to same-sex couples violates their rights. Courts have routinely turned down the business owners  as the Colorado Court of Appeals did in the Phillips, saying that state anti-discrimination laws require businesses that are open to the public to treat all potential customers equally.

Theres no dispute about what triggered the court case 1n 2012, when same-sex marriage was still prohibited in Colorado (Alito and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wondered whether that prohibition was significant). Craig and David Mullins decided to get married in Massachusetts, where it was legal. They would return to Denver for a reception, and those helping with the plans suggested they get a cake from Masterpiece.

The couple arrived with Craigs mother and a book of ideas, but Phillips cut short the meeting as soon as he learned the cake was to celebrate the couples marriage.

Phillips recalled: Our conversation was just about 20 seconds long. Sorry guys, I dont make cakes for same-sex weddings.

The couple then learned that Colorados public accommodations law specifically prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation, and they filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The commission ruled against Phillips, and the appeals court upheld the decision.

Masterpiece remains free to continue espousing its religious beliefs, including its opposition to same-sex marriage, Judge Daniel M. Taubman wrote. However, if it wishes to operate as a public accommodation and conduct business within the State of Colorado, [the law] prohibits it from picking and choosing customers based on their sexual orientation.

The case is Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

Correction: A photo caption on an earlier version of this story gave an incorrect location for Masterpiece Cakeshop. The shop is in Lakewood, Colo.
Paul Manafort, President Trumps former campaign chairman, arrives at the courthouse on Nov. 2. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Federal prosecutors asserted Monday that a longtime associate of Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Trumps campaign, has been assessed to have ties to Russian intelligence  the first time the special counsel has alleged a Trump official had such contacts.

The statement came as prosecutors working for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III withdrew their support for a joint bail deal filed last week that would have released Manafort from home detention and GPS monitoring while he awaits trial on charges including money laundering and fraud.

Manafort, 68, and his longtime deputy, Rick Gates, 45, have both pleaded not guilty to charges filed Oct. 30.

In the four-page filing Monday, prosecutor Andrew Weissmann urged the judge to reject the bail deal, arguing that Manafort and a Russian colleague have been secretly ghostwriting an English-language editorial that appeared to defend Manaforts work advising a Russia-friendly political party in Ukraine.

They said Manafort worked on the draft as recently as last week with a long-time Russian colleague . . . who is currently based in Russia and assessed to have ties to a Russian intelligence service. They indicated they would file further supporting evidence under seal.

The Russian colleague was not identified in court papers. However, Manafort has had a long-standing Russian employee named Konstantin Kilimnik who ran Manaforts office in Kiev during the 10 years he did consulting work there.

Prosecutors said the editorial Manafort was writing violated a court order prohibiting the parties in the case from making public statements outside of court that could influence jurors.

The piece clearly was undertaken to influence the publics opinion of defendant Manafort, prosecutors wrote, noting there would be no other reason for Manafort and the colleague to have it published under someone elses name.

The allegation is the first time that prosecutors have claimed any former Trump campaign official has had contacts with a Russian tied to that countrys intelligence services.

[At height of Russia tensions, Trump campaign chairman Manafort met with business associate from Ukraine]

A spokesman for Manafort declined to comment.

Kilimnik has previously denied intelligence ties, telling The Washington Post in a statement in June that he has no relation to the Russian or any other intelligence service.

He did not respond to an email Monday about the prosecutors allegation.

Kilimnik attended a Russian military foreign language university in the late 1980s that experts have said was a training ground for Russian intelligence services. He served as an officer in the Russian military for several years.

Manafort and Kilimnik were in contact during the months that Manafort ran Trump's campaign. They met twice in person, in May 2016 and then again in August 2016, when their dinner conversation at New York's Grand Havana Room included discussion of the presidential campaign, Kilimnik told The Post this June.

For a decade, Manafort and Kilimnik worked with then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was initially considered pro-Western but eventually became allied with Russian interests.

Kilimnik also served as Manaforts liaison to Oleg Deripaska, an aluminum magnate and ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin who employed Manafort as an investment consultant.

According to emails described to The Post, Manafort directed Kilimnik to offer Deripaska private briefings about Trumps campaign. A Deripaska spokeswoman has said he was never offered such briefings.

[Manafort offered to give Russian billionaire private briefings on 2016 campaign]

Manafort has previously denied knowingly communicating with Russian intelligence during the campaign. But he told the New York Times in February, Its not like these people wear badges that say, Im a Russian intelligence officer. 

Along with being under home detention and GPS monitoring, Manafort has pledged to pay $10 million if he fails to appear in court.

Prosecutors had agreed to a bail deal in which Manafort would have secured his release with four properties worth $11.6 million and a prohibition on foreign travel, as well as a limitation on his travels within the United States.

On Monday, the special counsel asked U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson either to reject the deal, keeping Manafort under home confinement pending further negotiations, or impose additional restrictions, including making the $10 million forfeitable for other breaches of the terms and requiring Manafort to remain under GPS monitoring.

spencer.hsu@washpost.com

Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.
Since the spring, House Republicans have lived through a relatively calm seven months, a period lacking the drama and infighting that have come to define their majority.

That came to an abrupt end Monday night, when members of the Freedom Caucus tried to grind progress on tax legislation to a halt.

These hard-right conservatives had no quarrel with the tax plan  they almost all voted for it  but they were looking for a hostage to grab and knew that this one would get everyones attention.

Their real target is the 2018 spending bill for federal agencies, along with a clutch of other must-pass items that conservatives oppose.

Members of the Freedom Caucus have been down this road before. They believe year-end packages turn into massive Christmas trees littered with colorful add-ons. This weeks rebellion was meant to remind House Speaker Paul D. Ryans leadership team how little faith the conservative wing has in it to negotiate a good deal.

If they have a good strategy all the way through, then we can get behind the strategy, but the strategy of trust me never works here, said Rep. Raul R. Labrador (R-Idaho), a co-founder of the caucus.

First they tried to take down a procedural vote to move the tax bill into final negotiations with the Senate. Then they threatened to block a stopgap funding bill that, if not approved by Friday, would lead to a partial government shutdown.

The conservative flank is even threatening to force Congress into session immediately after Christmas to handle the spending provision in the week leading to New Years Day.

These lawmakers want to separate the timing between the final version of the tax bill and spending legislation. The first spending vote, on a two-week extension of funding, is supposed to come this week  buying time for larger negotiations on a two-year budget outline that would devote more money to defense and domestic agencies.

With shutdown looming, conservative Republicans try pushing back the next spending deadline

To some degree, the Freedom Caucus had been going along with the trust me strategy since the spring  ever since its members received the lions share of the blame for the failure in late March to repeal the Affordable Care Act, finding themselves on the receiving end of angry tweets from President Trump.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the Freedom Caucus chairman, returned from the spring recess and struck a deal with GOP moderates that allowed Republicans to narrowly pass their version of the ACA repeal. Soon after, Ryans House approved a massive government funding bill with little fanfare.



Some Freedom Caucus members, like Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, fear that if the final tax vote occurs within days of the budget framework, that spending bill could get loaded up with Christmas gifts for lawmakers to lock down their votes on the tax bill. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

In the summer, as the Senate failed to pass its repeal of the ACA, the House sped through all 12 of next years spending bills. In the fall, with surprising ease, Ryan ran up the score on his version of the tax bill.

Most lawmakers agree that the biggest reason for that run of success is that Trump, not Barack Obama, sits in the Oval Office. Trumps standing among the most conservative voters remains strong. That makes it harder for rebellious lawmakers to defy Ryan if Trump is supporting a leadership call.

Freedom Caucus members have argued that Trump has tilted the terrain in their favor and made it easier for them to go along with decisions. Its good that we have a Republican president. We want to make sure that we help the country see that were getting things done, and I think that has a lot to do with it, Labrador said.

But it was all probably too good to be true.

The most conservative House Republicans have traditionally opposed government funding bills, especially those coming at the end of the year.

Usually that does not matter, because those bills fund enough priorities  such as the Pentagon and other national security agencies, and the Labor and Agriculture departments  that a wide bipartisan majority supports the legislation.

The Ryan plan would involve passing a two-week extension of current funding to extend the deadline to Dec. 22, using the weekend before Christmas to force lawmakers to cut deals so they can go home for the holidays.

Paul D. Ryan begins a make-or-break push for tax legislation  and his future

But House Democrats are balking at supporting even that continuing resolution, or CR, as the legislation is known, because they want to pass a bipartisan bill to protect from deportation up to 1 million undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.

Without Democratic votes, Ryan will need to produce a majority entirely from his 240-member caucus, meaning he can afford to lose just 23 votes and still approve the stopgap bill.

Enter the Freedom Caucus, with its roughly three-dozen members. Freedom Caucus members know they can hold that bill hostage as they try to impose their will in the bigger negotiations over a two-year spending outline. They fear that if the final tax vote occurs within days of the budget framework, that spending bill could get loaded up with Christmas gifts for lawmakers to lock down their votes on the tax bill.

If they come at the same time, who knows what else gets added to what I expect is going to be an already bad spending bill? Thats our concern, said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a senior Freedom Caucus member.

Leaving a morning huddle, a vast majority of House Republicans were convinced that wrapping up all their business before Christmas was the more prudent course  that returning the week before New Years was pointless.

By midday, however, talks were drifting, and no one was sure what the plan was. Thats because the Freedom Caucus was back to its old ways.

They were testing us a little bit, whether we had the resolve to take things down, Labrador said, and now they know that were willing to do it if they dont listen.

Read more from Paul Kane's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
President Trump led an aggressive charge Monday on behalf of embattled Senate nominee Roy Moore, with the Republican National Committee rejoining Moores side in Alabama weeks after cutting ties with him following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Before dawn, Trump took to Twitter to declare his strongest support yet for Moore. By days end, the RNC was back in his corner and America First Action, a pro-Trump group, said it would spend $1.1 million to try to push Moore across the finish line.

Senate Republican leaders, however, remained critical of Moore, warning that the former judge is likely to face an immediate ethics probe if he is elected next week.

The divergent attitudes toward Moore, who has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward teenage girls when he was in his 30s, underscored how polarizing a figure he would be among his partys national leaders if he wins the Dec. 12 special election.

Even if Moore is largely ostracized by his Senate colleagues, the support of the president could make him an influential figure in Washington  a point he appeared determined to emphasize on Monday.

I look forward to fighting alongside the President to #MAGA! Moore wrote on Twitter, using the acronym for Trumps signature campaign theme, Make America Great Again.

Trump and Senate Republicans have already started pondering Moores place in the party if he gets past Democrat Doug Jones in a contest that recent polling shows is neck and neck. The president wrote on Twitter on Monday that the united Democratic opposition to the GOPs sweeping tax plan showed why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama.

We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet! Trump wrote.

Trumps message went further than his previous remarks about the race, in which he has bashed Jones but stopped just short of advocating for Moore.

The president placed a call to Moore on Monday morning, and the Senate nominee proudly trumpeted it in his own tweet.

Go get em, Roy! - President Trump, Moore tweeted.

Trumps message came on the same day that the RNC reversed itself and returned to Alabama to support Moore, less than three weeks after pulling out of a joint fundraising agreement with his campaign. An RNC official with knowledge of the plans, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the re-engagement. The committee did not immediately issue any public statements announcing the move.

On Capitol Hill, the reception remained frostier  although a shift in tone appeared underway among senators, too. Sen. John Cornyn (Tex.), the second-ranking Republican senator, said Monday that he favors a congressional ethics probe into the allegations facing Moore if he is elected.

But Cornyn also hinted that if Moore wins, he would be a factor in the Senate and cannot be ignored.

None of us get to vote on whos the senator from Alabama. Just Alabama voters do. So I think we have to respect their decision  whatever it is, he said.

That statement contrasted with a drumbeat among GOP senators for Moore to end his campaign just after The Washington Post reported the first allegations.

Led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Republicans also explored ways to try to elect another GOP candidate, either through a write-in campaign or a postponed election. But neither option proved feasible, as local Republicans rallied around Moore and the White House refused to intervene.

Since then, McConnell and his top deputies have taken a more hands-off approach to the race. Like Cornyn did on Monday, McConnell said in weekend television interviews that the outcome was in Alabamas hands.

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Trump has been ramping up his involvement in the race. After staying relatively quiet in the immediate aftermath of the allegations, the president has steadily grown warmer toward Moore.

Before endorsing Moore on Monday morning, Trump had spoken at length about the Alabama race with his former chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, according to a person familiar with the conversation granted anonymity to describe private talks. Bannon was scheduled to appear at a Moore rally Tuesday afternoon in Fairhope, Ala.

Trump will travel to the same media market on Friday, just over the border in Pensacola, Fla., where he could encourage Alabamians to turn out for Moore.

One senior White House official said Trump jumped in for a few reasons: because aides convinced him that his support could push Moore to victory, because he would probably take part of the blame if Moore lost and because he didnt like the idea of backing Moore less than full-throatedly.

The race has exposed some tensions between RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and the White House, White House officials and advisers said. After Trump returned from Asia, he began expressing frustrations that the RNC backed away  even though he was apprised of the decision at the time.

McDaniel, according to one person close to her, felt boxed in and feels like the episode has been a bit of an embarrassment. She also wanted to quickly show the president that the RNC was loyal.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has been frustrated with the Alabama race and did not want the president to dive back in with a full endorsement, these officials said. His argument was one of practicality  that the White House didnt need to bother itself with the race and let that become the focus, one of the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.

But Trump was shown polls in recent days that were positive for Moore and he became convinced that he would take some of the blame if Moore lost. Trump made the call that the White House should put the RNC behind Moore.

For those around Bannon, Trump's decision to embrace Moore less than a month after the RNC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee pulled out of the campaign is a victory in their fight against McConnell. Bannon is expected to once again mention McConnell in his remarks Tuesday night.

This is a total embarrassment for Mitch McConnell, who put all of his political capital on the line to deliver this Senate seat to a liberal Democrat completely opposed to the Trump agenda, said Andy Surabian, a confidant of Bannon who serves as senior adviser to the Great America Alliance, a pro-Trump advocacy group.

McConnells allies continue to view the aggressive defense of Moore mounted by Bannon as a warning sign for the rest of the party.

You have this unbelievable contrast between on the one hand cash cows like Matt Lauer being shown the door, and on the other hand you have Steve Bannon sending down people to dig up dirt on women who come forward with serious and credible allegations, said Steven Law, a McConnell ally who runs the Senate Leadership Fund, which campaigned against Moore in the primary.

If Moore wins and is seated, he could face immediate scrutiny from the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, a normally secretive panel of three Republicans and three Democrats.

The panel, which has said it is looking into allegations of sexual misconduct against Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), could look into the accusations confronting Moore and determine their validity and whether they merit punishment such as a censure, or, in the most severe case, a vote in the full Senate over whether Moore should be expelled.

Rob Walker, a former chief counsel and staff director of the Senate and House Ethics panels, predicted the process could take three months or more.

Expelling a senator is very rare and would require the approval of two-thirds of the Senate. An actual vote hasnt happened since 1862.

A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll showed that 50 percent of likely Alabama voters support Jones and 47 percent back Moore, which is within the margin of error. On Monday, both candidates sought to shore up their support.

After a campaign event in his home town of Fairfield, Ala., Jones, who is trying to win over Republicans considering crossing party lines over the Moore allegations, parried questions about the Trump endorsement by saying hed ignore people calling me names and focus on his own race.

Were talking about issues. Were meeting people. Were talking to the media, Jones said. Roy Moore is nowhere to be seen.

Asked if he would have supported the tax bill that passed the Senate last week, Jones said it would blow up the deficit and that there hadnt been enough bipartisan work to fix it.

Jones also attacked Bannon.

President Trump ran Steve Bannon out of the White House because of his politics of division, said Jones. It has no place in this state.

Should he win, Moore is expected to complicate McConnells job of trying to keep Senate Republicans in line. He has openly criticized the GOP leader throughout his campaign.

Moore has also called the long-standing practice of requiring 60 votes for most legislation to pass the Senate unconstitutional, and he has vowed to fight it if elected.

He also calls abortion a violation of the Constitution and has promised not to vote for a budget that would send any federal dollars to Planned Parenthood.

I think I could help with the Judiciary Committee, because I do understand the Constitution, Moore said in an interview with One America News Network over the weekend that was broadcast Monday. I do understand what judges do when they put themselves above the Constitution.

Even among a small group of conservative senators known for bucking McConnell, including Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Moore could have trouble fitting in.

"Sen. Lee has unendorsed Judge Moore and called for him to step out of the race. Nothing has changed. Anything new on the issue would be premature at this point," Lee spokesman Conn Carroll said Monday.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and a potential Senate contender in Utah next year, wrote on Twitter that Moore becoming a senator "would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation."

Moore retorted that Romney had either "lost his courage or he doesn't care about truth anymore."

Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), who said he has already voted by write-in absentee ballot for an unidentified "distinguished Republican" who is not Moore, said in an interview Monday that he fears Moore's political style would not serve his state or the nation well.

"I think that he's thrived on controversy, and I don't believe anybody can thrive on controversy forever and not get burned up by it," Shelby said.

He added, "I don't believe that Roy Moore, if he was elected to the Senate, and he might be, would work in the Senate  I don't mean to go along to get along, I'm talking about to build the nation, build the state, at least as a lot of people believe we ought to do."

Weigel reported from Montgomery, Ala. Josh Dawsey in Salt Lake City and Philip Rucker in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
On Monday, when President Trump finally endorsed Roy Moore for Senate, Mac Watson threw up his hands and fired up his grill. Watson, the co-owner of a family patio supply store, was the very first Republican to announce a write-in campaign for the seat, back when national Republicans said they'd wanted one.

Hed taken a risk. They hadnt.

So very many people with R behind their name put party before principle, and thats disgusting to me, Watson said, slicing through pork and vegetables hed just taken off a display grill. Trump is definitely one of them. He could have made a difference two months ago, and he did nothing.

For three agonizing weeks, since The Washington Post revealed that Moore had once made unwanted advances toward teenage girls, Senate Republicans and conservative pundits called for a write-in candidate to bail them out. Six Alabamians stepped forward; retired Col. Lee Busby, a former aide to White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, made the biggest headlines.

"I didn't feel like either of the candidates the parties offered represented the majority of us," Busby said in a Web ad released Tuesday.

Even before Trump and the Republican National Committee swung in to back Moore again, the write-in campaigns were falling short. In an echo of the 2016 campaign, when some center-right Republicans scrambled for an alternative to Trump, most Republican voters have found reasons to return to the fold. Public polls, which have found everything from a single-digit lead for Moore to a single-digit lead for Democrat Doug Jones, find just a single-digit percentage of voters open to a write-in campaign.

When I hand out fliers, I hear everything from okay, thanks, and see people toss em in the garbage, to youre part of George Soross liberal conspiracy,  Watson said.

Just tell me if you get some of that Soros money, joked Watsons brother and business partner, Art.

On Tuesday, Moore courted controversy again when he told the religious conservative radio host Bryan Fischer that the billionaire liberal donor had intervened in the race against him to promote an agenda sexual in nature and alien to Alabama.

No matter how much money hes got, hes still going to the same place that people who dont recognize God and morality and accept his salvation are going, Moore said of Soros. And its not a good place.

Critics of Moore said that the description of Soros, who is Jewish, veered into anti-Semitism.

Like the 2016 effort to find an alternative to Trump, the write-in hopes for Alabama had started with dream candidates and settled for much less. In the week after Moores scandal broke, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested that Attorney General Jeff Sessions  totally well known and extremely popular in Alabama, he told CEOs at a Wall Street Journal roundtable  could win back his old seat. Other Republicans suggested that Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.), who lost the Sept. 26 primary to Moore, could get voters to write him in.

In private polling, both options quickly tanked, and they soon vanished from the conversation. The strongest national endorsement, for Busby, came Nov. 28, when anti-Trump conservative pundit Bill Kristol tweeted that Kelly went out of his way to offer praise for his former aide.

How great would it be if Busbys write-in effort takes off and he gets a ton of Republican votes in Alabama two weeks from now? Kristol asked. It would be the single most encouraging thing I could imagine happening in the short term in American politics.

But no elected Republican ever endorsed a specific write-in candidate. Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), who said he would write in the name of a distinguished Republican candidate, did so this week  but did not tell reporters whose name he wrote.

Moores opponents made the most of it. In a new TV ad, Jones informs voters of Shelbys vote, with a narrator saying Moores disturbing conduct forced the senators hand. In an interview, Busby said that the Shelby decision, which has gotten considerable coverage in Alabama, would help his moonshot campaign.

If Richard C. Shelby is voting for a write-in, that says more succinctly than I ever could how unrepresented the majority of Alabama voters feel in this election, Busby said, adding that he would have voted for the tax cut that passed the Senate last week.

Busby, however, is the only write-in candidate who still talks about winning the race. Ron Bishop, the Libertarian Partys official write-in candidate, said that he got a flurry of calls after the Moore scandal broke and that a few days later, the calls stopped.

Its easy to get discouraged, Bishop said. People have been indoctrinated to think that theres only two options out there.

Eulas Kirtdoll Sr., a write-in candidate who organized a Tuesday night forum for his peers, said that all of the non-Moore, non-Jones candidates have struggled to be heard.

"I'm not even polling well in my area," Kirtdoll said. "I'm just being frank with you." To get more attention, he was walking from Marion, where the forum would be held, to Montgomery as a tribute to murdered civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson, with short updates on Facebook.

"My goal was walking 10 miles a day, and I did eight the first day," Kirtdoll said. "That's not bad. If you get eight out of 10 on a test, you get a B."

Busby, who was unlikely to attend Tuesdays forum, had attracted significant national attention; an Emerson poll, which gave voters his name, found 5 percent of Alabamians ready to write him in. But a source familiar with a call between Busby and potential donors said he made little headway. Asked about the call, Busby said it didnt ring a bell, but that his bid would not depend on donors.

"Clearly this is not a movement that depends on big money or big players," he said.

One week before the election, the rest of the write-in candidates looked at the race as a lost and misbegotten opportunity. Watson, who supported Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) in the 2016 primary, said that hed lost confidence in his party altogether. Hed watched with horror when Cruz did a Fox News interview that seesawed between questions about scandalized Democrats and questions about Moore.

In a minute and 20 seconds, he said how horrible Al Franken was, and how if the people of Alabama want Roy Moore they should have him, Watson said. Whoa! I was like: Man, youre not being intellectually honest.

It was hard, Watson said, to imagine sticking with the Republican Party after the experience of 2017. But putting up a website and 250 signs with his name and face on them had some impact. Some voters, he said, had suggested that he run for another office, perhaps locally. He had not ruled it out, depending on how his life and business were doing.

If I did it again, Watson said. Id remember to tell my wife first.

Read more at PowerPost


Ori is a robotic furniture system that morphs into a bedroom, office/dressing room or living room at the touch of a keypad or an app voice command. This Boston apartment, owned by Ori, is rented on Airbnb. (Lisa Cranshaw/For The Washington Post)

You wouldn't think that having your mother along with you and your husband on a weekend trip across country, let alone in a tiny, 450-square-foot apartment, would be a lot of fun.

But Heidi Grutter, who lives in San Diego, said it couldn't have worked out better when they stayed together in a Boston Airbnb. "Me, my husband, Jimmy [Kan] and Mom," she said. "It turned out as perfectly as it could."

They didn't sleep in triple bunk beds pushed against the wall, but the couple did sleep in a double bed that literally rolled out of sight in the morning.

"We said, 'Alexa, ask Ori to close the bed!' and the bed moved into the wall unit," Grutter said, or in Ori-speak, into living room mode. Then the living room got bigger.



The system, in living area/office mode, has an abundance of storage in open and covered shelving. (Lisa Cranshaw/For The Washington Post)

Ori is the revolutionary new concept in small space living  a robotic furniture system that morphs into a bedroom, office/dressing room or living room at the touch of a keypad or an app voice command. The system enables people to use one room in several ways by moving furniture.

Why should you waste precious space in a studio apartment with a bed that takes up so much of the room? Ori lets you win back space for your living room when youre not sleeping, said Adrian Sanchez, who lives in the Washington area.

He and his fiancee stayed in the same apartment as Grutter, at the Watermark Seaport in Boston, in which an Ori system is installed. Ori, the company, rents this apartment through Airbnb as a pilot to gather feedback about the system from users.

[Newly designed co-living apartments in D.C. bring sophistication to group housing]

Having everything all packed away is stylish. When theres a bed in the room, theres not much else you can do, said Lee Dilton-Hill, who lives in Rhode Island and also rented that apartment when she visited Boston.

For me, the system was intuitive and not overly complicated. Im tech-savvy, but I think anyone can pick it up easily if they read the instructions, she said.

Urbanization is unstoppable. Cities are growing by leaps and bounds, so we better come up with new solutions to make them smarter, because thats where people work and where they want to live, said Hasier Larrea, the chief executive and brains behind Ori. We have to rethink how we fit more people in, and how we organize the spaces they live and work in.



The wall unit pushes to the other side of the room to make way for the bed, which is stored in the drawer. (Lisa Cranshaw/For The Washington Post)

Todays younger generations want to live downtown, but that comes with a financial challenge. Either they have a lot of money or they live in a prison cell, he said.

This is where we come in. We want to change the paradigm to living large in a small footprint. People think square footage and functionality are linearly related, but thats the old paradigm, Larrea said.

Larrea, 29, was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student from San Sebastian, in Basque Country, Spain, from 2011 to 2015, studying mechanical engineering and design. While there, he led a student research project with professor Kent Larson in the MIT Media Lab, a creative hub of engineers, architects, magicians, doctors and artists whose synergy inspires them to dream up new ideas about hot topics in todays society.

1 of 8 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Convertible furniture stretches space in micro-units View Photos Residents can change Ori system from a living area to bedroom mode. Caption Residents can change Ori system from a living area to bedroom mode. Lisa Cranshaw Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.

Robotic furniture was his teams idea. In 2015, my team of four and I decided wed done enough research, and it was time to spin out our idea and bring it into the market with the help of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, Larrea said.

He looked for developers with an imaginative mind-set and willingness to take a risk. More than 10 across the country and one in Canada signed on. They really got it. They saw the potential and decided to join the pilot program, Larrea said.

Next year, the company will install 500 to 1,000 units across the United States and Canada. They wont be prototypes but the real thing, he said. People will be able to rent or buy apartments with the Ori system. The company isnt yet selling directly to consumers.

Valor Development in the District was one of the first to install Ori in one apartment. Its in the Vintage, an 85-unit rental building on 16th Street NW in Mount Pleasant.

When you walk into an Ori studio, you see a fully outfitted kitchen on one wall, table and chairs, couch and an elegant wood credenza with shelves, drawers and TV screen. So theres a living room and dining area. But, you ask, where is the bedroom?

[Virginia lofts can be apartments, offices or both]

Press a button on the touch pad adhered to the credenza, and youll experience the magic.

Walls start moving. A bed glides out of one side of the credenza ready for you to plop down for a nap or nights sleep. Youre now in bedroom mode. The living room, on the other side of the credenza, has become smaller, although still comfortable for a couch-sleeping guest.

Next morning, you push another button or tell Alexa, Amazons voice assistant, to ask Ori to close the bed and move into closet mode. The bed slides partially back into the credenza, and a walk-in closet emerges.

The credenza transforms into several furniture pieces, with different functions offering varied uses of the space.

The Ori system has several layers:

 Muscle is the black track along the baseboard thats plugged into a conventional electric outlet. It powers the furnitures movement.

 Skeleton is like a car chassis. You dont see it.

 Brain is the computer in the touch pad.

 Skin is the wood or laminate used to make the credenza.

The credenza looks like an ordinary piece of furniture, yet it provides solutions to the most common complaints of studio renters  not being able to divide the space or hide the bed, and lack of storage.

From a geeky perspective, Ori was of real interest to us as a way of making a tight square footage more appealing and marketable. This is important when building in dense cities where the cost of land is steep, said Felipe Serpa, development manager for Valor. Our two founders have backgrounds in engineering and technology, so their interests coincided well with what Ori is doing.



The apartment has switched from living area/office to bedroom mode. (Lisa Cranshaw/For The Washington Post)

The model unit in the Vintage is open for public viewing through the building's leasing office. You can drop by or make an appointment through thevintage.

com.

Samuels & Associates maintains two Ori-occupied apartments in the Continuum, a 325-unit rental in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood of Boston. Theyve been well received, and the company has ordered four more installations, said Tom Bloch, a principal with Samuels.

[Micro-units coming to desirable locations in the District]

When we first put Ori in our model unit, a prospective tenant came by, took a look and got excited, he said. We ended up leasing the model to him. He stayed 18 months. During that time, he gave feedback to Hasier [Larrea] on how to improve the system. A few months prior to moving out, Hasier redid the unit with an updated model of Ori at no cost to us.

Other building residents regularly ask the property manager whether they could get the system installed in their second bedroom to make room for an office, Bloch said.

In New York, Maria Masi, vice president of multifamily development for Brookfield, said the company is always looking for innovative ways to enhance its residents experiences and incorporate the latest in design, convenience and style.

The company installed Ori in one unit of the Eugene, an 844-unit, 62-floor rental building on West 31st Street. "People can get a sense of how they would use it and how they could transform the space," she said. The unit is open for public viewing through the building's leasing office, or you can set up an appointment through theeugenenyc.com.

Larrea said: Were developing a deeper, wider strategy for the future of urban spaces. With the same robotic skeleton and muscle, we can design furniture skins for many demographics at many price points. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Ori will surely go global.
Masked officers from Ukraine's security services arrived early Tuesday morning to arrest Mikheil Saakashvili, the former Georgian president currently living here  but their plans went quickly awry.

The raiders reportedly broke down the door of Saakashvilis apartment in central Kiev, near the main Independence Square, to search the premises and take him into custody. There was talk of his being involved in a plot to overthrow the government. But Saakashvili, who has reinvented himself as a leading opposition figure here, gave them the slip and escaped to his buildings roof. There, he addressed hundreds of his followers who had in the meantime rushed to the scene at the news of his detention.

[President Petro] Poroshenko is a thief and traitor to the Ukrainian people, he said, and called on Ukrainians to take to the streets to resist the government.

Five years out of power in Georgia, Saakashvili came to Ukraine as a reformer, at Poroshenko's invitation, but has since become an outspoken opponent of the president, even as Poroshenko stripped Saakashvili of his Ukrainian citizenship earlier this year (and rendered the Georgian stateless).

Ukrainian authorities said they wanted to question Saakashvili on charges of assisting members of criminal organizations. Yuri Lutsenko, the countrys general prosecutor and a close ally of Poroshenko, later said this case involved a plan to topple the government together with allies of the countrys former president, Viktor Yanukovych, who fled three years ago to Russia.

Officers eventually reached Saakashvili and carefully dragged him from the roof  steep and slippery from an early December snowfall  and into a waiting police van. But the dramatics had just begun. Saakashvilis supporters surrounded the vehicle and prevented it from leaving. Protesters clashed with police, who used pepper spray at times to hold the throng at bay.

After an extended and chaotic standoff, the demonstrators broke a window and extracted Saakashvili from the van. The Georgian emerged triumphantly, handcuffs still attached to one wrist, and was swept to the top of the steps of a nearby Catholic church.

They are lying little animals, Saakashvili said about those who leveled the charges against him. We must throw this organized criminal group, led by Poroshenko, out of power.

Tuesdays events are a further escalation in the high-stakes struggle between Saakashvili and Poroshenko  and a testament to the Georgians mastery of political theater.

Saakashvili first burst on the international stage as the leader of Georgias 2003 Rose Revolution, when he stormed the countrys parliament and drove President Eduard Shevardnadze from power.

He was subsequently elected to two terms as Georgias president, but left office under a cloud. His party had lost parliamentary elections and he was under heavy criticism for being drawn into a disastrous war with Russia in 2008.

A new political life beckoned in Ukraine, after the countrys 2014 pro-Western revolution, which brought Poroshenko to power. Poroshenko knew Saakashvili from their university days in the late 1980s, and appointed the former Georgian leader as governor of the corruption-ridden southern Odessa region.

However, Saakashvili resigned his post after little more than a year, accusing Poroshenko himself of being steeped in corruption and blocking Saakashvilis attempts at reform. Poroshenko denied the charges.

In July, Ukrainian authorities  claiming irregularities in his citizenship application  revoked Saakashvilis Ukrainian passport, and banned him from returning to Ukraine. Saakashvili has also lost his Georgian citizenship, and is wanted in his home country on charges of abuse of power while in office.

Saakashvili was in the United States at the time of the Ukrainian announcement, but a few weeks later he and his followers, in another dramatic political gesture, stormed through a Ukrainian-Polish checkpoint and reentered the country.

On Tuesday in Kiev, the drama extended beyond Saakashvilis liberation from the police van. Surrounded by masses of his supporters, and a scrum of journalists with cameras and smartphones extended above their heads, he marched into Independence Square and toward parliament.

On the way, they passed the seat of the Ukrainian government. From the street, the protesters could see government workers peering down from behind curtains in the upper windows. Shame! the marchers shouted.

Ultimately, the crowd reached the main square in front of the legislature, where Saakhashvili and his followers have established a weeks-long military-style protest camp. Saakashvili repeated calls for Poroshenko's impeachment, but by this time the energy of the protest seemed to be dissipating.

Recent opinion surveys in fact show Saakashvili polling at somewhere between 1 percent and 2 percent  causing a number of political observers to wonder why the government is so dogged in its pursuit of him. Indeed, operations like the one on Tuesday morning seem only to boost his political profile.

Still, the government shows no signs of giving up. As Saakashvili and his supporters gathered outside parliament, Lutsenko was inside laying out the case against the Georgian.

He played an audio recording allegedly between Saakashvili and Serhiy Kurchenko, a Ukrainian oligarch and close ally of former president Yanukovych, who likewise fled to Russia and reportedly provided a half-million dollars to Saakashvili to organize protests. (I barely know who Kurchenko is, Saakashvili said.)

Lutsenko also said that Saakashvili was now considered a fugitive from arrest and expected him to show up at the state security services on Wednesday.

In 24 hours, Ukraines entire law-enforcement system will do everything necessary for the stateless Saakashvili to appear before investigators to be charged with suspicion, and then [to appear] in court, Lutsenko said.

Read more

Saakashvili calls for protest camp in Ukraines capital

Ukraine doesnt want him. Georgia wants to arrest him. Saakashvili stirs things up.

Former president of Georgia seeks to free Ukraine from Moscows orbit

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Emergency services were out in force at Manchester Arena after a suicide attack during an Ariana Grande concert on May 23, 2017. (Peter Byrne/AP)

A suicide attack at a concert given by pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester in May might have been foiled had British investigators grasped the importance of "highly relevant" intelligence that reached their desks, according to a government-commissioned report released Tuesday.

"It is conceivable that the Manchester attack in particular might have been averted had the cards fallen differently," the review concluded.

It noted that the bomber, Salman Abedi, 22, had been a subject of interest but was not under active investigation at the time of the attack.

Abedi was born and raised in Manchester. He had traveled to and from Libya in the days before he struck at Manchester Arena, killing 22 people and wounding more than 100.

The suicide bombing was one of four terrorist attacks in Britain this year that were studied by David Anderson, a former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. He was allowed to examine nine classified internal reviews, totaling 1,150 pages, that were conducted by counterterrorism police and the domestic intelligence service MI5.

Anderson said authorities might have missed some important intelligence in the Manchester case. But he also noted, Attacks continue to be successfully disrupted, often after intensive and painstaking work, with successful prosecutions and long prison sentences a regular occurrence.

Anderson said he was briefed on 20 recently thwarted plots. MI5s director told the British cabinet Tuesday that police and intelligence services had foiled nine terrorism plots in the past year.

Britains home secretary, Amber Rudd, said the Manchester bomber was a closed subject of interest at the time of the attack and therefore not under active investigation.

"In early 2017, MI5 nonetheless received intelligence on him, which was assessed as not being related to terrorism," Rudd said in a statement. "In retrospect the intelligence can be seen to be highly relevant. Had an investigation been reopened at the time, it cannot be known whether Abedi's plans could have been stopped. MI5 assesses that it would have been unlikely."

Counterterrorism forces are running well over 500 live operations  a third up since the beginning of the year  involving roughly 3,000 subjects of interest, the home secretary added. In addition, there are over 20,000 further individuals  or closed subjects of interest  who have been previously investigated, and may again pose a threat.

Three of the six attackers involved in the four 2017 incidents studied by Anderson were on MI5's radar, including Khuram Shazad Butt, who led a vehicle-and-knife attack at London Bridge and Borough Market that killed eight, and Khalid Masood, who rammed his car into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge and killed five people, including a police officer outside Parliament.

In his report, Anderson said that authorities got a great deal right and that their classified reviews of their own work were honest and aimed at improving their chances of foiling plots.

"In an increasingly high-

volume business, where success and failure depend on tiny margins, there will almost certainly be future cases in which these recommendations will tip the balance in favor of the security forces," he concluded.

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, told the BBC on Tuesday, "It is clear that things could, and perhaps should, have been done differently and that wrong judgments have been made."

But, he said, it should reassure the public to know that Abedi had been on the radar.

Read more

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Iraqi forces and the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization units) advance Nov. 25 through Anbar province, east of the city of Rawah in Iraqs western desert bordering Syria, in a bid to flush out remaining Islamic State fighters. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)

Every day for more than three years, the U.S.-led coalition bombed Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, for a total of nearly 30,000 strikes. But on Nov. 26, not a single airstrike was launched.

Just a week earlier, Iraqs military had won back the last sliver of territory controlled by the militants. The Pentagon has announced that 400 Marines deployed to Syria to fight the group will be returning home.

Those milestones appear to mark the Islamic States defeat, with the end of its self-declared caliphate. But the battle isnt over.

Iraqi and Syrian forces have yet to secure their porous border, which the Islamic States ministate once spanned, and are still chasing militants in canyon-filled deserts. Nor has the U.S. military determined its role now that major combat is over, although American and Iraqi officials have suggested that a major drawdown of U.S. troops is possible.

Most urgently, Iraq and Syria are girding for a wave of terrorist violence, such as the attack that killed more than 300 people at a mosque in northern Sinai in Egypt in late November.

Iraqi forces are transitioning into policing roles that will call for them to gather intelligence and break up sleeper cells. U.S. forces are assisting by working with police forces and army units tasked with preventing the militants from staging attacks in places they once held, said Col. Ryan Dillon, the spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State.

We fully expect them to go back to their insurgent roots, he said.

But the unpredictable politics of Iraq and Syria, and rivalries over territory, could derail counterterrorism efforts.

[The year after ISIS]

In Iraq, an elite U.S.-trained counterterrorism force has been drawn into a political and military standoff between the Iraqi government and a Kurdish effort to secede.

The forces units were expected to return to their provincial headquarters throughout Iraq as the battle against the Islamic State wound down. Instead, they have been scattered across northern Iraq to areas disputed by Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government, said Lt. Gen. Sami al-Aridhi, the commander of one of the three divisions of the force.

This is our new thing, he said, describing their presence near Kurdish regions.

Resolving the crisis would allow the counterterrorism units to return to their designated role as a bulwark against Islamic State attacks, such as one in September that killed more than 80 Shiite pilgrims in southern Iraq. Such assaults underscore the sustained threat posed by the Islamic State despite its territorial losses.

Securing Iraqs border with Syria and the desert region on both sides is a crucial step toward preventing more bloodshed, military commanders said.

Iraqs army and allied Shiite militias have cleared about 5,400 square miles of desert in western Iraq, but about that much still must be secured, Iraqi commanders said.

The area includes smuggling routes and militant hideouts that Iraqi forces are reaching for the first time in 14 years, said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Mohammadi, the commander of western Anbar province operations.

It was used as a place for the terrorist groups to mobilize and train, he said. The biggest challenge facing us now is the large size of the sector. Its hard to inspect it fully.

Iraqs military has been using air power to destroy militant positions in the vast region, which is devoid of civilians. American strikes have not been needed, Dillon said, raising fresh questions about the long-term U.S. role.

The presence of American forces in Iraq has long rankled Iran-backed Shiite militias, and their leaders have demanded a withdrawal now that the Islamic States caliphate has been toppled.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said he expects the American troops to begin drawing down from the peak of 5,200 earlier this year but wants some to stay to continue training Iraqi forces in intelligence gathering and information sharing.

"It's not in our interest, nor in the interest of other countries in the region, for terrorists to regroup again," he said in an interview this fall.

Abadi said Iraq would not celebrate victory over the Islamic State until the militants are routed in the western desert and the border with Syria is sealed.

The outlook in Syria is far murkier. The Trump administration has indicated that American forces could have an open-ended mission there until a political solution to Syria's war is worked out. That halting process involves Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies, and U.S.-backed opposition groups.

[A Putin-Assad embrace launches Russias new peace bid for Syria]

Experts and rebel commanders warn that the Islamic State remains a potent threat in Syria and that the countrys fractured political climate could help the militants regroup.

Governments like to talk about ISIS in terms of metrics, numbers, cities taken. What we forget is that ISIS is more than a presence on the ground. It is a political force, an ideological force, and it says something about the world that people across Syria and Iraq have been living in, said Tobias Schneider, an international security analyst, using another name for the Islamic State. We are not one step closer to solving those politics.

As Assads government recaptures territory, the most unpopular components of its rule are in place. Tens of thousands of people remain in squalid government jails, and economic inequalities have been sharpened by a war economy that rewards government loyalists as much of the population relies on aid handouts.

Terrorist groups will not disappear while the conditions that allowed them to flourish are still here, said Mustafa Sejari, an official with the Pentagon-backed al-Mutasim Brigade, a rebel group fighting the Islamic State. Now stationed in a Turkish-protected enclave in northern Syria, his group has faced a string of counterattacks over the past year.

The involvement of Iran- and U.S.-backed proxy groups in the war again the Islamic State in Syria could soon pose problems, analysts said.

I think we underestimate the degree to which all of these territories which we say are under the control of central forces are still under control of local forces, and its not hard for those to switch sides, Schneider said.

That outside forces brought down the Islamic State should give the United States and its partner force pause as they focus on restoring stability to the areas they have seized, said Nicholas Heras of the Washington-based Center for a New American Security.

That should be worrying for the U.S. and its partners in Syria because it speaks to the degree to which ISIS can seed its operatives, all local Syrians, into the security and governance structures that are currently being built to replace it, he said.

Of particular concern are the parts of eastern Syria where the fighters have set up base.

Heras said that region, which abuts Iraq, will be a sea of turmoil as ISIS ramps up its insurgency mission over the coming months and years.

Loveluck reported from Beirut. Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Read more:

Iraqi forces retake last town under Islamic State control

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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President Trump on Wednesday plans to upend decades of U.S. policy by formally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordering the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to that city, senior aides said, a decision that could derail the White Houses peace efforts and spark regional unrest.

Trump will make his pronouncement in a midday speech after months of deliberation within his administration and consultations with governments in the Middle East. But in a sign of the complexities of such a shift, White House aides emphasized that Trump will sign another six-month waiver maintaining the embassys current location in Tel Aviv because the process of moving it will take at least three or four years.

Without the waiver, which has been signed by every U.S. president for more than two decades, crucial State Department funding to the embassy would be cut off.

The president began informing his counterparts in the region of his decision Tuesday, prompting warnings from several countries that the move would inflame Muslims and disrupt progress toward a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians. U.S. allies in Europe, including France, also have opposed such a change in policy, and the State Department sent a classified memo to embassies in the Middle East late last month warning of potential anti-American protests.

Our president said, You dont have anything that would make up for this on Jerusalem,  said Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who said Abbas had personally briefed him on the call. Abbas told Trump that he would not accept it and warned that the president was playing into the hands of extremism.

But Trump just went on saying he had to do it, Shaath said.

In Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency, using the Arabic name for Jerusalem, said King Salman bin Abdul Aziz warned Trump that such a dangerous step of relocation or recognition of Al-Quds as the capital of Israel would constitute a flagrant provocation of Muslims, all over the world.

The backlash from other Middle East nations mounted Tuesday. Speaking to the Turkish parliament, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said American recognition of Jerusalem would be a "red line" for Muslims, possibly forcing Turkey to cut diplomatic ties with Israel that were recently renewed after a six-year hiatus.

Senior White House officials described Trumps decision as the fulfillment of a key campaign promise that has broad bipartisan support in Congress. They emphasized that the move will not fundamentally change other aspects of U.S. policy. For example, they said, Trump remains supportive of a two-state solution, if thats what the parties agree to, and the administration is maintaining the status quo on Jerusalems holy sites.

The officials said Trump is simply recognizing the reality that Jerusalem has historically been Israels capital and that most of the nations government  including the prime ministers office, the Supreme Court and the legislature  is based there.

For a long time, the U.S. position held ambiguity or a lack of acknowledgment in hopes of advancing the process of peace, said one senior administration official, who along with two others spoke on the condition of anonymity at a briefing for reporters at the White House on Tuesday. It might have been reasonable under certain circumstances and times. Certainly, its been tried. But . . . it seems clear now that the physical location of the American embassy is not material to a peace deal.



Muslim tourists from India view the Old City of Jerusalem on Dec. 5, 2017, with the golden Dome of the Rock, one of Islams holiest sites, in the distance. (Jim Hollander/European Pressphoto Agency-EFE/Rex/Shutterstock)

Another U.S. official said after the briefing that while Trump will reiterate his commitment to the peace process during his speech, the White House recognizes that some parties might react negatively.

We are still working on our plan, which is not yet ready, said this official, who was not authorized to speak on the record. We have time to get it right and see how people feel after this news is processed over the next period of time.

Former CIA director John Brennan on Tuesday called recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv reckless and a foreign policy blunder of historic proportion. In an email statement, he said the action will damage U.S. interests in the Middle East for years to come and will make the region more volatile.

[Kushner says Mideast peace is essential to thwarting Iran and Islamist extremism]

No other countries have their embassies in Jerusalem, under a long-standing international consensus that the citys status should be decided in a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Palestinian factions jointly announced three days of rage, beginning Wednesday, to protest the potential U.S. Embassy move and recognition of Jerusalem. In a statement, they called on supporters around the world to gather in city centers and at Israeli embassies and consulates to voice their anger.

In a statement late Tuesday, the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem urged American citizens in Israel to avoid large crowds or areas where security had been increased, and ordered its staff members and their families to avoid Jerusalems Old City and the West Bank except for essential business.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem, which contains most of the important holy sites for Jews, Muslims and Christians, after the 1967 war with Arab powers. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, while many Israelis and some in the United States consider the city sector to be already and irrevocably under Israeli administration. Some of Trumps prominent Jewish backers appear to hold that view, although he has said he wants to honor Palestinian sovereignty through a mutual settlement.

U.S. officials did not identify any prospective location for the new embassy, and said it will take years to plan and build to meet security concerns for the roughly 1,000 employees currently headquartered in Tel Aviv. But the officials emphasized that the move will not prejudice Palestinians claims to East Jerusalem, strongly implying that only sites on the western side of the pre-1967 Green Line will be considered.

This doesnt speak to final-status issues, a third administration official said, referring to the thorniest disputes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict  those that are assumed to be in limbo until completion of a final peace settlement.

The officials said the decision was made with the support of Trumps envoys seeking a long-elusive peace deal, an assertion meant to counter warnings that the change would unleash fresh Arab violence. They offered no specifics to support the claim that the move would not spoil the peace initiative headed by presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner.

The aides said, however, that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other State Department officials were closely involved in the deliberations. The White House said a call was also scheduled with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A spokesman for his office declined to comment.

[Inside the Trump administration debate over declaring Jerusalem to be Israels capital]

Other advocates of recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital have pointed to Russia as an example. Moscow declared West Jerusalem to be the Israeli capital earlier this year, and the announcement produced no wave of violence or diplomatic backlash.

The U.S. position is more charged, however, because of Washingtons historic role as a peace broker.

Jordans King Abdullah II said the move would undermine U.S. efforts to resume the peace process, according to news reports.

The Egyptian government said President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, in his conversation with Trump on Tuesday, reiterated Egypts unwavering position with regard to maintaining the legal status of Jerusalem within the framework of international references and relevant U.N. resolutions.

Morris and Ruth Eglash reported from Jerusalem. Gearan reported from Berlin. Adam Entous in Washington and Heba Farouk Mahfouz in Cairo contributed to this report.

Read more:

As the U.S. mulls recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, heres what some Palestinians and Israelis think

When will Netanyahu wake up and see Palestinians are part of Jerusalem, too?

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
John Dowd, one of President Trumps lawyers in the Russia investigation, is photographed exiting a federal court in New York in 2011. (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters)

The brazen assertion Monday by one of President Trumps lawyers that a president cannot be found guilty of obstruction of justice signaled a controversial defense strategy in the wide-ranging Russia probe, as Trumps political advisers are increasingly concerned about the legal advice he is receiving.

Trump tweeted over the weekend that he knew then-national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador before firing him in February  and before FBI Director James B. Comey said Trump asked him to be lenient while investigating Flynn. Experts said the presidents admission increased his legal exposure to obstruction-of-justice charges, one of the core crimes under investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

But Trump's personal lawyer John Dowd sought to excuse the president's tweet in part by telling Axios and NBC News on Monday that the "president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution's Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case."

Dowd declined to elaborate on his theory or explain the emerging legal strategy to The Washington Post.

Inside the White House, some senior officials were baffled that Dowd publicly offered this interpretation of the law, which has been advanced since the summer by constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz in defense of Trump but flatly dismissed by many other legal scholars.

Ty Cobb, a White House lawyer overseeing its handling of the Russia investigation, said Monday that the Dershowitz-Dowd theory was not the presidents official legal strategy.

Its interesting as a technical legal issue, but the presidents lawyers intend to present a fact-based defense, not a mere legal defense, Cobb said in an interview with The Post. That should resolve things, but we all shall see.

Asked whether Trump agrees that a president cannot obstruct justice, Cobb replied, I never talk about what the presidents beliefs are or discuss communications between the president and his lawyers.

[Trump lawyer says president knew Flynn had given FBI the same account he gave to vice president]

Many Washington lawyers and legal scholars disputed Dowds interpretation, citing several court cases and articles of impeachment  as well as, in the words of one expert, common sense.

We have a president, not a king, said Sam Berger, senior policy adviser at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. No one is above the law, whether it be Trump or any of his close associates. Its the sort of desperate claim that makes you wonder, What exactly are they hiding?

Berger argued that Dowds reasoning amounts to a Hail Mary pass for the president to escape responsibility. This response, If its the president, its not a crime, has never flown with the American people or our legal system in any context, he said. Claiming that the president cant obstruct justice flies in the face of both common sense and past precedent.



Michael Flynn, left, exits the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse on Dec. 1, 2017, surrounded by members of his legal team after he pleaded guilty to making false statements. (Essdras M Suarez for the Washington Post/Essdras M Suarez)

Some legal scholars, however, support Dowds claim. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor, said Monday on Fox News Channel that Trump was within his rights when he fired Comey.

You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate, Dershowitz said. Thats what Thomas Jefferson did, thats what Lincoln did, thats what Roosevelt did. We have precedents that clearly establish that.

Dershowitz was appearing on Fox & Friends, a pro-Trump morning show that the president regularly watches. After his appearance, Trump tweeted, A must watch: Legal Scholar Alan Dershowitz was just on @foxandfriends talking of what is going on with respect to the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. political history.

Dershowitz wrote a column in June for The Washington Examiner in which he argued that Trump's efforts to stop the FBI probe could not be considered obstruction because he was constitutionally empowered as president to direct the attorney general and the FBI director and tell them whom to prosecute.

Furthermore, he wrote, the president has the constitutional authority to stop the investigation of any person by simply pardoning that person.

Within Trumps political orbit, concerns have grown in recent weeks about Trumps legal strategy, crafted by Cobb and Dowd, as well as attorney Jay Sekulow, who at key moments has served as the public face of the defense team.

Cobb and Dowd have urged Trump to cooperate fully with Muellers investigation, providing documents when asked by the special counsel and encouraging White House staffers to comply with requests for interviews.

The two men have sought to assure White House advisers that Trump is not vulnerable to obstruction-of-justice charges. They think everything is clean there, said one senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid.

Cobb and Dowd also have been privately assuring the president that the Mueller probe was likely to reach its conclusion by the end of this year, complete with a public exoneration of Trump of any wrongdoing. That timeline seems overly optimistic to some legal experts, considering Mueller last week charged Flynn with lying to the FBI and secured his cooperation in the investigation.

In Mondays interview, Cobb said he still believes Muellers investigation of Trump will reach an appropriate result by Christmas or early January.

[Inside the secretive nerve center of the Mueller investigation]

But some Trump advisers and outside allies  including former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon  have been grumbling for weeks that the presidents legal strategy is too compliant with Mueller and not combative enough.

One Republican strategist in frequent contact with senior White House officials said there had been consternation among Trumps political advisers in recent days.

The concern is that every time the president feels a little bit of pain from what Muellers doing, [his lawyers] give him OxyContin and tell him hell be fine by the morning, this strategist said metaphorically, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. Rather than being aggressive lawyers defending the presidents prerogative, theyre bending over backwards on the theory that Mueller is fair and itll all be over soon.

These concerns grew over the past 48 hours as Dowd sought to explain the presidents tweet about firing Flynn in a succession of media interviews, which had some Trump loyalists grimacing.

Asked to respond to criticisms of the legal team, Cobb said, Theres no question that Bannon is doing the president a great disservice by agitating persistently on this issue. Internally, where people are actually informed, theres no consternation about the decision to cooperate fully with the special counsel, and Mr. Bannon has yet to identify what fights he would pick and how constructive that would be.

Going forward, Cobb said, Im not going to litigate every isolated fact that people may testify about or may ask about in the press because thats not fair to the process or to the special counsel or to the witnesses.

The Brookings Institution in October published a 108-page study titled "Presidential Obstruction of Justice: The Case of Donald J. Trump." The authors reviewed the articles of impeachment against presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, and those drafted against judges Harry Claiborne in 1986 and Samuel Kent in 2009. They concluded that "obstruction, conspiracy, and conviction of a federal crime have previously been considered by Congress to be valid reasons to remove a duly elected president from office."

Co-author Norm Eisen, former special assistant for ethics and government reform in the Obama administration and a senior fellow in governance studies at Brookings, said, Theres a long line of cases holding that when a government official exercises an otherwise legal authority with corrupt intent, they can be prosecuted for obstruction. It flows from the notion that no person is above the law.

In 1999, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then a senator from Alabama, argued that Clinton should be removed from office for obstructing justice in the investigation into his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

The facts are disturbing and compelling on the presidents intent to obstruct justice, Sessions said at the time.

Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Weissmann talks with the media outside the federal courthouse in Houston on Oct. 2, 2002 after charging a former Enron executive with fraud, money laundering and conspiring to inflate the company's profits and enrich himself at the company's expense. Weissmann is now part of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs team investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. (Pat Sullivan/AP)

A conservative watchdog group said internal Justice Department emails show a senior prosecutor assigned to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is biased against President Trump.

Judicial Watch, a group which has been seeking government records about senior members of the Justice Department during the Obama administration, released emails Tuesday showing officials praised then-acting attorney general Sally Yates when she ordered staff not to defend Trumps first travel ban in court.

One of those emails came from Andrew Weissmann, now a senior adviser to Muellers ongoing probe into whether Trump associates may have conspired with Russian agents to interfere with the 2016 election.

[Inside the secretive nerve center of the Mueller investigation]

At the time, Yates, a holdover from the Obama administration, had just sent a memo to staff in late January instructing them not to defend the travel ban in court. The travel ban executive order was just a few days old when she made that decision, and there was a great deal of uncertainty about whether courts would rule it discriminated against Muslims.

Some federal judges blocked key parts of early versions of the ban before the Supreme Court ruled that the third iteration of it could be enforced.

At the time of Yates's action, she was running the Justice Department until a Trump appointee could be confirmed. Within hours of her decision not to defend the ban, she was fired by Trump. Weissmann then sent her an email saying: "I am so proud. And in awe. Thank you so much.'' He signed it, "All my deepest respects.''

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the email was further evidence of political bias on Muellers team, and he called for the entire investigation to be shut down.

This is an astonishing and disturbing find, Fitton said. A key prosecutor on Robert Muellers team praised Obama DOJ holdover Sally Yates after she lawlessly thwarted President Trump.

A spokesman for the special counsels office declined to comment.

Emily Pierce, a former Justice Department spokeswoman, said: Agreeing with Sally Yates on her handling of a complex legal matter does not indicate bias against the president, and it certainly doesnt have anything to do with how Andrew conducts himself as a prosecutor  which in my experience is thoughtfully and with a fair and impartial examination of facts.

Judicial Watch has filed Freedom of Information Act requests and lawsuits seeking to get access to internal deliberations involving the FBIs probe of Hillary Clintons private email server, as well as the airport tarmac meeting of then-Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and former president Bill Clinton in 2016 when Hillary Clinton was under investigation.

In those matters, Judicial Watch has said the documents it has received show political bias inside the Justice Department and FBI in favor of Clinton and Democrats, and against Trump and Republicans.

Weissmann was far from the only Justice Department official who praised Yates in private emails over her travel ban stance, but he is the only one working on the Mueller probe.

Thomas Delahanty, then the U.S. attorney for Maine, wrote to Yates, You are my hero.
Special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation cost the Justice Department about $6.7 million in his first 4 months in office, according to a report released by the department Tuesday. (Charles Dharapak/AP)

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation of possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 election cost the government about $6.7 million in Muellers first 4 months in office, according to a report released by the Justice Department on Tuesday.

The price tag is likely to rile Republicans who have been critical of Muellers team and wary of a long and costly investigation, though independent counsels have in the past spent tens of millions of dollars on lengthy probes.

[The special counsels statement of expenditures]

Muellers spending included $3.2 million in direct and reimbursed expenditures, including more than $1.7 million for personnel, $733,000 for equipment, $362,000 for rent and utilities, $223,000 for travel, and $157,000 for contract services, such as technology services and transcripts, according to the report. That represents new money coming from an indefinite appropriation for independent counsels, which the Justice Department determined could be used to fund Muellers work.

Muellers probe also caused other Justice Department components to spend about $3.5 million on work attributable to the special counsel investigation, according to the report. The report said that past special counsels did not report such expenditures and that the expenses would have been incurred irrespective of the existence of the special counsels office.

Mueller was appointed special counsel in May, after President Trump fired FBI director James B. Comey. The Justice Departments report covered the period from May 17 to Sept. 30.

Though Mueller's investigation is not yet a year old, his team of prosecutors has made significant moves. Mueller's 17 lawyers  some reassigned from within the government and others brought in from private practice  have charged or negotiated plea deals with four former Trump campaign or administration officials, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Manafort was charged, along with his longtime business partner Rick Gates, for work on behalf of Ukraine unrelated to the campaign. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia's ambassador during the transition period and, in a potentially ominous sign for the White House, agreed to cooperate with Mueller.

Though Flynn has already admitted that other top transition officials  including Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, and K.T. McFarland, who is now nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Singapore  were aware of his Russia-related dealings, Mueller is likely to want to talk to him about a wider range of topics, including whether Trump obstructed justice and tried to short-circuit the probe.

[As Mueller builds his team, every hire is under scrutiny]

Trump has in the past taken aim at Mueller's hires, citing some team members' political contributions to Democrats, including Hillary Clinton. More recently, though, he has highlighted news reports that Peter Strzok, the former top FBI official assigned to the investigation, was reassigned after it was discovered that he and another team member had exchanged texts disparaging Trump and supporting Clinton.

Strzok was also a key figure in the probe of Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

"Report: 'ANTI-TRUMP FBI AGENT LED CLINTON EMAIL PROBE' Now it all starts to make sense!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

White House lawyers declined to comment on Muellers expenditures.

Lawrence E. Walsh, the prosecutor who investigated Reagan officials in the Iran-contra affair, spent $47.4 million during his eight-year investigation. Former independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr spent more than $52 million investigating President Bill Clinton, and the five independent counsels appointed to look into various Clinton-related matters during the 1990s spent more than $100 million.
The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Kirstjen M. Nielsen as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, installing a close confidant of White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly to lead the federal agency responsible for carrying out many of President Trumps most ambitious domestic policy plans.

Nielsen, 45, developed a reputation for fierce devotion to Kelly as his deputy at the White House and before that as his chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, which he ran from January until July.

An attorney and cybersecurity expert, Nielsen will be the first DHS secretary with previous experience working at the agency. Her confirmation Tuesday gives the White House a DHS chief well versed in the politics and policy goals of Trumps immigration enforcement agenda.

By confirming Ms. Nielsens nomination to lead the DHS, this Senate will take a serious step to strengthen our nations security, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement.

Ms. Nielsen will be charged with leading the department at a critical time, he said. With her understanding of the challenges facing our nation and her experience in prevention and preparedness, I believe that she will excel as the next Secretary of Homeland Security.

View Graphic Tracking how many key positions Trump has filled so far

Nielsen was confirmed 62 to 37, the narrowest margin ever to approve a DHS secretary. Though no GOP senator voted against her, the outcome reflected intense opposition to Trump as well as doubts about Nielsens executive leadership experience and willingness to challenge the White House in the event of a disagreement.

Last month, a watchdog group filed an ethics complaint against Nielsen after she used a private consultant who represents clients with millions of dollars in DHS contracts to help her navigate the confirmation process.

[Trumps pick for Homeland Security is caught up in an ethics complaint]

In January, soon after Trump took office, senators confirmed Kelly 88 to 11.

Nielsen comes to the job largely on the power of Kellys endorsement. She will take over from acting secretary Elaine Duke, who filled the top job in a temporary capacity for more than four months, longer than any DHS chief in the agencys 15-year history.

Duke was confirmed as deputy DHS secretary in April, but she does not have a close relationship to Nielsen. Several administration officials say Duke has informed the White House she plans to resign once Nielsen takes over. In a statement following Tuesday's confirmation vote, Duke congratulated her and said "I look forward to working alongside Ms. Nielsen as her deputy."

One of the Democrats who voted against Nielsen, Sen. Maggie Hassan (N.H.), said she had concerns about the new secretarys independence. Throughout her confirmation process, Ms. Nielsen failed to demonstrate that she would provide the steady experienced leadership  free from political interference from the White House  that the department needs.



President Trump congratulates Kirstjen Nielsen, the newly confirmed Homeland Security secretary, during a White House ceremony in October to announce her nomination. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Another Democrat who voted no, Sen. Kamala D. Harris (Calif.), cited similar doubts about Nielsen's independence. She also criticized her reluctance during confirmation hearings to accept human behavior as a cause of global climate change and said Nielsen has "equivocated on protecting 'dreamers,' " those brought to the country illegally as children and shielded from deportation under Obama.

As the top official leading the DHS, an agency with a $40 billion discretionary budget and 240,000 employees, Nielsen will take on a broad array of responsibilities. The DHS has 22 subagencies, including immigration enforcement, transportation security, disaster preparedness and response, the Secret Service, and the Coast Guard.

There will be no on-the-job training for Kirstjen, Trump said when he announced her nomination in October, praising her sterling reputation.

Nielsen has never held the top job at a federal agency or a private-sector company.

Early in her career, she worked at the Transportation Security Administration and then as a White House adviser for emergency preparedness and disaster management under President George W. Bush. During her confirmation hearing, she told senators she learned key lessons about emergency management by having a front-row seat to the botched response to Hurricane Katrina.

Nielsen breezed through her confirmation hearing last month before members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, assuring lawmakers that she would not obey an unlawful order from the White House.

When asked for her views on the utility of a border wall with Mexico, she echoed comments made previously by Kelly that the United States did not need a 2,000-mile physical barrier from sea to shining sea.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, right, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian resort city of Sochi last month. Putin has said that Assad is near victory in Syrias civil war. (Mikhail Klimentyev/AP)

The government of Bashar al-Assad, lacking manpower, reliant on allies and almost broke, is no longer capable of a military win in Syrias civil war, U.S. officials said Monday, pushing back against Russian and Syrian assertions that victory is only a matter of time.

Senior officials described a severely weakened Syrian state, grappling with challenges including loss of oil revenue; severe infrastructure damage; increasing reliance on outside powers for cash, food and fighters; and a military barely able to keep multiple armed groups at bay.

When we look at what it would take to make a victors peace sustainable in any country, the Syrian regime does not have it, one official said during a briefing for reporters, speaking on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the Trump administration. Theyre not wealthy, theyre not rich in manpower, theyre not rich in other capabilities, and the grievances, if anything, are sharper now than they were at the beginning of this conflict.

[A Putin-Assad embrace launches Russias new peace bid for Syria]

Describing the Trump administration's assessment of the Syrian war, officials cited a recent battle to recapture Bukamal, along the Syria-Iraq border, that included almost no Syrian government units.

The Trump administration believes that about 80 percent of the military manpower fighting in support of the Syrian government is made up of foreign forces from Lebanons Hezbollah, Iraqi militias and Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps.

When government units undertake offensives against opposition forces, the official said, they must leave behind poorly trained and sparsely equipped troops to defend those reclaimed areas, making them vulnerable to militant attack.

That picture is sharply different from the one presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who assured Assad during a recent visit to Russia that the long Syrian conflict is "nearing completion."

Moscow, which reversed the course of the war with its decision to intervene on Assads behalf in 2015, is now hoping that a grand political deal can be brokered in short order. But the Russian vision does not include an immediate departure for Assad, a key opposition demand.

[U.S. moves toward open-ended presence in Syria after Islamic State is routed]

As the Trump administration turns to the broader conflict in Syria after helping to oust the Islamic State from major population centers, U.S. officials are embracing new cooperation with Russia on a potential peace process. But despite President Trump's recent discussions with Putin, U.S. officials also appear nervous that Syria and Russia will use their perceived strength to secure an unwelcome outcome at the negotiating table.

They are hoping instead to emphasize the dwindling resources of Syrian authorities, who are dependent on Russia and Iran for infusions of cash and wheat. And, in the U.S. view, Syrian forces are unlikely to be able to hold areas under the control of opposition forces or Syrian Kurds, even if they can recapture them.

The Syrian state is a mere shadow of itself, the official said.

The officials spoke after the United Nations latest attempt to foster peace talks suffered a setback last week, when the Syrian government delegation abandoned discussions in Geneva over the oppositions demand that Assad be pushed aside.

Assad wants a political process that would give him a hasty political outcome, the official said.

The Trump administration is hoping to secure a political solution in part to ease the pressure of millions of Syrian refugees on Western nations.

The administration remains unlikely, though, to commit the kind of military resources that would be required to dramatically alter the trajectory on the ground, where opposition groups remain fragmented and unable to secure a sweeping victory of their own.

The official spoke as U.S. military leaders made plans to extend their modest military presence in northern Syria, which officials hope will translate into Syrian concessions at the negotiating table. He declined to provide details on the evolving military footprint within Syria.
The United States under President Trump increasingly treats Europe as a global competitor rather than a partner and is pursuing policies that potentially hurt the interests of traditional U.S. allies, Germany's top diplomat said Tuesday.

The traditional transatlantic political architecture since World War II is beginning to crumble, added German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel. He said the Trump administration often views Europe as a competitor and sometimes even as an economic adversary.

Trumps campaign slogan Make America Great Again is about the restoration of supposedly good old times, but it has real effects on other nations, Gabriel told the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum. The gathering was held in advance of a NATO foreign ministers meeting that begins Tuesday in Brussels and includes Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

We see a return to borders and the supposed strength of the nation-state, Gabriel said.

He cited Trumps announcement that the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord, his undermining of the international nuclear deal with Iran, sanctions on Russia approved by Congress that could harm Germanys energy supplies and the potential U.S. designation of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.

Those foreign policy moves were made without much consideration of European views, Gabriel said.

[Confusion, warnings as Trump leaves open decision on Jerusalem]

If the Iran deal collapses, the risk of war and insecurity rises for Europe, he warned.

On Jerusalem, he underscored Germanys view  shared by the United States for decades  that the status of the city can be resolved only through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

Anything that aggravates the crisis is counterproductive, Gabriel said.

U.S. relations with Germany have soured under Trump, who has described Chancellor Angela Merkels handling of migrants and refugees as a catastrophic mistake and has accused the country of failing to pay back dues to NATO. He has also strongly criticized Germanys trade imbalance with the United States.

Speaking in German, Gabriel said that Germany should adopt a tougher and more self-reliant stance that does not necessarily rely on U.S. leadership.

Germany cannot afford to wait for decisions in Washington or to just react. We have to describe our own positions and, if necessary, also make clear to our allies where the limits of our solidarity are reached.

The foreign minister's pessimism was mirrored in public opinion polling data released at the conference by the Korber Foundation, a German think tank. Among Germans, 56 percent said the country's current relationship with the United States is somewhat or very bad, while 88 percent said Germany's defense partnership with European nations should have priority over future partnership with the United States.

The survey of 1,005 respondents was conducted Oct. 4-18 and had a margin of error of five percentage points.

Gabriel, who met with Tillerson in Washington on Iran and other issues last week, said Germany and other nations should continue to find ways to influence U.S. policy.

Trump and his advisers have set out a view that the world is no longer a global community but an arena and also a battleground in which nations, nonstate actors and companies fight over advantages, Gabriel said.

In that arena, a country has one and then the other as partner if that serves their own interests, he said.

He warned that Germany should not accept a submission to U.S. politics like we have never previously seen.

Trump campaigned on promises to pull the United States out of international trade deals and other compacts he called an infringement on U.S. sovereignty. He is deeply skeptical of international organizations and of the underlying premise that the United States has a disproportionate duty to lead or fund them.

But Gabriel said a reordered relationship between Europe and the United States was underway before Trump.

One reason, he said, is that demographic changes in the United States will soon mean that a majority of Americans have roots in Latin America, Asia and Africa rather than in Europe.
Russia's lower house of parliament on Wednesday banned Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from entering its premises, a day after the Russian government declared the organizations "foreign agents."

The 413-1 vote by the Russian State Duma to ban the outlets came as Moscow followed through onits promise to retaliate for similar U.S. actions against the English-language Russian network RT, which Russian leaders characterize as an assault on freedom of the press.

Congress rescinded the accreditation of RT, previously known as Russia Today, last month after the Justice Department required that it register as a foreign agent under a 1938 law because of its alleged role in interfering in U.S. affairs and the 2016 presidential campaign by pushing the Kremlin's agenda.

On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Justice published a list of nine outlets, which includes Russian-language subsidiaries of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that cover the Caucasus region of Russia, Crimea, Siberia, and two predominantly Muslim regions in central Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Also designated were Current Time TV, which is produced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Factograph, a website produced by Radio Liberty.

The affiliates are not banned from the Duma, however.

The ministry statement did not mention any specific restrictions on the media outlets.

RT disputes that it is an agent of the Russian government, arguing that it offers alternatives to mainstream news coverage, and Russian leaders vowed to respond in kind.

We didnt start this theater of the absurd, Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said Monday at a Duma hearing. But we have to respond to it.

Russia's law on foreign agents, which in the past has been used on nongovernmental organizations critical of the Kremlin, requires the organizations to label their publications as coming from a foreign agent. The Russian government recently designated a union of truckers protesting highway tolls as a foreign agent.

A bill extending that law to media organizations was signed by President Vladimir Putin last month.

[Russian legislators pass law targeting international media as foreign agents]

On Tuesday, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted its president, Thomas Kent, as saying he had received no details about what the foreign agent designation will mean.

"So far, the full nature of these limitations is unknown. We will study carefully all communications from the ministry and other Russian official organizations," Kent said in a video statement. "At the same time, we remain committed to continuing our journalistic work in the interests of providing accurate and objective news to our Russian-speaking audiences."

Voice of America and Radio Free Europe were created during the Cold War to broadcast news to the closed societies of the Soviet Union and the Communist countries in its orbit.

Russian leaders say that in the drama surrounding RT, they are the ones defending democracy.

"We are not interested in limiting freedom of speech and the rights of foreign journalists," said Olga Savastyanova, who heads the Duma committee that proposed the ban on the U.S. media outlets. She said the lower house was forced to make the move by "unfair, undemocratic" decisions by Congress that "violate international principles of human rights," motivated by "fear of the objective information and truth produced by our journalists."



The upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, passed a similar decision on Tuesday to bar U.S. journalists working for foreign-agent media outlets from visiting the upper house of the Russian parliament.

Read more:

Kremlin denies that Flynn persuaded Putin to hold off retaliatory sanctions

Putin says Olympic disqualifications are sign of U.S. meddling in Russias elections

Kremlin: Attempts to tie U.S. investigations to Russia baseless and ludicrous

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini address a joint news conference at the European Council in Brussels on Tuesday. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's trip to Europe, normally friendly territory, is underscoring the difficulties of defending Trump administration policies to skeptical allies and his own, much criticized management of the State Department.

Federica Mogherini, the foreign policy chief of the European Union, struck one of the first blows when on Tuesday she offered a strikingly unvarnished critique of two key administration policies. Standing beside Tillerson, she told reporters it would be unwise for the United States to back away from the Iran nuclear deal and suggested that moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would undermine Middle East peace efforts.

Tillerson also is facing criticism from within. At a routine meet-and-greet event with employees of the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, he defended administration policies and his own performance. He deviated from his standard speech outline to say that the State Department under his helm is not missing a beat. Moments later, he acknowledged a lack of major diplomatic successes, although he insisted that the groundwork has been laid.

While we dont have any wins on the board yet, I can tell you were in a much better position to advance Americas interests around the world than we were 10 months ago, he said.

Increasingly, allies do not share that assessment. Tillerson is receiving a chilly, judgmental reception in Europe, startling for a diplomat representing a country that considers itself the leader of democracies with shared values and principles.



Secretary of State Rex Tillerson fourth from left), German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel second from right) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian third from right) attend a meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday. (Virginia Mayo/AFP/Getty Images)

Shortly after Tillerson arrived in Brussels, he was followed by a line of foreign ministers who uttered their disapproval.

Not long ago, it would have been rare for European allies to lay bare their differences so starkly. Tuesdays criticisms were a measure of Europes diminished respect for the United States  and also the political benefits of hitting President Trump in front of European audiences that are deeply skeptical of the U.S. leader.

One after another, the top diplomats of Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg enumerated their disagreements about the Iran deal and Trumps possible recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Thats oil on the fire, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said as he walked into a meeting with Tillerson alongside other E.U. foreign ministers, referring to his governments view about the consequence of recognizing Jerusalem. Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders urged avoiding any provocation that might ensue.

[Trump policies starting to crumble traditional U.S.-Europe ties, German foreign minister warns]

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel echoed the worry, hours after delivering a searing speech in Berlin that offered a deeply pessimistic view of the future of U.S.-German relations.

The current U.S. withdrawal under Trump from its role as the reliable guarantor of Western multilateralism accelerates the change in the global order, Gabriel said at the Korber Foundation in Berlin. The pullback will not change fundamentally even after the next election.

R.C. Hammond, a senior aide to Tillerson, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg disagreed with Gabriels assertion during a meeting with Tillerson that the European Union can go it alone. He said Stoltenberg told Tillerson that NATO depends on U.S. and British contributions to cover its military expenses.

Hammond also disputed the characterization that Tillersons counterparts showed any frostiness.

That sounds like partners in communication, he said of the public differences enumerated by diplomats.

Allies have been very frank today in sharing some of their views, he added. Dialogues only work if they go two ways.

Complicating his task, Tillerson arrived in Brussels, his first stop on a three-country trip, with his authority to speak for the administration under assault.

Last week, after months of mounting criticism that Tillersons remote management style and personnel decisions were gutting the State Department, White House officials let it be known that his tenure may be ending in a matter of weeks. The White House later denied wanting to get rid of Tillerson, and Tillerson himself dismissed the reports as laughable.

[White House readies plan to replace Tillerson with Pompeo at State, install Cotton at CIA]

Tillerson publicly appeared unruffled about the speculation about his political demise. He ignored a shouted question about whether he still speaks for the president. But the underlying discontent about his stewardship shadowed Tillerson throughout the day.

In his remarks to embassy staff members, a standard event designed to show appreciation for their work, the former chief executive of ExxonMobil suggested that he is nettled by downcast assessments of a State Department diminished under his leadership.

Were still awaiting a lot of nominees to clear the processes and be confirmed, he said, referring to dozens of senior positions that are being filled temporarily by officials assuming acting roles. I get a little criticism for that from time to time.

Tillerson praised the staff members who have been pressed into duty running bureaus for the past 10 months, and said, The State Department is not missing a beat, because were still working through the process.

He told the assembled employees that within the next few weeks he will announce some of the changes expected by his State Department reorganization effort  which everyone seems to be an expert on, he added wryly.

Heading over to the European Union offices for talks with Mogherini and a lunch of duckling breast, Tillerson looked unfazed as Mogherini castigated Trumps policies on Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

[Uncertainty and anger rise as Trump keeps alive dispute over moving U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem]

In a clear allusion to the administrations deliberations about moving the embassy to Jerusalem, she lauded the two-state solution  one state for Israel and one for the Palestinians.

We believe that any action that would undermine this effort must be absolutely avoided, she said.

She also questioned a basic tenet of the administrations approach to Iran. U.S. officials say they want to work with Europe to obtain a follow-up agreement with Iran that addresses its testing of ballistic missiles and the role it plays in conflicts roiling other countries in the region.

We have discussed the fact that there are other issues that we should discuss and tackle together, but they are not under the scope of the nuclear agreement, she said. And therefore, we are willing to address them outside of the agreement itself.

Read more

Rex Tillerson: The sky is not falling at State Department

Tillerson has harsh words for Russias malicious tactics

U.S. asked French to broker Trump-Rouhani discussion, but Iranian president said no

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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WSU Celebrates 150th Graduation Events

December 4, 2017

OGDEN, Utah  More than 2,715 Weber State University students have applied for graduation and will be honored during the 150th convocations ceremonies Dec. 15, beginning at 8 a.m.

We are proud of what our graduating students have accomplished and wish them well in pursuing their post-graduation dreams, WSU President Charles A. Wight said. Of course, we encourage all of our graduates to come back and visit their professors, colleagues and others who made an impact on them.

Former lieutenant governor and WSU alumnus Gregory S. Bell will deliver the keynote address. Bell was Utahs seventh lieutenant governor. He spent 23 years serving in state and local politics.

Bell worked as vice president of United Savings and as a partner at Kirton & McConkie law firm (now Kirton McConkie). He also built a successful real estate business. Bell is currently the president and CEO of the Utah Hospital Association, an organization dedicated to health care policy and advocacy. He will serve as the next chairman of the Utah Transit Authority Board of Trustees beginning Dec. 13.

WSUs December graduation events are different from years past. Due to the large number of graduates, each college will host its own convocations at varying times throughout the day. Previously WSU has held a combined December commencement ceremony.

With this new format, students can spend more time with their peers in the various colleges and less time waiting to be called up to the stage, Wight said. This day is all about our graduates experiences.

Each college has been assigned a specific time and location. The three convocation locations are the Dee Events Center, Val A. Browning Center and the Shepherd Union Ballrooms.

All graduates who attend the ceremonies will receive a commemorative medallion with the WSU presidential seal in honor of their achievement.

Putting Students Through, a program honoring parents, spouses and friends of graduates, will be held in the Shepherd Union Ballrooms Dec. 14 at 10 a.m.

Parking will be free throughout the day on Dec. 15. Campus shuttle buses will run every five minutes from 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., with stops at the Dee Events Center, Val A. Browning Center, Stewart Library and McKay Education Building.

Guest tickets are not required. However, seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Graduates with special needs should contact the director of Disability Services, Don Guthrie, at 801-626-6856.

Visit weber.edu/commencement for more information on individual college convocations.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
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Rural prairie entrepreneurs have plenty of unique challenges. Those who also have a disability or a health condition can have even more.

An annual initiative of Community Futures  the non-profit organization that assists economic development in rural communities  called Just Watch Me! is aimed at celebrating the successes of people with disabilities or health conditions while encouraging others to embrace entrepreneurship.

The program opened for submissions on Monday in recognition of the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Dec. 3). Any entrepreneur with a disability or health condition operating in rural Manitoba or Saskatchewan can produce a short video about their business to participate.

Supplied Lucy Fouasse won last years Just Watch Me! contest.

The winner will receive $1,000 in cash and prizes to support their business.

Program manager Susan Bater, who originally thought up the idea and has been running it since 2011, said theyve already received more than half the total submissions from last year.

We expect the number will be higher this year, she said.

Last years winner was Lucy Fouasse of Lil Steps Miniatures & Wellness Farm in St. Malo. Fouasse suffered a head injury with symptoms that limited what she was able to do.

In her winning video, Fouasse said that being able to spend time with the animals during her recovery taught her to look at her strengths, rather than her limitations. Bater said the program is to encourage those who have a passion to run their own business despite constraints their health may present. One in five Canadians have a disability and those numbers are growing as the population ages.

We want to encourage people, Bater said. We want people to see it (entrepreneurism) as a viable option.

Community Futures has a number of support programs for entrepreneurs with disabilities, including a loan program for up to $150,000.

We recognize that people with disabilities, especially if theyve had to leave the workforce, face unique challenges, for instance with credit rating and things like that, she said. Our program can be more flexible in its loan requirements as long as the business is viable.

Information and submissions for the Just Watch Me! contest can be found at justwatchmecontest.ca.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
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Traces of a shake and bake homemade explosive was found on everything the RCMP tested from the scenes of three explosions in Winnipeg in July 2015, court heard Monday, but some of it may have disappeared too quickly for forensic lab analysis.

As the attempted murder trial continues for 51-year-old Guido Amsel, who is accused of mailing bombs to his former lawyer, Amsels ex-wife and her lawyer, an explosives expert testified about the presence of a dangerous and simple-to-make explosive substance called triacetone triperoxide (TATP).

During its investigation into an explosion that severely injured lawyer Maria Mitousis at her River Avenue law office on July 3, 2015, the Winnipeg Police Service seized items from the scene, including a zippered case that contained a digital voice recorder.

John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press Files Police investigate the scene of an explosion at the River Ave. law offices of Maria Mitousis in July, 2015. 51-year-old Guido Amsel is on trial for attempted murder in connection with the explosion.

When Mitousis pressed a button on the recorder, following the instructions in a note that had been mailed to her, the recorder blew up in her hand. She lost her right hand and suffered burns and shrapnel cuts in the blast.

When the pouch was sent for testing, it reportedly first showed traces of TATP, but later came back negative for explosives  and its been a focus of Amsels defence teams questioning so far in the provincial court trial.

Nigel Hearns, who works for the RCMP forensics lab in Ottawa, testified about a possible reason initial tests came back positive for TATP while subsequent swab tests were negative. Court previously heard police used an ion scanner device to test items found at the explosion scenes for traces of explosive substances.

Though the initial scans said explosives were present, lab tests couldnt confirm those results. Swabs of Amsels face and hands taken after his arrest were also negative for explosives.

If the swab had been previously analyzed using another instrument and then was received at the laboratory and we re-analyzed the swab, I would not be surprised there was nothing left to find or anything was there, Hearns said.

He testified TATP is a high vapour-pressure explosive that quickly dissipates if only a small amount is left behind.

In a post-blast scenario where TATP has been used and theres residue  milligrams or less, micrograms  they will rapidly disappear because of the vaporization effect of TATP. It is well-known and well-studied that TATP residues are transient. They do not adhere for a long time. They need to be trapped quickly or preserved quickly, if they are to be found later.

Hearns described the process of making TATP as shake and bake chemistry that could be done by mixing three ingredients commonly used as cleaning products and found in automotive shops, hardware stores or pharmacies.

He compared the explosive device in this case, concealed in a digital voice recorder, to a military hand grenade designed to kill or injure a target by sending off shrapnel. Depending on how much explosive was used, the shrapnel could be sent flying at the speed of bullets, Hearns said.

He estimated it would have taken less than one gram of TATP to cause an explosion powerful enough to blow off someones hand and break window panes.

Hearns faced questions from defence lawyer Jeremy Kostiuk about how quickly the TATP could vaporize and become undetectable, specifically if it had been left out in a garage.

If there was residue present, I wouldnt expect to find it a day or two later, Hearns said.

The trial continues this week in front of provincial court Judge Tracey Lord.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
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BRANDON  Charges against a long-serving member of the Brandon Police Service have been stayed after the judge deemed a statement made by the officer during the investigation is inadmissible due to a violation of his rights.

Const. Grant Shane Stephenson was charged with attempting to obstruct justice during an investigation into Landon Lockhart, who is the son of fellow BPS officer Sgt. Dallas Lockhart.

Dallas Lockhart faced similar charges in connection with a related incident, which were stayed earlier this month.

Crown attorney Tim Chudy stayed Stephensons charge in Brandon provincial court Monday after Judge Murray Thompson granted defence counsels application to exclude Stephensons statement as evidence.

In Thompsons written decision, he concluded Stephensons rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been breached in what he called a deliberate decision by the professional standards unit not to inform Stephenson of the jeopardy he faced.

The charges stem from an incident that took place July 4, 2014, at Houstons Country Roadhouse involving Landon Lockhart, who was the suspect in an assault on an employee. His father was Stephensons superior officer at the time.

According to Thompsons written decision, there appeared to be no investigation into the alleged assault at the nightclub by Stephenson until after a second incident involving Landon Lockhart occurred at the Great Western Roadhouse in November 2014. During the second incident, Landon Lockhart accused Stephenson of using excessive force while arresting him.

Following the second incident, a meeting was set up between BPS, Landon Lockhart and Stephenson to address the complaint, during which Landon Lockhart agreed not to pursue criminal charges against Stephenson.

At the end of the meeting, however, Stephenson allegedly informed (Landon) Lockhart that he wanted to speak to him to investigate the Houstons incident, Thompson wrote.

Instead of dropping his complaint as he suggested at the meeting, Landon Lockhart filed a Law Enforcement Review Agency (LERA) complaint a few days later, and PSU investigators were called in from the Winnipeg Police Service.

The four-page LERA complaint requested a criminal investigation be launched against Stephenson for allegedly choking Landon Lockhart when he was being detained at the Roadhouse, according to Thompsons decision. Landon Lockhart also raised concerns Stephenson was in a conflict of interest by investigating him as a suspect in the first incident at Houstons  four months after it took place, and immediately after he had made a complaint about being assaulted.

However, from the outset, the PSUs investigation was compromised by the lack of a clear mandate, Thompson wrote, with the lines blurred between whether PSU was to be an investigation into the LERA complaint, a professional standards investigation, a criminal investigation or all three.

 Brandon Sun
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Premier Brian Pallister plans to chop membership from, consolidate, and even eliminate 25 provincially appointed boards, councils, committees and commissions.

Bill 10 is a streamlining act, Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen told the legislature Monday.

The intention is to have more effective delivery services and provide value for money, he said.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen and Premier Brian Pallister.

More than 170 positions will disappear at a savings of at least $150,000 a year in per diems and staff time. No one is being fired, said the minister  numbers will drop as terms expire and members are not renewed or replaced.

There are 183 provincial agencies, boards and commissions, the vast majority which need no similar action immediately, he said.

The bodies include the accessibility advisory council, Manitoba Human Rights Commission, the provincial healthy child advisory committee, and the Manitoba arts council, who will all lose members when the bill becomes law.

Gone will be the agri-food and rural development council, caregiver advisory committee, Manitoba council on aging, and heritage tree review committee.

Our government is committed to repairing the services we provide for Manitobans and this includes establishing more efficient agencies, boards and commissions to oversee provincial programs and services, said Pedersen.

We believe smaller boards and councils work better together, and are more engaged in both the process and outcomes, said Pedersen. The ideal board is seven to nine persons. In creating smaller boards, we are following the best practices of the not-for-profit and private sectors.

The various agencies were notified Monday afternoon after he tabled the bill, Pedersen said, noting it will probably be passed in June.

Under Bill 10 cabinet ministers could only appoint new advisory committees for no longer than two years for specific reasons and with a clear mandate.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
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At a time when media elites and politicians in the United States are being called out for sexism and harassment, a Manitoba MP was held to account Monday in the House of Commons for remarks he made to a female MP about a threesome.

James Bezan (Conservative-Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman) rose in the House and offered an apology Monday for unspecified remarks, without going into detail.

Liberal MP Sherry Romanado stunned MPs into silence when she rose to say Bezans remarks were made towards her, and were inappropriate, humiliating and unwanted and sexual in nature. The comments have caused her great stress and negatively affected her work environment, said the Quebec MP, her partys junior minister for veterans affairs.

Bezan, the Conservative partys defence critic, issued a statement later in the day explaining he made the comment May 2 at a public event in Ottawa, while posing for a picture with a member of the House of Commons and another person.

While standing for the picture, I made an inappropriate and flippant comment by saying, This isnt my idea of a threesome, which was intended as a partisan comment about being in a photo with a Liberal member of caucus, read the statement from Bezan, who did not respond to a request for comment.

That kind of comment sounds all too familiar to a Manitoba woman who served as an MP and MLA for nearly 30 years.

Compared to things Ive experienced in the House of Commons, it fits in the category of Go back to your knitting, Are you having your period? and You cant balance your chequebook, said Judy Wasylycia-Leis, who as an MP served as the NDPs finance critic from 2003 to 2007, and was a cabinet minister in the Manitoba government after being elected as an MLA in 1986.

Theyre hurtful remarks and sexist, but not warranting a resignation, she said, referring to calls for politicians in the U.S. accused of inappropriate behaviour to resign.

Bezan joking about a threesome shows how men continue to sexualize women and it needs to stop, said Shannon Sampert, an associate professor in the department of political science at the University of Winnipeg.

To sexualize a female member of Parliaments participation is just not on, Sampert said. It also suggests that women politicians belong once again in the male gaze  as eye candy to be consumed by men and not taken seriously.

Imagine saying that to (Conservative leaders) Stephen Harper or Andrew Scheer? You wouldnt. Men are never sexualized like this.

Bezans threesome remark smacks of a 2006 comment made by then-Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz, who said he felt like Playboy founder Hugh Hefner at a photo opportunity with female Olympic athletes, Sampert said.

It reminds me of when Katz said he felt like Hefner when surrounded by our female Olympians. How to once again remind women where they belong  in the bedroom and not in power. And thats a message women and men need to fight.

Wasylycia-Leis said she hopes recent headlines drawing attention to the issue prompt many whove remained silent to speak up  perhaps including Romanado, who called out Bezan on Monday.

This has probably been festering with her for awhile and now shes empowered to do so, and its good that she has, said Wasylycia-Leis.

I hope this prompts some action in the House of Commons so it doesnt keep happening, said the former politician, who remembers it happening decades ago.

I think, back then, women tended to bristle at those comments but not always make a public fuss about them, she said. The concern was speaking up would provoke a backlash. It would be worse.

When a woman did speak up, her complaints went nowhere, said Wasylycia-Leis. Those remarks I endured were sexist and hurtful and I never got a satisfactory response. There was never any action forthcoming.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Conservative MP James Bezan during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in 2016.

In his statement Monday, Bezan said he realized his comment was inappropriate and he attempted to apologize the following day, but was not afforded that opportunity.

He said on May 10, the chief human resources officer received a formal complaint about his comment from the MP and he immediately offered to enter into mediation so that I could apologize to her. That request was also denied.

Bezan said he willingly participated in a subsequent review by the officer and continued to offer to participate in mediation. As part of his written submission to the officer, he said he apologized in writing to the MP.

On Aug. 16, the officer confirmed in writing that his report did not support a claim of sexual harassment, and didnt recommend any disciplinary action against Bezan. He said he apologized in person to the MP, and completed sensitivity training offered by the House of Commons.

Times are changing and its good, said Wasylycia-Leis. One of the ways of dealing with it is to get more women into politics, positions of power and decision-making roles.

Its got to be approached from both ends and we have to take it on every step of the way as the Liberal MP did (Monday). We have to keep fighting hard to get more women into politics.

On Monday, when Romanado emerged from a closed-door committee meeting surrounded by other Liberal MPs, she was peppered with questions from reporters. She refused to comment.

Asked if theres a reason for her declining to speak on the subject, she said: Its been an incredibly difficult seven months, thats why.

She then walked away.

 with file from Canadian Press

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
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Manitobas regional health authorities could be dramatically scaled back if portions of the KPMG health sustainability review are any indication.

The provincial government released 154 of the reports 639 pages Monday  just two months after Finance Minister Cameron Friesen said the document would not be made public before May 31, since to release it would not bring about a sense of comfort.

The now-public pages, which contain some redactions, recommend eliminating whole swaths of bureaucracy from the system by reducing the number of organizations that deliver health care across the province.

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/John Woods Two months ago, Manitoba Finance Minister Cameron Friesen said the recently-released health sustainability review would not be made public before May 31.

It is critical for the government to reset expectations and operating parameters for all stakeholders, the report says.

Beyond a broad reduction in organizations, including the regional health authorities, KPMG suggests some form of unspecified managerial alignment between CancerCare Manitoba, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, Diagnostic Services Manitoba and Manitoba eHealth.

Such structural changes could save at least $3 million in 2017-18, according to the consulting firm, and at least $5 million in 2018-19 and beyond.

Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen was careful with his words after question period Monday when asked about the provinces plans for the future of the regional health authorities, given the creation of Shared Health Services.

In June, Goertzen announced the new entity to centralize the operation of an array of provincial health services so as to avoid administrative duplication. At the time, he said Shared Health Services will see the Winnipeg Regional Health Authoritys role scaled back.

The ministers explanation that the WRHA will stick to the job of delivering health services to patients seems to have been inspired by the KPMG report, which says: The highest probability of success would involve refocusing the WRHA as a delivery region with similar accountabilities to other regions.

But as to whether that means the government sees Shared Health Services as a precursor for reducing the number of health authorities in the province, Goertzen wasnt saying.

It would have been difficult to make the jump to one RHA without an entity like Shared Health Services, he said Monday. Its not our immediate intention to go that way, were undergoing a lot of different reforms in the health-care system.

The health minister wouldnt comment about the future of organizations such as CancerCare Manitoba and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, despite a government release noting the KPMG background information released Monday was the information relevant to decisions the government has already made.

Im not going to identify any particular organization, he said. We think there are ways we can reduce the bureaucracy, and well continue to do that.

The KPMG sustainability review  typically referred to as a value-for-money audit  is a two-part report. The first is meant to serve as a brief overview of potential areas of opportunities, while the second is meant to be a work plan for those opportunities picked for further investigation.

KPMG qualifies its Phase 1 observations with a reminder it has not otherwise verified the information it obtained and its work does not count as an audit, examination or review in accordance with standards established by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew said the report raises more questions than it answers.

Kicking out a third of a report and just leaving that for the public to consume is not transparency, Kinew told reporters.

If the government is thinking about things like consolidating the regional health authorities, is talking about closing emergency departments in rural Manitoba, is talking about rolling CancerCare and the Addictions Foundation into larger organizations, then they should tell us that is what they intend to pursue.

 with files from Larry Kusch

jane.gerster@freepress.mb.ca
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The massacre of 14 female engineering students in Montreal was before Ella Thomson was born, but it so moved her, she assembled a memorial service at University of Manitoba three years ago.

Last week, Thomson honoured those women again by accepting the Order of the White Rose and a $30,000 scholarship. The scholarship was created to remember the Ecole Polytechnique shooting from 1989 and encourage more female engineers.

Its a huge honour. It stems from an awful tragedy but I think its an important symbol of the fact that women are participating equally in engineering, said Thomson in a telephone interview.

Paul Chiasson / The Canadian Press Ella Thomson is pictured Friday, December 1, 2017 in Montreal. The electrical engineering graduate of the University of Manitoba has won the Order of the White Rose scholarship. This $30,000 scholarship, created three years ago, is awarded annually to a Canadian woman engineering student who wishes to continue her engineering studies at the master's or doctoral level in Canada or elsewhere in the world.

The annual award, established three years ago, goes to a female engineering student who excels in academics, technical achievement, community service and outreach. At the ceremony in Montreal, Thomson also received a necklace and 14 white roses in memory of the young women killed.

Thomson, 21, grew up in St. Vital and attended Balmoral Hall, a private girls school. She chose to go into electrical engineering because its about inventing new things and trying to get things working better.

She completed her undergraduate work at U of M earlier this year, finishing in the top 10 grade point average out of 6,000 undergraduate students. She is currently studying for her PhD in electrical engineering at Stanford University in California.

Thomson also launched a volunteer program for International Hope Canada, which gathers donations of used medical equipment in Manitoba and Ontario to send to developing countries. Thomson started a program where engineering students volunteer their time to test and repair equipment before shipping. Its a good way for engineering students to use our skills that weve learned but also help save a lot of the equipment, she said.

The Ecole Polytechnique massacre was carried out by a man targeting female engineering students because he claimed feminism had ruined his life. It is the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.

Thomson said the tragedy informed her of the violence women have faced in the past when pursuing male-dominated fields.

Its very meaningful to me to get the award. As a female student in engineering, I want to do the best I can but I also want to do as much I can to encourage other women and young girls to think of pursuing engineering as a career, she said.

She estimated about 20 per cent of her fellow engineering students at U of M were female. Its a huge increase from the past but theres also still a big discrepancy, she said.

Im sure throughout history a lot of women would have made excellent engineers but when girls arent encouraged to pursue careers in the sciences, youre losing half of your potential talent in that field, she said.

Thats changing a lot and there are programs in place now to encourage more girls to think about engineering.

Youre only increasing the number of minds you have in a particular field, she said.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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MYITKYINA, MYANMAR  People in northeast Myanmar know disappointment. Theyre also all too familiar with gunfire, with fleeing their homes and with what they feel is the systematic suppression of their ethnic Kachin culture.

None of the 18 townships in Kachin State, explains regional parliamentarian Ja Seng Hkawn Maran, is governed by a Kachin administrator: Under the 2008 constitution we are trapped very tightly.

The third and current constitution of this country formerly known as Burma guarantees that a quarter of the seats in the national parliament are reserved for military representatives, and that the military also retains control of the key home and border ministries.

Jerrad Peters / Winnipeg Free Press Children play in the Waimaw Bawngring internally displaced persons camp in Myanmar.

While the 2010 release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was met with considerable optimism, says Ja Seng, especially after her party won an overwhelming victory in the 2015 general election, she has since been unable  perhaps unwilling  to confront what remains a de facto military dictatorship in which the national army confronts many of Myanmars more than 33 ethnically-based armed groups, often assigning the dirty work to shadowy sub-militias.

When Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest we placed our hope in her that she would accomplish her fathers work, she says, referencing the still much-admired Aung San, who helped secure Burmas independence before being assassinated in 1947.

Since our independence from Britain our reality has contrasted with what we had hoped.

The reality in Kachin State now includes more than 100,000 people living in the numerous internally displaced persons (IDP) camps that sprung up following the breakdown of a 17 year cease-fire in 2011.

People here guffaw when senior general Min Aung Hlaing tells Pope Francis, whose visit to the country concluded Nov. 29, that there isnt religious discrimination in Myanmar.

The recent expulsion of the majority-Muslim Rohingya from Rakhine State to the west may have been labelled an ethnic cleansing by the head of the UN human rights office as far back as September, but ethnic suppression here stretches all the way back to the 1962 coup detat and the subsequent formations of ethnic governance groups, such as the Kachin Independence Organization.

Myanmar isnt a democracy issue; its an ethnic issue, says Samson Hkalam during a meeting at the Waimaw Bawngring IDP camp. Aung San Suu Kyi focuses on democracy issues but not ethnic issues.

Hkalam, the general secretary of the Kachin Baptist Convention, oversees the construction and services at many of the IDP camps, which house primarily Christian occupants. He is also on the board of the peace-seeking Kachin Consultative Organization and has brought the Kachin cause in person to Aung San Suu Kyi, former U.S. president Barack Obama and former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper. Canada, he likes to point out, is the biggest national donor to the UN-supported camps.

The IDPs are the biggest issue for the Kachin, he says.

People want the military to withdraw so they can go back to their homes. Theyre worried because theyve lost their land, and theyre worried their land will become banana plantations. But they are very scared to go back.

Hkalam says Myanmars ethnic Bamar majority views non-Bamar as second-class citizens, underlining a situation that is a long-running national crisis not specific to the Rakhine, Kachin or any other state. And Aung San Suu Kyi, he concedes, has been mum on the issue.

Its why he sympathizes with whats happened in Rakhine State. Ahead of the Popes visit, he predicted Pope Francis would be instructed to avoid using the term Rohingya so as not to agitate his hosts.

We want a Myanmar thats fair for all, he says.

Ja Seng is less optimistic. Shes become accustomed to getting her hopes up, only to have them dashed.

In one hand they are holding a water cup, she says of previous promises. In the other they are holding a torch.

Jerrad Peters lives in Winnipeg. He is currently in Myanmar.
Less than two years after he posed with Syrian refugees for the media at Torontos Pearson airport, Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has once again made clear that his pro-refugee posturing was a sham.

Speaking at an event in Charlottetown late last month, the Liberal Prime Minister declared that impoverished Haitians, together with millions more forced to flee war and poverty around the world, have no right to a better life. Refugee status means that you have nowhere to go, you cannot be protected by your home state, Trudeau intoned. Its not just a question of, Im looking for an economic future, so I want to come to Canada.

Trudeaus callous remarks were part of the liberals months-long efforts at discouraging the growing number of refugeesmany of Middle Eastern and African origins but most of them Haitianswho are fleeing the Trump administrations crackdown on immigrants to seek asylum in Canada.

Trumps measures include the suspension of the entire refugee assessment process, the travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries and the systematic rounding up and deportation of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Trudeau and his Liberal ministers have deliberately avoided making any criticism of this reactionary agenda, confirming that the Liberal government, with the support of the entire ruling elite, is no less ruthlessly determined than the Trump administration to send migrants back to their war-torn, economically ravaged countries.

Since Trump announced his administration would end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to 60,000 Haitians following the 2010 earthquake, an influx of Haitian migrants living in the US arrived in Canada. According to Canadas Immigration and Refugee Board, out of the 14,467 refugees who crossed the border irregularly since February, 6,300 were Haitians.

While the numbers slowed somewhat in October, the Canadian government is apprehending a new wave of refugees as Trump officially announced that Haitians under the TPS have until July 2019 to leave the United States or face detention and deportation. The Department of Homeland Security indicated that it also plans to terminate the TPS program for some 260,000 Hondurans and Salvadorians living in the US.

The Liberal government responded by pledging to intensify its collaboration with Trumps anti-refugee crackdown. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, who has repeatedly called for closer cooperation between Canadian and US authorities on immigration, said that the government is following the situation very carefully and added, the physical apparatus required for the RCMP and border guards to deal with an influx is in place, as are contingency plans for a variety of what if scenarios.

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen used newly released numbers by the Immigration and Refugee Board to tout the governments hardline stance, especially against Haitians. Hussen boasted of the fact that of the 298 Haitian cases that had been heard so far, only 29 were granted protection. In other words, authorities have rejected 90 percent of claimants.

Meanwhile, as decisions on asylum claims are expected to take months, many asylum seekers have received work permits and are sending their kids to school. The government, however, has made clear it will not hesitate to deport them anyway if their claim is rejected. Hussen, himself an immigrant from Somalia, coldly declared that The principal applicants, after exhausting their appeal mechanisms, will be put on the removal stream and they will have to leave our country. To underscore his point, he bluntly added, Thats our law."

A recent article in La Presse showed that even the few refugees lucky enough to be accepted face harsh and unforgiving treatment. In addition to the complex issues of finding work, integrating into society and in many cases overcoming the traumas resulting from war and immigration, migrants coming to Canada are heavily indebted to the governmentwith figures ranging from US$3,000 to US$10,000. The US and Canada are the only two countries that dont provide refugees with the necessary funds to cover the cost of paperwork and travel, while Canada is the only state charging interest on the loans.

As a preemptive measure, the liberals regularly send elected officials and Canadian representatives in the US to meet various immigrant communities in order to deter them from coming to Canada. A spokesperson for the Immigration Minister noted that We have upcoming MP-led outreach trips to New York, Texas and California where we will continue to clear up misconceptions circulating about Canadas system.

The main misconception is that Canada deals with refugees in a more compassionate manner than the Trump administration. Since coming to power in 2015, Trudeaus Liberals have sought to cloak Canadian imperialisms predatory ambitions in pro-refugee and humanitarian garb. In this, they are supported not only by the corporate media but also by the union-backed New Democratic Party, which hailed Trudeaus coming to power as a progressive alternative to the decade-long Conservative government of Stephen Harper.

In fact, the Canadian governments cruel treatment of refugees is in keeping with its determination to deepen Ottawas military-strategic partnership with its southern neighbour. This includes the militarization of Canadian foreign policy, with the Liberals investing in massive defence spending hikes so as to prepare Canadas armed forces for waging war around the world.

Since the first influx of migrants from the US at the beginning of the year, Trudeau has made clear that he has no intention of scrapping the Safe Third Country Agreement. Under the deal, asylum-seekers who enter Canada from the US at a regular crossing are denied the right to make a claim for refugee status in Canada and are immediately returned to the US (or vice-versa). But a loophole exists enabling asylum applications to be made in Canada by those who cross the border outside of a regular crossing, referred to by the government as illegal crossings. Thousands of migrants have sought to take advantage of this option, often risking their lives by attempting to traverse difficult terrain to reach Canada. Even for those who make it, the experience of recent months has shown that they face the almost certain prospect of deportation by the Trudeau government.

The Trudeau governments attitude toward refugees is all the more criminal given the fact that the poverty and desperation most of the refugees are fleeing are largely the result of US and Canadian imperialist aggression and intrigues. In the case of Haiti, Canadian imperialism has for decades ruthlessly exploited the country and the broader Caribbean region in pursuit of its predatory interests. Ottawa was deeply implicated in the 2004 US-orchestrated coup that ousted elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, that included US support for far-right and outright fascistic forces. Afterwards, Canada used a series of natural catastrophes, such as the 2010 earthquake which claimed the lives of over 250,000 people, as a pretext to keep troops in the country so as to ensure Canadian interests are defended  including in the textile and mining industries.

The Liberal governments claim that Haiti is a safe country is a repugnant lie. Decades of imperialist plunder have left the Western hemispheres poorest country with an unemployment rate of more than 30 percent. Reports indicate that a quarter of the population live below the absurdly low poverty rate of $1.23 per day.

Despite the liberals anti-refugee crackdown, Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel has complained that they have not gone far enough. She declared that the minimal social assistance provided refugees who are waiting a decision was costing the government too much. You can enter the country illegally, and not have your case heard for a significant period of time while still being able to access social support services, Rempel said.

The Conservatives, which call for the removal of the loophole in the safe third country agreement, have encouraged the most reactionary right-wing extremist forces with their anti-refugee agitation. During the partys leadership campaign earlier this year, candidate Kelly Leitch appeared at a campaign event alongside a far-right Islamophobic group and called for a Trump-style approach to immigration, including questioning new arrivals as to whether they share Canadian values. In the months since, small groups of right-wing extremists and outright fascists have organized demonstrations across Canada, many of which have been shut down by widespread popular hostility.

This author also recommends: Canadas conservatives join with far-right in opposing anti-Islamophobia motion

[7 April 2017]

Trudeaus refugee welcome and the real agenda of Canadas new government https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/12/15/cana-d15.html

[15 December 2015]
Escalating accusations of treasonous conduct against Australian Labor Party Senator Sam Dastyari took a new turn on Sunday when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull indicated to Sky News that the senator was being probed by the countrys intelligence agencies.

Asked whether Dastyaris conduct should be investigated, Turnbull said: You shouldnt assume its not being investigated. This is a political matter and I dont give directions to our police or our security agencies on operational matters  it is a matter for the relevant agencies to look at.

Turnbulls declaration raises the question: how many other members of parliament are under surveillance by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) or other agencies?

Over the past week, the witch-hunt against Dastyari, ostensibly over his dealings with local Chinese-born property billionaire Huang Xiangmo, has reached hysterical levels. It is part of a far-reaching media and political campaign, under pressure from Washington, to suppress alleged foreign interference, especially Chinese influence, in Australia.

Dastyari, a right-wing Labor Party factional leader, has long specialised in raising large donations for the partys election campaigns from corporate chiefs, including ethnic Chinese business figures. Labor, like Turnbulls Liberal-National Coalition, has become increasingly reliant on such donations over decades because of the evaporation of popular support for these traditional ruling parties. Since 2012, Huang alone reportedly has donated a total of almost $3 million to both parties.

Now, however, Dastyari has been declared by the media and Turnbulls government to be unfit to sit in parliament because of alleged pro-Chinese statements and a reported discussion with Huang about avoiding being monitored by the Australian intelligence agencies.

Todays editorial in the Australian insisted Dastyari had forfeited his right to sit in federal parliament and Labor Party leader Bill Shorten had no choice but to remove Dastyari, as a test of Shortens own loyalty to Australia and the national interest.

In his Sky News interview, Turnbull had already ramped-up the anti-China crusade, saying Dastyari had committed an extraordinary betrayal of Australias national interests. Turnbull extended the charge to Shorten. How Shorten can stick with Dastyari and represent himself as a fit and proper person to be prime minister of Australia is utterly beyond me, he said.

Amid all the furore, a crucial aspect of this affair has gone without mention. The orchestrated release to media outlets, notably Fairfax Media and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), of material purportedly recording conversations between Dastyari and Huang points to extensive spying on politicians, as well as leading figures in Australias sizeable Chinese community.

Shorten, for the second time, demoted Dastyari, a former junior minister, to the parliamentary backbench last week after Fairfax outlets reported that Dastyari had allegedly gone to Huangs Sydney home and suggested they speak outside, so their conversation could not be intercepted via their phones.

The meeting between the pair reportedly occurred more than a year ago, in October 2016. That was several weeks after Dastyari was forced to quit the frontbench for the first time after earlier accusations fed to the media about his relations with Huang. Despite the precautions proposed by Dastyari, the conversation in the grounds of Huangs house was evidently recorded.

Fairfax Media reported: A Canberra source with knowledge of the meeting said on background that Mr Dastyari blamed the US government for the scandal that earlier enveloped him and Mr Huang and said he was the subject of surveillance, including by the US government  Details of the phone tap warning and other dealings involving the pair have been collected by national security officials, Fairfax Media has confirmed.

Further: A former intelligence officer told Fairfax Media that the instruction to Mr Huang to talk not within the vicinity of his phone amounts to counter-surveillance advice.

Seeking to exercise the basic democratic right to freedom of speech and political association, which means freedom from state surveillance and victimisation, is now being depicted as treasonous and an affront to the national interest, which is the interest of the ruling capitalist class.

If the conversation was not tapped into by telephone interception, other methods of surveillance were apparently employed. They could include bugging of Huangs premises or other more sophisticated eaves-dropping techniques, all of which points to systematic surveillance by intelligence agencies.

Washingtons hand in the Dastyari affair was indicated in September 2016, a few weeks before the closely monitored Dastyari-Huang meeting. In a blunt intervention, US ambassador John Berry stated publicly that the US was concerned about Chinese government involvement in Australian politics. Under Obama and now Trump, the US has stepped up its operations to combat the growing economic weight and influence of China, which Washington regards as the principal threat to its hegemony over the Indo-Pacific.

A further signal came yesterday when the Australian Financial Review splashed over its front page a declaration by a senior former Australian intelligence official, Ross Babbage, now based at a Washington think tank, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, that Dastyari may have been recruited as an agent of influence by Beijing. Dastyari is clearly developing a close relationship, with Chinese interests, Babbage said.

These developments provide further evidence of an anti-Chinese wartime-like atmosphere being generated in Australia, accompanied by the handing of far reaching powers and resources to ASIO and the rest of the intelligence agencies, which work intimately with their US counterparts, such as the CIA and the National Security Agency. Over the past 16 years, largely under the fraudulent banner of counter-terrorism, ASIO has nearly quadrupled in size and a virtual police-state framework has been erected.

Turnbulls government, which is wracked by instability and rifts, is seeking to exploit the witch-hunt to push through yet another barrage of legislation, which not only further expands the powers of the security apparatus but criminalises any activity that can be branded as supporting a foreign power.

Attorney-General George Brandis yesterday told the Senate that the new laws could punish Dastyaris conduct. The legislation, to be introduced this week, would include a range of new offences targeting foreign interference and economic espionage, including offences that criminalise covert and deceptive activities that support the intelligence activities of foreign actors.

The legislation, to which Labor has already given in-principle bipartisan support, will also toughen measures that outlaw disclosure of classified information, ban foreign donations to Australian political parties and introduce a foreign influence transparency scheme, modelled on the US foreign agents registration act. Organisations, including media platforms, accused of supporting a foreign power will be compelled to register as foreign agents.

The Dastyari witch-hunt coincides with the nationalist political outcry that erupted in June over the entitlement to dual citizenship of a number of federal parliamentarians. This atmosphere, demanding undivided loyalty to the Australian nation-state, is aimed at suppressing anti-war sentiment, and diverting intense social and political tensions, created by declining working and living conditions, outward against foreign enemiesespecially China.

The author also recommends:

Behind the anti-China witch-hunt against Australian senator

[30 November 2017]
Residents of the embattled Yemeni capital of Sanaa braced for a redoubling of air strikes following the killing Monday of the countrys former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh and the apparent unraveling of a Saudi plot to depose the regime headed by the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

Saleh, 75, had ruled Yemen as a US-backed dictator for 30 years until being forced out by a popular uprising in 2011-2012. He was shot and killed by Houthi militiamen while fleeing heavy fighting in the capital between the Houthis and his own loyalists.

The two sides had maintained a tenuous alliance since 2014, when the Houthi rebel movementwhich has its roots in the Zadi branch of Shia Islam to which Saleh himself belongedswept down from the north and took control of Sanaa. Already in an advanced state of disintegration, that alliance broke down definitively over the past week, with armed clashes between the Houthis and Salehs loyalists that left over 125 dead.

On Saturday, Saleh made a televised speech renouncing his alliance with the Houthis and calling for the army and police to reject any orders coming from their regime. He also called for a dialogue with the Saudi-led coalition, whichwith substantial logistical support and weapons provided by Washingtonhas been waging a near genocidal war against the Yemeni people for the past 33 months.

The Houthis charged Saleh with attempting a Saudi-backed coup. This assessment was substantiated in an analysis published by Al Jazeera based on interviews given by Yemeni officials on condition of anonymity.

These officials confirmed that Salehs break with the Houthis had been planned in Abu Dhabi earlier this year in consultation with top officials of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the oil-rich Gulf sheikdom that has played a major role in the assault on Yemen.

The plan, according to these officials, called for switching Saudi backing from Abd-Rabbu Mansour HadiSalehs former vice president who was installed following the mass upheavals of 2011-2012 and subsequently forced out by the Houthi rebelsto a regime led by Saleh or one of his sons.

Hadi, who lives in exile and under apparent house arrest in Saudi Arabia, had already lost the support of the UAE, which shifted its backing to the southern secessionist movement led by Aydarous al-Zubaidi, leading to armed clashes between UAE-backed forces and elements loyal to Hadi.

For decades, Saleh had served as both Washingtons and Riyadhs man in Yemen. A former military officer, he first came to power in 1978 as the ruler of the US-backed North Yemen, at a time when a Soviet-backed Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen ruled in the south. When the country was unified in 1990, in the midst of the Stalinist dissolution of the USSR, Saleh assumed the presidency over all of Yemen.

With the Cold War over, Saleh maintained Washingtons backing, portraying himself as the sole figure capable of holding the fractious country together, balancing off opposing factions, including the Houthis in the north, separatists in the south and Sunni Salafist forces. Subsequently he secured massive US military support in the name of the global war on terror. In the process, he is believed to have a amassed a personal fortune in the tens of billions of dollars. The Obama administration supported Saleh until the bitter end as his troops opened fire on mass demonstrations, killing and wounding hundreds.

Following Salehs ouster in 2012, both Riyadh and Washington have upheld Hadi as the leader of the sole legitimate government of Yemen. In reality, he was brought to power as part of a transition deal concocted by the US and the Saudi monarchy to quell the mass popular uprising in Yemen, while granting Saleh immunity and maintaining the bulk of his regime intact. Hadi was subsequently installed as president through a one-candidate election in 2012. His two-year term expired over three years ago.

Both Washington and Riyadh are fighting to maintain a puppet government firmly under their control in Yemen, a country that shares a 1,100-mile border with Saudi Arabia to the north and a coastline on the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, This narrow waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean is a key strategic channel for global oil and natural gas exports.

Both the US and its Saudi ally are also determined to prevent the consolidation of a regime that is aligned with Iran, which has given limited support to the Houthis. US support for the Saudi aggression against Yemen is bound up with preparations for war with Iran, which Washington sees as a principal obstacle to its assertion of hegemony over the energy-rich Middle East.

To that end, the Saudis, with the support of the Pentagon, are expected to inflict even greater bloodshed upon the population of Sanaa in the coming days. The Saudi military issued a warning to residents of the Yemeni capital on Monday. We ask civilians to remain at least 500 metres (yards) away from Houthi military vehicles and gatherings, it said. Outside of a complete evacuation of Sanaa, complying with such a directive is impossible. It merely sets the stage for a further mass slaughter in a war that has already killed at least 12,000 civilians.

The escalation of Saudi airstrikes combined with the street fighting provoked by Saleh, with the backing of the Saudis and the UAE, has further deepened what is universally recognized as the worst humanitarian crisis on the face of the planet.

The United Nations issued a statement Monday calling for a humanitarian pause in the fighting. The escalating situation threatens to push the barely functioning basic services ... to a standstill, it said. These services have already been compromised with the latest shock of the impact of the blockade, it added, referring to the Saudi regimes blocking of Yemeni airports, sea ports and land borders and turning back food, medicine and other relief supplies.

Ambulances and medical teams cannot access the injured, and people cannot go outside to buy food and other necessities, the statement continued. Aid workers are unable to travel and implement critical life-saving programs at a time when millions of Yemenis rely on assistance to survive.

The Saudi monarchy, with US support, is now preparing to exact revenge for the failure of its plot to reinstall Saleh, including through measures that can lead to the deaths of millions of Yemenis from starvation and the further intensification of the worst cholera epidemic in modern history.
'Saturday Night Live' channeled the Charles Dickens classic to mock Trump's slew of legal and political troubles over the past weeks.

Saturday Night Live celebrated the holiday season with a politically charged cold open this weekend based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

After sitting the last few episodes out, Alec Baldwin returned to reprise his acclaimed impression of President Donald Trump.

In the sketch, Baldwin's Trump says he's in "pouty baby mode" over the ongoing investigations by Robert Mueller and fired National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's decision to plead guilty to lying to the FBI as part of a rumored deal to reveal information regarding Mueller's probe into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election.

As Trump ruminates alone in the oval office, he's soon visited by Flynn wearing heavy chains and shackles (a la Jacob Marley) who calls himself "the ghost of witness flipped." Flynn warns Trump that he's going to be visited by three other ghosts as well, starting with Billy Bush (in the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past).

"I'm here to remind you of that Access Hollywood tape, my man," a chipper Bush (played by Alex Moffat) tells Trump after appearing in a cloud of smoke. "Can you believe I got fired just for listening to you? Then you got elected president and now you're saying that that tape isn't even real? What?!"

When Trump comforts Bush and tells him he's sure he'll be able to find a job on TV again, Bush replies, "I hope so. And frankly, I'm looking pretty good in the NBC news division right about now."

Bush's biting quip refers to the termination of NBC newsman and longtime Today show host Matt Lauer, who was fired earlier this week for alleged "inappropriate workplace behavior" and was subsequently accused by numerous women of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.

Trump is then visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present, Russian President Vladimir Putin (Beck Bennett), who tells Trump to "chill out" over his aggressive and seemingly unstable behavior.

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"We put a lot of work into you," Putin says. "So much time and money, and you're about to mess it all up. You seem so volatile."

Finally, Trump is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future in the form of Hillary Clinton, who can't help by gloat over the president's increasing legal troubles.

Kate McKinnon actually pulled double duty in this week's cold open, masterfully portraying both Clinton and Presidential Counselor Kellyanne Conway earlier in the sketch.

"You, Donald, have given me the greatest Christmas gift of all! Sexual gratification in the form of your slow demise," Clinton says, before turning a familiar chant Trump originated during his campaign against him. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to say this: Lock him up!"

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Angelina Jolie Reveals What Put a Strain on Her and Brad Pitt's Marriage Angelina Jolie is reflecting on her final movie with Brad Pitt.

Angelina Jolie is reflecting on her final movie with Brad Pitt.

The 42-year-old actress recently appeared on The Hollywood Reporter's podcast Awards Chatter, where she candidly discussed why she wanted to work with Pitt on their critically panned 2015 film, By the Sea. Jolie says she believed at the time that the film would improve their marriage.

"We had met working together and we worked together well, she explains, referring to meeting on the set of 2005's Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I wanted us to do some serious work together. I thought it would be a good way for us to communicate. In some ways it was, and in some ways we learned some things. But there was a heaviness probably during that situation that carried on and it wasn't because of the film."

Jolie acknowledges that outside factors definitely affected their relationship.

"Over the span of that decade, I did lose my mother," she points out. "I did have my mastectomy, and I did then have an ovarian cancer scare and have that surgery as well, and other things of course that happened in life that you go through."

"A piece of art can be something that's healing or something that's difficult," she continues. "I don't know. I'm glad we did that film because we did explore something together. Whatever it was maybe it didn't solve certain things, but we did communicate something that needed to be communicated to each other."

During the interview, Jolie also discusses her famously rocky relationship with her father, actor Jon Voight. Jolie acknowledges that she didn't feel close to her father growing up, which she explains is part of the reason why she didn't take his last name, but says they've begun a "new" relationship thanks to her kids --16-year-old Maddox, 14-year-old Pax, 12-year-old Zahara, 11-year-old Shiloh and 9-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

"Through grandchildren now we're finding a new relationship and it's very, very nice," she shares. "We've had some difficulties. Through art is a way we've been able to talk. It's a common language. We don't really talk politics well."

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In October, Jolie brought daughters Shiloh and Zahara with her to the Los Angeles premiere of The Breadwinner, where they adorably held hands on the red carpet.

Watch below:

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UPDATED with video: Billy Bush took his Career Resuscitation Tour to Stephen Colberts Late Show Monday night, hours after New York Times published his op-ed piece insisting it is Donald Trumps voice in the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood bus-ride tape, boasting about being so famous he can grab women by the p*ssy with impunity.

Colbert marveled at the carpe diem opening Trump handed to Bush when NYT reported Trump had begun telling some people in private, including at least one member of the U.S. Senate, that he does not think that is his voice on the tape.

Colbert called the op-ed worth reading, but noted no one would have printed this unless the story had come back around again by Donald Trump privately denying it. There wouldnt be The Moment to bring this bus back. And I couldnt show footage of the bus again unless he denied it again too. I dont think CBS would let me.

Bush said he was motivated to write the op-ed last week when for some reason, Trump came out with his Thats not my voice on the tape claim.

You cans say that, thats your voice. I was therethats your voice on the tape, he said.

The former Access Hollywood host very briefly was a Today show host for NBC News until getting sacked after the Washington Post made public the tape. He says only when he learned Trump was denying it was his voice on the tape that he Googled and read about the 20-something women who came forward, on the record, claiming Trump sexually harassed or assaulted them. He said he had not read accounts of the claims at the time because hed been fired just 13 days earlier and was in his own personal shock.

Reading about the women, Bush said he realized Trump was re-opening wounds on them tooStop playing around with peoples lives. That upset me. So I wrote it.

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In his op-ed piece, titled, Yes, Donald Trump, You Said That, Bush wrote, Of course he said it. And we laughed along, without a single doubt that this was hypothetical hot air from Americas highest-rated bloviator.

Seven more men were on the bus at the time, Bush said, and every single one of us assumed we were listening to a crass standup act. He was performing. Surely, we thought, none of this was real.

We now know better, Bush continued.

The cousin of 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush attempted to explain his behavior at the time: In 2005, I was in my first full year as a co-anchor of the show Access Hollywood on NBC. Mr. Trump, then on The Apprentice, was the networks biggest star.

The key to succeeding in my line of work was establishing a strong rapport with celebrities. I did that, and was rewarded for it, Bush said, crediting his segments with Trump when he was a correspondent. He adds, part of the reason I got promoted to host was because NBC tripled his salary and moved him from New York to Los Angeles.

Was I acting out of self-interest? You bet I was. Was I alone? Far from it. With Mr. Trumps outsized viewership back in 2005, everybody from Billy Bush on up to the top brass on the 52nd floor had to stroke the ego of the big cash cow along the way to higher earnings.

None of us were guilty of knowingly enabling our future president. But all of us were guilty of sacrificing a bit of ourselves in the name of success.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvcIeSfaB3c&w=620&h=340]

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One day after penning a New York Times op-ed about the infamous Access Hollywood tape that got him fired, Billy Bush continued his redemption tour on The Late Show Monday night.

Host Stephen Colbert began the Q&A by acknowledging why the tape is back in the public eye in the first place: President Trump, who can be heard in the footage describing how he touches and kisses women without their consent, has recently begun denying that its his voice in the video, which Bush said irks him.

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You dont get to say that. Because I was there, and the last 14 months of my life, I have been dealing with it, Bush said. You dealt with it for 14 minutes and went on to be the president.

Bush added that Trumps denial is especially insulting to the women who have accused the president of sexual assault, because youre reopening wounds on them, too. Enoughs enough. Stop playing around with peoples lives.

Bush and Colberts 12-minute conversation, embedded above, also touched on the unbelievable irony of Bush losing his job at NBC upon the tapes release, while Trump went on to be elected commander-in-chief.

The very day that he was swearing in as the president, I was checking in to this soul-searching retreat in Santalina, Calif., Bush revealed. It was the beginning of me saying, All right, get up, stop being sorry for yourself. Theres life to live. Get better. Be a better man. Be a better person. So I passed a television in the office when I was checking in, and hes got the hand up, and Im going into my little cabin to do the work. Tough. Irony.

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Though Bush acknowledged that the last year-plus has been a difficult time, he also praised the current cultural shift surrounding sexual assault  and urged the public to keep it going.

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Women must be believed. We have to find our way to have the dialogue, he said. Im worried that the dialogue isnt going to be around. We get onto the next thing. The next outrage comes. We have to continue it all the way through, and I hope we do that.

Press PLAY on the video above to watch Bush and Colberts wide-ranging Q&A, then hit the comments with your thoughts on their chat.

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After facing increasing pressure to take some form of action, Netflix has fired The Ranch star Danny Masterson, effective immediately. The actor stands accused of raping four women in the early 2000s; the Los Angeles County District Attorney and Los Angeles Police Department continue to investigate the claims.

As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of The Ranch, a Netflix spokesperson tells TVLine. [Monday] was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him.

RELATEDHouse of Cards Update: Season 6 Will Carry On Without Kevin Spacey

On The Ranch, Masterson stars alongside fellow That 70s Show alum Ashton Kutcher. Masterson exits the multi-cam series in the middle of production on the comedys third season. According to sources, Mastersons character, Jameson Rooster Bennett, will continue to appear through the second half of Season 2 (dropping Dec. 15) as well as in an unspecified number of episodes in Season 3 before being written out. (Update: Masterson has released a statement.)

Netflixs decision comes just days after one of Mastersons accusers confronted Netflix exec Andy Yeatman in public about the streaming giants silence with regard to the actor. Yeatman allegedly told the woman that the higher-ups at the company dont believe Mastersons accusers. (Netflix later called the execs comments careless and uninformed.)

Netflixs inaction with Masterson sparked outrage and cries of hypocrisy after the company swiftly fired House of Cards actor Kevin Spacey for sexual misconduct. A petition demanding Netflix cancel The Ranch has gathered nearly 40,000 signatures.

Masterson also serves as an exec producer on The Ranch, although theres no word if he will maintain the title. Its also unclear how The Ranch will address Mastersons absence, but it seems inevitable that another actor (or actress) will be brought in to fill the co-star void.

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Donald Trump is seizing on ABC News Brian Ross inaccurately reporting details of Michael Flynns cooperation with the FBI.

In a series of tweets that began Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning, the president congratulated the news organization for suspending Ross for four weeks. ABC made the decision after learning that Ross erroneously reported that a source told him Flynn was set to testify that Trump, while still a candidate, directed him to make contact with Russian officials. (Ross later clarified, via his source, It was shortly after the election that President-elect Trump directed Flynn to contact Russian officials.)

Congratulations to @ABC News for suspending Brian Ross for his horrendously inaccurate and dishonest report on the Russia, Russia, Russia Witch Hunt, Trump wrote Sunday. More Networks and papers should do the same with their Fake News!

Congratulations to @ABC News for suspending Brian Ross for his horrendously inaccurate and dishonest report on the Russia, Russia, Russia Witch Hunt. More Networks and papers should do the same with their Fake News!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017

Ross report came just hours after the bombshell news that Flynn, President Trumps former national security adviser, was cooperating with Robert Mueller and the special counsels office and that he would plead guilty to the charge of willfully lying to the FBI. ABC was reportedly embarrassed over the matter, and Ross accepted the disciplinary action his employer took without qualification. My job is to hold people accountable and thats why I agree with being held accountable myself, he wrote in a statement on Twitter.

My job is to hold people accountable and that's why I agree with being held accountable myself.  Brian Ross (@BrianRoss) December 3, 2017

When Ross erroneous report first broke Friday morning, the case for collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government was considerably bolstered in the minds of many, and the stock market took a temporary nosedive. (It gradually recovered when the report was corrected.) On Sunday morning, Trump returned to the topic of Ross, suggesting that the people who lost money sue ABC for damages.

People who lost money when the Stock Market went down 350 points based on the False and Dishonest reporting of Brian Ross of @ABC News (he has been suspended), should consider hiring a lawyer and suing ABC for the damages this bad reporting has caused, Trump argued. Many millions of dollars!

People who lost money when the Stock Market went down 350 points based on the False and Dishonest reporting of Brian Ross of @ABC News (he has been suspended), should consider hiring a lawyer and suing ABC for the damages this bad reporting has caused - many millions of dollars!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017

Trumps Sunday comments about Ross came near the end of a busy Twitter morning for the president. Michael S. Schmidt, Washington correspondent for the New York Times who covers the FBI and the special counsels investigation, noted that within a 90-minute span, five of Trumps tweets and retweets were about and aimed at the FBI.




British talk show host John Oliver grilled Dustin Hoffman over the allegations of sexual harassment against him during an awkward 45-minute on-stage Q&A in New York last night.

Hoffman was in attendance for a special 20th anniversary screening of the satire Wag The Dog, hosted by Oliver, which featured a scheduled Q&A session with Hoffman, producer Jane Rosenthal and director Barry Levinson, in an event held for Robert De Niros Tribeca Film Institute.

But according to reports on Deadline, much of the time allotted for the Q&A descended into an at times excruciatingly tense series of exchanges between Oliver and Hoffman.

Dustin Hoffman and John Oliver.

Hoffman has been accused of sexual harassment by two women  as well as in an old interview with Meryl Streep, in which she said the actor groped her the first time they met in 1979 (Streep has since played down the historic quotes).

So when Oliver brought up the Hollywood sex scandal, Hoffman accused the host of ambushing him.

Things reportedly went downhill from there, with Oliver, who warned the audience that it was likely to be the tensest part of the evening, then grilling Hoffman over whether his brief apology to the two women, in which he said that the alleged behaviour didnt reflect who I am, was enough.

Youve made one statement in print, Oliver said. Does that feel like enough to you?

Hoffman then replied, First of all, it didnt happen, the way she reported before adding that the apology, which he said had been misconstrued, had been made at the request of his representatives and happened at the click of a button.

Its that part of the response to this stuff that pisses me off, Oliver hit back.

It is reflective of who you were. Youve given no evidence to show that it didnt happen. There was a period of time when you were creeping around women. It feels like a cop-out to say, Well, this isnt me. Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?

Hoffman replied You werent there, to which Oliver shot back Im glad, to gasps from the crowd.

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Some in the audience sided with Oliver, clapping at certain remarks  one woman was said to have shouted thank you for believing women!  while some shouted to Oliver to move on!, while others walked out of the theatre.

Youve put me on display here, a reputedly seething Hoffman then told Oliver.

You have indicted me. Thats not innocent until proven guilty.

I get no pleasure from this conversation. But you and I are not the victims here, replied Olivier.

The so-called, alleged comments that are made are truth now, Hoffman went on. And if you try to defend it, youre guilty.

(Credit: Rex Features)

Defending himself for taking a stand, Oliver added: I cant leave certain things unaddressed. That leads to me at home later tonight hating myself, asking, Why the f**k didnt I say something? No one stands up to powerful men.

Though angry, Hoffman did not stand up and leave the Q&A, and instead ended with an anecdote from the making of Tootsie, in which he plays an unemployed male actor who cross-dresses in order to get work.

Hoffman said that he stayed in costume after filming one night, and experienced misogyny first hand.

How could I have made that movie if I didnt have incredible respect for women? he asked. Its shocking to me that you dont see me more clearly.

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In a striking and raw demonstration of the angst that has accumulated over Hollywoods sexual harassment scandals, HBO host John Oliver sparred with Dustin Hoffman during an awkward 45-minute Q&A intended as a prologue to a 20th-anniversary screening of the film Wag the Dog. (Check out the video of the exchange below, courtesy of the Washington Post.)

Tonights event at the 92nd Street Y, a benefit for the Tribeca Film Institute, featured Hoffman, Robert De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal and director Barry Levinson in an onstage discussion. About half of the talk surfaced somewhat familiar but nonetheless interesting material about the way the films sardonic, David Mamet-scripted take on public-image management and politics has gained new relevance during the Trump Era. In other words, typical Q&A material.

Then, about 20 minutes in, Oliver brought up the current climate around sexual harassment in show business, saying he was going to go around the room to gauge all panelists sentiments. (Later, when Hoffman would complain about having been ambushed, Oliver said it was on the organizers for not conveying his stated intention to bring up the ultra-hot-button topic.)

Levinson managed a thoughtful response about the current atmosphere, but it was quickly eclipsed by what followed. Seated next to him was Hoffman, who earlier this fall issued an apology following accusations that he inappropriately touched production assistant Anna Graham Hunter, then 17, during the making of a TV movie version of Death of a Salesman in 1985.

Warning it was likely to be the tensest part of the evening, Oliver started in with Hoffman. The tension would linger for 30 agonizing minutes as the two engaged in an anguished back and forth centering on the actors deeds and the response to his response to the allegations. Youve made one statement in print, Oliver said. Does that feel like enough to you? Hoffman replied, First of all, it didnt happen, the way she reported. He said his apology over the incident, offered, he said, at the insistence of his reps, was widely misconstrued at the click of a button. But the Last Week Tonight host seized on the portion of the actors public apology, in which Hoffman said the events that happened on set didnt reflect who he is as a person.

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Its that part of the response to this stuff that pisses me off, Oliver said. It is reflective of who you were. Youve given no evidence to show that it didnt happen. There was a period of time when you were a creeper around women. It feels like a cop-out to say, Well, this isnt me. Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?

Hoffman shot back, You werent there. Oliver responded, Im glad, drawing gasps from the well-heeled audience, many of whom had paid hefty ticket prices. Heightening the spectacle was the fact it was occurring in the Ys wood-paneled Kaufmann Concert Hall, an august Upper East Side venue that had last seen an uproar like this when John Ashbery dared to read a poem in free verse.

After a two-month exegesis of the industry (and other parts of society) confronting decades of sexual misconduct and abuse, what made this exchange unique was the fact that Hoffman came back energetically at Oliver to both defend his reputation and decry the current climate. Accused perpetrators by the dozens have been issuing statements  or, in extreme cases like Harvey Weinsteins, engaging in legal maneuversbut an A-list star revealed in this environment has not responded as vigorously as this.

Youve put me on display here, Hoffman told Oliver, seething but never raising his voice or leaving his seat. You have indicted me.  Thats not innocent until proven guilty.

Hoffman tried to put it in historical context, saying sometimes the atmosphere on set decades ago involved sexually charged banter, which he said was not meant in an offensive way. I dont love that answer either, Oliver said, cringing. What response do you want? Hoffman demanded. It doesnt feel self-reflective in the way it seems the incident demands, Oliver explained, adding, I get no pleasure from this conversation. But you and I are not the victims here.

When Oliver quoted from an account Hoffmans accuser wrote, the actor asked Oliver, incredulous, Do you believe this stuff youre reading? Oliver said he did because she would have no reason to lie.

As this went on, the other panelists largely stayed mum. The audience seemed divided  some in the crowd, looking forward to a breezier night re-living a Clintonian satire, took offense at Oliver staying on the issue. Move on! one person shouted. He thinks its funny, sputtered one man as he escorted his wife out of the theatre. Others applauded when Oliver expressed his view. Thank you for believing women! one woman called out. The spasms of conflict and accusation were followed by long stretches of silence, during which no one in the theatre knew quite what to do.

Rosenthal at one point decided to enter the conversation, as the only women here on this panel. She turned the focus to the larger struggle and issues like pay inequality and the need for more female representation on boards and executive suites. Weve got to start moving that conversation forward, she said, drawing applause. Oliver would not let it go. Were about to watch a movie where sexual harassment is an under-plot and theres an elephant in the room because this conversation is not being had, he said, explaining his interest in pursuing the topic.

Rosenthal fired back, It wasnt produced by Weinstein Co. or Miramax, so you dont have a really big conversation. Kevin Spacey wasnt starring in it. Lets look at real sexual criminal predators.

After about 15 minutes, Hoffman appeared to have persuaded some in the crowd, but he voluntarily returned to the topic and re-engaged with Oliver. When Levinson and Oliver agreed that social media has distorted politics and culture, Hoffman interjected, Well, its affected you in terms of your feelings about me. While the audience applauded, the line began a gut-wrenching 15-minute sequence that closed the night.

The so-called, alleged comments that are made are truth now, Hoffman fumed. And if you try to defend it, youre guilty. Oliver granted, I see where youre coming from, but insisted, its a little more complicated than that. Several times, he expressed anxiety over ruining the audiences night and the experience of watching the film again. And yet, I cant leave certain things unaddressed, Oliver conceded. That leads to me at home later tonight hating myself, asking, Why the fk didnt I say something? No one stands up to powerful men.' Hoffman asked Levinson, Am I the powerful man? Levinson said, I wasnt sure what the reference was, which powerful men.

Hoffman then offered examples of the empathy he had always tried to show for characters and colleagues during his 50-year career. Have you seen Tootsie? he asked Oliver at one point. When Oliver insisted that he had and that he enjoyed Hoffmans performance in it, Hoffman told a detailed story about staying in makeup and costume as Dorothy, the films title character, after shooting had ended one night and experiencing misogyny first-hand. How could I have made that movie if I didnt have incredible respect for women? he asked. Its shocking to me that you dont see me more clearly.

Heres the exchange:

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The sixth season of House of Cards is to resume filming after it was suspended following the allegations of sexual assault and harassment facing its star Kevin Spacey.

Spacey was fired from the show after multiple current and former staff on the Netflix series accused him of sexual misconduct.

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has now confirmed that the show will continue, with Robin Wright playing the lead role.

According to reports, he told delegates at a conference yesterday: We are excited to bring closure to fans.

However, no details have been revealed as to how Spaceys character, the Machiavellian Frank Underwood, would be written out, nor how Wrights character, Underwoods wife Claire who was confirmed as the 47th President of the United States, would continue on without him.

The sixth season had already begun filming in Baltimore when news broke of the allegations against Spacey, which could suggest that previously filmed material featuring the actor could be used.

Sarandos added that production will resume next year on the final season, and that it will be shorter than previous seasons, running over eight episodes.

Several production crew came forward to say that they had been subject to sexual misconduct when working with Spacey.

The production company behind the show, Media Rights Capital, said that it had set up a helpline to deal with the complaints, while one member of the crew said that Spacey created a toxic environment for young men while he was on the show.

Others also reacted angrily after former showrunner Beau Willimon said on two occasions that he was unaware of any impropriety on Spaceys part.

One crew-member told Buzzfeed: They had production meetings about Spaceys flirtatious behavior toward crew and cast, and it never made it any further than that. It was like a joke.

Its the second project Spacey has been removed from, following news that Christopher Plummer was to take over from him in new Ridley Scott movie All The Money In The World.

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Early in November, Dustin Hoffman was accused by two separate women of sexual harassment dating back to 1985 and 1991  a teenage intern on the TV movie, Death of a Salesman, and a 20-something playwright, respectively. Not much came of the allegations, despite the fact that there had been reports of Hoffmans unprofessional on-set behavior towards women in the past. As such, while hosting a 20th Anniversary screening of Wag The Dog hosted by the Tribeca Institute in New York City on Monday night, John Oliver took it on to himself to call Hoffman out on the rumors.

This is something were going to have to talk about becauseits hanging in the air, Oliver said, before grilling Hoffman in what Washington Post reporter Steven Zeitchik later called a testy five minute exchange. At one point, when Hoffman had apparently grown visibly uncomfortable he said to Oliver, you werent there, to which the Last Week Tonight host replied, Im happy I wasnt.

The response of the crowd was said to have been mixed, with at least one woman yelling at Oliver to drop the subject, while many others cheered. Thank you for believing women, shouted another. Likewise, the response on social media has been decidedly pro-Oliver, as many took to Twitter to thank him for his candor.

John Oliver isn't the feminist hero we deserved, but he's the feminist hero we needed. He really gives Dennis Hoffman hell in this video.#TuesdayThoughts https://t.co/aecv0w1mpr  Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) December 5, 2017

You did a good thing @iamjohnoliver. And I liked Dusty. You heard me, I said Dusty. Hes an acting legend, not infallible. Doesnt get or need a pass. KG  Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) December 5, 2017

A lot has been said about how uncomfortable Dustin Hoffman was during this. But the crucial point is  so was John Oliver. If a powerful man challenging another is difficult  how much more so for women?https://t.co/KvpLrEUpF6  Kirsty Strickland (@KirstyStricklan) December 5, 2017

John Oliver is a national treasure. https://t.co/Am7DGl1Zsi  Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) December 5, 2017

Even if John Oliver was out of line in his questioning of Dustin Hoffman, I couldn't care less. Oliver did something more men need to do: He demanded answers and didn't turn a blind eye to sexual assault accusations.  shannon (@attilathehoneyb) December 5, 2017

John Oliver did what most men have not done in Hollywood last nighthe grilled Dustin Hoffman about his sexual harassment allegations in publichttps://t.co/eHLJ8Oqwzv  Ira Madison III (@ira) December 5, 2017

John Oliver laid into Dustin Hoffman at a promotional panel last night. Good to see that there's someone among the Hollywood-types who's willing to call out the bullshit.  Princess Beatrice of NY (@BeatriceofNY) December 5, 2017

The response largely indicates that were now living in a time when men will no longer get a pass for this sort of behavior.

(Via Washington Post)
Meghan Markle is making her mark on the British royal family in many ways. Shes not only the first actress and the first American to be warmly welcomed into the family (rather than nearly causing a constitutional crisis a la Wallis Simpson!), many people believe her to be the first biracial person and person of African decent to marry into the family, too.

But as it turns out, Meghan, whose mother is black and father is white, may not be the very first biracial royal. That title likely belongs to Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who lived during the 18th century.

Charlotte was married to King George III and was queen for nearly 60 years, until she died in 1818. Shes the grandmother of Queen Victoria, the great-great-great-great-grandmother of the current Queen Elizabeth and the namesake for the American city of Charlotte, North Carolina. She also shares a name with the latest addition to the royal family, Princess Charlotte.

Though she was born in Germany, the daughter of a Duke, Queen Charlotte was directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, which was the black branch of the Portuguese Royal House. Because her complexion was light, she was suspected to be Caucasian, but she did have some classically African features, historians later found, according to PBS.

Her racial background wasnt known to the public when she served as queen. It was only discovered many years after her death, thanks to art historians who studied portraits of Charlotte more closely. But if it wasnt for one painter, Sir Allan Ramsay, Charlottes African origins might never have been discovered.

In that era, artists typically were encouraged to downplay featured deemed undesirable  which, during that times largely prejudiced society, often included those that were considered more traditionally African, according to The Guardian. But Ramsay, who was staunchly against slavery, painted several portraits of Charlotte, and didnt hide her features. He was also married to the niece of Lord Mansfield, a judge who ruled in the first case that eventually led to the end of slavery in the British Empire.

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Charlottes racial background cant be entirely confirmed, but it seems that thanks to Ramsay and his many portraits of Charlotte, according to PBS, her status as the first-ever biracial royal has been cemented.

Earlier this year, Meghan opened up about her familys history with racism and the discrimination she has experienced being biracial.

And during her revealing engagement interview with Harry, she said that she found scrutiny centered around her ethnicity disheartening.

Its a shame that that is the climate in this world to focus so much on that, she said. But I think at the end of the day, Im really just proud of who I am and where I come from and we have never put any focus on that, weve just focused on who we are as a couple. And so when you take all those extra layers away and all of that noise, I think it makes it really easy to just enjoy being together and tuning all the rest of that out.
How Meghan Markle Will Spend Her Time Ahead of the Royal Wedding (Exclusive) The royal-to-be plans to make the most of her pre-crown life.

Meghan Markle's days as a non-royal are numbered.

So how does the former Suits star plan to spend her final months before marrying Prince Harry? The palace tells ET that Markle intends to travel for the next couple of months, visiting her family and friends before she settles into her new life at Kensington Palace.

The 36-year-old actress was not with her fiance as he made a public appearance today at the London Fire Brigade carol service at Westminster Cathedral.

prince harry service

The couple will tie the knot in May 2018 at St. George's Chapel, which has only one drawback from Harry's brother, Prince William's, nuptials with Kate Middleton -- no balcony moment!

The only thing about St. George's is it doesn't have a balcony," royal expert Katie Nicholl tells ET. "So we won't get to see that big balcony wave that we got with the royal wedding being in central London and of course at Buckingham Palace. But I'm told by aides at Kensington Palace that the couple is looking at ways to make the public as much a part of this wedding as they can."

Can't wait to see it all come together!

Read and watch below for more on Harry and Markle's wedding preparations.

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FILE PHOTO: Cast member Robin Wright poses at the premiere of "Wonder Woman" in Los Angeles, California U.S., May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

(Reuters) - The final season of Netflix's political drama "House of Cards" will focus on Robin Wright's first female president character and will start production in 2018, following a hiatus after the exit of star Kevin Spacey, the company said on Monday.

Netflix's Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told the UBS 45th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference in New York that the sixth season would be shortened to eight episodes instead of the usual 13.

Netflix Inc <NFLX.O> severed ties in November with Spacey, one of its biggest stars who played fictional U.S. president Frank Underwood in House of Cards, after accusations of sexual misconduct against the Oscar-winning actor.

Reuters was unable to independently confirmed the accusations.

"We have made an arrangement to produce six seasons of 'House of Cards'. It will be an eight-episode season. It will start production in early 2018 and it will not involve Kevin Spacey," Sarandos said.

Sarandos did not say when season six would air or how Spacey's character would be treated in the show.

A representative for Spacey did not respond to a request for comment.

Wright's character, Claire Underwood, finished season five by winning election as the first U.S. female president after wresting power from her husband.

Claire Underwood has moved center stage since "House of Cards" premiered in 2013, going from the wife of Spacey's congressman to first lady and then vice president.

Wright has won a Golden Globe for her role, and earned five Emmy nominations.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant in Los Angeles and Laharee Chatterjee and Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva, Toni Reinhold)
Donald Trump says its a shame that his former national security advisor Michael Flynns life is ruined after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

I feel badly for Gen. Flynn. I feel very badly, the president told reporters outside the White House on Monday morning. Hes led a very strong life, and I feel very badly. I will say this, Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI and nothing happened to her. Flynn lied, and they destroyed his life. I think its a shame.

Trump continued: Flynn lied, and its like  it ruined his life. Its very unfair.

Trump: I feel "badly" for Michael Flynn pic.twitter.com/rjQhslspwt  Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 4, 2017

Flynn resigned as national security advisor in February after he reportedly misled Vice President Mike Pence on discussing Russian sanctions with the Russian Ambassador to the U.S. On Friday, Flynn pleaded guilty to charges that he lied to the FBI during a January 2017 interview.

According to the Associated Press, court documents show that Flynn will admit to making false statements about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. while Trump was president-elect. The move makes Flynn the first Trump White House official to plead guilty so far in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into the Trump campaigns possible collusion with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The Associated Press, The Washington Post and The Hill all reported that prosecutors indicated in court that Flynn was acting under instructions from at least one senior Trump transition official while dealing with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

According to the Post, prosecutor Brandon L. Van Grack said in court that a very senior member of the transition team directed Flynn to get in touch with Kislyak at one point. Flynn also allegedly called a senior official of the Trump team at Mar-a-Lago in regards to a United Nations resolution that Flynn had discussed with Kislyak.

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Flynn released a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Friday saying hes cooperating with Muellers office because its in the best interests of my family and of our country.

After over 33 years of military service to our country, including nearly five years in combat away from my family, and then my decision to continue to serve the United States, it has been extraordinarily painful to endure these many months of false accusations of treason and other outrageous acts. Such false accusations are contrary to everything I have ever done and stood for. But I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong, and, through my faith in God, I am working to set things right. My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the Special Counsels Office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions, the statement read in full.

White House lawyer Ty Cobb also responded to Flynns guilty plea, stating in part, per the Washington Post, that The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year. Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn.
Stranger Things costars Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer traded their on-camera 80s garb for red carpet glam over the weekend.

The duo, who star as love interests on the Netflix hit and are dating in real life, were snapped Monday standing arm-in-arm on the red carpet for the 2017 Fashion Awards  in partnership with Swarovski  at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

For the fashion-centric event, 23-year-old Heaton  who portrays high school outsider Jonathan Byers  sported a black dress shirt and black pants, which he paired with a floral-adorned, mustard-colored bomber jacket.

And 20-year-old Dyer  who stars as Nancy Wheeler on the coming-of-age, sci-fi show  wore a black and maroon short-sleeved dress, which had a silver and black star pattern throughout. For the evening event, her blonde locks were pulled back into a high updo.

The pairs appearance comes comes nearly a year after they were spotted jetting out of Los Angeles International Airport together in January and just over a month after Heaton was detained at LAX for alleged cocaine possession.

Heaton was denied entry into the United States in October and sent back to the United Kingdom the same day, a law enforcement official confirmed to PEOPLE. Authorities allegedly found cocaine on the actor as he arrived into the country. He was detained, but not arrested.

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Heaton apologized for missing the L.A. Stranger Things season 2 premiere.

My planned travel to the U.S. last week was affected by an issue at U.S. immigration, and I am working to rectify it as soon as possible, he said in his statement. I do want to clarify that I was not arrested or charged with a crime, and cooperated fully with the U.S. officials at LAX. Im sorry to all the fans and my Stranger Things family for missing the premiere. We are all so proud of this season and I would never want this story to negatively impact the show.
The Met Gala may be the biggest night of fashion in New York, but across the pond, London hosts the 2017 Fashion Awards, which honors every top designer and model in the business and draws a mega A-list crowd, all dressed to kill. The red carpet kicked off Monday night, and there were so many stop-and-stare looks, we had to break down all the cant-miss moments right here.

First up is Zendayas critter couture creation. The star wore a star-print long-sleeve black Vivetta gown with a completely sheer bodice featuring two strategically-placed horse heads over her chest  perhaps the most creative way to cover up weve seen yet (and weve seen some wild ones). Its up to you to decide she whether looks stellar or like shes just horsing around.

We predicted it earlier today: Selena Gomezs whirlwind morning of wardrobe changes was just a warm-up before her big red carpet look. After wearing four perfectly-styled outfits on Monday morning, she stepped out one more time at the Fashion Awards in a frilly lace-accented midi dress with white booties and a bold burgundy lip, which solidified her reign as one of the best quick change artists in the industry.

Zendaya Launches New Clothing Line and App!

Suki Waterhouse went a little wild with her look by pairing gold shiny metallic cowboy boots with a completely sheer sleeveless dress featuring gold briefs and top underneath the see-through overlay. She also doubled down on the creative bra motif with a sparkle-encrusted outline on the bodice.

And finally, FKA Twigs and Donatella Versace practically had a Fashion Faceoff on the same red carpet, arriving in strikingly similar printed gowns. The baroque design, fitted bodice and full skirt on each meant that they were virtually unmissable.
After weeks of speculation following allegations of misconduct made against Kevin Spacey and the suspension of production on House of Cards, there's official word regarding the fate of the beloved Netflix series.

On Monday, Netflix Content chief Ted Sarandos announced that he and his team are excited to bring closure to fans with the show's sixth and final season, which will star Robin Wright.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, production will resume on the eight-episode season in early 2018.

When the allegations against Spacey were made public, production has begun on Season 6, and two episodes had been wrapped. Days later, Netflix released a statement distancing themselves from the show's lead actor:

"Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey. We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate out path forward as it relates to the show."

Spacey was also removed from Ridley Scotts film All the Money in the World (which is slated for a December 2018 release) and replaced by Christopher Plummer.
via @jkbrownjournalist A group of Florida correctional officers excoriated a dead inmate on social media, saying that the 27-year-old prisoner  who suffered from a genetic blood disorder and died after being gassed by officers  deserved what he got.

The officers, writing on a private Facebook page for Florida corrections officers that has 6,000 members, called the inmate a bitch, an assh---e, and other expletives as part of a lengthy thread that followed the posting of a story published in the Miami Herald last Wednesday.

The Miami Herald could reach only two of those whose names were attached to the comments. One, who said he recently left the Florida Department of Corrections, acknowledged his post. Story here:
Photo credit: Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved

From Cosmopolitan

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the removal of a veteran FBI agent from the special counsels investigative team.



President Donald Trump is attacking his own FBI in a series of tweets and says the law enforcement agencys reputation is in Tatters - worst in History! The president says in a tweet that we will bring it back to greatness.

The president was responding to reports that a veteran FBI counterintelligence agent was removed from special counsel Robert Muellers team investigating Russian election meddling because of anti-Trump text messages.

He writes after years under fired FBI director James Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), the agencys reputation is in Tatters - worst in History! The president also retweeted a tweet suggesting FBI Director Chris Wray needs to clean house.

The president said earlier Sunday he never asked Comey to stop investigating ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn.

This is seemingly in response to a Friday morning Instagram from Comey's Instagram. The former FBI director captioned a picture of a brook with a bible verse, But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream Amos 5:24.

But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream Amos 5:24 A post shared by James Comey (@comey) on Dec 1, 2017 at 9:01am PST

As Time points out:

Comeys post, of course, didnt explicitly reference Flynn or Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation, which has so far left four people connected to President Trump charged with crimes. But it certainly seems like Comey, who was fired as FBI director in May, is trying to make a point to Trump.

This post will updated if and when the president tweets more.

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London (AFP) - Google is to deploy a staff of 10,000 to hunt down extremist content on its YouTube platform following recent criticism, the video-sharing site's chief executive told Britain's Daily Telegraph Tuesday.

Susan Wojcicki admitted in the broadsheet that "bad actors" had used the website to "mislead, manipulate, harass or even harm."

British Prime Minister Theresa May has put pressure on internet giants to root out online radical material following a spate of terror attacks, while YouTube last week pulled 150,000 videos of children after lewd comments about them were posted by viewers.

Wojcicki claimed that her company had developed "computer-learning" technology to identify extremist videos, and that it could also be used to identify content that risked children's safety.

"We will continue the growth of our teams, with the goal of bringing the total number of people across Google working to address content that might violate our policies to over 10,000 in 2018."

Last week's move to take down suspect content came after a British newspaper reported that ads for big-name brands were displayed alongside videos of children or teens which, while innocent on their own, drew viewer comments that seemed paedophilic in nature.

Media reports indicate the situation made advertisers skittish, with some halting YouTube advertising.
In varying ways, the tax bills recently passed by Republicans in the House and Senate could put college further out of reach for some Americans.

Democrats and education advocacy groups have criticized both bills, warning that they could make higher education less affordable and less accessible to historically underrepresented students and those from low-income families.

We are deeply concerned that at a time when postsecondary degrees and credentials have never been more important to individuals, the economy, and our society, the tax reform proposal approved by the Senate could make college more expensive and undermine the financial stability of higher education institutions, Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, said in a statement on Saturday after the Senates early-morning passage of its tax plan. This is simply wrong-headed.

The House and Senate bills are different, and its not yet clear which provisions will remain in the final bill after the reconciliation process.

Here are four key provisions of the GOP tax plan that could impact education:

Graduate students could see huge tax increases

For weeks, graduate students have been protesting a measure included in the House bill that would turn their tuition waivers into taxable income, dramatically increasing what they owe in taxes each year. Many have said they will be unable to complete their degrees or pursue a career in academia if they have to pay higher taxes using their already small student stipends.

University leaders have also warned that it would have a devastating impact on graduate students and higher education more broadly, pricing out many students and limiting U.S. competitiveness.

The Senate bill does not include this provision, and graduate students have been calling on lawmakers not to include it in the final bill.

Student loan tax credits could be repealed

The House bill would eliminate a tax deduction of up to $2,500 on student loan interest  an added concern for many of the aforementioned graduate students who are still paying off their undergraduate student loans.

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The Senate bill would leave the deduction intact.

The wealthiest private college endowments could be taxed

Both bills included a measure to tax the endowments of the wealthiest private colleges and universities. The House bill would tax private colleges that have at least 500 students and endowments valued at $250,000 per full-time student. About 60 to 70 schools would meet those standards, Politico reported.

In their bill, Senate Republicans raised the qualifying threshold to endowments valued at $500,00 per student.

Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education said taxing endowments is fundamentally flawed, but praised the Senate bill for reducing the number of universities that will be affected by the measure. About 25 to 30 universities would meet the standards of the Senate provision, according to the Washington Post.

Harvard and other top-tier universities would still be affected. And universities have criticized the measure, arguing it hinders their ability to provide financial aid to students.

Harvards endowment is what fuels our excellence, our affordability for students of modest means, our commitment to discovery, and our impact in the world, Harvard President Drew Faust said last month, calling it a destructive measure.

This measure would disadvantage universities in the charitable sector, and  in targeting universities  weaken the nations strongest contributors to medical cures, economic innovation, job creation, scholarship, and access to higher education for students of all economic backgrounds who will shape our future, she said.

Teachers school supply tax credit is in limbo

The House bill would repeal a $250 tax credit for teachers who spend their own money on school supplies. But the Senate bill would actually help teachers by increasing the tax deduction to $500 per year.

Teachers spend an average of $485 out of pocket on school supplies each year, according to a 2013 study by the National School Supply and Equipment Association.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seems intent on hollowing out the U.S. diplomatic corps. More than 100 senior Foreign Service officers have reportedly left the State Department since January, some of them forced out, while others are simply frustrated by Tillersons lack of engagement with senior staff. Rumors have already begun to surface that Tillerson may be replaced by current CIA Director Mike Pompeo (though they were swiftly denied by President Trump).

For anyone who believes that diplomats can help avoid or limit conflict, these recent State Department developments are bad news. Here are five places where, under better circumstances, U.S. diplomats might make a difference.

Syria

Six years into its civil war, Syria remains the worlds messiest geopolitical disaster zone. No amount of U.S. diplomatic power could have prevented the countrys descent into violence, given the kaleidoscope of different actors and interests involved. But as the war on ISIS winds down, the fact remains that there arent nearly enough U.S. diplomats engaged in talks to ensure Washington has real influence in determining an eventual political solution in Syria.

In fact, Russia is leading the diplomatic track while the U.S. watches from afar. Russia insists that its ally Bashar Assad remain in power, which assures Moscows continued access to the Tartus port in Syria (Russias only port on the Mediterranean Sea) and bolsters Russias image as a player on the world stage. With a less-than-robust U.S. diplomatic presence at the negotiation table, Moscow is on track to get the outcome it wants.

Iran

Candidate Donald Trump repeatedly railed against the Iran nuclear deal, calling it a disaster, in virtually every way. It took Trump nearly 9 months, but he finally opted not to recertify Irans compliance with the deal in October, a symbolic move that does little beyond forcing Congress to contemplate re-imposing economic sanctions against Tehran. But looking beyond the nuclear deal, the Trump administration has repeatedly failed to flesh out a comprehensive pushback policy against Iran in the region (see Syria, above), and thats in large part due to lack of staffing.

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While Trump may want more sanctions, the U.S. must walk a fine line and avoid violating the terms of the nuclear deal that other signatories (China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the E.U.) want to adhere toa move the PR-fixated Trump knows will paint Americans as the bad guys. One way around that would be to win the support of deeply skeptical Europeans to back a nuclear deal renegotiation, a tall order under the best of circumstances. But Trump would have to send diplomats across Europe to make Washingtons case. The State Department isnt currently staffed to do that.

North Korea

If theres one area that might immediately benefit from the intervention of cool diplomatic heads, its on the Korean Peninsula, where U.S. allies (South Korea and Japan), rivals (China and Russia), and one huge headache (North Korea) are at odds. Russia, China, and South Korea now argue that the only viable way to reduce long-term tensions with North Korea is to pursue a negotiated solution to the standoffone that will require patience, imagination, and sound judgment.

Though the U.S. Embassy in Seoul is competently led by Charge dAffaires Marc Knapper, and the State Department officials in D.C. who focus on Northeast Asia are top notch, President Trump has yet to name a replacement for ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert, who stepped down nearly 11 months ago. Former director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council Victor Cha was tapped in August to assume that post, but the confirmation process has not progressed. Trump brushed aside concerns over State Department vacancies during a recent interview by saying, Let me tell you, the one that matters is me. Im the only one that matters.

The Gulf

Diplomacy becomes more difficult when the president unwittingly creates condition for a crisis. Trumps visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this year encouraged the U.S. ally to lead Egypt and the UAE in an effort to isolate Qatar, home to the regions largest U.S. military base, over its support for the Muslim Brotherhood in other countries. While Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis tried to tone down tensions in the immediate wake of the Qatar blockade, Trump added fuel to the fire by applauding Riyadhs bold move on Twitter.

The Qatar story has momentarily taken a backseat to the purge being carried out in Riyadh by crown prince and soon-to-be Saudi king Mohammed bin Salman, but given the lack of clarity in the U.S. diplomatic stance and lack of diplomatic numbers, the gap between Qatar and the Saudis is unlikely to narrow.

Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabes recent ouster heralds a new era for Zimbabwe. His successor (and former vice president) Emmerson Mnangagwa will still preside over a militarized autocracy, but one that could do more than Mugabe has done lately to ease economic misery for Zimbabwes people. That would be an improvement, which says plenty about todays Zimbabwe. Historically, the U.S. had played a critical role in leading Western-backed sanctions against the Mugabe regime; as a result, China has become the countrys strongest ally outside Africa. Mnangagwa, who got his military training in China half a century ago, visited that country shortly before the intervention against Mugabe began last month.

For a Trump administration worried over Chinas expanding influence, having only an acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs hamstrings Washingtons ability to revitalize relations with the new government. Greater U.S. influence with Mnangagwa will also depend on improved ties with the South African government  but the Trump Administration has yet to nominate an ambassador to that country, either.
Skopje (AFP) - A Macedonian court ordered Tuesday that three opposition MPs be held in judicial custody for a month while another three were placed under house arrest over an April attack on parliament.

Scores of people were injured in bloody riots after some 100 nationalists, including masked men, broke into the assembly in Skopje on April 27 to protest against the vote for a new parliamentary speaker.

The six MPs, all from the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, are among 36 people under investigation for suspected "terrorist endangerment of the constitutional order and security".

On Friday, the Balkan parliament voted to lift the MPs' immunity to allow prosecution although the session was boycotted by VMRO-DPMNE deputies.

A few hundred people protested in the streets of Skopje on Tuesday in support of the detained MPs.

The attack on parliament, which met with international condemnation, followed a long-running political crisis in the country.

A month after the violence, Social Democrat Zoran Zaev -- who was beaten in the riots -- became prime minister.
Photo credit: Getty

From Prima

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are engaged to be married, and they are 100 percent the most chill and relatable royal couple out there.

While the pair have been sticking to plenty of traditions (letting Kensington Palace announce their engagement...doing a formal photo shoot), their relationship has also broken royal protocol plenty of times. Like when...

She chatted about her love for Harry in a major magazine

In a move that is *completely* unprecedented for royals, Meghan covered Vanity Fair and spoke at length about her relationship with Harry  before they were engaged. 'I can tell you that at the end of the day I think it's really simple,' she said. 'We're two people who are really happy and in love. We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news. And I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people's perception. Nothing about me changed. I'm still the same person that I am, and I've never defined myself by my relationship.'

It's not *completely* foreign territory for a royal to agree to a magazine cover (Kate Middleton was in British Vogue), but to open up about her private life with Harry pre-engagement and in such an official manner was gasp-inducing.

She and Harry literally wouldn't stop holding hands

Photo credit: Getty

As we know from William and Kate, holding hands in public is not allowed when you're a royal.

But Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke this unspoken rule during their joint appearance at Toronto's Invictus Games, where they were spotted holding hands/being each other's lobsters. FYI, the reason royals aren't allowed to hold hands is because they are (per royal etiquette Myka Meier), 'working representatives of British Monarchy'.

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She's been married before

Photo credit: Getty

Before dating Harry, Meghan was in a relationship with producer Trevor Engelson. They got divorced in August 2013, and now he's making a show about a man who has to share custody of his child after his ex marries a British royal.

Per Deadline, this is the cringe-inducing plot: 'Divorce is hard. Sharing custody is harder. Sharing custody with the British Royal family when your wife marries a prince, in the unforgiving spotlight of London's tabloid media, is next level.'

FYI, marrying someone who's been divorced is no longer a problem for the British monarchy, but it's definitely unusual  lest you forget, Princess Margaret had to break off her relationship with Peter Townsend because he was divorced, and Edward VIII had to straight up abdicate in order to marry Wallis Simpson.

She doesn't belong to the Church of England

Obviously, British royals are tolerant of all religions, but being a member of The Church of England is definitely the norm  and per People, 'in order to remain in the line of succession, members of the royal family cannot be Catholic'.

This won't effect Meghan thanks to laws changing in 2013, which allow people in the line of succession to marry whoever they want regardless of religious affiliation. Even still, it should be noted that Meghan reportedly went to Catholic school.

She's wearing an all-diamond ring

Photo credit: Getty

While diamonds certainly aren't unusual when it comes to engagement rings, the royals tend to favour gem stones. Princess Diana's ring (and now Kate Middleton's) features a sapphire, as does the engagement ring of The Queen Mother, and that of Princess Anne. Meanwhile Sarah Ferguson was given a ruby ring, as was Princess Margaret.

She's an actress and very much in the public eye

Photo credit: Getty

In case you hadn't noticed, Meghan isn't a royal. She's an actress in the public eye, most famous for Suits. She also isn't a member of a 'posh' British family like Kate Middleton is. Basically, she's a completely normal woman, and in this way  more than anything else  she's breaking the royal mould.

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BERLIN (Reuters) - German police on Tuesday arrested an Afghan citizen on suspicion of smuggling migrants by sea from Turkey to Greece resulting in the death of several dozen people when the boat sank, federal police and prosecutors said. The man is believed to have been on board the smugglers' boat which had 90 migrants on board when it capsized in poor weather in January 2016, federal police and prosecutors in the northwestern city of Osnabrueck said in a joint statement. Only 24 of the people on board were rescued. The Greek coastguard retrieved 35 bodies from the water, while the rest remain missing, they said. Germany, the main destination for migrants in Europe, has been prosecuting individuals suspected of belonging to the smuggling rings that charge thousands of euros for the short sea journey from Turkey to Greece. The suspect arrested in Osnabrueck, who was not named in the statement, was saved and presented himself to Greek authorities as a refugee before seeking asylum in Germany in a month later. (Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Republicans have little room for dissension as they debate a plan to overhaul the nations tax system, and the Senate wooed Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski by including a provision that allows oil exploration in a portion of Alaskas North Slope.

That doesnt sit well with some moderate House Republicans, including Miami Rep. Carlos Curbelo.

Last week, Curbelo and 11 other House Republicans signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urging the upper chamber to pass a tax bill without oil drilling concessions.

For decades, Congress has voted to prohibit oil and gas development in the Refuge, with the overwhelming support of the American public, the letter said. Support for this protection remains strong today. After years of debate, the Arctic Refuge stands as a symbol of our nations strong and enduring natural legacy.

Their effort didnt work. The Alaska drilling provision was included in the Senates bill, and Murkowski, a key swing vote who voted against repealing Obamacare earlier this year, praised its inclusion.

Tonight is a critical milestone in our efforts to secure Alaskas future, Murkowski said in a statement after the Senate bill passed by a 51-49 vote. Opening the 1002 Area and tax reform both stand on their own, but combining them into the same bill, and then successfully passing that bill, makes this a great day to be an Alaskan.

Alaskan lawmakers have tried to expand drilling access in the states oil-rich North Slope for years, but they have been unable to do so. A late-night amendment to the Senate tax bill by Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell that would have stopped oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge failed by a 48-52 vote.

Curbelos office said tying oil drilling to taxes doesnt make sense, but they stopped short of saying that hell vote against the final bill if it includes the Arctic drilling provision.

Congressman Curbelo strongly believes the tax proposal is not the appropriate venue for addressing ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), Curbelo spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez said in a statement. He made that clear to House and Senate Leadership last week and will continue to work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle on legislation that focuses on reforming our tax code and giving South Florida families the chance to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks, not a debate about Arctic drilling.

Read more here.
A Cathay Pacific flight crew reportedly witnessed North Koreas latest missile test last Wednesday, the airline announced today.

Flight 893 was en route from San Francisco to Hong Kong when the crew saw what it believes to be a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile re-enter the Earths atmosphere, break up, and fall out of the sky. The flight was far enough from the missile test not to be in danger, but The Guardian says the incident highlights the unforeseen danger of North Koreas tests. For the time being, there are no planned changes to existing Cathay Pacific routes.

North Korean missile tests in the past several months have led to tensions with the U.S., as President Donald Trump has made multiple threats against the rogue nation and its leader Kim Jong-un, whom Trump has deemed little rocket man.

Wednesdays missile test reached the highest altitude ever recorded by a North Korean missile and the state-run Korean Central News Agency claims its capable of reaching the U.S. In response to the test last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on China to do more to rein in North Korea, specifically through restraining the countrys oil supply.

Defense Secretary James Mattis said he still had confidence in diplomatic efforts to address the North Korea situation, but that the U.S. also has military options available.

Meanwhile, Senator Lindsey Graham said Sunday on Face the Nation that preemptive war in North Korea is becoming more likely as the countrys improving missile technology presents an increasing threat.
Kabul (AFP) - A senior Al-Qaeda leader on the Indian subcontinent and the head of the Taliban's "special forces" in southern Helmand have been killed in recent days in Afghanistan, Afghan and US forces said Tuesday.

"Both leaders are responsible for the deaths of many innocent Afghans, and their removal will both disrupt the terrorist operations of their respective organisations and improve overall security of the country," the US command said in a statement.

According to Afghan intelligence services, and a spokesman for US forces in Kabul, "Omar Khetab, number two in the al-Qaeda network for the Indian subcontinent" was killed on Monday.

"He was directly involved in fighting against the Afghan government and foreign troops and had a role in advising in the use of heavy weapons such as rockets, mortars and training for Taliban night attacks," the US command's statement added.

"This operation is a testament to the real growth the Afghan forces have achieved over the past year," said General John Nicholson, commander of US forces and Operation Resolute Support NATO, quoted in the statement.

The US also announced the death of the leader of the "Red Unit" -- the Taliban's "special forces" in Helmand, a southern province where insurgents control ten of its 14 districts.

"Mullah Shah Wali, aka Haji Nasir, commander of the Red Unit in Helmand, was killed on 1 December by a strike, with one of his deputies and three of his men".

According to the spokesman, "Wali and his 'Red Unit' are responsible for planning numerous suicide bombings, IED attacks, and coordinated assaults against civilians, Afghan and coalition forces."

The statement noted: "The Taliban in Helmand province are responsible for poppy cultivation and opium trade that funds their activities."

At the end of November, the Americans began a series of raids against heroin laboratories in Helmand.

US Forces began identifying drug labs to hit after President Donald Trump's strategy announcement in August made it easier for American air power to proactively target the Taliban and its sources of revenue and infrastructure.

The US-Afghan operation comes as around 3,000 additional American troops promised by Trump are deployed to help train and assist beleaguered Afghan security forces who have been struggling to beat back Taliban and Islamic State insurgents.
The highly anticipated Alabama Senate special election race will conclude on Dec. 12, when voters will decide whether Republican Roy Moore or Democrat Doug Jones will fill the seat left vacant by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The special Senate race was largely seen as Moores to lose after the primary, when the former judge defeated Sen. Luther Strange despite him being backed by establishment Republicans and President Donald Trump.

But the Alabama special election has tightened in recent weeks as nearly a dozen women have accused Moore of sexual misconduct. Many saw the allegations against Moore as a boost for former prosecutor Jones, and some national Democrats have stumped for Jones ahead of the tight race in ruby-red Alabama. After stumping for Strange, President Trump switched his support to Moore.

While Moore has maintained Trumps support throughout the race, his backing seemed to be jeopardized by accusations that Moore had sexually molested at least one teenage girl when he was in his 30s. On Dec. 4, Trump signaled that he was all-in for Moore, tweeting that the Congress needed his vote on key issues like tax reform. In the days before the race, he also held a rally and recorded a robocall for the candidate.

Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama, the tweet read. We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!

Thankful for President Trump's support.



The America First agenda will #MAGA. Can't wait to help him #DrainTheSwamp.#ALSEN https://t.co/pYu9h7TYVN  Judge Roy Moore (@MooreSenate) December 4, 2017

Heres everything else you need to know about the upcoming Special Election.

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Alabama Special Election Date

The Special Election is scheduled for Dec. 12. There were reports that Republicans were trying to delay the Special Election when women kept coming forward to accuse Moore of sexual misconduct, but Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey shut that idea down pretty quickly. Ivey has said she will support Moore in the election, even though she said in November that she had no reason to disbelieve Moores accusers. The governor said at the time that she felt Republicans needed to win in order to secure votes for Supreme Court justices and judicial nominees.

Alabama Special Election Candidates

There are three candidates running in the Alabama Special Election: Moore, Jones, and write-in candidate Lee Busby.

Roy Moore

A former state supreme court justice who has twice been removed from the bench, Moore has been a controversial figure from the start. He is best known for defying federal orders to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to remove a Ten Commandments monument from a state judicial building. He has also made inflammatory comments about gays and Muslims; after Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, was elected in 2006, Moore wrote an op-ed saying he should not be allowed to serve because of his faith. He has recently been accused of sexually molesting at one teenage girl, sexually assaulting another, and attempting to initiate romantic relationships and sexual encounters with other teens when he was in his thirties. Moore has denied those allegations, but theyve become a focal point of his race against Jones.

Though he did not travel to Alabama for Moore ahead of Election Day, President Trump held a rally near the states border in Pensacola, Fla. on Dec. 9 at which he urged the crowd to vote for the Republican. Get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it, he said. We cannot afford, the future of this country cannot afford to lose the seat. President Donald Trump also recorded a robocall for the candidate.

Doug Jones

Jones is a former federal prosecutor known for bringing, and winning, a case against former members of the Ku Klux Klan that were involved in the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church. Four African American girls died in that bombing, which occurred at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Interest in Jones has grown in the wake of the allegations against Moore  at least one poll has shown them neck-in-neck in recent weeks, but the candidate faces an uphill battle. Jones stance on abortion has been a problem in the race because at the end of the day Alabama is a conservative state.

National Democrats, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker who traveled to Birmingham, Ala., stumped for Jones just ahead of the election. According to Politico, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden would also record separate robocalls in support of Jones.

Lee Busby

In late November, a retired Marine colonel named Lee Busby announced he was launching a write-in campaign in the Alabama Special Election race. In an interview with TIME, he said: Both of the candidates have committed bases but those bases are at the far left flank and the far right flank and I think there is a vast number in the middle that are tired of the divisiveness int he country and will take that option if theyre given the option and thats all Im doing.

Latest Alabama Special Election Polls

Alabama Special Election polls have been mixed from the beginning, but a recent CBS News poll found that 49% of likely voters support Moore in the race compared to 43% who support Jones. The poll found that little over half of likely voters, 52%, said that the allegations against Moore are concerning, but other issues in the race matter more, though the poll did not specifically ask about which issues trumped this one. The poll did find that more respondents tended to believe immigrants make American society worse in the long run and that same-sex marriage should not be legal. The overwhelming majority also think that the media or Democrats are behind Moores accusations, according to the survey.

A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll of likely voters finds 50% support Jones, while 47% back Moore. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. But a Real Clear Politics average of the race has Moore leading by 2.6 percentage points as of Dec. 4.

On Dec. 11, just one day before voters are to hit the polls, a pair of conflicting surveys show both candidates with large leads in the race. An Emerson College poll of 600 likely voters showed Moore beating Jones by 9-points, his biggest gain in weeks. On the other hand, a Fox News poll released on Dec. 11 had Jones trumping Moore by 10-points. The Fox survey of likely voters had a margin of error of three percentage points.

But pollsters have warned against reading too far into the numbers in this Special Election race, even in the wake of the scandals. As Politico reported, few surveys have been conducted since the news of Moores allegations broke, most of the polling firms are little-known, and few national outlets have stepped in to survey the landscape. The most important and closely watched election in the nation is taking place in the equivalent of a polling black box, Politico noted.
Bravo

Larsa Pippen is known for her eye-catching, body-baring looks, from formfitting minidresses to thigh-high boots to luxurious lingerie. During The Real Housewives of Miami Season 4 reunion, the jewelry designer shut down speculation about possible cosmetic procedures and noted how she keeps herself in such stellar shape. I literally work out seven days a week, she explained at the time. If I show you my photos from five years ago, I was less than 100 pounds. Im 140 pounds now, so yeah, my leg
Protesters holding placards take part in a rally in Parliament Square in February 2017 against US president Donald Trump's state visit to the UK: Getty Images

Organisers of an anti-Donald Trump protest group are hoping to gather a million people to demonstrate against the president after details of his working visit to the UK were reported.

More than 3,800 people have committed to a planned protest against the president on Facebook, with another 10,000 marked as interested in the event, just hours since it was set up. Organised by journalist Owen Jones and the Stop Trump protest group, the protest is planned for 26 and 27 February at the US Embassy and 10 Downing Street.

The event follows reports that the president could visit the UK early next year as part of a working visit to attend the opening of the new US Embassy in London. The Sunday Times reported that a date has been pencilled in for February, despite Theresa Mays condemnation of the presidents decision to share a series of Islamophobic posts by far-right group Britain First on Twitter.

The Protest Trumps visit event on Facebook states: Put the date in your diaries. If Donald Trump attempts to sneak into the UK to open the US Embassy on 26/27 February 2018 and also pop in to see Theresa May at Downing Street  he will be met by a million of us attempting a citizens arrest of him for incitement of racial hatred.

Mr Jones tweeted about the event on Sunday with the message: Stop what youre doing: Donald Trump is set to come to Britain on *26/27 February*. Lets make this the biggest demonstration in British history, sharing a link to the protest.

The Stop Trump campaigns organisers said last week they believed more than a million people would take to the streets in demonstration against the president if his trip went ahead.
Tweets and call confirm president backs Moore in 12 December vote

Alabama candidate lost backing from many over sexual allegations

Roy Moore speaks at a rally on Thursday in Dora, Alabama. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/AP

Donald Trump has thrown his full support behind Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race, tweeting his endorsement before calling the controversial candidate to say: Go get em, Roy!

Trump tweeted early on Monday: Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive tax cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama. We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!

Referring again to the Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, the president added: Putting Pelosi/Schumer Liberal Puppet Jones into office in Alabama would hurt our great Republican Agenda of low on taxes, tough on crime, strong on military and borders...& so much more.

Homosexuality should be illegal

In 2005, Moore said: Homosexual conduct should be illegal. In an interview televised on C-Span, Moore added: It is immoral. It is defined by the law as detestable. During a debate in September 2017, he went out of his way to bemoan the fact that sodomy [and] sexual perversion sweep the land.

September 11 attacks as divine punishment

In a speech in February, Moore appeared to suggest that the terrorist attacks of September 11 were the result of divine retribution against the United States and prophesized in the Book of Isaiah. In comments first reported by CNN, Moore quoted Isaiah 30:12-13, saying: Because you have despised His word and trust in perverseness and oppression, and say thereon ... therefore this iniquity will be to you as a breach ready to fall, swell out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instance. Moore then noted: Sounds a little bit like the Pentagon, whose breaking came suddenly at an instance, doesnt it? He added: If you think thats coincidence, if you go to verse 25: There should be up on every high mountain and upon every hill, rivers and streams of water in the day of the great slaughter when the towers will fall."

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Praise for Putin

In an interview with the Guardian in August, Moore praised Putin for his views on gay rights. Maybe Putin is right. Maybe hes more akin to me than I know. The comments came after Moore suggested the United States could be described as the focus of evil in the world because we promote a lot of bad things. Moore specifically named gay marriage as one of those bad things.



'Reds and yellows

At a rally earlier in September, Moore talked about reds and yellows fighting while discussing racial division in the United States. Moore justified this on Twitter by citing lyrics from the song Jesus Loves the Little Children. He wrote Red, yellow, black and white they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world. This is the Gospel.

Tracking livestock is communism

In 2006, Moore condemned a proposal for a national ID system for animals as more identifiable with communism than free enterprise. The proposal received attention after a cow in Alabama had been diagnosed with mad cow disease. Moore, who was then running for governor, was skeptical that the outbreak was real. Instead, Moore suggested it was a ruse intended to promote the tracking system.



Moore has lost the backing of many top Republicans since the Washington Post first reported allegations of sexual misconduct with young women decades ago. Trump praised him in recent weeks but had not formally backed him.

Several hours after his tweets, Trump called Moore. The call was announced by the Alabama Republicans wife on Facebook. Judge Moore just got off the phone with President Trump, Kayla Moore wrote. We have his full support! Thank you Mr President! Lets MAGA!

The Moore campaign confirmed to the Guardian that the conversation had taken place. In a follow-up statement, a spokesperson said: President Trump called Judge Moore a fighter and expressed his eagerness to have Judge Moore fighting for his agenda in Washington. The president wrapped up the call with a Go get em, Roy!

The White House later issued a statement in which a spokesman, Raj Shah, said: The president had a positive call with Judge Roy Moore during which they discussed the state of the Alabama Senate race and the president endorsed Judge Moores campaign.

The White House has said the president has no plans to make campaign appearances with Moore but he has agreed to headline a campaign-style rally in Pensacola, Florida, less than 20 miles from the Alabama border, just four days before the vote.

The special election, to fill the seat vacated by Trumps attorney general, Jeff Sessions, will take place on Tuesday 12 December.

Trump supported Luther Strange, the appointed incumbent, in the primary but Strange was beaten by Moore, a controversial hardline conservative who had the backing of Steve Bannon, Trumps former senior White House strategist, who is mounting a challenge to the party establishment. Bannon is due to hold a rally with Moore on Tuesday.

Moore has defied calls to step down over the allegations by a number of women, one of whom alleges he initiated sexual contact with her when she was 14 and he was in his 30s. Moore denies all the allegations and said last week they were the result of a conspiracy that included lesbians, gays, bisexuals and socialists.

Even before the allegations, Moore was a controversial figure. He has suggested that homosexual conduct should be criminalized and was twice removed as chief justice of the Alabama supreme court for defying federal court orders.

On Monday morning, he tweeted: Thankful for President Trumps support. The America First agenda will #MAGA. Cant wait to help him #DrainTheSwamp.

The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, who has said he believes Moores accusers, has now taken a slightly different position.

I think that at this point, were just going to let the people of Alabama make their decision, McConnell told the Associated Press on Sunday, adding that he believed the Senate ethics committee would take up an investigation if Moore were elected.

The ethics committee will have to consider the matters that have been litigated in the campaign should that particular candidate win, McConnell said on ABCs This Week. And Im confident theyll come up with the right conclusion.

However, some Republicans continued to express their outrage over Moore. The 2012 Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, a frequent Trump critic, tweeted on Monday afternoon: Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity.

Moores Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, is a prosecutor who helped to convict two Ku Klux Klan members over the 1963 bombing of an African American church in Birmingham in which four young girls were killed.

Moore had fallen to level with or behind Jones in the deep red state, before, observers believe, sexual harassment allegations against the prominent Democrats John Conyers and Al Franken swayed the minds of some voters.

The realclearpolitics.com polling average for the Alabama race now gives Moore a three-point lead.
President Donald Trumps third iteration of the travel ban can go into effect while lower courts review its merits, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

The Trump administrations executive orders, aimed at restricting travelers from mostly Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., have faced contentious battles leading up to Mondays ruling. The first version of the travel ban, Executive Order 13769, sowed chaos at airports and was almost immediately challenged in federal court. The White House later revised that version, only for it to face legal challenge, as well.

The latest version was issued in September, shortly before the Supreme Court was set to hear oral arguments on the previous iteration of the travel ban. It impacts travel from eight countries, some of which were included in the original ban. Travel ban 3.0 can now be enforced while the federal appeals courts hear arguments over its legality.

Heres what to know about the order.

Whats in the ban?

On Sept. 24, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that indefinitely blocks the travel of most citizens from Iran, Chad, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Yemen and Somalia. Venezuelan government officials and their immediate family members are also banned from entering the U.S. and visa holders who are Venezuelan nationals are to be subjected to additional screening.

The earlier ban sought to restrict travel from six-majority Muslim countries for 90 days while the federal agencies conducted a review of the screening process.

Under this order, the ban has no end date, but the federal government could consider revising the restrictions placed on countries if they meet a set of minimum standards for traveler identification and security.

What Are the Standards?

As TIME reported in September, those standards include the integrity of information used to confirm a travelers identity  including a countrys use of e-passports and the amount of information shared about potential national security threats posed by travelers. The restrictions are also different for each country. For example, Iranian citizens under valid student and exchange visas are still permitted to enter the U.S., though they are subject to more thorough screening.

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Are Refugees Affected?

Unlike the original travel bans, the order in September did not include any specific language about refugees. However, the Trump administration has capped refugee admissions at 45,000 for 2018  the lowest in years  and boosted vetting for the refugee admissions program. The administration also limited resettlement for refugees from 11 high-risk countries for 90 days under an October order.

How did we get here?

A federal court in Hawaii blocked implementation of the order shortly before it was set to take effect on Oct. 18. A judge in Maryland also blocked order in part, saying that travelers with bona fide connections to people or businesses in the U.S. could still come to the U.S. (The Supreme Court had issued a similar ruling on a previous version of the travel ban in June.) In November the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay allowing parts of the ban to go into effect. That ruling also exempted people with ties to the U.S. from the restrictions. The Supreme Court decision on Monday went further, allowing the entire ban to take effect.

What happens next?

The Supreme Court ruling does not keep the lower court challenges from going forward. According to SCOTUSBlog, oral arguments are scheduled in the Ninth Circuit in Seattle on Wednesday and in the Forth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, on Friday.

The White House praised the ruling on Monday. We are not surprised by todays Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the presidents proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism, White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley said, according to a pool report. The proclamation is lawful and essential to protecting our homeland. We look forward to presenting a fuller defense of the proclamation as the pending cases work their way through the courts.

On Twitter, the American Civil Liberties Union, which has challenged the travel restrictions, struck a different chord: This is not a ruling on the merits, and we continue our fight, a tweet from ACLU read. We are at the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday to argue that the Muslim ban should ultimately be struck down.
President Donald Trumps endorsement of Republican Senate hopeful Roy Moore has emboldened support for the embattled candidate by some within the GOP  but not all.

Former Massachusetts Governor and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney took to Twitter late Monday to distance himself, and his party, from the former Alabama judge who faces several allegations of sexual misconduct.

Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity.  Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) December 4, 2017

Moore, who denies the allegations viewed by senior members of his party as credible, has to date been accused of sexual misconduct by eight women. Among the allegations are several accounts by women that he made sexual advances toward them while they were teenagers, and he was in his 30s.

Since the Washington Post broke the story, several other women have accused Moore of preying on teenage girls when he was an adult. According to the New Yorker, one Alabama shopping mall even banned the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court for serially harassing teen girls.

As the allegations against Moore mounted, many prominent Republicans called for him to exit the race. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in November that Moore should step aside if guilty. Asked whether he believed the allegations were true, McConnell replied: I believe the women, yes.

The Republican National Convention initially withdrew funding and support for Moore as GOP heavyweights continued to abandon his corner. In light of Trumps endorsement, however, the organization has reversed its position and decided to once again back the disgraced candidate, a senior RNC official confirmed to TIME in an email.

The sudden about-face follows reports in late November that both the RNC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee had no plans to change their position on the candidate.

A multitude of other Republicans have either withdrawn their support or directly spoken out against Moore in the weeks preceding the presidents endorsement, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senators Bill Cassidy, Steve Daines, Cory Gardner and Mike Lee. Senators Bob Corker and Susan Collins were among those calling for Moore to step down. At time of writing, none of the above have publicly responded to the presidents endorsement.
Billy Bush visited The Late Show With Stephen Colbert where he talked about the infamous Access Hollywood audio tape with Donald Trump. On the tape, Bush can be heard laughing as Trump talks about sexually assaulting women. Not long after the tape from September of 2005 resurfaced, Bush was fired by NBC. And now he upset that the story is back in the headlines. Bush started his interview with Colbert with a direct message to Trump saying, "I would also like to say that's not me on the bus. You don't get to say that because I was there and for the last 14 months of my life I have been dealing with it. You dealt with it for 14 minutes and went on to be the president." A recent New York Times article cited Trump as having recently denied the recordings. Trump allegedly told a senator, "We dont think that was my voice." This comes nearly 14 months after Trump tweeted a video message saying, "I said it. I was wrong. And I apologize." Later in the interview, Bush pointed out that the denial was particularly shameful to the many women who have publicly accused Trump of sexual assault, as it discredits the media and victims. Bush went on to discuss his OP-ED piece in the NYT. He told Colbert, "I said, you're reopening wounds on them, too. Enough is enough. Stop playing around with people's lives. That upset me."
Brock Turner, the former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexual assault, is now appealing his conviction.

Turner, who was found guilty of sexual assaulting an unconscious woman on campus, spent only three months in jail after being sentenced to six. He was released for good behavior.

He is now hoping for a new trial.

Attorneys for Turner filed a 172-page appeal Friday with California's 6th District Court of Appeal, claiming Turner was denied due process during his 2016 trial. They said Turners initial trial was a detailed and lengthy set of lies.

The appeal alleged that the prosecutor on the case incorrectly told jurors during the trial that the sexual assault happened behind a dumpster, and that doing so amounted to prosecutorial misconduct, reports said.

They added that media scrutiny impacted Turners due process.

Turner was accused of assaulting the victim, who had passed out near a garbage bin after a night of heavy drinking. Two graduate students riding by on bikes spotted the attack and chased Turner when he tried to run away. They tackled him and held him until police arrived.

Turner was found guilty of assault with the intent to commit rape of an intoxicated or unconscious person, sexual penetration of an intoxicated person and sexual penetration of an unconscious person.

Prosecutors asked for a six-year sentence, but Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky drew criticism when he sentenced Turner to only six months in jail.

The punishment created a backlash on social media and fueled campus protests, especially after the victim read aloud a 1,700-word letter in court to her attacker.

"You dont know me, but youve been inside me, and thats why were here today, her statement began.

You have dragged me through this hell with you, dipped me back into that night again and again. You knocked down both our towers, I collapsed at the same time you did, she wrote. If you think I was spared, came out unscathed, that today I ride off into sunset, while you suffer the greatest blow, you are mistaken.

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Nearly 80 percent of the universe's mass is comprised of a mysterious, invisible substance known as dark matter, which still has scientists puzzled.

While scientists currently know very little about dark matter, but recent findings from a Chinese satellite might help improve their understanding.

In a November issue of Nature, scientists reported an unexpected spectral break in their measurements of high-energy cosmic rays collected from China's Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) satellite.

"DAMPE is a Chinese satellite mission, now operating in low Earth orbit, that is sensitive to gamma rays, or high-energy photons, and charged particles [also known as] cosmic rays," Penn State University Associate Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Derek Fox said.



NASA

NASA

The satellite, also dubbed Wukong after China's legendary hero Sun Wukong, or Monkey King, launched in 2015 after being developed by engineers and scientists from China, Switzerland and Italy.

Sun Wukong is a mythological figure most prominently featured in a 16th Century Chinese novel, Journey to the West.

To date, DAMPE has measured more than 3.5 billion cosmic ray particles, including 20 billion positrons and electrons with the highest energy at 100 tera-electron-volts, according to Chinese news agency, Xinhua.

Tera-electron- volts, or TeV, is a unit of energy used in particle physics with 1 TeV being roughly equivalent to the energy of motion of a flying mosquito.

Precise measurement of cosmic rays, especially at the very high energy range, is important for scientists to look for traces of dark matter annihilation or decay, DAMPE's chief scientist Chang Jin told Xinhua news agency.

This is the first time a space experiment has reported a detailed and precise electron and positron spectrum up to about 5 TeV, according to Chang, who said the satellite detected a spectral break at 0.9 TeV and a possible spike at 1.4 TeV.

These measurements are important for scientists to better understand energetic events such as pulsars, active galaxy nuclei and supernova explosions, he added.

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Nearby pulsars, or magnetized neutron stars, may be emitting electrons and positrons at these energies, according to Fox.

"Or, some other type of source is creating and accelerating electrons and positrons; or there may be high-energy electrons and positrons created due to annihilation of dark matter particles," Fox said.

"However, the data of the strange signal are still not enough. We need to collect more data to make sure it's real," Chang told Xinhua.

Invisible dark matter, and the mysterious, repulsive force of dark energy, make up nearly 95 percent of our universe, Fox said.

The visible universe is comprised of ordinary matter, or baryonic matter, and is made of electrons, neutrons and protons. All of the galaxies, stars, planets and elements that can be seen only make up 5 percent of the universe.

The relative proportions of baryonic matter, dark matter and dark energy in the universe today are best constrained by Planck mission observations of the cosmic microwave background at 4.9 percent ordinary matter, 26.4 percent dark matter, 68.7 percent dark energy, Fox said.

While scientists may not be able to see dark matter, they can observe its influences in the universe. High concentrations of matter bend light passing near them in a process called gravitational lensing, according to NASA.

The Hubble Space Telescope made observations in the late 1990s that surprised scientists when they found that the expansion of the universe was not slowing down as they originally thought. In reality, the expansion was accelerating.

This acceleration is caused by dark energy, a powerful, unseen force that repels gravity.

"Suffice it to say, the evidence in favor of both dark matter and dark energy are multifaceted and quite overwhelming," Fox said.

It is impossible to understand the patterns of temperature and polarization fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background without a universe containing the [above mentioned] proportions of baryonic matter, dark matter and dark energy to less than 1 percent precision, Fox added.

If the DAMPE scientists' findings regarding the mysterious spectral breaks are accurate, the spike could indicate the existence of an unknown particle with a mass of 1.4 TeV, according to Chang.

"Understandably, some physicists and astronomers are very excited about the dark matter scenario specifically, as we know very little about the dark matter," Fox said. "My usual response in these situations is to acknowledge that the dark matter scenario is 'very interesting if true.'"
Imagine the following scenario: A rogue nation successfully tests a nuclear device, a divisive presidential administration weighs a military response in the U.S., and as the threat of war looms, aggressive rhetoric spews from unpredictable leaders on both sides. To a casual observer, this may seem like a summary of the current tensions between North Korea and the U.S.  and it is. However, its also an eerily accurate description of events in 1964, when the Peoples Republic of China conducted its first successful test of a nuclear bomb under Mao Zedong. Watch as Stephanie Sy breaks down the parallels in search of lessons to be learned from political history.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that after two months of relative calm on the Korean peninsula, the resurfacing of tensions was regrettable. Wang, speaking to reporters at a joint briefing with his Mongolian counterpart, said that China has an open attitude on solutions to the North Korean nuclear issue, but that parties should be consultative. In late November, North Korea tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile yet, putting the continental United States within range and increasing pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump to deal with the nuclear-armed nation. North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country called Trump "insane" on Sunday and said air drills between the United States and the South would "push the already acute situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war". (Reporting by Philip Wen, Writing by Michael Martina; Editing by Nick Macfie)
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's aviation authority has suspended all flights from the Indonesian holiday island of Bali to Chinese cities until the threat of volcanic ash clears, the state-run People's Daily newspaper reported on Monday. Clouds of volcanic ash from Bali's erupting Mount Agung volcano disrupted flights to and from the island's airport last week, stranding many thousands of tourists. Flights began resuming when the airport reopened on Wednesday, after the wind changed and blew the ash away from flight paths. Individual airlines make their own decisions on whether to operate. Australia's Jetstar resumed flights on Monday, while Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd said it planned to do so on Tuesday. Despite the resumption of some services, China's aviation authority was stopping any more flights after the return on Monday of the last charter flight, bringing to 15,237 the number of stranded Chinese tourists brought home, the People's Daily newspaper said on its Twitter page. "China's aviation authority has suspended all flights from Bali to Chinese cities until volcanic ash threat clears," it said. China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, which stopped flying new tourists into Bali last week, told Reuters that any resumption of flights would depend on the situation. They declined to comment on the reported directive from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The CAAC did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. China Southern, which flies to Bali from the cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou, said in an email that "due to volcanic activity in the area, the local airport and associated routes are not airworthy so flights on these two routes have been cancelled in the near term". China has overtaken Australia this year as the biggest source of international visitors to Bali, representing about a quarter of the 4.9 million arrivals from January to September, according to industry statistics. Airlines avoid flying through volcanic ash as it can damage aircraft engines, clogging fuel and cooling systems, hampering pilot visibility and even causing engine failure. Purwo Nugroh, a spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, said on Twitter that Mount Agung was no longer spewing ash but just white smoke that reached a height of 1,000 metres early on Monday. (This version of the story corrects paragraph 13 spelling of Indonesian official's name) (Reporting by Brenda Goh; Additional reporting by Jamie Freed in SINGAPORE and Jessica Damiana in JAKARTA; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Washington (AFP) - As special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation gains momentum, two major questions loom over the White House:

- Did members of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign collude with Russia to get him elected?

- And did Trump, as president, engage in obstruction of justice?

Here is a look at the two questions:

- Election collusion -

Trump has denied -- repeatedly and heatedly -- that there was any collusion between members of his 2016 presidential election campaign and Russia.

"There's been absolutely no collusion," Trump said over the weekend of a probe he has denounced on multiple occasions as a "political witch hunt."

US intelligence agencies determined with "high confidence" in a report issued in January that Russia had sought to influence the 2016 race in Trump's favor.

But the report by the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency and Director of National Intelligence stopped short of stating that Trump's election campaign had colluded with Russian efforts to get him elected.

That was left to Mueller, a highly respected former director of the FBI, to resolve.

Mueller was named in May by acting attorney general Rod Rosenstein to look into whether there had been "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump."

So far, Mueller's team has charged four people but none of them has been accused of directly colluding with Moscow to get Trump into the White House.

Retired lieutenant general Michael Flynn, Trump's former National Security Adviser, pleaded guilty on Friday of lying to the FBI over his contacts with Russia's ambassador to Washington.

But those conversations occurred in December, after Trump was elected, and do not directly support the charge of collusion with Russia to swing the vote.

In exchange for a single charge and a potentially light sentence, Flynn did agree, however, to fully cooperate with Mueller's team.

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This has led to speculation that Flynn may have more information to provide to investigators about any contacts between Trump's campaign and Russia.

"If there was coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians I can't think of a person who would know more about that than Flynn," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told CBS News.

"So it won't be long before we understand, one way or the other, whether Trump people colluded with Russia because I can't imagine it happening and Flynn not know about it," added the senator from South Carolina.

Also charged with lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts -- and also cooperating with Mueller -- is George Papadopoulos, a low-level foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign.

Papadopoulos cultivated Russian contacts during the campaign and tried to arrange a Trump trip to Russia or a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He also told his supervisors that he had been offered "dirt" on Trump's rival, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, and son-in-law Jared Kushner are also believed to be on Mueller's radar because of their contacts with Russians.

But they have not been charged with anything so far and nothing has emerged yet linking Trump himself directly to the Russians.

- Obstruction of justice -

Trump's firing of FBI director James Comey in May is at the heart of the accusations that the president may have engaged in obstruction of justice.

Comey had been conducting an FBI investigation into the allegations of Russian meddling in the election when he was abruptly dismissed by Trump.

The FBI director had also been looking into Flynn, who had been fired as national security adviser in February for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador.

According to Comey, Trump urged him at a meeting in the Oval Office in February to halt an investigation into Flynn.

Such a request to an FBI director has been described as obstruction of justice by some legal scholars.

But Trump has denied making such a demand of Comey and engaged in a campaign to disparage the former FBI director since dismissing him in May.

"I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn," Trump tweeted on Sunday. "Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!"

That tweet, however, followed one on Saturday which suggested Trump already knew Flynn had lied to the FBI when he asked Comey to drop the investigation.

"I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI," Trump tweeted. "He has pled guilty to those lies."

In an attempt to back away from the tweet, a Trump attorney, John Dowd, told the website Axios that he had drafted the tweet, not the president himself.

Dowd also reportedly claimed that a president cannot be guilty of obstruction of justice "because he is the chief law enforcement officer under (the Constitution) and has every right to express his view of any case."

That assertion may be on shaky legal ground.

As part of their impeachment proceedings, former presidents Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon were both accused of obstruction of justice and other offenses.
(NEW YORK)  With a series of high-profile workplace sex scandals on their minds, employers are making sure their holiday office parties dont become part of the problem.

There will be less booze at many. An independent business organization has renewed its annual warning not to hang mistletoe. And some will have party monitors, keeping an eye out for inappropriate behavior.

TV and movies often depict office parties as wildly inappropriate bacchanals or excruciatingly awkward fiascoes, if not, horrifyingly, both. But even a regular office party can be complicated because the rules people normally observe at work dont quite apply, which makes it easier for people to accidentally cross a line  or try to get away with serious misbehavior. Especially when too much drinking is involved.

According to a survey by Chicago-based consulting company Challenger, Gray & Christmas, only 49 percent of companies plan to serve alcohol at their holiday events. Last year that number was 62 percent, the highest number in the decade the firm has run its survey. The number had been going up each year as the economy improved.

As soon as you introduce alcohol at an off-site activity, peoples guards are dropped, said Ed Yost, manager of employee relations and development for the Society for Human Resource Management based in Alexandria, Virginia. Its presumed to be a less formal, more social environment. Some people will drink more than they typically would on a Friday night or a Saturday because its an open bar or a free cocktail hour.

The Huffington Post reported Friday that Vox Media, which runs sites including Vox and Recode, wont have an open bar this year at its holiday party and will instead give employees two tickets they can redeem for drinks. It will also have more food than in years past. The company recently fired its editorial director, Lockhart Steele, after a former employee made allegations of sexual harassment against him.

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A survey by Bloomberg Law said those kinds of safeguards are common: while most companies ask bartenders or security or even some employees to keep an eye on how much partygoers are drinking, others limit the number of free drinks or the time theyre available. A small minority have cash bars instead of an open bar.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses recommends all of those steps, and adds another that might seem obvious these days: dont hang mistletoe. Its been giving those suggestions for several years.

Yost said he always gets a lot of requests for advice in planning and managing these events, but hes getting even more of them this year. He said hell be spending his corporate holiday party the way he always does: patrolling hallways, checking secluded areas and trying to watch for people who look like they are stuck in an uncomfortable situation  for example, inappropriate touching or a conversation thats taken a bad turn. If theyre visibly uncomfortable, hell intervene and plan a later conversation with the person responsible.

The Challenger, Gray & Christmas survey shows that about 80 percent of companies will have a holiday party, the same as last year. And not everyone is planning changes.

Anthony Vitiello, the marketing director for software company Anton Robb Group, said he planned his companys event and didnt rethink it. For the last few years the firms has marked the holiday with drinks and passed hors doeuvres in the wide cellar of a local restaurant. Vitiello thinks the formal setting makes the event calmer.

We havent had any incidents, not a single one I can recall, where anyone got loud or over-consumed, he said. He added that many of his companys 25 employees go out for drinks once a month, and hes not aware of any cases of misconduct.

Yost said hes not making changes to his groups event either. He added that companies concerned about sexual misconduct need to look further than the holiday party.

While there are additional complications that are associated with a holiday event, thats one day a year, he said.
A Communist Asian nation successfully tests a nuclear device, stoking anxiety among U.S. intelligence officials who have been monitoring the sudden progress of the rogue nations nuclear weapons program. The U.S. president weighs preventive military strikes, the specter of war looms, and bellicose rhetoric spews from unpredictable leaders on both sides.

A scene-setter for current tensions with North Korea? Yes, but also a fair description of events in 1964, when the Peoples Republic of China, ruled by Mao Zedong, conducted its first successful test of a nuclear bomb.

North Koreas nuclear and long-range missile tests have already surpassed the Chinese test of 1964 (considered to be the moment China joined the nuclear club) and, according to 38North.org, initial calculations of its Nov. 29 test launch indicate the new missile could deliver a moderately-sized nuclear weapon to any city on the U.S. mainland.

That is a frightening prospect. But some foreign policy experts think it may also represent a step toward stability. They raise the possibility that a North Korea with a credible nuclear deterrence capability could be open to the kinds of implicit and explicit agreements that during and since the Cold War have kept the other nuclear-armed nations from plunging into the abyss of mutually assured destruction.

Chairman Mao Zedong, founder of the Peoples Republic of China in 1963; and, the explosion of the first Chinese atomic bomb, on October 16, 1964. (Photos: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images, Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

If were optimistic, we could say this moment sets the scene for possible talks, says Devin Stewart, senior program director at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

The history of Chinas nuclear program offers some lessons.

China was the rogue state of the 1960s, with an unpredictable and potentially irrational strongman at the helm. Mao was desperate to maintain the revolutionary fervor that brought him to power.

If Kim Jong Un and his father before him have been characterized and caricatured as unhinged mad men, consider what Mao said in 1957: Im not afraid of nuclear war. There are 2.7 billion people in the world; it doesnt matter if some are killed. China has a population of 600 million; even if half of them are killed, there are still 300 million people left.

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Even as Mao dismissed nuclear weapons as inferior to his countrys conventional and spiritual defenses, China (with help from the Soviet Union) was pursuing its own nuclear arsenal. Declassified U.S. intelligence reports from the period warned that Chinas distorted view of the world may lead [Chinas leadership] to miscalculate risks. This danger would be heightened if Communist China achieved a nuclear weapons capability.

In his 1960 campaign, the future president John F. Kennedy said, There are indications, because of new inventions, that 10, 15 or 20 nations will have a nuclear capacity, including Red China, by the end of the presidential office in 1964.

President John F. Kennedy signing the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, with Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and others, on Oct. 7, 1963. (Photo: Robert Knudsen/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)

Kennedy was right, at least about China. (More than a half-century later, nine countries are known to possess nuclear bombs.) It would be years before China had the technology to credibly launch a nuclear-tipped missile against the U.S., but Kennedy correctly predicted that by the end of 1964, a nuclear-armed China would be a top national security concern. State Department records released in 1998 show that Kennedy and the subsequent Johnson administration were so worried about China getting the bomb that they considered preventive strikes, including with nuclear weapons.

That thinking dominated the 60s, particularly in the Kennedy administration, says Yevgen Sautin, a Gates Scholar at Cambridge University. Kennedy had a huge fear of the Chinese nuclear program and sometimes used pretty racist language as well.  [He believed] that it was a unique peril for China to get the bomb.

More than half a century later, President Trump warned in his first speech at the U.N. General Assembly that the scourge of our planet is a group of rogue regimes, and threatened to totally destroy North Korea if necessary. President Trump has frequently invoked the possibility of a preventive military strike against Pyongyang.

President Trump addresses the U.N. General Assembly, Sept. 19, 2017. (Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

But many officials, including President Trumps own former adviser Steve Bannon, have concluded theres no military solution to North Korea.

Thats the same conclusion President Johnson ultimately reached. As Johnson weighed the risks and benefits of a nuclear strike, an influential report by the State Department put the risk of Chinas acquisition of nuclear bombs in perspective. A member of the State Departments Policy Planning Staff, Robert Johnson, sent a briefing memo to the president saying military action to prevent China from acquiring the bomb would be undesirable and that the chance that the Chinese would ever launch a first strike was highly unlikely given the relative strength of the military capabilities of the U.S.

Sautin suggests that the outcome in the case of China may offer lessons and maybe even reasons for optimism when it comes to North Korea. We dont know if this is what led to it, but around the same time China becomes a nuclear power, it becomes more interested in improving its relationship with the United States, says Sautin. China was eventually accepted as a legitimate nuclear power and while major concerns remain about its proliferation controls, it has been a party to the nonproliferation treaty since the mid-1990s.

Could the world live with a nuclear North Korea? Will North Korea come to the negotiating table once it has achieved what it set out to achieve  a nuclear deterrent against the United States?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with nuclear weapons experts. (Photo: KCNA/via Reuters)

Im not going to go out and say North Korea is going to become a model international actor if they get nuclear weapons, says Sautin. I think their motivations are different, but [China] is another good example that, from a U.S. perspective, with enough time you can adjust your expectations.

The two situations arent completely analogous.

Its clear that Kim desires a powerful deterrent against what he calls the protracted nuclear threats of the U.S. imperialists. His language parrots Maos proclamations and justifications for Chinas nuclear program.

But some analysts believe Kim Jong Un may not be deterrable, in the sense that he can be relied on to act rationally in his nations interests. More than half of North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile tests have occurred since he succeeded his father in 2011. His political purges and executions may have solidified his grip, but under his watch, North Korea has become even more isolated from the international community.

Thats the big question mark, says the Carnegie Councils Devin Stewart. If North Korea is so incredibly weak and unstable and its a cult of personality, its a dynasty that  worships this idea of self-reliance. Do they operate by the same rules of international relations?

Evan Osnos has written extensively about the North Korea nuclear situation and the mythology surrounding the Kim dynasty and its culture of self-reliance, or juche. He recently interviewed a North Korean defector named Ri Jong Ho, who makes a different comparison. Osnos wrote in the New Yorker:

North Korea is similar to a monarchy of the 16th and 17th centuries, Ri told me. In that analogy, Kim is the nervous tyrant. Although he is worshipped like a god, he does not think that he has stable control over the country. You can see, from his actions, that he is anxious. Hes quick-tempered, Ri said. He feels the need to show that he is a bold, daring leader who can make spontaneous decisions, that his power is strong. He is young and proud. He is like a car with no brakes. If his father were alive, he would be controlled, but his father is gone, and there is no one who can control him.

Yevgen Sautin of Cambridge University points out another variable that makes the China analogy less than perfect  Donald Trump. Theres a psychological element, he says, that lies at the root of the U.S.-North Korea problem that is amplified by the temperament of the U.S. president.

Kim Jong Un watches the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile in an undated photo released by the Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 16, 2017. (Photo: KCNA via Reuters)

Theres little evidence that President Trump is listening to the more moderate voices in his administration, and after the most recent ICBM test, his ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, echoed her bosss language, stating [I]f war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed.

Its hard for us to accept a country thats so blatantly aggressive with its rhetoric, says Sautin. It would be uniquely difficult for [President Trump] to accept that this country, with this stand-offish leader, can credibly threaten the United States.

But experts agree on one thing: Increasingly, it can.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
By Marco Aquino LIMA (Reuters) - Four former and current executives of Peruvian construction companies were detained pending trial on Monday, accused of colluding with Brazilian builder Odebrecht [ODBES.UL] to bribe a former president. Judge Richard Concepcion ordered the men, who deny wrongdoing, to be held in pre-trial jail to ensure they do not flee or obstruct the law, as prosecutors prepare criminal charges. The decision marked the first time executives from major Peruvian companies have been jailed in the 'Car Wash' scandal, Brazil's largest-ever corruption probe that has widened to include other Latin American countries. Odebrecht has admitted to bribing local officials in 12 countries to secure public works contracts over the course of a decade and promised authorities that it would provide details. Prosecutor Hamilton Castro accused Jose Alejandro Grana and Hernando Alejandro Grana, who once headed Peru's biggest construction group Grana y Montero, and Fernando Gonzalo and Jose Fernando Castillo, who work for two private contractors, of providing $15 million of a $20 million bribe that Odebrecht paid. The money was paid to ex-president Alejandro Toledo to secure highway contracts that the companies partnered together on a decade ago and had been disguised on company books as the cost of "additional risks" covered by Odebrecht, Castro said at a court hearing. The judge also ordered Gonzalo Ferraro, a former Grana y Montero manager who was in local hospital, to be placed under house arrest. All five men deny any wrongdoing and are appealing the judge's ruling, said Ferraro's attorney Roger Yon. Grana y Montero, and the two private companies, JJC Contratistas Generales and Ingenieros Civiles y Contratistas Generales, declined to comment. The three companies have previously denied knowing about or taking part in Odebrecht's bribes. Grana y Montero's U.S.-listed shares closed 6.9 percent lower on Monday. The corruption probe has shaken up the local construction sector as the government prepares to award nearly $8 billion in contracts for rebuilding infrastructure and housing destroyed by flooding. President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who served in Toledo's cabinet when the highway contracts were awarded, has said he knew nothing about the alleged bribe for Toledo. Toledo, ordered to pre-trial detention in February, has denied taking bribes from Odebrecht. Peru is seeking his extradition from the United States. A second former President, Ollanta Humala, has been in pre-trial detention since July and denies allegations he took illicit funds from Odebrecht. (Reporting by Marco Aquino, Writing By Mitra Taj; Editing by Andrew Hay and Rosalba O'Brien)
Amazon is considering diving into the pharmacy business, and that's making incumbents nervous... so nervous, in fact, that it just sparked one of the larger acquisitions in recent memory. CVS Health is acquiring the insurance giant Aetna for the equivalent of $69 billion in a bid to create a highly integrated health care provider. You could get care right from your nearby CVS locations, and you'd have a one-stop shop for health that (theoretically) lowers costs, albeit by giving up choice. If regulators don't object to the deal, it should close in the second half of 2018.

Neither CVS nor Aetna has explicitly mentioned Amazon. However, it's no secret that Amazon looms large over the proposed merger. The New York Times reports that CVS and Aetna met "several times" for talks with Amazon's potential competition in mind. Also, CVS is in a prime position to change its strategy. It makes the most money from its pharmacy benefits business (which serves companies and insurers), not its stores, so it could continue to thrive even if Amazon swoops in and destroys its retail sales.

Aetna isn't under the gun in the same way. It was recently blocked from buying a key competitor, Humana, and has been looking for a way to expand without invoking the wrath of antitrust regulators. CVS makes sense in that regard -- the two firms operate in related areas, but they wouldn't be shrinking the markets for health insurance or pharmacies. There is a concern that they might hurt choices for Medicare, since both are key to offering prescriptions to Medicare recipients.

If the buyout does move forward, it could create an uphill battle for Amazon. It's not about to enter the insurance space, so it might miss out on sales if Aetna customers don't even have the option of purchasing some medications beyond CVS. Not every other pharmacy can afford to snap up an insurer, though, so Amazon could easily claim a sizable chunk of the market.
Yemens former authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, was killed by political rivals on Monday outside the capital, Sanaa. Salehs unexpected death at age 75 puts an abrupt end to his decades-long run as the countrys wily power broker  a legacy that has left Yemen in crisis and ruin.

Salehs rule over Yemen lasted for 33 years until he was forced to resign in 2012 amid a popular uprising. He never fully accepted losing the presidency, however, and in recent years became a central player in the countrys devastating civil war.

As Yemen has sunk deeper into one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises since its civil war began in 2014, Salehs unrelenting dealmaking and desire for power never stopped. But Saleh, who famously described ruling Yemen as dancing on the heads of snakes, saw his longstanding ability to maneuver and manipulate the countrys fractious politics ultimately fail this week.

Just days before his death, he had shifted his allegiances and signaled he would turn against the Houthi rebels he had aligned with and instead link arms with Saudi Arabia. The decision sparked days of fighting in Sanaa between the Houthis and Saleh loyalists until Houthi rebels gained the upper hand. The Houthis, members of an Iran-supported rebel movement, claim they ambushed Salehs motorcade as he attempted to flee the capital.

Now the civil war he stoked plunges into further uncertainty, and Yemenis face more suffering.

Houthi rebel fighters wait outside former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's residence in Sanaa on Monday. (Photo: MOHAMMED HUWAIS via Getty Images)

Salehs Legacy Of Ruin

Even before Yemen fell into civil war and became the target of Saudi airstrikes, Salehs rule left the country in a fragile state.

Yemen has long been one of the regions most impoverished countries  the year before Saleh was ousted, the annual income for the average Yemeni was around $1,000 U.S. dollars. As the country suffered from food shortages, falling oil production and economic mismanagement, Saleh amassed a fortune through corrupt dealings.

The United Nations alleges that Saleh managed to accumulate up to $60 billion during his time as president, most of which he shuffled out of the country and laundered.

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Saleh was also notorious for playing different political and sectarian groups in the country, using government funds to buy allegiances from local leaders and political groups. He also launched crackdowns on those who sought to oppose his rule, including a deadly campaign in 2004 on the Houthi rebels who killed their leader Husayn al-Houthi.

When the wave of political uprisings that began across the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 hit Yemen, Salehs supporters attempted to violently suppress the pro-democracy protests. About 2,000 people died in the crisis before Saleh accepted a deal in 2012 that saw him step down and make way for a new government and elections.

Ali Abdullah Saleh addresses supporters at a rally in August. (Photo: MOHAMMED HUWAIS via Getty Images)

Yemen After Salehs Rule

Although he was no longer president, Salehs ambition to hold on to power and influence remained. He used his deep connections in security forces and political circles to undermine Yemens attempt at democratic transition.

When the Houthis launched an armed uprising against the post-Saleh government in 2014, Saleh threw his support behind his former enemies in a bid to gain power and create a political vacuum that would return him or his son to the presidency. With Salehs help, the rebels took Sanaa as fighting erupted around the country.

But when Saleh crossed the Houthis in favor of Saudi Arabia, his characteristic shift of allegiance led to his death.

Yemens civil war has now killed at least 10,000 people and spurred regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia to pick sides in a proxy war against one another. The U.S.-supported Saudi airstrikes have been devastating  killing civilians, destroying key infrastructure and damaging much-needed medical facilities.

Yemens population is at constant risk of starvation and disease. The country is facing one of the worst cholera outbreaks in history, with over a million Yemenis, including 600,000 children, expected to contract the illness by the end of the year.

Salehs death could make the humanitarian situation even worse, leaving the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis to intensify their military campaign after the rebels killed their burgeoning ally. Increased fighting in the past few days alone has left thousands of civilians trapped and in desperate need of aid.

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Beneficiary heads of households gather to receive food vouchers distributed monthly as a part of Mercy Corps food support program in Haymah Dakhliyah, Sanaa Governorate.

At one of its monthly food voucher distribution Mercy Corps team members explain the distribution process to beneficiary heads of households.

Beneficiary heads of households receive their food vouchers distributed monthly in Haymah Dakhliyah, Sanaa Governorate.

A family in Haymah Dakhliyah, Sanaa Governorate carries home their monthly food rations redeemed by voucher with a local market supplier.

Community members in Haymah Kharijiyah, Sanaa Governorate carry home their monthly ration of food.

A woman stands with her monthly ration of food items provided by Mercy Corps.

A father carries home his monthly ration of food items provided by Mercy Corps through its voucher system working with local food suppliers in Haymah Kharijiyah, Sanaa Governorate.

A woman stands with her monthly ration of food items provided by Mercy Corps.

Community members participate in Mercy Corps health hygiene and nutrition education sessions as part of Mercy Corps food support and resilience building programs in Haymah Kharijiyah, Sanaa Governorate.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
On Monday, President Donald Trump traveled to Utah, where supporters greeted him at the airport and protestors were awaiting him at the state capitol with signs like, Keep your tiny hands off our public lands.

The purpose of the trip was to announce that two national monuments in the state would be shrunk, following an unprecedented review of federally-protected landscapes earlier this year. Were going to Utah, Trump told reporters as he boarded Marine One in Washington, D.C., Monday morning. It will be one of the great, really, events in this country in a long time.

When he arrived, Trump signed proclamations that downsized areas known as Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by about one million acres each, splitting those two monuments up into five smaller ones. With that stroke of his pen, Trump also set the stage for a historic legal fight.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke led the review of 27 monuments stretching from Maine to California, and he recommended in August that the boundaries of six be altered. Several groups vowed to sue if Trump followed that advice, arguing that the president does not have the authority to significantly change monuments declared by his predecessors. And they started making good on those promises immediately following his announcement.

Within hours of Trumps action, Earthjustice, an environmental organization, filed a lawsuit challenging the reduction of Grand Staircase-Escalante, an area rich in dinosaur fossils named for a series of descending plateaus. Also on Monday, five Native American tribes filed a lawsuit challenging the reduction of Bears Ears, an area sacred to tribes that is named for two ruddy plateaus that rise above rock art and cliff dwellings. Also preparing a lawsuit is outdoor retailer Patagonia, according to CEO Rose Marcario, who has said that fighting for the protection of public land is part of the companys corporate DNA.

Presidents have been proclaiming national monuments since 1906, when Congress passed the Antiquities Act. Faced with looting at cultural sites in the West, lawmakers delegated some of their authority over the nations land so that presidents could act quickly to protect areas that might be in danger. When land is declared to be a monument, it typically comes with restrictions about how the land can be used, whether that means bans on mining or logging or riding ATVs.

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Though manmade things like pottery may have been top of mind for lawmakers when the act was passed, Teddy Roosevelt quickly used the law to protect the 818,000-acre Grand Canyon, setting a precedent for the protection of whole landscapes. (Congress later made the area into a national park.) Since Roosevelts time, the act has been used by presidents from both parties to declare 157 monuments, ranging from Giant Sequoia trees in California to a rare underground pool in Iowa to a historic bar in New York City.

Presidents, including Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt, have also shrunk monuments during the last century. But those preparing lawsuits stress that such actions have never been challenged in court and note that the right to alter monuments is not expressly laid out in the law. While some legal experts have argued that the power to change monuments is implied  as many presidential powers are  others argue that Congress meant to reserve the right to modify monuments for itself.

Assuming this issue is settled in court, a win for the Trump Administration could clarify that he or any other president has the right to unilaterally remake monuments throughout the country. Conservatives have grievances of their own about the use of the law that will be central to the case, arguments that spurred the review and Trumps decision to downsize the contested areas in the first place.

A requirement that is expressly spelled out in the Antiquities Act is that a monument must be the smallest area compatible with protecting the objects of scientific or historical significance that prompted the designation. Critics say Democratic presidents have set aside areas that are much bigger than they need to be, including Bill Clintons designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Barack Obamas designation of Bears Ears. Originally each was bigger than the state of Delaware.

It has been abused, Utah Rep. Rob Bishop told TIME about the Antiquities Act, to a point where it no longer deals with protecting antiquities but with making political statements.

A win for the challengers could mean that the bar for altering monuments is higher, perhaps requiring legislative action. In a conference call about the lawsuits preceding Trumps trip, New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall called the new proclamations the largest attack on public lands  we have ever seen. The Democrat also said that the president is using never tested and dubious legal authority that could put energy development back on the table for the area.

Natalie Landreth, a representative for the Native American Rights Fund, argued that the changes Trump is making are so significant that they constitute a revoke-and-replace. No president has outright revoked a monument established by another commander-in-chief before, and so such action has not been challenged in court either.

Given all the interests at play when it comes to the usage of public lands, from the rights of ranchers to archaeologists, its unsurprising that monuments have been controversial since the very beginning. Roosevelts designation of the Grand Canyon, for example, ended up being affirmed by the Supreme Court after a disgruntled miner filed suit.

Opponents of monuments often paint them as a land grab because of new rules that get laid out in presidential proclamations (even though monuments can only be declared on land the federal government already owns). Supporters tend to celebrate those same rules as a means of preserving landscapes that are rich in natural beauty or historical artifacts. The values of economic development and conservation will likely be pitted against each other as the legal action goes forward. Its a common debate in the West, where the federal government owns huge tracts of land, including nearly two-thirds of the Beehive State.

While the legal landscape is still taking shape, multiple groups have said that the Navajo Nation plans to lead the fight in Bears Ears because Obama originally protected the land at the behest of Native American tribes. Their representatives push back on the notion that Bears Ears was bigger than it needed to be in order to protect items of significance in the area. If any land grab happened, Ethel Branch, attorney general for the Navajo Nation, told TIME, it was the grab that took those lands from us in the first place.
Mr Trump is expected to announce that Jerusalem is the Israeli capital during a speech this week

As President Donald Trump edges toward the controversial decision of recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital, unease is growing in the region over a move that will likely spark waves of protests  with Turkey the latest nation to suggest the change would bring catastrophe.

As has become usual for his administration, Mr Trump has so far refused to give a definitive answer about what he will do. As well as the decision over the capital, a decision about whether to sign a six-month waiver for moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has been delayed - despite a deadline for doing so having passed. An announcement on the decision would be made "in coming days," the White House said.

Mr Trump is expected to announce that Jerusalem is the Israeli capital during a speech this week, as well as eventually sign the waiver pushing back a decision on moving the embassy. But White House adviser Jared Kushner and National Security Adviser HR McMaster have both made it clear in recent days that that they are unsure about what Mr Trump will do.

That lack of firm direction has stoked tensions in the region. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said that Jerusalems status has been enshrined in a number of international declarations.

The status of Jerusalem and Temple Mount have been determined by international agreements. It is important to preserve Jerusalems status for the sake of protecting peace in the region, Mr Bozdag told reporters.

If another step is taken and this step is lifted, this will be a major catastrophe, he added.

The diplomatic status of Jerusalem is one of the worlds thorniest issues, and any change could have vast repercussions across the Middle East. The citys holy sites are sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, with both Israel and the Palestinians claiming it as their capital. The Palestinians want a number of areas of the city as part of any future state.

Israel occupied the area in the 1967 Middle East war and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem. According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accord, the citys final status is meant to be discussed in later peace talks.

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Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognised internationally. But this is expected to change this week with Mr Trumps announcement.

France President Emmanuel Macron expressed "concern" over the potential move to recognise Jerusalem on a call with Mr Trump on Monday,

Meanwhile Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the US, Prince Khalid bin Salman, said: Any US announcement on the status of Jerusalem prior to a final settlement would have a detrimental impact on the peace process and would heighten tensions in the region.

In a phone call over the weekend, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are said to have discussed the status of Jerusalem.

According to reports, Mr Erdogan told Mr Abbas that preserving the status of Jerusalem was important for all Muslim countries, adding that international laws and United Nations decisions should be followed on the issue.

Over the weekend, Mr Abbas warned that American recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital would jeopardize the White Houses Middle East peace efforts.

Any American step related to the recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel, or moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, represents a threat to the future of the peace process and is unacceptable for the Palestinians, Arabs and internationally, Mr Abbas told a group of Arab legislators from Israel, according to the official Wafa news agency.

Any move by the US to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital would lead to violence, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.

We say very clearly that taking such action is not justified ... It will not serve peace or stability, but will fuel extremism and result to violence, Mr Gheit said in a statement.

Jordans Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, said he had raised the matter with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Such a decision would trigger anger across Arab Muslim worlds... and jeopardise peace efforts, he wrote on Twitter.

Jordan has begun consultations on convening an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation ahead of the move by Mr Trump

Jordan, the current president of the Arab summit, would invite members of the two bodies to convene if the recognition is extended, to discuss ways of dealing with the consequences of such a decision that raised alarm and concern, one diplomatic source told Reuters.

But while Mr Trump is anticipated to make the move anyway, he will likely hold back on announcing his plans on another controversial issue  his campaign promise to transfer the US embassy to Jerusalem.

He is not expected to relocate the US embassy just yet  a deferment that has been viewed as an attempt by his administration to avoid completely derailing the Presidents peace initiative in the region.

All countries currently maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, Israels commercial capital. And each American president since 1995 has signed a national security waiver every six months to keep the US embassy in Tel Aviv.

Mr Trump  under pressure from Arab leaders  also deferred a decision to move it to Jerusalem, even though he said during the campaign that it would be one of his first acts as president.

That action came as leaders warned that the change would spark protests, and advisers  including his son-in-law Jared Kushner  were reported to be concerned that it could complicate the administrations efforts to foster peace talks.

Mr Kushner is now said to be counting on his relationship with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to be the key to brokering a Middle East peace agreement. Mr Trumps son-in-law also hopes this connection could mitigate any Arab uprising that could result from the Presidents upcoming announcements.

Mr Tillerson  who would normally be the official figuring out the USs Middle East strategy  reportedly disagrees with Mr Kushners approach. Mr Tillerson is said to be worried that Prince Mohammed is attempting to use Saudi Arabias cooperation and economic support for the peace process as a way to receive funding from the White House to confront Iran, according to US media reports.

The president is going to make his decision, Mr Kushner said of the Israel decision, in a rare public appearance at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank on Sunday. He is still looking at a lot of different facts.

Im not sure what decision hell make. Weve given him options, Mr McMaster told Fox News. He added that the Presidents advisers have discussed a number of options, and that each of these options will allow the United States to take action concerning Jerusalem in a manner that would gain momentum toward a peace agreement and solution that works both for Israelis and for Palestinians.
President Donald Trump is working to downplay his ex-national security advisers guilty plea in the Russia investigation by lashing out at Hillary Clinton, suggesting the system is rigged if she got away with the lies she told the FBI.

The president contrasted that while Michael Flynns life is destroyed for the false statements he made. Mr Flynn pleaded guilty last week to lying to the FBI as part of special counsel Robert Muellers probe into alleged ties between Russia and Trump campaign advisers.

In typical Trump fashion, the President has sought to refocus the publics attention on the FBIs investigation last year into Ms Clintons use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State - an inquiry that did not elicit any indictments or a guilty plea, unlike the Trump-Russia probe.

So General Flynn lies to the FBI and his life is destroyed, Mr Trump said, while Crooked Hillary Clinton, on that now famous FBI holiday interrogation with no swearing in and no recording, lies many times...and nothing happens to her? Rigged system, or just a double standard?

The FBI has not charged Ms Clinton with making any false statements.

According to court documents, Mr Flynn lied telling the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, to moderate Russias response to US sanctions that had been imposed the same day by former President Barack Obama. He also lied when he said he didnt ask Mr Kislyak to delay or defeat an unrelated United Nations Security Council vote. Both contacts happened in December 2016, when Mr Trump was preparing to take office.

On Monday, Mr Trump said he feels very badly for Mr Flynn.

So General Flynn lies to the FBI and his life is destroyed, while Crooked Hillary Clinton, on that now famous FBI holiday interrogation with no swearing in and no recording, lies many times...and nothing happens to her? Rigged system, or just a double standard?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017

I think its a shame, Mr Trump said of Mr Flynns situation, adding that its very unfair and that the ex-official had led a very strong life.

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Mr Flynns conduct was the reason why he was forced to resign from his White House role in February - after it was publicly revealed that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Mr Kislyak.

I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies, Mr Trump wrote in tweet over the weekend. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!

The federal investigation started as a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, but has expanded to include investigation of possibly collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russia - as well as a number of other issues. Mr Flynn is the fourth person to have been charged in relation to the investigation.

In October, Mr Trumps former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his associate Rick Gates, were charged with 12 counts of financial crimes related to their work in Ukraine, charges they both deny. Foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos has also pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about contacts with Russia-linked individuals  a similar charge that Mr Flynn admitted to as part of the plea deal.

Mr Trump has insisted there was no collusion between his advisers and the Russian government. And the Kremlin has said Russian President Vladimir Putins decision not to retaliate against the sanctions was not influenced by Mr Flynn.

Of course Putin took the decision, it was his decision, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to Reuters. It (the decision) could not have been connected to any requests or recommendations. The president takes his decisions absolutely independently.
Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian police on Tuesday arrested former interior minister Habib al-Adly who had been on the run to avoid serving a prison sentence for embezzlement, his lawyer told AFP.

Adly, whose iron-fisted command of the country's police helped fuel a 2011 uprising that unseated longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, was arrested in Cairo, lawyer Essam al-Batawy said.

State television also reported Adly's arrest.

He was sentenced in April to seven years in prison along with 10 other former officials for embezzling about $122 million.

He had been a fugitive since then. He had contested his sentence which an appeals court will examine in January.

Adly had previously been acquitted of charges of responsibility for the deaths of protesters during the anti-Mubarak uprising.

The court dropped charges against Mubarak, who has since been freed, in the same trial.

Under Adly, the interior ministry was accused of practising systematic torture and the repression of dissent.
Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's former president Goodluck Jonathan was a "vital witness" in the corruption case of his party's spokesman, a court was told on Tuesday.

But officials have made three unsuccessful attempts to serve the former head of state with a summons to appear at the trial of Olisa Metuh, the Federal High Court in Abuja heard.

Metuh is charged with receiving 400 million naira ($1.1 million, 940,000 euros) from Jonathan's national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

Dasuki is accused of using some $2 billion in defence funds earmarked for the fight against Boko Haram to help fund Jonathan's re-election bid in 2015.

The Dasuki case is the highest-profile prosecution of President Muhammadu Buhari's campaign against endemic corruption.

Metuh maintains Jonathan was aware of the payment and his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, said the presence of the former president would determine whether his client had a case to answer.

"We have earlier indicated that former President Goodluck Jonathan is a vital witness in this case.

"We have said that the need for (Metuh) to testify will only arise after we have appraised the evidence that will come from our next witness (Jonathan).

"We submit that it is only when former president Jonathan has testified that we will know whether the defence for the first defendant has been sufficiently made."

Jonathan is not thought to have been questioned about any of the allegations. Etiaba told reporters outside court that it was "not asking for too much" for him to testify.

But prosecutor Sylvanus Tahir said Jonathan's presence "should not be used as a ploy to arm-twist or tie down the hands of the court" and the defence had enough testimony.

An aide to Jonathan told the court bailiff that the ex-president would be available to receive the summons next Monday.

Dasuki, who is also using Jonathan as an alibi, denied illegally channelling the security funds to prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party when he appeared at the Metuh trial in November.
(Reuters) - Richard Cordray, a Democrat whose resignation as head of the U.S. consumer bureau last month triggered a political battle over who should replace him, plans to run for governor of Ohio, an advisor said on Monday. Cordray will make the announcement at an event on Tuesday at a restaurant in his home town of Grove City, Ohio, said the advisor, who asked to remain anonymous. Cordray will later tour Ohio, meeting with Democratic activists, community leaders and voters, the advisor said. When he resigned last month, Cordray named his deputy to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But the appointment was mired in turmoil after President Donald Trump assigned White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney to the role. A federal judge last week sided with Trump, but the deputy, Leandra English, is challenging the decision. The 2018 election is to replace Ohio Governor John Kasich, a Republican who cannot seek a third term because of term limits in the pivotal election battleground state. Kasich ran unsuccessfully for president in 2016. Many Democrats have said Cordray, with his reputation for being tough on banks and defending consumers, is their best hope for taking the Ohio governor's mansion and chipping away at Republicans' dominance in state government. Several candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties announced they would run for Ohio governor, according to local media. Cordray delivered a campaign-style speech at a Labor Day celebration in Cincinnnati in September, but at the time he stopped short of saying whether he intended to run for governor. The Ohio native was the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a consumer watchdog agency created under former President Barack Obama in the aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis. In Washington, Mulvaney on Monday said he has no intention of firing English. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Andrew Hay)
By Mike Stone SIMI VALLEY, Calif (Reuters) - The U.S. agency tasked with protecting the country from missile attacks is scouting the West Coast for places to deploy new anti-missile defenses, two Congressmen said on Saturday, as North Korea's missile tests raise concerns about how the United States would defend itself from an attack. West Coast defenses would likely include Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missiles, similar to those deployed in South Korea to protect against a potential North Korean attack. The accelerated pace of North Korea's ballistic missile testing program in 2017 and the likelihood the North Korean military could hit the U.S. mainland with a nuclear payload in the next few years has raised the pressure on the United States government to build-up missile defenses. On Wednesday, North Korea tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can fly over 13,000 km (8,080 miles), placing Washington within target range, South Korea said on Friday. Congressman Mike Rogers, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee and chairs the Strategic Forces Subcommittee which oversees missile defense, said the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), was aiming to install extra defenses at West Coast sites. The funding for the system does not appear in the 2018 defense budget plan indicating potential deployment is further off. "It's just a matter of the location, and the MDA making a recommendation as to which site meets their criteria for location, but also the environmental impact," the Alabama Congressman and Republican told Reuters during an interview on the sidelines of the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in southern California. When asked about the plan, MDA Deputy Director Rear Admiral Jon Hill said in a statement: "The Missile Defense Agency has received no tasking to site the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense System on the West Coast." The MDA is a unit of the U.S. Defense Department. Congressman Rogers did not reveal the exact locations the agency is considering but said several sites are "competing" for the missile defense installations. Rogers and Congressman Adam Smith, a Democrat representing the 9th District of Washington, said the government was considering installing the THAAD anti-missile system made by aerospace giant Lockheed Martin Corp, at west coast sites. The Congressmen said the number of sites that may ultimately be deployed had yet to be determined. THAAD is a ground-based regional missile defense system designed to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles and takes only a matter of weeks to install. In addition to the two THAAD systems deployed in South Korea and Guam in the Pacific, the U.S. has seven other THAAD systems. While some of the existing missiles are based in Fort Bliss, Texas, the system is highly mobile and current locations are not disclosed. A Lockheed Martin representative declined to comment on specific THAAD deployments, but added that the company "is ready to support the Missile Defense Agency and the United States government in their ballistic missile defense efforts." He added that testing and deployment of assets is a government decision. In July, the United States tested THAAD missile defenses and shot down a simulated, incoming intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). The successful test adds to the credibility of the U.S. military's missile defense program, which has come under intense scrutiny in recent years due in part to test delays and failures. Currently, the continental United States is primarily shielded by the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system (GMD) in Alaska and California as well as the Aegis system deployed aboard U.S. Navy ships. The THAAD system has a far higher testing success rate than the GMD. The MDA told Congress in June that it planned to deliver 52 more THAAD interceptors to the U.S. Army between October 2017 and September 2018, bringing total deliveries to 210 since May 2011. North Korea's latest missile test puts the U.S. capital within range, but Pyongyang still needs to prove it has mastered critical missile technology, such as re-entry, terminal stage guidance and warhead activation, South Korea said on Friday. (Reporting by Mike Stone in Simi Valley, Calif.; Editing by Chris Sanders, Michelle Price and Michael Perry)
Houthis patrol around after clashes between Houthis and former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh supporters - Anadolu

Yemen's exiled president ordered troops to advance on Sanaa hours after his predecessor was killed by Huthi rebels, while his son called for revenge.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi called on Yemenis to unite against the Iran-backed insurgents who shot Ali Abdullah Saleh dead as he fled the city following the collapse of their alliance.

"Let's join hands to end the control of these... criminal gangs and... open a new chapter to rid our beloved Yemen of this nightmare," Hadi, leader of the internationally recognised government, said in a televised address late Monday from Saudi Arabia, where he lives in exile.

The gruesome images from the previous day of Saleh, with a gaping head wound, sent shockwaves among his followers - a grisly end recalling that of his contemporary, Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, in 2011.

Saleh's son Salah said on Facebook on Tuesday that he would not receive condolences for his father's death until "after avenging the blood" of the longtime strongman. Healso urged his father's followers to fight their former allies, the Shia rebels known as Houthis.

"I will lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen ... the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran," he said.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for three decades, had joined forces with the Shia Houthi rebels in 2014 when they took control of large parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

Former Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed on Monday

But that alliance unravelled over the past week, with dozens reported dead in heavy clashes as the former leader reached out to the Saudi-led coalition that has waged devastating air strikes against the Huthis since September 2015.

Clashes in the capital Sanaa have killed at least 234 people and wounded 400 since December 1, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday.

Hadi has ordered Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar to "activate military units and advance towards the capital," a presidency official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP.

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Military and government sources said the army would advance on Sanaa from the east and northeast, with at least seven battalions ordered to move forward.

Saleh was forced to step down in 2012, after his forces waged a bloody crackdown on peaceful Arab Spring-inspired protests calling for his ouster.

The 75-year-old had survived civil war, rebellion in the north, an Al-Qaeda insurgency in the south and a June 2011 bomb attack on his palace that wounded him badly.

Malnourished boy lies on a bed in a treatment centre in Sanaa Credit: UN

The Huthis announced Saleh's death on the rebels' Al-Masirah television station, declaring in a statement the "end of the crisis of militias" - referring to Saleh's armed supporters, to whom the government have offered an amnesty.

There were reports of further clashes and coalition strikes against Huthi-controlled government buildings and around Sanaa airport on Monday evening.

The Saudi-led coalition warned the city's residents to evacuate rebel-controlled areas, as international aid groups warned Monday they were losing the ability to reach civilians in Sanaa.

A video provided to AFP by the rebels showed what appeared to be a dead Saleh with a severe head injury, his body wrapped in a floral-print blanket.

A military source said the Huthis had stopped their four-car convoy about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Sanaa and shot dead Saleh and two other officials.

Faiqa al-Sayyid, a leader in Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) party, said Saleh "was martyred in the defence of the republic".

The Saleh-Huthi alliance had been fraught since its inception in 2014, when the two ended decades of enmity and joined ranks to capture Sanaa from Hadi's government.

Saudi Arabia, accusing Iran of backing the rebels, intervened in Yemen on behalf of the government the following year. The ensuing conflict has claimed more than 8,750 lives.

Saleh on Saturday announced he was open to talks with Saudi Arabia and its allies on condition they ended their crippling blockade of Yemen's ports and airports - dealing a serious blow to his already fragile alliance with rebel chief Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

In a televised speech on Monday, Houthi made no mention of Saleh's death but expressed his satisfaction at the day's events.

"Today marked the failure of the conspiracy and treason, a black day for the forces of aggression," he said on Al-Masirah.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray responded to US President Donald Trump's criticism of his agency via an email to bureau staff: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The FBI's director has told staff to "keep calm and tackle hard" in the wake of President Donald Trumps recent Twitter attacks on the bureau, in which he claimed the federal agency's reputation was "in tatters"

The President had used Twitter over the weekend to express his dissatisfaction with the FBI by saying it was the worst in history.

The FBI, under the direction of special prosecutor Robert Mueller, is working an investigation into alleged collusion between Mr Trumps 2016 campaign team and Russian officials - with former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleading guilty to a charge of lying to the bureau last week. Mr Trump has lamented that the FBI have "destroyed" Mr Flynn's life.

Director Christopher Wray sent an email, obtained by CBS News, to staff on Monday morning, but was careful did not address the Presidents public criticism directly.

He wrote: "We find ourselves under the microscope each and every day -- and rightfully so. We do hard work for a living. We are entrusted with protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution and laws of the United States. Because of the importance of our mission, we are also entrusted with great power, and we should expect -- and welcome -- people asking tough questions about how we use that power. That goes with this job and always has.

He added that he was "inspired by example after example of professionalism and dedication by his staff.

The Presidents FBI tweet came just two days after Mr Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about a 29 December conversation he had with the former Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak regarding US sanctions against Moscow. That is as well as another conversation on 22 December about a UN vote against Israeli settlement building.

After years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters - worst in History! But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017

Mr Wray was appointed by Mr Trump to replace former Director James Comey, who was sacked on 9 May.

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The former director testified in front of the Senate some months later that Mr Trump had asked him to stop the investigation into Mr Flynn, during a meet on 14 February. That was a day after Mr Flynn was pushed out of the administration for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Mr Kislyak.

The White House, and Mr Trump, have repeatedly denied that the president asked Mr Comey to drop any investigation into Flynn.

Mr Wray told staff he would be testifying in front of the Senate later this week about the breadth and significance of their work.

"Please continue to keep focused on our critical mission with fidelity, bravery, and integrity. The American people rightly expect this from us, he added.
Trump and Jerusalem. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP, Ammar Awad/Reuters, Oded Balilty/AP)

President Trump will announce around midday on Wednesday that he is formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital and directing the State Department to begin the process of building a future U.S. Embassy there, ushering in a sea change in American policy and potentially roiling the Muslim world.

Concurrently, he will sign the semi-annual waiver that, under U.S. law, permits him to keep the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv for the next six months without triggering drastic cuts to State Department operations spending.

And he will lay out his new position in a way that does not preclude the possibility that Palestinians could establish a capital in East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since the 1967 war.

The description of Trumps plans was given by several sources inside and outside the Trump administration, all of whom requested anonymity and strongly cautioned that the presidents decision  and schedule  could undergo an 11th-hour shift.

Hours after Yahoo News first reported the outlines of Trumps speech, the White House held a briefing in which senior officials confirmed this account. The president is affirming a reality  a historic and current reality, one official said.

Ahead of the announcement, Trump phoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, and Jordans King Abdullah II. Abbas and Abdullah, through their offices, warned Trump that his decision to recognize Jerusalem would cripple hopes for Middle East peace, and risks inflaming anti-U.S. sentiment in the Muslim world.

Many questions about Trumps policy shift remain. Here are five things to watch for in the speech.

Will there be a precise timetable for moving the embassy?

News accounts of Trumps phone calls to world leaders on Tuesday described him as saying he intends to move the U.S. Embassy. Without a timetable, even an aspirational one rather than a firm date, intends means that the president would be just restating U.S. policy.

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A 1995 U.S. law requires the United States to move its embassy to Jerusalem but gives presidents the power to delay it in six-month increments. Trump, like his predecessors, promised on the campaign trail to move the embassy  but once in office, put off the decision.

The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel (Photo: Michael Jacobs/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images)

Slideshow: Reaction to Trumps Jerusalem announcement >>>

But the sources who spoke to Yahoo News said Trump would direct U.S. diplomats, probably led by U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, to begin the process of surveying possible sites, and hiring builders and contractors. Some of the sources said the president would express his hope that the embassy would open during his term of office, without setting a hard date either for the groundbreaking or the completion of the project. (Friedman, in a statement announcing his nomination, said he looked forward to working from the U.S. Embassy in Israels eternal capital, Jerusalem.)

In the White House briefing, which was held on condition that none of the speakers be identified by name, one senior administration official told reporters that Trump is not going to set a timetable.

Another top U.S. official said that as a practical matter, no embassy is constructed today anywhere in the world in shorter than three to four years. No embassy. And thats to meet the necessary requirements for security, resiliency, safety and simple accommodation of the staff. Thats going to be the case here as well.

The officials said Trump would sign a waiver every six months until the embassy opens  unless Congress changes the law.

In practice, the city already serves as Israels capital, and while no other state has an embassy there, the U.S. ambassador frequently works and stays in the city.

What will Trump say about the Palestinians?

Observers of Middle East politics and diplomacy will be listening closely to Trumps speech to detect whether he refers to West Jerusalem when he recognizes Israels capital.

He probably wont. Thats significant because the Palestinians have said that they want the capital of their hypothetical future state to be in East Jerusalem. Two sources said Trump would leave it to aides to tell reporters that his announcement does not preclude that.

U.S. policy has been to regard the dispute as one of the final status issues to be determined in Middle East peace negotiations, not unilaterally.

Israel has claimed Jerusalem as its undivided capital since 1950 and supports moving the U.S. Embassy there. Moving the embassy would effectively ratify the Israeli claim, risking an angry response from Muslim allies.

The CIAs World Factbook says this under the entry for Israels capital: Jerusalem: note  while Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, the international community does not recognize it as such; the U.S., like all other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv-Yafo. (At the State Department, the page that normally would include such details has carried a currently being updated note for most of 2017.)

Two congressional sources told Yahoo News that they expect Trump to take a hard line on the Palestinians, insisting that they end a policy that pays the surviving family members of suicide bombers  a practice denounced in the U.S. Congress as pay to slay.

How will key allies, inside the Muslim world and beyond, react?

Key allies like Jordan and Saudi Arabia have publicly warned Trump against unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital. France and Germany have done so as well. NATO member Turkey has warned it could even cut ties with Israel in response.

Privately, U.S. officials have been playing down the potential backlash. One central feature of their argument is that Irans resurgence in the aftermath of the death of arch-enemy Saddam Hussein and the signing of the nuclear deal with major world powers including the United States now dwarfs the Israel-Palestinian question in the minds of major Middle East leaders. They note that the region is defined now by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and while public Saudi criticism is certain, they suggest that the private message from Riyadh is more conciliatory.

Palestinians in the West Bank protest President Trumps decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Dec. 6, 2017. (Photo: Mahmoud Illean/AP)

But Turkeys robust denunciation of the plan, and the volatile situation in countries like nuclear-armed Pakistan, raise questions about whether that perspective will hold.

And another concern is potential public anger in Jordan, a key U.S. ally, where a majority of the population is Palestinian and which has struggled under the strain of hosting some 650,000 refugees from Syrias civil war.

Were obviously concerned about the protection of U.S. citizens, U.S. officials anywhere in the world, including the Middle East, one of the senior officials said at the White House briefing.

What will Trump say about Middle East peace?

Recent news reports have said the Trump administration is poised to unveil its plan for Middle East peace sometime in the next few months  an elusive timetable for one of the heaviest lifts in global affairs.

Trump tapped his son-in-law Jared Kushner for the job, backed by Friedman and by Jason Greenblatt, whom Trump designated as a special diplomatic envoy. In February, after talks with Netanyahu, Trump dropped the two-decade-old U.S. demand for a two-state solution  separate Jewish and Palestinian nations side by side  for the region. Trump now views that as one option among several.

One recurring warning from Muslim countries ahead of the Jerusalem speech has been that recognizing Israels claim to Jerusalem means that Washington can no longer be a broker for peace. Its not clear how Trump will connect the two matters, though two U.S. officials suggested that he would respond by saying that not recognizing Jerusalem has not helped to usher in a peace deal.

Trump remains committed to achieving a lasting peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians and is optimistic that peace can be achieved, a senior U.S. official said in the White House briefing. Delaying the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has done nothing to achieve peace.

But the officials could not say how recognition would advance the long-stalled peace process, or name a single U.S. ally (other than Israel) that supports the move.

Will Trump benefit politically at home?

Trumps evangelical base will be thrilled. And the White House is making the most of that.

This is good news. This is big news. This is a prophesy coming to pass. I mean the top three reasons why we as Christians and evangelicals voted for Donald Trump was the Supreme Court, abortions and obviously, pro-Israel, pro-Israel beliefs, Pastor Mark Burns, a Trump surrogate in the 2016 campaign, told Yahoo News.

Trump sits at historic lows in public opinion polls, though his core supporters seem to be sticking by him.

Ive been asked, and other leaders have been asked, to prepare statements in preparation for this announcement because obviously theres going to be a big stir up, huge stir, obviously those who are enemies of the administration are going to go crazy, Burns said.

Additional reporting by Hunter Walker.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
U.S. health officials said they are concerned the upcoming flu season could be a bad one, based on reports from the Southern Hemisphere, where the flu season recently ended for the year.

In Australia, for example, there were record-high numbers of laboratory-confirmed flu cases this year  more than 2.5 times the number last year, according to the Australian Government Department of Health. And flu hospitalizations and deaths in Australia were also higher than average this past season.

That does not bode well for the United States, experts say.

"As clinicians in the United States prepare for the start of another influenza season, experts have been watching the Southern Hemisphere winter for hints of what might be in store for us in the north," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and colleagues wrote in a recent paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine. "Reports from Australia have caused mounting concern" about the upcoming flu season, the authors wrote. [6 Myths About the Flu Vaccine]

Australia's bad flu season may have been due, in part, to a mismatch between the flu strains included in this year's flu vaccine and the flu strains that were circulating in the public. According to preliminary estimates from Australia, the flu vaccine was 33 percent effective at preventing the flu and only 10 percent effective at preventing infection with H3N2, the predominate flu strain in circulation during the country's flu season.

The U.S. will use the same flu vaccine this year as the one used in Australia, and early data show that H3N2 is also the predominate flu strain in circulation in the United States so far this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Still, there's no way to predict for certain how severe or mild the flu season will be in any given year. So, health officials still recommend that everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu shot this season.

Story continues

"However imperfect, though, current influenza vaccines remain a valuable public health tool, and it is always better to get vaccinated than not to get vaccinated," the paper said.

The paper also noted that the flu vaccine "mismatch" seen in Australia this year could be related to the way most flu vaccines are currently made: using chicken eggs to "grow" the flu virus strains. During this egg-based production process, flu strains may acquire changes that facilitate their replication in eggs but that reduce their effectiveness at preventing flu, the paper said.

The possibility of a low-effectiveness flu vaccine this year "underscores the need to strive toward a 'universal' influenza vaccine that will protect against seasonal influenza drift variants, as well as potential pandemic strains, with better durability than current annual vaccines," the officials said in their paper. "In all likelihood, such a vaccine would not be subject to the limitations of egg-based vaccine technology," the authors said.

Original article on Live Science.

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Ford is recalling more than 177,000 select 2016 F-150 pickup trucks and 2016 Explorer SUVs in the U.S. because a bolt in the powered front seats can fail or fall out.

Ford says the missing bolt can allow the seats to shift more than they should in the event of a crash and is a safety issue. Ford says it is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to this problem.

The Details

Vehicles recalled: 2016 Ford F-150 vehicles built at the Dearborn (Mich.) Assembly Plant or the Kansas City (Mo.) Assembly Plant from Jan. 22, 2016, to April 19, 2016; and 2016 Ford Explorer vehicles built at the Chicago Assembly Plant from Jan. 22, 2016, to April 19, 2016.

The problem: The upper left-hand pivot bolt for the front power-seat adjuster may loosen or fall out, Ford says. Losing the pivot bolt can lead to increased movement in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

The fix: Dealers will inspect the bolt to see whether it meets torque requirements, Ford says. If it does, theyll remove and clean the bolt, add a new threadlock, and reinstall it correctly. If the bolt fails the torque inspection, a threadlock will be added and the bolt will be reinstalled as an interim repair for sold units until the final repair equipment is available. The final repair will include replacement of the lift link with new bushings and fasteners.

How to contact the manufacturer: Ford says owners should take their vehicle to their local dealer, where repairs should be made free of charge.

NHTSA campaign number: There is no NHTSA number yet; Fords reference number is 17S40.

Check to see whether your vehicle has an open recall. Plug in the 17-digit vehicle identification number at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.





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Top pick tires for 2016

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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2017, Consumer Reports, Inc.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Former Egyptian interior minister Habib al-Adly has been arrested after failing to attend his sentencing in a trial over corruption charges, two security sources said on Tuesday. Adly, who served under ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, was due to attend the final hearing in April and hand himself over to authorities, but did not show up and had been missing since then. A copy of the April verdict obtained by Reuters showed that Adly and two other ministry officials were ordered to refund a total of 1.95 billion Egyptian pounds($109.83 million) and were fined the same amount. Adly, who has denied the charges, is due back before the Court of Cassation, Egypt's top civil court, for an appeal in January. His lawyer could not be reached immediately for comment. Egypt's state news agency MENA earlier reported that Adly had been located, but did not disclose his location or whether he had been arrested. A long-serving official at the head of Egypt's feared internal security apparatus, Adly was acquitted of other graft charges two years ago. He was also cleared in 2014, along with Mubarak and six aides, of charges related to killing protesters during the 2011 uprising which had led to their downfall. ($1 = 17.7550 Egyptian pounds) (Reporting by Mostafa Hashem and Haitham Ahmed; Writing by Nadine Awadalla and John Davison; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
By Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian supporters of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili freed him from a police van on Tuesday after his detention on suspicion of assisting a criminal organisation led to clashes with police in Kiev. Once freed, Saakashvili raised a hand in a V-for-victory sign -- a handcuff still dangling from his wrist as he stood in a melee of supporters. He then led protesters towards parliament, where he called defiantly for President Petro Poroshenko to be removed from office. Prosecutors said they would make all efforts to regain custody of Saakashvili but the chaotic scenes of his detention and escape are likely to undermine the image of stability that Ukraine's leadership are keen to present to foreign backers. Ukrainian prosecutors suspect Saakashvili of receiving financing from a criminal group linked to former president Viktor Yanukovich which planned to overthrow the current government. He could face up to five years if found guilty. Saakashvili is also wanted in Georgia on criminal charges which he says were trumped up for political reasons. Masked officers had earlier dragged Saakashvili, 49, from an apartment in the Ukrainian capital. But his supporters prevented the police van from moving off, hemming it in and eventually freeing him by breaking its windows and back door. Protesters also started assembling a barricade of tyres, wood and stones ripped up from the street in scenes reminiscent of Ukraine's 2013-14 pro-European 'Maidan' uprising. "Today you maybe saved me from death, therefore my life belongs to you," Saakashvili told a crowd at a makeshift camp outside parliament built by opposition supporters in September. "The people of Ukraine must assemble and force the Ukrainian parliament to remove from power the criminal group led by the traitor to Ukraine, Poroshenko," he said. General Prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko said Saakashvili had a 24- hour deadline to present himself to the state security service, but subsequent comments by his press office suggested he could be detained earlier. "All legal grounds for his detention have been established," spokesman Andriy Lysenko said. The detention was the latest twist in a prolonged feud between the Ukrainian authorities and Saakashvili, who was invited by Poroshenko to become a regional governor after the 'Maidan' protests ousted a pro-Russian president in early 2014. The two quickly fell out and Saakashvili turned on his one-time patron. It is unclear if Tuesday's events will lead to wider unrest, as Saakashvili enjoys limited support in Ukraine. Only 1.7 percent of voters would support his party, the Movement of New Forces, in elections, according to an October survey by the Kiev-based Razumkov Centre think-tank. UKRAINIAN SUSPICIONS In a response to a request for comment on the case and on Saakashvili's comments on Poroshenko, the president's administration said law enforcement had found evidence to back up the claims against Saakashvili. "These facts clearly demonstrate the true price of all the political and 'incriminating' statements, which were recently made by Mikheil Saakashvili," it said in a statement. Georgian prosecutors said they had not been informed of Tuesday's developments by their Ukrainian counterparts. Saakashvili made a dramatic return to Ukraine in September, barging his way across the border from Poland despite having been stripped of Ukrainian citizenship and facing the threat of possible extradition to Georgia. He wants to unseat Poroshenko and replace him with a new, younger politician. His supporters have camped in tents outside parliament and launched sporadic protests since his return. "We have been waiting for it (the arrest) for months, of course, and especially in the recent weeks," Saakashvili's wife Sandra Roelofs told Georgian TV Rustavi 2. "It's illegal and outrageous." Saakashvili received Ukrainian citizenship when he reinveted himself as a Ukrainian politician. He was made governor of the Odessa region in 2015 on the strength of the reforms he carried out in Georgia. But he fell out with Poroshenko, accusing him of corruption, while Poroshenko's office said Saakashvili was trying to deflect from his own shortcomings as an administrator. He was stripped of his citizenship by Poroshenko in July and is now stateless. Saakashvili's supporters see him as a fearless crusader against corruption but critics say there is little substance behind his blustery rhetoric. In his homeland, where he took power after a peaceful pro-Western uprising known as the Rose Revolution in 2003, his time in office was tarnished by what critics said was his attempts to monopolise power and exert pressure on the judiciary. He was president at the time of a disastrous five-day war with Russia in 2008, a conflict that his critics argued was the result of his own miscalculations. (Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi; Writing by Matthias Williams and Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
By Bernie Woodall

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Reuters) - Former U.S. Representative Corrine Brown of Florida was sentenced on Monday to five years in prison for her role in helping raise more than $800,000 for a bogus charity that was used as a slush fund, federal court officials said.

Brown, 71, was convicted in May on 18 counts of participating in a conspiracy involving a fraudulent education charity, concealing material facts required on financial disclosure forms and filing false tax returns.

Brown, a Democrat from Jacksonville who served 24 years in Congress, lost her re-election bid last year after being indicted.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan said he considered Brown's years of public service in deciding her punishment. But he determined that "probation for a member of Congress convicted of 18 counts involving mail, wire, and tax fraud would not be sufficient," according to a transcript of his comments.

Brown maintains her innocence and will appeal, her lawyer, James Smith, told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Jacksonville on Monday. The former congresswoman declined to comment.

"I disagree with the idea that a woman who is 71 should have to go to prison for a nonviolent economic offense," Smith told reporters.

Smith said he also would argue on appeal that most of the evidence against Brown was circumstantial and that the judge improperly removed a juror in the case.

That juror told Corrigan that the Holy Spirit had informed him that Brown was not guilty, Jacksonville's WJXT-TV reported.

Prosecutors said Brown participated from 2012 to 2016 in a conspiracy and fraud scheme involving the One Door for Education fund, along with her chief of staff, Elias "Ronnie" Simmons, and the charity's president, Carla Wiley.

"Trial evidence also showed that more than $300,000 in One Door funds had been used to pay for events hosted by Brown or held in her honor," federal prosecutors said in a statement.

Simmons was sentenced to four years in prison and Wiley to 21 months, federal court officials said. None of the three were taken into custody after being sentenced.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Andrew Hay and Jonathan Oatis)
(Adds details, quotes)

PARIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - France and Germany agree that Iran must reverse its ballistic missile programme and end its "hegemonic temptations" across the Middle East, the French foreign minister said on Monday.

"We also have the same view on the necessity for Iran to go back on its ballistic missile programme and its hegemonic temptations," Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a news conference alongside his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel.

Irans foreign ministry spokesman earlier on Monday said Paris should know that Irans missile programme is not an issue that can be negotiated.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will definitely not negotiate on defence and missile issues," Bahram Qassemi said on Monday, according to state media, indicating that French officials were ignoring recent history in the region.

Gabriel said the two countries would continue to defend the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. (Reporting by John Irish; editing by Richard Lough and Leigh Thomas)
Annie Graham was called to her sons school so much because of behavioral challenges that she started helping out in his classroom.

It just wasnt working for him. It was his personality. He likes to move a lot, she said. I was finally like, Lets just try home-schooling.

Soon, she and her husband taught all six of their children. Graham has a masters degree in education and soon will receive a doctorate in instructional design for technology, so she felt prepared for the challenge.

It was awesome, but we were kind of lonely, she said. We were always trying to find kids and trying to find people to meet up with and make friends with.

Other home-school parents told her they felt the same.

We all want our kids at home because its whats best for them  and we all have different reasons for having our kids at home  but they need something more. They need a community. They need other kids to hang out with and people to have play dates with. So we started this place.

eNDVR, a homeschool cooperative learning space and resource center, opened in Missoula about three years ago for parents who home-school or to supplement traditional school learning.

Classes and workshops are offered on a sliding fee scale or through a co-op system. Members must volunteer a minimum number of hours at the school but can work more to reduce, or eliminate, a monthly membership fee.

This fall, Graham launched Aspire High School, a self-directed democratic program for middle- and high-school kids who split time between eNDVR and courses they choose themselves. Some students attend Aspire for the full week and others are primarily home-schooled, attending a limited number of days based on their classes of interest.

Approximately 80 students attend eNDVR and 16 go to Aspire, she said.

Steven Crossier, 15, has been home-schooled off and on as his family moved around the globe with his fathers job in the military and then as a contractor. He said Aspire and eNDVR relieve some pressure on his parents to teach while giving him access to new teachers and new subjects that fill in the gaps of his dads background in engineering and his moms expertise in the medical field.

This quarter, hes taking music lessons, research writing, computer programming and business courses through Aspire, in addition to his lessons at home.

Those are classes I chose because theyre topics I figured would be most useful, Crosier said. Thats one of the things I like about this school. Its hands-on and very much useful, which I havent really seen in many other schools.

Jonas Rodriguez, 16, said hes been home-schooled much of his life and appreciates that lessons are tailored to his interests, including stuff you wont normally learn at a public school. Right now, he is learning  and teaching other kids  how to program with the popular computer game, Minecraft, and is nearly finished writing a script for a zombie movie that hell produce with other students this year.

You can sleep in sometimes. You get to do school at your own pace, he said.

Shayna Adams family lives and farms on a Bitterroot homestead, but she drives her boys, ages 5 and 8, into Missoula once a week for classes at eNDVR. She said their decision to home-school was solidified by one week at a charter school in California, where they used to live.

The teacher was drilling him on phonics with an iPad and expecting him to sit still on this little X she had duct-taped on the floor. He couldnt. He was too bouncy, she said.  This has been a great opportunity for my kids to have a social circle, and its also really great to be able to sign your kids up for classes so everything isnt on you as the sole educator.

Last week, Elaine Anderson-Wood, who taught in area public and private schools, started a new class at eNDVR. In Eat Your Way Around the World, middle- and high school students will learn geography, culture, science and cooking. The course culminates in a final report and preparation of a dish from a particular country.

This was something all the kids choose to do, Graham said. Last spring, everybody wanted a class on paper airplanes, so we spent eight weeks studying aerodynamics and different aspects of flight and making paper airplanes. You can fit any educational goal into a child-driven environment.

"They can come up with the ideas and you can come up with the What do they need to learn? Then theyre interested and excited and actually want to be here.
President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. (Photos: George Frey/Getty Images; Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images)

French President Emmanuel Macron strongly warned President Trump on Monday not to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, the Elysee Palace said in a summary of the phone call between the two leaders  or maybe he didnt, if you go by the administrations version of the same conversation. The synopsis released by the White House, called a readout, made no mention of the apparent disagreement. Instead, it said only that the two leaders had discussed the path to peace in the Middle East.

The conversation confirmed the close relationship between the United States and France as allies committed to stability in the Middle East and North Africa, the U.S. readout said blandly.

Macrons version, on the other hand, went into considerable detail.

The French president expressed his concern over the possibility that the United States would unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Macrons office said.

Macron reaffirmed that the question of Jerusalems status must be dealt with in the framework of peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, with the aim in particular to establish two countries, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as [their] capital.

Israel considers Jerusalem its capital, but the United States, like virtually every other country, stations its ambassador in Tel Aviv. During the campaign last year, Trump promised he would move the embassy to Jerusalem  a long-standing goal of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his American allies  but he has postponed taking action. Facing a deadline to inform Congress of its decision, administration officials told Yahoo News last week that Trump was on track to put off the move, while formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital. Not long after the French side released its readout, the White House let it be known that it would not be announcing its plans on Monday, as had been expected.

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A 1995 U.S. law requires the United States to move its embassy to Jerusalem but gives presidents the power to delay it in six-month increments.

The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go that its not a matter of if, but a matter of when the embassy will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Trump spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters aboard Air Force One. No action will be taken, though, on the waiver today, he said, and the White House will announce Trumps decision in the coming days.

Failure to invoke the waiver would trigger the laws enforcement mechanism  a 50 percent cut in State Department funding for acquisition and maintenance of facilities overseas until the administration certifies that the embassy in Jerusalem has opened. Officials say that would require the construction of a new embassy because simply relabeling the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem as an embassy is not feasible.

The obstacles to the move are not logistical, but geopolitical. Israel has claimed Jerusalem as its undivided capital since 1950 and supports moving the U.S. Embassy there. But the Palestinians aim to locate the capital of their potential future state in the eastern part of the city, occupied by Israel since the 1967 war. Moving the embassy would effectively ratify the Israeli claim, risking an angry response from Muslim allies. U.S. policy has been to regard the dispute as one of the final status issues to be determined in Middle East peace negotiations. Those diplomatic concerns led Trumps predecessors to break the same pledge that he made frequently on the stump in 2016.

Formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital could send shockwaves through the Muslim world  but Trump could soften the blow in various ways, including by acknowledging Palestinian aspirations to have the capital of their hypothetical future state be in East Jerusalem.

Trump and Macron are hardly the first American and French presidents to serve up radically different versions of the same telephone call. After an October 2013 conversation between Barack Obama and Francois Hollande, the readouts were so at odds that they hardly seemed to stem from the same discussion.

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Kiev (AFP) - Ukrainian security services on Tuesday arrested former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili after he climbed onto the roof of his apartment building and addressed supporters during a police raid.

Saakashvili, who was also a regional governor in Ukraine, dramatically fell out with the country's President Poroshenko over accusations that Kiev was failing to make good on the fight against corruption and was stripped of his Ukranian passport.

In September, he defied the Ukrainian authorities and forced his way back into the conflict-riven country.

"Poroshenko is a thief, Poroshenko is a traitor to the people of Ukraine," Saakashvili said from the roof, a video broadcast on Ukrainian television showed.

"I call on all decent Ukrainians to take to the streets and drive out these thieves... I call on Ukrainians not to allow me to be abducted, I appeal to the people of Kiev not to allow lawlessness."

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said Saakashvili, 49, had been arrested on charges of assisting criminal organisations.

The entrance to the building was blocked by dozens of armed police, some from the security service, after Saakashvili was led down from the roof and into a police van, an AFP journalist at the scene said.

More than a hundred supporters had blocked the vehicle in a street not far from where the arrest took place for more than an hour.

The security service said Saakashvili had been informed of the charges in the presence of his lawyer and would be questioned by investigators.

"This morning in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, my husband was taken by government troops from his home and moved by force into a mini-van that was subsequently blocked by hundreds of his supporters, growing already into the thousands," Saakashvili's wife Sandra Roelofs said on her Facebook page.

"Time will show where this leads to, we pray it will stay peaceful!"

- Kremlin 'surprised' -

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President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said the Kremlin was "once again surprised by Kiev and once again surprised by Saakashvili".

Asked to comment on the situation, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "We are not used to responding to the statements of people sitting on roofs."

Saakashvili is credited with pushing through pro-Western reforms in his native Georgia which he led from 2004 to 2013 after rising to power during the so-called Rose Revolution in 2003.

In the wake of the pro-Western revolution in Kiev he moved to Ukraine in 2015 to work for the country's authorities as governor of the key Odessa region on the Black Sea, before falling out with Poroshenko.

Saakashvili has led protests against the Kiev government since October after forcing his way back into the country from Poland.

The former Georgian president leads his own Ukrainian political party that hopes to grab seats from the president's increasingly unpopular one in polls set for autumn 2019.
- Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Former Georgia president Mikheil Saakashvili has been freed by protesters after a dramatic arrest on the rooftop of his Kiev flat amid a feud with Ukraine's president.

The authorities had seized the firebrand politician, who served as governor of Ukraine's Odessa region between 2015-16, on accusations of trying to overthrow the government of his former ally Petro Poroshenko.

But the botched arrest only galvanised support for Mr Saakashvili and led to ongoing demonstrations in the capital and a criminal case against his sympathisers in parliament.

Mr Saakashvili had climbed onto the roof of his eight-storey building in downtown Kiev and threatened to jump when heavily armed security forces stormed his flat on Tuesday morning.

Poroshenko is a thief! Poroshenko is a traitor to Ukraine! he yelled before the troopers seized him and put him in a van.

But protesters blocked the vehicle with other cars and makeshift barricades as the police attempted to quell the unrest with tear gas.

Police spray tear gas at protesters who tried to prevent a van from taking Mr Saakashvili away. Credit: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

After an hours-long impasse, the crowd broke open a side door and freed Mr Saakashvili. With handcuffs still hanging off one wrist, he called for protests to remove Poroshenko and his whole gang and led hundreds to the parliament building.

While Mr Saakashvili addressed protesters outside, prosecutor general Yury Lutsenko told parliament that the Georgian ex-president had received $500,000 from a criminal gang led by former president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia amid protests in 2014. This was part of "Moscow's plan for a Russian winter in Kiev," he said.

Mr Lutsenko played the MPs what he said was a recording of Mr Saakashvili agreeing to send a representative to meet Yanukovych associate Sergei Kurchenko, who was sanctioned by the European Union after departing Ukraine in 2014.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko addresses the media at the end of the EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels on November 24. Credit: Aurore Belot/AFP/Getty Images

The prosecutor said a criminal case had been opened against MPs who had obstructed Tuesday's arrest, including popular reformers Mustafa Nayyem and Serhiy Leshchenko.

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He said Mr Saakashvili, who has denied the allegations, must turn himself in and protesters must disperse within 24 hours.

Jane Collins, a member of the European parliament from UKIP, briefly spoke outside parliament in Mr Saakashvili's defence.

Mr Saakashvili is detained by agents of the security service of Ukraine. Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Since he forced his way across the Polish-Ukrainian border with supporters in September, the Georgian politician has been holding protests calling for the impeachment of his old university acquaintance Mr Poroshenko, most recently marching through the capital on Sunday.

Mr Saakashvili came to power in Georgia in the 2003 Rose Revolution, promising pro-Western reforms, but lost territory in a disastrous war with Russia in 2008. He was charged with abuse of office after he left in 2013.

He was tapped to head the region of Odessa in 2015, but had a falling out with Mr Poroshenko over the torpid tempo of reforms and accused the president of corruption.

Having stripped him of the citizenship he was previously granted, the Ukrainian authorities denied his application for asylum this autumn and said he is in the country illegally.
Addis Ababa (AFP) - A German citizen was killed during an attack at a volcano near Ethiopia's volatile border with Eritrea, Germany's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The lava lake at Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia's arid Danakil depression is a popular tourist destination, despite a history of kidnappings and killings of visitors to the area.

"The Foreign Office confirms one deceased German national during the attack at Erta Ale," the ministry said in a statement without offering further details.

Ethiopia's government did not immediately respond to requests for comment and no group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Danakil lies near the country's contested border with Eritrea, a one-time territory that voted to leave in 1993 and that fought a devastating two-year war with Ethiopia, which ended in 2000 and left tens of thousands dead.

The two countries remain enemies and support different armed groups in an effort to destabilise each other.

In 2012, five European tourists including two Germans were killed, and two others kidnapped, at Erta Ale by the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDU) rebel group after a gun battle at the volcano.

The kidnapped tourists, also Germans, were released after less than two months in captivity.

In 2007, ARDUF seized five European tourists and eight Ethiopians. The Europeans were released after 12 days to the Eritrean government, while the Ethiopians were freed almost two months later.
Paris (AFP) - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri will attend talks in Paris Friday on the crisis triggered by his recent resignation announcement to be attended by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, France said Tuesday.

"The aim is to support the political process (in Lebanon) at a crucial moment," the French foreign ministry said, minutes after Hariri announced he had rescinded his resignation.

"It will send a message both to the various parties in Lebanon and to countries in the region," the ministry added.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- will be represented at the meeting, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt.

French officials said the goal was to shore up Lebanese institutions, by strengthening the army and supporting Hariri's economic programme, with a view to encouraging foreign investment in the country.

Hariri announced he was stepping down on November 4 in a surprise televised address from Saudi Arabia that sent tremors through Lebanon, long a proxy battleground for regional powers.

His resignation was seen as part of an intensifying power struggle between the Saudi kingdom -- which had long backed Hariri -- and its regional rival Iran, which backs the armed organisation Hezbollah.

After announcing he was bowing out Hariri, who accused Hezbollah of destabilising Lebanon, remained in Riyadh, sparking speculation that he was being held hostage by the Saudis.

French President Emmanuel Macron intervened to try defuse the crisis, inviting Hariri to Paris for talks, after which he returned to Beirut to a hero's welcome.

Two weeks later, following consultations with the various political groups in Lebanon, Hariri announced Tuesday he was withdrawing his resignation.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, left, waves to the crowd after speaking during a benefit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, right, and Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in New York. (Photo: AP/Julie Jacobson)

Hillary Rodham Clinton, at what felt like a particularly unpredictable gig on her schedule, gave the keynote address at a fundraising event for Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST), New York Citys LGBTQ synagogue, on Monday night.

She spoke before a crowd of 700 that had gathered at a theater of the Fashion Institute of Technology for Bringing Vision to Life, both to raise money for the mortgage on its new Manhattan temple and to honor Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, a notable human rights activist, for her 25 years of service.

As she led this congregation forward, Rabbi Kleinbaum helped CBST become what it is today: a bold spiritual community of resistance and love, said Clinton, taking the podium following a performance by the Greenwich Village Orchestra of Lincoln Portrait, by Aaron Copland, who, it was noted, was gay and Jewish, and accused of Communist affiliations during the McCarthy era. Love is always, always needed, she added. It turns out resistance comes in and out of our needs, but it is high on the need list right now.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a benefit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in New York. (Photo: AP/Julie Jacobson)

The event, which raised $2.3 million for the synagogue, was co-hosted by Andy Cohen and Cynthia Nixon, the latter of whom noted, I was not raised Jewish. I am not Jewish at all, in fact. But CBST is still a home for me. I come here on my own terms. She added, in one of the most political nods of the evening, This congregation gathers not because we have to, or because we fear the wrath of hell  though this last year has been plenty of a preview, thank you very much.

Cohen said he first came to CBST in the early 90s, and noted, to appreciative laughter, Growing up Jewish and closeted in Missouri is exactly as much fun as it sounds.

Kleinbaum and many of her congregants were ardent supporters of Clinton during her campaign; the rabbis partner, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten, faced criticism for her official AFT Clinton endorsement. Kleinbaum and Clinton shared a stage recently at the funeral (where Kleinbaum officiated and Clinton spoke) of CBST congregant Edie Windsor, the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that granted same-sex married couples the right to federally recognized marriage. (Windsor, it was announced from the stage on Monday night, bequeathed $50,000 to CBST from her estate.)

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And following the 2016 election, Kleinbaum and many CBST members wrote to Clinton, expressing their support.

I especially loved the letters I got from some of your youngest congregants, she told the sold-out crowd on Monday. For example, 8-year-old Felix, and his moms, sent along a photo of his incredible Halloween costume. He looked just like me. He even nailed my hair, which you know is not easy. The audience roared with delight.

Clinton acknowledged that many in the theater had worked their hearts out for her campaign, and that they must be really kvelling over Kleinbaums years of spiritual leadership and activism  causing laughter that only increased when Clinton added about her use of Yiddish, Not bad for a Methodist from Illinois.

The former secretary of state, who spoke for 13 minutes, lingered on the topic of the AIDS crisis and its early days, when Kleinbaum first took the helm at CBST, a then-tiny congregation that watched many of its members die young.

I personally will never forget the feelings of pain and loss that I experienced on the National Mall the day that Bill and I went to see the AIDS quilt for the first time, Clinton recalled. I will also never forget the determination of AIDS activists who I met with, from L.A. to New York, who were literally fighting for their lives and reminding us that silence equals death. And we all have to be resolved that we cannot and will not go back to those days ever again. She said it is appropriate to remember a time not only of profound grief and suffering, but also of resilience and determination in the face of denial and indifference, particularly now, when our system to care for people is at risk, as funding is cut and as priorities change.

Clinton noted, There has never been a more urgent call to embrace the concept of tikkun olam, a tenet of Judaism which means, in translation, repair of the world. Or, as she said she learned growing up in her church, Do all the good you can for all the people you can in all the ways you can as long as ever you can. These are words from our respective traditions that should guide and inspire us. They certainly have helped pick me up and keep myself going when Ive been knocked down, which has happened from time to time.

In the days after the election, Clinton shared, she walked in the woods with her dogs, watched a lot of HGTV, organized her closets, did yoga, drank Chardonnay, and read lots of mysteries because in the end, the bad guy always gets it. She added, I also prayed. I prayed a lot, as fervently as I can remember.

Summing up the year, she said, 2017 has been a case study on how important it is to try to recapture a sense of common humanity and citizenship, and try to walk in the shoes of people who dont see the world like we do. She declared that empathy should not only be at the center of our individual lives and our spiritual lives, but it should be at the center of our public life, which it has been for Kleinbaum and the members of CBST, she said, noting, I have admired it and been impressed by it.

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(Reuters) - Authorities in Honduras on Monday arrested a Kentucky attorney who had pleaded guilty to charges over his role in a more than $550 million disability fraud scheme, months after he fled U.S. law enforcement, Honduran officials said.

Kentucky-born Eric Conn, 57, who was on the most wanted list of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, was arrested in the coastal city of La Ceiba as he left a restaurant, the Honduran public ministry office said in a statement.

The arrest came less than five months after a U.S. district judge in Lexington, Kentucky, sentenced him in absentia to 12 years in prison.

A spokesman for the FBI declined to comment.

The Honduran equivalent of American special weapons and tactics officers made the arrest, the ministry office added.

Conn pleaded guilty in March to charges of theft of government money and payment of gratuities, but fled in June, after he had been placed under house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor.

The ankle monitor was found in Lexington, along a road in a backpack, the FBI's most wanted page said.

A truck Conn is believed to have used during his escape was discovered in New Mexico near the border with Mexico, the FBI said in July.

Conn, a resident of Pikeville, Kentucky, participated in a scheme between 2004 and 2016 that involved submitting thousands of falsified medical documents to the U.S. Social Security Administration, U.S. prosecutors have said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By Chris Kenning

(Reuters) - A fugitive Kentucky lawyer who called himself "Mr. Social Security" was deported from Honduras on Tuesday where he had fled after pleading guilty in a $550 million disability fraud scheme, U.S. authorities said.

Eric Conn, 57, one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted, was arrested Monday at a Pizza Hut restaurant in the coastal city of La Ceiba, the FBI said.

Law enforcement agents have been searching for Conn for more than five months. He had run one of the largest disability practices in the United States, centered in Appalachian Kentucky and West Virginia.

Conn's attorney, Scott White, could not be reached for comment on his client's deportation.

In July, a U.S. judge handed Conn a sentence in absentia of 12 years prison under a plea deal he had agreed to before he fled in June. Conn was sentenced on charges of theft of government money and payment of gratuities.

He will now face additional charges for his escape, FBI Special Agent in Charge Amy Hess said at a news conference in Kentucky.

Conn, of Pikeville, Kentucky, participated in a scheme between 2004 and 2016 that involved submitting thousands of falsified medical documents to the U.S. Social Security Administration, U.S. prosecutors have said.

A retired administrative law judge, who Conn paid $10,000 a month to award benefits to clients, was among those also charged and sentenced in the case, prosecutors said.

Conn fled while under house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor, which was found in a backpack along a road in Lexington, the FBI said. A truck Conn is believed to have used during his escape was discovered in New Mexico near the border with Mexico, the FBI said in July.

The fraud has meant that more than 1,500 disability recipients in the impoverished region have had to fight to keep their payments, attorney Ned Pillersdorf, who is representing many of them, told Reuters.

About 700 have thus far been allowed to keep their benefits and some of the remaining 800 who were denied are appealing, he said. While some claims were bogus, he said it has been hardship to many in Appalachia who need the benefits.

(Reporting by Chris Kenning in Chicago; additional reporting by Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa; editing by Marguerita Choy and Grant McCool)
Tegucigalpa (AFP) - Honduras appeared set for a recount of its election Tuesday after incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez welcomed a demand by the opposition to re-open ballot boxes, a week into a crisis triggered by rigging claims.

The small Central American nation of 10 million people has been plunged into uncertainty punctuated with clashes since the November 26 election pitting Hernandez against leftwing former TV presenter Salvador Nasralla, with both sides claiming victory.

Hernandez ordered a state of emergency last Friday to curb protests and pillaging, but at least one death was reported in clashes after thousands staged defiant demonstrations.

His authority looked fragile as hundreds of police officers refused to enforce a nighttime curfew late Monday. Officers returned to work Tuesday on condition that the government would not force them to repress protesters.

In the first hours after the vote, Nasralla looked on track to comfortably win.

But then counting of ballots was delayed multiple times, with election authorities speaking of computer malfunctions, before results trickled out that credited Hernandez with a slight lead.

The Supreme Electoral Authority ultimately said Hernandez won 42.98 percent, against 41.39 percent for Nasralla -- but refused to name a winner, saying appeals might challenge the result.

- 'A complete count' -

The opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship cried foul and initially demanded ballots from nearly a third of polling stations be checked.

But after the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Tuesday said it was willing to look at the opposition's documents for those polling stations, opposition leader Manuel Zelaya called for a recount of ballots from all 18,000 polling stations.

"Our position is that there should be total checking between polling station records and the votes in the ballot box. Meaning open up the boxes, do a complete count to avoid any contamination" of the results, Zelaya, a former president, told AFP.

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Hernandez concurred, saying he was willing for the vote to be reviewed "once, twice or three times," adding he was confident it would uphold his victory.

The election was held under controversy because Hernandez, a 49-year-old lawyer, was seeking re-election despite an explicit bar to more than one term in the constitution.

The country's Supreme Court two years ago ruled that ban was void, but many Hondurans were uncomfortable with that -- especially as Zelaya himself had been ousted in a coup in 2009 in part because of perceptions that he wanted to lift the barrier to presidential re-election.

Hernandez first took office in 2014, after beating Zelaya's wife, Xiomara Castro, in a poll opponents also said was tainted by fraud.

- Uncertain situation -

The situation in Honduras is now one of uncertainty.

"The only path possible" to quell the crisis was for the claims of voter fraud to be rigorously checked, said the head of the election observer mission from the Organization for American States, Jorge Quiroga.

The European Union, which also sent poll observers, urged calm and restraint while the process played out.

"It is essential that the electoral authorities remain open and responsive to possible appeals, including to a transparent re-counting process, if requested by candidates," the EU's external action service said in a statement.

Meanwhile, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States was monitoring the situation "very closely."

"We would urge all actors to exercise their rights peacefully and call for a transparent, impartial and timely determination of the elections results," she said.

Nasralla, 64, on Monday told AFP he refused to recognize the tribunal's vote count.

Going into the election, Hernandez enjoyed implicit backing from the United States, which is pouring $750 million into Central America's so-called Northern Triangle -- the poor, gang-infested trio of nations made up of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala -- to try to stem migration from the region into the US.
DUBLIN (Reuters) - No agreement has yet been reached between Britain and Ireland on the future of the Northern Irish border, but the breakthrough required to allow wider Brexit talks to proceed could come later on Monday, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May hopes to break the Brexit talks deadlock on Monday with a new offer on divorce settlements at a crunch meeting with EU officials, but she has not yet achieved "sufficient progress" on the Irish border - one of three issues that must be resolved.

Coveney said the talks were in a "sensitive place" with the two governments discussing possible texts of an agreement, which is a prerequisite for Britain to start discussions on a new trade pact and a two-year transitional deal.

"Were not quite yet where we need to be. But it is possible to do that today," Coveney told Irish state broadcaster RTE.

"Hopefully we'll find a way forward today," he said.

Ireland has called on Britain to provide details of how it will ensure there is no "regulatory divergence" after Brexit in March 2019 that would require physical border controls.

But any solution will need the support of Northern Ireland's pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party, whose 10 members of parliament are propping up May's government.

Coveney said that draft texts were produced following progress in talks last Thursday and that discussions had continued over the weekend.

"There are political conversations happening in both governments in relation to that text," he said. "Both governments understand what each other is asking for."

(Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Alison Williams)
In Missoula County in 2016 alone, 18 military veterans took their own lives. Thats a staggering number, an average of more than one every three weeks. Its also by far the largest number for any county in the state, where a total of 53 veterans took their own lives that year.

Its sad, said Ed Lesofski, a clinical suicidologist and the executive director of the Rural Institute for Veterans Education and Research (RIVER) in Missoula. Its a hidden epidemic. Weve got to do more to help our veterans.

Last Thursday, Lesofski employed a few of RIVERs students, including Marine Corps veteran Jason Lemon, to construct a memorial at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Mullan Road as a reminder to those driving by to reach out to veterans this holiday season.

Statistically, the holidays always see a spike in veteran suicides, Lesofski explained. This is the time of year when they really need our help.

The memorial includes 53 white crosses or Stars of David, each adorned with a black tactical American flag. Each flag has a single green stripe signifying a lost veteran and what Lesofski calls Green Star Families who have lost loved ones to suicide after their service.

In 2014, Montana had the highest per capita suicide rate in the nation, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. That year, 58 veterans took their own lives, a rate of 68.6 percent compared to the national veteran suicide rate of 38.4.

Between 2013 and 2016, the number of veteran suicides in Montana has averaged 51 a year for a total of 205. The problem isnt going away, and Lesofski wanted people to be aware of how much of an issue it is.

Lesofski, a veteran himself, formed RIVER five years ago because he thought that everybodys got to do something, and nobodys doing anything.

Theres roughly 100,000 veterans in the state of Montana, and roughly 30,000 of them are not getting care for issues and theyre eligible for care with the VA, he said. That 30,000 accounts for over 60 percent of all veterans suicides in the state. There are solutions out there but theyre just not getting it.

Many veterans are reluctant to seek treatment because they dont want to be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Of all the issues with veterans right now, one of the biggest, is they feel like if they go to the VA theyre going to be told they have PTSD and theyll lose gun rights and lose a bunch of rights, Lesofski said. PTSD is what I refer to as the current leprosy diagnosis.

"Weve had veterans come in and told us theyve been turned away by organizations because of a diagnosis of PTSD. So the veterans arent stupid. Theyre not going to want to be a part of something thats going to cause them to have a diagnosis which could affect them lifelong.

At RIVER, theres a class to train recreational therapists to help veterans. Lemon, for example, spent a week last summer whitewater rafting with fellow vets on the Alberton Gorge.

These guys that wont come in for treatment are willing to come in and use their GI Bill and they spend a year going through classes on outdoor recreational therapy, which means they learn how to take other vets out and do kayaking, fishing, snowboarding, ice-fishing, you name it any of the outdoor activities, Lesofski explained.

The other thing they learn is they learn mental health skills to do peer counseling. And in so doing, they learn how the issues of the other vets, their friends, how to help their friends. Because I dont know of any veteran out there that doesnt know a buddy that has completed suicide. Its an epidemic in this state," he said.

Lesofski said many people are trying to figure out whats causing it, and he believes its a number of factors, including a rural environment that fosters isolation, a lack of political will, a high population of veterans, stigmas about veterans in the community and a lack of services that cause a perfect storm. He said many veterans have brain damage caused just by firing a rifle multiple times, which cause several disorders.

They all have very similar symptoms, Lesofski said.

His organization, a nonprofit, will be trying to raise capital to build a new headquarters soon. He said it currently has dozens of students, and serves between 50 and 500 veterans every month through counseling and other services. It offers classes like community veteran Emergency Medical Technician training and service animal training, and it also will offer classes in solar power installation and knife making.

This past fall, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., announced that the Missoula Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic will get more than $6.94 million in federal funding from bipartisan legislation to triple in size and hire more staff.

Tester, a ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, also grilled VA Secretary David Shulkin on the topic of suicides during a September meeting.

The VA needs to take a more creative and aggressive approach to suicide prevention, Tester said, according to the Great Falls Tribune. We need an action plan on how the VA is addressing this crisis in Montana that engages local communities, providers, veterans and their family members. Its on all of us to make sure that not one life is lost.
Rome (AFP) - Italy's competition watchdog on Monday initiated non-compliance proceedings against Ryanair that could see the airline fined up to five million euros ($6 million) over its recent waves of cancellations.

The procedure was launched after Ryanair ignored an order to update its website and standard emails to ensure Italian customers were made fully aware of their rights to re-booking, re-routing and compensation in the case of flights being cancelled, the antitrust regulator said in a statement.

The company challenged the order, which required the changes to be made within ten days, but its appeal was rejected by a tribunal last month.

Several press reports have claimed Ryanair cancelled flights as a result of staff shortages triggered by pilots and cabin crew leaving the company, or being required to take holidays before the year end.

The company has denied these reports, saying it was the result of a "pilot rostering failure".

More than 700,000 people have seen their travel plans ruined and the airline has been slammed by consumer groups and regulators for its handling of the crisis, particularly in relation to the rights of customers whose flights are cancelled.

Britain's Civil Aviation Authority reprimanded Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary in September for wrongly claiming that the airline was not obliged to re-route cancelled passengers on other airlines.

The company, Europe's biggest airline by passenger numbers, said Monday that it carried 9.3 million travellers last month, up six percent on November 2016.

That was its slowest rate of growth in three years but the company is sticking by its pre-crisis profit forecast despite the cancellations.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Japans Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer Kurama. (Photo-illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP (2), Toru Hanai /Reuters)

The United States and South Korea began large-scale air-defense exercises on Monday, ignoring pleas from Russia and China to call off the annual military drills in hopes that, in exchange, North Korea would slow its weapons programs. The decision signaled that the U.S. and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan, are losing faith in the prospects for negotiations with the regime in Pyongyang.

People may ask why we do not engage with North Korea. We have been engaging with North Korea for more than 20 years, a Japanese government official told Yahoo News at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. Our sincere will for dialogue with North Korea was betrayed, simply put.

North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week that flew higher and farther than any previous launches, before landing in the sea within 200 nautical miles of Japans coast. The launch defied international pressure for the nation to halt testing of offensive weapons.

The Kim Jong Un regime said the new Hwasong-15 ICBM reached an altitude of about 2,780 miles and traveled 590 miles during its 53-minute flight. U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said that Pyongyang was determined to build missiles that could threaten everywhere in the world, basically.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state-run news agency for North Korea, claimed the breakthrough ICBM was robust enough to withstand reentering the atmosphere with a warhead and could reach the U.S. mainland.

The launch was North Koreas first since President Trump put the country back on a list of state sponsors of terror on Nov. 20. It ended the fragile hope that stronger oil sanctions against North Korea would dissuade it from testing more ballistic missiles. The regimes last ballistic missile exercise before last Tuesday took place on Sept. 15.

North Korea has tested ballistic missiles dozens of times over the past two years, rapidly increasing their reach  and altitude, which creates a lofted trajectory thats more difficult to intercept.

Story continues

The country has carried out six nuclear tests since October 2006. The government said the fifth test, on Sept. 9, 2016, was its first successful test explosion of a nuclear warhead  i.e., a bomb that could be delivered by a missile. After the sixth test, on Sept. 3, 2017, Pyongyang announced that it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb with an estimated yield of 160 kilotons, 10 times larger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

North Koreas accelerated weapon development is a top security concern for one of the United States closest allies, Japan. Tokyo is less than 800 miles from Pyongyang. Despite its pacifist ideals, Japans Self-Defense Forces (SDF) have a system in place to counter this threat  if need be.

The first line of defense relies on warships off the coast armed with anti-ballistic-missile technology. American aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin originally designed this technology  known as the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system  for the U.S. Armed Forces to stop short- and medium-range missiles from the sea. Nancy Nelson, a spokeswoman for Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, said it is the most advanced maritime combat system on earth. She said six allied nations currently use the system: the U.S., Japan, Australia, Spain, Norway and the Republic of Korea.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces operate many vessels, but four, in particular, play a major role in missile defense: the Kongo-class destroyers equipped with the Aegis fire control system. Each ship takes its name from a different Japanese mountain. Kongo and Chokai home port in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture; Myoko home ports in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture; and Kirishima home ports in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Yosuke Nagata, the deputy director of the Strategic Planning Division for the Bureau of Defense Policy at Japans Ministry of Defense, said these ships are equipped with SM-3 missiles, which were designed by American defense contractor Raytheon.

The Japanese Self-Defense Forces have four Kongo-class destroyers at sea and various PAC missile launchers to stop approaching missiles. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News)

A second line of defense consists of on-land missile launchers that use Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC) missiles designed by Lockheed Martin.

One fire unit consists of five launching stations, Nagata told Yahoo News at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Ichigaya, Tokyo. Only two are equipped with PAC-3 missiles. Three launching stations are designed for PAC-2 missiles that can intercept cruise missiles and [hit] aircraft.

The larger PAC-2 missiles have a longer range and carry a warhead that can destroy an aircraft. The smaller PAC-3 missiles were designed to destroy ballistic missiles in the final stages of their flight. Although, if need be, both missiles could be used on an incoming missile or aircraft.

Mark Johnson, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control in Grand Prairie, Texas, explained that PAC-3 interceptors use Hit-to-Kill technology to defeat all threats through body-to-body contact.

Japans Bureau of Defense Policy has major programs underway to improve the defense systems abilities based on the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-Term Defense Program, which were approved by the National Security Council and the Cabinet in December 2013.

We will increase the number of destroyers from four to eight and develop the next-generation interceptors for SM-3 missiles [called SM-3 Block IIA], Nagata said.

The idea behind SM-3 Block IIA, which has been in development for about 11 years and should be installed by 2021, is to have something that can counter more capable and diverse ballistic missile threats.

Hypothetically, he continued, only three BMD ships with the current technology are needed to defend Japans entire territory. He said the minimum will drop to two BMD ships once the next generation of SM-3 missiles are installed. Nevertheless, to stay on the safe side, Japan wants to expand its BMD fleet.

The Japanese military also intends to introduce an updated version of the land-based PAC-3 called the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, which would travel higher and farther.

The Japanese government is also in talks with the U.S. to purchase the Aegis Ashore system, a land-based interceptor thats virtually identical to the version installed on the ships.

A launcher fires a PAC-3 MSE, left, and the JDS Myoko (DDG-175) concludes an annual exercise in the Philippine Sea, right. (Photos: Lockheed Martin/Jimmy C. Pan, U.S. Navy)

Ultimately, Japan relies upon the United States nuclear umbrella for deterrence. This is a controversial but arguably necessary policy for the Japanese people. The government is dedicated to the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, but there are still about 15,000 nuclear weapons in the world. China, whose relationship with Japan has soured over disputed claims to uninhabited islands, is believed to deploy about 270 nuclear warheads.

The United States compelled Japan to renounce war in its 1947 constitution, two years after World War II ended. The San Francisco Peace Treaty officially ended the American-led Allied Occupation of Japan when it came into force in 1952. But the U.S. was not eager to withdraw American troops amid the ongoing Korean War and threats from the Soviet Union and China. Though initially reluctant, Japan signed an additional treaty, the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security: the basis for U.S. military presence in Japan today.

The United States Forces Japan (USFJ), which was established at Tokyos Fuchu Air Station in 1957, currently consists of about 50,000 military personnel. There are also 42,000 dependents, 8,000 Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees and 25,000 Japanese workers involved in USFJ.

USFJ goals include protecting Japan, advancing American interests and supporting regional stability. According to USFJ, there are about 38,000 American troops protecting Japan on land and 11,000 at sea. They are stationed at 85 different bases and facilities on Honshu (the main island), Kyushu (third largest island) and Okinawa (a smaller island of great strategic importance). U.S. bases cover roughly 77,000 acres.

The United States has seven BMD ships based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture; AN/TPY-2 radar (designed to detect missiles) in Shrike, Aomori Prefecture and Kyogamisaki, Kyoto Prefecture; and PAC-3 in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture. Nagata said the early-warning information the U.S. provides when a ballistic missile is launched toward Japan and data related to where debris might fall are critical for the success of the BMD system.

The one thing Japan isnt counting on, at least in the near future, is a change of heart by North Korea. After a trip to Pyongyang, Russian lawmakers told RIA Novosti, their nations state-operated news agency, that North Korea will not disarm and doesnt want war but is morally ready if necessary.

A day after they launched missiles last March, North Korea claimed it was an exercise targeting the U.S. base in Japan. And they made a provocative statement that their missile could reach Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. They named specific cities, Ryusuke Wakahoi, the deputy director of the Strategic Intelligence Analysis Office at the Ministry of Defense told Yahoo News at the Ministry of Defense. I think we have to develop defense policies that take their provocative statements and expanding capabilities into account.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Jordan Klepper of Comedy Centrals The Opposition isnt afraid to shoot down iffy gun legislation.

On Mondays show, the satire-armed host took aim at a GOP bill that would allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons across state lines with a permit. The proposal, backed by the National Rifle Association, has a friendly name, Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. But basically, Klepper said, it would enable some people with violent records like domestic abusers to carry their concealed weapons in states with stricter gun laws as long as its legal for them to do so in the state from where they came.

Noting that a domestic abuser is not a good guy with a gun, Klepper quipped of the legislation:

It lowers the bar across the country so that every state has to abide by the loosest conceal carry laws. Americans love lowering the bar. Its so much easier getting over it that way.

Watch the Just Between Us segment above.

Also on HuffPost

1981: The Attempted Assassination Of President Ronald Reagan

on March 30, 1981, President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, was shot in the head.

1993: The Brady Handgun Violence Act

The Brady Handgun Violence Act of 1993, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, mandated that federally licensed dealers complete comprehensive background checks on individuals before selling them a gun. The legislation was named for James Brady, who was shot during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

1994: The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, instituted a ban on 19 kinds of assault weapons, including Uzis and AK-47s. The crime bill also banned the possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition. (An exemption was made for weapons and magazines manufactured prior to the ban.)

2004: Law Banning Magazines Holding More Than Ten Rounds Of Ammunition Expires

In 2004, ten years after it first became law, Congress allowed a provision banning possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition to expire through a sunset provision. Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke told HuffPost that the expiration of this provision meant that Rep. Gabby Giffords's alleged shooter was able to fire off 20-plus shots without reloading (under the former law he would have had only ten).

2007: The U.S. Court of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Rules In Favor Of Dick Heller

In 2007 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled to allow Dick Heller, a licensed District police officer, to keep a handgun in his home in Washington, D.C. Following that ruling, the defendants petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

2008: Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Handgun Ban As Unconstitutional

In June of 2008, the United States Supreme Court upheld the verdict of a lower court ruling the D.C. handgun ban unconstitutional in the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller.

Gabrielle Giffords And Trayvon Martin Shootings

Gun control advocates had high hopes that reform efforts would have increased momentum in the wake of two tragic events that rocked the nation. In January of 2011, Jared Loughner opened fire at an event held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), killing six and injuring 13, including the congresswoman. Resulting attempts to push gun control legislation proved fruitless, with neither proposal even succeeding in gaining a single GOP co-sponsor. More than a year after that shooting, Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was gunned down by George Zimmerman in an event that some believed would bring increased scrutiny on the nation's Stand Your Ground laws. While there has been increasing discussion over the nature of those statutes, lawmakers were quick to concede that they had little faith the event would effectively spur gun control legislation, thanks largely to the National Rifle Association's vast lobbying power. Read more here:

Colorado Movie Theater Shooting

In July of 2012, a heavily armed gunman opened fire on theatergoers attending a midnight premiere of the final film of the latest Batman trilogy, killing 12 and wounding scores more. The suspect, James Eagan Holmes, allegedly carried out the act with a number of handguns, as well as an AR-15 assault rifle with a 100-round drum magazine. Some lawmakers used the incident, which took place in a state with some of the laxest gun control laws, to bring forth legislation designed to place increased regulations on access to such weapons, but many observers, citing previous experience, were hesitant to say that they would be able to overcome the power of the National Rifle Association and Washington gun lobby.

Sikh Temple Shooting

On August 5, 2012, white supremacist Wade Michael Page opened fire on a Sikhs gathered at a temple in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six and wounding four more before turning the gun on himself.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Baabda (Lebanon) (AFP) - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Tuesday that he had withdrawn his resignation, a month after his shock announcement that he was quitting sparked a political crisis.

"The council of ministers thanks the prime minister for rescinding his resignation," Hariri said, reading from a cabinet statement issued after its first meeting since his return two weeks ago.

Hariri announced he was stepping down on November 4 in a televised address from Saudi Arabia, prompting fears Lebanon would be catapulted into a political and economic tailspin.

The resignation was seen as part of the boiling tensions between the Saudi kingdom -- which had long backed Hariri -- and its regional rival Iran.

In his resignation, Hariri lambasted Tehran and its Lebanese ally, the powerful armed movement Hezbollah, for destabilising his country and the Middle East.

He later said he would consider coming back as premier if Hezbollah stopped intervening in regional conflicts, like Syria and Yemen.

On Tuesday, Lebanon's cabinet reaffirmed its official policy of "disassociation," or remaining neutral in regional conflicts.

"The Lebanese government, in all its political components, has committed to distance itself from all conflicts, wars, and internal affairs of Arab states," according to the cabinet statement read out by Hariri.

The policy had already been adopted by Hariri's cabinet, formed in 2016 after a settlement across political divides.

That deal put Michel Aoun in the president's office and Hariri at the helm of a government that included ministers from his political rival Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is fighting alongside government forces in neighbouring Syria, has dispatched military commanders to Iraq, and is accused of backing Shiite rebels in Yemen.

Hariri resigned last month from Riyadh and spent the next two weeks there amid speculation that the Saudi authorities were holding him "hostage."

After top-level French intervention, the 47-year-old premier returned to Beirut and "paused" his resignation ahead of consultations.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri rescinded his resignation on Tuesday, drawing a line under a month-long crisis triggered when he announced from Riyadh that he was stepping down and remained outside Lebanon for weeks. His coalition government, which includes the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, reaffirmed a state policy of staying out of conflicts in Arab states. Hariri's Saudi allies accuse Hezbollah of waging war across the Middle East as agents of Iran. Hariri's shock resignation had thrust Lebanon to the forefront of the regional quarrel between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which has been played out on battlefields in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Lebanese officials said Saudi Arabia had coerced Hariri, a long-time Saudi ally, into resigning and put him under effective house arrest until an intervention by France led to his return to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and Hariri have denied this. President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, refused to accept his resignation while he remained abroad. Saudi concern over the influence wielded by Shi'ite Muslim Iran and Hezbollah in other Arab states had been widely seen as the root cause of the crisis, which raised fears for Lebanon's economic and political stability. The Lebanese policy of "dissociation" was declared in 2012 to keep the deeply divided state out of regional conflicts such as the civil war in neighboring Syria. Despite the policy, Hezbollah is heavily involved there, sending thousands of fighters to help President Bashar al-Assad. In its first meeting since Hariri's resignation, the cabinet on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to the policy. "All (the government's) political components decide to dissociate themselves from all conflicts, disputes, wars or the internal affairs of brother Arab countries, in order to preserve Lebanon's economic and political relations," Hariri said. PARIS MEETING Lebanon, where Sunni Muslim, Shi'ite, Christian and Druze groups fought a civil war from 1975-1990, has a governing system designed to share power among sectarian groups. Hariri, a wealthy Sunni businessman with long ties to the kingdom, had denounced Iran during his resignation speech and said he was outside Lebanon because he feared for his family's safety. His father, an ex-prime minister, was assassinated in 2005. In a speech during the cabinet session, Hariri warned that the tensions in the region could easily drag Lebanon down a dangerous route, and the issues which had led to the crisis could be ignored. "Developments in the region suggest a new wave of conflict ... Perhaps the conflict is nearing the end, and Lebanon cannot be plunged into chaos on the finish line. "If we are rejecting interference by any state in Lebanese affairs, it cannot be that we accept that any Lebanese side interferes in the affairs of Arab states," Hariri said, an apparent reference to Hezbollah. "We have to address this issue, and take a decision announcing our disassociation, in words and deeds," he said. Hariri's resignation was accompanied by a sharp escalation in Saudi statements targeting the Lebanese state, with Riyadh at one point accusing the Beirut government of declaring war against it. Western governments, including the United States, stressed their support for Hariri and Lebanon. Hariri will be in Paris on Friday for a meeting of the International Lebanon Support Group, a body that includes the five members of the U.N. Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The meeting, to be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron, aims in part to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and Iran to desist from interference in Lebanon, diplomats said. [L8N1O4551] (Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Ellen Francis in Beirut, John Irish in Paris; editing by Mark Heinrich)
KALISPELL  An old and tested technology was applied in a new way to track down the origin of the two illegally planted walleyes in Swan Lake in 2015.

The tool, perfected over the past year, could be used to catch people responsible for illegal introductions that can lead to lost recreational fishing opportunities, a collapse of ecosystems and altered food webs.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks fisheries biologist Sam Bourret was well versed in the application of using microchemistry analysis on the calcium carbonate structures of the inner ear bones of salmon  used to trace down their home streams  when he came to work in northwest Montana two years ago.

That summer other fisheries biologists were using gill nets to capture lake trout, another illegally introduced species, from Swan Lake when the two walleyes were found.

It was a very alarming discovery, Bourret said. Walleye are a voracious predator that can easily alter a fishery.

Bourret put the skills he gained tracking down the origins of individual salmon to work to see if he could determine the home waters of the walleye.

Every water body has a unique chemistry created by the areas underlying geology. That chemical information is stored in the inner ear, called the otolith in fish.

The information that he gathered from the otoliths of the two walleyes caught in Swan Lakes indicated they had been hatched elsewhere. It also found they were introduced to the lake sometime in the spring of 2015.

Bourret had biologists send him samples from walleye captured in 12 of the states most popular walleye fisheries. When he compared the geochemical information gleaned from the Swan Lake walleye, Bourret found a match. The walleyes had originated in Lake Helena, a lake about 10 miles from Helena.

Illegal fish introductions are a huge problem both ecologically and socially, Bourret said. Fish managers have few tools to combat the pervasive issue. This research gives managers a tool in their arsenal to help convict perpetrators.

Biologists have confirmed about 600 illegal introductions in more than 250 water bodies across Montana. Half of those have occurred in the states portion of the Columbia River Basin.

So far, no more walleye have been captured in Swan Lake. Right after the walleye were captured, FWP officials added regulations that required all walleye caught in the lake to be immediately killed and reported.

It was a good sign to learn that the fish were moved there and wasnt a breeding population, Bourett said.

FWP and Montana Trout Unlimited have established a reward of up to $35,250 for information leading to the conviction of whomever was responsible for the illegal introduction.

We need help from local citizens to catch those responsible for the illegal introduction, said FWP Region One Fisheries Manager Mark Deleray. We expect the large reward will result in information.

Anyone with possible information on the Swan Lake illegal introduction can call 1-800-TIP MONT. Callers do not have to identify themselves.
In a flipflop a union leader described as a "fiasco," the provost's office at the University of Montana rescinded its termination notices to lecturers Friday, just hours after it issued them.

UM communications director Paula Short said President Sheila Stearns plans to call every single lecturer to explain the situation.

"We regret the understandable stress this process has caused," Short said in a statement. "President Stearns will be reaching out individually to each of the lecturers who received the notice and rescission to arrange one-on-one meetings."

The reversal Friday mirrors the turnabout Main Hall made earlier in the year when it first tried to cut lecturers, who are faculty members with annual contracts.

In August, the administration changed course after the University Faculty Association alleged contract violations in the attempted terminations.

Monday, faculty union president Paul Haber said the provost's office rescinded its notice this time because it learned the union was going to file an unfair labor practice complaint. The union planned to allege a different breach of the collective bargaining agreement.

"These people do not deserve to be treated this way," Haber said of the lecturers. "They have now been let go twice this year by administration."

UM had emailed notices of nonrenewal to roughly 30 lecturers in an ongoing effort to address budget challenges.

In her statement, communications director Short shared the reason UM finds itself in the same predicament it did a few months ago.

"We thought the issues that prompted the earlier grievance were resolved, and we wanted to proceed as expeditiously as possible to give lecturers as much notice as we could," Short said.

"However, a couple of technical questions were raised that merited another look, so we took a step back and rescinded the notices to review these new concerns."

Short did not address whether legal counsel reviews correspondence related to union negotiations. But she provided the single-sentence email sent to lecturers late Friday at the direction of Provost Beverly Edmond.

"Good evening, I have been instructed to inform you that the notice of non-reappointment sent to you earlier today has been rescinded until further notice."

***

In a statement, the faculty union also called into question the competence of interim leadership at UM and requested further changes be deferred to "the new administration of President (Seth) Bodnar."

Currently, the top two leaders of UM are serving in interim capacities. Bodnar is slated to take the reins in the middle of January from interim President Stearns. Provost Edmond, who issued the termination notices, is also an interim official.

"The interim administration's inability to deal with lecturers in a way that respects their contributions to the University of Montana and the collective bargaining agreement has further undermined any confidence we have in their ability to make strategic decisions," read the union statement.

Haber said the union would prefer to collaborate with the administration, but its members don't believe that can happen anymore. Main Hall officials have assured the union they will work together, he said, yet "the interim administration has repeatedly failed to honor that understanding."

"I am really unhappy that it's come to this turn of events where I've given up essentially on the ability to meaningfully collaborate," Haber said.

Short, though, noted UM has been clear that it's spending too much of its budget on personnel, and in notifying lecturers, it aims to adhere to the union contract and reduce temporary faculty first. UM officials have said cuts to tenured and tenure-track faculty are not off the table.

"The university has been very forthright regarding its financial situation and the fact that were spending close to 90 percent of the budget on personnel," Short said.

"UMs collective bargaining agreement with faculty  of which lecturers are a part  requires us to look first at temporary faculty when planning reductions. Weve been trying to do that.

"This is far more complex than a 'yes' or 'no' decision. The intent has been constant: This university cannot continue to encumber its present-level financial obligation with a significant number of temporary faculty."

Short did not comment on whether the administration attempted to consult with union leadership before issuing another blanket notification to lecturers.

In an email, incoming President Bodnar said Stearns remains president and responsible for UM.

"With regard to the lecturers, I am aware that President Stearns and the team are working through some difficult decisions right now," Bodnar said.

"However, while I'm working hard to learn about the university and prepare for the transition, Sheila remains the president and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the university. I look forward to officially joining the team next month and working closely with our shared governance leaders and the campus community to chart the course ahead."

Although he hasn't started yet, Bodnar launched the search for a new provost earlier this semester, noting the chief academic officer will be a key partner in his administration. Bodnar is an executive at General Electric and steps into the presidency from outside academia, albeit with prestigious academic awards.

"As soon as possible after my selection, we launched a provost search with an aggressive timeline, and we're working to bring on our new, non-interim provost as quickly as we can. Provost Edmond is going to stay on board and help through the transition," Bodnar said.

The search committee aims to bring provost finalists to campus in March 2018 and have one seated by June or July.

***

Although lecturers don't have tenure, many have worked at UM for years, some more than a decade. Many have become fixtures on campus and some are heads of programs, such as David Gilcrest, director of literature and the environment in the English Department.

William Hess, a graduate student under Gilcrest, was among at least eight students who protested the termination of lecturers with a sit-in at the provost's office Monday. Hess earlier said he may leave UM if it offers Gilcrest a position as an adjunct instead of a full lecturer contract.

"It makes no sense for me to come back to this institution that would consider making an adjunct of the director of my master's program," Hess said earlier.

In the faculty union's statement, the association noted "lecturers" are one of five types of non-tenurable appointments negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement and in a UM policy reaffirmed this spring. The notice to lecturers noted UM "will be discontinuing use of full-year contracts for lecturers," but the union questioned the wholesale discontinuance.

"Clearly, one interim administrator is not authorized to make this declaration on behalf of the institution," said the faculty union letter. The letter also states that the notice is "out of accordance with good faith bargaining practice" and that the administration's approach demonstrates a lack of understanding of lecturers' contributions.

"For more than 15 years, the contract and the policy have served both students and the people of Montana by offering critical courses to students in a sustainable and affordable way," notes the statement. "The contract and policy were unilaterally disregarded by an interim leadership that we feel fundamentally misunderstands the role these faculty play within their departments and for the students."

***

In a phone call, Haber said he was "flabbergasted" the union was facing yet another botched effort by Main Hall to cut lecturers.

Haber has been among those on campus calling for shared governance, and he reiterated Monday the union's commitment to helping UM through its budget challenges. He said the union will fight attempts to discharge its members that violate the union contract, but the union does want to collaborate with the administration.

"They're ultimately responsible, and they ultimately have the power to make those management decisions, but it would behoove them to meaningfully collaborate with all the shared governance groups, including but not only the faculty union," Haber said. " ... And I don't feel that that has occurred. In the important decisions that have been made, there has not been that kind of prior meaningful consultation."

At the end of a discussion, Haber said the union and administration could stand together behind a decision  or respectfully agree to disagree: "But you can't do either of those if you don't have meaningful consultations."

In its statement, the faculty union described three instances in which the administration hadn't worked with the union in advance of a decision, including the couple of rounds of notification to lecturers and a decision to "radically shrink" sabbaticals. Haber, though, said he's hopeful UM will usher in a new atmosphere of cooperation come January.

"I have no reason to doubt that Seth Bodnar is sincere when he says that meaningful collaboration will be a hallmark of his leadership. And I'm down for that," Haber said.

UM's budget challenges won't disappear overnight, though, and Bodnar will face many of the same financial problems the current administration is trying to fix. Stearns has said UM needs to decrease the amount of its budget going to personnel from close to 90 percent by even a couple of percentage points in order to put money to other needs such as the library.

So it's possible lecturers again will receive termination notices about next school year.

The collective bargaining agreement notes nontenurable faculty on a one-year appointment have "no expectation of reappointment" and contracts "automatically expire (without notice) at the end of the contract term unless renewed prior to expiration."

But UM's procedures for academic appointments protect longer-term lecturers: After the third consecutive year of service, lecturers ... shall have the right to one semesters notice of the intention to terminate the relationship.
I grew up watching The Today Show with my mom every weekday morning as I got ready for school. It was a special routine we shared to ease the pain of early mornings; watching these lighthearted news anchors deliver (often) sweet stories and greet fans outside. I yearned to be one of those people holding signs with messages for loved ones back home.

Matt Lauer at the Today show in 2012. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

Katie Couric and Matt Lauer were like the mom and dad of this on-air family, Ann Curry and Al Roker their responsible and goofy neighbors.

Lauer was the wholesome dad, the Danny Tanner of news. He seemed warm, casual, and reliable. Ever since I was a kid, thats what Lauer has represented to me. The most wholesome man in TV news. That is, until Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2017, when we learned the story of the lewd life he was secretly leading.

As the stories of his sexual misconduct unfolded, something within my perception of him began to change. I had always thought of Lauer as wholesome, professional, good looking. But over the course of last week, that same crooked smile, that buzzed head, those warm eyes took on an entirely different image: He looked creepy.

But how is that possible?

Certainly, Lauers look hasnt changed so dramatically that quickly. Not to mention, most of the photos being posted were old stock shots  pictures in which he once looked warm. Now in those same images, he looked like a different man.

Of course he represents something completely different to me now; but that cant change his physical appearance, can it? How did this man who I once saw as safe suddenly look so predatory?

Theories of embodied perception suggest that nonvisual factors impact what we actually see, says Elise Clerkin, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Miami University, whos studied clinical phenomena like fear and visual perception. In this case, the nonvisual factor is what we know about Lauer; originally that he was married with children and got along really well with Couric (at least, it appeared that way). Now, its that for years he had been taking advantage of women he worked with, in inappropriate and sexually aggressive ways. These two sets of factors paint two very different pictures. And while this cant actually change the way Lauer looks, this knowledge can certainly color his appearance, applying a murky and mysterious filter.

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If ones visual perception is influenced not only by sensory input, but also by nonvisual factors, it makes sense that your visual perception of Lauer has recently changed, Dr. Clerkin confirms.

This is all based on person perception and the expectations that we have about people, adds Ronald Riggio, Ph.D., professor of leadership and organizational psychology at Claremont McKenna College, who specializes in topics including nonverbal communication and has written about why power players like Harvey Weinstein commit these heinous acts. We construct images of people and associate those images with qualities that we believe the individual possesses. So, Lauers appearance, when people thought he was wholesome, gracious, and kind, was interpreted to be consistent with those qualities. He appears innocent, his smile boyish and endearing. Now, after the revelations, we see that smile as a smirk, he explains. The same smile is interpreted differently based on our constructed image of him.

Dr. Riggio uses the clown analogy to explain this idea further. Clowns used to be seen as comical, friendly, and nice, but after It and some other movies (not to mention killer John Wayne Gacy), we may start to view clowns as scary, evil, and dangerous. Same clown face, different interpretation.

It happens all the time in relationships. Think about a lover  his/her face is precious and attractive to you. After the breakup, you cant stand looking at the person, Riggio points out. Our attitudes about the person affect our interpretations of their appearance.

When you learn someone you trusted did something bad, fear affects how you perceive their appearance too. There is data to suggest that fear can change the way we actually see things, Dr. Clerkin says. According to Dr. Dennis Proffitt at the University of Virginia, visual perception promotes survival by making us aware of both the opportunities and costs associated with action, she notes. Applying this theory to better understand clinical phenomena, my colleagues and I have shown that under certain conditions, people who are afraid of heights, for example, may actually see heights as higher than those with less height fear.

In this instance, fearing Lauer because of what he is accused of could change the way he looks to you, Dr. Clerkin says. Here is a man who has been accused of terrible acts; consequently, your assessment of the costs and risks of interacting with him have likely increased, and in turn, you may actually see him differently than you did just one week ago  i.e., as less wholesome. The same is true for ones visual perception of sexual predators more generally.

Dr. Clerkin notes that this theory is a little controversial, as there are visual scientists who believe that vision is a modular process that is unaffected by nonsensory input. But, we cant deny the fact that it feels right in this scenario.

Its safe to say that within a few months or years, the men being brought down in this major media and Hollywood movement will change physically due to aging. They may lose hair, acquire more wrinkles, or gain weight due to stress. Or they might get work done, dye their hair, or lose weight in efforts to remake themselves. For now, they technically look the same: like traitors.

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While most 6-year-olds are playing with slime, racking up points on Candy Crush, or swapping Pokemon cards, Anastasia Knyazeva is busy building a high-profile modeling career that has seen her hailed as the most beautiful girl in the world.

Having starred in a number of ad campaigns in her native Russia, Anastasia, who is represented by President Kids Management, has also amassed over 529,000 followers on her Instagram account, which is run by her mother.

This 6-year-old has been called the most beautiful girl in the world. (Photo: Instagram/anna_knyazeva_official)

Anastasias mom regularly posts snaps of her daughter on shoots and fronting campaigns, as well as an occasional behind-the-scenes peek at their lives.

  @chobikids     ! #chobi # # #fw1718 A post shared by Anna Knyazeva (@anna_knyazeva_official) on Nov 10, 2017 at 10:18pm PST

And each photo receives hundreds of comments about the youngsters doll-like features and striking blue eyes.

Anastasia, known as Anna, is following in the footsteps of French model Thylane Blondeau, now 16 years old, who was famously named the worlds most beautiful girl at age 6  and went on to become the youngest model to be featured in French Vogue.

  # #anastasiyaknyazeva # # # # A post shared by Anna Knyazeva (@anna_knyazeva_official) on Oct 17, 2017 at 3:58am PDT

Another young Russian model, Kristina Pimenova, was also described as the most beautiful girl in world at just 8 years old. The mother of the young model, who is now 11, was forced to hit back after she was accused of sharing provocative pictures of her daughter on social media.

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Despite the enormous support on Anastasias Instagram page, some followers have criticized the childs mother for allowing her daughter to have a social media account at such a young age.

So how young is too young for children to be exposed to social media? While Instagram accounts for babies and young children are undeniably cute, some experts believe introducing little ones to a world of likes could be opening them up to a digital world they didnt sign up for.

@sandrinegomezphotography A post shared by Thylane (@thylaneblondeau) on Nov 21, 2017 at 1:43pm PST

The problem with baby branding is that firstly you are sharing information about them without their permission, and secondly you are creating a voice which isnt actually theirs, and this means that people are getting to know you and not your child, explains psychologist Emma Kenny.

The most obvious danger is that of security. Kenny says, Sharing pictures, media, and social content online isnt very safe statistically, and with recent figures suggesting that grooming online is at pandemic levels, protecting your child needs to be a parents priority.

The issue of consent also needs consideration. Though its tempting to share every single moment of your childs life, it is worth thinking ahead to when they become a teenager and might not be so fond of that shot in the bath.

The fact is that young children cant give their consent to having every detail of their life posted to social media, so its impossible to know what they will think about it when they get older.

As your child grows up, they may enjoy reading all the sweet comments from nice followers, but equally they will be open to online abuse and analysis, and for a developing child this can be disastrous for self-esteem, explains Kenny.

Parent Zones editor, Gemma Taylor, believes there are some guidelines that need to be adhered to if parents are thinking of setting up social media profiles for their little ones.

As Parent Zones research with Nominet showed, parents love sharing images of their kids on social media, with mums and dads posting on average 11-20 images a month, she says.

Its natural for parents to want share special moments with friends and family.

But you do have to be careful, particularly once your child gets older.

Our research showed that over a quarter of parents (28%) admitted they had never thought to check if their child minded them uploading images of them online. I think this raises an interesting conversation around consent, Gemma Taylor continues.

Weve already had a teenager in Austria suing her parents for sharing images on social media, and French lawyers have warned parents they could be violating that countrys privacy laws by doing the same.

Adults need to be aware that as children grow up, they may not want their formative years exposed in such a public way. Its also hard to control images once they are posted online, so, before uploading, its good to consider, is this in the best interests of the child?

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US Presiden Donald Trump stands with former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on 21 December 2016: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trumps aides are said to be sh***ing bricks following the guilty plea deal made by his ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Special counsel Robert Muellers probe into possible collusion between Donald Trump's campaign team and Russia struck at the heart of the White House last week, with Mr Flynn admitting that he lied to the FBI about contacts with a senior Russian diplomat.

Mr Flynn agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of his plea deal, reportedly worrying Trump aides already concerned about how an ex-campaign adviser's secret plea deal was kept quiet for months.

Everyone is paranoid, a person close to Trumps White House told Politico. Everyone thinks theyre being recorded.

After being arrested in July, George Papadopoulos began cooperating with Mr Muellers investigation. But it wasnt until early October when Mr Papadopoulos, as part of a deal with investigators, pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI.

Making cooperating witnesses wear wires is a routine law enforcement tactic that is often used in criminal cases. It is done to obtain recordings of other conspirators and witnesses talking about their behaviour - material that could be used as evidence to press charges.

White House attorneys and private counsel representing both current and former Trump aides told Politco they have asked their clients whether they had any communications with Mr Flynn or Mr Papadopoulos that could have been secretly recorded.

Theyre probably sh***ing bricks, said an attorney who represents a senior Trump aide caught up in the Russia investigation. How can you not?

Members of Mr Muellers team are under intense scrutiny, with an army of Trump allies watching them like hawks to catch any ethics violations.

One of the biggest no-nos for the special counsel would be wiring up a witness to talk with someone he knows already has a lawyer representing them on the subject matter that is being discussed on the tape.

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White House lawyer Ty Cobb said he didnt expect Mr Mueller to use Mr Papadopoulos or Mr Flynn as witnesses to help his case, especially to record anyone who is represented by a lawyer.

Mueller is too good a professional and too good a prosecutor to tape represented individuals, and he doesnt want his office or his important mission to be tainted, Mr Cobb told Politico.

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If you were in Times Square this past Saturday, you might have noticed something out of the ordinary. OK, thats impossible for Times Square, but you get where were going with this. Body positive activist and model KhrystyAna staged a guerrilla fashion show in New York Citys beating heart, and despite the chilly weather, about 25 women joined her. And what made this display truly beautiful was that it was made up of a very diverse cast of models and called The Real Catwalk.

Ive been a body positive activist for almost a year now, and the more this whole BoPo movement grows, the more creative ideas I get about women empowerment, the 32-year-old New Yorker tells Yahoo Lifestyle. So this #theREALcatwalk was brewing and in discussion for months now, and Id organized two small scale all-inclusive lingerie runway shows this year, but this time it was different.

The timing is no coincidence. A friend and fellow curvy model thought it would be brilliant to stage it right after the Victorias Secret Fashion Show, an event that promotes a largely unrealistic and unobtainable body type.

However, KhrystyAna made it very clear that it was NOT an anti Victorias Secret Runway Show, it was pro ANYONE can catwalk showcase. But if thats the case, why now? As she explains, This is exactly when so many of us ladies feel so discouraged about our bodies and faces. We look at these beautiful VS models and get deeply affected, sometimes not even consciously, by the overwhelming standard of one kind of beauty. Neglecting to represent the many other types or ideals of beauty can make us feel unattractive, as if we need to change to become more like those girls, she says, echoing the complaints of many women including fellow models Tabria Majors and Ashley Graham.

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PART III pyramid by @abbeydrucker #theREALcatwalk#diversity #inclusion #everybodyisbeautiful #forwomen #womenempowerment A post shared by BodyPositive Activist | Model (@khrystyana) on Dec 3, 2017 at 9:47am PST

In just a few days, she pulled the show together. A lot of models from our agency were very excited to walk this flash mob style fashion show, KhrystyAna, who originally hails from Siberia, recalls.

She cast a wide net when looking for models to participate. Body positivity to me means full on inclusivity  its not just about curvy women, but about every woman  petite, bold, transgender, women in wheel chairs, all different skin tones, very fit, thin, freckles, women with various disabilities  ALL deserve to feel beautiful, she explains. I didnt want to make it just about the curvier women, and I would only go full out organizing like this if I knew it was ALL inclusive, which it ended up being.

The end result was a bunch of stunning women strutting their stuff in one of the biggest tourist hotspots in the entire world wearing slinky lace one-pieces and velvet bodysuits to matching bra and panty sets to corsets to velvet leotards. There will be transgender women, women of different ages and sexual orientation, full made up face and some with no make up, waxed or unwaxed legs, vegans and carnivores, KhrystyAna wrote on Instagram when promoting the show a few days before. And there were tons of excited and supportive onlookers.

We had so many pedestrians stop by to see what was happening, she remembers, noting that the show positively received. No bullies whatsoever, and I saw so many genuine smiles on women and men watching us do something incredibly vulnerable yet empowering. It felt safe, as if the world is really ready to embrace the only standard of beauty there is  which is being authentically yourself, in your bones, in your skin, whatever path you are on; getting old, younger, smaller, taller, thicker, thinner.

The participants were equally moved by this experience. Ill do anything to support womenincluding catwalk in lingerie down Times Square, Lily Chen, co-founder of lingerie brand Thistle & Spire, captioned a video of the event on Instagram. Together we walked to reinforce one beauty standard: BEING YOU. Because being you is the definition of beauty. It was cold, but my heart was warm surrounded by the fire of all these powerful women.

Another model, Michelle Quan, shared photos of the experience, with the caption, This showcase is definitely a STATEMENT in the industryTo every woman, little girl, teen or older woman (men too) reading this YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!! Love your body that you are blessed with! Love your legs, scars, marks, arms, tummy, rolls, abs, ab-rolls (haha), the jiggle and the firm -WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFULEvery single year these little girls stare in amazement at the #VSmodels & these girls are looking up to models and people running the fashion world. They see only ONE body type come down that runway forcing them to believe the only beauty standard is 34-25-34 WRONG. My measurements are 38-35-45 and I believe that models have a responsibility to encourage #bodypositivity #bodylove#selflove ! I look just as good as any VS Angel and so do YOU!

KhrystyAna cannot stop beaming after the resounding success. We hope this is not the last #theRealCatwalk we do. Ive been getting messages from women from various countries requesting to do this in their cities. The truth is, anyone can do it. Its for all women!

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Roy Moore has called his accusers liars, but they refuse to be silenced.

Several women have said the U.S. Senate candidate pursued relationships with them when they were underage girls, and some have accused him of sexual assault. Debbie Wesson Gibson, one of the women who appeared in The Washington Posts original story on the allegations, provided the newspaper with a high school scrapbook chronicling her time dating Moore.

Gibson said that as a teenage girl, she had written down dates shed had with Moore in the scrapbook and listed him as her guest for her Etowah High School graduation. She says her relationship with Moore at the time was consensual, and prior to the allegations, she said she held Moore in high esteem. The pair stayed in touch over the years, and Gibson even worked on his circuit judge campaign in 1982, she said.

Moore has broadly denied knowing women in the Post article, and has accused them of lying to smear his campaign. These allegations are completely false, theyre malicious; specifically, I do not know any of these women nor have I ever engaged in sexual misconduct with anyone, Moore said at a rally in Alabama.

After Moore claimed not to know his accusers, Gibson said she realized he was a liar. Shed planned to keep her scrapbook to herself until she saw another accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, share that Moore had signed her high school yearbook. Nelson has accused Moore of driving her to a deserted area and physically assaulting her.

I just couldnt imagine him doing something like that, Gibson told the Post. And then when I saw the interview from Beverly, and I saw his handwriting in her yearbook, my heart just sank. And when I saw what I knew to be Roy Moores handwriting, I just began to sob openly.

Gibson said that Moores attack on her integrity was another reason she decided to come forward with her scrapbook, despite receiving numerous death threats. The Post had a former FBI forensics expert authenticate that a graduation card in the scrapbook had not been altered.

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Happy graduation Debbie, the card read. I wanted to give you this card myself. I know that youll be a success in anything you do. Roy.

It takes what I thought was a very lovely part of my past, and it colors it, and it changes it irrevocably, Gibson told the Post. It changes it permanently.

Leigh Corfman, the first woman to accuse Moore of misconduct, has also responded to his claims that his accusers are liars. Corfman penned an open letter to Moore published on AL.com, telling the world that her words were personal, not political.

I am not getting paid for speaking up. I am not getting rewarded from your political opponents, Corfman wrote. What I am getting is stronger by refusing to blame myself and speaking the truth out loud.

Also on HuffPost

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It's holiday season! We all know what that means: lots of parties. Of course there's the annual dilemma of what to wear, taking into account both style and occasion. Is that lace LBD appropriate for the office party during the week, or should you save it for your friend's get-together on the weekend? This week, our Instagram influencers across America submitted their #OOTD, Holiday Party edition, with plenty of inspiration for you  including a preference from Karen in New Jersey, a mom who will be attending lots of holiday parties in homes. What does she recommend for those end-of-year get-togethers? Something chic and comfortable, pairing a comfy sweater with an ostrich feather skirt. Watch the latest episode of #MyStyle to see how Karen recommends styling her holiday party outfit. Then tell us which ideas you like best, as well as what occasions youd like to see our influencers try next. Please comment below!
If you intend to lie to the police, the place to do it is in Gallatin County, Montana.

Gallatin County Attorney Marty Lambert is apparently your good buddy as you Pinocchio to the cops.

Lambert has blown off Greg Gianfortes lies to police concerning his assault of a reporter six months ago. "What harm is there in lying to the cops? Lambert, a Republican, seems to ask. His answer: None.

Of course, the street cops whom I know take a sterner attitude: Lie to me and you gain nothing, and your every action will be viewed with suspicion and scrutinized.

Say, Ive an idea.

How about a big  really big  billboard just outside Bozeman. On it a really cute picture of Marty Lambert curled up on Gianfortes lap. Lamberts ears are waggling, oh so sweet and hes chewing a bone inscribed got enough dough and the law dont apply to you.

Ed Chaberek,

Superior
In an attempt to defend himself after numerous women accused him of sexual misconduct, Bill OReilly tried to paint the women as liars out for fat settlement checks. Its an argument also employed by President Donald Trump and countless other men accused of misconduct over the years.

But the former Fox News host is the one doing the lying, according to Rachel Witlieb Bernstein, a former Fox producer who filed suit against OReilly Monday in the Southern District of New York.

Bernstein settled her original case against OReilly back in 2002. The terms of the settlement prohibited either side from talking about the case. But Bernstein says OReilly violated those terms in April and throughout the rest of the year, in talking to The New York Times and other outlets about the millions of dollars in settlement payouts he and Fox made to several women over harassment claims.

Not only should OReilly have kept his mouth shut, Bernstein says in the lawsuit, the things he said about these women were also lies.

We want an apology and an acknowledgement that what he said was false, Bernsteins lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith, told HuffPost. What he said about her wasnt true.

Smith also represented former Fox host Gretchen Carlson in her groundbreaking 2016 sexual harassment lawsuit against the companys former chairman, Roger Ailes.

Bernstein is suing OReilly and Fox News for breach of contract and defamation.

In her lawsuit, Bernstein says OReilly did not sexually harass her, though several other women have made that claim about him. According to Bernstein, OReilly mistreated her frequently and in front of numerous witnesses. She left the company because of severe mistreatment and abuse by Mr. OReilly, as he knows, the suit says. The New York Times reported in April that OReilly screamed at Bernstein in front of witnesses.

Bill OReilly has never mentioned the plaintiffs name publicly in any context, Fredric S. Newman, OReillys attorney, responded in a statement to HuffPost, adding that this was absolutely not a case of sexual harassment. Newman said the lawsuit had no merit and his client will respond aggressively in court.

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Bernsteins lawsuit comes at a moment of reckoning, as more brave women have come forward with stories of sexual predation and misconduct involving some of the countrys most powerful men.

These stories often wind up like Bernsteins, buried in settlement agreements that allow harassers to continue unabated. Too often, the women who come forward are quickly labeled as nuts and sluts, liars or worse by the men they accuse.

Not this time.

In the OReilly case, Emily Steel and Michael Schmidt at The New York Times broke open the story on OReilly, reporting in April that he and Fox News had paid $13 million to five women to settle claims of harassment over the years. Eighteen days later, OReilly was forced out of the company. He had been one of the networks biggest stars.

O'Reilly maintains the women who have accused him of sexual harassment are liars. (Photo: NBC via Getty Images)

The Times named Bernstein in its story via anecdotes from former and current Fox employees. She emphasized in her lawsuit Monday that she herself never spoke to the Times. None of the women who settled with OReilly have spoken publicly about it, according to the Times.

But OReilly has. He told the Times that the five women were essentially lying, making up their stories to get fat payouts. Im vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity, he said at the time.

In September, he told the Hollywood Reporter, Once you get a famous name, and once youre in the political arena, the combination is devastating. If they can get you, theyre going to get you.

In another bombshell, the Times reported in October that OReilly paid $32 million to settle a case with a Fox News analyst named Lis Wiehl, who accused him of harassment, a nonconsensual sexual relationship and sending her unwanted pornographic material.

At the time, he told the paper, I never mistreated anyone.

On his podcast, OReilly has portrayed himself as a victim, according to Bernsteins suit. He even took the argument into the biblical arena. You know, am I mad at God? Yeah, Im mad at him. I wish I had more protection, the lawsuit quotes him as saying on his podcast. Never give up telling the truth.

Noting that the title of OReillys podcast, No Spin News, is hypocritical, the lawsuit says, Mr. OReilly is the liar.

OReilly has also claimed no one ever complained about his behavior before. In my more than 20 years at Fox News Channel, no one has ever filed a complaint about me with the Human Resources Department, he told the Times. And in public statements, on his website and to other media outlets, he also said that no woman had ever raised concerns about his behavior to a Fox hotline available for employees to report anonymous complaints.

Fox has echoed those claims in its public comments.

In her lawsuit, Bernstein says thats not true. Ms. Bernstein repeatedly complained to Fox Human Resources, Bill Shine, and other Fox executives, about Mr. OReillys mistreatment and both defendant Fox News Network and OReilly knew that before making the statements, the suit says, calling OReilly a serial abuser.

Its typically difficult to prove defamation in court, Smith told HuffPost. But this case is different, she said, because OReilly is so clearly in breach of the contract he signed with Bernstein.

Smith and her law partner Neil Mullin also want OReilly and Fox to release Bernstein and the other women from the nondisclosure agreements.

It is cowardly to publicly attack these women knowing they have been subjected to contractual provisions requiring absolute silence, Mullin said in a statement.

Trump has also painted the women whove accused him of sexual assault  there are 16  as liars.

At least one of them is suing him for defamation.

This story has been updated.

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The death of a girl who died by what her parents call bullycide is raising questions about whether suicide can be attributed to bullying.

Ashawnty Davis, a 10-year-old student at Sunrise Elementary in Aurora, Colo., died Wednesday after spending two weeks on life support at Childrens Hospital Colorado because she had hanged herself in a closet in her home.

Can suicide be attributed to bullying? (Photo: Getty Images)

The girls mother, Latoshia Harris, told Denver local news affiliate KDVR that after being bullied, her daughter had been further harassed at school after a video of her confronting the female bully was posted to the video app Musical.ly.

I saw my daughter was scared, Harris told the news station. Her father, Anthony Davis, added that the girl was devastated to discover the incident had been shared online.

Parents of 10-year-old suicide victim allege her school didnt do enough to stop bullying https://t.co/HJhUUxsQnt pic.twitter.com/Vq2sC4vQFf  FOX31 Denver KDVR (@KDVR) December 1, 2017

My daughter came home two weeks later and hanged herself in the closet, said Harris, who also told CNN that the Cherry Creek School District turned a blind eye to what her daughter endured.

There was nothing done about it, Harris told CNN. When I got the call telling me that my daughter had been in a fight, they never gave me the opportunity to meet with the other parents to come to the bottom of the line.

Abbe Smith, a spokesperson for the school, told CNN that the footage was sent to the Aurora Police Department and that the students involved in the fight, which occurred on a campus field and outside school hours, had been addressed.

The school did not receive any complaints from students or parents that the student was being bullied, Smith said. We do not tolerate bullying of any kind in our schools, and we have a comprehensive bullying prevention program in place at all of our schools for grades K-12. The safety and well-being of students is our highest priority and we strive every [day] to ensure schools are safe, welcoming and supportive places that support learning.

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However, Davis isnt satisfied with that response. With the last breath in my life Im going to make sure that the unfortunate kids are able to go to school comfortably and learn, she told CNN.

Bullycide, a term for suicide as a result of bullying, has been circulating on the internet in regard to other cases, such as 13-year-old Rosalie Avila of Yucaipa, Calif., who, as of Sunday, was on life support after attempting suicide. Her father, Freddie, read excerpts of his daughters school experiences, recorded in her journal, to CBS News: They told me I was ugly today. They were making fun of me today about my teeth.

However, according to Julie Cerel, president of the nonprofit American Association of Suicidology, bullycide is a misleading term. Suicide is never [caused by] just one thing  lots of people are bullied who dont die by suicide, she tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Pointing to one event oversimplifies a complicated issue and makes prevention more difficult.

Data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supports that point. According to the CDC website, kids who are bullied  and those who bully  are at a higher risk for suicide. However, most kids who are involved in bullying dont attempt suicide.

Cerel says various factors can be at play, such as pathology (if a person has mental health issues, for example) or, in the case of younger people, impulsiveness. And per the CDC, kids at risk for suicide often deal with many types of stressors, including peer, romantic, family, and mental. Bullying can be the last event thats reported on, but we often dont know the trajectory of what leads a person there, says Cerel.

Unfortunately, theres no one-size-fits-all checklist to help pinpoint if a person is contemplating suicide, whether or not the person being bullied. However, if a kid is clearly stating that they dont want to live, parents should open that conversation, says Cerel. Its untrue that you can plant the idea of suicide in someones head who wasnt already considering it. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 for support and resources.

Being empathetic and lending an ear are also key. Saying things like Things will get better is often ineffective, since people who are suicidal experience cognitive constriction, a state of mind that prevents the belief that theres hope, says Cerel.

In the case of cyberbullying, parents should have meaningful conversations about what their kids are reading online. It can be effective to do this before the teenage years, when kids still value the opinion of their parents over their peers, says Cerel. Social media can be a teachable moment.

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Manila (AFP) - The Philippines has suspended the sale and distribution of Sanofi's dengue vaccine, authorities said Tuesday, after the French pharmaceutical giant last week warned it could worsen symptoms for people who had not previously been infected.

Regulators on Friday froze the country's world-first public dengue immunisation programme, that has seen more than 733,000 children receive the Dengvaxia vaccine.

Authorities have now ordered a blanket suspension for private use as well.

"Whether (the vaccine) is used in the public health programme or used by a private practitioner, it is the same product that was licensed. Everyone is covered by the FDA advisory," health undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo told AFP.

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a regulatory agency under the health department, said in a public advisory on Monday it had pulled the vaccine from the market to "protect the general public".

"The (FDA) immediately directed Sanofi to suspend the sale/distribution/marketing of Dengvaxia and cause the withdrawal of Dengvaxia in the market pending compliance with the directives of the FDA," the advisory said.

Sanofi's announcement has caused major fears in the Philippines -- where the mosquito-born disease is extremely prevalent -- particularly for parents of the children immunised in the public programme.

More than 1,000 people in the Philippines died from dengue last year, out of more than 211,000 suspected cases, according to the government.

Sanofi on Monday sought to allay fears about the new study that led it to release the warning, saying Dengvaxia would not cause anyone who was immunised to die.

Philippine authorities have given conflicting messages on the safety or otherwise of the vaccine.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Sunday that the government would "leave no stone unturned" in making those responsible for putting "hundreds of thousands of young lives at risk" accountable for their actions.

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The justice department then on Monday formally launched an inquiry over "the alleged danger to public health".

But Roque also said on Monday there was "no danger" for people who had been immunised with Dengvaxia.

"The worst that can happen is for those who have not had dengue before... they may get infected with dengue but falling under our previous classification of 'mild', having fever and bruises," Roque said.

When asked to comment on the Philippine government's decision to suspend all sales of Dengvaxia, Sanofi said on Tuesday it would continue to work with authorities and highlighted its proposal to re-label the vaccine.

The proposed label update would "include the new data findings and instructions to ensure that physicians can make appropriate vaccination decisions with their patients," said a Sanofi statement emailed to AFP.
To porg or not to porg?

The cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi is not putting the full Force of their support behind the franchises adorable new creatures, the porgs. Specifically, it was John Boyega who boldly voiced his disapproval of the penguin-like aliens that have generally excited fans. I just naturally dont like them, Boyega said bluntly during an appearance Friday on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Im not into it.

Naturally, we needed to gauge where the rest of the cast stood on the matter over the weekend at the films Los Angeles press day (watch above). And Boyega, who plays stormtrooper-turned-Resistance fighter Finn, seems to have found some unlikely across-the-aisle support from Andy Serkis, who plays the Big Bad Snoke.

Theyre cute-slash-annoying, Serkis proclaimed.

Boyega, meanwhile, elaborated on his disdain for the creatures, who were based on puffins the filmmakers spotted on the Irish Island of Skellig Michael and who have already been compared to the divisive Ewoks for their cuddly (too cuddly?) demeanor. Imagine if you found five real porgs in your kitchen, what would you do? Eat them? Exactly, Boyega responded.

Oscar Isaac (Resistance fighter pilot Poe Dameron) got behind that notion. I think theyre lower on the evolutionary ladder than Ewoks, Isaac said. Youre not going to eat an Ewok.

On the other end of the spectrum from Boyega is series newcomer Kelly Marie Tran, who plays Rose Tico, a Resistance maintenance worker. I was a porg for Halloween, she said (you can see for yourself on Instagram). I made my own porg costume. Im serious, I am committed And then I went to a Star Wars bar.

Then theres Daisy Ridley. The actress, who stars once again as the Force-wielding warrior Rey, just doesnt understand all the hype. I think are porgs are fine. Porgs are great. I genuinely dont know why theyve been made such a big deal of. Can you tell me?

We had to point her to writer-director Rian Johnson, who has been beating the porg drum on Twitter with the introduction of porg-related hashtags and emoji.

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Porgs are the last Jedi, Johnson deadpanned. Thats the big twist.

No wonder.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens Dec. 15.

Watch the cast react to watching Carrie Fishers phenomenal performance in The Last Jedi:

Read more on Yahoo Entertainment:
President Trumps attorney put forward a disputed legal theory Monday that the president cannot be found guilty of obstruction of justice.

In an interview with Axios, Trump lawyer John Dowd said that the president by definition cant obstruct justice because he is the the nations chief law enforcement officer.

The President cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitutions Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case, he told Axios.

The statement came as special counsel Robert Muellers team has now criminally charged four people who worked with Trump, both on the campaign and in the White House. And Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein said Sunday that the Senates investigation could include an obstruction of justice case against Trump himself.

Whether or not the president can obstruct justice essentially comes down to two separate questions: can he actually engage in obstruction and, if so, can he be prosecuted for the crime while in office?

The federal obstruction of justice statute provides that whoever . . . corruptly or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication, influences, obstructs, or impedes, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede, the due administration of justice, shall be (guilty of an offense).

There are two schools of thought on the first question.

Many legal experts say that yes, presidents can obstruct justice just as any other citizen can. The president is not above the law, says Fordham University School of Law Professor Jed Shugerman. The president has all kinds of constitutional powers, [but] he still has to obey the law in the use of those powers. Those powers still have to be legal in intent.

There is no express grant of immunity under the Constitution to protect the President who commits a felony, former Obama administration White House counsel Bob Bauer told CNN. Those who have argued for it have to cobble together their case primarily out of a concern about the debilitating effects of a President in legal trouble on the conduct of government. But they have a high burden to carry in claiming that the President charged with faithful execution of the law is above it. It simply contravenes basic understandings about the rule of law in the constitutional order.

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Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz cautioned people saying Trump has already obstructed justice, however, telling Fox News Monday morning, For obstruction of justice by the president, you need clearly illegal acts.

He argued that Trump firing former FBI Director James Comey and weighing in on Justice Department cases, both issues often cited in talk of an obstruction case, are both well within his constitutional powers as president. (Over the weekend, Trump appeared to suggest he knew at the time he fired former national security advisor Michael Flynn that Flynn had lied to the FBI, which some argued would bolster an obstruction case.)

Theres never been a case in history when a president has been charged with obstruction of justice for merely exercising his constitutional authority, Dershowitz said. That would cause a constitutional crisis in the United States.

Trump lawyer Dowds point may have been just that, that in this case, Trump remains within the bounds of his constitutional authority. But he seems to be going further, arguing as the chief law enforcement officer in the nation, Trump is structurally protected from being able to obstruct justice. This line of reasoning echoes President Nixons famous line, When the president does it, that means it is not illegal.



But Nixon stands as an example of a president who did commit clearly illegal acts that led Congress to say he had obstructed justice. The first line in the Articles of Impeachment brought against Nixon in 1974 says he has prevented, obstructed, and impeded the administration of justice.

That gets to the second thorny question on this issue. Even if there is evidence that a president has obstructed justice, can he be prosecuted for a crime while in office? Thats a constitutional question, and there isnt a clear answer. It has never happened before, and no court has definitively ruled on the issue. (The Supreme Court heard arguments about it in 1974 about Nixon, but never resolved the question.)

Heres what the Constitution says in Article 1 Section 3: Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States: but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law.

The text of the Constitution doesnt explicitly state whether a president can be prosecuted while in office, so arguments are based on structure and inference. The official view of the executive branch is that it cant be done. The Office of Legal Counsel wrote in a 2000 memo arguing a president cant be indicted, The indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would impermissibly undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions, though it acknowledges, Neither the text nor the history of the Constitution ultimately provided dispositive guidance in determining whether a president is amenable to indictment or criminal prosecution while in office. It therefore based its analysis on more general considerations of constitutional structure.

Under this interpretation, Trump would have to resign or be impeached first, and then could be criminally charged afterwards. In that case, if Mueller or the Senate finds that Trump has obstructed justice, they would bring their findings to the House. Then the real question becomes not whether the president obstructed justice, but whether his actions warrant high crimes and misdemeanors worthy of impeachment.

In that case, the president may not need to be guilty of an actual obstruction of justice crime to lose his place in the White House. Impeachment does not have to be on regular statutory crimes, Shugerman points out. The founders intended high crimes and misdemeanors to apply to general abuses to power Even if one concluded that there is no felony for obstruction of justice, that still would not prevent the House from finding it was a high crime.
Prince Harry was Prince Williams best man in 2011 but will he return the favour next year? [Photo: Getty]

The furore surrounding Prince Harrys impending marriage to Meghan Markle just wont let up.

Now weve had the (rough) date and venue confirmed, public attention is turning to who will be included in the wedding party.

And since Prince Harry was Prince Williams best man, its an almost certainty that Harry will repay the favour.

Apparently not, according to one royal expert, because there is no such thing as a best man at a royal wedding.

Turns out William actually broke protocol by calling Harry his best man at his 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton.

Prince William broke royal protocol by naming Harry his best man [Photo: Getty]

Marlene Koenig, British and European royal expert, told Town & Country that the best man or best men are officially called supporters.

She did add that William will probably be Harrys supporter, carrying on the sibling tradition that was also displayed by the brothers father, Prince Charles. For his wedding to Princess Diana in 1981, he chose his brothers, Edward and Andrew, to be his supporters.

Its also likely that William will plan his younger brothers stag do. Although Williams affair was kept well under wraps, a royal insider told Brides that Harry hosted the occasion at a country estate about a month before the wedding.

As for the adorable Prince George and Princess Charlotte? It is very likely that Prince George and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge will be a page boy and a bridesmaid, Koenig continued. Anyone else is a guess.

Meghans bridesmaids are also a mystery. While many expect her A-list friends such as Serena Williams and Priyanka Chopra to be called upon, its likely the royal family will want to steer clear of a celebrity wedding.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.

Read more from Yahoo Style UK:

Prince William talks Prince Harrys engagement

Body language experts compare Harry and Meghans engagement interview to William and Kates

Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys first public outing in pictures
A senior director of the private equity firm founded by U.S. Commerce Secretary and investor Wilbur Ross died after being attacked by a tiger shark Thursday while scuba diving off the coast of Costa Rica.Rohina Bhandari, 49, was a senior director at WL Ross & Co., the buyout fund acquired by Invesco in 2006. She was part of a group of people diving in the area at the time of the attack, according to multiple press accounts.According to her LinkedIn profile, Bhandari joined WL Ross in 2013 and previously worked at PineBridge Investments (the former AIG Investments) and Credit Suisse. On her Facebook page, friends posted tributes. "Rohina always had a smile, always a kind word," wrote one.Another Facebook commenter mentioned Bhandari was planning a birthday holiday celebration in the coming weeks. A senior director of the private equity firm founded by U.S. Commerce Secretary and investor Wilbur Ross died after being attacked by a tiger shark Thursday while scuba diving off the coast of Costa Rica. Rohina Bhandari, 49, was a senior director at WL Ross & Co., the buyout fund acquired by Invesco in 2006. She was part of a group of people diving in the area at the time of the attack, according to multiple press accounts. According to her LinkedIn profile, Bhandari joined WL Ross in 2013 and previously worked at PineBridge Investments (the former AIG Investments) and Credit Suisse. On her Facebook page, friends posted tributes. "Rohina always had a smile, always a kind word," wrote one. Another Facebook commenter mentioned Bhandari was planning a birthday holiday celebration in the coming weeks.



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Protesters rally outside Supreme Court People arrive outside the US Supreme Court before Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission is heard on Dec. 5, 2017 in Washington. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared closely divided with likely pivotal vote Justice Anthony Kennedy posing tough questions about a Christian bakers refusal to make a wedding cake for a gay couple but also questioning whether a Colorado civil rights commission that ruled on the issue was biased against religion.

The nine justices heard an intense, extended 80-minute oral argument in the major case on whether certain businesses can refuse service to gay couples if they oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds.

The case concerns an appeal by Jack Phillips, a baker who runs Masterpiece Cakeshop in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, of a state court ruling that his refusal to make a cake for gay couple David Mullins and Charlie Craig in 2012 on the basis of his religious beliefs violated a Colorado anti-discrimination law.

Kennedy, a conservative who sometimes sides with the courts four liberals in major cases, raised concerns about issuing a ruling siding with the baker that would give a green light to discrimination against gay people. (Reuters)

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A group of law firms wants Butte-Silver Bow and Anaconda-Deer Lodge counties to join Cascade County and perhaps others in a possible lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.

The effort is separate from a state lawsuit Montana Attorney General Tim Fox filed Monday against Purdue Pharma, makers of the opioid drug OxyContin. It says the company lied to conceal dangers of the drug and created thousands of addicts.

The private firms will ask Butte-Silver Bow commissioners Wednesday night to sign on to their litigation initiative in response to opioid addictions and related problems.

Bill Everett, chief executive of Anaconda-Deer Lodge, said he expects the lawyers to make their case before its commissioners in the next couple of weeks, too.

We are taking a look at it, Everett said Monday, adding that he and other county officials need more information before making a decision.

John Morgan, chairman of the Butte-Silver Bow council, said he had plenty of questions himself. He didnt know whether the council would vote on the matter when it meets at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the courthouse, 155 W. Granite.

The firms say they would investigate, research, and litigate opioid-related claims on behalf of Montana counties because they have spent large sums combating an opioid crisis caused by fraudulent marketing and sales by drug makers.

A proposed retention agreement with Butte-Silver Bow says the firms would collect attorneys fees and 25 percent of any money damages recovered in the suit. If there were no money damages, the firms would get nothing, the proposal says.

County Attorney Eileen Joyce said she referred the request to council without weighing in since commissioners must decide whether to join.

The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic caused by opioid fraudulent marketing and sales of prescription opioids that has resulted in addiction, criminal activity and loss of life, Ben Snipes, an attorney with Kovacich Snipes P.C. in Great Falls, wrote in a Nov. 29 letter to Buttes commissioners.

The letter said almost two million Americans abused or were addicted to opioids in 2014 and cited public health officials in Montana saying drug poisoning deaths were the third leading cause of fatalities in this state.

It said opioids were once considered too addictive and debilitating for treating chronic pain and were used only to treat short-term acute pain or end-of-life care. But by the late 1990s, drug makers began a marketing scheme to persuade doctors and patients that opioids can and should be used for chronic pain while trivializing or even denying their risks, the letter said.

The drug makers and distributors have denied any wrongdoing and say they have worked to prevent their drugs from getting to the black market, according to a July story in The Washington Post about the barrage of lawsuits being filed. They said it would take a coordinated effort by doctors, the industry, and federal and local government agencies to combat the epidemic.

This litigation effort is being led by the law firm of Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett, based in Dallas, and includes affiliated Montana firms. Cascade County has signed on, and Gallatin County is among those also considering it.

Morgan, the council chairman in Butte, said commissioners would hear from the attorneys in person Wednesday night. They could vote on it afterward or give themselves more time to make a decision, he said.

Everett said he has read some information about the effort, but he and others in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County need more.

The state lawsuit, Fox said, alleges that Purdue Pharma had gone to great lengths to conceal the dangers of OxyContin while misleading and exploiting physicians in way that creates thousands of addictions dependent on their drug.
Thousands of Southern California residents have been evacuated from their homes as firefighters continue to battle a rapidly growing wildfire enhanced by strong Santa Ana winds.

It is not known how the largest fire, dubbed the Thomas Fire, started, but officials were already on high alert due to the recently warm, dry and windy weather conditions. The fire was first reported around 6:25 p.m. PST Monday when it started north of the city of Santa Paula near Highway 150.

The blaze, located in Ventura County, continues to threaten many structures and has already encroached into the city limits of Ventura, which is home to over 109,000 residents. Santa Paula is home to about 30,000 people.

Other large fires have erupted across the region, scorching thousands of acres and prompting mandatory evacuations. The largest of these fires are the Creek Fire and the Rye Fire.

Santa Ana winds will continue to whip through Southern California through the rest of this week, threatening to spread these blazes and any new fires that ignite rapidly.

More lives and homes will be threatened, and residents living in the Santa Ana wind-prone areas should prepare for the possibility of needing to evacuate at a moment's notice.

"The winds will make it difficult to get air support to these wildfires," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark said. "Helicopters may be able to aid firefighters, but the winds can be more problematic for larger aircraft."

2:28 a.m. PST Wednesday

Despite over 24 hours of swiftly-spreading wildfire activity, no deaths have been attributed to the fires in Southern California. Mandatory evacuation orders now impact 200,000 people, who can shelter in one of several evacuation shelters set up around the area.

Dozens of school districts and several area colleges will remain closed on Wednesday. A full list of school and road closures, as well as important phone numbers and evacuation zones and shelters, can be found at ReadyVenturaCounty.org.

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"The public did an outstanding job heeding our evacuation orders, getting out of these danger zones in a very prompt timely manner," said Robert Welsbie, spokesman for the Ventura Fire Department.

Airplanes and helicopters are expected to "attack the fire at daybreak," according to the Ventura County Sheriff via ReadyVenturaCounty.com. Sunrise will occur at 6:45 a.m. local time.



Rincon Mountain web cam shows #ThomasFire approaching from the southeast. Thanks to @Venturaoes for providing these images. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/7PFnyeYYNM  NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) December 6, 2017

A resurgence of stronger winds is expected to begin on Wednesday night.

"The fire danger on Thursday may become more extreme when compared to Tuesday as temperatures are expected to be higher and the strongest winds will cover a larger area of Southern California," warned AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

Regardless of current evacuation orders, residents in the general vicinity of any fires should be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice and have a plan to transport pets to a safe location.

9:45 p.m. PST Tuesday:

The Thomas Fire now stands at 55,000 acres, with 12,000 structures threatened. Wind gusts are currently gusting as high as 35 mph, continuing to promote the westward expansion of any fires. However, this is a significant decrease in wind speeds compared to Monday night.

A curfew has been put in place for Ventura that goes into effect daily at 10:00 p.m. local time, starting today, Dec. 5. It will last through 5:00 a.m. each day.



Update: #Thomasfire has jumped #Hwy101 at Solimar Beach north of #Ventura, fire crews are on scene. The highway each way remains OPEN but please avoid unnecessary travel thru this area. @CaltransDist7  Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) December 6, 2017

The Creek Fire has expanded to cover over 11,000 acres. An interactive map of the evacuation zone and evacuation centers, including those that allow pets, is available here.

6:30 p.m. PST Tuesday:

Winds are beginning to diminish across Southern California now that the sun has set, but are expected to pick up again on Wednesday. Malibu Hills recorded one of the highest wind gusts across the region with winds nearing 80mph on Tuesday afternoon.

While the winds will not be as strong overnight, people living near active fires should remain on alert.

Residents in Simi Valley, California have been asked to remain alert as the Rye Fire roars nearby. At this time, there are no evacuations in Simi Valley.



Strongest #LAWind gusts today (in mph):

Malibu Hills 79

Camp Nine 78

Boney Mtn 76

Chilao 72

Point Mugu 67https://t.co/HcKiBv1Hsu#CAwx #SantaAnaWinds  NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) December 6, 2017

4:50 p.m. PST Tuesday:

A state of emergency has been declared in the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garrett signed the declaration shortly before a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

The Creek Fire, burning in Los Angeles County, has destroyed at least 30 structures and remains zero percent contained.



Mayor @EricGarcetti has declared a local State of Emergency in response to the #CreekFire.



Full statement  https://t.co/GYiXlSkREI pic.twitter.com/cfFGA9Od2v  Mayor Eric Garcetti (@MayorOfLA) December 6, 2017

#CreekFire updates at 4:10 p.m. presser:



- 150,000 residents affected

- State of emergency declared in Los Angeles

- No reported civilian deaths

- "extremely erratic winds and fire behavior"

- 30 homes lost  Carla Javier (@carlamjavier) December 6, 2017

3:45 p.m. PST Tuesday:

A new fire has broken out near San Bernardino and is being called the Little Mountain fire. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered and has forced the northbound 215 Freeway to be closed. Three people were also injured as the blaze rapidly grew.

Meanwhile, the Rye Fire, burning near Santa Clarita, California, has grown to over 5,000 acres and is five percent contained, according to LA County Fire. This is an increase of 4,000 acres in just two hours.

Wind gusts over 50 mph have been reported across the region, fanning the flames and making them difficult to contain.

"The time that is most concerning appears to be Wednesday night into Thursday morning as [weather] models show some of the strongest winds during this time," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jordan Root said.

"With dry and gusty winds remaining persistent through the week, the threat for fire ignition and growth will remain high," Root added. "Fire weather conditions will present a dangerous situation for lives and property through this weekend."



3 pm 12.5.17 #RedCrossLA Evacuation Center Locations:

1)Sylmar Recreation Center

13109 Borden Ave, Sylmar

2)Branford Park

13306 Branford St, Pacoima

3)College of the Canyons

26455 Rockwell Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita#CreekFire #RyeFire pic.twitter.com/D4QizePw2A  Red Cross LosAngeles (@RedCrossLA) December 5, 2017

1:50 p.m. PST Tuesday:

The Thomas Fire in Ventura County has grown to 50,000 acres and remains zero percent contained.

This is the largest wildfire currently burning in California and has been burning for less than 24 hours.

12:55 p.m. PST Tuesday:

The Creek Fire is the second largest wildfire burning across Southern California and has charred at least 11,000 acres and is zero percent contained.

The Sunland Senior Center, which was being used as an evacuation center for the Creek Fire, is now under evacuation, according to ABC7. The Sylmar Recreation Center remains open for evacuees.

Smoke from the Southern California wildfires are extending hundreds of miles westward over the Pacific Ocean and are visible from space.



Fire satellite

Smoke from the wildfires raging across Southern California billowing westward over the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday. (Image/NASA/Terra/MODIS)

12:00 p.m. PST Tuesday:

The Rye Fire continues to grow in Santa Clarita, expanding to 500 acres with zero percent containment. As of 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, there were no evacuations for the fire.

People living in areas near the fire should prepare to evacuate if the fire continues to grow and expand near residential areas.



#RyeFire UPDATE IC reporting 500 acres no structures & no evacuations at this time.  LACounty Fire PIO (@LACoFDPIO) December 5, 2017

10:40 a.m. PST Tuesday:

California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Ventura County due to the Thomas Fire, which has destroyed hundreds of homes and critical infrastructure.

"This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but we'll continue to attack it with all we've got," Brown said. "It's critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so."

In addition to the Thomas and Creek fires, a third blaze named the Rye Fire has forced Interstate 5 to be shut down in both directions near Santa Clarita.



SIGALERT: N/B AND S/B I-5 AT SR-126, ALL LANES WILL BE CLOSED FOR AN UNKNOWN DURATION DUE TO A BRUSH FIRE  CHP PIO - LA County (@CHPsouthern) December 5, 2017

10:03 a.m. PST Tuesday:

The Creek Fire in Los Angeles County has now charred 4,000 acres, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The LAFD has confirmed damage reports for an unknown number of homes, but there have not been any reports of injuries.

Over 240 firefighters with the LAFD plus additional firefighters from other agencies are working to contain the blaze.

Southern California Edison says there are no reports of power outages from the Creek Fire, which is burning under fiber optic lines.

8:56 a.m. PST Tuesday:

The Thomas Fire remains out of control and has grown to to 45,000 acres. It is still zero percent contained.

While there were initial reports of one fatality in an overturned vehicle, authorities have since confirmed that a dog was killed, but no person was found in an overturned car, according to the Associated Press.

7:28 a.m. PST Tuesday:

Satellite imagery captures the heat signature of the Thomas and Creek Fires in Southern California.



Wildfire satellite image

(Photo/NOAA)

The Thomas Fire and resulting power outages have prompted authorities to issue a boil water advisory in Ventura, California.



Thomas Fire photo

(Instagram photo/johntowers)

6:53 a.m. PST Tuesday:

A second large fire is wreaking havoc in Southern California Tuesday morning. The 1,000-acre Creek Fire began around 4 a.m. local time and the Los Angeles County Fire Department was issuing evacuations for unincorporated areas, according to the Los Angeles Times.

3:48 a.m. PST Tuesday:

The Thomas Fire has grown to 31,000 acres, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. One firefighter has sustained injuries, and 27,000 people have been evacuated.

The blaze has destroyed at least 150 structures, and one of them is reported to be Vista del Mar Hospital in Ventura.



#ThomasFire: Vista del Mar Hospital is a confirmed loss.  VCscanner (@VCscanner) December 5, 2017

Ventura county wildfire 12517

(Photo/Ventura County Fire Department)

2:30 a.m. PST Tuesday:

The Thomas Fire has now started moving through of the city of Ventura, with firefighters working to protect blocks of the downtown area. Dozens of homes and other buildings are reportedly already burning.

Many are taking to social media to disperse information about how to stay safe in wildfire events. Making sure to keep electronics charged in your vehicle while evacuating, dressing to cover as much skin as possible, breathing through a mask or bandanna and sheltering in a body of water as a last resort are pieces of advice many may need to heed.



#ThomasFire: If you are unable to escape the fire, locate the closest body of water (pool, pond, lake, etc.) and stay in the water.  VCscanner (@VCscanner) December 5, 2017

The coverage of this fire has increased to 26,000 acres while still at zero percent containment.

Helicopters have reportedly taken advantage of the recent lull in the wind to begin dumping water on affected areas.

12:10 a.m. PST Tuesday:

As many as 30 mobile homes have been lost to the Thomas Fire so far as it continues to race towards Ventura.

Over 1,000 homes are under mandatory evacuation orders, with many of these located in northern and eastern Ventura. Over 260,000 customers are without power in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department is reportedly assisting in the fight against the Thomas Fire.

"The fire growth is just absolutely exponential," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. "All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people and protect structures."

The fire has been raging for about five hours and has grown to cover 25,000 acres and is zero percent contained.



It is relatively cold in this area, with temperatures currently in the 30s F away from the coast. Despite this, the incredibly dry and windy weather made conditions conducive for a fire to start and spread.

"The relative humidity will remain around 10 percent the rest of tonight and be in the 10- to 20-percent range much of the day Tuesday as well," said Pydynowski.



Thomas Fire 1 12/5

The Thomas Fire in Ventura County, CA raging towards Santa Paula on the evening of Dec. 4, 2017. (Instagram/@r_alamillo27)

10:49 p.m. PST Monday:

Mandatory evacuations have been issued for some Ventura neighborhoods. Officials are urging people to leave the area, even where evacuation notices are not in place, due to how quickly the fire is spreading.

One fatality has been attributed to this fire due to an automobile accident.



Thomas Fire 2 12/5

The Thomas Fire raging through Ventura County, Calif., on Dec. 4, 2017, as seen from a residential rooftop. (Instagram/@queenbd13)

The fire has now consumed 10,000 acres and is posing an increasingly dangerous threat to the city of Ventura where widespread power outages are occurring.

A news conference is scheduled for 11:00 p.m. PST at Santa Paula fire station no. 82.

10:07 p.m. PST Monday:

The coverage of the Thomas Fire has increased to 5,000 acres. Officials say the steep terrain and strong winds have combined to make this rapidly spreading fire particularly difficult and dangerous to contain.

All of northern Santa Paula has been evacuated, and officials expect the fire to impact the city of Ventura by Tuesday morning, where school has been canceled for Tuesday.

A list of evacuations and evacuation shelters can be found here.

A power outage is currently impacting Santa Barbara amid gusty winds and the nearby fire event.



8:55 p.m. PST Monday:

The Thomas Fire has reportedly burned 2,500 acres and has now prompted mandatory evacuations for residents of over 500 homes outside of Santa Paula.

Thomas Aquinas College, located off the closed portion of Highway 150, evacuated as a precaution earlier this evening.



*** FIRE ALERT ***

A large brush fire has struck the area around Steckel Park, just south of the Thomas Aquinas College campus. As a precaution, all students are being evacuated to nearby homes. Please pray for the safety of all those affected!  ThomasAquinasCollege (@TACollege) December 5, 2017

The fire is now headed towards Wheeler Canyon, home of one of the largest fires in California history. Wheeler Fire devastated the region in 1985, and the valley has not burned since.



Winds continue to gust at 40 mph out of the east. The relative humidity is very low as well, at only 21 percent. Both the dry conditions and strong winds are expected to persist through the night, making this a particularly dangerous wildfire situation.



#ThomasFire is currently 2500 acres with 0% perimeter containment. Firefighter's priorities are structured defense and evacuations of residence north of foothill Road in the city of Santa Paula. #vcfd @VCFD  VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) December 5, 2017

8:30 p.m. PST Monday:

The Thomas Fire has burned about 500 acres of dry brush in an area which officials report hasn't burned in about 30 years.

While some evacuations have been issued for campgrounds and some Santa Paula residents, no widespread evacuations have been ordered for the city.

Highway 150 has been shut down near the evacuation area, and the Santa Paula Fire Department has urged residents to "prepare for that possibility."


Washington (AFP) - US Republicans say they are confident of averting a government "shutdown" that would see basic services come to a grinding halt as a Friday deadline for passing new funding measures looms.

"Look, there's not going to be a government shutdown. It's just not going to happen," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told ABC on Sunday.

Non-essential workers will have to stay at home if a spending bill isn't passed before Friday night, when federal funding is set to elapse.

The last time a shutdown occurred was in 2013 over a feud between Republicans and the administration of former Democratic president Barack Obama.

Republican lawmakers are pushing for a two-week extension that would fund the government until December 22, giving them time to thrash out funding for the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year, that is until September 30, 2018.

While Democratic senators form a minority in the Senate, they have enough votes to block the measures and could use these powers to try to win key concessions.

High on their list is the fate of so-called "Dreamers" who were brought to the US illegally as children and whose protected legal status is set to expire next March following President Donald Trump's repeal of an Obama-enacted program.

"I don't think the Democrats would be very smart to say they want to shut down the government over a non-emergency that we can address anytime between now and March," said McConnell.

Democrat leaders have not yet signaled their intentions, but have emphasized the responsibility for a shutdown would lie with Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress as well as the White House.
Baghdad (AFP) - Human Rights Watch in a report on Tuesday criticised Iraq and the autonomous Kurdish authorities over mass trials of suspected Islamic State group jihadists.

In "Flawed Justice: Accountability for ISIS Crimes in Iraq", HRW said Baghdad and the Kurdish authorities in the north were holding "thousands of trials of Islamic State suspects without a strategy to prioritise the worst abuses under Iraqi and international law".

"The broad prosecution under terrorism law of all those affiliated with ISIS (IS) in any way, no matter how minimal, could impede future community reconciliation and reintegration, and clog up Iraqi courts and prisons for decades," the New York-based group said.

Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director, said that in acting this way, "Iraqi justice is failing to distinguish between the culpability of doctors who protected lives under ISIS rule and those responsible for crimes against humanity".

The group said the authorities "appear to be prosecuting all ISIS suspects in their custody under counterterrorism laws, primarily for ISIS membership, and not focusing on specific actions or crimes that may have been committed".

HRW identified 7,374 cases of suspects charged under this law since 2014, of whom 92 have been executed.

Its researchers estimate the total number of people imprisoned for suspected IS membership at 20,000.

Anti-terrorism laws allow judges to charge a large number of people, even those not involved in violence but who are suspected of having helped IS, such as doctors who worked in hospitals or cooks who fed fighters.

HRW said it was easier to charge a suspect under anti-terrorism laws than with a specific offence under the penal code as all the authorities had to do was to prove IS membership.

It said counterterrorism laws carry harsh sentences, including life in prison or the death penalty, even for belonging to the jihadist group.

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"But that makes it more difficult to prioritise and punish the most serious crimes," it said.

HRW also believes the authorities "have made no efforts to solicit victim participation in the trials, even as witnesses".

It said the report was based on information gathered in Arbil and Baghdad between November 2016 and July 2017.

HRW also said it regretted that a 2016 Iraqi law granting amnesty to suspects who can show they joined IS or any extremist group against their will and have not committed a crime was not being consistently applied.

"Execution of fighters who surrender or are hors de combat is a war crime," HRW added.

IS swept across a third of Iraq in 2014 and seized several cities including Mosul, before starting to be driven out in mid-2017.
The charging of Michael Flynn, seen here leaving federal court in Washington, DC on Dec. 1, 2017, has rattled the White House: AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Anxious White House staffers reportedly fear they are being recorded as an investigation edges deeper into Donald Trumps inner circle.

Everyone is paranoid, a source close to the White House told POLITICO. Everyone thinks theyre being recorded.

Last week, special counsel Robert Mueller sent shivers through the Trump administration with the announcement that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russia.

The indictment of a former top aide and campaign surrogate followed charges for erstwhile campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who also pleaded guilty to feeding the FBI falsehoods, and former campaign chair Paul Manafort and associate Rick Gates, who both denied allegations of tax fraud and money laundering as false.

As Mr Muellers investigation of potential ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government intensifies, the possibility of people testifying against other members of the Trump orbit is looming over the White House.

The plea deals Mr Flynn and Mr Papadopoulos accepted both suggest they are working with Mr Muellers investigation, and according to POLITICO White House staffers are increasingly concerned about conversations with colleagues who are covertly equipped with recording devices.

An attorney for the President, Ty Cobb, dismissed the concerns of people wearing wires as unhinged speculation with no foundation. Mr Cobb has consistently maintained that the President did not collude with Russia, and Mr Trump has blasted both Mr Muellers investigation and parallel Congressional efforts as witch hunts.

But the President himself has in the past stoked speculation about White House recordings. After he fired former FBI Director James Comey, Mr Trump warned on Twitter that Mr Comey better hope there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! Mr Trump later said he did not record conversations with Mr Comey - and no other sign of any tapes has been found.
An ancient fort near a beach in southeast England is the first solid archaeological evidence of Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain in 54 and 55 B.C., according to researchers.

Caesar himself wrote about his invasions of Britain, which have long been regarded as the first historical events ever recorded in the British Isles.

But there was no direct archaeological evidence of Caesar's invasions until archaeologists discovered an ancient defensive ditch in 2010 while carrying out excavations ahead of a road construction project through the village of Ebbsfleet beside Pegwell Bay. Ebbsfleet sits on the Isle of Thanet in Kent, which overlooks the English Channel. The researchers suspected the ditch was associated with Caesar's invasions, but couldn't be sure.

Recent excavations at the site have now established that the ditch was part of a Roman military fort built at Ebbsfleet in the first century B.C., when the Isle of Thanet was separated from the Kentish mainland by a marshy arm of water later known as the Wantsum Channel, said University of Leicester archaeologist Andrew Fitzpatrick, who led the excavations at the site. [Photos: The Site of Julius Caesar's British Invasion Revealed]

Although the Wantsum Channel was reclaimed and silted up in the Middle Ages, and the archaeological site now lies about 1 kilometer (less than a mile) from the coast, after the invasion in 54 B.C. the Romans had built the fort on the eastern shore of the channel, on a south-facing peninsula on the Isle of Thanet, Fitzpatrick told Live Science.

The fort at Ebbsfleet was likely occupied by a garrison of Roman soldiers who kept watch over the more than 800 ships of the invasion fleet anchored in Pegwell Bay, while Julius Caesar led his invading legions across Kent and north of the River Thames, Fitzpatrick said.

"The purpose of the [garrison] is to watch over the fleet, so that the Roman army can go home at the end of the campaign," Fitzpatrick said.

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Invasion beachhead



Now, for the first time, researchers have shown that Ebbsfleet was the site of Caesar's invasion in 54 B.C., Fitzpatrick said.

Excavations by University of Leicester archaeologists in 2016 and 2017 showed that the fort was built in a similar style as forts built by Caesar's legions in what are now France and Germany within a few years of the British invasion, he said.

The archaeologists also discovered the remains of humans who appear to have been killed in a conflict, judging by the sharp cut marks on their bones as well as several non-British iron weapons found nearby, Fitzpatrick said.

The weapons included the head of an iron spear identified as a Roman pilum  a javelin or throwing spear  of a distinctive style found in the parts of southern Gaul where Caesar was known to have recruited soldiers for his legions, Fitzpatrick said.

What's more, some of the landscape features of Pegwell Bay matched Caesar's description of his landing site in 54 B.C., including the long, sandy beach where his troops could quickly disembark from their ships, and the cliffs to the north of the bay that could be seen by soldiers on the Roman ships in the channel, Fitzpatrick said.

The cliffs were backed by high ground that served as a refuge for the warriors of the defending British tribes, he said.

"The British gather to oppose the [Roman] landing in 54 B.C., but they see 800 ships  and so they take fright and conceal themselves on the higher ground," Fitzpatrick said. "So those statements, which are just incidental to the narrative [Caesar] is giving, give us the clues about what the place looked like  and all those clues are consistent with the landscape around Ebbsfleet."

Conquering legions

Caesar also led a smaller invasion of Britain a year earlier, in 55 B.C., when he landed two legions of soldiers at an unknown location on the Kent coast, probably around 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of Pegwell Bay.

That invasion lasted just 10 weeks and subdued only the eastern part of Kent, he said.

But Caesar's invasion in 54 B.C. with five infantry legions and 2,000 cavalrymen  more than 20,000 soldiers in total  was instrumental in establishing Roman supremacy over southeast Britain, Fitzpatrick said.

Although Caesar left no occupying armies behind in Britain after the invasions, the fact that he had conquered the British tribes and forced peace treaties on them was celebrated in Rome as a breakthrough victory, Fitzpatrick said.

The achievement was seen in a similar way as the discovery of the "New World" was seen by modern Europeans in the 15th century.

"It's something that's amazing for the Romans  Julius Caesar has gone beyond the known world, and conquered it," Fitzpatrick said. "That causes a sensation in Rome."

While some early British historians portrayed Caesar's invasions as partial failures preceding the permanent Roman occupation of Britain under Emperor Claudius starting in A.D. 43, Fitzpatrick said he thinks that's "a misreading of history."

Instead, modern archaeological and historical research suggests that the treaties Caesar imposed on the southeastern tribes created British client kingdoms that depended on their associations with Rome for authority and legitimacy, he said.

Those treaties paved the way for the later occupation, which quickly established Roman rule in southeast Britain, though it would take many more years to conquer the more distant parts of the country by military force, Fitzpatrick said.

"We think that's because of the links that have been established [by Caesar] almost 100 years earlier that bind the elite of the southeast of [Britain] into the Roman world," Fitzpatrick said. "The deals that Caesar made helped set the course for the gradual Romanization of Britain and the Roman conquest."

Original article on Live Science.

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By Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has communication channels with North Korea open and Moscow is ready to exert its influence on Pyongyang, RIA news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov as saying on Tuesday. "We have channels, through which we are conducting a dialogue, and we are ready to deploy them, we are ready to exert our influence on North Korea," Morgulov was quoted as saying at a conference in Berlin. He also said that neither Washington, not Pyongyang want a real war "but such scenarios exists". The Kremlin has traditionally protected the reclusive state though the latest Pyongyang tests have irked Moscow. North Korea, which conducted its sixth and largest nuclear bomb test in September, has tested dozens of ballistic missiles under Kim Jong Un's leadership in defiance of international sanctions. Morgulov called for other measures than isolation to exercise in dealing with North Korea. "We believe that the isolation alone...will not work, this won't take us forward. By doing this, we will only worsen the situation, which is dangerous. We are really on the brink of a real war," he said. In Washington, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said the Trump administration still wanted a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the nuclear and missile threat from Pyongyang but said: "(North Korea) has shown through its actions that it is not interested in talks. We must remain focused on increasing the costs for Pyongyang to continue to advance its WMD programs." Morgulov was also quoted as saying that North Korea was seeking a direct dialogue with the United States on its nuclear program, while it was not in need of security guarantees either from China or Russia. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow and David Brunnstrom in Washington; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Kuwait City (AFP) - Saudi King Salman on Tuesday sent his foreign minister to lead the kingdom's delegation to a Gulf summit in Kuwait attended by the ruler of rival Qatar, official media reported.

State television showed Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah receiving Saudi Arabia's top diplomat Adel al-Jubeir at the airport as the head of the kingdom's delegation.

The summit comes six months after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut ties with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member Qatar, the worst political dispute of the bloc's 36-year history.

Host nation Kuwait, which is leading mediation efforts to resolve the crisis, and Qatar were the only members of the six-nation alliance to send top-level representation -- their respective emirs -- to attend the summit.

Bahrain sent its deputy prime minister and Emirati media said its state minister for foreign affairs would represent Abu Dhabi.

It was not immediately clear whether the summit, due to begin later on Tuesday, will even broach the Gulf dispute that the emir of Kuwait has warned could cause the GCC to collapse.
Sanaa (AFP) - Saudi-led warplanes pounded the rebel-held Yemeni capital before dawn on Tuesday after the rebels killed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as he fled the city following the collapse of their uneasy alliance, residents said.

The Shiite Huthi rebels moved swiftly to consolidate their control over Sanaa after nearly a week of deadly clashes with Saleh loyalists.

Exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi called on Yemenis to unite against the Iran-backed insurgents.

At least seven strikes hit the presidential palace in a densely populated residential neighbourhood in the heart of Sanaa, witnesses said.

There was immediate word on any casualties.

The streets emptied before dark on Monday as coalition aircraft swooped low over the city.

There were a few minor clashes between the Huthis and Saleh supporters in southern districts which had been loyal to the strongman.

But there was no repetition of the heavy fighting that had rocked the capital for the five previous nights, residents said.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for three decades, had joined forces with the Huthi rebels in 2014 when they took control of large parts of the country, including the capital.

But that alliance unravelled over the past week, with dozens reported dead in clashes as the former leader reached out to the Saudi-led coalition that has waged devastating air strikes against the Huthis since September 2015.

The Huthis announced Saleh's death on their Al-Masirah television channel, declaring the "end of the crisis of militias" -- referring to his armed supporters, to whom the government has offered an amnesty.

Yemen's war has left thousands dead since 2015, led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and deepened tensions between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Ms Feinstein is a leading Democrat in the Senate: AFP

A top Democrat says that a Senate committee investigating Russias meddling in the 2016 election is looking into potential obstruction of justice charges against President Donald Trump.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that a group was putting together of a case of obstruction of justice against the President, during an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press.

The comments came just after a former top White House aide plead guilty to charges brought by special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russias influence on the 2016 campaign. The guilty plea, from former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, was on charges related to lying to the FBI about contact with Russian officials, but is considered significant because it could potentially require him to testify against others in the Trump inner circle.

I think we see this in the indictments, the four indictments and pleas that have just taken place and some of the comments that are being made, Ms Feinstein said, explaining the exploration in the Senate for obstruction charges.

Mr Trump has insisted since Mr Flynns guilty plea that the charges against his former national security adviser show that there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia. Others note, however, that Mr Mueller could simply be building a case from the outside in  and that Mr Flynn could be pressured to flip on the President and other top members of the campaign.

Following those charges, Mr Trump pushed back even harder against the investigations that have dogged his presidency so far. Taking to Twitter, Mr Trump seized on recent news that a member of Mr Muellers team had been fired after it was determined he had sent anti-Trump messages.

Mr Trump, noting that the individual who was fired worked on an investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server as secretary of State, indicated that the FBIs reputation was severely damaged  and promised to fix it.
LONDON (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi <SASY.PA> said on Tuesday the risk of severe dengue occurring in previously uninfected people given its Dengvaxia dengue vaccine was around two in 1,000 and these individuals recovered with treatment.

The vaccine is at a centre of a safety row after new data showed it could worsen dengue in some cases, prompting the Philippines to halt its sale and suspend a government programme to immunise hundreds of thousands of children.

Answering criticism about delays in reporting problems, Sanofi said it had only been able to conduct a detailed analysis to determine the impact of previous dengue infection this year, after co-developing a new assay with the University of Pittsburgh.

"The increased risk identified from the new analysis translated to two additional cases of 'severe dengue' out of 1,000 previously dengue-uninfected people vaccinated over five years of follow-up," the company said in an emailed statement.

"In this group, all fully recovered with proper medical treatment."

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler)
By Sami Aboudi and Noah Browning SANAA/DUBAI (Reuters) - The powerful exiled son of Yemen's slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed on Tuesday to lead a campaign against the Houthi movement that killed his father after he switched sides in the civil war. The intervention by Ahmed Ali Saleh, a former leader of the elite Republican Guard once seen as a likely successor to his father, gives the anti-Houthi movement in Sanaa a potential figurehead, after a week of fighting that saw the Houthis rout Saleh's supporters in the capital. Yemen's war, pitting the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has brought what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The world body says millions of people may die in one of the worst famines of modern times, caused by warring parties blocking food supplies. Saleh had helped the Houthis win control of much of the country's north including Sanaa, and his decision to switch allegiances and abandon the Houthis in the past week was the most dramatic change on the battlefield in years. But the Houthis swiftly crushed a pro-Saleh uprising in the capital and shot him dead in an attack on his convoy. Tens of thousands of Houthi supporters staged a rally in the capital on Tuesday to show support for their leader and celebrate the death of Saleh. They chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and its allies. Mahmoud Ali al-Houthi, head of the movement's Revolutionary Committee, denied allegations that the group was executing members of Saleh's party after their capture: "We have been treating some of Saleh's sons and we haven't executed them," he told the crowd. Sanaa saw no fresh fighting on Tuesday after five days of combat that the Red Cross said killed more than 230 people. The Saudi-led coalition struck the city with 25 air strikes overnight, but U.N. and Red Cross aid flights were able to land at the airport, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said. People are now emerging from their houses after five days being locked down basically as prisoners," McGoldrick told a U.N. briefing by phone from Sanaa. "They are now seeking safety, moving their families in case things erupt again and at the same time seeking medical treatment and trying to pacify very terrified kids who have endured five days of relentless shelling, shooting and ground fire and air strikes." The Saudi cabinet, in a statement that did not mention Saleh by name, said it hoped the Sanaa uprising against the Houthis would "help rid sisterly Yemen of repression, death threats, ... explosions and seizure of private and public property". DANCING ON SNAKES The death of Saleh, who once compared ruling Yemen to dancing on the heads of snakes, deepens the complexity of the multi-sided war. Much is likely to depend on the future allegiances of his loyalists, who had previously helped the armed Houthi group, which hails from the Zaidi branch of Shi'ite Islam that ruled a thousand-year kingdom in northern Yemen until 1962. In a statement sent to Reuters by an aide, his son said his father was killed at "the hands of the enemies of God and the country". Ahmed Ali said he would "confront the enemies of the homeland and humanity, who are trying to obliterate its identity and its gains and to humiliate Yemen and Yemenis". In an earlier statement carried by Saudi state media, Ahmed Ali said he would lead "the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen ... the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran." The Arabian peninsula's poorest country, Yemen is one of the most violent fronts in a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who have also backed opposing sides in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere across the Middle East. TIPPING THE BALANCE The Saudi-led coalition appears to have been counting on Saleh's decision to switch sides to tip the balance of the war. Saleh, who ruled in Sanaa from 1978-2012, had a strong following in Yemen, including army officers and armed tribal leaders who once served under him. During the years the ex-president was allied to the Houthis, Yemeni political sources say Ahmed Ali was living incommunicado under house arrest at a guarded villa in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, where he had served as ambassador. The UAE is a key member of the mostly Gulf Arab alliance that sees the Houthis as a proxy of their arch-enemy Iran. The Gulf countries had struggled to make gains against the Houthi-Saleh alliance despite thousands of air strikes backed by Western arms and intelligence. They have used their air and sea power to tightly restrict imports, action that the United Nations says could lead to mass hunger. Ahmed Ali may be the family's last chance to win back influence. A nephew of the former leader, Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, a senior military commander, was also killed during clashes with the Houthis, Saleh's party said on Tuesday. Residents reported that fighting had subsided but that Saudi-led coalition jets pounded several targets, including the downtown presidential palace where a governing body led by Houthi-Saleh politicians had regularly convened. The Houthi leader, Abdul Malek al-Houthi, hailed Saleh's death in a speech on Monday as a victory against a treasonous conspiracy by Yemen's Saudi enemies and called for Tuesday's mass rally at a parade ground near the site of the air strikes. In the southern city of Aden, where the Saudi-backed government is based, residents set off fireworks and expressed joy. Saleh was hated throughout southern Yemen after he launched a war to unify the country in 1994, lobbing ballistic missiles at the city. But his legacy is mixed. He is still loved in much of the north and many supporters will bear a grudge towards his killers. Some feared Saleh's death would only create more instability in Yemen. "We expect things will get worse for us. This will be the beginning of a new conflict and more bloodshed. The war will not end soon," said Aswan Abdu Khalid, an academic at the psychology department at the University of Aden. (Reporting by Noah Browning and Sami Aboudi in Dubai, and by Reuters journalists in Sanaa and Aden; Editing by Michael Georgy and Peter Graff)
By Christine Kim and Philip Wen SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea went ahead with large-scale joint aerial drills on Monday, a move North Korea had said would push the Korean peninsula to "the brink of nuclear war", ignoring calls from Russia and China to call them off. The drills come a week after North Korea said it had tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States as part of a weapons program that it has conducted in defiance of international sanctions and condemnation. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was "regrettable" that all parties had not "grasped the window of opportunity" presented by two months of relative calm before the North's most recent test. China and Russia had proposed that the United States and South Korea stop major military exercises in exchange for North Korea halting its weapons programs. Beijing formally calls the idea the dual suspension proposal. The annual U.S.-South Korean drill, called Vigilant Ace, will run until Friday, with six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to be deployed among the more than 230 aircraft taking part. North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country called U.S. President Donald Trump "insane" on Sunday and said the drills would "push the already acute situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war". F-35 fighters will also join the drills, which will include the largest number of 5th generation fighters ever to have taken part, according to a South Korea-based U.S. Air Force spokesman. Around 12,000 U.S. service members, including from the Marines and Navy, will join South Korean troops. Aircraft taking part will be flown from eight U.S. and South Korean military installations. South Korean media reports said B-1B Lancer bombers could join the exercise this week. The U.S. Air Force spokesman could not confirm the reports. Trump said last week that additional major sanctions would be imposed on North Korea after Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile test. Earlier last month, Trump put North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that allows the United States to impose more sanctions. Russia has accused the United States of trying to provoke North Korean leader Kim Jong Un into "flying off the handle" over his missile program to hand Washington a pretext to destroy his country. Speaking at a news briefing in Beijing, Wang said China consistently opposed any behavior that elevated tensions. "And measures that don't abide by or are outside the UN Security Council resolutions lack basis in international law and damage the rights of United Nations members," Wang said when asked about the prospect of further U.S. sanctions against North Korea. China's Air Force said on Monday that its surveillance aircraft had in recent days conducted drills in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea to "improve combat-readiness and safeguard the country's strategic interests". The aircraft took a flight path not previously flown to regions they had never previously operated in, and coordinated with fighter jets, alert aircraft and guided missile forces, spokesman Shen Jinke said, according to a post on the Air Force's official microblog. The joint exercises between South Korea and United States are designed to enhance readiness and operational capability and to ensure peace and security on the Korean peninsula, the U.S. military had said before the drills began. The North's KCNA state news agency, citing a foreign ministry spokesman, said on Saturday the Trump administration was "begging for nuclear war by staging an extremely dangerous nuclear gamble on the Korean peninsula". North Korea regularly uses its state media to threaten the United States and its allies. North Korea has tested dozens of ballistic missiles and conducted its sixth and largest nuclear bomb test in September, in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. It has said its weapons programs are a necessary defense against U.S. plans to invade. The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, denies any such intention. (Reporting by Christine Kim in SEOUL and Philip Wen in BEIJING; Additional reporting by Michael Martina in BEIJING; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Roy Moore Spox: "Poppy, we need to make it clear there's a group of non-accusers." pic.twitter.com/zWEXQIExgK  Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) December 5, 2017

A spokeswoman for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore defended the Republican against allegations of sexual misconduct by saying theres a group of non-accusers, as well.

Discussing the multiple allegations against Moore, Jane Porter told CNNs Poppy Harlow we need to make it clear, theres a group of non-accusers, that have not accused the judge of anything illegal.

Porter then tore into Leigh Corfman, who told the Washington Post last month that Moore touched her sexually when she was 14 and he was 32.

I dont believe her at all, Porter said.

Along with Corfman, at least eight other women have accused Moore, a former judge, of sexual harassment and assault. Like Corman, several of the women have said they were teenagers and Moore was in his 30s when he pursued them. Moore has denied all the accusations.

During her CNN appearance, Porter also drew attention to Harlows pregnancy as a way to attack  and misrepresent  Moores opponent in Alabamas Dec. 12 special election, Democrat Doug Jones.

Congratulations on your unborn child, Porter said. Thats the reason why I came ... to speak for Moore, because he will stand for the rights of babies like yours in the womb, where his opponent will support killing them until the moment of birth.

Jones supports abortion rights but also backs restrictions on late-term abortions except in cases of medical emergencies.

Moore has faced calls from some top Republicans to drop out of the race. But as the election nears, some party leaders have quietly walked back their condemnations of him.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, after last month urging Moore to end his candidacy, said over the weekend it was up to the people of Alabama to decide his fate. The Republican National Committee also has reinstated financial backing for Moore after withdrawing it when the allegations against him surfaced.

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President Donald Trump had been notably absent from those calling on Moore to give up his Senate bid and, after tacitly supporting him in comments late last month formally endorsed him on Monday.

Polls have shown a tight race between Moore and Jones, with the Republican leading in most of the recent ones.

This story has been updated to include Porters comments on abortion.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Yangon (AFP) - Amnesty International is calling for a "strong resolution" over Myanmar's treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority, as the country enters the spotlight of a rare UN Human Rights Council special session later Tuesday.

Myanmar's military denies accusations by the UN and US that it has committed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine state.

An army-led crackdown has forced some 620,000 people to flee over the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh in recent months, leaving hundreds of villages burned to the ground.

Ahead of the council's session in Geneva, Amnesty urged members to keep the pressure on and said authorities in Buddhist-majority Myanmar are committing crimes against humanity that are continuing on a "daily basis".

"The Council must now step up and pass a strong resolution that sends a clear message to Myanmar's government and military that their abhorrent treatment of the Rohingya must end immediately, and that perpetrators will not enjoy impunity," said James Gomez, Amnesty's regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Rights groups say people are still fleeing Myanmar, joining refugees who give consistent accounts of rape, murder and arson.

The army has justified the crackdown as a proportionate response to deadly attacks by Rohingya militants on border police on August 25.

Myanmar's state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar on Tuesday claimed there had been a "gradual return to normalcy in the region".

The rights council rarely holds special sessions, which can only be convened at the request of at least a third of its 47 member states, or 16 countries.

The session comes amid mounting scrutiny from UN member states. In March the rights council approved a mission to Myanmar to investigate alleged crimes by security forces, particularly in Rakhine.

Myanmar refused to cooperate and blocked access to the team of investigators, who have begun their work outside the country.

Story continues

After months of wrangling, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on November 23 to start repatriating refugees within two months. But rights groups say the conditions are not in place to ensure safe, voluntary and dignified returns.

The council meeting comes a week after an emotional visit to both countries by Pope Francis.

The pontiff met a group of Rohingya in Dhaka in a symbolic gesture of solidarity after publicly avoiding addressing the sensitive issue in Myanmar, where he held private talks with the powerful army chief and civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi has been the target of global vitriol for a perceived failure to stand up for the stateless minority. But she remains a heroine for most of her compatriots, who largely consider the Rohingya as unwanted illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Amnesty is also urging the rights council to discuss "wide-ranging human rights violations" it says are being committed by Myanmar's security forces against other ethnic minorities.

Many of the country's borderlands are embroiled in long-running conflicts, in which allegations of extrajudicial executions, disappearances, torture and forced labour are common.

"The Council's resolution must reflect this and call on Myanmar to immediately end human rights violations against minorities in all parts of the country," said Amnesty's Gomez in a statement.
Kiev (AFP) - Scuffles broke out in Kiev on Tuesday after Ukrainian authorities accused former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili of plotting a coup sponsored by Russia and attempted to arrest him.

Saakashvili, a former Ukrainian governor, fell out with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and was stripped of his Ukrainian passport. He forced his way back into the country with the help of supporters in September and since then has led rallies calling for Poroshenko's ouster.

The 49-year-old politician's confrontation with Ukrainian authorities came to a head Tuesday morning when police raided Saakashvili's flat, prompting him to climb onto the roof of his central Kiev building and address supporters below before officers led him down into a vehicle.

Ukraine's general prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko accused Saakashvili and his allies of receiving $500,000 (420,000 euros) from Russian sources to fund the rallies against the pro-Western Ukrainian government.

Lutsenko claimed Saakashvili was in cahoots with the allies of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych who he said plotted "revenge" from Russia where he had fled after being removed from power in a popular uprising in 2014.

Ukraine is fighting a Kremlin-backed separatist movement in the east of the country in a conflict that has claimed more than 10,000 lives since 2014 and accusations of ties with Moscow are hugely damaging in the eyes of voters.

Saakashvili called Lutsenko's claim a "provocation."

After his detention several hundred people gathered around the van carrying the politician and prevented it from moving, finally freeing him from it.

Amid clashes, police and Saakashvili supporters used tear gas against each other

- Rooftop address -

After emerging from the van with a handcuff on one hand, Saakashvili urged his supporters to march to the Ukrainian parliament and demand the impeachment of the president.

"There are millions of us, we are very strong," he said.

Story continues

Speaking earlier from the roof, he accused Poroshenko of being a thief and "a traitor to the people of Ukraine."

"I call on all decent Ukrainians to take to the streets and drive out these thieves. I call on Ukrainians not to allow me to be abducted, I appeal to the people of Kiev not to allow lawlessness."

He must appear before investigators Wednesday morning, prosecutors said.

The charismatic politician is credited with pushing through pro-Western reforms in his native Georgia which he led from 2004 to 2013 after rising to power during the so-called Rose Revolution in 2003.

Observers say however there is little appetite for new turmoil in Ukraine, which has gone through two popular uprisings since 2004.

But Iryna Bekeshkina, head of the Kiev-based Democratic Initiatives Foundation, said that despite Saakashvili's insignificant approval ratings the arrest could have a wider effect.

"The problems Saakashvili is exploiting, they really exist," she wrote on Facebook, describing the situation as "explosive".

"Corruption, thefts worth millions, impunity of criminals and much more."

In the wake of the pro-Western revolution in Kiev, Saakashvili moved to Ukraine in 2015 to work as governor of the key Odessa region on the Black Sea.

Relations with Poroshenko soured over accusations that Kiev was failing to make good on the fight against corruption.

Saakashvili hopes his political party will grab seats from the president's increasingly unpopular group in polls set for 2019.

- 'Surprised once again'-

Moscow officials could hardly contain their glee over the new turmoil in Kiev, with President Vladimir Putin's spokesman saying Saakashvili "has come a long way from chewing his tie to climbing on the roof. It has been a thorny path."

The then Georgian leader famously gnawed on his tie as he waited to be interviewed in 2008, during the Georgia-Russia war, in footage widely broadcast in Russia. Putin famously derided Saakashvili at the time.

Asked to comment on the situation Tuesday in Kiev, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "We are not used to responding to the statements of people sitting on roofs."

Saakashvili is a top enemy of Putin, with the two locking horns during a five-day war between Georgia and Russia in August 2008.

Carl Bildt, the co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the news of the arrest was "disturbing".

"Political arrests will radically diminish the country's credibility in the West. That's a security issue at the end of the day," the former Swedish prime minister said via Twitter.

The US embassy in Kiev called "for all sides to deescalate tensions and avoid violence."
Wednesday, Dec. 6

MAROON MAGIC

Butte Central High School presents Maroon Magic 2017 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The choir, pep band, and guitar classes will perform, along with solo performances. Admission is free, but donations are accepted.
Twitter has a hate-speech problem, and there may be a way to fix it. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

If you look at Twitter (TWTR) bios, you may be surprised to see more people listing their location as Germany, even though they may have never set foot in the Bundesrepublik Deutschland.

Over the past few years, Twitter has received a flood of criticism for not dealing with harassment and hate speech well, tacitly condoning accounts by leaving them activated.

In Germany, however, citizens are not granted quite as broad free speech rights as U.S. citizens are , a practice that is traced back to the denazification process after World War II. While freedom of speech and press is guaranteed, inciting speech (Volksverhetzung), libel, and Holocaust denial is not permitted.

Most critically, Nazi iconography for purposes outside of art or science, research or teaching is not allowed under Germanys criminal code (Strafgesetzbuch).

In 2017, these rules were incorporated into a new rule called NetzDG, shorthand for Germanys Network Enforcement Act, which requires social media sites to crack down on hate speech  and quickly. The social media networks have just 24 hours to comply. Noncompliance could result in fines of up to 5 million euros.

Harassment blocking hack

In a widely-shared tweet, U.S. journalist Virginia Heffernan advised people to change their location to Germany. I changed my Twitter address to Germany at the suggestion of a shrewd friend, and they [hate tweets] vanished. Germany has stricter hate-speech laws, she tweeted.

PSA. For anyone beset by Nazi and brownshirt bots: I changed my Twitter address to Germany at the suggestion of a shrewd friend, and they vanished. Germany has stricter hate-speech laws.  Virginia Heffernan (@page88) December 4, 2017

Despite Heffernans clear success  the hack worked  it is unclear whether its an effective long-term fix, and Twitter declined to comment on the tactic or its effectiveness, and did not say whether it was because of the new law.

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According to a source with knowledge of the matter, Twitter is in a three-month transition period getting things in order that began when the NetzDG went into effect Oct. 1.

However, Twitter pointed to its policies that state that a users country of origin is determined not by self-selecting a profile country.

We use the IP address from which you are viewing Twitter to determine your country, a Twitter spokesperson told Yahoo Finance, noting the difference between profile location and country setting.

There may be a way around this, though. It is possible to change your country setting if Twitter has misidentified your country, something that may yield better results than a simple profile change.

In any event, location shouldnt matter. In the NetzDG rule itself social media platforms like Twitter are obligated to comply even if the location isnt Germany, a move designed to protect Germans abroad. The regulatory offence may be sanctioned even if it is not committed in the Federal Republic of Germany, the rule states.

Since Twitter and other social media platforms are currently in the process of adapting to these rules  the law states the company must provide bi-annual German-language reports, among others  it isnt completely clear how things will end up. But for now, it appears the stopgap is working.

Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann. Confidential tip line: FinanceTips[at]oath[.com].

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Theresa May's response to Donald Trump was mocked on US television show Saturday Night Live at the weekend.

She was parodied by Kate McKinnon, who has previously acted as Hillary Clinton and Kellyanne Conway on the programme.

Some said her response to the President was weak, after he retweeted fake news videos from far-right organisation Britain First then, after Theresa May said this was "wrong", took a swipe at our Prime Minister, insinuating she wasn't dealing well with the terror threat in the UK.

It appears this was the perception across the pond too, as the sketch on SNL showed 'Theresa May' speaking about her response.

She says: "The British people know I can give it as good as I get it.

"Im not afraid of a little social media fisticuffs. And Ive never felt more alive.

"I saw Trumps offensive retweets and put that man on blast. Look at this epic takedown: It is wrong for the president to have done this.

"Savage. I am practically a troll now."

It was also pointed out that Donald Trump tagged the wrong Theresa May.

In his haste to fire back at our Prime Minister after she said his retweets were "wrong", he tagged a woman from Bognor Regis.

His tweet read: "@TheresaMay, don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!"

The woman tagged, from Bognor, set up her account in 2009, before Theresa May became Prime Minister.

She said she had been deluged with tweets from Donald Trump's followers - despite only having six of her own.

Because of this, she asked the White House to telephone her and apologise.
A TV screen shows pictures of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a railway station in Seoul - AFP

Time is running out to avoid a war with North Korea, the White House national security has warned, after it emerged that the US is scoping out sites for missile interception batteries following the latest ballistic missile tests from Pyongyang.

Were in a race to be able to solve this problem, H.R McMaster told Fox News during a weekend defence forum.

There are ways to address this problem short of armed conflict, but it is a race because hes getting closer and closer and theres not much time left, he said, adding that dictator Kim Jong-uns nuclear ambitions were the greatest immediate threat to the US and the world.

Despite the US warnings, Pyongyang blasted the US and South Korea as self-destructive warmongers ahead of their largest-ever joint air exercise, which begins on Monday.

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill will involve 12,000 military personnel and 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptors and F-35 stealth fighters that will train close to the border with the North. Exercises will focus on enemy infiltration and precision airstrikes.

Mr McMaster's comments come just days after North Korea fired its highest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile test, capable of flying 8,080 miles and reaching 1,000 miles higher than during its first ICBM launch in July.

Hwasong-15 ICBM - new North Korean missile

The US Missile Defence Agency (MDA), tasked with protecting the country from attacks, is now reported to be scouting the West Coast for places to deploy new anti-missile defences, including the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system currently being used by South Korea.

The accelerated pace of North Koreas testing programme this year and the likelihood that the rogue regime could target the US mainland with a nuclear strike has raised the pressure on Washington to shore up the countrys defences.

On Sunday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham urged the Pentagon to start moving US military dependents, such as spouses and children, out of South Korea, saying conflict with North Korea is growing close.

Story continues

"It's crazy to send spouses and children to South Korea given the provocation of North Korea," he said.

Tensions with North Korea have escalated in recent months over Kims continued development of its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of United Nations resolutions.

North Koreas state-controlled Rodong newspaper on Sunday slammed todays drill as an open provocation against the DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea), which may lead to a nuclear war at any moment.

The commentary was published a day after Pyongyangs foreign ministry accused the Trump administration of begging for nuclear war by staging reckless air drills.

The US and South Korean puppet warmongers would be well advised to bear in mind that their DPRK-targeted military drill will be as foolish as an act precipitating their self-destruction, it said.
A student celebrates the joy of accomplishment at his UPenn Wharton undergraduate graduation ceremony (Wharton/Flickr)

Its a remarkably consistent finding  business remains the most popular major among college students.

But not all programs are created equal. Online publication Poets&Quants for Undergrads is out with its 2017 ranking of the countrys top undergrad business schools. Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania took the top spot. (This also happens to be President Donald Trumps alma mater). The average starting salary for a 2017 graduate was $80,566. With an average bonus of $12,703, total average compensation was $90,601.

Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame and McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University round out the top five programs.

The site used admissions standards, academic experience and employment outcomes to determine the quality of 82 institutions. Poets&Quants surveyed 6,288 recent graduates and used school-reported data.

In lieu of an MBA

Often, these elite undergrad programs offer a perfect medley of hard skills in finance and soft skills in leadership.

Undergrad business programs have become so solid and sophisticated, many employers find these graduates more preferable to MBAs, John Byrne, founder and editor-in-chief of Poets&Quants, told Yahoo Finance. They put a focus on writing a report with great clarity and intelligence. Theres an emphasis on being articulate, persuasive, and effective with people.

Beyond the classroom, schools like Wharton offer global immersions and opportunities for non-profit work that cultivate well-rounded students, according to Byrne.

Perhaps getting a business degree from a top program is a better path because its cheaper than grad school. The cost of a Harvard MBA starts at $106,800. The price of entry at other top schools like Stanford and UChicago is $112,797 and $103,759, respectively.

Students may also be continuing to choose business majors, in part, because theyre worried about their career prospects, having seen their parents or relatives losing their jobs and having trouble landing a job during the 2008 recession. Those who might have majored in philosophy or dance are choosing to minor in it, veering toward more practical choices, according to Byrne.

Story continues

There isnt always a direct relationship between your college major and what you end up doing for a living, though. English majors become consultants and not all business grads find lucrative careers. But schools like Wharton  if you can manage to get in  give you a bit more certainty that youll get some return on your collegiate investment.

Melody Hahm is a senior writer at Yahoo Finance, covering entrepreneurship, technology and real estate. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm.

Read more:
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mr Trump's controversial travel ban, delivering a victory to the President: AP

The Supreme Court has decided that President Donald Trumps most recent travel ban that targets six Muslim-majority countries can go into full effect, handing a victory to the President even as legal challenges remain in lower courts.

The court ruled to lift two injunctions that have dogged the controversial travel ban, with two of the nine justices dissenting on the issue. Lower courts had blocked the implementation of the ban, which is the third version of the policy that the Trump administration has pushed this year.

Even as the Supreme Court made its decision Monday, two other challenges to the ban made their way through lower courts that could potentially stall Mr Trumps executive order further. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals are scheduled to hear arguments on the legality of the ban later in the week.

Those two courts are considering the merits of the issue in an accelerated manner. The Supreme Court has noted that it expects those court decisions with appropriate dispatch.

Still, although those challenges may present obstacles for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court decision represents a significant victory on an issue that has sparked intense debate in the nation and brought protesters to the streets in opposition. Mr Trumps first travel ban, which he announced soon after he took office, was quickly blocked by a judge. The second was blocked before implementation, but later allowed to go forward following a Supreme Court decision that deferred issues of national security to the President.

The ban targets people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. The lower courts had said that people from any of those countries could not be kept from the US if they could prove they had a bona fide relationship with someone in the United States. The court sought to include people like grandparents and cousins among those with a bona fide relationship to anyone living in the United States.

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Mr Trumps travel bans, which are essentially the fulfilment of promises he made on the campaign in which he vowed to keep Muslims from entering the United States, have proved to be deeply polarising. Almost immediately after Mr Trumps administration announced its first iteration of the travel ban, protesters flocked to the nations airports to express disgust with one of the first significant acts by the new administration. Federal judges soon after intervened, however, and blocked the ban from going into effect.

After several attempts to revive it, the Trump administration ultimately decided against pursuing changes to that first executive order, and began working on a second order that they hoped could stand up to judicial scrutiny.

The second travel ban was introduced by the Trump administration in March, and attempted to avoid the same sort of uproar that brought crowds to the airports by having a delayed implementation date. But, days after it was announced, the state of Hawaii sued to block the executive order, and a federal judge blocked the ban a little over a week after it was unveiled. The ban was stuck in legal limbo until late June, when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Presidents agenda.

The ban, after being implemented, received challenges from there on out  primarily regarding regulations surrounding refugee settlement in the US  but remained mostly intact. Mr Trump signed a new travel ban into effect in late September just as the previous ban was set to expire, modifying the restrictions and which countries were targeted. The new iteration of the ban was later blocked by a federal judge in October, leading to a months-long battle leading to Mondays decision.

The news that the ban would go into effect was met with criticism from activists, some of whom argued that it is an extension of the Presidents personal prejudices.

President Trumps anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret  he has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter, Omar Jadwat, the director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project, said in a statement. Its unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones. We will be arguing Friday in the Fourth Circuit that the ban should ultimately be struck down.
Protesters yell at police officers during President Donald Trump's announcement to eliminate vast portions of Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2017: Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP

Overriding protesters who greeted his motorcades arrival with chants of F*** you Trump, President Donald Trump announced in Utah that he would to drastically shrink a pair of wilderness national monuments - the biggest rollback of public protected land in US history.

In an appearance at Utahs state Capitol in Salt Lake City, the President confirmed his decision to reduce Bears Ears National Monument from around 1.5 million acres to some 228,000 acres and to cut the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument to one million acres, about half its current size.

It marked Mr Trumps latest effort to unravel the legacy of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who in 2016 invoked the Antiquities Act to designate Bears Ears a national monument. Mr Obama and supporters heralded the designation as a way to protect a stunning natural landscape of towering rock formations and winding canyons.

But Mr Trump blasted the move as having severely abused the Antiquities Act, saying in a speech that Mr Obama had empowered faraway bureaucrats at the expense of the people who actually live here, work here, and make this place their home.

A press release announcing the change touted economic benefits like increased logging, hunting and in some cases mineral development, trumpeting economic growth and prosperity, especially in rural communities and a boost to local tax revenues.

We have seen harmful and unnecessary restrictions on hunting, ranching, and responsible economic development, Mr Trump said in his speech. We have seen grazing restrictions prevent ranching families from passing their businesses and beloved heritage on to the children  the children that they love.

Numerous Congressional Republicans, including some who represent Utah, echoed those justification in lauding Mr Trump's move. Former Utah Rep Jason Chaffetz of Utah said in an op-ed that we can build bathrooms and fire pits, and accommodate hunting, fishing, grazing, and permit accessibility without destroying the land and heralded responsible resource extraction.

Story continues

Mr Trump signed two proclamations after his speech. One would reduce the 1.3-million-acre (0.5 million hectare) Bears Ears National Monument by more than 80 per cent split into two areas.

The other would cut the state's 1.9-million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, designated by President Bill Clinton in 1996, nearly in half. The landscape of canyons, ridges and rock formations would be split into three zones.

A section of Bears Ears National Monument near Blanding, Utah on October 27, 2017 ( REUTERS/Andrew Cullen)

While a handful of monuments have been resized in the past, none has been cut back to such an extent, putting the president's proclamation in uncharted legal territory. Previous presidents including Woodrow Wilson and William Howard Taft reduced some monuments but were never challenged in court.

Mr Trump will ask Congress to look at the areas that are being removed from the current monuments to consider legislation designating some as a national conservation or national recreation areas, and create a co-management structure for tribes, an administration official said.

But where Mr Trump and his allies see an economic boon, critics warn of untrammelled development that could lead to mining and drilling on public lands.

Conservationists, Democrats and Native Americans who consider the area sacred blasted Mr Trumps move, saying he was sacrificing a pristine space. The Navajo Nation has already said it plans to challenge Mr Trumps action in court.

The Bears Ears Monument is of critical importance, not only to the Navajo Nation but to many tribes in the region, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said in a statement. The decision to reduce the size of the Monument is being made with no tribal consultation. The Navajo Nation will defend Bears Ears.

Jonathan Nez, vice president of the Navajo Nation, said: It's a sad day in Indian country.

Protesters massed for Mr Trumps appearance in Salt Lake City, shouting epithets and hoisting signs with messages that included Tiny hands, off our lands. The weekend preceding the visit, thousands rallied at the State Capitol against shrinking the monuments.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke defended President Donald Trumps decision to shrink or modify several national monuments, saying Tuesday that opponents were lying about the real power of the federal Antiquities Act.

The president was correct in asking for a review, Zinke said in a conference call with reporters. Public lands are for public use and not for special interests. No land, not one square inch, has been transferred or sold. This is not about energy. There is no oil and gas assets, no mine within Bears Ears (National Monument) before or after. The claim that somehow President Trump stole land is nefarious, false and a lie.

Outdoor gear company Patagonia was one of the most vocal critics of Trumps Monday announcement that Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah would be greatly reduced in acreage. The company replaced its webpage with a black banner stating The President Stole Your Land.

I think its shameful and appalling they would blatantly lie in order to gain money for their coffers, Zinke said of Patagonias accusation. Sound public policy is not based on threats of lawsuits. Its based on doing whats right.

Patagonia hasnt filed suit, but numerous other organizations and Indian tribes have announced legal challenges to Zinkes recommendations. On Monday, lawyers representing the Navajo, Hopi, Pueblo of Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute and Ute Indian tribes filed suit to retain the original size of Bears Ears. Another coalition including The Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club has also sued to block changes to the Utah monuments.

In the same call, Zinke repeated an earlier proposal to create a new, 130,000-acre monument in Montana protecting the Badger-Two Medicine region surrounded by the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.

I think theres a really great opportunity for the Badger-Two Medicine as the number of crowds and visitors continue to break records in Glacier (National Park), Zinke said. Heres a virtually untapped area and a chance to do it right. Theres the possibility of revenue from tourism and an untapped culture. I think its deserving of monument status.

The Badger-Two Medicine area has been controversial since the 1980s, when Reagan Administration officials granted energy exploration leases there without proper environmental review or consultation with the Blackfeet Tribe.

Federal court decisions have found the leases invalid and a lengthy review of the areas significance to the Blackfeet declared it a Traditional Cultural District in 2014. Blackfeet tribal leaders personally pitched their concern for the Badger-Two Medicine to Zinke at a ceremony in Glacier National Park just days after he was named Interior secretary in March.

On the press call, Zinke reaffirmed his policy of national energy dominance through developing public lands for oil, gas, coal and other natural resources. But he added he had a track record of opposing energy development and mines where they werent appropriate.

I want to make sure theres no takings in the Badger-Two Medicine, Zinke said. Theres a deal to be made on how to retire those leases. I grew up in the foothills of Glacier Park. I have great respect for the Blackfeet Nation. That area is sacred to the Blackfeet.

Montana Wilderness Association Rocky Mountain Front field director Casey Perkins said Zinke appeared to be respecting the wishes of one Indian tribe while ignoring the desires of others.

While we appreciate Sec. Zinke recommending national monument protection for the Badger-Two Medicine, we find it reprehensible that he's doing so at the same time he's stripping protection from a place that is as sacred to five sovereign southwestern nations as the Badger-Two Medicine is to the Blackfeet, Perkins wrote in an email. We believe that Badger-Two Medicine deserves permanent protection, but any discussion of that must originate with the Blackfeet.

Safari Club International President Paul Babaz commended Zinke and Trump.

We are thankful that this administration  unlike the previous  conducted a thorough review of these monuments, and listened to the input of hunters and sportsmen when making this important decision, Babaz wrote in an email. With this announcement, the Trump Administration is affirming the benefit of traditional land uses, such as hunting and recreational shooting, to our nation's resource management.

In his press call, Zinke said his review of the Antiquities Act of 1906 uncovered many examples of misuse by past presidents. He focused on the laws definition of object of historic or scientific interest, which he said had been used to cover concepts such as biodiversity, viewsheds, remoteness and World War II bombing craters.

Trump ordered the review on April 26. Zinke originally targeted 27 monuments for inspection that were designated between 1996 and the present, were larger than 100,000 acres, and/or were designated without proper public outreach. That original list included Montanas Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument, but Zinke didnt recommend it for border reduction or management change.

He noted that past presidents have reduced monument sizes at least 18 times using the acts authority. Three of the four monuments he recommended for shrinkage were created or expanded by President Barack Obama, while Grand Staircase-Escalante was created by President Bill Clinton.

In addition to Badger-Two Medicine, Zinkes final report suggested creating new monuments at Camp Nelson, a Union Army training center for black soldiers in Kentucky; and the home of Civil Rights hero Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi.

Zinkes monument review called for cutting Bears Ears from 1,353,000 acres to 228,000 acres and Grand Staircase-Escalante from about 1.9 million acres to about 1 million. He called for the removal of a water irrigation district from Nevadas 296,937-acre Gold Butte National Monument, but didnt have an exact acreage figure for the change. And he decided to remove thousands of acres of state timberland from the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon.

Monuments proposed for management changes within the same boundaries included Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine; Northeast Canyons and Seamounts off Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks in New Mexico; Pacific Remote Islands, Rio Grande Del Norte in New Mexico; and Rose Atoll.

Zinke advised Trump to support legislation by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, creating a co-management format for monuments with significant Indian presence. Those would include Bears Ears, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, Gold Butte and Rio Grande del Norte national monuments. He added that the Badger-Two Medicine proposed monument would be appropriate for co-management with the Blackfeet Tribe.
By Valerie Volcovici and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON/SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday shrank two wilderness national monuments in Utah by at least half in the biggest rollback of public land protection in U.S. history, drawing praise from pro-development lawmakers and a lawsuit from environmentalists. Trumps announcement followed months of review by the Interior Department after he ordered the agency in April to identify which of 27 monuments - protected areas designated by past presidents - should be rescinded or resized to give states and local governments more control of the land. "Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what? Theyre wrong," Trump said in the state capitol alongside Utah's Republican governor, Gary Herbert, the Utah congressional delegation and local county commissioners. Unlike national parks that can only be created by an act of Congress, national monuments can be designated unilaterally by presidents under the century-old Antiquities Act, a law meant to protect sacred sites, artifacts and historical objects. Trump said former presidents abused the Antiquities Act by putting unnecessarily big chunks of territory off limits to drilling, mining, grazing, road traffic and other activities  a headwind to his plan to ramp up U.S. energy output. Trump signed two proclamations after his speech. One would reduce the 1.3-million-acre (0.5 million hectare) Bears Ears National Monument, created in 2016 by then-President Barack Obama in southeastern Utah, by more than 80 percent split into two areas. The other would cut the states 1.9-million-acre (768,900-hectare) Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, designated by President Bill Clinton in 1996, nearly in half. The landscape of canyons, ridges and rock formations would be split into three zones. While a handful of monuments have been resized in the past, none has been cut back to such an extent, putting the president's proclamation in uncharted legal territory. Previous presidents including Woodrow Wilson and William Howard Taft reduced some monuments but were never challenged in court. [L2N1L41B5] Trump will ask Congress to look at the areas that are being removed from the current monuments to consider legislation designating some as a national conservation or national recreation areas, and create a co-management structure for tribes, an administration official said. He said in his speech that the move was aimed in part at helping local communities access the land for hunting and grazing. "Here, and in other affected states, we have seen harmful and unnecessary restrictions on hunting, ranching and responsible economic development," Trump said. "We have seen grazing restrictions prevent ranching families from passing their businesses and beloved heritage on to the children." Grazing and hunting were already permitted in both the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase monuments The results of the Interior Department's broader review of U.S. national monuments will be published on Tuesday and is expected to outline changes to a number of other sites. SWIFT LEGAL RESPONSE The Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups sued in federal court in Washington on Monday, asking for a judge to block Trump from shrinking the monuments. "When we see this kind of folly, we will meet it swiftly with a legal complaint," Sharon Buccino, director of land and wildlife programs for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement. Five tribes that pushed for the creation of the Bears Ears monument and now manage it also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. They are the Navajo, Hopi, Pueblo of Zuni, Ute Mountain and Ute Indians who consider Bears Ears sacred. "We will be fighting back immediately. All five tribes will be standing together united to defend Bears Ears, said Natalie Landreth, an attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, which believes the cut would violate the Antiquities Act. Jonathan Nez, vice president of the Navajo Nation, said the president was ignoring the treaty rights of sovereign Native American nations and that the Interior Department did not listen to tribal leaders who fought to create the monument. "Its a sad day in Indian country," said Nez. Others welcomed Trumps announcement as a chance to boost the economy in one of Americas most remote areas. "Reducing the size of monument would help free up a lot of land that has been under oppression," said Mike Noel, a state representative from Kane County, more than half of which is occupied by Grand Staircase. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, who led the push by the state's congressional delegation to shrink the monument, introduced Trump at his speech on Monday and thanked the president for the proclamation. I appreciate his willingness to listen to my advice and even more importantly, to give the people of Utah a voice in this process," he said. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Lisa Lambert in Washington and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Peter Cooney and Alison Williams)
Special counsel Robert Mueller has taken his Russia investigation closer to the heart of Donald Trump, looking into the finances of the president and his family.

Mueller has asked Deutsche Bank to share information on accounts held by the Trump family as part of his investigation into Russias alleged attempts to influence the 2016 election, Reuters reported Tuesday. The bank has loaned the Trump Organization millions of dollars over the years.

Trump does not like revealing details of his finances. He still hasnt released his tax returns, unlike other presidents in recent history.

And in July, Trump implied that he would consider firing Mueller if he started looking into his finances. From his interview with New York Times reporters Peter Baker, Michael S. Schmidt and Maggie Haberman:

SCHMIDT: Last thing, if Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances, unrelated to Russia  is that a red line? HABERMAN: Would that be a breach of what his actual charge is? TRUMP: I would say yeah. I would say yes. By the way, I would say, I dont  I dont  I mean, its possible theres a condo or something, so, you know, I sell a lot of condo units, and somebody from Russia buys a condo, who knows? I dont make money from Russia. ... SCHMIDT: But if he was outside that lane, would that mean hed have to go? [crosstalk] HABERMAN: Would you consider  TRUMP: No, I think thats a violation. Look, this is about Russia. So I think if he wants to go, my finances are extremely good, my company is an unbelievably successful company. And actually, when I do my filings, peoples say, Man. People have no idea how successful this is. Its a great company. But I dont even think about the company anymore. I think about this. Cause one thing, when you do this, companies seem very trivial. O.K.? I really mean that. They seem very trivial. But I have no income from Russia. I dont do business with Russia. ... HABERMAN: Would you fire Mueller if he went outside of certain parameters of what his charge is? [crosstalk] SCHMIDT: What would you do? [crosstalk] TRUMP: I cant, I cant answer that question because I dont think its going to happen.

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The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.

Trump has reportedly considered firing Mueller in the past. Last week, after Mueller charged Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser, with lying to the FBI, speculation picked up again that the president may take the drastic step.

I would worry in a real way that Donald Trump may preemptively pardon some people, and I still worry in a real way that Donald Trump may decide to cause the firing of Robert Mueller, Preet Bharara, the former U.S. attorney who was ousted by Trump, said on Monday.

With Flynn now cooperating with Mueller, the investigation is moving closer and closer to Trump and his inner circle  including his son-in-law and trusted adviser, Jared Kushner.

Trump, of course, is in this situation because he initially fired James Comey. The FBI director said Trump approached him and tried to get him to ease up on the Russia investigation and to specifically be lenient toward Flynn  who lied about his interactions with Russian officials before the inauguration.

After the disclosure of the pressure Trump had placed on Comey, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel.

UPDATE: 3:32 p.m.  Trump ignored a reporters shouted question about the red line Tuesday during an Oval Office event. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders punted on a similar question Tuesday afternoon, referring to the statement of Trumps personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, who denied that there were any subpoenas for financial information.

Via @JaySekulow lawyer for @realDonaldTrump We have confirmed that the news reports that the Special Counsel had subpoenaed financial records relating to the President are false. No subpoena has been issued or received. We have confirmed this with the bank and other sources.  Major Garrett (@MajorCBS) December 5, 2017

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By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah told U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday that any move by the United States to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel would have "dangerous repercussions" for regional stability, a Jordanian palace statement said. Trump said he intended to go ahead with a decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in a phone call to the king, according to the palace. The king was quoted as replying that any such decision would have "dangerous repercussions for the stability and security of the region" and would obstruct U.S. efforts for a resumption of Arab-Israeli peace talks. It would also inflame Muslim and Christian feelings, he said. U.S. endorsement of Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would break with decades of U.S. policy that the city's status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city. Jordanian officials are worried the move could trigger violence in the Palestinian territories and a spillover into Jordan, a country where many people are descendants of Palestinian refugees whose families left after the creation of Israel in 1948. King Abdullah warned Trump of the risks of any decision that ran counter to a final settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict based on the creation of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. "Jerusalem is the key to achieving peace and stability in the region and the world," the statement said. The monarch also phoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and said they had to both work together to "confront the consequences of this decision." King Abdullah's Hashemite dynasty is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, making Amman sensitive to any changes of status of the disputed city. The monarch warned of the repercussions of Trump's expected move in talks last week in Washington with top administration officials Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al Safadi said his country planned to convene emergency meetings of the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation next Saturday and Sunday on how to face the "dangerous" consequences of a U.S. decision. "These meetings will coordinate Arab and Islamic stances toward the imminent decision (by Trump) that will increase tensions in the region," Safadi said . Jordan lost East Jerusalem and the West Bank to Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and says the city's fate should only be decided only at the end of a final settlement. "All international resolutions and agreements stipulate that the fate of Jerusalem should be decided in final status negotiation ... And all unilateral steps are considered null and void," Safadi added. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey has detained 17 suspects in an investigation into a Turkish-Iranian gold trader who was once a close ally of the government but is now testifying against officials as a star witness in a high profile US case, sate media said on Tuesday.

Reza Zarrab is giving evidence in a New York trial over alleged subversion of US economic sanctions against Iran that has implicated former Turkish ministers and even President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan has rubbished the accusations and on Tuesday said that the case was a "plot" aimed at hurting Turkey.

Zarrab, 34, was arrested by US authorities in March 2016 on suspicion of taking part in the alleged sanctions-busting scam but is now cooperating with the authorities in an apparent plea bargain.

Ankara has reacted with fury to the switch by Zarrab -- once seen as the golden boy of the Turkish business world with a pop star wife -- seizing his assets and opening an investigation against him on accusations of "espionage".

A total of 17 people have now been detained as part of this investigation, with three picked up initially and 14 more in a later sweep, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The three detained initially are accused of sending documents to the US regarding the case and links to the group of Fethullah Gulen who Ankara accuses of masterminding the July 15, 2016 failed coup. Gulen denies the charges.

- 'Plot against Turkey' -

Turkish officials have repeatedly argued that the US case is a bid by Gulen to besmirch Erdogan and Turkey, following a corruption scandal in late 2013 that had also seen Zarrab arrested.

"The case is not a plot against America, it's a plot against Turkey," Erdogan told supporters in a speech on Tuesday.

"The case has nothing to do with law, justice or trade, it's an acrobatic spectacle," he added.

The case risks further straining relations between Erdogan and US President Donald Trump already damaged by rows over the Syria conflict and US prosecution of Turkish presidential bodyguards.

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Erdogan repeatedly raised the issue in meetings with Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama while former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, once part of Zarrab's defence team, held a secret meeting with the Turkish leader in February.

- 'Erdogan warned by MIT' -

But the case has also become a hot political issue inside Turkey, with the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu seizing on it to back up his claims of corruption at the heart of the Turkish elite.

Kilicdaroglu said on Tuesday that Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) had in April 2013 warned Erdogan that Zarrab was breaking US law and this could damage Turkey.

"I ask Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The actions of this fraudster, the bribes to ministers, all this was given to you" by the MIT, he said. "And what did you do? You closed the dossier".

Kilicdaroglu called on Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to open a parliamentary commission of enquiry into the matter as it was not right "a Turkish corruption case should be judged in the United States".

Since Zarrab became a witness, deputy chief executive of Turkish lender Halkbank Mehmet Hakan Atilla is now the lone defendant in the dock accused of violating sanctions, bribery and money laundering.

Zarrab has admitted to bribing former Turkish economy minister Zafer Caglayan and being involved in the multi-billion-dollar gold-for-oil scheme.

On Thursday he told the court he was informed that in 2012, then prime minister Erdogan and then treasury minister Ali Babacan had given "instructions" for two other Turkish public banks to take part in the scheme.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Donald Trump's plan to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel is a "red line" for Muslims and could see him breaking off diplomatic relations with the country.

Mr Erdogan told parliament his country's response "could go as far as us cutting diplomatic ties with Israel."

He also said he would convene a summit meeting of countries of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation to oppose any move recognising Jerusalem.

American officials have said Mr Trump may recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital this week as a way to offset his likely decision to delay his campaign promise of moving the US embassy there.

His point-man on the Middle East, son-in-law Jared Kushner, later said the US President hasn't decided yet what steps to take regarding Jerusalem.

The diplomatic adviser of President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian leadership would "stop contacts" with the United States if Mr Trump recognised Jerusalem and Israel's capital.

Majdi Khaldi said the US would lose credibility as a mediator in the Middle East if the US President went ahead with the move.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, which is home to major Muslim, Christian and Jewish holy sites, in the 1967 Middle East war.

It quickly annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital in a move which has not been recognised internationally.

Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state and the international community argues the city's status must be determined in peace talks.

The possibility of Mr Trump recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital has also stirred opposition from US and foreign officials, who fear it could unleash violence.

Such a decision, which US officials have said has not been finalised, would violate decades of US policy not to take a stance on the fate of Jerusalem, on the grounds it was an issue Israeli sand Palestinians should negotiate and decide.

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It could spark demonstrations or violence by Palestinians or Muslims around the world, in part because of the sensitivity of the Jerusalem site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

The site includes the al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, and the golden Dome of the Rock. It was also the site of an ancient Jewish temple, the holiest place in Judaism.

On Monday, the White House said it would not take any action on whether to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something Mr Trump promised to do in his presidential campaign.
ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey could go as far as breaking off diplomatic ties with Israel if the United States formally recognises Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a move he said would be a "red line" for Muslims.

U.S. officials have said Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, a step that would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital, a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

"I am saddened by the reports that the U.S. is getting ready to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital," Erdogan said.

"Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims. It is a violation of international law to take a decision supporting Israel while Palestinian society's wounds are still bleeding," he told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling AK Party.

"...this can go as far as severing Turkey's ties with Israel. I am warning the United States not to take such a step which will deepen the problems in the region."

Israeli government spokesmen had no immediate reaction, but Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a senior partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus coalition government, brushed off Erdogan's comments.

"There will always be those who criticize, but at the end of the day it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogan's sympathy," he said.

(Reporting by Ercan Gurses, Daren Butler and Ezki Erkoyun in Turkey and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
By Matt Spetalnick and Maayan Lubell WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - President Donald Trump told Israeli and Arab leaders on Tuesday that he intends to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a decision that breaks with decades of U.S. policy and risks fueling violence in the Middle East. Senior U.S. officials said Trump on Wednesday is expected to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital while delaying relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, though he plans to order his aides to immediately begin planning such a move. U.S. endorsement of Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would reverse long-standing U.S. policy that the city's status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabia's King Salman, who all received telephone calls from Trump, joined a mounting chorus of voices warning that unilateral U.S. steps on Jerusalem would derail a fledgling U.S.-led peace effort and unleash turmoil in the region. The White House said that Trump had also spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime proponent of a U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem. Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for comment, but a senior Israeli minister welcomed Trump's decision while vowing that Israel would be prepared for any outbreak of violence. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said that Trump, who promised during the presidential campaign to move the embassy in Israel, would give a speech on Wednesday about his Jerusalem decision. "The president I would say is pretty solid in his thinking at this point," she said, declining to provide details. Trump notified Abbas "of his intention to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said. Abbas, in response, "warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world" and also appealed to the Pope and the leaders of Russia, France and Jordan to intervene. The Jordanian monarch, whose dynasty is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, told Trump that moving the embassy would have "dangerous repercussions" for the region and would obstruct U.S. efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, according to a palace statement. King Salman stressed to Trump that any U.S. announcement on the status of Jerusalem would "inflame Muslim feelings all over the world, the Saudi Press Agency said. None of the leaders' statements said whether Trump specified the timing of an embassy move, a notion supported by successive governments in Israel, a close U.S. ally. But U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump was expected to sign a national security waiver - as have his predecessors - keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv for another six months but would commit to setting the move in motion. However, he was not planning to set a specific timetable, the officials said. The Trump administration would need time to overcome logistical issues such as lack of a secure embassy building and staff housing in Jerusalem, according to one U.S. official. Trump appears intent on satisfying the pro-Israel, right-wing base, including evangelical Christians, that helped him win the presidency but was disappointed when he delayed the embassy move in June. No other country has its embassy in Jerusalem. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, an action not recognized internationally. 'A BIG MISTAKE' Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, who met last week with U.S. officials in Washington, told Israel's Army Radio: "My impression is that the president will recognize Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years, as the capital of the state of Israel. Asked whether Israel was preparing for a wave of violence if Trump recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, he said: "We are preparing for every option. Anything like that can always erupt. If Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) will lead it in that direction then he will be making a big mistake. Islamist militant groups such as al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah have in the past tried to exploit Muslim sensitivities over Jerusalem to stoke anti-Israel and anti-U.S. sentiment. Asked whether Trump recognized that his Jerusalem decision could spark violence, Sanders said: "A number of things have been looked at that have been weighed into the president's decision." Senior U.S. officials told Reuters some officers in the State Department were also deeply concerned and the European Union, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League all warned that any such declaration would have repercussions across the region. Turkey threatened on Tuesday to cut diplomatic ties with Israel if Trump recognizes Jerusalem. Katz took to Twitter to reject Turkey's threat and reiterate Israel's position on the city, which is one of a long list of stumbling blocks in years of failed peace talks with the Palestinians. A U.S. official said the consensus U.S. intelligence estimate on U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was that it would risk triggering a backlash against Israel, and also potentially against U.S. interests in the Middle East. It is also likely to upset an Israeli-Palestinian peace push led by Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, in pursuit of what the U.S. president has called the "ultimate deal." The initiative has made little progress. The White House said in a statement that in calls with Israeli and Arab leaders, Trump "reaffirmed his commitment to advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks" and "underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation with each partner." Arab criticism of Trump's plan contrasted sharply with the praise Washington's traditional Arab allies heaped on him at the beginning of his administration. They saw Trump as re-engaging in the region after what they perceived as former President Barack Obamas distancing of himself from them, as well as taking a tougher stand against Iran. The European Union's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, said on Tuesday that "any action that would undermine" peace efforts to create two separate states for the Israelis and the Palestinians "must absolutely be avoided." U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has consistently warned against any unilateral action that would have the potential to undermine the two-state solution, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. (Additional reporting by Dan Williams and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem,; Daren Butler and Ezki Erkoyun in Turkey; Steve Holland, Yara Bayoumy, Arshad Mohammed, Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Suleiman Al-Khalidiin Amman, and Ingrid Melander in Paris; Writing by Matt Spetalnick and Andrew Heavens; Editing by Alison Williams, Dan Grebler, Toni Reinhold)
By Daina Beth Solomon MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday the Mexican government is struggling to keep journalists safe and prosecute their oppressors, after officials toured regions of the country that are among the most dangerous in the world for reporters. Mexican federal prosecutors have yet to secure any convictions for crimes against reporters due to ineffective probes and scant resources, said the U.N.'s special rapporteur for freedom of expression, David Kaye, and his counterpart from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Edison Lanza. They released a preliminary report describing a "profound crisis of safety" after a week-long tour of Mexico City and the violent states of Veracruz, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Sinaloa, and plan to release detailed recommendations in the spring. "Past prosecutors didn't have the same political will to actually get the job done," said Kaye, expressing cautious hope that current prosecutors will do more to address the problem. "There's a bit more attention to getting this done right. I hope what we heard wasn't just words because we are here," he added after the two met with 250 reporters on their trip. A news photographer in the state of San Luis Potosi last October was the 11th journalist murdered so far this year, according to advocacy group Article 19, equaling the death toll in 2016, which was the bloodiest year for journalists on record in Mexico. Murders are on track to reach a record high this year, as Mexico continues grappling with turf wars between violent drug gangs that have convulsed the country for more than a decade. In the past 17 years, 111 journalists have been killed in Mexico, 38 of them under the administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto. Kaye said the prosecutor's office tasked with investigating attacks on reporters, formed in 2006, needs to deter such crimes by committing substantial resources to solving a single high-profile case, or a handful of them. "Until that happens, there will be very little prevention, and very little ending of this cycle of violence," Kaye said. He and Lanza also said Mexico's government must devote more funding and staff to a journalist protection program launched in 2012, taking measures such as daily monitoring of the situation in states where reporters are most at risk, and helping them to continue to work if they are forced to leave their homes. "It has an amount of money that's absurdly insufficient for the emergency that it's facing," Lanza said. (Editing by Dave Graham and Leslie Adler)
Abu Dhabi (AFP) - The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it was forming a new military and economic committee with Saudi Arabia separate from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The move comes with Kuwait hosting a two-day summit of the GCC, which is riven by divisions after Saudi Arabia and its allies cut ties with Qatar earlier this year.

The committee "will co-ordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields," according to a decree issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities.

The two countries are close military allies, including in Yemen where a Saudi-led coalition is battling Iran-backed rebels.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, together with Egypt, cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival. Qatar denies the allegations.

Mediation efforts led by Kuwait have failed to resolve what is the worst crisis to hit the Gulf Cooperation Council in its 36-year history, casting serious doubts over the future of the six-state alliance.
After a legal back-and-forth that lasted several weeks, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has finally disclosed the terms of its six-figure settlement with ousted Montana State Parks Administrator Chas Van Genderen.

This little ray of sunshine is a win for all Montanans interested in learning more about the decisions their state leaders are making behind closed doors. However, FWPs unsettling stance on this issue affirms that the war on secrecy is far from over within the ranks of Montanas state government.

Earlier this year, the agency confirmed the existence of a settlement for an undisclosed amount of money but refused to disclose any of the details, even though Montana law requires public access to all terms, conditions, and details of the government portion of a compromise or settlement agreement. An attorney and former law professor, FWP Director Martha Williams initially said she would not release the settlement to the public unless a judge ordered her to do so.

In our view, this information must be open to the public because the public is ultimately responsible for the way their government operates, and people cant make good decisions if they are continually left out of the loop.

Predictably, FWP cited the go-to excuse used at all levels of government to justify withholding public information. The state allows records to be concealed if someones right to privacy is deemed more important than the publics right to know, and FWP concluded there were enough privacy issues involved in the settlement agreement to weigh in the balance in favor of privacy.

However, as a high-ranking government employee who was pervasively involved in public affairs, Van Genderen is legally considered a public figure with a lower expectation of privacy than private citizens. And when a public body uses public money to pay out a public figure who held a public position, its laughable to call the situation anything but a public matter.

FWP officials also claimed they couldnt release the settlement agreement because they agreed to a confidentiality clause they were obligated to uphold. We would argue that a public agency has no right to bargain away the publics right to know, and state officials shouldnt have put themselves in that position in the first place.

To FWPs credit, the agency took the initiative to ask Van Genderen to waive the confidentiality agreement, which led to the release of the settlement agreement. The agency was not required to take this extra step, which demonstrated a certain level of interest in the publics right to know.

But this didnt happen until after our attorney threatened to sue the agency for withholding public information. And Williams said the settlement would still be treated as confidential employee information if Van Genderen had not waived his supposed right to keep the payout private.

Williams promised more transparency before she was hired as FWPs director earlier this year, so it was unfortunate to see the department take this less-than-transparent stance.

But we are glad FWP complied with our records request in the end, and we will continue to fight for transparency within state agencies so Montanans can effectively evaluate the government leaders who work for them.

-- The Helena Independent Record
Beijing (AFP) - A senior United Nations envoy arrived at Beijing's airport on Tuesday on his way to North Korea for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

The unusual trip by Jeffrey Feltman, which runs to Friday, comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

AFP journalists saw Feltman arrive in a UN-flagged car at the Chinese capital's international airport in the morning. North Korea's Air Koryo airline has a 0455 GMT flight to Pyongyang on Tuesday.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise -- manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation".

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said.

Feltman arrived in China on Monday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

China is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, and its main trade partner.

Once in the North, Feltman will discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern" with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether Feltman will meet with the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-Un.

It will be Feltman's first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago, and the first by a UN under-secretary-general in more than seven years.

The UN envoy is also planning to see foreign diplomats and UN workers in the North on humanitarian missions, Dujarric said.

- 'Vigilant Ace' -

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula five days ago when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

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Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target -- key technological hurdles for Pyongyang.

A Cathay Pacific crew spotted what was "suspected to be the re-entry" of the missile as they flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong, the airline said.

In a separate message to staff, Cathay general manager Mark Hoey said the crew described seeing the missile "blow up and fall apart," The South China Morning Post reported.

- 'Begging for nuclear war'? -

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility.

US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit-for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy".

North Korean state media has hit back with a flurry of its own colourful insults, calling Trump a "dotard", a "frightened dog" and a "gangster."

Over the weekend, Pyongyang countered that Washington was "begging for nuclear war" as the North blasted the joint US-South Korean drills.

As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this year's war games involve simulated precision attacks on the North's military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources.

As tensions surged, US Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential Republican and foreign policy hawk, warned that the US was moving closer to "preemptive war" if the North continued its nuclear tests.

His remarks echoed those of Trump's National Security Adviser HR McMaster, who told a security forum on Saturday that the potential for war with the North "is increasing every day."

But some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital -- only around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people.

Tokyo's parliament on Monday slammed the North's weapons programme as an "imminent threat". Last week's missile landed in Japan's economic waters.

China's foreign ministry warned that the situation on the Korean peninsula remained "highly sensitive" and called on all sides to "do more things to ease the tension and avoid provoking each other."

The North has boasted that the Hwasong 15 ICBM tested on Wednesday is capable of delivering a "super-large" nuclear warhead anywhere in the US mainland.

While analysts agree the latest test showed a big improvement in potential range, they say the North may not have yet mastered all the technology required to successfully hit the US with a nuclear warhead.

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Geneva (AFP) - The UN on Tuesday called for a "humanitarian" truce in air strikes and fighting in Yemen as it seeks to deliver aid to people trapped in the capital Sanaa.

As the UN Security Council prepared to discuss Yemen on Tuesday, several international aid agencies chimed in to condemn a surge in violence in the war-torn country, and demanded unimpeded access to civilians.

"I... sent a message asking for a truce, a peace pause, a humanitarian pause, for the parties to stop shooting, stop fighting, stop air strikes, so the people can go to hospitals, can go to seek safety ... and go to also find a place for water and food," UN humanitarian coordinator Jamie McGoldrick told reporters in Geneva by phone from Sanaa.

"Our ability to get to people over the last five days has been impeded because of the air strikes, because of the fighting, and our life-saving support activities were blocked," he said.

McGoldrick's statement came a day after Yemen's Huthi rebels killed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as he fled the capital following the collapse of their uneasy alliance.

For the five previous nights, heavy fighting had rocked Sanaa, leaving at least 234 people dead and 400 wounded, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

After the assassination, Saudi-led warplanes pounded the capital before dawn Tuesday as the rebels moved to consolidate their control over the city.

"What happened... because of our inability to move in the city during the five days -- the UN agencies, Red Cross and NGOs -- we were unable to do our life-saving treatments," McGoldrick said.

"Now the uncertainty continues and despite what happened yesterday, we don't know if we can start doing our operations or whether we have to wait for some time," he added.

Yemen's war has left thousands dead since 2015, sparking what the United Nations now labels the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and has deepened tensions between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

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McGoldrick said a UN team would travel to Riyadh "quite soon".

Saudi Arabia imposed a blockade on Yemen's ports after a Huthi missile was intercepted near Riyadh airport on November 4.

The blockade has been eased only partially despite repeated calls from the UN.

- 'Thousands in fear' -

Five major international NGOs meanwhile demanded in a statement an "immediate cessation of hostilities" in Yemen, as well as "full and unfettered humanitarian access to people in need".

The fighting and air strikes have left "thousands of people in fear, trapped in their homes and without any possibility to access humanitarian assistance", the statement said.

Signed by Care, Action Against Hunger, Handicap International, Doctors of the World and Acted, the statement said the warring parties should respect their obligations under international law and "ensure full protection" of civilians.

"A situation that is already catastrophic is only worsening day by day, and we call on the UN Security Council to exert its influence on the parties in order to bring this war to an end as quickly as possible," Handicap International's Arnaud Pont told AFP.

The statement came as the UN Security Council was meeting Tuesday to discuss the situation in Yemen.

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Kuwait City (AFP) - Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia snubbed its former ally Qatar at an annual summit of Gulf monarchies Tuesday as Kuwait vowed to continue mediation efforts in a bitter dispute with Doha.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani attended the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait City but was not joined by the leaders of the UAE and Bahrain, also part of a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar.

The future of the six-nation GCC -- formed 36 years ago to bring together the energy-rich Sunni-led Gulf Arab states -- appeared to be hanging in the balance.

This year's meeting comes six months into a rift between Qatar and the Saudi-led bloc, the worst crisis ever to hit the organisation.

The Qatari emir accepted an invitation, but just hours before the talks began, Saudi King Salman sent his foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, in his stead.

State television showed Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah receiving Jubeir at the airport as the head of the kingdom's delegation.

Sheikh Sabah, whose country has been leading thus far unsuccessful mediation attempts to resolve the crisis, said Kuwait would continue its efforts.

"We have been stormed in the past six months with painful and negative developments... but we managed to achieve calm," Sheikh Sabah said in his address opening the summit.

"Our meeting today is a reason to continue the mediation which fulfils the ambitions of our people."

He called for the GCC charter to be amended to establish a clear mechanism for resolving disputes between member states.

Kuwait Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah later told a news conference that "the holding of the summit amid these delicate situations proves the faith and conviction of GCC leaders in this organisation".

The meeting, scheduled to last until Wednesday, was cut to a single day.

The UAE's state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash told AFP on the sidelines of the summit that it had taken place under "sensitive circumstances and is a positive step".

Story continues

Bahrain sent its deputy premier to the meeting.

The three Gulf states, together with Egypt, cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival.

Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi-led bloc of aiming to incite regime change in Doha.

Casting further doubt on the group's future, the UAE said Tuesday it was forming a new military and economic committee with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC.

The committee "will coordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields," according to a decree issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Founded in 1981, the GCC is a political and economic union grouping Qatar with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman and Kuwait.

- GCC future in doubt -

Dominated by Riyadh, it has been a regional counterweight to Iran.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar attended round-table talks ahead of the gathering, in their first such encounter since the diplomatic crisis erupted in June.

After cutting off all ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a land, sea and air blockade of the emirate and issued a list of 13 demands to have it lifted.

Bahrain in October called for Qatar's membership of the GCC to be suspended until it accepted the demands.

Those present at Tuesday's meeting managed to agree on one issue, strongly condemning Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels for killing former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

They called for Yemenis to "get rid of the Huthi militias which are following and being backed by Iran."

The GCC condemned "all terrorist actions carried out by Iran and its continued interference in the internal affairs and Arab countries".

But despite member states' broad agreement over Iran, experts have warned that the Qatar crisis could lead to the demise of the once-powerful GCC.

"The justifications for the existence of the GCC bloc amidst the continued crisis are no longer present like before," said Sami al-Faraj, head of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies.

"As long as our enemy has changed from Iran to Qatar, the GCC will not continue."
North Korea has warned that air combat exercises being carried out by the US and South Korea could lead to a nuclear war.

American and South Korean fighter jets began drills on Monday in response to last weeks missile test by the North.

But North Korea has warned that the drills are creating a situation that a nuclear war may break out any moment.

Its state media criticised the ceaseless large-scale war games by the US and South Korea.

Fighter jets are part of a fleet of 230 US and South Korean aircraft involved in the war games, along with 12,000 troops, all this week.

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Police hunt thugs who strangled teenager and forced him to apologise for being gay

Britain braced for hail, snow and rain as Arctic winds hit and temperatures fall

Britain First supporter gave Nazi salute and shouted white power before driving at Muslim curry house owner

Airline crew say they saw North Korean missile from their plane

Shocking video shows how sleeping driver ploughed his lorry into motorway traffic

The US Seventh Air Force sent major strategic military assets that include six F-22 and 18 F-35 stealth fighter jets for the annual training exercise in the Korean Peninsula.

An expert has questioned the accuracy of photographs issued by North Korea depicting last weeks test missile launch.

North Korea tested a missile last week (Picture: PA)

Dr Marco Langbroek, who has been tracking North Koreas missile programme from Leiden in the Netherlands, said there are inconsistencies in photos showing the launch of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

He said photos supposedly taken from the same angle depict different star constellations behind the missile.

He said the constellations Orion and Andromeda were in the wrong positions.

You should see constellations that are opposites in the sky. That is not the case, he told CNN.

The missile travelled 600 miles before breaking apart, landing in waters near Japan.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Picture: Getty)

Meanwhile, a senior United Nations official has arrived in Pyongyang for a rare, four-day visit at the invitation of the North Korean government.

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Undersecretary-general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman is scheduled to meet foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, vice minister Pak Myong Guk, diplomats and UN staff during his stay.

A rally in North Korea where the missile launch was celebrated (Picture: Getty)

They are expected to discuss a wide range of issues.

Mr Feltman, the highest-ranking American in the UN secretariat, is the first person in that post to visit North Korea since February 2010.

Though Mr Feltman previously worked for the state department, he is not representing the US government.

(Main picture: Getty)
Donald Trumps travel ban has finally been implemented (Rex)

Donald Trumps travel ban has finally been enforced in full, following a ruling by the US Supreme Court.

The controversial policy means residents from six mostly Muslim countries will be denied entry to the United States, after months of legal wrangling.

The ban applies to travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

Heres a look at the nearly year-long journey Trump has had to get the ban enforced

The controversial policy has seen mass protests across the globe (Rex)

January

In the same month that he was sworn in as President, Trump signed an executive order barring travel from seven Muslim-majority countries  Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The Protection the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States order also barred all Syrian refugees from entering the country. However, just one day later a federal judge in New York partially blocked the order, while a federal court in Boston put the ban on hold for one week, meaning legal travellers from the affected countries could not be detained or removed.

February

With the ban proving to be hugely divisive, Trump made changes that ensured legal residents in the United States would be exempt. An extension of the ban was also blocked by a judge, before another issued a temporary block on the same day. The Justice Department attempted to appeal the block but the US Court of Appeals upheld the ban.

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Police hunt thugs who strangled teenager and forced him to apologise for being gay

Britain braced for hail, snow and rain as Arctic winds hit and temperatures fall

Britain First supporter gave Nazi salute and shouted white power before driving at Muslim curry house owner

Airline crew say they saw North Korean missile from their plane

Shocking video shows how sleeping driver ploughed his lorry into motorway traffic

March

The President changed the ban and signed an executive order that barred travel from six Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, taking Iraq off the list. Syrian refugees were still banned from entering the country, but this time for 120 days. However, Hawaii sued to stop the ban from going ahead and another Federal judge blocked it shortly before it was implemented. The ruling was once again appealed by the Trump administration.

Story continues

May

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia blocked the travel ban from being implemented, arguing that it was more about the Presidents promised Muslim ban than national security.

Syrian refugees were initially barred from entering the United States indefinitely (Rex)

June

The Supreme Court ruled that a limited version of the ban could go into effect, denying entry to the United States to travellers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

July

As the ban continued to be enforced, refugees were blocked from entering the United States  but anyone with a bona fide relationship with someone in the country was allowed in.

September

Trump signed another new ban as the old one drew to an end, bringing in more restrictions to travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, as well as various government officials from Venezuela.

Trump has had months of legal wrangling to get the ban to pass (Rex)

October

After the Supreme Court dismissed an attempt to block the ban, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson temporarily blocked it after a request from Hawaii, who argued that it was simply a way for Trump to exclude Muslims from the United States. Trumps administration promised to vigorously defend the Presidents lawful action.

December

The U.S. Supreme Court allows Trumps travel ban to come into effect, blocking entry into the United States to six Muslim-majority countries.
WASHINGTON  Before he was accused of multiple acts of sexual misconduct and assault, Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore drew wide national attention for a series of controversial comments, including arguing that Muslims should not serve in Congress. President Trump endorsed Moore on Monday, but White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the next day that doesnt mean the commander in chief supports Moores view on Islam.

Yahoo News asked Sanders during her daily briefing if Trump agrees with Moore that Muslims should be disqualified from serving in Congress. Sanders initially said she hasnt discussed Moores history of controversial views with the president.

I havent asked him about past statements from Roy Moore, Sanders said of Trump.

Moore, who was a prominent judge in Alabama, outlined his view that Muslims should not serve in Congress in a 2006 column for the conservative website WorldNetDaily after Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., became the first Muslim elected to the Congress. Moore argued no Muslim elected to Congress or the White House can swear to uphold the United States Constitution and still be a Muslim.

Trump has had his own series of controversial comments about Muslims. He has also pushed for a ban on immigration from several predominantly Muslim nations.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders points to a reporter during the daily press briefing at the White House in December 2017. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)

Several of the sexual misconduct allegations that have been levied against Moore in recent weeks involved teen girls. Trump and Sanders both have said the president backed Moore in spite of this because Trump believes Moore would support the White Houses agenda in the Senate.

But at the briefing on Tuesday, Sanders said that while Trump is confident Moore backs his policies, the president doesnt necessarily support all of Moores positions.

Im saying he supports the presidents agenda. The president doesnt necessarily support everything of Moores agenda, said Sanders.

Other Republicans including Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, have explicitly criticized Moores position on Muslims. On Tuesday, Flake even donated to the campaign of Moores Democratic opponent, Doug Jones.

Story continues

Along with his comments about Islam, Moore has also suggested homosexuality should be illegal. Polls currently show Moore with a narrow lead over Jones in the high-profile Dec. 12 race for Attorney General Jeff Sessionss former Senate seat.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Sanaa (AFP) - Thousands of Huthi supporters rallied in Sanaa on Tuesday as the rebels cemented their grip on the Yemeni capital after killing their former ally ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Following Saleh's death at the hands of Huthi fighters Monday, fears had mounted of an uptick in the violence that has devastated the Arab world's poorest country over the past few years.

A night of heavy air strikes followed in Sanaa as well as skirmishes between the Huthis and Saleh's supporters in southern districts that had been loyal to the slain strongman.

But there was no repetition of the fierce fighting that had rocked the capital for the five previous nights.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, said at least 234 people had been killed and 400 wounded in what it described as the "fiercest" clashes since the conflict began in March 2015.

New checkpoints manned by rebels sprung up across Sanaa as their leaders hailed their control of the capital, rallying supporters and pledging that backers of Saleh were safe.

Huthi supporters massed in their thousands near the capital's international airport, shouting "Sanaa is free and the state still stands!" and "Yemenis are one!" as rebel chiefs struck a conciliatory tone, declaring they were "ensuring the safety" of members of Saleh's General People's Congress party.

But the GPC slammed the rebels as "militias of treason and backstabbing" in an obituary for one of their top leaders.

Tarek Saleh, a nephew of the ex-president and commander in his troops, died after sustaining a shrapnel wound during the Sanaa clashes, the GPC announced Tuesday.

Reports of widespread arrests of suspected Saleh supporters in the army and the rebel government also spread. They were confirmed by GPC vice president and Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Bin Daghr, although not the Huthis.

- Rebels target 'collaborators' -

Saleh al-Sammad, head of the Huthi's political council, said Monday he had ordered the security forces to "take steps against the saboteurs and all those who collaborated with them".

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Former strongman Saleh retained the loyalty of some of the best equipped units of the army after being forced to step down as president in 2012.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for three decades, had joined forces with the Huthis in 2014 when they took control of large parts of the country, including Sanaa.

But that alliance unravelled over the past week as Saleh reached out to the Saudi-led coalition that has waged an air campaign against the Huthis since March 2015.

The coalition stepped up its bombardment of the capital overnight, carrying out at least seven strikes on the rebel-held presidential palace, witnesses said.

There was no word of any casualties.

Yemen's war has left thousands dead, led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and deepened tensions between arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, who both took a firm stand on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia called for a Yemen free of "militias supported by Iran" in its first official statement since Saleh's death.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meanwhile warned that "the people of Yemen will make their aggressors regret their actions", in reference to the Saudi-led coalition.

- 'Drip-fed for years' -

The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Ali Jafari, said Saleh was killed because he had been trying to overthrow the Huthis.

"The traitor Saudis are seeking to create insecurity in the region under orders from the United States and working alongside Israel... We witnessed their attempt to launch a coup against (the Huthis), which was strangled at birth," Jafari said.

Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit condemned Saleh's killing, saying that the "way it was done reveals to everyone the criminal nature" of the Huthis.

The United Nations Security Council called on all sides in Yemen to "de-escalate" and return to UN-led talks aimed at securing a ceasefire.

Japanese ambassador Koro Bessho, the council's president, said after a closed-door meeting on Yemen that the 15-member body was deeply concerned about the sharp escalation in violence as well as "the dire and deteriorating" humanitarian situation in the country.

The Red Cross appealed for action to finally end the suffering of Yemenis.

"This country has been drip-fed now for two years. It needs intensive care," the ICRC's regional head of operations, Robert Mardini, told AFP in Beirut.

"Statistics always hide the tragedy of individual stories, but today there is no single Yemeni who has not suffered this conflict. The time has come now to stop this, to take bold measures."

Saleh was forced to step down in 2012, after his forces waged a bloody crackdown on peaceful Arab Spring-inspired protests calling for his ouster.

The 75-year-old had survived civil war, rebellion in the north, an Al-Qaeda insurgency in the south and a June 2011 bomb attack on his palace that wounded him badly.

The body of Saleh was said to still be in Huthi possession, leaving the question of whether there will be a funeral for one of the region's most powerful politicians hanging.

burs/ny/dv
By Charlotte Greenfield WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand will develop a close relationship with China, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Tuesday, putting to rest fears that his protectionist campaign rhetoric would fuel tension with a key trading partner. The 40-year political veteran played a decisive role in bringing the centre-left Labour Party to power in October after an inconclusive election left his nationalist New Zealand First party holding the balance of power. But many in China see New Zealand as a model for the Asian giant's relationship with Western countries, with President Xi Jinping last year calling the depth of the bond "unprecedented". "Our record of trade and economic firsts is dramatic," Peters, who is also deputy prime minister, told academics and diplomats in Wellington, setting out his stance on China for the first time since taking office. "New Zealand will continue to seek closer cooperation with China as both countries focus on sustainable economic development and the wellbeing of our peoples," Peters said, giving a complimentary account of 45 years of diplomatic ties. Peters had campaigned on a protectionist platform, vowing to slash immigration and curb foreign investment, which fueled concern he could anger the Asian giant, the country's top destination for goods exports. On the previous National government's watch, New Zealand became the first developed country to join the China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank and helped usher in other Western countries, according to treasury officials. Trade between the two countries has grown to more than NZ$24 billion ($16.54 billion) a year and New Zealand was the first Western nation to formally sign up to China's sweeping Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative in March. The two are in the midst of negotiations to upgrade their 2008 free trade pact, which Peters said would "serve as a demonstration to our shared commitment to trade liberalization". He also defended China's human rights record, which has at times drawn fire from rights groups. "When you have hundreds of millions of people to be re-employed and relocated with the change of your economic structure you have some massive, huge problems," Peters said. "Sometimes commentators in the West should have a little more regard to that, and the economic outcome for those people, rather than constantly harping on about the romance of freedom." China's crackdown on activists and lawyers in its campaign to stifle dissent was "alarming", New York-based Human Rights Watch said in September. ($1=1.4512 New Zealand dollars) (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
The Iowa 4-H Foundation and Hills Bank and Trust Co. 2018 Leadership Grant applications are open for current high-school juniors.

For the past 17 years, Hills Bank and Trust Company has partnered with the Iowa 4-H Foundation to provide college scholarship opportunities for Iowa youth who reside in the bank's service area. In 2002, Hills Bank established a permanent scholarship endowment, which now provides 20 $1,000 grants for high school seniors to attend any accredited Iowa college, university or community college.

Hills Bank and Trust Leadership Grants are available to students who live in or attend school in Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine or Washington counties in Iowa.

Applicants do not need to be 4-H members. Students apply during their junior year in high school and must attend at least nine hours of leadership training sponsored by Hills Bank in order to qualify for the award.

"The leadership training gives these scholarship recipients some great tools for success in college and in their future careers," said Emily Saveraid, executive director of the Iowa 4-H Foundation. "We also appreciate the investment that Hills Bank and Trust is making in Iowa's future through this unique program."

For more information and applications, visit https://iowa4h.awardspring.com/. Applications must be submitted online no later than 11:59 p.m. March 1.

The Iowa 4-H Foundation provides private financial resources to develop and deliver quality 4-H youth programs throughout the state of Iowa.

--Journal staff
Washington State Patrol troopers and Yakima County sheriff's deputies surround a car authorities said was driven by a man accused of robbing a Granger bank late Monday morning. The suspect was taken into custody after damaging several police vehicles in the chase. (WASHINGTON STATE PATROL/Courtesy Photo)
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Last week, the Polish city of Torun hosted the Memory and Hope conference, dedicated to Poles who aided Jews during the Nazi occupation.

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The discussions, which were held in a new glorious church opposite a black wall bearing the names of 1,170 Poles who saved Jews (most of whom have not been included in the Righteous Among the Nations list), were kicked off by the events main organizer, Father Tadeusz Rydzyk. Rydzyks media outlets were known in the past for the freedom of speech they provided to traditional Catholic anti-Semitism.

The conferences guest of honor was Polish Prime Minister Beata Maria Szydo, who said: From now on, the world will know the truth about the extent of aid Jews received from Poles.

Minister Ayoob Kara. The conference he participated in wasnt in memory of the Holocaust victims, it was political (Photo: AP)

Jarosaw Kaczynski, the leader of the nationalistic ruling party, Law and Justice, addressed the conference attendees in a letter. The social depiction of the assistance provided by Poles to Jews during World War II is still falsified for various reasons. This has happened, to a great extent, due to the pedagogy of shame by the Polish establishment and the anti-histological policy resulting from it We have come to fix the picture, he wrote. After all, the Poles have nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to their conduct towards the Jews. Absolutely nothing.

Israel was represented in the conference by Communications Minister Ayoob Kara and Deputy Knesset Speaker Hilik Bar, who both addressed the attendees.

Kara wrote on his Facebook page: Today I spoke at a special conference on Polish soil in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The minister was wrong, or perhaps misled. The only purpose of the conference he participated in was political: To legitimize the rewriting of history by the Law and Justice party, a rewriting aimed at proving that not only didnt the Poles turn in Jews during World War II and stand idly by while the Holocaust was going on, but that they actually rescued hundreds of thousands of Jews.

This rescue, which has been duplicated and inflated to groundless dimensions without any factual basis, is being used as a propaganda hatchet to promote Law and Justices populist-nationalist ideology. The Polish nation believes it offered the persecuted Jews shelter while courageously fighting the German occupier (They werent Nazis, Deputy Prime Minister Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki has said, they were Germans) and against the Soviet occupier. Anyone who opposes the distortions and distorters is dismissed: The Law and Justice government regularly replaces museum and research institute managers.

The Torun conference was convened to give that new historical politics a research and Jewish-Israeli seal of approval. To understand its absurd nature, its important to mention that since the establishment of democratic Poland, Father Rydzyks radio (Radio Maryja) and television (Tarwam) stations had served as popular tools for expressing anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia.

Only recently, Rydzyks association made a shift from manifestations of anti-Semitism to displays against Islam. Rydzyk even established, through a dubious middleman, what he defines as warm relations with official Israeli representatives. Quite a few of the participants in the Memory and Hope conference arelike himpeople with an anti-Semitic background who changed their stripes, or who say they changed their stripes.

The leading Jewish figure at the conferencealongside a few rabbiswas British Haredi activist and businessman Jonny Daniels, who immigrated to Israel, served as an advisor to different politicians (many were deceived by his charm) and later went to Poland, where he serves as an ambassador on behalf of himself of Judaism and Israeliness. Daniels established a foundation called From the Depths to commemorate the Polish assistance to Jews during the Holocaust, which fosters bold ties with senior Law and Justice members and with Rydzyk and his gang. We must all do more for the Polish heroes who saved the Jews, Daniels said at the conference.

I fail to understand the active participation of a minister and a Knesset member from Israel in a conference aimed at distorting the memory of the Holocaust and legitimizing Polands racist-nationalist (and anti-Semitic, despite all its denials) right. As an Israeli who came from Poland, I feel outraged and embarrassed by this.
The real national campand no, Im not referring to Likud but to the camp pursuing a Jewish, democratic and incorrupt statehas an actual chance of returning to power.

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About one-third of Likud voters are presumably fed up with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's way. Its true that hes made achievements. Its true that the attacks on him were often vile, exaggerated hypocritical and filled with lies, mistakes and manipulations. But no more. What could have been argued two or three or five years ago, quite rightfully, can no longer be argued today. Something has changed.

This time, its Netanyahu and the group of corrupt people acting on his behalf. This time, the public corruptionand perhaps even criminal corruptionis outrageous. This time, we can no longer say: Well, everyone was like that, and the important thing is that hes delivering the goods. Not everyone was like that, and those who were went to jail.

Netanyahu and his close aide, Coalition Chairman Bitan. The prime ministers corrupt conduct is breaking records (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Netanyahu's efforts on the key issue in the past decadethe Iranian threatended in a miserable failure. Iran is growing stronger . The Hezbollah threat is becoming a combined Iran-Hezbollah threat . And with all due respect to the occasional strikes , they haven't prevented the creation of the corridor leading from Tehran to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and Hezbollahs massive armament. The Iranian failure isnt the only thing, but it clarifies the extent of the failure. Because Netanyahus corrupt conduct is breaking records.

Its unclear whether this corruption will lead to a criminal investigation, but even without a criminal aspect, Israel has never experienced this kind of public corruption before. There is a concern, just a concern, that this corruption harmed national interests. It likely also influenced strategic decision making. Its the kind of corruption which the presidents of Kenya and Rwanda probably couldnt care less about, but it certainly harms Israels interest in a place like Germany, which may decide not to approve the submarine deal

This corruption, which includes amazing cynicism, led Netanyahu to severely harm Israels relations with US Jewry . It was unnecessary. His coalition wouldnt have fallen apart had he refused to give in to the ultra-Orthodox parties on the Western Wall and conversion issues. But Netanyahu chose to surrender because he sees himself as more important than the national interests. So now that he is leading a Byzantine and anti-national courtyard, he shouldnt talk on behalf of the national camp.

There is, however, quite a big chance that Netanyahu will remain in power. Not because he is wonderful, but because the real national campwhich includes one-third of Likud voterswill fail to implement the historic potential. Weve been there already. The real national camp failed because at some stage, a Garbuz jumps up and pushes the Likud voters back to their mother party. Its not Garbuz the man; its the Garbuz syndrome. Its the scorn manifested by parts of the Left towards right-wing voters. Its the contempt, the arrogance, the unwillingness to understand that these are the most important people in the chance for a political upheaval.

Breaking the Silence. The connection between parts of the Left and anti-Israel bodies might deter potential voters (Photo: Amit Magal)

Moreover, a real national camp can be dovish and support two states or a separation. Thats not something that will bother the five to ten Knesset seats that create the chance for a change. What might bother them is the connection between parts of the Left, even the Zionist parts, and anti-Israel bodies. Because if they have to choose between a corrupt Netanyahu and a camp that supports Breaking the Silence , they will favor the former. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid understands that already. And if the real national bloc fails to understand that, it will not only hurt itself but Lapid as well.

Saturday evenings protest was definitely a milestone. The question is whether the camp that could be formed in these protests would be sympathetic towards the Joint Arab List, towards Knesset Member Mossi Raz (Meretz), who thinks the distorted Balfour Declaration should be amended, and towards Breaking the Silence, which has become part of the demonization campaign, or rather towards the moderate Right, which has been fed up with Netanyahu in recent months.

There is no chance that Netanyahu will repent, but there is a real chance that the camp which has had enough of corruptionand mainly the leftist-centrist campwill repeat its past mistakes. It should be careful.
The Supreme Court issued an ultimatum on Monday to the Beit Shemesh municipality mandating the removal of modesty signs hung in the city's streets which demand women dress modestly by Haredi standards.

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The justices ruled the signs exclude women from the public sphere and demanded the city's municipality finds a solution to prevent their recurrence.

"Women will not be excluded from the public sphere in Israel," they declared, after the city's Mayor, Moshe Abutbul, called them merely "ideological signs," and told the judges that similar signs exist in Meah Shearim.

Modesty sign in Beit Shemesh (Photo: Reuters)

"On Sunday, December 12th, the signs will come down," declared Justice Hanan Meltzer. "Israel does not have streets that are closed to women."

The court's instructions come in response to an appeal by the Beit Shemesh municipality against an earlier administrative court ruling that demanded the signs come down by July 2017, and fined the city NIS 10,000 for every day the signs remained up.

'The mayor is mocking us'

For almost three years, women in Beit Shemesh have been complaining about the city's refusal to remove the modesty signs, as instructed by the court in 2015 in response to a petition filed by attorney Orly Erez-Lahovsky.

The court at that time said that the signs are offensive and "cause serious harm to human dignity, equality, personal choice and autonomy." The court also said that the city has been negligent in not removing the signs and instructed them to compensate the supplicants NIS 60,000.

Signs in Beit Shemesh (Photo: Israel Religious Action Center)

Two years have passes and the signs were not removed, so the women went to the administrative court which gave the city until July 2017 to remove the signswith a fine for every day it had not done so.

The Beit Shemesh municipality appealed the decision to the Supreme Court and as part of the appeal removed the signs, but they were immediately hung again and nothing has been done since.

"We were glad to hear the determined and unequivocal statement against the signs and restricting women from certain streets. The judge was resolute in saying that there will not be streets closes to women and he said too that a dress code in public is unacceptable," said Miri Shalem, a Beit Shemesh resident and one of the petitioners, noting that "Most of the signs are on highly visible major streets and not on side streets in Haredi enclaves."

"The mayor is mocking us, he is inconsistent," Shalem added. "Thankfully our lawyer is persistent. It can be exhausting and we sometimes ask ourselves if it's even worth it, but it is an important battle for us."

In response to the court ruling, attorney Erez-Lahovsky said that "We are thankful for the unequivocal statement by the Supreme Court which ruled that modesty signs are offensive and we ought not to tolerate them."

"The order to remove the signs with a police escort and a constant police presence will send a strong message that the rights of the women of Beit Shemesh are important," said Lahovsky. "The ruling is a victory for the rule of law over the rule of lawlessness, a victory for the rights of women for respect and equality. We will continue to monitor and combat all instances of exclusion of women in Israel."
Five Code Red rocket alert sirens were sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel on Monday night. The first siren sounded at 1:48 am, followed by four other sirens at 2:54 am, 4:14 am, 4:51 am and 5:03 am. There were no reports of injuries or damage and no rocket remains were found on the ground.

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The IDF confirmed its systems had detected rocket launches, but later reported that "in light of the similarity between the five launches and their unusual nature, there may have been a malfunction."

IDF forces will expand their searches for rocket remains in the morning hours. The sirens may have been activated as a result of battles between the Egyptian army and ISIS operatives in Sinai, near the Israel and Gaza borders.

Iron Dome air defense system (Photo: EPA)

A particularly unusual barrage of mortar shells was fired at an IDF outpost north of the Gaza Strip on Thursday afternoon by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, prompting retaliation from the army.

The shells followed earlier gunfire aimed at the post. The 10-12 shells that were fired fell in open areas near the outpost, and no one was hurt.

Moments after the mortar fire, IDF tanks and fighter jets attacked four Hamas lookout positions near Beit Hanoun on the northeast edge of the strip, which serves as a military stronghold for Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terror group.

Later, the IAF mounted a second attack against two targets in the central Gaza Strip, which Palestinian reports said were two Islamic Jihad military posts.

IAF strike in Gaza in response to mortar shell barrage last week (Photo: Roee Idan)

The Health Ministry in Gaza said three civilians were lightly wounded in one of the Israeli strikes.

The IDF said Islamic Jihad was behind the attack, which was revenge for the destruction of their border-crossing tunnel.

In the wake of the attack, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot held a situation assessment meet with the army's top generals.

"We know exactly who shot, on a personal level, their names," said IDF Spokesman Ronen Manelis. "It's safe to assume it is the same group that is operating in an organized manner, not from the gut, but with instructions from Damascus."

He said the mortar shell fire was targeting the IDF outpost and the nearby construction work on the Gaza obstacle project, which were stopped immediately afterwards.

Israel has been constructing a sensor-equipped underground wall along the 60-km (36-mile) Gaza border, aiming to complete the $1.1 billion project by mid-2019.
US President Donald Trump will not announce a decision on whether he will again delay moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a White House spokesman said, despite Mondays deadline for doing so.

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An announcement on the decision will be made in coming days, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters aboard Air Force One as Trump was returning from a trip to Utah.

Trump had been due to decide whether to sign a waiver that would hold off relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, as every US president has done since Congress passed a law on the issue in 1995.

US Embassy building in Tel Aviv (Photo: AFP)

Senior US officials have said that Trump is expected to issue a temporary order, the second since he took office, to delay moving the embassy despite his campaign pledge to go ahead with the controversial action.

But the officials have said Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, a step that would break with decades of US policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East. They have said, however, that no final decisions have been made.

The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go; that its not a matter of if, but a matter of when, Gidley said.

The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the international community does not recognize Israels claim on all of the city, home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions.
Iran's official news agency says an Iranian border guard has been killed by gunmen near the border with Turkey.

IRNA's report says the guard died in a shootout on Monday while another border guard and two engineers who were inspecting nearby water resources were wounded.

The attack happened near the town of Maku in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, about 900 kilometers, or 560 miles, northwest of the capital, Tehran. The province has a large Kurdish minority.

IRNA says the gunmen were members of Turkey's Kurdish separatist P.K.K. group and that Ankara has promised to investigate.

The area near Iran's borders with Turkey and Iraq sees occasional skirmishes with Kurdish separatist groups, as well as extremist Islamic rebels. Last month, militants killed eight Iranian border guards in clashes there.
The son of Yemeni ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed by the armed Houthi movement after switching sides in the civil war, called for revenge against the Iran-aligned group on Tuesday, Saudi-owned al-Ekbariya TV quoted him as saying.

It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the report.

"I will lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen ... the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran," Ahmed Ali Saleh was quoted as saying.

He called for his father's backers to "take back Yemen from the Iranian Houthi militias".
The defense establishment is preparing for a possible violent Palestinian outburst in Israel, primarily in Jerusalem, following reports that US President Donald Trump may recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital or announce a decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

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The US administration has instructed its consulates and embassies in the Middle East to raise their alert level for fear of protests against American institutions.

Police, Shin Bet and Central Command officials have been meeting in recent days to evaluate the situation and prepare for a wave of riots and terror attacks, which could be similar to the attacks that took place following the decision to place metal detectors at the Temple Mount in July.

Riots in Jerusalem following placement of metal detectors at the Temple Mount in July (Photo: EPA)

Defense establishment officials stress that the Palestinian leadership's harsh comments against the possible American move have yet to cross the line and push the Palestinian street towards acts of violence, but say the line could be crossed in an instant even without the Palestinian Authority's encouragement. The fiery atmosphere in the Palestinian media could spur lone-wolf attacks, stabbing attacks and acts of terror by independent cells even before an American announcement.

The Palestinian leadership still hopes that the moderate Arab states' pressure on the White House will stop President Trump from making any declarations on Jerusalem. Diplomatic sources in Washington confirmed Monday that a decision on the issue had yet to be made, saying that the president's team had prepared a variety of "creative alternatives" for a commitment to move the embassy to Jerusalem, although no one knows what the president's final decision will be.

Hamas incited the Palestinian street with all its force Monday as part of the organization's preparations for its 30th anniversary celebrations. Hamas was officially founded on December 14, but Israeli security sources say an American announcement that will change the status quo in Jerusalem would be seen as a reason to inflame the tensions on the street and turn the celebrations into a series of days of rage and terror attacks.

Israeli officials believe Hamas will make an unusual effort to launch a major attack in a bid to deal with its new image in Gazaas an organization which has taken the diplomatic path, moved closer to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, chosen a moderate policy vis-a-vis Israel and given up the armed struggleafter it stopped Islamic Jihad from acting against Israel to avenge the destruction of the organization's border-crossing tunnel.

The Hamas leadership abroad, primarily the Hamas military headquarters in Turkey, is behind the effort to launch violent attacks during the organization's anniversary celebrations. Military commander Saleh al-Arouri, who allegedly found shelter in Lebanon after Ankara reportedly shut down the Hamas office, is actually spending most of his time in Turkey and in the Gulf states, operating cells and transferring funds to Hamas members in the West Bank. At the same time, the Gaza headquarters operating Hamas operatives in the West Bankcomprised of terrorists who were released in the Shalit dealis trying to launch terror attacks in the territories as well.

Security sources in Israel believe the Palestinian protest will be reflected both in the activity of institutionalized organizations and in a rise in the activity of lone-wolf terrorists, which has seen a decrease recently. The Palestinian establishment is apparently trying to lead the incitement against the expected American move in the religious direction. Any American move that would change the status quo on Jerusalem would be presented as a move against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The popular protest against the metal detectors was also led by religious leaders in Jerusalem: The grand mufti of Jerusalem on behalf of the PA, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein; Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the Islamic Movement's representative; and Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, the director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on behalf of the Waqf.

This trio is leading a large group of different religious clerics and has a greater influence on the Palestinian street than the political leadership. This group, Israeli officials believe, will lead any move against the possible American announcements. The PA, however, is still seeking a controlled non-violent response in a bid to prevent a descent into anarchy.
In the past week, speculation has been rife that US President Donald Trump is set to announce the United States will recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital

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Such a move, while reinforcing the United States position as Israels pre-eminent ally, would also correct a longstanding injustice and send a powerful message to the Palestinians about the future direction of the peace process.

To be sure, for Israelis, as well as most Jews around the world and our millions of Christian supporters, it is a given that Jerusalem is the heartbeat, soul and eternal capital of the Jewish people. This message though needs to be also reinforced to our Palestinian neighbors.

Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish peopleand only the Jewish peoplethroughout recorded history (Photo: AP)

However, like clockwork, no sooner than speculation began circling that President Trump is set to make the announcement, making good on his pre-election promises of recognizing Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel and moving the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people the Palestinians have been predictably up-in-arms.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has threatened that peace talks will be dead if the US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Hamas has called for an intifada, while the Arab League has warned that such a move would fuel violence.

Newsflash: The PA has not exactly been engaged in peace talks for quite some time now, while the failure to date of recognizing Jerusalem as Israels rightful capital has not prevented the Palestinians from waging an incessant campaign of terror, violence and intifadas against the Jewish state.

Enough is enough! The United States and the international community must no longer remain hostage to Palestinian threats, extortion and intimidation. President Trump should lead by example in this regard, by not only sending a powerful message to the Palestinians, but doing what is right and just, in recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.

Such an act would further shatter the Palestinian delusions, calls of incitement and delegitimization propaganda that Jews have no connection to Jerusalem.

It would also send an unequivocal message to those in the international community, such as UNESCO, to halt their continuing acquiescence and encouraging of this incitement and blatant denial of history.

US President Trump must no longer remain hostage to Palestinian threats (Photo: AFP) (Photo: AFP)

President Trump has long professed his desire to reach the ultimate deal of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The conventional wisdom has been that recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital would hamper this effort, as the Palestinians continue to threaten.

There are also some who suggest this would impede Trumps efforts to establish a regional coalition to fight terrorism in the Middle East, specifically against the Islamic State.

The reality, however, is that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long ceased to be a top priority for the Arab and Gulf states, which are today more concerned with a nuclear Iran and rampaging ISIS than the geographic location of Israels capital. According to the latest report from the NY Times , even the highly influential Saudis have proposed to the Palestinians an alternate capital, not Jerusalem, but the adjoining suburb of Abu Dis.

It is noteworthy that since 1967, every US President has more or less sought to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians, but each has failednot for lack of effort, but due largely to Palestinian rejectionism and intransigence. Jerusalem has just been a handy excuse for the Palestinians.

Despite Trumps best intentions, there is no indication that the Palestinians position under the present leadership, including in which Palestinian President Abbas continues to use US aid money to pay convicted terrorists and has sought to embrace the terrorist organization Hamas, has changed.

Simply put, there is never a wrong time to do what is right, just and moral. Although this past year Israel celebrated 50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem, the Jewish peoples historic, legal and inextricable bond to this holy city extends well over 3,000 years.

It remains an absurd anomaly that Jerusalem is the only world capital not recognized by the international community, and in which Israel, unlike every sovereign nation under international law, has been denied its inalienable right to designate its own capital.

Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish peopleand only the Jewish peoplethroughout recorded history. It is mentioned more than 850 times in the Bible, yet not once in the Quran. Jews end their High Holy Day prayers with the words Next Year in Jerusalem, where the city today has also become the seat of Israels parliament, government, judiciary and national institutions.

There is no real impediment precluding Trumps recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital. In fact, Congress has even mandated so in its 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, calling on Jerusalem to remain an undivided city and for it to be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel.

In the coming fortnight, the Jewish people in Israel and around the world will celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, marking the recapture of Jerusalem and dedication of the Jewish Temple over 2,000 years ago.

Just as Jerusalem is the burning light of the Jewish soul, there could be no better time or more powerful an opportunity to celebrate the unique history of Israel and the Jewish people, while reaffirming the unshakable bond between Israel and the United States, than to reaffirm and recognize Jerusalem as Israels eternal and undisputed capital.

Arsen Ostrovsky is an international human rights lawyer.
Turkey and the Palestinians warned on Tuesday of dire diplomatic repercussions if US President Donald Trump goes ahead with a possible recognition of the hotly contested city of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told parliament that his countrys response could go as far as us cutting diplomatic ties with Israel.

A senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the Palestinian leadership could halt contacts with US counterparts in response to such recognition.

Trump (L) with Erdogan, at the White House (photo: MCT)

American officials have said Trump may recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital this week as a way to offset his likely decision to delay his campaign promise of moving the US Embassy there. Trumps point-man on the Middle East, son-in-law Jared Kushner, later said the president hasnt decided yet what steps to take regarding Jerusalem.

Still, the possibility of such recognition has triggered mounting criticism and opposition by Muslim and Arab states.

The Arab League with almost two dozen member states was to discuss the controversy later Tuesday.

On Monday, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, which has 57 member states, said US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital would constitute naked aggression.

Erdogan said Tuesday that said such a step would lead Ankara to cut off diplomatic ties with Israel. He also said he would convene a summit meeting of OIC countries to oppose any move recognizing Jerusalem.

Majdi Khaldi, the diplomatic adviser of Abbas, said recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital could destroy Washingtons role as mediator between Israelis and Palestinians.

If the Americans recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, then this would mean they decided, on their own, to distance themselves from efforts to make peace and that they will have no credibility or role in this issue, Khaldi told The Associated Press in perhaps the most sharply worded comments yet by a senior Palestinian official.

We will stop our contacts with them (in the event of recognition) because such a step goes against our existence and against the fate of our cause, Khaldi said. It targets Muslims and Christians alike.

Palestinian Gaza resident visits Dome of the Rock for the very first time (Photo: AFP)

Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to major Muslim, Christian and Jewish holy sites, in the 1967 Six-Day War and quickly annexed it to its capital. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, and the international community says the citys status must be determined in peace talks.

The fate of Jerusalem has been the perhaps most combustible issue in more than two decades of intermittent US-led Israeli-Palestinian talks on Palestinian statehood. While two of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus predecessors were willing to consider a partition, the current Israeli government says the issue is off the table.

Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital, with most government functions, including the prime ministers office, Supreme Court and parliament, located there.

Earlier this week, Abbas warned that American recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital would jeopardize the White Houses nascent Mideast peace efforts.
After completing a search for rocket remains in the Eshkol Regional Council, the IDF concluded Tuesday that no rockets had been fired at Israel on Monday night. The army said it was looking into the reason for the activation of five Color Red rocket alert sirens throughout the night.
Rulers of the three Gulf nations now boycotting Qatar have skipped a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council being held in Kuwait, sending instead deputies or other representatives.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all sent lower-ranking officials to the GCC meeting Tuesday in Kuwait City.

That's despite Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, attending the meeting overseen by Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

Ahead of the start of the GCC meeting in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates announced it had formed a new, military and economic alliance with Saudi Arabiaa move that could undermine the GCC.
Lebanon's cabinet convened on Tuesday for the first time since the country entered a political crisis a month ago when Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri offered his resignation in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia.

He returned to Lebanon on Nov. 22 and said he would postpone his resignation.

According to several ministers' comments over the past days, the cabinet is expected to issue a statement about Hariri's resignation that will reaffirm Lebanon's state policy of staying out of regional conflicts.

Hariri's resignation thrust Lebanon back into a regional tussle between Riyadh and its main regional foe, Iran.

Hariri has said he wants all Lebanese to commit to the "dissociation" policy, a reference to the powerful armed Shi'ite group Hezbollah, which Saudi Arabia accuses of sowing strife in the Arab world with support from Iran.
The military facility in the Jamariya area near Damascus, which was attacked Monday night according to Syrian reports, is known to Western intelligence services as one of the main development and production centers of CERS, the Syrian government's Scientific Studies and Research Center.

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As the center is charge of developing and producing sophisticated weapons for the Syrian regime, it's quite possible it was in the process of improving the precision of Hezbollah's missiles and that a shipment of such weapons was making its way to the Lebanese organization.

Israel has already made its red lines clear in preparation for the next war. One of these lines is the production of precision-improvement systems and their installment on missiles that are later sent to Hezbollah. The big balls of fire that ascended over the area of strike indicate that the target was weapons, perhaps missiles, which were ready for delivery.

Alleged Israeli attack in Syria, Monday night

This isn't the first time the Jamariya facility was attacked under similar circumstances. The previous time was four years ago, in 2013. The strike the Syrians are attributing to Israel is the second in four days, which allegedly indicates that Israel is unprepared to give up on another red line as wellan Iranian military entrenchment in Syria.

There are other red lines Israel has made clear to the Russians, and through them to Syria. The important thing is that through the strikes, which are becoming more and more frequen t, Israel is conveying a strategic message to Russia, Iran and Syria: There is no chance of reaching a political agreement and a calm in Syria as long as the Iranian military presence in Syria continues and the Iranians are the ones calling the shots.

The message is directed primarily at the Russians, who have differences of opinion with the Iranians too over the Iranian strategic presence in Syria. While Russia needs the Syrian rebels' goodwill to reach a political agreement in the country, the rebels have made it clear that they would not accept an agreement which would keep Syrian President Bashar Assad in power as long as the Iranian strategic presence in Syria continues. The alleged Israeli strikes are aimed at making it clear to Iran and to Russia that Israel too won't allow a calm in Syria as long as the Iranians use Syria as their front base against Israel and as a logistic base for arming Hezbollah.

Iranian militia in Syria. There will be no calm as long as the Iranian strategic presence continues

Israel is making all of this clear through the "war between wars." So far, this low-profile and mostly covert war has allowed Israel to prevent the transfer of large quantities of precision-guided missiles to Hezbollah, as well to convey strategic diplomatic messages to Russia, Iran and Turkey. Israeli security officials believe this war is helping postpone the next war and strengthen the Israeli deterrence.

The Russians, who are interested in maintaining their interests in Syria, understand the messages and are making an effort to avoid a situation in which they and their people in Syria would get caught in a clash between Israel and Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in pulling most of his forces out of Syria before the general elections in March 2018, and until then he would like to prevent any fighting in Syria.

At the same time, the Russian president is advancing the diplomatic agreements in Syria as part of the talks being held in Astana and in Geneva. Putin, who seeks to gain from Syria's reconstruction process after the war, is in need of peace and quiet. The alleged Israeli strikes are aimed at indicating to him that as long as the Iranian strategic entrenchment in Syria continues, there will be no calm.
Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay attacked the Likud over recent probes and allegations against their top officials, among them Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, coalition chairman David Bitan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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"The real story is not Bitan, the real story is a culture of corruption led by this government. This is a party that is all corrupt," Gabbay said Tuesday morning in an interview with Ynet.

Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay (Poto: Avi Moalem)

Gabbay panned Netanyahu for not "immediately telling Danon to board a flight to Israel" after State Attorney Shai Nitzan instructed the Israel Police on Monday to examine the allegations that the representative used public funds and donations to pay millions of shekels in "salaries" to dozens of Likud activists and their families in return for supporting him in the party's primaries.

"The prime minister basically says 'it's okay'" Gabbay asserted, criticizing the premier's inaction on the matter.

Speaking on police investigations, Gabbay segued to the corruption probe against MK Bitan over his alleged tender fixing and again criticized Netanyahu's indifference.

"I think that in such a case of a police investigation, there is definitely room for the prime minister to ask himselfis this the chairman I want for the coalition?" he pondered.

"The prime minister must send a message against corruption. To this day he only sent messages of fighting those who fight corruption."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a Likud party meeting (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

Gabbay concluded by slamming the coalition, saying it "is not functioning and the public is paying this price," and offered the recent crises in the government surrounding the Shabbat as an example.

"I am always in favor of dialogue, but I am also in favor of knowing how to stand up for ourselves," he said, objecting to the coalition's concessions to the Haredi parties and the agreement to stop construction works on Shabbat.

"We live in a modern age. Maintenance works need to be done on Shabbat and there's no way around it, there is no other way to run a state," he said.

The Likud responded by rebuking the chairman over his purported hypocrisy.

"Avi Gabbay is throwing stones at the Likud from inside his glass house," the party stated, explaining that "just this month, the State Prosecutor's Office decided to indict Shimon Batat, the campaign manager of Isaac Herzog, for party funding offenses.

"Gabbay never once called for the dismissal of Herzog from the leadership of the opposition, so he should refrain from lecturing us. The sanctimoniousness of Avi Gabbay, who should know be closely familiar with police investigators after sitting in house arrest for five days, is a pathetic celebration of hypocrisy that the public does not buy into."
MUSCATINE  The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs made a visit Friday to learn about ongoing projects in the region, as well as offer guidance on resources available through the department.

The trip included a tour of downtown and the riverfront as well as stops at the Muscatine History and Industry Center, the Musser Public Library/HNI Community Center and the Muscatine Art Center.

Director of the Muscatine Art Center Melanie Alexander, who helped organized the trip with State Sen. Mark Lofgren, R-Muscatine, said the goals of the trip were to share information about the department and resources they offer, as well as show what is brewing in Muscatine.

They wanted to share information about some of the funds as far as grants, tax incentive types of programs and other resources to help make possible some of the projects that are soon to come to fruition or planned in the not-too-distant future in the community, Alexander said. Also the folks in Des Moines wanted to learn a little about what was going on in Muscatine  what the community priorities were, especially in terms of historic places and activity on the riverfront.

As Alexander explained it, the visit between the department and stakeholders involved in the culture industry of Muscatine was as much about starting a conversation as answering questions.

They wanted to get an idea for what was going on around here so that the people involved in those projects could make contact with those folks in Des Moines who could better direct them towards  whether it be a grant or even just saying that, We know another community across the state worked on a similar project and you could reach out to them to learn about how they did it, Alexander said.

The delegation that visited Muscatine consisted of Chris Kramer, director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs; Michael Morain, the department's communication manager; Matt Harris, Iowa Arts Council; Susan Kloewer, State Historical Soceity; Steve King, deputy State Historic Preservation Officer; and Laura Sadowsky, state historian. Also present was State Rep. Gary Carlson, R-Muscatine.

"We were impressed by the commitment they had for building a culturally vibrant community," said Director Chris Kramer of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

Looking forward Kramer said that she hopes that the back forth seen here will continue as Muscatine continues to adjust its vision for the future.

"I think that, we would hope that we can continue to connect Muscatine and its leaders to the states resources  that might be a grant or maybe the state historic tax credit," Kramer said. "We are interested in connecting to other towns and communities to help continue to have their vision developed for the future."

For Lofgren, the future in Muscatine is bright.

"Everyone is so excited about the changes that are happening right now," Lofgren said. "But we must also think about where Muscatine will be in the next 5 years, 10 years. Its kind of a call back to our community to ask what is happening next?"
The UN envoy for Syria is "ready to engage" with President Bashar Assad's representatives as peace talks are set to resume in Geneva, but they haven't shown up yet.

UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci says the eighth round of peace talks under special envoy Staffan de Mistura was set to restart Tuesday after a weekend break.

She said: "The delegation of the government has been invited back in Geneva as of today."

Syria's ambassador to Geneva, Hussam Edin Aala, told The Associated Press that Damascus was "studying" the invitation.

The head of Syria's government delegation has blasted the opposition for a communique in which it stated its ultimate goal was to remove Assad from power. Bashar Ja'afari said on Friday his team was leaving Geneva for the weekend and that Syria would decide whether it would return to the talks.

Ja'afari warned then that there could be no progress in the talks as long as the opposition insisted on what he described as a "provocative and irresponsible" position.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri revoked his resignation Tuesday following a consensus deal reached with rival political parties, marking an end to one of the most bizarre interludes in Lebanese politics.

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The announcement came at the end of the first Cabinet meeting to be held since Lebanon was thrown into a political crisis following Hariri's stunning move a month ago.

Hariri announced his resignation in a November 4 televised broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing the Iranian-backed Hezbollah's meddling in regional affairs as a main reason for stepping down. The nature of the announcement raised suspicions that it was orchestrated by Saudi Arabia, his main backer.

Saad Hariri (Photo: AFP)

The move thrust Lebanon to the forefront of the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran and shattered the national unity government that Hariri headed.

Following French mediation to bring Hariri out of Saudi Arabia to Paris for a brief visit, he returned to Lebanon on November 21 and put the resignation on hold to allow for consultations.

Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, attended by Hariri, endorsed a statement that calls on rival Lebanese groups to distance themselves from regional conflicts and the internal affairs of Arab countries.

"The Lebanese government, through all its political components, disassociates itself from any conflicts or wars, as well as the internal affairs of Arab countries to protect Lebanon's political and economic relations with its Arab brothers," Hariri said.

He then said he had rescinded his resignation.

It is not clear what, if anything, the agreement entails.

Hariri has complained about the Shiite militant Hezbollah group's meddling in regional affairs, including the affairs of Gulf countriesa reference to Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is fighting Shiite rebels supported by Iran.

Hezbollah denies having a military role in warn-torn Yemen. Two days before Hariri returned to Lebanon, the group said its fighters are coming back from Iraq now that the Islamic State group has been defeated there. Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to shore up President Bashar Assad's forces.
Hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday. He later escaped with help from supporters and led them on a march toward parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign.

The detention of Saakashvili, now an anti-corruption crusader in his adopted home and arguably the country's most popular opposition politician, has raised fears that Ukraine could be facing its most acute political crisis since the 2014 revolution. Ukrainian prosecutors accuse him of colluding with Ukrainian businessmen who have ties to Russian intelligence as part of an effort to topple the president.
A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that President Donald Trump informed him in a telephone conversation that he intends to move the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, prompting the Palestinian leader to warn him of the "dangerous consequences" of such as step.

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Trump notified Abbas "of his intention to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said.

Abbas "warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world," Abu Rdainah said.

President Trump and President Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: AP)

After receiving the news from Trump, Abbas attempted to enlist world leaders, including Russias President Vladimir Putin, Frances Emmanuel Macron and the Pope, to prevent the announcement.

Trump held telephone conversations on Tuesday with a number of Middle East leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said, in advance of his expected announcement about the US Embassy in Israel.

Despite the reports, Netanyahu instructed his ministers "not to talk about the embassy issue until there is a statement."

A Palestinian security official told Ynet that the decision would explode the situation and the streets. We will go back to zero and it could ignite an intifada.

The official added that the issue of Jerusalem is too sensitive for games. All the security crises in the last 20 years are connected to Jerusalem, he said. From the Western Wall tunnel riots in 1996, Ariel Sharons visit to the Temple Mount in 2000 to the security escalation in 2015-2016.

"The president has calls scheduled this morning with Prime Minister Netanyahu, King Abdullah of Jordan and Palestinian Authority President Abbas. We will have a readout on these calls later today," Sanders said.

Trump was expected to announce as soon as Wednesday that he will again delay moving the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem but stress that he wants to do so, a senior administration official said. The official said Trump was also likely to say that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Abbas, Trump and Netanyahu (Photo: AFP, EPA)

Following the reports, Jordanian King Abdullah II called Abbas to stress "his full support with his Palestinian brothers in respect to their historic rights inherent in Jerusalem and of the need to work together to face the consequences of Trump's decision and halt whatever will harm the hopes of the Palestinian people to build a state with East Jerusalem as its capital."

Shortly after, the PA declared a "day of rage" at Palestinian schools on Wednesday.

The Moroccan King Muhammad VI also attempted to pressure Trump into reversing his reported decision, sending a memo to the president saying that "Jerusalem needs to continue to be a place of coexistence and equality."

The King also expressed concern for Trump's plan to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. The memo was sent in the name of 57 Arab and Muslim nations.

A senior administration official said last week that Trump would likely make the announcement on Wednesday, a step that would be welcomed by the Israeli government, but has sparked disapproval and outrage in many Arab countries.

Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner said the president had not yet made a final decision.

Jared Kushner (Photo: Reuters)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was the latest Arab leader to express his opposition to the move, warning on Tuesday of such a decision's ramifications.

Abadi's comments at a weekly news conference joined a mounting chorus of voices saying the move would unleash turmoil.

"The Iraqi government received this news with the utmost worry and warns about this decision's ramifications on the stability of the region and the world," the Iraqi cabinet said in a statement.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told Trump there was no need to "complicate" matters in the Middle East after Trump phoned him to talk about his decision to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a Cairo presidential statement said.

It said al-Sisi cautioned Trump against "taking measures that would undermine the chances of peace in the Middle East".

"The Egyptian president affirmed the Egyptian position on preserving the legal status of Jerusalem within the framework of international references and relevant UN resolutions," the statement said.

Al-Sisi emphasized that the Egyptian line remains that the legal status quo has to be preserved in Jerusalem, adding that actions had to be taken that would avoid complicating the situation in the region by avoiding decisions that threaten to decrease the chances of peace in the Middle East.

King Abdullah and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Photo: AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned Abbas to tell him Moscow backs a resumption of talks between Israel and Palestinian authorities, including on the status of Jerusalem, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

No other details on the issue were provided.







The European Union, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the Arab League all warned any such declaration would have repercussions across the region.
Germany's foreign minister is warning that any US move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would be dangerous and could deepen the Middle East conflict.

Sigmar Gabriel said Tuesday that "recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel does not calm a conflict, rather it fuels it even more," and that such a move "would be a very dangerous development."

Gabriel told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels that "it's in everyone's interest that this does not happen."
Kuwait's emir has quickly ended a troubled summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council amid the ongoing diplomatic dispute targeting Qatar.

Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah made the sudden announcement after only a 15-minute closed-door session. The summit was supposed to last two days.

Sheikh Sabah and Qatar's ruling emir were the only heads of state who attended the meeting Tuesday in Kuwait City.

Other countries sent lower-level officials amid the diplomatic dispute that has half of the GCC now boycotting Qatar.
A Palestinian security official warned of an escalation in response to the US intention to move the embassy to Jerusalem.

In a conversation with Ynet the source said that "the decision will ignite the region and we will return to ground zero, it can spark an Intifada."

"Trump is mad," he added. "On the one hand he wants to formulate a peace initiative and build a regional coalition, the other hand he wants to destroy everything."

The source also said that "Jerusalem is a very sensitive issue and that all recent crises have been linked to Jerusalem."
The office of the Egyptian President said that US President Donald Trump spoke with the Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi regarding the decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Sisi stressed the unchanged Egyptian position regarding observing the legal status quo of Jerusalem and he said that we must not complicate the situation with decisions that could destroy Mideast peace prospects.
General enlistment in the IDF is on the decline, motivation to serve in combat units has dropped among young men, and the military faces a host of challeneges, according to data recently released by the IDF Manpower Directorate (Aka).

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The fresh data also points to some more positive news: beginning in 2020, there will be an increase in the number of enlistees and military service will be shortened. The figures point, however, to the fact that the concept of 'an army of the people' is fading away to make way for a professional army.

IDF training

Beginning in 2023 the IDF will no longer have a manpower deficit and enlistment will grow by around 17,000 recruits annually, due to demographic changes. Until then the army will experience a manpower shortage as this year the first group of recruits who will benefit from an additional 2-month reduction in military service will be discharged from the army.

The data also shows a dramatic dip in motivation to serve in combat units. This drop began in 2011, a year in which the desire to serve in combat roles reached 79%. During this year's august draft the rate stood at just 67%.

The trend stems from the desire of young recruits to serve close to home, face minimal risk and a preference for tech-oriented units. There is also a trend of soldiers ditching classic infantry units lsuch as Golani and the Paratroopers for the co-ed Caracal battalion and the Home Front Command.

Other combat units, Engineering, Artillery, Armored Corps and Field Intelligence, are having difficulty filling their ranks.

The statistics also point to a drop in the number of young men who opt to not serve at all in the military. Twenty-eight per cent of males and 48% of young women did not enlist in the last August draft.

"The desire to enlist is on the decline, partly due to the relative quietdespite the fact that war can break out at any moment," said a senior Aka officer. "Many recruits ask themselves, 'what will I gain from this?' The youth want to take something useful for life out of their service."

Major General Moti Almoz (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

In the wake of a wave of terror attacks, the Israel Border Police has not suffered a similar drop in recruitment, a fact which can perhaps be attributed to the action seen by the unit. "It is viewed as quite a good unit, better than the tanks in fact, and it has a great infrastructure bases and a good amount of home leave," said the officer.

He also stressed that the army has no intention of opening up new co-ed units, nor are 2,700 female recruits expected as occurred last year.

The recently established "Committee for the Army of the People" is expected to convene soon to discuss ways for the army to make efficient use of its coming manpower surplus. Some of the options being examined include increasing enrollment in the pre-military academies, further truncating the length of service, establishing new units in accordance with changing needs and instituting differential service where those serving in capacities deemed less important will serve less time and also receive fewer benefits.

The committee is headed by the commander of the military's Manpower Directorate, General Moti Almoz, and includes senior officers as well as planning and human resources experts. Starting in 2024 there is expected to be 10,000 more recruits per draft than there are currently. Most of them will likely serve in positions far from the front requiring suitable infrastructure to be erected.
US President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital on Wednesday, but will also dash hopes in the Israeli government by signing a waiver that will keep the US Embassy in Israel in Tel Aviv, the New York Times (NYT) reported Tuesday.

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The report comes two days after the president announced that he would be delaying a decision on whether to transfer the American Embassy to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem (Photo: AFP)



The report also comes on the heels of a series of phone conversations the US president held with several Arab leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, informing them that he had already taken the decision to fulfil his campaign pledge of moving the embassy.

News of Trump's decision gave rise to a whirlwind round of calls by Abbas to international leaders, including Russias President Vladimir Putin and the Pope, in a bid to ratchet up the pressure on Trump to desist from making the Wednesday announcement.

(Photo: AFP, EPA)

According to the NYT report, however, American officials said that the wheels could not be set in motion immediately for logistical reasons.

Israel's mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat, however, said on Tuesday that moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the holy city can take "two minutes".

Barkat said the United States would only have to convert one of its existing assets in the city, such as its consulate located in western Jerusalem.

Nir Barkat (Photo: Ofer Meir)

"They just take the symbol of the consulate and switch it to the embassy symboltwo American Marines can do it in two minutes, and give the ambassador David Friedman a space to sit in," Barkat told Israel Radio.

"The implementation of this decision is immediate and then later slowly start moving the employees in a more structured manner to begin providing services in Jerusalem," Barkat said.

Jordanian King Abdullah II called Abbas to stress "his full support with his Palestinian brothers in respect to their historic rights inherent in Jerusalem and of the need to work together to face the consequences of Trump's decision and halt whatever will harm the hopes of the Palestinian people to build a state with East Jerusalem as its capital."

The Moroccan King Muhammad VI also attempted to pressure Trump into reversing his reported decision, sending a memo to the president saying that "Jerusalem needs to continue to be a place of coexistence and equality."

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told Trump there was no need to "complicate" matters in the Middle East after Trump phoned him to talk about his decision to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a Cairo presidential statement said.

Jordan plans to convene emergency meetings of the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation next Saturday and Sunday on how to face the "dangerous" consequences of Trump's decision, the foreign minister said.

The kingdom is holding consultations with Arab League members in its capacity as president of the Arab summit and also with Turkey which holds the chairmanship of the OIC, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al Safadi said.

"These meetings will coordinate Arab and Islamic stances towards the (Trump) decision.. Jerusalem is a Palestinian, Jordanian, Islamic, and Christian issue and any attempts to decide its fate unilaterally are null and void," Safadi said.
The US State Department has issued a travel advisory for east Jerusalem and the West Bank due to the possibility of violence Wednesday after President Donald Trump suggested that he will move the embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel's capital.

"Widespread calls for demonstrations beginning Dec. 6 in Jerusalem & the West Bank. US gov't employees & family restricted from personal travel in Jerusalems Old City & in the West Bank. US citizens should avoid crowds and areas with increased police and/or military presence," said the message issued by the State Department.
In a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Saudi King Salman, the King warned Trump that any American declaration on the status of Jerusalem before a final settlement is reached will harm the peace negotiations and increase tensions.

According to the King, the Saudi policy remains unchanged in its support for the Palestinian people and their historic rights. He also stressed how "due to the sensitivity of Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque, this dangerous step will provoke the sensitivities of Muslims worldwide."
Hamas has declared a day of rage this coming Friday and asked that all Palestinians go out and protest against the intention to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the city as the Israeli capital.

The terror organization said that after Friday prayers, worshippers should go out to points of friction with Israel in order to send a message that any violation of Jerusalem will be met with an explosion.

"The youth and the Palestinian resistance in the West Bank need to respond with all means available to the US decision that harms our Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a red line and the resistance will not allow any desecration of it," said the Hamas message.
The GOP-led House has approved legislation to withhold US financial aid to the Palestinian Authority until it takes credible steps to end what lawmakers say is a practice of rewarding Palestinians who kill Americans and Israelis.

The bipartisan bill passed Tuesday by voice vote. The legislation reflects outrage over what members of Congress have called a "pay to slay" program endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.

But Palestinian officials say US lawmakers are misinformed about a program that supports families who lose their breadwinners during Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

The bill is named after Taylor Force, who was stabbed to death last year in Israel by a Palestinian terrorist. Force was an MBA student at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. He was visiting Israel in March 2016 when he was killed.
It has emerged that, UK-based Ghanaian Afro-pop artiste, Fuse ODG has angrily sacked popular Ghanaian record producer, Joseph Addison aka KillBeatz, out of his mansion.

Yen.com.gh brings to you the latest news in Ghana

Fuse ODG bought a $1million mansion in 2015 and housed Killbeatz

READ ALSO: Ghanas Most Beautifuls Nasara finally files for a divorce

According to a report by Pmolley.com, Fuse threw KillBeatz out of his East Legon residence after flouting his in-house rules.

The artiste who mostly resides in the UK, reportedly offered KillBeatz his house, in which the producer has been living for some time now.

However, the music producer and his friends turned Fuses $1 million mansion into an ill repute house, where 'slay queens' were lined up for parties and other extra-curricular activities.

Reports say Fuse ODG who was informed about KillBeatzs habit, recently came to town unannounced and witnessed the whole issue himself.

The report added sources close to KillBeatz, disclosed that what even angered Fuse ODG to kick out KillBeatz, was after he discovered a strange pot filled with blood in one of his rooms.

READ ALSO: Obrafour replies Lord Kenya over his born-again comment

Even though the mystery behind the 'blood pot' is yet to be unraveled, a Zylophone FM host, Sammy Flex has disclosed that Killbeatzs camp has confirmed his exit from the house.

Yesterday, my producer contacted both Fuse and Killbeatz. Fuse said to him, as much as the issue is, we should maintain it as such. He doesnt want to say much. When my producer, Nii Ashley contacted Killbeatz, he referred him to somebody else and the person told my producer it is too early to talk, the Zylophone FM host said.

Fuse bought his East Legon mansion in 2015

Meanwhile, there are some unconfirmed reports that Fuse ODG was unhappy about the fact that Killbeatz failed to produce beats for him and was rather releasing hit beats for other artistes.

Fuse ODG in 2015, bought himself a mansion in Accra for one million dollars on his 27th birthday.

READ ALSO: Shatta Wale sends 'stinking' message to Stonebwoy

YEN.com.gh is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other. Witnessing an incident? Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Message us on Facebook now

Source: YEN.com.gh
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 []
International fitness presenter Ramya Shinai will participate in a fire relief fundraiser at Exertec on Dec. 15.

Shinai will present Pound, an exercise format inspired by "the infectious, energizing and sweat-dripping fun of playing the drums."

The Pound and Pour Mixer will be held Friday, Dec. 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Exertec Fitness Center, 1500 First St. in Napa.

The fundraising event at Excertec also includes other activities. All proceeds will go to the Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund. Donations will be accepted in the form of cash, checks or gift cards.
I value your feedback on my articles as well as the questions.

There are many topics to discuss today in real estate, but I would like to take a moment to answer a few of your questions. Please be sure to consult with a professional for any legal or tax-related questions.

Cassandra of St. Helena, asks, It seems like Congress is close to approving a new tax bill. I own a $2 million home and have a payment of around $7,200 a month and annual property taxes of $21,000.

How will I be affected?

You will be limited to a maximum of $10,000 in a deduction for property taxes.

Your mortgage interest deduction will be limited to the interest on the first $500,000 loan amount, but this will depend on when you obtain your mortgage. A refinance may be treated differently.

Jackie of Napa, asks, How much does it cost to have an agent represent me in searching for a property to lease?

The property owner usually pays commissions.

A broker representing a lessee would receive their commission from the listing broker.

The listing broker who represents the property owner would receive the total commission according to their listing agreement. The listing broker would then split the commission with the broker bringing in the lessee.

Raj of American Canyon, asks, What is a first-right-of-offer in a commercial lease and how does this differ from a first-right-of-refusal?

A first-right-of-offer gives the lessee the right to make the first offer on the property leased if and when the lessor informs the lessee he or she is considering selling.

The lessor has the right to reject the offer and then usually after a waiting period place the property on the market for sale without involving the lessee any further.

A first-right-of-refusal places the lessee in the drivers seat as the lessor would first market the property for sale, obtain offers and negotiate the best deal.

The lessor would then present the highest and best offer to the lessee who would retain the right to match the offer and purchase the property.

Justin from Vallejo, asks, What stage are we in in the real estate cycle?

Real estate markets are local, so the cycle in the Vallejo/Fairfield metropolitan area may be at one point different from another area. Cycles can also differ based on property class.

Many who follow trends in real estate feel we are at the top of the cycle with values at the highest level we will see in our current cycle.

It is difficult to forecast, but history shows a cycle every seven to 18 years. So, if you are considering selling within the next five years today may be a good time.

I always look forward to your questions and will do my best to answer in my column or directly.

Please email me your questions at burt@acresinfo.com.
Word of the day: unctuous. From the Latin word unctus, which means anointed with oil.

Not a word I typically use when describing an amazing French cheese.

Unctuous is typically a word with a negative connotation. A word often associated with people who are attempting to butter you up or get on your good side to get something that benefits them. We might even call this type of person, oily, way too slick.

In this particular case, its a good word, and try as I might, I could not find another synonym that worked. Gooey, runny, or liquescent just didnt paint the right picture. Unique cheese, unique word. Its definitely not oily, but theres a specific viscosity.

Cheese research was required. Thats where I discovered unctuous being used in a positive way to describe this seasonal cheese from Doubs, in the Franche-Comte region of the Jura.

The venerable Mont DOr (Golden Mountain) or Vacherin Mont dOr is considered the very best of the raw milk cheeses.

When I tasted it for the first time, I understood why. Its reputation as a delicacy is well deserved.

While visiting the ancient street market location in Chatillon sur Chalaronne, a picturesque village located between Bourg en Bresse and Lyon, in Burgundy, France, with my friend, hotelier Patrick Revoyre, I was impressed by how excited Patrick became when he saw this cheese available from one of the purveyors.

Patrick is my Lets Go Cook la Bonne Cuisine counterpart, and we have been enjoying fun foodie things together for almost five years now. Visiting this street market is one of the excursions guests of this experience enjoy with us.

When Patrick gets excited about food or wine, so do I. I know to simply trust his lead. There is always something delectable waiting.

As Patrick picked up his Mont DOr, so did I. No questions asked.

Patrick shared that this was a seasonal cheese, so when you see it between August and March, you just buy it.

Patrick explained that this cheese is warmed in the oven before being served.

Interesting cheese fact: this is one of the elite French cheeses you eat using a spoon.

A favored fromage of King Louis XV, Mont DOr culls its delicate nutty taste from the thin spruce bark that is wrapped around it. Included in the flavor profile are hints of fresh grass, cream, and slight tannins from the thin wooden band. Ive never tasted anything quite like it.

Today, only 11 factories in France and just over the French/Swiss border are licensed to produce it. Its a protected AOC (Appellation Origin Control) product.

While some might enjoy Mont DOr at room temperature right out of the bark box, dipping chunks of baguette into it, or spreading it on generously with a spoon, Patrick shared that its nutty and earthy flavors are brought out when its baked. This is the favorite way French people enjoy Mont DOr.

Not being sure if I could find this new treasure once I got home I did want to bring some home with me. Now, Im not saying I smuggled some home in my suitcase, but then again Im not saying I didnt.

Now here is where there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that raw cheese cannot be imported. A personal frustration. Im a perfect example of enjoying raw milk cheeses in Italy and France as I travel with my Lets Go Cook experiences each year and after 13 years of foraging for foreign fromage, Im still standing, as are my guests who joyfully indulge alongside me.

The really good news is that theres an imported version thats available because of a process known at thermization (aka thermisation), which is a specific method of sanitizing raw milk using low heat.

Since my return I have discovered that its possible to purchase Petite Vaccarinus Vacherin Mont DOr at Whole Foods in Napa, during the holiday season. An 8-ounce wheel sells for approximately $40. Oxbow Cheese and Wine Merchant in the Oxbow Public Market will be offering a 12.35-ounce round for approximately $27.

Murrays Cheese, based in New York, offers this online but warn that they sell out quickly. At approximately $50, including shipping, for a 12.35-ounce wheel.

The cost of this cheese in the U.S. was the only thing that disappointed me. I paid approximately $12, when I purchased my round at the street market. That being said, would I purchase it here in the U.S. to share with friends who adore cheese? Absolutely. Its worth the splurge for a special occasion, a holiday gathering or New Years Eve soiree.

Baked Mont dOr Cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the lid and place the box baking sheet.

The next step is personal choice. Enjoy it plain, with a dash of pepper and sea salt, a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (Id use Grove 45), truffle shavings, a pinch of fresh herb or a dash of white wine. Dipping can be done with chunks of baguette, crunchy toast and bites of sausage, as you might do with a fondue.

Another option thats a bit more elegant, cut an X on top of the cheese, spread opening just slightly and drip in a little Armagnac or Cognac. Warm thoroughly and enjoy with crunchy bread sticks for dipping.

The classic recipe would be to make a few thin slits into the cheese and insert thinly sliced garlic into the openings. A hint of fresh ground black pepper over the top and a small splash of white wine.

Bake for 8 minutes, until completely soft.

Remove from the oven and enjoy with a crusty French style baguette or thick slices of slightly cooked red or white potatoes. I boiled my potatoes until just barely fork tender, allowed them to cool slightly, sliced them and lightly seasoned with sea salt. The potatoes were my favorite thing with the cheese.

Remember that white wine you used to drizzle over the cheese before baking? Nows the time to enjoy the rest of the bottle. My choice, Pouilly-Fuisse.

Mangia bene, or as we say when in France, bien manger.
The real estate ad posted by Coldwell Banker calls it a "fantastic opportunity" in a "wonderful neighborhood." But it's not the dream home you might expect in Wine Country.

Red caution tape rings the property. The charred husk of a car sits out front. And fragments of a washing machine, patio and chimney are all that's left of the house that once stood on the parcel in the Larkfield community north of Santa Rosa.

"City will be finished with lot cleanup this week," the ad reads.

The property is not one of a kind. At least a half a dozen burned-out lots from the most destructive firestorm in California history have hit the market in recent days, a grim reminder of the many altered lives.

The October wildfires killed 44 people and ruined 8,900 structures statewide. With unprecedented losses raising tough questions for thousands of residents in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties, some are deciding that they have no choice but to sell.

Among those are Andrei and Rozalia Bostan, both 67, the owners of the taped-off parcel in Larkfield.

The Bostans, who came to California four decades ago to flee dictatorship in Romania, said they're leaving their adopted home for Colorado. Despite successful careers in technology, Andrei Bostan said he can't stretch the family's finances enough to afford to rebuild with his wife and their 43-year-old son, Emanuel, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

"I thought I had it all figured out," he said. "I had a house that was paid off and a small retirement payment. But now I'm forced out after I spent 40 years of my life in the Bay Area."

The burned properties, which real estate experts expect will be the first of scores to hit the market, are priced at about a third of the value they would have fetched if homes still stood -- about $160,000 to $300,000. Each will be cleared of fire debris before they're sold, giving the buyer a clean slate to shake whatever back story came before.

Some sellers simply couldn't wait the year or two, at minimum, it will take to rebuild, or they didn't want to embark on the work required to find a contractor and draw up plans. Others cite financial reality, with insurance payouts falling short of what it will cost to build a new home.

Insurance for fire victims vary based on their policies, but generally those who sell their bare land walk away with the proceeds as well as their insurance check, which would typically go toward rebuilding.

For Andrei Bostan, the insurance payment wasn't what he expected. Turns out he unknowingly bought a policy that covered only part of the home's value and not the added cost of rebuilding or renting temporary housing. When he learned that constructing a new house would eat through his insurance payout as well as a chunk of his retirement savings, he realized they had to move on.

The couple is selling their lot, located on a once leafy cul-de-sac off Old Redwood Highway now flanked by blackened trees, for $299,000. Just down the street, another resident is selling for $280,000.

The Bostans plan to use the proceeds to buy a home where their daughter lives in Arvada, Colo., for just over $500,000. That doesn't include the expense of retrofitting for their son's mobility needs, but is about half of what it would have taken to rebuild in California, they figure.

"Santa Rosa is a great place, and I love the whole Bay Area," Andrei Bostan said. "But I have no choice."

The family's rush to leave was hastened by the trauma of the fires. Andrei Bostan, a violinist, was touring with an orchestra in Eastern Europe when the Tubbs Fire struck on the night of Oct. 8 and swept west from Calistoga to Santa Rosa. That left his wife to escape the fast-moving flames with their son, who weighs 250 pounds and cannot walk.

After her struggle to get him out and into a Honda Accord -- instead of the family's custom van, which was behind a garage door that wouldn't open with the power out -- both were hospitalized. She underwent emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer.

"Thank God there were no additional complications," said Rozalia Bostan, who has recovered and whose friends have been collecting donations to help the family. "We're all going to be much better when we move into our new home."

A few miles south of Larkfield, in Santa Rosa's fire-ravaged Coffey Park neighborhood, John Blood and his wife, Denise, have decided reluctantly to sell the property they've owned for 26 years because of their age and deteriorating health.

The real estate sign that sits conspicuously on their dirt lot, freshly cleared of debris, went up Wednesday. The $160,000 parcel is flanked by other dirt lots, all in various stages of cleanup.

"I love the neighborhood, love the summers, love the festivals," said Blood, 68. "But when you get older, your priorities change."

The couple is hoping that money from the sale, on top of their insurance payment, will allow them to buy a home closer to their son in Southern California.

Blood said he had previously thought about leaving the old house because it was two stories, and he'd prefer just one because he has trouble with stairs. While the city is allowing fire victims to rebuild with expedited permitting and low fees, the new home design must be similar to the old one.

The Bloods are fortunate to own property in Mesa, Ariz., where they're staying until they figure out their next move.

Their for-sale sign, one of two within a couple of blocks in Coffey Park, has become a stark reminder for neighbors that things won't be the same.

"You hate to see them leave, but hopefully we'll see them again," said resident Brad Reid, whose nearby home survived the fires. "There's a lot of unknowns around here now. We don't know what's going to happen.

The Bloods' real estate agent, Michael Williams of Coldwell Banker, said he expects to see more empty lots put on the market as people come to terms with their financial situations.

"Some people will walk away," Williams said. "But I think there's a strong sense of community and people want to remain."

Buyers of this type of property typically range from developers wanting to turn a profit to home-seekers looking for a deal, real estate experts said. Unlike vacant land elsewhere, the burned lots offer the benefit of being permitted for development and connected to utilities.

Realtor Shannan Luft, also of Coldwell Banker, recently listed the charred parcel in Larkfield down the street from the Bostans' property. She acknowledged that the listing was outside her normal trade of modest suburban homes, but said the job was important.

"It's not your dream sale," Luft said. "It's helping people. It's what we have to do to move Sonoma County forward."
What if Richard Nixon had gone on national television, looked into the cameras and urged a loyal henchman to break into the Watergate building to steal documents that could damage his opponent?

What if Nixon had followed that admission by publicly praising the criminals who committed the break-in, openly calling them "very smart" while also discussing, at length, why they shouldn't really be punished?

What if Nixon's son had acknowledged publicly that one of the people who broke into Watergate had offered him "high-level," "sensitive" dirt on his dad's opponent, quickly responded "I love it!" and then held a meeting at their campaign headquarters to get it?

Would we think those actions were any less sinister because they were done out in the open?

Americans expect scandals to be conducted in the shadows. Plots hatched in secret backrooms seem far more insidious than conspiracies discussed on television or Twitter. This cognitive bias we tend to have - where we equate nefarious activity with activities conducted in secrecy - has caused millions of Americans to wrongly dismiss the seriousness of the Trump-Russia investigation. "Surely, they couldn't have been so stupid to openly admit wrongdoing on television and then tweet about it!" they say.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration and Trump campaign have consistently proved that line of argument to be wrong. They were that stupid.

Donald Trump went on national television in the summer of 2016, looked into the cameras and invited Russia to hack Hillary Clinton, after the Russian government had already used cyberattacks to steal documents from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign. He openly encouraged a foreign power to commit an illegal cyberattack on his political rival - while we were all in the audience.

Imagine how much worse we would think it was if we later found out he had instead secretly called Russian President Vladimir Putin during the campaign and invited him to hack Clinton. Yet because Trump did the same thing before cameras, we mistakenly think it's less serious.

Donald Trump Jr. got an email that offered "high level," "sensitive" dirt from the Russian government to help Trump win the election, replied "I love it" and set up a meeting. His father then promised new dirt on Hillary Clinton - on live television - just hours after the meeting was confirmed. (That email exchange, at a minimum, proves that the Trump campaign at least tried to collude with the Russian government to win the election. Even if the campaign tried and failed, does that really make it better?)

After Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, the White House tried to go back to the old playbook of secrecy and spin, arguing that the firing had nothing to do with the Russia investigation. Trump was having none of it. In an interview with Lester Holt, Trump admitted - on television - that he fired Comey because of "the Russia thing."

We're all waiting for the "smoking gun" tape that proves Trump used his political power to try to impede the Russia investigation - behavior that could result in a charge of obstruction of justice. But the thing is, we've already seen it. Trump fired the gun himself, on TV, while we all watched.

Even with the most recent revelations about Michael Flynn, there's a relevant Trump tweet. From the documents affiliated with Flynn's guilty plea for lying to the FBI, it's clear that Flynn spoke to Russia's ambassador to the United States in late December 2016 after President Barack Obama sanctioned the Russian government over its meddling in the U.S. election. Flynn urged him to persuade Putin not to respond aggressively in return, which Putin obliged. Trump on Dec. 30, 2016, tweeted out: "Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!" His praise came in response to a decision that seems to have been coordinated jointly between Flynn, the Trump transition team and the Kremlin.

In mid-February, Trump reportedly pressured Comey to drop the investigation into Flynn. And, if that weren't brazen enough, Trump tweeted in late March that "Mike Flynn should ask for immunity"- which certainly could be seen as attempting to improperly influence a potential witness.

Trump is a reckless, impulsive, political neophyte who views television ratings as the primary arbiter of someone's worth. Is it really so hard to imagine that his scandals would take place in the spotlight?

Real-world politics isn't a Tom Clancy or John Le Carre novel. Not every politician in the real world is a savvy genius who cooked up a clever plot that could foil investigators. We need to recognize that what we've seen - with our own eyes - is already evidence of improper, disqualifying behavior for any president. Until we accept that secrecy is not necessarily part of scandal, Trump will continue to use his dazzling showmanship to get away with it.
To grow grapes in Napa Valley is to engage in a longstanding tradition. For nearly two centuries, Napa Valley farmers have worked with fertile volcanic soils and a unique climate, perfect for grapegrowing and agriculture of all kinds.

Records show that commercial vineyards began to be planted as early as the 19th century, and right away, Napa Valley wines were renowned for their quality. Even through trying times including Prohibition, natural disasters, and the relentless march of urban sprawl, agriculture has maintained its prominent position as an integral part of life in the Napa Valley.

This was not always a sure thing. In the 1960s, the community noticed that many nearby agricultural regions were in serious decline. Farmland was rapidly disappearing and being replaced by encroaching development. At that time, subdivisions and commercial development were more likely to bolster land values.

Even so, the community began discussing how to preserve Napa Countys agricultural legacy. While many other regions permanently paved over their agricultural land, Napa County did something unique and doubled down on agriculture. The result was nothing short of visionary.

2018 marks the beginning of the 50-year anniversary of Napa Countys Agricultural Preserve (AP)  the first of its kind in the nation. This landmark set of zoning laws, which encompasses AP and AW lands, established agriculture as the highest and best use of the land in Napa County. As grape growers, we believe this is a time to recognize the countys successes that have resulted from its commitment to preserving ag land.

While on a national level, 40 acres of farmland is lost every hour due to urban sprawl  not one acre of Ag Preserve zoned land has been lost to urban use since its inception. Many landowners have even taken this commitment a step farther to protect their land in perpetuity by placing into voluntary conservation easements.

As the 50th anniversary approaches, growers are seeking even more ways to build on our successful land stewardship and take steps to ensure the continued success of sustainable agriculture in our county. As many of our 30- and 40-year-old vineyards near the end of their lives, we see replanting as an opportunity to improve on our past practices. This cycle of renewal and reflection on what works and how to improve it is leading to vineyards with lower input requirements while increasing efficiency and quality.

As we modernize these new vineyards, we adhere to stricter standards that include stream setbacks, promote forest canopy and native species retention, increase permanent cover cropping, and implement Napa Countys comprehensive conservation regulations and erosion control plans. Together, these voluntary efforts and rigorous existing regulations provide significant added protections to our environment, community, watersheds and local air quality.

Another important question we face leading up to the 50th anniversary is who will be our farmers of the future? Family businesses face immense challenges when passing the business on to the next generation. The average age of farmers nationally has been consistently on the rise, as fewer young people choose or can afford to get into farming. Napas commitment to heritage and family-owned businesses has played a crucial role in establishing Napa Valley as the world-class wine grapegrowing region it is today. It is vital that we support the next generations ability to farm and prosper in Napa County.

The Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association is committed to preserving and promoting Napa Valley vineyards  which to us, means protecting Napa County agriculture for future generations. This means farming for quality and with a deep respect for the land. It means actively working to maintain our countys agricultural heritage and our sense of place. It also means working to ensure that the county as a whole continues to thrive.

We are committed to providing educational programs that support a vibrant industry working to set the gold standard for land stewardship.

Furthermore, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers has also made a commitment to support Napa Valleys vineyard workforce, through the efforts of the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Ag Preserve, we ask that you join us in renewing this commitment to Napa County agriculture.
As the U.S. Senate and House attempt to resolve differences in their tax reform bills, Emory will continue to advocate against provisions that could negatively impact the university's students, faculty and staff.

The Senate passed its tax reform bill early Saturday morning on a 51-49 party-line vote, with Sen. Robert Corker (R-Tenn.) joining Democrats to vote against the bill. The measure contains significant differences from the legislation passed by the House on Nov. 16, including several key issues impacting Emory and other colleges and universities, according to Cameron Taylor, Emory's vice president of government and community affairs.

The House can now vote to approve the Senate version of the bill, or the House and Senate can work to reconcile differences in their bills through a conference committee to create one piece of legislation that can be approved by both chambers and sent to President Trump to sign into law.

"While we are pleased that some provisions from the House bill that would be damaging to higher education were omitted from the Senate bill, we will continue our advocacy efforts to ensure that they are not returned to the legislation through a conference process, and to oppose measures in both bills that could hinder the Emory's mission," Taylor says.

Among the key differences in the bills that impact higher education, according to Taylor:

 Tuition waivers for graduate students

The tuition waivers many graduate students receive would be taxed under the House bill, and students and leaders in Emory's Laney Graduate School spoke out strongly against this provision. The Senate bill leaves graduate-student waivers untaxed.

 Courtesy scholarships

Undergraduate-level tuition waivers to Emory employees and their dependents would be taxed under the House bill. Employees would have to pay taxes on these benefits as income. The Senate bill would not tax courtesy scholarships.

 Taxes on student loans and credits

The House bill eliminates a variety of deductions related to paying for higher education, including up to $2,500, for interest on student loans; the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit, worth up to $2,500; the Lifetime Learning Credit of up to $2,000; and the $5,250 corporate deduction for employee education-assistance plans. The Senate bill keeps these deductions intact.

Impact on university funding

The Senate tax bill also kept in place several other provisions that could negatively affect how colleges and universities raise and manage funding.

According to Taylor, Emory will continue to advocate against these measures, among others:

 Excise tax on endowment income

Despite intense advocacy from many universities, both the House and Senate versions of the tax reform bill include a tax on the investment income of a select group of private colleges. The House bill taxes about 65 colleges  those that enroll at least 500 students and have assets of $250,000 per full-time student.

The Senate bill limited the pool of colleges that would be taxed to those that have assets of $500,000 per full-time student. That would translate to fewer than 30 institutions, including Emory, and could decrease the funding available for fulfilling the university's mission. As a large academic health center, Emory's endowment includes funds for both the educational and health care enterprises, including funds not only for student financial aid, but also for patient care, clinical research, faculty chairs and undergraduate programs, among others.

"Nineteen House Republicans are on the record opposing the excise tax," Taylor notes. "We will continue to advocate for its repeal."

 Charitable donations

Both the House and Senate tax reform measures would almost double the standard deductions available to taxpayers. As Emory President Claire E. Sterk explained in an Oct. 31 letter to Georgia's representatives in the House and Senate, "an increase in the standard deduction, without some mechanism such as a universal charitable deduction, would affect the vast majority of taxpayers who would then have no incentive to make charitable contributions.

"Major giving begins with small annual gifts, and younger donors who no longer itemize because of an increase in the standard deduction would no longer have a tax incentive to donate money to charitable organizations," Sterk wrote.

 Tax-exempt bonds

"Both the House and Senate bills would prevent us from making use of tax-exempt advance refunding of bonds to secure facilities and equipment necessary to meet our mission," Taylor says. The House includes private activity bonds; the Senate does not. Private activity bonds were used to fund the new Emory University Hospital tower and the Chemistry Center addition.

In addition to these and other specific provisions in the Senate and House bills, universities are concerned about projections that the Senate bill could increase the federal deficit by at least $1 trillion, with the House legislation projected to increase the deficit even more. This could lead to future attempts to lower the deficit by cutting federal spending, including in health care and higher-education programs.

"Emory's Office of Governmental Affairs will continue to engage lawmakers on these issues, and we encourage the Emory community to keep contacting their representatives to make their voices heard," Taylor says.
Posted by Mark Williams | October 2, 2013

GM has received fuel-economy ratings for the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups with the optional EcoTec3 6.2-liter V-8, we learned this morning at a breakfast meeting of the Midwest Automotive Media Association in the Chicago area.

The range-topping engine, which makes a class-leading 420 horsepower and 460 pounds-feet of torque, will also get 15/21/17 mpg city/highway/combined in 2WD configuration and 14/20/17 mpg in 4WD configuration when the EPA makes its announcements about rating certification later today.

We found the EcoTec3 5.3-liter V-8 to get exceptional fuel economy during our 2013 Light-Duty Challenge so it makes sense the bigger brother would get impressive numbers as well. Also, find out how we liked the new 6.2-liter V-8 during our drive of the 2014 Silverado 1500 High Country with the optional big V-8 under the hood.

To read the most recently updated press release, click here.
Memorial Service to remember SIU students killed in fire 25 years ago

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Five Southern Illinois University Carbondale students who died tragically in an apartment fire 25 years ago will be remembered in a special memorial service at 2:15 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Memorial Stone near the Campus Lake boat dock.

Ronald A. Moy of Chicago, Cheng Teck Wong and Mazlina Ab Wahid of Malaysia, Kimioko Ajoika of Japan and Lai Hung Tam of Hong Kong were killed in an early morning fire at the Pyramid Apartments on Dec. 6, 1992. Numerous other students were injured, some severely, in the blaze.

A quarter of a century later, these young scholars, who were predominately international students, have not been forgotten. SIUs Student Affairs is hosting the service in honor of those killed and hurt.

The service

Guest speakers for the service include current city and SIU officials as well as people who were involved in SIU student government and services at the time of the tragedy. Brad Cole, who was SIU Undergraduate Student Government president in 1992 will speak as will Carla Coppi, who was serving as assistant director of International Student Services (now the Center for International Education) at the time.

Chancellor Carlo Montemagno and Carbondale Mayor John Mike Henry will offer remarks about the sad day in the university and towns history and Lori Stettler, interim vice chancellor of Student Affairs, will close the brief event with a moment of silence for those who lost their lives and those seriously injured.

Everyone is welcome to attend the memorial service.
Standing guard on educational commitments  Members of SIU Carbondales Reserve Officer Training Corps detachment stand vigil prior to ceremonies marking Veterans Day last month. Several military-related publications again recognize the universitys commitment to ensuring that veterans, active-duty personnel and their families realize their educational goals. (Photo by Steve Buhman)

SIU earns national recognition for helping veterans, active-duty personnel

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale continues to be among the nations top universities for providing educational opportunities to student military veterans, active duty personnel and their families.

In the last few weeks, the university has earned national recognition for its on-campus, extended campus and online support services, flexibility, general support and other offerings from several military-related publications. For the ninth straight year, Victory Media ranked the university as a Military Friendly School for 2018. For the seventh consecutive year, Military Times Magazine ranks SIU Carbondale among its Military Times Best: Colleges 2018 and for the 11th year in a row, Military Advanced Education and Transition magazine awarded SIU Carbondale a Top School designation.

In addition, the university recently once again made the top 50 in the 2017 College Choice Best Colleges for Veterans rankings.

Veterans are a vital part of SIU

The recognition reflects the valuable relationship SIU has with its students, Paul S. Copeland, the universitys veterans services coordinator, said.

This is a two-way street. The university takes steps to assist military/veteran students making the transition to academic life, and the students help Veteran Services to review our own actions and evaluate ourselves to see whats working well and what needs attention, he said.

Students who have served in the armed forces also volunteer their time to mentor other veterans who are transitioning into academic life.

A commitment to veterans and their families

The universitys mission extends to military veterans, active-duty personnel and their families. SIU Carbondale was among the first universities in the nation to offer off-campus academic programs to military personnel, beginning in 1973 at Scott Air Force Base. The university now offers academic programs on military bases in 13 states. In fall 2016, SIU served 446 active military members and 493 veterans on campus. In addition, 362 active duty military members enrolled in off-campus and online programs within the last year.

Copeland noted the university has extended campus and distance education programs that offer opportunities for service and family members to complete a degree while serving. For those who choose on-campus programs, there is a full-service Veterans Center, whose mission is to support students in accessing veteran educational benefits, as well as provide supportive services to assist with academic, engagement or other transition needs.

The Veterans Center is in Woody Hall C141.
Becoming visible - Michelle Barboza

The University of Florida's Florida Museum of Natural History celebrated 100 years of inspiring people to care about life on Earth in 2017. To mark the closing of an era and the beginning of a new century, UF News profiled three Florida Museum women who are shaping the research institution's future and breaking the cycle of stereotypes and misconceptions in the world of science. With modern tools like social media and podcasts, they continue the work of past and current museum women, who have fought for equality in their fields and for the visibility of women in science.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-04 23:37:03|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KIEV, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute of the Kiev National Taras Shevchenko University (KNU) on Monday was awarded the Order of Glory, a Ukrainian award recognizing individuals and organizations actively involved in promoting Ukrainian ties with other countries.

The Confucius Institute of the KNU won the prize for its "significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian-Chinese cooperation in the field of education, science and culture."

Sun Kewen, the Chinese director of the KNU Confucius Institute, received the award during a ceremony in Kiev from Pavel Kochubinsky, the president of the All-Ukrainian Foundation for International Communication, known as the "Ukrainian People's Embassy", under the patronage of Kraine's first president Leonid Kravchuk.

"On behalf of the first Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk, I want to present the Order of Glory to the Confucius Institute of the KNU for its outstanding achievements in raising the level of cultural and scientific cooperation" between Ukraine and China, Kochubinsky told the ceremony.

For his part, Sun said it is an honor for the Confucius Institute of the KNU to receive such an award.

"In 2007, we signed an agreement on the creation of the Confucius Institute at the KNU. For these 10 years, we have trained about 10,000 people. The award that we have received today is recognition and acknowledgement of our merits," Sun said.

The Confucius Institute at the KNU was the second Confucius Institute set up in Ukraine.

Kravchuk was elected the first president of Ukraine after the country gained independence from the former Soviet Union via a referendum in December 1991, and served until July 19, 1994.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 00:47:35|Editor: yan

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NICOSIA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Russia has asked Cyprus to investigate the theft of communications between a Cypriot state attorney and her Russian colleagues, Attorney General Costas Clerides said on Monday.

"Russia has sent a message to my office requesting a criminal investigation into the case," Clerides told the Cyprus News Agency.

The case relates to the hacking of the private email account of Eleni Loizidou, the most senior attorney in the legal service of Cyprus, who was in charge of handling extradition requests.

Loizidou is already under investigation by Cypriot authorities for using her private email account to carry out official business, and for providing advice and information to Russian colleagues outside the limits of her duties.

The Cypriot police have started investigating the case relating to the theft of emails, several of which were initially published by a Russian website and subsequently by a Cypriot newspaper.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 01:17:47|Editor: yan

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KIEV, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,500 civilians were killed and about 9,000 others injured in eastern Ukraine since the start of an armed conflict in April 2014, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday.

In its "Ukraine Humanitarian Needs Overview 2018" report published here on Monday, the OCHA said that about 200,000 people living along the contact line between government troops and pro-independence insurgents are regularly experiencing the injury or loss of their loved ones or neighbors.

About 1,500 clashes between the conflicting sides occur near the contact line each month, endangering civilians, the report said.

Landmines and other remnants of war also pose a threat to people, it said.

Later in the day, the special monitoring mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which observes the situation in eastern Ukraine, said that at least 400 civilians were either killed or injured in the conflict this year.

In April 2014, the Ukrainian government started a military operation against armed groups, who seized cities and towns in Donbas region and declared independence from Kiev.

The confrontation has snowballed into the violent conflict, which has killed more than 10,000 civilians and combatants and left about 24,000 injured.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 02:18:03|Editor: yan

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GENEVA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The World Trade Organization (WTO) said Monday that its members introduced fewer trade-restrictive measures from mid-October 2016 to mid-October 2017 compared to the previous year during a period of economic uncertainties.

The WTO director-general's annual overview report on trade-related developments was presented to members of the body governing global commerce on Monday.

International trade flows have rebounded strongly during the last 12 months after a sharp slowdown in 2016, said WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo, delivering the report to WTO members.

"In September we upgraded our forecast for trade growth in 2017. This was due to a sharp acceleration in global trade growth in the first half of the year. The original forecast was 2.4 percent, and we are now forecasting growth of 3.6 percent," said the WTO chief.

"This improved outlook is very welcome, but substantial risks that threaten the world economy remain in place and could easily undermine any trade recovery," he cautioned.

The report was issued ahead of the key decision-making WTO Ministerial Conference that will take place from Dec. 10 to 13 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Azevedo said that looking ahead, the world needs "to keep up the hard work to help facilitate trade... and course, this includes avoiding measures which can hamper and restrict trade flows."

The estimated trade coverage of the import-facilitating measures recorded in the review period was more than double the import-restricting measures.

In addition, the import-facilitating measures implemented during the review period in the context of the expanded Information Technology Agreement (ITA) amounted to around 385 billion U.S. dollars.

WTO Members applied 108 new trade-restrictive measures during the review period from mid-October 2016 to mid-October 2017.

This included new or increased tariffs, customs procedures, quantitative restrictions and local content measures and equates to an average of nine measures a month compared to fifteen in the previous period.

The report also found that WTO Members also implemented 128 measures aimed at facilitating trade, including eliminated or reduced tariffs and simplified customs procedures.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 02:28:05|Editor: yan

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ANKARA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- A possible move by the U.S. to recognize Jerusalem as Israeli capital would be a "disaster" for the region, Turkish government spokesperson Bekir Bozdag said Monday.

"If the status of Jerusalem is changed and another step is taken, a catastrophe will come up," Bekir Bozdag said during a press conference following cabinet meeting.

Neither Israelis nor Palestinians nor others would benefit from such a move, Bozdag said, "It would completely abolish the fragile peace process in the region, and lead to new conflicts, new disputes and new unrest."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a phone conversation with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas over the issue, Bozdag stated but without more detail.

During Abass's visit to Turkey in August, Erdogan showed strong support to Palestine, urging the Israeli government to end its "occupation attempts" of Palestine that threaten the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Erdogan also vowed that Ankara would continue its efforts for the recognition of Palestine in all international platforms.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 03:33:24|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continues to be concerned over the recent escalation in hostilities in Syria's rebel-held enclave of East Ghouta, said UN spokesman Stepahne Dujarric on Monday.

Aerial bombardment on East Ghouta on Sunday reportedly resulted in civilian deaths and injuries, including women and children. Two cancer patients have reportedly died due to lack of access to medicines and medical care in the besieged enclave near the capital city of Damascus, said Dujarric.

Nearly 400,000 people live in besieged East Ghouta. On Thursday, the United Nations called for an urgent medical evacuation of 500 patients, including 167 children, from East Ghouta, said Dujarric.

Shelling has also been reported over the last days in several residential neighborhoods in Damascus, resulting in several civilian deaths and injuries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 03:53:31|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned an attack on a UN police checkpoint in the Central African Republic (CAR) that killed one peacekeeper and wounded three others.

In Monday's attack by anti-Balaka fighters in Bria, the capital city of Haute-Kotto prefecture, one UN peacekeeper from Mauritania was killed, three others -- two from Mauritania and one from Zambia -- were wounded, said Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Guterres condemned the attack and offered his condolences to the people and government of Mauritania as well as to colleagues from the UN peacekeeping mission. He wished swift recovery to the injured, the spokesman told a press briefing.

The special representative of the secretary-general in the CAR said the UN mission will do all it can to make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice, he said.

The attack took place two hours after peacekeepers intervened to free two displaced persons who were held hostage by the anti-Balaka in Bria.

The CAR has been in civil war since 2012, which is being fought along religious and ethnic lines, primarily between Christian anti-Balaka militia and Muslim Seleka groups.

The Mauritanian was the 14th UN peacekeeper killed in the line of duty in the CAR in 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 04:03:35|Editor: yan

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LISBON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, spoke of pride and increased responsibility as Portugal's finance minister, Mario Centeno, was elected Eurogroup president on Monday.

"It's an important and positive sign for the country, the government, the minister and, I would add, for Europe itself," said Rebelo de Sousa.

But he was quick to remind Centeno of domestic priorities: "We need to maintain a firm, consistent, steady and reliable financial policy here in Portugal, because the finance minister has been elected president of the Eurogroup only because he's finance minister of Portugal."

Rebelo de Sousa was talking to reporters in Lisbon after Centeno had been confirmed as the new president of Eurogroup. Centeno was voted into office in the second round of voting in Brussels on Monday afternoon.

The appointment marks the first time Portugal has held a prominent European Union (EU) position since Jose Manuel Durao Barroso's term as President of the European Commission ended in 2014.

The Eurogroup president represents the finance ministers of the EU's 19 eurozone countries.

Centeno's reputation within the EU has been forged stewarding Portugal's exit from the EU's excessive deficit procedure. Centeno took over as Portugal's finance minister in November 2015, four years after Portugal required a 78 billion euro bailout from the EU and International Monetary Fund.

Centeno becomes the third president of Eurogroup, after Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Junker (current President of the European Commission) and Jeroen Dijsselbloem of the Netherlands. Dijsselbloem will step down in January having lost his job as finance minister at the last Dutch elections.

Centeno will begin his new role on Jan. 13 with a mandate that runs until 2020. The next general election in Portugal is not scheduled until October 2019.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 04:48:50|Editor: Lu Hui

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British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend a press conference after their meeting on Brexit at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 4, 2017. Despite continuous efforts and growing common grounds of Britain and the European Union, it was not possible to reach a complete agreement Monday, said Jean-Claude Juncker in a hastily arranged press conference with visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

LONDON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Emergency talks are to take place between British Prime Minister Theresa May's government and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) after an expected agreement on Brexit negotiations collapsed Monday.

The refusal of the DUP to accept controversial cross-border proposals between Northern Ireland and the Irish republic were blamed by media on either side of the Irish Sea for crucial negotiations in Brussels coming to a halt.

May spent the day in Brussels confident that Britain and the EU would make enough progress on outstanding issues relating to future relationships between both sides after Britain leaves the bloc.

Media reports said talks over the border issue were expected in the next few days in the hope of finding a way forward ahead of next week's crucial meeting of the European Council.

The DUP has insisted that it will only agree to a deal that applies to the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, which will eventually form the only EU border within the British Isles.

The Times in London said several commentators had suggested that May was effectively conceding that Northern Ireland would remain part of the European single market and customs union when the rest of Britain leaves.

In a carefully crafted response Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, told a media briefing: "Northern Ireland must leave the EU on the same terms as the rest of the UK and we will not accept any firm of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the UK."

The prospect some form of separate arrangements between the EU and Northern Ireland led immediately to a backlash in both Scotland and Wales.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "Any special status for Northern Ireland would make a similar solution for Scotland even more vital. For Scotland to find itself outside the single market, while Northern Ireland effectively stays in would place us at a double disadvantage when it comes to jobs and investment."

In Cardiff the leader of the Welsh Assembly, Labor's Carwen Jones said the British government could not allow different parts of Britain to be more favorably treated than others.

There was also a response from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who has pressed for London to remain in the EU single market and customs union.

The proposed Northern Ireland border solution, he suggested, made it possible for the British capital to also remain within the single market and customs union after Brexit.

There were also harsh words from Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Britain's main opposition Labor Party. In a statement he said the real reason for the failure of the talks was the "grubby deal May's government did with the DUP.

After May's snap general election result in June when she emerged heading a minority government, the Conservatives agreed a deal with the DUP to enable its 10 MPs to prop up government.

Corbyn said: "It is disappointing that there has not been progress in the Brexit negotiations after months of delays and grandstanding. Labor has been clear from the outset that we need a jobs first Brexit deal that works for the whole of the United Kingdom."

The Leave Means Leave also heaped more pressure on May, saying, she should not agree a deal that involves treating Northern Ireland separately to the rest of Britain.

Media reports in London said a there was hostility to separate arrangements for Northern Ireland among some Conservative MPs who gathered at Westminster for a briefing.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 04:53:52|Editor: yan

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OSLO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Latest figures from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) showed that 21 of country's glaciers have retreated this year and only one has spread, newspaper Aftenposten reported Monday.

NVE makes annually so-called front measurements of some of Norway's 2,534 glaciers, which show the movements in the mass balance -- the amount of snow that has fallen on the glacier during the winter and how much snow and ice melt away during the summer.

Out of total 31 measured glaciers, 21 have retreated and nine remained unchanged, the report said.

Only Svelgabreen glacier in the western county of Hordaland showed a slight progress, it said.

"I really do not have any good explanation for this, but just this glacier is a little different than the others. It is thick and oblique, and there is a lot of rainfall in this area," said Hallgeir Elvehoy, NVE's senior engineer.

"In recent years we have seen that autumn has become longer, and then winter gets shorter. Then we get less snow and more snow melting," Elvehoy said.

The biggest retreat of 54 meters was measured in the area of the glacier Nigardsbreen in western Luster municipality.

"Hot summer is the worst for the glaciers. It is less important whether it rains. There is little heat in the rain, but if there is hot air blowing over the glaciers, this contributes to increased snow melting," Elvehoy explained.

According to the NVE, many glaciers experienced a growth period in the 1990s.

Since 2000, however, all the glaciers decreased.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 05:34:04|Editor: yan

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MOSCOW, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of nine or 10 U.S. media outlets are likely to be barred from entering the Russian State Duma, or the parliament lower house, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

"We insist that the measures should be mirror-like and precisely targeted. They should not spread on all media," the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a meeting of the Duma Committee on Rules and Regulations.

She added that Moscow will not deprive U.S. media of general accreditation for journalistic activities in Russia.

Calling the plan of banning the entry for some U.S. media outlets to the Duma "logical", Zakharova said Moscow will lift restrictions on U.S. media if Washington stops pressuring on Russian media.

On Wednesday, Russian English-language news channel RT America was stripped of press credentials on Capital Hill, citing the company's "foreign agent" status.

In response, the Duma said Friday that it would approve a decree on banning the entry for U.S. media outlets to the lower parliament house at the house plenary session this week.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill requiring foreign-funded media outlets in Russia to register as foreign agents, in retaliation to RT America's registration as a foreign agent in the U.S. at the demand of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the headquarters of the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency in Moscow, Russia, on June 8, 2016. (Xinhua/SPUTNIK)

MOSCOW, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of nine or 10 U.S. media outlets are likely to be barred from entering the Russian State Duma, or the parliament lower house, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

"We insist that the measures should be mirror-like and precisely targeted. They should not spread on all media," the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a meeting of the Duma Committee on Rules and Regulations.

She added that Moscow will not deprive U.S. media of general accreditation for journalistic activities in Russia.

Calling the plan of banning the entry for some U.S. media outlets to the Duma "logical", Zakharova said Moscow will lift restrictions on U.S. media if Washington stops pressuring on Russian media.

On Wednesday, Russian English-language news channel RT America was stripped of press credentials on Capital Hill, citing the company's "foreign agent" status.

In response, the Duma said Friday that it would approve a decree on banning the entry for U.S. media outlets to the lower parliament house at the house plenary session this week.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill requiring foreign-funded media outlets in Russia to register as foreign agents, in retaliation to RT America's registration as a foreign agent in the U.S. at the demand of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 06:29:23|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The recent upsurge in fighting in Yemen -- including reports of some 100 people killed and hundreds wounded -- are "deeply disturbing," the United Nations chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

"We renew our call on all warring parties for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sanaa," the capital, Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters. "We cannot overemphasize there is no military solution to the conflict ongoing in Yemen."

"The United Nations stands ready to facilitate a negotiated political settlement that is inclusive, fair and sustainable," he said.

"We find the events unfolding there to be deeply disturbing with ground clashes and airstrikes dramatically escalated in Sanaa and surrounding governorates," Dujarric said. "Initial reports indicate that around 100 people have been killed and hundreds more may be injured."

"We also have taken note of the reported killing earlier today of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh as well as several of his associates," he said.

The Houthi rebels are backed by an Iranian-led coalition and supported Saleh while the internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

The spokesman said his humanitarian colleagues "are receiving desperate calls for help by trapped families, but are unable to reach those who have been injured and there have been reports of even ambulances coming under attack."

"It is paramount that civilians are protected, that the wounded are afforded safe access to medical care and that all sides facilitate life-saving humanitarian access," Dujarric said.

He also said the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, has called on parties to the conflict "to urgently enable a humanitarian pause (Tuesday), enable civilians to leave homes and seek assistance and protection and to facilitate the movement of aid workers to ensure the continuance of life-saving programs."

On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement in which he said "the latest outbreak of violence could not come at a worse time for the Yemeni people who already are caught up in the world's largest humanitarian crisis."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 06:29:24|Editor: yan

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DAMASCUS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched a missile attack against a Syrian military base in the countryside of the capital Damascus on Monday night, the state news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian air defenses responded to the attack, destroying three of six missiles targeting the military base in the town of Jamraya, some 8 km northwest of Damascus, said the report.

People in Damascus heard the powerful sound of explosions at the time of the airstrikes near midnight.

The military research center in Jamraya was hit by Israeli jets on May 5, 2013.
The Art of Christmas: New Mexico Style

PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 06:39:29|Editor: yan

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HOUSTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Monday that although Hurricane Harvey hit the farming industry in Texas, he believed the industry will bounce back soon.

Attending the 84th annual gathering of the Texas Farm Bureau Convention n Frisco, Texas, Abbott said "while the farming community has certainly taken a hit in the aftermath of Harvey, it is the strength and spirit of Texas farmers that assures me we will bounce back even stronger than before."

Commenting on farmer's role in Texas' economy, Abbott said not only do they produce the food on people' s tables, but they also help drive the economic success of this state.

"As Governor, I will continue to be a fierce defender of the rights and advocate for the issues that allow our agricultural industry to succeed," he continued.

The Texas Farm Bureau Convention hosts farmers and ranchers from across the state to address issues that impact Texas agriculture. This year's convention included farmers and ranchers from 206 county Farm Bureaus in Texas.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 06:39:30|Editor: yan

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DAMASCUS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched a missile attack against a Syrian military base in the countryside of the capital Damascus on Monday night, the state news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian air defenses responded to the attack, destroying three of six missiles targeting the military base in the town of Jamraya, some 8 km northwest of Damascus, said the report.

People in Damascus heard the powerful sound of explosions at the time of the airstrikes near midnight.

The military research center in Jamraya was hit by Israeli jets on May 5, 2013.

At the time the Israelis said they struck Hezbollah-bound missiles in that base.

Also, the attack comes just two days after Israel stuck another military base in the town of Kisweh in the southwestern countryside of Damascus.

At that time, the army was said to have destroyed two missiles while the rest hit the base, causing damages.

Israeli officials have said several times that they would not accept any Iranian influence near their borders.

The Syrian government has repeatedly accused Israel of aiding the rebels near the Golan Heights.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 06:39:31|Editor: Zhou Xin

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File photo taken on on May 15, 2017 shows people protest U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Seattle, the U.S. state of Washington. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed the third version of the Trump administration's travel ban to take effect, impacting citizens of eight countries from entering the United States.

The ruling lifted restrictions imposed by lower courts on the travel ban, which bars all citizens of Syria, Iran, Chad, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as well as certain officials from Venezuela from entering the United States.

"In light of its decision to consider the case on an expedited basis, we expect that the Court of Appeals will render its decision with appropriate dispatch," the Supreme Court said in the ruling.

The travel ban, released in September, was the third version by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration said the ban was needed to ensure national security, while critics said it was a form of religious discrimination as most of the countries impacted by the ban are Muslim majorities.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 06:49:34|Editor: yan

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CHICAGO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- When Latinos did not have a strong ethnic identity and felt lonely, they were more likely to consider ending their lives, a U.S. study found on Monday.

In the study published in Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, researchers from the University of Michigan examined how ethnic identity and hopeless/loneliness predicted suicide risk.

About 160 Latino college students, including 115 women, rated how they felt statements such as "I have a strong sense of belonging to my own ethnic group," "I am active in organizations or social groups that include mostly members of my own ethnic group," and "I have a clear sense of my ethnic background and what it means for me."

Respondents also rated their feelings of loneliness and thoughts or behaviors about suicide. The risk of suicidal behavior was high for Latinos who believed their future was hopeless as a member of their ethnic group, the study showed.

"For Latinos, feeling pride about their ethnicity might keep some from feeling lonely or depressed, which are associated with greater risk of suicide attempts," said Edward Chang, UM professor of psychology and social work.

The research also indicated that Latinos who interacted with other ethnic groups reported fewer suicidal behaviors.

"These findings suggest that for Latino students, feeling socially isolated from others is reliably associated with greater risk of suicide," said Chang, the study's lead author.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 06:59:37|Editor: Zhou Xin

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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Navajo Nation, an authority elected by local tribes controlling a Native American territory in the western states of United States, announced Monday to defend the Bear Ears National Monument located in southeastern Utah, which was to be cut by more than 80 percent in size.

The U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation of shrinking of two national monuments in Utah when he visited the state Monday, including the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the Bears Ears National Monument, the first truly Native American national monument.

Bears Ears would be reduced from 1.35 million acres (5,463 square kilometers) to 201,397 acres (815 square kilometers), while Grand Staircase-Escalante was to be halved from nearly 1.9 million acres (7,689 square kilometers) to 997,490 acres (4,037 square kilometers).

Trump hailed the "historic decision" would give Utah local residents rights to protect their resources instead of following orders from Washington, however, critics of the decision said that shrinking monuments is bad for both local economies that rely on tourism and environment protection that the land could be used by mine companies to drill.

"Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what, they're wrong," Trump said in his announcement at the Utah State Capitol at noon.

Then Navajo Nation released a statement, saying the decision to reduce the size of the Monument was made with no tribal consultation who engaged to protect its cultural, religious and historical significance, even though it had repeated requests to meet with Trump on this "critical important" issue.

"This is a sad day for indigenous people and for America. However, we are resilient and refuse to allow President Trump's unlawful decision to discourage us. We will continue to fight in honor of our ancestral warriors who fought for our way of life, for our culture and for our land too." the statement said, adding that "The Navajo Nation will defend Bears Ears. The reduction in the size of the Monument leaves us no choice but to litigate this decision."

About 5,000 protesters gathered Saturday afternoon on the front steps of the Utah State Capitol against the federal government's decision to reduce the size of the two National Monument.

Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski delivered an impassioned speech at the rally, calling on local people to stand united to "never stop fighting for what we believe is right."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 06:59:39|Editor: Zhou Xin

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CHICAGO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The state capitol building of the midwest U.S. state of Illinois was evacuated Monday afternoon due to a bomb threat, local media reported.

The State Capitol Tour Guide Office received a threatening call which forced the police to evacuate the building, a spokesman for the Illinois Secretary of State said. But no further details are released.

Police said no people are allowed to re-enter the building until an all-clear notice is issued Monday evening.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 07:04:41|Editor: Yang Yi

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LONDON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Monday hailed strong UK-China relations and expected the beginning of the fifth high-level People-to-People Dialogue between the two countries, which will kick off later this week in Britain.

The two ministers' remarks came as Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong started an official visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on Monday afternoon to co-chair the high-level bilateral meeting on people-to-people exchanges with Hunt.

"The UK-China relationship is strong and continues to deliver benefits for both countries, so I am delighted to welcome Madame Liu to the UK for the People-to-People Dialogue," Johnson said in a press statement released by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

"China and Britain are both global powers with a global outlook, and will continue to work together to solve the big issues facing our world today, build economies of the future and develop our people-to-people links," said the foreign minister.

For his part, Hunt said, "I am delighted to once again co-chair the People-to-People Dialogue, which will reaffirm the strong ties between the UK and China and underline our commitment to working together to solve some of the biggest issues facing the world today."

"Health is a key pillar in this relationship, which is why we will be collaborating to tackle major health issues such as fighting disease and improving health outcomes for all," Hunt said in the statement.

The visit, which is scheduled to end on Thursday, will take Liu to the British cities of London, Edinburgh and Oxford.

During the visit, Liu will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Johnson, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace.

She is also expected to sign a host of cooperative agreements on people-to-people exchanges between China and the UK.

The high-level exchanges, also known as the P2P Dialogue, will enhance the UK-China partnership by promoting further collaboration on a broad range of issues including health, education, culture, science and innovation, tourism and sport, the British foreign ministry said on Monday.

This year's P2P Dialogue theme is the "Spirit of Youth", which connects to a British government campaign that promotes deeper collaboration and exchange through inspiring the next generation of leaders in both countries.

On the eve of Liu's visit, British ambassador to China Barbara Woodward said, "I think the future for the UK-China relations is very exciting and we've already established a 'golden era' in UK-China relations."

"I think we'll see a deepening and broadening of our overlapping interests with China, and opportunities for building a very bright future together," said the London envoy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 07:09:43|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TEGUCIGALPA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Monday appeared to have won re-election by securing 42.98 percent of the votes, just 1.58 points ahead of rival Salvador Nasralla with 41.39 percent, according to the latest figures from the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE).

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, TSE President David Matamoros said the tabulation was practically concluded, with just 14 of 1,006 ballots pending.

The belated results of the Nov. 26 presidential elections come after a week of sometimes violent demonstrations that led the government to suspend constitutional rights and impose a curfew for 10 days.

Supporters of Nasralla, the Opposition Alliance, protested the ruling National Party's influence over the TSE, after their candidate's initial lead was wiped out following a systems failure.

Nasralla has called for the verification of more than 5,000 disputed ballots, before he accepts the official outcome.

Matamoros was reportedly said on Monday that he was willing to meet with the opposition "to resolve the issue."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 07:34:48|Editor: Zhou Xin

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PARIS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday spoke to U.S. counterpart Donald Trump over the phone and expressed concern over possible U.S. unilateral decision about Jerusalem, the Elysee palace said in a statement.

Macron "expressed his concern over the possibility that the United States unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel" to Trump, according to the statement.

The status of Jerusalem, Macron said, will have to be settled in the framework of peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

The peace negotiations aimed in particular at the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as capital, it said.

The two leaders have agreed to talk to each other again soon about this issue.

U.S. media had reported that U.S. President Donald Trump was considering acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and might announce that on Wednesday.

Any such announcement has inflammatory potential in an already volatile region.

Israel has controlled the western part of Jerusalem since its inception in 1948. In 1967, after the Mideast war, Israel captured the eastern part of Jerusalem from Jordan and declared both parts its united capital.

The move was never recognized by the international community, including Israel's closest ally, the U.S.

The Palestinians see eastern Jerusalem as the future capital of their state.

Jerusalem is home to sites holy to Islam, Judaism and Christianity, making it a focal point for many people around the globe.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 08:24:57|Editor: Zhou Xin

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ISLAMABAD, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa has told U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis that Pakistan has eliminated safe havens from Pakistan's soil.

Mattis met the army chief in his day-long visit in the army headquarters in Rawalpindi late on Monday, an army statement said, adding that the meeting focused on regional security with particular emphasis on Afghanistan as well as other matters of mutual interest.

The army chief said Pakistan has done much more than its due share despite capacity constraints in anti-terror fight but shall remain committed for peace as a responsible member of international community.

For his part, Mattis expressed his respect for Pakistan Armed Forces and the effective operations undertaken against terrorists, according to the statement.

He also highlighted concerns that a few elements continue to use Pakistan's territory to further their terrorist agenda in Afghanistan.

He assured that the U.S. is ready to play its role in addressing Pakistan's legitimate concerns, saying that his aim is not to make demands but find common grounds to work together.

Both sides agreed to work towards specific and sustained actions on each other's concerns, the military said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 09:35:06|Editor: Yang Yi

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by Xinhua writer Gao Wencheng

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Adriana Vazquez grew up in Mexico City, studied in Pennsylvania and worked in New York. But it was Shenzhen, the city in south China's Guangdong province known as the "Silicon Valley of China" that made her dream a reality.

The young Mexican entrepreneur is buzzed up by the thought that her little startup could take the world of working mothers by storm.

Vazquez's company has devised an improved breast pump for lactating mothers that she says will be able to extract more milk from women who cannot be present to breastfeed their babies due to reasons like work.

The pumps currently available in the market use only suction to extract milk but there is more a baby does than suckle to stimulate the flow of milk, Vazquez explained. It creates a physical and emotional bonding with the mother which the pump cannot achieve and therefore it cannot extract all the milk.

"So what we are doing is making a product that stimulates the production of milk like the way a baby does while breastfeeding," she said.

Only time will tell if Vazquez's product will revolutionize the natal care market or not but there's one thing that is certain: She would not have been able to achieve what she has had she not come to China.

In March, she set up shop in the Huaqiangbei area of Shenzhen, a sprawling marketplace of electronic goods and components that attracts buyers in daily droves.

On the eighth floor above the stalls there is the Shenzhen workshop of HAX, an American company investing in hardware startups based in Shenzhen and San Francisco.

The workshop is broken up into open-plan offices where young entrepreneurs like Vazquez are hard at work to develop their first prototypes, using components from the electronic market downstairs.

Each year, HAX offers around 30 startups a free office in Shenzhen, expert support and seed funding of 100,000 U.S. dollars. Nearly 1,000 startups vie to be chosen. Vazquez was among the lucky few.

But why Shenzhen?

Because, said Cyril Ebersweiler, founder of HAX, Shenzhen was becoming like the United States' Silicon Valley.

Today, Shenzhen is known for its hardware expertise, thanks to its huge number of factories and resellers. It also has one of the world's most developed hardware industry chains and abundant intellectual capital.

Huaqiangbei, dubbed "China's No. 1 electronics street," is home to varieties of electronic components that bolster as well as inspire innovations.

"We got inspirations from headphones, from speakers, from things you would not necessarily think about, and I think that is how a unique place is able to do that," Vazquez said.

Asif Khan, another HAX protege from Canada who is working on a new molding technology that will help manufacturers adjust their moldings quickly and easily, pointed out the other advantages of Shenzhen in the eyes of fledgling companies.

"It takes seven weeks to make a prototype in Canada while they could finish it in less than a week in China, (at) one-fifth the cost," he said. "The low cost of production means lower trial mistake costs, which allows me to fully try out new ideas."

After a four-month acceleration period for the new startups in Shenzhen, the products they design mark the start of a new journey for them. It will lead to upgrading their first products and the successful ones are likely to catch the eye of global investors, which will help them improve production and expand the market.P OpenTrons, which makes robots for biologists, has left its startup days far behind since it was set up in 2013. However, it still has a base in Shenzhen to conduct the hardware part of the business like calibrating its pipetting robots, robots that do the liquid-handling in laboratories. It sells its robots to labs in 38 countries around the world.

The startup's American founder Will Canine praised the spirit of "open innovation" in Shenzhen, saying it is the only way to compete globally in the 21st century.

"The Shenzhen way is to share and build on one another's designs, always striving to be the best, fastest, most innovative design," Canine said. "This open competitive environment is a great way to keep technology advancing quickly, and also ensures customers are benefiting from innovation immediately."

"I hope more people in the United States will start following Shenzhen's innovative example," he said.

(Xinhua reporters Peng Qian, Peng Yong, Ma Dan also contributed to the story.)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 10:25:25|Editor: Zhou Xin

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SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- An immense stone memorial shaped like a giant rock houses the remains of Cuban revolutionary and long-time leader Fidel Castro, its size and solidity reflecting his larger-than-life persona and enduring legacy.

The memorial, at the Saint Ifigenia Cemetery in the city of Santiago de Cuba in Cuba's eastern part, can be identified by a modest plaque that says simply "Fidel" -- a suitable marker for a man who eschewed the customary trappings of fame, such as wealth, pomp and self-adulation.

Castro left strict instructions not to be honored with statues, monuments or avenues bearing his name. Still, he is revered by many who come to visit the site, located alongside the mausoleum to national hero Jose Marti. Visitors leave flowers, stand in silent tribute, or watch the daily changing of the guard.

"I would like to preserve the entire legacy he left behind," Lucia Palma, a teacher, told Xinhua.

Palma, 70, traveled 200 km from Las Tunas province to place a white rose at the monolith. She headed a group of university students who came to honor "the person who left us a different future."

Yerenys Alonso said she and her classmates, all about 20 years old, are ready "to continue fighting for this country, as Fidel and those who followed him did more than half a century ago."

Visitor Yunier Guerra said, "If I could preserve something of Fidel's legacy, what I would keep would be the principles on which all his revolutionary work is based."

Guerra's companion, Roberto Alejandro, believed "The great legacy he left us is solidarity and patriotism."

That legacy may be why many Cubans are confident about the future, despite the current economic difficulties.

"Every future has to be better," said medical student Ruth Garcia, quoting Cuban communist leader Julio Antonio Mella.

Cuba is now giving way to a new generation of leaders. In February, 86-year-old President Raul Castro, who provided a seamless transition by taking over after Fidel stepped down following 60 years in power, is also expected to step down. Still, Cubans are optimistic Fidel's legacy will be continued.

"I think the future looks very good because the continuity of our homeland is guaranteed," said Aristides Hernandez, who is in his seventies, as he sat on the seaside promenade in Santiago de Cuba.

Jorge Luis Romagera, also in his seventies, agreed, saying "We must trust in the youth and in the legacy that Fidel left us."

For now, Cubans have the teachings of Castro to fall back on, said student Yalien Estevez, adding the government will have a stronghold in the political thinking of Castro, "who taught us to think with our own heads and defend the sovereignty of the country."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 10:40:27|Editor: Zhou Xin

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YANGON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- All displaced people taking shelter at 31 camps in Sittway, capital of Myanmar's western Rakhine state, have returned home as the situation in the state returned to normalcy, the official Global New Light of Myanmar quoted Rakhine state government sources as saying on Tuesday.

The returnees included the last batch of 123 Hindu people who have moved back from Sittway and are being sheltered at a camp set up near Maungtaw regional government office as they are repairing their homes burnt down earlier by extremist terrorists.

The local authorities are allocating land to those who lost their home in the terrorist attacks and providing food and security to all communities in the area, the report said.

Myanmar's authorities plan to complete construction of repatriation camps and houses for local people in conflict-affected areas in northern Rakhine within one month.

As part of implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement process by the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development (UEHRD), construction of the infrastructures including buildings, roads, water and electricity supply were launched in November in northern Rakhine.

The construction of the infrastructures has been implemented by construction team, one of nine private sector task forces, which was formed to join the Aung San Suu Kyi-led mechanism of UEHRD in northern Rakhine.

Meanwhile, youth volunteers have also started their program of providing humanitarian assistance in conflict-affected areas in Buthidaung and Maungtaw townships in northern Rakhine.

State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi prioritized three main tasks to be done in Rakhine, namely repatriation of refugees who have crossed over to Bangladesh and providing humanitarian assistance effectively, resettlement and rehabilitation, and bringing development to the region and establishing lasting peace.

Myanmar's government has been implementing some short-term projects to bring peace, stability and development in northern Rakhine after the region regained security and stability.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army extremist terrorists launched fresh attacks on police outposts in Rakhine on Aug. 25, displacing residents from a number of areas in Maungtaw district.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 11:00:31|Editor: Zhou Xin

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MANILA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has ordered French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur to pull out its Dengue vaccine from the market, pending the compliance with the directives of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), said the government agency.

The FDA immediately directed the giant pharmaceutical company to suspend the sale, marketing, distribution of its Dengue vaccine, and to conduct an information dissemination campaign through advisories, dear doctor letters and patient fora, the FDA said in a statement issued on Monday night.

The regulatory agency also directed the French pharmaceutical company to withdrawal the Dengvaxia vaccine.

The FDA, a regulatory agency under the Department of Health, issued the statement hours after the Department of Justice of the Philippines ordered an investigation into the purchase of the vaccine that cost the government 3.5 billion pesos (69.1 million U.S. dollars).

"The FDA is closely coordinating with the DOH (Department of Health) for any adverse events or reaction that may be reported by the recipients following their immunization of the Dengvaxia, and will immediately take appropriate measures to protect the public," the FDA statement said.

The Department of Health said at least 733,000 children aged nine and above from public schools in Metro Manila, and nearby provinces south and north of Manila have been administered with the vaccine.

However, Sanofi Pasteur on Nov. 29 issued an advisory warning of the risk posed by the vaccine to those without prior infection. In the latest finding, it said Dengvaxia can cause a more severe dengue infection among individuals who had not been previously infected with the dengue virus.

"The analysis confirmed that Dengvaxia provides persistent protective benefit against dengue fever in those who had a prior infection. For those not previously infected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of the severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection," Sanofi Pasteur said.

The warning has raised concerns to parents of students who have received the vaccination, prompting the Department of Health to suspend its dengue immunization program for public school students last Friday.

In a news conference on Monday, Sanofi Pasteur global medical head Ng Su Peing insisted that Dengvaxia is safe, saying that the vaccine still provides up to six years of protection against dengue to those with a history of dengue infection.

The Philippine Presidential spokesman Harry Roque assured the public on Monday that there is no reason to panic over the government's dengue vaccination program even as it announced the start of a probe into the governments' procurement of Dengvaxia vaccine.

To allay the fears of the public, Roque said the government will initiate a probe to see if there were irregularities in the government's dengue vaccination program.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 11:05:32|Editor: Yang Yi

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GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's achievements in promoting an open and innovative economy and common development offer a good example for case study as global business leaders gather here to float creative ideas for guiding the world through a dramatic transformation.

It is the fifth time the famed Fortune Global Forum has taken place in China, whose record of sustained development, commitment to win-win cooperation and contribution to global growth have kept wowing the world.

PROFOUND CHANGES, GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Themed "Openness and Innovation: Shaping the Global Economy," the 2017 Fortune Global Forum is set to open in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou on Wednesday.

The forum comes at a time when technology is reshaping the business world in ways never seen before, and rising nationalism and growing distrust in businesses and other institutions are posing a threat to globalization, said Alan Murray, editor-in-chief of the Fortune magazine.

Against this backdrop, more than 700 delegates, including senior executives from over 120 of the world's top companies, are expected to attend the three-day event for discussions on innovation, the future of globalization, 21st-century leadership and sustainable development, among other subjects.

The platform, said Cai Chaolin, director of the Guangzhou forum's executive committee, will enable participants to have a positive impact on global economic and social development and create opportunities for enterprises.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou has been described as an ideal location for the event, as it has long been a center of global trade and investment and has now also become a hub of innovation.

Currently, there are 120,000 sci-tech and innovative companies in Guangzhou, and 13 of China's top innovative companies are based here, according to the U.S. business magazine Fast Company.

"By creating a favorable business and innovative environment and laying out a number of key industries, Guangzhou has improved its ability to attract high-end elements, thus enhancing the city's influence and international popularity," Ni Pengfei, director of the City and Competitiveness Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

In recognition of its innovative spirit, Guangzhou has been chosen as the permanent venue of the Fortune Brainstorm Tech International, a new event that focuses on technology and innovation and will take place annually.

OPEN CHINA, COMMON DEVELOPMENT

The forum comes as China is pushing forward comprehensive development in line with the blueprint drawn at the landmark 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October.

Taking stock of China's remarkable development over the past few decades, the new blueprint features, among others, the unremitting commitment of the world's second-largest economy to openness, win-win cooperation and common development.

The commitment stems from China's increasingly close intertwinement with the rest of the world, and also from Chinese President Xi Jinping's grand vision of building a community with shared future for mankind.

A telling example is the Belt and Road Initiative, which was put forward by Xi in 2013 and is aimed at building a trade, investment and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

Official statistics show that so far Chinese businesses have helped build 75 economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries along the Belt and Road, generating over 209,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, the world's largest developing and most populous country is expected to import 24 trillion U.S. dollars' worth of goods, attract 2 trillion dollars of inbound direct investment, and make 2 trillion dollars of outbound investment in the next 15 years.

"China's door to the world will never close, but will only open wider," Xi said in a congratulatory letter to the Fourth World Internet Conference, which opened Sunday in the town of Wuzhen in eastern China.

INNOVATIVE CHINA, SUSTAINED DEVELOPMENT

China, which is restructuring its economy and developing new growth drivers, is paying increasing attention to innovation, which has been listed as the first of its five major development concepts.

For example, since the inception of the Internet Plus initiative in 2015, new industries and business models have boomed in China, with Internet-related technologies revolutionizing such sectors as manufacturing, retail, finance and health care.

Home to about 750 million netizens and boasting the world's second-largest digital economy, China is now in an advantageous position to develop e-commerce and third-party mobile payments.

Internet-related growth accounts for 6.9 percent of China's gross domestic growth, the second-highest proportion in the world, according to AliResearch, a research institute of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Many scholars agree that China is actually more digitized than most people have realized, and has the potential to lead in the digital frontier in the coming decades.

Addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Vietnam last month, Xi said that as China works hard to pursue innovation and higher quality of growth, new forms of business will keep emerging, more innovations will be used, and the development of China's different regions will become more balanced.

"All this will create a more powerful and extensive impact, present more opportunities of cooperation and enable more countries to board the express train of China's development," Xi said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 11:25:38|Editor: Zhou Xin

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British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend a press conference after their meeting on Brexit at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 4, 2017. Despite continuous efforts and growing common grounds of Britain and the European Union, it was not possible to reach a complete agreement Monday, said Jean-Claude Juncker in a hastily arranged press conference with visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

by Tian Dongdong

BRUSSELS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- With a three-pronged offer to unlock the next stage of the Brexit talks, British Prime Minister Theresa May headed here Monday morning for probably the most important lunch date of her life. At the other end of the lunch table sat European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Prior to her trip, British media had high expectations for major breakthroughs. A senior European Union (EU) diplomat told Politico Magazine the talks would be "difficult until the end" but added, "We've got four to five points still open, which all seem doable among rational people."

The Financial Times was also positive, reporting May was "on the brink of sealing a Brexit divorce deal." The Times definitely fancied her chances, quoting an EU official who believed the deal was "85 to 90 percent there."

When she stepped into the Berlaymont Building which serves as the European Commission headquarters, Juncker was waiting for her at the end of the corridor. With smiles on their faces, confidence was prevailing inside the building, and a deal seemed within touching distance.

For the second time, Juncker and May sat together at the dinner table. The food may have been as delicious as the last time they dined together in October, but the dinner talk was surely less palatable.

May's offer covered three key Brexit issues -- the "divorce" bill, the Irish border and citizens' rights.

Before her lunch offensive, the Guardian reported that Britain had bowed to a 50-billion-euro (59.34 billion-U.S.-dollar) deal with Brussels to move ahead with a future free trade agreement.

On Monday, the British national daily the Mirror reported that the British government was said to have agreed there will be continued "regulatory alignment" between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This would mean, in effect, that Northern Ireland would continue to abide by all EU rules on trade and customs.

As to citizens' rights, the Guardian reported earlier that the British government appeared to concede that European law would take "direct effect" when it came to protecting the rights of EU nationals living in Britain, meaning they could appeal to British courts citing European law as enshrined in the withdrawal treaty.

Time was ticking, the reporters' agitation was rising, and so was their expectation for a breakthrough -- nobody wanted to keep waiting in the chilly Brussels winter. Fifty minutes later than expected, the two leaders walked out of their negotiation room at 4:50 p.m. local time (1550 GMT) and held an unexpected and hastily arranged briefing.

To everyone's surprise, the briefing lasted for merely three minutes. May and Juncker stood very close to each other on the platform, but they actually had very few words to share.

Despite continuous efforts and growing common ground between Britain and the EU, it was not possible to reach a complete agreement today, said Juncker.

Calling May a tough negotiator, he said he was confident that sufficient progress could be reached before the EU summit next week.

"This is not a failure, this is the start of the very last," he added.

Echoing Junker's optimism, May told reporters in the three-minute press conference that "we will conclude this positively."

"Crucially it is clear that we want to move forward together, but on a couple of issues differences do remain, which require further negotiation and consultation," said May. ' Not all powerful leaders were as optimistic as those two. President of the European Council Donald Tusk, who had waited for May almost one hour more than scheduled, tweeted his disappointment over the negotiation.

"I was ready to present draft EU27 guidelines tomorrow for #Brexit talks on transition and future. But UK and Commission asked for more time," he tweeted.

According to some local media, it was the Irish border issue that crashed the Brexit luncheon party. Earlier in the morning, the British and Irish governments thought they had a deal. Both agreed to a form of wording under which there would be "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. But the problem is, Northern Ireland and the Republic would continue to have parallel systems rather than shared rules that might make unionists think that the two parts of Ireland were tiptoeing toward common government.

Later, May's ally the Democratic Unionist Party, the largest party in Northern Ireland that supports Britain leaving the customs union and the single market, made it clear that it is still extremely suspicious and not willing to accept the deal. Its leader has said that Northern Ireland must leave the EU "on the same terms as the rest of the UK" without any "regulatory divergence" that would separate Northern Ireland from the rest of Britain.

So, the proposed complete deal collapsed. Alas, so close yet so far.

But there is still a glimmer of hope -- the two sides will convene later this week in Brussels. "It is now getting very tight but agreement at December #EUCO (European Council) is still possible," said Tusk.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 11:40:41|Editor: Zhou Xin

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MANILA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government has said it will push through with its plan to ban jeepneys that are older than 10 years from the streets to modernize the diesel-fuelled passenger cars, local media reported on Tuesday.

The jeepney "modernization" plan is an attempt to cut traffic emissions and ease the worsening traffic congestion gripping the Philippine capital and other urban centers.

The jeepney, which traces its roots to the U.S. Willys jeep used by the U.S. army during World War II, are elongated, flatbed passenger vehicles that have been plying the Philippine streets for more than five decades. It remains the main transport for millions of Filipinos across the archipelago.

However, old jeepneys are being blamed for polluting the air and causing traffic jams.

Jeepney operators and drivers are up in arms over the planned measure, saying it is meant to kill small transport operators in the country. Militant groups have staged transport strikes to protest the planned jeepney ban.

In a senate hearing on Monday, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the jeepney modernization plan will push through as planned.

"You can do protest actions, but you must follow the law. You can do protest actions, but you must give importance to the benefit of the majority," Tugade told reporters.

Duterte has already warned the jeepney operators to cooperate with the government.

"I'll give you until the end of the year. Follow the law. Because on January 1, if I see your jeeps are unregistered, old, I will have them dragged in front of you," Duterte said.

Already, the government has warned the operators that they will face harsh sanctions against those who will continue to violate the law.

Aileen Lizada of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has earlier said the plan aims to modernize the decades-old transport system by introducing "reliable and environment-friendly jeepneys to commuters."

LTFRB is a government agency that regulates public land transport in the Philippines.

There had been similar attempts in the past to jazz up the image of the diesel-fueled jeepney to make it more eco-friendly and adapted to the changing times.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 11:55:45|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Matt Walsh

CANBERRA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Australia's opposition Labor Party has announced that a new domestic violence policy will be one of the cornerstones of its next federal election campaign, declaring that it will legislate that victims can take up to 10 days of paid domestic violence leave every year.

Announced on White Ribbon Day on Nov. 25, a day which raises awareness for the prevention of men's violence against women, Labor said that victims should be encouraged to take time away from work to seek medical or psychiatric help if they are a victim of domestic violence.

Speaking about the policy on Sky News on Tuesday, Shadow Employment Minister Brendan O'Connor said that domestic violence was a "national scourge," declaring that Labor would make it a "universal workplace right" for employers to offer a minimum of 10 days for domestic violence leave.

"Forty-five women have been killed this year alone as a result of domestic violence. It's terrible," said O'Connor.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Labor had listened "to victims, front-line workers, business, and organizations that deal daily with domestic violence" in coming up with the policy.

"Their clear message is that people who have experienced domestic violence need more support in the workplace," Shorten said.

Also in a statement released on Tuesday, Greens MP Adam Bandt applauded Labor's policy, but urged Shorten that there was "no need to wait" until the next election considering that such a bill would pass through the Parliament with ease.

"Ten days of paid family and domestic violence leave for all workers is long overdue and we can legislate it in this Parliament," Bandt said.

While speaking at a breakfast in Canberra commemorating White Ribbon Day, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged Australians to be aware of the growing role technology is playing in enabling domestic violence.

He announced that the government had partnered with telecommunications company Telstra to create a program aimed at helping victims who are abused through the use of technology and social media.

"Technology, with all of its wonders, has its dark sides. It can be used and is used by perpetrators to continue to undertake violence by harassing, tracking or stalking them," Turnbull said.

"In addition to a new program which will distribute 20,000 smart phones to victims, we are providing training to front-line services to help domestic violence victims to use their smart phones safely, and make sure it's not a conduit for threats and violence."

In Australia, domestic violence is the leading cause of death, illness and disability among women aged 15 to 44. In 2017 alone, 45 women have been killed through domestic violence.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 12:05:46|Editor: Zhou Xin

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SYDNEY, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Online U.S. shopping giant Amazon has officially launched operations in Australian on Tuesday, with the brand looking to make an impact in the lead up to the busy Christmas period.

Their 24,000-square-meter warehouse in the outskirts of Melbourne will offer 23 consumer categories ranging from books, electronics, clothing, home improvement, kitchen goods, health and beauty and baby products.

Australian country manager Rocco Braeuniger told local media that "by concentrating on providing a great shopping experience and by constantly innovating on behalf of customers, we hope to earn the trust and the custom of Australian shoppers in the years to come."

But not everyone is happy about the e-commerce platform's expansion into Australia.

Among the hardest hit by the new player will be Aussie department stores like David Jones, Myer, Harvey Norman and JB HiFi, who are already under heavy pressure from a weakening retail sector down under.

Adding fuel to the fire, Amazon has offered a one-day delivery service across Sydney and Melbourne over the Christmas holiday period.

But Capital Economics chief Australia & New Zealand economist Paul Dales explained to Xinhua that not much change will be seen in the next couple of months.

"Over a fairly long period of time, however, the influx of Amazon and other foreign retailers will put extra downward pressure on retailers," he said.

"Simply because when there's more discounted competition retailers will have to squeeze their margins to get people coming into stores."

In 2018, Amazon also plan to take on the country's largest supermarket chains with their brand AmazonFresh, offering delivery services for fresh food online.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 12:35:52|Editor: Zhou Xin

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PYONGYANG, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Monday held a meeting to mark World AIDS Day, which fell on Dec. 1, although the country has declared itself HIV/AIDS free, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Health ministry officials and representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) participated in the meeting on HIV/AIDS prevention in the country.

"Speakers said that it is a common task facing all countries of the world to prevent and exterminate AIDS. They stressed the need to continuously intensify the hygienic information service and surveillance activities in order to prevent virus contagion and spread," said the KCNA.

The participants heard technical data on the pathological characteristics of AIDS and preventive steps, according to the KCNA.

The DPRK declared itself HIV/AIDS free in 2015, while continuing to work together with international organizations to prevent any possible outbreak.

While international travel is rare for DPRK citizens, there is no obligatory blood test at Pyongyang international airport as well as road and railway international travel check points.

It is not known whether DPRK travelers abroad are required to have blood tests after returning home.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 12:50:56|Editor: Zhou Xin

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Michel Temer said Monday evening that in spite of great difficulties, he is working very hard to get the reform bill of the social security system approved by the end of the year.

"I hope the reform bill will be approved. We are working intensely for that. I see great interest among congressmen. The press is in favor and I believe that so is public opinion," said Temer.

Despite the president's optimistic statements, the government is having difficulties to vote on the social security system reform due to its controversial nature.

Some congressmen are worried about the repercussions of approving a reform which critics branded as an attack against workers near congressional elections.

The reform bill was first submitted to Congress a year ago and was approved in May by a special committee of the House. Since then, the reform has been on hold for submission to vote.

It has recently been modified in order to be more palatable to Congress. Still, Rodrigo Maia, the head of the House, has refused to submit the bill for congressional perusal before it has enough votes for approval.

As a constitutional amendment, the bill needs a majority of two thirds in both the House and the Senate to be approved.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 12:55:58|Editor: Zhou Xin

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HO CHI MINH CITY, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has succeeded in artificial reproduction in the giant barb or Siamese giant carp, the largest species of cyprinid on Earth, which is now considered critically endangered in the world.

Vietnam's National Center for Southern Freshwater Fish Breeding has transferred giant barbs it has produced using artificial reproduction techniques to local farmers for breeding on a trial basis, according to the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of southern An Giang province on Tuesday.

Therefore, fishery bureaus in Vietnam's Mekong delta provinces have proposed the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development remove the giant barb from the Vietnamese list of valuable aquatic creatures on the verge of extinction.

The giant barb is found only in the Mae Klong, Mekong, and Chao Phraya River basins in Indochina. It has declined drastically due to habitat loss and overfishing.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 13:06:01|Editor: Lu Hui

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TOKYO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Some 60 lawmakers from a non-partisan group led by Hidehisa Otsuji, a former vice president of the House of Councillors, visited the notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The group, with members from both the ruling and opposition parties, visits the war-linked shrine on multiple occasions every year, including the shrine's spring and autumn festivals, and Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

The group did not visit the shrine during the autumn festival in October this year as it coincided with the campaigning period of the general election, and therefore they visited it on Tuesday, according to Otsuji.

Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead from World War II and has long been regarded as a symbol of the past Japanese militarism.

Visits to the infamous shrine by Japanese leaders and officials have sparked strong criticism from China, South Korea, and other countries in Asia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 13:41:09|Editor: Yang Yi

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SINGAPORE, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Li Zhengmao, vice president of China Mobile Communications Corporation, won the 2017 IEEE Distinguished Industry leader Award on Tuesday at the IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) 2017.

The award is granted to at most one industry leader every year for his or her distinguished contribution to the global communication industry. Li is the first Chinese communication expert to be awarded.

"With the leadership in the field of technology development, Li significantly contributes the development of mobile communication industry, especially 4G/5G mobile systems, and transport and broadband networks," said the IEEE.

Li told Xinhua that he was awarded because China's astonishing progress in mobile communication technology field has attracted global attention. China Mobile has become the world's largest mobile operator in terms of network scale and customer size, which impressed the world.

"It is not only an award for myself, but also for China Mobile, China's communication industry, and even our country," he added.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a professional association formed in 1963. It is the world's largest association of technical professionals with more than 420,000 members in about 160 countries around the world.

The IEEE GLOBECOM is one of the IEEE Communications Society's two flagship conferences dedicated to driving innovation in nearly every aspect of communications.

Statistics show China Mobile has sold around 400 million units of 4G terminals this year. Its 4G service subscribers have exceeded 600 million. In terms of fixed-line broadband business, China Mobile has had more than 100 million household broadband service subscribers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 13:46:12|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's top anti-corruption authority on Tuesday announced the capture of a "red notice" fugitive suspected of business fraud who had fled China since 2008.

Zhou Jiyang, a former Party official in east China's Zhejiang Province, was the 50th returned fugitive from China's 100 most wanted list, according to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

In April 2015, Interpol's National Central Bureau of China released a list of 100 fugitives suspected of involvement in corruption, all of whom are on Interpol's red notice for international arrest.

Many of the fugitives were former government staff or employees of state-owned enterprises.

The progress in the manhunt has demonstrated China's determination and confidence in fighting corruption, said the CCDI, adding the remaining fugitives will be returned to China and brought to justice.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 14:01:14|Editor: Yang Yi

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by Xinhua writers Liu Si, Sui Lixi

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- "China's growth and influence in the Asia-Pacific region can be a very positive development. The United States can benefit as well as the countries in the region from China's growth," a former U.S. senior diplomat has said.

Daniel Russel, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, made the remark during a recent interview with Xinhua that there are "high expectations" for China to act in the best interest of the global community, especially after it made many ambitious commitments and promises at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October.

Russel, who joined the Asia Society Policy Institute as diplomat in residence and senior fellow in April 2017, said that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration seemed to "place less importance on multilateral, regional and global governance than previous U.S. administrations had."

At the same time, China's wealth, strength and influence in international affairs has been enhanced, said the former diplomat, adding that more importantly "China's willingness to look beyond its own borders and engage with others has expanded."

"Expectations among Chinese citizens and international partners for China to shoulder more global responsibilities have risen," he said.

Russel highlighted China's growth and greater influence in the Asia-Pacific region, from which he believed countries in the region can benefit.

In regards to the new Asia policy outlined by the Trump administration, the former high official of Asia-Pacific affairs told Xinhua that former U.S. President Barack Obama's rebalance strategy looks similar in many respects to what Trump is doing. In his view, the policy involved very close cooperation among the U.S. allies and security partners, as well as "very close and high-level dialogue and cooperation between the United States and China."

On U.S.-China relations, Russel said that as the United States and China are each in a period of transition right now, there are many areas where bilateral cooperation is necessary.

The former diplomat in Obama's administration was positive on Trump's effort to "establish a close personal relationship" with his Chinese counterpart, which he viewed as "important," citing what Trump praised as "good chemistry between the two leaders."

"The United States and China have many important issues to deal with," said Russel, pointing out that the two sides need to manage and deal with differences "in a clear, honest and constructive manner," and "make common cause to cooperate in the better interest of the entire global community."

Commenting on U.S.-China cooperation on the global stage, Russel said, "It's fair to say that it's hard to imagine big transnational global problems being solved if the United States and China don't cooperate."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 14:01:16|Editor: Mengjie

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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters speaks during a symposium marking the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between New Zealand and China, in Wellington, New Zealand, Dec. 5, 2017. "New Zealand will continue to seek close cooperation with China, as both countries focus on sustainable economic development, and the well-being of our peoples," said Winston Peters. (Xinhua/Su Liang)

WELLINGTON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- "New Zealand will continue to seek close cooperation with China, as both countries focus on sustainable economic development, and the well-being of our people," said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters on Tuesday.

Peters attended a symposium on the day to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the People's Republic of China, organized by the Confucius Institute at Victoria University and Wellington Branch of New Zealand Institution of International Affairs.

The New Zealand official started his speech in the symposium by recalling the first Chinese immigrant, Appo Hocton, who arrived in New Zealand 175 years ago in 1842.

He also mentioned Rewi Alley, the enduring icon bridging New Zealand and China.

Peters said the relationship between China and New Zealand began from ordinary people, including members of the New Zealand China Friendship Society founded in 1952 and New Zealand MPs who visited China in their private capacities in the 1950s and 1960s.

"The New Zealand-China relationship started with ordinary people. What gives the New Zealand government confidence in the future of the relationship are connections between our people," said Peters.

It is a quite different situation of the relationship between the two countries from the beginning of diplomatic relations, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 14:06:17|Editor: Yang Yi

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KABUL, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior al-Qaida leader has been killed together with 80 anti-government militants following operations in eastern Afghanistan, the country's intelligence agency announced on Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 14:21:20|Editor: Yang Yi

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PYONGYANG, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday blasted as "extremely reckless" the ongoing U.S.-South Korean air force exercises, which are the largest ever in scale of their joint annual drills.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) made the remark in a commentary on the U.S.-South Korea "Vigilant Ace" joint exercises.

"Involved in the rehearsal to last until Dec. 8 are the 5th, 7th, 11th and 12th air forces, marine corps and naval forces of the U.S. deployed in its mainland and the Pacific operational theater including Guam and Japan and more than 140 planes of various missions including nuclear strategic bomber B-1B, stealth fighters F-22A, F-35A, F-35B and electronic jamming plane EA-18G and all troops and 90-odd planes of the South Korean puppet air force," said the KCNA in a commentary.

The commentary said Washington and Seoul are "hell-bent on the exercises simulating an all-out war against the DPRK, including drills to strike the state leadership and nuclear and ballistic rocket bases, air fields, naval bases and other major objects of the DPRK and its command posts of front line units, armored equipment and personnel and long-range artillery units."

"Particularly, the U.S. imperialists are staging an ultra-precision strike drill with high intensity just like in a real war focused on 'removing' the DPRK's state leadership and core facilities by massively introducing the ultramodern stealth fighters," said the KCNA commentary.

While accusing Washington and Seoul of using the exercises as an occasion for waging real war against the DPRK, the commentary said Washington has already issued to the air forces involved in the exercises an "order on air duty" for a simultaneous strike on at least 700 major military targets of the DPRK.

"Owing to the U.S. imperialist warmongers' extremely reckless war hysteria, a grave situation is prevailing in the Korean Peninsula that a nuclear war may break out any moment," it added.

Washington and Seoul annually conduct large-scale military drills to counter the alleged threat of the DPRK nuclear and missile programs.

The DPRK test-fired a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week, Hwasong 15, which Pyongyang says is capable of hitting the entire U.S. mainland and marks the completion of its nuclear and missile system. The situation on the Korean Peninsula has been extremely volatile.

As a next-door neighbor to the DPRK, China has made it clear it wants a nuclear-free, peaceful Korean Peninsula, making strenuous efforts toward it, including to secure a political solution based on a suspension-for-suspension proposal and dual-track approach.

The dual-track approach involves parallel efforts to move forward both denuclearization and the establishment of a peaceful mechanism on the Korea Peninsula. The suspension-for-suspension initiative calls for the DPRK to suspend its nuclear and missile activities and for the United States and South Korea to suspend their large-scale war games.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 14:21:21|Editor: Yang Yi

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CHICAGO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Anger over the narrowly passed Republican tax reform bill drew over a thousand people to protest in Lasalle Street in downtown Chicago on Monday, where clusters of banks, trusts, and other upper class Americans work.

Individuals of all ages and demographics marched from the Chicago Board of Trade to Federal Plaza, carrying signs and chanting for equality and for Republican senators to be held accountable. Chicago Police Officers escorted the demonstrators along their route as they peacefully protested.

"It's a political genocide," Beverley Kirks told Xinhua reporters. Kirks' sister, MJ Mohr, is just as disappointed in the nearly 500-page tax bill that makes significant cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, and provides large tax breaks for some of the wealthiest people in the country.

"I'm sick. I'm emotionally ill from everything that's happening with the government and I can't sit back anymore," said Mohr. "We have to do more. We can't just sit back. We can't stay asleep."

A protest at the Chicago Board of Trade earlier in the afternoon brought several healthcare and political activist groups and residents from across the city to voice their discontent.

Briana Gulley, a student from Indiana, also marched in the protest. "It obviously mistreats people of a lower socioeconomic class. It's so obviously unfair," she said.

Chicago has a history of protests against the current administration. Now many have fears over issues of immigration, healthcare and education, which are affected by the tax reform bill.

"They're giving a lot of breaks to the upper class and they're screwing over the working people," Rafael Solis told Xinhua. Solis, an immigrant who has lived in Chicago for 23 years, plans to continue protesting until he sees change.

Many Chicagoans see this tax reform as blatantly benefiting wealthy Americans. Even those who did not vote for U.S. President Donald Trump hoped he would keep his promises to help the middle class. Among those are Sue and Phil, long-time residents of Chicago.

"The tax bill is a betrayal of America. It's not acting in the common good," Sue said.

"It enriches the rich and subverts the under and middle class, who Trump said he was going to help, so it's a lie," her husband Phil added.

Protesters say they will continue to demonstrate against the tax reform bill in the coming months in the hope of making a change.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 14:21:22|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese woman surnamed Yang invested 5,000 yuan (about 755 U.S. dollars) in an obscure cryptocurrency, after being promised a staggering 4 million yuan in return.

Not surprisingly, her venture into the virtual currency market ended up being a scam. With the advertised profit on par with hitting the jackpot, she was not the only victim, just one in what turned out to be a 1.4-billion-U.S.-dollar scam.

Since the beginning of this year, Chinese police have uncovered a large number of virtual currency fraud cases nationwide, and have found 107 so-called "knock-off" cryptocurrencies.

Police investigations showed that most of these fraud cases were pyramid schemes orchestrated in the guise of cryptocurrency trading. They have become increasingly rampant in China amid the worldwide frenzy of bitcoin mining.

In recent months, Chinese authorities tightened the grip on the virtual currency market in an effort to rein in financial risks.

In September, regulators ordered a ban on Initial Coin Offerings, calling the activity "unauthorized and illegal public fundraising." Later, they shut down all virtual currency exchanges in the country.

However, the move did little to dampen the hopes of China's virtual coin miners who believe they can make a fortune with virtual currency and many knock-off virtual currencies have continued to appear.

"The closure of exchanges for mainstream virtual currencies such as bitcoin created a market vacuum and gave rise to various knock-off cryptocurrencies," said Zhao Shouguo, an economics professor at Northwest University in Xi'an.

On Chinese internet forums, advertisements for virtual currency speculation are easily spotted, with many promising "zero investment," "zero risk," and "fast money."

"Make 600 yuan easy money after you enroll five people. Even a beggar can do it!" reads one advertisement.

In an online pyramid scheme busted by police in Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, more than 47,000 people had been recruited to trade fake virtual currencies, with some 613 million U.S. dollars involved.

Chinese police have vowed to take down the widespread pyramid schemes related to cryptocurrency exchange, but ending online crime remains a challenge.

"As the perpetrators are often located in different parts of China and orchestrate the scams via computers and mobile phones, it's quite difficult to detain all at once and secure the evidence," said Ren Jian, a police officer in Haikou.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 14:26:24|Editor: Yang Yi

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KABUL, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior al-Qaida leader has been killed together with 80 anti-government militants following operations in Afghanistan, the country's intelligence agency announced on Tuesday.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a statement that the operations were jointly conducted by the Afghan army, NDS personnel and U.S.-led coalition forces in eastern Ghazni and neighboring Paktia and southern Zabul provinces recently.

The statement introduced the killed leader as Omar Khetab, saying Khetab was the second senior leader of the network operating in parts of Afghanistan.

Among the killed militants were several members of al-Qaida as well as dozens of Taliban insurgents, the statement read, adding, "most of the targeted militants were involved in direct attacks against security forces and coalition troops in countryside."

The group has yet to make comments.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 15:36:16|Editor: pengying

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Li Fusong (1st L), 79, a retired teacher, directs children to perform the Peking Opera at the children's center in Liuzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Dec. 3, 2017. Li has been fond of the Peking Opera since childhood, but she didn't get the chance to learn the opera until her retirement in 1994. During her self-study in the following ten years, she found that most of the opera fans were just middle-aged and old people. She then made a resolution to pass on the traditional art to young people with her own efforts. Li opened the Peking Opera class for free at her former workplace Liuzhou City Vocational College in 2004. The Peking Opera training was also held by Li in nearly 10 primary schools, colleges and children centers for free. Li said she just hoped the younger generation would like the Peking Opera. With a history of more than 200 years, Peking Opera is one of China's main traditional drama forms and on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. The art combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. (Xinhua/Li Hanchi)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 15:21:31|Editor: liuxin

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KAMPALA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Nurses and midwives in Uganda's public health institutions called off a planned strike over low pay initially scheduled to start on Tuesday.

The head of the health workers had a meeting with the government and agreed to continue dialogue with the government on pay rise for the workers, instead of taking to the street, said a statement issued Tuesday by the office of Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda.

"(We) held a productive meeting with leaders of nurses and midwives union. We are pleased that they have agreed to continue working and serving the people," said Rugunda.

Both sides agreed to come up with a final solution to the issue by Saturday.

The nurses and midwives had planned to lay down their tools to protest low pay and poor working conditions in public health sector.

The country's Health Minister Ruth Aceng told Xinhua on Monday that the government was working to address the demands of nurses and midwives.

In a Nov. 30 circular to over 21,000 nurses and midwives, Paul Byenkya, general secretary of Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union, asked the union members to walk out unless the government meets their demands.

This planned strike was going to occur barely two weeks after doctors on Nov. 25 halted a three-week strike following government promise to increase salaries and improve working conditions in public hospitals by Dec. 15.

The nationwide strike by doctors paralyzed operations in public hospitals and other health facilities, leaving many patients stranded.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 15:21:32|Editor: liuxin

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An Afghan policeman searches a vehicle at a security checkpoint in Ghazni province, eastern Afghanistan, Dec. 5, 2017. A senior al-Qaida leader has been killed together with 80 anti-government militants following operations in Afghanistan, the country's intelligence agency announced on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Sayed Mominzadah)

KABUL, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior al-Qaida leader has been killed together with 80 anti-government militants following operations in Afghanistan, the country's intelligence agency announced on Tuesday.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a statement that the operations were jointly conducted by the Afghan army, NDS personnel and U.S.-led coalition forces in eastern Ghazni, neighboring Paktia and southern Zabul provinces recently.

The statement introduced the killed leader as Omar Khetab, saying Khetab was the most senior member of the network to be killed in Afghanistan so far.

It did not disclose the nationality of Khetab but said that "Khetab was the second senior leader of al-Qaida after Asim Omar, who is the leader of the group in Indian subcontinent."

Among killed militants were several key members of al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents, the statement said, adding, "most of the targeted militants were involved in direct attacks against security forces and coalition troops in countryside."

The death of the targeted men was a big blow for the terror group, which has been a big threat for the security and stability of Afghanistan, and the region, the statement noted.

"Up to 27 members of al-Qaida network were also arrested and five main command posts of the network were destroyed during the above raids," the statement added.

The violence has been on the rise within the past three years as Afghan security forces struggle against a surge in attacks by anti-government fighters since the drawdown of foreign forces.

The Afghan security forces have also beefed up military operations against militants as the Taliban militants and Islamic State (IS) fighters are attempting to take territory and consolidate their positions ahead of winter in the mountainous country.

In October last year, two al-Qaida key leaders named Faruq al-Qatani and Bilal were killed after the coalition forces' conducted an airstrike based on a NDS tip off in eastern Kunar province.

The group has yet to make comments.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 15:26:33|Editor: liuxin

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KABUL, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan army found and defused 70 rounds of landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) within a day, diverting numerous potential explosions elsewhere in the country, defense ministry said Tuesday.

"The Afghan National Army (ANA) engineering teams found and neutralized 70 rounds of IEDs, landmines and roadside bombs in different provinces within the last 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement.

Taliban militants and Islamic State (IS) fighters have been using the home-made IEDs to target security forces but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.

On Nov. 28, eight civilians, including three women were killed, and two people injured when a vehicle touched off an IED in southern Kandahar province.
Syrian air defenses destroyed three of six Israeli missiles targeting military base in the countryside of Damascus on Monday night. (Reuters Photo)

DAMASCUS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched a missile attack against a Syrian military base in the countryside of the capital Damascus on Monday night, the state news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian air defenses responded to the attack, destroying three of six missiles targeting the military base in the town of Jamraya, some 8 km northwest of Damascus, said the report.

People in Damascus heard the powerful sound of explosions at the time of the airstrikes near midnight.

The military research center in Jamraya was hit by Israeli jets on May 5, 2013.

At the time the Israelis said they struck Hezbollah-bound missiles in that base.

Also, the attack comes just two days after Israel stuck another military base in the town of Kisweh in the southwestern countryside of Damascus.

At that time, the army was said to have destroyed two missiles while the rest hit the base, causing damages.

Israeli officials have said several times that they would not accept any Iranian influence near their borders.

The Syrian government has repeatedly accused Israel of aiding the rebels near the Golan Heights.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 15:41:38|Editor: Mengjie

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Brigitte Macron (4th L), wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui (1st R), Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin (2nd R) and Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun (1st L, Rear) pose for photos during a naming ceremony of a panda baby in Saint-Aignan, France, on Dec. 4, 2017. Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, revealed the name of the panda baby, the first-ever cub born in the country, at a naming ceremony at a zoo in central France on Monday. Joined by Chinese officials, Brigitte Macron, who is also the new panda's godmother, announced that the four-month-old cub's name was Yuan Meng. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- "Yuan Meng, what a pretty name!" Elyssa, a seven-year-old French girl with a cute panda's hat on her head, repeatedly practiced the pronunciation of Yuan Meng, the official name of the first-ever panda born in France.

Bursting with happiness, France's First Lady Brigitte Macron, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui, Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun, and thousands of others from all walks of life in France, attended the panda cub's naming ceremony on Monday in the Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan, central France.

The four-month-old panda was named Yuan Meng, which carries the beautiful meaning of "fulfilling the dream," from his godmother, Brigitte Macron, along with the blessing of the Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan.

In a congratulatory message, Peng said that she was pleased to select the name together with Brigitte and that the name carries the people's best wishes for the panda cub.

Pointing out that the panda is not only a national treasure of China but also an envoy and witness of the China-France friendship, Peng said Yuan Meng's birth embodies the bright future of bilateral relations, which is entering a new phase of development.

She wished that the cub will grow up healthy and strong and bring more happiness to the French people, especially the children.

Brigitte Macron thanked China for entrusting such a precious panda to France in her speech.

"Yuan Meng and his parents are the illustration of a dialogue that has always been fruitful between our two countries, who, for centuries, have understood and got along with each other," she noted, encouraging people to observe and feel the unique tranquil power of the lovely pandas.

Yuan Meng used to be referred to as "Mini Yuan Zi" after his father, Yuan Zi, who was on loan to France from China with his female partner, Huan Huan, in January 2012.

On Aug. 4 this year, Huan Huan gave birth to two cubs at an interval of 14 minutes. As a common practice in the wild, female pandas raise only one cub which has the most chances of survival.

Huan Huan took care of the first cub immediately after its birth, but after the second cub was born, she chose the second one and abandoned the first, which was put immediately to the incubator but was announced dead shortly.

Despite the sad news, the birth of the second baby panda still brought enormous joy and cheer across the nation. Some 26 million people have viewed the video of the new born cub at the zoo's page of Facebook, which raised a new panda mania in France.

"Today's naming ceremony is exactly the time of "Yuan Meng" (fulfilling our dreams)," Beauval Zoo Director Rodolphe Delord said in his speech with excitement.

"We've been waiting so long for Yuan Meng, the first-ever panda born here in France. Its birth, an incredible project the zoo has completed, also came as a potent symbol of the solid friendship between the two countries," he added.

After the ceremony, the guests were given a chance to catch a glimpse of the cute little baby panda through a glass wall. Under its breeders' care, Yuan Meng appeared fit and healthy, with a weight increase from 142g at his birth till 7kg today.

The adorable cub lay lazily on the ground, with the occasional movement which captivated the audience while melting their hearts. Children who were there to witness this squealed in excitement, while others held their breath in awe at their first encounter with the little baby.

"I've got an annual ticket to the zoo. I've seen pandas countless times, but today is my first time seeing a panda cub, which is really cute and adorable! I've gotta take some photos for my family!" a local citizen Thoma told Xinhua reporters.

Huan Huan and Yuan Zi first arrived in France in 2012 under a 10-year conservation and research program, and the number of visitors to the Beauval Zoo saw an increase from 600 thousand in 2011 to 1 million in 2012.

This year, Yuan Meng's birth has attracted 1.5 million visitors to the zoo, which not only highlighted the France's insatiable affection for pandas, but also brought more hopes and opportunities for the conservation of biological diversity, Rodolphe Delord noted.

The birth of Yuan Meng has undoubtedly helped popularize the zoo, with even more visitors expected to arrive after the cub is able to meet the public, said Delphine Delord, communications director of the Beauval Zoo.

Huan Huan meaning "joy" and Yuan Zi meaning "chubby", are due to return to China in 2022. Their new born baby, who can be seen by visitors of the zoo as from Jan. 13, will stay in France until the age of two or three.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara. (Xinhua Photo)

ANKARA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A possible move by the U.S. to recognize Jerusalem as Israeli capital would be a "disaster" for the region, Turkish government spokesperson Bekir Bozdag said Monday.

"If the status of Jerusalem is changed and another step is taken, a catastrophe will come up," Bekir Bozdag said during a press conference following cabinet meeting.

Neither Israelis nor Palestinians nor others would benefit from such a move, Bozdag said, "It would completely abolish the fragile peace process in the region, and lead to new conflicts, new disputes and new unrest."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a phone conversation with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas over the issue, Bozdag stated but without more detail.

During Abass visit to Turkey in August, Erdogan showed strong support to Palestine, urging the Israeli government to end its "occupation attempts" of Palestine that threaten the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Erdogan also vowed that Ankara would continue its efforts for the recognition of Palestine in all international platforms.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 15:51:43|Editor: Yamei

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Han Zheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, reads a congratulatory message on behalf of the CPC Central Committee at the tenth national congress of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2017. The event also celebrated the 70th anniversary of founding of the league, one of the eight non-Communist political parties on the Chinese mainland. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has sent a congratulatory message to the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League on its 70th anniversary.

Han Zheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, read the message on behalf of the CPC Central Committee at the league's tenth national congress, which opened Tuesday.



The event also celebrated the 70th anniversary of founding of the league, one of the eight non-Communist political parties on the Chinese mainland.

The letter expressed appreciation of the league's work over the past five years in providing important references to the CPC Central Committee's decision-making with its surveys, studies and suggestions.

It also acknowledged the league's contribution in bridging exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait and in promoting cross-Strait communication and affinity.

Noting that resolving the Taiwan issue to achieve reunification is the shared aspiration of all Chinese, the message hailed the unique advantage of the league, as a political party consisting of Taiwanese living in the mainland, in maintaining broad connections with Taiwanese compatriots both domestic and overseas.

The cause of securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and striving for the great success of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era requires the solidarity and joint efforts by Chinese people from all ethnic groups, the message said.

It said the CPC will, adhering to the spirit of its 19th national congress, uphold and improve the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation.

The CPC will also unswervingly implement the principles of long-term coexistence, mutual oversight, sincerity, and sharing the rough times and the smooth in handling its relationships with other Chinese political parties, and the CPC will support these parties in performing their duties in accordance with the requirements of the Chinese socialist system for their participation in governance, it said.

The letter further called on the league to play its role in expanding economic and cultural exchanges with Taiwan, improving the welfare for people on both sides of the Strait and consolidating the foundation of public opinion for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Lin Wenyi, chairperson of the league's central committee, delivered a work report, calling on league members to make greater contributions in the consultation and deliberation process, enhance exchanges among the public, and implement the people-centered philosophy of development.

The congress is scheduled to elect the league's new central committee.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 16:06:53|Editor: Liu

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File photo: Amphibious aircraft AG600 rolls off a production line in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, July 23, 2016. The aircraft, which has a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes and a maximum flight range of 4,500 km, will be used to fight forest fires and perform marine rescue missions. The AG600 is by far the world's largest amphibian aircraft, about the size of a Boeing 737. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

ZHUHAI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The AG600, a large amphibious aircraft developed by China, has passed the official technical quality assessment for its maiden flight, according to the developer.

Designed to be the world's largest amphibious aircraft, the 37-meter-long AG600 has a wingspan of 38.8 meters and a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes.

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) said the technical evaluation was held in Zhuhai City in south China's Guangdong Province.

The amphibious aircraft can be used for maritime rescue, fighting forest fires, marine environment monitoring and protection. It can collect 12 tonnes of water in 20 seconds and transport up to 370 tonnes of water on a single tank of fuel.

Experts agreed that the plane is ready for flight.

The aircraft developer said earlier this year that it has received orders for 17 AG600s.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 16:26:59|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping received the credentials presented by 11 new ambassadors to China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.

The ambassadors are Geir Otto Pedersen from Norway, Noh Young Min from the Republic of Korea, Ali Al Dhaheri from the United Arab Emirates, Constantinescu Vasilica from Romania, Fye K. Ceesay from Gambia, Berhane Gebre-Christos from Ethiopia, Alberto Carnero from Spain, Milia Jabbour from Lebanon, Gautam H. Bambawale from India, Abdulkadir Emin Onen from Turkey, and Jose Augusto Duarte from Portugal.

Xi welcomed the ambassadors to China and asked them to convey his sincere greetings and good wishes to the leaders and people of their countries.

The Chinese government will provide convenience and support for the work of the ambassadors, Xi said, adding that he hopes they will actively contribute to bilateral relations between China and their countries.

Xi said China will enhance mutual political trust, promote practical cooperation, deepen cooperation in international affairs, achieve common development with the countries and contribute to world peace, stability, and prosperity.

The ambassadors offered congratulations on the successful conclusion of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and spoke highly of the significance of the congress to the world.

They also conveyed greetings from their state leaders to Xi and congratulations on Xi's re-election as the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

They said they feel greatly honored to serve as ambassadors to China in the new era, and will devote their active efforts to deepening mutual understanding and friendship with China, as well as promote practical cooperation to a new high.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 16:32:02|Editor: Mengjie

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Delegates attend the closing ceremony of the 4th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The fourth World Internet Conference concluded Tuesday in the east China town of Wuzhen after three days of discussions and exhibitions of cutting-edge internet products.

During the conference, government representatives, heads of international organizations, experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs attended 20 forums, displaying their achievements in innovation and discussing means of cooperation.

At a forum on the internet and finance, Liu Zhengrong, vice president of Xinhua News Agency, said regulating the release of financial information on the internet is indispensable to ensuring financial security.

"The internet does not change the rules of financial regulation, just attaches to it new connotations and requirements," Liu said.

Well-known tech companies from around the world, including Apple, Alibaba, and Huawei, released their latest products at the conference.

Two reports were also issued at the conference on Monday, covering the development of the internet around the world and in China respectively.

According to the reports, China's digital economy reached 22.58 trillion yuan (about 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2016, ranking second globally and accounting for 30.3 percent of the national GDP.

As of June 2017, there were 3.89 billion internet users around the world, of which 751 million were in China, the most of any country worldwide, said the reports.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 16:32:03|Editor: Yamei

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (5th L front) attends the sixth meeting of heads of government of China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries in Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 27, 2017. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's growing presence in the international arena to foster a community of shared future for mankind was further evidenced recently by two fruitful meetings of leaders of China, Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) and member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has just concluded a week-long visit to Budapest in Hungary and Sochi in Russia, where he reached important consensus and discussed concrete projects during meetings with his counterparts at the annual China-CEEC and SCO gatherings.

Both of these cooperation mechanisms bear a strong Chinese imprint and have witnessed greater contributions over the years by China to promote win-win cooperation, a further testimony to China's readiness to foster a community of common destiny in the world.

The 16+1 cooperation mechanism took root in the China-CEEC Economic and Trade Forum in Budapest in 2011, a precursor to the first China-CEEC Leaders' Meeting in Warsaw in 2012, which marked the founding of the mechanism. Over the past five years, the 16+1 cooperation has become an influential trans-regional mechanism with substantial projects and cooperation results in such fields as trade, investment, infrastructure, industrial partnerships and tourism.

At this year's meeting, the Chinese premier announced the establishment of the China-CEEC Inter-Bank Association and the second phase of the China-CEEC Investment Cooperation Fund, a further boost to investment and finance cooperation between the two sides.

As an "incubator for pragmatic trans-regional cooperation," the 16+1 cooperation helps promote balanced development in Europe by enhancing economic performance in its central and eastern region. According to Liu Zuokui, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China's participation filled the gap while the global financial crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis limited the European Union's (EU) ability to support the development of CEE countries.

Meanwhile, the SCO has just had its first major gathering of heads of government after a membership expansion in June to include India and Pakistan. The SCO now has China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan as its full members.

Concluded on Friday, the meeting approved a joint communique that stresses efforts to enhance cooperation and coordination to address economic as well as security challenges, and push the construction of a community of shared future in the region.

All SCO members are major countries in China's neighborhood and along the Belt and Road routes. China will continue to develop its friendship and partnership with its neighbors, and work with fellow SCO members to build a community of shared future in the region, said the Chinese premier.

The eight-member bloc, which covers nearly half of the world's population and three-fifths of the Eurasian continent, is the world's largest regional cooperation organization in terms of area and population with tremendous potential for development.

It was founded in the Chinese city of Shanghai in 2001 by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia and China, and has its secretariat in Beijing.

The "Shanghai Spirit," the bedrock of the organization, features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and pursuit of common development. It stands in sharp contrast with the Cold War-era confrontational mentality that is still found in many Western mechanisms.

As the Chinese economy grows bigger, higher expectations are placed on China to shoulder more international responsibilities to contribute to world peace and development.

China's answer to such calls is firm and confident. China is unswervingly pursuing reform and opening-up domestically while presenting to the world the win-win cooperation framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, which features many flagship projects on infrastructure, finance and people-to-people exchanges.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping put it, China welcomes all countries aboard the express train of its development. China is also ready to share with other countries its development experience, and play its part as a major country and take an active role in improving the global governance system.

At the remarkable 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that wrapped up in late October, building "a community of shared future for mankind" was written into the CPC constitution, a symbol of its priority for China's leadership.

Quite unlike what might have been feared, there are no strings attached to cooperation with China. Neither does China, the world's largest developing country, seek hegemony in global affairs.

"No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion," Xi told the 19th CPC National Congress.

From Southeast Asia to Africa, China's rapidly growing engagement overseas is committed to win-win cooperation based on equality and fairness. The peace-loving nation wants to create an international environment that is conducive to the development of itself and other nations, and set an example of a new type of international relations that highlights mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 16:32:04|Editor: Mengjie

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CHONGQING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A man was sentenced to one year in prison for grabbing a bus steering wheel, which caused the bus to almost fall off a cliff, according to a court in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Tuesday.

The passenger, surnamed Feng, was charged with "endangering public security by employing dangerous means."

The Shapingba District People's Court in Chongqing heard that in the incident which occurred in March this year, Feng grabbed the steering wheel and the bus driver's arm in a burst of anger after the driver declined his request to pull over.

The driver lost control of the bus. Luckily the bus drove into the guard rail and stopped, saving the more than 20 people on board from falling down an over 10-meter-high cliff.

Feng was shown leniency as he turned himself to the police and voluntarily offered compensation for the damage to the bus, the court said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 16:57:09|Editor: liuxin

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three militants and a trooper were killed, while another trooper was wounded in a gunfight in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said Tuesday.

The gunfight erupted Monday evening at village Nussu Badergund of Qazigund in Anantnag district, about 75 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Today we have recovered body of the third militant at the gunfight site in village Nussu Badergund of Qazigund and have caught one militant alive in wounded condition," a senior police official said.

According to region's Police Chief Shesh Paul Vaid, of the three slain militants, two were foreigners and one was a local cadre.

The gunfight triggered after militants ambushed an army convoy near Bounigam village in the vicinity, wounding an Indian army trooper. However, army chased the militants, who took refuge inside a residential house.

The government forces cordoned off the area and the suspected house, besides bringing in reinforcements to take on militants present there.

The stand-off continued for several hours, during which a trooper was killed.

Police said protests broke out in the village during the gunfight with locals clashing with government forces.

Police officials said the slain militants were involved in the attack on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the region in July this year.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the psyche of majority of Kashmiris. Irate residents defying curfew and restrictions took to roads and clash with police.

A guerilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian- controlled Kashmir since 1989. The gunfight between the two sides takes place intermittently across the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 17:27:20|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A survey conducted by the China Youth Daily on Tuesday showed 84.1 percent of respondents were confident in the development of Chinese products.

The survey, carried out among 2012 people, showed that clothing ranked first among the most popular Chinese products, followed by daily products, shoes and hats and home appliances.

Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed agreed that favorable prices are the greatest advantage of Chinese-made products, and 48 percent of people said that Chinese brands are trustworthy.

Jia Jinjing, principal researcher with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, said that Chinese products have made rapid progress in recent years.

China's manufacturing output value was 60 percent of that of the United States 10 years ago, while now the country's manufacturing output value is 1.8 times that of the United States, said Jia.

Chinese products are developing toward medium- and high-end quality, and many have reached an advanced level, he added.

Nearly half of respondents said a lack of core competitiveness and inadequate protection of intellectual property rights have restricted international development of Chinese products.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 17:42:25|Editor: Yamei

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JAKARTA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- National police personnel of Indonesia will meet with international police (Interpol) to verify information about the death of an Indonesian citizen, who had fought for IS in Syria and organized a series of of suicide bombings in Indonesia.

Indonesian National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian disclosed on Tuesday that he would send his personnel abroad for meeting Interpol and other credible foreign sources to find out whether or not Bahrun Naim died in a fighting in Abu Hamam of Syria on Nov. 30 as it was reported by social media.

"The police must find accurate information from credible sources of information, it can be Interpol which has access to that place (Syria), the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom," he said.

The general admitted that Naim had strong influence among the militants in Indonesia and their acts.

"He has strong influence. His role is as intermediary between IS elite, IS central and terrorist leaders. He has frequently contacted terrorist leaders in Indonesia," he said.

One of the major suicide bombings masterminded by Naim is the suicide attack in the hearth of Jakarta on Jan. 24, 2016 that killed eight people and wounded about 30 others.

Police said that the strike was also parts of Naim's attempt to be leader of IS group in the Southeast Asia region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 17:57:32|Editor: liuxin

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Rescuers work at the blast site in central city of Homs, Syria, on Dec. 5, 2017. At least seven people were killed and eight others wounded on Tuesday when an explosive device ripped through a communal bus in the central city of Homs, state news agency SANA reported. (Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and eight others wounded on Tuesday when an explosive device ripped through a communal bus in the central city of Homs, state news agency SANA reported.

The explosive device was planted in the bus that exploded in the Ekrima neighborhood in Homs, said SANA.

The same neighborhood was targeted several times by car bombs and explosive devices.

Ekrima neighborhood is inhabited by pro-government people. The former rebel-held areas in Homs city were liberated by the army, but the rebels still have positions in the countryside.

The explosion comes at a time when the government delegation and the opposition are taking part in the Syrian talks in Geneva.

The talks are still ongoing but achieved no progress amid tense atmosphere, following the opposition demand for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

Also, the government delegation sent signals that it would withdraw from the talks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 18:02:34|Editor: Yamei

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WINDHOEK, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Namibia will receive a boost of 74 million U.S. dollars (1 billion Namibian dollars) from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance the country's education and training sector through a project.

The project is designed to deliver an efficient effective and sustainable Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in Namibia that is aligned with current and future skills needs of the labour market.

The AfDB in a statement on Tuesday said the Project will enable the Government to reduce poverty and youth unemployment, national goals specified in Namibia's Harambee Prosperity Plan; Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5: 2017/18-2021/22); Strategic Plan for the Basic Education Sector (2017/2022), and the TVET Transformation and Expansion Strategy (2016/2032).

Furthermore, the project will help increase access, equity and quality TVET and basic education in the country.

"It will also support the development of basic education and TVET infrastructure in 11 regions of the country and strengthen the TVET and basic education systems through institutional capacity building. On completion, the project will help reduce youth unemployment estimated at 34 percent (2016)," the AfDB added in the statement.

The project will be implemented in a 60-month period and is aligned to the AfDB's Country Strategy Paper (2014-2018) -- Private sector development through skills development and improving the regulatory environment necessary to drive the transformation of the Namibian economy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 18:02:35|Editor: Yamei

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MOSCOW, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Justice Ministry said Tuesday that it has blacklisted U.S. government-funded Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) as "foreign agents" in retaliation for a similar U.S. move against Russia's state-owned RT news network.

VOA, RFE/RL and seven media outlets under them will possibly face a series of restrictions, including an entry ban to the Russian parliament.

The State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, plans to adopt on Wednesday a bill banning the entry for about nine media outlets. A similar move is expected from the Federation Council, or the upper house.

The access to materials distributed by "foreign agent" media outlets may be restricted at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's office, said Andrei Klishas, chairman of the Federation Council's Constitutional Legislation Committee.

Klishas also said he has submitted to the State Duma a bill imposing fines for the dissemination of materials without informing clients that they are created by a "foreign agent."

The Russian Justice Ministry is unlikely to expand its "foreign agent" list in the near future, said Andrei Klimov, head of the Federation Council's Commission on State Sovereignty Protection.

The Russian blacklist was introduced in accordance with recently adopted law amendments on media after the U.S. Department of Justice forced RT America to register as a "foreign agent" on suspicion of interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by spreading fake news.

Last week, RT America was stripped of its press credentials for working in the Capitol Hill due to its "foreign agent" status.

"Our countermeasures should be mirror-like and precisely targeted. They should not spread on all media," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday, adding that Moscow will not deprive U.S. media of general accreditation for journalistic activities in Russia.

She said Moscow will lift restrictions on U.S. media if Washington stops pressuring Russian media.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 18:12:37|Editor: liuxin

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A United Nations delegation led by UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman (C), arrives in Pyongyang, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Dec. 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Cheng Dayu)

PYONGYANG, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations delegation led by UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman, arrived here Tuesday afternoon for a four-day visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The three-person UN delegation was met by low-ranking officials from the DPRK Foreign Ministry and a UN representative here at the airport.

Feltman will meet with DPRK officials to discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern," said UN officials earlier in New York.

He will also meet with the United Nations Country Team and members of the diplomatic corps, and visit UN project sites in DPRK, according to UN officials.

This is the first visit for a UN under-secretary to the DPRK since 2011.

The visit came as tensions further escalate on the Korean Peninsula following the latest ballistic missile launch by DPRK and an on-going U.S.-South Korea joint air force exercise involving hundreds of fighter jets and tens of thousands of troops.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 18:42:55|Editor: liuxin

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DHAKA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A court in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka has granted bail to ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in two cases filed by the country's anti-graft body.

Judge Md Akhteruzzaman of the Special Judge's Court-5 Tuesday granted bail to Khaleda Zia after she appeared before the court to seek bail amid tight security.

The same court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant against Khaleda Zia, scrapping her ad-interim bails in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust cases as she failed to appear before it on time.

Khaleda was indicted in both cases, while her elder son Tarique Rahman, senior vice-chairman of the BNP, was involved in the orphanage case.

Bangladeds's Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) filed the orphanage case in July 2008, saying that Khaleda and five others including her elder son Tarique Rahman had embezzled over 20 million taka (253,164 U.S. dollars) from an orphanage trust during her 2001-2006 term as prime minister.

In 2011, the anti-graft body sued the BNP chief and three others for pocketing 31.5 million taka (397,435 U.S. dollars) of the Zia Charitable Trust in the name of her late husband, former President Ziaur Rahman.

Zia had earlier said political vendettas were to blame for the cases against her and her son.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 18:58:01|Editor: liuxin

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CAIRO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Egypt police arrested on Tuesday the fugitive former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, who was the most prominent official serving under the ousted president Hosni Mubarak, official news agency MENA reported.

Al-Adly, who has been sentenced to seven years in prison on corruption charges, hadn't handed himself to the authorities, MENA added.

Al-Adly was due to hand himself after the case in April but he had disappeared, it added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 19:03:05|Editor: Mengjie

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Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (R) meets with Rajiv Kumar, vice chairman of the Indian government think tank NITI Aayog, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2017. Kumar is in Beijing for a dialogue between NITI Aayog and the State Council Development Research Center.(Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli Tuesday called on China and India to cement political mutual trust and properly handle disputes to promote bilateral ties.

Zhang made the remarks while meeting with Rajiv Kumar, vice chairman of the Indian government think tank NITI Aayog.

Zhang said China highly values relations with India, and that leaders of both sides have met several times to discuss future ties.

He called on both sides to implement consensus between their leaders to boost China-India relations.

Kumar is in Beijing for a dialogue between NITI Aayog and the State Council Development Research Center.

Zhang asked both think tanks to guide exchanges and offer suggestions for the reciprocal development of both countries.

Kumar said India expects to work with China on economic transformation, and expand cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, infrastructure and manufacturing.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 19:18:17|Editor: liuxin

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YANGON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A fishing vessel capsized in Myanmar waters near Haigyi Island in southwestern coast of Ayeyawaddy region Tuesday morning, said the Ministry of Information.

So far, 14 people have been rescued by a military vessel with unknown number of others still missing.

The Ngwe Pinle-157 fishing vessel capsized at a location, 19.2 km north of a crude oil carrier at sea near Haigyi Island, the sources quoted township Fishing Department as saying with no further details.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 19:18:19|Editor: Yamei

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Xinhua file photo)

ANKARA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. potential move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital could prompt the cutting of Turkey's diplomatic relations with Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

"This could go as far as cutting our diplomatic relations with Israel. You cannot take such a step," Erdogan told a parliamentary group meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

He warned Washington that Jerusalem is a "red line" for Muslims, adding Ankara will take measures in the event of a possible U.S. move, including convening the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.

The Turkish government spokesperson Bekir Bozdag also warned the U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israeli capital would be a "disaster" for the region, which will lead to new conflicts.

Last week the U.S. President Donald Trump was reportedly mulling the imminent relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and formal recognition of the city as Israel's capital.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 19:28:23|Editor: liuxin

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RIYADH, Dec. 5, (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia expressed Tuesday its concern over media reports that the U.S. intends to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate its embassy there, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The kingdom also reiterated its unwavering position on Jerusalem and its firm and lasting support for the Palestinian people in asserting their legitimate rights and establishing an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, it said.

"This step, if taken, will be in contradiction of the principle of not affecting final status negotiations, and contradicts international resolutions that emphasize the historical and firm rights of the Palestinian people regarding Jerusalem," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

"It will also provoke the sentiments of Muslims throughout the world in light of the great importance and the pivotal status of Jerusalem," the source added.

The source also warned the U.S. administration of the grave consequences of such step.

"It will constitute an unwarranted shift in the United States' impartial position, at a time when the world looks to it to achieve the desired peace process," the source said.

The U.S. needs to "continue its efforts to achieve a just resolution for the Palestinian cause, in line with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions," he noted.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 19:33:26|Editor: liuxin

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PARIS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday mourned iconic French author and journalist Jean d'Ormesson, who died today at the age of 92.

Macron paid tribute to the "prince of letters" who "was looking for happiness and gave us a lot."

"Jean d'Ormesson embodied the French spirit, an incomparable blend of elegance and grace, depth without heaviness, inexhaustible curiosity and taste of life," said Macron in a statement.

"He has proclaimed his laziness and nonchalance but leaves behind one of the most abundant and diverse works of our contemporary literature, " he added.

The president had also sent "sincere condolences" to the late author's family and friends.

Born into a noble family in 1925, the author had published his first novel "Love is a pleasure" in 1956. He was awarded several literary prizes, including the top prize of French Academy in 1971 with the publication of "The Glory of the Empire."

Two years later, d'Ormesson was elected a member of the pre-eminent French Academy, a literary council. In October 2009, he became the Dean of the Academy.
Saudi Arabia warns the U.S. embassy relocation to Jerusalem provokes sentiments of Muslims worldwide. (AFP Photo)

RIYADH, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia expressed Tuesday its concern over media reports that the U.S. intends to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate its embassy there, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The kingdom also reiterated its unwavering position on Jerusalem and its firm and lasting support for the Palestinian people in asserting their legitimate rights and establishing an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, it said.

"This step, if taken, will be in contradiction of the principle of not affecting final status negotiations, and contradicts international resolutions that emphasize the historical and firm rights of the Palestinian people regarding Jerusalem," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

"It will also provoke the sentiments of Muslims throughout the world in light of the great importance and the pivotal status of Jerusalem," the source added.

The source also warned the U.S. administration of the grave consequences of such step.

"It will constitute an unwarranted shift in the United States' impartial position, at a time when the world looks to it to achieve the desired peace process," the source said.

The U.S. needs to "continue its efforts to achieve a just resolution for the Palestinian cause, in line with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions," he noted.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 19:38:33|Editor: liuxin

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DOHA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Qatari envoy said his country is playing a "leading" role in mediation efforts in the regional and international conflicts, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported Tuesday.

The remarks were made by Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahtani, the special envoy of Qatar's Foreign Minister for Counterterrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution, at a forum organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Diplomatic Institute on Monday evening.

''Qatar focuses its foreign policies on preventive diplomacy and the prevention of conflict and its outbreak, and plays a main and leading role in mediation to resolve conflicts,'' al-Qahtani said.

He also highlighted Qatar's efforts in providing educational opportunities to more than 7 million children in more than 47 countries.

The forum, held on the sidelines of the 7th meeting of the board of Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, was attended by a number of senior Qatari officials from different ministries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 19:43:35|Editor: liuxin

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CAIRO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Egypt police arrested on Tuesday the fugitive former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, who was the most prominent official serving under the ousted president Hosni Mubarak, official news agency MENA reported.

Al-Adly, who has been sentenced to seven years in prison on corruption charges, hasn't handed himself over to the authorities, MENA said.

Al-Adly was supposed to turn himself in after the case in April but he disappeared.

The former interior minister is due back in court for an appeal in January.

After the ouster of Mubarak in 2011, al-Adly and his top aides were facing trials on charges including murdering protesters, illegal gains and money laundering.

He was cleared of all charges except those of embezzling the interior ministry budget and using soldiers for personal work.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 19:43:36|Editor: Yamei

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File photo taken on Feb. 27, 2012 shows Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh attending the inauguration ceremony of the new President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in Sanaa, capital of Yemen. A senior Houthi official confirmed on Monday that former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his nephew, relatives and the general secretary of Saleh's party were killed. (Xinhua/Mohammed)

CAIRO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned Tuesday that the killing of Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh by Houthi rebels threatens an "explosion in the security situation" in the war-ravaged country.

Condemning Saleh's assassination, Aboul Gheit said in a statement that the incident "reveals to everyone the criminal nature of the militia which constitutes the main reason for the devastation in the country since 2014."

He also called upon the international community to swiftly act to contain the repercussions of the ongoing dangerous conditions in Yemen.

The Houthi militia rejected all the compromises for settling the Yemeni conflict, and led all the endeavors to a deadlock, the AL chief added.

Saleh, his relatives and senior aides were killed on Monday after the clashes erupted between his loyalists and Houthis in the capital Sanaa on Saturday.

Saleh's party said in a statement that the war against Iranian-allied Houthis will continue until the recapture of the capital city.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 19:58:48|Editor: liuxin

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NICOSIA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A group of 38 refugees, believed to be Syrians, arrived at dawn on the northwestern shores of Cyprus -- the seventh such group to arrive by sea this year, the police said in a statement on Tuesday.

The police said that there were 33 men, one woman and 4 children aboard a small boat, which originally was spotted several kilometers off the coast.

A police patrol boat approached the boat when about two nautical miles off the shore and directed the man at the wheel to follow it.

Sources said the man ignored the directions and tried to evade and the commander of the local marine police fired two warning shots.

The police statement said the boat was towed into a small port at the fishing and agricultural community of Kato Pyrgos, without mentioning the firing of warning shots.

Local authorities and the Social Services department offered food and water to the refugees, who had been at sea for almost two days, before they were transported to a refugee reception center near the capital Nicosia for processing.

The new arrivals raised to nearly 700 the number of refugees, almost all Syrians, who arrived on the eastern Mediterranean island after sailing from Turkey so far this year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 20:18:54|Editor: liuxin

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TEHRAN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A domestically built missile-launching warship formally joined Iran's naval fleet in the Caspian Sea on Tuesday, Press TV reported.

The Separ (Shield) warship was delivered to the naval forces during a ceremony in the northern Iranian port city of Bandar-e Anzali.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami described the vessel as the "symbol of peace at sea."

The vessel is 47 meters long and 3.9 meters high, and has a cruising speed of 35 knots.

The warship is also equipped with different kinds of advanced weapons, including surface-to-surface missile systems, artillery and a fire control radar capable of detecting warships and cruise missiles.

Hatami also announced Iran's readiness to expand its defense cooperation with its neighbors, expressing hope that such joint efforts will protect the security of the region and its nations.
Iranian navy warship test-fired the Noor long-range missile in a naval drill. (Xinhua Photo)

TEHRAN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A domestically built missile-launching warship formally joined Iran's naval fleet in the Caspian Sea on Tuesday, Press TV reported.

The Separ (Shield) warship was delivered to the naval forces during a ceremony in the northern Iranian port city of Bandar-e Anzali.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami described the vessel as the "symbol of peace at sea."

The vessel is 47 meters long and 3.9 meters high, and has a cruising speed of 35 knots.

The warship is also equipped with different kinds of advanced weapons, including surface-to-surface missile systems, artillery and a fire control radar capable of detecting warships and cruise missiles.

Hatami also announced Iran's readiness to expand its defense cooperation with its neighbors, expressing hope that such joint efforts will protect the security of the region and its nations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 20:59:11|Editor: liuxin

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LONDON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- YouTube, a video-sharing website, has pledged to deploy an army of 10,000 staff next year to review more online videos and delete extremist material.

Susan Wojcicki, the chief executive of YouTube which is owned by Google, wrote in the British Daily Telegraph newspaper on Tuesday, saying that "bad actors are exploring" the internet site to "mislead, manipulate, harass or even harm".

YouTube and other internet giants, including Facebook, have come under pressure over the availability of extremist material and propaganda in the wake of five terrorist attacks in Britain this year.

Wojcicki claimed that her company has already developed "computer-learning" technology that can identify videos containing extremist content.

Since June, YouTube's enforcement teams have reviewed two million videos, of which 150,000 have been taken down, she said. Some 98 percent of videos that were removed were initially flagged by the "machine-learning algorithms".

Almost half were removed within two hours of upload and 70 percent within eight hours, according to her.

Those videos included posts by jihadists sympathetic to the Islamic State of Iraq, known as ISIL or IS, and other Islamic terror groups as well as by far-right extremists.

Bomb-making instructions for a device similar to the one used by Slman Abedi, the Manchester Arena bomber, were removed from YouTube in the wake of atrocity, which killed 23 people in the suicide attack on a packed concert in May, the newspaper said.

However, unlike what has been claimed by Google, the bomb-making YouTube tutorial used by Abedi is available on Google networks again, despite being deleted in the wake of the terrorist attack, according to a report by another British newspaper the Sun.

The full 30-minute clip, entitled "Explanation of How to Slaughter Disbelievers", has been shared thousands of times on Google Drive and Google Photos after being re-uploaded to the network on Nov. 22. It was still available to view on Monday night, according to British media reports.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:04:13|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China is pleased to see the United Nations play a constructive role in helping resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Tuesday.

Jeffrey Feltman, the United Nations under-secretary-general for political affairs, will visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from Tuesday to Friday, the United Nations said Monday.

During a recent visit to China, Feltman met Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong, and the two sides exchanged views on UN affairs and issues of common concern, Geng told a press briefing.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:04:14|Editor: Mengjie

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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Canada should explore new ideas and take measures to achieve substantial progress in bilateral ties.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is paying an official visit to China from Dec. 3 to 7.

Welcoming Trudeau on his second China visit since taking office in November 2015, Xi said that frequent visits between Chinese and Canadian leaders play a leading role in the development of bilateral ties.

Xi said that China and Canada complement each other with their respective advantages and enjoy great cooperation potential.

"Enhancing political mutual trust is the prerequisite to the stable development of state-to-state relations," Xi said.

He said that a country's development path could only be decided by its people, and that China and Canada, though having different political systems, could respect each other and seek common ground while reserving differences.

Xi encouraged the two countries to strengthen cooperation and expand exchanges to bring more benefits to the people of both countries.

"China and Canada need to fully tap potential and create more bright spots in cooperation in areas such as energy resources, science and innovation, aviation, finance, modern agriculture and clean technology," Xi said. "China will continue to support capable Chinese enterprises in investing in Canada and welcome Canadian enterprises to take an active part in Belt and Road Initiative."

He also called on both sides to intensify exchanges and deepen relations on education, culture, tourism and sports, and strengthen cooperation on key areas such as climate change and coordination within multilateral frameworks.

He said the two countries need to work together to hold a successful China-Canada Year of Tourism in 2018, adding that China is willing to learn from Canada on hosting Winter Olympic Games.

Trudeau said he agrees with Xi's comments on Canada-China relations.

Recent years have witnessed robust momentum in bilateral cooperation, which has brought benefits to both peoples and sent positive signals to the international community, he said.

Canada is committed to deepening relations with China on the basis of mutual respect and mutual trust, boosting cooperation on economy, trade and people-to-people exchanges and intensifying coordination on major global and regional issues, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:09:16|Editor: Mengjie

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KIEV, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Ukraine on Tuesday signed an action plan on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and agreed to deepen all-round collaboration to strengthen their strategic partnership at the third session of the China-Ukraine Intergovernmental Commission on bilateral cooperation here Tuesday.

The meeting co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai and Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv concluded that bilateral cooperation has made good progress since the second session of the commission in Beijing in 2013.

China and Ukraine have advanced in their cooperation in such areas as trade, economy, agriculture, space, science and technology, education, culture and healthcare.

The action plan signed on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road will see further enhancement of the proposal first put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The plan envisions building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

Tuesday's meeting also saw the two sides sign a series of agreements on agriculture, energy efficiency and renewable energy, culture, healthcare and education as well as other sectors.

The China-Ukraine Intergovernmental Commission was launched in 2011 as a core mechanism to coordinate and plan all-round cooperation between the two countries.

The next meeting of the commission will be held in China in 2019.

The Chinese delegation arrived in Kiev Monday on a three-day visit at the invitation of the Ukrainian government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:19:20|Editor: Yurou

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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) meets with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 5, 2017. (Xinhua/The European Union)

BRUSSELS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday warned her U.S. counterpart that the status of Jerusalem should be resolved through negotiations, as the White House was reportedly mulling recognizing the city as Isreal's capital.

Speaking to reporters following a meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Mogherini reiterated the EU's stance that the bloc supports a two-state solution, warning that "any action that would undermine these efforts must absolutely be avoided".

"A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states, so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled," she said.

Mogherini said she is set to discuss the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu next Monday in Brussels and with Palestinian President Abbas later at the beginning of next year.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump was reportedly mulling the imminent relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and formal recognition of the city as Israel's capital.

Israel has controlled the western part of Jerusalem since its inception in 1948. In 1967, after the Mideast war, Israel captured the eastern part of Jerusalem from Jordan and declared both parts its united capital.

The move was never recognized by the international community, including Israel's closest ally, the United States.

The Palestinians see eastern Jerusalem as the future capital of their state.

Jerusalem is home to sites holy to Islam, Judaism and Christianity, making it a focal point for many people around the globe.

The Middle East issue is top on the agenda of Mogherini's meeting with Tillerson, who kicked off his five-day official trip Monday to Europe amid media speculation that Trump was planning to fire the top U.S. diplomat.

Trump, however, on Friday denied the media speculation, calling the reports "fake news". Tillerson himself also brushed off the reports, calling them "laughable".

The purpose of this trip, a senior U.S. State Department official requiring anonymity said during a Friday teleconference with media, was to "reiterate America's commitment to the transatlantic alliance" and commitment to the defense of Western institutions and the West as a community of shared interests and values.

The transatlantic relations have been frayed as the Trump administration decided to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change and Iran nuclear deal, two diplomatic accomplishments on which the EU set a premium.

Brussels is the first leg of Tillerson's trip, followed by Vienna and France.

Tillerson is expected to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Vienna on the sidelines of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ministerial meeting on Thursday.

The two chief diplomats will "have a fairly robust set of discussions on a lot of global issues -- DPRK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), Ukraine, and certainly Syria", according to the U.S. State Department.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:29:24|Editor: liuxin

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ISLAMABAD, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Pakistani anti-drug minister said on Tuesday that the country is facing threats of narcotics and the government will tackle the drug menace with iron hand.

Minister for Narcotics Control Salahuddin Tirmizi said during a ceremony that the country's anti-drug agency is rendering extraordinary endeavors to counter drug trafficking at both national and international level.

The minister lauded Anti-Narcotics Force's (ANF's) achievements and its role as a specialized force in combating trafficking of illicit drugs at national, regional and global level.

ANF Director General Major General Musarrat Nawaz Malik said at the ceremony that a total of 135.064 tons of drugs, valuing 3.95 billion rupees (37 million U.S. dollars), have been burnt in major cities of Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi this year.

Malik said so far this year the ANF has arrested 1,204 people involved in drug trafficking. The drugs include opium, morphine, heroin, hashish, cocaine and amphetamine.

He said out of the 786 cases, 753 cases met conviction, making 96 percent of successful conviction rate.

This year the ANF has frozen drug-related assets worth 933.42 million rupees (8.86 million U.S. dollars), the anti-drug chief added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:29:24|Editor: liuxin

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KIEV, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Protesters freed former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili here Tuesday hours after he was detained by Ukrainian authorities.

Multiple local news outlets reported that Saakashvili, also a former governor of Ukraine's Odessa region, was freed by hundreds of supporters who stopped the police van in which he was being taken away, staging a protracted standoff with the authorities.

He then led the crowd on a march toward the parliament, shouting slogans demanding the resignation of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Earlier in the day, the Security Service of Ukraine said Saakashvili was arrested on suspicion of "aiding members of criminal groups and covering up their criminal activity."

According to local media reports, law enforcement officers had arrested Saakashvili from his apartment.

The 49-year-old served two terms as Georgian president from 2004 to 2013. He acquired Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015 and was appointed governor of Odessa.

On July 26 this year, Poroshenko revoked Saakashvili's Ukrainian citizenship following allegations that he had submitted false information while applying for a Ukrainian passport.

On Sept. 10, a defiant Saakashvili crossed into Ukraine from Poland without showing the necessary documents to the border guards. His supporters broke through the cordon of border guards and security forces and escorted him into Ukraine.

The National Police of Ukraine has opened criminal proceedings against Saakashvili and his supporters over the unlawful border crossing.

Saakashvili has said he would challenge the revocation of his Ukrainian citizenship in court.

In September, the Georgian Chief Prosecutor's Office asked Kiev to take measures for Saakashvili's extradition. In Georgia, Saakashvili faces charges of corruption, abuse of power and embezzlement.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:34:27|Editor: liuxin

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ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- High-level African socioeconomic experts and policymakers have emphasized good governance as a major impetus to the realization of Africa's transformation in the economic development and democratization process.

They made the call during the African Economic Conference 2017, which was jointly organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The three-day conference, which is underway at the UNECA headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa from December 4 to 6 under the theme "Governance for Structural Transformation," underscored the need to put in place good-governance toward Africa's transformation and democratization.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn told conference participants that good governance drives transformation, development and democratization.

"Africa has the opportunity to determine its own future and cannot fail to structurally transform its economies for the benefit of its people. This is not time for indecisiveness and passivity," Desalegn said.

"We Africans are the origins of humanity. We were once the center of civilization. It is a scorching and puzzling irony that we are looking for better lesson from elsewhere to catch up with the rest of the world," he added.

According to the prime minister, enhancing or developmental governance capabilities is the most important and feasible way toward bigger achievement during the initial periods of growth and transformation.

Desalegn also stressed on the potentials of Africa, saying that "as millions of labor-intensive manufacturing jobs leave late industrializers for better labor markets, this century is indeed an African century. History bestows the chance and also the responsibility upon us to grab this opportunity and bring our beloved continent out of misery and backwardness."

Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of UNECA, stressed that illicit financial flows represent a substantial drain in the African continent, which reduces its ability to make investments in education, health, science, and infrastructure needed to achieve industrialization goals.

Songwe added that African countries take as a priority strengthening their institutional architecture designed to tackle illicit financial flows and other challenges.

Lamin Momodou Manneh, Director of the UNDP Regional Service Center for Africa, also underscored that Africa's long-term transformational growth trajectory depends on effectively addressing existing political, economic, social and environmental governance deficits.

"Good governance is the single most important factor in eradicating poverty in Africa," Manneh said.

African Economic Conference participants also indicated that the gathering will offer a unique opportunity to reflect on the progress made by African countries in structurally transforming their economies.

The conference, which serves as a platform to discuss government policies, brought together African experts and policymakers to deliberate on institutions and mechanisms that are expected to unlock the transformative potential of African economies, hence contributing to building resilient societies on the continent.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:49:30|Editor: liuxin

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By Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Dec. 5 ( Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Turkey's NATO ally Greece on Dec 7th, the first visit by a Turkish head of state to its neighbor country since 1952.

The visit is expected to improve bilateral ties and discuss cooperation projects.

TURKEY SEEKS BETTER TIES WITH BALKAN COUNTRIES

Experts said that President Erdogan's visit to Athens is in line with his ambitions to improve his country's ties with the Balkans, a territory that once was within the borders of the Ottoman Empire.

"This could be seen as a part of Turkey's strategy to consolidate its relations with the Balkan neighbors. Unlike the problems that Turkey encountered with other neighbors in the Middle East, it has sought to improve ties with the Balkan world," professor Birgul Demirtas from Ankara's TOBB University of Economics and Technology told Xinhua.

This expert indicated that as his recent trip in Serbia, another Balkan country, the Turkish president would put emphasis on "pragmatic economic purposes."

Turkey and Greece have a history of uneasy relations dating back to the creation of the modern Turkish Republic out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire.

But Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power in 2002, has sought a more pragmatic relationship with Athens based on trade and tourism rather than nationalism.

"Erdogan will be the first Turkish president to visit Greece in 65 years," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu said quoted by the Anadolu Agency, adding that this trip in the neighboring state would mark the opening of a new chapter in bilateral relations.

Ties between Ankara and Athens have also been aided after Alexis Tsipras, who is believed to enjoy a warm personal relationship with Erdogan, became prime minister in 2015.

Greece and Turkey both joined NATO in 1952 but the thaw between the two countries only began in earnest in 1999 after destructive earthquakes struck both nations within weeks.

They also cooperated closely in the 2015 migration crisis, with Greece backing an EU deal for Turkey to stem the flow of migrants.

NO "MIRACLE SOLUTIONS"

However, there are still many discord points and no "miracle solutions," argued professor Demirtas. "Political consultations are still continuing since the 1999 earthquakes and no concrete solutions have been reached until now" on differences opposing the two neighbors on the Aegean issue, the iconic sea that separates them, she said.

"It would be unrealistic to expect miracle solutions on sensitive issues of contention," added Demirtas, pointing out that Greece and Turkey are expected to sign agreements on commerce and transportation.

A Turkish diplomat echoed this remark saying that "We have several bones of contentions. It's true. But we have also many areas and opportunities where we can cooperate and improve our ties."

"The president's visit to Greece is a historic opportunity to highlight the fact that we share the same vision on important matters as energy, trade and tourism," said this source on the condition of anonymity.

Athens is also unhappy over Turkey's upkeep of Byzantine monuments in Istanbul, the former Constantinople, including the Hagia Sophia, which is officially a museum but has seen an increase in Muslim activity in the past years during the AKP rule.

Greece has also been rattled by Erdogan's sometimes angry tirades against the post World War I treaties that set the countries' modern borders and meant almost all the Aegean islands are Greek territory.

Turkey, meanwhile, is discontented that Greece has given sanctuary to suspects wanted over the 2016 failed coup, notably eight troops who escaped by helicopter on the putsch night.

Another festering sore is Cyprus, where the northern portion of the island is still occupied by Turkish troops since 1974 in response to Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting it with Greece.

ENERGY: AN AREA OF COOPERATION

But Ankara and Athens are clearly on the same frequency when it comes to energy projects, which will be at the top of Erdogan's agenda in Greece.

They work together for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline(TAP) which is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, one of the priority energy projects for the EU. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan to European countries.

The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

And finally the rapprochement between Ankara and Athens could be a factor to smoothen ongoing tensions in the Turkish-European dossier.

"Should we expect a repercussion of the improvement in the Turkish-Greek dialogue on ties with Brussels. Difficult to say in the short term," remarked Demirtas who thinks that Athens already has to polish its own ties with the European bloc tarnished because of the major financial crisis that it is still trying to survive.

A commentary published in the prominent Greek daily Ekathimerini underlined the need for both countries to work in favor of their long-term interests, inviting the Turkish president to be more lenient to Athens' demands on both the Agean and Cyprus issues.

"Greece is the biggest champion of Ankara's ambitions among the states of the 28-member bloc. It also has a keen interest in a stable Turkey," the commentary argued.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:54:32|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Wan Gang was re-elected chairman of the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party Tuesday.

The decision was announced in a statement after the China Zhi Gong Party, one of the eight non-Communist political parties on the Chinese mainland, concluded its four-day 15th National Congress.

Wan was elected chairman of the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party at its 13th National Congress in December 2007, and won re-election at the Party's 14th National Congress in December 2012.

Wan said that all delegates had learned the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

"The congress strengthened the China Zhi Gong Party's determination to adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and inspired confidence in securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieving the great success of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era," Wan said.

During the congress, delegates heard and deliberated the report of the the China Zhi Gong Party's 14th Central Committee and reviewed and approved an amendment to its constitution, according to the statement.

The statement said that all China Zhi Gong Party members and organizations should implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and safeguard the core status of General Secretary Xi Jinping.

A new Standing Committee of 33 members and a new Central Committee of 116 members were also elected during the congress.

Founded in 1925, the China Zhi Gong Party is mainly comprised of overseas Chinese who have returned to the mainland, relatives of nationals living abroad as well as those with close connections with overseas Chinese.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:54:33|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang has called for further reforms in one-stop customs clearance to boost trade and improve the country's business environment.

Speaking at a meeting Tuesday, Wang affirmed the progress made in customs clearance reform, noting that "single-window" customs clearance was now in place at all Chinese ports, saving companies one-third of their time needed for clearance.

"Implementing one-stop customs clearance is necessary for gaining competitive advantages in trade and developing an open economy at a higher level," said Wang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

A standard version of the single-window customs clearance system covers all trade ports, with a total of 35,000 registered users and more than 100,000 daily declarations, according to China's General Administration of Customs.

Instead of filing the same information repeatedly with different authorities, traders are now able to declare cargo and taxes with a single online submission, improving efficiency and reducing costs.

The vice premier said efforts should be made to bring forward the development of the single-window system and at the same time enhance security checks at trade ports, to make customs clearance efficient and well-controlled.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:59:35|Editor: liuxin

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MADRID, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido confirmed Tuesday that four Moroccan nationals had been arrested for their alleged relationship with the Islamic State (IS).

The joint operation between Spanish National Police and their Moroccan counterpart resulted in two arrests made in the city of Figueras in the far north-east of Spain, one in the Madrid satellite town of Parla, and another in the Moroccan city of Tangiers.

The four detainees were suspected of spreading jihadist propaganda over the internet and of inciting a terrorist attack on the Spanish mainland.

The Spanish interior ministry has issued a statement that the man arrested in Tangiers was "a dangerous and known", member of the Islamic State and a member of their "direction of propaganda", who has over 300 profiles on social networking sites, containing highly violent images.

Meanwhile, the two men arrested in Figueras are brothers aged 30 and 31 and described as "direct students", of the detainee in Tangiers. They are accused of spreading materials over the "manufacture of homemade explosive devices, the stabbing of civilians, or in the training of mujahideens".

The man detained in Parla is a 44-year-old who the Spanish interior ministry said "was in an advanced state of radicalization which had led him to try and find accomplices on the internet in order to carry out a possible attack".

A total of 262 suspected jihadists have been arrested in Spain since the start of 2015.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 21:59:36|Editor: liuxin

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RABAT, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan-Portuguese economic forum opened here on Tuesday in Rabat with the aim to explore means to boost business partnership between the two countries.

Held under the theme "Synergies for industrial co-investment," the forum was inaugurated by Moroccan Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani and his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa.

The forum, which is organized on the occasion of the Moroccan-Portuguese 13th high-level meeting, is meant to promote business and investment opportunities in key areas and to establish new partnerships between the two countries' business communities.

It is bringing together a large delegation of Portuguese enterprises and Moroccan economic operators in various sectors.

Morocco is a major partner of Portugal in the Arab world and the second in Africa after Angola, the former colony of Portugal.

Some 200 Portuguese companies are installed in Morocco, while a total of 1,239 Portuguese companies are exporting to Morocco, an increase of 17 percent between 2011 and 2015.

In 2015, Portugal's exports of goods and services to Morocco surged 18.5 percent to 649.9 million euros (766.9 U.S. dollars), while imports rose 12.2 percent to 211.1 million euros, according to data from the Portuguese Institute of Statistics.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 22:09:40|Editor: liuxin

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BEIRUT, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri withdrew his resignation during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, which was chaired by President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace.

The meeting is the first that was held in more than a month due to the political crisis caused by Hariri's resignation announcement in early November.

During the meeting, the cabinet unanimously endorsed a new dissociation policy.

"All groups in the Lebanese government are committed to dissociate themselves from regional conflicts," Hariri told reporters after the meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, President Aoun said Lebanon's unity during Hariri's absence was vital and enabled the country to get through the crisis.

"Countries are not measured by their size. They are all equal in dignity and hence our approach to the crisis was based on not accepting any encroachment on our dignity by any authority in the world," Aoun said on his official Twitter account.

"We took the decision to confront (the situation) and not to take an approach of appeasement. Our unity as Lebanese was the basis in protecting the country's stability," he added.

Hariri also highlighted officials' responsibilities to protect Lebanon from dangers facing the country.

"We hope that this session constitutes a new opportunity for cooperation and for protecting Lebanon, especially since we all refused to be drawn in by attempts to create an atmosphere of chaos to the country," the prime minister said.

The decision to call the session was made late Monday night, ahead of Hariri's scheduled visit to Paris on Friday to participate in a high-level International Support Group for Lebanon meeting.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 22:09:41|Editor: Mengjie

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EDINBURGH, Britain, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Stirring emotion and memories, the sound of Scottish highland bagpipe ushered in the procession of academics, all in academic dresses, to the packed hall decorated with panels and frescos. The processing was carried out as it had been over the past century for the degree conferral.

The traditional ceremony was held at the University of Edinburgh on Tuesday to renew the time-tested friendship between China and Britain, as Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the prestigious university.

The award was given to Liu for her efforts to promote the teaching of Chinese language, cultural exchange and a wider understanding of China, according to the university.

The university's Vice Principal Jonathan Seckl said in his laureation address that Liu's contribution to international education has been recognized internationally and both Scotland and the University of Edinburgh have benefited from her efforts to promote the education of young people, cultural exchange and a wider understanding of China today.

In the academic dress, Liu stressed in her speech the important role that universities had been playing in the relations between China and Britain, which are officially in a "golden era".

She said that she hopes the University of Edinburgh to shepherd the two countries' endeavors to deepen their education cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

"A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth," Liu quoted the words of the British naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin, also alumni of the University of Edinburgh, to urge the two countries to further develop their friendship by deepening their pragmatic cooperation of educational institutes.

It was from this university of Edinburgh that Huang Kuan graduated in 1855, making him the first ever Chinese student to graduate from a European university with a doctoral degree.

One hundred and sixty two years later, the Scottish university once again, serves as an important institute for the people-to-people exchanges between China and Britain. Its Confucius Institute is one of the most active in the world. Starting with six students, the institute is now providing 20 courses per week to an average of 400 to 500 registered students per year.

Transformation of the institution is an epitome of the fast development of the Sino-UK people-to-people exchange which Liu's ongoing four-day visit is aimed to advance.

Her trip, which started Monday and will also take her to London and Oxford, coincided with the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the China-UK ambassadorial diplomatic relations.

The centerpiece of the visit is the fifth-annual UK-China High-Level People-to-People Dialogue -- the highest level Sino-UK dialogue to be held in Britain this year -- which Liu will jointly chair with British Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt.

The dialogue will cover 10 policy strands including health, education, culture and creative industries, science and innovation, tourism, sports, issues affecting young people, regional cooperation, issues impacting women and social equity.

This year's dialogue is themed "Spirit of Youth", which connects to a British government campaign that aims to inspire the next generation of leaders in China and the British and the promotion of deeper collaboration and exchange.

Liu is scheduled to meet with a number of senior figures including British Prime Minister Theresa May, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and Princess Anne and Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace.

She will also witness the launch of the UK-China Joint Science and Innovation Strategy, participate in a forum of CEOs involved in the creative industries and join a roundtable of young leaders.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 22:24:48|Editor: Mengjie

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URUMQI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Over 700,000 people have participated in voluntary services in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region this year, according to the local youth organization.

As of Dec. 5 (International Volunteer Day), more than 20,000 volunteers have registered with 781 voluntary associations and service teams at various levels in Xinjiang, the Xinjiang Regional Committee of the Communist Youth League said.

Apart from social volunteers, many the registered volunteers are from China's "Go West" program, which was launched by several government departments in 2003.

The program sends university graduates to perform volunteer work in education, health, agriculture and social management in the country's remote and underdeveloped western regions.

The number of participants in the program in Xinjiang grew from 400 in 2013 to more than 3,000 this year, making a great contribution to local development.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 22:39:53|Editor: yan

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WINDHOEK, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's mining sector has been a hive of activity in the last quarter of 2017 and managed to create opportunities for growth in a struggling economy, according to Namibia Chamber of Mines CEO, Veston Malango.

The Chamber of Mines on Tuesday released its closing Newsletter edition for 2017, which gave an overview of the sector during 2017.

In a statement Malango said the recent second quarter statistics showed contractions in most sectors and an overall negative growth rate of 1.7 percent.

"While general performance of the local economy was negative with a subdued outlook, mining was one of the two sectors that posted a strong growth in the same period, of 25.8 percent as compared to a decline of 19.4 percent in the corresponding quarter of 2016," Malango said.

According to him, the strong growth is attributed to favorable commodity prices of base metals and a recovery in diamond production.

Malango said that the outlook remains positive, especially for copper with prices topping 7,000 U.S. dollars per metric tonne in October.

Meanwhile in terms of developments for 2017, the Chamber of Mines in October hosted and co-organized the Symposium of Chambers of Mines and other Mining Associations in Africa and managed to sign the Windhoek Declaration, which established a continental body, the Association of Chambers of Mines and other Mining Associations in Africa (ACMMAA).
A China-Europe freight train X9081 leaves Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, for Poltava, Ukraine, on Oct. 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

KIEV, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Ukraine on Tuesday signed an action plan on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and agreed to deepen all-round collaboration to strengthen their strategic partnership at the third session of the China-Ukraine Intergovernmental Commission on bilateral cooperation here Tuesday.

The meeting co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai and Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv concluded that bilateral cooperation has made good progress since the second session of the commission in Beijing in 2013.

China and Ukraine have advanced in their cooperation in such areas as trade, economy, agriculture, space, science and technology, education, culture and healthcare.

The action plan signed on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road will see further enhancement of the proposal first put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The plan envisions building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

Tuesday's meeting also saw the two sides sign a series of agreements on agriculture, energy efficiency and renewable energy, culture, healthcare and education as well as other sectors.

The China-Ukraine Intergovernmental Commission was launched in 2011 as a core mechanism to coordinate and plan all-round cooperation between the two countries.

The next meeting of the commission will be held in China in 2019.

The Chinese delegation arrived in Kiev Monday on a three-day visit at the invitation of the Ukrainian government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 23:00:05|Editor: yan

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BERLIN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- German security forces have searched more than 20 apartments and community centers associated with far-left activists on Tuesday, as part of their investigations into riots which accompanied the Hamburg G20 summit in July this year.

The raids were conducted simultaneously in several locations across the country, including Hamburg, Berlin, Hesse, North-Rhine Westphalia, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Rhineland-Palatine.

The objective of the searches was to secure evidence of involvement in violent protests which lasted for several days surrounding the G20 conference.

Police have since established a special investigatory commission, which is currently assessing surveillance footage based on 25,000 individual video recordings. Security authorities have estimated that they will launch a total of 3,000 investigations in connection to the widely-publicized riots.

German media reported that raids on Tuesday were primarily focused on the far-left group "Roter Aufbau", which had openly threatened violence in Hamburg, as well as participants in one particularly violent clash between police and protestors on the sidelines of the summit.

According to German newspaper WELT, the Hamburg Public Prosecution Office is investigating 21 individuals in connection to the latter event on suspicion of seriously disturbing the public peace.

German broadcaster NDR reported it had received information that the special investigatory commission believes that left-wing extremist from Hamburg had planned the escalation of protests for months.

However, reports which surfaced after the raids also claimed that far-left activists were already tipped-off about the police searches on Monday.

The newspaper Berliner Zeitung wrote that left-wing activists had sent messages with their cellphones, warning about the imminent crackdown. One of these messages urged its recipients to "destroy all things in connection to July (Documents, Clothing)".

The magazine SPIEGEL further cited tweet made by Berlin university student Jan Zimmermann on Monday night: "Dear Comrades, I recommend cleaning up your apartments and computers particularly thoroughly tonight."

Shortly thereafter, Zimmerman retweeted a message of another user which similarly called on left-wing activists to "tidy up".

"If the cops have 20,000h of video material from Hamburg #G20, they would surely love to see who has which pieces of clothing in their wardrobe and whether they can find them again on their videos," the tweet further read.

According to SPIEGEL reports, investigators were aware on Monday that some of the suspects they were targeting had been warned in advance.

Speaking at a press conference later in the day, Jan Hieber, director of the G20 special investigatory commission, said that police had noticed "indications of certain unease" in the far-left scene.

So far, German state prosecutors have launched 60 criminal proceedings against suspected rioters. Most are accused of severely disturbing the public peace. A judiciary spokesperson confirmed that eight individuals remained in custody as of Tuesday.

The dramatic events surrounding the Hamburg G20 subject continue to form the subject of heated discussion in Germany.

Whilst witnessing calls for a more aggressive approach from authorities against left-wing extremism from several politicians, video images of the riots have also sparked a debate over whether police used excessive force against protestors.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 23:05:09|Editor: yan

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SARAJEVO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hungary-based budget airline Wizz Air has decided to suspend flights from Tuzla International Airport (TIA), some 110 km north of Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) capital, to London Luton Airport, local media reported Tuesday.

The international line from TIA to London Luton Airport (LLA) was established in March this year, but the management of Wizz Air decided to abolish it completely.

"Although the availability was good, this company decided to suspend the flight due to visa-issuing procedures that would, according to their analyses, have a significant impact on the number of passengers transported," TIA director Rifet Karasalihovic explained.

Tuzla International Airport served more than 495,000 passengers this year, exceeding the annual target of 488,000.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 23:10:12|Editor: yan

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PHNOM PENH, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian authorities on Tuesday confiscated 941 kg of elephant tusks at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in southwestern Preah Sihanouk province, a government-aligned media reported.

Some 279 pieces of elephant tusks were found in hollowed-out logs inside three containers, which had been imported from the southern African nation of Mozambique by Cam Transit Import Company, Fresh News reported, citing a police report.

The company declared in a manifest that the goods were timbers, the report said, adding that the seizure came after the authorities scanned those containers.

In December last year, about 1.58 tons of elephant tusks, elephant tails, wild animal bones, and pangolin scales were also discovered concealed inside timbers in containers, which were shipped from Mozambique.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 23:10:14|Editor: yan

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BRUSSELS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- NATO foreign ministers began two days of talks here on Tuesday on NATO-EU cooperation, global threats, and NATO's role in fighting terrorism.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the meetings, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the ministers would take decisions to prepare NATO's summit next July in Brussels.

"In a constantly evolving security landscape, NATO's partnership with the European Union (EU) is more important than ever," said the NATO chief, adding, "I expect we will agree to take NATO-EU cooperation to a new level."

The two blocs have signed a joint declaration and agreed on a series of concrete measures to strengthen cooperation on some key areas, including countering hybrid threats, maritime security, and cyber defense.

"NATO and the EU will aim to make military mobility a flagship and a priority for our cooperation. We will agree to share more information to counter terrorist threats," Stoltenberg added.

Ministers will also discuss global security challenges, including NATO's support for the Global Coalition to defeat the Islamic State (IS).

"As the coalition moves from combat operations to stabilization, we will consider how NATO's contribution should evolve," Stoltenberg said.

NATO-Georgia cooperation and NATO's open door policy will also be high on the agenda of the two-day meeting.

Ministers will be joined by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini as well as representatives of Finland and Sweden.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 23:35:20|Editor: yan

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NAIROBI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Saihanba Afforestation Community in north China's Hebei Province received the United Nations' highest environmental honor, the Champions of the Earth award, during the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, for transforming degraded land into a lush paradise.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 23:35:21|Editor: Lu Hui

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Chinese PresidentXi Jinpingmeets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Canada should explore new ideas and take measures to achieve substantial progress in bilateral ties.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is paying an official visit to China from Dec. 3 to 7.

Welcoming Trudeau on his second China visit since taking office in November 2015, Xi said that frequent visits between Chinese and Canadian leaders play a leading role in the development of bilateral ties.

Xi said that China and Canada complement each other with their respective advantages and enjoy great cooperation potential.

"Enhancing political mutual trust is the prerequisite to the stable development of state-to-state relations," Xi said.

He said that a country's development path could only be decided by its people, and that China and Canada, though having different political systems, could respect each other and seek common ground while reserving differences.

Xi encouraged the two countries to strengthen cooperation and expand exchanges to bring more benefits to the people of both countries.

"China and Canada need to fully tap potential and create more bright spots in cooperation in areas such as energy resources, science and innovation, aviation, finance, modern agriculture and clean technology," Xi said. "China will continue to support capable Chinese enterprises in investing in Canada and welcome Canadian enterprises to take an active part in Belt and Road Initiative."

He also called on both sides to intensify exchanges and deepen relations on education, culture, tourism and sports, and strengthen cooperation on key areas such as climate change and coordination within multilateral frameworks.

He said the two countries need to work together to hold a successful China-Canada Year of Tourism in 2018, adding that China is willing to learn from Canada on hosting Winter Olympic Games.

Trudeau said he agrees with Xi's comments on Canada-China relations.

Recent years have witnessed robust momentum in bilateral cooperation, which has brought benefits to both peoples and sent positive signals to the international community, he said.

Canada is committed to deepening relations with China on the basis of mutual respect and mutual trust, boosting cooperation on economy, trade and people-to-people exchanges and intensifying coordination on major global and regional issues, he said.

Also on Tuesday, Chinese top legislator Zhang Dejiang met with Trudeau at the Great Hall of the People, calling on both sides to give full play to the regular parliamentary exchange mechanism between China and Canada and conduct exchanges on legislation and governance experience so as to promote the healthy development of bilateral ties.
File photo shows the Saihanba forest in Weichang Manchu and Mongolian Autonomous County in Chengde City, north China's Hebei Province. Saihanba was a piece of barren land 55 years ago, but decades of afforestation efforts have turned it into an important ecological shield for Beijing and Tianjin. (Xinhua/Wang Long)

NAIROBI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's Saihanba Afforestation Community has won the UN's top environmental honor, the Champions of the Earth award, during the UN Environmental Assembly held in Kenya's Nairobi for "transforming degraded land into a lush paradise."

WHERE IS SAIHANBA

About 400 kilometers north of Beijing lies a large swathe of trees that is critically important to water and air quality in the capital. It is an environmental shield that reduces sandstorms.

The Saihanba forest purifies 137 million cubic meters of water for Beijing-Tianjin area and can deliver half a million tons of oxygen, but more than half a century ago it was nothing more than a barren land.

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 22, 2017 shows the autumn scenery of the Saihanba forest in Weichang Manchu and Mongolian Autonomous County in Chengde City, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Liu Huanyu)

Zhao Yunguo, director of the forest management office, pointed towards a tree, about 20 meters tall, and called it "a tree of merit."

"Fifty-six years ago, there was only one tree, this one. Without it, there would have been no Saihanba," Zhao said.

Saihanba is a combination of Chinese and Mongolian meaning "beautiful highlands". Until the Qing Dynasty (1616-1912), it was a royal hunting land.

When the dynasty was on its last legs, Emperor Tongzhi opened the land for lumber to make up for a state deficit. The area quickly turned into sterile land on the verge of a Mongolian desert.

Efforts to rehabilitate the land started in the 1960s. In October, 1961, a group of six arboriculturalists went on an expedition through the land and studied the possibility of growing trees there.

"They found this one tree, standing alone in the vast land. They literally went to hug the tree, and every one was in tears," said Zhao.

If one tree can survive here, so can millions of trees - such was people's hope with Saihanba. About 56 years later, hope turned into reality. The barren wasteland is now a vast forest of 7.5 hectares.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 23:50:26|Editor: yan

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TEHRAN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday denounced some Muslim countries in the Middle East for their inclination for proximity with Israel, Tasnim news agency reported.

Some regional and Islamic countries tactlessly disclose their friendship and ties with Tel Aviv, Rouhani said at the 31st International Islamic Unity Conference here in Tehran on Tuesday.

Although such countries were in cahoots with Israel in the past, today, they announce that the resistance front against Israel is their enemy instead, said Rouhani.

However, regional nations and Muslims around the world will thwart what he called "such sinister plots" to consign the Palestinian issue into oblivion.

Most Arab governments have no official diplomatic relations with Israel, but some of them, including Saudi Arabia, have shown their proximity with Israel over what they term as "common threats" by the increasing influence of Iran in the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-05 23:55:30|Editor: Lu Hui

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Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont (C) addresses a press conference at the Press Club Europe in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 31, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

MADRID, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena on Tuesday confirmed a decision to withdraw the European arrest warrant which was issued for former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four former members of his government in November.

The warrant was originally issued after Puigdemont and Antonio Comin, Lluis Puig, Meritxell Serret and Clara Ponsati travelled to Belgium in the wake of the Catalan unilateral declaration of independence on Oct. 27.

Puigdemont and his associates were due to appear in a Belgian court on Dec. 14, coincidentally, when Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is in Brussels for a meeting of European Union (EU) leaders.

The five still face Spanish arrest warrants and would be arrested on their return to Spain where they would face charges of rebellion, sedition, and misuse of public funds and, in Puigdemont's case, disobedience.

The explanation Llarena gave for his decision was that the crime of "rebellion," which carries a possible prison sentence of 30 years, does not exist in Belgium, meaning that if Puigdemont was returned to Spain by the Belgian authorities, it would be to face the lesser charge of misuse of public funds and the Spanish court would not be able to try him for the more serious offense.

The decision comes on the first day of the campaign for the Catalan regional elections to be held on Dec. 21. Puigdement is running as the candidate for the Junts Per Catalunya party, despite his exile.

There is no doubt that if Puigdemont had been deported to Spain during the election campaign and presumably sent to prison, as the other former members of his government have been, it would have been a key factor in the election.

On Monday, the Spanish Supreme Court denied bail to Puigdemont's former deputy Oriol Junqueras, former interior spokesman Joaquim Form and Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart of the pro-independence cultural groups, ANC and Omnium Cultural, although a bail of 100,000 euros (118,000 U.S. dollars) was granted to six former members of Puigdemont's government, who have been in prison since Nov. 2.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:05:33|Editor: Yurou

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HANOI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is developing the digital economy and smart industry in a bid to restructure the economy and shift growth model toward productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on Tuesday.

The prime minister made the remarks when addressing the Smart Industry World 2017, an international exhibition, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Phuc said the fourth industrial revolution presents opportunities for Vietnam to realize its dream of prosperity.

Therefore, the government will invest in modernizing the national information infrastructure system and connectivity while developing smart industry based on digital technology to create a breakthrough in quality growth and turn Vietnam into a global center of software industry and services of information security and safety, he said.

The prime minister set the target of one million digital technicians by 2020, stressing that to achieve the goal, contents related to the revolution should be included in general education, vocational training, and tertiary education, while innovation and start-up culture must be nurtured.

The Smart Industry World 2017, which combines an international exhibition and four workshops, drew nearly 50 domestic and foreign firms operating in automation, robot, smart industry, agriculture, healthcare, education, financial technology and software.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:15:39|Editor: yan

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NICOSIA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tuesday, committing themselves to construct EastMed, an undersea natural gas pipeline from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe.

The signing of the agreement came at the end of a meeting of the energy ministers of Cyprus, Greece and Israel and the ambassador of Italy in Nicosia. The Italian energy minister was prevented from flying to Cyprus by a fault of his plane.

Cypriot Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said after the signing ceremony that the EastMed, involving about 2,000 km of piping from the eastern Mediterranean through Cyprus and Greece to Italy, is "a very important pillar" in the exploitation of natural gas fields discovered by Israel and Cyprus.

"Today we have concluded a very significant milestone, which is the signing of a memorandum of understanding which outlines the political commitment of the four countries to pursue this project," Lakkotrypis said.

A joint statement said that the four countries would cooperate to facilitate studies, permits, construction and operation of the project, with a view to signing an Intergovernmental Agreement on the project next year.

"The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding and the quadrilateral discussions confirmed our intention to cooperate in enabling and enhancing the development and the implementation of the EastMed pipeline project as a viable and strategic option and an infrastructure of special interest for gas producing states and the EU," the statement added.

A representative of the European Commissioner for Energy was present at the meeting and the signing of the agreement to denote support by the European Union to the project as an alternative route of gas supply.

Israel has discovered two large gas fields containing an estimated 24 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, while Cyprus owns a gas field with a potential of up to 6.5 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Italian ENI energy company is set to start a drilling in Cypriot block 6 before the end of this year and has requested licensing for two more drillings immediately afterwards, Lakkotrypis said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:15:40|Editor: yan

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RAMALLAH, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received Tuesday a telephone call from U.S. President Donald Trump, who told Abbas of his intention to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

President Abbas warned of the dangers of such a decision on the peace process, security and stability in the region and the world, Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rdineh said in an official statement sent to reporters.

"The president reaffirms our firm position that no Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative," said Abu Rdineh.

He added that the president will continue his contacts with world leaders to prevent such unacceptable action.

Trump was intending to make an official decision on Wednesday to decide on moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem or recognizing the city as the capital of Israel.

Reports said earlier on Tuesday that the White House announced that Trump postponed his decision on Jerusalem to Monday next week.

However, Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Abbas' Fatah Party, called for three days of rage and anger in the Palestinian territories, starting from Wednesday against any decision that will be taken on Jerusalem.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:25:44|Editor: yan

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ROME, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A woman allegedly leading one of the major mafia clans in Sicily was among 25 people arrested in a major operation on Tuesday, Italian authorities said.

The raids were carried out in Palermo, Sicily's regional capital, by some 200 officers of Italy's military Carabinieri Corp supported by dog units and helicopters.

All of those arrested were charged with mafia association, extortion, aiding and abetting, and possession of stolen goods, according to prosecutors coordinating the raid.

And they are suspected of being members of two allied mafia families, which allegedly run illegal businesses, especially a protection racket, in Palermo.

Maria Angela Di Trapani, wife of notorious boss Salvino Madonia, who is serving a life term under special hard-prison regime, was believed to be currently at the helm of the group.

She would have been in charge of reorganizing the Sicilian clan, after its ranks were severely weakened by several police operations in latest years, prosecutors of the Anti-Mafia District Directorate (DDA) in Palermo said.

The woman, who has spent eight years in prison for mafia-related crimes, is suspected of acting as a mediator between the jailed bosses, especially her husband, and the mobsters outside, Ansa news agency reported.

The Sicilian mafia (or "Cosa Nostra") has indeed lost ground to other organized crime groups, such as the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta and the Naples-based Camorra, in the last two decades, according to mafia experts. Yet, it was still described as very efficient in subjugating entrepreneurs in Sicily, and in infiltrating the local economy and public administration.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:25:45|Editor: yan

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TEHRAN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that the Caspian Sea littoral countries have reached a consensus on the bulk of the sea's long-awaited legal regime, Tasnim news agency reported.

The five countries neighboring the Caspian Sea share the view that the sea's issues should be addressed only by the littoral states and have agreed to ban all foreign military forces from entering the sea, Zarif was quoted as saying.

He stressed the need for "fairness" and "mutual respect" in demarcation of maritime boundaries in the Caspian Sea, saying that disagreements on demarcation of the zones could be resolved through "closer interaction and mutual flexibility by all parties."

Iran is ready to let other Caspian states have access to international waters when it comes to the transportation of goods or oil and gas transfer, he added.

Zarif also said that the five littoral states could establish a joint investment fund, coordinate customs affairs and unify the tariffs, found joint transportation companies, and move to remove visa requirements for trips among them.

Heading a delegation of political and legal experts, Zarif is in Russia's Moscow for the ministerial meeting, to prepare a summit of Caspian leaders, due to be held in Astana of Kazakhstan.

The ministerial meeting focused on the draft document of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea.

The Caspian Sea Convention will determine the territorial rights of the littoral states as well as other matters related to the world's largest landlocked body of water.
A general view shows Jerusalem's Old City and the Dome of the Rock, December 5, 2017. (REUTERS PHOTO)

RAMALLAH, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received Tuesday a telephone call from U.S. President Donald Trump, who told Abbas of his intention to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

President Abbas warned of the dangers of such a decision on the peace process, security and stability in the region and the world, Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rdineh said in an official statement sent to reporters.

"The president reaffirms our firm position that no Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative," said Abu Rdineh.

He added that the president will continue his contacts with world leaders to prevent such unacceptable action.

Trump was intending to make an official decision on Wednesday to decide on moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem or recognizing the city as the capital of Israel.

Reports said earlier on Tuesday that the White House announced that Trump postponed his decision on Jerusalem to Monday next week.

However, Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Abbas' Fatah Party, called for three days of rage and anger in the Palestinian territories, starting from Wednesday against any decision that will be taken on Jerusalem.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:30:48|Editor: Yang Yi

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Zeng Peiyan (C, front), former Chinese Vice Premier and Chairman of China Center for International Economic Exchanges, speaks during the third round of Sino-Japanese Entrepreneurs and Former High-level Officials Dialogue in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec. 5, 2017. Business leaders, former senior officials, experts and scholars from China and Japan called for deepening economic cooperation at the third round of Sino-Japanese Entrepreneurs and Former High-level Officials Dialogue that wrapped up here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ma Ping)

TOKYO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Business leaders, former senior officials, experts and scholars from China and Japan called for deepening economic cooperation at the third round of Sino-Japanese Entrepreneurs and Former High-level Officials Dialogue that wrapped up here on Tuesday.

Zeng Peiyan, former Chinese vice premier and chairman of China Center for International Economic Exchanges, and former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda were among the participants of the dialogue.

The two sides held frank discussions on new ideas of bilateral economic and trade cooperation and reached consensus on various issues, including enhancing trade, investment and financial cooperation and jointly exploring third party markets.

The Chinese participants briefed their Japanese counterparts on the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as well as the achievements of Chinese economy and structural readjustment over the past five years.

They said that bilateral economic cooperation is now facing a window for new development.

The Japanese side, for its part, said the 19th CPC congress specified the challenges facing China as well as the ways to tackle these challenges and has sent to the world the signal that China will keep boosting its opening-up drive.

The dialogue, which started on Monday, was very timely and helpful for Japanese entrepreneurs to understand the new phase of China's development, the Japanese participants said.

The two sides agreed that as China and Japan are highly complementary to each other in economy, they should enhance cooperation in promoting structural readjustment, nurturing new industries and exploring third party markets.

Expanding the win-win cooperation is in the interests of both Chinese and Japanese people and will contribute to building an East Asian Economic Community and pushing for the stable development of the global economy, they said.

The Japanese side also expressed its wish to take part in cooperation under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and make joint efforts with China to expand trade, investment and industry cooperation, so as to promote stable and healthy development of bilateral economic ties.

The two sides also had discussions on trade policies, trade gap, foreign direct investment, third party market exploration among others, and have reached broad consensus.

The China Center for International Economic Exchanges and Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), as co-sponsors of the dialogue, issued a joint statement after the dialogue, expressing the willingness to grasp the opportunity and deepen mutually-beneficial cooperation.

As this year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties and next year the 40th anniversary of the signing of China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, the joint statement called on both sides to take the opportunities to further improve pragmatic cooperation and coordination between the two countries and push for further development of bilateral relations.

During the dialogue, Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko, Deputy Governor at Bank of Japan Hiroshi Nakaso also briefed the Chinese side on Japanese economy, industries and monetary policies.

The Sino-Japanese Entrepreneurs and Former High-level Officials Dialogue, launched in November 2015 and held in Japan and China alternatively, is aimed at providing a platform for communication between entrepreneurs and former officials of the two countries.

The two sides agreed that the fourth round of dialogue will be held in China next year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:50:55|Editor: yan

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BUJUMBURA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least five persons were Monday night injured in a grenade explosion near a bus stop in Bwiza Zone near the city center of Bujumbura, the capital city of Burundi, a police spokesman told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Unidentified people blasted a grenade near a bus stop at Bwiza at the junction between the Fourth Avenue and the Peuple Murundi Boulevard at 7:43 p.m. local time, said Burundian Police Spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye.

Among five people who were injured, two were seriously injured, he said, adding that the victims were rushed to hospital after the explosion.

The police said they arrested one suspect.

The explosion occurred at a time when the fourth Inter-Burundi Dialogue Session is taking place in Arusha, Tanzania from Nov. 27 to Dec. 8.

The Inter-Burundi Dialogue, aimed at finding a solution to the political crisis in Burundi, is a process led by East African Community (EAC) under the mediatorship of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. EAC also appointed former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa as the facilitator of the dialogue to support the Museveni.

The fourth session will be all-inclusive and will bring together participants from the government of Burundi, former Presidents and Vice Presidents, all the 32 political parties registered in Burundi, key political actors resident in Burundi and those outside, civil society organizations, women, the youth, religious leaders from the Catholic Church, Protestant Churches and the Moslem Community as well as the media, according to a statement of EAC.

Burundi plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run his controversial third term bid, which he won in July 2015. His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup on May 13, 2015.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:50:56|Editor: yan

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KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 38th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit kicked off on Tuesday in Kuwait, as participants are to discuss political and security challenges, as well as regional and international developments.

The Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said at the opening speech that the GCC will carry on its leading role in the region despite the numerous challenges and upheavals.

The holding of the summit proves to the world that the GCC, as an important Arab regional union, needs to continue to address the needs of the people of the region, said the emir, adding that the future still holds more goals to achieve.

United efforts of the Gulf countries against regional and international challenges will ensure the security and stability of the council, the emir affirmed.

Noting that the international community managed to achieve victories against terrorism in both Iraq and Syria, however, the threat of extremism is still at large, the emir called for more efforts in this regard.

Focusing on Yemen, the emir commended the efforts carried out by the coalition, which supports the legitimacy in Yemen, adding that it was important to continue providing all forms of assistance, especially humanitarian relief, to the Yemenis.

As of the peace process in the Middle East, the emir hoped that such stalemate in the process could be moved forward in order to reach a just and everlasting peace agreement for the sake of stability of the region and the world in accordance to the Arab peace initiative and international resolutions in this regard.

He reiterated the GCC's bid to continue working with the Iraqi government to maintain stability of Iraq.

He called on Iran to abide by rules, which respect the sovereignty and internal affairs of neighboring states, stressing that this is an integral condition, which ensures the stability of the region.

GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani in his speech expressed confidence that the Kuwait-hosted talks would support reaching aspired goals and aspirations of the people in the region.

He underlined the importance of unity and integration of GCC in the face of current and future challenges.

Established in 1981, the GCC comprises six Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar, with its headquarters in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:50:57|Editor: yan

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TALLINN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas on Tuesday expressed his confidence that Europe was more balanced and more united after the six-month term of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

Speaking to the Estonian parliament, Ratas said that "hopefully, Europe will be a slightly better, more hopeful, more united, and more balanced place after our presidency".

He noted that the Estonian Presidency had demonstrated the strength of the common decisions of the EU: "the euro area is stable, the migration crisis is under control and the European Union has demonstrated that it is ready for the difficult Brexit negotiations. The concerns of European citizens regarding security, migration and economic uncertainty will of course remain the focus of the work of European Union institutions in the future."

The prime minister said reaching the agreements required for implementing the Paris Agreement, approving the European Pillar of Social Rights, and developments in EU defense cooperation were "some of the most important milestones for Europe".

Ratas highlighted the digital priority of the Estonia presidency, noting that "in addition to telecommunications infrastructure, the market, and cyber security, the idea that our future together shall be digital also underpinned legal cooperation, transport, energy, internal security, defense cooperation, agriculture, education and many other areas."

Bulgaria will succeed Estonia to hold the presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of next year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:50:58|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- West and Central Africa are lagging far behind the world in HIV response, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in the press release Tuesday.

"Four in five children living with HIV in West and Central Africa are still not receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapy and AIDS-related deaths among adolescents aged 15-19 are on the rise," UNICEF warned.

"It is tragic that so many children and adolescents today are not receiving the treatment they need just because they have not been tested," said Marie-Pierre Poirier, the UNICEF Director for the region, calling for improvement of early diagnosis and access to HIV treatment and care for children.

According to UNICEF, West and Central Africa has the lowest paediatric antiretroviral treatment coverage in the world, with only 21 percent of the 540,000 children living with HIV receiving antiretroviral treatment in 2016, compared to 43 percent globally.

"Without knowing a child's HIV status, his or her family is less likely to seek the treatment that could prevent the tragedy of a child's death from AIDS-related illnesses," said UNICEF.

The situation is worse among adolescents: the annual number of new HIV infections among those aged 15-19 years in the region now exceeds that of children aged 0-14 years. These new infections occur mostly through unprotected sexual contact and among adolescent girls.

Equally concerning, according to Step Up the Pace: Towards an AIDS-free, a recently released UNICEF report, is that the region has seen a 35 percent rise in the annual number of AIDS-related deaths among adolescents aged 15-19 years, the only age group in which the number of AIDS-related deaths increased between 2010 and 2016.

With the region's youth population expected to grow significantly within the coming decades, especially in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Nigeria, the numbers of children and adolescents becoming infected with HIV and dying from AIDS is likely to remain high, unless the HIV response, both prevention and treatment, improves dramatically, the report has warned.

To overcome these hurdles, the report calls for key strategies to enable countries accelerate efforts to curb the spread of disease.

In particular, it proposes a differentiated HIV response focusing on unique epidemiological and local contexts in each country and community; integration of HIV services into key social services including health, education and protection; community ownership and local governance of the HIV response including working with families to help reduce stigma, access prevention and treatment; and investment in innovations to remove barriers to diagnostic and biomedical approaches such as point of care diagnostics, HIV self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis.

"Leaders of the region have endorsed a Catch-Up plan aiming to triple the number of people on treatment in the region, including children, by the end of 2018, the key issue now is to accelerate implementation," said Luiz Loures, the Deputy Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

"Countries should urgently put in place more effective strategies for early infant diagnosis of HIV, and start reducing inequity in children's access to treatment," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 00:56:00|Editor: yan

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NAIROBI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Somali government and the United Nations on Tuesday signed the UN Strategic Framework for Somalia (UNSF), mapping out the world body's support to the country's development priorities in the next four years.

The UNSF articulates the collective strategy, commitments and actions of 23 UN agencies and the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia in support of the country's development priorities, as outlined in the National Development Plan, and towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

"UNSF recognizes past efforts, cements the close partnership between Somalia and the United Nations, and reiterates our commitment to working together for the delivery of tangible results to the Somali people," said Peter de Clercq, the UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia.

The UN said in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu that the Plan follows an extensive strategic assessment that gathered inputs, feedback, hopes and aspirations of a broad range of stakeholders, including Somali civil society, government counterparts and the public.

The framework has adapted gender equality and women's empowerment, human rights, and youth engagement and empowerment as cross-cutting issues, and is structured along five strategic priorities.

Among the priorities include deepening federalism and state-building, supporting conflict resolution and reconciliation, and preparing for universal elections; and supporting institutions to improve peace, security, justice, the rule of law and safety of Somalis.

The Plan is structured to strengthen accountability and support institutions that protect; strengthen resilience of Somali institutions, society and population; and support socio-economic opportunities for Somalis.

The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Michael Keating, said the framework sets out how the UN will support Somalia, including in key areas such as achieving universal elections, strengthening the rule of law and improving governance.

"It will guide our collective efforts to improve the quality of life and opportunities for all Somalis," Keating said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 01:16:08|Editor: yan

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by Xinhua writers Zhu Shaobin and Ronald Njoroge

NAIROBI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world's leading authority on environment, on Tuesday honored six inspirational environmental leaders with the Champions of the Earth award during the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA3) being held on Dec. 4-6 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Chinese earth defenders, including the Saihanba Afforestation Community, bike-sharing startup Mobike, Chairman of Elion Resources Group Wang Wenbiao, were separately honored and have garnered half of the UN's highest awards on environment this year.

"The Saihanba Afforestation Community have transformed degraded land into a lush paradise -- part of a new Great Wall of vegetation that will play a part in helping protect millions from air pollution and preserving precious water supplies," said Erik Solheim, UNEP executive director, adding that the work is proof that environmental degradation can be reversed, and that this is an investment worth making.

He also said that the awards won by the Chinese have shown that the private sector can make a healthy profit while at the same time making huge improvements to people's lives and the environment.

"It proves that environmental challenges are not problems, but opportunities. This work is an inspiration to China and the world," he said.

In a rare article titled "Good News" which Solheim authored prior to the UNEA3, he also said that what the UNEP witnessed over the last two years in China is an unprecedented effort in protecting the environment while pursing economic and social progress.

During an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday, UNEP Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw also appreciated the Chinese efforts in environment protection.

"What we have seen recently in China is a very clear direction from the leadership that air and water pollution should not result in fatality and can be addressed with clear policy. We have seen the Chinese president and government adopt very clear positions and policy to help deal with pollution," he said.

"The most recent China (ruling) party congress was a landmark because the leadership come out strongly to speak about not only social and economic issues but also environmental issues," he said, adding China has become a major contributor of clean technologies around the world.

According to him, as the world's biggest investor in renewable energy, it may be a good opportunity for Chinese businesses to promote clean technologies and help in the dissemination of the technologies that will benefit developing countries.

"The energy production systems that are present in China are being phased out in favor of cleaner energy centers. This is something that we salute," he said.

According to him, given China's status as the world's second largest economy and its political influence and leadership role around the world, when China adopts domestic polices in regard to environment, it has global implications.

During the UNEA3, a sustainable innovation expo is also being held, with many enterprises expressing their appreciation for Chinese expertise in environment protection and technological innovation.

Dez Page-Morri, CEO of Enviroserve Kenya, an electronic waste recycler, said that currently the company's machinery, including shredders, separators and crushers have come from China while Advait Joshi, a third-year university student with USIU Africa who brings an air quality monitoring system in partnership with Intel to the expo, said that he and his classmate have actually got the idea of realtime air quality monitoring from China, something still in non-existence in Kenya.

During Tuesday's award-giving event, Saihanba Afforestation Community was awarded for transforming degraded land in northern China into a lush forest covering 92,000 hectares since 1962, generating huge volumes of water and oxygen for major cities in northern China and spurring green sector growth.

Meanwhile, Wang Wenbiao was awarded for a lifetime of leadership in green industry for his efforts in thwarting desertification and Mobike, the world's largest smart bike-sharing company, was awarded for exploring market-driven solutions to air pollution and climate change.

President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, Paul A. Newman and his team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and American filmmaker Jeff Orlowski were the three other winners of the award.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 02:01:26|Editor: yan

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BELGRADE, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Serbia and Kyrgyzstan Tuesday signed an agreement to cancel visas for citizens of the two countries.

The deal was signed by the foreign ministers of Serbia and Kyrgyzstan Ivica Dacic and Erlan Abdyldaev, according to the government's press office.

The two foreign minister also discussed establishing free trade within the framework of the Eurasian Union.

"Cancellation of visas is the best way to express friendship in a formal way," Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said after signing the deal, adding that the two countries should advance their economic cooperation which last year amounted to only 15 million U.S. dollars,

"Kyrgyzstan is a member of the Eurasian Union and currently there are ongoing negotiations about free-trade, such as the one that we have with Russia and Belarus, as well as all the other members of that union," Dacic said, announcing that Serbia would support Kyrgyzstan as a candidate for the member of the UN Security Council.

Dacic thanked Kyrgyzstan for his country's support to Serbia in international organizations such as UNESCO, and for respecting Serbia's sovereignty, announcing that he would visit Kyrgyzstan on the 20-year anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

For his part, Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Erlan Abdyldaev said the two discussed a wide range of issues -- from bilateral ones to those related to international and regional organizations.

"We understood each other on all issues. Serbia is for us a friendly country and a reliable partner in the international arena," he said.

Abdyldaev said they had reached an agreement for the two countries to cooperate in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing industry and energy, and expressed his expectations that "one big Serbian company will come to do business on the Kyrgyz market."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 02:01:27|Editor: Yurou

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The new Turkish Ambassador to China Abdulkadir Emin Onen receives an interview with Xinhua in Ankara, Turkey, on Nov. 22, 2017. Abdulkadir Emin Onen said Turkey hopes to elevate Turkey-China relations to a higher level.(Xinhua/Qin Yanyang)

ANKARA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The new Turkish Ambassador to China Abdulkadir Emin Onen said Turkey hopes to elevate Turkey-China relations to a higher level.

Onen, also the former member of Turkish parliament and chairman of the Turkey-China Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, made the remark during a recent interview with Xinhua.

He said that Turkey-China relations have already improved under the frame of strategic partnership with common effort.

Onen highlighted that political relations between the two countries are very good, adding that presidents of Turkey and China have met several times in recent years and took important steps to improve bilateral relations.

The ambassador said one of his priorities during the new term is to increase trade volume.

"Our current trade volume is 28 billion U.S. dollars and we're working on our trade relations to increase this figure to 50 billion dollars and eventually to 100 billion dollars," he said, noting that Turkey will attempt to increase mutual direct investment and attract more Chinese investment to Turkey.

"Increasing trade between the two countries, bilateral agreements on various fields, including construction of railways and high-speed trains, and increasing number of Chinese investors in large-scale projects provide bright prospect to bilateral relations in future," Onen said.

Onen also appreciated China's Belt and Road Initiative, emphasizing that many infrastructural investments like railway and port constructions are being realized under this important project. He said Belt and Road Initiative will not only improve the cultural relations between Turkey and China, but also benefit all countries that are covered in.

In regards to Turkey's participation in Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Onen told Xinhua that Turkey, a dialogue partner at present, already has a full-membership bid to this prominent organization, and wants to increase cooperation with SCO and other organizations in Asia economically and politically.

"I know and love China and its people. I want the two countries to know each other better," the ambassador said.

Before his political career in parliament, Onen lived in Guangzhou for three years and got familiar to Chinese culture at that time.

To promote the people-to-people exchange, the new ambassador attached much importance to tourism and education cooperation.

Talking on tourism cooperation, Onen said 2018 is to be celebrated as Turkey Tourism Year in China, during which approximately 50 projects will be held to introduce Turkey's tourist hotspots to Chinese public. Onen expected Turkey could attract 1 million Chinese tourists per year to this "open-air cultural museum with various civilizations."

Meanwhile, Onen said the two countries should improve student cooperation and exchange programs, encourage Turkish and Chinese language studies mutually, to improve understanding between young people of Turkey and China.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 02:41:42|Editor: yan

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KAMPALA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's ministry of health has said it now has adequate stock of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs lasting over four months.

Henry Mwebesa, acting Director General of Health Services (DGHS) at the ministry said in a statement issued late on Monday that in September the quantity of second line and some pediatric ARV's formulations for the public sector, fell below the acceptable buffer stock of four months. This caused a delay in the delivery of some ARV orders.

"As a result of this, we had to rationalize drug usage in the health facilities. This meant that instead of prescribing the normal two months of drug refills, health workers reduced the refill period to one month," said Mwebesa.

Mwebesa said there are now right quantities of ARV drug formulations for HIV patients to continue their treatment without any interruptions.

"The ministry of health would like to inform the public that contrary to the information that has been making rounds in the press and some public fora, the country has adequate stocks of antiretroviral drugs to manage all the patients on treatment in Uganda," said Mwebesa.

"NMS (National Medical Stores) is in the process of distributing these commodities with prioritization of the districts and health facilities that were most affected by the rationalization," Mwebesa added.

Civil society organizations and HIV advocates on World's AIDS Day which falls on Dec. 1 expressed concern over alleged shortage of ARVs in the country for months.

At least over 900,000 out of an estimated 1.4 million HIV infected persons in Uganda are on life saving anti-retroviral drugs, according to ministry of health statistics.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 02:51:46|Editor: Yurou

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PARIS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- France on Tuesday expressed concerns over violence escalation in Yemen, calling for swift negotiation of a ceasefire in the country "to avoid worsening the crisis," the country's foreign ministry said.

As the situation remained "highly uncertain" in Sanaa after the killing of former president Ali Abbdullah Salah, Paris "calls on the Yemeni parties to resume negotiations swiftly and without preconditions to achieve a lasting political solution to the crisis."

"Protecting local populations and civic infrastructures and providing complete, unconditional, unfettered access to humanitarian aid are obligations under international humanitarian law, and are incumbent upon all parties to the conflict," the Quai d'Orsay said.

Yemen plunged into a wave of violent clashes which led to Saleh's assassination by Iran-backed Houthi militants on Monday after he announced he broke their alliance to oppose them.

After more than three decades in power, Saleh was ousted during the Arab Spring in 2011. In late 2014, he allied with the Houthi militants and seized power from the internationally recognized government led by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The year-long military battle between the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has dragged the country to the world's worst famine and humanitarian crisis.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 02:56:48|Editor: yan

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PARIS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A man with criminal background was shot dead at the car park of the Bastia airport on the French island of Corsica Tuesday morning in an apparent settling of scores, the French television channel BFMTV reported.

Antoine Quilichini, also called as "Tony the butcher", one of the main figures of organized crimes in Corsica was shot dead in his head at around 11:30 local time (1030 GMT), according to the report.

A 40-year-old man was wounded by several gunshots and was in serious situation while another, 35 , suffered minor injuries, it added.

The shooting motive remains unknown while police operation is underway to hunt the perpetrators.
This file photo taken on July 31, 2017 shows the U.S. embassy building in Moscow. (AFP)

MOSCOW, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry Tuesday said it was not satisfied with the limited resumption of U.S. visa issuance in Russia.

"We definitely welcome the restoration to the previous number of places where Russians can apply for U.S. visas ... But it is regrettable that, as the U.S. embassy said, the visa services will in fact continue to be limited," the ministry said in a statement.

The U.S. embassy in Russia said Monday that the U.S. consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok will begin to offer limited interviews for non-immigrant visas from December 11.

"Our services, however, will not return to the level we maintained prior to the Russian Federation's unwarranted demand that we dramatically reduce the number of personnel at the U.S. embassy and our three consulates," the statement said.

The U.S. embassy had suspended non-immigrant visa operations at the three U.S. consulates indefinitely in August. Moscow was the only place where applications could be made for an American visa after Russia ordered the U.S. mission to cut its staff by 755 people in July.

Prior to that, Russia and the United States launched rounds of mutual sanctions amid prolonged spats over whether Moscow had interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 03:26:55|Editor: yan

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GENEVA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday that Russia is banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics set for next February in PyeongChang, South Korea, over doping concerns.

The IOC decided to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee with immediate effect, but Russian athletes would still be able to compete at the Pyeongchang games in uniforms bearing the name "Olympic Athlete from Russia" under the Olympic Flag, and the Olympic Anthem will be played in any ceremony.

Last year, an independent WADA commission headed by Professor Richard McLaren released a report accusing Russia of state-sponsored doping programs to illegally boost Russian athletes' performances.

The report was largely based on the testimony of the former head of a Moscow anti-doping lab Grigory Rodchenkov, who fled to the United States at the end of 2015, becoming an informant for WADA.

The scandal prevented a large number of Russian athletes and officials from participating in the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics and raised queries about the participation of the Russian national team in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea's PyeongChang.

But Russia has denied state-sponsored doping scheme alleged by WADA report.

The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement earlier in November that "The investigation had obtained data that WADA lacked any evidence of Russia's guilt in the mass use of doping by athletes."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 03:26:57|Editor: Yurou

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KIGALI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 45th meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC) opened in the Rwandan capital Kigali on Tuesday with a call for fresh impetus against proliferation of illicit arms to address security challenges.

Experts' meeting started on Tuesday which will be followed by foreign ministers' meeting on Friday.

Top issues on the agenda are the political situation in Central Africa and a review of disarmament and arms limitation program in the region.

Speaking at the opening, the Permanent Secretary in Rwandan foreign ministry Claude Nikobisanzwe cited current situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), and terrorism menace by Nigeria's militant group Boko Haram among the security challenges.

"States have to pursue their ongoing efforts against the proliferation of illicit arms," he said. Without peace and security it will be impossible to realize the aspirations of our populations, he added.

Anne Chantal Nama, the outgoing chairperson of 45th meeting of experts of the committee, mentioned the need for holistic approach to address the region's security challenges.

Effective implementation of a regional strategy against terrorism and the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons is vital step, she said.

Foreign ministers, experts and observers from regional and international organizations from the 11 member countries of the committee will attend the meeting.

The UNSAC, which consists of the countries including Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe, meets twice a year at to discuss disarmament, terrorism, armed conflicts, piracy and other issues in the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 03:37:02|Editor: yan

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TIRANA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Albania's National Agency of Natural Resources (NANR) has reached an oil exploration deal with SHELL Company, paving the way for the start of the drilling in Block 4, in southern Albania, head of NANR Adrian Bylyku announced Tuesday.

Bylyku told reporters he was very optimistic about the developments in the country's hydrocarbons sector.

"The upcoming year can be considered successful, especially for the hydrocarbons sector, since we have reached an agreement with SHELL on Block 4," said Bylyku.

Block 4 includes the area between Saranda and Gjirokastra in southern Albania. The calls for its drilling were initially made by NANR in 2015.

On the other hand, he noted that SHELL was continuing its oil and gas exploration in Block 2 and 3.

Block 2 and 3 are located in Berat area in southwestern Albania.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 03:37:03|Editor: Yurou

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WARSAW, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Polish Finance Ministry announced Tuesday that the country will donate 50 million euros (59 million U.S. dollars) to the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support countries affected by the migration crisis.

The Finance Ministry said in a press release that Poland, as the first EU country signed a contract with the EIB regarding participation in the Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI), will donate 50 million euros by the end of 2017.

"Joining the ERI is a contribution of Polish solidarity in tackling the most important developmental, humanitarian and migration challenges in the EU's neighbourhood," said Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Development and Finance Mateusz Morawiecki.

According to the press release, the ERI, which will cover the countries of the Southern Neighborhood and the Western Balkan, aims to increase the resilience of these countries' economies to shocks, such as the Syrian refugee crisis.

The initiative's priorities are infrastructure, private sector development, sustainable growth and job creation. These activities will also contribute to tackle the root causes of migration.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 03:42:05|Editor: yan

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LUANDA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Angolan government will create integrated protected marine areas to ensure the preservation of vital energy resources and maintenance of food chains, biodiversity, fish production and help in the conservation of fishery resources.

This was announced on Tuesday in Luanda by the Angola's Minister of Fisheries and Sea, Victoria de Barros Neto, who was addressing the opening of the workshop on the management of protected marine areas.

According to her, scientific research is key to identifying these areas and in providing guidelines so that managers can create and implement management measures for conservation.

The Angolan coastal zone has very sensitive and fragile areas from an environmental point of view, such as estuaries and mangrove systems, important for the growth of many commercially valuable fish species, the minister said.

At the opening of this workshop, which is running until Thursday, as part of the technical cooperation program between the Angolan and Norwegian governments, the minister also stressed the strategic importance of the Angolan coastal zone.

The ministry has already cataloged some sensitive areas for protection, according to the national director of Fisheries and Protection of Fishery Resources of Angola, Maria de Lurdes Sardinha.

"There are numbers, and what we have left is just to integrate. For example, we have a lot of palm-sensitive systems here, the Benguela cold current, the shrimp protection zone and what we're going to do is integrate them," she said.

The workshop on management of protected marine areas brings together various users of the national ecosystem, including oil and gas exploration companies, transport, tourism industry, environment and members of the Norwegian Embassy in Angola.

Researchers from the Agostinho Neto University in Luanda and the University of Aveiro in Portugal are also participating in the event.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 04:12:17|Editor: yan

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ABUJA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Tuesday said it has identified 2,778 of its citizens languishing in detention camps in Libya.

In a statement, the foreign ministry said the Nigerian migrants, now ready for repatriation, were kept in some accessible detention camps in Libya.

They were identified by officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Libya who visited the detention camps, according to the statement.

The Nigerian citizens who were identified had been issued emergency travel certificates, the foreign ministry said.

Some 250 Nigerian migrants are expected back home later on Tuesday, the ministry disclosed.

"The repatriation is a continuous exercise...the embassy will continue to engage the legitimate government in Libya and other stakeholders in addressing the plight of Nigerian migrants in that country," the statement added.
The photo on May 10, 2016 shows a German train in a station in the south of the country. (Xinhua/Zhu Sheng)

FRANKFURT, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 50 people were injured in a train collision in western German city of Meerbusch Tuesday evening, according to the local fire department's twitter.

The fire department said that the emergency services have arrived at the accident site and are trying to get access to the people on the passenger train, which collided with a freight train.

The accident occurred around 7:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) near the community of Meerbusch-Osterathnear, about 10 km northwest of Dusseldorf.

Citing a police spokesman, a report by German press agency DPA says rescue operations are going slowly because overhead power lines had been torn down and were hanging dangerously.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 04:37:28|Editor: Lu Hui

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U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on May 23, 2017. In the final remarks that concluded his first visit to the region, U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that peace between Israel and the Palestinians is "possible". (Xinhua/JINI)

RAMALLAH/GAZA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas by phone that he intends to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Palestinians have strongly condemned and rejected Trump's decision, and called for days of rage all over the Palestinian territories against Trump's decision, who also informed the leaders of Israel, Jordan and Egypt on his intentions.

Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in an official statement that President Abbas warned of the dangers of such a decision on the peace process, security and stability in the region and the world.

"The president reaffirms our firm and strict position that (there is) no Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative," said Rudeineh.

He added that Abbas will continue his contacts with regional and world leaders to prevent such unacceptable action.

Earlier, Rudeineh said in a statement that the Palestinian leadership totally rejects U.S. moving embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, adding "such a move would have serious and crucial consequences on the peace process."

"We can't accept moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem because this means that it is an official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel," he said, warning that the consequences of this decision will trigger danger on peace, security and stability in the region.

The Palestinians want to declare the eastern part of Jerusalem the capital of their future state, while Israel insists that all Jerusalem is its eternal capital. Israel has occupied the eastern part of the holy city since 1967, but Jerusalem hasn't been recognized by the international community as the capital of Israel.

Jerusalem is one of the final-status issues for Palestinian-Israeli negotiations which had stalled in 2014 after nine months of U.S.-sponsored talks without progress to resolve the decades-old conflict.

Trump pledged to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem during his election campaign, but last June he signed an extraordinary six-month order to keep it in Tel Aviv in a move taken by all his predecessors to avoid increasing tension in the Middle East.

After taking office, Trump pledged to continue his country's sponsorship of a peace process between the Palestinians and Israel, but he has yet to announce any practical mechanisms for such a move, and has also avoided sticking to the traditional position on a two-state solution.

The Palestinians have repeatedly warned that any U.S. attack on the status quo in Jerusalem would mean destroying the peace process and ending the U.S. role in sponsoring the negotiations.

Earlier in the day, the Palestinian presidency announced a telephone call between Abbas and French President Emmanuel Macron, during which France's efforts over the issue were discussed.

Abbas appreciated the efforts by President Macron and "France's position to achieve a just peace and stability in the region," according to an official statement.

The Palestinian presidency also announced that the Palestinian leadership is considering calling for an emergency Arab summit if the U.S. steps to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or move the embassy there.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian consensus government said after its weekly meeting held in the West Bank city of Ramallah that "the Palestinian masses express their rejection of the U.S. policies on Jerusalem."

It said in a press release that the Palestinian people will stand against any attempt to harm the "holy city of Jerusalem."

The statement said that moving the U.S. embassy to the occupied Jerusalem or recognizing it as the capital of Israel "threatens peace and security in our region and the world."

The government said that the U.S. step represented an encouragement to Israel to escalate its crimes against the Palestinian people and its violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Palestinian factions and political powers in the West Bank and Gaza called for considering the coming Wednesday to Friday "days of popular anger and rage" all over the Palestinian territories.

Following a meeting held in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the political powers urged Arab leaders and governments to "shoulder their historical responsibility by openly declaring their rejection of any action related to the transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem."

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas movement called for an emergency meeting of the factions to discuss the U.S. position towards Jerusalem.

The factions decided to call for a mass rally to "reject the American plot on Jerusalem" on Wednesday in Gaza.

Leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Talal Abu Zarifa told reporters after the meeting that the factions agreed on a series of popular activities "to emphasize that Jerusalem is a red line, the capital of Palestine."

He said that it was agreed to form a daily working committee of the factions "to follow developments step by step and to develop the executive mechanisms in relation to any moves related to this aspect, including steps of escalation."
More than 1,000 people protest against the narrowly passed Republican tax reform bill in downtown Chicago, Dec. 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Jing)

CHICAGO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Anger over the narrowly passed Republican tax reform bill drew over a thousand people to protest in Lasalle Street in downtown Chicago on Monday, where clusters of banks, trusts, and other upper class Americans work.

Individuals of all ages and demographics marched from the Chicago Board of Trade to Federal Plaza, carrying signs and chanting for equality and for Republican senators to be held accountable. Chicago Police Officers escorted the demonstrators along their route as they peacefully protested.

"It's a political genocide," Beverley Kirks told Xinhua reporters. Kirks' sister, MJ Mohr, is just as disappointed in the nearly 500-page tax bill that makes significant cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, and provides large tax breaks for some of the wealthiest people in the country.

"I'm sick. I'm emotionally ill from everything that's happening with the government and I can't sit back anymore," said Mohr. "We have to do more. We can't just sit back. We can't stay asleep."

More than 1,000 people protest against the narrowly passed Republican tax reform bill in downtown Chicago, Dec. 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Jing)

A protest at the Chicago Board of Trade earlier in the afternoon brought several healthcare and political activist groups and residents from across the city to voice their discontent.

Briana Gulley, a student from Indiana, also marched in the protest. "It obviously mistreats people of a lower socioeconomic class. It's so obviously unfair," she said.

Chicago has a history of protests against the current administration. Now many have fears over issues of immigration, healthcare and education, which are affected by the tax reform bill.

More than 1,000 people protest against the narrowly passed Republican tax reform bill in downtown Chicago, Dec. 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Jing)

"They're giving a lot of breaks to the upper class and they're screwing over the working people," Rafael Solis told Xinhua. Solis, an immigrant who has lived in Chicago for 23 years, plans to continue protesting until he sees change.

Many Chicagoans see this tax reform as blatantly benefiting wealthy Americans. Even those who did not vote for U.S. President Donald Trump hoped he would keep his promises to help the middle class. Among those are Sue and Phil, long-time residents of Chicago.

"The tax bill is a betrayal of America. It's not acting in the common good," Sue said.

"It enriches the rich and subverts the under and middle class, who Trump said he was going to help, so it's a lie," her husband Phil added.

Protesters say they will continue to demonstrate against the tax reform bill in the coming months in the hope of making a change.

More than 1,000 people protest against the narrowly passed Republican tax reform bill in downtown Chicago, Dec. 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Jing)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 04:47:32|Editor: yan

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LONDON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Irish ambassador to Britain said on Tuesday that a continued open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland after Brexit was "essential" for peace.

Brexit negotiations between Britain and the European Union (EU) were halted on Monday just as both sides appeared to have reached an agreement over how to deal with Britain's only land border with an EU state.

However, the talks fell apart on Monday afternoon after British Prime Minister Theresa May was told by Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that it did not back May.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said that it did not support May's deal on the future of the Irish border.

The agreement May believed she had reached on Monday lunchtime was no longer available after a phone conversation with Foster.

Foster's DUP agreed over the summer after the general election to support May's minority government, and May relies on the support of its ten MPs to stay in power.

Adrian O'Neill, Irish ambassador to Britain, said on Tuesday afternoon at a briefing at the Institute for Government (IFG) in London: "An open border is essential to protect the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement."

He added: "For us it is about maintaining the status quo about making sure we avoid any hardening of the border in Ireland. That has been the objective of the Irish government since the Brexit referendum."

The border between Ireland and Northern Ireland was a hard border but developments in 1992 and then the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) of 1998, which brought peace to Northern Ireland after the decades-long Troubles, ended that.

O'Neill said that there was now "an open and invisible border, that is a consequence of the single market in 1992."

The GFA meant that the security installations of the British Army were dismantled.

"That is a huge leap in progress in terms of bringing communities together, it was a huge facilitator of normalization of arrangements on the island of Ireland," said O'Neill.

The Irish government had been involved in negotiations for a solution to the border issue over the past few days between Ireland, Britain and the EU, O'Neill confirmed.

These discussions centered on the text of a document and the Irish Cabinet had met on Monday morning and backed that text, said O'Neill.

"A good deal of progress had been made on that text and there were a couple of outstanding issues on Sunday and a Cabinet meeting was called on Monday morning to look at that text and get the approval of the Irish government," added O'Neill.

He added: "That was secured and as the toaiseach (Irish prime minister) indicated he got a call from President Juncker (president of the European Commission) and President Tusk (president of the European Council) to confirm the agreement of the UK. And it was full speed ahead."

O'Neill said that the Irish government saw in that document a "clean and firm commitment to avoid a hard border" with Northern Ireland.

This would be achieved through an overall future agreement between the EU and Britain, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 05:02:37|Editor: Lu Hui

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Greek actress Katerina Lehou (1st R) in the role of an Ancient Greek High Priestess passes the Sacred Olympic Flame to Hellenic Olympic Committee President Spyros Capralos at Panathenaic stadium in Athens on Oct. 31, 2017,during the handover ceremony of the Olympic flame for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.(Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

GENEVA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday that Russia is banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics set for next February in PyeongChang, South Korea, over doping concerns.

The IOC decided to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) with immediate effect, but Russian athletes would still be able to compete at the PyeongChang Games in uniforms bearing the name "Olympic Athlete from Russia" under the Olympic Flag, and the Olympic Anthem will be played in any ceremony.

Samuel Schmid, former Swiss president entitled to lead the investigation commission, said an over-17-month IOC investigation has "confirmed the systemic manipulation of the anti-doping rules and system in Russia during the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, as well as the various levels of administrative, legal and contractual responsibility".

"This was an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic Games and sport," said IOC President Thomas Bach. "As an athlete myself, I'm feeling very sorry for all the clean athletes."

The IOC "has issued proportional sanctions for this systemic manipulation while protecting the clean athletes. This should draw a line under this damaging episode and serve as a catalyst for a more effective anti-doping system led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)," he added.

But Russia has denied state-sponsored doping scheme alleged by WADA report.

The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement earlier in November that "The investigation had obtained data that WADA lacked any evidence of Russia's guilt in the mass use of doping by athletes."

Vitaly Mutko, Russian then Minister of Sport during 2014 Sochi Olympics, and his then Deputy Minister Yuri Nagornykh were both excluded from any participation in all future Olympic Games, the IOC announced.

The IOC also ruled that no official from the Russian Ministry of Sport will be accredited for the PyeongChang Games.

Despite the ban against the Russian Olympic Committee, the IOC clarified that Russian athletes are still invited to Pyeongchang only with "strict conditions." A detailed invitation list will be determined at the IOC's absolute discretion, by a panel that includes members appointed by WADA, the Doping-Free Sport Unit and the IOC.

The sanctions may be partially or fully lifted from the commencement of the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Games, provided these IOC decisions are fully respected and implemented by the ROC and by the invited athletes and officials, it concluded.

Last year, an independent WADA commission headed by Professor Richard McLaren released a report accusing Russia of state-sponsored doping programs to illegally boost Russian athletes' performances.

The report was largely based on the testimony of the former head of a Moscow anti-doping lab Grigory Rodchenkov, who fled to the United States at the end of 2015, becoming an informant for WADA.

The scandal prevented a large number of Russian athletes and officials from participating in the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 05:27:45|Editor: Yurou

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RABAT, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Portugal signed here on Tuesday 12 cooperation agreements in various areas to strengthen bilateral partnership.

Signed during the 13th session of the Morocco-Portugal High-Level Meeting, the agreements cover the fields of economic, energy, cultural, civil service and health, as well as triangular cooperation with third countries.

The two countries inked a cooperation action plan in the maritime and port sector for 2018-2019, an agreement for the implementation of a cooperation program in the field of tourism for the period 2017-2019 and a protocol for cooperation in the area of digital government and information technologies.

Other agreements consisted of memorandum of understandings in the field of health, geology and mining, renewable energies, civil service and modernization of the administration and on triangular cooperation.

The signing ceremony was co-chaired by Moroccan head of government Saad Eddine El Othmani and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

Othmani said here on Monday that Morocco and Portugal have the same views on several issues regarding bilateral cooperation, including the need to support the private sector to boost economic relations.

Speaking during the high-level meeting, the two sides hailed their solid friendship, calling on more efforts to enhance the bilateral relations.

Othmani highlighted prospects for cooperation between the two countries in the framework of Morocco's African policy.

Costa lauded cooperation between Portuguese and Moroccan businesses at the level of the African continent, underlining that many promising fields could contribute to the development of a win-win partnership.

Held under the theme "Synergies for industrial co-investment," the forum aimed to promote business and investment opportunities in key areas and to establish new partnerships between the two countries' business communities.

It brought together a large delegation of Portuguese enterprises and Moroccan economic operators from various sectors.

Some 300 Portuguese companies are installed in Morocco, while over 1,300 Portuguese companies are exporting to Morocco.

In 2015, Portugal's exports of goods and services to Morocco surged 18.5 percent to 649.9 million euros (766.9 million U.S. dollars), while imports rose 12.2 percent to 211.1 million euros, according to data from the Portuguese Institute of Statistics.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 05:37:48|Editor: Yang Yi

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Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai (3rd L, Front) addresses the third session of the China-Ukraine Intergovernmental Commission in Kiev, Ukraine, on Dec. 5, 2017. The meeting co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai and Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv was held here on Tuesday.(Xinhua/Chen Junfeng)

KIEV, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai and Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman met here on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation between their countries.

Ma spoke highly of the results of the third session of the China-Ukraine Intergovernmental Commission on bilateral cooperation, which was held earlier in the day.

"We have successfully held the third meeting of the China-Ukraine Intergovernmental Commission ... At the next stages, it is important to transform the agreements and the signed documents into tangible results for the benefit of our peoples," he said.

At the session, China and Ukraine signed an action plan on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and agreed to deepen their cooperation in agriculture, energy efficiency and renewable energy, culture, healthcare and education as well as other sectors.

Ma also welcomed Ukraine's desire to actively participate in the implementation of international projects under the Belt and Road Initiative and create a favorable business environment to bolster entrepreneurship development.

For his part, Groysman said that Ukraine attaches a great importance to its ties and cooperation with China and stands ready to promote the partnership.

"China has been and remains our strategic partner. For me, as for the prime minister, China is a strategic priority. I think that we can with renewed vigor launch a number of important projects of our cooperation," Groysman said.

Kiev welcomes more Chinese enterprises to do businesses with or make investment in Ukraine and it is ready to facilitate such cooperation, he said.

According to the Ukrainian statistics, the trade turnover between China and Ukraine rose 14.5 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2017 to 5.6 billion U.S. dollars.

The Chinese delegation headed by Ma arrived in Kiev on Monday on a three-day visit at the invitation of the Ukrainian government.

The China-Ukraine Intergovernmental Commission was launched in 2011 as a core mechanism to coordinate and plan all-round cooperation between the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 05:42:52|Editor: yan

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FRANKFURT, Dec. 5 (Xinhua)-- Forty-seven people were injured, including three seriously, in a train collision in a city close to Dusseldorf on Tuesday, local fire department said.

A regional passenger train collided with a freight train Tuesday evening in the western German city of Meerbusch, located about 10 kilometers northwest of Dusseldorf.

The fire department in Meerbusch said rescuers found 155 people on the train, and 47 injured people, including 41 lightly, three moderately, and three seriously, were being treated.

The collision took place near the Meerbusch-Osterath railway station, where the passenger train rammed from behind into the freight train, which parked on the same track.

The regional passenger train RE7 operated on the track from Rheine to Krefeld. However, it remains unclear why the freight train parked on the same track.

Federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said via social media website that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was following the situation after the train crash in Meerbusch.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 05:47:54|Editor: yan

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EDINBURGH, Britain, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Scotland on Tuesday vowed to expand their cooperation in a host of areas ranging from trade and investment to education and culture.

The pledge came as visiting Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong met with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Liu said China is willing to enhance its cooperation with Scotland in areas including trade, investment, culture, education, energy, environmental protection, science and technology as well as innovation.

She said the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has brought new opportunities for the development of Sino-UK relations.

On her part, Sturgeon said Scotland has a time-tested friendship with China and the Asian country's fast development over the past years has provided critical opportunities for the development of Scotland itself.

She said Scotland attaches great importance to the expansion and deepening of its cooperation with China in areas including trade, investment, education and culture.

Liu's four-day trip, which started Monday and will also take her to London and Oxford, coincided with the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the China-UK ambassadorial diplomatic relations.

The centerpiece of the visit is the fifth annual UK-China High-Level People-to-People Dialogue -- the highest level Sino-UK dialogue to be held in Britain this year -- which Liu will jointly chair with British Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 05:52:55|Editor: yan

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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of U.S. firefighters were battling to save homes Tuesday as a dynamic brush fire driven by strong winds exploded to at least 4,000 acres in hours in Southern California.

The fast moving brush fire, dubbed the Creek Fire, began early Tuesday in Los Angeles County. Firefighters were battling on the scene, being supported by water-dropping helicopters.

"Over 240 LAFD (alone plus all unified agencies) working relentlessly to battle both on ground and by air. Thus far, their dedicated efforts have prevented the loss of life," said Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) on its official website.

Some 105 patients were being voluntarily evacuated from Mountain View Convalescent Center on Fenton Ave in Sylmar, said LAFD, noting that they had no reported injuries from any civilians.

An unknown number of homes were destroyed by the blaze, according to LAFD.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Kagel Canyon and some other nearby areas.

Clouds of black smoke were seen from miles away before blowing by wind over the valley.

The fire started at several points on the hills in the early morning and blew up to a raging fire, sprawling along the terrain, according to local residents.

"I wake up by the sound of fire engines around 5 o'clock in the morning," Derek Berry told Xinhua. "Watching through the windows, there is a lot of smoke," said Berry, who fled his home immediately to a safe area.

Two of his neighbours' houses were damaged by the blaze, according to Berry.

"The area had been burned through three years ago in a big brush fire," said resident, Anna Determan, who have lived there for around 32 years.

She said that she would evacuate in accordance with the latest development of the blaze and the change of wind direction because her house is at the foot of the hill and vegetation is exiguous around.

Strong winds were hindering the deployment of firefighting aircraft, according to fire officials.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck urged local residents to evacuate immediately if they were told to leave, noting that strong winds are expected to continue through at least Thursday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 05:52:57|Editor: Yurou

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Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani (Front) attends the 38th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Dec. 5, 2017. The 38th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit ended in Kuwait on Tuesday, stressing its commitment to unity and keenness to attain further coordination and integration across all sectors. (Xinhua/Muhammed Ayaan)

KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 38th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit ended in Kuwait on Tuesday, stressing its commitment to unity and keenness to attain further coordination and integration across all sectors.

Announcing conclusion of the summit, the Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said GCC leaders exchanged points of view regarding various challenges facing the region.

Participants of the summit succeeded once again in affirming the strength of "our Gulf entity and its ability to defy challenges," the emir said.

The six member nations' leaders were committed to the GCC's goals and were convinced that the bloc serves their peoples' hopes and aspirations, said the summit final communique.

They reiterated support of proposals, including late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud's to transform the bloc from a council to a union, build a joint defence mechanism and for economic integration, the communique said.

Describing the Houthi group's recent killing of Yemen's former leader Ali Abdallah Saleh as a "tragic development," GCC leaders said they are following up on the matter with "anxiety."

They also condemned Iran's destabilizing activities and intervention in the internal affairs of neighboring nations, noting that Iran should cease its support of terrorist groups that have a destabilizing impact on the region, particularly the Gulf, the communique said.

The summit also condemned the deadly attack on a mosque in Egypt's Al-Arish in North Sinai on Nov. 24.

On Palestinian affairs, the communique reiterated support of Palestinian statehood with a capital of Jerusalem, according to the 1967 borders, the Arab Peace Initiative and international laws.

It also rejected Israeli practices that breach international rules and regulations and aim to alter the legal, diplomatic and political status of Jerusalem.

The GCC Supreme Council welcomed the generous initiative of the Kuwait to host an international donor conference in 2018 to support the stability and reconstruction of liberated areas in Iraq from the so-called Daesh (Islamic State).

It called for a positive international cooperation in this conference and to assert the importance of refugees' return to their homeland under the international organizations concerned in coordination with the Iraqi government.

On Syria, the Supreme Council affirmed its firm positions on the Syrian crisis and the Geneva resolution, and Security Council resolution 2254 which provides the establishment of a Transitional Authority for the administration of the country, the drafting of a new constitution for Syria and the preparation of elections for a new future for the Syrian people.

On Lebanon, the Supreme Council affirmed the GCC's positions on the importance of maintaining stability of Lebanon, reiterating its commitment to Lebanon's security, stability and territorial integrity and supporting its efforts in confronting the Daesh and other terrorist organizations.

The Supreme Council affirmed its rejection of the role of Iran and Hezbollah in destabilizing Lebanon, weakening its political and security institutions, breaking up national unity and fueling sectarian conflicts.

The Supreme Council reiterated its keenness on the security, stability and unity of the Libyan territories and supporting the efforts exerted to confront the Daesh and other terrorist organizations.

The council stressed its support for the role of the United Nations in reaching a political solution to the Libyan crisis, praising the efforts of Ghassan Salama, the UN Secretary General's envoy to achieve this goal.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 06:03:00|Editor: yan

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AMMAN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Tuesday warned of serious consequence if the United States goes ahead with its decision to relocate its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi discussed Tuesday with several ministers on the possible decision by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which Jordan said is a violation of international legitimacy laws and the UN charter.

In phone calls with several ministers of Arab and Islamic states, Safadi discussed measures to deal with the serious consequences and looked into efforts to develop an action plan to deal with the decision, which will increase tensions in the Middle East and undermine peacemaking efforts.

Safadi stressed that the situation of Jerusalem should be determined through final status negotiations as stipulated by all international resolutions that also state that all unilateral Israeli measures are invalid.

The minister added that Jerusalem is a Palestinian and an Arabic, Islamic and Christian issue, and called for holding emergency meetings at the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to coordinate stances by the Arab and Islamic world.

Also on Tuesday, Jordanian House of Representatives said it will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to look into the issue after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would go ahead with a plan to relocate the embassy.

The U.S. president telephoned King Abdullah II of Jordan Tuesday and informed him of his intention to go ahead with the decision.

Jordan, which signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994, oversees the holy Islamic and Christian sites in the holy city.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 06:13:03|Editor: Yurou

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senate Committee on Banking on Tuesday approved the nomination of Jerome Powell as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, sending his nomination to the full Senate for a vote.

The committee approved Powell's nomination by a vote of 22-1. All but one member in the committee voted for Powell's nomination.

Senator Elizabeth Warren expressed her concern that Powell might loosen financial regulations once he takes the job as Fed chair.

There is no date set yet for a vote on his nomination at the full Senate, where he might easily win enough support as Tuesday's vote suggested.

Powell, who is currently a member of the Fed's Board of Governors, was nominated by President Donald Trump in November to replace current Chair Janet Yellen, whose term as chair expires in February 2018.

At his confirmation hearing, Powell said that he would support the central bank to gradually tighten monetary policy, while ease regulatory burdens on some financial institutions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 06:18:04|Editor: yan

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GENEVA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The eighth round of intra-Syrian talks on Tuesday resumed here in Geneva after a weekend break, with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura meeting the Syrian opposition delegation for a bilateral talk Wednesday afternoon.

Alessandra Vellucci, director of the UN Information Service in Geneva, told reporters that the delegation of the Syrian Government had been invited back to Geneva, and the UN special envoy "stood ready to engage with them" when they returned.

The new round of the UN-led Syrian peace talks, started on Nov. 28, has been scheduled to be held here in Geneva till Dec. 15.

De Mistura said earlier that the biggest obstacle for the ongoing talks is "trust".

During the weekend break the Syrian government delegation returned home for discussions and the UN envoy said earlier that he expected the government delegation to return to Geneva around Dec. 5 to resume discussions.

However, until Tuesday night the government delegation has not shown up in Geneva yet.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 06:28:06|Editor: Yurou

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RABAT, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed over phone on Tuesday U.S. decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the king's office said in a statement.

King Mohammed VI, the chairman of the Organization of Islamic Coorperation's Al Quds Committee, reiterated the kingdom's "strong and unwavering support for the brotherly Palestinian people in defending their just cause and legitimate rights, mainly concerning the status of Jerusalem."

The king "voiced his flat refusal of any action that could undermine the multi-religious aspect of the holy city or alter its legal and political status," the statement added.

The Palestinian president, on his part, hailed the king's role and action, and deplored the fact that the U.S. administration's agenda includes such "inappropriate initiative."

He expressed the deep concern of the Palestinian authority over the consequences of this matter on the peace process in the Middle East and the region's security and stability, the statement noted.

The two leaders agreed to maintain direct contacts and continuous consultations on this issue, as well as a close coordination between the two governments to set, together, steps to take and actions to undertake, it added.

The king has warned U.S. President Donald Trump over the relocation intention, saying that the legal status of Jerusalem "needs to be preserved and nothing should be undertaken that might affect its current political status."

The king highlighted the paramount importance of the city of Jerusalem, not only to the parties to the conflict, but also to the followers of the three religions, underlining that the city should remain a land as a symbol of coexistence and tolerance among all people.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 06:28:07|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is waiting for a formal announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump concerning the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel, and warns of consequences of doing so, said a UN spokesman on Tuesday.

"As a matter of principle, the secretary-general has said he has consistently warned against any unilateral action that would have the potential to undermine the two-state solution," Stephane Dujarric told a press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.

He said the UN chief is waiting for a formal statement from Washington. "We've always regarded Jerusalem as a final-status issue that must be resolved through direct negotiations between the two parties (of Israelis and Palestinians) based on relevant Security Council resolutions," said Dujarric.

Trump told Israeli and Arab leaders on Tuesday that he intends to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that would potentially trigger unrest in the region.

Palestinians regard East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 war, as the capital of their future state and the status of Jerusalem as a whole remains an issue to be resolved.

Trump is expected to announce his decision on Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 06:28:08|Editor: yan

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VALLETTA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three Maltese men -- George Degorgio, Alfred Degorgio and Vincent Muscat -- have been charged with murder of Malta's anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta on Tuesday.

All three pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included, homicide, involvement in organized crime, criminal conspiracy, criminal use of explosives, knowingly being in possession of explosives for illicit purposes and relapsing.

The three were arraigned in court after being arrested, along with seven other men, in a series of raids involving the police, armed forces and intelligence services, on Monday morning.

Bail was not requested for the accused and the court accepted a request by the prosecution for the men's assets to be frozen. They were remanded in custody.

Upon entering the courtroom, the men, who appeared unfazed all throughout, requested the assistance of legal aid lawyers, however refused to discuss their case with him in court.

Local media reports earlier in the day claimed none of the country's top criminal lawyers were willing to take the case.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack as she was leaving her house on Oct. 16.

Sources close to the investigation have told Xinhua that the prosecution has a strong case against three men, having retrieved electronic devices and other evidence believed to link the men to the crime. They are believed to have been identified using triangulation data from phones they used to detonate the bomb.

Owing to the nature of the assassination, the Maltese government has requested assistance from a number of foreign intelligence agencies, including the FBI, Europol, Dutch forensic experts, as well the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation.

The Maltese government is offering a one-million-euro reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the murder.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 06:33:10|Editor: yan

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MINSK, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The conflicting parties in Donbas in east Ukraine promised to exchange prisoners before the New Year and Christmas holidays, said Martin Sajdik, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)'s special representative in the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine on Tuesday.

The parties discussed some technical matters relating to the prisoner exchange, but have not set a date for the swap, Sajdik said following the Trilateral Contact Group meeting in Minsk.

At the same time, the parties in the Donbas region promised to exchange the detained persons before the New Year and Christmas holidays, he said.

The diplomat said the number of ceasefire violations in east Ukraine remains high. In this connection, the security of the civilians and the observance of the ceasefire regime were high on the agenda, he added.

Donbas is located in the eastern part of Ukraine and witnessed a war since 2014 between the government troops and the separatist forces.

The next meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine will be held on Dec. 20.

The trilateral contact group is a group of representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that was formed as means to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the war in the Donbas region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-06 06:38:11|Editor: Yurou

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A firefighter battles a wildfire in Santa Paula, Ventura, the United States, on Dec. 5, 2017. Fast moving brush fire exploded to more than 10,000 acres (40 square km) Monday night in Ventura County in the western U.S. state of California, threatening homes in nearby cities and leading to the death of one person. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- California's Governor Jerry Brown declared Tuesday a state of emergency in Ventura County in the western U.S. state as a fast moving brush fire exploded to around 45,500 acres, destroying hundreds of homes and prompting 27,000 people to evacuate.

The blaze, dubbed the Thomas Fire, broke out Monday evening in the area of Thomas Aquinas College and Stekel Park, both in the city of Santa Paula, and then burnt along both sides of Highway 150, which was subsequently closed by the authorities. Pushed by powerful winds, the fire has grown dramatically in size within a few hours after it started, threatening the cities of Santa Paula and Ventura, 110 km northwest of Los Angeles downtown.

"This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but we'll continue to attack it with all we've got," said Governor Brown in a press release. "It's critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so."

The brush fire has damaged and continues to threaten critical infrastructure, causing widespread power outages and has forced the closure of major highways and local roads. Extreme weather conditions including strong winds have further increased the spread of this fire, according to the press release.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has granted a fire management assistance to assist with the mitigation, management and control of the Thomas Fire.

Several brush fires are burning in Southern California. Another dynamic brush fire, dubbed the Creek Fire, has exploded to at least 4,000 acres in Los Angeles County.
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday that he did not discuss who will lead the central bank after his term expires in April.

Kuroda said he briefed Abe on current economic conditions during the lunch meeting at the Prime Minister's Office. Asked by a reporter whether he would be open to serving another five years in the role, the 73-year-old governor said it would be "presumptuous" of him to answer.

It was the first meeting between the BOJ chief and Abe since May 17.

Kuroda is thought to be the forerunner among several candidates to head the bank, though his age could be a sticking point for a demanding job that requires frequent overseas trips.
"Manhole cards," an increasingly popular item for collectors and featuring pictures of manholes with unique local designs, are set to cover all 47 prefectures of Japan.

Currently, 222 kinds of cards from communities in 46 prefectures, excluding Kagoshima, are available.

Distribution will start on Saturday for a manhole card from the city of Hioki and another from the town of China, both in the southwestern prefecture, as part of the sixth batch of new releases, also including 64 other types.

The cards, which are 8.8 centimeters long and 6.3 centimeters wide, are provided for free at local sewage treatment facilities and tourist information centers, with one copy given to each person in principle.
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King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), on Monday, appointed Major General Mohamed Haramou commander of the Royal gendarmerie, in replacement of Lieutenant-General Hosni Benslimane.

During the audience, the Monarch decorated Hosni Benslimane with the Grand Cordon of Wissam Al Arsh.

King Mohammed VI also decorated with the same order Gen-eral Bouchaib Arroub, former FAR inspector general and com-mander of the southern zone, who had been replaced in the position few months ago by Lieutenant-General Abdelfatah Louarak.

The Monarch expressed thanks to the two senior army officers for the services rendered to the Nation, a statement released by the Royal Office said.

General Arroub and General Benslimane fulfilled their respec-tive careers, under the command of the late king Hassan II and of King Mohammed VI, with an elevated sense of devo-tion and loyalty to serve the highest interests of the Nation, and with selfless dedication in fulfilling their missions, the statement noted.
President Emmanuel Macron of France is expected in Algiers Wednesday, for his first visit since he took office in May, and a meeting with ailing President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika is on the schedule. However, nothing could be less certain.

Actually, President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika, glued to a wheelchair since he suffered a stroke in 2013, has made rare public appearances since then and planned meetings with heads of state were regularly cancelled.

In March this year, Iranian President Hassan Rohani postponed sine die a visit to Algeria, and the Algeria state-run news agency said the visit has been postponed due to temporary unavailability of the Algerian President.

The Iranian Presidents visit cancellation took place only few weeks after German Chancellor Angela Merkels February visit was called off at the last minute, also over health concerns of the Algerian President.

And later in September, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro waited for three days in Algiers for a meeting with President Bouteflika, but finally joined the list of heads of state whose supposed meetings with Bouteflika never took place.

These successive cancellations of official meetings confirm the deteriorating health condition of the 80-year old ailing president.

During his stopover in Algiers Wednesday on his way to Qatar, President Macron is expected to visit Bouteflika at his private residence of Zeralda, if the visit ever takes place.

The French President will nonetheless meet with Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelkader Bensalah, the Speaker of of the Senate.

Talks will focus on security in the Sahara-Sahel region plagued by terrorism and the situation in Libya.

Whatever the outcome of the visit, it is already marred by Algiers refusal to grant entry visas to the Presidents accompanying French media.

According to a Reuters report, relayed by Algerian media, a dozen French media outlets, including Le Monde, Le Figaro, Liberation and Mediapart website, have not received visas to cover the French presidents visit on Wednesday.

This is not the first time that the Algerian regime deprives French media from covering an official French activity in the North African country.

Reuters recalls that in April 2016, journalists from Le Monde and Petit Journal were denied their visas for a trip to Algiers with Manuel Valls, then Prime Minister. Algerian authorities had then accused some French papers of undermining the honor and prestige of President Bouteflika.

In a gesture of protest and solidarity, Liberation, Le Figaro and Radio France had boycotted the trip.
French car manufacturer has unveiled plans to assemble its latest pick-up truck model in Tunisia. This project, which will give a boost to Tunisias automotive industry, marks Peugeots return to the country following a 25-year absence.

The 10.2m new assembly facilities, which will be built in Mghira and Sfax, will be operational 2018. The firm is targeting production of 4000 units per year from 2019 onward; 1200 of the vehicles will be sold locally, and the remaining units are earmarked for export to the Maghreb and sub-Saharan markets.

According to Jean-Philippe Imparato Peugeot CEO, the launch of domestic production is of the companys long-term strategy of winning back market share in Africa.

The French company also follows the footsteps of other industry players such as Japans Isuzu Motors, which has been assembling and selling its D-Max pick-up truck in Tunisia since 2002 with considerable success. Sales of the model exceeded 6000 in 2016.

Peugeot is working on obtaining a certificate of origin to facilitate the export of its Tunisian-assembled trucks. The certificate exempts manufacturers from export taxes, provided they can show that 40 pc of value was created locally.

Local assembly will allow automakers to bypass the controversial vehicle import quota currently in place. While vehicle imports are ostensibly liberalized under Tunisian law, the reality is somewhat different, with one-quarter of quotas for the segment released on a three-monthly basis.

While demand for vehicles in Tunisia has remained relatively steady for the past seven years, averaging around 77,000 units annually from 2010 to 2016, import quotas mean only a fraction of this demand can be met. In 2016, 60,595 cars were imported and 23,613 were sold illegally, with the parallel market representing 28 pc of total sales, according to data supplied by Kia Motors Tunisia.

Official industry players are also hindered by high import taxes. The rate of duties in Tunisia is among the highest in the world, ranging from 20 pc to over 100 pc of the imported value. High taxes help to explain why cars are so expensive in Tunisia.
King Mohammed VI has flatly rejected any move that is likely to undermine the multi-religious aspect of Jerusalem or altering its legal and political status, as reports about US President Donald Trumps imminent recognition of the holy city as the capital of Israel are becoming more frequent, and warned of the negative impact such a move would have on prospects for achieving a just, comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

King Mohammed VI, who is the Chairman of the OIC Al Quds Committee, reiterated in a phone call Tuesday with President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas Moroccos strong and unwavering support for the brotherly Palestinian people in defending their just cause and legitimate rights, mainly concerning the status of Al Quds Asharif, announced the Royal Office in a statement.

The King voiced his flat refusal of any action that could undermine the multi-religious aspect of the holy city or alter its legal and political status, the statement added.

The Palestinian president, on his part, hailed the Kings role and action, and deplored the fact that the American administrations agenda includes such inappropriate initiative. He expressed the deep concern of the Palestinian authority over the serious consequences of this matter on the peace process in the Middle East and the regions security and stability, the statement noted.

It added that the two leaders agreed to maintain direct contacts and continuous consultations on this issue, as well as a close coordination between the two governments to set, together, steps to take and actions to undertake.

In this connection, King Mohammed VI also sent a message to President Trump expressing his own concerns and the concerns of Arab and Muslim countries over the persistent news of the UN Administrations intentions.

The US Administrations intention to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to transfer the United States Embassy to that city, would have a negative impact on prospects for achieving a just, comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, particularly as the United States of America is one of the main sponsors of the peace process  one that enjoys the trust of all parties, the Monarch pointed out.
Mark Meadows. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call

If the Trump tax cuts fall apart, the Republican Party will, too. A congressional GOP with no consensus on health care, immigration, or the fitness of sexual predators for high office is one thing. But a Republican majority that has no actionable agenda on tax policy? Thats a majority (if not a party) with no reason to exist.

This anxious logic  reinforced by threats of donor revolt  helped propel the Trump tax cuts through both chambers of Congress. Those cuts were historically unpopular. They made a mockery of Republican rhetoric on the deficit, regular order, and middle-class tax relief. But to vote down the legislation would have been to remove the last bit of glue holding congressional Republicans together.

Unfortunately for the GOP, its starting to look like passing the Trump tax cuts might do the very same thing. The moment Republicans fulfill their one unifying ambition, their intraparty divisions are poised to return with a vengeance  if they havent already.

On Monday night, the Freedom Caucus briefly took the Trump tax cuts hostage.

On Monday night, the Freedom Caucus briefly took the Trump tax cuts hostage. To reconcile the House and Senate tax bills, representatives of each chamber were set to head to conference. But first, the House needed to execute the formality of voting to send them there. Mark Meadows  and more than a dozen of his far-right Freedom Caucus allies  decided to inject some drama into the proceedings. The lawmakers withheld their votes, thereby threatening to sabotage their partys holy grail  over a disagreement about whether Congress should pass a two-week continuing resolution to keep the government open  or, a three-week one. As Politico reports:

Conservatives have balked at GOP leaders strategy to pass a two-week continuing resolution that would expire just before Christmas, fearful that Democrats will jam major spending increases into the must-pass bill. The full GOP conference is expected to settle on its spending plan at a closed-door meeting Tuesday, with a full floor vote expected Wednesday.

There is a whole lot more pressure to get home for Christmas than there is for New Years, Meadows said.

 At the last-minute huddle, the conservative caucuss steering group agreed to push for a Dec. 30 continuing resolution, though they want it attached to a full years worth of defense spending. The group is also seeking long-awaited votes on welfare reform and deficit reduction bills, according to a House GOP source.

The Freedom Caucuss tactical argument here is (characteristically) bizarre. These conservatives are arguing that if the fight over an omnibus spending bill takes place just before Christmas, Democrats will have more leverage  whereas if it takes place just before New Years, Republicans will. Its hard to understand the logic here, unless one stipulates that Democrats are godless heathens who would rather wage war on Christmas then celebrate it.

Regardless, the fact is that Democrats leverage in the fight over spending has nothing to do with their supposed indifference to Christs birthday. Rather, that leverage derives from two realities:

(1) Unless Republicans abolish the filibuster, they will need Democratic cooperation in the Senate to lift the budget cap on military spending.

(2) As the opposition party, Democrats have less to lose, politically, from a government shutdown than Republicans do. (Historically, the public blames the party in power for any dysfunction that happens on its watch.)

Whether the fight comes on December 22 or December 30  or next year  these realities will remain. It isnt surprising, then, that the conservatives werent actually willing to torpedo tax cuts over this disagreement, and quickly relented Monday night.

As an impassioned stand for the tactical wisdom of postponing the budget fight until after Christmas, the Freedom Caucuss stunt made little sense. But as a display of audacious conviction ahead of an intraparty, ideological fight over government spending, immigration, and health care, the tea-party tantrum is much more coherent.

In shepherding the Trump tax cuts through the Senate, Mitch McConnell promised Susan Collins that he would push for the passage of two bipartisan bills designed to strengthen the Obamacare marketplaces. The Majority Leader also assured Jeff Flake that he would have influence in the looming fight over whether to provide DACA recipients with protection from deportation.

Those promises happened to correspond with two of Nancy Pelosis top demands in the upcoming spending fight. House conservatives saw that negotiations over the tax bill were evolving into negotiations over the partys post-tax agenda. And they didnt want moderate Republican senators to be the only ones taking the former hostage to win leverage over the latter.

In interviews with the Daily Beast, House conservatives signaled that this was the true motivation behind their brief bout of obstruction:

Moving the Collins and Flake deals through the House was always going to be an uphill climb, with a conservative bloc sharply opposed to both measures, having dubbed DACA a de facto form of amnesty and arguing that the health insurance market stabilization bills that Collins supports are tantamount to a bailout for health insurers and what they view as a broken system. On Monday, those conservatives railed against McConnell for making promises on legislation that they have long opposed.

We still have the same issues. Nothing has changed in the last two months just because were fulfilling our promise on delivering on tax reform, Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, told The Daily Beast. I find it problematic to be promising something that the House has shunned from very early on.

 I think this is exactly what the American people are sick of: learning about trading votes to modify the healthcare system and one fifth of the economy in exchange for a tax vote, Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA), a member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, told The Daily Beast. So it seems like it would be wiser for Republicans to actually follow what is in the Republican platform and not what is in the Democratic platform.

The DACA issue is particularly explosive. Enthusiasm for deporting 800,000 (American-raised, gainfully employed, English-speaking) undocumented immigrants separates the GOPs activist base from the rest of the country  including the Republican Party leadership. Much like the opposition to background checks, support for deporting Dreamers is confined to a small minority of the GOPs rank and file. But that minority is impassioned and organized, and has already proven capable of taking out amnesty-loving Republicans in low-turnout primaries. In 2018, the only policy position that will distinguish Steve Bannons band of far-right primary challengers from their Establishment opponents is a thirst for deporting Dreamers.

For Paul Ryan, the price of indulging the Breitbart base on this matter is massive. There is no precedent for stripping legal status from a group of people this numerous, let alone a group so deeply integrated into American society. Dreamers have allies in corporate America, churches, unions, colleges, and countless local and state governments. The backlash to their dispossession will be huge and unrelenting. And yet, Ryan stands to pay nearly as high a price for bucking the Breitbart base.

Fights over funding the Childrens Health Insurance Program  and stabilizing the individual insurance market  are poised to provoke similar divisions. Collinss demand that her party follow tax cuts with more funding for Obamacare was ostensibly an attempt to rationalize her vote for repealing the individual mandate. But it could also be read as a signal that the moderate Mainer has no interest in starving the beast. Last summer, Republicans failed to find consensus on slashing social spending. Conservatives hoped that deficit-ballooning tax cuts would force such consensus. Moderates, by contrast, seem to hope that delivering a big legislative win will empower the partys leadership to buck their right wing.

Roy Moore and Donald Trump may soon pour gasoline onto these intraparty fires. If Alabama elects an alleged serial sexual predator next week, McConnell will have to deal with a fanatical theocrat who won high office on a promise to make the Majority Leaders life a living hell. While there appears little appetite among congressional Republicans to expel Moore from the Senate, there is bound to be disagreement about precisely how much collegial respect lawmakers will owe the disreputable demagogue. Meanwhile, as Robert Muellers probe has begun flipping the presidents erstwhile allies, Trump has lashed out at the FBI  and signaled an interest in relieving the special counsel of his duties.

This is going someplace very bad. pic.twitter.com/RAuMUCak6b  Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) December 5, 2017

By early next year, the GOPs battles over legislation could metastasize into a fight over the rule of law itself.

Its possible that Trump will spare his party that fate. And, perhaps, the president and the GOP leadership will find a way to steer their party through the choppy waters of the spending fight, buoyed by the tailwinds of their tax-cut triumph.

But it isnt hard to see how Paul Ryan could find himself caught in a perfect storm with a mutinous crew  and no tax cuts on the horizon that he can pacify them by pointing to.
The Trump method really works! Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

As the old saying goes, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice  Republicans officially have no shame?

After Donald Trump bragged about serial sexual assault on tape, a number of high-profile Republicans declared that they could no longer support his presidential bid. Despite rumors that the Republican National Committee was exploring ways to drop Trump, chairman Reince Priebus settled for issuing a weak statement saying no woman should be discussed in such vulgar terms. Trump apologized, downplayed the tape as locker-room talk, and remained adamant that the 16-plus women whod accused him of sexual assault were lying. Eventually most Republicans wound up rallying behind their candidate, even if it meant never looking their teenage daughter in the eye again.

When several women accused Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct last month, some believed that this time might be different. Suddenly powerful men are facing serious repercussions for abuse allegations, and the Moore allegations involved children; one woman said he molested her when she was 14, and another said he assaulted her when she was 16. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Moore should quit the race, every other GOP senator backed away from Moore, and the RNC pulled out of its joint fundraising agreement with the candidate. The White House said Trump believed if these allegations are true, Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside.

But Moore ignored these calls and adopted Trumps playbook. He suggested he was being targeted because he dared to challenge the GOP Establishment, and cast himself as the victim of a liberal-media conspiracy. As with Trump, the strategy worked. A recent poll found 71 percent of Alabama Republicans think the allegations are false. After failing to find any workable ploy to replace Moore or cancel the election, McConnell stopped condemning him on Sunday, saying, Im going to let the people of Alabama make the call.

Then on Monday, President Trump made his endorsement of Moore official with a tweet and a phone call to the candidate. Later in the day  even as one of Moores accusers produced physical evidence bolstering her claim that she dated Moore when he was 34 and she was 17  the RNC resumed its support for Moore. There was no official announcement and the details of the arrangement are unclear, but the news was confirmed by the Washington Post and an RNC official told Breitbart, We stand with the president.

Moore will get an additional $1.1 million boost from the pro-Trump group America First Action, according to the Post.

Several Republicans remain unwilling to welcome a man accused of preying on underage girls into their midst. A spokesperson for Senator Mike Lee said hes called for Moore to step down and nothing has changed. Former GOP presidential nominee (and potential 2018 Senate candidate) Mitt Romney reiterated his condemnation of Moore, and Senator Jeff Flake echoed his remarks:

Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity.  Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) December 4, 2017

.@MittRomney is right. A Roy Moore victory is no victory for the GOP and the nation. https://t.co/ZVSZTE4GFR  Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) December 5, 2017

Moore used this as more fodder for his argument that hes on Trumps side, not that of the Establishment.

Either @MittRomney has lost his courage or he doesnt care about truth anymore. Sad day!



Americas reawakening was led by @realDonaldTrump, not you Mitt.#DefeatTheElite #DrainTheSwamp  Judge Roy Moore (@MooreSenate) December 4, 2017

Moore is still likely to face an immediate ethics probe if hes elected to the Senate on December 12, but some senators are softening their position on him.

Senator John Cornyn, the second-ranking GOP senator, said hed like to see that ethics probe if Moore wins, but added, None of us get to vote on whos the senator from Alabama. Just Alabama voters do. So I think we have to respect their decision  whatever it is.

Senator Orrin Hatch agreed, and noted that he hasnt been accused of molesting any girls recently. Many of the things he allegedly did are decades ago. So its hard to  thats a decision that has to be made by the people in that state, said Hatch. If they make that decision, who are we to question them?
Did Susan Collins get fooled, or just fool herself? Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Before the ink was dry on promises made to Senator Susan Collins to secure her vote on the GOP tax bill, it began to vanish.

As she let the world know last week, she got the president and Mitch McConnell to promise they would support two pieces of health-care legislation that she believed (erroneously, as it happens) would offset the negative effects, on health-care coverage and premiums, of the tax bills repeal of the Obamacare insurance-purchasing mandate. In the case of McConnell, the promise was very specific:

Collins told reporters Wednesday that she has a commitment from Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that both Alexander-Murray and Collins-Nelson bills are must-pass bills this year.

Since the only vehicle for must-pass bills this year is the spending package that Republicans and Democrats are negotiating in order to avoid a government shutdown, I observed at the time that McConnell was making a promise that only Chuck Schumer could actually redeem. But I was thinking too far down the road: It turns out that House Republicans are quickly repudiating the deal before it even gets to any bipartisan negotiating table.

Speaker Paul Ryans (R-Wis.) office told a meeting of congressional leadership offices on Monday that the Speaker is not part of a deal to get ObamaCare fixes passed before the end of the year, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

And House conservatives, who have always deplored any Obamacare stabilization measure, havent changed their minds:

We still have the same issues. Nothing has changed in the last two months just because were fulfilling our promise on delivering on tax reform, Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, told The Daily Beast. I find it problematic to be promising something that the House has shunned from very early on.

Some observers are lumping the assurances Jeff Flake got on DACA as equivalent to Collinss deal, but the promises made to Flake were both vague and not at all linked to any timetable. The senator from Maine got a commitment for presidential and Senate leadership support for very specific legislation, and from McConnell at least, a very specific timetable (before the end of 2017). It now appears that one reason for last nights surprising House conservative threat to the routine measure to appoint tax-bill conferees was to place deals like those struck by Collins totally off the table.

So far Collinss other demand for her tax vote  inclusion of the House provision continuing a limited deduction for local property taxes  hasnt been repudiated by House Republicans, for obvious reasons. But since it would cost the Treasury around $600 billion over ten years, its not entirely safe in House-Senate negotiations that will revolve around keeping the ultimate deal compliant with Senate budget rules.

Susan Collins is an experienced, savvy legislator. She knew when she cut her deals with Trump and McConnell that they would be worthless if the House didnt go along. She could have demanded assurances from Ryan and conservative leaders, too  certainly she could have demanded the moon at the point where it appeared she might be the decisive vote in the tax bill.

What this series of events shows is that Collins, like the other alleged holdouts, really wanted to get to yes, as we kept hearing last week. If that meant securing a promise written in vanishing ink, so be it.
Jerusalem. Photo: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump is set to announce on Wednesday that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in a break with long-standing U.S. policy that is likely to please almost no one while possibly inflaming tensions across the Middle East. But, Bloomberg reports, Trump is holding off on actually moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem for at least another six months by signing a waiver to keep the building in Tel Aviv.

Trump informed several Middle Eastern leaders, including Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israels Benjamin Netanyahu, of his decision on Tuesday. He is expected to make a speech on Wednesday outlining the justification for it, such as there is one.

Leader after leader urged Trump to reconsider, warning that moving the embassy would halt an already-moribund peace process (unless you count Jared Kushners nascent efforts). Palestinians consider East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 War, as their capital. Going beyond rhetoric and actually moving the embassy would likely spark violence among Palestinians and lead to serious regional repercussions.

Abbas warned that such a move would have dangerous consequences, and said he would enlist the pope and other world leaders to try to block Trump from going through with it.

King Abdullah II of Jordan also advised Trump against the move, saying in a statement that the adoption of this resolution will have serious implications for security and stability in the Middle East. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he would consider cutting off ties with Israel if Trump moves the embassy, and that Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims. Saudi Arabia, a staunch American ally, expressed its deep concerns.

Trump repeatedly promised to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem on the campaign trail, to the delight of Evangelical Christians and some right-wing Jews  though other presidential candidates have also made that promise, only to bow to political reality when the rubber hit the road. For now, Trump is following that trend by signing the six-month waiver that was a mainstay of his predecessors. But, at the least, hes injecting his usual toxic mix of bluster and certainty into a region that doesnt need any more of either.
Bears Ears. Photo: Bob Wick/Bureal of Land Management

In one of his final acts as president, Barack Obama provided Native Americans with a rare victory over Big Oil. In response to years of lobbying from the Navajo, the Hopi, and three other native tribes, Obama set aside 1.3 million acres of federal land in Utah for the Bears Ears National Monument.

The monument is named for the pair of lofty buttes (the Bears Ears) that tower above the pristine landscape where, in the 19th century, the Navajo hid from the encroaching U.S. army. Obamas decision to wall off the area from development ostensibly ensured that, unlike so many other historic native lands, the 100,000 sites of archaeological significance surrounding Bears Ears  including gravesites and ceremonial grounds  would be preserved in perpetuity.

But the decision also ensured that energy companies  and local government officials with a taste for oil-driven revenues (and/or campaign donations)  would lobby the next Republican president to let them to drill baby, drill, right through those ancient Indian burial grounds.

And on Monday, President Trump cleared the way for them to do just that.

Some people think that the natural resources should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington, Trump said in a speech at Utahs state capitol. And guess what, theyre wrong.

The president proceeded to announce that his administration would shrink the Bears Ears monument to just 201,400 acres  and would slash the size of the Grand Staircase-Escalante monument, which was established under president Bill Clinton, by 50 percent (or nearly 1 million acres).

Together, Trumps action marks the largest reduction in public-lands protection in U.S. history. But the historic importance of the move itself pales in comparison to that of the legal battle that looms in its wake.

Obama established the Bears Ears monument citing authority provided to him by the Antiquities Act of 1906. Trump trimmed it citing the same law. He was not the first to do this  Franklin Roosevelt tightened the borders of the Grand Canyon monument to please western ranchers, while Woodrow Wilson shrank Mount Olympus. But the judiciary has never ruled on the legality of those changes  and opponents of Trumps decision believe that the president only has the power to unilaterally establish monuments, not to scale them back.

The general gist of the argument regarding both national monuments is that the Antiquities Act is a limited grant of authority from Congress to the president to establish national monuments, Steve Bloch, legal director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, told Politico. Nowhere in the act does Congress give the president the power to revoke or diminish national monuments, and by doing so the president is acting beyond his authority and unlawfully.

If that argument prevails in court, Bears Ears will be restored  and, unless Congress takes action, there will be a structural bias toward conservation in U.S. monuments law (presidents will always be able expand the amount of protected territory on a whim, but never contract it without congressional help). If the challengers case fails, it could kick off a wave of industrial development on formerly protected lands.

In other news, President Trump is appointing conservative justices to the federal judiciary at a historic pace.
It would make Netanyahu happy, but why should that dictate U.S. policy? Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

In an attempt to somehow win over Jewish voters while also running a vaguely anti-Semitic campaign and winning endorsements from literal neo-Nazis, last year then-candidate Donald Trump made a promise (in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, of course) to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, should he somehow ever become president.

The approximately zero voters who went for Trump solely on the basis of this promise are now crossing their fingers that the president is about to make good on it. U.S. officials have been teasing since Friday that Trump may announce as soon as Tuesday that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While Trump wouldnt be moving the diplomatic mission just yet, hed be reaffirming his administrations intent to relocate it.

Much is still unknown about this announcement. CNNs sources say, for instance, that it may be softened to refer specifically to West Jerusalem, which would change the flavor of the statement considerably. Indeed, that might even conflict with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus statements that Jerusalem is Israels eternal, undivided capital. It would still be transgressive of Trump to move the embassy there, however, as other countries have refrained from setting up diplomatic missions in the divided city until its final status is settled.

Speaking at the Brookings Institutions Saban Forum in Washington on Sunday, Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser on Middle East peace, said the president was still looking at a lot of different facts and will announce the decision to move the embassy at the right time  suggesting that this move is a matter of when, not if, as Trump himself has maintained. Asked about it on Sunday morning, national security adviser H. R. McMaster said he was not sure what Trump would do. Weve given him options, McMaster told Fox Newss Chris Wallace.

More important here than the what and the whether is the wherefore: Why would Trump make such a promise, and why would he make good on it? Recognizing Jerusalem and moving the embassy there are heavily symbolic gestures that Israel (especially Netanyahu and his right-wing supporters) would love to see. As Aaron David Miller  who has been party to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations under both Democratic and Republican presidents  explains, thats all the more reason not to make those gestures unilaterally, without asking Israel for anything in return or doing so as part of any broader agreement. The Palestinians will be furious, violent protests could erupt at U.S. embassies  everything about this just seems to add fuel to the fire.

It would also conflict with the administrations stated agenda of having  as Kushner put it in his remarks at the Saban Forum  an open and honest dialogue with both sides in which both parties really trust the president. In fact, much of Kushners statement appeared to contrast with Trumps actual approach  except his notable focus on a partnership with Saudi Arabia against Iran: A lot of countries in the Middle East want the same thing: economic progress, peace for their people. Many countries in the region see Israel as a much more likely ally than it was 20 years ago because of Iran, because of ISIS.

In other words, Kushners claim that Israel must make peace with the Palestinians in order to form allies in the Arab world is more of an acknowledgment that his fellow princelings in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are ready to make at least a de facto alliance with Israel to check the power of Iran  but it would be easier for them to do so if they could somehow get the pesky Palestinian issue dealt with first. Contrary to what Kushner says, these people do not care a lot about the Palestinians  they see them as an irritant to be overcome. Case in point: The New York Times reports that last month, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia presented Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas with a peace plan that was extremely slanted toward Israel, with Palestinians getting limited sovereignty over noncontiguous parts of the West Bank, and most of Israels settlements remaining.

Influenced by Netanyahu (a Kushner family friend) and Kushners Saudi and Emirati pals, the Trump administration has dealt with the Palestinians mostly as its Middle Eastern allies have: by shunting them aside. Since handing the Mideast portfolio over to his son-in-law earlier this year, Trump has done nothing to convince the Palestinians that he is trustworthy; now, his next move could basically scuttle any chance of his administration being seen as an honest broker in peace talks.

Indeed, the implicit message would be that the U.S. is not there to serve as an honest broker at all, but rather to be an enforcer of Israels terms. This may appease a certain cohort of Israel-Palestine theorists on the right who believe the only path forward for Israel is unilateral, but stirring up conflict with inflammatory gestures that serve little practical purpose is a suspect way to make peace, if peace is indeed the goal. Its also not a great look for Kushner, who is in special prosecutor Robert Muellers sights partly due to his fishy contacts with Israel.

Even more puzzling is that there is no clear constituency for this, other than Netanyahu himself, the Israeli right, and a few Israel-obsessed Jewish-American billionaires, such as casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. The cause of moving the U.S. embassy has some traction among evangelicals and far-right members of Congress, but this isnt exactly a vote-winning issue. Most American Jews dont care; most Christian Zionists will vote for the Republicans anyway. Just like the Republican tax cuts, the only Americans who benefit from the U.S moving our embassy to Jerusalem are a few hyperideological Republican donors.

Perhaps in teasing the idea before pulling the trigger, the Trump administration has generated enough red flags to make the president think twice or at least moderate whatever hes planning to do, so as not to completely strangle the already moribund peace process. As always with Trump, we wont know what hes doing until he does it. Kushners efforts to solve the Middle Easts signature conflict, meanwhile, still appear to be going nowhere fast.
Id like to see other presidents top that. Photo: Pool/Getty Images

One small upside to having a president embroiled in scandal: Before all this is over, were probably going to learn a lot about some obscure sections of the Constitution.

On Monday, President Trumps attorneys unveiled a bold, new legal strategy regarding special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of whether Trump had obstructed justice, among other potential Russia-related crimes. In interviews with Axios and NBC News, Trumps personal lawyer John Dowd claimed the president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law-enforcement officer under [the Constitutions Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case.

Dowd did not elaborate, but as the Washington Post explains, constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz has been espousing that theory since last summer.

You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate, Dershowitz said on Mondays Fox & Friends. Thats what Thomas Jefferson did, thats what Lincoln did, thats what Roosevelt did. We have precedents that clearly establish that.

After the appearance earned Dershowitz a Twitter shout-out from the president and a follow from Ivanka Trump, the Harvard Law professor issued a clarification:

Let me be clear: a president can be charged with obstruction if he commits criminal acts beyond his constitutionally authorized acts. Nixon told aides to lie to FBI, pay hush money and destroy evidence.  Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) December 5, 2017

Many legal scholars still disagree with that interpretation, arguing that the presidents role as a law-enforcement officer does not give him the right to shield himself and his associates from any legal accountability. In a 108-page analysis of the potential obstruction case against Trump, the Brookings Institution summarized the types of actions that could amount to presidential obstruction of justice:

Attempts to stop an investigation represent a common form of obstruction. Demanding the loyalty of an individual involved in an investigation, requesting that individuals help to end the investigation, and then ultimately firing that person to accomplish that goal are the type of acts that have frequently resulted in obstruction convictions, as we detail. In addition, to the extent conduct could be characterized as threatening, intimidating, or corruptly persuading witnesses, that too may provide additional grounds for obstruction charges.

While one particular action might not seem that significant, it could help prosecutors establish intent  an important consideration in obstruction cases. Norm Eisen, a former Obama administration ethics counsel who co-authored the Brookings paper, told the Post: Theres a long line of cases holding that when a government official exercises an otherwise legal authority with corrupt intent, they can be prosecuted for obstruction. It flows from the notion that no person is above the law.

While theres still much we dont know about Muellers probe, theres also plenty in the public record that experts say could add up to an obstruction charge for President Trump. These range from the firing of FBI director James Comey to Twitter attacks that are now mostly forgotten. Heres a recap of some of the incidents that could help Mueller make his case.

The Loyalty Dinner

A week after the inauguration, Comey was summoned to the White House for a private dinner with the president. In his June Senate testimony, Comey said Trump started the conversation by asking if he wanted to stay on as FBI director, which Comey found strange because they had already discussed the matter twice, and Comey had said he intended to remain in the position. Comey said Trump noted that many people wanted the job, so he assumed the dinner was at least in part, an effort to have me ask for my job and create some sort of patronage relationship.

Comey said Trump then told him, I need loyalty  I expect loyalty. Comey said he did not respond, and Trump circled back to his demand two more times during their conversation, eventually getting a promise of honest loyalty from the director.

Trump denies that he asked for Comeys loyalty, but, if true, this could be interpreted as Trump suggesting that the director should demonstrate fealty by backing off on the Russia probe, and intimating that Comeys job was on the line.

The timing of the meeting is also an important consideration. It might have been plausible that Trump just set up a dinner because he wanted to get to know his FBI director. However, Comey said he received a call around lunchtime on January 27 inviting him to dinner that night. That just happens to be a day after former acting attorney general Sally Yates met with White House counsel Don McGahn to inform him that Vice-President Pence and other officials had been making public statements about Michael Flynn that we knew to be untrue. Yates warned that this opened the national security adviser up to blackmail by the Russians. We now know that Flynn had lied about his conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in an FBI interview days earlier.

Asking Comey to Drop the Flynn Probe

Trump fired Flynn on February 13, ostensibly for lying to Pence. Comey testified that, after an Oval Office meeting with a large number of advisers the next morning, Trump asked everyone but Comey to clear the room. Comey said Trump told him he wanted to talk about Flynn.

He is a good guy and has been through a lot, Trump said, according to Comey. I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go. Comey said his only reply was, He is a good guy.

Comey said he believed the president was asking him to drop any investigation of Flynn in connection with false statements about his conversations with the Russian ambassador in December.

This is one of the clearer examples of Trump allegedly trying to influence an investigation, and sending everyone else out of the room could help establish nefarious intent.

Firing Preet Bharara

New presidents usually ask all U.S. attorneys to step down, but Trump demanded their resignations in March after telling Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in November that he wanted him to stay on. Months later, Marc Kasowitz, Trumps personal lawyer in the Russia investigation, reportedly bragged that he played a central role in getting Bharara fired, by telling Trump, This guy is going to get you. Bharara later hinted that he was investigating some Trump-related matter.

Asking the Director of National Intelligence to Pressure Comey

At the end of a briefing on March 22, Trump reportedly asked everyone to leave the room except director of national intelligence Daniel Coats and CIA director Mike Pompeo. According to the Washington Post, Trump then asked Coats if he could intervene to get Comey to back off from investigating Flynn as part of the FBIs Russia probe. Later, when testifying before the Senate, Coats refused to confirm or deny this account, but said he didnt feel pressured to do anything improper.

Asking Intelligence Officials to Push Back Against the FBIs Collusion Probe

Around the same time, Trump reportedly called Coats and Admiral Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, and asked them to publicly deny that there was any evidence suggesting collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Days earlier, Comey had confirmed for the first time that the TrumpRussia link was under FBI investigation.

They both declined to get into the matter during their Senate testimony in June, with Rogers saying, I have never been directed to do anything I believe to be illegal, immoral, unethical, or inappropriate.

Asking Comey to Lift the Cloud of the Russia Investigation

Comey testified that Trump called him on March 30 and complained that the Russia probe was hurting his administration. He asked what we could do to lift the cloud, Comey said, adding that when he reiterated that Trump wasnt personally under investigation, the president said, We need to get that fact out.

Attacking Comey on the Eve of His Senate Testimony

A day before Comey went before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Trump engaged in what could be construed as witness intimidation:

FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2017

Attacking Sally Yates on the Eve of Her Senate Testimony

Trump made the same move on the eve of his former acting attorney generals testimony before the same committee:

Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Counsel.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017

Following Up on His Request to Comey

Comey says he spoke to Trump for the last time on April 11, when the president called to see what Comey had done to get the word out that Trump wasnt personally under investigation. I have been very loyal to you, very loyal; we had that thing, you know, Trump said, according to Comey. The director added, I did not reply or ask him what he meant by that thing.

The next day, Trump publicly suggested that Comeys job was on the line, telling Foxs Maria Bartiromo that it was not too late to let him go, adding, Well see what happens. You know, its going to be interesting.

Firing Comey

There are several different elements of Comeys dismissal that could play into an obstruction charge, but obviously firing the official overseeing investigations into your campaign and your associates is a sign youre trying to impede those probes.

Concocting a Cover Story for Comeys Firing

Trump was reportedly infuriated by Comeys testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, particularly the directors comment that he was mildly nauseous to think his handling of the Clinton email probe might have swayed the election. With the help of aide Stephen Miller, Trump drafted an angry, meandering four-page letter in which he said he was firing Comey for refusing to publicly confirm that he wasnt personally targeted in the Russia probe.

The letter was never sent, but according to the New York Times, it was passed on to deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who then came up with his own letter, which was used as the administrations public justification for Comeys firing. Eliciting help from others in concocting a false story about why Comey was fired could help federal prosecutors show that Trump acted with corrupt intent.

Telling Russian Officials Comeys Firing Was About the Russia Probe

Trump did a poor job of concealing the real reasons for Comeys firing. According to a document leaked to the New York Times, in an Oval Office meeting a day after Comeys firing, Trump told Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak, I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job. Trump added, I faced great pressure because of Russia. Thats taken off.

Admitting Comeys Firing Was About the Russia Probe on National TV

Days after firing Comey, Trump contradicted his administrations account in an interview with NBC News. He said he was going to fire Comey regardless of what Rosenstein said, and confirmed it was about the Russia investigation.

And in fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself  I said, You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won, Trump said.

Threatening to Release Tapes of His Talks with Comey

The weekend after firing Comey, Trump made what appeared to be another attempt to threaten Comey. It turns out there were no tapes, and Comey called Trumps bluff. Lordy, I hope there are tapes, he said in his Senate testimony.

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

Publicly Threatening Mueller

Shortly after Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel on May 17, Trump and his allies began publicly floating the idea that the president might fire him. In a Times interview, Trump seemed to warn that Mueller shouldnt probe his familys financial dealings, saying hed see that as a violation. When The Wall Street Journal asked if Muellers job was safe, Trump responded, No, were going to see.

Attacking Attorney General Jeff Sessions for Recusing Himself

In the same Times interview, Trump kicked off what would be weeks of attacks on attorney general Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia probe, which led to Muellers appointment. Trump said:

So Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself. I then have  which, frankly, I think is very unfair to the president. How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, Thanks, Jeff, but I cant, you know, Im not going to take you. Its extremely unfair, and thats a mild word, to the president.

Drafting a Misleading Statement About Don Jr.s Russia Meeting

Trump may have engaged in a cover-up attempt when he dictated a misleading statement about Donald Trump Jr.s meeting with several Kremlin-connected Russians.

Pressuring Multiple Senators to End Their Russia Probe

Last week the Times reported that Trump called several top GOP senators over the summer and urged them to wrap up the Senates Russia probe. Senate Intelligence Committee chair Richard Burr confirmed that Trump contacted him, saying something along the lines of, I hope you can conclude this as quickly as possible. Burr said he did not feel there was any sinister motive in Trumps call.

Tweeting That He Knew Flynn Lied to the FBI

The president set off a new round of obstruction talk on Sunday when he sent out a tweet that seemed to imply he knew Flynn had committed a crime by lying to the FBI before he pressured Comey to go easy on him:

I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017

Trumps personal lawyer, John Dowd, then claimed he crafted the sloppy missive on behalf of the president. Unfortunately for Trump, any potential obstruction charge probably wont hinge on one inarticulate tweet from his lawyer.
Photo: Spiderman TV/YouTube Spider-Man gives Princess Elsa an ultrasound (not canon).

YouTubes status as a breeding ground for wannabe far-right media personalities is fairly well-known at this point, but recently, a weirder corner has come to light: Violent and disturbing videos apparently aimed at, and sometimes even about, children. Hundreds of thousands of channels and millions of videos exploiting children, either as viewers, or in some cases, as video subjects have been removed over the last few weeks  everything from animations of bootleg versions of famous childrens characters engaging in violent activities to live-action videos featuring sobbing children. Nervous advertisers have been pulling campaigns, and so, last night, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced that the company would hire up to 10,000 human moderators to keep tabs on videos and comments submitted to the site.

If this sounds familiar, its because its directly from the megaplatform playbook: Whenever youre criticized for serving up awful content submitted by users, announce that youre hiring four or five digits worth of moderators who will make the site a safer place or whatever. Facebook did it earlier this year after a spate of news stories about crimes being committed on its much-hyped live-video platform, and then again in the midst of criticism over its role in last years election.

In almost all cases, these new hires are contract workers for third-party firms, generally in the global south. Theyre getting paid to view heinous things  from bizarre videos about childrens characters to actual murder, suicide, and sexual assault  so you dont have to. The narrative the tech companies like to sell is that the work these human moderators perform will be used to train computers to eventually take over the job. Consider the Rube Goldbergian New York Times headline: YouTube Hiring More Humans to Train Computers to Police the Site. This is a central premise of the megaplatform business model: It has low overhead because complex, self-teaching software handles most of the day-to-day and minute-to-minute functions, like flagging offensive content. Hard to make such an immense profit if youre paying tens of thousands of humans with human brains and human living standards to mind the store. (Itd be harder still if those humans were protected by American labor laws.)

But the fact that these megaplatforms seem unable to stop hiring moderators forces a question: Is this auto-moderated future actually coming? And if it isnt, is it physically possible to effectively moderate a site with billions of users and petabytes of data using humans? Some 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and thats about 65 years of video going online every day. How can human beings  even 10,000 of them  properly process that much video with the kind of thoughtfulness and cultural nuance necessary for good moderation? Moderation is a much more difficult job than people would assume. Not only are there contextual and social barriers that need to be overcome (is a comment to a friend different from a general statement? How can I tell if something is sarcastic?), but also it can just be generally exhausting  watching violent, hateful, exploitative, and disturbing content for hours each day is a lot to ask of hourly workers who probably dont also receive adequate mental-health resources. Theres a reason moderation jobs get shipped overseas.

Its not just YouTube: Facebook faced a similar question in a congressional hearing last month when Louisiana senator John Kennedy pointed out that theres no way in hell Facebook has authenticated all 5 million of the advertisers it does business with every month. The immense scale that makes these megaplatforms so useful (and profitable) also makes them uncontrollable. Moderators, even ones that know precisely what theyre looking for, are a drop in the bucket playing a cosmic-scale game of Whac-a-Mole.

YouTube, until now, has primarily relied on user reporting as a first line of defense, the idea being that a community, even at a global scale, will be able to self-police. This strategy, as Ben Thompson wrote earlier today, is Pollyannish. The assumption that web tools will usually be used for the collective benefit of all is, at this point, a farce. And who defines what benefit is? White supremacists believe that preserving the white ethno-state is working toward a beneficial end. Few seeking out videos about the benefits of ethnic cleansing are going to flag them as harmful. In March, users discovered that videos concerning LGBTQ issues were being hidden when users had the sites Restricted Mode enabled. In August, videos documenting violence in Syria were taken down by the automated system. Last month, an ad for Googles Chromebook made by Google was flagged as spam.

Arguably worse, though, is that the very automation that is supposed to solve this bias problem actually works against the moderators, by drawing a link between things that shouldnt be or usually wouldnt be linked together. At the core of the most recent moral panic over YouTube was a strategy video-uploaders were using to game the recommendation process. Parents plop their kid down in front of the screen, put on a Peppa Pig video, and let the algorithm do its thing  theoretically displaying related videos until the sun burns out. But by creating fake videos involving popular characters like Peppa Pig, Elsa from Frozen, and Spider-Man, the bootleg YouTube creators  whose content ranged from merely weird to deeply unsettling  were able to place their inappropriate content in the autoplay and related-video queues. YouTubes automated system couldnt tell the difference between a Spider-Man video that teaches counting and one that features Spider-Man operating on a pregnant Elsa (to name one persistent theme of the disturbing bootleg YouTube videos).

This is the contradictory nature of moderation at immense scale. As theyre designed now, Facebook and Google need you to explicitly inform them that something is bad, but are more than happy to interpret any type of content engagement as endorsement. A hundred reports flagging a video as child exploitation tells Google that its child exploitation. Commenting the same thing below the video tells Google that the video is getting a lot of community interaction, which is great for the company. Theyve created algorithms that make it incredibly easy  too easy, in fact  to spread and share information, even without actively thinking about sharing it. A like, or a comment, and suddenly a video gets boosted for other people to see. But these same systems are somehow unequipped to take content out of the database. Thats a technical problem, a loftier strategic problem, or both. And throwing more people at the problem  even 10,000  isnt going to help.
Angered by the decision by Buganda road Chief Magistrate James Ereemye Mawanda to defer their bail application ruling to December 19, the Red Pepper editors have threatened to dash to the High court for revision of the application.

The threat was made by Maxim Mutibingwa, the suspects lead lawyer, outside court minutes after Mawanda had told the fully packed courtroom how he needed more time to scrutinize both submissions made by the editors lawyers and the state.

This, as expected did not go down well with Mutabingwa, who argued that by delaying to give ruling on the application amounted to denial of bail.

It takes a court a month to rule on the bail application. Definitely this something we can challenge in the High court through revision, Mutabingwa explained.

The High court can recall the file even before the magistrate gives the ruling.

Red Peppers editors and directors in court today. They have been sent back to Luzira till December 19

In recalling the file, the High court invokes its supervisory powers under Section 17 of the Judicature Act and powers under section 48 of the Criminal Procedure Code Act. The said laws empower the High court to examine records from the Magistrate's court for the purpose of satisfying itself about the correctness and legality of the orders passed by a chief magistrate.



Mutabingwas clients are facing seven counts including; publication of information prejudicial to security, libel and offensive communication, inter-alia.

The suspects include Richard Tusiime, Johnson Musinguzi, Patrick Mugumya, and Arinatiwe Rugyendo. Others are Richard Kintu, Ben Byarabaha, Francis Tumusiime and James Mujuni. They were arrested on November 21, a day after the tabloid published a story titled; 'M7 plotting to overthrow Kagame - Rwanda.'

The gist of the case according to court documents is, that that on November 20, at the Red pepper offices in Namanve, Mukono district, the accused unlawfully caused publication and distribution of a newspaper headline regarding the military operations, strategies and troop location well knowing that such publication can disrupt public order and security.

Mawanda had to give himself 14 days to write the bail ruling after Abdul-Salam Waiswa, the prosecutor who was co-opted from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) - thanks to the ongoing strike by the Director of Public Prosecutions [DPPs] prosecutors, made lengthy submissions therein saying that the accused should be denied bail.

To back up his position, Waiswa cited a case from the Nigerian Supreme court in which according to this prosecutor held that matters of national security take precedent over human rights.

Waiswa accordingly said that since the article that was published by the Red Pepper had the potential to jeopardize not only relations between Uganda and Rwanda but also the security of the Great Lakes region, the editors shouldnt be granted bail.

Once national security is in jeopardy and security is in pieces not in peace, Waiswa quoted the Nigerian judgment, the individuals liberty or rights might not exist.

Waiswa also cited the affidavit in opposition of granting bail sworn in by Isaac Oketcho who is the police officer, investigating the case. Oketcho apparently deponed that the editors shouldnt be granted bail because they are accused of unique offences which involve using computer systems and electronic systems which according him, means that if the suspects are released from jail they will regain access to the computes, mobile phones and emails which they might use to delay investigations.

The charges against the accused are serious, Waiswa argued. Basing on the evidence so far collected it points to serious evidence against the accused persons.

If the accused are given bail, Waiswa argued that they may further reconnect to other networks and either disorganize the evidence so far collected and if not, he said that they can publish more information which jeopardizes national security.

Waiswa wasnt done, he said that the accused dont deserve bail because previously they have been found guilty of criminal libel by court.

He cited the July 28, 2017, scenario in which Tumusiime was convicted in a Magistrates court on counts the criminal libel, the same offence he is currently facing.

The antecedents are not goodAnd we are not talking about just powerful editors but they are also known as hyenas said Waiswa.

Mutabingwa, in rebuttal, asked Mawanda to treat Oketchos averments as speculation, imagination and rumors which should be disregarded such that his clients are awarded bail.

The state is citing authority [case] from Nigeria yet we have our own Constitution and Supreme court, Mutabingwa said, This court should ignore such submissions.

Specifically the eight are accused of publishing and distribution of newspaper story lines that injured the reputations of President Museveni, his brother Gen Salim Saleh and security minister Lt. Gen Henery Tumukunde, which publication allegedly subjected the three people to hatred, contempt and ridicule.

The accused are further said to have willfully and repeatedly used their computers for no legitimate purposes to disturb the peace and privacy of Museveni , Gen Saleh and Lt Gen Tumukunde by portraying them as people who plotted to overthrow the president of the republic of Rwanda.

The suspects first applied for bail last week, a week after they were arrested on November 21.

dkiyonga@observer.ug






As a group of mainly NRM members of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee travelled to State House Entebbe to interview

President Museveni on the age limit amendment bill, some opposition members of the committee accused the president of hijacking the process.



MPs Mathias Mpuuga (Masaka Municipality) , Medard Lubega Sseggona (Busiro East) and the rebel NRM counterpart Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga) addressed a hastily organised press conference at which they accused the committee chairman Jacob Oboth-Oboth (West Budama South) of acting on Musevenis demands.



Oboth-Oboth on Monday called a closed committee meeting, during which he communicated to the members that the planned upcountry hearings had been put off since there is no money to facilitate the activity.

Mathias Mpuuga and Medard Sseggona (R) addressing the press



Oboth-Oboth also told the committee that Museveni had agreed to interface with the committee on Tuesday afternoon to give his views on the Igara West MP Raphael Magyezis bill that seeks to amend Article 102(b) of the constitution.



The Article is the only remaining legal hurdle to the extension of Musevenis more than three decades hold onto power.



We take with serious exception any allusion to the fact that there is no money to facilitate a very critical national exercise, but the same Parliament has money to dole out to MPs but cannot afford to do a dire minimum for the committee to carry out a very serious activity, Mpuuga said during the press conference at Parliament.



According to Mpuuga, Oboth-Oboth told the committee that Parliament had availed money for the committee to go into a retreat and compile a report on Magyezi bill within five days. This, the Masaka municipality legislator said, is irregular since seven members of the committee are out of the country on official Parliamentary duties.



We also take exception to the fraudulent and irregular manner in which six new MPs were added to the Legal [and Parliamentary affairs] committee alone and not any other committee. All the MPs that have just joined Parliament, and have not even afforded their maiden speech have been added to the committee; of course for the purposes of getting more signatures for this particular bill, Mpuuga said.



Last week, government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa assigned more MPs to the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee bringing the committees membership to 29, seemingly in response to NRM fears that they could be lacking the support of the majority of the committee membership.



On October 31, Magyezi, the bills mover, stormed out of the committee after committee members forced him to take an oath, citing his past record in the ninth Parliament when forging a report on KCCA wrangles.



Surprised by the conduct of its own members on the committee, the NRM pushed for the committee to be replaced but failed to convince the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga.



MUSEVENI BILL



To Mpuuga, the current developments confirm their long held belief that their Igara West counterpart is simply the bills conduit.



This bill is essentially a Mr Museveni bill and Magyezi was used just as a conduit. Why the hurry to go and meet Mr Museveni? We of course agree that bonafide, he can address the committee on this bill and other matters but this should have been the last exercise, not the first before consulting with Ugandans because this constitution is a contract between Ugandans and their leadership, Mpuuga said.



He asked the committee leadership to delay the retreat until other committee members return from their foreign trips than turning the committee into an avenue for rubber stamping the interests of a single individual.



Ssekikubo accused Oboth-Oboth of allowing to be used as a hatchet man for the passing of the Museveni bill instead of the Constitutional amendment bill.



We shall not allow the six MP who were appendaged to the committee for purposes of getting a majority in the committee to append their signatures on a report whose hearings they have not been part of, Ssekikubo said.



Sseggona, the shadow Justice and Constitutional affairs minister said that despite the ongoing machinations, the MPs opposed to the amendment will continue to fight the bill.



As you may be aware, they are trying to rush the process because some bonafide Ugandans including the Leader of Opposition in

Parliament [Winfred Kiiza] have challenged the process in the courts of law and what they [government] are trying to do is to circumvent a due process, Sseggona said.



Sseggona said that the MPs opposed to the amendment would shun the retreat and work on their own which they will table as a minority report.



sadabkk@observer.ug
Trashing all charges put forward by the government of India against fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya, his defence team submitted before a London court on Tuesday that there's no proof that Mallya defrauded the Indian banks. Mallya's legal team, headed by barrister Clare Montgomery, said that the Crown Prosecution Service's arguments represented a "critical failing" on part of the Indian government. The 61-year-old owner of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines was also present in the dock on the second day of his extradition hearing at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London.

Mallya faces charges relating to Kingfisher Airlines defaulting on loans to the tune of Rs 9,400-crore from a consortium of 17 banks in India. There's another case going on against him involving a loan worth Rs 900-crore from IDBI Bank. Arguing on behalf of the Indian government, the CPS had cited "a case of fraud" as a reason for his extradition. Montgomery opened her arguments on Tuesday by stating that the CPS evidence suggested "zero" chance of fraud, and that the Indian government had failed to establish that Mallya had no intention to pay back the loans.

"The reality is that the profitability of an airline depends on economic factors, which are largely cyclical and largely out of the control of the airline itself," she said, reported PTI. Concluding that there was no attempt to mislead the government sector banks by over-valuing the brand value, Montgomery submitted the internal company assessments and bank papers to prove her point. The prosecution on Monday apprised the court of Mallya's "three chapters of dishonesty", with the first being misrepresentation to different public sector banks to secure loans, the loan money misuse and his secret departure from the country as the banks recalled the loans. "Instead of acting as an honest person and doing what he could to meet his obligations, he sets about erecting lines of defence," CPS barrister Mark Summers said, reported PTI, adding that though the airline industry, including Kingfisher Airlines, was in "intensive care", the high profile businessman chose to palm off the losses to private as well as state-owned banks.

Mallya, who has been staying near London since March 2016, had objected to his extradition to India saying the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has converted the Kingfisher Airlines loans case into a criminal matter and had no case against him. His extradition trial will now determine whether he could be legally forced to go back to face the Indian courts. In October, it was reported how the plush London residence of Mallya, called Lady Walk, was bought using the Indian tax payer's money routed through companies located in the UK. Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) had discovered that Mallya paid 6.1 million US dollars (Rs 39.7 crore) from the Kingfisher Airline's HSBC account in London to a British company, Continental Administrative Services, which has "is having ownership interests in the property at Lady Walk, London". For India to extradite Mallya, it has to satisfy a "dual criminality clause" as per the extradition treaty between the two countries.
If internet is an important part of life, especially in urban India, Google is the most vital component of it. From Google search, Android apps, to Google maps and YouTube, urban India, especially youth, swears by Google. Within a few years after big tech companies realised India as a lucrative market for internet and related services - thanks to our enormous population - there has been an exponential rise in the internet penetration. But, don't be mistaken, India is still in its tender age when it comes to the internet usage. The country with over 1.3 billion people - and just 400 million internet users so far - has so much more to offer to these tech giants that it is imperative for them to put India on top of their priority when it comes to research, innovation, product launch and customer base. And, being a market leader, Google is eager to own the Indian internet market with an array of products and features.

'Google for India ', an event that started in New Delhi on Tuesday, is a part of the company's "commitment to India's next billion users" and its "role as a growth engine for the country". The first speaker of the event, Rajan Anadan, VP South East Asia and India for Google, talked about the internet usage and its future for India. He said with India becoming a huge broadband market - a connected mobile user in India consumes 4GB data a month - the figure could reach 11GB in the next four years. According to Google, the company's newly launched digital payment mobile app, Tez, has over 12 million users, and has seen 140 million transactions. The app would soon feature payments for merchants too.

The app also allows users to make all kinds of payments, big or small, directly from your bank account with Tez. Business owners and shops can use the Tez app with their individual current account to start accepting digital payments. Payment goes directly to your bank account - all with no fees. The company also announced the launch of bill payments on Tez. So from Tuesday onwards, one can even pay bills for Airtel, ACT, Tata Power, DishTV, DoCoMo, and other utility providers. The app also has a feature to detect all unpaid bills.

Google has also partnered with Reliance Jio to launch Google Assistant for the Mukesh Ambani-led company's JioPhone, a feature phone that comes for Rs 1,500, and has features similar to a smartphone (it's a 4G LTE phone). Google Assistant would provide the JioPhone users quick information on searches through text and voice-related searches. Google said India holds the number one spot when it comes to Google Play, with over 1 billion app downloads every month. During the event, it was also revealed that over 28 per cent of search queries in India were done by voice, and that there's been over 400 per cent year on year rise in Hindi voice searches.

Recently, Google, in association with Pluralsight and Udacity, said it would offer scholarships to 130,000 developers and students across India. In this joint effort, Google is sponsoring 100,000 scholarships on the Pluralsight learning platform and 30 thousand scholarships on Udacity to help developers gain access to advanced learning curriculum and further their employability in emerging technologies such as Mobile and Web development, Machine Learning, AR/VR, Artificial Intelligence, and Cloud Platforms. This scholarship programme is in continuation of Google's plans to train two million developers in India, to help spur innovation and support the growth of India's start-up ecosystem. Since the last year and a half, Google has trained over a thousand faculty over 400 colleges and 11 state universities for the technologies of the future which has already benefited 75000 students, said William Florance, Developer Products Group and Skilling Lead for India, Google.

Google launches Android Oreo Go, repackaged version of Android One

Google's also announced the formal rollout of Android Oreo Go Edition, an operating system designed for entry-level devices, in India on Tuesday. Android Go is a re-packaged version of Android One with several apps and features for bare-bone devices even as Android One now caters to slightly more premium hardware. Devices with Android Oreo Go Edition will start shipping from next year, Google further announced. Android Go was first announced at Google I/O 2017 as a special configuration of Android Oreo for entry-level handsets with less than 1GB of RAM. The OS aim, much like it is in the case of Android One devices, is to offer high-quality handsets with high-quality software at rock-bottom prices. Android One demands handsets to ship with 1GB and more of RAM, but Android Go handsets will be able to support RAM as low as 512MB.



Google unveils 'Go' and two-wheeler mode in Google Maps

Tech giant Google on Tuesday unveiled a slew of new solutions, such as Android Oreo Go edition for low-cost smartphones and a bike mode for Maps, aimed at driving Internet adoption across markets, including India. The technology giant also announced the launch of yet another India first feature for Google Maps - a two-wheeler mode with voice navigation. The feature will be available on Google Maps in India from Tuesday and will offer accurate travel times to reflect speed, customised routing and voice guided navigation and enhance landmark navigation for two-wheeler drivers. Caesar Sengupta, Vice-President, Next Billion Users, said Google's India-first suite of products and features are aimed to help more people discover how the Internet can make life easier and more convenient. "These products and features are India-first, but they are not India-only. When we build better products for India, we ultimately build better products for everyone," he added. Citing the example of the bike mode on Google Maps and addition of bill payment feature in Tez, Sengupta said, "These additions both speak to the specific lifestyles of a large number of Indians". "Then you have those who are just adopting Internet. For them, Android Oreo (Go edition) will help improve the experience on entry-level phones while new apps like Files Go will ensure their experience is smooth and they consume less data," he said.

Google, Tata Trusts to create jobs via Internet Saathi

Google said on Tuesday that it will expand its Internet Saathi programme in India -- run in partnership with Tata Trusts -- to create "digitally-enabled livelihood opportunities" for women. Launched in July 2015, Internet Saathi programme aims to facilitate digital literacy among women in rural India. It has so far, trained 30,000 Internet Saathis, who have in turn influenced 12 million women in the country. "Internet usage by women in rural areas is a challenge. Earlier, only 1 in 10 Internet users in rural India was a woman. Two years later, this has grown to 3 in 10," Google Marketing Head (South East Asia and India) Sapna Chadha said. Citing a study, she said women, who were part of the Internet Saathi programme, felt their social and economic standing had improved after the training. "Many have set up their own businesses and this inspired us to look at creating a sustainable framework to deliver employment opportunities to the Internet Saathis," she said. Tata Trusts has set up Foundation for Rural Entrepreneurship Development (FREND), which will help companies and institutions to utilise the services of Internet Saathis in dissemination of information and services in rural areas. This will create newer avenues of income generation for Internet Saathis in rural India, Chadha said. Tata Trusts Head (Strategy) Raman Kalyanakrishnan said the intent of bringing income-generating opportunities to these women was to ensure that they become self-dependant and further encourage women in their communities to emulate them.

With PTI inputs

Also Read: Google launches two-wheeler mode in Google Maps for India
KP Assembly demanded inquiry into killing of disarmed terrorist

PESHAWAR: The opposition parties in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday demanded inquiry into the killing of a terrorist, who was allegedly disarmed and locked up in a room by a student during the Fridays attack on the Agriculture Training Institute, Peshawar.



The Jamaat-i-Islami, a coalition partner of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in the province, also endorsed the demand.



Speaking on a point of order in the house, Pakistan Peoples Party member Nighat Orakzai said a student had disarmed one of the attackers and locked him up in a room.



The police instead of arresting the attacker opened fire at the attacker and killed him in the dormitory, she said while quoting the student as saying.



The lawmaker said the student, who was under treatment, explained the incident when a group of terrorists stormed the institute.



She said the police had spoiled evidence by killing the attacker and that the arrest of the terrorist would have provided intelligence agencies with clues to reach handlers, planners and masterminds of the attack on the institute.



The attack had left nine people, including eight students, dead and 28 injured. The police said three attackers were killed in the security forces operation.



Law and parliamentary affairs minister Imtiaz Shahid said the information of the MPA was based on hearsay as he had gone through the polices report about the attack.



The minister seemed unaware about the attack despite having the polices report as he said the terrorists had attacked the university.



According to the police, four or five terrorists were killed in the counterattack on the Agriculture University. There is no truth in the report that the police had killed one attacker, who was disarmed and locked up in the room, he added.



The minister praised the law-enforcement agencies for averting massacre through their timely response to the attack.



Senior minister Inayatullah Khan, who belongs to the Jamaat-i-Islami, proposed inquiry into the reports about the killing of the disarmed attacker. There should be an inquiry into the claims of the student, he said.



The minister supported the oppositions demand for in-camera briefing for parliamentary leaders about the resurgence of militancy in the province.



He said the polices chief should brief leaders of political parties about the current surge in attacks.



(Poet and critic) TS Eliot said April is the cruelest month but I say December is the cruelest month for Peshawar, he said while referring to the terrorist attack on the Army Public School Peshawar and other brutal incidents occurred in the region in December.



MPAs Syed Jaffar Shah, Sardar Hussain Babak, Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha, Sikandar Sherpao Mufti Syed Jana and Fakhar Azam of the opposition and Izazul Mulk Afkari of the Jamaat-i-Islami also demanded inquiry into the killing of a disarmed attacker.



The lawmakers demanded in-camera briefing on the current situation and revisiting of the National Action Plan by the federal government.



Speaker Asad Qaisar, who was in the chair, ordered inquiry into the statement of the student about the disarming of an attacker.



He admitted an adjournment motion of the opposition to hold detailed discussion on the increase in acts of terrorism.
Pakistan high officials met Us Defense Secretary

ISLAMABAD: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Monday met Pakistans civilian and military leaders and urged them redouble their efforts to rein in militants accused of using the country as a base to carry out attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.



Mattis, on a one-day visit to Pakistan, said the South Asian nation had made progress in the fight against militancy inside its borders but needed to make more.



The Secretary reiterated that Pakistan must redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country, the Pentagon said in a statement.



Mattis, who visited Pakistan for the first time as defense secretary, said before the trip that the goal for his meetings with Pakistani officials would be to find common ground.



In his discussion with Mattis, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the two allies shared objectives. Were committed (to) the war against terror, he said. Nobody wants peace in Afghanistan more than Pakistan.



During the meeting, General Mattis stated that the purpose of his visit was to find common grounds in order to create a positive, consistent and long-term relationship with Pakistan, read a statement issued by the Prime Ministers House.



Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua and Director General (DG) ISI Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar were among those who attended the meeting. US Ambassador David Hale was also present.



The US defence secretary said he was aware of the sacrifices rendered and the lives lost in Pakistans fight against terrorism and extremism, the statement read. Mattis was also reported to have appreciated the professional abilities of Pakistans armed forces.



Mattis underscored the importance of continuing and deepening cooperation for the common objective of eliminating terrorism from the region, read the statement.



Prime Minister Abbasi underlined the need for broad-based engagement to strengthen the partnership and enhance cooperation between the two countries, the statement said.



He agreed with Mattis that both Pakistan and the US have common stakes in securing peace and security in Afghanistan for the long-term stability of the broader region.



The premier also appreciated the USs resolve not to allow the use of Afghan soil against Pakistan.



Sharing highlights of recent counter-terrorism operations to improve the domestic law and order situation, PM Abbasi noted that Pakistan, in its national interest, would continue to conduct intelligence-based operations all over the country to consolidate the gains achieved in the last four years.



The prime minister reiterated that there was no safe haven in Pakistan and the entire nation was committed to its resolve on eradicating terrorism once and for all in all its forms and manifestations.



Mattis also met with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the GHQ. The meeting focused on regional security with particular emphasis on Afghanistan as well as other matters of mutual interest, according to press release issued by the ISPR.



The COAS acknowledged history of US engagements with Pakistan especially the ongoing efforts for continuing the positivity for peace in the region. He said that Pakistan had done much more than its due share despite capacity constraints but will remain committed for peace as a responsible member of the international community.



He reiterated Pakistans support to peace and stability in the region and highlighted Pakistans concerns emanating from Indian use of Afghan soil, the necessity and right of Afghan refugees for a respectable and early repatriation and the existence of terrorist safe havens across the border in Afghanistan.



Gen Mattis expressed his respect for Pakistans armed forces and the effective operations undertaken against terrorists. He highlighted the concern that a few elements continue to use Pakistans territory to further their terrorist agenda in Afghanistan. He assured the COAS that US was ready to play its role in addressing Pakistans legitimate concerns, saying that his aim was not to make demands but find common grounds to work together.



The COAS appreciated the visiting dignitarys understanding of the underlying issues and said that Pakistan didnt require anything from US but understanding. We have eliminated safe havens from Pakistans soil but are prepared to look into the possibility of miscreants exploiting Pakistans hospitality to the Afghan refugees to the detriment of our Afghan brothers, he said.
PML-N to take action against Zafarullah Khan Jamali-MNA Raza Hayat Harraj for opposing Nawaz Sharif 05 December, 2017



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Woke Bingo ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided to take disciplinary action against former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and MNA Raza Hayat Harraj for openly opposing the re-election of Nawaz Sharif as party president.



The decision was taken at the first meeting of the newly-constituted Central Executive Committee (CEC) presided over by Nawaz Sharif at Punjab House here on Monday.



Earlier in the day, veteran politician from Multan and former PML-N president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi met Mr Sharif and other party leaders. Party sources said Mr Hashmi had been formally invited to rejoin the PML-N.



Though Mr Hashmi did not make any announcement in this regard, senior party leaders are hopeful that he will soon rejoin the party which he had left in 2011 due to some differences with the leadership over organisational matters. He later joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). However, he quit the PTI at the peak of the 2014 sit-in, alleging that Imran Khan had been staging the demonstration at the behest of the establishment.



Mr Hashmi was warmly received by Mr Sharif and other party leaders, including Maryam Nawaz. The sources said Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique had arranged Mr Hashmis meeting with Mr Sharif.



Talking to reporters after the CEC meeting, PML-Ns information secretary and Climate Change Minister Mushahidullah Khan said the party had decided to initiate disciplinary action against Mr Jamali and Mr Harraj  two senior members of the party  in accordance with the partys constitution because they had violated party discipline.



Mr Khan said the party leadership had decided to take stern action in future as well against those who would violate the party discipline and no leniency would be shown in this regard.



The ruling party had to face embarrassment last month when Mr Jamali, in an open defiance, voted with the opposition benches in the National Assembly for the bill seeking to amend Elections Act 2017 with an aim to remove its Clause 203 which allowed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to reclaim his position as president of the PML-N following his disqualification by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.



Zafarullah Jamali, who served as prime minister during the military regime of Gen Pervez Musharraf, later in his TV interviews and statements openly criticised the decision to get Mr Sharif re-elected as PML-N chief, as well as the partys policies and strategy after the July 28 Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case.



Raza Hayat Harraj, who was also an active member of the Musharraf-era cabinet before joining the PML-N, remained absent during the crucial voting on the bill and later admitted that he had intentionally skipped the proceedings because he was not in favour of electing a disqualified person as the party chief.



In reply to a question about action against nearly two dozen MNAs who were also not present in the assembly at the time of the voting on the oppositions bill, Mushahidullah Khan said the party could not take action merely on the basis of attendance.



Mr Khan said the participants of the meeting had discussed the strategy for the upcoming elections in detail and the party leadership had decided to start preparations for them. He said Mr Sharif had directed that a blueprint of the election strategy be prepared and presented before the CEC at its next meeting.



The PML-N leader said the party had decided to start mass contact campaigns and public meetings and other events would be announced at the district level.

Religious parties sit-ins



In response to a question, he said the issue of recent sit-ins by religious parties also came under discussion and the participants expressed concern over the incidents during the protests and the developments in the aftermath.



Earlier talking to reporters, Mr Khan said the CEC members had reposed their complete confidence in the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and also expressed satisfaction over the four-year performance of the government.



Mr Khan said the PML-N had contested the 2013 elections on three major issues  elimination of loadshedding, eradication of terrorism and uplift of the devastated economy. He said the participants were of the view that despite difficulties and hurdles, the government had achieved all the three targets as there had been a considerable decline in the incidents of terrorism, and surplus electricity was being generated.



He said the performance of the government under Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who was present on the occasion, was also lauded by the participants.



In reply to a question, Mr Khan said the PML-N did not want confrontation with state institutions as it was a patriotic party, adding that the nation should decide who had adopted the policy of confrontation. He said the PML-N and the Sharifs were only defending themselves against the injustices meted out to them and this act should not be considered as confrontation.

Sharif-Hashmi meeting



Mr Khan said the meeting between Javed Hashmi and the party leadership remained very positive and the estranged PML-N leader candidly expressed his feelings and views on different issues. He claimed that Mr Hashmi did not express his desire to rejoin the party, but result will come soon. He said Mr Hashmi had come to meet Mr Sharif on the latters invitation.
An Accra Central District Magistrate Court presided over by Arit Nsemoh, has remanded into police custody, Rabih Haddad, the Lebanese boss suspected to have raped his Ghanaian house help at his Airport Hills Residential home in Accra.



The 39-year old accused is to reappear before the court on December 19, 2017.



The counsel for the accused prayed for bail, but the court refused on grounds that they did not have the jurisdiction to do so.



Background



The victim in this rape and assault case, who speaks only Ewe and French, said the suspect beat her after his apparent displeasure with the coffee she had prepared for him.



Following the incident, he dragged her to a bedroom and raped her, according to the victim, who spoke to Citi News at the police station.



She said he slapped her twice in her face, finally overpowered her and dragged her to his bedroom where she was raped.



She had also told the Daily Graphic newspaper that she is consistently harassed for sex by her boss anytime his wife was not at home.



The unnamed suspect in the rape case being escorted out of the police station.

Former AG to serve as victims lawyer



Ghanas former Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, has stepped in to serve as the lawyer of the victim.



Mrs. Appiah-Oppong told Citi News she was keenly following the case, and expressed some satisfaction with the course of the investigations so far, and said she will ensure justice is served.



We are fortunate to have caught this one early so that the investigation can be done properly. Very often, by the time we become aware of a situation like this, time has elapsed, evidence is lost and it becomes very difficult to follow up on it. That is why we are very keen to follow up on this one to make sure that the proper investigation and proper prosecution is also done, Mrs. Appiah-Oppong said.



The police administration has said they will put forward a strong case to ensure justice is served.



Probe into misconduct



As the rape case has unraveled, the issue of suspected police misconduct has come up for discussion.



Initial reports indicated that when the case was reported to the Airport Police, the officer on duty is reported to have accompanied the victim to the Airport Hills residence of the suspect, supervised the packing of her belongings, and only ensured her November salary of Ghc350 was paid her without any arrest being effected.

ASP Tenge said investigations were also being carried out into the suspicions of misconduct and negligence whatever it is that we find out, or we believed due process was not followed, those ones will be handled internally.



But shedding some light on the victims first visit to the police where an assault complaint was made, she noted that to her [the rape victim], she didnt even want to pursue it.



All that she wanted was the assistance of the police to be able to accompany to her to her boss house so she collects her belongings so that is what the police did. She also demanded that she has worked in that house for the period of a month and therefore, she has the right to collect her monthly salary.



No complaints were made of previous rape and the issue of rape had not even come in the reports, ASP Tenge added.

Source: Citi News









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Fueron ellos



Una imagen que resume



Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero?



Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante)



Ladrones al poder



Asi mira el perrito a su amo



Crazy



Clamor popular



La nueva inquisicion



Bolivia



Chile Hoy



Eso es todo amigos!



Piensalo!



Pinerachet



No More Trump



Adios Macri, hasta nunca



La Marioneta se desinfla



Asi o mas cinico



Almugre



Mexico en 1794



Mas arrastrado imposible



Hasta cuando!



La pura verdad



Solidaridad con Palestina



Serie Capitalismo



Espejismos de la clase trabajadora



Asi es!



Comerciantes o delincuentes



No pasaran!



Asi es la vida



USA HOY



01/01/1959



La avaricia no tiene limites



AYUDA HUMANITARIA?



Chile Hoy



Asi son las cosas



Mapa Electoral de Venezuela



Patagonia argentina?



Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad



Retrato del franquismo en Espana



Visca Catalunya!



El Chulo de Madrid



Cuando la policia se roba la democracia



Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras



La purita verdad



Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia



Mi pobre clase media



Como Chavez nadie



Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear

Programa de la MUD



Asi o mas clarito



Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte?



Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio?



Una verguenza nacional



La luz que nos guia



La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz?



Feudalismo ayer y hoy



Obama, el mentiroso



Curiosa coincidencia



Un mundo de cerdos



No es extrano?



La Marioneta



Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran



MARICORI Y OBAMA



Cuantas muertes este ano?



USA TODAY



USA HOY 6



USA HOY 5



USA HOY 4



USA HOY 3



USA HOY 2



USA HOY (1)



Insaciable



Cronologia de un agresor



Guarimbear en USA



Mexico hoy



Bolivar y Chavez



Primero Amargado



Dios los cria y ellos se juntan



USA hoy (III)



USA hoy (II)



USA hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Obama



La verdad sea dicha



Los ricos



Que no nos vea Obama



Pobre Obama



SOS PALESTINA



VICMAN



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Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



Por culpa de Chavez



Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


The primary red meat of Pennsylvania is probably not at your local grocery store, but it may be romping through your backyard. And it turns out that venison (deer meat) trumps beef not only in popularity, but also, the experts say, in health benefit and nutrition.

Whether you find the deer in your yard to be a beautiful sight or the annoying creatures that munch your flowers, the fact is that these remarkable animals occupy a much more central place in Pennsylvania than most of us know. Theres a reason they were chosen to be the official state animaltheyve been sustaining human life here since long before the arrival of European settlers.

In 2015, the Pennsylvania Game Commission sold 935,146 general hunting licenses to state residents. And last year, venison was introduced to fast-food restaurants when Arbys began selling venison-steak sandwiches at 17 locations in popular hunting states, six of which were around Pittsburgh.

Arbys wasnt looking to promote the health benefits of venison, but to appeal to Americas 20 million hunters. They hunt the meat, we have the meat, said Luke DeRouen of Arbys. To walk the walk, we had to show them we had what it takes to bring a product to market.

The Arbys recipe begins with 5-ounce venison steaks from the deers hind leg. The steak is marinated in garlic, cooked sous-videimmersed in hot water and cooked slowly over timeand served on a bun with crispy onion strings and juniper berry sauce.

Venison is served in many ways: as steak, tenderloin, roast, sausage, jerky and minced meat. While leaner and richer than beef, its criticized by some as gamey. Nutritionally, however, venison beats beef again. Three ounces of venison has 134 calories and three grams of fat, while the same amount of beef has 247 calories and 15 grams of fat. Venison also contains high levels of iron, zinc, protein and amino acids.

Still, venison is much less accessible. Selling home-processed meat is illegal, and in order to be sold in retail outlets, venison must receive USDA approval. As a result, most retail venison comes from New Zealand (as with Arbys) or Tasmania and is more likely to be found in a specialty grocery store. So the most dependable source of venison in the U.S. may just be a hunting license and hours scouring the woods.

Today, deer often number more than 40 per square mile in Pennsylvania, and their numbers often raise the ire of suburban homeowners. But a little over a century ago, there was concern that deer were on the brink of extinction in many states including Pennsylvania. In response, Congress passed the Lacey Act, banning the selling or trading of animals, fish and plants obtained illegally. With that law and the decline of wolves and mountain lions, the states deer population soon rebounded, making overpopulation ultimately the chief concern.

Nonprofits such as Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) help reduce the overpopulation while contributing venison to impoverished Pennsylvanians. Through HSH, hunters can take their tagged deer to one of 115 butchers to be processed for freethanks to sponsors such as Applebees and Walmartand delivered to a regional food bank distributor. From there, the meat is bagged and given to families in need or to soup kitchens.

An average-sized deer, after its boned out and every drop of it is used correctly, could provide 200 meals, said HSH executive director John Plowman. And deer meat is really good: low fat, extremely high protein, low cholesterol. So its in high demand; theres a tremendous amount of competition for deer meat.

The venison is most easily distributed as ground meat, or burger, and every hunting season, HSH seeks to distribute about 100,000 pounds of processed venison to the states 20 regional food banks, which in turn re-distribute it to more than 4,000 local charities and ultimately to the 1.8 million Pennsylvanians who are considered to be food insecure.

Next week: What a Rack! The Story of Antlers
C. P. Snow titled his last book, written shortly before he died, A Coat of Varnish. What he meant, as he put it, was that Civilization is hideously fragile. Civilization, that is to say, is like a thin coat of varnish spread on top of human savagery. The varnish looks terrific, but scratch it and what you find underneath is much uglier.

I began this series on populism, written 40 years further away from World War II and the Holocaust than Snows book, with a remark to similar effect: that civilization is like a really good suit of clothes that is, unfortunately, just a bit too small for us. In other words, the part of humankind that is civilized is certainly a genuine part of who we are, but unfortunately its not the whole story.

In addition to being civilized, we are also brutal and miserly and dishonest and annoying and iniquitous. A government that imagines we are only uncivilized will be a totalitarian government, determined to restrain the savages it believes itself to be governing. The Soviet Union, for example, believed that the New Man could only be knocked together by force.

A government that imagines we are only civilizedi.e., that it is governing angelswill believe that it can easily perfect humankind. The socialist republics that dominated Europe between the wars were driven by a Rousseauian belief in the straightforward perfectibility of man: merely articulating what the New Man should look like would be sufficient to make him happen. They thereupon set out to reform every part of public and private life that wasnt yet perfect (in their checkered view), and to do it virtually overnight.

Both experiments failed utterly. The people-are-savages experiment in the USSR lasted a mere seven decadesinfanthood by the standards of nation-states. Butand this is the crux of the matterthe people-are-angels experiments failed far more quickly. And not only did they fail, but they gave rise to fascist tyrannies that didnt just stop the progress of reform, but set it back many decades.

The lesson of these failures seems clear: people want reform, and they welcome improvements that make their societies more fair, effective and inclusive. But they wont tolerate reform that is so rapid that it threatens practices that have governed their lives for centuries and, indeed, that have made those lives possible. Reform needs to happen, but it needs to happen at a pace that people can assimilate.

So lets jump ahead to what went wrong in America over the past three or four decades. During that period, essentially all the benefits of being an American went to the top 20 percent of the society. In effect, America, like the between-the-wars European republics, no longer worked for most of its citizens.

Not only did this elite 20 percent prosper mightilyeconomically and culturally, amassing astonishing power and influencebut it became addicted to what sociologists call virtue signaling. Virtue signalers are people who genuinely believe that they are morally superior to the rest of usmore ethically enlightened, more environmentally sensitive, more thoroughly inclusive.

As if that werent bad enough, virtue signalers missed no opportunity to display their superiority. Those spectacles were designed to hammer home how defective the rest of us are: we are moral reprobates, environmental deadbeats, bigots, racists, chauvinists, homophobes.

If you combine the economic inequality that has grown ever worse in America with the virtue signaling that has infected its elites, what you get is the modern equivalent of Let them eat cake.

At first, economic inequality and virtue signaling led to the cultural populism that, as I mentioned earlier, always characterizes the early phases of populism. That is, vast stretches of the American public simply disconnected from their elites. It was clear that the latter had long ceased to care about the fortunes of the former and, indeed, rather despised them.

But what transformed cultural populism into political populism was the attempt to legislate virtue signaling into the law of the land. Like the between-the-wars European republics, America in the Obama years introduced progressive reforms essentially across-the-board and overnight. These ranged from the sublime (grappling with global climate change and healthcare reform) to the ridiculous (gender-neutral restrooms imposed on the American public by executive fiat).

In Europe the attempt to legislate moral reforms too quickly blew up the republics that tried it. Instead of the New Man, Europe got Hitler, Mussolini, Franco and Salazar. In America the attempt was far more modest, but it still blew up the traditional political parties. Instead of the progressive New Person, we got Trump. Failing to progress at all risks revolution, but pursuing reform too quickly is, in a way, even more dangerous. No matter how good the cause or the intentions, its difficult to create the New Man without the Old Man punching you in the nose.

Im not suggesting that human societies cant or shouldnt evolve or improve, but the history of democratic republics collapsing in the face of populist resistance to aggressive reform seems to me to be, if not conclusive, then at least powerfully suggestive. You just cant force reforms on people as quickly or as thoroughly as progressive elites think it needs to happen. Not only do such reforms come to a screeching halt, but they are quickly undone by the newly installed populist leaders.

Americas elites continue to believe that Trump is the problemget him out of office and all will be well. But the problem lies with the elites themselves. If economic progress had been more evenly distributed, and if the elite view of non-elites had been something other than contempt, cultural populism would never have happened. Indeed, its entirely possible that the progressive reforms imposed during the Obama years might largely have been accepted.

But the effort by a wildly successful elite to impose progressive reforms on a left-behind public was bound to come to grief. America isnt a Weimar slowly breeding a Hitler, but we forget that civilization is hideously fragile at our peril. If we cant remember the past, we will indeed continue to repeat it.

Next up: What Will You Do in the Crisis?
Adam Colver digital editor Adam Colver is the online editor at The Post-Star. He manages poststar.com, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram social media accounts. Follow Adam Colver Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

An alleged bot flooded the FCC's commenting capability on the proposed changes to Title II of net neutrality.

Many of the 1.3 million comments used real names and addresses of people across the country which was reported by several media outlets on Nov. 28.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman estimates tens of thousands of New Yorkers may be impacted by these submissions.

On Nov. 29, Schneiderman launched a webpage to report misuse of identities after the FCC refused to assist with an investigation. Schneiderman penned an open letter asking for the FCC to assist with the investigation.

Everyone should be concerned about potential corruption of the federal policy making process, said Schneiderman. The FCC is refusing to help us  or anyone else  conduct a serious investigation, so were asking New Yorkers to help us get to the bottom of what happened. New Yorkers deserve a fair and transparent process  not only here where the future of their internet access hangs in the balance, but in every case where the government is considering a policy that affects Americans daily lives.

According to a news release, the FCC reversed course following pressure to assist with investigation on fake comments. The attorney general and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called for the planned vote on net neutrality Dec. 14 to be delayed while these fake comments are investigated.

In a news release he encourages New Yorkers to visit https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/ and search for their name. If they discover a comment was issued without their knowledge to file a complaint at https://ag.ny.gov/fakecomments.

HBO's Last Week Tonight host John Oliver has been leading the charge for comments on net neutrality to the FCC and his segment has gone viral.

If you are in the dark about what net neutrality is and what it does Oliver breaks it down in his comedic nature.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's has proposed returning to the longstanding light-touch regulatory framework for the Internet and restoring the market-based policies necessary to preserve the future of Internet Freedom.

The FCC has proposed the following:

Reinstate the "information service" classification of broadband Internet access service first established on a bipartisan basis during the Clinton Administration.

Restore the determination that mobile broadband is not a "commercial mobile service" subject to heavy-handed regulation.

Restore the authority of the nation's most experienced cop on the privacy beat  the Federal Trade Commission  to police the privacy practices of ISPs.

Many have worried the reversal of President Barack Obama enacted with Title II of the net neutrality rules will open the Internet to a pay-to-play system.

The rules will go up for a vote on Dec. 14.

 Adam Colver
LAKE GEORGE  It is the end of the line for efforts to bring a brew-cycle tour to Lake George.

The proprietor of the business withdrew his proposal after hearing concerns from village officials about traffic safety and liability.

Lawyer Greg Teresi and business partner Anthony Ali, who launched the Tiki Tours boat rides last summer on the lake, wanted to bring in a 16-passenger pedal vehicle for tours of bars and restaurants in the village.

Riders sit across from each other, using their feet to turn pedals connected to the main shaft, which turns the wheels. A driver at the back steers the vehicle.

Mayor Robert Blais said feedback to the proposal Teresi had presented was negative.

I had indicated that we had received several calls from mostly residents, not business people, and they were almost totally against such an operation in the village, mostly because of safety reasons and traffic concerns, Blais said.

Teresi said he had been optimistic after his first meeting before village board members in October, but they said at the November meeting they thought it wasnt the right fit for Lake George.

I was hoping that they would see that its adding another activity for vacationers, adding another reason to try to bring people to the village, he said.

People have a lot of misconceptions about the business, Teresi said. Its not a bike rolling down the street, carrying drunken people, he said.

Teresi had offered to bring the bike up for a week as a trial run.

It wasnt something they were willing to take a risk on, he said.

Teresi has the vehicles in Troy, Schenectady and Hudson. He said he is focusing on New Orleans for future expansion. He said people have also spoken to him about bringing the business to Glens Falls, especially with the breweries that are in the area.

With everything going on in Glens Falls  all the development  I think it would really do well. I want to talk to the police chief. I want to talk to the mayor. I want to talk to the business owners before we make a formal proposal, he said.

Blais said the trustees were concerned about adding to the heavy traffic that the village experiences in the evening. The tours were going to operate from noon to 11 p.m. and Blais estimated the bicycle could be stuck in traffic for a half-hour during busy nights such as the Thursday fireworks display.

Teresis route would have started at the Adirondack Brew Pub then travel onto Dieskau Street, which runs parallel to Canada Street. It would have briefly crossed over Canada when heading to Ottawa Street. The tour would have stopped at Moose Tooth Grill or the Courtyard Marriot, then gone south on Ottawa Street to Backstreet BBQ & Tap Room before ending up back at the start.

Blais suggested alternate routes, such as starting away from Canada Street and outside the village.

Board members were concerned about the interaction between pedestrians and people on the bicycle. Board members and village officials such as Code Enforcement Officer Doug Frost were concerned about intoxicated passengers.

He was mostly concerned about the safety and liability and did not feel it was conducive to the family atmosphere, Blais said.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik publicly opposed drilling for oil and gas in Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Friday after advertisements from the Wilderness Society targeted her and 12 other Republican congresspeople, asking them to vote against the Senates GOP tax bill including a rider for Arctic drilling.

Though Stefanik voted against the bill, it passed through the House and the Senate on the shoulders of other Republicans voting along party lines. It will go through a conference period where the two bills will be dissected and combined before it can be finally voted on.

We are grateful to Rep. Stefanik for standing up against this backdoor scheme to sell off a national treasure, said Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society. For nearly 40 years there has been bipartisan support for defending the Arctic Refuge, and it is bipartisanship that can save one of our last wild and untouched places for future generations of Americans.

Stefanik has stated that drilling in ANWR should be debated separately from the tax bill, and has made a formal request with 11 fellow Republicans to separate it from the larger legislation.

The rider was added to the bill by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski to effectively repeal the states National Interest Lands Conservation Act, allowing for at least 800,000 acres in the 19 million-acre Arctic refuge to be drilled for oil and gas.

A letter from a dozen Republican congresspeople, including Stefanik, expresses concern over digging in the Alaskan Arctic reserve, stating that seismic testing  the practice of sending loud blasts from airguns through the ground at 10 second intervals, 24 hours a day to locate buried oil and gas  could threaten at-risk species and the Arctics fragile habitat.

They suggest oil and gas companies dig in Alaskas National Petroleum Reserve to the west for less controversy, lawsuits and infrastructure development.

The letter points out, Republicans, Democrats and independents alike have stood together to protect this unparalleled landscape. For decades, Congress has voted to prohibit oil and gas development in the Refuge, with the overwhelming support of the American people.

Stefanik spokesman Tom Flanigan repeated a refrain the congresswoman has used many times before.

She supports an all-of-the above approach to energy production in the United States that increases American-made energy, reduces our dependency on foreign oil, protects the environment and brings down energy costs for New Yorkers, Flanigan wrote. Additionally, she is a strong advocate for unleashing the power of renewable energy across the United States.
Raise the age? I am writing in response to Thomas Tallon's guest essay on Saturday, Nov. 25, regarding raising the age required of tobacco purchasers in Warren County from the current 18 to 21 years of age. While there is no doubt, after decades of study, that smoking is an extremely dangerous habit and the older an individual is at the time of starting the habit, the better chance they can stop before taking on a lifelong deadly hobby, there exists, in my mind, several problems with increasing the age restriction for the purchase of tobacco products. We have already raised the age to purchase alcohol to 21, with no direct proof of benefits from either actual availability or a change in habits of teenagers. The main argument, however, is a question of freedom. We, as a country, allow and encourage our youth to enlist in the armed forces, to pledge their lives to protect our freedoms, at the age of 18. So, I guess the idea is they are mature enough to decide to lay down their lives for our country, but definitely not mature enough to purchase alcohol, and probably not mature enough to purchase tobacco products? Am I missing something here? A teenage combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan is free to lose life and limb overseas for us, but not buy a beer in his/her America? Now we want to add tobacco to that more restricted list?
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Bettendorf, Iowa  Iowa Women Lead Change (IWLC) announced today the final keynote speaker at the inaugural IWLC Quad Cities Leadership Conference is MSNBC anchor and former NBC Today Show anchor Tamron Hall. Hall rounds out an impressive lineup that includes The Glass Castle author Jeanette Walls and womens leadership expert Jefferey Tobias Halter. Tamron Hall brings with her a strong message of womens empowerment. Her personal and professional journey will inspire many women and men looking to get to the next level of leadership, said IWLC Chief Executive Officer Tiffany ODonnell.

Hall joins Jeannette Walls who is known for her best-selling book turned movie, The Glass Castle. Walls keynote will address her journey of grit, resilience and ultimate triumph over circumstance. IWLC will be hosting a special showing of the movie in advance of the conference on February 6th. Tickets available soon.

Also at the conference, womens leadership expert, Jeffrey Tobias Halter. Mr. Halter will speak to the imperative of engaging men in womens leadership. He not only makes the business case for more women in leadership positions, but also offers strategies and best practices in order to make it happen,  said ODonnell. A popular speaker at other IWLC events, Mr. Halter will also moderate a panel of local business leaders at the conference addressing the importance of male allies for women leaders.

The Quad Cities IWLC Leadership Conference (presented by Lexus of Quad Cities) will be held March 29, 2018 at the Waterfront Convention Center. Tickets for the conference and evening Athena Awards Program (presented by Merrill Lynch | Bank of America Corporation) featuring Robyn Benincasa are available at www.iwlcleads.org.
The shooting happened around 7 p.m. June 28 in the 500 block of 7th Street, according to the Rock Island Police Department. The wounds of the victim were not considered life threatening. Edward L. McLaurin, 21, was identified as a suspect in the case and charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, unlawful use or possession of weapons by a felon and reckless discharge of a firearm.
Today is Tuesday, Dec. 5, the 339th day of 2017. There are 26 days left in the year.

1867 -- 150 years ago: Mr. J.N. White of Andalusia keeps the celebrated non explosive crystal burning fluid for sale at 55 bents a gallon.

1892 -- 125 years ago: U.M. Whiffen was elected head of St. Paul Lodge No. 107, Knights of Pythias.

1917 -- 100 years ago: Alfred Granath was elected president of the Independent Order of Ovithiods.

1942 -- 75 years ago: Robert Mitchell was named chairman of the 1943 Rock Island Red Cross roll call and war fund drive.

1967 -- 50 years ago: Evening programs at Rock Island High School and three junior high schools will help usher in the Yuletime season in Rock Island. About 200 high school students in four different musical groups will present a program of Christmas music from different lands of the world.

1992 -- 25 years ago: The annual Festival of Trees, which closed Sunday at RiverCenter, attracted about 60,000 people over its nine day run, organizers said this morning.
On Nov. 16, the U.S. House passed its tax reform bill. During the very early hours of Dec. 2, Senate passed its version too.

Neither of these bills ought to be signed into law by our president, but the one that passed the House is particularly dangerous to our community here in the Quad-Cities.

Included in the House tax reform bill was the elimination of Historic Tax Credits (HTCs). Since their establishment in 1976, HTCs have created 2.4 million good-paying local jobs, leveraged $131.8 billion in private investments for communities across the US, generated $29.8 billion in federal tax revenue and preserved 42,293 buildings that form the historic fabric of our nation.

Locally, HTCs have been used in several projects; most recently as part of the $10 million Best/VanDerGinst Building development project between Saratoga Capital Group and the city of Rock Island.

These credits are also important enough that the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce  while officially remaining neutral on the tax bills  has called for the protection of these tax credits.

Unfortunately, House Republicans that voted for the reform bill would rather give tax breaks to billionaires than continue a proven successful development tool that directly benefits our Quad-Cities communities.

While campaigning for Rock Islands 5th Ward alderman seat, I was frequently asked how I would support economic growth in our downtown. While the issues facing our downtown are multifaceted and no single solution will ensure prosperity, I consistently advocated to have our downtown listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

If done, development projects performed on historic properties anywhere within our downtown district would be eligible for a 20 percent federal tax credit  the very credits that House Republicans voted to cut.

After getting elected, I continued to push that it be our current councils official policy to obtain National Register of Historic Places status for our downtown and have worked with staff to embark on the slow and exhaustive process for such an application.

As alderman, I am also often reminded of the economic growth of downtown Davenport or Moline. Contrasting downtown Davenport, Moline and Rock Island is often neither fair nor constructive, but one anecdotal demonstration of the success of HTCs is that Davenport and Moline both have their downtowns listed on the National Register of Historic Places and, therefore, have been able to offer developers that 20 percent federal tax credit to develop their downtowns.

None of this, however, seems to matter to House Republicans. The successes of downtown Davenport or Moline and the push by Rock Island to join them in bolstering downtowns apparently does not seem worthwhile to continue for our U.S. House.

HTCs should be a non-partisan issue; I do not write this as a Democrat, Republican or any other political party  I write this as a citizen of Rock Island concerned about my communitys ability to grow into the future.

There is no reason both parties should not support these credits. We do have hope, however, in the U.S. Senate. Their version of the tax reform bill did not eliminate HTC, but nothing is certain yet.

We wait to see what comes out of the joint House-Senate Conference to deliberate differences between these bills. Hopefully, for the sake of our downtowns, HTCs will be included in whatever bill makes it through the congressional conference committee.

I will, as alderman, continue to push for tools to aid development in downtown Rock Island.
A new certificate education program is being introduced to help improve labor-management relations among Quad-City employers and their work forces.

St. Ambrose University Center for Professional Development and Quad-City Area Labor-Management Council, or QCALM, announced a new Labor-Management Certificate to educate a new generation of workers and managers about the benefits of interest-based bargaining. The program can help companies and labor groups  union and non-union  learn to collaborate to save time, reduce grievances and eliminate arbitration.

"The theme of this is moving from adversarial positional approaches to labor-management issues into some kind of interest-based, integrative thinking," said Randy Richards, a longtime St. Ambrose professor, who will teach the programs conflict resolution course.

The new course will combine the expertise of several veteran St. Ambrose faculty with QCALM, a nonprofit whose mission is to educate and train the Quad-Cities' work force to ultimately drive more economic growth.

Introduced 20 years ago, the practice of interest-based bargaining is gaining new momentum, said David Buller, QCALM's chief executive officer. "The workforce is changing and a new generation of workers is more willing to look at interest-based bargaining rather than an adversarial style where you lock in on a position and butt heads until someone wins."

Buller said as the Baby Boomers retire and Millennials fill the worker ranks employers are discovering "the Millennials' wants and needs are much different than what has been the wants and the needs of employees."

Likewise, he said a new work force and a new generation of management need to learn how to work together. "There is not a real relationship of mutual respect and trust that has been built over the years. That takes some history and some training on how to work together."

The new certificate program will teach conflict resolution skills, team-building concepts, sound decision-making and offer hands-on experience in contract negotiation, grievance handling and arbitration. Buller said the program is designed for employees new to union leadership, those who want to be union leaders as well as managers in business, industry and government who work with union labor forces or non-union work forces.

"Our hope is that management and labor can start settling their grievances at the lower levels rather than taking it to arbitration," said Buller, who brings the labor perspective to the class. He and Richards will be joined by John Tacker, an experienced labor relations attorney, and St. Ambrose instructors Frederick Smith and Arthur Pitz.

Individuals can complete all six classes to earn a certificate. But a company or union also can opt to send different representatives to the individual courses to build skills specific to their position.

For more information or to enroll, contact Cheryl Riley at 563-333-5745 or RileyCherylA@sau.edu.
Happy December, foodies! This month's calendar is full of holiday-themed food and drink to-dos and I rounded up a few of them for you (hint: there's a few chances to decorate cookies for Santa). Read on for six foodie things to do in December around the Quad-Cities and get in the festive spirit via festive eats.

1. Vanilla Porter tapping

Great River Brewery is tapping one of its exclusive brews this weekend. Head out to the brewery, 332 E. 2nd St., Davenport, for a sample of the Vanilla Porter, described as a full-bodied porter with hints of coffee, cocoa and caramel. Food will be available, courtesy of The Cushman Collective, a Davenport-based vendor. Also, the tapping party will feature a cookie contest. Bake and bring your favorite cookies and the winner receive a free growler of Vanilla Porter. The event starts at 1 p.m. Saturday.

2. Holiday cookie decorating class

If you've walked in Oh So Sweet by Tiphanie recently, then you've seen an array of cookies decorated to look like snow globes, Santa's full belly, festive sweaters or an overflowing mug of hot cocoa. This week, you can learn how to decorate cookies just like that. The bakery in downtown Davenport is hosting a holiday cookie decorating class starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7 at 14 N. Main St., Davenport, featuring step-by-step instructions from bakery owner Tiphanie Cannon. Tickets for the two-hour course cost $50 and are available at Eventbrite.com. For more info and to register, visit ohsosweetbytiphanie.com.

3. Yoga, beer, pajamas

Tippi Yogis, a yoga practice that travels to area pubs, is holding its second annual holiday pajama party later this month. So, don your coziest pajamas and get ready for yoga with beer or wine nearby. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21 at Front Street Taproom, 421 W. River Drive, Davenport. Cost is $10.

4. Breakfast with Santa

Ever wanted to dine with Santa Claus? The Hy-Vee stores at 4064 E 53rd St, Davenport, and 2200 W Kimberly Rd. Davenport, are hosting breakfast with Santa events from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16. Children eat free with the purchase of an adult entree. The buffet includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, fresh fruit and more. Plus, you get to hang out with Santa and take photos with him while you're at it.

5. Cookie decorating with Santa

Santa is staying in the neighborhood for activities from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 at the North Family Branch YMCA, 624 W 53rd St., Davenport. Festivities include cookie decorating, cocoa drinking and board games. Plus, a holiday movie will play at 3 p.m. Cost is $15 per family (for members) and $35 for family (non-members). Registrations accepted online or at the YMCA welcome center.

6. Gingerbread decorating

Another holiday foodie tradition? Decorating (and eating) a gingerbread house. Area Hy-Vee stores are hosting gingerbread house decorating parties for kids ages 5-11. Along with building your perfect gingerbread home, there will be festive music playing and snacks available. Join the party at 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 at the Hy-Vee at 2351 W. Locust St., Davenport. Registration is required. The cost is $12 per child. Online registration is available at hy-vee.com/store.
Its been a long process, but the final step in Strategic Behavioral Health, LLCs quest to build a psychiatric hospital in Bettendorf will be decided Tuesday.

The Bettendorf City Council will vote on approving a site development plan for the 72-bed facility at 770 Tanglefoot Lane after voting to keep the item on the consent agenda at Mondays committee-of-the-whole meeting.

Iowas Health Facilities Council voted 4-1 in July to approve a certificate of need for the facility after two previous councils stalemated on the issue. Strategic Behavioral Health first submitted its application for a certificate in mid-2015 and was met with strong opposition from Genesis Health System and UnityPoint Trinity.

Genesis and UnityPoint have both added behavioral services since SBH first applied to the council, but SBH officials argued during the July meeting that there is still an unmet demand for services.

Strategics development director Michael Garone said there was ample room for all parties to coexist.

While the Quad-Cities largest hospitals opposed the addition of SBH at the facilities board meetings, the Bettendorf City Council has long held the belief that more mental health services were needed in the community, evidenced by its placement on the City Councils goals for the previous year.

Community Development Director Bill Connors said groundbreaking at the site is expected after the first of the year.

Other buildings that house medical businesses are located in the same corridor, prompting Connors to say that it fits into the area well.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval to the council by a 6-0 vote at its Nov. 15 meeting.

Based upon the citys parking requirements, a minimum of 84 spaces was needed for the facility. SBH has put in 174 spaces.

Chris Townsend, an engineer representing SBH, said during the commission meeting that the spaces were designed to accommodate the large staff, especially at shift change.

With SBH filling out the subdivision, the city has also nixed plans to extend Golden Valley Drive.

Initially, the city had intended to extend the street from Tanglefoot Lane to 40th Avenue to accommodate high-intensity traffic, but that level of volume never came to fruition with the development the area attracted.
The amoral poor are too busy blowing cash on liquor and women. Just ask Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, whose entire political persona is built on a mythical caricature of the every-man.

Grassley, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, went full poor-shaming this weekend during an interview with Des Moines Register.

I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, Grassley told the Register. As opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether its on booze or women or movies.

The mental math is pretty simple here, all of it ignoring the privileges of pedigree and access enjoyed by those atop the social food chain. But it's worth laying out, if for no other reason than better understanding how Iowa's most senior official sees the world.

The undisciplined poor people blow money on booze and other vices.

Rich people don't. They spend their lives hunkered down and forgoing vices so every penny can be stashed away.

Therefore, the rich are not only better off financially but morally superior to we loathsome, drunken plebeians.

Oh, and we're only talking about men here. In Grassley's world, women have yet to garner any semblance of economic independence. They're all just sitting around waiting for a free whiskey sour from yours truly.

Anyone who's seen a Ferrari on the interstate, a private jet at an airport or visited the extravagant Florida coast knows Grassley's assertion that the rich reject luxury is demonstrably false. In fact, in recent years, companies that cater to high-earners  think BMW, Tesla and Mercedes  have been on a research and development binge, rolling out a bevy of tech-heavy, big-money products targeted solely at those who can the afford cutting edge. Entire tourist economies are constructed upon the wealthy's penchant for a good time.

This is an economy based on the wealthy's desire for the ostentatious.

The estate tax  which Grassley targeted and Senate Republicans would significantly roll back in its tax bill passed Saturday  is regularly derided by conservatives as the "death tax." In fact, a minuscule number of estates end up paying the 40 percent of a deceased individual's wealth.

The tax isn't triggered unless the dearly departed passes on at least $5.5 million in assets. That number explodes to $11 million for married couples. I don't know about most of you, but that kind of inheritance isn't common. Midwest critics of the estate tax wrongly assert that it hammers "family farms," a slogan for the down-home, traditional nature of farming that those urban elites just don't understand.

The claim, predictably, is bogus. Just 65 farms are annually hit by the estate tax throughout the U.S., reports the Congressional Research Service. No, by and large, it's those very urban types  the ones whom Grassley's made a career denigrating  that end up paying estate tax.

The average American with a four-year degree will earn about $1.8 million in their lifetime, say researchers at University of Indiana. Again, that's total lifetime earnings, and only for the sliver of the population with a bachelor's degree. So even the middle class has a serious moral failing, under Grassley's framework.

The ethos Grassley espoused isn't a new creation. The elevation of the nobility's genetic and moral phenotypes stretch back centuries. And it's this admiration for wealth that Grassley's tapping into when he tears down the spending habits of the vast majority of the country. But it's an odd argument coming from a man who made substantial political hay when, in 2014, Democratic Senate hopeful Bruce Braley lambasted Grassley as "just a farmer" unfit to run the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Say what you want about the estate tax and the GOP's plan to gut it. Yet Grassley's ham-fisted attempts at defending the move say a lot about how he views the vast majority of Americans.

Grassley made a career likening himself to the hardscrabble blue-collar worker. But his apparent disdain for those who don't amass huge wealth leaves no doubt that Grassley is out of touch.
BELLE FOURCHE | Construction starting this month on the new $2.9 million Belle Fourche High School career and technical education building could also signal a foundation for increased cooperation among Northern Hills school districts to increase course offerings for all students.

Belle Fourche Superintendent Steve Willard said the 100-by-100-foot steel structure could offer more than welding programs that offer certifications through Western Dakota Tech, agriculture, business and food preparation.

The emphasis on welding arose as the district recognized an increasing demand for welders from Rapid City to the North Dakota oil patch as well as nationwide. It also opens current CTE space to expand or develop innovative programs as needed.

The cooperation with WDT  and the state university system  for classes is a trend to help develop the local workforce and give students a step up for post high school training and education.

Willard added that the building also offers the potential for local adult second or expanded career options working with WDT.

He said superintendents and school boards in other Northern Hills districts are looking to meet state emphasis on local workforce development. Costs of adding career-oriented programs have been a challenge.

Classes with dual credit for a state tech school or college also mean significant work to make the classroom and laboratory programs match.

That, he said, is where the Belle Fourche districts board took a lead in plans to emphasize workforce development at all career levels. It offers opportunities for the other Northern Hills districts to look at best use of scarce dollars for the whole area.

Were 10 miles from Spearfish, Willard said. That means a bus in good weather has a short drive on a four-lane.

If, for example, Spearfish had foreign language classes not offered in Belle Fourche, busses could pass each other on U.S. Highway 85 carrying students to newly available class offerings for both schools.

Weve had discussions, Willard said.

The bottom line is to offer more for students without extra taxpayer costs duplicating programs available a short bus ride away.

The superintendent said the states growing emphasis on workforce development comes from the governors office. Careers are part of exploration and discovery programs in grade and middle school. At the high school level, there are increasing career and tech classes as well as internships and dual enrollment classes.

Spearfish and Belle Fourche already have a partnership for teaching English as a second language. Expanding Northern Hills classes gives students more understanding of careers that may interest them  or career tracks they learn are not for them.

Its creating excitement in our student body and the community, Willard said. "Keep the best resource we have, young people.

That includes adults who could gain from increasing technical skills to keep or advance in jobs with area employers.

He said the concept isnt new. When the states tech schools were established in the mid-1960s, it was to offer skilled job training to high school and post high school students and others who needed to update or increase skills for current jobs.

Its offering options for rewarding technical careers with solid family paychecks and far less student debt.

Willard may be an example of carrying tech skills into a career that has taken interesting turns, but kept him and his family in South Dakota.

He worked his way through college in an Aberdeen machine shop. He went on to be a shop teacher in Murdo from 1981 to 1999 when he moved to Belle Fourche as a school administrator.

He was named superintendent as he completed a doctorate degree and duties as high school principal. That experience kept him increasingly aware of the need to offer advanced career foundations for a wider vision of potential life work than just seeking a college degree without a career vision.
CASPER, Wyo. | A Wyoming couple has started a fundraiser for a man who spent nearly 24 years in prison for a rape he did not commit.

DNA testing led a judge to issue an order in 2013 saying Andrew Johnson was innocent of the 1989 rape. However, the state of Wyoming does not pay restitution to people incarcerated for wrongful convictions.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports Chris and Rebecca Merrill of Laramie have been helping Johnson financially for about four years, including buying him a used vehicle so he can get to work and medical appointments.

Chris Merrill says he believes the citizens of Wyoming owe the 67-year-old man a debt so he started an online fundraiser with the goal of raising $100,000 for Johnson. Donors had pledged nearly $5,000 by midmorning Monday.
PIERRE | Gov. Dennis Daugaard said Monday that money will be tight for South Dakota's current and upcoming budget years ahead of his yearly budget address to the state Legislature.

Lawmakers will revise this year's budget and shape the next one during the 2018 legislative session. The Republican executive is set to outline his spending priorities to lawmakers at the state Capitol on Tuesday.

Daugaard said that officials will have to "tighten our belt" for the current budget year and be "very judicious" with the money available for 2019. Daugaard said that he will not be recommending cuts, but rather reducing the projected growth of some state expenses.

"We need to remember that South Dakota still is in good shape," Daugaard told The Associated Press ahead of the address. "Maybe we're not as able to fulfill all our wishes, but I would say we are still fulfilling our needs."

Recently released state figures show that revenues for the first four months of the current budget year are roughly $8.3 million, or 1.5 percent, below expectations due in large part to short sales tax receipts. Sales tax is the state's main revenue source.

The figures through October also show that a tax imposed on construction contractors has brought in roughly $2 million, or 4.6 percent, less than lawmakers had previously anticipated, while tobacco taxes and an insurance company tax are also among the state receipts down from projections.

Lawmakers also dealt with sluggish state tax collections in the 2017 legislative session. But South Dakota ended the 2017 budget year in June with a surplus built on state spending reductions after Daugaard asked agencies to cut expenditures in the face of weaker-than-anticipated revenues.

The session that starts in January and ends in late March is Daugaard's last as governor. He can't run again next year because of term limits and leaves office in 2019.
SIOUX FALLS | Blizzard warnings were posted on Monday for portions of Minnesota and the Dakotas as winter-like weather was set to collide with mild temperatures that previously had allowed Midwesterners to rake leaves and put holiday decorations in place.

Despite warmer temperatures in Minneapolis on Monday morning than Phoenix and Los Angeles, by early afternoon blizzard warnings had been posted for northwest Minnesota, southeast North Dakota and northeast South Dakota where winds of up to 55 mph were expected to whip up snow and create white-out conditions.

Some schools got ahead of the approaching conditions by canceling classes Monday, especially in South Dakota. Aberdeen, Britton-Hecla, Groton, Sisseton and Webster schools were among the East River schools closed Monday. Anywhere from 1 inch to 5 inches of snow was expected to fall in that area. In North Dakota and Minnesota, some school districts dismissed students early, including Fergus Falls, East Grand Forks, Emerado and Thompson.

The University of North Dakota closed its campus at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation temporarily closed westbound Interstate 90 in western South Dakota around noon Monday because of some crashes involving semis, which are especially vulnerable in the high winds.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation issued a travel alert for portions of south central and north eastern North Dakota due to snow covered and slippery roads and blowing snow. Areas included in the south central alert are the cities of Jamestown, Valley City, Ashley, Ellendale and surrounding areas. Areas included in the north eastern alert are the cities of Grand Forks, Grafton, Pembina and surrounding areas.

In South Dakota, forecasters said the rare weather anomaly known as "thunder snow" was possible in the northeast. National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Lueke said instable weather patterns build electricity, including lightning.

The driving force behind the blizzard conditions is the high winds, Lueke told the Aberdeen American News.

"That's the main story," he said. "Without the winds this snow would be mild. But add in wind gusts of 40 and 50, and sometimes up to 60 miles per hour in some areas, and then mix in the snow  that's the driving force behind the blizzard concerns."
The City-School Administration Center at 300 Sixth St. may soon need a new name after the city took the first step toward taking complete ownership of the building Monday night.

The Rapid City Council unanimously approved an agreement for the city to pay the Rapid City Area School District $2,904,450 for its partial ownership of the building, giving the city total ownership of it while the school district looks to move its offices and staff to the recently vacated Black Hills Energy building at 625 Ninth St.

The YMCA also plans to move into the vacant building, with preliminary plans giving the YMCA the first four floors as it expands its child care and preschool program and the school obtaining the top four floors for its administrative offices.

According to a document distributed at a press event announcing the plan two weeks ago, the school district's cost to move into the Black Hills Energy building will be about $2.3 million. The purchase price of the building was not made public, but the building and land are valued at $6.36 million for tax purposes and were listed for sale earlier this year at a price of $7.5 million.

As part of the councils approved motion  made by Alderwoman Amanda Scott  the city will pay $1.5 million to the school district within 60 days of the agreement being finalized. The money for that payment will come from the citys Capital Improvement Plan contingency fund, a reserve fund associated with city infrastructure projects. The agreement stipulates that the city has up to four years to pay off the remaining $1.5 million balance, but the council has yet to decide on a funding source for those payments. Each payment must be at least $260,000, per the agreement.

The cost of the buyout is based on an average of two separate appraisals of the CSAC building by Simpson & Associates in 2009 and 2016, minus deferred maintenance costs. The final figure, $8,500,000, was then multiplied by the schools percentage of ownership of the building, at 34 percent.

In a Nov. 14 memo by Mayor Steve Allender to the council, Allender said he preferred using the combination of joint Vision/CIP funding, a reference to the citys Vision Fund. That fund collected and allocated about $13 million to local projects in 2017 but will see an estimated $1.1 million reduction in funding in 2018 due to a September council decision that changed the allocation of city sales tax collections. In the same memo, Allender justified the purchase, saying the space needs of both administrations have surpassed our joint location. If the city and school were to try and stay in the same building moving forward, he said, it would require significant structural work to the building including the likely completion of a third floor.

Though the city has approved the agreement, the school must also approve it before it is finalized. After Mondays meeting, city attorney Joel Landeen said the school board would likely consider the agreement at its next meeting Dec. 11. Landeen added that though he didnt know the current status of negotiations, the school district also needed to enter into an agreement with the YMCA, which may result in a joint ownership agreement between the two parties for the former Black Hills Energy building.

If all agreements are finalized and approved, Lori Simon, superintendent of Rapid City Area Schools, said the school district plans to move out of the CSAC building this summer and into its new offices by the start of the 2018-19 school year.

In other action, the council:

 Heard a presentation by former state representative Al Scovel and area psychiatrist Stephen Manlove on the need for an expansion of mental health treatment facilities and services in western South Dakota. Scovel made a similar presentation to the Pennington County Board of Commissioners at their Nov. 21 meeting, where he asked the board to draft a resolution to support additional mental health services in western South Dakota. The resolution will come before the board at their meeting today. In a Journal interview last week following a meeting between Manlove, Scovel and other local officials on the topic of mental health care in the area, Scovel said he planned to bring the resolutions before the Legislature sometime early next year. Im going to pursue this thing, he said. Ive been a legislator. I know how it works. I know that its something that we desperately need out here. Scovel estimated that in the best case scenario, it would be three years before he could get a commitment from the state to build a mental health facility in western South Dakota, which remains his ultimate goal. Our job is to put the legislators and the governor, whoever he or she may be, their feet to the fire, he said Monday night. Lets have at it.

 Approved a resolution to create a tax increment financing district, or TIF, for a lot northwest of the intersection of U.S. Highway 16 and Catron Boulevard. In the proposed TIF district, about $5.5 million in property tax payments would be diverted toward construction of a road  called Promise Road in city documents  that would link Golden Eagle Drive with Catron Boulevard along the western edge of the TIF district boundary. Utility and traffic signal adjustments and road realignments at the intersection of Promise Road and Catron Boulevard, and Promise Road and Golden Eagle Drive, would also be completed. Hani Shafai, president of Dream Design International and the developer of the 105-acre lot, said the parcel is expected to house some minor retail space, a hotel and some restaurants. The main piece of the project is a $50 million professional office building which would employ between 250 to 300 people, Shafai said Monday night. None of the TIF funds would go toward building those structures. Currently, the estimated assessed value of the area within the proposed district is about $3 million. Assuming the project goes to plan, the estimated valuation in 2037 would be approximately $51 million, according to city documents.

 Approved the second reading of an ordinance crafted to allow artisan distilleries to operate in downtown Rapid City as a conditional use. Per South Dakota law, artisan distillery production is limited to 50,000 gallons or less of distilled spirits per year. Randal Decker, part-owner of Black Hills Contraband, petitioned the city for the ordinance as his distilling company looks to relocate from Box Elder to Rapid City and open a distillery and bar. In a Sept. 18 letter to city staff, Decker said his company was interested in moving into the building currently housing Hay Camp Brewing Company at 601 Kansas City St., though the distillery would be located in a separate part of the building with its own address. Moving forward, Decker and Black Hills Contraband must now begin the application process for a conditional use permit.
Recently unsealed federal court documents say that a man fatally shot at a Pine Ridge youth center last year was almost kidnapped before he was killed. The records also reveal two more men have been charged in the murder.

Francisco Villanueva, 39, and Adan James Corona, 31, who have been arrested in Colorado, were charged Nov. 22 with murder and conspiracy in the death of Vincent Brewer III. Myles Tuttle, 24, arrested last year on accusations of murder and being an accessory after the fact, faces additional charges.

Their indictment, unsealed Thursday, states that the three men and some unnamed people sought out Brewer at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in October 2016 to collect an alleged drug debt. Brewer, 29, also known as Vinny, was apparently killed after the group found him and he tried to get away.

The four-page document, filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of South Dakota, provides the following chronology of events:

Around Oct. 16 last year, Villanueva, Corona and unnamed individuals traveled from Colorado to South Dakota, carrying multiple firearms. That morning, they went to Rapid City, met up with Tuttle and took two cars to Pine Ridge with a plan to assault and kidnap Brewer in order to collect the alleged drug debt.

They drove around Pine Ridge looking for Brewer on Oct. 16, and picked up people who could help find him.

After finding him in front of the SuAnne Big Crow Youth Development Center, they physically assaulted him and attempted to kidnap him by shoving him into the backseat of one of their vehicles.

When Brewer escaped the vehicle he was immediately gunned down by multiple shooters, including Tuttle, Villanueva, Corona and another unnamed person.

Tuttle, Villanueva and Corona have been charged with first-degree murder as a premeditated killing, first-degree murder in relation to kidnapping and conspiracy to commit assault.

Tuttle is still charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder for allegedly assisting Brewers attackers in evading authorities. The mens indictment states the attackers included people who are unknown to the grand jury.

Another person charged in Brewers killing, Pine Ridge resident Tiffanee Garnier, pleaded guilty in September to being an accessory after the fact. She admitted being part of the group that sought Brewer in Pine Ridge, and said she was accompanied by at least six other people.

Garnier said Brewer appeared to know several of his attackers and the reason they showed up at the youth center. She faces up to 15 years in prison, and is awaiting sentencing in March.

Tuttle, detained at the Pennington County Jail since March, is scheduled to appear at the Rapid City federal courthouse Wednesday on his new charges. He previously pleaded not guilty.

Villanueva and Corona were both arrested in Colorado on Thursday, according to court records. Its unclear when they will make their court appearances in Rapid City. Villanueva is also known as Gumby and Pancho; Corona as Ace Boogie.

Federal authorities have said Brewers killing might be linked to another fatal Pine Ridge shooting in September 2016, in which 34-year-old Annie Colhoff was killed. Three people have been charged in that case, including Brewers sister who was sentenced to probation for failing to report the shooting.
Twenty five years after the Babri Masjid was demolished and violence unleashed on Muslim community in various parts of the country, AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan (ABVA) is releasing the digitized version of its 58-paged citizensa report on the violence committed primarily against the Muslims in Seelampur, Delhi on 11 December, 1992.

The report titled aVictimsa Versiona was published in early 1993. It was prepared by volunteers working at the Voluntary Medical Centre located in a victims house (partially damaged during the violence) at Janta Mazdoor Colony, Seelampur, Delhi. The report presents the victims version a as far as possible in their own words a about the violence let loose on 11 December, 92 and directed primarily against the Muslim community. Even at that time a citizensa report was necessary to provide space to the avoice of the people of the affected areaa as the media (both print and electronic) had by and large carried only the establishment version during those crucial days. Case histories form the bulk of the Report. The reaction of the Administration has been outlined after detailing the case histories.

As per official records all those killed were from the Muslim community. Almost all of the injured (with 1 or 2 exceptions) belonged to this minority community. Again, this community bore the brunt of destruction of houses, shops, places of worship. Ironically, most of the people arrested after the violence were from the Muslim community. Majority of injured and those killed have yet to receive the announced compensation.

A total of 3,500 people were examined and treated in the Voluntary Medical Centre. These included victims of violence as also others who presented themselves for medical ailments. Those bed-ridden were attended to at their houses. Medicines were provided by collections raised by ANKUR, Indian Social Institute, Sadbhav Mission, VHAI, Lok Kalyan Samiti and concerned citizens.

Volunteers from ANKUR, Indian Social Institute, Sadbhav Mission, Delhi University, J.N.U., ABVA, Allaripu, PRIA amongst others provided assistance at the VMC. The VMC was daily run on an average by 8 volunteers including two doctors - a Gynecologist and an Orthopedic Surgeon.

Read the full report here:

Victims Version: A citizens report on violence committed primarily against the Muslims of Seelampur, Delhi on 11 Dec 1992 by AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan (ABVA), March 1993 [Digital version Dec 2017]

AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan Email: aidsbhedbhavvirodhiandolan[at]gmail.com
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The Southern District of Florida blog was started in 2005 by David Oscar Markus , who is a criminal trial and appellate lawyer in Miami, Florida. He frequently practices in federal courts around the country, including his hometown, the Southern District of Florida and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a former law clerk to then-Chief Judge of the District, Edward B. Davis.
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 USSC conducting public hearing on "Fentanyl, Fentanyl Analogues, and Synthetic Cannabinoids" | Main | New lawsuit claims Nebraska's death penalty repeal, before voter capital punishment preservation by initiative, precludes execution of already condemned 

December 4, 2017

Latest trial of Michael Slager for killing Walter Scott taking place during his federal sentencing for civil rights offense

As noted in this post from May, after a state mistrial in December 2016, former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights offense as a result of his lethal shooting of Walter Scott. That resolution all but ensured that continued debate concerning Slager's action would take place during his federal sentencing. And this local article reporting on the first day of that sentencing highlights that this continued debate is in the form of a kind of mini-trial at sentencing. Here are some details:

What Walter Scott did during his fatal confrontation with North Charleston officer Michael Slager and what the policeman said afterward quickly became the focus of the first day of Slagers sentencing hearing. Slager, 36, already has acknowledged violating Scotts civil rights by repeatedly shooting the fleeing black man as a bystander filmed the encounter. He pleaded guilty to that in May, but key facts remain in dispute  a point on full display Monday at the federal courthouse in downtown Charleston. Before hashing out a penalty, a judge must decide this week what underlying offense Slager committed in depriving Scott of his constitutional right to be free of excessive force: murder or voluntary manslaughter. After listening to three government witnesses, the judge gave no initial indication on how he might rule. The proceeding is expected to resume Tuesday morning, possibly with another prosecution witness before the defense takes over. Prosecutors said Scott was simply trying to escape a traffic stop, and they called eyewitness Feidin Santana to back up their contention that Slager murdered Scott and lied to cover his tracks. They rejected Slagers explanation for the shooting: that he fired only after Scott took his Taser. I saw a man just determined to get away and leave, Santana said of Scott. Like I say in the video, it was an abuse  something unnecessary. It was the second time Santana publicly testified against Slager, whose murder trial in state court ended a year ago with a hung jury. Portions of his latest account in U.S. District Court were geared toward helping Judge David Norton decide whether Scotts conduct contributed to Slagers decision to shoot. Prosecutors said no; it was wrong from the moment the officer first pulled the trigger. But defense lawyers said Scott could have at any point stopped and surrendered, and lead attorney Andy Savage pressed Santana about whether Scott had ever raised his arms and given up. If that happened, Santana responded, we wouldnt be here. Santanas video footage of the April 4, 2015, killing brought national scrutiny to North Charleston amid a broader examination of police-involved deaths across the country. It also landed Slager in jail on a state murder charge when the cellphone clip emerged publicly three days later. But the jurors in the state case were unable to agree whether he had committed a crime. At least one of them sat in the courtroom Monday, this time as an observer.... The hearing resembled a trial without the same rules of evidence and procedures that can slow proceedings. And the ultimate arbiter of justice is Norton, who can pick any sentence between no prison time and up to life behind bars. A pre-sentencing report suggested a term of between 10 and nearly 13 years in prison, but defense attorneys asked the judge Monday for a significant departure from those guidelines because of the role Scott played in his own death.

In my prior post about this case after Slager's plea, I calculated based on the government advocating for the court to apply the guidelines for second degree murder and obstruction of justice that Slager would be facing a guideline range of roughly 17 to 22 years of imprisonment. But it would appear that the PSR in this case has urged the court to consider Slager guilty only of voluntary manslaughter for sentencing purposes. Of course, Slager has in fact only pleaded guilty to "a violation of 18 U.S.C.  242, Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law," but in the magical world of federal sentencing the offense of conviction still often does not really matter all that much. In this high-profile case, it will be a judge not a jury tasked with both deciding what crime he really committed and what sentence should go with that crime.

Prior related post:

December 4, 2017 at 06:50 PM | Permalink

Comments

Drop the hammer.

Posted by: federalist | Dec 4, 2017 7:17:46 PM

Decade after decade of interactions with Federal , State , County , City , or Village law enforcement officers ; and Ive never been shot 

I intend to continue with such outcomes 

Posted by: Docile the Kind Soul | Dec 4, 2017 8:53:33 PM

Here is my solution to this Black Lives Matter. Show this 4 minute clip in high school Assembly, once a year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8

Posted by: David Behar | Dec 5, 2017 1:21:44 AM

I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for knowledge.

Posted by: j sale | Mar 24, 2021 8:19:29 AM

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 Latest trial of Michael Slager for killing Walter Scott taking place during his federal sentencing for civil rights offense | Main | "Remorse Bias" 

December 5, 2017

New lawsuit claims Nebraska's death penalty repeal, before voter capital punishment preservation by initiative, precludes execution of already condemned

As reported in this local article, headlined "ACLU of Nebraska sues to block executions, says Ricketts overstepped in referendum process," a notable advocacy group has filed a notable new lawsuit on behalf of a notable prisoner group. Here are the details:

The 11 men on Nebraska death row do not have valid death sentences, a leading anti-capital punishment group argued in a lawsuit filed [Monday]. The ACLU of Nebraska charged that the death penalty repeal, enacted by the State Legislature over a veto by Gov. Pete Ricketts, was in effect long enough to convert the death sentences for the 11 men to life in prison. Last years vote by Nebraskans to restore capital punishment did so only for future heinous murders, according to the 29-page lawsuit filed shortly after midnight. The suit also alleges that Ricketts violated the separation of powers clause of the State Constitution when he proposed, initiated, funded, organized, operated and controlled the signature-gathering campaign that allowed voters to overturn the Legislatures repeal of the death penalty. The ACLU claims that the governor exhausted his executive powers when he vetoed the repeal law passed by lawmakers and that his subsequent steps to back a referendum that restored the death penalty were unlawful legislative activities that are reserved, via the separation of powers clause, for the State Legislature. The referendum process, the civil rights group argued, is for citizens, but Ricketts had encouraged formation of the signature drive, played a leading role in financing it and had lent key employees to the effort, which was officially led by people with strong ties to the governor. This is way beyond what the governor can do in his personal capacity, Danielle Conrad, executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska, said Sunday. This is about blurring the lines and overstepping the bounds. A spokesman for Ricketts said Monday that the frivolous ACLU lawsuit was another attempt by the liberal advocacy group to overturn the clear voice of the people. Taylor Gage, the spokesperson, rejected any wrongdoing by the governor. The Governors Office holds itself to a high standard and follows state law regarding the use of taxpayer resources, Gage said in a prepared statement. The administration remains committed to protecting public safety and creating a safe environment for our corrections officers. The Ricketts administration recently gave notice that it may soon seek an execution date for one of those 11 death row inmates, Jose Sandoval, who was sentenced to die for his leading role in the slaying of five people inside a Norfolk bank in 2002. A month ago, state prison officials notified Sandoval that four lethal injection drugs had been purchased for use in an execution. The notice is required before an execution date can be requested.... Mondays lawsuit names the 11 men on Nebraskas death row as plaintiffs, and follows other legal action launched by the civil rights group against the state in recent months. In August, the ACLU asked a federal judge to intervene to reduce the chronic overcrowding in state prisons and address the shortage of medical and mental health care for inmates. In addition, the ACLU went to court on Friday to force the state to reveal the supplier of four lethal-injection drugs, citing state public records laws and the states botched past attempts to obtain such drugs. Conrad said the legal actions reflect the ACLUs commitment to defend the U.S. and Nebraska Constitutions, and is in step with the organizations long-running opposition to the death penalty. Conrad, a former state senator and a Democrat, was among the leaders of Nebraskans for Public Safety, the group that campaigned unsuccessfully to persuade voters to retain the repeal of the death penalty. She said that todays lawsuit is about policy, not politics.

The complaint in this action is available for download at this link.

December 5, 2017 at 09:52 AM | Permalink

Comments

Verrry interesting



Posted by: Docile the Kind Soul | Dec 5, 2017 1:14:56 PM

This seems to be a question of Nebraska law.

Part of the problem is that government officials exist in both their official and personal capacity. In his official capacity, the Governor Ricketts's official role may have been at end when he vetoed the legislation. At that point, however, Citizen Ricketts had the same rights as any other individual to petition to place an issue on the ballot (or to support a petition sponsored by others). So the fact that Mr. Ricketts is both Citizen Ricketts and Governor Ricketts does not preclude Mr. Ricketts from using his personal funds (in his Citizen Ricketts capacity) to organize and push a referendum. As such, I can't see the claim of misconduct by the Governor as going anywhere. (It also appears to be a rehash of the claims raised to prevent it from being placed on the ballot.)

The bigger question is how Nebraska treats such referendums. In my state -- and it sounded when the referendum was being pushed that Nebraska has the same concept -- people wanting to challenge a new law have two options: 1) a referendum to pass a new statute restoring the previous rule or 2) a referendum to "veto" the new statute. Under the first option, the new law goes into effect. Under the second option, the new law never takes effect. At least some of the stories that I have seen indicate that it was veto referendum and that the supporters obtained enough signatures to prevent the new law from going into effect before the date of the referendum. If this is correct, the repeal legislation never took effect (the same as if the veto override had failed) and the challenge to the pre-existing sentences is without merit.

Posted by: tmm | Dec 5, 2017 4:07:29 PM

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Vietnamese apparel manufacturers need to embrace the opportunities to meet the growing global fast fashion trends and from which to make breakthroughs, according to experts in the field of textile and garment.



After the fever of Zara, the local market once again exploded when Swedish budget apparel retailer H&M opened its outlet in Ho Chi Minh City. Recent arrival of international brands in Vietnam has quickly received a heartened welcome from customers meanwhile they make pressure on local firms increase.

Though they are moderate and budget fashion brands, Zara, H&M and Topshop are very attractive to young Vietnamese customers . Fast fashion is the practice of rapidly translating high fashion designs into low-priced garments and accessories by mass-market retailers at low costs. As fast fashion implies, styles no longer follow a four-season fashion calendar but a weekly one.

The story that young people in Ho Chi Minh City stood in a long queue showed the fever of cheap foreign commodities. This forces Vietnamese manufacturers to rethink how to retain their customers while more arrivals of foreign fashion brands will flood in Vietnam?

Do Huu Thanh - General director of Su Tu Vang firm specializing in unifom, said that new fashion trend refers to a phenomenon in the fashion industry whereby production processes are expedited in order to get new trends to the market as quickly and cheaply as possible. As a result of this trend, enterprises will face more challenge in design, order and delivery time .

Local firms have learnt much from foreign brands including winning the market by fast introduction of design. Vietnamese firms need to have good group of designers who can grasp the rapid changing lifestyle and consumers' choice for fashion and clothing in the market to fill the order.

To meet the demand and compete with foreign counterparts, local firms must step up investment in modern equipment and attract more skilled workers.

The Vietnam Textile and Garment Association (VITAS)'s deputy general secretary Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai said the presence of foreign brands in Vietnam has both created pressures and impetus for changes of production and business. Accordingly, customers will have more choices.

Vietnamese firms have for long been familiar with outsourcing contracts for Foreign Direct Investment companies; but now, they have to make their own products to adapt to new trends.

The Association will help update the new trend in the globe for enterprises.

Saurav Ujjain, Southeast Asia business head at ThreadSol, a Singapore-based technology company in the apparel industry, presented its range of innovative solutions for Vietnams apparel industry such as correct purchases of fabric through intelloBuy to the most accurate planning to cut fabric through intelloCut, these solutions can help manufacturers boost revenues and profits. Averagely, IntelloCut helps producers to icnrease turnover to 30 percent with profits of $10 million each year.

By MINH HAI - Translated by UYEN PHUONG
At the meeting, City Party Chief Nguyen Thien Nhan said that 15 projects with total capital of US$ 57 million which have been invested in Ho Chi Minh City seem not to be adequate compared to the cooperative potentiality between the two sides.



However, the city party chief highly appreciated strong points of the partner in agriculture sector, hoping that Vietnam and New Zealand would continue strengthening trade, tourism development and export & import cooperation of agricultural products.

The New Zealand ambassador agreed with the share of the HCMC's leader adding that education was an important sector to connect the two countries in the previous years and being strengthened further in the upcoming time.

New Zealand wished to promote trade cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City in particular and stable cooperation between the two nations in general in the next time.

On the same day, Chairman of the HCMC Peoples Committee received Premier of Ontario (Cannada) Kathleen Wynne.

BY XUAN HANH- THUY VU- Translated by Huyen Huong
This code-share agreement allows passengers to buy Vietnam Airlines tickets for flights from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok and then get on Bangkok Airways flights to more destinations in Thailand, including Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi, Chiang Rai. Traveler just needs to book seat and completes a one-time-only procedure with Vietnam Airlines for the whole journey.



The deal will allow Bangkok Airways to offer six flights a day from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok; and one daily flight on Bangkok-Da Nang route.

According to the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation, the potential of the aviation market of Southeast Asia is huge. Six out of 11 Southeast Asian countries see a double-digit growth rates in passenger traffic. The number of seats of flights between Vietnam and Thailand increased by 30 percent in 2016, almost doubled that in five years ago. This trend is forecast to continue increasing over next years.





By BICH QUYEN  Trabslated by Kim Khanh
SIOUX CITY -- Winter made an abrupt return to Siouxland Monday night, bringing the first snowfall of the year for parts of the tri-state region and wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour.

After a mostly dry November and unseasonably warm weather, a cold front moved into the region. Monday started with mild temperatures in the low 50s but the mercury quickly dropped during the day into the teens overnight in some areas. The plummeting temps brought moisture to the area, with some areas to the north near the Minnesota border receiving an inch or more of snow.

Combined with gusting northwest winds, the blowing snow made travel hazardous. Snowplows were dispatched to the clear the slick roads.

Winter storm advisories were issued for Lyon, Osceola and Dickinson counties. In O'Brien County, the Primghar Fire Department advised no travel due to poor driving conditions and low visibility.

In Sioux Falls, 1.2 inches fell, according to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls. It was the 25th latest 1 inch or more official snowfall on record in South Dakota's largest city, with records dating back to 1893.

In Sioux City, the snowfall stopped around 8 p.m., with accumulations of around half an inch reported. The white stuff mostly stuck to lawns and fields.

The high winds were expected to subside after midnight. The forecast called for the sunshine to return Tuesday but conditions to remain wintry, with highs in the low 30s and lows in the teens through Friday.
Barry Farmer knew he wanted to be a father, but never expected his family to turn out like this.

"I look in the mirror all the time, and if you would have told me 10 years ago that this would happen, I wouldn't believe you," the 30-year-old Richmond, Va., man told WTVR.

Farmer, a single dad, became a foster parent to his first son eight years ago, when Farmer was only 21. The boy, named Jaxon, was 8 years old when Farmer decided to adopt, he told "Inside Edition."

"Personally, I grew up in kinship care, which is another form of foster care. My grandmother raised me," Farmer told the site. "Her doing that for me, there was no way I could actually pay her back so I decided it'd be a good way to pay it forward."

Kinship care is a type of foster care where a child is cared for by a close relative or other adult, such as a godparent, if biological parents cannot do so. Foster parents, on the other hand, are usually unrelated to the children they care for.

Farmer began thinking about adopting again over the next few years, and started looking through the Adopt U.S. Kids website, according to WTVR. That's where he found his second son, Xavier, 15, whom he adopted in 2015, according to "Inside Edition." Just a year later, Farmer added a third son to his family by adopting 8-year-old Jeremiah, he told the site.

He knows his sons don't look like him -- they're all white, and Farmer is black. But Farmer pays no mind to their differences in skin color.

"It's a typical family, Farmer told ABC 7 in 2016. "We may not look alike, but it's a typical family. In this day in time when it comes to family, and seeing color or seeing unity and belonging, and that's what I was hoping to accomplish with my family anyway."

Farmer's story comes amid a crisis in foster care. Several states, such as Georgia, are facing critical shortages of foster parents, leaving those children more at risk of falling through the cracks and becoming ensnared in things like sex trafficking, according to John Degarmo of the Foster Care Institute. The ongoing opioid crisis is also straining the foster system, as a blooming of addictions and overdoses have pushed more and more children into foster care, reported The New York Times.

And as those children get older, such as around the ages of Farmer's children, people are less and less likely to adopt them, according to reporting from the Deseret News.

Farmer told WTVR people need to overcome their notions about adopting older children.

"There's no reason to be afraid of our foster children who are waiting to be adopted," Farmer told the station. "Fatherhood has brought me lots of joy. I can't imagine my sons not being with me."
SOUTH SIOUX CITY | Big Ox Energy will pay nearly $50,000 as part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency this week, following an investigation into hazardous gas issues that occurred at the South Sioux City bioenergy plant late last year.

The settlement, signed Monday, resolves alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act. Under the deal, the Denmark, Wisconsin-based company agrees to pay a $10,320 civil penalty and contribute an ambulance and hazardous materials safety equipment to the South Sioux City Fire Department worth nearly $40,000.

The EPA specifies that releases of chemical gases from the plant's biogas production and packaging facility led to the hospitalization of an employee on Dec. 14, 2016. The worker was injured after he drilled a hole into an anaerobic digester to install a pipe and chemical gases were released.

A joint investigation by the EPA and Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality found the plant was using biogas, methane and hydrogen sulfide in its processing, was emitting hydrogen sulfide from its facility and failed to identify hazards using appropriate techniques outlined in the Clean Air Act, according to a news release issued Tuesday.

The EPA alleges that Big Ox Energy failed to identify hazards that could result from the releases of the gases using appropriate hazard assessment techniques.

Big Ox Energy has since conducted a hazard assessment and has agreed to work with the EPA and state to prevent future chemical releases, according to the release.

A statement from Big Ox Energy director of business and development Kevin Bradley said the company works with state and local agencies to ensure it complies with standards and avoids adverse impacts within the community.

The EPA release says hydrogen sulfide associated with the plant also entered the city sewer system, leading to the displacement of 26 households last fall. But Bradley said the settlement does not address wastewater issues and said that the EPA has not alleged in the settlement that hydrogen sulfide gas infiltrated the homes.

"The settlement solely arises under the Clean Air Act planning provisions as they relate to a one-time incident last year inside the Big Ox plant that has since been settled with OSHA," he said.

He said Big Ox Energy maintains that faulty plumbing, not wastewater, was the primary cause of the odor issues in South Sioux City, citing a study that showed hydrogen sulfide had generally not entered homes that had plumbing systems in compliance with building codes.

In the settlement, the company agrees to donate equipment worth at least $39,225 to the South Sioux City Fire Department. The designated items include a Ford 450 ambulance, a defibrillator and chest compression equipment.

This equipment will assist in emergency response to chemical accidents and environmental emergencies. Similar equipment was necessary and used during the response to the chemical release at the Big Ox facility in December 2016, according to the settlement.

By agreeing to a $10,320 civil penalty, the company avoided the potential of a much heftier fine. The maximum civil penalty for Clean Air Act violations is $45,268 per day of the violation.

The settlement comes after Big Ox Energy received a consent order in June from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality concerning compliance with state air and water regulations.

The NDEQ in part alleged Big Ox in October 2016 had received and released wastewater into the sewage system that failed to meet pH standards and that this had "caused or materially contributed" to hydrogen sulfide formation in the sewer. The consent order did not carry financial penalties but outlined a series of improvements for Big Ox to make to its monitoring and environmental management controls.

The company also was fined more than $60,000 earlier this year after settling three citations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that detailed a lack of protection, education and safety practices for employees, which at times left employees vulnerable to hazardous gases inside the facility.

Big Ox Energy's more than $30 million plant uses an anaerobic digestion process to extract organic nutrients from animal, grain and other waste to create methane. The clean-burning fuel is then sold into the natural gas pipeline. The plant went online Sept. 2, 2016 in the Roth Industrial Park.

Residents began reporting putrid odors from the plant in mid-October when sewer gas permeated some homes in a five-block area of Red Bird Lane and Le Mesa Way, along 39th Street, both indoors and outdoors.

Many residents blamed the plant for causing the issues in the line the residents and the plant, at the time, shared.

In May, 16 families and one business filed political subdivision tort claims against the city, detailing $35 million in alleged property damages and personal injuries resulting from exposure to the potentially-deadly fumes.

After filing a tort claim, residents must wait at least six months to file a lawsuit against the city, under state law. The tort claims say Big Ox Energy also will be the subject of future legal action.
SIOUX CITY | Contrary to a threat aired this morning in the Sioux City School District, no bomb went off at North Middle School early Tuesday afternoon.

Sioux City Police Department Lt. Pat McCann said a second sweep is being conducted at North High School just before 2 p.m. in the attempt to confirm no bomb is present in the school.

Sioux City School District Spokeswoman Mandie Mayo said the North High students were evacuated to an off-site location and won't return until the building is confirmed as completely safe.

The Sioux City Police Department responded to a bomb call just before 10 a.m. at the school in the 4200 block of Cheyenne Boulevard.

A release from the school district to the Journal at 1:15 p.m. said, "The Sioux City Community School District is working closely with the Sioux City Police Department following the report of a bomb threat for North High School. The bomb is allegedly scheduled to go off at 1:28 pm."

Mayo said the threat was first identified by a student who saw the message displayed on a Minecraft message board.

"In a situation like this, student safety is our highest priority," she said, so the evacuation took place in line with the school district crisis plan.

Mayo told the Journal that school officials are working with police to find any culprits associated with the bomb threat incident. She said it is more likely that one person, rather than several, logged into the Minecraft account to place the bomb threat.

Mayo said any student involved in the incident would receive punishment in line with school policy.

McCann said police did a first sweep of the school right away in the initial response.

Updated 1:55 p.m.

SIOUX CITY | Authorities are responding to a bomb threat that was made Tuesday morning in the vicinity of North High School.

The call came to the Sioux City Police Department just before 10 a.m., and and authorities went to the 4200 block of Cheyenne Boulevard.

A release from the school district to the Journal at 1:15 p.m. says, "The Sioux City Community School District is working closely with the Sioux City Police Department following the report of a bomb threat for North High School. The bomb is allegedly scheduled to go off at 1:28 pm."

The message continues, "The threat was first identified by a student that saw the message displayed on a Minecraft message board. In a situation like this, student safety is our highest priority. Therefore, students are currently being evacuated to a safe location identified in the schools crisis plan."
ORANGE CITY, Iowa | A former Sioux Center, Iowa, teacher is accused of having sexual contact with at least 13 children dating back more than three years, court documents containing the formal charges show.

Curtis Van Dam is scheduled to stand trial March 6 in Sioux County District Court on 146 charges -- 103 felonies and 43 misdemeanors -- that carry a total of 2,088 years in prison.

Trial information filed Nov. 17 by Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle did not reveal the gender of the children, but alleged victims are identified by 13 sets of initials. Authorities have previously declined to say how many children were involved or their gender.

Some or all of the children were under age 12 or 13. The charges allege that Van Dam, who taught at Sioux Center Christian School, had inappropriate contact with some of them on at least two dozen separate occasions. Van Dam is charged with having sexual conduct with one of the children for two entire school years.

Van Dam, 36, remains in custody after District Judge Patrick Tott on Monday continued his bond at $150,000 at the conclusion of a bond review hearing requested by Van Dam's attorney, Edward Bjornstad, of Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Tott wrote in his order that releasing Van Dam "would jeopardize the personal safety of another person or persons." Leaving his bond at the current amount also assures Van Dam's appearance at future hearings, Tott wrote.

Van Dam on Nov. 27 entered a written plea of not guilty to 73 counts of second-degree sexual abuse, 12 counts of third-degree sexual abuse, three counts of lascivious acts with a child, 15 counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee, 37 counts of lascivious conduct with a minor and six counts of indecent exposure.

The incidents occurred during a time period from Aug. 26, 2014, through Oct. 17 of this year, court documents show.

Van Dam was arrested Oct. 23 after a complaint was filed against him for inappropriate contact with a student. As Sioux Center police investigated the complaint, they filed additional charges related to incidents with other children.

In many instances, several of the charges filed against Van Dam, who taught fifth grade at the private school, relate to several individual incidents with each child.

The 85 sexual abuse charges pertain to actions with six children. There were 24 separate instances of inappropriate contact with two of those children, many of them occurring during an overlapping time period. Another child was listed in 20 separate instances.

Those charges all simply stated that Van Dam "did commit sexual abuse" upon each child.

Van Dam is accused of lascivious conduct, legally defined as "forcing, persuading or coercing a minor to fully or partially disrobe" with six of the children listed in the court documents. He is also charged with permitting two of children to touch his genitals and exposing himself to three of the children.

Police have said the incidents took place at various locations, including the school, where Van Dam taught for nine years. School administrators removed Van Dam from the school after the first complaint was filed and later fired him.
SPENCER, Iowa | A man faces felony charges after stealing a tractor and leading officers on a slow-moving chase through a Spencer neighborhood early Saturday morning.

At 1:35 a.m., police checked on a report of a suspicious tractor in the parking lot of First English Lutheran Church, 1311 E. 18th St. When officers attempted to stop the tractor, Jeremy Starkson, 38, drove away.

Officers pursued the tractor into residential areas on the east side of Spencer. During the slow-speed pursuit, Starkson swerved at law enforcement officers several times while they deployed stop sticks.

Starkson eventually drove onto a lawn at 317 E. 10th St. When he attempted to exit the lawn, Starkson allegedly intentionally drove the tractor into a squad car.

Starkson was removed from the tractor, which had been determined to have been stolen from a Spencer residence earlier on Saturday, and was arrested.

He was charged with assault on person with certain occupations (class D felony), theft in the first degree (class C felony), driving while barred (aggravated misdemeanor), eluding (serious misdemeanor), and reckless driving (simple misdemeanor). He was booked into the Clay County Jail.
SIOUX CITY  Three Woodbury County-based nonprofit agencies each received $34,000 from Missouri River Historical Development as part of the groups annual holiday gifts program.

This year, MRHD dished out a total of $102,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Siouxland, Skyland Behavioral Services and the Siouxland Restoration Center.

BBBS plans to use the funds to help it continue to provide services to children in need of strong, enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships.

Skyland will use the funding to help further its goal of reuniting families and improving those relationships in hopes of creating long-term stable outcomes.

Meanwhile, the Restoration Center will use the funds to continue developing Lila Maes House, a home that would provide therapeutic services to women who have been sex trafficked.

Last year's theme was 'People Helping People and this year we again look to those who are helping people, said outgoing MRHD president Mark Monson.

This occasion also marked a passing of the torch for Monson and several other long-term MRHD members.

Monson will transition into becoming MRHDs first executive director in January after 28 years on the board and he will be replaced as president by Dakin Schultz.

Jackie Smith, Dale Tigges and Ron French also will leave the board at the start of the year. Collectively, those three and Monson have served MRHD for more than 80 years.

Schultz noted it will be a challenge to replace that much experience on the board, but he is confident the public won't notice the changes and that the new board will be as effective as its predecessors.

I feel comfortable taking over, he said. I don't think there will be a lot of difficulty with the transition.

Since 1994, MRHD has distributed more than $28 million to local charities, civic groups and local governmental bodies.

The nonprofit group holds the state gaming license for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and it collects 4.25 percent of the casino's adjusted gross gaming revenues for distribution.
On the heels of the Trump administration holding steady on the Renewable Fuel Standard last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has asked for a waiver from the law, citing economic worries.

Abbott made the request in a letter dated last Friday, a day after the EPA finalized renewable fuel volumes for 2018.

At 19.29 billion gallons, the volumes of renewables that must be blended into the nation's fuel supply are roughly the same as in 2017.

In his letter, Abbott said refiners are having difficulty with the RFS, especially because of the volatility and cost of the credits that demonstrate compliance. He noted that hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state are tied to the refinery and related industries.

"Yet the strength and resiliency of the industry  and by extension, Texas economy  is threatened by a restrictive federal mandate," Abbott wrote.

The credits, called RINs, are the currency of the RFS. Refiners earn them by blending renewables into the fuel supply or they can buy them from others.

Renewable fuels advocates said the request won't withstand scrutiny.

Gov. Abbotts waiver request doesnt come anywhere close to meeting the very high threshold required by the statute for proving severe harm,'" said Bob Dinneen, president and chief executive of the Renewable Fuels Association.

The association said renewables are helping the economy in Texas through ethanol production in the state and lower cost fuels that are now available.

The industry also disputes the idea that high cost credits are hurting the refiners. It says that refiners are recouping costs through higher margins.

The EPA's final renewable figures last week were met with mixed reaction in Iowa and the Midwest. The requirements for conventional renewable fuels, such as ethanol, were maintained but Midwest lawmakers and industry officials complained the biodiesel figure for 2019 fell short of the available capacity.

Refiners were disappointed, saying the Trump administration had caved to farm state political interests.
In the morning darkness of Wednesday, Kim Jong Un launched an ICBM that rose almost 2,800 miles into the sky before falling into the Sea of Japan.

North Korea now has the proven ability to hit Washington, D.C.

Unproven still is whether Kim can put a miniaturized nuclear warhead atop that missile, which could be fired with precision, and survive the severe vibrations of re-entry. More tests and more time are needed for that.

Thus, U.S. markets brushed off the news of Kim's Hwasong-15 missile and roared to record heights on Wednesday and Thursday.

President Donald Trump took it less well. "Little Rocket Man" is one "sick puppy," he told an audience in Missouri.

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the Security Council that "if war comes ... the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed." She then warned Xi Jinping that "if China does not halt the oil shipments" to North Korea, "we can take the oil situation into our own hands."

Is Haley talking about bombing pipelines in North Korea -- or China?

The rage of the president and bluster of Haley reflect a painful reality: As inhumane and ruthless as the 33-year-old dictator of North Korea is, he is playing the highest stakes poker game on the planet, against the world's superpower, and playing it remarkably well.

Reason: Kim may understand us better than we do him, which is why he seems less hesitant to invite the risks of a war he cannot win.

While a Korean War II might well end with annihilation of the North's army and Kim's regime, it would almost surely result in untold thousands of dead South Koreans and Americans.

And Kim knows that the more American lives he can put at risk, with nuclear-tipped missiles, the less likely the Americans are to want to fight him.

His calculation has thus far proven correct.

As long as he does not push the envelope too far, and force Trump to choose war rather than living with a North Korea that could rain nuclear rockets on the U.S., Kim may win the confrontation.

Why? Because the concessions Kim is demanding are not beyond the utterly unacceptable.

What does Kim want?

Initially, he wants a halt to U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which he sees as a potential prelude to a surprise attack. He wants an end to sanctions, U.S. recognition of his regime, and acceptance of his status as a nuclear weapons state. Down the road, he wants a U.S. withdrawal of all forces from South Korea and international aid.

Earlier administrations -- Clinton, Bush II, Obama -- have seen many of these demands as negotiable. And accepting some or even all of them would entail no grave peril to U.S. national security or vital interests.

They would entail, however, a serious loss of face.

Acceptance of such demands by the United States would be a triumph for Kim, validating his risky nuclear strategy, and a diplomatic defeat for the United States.

Little Rocket Man would have bested The Donald.

Moreover, the credibility of the U.S. deterrent would be called into question. South Korea and Japan could be expected to consider their own deterrents, out of fear the U.S. would never truly put its homeland at risk, but would cut a deal at their expense.

We would hear again the cries of "Munich" and the shade of Neville Chamberlain would be called forth for ritual denunciation.

Yet it is a time for truth: Our demand for "denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," is not going to be met, absent a U.S. war and occupation of North Korea.

Kim saw how Bush II, when it served U.S. interests, pulled out of our 30-year-old ABM treaty with Moscow. He saw how, after he gave up all his WMD to reach an accommodation with the West, Moammar Gadhafi was attacked by NATO and ended up being lynched.

He can see how much Americans honor nuclear treaties they sign by observing universal GOP howls to kill the Iranian nuclear deal and bring about "regime change" in Tehran, despite Iran letting U.N. inspectors roam the country to show they have no nuclear weapons program.

For America's post-Cold War enemies, the lesson is clear:

Give up your WMD, and you wind up like Gadhafi and Saddam Hussein. Build nuclear weapons that can threaten Americans, and you get respect.

Kim Jong Un would be a fool to give up his missiles and nukes, and while the man is many things, a fool is not one of them.

We are nearing a point where the choice is between a war with North Korea in which thousands would die, or confirming that the U.S. is not willing to put its homeland at risk to keep Kim from keeping what he already has -- nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver them.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
WASHINGTON

(December 5, 2017)The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced the following contract awards that pertain to local Navy activities., is being awardedfor modification P00028 to a previously awarded firm-fixed price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0120) to exercise the second option year for logistics support services on the E-6B aircraft. This contract provides for maintaining and supporting the E-6B Take Change and Move Out and Airborne Command Post aircraft, support equipment, aircraft weapon system, associated support sites, and supporting organizations. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (70 percent); Patuxent River, Maryland (10 percent); Bellevue, Nebraska (10 percent); and Fairfield, California (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2018. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,794,231 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded amodification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0003) to exercise an option for software conversions for structure and systems datasets in support of Lot 10 production for the F-35 joint strike fighter. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (58 percent); and Samlesbury, United Kingdom (42 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2020. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy and Marine Corps); fiscal 2017 (Air Force and Navy); and non-DoD participants funds in the amount of $37,716,883 are being obligated at time of award, $7,540,359 of which expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor cost-plus-fixed-fee task order N0001917F0507 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-17-G-0011) for the procurement of engineering studies and logistics and test planning activities to support the development of design adaptations to Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile's (AARGM) existing subsystems and components. These efforts are in support of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III work which continues efforts performed under SBIR Topic N90-074, "Secondary Sensor for Anti-Radiation Missiles." Work will be performed in Northridge, California, and is expected to be completed in February 2019. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,300,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor cost-plus-fixed-fee task order N0001917F0582 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-17-G-0011) for the procurement of engineering studies and logistics and test planning activities to support the development of design adaptations to the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) existing subsystems and components. The contractor will evaluate system requirements and design trade space for a future AARGM-extended range development and explore concepts for adapting AARGM's existing subsystems and components. Work will be performed in Northridge, California, and is expected to be completed in February 2019. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,207,256 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification P00005 to a previously issued firm-fixed-price delivery order 4012, placed under basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0019). This procurement provides for additional software modifications required to establish a software baseline for the MH-60R aircraft in support of the government of Saudi Arabia. Work will be performed in Owego, New York (83 percent); Salt Lake City, Utah (9 percent); and Hampton, Virginia (8 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2019. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $7,426,983 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity.No applicable data., is being awardedfor modification P00024 to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-14-D-0006) to exercise an option for logistics and engineering services in support of the C/KC-130J aircraft for the Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard and the government of Kuwait. Work will be performed in Marietta, Georgia (66.5 percent); Palmdale, California (18 percent); Al-Mubarak, Kuwait (2.5 percent); Iwakuni, Japan (2.5 percent); Miramar, California (2.5 percent); Cherry Point, North Carolina (2.5 percent); Elizabeth City, North Carolina (2.5 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (2.5 percent); and Greenville, South Carolina (0.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2018. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Funding will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order N0001918F1611 against a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-16-D-1000) for VH-3D/VH-60N executive helicopter special progressive aircraft rework. Services include security, project engineering, integrated logistics support, material support, sustainment engineering, training, and program support. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut (88 percent); and Quantico, Virginia (12 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2018. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,800,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification P00010 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-16-C-0068) to exercise an option for information assurance services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Information Technology and Cyber Security Department (AIR-7.2). Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in November 2018. Working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,054,740 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded afixed-price-incentive-firm, cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded undefinitized contract (N00019-17-C-0010). This modification provides for performance based logistics sustainment in support of the F-135 propulsion system in support of the F-35 joint strike fighter aircraft for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants and foreign military Sales (FMS) customers. This modification provides for maintenance of support equipment, common program activities, unique and common base recurring sustainment, repair of repairable, field service representatives, common replenishment spares, conventional take-off and landing/carrier variant F-135 unique maintenance services, and short take-off and landing F-135 unique services. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (73 percent); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (18 percent); Camari, Italy (3 percent); Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (2 percent); Edwards Air Force Base, California (1 percent); Hill Air Force Base, Utah (1 percent); Luke Air Force Base, Arizona (1 percent); and Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station, South Carolina (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2018. Fiscal 2017 aircraft and procurement (Navy and Marine Corp); fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force); fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Air Force, Navy, Marine Corp) funds, non-U.S. DoD participants; and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $306,451,000 are being obligated on this award, $97,383,008 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($136,583,273; 39 percent); Marine Corps; ($103,789,037; 29 percent); Navy ($23,871,151; 7 percent); non-U.S. DoD participants ($65,223,394; 18 percent); and FMS customers ($23,741,992; 7 percent), under the FMS Program. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification P00005 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-16-C-0020) to exercise an option for full-rate production Lot VIII for the procurement of 310 Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures AN/ALE-55 fiber optic towed decoys and associated logistics and engineering technical support in support of the F/A-18E/F aircraft platform. In addition, this option includes tasks required to support logistics and engineering efforts for the AN/ALE-55 to include field support, failure analysis, investigations, and corrective actions recommendations. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (30 percent); Chelmsford Essex, United Kingdom (22 percent); Rochester, New York (9 percent); Fremont, California (6 percent); San Diego, California (4 percent); Landenburg, Pennsylvania (2 percent); Toledo, Ohio (1 percent); Hopkinton, Massachusetts (1 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (25 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2019. Fiscal 2016 and 2018 procurement ammunition (Navy, Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $22,998,773 will be obligated at time of award, $504,203 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification 02 to a previously issued cost-plus-incentive-fee delivery order 4019, placed against previously awarded basic ordering agreement N00019-14-G-0019. This order provides for additional software product improvement efforts to support the MH60R mission computer/flight management computer product line variants for the Navy and government of Denmark. Work will be performed in Owego, New York (97.45 percent); Melbourne, Florida (1.72 percent); Pompano Beach, Florida (0.61 percent); and New York, New York (0.22 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,460,000; and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $968,873 are being obligated on this award, $14,460,000 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Navy ($14,460,000; 93.72 percent); and the government of Denmark ($968,873; 6.28 percent), under the Foreign Military Sales program. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor cost-plus-fixed-fee modification P00086 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive contract (N00019-13-C-0023) to exercise an option for systems engineering and program management services in support of Lots 12, 13, and 14 H-1 aircraft. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2018. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,726,111 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity.Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Owego, New York, was awarded adelivery order (N0001918F1594) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0019), for non-recurring engineering required to modify, test and qualify the MH-60R/S Gen III, Gen V, and Gen VI Mission Computer and Flight Management Computer Weapons Replaceable Assembly to address the diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages obsolescence issues. Work will be performed in Owego, New York (96.74 percent); Kanata, Ontario, Canada (2.78 percent); Oldsmar, Florida (0.25 percent), and Stratford, Connecticut (0.23 percent) and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy); and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $22,453,496 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Navy ($10,250,496; 45.65 percent); the government of Australia ($9,100,000; 40.53 percent); and the Government of Denmark ($3,103,000; 13.82 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The, is the contracting activity awarded November 30, 2017., is being awarded amodification (P000012) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-17-C-0045) to procure 53,164 level-of-effort hours to support air system software integration and 53,122 level-of-effort hours to support flight test operations in support of the F-35 aircraft platform for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (40 percent); Palmdale, California (30 percent); and Patuxent River, Maryland (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in in February 2018. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps); and non-U.S. DoD participant funds in the amount of $22,999,282 will be obligated at time of award, $18,392,066 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($9,196,034; 40 percent); U.S. Navy; ($4,598,016; 20 percent); the Marine Corps ($4,598,016; 20 percent); and non-U.S. DoD participants ($4,607,216; 20 percent). The, is the contracting activity.
His hug was super. There was an unwavering faith and dedication. A pure spirit to the cause.

Thats how friends and family remembered Bishop S.F. Makalani-MaHee on Sunday in a memorial service. The local trans activists memory was laid to rest inside a near-capacity Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale.

I can feel the love in this room, said Donnell Morris, who described himself as Makalani-MaHees brother.

He was larger than life, Morris said. I used to call him my short, butcher half.

The remark produced wide laughter as Morris went on to fight back tears as he said he was proud to be Makalani-MaHees friend.

A minister and activist who came to South Florida in 1997, Makalani-MaHee was employed by the Pride Center and Broward County Department of Health. He lived in Oakland Park until his untimely passing of heart failure on Nov. 20. Makalani-MaHee was 45.

The hour long service featured testimonials from close friends and clergy as well as remarks from U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

We know that he instilled a responsibility in each of us to carry on his work and to take the next steps down the pathway that he trailblazed for us, Wasserman Schultz said.

Wasserman Schultz encouraged the audience to continue in Makalani-MaHees spirit of speaking truth to power.

I will make sure that that power hears and carries out that truth, she said. That I can assure you.

Michael Rajner, vice chair of the Broward County Human Rights Board, said Makalani-MaHee was the first trans person appointed to the board. Videos of Makalani-MaHee speaking to governing bodies in Miami and Tallahassee were shown during Sundays service. Memoriams to Makalani-MaHee from the Broward County and Fort Lauderdale Commissions are signed and will be delivered to the Stonewall National Museum & Archives, Rajner said.

S.F. always looked at me like I was crazy because I would come up with these ideas sometimes, Rajner said.

Rajner recalled marching down Fort Lauderdales Sistrunk Blvd. during a Souls to the Polls rally carrying the rainbow flag while Makalani-MaHee marched alongside carrying the transgender flag.

S.F. has carried the flag for the community in his many identities and it is time for us to celebrate him, let him rest and everybody take up the flag, Rajner said.

The service began with drumbeats and contained moments reflecting Makalani-MaHees strong faith. Makalani-MaHee was a part of the Unity Fellowship and Metropolitan Community Church movements and presided over hetrosexual and homosexual marriages.

Morris read Makalani-MaHees poem I AM BLACK to the audience. A frequent performer of spoken word, Makalani-MaHee would often proclaim, If Jesus were alive today he would be black, a woman and gay!

Before moving to the South, Makalani-MaHee performed on Broadway in a number of shows, including Grease. Sundays services were donated at no cost by Jason Cooke and George Castrataro. Makalani-MaHee is survived by his mother Barbara, siblings Darcy, Geoffrey, Justin and Marsha and several nephews.
Transgender life stories and community issues were discussed last Thursday evening inside a petite gallery space on Wilton Drive.

"Transgender Community and the Media" panelists included Emery Grant, director of community engagement for the Stonewall National Museum Museum & Archives, Tiffany Arieagus, supervisor of SunServes HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with HIV/AIDS) program and author/actress Rajee Narinesingh. Brendon Lies, SFGN Art Director, moderated the discussion.

The conversation primarily dealt with how transgender people are portrayed by the press. The panel discussion was presented by the Society of Professional Journalists Florida Pro Chapter and hosted by Stonewall National Museum & Archives Wilton Manors Gallery.

It is the responsibility of an ethical press to handle their interviewers respectfully, said Lies. Check the credibility of the media outlet.

Arieagus said she will not grant an interview request without a stipulation of reading the story before publication. This statement prompted one journalist to walk out of the gallery. Arieagus said it was for her protection. With a 40-year track record as an entertainer, Arieagus said she had experienced an incident where she was misquoted by a reporter.

I do not like to let people interview me unless I can see whats going on, Arieagus said. Youve got to have some control over what is said and what people write. A reporter who does not at least want to talk to me about what he is writing about me then he shouldnt write about me.

Arieagus, a 65-year-old trans woman of color who grew up in Mobile, Alabama, said press interviews are to be taken seriously.

They say bad press is better than no press well sometimes bad press can get you killed, Arieagus said.

Narinesingh told a story of how she was the victim of a near fatal beating in the late 1990s. This brush with death made Narinesingh committed to championing transgender causes.

I thought, my God, if I had died tonight would I die knowing that I had did something or tried to do something for my people? Narinesingh said.

A South Florida resident for more than two decades, Narinesingh said some of her interactions with the media left her with an impression they were after sensational material.

They wanted to run on this sensationalized story of, oh look, cement woman, this transsexual went and got these black market injections and look what happened to her, Narinesingh said. Its true, its part of my story, but as a representative of the transgender community, I was determined, you all need to know, this, this and this about me because I wasnt going to be made out to be a fool.

Grant said reporters should ask gender identity questions politely.

Even something as simple as What would you like to be called? Grant said. I dont mind being asked my pronoun.

Grant also cautioned reporters to refrain from joking about alphabet soup.

Were talking about people, Grant said. Dont be dismissive out of the gate.

Other items discussed included surgery related questions, duct tape, Caitlyn Jenner, discrimination in hiring practices and the lack of shelter space in South Florida  particularly Broward County  for trans women.
The National LGBTQ Task Force was out at full strength on the steps of the Supreme Court to rally for the court to uphold the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in the lead up to the court hearing oral arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The case is about showing that religion should never be an acceptable reason to refuse services to anyone.

The Masterpiece Cakeshop case is one the most dangerous cases for the LGBTQ community in recent years. Rea Carey, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force described it in stark terms: "This case has the potential to roll us back more than a half-century to a time when LGBTQ people were in the closet, afraid to be ourselves. We refuse to return to those ugly days."

Naomi Washington-Leapheart, the director of faith work at the Task Force, started the rally off in prayer calling for, "Divine interruption to these attempts to use government to exclude and punish vulnerable communities." After which she told the crowd, "We will not stand by while our rights are eroded before our eyes! We are here to turn over these tables of discrimination! We are here fight back against bullying done in God's name. We are here to denounce any notion of piety that compels hospitals and businesses and social service agencies to turn people away. We are here, and we won't go back!"

Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan, the Task Force's director of trans and disability justice, told the crowd she and the Task Force were here, not for cake, but for those that are disabled and would be at risk of discrimination if the court ruled in favor of Masterpiece. She spoke about queer homeless youth that would be at risk of increased bigotry and abuse at the hands of those in the foster care system if the court ruled in favor of Masterpiece and for the trans community that would be put at increased danger and would face even greater levels of discrimination.

During Rodriguez-Roldan's speech, she slammed the plaintiffs and the hate group representing them - Alliance Defending Freedom - for "using God's name, in vain, as an excuse to perpetuate bigotry and to oppress their fellow human beings. They seek to deny a fundamental promise of this republic: That everyone has the right to be who they are in the world, free of injustice, and oppression."

Task Force Senior Policy Counsel Candace Bond-Theriault, who was an author of the SCOTUS amici curiae brief that a coalition of groups including the Task Force signed onto, also spoke to the crowd. Bond-Theriault expressed how "It's important to consider the sweeping implications that a ruling for Masterpiece Cakeshop will have for LGBTQ people of color." She spoke about how she understands this personally, telling the crowd, "As a Black queer woman, I know that members of my community will most be harmed if the justices choose corporations over individuals and allow discrimination against protected classes to become constitutionally protected."

The National LGBTQ Task Force is the oldest national LGBTQ advocacy group in the country. The Task Force builds power, takes action, and creates change to achieve freedom and justice for LGBTQ people and their families. As a progressive social-justice organization, the Task Force works to achieve equality and equity for all and toward a society that values and respects the diversity of human expression and identity.

The National LGBTQ Task Force amici curiae brief was joined by: GLAAD, Basic Rights Oregon, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity, LGBT Technology Partnership, National Coalition for LGBT Health, National Equality Action Team, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, SisterSong: National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, Autistic Self Advocacy Network and Witness to Mass Incarceration.
(EDGE) Gay conversion therapy bans: They're not just for kids anymore.

Last week, the New York City Council passed the most sweeping bill banning the practice of therapy that aims to turn gay people straight. And unlike bans in other cities and states, which only forbid the practice on minors, the Big Apple's ban extends to adults as well.

The bill, which is sponsored by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, passed in a 43 to 2 vote with one abstention. According to Metro, therapists who violate the ban face a $1,000 fine for the first offense and a $5,000 penalty for the second. Repeat offenders will pay $10,000 for every offense after that. It is expected to be signed into law by Mayor Bill deBlasio.

"Our great country is land of the free meaning ALL individuals should be able to live without fear of coercion into change into someone they are not," Mark-Viverito said in a statement. "Conversion therapy is barbaric and inhumane, and right here in New York City, we will continue to be the model for acceptance across the nation as we ban conversion therapy once and for all."

The New York Daily News notes the bill proposes some of the heftiest fines for licensed practitioners. However, those who perform gay conversion therapy for free, like clergy members, will not be affected.

While New York City has passed the ban, there remains no such law in place for the State of New York, which only bars public and private healthcare insurers from covering the practice.
A six-to-one vote by Palm Beach County commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 5 place Palm Beach one vote away from banning conversion therapy in all 39 of the countys municipalities.

Conversion therapy is the use of a number of psychological and counseling tactics in attempts to cure or change an LGBT individuals sexuality or gender identity to be straight or cisgender.

The commission will meet later this month for the final vote to decide if doctors, osteopaths, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, marriage or family therapists and other counselors licensed by the State of Florida will be banned from administering the harmful therapy on minors under the age of 18 throughout Palm Beach County.

Children are almost always forced into conversion therapy by parents who find it impossible to accept the fact that their children identify as gay or lesbian, Rand Hoch, the President and Founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council said. Instilling self-hatred in children through psychological torture is not therapy.

PBCHRC asked the county to enact the ban last year, and the organization has also played a role in passing many of the 16 conversion therapy bans currently in place in Florida cities.

According to an Orlando Political Observer-Gravis Marketing poll, 71 percent of Floridians believe conversion therapy on minors should be banned and only 11 percent believed it should be legal.

At the forefront of opposition to these bans is Dr. Julie Harren Hamilton, a local psychologist who practices conversion therapy and has pushed campaigns against these bans in eight Florida cities  all of which have passed conversion therapy bans for minors.

In all of the Florida bans enacted, only state-licensed psychologists are barred from practicing on children under the age of 18. Adults are still free to seek conversion therapy treatment from licensed counselors, and clergy and other unlicensed counselors are not governed by these bans.

With that being said, these bans send a message to parents who believe that conversion therapy is a responsible way to deal with their childs homosexuality or gender identity  that conversion therapy is dangerous, as stated by the American Psychological Association as well as nearly every other major medical and psychological association.

As a county commissioner, it is my duty to work to ensure the safety of our residents  especially our children, Mary Lou Berger, the commissioner who brought the ordinance forward on behalf of PBCHRC said. Conversion therapy has been rejected by virtually every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades. No child in Palm Beach County should be subjected to this so-called treatment.
NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 1 December 2017. NASA

Today  Circadian Rhythms: A 52S crewmember removed and stowed the Double Sensors and Thermolab Unit equipment that was used to complete a 36-hour Circadian Rhythms session that began on Wednesday.

Circadian Rhythms investigates the role of synchronized circadian rhythms, or the biological clock, and how it changes during long-duration spaceflight. Researchers hypothesize that a non-24-hour cycle of light and dark affects crewmembers circadian clocks. The investigation also addresses the effects of reduced physical activity, microgravity and an artificially controlled environment. Changes in body composition and body temperature, which also occur in microgravity, can affect crewmembers circadian rhythms as well. Understanding how these phenomena affect the biological clock will improve performance and health for future crewmembers.

Multi-Omics Sample Collections: A 52S crewmember conducted saliva sample collections for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Multi-Omics experiment. The samples were then placed into the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The Multi-omics analysis of human microbial-metabolic cross-talk in the space ecosystem (Multi-Omics) investigation evaluates the impacts of space environment and prebiotics on astronauts immune function, by combining the data obtained from the measurements of changes in the gut microbiological composition, metabolites profiles, and the immune system.

Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Camera Robot: The crew performed the 5th JEM Camera Robot checkout activity using a sponge ball. This device is a free-flying camera robot that provides real time video downlink and photographs. It is expected to reduce the crew time requirements to support video recording of activities, especially at the blind spot of existing JEM internal cameras.

NanoRacks-DreamUp Xtronaut Microbe (DreamXM) Operations: Today the crew completed the last day of NanoRacks DreamXM operations by taking the final set of photos to track the progression of the experiment. NanoRacks DreamXM was initiated two weeks ago on GMT 320, when the crew used cotton swabs to sample locations and inoculate several petri dishes. Photos were taken of each Petri Dish as a baseline data point. Kits containing nearly identical materials were provided to students to perform a duplicate ground experiment. NanoRacks(DreamXM) teaches students the different microbial growths from a home-school setting and those in microgravity using near-identical flight kits flown and operated in the International Space Station (ISS). With access to an online portal, students swab away, paralleling the procedures of crewmembers and comparing results with online videos and datasets. The investigation aims to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields to the next generation of students.

Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) Removal and Stow: After successfully completing a ten-week experiment run, today the crew removed the ZBOT hardware from the MSG work volume. Rocket fuel, spacecraft heating and cooling systems, and sensitive scientific instruments rely on very cold cryogenic fluids. Heat from the environment around cryogenic tanks can cause their pressures to rise, which requires dumping or boiling off fluid to release the excess pressure, or actively cooling the tanks in some way. ZBOT uses an experimental fluid to test active heat removal and forced jet mixing as alternative means for controlling tank pressure for volatile fluids.

Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutron (RaDI-N) Retrieval: Today a USOS crewmember retrieved all 8 of the Space Bubble Detectors that were deployed last week for the RaDI-N experiment, and handed them to a Russian crewmember to be processed in the Bubble Reader. This Canadian Space Agency (CSA) RaDI-N investigation measures neutron radiation levels while onboard the ISS. Bubble detectors are used as neutron monitors designed to only detect neutrons and ignore all other radiation.

Space Headaches: The crew completed the weekly questionnaire for the ESA Space Headaches investigation. The Space Headaches investigation collects information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crewmembers in space. Headaches during space flight can negatively affect mental and physical capacities of crewmembers that can influence performance during a space mission.

Earth Imagery from ISS Target Operations: The crew captured images and footage of Japan and the India-Himalayas-Tibetan Plateau. The Earth Imagery from ISS investigation creates a series of videos, showcasing Earth from space. These videos will be taken with cameras on the International Space Station in 6K hi-resolution, then integrated into videos for screensavers for public enjoyment, exploration, and engagement.

Sabatier Return Preparation: The crew installed the Sabatier Assembly into Flight Support Equipment (FSE), and then packed it in specially cut foam for return and refurbishment. Sabatier is planned for return to the ground on SpaceX-13 in January.

Dragon Robotics On-Board Trainer (ROBoT) Self Study: In preparation for SpX-13 capture and berthing, the crew completed a self-study session on the ROBoT. They practiced malfunction responses, nominal rate approaches, and 2-meter approaches.

Microgravity Experiment Research Locker Incubator (MERLIN)-1 Status  Early Thursday morning, MERLIN-1 lost heath and status and Ethernet communication. The MERLIN unit was in a continuous reboot cycle. The MERLIN coolers stayed on during the duration of the anomaly. Later in the day, MERLIN-1 was recovered nominally following a power cycle. MERLIN-1 is located in the NODE1 Galley Rack and is utilized for food refrigeration, not for science.

Permanent Multi-Purpose Module (PMM) General Luminaire Assembly (GLA) 7 Anomaly 

Yesterday the PMM Power Distribution Box (PDB) Remote Power Controller (RPC) 8 showed a steady increase in current from 0.23 amp to 0.39 amp. The crew reported the LHA was flickering with some noise. The RPC was preemptively commanded open. Historically, there have been similar signatures for GLAs in both MPLM and PMM; this signature indicates the imminent failure of the Light Housing Assembly (LHA). The LHA will be replaced with an on-orbit spare.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities are on schedule unless otherwise noted.

IMS Update

Life On The Station Photo and Video

Pre-pack cargo items for return or disposal on Soyuz 736

Taking measurements on SM interior panels

Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos Web Site and Social Media

URAGAN. Observation and photography

ECON-M. Observation and photography

HRF Generic Urine Collection

Multi Omics Saliva Operations

MORZE. Evaluation using SPRUT-2.

Multi Omics Saliva sample MELFI Insertion

HRF Generic Sample MELFI Insertion Operations

Multi Omics Saliva Stow

Multi Omics Question

MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: Tsentrovka, SENSOR Tests

Acoustic Monitor Data Transfer and Stow

Robotics Onboard Training (ROBoT) Session for Dragon

Circadian Rhythms Deinstrumentation with Armband

Inventory Management System (IMS) conference

Long Duration Sorbent Testbed Locker Removal.

Collecting surface samples from FGB equipment and structures

Circadian Rhythms Downlink

Crew relocates Single Stowage Locker

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill

XF305 Camcorder Setup

Max Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Subject

JEM Camera Robot Checkout 5

MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: SUPOS Test

Circadian Rhythms Armband Stow

HRF Generic Urine Collection Stow

Zero Boil-Off Tank Hardware Stow

DAN. Experiment Session  Operator

In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Sabatier Prep for Return

JEM MSPR ELT Relocate for FROST2 Temperature Monitor

MATRYOSHKA-R. TRITEL hardware clock sync

LBNP Training (PRELIMINARY)  Operator

Zero Boil-Off Tank Hardware Stow

MATRYOSHKA-R. BUBBLE-dosimeter gathering and measurements

??? Maintenance

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill

Max Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Partial Stow

ISS Crew departure preparation

Zero Boil-Off Tank Hardware Stow

Radi-N Detector Retrieval/Readout

Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutrons Hardware Handover

MATRYOSHKA-R. Handover of BUBBLE-dosimeters from USOS

In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) Sabatier Hardware Restow

MATRYOSHKA-R. BUBBLE-dosimeter gathering and measurements

T2 Crew Handover

Power Cycle the N2 AVN443 High Definition (HD) Encoder

Collecting surface samples from FGB equipment and structures

Transfer Cygnus Cargo Operations

Robotics Onboard Training (ROBoT) Session for Dragon

Pre-pack cargo items for return or disposal on Soyuz 736

Cygnus Cargo Operations Conference

Photo TV Soyuz Imagery

Space Headaches  Weekly Questionnaire

NanoRacks Microbial Growth Final Ops

Post-Exercise Hygiene Procedure

Space Headaches  Weekly Questionnaire

Completed Task List Activities

Plug-In-Plan Node 2audit

Plug-In-Plan Node 3audit

Ground Activities

All activities are on schedule unless otherwise noted.

Dragon ROBoT Support

SPDM OTCM Checkout

AVN443 Firmware Loading

ACS N2 Leak Check

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Saturday, 12/02: Housekeeping, Crew off duty, Nutrition, Crew Handover

Sunday, 12/03: Crew off duty

Monday, 12/04: EIISS, Sokol Leak Check, 51S Prepack, Circadian Rhythms, Insitu Bioanalysis, CUCU/CCP Checkout, WInscat, Lyophilization 2, SEMU Enclosure Setup

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component  Status

Elektron  On

Vozdukh  Manual

[???] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  Off

[???] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Operate

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Standby

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Idle

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Full Up

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Off
Bodega Wine Bar has been a part of Santa Monicas fabric since 2006. Originally a bar focusing on wine and beer, Bodega is a favorite happy hour spot for locals looking to get a drink and wind down after work. As of January of this year, the owners, Jason McEntee and Greg Seares, decided to expand the bar to house a full coffee program, thus turning Bodega into a cafe in the daytime.

Over the years, Santa Monicas Silicon Beach, an area home to over 500 tech companies, has rapidly grown and transformed the beach-side city into an industrial hub. In response, businesses catering to tech companies have given Santa Monica a revival of sorts.

When Bodega opened back in 2006, the neighborhood was fairly quiet, Seares says. There were a few retail businesses, a vacant lot, a car repair shop and a lot of apartments. In the past five years, Silicon Beach has become a thing, so the development of new living, retail, and office spaces has vastly increased the neighborhood foot traffic.

McEntee and Seares decided that since they already had a space, theyd utilize it to offer good coffee in the area where there previously was none within walking distance. They looked to Canaan Vallejos to oversee the coffee program. Vallejos started his career in coffee 11 years ago in Colorado. After upping his barista skills, he landed a gig at Sightglass in San Franciscoas production supervisor where he worked closely with the roasters and green coffee buyer. From there, he transitioned into roasting with Andytown Coffee Roasters. Now, he is leading Bodegas coffee undertaking.

Although the coffee came later at Bodega, its by no means secondary. Vallejos has really put his passion and coffee experience into the program. Starting with the water, the equipment at Bodega has been carefully selected. The water is filtered with Everpures MRS-600HE-II Reverse Osmosis System, giving the baristas full control of the water environment. The beans are ground on Mahlkonigs Guatemala 710 and Nuova Simonellis Mythos One Clima Pro grinders. For their drink of choice, visitors can opt for drip from a Fetco 2132 XTS Twin 3L brewer or espresso from La Marzoccos 2-group Linea PB. Theres also nitro cold brew from Verve on tap, perfect for cooling down in the heat. The coffee will of course draw the crowds, but the sleek interior of the cafe is also inviting and novel.

The elements of the bar are elegantly lit by the LA sunshine coming in through the windows. Natural light in the space highlights the interior design with exposed brick, teak wood craftsmanship, and leather and wicker furniture. The seating area is furnished with long tables and stoolsperfect for those looking for a place to work, along with couches paired with coffee tables. Coffee can be enjoyed until 5:00pm, but wine and beer are available all day long.

Its an exciting time in third wave specialty coffee, so though we launched with Verve Coffee Roasters, our long-term goal is to share wonderful coffee with people by featuring new and existing talent with rotating roasters, Seares says, adding that Bodega also serves Sightglass and Kilogram Tea. They also offer pastries like classic croissants and monkey bread from nearby Larder Baking Co.

The cafe at Bodega has only been open for about half a year, but theyve already gained a sizable following. Its no surprise, since the nearby tech workers need their daily pick me up, after all. Soon, they may even be able to get their lunch thereBodega has a cafe food menu in the works. Brunch in LA, anyone?

Tatiana Ernst (@TatianaErnst) is a Sprudge staff writer based in Los Angeles. Read more Tatiana Ernst on Sprudge.
Working as a barista while transgender comes with its own set of unique challenges, both logistical and emotional in nature. On top of the difficult customers and irregular wages cisgender baristas face, transgender baristas also cope with frequent microaggression or outright aggression from customers, not to mention the harassment and discrimination many face on their side of the bar. While there are challenges to working in service while trans, there are also many great trans coffee leaders working to construct healthy workplaces who have excellent solutions to offer the industry for mitigating problems theyve faced. I talked to five transgender coffee professionals who present a vision for how a better cafe can operate; some of these recommendations are very small and readily feasible, some more ambitious, but the best part is that while these policies are designed by and for trans workers, they create positive systems for all cafe workers, and cisgender employees will find them just as valuable.

Harassment Policies and Clear Procedures

All of the coffee workers I interviewed said that in order for trans workers to have equity at the cafe level, its absolutely crucial to have a policy that not only bans harassment from both staff and customers, but also clearly defines it and outlines procedures for reporting it. These policies need to be accessible and equally applied to everyone.

Em Halpern, former quality controller and employee trainer at Function Coffee Labs, said that when coffee businesses dont have a clear harassment policy, its not only unprofessional, its also a liability. They added that companies need to go further than just having a nominal policy in place: If a policy outlines no actual steps to follow or protections for the employee, the employer is free to act how they see fit, leaving room for personal biases regardless of good intentions. In the worst case scenario, employees can be made to feel like their claim is invalid and end up further victimized. Halpern also shared a great example of a clear, comprehensive policy, the one they experienced while working at Ultimo Coffee: Any instance of discrimination or harassment by staff member, customer, or other person related to the business of Ultimo Coffee should be reported immediately to Aaron or Elizabeth Ultimo. The report will be handled in a swift and appropriate manner and will not result in any retaliation on the employee who made the complaint. Being clear about how to file a complaint and about the fact that filing wont result in retaliation allows workers a clear picture of the process they will actually go through when reporting harassment.

Important also to note in the policy is that harassment isnt just something that can occur between employees; it can also be a problem with customers. Shannon, who works for a French bakery chain and does cafe consulting work on the side, used to work for a restaurant group that had a great policy stating that any worker experiencing harassment of any kind from a customer should immediately notify a manager, who would then take over and ask the customer to leave, preventing any further contact, a detail that he said generated a very positive response.

In general, on-paper policies that are clear and specific help create equitable treatment, but beyond that, they also help companies to scale. Policies that live in managers heads are much harder to disseminate consistently and fairly, and all workers benefit from clear avenues for communication and procedure, especially as small companies grow larger and need more employees and managers.

Sensitivity Training and Education

Part of the difficulty of working while trans is that not everyone has the education they need to engage appropriately with trans coworkers and customers, and trans employees usually end up carrying the burden of providing that education (usually for no extra pay).

Halpern wants to see employers and employees alike receive regular high-quality LGBTQ/GNC sensitivity trainings, as well as trainings on other forms of systemic oppression. They also hope that going forward, the Barista Guild or Specialty Coffee Association can team with a reputable institution to make those types of trainings readily available and affordable. Sid Ditson, barista at Coava, added that many cities have community education organizations that offer basic trainings. Ditson also thinks that new hire training and continued staff education need to include explanations of common microaggressions that transgender workers face (eg. misgendering, sexual harassment).

Sam Penix, owner of Everyman Espresso, said that asking for employee pronouns during the interview process and introducing new workers with the correct pronouns goes a long way toward creating a less presumptuous culture. He also said that employers and workers alike need to know that asking questions about the bodies or sex lives of trans coworkers is harassment, and that while its okay for trans workers to talk about their own gender identity, its not okay for workers to talk about their coworkers being trans (a practice called outing). On a customer service level, Halpern also wants workers to receive training on how to improve customer service by not gendering customers (eg. calling them sir/maam, using gendered pronouns to talk about them), as a means to avoid misgendering transgender customers. Those are all examples of things employers and workers would learn during sensitivity training.

Wage Transparency

Long-term wage data reveals that while white women make 79% of what men make over the course of their lives, that percentage dips lower for non-white women, dropping as low as 54% for Latinx women. Unsurprisingly, transgender workersespecially those who are women or nonbinaryalso face a daunting wage gap. According to data collected by the Williams Institute and published by the Center for American Progress, One study found that the earnings of female transgender workers fell by nearly one-third following their gender transitions. This research strongly indicates that in addition to facing significant workplace discrimination in hiring and firing based on their gender identity, transgender women experience significant gaps in pay largely attributable to their gender. Because of pay disparities that tend to occur whenever pay rates are determined through standard new-hire negotiations, pay and wage transparency are excellent ways to ensure fiscal equity among cafe workers.

Halpern recommends establishing transparent wage systems that detail not only why an employee starts out at a specific rate, but also exactly how they can earn raises, how often raises should happen, and what those raises should look like. Ellan Kline, Retail Trainer at Ritual Coffee Roasters (and, full disclosure, my spouse) works within a model just like that: baristas all start at the same rate, undergoing a series of coffee tests that lead to preset raises, and eventually moving into a yearly review system with both clear time-based raises and extra raises that employees can earn by going above and beyond. These on-paper wage brackets help not only trans employees, but also cisgender female employees and workers of color, who know theyre being paid equitably; the transparency has a demonstrably positive effect on morale and retention at Ritual.

Support and Empowerment

Emotional and professional support are valuable in helping trans workers thrive in coffee companies and in the larger coffee community. Mentorships programs at both a company level and industry level could go a long way toward helping transgender coffee workers find the same coffee community that cisgender coffee workers enjoy.

Trans and gender-nonconforming folks are, like all marginalized groups, underrepresented in coffee leadership, said Halpern, who wants to start a coalition of trans and gender-nonconforming service industry workers to mentor, empower, and advise on difficult professional situations and career-building. Many of us carry the unique emotional burden of defending our gender and identity to customers, coworkers and employers; I want to help people to reduce that emotional burden they carry.

Support, empower, promote, said Kline, talking about her responsibility as an advocate for bringing more trans people into coffee and helping them move up through the ranks if they so desire. Penix said that its important to prioritize hiring trans and gender-nonconforming workers as well as workers of color. This doesnt mean I exclusively hire trans people or POC, he said. It means that I am aware of hurdles that those communities face and seek to remove those challenges. I make statements when I hire to make sure I have a welcoming message free from ambiguity. I am willing to volunteer my own time to training those folks and sending them along with recommendations to other cafe owners.

Trans coffee professionals in leadership positions like Halpern, Penix, and Kline are doing foundational work to let other trans coffee workers know that they can find comradery and support in the coffee community, and have seen more trans and nonbinary workers moving into cafes since public representation has increased.

Living Wage and Healthcare

Factors that affect all workers ability to be healthy and safe while working and coffee, especially pay and healthcare, are critical in supporting trans workers. All five of the coffee pros I spoke to cited paying a living wage and providing healthcare if possible as major factors in trans cafe worker wellbeing.

Most baristas in this country dont make a reasonable living wage, said Halpern. Most of us dont get healthcare coverage with our jobs, so we have to rely on government assistance or out- of-pocket insurance plans. The minimum wage in Pennsylvania is $7.25 per hour; nobody can reasonably exist on this wage, nor should they have to struggle because they enjoy working in coffee. Shannon pointed to Australia, a country where the average barista makes $20 per hour and have health insurance, as a successful and thriving model for where the US coffee industry should go over the next few years. While its not always possible for employers to offer affordable health insurance to workers, a lack of access to affordable care disproportionately affects trans workers, many of whom need to be able to access hormone therapy and psychological support in order to do their best work.

I think getting rid of tipping culture by raising wages and upping prices to account for the amount people budget for tips is the biggest and easiest change to implement industry-wide, said Kline, adding that tips encourage the idea that the customer is always right, enabling them to treat trans employees disrespectfully without repercussion. If a customer is making up the gap between the minimum wage and a living wage, how comfortable are trans employees going to feel shutting down customer harassment?

Providing a living wage and affordable health care within the narrow profit margins of a small coffee business isnt always feasible; nevertheless, those are still critical success factors in trans worker support, so businesses should try to be cognizant of how that will affect their ability to support trans workers.

Next Steps

These strategies provide a model for cafes that want to be more supportive to transgender workers to gain traction and actualize that goal. Some of these strategies are expensive and take time to plan for, but many are low-cost or free and can even save money by reducing liability and worker turnover. While few coffee companies start out perfect, a little goes a long way, and the trans workers I talked to are excited that coffee businesses are starting to look at free and easy policy moves that lead to cultural shifts. Bringing new perspectives into leadership in the coffee community will allow for novel approaches to old problems that the industry will need to solve in order to move forward.

RJ Joseph (@RJ_Sproseph) is a Sprudge staff writer, the publisher of Queer Cup, and a coffee professional based in the Bay Area. Read more RJ Joseph on Sprudge Media Network.
Judicial Watch: New Justice Department Records Show Strong Support by Mueller Deputy Andrew Weissmann, Other Top DOJ Officials for Yates' Refusal to Enforce President Trump Travel Ban

'I am so proud. And in awe. Thank you so much. All my deepest respects'  Andrew Weissmann, then-Chief of Justice Department Criminal Fraud Section



Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5172



WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch today released two productions (335 pages and 44 pages) of Justice Department (DOJ) documents showing strong support by top DOJ officials for former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates' refusal to enforce President Trump's Middle East travel ban executive order. In one email, Andrew Weissmann, one of Robert Mueller's top prosecutors and formerly the Obama-era Chief of the Justice Department's Criminal Fraud Section, applauds Yates writing: "I am so proud. And in awe. Thank you so much. All my deepest respects."



Judicial Watch obtained the documents through a May 2017 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the Justice Department failed to respond to a February FOIA request seeking Yates' emails from her government account (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:17-cv-00832)) for the time period she served as Acting Attorney General for President Trump.



The emails, several sent from official Justice Department email addresses, show strong support for Yates, who was fired for disobeying a direct order from the President:

Thomas Delahanty, then the United States Attorney for Maine wrote: "You are my hero."



Liz Aloi, a career service employee and Chief of the Justice Department's Special Financial Investigations Unit told Yates she was "Inspirational and heroic."



Emily Gray Rice, then the U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire and an Obama appointee said: "AAG Yates, thank you, as always, for making us proud. It is truly an honor to work for you."



Obama appointee Barbara McQuade, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan told Yates, "Thank you for your courage and leadership. This is wonderful news."



DOJ Civil Division Appellate Attorney Claire Jeffrey wrote: "Thank you AG Yates. I've been in civil/appellate for 30 years and have never seen an administration with such contempt for democratic values and the rule of law. The President's order is an unconstitutional embarrassment and I applaud you for taking a principled stand against defending it."

"This is an astonishing and disturbing find. Andrew Weisman, a key prosecutor on Robert Mueller's team, praised Obama DOJ holdover Sally Yates after she lawlessly thwarted President Trump," stated Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton. "How much more evidence do we need that the Mueller operation has been irredeemably compromised by anti-Trump partisans? Shut it down."



Yates was appointed by President Obama as U.S. Attorney in northern Georgia and was later confirmed as Deputy Attorney General. In January 2017 she became acting Attorney General for President Trump.



Yates was involved in the controversy concerning Gen. Michael Flynn, allegedly warning the Trump White House in early January about General Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak. (Judicial Watch is separately suing for records concerning the surveillance and subsequent leaks regarding General Flynn.)



MORE: www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-new-justice-department-records-show-strong-support-mueller-deputy-andrew-weissmann-top-doj-officials-yates-refusal-enforce-president-trump-travel-ban/
Can the Catholic Church Save the World from Today's Dark Ages?

Contact: Kevin Wandra, 404-788-1276, KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- Many Catholics would argue that we're in a "Dark Age" of sorts: the culture war battles are seemingly being lost, Christians are being persecuted for their beliefs, and Catholic priests are even being kidnapped and killed in parts of the world. But because Jesus Christ is unchanging and the Catholic Church is divinely inspired, Father William Slattery argues in his new book, HEROISM AND GENIUS, that Catholicism will get society out of today's dark ages, just like it did during the original Dark Ages.Conceived and written in the heart of Rome, HEROISM AND GENIUS traces the enormous influence of the Catholic priesthood (and some Catholic lay people) throughout the centuries following the death and resurrection of Jesus.Ordained to the priesthood by Saint John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica in 1991, Father William J. Slattery, Ph.D., S.T.L., has given Ignatian retreats in English and French in North America, and has founded a new order of priests, the Society of Ignatians, whose candidates will begin formation in July of next year.While heroes today are reality TV stars, Father Slattery gives sketches of true heroes, the Catholic priests who have stood in an unbroken line extending two thousand years as defenders of humanity and self-sacrifice. HEROISM AND GENIUS goes behind-the-scenes of every major era and reveals the role of the Catholic Church and her servants  from the court of Charlemagne to the advancement of the dignity of women in Western culture to the fight against infanticide until the twelfth century.HEROISM AND GENIUS makes every effort to demonstrate that Catholics cannot be Catholic by imprisoning themselves in the modern age, that they need to understand history in order to build a future rooted in Catholic values."I am happy to recommend Fr. William Slattery's book  [about] the ethos of heroism and genius that inspirited the builders of Christian civilization  and that can inspire the builders of another Christian culture in the future, whether in Africa, Asia, Europe or the Americas," said Cardinal Robert Sarah, author of God or Nothing and The Power of Silence.For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Fr. William Slattery, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com ) of Carmel Communications.
Petition Sent to HBO CEO

Contact: The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, 212-371-3191, pr@catholicleague.org



NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue is sending the names of thousands of outraged Catholics who signed our online petition against Bill Maher to HBO Chairman and CEO Richard Plelpler.

As Donohue indicated in his letter to Plepler, thousands more petitions will be sent to him in the coming weeks. In the December edition of Catalyst, the leagues monthly journal, members are invited to sign the petition.

Recently, Maher was forced to apologize for offending African Americans. Also, HBO scratched all of its Louis C.K. shows. Donohue picked up on this in his letter to Plepler.

"We've spoken before about Maher. Citing free speech as a defense looks rather lame, as witnessed by the two aforementioned examples.

"In a time of heightened sensitivity over offensive fare, why does Maher always get a pass when it comes to Christians?"

Donohue asked Plepler to reply. We will post his response.


Ministry Brands Foundation Awards $18,200 Grant to Calvary Rescue Mission in Memphis

Contact: Karen Sebold, Ministry Brands Foundation , 865-271-9430MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 5, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- Representatives of the Ministry Brands Foundation recently presented a grant for $18,200 to officials with Calvary Rescue Mission that will go to fund a computer lab in the Mission's new facility near downtown Memphis.Calvary plans to use the computer lab to help residents of the mission with training and education which includes helping many of its residents get their GED. In addition, the new 15,500-square-foot facility will allow the mission to expand its housing capacity to 112 homeless men a night."In the neighborhood Calvary serves, one in nine are a victim of a violent crime, yet every night the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached, a meal is served, and a bed is provided for about four dozen that do not have a place to call home," said Steele Billings, Ministry Brands Foundation Selection Committee member."This is exactly the type of organization that Ministry Brands wants to partner with and help fund the continued effort."Started by the late Milton Hatcher and his wife, Betty, Calvary Rescue Mission opened its doors on April 1, 1967 to provide temporary shelter, food, and clothing to homeless men in need. In addition, they offer nightly chapel services, counseling, a discipleship program and a library. The grant was one of seven given out to worthy charities around the country this fall by the Foundation.About the Ministry Brands FoundationThe Ministry Brands Foundation was established in April 2017 to "propel Christian ministries to fulfill their work with relevance for today's culture." The Foundation is the charitable arm of Ministry Brands, LLC, based in Lenoir City, Tenn., a leading software provider for churches and non-profits across the country. Grants are awarded seasonally, based on four concentration areas: Youth & Young Adults, Church & Technology, Hunger & Homelessness and Biblical Literacy. Funding from the grants is used for capital improvements, projects and programs of qualifying 501(c) 3 organizations selected from Ministry Brands' customer base.
Mira Costa became the first team this season to win a set against Cathedral Catholic, but the Mustangs eventually fell in four sets in the CIF SoCal Regional final Tuesday night.
Editors note: Todays editorials originally appeared in The (Tacoma) News Tribune. Editorial content from other publications is provided to give readers a sampling of regional and national opinion and does not necessarily reflect positions endorsed by the Editorial Board of The Daily News.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas is a slogan seldom applied to other major U.S. cities.

It certainly doesnt fit Seattle, the Northwests leading exporter of cultural trends, bellwether of liberal socioeconomic policy and a city always pleased to see its progressive values go viral.

A textbook example is Seattles income tax on high earners, which the City Council approved last summer. From the outset, supporters hoped it would light a fire under elected leaders in Olympia and reignite a dialogue about the need for a statewide income tax.

No matter that the state Supreme Court has held since the 1930s that a graduated tax on net income is unconstitutional. No matter that an income tax is like kryptonite  the third rail of Washington politics  and that state voters have soundly rejected it at least four times.

Income tax apostles like to believe what happened in Seattle wont stay in Seattle.

Fortunately, a judge splashed cold water on Seattles experiment the day before Thanksgiving, though it continues to flicker in the form of an expected appeal.

The Supreme Court is the authority that tax advocates, including new Mayor Jenny Durkan, wish to hear this case; its the audience theyve sought for years, hoping it will reverse long-established precedent.

Seattle tried to wriggle around state law by arguing what the council adopted is not an income tax, rather its an excise tax on wealthy people privileged enough to call Seattle home; furthermore, the city argued the tax was levied on total income instead of net.

But King County Superior Court Judge John R. Ruhl basically said if something looks like an income tax and quacks like an income tax, it is an income tax.

In short, the Citys tax, which is labeled income tax, is exactly that, he wrote. It cannot be restyled as an excise tax on the alternate privileges of receiving revenue in Seattle or choosing to live in Seattle.

The timing of Ruhls ruling was perfect, coming the month before Gov. Jay Inslee releases his 2018 budget proposal and six weeks before the Legislature convenes.

It should send a signal to lawmakers, in case they didnt already get the memo, that now is not a favorable time for income tax talk  especially during a short legislative session, and an election year, to boot.

Democrats, who now control both chambers and the governors office, would be foolish to eye an income tax as a way to gin up new revenue for pressing obligations, including $1 billion in additional court-ordered support for K-12 schools.

Likewise, the ruling should send a clear message to Tacoma and other progressive-minded city councils known for cribbing pages from Seattles playbook.

A 1984 state law bans local governments from enacting income taxes, and courts wont smile on those who ignore it. Mayor Durkan concedes that appealing Ruhls decision would be a longshot.

The Seattle City Council unanimously voted in July to levy a 2.25-percent tax on high earners: total annual income above $250,000 for individuals and above $500,000 for married couples filing joint returns.

City officials estimated it would garner about $140 million a year to reduce property taxes, expand affordable housing and help pay for city services  worthy goals, all.

But along with their legally flawed tax rationale, Seattle leaders chose to impose it unilaterally rather than let it go to the ballot. Maybe they had a hunch voters wouldnt bite, after an Olympia proposal for a 1.5-percent city income tax on high earners failed at the polls last year.

The bottom line: Washington voters, including those in urban, liberal-leaning counties, enjoy living in one of the seven U.S. states with no income tax. The last time a tax proposal made the statewide ballot, in 2010, it lost in all 39 counties, with 55 percent of voters spurning it in King County and 70 percent in Pierce.

None of this is to suggest that Washington has an ideal mix of taxes. Quite the opposite. The non-partisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy determined we have by far the most regressive tax structure in the U.S.

To ensure the wealthy pay a greater share, state leaders would do well in the next few years to examine options including a capital-gains tax; they should absolutely work toward consensus on a carbon-emissions tax, which Inslee has promoted vigorously.

The door should even be kept open for an income tax if pursued the prescribed way: by constitutional amendment.

But attempting it by municipal fiat reflects an audacity that Seattles become known for, and Judge Ruhl did us all a favor by quashing it quickly.
Annisul Huq Study Center at DIU

Prof Dr Yousuf M Islam, Vice Chancellor, Daffodil International University speaks at the \"Meet the Press\" program on launching of \"Annisul Huq Study Center\" and \"Daffodil Change Maker Award\" held at the University campus on Tuesday.

Campus report :



To honour and preserve the memory of Annisul Huq, the former Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Daffodil International University (DIU) announced to set up a study center entitling the name of Late Annisul Huq on the premises of the University. DIU introduced "Annisul Huq Study Center" and "Daffodil Change Maker Award" to make the soul of Annisul Huq immortal in this earth. DIU always feels connected with this great-departed soul and wants to make this relationship eternal through this study center and change maker award.

This was announced at a "Meet the Press" program held on Tuesday at the 71 Milonayoton of the university. The Meet the Press was addressed by Prof Dr Yousuf M Islam, Vice Chancellor, Syed Mizanur Rahman, Director of Student Affairs and Samiha Khan, Director, Daffodil Family. Ejaju Ur Rahman Sajal of Daffodil Family readout the written speech at the 'Meet the Press'.

It was informed at the 'Meet the Press' that on the day of its 7th Convocation on 10th January 2018 "Annisul Huq Study Center" would be inaugurated. Annisul Huq Study Centre is a domain to attain multiple purposes and will house a photo gallery and books written on and by Annisul Huq. It will also be equipped with a seminar hall with all required facilities. Lectures on Annisul Huq and other renowned national role models' principles will be organized in this centre regularly for the benefit of the students. Annisul Huq Study Centre will also hold inspiring life style and stories of Bangladeshi role models.

It was also informed that the study center will host "Annisul Huq Change Maker Award" to recognize and appreciate people or organizations such as social entrepreneurs, innovators, students, researchers, teachers, business leaders, policy makers and activists that are creating real, meaningful changes with most innovative solutions for individual or social sustainable development to establish holistic peace and happiness. It was also informed that an exclusive videography and photography exhibition on "A Patriot Change Maker - Annisul Huq " would be hosted from 25-28 January 2018 at DIU campus premises at Ashulia.

Late Annisul Huq as an inspiring role model will also be there in the pages of Art of Living book. DIU will include the "Style of Living of Annisul Huq" in the lesson of Art of Living course to inculcate young souls to be a holistic human being to work for world's well-being and happiness.


Spain withdraws int'l arrest warrant for Catalonia politicians

Reuters, Madrid :

Spain's Supreme Court said on Tuesday it had withdrawn an international arrest warrant for Catalonia's former leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his cabinet members saying the politicians had shown willingness to return to Spain.

All five traveled to Belgium following an unilateral declaration of independence in the Catalan parliament on Oct. 27, considered illegal by Spanish courts.

The withdrawal of the arrest warrant also prevented more than one European jurisdiction overseeing the case, the court said.

Catalonia's pro-independence parties were seen losing their parliamentary majority in the regional election on Dec. 21, an official poll showed on Monday.

Pro-indepence party Junts per Catalunya was seen winning 25-26 seats, ERC another 32 seats and extreme-left party CUP 9 seats, according to the poll carried out by Sociological Research Centre (CIS).

That would give the pro-independence camp just 67 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament, stripping them of the previous slim majority.
Int'l warnings as Trump delays Jerusalem decision

Any move by Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital would be warmly welcomed by Israel\'s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.



International leaders warned US President Donald Trump on Tuesday that he risked outraging Muslims and jeopardising Middle East peace efforts if he recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and moved the US embassy there.

Trump delayed a controversial decision on the ancient holy city on Monday, following frantic public warnings from allies and private phone calls between world leaders.

Jerusalem's status is a key issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both Israelis and Palestinians claiming the city as their capital.

Warnings multiplied on Tuesday, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning Trump in a speech that the status of Jerusalem is a "red line" for Muslims and could even prompt Turkey to cut ties with Israel.

Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit said member states had decided to meet in Cairo "given the danger of this matter, if it were to happen, and the possible negative consequences not only for the situation in Palestine but also for the Arab and Islamic region".

US officials said Trump was expected to stop short of moving the embassy to Jerusalem outright-a central campaign pledge which his administration has postponed once already.

But domestic politics may still push him to break with decades of US policy recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital instead in a gesture towards conservative voters and donors.

"The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go: It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley.

He said a declaration on the move would be made "in the coming days."

Trump has said he wants to relaunch frozen peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in search of the "ultimate deal"-but recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital would destroy that effort, a senior Palestinian official warned.

"That totally destroys any chance that he will play a role as an honest broker," Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, told reporters Tuesday.

Saeb Erakat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, earlier warned that a change in the US stance on Jerusalem would spell disaster.

Palestinian leaders have been lobbying regional leaders to oppose any shift in US policy, and the armed Islamist movement Hamas has threatened to launch a new "intifada" uprising.
Uncertainty looms over crisis-hit Gulf summit

Qatar Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the GCC foreign ministers\' meeting in Kuwait City on Monday.

AFP, Kuwait City :

The crisis-hit Gulf Cooperation Council began its annual summit on Tuesday amid uncertainty over whether the leaders of Saudi Arabia and its allies would join their Qatari rival for the talks.

The future of the six-nation GCC-formed 36 years ago to bring together energy-rich Sunni Arab Gulf states-appeared to be hanging in the balance as Kuwait prepared to host the gathering.

This year's meeting comes with Saudi Arabia and its allies engaged in a bitter dispute with fellow GCC member Qatar, in the worst crisis ever to hit the council.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani accepted an invitation to the summit but with only hours before talks were due to begin it was unclear whether the rulers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain would also attend.

Those three Gulf states, together with Egypt, cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival.

Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi-led bloc of aiming to incite a change of regime in Doha.

Kuwait has been leading mediation efforts within the GCC to resolve the crisis, but so far with little success.

Casting further doubt on the group's future, the UAE said Tuesday it was forming a new military and economic committee with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC.

The committee "will coordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields," according to a decree issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Founded in 1981, the GCC is a political and economic union grouping Qatar with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman and Kuwait. Dominated by Riyadh, it has been a regional counterweight to Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia's Shiite rival across the Gulf.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar attended round-table talks ahead of the gathering, in their first such encounter since the diplomatic crisis erupted in June.

Oman Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yussef bin Alawi sat between them at the meeting which the foreign ministers of the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait also attended.

After cutting off all ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a land, sea and air blockade of the emirate and issued a list of 13 demands to have it lifted.

Bahrain in October called for Qatar's membership of the GCC to be suspended until it accepted the demands.

Experts warn that the crisis could lead to the demise of the once-powerful GCC.

"The justifications for the existence of the GCC bloc amidst the continued crisis are no longer present like before," said Sami al-Faraj, head of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies.

"As long as our enemy has changed from Iran to Qatar, the GCC will not continue."

The failure of the GCC members to solidify long-delayed plans for economic unity may also threaten its future.

The Gulf states have approved a customs union, a common market, a single currency and a single central bank, but most of these have yet to be implemented.

Speaking at Monday's meeting, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah stressed the determination of member states to preserve the GCC.

"The GCC is a continuous project in which the will of member states meets to build a unified Gulf body," he said.




SKorea to finance Kalurghat Railway Bridge project

Delegation of Boalkhali- Kalurghat Bridge Implementation Committee handing over a report on the Project to Fazle Karim Chowdhury MP, Chairman standing committee of Railway Ministry on Monday.

A Correspondent :



South Korea is going to provide financial and technical assistance for the construction of a Railway Cum Road Bridge (Extra Dosed Type) across the River Karnaphuli at Kalurghat point in the vicinity of existing Railway Bridge.

Fazle Karim Chowdhury MP, Chairman of the Bangladesh Railway Parliamentary Standing Committee, disclosed this while a delegation of Kalurghat Bridge Implementation Committee called on him on Monday.

He said, "South Korea agreed to provide Tk 1,146 crore for construction of the bridge."

According to BR sources, the appointed consultant of the project Yooshin Engineering Corporation in collaboration with Dong Myeong Engineering and Sunjin Engineering along with Korean architects have already completed the study and submitted it to the government.

South Korean Exim Bank is financing the project. The existing Kalurghat Railway Bridge that connected the southern part of Chittagong with the country is now in bad condition.

The bridge was once the only link between the southern region of Chittagong division on the bank of the river Karnaphuly with the rest of the country.

This 239m long bridge was installed as a simple rail bridge of steel structure between Janalihat and Gomdandi railway stations in 1930.

The bridge was commissioned for operation of trains in Chittagong-Dohazari section in the year 1931. Thirty-one years after its inauguration, considering the suffering of the people it was modified with decking and carpeting and turned into a rail and road-bridge in 1962.

This is now in dilapidated condition. The vehicles including the trains are moving at great risk over this old bridge.

Meanwhile, the BR authorities had declared the bridge unfit for vehicular traffic. But the movement of the vehicles has been continuing after making some necessary repairs in a restricted condition.
Beximco Pharma wins int'l award

Beximco Pharma has won the prestigious Scrip Award in the category of \'Best Company in an Emerging Market\' at the 13th Annual Scrip Awards ceremony held in London recently. Rabbur Reza, chief operating officer of Beximco Pharma, accepted the award on be

Business Desk :

Beximco Pharma has won the prestigious Scrip Award in the category of 'Best Company in an Emerging Market' at the 13th Annual Scrip Awards ceremony held in London recently. Rabbur Reza, Chief Operating Officer of Beximco Pharma, accepted the award on behalf of the company, according to a press release issued yesterday. This is the first time a Bangladeshi company has won this global award which recognises company's operational excellence and continued growth in global market, it said. The Scrip Awards honor the highest achieving companies and individuals in global pharma and biotech industry, recognising their important roles in improving healthcare around the world. A panel of 16 highly respected and independent judges from across diverse sectors evaluated the award entries to select the finalists.

Scrip's Best Company in an Emerging Market Award seeks to reward the growing R&D-based pharmaceutical company founded in areas beyond its traditional geographic borders of North America, Western Europe and Japan. Previous winners in this category include globally reputed pharma companies like Dr Reddy's, Hikma, Glenmark and Mundipharma.

On this occasion, Beximco Pharma Managing Director Nazmul Hassan MP said, "We are proud to be recognised as the 'Best Company in an Emerging Market' at the prestigious Scrip Awards. With its broad portfolio of generics and global footprint in more than 50 countries including US, EU and Australia, Beximco Pharma is continuing to expand its reach and impact around the world. We are setting a high standard for the country's pharmaceutical industry through our research and development initiatives, strategic partnerships, and expansion programs."
Ensuring access of children to libraries emphasized



Speakers at a function on Tuesday said both government and non-government initiatives are urgently needed to ensure children-friendly atmosphere at libraries to unlock their talents.

Access of children to libraries ultimately would help increase their reading habit of books on different disciplines of knowledge, they told the result sharing event titled "Library for literacy" at the Department of Public Libraries in the city.

The Beyond Access Bangladesh project organized the event as part of the efforts for improving children's literary outcomes through innovative programmes.

Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzamman Noor addressed the meeting as the chief guest with Director General of Department of Public Libraries Ashish Kumar Sarker in the chair.

Deputy Country Director of Save the Children in Bangladesh Dr Ishtiq Mannan, Office Director of Office of the Population, Health, Nutrition and Education of USAID Bangladesh Caroll Vasquez, Regional Director of IREX Ari Katz, among others, were present at the meeting.

Noor said, "We have to prepare books, which will be suitable, understandable and interesting for children. Every library should have children's corner so that they could spend their quality times in the libraries." The Cultural Affairs Ministry is working with development partners to ensure children-friendly atmosphere at the libraries for promoting reading habit of students, he added.

Different storytelling books and other cultural affairs activities should be incorporated with curriculum activities to flourish the latent talent of children, he added.

Dr. Ishtiaq Mannan laid emphasis on regular parents' gatherings and reading festivals for librarians for improving children's reading competencies and imagination.

He also stressed the need for intensifying the efforts and strong partnership among different organizations concerned to achieve the targets of the Sustainable Development Goal-4 by 2030.

While presenting outcome of the project, Shahin Islam, deputy director- partnership management of READ Project, Save the Children in Bangladesh, said, "After successful completion of the project, we have got very good result from all indicators including increased number of visitors to libraries and time spend in reading for pleasures."

"If we can provide necessary reading materials alongside other facilities at libraries, reading habit will increase among the students," he added.

The Beyond Access Bangladesh selected 20 community and public libraries in 11 districts to make use of the country's existing libraries as spaces for children and their families to enjoy reading and access more reading materials. The project provided reading materials for children at various levels, supplied multiple computer tablets with literacy-focused computer games, and trained library staff to use interactive reading games and other methods to help children learn to read.




BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia appeared before the special court in the city\'s Bakshi Bazar on Tuesday to seek bail after arrest warrant issued against her.
BNP men clash with police

100 vehicles vandalised, 30 detained

Police intercepted the BNP procession protesting arrest warrants against party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia near city\'s Doel Chattar and dispersed them by lobbying tear-shells on Tuesday.

Staff Reporter :

At least one hundred vehicles were vandalised in front of the Bangladesh Secretariat during a clash between the police and the activists of BNP on Tuesday.

The police in turn detained 30 BNP men from High Court premises and in front of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), BNP leaders claimed.

Eyewitnesses said the BNP workers were returning from the makeshift court of Special Judge-5 Md Akhtaruzzaman in Dhaka's Bakshi Bazar area, where party Chairperson Khaleda Zia went in connection with the Zia Charitable trust graft case.

The police chased the BNP activists in front of the DSHE, widely known as "Shikkha Bhaban," when they were trying to bring out a procession.

As they were being chased, the activists split into two groups. One group rushed towards the secretariat and vandalised a large number of public and private vehicles, while the other group torched a motorcycle parked in front of the market at Bongobazar.

Maruf Hossain Sardar, Deputy Commissioner of DMP (Ramna zone) said, several hundred leaders and activists of the party brought out the procession in the secretariat area around 3:30pm after BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia came out of a court after giving her statement in self-defense in connection with graft cases.

The BNP men went on rampage as police intercepted the procession, triggering a clash with the law enforcers, the police official said.

Md Abul Hasan, Officer-in-Charge of Shahbagh Police Station said, they had picked up 15 BNP activists from the spot.

He also claimed that some police personnel also sustained injuries in the incident.

Ramna Police Station sources said, at least 15 BNP men are in the police custody.

Assistant Organising Secretry of JCD Saidur Rahman Royal said many activists were injured in police attack and police picked up around 30 activists from the spot.

Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal General Secretary Abdul Quader Bhuiyan Jewel also was injured, among others, during the chase, he said.


Khaleda gets bail

Court Correspondent :

The Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka yesterday granted bail to BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases after the BNP leader surrendered to the court seeking bail in both cases. Judge Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman of court on Tuesday handed down the bail order. Earlier, the BNP Chief appeared before the makeshift special judge court at Bakshibazar area in the old Dhaka at 11am.

Meanwhile, the court set December 19, 20 and 21for arguments in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case as Khaleda Zia completed her statement of self-defence in the case last afternoon. On the same day, the court will hear defence witnesses in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

Khaleda pleaded justice to the court with her statement and alleged that the graft cases were lodged againsst her to keep her away from politics. She made her submission from 11.15 am to 2.25 pm.

On November 30, the court issued arrest warrants against Khaleda Zia cancelling her ad-interim bail as she failed to appear before the court on time.

On July 3, 2008, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case with Ramna Model Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, and four others for misappropriating over Tk 21.0 million that came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans. However, Tuesday was fixed for submission of arguments in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

On August 8, 2011, the ACC filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case with Tejgaon Model Police Station accusing four people, including Khaleda Zia, on charge of abusing power in raising funds for the trust from unknown sources.
Violence against Rohingyas `extremely rare`

International criminal investigation needed; UN can't rule out 'elements of genocide', says Human Rights Chief

Zeid Ra\'ad al-Hussein

News Desk :

The United Nations' top human rights official said on Tuesday that Rohingyas were continuing to flee northern Rakhine State in Burma, where, he said, the crime of genocide by state forces could not be ruled out against the Muslim minority.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, addressing a special session of the Human Rights Council, said that none of the 626,000 Rohingya who had fled violence since August should be repatriated to Burma unless there was robust monitoring on the ground, report news agencies.

Prosecutions for the violence and rapes against Rohingya "appear extremely rare", Zeid said. "Can anyone - can anyone - rule out that elements of genocide may be present?," he told the 47-member state forum in Geneva.

He listed alleged abuses against the Rohingya, including "killing by random firing of bullets, use of grenades, close range, shooting stabbings, beatings to death and the burning of houses with families inside".

The rights chief then asked: "Considering Rohingyas' self-identify as a distinct ethnic group with their own language and culture - and [that they] are also deemed by the perpetrators themselves as belonging to a different ethnic, national, racial or religious group - given all of this, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?"

In response, Myanmars ambassador told the UN human rights council the country was still finalising terms for a join working group with Bangladesh, and that the process of returning Rohingya Muslims would be launched within two months.

The Ambassador said Burma was ready to work with international partners to ensure "voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation" and resettlement of the displaced, adding: "There will be no camps."

He added that UN agencies would be involved but stopped short of guaranteeing the immediate, unimpeded access to Myanmar for UN investigators that the UN has demanded.

Until now, UN officials, including Mr Zeid, have described the violence in northern Rakhine State as "textbook ethnic cleansing".

The use of the term genocide increases international pressure on Myanmar (also called Burma) and reflects deep concern at what the UN describes as decades of discrimination and violence against the Rohingya.

"Ultimately, this is a legal determination only a competent court can make," Mr Zeid told the council session in Geneva.

"But the concerns are extremely serious, and clearly call for access to be immediately granted for further verification."

He urged the council to request that the UN General Assembly set up a mechanism "to assist individual criminal investigations of those responsible".

Genocide -- an attempt to wipe a group of people out of existence in whole or in part -- is a legally specific term understood by most to be the gravest crime against humanity.

The UN first defined it in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948. Ethnic cleansing is not recognised as an independent crime under international law.

The Rohingyas are a stateless minority who has long experienced persecution in Myanmar.

Myanmar's government rejects the term Rohingya, labelling the community "Bengalis". It says they migrated illegally from Bangladesh so should not be listed as one of the country's ethnic groups.

Bangladesh also denies they are its citizens. After the latest wave of arrivals it now hosts more than a million Rohingya.
World's first robot citizen Sophia arrives in city

bdnews24.com :

The world's first artificially intelligent robot citizen, Sophia, has landed in Dhaka to attend the Digital World-2017.

Parts of the humanoid robot remained inside a box throughout the flight from Hong Kong, Abu Naser, public relations officer at the ICT Division, has said. After landing at 12am Tuesday, the box, accompanied by an operator, was taken to a five-star hotel from the airport, he said. The creator of Sophia, Dr David Hanson, is due to arrive on Tuesday night. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Digital World expo on Wednesday. Sophia, who resembles Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn, will interact with visitors at the expo from 2:30pm to 4:30pm the same day. She will take questions from visitors at the Hall of Fame inside the

Banganandhu International Conference Centre or BICC at a session, "Techtalk with Sophia", open for 1,700 visitors. She will take 10 or 15 questions from each visitor. Dr David Hanson will deliver a speech at the end of the session. State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak will also be present.


Water bodies surrounding Dhaka drying up

Ecologists warn of landslides, acute hot weather in city

Reza Mahmud :

Water bodies surrounding capital Dhaka drying up sharply as the influential business groups are filling lands to construct buildings commercially, say environmentalists.

They warned of serious impact like huge landslides and acute hot weather in the city.

The environmentalists also blamed the government's watchdogs for their reluctance to stop grabbing and filling of water bodies.

"There were huge water bodies surrounding the capital city, including Keraniganj, Tongi, Basila, Manda, Mugda, Dakkhin Gaon, Demra and Matuail. But now the influential business groups are filling sharply the most of the water bodies and low lands for commercial purposes," M A Matin, General Secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) told The New Nation yesterday.

He also said the water bodies of Purbachal, Dhaka Mawa highway, Manda, Mugda, Demra and other adjacent areas of the capital have been filled up in recent years to sell plot and construct buildings for apartment business.

"The Detailed Area Plan (DAP) was prepared in 2010 mainly to protect water bodies of Dhaka and its surrounding areas. We found that the tenure of DAP ended in 2015. And the concerned authority failed to protect water bodies," Matin said.

"We became disappointed and surprised to see that the cabinet meeting,

which approved the DAP about six years ago, also formed another ministerial committee in the same meeting to implement DAP considering the reality. So, we can understand that DAP must be failed," he said.

He added: "DAP was prepared in the light of reality. Now the question raises what were the tasks of that ministerial committee?"

"It is only to approve the influential groups construction work in the city's low lying lands," he said.

Matin said the four rivers -- Buriganga, Shitalakkha, Balu and Turag -- are largely grabbed by the influential quarters. They also grabbed around 50 canals from the city. It causes huge water loggings in every rainfall.

But the impacts of filling water bodies might not cause only water logging but it can bring huge catastrophe like landslides and unbearable hot weather in the city.

"If every piece of land is covered up by concrete, then the city's water cannot go into deep. Such circumstance might bring catastrophic landslides in wide areas," Matin.

The other ecologists also echoed with the BAPA General Secretary.

"Underground water level is going below around two to three meter every year. If this pace cannot not be stopped, it will be impossible to pump underground water for use within 10 years when the city's population is likely to reach three crore," said Moshiur Rahman Rubel, Member Secretary of Jaladhar Rakkha Andolon.

When contacted, Ziaul Hasan, Member (Planning) of RAJUK, said, "It is not possible only for RAJUK to protect the water bodies and low lands surrounding the city. We prohibited landfill of those water bodies. But there were some other watchdogs like local administrations. They also should take liabilities."

He also said that his office is very sincere to protect those water bodies.

"I get the charge for 10 to 11 months. I did not approve a single application to construct installations in low land areas," he said.

Planner Md. Ashraful Islam, Project Director of DAP, said, "We are now planning to set some control bodies to monitor illegal landfills in water bodies and low lands. We will identify first and then take action to protect these water bodies."
Rangamati AL leader shot dead

Our Correspondent :

Unidentified gunmen shot dead an Awami League (AL) leader at Sublong in Jurachhori upazila of Rangamati last night.

The deceased Arbind Chakma , 35, was the organizing secretary of Jurachori upazila unit of AL.

Officer in-charge of Jurachhori Police Station Abul Baset, told The New Nation that unknown miscreants shot Arbind when he was walking in front of Sublong Primary School in the upazila around 8:00pm. "Arbind died on the spot," he added.


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Linkedin KOMINFO (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Tue, December 5, 2017

The government has stressed its commitment to developing electricity infrastructure to provide access to power to all Indonesians, including those living in the countrys easternmost regions.

Since April 21, 2017, an increasing number of regions in eastern Indonesia have been provided access to electricity. Imelda Yewen, a resident of Fef district in Tambrauw regency, Sorong, West Papua, for example, can now enjoy more of what life has to offer, especially following the provision of two diesel-fueled power plants (PLTD), with a capacity of 80 kilowatts each.

Today, people in Fef district can have a refrigerator or a television and get information or watch films, said the 24-year-old enthusiastically.

The people in the district of Springhare seeing the results of the electrification program, which continues to reach many corners of the country. As of late September, 73,656 villages have received electricity.

The government aims for more regions to enjoy electricity in the coming years. In 2018, state-owned power company PLN targets to power 5,053 villages.

On the national scale, the electrification ratio has reached 93.08 percent. According to the target it will reach 97.32 percent by 2019.

. (./.)

"Some regions still need intensive electrification efforts, such as those in Papua and East Nusa Tenggara. We are working hard in these regions," said PLN Head of Corporate Communication I Made Suprateka during the FMB9 gathering, which discussed power supply in Indonesia, held in Jakarta on Nov.30.

Papuas electrification ratio currently stands at 48.91percent and is targeted to reach 77.7 percent in 2019.

The electricity industry should be encouraged, as data from the International Energy Agency shows that power consumption per capita in Indonesia is still behind other ASEAN countries.

In 2016, power consumption per capita in Indonesia amounted to 956 kilowatts per hour (kWh). The figure is lower than in Vietnam with 1,530 kWh per capita or in Thailand with 2,620 kWh per capita.

To encourage power consumption in the country, PLN has drawn up some concrete steps, for example, by offering additional electrical power for free, so that people can use electricity for productive purposes, like starting a new business.

"This program is purely a corporate action to optimize the power surplus we have. There is no force if people dont want to do this [get additional electricity power]," said Made.

Stable Rates

The number of PLN customers has continuously grown over the past few years. If PLN had 49.8 million customers in 2012, that number had increased to 67 million by September 2017.

The power distributed by PLN also continues to rise, from 83,898 MVA five years ago to 114,348 MVA in 2016 and further to 119,809 MVA in September 2017.

The electricity rates are also relatively stable. For instance, the low-voltage rate in July 2015 was Rp1, 548 per kWh, while as of September 2017, it had dropped to Rp1,467 per kWh.

"The electricity rates in Indonesia are still below those in other countries. The rate is around 10 US cent per kWh," explained Made.

He added that the conditions in Indonesia, as an archipelagic country, were the reason for different rates in different regions.

"Nevertheless, PLN is committed to using the same tariff or rate, in Java and outer regions and islands," Made said.

The affordable rates are the result of PLNs efforts to control the cost of supply (BPP) even amid rising prices of gas and coal.

In fact, PLN continues to strive for lower rates to lessen peoples burden. To realize this, PLN has been working to innovate, for example by collaborating with the private sector.

The independent power producer (IPP) scheme results in the construction of more power plants, which allows for lower electricity rates.

Investment of Rp1,200 trillion is needed to realize the 35,000MW electrification program launched by the government. The IPP scheme is expected to contribute up to Rp615 trillion, while PLN handles the remaining Rp585 trillion.

PLN also encourages efficiency within its own walls to cut operational costs. This is deemed important to ensure continued growth in the power industry. Further, the debt-to-equity ratio has dropped quite significantly over the past three years, falling from 297 percent in 2014, to only 49 percent at present.

PLN now has total assets worth Rp1,312 trillion, marking a jump from Rp539 trillion in 2014. The significant asset growth to some degree can be attributed to asset revaluation PLN did to fund the 35,000 MW electrification program.

The improving financial condition helps the company contribute more to the state. As of September 2017, PLNs taxes and dividends reached Rp22.7 trillion.

Global Appreciation

. (./.)

The performance has generated positive results, including international recognition. In the ease of doing business survey conducted by the World Bank, the country ranks 49th this year, up from position 61 in 2016. And the ease of getting electricity as one component of the survey continues to show improvement.

According to the secretary of the Directorate General of Electricity at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Agoes Triboesono, the survey result is the fruit of several innovative measures taken by the government.

"Previously, the procedure for getting an electrical connection consisted of five steps; now, there are only four steps, he said.

The steps, according to Agoes, are the issuance of a Feasible Operation Certificate (SLO), a request for a new electricity connection to PLN, the construction work and external inspection, and the process of providing the electricity.

Despite all the achievements, the government has no intention to relax its efforts.

"Now, our concern and focus is the eastern part of Indonesia. We hope more regions that still lag behind in terms of access to electricity can get electricity by 2019, said Agoes.

Realizing the program Bright Light Indonesia is not a walk in the park. However, with all the efforts the government has made, it is no impossible feat, either.
MARION  Cindy Jean's church, Liberty Free Will Baptist Church, is a small one in rural Williamson County, a small, open church with three entrances.

As she listened to presenters talk during a workshop on Saturday about how to make churches more secure from a possible hostile intruder, she thought about her church and realized her congregation might need representatives with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office to visit and give suggestions for enhancing security.

Jean was among about 100 people from 26 churches throughout the region who attended Saturday's three-hour workshop at Zion United Church of Christ in Marion; the church security workshop was led by Williamson County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Murrah and Det. Jason Serles, who talked about ways to protect their congregations and the need to have a plan for dealing with various situations.

The sheriff's office has planned a second church security workshop for 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11; the time and place are to be determined after the number of registered people is known.

Jean said she was most impressed by the men's focus on communication and having a plan in place before one would be needed.

"I do think it's awesome  they put a lot of thought into it," Jean said of the presentation. "I think awareness is key; to me, communication and planning ahead. Like he (Murrah) said, the 'what-ifs,' you got to think about. The world has changed, a lot. You got to think ahead."

Texas shooting raises awareness

Though the idea for this workshop had been around for awhile, it was September's deadly shooting at a Texas church that finally propelled it into existence.

In that incident, a single man entered a First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, shooting at worshipers as they prepared for the morning service; 26 people, including a woman who was pregnant, died in the shooting; the shooter later fatally shot himself after a police pursuit.

The workshop organizers partnered with Ronda Koch, director of emergency preparedness for the Franklin/Williamson Bi-County Health Department, to put on the workshop.

Murrah and Serles encouraged those attending the workshop to just think about what they would do in various situations, not to overthink it, but just to consider what they would do in certain situations. They also noted that the church community, for the most part, was acting in denial, as if nothing of that sort could happen to it.

By way of comparison, Murrah said there had been no children to die in school fires in almost the past half century, in part because of the proactive efforts: advocacy that has equipped schools with lit exit signs that point the way out of a building, even in a fire; fire codes that govern the use of fire doors and other security measures; and periodic fire drills.

Just as the April 1999 shooting at Colorado's Columbine High School drew attention to the need for security in schools, so might the Texas church shooting lead to an overhaul in how churches work to protect their congregations from threats of violence.

While people might think a mass shooting would never happen on their church campus, church communities are not strangers to issues over child custody or familial disagreements. A familial disagreement, Murrah noted, was said to have spurred the Texas gunman to the church where his mother-in-law, with whom he'd been in conflict, worshiped.

Understanding dynamics

The men opened the workshop comparing people to part of the animal kingdom, borrowing from a book written by the man credited with developing a proactive approach to preventing and minimizing violence: The wolves, Murrah noted, are individuals who prey on others; sheep are the people; and the sheepdogs are those who protect the herd of sheep from the wolves.

Murrah stressed that churches needed to focus on creating security ministries that were focused on just that  ministry, not on stealth or ninja combat or walking around in dark glasses, peering at people they deemed suspicious.

In fact, he noted that anyone seeming overly gregarious about going after the "bad guy" would probably not be the best fit for the security ministry.

Referring to research, Murrah said suggested church security members maintain a presence outside the building, in the parking lot, greeting people to the church; inside the building, in the church's lobby or greeting area; and inside the sanctuary or worship space.

"You're doing a couple of things," Murrah said, particularly of the outside presence. "You're putting a friendly, greeting-type person out there and the people with good (intentions) are going to appreciate that, and you're putting somebody out there who's got just a little bit more awareness, that's keeping an eye on things, and if they see somebody that may be just a little questionable go up and say 'hi' to them. Good-intentioned people will like that, bad-intentioned people will be uncomfortable."

"Now, again, it's not a matter of going up to them saying, 'Hey, I don't know you. What are you doing there?'" Murrah said. "Secret Service is not a part of this."

He also gave the gathering an overview of the "stereotypical mass shooter," saying that person has typically determined that he or she will shoot up or harm as many people as he or she can, and has likely determined he or she will take his or her own life rather than be taken into police custody.

"If we're looking at the stereotypical mass murderer, active shooter event, bad guys will come out and scout a time or two ahead of time," Murrah said. "They don't ever go into a building that they've never been in. When you look at it, there's a lot of homework, a lot of planing that goes into this.  So if that is your main concern, folks, have somebody come out, look them in the eye, shake their hand, (say), 'Hi, how are you, can I help you find somebody,' and that much attention is going to be enough to tell them this is not the soft target that we're looking for and they will go somewhere else."

"Again, it's not a bouncer thing," Murrah said. "It's a welcoming thing."

One of the things that Jean said she was also struck by was how the presenters gave the OK for churches to just continue doing the work of their ministries, with an enhanced layer of awareness.

"It was a lot of information presented very well," said Wes Bennett, representing Redemption Church, outside of Johnston City. "I think it's something that a lot of churches are going to have to re-examine, some of the security measures that they do have in place and implement some security measures they don't have in place. Obviously, sometimes that's gonna run into a cost (such as buying locks for doors, installing security cameras or acquiring communications systems and devices). I think observance and being vigilant was one of the main things (that they talked about that was key)."

Andre Baker, who heads the security ministry at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Carbondale, said it was good to see that there were some things his church already had in place, such as a presence outside the church and in its parking lot.

Another guest, who said he was from a church in Murphysboro, said the segment about simply being aware of people was key.

Jean agreed.

"Be yourself," she said. "It still is a church ministry  so go ahead and do your church ministry, just add that extra awareness."
MURPHYSBORO  A 145-year-old park in Murphysboro has been reopened and rededicated, after new repairs and refurbishments.

The Parkview Park and playground was rededicated on Nov. 9, with newly repaired and refurbished playground equipment, new wood chips, and a new sign. It is located at 721 N. 9th St.

Established in 1872, the Parkview Park once hosted Independence Day celebrations and campaign speeches, according to a press release from the Park District. The park, at 145 years old, is Murphysboro's oldest park.

Twenty-eight children from Montessori School of Southern Illinois, members of Kiwanis Club of Murphysboro, representatives from Murphysboro Park District and members of the community attended the rededication ceremony.

[M]y grandmother played in the park when she was a little girl," Murphysboro resident Michael Jones said. "Sixty-five years ago I played in this park.

Joe Fry, Murphysboro Park District director thanked the City of Murphysboro for helping move a literal mountain of woodchips into the park from the street below. He acknowledged the park maintenance staffs hard work dismantling the park and rebuilding it from nearly scratch. He also thanked the neighbors who tolerated the inconvenience while the park was under construction.

Fry rededicated Parkview as place for kids to run and play, for adults to sit and take in a quiet afternoon and for the entire community to enjoy.

He thanked the members of the Kiwanis Club of Murphysboro  who purchased the wood chips for the park and donated the park's new sign for all of their encouragement throughout the renovation process and noted that their motivation helped keep the project on track.
Someone claiming to be a deputy broke into a Siva Avenue home, tied up the resident and robbed him, according to an Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office incident report.

The resident said he was in bed at about 4 a.m. Saturday when he heard someone knocking loudly on his door.

The person at the door identified himself as a deputy. When the man looked through the peephole, he determined that wasnt the case because the person was wearing a black mask that covered his mouth and nose.

He returned to his bedroom, but by the time he got there, he heard a loud boom.

When he turned around look in the direction of the noise, he saw his front door was kicked open.

A man entered the home while pointing a black handgun with silver on the muzzle at the resident.

The gunman ordered the resident to get down on the floor. Next, the gunman used zip ties to restrict his wrists behind his back.

The gunman told the man that he had a warrant to enter his residence.

While the man sat on the floor with his wrists bound behind him, the gunman asked him, Where is it?

The man responded to him, Wheres what? and What are you talking about?

When the gunman was in the bedroom, the man successfully broke free from the zip ties and waited for an opportunity to escape.

He ultimately ran for the door and heard the gunman shoot at him as he fled.

He told deputies he waited in the woods for about 45 minutes to one hour before calling for help because he didnt have a phone with him.

When he returned to his home, he noticed that the gunman was gone. The home was missing a television and $1,675 in cash.
A Bamberg man will serve a maximum of six years in prison after pleading guilty to breaking into an Orangeburg church and taking televisions.

David Anthony Deleon, 24, of 420 Hadwin Road, Bamberg, pleaded guilty to strong-arm robbery, third-degree burglary and petit larceny.

Prosecutors dropped the following related charges as a result of Deleon pleading guilty to other charges: petit larceny, malicious injury to a place of worship and criminal conspiracy.

Circuit Judge Howard King sentenced him on Nov. 28 to prison for a maximum of six years under the Youthful Offender Act.

According to Deleons indictments, he broke into Mt. Tabor Baptist Church at 1425 Mt. Tabor Road in Bowman on June 1.

Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office investigators accused Deleon and a co-defendant of breaking into the rear door of the church and taking a 19-inch flatscreen television and two 36-inch flatscreen televisions.

King ordered Deleon to pay restitution.

Deleon pleaded guilty to the strong-arm robbery charge in an unrelated case.

Orangeburg Department of Public Safety officers accused him of robbing two women at Dodges on Old Edisto Drive on Nov. 23, 2015.

Officers named Deleon as part of a trio accused in the robbery.

Zion Israel Rider, 21, of 762 Webster St., Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery in the incident.

In July, Circuit Judge Ed Dickson sentenced him to four years in prison.

The charge against the third co-defendant, Courtney Chantell Thomas, 20, of 497 Beason Road, Orangeburg, has not yet been adjudicated.

In other pleas:

George Robert Reeves Jr., 41, of 141 Kimbal Lane, Lot 1, Ladson, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence.

King sentenced him to prison for six months, suspending the term to six months of probation. His probation may be transferred to Berkeley County.

Reeves is also required to successfully complete a batterers treatment program and not be in a possession of a firearm for three years.

Lorie Gilyard Jr., 53, of 319 Hodges Drive, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic violence.

King sentenced Gilyard to 90 days in jail, suspending the balance to six months of probation.

King ordered Gilyard to successfully complete anger management counseling and prohibited him from being in possession of a firearm for three years.
As Americans have slowly recovered from the now 10-year-old recession, enrollment in private schools has increased dramatically.

Between 2013 and 2015, enrollment at private schools increased 7 percent nationally, according to a biennial count of private school students released in August by the U.S. Department of Educations National Center for Education Statistics, The Post and Courier in Charleston reported in October. That continued the positive trend that started with a 2 percent increase from 2011 to 2013.

The National Center for Education Statistics report coincides with a survey released this week by EdChoice, which found the schooling options military parents are able to access now dont match what they want for their children. When military parents are informed about school choice programs, the survey results show support for those programs increases dramatically.

When given the opportunity, parents across the country flock to private schools, and military families, who already sacrifice so much to defend the rest of us, say theyd like to participate in school choice programs too. So why are education choice programs still available only to such a small percentage of U.S. families?

As the results of the EdChoice survey suggest, people still dont know much about school choice. Even worse, its likely what they do know has been tainted by teachers unions misinformation campaigns, which are crafted to trick the public into believing school choice is out to destroy public education for needy kids and that private schools are often not held accountable and arent as good as public ones.

First, why should a reasonable person listen to a group of people thats doing such a poor job of educating Americas children? Pew Research reported earlier in 2017, U.S. students academic achievement still lags that of their peers in many other countries.

Second, fair-minded Americans should consider the source of these claims. Of course government employees are going to do everything in their power, even lie, to make people believe what they have to offer is better than what non-government schools provide. Do you implicitly trust Pizza Hut when they tell you the tasty offerings at Dominos are less healthy and not as delicious? Of course not  or at least not without strong evidence in support of the assertion.

Public school teachers arent even sold on their own schools. A fifth of all school teachers with school-age children has placed a child in a private school, and nearly three out of 10 have used one or more of the main alternatives to the traditional public school  private school, charter school and homeschooling, two EducationNext scholars reported in 2016.

School teachers are much more likely to use a private school than are other parents, the EducationNext report adds. No less than 20 percent of teachers with school age children, but only 13 percent of non-teachers, have sent one or more of their children to private school. Teachers are also just as likely to make use of a charter school or to homeschool their child as other parents.

An article published in the Chicago Tribune earlier in 2017 similarly reported, Four out of 10 Chicago teachers are willing to pay money to keep their kids from attending the schools where they teach.

Despite the fact many teachers choose not to subject their children to failing public schools, they continue to insist the rest of us ought to send our kids to their lousy institutions. And for what purpose? In most cases, so they can keep their jobs, many of which are benefit-laden and relatively cushy.

Families yearn for the same freedom in education they enjoy in nearly every other aspect of their lives. Public school teachers, though most of them would never admit it, also want education freedom, but too many teachers are concerned about themselves to allow families  even military families  to have the liberty to opt for educational alternatives. Lawmakers should stop standing in parents way and give to regular folks what many teachers already have: the freedom to send their kids to any school they want.
Ted Turner is not the well-known public figure he was in the 1980s and 90s. As a pioneer in cable television and the man responsible for creating CNN and Turner Broadcasting, Turner may have been even more widely known, at least in the South, as the high-profile owner of the Atlanta Braves during the teams heyday in the 1990s.

After selling his TV empire, which included TBS and TNT, Turner largely faded from public view. But he was not idle.

The self-made billionaire is a serious environmentalist and conservationist. He moved from a media empire to priorities such as species conservation and nuclear weapons eradication. His stated priority has been to leave the world a better place for future generations.

Through his foundations -- including the United Nations Foundation, Turner Foundation, Nuclear Threat Initiative and Turner Endangered Species Fund -- Turner advanced conservation and philanthropic efforts. Among his various and considerable contributions, such as his historic $1 billion gift to the United Nations, Turner has given millions of dollars to programs for improving air and water quality, developing a sustainable energy future to protect climate, safeguarding environmental health and protecting wildlife and habitats to maintain biodiversity.

And he has acquired land, including in South Carolina, which now has a rare opportunity. Turner wants the state to purchase an island to supplement Hunting Island State Park in Beaufort County.

Turner Enterprises Inc. announced that it intends to charitably transfer to the state the 4,680-acre St. Phillips Island near Beaufort in a bargain sale.

St. Phillips Island is located southwest of Hunting Island across Port Royal Sound from Hilton Head Island. It may be the largest privately held, undeveloped barrier island left on the S.C. coast.

According to The Post and Courier of Charleston, the island currently can be accessed only by boat at a landing four miles from the oceanfront main house and beach. Development is restricted to 10 more houses because of an agreement Turner signed with The Nature Conservancy.

Owning St. Phillips Island has given me tremendous pleasure and peace of mind, Turner said in a press release. It has been a place to spend time with my family and friends observing and interacting with nature and appreciating the raw beauty that still exists today. Its my hope that visitors from South Carolina and elsewhere will enjoy the islands natural environment for generations to come.

Acquiring St. Phillips would cost the state $5 million for the 4,682-acre island. It went on the market in 2014 for $24 million.

The S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism is asking state legislators to pay the $5 million.

We are thrilled. Its not often that such a great opportunity is presented to the State of South Carolina, SCPRT Director Duane Parrish said. We are excited about its complement to Hunting Island State Park nearby. And were looking forward to adding a unique, exceptional coastal experience to our inventory.

If the acquisition is approved by the Joint Bond Review Committee and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, the island will become part of the Hunting Island park managed by SCPRT. The agency would assess its resources and operational capacities to determine its optimal management structure and revenue potential.

The opportunity to acquire the island should not be missed.

As Parrish says: This is a tremendous, once-in-a lifetime opportunity for the State Park System to provide public access to an island that has been privately held for many years while also ensuring the continued stewardship of its natural resources.
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Pakistan has been represented at the charity fair, organized by Women's Association in Islamabad.

The event brought together local companies, foreign embassies in Pakistan, Azertac reported. Each country demonstrated its cultural values, traditions, economy and tourism potential.

National pavilion featured various materials dedicated to the Azerbaijani-Pakistani relations, the aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, country's socio-economic development and tourism potential.



Guests also enjoyed souvenirs and delicious sweets. The participants of the charity fair showed great interest in the Azerbaijani pavilion and welcomed national folk music with applause.

Addressing the event, Pakistan's first lady Mahmooda Mamnoon Hussain praised the charity fair. She said that the event serves as a support for unofficial diplomacy and solidarity among nations and cultures.

The President of Women's Association, Ayesha Haq said that the organization helps the disabled people, people who suffered from various disasters. She also thanked the embassies and companies for their active participation. All the funds collected from the event will be sent to charity.

Pakistan is one of the oldest and closest allies and strategic partners of Azerbaijan in Asia. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is one of the first countries that recognized the independence of Azerbaijan on December 12, 1991.

The two countries also share common views on major regional and international issues and cooperate closely in the regional and multilateral forums, including the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Economic Cooperation Organisation.












By Trend





Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 138 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on December 5.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
By Trend





Political consultations were held in Ashgabat between representatives of foreign ministries of Turkmenistan and Austria, the Turkmen foreign ministry said in a message on December 4.

According to the message, Viennas delegation was headed by Katharina Wieser, head of the Department of Eastern and Southern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia of the Ministry for European Affairs, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria.

Mutual relations in politics, economy, energy, transportation, cooperation within international organizations, in particular the UN and the EU, were discussed during the meeting.

The sides exchanged views on a number of regional issues and aspects of international security. They also touched upon cooperation in culture, art, education and healthcare.

Stressing the importance of continuing the established dialogue that meets mutual interests, the sides agreed to hold another round of political consultations in Vienna in 2018 to further diversify fruitful cooperation.
By Trend





The products produced in the personal farms of the Uzbek residents can be officially sold to the organizations of the Uzbekozikovkatzakhira Association of Wholesalers in accordance with the Uzbek presidents order # PP-3418 dated Nov. 30, 2017.

Such agricultural products as vegetables, potatoes, melons and gourds, fruits, grapes, rice, legumes, beef, lamb and poultry are meant as part of the Regulations on the procedure of purchase of agricultural products by organizations of the Uzbekozikovkatzakhira Association of Wholesalers from personal farms.

Agricultural products are purchased upon the sale and purchase contracts.

The document came into force on December 1, 2017.
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The UAE Central Bank's reserve of gold bars amounted to Dh1.129 billion ($307.3 million) by the end of October 2017, a growth of 11.2 per cent from Dh1.015 billion by the end of 2016.



The month of April 2017 saw the Central Bank resuming gold holdings after eight years during which the banks' reserves were confined to a foreign currency basket, primarily US Dollar in addition to a portfolio of selected currencies, reported Emirates news agency Wam.



However, the current reserve of gold bars accounts only for a minimal amount of the bank's total foreign currency reserve, which surged to Dh322 billion by the end of October.



According to official statistics released by the Central Bank, gold assets have been growing since the beginning of the year, though sales increased at the time gold prices were in a remarkable hike.



The month of August saw the highest gold reserve of Dh1.153 billion against Dh1.135 billion in September before stabilising down Dh1.129 billion in October.



Gold holdings increased during the period from January through March to Dh1.099 billion before rising to Dh1.101 billion in June and to Dh1.121 billion in July.
Thomson Reuters will launch groundbreaking reports on the Islamic Finance Industry, providing industry leaders with invaluable strategic insights, at the The World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC) under way in Bahrain.

The 24th edition of The World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC), the largest and most prestigious gathering of Islamic banking and finance leaders in the world, is being held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain.

Thomson Reuters will launch The ICD-Thomson Reuters Islamic Finance Development Report 2017 & The Islamic Commercial Law Report 2018, with the view of arming Industry leaders with pragmatic insights to help shape their organisations strategic planning activities.

Convened by Middle East Global Advisors - a leading financial intelligence platform facilitating the development of knowledge-based economies in the MENASEA markets and in strategic partnership with the Central Bank of Bahrain, the three-day forum is taking place in ART Rotana Hotel, Amwaj Islands. The event, which opened on December 4 will end on December 6.

The Forum will focus on the theme of Drivers of Economic Growth & Risks: Policymakers & Regulators.

Ahead of the launch of The ICD-Thomson Reuters Islamic Finance Development Report 2017, Nadim Najjar, Managing Director of Thomson Reuters in the Middle East and North Africa, said: We have seen that the Islamic finance industry can serve as a strategic tool for policymakers for sustainable growth in order to cope with the aftermath of the economic slowdown that impacted markets such as the Middle East. Some markets had noteworthy improvements in their IFDI values when they have improved or introduced Islamic finance to fit their economic needs and attract investments like Morocco, Tunisia and Iraq.

The ICD-Thomson Reuters Islamic Finance Development Report 2017 discusses the latest trends and key Islamic finance milestones. The report is based on the Islamic Finance Development Indicator which is a unified barometer that assesses the performance of all the parts of the Islamic finance industry, providing an in-depth industry analysis.

Meanwhile, The Islamic Commercial Law Report 2018 will for the third consecutive year, be launched by The International Shariah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA) and Thomson Reuters, in partnership with Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI).

The report is a leading annual publication assessing the key issues and trends in Islamic commercial law and their impact on the Islamic finance industry. This years report focuses on global trends in Islamic social finance, enabling industry leaders to take stock of key trends, analyze forecasts and projections, and explore factors that are critical to their organizations long-term growth.

While the Islamic Finance industry has shown great promise over the years, it is still far from channeling its full potential. At times like these, strategic insights in the form of intelligence reports will prove to be a welcome source of information for Industry practitioners across the globe, said organisers.

Since its inception 24 years ago, The World Islamic Banking Conference has been a significant contributor to enhancing growth, excellence and innovation in the global Islamic Finance and Banking industry. Time and again, the conference has proven to be an ideal launching pad for research and intelligence reports that provide strategic insights to the most pressing issues targeting the industry at large. - TradeArabia News Service
The Islamic banks' asset growth has slowed from the historical level of 14 to 15 per cent and is set to grow at around 5 per cent for the next couple of years amid the economic slowdown experienced by the GCC countries, said a top official.



However, the number of Islamic banks has grown to around 172 with another 83 or so Islamic Windows within conventional banks, remarked Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) Governor Rasheed Al Maraj while delivering his keynote address at the opening of the 24th edition of the World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC).



The largest and most prestigious gathering of Islamic banking and finance leaders in the world, WIBC is being held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain.



Convened by Middle East Global Advisors - a leading financial intelligence platform facilitating the development of knowledge-based economies and in strategic partnership with the Central Bank of Bahrain, the three-day forum will run until December 6 at ART Rotana Hotel, Amwaj Islands.



The conference this year is being held under the theme  Strengthening and Developing the Islamic Economy.



Addressing the gathering, Al Maraj said in 2017 year to date there has been a global issuance of Islamic bonds (sukuks) worth $22 billion, which is a record for Islamic Banking.



Not only the demand remained strong but the geographic investor base has also become wider with a surge in demand from US investors in the case of a recent sovereign issue, he added.



According to the IFSB, the industry now employs more than 380,000 people worldwide, which reflects a significant level of economic activity by any measure.



"The other interesting feature to emerge in this region has been pricing for sukuks, which has been tighter than bonds. This is unlike pricing for sukuks, which we have seen coming from other regions where it has been the opposite," pointed out Al Maraj.



"This underscores pockets of liquidity in the region among Islamic Investors against a dearth of quality assets," he stated.



Against this backdrop, therefore it should come as no surprise that new sovereign issuers like Egypt and Jordan are reportedly also looking to tap the international market through sukuk issuances, he added.



The CBB Governor said 2018 promises to be another record year with almost $40 billion of sukuks maturing next year and almost a fourth of this maturing in the first quarter itself.



Dubbing the commodity Morabaha as the workhorse for all Islamic banking transactions, Al Maraj said: "As we all know, this product has caught the attention of sharia scholars and critics alike who question the veracity and true nature of this time-tested product. This would be a good time to explore alternatives and develop them further."



"The Wakala product has found a lot of popularity and acceptance among Islamic market players for liability products, but it also has its share of challenges, which need to be analyzed and assessed," he added.



Al Maraj pointed out that as far as transferability and secondary market activity was concerned, there was no other asset class, which ranked above sukuks in the market place.



"As we all know sukuks are considered a commodity class, which can provide the foundation for quite a few commodity morabaha products. The only constraint to this is the attendant price-risk, one would face using sukuks as an inventory of alternative commodities. This price risk can be mitigated using top credit quality issuances in the Investment Grade arena and relying on shorter maturities," he observed.



"While I accept that there are not too many Triple A issuers in the Islamic banking arena, and shorter maturities of their sukuks are hard to come by, the industry has the right capital market tools and derivative hedging products available to mitigate these risks," stated the CBB Governor.



"This undoubtedly would not only reduce the reliance on commodities for morabahas but it would also go a long way in addressing the Basel liquidity requirements," he noted.



On the recent issuance by AAOIFI of FAS 30 (Islamic equivalent of IFSR 9) and the publication of the sharia governance module by the CBB for implementation by mid-2018, Al Maraj said: "These two important developments, we hope will provide a solid foundation for strengthening and developing the Islamic banking industry going forward."



"As I had said at last year's conference, given the faith-based nature of Islamic banking, it is critical for Islamic banks to adopt a robust shariah governance framework," noted the top banking expert.



"The responsibility falls on the board of directors and senior management of Islamic banks to comply with the letter and spirit of Shariah and build an unmatched reputation for ethical banking," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI) and The World Bank have launched their first joint publication titled Corporate Governance Practices in Islamic Banks 2017 in Manama, Bahrain during the 5th meeting of the Members Consultative Group (MCG).



The two have been working closely for development of the Islamic finance industry under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in July 2015.



In March last year, Cibafi published a briefing note on corporate governance that drew attention to important developments in the field in recent years, and the need to update standards on corporate governance for Islamic banks to take account of those developments.



The study underlying this first joint report breaks new ground in the field of corporate governance for Islamic banks, said a statement from Cibafi.



Its methodology is academically rigorous. Its findings and conclusions are easily accessible, and they have clear implications for the day-to-day governance of Islamic banks.



On the new report, Abdelilah Belatik, the secretary general of Cibafi said: "Both of us agreed that there was a need for a robust analysis of current corporate governance practices within the Islamic banking industry. Such analysis would serve as the basis for further work in the field of corporate governance by generating policy recommendations that would then prompt practical steps to strengthen areas of governance that are currently weak."



Abayomi A. Alawode, the head of Islamic Finance, Finance & Markets, at The World Bank said: "This report will be read widely within the Islamic financial industry, by individual institutions seeking to improve their governance practices and by regulators who are looking to strengthen the financial systems that they oversee."



"We also hope that it will also be read widely outside the Islamic financial industry. The report will serve as a benchmark for future work, enabling the industry to track its progress, particularly in the areas that have been identified as those most in need of improvement," he added.



Cibafi, an international organisation established in 2001, is affiliated to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).



Headquartered in Bahrain, Cibafi has over 120 members from 32 jurisdictions, representing market players, global intergovernmental organizations and professional firms, and industry associations.



It represents the Islamic financial services industry globally, defending and promoting its role, consolidating co-operation among its members, and with other institutions with similar interests and objectives.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Land Department (DLD) has announced it has closed its Records Department to make the transition to a fully smart archiving system.



To achieve the transformation, DLD has collaborated with a company specialised in photovoltaic archiving. The latest technologies in this field have been adopted to create a new smart archiving system for all files related to DLD services.



Sultan Butti bin Mejren, director general of DLD, said: "We are pleased to announce the launch of our smart archiving system, which will replace our Records Department and traditional archiving operations, representing a key step in our ongoing smart transformation strategy. This is fully aligned with our leadership's vision of enhancing Dubai's competitiveness by making it the smartest city in the world."



Bin Mejren added: "DLD will retain its staff from the Records Department to benefit from their accumulated experience in this field. They will be trained to handle the new technology or become members of other departments, as they are considered an asset by our human resources department, which plays a vital role in improving our employees' institutional performance."



The smart archiving system includes many processes, beginning with the service providers scanning documents. All of the files are then sorted and uploaded to Arcmate, the new file management system provided by NVSSOFT.



The files can be accessed directly through the archive portal, or by integration with the new file management system, via the Internet or smart applications. The archive system provides a powerful search mechanism that allows users to retrieve files from the storage server.



DLD's IT Department has converted over five million files to a smart format and transferred them to the smart archiving system (FMS/DAM). DLD has confirmed that 470,642 ownership contracts have also been transferred, including 20,594 for buildings, 135,878 for land, and 313,170 for units.



Users can scan the unique 'barcode' to retrieve documents via the Internet or through smart applications. Updating metadata and sorting files makes it easier to search and access archived documents.



Bin Mejren added: "This project is a continuation of our relentless efforts to remain at the forefront of institutional performance and provide a model for what government institutions need to do to keep up with technological progress. It also reflects our commitment to providing the latest smart electronic services, which is underpinned by our mission to enhance the happiness of our customers by saving them both time and effort."



Two of the most important features of the new archiving system are the separation of files for public and private use, and the indexing of new data in an easy and simplified manner. Data can also be re-indexed and updated, while all service-related files can be archived efficiently and at a low cost. Technical support for the system is also low cost and high quality. The new archive system is interactive and eliminates manual operations such as scanning and checking files.  TradeArabia News Service
CNH Industrial, a global leader in the capital goods sector with established industrial experience, took part in the 22nd edition of the World Investment Conference, an annual event organised by the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) in Dubai.



CNH Industrial was the only private corporation in the capital goods sector to be invited to the conference, due in part to its business portfolio that covers all areas of infrastructure development, from earthmoving equipment to goods and passenger transport vehicles, from quarry-construction vehicles to engines for power generation applications, said a statement from the company.



During the conference, the company underscored its presence in the Middle East region through its business segments, from construction equipment and industrial vehicles to mining equipment and gensets.



CNH Industrial is present in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region with an extensive sales and service network for several of its brands, notably Case Construction Equipment, Iveco, Iveco Astra and FPT Industrial.



The event was attended by investment promotion agencies from all over the world, high ranking

representatives of public and private institutions, development agencies, universities and NGOs.



The 2017 edition of the conference was aimed at supporting investments that are able to guarantee sustainable development at local and global levels, said the statement.



Speaking at the event, Michele Ziosi, the head of Institutional Relations for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, at CNH Industrial, said: "The sustainability of products and processes is a key ingredient of the success of a company's investments."



"In this context, CNH Industrial's leadership in the research, development and sale of alternative fuel machines and engines alongside the most advanced and cleanest of conventional fuel units, provides ample evidence of the companys commitment to assisting in corporate communications besides the drive to reduce emissions in the environment," he stated.



Addressing the gathering, Ziosi dwelt at length as to how the Case brand had been progressively expanding in the Gulf region, starting from Dubai itself, with the goal of accompanying the continual growth taking place in the area.



The global construction equipment brand of CNH Industrial, which this year celebrates 175 years since its establishment by founder Jerome I. Case, is present in the Middle East and the North-East Africa region with a central coordination facility for the entire area located in Dubai, and a sales and service network comprising 17 dealerships.



The brands main products are backhoe loaders, skid-steer loaders, compact track loaders, crawler excavators, graders and wheel loaders, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the home-base of the Line 6 Expansion Project, has signed an agreement with General Electric (GE) wherein GE will initiate a technical and commercial feasibility study to implement a fourth combined cycle gas turbine (GT) block using GE 9HA technology in Albas Power Station (PS) 5 within its premises.



One of the largest and modern aluminium smelters in the world, Alba said the addition of the fourth block of GE 9HA GT at PS 5 will further increase the power efficiency and output of PS 5.



GE and Gama Consortium will be the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for its PS 5.



The MoU was signed by Alba's CEO Tim Murray and GE's chief financial officer Todd Smith in the presence of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister at a reception organised by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with American Chamber of Commerce and the US-Bahrain Business Council in Washington DC recently.



Other cross-sector trade agreements were also signed between Bahrain and US companies during the reception, it stated.



Murray said: "We are proud that Alba is transforming power generation in the aluminium smelting industry by becoming the first smelter in the world to install the GE 9HA technology at PS 5. This cutting-edge technology will further align us with the goals of the kingdoms Economic Vision 2030."



"Albas partnership with GE through this MoU will strengthen our position as an environmentally responsible smelter," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Emerging technologies such as blockchain will transform customer experience in the banking sector, enabling organizations to gain greater insight from customers data, Avaya announced at the24th World Islamic Banking Conference in Bahrain.



Blockchain could be used to transform how customer satisfaction is monitored by regulatory bodies, and how banks control identity management, amongst other innovations, Avaya told delegates at this weeks event.



Many organizations today are struggling to turn the huge volumes of data they have about their customers into actionable insights. For banks, this issue is particularly important as they have to meet strong regulatory compliance standards, combat online fraud and meet their digitally-savvy customers expectations.



Failing to deliver the required customer experience can be costly for banks: more than half of Saudi banking customers and four in ten of UAE customers would change their banks if they received bad service, according to Avayas recent Customer Experience in Banking survey.



For many organizations, blockchain in banking begins and ends with cryptocurrency applications. However Avaya is committed to leveraging so-called disruptive technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence and analytics to drive innovation in customer experience, said Fadi Hani, vice president, Avaya, Middle East & Africa and Turkey.



By helping organizations gain greater value from the data they collect, and make life easier for their customers, we can enhance customer satisfaction, ensure greater compliance and reduce fraud.



Avaya recently showcased at Gitex Technology Week in Dubai the Happiness Index on Blockchain, a solution that demonstrated how companies and government organizations can leverage blockchain to securely collect and integrate data from multiple sources to dynamically measure satisfaction levels. Banking regulators could use such a solution to measure customer service levels across different banks, Hani told conference delegates in his presentation.



Moving forward, Avaya is committed to open technology platforms that allow us to integrate these technologies in new ways to bring even greater value to our customers and partners across the region, Hani said.



According to PwC, financial institutions in the Middle East are launching initiatives to understand possible business and operating model for blockchain solutions.  TradeArabia News Service
The Gulf Traffic Exhibition and Conference 2017, the region's largest exhibition dedicated to Traffic Management, opened on Monday with over 150 exhibitors to run until December 6 at Dubai World Trade Centre.



Themed "Smart Technologies, the event was inaugurated by Hassan Al Mansouri, Under-Secretary, Ministry of Infrastructure Development, in the presence of Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, reported Emirates news agency Wam.



Ahmed Abdullah Al Hammadi, director of the Federal Roads Department, Ministry of Infrastructure Development, delivered the keynote address in which he dwelt on the UAEs transport and infrastructure vision.



The show opened with a VIP ceremony featuring regional municipal leaders sharing their visions. Discussions will focus on smart mobility within the region.



Speakers dealt with issues including global lessons on key success factors in building a successful PPP programme, ways to enhance multi-modal transportation with smart solutions, while managing risk, laying the groundwork for smart mobility, how the Middle East may best prepare for the future of smart mobility and traffic management 2.0 as a contributor to smarter mobility in cities.



A key highlight for this year, the introduction of Gulf Parking as a brand new standalone exhibition, which will run adjacent to Gulf Traffic, further adds to the brands offering by widening the focus to support other key industry sectors.



This new launch event will cater to the latest in smart payment and intelligent access control solutions from across the world, creating a new avenue for companies to showcase their latest product range to the traffic and transport industries.



Officially supported by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Mawaqif, a division of the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport, and Dubai Police, Gulf Traffic attracts approximately 2,500 industry peers from 50 countries, both across the Middle East and beyond.
Oneworld has won two more Best Airline Alliance awards, confirming its standing as the worlds most highly prized global airline alliance.



These latest accolades come in independent surveys conducted by two leading US-based magazines for regular flyers.



Oneworld was named Best Airline Alliance, for the eighth year running, by Global Traveler in its 2017 GT Tested Reader Survey.



And for the third consecutive year, oneworld was also judged Best Airline Alliance in Business Traveler North Americas 2017 Best in Business Travel Awards.



oneworld is also the current holder of four other Best Airline Alliance awards:

 FlightStats Airline Alliance On-Time Performance Service Award, for the fourth year running.

 Business Traveller UKs Best Airline Alliance for the fifth year in a row.

 Trazees Favorite Airline Alliance, for the second time.

 World Travel Awards Worlds Leading Airline Alliance 2016 for the 14th year running.



This means that oneworld now holds twice as many Best Airline Alliance honours as both other global airline alliances combined.



Of its latest success in the Global Traveller awards, the magazines CEO and Publisher Francis X Gallagher said: "It is very impressive to have a brand like oneworld take a GT Tested award for Best Airline Alliance for eight consecutive years - very few winners have been able to achieve this honour. The airlines that comprise this brand represent some of the finest flying in comfort and style."



In the Global Traveler awards, American Airlines was selected as the magazines 2017 Airline of the Year. American also took three GT Tested Reader Survey Awards - for Best Airline Website, Best Airline for Domestic First Class, and Fastest-Growing Airline Transpacific.



Qatar Airways received three Global Traveler GT Tested Reader Survey Awards, as Best International First Class, Best First Class Seat Design and Best Airline in the Middle East, all three for second year running.



Japan Airlines was honoured twice  as Best Transpacific Airline, and Best Airline to Japan. Meantime, LATAM was judged Best Airline to South America for fourth year running.



In the Business Traveler North America 2017 Best in Business Travel Awards, Qatar Airways was honoured as Best Airline in the World for International Travel, Best Business Class Service in the World and also Best Business Class to the Middle East.



British Airways was Best Airline in Western Europe, LATAM Best Business Class to South/Latin America, and Qantas Best Business Class to Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific. - TradeArabia News Service


True Concord Voices & Orchestra is spicing up its annual Lessons & Carols by Candlelight holiday concert series, adding some Southwest accents with Spanish-texted works and Latin instrumentation.

Tucson guitarist Brad Richter, who enjoys a national touring and recording career, and longtime Tucson Symphony Orchestra principal percussionist Homero Ceron will perform with the choir. Ceron will play marimba and vibraphone.

These carols come from Spain, Mexico and Catalonia, with Spanish texts and this cool instrumentation that will add a little Southwest flavor to the program, Conductor Eric Holtan said.

Lessons & Carols has been a Christmastime hallmark of the choir since it was founded in 2004, but the programs have traditionally been heavily anchored in Western Christmas carols from the U.S., England, France and Germany.

Those gems are still part of the program, but this years concert, to be performed five times this weekend beginning Thursday, Dec. 7, is unwrapping a few Christmas surprises:

James Reel, Tucsons leading voice of classical music as Arizona Public Medias KUAT-FM 90.5 classical music director and morning announcer, makes his True Concord debut narrating the story of Jesus birth as told through excerpts from the King James version of the Bible. Reel, who was a culture editor and columnist for the Star, is president of the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music.

True Concord will perform Tucson premieres of two new works by British composers: David Bendalls energetic carol Alleluya. A new work is come on hand, featuring British-born Guy Whatley on organ; and Will Todds quietly optimistic unaccompanied choral piece I Am Changed.

One of the things we are trying to do is present music that is familiar but also present new music, Holtan said.

The audience gets to lend its voice to popular Christmas carols.

Heres the 411 on Lessons & Carols by Candlelight: Carols and Lullabies of the Southwest:

When and where: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, at Vista de la Montana Methodist Church, 3001 E. Miravista Lane, on the northwest side; 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at Green Valleys St. Francis in the Valley Episcopal Church, 600 S. La Canada Drive; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at St. Philips in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave.; and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Albans Episcopal Church, 3738 N. Old Sabino Canyon Road, east side.

The program: In addition to excerpts from Conrad Susas Carols and Lullabies, and the two premieres, the program includes Vytautas Miskinis O Emmanuel (from Seven O Antiphons); Hugo Distlers Lo How a Rose Eer Blooming; Gerald Nears My Dancing Day; Ivo Antogninis O Magnum Mysterium; and John Rutters What Sweeter Music.

Admission: $25 general, $40 reserved, $5 for students in advance at trueconcord.org or at the door.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Dec. 5 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.
A young mountain lion was spotted in the foothills near Tucson over the weekend, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Apparently the mountain lion was spotted late Saturday morning on the patio of a foothills home.

The department said the animal left the area without any incident after it became aware that humans were nearby.

Although the department said sightings like this are pretty routine in the foothills, residents should still report any sightings to the department as soon as possible so that they can evaluate and track their movement.

To contact the department, call 623-236-2701 or visit https://www.azgfd.com/.

Housecat: A young mtn. lion on a patio in Tucson late Sat. morning. It left the area without incident. Although such sightings are routine in the foothills, report them ASAP to 623-236-2701 24&7 so that we can evaluate risks and track their movement. pic.twitter.com/HEu5O5Zs4z  AZ Game & Fish Dept (@azgfdTucson) December 4, 2017
A Border Patrol agent was assaulted Sunday while arresting a suspected border crosser in Nogales, the agency said.

A 25-year-old Mexican man was scaling the border fence and kicked the agent in the head multiple times while the agent tried to arrest him, the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector said in a news release Monday.

The agent was evaluated at a local hospital for injuries after arresting the fence-climbing man, who will be processed for immigration violations and charged with assault by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the agency said.

The agent was patrolling an area known as "Smugglers Overwatch" in Nogales when he responded to a seismic sensor alert, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Tucson.

Another agent also responded to the sensor alert and saw the man, identified in the complaint as Mario Guzman Ortiz, running south towards the border fence.

As Guzman tried to climb the fence, he kicked one of the agents at least twice on the left side of the agent's face before he was subdued.
Federal appellate judges grilled an attorney who argued Tuesday that the Border Patrol has the right to keep observers and protesters at least 150 feet in either direction from a controversial checkpoint near Arivaca south of Tucson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Nemeroff told the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the entire 300-foot-wide stretch from end to end, including the road and the unpaved right of way, is needed for the federal agency to do its job of screening passing vehicles for people who are illegally in the country.

The checkpoint was established in 2007. Nemeroff acknowledged that police tape and, later, ropes, were not erected until 2013 when individuals showed up to monitor what was taking place and to protest the activity.

But he told the three-judge panel that nothing really changed and, as far as the Border Patrol is concerned, the entire area has been off-limits to outsiders since 2007, meaning it is not an area where people can exercise their First Amendment rights of observation and protest.

If the government legitimately sets aside an area for some security function, it clearly delineates that area so that the public recognizes when I pass this line Im entering an area that is not devoted to expressive activity, Nemeroff said. It becomes a nonpublic forum.

But Judge Milan Smith Jr. said even assuming theres a legitimate need for the perimeter to conduct legitimate police activity, that still leaves questions.

Can you bar people from observing that? he asked.

Yes, Nemeroff responded.

Thats kind of shocking, the judge retorted.

The checkpoint has been a sore point among some area residents who do not like the fact they are stopped each time they drive eastbound along Arizona 286 between Arivaca and Amado.

They question whether the checkpoint, which has been at the same location for a decade, is effective in finding those in the country illegally.

There have been allegations some motorists are harassed, particularly those who appear Latino.

In an effort to buttress those claims, area residents, along with members of a group called People Helping People, began monitoring the checkpoint in 2013. When the Border Patrol erected the ropes to keep them back at least 150 feet they sued, contending that was too far to do what they wanted to do.

Last year a federal judge rejected their lawsuit challenging the Border Patrol action, resulting in Tuesdays 9th Circuit hearing in San Francisco.

Smith told Nemeroff the Border Patrol has a right to implement policies to keep the checkpoint itself free from outsiders who might interfere with legitimate government activities. But he questioned the unfettered ability of the agency to unilaterally put up ropes to keep observers from getting anywhere close.

Thats not this country, the judge said. We have an ability and a right to observe what police do, right?

He had a pointed question for the Border Patrol attorney.

What is the government prepared to do to give the public the right to observe whats going on? Smith asked.

Nemeroff countered that there is no absolute right of people for access. He said thats why courts have never set hard-and-fast rules on things such as when and where police can set up a perimeter around a crime scene.

But Judge Sandra Ikuta questioned how much latitude the government has in deciding what area it can set aside where observers are not allowed. She asked what would happen if the Border Patrol wanted a 200-foot or 300-foot buffer zone around the checkpoint.

I assume its not your position that the Border Patrol could just decide on their own where the limits was of their area and that would become automatically ... a nonpublic forum, Ikuta said.

Nemeroff said the limits were not arbitrary. He said they start where signs tell motorists to stop and continue to beyond the secondary check area where agents can do more thorough searches.

Attorney Winslow Taub, representing the residents, told the judges that does not necessarily mean the Border Patrol needs the entire area. He said that, if nothing else, the appellate court should send the case back to the trial judge and force the federal agency to justify the perimeter.

Taub also argued that the perimeter erected is not only larger than needed but done specifically to keep out protesters.

Smith seemed to agree, saying he believes such restrictions must be narrowly tailored, and something the trial judge should have considered. But Nemeroff did not see it that way.

Courts have never micromanaged the government in terms of where they put these sorts of limits, he told Smith.

To that argument, Smith said it may be that the ropes are appropriate.

But it seems to me that when youre talking about people wanting to exercise their First Amendment rights to observe, where theyre placed is a reasonable, material issue that the court ought to consider, he said. Somebody has to decide that.

The judges gave no indication when they will rule.
A Pima County justice of the peace has been censured by the Arizona Supreme Court for what some say was an attempt to cheat on a test for new judges and others say was a practical joke gone awry.

During Januarys orientation for new limited jurisdiction judges, recently elected Democrat Paula Aboud swiped an assessment and answer key from her mentor, Phoenix Municipal Court Judge James Sampanes, who witnessed the incident. Aboud claims her actions were a prank, according to a response to the charges filed in late April. Aboud did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Lawrence Winthrop heard the case in mid-September. He ruled that Abouds actions violated three rules of the code of judicial conduct, one of which requires judges to be patient, dignified, and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers, court staff, court officials, and others with whom the judge deals in an official capacity, according to a release Tuesday from the state commission on judicial conduct.

While this misconduct may have only occurred once, it is too offensive to ignore or to resolve informally, Winthrops ruling reads.

The commission adopted Winthrops findings and recommendation, which includes ordering Aboud to take additional ethics training and cover the costs of the proceedings. The Arizona Supreme Court also adopted them, according to a Dec. 4 ruling. The ruling does not affect her judgeship, according to a commission official.
PHOENIX  Latinos who were illegally detained when then-Sheriff Joe Arpaio disobeyed a 2011 court order barring his immigration patrols can now seek compensation from the government.

The federal judge who barred Arpaio's traffic patrols that targeted immigrants had ordered the creation of a taxpayer-funded compensation system in August 2016 for the illegal detentions. The one-year application period for seeking compensation began on Friday.

Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt of court for prolonging the patrols for 17 months after U.S. District Judge Murray Snow had ordered them stopped. President Donald Trump spared Arpaio a possible jail sentence three months ago when he pardoned the 85-year-old retired sheriff.

While the pardon led to the dismissal of Arpaio's criminal case, taxpayers are still on the hook for compensating those who were illegally detained in the patrols between late December 2011 and late May 2013.

Under the compensation system, Maricopa County will pay $500 for the first hour of a person's illegal detention and $35 for each additional 20-minute increment.

A $10,000 cap was imposed on such compensation, but the judge said the victims can also seek money for other injuries resulting from the illegal detentions such as lost wages and emotional distress.

County officials have set aside $1 million to cover the compensation costs.

The lawyers who pressed the case against Arpaio have searched for victims by getting help from foreign consulates, watching traffic-stop videos and poring over arrest and other police records. They say at least 190 people were detained in violation of the order.

An advertising campaign is expected to be launched in a bid to locate victims.

The order to stop the patrols was made in a racial profiling case that focused on Arpaio's immigration patrols and ended with the judge concluding the sheriff's officers had singled out Latinos.
Wow!!!.....what a great idea for attracting Teachers to the Vail School District because the Property Values and Rent are so High that Teachers cannot afford to live in the District....create a "Teachers Ghetto" of Tiny Affordable Housing sequestered from the rest of the Community!! Bulls___!

Teachers Avoid the Vail School District!! This exclusivity should be rejected as an Insult to the Teaching Profession and contrary to the very nature of an Integrated Community!! Let these "Fat Cats" Home School!!

Francis Saitta

Downtown
Re: the Dec. 3 article "Vail schools consider putting up tiny homes for teachers."

Dallas is building 400-square-foot homes for the homeless, while Vail is considering 300-foot-homes for teachers. The Vail associate superintendent touts them as "hip, cool, tiny luxury homes," an idea that "honors the teachers and their profession."

He forgot to mention another selling point: They're bigger than a doghouse -- big enough for one person. They would be built on a plat of district-owned land, thus offering the prospect of a tiny, cool, professional ghetto. What other town has that?

Ultimately it will be for teachers to judge, but to this citizen, such cheerleading is clueless, degrading and Orwellian. If government compensated teachers fairly, there wouldn't be a chronic teacher shortage in Arizona. But that would require recognizing the value of public education.

Walter Hurley

Foothills
The report by the charity surveyed 1000 girls and found 49% of girls missed a whole day of school because of having their period. With 68% admitting they couldnt fully concentrate in class with the worry of not having access to the toilet or suitable sanitary wear. Over half of the girls said they were embarrassed and afraid of the stigma of asking for help.

Tanya Barron Plan Internationals Chief Executive says, As a society we obsessively euphemise, belittle and silence menstruation.' She goes on to say, As a global girls rights charity we know that pervading cultural taboos and lack of education around periods can have a damaging impact on the lives of girls both here in the UK and across the world, exposing them to discrimination and preventing them from fulfilling their potential.

Embarrassed to ask for help.

One in ten girls were said to improvise with items such as socks, newspapers or toilet roll.

According to the report, many girls have had to borrow from a friend with a rising number of girls having to change to a less suitable product due to the cost.

Foodbank charities such as the Trussell Trust are reporting that low-income families are frequently asking for items such as tampons and sanitary towels as they couldnt afford them, and many were reluctant or ashamed to ask for them in the first place.

The taboo of menstruation.

In 2017 there is still a taboo surrounding talking about menstruation, with people still feeling embarrassed or squeamish when it is discussed. There is a distinct lack of education regarding the physical, social and personal aspects of periods in which Plan International UK want the school curriculum to cover.

They want to promote an open dialogue on the subject by allowing teenage girls free access to the toilets during lesson time. Their survey found 59% of girls would rather make up an excuse than admit they are on their period.

The charity Freedom4Girls has donated sanitary products to countries such as Kenya and now they find themselves being asked to help those in the UK.

They were contacted by teachers in Leeds who were concerned that pupils were missing out on their education because they could not afford sanitary items, with some even providing some out of their own pocket.

A petition launched by the Fourth Wave: London Feminist Activists has snowballed to reach over 111k signatures will be delivered to the Education Secretary Justine Greening, demanding free sanitary items in schools.

Justine Greening has commented on the debate saying that schools and parents should pay for them, even though 20% of the academic year is missed due to period poverty.

Labour set pledge 10 million pounds.

The word is getting out, and the Labour Party have pledged 10 Million pounds to schools to help make period poverty extinct if they form the next government. Labour MSP Monica Lennon has launched a consolation on a members bill for everyone to have access to the basic right of sanitary items. Scotland is currently offering free sanitary products in schools on a trial basis.

Leading manufacturing giants Bodyform have also pledged support, and are trying to break the stigma by releasing the first sanitary towel advert with blood-like liquid rather than the blue that has traditionally been used.

With the UK being one the worlds wealthiest countries, it is surprising that the statistics show that some of the most vulnerable cannot afford sanitary items which should be a basic necessity available to all.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has made the decision to withdraw the United States from a great new pact that the United Nations have made. Their ambitious strategy will create more human conditions for migrants, because apparently that would screw with the autonomy (read: bureaucracy) of America. The UN plan supposedly runs perpendicular to the immigration policies of the United States, so theyre not abiding by it.

This is the second time that Trump has been dumb enough to pull out of a global pact made by the UN. He pulled America out of the landmark deal signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama  the Paris agreement  and it will quickly accelerate the downfall of the environment and kill a bunch of species and flood the whole planet.

The announcement about the migration plan came from Nikki Haley, whos unfortunate enough to be the US ambassador to the UN.

New migration strategy scheduled to begin in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Monday

Haley told the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, over the weekend that Trumps intentions were to stop any American commitment from being made to the worldwide pact on migration within the UN. The United Nations opened a conference up to the entire world to discuss the new migration schedule, which is slated to begin in the Mexican city of Puerto Vallarta on Monday.

The Mexican location may have played some role in Trumps decision, since he hates Mexico and everyone in it.

At one point during his campaign, he branded every single Mexican person a rapist. Bit of a generalisation. So, a plan to help them came up and the racist swooped in to make sure to hinder it however he could (and he can hinder it a lot  were living in the Twilight Zone, so hes the most powerful person in the whole, entire, bloody world).

This migration plan was made within the UN as early as last year, when all 193 members of the general assembly of the UN decided to enter into a non-binding political declaration. The declaration promised to ensure refugees their human rights, aid them in settling back down into a civilisation, and make sure that they all had proper access to education and gainful employment.

It was a unanimous decision made by the entirety of the UN general assembly. And now Trump has come along to screw it all up.

The declaration has been called the New York declaration for refugees and migrants

The new migration strategy has been dubbed the New York declaration for refugees and migrants (which isnt as catchy as the Paris agreement, but has just as many positive effects). Its helpful, so of course, Trump had to jump in to put a stop to it. Obama was very enthusiastic about it, which may also have factored into Trumps decision to pull out. As long as Obama likes it and it helps Mexico, hell distance himself as far away from it as possible.

The aim is to implement it fully by September 2018

The goal with the migration declaration is to have it fully implemented by September next year. By then, as long as enough countries are on board and everything goes according to plan  migrants being moved in safely, systematically, and frequently  then the UN general assembly will be able to put the New York declaration for refugees and migrants properly into motion, where it will become actually binding and racists like Trump cant pull out and make life a living hell for the races they hate.

Everyone in the US who is foolish and intolerant enough to get behind Trumps America first! policy will be rejoicing the fact that hes pulling out of an agreement that, thinking logically, will make the world a better place. This agreement will help the 60 million people who are currently without a home and looking for a place to hang their hats. Trump should go and read what it says on the Statue of Liberty.
US President Donald Trump has pulled America out of a United Nations agreement that would ensure 60 million migrants worldwide human rights, education, and employment. Everything about the deal smelled fishy to Trump  it has the support of Barack Obama and its kicking off on Monday in Mexico. Nikki Haley, the UN ambassador for the US, was the one left to make the announcement, and she was given the tough task of putting a positive spin on it.

Haleys statement dodged all the difficult points

In a statement released on Saturday, Haley said, America is proud of our immigrant heritage, although theyre doing nothing to help the immigrant heritage of future generations.

She also noted the longstanding moral leadership in providing support to migrants, but this is questionable. Its definitely questionable under Trumps leadership.

Haley said that immigration decisions made by the US government will always be made by Americans and Americans alone. Great, so theres a lot of intelligence behind them  all those great minds at work. Haley said that America will make their own decisions about how best to control our borders and who will be allowed to enter our country. Just listen to the UN, for Gods sake.
white house National Security Adviser HR McMaster has issued his gravest warning yet regarding the growing tensions between North Korea and the United States. At the Reagan National Security Forum in California McMaster said that the US was "in a race" to solve the issue surrounding North Korea's nuclear program and that the likelihood of war was "increasing every day." McMaster added that he believed there "wasn't much time left" to solve the ongoing crisis. NK conducted another missile test last week, firing what it called "its most powerful Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)," the missile, which landed in the sea close to Japan is estimated to have flown 1,000 miles higher than the last ICBM test they conducted.

It has been said that this missile had the potential to have struck anywhere on the US mainland, but Pentagon sources said that the missile most likely broke up on re-entry into the atmosphere.

Could there be a preemptive strike?

McMaster's blunt words were not the only alarming warning to be issued by a member of the US government this week. According to AFP news agency, Senator Lindsey Graham (R) told CBS's "Face the Nation" that if there was another underground nuclear test conducted by the rogue regime, the response from the US would be "serious." A range of measures has been undertaken by the US in an attempt to try and kerb the Kim Jong Un's quest for nuclear weapons, including harsh sanctions.

To this point, all diplomatic efforts and punitive measures do not seem to have deterred the despot regime.

During the program "Face the Nation" Senator Lindsey Graham said that he had had numerous discussions with the Trump administration over the issue and that America's job was to "deny North Korea the ability to strike America with a nuclear-tipped missile, not contain it." He went on to say that preemptive war was becoming more of a reality as North Korea's technology matures.

In recent months there seemed to have been a slight de-escalation of tensions between the US and Kim Jong Un's isolated nation. NK had not conducted a missile test in over 2 months, but last weeks test of it's most powerful ICBM yet has re-ignited tensions.

An unthinkable scenario

A war between NK and the United States would be a truly unthinkable scenario.

It is claimed that Kim Jong-Un has enough conventional artillery to completely decimate the South Korean capital of Seoul. The Seoul capital area houses roughly half of the country's 51 million occupants and is situated some 35 miles from the Demilitarized Zone, which has separated the two nations along the 38th parallel since the end of the Korean War in 1953. It is still hoped that a diplomatic agreement can be reached between the two nations, but as McMaster and Senator Graham have so candidly reminded us, it appears that each day that passes, could draw the world closer to a war that will lead to truly catastrophic results.
Maybe this Opossum girl had just broken up with her boyfriend, or maybe she was just a girl wanting to have some fun. Whatever the reason, when she broke into a Liquor Store in Florida and knocked over a bourbon bottle, she got totally drunk on the contents and then passed out. After an employee found the opossum laying on the floor, they called in a wildlife rescue center, where she has since recovered well.

Drunken opossum found next to empty bourbon bottle

A police officer in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was called out by a local liquor store after an employee found an opossum lying on the floor in a state of total inebriation.

It seems she had managed to break into the store and had knocked over a bottle of bourbon. As it was empty when the staff member arrived, it is assumed she had drunk the entire contents  neat and with no mixer.

Wildlife rescue center cares for inebriated animal

As reported by Local 10, the police officer took the opossum to the Emerald Coast Wildlife Rescue, where Michelle Pettis  a technician at the center  told the Panama City News Herald the animal was definitely not acting in a normal way. According to Pettis, the opossum was salivating excessively and was very pale. Their staff went on to pump her full of fluids and gave her care until she finally sobered up.

Pettis said the fluids helped to flush out the alcohol toxins and within a couple of days the animal was fine and was not, apparently, suffering from a hangover. Lucky girl!

Opossum breaks into Florida liquor store, gets drunk https://t.co/Y7AQte0pMM pic.twitter.com/ltxcoQFkK3  CBS News (@CBSNews) December 3, 2017

WFTV9 quotes the owner of Cashs Liquors, Cash Moore, as saying hes never had to deal with an opossum breaking into the store before.

Moore said the animal managed to get in from outside and climbed into the rafters, but as she climbed down, she knocked the bottle of bourbon off the shelf. Once she got down to the floor, the opossum went on to drink the entire contents. Moore went on to say that the incident goes to prove that even animals are impressed with his liquor store.

The opossum was released by Emerald Coast Wildlife Rescue on Thursday and is hopefully now leading a more sober life in the wild.

Cheeky opossum breaks into liquor store and guzzles booze https://t.co/NwA30ffrj5  Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) December 3, 2017

Peacock breaks into California liquor store

This isnt the first report of wildlife causing havoc in a liquor store. Back in June this year, a female peacock paid a visit to an Arcadia, California, liquor store where she caused some minor mayhem. As she flapped around the store, dive-bombing the best bottles of wine on display, she did a fair amount of damage, before an employee finally managed to get her. At least she didnt get drunk.
The American Civil Liberties Union claims that Nebraska has violated state laws since the Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) refuses to disclose details about lethal injection protocol drugs. The civil liberties organization, better known as the ACLU, filed a lawsuit on Friday, seeking to have a judge compel the agency to cite its drug suppliers, according to the Omaha-World Herald.

In addition to the ACLU and the World-Herald, the Lincoln Journal Star and the Associated Press requested access to public records to discern the information about the states death drug suppliers.

The NDCS has refused to release the information, which led to the ACLU filing suit.

Civil liberties group cites bad backroom deals in states past over execution drugs

According to World-Herald and the executive director of the ACLU in Nebraska, Danielle Conrad, the NDCSs refusal stands in violation of the states tradition of open government. Conrad raised the issue of the state history of having tried to attain drugs needed for its execution protocol, entailing backroom deals along with efforts to circumvent federal law.

In 2015, Nebraska tried buying $54,000 worth of execution drugs from a supplier in India, but the deal was thwarted when the U.S. government intervened, blocking delivery.

The government questioned the drugs legality, according to the Washington Post. The controversial deal evolved from the states sodium supply of thiopental expiring in 2013.

Public records request disclosed previous botched purchase process for execution drug

The ACLU contends that the public would not have known of the botched purchase if not for an earlier public records request, several news agencies have reported.

Decisions made in darkness, according to Conrad, dont belong in Nebraska politics, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

Additionally, in May 2015, Nebraska abolished its death penalty. Capital punishment was revived and reinstated when voters approved a 2016 referendum that was underwritten with $300,000 of Governor Pete Ricketts money.

Dawn-Renee Smith is a spokeswoman for the NDCS. She stated that Nebraskas death cocktail, which is slated for Jose Sandoval includes diazepam, fentanyl citrate, cisatracurium, and potassium chloride. Sandoval was informed on November 9 that he will be the next to die in the state by lethal injection.

Nebraskas never carried out capital punishment by lethal injection

Now that the condemned inmate and the public know of Sandovals pending execution what isnt known is the drug supplier and that is what concerns the ACLU and news agencies that endeavored to discern the source of the drugs. Not since the execution of Robert E. Williams in 1997 has capital punishment been carried out in Nebraska.

Williams was executed by electric chair but the states Supreme Court has since ruled electrocution unconstitutional, declaring it cruel and unusual punishment, the World-Herald noted.

Nebraska has never used lethal injection for capital punishment.

In response to requests for disclosure about death drug details, the state is standing on its belief that the information is protected, citing attorney-client privilege, the Post reported. Since the drug supplier is intrinsic in the execution team, the NDCS asserts supplier details are confidential.

Smith hasnt commented on the ACLUs lawsuit. She did state, however, that the NDCS does not publicly discuss pending litigation, according to the Post.
A bipartisan majority of Americans are vocally united against trump's Tax Bill. That is the only force that can stop the GOP Congress from enacting what Forbes Magazine urgently describes as the worst policy disaster in American History. Think of it. Worse than the neocon idiocy that ended us in Iraq. How could it be? Forbes does not just say this. It specifies why the Trump tax bill will inflict harm and hurt,

But we can stop this from ever happening. Remember Trump's primary MO, cogently described by Mitt Romney. "Con." The tax bill is con from start to finish.

To stop it we need to flip the three GOP Senators. Three originally had the courage to oppose the Senate version of the bill. They finally voted for it. But they knew, as we do, that the bill now goes to the House. If it survives there, it returns to the Senate and must be approved to get to Trump's desk.

This article is about how you can inundate the three Senators who originally voted no with an appeal based on the Forbes arguments. Here is a summary and my "message" suggestions follow.

For all the MAGA types (and non-MAGA like @BillKristol) who think I'm exaggerating, here is the conservative Forbes business magazine on the tax bill, which it calls "the start of a decades-long economic policy disaster unlike any other that has occurred in American history." pic.twitter.com/31e6OJQPLW  Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) December 2, 2017

Economic insanity

This is how Forbes describes the Trump tax bill.

And here are concise summaries of the messages:

The trillion a year deficit will not go away regardless of how the economy performs.

a year deficit will not go away regardless of how the economy performs. It will be politically impossible to pass tax increases sufficient to make up the growing deficit.

Any downturn in the economy risks a trillion a year deficit.

in the economy risks a trillion a year deficit. The capacity to deal with economic downturns is radically limited.

downturns is radically limited. The bill guarantees NO reduction in the national debt for at least a decade.

for at least a decade. Interest on the debt will become the largest item in the federal budget.

Social Security on the block

The only escape will be attacking Social Security, Medicare, and Pentagon expenses.

Both infrastructure and research will be more and more remote because of the need for austerity.

Monetary policy will not be able to save us.

Who needs to hear from us?

The following GOP Senators need to hear our resounding protest against this legislation: Corker, Alexander, Flake, McCain, Paul, Murkowski, and Collins. Three of these will do the trick if the House does not submarine the legislation first.

You do not need a list of reasons to try to sway these Senators. Your own messages as close to "real) as possible will register. That could mean a real postcard or note. It could mean a tweet from a real account. Anything at all is better than sitting on our hands.

Few Hurdles Left, G.O.P. Is Confident Tax Cuts Will Be Signed This Month https://t.co/3TZizJgj53  Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) December 3, 2017

Of course, this article deals only with economic arguments. There are many other messages we could send. Mainly, we do not need or want this bill.
A China Airlines passenger plane landed at a London airport on Friday after taking off in China. It was the first such flight for five years, offering what one airport executive described as a "vital trade boost" during a "critical time" for the United Kingdom economy.

The A350 touched down at Gatwick Airport in the afternoon, following a 13-hour non-stop flight from Taipei in Taiwan province. The plane, which can hold 306 passengers as well as freight, departed on the return leg to Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport that night.

The new route is the only non-stop service from the UK to Taiwan. China Airlines previously flew between Taipei and London's Heathrow Airport for two years between 2010 and 2012.

Gatwick Airport is the second-busiest airport in the UK and one of six international airports that serve the London Metropolitan area.

The majority of UK airfreight is exported in the hold of long haul passenger aircraft.

Greg Hands, the UK's international trade minister, said the new service  which will run four times a week  will provide both British and Chinese businesses with fast access to both markets, in addition to carrying business and leisure passengers.

"This renewed direct flight between London and Taipei is another vote of confidence in the British economy," Hands said from Gatwick Airport.

Guy Stephenson, chief commercial officer at Gatwick Airport, said the service will provide a new link between the UK and China during "a critical time in our economic history".

The health and nature of Britain's trading relationships with major economies, including China, is the subject of debate due to the UK's pending exit from the European Union.

"The new route will boost trade between our two enterprising economies and help our businesses to get goods to market as quickly and efficiently as possible," Stephenson said.

The UK economy has benefited from increased air traffic from China in recent years. Hainan Airlines launched a direct route between Beijing and Manchester, in Northern England, in June last year.

Since then, exports from Northern England to China have almost tripled, to 200 million pounds ($270 million) a month, and the amount spent by Chinese tourists in Manchester has doubled to 138 million pounds a year, according to a report by the Manchester China Forum and Manchester Airport.
A cruise ship leaves Shanghai for South Korea. [Photo/Xinhua]

Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co Ltd will start the construction of the nation's first self-made cruise liner in 2019 after completing a year-long overhaul of a shipyard.

The Shanghai-based shipbuilder aims to produce three to four cruise ships annually, according to its chief technical officer.

"All-around preparatory work will kick off next year. As the cruise shipbuilding is so much different from the cargo ships or container ships that we've built before, we have to transform our factory and convert the production flow," said Tao Ying, chief technical officer of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co Ltd.

The cruise construction program is a combination of manufacturing and art, as the ship is a floating Las Vegas on the sea, which is even more difficult than developing an aircraft carrier, said He Qixing, manager of the cruise department at SWS.

SWS, a wholly owned company of the China State Shipbuilding Corp, is eager to transform itself from a traditional shipbuilder into a cruise ship building center comparable to market leaders such as Italy-based Fincantieri SpA and Germany's Meyer Werft.

SWS looks to have an annual capacity of up to four cruise ships in the future.

China's cruise passenger numbers rose to 2.1 million in 2016, taking third position in global passenger rankings for the year, according to data from the Cruise Lines International Association.

China is the fastest growing market, and is projected to have 10 million cruise passengers by 2026, said He.

But the rising demand for cruise tours can hardly be met because annual cruise output of the top three shipyards in Europe is between seven and eight, while global demand for new cruise vessels is averaged at 12.

The first home-grown cruise ship has a length of 323.6 meters and a width of 37.2 meters, and it can hold nearly 5,000 passengers at maximum with 2,000 cabins. It is expected to be delivered in 2023, followed by a rate of one vessel per year from 2024 to 2028.
Construction workers remove a billboard from the roof of a building near Tiantan Park in Beijing on Nov 28. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Beijing city management authority is limiting the number and placement of signs on buildings in order to "create an urban skyline that is visually clear and bright", and strengthen urban management.

The campaign was launched as part of the capital's urban planning for 2016 to 2035.

According to a notice from the Beijing Commission of City Management, all signs and billboards attached to roofs must be removed. In addition, there can be only one sign with a building's name on the third or higher stories, and the name should be the same as the one registered with planning authorities.

Each of the capital's 16 districts will launch an enforcement campaign, the notification said, and any failure by institutions and individuals to remove "noncompliant" signs will be noted on their credit record.

According to Beijing Daily, nearly 9,000 signs and billboards had been removed by Thursday. There are more than 27,000 signs and billboards that are non-compliant across the capital, the newspaper quoted an unnamed official from Beijing Commission of City Management as saying.

The official also said that the Shijingshan district removed 1,700 signs and billboards and was the first one to remove all non-compliant signage. Chaoyang district topped all districts, having removed almost 2,500 signs.

Signage must be removed by the end of December and the municipal commission will inspect the capital "road by road" in January.

The campaign has provoked heated discussion online. While some Beijing residents applauded the campaign, some worried that it will be difficult for them to find their destinations.

"Sometimes, when I am looking for friends I have made an appointment with, I can easily let them know my exact location by telling them what sign is over my head," said Zhang Zhenyu, a resident of Chaoyang district.

A netizen named Cycy Lee didn't like the feeling of walking near buildings with signs over the roofs.

"Some of the signs or billboards have been there for years and they may fall down," the netizen commented on Weibo.
The People's Liberation Army Air Force recently sent its electronic intelligence aircraft to conduct long-range training over the Yellow and East China seas, according to Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, spokesman for the PLA Air Force, on Monday.

Shen said at an unidentified air base in northern China that during the exercise the electronic intelligence aircraft used a route that they had not flown before and reached areas they had never been to, according to a news release published by the Air Force on its Sina Weibo account.

In addition to the reconnaissance planes, the Air Force also dispatched fighter jets, early-warning aircraft and air-defense missile units to take part in the operation, he was quoted by the release as saying. No other details were given.

Though the Air Force did not elaborate on the type of electronic intelligence aircraft, it published a picture with the release that showed a Tupolev Tu-154MD signal intelligence jet taking off.

Shen said several Air Force aviation units carried out long-distance exercises deep into open seas over the past month, exploring new routes and airspace that had never been used by Chinese Air Force aircraft. He said such moves improved the Air Force's combat and command capabilities.

According to the World Air Forces 2017 report compiled by the British magazine Flight International, China has seven Tu-154MDs in active service. Western military observers said the aircraft uses large-size synthetic aperture radar to detect and collect signal intelligence.

Colonel Ren Guoqiang, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said in July that the PLA would continue to hold long-range exercises in accordance with international situations and its own tasks.

Ren said other nations should not "make a fuss about or over-interpret" the Chinese military's oceangoing exercises and should "get used to" them.

The PLA Air Force started to perform long-range, ocean-bound drills in March 2015 and organized at least seven such operations in 2015 and 2016.
WASHINGTON - The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed the third version of the Trump administration's travel ban to take effect, impacting citizens of eight countries from entering the United States.

The ruling lifted restrictions imposed by lower courts on the travel ban, which bars all citizens of Syria, Iran, Chad, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as well as certain officials from Venezuela from entering the United States.

"In light of its decision to consider the case on an expedited basis, we expect that the Court of Appeals will render its decision with appropriate dispatch," the Supreme Court said in the ruling.

The travel ban, released in September, was the third version by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration said the ban was needed to ensure national security, while critics said it was a form of religious discrimination as most of the countries impacted by the ban are Muslim majorities.
Newly elected president of the Eurogroup Mario Centeno shakes hands with outgoing Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem during a news conference at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec 4, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

BRUSSELS - The Eurogroup meeting on Monday elected Portuguese finance minister Mario Centeno as president of the Eurogroup.

The new president will take office as of Jan 13, 2018 and will serve a two and a half year term.

He is the first minister from a southern eurozone economy to hold the elected role and first Eurogroup meeting under the presidency of Mario Centeno will take place on Jan 22, 2018.

Mario Centeno has been the finance minister of Portugal since November 2015.
The Old Port of Montreal, Quebec in Canada. The country is set to increase exchanges in tourism with China. Provided to China Daily

Canadian prime minister marks next year's joint tourism campaign, which will be promoted on the social media site, boosting cultural, economic ties

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the headquarters of Sina Weibo - China's answer to Twitter - in Beijing on Monday.

With the Canada-China Tourism Year coming up in 2018, Trudeau announced Canada will host the closing ceremonies in China next fall, while China will host the opening ceremonies in Canada next spring.

The logo of the tourism year was unveiled during his visit: a black-and-white circle design that consists of a giant panda and polar bear, representative animals from both countries.

Events and celebrations that showcase Chinese and Canadian cultures will be held in both countries next year.

"The Canada-China Year of Tourism is an exceptional opportunity to strengthen people-to-people connections between our two countries and celebrate the best that Canada and China offer the world," Trudeau said.

"It will grow our tourism sector, which means more middle-class jobs for Canadians and better economic growth for communities across the country."

According to him, Canada boasts a diversity of landscapes, ranging from world-class cities and incredible national parks, to green mountains and forests.

"As breathtaking as our geography can be, it's our people who make Canada great and worth visiting, from indigenous people to recent immigrants. They are friendly and polite," the Canadian prime minister said.

Trudeau talked with four young Chinese people about their unique travel experiences in Canada. He shared with them his own stories of backpacking with friends in China in the early 1990s.

"The idea that young Chinese are able to do the same thing in Canada that I did in China many years ago is a wonderful synchronicity," he said.

One of the things they're working hard on is to attract more young Chinese tourists to Canada, because the impact on them and Canada will be wonderful.

"The biggest challenge of traveling is that you leave your social circle and discover the world and new things about yourself," he said.

With more than 134,000 followers on Sina Weibo, Trudeau communicates with Chinese people and promotes Canada as a destination for Chinese tourists. He set up his Weibo account in early 2013, before he took office as prime minister in 2015.

"As a popular internet influencer on Sina Weibo, there is no doubt that the Canadian prime minister is one of the most popular foreign leaders on Weibo," said Cao Guowei, CEO and chairman of Sina, a leading Chinese news portal, which owns Sina Weibo.

During the event, Sina Weibo signed a memorandum of understanding with Destination Canada, which promotes the country's tourism offerings internationally, to better promote the country's rich tourism resources on the Chinese social media platform.

xulin@chinadaily.com.cn
The CCTV children's hosts Ju Ping (center, in dark blue dress), Chen Su (fi rst from right), Geng Chenchen (second from right) and Huang Wei (left) were joined by Sesame Street's furry friends Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo and Lily as well as American children on Sesame Streets set in New York during fi lming on Nov 28 and Nov 29. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

For the first time ever, Hooper's Store, the Fix-It Shop and Laundromat of the iconic set of Sesame Street are being decorated with Chinese lanterns and Fu characters.

The nearly half-century-old children's program is shooting the 2018 Chinese New Year special with CCTV (China Central Television) Children's Channel, showcasing Chinese New Year customs for kids in both China and the US.

"Our collaboration on the special started in 2014, which was themed 'Let's Celebrate New Year!'" said Ju Ping, a popular Chinese children's television host on CCTV Children's Channel. "We are trying to introduce Chinese traditions, a critical part of Chinese culture, to children through this program, which makes it easier for kids to understand."

The relationship between the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational media organization behind the show, and CCTV Children's Channel began 36 years ago with the Big Bird in China specialbroadcast in 1983 on NBC.

CCTV children hosts, including Ju Ping, Chen Su (Red Apple), Geng Chenchen (Green Bubble) and Huang Wei, were joined by Sesame Street's Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo, and Lily, as well as American children from Chinese immersion programs in New York during the two-day filming on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"The most important thing for me is that the Sesame Workshop invited many American children to film the show with our crew, and I'm amazed and glad to see they all can speak very fluent Chinese," said Ju. "Although all the segments are filmed in Chinese, we had no barriers to communicate with the kids at all.

"One of them has studied Chinese for over nine years, and another younger kid named Richard started to study Chinese when he was only one year old," Ju added.

"We hope the program will not only be broadcast in China but also in Asia, in the US and other countries around the world," said Shirley Zhu, vice-president of the Greater China for Sesame Street Workshop. "Through this, the Chinese language, Chinese traditional customs and the culture behind it can be delivered to kids around the world."

Zhu said the two teams had collaborated before on the Chinese New Year's theme, but this year, the program will elaborate on some of the customs in more detail, such as the reunion dinner and legends.

"Because 2018 is the year of the dog, we specially added a new puppet named Happy Gogo in our show," said Zhu.

"Filming with Sesame Street and these American children allows our channel to open a window for Chinese children to see how kids at their ages in another country are living and studying," said Xu Bin, deputy controller of CCTV Children's Channel. "I also hope these American kids will have an opportunity to go to China in person to experience Chinese culture."

"This partnership reflects a successful cultural exchange that we value deeply, and our co-produced programming demonstrates a powerful appreciation of each other's differences and similarities,"said Steve Youngwood, COO of Sesame Workshop.

Sesame Workshop has been reaching and teaching children since 1969 and now covers more than 150 countries. It opened its China office in 2013. Its programs are available on China's top online video platforms, reaching more than 370 million viewers there.

ruinanzhang@chinadailyusa.com
Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai (from row, third from left), US Senator Steve Daines (second from left) and US Congressman Greg Gianforte (third from right) of Montana applaud while watching a show by the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre at the Chinese embassy in Washington on Monday afternoon. Chen Weihua / China Daily

The Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre (RMBT) from Montana has a deep China connection, having made three trips there. That is the reason why, just hours after landing in Washington, they went to the Chinese embassy and put on a show Monday afternoon.

The troupe is in Washington for its performance at the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Wednesday, as this year's Christmas tree on the Capitol West Lawn was chosen from the Kootenai National Forest in Montana.

The program at the Chinese embassy had a strong Chinese flavor, just going by the names of the performances, such as Inner Mongolian Milking Cow Dance, The Wild Montana Turkey That Flew to Beijing, and Bamboo Hat Dance from The Red Detachment of Women, one that amazed the audience and won huge applause.

"I love China," said Louie Plant Sr, a professional fancy dancer from the Salish Kootenai Nation and a RMBT principal dancer and leader of the Intertribal Pow Wow throughout China in Diplomacy tours in 2008, 2010 and 2014. He went on all three of the trips.

For Charlene Campbell Carey, the ballet's artistic director, The Engelmann Spruce Tree & Her Dazzling Companions was the highlight. It was created for the Capitol Tree lighting.

"This last piece you are going to see is to honor our beautiful tree," Carey told the audience before the dance.

US Senator Steve Daines and US Representative Greg Gianforte, both from Montana, and their wives were in the audience on Monday, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai.

"I can't tell you how proud I am today as a Montanan that the Rocky Mountain Ballet troupe is here to perform at the Chinese embassy," said Daines, who worked in China for six years in the 1990s for the US company Procter & Gamble.

The senator said that he and his wife Cindy both felt a connection to the Chinese people and experienced many highlights of their lives while living in China.

He marveled at the rapid growth of the Chinese economy, which ballooned from less than $500 billion in 1992 to nearly $11.5 trillion in 2016. "The change seen is remarkable. That is why an event like this culture exchange is even more important," he said.

Gianforte, who took office in June, said, "I am thrilled that the Rocky Mountain Ballet is here. I could call each one of them an ambassador as well, because true, that's what they do."

He praised the troupe for traveling the world building cultural bridges.

"We need to build bridges, so we can find common ground," Gianforte said of China and the US. There are an awful lot of cowboys in Montana that are very active in having this relationship (with China), that our beef is going to be on the dinner table in China. We appreciate that connection."

China resumed imports of US beef in July after a 13-year ban, generating excitement in Montana and other major US cattle-farming states.

Cui said mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples is the "real foundation for long-standing relations between our two countries".

"Today, it's a very unique opportunity for us to have the Rocky Mountain Ballet giving us that performance in the embassy," he said. "I am sure by working together we will build stronger and more robust cooperation ties between China and Montana and inject new impetus to the relations and friendship between our two great peoples."

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
The United Nations' political chief is heading to Pyongyang on Tuesday for a rare four-day visit en route from China, which has called the resurfacing of tensions on the Korean peninsula regrettable.

"In response to questions received on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman will remain in the Pyongyang area throughout his visit," the UN said in a statement on Monday, adding that Feltman met with Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Li Baodong on Monday in Beijing.

The unusual visit of Feltman - he will be only the second such official to visit Pyongyang in seven years - comes amid intensified tensions on the peninsula as Seoul and Washington kicked off their largest-ever five-day joint military air exercises on Monday, following Pyongyang's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov 29.

Pyongyang said that the drills would push the already acute situation to the brink of nuclear war, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"Tensions resurfaced on the peninsula after two months of relative calm, and all related parties didn't catch the window of opportunity that China has appealed for them to take advantage of. China feels regret about it," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a joint news conference with his Mongolian counterpart in Beijing.

The foreign minister also said that while China takes an open-minded attitude toward solutions to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, all parties should jointly abide by the regulations and spirit of Security Council resolutions.

"The resolutions represent the common will of the international community, and they are the global duties that should be followed by all members," Wang said.

"Propositions and measures that are against or not included in the resolutions lack international legal support and will jeopardize the execution of UN resolutions," he explained.

US Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday that he believes it's time to start moving the families of American military personnel out of South Korea.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Monday that China hoped all parties would do more to help ease tensions and avoid provoking each other.

Wang Junsheng, an expert on Korean affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said no party will win by continually flexing its muscles.
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HA NOI  An Cuong Wood Working Joint Stock Company has announced its strategic investment partnership with Japans Sumitomo Forestry Co Ltd.

An Cuong Wood Working Joint Stock Company is one of Viet Nams leading woodwork and decorative materials companies. This alliance will help enhance co-operation and direct the expansion of business activities for both companies.

According to the agreement, the strategic alliance is designed to build a supply chain in the Viet Nam market spanning across material procurement in housing construction, exercising synergy in each field and accelerating the growth of each business, importing and selling high quality Japanese building materials to Viet Nam by leveraging An Cuongs sales network and the Sumitomo Forestry Groups distribution network to expand the sales of An Cuongs products to overseas markets, including Japan.

Le uc Nghia, CEO of An Cuong, said with more than 200 years of experience and annual sales of more than US$10 billion, together with modern management technology and a strong international position, Sumitomo Forestry will provide An Cuong with a number of advantages upon becoming its official shareholder.

An Cuong can rely on the distribution network of Sumitomo Forestry to promote the firms business in foreign markets, including Japan and the United States.

Sumitomo Forestry will send leading experts from Japan to help An Cuongs manufacturing factory meet international standards for exporting products to the housing development system in Japan and the United States.

The Japanese firm will help An Cuong build a supply chain in the Viet Nam market spanning across materials used in housing construction, ranging from wood core to all types of industrial wood surfaces and to meet international standards in order to benefit all customers in the Vietnamese market, as well as the customer system of Sumitomo Forestry worldwide.

Masami Kitahashi, CEO of Sumitomo Forestry in Viet Nam, highly appreciated the ability of An Cuong in operating its business in accordance with international standards.

One of the reasons for partnering with Sumitomo Forestry is that An Cuong has a transparent management system that uses the advanced SAP ERP management system from early 2017, and is using a number of German and Italian furniture production software, Masami added.

Established in 1994, An Cuong manufactures a wide range of products, including wood and laminate panelling, flooring and furniture. The company is a manufacturer for well-known brands in Japan, Southeast Asia, the United States and Europe.  VNS
HAI PHONG  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the inauguration ceremonies for LG Displays US$1.5 billion project and the $41.8 million Nguyen Binh Khiem interchange in the northern port city of Hai Phong yesterday.

LG Displays project, specialising in producing organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens for smartphones, smartwatches and tablets is expected to create 6,000 jobs for local labourers and boost the northern citys exports by $3 billion per year when it becomes operational.

This plant marks the first overseas OLED screen production project for South Koreas LG Display.

PM Phuc said that the project, which started construction in May 2016 in Trang Due Industrial Zone, contributes to fostering the strategic partnership between Viet Nam and South Korea.

He also highly appreciated LG Displays investments in building houses and canteens for workers and urged the South Korean display manufacturer to increase the local procurement rate, promote safe production and sustainable investment in Viet Nam.

The Government of Viet Nam and local authorities in Hai Phong would strive to improve the investment climate to create favourable conditions for both foreign and domestic investors, Phuc said.

Phuc believed LG Display would contribute to turning Hai Phong into an electronic production hub in Viet Nam.

On the same day, Phuc attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Nguyen Binh Khiem interchange.

The project, including a four-lane flyover which is 252.2 metres long and 18.5 metres wide, was completed in nine months, 18 months ahead of schedule.

This was a part of project upgrading the road from Nguyen Binh Khiem crossroads to inh Vu Dam which plays an important role in facilitating goods transportation via Hai Phong Port.

Statistics show that 90 per cent of goods to and from the northern regions largest port are transported via Nguyen Binh Khiem interchange.

In 2017, the goods volume transported through Hai Phong Port was estimated at 92 million tonnes. - VNS
HA NOI  FPT Digital Retail Joint Stock Company is planning its initial public offering (IPO) on December 15 and seeking to debut its shares on the HCM Stock Exchange prior to April next year.

The FPT Corporations retail arm is the second biggest mobile handset retailer after The Gioi Di ong (Mobile World), with over 450 shops nationwide. Its IPO is expected to be a magnet, similar to the Mobile World Investment Corporations IPO in 2014, given the lucrative outlook of Viet Nams retail market.

During a roadshow on December 1, Nguyen Viet Anh, deputy chief executive officer of FPT Digital Retail, said the company expected to collect total revenues of about US$600 million in 2017, 10 per cent of which would come from online sales.

Its profit is estimated to be VN293 billion (roughly $13 million) by the year-end.

The retail company also plans to pay dividend in the form of stocks at the rate of 100 per cent (one shareholding will receive one new share) this year.

The pricing for the IPO has not been revealed, but the book value per share of the company was VN34,525 apiece by the end of September.

FPT Corporation is now its biggest stakeholder having 55 per cent of its capital, followed by Dragon Capital with a holding of 20 per cent and VinaCapital with 15 per cent. The last 10 per cent are owned by the companys employees.

Founded in 2012 with current charter capital of VN400 billion, FPT Digital Retail is Viet Nams second biggest distributor of digital devices with two retail chains, including FPT Shop, which sells technology products of various manufacturers, while F.Studio distributes premium Apple products and accessories (Apple premium reseller).

Consumer loan-driven growth

FPT Retail has targeted an average annual growth rate of 24 per cent in the next five years, projecting total revenues and profits of VN25 trillion and VN650 billion by 2020.

The company will continue to expand its networks by an additional 100 shops in the next two years to increase the number of total outlets to 650-700 by 2020.

Besides seeking to increase the customer loyalty towards FPT shops, FPT Retail targets potential customers working in enterprises in Viet Nam by providing loans to finance their purchases at shops. The company offers credit lines based on the employees positions in the companies.

Nguyen Bach iep, chairman and CEO of FPT Retail, said the company was stepping up consumer lending, revealing that 30 per cent of its customers buy on instalments. Since October 2016, FPT Retail has connected with 10 banks and 1,000 enterprises.

In addition to this, the company is also focusing on the expansion of F.Studio, which is expected to reach 100 shops by 2020 to tap the potential market for Apple products, estimated to be worth $1 billion in Viet Nam.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam is estimated to gain US$3.6 billion in vegetable and fruit exports for this entire year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The ministry said the export value of vegetable and fruit products has increased sharply recently. The value was $2.4 billion in 2016 while it reached $3.1 billion in the first 11 months of 2017, a year-on-year growth of 43.2 per cent, including $292 million in November 2017, Cong An Nhan Dan e-newspaper reported.

In the first 11 months of 2017, China, Japan, the United States and South Korea were the four largest export markets for Vietnamese vegetable and fruit products, accounting for 84.7 per cent of the total national export value of vegetable and fruit products.

Viet Nams export value of vegetable and fruit products increased strongly by 67.6 per cent to Japan, 56.9 per cent to the United Arab Emirates and 52.7 per cent to China.

Exports of vegetable and fruit products have exceeded the exports of other key export products such as rice, rubber, tea and cashew nut.

The Viet Nam Vegetable and Fruit Association said local vegetable and fruit products have been exported to 40 countries and territories and these products achieved a breakthrough in exports over the past two years.

Vegetable and fruit exports are expected to gain higher growth in the future.  VNS
HA NOI  National carrier Vietnam Airlines organised a ceremony to welcome the 200 millionth passenger at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, HCM City, on Tuesday.

This marks a milestone in Vietnam Airlines development history of more than two decades.

The 200 millionth passenger was Vietnamese Nguyen Truong Chinh, who took Flight No VN223 from Ha Noi to HCM City. The flight landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 10.10am on Tuesday morning.

Two other Vietnamese - Ngo Huy Hoang and Phan Thi Thu Hang - were right before and after Chinh.

Duong Tri Thanh, general director of Vietnam Airlines, said: Recording 200 million passengers in more than two decades since the foundation is a milestone for Vietnam Airlines."

Todays achievement is thanks to the trust of millions of domestic and international passengers. The ceremony to welcome the 200 millionth passenger is our tribute to every passenger who puts their trust in Vietnamese Airlines on every flight.

Thanh said the national carrier would continue to improve its services.

During the 1995-2017 period, Vietnam Airlines operated more than 1.6 million flights on both international and domestic routes and posted an average passenger growth rate of 11 per cent per year.

The national carrier earned a total of more than VN777 trillion (US$34 billion) revenue in the past 22 years, with average growth of 15.62 per cent per year.

It earned pre-tax profit of nearly VN18 trillion in the 22-year period and contributed VN41 trillion to the State budget.

At the event, Vietnam Airlines also officially launched Flights of Love  an activity for the good of the community to support projects aimed at better living. Owners of Flights of Love cards would be provided free tickets on all flights to implement their projects.

The first three projects of Flights of Love were Flood Housing Relief, Heart Foundation and Operation Smile.

Thanh said social responsibility was important in the development strategy of Vietnam Airlines, and hoped that Flights of Love would contribute to building a sustainable development community.  VNS
On this day, while Thai people commemorate the passing away of our beloved late King Bhumibol Adulyadej last year, we also celebrate our national day with great pride and joy as we cherish his lifelong work to improve the welfare of the Thai people.

His tireless dedication during a reign of over 70 years will always remain in our hearts. The philosophy of Sufficiency Economy he bestowed on the Thai people has become the guiding philosophy for our countrys development strategies and policies to promote human development and ensure sound foundations for sustainable economic growth.

Recognising his role in sustainable development, the 68th UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that designates December 5 as World Soil Day, aiming to promote and raise awareness of the importance of soil as a crucial factor in agricultural development, nutrition and food security while addressing the challenges of rapid population growth.

At present, under the reign of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, the Thai people will continue carrying forward the virtues of the late King for the future of our country and people. We continue to honour our revered monarch and the monarchy, which is a significant pillar and a unifying force of the country.

In recent years, the Royal Thai Government has implemented a series of policies aiming to reform the country, particularly in economic and social development, towards meeting the needs and aspirations of the Thai people. These include the National Reform Plan, Thailand 4.0, Eastern Economic Corridor Development and the 20-year national development strategy.

Moreover, on July 26, the National Strategic Plan Act 2017 was enacted to be the guideline for the countrys economic and social development with the goals of good governance and sustainable development.

On the political front, Thailand is moving according to the Roadmap of the National Council for Peace and Order to achieve a strong, sustainable democracy, and is on target to hold an election as planned.

On the economic front, the Thai economy is expanding. Total GDP growth in the first half of 2017 reached 3.5 % and a 4 per cent annual growth is expected. Thailands economic growth is gaining momentum, prompting an upward revision in growth projections. Investment, tourism and strong growth in exports are key drivers of Thailands economy.

In the first half of 2017, the Board of Investment received FDI applications worth US$6.5 billion and approved investment projects worth $10 billion, recording a 15 % growth. As for tourism, the number of international tourist arrivals in 2017 is expected to reach $35 million.

Regarding international trade, Thailands exports are expected to exceed the targeted 5 per cent annual growth rate set for 2017, as significant expansions are recorded in major markets, especially China, Japan and US.

In the first 8 months of 2017, Thailands exports reached $153.6 billion, while its imports totaled $144.75 billion, generating a positive trade balance of $8.87 billion. These figures indicate an 8.9 % expansion in exports and 15.4 % expansion in imports.

Excellent relations

On the bilateral front, Thailand and Viet Nam have traditionally enjoyed excellent relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1976. Visits to either country by the nations leaders this year has furthered cordial bilateral relations.

The August 17-19 visit to Thailand by the Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, has advanced the Thailand-Viet Nam Strategic Partnership. Likewise, the Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha, visited Viet Nam to attend the 25th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting on November 8-10.

As a result of the fruitful bilateral discussions between the two Prime Ministers on the sidelines of the meeting, both sides have agreed to both deepen and broaden co-operative endeavours in politics, security, economy, trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts. This has elevated the level and intensity of our Strategic Partnership to an even higher plane.

In addition, President of National Legislative Assembly of Thailand, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, paid an official visit to Viet Nam on August 13-16 at the invitation of Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Chairwoman of Viet Nams National Assembly.

It can be said that the frequent exchange of visits at all levels between the two countries, ranging from Prime Ministers and senior military personnel to various officials from different ministries and local authorities, is a true testimony of our friendship, which only grows closer with time.

In the sphere of economic co-operation, total trade was valued at $13 billion in 2016. During the first half of this year, two-way trade rose to nearly $7 billion, an increase of almost 15 % over the same period last year. Both countries have set a target for bilateral trade volume value of $20 billion by 2020.

It is noteworthy that Thailand has moved up to rank as the 8th biggest investor in Viet Nam in the first two quarters of 2017, with an accumulated investment value of almost $8 billion and additional projects values at $7 billion in the pipeline.

The importance of Viet Nam as a manufacturing base has been demonstrated in the Thai private sectors long-term vision and determination to develop a business model with social responsibility in the country. It is also gratifying to note that the Thai business community is contributing to Viet Nams economic progress.

In multilateral co-operation, both countries continue to strengthen activities within regional and international cooperation mechanisms, namely United Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group (APEC) , Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and, most importantly, ASEAN.

The ASEAN Declaration, or Bangkok Declaration, was signed on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok. As Thailand is one of its founding members, ASEAN has been and will continue to be a cornerstone of Thailands foreign policy. Therefore, I am very pleased that this year we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its establishment. In this connection, Thailand is committed to working closely with Viet Nam and other member countries to promote ASEANs centrality in the regional architecture with the aim of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Socio-cultural relations is another area where co-operation has intensified. The people do act as a bridge between our countries. In 2016, more than 800,000 Vietnamese tourists visited Thailand, and over 250,000 Thai tourists have come to Viet Nam to enjoy the many beautiful landscapes in this country. In the first six months of this year, the number of tourists of both countries has already exceeded that of last year. It can be said that the success of the establishment of sister city relations between localities of both countries and activities of the Thailand-Viet Nam and Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Associations have also greatly enhanced our people-to-people contacts.

Last, but not least, I believe that the co-operation and friendship between our two countries and peoples will further strengthen in the years to come.  VNS
By Chi Lan

It has been a long time coming, but more and more people, and countries, are actually seeing the much maligned North Korea as acting rationally in its own interest, especially with regard to its nuclear capabilities.

The drama continues, but there has been a decisive shift in the status-quo.

As the United States went ahead with its largest-ever military air exercise with South Korea on Monday, North Korea responded as it always has to these drills, seeing them as a direct threat against it, and vowing to carry the fight to the opposite camp.

A North Korean paper called it an open, all-out provocation against the DPRK, which may lead to a nuclear war any moment.

Whether or not this threat is taken seriously, there is no question that North Koreas nuclear capability cannot be dismissed lightly.

The tension ratcheted up in the Korean peninsula by state actors and the Western media in particular seemed to peak as the isolated country successfully fired an intercontinental ballistic missile less than a week ago. As is its wont, it claimed that the missile could reach the entire mainland of the US.

The ability to acquire at least one of the nuclear triad  land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers and ballistic missile submarines  could well mean that North Korea has pulled it off, and become a legitimate nuclear power.

The rhetoric about fire and fury that emanated from President Trump is just a continuation of long-standing US assertions that the use of force is always an option in resolving the Korean crisis, but North Koreas emergence as a nuclear power means the chance of war has grown less likely than ever, says Tran Viet Thai, Deputy Head of the Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Thai explained the M.A.D (mutually assured destruction) doctrine, saying there has never been a war between nuclear powers in the world as they, and other parties involved, know very well how cataclysmic the consequences of a nuclear showdown can be.

He said its unclear, unidentified nuclear arsenal has probably raised its leverage in dealing with the US as well as its own neighbours, and could prompt adjustments in the way the world views North Korea.

In recent meetings with scholars, I noticed a remarkable change in the Russian part when they started intimating that North Koreas nuclear build-up came from the need to protect itself and not to attack anyone, Thai said.

The WMD excuse for attacking Iraq and other military action on dubious claims against Libya and Syria is likely to give the world pause before it jumps on the allies bandwagon

The US, however, clings to its rhetoric that North Koreas nuclear development is only aimed at blackmailing them, Thai said.

President Trump has slung personal insults at North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his administrations declaration of the country as a "State sponsor of terrorism", imposition of harsher sanctions and repeated calls on other countries to cut economic ties with North Korea show that the US will stay its course.

But the fact remains that North Korea has survived all kinds of sanctions for decades and managed to develop nuclear weapons despite them. The point is as moot as it is fundamental: the approach of the US and the so-called international community has been completely ineffective so far.

The US approach essentially means this: it has to do so to at least keep its image as the biggest power on the global stage and reassure its allies in the region, Japan and South Korea; and it really has no other choice.

The six-party talks, once the only effective channel to have direct contact with North Korea, have not resumed since 2008 despite numerous revival attempts.

In my opinion, the six-party talks have died.

The US is stuck and confused about its strategy, but it is high time for all parties to adjust their policies towards North Korea, Thai said.

North Korea is no longer a country that issues, empty, bellicose threats. It is a country that possesses fearsome nuclear power. Whether the world likes it or not, it has happened and it is impossible to strip the country of its nuclear arsenal, however small or big it may be.

Will the US accept this fact and change its approach accordingly, or will it persist with a failed strategy? Can dialogue and negotiations resume soon, publicly or behind the scenes?

We dont know, but North Korea might have just painted a silver lining to a mushroom cloud.  VNS
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) receives Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Akylbek Kamaldinov yesterday. Photo VGP

HA NOI  Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh highlighted improvements in Viet Nam-Kazakhstan trade ties while receiving Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Akylbek Kamaldinov yesterday.

At the meeting in Ha Noi, Minh noted the progress in bilateral relations in various spheres, from politics, economy and trade, to culture, tourism and security.

Visits by the two countries leaders, with the most recent being an official trip to Kazakhstan by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in October, have created momentum for multifaceted co-operation.

He praised the initial improvements in bilateral trade since the Viet Nam- Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Free Trade Agreement took effect in October 2016. Trade reached US$184 million in the first nine months of 2017, approximating the figure for all of 2016.

The two countries need to devise measures to continue carrying out the trade pact in an effective manner, he said, adding that Viet Nam is ready to act as a bridge for the implementation of a free trade agreement between Kazakhstan and ASEAN. For his part, Deputy Minister Kamaldinov praised Viet Nams socio-economic achievements and congratulated the country on the successful APEC Year 2017.

He asked the two countries to promote their traditional friendship and co-operation to reach the aspirations of the two countries Governments and people.

Earlier, the Kazakh official had a political consultation with Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister ang inh Quy.

The two sides agreed to maintain all-level delegation exchanges and political consultations to boost mutual understanding and bilateral co-operation.

They will coordinate closely and support each other at the United Nations, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and other international forums, particularly amid Kazakhstans non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018.

At the event, the officials also discussed co-operation and security in Asia-Pacific.

They underscored the importance of peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation in the East Sea, peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law and the avoidance of force or threats to use force.

They concurred on the importance of bolstering trade and investment ties and creating favourable conditions for the countries businesses to partner in their fields of strength, such as agriculture, processing, manufacturing, infrastructure building and defence industry.

Today, Deputy Foreign Minister Akylbek Kamaldinov will co-chair the 8th Meeting of the Vietnam-Kazakhstan Intergovernmental Committee for Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Co-operation with the leader of the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade in Ha Noi.VNS
HA NOI  As the flow of goods intensifies in anticipation of increased demand during the Christmas and New Year season, there has also been an uptick in smuggling, authorities say.

According to the Market Surveillance Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the most popular smuggled consumer goods like clothing, footwear, food items, minerals like titanium or iron, and even illegal items such as wild animals or firecrackers.

Prime targets for smuggling are goods whose prices in Viet Nam differ greatly from the prices in other countries, heavily-taxed goods or restricted quota goods like liquor, tobacco, cosmetics and western medicine.

The smuggling of foreign liquor, tobacco and refined sugar in particular has seen a considerable rise recently in the border areas of the central and southwestern regions.

Meanwhile, the smuggling of live animals still occurs on a regular basis, mostly in the northern provinces that border China, like Quang Ninh, Lang Son, and Cao Bang.

Illegal transporting of goods via railway freight is also rampant, according to the agency.

A lot of counterfeit, low-quality products or products that violate intellectual property rights  mostly clothes, electronic devices, and home appliances  are being illegally brought into Viet Nam from other countries.

According to the authorities, smugglers and their agents buy cheap products of questionable origin and quality that imitate well-known branded products, hire lots of people and use simple machines to apply labels before selling them into the mass market.

Quite often, the fake products are sold together with the real ones, making detection difficult.

In the domestic market, the trading of illegal goods, smuggled products or counterfeit products take place most in places of consistent high demand, like the economic centres of Ha Noi, HCM City, ong Nai, and Binh Duong.

Violations on pricing as well as trading in expired products also increase during the year-end holiday season.

Difficult to catch

Those involved in the trade have devised ever more ingenious ways to evade the capture of market watch authorities, the agency said.

The smugglers constantly switch locations and transport illegal goods back and forth between ports. The more relaxed regulations on bonded warehouses  temporary non-tariff storage for goods waiting to be exported to a third country  have also been increasingly taken advantage of to move goods into China: the smugglers would not make customs declarations as usually required of these items, or they just dont re-export these items but slip them outside for domestic market consumption, the Vietnam News Agency reports

Illegal trade in threatened wild animals or their products (as listed under CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), like ivory carefully hidden inside shipments declared as timber from African countries, is also becoming more commonplace, the report cites customs authorities as saying.

According to the National Steering Committee 389  the central authority on fighting smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods, in the last 10 months, 181,000 violation cases have been discovered and handled, a 10 per cent jump compared to the same period last year. Fines of VN19 trillion (US$841,000) have been issued and 2,000 offenders have been punished.

Huge losses

Truong Van Ba, deputy chief of staff of National Steering Committee 289, said that smuggling and illegal trade caused huge losses to government revenues, reaching trillions of ong a year."

The number of cases uncovered, despite being high already, has not yet reflected actual reality, Ba said.

The reasons for this persistent situation are many, including lack of proper regulations, lack of technical standards, lack of a centralised agency with ultimate accountability despite numerous management authorities, and lack of co-ordination between and among localities and sectors.

Pham Quoc Hung, deputy head of HCM City Customs, offered a different take, saying that current fines are no deterrent to repeated offences  the offenders would rather pay the fines, or even go to jail for a short period, and then just continue to earn the tempting big profits.

There are quarter companies, which are established and exists for just a few months, then disappear, their sole purpose is to facilitate smuggling, he told the Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper.  VNS
The 15th Ha Noi Peoples Council opened its fifth session yesterday, in which the council said Ha Noi needed to strengthen urban order and strictly handle violations of construction regulations. VNA/VNS Photo An ang

HA NOI  The 15th Ha Noi Peoples Council opened its fifth session yesterday, in which the council said Ha Noi needed to strengthen urban order and strictly handle violations of construction regulations.

Speaking at the session, vice chairman of the National Assembly Uong Chung Luu praised the citys efforts in recent years. He emphasised that the stability of the citys growth was very important and affected the growth of the whole country.

He suggested the city use more drastic measures to stabilise the macro economy and ensure social security.

In particular, Luu noted the continued tightening of discipline, which would make a clear change in urban management. Ha Noi should strengthen the work of ensuring urban order and strictly handle violations of construction order, traffic safety and public order. Roads and pavements should be cleared, and parking lots should be located properly.

In addition, the city should focus on inspections of shortcomings in the work of fire prevention and fighting, especially in apartment buildings, industrial parks and craft villages.

He also said Ha Noi should properly implement the code of conduct for cadres and civil servants.

At the session, the citys Party Secretary Hoang Trung Hai suggested Ha Noi Peoples Council improve effectiveness and efficiency, intensify law enforcement activities of State agencies and socio-economic organisations in the city in order to promptly detect weaknesses in management and administration.

Peoples committees of all levels, departments and branches should develop programmes and plans to implement the resolutions of the city Peoples Council in the next year, he said.

Over three working days, the Ha Noi Peoples Council will discuss various important issues such as socio-economics, the budget, corruption fighting and national defence and security in the last months of 2017. Other issues related to judicial work and settling complaints and denunciations of citizens will also be discussed.

Representatives of the citys Peoples Council will also spend a day re-questioning the implementation of the conclusions at the previous session. This is considered an opportunity to evaluate changes in performance of the municipal Peoples Committee and agencies.

HCM City

Also yesterday, HCM City Peoples Council convened its sixth session, reviewing the citys socio-economic performance in 2017, outlining tasks for 2018 and reporting on the councils supervision of laws on urban planning, among others.

In her opening speech, Chairwoman of the municipal Peoples Council Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam said the city enjoyed higher economic growth than last year, while progress was seen in urban planning and landscaping.

She also admitted shortcomings in administrative reform, flooding, traffic jams, child abuse and delayed settlement of complaints.

The implementation of the National Assemblys Resolution No 54 on piloting special mechanisms and policies for the citys development will be high on the agenda, she said.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan lauded the citys major accomplishments, including the issuance of a scheme on building HCM City into a smart city and a decision on the process of dealing with complaints involving individuals and collectives with political and moral degradation.

He described 2018 as a key year to realise the citys five-year plan and the first year to implement the Politburos Conclusion No 21 and the NAs Resolution No 54 for rapid and sustainable development. Nhan asked the municipal Peoples Council to work closely with the municipal Peoples Committee in making decisions regarding special mechanisms and policies.

According to the municipal Peoples Committee, local economic growth is expected to hit 8.25 per cent this year while revenue to the State budget will near VN348 trillion (US$15.46 billion), or 100.03 per cent of the estimate.

The city has recorded 41,217 newly-established businesses with total registered capital of VN577.36 trillion this year, up 13.4 per cent in volume and 92.4 per cent in value. - VNS
The Government will focus on boosting economic development and ensuring social welfare, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told voters in Kien An Ward in northern Hai Phong City yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo Thong Nhat

HAI PHONG  The Government will focus on boosting economic development and ensuring social welfare, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told voters in Kien An Ward in northern Hai Phong City yesterday.

The PM briefed the voters on Viet Nams socio-economic achievements so far this year. Exports expanded by 21 per cent above the planned figure to over US$200 billion. The country has a trade surplus of $2.8 billion, along with over $47 billion in foreign currency reserves in the first 11 months of 2017.

He also noted that more than 120,000 new firms have been set up, while Viet Nam has attracted over $33 billion in foreign direct investment this year for the first time. Meanwhile, the number of poor households has been reduced significantly and defence and security have been ensured, he said. The APEC Economic Leaders Week 2017 and related meetings were held successfully, he added.

Voter Hoang inh Chien asked the PM to describe the Governments management in 2018 to ensure sustainable growth and complete the 2015-2020 plan.

PM Phuc said that in the coming time, along with overcoming the consequences of disaster and ensuring national security, the Government will also work hard to improve social security and welfare. At the same time, the Government will apply drastic measures to combat corruption and wastefulness.

Answering voter inh ang Hung on solutions to develop high technology agriculture, the PM said that the cabinet will continue gathering voters opinions on the adjustments to the Law on Land, thus facilitating the development of hi-tech agriculture on a large scale.

Meanwhile, voter Nguyen uc Hanh showed interest in the Party and States policy in protecting sovereignty over seas and islands and cooperation in exploiting maritime resources.

The Government leader stressed said that Viet Nam resolutely safeguards national sovereignty over seas and islands in line with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982.Viet Nam will continue using peaceful measures and negotiations combined with protest to protect this sovereignty, he stated.

Recalling the EUs issuance of a yellow card to Vietnamese seafood, the PM said he hopes fishermen will abide by international law in fishing activities. He asked Hai Phong locals to take the pioneering role in the work.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue met voters in central Ha Tinh Provinces uc Tho District.

Hue praised achievements made by people and authorities of the district, particularly in building new style rural areas.

Regarding the construction of safe water projects in rural areas, Hue said the Government had a plan to provide preferential policies in terms of land lease to lure investors in building safe water supply stations at a low cost. He instructed social policy banks to provide businesses with low-interest loans to implement these projects.

In order to help promote sustainable agricultural development and ensure incomes for local people, the Government would organise models of production linkage in co-operation with businesses and adjust policies on agricultural insurance, he said.

At the meeting, local voters voiced their concerns about infrastructure damage from natural disasters, hampered peoples daily activities. They also said illegal sand exploitation along La River has affected the environment and harmed local agricultural production.

The deputy PM said he would entrust relevant Government agencies or local authorities to address these concerns.  VNS
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered the temporary postponement of fee collection at the Cai Lay Build-Operation-Transfer (BOT) toll station in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang for one to two months at a meeting held yesterday in Ha Noi. VNA/VNS Photo Nam Thai

HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered the temporary postponement of fee collection at the Cai Lay Build-Operation-Transfer (BOT) toll station in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang for one to two months at a meeting held yesterday in Ha Noi.

The meeting was held between the PM and leaders of the Ministry of Transport (MoT) and relevant ministries, agencies and authorities of Tien Giang Province following drivers recent protest against the toll booths high fees and inappropriate location.

PM Phuc said fee collection at the toll will be suspended so relevant ministries and agencies have time to solve the ongoing problems at the booth.

He affirmed that the policy to build transport infrastructure using the BOT model was appropriate and needed to be continued to build a modern transport infrastructure system.

The PM asked ministries and agencies to review the fee levels and location of BOT toll booths to ensure the interests of citizens while contributing to promoting BOT projects and to not let any economic issue turn into social disorder.

He also instructed the transport ministry to review the investment mechanism for BOT projects and promote the application of automatic fee collection.

After the Government decides the final plan for the Cai Lay toll booth, it will be publicly announced, according to the PM.

He said decisions had been taken in line with laws and procedures that failed to meet reality and peoples needs, urging authorities to listen and fix the problems.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said the Cai Lay bypass was one among 88 transport routes built under the BOT model. These projects were built following Party and Government resolutions on mobilising social resources to modernise transport infrastructure.

Inspectors from the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Sate Audit had already inspected and audited the project and inspectors from the transport ministry are inspecting the project following guidance from the PM, The said. Any violations detected after inspection will be strictly punished, he said.

Drivers used small currency notes to buy tickets at the toll as a protest against the high fees after the booth reopened last Thursday after fee collection had been halted for three months, causing traffic jams for hours.

By yesterday afternoon, nearly 100 hours since fee collection was resumed, the toll booth had to open its gates freely for vehicles to pass through due to the protests.

Although it started collecting fees from August 1, the toll station was temporarily suspended from operation from August 14 because of strong opposition from drivers.

They complained about the high fees, from VN35,000 ($1.5) to VN180,000 ($7.8) and the toll stations inappropriate location.

The booth is on National Highway No 1, however, it collects fees for a 12-km bypass of Cai Lay Town while some drivers only travel on the highway, not the bypass.

Vice Chairman of the Peoples Committee of Tien Giang Province, Pham Anh Tuan, told VnExpress online newspaper yesterday that the province took some responsibility for the incident at the toll booth.

The province previously had proposed investment in the Cai Lay bypass from the State budget but then it was invested under BOT due to limited State fund, he said. No one could foresee such an incident and the province should take part of the responsibility for this, he said.

Experts recommend booth removal

To alleviate the dispute over Cai Lay BOT toll station, comprehensive solutions are needed that focus on relocating the booths, experts have suggested.

Economist Vu inh Anh told Thanh nien (Young People) newspaper that the problems stem from the inappropriate location of Cai Lay toll station.

The adjustment of fees, which has been attempted by the transport ministry and investors to address the issue, is not a workable solution. Because of the toll booths inappropriate location, they have to move it, Anh said.

Agreeing with the idea, National Assembly (NA) deputy Tran Quang Chieu told Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper that it was possible to move Cai Lay toll station to the bypass.

Since drivers have already paid for the road maintenance fund annually, the Government has to allocate VN300 billion (US$13 million) to refund the investment to improve the quality of a 26.4-km section of National Highway No 1, he added.

On the 12-km bypass of Cai Lay Town, he recommended that the MoT, Tien Giang Province Peoples Committee and investors collaborate to consider alternatives, including prolonging the payback period and restricting time frames for heavy vehicles to travel on National Highway No 1.

Additionally, according to Anh, to guarantee the rights of investors, the project financial blueprint has to be re-calculated based on the new location, traffic influx and payback period. Therefore, it is essential to change most contract contents.  VNS
BA RIA-VUNG TAU  The Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) of Region III rescued two fishermen on a sinking ship offshore Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province on December 4.

At around 7pm, the MRCC received notification from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Coast Guard that a ship carrying six fishermen had sunk around two nautical miles away from the Vung Tau Cape.

The MRCC worked with the Maritime Administration of Vung Tau to send rescue boats to the scene. At 9pm, two fishermen, Truong Minh Trong, 41, and Nguyen Thanh ong, 39, were found and rescued.

The fishermen said that for some reason the ships hull was breached, causing it to sink quickly, and that there had also been a power outage. The survivors said they had no idea what happened to the other fishermen.

The authorities are still searching for the four missing fishermen.  VNS
HA NOI  The Viet Nam Embassy in Russia is appealing for help for Vietnamese victims of the fire that occurred last Saturday at the Mir shopping centre on the Avenue of Victory, Orenburg City, Russia, also known as the mall of Vietnamese.

The fire destroyed the entire 4,300sq.m shopping centre. No casualties were reported, however, the fire resulted in huge loss property, estimated at dozens of millions of rubles (US$1 is nearly 60 rubles). Several Vietnamese were facing serious financial trouble following the fire.

Further, the fire occurred at the time when small traders use their capital to buy goods to serve an increase in demands for the new year, so the losses were higher.

To share the burden, Viet Nam Ambassador in Russia Nguyen Thanh Son on Monday called for the Vietnamese community in Russia to help the small traders overcome this difficult situation.

The embassy also asked the consulate office to prepare for supporting the victims.

On Monday, the embassy collected 200,000 rubles ($3,400) from donors.

Orenburg City, some 1,500km southeast of Moscow, has some 300 Vietnamese doing business, mostly in the mall of Vietnamese, according to a Vietnamese national living in the city.  VNS
HA NOI  Building smart cities is the main and priority orientation in the Vietnamese Governments development strategy.

This was what experts agreed to at the Viet Nam-France Smart City seminar held on Tuesday in Ha Noi by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) in coordination with the Embassy of France in Viet Nam.

The event was focusing on closer co-operation between France and Viet Nam in the information technology sector based on the memorandum paper signed by the two countries last year.

The experts said that looking to the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, Viet Nam has been developing information technology infrastructure and services to develop the countrys economy so that it can catch up with the region and the world.

The MIC is expanding the plan of setting up an electronic Government in the period of 2016-20, with focus on building a digital system. The ministry is also improving international co-operation to learn from experiences of other countries and then implementing a smart city model which is suitable to Viet Nam.

Phan Thao Nguyen, director of the International Cooperation Department under the MIC, said that since last year, provinces and cities across the country, such as Ha Noi, a Nang, Thua Thien-Hue, Lam ong and HCM City, have approved and conducted smart city projects.

Building a smart city was a good measure to implement targets of developing the socio-economy in the medium and long term.

French Ambassador to Viet Nam Bertrand Lortholary said that by 2020, two thirds of the Vietnamese population would live in urban areas instead of one third like present. Thus the country should change the way it is managing urban areas to make it more effective and suitable with the times.

Viet Nams problems were ones that France had experienced, so France would share its experiences and lessons, he said.

At the seminar, different French enterprises and organisations introduced technological measures emulating a three-dimension technology, which could be applied in transport, infrastructure and urban plans. The technology has been applied effectively in France.  VNS
HAVANA  Tens of thousands of Cubans held up portraits of Fidel Castro and waved flags as they marched to the revolutionary leaders tomb on Monday to mark a year since his funeral.

State television said 250,000 schoolchildren, students and workers  many of them chanting "I am Fidel" -- marched from the center of Santiago de Cuba to the eastern citys Santa Ifigenia cemetery where Castros ashes are interred.

In a ceremony earlier on Monday, President Raul Castro, accompanied by vice president and likely successor Miguel Diaz-Canel, laid a single white rose in front of the white granite boulder of his tomb.

The ceremonies wrapped up nine days of sober commemoration of the first anniversary of Castros death.

His death aged 90 on November 25 last year was followed by nine days of national mourning during which his ashes passed through the country as millions of Cubans lined the roads.  AFP
RUDD -- An Anamosa man died from injuries after a transit bus collided with a Jeep last Thursday on the Avenue of the Saints near Rudd.

Troopers identified the driver of the 2015 Jeep as Eugene Schipper, 76, of Anamosa.

The accident occurred after 1:30 p.m. when the bus headed northbound on Glass Avenue collided with a westbound car on U.S. Highway 18, according to Iowa State Patrol.

According to the crash report, the Cerro Gordo County transit bus, driven by Mark Helmers, was crossing Highway 18 and failed to yield to the right of way Jeep.

Schipper was transported by Nora Springs Ambulance to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa.

The bus was carrying two passengers. Passenger Shannon Nissen, 56, was injured and transported.

The accident remains under investigation.

Floyd County Sheriff's Office, Rudd Fire Department, Nora Springs Fire and Ambulance and AMR Ambulance assisted at the scene.
WATERLOO  One person was shot and wounded during an early morning burglary in Waterloo.

According to police, two people broke into an apartment at 412 1/2 Thompson St. around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday and shot 25-year-old Devontae Leque Sawyers.

Sawyers apparently fled to 205 Argyle St. where he was picked up by paramedics with Waterloo Fire Rescue and taken to a local hospital, police said. He has since been transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

Police said Sawyers was shot once in the leg, and his injuries arent considered life threatening.

This is the fourth person to be injured by gunfire in the past three days.

On Sunday morning, Daeshon Wright, 18, and a 17-year-old male were shot in the 800 block of Beech Street. Their injuries werent life threatening. Then on Sunday night, Juanrez Jefferson, 21, was shot multiple times outside the 100 block of Western Avenue. He was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and was in critical condition as of Monday.

No arrest have been made in the shootings.
CEDAR FALLS  Fireworks proponents who hoped a soon-to-be-seated City Council member might tip the scales in their favor in January may be sorely mistaken.

Council members voted 4-3 Monday night to pass the third and final reading of an ordinance banning the discharge of fireworks in the city.

Fireworks proponent John Sheehan, who lives in Cedar Falls and ran a fireworks operation in Waterloo this year, appeared before the Cedar Falls council to argue against the ban, unsuccessfully.

After the meeting, he suggested one of the council members supporting the ban, John Runchey, leaves office at the end of the year, having been defeated by financial planner and landlord advocate Daryl Kruse.

Ive asked the council for this to be reconsidered in the spring, Sheehan said after the meeting.

Kruse, contacted after Mondays council meeting, indicated Sheehan may get the same answer after Jan. 1.

No, Im not in favor at all of shooting them off, Kruse said. You can shoot something 2,000, 3,000 feet in the air and it falls on someones roof. Theres not enough room for it in Cedar Falls.

Kruse said he wants to talk with Public Safety Director Jeff Olson on the enforceability of a ban. But generally, Kruse said, Im in favor of a ban. He also suggested the city should have a controlled fireworks display by licensed pyrotechnics experts instead.

Sheehan argued fireworks enterprises bring business to the city and the incidence of reported violations  about 60  were a small percentage of the total population of the city. He also said there were no fires and no reported injuries. He said fireworks sales benefit the city in sales tax revenues, provide rent to property owners and income for the people who sold them.

Sheehan said he ran a fireworks operation under contact but said his supplier will not resupply the operation if they cant be discharged.

This decision takes money out of the state and city coffers. It takes money away from people who are managing the sales sites, Sheehan said. Theres no objective evidence the majority want a ban.

Staff had voted for a total ban over Olsons recommendation for a limited discharge period.

Steve Ephraim, a resident of the El Dorado Heights neighborhood, urged the council to hold firm on the ban, noting a military veteran spoke at a past meeting of temporarily leaving his neighborhood, traumatized by fireworks.

I would ask you to consider this, that even for the rights of one to maintain a stress-free life, please consider moving forward with what youve been doing, he said. Other veterans have supported discharging fireworks and said people should be allowed to celebrate the nations birthday with them.

Council members Runchey, Dave Wieland, Mark Miller and Frank Darrah voted for the ban. Council members Nick Taiber, Susan deBuhr and Tom Blanford voted against it.

Mayor Jim Brown noted the matter can come back if a council member refers it back for discussion.

A new state law permitted the sale and discharge of fireworks for the first time in 80 years. Cities can regulate their discharge but not their sale.
Dear council members,

I am writing to express my opposition to the proposed closure of runway 6-24. First of all, let me give you a little education. The Waterloo Airport was built and opened for public use in May 1947. It was built with the three runways. We are the only airport in the State of Iowa with three runways, and it is truly an asset. Our airport is the finest facility of its kind in the state. Our runways are as long as any Cedar Rapids, Des Moines or that in Dubuque. None of these other facilities even comes close to the Waterloo Airport as far as capabilities for safety or the ease of landing an airplane. Our three runways are as follows: Runway 36-18, 12-30 and 6-24. Each one of these numbers represents a heading on a compass.

Now I hear of the proposal to eliminate runway 6-24. This suggestion is not only ill advised for safety reasons, it would be a detriment to our community as well as for our future economic development potential. Each one of you has said Waterloo needs more development. You all have talked about how you want the Waterloo Airport to thrive and to potentially bring more traffic here and to be utilized more. Yet I sit in Airport Commission meeting after meeting where the director of the airport has to scrape to get money from the city or anywhere to pave a parking lot, and the city seems to take the attitude the airport should be self sufficient, and yet nothing else within the city is.

You as a council will give millions of dollars to organizations or to projects that do little or nothing to bring value to the community as a whole. Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you this airport is the highway in the sky to our future. Business comes to our community by air, and when they come here the first thing they see is our airport. We should play to the strength we possess, which is the general aviation business here in Waterloo.

I know it has been said, Well we dont use runway 6-24 anymore. Why? The FAA isnt funding the repair of the runway. Why? Pilots dont use it and dont want to use it. I am here to tell you nothing could be further from the truth. We as pilots use it every time we need to and every time the wind dictates that heading (060 or 240) for the safest landing possible. I have had people say, With runway (18-36) and (12-30) we can handle most any landing. I say to the ones that say that, its not their backside in the sky trying to land safely with their family or friends on board.

I would urge you not to close this runway. Whatever preserved benefit there would be from closing it would pale in comparison to the detriment it would cause our community. I would encourage you to find the funding to resurface and or maintain this infrastructure. It has been bought and paid for by the FAA many years ago and all we have to do is maintain it. It would be a disservice to our community and to the safety of our pilots to close this runway.
Some political moments are like an X-ray  revealing down to the bone.

Here were Senate Republicans, poised for their first (and only) real legislative victory of the year. Tax overhaul, they knew, would be their main shot at shaping public perceptions of the GOP in the Trump era. The bill they were in the process of passing was utterly typical of Republican economic thinking  large tax reductions for corporations, broad income-tax relief for individuals and an increase in the child tax credit (deductible against income taxes). None of this surprising in the least.

Which was a problem. Insofar as blue-collar voters in places such as Pennsylvania and Ohio delivered unified Republican government, you would think their economic needs and struggles might find some central, or at least symbolic, place in the Republican agenda. So when Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., proposed an amendment to make the child credit fully deductible against payroll taxes (which are the taxes actually paid by the working poor), it was clearly good policy and good politics.

The measure ended up getting only 20 Republican votes and was defeated 71-29.

How is this for symbolism: In their tax bill, Senate Republicans gave a break to private jet owners but refused to increase the corporate rate by 0.94 percentage points to cover the cost of helping an estimated 12 million working-class families. The 20 percent corporate rate, Rubio and Lee were told, was sacrosanct, nonnegotiable  until the day after the vote, when President Trump conceded it may need to rise anyway. What drives many elected Republicans to embody every destructive, plutocratic stereotype? Do they really need to wear spats and a top hat every time they appear in public?

A good case can be made for reducing the corporate tax rate below the 24 percent global average, making America a more competitive place to do business. And it is true, in a progressive tax system, broad tax cuts will go disproportionately to people who pay a lot of taxes in the first place. But Senate Republicans were presented with a clear and conservative way to both seem and be more favorable to working-class families. And they rejected it decisively.

It was foolish of Senate Republican leaders not to see the obvious political benefit of this change to a bill that is unpopular. It was offensive that most Senate Democrats voted against the amendment on the crassly partisan theory nothing they oppose should be improved. It is even a bit disappointing Lee and Rubio did not threaten to blow up the tax bill  any two Republican senators plus Bob Corker, R-Tenn., an announced no, could have done so  in order to get their amendment included.

It is true enough many liberals would only be happy with tax-code changes that are frankly redistributionist  designed to decrease inequality, even if overall economic growth were undermined. They think of the tax code as one way of addressing a structural injustice  the injustice of modern capitalism, which favors wealth over wages.

In contrast, compassionate conservatives (the few of us who remain) view healthy, sustained economic growth as a moral achievement  justly rewarding effort and enterprise and allowing society to be more generous to those in genuine need. (What poor and stagnant nation would undertake Medicaid or the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief?) But this is different than saying economic freedom is always identical to the common good. Particularly in an increasingly high-skill economy, it requires positive effort to (1) train as many people as possible for economic participation, (2) ensure lower skill work can still result in a dignified life (through measures such as the earned income tax credit), (3) encourage the stability of families (through, for example, the child credit) and (4) increase the scale of private and religious efforts to meet societys desperate human needs (addiction, homelessness, etc.).

The goal of a compassionate conservatism is not economic leveling but social solidarity  an economic system that allows everyone to live lives of dignity. On the best historical and economic evidence, this is achieved through a mixed economy  allowing the freedom to create wealth, but depending on government and civil society to humanize an wimperfect human system (as all human systems are imperfect).

The balance here is not always easy to determine. But most elected Republicans dont seem moved or motivated by either equality or solidarity  at least if the damning defeat of Lee-Rubio is any indication.

Michael Gersons email address is michaelgerson@washpost.com.
US 60 open after Salem fire, but may be icy
Advertisement

By The Associated Press

Dec. 04, 2017 | WASHINGTON, DC

By The Associated Press Dec. 04, 2017 | 05:46 AM | WASHINGTON, DC

President Donald Trump fired off a series of weekend tweets taking aim at targets old and new.



He criticized the FBI and raised questions about the special prosecutor's investigation into Russian election meddling and possible ties to his campaign.



The Twitter storm containing more than a dozen tweets Saturday and Sunday came after Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. In one his messages, Trump again denied that he directed FBI Director James Comey to stop investigating Flynn.



Trump also questioned the FBI's direction and wrote that after Comey, whom he fired in May, the FBI's reputation is "in Tatters  worst in History!"



The president also retweeted a post saying new FBI Director Chris Wray "needs to clean house."
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Community members are requesting an investigation into the murder as well as further security measures.

The death of another Colombian social leader, Luis Alfonso Giraldo, in the village of La Carmelita, Puerto Asis in the department of Putumayo was reported early this morning by friends of the deceased.

Preliminary reports say the community leader was attacked by a group of hooded men. Another social leader was also approached by the group, though no attack has been reported.

Due to the formation of the Territorial Space for Training and Reincorporation in Carmelita of former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia troops from several fronts in the area, the presence of police, military and paramilitary forces has grown. With the murder of another Colombian activist, the number of social leaders assassinated since 2016 nears 200.

Community members are requesting an investigation into the murder as well as further security measures be taken by authorities to ensure the safety of the regions social leaders.

In the southwestern province of Narino, Colombian authorities continue investigations into the massacre of 13 people. The incident occurred in one of Colombia's largest coca-growing region.

As violence continues to grow, hope for state intervention wains after last weeks congressional session saw Colombian senators fail to pass the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, which is considered by many to be the cornerstone of the countrys peace process.
Dec 5, 2017 | By Tess

Todays 3D printing roundup has some pretty fun news, especially for people in Beijing and the UK. First, well look at a miniature 3D printed model of the famous Forbidden City Palace in China, and then move on to 3D printed selfie candies in the UK for the holidays, and a new 3D printed luxury design shop in London.

Chinas Forbidden City Palace Museum is shrunk down in impeccable 3D printed model

The Forbidden Citys Palace Museum in China unveiled a 3D printed miniature model of the National Palace last week at an international forum. The event, called Culture + Science and Technology focused on the theme of Traditional Culture x Future Imagination.

And what better way to combine traditional culture with futuristic technologies than to 3D print a model of Chinas famous National Palace?

The 3D printed model, which captures both the graceful structure and colors of the palace, is currently being displayed at the Palace Museum in Beijings Forbidden City as part of an ongoing exhibition on digital culture and art. The exhibition itself brings together pieces that interpret and reimagine classical culture through digital forms.

The Forbidden City Palace has been a museum since 1925, but historically it served as the home for emperors from Chinas Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty (from 1420 to 1912). The impressive architecture of the Forbidden City is notable for its bright red facades and its traditional Chinese palatial design.

UK shoppers can give the gift of 3D printed candy selfies this Christmas

One of our favorite candy 3D printing companies is stepping up its game for the holiday season. Katjes, the Germany-based brand, has announced that it has dispatched its Magic Candy Factory (a specialized 3D printer for sweets) to seven stores across the UK for the pre-Christmas season.

More than just offering clients the ability to 3D print customized candies, however, Katjes has also installed cameras with each of its Magic Candy Factory systems which will allow customers to 3D print candy selfies!

The 3D printed selfie candies come in a variety of flavours and are made from vegetable-based ingredients and natural fruit flavours, meaning they are even safe for vegans. The candies, which will be produced at seven John Lewis locations in England, can reportedly be 3D printed in less than 5 minutes.

"Weve seen an increase in demand for personalized gifts and have increased our products and services to match, commented Dan Cooper, head of Christmas at John Lewis. Katjes Magic Candy Factory offers the chance to create a truly personal gift on Christmas Day.

Melissa Snover, the managing director at Katjes Magic Candy Factory, added: Weve created a product which merges the nations love for technology and candy, and were extremely excited to partner with John Lewis for Christmasit allows our customers to see first-hand how we create our unique 3D sweets.

In addition to personalized gummy treats, the pop-up Magic Candy Factory 3D printers will also be turning out customized (edible) Christmas cards, ornaments, and more. At the John Lewis in Cambridge, the candy 3D printing promotion will be running until December 23rd.

Bottletop, AI Build open 3D printed retail shop on Londons Regent Street

In other exciting retail-related 3D printing news, the city of London is set to receive its first ever 3D printed store courtesy of a collaboration between tech firm AI Build and luxury fashion brand Bottletop. The store, which is scheduled to open tonight (December 5, 2017) is entirely decorated and furnished with pieces 3D printed from recycled materials.

The retail space was designed by the Krause Architects firm and all 3D printed elements were manufactured using AI Builds proprietary robotic 3D printing technology. The parts were assembled and installed with the help of KUKAs 6-axis industrial robots and were all 3D printed using REFLOWs recycled filament.

Bottletop Co-Founder Oliver Wayman commented on the high-tech decor, saying: For the first time, visitors to our store will be able to witness the sustainable use of this technology first hand while shopping the Bottletop collection and learning about the mission of the brand.

Started in 2002, Bottletop has become known for its sustainable approach to fashion products. Notably, the brand released the first luxury handbag to be released commercially that was made from up-cycled materials.

This project is a demonstration of how cutting-edge technology can be the solution for some of the most challenging problems of humanity like environmental pollution, stated Daghan Cam, AI BUILDs Co-Founder and CEO. We are very proud to be working with likeminded partners to turn plastic waste into a luxurious construction by using robotics and artificial intelligence.

Interested shoppers will be able to find the innovative 3D printed shop on Regent Street (#84), and will have the chance to see and even interact with KUKAs newest LBR iiwa robot. The exclusive opening event for the store will be hosted by Carmen Busquets, Naomi Campbell, Mira Duma and other big names from the fashion and tech industries.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Dec 5, 2017 | By Julia

As professionals and students across the medical field increasingly turn to 3D printers for more advanced, true-to-life training, the production of accurate silicone models has become integral. 3D printed bones, organs, and other body parts are key for preparing doctors for complex surgical procedures, as well as providing an important step in surgical students education. In these high-stakes contexts, precision and verisimilitude of the models are of utmost importance, contributing in large part to the rise of 3D printed silicone, a material which can mimic the human anatomy relatively closely.



Now, one 3D printing solutions company is looking to take another step forward in the growing market of 3D printed silicone models. You may remember San Draw for its FAM 3D printing system, an innovative new platform first released last year. FAM, which stands for Full-color, Adjustable hardness, Multi-material 3D printing, is the brainchild of Stanford University graduates Gary Chang and Michael Lu. As an advanced additive manufacturing system designed to create true-to-life multi-color silicone models, FAM has so far proved quite lucrative, with clients that include top Taiwanese hospitals National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Far Eastern Memorial Hospital.

an infant airway trainer

Following the success of FAM, San Draw has unveiled several key upgrades to their 3D printing system, announced just last week. First up is a new solution engineered for 3D printing silicone airways, one of the companys most popular medical models. As told to 3Ders by company co-founder Michael Lu, the idea first presented itself during San Draws sales managers hospital visits. Our sales manager Jim did his regular sales visits to hospitals, Lu said, when many simulation specialists asked him to customize the airway for their intubation trainer or airway management trainer (AMT).

The request was born out of two commonly seen problems with AMTs: a lack of user-friendliness and anatomic accuracy in airway designs, compounded by larger manufacturers being unable to offer custom product optimization. Additionally, when the airway portion of the AMT is out of production, clients are typically unable to extend the life of their overall AMT system.



a 3D printed silicone adult airway

San Draws solution takes these problems as its starting point, said Lu. We design the CAD file from scratch to meet customers' requirements, and manufacture it with our FAM silicone 3D printer, he explainedl This bespoke process helps San Draws clients achieve more realistic, user-friendly, durable, and affordable airways, Lu added.

Secondly, the startup has made some serious upgrades to their FAM silicone 3D printer, which Lu outlined in detail to 3Ders. Among those improvements are a reduced layer thickness  down from 0.2mm to 0.05mm  as well as the development of a multi-nozzle printhead compatible with solvable support material. Lu also highlighted San Draws development of a unique post-processing system, which he said further smooths product surfaces.

Below are the photos for a custom earplug with 0.05mm layer thickness, printed with solvable support material.

custom silicone earplug with 0.05mm layer thickness

Posted in 3D Printer

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Sound bites from some of the Bay Area's best upcoming musicians.

The music scene is on its head. What used to be a select few radio stations dishing out the latest and greatest new music from a handful of big league record labels, has transformed into a world of DIY creatives writing music in their bedrooms, and getting their big breaks on Youtube, Spotify, or playing behind your favorite episode of West World. Here are seven hand-picked independent artists from around the Bay Area that are doing something truly unique.

Jay Som

Malina Duerte, aka, Jay Som reels you in to her world. Her bedroom pop numbers permeate your being with her profound sense of hope; but despite how strongly her music resonates, her songs are not forceful, but rather inviting and organic. Every sound comes from herthe writing, recording, playing and producing. Unsurprisingly, the songstress' 2017 album Everybody Works earned her the #1 spot on Pitchfork's "Best New Music" list with a notable 8.6 rating. Playing every instrument on her recordings, Som displays a large range of sonic delightspsychedelic synthesizers, hard-hitting and raw guitars, dry and layered vocals that vary from innocent, sanguine and haunting depending on her mood and subject matter. Her tunes sway with movements and motifs; reminiscent of times passednostalgic as the sensation of watching a montage of VHS scenes before you were born, or viewing childhood sepia-toned photos through an old look-in slide viewer. There's an intimacy and quirkiness that's hard not to love; an ice breaker that invites you into her world. Inhale, hold, and release. She spans multiple influences and styles, yet there's a distinct connection that ties each ballad togetherSom's space.









Trails and Ways

There's a certain feeling when you reach the top of a mountainthe end of a long journey that has brought you exactly where you need to be. The fog clears to reveal a lush landscape with a blanket of steaming mist hovering over the sea and a vibrant, apricot sunset urges you to leap. The sounds of Oakland-based Trails and Ways inspire, and are evocative of living in a daydream. They captivate with dance-heavy drums and percussion; and repetitive, pop-catchy guitar leads that are mantric and circular in nature. Saccharine, Local Natives-inspired vocals are delivered with a softness, while female and male counterparts offer an inviting balance. They could easily fit into the indie-rock category, but there's a world music element that is ever present. At that, the group is well-travelled and openly politically democratic. Just last month they played at The Fight For Medicare For All, an event procured to shed light on issues with the current healthcare system; and before they made their way to Mexico to rally support for food and housing for a small town hit by the earthquake. // hiketrailsandways.com









Astronauts, etc.



If Astronauts, etc. sounds familiar, it's because you've likely heard the sounds of frontman Anthony Ferraro, who cut his teeth touring as the keyboardist for Bay Area's own Toro y Moi. With piano and keyboard-driven songs and sensual vocal harmonies, the group presents intelligent songwriting through and through. Recollective of Steely Dan production, Astronauts, etc. writes with precision, but with just enough room to stretch out and breathe. The vocals call to mind sounds of The Whitest Boy Alive with a similar dry, coffeehouse vibe fused with Beach Boy-esque melodies and sonic motifs. Tasteful and simple guitar leads are arresting with a soothing locomotion and elegance; entirely devoid of abrasion or pretense. // hitcityusa.com/astronautsetc









Manics



Hard-hitting electronic drops make up the primal, dance-inducing sounds of San Francisco's Manics. If there's any music that is going to make you want to flail around in a club, this will be it. Their hefty waves of energy are procured from heavy drums and percussion redolent of LCD Soundsystem, and massive bass, both monstrous and gritty. The duo's songs are teeming with vocal samples, utilized as rhythmic sequences and drop-queuingas recognized in older Skrillex songs. A dynamic brew of 80s bass-heavy grooves and old school drum machines that are part deep house, part nu-disco, Manics will leave you with dual sensations. At times you'll be floating on a cloud, while other instances will propel you into careening through space, plummeting to earth, but enjoying every minute of it. // popgangrecords.com/manics









Hazel English



Oakland's Hazel English presents deeply intimate dream-pop, evocative of lazy afternoons in bed with the warm glow of the sun flooding the room. Brimming with 80's synths, vocals that swell, surfy bell-tone guitars, and gated-reverb drums, her music radiates ethereal vibes. There's a developing nature to her tunes, mnemonic of the the melodious atmosphere created by the War on Drugs. English's tracks maintain a sonic quality and vintage sheen, embodying the sound of older tape recordings that the Beatles displayedwhere vocal harmonies and sounds melt together. Separate sounds fuse together to create new timbral characteristics, a life of its own; new DNA if you will. That analog nature is ever present in English's sound, liberating listeners from judgement or concern. // hazelenglish.com





Caleborate

Hailing from South Sacramento, but now a resident of Berkeley, Caleborate blends beats and verses together that are certified fresh. He performed at this year's Heiro Day, and has shared bills with Kehlani and collaborated on tracks with G-Eazy. In a world of hip-hop currently king-pinned by the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper, Caleborate brings a flow and ardor to his craft that places him in a similar regard. The tracks are filled with electric piano, ducking synths, funky and cascading bass lines, and older hip-hop groovestwo parts Pete Rock, one part Kanye. His voice and flow brings an on-top-of-the-world feel, with the energy of LA's Vince Staples, yet remains distinctly Bay Area. He hits hard on topics of gentrification in the East Bay, and being broken and ambitious in San Pablo. There's an organic feel to his recordings, constantly pausing to take a quick phone call, coughing and saying that he messed up the last verse, or statingbefore starting the songthat he thinks he could record the whole song in one take. It's these kind of minute details that exude a certain level of acquaintance and make you feel like you're casually sitting in the room with him. It embodies breaking the fourth wall in a film, providing insight into his inner workings and the man behind the curtain. // caleborate.co









The Seshen embodies empowerment through spiritual grounding and inward exploration. With Lalin St. Juste and Akiyoshi Ehara at the helm, the band has a rich list of notable shows, supporting the likes of Hiatus Kiayote, Tune-yards, Thundercat, Petite Noir and more. They've also recently signed with the booking agency 13 Artists (who also works with Tame Impala and Alabama Shakes). The six-piece shares strong vocal connections to the likes of Little Dragon and Erykah Badu, with the musical complexities of Tune-Yards and Hiatus Kaiyote. The band defies categorization, and pulls inspiration from music all across the spectrum, spanning hip-hop, indie-rock, R&B;, and electronica. With infectious grooves and percussion, bass lines that pull you in and toss you around, and dilating climaxes that continue to blossom beyond the initial crescendo, The Seshen is undoubtedly one of the strongest bands currently permeating the Bay Area. // theseshen.com
Mark your calendar for these art exhibits, performances and more.

Sacred Geometry (Courtesy of Paz de la Calzada)

What: Alhambra S.R.O



When: Dec 7, 2017 through Feb 1, 2018

Where: Ramon's Tailor Gallery, 628 Jones St. (TenderNob)

Why: This exhibition is an homage to Arabic and Andalusian art and aesthetic traditions. Inspired by the landmark Alhambra Apartments in the Tenderloin, local visual artist, Paz De la Calzada, originally from Southern Spain, designed a site-specific installation that celebrates the union of these two cultures. The gallery walls hold a geometric pattern found in the Alhambra Palace in Spain. Made from hand-cut pieces of recycled carpet from a hotel in Tenderloin, the pattern repeats through the gallery, reminiscent of arabic tiles. During the opening, people will be able to taste pastries made by the artist in collaboration with chef Tomas Marconi and the muslim community; the recipe will be influenced by Yemeni and Arabic-Andalusi flavor. // ramonstailor.com





Self-portrait by Sam Breach

What: 12th Annual Jingletown Winter Art Walk/ Open Studios



When: 6pm to 9pm, Dec 8th

Where: Multiple galleries

Why: The 2nd Friday receptions highlight the work of Jingletown artists, an arts district located between Park and Fruitvale Streets. A range of galleries and art studios will open their doors for visitors to explore the creations of those living and working in one of the most established arts districts in the Bay Area. Take in paintings, sculptures, photography work, jewelry and textiles from Jingletown's innovative creatives. // jingletown.org





Raumlichtkinst (Courtesy of Weinstein Gallery)

What: Raumlichtkunst



When: Dec 16, 2017 through Jan 20, 2018

Where: Weinstein Gallery, 444 Clementina St. (SoMa)

Why: To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Weinstein Gallery is hosting the West Coast premiere of German-American artist Oskar Fischinger. A visual-music experience, the project is a large-scale immersive black box installation with abstract imagery that changes to a collection of sounds. The mixed-media show combines cinema, visual art, and music, resulting in what feels like a 1960s psychedelic light show. // weinstein.com





Intrinsic Motion Project III (Courtesy of Gregory Dawson)

What: Intrinsic Motion Project III



When: Dec15th and 16th

Where: Zaccho Dance Theater, 1777 Yosemite St. (Bayview)

Why:

This is one of the most detail-oriented and powerful dance shows by local choreographer Gregory Dawson. It is an investigation of movement; honing in on inherent impulses that generate and guide motion from the first impulse to the final gesture. Focusing on their natural drives, dancers will create an ensemble of movements aimed to explore and discover the link between the initial act of motion and the final composition. // dawsondancesf.org, zaccho.org





Fugue's dancers (Courtesy of Melissa Lewis)

What: Fugue



When: Dec 1-10, 2017

Where: Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church, 455 Fair Oaks Street (Noe Valley)

Why: Fugue is an outdoor and indoor dance performance directed by Kat Cole and Eric Garcia (founders of Detour Dance) that unveils the stories of queer people of color living in the Mission District. The project is the result of two years of research and interviews with residents of this part of the city who have faced eviction and other strife. Expect a traveling dance experience that develops into a local narrative. The performance will move through the Mission District where attendees will be standing, walking and sitting. For the event you'll need to create a new name for yourself for "the new city," and come dressed as "your most fabulous, glittery, flowery self." // Tickets ($15-$30) can be bought at eventbrite.com.





Dance extraordinaire, Joe Landini (Courtes of Robbie Sweeny)

What: 5 on 25



When: Dec 7th to 16th

Where: SAFEhouse Arts, 145 Eddy St. (Tenderloin)

Why: 5 on 25 is an homage to SAFEhouse Arts Founder and Executive Director, Joe Landini, and his 25 years of dance making in San Francisco. The show will be broken down into two programs with Landini serving as either a dancer or choreographer in each piece. There will be an array of new works from local artists including Alma Esperanza Cunningham, Nina Haft, and Ronja Ver. The performances are based off of storytelling and will investigate an array of topics including dream, isolation, strength and the ego and the distortion of reality within the Trump era. // safehousearts.org





Artifact by Klea McKenna (Courtesy of Euqinomprojects)

What: Witness Mark



When: Dec 1st, 2017 through Jan 2nd, 2018

Where: Euqinomprojects @ Minnesota Street Project, 275 Minnesota St. (Dogpatch)

Why: Klea McKenna's first solo exhibit with Minnesota Street Project holds an emphasis on textures and fabricshow these materials can be transformed through the lens of a camera in an imaginary landscape. There will be a large installation of hand-embossed imprints of earth and concrete as well as "photographic rubbings" of the textures of concentric tree-rings. See the flaws of fraying fibers and unraveling embroidery imprinted onto photographic paper, which act as surrogates for the bodies that bore them. Broken patterns record the stories of her subjects through imperfections. The exhibition will also include Alma, a short film produced by McKenna. // minnesotastreetproject.com









Emerald City (Courtesy of Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture)

What: Isaac Julien's Playtime



When: Dec 1st 2017 through Feb 11, 2018

Where: Gallery 308 @ Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture, 2 Marina Blvd. (Marina)

Why: You are a documentary and video vulture.


Initiation of Broker Research

Perth, Dec 5, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Ironbark Zinc Limited (Company) ( ASX:IBG ) ( IRBGY:OTCMKTS ) advises that Patersons Securities Limited have released a Research Note on the Company.



To view a copy of the Research Note, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/QHSFS5DB





About Ironbark Zinc Limited





Ironbark Zinc Limited (ASX:IBG) (OTCMKTS:IRBGY) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and is seeking to become a base metal mining house. Ironbark has an undrawn US$50M funding facility provided by Glencore to expand its project base through acquisition.

Ironbark seeks to build shareholder value through exploration and development of its projects and also seeks to actively expand the project base controlled by Ironbark through acquisition. The management and board of Ironbark have extensive technical and corporate experience in the minerals sector.

The wholly owned Citronen base metal project currently hosts in excess of 13.1 Billion pounds of zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb). For full details refer to ASX announcement 25 November 2014 Citronen Project Resource Update  JORC 2012 compliant resource.
The West African oil rich country will get back around $321 million stolen by the family former dictator in a move overseen by the Swiss government and the World Bank.

Money in a form of assets have been frozen and kept in Luxembourg. The Nigerian government has sued the family of Sani Abacha who ruled the country with iron fist from 1993 until his death in 1998 for embezzling countrys funds.

A Swiss court charged Abbas Abacha, son of the dictator him with money-laundering, fraud and forgery in April 2005. The court ordered the repatriation of the money located in Luxembourg.

In 2014, an agreement between the Nigerian government and the family stated that the West African country will get back the money and drop complaint against Abacha.

The Swiss government and Nigeria in 2016 agreed on the repatriation of the money

Nigeria will not get money in cash but the asset will be used to fund projects under Word Banks supervision.

The project will strengthen social security for the poorest sections of the Nigerian population. The agreement also regulates the disbursement of restituted funds in tranches and sets out concrete measures to be taken in the event of misuse or corruption, the Swiss government said in a statement.

Transparency international fighting corruption has accused the Abacha family of stealing around $5 billion.
Reliance Power on Tuesday said Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved debt financing and partial risk guarantees totalling $583 million to develop its 750 MW power plant and LNG terminal project in Bangladesh.

The Board of Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved debt financing and partial risk guarantees totalling $583 million (approx Rs 3,748 crore) for 750 MW LNG based combined cycle power plant and LNG Terminal project being developed by the companys subsidiaries in Bangladesh, Reliance Power said in a BSE filing.

The project, which includes a power generation facility to be located in Meghnaghat near Dhaka and an LNG Terminal near Kutubdia Island south of Chittagong, will significantly increase power generation and improve energy infrastructure in Bangladesh, ADB said.

ADBs financing package includes loans and partial risk guarantees for the power generation facility, as well as for the LNG terminal. Total project cost is approximately $1 billion.

ADBs partnership with Reliance Power will help Bangladesh scale up its energy infrastructure to sustain and support the countrys economic growth, said Michael Barrow, Director General of ADBs Private Sector Operations Department.

ADBs role as a direct lender and guarantee provider will enable Reliance Power to mobilise much needed long-term debt financing and help attract new lenders to Bangladesh.

Reliance Power in a statement said that diversifying Bangladeshs sources of energy is critical for the country as demands for natural gas have placed significant pressures on the countrys domestic gas reserves.

New LNG import facilities will enable the countrys existing gas-department infrastructure to remain viable while opening the country to access natural gas from global markets, it added.

The company further said that the ADBs support will help Reliance Power Ltd to develop an initial approximately 750 megawatts (MW) of gross power generation capacity and terminal facilities for LNG import. Reliance Power plans to increase its power generation capacity to around 3000 MW in Bangladesh.
Maharashtra Police and government are making every effort to address cyber-crime related complaints. Lodging complaints relating to cyber crimes will be a lot easier now. One has to simply walk into your nearest police station to lodge a complaint regarding bank card fraud or hacking for instance. Every city police station will have a separate cyber-crime cell from December 9. Earlier everyone had to rush at lone cyber-crime police station at Bandra-Kurla Complex. Anyways this sounds very interesting but reality is not that comfortable. To improve cyber detection and to improve conviction rate, the police department has put up a proposal to the state government to set up a separate cyber court; but unfortunately the interpreters of law are not cyber crime experts, so how the crime happened, which method, from which IP and type of attack to forensics of it, would be a new challenge for lawyer and judge both. The move to have a cyber-crime cell at each police station was initiated by police due to the rise in number of white collar crimes and shortage of staff at the only cyber police station, but the irony is that the staffs are not well updated or trained. That is the reason, the cyber-crime is not easily detected.

Ours is the country where 75 per cent of infrastructure has gone online, the next war would be cyber war and we need to be prepared for it, else India can stall back to 10 years if we get attacked in cyber space. We need to be worried about the sharp rise in the number of cyber crime cases in the state and law enforcement agencies inability to bring the crooks to book. Government drafted a plan to deploy nearly 1,000 sub-inspectors to tackle cyber crime. But for that, police needs additional man power. Looking at the geographical conditions of state and specially Mumbai, there is scarcity of police personnel. Police personnel are not provided with adequate training and there is need of information technology experts to halt cyber crime. Then Congress and now BJP are on the same path, they both just made announcements but never worked on issues. Currently, a senior police inspector has the power to take action under the IT Act. Constables are just not aware of the subject itself.

Recently Maharashtra CM asked the police to increase monitoring of social media; special squads dedicated to investigate cybercrimes will soon be operational in each of the 93 police stations in Mumbai. These cyber squads will aim to take the load off the existing two cyber police stations, as well as allowing citizens to lodge cybercrime complaint at the closest police station. Fadnavis said that the social media labs had to be better equipped to increase their efficiency. He added that acquisition of advanced monitoring systems would be funded. Government is also in process of identifying tech-savvy officers across the city for our cyber squads, but since ages this never ending search is on. At present, cyber crime cases are largely probed by the Cyber Police Station in Bandra-Kurla Complex and the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell located in Crawford Market, which are specially equipped to probe cyber crimes. At present, police stations are dependent on help from cyber police stations and the cybercrime investigation cells that provide technical assistance. They are not self-sufficient to deal with the issues on their own capacity.

Mumbai is home to many important national financial institutions like RBI, Bombay Stock Exchange, IIT, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and TIFR. Under such circumstances, it is essential that CERT is set up in Mumbai, as 80 per cent of infrastructure is online. Few months ago when a proposal was moved to block some websites, which were promoting anti-India sentiments, it took a long time to check such portals.

Currently the state police are dependent on labs in Gujarat and Hyderabad and as a result samples remain pending for as late as three years. Phishing attacks of online banking accounts or cloning of ATM/debit cards are common occurrences. Maximum number of offenders belong to the 18-30 age group, added the report. With increasing use of information technology (IT) enabled services such as e-governance, online business and electronic transactions, protection of personal and sensitive data have assumed paramount importance.

Few days ago, my friends email account got hacked and with that email all his other accounts like FB and other accounts too got hacked and on his time line, provocative religious abuses were posted. Some took objections; some called him and warned about the consequences. Finally, to solve this issue, we went to police station and informed police about the same. In a very flat reply police told, we are not here to ensure recovery of your email accounts unless there is no financial crime the case wont be taken on priority, now the choice is yours to file complaint or not. Later, we approached some cyber security personnel, they got his FB page banned by reporting about the same and any how the hacked account couldnt be recovered. Mumbai police from 7 years are talking about the reforms in cyber cell and police training but nothing is yet concretely done, they are not even upgraded.

There was a three-fold increase in cybercrime cases registered in Mumbai between 2013 and 2014. Between January 1 and October 31 this year, 418 cases were registered under the Information Technology Act, with 142 people arrested. In the same period last year, the police registered 136 cases and made 86 arrests. Of the cybercrimes recorded this year, maximum were related to e-mails and SMSs with obscene content. This year, 104 cases of obscene e-mails and SMSs were registered in the city, up from 28 last year. Until October 31 this year, the police recorded 103 cases of credit card fraud or cheating, compared to 27 in the corresponding period in 2013, revealed data available with the Mumbai Police.

A viable approach would be to tax IT companies/services profit and earmark an amount for the creation of a National Institute of Communications Research that will attract and keep hold of the best talent from around the world and will be managed on a pay for presentation basis.

Education is important for any government officer. Also understand that, a determined attack will be able to break in. First, let us make the real space safe. We should worry about imaginary stuxnets attacking our installations after sorting out real threats of a mundane kind that take aim at our country, which are poverty, tiny mean microbes, and above all, real education in its true sense. If we work on this, the youngsters of today who are now coding their youth away for money, will take care of stuxnets and bigger threats, and not let graying men in suits worry about them. Indian Government seems to have a problem with freedom. The Internet gives people freedom and the Indian Government doesnt like it. The Indian public is not concerned with the likes of STUXNET to their public utilities when a rain shower can cause a power cut. The only problem for individuals is identity theft when thieves are using other peoples identities to obtain goods and services. Other countries in Asia use and embrace the internet but in India, there is fear. The government is in the process of putting in place the capabilities and the systems that will enable us to deal with this anarchic new world of constant and undeclared cyber threat, attack, counter-attack and defence. We need to prepare ourselves to deal with both, threats to cyberspace and risks arising through cyberspace.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
English actor Matt Smith, who returns alongside Claire Foy to star in Netflixs drama The Crown, has recently said that just like women, he was also objectified by men in Hollywood.

The 35-year-old said that sexual assault and harassment is not exclusive to women, this happens to men, too.

While expressing himself on the issue of sexual assault and harassment allegations coming to light, the 35-year-old told Telegraph, The conversation shouldnt stop at this industry just because these are celebrities who we know about who are involved. It has to be broader.

People in other industries have to have a platform to be heard as well. What happens to the cleaner or the lady who works in a clothes shop? Thats not to say I havent been objectified before by men, because I have  just like women are objectified, he added.

Smith returned in The Crown as the Queens husband, Prince Philip, with the second instalment all set in the decade beginning in the mid-1950s.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha has pledged to continue his protest supporting cause of farmers in Maharashtra, a day after he was released from the police station for leading a march in the connection.

On Monday, Akola Police detained Sinha along with 250 farmers under Section 68 of the Bombay Police Act, after he vandalised the barricades of the District office on his way out, following an unsatisfactory discussion with the DM over demands of the farmers.

We were present at the district office on Monday regarding some of our demands. There was a long discussion, the District Collector from Mumbai talked with us but we did not receive a satisfactory answer. So despite the SPs announcement that he has released us, we decided to remain here and well go wherever the police take us, but unless our demands are accepted, our protest will continue, Sinha told ANI.

Sinha added that the group will further discuss their strategies.
Yemens exiled president ordered troops to advance on Sanaa hours after his predecessor was killed by Huthi rebels, officials said, as heavy fighting continued in the capital.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi called on Yemenis to unite against the Iran-backed insurgents who shot Ali Abdullah Saleh dead as he fled the city following the collapse of their alliance.

Lets join hands to end the control of these criminal gangs and open a new chapter to rid our beloved Yemen of this nightmare, Hadi, leader of the internationally recognised government, said in a televised address on Monday from Saudi Arabia, where he lives in exile.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for three decades, had joined forces with the Shiite Huthi rebels in 2014 when they took control of large parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

But that alliance unravelled over the past week, with dozens reported dead in heavy clashes as the former leader reached out to the Saudi-led coalition that has waged devastating air strikes against the Huthis since September 2015.

Yemens war has left thousands dead, led to one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises and deepened tensions between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Hadi has ordered Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar to activate military units and advance towards the capital, a presidency official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP.

Military and government sources said the army would advance on Sanaa from the east and northeast, with at least seven battalions ordered to move forward.

Saleh was forced to step down in 2012, after his forces waged a bloody crackdown on peaceful Arab Spring-inspired protests calling for his ouster.

The 75-year-old had survived civil war, rebellion in the north, an Al-Qaeda insurgency in the south and a June 2011 bomb attack on his palace that wounded him badly.

The Huthis announced Salehs death on the rebels Al- Masirah television station, declaring in a statement the end of the crisis of militias  referring to Salehs armed supporters, to whom the government have offered an amnesty.

There were reports of further clashes and coalition strikes against Huthi-controlled government buildings and around Sanaa airport on Monday evening.

The Saudi-led coalition warned the citys residents to evacuate rebel-controlled areas, as international aid groups warned on Monday they were losing the ability to reach civilians in Sanaa.
Kenya Airways Cargo has flown a crew of 700 teddy bears from the UK after they staged a flash-mob outside St Pauls Cathedral in London.

The bears first came together in the summer when the international childrens charity, World Vision UK, organised a sit-down stunt on the steps of the cathedral to highlight the plight of children fleeing conflict in South Sudan.

Now, World Vision UKs star teddy bear Precious arrived in Imvepi refugee settlement in northern Uganda bringing her 700-strong gang in tow after a journey of 6,000s miles.

There, they will bring a glimmer of Christmas joy to kids who have fled their homeland with nothing  many of them not even their parents.

They will go to World Visions 31 Child Friendly Spaces which give young people a safe place to play, get a basic education and generally start to feel normal again.

Kenya Airways Cargo area manager Europe and US, Katrina Hanson, said: "We hope Precious and the bears enjoyed their flight with us. Kenya Airways was delighted to help take the teddies to refugee children in Uganda. Everyone remembers having a teddy bear as a child, so to love and hold a bear will delight children who could do with some comfort at a challenging time."

World Vision response director in northern Uganda, Paul Sitnam, added: Children at our centres were so happy and excited to welcome Precious and her furry friends. These children have already gone through so much  its heart-warming for them to know they are not forgotten, especially during the festive period. Were very grateful to people in the UK who donated these bears.

worldvision.org.uk/bearsonstairs

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The first thing to know about Dahlonega, Georgia is that it's not a fast-paced place. The quaint Southern town may be home to fewer than 7,000 people, but don't expect to quickly get from one end of the central downtown square to the other, even if it only spans a couple blocks. Dahlonega is not the type of place where you politely wave hello and then go about your business. Any conversation lasting less than five minutes might be considered discourteous, and you'll run into everyone you know (which is basically the entire town) whether you intend to or not.

The next thing to know about Dahlonega, according to tourism director David Zunker, is that it's authentic and genuine. The last is that it's known for its three unique attractions: wine, waterfalls, and gold.

Upon arriving in what locals call the Square (downtown's concentration of businesses centered around an old courthouse-turned-museum), I quickly witnessed all of these things.

As David led us through the shaded brick sidewalks connecting the town's plethora of picture-perfect storefronts, every few steps became punctuated by either a run-in with a friend or a bit of history about the site of America's first gold rush. For example, the gold found in Dahlonega is 98 percent pure, much higher than any found in California. And the top of Price Memorial Hall in town, as well as the top of the state capitol building in Atlanta, are both covered in Dahlonega gold.

If our walk ever went past a mosey, it was quickly slowed by another acquaintance. I met such characters as the Hairy Potter (a heavily-bearded local potter who less commonly goes by Brad Walker) and Biker Mike. I also met Angela Wilson, who owns the town's oldest wine tasting room and runs the annual Old Fashioned Christmas celebration--a big job considering festivities run from Black Friday through New Year's Day.

If there's ever a perfect time to visit Dahlonega, December is it. Every inch of downtown is decked out in its holiday best, both inside and out. The stunning decor includes upwards of $4,000 in lights, a massive 12-foot Christmas tree, hundreds of yards of garland, and more red bows than you can count.

If the atmosphere feels straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, that's because it is. The town has served as the filming location for multiple of the network's TV movies, including "Shooting Christmas" and "Christmas in Homestead." During the town's celebrations, Black Friday brings the Lighting of the Square and the official unveiling of the yearly Christmas ornament design. During multiple weekends, Santa visits downtown (played by Biker Mike, Miner Mike, or Too-Tall Tom who also leads underground mine tours at Consolidated Mine). A parade, with floats designed by local businesses, schools, and organizations, follows on the first weekend of December. Even the local college, University of North Georgia, gets in on the fun by providing holiday music concerts and choir performances. The town's been celebrating Old Fashioned Christmas since 1983, so they've got the whole production down to a science.

If you don't happen to visit during Christmas, there's still plenty to enjoy during the rest of the year. Shop at downtown's 65 shops, including multiple antique stores, boutiques, outdoors stores, and even both a jerky store and an olive oil store for foodies. As you explore, listen for the meandering twang of folk music from a street performer and breathe in the intoxicating smell of sweet confections wafting from Paul Thomas Chocolate shop.

After working up an appetite, stop for a bite to eat at any of downtown's 18 restaurants, none of which are chains. Capers on the Square is ideal for lunch, with Greek specialties like gyros and moussaka, plus flatbreads and salads for a quick bite. Don't forget to order a slice of homemade baklava with traditional Greek coffee. At Bratzeit, a short walk from the main square, husband-and-wife-team Doris and Gion serve up authentic German and Swiss food representing their respective home countries. To get a taste of it all, the sausage sampler with a side of homemade sauerkraut and house fries should do the trick. For the full experience, ask for a side of curry ketchup to go with your bratwurst, and don't forget a massive mug of Warsteiner beer.

Outside of shopping and dining, Dahlonega's three other treasures--wine, gold, and waterfalls--are left to discover. Learn about the Dahlonega gold rush by visiting three main attractions all related to the subject. Start downtown in the Dahlonega Gold Museum, where you learn the origins of the gold rush via a short documentary shown in an old-school theatre. At Consolidated Gold Mines, take a 45-minute tour of the largest underground gold mine east of the Mississippi River, and at Crisson Gold Mine, see a century-old stamp mill and try your hand at panning for gold and gemstones.

If you want to see more of the natural world, stop into downtown's visitors center and ask for recommendations on the 11 waterfalls that surround Dahlonega. Amicalola Falls, just a 25-minute drive from town, is the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi River at 729 feet high. Cane Creek Falls and Clay Creek Falls are less than three miles from town, if you're looking for a shorter trip.

After chasing waterfalls, locals will undoubtedly recommend that you unwind with the town's drink of choice: wine. There are plenty of options to get your fill, starting with the seven downtown tasting rooms. A "Wine Walk" glass (available for $5 at the visitors center) will get you wine tastings for $2.75 each at two of the participating tasting rooms. At the Dahlonega Tasting Room, you'll run into Angela and have the opportunity to purchase small gifts while sampling wines from nearby Habersham Winery. Canvas & Cork is an art gallery and tasting room that also hosts wine and paint parties, as well as other art classes taught by local artists. Upstairs there are three rooms for out-of-towners looking for an overnight stay.

The heart of Georgia wine country, Dahlonega is home to six different wineries (all conveniently located within 15 minutes of each other). Each winery has it's own signature style, from the laidback family atmosphere at Three Sisters or Cane Creek to a more upscale experience at Wolf Mountain or Montaluce. Montaluce's Tuscan-themed estate is ideal for a romantic date night. The winery's restaurant offers sweeping views of vineyards from a massive patio, where diners choose from a menu of regionally-sourced, seasonally-inspired dishes. In cooler months, the "Candied" Pork Tenderloin with parsnip puree, Brussels sprouts, and grit "fries" is a hit.

Perhaps the spirit of Dahlonega is best embodied through Mountain Laurel Creek Inn & Spa. The sweet bed and breakfast tucked into the woods offers all of Dahlonega's major attractions: genuine people (owners Dennis Hoover and David Mulcahy could not be more accommodating), wine (there's a small bar/tasting room inside), waterfalls (a bit of a stretch, but there is a small trail running through the back of the property and the expansive system of courtyards and patios feature multiple fountains), and in essence, the entire establishment is pure gold.

The cozy seven-room bed and breakfast is the brainchild of Dennis, a talented cook, decorator, graphic designer, artist, massage therapist, and all-around Renaissance man. David helps to manage the inn, which is full of cozy nooks and crannies for guests to enjoy. A professional-grade spa with saunas, plus a swimming pool and a hot tub with plenty of outdoor seating and fire pits for the cooler months, make your stay the ultimate relaxing getaway. Locals swear up and down by Dennis's massages. The other half of the B&B--breakfast--is as creative as it is delicious. Turkey sausage and eggs wrapped in phyllo dough represents a sack of gold, the accompanying hashbrowns are the gold, and a helping of hollandaise, the waterfalls. It's Dahlonega on a plate--the perfect example of what you'll get during a long weekend in town.

From mountains and waterfalls to gold and wine, it's easy to list off the things that make Dahlonega an attractive destination. But what will really make your stay special isn't quite as tangible. It's the feeling you'll get when walking by row after row of tinsel-covered window displays during the holidays. And the same one when you run across someone you met yesterday and they still remember your name. It's the feeling of being welcomed into a community, and when you're visiting Dahlonega, there's no denying you'll feel right at home.

Details

For more information on Dahlonega, visit dahlonega.org.

--Photos courtesy of Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber & Visitors Bureau and Katie Davis

This story appears in Birmingham magazine's December 2017 issue. Subscribe today!
Lee Roop | lroop@al.com

The cities competing for Amazon's second corporate headquarters may have to wait a little longer to find out if they're on the company's shortlist. The Charlotte Observer is reporting that the Charlotte Regional Partnership doesn't expect to learn until early next year if their city is in the running for the project.

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Non-profit organizations in Birmingham and Huntsville are among the winners of Regions Bank's "What a Difference a Day Makes" online contest. Birmingham's Community Food Bank of Central Alabama and Huntsville's Boys and Girls Clubs of North Alabama took second and third place.

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William Thornton | wthornton@al.com

Capstone Building Corp., has completed a luxury multi-family housing development in Huntsville. The Moderne at Providence, located at 30 Gates Mill St. NW, encompasses 383,180 square feet of residential space across the Indian Creek Greenway bridge.

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William Thornton | wthornton@al.com

A long-time fixture of downtown Birmingham and the UAB campus will be departing the scene next year. The UAB TownHouse, built in 1950 at the corner of 20th Street South and University Boulevard, will close early next year and ultimately be demolished.

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William Thornton | wthornton@al.com

Engineering firm Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon Inc. is rebranding. The firm is now Barge Design Solutions, with its local offices at 3535 Grandview Pkwy, No. 500. Its corporate office has relocated to a new building at 615 Third Avenue S., in Nashville's SoBro neighborhood.

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Lee Roop | lroop@al.com

Shari Burnum, Financial Advisor and founder of Investor's Resource, says she gets asked regularly if the market is too high. The average person is now asking that question as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other stock market indices continue to set record high returns. In fact, I am asked the question several times a week in place where people are normally not talking about wealth management.

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Lee Roop | lroop@al.com

A roundup of Mobile area real estate includes that the Midtown Publix Center at Old Shell Road and Florida Street in Mobile is 77 percent leased, and the center is scheduled to open next February, according to Amber Dedeaux of Vallas Realty. The tenants include: Rock N Roll Sushi, which has leased 2,250 square feet in the B building fronting Old Shell Road. Chip Burr, the local franchise owner of Rock N Roll Sushi, has four locations and this will be his first in Mobile. Other tenants are Taco Mama, a Birmingham-based eatery to be opened by Hunter and Bob Omainsky, who also own Wintzell's Oyster House.

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Mike Kittrell

For nearly a decade, Mobile has languished as Alabama enjoyed a craft beer boom. On Friday, the drought officially ended with the grand opening of Serda Brewing. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson joined brewery founders for a ceremonial ribbon cutting. In brief remarks, he celebrated the fact that the brewery has transformed the long-vacant site of a former Goodyear Service Center at 600 Government St.

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Welch Group

Stewart Welch, founder of the Welch Group, says he is often asked which is the smarter investment, a Traditional IRA or a ROTH IRA? As with so many things, the answer is, "It depends".

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Brynn Anderson

Gus Malzahn agreed to a new seven-year deal to remain at Auburn on Sunday despite overtures from Arkansas this weekend. The deal makes Malzahn one of the 10 highest-paid coaches in the country. Here's a look at where Malzahn's renegotiated contract ranks among the nation's highest-paid coaches.

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William Thornton | wthornton@al.com

The Alabama Attorney General's office and Alabama Department of Environmental Management have filed a complaint against the Utilities Board of the city of Daphne, alleging that the utility did not properly report sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) to the department, failed to meet its water monitoring requirements and did not properly notify the public after spills.
Born in Montgomery on Dec. 4, 1927, Anne Carroll Bell George loved reading detective magazines as a child, foretelling her career as a popular mystery novelist.

George grew up to become a Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet and served as Alabama's State Poet before writing her Southern Sisters Mysteries, which included eight books featuring the character Patricia Anne.

George was raised by her grandparents after her parents separated soon after her birth, according to her bio on the Alabama Literary Map.

"When she was eight, economic circumstances forced them to move their household to a farm in Lowndes County, Ala., which was owned by her stepfather's family. One consequence of the move was that she took the train to school every day. Another was that she was placed in fifth grade at the age of eight and initially had trouble fitting in. She soon made friends, however, and became something of a prankster," the bio said.

Anne George in her senior year at Howard College, now Samford university. (Source: Samford University)

In early adulthood, George didn't have plans to be a mystery writer. She received a bachelor's in English and Spanish from Howard University, now Samford, in 1948 and became a teacher.

She married Earl George and the couple had three children. They moved to Birmingham, where Anne taught junior high and high school students for more than twenty years. After teaching, she returned to college, earning her master's degree in English and education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1971.

For the next 10 years, George ran the Druid Press, a publishing house she founded with fellow student Jerri Beck. She had written numerous short stories and published her first novel, "Dreamer, Dreaming Me" in 1980, followed by "Wild Goose Chase" in 1982, and a collection of poems called "Spraying Under the Bed for Wolves" in 1985, all from Druid Press.

After selling the publishing house, George wrote two other collections of poems, "Some of It Is True," and "The Map That Lies Between Us," as well as the 1999 novel, "The One and Magic life, A Novel of a Southern Family."

But it was her Southern Sisters Mysteries that would bring George acclaim. The first book in the series, which includes eight novels written from 1996-2001, won the prestigious Agatha Award.

The books are:

Murder on A Girls' Night Out (1996)

Murder on A Bad Hair Day (1996)

Murder Runs in the Family (1997)

Murder Makes Waves (1997)

Murder Gets A Life (1998)

Murder Shoots the Bull (1999)

Murder Carries A Torch (2000)

Murder Boogies with Elvis (2001)

According to her Literary Map bio, "The Southern Sisters mystery series began as a short story George wrote in which the main characters were based on herself and a cousin. The first book in the series, Murder on a Girls' Night Out, was accepted for publication less than a week after she sent it to her agent."

In 1999, George was named Alumnus of the Year by Samford University.

Traci Bell, a Canadian fan who maintains an Anne George fan site at AnneGeorge.com, became friends with George through correspondence that began when Bell posted a glowing review of George's book on Amazon.com. Bell wrote: The characters in her Southern Sisters Mysteries were like visiting with family again (and I'm not even from the southern US! I'm a Canadian). It is rare that I read a book more than once any more but Anne's books are the exception. Because of her, and her stories I have gone on to read many more mysteries. She opened up a whole new world for me."

George died March 14, 2001. Her obituary said, "She was a talented, bright, funny lady who believed that many of life's problems could be solved with good grammar. She was loved dearly by her family, friends, and fans and she will be missed. She had a wonderful life."

Bell said the fan site will "remain here (or somewhere online) until I am no longer physically able to update it (which I hope will be at least 80 years from now!)."
Photo courtesy Stephansdotter Photography

He listened to approximately 211 minutes of classic Van Halen, and texted Sheryl Crows guitarist for ZZ Top advice. Thought back on teenage days playing covers in North Alabama garages, and those car-stereo epics from a Polaroid-hued youth.

Yes, Damon Johnson took putting together a list of his "15 essential guitar songs" for AL.com seriously. He came up with a deeply personal list. More like a road map of his musical life than simply name-checking six-string elites, although the tally certainly includes bona-fides. (Scroll down to read the list.)

Perhaps Alabama greatest hard-rock export, Johnson has lent his explosive, eloquent guitar-playing to 90s Birmingham major-label band Brother Cane, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper, classic-rock legends Thin Lizzy and Lizzy offshoot Black Star Riders. Johnson is a legitimate guitar hero. Yet one still learning from his instrument. Recently, while on tour in Europe with Black Star Riders, he spent an off-day scouring YouTube for Duane Allman videos, to learn more about Allman's technique. And sure enough, he says, I found several teachers discussing how Duane would often use the rounder corner of the pick rather than the sharper, pointed end.

On Saturday, Johnson and his solo band will headline at Huntsville's SideTracks Music Hall, address 415-E Church St. Tickets are $10 and available via eventbrite.com. James Irvin Trio, a local combo inspired by the likes of Elvis Costello and Nirvana, opens the 9 p.m. show. In addition to Johnson on vocals and guitar, his solo band features guitarist Tony Higbee, bassist Tony Nagy and drummer Jarred Pope. Expect a setlist similar to "Birmingham Tonight," the live album Johnson released earlier this year, a mix of Brother Cane, solo, Black Star Riders, Thin Lizzy and Alice Cooper wall-rattlers. Although Brother Cane played Huntsville often, the upcoming solo band gig marks his first performance there in many years. In 2018, he'll be touring U.S. arenas with Black Star Riders supporting heavy-metal icons Judas Priest.

A Nashville-area resident, Johnsons guitar collection currently numbers around 30. Among them, his dads old Gibson hollow-body. Damon usually tours with four or so guitars, including whats become his talisman, a 1957 Les Paul reissue with an alluring, custom green finish.

During his career, Johnson has forged plenty of guitar highlights. Recommended introductory listening: the Stairway to Heaven-via-Blackfoot storm on Brother Canes 1993 track Woman; Southern-heavy sway of 1995 Brother Cane gem 20/20 Faith; and deep-space melodies in string-swept Black Star Riders cut Blindsided.

Below, Johnson details 15 songs that fed his fingers.

By Matt Wake | mwake@al.com

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'Highway To Hell' AC/DC

I had gone to the record store in Marshall County, close to where I grew up in Geraldine, to get the latest Van Halen record and they were out. And the clerk said to me, Hey do you have Highway to Hell, this AC/DC album? And Id never even heard of AC/DC, because living out in the sticks we hadnt caught up to things like those early records. So thanks to that guy behind the desk, I took it home and it was just a game-changer, man. Highway To Hell is one of my essential guitar moments because the groove of it - the power of those three simple chords, A, D and G - no one ever will do it better than Malcolm and Angus (Young, AC/DC guitarists) have. Plus, the solo is spectacular. Its simple but perfect. Highway to Hell is maybe my favorite song of all-time, of any band. That song just makes me so happy.

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'Sky High' Atlanta Rhythm Section

ARS was just a band that informed a lot of my youth. And of all the guitarist that inspire me and move me, I think Barry (Bailey, of Atlanta Rhythm Section) has done it more consistently through my life. To this day. I was on the flight coming home from London two days ago and I was listening to Third Annual Pipe Dream, one of their first records. Listening to that guy play, his note choices are perfect, his tone you cant emulate, its perfect. I could have listed 20 other tracks by the Atlanta Rhythm Section, but Sky High has dark and light. Its got a badass riff and rocks out at the top, and at the end it gets really plaintive and kind of melancholy and he plays these almost jazz-influenced lines you can sing  almost like a saxophone part or something.

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'Takin' Care Of Business' Bachman Turner Overdrive

"It had that boogie-woogie bounce, and I just loved it. In my very first garage band when I was 13, we would just play that song 20 times in a row, because we could play that groove and at least the girls in the neighborhood knew what we were playing. [Laughs] It wasn't a train-wreck, like if we tried to play a Rush song or Kansas, which we also loved. (BTO guitarist) Randy Bachman is one of the all-time greats. I'd gotten a cassette tape of their greatest hits through one of the record and tape mail-order clubs of the late-70s, and wore it out. The riffs and arrangements were a bit complicated for a novice player, but 'Takin' Care of Business' I could get around the neck on - though I learned the solo up and down a single string rather than in one area of the neck, as a beginner might."

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'Saturday Night Special' Lynyrd Skynyrd

Any of the (Lynyrd Skynyrd) studio records, every song I could have listed, and I could go into deep worship of any them. I picked Saturday Night Special because it was an Ed King riff. Of all the great guitarists in the band, Steve Gaines included, Ed is probably my favorite, even though Gary (Rossington) played the killer, almost Paul Kossoff-esque guitar solo all through Saturday Night Special, those great blues bends. Its a song I love to cover. I think we even did it in Brother Cane for a little while. Eds riffs that he brought to the band, songs like Workin for MCA, Swamp Music and of course the iconic Sweet Home Alabama, I think he had way more to do with the great musical impact Skynyrd made than he gets credit for.

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'Shapes Of Things' Gary Moore

Gary might be the best guitarist of all-time, OK, with everything were talking about. Beyond (Eric) Clapton in his note choice, beyond Jeff Beck in his pyrotechnics and his uniqueness. There was just a fieriness. Gary was in Thin Lizzy but then he went solo and started putting out these hard-rock/metal records, Victims of the Future and Corridors of Power and I just think his cover of (The Yardbirds) Shapes of Things, that might be the greatest guitar tone of all-time. You just may never find a better, aggressive, pure tone. Thats one of the solos I play to this day - Ill play that in the dressing room as Im warming up. I was a kid back in North Alabama when that came out and I remember putting a lot of time on the turntable on that, backing the needle up trying to get those bends as close as I could. I always felt like it was no coincidence when I actually joined Thin Lizzy that Brian Downey and Scott Gorham both commented that I had some of that Gary energy in my playing, which was the most incredible compliment they could have given me. So, all hail the king: Gary Moore.

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'Over the Mountain' Ozzy Osbourne

I had had just started subscribing to the guitar magazines, and Guitar World magazine did a great piece on (Ozzy Osbourne guitarist) Randy Rhoads. And I just started reading the things he had to say and his approach to practice, it inspired me and it may me go, Wow, its more than just three-chord rock n roll. Theres this whole other classical influence. That was certainly in Randys playing. I think there was some tablature in one of the magazines for Over the Mountain, and that was an exciting moment to be able to learn that solo, which is incredibly complicated. And theres nothing blues about it, at all. I just remember playing that solo for my friends once I worked it up, and just the look on their faces and their reaction to how much I had progressed, it was rocket fuel for my confidence. If I can play this, I can play anything. Randy really left a mark on me. I saw him play at (Birmingham's) Boutwell Auditorium with Ozzy, just a short time before his untimely death, so really grateful I had a chance to experience that. His impact on my lead playing was so important.

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'Breakdown' Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

This is bittersweet to talk about now. (Tom Petty died in October this year at age 66.) Toms songwriting and his singing was so inherently Southern, but at the same time it was very mass-appeal. And his lyrics were void of any geographical limits. He wrote songs for everybody. Breakdown was a song I covered, early on in the club days in Birmingham before even Brother Cane got its deal. It always stood out in the set because it was a different tempo, a different kind of singing, very minimalistic but a perfect note-choice guitar part. That economy is something that I hope has been a part of my songwriting throughout my whole career. And theres a particular lick that we all play, a lot of guitarists, where you hit the E string open but on the B string you move up the neck. You hit two strings at once, but youre only moving the notes on the B string. And (The Heartbreakers) Mike Campbell owns that. Like he should be getting royalty checks from all of us because he does that better than anybody. Pretty much every record Ive ever made, Ive copped some Mike Campbell. Mike Campbells almost like an adjective in the studio. Hey, we need a Mike Campbell part right here transitioning in this chorus. That simplicity quite often is harder to accomplish than the speedy, flashy parts. There was an alchemy with Tom and Mike that made them so great in the studio together. You just got the sense Mike always delivered the right part.

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'Old Chunk Of Coal' (live) Billy Joe Shaver

The Delta Rebels, in Memphis, was the band I was in right before I was in Brother Cane. When I joined the other guitarist was Eddy Shaver. I wasnt familiar with Eddy, and was a little familiar with his dad and knew he was a great Texas songwriter and had written a lot of songs Waylon Jennings had recorded and had some success with that. A I could have never been prepared for the talent his son was on guitar. Eddy literally changed my the life. The very first rehearsal, I had driven from Birmingham to Memphis and was there with my rack of gear, my foot pedals spread all over the floor. I still played an Ibanez with a Floyd Rose whammy bar on it, and was still kind of in that world. And Eddy showed up late with a 54 Stratocaster and just plugged straight into this old Mesa Boogie amp, turned the cabinet around so it was facing the wall because it was so loud. He hit one note and the biorhythms in the room changed. It was an a-ha moment for me. One note, man. We became great friends and he turned me on to so many records. He had been playing with Dwight Yoakam before he left to be a part of the Delta Rebels. Just Texas blues through and through, but a lot of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, a little jazz in there, but he was a performer and could play like Stevie Ray (Vaughan) or Jeff Beck. Just sick good. Crazy good. And we had some legendary shows together in Memphis and there was a healthy competition there. I started Brother Cane. He and I kept in touch  he went back to playing in his dads band. They recorded a brilliant live record (Unshaven) at Smiths Olde Bar in Atlanta, recorded and produced none other than Brendan OBrien (who later became an A-list producer for the likes of Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen). That whole live record is incredible. But Old Chunk of Coal, the playing Eddy does on that song, like if I only had to play like that the rest of my life Id be really, really happy.

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'Kid Charlemagne' Steely Dan

Once I was old enough to get into nightclubs and bars, I went all the time to see older players - thats all I wanted to do was see great players play. And there were two great guitarists in Huntsville, Kelvin Holly and Bill Hinds. I used to go see them play and Id pick their brains during the break. Thank God, they never got sick of me, because I was just some stingy haired kid. They turned me on to guys like Lowell George from Little Feat and Todd Rundgren and just a broader palate of players and even into some of the fusion guys. Larry Carlton played on a bunch of Steely Dan records, and Kid Charlemagne is kind of his tour de force. I think it took me longer to learn the guitar solo to Kid Charlemagne than anything Ive tried to learn in my career. Its sophisticated. Not everybody can play like that, so I really am grateful for Kelvin and Bill turning me on to just broadening my listening taste. Hey, you need to pay attention to this as well, not just this Randy Rhoads and Van Halen metal stuff.

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'Still In Love With You' (live) Thin Lizzy

"Yeah, this was hard. There's so many songs I picked from other bands that covered the heavy rock stuff, and 'Still In Love With You' is one of (Thin Lizzy singer/bassist) Phil (Lynott)'s greatest accomplishments as a writer. There's a little bit of a legend to 'Still In Love With You.' There's a studio version that Gary Moore played the solo on, an earlier recording they did of it. But I have gotten into heated debates with other passionate Thin Lizzy fans, particularly in England, and I think there's more of us that think Brian Robertson's solo on the live version of 'Still In Love With You' is the superior performance. No disrespect to Gary - I don't have to quantify that because of what I said about Gary earlier. [Laughs] And Scott Gorham plays great on the end of that song, by the way. I just rode around and listened to that (Thin Lizzy 'Live and Dangerous') album incessantly in high school, and 'Still In Love With You,' in particular when that solo would come up, it would just transport me. There is so much sadness, longing and lonely in that guitar performance, I just don't know if anything else has moved me like that. So, you can imagine the thrill for me to get to play that song and that solo with Thin Lizzy when I joined. When we started playing it Scott said to me, 'Wow man, you're really nailing that almost note-for-note almost like Robbo. You don't have to do that, you can just play it like you would.' I said, 'Thank you, but that's the definitive performance. If I'm coming to see you guys play live, I want somebody to play those notes.'"

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'Rosanna' Toto

(The album) Toto IV came out, those guys swept the Grammys and Rosanna and Africa they were just on the radio every day, multiple times a day. And Rosanna was extra special to me because when I was in junior college at Snead State up in Boaz, the jazz band director was cool enough to let me play guitar with them even though I did not read sheet music. The music would have the chords written on top of the notation. He blew my mind one day and broke out the sheet music for Rosanna and the entire jazz band worked it up. We played at the basketball games and Im there with this full ensemble of horns and wind instruments and drums and all that, and I had my little amp back there and my Les Paul and Im ripping Rosanna at the basketball games. It helped color my lead playing with some other notes I would have never added to my vocabulary had I stayed just on the path of the Lizzy stuff and Southern rock bands. (Toto guitarist) Steve Lukather is one of the underrated greats of all-time. Youre just not going to find another band with better players in it that Toto, man. Their musicianship is just unparalleled.

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'Outta Love Again' Van Halen

"I'm definitely one of the guys that feels the (David Lee) Roth era was the key (Van Halen) time period, even though I love Sammy (Hagar) and they had great success with Sammy. I just feel that Eddie and Alex (Van Halen) were playing with a different energy. It was coming from a different place. I know that they labored over picking the songs for the first album (1978's 'Van Halen'), and of course it was one of the great debut records of all time. Everything about it was pretty much perfect. They had to blast out this second record (1979's 'Van Halen II'), recording it in like two weeks and you can feel that energy. All the performances, Roth's vocals, the rhythm section and especially Edward's guitar playing. To put one Van Halen song on my list of 15 for your article I literally listened to the bulk of those first six records before I settled on 'Outta Love Again.' It's just piercing. They come out of that second chorus, and Al hits the bell of that cymbal and then that bass drum and then Ed is in and he starts up high and just ripping. But at the same time, it's bluesy, it's rhythmic and you can tell it's all in one pass. A guy that deservedly has the label of reinventing the electric guitar."

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'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' Stevie Ray Vaughan

I was also really into the flashy technical guys for a while. Then there was this moment where two new guitar voices hit the scene about the same time. One was Stevie Ray Vaughan and the other was Yngwie Malmsteen. And both were equally mind-blowing. Yngwie played so fast and so classical - to this day, I can hear Yngwie play and just say, That guy is insane. But I made a conscious choice at that moment to go down the (bluesier) Stevie Ray Vaughan path. Ive probably covered Voodoo Child more in bar-bands than any of his other stuff. And it kind of has it all. Obviously, (Jimi) Hendrix was the original blueprint. But I think Stevie took it to an even higher place. It just informed the fiery element of whatever it is that I try and do. I try to attempt to channel Stevie probably more than any other guitarist when Im in the studio, particularly with my own band. Alright, this needs some of that heat.

And it was so special that I met Stevie in 89. He was in Birmingham with Jeff Beck, a co-headlining bill and my great friend Michael Trucks who is now part of the Red Mountain concert promoter, they were still New Era promotion at that time and they put on that show at Boutwell Auditorium. Michael called me and said, Hey you need to come down and see this. He got me into the show. And very graciously gave me an opportunity to meet Stevie, and Stevie was sober and he was on the heels of that amazing In Step record and just on top of the world. He took a few minutes and talked to me. There was a crowd of people around him, and he was just laser-focused on me and asking me about my playing and it was spiritual, man. Thats a great memory. Theres no way I would not include Stevie on that list.

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'Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings' ZZ Top

"When (my wife) Linda and I first started dating, I'll never forget, she'd been at work and I was in the parking lot and she pulled up and 'Nasty Dogs & Funky Kings' was just cranked in her car. And I thought, 'Alright that's it. I'm marrying this woman.' [Laughs] 'Nasty Dogs,' that's another riff that I'll play like at soundcheck. Such a badass tune. And ZZ Top's whole catalog, there's no better adjective than 'badass.' They're like AC/DC in that they've got such a chiseled-in sound, but it's slower, it's got more grease on it. What a vision (ZZ Top guitarist) Billy Gibbons has had, their entire career. When I was in Europe this month (with Black Star Riders) I sent a text to my great friend Audley Freed (guitarist who's worked with Black Crowes, Joe Perry, Jakob Dylan, Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow, Cry of Love, etc.), another just monster player, and I said, 'Hey man I've got to pick one ZZ Top song. What do you think?' And of course, he sent me back a text message that would have filled six pages in a notebook. It was 30 songs. [Laughs] Everybody in every genre loves ZZ Top. Pop artists, metal  probably some jazz guys respect and appreciate that band and Billy in particular."

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'Hold On Loosely' .38 Special

That song really informed my youth. Hold On Loosely was everywhere, and .38 Special was kind of the next Southern rock band after Skynyrd had sort of ended with the plane crash. But Hold On Loosely is also like a perfect pop song. Id put it up there with like a Beach Boys song, man. Its so great. We used to play that song in my little band in Geraldine, not my first garage band but my second garage band, because the riff was killer and I tried my best to cop that solo. I cant overstate how special Jeff Carlisis Hold On Loosely guitar solo is to me. The melodicism of it. Every Brother Cane record, every Black Star Riders record, there are moments when Im playing the solo where I am without a doubt borrowing from Jeff Carlisi. Theres purpose in every note in a solo like that.

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Brother Cane, circa 1993, from left: Damon Johnson, Scott Collier, Glenn Maxey and Roman Glick (Courtesy photo)

More on Damon Johnson, Brother Cane

Damon Johnson talks new live LP, Brother Cane, dodging Alice Cooper's snake

Brother Cane's big ride: Alabama band scored '90s hits, toured with rock legends

Damon Johnson talks Black Star Riders, teaching Sting how to play 'Sweet Emotion'

Alice Cooper talks touring The South in the '70s, Johnny Depp, classic songs, codpieces

Damon Johnson on playing in Thin Lizzy spin-off Black Star Riders

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Photos courtesy Everett Collection

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The news shocked the world on Christmas Day, 1944: Famed big-band leader Glenn Miller was missing.

The New York Times reported in its December 25 edition: "Major Glenn Miller, director of the U.S. Air Force Band, is missing on a flight from England to Paris. No trace of the plane has been found." Kelly Kazek | kkazek@al.com

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(Source: Public Domain via Wikimedia)

And it never would be. Miller, who had more No. 1 hits than Elvis or The Beatles, was declared missing in action after the plane crashed into the English Channel on Dec. 15, 1944. He was 40 years old.

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(Source: U.S. Air Force photo/Bud Hancock)

Each December, a Washington, D.C.-based military band called Airmen of Note hosts a concert in honor of the legendary musician  and its not only to share classic numbers like In the Mood or Pennsylvania 6-5000. The concert also honors Millers time at a Montgomery Air Force base. The photo above shows Airmen of Note performing in the Christmas Concert in 2009.

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(Source: Air University Office of History)

Miller trained at the Army Air Force Southeast Training Center at Maxwell Field in 1942 and hosted a much-celebrated Christmas concert the same year. The photo above shows Miller, standing, at the 1942 concert.

This years event commemorating that 1942 concert will be held at Davis Theatre from 7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 13. The band plays Millers hits, as well as Christmas classics. Attendance is free but tickets are required. They can be picked up in Montgomery at 3401 Malcolm Drive, 400 Eastdale Circle or 10 East Selfridge Street on Maxwell Air Force Base. Outside Montgomery, call 334-241-9567 for information.

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(Source: Air University Office of History)

Glenn Miller in Montgomery

When war was declared in 1941, Miller was one of the countrys biggest celebrities but he was determined to volunteer for service. He was turned down by the Navy so he joined the Army, where he was soon transferred to the Army Air Force. He was assigned to form a band to entertain the troops; Miller insisted he wanted to play for soldiers on the front lines. The photo above shows the Glenn Miller Band performing for soldiers in England in 1943.

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(Source: U.S. Air Force photo/Trey Ward)

While training as an assistant special services officer at Maxwell, Miller formed a 15-piece band called the Rhythmaires. The band played at military and civilian events before Miller decided he wanted to host an unforgettable Christmas concert.

On Christmas Eve, 1942, the event was held in a base hangar to hold the crowd. The event was also broadcast live on radio stations in Birmingham and Montgomery. Thousands of people heard the concert, a much-talked-about event for many years to follow. The photo above shows Air University Commander Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast speaking to the audience at the 2016 Glenn Miller Commemorative Christmas Concert.

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(Source: Air University Office of History)

Miller completed training and was sent overseas in summer of 1944. After performing more than 800 concerts to troops, he boarded a UC-64 Nordsman leaving from Bedfordshire and headed to Paris, where he was to finalize arrangements for a Christmas Day concert.

After the plane disappeared over the English Channel, rumors circulated that it was struck by bombs jettisoned by Allied troops. In 2014, however, a researcher said he believed it was caused by a faulty carburetor. Click here to read his account. This photo was taken at the same time as a photo above, before a radio broadcast.

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(Source: Clare via FindaGrave.com)

Millers legacy

Miller left behind his wife, Helen; a 2-year-old son, Stevie; and a daughter, Jonnie, who had been adopted weeks before Miller disappeared. He never met her.

Helen spent the rest of her life waiting for her beloved husband to return, never wavering in her belief that he was still alive. For the next few years, members of his Air Force Band were quoted in various newspapers saying they, too, believed their leader would return. The photo above shows the monument erected in 1992 in Arlington National Cemetery in Glenn Millers memory.

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(Source: Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Helen died in 1966 and Stevie in 2012. Jonnie founded the Glenn Miller Foundation to restore the home where her father was born.

But Miller was still missed in Montgomery. In 1982, Major Earl Turner, leader of the Maxwell Air University Band, went to his commander and suggested hosting a concert for the 40th anniversary of Miller's Christmas Eve concert in Alabama. That year, the Glenn Miller Commemorative Christmas Concert, shown above, was held Dec. 14 at the civic center, and it has been held each December for 35 years.

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In 1945, comedian Eddie Cantor spoke of the band leader when his band returned home after the war without its leader:

Glenn Miller was a very wonderful man  Glenn could have stayed here. He could have stayed and made himself a lot of money. And then if he wanted to, he could have retired, an independently wealthy man. But he chose not to. He was an extremely patriotic man and he felt an intense obligation to serve his country  He took himself and his orchestra overseas to where he felt he could do the most good for our fighting men  He made the supreme sacrifice for his country. But he will never be forgotten, for always we will have the sound of the great music he created.

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One of two inmates who escaped from the St. Clair County Correctional Facility Monday was captured Tuesday afternoon in Birmingham.

The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and Alabama Department of Corrections agents took Ronald Odell King, 27, into custody shortly before 4:45 p.m. The arrest was made in the city's Elyton Village public housing community.

Antwone Wilson, also 27, remains at large. Both were last seen at their morning meal about 3:30 a.m. Monday, said Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton. They were discovered gone from their cell at 5:15 a.m. and at that point the facility was locked down.

Authorities have not yet detailed how the pair got out of the lockup, which is a maximum-security prison. "The Alabama Department of Corrections is investigating the details of the escape, following leads, and is working with all levels of law enforcement to locate the inmates,'' Horton said in a prepared statement.

U.S. Marshals have joined the search, along with prison officials and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. There have been no confirmed sightings.

King, according to the ADOC release, is serving 50 years on a burglary conviction out of Jefferson County. Court records show, however, show he also was convicted of first-degree rape, sexual torture and abuse and first-degree robbery.

He was arrested in July 2013 after an armed robbery at an Alpine Village apartment. Authorities said the incident happened about 10:30 p.m. on July 26 when King and another man entered an apartment and robbed a man and woman at gunpoint. They fled the scene, with one of them taking a Ford pickup truck that belonged to the victim.

The victims called 911 and police were able to track down the truck and one suspect in Bluff Park. King was arrested after a short foot chase and was in possession of property belong to the victim.

Also in July of 2013, King raped a woman with the handle of a frying pan "with the intent to sexually torture or abuse her,'' records show. Charging documents show he also raped her with forcible compulsion. Court records don't say where that incident happened but indicate the attack happened on July 15 of that year.

Wilson, serving a life sentence, was arrested by Birmingham police in 2012 in connection with a spate of robberies on Birmingham's Southside - including three in one night.

During that investigation, Birmingham police also impounded a vehicle that matched the description of one that police said was used during the Southside robberies. The robbery spree lasted from Feb. 15 to Feb. 29 of that year.

At the time of that arrest, Wilson already had previously pleaded guilty in 2010 to robbery charges and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to court records. He was released on probation in 2011.

Anyone with information is asked to call the ADOC at 1-800-831-8825.
A physician from Homewood is among four people indicted by a federal grand jury for their role in a Montgomery pill mill.

Dr. Julio Delgado, 55, Montgomery nurse practitioner Lillian Akwuba, 38, Tallassee nurse practitioner Steven Cox, 62, and Montgomery nurse practitioner, Elizabeth Cronier, 69, were arrested Tuesday, according to an announce by Middle District U.S. Attorney Louis V. Franklin Sr. A "pill mill" is a medical clinic that is dispensing controlled substances inappropriately, unlawfully, and for non-medical reasons.

All four of those arrested worked at Family Practice with Dr. Gilberto Sanchez, a former Montgomery physician who owned the practice. Sanchez last week pleaded guilty in federal court to drug distribution, health care fraud, and money laundering charges.

The indictment accuses Delgado and the nurse practitioners of conspiring with Sanchez to unnecessarily and illegitimately prescribe controlled substances to the patients of Family Practice. Additionally, it alleges they committed health care fraud by causing insurance companies to be billed for unnecessary office visits. The only purpose of those visits was to refill unnecessary medications, Franklin said. The indictment also states that Akwuba conspired with Sanchez to launder money.

Of convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the drug conspiracy and distribution counts. They face maximum sentences of 10 years in prison on the health care fraud counts. Akwuba faces a maximum sentence of 10 years on the money laundering counts. All of the defendants could be assessed substantial fines and other monetary penalties.

This case is being investigated by the DEA's Tactical Diversion Squad, the IRS's Criminal Investigation Division, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General. The Montgomery County, Alabama Sheriff's Office, the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, the Montgomery, Alabama Police Department, and the Opelika, Alabama Police Department also assisted with this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan S. Ross and R. Rand Neeley are prosecuting the case.
Two inmates who are on the run after a Monday-morning escape from an Alabama prison have lengthy criminal histories in Jefferson County, including the rape and sexual torture of a woman in Hoover at the hands of one of the escapees.

Ronald Odell King and Antwone Wilson, both 27, were last seen at the St. Clair Correctional Facility at 5:15 a.m. Monday, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections. Authorities have not said how they made their getaway.

King, according to the ADOC release, is serving 50 years on a burglary conviction out of Jefferson County. Court records show, however, show he also was convicted of first-degree rape, sexual torture and abuse and first-degree robbery.

He was arrested in July 2013 after an armed robbery at an Alpine Village apartment. Authorities said the incident happened about 10:30 p.m. on July 26 when King and another man entered an apartment and robbed a man and woman at gunpoint. They fled the scene, with one of them taking a Ford pickup truck that belonged to the victim.

The victims called 911 and police were able to track down the truck and one suspect in Bluff Park. King was arrested after a short foot chase and was in possession of property belong to the victim.

Also in July of 2013, King raped a woman with the handle of a frying pan "with the intent to sexually torture or abuse her,'' records show. Charging documents show he also raped her with forcible compulsion. Court records don't say where that incident happened but indicate the attack happened on July 15 of that year.

Wilson, serving a life sentence, was arrested by Birmingham police in 2012 in connection with a spate of robberies on Birmingham's Southside - including three in one night.

During that investigation, Birmingham police also impounded a vehicle that matched the description of one that police said was used during the Southside robberies. The robbery spree lasted from Feb. 15 to Feb. 29 of that year.

At the time of that arrest, Wilson already had previously pleaded guilty in 2010 to robbery charges and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to court records. He was released on probation in 2011.

Efforts to reach ADOC officials for additional comment on the escape weren't immediately successful. Both men were last seen wearing their prison whites.

The search for them is being carried about by the ADOC and ALEA, with assistance earlier in the day for the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office. Police in one Birmingham suburb was asked to patrol a specific residence while the escapees are on the loose, but no reason was provide.

Anyone with information is asked to call the ADOC at 1-800-831-8825.
A woman pleaded guilty Monday morning in the death of her daughter, who died while the mother partied and left the toddler in the care of her other children.

Katerra Lewis, 28, pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter in Jefferson County Circuit Judge Virginia Vinson's courtroom. She was immediately sentenced to 28 months in prison, but that sentence was split with 24 months to serve in community corrections. Lewis was also ordered to two years of probation.

Lewis was charged following the Oct. 2015 death of 1-year-old Kelci Devine Lewis. Police previously said there were visible injuries to the girl, and the death was ruled to be a result of blunt force trauma to the head and internal injuries.

In January 2016, Birmingham homicide detective Rodney Rogers testified at a preliminary hearing that when he arrived to the Second Avenue South home the day Kelci died, there were five other children in the house. Roger said one of the other children, a 6-year-old, witnessed another child, an 8-year-old boy, hit and push Kelci's head into a dresser and bite the child.

Rogers said Lewis initially reported the 8-year-old boy told her he had spanked Kelci the night before she died. Lewis also told police she was home all night, but only found Kelci cold and not breathing in her crib later the next morning.

In a second interview, Rogers testified, Lewis admitted she had left the house about 11 p.m. to go to the Steel City Motorcycle Club, and left the children home alone.

Then-Deputy District Attorney Michael Streety, who is now a Circuit Court judge, argued that Lewis was reckless because she had left her toddler in the care of other young children, including the 8-year-old who had attention deficit disorder and played rough with the other kids.

After that preliminary hearing, now retired Jefferson County District Court Judge Shelly Watkins said he didn't find probable cause for the charge against Lewis and dismissed the case. But, prosecutors did take the case to a grand jury and Lewis was indicted in May 2016.

The 8-year-old boy was charged after Kelci's death with murder, but that case is being handled in juvenile court where records are not made public. The outcome of that case is unclear.

Lewis was represented by John Wiley and Bill Mathis; Jefferson County Deputy District Attorneys Mara Russell and Carl Randall prosecuted the case.

Attorneys had not responded to request for comment by the time of publication. This post will be updated.
The diamond was found in a Sierra Leone village earlier this year and government promised money from the auction will benefit locals.

New York City, US  The diamond sat in a secure room in an office, waiting to be sold to the highest bidder and perhaps change the lives of the people belonging to the village in Sierra Leone where it was found.

On Monday, a 709-carat diamond sold for $6.5m at an auction in New York City hosted by Rapaport Group, a diamond trade and auction house.

The buyer was Laurence Graff, one of the worlds top precious stone buyers and founder of Graff Diamonds.

Officials say he knowingly overbid for what has been called the Peace Diamond because of the symbolism behind the stone.

It was found by villagers in Koryardu earlier this year. The village has no electricity, running water, school, or a hospital.

It was amazing, said Emmanuel Momoh, a pastor in the village.

I am not able to express the feeling. Because, you know, I wasnt expecting this kind of stone.

Instead of selling the diamond on the black market or smuggling it out of the country, the villagers decided to turn it over to the government.

The government then put it up for public auction and said the majority of proceeds will go to social services in villages ravaged by war.

Who will benefit?

The five villagers who found the diamond will split a little over $1m, another $1m will go to a fund to help other poor villages and the rest to other social programmes through the government.

The diamond sold here will now help the lives of people and that is the hope and resilience of us as a nation, said Abdulai Bayraytay, spokesperson for Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma.

Its very important as a nation that the proceeds complement the government efforts to provide social services to the people.

Sierra Leone has a long and bloody relationship with diamonds, as depicted in the Hollywood movie Blood Diamond.

An 11-year civil war, fought partially over the riches from diamonds, killed more than 40,000.

Many in Sierra Leone will now be watching closely to make sure they see the social benefits from the sale of the diamond as the government promised.

If so, it will be a rare example of diamonds, instead of causing conflict in the country, bringing a little peace and prosperity to the place it was found.
With yet another flood hitting southern Thailand, villagers point to decades of inaction by consecutive governments.

Nine provinces in Southern Thailand are affected by flooding as heavier than usual monsoon rains continue to fall on the area. The storms sweeping across this narrow stretch of land separating the Gulf of Thailand from the Andaman Sea have also affected northern Malaysia.

It used to be said that flooding in the south of Thailand was an annual event during the wet season but it is now happening more than once a year.

For the past week, the province of Songkhla  along with others in the region  has been pelted by heavy rain resulting in all 16 districts being declared disaster zones.

To a large extent the people have grown accustomed to flooding because it happens so often. Large parts of the south were also underwater in January.

During these times of difficulty, Thais often adopt an attitude of what will be, will be. The community comes together and copes as best it can.

This is happening again now; people are helping each other out, particularly with transport via boat to and from their flooded homes. You can see them congregating on the nearest dry strips of land to wait for food handouts from the government and local groups.

Government inaction

But this year, the situation is more serious than usual, which has brought a sense of frustration.

The flood this year is much worse than last year, and its very difficult, said Pranee Khunthongkaew, a farmer who had taken some time out to dry her feet and catch up with friends on the elevated road, which has become a lively gathering place for people to get some food or park cows that have been rescued from the floodwater.

We need assistance from the government because our livestock is stranded and needs food and the whole village is underwater, she said.

Experts agree that this year is much worse, partly because of climate change, but also as a result of decades of inaction by governments in Thailand that have been, and continue to be, preoccupied with self-preservation.

Seree Supratid is an expert on climate change and water management from Bangkoks Rangsit University, and he says Thailands volatile political scene is partly to blame for the flooding situation.

He says governments change so frequently that they have no time or arent interested in developing sustainable projects like proper drainage systems or better farming practices.

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Governments think about short-term solutions only because they only stay for two to four years so they only think of projects that can be completed within that timeframe.

The disasters that are happening with greater frequency dont just affect peoples homes and possessions; they also affect their livelihoods.

Huge swaths of rice fields and rubber plantations are underwater; this will increase the financial pressure on farmers who saw their income shrink 2.6% in the three months to September amid a wider Thai economy thats ambling along at a much slower pace than most of its neighbours.

Most Thais who live in flood-prone areas dont want to leave because their families have been there for generations.

They choose to stay, putting up with their increasingly common watery existence, hoping that one day, they can get through a wet season without having to deal with a major flood.
For the first time in more than two years  the longest stretch since the late 1950s  a coup detat rocked a country in Africa. Late on the evening of November 14, the Zimbabwe military seized control of the capital, Harare, and placed President Robert Mugabe under house arrest.

The coup was vehemently denied as such by its perpetrators, but the militarys doublespeak could not alter the reality: after 37 ruinous years in power, Zimbabwes liberator-turned-dictator faced an ignominious exit at the hands of his comrades.

Surprisingly, the coup also confounded the African Union and threatened to damage one of its major policy successes since its founding in 2002  zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government out of the barrel of a gun. Why, in contravention of its anti-coup dictum, did the AU accept the coup in Zimbabwe? What implications will this have for ending politics by force in Africa?

For decades, coups  in which a faction within government uses its partial control of the state apparatus to (forcibly) remove the ruler from power  wrought havoc in countries across Africa, undermining democracy, fomenting instability and civil war, and impeding economic growth. Between 1950 and 2010, 169 coup attempts took place in Africa, of which 51.5 percent were successful (pdf). For most of this period, the continents coup epidemic was exacerbated by The Organization of African Unitys (OAU) capital city rule, whereby whoever controlled the capital, no matter how he/she came to power, was recognised as the sovereign representative by other states.

As events played out in Zimbabwe, the African Union faced a conundrum: condemn the coup and the ZDF's de facto seizure of power but be seen (once again) to be shielding Mugabe from his political reckoning; or accept the ZDF's military intervention to absolve Zimbabwe - and the African Union - of Mugabe's dictatorial reign, though at the risk of legitimating the use of force in politics. by

African regional organisations and their member states only began to shed their indifference to forcible seizures of power and to rethink the capital city rule around 1996-1997, after coups in Burundi and Sierra Leone toppled elected governments and destabilised conflict management efforts. This resulted in the landmark Lome Declaration by the OAU in 2000, in which African states collectively denounced coups as grave threats to peace and democracy on the continent.

The founding of the African Union (AU) in 2002 consummated the renunciation of the capital city rule. The AUs Constitutive Act included a provision to decertify governments that come to power through unconstitutional means. The AU empowered its Peace and Security Council (PSC)  the key enforcement organ of the regional organisation  to use sanctions and suspensions to police unconstitutional changes of government. Over the last fifteen years, the AU has suspended no fewer than 11 member states when groups within violated its anti-coup rule. Moreover, the PSC has been quick to sanction such transgressions, usually acting within 24 to 48 hours of a coup.

Despite these gains, there are significant loopholes in the AUs anti-coup regime. For one, anti-incumbent forces can still use coups to unseat rulers; it is just less viable for coup perpetrators to accede the throne and gain sovereign recognition. Two, the AU has been much weaker in holding incumbents to account for undermining constitutionalism than their rivals who try to seize power via coups detat. This imbalance is not due to a lack of rules but a lack of will. The AU, in the 2007 African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, empowered the Peace and Security Council to police incumbent infringements on the principles of democratic change of government (Article 23, Section 4) as it would coups (Article 23, Section 1). Yet, not once has the AU invoked Section 4  despite innumerable incidences of incumbents transgressing principles of democratic change of government.

The contradictions plaguing the AUs regime of constitutionalism were laid bare in Zimbabwe over the last fortnight when a power-struggle within the ruling party exploded into a pitched battle for control of the executive. The Zimbabwe Defence Forces, responding to the dismissal of one of its key allies, former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, direct threats to its Commander, Constantino Chiwenga, and fears of losing even more power and influence if Mugabes wife, Grace, succeeded the 93-year old president, launched Operation Restore Legacy to eliminate its rival faction and assume de facto power.

After years of turning a blind eye to President Robert Mugabes subversion of democracy, the AU was staring at a situation in which a coup had the potential to usher in a political transition in Zimbabwe that was popularly supported domestically and in the region. Moreover, quite shrewdly, the ZDF avoided crossing the AUs red line of seizing executive power  instead deferring to formal, constitutional procedures for the removal and replacement of Mugabe as president.

A sounder approach would have been for the AU's Peace and Security Council to condemn the de facto coup - as it would a de jure coup - and threaten to suspend Zimbabwe from the African Union until the military released Mugabe from house arrest, handed over power to a transitional post-Mugabe government, and returned to the barracks. by

As events played out in Zimbabwe, the African Union faced a conundrum: condemn the coup and the ZDFs de facto seizure of power but be seen (once again) to be shielding Mugabe from his political reckoning; or accept the ZDFs military intervention to absolve Zimbabwe  and the African Union  of Mugabes dictatorial reign, though at the risk of legitimating the use of force in politics.

In stark contrast to the Peace and Security Councils immediate and forceful rejection of nearly every other coup since the AU was founded in 2002, the African Union tacitly supported the forcible removal of Mugabe from power  a position that the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which the AU was happy to defer to in managing the crisis, also held. To justify its inaction, the AU ultimately declared the ZDF intervention did not constitute a coup detat, after at first suggesting the opposite.

The African Union, in alignment with SADC, got it wrong and missed a valuable opportunity to strengthen and expand its anti-coup regime to include both de jure and de facto coups. In narrowly focusing on the removal of the sitting head of state as the defining feature of a coup rather than the unconstitutional use of force to coerce elected leaders to relinquish power, it sets a dangerous precedent that threatens to undermine the strong gains the region has made to move beyond politics by the gun.

A sounder approach would have been for the AUs Peace and Security Council to condemn the de facto coup  as it would a de jure coup  and threaten to suspend Zimbabwe from the African Union until the military released Mugabe from house arrest, handed over power to a transitional post-Mugabe government, and returned to the barracks. Such a policy response would have delivered a similar outcome as what transpired  ridding Zimbabwe and the AU of the Mugabe problem  while strengthening, rather than weakening, the regions anti-coup norm. Instead, the AU endorsed a factional coup by the Zimbabwe military and its former vice president, Mnangagwa, that now sees the coup perpetrators in key positions in the post-Mugabe government in direct contravention of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.

There is another important lesson for the AU from the Zimbabwe case. It would not have faced the unpalatable choice of greenlighting the forcible removal of a sitting head of state if it committed to building a more balanced regime of constitutionalism, in which incumbent subversions of democracy are addressed as vigilantly as coups by anti-incumbent forces. Through the violation of term limits, the emasculation of free and fair elections, and the persecution of their opponents, rulers are eviscerating the institutions that are essential to building a new political equilibrium in which the use of force is not needed to hold incumbents accountable.

Only by fixing the loopholes that currently plague the AUs regime of constitutionalism  rejecting de facto and de jure coups and ending the double standards that let incumbents but not their rivals off the hook for undercutting democracy  will the region finally escape politics by force.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
This week marks six months since four Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imposed a siege on Qatar, accused it of endangering their security by supporting terrorists and aligning with Iran, and demanded specific policy changes or else face harsher pressures. Despite serious high-level Kuwaiti, American, and European mediation, the situation remains unresolved and stalemated  yet several important outcomes are already evident.

One is about the limits of economic, diplomatic, and military power, even in the hands of powerful countries like Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany and its European partners, and others, who have tried but failed to achieve their desired outcomes.

Another is about the ability of determined small countries like Qatar to mobilise their own public opinion in order to withstand the immense pressures they face  a lesson that was also repeated in Lebanon in November when Saudi Arabia pressured that country. A third is that the ever-changing Middle Eastern landscape of regional and global powers allows countries like Qatar to survive by quickly adjusting their strategic linkages and economic-logistical networks, given the independent actions of powers like Turkey and Iran, and smaller states like Oman  such structural reconfigurations of the strategic military, economic, and transport relationships between Arab and non-Arab Middle Eastern powers are perhaps the most important outcome of the last six months. A fourth is the weakness of Arab groupings like the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), whose utility and relevance have both been badly exposed as being extremely thin, and perhaps irrelevant.

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The most important underlying lesson from this stalemate is that the Saudi Arabia and the UAE are determined to use military, economic, and political pressures around the entire Middle East in order to achieve results that are  well, that are still unclear to most observers. The initial 13 demands on Qatar by the Saudi-UAE duo (the other siege-supporting countries are supporting secondary actors) addressed issues they felt threatened their national well-being. Observers have widely viewed the accusations against Qatar variously as exaggerated, untrue, unreasonable, or equally applicable to most of the six GCC states (the most prominent demands were to close the Al Jazeera television network, curtail ties with Iran, end support for terrorists, and cut ties with Islamist groups). They went nowhere and were widely ridiculed, including effectively being called unreasonable by the US government.

Weeks later, in July, these demands were followed up by a list of six more reasonable principles that the siege-states wanted Qatar to accept, on not supporting or funding terrorists, and non-interference in neighbours affairs. Doha replied that it was open to dialogue at any time to resolve the issues in question, but not under siege, threats, or infringements of its sovereignty. Yet dialogue seems off the table for now, and if we are to believe the comments made by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during his latest mediation attempt, it is because the key Saudi leader, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, is not interested in dialogue.

A Qatari exit from the GCC would be problematic for the Saudis and Emiratis in two ways: first, Qatar has shown that it is able to adjust its strategic, economic, and logistical relationships very quickly, and thus to neutralise most of the impacts of the siege; and second, the Saudi-Emirati failure in Qatar creates negative backlashes for them, as potential commercial or political partners around the world may think twice about entering into agreements with countries that can so quickly and harshly turn against their own long-time regional partners. by

The GCC summit that is currently taking place in Kuwait, with all six members invited, is unlikely to make any headway in resolving the conflict, as it has already been cut short by a day. The conflict also apparently will not be resolved by Qatar folding under the pressures of the siege, or by Saudi-Emirati reversal of positions due to the failed siege.

Mohammad Bin Salman has recently called the Qatar feud a very, very small issue, indicating that the Saudi-Emirati leaders are willing to maintain the pressure on Qatar for years if need be, and will shed no tears if Qatar leaves or is thrown out of the GCC. Qatar for its part is making numerous rapid adjustments that negate most impacts of the siege, and considerably strengthen both its regional strategic alliances and its domestic economic production capacity.

A Qatari exit from the GCC would be problematic for the Saudis and Emiratis in two ways: first, Qatar has shown that it is able to adjust its strategic, economic, and logistical relationships very quickly, and thus to neutralise most of the impacts of the siege; and second, the Saudi-Emirati failure in Qatar creates negative backlashes for them, as potential commercial or political partners around the world may think twice about entering into agreements with countries that can so quickly and harshly turn against their own long-time regional partners.

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The past six months also revealed that the Saudi-Emirati accusations and actions against Qatar are just one element in a wider regional strategy that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have unleashed in the past three years in Yemen, Qatar, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and other Arab lands. They seem to be using their substantial military and economic might to attempt to reconfigure regional political-military ties in a manner that achieves three concentric goals: reduce Irans links with various Arab parties that could threaten the GCC states, weaken the power of Islamist and other opposition groups in Arab lands, and strengthen conservative and autocratic Arab leaders that are willing to coordinate with the United States and Israel. Within this wider context, Qatar is merely a symbol of Saudi-Emirati muscle-flexing and message-sending  most of which to date seems to have been unsuccessful.

The siege states repeatedly say they will pressure Qatar until it comes back into line with their policies. In response, the Qatar foreign minister said in Washington, DC, recently, We see a pattern of irresponsibility and a reckless leadership in the region which is just trying to bully countries into submission.

An important development of the past six months has been Washingtons apparent disagreement with the Saudi-Emirati accusations. One sign of this was the new Qatar-USA treaty to work together to fight terrorism financing. Another was the US Department of States approval within weeks of the siege on Qatar to sell Doha 36 F-15 fighter-jets worth $12bn, with a related $1bn support programme.

Qatar has also expanded its military cooperation with Turkey which already operates a base in the country, signed military agreements with Russia on air defences and military supplies, and expects to buy French advanced jet fighters. So a military attack against Qatar is unlikely, while Saudi attempts to promote a cousin of the Qatari emir as a replacement for him have also proved to be amateurish at best, causing Riyadh to say that regime change is not one of its goals.

Qatar has withstood the siege impacts essentially by pursuing several parallel policies: drawing on its extensive foreign currency reserves and investments to bolster its banks, quickly reconfiguring critical trade relationships, expanding its foreign sources of essentials such as food, consumer goods, construction materials, and medicine, developing strategic new relationships that allow it to use nearby maritime ports for its trade, and making adjustments in other areas like air transport. It is also increasing strategic investments abroad in food and other manufacturing, air transport, and maritime ports.

Qatars economy was hardest hit in the past six months in the banking, real estate, and stock market sectors, but by late November it seems to have weathered the worst of the pressures and resumed pre-siege import levels. An important new development was a trilateral agreement signed in November among Turkey, Iran, and Qatar to speed up imports by air and sea. The results of such adjustments include a 90 percent increase of Turkish exports to Qatar in the first four months of the siege, and a 29 percent increase in Turkish exports to Qatar in the first nine months of this year. Iranian exports to Qatar increased 119 percent in October over a year ago, following a full restoration of diplomatic relations in August.

Qatars October exports increased 11.9 percent from last year, and its trade surplus expanded 12.9 percent. Official data also shows a 7.4 percent rise in Qatars industrial output since September 2016, comprising both gas and manufacturing increases, including 23.5 percent higher food manufacturing.

Qatar is also fighting back against the siege-states by raising cases against them in international tribunals, including the International Criminal Court, the World Trade Organization, and international air transport organizations.

Six months into this crisis, Qatar has effectively neutralised the impact of the siege against it, while Saudi-Emirati policies around the region continue to assert a willingness to use hard power decisively  though so far ineffectively  to achieve their own national security goals. We are in the early stages of a historic transformation of GCC-based power relationships that require a few years to settle into a new pattern, though some important lessons on this pattern of change have been learned in the past six months.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The assassination of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh proved once again that ruling a country like Yemen is certainly not an easy task. Among those who have ruled North Yemen since the turn of the 20th century, five were assassinated and four others were forced to live in exile, including the current sitting President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi  the legitimate president of the unified Yemen since February 2012.

Regardless of what others might think of his political legacy, no politician has left a greater mark on Yemens modern history than President Saleh. He was known as a master of establishing and disbanding political coalitions, knowing correctly that no single political power can rule Yemen. Ironically, he began his political career fighting the traditional Imamate, only to have his life ended at the hands of the same forces that he had fought almost 50 years ago. His assassination comes after a short-lived alliance with the Houthis that was filled with inherent political contradictions.

The final page of President Salehs political life has been tragically and forever turned; however, because his long political life has shaped the nature of political coalitions and governance in Yemen, his sudden assassination is likely to have its own impact on the overall trajectory of events in this war-torn country. What will happen to Yemen, and more particularly to Yemens capital and largest city of Sanaa with a population of more than two million? Will Salehs death prolong Yemens current war and humanitarian crisis, or will it help bring a surprising conclusion to the conflict  either through a comprehensive military victory or through unlikely new rounds of peace negotiations and power sharing?

Will there be an uprising in Sanaa?

No doubt the Saudi Arabia-led coalition is facing increased political pressure from the international community  including international humanitarian organisations  to end its tight blockade against Yemens sea and airports and allow for the free transportation of basic food items and medicines necessary to save the lives of vulnerable Yemeni citizens. Indeed, the spread of diseases as cholera has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. Thus, the political divorce between Saleh and the Houthis, just 48 hours before Salehs death, offered a glimmer of hope and a new political opportunity for the Saudi-led coalition to finally break the Houthis and end their control over Sanaa.

Now that the Houthis have successfully eliminated Saleh from Yemen's political scene, they are poised to swiftly consolidate their political control over Sanaa if the Saudi-led coalition does not act expeditiously. by

When Saleh announced the end of his alliance with the Houthis and called for supporters and military loyalists to undertake an uprising against the Houthis in Sanaa and other cities, it seemed that he did have a comprehensive plan to achieve this goal. Many Yemenis living under the Houthis control believed that Saleh could be the catalyst to quickly change the outcome of the military stalemate with the Houthis. However, Salehs unexpected demise proves that a defined plan may not have existed in the first place. In the absence of such plans, it is unlikely that an uprising against the Houthis in Sanaa will be immediately forthcoming.

However, military escalation between the Houthis and Salehs core loyalists within the Republican Special Forces may continue.

Who will succeed Saleh in the GPC?

The General Peoples Congress (GPC) has suffered from infighting between factions loyal to President Hadi and former President Saleh since late 2014, with Saleh maintaining considerable control over the GPC in its strongholds in and around Sanaa. Saleh also had firm control over the Republican Special Forces, which have been headed since their inception by his son, Ahmed Saleh. The immediate challenge for the GPC is what to do next and who will lead it.

Salehs core loyalists and supporters are unlikely to forgive the Houthis for the death of their beloved leader. Yet, the question remains whether the Saleh and Hadi factions of the GPC can forge an alliance and unite the party with Yemens formal military forces to fight the Houthis. Will the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia allow Salehs eldest son, Ahmed, to return to Yemen and play any significant role in the fight against the Houthis or perhaps in Yemens political future? For Ahmed Saleh, the ultimate enemies are now those who killed his father and he may view avenging his fathers death as trumping any political differences with the Saudi-led coalition or with Hadis faction of the GPC.

The Houthis and Salehs dilemma

Many within the Houthis may never have trusted Saleh and may yet hold him responsible for the death of the movements founder, Hussein al-Houthi. Now that the Houthis have successfully eliminated Saleh from Yemens political scene, they are poised to swiftly consolidate their political control over Sanaa if the Saudi-led coalition does not act expeditiously. The Houthis must remember, however, that they are left with no domestic alliance or partner. They can no longer blame their de facto coalition government in Sanaa for any policy failure. With Salehs death, the Houthis will now be responsible for any deficiencies in salaries, food, or fuel in Sanaa.

Moreover, since their seizure of Sanaa more than two years ago, the Houthis have made more enemies than friends. Their list of enemies includes: President Hadis faction of the GPC, Islah, the Mobility Movement in the south (Al-Hirak), Salehs loyalists, al-Ahmar family, and many tribal leaders. All these Yemeni actors may have no other option than unite with the common goal of defeating the Houthis and liberating Sanaa. It remains to be seen whether the Islah party and al-Ahmars family will forgive Salehs family and faction and breathe new political life into the anti-Houthi forces. After all, they had been Salehs strongest allies for more than two decades until the Yemeni uprising of 2011. Regardless of the immediate impact of Salehs death, the war in Yemen has certainly taken an intriguing turn with the lives of more than 25 million civilians at stake.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
What will Trump ultimately gain from moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem? Not much.

Ever since the US government recognised Israel in 1948, no one has ever doubted where Washington stood in terms of the conflict between Israel and the Arabs. But while the US has always been pro-Israel, it tried, at least in theory, to adhere to international law and the worldwide consensus while dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It is true that the US has often vetoed many actionable resolutions on the question of Palestine, but its position has always been clear when it came to the issue of Jerusalem. The US, like the rest of the world, has repeatedly refused to acknowledge Israels unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem, and continued to consider East Jerusalem as an occupied territory, just like Gaza, Nablus or Ramallah.

International law stipulates clearly that the Israelis are not allowed to change the status of the areas under their military rule. The fourth Geneva Convention, which was created to regulate long-term occupations, clearly opposes an occupying power in changing the status of areas under its occupation.

When the White House is more pro-Israel than the Congress

In the past, the US Congress, which has often been called Israeli occupied territory, passed several laws in favour of Israel that infringe on the executive branchs constitutional authority over foreign policy. But consecutive presidents have consistently opposed these laws and claimed presidential waivers to postpone their implementation.

The Jerusalem Embassy Act, which was signed into law in 1995, was one such example. It threatened to defund the Department of State if the US didnt move its embassy to Jerusalem, but, at the same time, allowed the president to sign a waiver every six months to avoid making such a drastic and implosive decision. Every president since then has regularly signed the waiver. President Donald Trump also signed the waiver in June 2017  a move that allowed his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to work towards bringing peace to the Middle East.

But things have changed in the last six months.

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Kushner found himself at the centre of the expanding investigation into Trump campaigns alleged links to Russia, and, as a consequence, his influence in the White House has been diminished. Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence influence over Trump and his inner circle has gradually increased. Pence, a Christian Zionist, has long been a leading voice in favour of relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem. And, on Tuesday, it looked like he has finally achieved his goal, as President Trump reportedly called his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, to inform him of his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

If Trump goes through with the move, the US will become the first country to have its embassy in Jerusalem. This will overturn decades of an international consensus on the status of the highly contested city, half of which was occupied by Israel following the 1967 War.

Playing deal games

Of course, even now, we cannot be certain that Trump will follow through. It is possible that Trump is once again trying to play a deal game  upping the ante with the threat of not signing the waiver in order to eventually sign the waiver but, in the meantime, make a possibly unbinding declaration from the White House that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Unfortunately, it appears that Trump is choosing war over peace and injustice and occupation over justice, freedom and independence. by

Even this half-measure is full of problems. If he calls united Jerusalem the capital of Israel, he will for sure completely alienate Palestinians and will be throwing his own son-in-laws efforts to bring calm to the region under the bus. On the other hand, if he calls West Jerusalem Israels capital, he will infuriate the Israelis and thus not gain much by it.

The puzzle remains, then: What will Trump ultimately gain from this move, other than pleasing his already happy base? Not much.

Any action Trump may take regarding Jerusalem, whether moving the embassy or simply recognising the city as Israels capital, would also reflect his lack of understanding of the conflict and the role of Jerusalem in it. Jerusalem is not only a Palestinian issue, but also an Arab and Islamic one. The historic city is also an important symbol for Christians and peace-loving people from any religion around the world.

If the US president is committed to moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, there is, however, a much easier and acceptable way: The Trump Administration can officially accept the two-state solution. by

Even if the US president moves the embassy to Jerusalem, no other important country in the world will follow his lead. The most powerful western alliance, the European Union, has already declared that it will certainly not support such a unilateral decision. The Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic States have also rejected the move. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Israel if the US recognises Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Moreover, Trump has been warned by Palestinians and a number of prominent Israelis not to tinker with a sensitive issue like Jerusalem.

So the world agrees that Jerusalem cannot and should not be subject to the presidents juvenile deal games.

Another way

If the US president is committed to moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, there is, however, a much easier and acceptable way: The Trump administration can officially accept the two-state solution. Trump can then recognise West Jerusalem as Israels capital and East Jerusalem as Palestines. Such a declaration will allow the president to fulfill his electoral promise of moving the embassy to Jerusalem, while, at the same time, supporting the efforts of his peace envoys to lay the foundations for a lasting peace deal. Anything short of that will not weather the test of time and that of fairness and justice. The choice is clear.

Unfortunately, it appears that Trump is choosing war over peace and injustice and occupation over justice, freedom and independence.

Editors note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly claimed that the Jerusalem Embassy Act was signed in 1985. It was signed in 1995.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Many refugees arent able to travel the significant distances from their camps to medical facilities, so an Australian organisation is training some Rohingya to provide basic medical services to their fellow refugees.

Aid organisations are struggling to provide humanitarian assistance to more than 625,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled the military crackdown in Myanmar.

There are often not enough medics to provide basic healthcare in the sprawling refugee camps near the border with Bangladesh.

A growing number of refugees being trained basic medical and rescue skills by the Australian voluntary organisation, Backpacker Medics Disaster Response Group.

Al Jazeeras Charles Stratford reports from Thengkhali Camp, Bangladesh.
Unite the Right rally survivors say they have not received help from funds raised by Democratic Socialists of America.

Allie was among the 19 people injured when white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr allegedly drove his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia in August.

When the car backed away, he smashed me between his car, and I got kind of hung up on the trunk of another, Allie, who asked her last name not be used, recalled.

He smashed my pelvis into a parked car, she told Al Jazeera.

The attack also killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

Allie suffered a crushed pelvis that left her with sizeable hospital bills.

While she has insurance, under the US healthcare system, she still must pay deductibles or partial fees before the insurance fully kicks in.

Allies out-of-pocket limit for 2017 was between $15,000 and $16,000.

This is going to be a lifetime injury, Allie said. Im going to need physical therapy for probably the rest of my life and orthopedist for at least the next decade.

That is why when she heard about a fund by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to support victims of the far-right attack, she thought she could find some reprieve.

I was hoping the DSA would be a faster route, Allie said.

But after more than three months of searching for information, writing applications and attempting to find answers, Allie and others still have not received any financial help from the DSA, prompting questions over the DSAs handling of the money.

Delayed from the beginning

The DSA, which has gained about 20,000 new members over the past year, raised more than $198,000 to help victims of the far-right attack in Charlottesville through a crowdfunding page.

Allie said she learned about the DSA fund almost immediately after her initial hospital stay, and reached out to them to apply for assistance.

It took me a really long time to get in touch with the DSA, locally, Allie said.

A few weeks passed, and she was put in contact with the Richmond DSA chapter through a friend and finally received information about how to apply.

The national DSA office told her she had to report the hospital where she received care and the police officers she spoke to regarding the attack.

But the requirement of police involvement for Charlottesville and Richmond activists was controversial, Allie said.

Police requirement

Charlottesville police have arrested left-wing, anti-racist protesters for petty offences, prompting fear among many. A grand jury related to the events of the August violence began on November 12 and activists are afraid they may be summoned.

Activists in nearby Richmond have told Al Jazeera that they suspect police department has attempted to infiltrate their ranks.

A 220-page review of the polices handling of the rally released on Friday said law enforcement officers on the local and state levels were not adequately prepared for the rally.

This view was shared by counterprotesters, who have maintained that police allowed things to escalate.

Charlottesville Police Lt Stephen Upman said at a press conference that police were planning to determine our next steps after the report.

Police actions during the rally worsened the already-strained relationship between law enforcement and left-wing activists.

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A police-related controversy had struck the DSA earlier in August when Danny Fetonte, a long-time organiser from the Austin, Texas chapter, was elected to the DSAs National Political Committee (NPC), the partys primary political leadership body.

Fetonte, who worked with the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT), was involved in organising police unions, a fact with which many of the DSAs new members took issue. CLEAT, the states largest police officer union, has been accused of working against police reform.

Fetonte eventually stepped down after DSA chapters across the country called for his dismissal.

Despite her concerns about police involvement, Allie still applied for the funds, submitting all the required documents.

Survivor uncertainty over the funds status

Local activists, including Allie, told Al Jazeera that the DSA initially wanted the Red Cross, an international charitable organisation that also requires police reports to verify claims, to disburse the funds.

After members from the DSAs Charlottesville and Richmond chapters complained about the choice, national DSA went with the National Compassion Fund (NCF), according to the DSA Deputy Director David Duhalde.

Allie never received this news. She found it when she was looking into charitable organisations supporting victims of the October 1 Las Vegas shooting, the deadliest in modern US history, and saw a Charlottesville fund on the website of the NCF. She immediately applied again.

According to Allie, it was Richmond DSA chapter that confirmed that the funds had been transferred to the NCF, not the national DSA to which she had originally applied for assistance.

Other than an automated response from NCF, Allie has not received word from the charitable organisation.

Eve, another counterprotester and survivor of the August 12 Charlottesville attack, echoed Allies story.

Im not sure about the status of the money, Eve, who did not give her last name, told Al Jazeera.

She said she hasnt heard from the NCF, though she did fill out an application for funds shortly after the attack. Eve wasnt aware that her application, or the money itself, was passed to the NCF.

Lack of transparency

The DSAs approach to handling the funds has been criticised by the community and some of its local chapters.

According to Austin Gonzales, the chair of the DSAs Richmond, Virginia chapter, the process lacked transparency and local input for a variety of reasons.

Gonzales said the fund was first set up by members of the Anchorage, Alaska DSA chapter. After the national organisation realised it was going to be a sizable amount, it took over the funds amicably.

After concerns were raised about Red Cross involvement, national DSA approached the NCF on August 29 about potentially taking over the fund, according to a statement by the Richmond DSA chapter.

The NCF has told us that they do not work with police, Gonzalez said. Still, the Richmond DSA chair, along with other groups in the area, felt local organisers should have more say in the disbursement of funds.

Representatives of the Richmond and Charlottesville DSA chapters and the NPC held a conference call on October 3, nearly two months after the attack, to discuss options for allocation of funds.

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DSA Richmond submitted a proposal a week later, calling for the funds to be held by national DSA while local chapters moderate the disbursal by vetting applications from the injured, Gonzalez said.

This method of distribution was designed to make the system quicker and shield local chapters from legal penalties if funds were given to the wrong people. Four days later, on October 14, national DSA informed the Richmond chapter that it had voted for the NCF.

The NCF now controls the funds.

Gonzalez said he understands the reasoning behind the decision but wishes the DSA national steering committee had attempted to entertain an alternative, which I dont think that was done.

Regarding the decision-making process, Duhalde told Al Jazeera their staff dedicated significant time to researching and understanding what our options were regarding the funds.

By the time Richmond DSA provided options to distribute the money to local organisations, national DSA had moved forward with finding alternative plans in response to requests from Richmond DSA leaders to resolve the situation, he added.

Local chapters were not incorporated at the time of the proposal, Duhalde said, meaning they could have faced faced serious legal and financial consequences if funds were inappropriately handled. These legal and financial risks were a major factor in the NPCs decision.

Gonzalez said that even if they legality of it was in  a grey area, I still wish the input of the locals had been weighed a bit heavier than it was, rather than just Ok, well give it one lump sum to the NCF, wash our hands of it, were done here.

Gonzales, who has been in discussions with national DSA, said February is the most recent estimate of when funds would begin to be disbursed. He said, however, that he was encouraged by more recent conversations with national DSA and that it is possible that the funds might be distributed sooner.

Duhalde said all 10 people who applied through the DSA had their information transferred to the NCF.

The NCF did not return Al Jazeeras request for comment.

For Allie, who suffered a crushed pelvis, the DSAs conduct, including the lack of transparency and public outreach regarding the funds status, was problematic.

While she was sorry for any harm the facts about the Charlottesville fund might cause the DSA, this is something they completely brought upon themselves with their actions, Allie said.

Clarification Dec. 7, 2017: This article has been amended to make clear the National Compassion Fund controls and is responsible for the disbursement of funds, after concerns were raised by the DSA. The article has also been changed to reflect that applicants were not aware of the status of the funds.
Reporters Without Borders calls on the rebels free the media workers after they were captured on Saturday in an attack.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have held dozens of journalists captive for days at a television station in the capital and a media watchdog has demanded their immediate release.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the rebels launched rocket-propelled grenades at the headquarters of the Yemen Al Youm TV channel in Sanaa on Saturday before storming the station and holding hostage 41 employees inside.

Three security guards were wounded in the attack, the group quoted diplomatic sources as saying.

We condemn the violent actions towards journalists by the Houthis, which constitute serious violations of the Geneva Conventions, said Alexandra El Khazen, head of RSFs Middle East desk.

This hostage-taking is typical of the climate of hostility in Yemen towards journalists who are often targeted in this conflict. We call on the Houthi rebels to immediately release the TV channels journalists.

The assault and hostage-taking comes amid heightened tensions after forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh severed ties with the Houthis, sparking days of gun battles and artillery fire in the capital.

At least 234 people have been killed and more than 400 wounded in fighting in Sanaa since the beginning of the month, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday.

Salehs vehicle was reportedly struck by an RPG fire on Monday and he was later shot to death, although some sources tell Al Jazeera that he may have been executed in his residence. Regardless, Salehs death has raised questions about what happens next in the nearly three-year war that has killed at least 10,000 people.

Yemen Al Youm TV is affiliated with the General Peoples Congress, Salehs party.

RSFs sources said the journalists were forced to surrender the TV channels access codes, enabling the Houthis to broadcast their own content.

At least 13 other journalists and media workers are currently held hostage in Yemen by armed groups, including the Houthis and al-Qaeda.

Yemen is ranked 166th out of 180 countries in RSFs 2017 World Press Freedom Index.

The bloody conflict has left impoverished Yemen as the worlds leading humanitarian disasters with millions of people facing famine. A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition fighting the Houthis continues to blockade much of the country.

Disease outbreaks are also prevalent with at least 2,000 deaths from cholera and hundreds of thousands of Yemenis stricken.
Turkey threatens to cut ties with Israel over reports that the US plans to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Israel over reports that the United States plans to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Such a move would be a red line for Muslims, Erdogan said on Tuesday.

Reports emerged on Friday that US President Donald Trump was considering recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital, a move that would be symbolised by relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, upsetting decades of US policy.

The plan has drawn criticism from a number of world leaders, who fear it would further escalate regional tensions.

French President Emmanuel Macron told Trump by telephone that Jerusalems status must be decided in peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Arab League was holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss developments on the status of Jerusalem, after a request by Palestinian officials.

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The diplomatic adviser of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian leadership would cut contact with the US if it recognises Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Jerusalems status is an extremely sensitive aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel claims the city as its capital, following the occupation of East Jerusalem in the 1967 war with Syria, Egypt and Jordan, and considers Jerusalem to be a united city.

Palestinians have long seen East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

No country currently has its embassy in Jerusalem, and the international community, including the US, does not recognise Israels jurisdiction over and ownership of the city.

President Donald Trump is also considering moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley said an announcement would be made in coming days but that the president remained committed to the move: Its not a matter of if, its a matter of when, he said.

However, Trump was expected to continue delaying moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite his campaign promise to do so.

US Congress passed legislation in 1995 to move the embassy by 1999, but a provision in the law allowed the president to sign a waiver every six months, in the interests of national security.

Every president since 1998 has done so, including Trump in June. The deadline for the current waiver will expire on Monday.
The three countries were among seventeen that fail to comply with European Union tax standards.

The European Union (EU) has released a blacklist of 17 countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Tunisia, which it says are tax havens.

The bloc said on Tuesday that the countries on the list, made public after months of screening of tax policies, were not doing enough to deal with offshore avoidance schemes.

They will face restrictions in receiving EU funding and investments from the European Investment Bank. The blocs member states can also decide on imposing their own sanctions, based on the blacklist.

The EU said in a statement on Tuesday that the goal of the list is to ensure its partners adhere to the same tax standards as itself, calling it a key victory for transparency and fairness.

However, Pierre Moscovici, the EU commissioner for economic and financial affairs, taxation and customs, noted that non-compliant countries must face harsher penalties.

Blacklisted jurisdictions must face consequences in the form of dissuasive sanctions, while those that have made commitments must follow up on them quickly and credibly, he said.

There must be no naivety: promises must be turned into actions. No one must get a free pass, he added.

We must intensify the pressure on listed countries to change their ways.

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Three components

The investigation into the tax havens began in September 2016, eventually leading to a list of 17 countries: American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, South Korea, Macau, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and the UAE.

Several other jurisdictions, including the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda and the British Virgin Islands failed to comply with the standards set by the EU as well, but got a temporary pass because they were hit hard by hurricanes this year, and may not currently have the infrastructure to deal with the problems.

They have until early 2018 to deal with the issues, the EUs statement said.

The list was made on the basis of three main components: tax transparency, fair tax competition and implementation of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), which is a way of battling tax avoidance created by the OECD.

The EU will continue to monitor and, if needed, to update the blacklist of tax havens, it said.

The bloc did not assess its own member states. It justified this by saying the list is specifically focused on external threats, adding that internal procedures are already in place to make sure tax policy within the bloc is fair and transparent.

Eurodad, the European Network on Debt and Development, criticised the EU for the lack of will to look at its own member states.

If EU governments really wanted to get rid of tax havens, they should be open about the fact that several EU Member States, such as Luxembourg, Ireland and the Netherlands, also have to fundamentally change their behaviour. Unless we put a stop to all tax havens, the problem is just going to move from one place to the other, Eurodad wrote in reply to the EU decision.

Grey-list

Besides the 17 countries that are placed on the blacklist, 47 countries were placed on a so-called grey-list. Among them are Switzerland, Morocco, Turkey, Qatar, Thailand and Hong Kong.

These 47 countries committed to making changes to their tax policy in 2018, and 2019 for developing countries, in an attempt to comply with EU regulations.

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The issue has come under scrutiny in the past years, following the release of the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers documents, which show how corporations and individuals avoid paying taxes through tax havens such as Panama, the Bahamas, and the US Virgin Islands.

In its statement, the EU said it aims to raise the level of tax good governance globally and help prevent the large-scale tax abuse exposed in recent scandals such as the Paradise Papers.
Sheikh Sabah urges caution in the face of challenges as meeting in Kuwait City is cut short following a closed session.

The structure of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) might have to change in the near future to face upcoming challenges, the emir of Kuwait has said.

Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah made the remarks as a summit of the GCC in Kuwait City concluded abruptly on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, with all the delegates leaving Kuwait after a closed session.

We might change the system of the GCC to have mechanisms to better face challenges, Sheikh Sabah said, referring to the GCC crisis that began on June 5.

On that day, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE  all GCC members  cut ties with Qatar after accusing it of supporting terrorism, allegations that Qatar strongly denies.

Sheikh Sabah also hinted at the possibility of setting up a task force to deal with future rifts within the GCC.

The truth is, the GGC already has a mechanism to form a task force to deal with internal disputes, Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Kuwait City, said.

A lot of criticism in the last few months has come from people asking where has this task force been to solve the GCC crisis.

The reality is, if there was genuine interest to solve this, then we would have at least the deputy heads of state here.

Major progress

The meeting in Kuwait City  the 38th annual GCC summit  took place exactly six months after the announcement of the siege of Qatar.

The mere fact that it convened is major progress, especially in the absence of true progress in bridging the gap between Qatar and, on the other hand, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain, Al Jazeeras senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the UAE announced that it had formed a new economic and military partnership with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC.





That announcement, combined with the absence of high-level officials from the blockading countries, was loaded with significance, our correspondent said.

The countries that have laid the Qatar siege decided to send low-level diplomats to represent them. Bahrain decided to send a third level diplomat, the deputy prime minister. Saudi Arabia sent Adel al-Jubeir, the foreign minister, instead of a royal family member, Al Jazeeras Elshayyal said.

This shows that they no longer care about the GCC.

Qatars emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was one of the few to send a royal family member to the Kuwait summit.

I am full of hope that the summit will lead to results that will maintain the security of the Gulf and its stability, Sheikh Tamim said.

Oman had announced that a high-ranking official would represent Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, while al-Jubeir led the Saudi delegation.

Effectively dead

The agenda of the Kuwait summit had not been made public, but the Gulf crisis was believed to be a top priority.

It seems that there is an intention by the Saudis and Emiratis, especially with the timing of the announcement [of the new partnership] today, to say that the GCC is effectively dead, said Majed al-Ansari from Qatar University.

It is clear now that Emiratis and Saudis have no intention of supporting stability in the GCC, no intention of supporting Kuwaits mediation efforts, and no intention to end the crisis one way or another.

The talks could have defined the very future of the bloc that was established in 1981 for closer economic, trade and security partnerships on the Arabian Peninsula.

In October, Sheikh Sabah, who has been mediating between Qatar and the Saudi-led bloc, warned of the potential collapse of the GCC if the crisis continued.

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In late October, the king of Bahrain said his country would not take part in any summit or meeting attended by Qatar unless Qatar corrects its approach.

Sheikh Tamim has agreed to resolve the crisis through dialogue, but Kuwaits call for talks has not been accepted by the blockading countries.

Another important issue for the bloc was the ongoing war in Yemen.

A Saudi-led coalition has been bombing the poorest nation in the Middle East since March 2015, creating one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of modern times.

During his speech, Sheikh Sabah called for a political solution to the war.

The only solution in Yemen is a political solution. We urge the Houthi [rebels] to reach a political solution to the crisis in Yemen, he said in his statement.

The killing on Monday by Houthi rebels of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the removed Yemeni president, has thrown the Arabian Peninsula country into deeper chaos.
Honduran police have rebelled against orders to crack down on protests following the disputed presidential election.

Over the last 24 hours, scores of Honduran police units rebelled against orders to crack down on demonstrations over suspected electoral fraud in the presidential election.

The National Police followed on Tuesday, issuing a statement that said it ratifies its commitment before Honduran society and firmly maintains [its stance] of not repressing the Honduran people.

The police rebellion began on Monday, with the elite COBRA unit saying in a statement that the Honduran people are sovereign and thus we owe them  to not confront them and repress their rights.

Immediately following the COBRAs announcement, dozens of units joined it at the police national headquarters, according to local media.

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The police are refusing to turn against demonstrators who largely support presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla of the Opposition Alliance party.

Later on Tuesday, former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said that Nasralla wanted a total recount of the votes or a direct run-off to resolve the political crisis, according to Reuters news agency.

It looked as if Nasralla, a former television personality, would achieve an upset win over President Juan Orlando Hernandez of the conservative National Party of Honduras, during the initial vote count.

Nasralla initially had a 5 percent lead over Hernandez. The lead shrunk as the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) continued counting votes and released sometimes delayed reports.

Hernandez eventually took the lead with 42.98 percent over Nasrallas 41.39 percent.

Both candidates have announced victory since the November 26 election. Nasralla said he would not accept Hernandezs victory, citing concerns that the National Elections Commission had rigged the vote.

The crisis worsened on November 28, when the pro-Nasralla demonstrations began after delays in the vote count. Police began enforcing a strict curfew on December 2, after days of protests.

Neither candidate has been declared the victor.

Protesters filled the capital, Tegucigalpa, on Sunday, calling for a recount.

The TSE has since recounted six percent of the votes, and David Matamoros, a member of the TSE and Hernandezs National Party, told reporters the tally remained the same.

While the police rebellion has partly calmed the crisis, Hondurans are worried that the unrest may continue past the point of a victory declaration.

Declaring who is the winner and who is the loser wont resolve the problem because the crisis is installed, Bertha Oliva, coordinator of human rights organisation COFADEH told Al Jazeera earlier this week.
The call comes as the ex-Yemeni presidents party confirms Salehs nephew and senior military commander was also killed.

The son of Yemens former President Ali Abdullah Saleh has called for revenge against the Houthi rebels who took his fathers life.

I will lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen  the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran, Ahmed Ali Saleh was quoted as saying by Saudi-owned al-Ekhbariya TV on Tuesday.

He called for his fathers backers to take back Yemen from the Iranian Houthi militias.

Saleh was killed in a rocket-propelled grenade and gun attack on his vehicle at a checkpoint outside Sanaa on Monday. The Houthis said that he was targeted for treason after he cut ties with the rebels just days earlier and indicated he was open to talks with the Saudi-led coalition, which has been leading the fight against the Houthis since 2015.

The threat came as news surfaced that Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, the former presidents nephew, was also killed during clashes with the Houthi rebels

According to Reuters, a statement from Salehs party on Tuesday confirmed that the senior military commander, whose fate had been unknown, was dead.

Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh was expected to lead the military operations against the Houthis, analysts recently told Al Jazeera.

Tense calm

There was a tense calm in Sanaa early on Tuesday, after the Saudi-led coalition launched at least 25 overnight air strikes on the capital city.

People are now emerging from their houses after five days being locked down basically as prisoners, Jamie McGoldrick, the UNs humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, said during a briefing by phone in Sanaa.

They are now seeking safety, moving their families in case things erupt again and at the same time seeking medical treatment and trying to pacify very terrified kids who have endured five days of relentless shelling, shooting and ground fire and air strikes.

Hakim al-Masmari, editor of the Yemen Post newspaper, told Al Jazeera that at least nine civilians were killed and many more injured in the overnight strikes.

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Theres been more than a dozen air strikes in Sanaa from midnight until the morning. Many houses have been destroyed, especially in the city centre near the presidential palace, Masmari said.

Later in the day, thousands of Houthi supporters rallied in Sanaa, shouting Sanaa is free and the state still stands, according to AFP news agency.

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Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Arab League condemned Salehs killing, branding the Houthis a terrorist organisation.

All means must be used to rid the Yemeni people of this nightmare, said Ahmed Abdul Gheit, who heads the pan-Arab bloc.

Late on Monday, Yemens President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi urged Yemenis to rise up against the Houthi rebels.

Hadi called for a new page in the battle against the Houthis, in a speech carried live on Saudi Arabias Al Arabiya TV.

Lets put our hands together to end the control of these criminal gangs and build a new, united Yemen, the leader of Yemens internationally recognised government said from Riyadh, where he lives in exile.

Hundreds killed

On Tuesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said at least 234 people had been killed and more than 400 wounded in fighting in Sanaa since the beginning of the month.

Our [ICRC Yemen] teams are now doing all they can to supply hospitals with medicines, surgical materials and fuel, Robert Mardini, an ICRC spokesperson, said on Twitter.

Humanitarian aid organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had evacuated patients from a hospital in the northern province of Hajja, which is under Houthi control, after it came under fire from air strikes on Sunday.

The attack displayed a deliberate disregard for medical facilities, endangering the lives of patients and medical staff, said Steve Pubrick, MSFs local coordinator.

The war in Yemen, now in its second year, has left thousands dead and led to one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. About 7 million people are facing starvation and one million people have been infected with cholera.
The rivalry between India and Pakistan has been in place since the split that created two separate nations in 1947.

On Sunday, this years Nobel Peace Prize will be handed to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons  or ICAN.

In the days leading up to the ceremony in Oslo, Al Jazeera is looking at the nuclear status of a number of countries.

The rivalry between India and Pakistan has been in place since the split that created two separate nations in 1947.

An already violent conflict went nuclear in the 1970s, when both countries tested atomic bombs.

They have been developing new military technology to gain strategic advantage in the region ever since, including nuclear bombs.

Al Jazeeras Zein Basravi reports from Islamabad.
Indictments for online incitement, which seem to target younger Palestinians, have tripled since 2014.

In recent years, Israeli authorities have been arresting and holding hundreds of Palestinians it accuses of fanning the flames of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel.

This incitement, they say, comes in various forms: Facebook posts, media articles, even songs and poetry  and in recent months, all have landed their authors in jail.

Palestinians say that such posts and writings are vital expressions of their frustration over Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories and its policies, especially as the space for dissent shrinks.

This heightened digital policing has left one Palestinian citizen of Israel embroiled in a legal fiasco. Dareen Tatour, a 36-year-old poet, spent three months in jail and remains  more than two years in  under house arrest over a poem she posted on Facebook in 2015 about Palestinian resistance.

On Monday, an Israeli judge rejected her lawyers appeal to release Tatour from home detention, instead extending the hours she is allowed out under supervision.

She will be allowed out of the house from 9am to 10pm, but only with an authorised supervisor accompanying her at every step, said Yoav Haifawi, a Haifa-based activist and blogger who has been campaigning for Tatours release.

So she cant work or have any normal life, he told Al Jazeera. She is still prevented from accessing the internet and from publishing any of her works.

Facebook incitement

Many Palestinians like Tatour have been arrested over their social media posts, particularly on Facebook, which has become the main conduit for discussion and dissent. Indictments for online incitement, which seem to target younger Palestinians, have tripled since 2014, according to the Israeli Justice Ministry.

Palestinian rights groups say this alarming trend is aimed at stifling freedom of expression. In Israeli military courts, West Bank Palestinians can be prosecuted for their views; an actual crime does not have to be committed as a result of the social media posts.

Israeli authorities use Military Order 101 that bans any publication if it includes incitement as the legal basis for arresting tens of Palestinian activists and criminalising their activities on social media, said Sahar Francis, director of the Ramallah-based rights group Addameer.

Of course, the definition of incitement is so vague and can include any statement, or sharing any poster or article, or a poem, she told Al Jazeera.

In one instance, this broad definition, coupled with inaccurate online translation tools, led to the arrest of a Palestinian worker who posted a picture of himself captioned good morning in Arabic.

Facebook incorrectly translated his words to attack them in Hebrew and hurt them in English, and the worker was only released after police became aware of the error.





Israel began arresting Palestinians in noticeably large numbers as a wave of knife and car-ramming attacks began in October 2015.

As authorities failed to curtail these apparently uncoordinated attacks, perpetrated mostly by disgruntled youth, its security and intelligence arms began to extensively monitor the web for social media activity that they consider tantamount to incitement to violence.

Since then, around 400 Palestinians have been detained for social media activity  posts they wrote or shared online critical of Israel, according to rights group Adalah. Of those, 200 were Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the rest were from the West Bank, including 60 who were convicted on incitement charges.

Israeli allegations of incitement in the online sphere, especially on Facebook, are increasing rapidly, said Nadim Nashif, Executive Director of 7amleh, The Arab Center for Social Media Advancement.

Israeli authorities are not only imprisoning Palestinians for alleged incitement but  are creating an atmosphere of fear that effectively restricts the freedom of speech, he told Al Jazeera.

Palestinians singled out

For years, Israeli leaders have been citing Palestinian incitement as a main obstacle to peace. But recent research by 7amleh indicates that incitement charges single out Palestinians. The group found that very few probes have been made into threats or attacks made by Israelis in libellous posts (they tallied 675,000  more than double the amount in 2016).

Israeli incitement against Arabs on social media, posted at an interval of every 46 seconds, is not only ignored, but entirely denied by the Israeli authorities, Nashef said. The incitement charge against Palestinians thus is clearly a politically motivated instrument.

Freedom of speech advocates charge that suppression of venues and forums by Israeli authorities translates to thought-policing  attempts to control the parameters of acceptable political discourse.

They cite, as an example, the case of Professor Imad Barghouthi, a leading astrophysicist from Beit Rima, near Ramallah, who previously worked with NASA.

Barghouthi was sentenced to seven months in prison for Facebook posts about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During his trial, his lawyer said that prosecutors used the numbers of likes and shares that his political posts received as evidence for incitement on social media.

But incitement charges have not just focused on Facebook. Rights groups say that often, this claim is used to target any dissenters: activists, students, even journalists.

In October, the Israeli army raided and closed several media offices in the West Bank, and arrested at least two employees of a satellite broadcasting facility, on suspicion of incitement to violence. Some were shut down for providing services for Hamas-affiliated channels Al-Aqsa and Al-Quds TV.

This is a tool to control society  to make people fear and make self-censorship, Francis said. Of course this is a violation to the international law and the right to freedom of speech and opinion, but Israel is violating international law systemically without any accountability from the international community.
Second alleged Israeli attack inside Syria in a week hits research centre in Jamraya on the outskirts of Damascus.

Israel again fired missiles at a Syrian military facility near Damascus late on Monday, according to a war monitor, the second reported Israeli strike in Syria in the past week.

Syrian forces responded by firing anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli jets, Lebanese news channel Al-Mayadeen reported, adding the Israeli attack targeted a scientific research centre near Jamraya on the outskirts of the Syrian capital.

Syrian air defence systems intercepted three of the missiles, Al-Mayadeen reported.

The shelling took place with missiles launched by Israeli warplanes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported citing local sources.

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The explosions were accompanied by flashes  believed to be caused regimes air defence launching its missiles to intercept the [Israeli] missiles and prevent them from hitting their targets, the Observatory added.

The Observatory learned that the targets are warehouses and locations belong to the regime forces and their allies.

Residents living near the Jamraya Research and Information Center, located 5km northwest of Damascus, reported hearing loud explosions.

There was no comment from Israel, which rarely confirms the strikes it conducts inside Syria.

In a similar strike on Saturday, Israel reportedly attacked another military position near Damascus.

Syrian state television reported that Syrias air defence system thwarted the attack by shooting down two of the Israeli missiles. The assault led to material losses at the site in the countryside around the capital, it said.

Sources told Al Jazeera that the Israeli raid was aimed at government military sites and positions of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and that the sound of large explosions caused by the raid was heard in Damascus and its surroundings.

The UK-based Observatory further reported power outages in many areas of the Syrian capital.

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Al Qoraish, an Arab newspaper published from London, reported that several Iranian soldiers were killed or wounded in the attack. Al Jazeera was unable to verify the report.

Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement are allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syrias civil war.

Israel says Iran is seeking to open a new front against Israel on the Syrian-Israeli border.
Israel has at least 15 waste treatment facilities in the West Bank to recycle waste largely produced inside Israel.

Israeli rights group BTselem has released a scathing new report detailing Israels transferral of waste to treatment facilities in the occupied West Bank, in violation of international law.

According to the report, released on Tuesday, Israel has established at least 15 waste treatment facilities in the West Bank to recycle waste largely produced inside Israel.

Six of the facilities process hazardous waste that poses serious health and environmental risks for surrounding Palestinian communities, the group stated.

The report details five Israeli facilities in the West Bank treating waste from Israel, four of which handle hazardous waste, including biological and medical waste, solvent waste from the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, oil waste and electronic and metal waste.

Israel has turned the West Bank into a garbage dump, Adam Aloni, a BTselem researcher and author of the report, told reporters at a news conference.

Sacrifice zones

Israel produces some 350,000 metric tonnes of hazardous waste each year, according to BTselem.

Environmental regulations inside Israel can make the operating costs of waste treatment facilities high, encouraging Israel to seek sacrifice zones  areas irrevocably impaired by environmental damage or neglect  to absorb the costs and risks of managing hazardous waste, the report noted.

Israel found what it needed in the occupied West Bank and has been abusing its status as an occupying power in a territory where Palestinians have no rights to oppose Israeli policies that directly affect them, BTselem said.

While Israel increases the amount of waste it creates, it diverts the risks and pollutants onto the Palestinian environment and land, Aloni said.

In the West Bank, which has been ruled by Israeli military law since 1967, Israel can loosen its environmental policies to allow waste facilities to operate more cheaply.

Since these plants are exempt from recording or reporting their external impact, no information is collected at all regarding the type and quantity of pollutants, how they are treated, the destination of wastewater pumping, or the quantity and destination of hazardous by-products, the report stated.

De-facto annexation

At the same time, Israel has largely prohibited Palestinian communities from developing essential infrastructure, including waste treatment facilities.

Israel uses the territory as if it was their own. Its de facto annexation, Aloni told Al Jazeera, noting that Palestinian development has simultaneously been paralysed by the Israeli occupation.

Karem Jubaren, the head of field research at BTselem, told Al Jazeera that nearby Palestinian communities have not been told what kind of waste is being treated in these industrial zones.

Palestinians residing near the industrial zones have complained of a perpetual bad smell and respiratory illnesses, Jubaren said, although he acknowledged that further research was needed to directly connect these issues with Israels waste treatment plants.

A resident of one of these communities told Al Jazeera that he was too scared to talk about the alleged effects.

Israels diversion of the environmental and health risks of treating its own hazardous waste to Palestinian communities is part and parcel of the policy of dispossession and annexation it has practiced in the West Bank for the past fifty years, the report stated.

Israel is exploiting the West Bank for its own benefit, ignoring the needs of the Palestinians almost entirely, and harming both them and their environment.
All the delegates will leave Kuwait City on Tuesday instead of Wednesday following a closed session.

A key regional summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been cut short and will conclude on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, with all the delegates leaving Kuwait after a closed session.

The Kuwait summit takes place exactly six months after three of the member states severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar.

The move comes as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it had formed a new economic and military partnership with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC.

It is clear now that Emiratis and Saudis have no intention of supporting stability in the GCC, no intention of supporting Kuwait's mediation efforts, and no intention to end the crisis one or other. by Majed al-Ansari, Qatar University

So far it is not looking promising at the summit after the limited optimism in the beginning when the six member states agreed that they would meet in Kuwait to break the diplomatic impasse, said Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Kuwait City.

Bahrain has decided to send a third level diplomat, the deputy prime minister and Saudi Arabia has sent Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir instead of a royal family member.

Its clear the summit wont yield any of the positive outcomes that we thought.

The GCC is effectively dead

Qatars emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has arrived in Kuwait City for the summit, but heads of states from the three blockading countries  Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain  will not make it to the summit.

Oman said that a high ranking official would represent Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, while Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir will lead the Saudi delegation at the 38th annual summit.

The agenda of this years summit, one of the most significant official encounters since the crisis erupted in June, has not been made public, but the Gulf crisis will be a top priority.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE cut ties with Qatar on June 5 after accusing it of supporting terrorism, allegations that Qatar strongly denies.

It seems that there is an intention by the by the Saudis and Emiratis, especially with the timing of the announcement [of the new partnership] today, to say that the GCC is effectively dead, said Majed al-Ansari from Qatar University.

It is clear now that Emiratis and Saudis have no intention of supporting stability in the GCC, no intention of supporting Kuwaits mediation efforts, and no intention to end the crisis one or other.

Qatar for dialogue

The talks could define the very future of the bloc that was established in 1981 for closer economic, trade and security partnerships on the Arabian Peninsula.

In October, Kuwaits emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who has been mediating the standoff, warned of the potential collapse of the GCC if the crisis continued.

In late October, the king of Bahrain said his country would not take part in any summit or meeting attended by Qatar unless Doha corrects its approach.

Qatars emir has agreed to resolve the crisis through dialogue, but Kuwaits call for talks has not been accepted by the blockading countries.

The ongoing war in Yemen is also expected to be a topic of discussion. A Saudi-led coalition has been bombing the poorest nation in the Middle East since March 2015, creating one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of modern times.

The killing of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Monday by the Houthi rebels, who control vast expanses of the country, has thrown the country into deeper chaos.
Former Georgian president was accused of criminal activities with police raiding his home and chaos ensuing.

Hundreds of supporters of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ripped off the doors of a police van to free him after he was briefly detained in Ukraines capital.

Crowds gathered outside Saakashvilis apartment in Kiev during the police raid on the building on Tuesday. Supporters blocked the street with makeshift barricades, resulting in a standoff that lasted several hours.

He was later hauled off by officers into the police van, and in a chaotic scene, his supporters successfully moved in to release him.

Speaking to the crowd, Saakashvili called for the overthrow of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

I urge you to start a peaceful protest to remove Poroshenko; you should not be afraid of anything, he said.

Saakashvili and supporters then began a march through Kiev towards parliament.

Saakashvili has been a fervent opponent of the president since resigning as governor of the Black Sea Odessa region in 2016, claiming his reforms were being blocked by Poroshenkos allies.

His arrest was linked to alleged crimes in Ukraine, said Yuriy Lutsenko, the countrys prosecutor general.

Currently its not a matter of deportation or extradition. Its a matter of questioning the suspect about a particularly serious crime, he said at a press conference before Saakashvilis escape.

Lutsenko accused Saakashvili of having contacts with former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, who was overthrown after violent demonstrations in 2014.

By maintaining contacts with the criminal organisation led by Yanukovich, who obviously financed his political activities in Ukraine, Mikheil Saakashvili has crossed the line as a politician, Lutsenko said.

The prosecutor gave Saakashvili 24 hours to surrender to police.

After 24 hours, the entire law enforcement system of Ukraine will do everything necessary to make Mikheil Saakashvili stand in front of investigators, Lutsenko later told parliament.

Saakashvili was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship while on a trip to the United States in July, but forced his way back into the country in September.

He surrendered his Georgian citizenship because Ukraine forbids its citizens from having dual nationalities, meaning Saakashvili has since been stateless.

He is also wanted in Georgia on suspicion of trying to organise a coup after leaving office.

Saakashvili came to power in 2003 in Georgias Rose Revolution and worked to remove the country from the Russian sphere of influence, introducing free-market economic policies and beginning NATO membership negotiations. He served as president for 10 years.
UN rights chief says Myanmar militarys abuses against the Rohingya may contain elements of genocide.

The persecution of Rohingya by Myanmars security forces may amount to genocide, the UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein has said.

Addressing the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, Zeid said UN investigators have received concordant reports of acts of appalling barbarity committed against the Rohingya during a military crackdown in Rakhine state in August.

These included allegations of security forces deliberately burning people to death inside their homes; murders of children and adults; indiscriminate shooting of fleeing civilians; widespread rapes of women and girls; and the burning and destruction of houses, schools, markets and mosques, he added.

Given all of this, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?

Zeid urged the 47-member council to recommend to the UN General Assembly to authorise a new mechanism to probe individual criminal responsibility.

Myanmars government has denied allegations of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, but it has refused UN investigators and journalists access to the affected areas in northern Rakhine state.

The military said its actions were legal and in response to coordinated attacks on border posts by a Rohingya armed group. Those who fled the violence did so voluntarily, some officials have said.

Zeid said some about 626,000 Rohingya have fled since August, and many more are continuing to pour into Bangladesh.

Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a repatriation deal in November, but little is known of its provisions.

But Zeid said no Rohingya refugee should be repatriated without sustained human rights monitoring, to ensure they can live safely and in dignity, warning that continued dehumanising of the Muslim minority could fuel further violence and draw in other communities.

Amnesty International has called on the Human Rights Council to pass a strong resolution that sends a clear message to Myanmars government and military that their abhorrent treatment of the Rohingya must end immediately.
US defence secretary visits Pakistani capital, echoing frequent US calls for country to do more to help in Afghan war.

United States defence secretary James Mattis has repeated a frequent US call on Pakistan to do more in its fight against armed groups operating in Afghanistan, as he concluded the latest in a series of high-level contacts between the two governments.

During a visit to the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Monday, Mattis met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and intelligence chief Lieutenant-General Naveed Mukhtar, with both sides pledging to continue to attempt to find common ground.

The Secretary emphasised the vital role that Pakistan can play in working with the United States and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan that brings stability and security to the region, said a US statement.

The Secretary reiterated that Pakistan must redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country.

Ties between the strategic allies have been strained since US President Donald Trump announced a new US policy on Afghanistan and South Asia in August, where he said Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror and said his government would fundamentally change its approach to the South Asian country.

Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, Trump said in August.

Pakistan denies that it offers safe havens to any elements of the Afghan Taliban or the Haqqani Network, saying that is has been effectively taking on all armed groups operating in the country since the launch of a major military operation in 2014.

Since August, a series of high-level contacts between the two governments  including visits to Islamabad by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, US CENTCOM Chief General Joseph Votel and Trump South Asia advisor Lisa Curtis  have not yielded clarity on whether the two sides have been able to find ways to work together.

In a statement following Mondays meeting, Pakistans army chief said Pakistan had done more than its due share despite capacity constraints in the war against armed groups.

We have eliminated safe havens from Pakistans soil but are prepared to look into the possibility of miscreants exploiting Pakistans hospitality to the Afghan refugees to the detriment of our Afghan brothers.

Hours after the meeting, Pakistans military announced it had arrested 54 Afghan citizens in the southwestern province of Balochistan and deported them. Pakistan is home to at least 1.38 million registered Afghan refugees, according to the UNHCR.

Threats, but no progress



Michael Kugelman, deputy director for South Asia at the US-based Wilson Center, says he does not expect Mattis visit to significantly change Pakistani policy, despite Trumps threat of unspecified punitive actions.

Even if the calculus has changed a bit, that doesnt mean Pakistans response will change, he told Al Jazeera. All countries have interests, and Pakistan has long had a deep interest in maintaining ties to non-state militant actors that are a threat to Americans in Afghanistan. Washington can demand and threaten all it wants, but at the end of the day, Pakistan isnt going to willingly let deeply entrenched interests to be imperilled simply because the US is asking it to do so.

Zahid Hussain, an Islamabad-based security analyst, agreed, saying that Pakistan will also be raising the issue of alleged safe havens being provided to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been waging a war against the Pakistani state since 2007, in eastern Afghanistan.

Threats will be hurled, but I dont think there will be much progress, he told Al Jazeera. But there is no option for complete rupture either. Both countries have huge stakes, and so they have to work together and find some common ground.

The major bone of contention between the two sides is Pakistans alleged support for the Afghan Taliban and other armed groups operating in Afghanistan, as a hedge in any negotiated settlement that would end with those groups sharing power in Pakistans eastern neighbour.

From a Pakistani perspective, it makes perfect sense to have the Afghan Taliban in their corner, said Kugelman. Pakistan, just like everyone else in the region, assumes that eventually, US troops will withdraw from Afghanistan.

When that withdrawal happens, Kugelman added, there was a risk of rampant destabilisation and civil war in Afghanistan, and a relationship with the Afghan Taliban would be valuable for Pakistan in that context.

The question is, what can the United States do to bring Pakistan to change its behaviour, and what metrics can the Pakistani government meet to establish that they are meeting the US demands, as it claims it already is?

Theres a deep disconnect here in terms of sharply divergent interests and differing expectations that says a lot about the dysfunction in US-Pakistan relations, Kugelman said.

Analysts say the US could expand drone strikes in Pakistan as part of a punitive policy. It could also cut the $778m in defence and civilian aid that it provides the country. In August, the US withheld $255m in military spending reimbursements to Pakistan over allegations it had not acted against the Haqqani Network.

As a final step, the US could revoke Pakistans major non-NATO ally status. There remains, however, no clarity on which of those potential steps is on the table, both Kugelman and Hussain said.

I do think that the Trump White House is more willing than any previous White House to go where the US has never gone before, and to swallow some of the risks involved with tightening the screws on Pakistan, Kugelman added.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras Web Correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte came to power hoping to end the Maoist rebellion peacefully, but has recently ended his governments unilateral ceasefire against the New Peoples Army.

The Philippine military says it has killed at least fifteen communist fighters from the New Peoples Army.

Violence broke out after Rodrigo Dutertes government backed out of peace negotiations with the armed group.

But relatives of the dead accuse state forces of launching an ambush.

Al Jazeeras Jamela Alindogan reports from the province of Batangas, in northern Philippines.
Lebanese prime minister revokes resignation after cabinet voted to remain out of regional conflicts.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri has revoked his resignation after Lebanons cabinet voted to affirm its disengagement from conflicts in the Arab world.

Hariri suddenly announced his resignation on November 4 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabias capital, citing threats against his life, the political stance of rival political party and armed group Hezbollah, and rising Iranian influence in Lebanon.

Without explanation, he didnt return to Lebanon for three weeks.

The government affirms its commitment to staying out of regional conflicts, Hariri said on Tuesday after rescinding his resignation.

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The prime minister along with his family were reportedly held under house arrest in Riyadh. Hariri did not leave Riyadh until November 19, when he flew to Cairo to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Hariri returned to Lebanon later that day  the eve of Lebanons independence day  after nearly three weeks in Saudi Arabia.

The surprise resignation came amid a crackdown on corruption in Saudi Arabia, spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Nearly a dozen princes and some of the countrys most prominent businessmen and officials were detained in early November.

Bin Salman is also locked in a conflict for regional hegemony with Iran, whose influence has been on the rise in the Arab world.

Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, Yemen, and Syria are on the winning side of years-long conflicts against Saudi-backed armed groups. Hezbollah has been instrumental in assisting these forces.

Hariri demanded that Lebanon renew its commitment to the so-called disassociation policy. The cabinet endorsed that policy saying Lebanon will not interfere in Arab affairs, Al Jazeera correspondent Leila Khodr said on Tuesday.

However, there is still the question of guarantees, Khodri continued.

Hezbollah agreed to the disassociation policy, promising to remove its fighters from Iraq once the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is declared over.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, promised their fighters would be removed from other neighbouring countries once ISIL was defeated.

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For now, these guarantees are enough to end Lebanons uncertainty.

Clearly the political crisis is over. The cabinet met and its back in business and this country  which found itself in the middle of a Saudi-Iranian rivalry is back to the political status quo before Hariris resignation, Khodr said.
Sacked Catalan leader and four former ministers no longer face arrest in Belgium, but could be held in Spain on return.

Spains top court has withdrawn a European arrest warrant for dismissed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and four former ministers who had escaped to Brussels because they showed intent to return to Spain and participate in upcoming elections.

But Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena said on Tuesday that the five Catalans still face charges in Spain of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement for their roles in staging in a secession referendum in October, which Madrid deemed illegal.

Al Jazeeras Karl Penhaul, reporting from Barcelona, said: The judge is withdrawing the international request for arrest against [the five]  That will effectively end extradition proceedings that were under way in Brussels.

What it does not do is lift the arrest warrants for those people here in Spain.

In Spain, the crimes the five are accused of carry sentences of years in prison. The group could still be arrested if they return to Madrid.

The definition of rebellion that Spanish authorities [adhere to] is not categorised as such under Belgian law. Hence, if the Belgian authorities extradited them, they couldnt face those charges in Spain which could carry a 30-year sentence, said Penhaul.

Our correspondent said Puigdemont and the ministers were likely to avoid returning to Spain to prevent arrest there.

Puigdemont had said in November the group travelled to Belgium to avoid violence.

The courts decision came as people in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, protested to demand the release of other separatist leaders held in Spanish jails.

Meanwhile, campaigning is under way to pick a new regional government, with elections expected to take place on December 21.

Puigdemont will run in the election under the All for Catalonia group. He launched his campaign from Belgium.

Spains national government in Madrid dissolved the previous Catalan administration following weeks of unrest following the secession vote.

In the October 1 referendum, Catalans voted to secede from Spain, but turnout was reportedly lower than 50 percent.
The international arrest warrant for the former president of Catalonia has been withdrawn. He is currently in Belgium.

Spains Supreme Court has withdrawn an international arrest warrant for the former regional president of Catalonia.

Carles Puigdemont, who is currently in Belgium  is still facing charges of sedition in Spain.

He is hoping that separatist parties will increase their majority in the regional parliament in elections later this month.

Al Jazeeras Karl Penhaul reports from Barcelona.
Justices say the policy can take full effect even as legal challenges against it make their way through the courts.

The US Supreme Court has allowed the administration of President Donald Trump to fully enforce the third version of a controversial travel ban that prohibits people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

The court, with two of its nine justices dissenting, said in an order Monday that the policy can take full effect, even as legal challenges against it make their way through the courts.

The ban applies to people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

Unveiled in September, the latest ban was immediately challenged in federal appeals courts in Richmond, Virginia and San Francisco, California.

Lower courts said in October, just a day before the ban was set to come into full effect that that, the portions of the ban should be put on hold while the challenges proceed.

But Mondays order by the Supreme Court suspended the lower courts injunctions, allowing the ban to take effect.

The court said the appeals courts in San Francisco and Richmond should act swiftly to determine the legality of the ban.

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The ban is the third attempt by the Trump administration to restrict individuals from several countries from coming to the US.

Lower courts had previously limited the scope of the ban to individuals without a bona fide relationship with someone in the US.

In July, the US Department of State expanded its definition of close family to include grandparents and other relatives that constitute a bona fide US relationship for visa applicants and refugees from the six countries.

Not a ruling on the merits

The ban has been widely criticised by human rights and refugee advocacy groups.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is challenging the ban, said on Twitter that Mondays decision is not a ruling on the merits.

It added that it would continue to fight for freedom and equality and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones.

Karen Tumlin, the legal director for the National Immigration Law Center, echoed that sentiment, saying it is important to remember that the Supreme Court has not addressed the legal merits of the latest Muslim ban nor the human impacts with its order today.

It's important to remember that the Supreme Court has NOT addressed the legal merits of the latest Muslim Ban nor the human impacts w/its order today. Those will be before 2 federal courts of appeal this week. The fight continues. #NoMuslimBanEver  Karen Tumlin (@KarenTumlin) December 4, 2017

The latest ban also includes restrictions on individuals from North Korea and some officials from Venezuela. The courts had already allowed those provisions to take effect.

The White House maintains the ban targets individuals from countries that have failed to provide enough information to allow for proper vetting of prospective travellers.
US secretary of state met EU officials to discuss efforts to hold Iran fully compliant with terms of the nuclear deal.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated Tillerson "expressed support" for the Iran nuclear deal. This has been corrected to say he only pledged to hold Iran compliant with the deal.

The US secretary of state says pressure will continue to be applied to Iran over its commitments to the nuclear deal as the US Congress mulls over whether to re-apply economic sanctions on Tehran.

Rex Tillersons statement  made in Brussels on Tuesday as part of a joint address with Frederica Mogherini, the European Unions high representative  came after President Donald Trumps October decision to decertify the 2015 agreement, which prevents Iran from developing nuclear weapons in return for sanctions relief.

Trump has described the landmark nuclear agreement involving Iran and world powers as one of the worst deals Ive ever seen.

We discussed  our joint efforts under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] to hold Iran fully compliant with the terms of that deal and fully enforce that agreement, said Tillerson.

JCPOA  agreed to by the US, China, Russia, Germany, France, and the UK  imposes restrictions on Irans stockpiles of uranium and the capacity to enrich it.

Iran has fully adhered to the terms of the agreement, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a body that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy in coordination with the United Nations.









However, Trump has accused Iran of failing to live up to the spirit of the accord and passed the agreement to the US Congress to toughen up US policy on Irans nuclear programme.

Congress is due to return an amended agreement to Trump for consideration in the coming days.

Tillerson said Iran is carrying out a number of other destabilising actions in the region, including backing the Houthi rebels in Yemens civil war, deploying weapons and forces in Syria and continuing support for Hezbollah.

These issues and activities of Iran cannot be ignored and cannot go unanswered, and we intend to continue to take action to ensure Iran understands this is not acceptable to us, and we look forward to working with our European partners in that regard, he said.

Mogherini, however, again expressed support for the nuclear deal, saying scrapping it would do more harm than good.

Dismantling an agreement on nuclear issues that is working  as the International Energy Agency has certified nine times  would not put us in a better position to discuss all the rest, on the contrary, she said.

The US Department of State told Al Jazeera the Iran deal has many serious flaws that are being addressed.

The president has directed his administration to work with Congress and our partners to fix the JCPOA. We are not encouraging Congress to reimpose sanctions at this time. The secretarys comments today are entirely consistent with the approach laid out by the president, a spokesperson said.
A look at how the conflict in Yemen has unfolded since September 2014, when the Houthis launched their rebellion.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the overthrown Yemeni leader, has been killed by Houthi rebels near the countrys capital Sanaa, according to officials from his own political party.

His death comes amid an intensified conflict between the Iran-aligned armed group and pro-Saleh forces and it is expected to have major implications for the ongoing war in Yemen.

The Houthi and Saleh-linked forces were allies before Saleh called for a dialogue with their rivals, a military coalition of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia.

Here is a look at some key points in Yemens recent history.

Saleh killed

December 4, 2017: Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed by Houthi rebels near the capital Sanaa, party officials said, two days after he publicly broke off ties with the group and expressed his openness to talks with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

November 10, 2017: Aid agencies warn of mass starvation in Yemen, with more than 20 million people said to be in urgent need of food.

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Saleh-Houthi rift

November 7, 2017: Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is being held under house arrest in Saudi Arabia, reports indicated.

August 24, 2017: Saleh stages a mass rally in the capital, Sanaa, with thousands turning out in a major show of public support. The rally comes amid a public rift between the former president and the Houthi rebels who are in control of much of country.

Humanitarian crisis

July 1, 2017: At least 1,500 people have died and more than 246,000 others have been affected by a cholera outbreak in Yemen, according to the World Health Organisation.

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April 26, 2017: The UN warned that 17 million Yemenis are in immediate danger of dying of starvation unless the world delivers immediate humanitarian assistance.

March 18, 2017: At least 42 Somalis were killed after a helicopter gunship attacked a boat near Yemen.

January 30, 2017: At least 10 Yemeni women and children were killed in a US military operation  the first under President Donald Trump  in the southern province of al-Bayda. The US military says it killed 14 members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Houthis form government

November 29, 2016: Houthi rebels formed a new government in Sanaa, flouting the UN-brokered peace process.

October 29, 2016: Three weeks into a cholera outbreak in the war-torn country, the WHO said at least 1,410 cases were detected.

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October 9, 2016: At least 140 people were killed and more than 500 wounded after several air raids on a funeral reception in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The pro-Houthi Saba news agency said the raids were carried out by the Saudi-led coalition.

August 30, 2016: ISIL claims bombing at an army training camp in Yemens port city of Aden that killed at least 70 people. The UN announced that the death toll from the war in Yemen has risen to more than 10,000 people.

UN talks collapse

August 7, 2016: UN-sponsored talks to establish peace in Yemen collapsed and fighting resumed once more between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces.

July 29, 2016: The UN criticised an agreement signed between Saleh and Houthi rebels to form a political council to run the country.

April 24, 2016: UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait hit a dead-end, with no breakthroughs. Talks were suspended and hostilities resumed.

Deadly attacks

March 19, 2016: The UNs top human rights official said the organisation will be investigating possible international crimes committed by Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen.

February 27, 2016: At least 40 civilians were killed in coalition air raids in a market northeast of Sanaa.

January 28, 2016: ISIL claimed responsibility for a deadly attack outside the presidential palace in the southern city of Aden that killed at least seven people.

December 16, 2015: During UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, Yemens rival sides agreed to a mass prisoner swap. No other major breakthroughs were achieved in the talks, but both sides agreed to return to the negotiating table.

Control changes hands

December 3, 2015: Al-Qaeda claimed to seize the Yemeni towns of Zinjibar and Jaar from pro-government forces, consolidating their grip on southern parts of the country.

November 17, 2015: Hadi returned to Aden from exile in Saudi Arabia, saying he will oversee the campaign against the Houthi rebels.

October 1, 2015: Pro-government forces claimed they recaptured the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait from Houthi fighters.

Civilians, coalition forces killed

September 28, 2015: At least 131 civilians were killed in an air raid on a wedding party near the Red Sea port of al-Makha (Mocha).

September 5, 2015: In the deadliest day for Gulf coalition troops since the war began, at least 60 Emirati, Saudi and Bahraini soldiers were killed in an attack on a weapons storage depot in Maarib and other violence.

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August 22, 2015: At least 65 civilians were killed in Saudi-led coalition air attacks in Taiz, rights group Doctors without Borders (MSF) said.

August 20, 2015: Millions of Yemenis are at risk of famine due to the ongoing conflict, said the head of the World Food Programme.

August 4, 2015: Anti-Houthi forces retook the countrys largest military base in Lahej province, a significant blow to the rebels. Anti-Houthi forces faced further defeats, however, in Abyan and Zinjibar.

Liberation of Aden

July 17, 2015: Yemens internationally recognised government announced the liberation of Aden, Yemens second city, following four months of intense battles between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces.

July 13, 2015: Another UN-brokered humanitarian ceasefire collapsed within hours, as clashes resumed between government and rebel forces.

June 19, 2015: UN-sponsored negotiations to end the Yemen crisis collapsed in Geneva, after representatives from Yemens exiled government, Houthi fighters, Salehs General Peoples Congress and other opposition groups were unable to reach an agreement.

June 18, 2015: The UN warned that millions of people were in urgent need of food and life-saving assistance in Yemen.

Houthis boycott conference in Riyadh

June 8, 2015: Houthi media reported that an air raid on the Yemeni army headquarters killed at least 44 people and left more than 100 wounded.

May 17, 2015: Houthi fighters boycotted a dialogue conference in the Saudi capital, which was attended by exiled President Hadi, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and about 400 other delegates.

May 12, 2015: At least 69 people were killed and more than 250 others were wounded after Saudi-led coalition air raids targeted an arms depot near Sanaa. A five-day humanitarian ceasefire came into effect, but fell apart within days.

Saleh-Houthi alliance declared

May 11, 2015: Saleh declared an alliance with the Houthi rebels after Saudi-led coalition aerial attacks targeted his home in Sanaa.

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May 7, 2015: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said a US air raid killed senior leader Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi and several others in Mukalla.

May 6, 2015: Houthi rebels fired two rockets into Saudi Arabia, killing at least two civilians. The group also reportedly captured five soldiers in the town of Najran.

Humanitarian catastrophe

April 28, 2015: International aid groups warned that a humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding in Yemen as fighting raged on between forces loyal to Hadi and Houthi rebels in Taiz and Aden.

April 23, 2015: A day after declaring an end its air campaign in Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition carried out fresh attacks in Aden, Taiz, Lahij, Ibb, Marib and Hudaida.

For key events spanning the start of the Houthi rebellion in Yemen in September 2014 until April 23, 2015, please click here.
One of our former colleagues, Yasmine Ryan, sadly passed away in Istanbul last week. She was 35.

Yasmine leaves behind a rich legacy of journalism that impacted people around the world. She was a colleague, and dear friend, to many here at Al Jazeera, and the world is poorer for her passing.

Yasmine was always pushing us, and herself, to be better. Her work, always empathetic but strident in speaking truth to power, was driven by a clear desire to cut through as many layers as it took to get to the truth. She read voraciously, consuming everything she could on the subjects she loved, to ensure her work was as nuanced, insightful and well-informed as it could possibly be.

She was a reporter. There is no substitute, in journalism or life, for being there. And Yasmine was always there. Whether it was Libya, Tunisia, Mali or the other countries in North Africa that she was passionate about covering, Yasmine was always adamant that her reporting needed to be as close to the ground as possible. She was brave, sensitive and determined to tell the worlds stories, from the point of view of those living them.

She listened. People were always at the centre of her journalism, no matter how large the story she was covering. In post-revolution Libya, she wrote of the countrys missing army through the eyes of those who wanted to join it, or were already part of the many militias that formed in the wake of the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. In Mali, she spoke to villagers terrified of race-based executions in the wake of the French invasion to rout armed groups in the region.

And in Tunisia, of course, she was one of the first journalists in the English-language press to pick up on what would eventually be called the Arab Spring. On our newsdesk, in the early days of the protests, she argued fervently that this movement  and the crackdown that followed  was a game-changer, not business as usual.

She pushed us, and the world, to pay attention.

She did not cover stories; she took ownership of them. In 2013, she moved to Tunisia as a freelancer, to write about a country struggling to shed the weight of decades of dictatorship and develop a functioning democracy that was equitable for all citizens. Experts would often turn to her for her insight on the country, and wider region.

She was warm. She took care of us, even if she had just met us. When one of our reporters was arrested in Syria in 2011, Yasmine was instrumental in organising support for the campaign for her release. In Istanbul, where she joined TRT World, she took on a position as senior features editor, mentoring young journalists and making it a point to prioritise local voices. She fought for the rights of freelancers  having been one herself for several years  wherever she worked.

She inspired. In a world that is messy and often violent, Yasmine simplified. She reminded us that no matter what we are writing about, our first responsibility is to the people at the heart of the story. She was a storyteller who stood for nuance, knowledge and grace.

She always had grace. We will miss her terribly, and our hearts go out to her father, Tom, mother, Deborah and brother, Felix, in this difficult time. She was one of us, a member of our family, and we will never forget her.

A memorial service, led by her father Tom, was held for Yasmine Ryan in Istanbul on Sunday. Further memorials will be held in Tunis on December 9 and in London on December 11.

The Coalition for Women in Journalism has announced it will launch a fund in Yasmine Ryans honour for aspiring young journalists.
Palestinian leader warns US president that such a relocation will have grave implications for the regions stability.

US President Donald Trump has told Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that he intends to relocate the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a plan met with condemnation across the Middle East and elsewhere.

Wafa, the official news agency of the Palestinian Authority (PA), reported on Tuesday that Trump called Abbas to inform him of his intention.

President Abbas warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world, Nabil Abu Rudeina, the Palestinian presidents spokesperson, said.

No further details were given about when Trump plans to move the embassy.

Speaking to reporters later on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump will deliver remarks about his decision on Wednesday.

Hes going to continue having conversations with relevant stakeholders, but ultimately hell make what he thinks is the best decision for the United States, said Sanders.

Asked if Trump has made up his mind, she replied: The president, I would say, is pretty solid in his thinking at this point.

Earlier on Tuesday, a statement by the Jordanian royal palace said Trump had also called King Abdullah to inform him about his intention to move the embassy to Jerusalem.

The statement said the king warned Trump the relocation would have dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region and would also inflame Muslim and Christian feelings.

No embassy in Jerusalem

Jerusalems status is an extremely sensitive aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel claims the city as its capital, following the occupation of East Jerusalemin the 1967 war with Syria, Egypt and Jordan, and considers Jerusalem to be a united city.

Palestinians have long seen East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

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They say that a US move to relocate the embassy would prejudge one of the most sensitive issues in the conflict  the status of Jerusalem  and undermine Washingtons status as an honest mediator.

No country currently has its embassy in Jerusalem, and the international community, including the US, does not recognise Israels jurisdiction over and ownership of the city.

Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian legislative council, called the planned relocation a very reckless and dangerous act from the side of the US president.

Speaking from Ramallah, he told Al Jazeera that such a move would not take into consideration what it means to 1.6 billion Muslims, to 2.2 billion Christians, and to 360 million Arabs.

It will create a very serious reaction and destabilise the region  and definitely destabilise the situation in Palestine itself, he added.

If President Trump proceeds with moving the embassy, he will be killing completely any future American role in any future peace process.

In a statement on Tuesday, the US consulate in Jerusalem instructed employees to stay away from the occupied West Bank and parts of Jerusalem.

Red line

In recent days, senior Palestinian officials warned of the potentially destructive effects of any move denying their claim to occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

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Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said this week he had spoken to Arab leaders, who relayed the message that Jerusalem is a red line, not just for Palestinians but for Arabs, Muslims and Christians everywhere.

During his election campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to move the embassy and recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

In June, however, like his predecessors, Trump signed a six-month waiver to delay the relocation, which would have complicated US efforts to resume the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Every US president for more than 20 years has recognised that this could have cataclysmic results and repercussions if it were to happen, Al Jazeeras Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC, said.

A number of world leaders have sharply criticised such a relocation, fearing it would further escalate regional tensions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Israel over reports that the US plans to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Such a move would be a red line for Muslims, he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron told Trump by telephone that Jerusalems status must be decided in peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

Also on Tuesday, the Arab League held an emergency meeting to discuss developments on the status of Jerusalem, following a request by Palestinian officials.

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeeras senior political analyst, said a move the by the US to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem would have disastrous consequences for the US around the world.

Arabs and Muslims will not take this lying down, if not today, then tomorrow, and that will have major consequences for the US.

Barghouti, the Palestinian politician, said if Trump proceeds with moving the embassy, then the Palestinian people will react, with a public, popular non-violent uprising  Thats what you will see tomorrow, after tomorrow and the days after.

This is a very serious matter, he added. People should not forget that the second Intifada started because of the issue of Jerusalem.
New committee, which focuses on military and trade cooperation, comes amid an unprecedented crisis among Gulf countries.

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have formed a new military and trade partnership separate from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), according to a statement issued by the UAE.

The development on Tuesday comes amid heightened tensions within the GCC, a political and economic alliance of six countries that includes Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Oman.

According to the statement from the UAE foreign ministry, the new committee is assigned to cooperate and coordinate between the UAE and Saudi Arabia in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields, as well as others, in the interest of the two countries.

There has been no confirmation of the new partnership from the Saudis so far.

The GCC has faced an unprecedented crisis over the past six months amid a Saudi-led blockade of Qatar.

Representatives of the six countries were meeting in Kuwait on Tuesday for the councils annual summit.

Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Kuwait City, said the UAE/Saudi partnership would be seen as very antagonising towards the GCC as an organisation, an organisation that has been under threat very much because of the actions of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in terms of imposing a blockade which has gone on for six months now.

Qatar siege

Since June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt have enforced a land, sea and air blockade against Qatar, accusing the tiny Gulf nation of supporting terrorism.

Qatar has denied the allegations and accused the neighbouring countries of attempting to infringe on its sovereignty.

The 38th GCC summit in Kuwait City began amid concerns over how long the crisis has persisted and calls from residents for a speedy resolution.

The announcement of the new Saudi-UAE partnership could complicate matters further, Elshayyal noted.

For a decision, or an announcement, like that to happen at the summit is something that will be seen, as far as the Kuwaitis are concerned, as quite frankly offensive to their efforts to try and unite the GCC as a region, he said.
Leaders warned US President Donald Trump against moving the US embassy in the region from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday and announced his plans to move the US embassy to the city.

Trump was warned by many in the Middle East and elsewhere of the disastrous consequences the move would have on regional stability  and any prospect of a long-lasting peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians.

No country currently has its embassy in Jerusalem and the international community, including the US, does not recognise Israels jurisdiction over and ownership of the city.

Israel claims the city as its capital, following the occupation of East Jerusalem in the 1967 war with Syria, Egypt and Jordan, and considers Jerusalem to be a united city.

Palestinians have long seen East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Here is how leaders from around the world reacted:

Reactions in short Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish president: A red line for Muslims

King Abdullah II, Jordan: Dangerous repercussions

Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian president: Dangerous consequences

Ismail Haniya, Hamas chief: Igniting the sparks of rage

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egyptian president: Undermining chances of peace

Saudi Arabia, statement: Grave and deep concern

Syrian government: Culmination of the crime of usurping Palestine

Irans Supreme Leader: Result of US failure

Sigmar Gabriel, German FM: Fuelling conflict

Haider al-Abadi, Iraqi prime minister: Utmost concern

Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Arab League chief: Dangerous measure

Antonio Guterres, UN chief: Opposed to unilateral action

Frederica Mogherini, EU diplomatic chief: Resolve Jerusalem status through negotiations

Pope Francis: Status quo should be respected

President Abbas warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world, Nabil Abu Rudeina, the Palestinian presidents spokesperson, said in a statement after Trumps call.

Echoing Abbas comments, Jordans King Abdullah II told Trump that such a decision would have dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region, according to a statement released by the palace.

The king also warned the US president of the risks of any decision that ran counter to a final settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict based on the creation of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the key to achieving peace and stability in the region and the world, the statement said, adding that an embassy move would inflame Muslim and Christian feelings.

King Abdullah also called Abbas and said they had to both work together to confront the consequences of this decision.

In a statement, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also cautioned Trump against taking measures that would undermine the chances of peace in the Middle East.

The Egyptian president affirmed the Egyptian position on preserving the legal status of Jerusalem within the framework of international references and relevant UN resolutions, the statement said.

Following a separate phone conversation with Trump, Saudi King Salman also told the US president that any American announcement regarding the situation of Jerusalem prior to reaching a permanent settlement will harm peace talks and increase tensions in the area.

A statement by state-run news agency SPA quoted the king as saying that the kingdom supported the Palestinian people and their historic rights and asserted that such a dangerous step is likely to inflame the passions of Muslims around the world due to the great status of Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa mosque.

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US move was because of their incompetence and failure.

The Syrian foreign ministry said: [The move] is the culmination of the crime of usurping Palestine and displacing the Palestinian people.

Pope Francis said in his weekly address that the status quo that governs al-Aqsa Mosque compound should be respected. The state of Jordan has been the custodian of all Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem since 1994.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Israel, following reports that the US was considering recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital, a move that would be symbolised by relocating the embassy to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims, said Erdogan. We implore the US once again: You cannot take this step.

Later in the day, Sigmar Gabriel, Germanys foreign minister, also warned that any US move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel does not calm a conflict, rather it fuels it even more, and that such a move would be a very dangerous development.

Gabriel said in Brussels that its in everyones interest that this does not happen.

Federica Mogherini, the European Unions top diplomat, said any action that would undermine peace efforts to create two separate states for the Israelis and the Palestinians must absolutely be avoided.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has consistently warned against any unilateral action that would have the potential to undermine the two-state solution, his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters in New York.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Gaza, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya described Trumps decision as a flagrant aggression.

This decision is an uncalculated gamble that will know no limit to the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim reaction, he said.

We call on stopping this decision fully because this will usher in the beginning of a time of terrible transformations, not just on the Palestinian level but on the region as a whole. This decision means the official announcement of the end of the peace process.

Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit warned the United States not to take any measures that would change Jerusalems current legal and political status.

Aboul-Gheit spoke on Tuesday during a meeting in Cairo of Arab League representatives gathered to discuss Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. He said the possible US decision is be a dangerous measure that would have repercussions across the entire Mideast region.

He also urged the Trump administration to reconsider the issue.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May denounced Trumps announcement.

We disagree with the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement, May said in a statement.

We believe it is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region. The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it.
Saudi-led coalition carries out air raids on Sanaa as President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi calls for new page in war.

Yemens President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has urged Yemenis to rise up against the Houthi rebels as violence further escalated in the capital, Sanaa, following the assassination of the countrys former leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Hadi called for a new page in the battle against the Houthis in a speech carried live on Saudi Arabias Al Arabiya TV late on Monday.

Lets put our hands together to end the control of these criminal gangs and build a new united Yemen, the leader of Yemens internationally recognised government said from Riyadh, where he lives in exile.

His predecessor, Saleh, who had ruled Yemen for three decades before his overthrow in 2011, was killed in a rocket-propelled grenade and gun attack on his car at a checkpoint outside Sanaa.

The Houthis said Saleh was killed for treason after he cut ties with the rebels in favour of the Saudi-led coalition.

The Arab League condemned Salehs killing on Tuesday and branded the Houthis as a terrorist organisation.

All means must be used to rid the Yemeni people of this nightmare, said Ahmed Abdul Gheit, who heads the pan-Arab bloc.

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Residents meanwhile told Al Jazeera that the Saudi-led coalition carried out dozens of air raids on Houthi-controlled government buildings overnight.

Hakim al-Masmari, the editor of the Yemen Post newspaper, told Al Jazeera that at least nine civilians were killed and many more injured.

Theres been more than a dozen air strikes in Sanaa from midnight until the morning. Many houses have been destroyed, especially in the city centre near the presidential palace, Masmari said.

The city remained tense, he continued, adding: The Houthis are on high alert right now and expecting attacks on checkpoints and leaders. Any signs or pictures that can identify them as Houthis, on their clothes and vehicles, have been removed to ensure they are not targeted.

Hussain Albukhaiti, a Houthi activist, told Al Jazeera the air raids were targeting every area controlled by the Houthis in Sanaa.

He added, We are hearing multiple warplanes roaming the sky, and the strikes at one point rained down every five minutes or so.

Stephane Dujjaric, a UN spokesman appealed for a pause in fighting on Monday in order to help civilians caught up in the violence.

We find the events unfolding there to be deeply disturbing with ground clashes and air strikes having dramatically escalated in Saana and in surrounding governors, he said, adding that aid flights in and out of the city had been suspended.

Humanitarian workers were receiving desperate calls for help, but were not able to reach trapped families, he said.

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We remind all parties to the conflict that deliberate attacks against civilians and against civilian and medical infrastructure are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes, Dujjaric said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said at least 125 people have been killed in Sanaa over the past week. Some 240 people have been injured.

The war in Yemen, now in its second year, has left thousands dead and led to one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. About 7 million people are facing starvation and one million people have been infected with cholera.
Even by Yemens standards, the days leading up to the death of Ali Abdullah Saleh were turbulent and confusing. On Saturday, the removed Yemeni president turned on the Houthi rebels he had been backing for the past several years.

Saleh called for dialogue with Saudi Arabia  once his patron, more recently his enemy. On Monday, Salehs former rebel allies reportedly ambushed and killed him, while other sources told Al Jazeera that Saleh may have been executed in his residence.

It is the latest development in a civil war that has pitted Yemens internationally recognised government, led by Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, against Houthi rebels and Salehs forces. Salehs death only adds to the volatility surrounding a war that appears to have no end in sight  and a humanitarian crisis often described as the worlds worst.

So, will Salehs death bring the conflict into a new, and even more violent, phase?

Presenter: Laura Kyle

Guests:

Jamie McGoldrick  United Nations Resident Coordinator in Yemen

Noha Aboueldahab  Visiting Fellow, Brookings Doha Center

Mamoun Abu Nowar  retired Jordanian Air Force general
The case against Assange is as political as it is legal; where does it go from here? Plus, Kenyas election influencers.
Culinary passion mixed with Arab hospitality led one Tunisian to open a restaurant, now famous for octopus and couscous.

In Kerkennah, an island off the Tunisian coast, you can allegedly get the best couscous and octopus in the world  and the place to get it is Najets restaurant.

Najet Werda came to Kerkennah as a young girl and fell in love with the picturesque islands low-key profile. She always dreamed about returning to the island, but little did she know that she would settle here and realise her dream with her husband, Fadhel.

In 1989 when I first came to Kerkennah, it was love at first sight, says Najet. I wanted to find something to do so I could stay here. As a person who loves cooking, I thought, why not? Everyone loves the sea and food things from the sea are beautiful and fresh.

Culinary passion mixed with Arab hospitality led her to open her restaurant, Le Regal.

Im not like restaurants who do big quantities. Just a few things so it remains fresh and immediate, says Najet, who takes advantage of weekly market runs in the islands capital, Erramla, for fresh produce.

My Tunisia is peace. My Tunisia is the sea, the mountains, the Sahara. It's my friends, my people, my land, my memories. My Tunisia is my love. by Nejat Werda, chef and food enthusiast

While her menu offers a wide array of seafood dishes, octopus couscous is king at Najets restaurant.

This couscous that we prepare with octopus is a speciality of Kerkennah. People love my octopus couscous. They have to order it in advance to eat it later.

Najets customers can bring their own fish from the harbour and cook it themselves at the restaurant with the help of her team. Her long-time friend Sami Melliti, who is also a fisherman, keeps the diners entertained once they arrive.

He takes visitors on fishing tours and shares his knowledge of ancient fishing methods that date back to the Phoenicians.

Theres a lot of local knowledge about our sea, says Sami Melliti. If you dont know it you cant be a fisherman.

However, climate change is threatening the livelihoods of Tunisias fishermen.

I used to make a good income. But after a while, fishing livelihood became thinnerthe sea with time is getting worse because of trawlers, because of our fishing methods using plastic fish-traps, laments Sami. It causes sea pollution. The state signs contracts with oil companies that want to operate in the sea. They pollute the sea, too.

Najet echoes the uneasy sentiments fishermen have about decreasing fish supply.

In the past when wed see people fishing like this wed see the mullets jumping, sheets of them. People were yelling and having fun. It used to be fun. Now it hurts my heart to see these men [fishermen]. They did the first round and a second round and got four or eight fish.
Boylan begins with a dark narrative about the pharmacy Boylan frequents, "run by a conservative Republican." (Is there any other kind?) Will he refuse to fill the demanded prescription, Boylan quails, "given my condition"? What condition is that? I wondered, as clearly each reader was meant to  compulsive self-dramatizing syndrome?

Last week's New York Times piece by Jennifer Finney Boylan, " The Masterpiece Cakeshop Case Is Not About Religious Freedom ," floored me with the number of distortions it crowded into a few paragraphs. I can only conclude that the left's discourse and values have become so wayward and impoverished that they would rather criminalize creativity than take on the serious issues the Supreme Court will be hearing on December 5.

Thus begins Boylan's parade of horribles. If Phillips wins in his appeal from lower court decisions, sick babies will die, HIV patients will be turned away from treatment clinics, pre-Civil Rights abominations will become the order of the day. Except none of these scenarios is backed up with citations from the court papers. There's a good reason for that. They're not in there. But after all, what do facts matter when it comes to the left's self-suffering legerdemain?

Does Colorado's state public accommodations law as applied to Jack Phillips's refusal to accept a commission for a cake for two men trying to marry each other regulate speech or conduct? Under First Amendment law, the latter is permitted. The former, with minimal exceptions, is not.

That is the threshold question.

Phillips argues he was being forced to convey an unwanted message by providing a custom-made cake for Craig's and Mullins's ceremony. One of the cases Phillips and the Justice Department as amicus rely on is the Supreme Court's 1994 ruling in Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, Inc. It held that a private sponsor, a veterans' group, was not required to admit an LGBGT group to its St. Patrick's Day parade because that would require the group to alter its message, which did not embrace approval of gay pride. The same doomsday predictions we hear in advance of Tuesday's oral argument were adumbrated there, too. None of them came true. But why learn from history?

What about the actual case? Disagreeing with Phillips's characterization, Craig and Mullins and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission (respondents) claim that CADA permissibly regulates conduct, not speech. The targeted conduct is the provision of a good or service. According to them, the nature of the good or service is irrelevant. Phillips's action is discriminatory, plain and simple. His claim that CADA is unconstitutional as applied to him is just a pretext for his religion-inspired reactionary hatred.

Boylan echoes this reductionism, and then some. But while Craig and Mullins are bound to the papers and what they actually say, Boylan is not. Boylan singlehandedly reinterprets pages of argument and counter-argument analyzing CADA, discussing precedents, and building on agreed upon facts with magical revision:

There are two important things to know about the religious freedom/wedding cake case. One is that it's not about religious freedom  it's about religious exemption. The other is that it's about a whole lot more than wedding cakes.

While CADA does in fact grant religious exemptions, that is not what Phillips is seeking. As David French at National Review notes, it is the other way around. Craig and Mullins are demanding an across-the-board application of Colorado's public accommodations law that amounts to a state exemption from the First Amendment.

But Boylan is right about Masterpiece being about a whole lot more than wedding cakes (as though the Supreme Court would grant certiorari to a case that didn't have far-ranging implications). The undisputed facts show that Phillips serves customers attracted to members of their own sex all the time. He limits his rejection of their requests to cakes for ceremonies meant to be weddings. In other words, Phillips maintains, and his actions corroborate, that he is selectively choosing not whom to serve, but what product to offer. He bases this refusal on his religious beliefs in light of the nature of the specific product he produces  the demands it takes on his time; the drawdown it makes on his creative energies; and, perhaps most important, the dissonance that would result if he were forced to deploy his talents robotically in the name of dogma.

The real question, therefore, is not whether Boylan can get estrogen at his pharmacy because he thinks he is a woman. (We finally get let in on the secret of his condition!) It is, in my view, not even about religion. It is about preserving some anarchic sweet spot in our increasingly alienated, doctrinaire, one-size-fits-all society  a space devoted to whimsy, invention, and psychic independence. That is what creativity requires. Just ask the artists whom Stalin banished to Siberia and certain death for no worse crime than painting more like the American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning than Stalin's stable of Soviet Realist lackeys. When the government starts requiring creatives to perform in the service of the one true ideology, vision withers.

Not that any lockstep leftists nowadays would notice. This is why the soulless Boylan can glibly misrepresent the question of whether Jack Phillips's wedding cakes are "art." The entirety of the argument in Boylan's seeming make-it-up-as-you-go discussion comes down to sleight-of-hand: Phillips can't win on the issue of faith, so he defaults to calling his "nice-looking cakes" art. That's simply incorrect.

The possible First Amendment implications of CADA are not at issue. They have already been admitted by respondents, including the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Indeed, the commission declined to enforce CADA against bakers who refused to serve religious customers asking for a special-order wedding cake with words from Leviticus on it on just these grounds. The unresolved question here is not whether the First Amendment may apply. It is whether it does where there is no express written message  only an implied one.

Technically, if the cakes are deemed "art" rather than "implied speech," according to ample case law, their expressiveness is absolutely protected. Art, unlike implied speech, doesn't have to convey a "succinct and articulable" message. It is "pure expression" and can simply be. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Hurley court used the express inarticulateness of Jackson Pollack's abstract expressionist paintings as an example of this principle. In any case, the point is, even if the cakes are not "art," the constitutional challenge doesn't go away.

Even granting, moreover, that there is room to disagree over the artistic status of Phillips's "masterpieces," Boylan's caution that "that argument demands that the court get into the business of defining art itself" is mind-boggling. The courts are asked to decide on the nature of expression and its protectability literally all the time. Can a tattoo parlor be singled out in a zoning law, or does it engage in protected speech? Is a cropped copy of a Walker Evans photograph thievery or fair use (sanctioned by the First Amendment exception to copyright)? How do you define obscenity? Boylan's idea that the Supreme Court shouldn't be asked to distinguish between Phillips's elaborately designed ritual object and, as Boylan puts it, a "well-manicured lawn" is so out of whack that even the respondents don't venture it.

At the end of the article, Boylan acknowledges that his old-timey pharmacist never treated him with anything but "kindness and respect." It is almost as if he is disappointed that reality hasn't lived up to his counter-factual histrionics. Although this type of commentary is what we have come to expect from the Times, it is worth adding that it is cheap  dirt cheap. Anybody at all who sees fit to suspend the facts can make a "slippery slope" argument. Fortunately, we still live in a country where the supreme court of the land attends to more than horror-baiting.
Move the Embassy to Jerusalem

In order to test whether a peace settlement is possible between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the U.S. embassy must be relocated to Jerusalem as soon as possible. Close to 25 years after the signing of the Oslo Accords, it appears that Israel and the PA are no closer to peace. It is high time that the U.S. takes a different path to test whether the PA is ready to make true peace with Israel or whether this long-winded peace process is no more than a seemingly endless charade. Israel has repeatedly taken actions in its quest for peace, including multiple transfers of territorial control in the West Bank, total abandonment of Gaza, and a 10-month long building freeze. Little, if any, good has come of it. The Palestinian Authority instead was involved in a murderous intifada against Israel that claimed the lives of roughly 1,000 Israelis, as well as frequent terrorist attacks over the years. The PA also actively seeks a unity pact with the Hamas terrorist organization, and has consistently been involved in incitement to murder and attack Israelis and Jews in all forms of the Palestinian media. This is reminiscent of the verse, I am peace; but when I speak, they are for war. (Psalms 120:7)

In addition, the PA and Mahmoud Abbas have refused to even make the most basic of gestures critical to any peace deal. The Palestinian Authority has refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, refused to recognize any part of Jerusalem as Israels capital, and even threatened that if the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as Israels capital (even if that recognition is limited to part of Jerusalem) it would amount to a complete destruction of the peace process. If the U.S. seeks to test the feasibility of the peace process, it must therefore move the embassy to Jerusalem and not hold itself captive to terroristic threats of widespread violence made by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Instead, President Trump should refuse to maintain a decades-old mentality of subservience to threats of radical Islamic terrorism. It is immoral for the worlds #1 superpower to allow itself to be swayed by terroristic threats. Such behavior by the U.S. does nothing to discourage terrorism; on the contrary, it implicitly rewards terrorism by demonstrating that threats of terrorism achieve results. President Trump demonstrated leadership rarely seen in recent history by delivering a historic speech to leaders of Islamic countries in Saudi Arabia calling for the total defeat of radical Islamic terrorism. He is right. It is those people and organizations that support terrorism that have prevented Israel from being able to make a legitimate peace with the PA -- and continue to prevent this. In order for any semblance of enduring peace to exist, the Palestinian leadership must choose to reject terrorism and incitement to terrorism. This is the obvious true roadblock to peace. President Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital and moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem would be seen as the U.S. finally exerting its influence in a constructive way and sends a message that terrorism will no longer be rewarded. The U.S. should make clear that the Palestinian Authority must demonstrate true leadership and prevent any acts of violence in the wake of these U.S. moves. The Taylor Force Act is critically important because it ends all U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority unless the PA stops all stipends to terrorists and their families, publicly condemns terrorism and works to bring the perpetrators to justice. This Act must be quickly passed by the House and Senate and signed into law to further encourage the PA to stop all terrorism, funding of terrorism, and incitement to terrorism. According to Yossi Kuperwasser of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, the Palestinian Authority allocated approximately $300 million to terrorists and their families in 2016, further fueling terrorism. This translates into about 30% of total annual foreign aid from all donors to the PA. According to Kuperwasser: Legally, the payments of salaries to terrorists stand in sharp contrast to the Oslo agreements, according to which the PLO directly and the PA through the PLO have committed themselves to stop terror and to refrain from encouraging terror. It is also in stark contradiction to international conventions on counterterrorism and to the laws of most donor countries since this is direct support to terrorists affiliated with organizations designated as terrorist organizations by both the United States and the EU. By supporting the PA financially and enabling it to allocate funds to salaries for terrorists, Israel and the donors act in a way that is not only illogical and immoral but also illegal according to their own laws. The U.S. must make clear that acts of terrorism against Israel, as a U.S. ally, would be viewed as attacks against the U.S. and result in U.S. sanctions of the Palestinian Authority and other punitive measures. The PA would quickly see their resources dry up from other foreign donors and their power fade away. In contrast, if the PA chooses the path of peace, prevents violence and stops incitement against Israelis and Jews, the U.S. would see an opening toward moving forward with substantive negotiations toward achieving true peace. It is therefore so important that President Trump chooses to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. That move will serve as a litmus test and help finally determine whether Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are finally ready to truly seek peace or continue violence and face isolation. Radical Islamic terrorism, as President Trump made clear, has no place in the world and threatens all peace-loving nations. Its fight against innocent people around the world and against peace must never again be tolerated.
Mueller's FBI Will Never Recover Its Good Name

Robert Mueller just fired a senior FBI agent for openly twittering against POTUS Trump. But if Mr. Mueller imagines that firing one guy will restore his shredded credibility to the public, fuggedaboudit. The unprecedented witch-hunt against a newly elected Donald Trump will remain green in the public memory for years to come. The FBI and DOJ will therefore have to live with a huge loss of public credibility. The IRS will never recover among Trump voters. Elected governments only work as long as they enjoy basic public confidence, and when that is gone -- as it is in Italy and Greece -- it can take many years to restore. Even if most of our FBI people are honest patriots, a few rotten apples will ruin it for the rest. In Italy, every sane person is expected to run some kind of tax scam, and until recently, the IRS told us that it relied on self-reported income. But high-level corruption sets an example for the whole country, and the Clintons and Obamas have shown us nothing but high-level corruption. The perps may get out of jail free, but the political culture will feel the damage they have inflicted.

Mueller is a partisan hack to end all partisan hacks, and no sane observer believes otherwise. It was Mueller who got Bill Clinton out of trouble for selling missile launching secrets to China, secrets that may now be helping North Korea to aim nuclear-armed missiles at Washington DC and Paris. That's the trouble when the Democrats elect major corruptocrats like the Clintons and the Obamas. Half the voters have been profoundly angered by their corrupt shenanigans for years and years. The Clintons came out of the old Dixiecrat Machine in Little Rock, Ark, with ole Bill smokin' dope and harassing women to the max, and then came Obama... Obama was mentored by the Godfather of the Chicago Machine, Emil Jones, and Michelle's dad was a ward boss in Chicago. Can you spell C-O-R-R-U-P-T-I-O-N? Robert Mueller was set up as the DOJ's choice for Special Prosecutor by James Comey, who just twittered his own delight when he heard that General Michael Flynn has been arm-twisted into revealing confidential communications with the Republican candidate for President of the United States. Trump voters are watching every move as the Swamp burps up another ugly bubble. Since Swamp monsters only read their own PR, they have no idea what you and I understand. That's the trouble with closed cults: Pretty soon they start believing their own propaganda. Now inevitably people will be reminded about Obama's very close relationship with Walid bin Talal, the Saudi billionaire who is now under arrest in the Riyadh Ritz Carlton, accused of "corruption on earth" far beyond the ordinary level of Arabian baksheesh. Talal was named by Percy Sutton as the Saudi money man who got Barry Soetoro-Obama into Harvard Law School, the beginning of his political career. Talal may also be the mysterious billionaire behind the Jihad war. We don't know for sure, but Talal always says that he will leave his fortune to "charity." Muslims understand what that means: In Islam, a percentage of charitable giving has to go to jihad. Obama and Valerie Jarrett were involved in obviously corrupt and highly dangerous communications with the Iranian mullahs, long before Obama got elected. Valerie Jarrett grew up in a Shi'ite (pro-Iranian) Muslim family, and Jarrett ran a back channel to the mullahs long before the first Obama election. When the United States "negotiated" a surrender on the nuclear issue with the mullahs, a planeload of Iranian negotiators landed in Cairo, and a photographer showed them coming off the plane looking drunk and laughing their heads off. Obama and Jarrett sold out the United States (and therefore also Iran's enemy Saudi Arabia), because both of them are jihad-symps from way back. This is serious business, and a large number of American voters know about it. They are the same voters who didn't answer the pollsters who called the election for Hillary. Their silence meant trouble for Hillary, who still can't believe she lost. In the last election the Communist Party of the USA openly backed Hillary Clinton, and Hillary never said a word against them. She wanted their support. So Donald Trump, who has his finger on the real pulse of the American people, ran with tens of millions of Twitter followers, against Hillary, who was supported by the much-despised media. Trump is an international hotel owner who has to know the politics of every country where he builds a hotel. He also ran the Miss Universe beauty pageant and started reality shows like The Apprentice. He knows other big business people around the world, who are often also major politicians. But Trump is obviously a country hick, according to the New York Times and the sophisticates. Using Twitter and Facebook he ran under the media radar in a classical campaign that caught the Swamp with its pants down. Now Robert Mueller has hired more than a dozen partisan Democratic hacks, mostly Hillary contributors, who were hoping for big jobs in the Hillary regime that never was. They are fired up for revenge against Trump, and just because Mueller fired one FBI guy for speaking out of turn, he will not get a single brownie point from conservatives. Harvey Weinstein might as well try to prove his virginity. Mueller will never, ever regain the kind of respect we used to feel for the Department of Justice and the FBI. The IRS cannot be trusted, as taxpayers around the country know very well. Our presidential candidates like the Clintons have sold favors for money, and the Obama White House sold our national security to the throwback mullahs of Iran. The Three Stooges of the Swamp, Comey, Brennan, and Clapper, chose Robert Mueller in collusion with the Democrats in Congress to become Special Prosecutor against Trump. Mueller has been part of that in-crowd all his life. But now the Swamp has finally sprung a trap on itself, and regardless of the legal outcome, the real accused in the dock will be one Robert Mueller.
The Disingenuous Tax Cut Debate

One of the important drivers of political dysfunction in America is the dishonest framing of debates Americans need to observe. Among the many controversies misrepresented by the commentary class is the tax cut debate. At the heart of the misrepresentation is the cost of the tax cut. Tax cuts do not cost money and empirically, they are almost certain to increase revenue to the United States Federal government. In the current debate, we are told as we have been told by the commentary class since at least the 1980s, that the tax cut will be costly. It will cost more than a trillion dollars. It will blow a hole in the deficit. This rhetoric fills newspaper articles designed to attack the tax cut as illegitimate and a plain political contradiction to the conservative conventions of balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility. This turns the tax cut into a wedge device asking conservative Republicans to choose between party affiliation and philosophical fidelity. At the heart of this fallacious misrepresentation is an insidious civic assumption: all taxpayer money belongs to the government. Therefore, any failure to collect potential taxpayer assets is a cost. The government owns all and allows individuals to keep assets after it has discovered the true priorities for money in the economy. This all coming from a government that also has the power and freely practices the printing of money for its own ends beyond those found in the assets of the taxpayer. None of this prevents the commentary class from falsely intoning that the tax cut will cost the government.

Beyond the faulty assumption of who owns the money behind taxes, is the flawed analysis of what tax cuts do. Inevitably, the cost argument rests upon the expectation that tax cuts reduce revenue to the government every year they remain in effect. That makes sense since the rate of extraction from taxpayers is reduced by a percentage. However, tax cuts are not a theory. Tax cuts are a plain and clear empirical reality that we can observe. There are at least three important examples of tax cuts in U.S. fiscal history: the Kennedy tax cuts of the early 1960s, the Reagan tax cuts of the early 1980s and the Bush tax cuts of the early 21st century. What do those tax cuts demonstrate with regard to costs? JFK as a democrat promised to cut taxes in the 1960 campaign for the Presidency. He got his wish with his election. Here are the facts on government revenue in millions of dollars for 1961-1963: 1961 - $94,388 1962 - $99,676 1963 - $106,560 The JFK tax cuts provide no empirical support for the contention that tax cuts reduce revenue or constitute a cost to the government or the public as a whole. Government revenues increased by more than 5 billion dollars each year which was a 5% increase in revenue each year. There is no observable decline in government revenues during the entire decade of the 1960s. Reagan promised tax cuts in the 1980s and with his victory, cuts were implemented by 1982. The data for 1982-1987 gives us a fiscal picture for revenue into the federal government: 1982 - $617,766 1983 - $600,562 1984 - $666,438 1985 - $734,037 1986 - $769,155 1987 - $854,287 1988 - $909,238 Here the case for cost has some founding. Between 1982 and 1983, revenues declined by 17 billion dollars. That is a 2.8% decline in government revenue. In 1984, revenues surged well above 1982 levels. They increased by 11% and 66 billion dollars more than three times larger than the 1983 loss. The revenues to the USFG continued to move in a profoundly beneficial direction: 10% growth in 1985, 4.8% in 1986, 11% again in 1987, and finally 6% in 1988. Government revenues grew by more than 50% between 1983 and 1988. It was a staggering benefit to the coffers of the federal government. George W. Bush promised to return government surpluses to taxpayers in the form of tax cuts in election 2000. By 2002, his tax cuts were law. The results are also clear: 2002 - $1,853,136 2003 - $1,782,314 2004 - $1,880,114 2005 - $2,153,611 2006 - $2,406,869 2007 - $2,567,985 Here again, we some indication of a cost in the first year of the tax cut. Government revenues declined by 5% in 2003. But again, the increase is 6% in 2004 and surpassing the revenues of 2002. There is a 14% increase in revenue in 2005. There is a 12% increase in revenue in 2006 followed by a 7% revenue increase in 2007. This is a 39% increase in government revenues over 5 years. The data is clear and the debate can only be about the choices the Congress makes in spending taxpayer money -- not in how it is raised in relation to tax cuts. The fact that Congress spends so recklessly is a fact understood by most voters but used to form the basis of faulty assumptions by the commentary class directing readers to the risk of deficits caused by tax cuts. In every case, one-year shortfalls are immediately erased and surpassed by revenues in the next year. In fact, it is rather extraordinary how much additional revenue has poured into government coffers since 1960. The neo-Marxist assumption of the commentary class rarely focus their critical lenses on the worlds truly largest corporation: the United States Federal Government. Why should revenues not grow when the public is able to breathe the sigh of relief that this 4-trillion-dollar annually spending monstrosity might have encountered the fiscal limits symbolized by tax cuts? It is not surprising that private sector and consumer spending confidence rises in response. Tax cut legislation is rarely perfect and often inclusive of undue political favors. Nonetheless, constraints on the consumption habits of the largest corporation in the world leaves its involuntary contributors with a greater degree of freedom and liberty. The commentary class indicts any reduction in tax gathering power while ignoring spending abuses outside the Defense budget -- probably the clearest Constitutional obligation of the Federal government. Take for example TARP 2008. The Temporary Asset Relief Program was ostensibly temporary. Because of a banking emergency -- the Federal Government would temporarily provide roughly 3/4 of a trillion dollars to banks and GSEs. The spending was well more than 15% of all government spending. Did the spending budget of the USFG drop a corresponding 10-20% once the crisis passed? No. Does the commentary class think this is wrong? No. This rhetorical abuse has allowed the USFG to abound as no good crisis goes to waste in the words of former Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel. Whatever the flaws of the current tax cut legislation, a reduction in revenue gathering power of the USFG is a step toward economic freedom that will reduce poverty here at home and abroad. Dr. Ben Voth is an associate professor of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs and Director of Debate at Southern Methodist University. He is an advisor to the George W. Bush Institute and the Calvin Coolidge Debate fellow. He examines our current political struggles in a book with Dr. Robert Denton titled Social Fragmentation and the Decline of American Democracy [Palgrave Macmillan-2017].
The yearning for a friend in Moscow stretches back decades, whether it be Bernie Sanders taking his honeymoon in the Soviet Union , Nixon bragging about his friendship with Brezhnev , or Franklin D. Roosevelt defending Stalin every chance he got.

Allegedly, the benefits of increased overtures to Moscow are significant, and varied enough to attract a wide spectrum of supporters. Its not terribly hard to understand the instinct. Russia is one of the few powers on earth that could end civilization. Who in their right mind would want to fight with them? They have a history of brilliant culture, look like Americans, and share a religion with Americas Founders.

The problem, unfortunately, is that America can never be friends with Russia. America is a country based on freedom of speech and a government representing the people. Russia is the opposite. Russians dont have anything like it. Not now. Not ever. This is a fundamental, irreconcilable difference.

Russian serfs were dominated by Tsars for centuries. Their revolution was owned by the Bolsheviks who killed people with machine guns for thought crimes. Russia was just getting started though, since Lenin was followed by Stalin. Almost a century after the Red Revolution, Russians still only had the choice of voting for a Communist or a former Communist who had been a career KGB man.

In modern Russia, if you say something that the leadership does not like, you may be shot in your house, shot in the back, or if you are lucky, maybe you will just have sh*t thrown on you and flee the country to protect your family.

By way of contrast, in American politics, Donald Trump was widely despised by the established powers, and won the Presidency. No matter what one thinks of Trump, whether he is a great man or a clown, there can be no doubt that he illustrated the power American citizens have to choose their own destiny. Indeed, the worse one thinks Trump is, the more it shows the power of the people to elect whom they please.

Trump could not have run his campaign in Moscow against Putin. Candidates from Vladimir Bukovsky to Boris Nemtsov to Garry Kasparov, have made milder statements against the establishment than Trump has, only to be exiled or killed.

Trump is a minor revolution against the government, something the world will see and learn from. In fact, there is a long history of America inspiring action around the world. Dramatically, it happened when the French decapitated their king. A more recent example would be how the United States stood with the oppressed people of the world throughout the Cold War, eventually enabling the Romanian people to execute their Communist overlords.

There is a lesson here for Putin. Americas very existence undermines him: his power, wealth, family, and life.

Closed societies engage in censorship of free speech to protect the ruling class. A prosperous and free America is speaking to ordinary Russians, whispering, hinting, showing a different type of life, one with freedom, one where Russians could freely say No to Putin.

The Ukrainians were also talking to Russians when almost a million patriots took to the streets, risking their lives, to oust the corrupt Russian puppet Viktor Yanukovych. Putins invasion of Ukraine only makes sense in this context. It was to silence freedom loving Ukranians lest the Russian people get any dangerous ideas.

Of course, Putin wont stage a ground invasion of America. But in other ways, his tactics to weaken America -- promotion of the secession of Texas, and funding BLM to incite ethnic rivalries -- are remarkably similar to Russian actions in Ukraine

Russia, the country who has never held their Communists accountable for mass death, is planning on opening up a memorial to American Indians who died in America hundreds of years ago. The Kremlin wants to show that America is founded on genocide and thus morally bankrupt. If Putin cannot literally silence America, then undermining Americas credibility is necessary. These are not the actions of a friend.

America, for its part, has a choice. The President can call out Russian actions for what they are, this does not mean taking aggressive military action, but merely speaking the truth. A President tried this a few decades ago when he had the clarity to call the most dangerous power humanity has ever seen the evil empire. His foreign policy met with good results.

The other choice is to say what adversarial powers want America to say and hope this level of appeasement will decrease conflict without compromising America too badly.

Actually, this policy has already been tried. Bill Clinton tried to work out a relationship with the Kim regime, George Bush remarkably looked the other way while Iran aided Al-Qaeda, and of course Obamas conciliatory attitude to any foreign power with a grievance was one of his trademark policies. The result is that today the world hangs on a knifes edge.

Unfortunately, for all the nice gestures America has made to Russia -- from the $20,000,000 given to feed Russians after the Bolshevik Revolution, to helping the Russian people rid themselves of the Communist regime, or the billions America gave Russia after the collapse of Communism -- the Kremlins preferred policy is to demonize America.

Pleasant fantasies and smart policy are not the same thing. Unless anyone expects Putin to voluntarily put himself in danger, there is every reason to think Russias leaders will continue with the same necessarily antagonistic policy. Pleading with Russia to improve relations is unproductive and unbecoming to America.
After defeating a woman, Obama calls for more women in office

Using his former secretary of state John Kerry's habit of flip-flopping, former president Barack Hussein Obama latched onto the recent examples of (mostly) Democratic men behaving sexually "inappropriately" to buttress his fading legacy. Speaking in Paris, France  a foreign country  Mr. Former President impugned his successor's "lack of leadership" and then endorsed women for elective office "because men seem to be having some problems these days."

"Not to generalize, but women seem to have a better capacity than men do, partly because of their socialization," Obama said at the invitation-only event. O-o-h! But nine years ago, when Obama first ran for president, apparently men weren't having those same recently revealed "problems." Therefore, it was perfectly moral for him to run against Hillary Rodham Clinton, who identifies as a woman, because, except for those numerous "problems" regarding her husband, former President Bill Clinton, male socialization, especially Obama's, had reached full capacity while women's socialization, especially Hillary's, was lacking. Does this mean that the "problems," meaning the predatory sex proclivities among all those prominent men, began while Barack Obama was in office? Maybe the millions of dollars Obama and his Democratic Party raked in for his own election and those of his fellow Democrats from the industries now revealed to have been culturally and socially depraved covered the social costs in return. Yep, sure does seem that way. But not to worry. Perhaps Obama is now endorsing women to pave the way for Hillary to run again for the presidency in 2020. Or perhaps another woman, California's new junior senator, Kamala Harris, who is also a woman with non-white ancestry, has that "better capacity" that Obama suddenly noticed. Whatever his reasoning, Obama is continuing his efforts to Make American Ungreat!
AG Sessions must prosecute the leakers of Flynn conversations

When The New York Times reported the resignation of Mr. Flynn as President Trump's national security adviser, February 14, 2017, it referred to "a transcript of a wiretapped conversation" between Mr. Flynn and Ambassador Kislyak. The next day, the Times reported that the circumstances leading to the Flynn resignation "traced back to a call last December between Mr. Flynn, then on tap to become Mr. Trump's national security adviser, and Sergey I. Kisylak, the Russian ambassador to the United States." Another Times account went on to report: "Obama advisers heard separately from the F.B.I about Mr. Flynn's conversation with Mr. Kisylak, whose calls were routinely monitored by American intelligence agencies that track Russia diplomats." Obama officials were said to be concerned that Russia was offered a quid pro quo if it would not respond to the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and added sanctions, based on allegations that Russia meddled in the presidential election. The FBI, the Times reported, said there had been no quid pro quo offered. The Times then noted that Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, January 12, 2017, had reported on Mr. Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador. How did Mr. Ignatius obtain his information if not by unlawful leak?

Kimberley A. Strassel pointed out in her Wall Street Journal column, April 7, 2017 ("The Conflicts of J. Edgar Comey"), that it is a felony to leak "highly classified about a conversation between a presidential adviser and a foreign official" to the press. Ms. Strassel was right in informing readers that those responsible for leaking the details of a wiretapped conversation between Mr. Flynn and Ambassador Kisylak could face as much as "10 years in federal prison." The unmasking of Mr. Flynn is, alas, not the only case of unmasking of Trump aides by outgoing Obama officials. There is now, famously, the matter of unmasking of Trump people by Obama national security adviser Susan Rice and by Samantha Power, President Obama's ambassador to the U.N. It is, alas, understandable that a media hostile to President Trump, will ignore violations of federal law when the purpose of such violations is, apparently, the overthrow of the Trump presidency. What of the principle that "no one is above the law"  not even fanatical NeverTrumps? It would be foolhardy to consider that Special Counsel Robert Mueller will probe anti-Trump leaks that not only violate U.S. law, but could harm national security, but Attorney General Sessions has the responsibility to uphold the rule of law  and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Wall Street Journal columnist Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., December 2-3, concluding his column "The Media's Flynn-sanity," observed: After the Trump election, the direction of the causation in the ensuing Russia scandal in my judgment seems fairly clear. The media and bureaucracy reject Mr. Trump not because they got wind of Russia. They were determined to reject Mr. Trump and Russia was handy. But in our free republic, it is the people  not self-promoting would-be elitists  who hold sovereign power, and the people, by constitutional process, elected Donald J. Trump our president. Mr. Sessions must stand with the people; stand with the Constitution; and, yes, stand with President Trump against all who would make a mockery of our sovereignty. He must investigate and prosecute the individuals responsible for the unlawful unmasking of Gen. Flynn any other Trump aides. Thomas Lifson adds: I have to wonder if the leaker might be the guy who seems to have had his hand in everything involving the effort to unseat the duly elected president, Peter Strzok. If he could be identified as the leaker, then the classic prosecutor's pattern being followed by Mueller with Flynn could be turned against him: squeeze him with the threat of prison to get him to squeal and implicate the higher-ups. I understand that ex-law enforcement people do not do very well in prison. At this point, it is a fantasy, but Strzok seems to have been a busy beaver when it comes to politicized activity.
An epidemic of misunderstanding Nazis

Anyone who knows me also knows how much I've enjoyed the last year or two here in the United States. I tell young people to pay attention, because these are historic times that won't reoccur any time soon. There hasn't been a "world order" shake-up like this since the turn of the twentieth century, when most of the world's monarchies were displaced by republics in a relatively short number of years. Not too many people know their history, so they know nothing about that previous shake-up. Millennials know even less, because they simply accept whatever answers Google retrieves as the gospel truth. Revisionist academics seem intent on censoring, altering, and filtering historical facts, patting them into place in an effort to fit the world comfortably to their own agenda.

Unfortunately, the truth has a funny way of surfacing all by itself. It's happening as we speak. This time, it's with Nazis. I spend my time observing from the sidelines, where I can't help but laugh at everyone calling anyone with whom he disagrees a Nazi. These are, by and large, the same people who are offended by everything and seek to limit your personal freedoms in order to quell their own inadequacies. But I'm not here to preach. You already know all that stuff. Here's something you might not know: If you talk to the people who really know what Nazism is about, you'll find them strong advocates of an open, limitless society. These are incredibly tolerant people, accepting anything other than limits on their  and your  personal freedoms. These are not people who majored in sociology and political science. They're not academics isolated in their university ivory towers. Nor are they uneducated marchers with smartphones in hand. No, the folks I'm talking about have real Nazi experiences. These are the true authorities on what Nazis are. They're Holocaust survivors. Most of them are dying off now, but not before they've told and recorded their experiences for posterity. Were it not so tragic, it's almost amusing to hear some twenty-something rant about Nazis within earshot of an elder victim who watched her entire family shot to death in her own home or wither away from starvation in a death camp for no reason other than who and what they were. They've had decades to suffer with the memories and the loss, as opposed to an uneducated, uninformed, and wholly unrealistic generation of kids  including those forty-somethings suffering from their own chronic condition of prolonged adolescence  who have convinced themselves they really know what Nazism is all about. They do not. One viewing of Schindler's List or Sophie's Choice doesn't speak to the real-life experiences of those whose lives were destroyed in Europe, only to be rebuilt under the aegis of American freedom. That's why virtually all Holocaust survivors have defected from the left to wholeheartedly embrace and protect the freedoms that saved their very souls. Personally, I love it when I hear people calling other folks Nazis. The uneducated are so easy to defeat. And that's not just my opinion. As history notes, it was certified by a national vote in 2016. Let's see them try to rewrite that.
James Comey's subconscious is manifesting itself in uncomfortable nonverbal truth-telling, while his conscious mind takes him out on a limb that cannot sustain his weight. When a politicized bureaucrat starts quoting himself, it is often a sign of trouble, an indicator of hunkering down to defend a bad call. When that bureaucrat (or ex-bureaucrat) is named James Comey and has a self-righteous streak a mile wide, it's time to look for "tells" from his subconscious and boot up the hypocrisy-detector.

"I want the American people to know this truth: The FBI is honest. The FBI is strong. And the FBI is, and always will be, independent."

Me (June 8, 2017) pic.twitter.com/OZ1ZiBrMNL

 James Comey (@Comey) December 3, 2017

Every single FBI agent is pictured with his back turned toward the camera (and Comey). What is the nonverbal message here? That is a lot of butt-picturing, almost pervy, if you think about it. But I doubt that Comey is a fetishist. My conjecture is that deep within his subconscious, Comey senses that he is not really supported by the rank-and-file FBI personnel  the ones who truly are dedicated to the mission of fighting crime without fear or favor owing to politics, personal relationships, or any other extraneous consideration.

Consider the fact that Comey just used Scripture to mock Michael Flynn. That may indicate at least some vestigial connection to other biblical teachings, which may be wearing on Comey's mind and soul, even as his conscious mind is preoccupied with his ongoing battles.

But we don't have to speculate about the nonverbal messages, because in quoting himself, Comey doubled down on an utterly indefensible position: "The FBI is, and always will be, independent."

An "independent" police agency is another way of saying "secret police." It is an "unaccountable" police agency by definition.

Our Constitution does not allow unaccountable agencies (although Elizabeth Warren's CFPB was designed to be, yet it will not last in that configuration once President Trump is done with it.) J. Edgar Hoover is reputed to have attained a substantial degree of "independence" from the presidents he served, but he supposedly did so by means of secret dossiers used to blackmail those who sought accountability for it and him. The left has done a thorough job in smearing Hoover, and one major element of that has been the claim that he blackmailed himself to independence. Now the left wants to have it 180 degrees different. Because Trump.

Last night on his eponymous Fox News program, Tucker Carlson offered a vivid example of the reason why the FBI cannot be allowed to be independent  i.e., without accountability to elected officials. The entire five-and-a-half-minute segment that begins with Peter Strzok is well worth your time. But when considering the downside of an "independent" FBI, Tucker concludes with a vivid example of how that can lead to secret police-like behavior (rush transcript via Gabien; the entire segment is embedded below):
Donald John Trump as Marcus Licinius Crassus

It's ironic. What unites the left and the #NeverTrumps in arrogance is wealth. In his life as a New York City developer, Donald Trump has created more rich kids than possibly anybody in the history of the world, but these spurn him as too common for their fastidious tastes. One is reminded of Marcus Crassus, the richest man in Rome. Scorned by the bien pensants and taste-makers of the day, Crassus ultimately saved the empire by defeating Spartacus and his army of liberated slaves. Crassus never got any gratitude from the wealthy backbiters he thus saved, but he was what Rome needed at that moment in history.

That's Donald Trump today. He knows what it takes for business to thrive, and he has set about creating those conditions. That's just what America needed after the economy-destroying Obama years. It's also what the Founders put in place at the beginning. America worked all these centuries because bureaucrats were not allowed to interfere with ordinary folks minding their own business and pursuing their own dreams. Trump is giving us back the America the Founders wanted us to have, where almost anybody could make it and many could make it big. Perhaps that's what bothers the rich kids. After all, if everybody's rich, there won't be anybody to feel superior to.
For weeks, I've been riding a wave of schadenfreude, smoothly enjoying liberal actors and celebrities getting crushed under the swell of sexual assault allegations. The tremor Ronan Farrow unleashed with his expose on Harvey Weinstein in the pages of The New Yorker was a cultural event of tectonic plate-shifting importance. Going forth, we'll reference things with a new cultural marker: pre-Weinstein and post-Weinstein.

I was thoroughly enjoying the post-Weinstein world. But then things changed. My wave of pompous pleasure crashed on the shoals of someone unexpected: Garrison Keillor.

The raconteur of Lake Wobegon was unceremoniously fired from Minnesota Public Radio after spending a lifetime creating it. The details are spotty, but, according to Keillor, the poet and entertainer stands accused of caressing a woman's back inappropriately while trying to console her. His intention  sexual or innocuous  is not clear.

In an email to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Keillor provided a simple explanation of the offending incident: "I meant to pat her back after she told me about her unhappiness and her shirt was open and my hand went up it about six inches. She recoiled. I apologized."

He immediately expressed contrition, but to no effect. The complaint was filed anyway. And just like that, a talent is blacklisted, wiped away from memory. MPR is renaming Keillor's popular show, Prairie Home Companion, and is ending his daily broadcast, The Writer's Almanac, a short recap of literary events in history that includes the reciting of a poem.

The curious way in which we deal with propriety's offenders in this country has always been troublesome. It's uniquely American to think you can just erase someone and forget his legacy. This nation was founded on a fresh start, the novus ordo seclorum. Somehow, we think that same renewal can be applied to personal history  that a birthright of every American is the ability to shed one's past and begin anew.

Memory-holing aside, the cavalier decision to end The Writer's Almanac was the aha moment when I realized that something had gone terribly awry. The show hasn't just ended; it's totally wiped from the website. The URL "writersalmanac.org" now goes directly to a sniveling press release from MPR announcing that the broadcast and all its archives are hereby scrubbed.

Overkill much? Even the Romans took it easier on Carthage than what the radio execs did to Keillor.

As an avid listener of the Almanac, I found the cancelation a reorienting smack to the face. Whom would the Harvey Weinstein revelations take down next? Is this getting out of hand?

In the Wall Street Journal, columnist Peggy Noonan cheers that the "The Sexual-Harassment Racket Is Over." But is it really over, or are we just overcompensating now for letting lechers like Weinstein and Matt Lauer get away with abusing women for so long?

The case of Keillor warrants caution. MPR has yet to release detailed information as to why, exactly, the longtime host was let go. Currently, it's Keillor's word against silence. And silence doesn't make a victim's case.

The dizzying pace in which reputable men are being accused makes it hard to fully grapple with the ramifications of stripping Keillor of his position. The pendulum, it would seem, has been pushed fully to the other side. Before Weinstein, men of power were deferred to in cases of alleged sexual harassment. After Weinstein, men are hardly given a chance to respond before the employment axe comes down on their necks.

No doubt, some of the accused deserve their ruination. Actor Kevin Spacey comes to mind. Keillor himself has the strange tendency to defend unprompted sexual overtures. "A world in which there is no sexual harassment at all is a world in which there will not be any flirtation," he joked in 1994 at the National Press Club. A day before his letting go, Keillor penned a defense of Minnesota senator Al Franken, calling it "absurd" to demand his resignation over his handsy behavior. The irony couldn't be richer if Warren Buffett died and left his estate to it.

I get the resentment. Keillor's a liberal, and an overbearing one at that. The knee-jerk reflex by conservatives to demand his head after decades of the left's inquisition tactics is all too easy to succumb to. But there is cause to be wary. Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn, who thinks liberals like himself should take a no-exceptions stance on harassment, finds the blurriness in Keillor's case unconvincing.

"I realize it's unfashionable and considered to be abuse-enabling not to issue wholesale condemnations and expression of knowing revulsion at even the vaguest first allegations," he writes. But, in true American form, he demands more: more details, more evidence, more careful consideration.

We should all be so circumspect with accusations of abuse. Keillor's ignominious fall opened my eyes. The next person to go down in a flurry of sexual imputations might open yours.
Conn was on bail when he cut off his ankle monitor and fled the country.

Washington Times:

He was spotted heading to the U.S.-Mexico border, and told news outlets he had managed to escape the U.S., but the FBI over the summer said it doubted he'd actually left the country.

A man purporting to be Conn had bragged to outlets, including The Washington Times, about his ability to escape, and explaining his reasons.

The Honduran newspaper ran a photo of Conn surrounded by masked officers of the Technical Criminal Investigation Agency, which was the division that tracked him down.

Conn was sentenced in absentia in July to 12 years in prison, but authorities said at the time they would consider adding more charges based on his flight from custody.

Scott White, Conn's lawyer, told Kentucky reporters that he hadn't been contacted by the U.S. government yet, and wasn't sure what to make of the photo and reports from Honduras.

"Given the security situation in Honduras and the dangerous gangs operating there as has been reported as recently as the last few weeks in relation to its election, then who knows who these masked folks are, for whom they work, or if Eric has even been lawfully seized. Those may or may not be issues for either our courts or the Honduran courts," he said.

He added, though, that if Conn was lawfully apprehended, he had predicted it back in June.

"The FBI usually gets their man," he said.
Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi wants you to leave the state of California or maybe even the entire U.S. if you don't happen to oppose the Republicans' tax cut bill.

Pelosi referenced a quote from California Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, which called the tax bill "evil in the extreme" and told Republicans that their "ideology doesn't come first." "I want every single California Republican to understand this. Your ideology doesn't come first. Your party doesn't come first. The PEOPLE come first," Pelosi said. "If you fail to recognize that, you don't belong here."

Pelosi seems to be unclear on the concept of tax cuts helping people, as they did during the Reagan era and every other time they have been tried.

But more to the point, she's whooshing a phenomenal intolerance of political dissent, insisting that she's the arbiter of who belongs here, and she says "leave."

It's exactly what the late, unlamented Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez used to command in his long, windy, unhinged speeches, called "cadenas," which broke into every TV and radio station in the country to broadcast his bloviations.

Pelosi hasn't been wrapped very well herself in recent months, babbling inchoately, forgetting where she is and what she is saying, and sounding as though she is losing her mind. Like Chavez, she refuses to get off the stage.

Now she says we're the un-American ones for not seeing tax cuts in the same bass-ackwards way she does.

As if she owned California, a state that is ripe to turn from blue to red fairly soon. California, much as many dislike it, is the original home of the Reagan Republicans, and there are still many of us here, despite the vast exodus to economically more sensible places like Arizona, Nevada, and above all Texas. Millions have fled, but millions remain. We elect sensible congressmen, and our honor roll includes representatives such as Devin Nunes, Darrell Issa, Dana Rohrabacher, Duncan Hunter, David Valadao, Kevin McCarthy, Ed Royce, and probably some others. The state has turned blue only due to the vast influx of illegal aliens (a quarter of the nation's total) and the secretary of state's accommodation of voter fraud via the Motor Voter law, which does not check citizenship. The voters who elect representatives such as Nunes and Rohrabacher are the real, non-carpetbagger Californians who made the state great. They aren't gone yet. In fact, they will be around longer than the increasingly addled, withered Pelosi is.
That single change probably kept Hillary Clinton out of jail.

Former FBI counter-intelligence expert Peter Strzok, demoted by Robert Mueller following a series of anti-Trump texts to his mistress, was the individual responsible for changing the wording in Director Comey's statement on Hillary Clinton's handling of classified information from "grossly negligent" to "extremely careless."

It has also been revealed that Strzok was the FBI agent who interviewed both Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's two top aides. Mills and Abedin made misleading statements to the FBI in that interview but went unpunished.

That a demonstrably partisan investigator has been at the center of an investigation that could lead to the impeachment of a president of the United States makes it impossible for Robert Mueller to claim that his investigation is unbiased and independent.

First, Strzok giving Clinton a "get out of jail" edit to Comey's statement.

CNN:

Electronic records show Peter Strzok, who led the investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email server as the No. 2 official in the counterintelligence division, changed Comey's earlier draft language describing Clinton's actions as "grossly negligent" to "extremely careless," the sources said. The drafting process was a team effort, CNN is told, with a handful of people reviewing the language as edits were made, according to another US official familiar with the matter. The shift from "grossly negligent" to "extremely careless," which may appear pedestrian at first glance, reflected a decision by the FBI that could have had potentially significant legal implications, as the federal law governing the mishandling of classified material establishes criminal penalties for "gross negligence." Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, raised questions over why the change was made after receiving documents from the FBI last month, but the identity of who was behind the edit has not been reported until now. CNN has also learned that Strzok was the FBI official who signed the document officially opening an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, according to sources familiar with the matter. As the No. 2 official in counterintelligence, Strzok was considered to be one of the bureau's top experts on Russia. But the news of Strzok's direct role in the statement that ultimately cleared the former Democratic presidential candidate of criminal wrongdoing, now combined with the fact that he was dismissed from special counsel Robert Mueller's team after exchanging private messages with an FBI lawyer that could be seen as favoring Clinton politically, may give ammunition to those seeking ways to discredit Mueller's Russia investigation.

How about some more "ammunition," CNN?

Daily Caller:

The FBI agent who was fired from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation team for sending anti-Donald Trump text messages conducted the interviews with two Hillary Clinton aides accused of giving false statements about what they knew of the former secretary of state's private email server. Neither of the Clinton associates, Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin, faced legal consequences for their misleading statements, which they made in interviews last year with former FBI section chief Peter Strzok. At the time, Strzok was the FBI's top investigator on the fledgling investigation into Russian interference in the presidential campaign. He was appointed to supervise that effort at the end of July 2016, just weeks after the conclusion of the Clinton email probe. CNN reported on Monday that as the FBI's No. 2 counterintelligence official, Strzok signed the documents that officially opened the collusion inquiry.

Mills and Abedin must have been relieved when they figured out that the agent interviewing them was a friendly.

Summaries of the interviews, known as 302s, were released by the FBI last year. A review of those documents conducted by The Daily Caller shows that Mills and Abedin told Strzok and Laufman that they were not aware of Clinton's server until after she left the State Department. "Mills did not learn Clinton was using a private server until after Clinton's [Department of State] tenure," reads notes from Mills' May 28, 2016 interview. "Mills stated she was not even sure she knew what a server was at the time." Abedin also denied knowing about Clinton's server until leaving the State Department in 2013. "Abedin did not know that Clinton had a private server until about a year and a half ago when it became public knowledge," the summary of Strzok's interview with Abedin states. But undercutting those denials are email exchanges in which both Mills and Abedin either directly discussed or were involved in discussing Clinton's server. (RELATED: Chaffetz: Cheryl Mills 'Lied To Everybody' About Clinton's Server) "hrc email coming back  is server okay?" Mills asked in a Feb. 27, 2010 email to Abedin and Justin Cooper, a longtime aide to Bill Clinton who helped set up the Clinton server. "Ur funny. We are on the same server," Cooper replied. Mills and Abedin were also involved in an Aug. 30, 2011 exchange in which State Department official Stephen Mull mentioned that Clinton's "email server is down." And in a Jan. 9, 2011 email exchange, Cooper told Abedin that Clinton's server had been malfunctioning because "someone was trying to hack us." "Had to shut down the server," wrote Cooper, who told the FBI in his interviews that he discussed Clinton's server with Abedin in 2009, when it was being set up.

In his congressional testimony last year, Comey gave both aides a pass on lying to the FBI:

"Having done many investigations myself, there's always conflicting recollections of facts, some of which are central [to the investigation], some of which are peripheral," Comey told Jason Chaffetz, a former Utah congressman who served on the committee last year. Chaffetz was not buying Comey's dismissive response. "I think she lied to everybody," he said of Mills in an interview on Fox News the night of the Comey hearing. "There's direct evidence that she actually did know [about the server]," said Chaffetz, who added that Comey's defense of Mills "makes no sense."

It "makes sense" now.

Abedin and Mills lied through their teeth because if they told the truth, they both feared getting caught up in Hillary's legal troubles. They might have gone to jail themselves if Strzok hadn't changed the language in Comey's recommendation.

Even if you buy the narrative that all of this isn't "evidence," but rather "supposition," the appearance of impropriety is overwhelming. Don't you think we deserve a lot more from a special counsel charged with the extraordinary task of investigating a president for impeachable offenses?
On Flynn, the Logan Act dog won't hunt

Apparently, the upshot on Mr. Mueller and the Flynn plea bargain is that there is not a shred of evidence that anybody remotely connected to Team Trump sought out illegal Russian help in the 2016 elections. No, it's all about a Logan Act violation after the election, when Mike Flynn asked the Russians to veto a U.N. resolution condemning Israel! That's kind of an interesting hill for the Trump-haters to want to die on  especially all those Republican NeverTrump Israel hawks (Kristol, Boot, Rubin, etc.). Now, the Logan Act is dead-letter law, just like its repealed cousins, the Alien and Sedition Acts. It could never be successfully used today under 1st Amendment case law. No one has ever even been brought to trial under it. But gotta get Trump, and any old thing will do, I guess.

I even see where two law professors have just a written a rather lame and unconvincing defense of the Logan Act's viability in the New York Times. (One of them, Eric Posner, just had his lunch eaten by the Supreme Court on the travel ban, for what it's worth.) Now, call me an old-fashioned originalist if you must, but I happened to also do an odd thing for a modern lawyer: I actually went back and read the statute. Even for all its sweeping and general language, the actions of Gen. Flynn and his superiors are not in violation of the Logan Act. It states that any citizen "who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title[.]" Now, recall that Mr. Obama did not veto the U.N. resolution or vote for it; he abstained. So where is the dispute or controversy or measure of the United States here with regard to Russia or Israel? Mr. Obama completely abandoned the field. The president disclaimed all interest in the matter, as officially and publicly as it gets  by vote of the U.S. in the Security Council. There is simply no action against any U.S. interest at the time. Any U.S. citizen was free to lobby foreign governments for or against the vote, as the U.S. had no position at all. Not that it will ever reach this stage, but it would be fun to see Mr. Obama explain under oath why this U.N. resolution was so damn important to his outgoing administration that he completely abstained from voting at all either way. Yet again, we see the enduring legacy of Barry Obama, the little man who wasn't really there. Frank Friday is an attorney in Louisville, Ky.
Therese Dreaming must be censored to save people from art

To New York, where offence-seekers and defenders of sound morals are demanding the Metropolitan Museum of Art remove Balthasar Klossowskis (1908-2001) painting, Therese Dreaming. Mia Merrill was shocked to see the painting. It is disturbing that the Met would proudly display such an image, Merrill told Care2, the self-styled social network for good. They are a renowned institution and one of the largest, most respected art museums in the United States. The artist of this painting, Balthus, had a noted infatuation with pubescent girls and this painting is undeniably romanticizing the sexualization of a child.

In 2013, when the Met created the 2014 exhibition Balthus: Cats and GirlsPaintings and Provocations the show came with a warning that read: Some of the paintings in this exhibition may be disturbing to some visitors. It stopped short of saying that the best art is unsettling and much of the other stuff is meh  and failed to say why only some visitors would be disturbed. Why not all? That show also featured Therese Dreaming, one of 10 portraits of Therese Blanchard (1925-1950), Balthus young neighbour in his native Paris.

If The Met had the wherewithal to reference the disturbing nature of Balthus in the 2013 exhibit, they understand the implications of displaying his art today, Merrill laments. Given the current climate around sexual assault and allegations that become more public each day, in showcasing this work for the masses, The Met is romanticizing voyeurism and the objectification of children.

When asked about the poses of preadolescent girls in his work, Balthus said, It is how they sit. When asked why they did it, no child abuser cited Balthus.

But in the minds of the good and caring, to see is to do. They have judged the art and found it wrong. It must be banned. Ideas that make them feel uncomfortable must be suppressed.

One look at the intense painting of a glowing and self-possessed Therese Blanchard, who was about twelve or thirteen at the time this picture was made, will turn the mentally negligible masses into child abusers. It must be censored by they who know best, those shiny-eyed seers who view the rest of us as suspects. Down the memory hole with this paintings, the statues, the art, the gender, the books, free expression and the birth names. The worlds being changed into a safe space. Were all in therapy now.

Anorak

Posted: 5th, December 2017 | In: News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Damian Green: taxi for David Mellor and police in the dock

The Daily Damian: a look at de-facto Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green in the newspapers. We kick off on page 2 of the Daily Mirror, where former Tory minister David Mellor says Green would not be missed for a millisecond. Mellor, who fell on his bellend (surely sword  ed) in 1992 after a sleaze scandal, tells one and all: Damian Green should have said, I will resign to clear my name and he would have lots of sympathy. But no job. Mellor adds: Damian is the sort of guy who, under Mrs Thatcher, would have been the Minister of State for Latrines and would have lived in total obscurity.

Sorry. Yes,. Mellor. M.E.L.. Hes the top bloke who told a London cabbie (something he later apologised for): Youve been driving a cab for 10 years, Ive been in the cabinet, Im an award-winning broadcaster, Im a Queens Counsel. You think that your experiences are anything compared to mine?

Ring a bell? No? This bloke:

Yeah, him. But not her:

In the Sun, Greens story is a police issue. On page 6, the paper hears Cressida Dick, the Mets top copper, say is was quite wrong for ex-Detective David Lewis to go public on the contents of Mr Greens machine. (Thats Greens computer which allegedly contained lots of porn. He denies it.)

Nick Cohen writes in the Spectator:

The police, or rather the retired officers, want to use legal but shameful behaviour to destroy their target. In Russia, Putins agents send women to lure opposition activists into honey traps, then post sex tapes on the web. Our police seem too close to their colleagues in Moscow for comfort I am sure an eager detective could find something to discredit you. Everyone has legal but potentially shameful secrets, and if you do not, you are too good for this world

But:

the inquiry into Damian Greens conduct has nothing to do with computer pornography real or imagined. Green is accused of the sexual harassment of Kate Maltby, a women 30 years his junior, and a family friend to boot. I am told on good authority that it is not just Maltbys story the inquiry is hearing. Other women have gone to Sue Gray, the director-general of propriety and ethics at the Cabinet Office, to tell stories of their own.

Should we hear them, too?

The Mail (page 4) continues to stick it to the police. Cressida Dick condemns police leakers. A Tory MP says Green is a steady pair of hands. No, not wandering. Steady.

On page 14, the Mail rages against police flouting the law. Police have made a clear attempt to ruin Mr Green career. On page 17, Richard Littlejohn wonders: If the Deputy PM isnt safe, what chance have we got? Which makes you wonder why the Deputy PM should be viewed as being any different to the rest of us?

Ex-officers may face court over MP porn claims, says the Express (page 2).

Meanwhile the Cabinet Office has still to report on Greens computer and Maltby. Why not let them do their job and see what occurs?

Paul Sorene

Posted: 5th, December 2017 | In: News, Politicians, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Milan, December 4 - Industry Minister Carlo Calenda on Monday reiterated his call for Puglia Governor Michele Emiliano to withdraw the region's legal challenge to a decree modifying the environmental cleanup plan for the troubled ILVA steel plant in Taranto.

"My invitation is the same as before - withdraw the appeal and let's open talks," Calenda said.

"You can't call for the opening of talks when you move dialogue to the courts.

"It is not correct". Calenda has said the challenge to the Puglia regional administrative court threatens a deal for new owners to take over ILVA and the associated environmental clean-up.

Premier Paolo Gentiloni said later that "when there is capital ready to clean up the environment and save jobs, a great country finds the way to welcome and not to squander these resources," referring to the Italo-Indian ArcelorMittal consortium.

The Taranto plant, Europe's largest steelworks, is undergoing a painful restructuring to revamp it and clean it up after years in which it was linked to high local cancer rates.

The decree at the centre of the controversy was approved by the government at the end of September.


Jerusalem, Israel preparing for Palestinian uprising If Trump recognizes it as capital or moves embassy

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 5 - The Israeli defense system is preparing for a ''possible violent'' Palestinian uprising in Israel, mainly in Jerusalem, after US President Donald Trump's announced intention of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State or moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.



Israeli police, the Shin Bet and the army's central command - Israeli media report - held several meetings over the past few days on the matter.



Israeli defense representatives stressed that the strong reactions of Palestinian leaders still need to ''pass the line'' but that it can be surpassed ''in an instant'' even without the encouragement of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).



According to the website Ynetnews, the US administration has given instructions to its consulates and embassies in the Middle East to raise the alert level over fears of protests against US institutions. (ANSAmed).




Tunisia: 'Theater days' return to Carthage On December 8-16 with 56 performances in various cities

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, DECEMBER 5 - The 19th edition of 'Theater days' of Carthage, a high-profile event for theater lovers in Tunisia, will be held on December 8-16 in many regions of the country. This year's edition will once again feature an official competition in several categories. Also, the Arab and African part of the event will be consolidated this year to promote cultural diversity.



A total of 56 performances have been scheduled with companies from all over the world and an opening night dedicated to a form of dance-theater, which is very popular at the moment.



A special section has been dedicated to posthumous homages to leading cultural figures who have recently died in Tunisia.



(ANSAmed).




ANSAmed - Today's events in the Mediterranean

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 5 - These are some of the main events scheduled for today in the Euro-Mediterranean area: LISBON - visit by Italian president Sergio Mattarella (until 7/12).



GENEVA - the eighth round of talks on Syria resumes. BRUSSELS - 19th EU-NGO Human Rights Forum on 'Human Rights Under Threat: explore new approaches in a difficult global context'. BRUSSELS - EU, 4th meeting of the High Level Group against Racism, Xenophobia and Other Forms of Intolerance. BRUSSELS - Visit by Albanian Premier, Edi Rama.



BRUSSELS - Cisit by Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State. A meeting will be held with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and an informal lunch with EU foreign ministers. SHARJAH - the Women's Economic Empowerment Global Summit ends.



ROME - presentation of the book 'L'Albania nell'Archivio di Propaganda Fide', curated by Adrian Ndreca, at 4 PM at the Pontificia Universita Urbaniana. (ANSAmed).




Jerusalem Jewish capital for 3,000 years, Israel s Possible US move 'red line for Muslims'  Erdogan

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 5 - Israel on Tuesday shrugged off criticism and warnings by Turkey, Hamas, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League on the possibility that US President Donald Trump should recognize Jerusalem as its capital or even only transfer its embassy there.



"Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for 3,000 years and the capital of Israel for 70 years, whether [Turkish President] Erdogan recognizes it as such or not," a senior Israeli official said.



The statement came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said such a step would be "a red line for Muslims" and would "result in Turkey's cutting diplomatic ties with Israel".



Israel "will not be intimidated by threats", Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid replied. Criticism has also arrived from the Arab world, with Saudi Arabia expressing "serious and deep concern" over a possible move that would "irritate the feelings of Muslims throughout the world". The rights of Palestinians over Jerusalem "cannot be changed", the foreign ministry said in a statement.



Meanwhile, the secretary general of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit has invited Trump to "avoid any initiative that might alter the legal and political status of Jerusalem", stressing the "risk of such a step for the stability in the region". French President Emmanuel Macron has also expressed his "concern", insisting that the status of Jerusalem needs to be resolved "within the context of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians".



Likewise, after a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc "supports the resumption of a significant peace process leading to the two-State solution".



Belgium and Luxembourg have also expressed their criticism.



(ANSAmed).




Jerusalem: Jordan king Abdullah to meet Erdogan tomorrow Talks in Ankara to focus on imminent Trump move and on Syria

(ANSAmed) - AMMAN, DECEMBER 5 - King Abdullah will travel to Ankara on Wednesday to meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discuss an imminent decision by US to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel, an official announcement stated today. US president Donald Trump is expected to announce the controversial decision on Wednesday, which would subsequently lead to moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.



The two leaders will also discuss regional developments, including peace talks in Syria and the means of ending the civil war that rattled the Arab country during the past six years.



Turkey and Jordan share concerns over the future of war-torn Syria, as the two countries have been directly affected by the seven-year conflict. (ANSAmed).




Lebanon: Hariri officially withdraws resignation Media, during council of ministers

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, DECEMBER 5 - Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri has officially withdrawn his resignation in Beirut, Lebanese media reported on Tuesday.



In a surprise move, Hariri a month ago announced he was stepping down during a visit to Saudi Arabia.



According to media reports, the prime minister made the announcement that he was withdrawing his resignation during a council of ministers' meeting he chaired this morning at the presidential palace of Baabda.



Hariri was quoted as stating that he had made the decision to withdraw his resignation, which had already been suspended after his return to Beirut, after all members of his government accepted to ''distance themselves from ongoing conflicts in the region'', as requested by Hariri during a televised speech on November 4. (ANSAmed)
Macron tells Trump he is concerned over 'Jerusalem capital' Phone call Paris-Washington, 'status theme of peace talks'

(ANSAmed) - PARIS, DECEMBER 5 - French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his ''concern'' to US President Donald Trump ''regarding the possibility that the United States will unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as capital of the state of Israel'', according to a statement released by the Elysee Palace.



The statement added that Macron recalled that the issue of the ''status of Jerusalem will have to be resolved within the framework of peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians''.



Negotiations on Jerusalem will have to progress as part of talks ''aiming in particular for the creation of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side and in security, with Jerusalem as capital''.



Macron spoke to Trump also about Iraq, reporting the results of the visit to Paris, last Saturday, of the prime minister of the regional government of Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, together with deputy premier Qubad Talabani.



The statement also said that ''France and the United States will continue their joint efforts to preserve the stability and unity of Iraq and to favor national dialogue between federal authorities and Iraqi Kurdish leaders''. (ANSAmed).




Madrid withdraws European arrest warrant for Puigdemont But leaves it in force in Spain. Catalan leader stays in Belgium

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 5 - Ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and his four former ministers who are with him in Belgium no longer risk extradition but they cannot return to Spain.



The development comes after Spanish Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena on Tuesday withdrew the European arrest warrant against them but not the arrest warrants in force in Spain. Consequently, the former leader who led the region to the controversial independence referendum in October will remain in Belgium. Puigdemont has been has been stripped of his powers by Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy on the basis of special powers granted by the Senate. However, he is to take part in the elections on December 21 and is attempting to conduct his campaign from his 'exile' in Belgium.



With the exception of the four ex ministers who are with him, almost all the rest of his former cabinet is being detained in Spain. Meanwhile, Belgian prosecutors are awaiting clarification from their Spanish counterparts concerning the withdrawal of the European arrest warrant against Puigdemont and his four ex ministers before deciding the next moves. The leading Catalan independence party ERC claims the decision by the Madrid court to withdraw the arrest warrant is part of a legal 'manipulation' aimed at avoiding judgement by Belgium. The move "demonstrates the lack of credibility of our judicial system in Europe", Podemos says. (ANSAmed).




Migrants: Avramopoulos says accord on Dublin close 'A matter of months' to reach joint position in EU

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 5 - The EU commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, on Tuesday said an agreement regarding a reform of the Dublin regulation on asylum is close - ''I believe it is a matter of months''.



Avramopoulos said he was ''optimistic'' during an event on investments in Africa.



After the approval of the negotiating mandate by the European Parliament, it is now up to the Council to take a position, which will then be discussed in trilateral talks with the Commission and Parliament.



''When Dublin was invented and adopted for the first time, the situation was not like it is today'', he added. ''Therefore it must be revised and made more just in sharing responsibility''.



''Shared responsibility, for me, should be mandatory, which is why I wasn't happy to start infringement procedures against countries that didn't respect what they had decided'' on reallocations. (ANSAmed).




Palestinians, 3 days of rage on Trump's Jerusalem decision Joint statement calls for protests at avery Israeli embassy

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, 5 DICEMBER - Palestinian leaders have declared "three day of rage", from Wednesday to Friday, in reaction to Trump's decision to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In a joint statement all Palestinian factions fiercely condemned what they called the US President's "political blackmail". "We call on all our people in Israel and around the world to gather in city centers and Israeli embassies and consulates, with the aim of bringing about general popular anger," the statement said. (ANSAmed).




After impressing audiences with their chemistry in 'Baadshaho', the pair is working together again in 'Raid.'

Mumbai: Ileana D'Cruz, who has worked with Ajay Devgn on two films -- 'Baadshaho' and the forthcoming 'Raid, has said working with the actor is easy as he does not behave like a superstar.

Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, 'Raid' set against the backdrop of the 1980s will feature Devgn as an income tax officer hailing from Uttar Pradesh.

"We are almost done with it (the film). Working with Ajay has been really smooth. He is one of those people who is just so easy to work with. You forget the fact that he is this big superstar, because he is super easy to work with," Ileana told reporters.

The 'Barfi' actor said the film is backed by solid content, and she is happy to have bagged a "great role" in the movie.

"It is a great role for me, it is very different. It is set in the 1980s, so it is very interesting, I think I have done so many films from 1970s and 1950s, and now 1980s. It was a great experience working with Raj Kumar Gupta as well," she said.

"I think it is something that people want to see now, they want great stories, great content. So, the film has got great content," Ileana added.

This year has been fairly good for Ileana as both her releases 'Mubarakan' and 'Baadshaho' did well.

"I think it's gone by really fast. I don't believe that so much has happened. I had two great films that released, really different films. I do feel it's been a really good year for me," she said

She was speaking at Star Screen Awards here on Sunday night.
Responding to questions from media persons on her expectations from the verdict, Kanimozhi said, 'let us see'.

Meanwhile, Raja said he has faith in judiciary. I am not a judge, I am a law abiding citizen. I faced trial and have faith in the judiciary, ANI quoted him as saying. (Photo: ANI)

New Delhi: A Patiala House Court in Delhi on Tuesday announced that it will pronounce the verdict in the 2G spectrum scam cases involving former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and others as accused on December 21.

Special Judge OP Saini has been exclusively dealing with the cases  two filed by the CBI and the third by the Enforcement Directorate  arising out of the 2G spectrum scam since April 2011.

Responding to questions from media persons on her expectations from the verdict, Kanimozhi said, let us see. She had appeared at the special court on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Raja said he has faith in judiciary. I am not a judge, I am a law abiding citizen. I faced trial and have faith in the judiciary, ANI quoted him as saying.

In the first case filed by CBI, those facing trial, besides Raja and Kanimozhi, are former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra, three top executives of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG) -- Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair -- are facing trial in the case.

Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV Director Sharad Kumar and Bollywood producer Karim Morani are also accused in the case.

Besides these 14, three telecom firms -- Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL), Reliance Telecom Ltd and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Ltd -- are also facing trial in the case.

The court had in October 2011 framed charges against them under various provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act dealing with offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, faking documents, abusing official position, criminal misconduct by public servant and taking bribe.

In its charge sheet filed in April 2011 against Raja and others, CBI had alleged that there was a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer in allocation of 122 licences for 2G spectrum which were scrapped by the Supreme Court on February 2, 2012.

The court has recorded the statements of 154 CBI witnesses, including Reliance ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani, his wife Tina Ambani and former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, running into over 4,400 pages in the case.

The offences entail punishment ranging from six months in jail to life imprisonment.

In the second CBI case, those who face trial are Essar Group promoters Ravi Ruia and Anshuman Ruia, Loop Telecom promoters, Kiran Khaitan, her husband I P Khaitan and Essar Group Director (Strategy and Planning) Vikash Saraf.

Three firms, Loop Telecom Ltd, Loop Mobile India Ltd and Essar Tele Holding Ltd (ETHL) are also chargesheeted.

The ED, in its case, had filed a charge sheet in April 2014 against 19 people, including Raja, Kanimozhi, Shahid Balwa, Vinod Goenka, Asif Balwa, Rajiv Aggarwal, Karim Morani and Sharad Kumar in connection with a money laundering case relating to the scam.

In its charge sheet, ED also named DMK supremo M Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal as accused in the case in which it alleged that Rs 200 crore was paid by STPL promoters to DMK-run Kalaignar TV.

The final report named 10 individuals and nine companies as accused in the case and the ED has chargesheeted them for the offence of money laundering under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The first hearing is set a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, a medieval-era mosque.

The Babri Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Babur but Hindus claim that a Ram temple that originally stood there was demolished to construct the mosque. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday will commence the final hearings in the long-standing Ayodhya dispute, which started following the demolition of Babri Masjid that triggered massive riots in various parts of the country resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people.

The first hearing is set a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of medieval-era mosque.

A specially constituted bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will be hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The stakeholders in the case had moved the apex court after the Allahabad High Court directed the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla to settle for a three-way division of the 2.77-acre disputed site.

A sect of Muslims, under the banner of Shia Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, had earlier approached the court offering a solution that a mosque could be built in a Muslim- dominated area at a "reasonable distance" from the disputed site in Ayodhya.

However, its intervention was opposed by the All India Sunni Waqf Board which had claimed that judicial adjudication between the two sects had already been done in 1946 by declaring the mosque as one which belongs to the Sunnis.

Recently a group of civil rights activists also moved the apex court seeking intervention in the Ayodhya dispute and urged it to consider the issue saying it is not just a dispute over property but has several other aspects which would have far-reaching effects on the "secular fabric of the country".

In pursuance to the apex courts earlier direction, the Yogi Adityanath government has submitted English translation of exhibits and documents likely to be relied upon, as these were in eight different languages.

A battery of high profile lawyers including senior advocates K Parasaran and C S Vaidyanathan and advocate Saurabh Shamsheri will appear for Lord Ram Lalla, the deity, and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will represent the Uttar Pradesh government.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Anoop George Chaudhari, Rajeev Dhavan and Sushil Jain will represent other parties including All India Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.

The top court had on August 11 asked the UP government to complete within 10 weeks the translation of the evidence recorded for adjudication of the title dispute in the high court. It had said it would not allow the matter to take any shape other than the civil appeals and would adopt the same procedure as was done by the high court.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, an intervenor in the matter, had attempted to raise the issue of fundamental right of religion of the Hindus under Article 25 of the Constitution.

Many of the original plantiffs and defendants in the matter including Mohd Hashim, who was the first person to take the matter to the apex court, have died.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Hourt, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had said the land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The Babri Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528.

The Hindus, however, claim that a Ram temple that originally stood there was demolished to construct the mosque.

Citing this, Hindu zealots brought down the mosque on December 6, 1992.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a Delhi court will deliver its verdict in connection with the terrorist attack on the makeshift Ram Temple in Ayodhya in 2005.
Shah further hit out at the Congress Party for deferring the case when everyone wanted an early resolution of the issue.

Addressing the media in Ahmedabad, Shah said Rahul was visiting temples in Gujarat, while on the other hand Congress leader Kapil Sibal wanted to delay the Ram Janmbhoomi case. (Photo: PTI | File)

Ahmedabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Amit Shah on Tuesday took a potshot at the Congress Party and its vice president, Rahul Gandhi, for adopting double standard in the matter of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.

Addressing the media in Ahmedabad, Shah said Rahul was visiting temples in Gujarat, while on the other hand Congress leader Kapil Sibal wanted to delay the Ram Janmbhoomi case.

"Rahul ji is visiting temples in Gujarat while on the other hand Kapil Sibal wants to delay the Ram Janmbhoomi case. Congress should give a clarification on the double standard. I also appeal Rahul ji to tell us what his view on this is," the BJP chief said.

Shah further hit out at the Congress Party for deferring the case when everyone wanted an early resolution of the issue.

"A surprising stand was taken in the Supreme Court by Congress leader and Sunni Waqf Board lawyer Kapil Sibal ji. He said hearing should be deferred till after 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress Party should clear its stand if it wants to resolve the matter as early as possible or not," he added.

The apex court, earlier in the day, decided to hear the civil appeals filed by various parties challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the matter on February 8 next year.

Sibal told the three-judge bench of the court that all the exhibits were not filed before the top court adding that "he and other petitioners have not been served relevant documents of pleadings."

He also requested the apex court to take this matter up on July 15, 2019, once all the pleadings are complete.

According to reports, the top court was hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The high court had then ruled a three-way division of the disputed area at Ayodhya among the parties- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla.
Joint Secretary in the ministry Sanjeev Kumar Jindal also said the cyclone is slowing down and would have no impact in Gujarat.

Altogether 809 fishermen with their boats from Tamil Nadu and Kerala were swept away and reached Maharashtra coast where they were provided food and shelter. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: As many as 39 people have perished and 167 fishermen were still missing after Cyclone Ockhi hit Tamil Nadu and Kerala coasts while 809 others were swept away to Maharashtra, the Union Home Ministry said on Tuesday.

Joint Secretary in the ministry Sanjeev Kumar Jindal also said the cyclone is slowing down and would have no impact in Gujarat, where the first of the two-phased assembly elections is due four days later.

"As of now, 10 people lost their lives in Tamil Nadu and 29 others in Kerala. Even though the exact number of missing persons were not known, as per available information, whereabouts of 74 fishermen in Tamil Nadu and 93 fishermen in Kerala is not known yet," he told reporters in Delhi.

A total of 556 fishermen were also rescued by relief and rescue teams from seas.

The state governments are verifying with the affected villages to find the exact number of missing fishermen.

Altogether 809 fishermen with their boats from Tamil Nadu and Kerala were swept away and reached Maharashtra coast where they were provided food and shelter.

While 33 tourists, both domestic and foreign, were safe in Lakshadweep, 250 fishermen could also reach safely in the islands from the high seas after being hit by the cyclone.

Jindal said two merchant ships with eight sailors each were rescued and brought to Lakshadweep by Navy and Coast guard teams.

Asked whether the cyclone would affect the election process in Gujarat, Jindal said there was no such possibilities as it has already slowed down.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) today asked fishermen in both eastern and western coasts not to venture out in the sea for the next three days as heavy rainfall is expected in many areas due to cyclone Ockhi.

Asking people not to panic in case of a cyclone alert, the NDMA said in an advisory that fishermen along and off Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu coasts should not venture into the sea from December 6 to 8 while fishermen along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands are advised not to venture into sea till Wednesday.

Fishermen living along and off South Gujarat and North Maharashtra coasts have been advised not to venture into the sea till Tuesday morning.

The severe cyclonic storm Ockhi will move over east- central Arabian sea and move further north-northeastwards with a speed of 21 kmph and lay centred over east-central Arabian sea at latitude 17.5 N and Longitude 70.4 E, about 480 km southwest of Surat and 300 km west-southwest of Mumbai.

The NDMA said light to moderate rainfall is expected at most places in Maharashtra with isolated heavy rainfall also likely over north Konkan, Palghar, Thane, Raigarh, Greater Mumbai, Dhule, Nandurbar, Nashik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar and Pune districts.

It is very likely that the cyclone will to continue to move north-northeastwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining north Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by Tuesday night.

Minor damage to loose unsecured structures and minor damage to banana trees, agriculture near coast due to salt spray is expected. Damage to ripe paddy crops and minor damage to 'kutcha' embankments are expected.

The NDMA predicted formation of a depression over southeast Bay of Bengal during the next few hours and it will further intensify into a deep depression during subsequent two days.

The well marked low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south Andaman sea persists.

It is very likely to move west-northwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu, south Andhra Pradesh coasts during next three days.

The NDMA said people when asked to evacuate, should move to a designate cyclone shelter with safety kit and store dry food and water in abundance, keep torch and hurricane lantern/emergency light handy and keep listening to battery operated radio for latest information.
Rahul Gandhi files papers for party president post, to be elected unopposed.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is greeted by former President Pranab Mukherjee before he filed his nomination papers for party presidents post in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers for the post of Congress president in New Delhi on Monday, setting off the countdown to his unopposed elevation to the partys top post.

Monday was the last date of filing nominations and the last date for withdrawal of names is December 11.

Mullapally Ramachandran, chairman of the Congress central election authority (CEA), told reporters that till Sunday no other nomination had been filed.

Mr Gandhi, 47, will take over the partys mantle from his mother, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, who has been the longest serving Congress president.

Mr Gandhis elevation comes at a time when he is leading the Congress charge for Gujarat elections against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Before filing his nomination papers, Mr Gandhi went to meet former President of India Pranab Mukherjee and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Dr Singh, who accompanied Mr Gandhi to 24, Akbar Road, the partys headquarters, said, Rahulji has been the darling of the Congress. Our president Mrs Sonia Gandhi has served the Congress party and, through the Congress Party, the country for the last 19 years. This is yet another step forward in that direction. Rahul Gandhi will carry on the great traditions of the Congress party.

Several senior leaders as well as young turks of the party had also accompanied Mr Gandhi for the filing of his nomination papers.

Mr Gandhi will be the sixth leader from the Nehru-Gandhi family to occupy the Congress Partys top post. His appointment is being seen as a generational shift that holds hope for the Congress which has been reduced to 46 seats in the 542-member Lok Sabha.

Though Mr Gandhis political engagement and involvement in party work increased tremendously since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, insiders indicate that there will be two key advisors who will be directly reporting to the new Congress president.

On several occasions Mr Gandhi has indicated that there will be a judicious mix of young and experienced leaders in the party and nobody will be left out.

Mr Gandhi, who began his political career by winning the 2004 Lok Sabha election from the family bastion of Amethi, has already seen several ups and downs.

In 2006, Mr Gandhi became the general secretary of the party in-charge of frontal organisations, including the Indian Youth Congress, and was criticised for introducing internal elections as it encouraged blatant use of money power to bag tickets. The practice has since been discontinued.

Mr Gandhi also wanted to introduce primaries, like in the Unites States of America, for contesting Lok Sabha elections, a move that was heavily contested by party leaders.

In 2013, after much demand from within the party, he was elevated as Congress vice-president. But close to the end of UPA-IIs tenure, Mr Gandhi upset his own party leaders when he threatened to tear up an ordinance that allowed convicted leaders to contest elections till the final appeal had been disposed. He studiously refused any Cabinet position under both the terms of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.

In his parliamentary career, Mr Gandhi has backed the Forests Rights Act, Food security Act, Land Acquisition Act and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Mr Gandhi has led the Congress thrice into Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and has lost.
Principal Sharmila Nath sent out a letter to all parents why the school was shut, in which she mentioned the victim's name.

The letter, addressed to all parents and signed by principal S Nath, voiced that the school shared the parents' concern about their children. (Photo: ANI)

Kolkata: GD Birla School in south Kolkata where a four-year-old was sexually assaulted last week allegedly by two teachers  now in custody  is in a deeper mess.

Principal Sharmila Nath sent out a letter to all parents of the school on December 2 explaining the reason why the school was shut for an indefinite period. Unfortunately, and contrary to all practical and ethical standards, she mentioned the name of the four-year-old girl who was assaulted.

The letter, addressed to all parents and signed by principal S Nath, voiced that the school shared the parents' concern about their children.

Later, the letter mentioned that the case of (name of child) was under investigation by the police.

The naming of the victim in a case as sensitive as this has left parents of the school's students shocked.

The school spokesperson, Subhash Mohanty, said it was unfortunate that the name of the child had been revealed. He justified it as an accident, resulting out of the stress that every person is in due to the situation.

Read also: Ex-students of Kolkata school detail abuse after sex assault of child

He was, however, more worried about the legal implications this might have rather than the effect it might have on the child.

The school authorities had earlier denied all allegations, terming the incident 'a small mischief'.

The concerned teachers were sacked on Sunday, according to a statement from the school.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly briefly visited the protest venue for the second time since Monday and met the victim's parents.

The principal courted a fresh controversy as she mentioned the name of the four-year-old girl in her letter, which was sent on Monday to around 4,000 guardians, assuring the safety of their wards in the school. (photo: ANI)

Kolkata: The protesting parents of the students of the G D Birla Centre for Education in Kolkata gave the school management time till Wednesday 5 pm to remove the principal, in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl student by two male teachers on the school premises.

The Guardians' Forum continued with its protest against the alleged atrocity for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the principal of the school, Sharmila Nath, who has courted a fresh controversy by revealing the victim's name in contravention of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, was summoned by the city police.

A sweeper and two other non-teaching staff members of the premier school were also summoned for questioning, a senior Kolkata Police official said.

The Guardians' Forum held a four-hour-long meeting with the school management on the institute's premises.

Representatives of the West Bengal education department and police were also present at the meeting.

A spokesman of the forum told reporters that the school had sought time till 5 pm tomorrow for taking a decision on removing the principal, who was accused of suppressing facts about the alleged sexual assault, which was reported on Thursday last week.

Forum member Krishnendu Mukherjee told PTI, "We had discussions with the management for hours on two issues, the removal of the principal and the opening of the school, so that the students could attend the classes in a safe environment. The management will let us know about its decision regarding the principal at 5 pm tomorrow."

A spokesman of the school said, "We are conducting an internal disciplinary process and by 5 pm tomorrow, we will let the guardians know of our decision."

He said the school did not get a chance to initiate any follow-up action till Friday midnight due to the sit-in protests by the guardians and then, due to the weekend holidays.

"We did not get a scope to start the process during this time. For us, the students' benefits, their comfort and running the school smoothly are of paramount importance," he added.

To a question, the spokesman said Nath was appointed to the post years back on account of her academic efficiency.

To a question, Mukherjee said there was no question of going back on the demand for the principal's arrest.

"Since an FIR has already been filed against her and a probe initiated by the police, let the legal procedure be completed. We have full faith that action will be taken against her, in accordance with the law, soon."

West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) Chairperson Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborti, who too attended the meeting, said the commission stood by the guardians' demand.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly briefly visited the protest venue for the second time since Monday and met the victim's parents.

"I express my solidarity with you," she said to the girl's father, who told her with folded hands that the guardians had resolved to fight the issue on their own.

Meanwhile, the principal courted a fresh controversy as she mentioned the name of the four-year-old girl in her letter, which was sent on Monday to around 4,000 guardians, assuring the safety of their wards in the school.

"We have been running the school smoothly for the past 44 years. We can assure you that the safety and security of all our students is always our highest priority while they are on the school premises and travelling on our school buses," Nath had written in the letter after naming the girl.

The WBCPCR would issue a show-cause notice to her for identifying the girl, which was in violation of the provisions of the POCSO Act, Chakraborti said.

"This is absolutely illegal. She (Nath) cannot name the child. She has violated the basic tenets of humanity," she added.

The school authorities had, through a notice on Sunday, had informed the "parents and all concerned" that the junior and senior sections of the school would remain shut from Monday.

In another notice, it had said the two physical training instructors, who were arrested on Saturday for allegedly sexually assaulting the child, were removed from service and promised full cooperation in the police probe.
The PM also attacked the Congress over corruption during its rule, and spoke about clean governance under him in Gujarat and at the Centre.

New Delhi: As decks were cleared for Rahul Gandhis elevation to the post of Congress chief, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the party, likening the Gandhi scions imminent rise to Aurangzeb Raj and the line of succession in Congress to Mughal rule.

Campaigning in Valsad, Gujarat, Mr Modi had said: I congratulate the Congress on their Aurangzeb Raj. For us, the well-being of the people matters and 125 crore Indians are our high command.

Mr Modi said he had taken his cue from senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyars comment on Mughal rule shortly after Mr Gandhi filed his nomination papers at the Congress headquarters this morning.

Quoting Mr Aiyar, the Prime Minister said: Mani Shankar Aiyar asked, Did elections happen during Mughal rule? After Jehangir, Shahjahan came, was any election held? After Shahjahan it was understood Aurangzeb will be the leader. So the Congress accepts its a family party? We dont want this Aurangzeb rule.

Mr Aiyar clarified later that his comment was a retort to the BJPs allegation of dynastic rule in the Congress and was intended to contrast the dynastic succession under the Mughals with the democratic process of electing the Congress chief. He said that the Prime Minister had misquoted him.

Mr Aiyar apparently referred to Aurangzeb when he was asked about rebel Congress member from Maharashtra, Shehzad Poonawala, who last week alleged that elections within the party were rigged. Mr Aiyar contested Poonawallas allegation saying anyone from the Congress could contest the party president election, reported IANS news agency.

When Shah Jahan came in the place of Jahangir did any election happen? And when Aurangzeb came in place of Shah Jahan did any election happen? It was known to everyone that the throne of the king will automatically go to the heir... But in a democracy elections are held. I openly invite Poonawala to file the nomination and contest, Mr Aiyar had said.

Mr Modi claimed that the Congress has abandoned all public modesty and is going to make a person who is out on bail in corruption case its president, apparently referring to the National Herald case.

Mr Modi also took potshots at Rahul Gandhi over his frequent visits to temples during the poll campaign. In earlier days, there used to be a competition to show how secular they are. If one says that I am secular, the other will say he is four kg more secular, the third will say he is six kg ore secular and the fourth would claim he is 10 kg more secular.

Mr Modi reached out to Muslims saying that even the Congress has accepted that the BJP is not an anti-Muslim party, as unlike in the past elections, it is not branding BJP leaders communal this time.

If you remember 2002, 2007, 2012 (polls), all Congress leaders would brand us as communal and anti-Muslim. But before the 2017 polls, no leader is saying that BJP is communal. This means the Congress has also accepted that the abuse they were hurling against the BJP was false and was meant for vote bank politics, he said.

The Prime Minister also attacked the Congress over corruption during its rule, and spoke about clean governance under him in Gujarat and at the Centre.
The case will now be heard on January 11, said Cheema, the counsel for Khans father.

Junaid Khan, who had boarded a Mathura-bound train from Delhi, was allegedly stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers and cousins, was returning home to Khandawali village after shopping for Eid in Delhi in June. (Photo: File)

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday stayed the trial court proceedings in the alleged lynching of 17-year-old Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death on a train in June.

A Division bench of the high court also issued a notice of motion to the Haryana government and the CBI on his family's plea seeking a probe by the central agency into the matter.

"The high court today stayed the trial proceedings of the court in Faridabad," said Arshdeep Singh Cheema, the counsel for Mr Khan's father Jalaluddin.

The plea for a CBI probe into the killing of Junaid Khan came up for hearing before the division bench comprising Justices Mahesh Grover and Raj Shekhar Attri.

Khan's father had last week challenged the November 27 judgement of a single bench that dismissed the petition seeking a CBI probe into the alleged lynching by filing an appeal.

The high court single bench had said, "During the course of the hearing, the complainant has not been able to show that there are serious flaws in the investigation, which would lead to the conclusion that the same is shoddy or tainted. Besides, there is nothing to show that the incident has any national or international ramifications. It is, thus, not a fit case to exercise extraordinary power to hand over the investigation to the CBI."

While seeking a probe by the CBI, the appeal filed through advocate Cheema mentions "the true nature of the crime has been subjected to a cover up. The conduct of the named accused and others as a lynching mob has been concealed. It has been projected as if the occurrence were sudden without any element of perpetrators having acted as in conspiracy or an unlawful assembly".

The case will now come up for hearing on January 11, Cheema said.

Jalaluddin, through his counsel, had earlier filed the petition on October 26, seeking a probe by an independent agency, such as the Central Bureau of Investigation, in the lynching case.

The petitioner also had demanded a stay on the trial in a Faridabad court.

Junaid Khan, who had boarded a Mathura-bound train from Delhi, was allegedly stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers and cousins, was returning home to Khandawali village after shopping for Eid in Delhi in June.

His body was dumped near Asaoti village in Faridabad district.
Security has been increased in UPs Lakhimpur Kheri, Siddharth Nagar, Pilibhit, Kushinagar, Bahraich, Shravasti and Balrampur districts.

Paramilitary force, civil police and intelligence organizations are also keeping a close vigil on all activities in the border areas, SSB commandant said. (Photo: Representational | File)

Maharajganj: Security along the 500 km-long India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh has been beefed up in view of the general and assembly elections in Nepal on December 7.

The decision to seal the border was taken during a recent meeting of officials from both the countries, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) commandant Shiv Dayal said on Tuesday.

The India-Nepal border will be sealed completely three days before polling and movement of people would also be banned, he said. Security has been increased in UPs Lakhimpur Kheri, Siddharth Nagar, Pilibhit, Kushinagar, Bahraich, Shravasti and Balrampur districts. Security personnel are maintaining vigil round-the-clock, the commandant informed.

Paramilitary force, civil police and intelligence organizations are also keeping a close vigil on all activities in the border areas, he added.
Merchant was convicted in the second stage of trial in the case as he was absconding earlier.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the execution of death row convict Tahir Merchant in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The convict, who facilitated training of several co-accused in Pakistan, had challenged his death penalty claiming no role in the conspiracy.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, sought a response from the CBI within six weeks and called for the case records from the special TADA court in Mumbai, which had awarded death sentence to Merchant and co-convict Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, besides giving life imprisonment to gangster Abu Salem. Merchant was convicted in the second stage of trial in the case as he was absconding earlier.

The bench listed the matter for further hearing on March 14 next year. As many as 257 people were killed and 718 injured in the serial blasts at 12 places in Mumbai on March 12, 1993.

The bench, which also included Justices Ashok Bhushan and M.M. Shantanagoudar, said, The state of Maharashtra is directed to compile the evidence in entirety and file the compilation in convenient volumes and also serve a copy thereof to the counsel for the appellant (Merchant).

Merchant had challenged the September 7 order of the special TADA court which had held that he was amongst the main conspirators.

The trial court had noted that Merchant worked with (absconding conspirator) Tiger Memon and participated in several conspiracy meetings in Dubai.

He also made travel arrangements, financed the stay and travel of several co-accused and facilitated their training in Pakistan, the court had said.

The role of Tahir Merchant in the conspiracy is prominent. He is one of the initiators of the conspiracy, it had said. Merchants trial was separated from the main case as he was arrested after the first set of trial had already started.
The police had on September 14 said that LeTs Abu Ismail, the mastermind of the attack on Amarnath pilgrims.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday said that a top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) commander was among three militants killed in a fierce gunbattle that took place in southern Kulgam district on Monday night.

The police also claimed that the slain men were involved in the July 10 attack in Anantnag district in which eight Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured.

J&Ks director-general of police Shesh Paul Vaid identified the slain militants as LeT divisional commander Furqan, a Pakistan national, and his accomplices Abu Muawiyah (also a Pakistani) and Yawar Bashir, a resident of Kulgams Hablish village. A fourth militant who had escaped during the encounter was arrested from a maternity hospital in Anantnag on Tuesday.

Furkan, a Pakistani terrorist who took over as divisional commander of LeT after the elimination of Ismail, was killed in encounter at Qazigund along with another Pakistani terrorist Abu Mavia. Great success for security forces, the police chief tweeted.

The police had on September 14 said that LeTs Abu Ismail, the mastermind of the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, was killed in a fire fight with the forces in Srinagars Nowgam area earlier during that day.

The fighting in Bonigam area near Qazigund had begun late Monday afternoon after the group of four LeT militants ran into a private house in the village after targeting an Army convoy moving along the Srinagar-Jammu highway.
Rainfall at most places with isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands during next three days.

Fishermen pull their boat during high tide in the Arabian Sea in Mumbai on Tuesday. The weather office has issued a rain and thundershower warning for Mumbai and suburbs beginning on Monday night in view of Cyclone Ockhi. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: With cyclone Ockhi inching towards Gujarat after creating havoc in parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he is constantly monitoring the situation in various states.

Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected, he tweeted.

He also appealed to BJP workers in Gujarat to focus on helping people across the state where the cyclone is likely to make a landfall.

"Our karyakartas (workers) should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens," he added further.

Meanwhile Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath called on Mr Modi and handed over a cheque of Rs 5 crore for the cyclone-affected people in Lakshadweep and other states, an official statement said.

In an advisory, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) asked fishermen in both eastern and western coasts not to venture out in the sea for the next three days as heavy rainfall is expected in many areas due to Cyclone Ockhi.

Asking people not to panic in case of a cyclone alert, the NDMA said that fishermen along and off Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu coasts should not venture into sea from December 6 to 8 while fishermen along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands are advised not to venture into sea till Wednesday.

Fishermen living along and off South Gujarat and North Maharashtra coasts are advised not to venture into the sea till Wednesday morning.

The severe cyclonic storm Ockhi will move over east- central Arabian sea and move further north-northeastwards with a speed of 21 kmph and lay centred over east-central Arabian sea at latitude 17.5 N and Longitude 70.4 E, about 480 km southwest of Surat and 300 km west-southwest of Mumbai.

The NDMA said light to moderate rainfall is expected at most places in Maharashtra with isolated heavy rainfall also likely over north Konkan, Palghar, Thane, Raigarh, Greater Mumbai, Dhule, Nandurbar, Nashik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar and Pune districts.

Minor damage to loose unsecured structures and minor damage to banana trees, agriculture near coast due to salt spray is expected. Damage to ripe paddy crops and minor damage to 'kutcha' embankments are expected.

Damage is expected in south Gujarat including Valsad, Surat, Navsari, Bharuch, Dang, Tapi, Amreli, Gir-Somnath, Bhavnagar districts, Daman, Diu, and Dadra, Nagar Haveli.

Rainfall at most places with isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands during next three days.
Mr Modi has 12 more rallies scheduled, but is now expected to increase the number and intensify his attacks on Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

New Delhi: With the latest opinion poll predicting a neck and neck fight between the BJP and the Congress in Gujarat, along with reports of the Opposition party attracting considerable Patidar and OBC votes, a worried BJP wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ramp up the number of rallies and public meets he addresses in the run-up to the two-phased polls in the state.

Mr Modi has 12 more rallies scheduled, but is now expected to increase the number and intensify his attacks on Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

Saffron heavyweights worries were ignited by an opinion polls unexpected results  a dip in Mr Modis popularity, and an impressive spike in Mr Gandhis connect with people.

According to the third and final round of tracker poll conducted by Lokniti-CSDS-ABP News survey whose results were released on Monday, the Gujarat Assembly elections are headed for a photo finish.

The survey, which polled 3,655 voters in 50 constituencies, claims that both the Congress and the BJP will get 43 per cent of votes, a drop of 16 percentage points for the BJP in just four months.

A similar survey in August had pegged the BJPs vote-share at 59 per cent, and the one in October had predicted 47 per cent of votes.

The Congress it seems has spectacularly turned its fortunes around after spending 22 years in the Opposition in the state. In August, as per the survey, the Congress had only 29 per cent of the vote-share. This increased to 41 per cent in October, and now stands at 43 per cent, a growth of 14 percentage points in just four months.

The survey also states that Mr Modis popularity has dipped by 18 points from 82 per cent in August to 64 per cent in November. While on the other hand, soon-to-be Congress president Rahul Gandhis popularity has risen by eight percentage points, from 40 per cent in August to 57 per cent in the latest survey.

The Congress recovery in the state has been nothing short of stunning. The party had trailed the BJP by 30 points in the first half of August By Round-2 in October the humongous gap had shrunk to just 6 points, and now with the BJPs lead having completely evaporated it seems that the race could be won by either of the two contestants as they enter the final lap, the survey noted.

Sources said that based on these figures and ground reports of a strong anti-incumbency due to GST and demonetisation, local units of the BJP have sought an increase in the number of rallies and public meetings to be addressed by Mr Modi.

The other major factor is the turning away of Patidars, who have traditionally been BJP supporters.

The Congress has managed a rainbow coalition of OBCs, dalits and Patidars led by young leaders Alpesh Thakore, Jignesh Mevani and Hardik Patel.

In such a scenario, the BJP believes that the Prime Minister remains its biggest vote catcher with Gujaratis who take pride in their son of the soil making it to the top political post in the country.

Mr Modi was scheduled to address more than 30 rallies in the run-up to the Assembly polls, of which 12 are left. Surat, Dahod, Bhabhar and Lunavada are some of the areas where the Prime Minister is scheduled to address the public in the few days of campaigning left.

Also taking into account the onslaught of Cyclone Ockhi, which has hit the campaigning schedules of all parties, the BJP is likely to reconsider the Prime Ministers schedule.

Battle for Gujarat
A study reveals that 87 per cent teenagers believe that watching actors smoke in movies promotes smoking among the audience.

Moreover, 46 per cent teenagers believed that smoking makes them appear cool among their peers. (Photo: Pixabay)

New Delhi : At least 89 per cent teenagers in six states, including the national capital, agreed that if its okay for their parents to smoke, its okay for them too. Moreover, 46 per cent teenagers believed that smoking makes them appear cool among their peers.

The findings are a part of a survey conducted by a private hospital to understand the smoking habits of the youth and their perception on smoking. The department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences at Fortis conducted a survey among adolescents.

The team engaged and interacted with school-going teenagers in order to assess the prevalent attitudes towards tobacco smoking.

Around 1,900 students were randomly chosen from six states  Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Chennai  to be a part of the study. They were asked to fill in a structured survey containing 13 questions.

According to the study, 87 per cent teenagers believe that watching actors smoke in movies promotes smoking among the audience while 78 per cent agree that celebrity figures featuring in anti-smoking campaigns would be helpful. Also, 75 per cent teenagers feel that it is difficult to say no to their friends or peers when they offer a cigarette and 53 per cent teenagers think that smoking can help reduce stress and increase concentration levels.

The results were tabulated using statistical measures and revealed patterns from which inferences were drawn.

These inferences are of value because they can be used as evidences to formulate policy frameworks and regulatory mechanisms to control smoking among adolescents, the hospital said.

Dr Samir Parikh, the director of the department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences at Fortis Healthcare, said: Understanding that there is a problem, which needs to be addressed, is the first step towards overcoming tobacco addiction.
The accused had also molested womans minor daughter.

Accused Haidarali Abdul Rashid Shaikh (47) from Satara, had been raping the complainant who is 36-year-old Pune residentfor the last ten years. (Representational image/ PTI)

Pune: A self-proclaimed godman has been arrested by the Pune police for allegedly raping a 36-year-old woman and her mother-in-law on the pretext of vanquishing evil powers. The accused had also molested womans minor daughter. The godman also extorted Rs 10 lakh from the family by threatening to circulate videos he had taken of the victims while perpetrating sex crimes against them. The police has invoked rape, unnatural sex, cheating and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and anti-superstition Act.

Accused Haidarali Abdul Rashid Shaikh (47) from Satara, had been raping the complainant who is 36-year-old Pune residentfor the last ten years. He also raped mother-in-law of the complainant and 14-year-old daughter of the woman. He had repeatedly raped three women between 2005 and 2016.
According to police official, case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and the Bombay Police Act has been registered.

On December 3, at about 10.40 pm, the principal along with his son and friends attacked Prajapati with lethal weapons and injured him, the officer said. (Photo: Representational image | File)

Thane: A principal of a private school in Mumbai allegedly attacked a teacher with weapons, following which he was booked, police said on Tuesday.

The principal Rameshchandra Mishra had a grudge against assistant teacher Mahajan Prajapati (52), who had complained to the school management alleging irregularities on Mishra's part, said Inspector P C Giridhar of Vartak Nagar police station.

On December 3, at about 10.40 pm, the principal along with his son and friends attacked Prajapati with lethal weapons and injured him, the officer said.

A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and the Bombay Police Act was registered on Monday, he said, adding efforts are on to apprehend the principal.

According to Giridhar, Prajapati was being treated at a private hospital.
Realising that Satra was harassing her, the victim blocked him, but Satra went on to create 15 fake email addresses to get in touch with her.

Following the constant harassment, victim registered a case at the Naupada police station. (Representational Image)

Mumbai: The Naupada police arrested a 21-year-old college student Darsh Satra for allegedly molesting a 19-year-old teenager residing in Thane.

Satra, a student of Mithibhai College, Vile Parle had created a fake Instagram profile and had been harassing the victim for more than six months.

Realising that Satra was harassing her, the victim blocked him, but Satra went on to create 15 fake email addresses to get in touch with her.

Following the constant harassment, victim registered a case at the Naupada police station.

The police forwarded the details of the fake accounts to the cyber cell. The cops arrested Satra on Tuesday evening from his residence in Thane.
In April 2001 the Netherlands became the first country in the world to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in a civil ceremony.

The ruling came after a case was brought by two women in a registered civil partnership who were denied the right to marry by authorities in the capital Vienna. (Photo: AP/Representational)

Vienna: Austria's top court said Tuesday that it has ruled that same-sex couples can marry, bringing the Alpine country into line with more than a dozen other European nations.

"The Constitutional Court nullified with a decision on December 4, 2017 the legal regulation that until now prevented such couples from marrying," a statement said.

It said that this would come into force on December 31, 2018.

The ruling came after a case was brought by two women in a registered civil partnership who were denied the right to marry by authorities in the capital Vienna.

In April 2001 the Netherlands became the first country in the world to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in a civil ceremony.

More than a dozen European countries have followed including most recently Germany. But others only allow same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships.

Many eastern European countries - including Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia - deny homosexuals the right to marry or enter into unions.
Trump recently enjoyed what were reckoned successful tours of China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Since daughter Ivanka Trump was here, father Donald cant be far behind. Questions about the ethics of Ivankas salesmanship were brushed aside. For all India cares, unpaid convicts in concentration camps can be compelled to keep the Ivanka Trump brand going. India loves celebrities. Remember the mad scramble by parliamentarians to pump presidential flesh in 2000 that left TV viewers around the world agape? A Bihar legislator vowed not to wash for three months the hand that Bill Clinton had shaken.

Should Mr Trump, whom a columnist in Britains Guardian newspaper called a racist misogynist megalomaniac, be welcomed to India? Its not easy to be didactic about this. A good painter can be a bad man. A nations interests are eternal and perpetual and governments must follow them. Mr Trump recently enjoyed what were reckoned successful tours of China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines. He got on particularly well with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, whom thousands of Filipino human rights advocates, youth groups, and religious communities condemn for mass killings. Mr Duterte himself confesses to stabbing someone to death when he was only 16. Jail? he said once. Jeez. When I was a teenager, I was in and out of jail! He claims he is fighting a war on drugs.

Each country Mr Trump visited had its own reasons for lionising him. Some regard the US, irrespective of its leader, as vital to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organisation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations whose deliberations he attended. Vietnam wants trade, the Philippines military backing. Like Japan and South Korea, both seek support against China. North Koreas nuclear programme makes it the regional bogey. For Mr Trump, North Korea is a global menace. The Chinese do not agree, but they want closer understanding with an America they regard as the only global power that is Chinas economic and military equal.

Indias reasons for currying favour are less obvious. India needs trade and investment, seeks support against Pakistan (or Pakistani-backed terrorists) and, at one remove, against China. As George W. Bushs historic decision on Indias nuclear programme confirmed, these are also in the American interest. But the talks between Mr Trump and Mr Modi on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Manila, following discussions among Indian, US, Japanese and Australian officials, seem designed to take the relationship farther. A reiteration of the comprehensive strategic partnership raises echoes of the long-discussed Quadrilateral alliance of four democracies, ostensibly to keep what is now called the Indo-Pacific region free and open but in fact to rein in China. The headlines screamed of rank militarism. According to White House briefings, Mr Trump and Mr Modi pledged to enhance their cooperation as major defence partners, resolving that two of the worlds great democracies should also have the worlds greatest militaries.

This is where doubt creeps in. Heavy injections of US weapons did not turn Syngman Rhees South Korea, Reza Shahs Iran, Ferdinand Marcos Philippines or Ayub Khans Pakistan into stable democracies.

Will possessing one of the worlds greatest militaries solve Indias problems of poverty and disease, illiteracy and unemployment? Will it provide our towns with dependable urban transport? Will it make a ramshackle rail network safer and comfortable? Will it ease the creaking judiciarys backlog of 27 million cases? Will a powerful military save New Delhi from being the most polluted city on earth? Or revive a moribund postal system that has gone from bad to worse so that it can take a month or more for a letter to travel between Delhi and Kolkata? Visiting India long before he became President, Richard Nixon commented that the wonder was not that India was badly governed, but that it was governed at all. It isnt any longer, unless an intrusive system of controls and surveillance passes for governance.

Mr Trump isnt interested in such essentials. A Trump Tower in Kolkata proclaims his commercial enterprise. Gratified that India bought more than 10 million barrels of US oil in recent months, and plans to spend $2 billion on American crude in the next 12 months, he expects to sell more. No wonder Ivanka Trump laid it on with a trowel in Hyderabad. What you are achieving here is truly extraordinary, she burbled to Mr Modi. From your childhood selling tea to your election as Indias Prime Minister, youve proven that transformational change is possible. Mr Modi gave her dinner at the Falaknuma Palace, whose fountains once splashed champagne for King George V while pins-and-needles showers sprayed Queen Mary with French perfume.

Much can be justified on bilateral grounds but there are also domestic and international dimensions to the Trump presidency. The positions occupied by his daughter and son-in-law are hardly readily compatible with Abraham Lincolns dream of government of the people, by the people, for the people.

The FBI inquiry into the Russian connection is unearthing what looks like a can of worms. By withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, undermining the Iran nuclear deal, rejecting scope for a settlement with North Korea, and urging Japan and South Korea (perhaps also India) to greater militarism, Mr Trump may be increasing the threats to world peace.

Faced with this situation and the prospect of disruptive street protests against the Trump state visit that Theresa May impetuously proposed, a British Labour Party politician said the other day that 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth II has a busy year ahead with another great-grandchild expected and Prince Harrys wedding with Meghan Markle. Dont those facts alone justify the government announcing a postponement of the state visit by at least, say, three years? he asked. Meanwhile, theres nothing to stop Mr Trump slipping into Britain on business trips. India can take note.
Hinton is a pioneer in the booming field of deep learning, which uses programs known as neural networks to mimic the human behaviour

neural networks that have studied millions of medical images will be able to make more accurate diagnoses than some physicians. Repesentative Photo

Expansion of artificial intelligence in financial services, healthcare, transportation and other fields poses new challenges to governments charged with regulating those industries, according to an executive with Google who is a pioneer in the field of machine learning.

Its going to be a big issue, Geoffrey Hinton, a vice president with Alphabet Incs Google, said at a Reuters Newsmaker event in Toronto on Monday.

Hinton is a pioneer in the booming field of deep learning, which uses programs known as neural networks to mimic the way humans learn to perform complex tasks including recognizing images, sounds, and languages.

Hinton led a group of scientists at the University of Toronto who developed some of the key algorithms that neural networks use to crunch massive quantities of data, training themselves to identify patterns so they can mimic the way the human brain would perform tasks such as driving a car, analyzing potential financial trades or using medical images to diagnose diseases.

The field has boomed since 2012, when advances in neural networks enabled Google to add voice recognition to Android mobile devices and researchers used it to cut error rates in optical recognition compared with earlier technology, he said.

Neural networks teach themselves to perform complex operations, making it impossible for their developers to tell government regulators exactly how those systems work, Hinton said.

All you need is lots and lots of data and lots of information about what the right answer is, and youll be able to train a big neural net to do what you want, he said.

Deep learning is close to revolutionizing the way certain diseases are treated. Hinton said neural networks that have studied millions of medical images will be able to make more accurate diagnoses than some physicians.

He expects mobile apps to be created that use neural networks to examine images of skin lesions, advising users when to see a doctor for a possible biopsy.

Wed like to make medicine better, Hinton said.
The US defence Secretary arrived in Pakistan Monday and met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

Washington/Islamabad: Days after Pakistan freed Hafiz Sayeed, the mastermind of 2008 Mumbai attacks, Americas spy chief has said that Pakistans policy of using terrorists as a leverage against India and Afghanistan has not changed and the US will do everything it can to ensure that terror safe havens no longer exist in Pakistan.

In a stern warning to Pakistan, the CIA chief said if Islamabad does not eliminate terrorist safe havens in its territory, the US will do everything it can to destroy them.

The statement by CIA director Mike Pompeo came ahead of US defence secretary Jim Mattis visit to Islamabad where he will persuade Pakistan to support the new US strategy on Afghanistan.

Speaking at Regan National Defence Forum in California over the weekend, Mr Pompeo said, Mattis will deliver the message that says, We would love you to do that. That is that safe haven inside of Pakistan has worked to the detriment of our capacity to do what we needed to do in Afghanistan and in the absence of the Pakistanis achieving that were going to do everything we can to make sure that that safe haven no longer exists.

Appearing on the same panel, former CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta said, Pakistan has this kind of two-edged approach to dealing with terrorism. On the one hand, yes, they dont like terrorism where the attacks from terrorists are in their country. But at the same time, they dont mind using terrorists as leverage to deal with Afghanistan and to deal with India. Thats the policy that theyve been involved with.

The US defence Secretary arrived in Pakistan Monday and met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

Mr Mattis first visit to Pakistan as defence secretary is aimed at pushing its long-time ally to do more to combat insurgents who use bases in Pakistans tribal belt to target Nato troops in Afghanistan.
Khan alleged that the UN is not acting on its own resolution because of India.

Masood Khan, former Pakistani Ambassador to the UN, who is now president of Pak-Occupied Kashmir, rued that India has veto on the talks between the two South Asian neighbours. (Photo: AFP)

Washington: A former top Pakistani diplomat has said that because of India's influence and economic power, countries are unwilling to raise the issue of Kashmir at international level, including at the UN.

Masood Khan, former Pakistani Ambassador to the UN, who is now president of Pak-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), rued that India has veto on the talks between the two South Asian neighbours.

Khan is currently in Washington, for what he described is part of his effort to appraise the international community about current situation in Kashmir.

"India has strategic alliances with certain countries. Because of the lucrative deals that it offers to powerful countries in the West, it has practically imposed a gag order on Kashmir," Khan said Monday in response to a question at the Atlantic Council, a top American think-tank.

Khan said that because of increasing Indian influence, "people here (in Washington DC), in Brussels, in London or other world capitals don't talk about Kashmir, because this would have consequences for these countries, like in terms of economic transactions, and strategic costs.

Responding to questions at the thinly-attended Atlantic Council event, Khan alleged that the UN is not acting on its own resolution because of India.

"The United Nations is not acting because of real politics," he said.

"The Security Council, first because of cold war dynamics, and now because of number of other factors is not taking cognisance of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which is regrettable because of mandate that is given to the Security Council by the UN charter under chapter six and chapter seven," he said.

Khan argued that UN should be acting. "It should be proactive. It's because of real politics. It is also because of two other factors," he said.

"One was that in the past 30 to 40 years, India and Pakistan have invested a lot of energy and time in bilateral talks. But these bilateral talks or dialogue have proved to be mirage for Kashmiris because it has produced no results," he said, adding that these talks have been non-productive.

Because of these talks, India has "acquired two vetoes" he said.

One on the agenda whereby they have in fact reduced the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir to a fraction of their whole agenda. It is one of 10 agenda items, he added.

Secondly, India has veto over the timetable. "They will start negotiations when it suits them and when they don't like it they will blame Pakistan for terrorism. And that has just scuttled the dialogue process," he said.

Khan claimed that there are no terrorist camps in PoK.

"None whatsoever," he said during the interaction.

"This is in fact propaganda against the Kashmiris intended to demonize them," he said, and claimed that there is no terrorism right now in Kashmir. Neither are there any cross-border activities.

"This is not happening," he said.

"Right now, India has fenced the Line of Control. There are two layers of the fence. In between there are landmines. There are motion sensors. They also have electronic surveillance, thermal imaging. If any crossing takes place they would be detected," he added.
Aircraft taking part will be flown from eight US and South Korean military installations.

A US Air Force EA-18G Growler fighter jet prepares to land at the Osan US Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. (Photo: AP)

Seoul/Beijing: The United States and South Korea went ahead with large-scale joint aerial drills on Monday, a move North Korea had said would push the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war, ignoring calls from Russia and China to call them off.

The drills come a week after North Korea said that it had tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the US as part of a weapons programme that it has conducted in defiance of international sanctions and condemnation.

The annual US-South Korean drill, called Vigilant Ace, will run until Friday, with six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to be deployed among the more than 230 aircraft taking part.

F-35 fighters will also join the drills, which will include the largest number of 5th generation fighters ever to have taken part, according to a South Korea-based US Air Force spokesman.

Around 12,000 US service members, including from the Marines and Navy, will join South Korean troops. Aircraft taking part will be flown from eight US and South Korean military installations.
This is a very complex set of negotiations, there are many moving parts in it, there are many parties involved, Philip Hammond said.

Theresa May would return to Brussels later in the week for fresh talks, Hammond said, after an agreement on Monday was scuppered by objections from a pro-British party in Northern Ireland to plans for the Irish border. (Photo: AP)

Brussels: Britain is still "very confident" of a Brexit divorce deal with the EU, finance minister Philip Hammond said Tuesday, a day after negotiations failed at the eleventh hour to produce an agreement.

Prime Minister Theresa May would return to Brussels later in the week for fresh talks, Hammond said, after an agreement on Monday was scuppered by objections from a pro-British party in Northern Ireland to plans for the Irish border.

"This is a very complex set of negotiations, there are many moving parts in it, there are many parties involved, and we're very confident we'll be able to move this forward," Hammond said as he arrived for a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.

"We have made a lot of progress over the last weeks, we've made tremendous steps forward. We are very close but we're not there yet," Hammond told reporters.

"As the prime minister said yesterday we will have to do some further consultations, some further discussion today and she expects to come back to Brussels later in the week."

May is widely expected to return on Wednesday or Thursday, with the EU warning that Sunday is the latest if she wants leaders to approve the opening of Brexit trade talks at a summit on December 14-15.

A deal between May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday had been widely touted, after Britain approved a draft agreement that would have put Northern Ireland in "regulatory alignment" with EU-member Ireland.

Dublin wants Northern Ireland to follow the EU's single market and customs rules after Brexit in order to avoid a "hard border", which it fears could harm both the island's economy and the two-decade-old peace process.

But Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the staunchly pro-British group that props up May's minority government in London, told May in a phone call that they would not accept the agreement.
Feltman arrived in China Monday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan. (Photo: File/Representational)

Beijing: A senior United Nations envoy arrived at Beijing's airport Tuesday on his way to North Korea for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

The unusual trip by Jeffrey Feltman, which runs to Friday, comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

AFP journalists saw Feltman arrive in a UN-flagged car at the Chinese capital's international airport in the morning.

North Korea's Air Koryo airline has a 0455 GMT flight to Pyongyang Tuesday.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise - manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation".

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said.

Feltman arrived in China Monday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

China is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, and its main trade partner.

Once in the North, Feltman will discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern" with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether Feltman will meet with the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-Un.

It will be Feltman's first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago, and the first by a UN under-secretary-general in more than seven years.

The UN envoy is also planning to see foreign diplomats and UN workers in the North on humanitarian missions, Dujarric said.

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula Thursday when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target - key technological hurdles for Pyongyang.

A Cathay Pacific crew spotted what was "suspected to be the re-entry" of the missile as they flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong, the airline said.

In a separate message to staff, Cathay general manager Mark Hoey said the crew described seeing the missile "blow up and fall apart," The South China Morning Post reported.

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility.

US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit-for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy".

North Korean state media has hit back with a flurry of its own colourful insults, calling Trump a "dotard", a "frightened dog" and a "gangster."

Over the weekend, Pyongyang countered that Washington was "begging for nuclear war" as the North blasted the joint US-South Korean drills.

As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this year's war games involve simulated precision attacks on the North's military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources.

As tensions surged, US Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential Republican and foreign policy hawk, warned that the US was moving closer to "preemptive war" if the North continued its nuclear tests.

His remarks echoed those of Trump's National Security Adviser HR McMaster, who told a security forum on Saturday that the potential for war with the North "is increasing every day."

But some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital - only around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people.

Tokyo's parliament Monday slammed the North's weapons programme as an "imminent threat". Last week's missile landed in Japan's economic waters.

China's foreign ministry warned that the situation on the Korean peninsula remained "highly sensitive" and called on all sides to "do more things to ease the tension and avoid provoking each other."

The North has boasted that the Hwasong 15 ICBM tested on Wednesday is capable of delivering a "super-large" nuclear warhead anywhere in the US mainland.

While analysts agree the latest test showed a big improvement in potential range, they say the North may not have yet mastered all the technology required to successfully hit the US with a nuclear warhead.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The Extraordinary Synod for the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Moscow Patriarchate, called for a return to communion with the Kiev Patriarchate. Filaret's response, very positive, asks for forgiveness and offers forgiveness. For years there have been prevarications, expressions of hatred, seizures of churches. The invasion of Crimea has sharpened the division. The Ukrainian government rallies against.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Extraordinary Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, which solemnly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Patriarchate, concluded in Moscow on December 2. In addition to examining the delicate issue of recognition of the remains of "holy imperial martyrs" and the evaluation of a series of disciplinary matters of ecclesiastical life, the Synod appealed to Ukraines "separate" Orthodox jurisdictions to restore "Eucharistic communion and prayer", receiving in reply a letter from the main interlocutor in this difficult dialogue, Patriarch Filaret of Kiev (on the right in photo 1). The letter was welcomed by the Russian bishops as a step towards a possible healing of the conflict.

The Metropolitan of Kiev Filaret (Denysenko) is currently the head of the Church that broke away from Moscow in the early 1990s, with the title of Patriarch of Kiev and of all Rus'-Ukraine, in contrast to the Moscow title. Filaret became metropolitan of Kiev back in 1966, as a prominent member of the group of "collaborating" bishops with the Soviet regime led by the charismatic metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) of Leningrad, who died in 1978 in the arms of Pope John Paul I at the age of only 49. Filaret was his age, and he survived his friend who was a strategist of ecumenism and of the necessary compromise for the salvation of the Church by another 40 years.

In 1990, at the height of the dissolution of Soviet communism, Denysenko found himself competing with another metropolitan of the class of 1929, Aleksij (Ridiger) of Leningrad, who defeated him in a patriarchal election that was still partly controlled by the officials of the Gorbachev regime. The following year, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the metropolitan of Kiev followed the Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchmas break from Moscow proclaiming the Ukrainian Church as the true heir of ancient Rus'. The Russian Synod, chaired by Aleksij, excommunicated it in 1992, and Filaret took his revenge by proclaiming himself Patriarch in 1995. Since then, Ukrainian orthodoxy has been split in two: the eastern territories have remained loyal to Moscow, but in the rest of the country the "non-canonical" Church prevails and is not recognized by the other Orthodox patriarchates. The picture is further complicated by the presence of other competing jurisdictions, including the "free church", clandestine in Soviet times, supported by Constantinople and honored by the memory of many persecuted martyrs, in contrast with the "regimes" bishops in Moscow and Kiev. Moreover, in the western provinces of the country, since 1990 the Greek-Catholic Church has been reconstituted. It was in turn the victim of many persecutions and differs from its Orthodox sister churches only for the liturgical remembrance of the Pope of Rome in place of one of the various patriarchs .

The reconciliation today between Filaret and the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill (Gundjaev, left in photo 1), who was his disciple and who today is the great inspirer of the new Russian mission of the "Third Rome", could pave the way for a progressive convergence of all components of Ukraines Eastern Christianity, and put an end to the eternal conflict with Russia. In the letter to the synod, the head of the Church of Kiev asks to "put an end to the opposition, and annul the sentence of excommunication and disciplinary punishments (preshenija) sanctioned since 1992, and continually exacerbated against the faithful who submit to the non- canonical patriarchate ". Filaret trusts that the Russian Church is able to take steps that are "indispensable for the good of Orthodoxy ... as your brother and concelebrant, I ask forgiveness in all that for which I have sinned in words, deeds and with all my senses, and I in turn forgive with all my heart ". The letter ends with the greeting "In the love of Christ - your brother Filaret", and a simple signature devoid of high-sounding titles.

The elderly dissident patriarch has decidedly surprised the public opinion of the two countries in conflict, given the persistence of mutual accusations of prevarication and incitement to hatred. The reactions of the Moscow Synod are of cautious satisfaction, knowing the impulsive character of the ancient companion of adventures of Soviet times, and expect concrete steps in the return of churches removed from the control of Moscow, and other necessary measures for a real reconstruction of the conflict. There is no doubt that, if facts follow words, the two Churches could meet in the not too distant future, since there are no profound or theoretical reasons for division, beyond the historical and organizational dispute.

Even the Ukrainian authorities would have no means to prevent a reconciliation, which goes in the completely opposite direction to attempts to widen the division of Ukrainian faithful from Moscow, as President Poroshenko would like to see with the Rada parliament. If Filaret, renouncing his patriarchal role due to age, recognized the authority of Metropolitan Onufrij of Kiev, of Muscovite obedience, the Russian Church would rediscover its immense historical greatness. It should certainly maximum autonomy to the Ukrainian side, which on paper is already recognized, but without fear of a real schism, which would greatly reduce Moscows prestige.
by Wang Zhicheng

More than 1,500 representatives from 80 countries took part in the event. Chinas president offers greater openness to online markets, but reiterates Chinese sovereignty in cyberspace. Chinas internet is the most controlled in the world, but also the most developed.

Wuzhen (AsiaNews)  The three-day Fourth World Internet Conference ended today in Wuzhen (Zhejiang). Its theme was building an open cyber community to bring benefits to all. More than 1,500 representatives from 80 countries and regions participated.

For the occasion, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the conference, saying that "Building a community of common future in cyberspace has increasingly become the widespread common understanding of international society."

At the same time, Chinas leader said his country hopes to work with the international community to respect cyberspace sovereignty and carry forward the spirit of partnership to advance jointly development, safeguard security, participate in governance, and share the benefits.

"China's door to the world will never close, but will only open wider," Xi said. Many representatives praised Xi's remarks saying that they were of great significance and practicality.

However, some experts note a contradiction between the pledge of greater openness and Chinas radical control imposed on the web. Beijing has justified this as protection of sovereignty in cyberspace, which every nation should exercise within its borders.

In fact, not only has China set up a Great Firewall to censor online foreign content that it deems dangerous (democracy, strikes, dissent, ethnic and religious issues, Tibet, Tiananmen, Xinjiang, etc.), but it has also forced major internet players to truncate their services.

Over the past year for example, Apple has had to remove various apps that the government does not like. Google is still not available in China after it refused to bow to Beijing's demands. Even Facebook, Skype, Twitter and YouTube have been blocked.

By contrast, big Chinese internet companies that accept the limits imposed in the name of cyber "sovereignty" are raking in the money.

A report by Deloitte and China Venture released in September said that China had 98 unicorns  40 per cent of the worlds companies valued at least US$ 1 billion. They include Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu, JD.com and others.

Chinas economic power lies in its huge market. In 2016, the country had 731 million Internet users who make use of their smartphones for services that range from cashless payments to bike sharing.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc, noted that the 1.8 million Chinese application developers have earned a combined 112 billion yuan (US$ 16.9 billion) on its China app store since the company entered the Chinese market.

The net result of this is that China ranked last in terms of internet freedom, according to Freedom House, a US-based pro-democracy group.

This does not seem to interest those who want to do business with Beijing. Indeed, China, along with Serbia, Saudi Arabia, Laos, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, have jointly announced a Digital Belt and Road initiative on the sidelines of the conference. This includes expanding access to broadband networks, helping e-commerce cooperation, and increasing investments in the IT sector.

This has raised fears. Various organisations are concerned that through such international "collaboration", Chinas "sovereignty" over its cyberspace may morph into world-wide control.
Mgr Yeung thanks youth for their response to the Churchs call. Their frank demands include a Church that is more outreaching and open to dialogue. He cites Pope Francis who urged people to trade in the sofa for a pair of walking shoes.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  Mgr Michael Yeung, bishop of Hong Kong, released the traditional letter from the diocese on the occasion of Advent.

In it he addresses young people and their hopes, thanking them for your initiative and your enthusiastic, courageous and creative response to the call of the Church.

His commitment to the new generation is expressed in the Year of Youth, which the Catholic Church in Hong Kong has declared in preparation for the Synod of Bishops on Youth, scheduled for October 2018.

The year dedicated to young people officially began with the first Sunday of Advent and will end with the Solemnity of Christ the King next year.

In his pastoral letter, the prelate defines Advent as a time "for looking forward, for sharing, to live with "expectant hope and reverence".

For this reason, it is also right and fitting that I should, once again, stress the importance of continuing, with renewed faith and love my engagement and dialogue with our young people. You, the young people, are our hope.

[F]rom the bottom of my heart, the bishop thanks all the young people he met since the start of his episcopal mandate, "especially but not only the leaders".

Many young people attended the prelates ceremony of investiture on 5 August. Many young Catholics are engaged in society and took part in the Occupy Central movement.

I humbly pray that the Lord will give me a listening heart (1 Kings 3:9). You have given me much to listen to and food for thought, he writes.

Indeed, the young people of Hong Kong have addressed several frank demands to the bishop. They want the Church to be more outreaching and transparent, and ask for greater active participation and platforms for dialogue.

Let me say here at once that personally I agree with you, Mgr Yeung says in his letter. I shall, with Gods help and yours, in consultation and with the cooperation of the clergy, the laity and others concerned, make every effort to achieve what you have suggested.

We are often told there is opportunity in danger and danger in opportunity. But there is a greater danger in not making use of opportunities or in refusing to take up the challenges that face us, from which we cannot excuse or recluse ourselves..

The prelate noted that Pope Francis gave encouragement to young people during the vigil prayer at the World Youth Day in Poland, on 31 July 2016.

Jesus is the Lord of risk, of the eternal more. Jesus is not the Lord of comfort, security and ease, the prelate writes citing the pontiff and his exhortation.

Following Jesus demands a good dose of courage, a readiness to trade in the sofa for a pair of walking shoes and to set out on new and uncharted paths, to blaze trails that open up new horizons capable of spreading joy, the joy that is born of Gods love and wells up in your hearts with every act of mercy.
The exodus caused by fear of Bangkok governments new labor laws. Fines of between 1000 and 2 thousand euros for all foreigners without regular permits and sentences of up to five years in prison. The influx has overburdened social agencies and the border crossing between Myanmar and Thailand. Returning migrants victims of extortion by the Thai security forces. In Thailand there are about 4-5 million migrant workers, 1 million are illegal.

Naypyitaw (AsiaNews / Agencies) - In the last five months, a total of 155,169 undocumented migrant workers have returned to Myanmar from Thailand, according to a statement published yesterday by the Naypyitaw Ministry of Internal Affairs. Among the repatriates 66.980 workers returned to the country during the period between June 29 and December 3.

Irregular Burmese migrants began to return to Myanmar in the end of June, although the Thai authorities have delayed the full implementation of a new labor law. The new law, approved by the military government of Bangkok on June 23, sets fines of between 1000 and 2 thousand euros for all foreigners without regular permission and sentences up to five years in prison.

Between June 23 and 28, about 60 thousand immigrants left Thailand for fear of sanctions. Following the news of the exodus, on June 30 the military junta promised a 120-day postponement in the execution of parts of the decree, including fines of up to 800 thousand baht (about 23,500 euros) for employers who hire unregistered foreign workers. The Burmese group is the ethnic group most affected by the provision, but there are also many citizens of Laos and Cambodia who have fled the country.

The influx has overloaded the social agencies and the border crossing between Myanmar and Thailand, prompting the Bangkok authorities to limit the number of crossings to only 100 people a day. This causes serious difficulties for many Burmese migrants, who do not have enough food and cannot find accommodation while waiting to cross the border. Once they do cross they are welcomed by officials from their country's Ministry of Labor. The latter have received numerous complaints from returning migrants, who claim to have been victims of extortion by Thai officials at several checkpoints in the Muang district, in the province of Tak.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that in Thailand there are about 4-5 million migrant workers, and 1 million illegal migrant workers, especially Burmese. Since taking over in a 2014 coup, the government junta has conducted several campaigns to regularize the foreign labor force, driven in part by media reports on the exploitation of unregulated workers by employers.
by Bernardo Cervellera

News coverage overly focused on "saying / not saying" the word Rohingya. The Pope avoids trial by media, opting to outline constructive paths of hope. Full citizenship for dozens of ethnic groups and a development based on human dignity. The unity between the young and the different ethnic groups, admired by Buddhists and Muslims.

Rome (AsiaNews) - At the end of his trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, Pope Francis said the fateful word: Rohingya. In saying it, he did not "slam the door shut " or tear his clothes, rather he asked forgiveness for the worlds indifference and caressed the faces of men, women and children whose family members were killed, or who had to flee from the military onslaught. The Pope met 16 in Dhaka, and all of them prayed and cried with him. "God - said Francis - is also Rohingya".

The global media were waiting for this word in order to condemn the violence of the Burmese army, denounce the inanity of the leader Aung San Suu Kyi, to plunge Myanmar under the weight of sanctions. In some respects, it gave the impression that this journey's significance hinged on that one word. But in this way, the media failed to show all the richness of the pontiffs message and the impulse that he has given to this region of the world which is both so rich and so poor.

It is true that in Myanmar Francis did not use the word "Rohingya", rather he spoke of all minorities (Kachin, Chin, Karen, Naga, Kaya, ...) who suffer the same things as Rohingya without ever making headlines . And the Roman Pontiff said that citizenship is necessary for all, the distribution of wealth, the collaboration to build peace in Burmese society. The decades of military dictatorship have created almost incurable wounds, violence and wars, but the pope has asked everyone, especially the Christians, to forgive and work for reconciliation to ward off the spectre of a war in which everyone loses.

This is why Pope did not court media praise or condemnation, instead he outlined constructive paths of hope. This is why in both countries, in Myanmar and Bangladesh, he spoke to young people to support their enthusiasm and propose a path of hope for the future. Young people who emigrate, who accept slave-like working conditions, or who take up arms, who risk living like the desperate. Francis asked young Christians to be catalysts of hope.

This means not burying oneself within the folds of one's own ethnic or religious group, nurturing suspicion towards others, remaining inert and sceptical, but opening oneself to encounter, sustained by the common dignity of every person.

The collaboration between religions is the other pillar of this journey: with the Islamic majority in Bangladesh and with the Buddhist one in Myanmar it is important to work so that the economic development under way in these two countries is founded on the mystery of human dignity, and not only on profit, the exploitation of labor and child slaves. Francis has shown that by valuing the religious dimension, one can have the common good more easily at heart.

He wanted to meet with the leaders of the religions both in Myanmar and in Bangladesh and with them he condemned the violence and terrorism that manipulate the name of God, but above all he pushed them to work together for a society of which man is at the center, whatever his ethnicity, because he is made in the image of God.

A final word on the Churches of these two countries, small minorities often in the cyclone of persecution. The Pope praised the Christians who, despite being a "mustard seed", give sustenance to the population and the poor in Bangladesh and Myanmar. The esteem that Christians enjoy is primarily due to their service: schools, hospitals, agricultural and labor cooperatives. But in this service, people discover with wonder the reasons for the love of Christ. It is not by chance that in both Bangladesh and in Myanmar the Church grows every year, there are abundant vocations and these small communities already send missionaries to other lands.

It was perhaps one of the first times that all the Christian ethnic groups of Myanmar and the dozens of Bangladeshi ethnic groups gathered together, arousing the admiration of Buddhists and Muslims. A good promise for the future.
by Kamran Chaudhry

In Lahore catechists get the lowest salaries. Vocations are up compared to the past. Children who study in government schools are deprived of catechism. The faith should be promoted through social media.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  The laity are the most neglected class in our Church and continue working in silence, this according to Emmanuel Neno.

Speaking to AsiaNews, the executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Commission for Catechetics, highlighted some critical issues that confront the local Church, above all the treatment of the laity.

"The situation of catechism teachers and catechetical staff is no different, he noted. The Church should recognise them" on their own terms.

Neno, 60, spent 35 years serving the local Church. He holds a master degree in Religion and Religious Education from Fordham University, a Catholic university based in New York.

During his career, he has translated and authored more than 40 books, including the Urdu translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Roman Ritual currently used by the clergy in Pakistan.

For over three decades, his books on catechism have been used to teach students from grade 1 to 10 in more than 500 schools run by Catholic Church.

Speaking about the evolution of the Church in the last 35 years, the former seminarian said The Church hierarchy is now local as most of the Catholic bishops are native-born. What is more, Compared to the past, vocations have increased.

Now there is a national catechism syllabus, approved by the Catholic Bishops' Conference, which is adapted to the culture of the country. This is a sign of our concern to fulfil our duty as an evangelical church," he explained.

For Neno, his biggest challenge is working without staff, alone in his office, at Dar-ul-Kalam, the laity training centre in Lahore.

"Every day errands like visiting the post office interrupt my research, project writings and training," he said.

Another problem is the fact that children studying in government schools are being deprived of catechism. The rapid growing of mushroom churches is also confusing local Christians. They think all of them are house of God."

In order to address their concerns, Neno started the first Church-run Urdu page on Facebook. In a short period of time, it reached more than 10,000 members.

"Young people want to know about the reality of their faith, he explained. They have to face tough questions regarding Christianity from people of the majority faith and an apologetic approach is needed to give logical answers. Most of the questions are raised by Protestant pastors and Messianic Jews," he added.

With respect to digital media use by the clergy, Neno noted that "Most priests use social media to share their personal and pastoral activities. This does not help in faith promotion. The Church should pay more attention to this technology  it has literally become the language of the laity."

Finally, Neno stressed the need to teach the catechesis to the clergy. "There is a huge communication gap when they step out of the seminary, he said. Usually their vocabulary is very high due to their studies in philosophy and theology. But they have to deal with catechists, not theologians."

Money is also another issue. Catechists have the lowest salaries. In Lahore Archdiocese, a new catechist starts with a monthly salary of 2,000 rupees (US$ 19). The annual raise is only 100 rupees which does not even cover the cost of two loaves of bread. And even this depends on the favour of the higher-ups."
"Humility is to be small, like the shoot, small but growing every day, small but in need of the Holy Spirit to be able to move forward, towards the fullness of life".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Accepting humiliation, as Jesus did, is what indicates being humble, an indispensable gift in a Christians life said Pope Francis at Mass celebrated this morning at Casa Santa Marta. He was commenting on the passage from Isaiah (11.1-10), where he says: "On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom".

The Pope said that every Christian is like "a small shoot on which the Spirit of the Lord rests, the spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord ". "These, the Pope said, are the gifts of the Holy Spirit which grow from the smallness of the bud to the fullness of the Spirit. This is the promise, this is the Kingdom of God and "the life of the Christian," he stressed. "To be aware that each of us is a sprout of that root which must grow with the power of the Holy Spirit, to the fullness of the Holy Spirit in us. And what is the task of the Christian? Simply keep the shoot that grows in us, keep growing, keep the Spirit ".

And the Christian lifestyle is "a style like that of Jesus, of humility". "It takes faith and humility to believe that this shoot, this small gift will come to the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It takes humility to believe that the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, as todays Gospel says, has hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to the little ones. Humility means to be small, like the sprout that grows little by little to the fullness of life through the power of Holy Spirit".

"Some believe that being humble - the Pope continued - is to be polite, courteous, to close your eyes in prayer ...". "No, being humble is not that". So "how can I know if I'm humble?". "There is a sign, a signal, the only one: accepting humiliation. Humility without humiliation is not humility. Humble is that man, that woman, who is capable of enduring humiliations as Jesus endured them, the humiliated, the Great humiliated ". And there is the example of many saints "who not only accepted humiliation but asked for it" to resemble Jesus. "May the Lord - the Pope concluded - give us this grace to guard our being small, to guard the fullness of Spirit, not to forget our roots and to accept the humiliation".
by Mathias Hariyadi

Bishop Hilarion Datus Lega led the service. The presence of the archbishops of Semarang and Ende is significant. Because of the vastness of its remote territory and its pastoral challenges, the diocese of Manokwari-Sorong relies on the support of other Indonesian dioceses.

Sorong (AsiaNews) - In the Indonesian province of Papua, priestly ordinations are a rare event for the local Catholic community, unlike the islands of Java and Flores (East Nusa Tenggara province), where they occur almost every year.

Thus, in order to promote vocations among young Catholics, the diocese of Manokwari-Sorong decided to celebrate this month the 70th anniversary of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Sorong, capital of the province, by consecrating two local seminarians  Fr Aloysius Susilo and Fr Yosep Lamak  to the priestly life.

Mgr Hilarion Datus Lega (pictures 2-3), bishop of the diocese, led the service on 26 November, assisted by Mgr Robertus Rubiyatmoko, archbishop of Semarang (Central Java), and Mgr Vincentius Sensi Potokota, archbishop of Ende (East Nusa Tenggara).

"The presence of the two primates represents a very significant fact for the diocese of Manokwari-Sorong, Fr Stephanus Istoto Raharjo told AsiaNews.

"This year, its 25 years of collaboration between the dioceses of Manokwari-Sorong and Semarang, which is characterised by the latter's commitment to sending diocesan priests to Papua", said the clergyman, who arrived in Sorong from Semarang ten years ago.

Now, co-operation with the diocese of Ende on the "Catholic" island of Flores is set to start in the near future.

Given its vastness and remoteness and the many challenges it faces in terms of its pastoral life, the diocese of Manokwari-Sorong relies on the support of other Indonesian dioceses, including Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara) and Manado (North Sulawesi).

Thanks to this co-operation, the local Catholic community will be able to organise events that will take place in the coming months, namely the 75th anniversary of the parish of St Martin in Kaimana and the 80th anniversary of the parish of St Augustine in Manokwari.
by Melani Manel Perera

Card Malcolm Ranjith led the Mass. The archbishop of Colombo urges Catholics to "work for the liberation of others" and "to become the saviours of our brothers and sisters and to practice faith as true followers of Jesus".

Colombo (AsiaNews)  Great celebrations were held on Sunday for the church dedicated to St Francis Xavier in Wewala, a Christian village where St Joseph Vaz* carried out his evangelisation.

Card Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo, led the mass, attended by many worshippers. In his address, the prelate mentioned that the local Christian presence goes back 400 years.

After describing the salient stages of the evangelisation by St Francis Xavier, he called on Catholics to follow his example.

Card Ranjith explained that St Francis Xavier left all his wealth, and on 15 March 1540 departed from Lisbon to become a missionary in India.

On 6 May 1542, he reached what is now the State of Goa and from there he travelled to Sri Lanka, where he began to preach in the Murukkan area.

Despite the hardships, "he sought to change people's lives through God".

"Nowadays God makes many ordinary people holy, the cardinal noted. Just think of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, an ordinary woman who rendered a wonderful service to the Lord. Or Pope John Paul II, who came to our land and touched our soil."

"Why does God choose and bless as holy people of different origins? Because they are used by God to show his power and are sent to us as our saviors, he said.

"The task of every Christian must be his own liberation, as well as the liberation of others, the prelate added. Christianity is a religion of love. We must share this love with others. We must work for the liberation of others ".

Finally, for Card Ranjith, "the first responsibility of our Christian life is to become the saviours of our brothers and sisters and to practice the faith as true followers of Jesus. This enables others to see as Christians. I pray for you on this anniversary."

* St Joseph Vaz is venerated as the Apostle of Sri Lanka and was canonised by Pope Francis during his pastoral visit to Sri Lanka in 2015.


(Brasil Creativo/Shutterstock.com (Brasil Creativo/Shutterstock.com

In Australia the summer season is now underway and it is a popular time for backpackers from around the world to visit on working holiday visas.But the Fair Work Ombudsman is warning those arriving and those planning their trips to Australia not to fall foul of unscrupulous employers who do not pay them enough or exploit them in other ways.The FWO has just secured its biggest penalty case ever in Western Australia and its third highest in the whole country for what a judge called the 'systematic' exploitation of overseas workers on working holiday visas which allow backpackers to work during their stay.Catherine Paino-Povey has been fined $77,400, her husband Mark Povey $72,240 and the contract cleaning company they operate, Commercial and Residential Cleaning Group, fined $361,200.Judge Antoni Lucev in Perth said that they had deliberately and repeatedly exploited three workers. 'It is open to infer that the respondents' actions towards the employees formed part of a deliberate business strategy to engage vulnerable employees,' he told the court.The couple had refused to pay them during their first few weeks of employment, refused to pay them their full entitlements when they fell due and then refused to pay outstanding wages owed to the employees on the termination of their work.The three workers were underpaid a total of $11,511 for various periods of cleaning work. One of the workers was paid just 34% of what she was entitled to for two months' work. She gave evidence that because of the underpayments, totalling $5,106, she had to borrow money from a friend and only ate one meal a day to be able to pay her rent.Another worker was paid nothing for three days' work despite being lawfully entitled to a minimum of $569. She gave evidence that she needed the money to pay for her rent and expenses and felt she had been taken advantage of as an overseas worker.The third worker was paid only about half of what she was entitled to over a three month period, resulting in a total underpayment of $5,836. The underpayments remain outstanding and, in addition to the penalties, Judge Lucev ordered full back payment.Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says repeated and blatant exploitation of vulnerable overseas workers is abhorrent conduct that will not be tolerated. 'It is extremely frustrating to encounter such callous, recidivist exploitative conduct in the community,' she said.'The outcome of this case sends a clear message to operators that there are serious consequences for exploiting vulnerable workers. Lawful minimum pay rates apply to all employees in Australia and they are not negotiable,' she explained.She pointed out that employers who think they can profit from blatant exploitation of vulnerable workers need to get the message that the FWO is committed to pursuing them to the full extent of the law to ensure they receive the punishment they deserve.'It is clear that others share our frustrations with the courts increasingly ordering larger penalties, particularly in cases involving the exploitation of vulnerable workers,' she added.James also pointed out that now that the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Act 2017 has come into effect, penalties available for serious conduct are now significantly higher than were previously available to be imposed in matters such as this one.
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SeaWorld Orlandos rescue team helped save 10 stranded manatees in South Carolina last month.

SeaWorld rescue team helped rescue 10 manatees

Manatees stranded in South Carolina river

Rescue took 3 days and involved over a dozen groups



The manatees were spotted in a warm water outflow area of Cooper River, in Charleston.

Falling water temperatures caused the manatees to stay near the outflow for warmth rather than traveling south. The manatees were isolated from much-needed food sources and naturally warm waters, SeaWorld said.

The rescue took three days to complete. With the assistance of multiple organizationsincluding, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, NOAA National Ocean Services, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Brevard Zoo and othersSeaWorld rescued eight male and two female manatees.

Each manatee was evaluated by a veterinary medical team and transported to Florida.

It is particularly gratifying to be part of such a large scale effort, with partners from all over the Southeast lending expertise and manpower, SeaWorlds rescue manager Jon Peterson said.

Nine of the manatees were released near Brevard County. One female manatee was taken to the Jacksonville Zoos critical care facility after showing signs of mild cold stress.

The Sea to Shore Alliance tagged five of the manatees before their released and will monitor the animals.
The fate of the Brooksville Police Department has been a heated topic of discussion within the city for months, as council members look to save costs.

Residents expressed concerns about disbanding police dept.

Council members said no decision has been made

PREVIOUS STORY Brooksville city council members shift viewpoints on tax plan for police services





During a Brooksville City Council meeting Monday night, several residents addressed the council with concerns that they were looking to disband the police department.

However, council members clarified no decision has been made. They stress all cost saving options for the city are on the table, not only the police department.

This discussion began in October when council member Natalie Kahler proposed the city look at the pros and cons of asking the county commission to enter into a Municipal Services Taxing Unit, or MSTU. If commissioners decided to begin an MSTU, and the city agreed to stay out of it, then residents would not have to pay for Sheriff's services within the city.

On Monday, Kahler said she proposed the MSTU because she wanted to make sure residents were only paying for the services they were receiving.

The council was drafting a letter to ask county commissioners to enter into the MSTU, but last week the council voted 4-1 not to send the letter, with Kalher as the only positive vote. The council members who voted against sending the letter said the MSTU would not have been as cost effective to the city as first thought. They were also concerned about any unknown costs that could come to the city.

Many residents were upset by this decision, some even signing petitions to recall council members who voted against sending the letter to commissioners about the MSTU, concerned that the Brooksville Police Department was then at risk.

During Monday's meeting, Kahler says residents made that assumption because it had been stated that the council could not continue to ask residents to pay for both. However, most of the council members stressed they never said it had to be one or the other.

Council member William Kemerer did say he may have said both departments were too costly, although other council members did say they never heard anyone say it had to be one or the other.

Several residents did speak to the council at the beginning of Monday's meeting in support of the Brooksville Police Department.



"I am not against the Brooksville Police Department," Kemerer told residents, and stressed they want to find the highest level of service in a cost effective manner.

He did clarify that they are looking at several ways to reduce the city's costs, which does include looking at the costs of the Brooksville Police Department as well as the cost the Sheriff would charge for the same services.

He also said that the feelings of the community are important to the city council, and they wouldn't pursue something the citizen's did not want.

Council member Joe Bernardini also stressed that they are looking at what each department individually would cost the city. He said at that point they would have a better idea of what they have.

He also stressed that no decision has been made and no option is off the table.

"I never once stated that I wanted to disband the police department," Vice Mayor Betty Erhard told residents. She also told residents that she values their comments to be a better service to the community and encouraged them to continue reach out to the council members.



Mayor Robert Battista also spoke at the meeting, assuring residents that the city would not sacrifice quality of services.

"We would never give up the quality of services we receive," Battista said. "There are some problems and they are financial. We are at extremes when it comes to money."

He also stressed that no vote about the police department or any other city services would be made unless it was on the agenda.

The status of Brooksville Police Department was not on Monday night's agenda, so no further action was taken.
A burglar that broke into an Orange pawn shop was only able to get away with a gumball machine before the alarm scared him off, Orange police said.

The alarm summed police at 10:32 p.m. Friday at Best Pawn, located on the 1200 block of 16th Street, where they found the door had been pried open.
Jasper County Tax Assessor Bobby Biscamp faces two felony charges stemming from an investigation into his alleged use of taxpayer dollars to fund travel expenses.

Biscamp is charged with theft by a public servant as well as securing execution of a document by deception. He was released on bond after reportedly turning himself into the sheriff's office following an indictment Nov. 29.
The worker killed on a construction project at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Beaumont died after she was hit by a piece of piping, according to a suit filed by her family Monday.

Yesenia Espinoza, 31, was working for Echo Maintenance on a construction project.
Orange County Sheriff's Office

Two Southeast Texas men were arrested last week on charges related to the possession of child pornography.

Colton Keith LeBouff, of Bridge City, was arrested Nov. 30 on four counts of possession of child pornography during a search of his home, according to the Texas Attorney General's Office.
Update: A crude unit at Beaumont's Exxon Mobil refinery could be shut down for repairs until late January after it was damaged by a fire Tuesday morning, Reuters.com reported.

Company officials have declined to comment publicly on the status of individual units at the refinery, which processes more than 360,000 barrels of oil each day.

Sources told Reuters that heat from the fire damaged the crude distillation unit, which processes 110,000 barrels per day.

Previous reporting: Reuters.com is reporting this morning that Exxon Mobil is assessing the damage done to a crude unit at its Beaumont refinery during a Tuesday fire.

The unit, which processes 110,000 barrels of crude oil per day, is shut down, according to Reuters.

According to a report filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the fire started at 6 a.m. Tuesday because of a leak in equipment in Crude Unit A.

Company spokeswoman Ashley Alemayehu said the fire was extinguished by Exxon Mobil firefighters about 6:45 a.m. Beaumont Fire and Rescue responded to the fire, but the

city firefighters were not needed, according to the company.

There were no injuries, Alemayehu said.

> > DATA: SETX cities make 'Most Polluted in Texas' list

Exxon spokeswoman Charlotte Huffaker told Reuters "the company continues to meet its contractual commitments, but declined to discuss the status of individual units at the Beaumont refinery."

Crude Unit A is the smaller of two units at the refinery "doing the initial refining of crude oil and supplying hydrocarbon feed to all other production units," according to Reuters.

Exxon Mobil notified nearby residents on Tuesday morning through the Southeast Texas Alert Network (STAN) that they should stay in their homes, but an official shelter in place notice from city or county officials was not issued.

> > RELATED: PA plant had largest wastewater spill in Texas after Harvey

The suggestion to stay indoors was lifted mid-morning Tuesday after testing showed air quality concerns were "below detectable limits," Alemayehu said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Alemayehu said the company was still assessing the impact of the fire on the refinery's production and determining the extent of any emissions it caused.

The initial report, which must be filed with TCEQ within 24 hours of the event, indicates that engineers do not believe emissions exceeded the amounts allowed by the refinery's permits.

Exxon Mobil's Beaumont refinery processes 365,000 barrels of crude oil each day, according to the company's website.

Exxon Mobil announced in August that it was considering adding a third crude distillation unit in 2019, which would be completed in 2022.




The mayor of Rose City is heading to the Big Apple this week to appear on NBC's "Megyn Kelly TODAY" to advocate for more Tropical Storm Harvey relief funding.

Bonnie Stephenson said she was asked by producers to appear on the morning talk show

Wednesday on behalf of her Orange County town, which has been struggling to recover from Harvey. She will fly to New York on Tuesday.

"I'm going to tell our story," Stephenson said on Monday. "I'm going to talk about the damage and what's been doing on. We need help that we're not getting."

> > RELATED: Thousands still await clean water after Harvey

Of the 270 homes and businesses in the town, Harvey spared only two. The water treatment plant was submerged in eight feet of water, and the 600 residents have been on a boil -water notice since late August.

A majority of applicants from Rose City were denied disaster assistance from FEMA and the Small Business Administration for their homes, Stephenson said.

The mayor will be joined by a representative from CAN-DO.ORG, a non-profit that has been raising money for Rose City.

> > DEWEYVILLE: Some raising homes, some leaving town

After months of heartache and devastation, including the loss of her own house, Stephenson said she's looking forward to her first trip to New York. Her sister, Mary Wylie Tinsley, is coming with her.

"A little bit of country is coming to town," Stephenson said.

Before flying back to Texas on Thursday, she hopes to see a Broadway musical and visit the National September 11 Memorial Museum.

"I have things on my bucket list," Stephenson said.

MGstalter@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/morgGstalt
The woman accused of stealing more than $70,000 from the Lumberton Mighty Raider Band Booster Club will go to trial this spring.

Hardin County District Attorney David Sheffield told BeaumontEnterprise.com that Helen Cox, 46, is on the trial docket for the week of March 8.
The Texas Department of Transportation will host a public forum this afternoon regarding a proposed road widening project in Jefferson County.

TxDOT will gather public opinion on widening I-10 from FM 365 to Walden Road to a six-lane roadway, adding 10-foot wide outside and inside shoulders, as well as a concrete median.
Vidor students and community members will be asked to help name the newest member of the Vidor Police Department, a K-9 officer who will start patrol in February.

The 2-year-old Belgian Malinois will work with Officer Mansfield, Chief Rod Carroll said in a press release. He is being trained for narcotics, tracking and handler protection.
After his swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesian Air Force chief Hadi Tjahjanto (left) poses with military chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, Jan. 18, 2017.

Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo confirmed on Monday that he had nominated his air force chief to succeed the head of the countrys armed forces (TNI), an army general who has stirred controversy recently by making political comments.

Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto will replace Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, who is due to retire in March 2018, as the supreme commander of the 475,000 personnel who serve in the various branches of Indonesias military, Jokowi said in a press statement.

I believe he has strong capability and leadership and can bring the TNI in a more professional direction according to its identity, namely as the peoples army, combatants army, the national army, and the professional army, the president said.

Tjahjantos name has been submitted to the House of Representatives (DPR), which needs to approve it, officials said.

Tjahjanto has close ties to Jokowi. Prior to his appointment as air force chief, Tjahjanto served as Jokowi's military secretary for a year in 2015. He was also the defense ministrys inspector-general. On top of that, he commanded an air base in Solo, Central Java, when Jokowi served as the citys mayor from 2005 to 2012.

So the selection of the air chief to become the TNIs commander is more on the preference of President Jokowi, Andrianto, a Jakarta-based political analyst, told BenarNews.

The process to confirm Tjahjanto is scheduled to be completed before the parliamentary recess this month, said Taufik Kurniawan, the House vice chairman.

Before the Dec. 13 recess, we could see the results of the fit-and-proper tests, Kurniawan told reporters in Jakarta, referring to the parliamentary panel that would handle the confirmation proceedings.

Effendi Simbolon, a member of Commission I, the House panel that oversees defense, said his team would assess Tjahjantos integrity in maintaining the militarys professionalism, as well as his loyalty to the country.

I expect it will be smooth and he will become the commander of the TNI, he said.

No signs of political ambition

Pangi Syarwi Chaniago, executive director of Jakarta-based Voxpol Center Research and Consulting, said Jokowi could have chosen Tjahjanto because the 54-year-old military officer had not publicly shown signs of any political ambition.

He said Jokowi might have preferred a military chief that he could control, not someone coveting political power.

In October, the president urged the military to keep away from politics and remain loyal to the government following Nurmantyos false claims a month earlier, in which he warned that a non-military institution planned to import 5,000 firearms illegally.

Nurmantyo has not publicly commented on that controversy after the chief security minister corrected his claim about the guns.

The fiery military chief has been accused of taking advantage of his position to gain political power in preparation for a possible presidential run in 2019.

It is clear that the president must have been traumatized, and does not want to repeat having a military commander who plays with opinions, sentiments and political issues that are electorally profitable, Chaniago said.

General Gatot is indeed a potential presidential candidate, he added, using Nurmantyos first name.

Nurmantyo has improved his political stature but has courted controversy by issuing statements that appeal to both nationalists and Islamic voters in the worlds most populous Muslim nation.

In September this year, the four-star general attended an event hosted by an Islamic political party, where he warned that communists had become a renewed threat for Indonesia.

He also ordered soldiers to watch a Suharto-era propaganda film depicting the killings of six army generals during an alleged military coup in September 1965.

During the 2014 presidential election, Widodo was subjected to a smear campaign online that claimed he was a descendant of communists and had Chinese ancestry. The campaign coincided with a drop in his high approval ratings at the time.

In October, Nurmantyo again became the subject of controversy when he was barred from boarding a flight to the United States due to security protocols, but he decided to cancel the trip after the issue was quickly resolved.

That incident, during which Gatot was scheduled to attend a conference in Washington D.C. at the invitation of Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, led to an apology from American Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Potential vice-presidential bet?

According to Burhanuddin Muhtadi, executive director executive at the Jakarta think-tank Indonesian Political Indicator, Nurmantyo could potentially become Jokowis vice-presidential running mate in the 2019 presidential election.

Gatot has the potential to be Jokowis secret weapon, he said.

A new survey conducted by a Jakarta-based research firm, Indo Barometer, put Nurmantyo as one of four strongest vice-presidential bets.

Nurmantyos electability reached 6.9 percent, in the same rank with Agus Harimurti Yudhono, the son of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesias previous president; and Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, the former Jakarta governor who is now in jail after his blasphemy conviction. Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan garnered 10.5 percent electability, according to the survey.

Asked to react to Tjahjantos nomination, Nurmantyo expressed hope that his successor would conquer the challenges faced by military commanders.

Do not ask me, but ask the president because it would be the president who will use the commander who will replace me based on the challenges of the task ahead, Nurmantyo told Indonesian state news agency Antara.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks about anti-corruption efforts during the Global Forum on Asset Recovery in Washington, Dec. 4, 2017.

A Malaysian official said Tuesday that Prime Minister Najib Razak was not involved in the 1MDB scandal, a day after the U.S. attorney general called the sovereign wealth fund kleptocracy at its worst.

Speaking in Washington at the Global Forum on Asset Recovery, Attorney General Jeff Sessions revealed that the United States had seized or restrained $3.5 billion (14.2 billion ringgit) tied to corruption, of which, nearly half was from Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits connected to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Allegedly corrupt officials and their associates reportedly used the funds for a lavish spending spree, the top American law official said.

In Kuala Lumpur, Abdul Rahman Dahlan, the minister in the Malaysian Prime Ministers office, said Najib had no role in the 1MDB scandal.

Well, I have been saying all the time that the civil suit has nothing to do with the prime minister, he told reporters.

The debt-laden 1MDB is the target of money-laundering investigations in at least a half-dozen countries, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore, but no legal action has been taken in Malaysia. Najib established the fund in 2009 to promote economic development in Malaysia.

In July 2015, his name was tied to the scandal when reports emerged that nearly $700 million in 1MDB-linked money was deposited into his private bank accounts. The prime minister denied any wrongdoing, saying the money was a personal donation from Saudi Arabias royal family.

Sessions allegations

As he opened the three-day forum in Washington on recovering assets tied to corruption, Sessions pointed to huge amounts of 1MDB-tied money that were spent in the United States: $200 million (812 million ringgit) was spent on real estate in California and New York; $130 million (528 million ringgit) for artwork; $100 million (406 million ringgit) for a music company; and $265 million (1 billion ringgit) for a yacht.

The DOJ has filed a series of lawsuits, the most recent in June, seeking to seize assets valued at $1.7 billion (6.9 billion ringgit) and allegedly purchased with stolen funds.

In total, 1MDB officials allegedly laundered more than $4.5 billion (18.2 billion ringgit) in funds through a complex web of opaque transactions and fraudulent shell companies with bank accounts in countries ranging from Switzerland and Singapore to Luxembourg and the United States, Sessions said in prepared remarks. This is kleptocracy at its worst.

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice is working to provide justice to the victims of this alleged scheme, he said.

Malaysian investigation

Malaysian Attorney General Apandi Ali, who had cleared Najib of wrongdoing regarding 1MDB and noted that Najib was not named in DOJ lawsuits, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

However, the prime minister is a person referred to in the U.S. suits as Malaysian Official 1, according to a U.S. government source.

On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi issued a written statement that Malaysian police had resubmitted its 1MDB investigation report to the attorney general.

Police have carried out (additional) investigations as instructed by Apandi and have referred the investigation paper back to the Attorney General Chambers (AGC), he said. The police are awaiting further instructions from AGC.

Malaysian police have not assisted the U.S. investigation because it is not a criminal case.

Meanwhile, Malaysian electoral watchdog Bersih responded to Sessions comments.

Surprisingly, there is pin-drop silence by the prime minister, cabinet minister and the ministry of finance on the pointed allegations made by the U.S. attorney general.

We reiterate our call to all international communities to continue to support our effort on assets recovery of the stolen 1MDB funds and for it to be returned to what is rightfully the money of every Malaysian, Bersih said in a statement.

Hata Wahari and N. Nantha in Kuala Lumpur contributed to the report.
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters members display weapons for photographers at their camp in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, Feb. 10, 2011.

A faction of the Philippines largest Muslim rebel group killed at least two villagers and wounded seven others when they attacked a small military outpost in the southern Philippines over the weekend, police said Tuesday.

Officials said gunmen belonging to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) randomly opened fire at civilian houses using rifles and rocket-propelled grenades after attacking a military detachment in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao province, about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) south of Manila.

Senior Superintendent Agustin Tello, the local police chief, identified the slain civilians as Unti Kamana, 60, and his grandson, Mohammad. Among those wounded were four children, he said.

Theres an ongoing military operation right now. More than 30 families have fled because of the incident, Tello told BenarNews. He did not elaborate.

Abu Misri Mama, spokesman for the BIFF, confirmed the offensive, but denied his group was targeting civilians.

We only attack the military not civilians, Mama told BenarNews.

Military officials could not be reached for comment about whether soldiers were injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, town Mayor Marop Ampatuan denounced the attack.

I am appealing to the rebels to spare the civilians, Ampatuan told a local radio station.

Maj. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, chief of the Philippine Armys 6th Infantry Division, said the BIFFs latest attack was meant to avenge the deaths of more than 30 rebels killed in offensives two months ago.

The BIFF, with hundreds of fighters, split from the 10,000-member Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2008. In 2014, the larger rebel group signed a peace deal with Manila in exchange for expanded autonomy.

The BIFF had vowed to push with the separatist fight, attracting younger, more hardline members of the MILF. In June, gunmen stormed the village of Malagakit in nearby North Cotabato province and took more than 30 people, including school children, as hostages. The hostages were later released.

Red Cross airs concerns

As a result of the armed clashes in Maguindanao province, thousands of people have also been displaced from their homes, according to Tomoko Matsuzawa, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Matsuzawa told reporters on Monday that about 11,600 people have been deprived of basic daily necessities as the military is locked in battles with the BIFF and another group of IS-linked militants led by Abu Turaipe in five remote villages in Maguindanao.

He said ICRC was concerned for the residents who fled their homes to escape gun battles in the area.

While the attention over the recent months has been mostly focused on the Marawi conflict, several communities in Maguindanao have also been seriously affected by armed clashes, he said. We remain concerned about their plight as they have been displaced for more than three months.

The MILF, showing its sincerity in the peace talks, launched its own campaign against BIFF militants.

Officials said almost 50 people had been killed in fighting between the two sides since August this year.

Mark Navales in Cotabato City contributed to this report.
Philippine authorities Tuesday ordered French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi to stop selling and marketing its anti-dengue vaccine as well as recall stocks of the drug circulating nationwide, following the firms recent admission of potential risks to those taking it.



The move by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) followed a decision last week by the countrys health department to suspend a public school-based immunization program using the Dengvaxia vaccine, which was given to more than 740,000 children in and around Manila. The department halted the drive soon after Sanofi warned that people with no history of dengue infection could be exposed to health risks if given Dengvaxia.



In order to protect the general public, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) immediately directed Sanofi to suspend the sale/distribution/marketing of Dengvaxia and cause the withdrawal of Dengvaxia in the market pending compliance with the directives of the FDA, the FDA said in an advisory.



Food and drug officials also ordered Sanofi to launch a campaign to disseminate information about its flagship anti-dengue drug. They noted that the FDA was in close touch with the health department for any adverse events/reactions that may be reported by any of the schoolchildren who had been vaccinated since last year.



The Philippines was the first country in Asia to roll out the vaccine in a push to inoculate children against mosquito-borne dengue.



All drug establishments, including consumers and-non consumer users are enjoined to take part in the post marketing surveillance of Dengvaxia, the FDA said in its advisory, as it called on everyone to report any case in which the drug caused or contributed to death, serious injury or illness.



In a statement, Sanofi said it was notified of the governments directive, but insisted that the drug did not contain any viruses that can make people ill with dengue or severe dengue.



The firm said it had proposed a label update to Philippine regulators based on the new findings about the drug.



The proposed label update suggested to include the new data findings and instructions to ensure that physicians can make appropriate vaccination decisions with their patients, Sanofi said, adding it was ready to work with the FDA on the issue.



If you have had no previous dengue infection before vaccination, the vaccine does not give you dengue, Sanofi said. It is estimated that only one in 800 of all dengue infections  including symptomless infections  could lead to a severe infection.







Investigation under way



On Tuesday, Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the Justice Department had opened an investigation into the governments purchase of Dengvaxia, which had been introduced earlier in Brazil, another country where dengue was endemic.



I think the investigation will benefit everyone including those that made the decision to purchase the medicine. If there are any irregularities, we will find out, Roque said, as he called on the public to remain calm.



Meanwhile, a group of demonstrators protested outside the Health Department, calling for a thorough investigation.



Lyndon Lee Suy, a spokesman for the department who is an expert on infectious disease, sought to assure the public that the probe would be transparent.



We have on hand right now, in our regional offices, all of the addresses of the children who were recipients of this vaccine. Were going to monitor them, Suy said.



Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever are acute viral infections known to affect infants, young children, and adults. It is transmitted by a bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito infected with any one of the four dengue strains.



The disease infects about 200,000 Filipinos every year.
New People's Army (NPA) rebels march at their encampment in the Sierra Madre Mountain southeast of Manila, Nov. 23, 2016.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday formally proclaimed the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New Peoples Army (NPA), as terrorist organizations, his spokesman said.

The designation means these groups will no longer be treated as political units but are fair game for arrest and prosecution, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said. The move followed Dutertes decision late last month to cancel peace talks with the communist rebels.

Its a proclamation declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army a designated, identified terrorist organization under Republic Act (RA) No. 10168, Roque told reporters at the Malacanang presidential palace.

A news release from the palace said the declaration would make it a criminal act to support and finance the groups.

In particular, it freezes and forfeits the property or funds of those designated terrorists or terrorist organizations, it said. This is done in order to prevent and suppress terrorist activities.

The order can go into effect only after a court approves it, Roque said.

7 guerrillas killed in south

Dutertes declaration came on the day that Philippine forces reported killing seven communist guerrillas and taking over a rebel camp following days of gun battles in Lake Sebu town, on the southern island of Mindanao.

Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, commander of local infantry battalion, said two soldiers were killed while 10 NPA guerrillas were captured since fighting broke out two days ago. On Monday, troops finally took over the rebel camp, he said.

It was an intense fight, Cabunoc told BenarNews.

The government earlier expressed reservations about placing the group on its terror watch list and has preferred to negotiate with the rebels to end their insurgency, which began in 1969, making the CPP-NPA rebellion one of the longest in Asia.

In 2002, the United States classified the CPP-NPA as terrorist groups, saying they were responsible for some of the most atrocious attacks on Filipino forces and communities.

The NPA, which has an estimated strength of about 5,000, claims to operate in 70 of the countrys 79 provinces. The Philippine military claims that communist guerrillas also have a working alliance with other rebel groups in the south, though it is extremely rare for the NPA to stage attacks backing up Muslim rebel groups.

Following his election last year, Duterte revived peace talks to end the Maoist-inspired conflict, which, according to the military, has claimed at least 30,000 lives. But he called off the negotiations on Nov. 22 after a rebel attack killed two civilians, including an infant girl, on southern Mindanao island.

I dont want to start a real violent war, but if the NPA, just like the terrorists, would do it, then we will grant them the favor, Duterte said last week, as he called on rebel leaders he had earlier set free to participate in suspended peace talks to give up or face punitive actions.

Earlier, Duterte told troops to shoot the rebels on sight, promising that he would protect soldiers from prosecution.

Shoot them! They will kill you anyway. If there is an armed NPA there or terrorist holding any firearms, shoot.  Ill answer for you, he said.

On Sunday, four police officers were wounded when about 100 NPA rebels briefly took over a remote town in the southern Philippines.

Last week, 15 NPA guerrillas were killed in a clash with troops and police outside Manila, including a guerrilla leader and a young woman who was later identified as a university activist who later joined the rebel ranks.

In Manila, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana welcomed the declaration, saying the military has long considered the CPP-NPA a blight to the Filipino people with its members also engaged in criminal activities.

The government has walked the extra mile to accommodate them by resuming the talks, Lorenzana said. But they have imposed unreasonable conditions and continued their criminal acts such as kidnappings, attacks on the military and the police, destruction of property and extortion.

He said the rebels were clearly in pursuit of their selfish agenda.

Henceforth, they will be called communist terrorists, Lorenzana said.

Jeoffrey Maitem in Cotabato contributed to this report.
For Immediate Release, December 5, 2017 Contact: Kristen Monsell, (914) 806-3467, kmonsell@biologicaldiversity.org Trump Administration Holds Largest-ever Oil-lease Sale in Alaska's Arctic Reserve Oil Industry Bids on 10.3 Million Acres to Be Opened Wednesday ANCHORAGE, Alaska Oil companies submitted lease bids on Monday for the largest oil-lease sale ever offered in Alaskas National Petroleum Reserve. Bids will be opened on Wednesday. The Trump administration offered all available land in the reserve: 900 tracts over 10.3 million acres in what is now an unspoiled wilderness teeming with caribou, grizzly bears and migratory birds. The reserve is the single-largest parcel of public land in the United States, and larger than 12 states. Trump is auctioning off our wildlife and a livable climate to the highest bidders. Its disgusting, said Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. North Alaska is the countrys last frontier, and hes letting the oil industry suck the life out of it. Last years lease sale of lands in the reserve, held the month after Trump was elected president, was the largest in more than a decade, with 457,648 acres going for $18.8 million. The bids were larger than officials or analysts had expected, partly driven by hopes Trump would expedite oil production. Trump has abandoned the countrys commitment to work with other nations to address climate change, gutted environmental regulations, and called for the vast expansion of offshore oil drilling. In October his Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the largest fossil fuel lease offering in U.S. history: 76.9 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico, scheduled to be auctioned off in March 2018. Future generations will see this as a pivotal moment in human history. We can either let greed, ignorance and short-term thinking doom our grandchildren to climate chaos or we can fight back and try to protect these wild places and avert disaster, Monsell said. That choice is ours, but its a choice we need to act on quickly. The state of Alaska is also offering leases in the Beaufort Sea, home to polar bears and bowhead whales, and the North Slope this week. The state lease bids are scheduled to be opened Wednesday at 9 a.m. and the federal bids at 1 p.m., both in downtown Anchorage.


For Immediate Release, December 4, 2017

Contacts: Zoe Woodcraft, EarthJustice, (415) 217-2071, (818) 606-7509, zwoodcraft@earthjustice.org

Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, (801) 300-2414, tmckinnon@biologicaldiversity.org

Lawsuit Targets Trump's Slashing of Protections at Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante

WASHINGTON Hours after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation taking an axe to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, conservation organizations today filed a lawsuit attacking the order as an abuse of the presidents power. Earthjustice is representing eight organizations in a suit charging that the president violated the 1906 Antiquities Act by stripping monument protections from this national treasure: The Wilderness Society, the Grand Canyon Trust, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians and Western Watersheds Project. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Natural Resources Defense Council are co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit and represented by in-house counsel.

President Trump has perpetrated a terrible violation of Americas public lands and heritage by going after this dinosaur treasure trove, said Heidi McIntosh, managing attorney in Earthjustices Rocky Mountains office. While past presidents have used the Antiquities Act to protect unique lands and cultural sites in America, Trump is instead mangling the law, opening this national monument to coal mining instead of protecting its scientific, historic, and wild heritage. We will not let this stand. We will use the power of the law to stop Trumps illegal actions.

The Grand Staircase-Escalante contains dinosaur fossils found nowhere else in the world. Since its designation, 21 new dinosaur species have been unearthed by scientists in the monument, leading some to call these lands a Dinosaur Shangri-la, and a geologic wonderland. Grand Staircase holds one of the richest collections of fossils from the Late Cretaceous Period, which gives scientists and the public alike an unparalleled window into the dinosaurs that lived in these lands tens of millions years ago. In mid-October, scientists airlifted one of the most complete tyrannosaur skeletons ever found out of Grand Staircase. These fossils are largely found in the Kaiparowits Plateau, where the coal industry has long coveted access for coal mining that would wreak havoc on this dinosaur treasure trove that belongs to the American people.

Im a resident of Kanab, and there are a lot of local businesses that are completely dependent on tourism related to Grand Staircase-Escalante, said Laura Welp of Western Watersheds Project, and a former BLM botanist at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The entire staircase of spectacular geological layers, with its world-class fossil resources, deserves to be protected intact from the threat of coal mining and other types of commercial exploitation.

President Trumps executive order to revoke and replace Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument came on the heels of a review conducted by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Over 2.7 million Americans voiced their support for national monuments across the country, and public participation in the comment period was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping these public lands and waters protected just as they are.

President Trump is attempting an unauthorized remodel of the Grand Staircase, knocking out not only geologic steps but cornerstones of the evolution of species, human history, and our cultural heritage as well, said Tim Peterson, Utah Wildlands program director with the Grand Canyon Trust. We've spent 20 years working to preserve Grand Staircase, and now we're asking the courts to help us reconstruct what was torn down today.

The Trump administration's effort to sell out our public lands is deeply unpopular and goes against American values, said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. We will work to ensure our lands and waters remain open to the public and protected for future generations to explore and enjoy.

For more than two decades, through Democratic and Republican Administrations alike, we have worked with the BLM, paleontologists, local landowners, ranchers and business owners to ensure the monuments resources are protected," said Nada Culver, senior counsel for The Wilderness Society. This unlawful, short-sighted action by President Trump is an affront to that collaborative work happening and to the benefits the monument provides to research, the local economy, and all Americans.

Despite the call for public comments, Trump never cared that we, the public, wanted him to keep his hands off our monuments, said Chris Krupp, public earth guardian at WildEarth Guardians. Hes not concerned with those of us that camp, hike, fish and hunt. Hed rather give another handout to oil, gas and coal companies.

President Bill Clinton protected the lands of Grand Staircase as a national monument on Sept. 18, 1996 using the Antiquities Act, a century-old law that has been used by 16 presidents since Theodore Roosevelt to protect some of our nations most cherished landscapes and cultural heritage. Congress enacted the law in 1906, granting presidents the authority to create national monuments on federal lands to protect significant natural, cultural, historic or scientific features. The Antiquities Act does not, however, grant presidents the authority to diminish or rescind the monument designations of their predecessors.

Grand Staircase is a cradle of biodiversity and losing even an acre would be a crime, said Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity. Scientists have identified nearly four dozen new species of bees here. We must protect this monuments wildlife, stunning landscapes and cultural treasures for future generations. Trump and the fossil-fuel industry have picked the wrong battle.

If the Trump administration thinks Grand Staircase-Escalante can be sold out without a fight, theyre in for a huge surprise, said Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. Well be seeing them in court.

The Trump administration has ignored overwhelming support for the monument. It's a punch in the face to local businesses who support it, and all of us who treasure it, said Shelley Silbert, executive director of Great Old Broads for Wilderness. Our organization got its start in the Escalante Canyons nearly three decades ago and weve worked tirelessly for proper management of the national monument since its designation. We will fight this illegal action to take any portion of this monument away from the American people.

Americans from across the nation should be outraged by President Trumps unlawful attempt to eviscerate the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, one of our country's wildest and most scientifically significant federal public landscapes, said Stephen Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Utah's largest conservation organization. No one will look back on this decision in 15, 25 or 50 years and say Trump did the right thing by protecting less of this magnificent place. And by promoting this illegal act, Utah's parochial congressional delegation and local politicians have firmly come down on the wrong side of history.

After President Clinton designated Grand Staircase, an intricate land swap between the state and federal government was completed. Congress passed legislation modifying the monuments boundaries in 1998 and then approved a land swap in which the state of Utah received 145,000 acres of mineral-rich federal lands and $50 million from the federal treasury. That $50 million has since gone to support Utahs public schools, and the swap would be incredibly difficult to unravel. The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration established the Land Exchange Distribution Account to dole out the proceeds from these state-federal trades. At least 27 Utah counties have since received a total of $441 million.

Grand Staircase-Escalante has proven a tourism and economic boon for Southern Utah since its designation. Between 2001 and 2015, the population in the two counties bordering Grand Staircase grew by 13 percent, jobs increased 24 percent and real personal income grew 32 percent. Travel and tourism boomed in the region, offering 1,630 jobs around Grand Staircase. In the big picture, recreation from adventure-seekers, hikers, amateur geologists and families simply getting outdoors now funnels more than $12 billion into Utahs economy.

Resources for reporters:

Read the legal document for our lawsuit filed with the United States District Court in Washington, D.C.

Earthjustice materials: Utah may be trading a dinosaur wonder for a coal mine and Trading fossils for fossil fuels at Grand Staircase-Escalante video

Headwaters Economics: Summary of the local economic benefits of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and economic report The Value of Public Lands

New York Times: Utahs Grand Staircase Leads Back in Time to Dinosaur Shangri-La

More on the Antiquities Act:

When President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law in 1906, he established a legal framework for the protection of national treasures. The law gives presidents the power to designate monuments on federal lands and waters  an authority granted by Congress that has for more than a century protected landscapes of extraordinary cultural, scientific and ecological value.

The Antiquities Act has been used more than 150 times by presidents of both parties.

Every president since 1906  with the exception of Presidents Nixon, Reagan and George H.W. Bushhas used the Antiquities Act to protect iconic places. The law has also been used to protect cultural heritage sites  from Stonewall to Birmingham to Cesar Chavezs family homethat tell the more complete story of our nation.

The Congressional Research Service has found that the Antiquities Act does not authorize the President to repeal national monument designations. Only Congress has that authority. Numerous legal scholars have reached the same conclusion.

Read about the Center for Biological Diversity's numerous other lawsuits against the Trump administration.
For Immediate Release, December 4, 2017 Contact: Jared Margolis, (802) 310-4054, jmargolis@biologicaldiversity.org

Gabby Brown, (202) 495-3051, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org

Jake Thompson, (202) 289-2387, jthompson@nrdc.org

Mark Hefflinger, (323) 972-5192, mark@boldalliance.org Groups Call on Trump Administration to Evaluate New Keystone XL Route Pipeline Route Approved in Nebraska Poses New Risks to Wildlife, Requires Legal Review WASHINGTON Environmental groups filed letters today urging the Trump administration to analyze the environmental impacts of the approved route for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The groups  including the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, Bold Alliance, Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council  sued the Trump administration in federal district court in Montana over its approval of the pipeline. Last month the court allowed the lawsuit to proceed, rejecting the governments attempt to have it dismissed. Last month the Nebraska Public Service Commission rejected TransCanadas preferred route for the pipeline, which the Trump administration approved in March, and instead approved a different route through the state. This new route has not been analyzed by federal agencies. The new route would pose a significant threat to endangered species, including the pallid sturgeon, as well as protected birds like whooping cranes, piping plovers and interior least terns. Under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Department of State and Fish and Wildlife Service are required to assess the pipelines new route for its impacts on these endangered species. The National Environmental Policy Act also requires the State Department to prepare a supplemental environmental review that evaluates the broader environmental impacts of the new route. The request for a supplemental environmental impact statement can be found here. The request for Endangered Species Act consultation is here. The new route for this disastrous pipeline puts more species at risk and would be just as bad if not worse for people, wildlife and our climate, said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. Every way you look at it, Keystone XL is still an environmental nightmare waiting to happen.



It was already clear that the State Departments approval of Keystone XL was based on a completely insufficient environmental review. Now the administration has no choice but to update its assessment to reflect the pipelines current proposed route, said Sierra Club Senior Attorney Doug Hayes. Keystone XL would threaten land, water, wildlife, and communities along its route. This administration cannot just ignore the law and refuse to assess these risks. The Trump administrations approval of Keystone XL was already illegal and is even more so now, said NRDC Senior Attorney Jackie Prange. The law is clear that the pipeline cannot be built along an entirely new route without further environmental review. That review will certainly reaffirm that this dirty tar sands pipeline threatens our land, water and climate, and should never be built.  The Public Service Commissions alternative route for Keystone XL introduces major changes that require federal environmental review  land in five new counties never examined, additional water crossings, and even more endangered species now threatened, said Hannah Adams, deputy director of Bold Alliance. Not to mention the federal review must now consider TransCanadas enormous recent spill caused by shoddy construction on its original Keystone Pipeline, and the dozens of Nebraska landowners who are now hearing for the first time that TransCanada wants to take their land for a tar sands export pipeline, and who never had a chance to speak out with their concerns at any point during the State Departments review. Those that live and work along the Keystone XL pipelines new route have been put in harms way by this dirty pipeline proposal, said Marcie Keever, legal director at Friends of the Earth. Just last month, TransCanada spilled 210,000 gallons of oil from one of the Keystone pipeline just north of the new route. We will not stand by and allow oil and gas companies to ruin our climate and pollute our land, water and sacred cultural sites.
For Immediate Release, December 5, 2017 Contact: Tierra Curry, (928) 522-3681, tcurry@biologicaldiversity.org Trump Administration Condemns Mojave Desert Snail to Extinction Rare Snail Unique to California's Kern County Threatened by Mining BAKERSFIELD, Calif. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied protection today to an imperiled Kern County snail under the Endangered Species Act, despite attempts by the Center for Biological Diversity to secure safeguards for the small animal. The Center filed a petition seeking emergency protection for the Mohave shoulderband snail in 2014 because the snails habitat is being destroyed by the Golden Queen open-pit gold mine on Soledad Mountain southeast of Bakersfield. The failure to protect this clearly endangered snail is a completely bogus decision that is typical of the Trump administrations war on science and endangered species, said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center. The Mohave shoulderband is an approximately half-inch-tall, terrestrial snail with a light brown, spiraling shell thats pale pink underneath. The snails entire global range is less than eight square miles on Soledad Mountain and two nearby peaks, Middle Butte and Standard Hill. The mine will destroy a large portion of its habitat on Soledad Mountain, while most of its remaining habitat is threatened by additional mining claims. There are no mechanisms in place that provide the imperiled mollusk with any protection whatsoever. The job of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to protect endangered wildlife, including humble but incredibly important tiny animals like snails. But under Trump, instead of protecting wildlife the agency is catering to industry interests, said Curry. Earlier this year the Trump administration denied protection to 29 other clearly threatened species from across the country, including Pacific walrus, Florida Keys mole skinks, Bicknells thrushes, Northern Rocky Mountains fishers and bridled darters. Along with the snail, Trumps administration denied three other species protection today, including white-tailed prairie dogs, Woodville Karst Cave crayfishes and blackfin suckers. Condemning the Mohave shoulderband snail and dozens of other species to extinction is a tragedy of epic proportions, said Curry. The snail and these other species could be saved with just a little bit of care on our part. Snails fill an important role in the environment because they decompose leaves and other dead vegetation, recycle nutrients, build soils and provide food and calcium for birds, reptiles, small mammals and other invertebrates. They also help disperse seeds and fungi. Empty snail shells are used as shelters and egg-laying sites by insects and other arthropods, while broken-down shells return calcium to the soil. In fact, snail shells are the primary calcium source for the eggs of some bird species. On a global scale, mollusks are one of the most imperiled groups of animals because they are particularly vulnerable to changes in the environment brought about by humans.
For Immediate Release, December 5, 2017

Contact: Jaclyn Lopez, (727) 490-9190, jlopez@biologicaldiversity.org

Trump Administration Denies Protection to Imperiled Florida Crayfish

PANAMA CITY, Fla. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today denied Endangered Species Act protection to the imperiled Woodville Karst cave crayfish, a tiny cave-dwelling resident of Leon and Wakulla counties.

The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned for protection of the pinkish-orange crayfish in 2010, but the agency issued a final decision today refusing to protect the 1-inch crustacean, which is threatened by groundwater depletion, pollution and sea-level rise.

The Trump administration keeps sticking its head in the sand when it comes to protecting endangered species, along with the rest of us, from sea-level rise, said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

In contrast with todays denial of protection, independent scientific organizations consider the crayfish to be at risk of extinction. The American Fisheries Society ranks it as a threatened species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature recently downgraded its status from vulnerable to endangered.

The crayfish has an extremely limited distribution. It exists in only 18 known sites, all of which are connected and in an area of less than 100 square miles in the Woodville Karst Plain of the Upper Floridan Aquifer. The aquifer is threatened by pollution and water withdrawals as well as by saltwater intrusion from rising sea levels.

Earlier this year the Trump administration denied protection for 29 other clearly threatened species from across the country including the Pacific walrus, Florida Keys mole skink, Bicknells thrush, Northern Rocky Mountains fisher and bridled darter. In addition to the crayfish, the Trump administration denied three other species protection today, including the white-tailed prairie dog, Mohave shoulderband snail and blackfin sucker.

The Trump administrations hostility to wildlife, from crayfish to walruses, threatens the precious natural heritage of our country, said Lopez.
Taking the success of its One Source campaign one step further, Absolut Vodka has launched a festival of African creativity in 2018 with its agency Native VML.

The concept will be called One Source Live  A festival of African creativity, taking place on 24 March 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The campaign kicked off with a four minute launch film called Africa On Fire, directed by Sunu Gonera from Egg films. Some of the embedded messages are: This is a revolution. Creativity is our weapon. Change how the world sees Africa.

Africa is in the midst of a creative revolution. A new breed of artists, musicians, and fashion designers are changing the way the world perceives Africa. Absolut has always been a torchbearer for Africas creative revolution and will celebrate the continents creative pioneers by portraying them as the superheroes they are and inviting the audience to join them in rewriting Africas story, said Ryan McManus, Native VML executive creative director.

Three years ago Absolut Vodka and Native VML partnered with Khuli Chana to create a campaign titled Africa is Absolut, in which Absolut acknowledged Africas Creative Revolution, telling Khulis story of originality and authenticity.

A year later the brand continued the partnership with Khuli Chana and launched One Source  an African Musical Collaboration, which birthed a music video, title track, and album that became a war-cry for the continents creative revolution.

African art intervention

This year Absolut is looking to ignite and unleash African Creativity onto the global stage and thereby have a significant impact on the creative economy through:

An African Art Intervention that will give Africas incredible art its rightful place in search results.

A festival of African Creativity, featuring Africas most groundbreaking talents in music, fashion and art.

One Source LIVE will feature five artists who challenge the norm and are creatively changing the way the world sees Africa. Depicted as mythical characters, the campaign portrays the creative revolutionaries as the superheroes they are  with their art form as the superpower.

Khuli Chana is The Dragon: His voice is his super-power. He breathes fire when he speaks, and calls the world to arms.

Sho Madjozi is The Rain Queen: With her powerful words, Sho summons the weather and rains that enrich the earth.

Trevor Stuurman is The Explorer: The Explorer has the power to reveal true character. He sees more than meets the eye.

Fabrice Monteiro is The Iron Warrior: He can transform matter into art with a simple gesture of his hands.

Osborne Macharia is The Eye: He has the power to immortalise lifes most meaningful and important moments.

Absolut has a long history in supporting artists dating back to its incredible partnership with Andy Warhol in 1985 and since then the brand has collaborated with over 550 artists worldwide. We felt that African artists are underrepresented in a global context, and with this movie we want to champion the activities and creations of the most exciting creative visionaries of the African continent , concluded Iris LeBerg, marketing manager of Absolut.
The International Trade Centre (ITC), has joined forces with the Africa Trade and Investment Global Summit (ATIGS), to advance the event goals and objectives for the 2018 event and beyond.

GAA Exhibitions & Conferences, organisers of ATIGS 2018 announced that ATIGS 2018 will be held under the main theme Driving Trade, Unleashing Investment and Enhancing Economic Development: the Gateway to African Markets; and that ATIGS 2018 goals and objectives are aligned with two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDGs 8 and 17.

The vision of ATIGS is built on the model of rotating the location of the summit every two years through a bidding process and organising country specific ATIGS in between, with upcoming editions in: Washington D.C - 2018, Dubai-2020; Beijing -2022; Brussels-2024, Addis Ababa -2026; and, South America-2028. Several high-level speakers have already confirmed to grace ATIGS 2018 from South Africa, Ghana, USA, Nigeria, UAE, Australia, China, and Kenya among others.

The Preliminary Featured Sessions will include: Africa and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; AU Agenda 2063: The Africa Future We Want; Stepping Up the Pace: African Development Bank High 5; African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA); Doing Business in Africa tracks; Investing in Africa tracks; and investor talks, public private partnership, Government keynotes, regional focus discussions, countries focus briefings; and Industrialise Africa tracks, among others.

"ATIGS 2018 is designed to contribute to AGOA, Trade Africa, World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), SDGs Agenda 2030 and AU Agenda 2063, by playing an important contribution in enabling companies all around the world and global investors to access African markets as a one-stop shop facilitating international trade and investment partners to support all internationally agreed sustainable development goals and objectives," said Bako Ambianda, director GAA Exhibitions & Conferences.

ATIGS 2018, will bring together new and established partners from around the world under one roof in to increase business ties and partnerships, highlight and showcase trade and investment opportunities across Africa and enable companies from around the world to expand or establish operations in Africa.
Reaching The 77 percent - Deutsche Welle launches new debate platform for young Africans to encourage conversations around politics and other issues that concern the youth of Africa.

Deutsche Welle kicked off the new debate platform on December 4, 2017, launching The 77 percent. The multimedia project for young people in Africa will be presented in six languages and links social media content with radio talkshows and townhall debates in various African cities. This will include a new TV format called The 77 percent on Tour, presented by DW-TV host Edith Kimani.

According to a World Bank report, 77% of the people in Sub-Saharan Africa are younger than 35 years old. By 2050, around 1.8 billion young Africans will be attending school, studying and looking for jobs. These young people are connecting with each other on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram.

They are also recognising that while they make up three quarters of the population of the African continent, their voices are not always heard. Politicians, they believe, do not take them seriously.

This is driving many young people to set off on a perilous journey north to try and reach Europe. DW has been documenting the journeys these young people are undertaking as well as their hopes and dreams.

The 77 percent will serve as an established, go-to platform, said Claus Stacker, head of Africa programming at DW. Over the last 13 months, DW, in cooperation with African broadcasting partners, has held townhall debates on the subject of migration in Abidjan, Accra, Bamako, Banjul, Conakry, Dakar, Jos and Niamey.

The response from both the public and the media was enormous, as was the desire from young people for more information and dialogue. We want to continue that conversation, said Stacker.

Edith Kimani is currently reporting on the situation of young people in Ghana and her home country of Kenya. The DW journalist and presenter is a huge supporter of the new project.

Until now, Africa hardly seemed to understand itself. But thanks to social media, more and more people are coming together. This expedition across my home continent is truly special for me. I feel at home here, not only in Kenya. I realise what it means to be young, proud and African, said Kimani.

77% of the people in Sub-Saharan Africa are younger than 35 years old. By 2050, around 1.8 billion young Africans will be attending school, studying and looking for jobs.

The project, funded by Germany's Foreign Office, will be presented in six different languages  Amharic, English, French, Hausa, Kiswahili and Portuguese - and will confront the current political situation in Africa.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe recently left office at the age of 93 and his successor is 75. The average age of African leaders who attended the recent AU/EU summit was 78, many of whom have been in power for decades. Do they adequately represent African youth?

Over just a few days, DW received more than 3,000 comments, many of them were complaints.

Here, young people can't even speak their mind. When they take to the streets they risk being arrested or killed, Meseret from Ethiopia wrote.

They can't represent us, something which is shown through their corruption, theft, hiding their money and riches in Europe and these undignified contracts with the west  totally dishonest, said Richard Yehouenou from Benin.

While some provided constructive arguments that good representation is not a question of age, others called for revolution. Pinchers Badu from Ghana said that young people need to fight for our rights instead of emigrating like cowards and taking on odd jobs or working like slaves. It's now or never!

Embedded in the project is the social media format WhatElse? The show focuses on the African topics that do not make it into global headlines. Edith Kimani will discuss these issues with young Africans in their home countries.

These reactions show why the young generations are demanding ever stronger future prospects from their leaders and hoping for support from the West, said Stacker.

DW is seeking to inform and assist users while also being conversational. Users determine the content, whether it be tips for a job hunt or for establishing your own business, revealing cool ideas from other countries while asking tough political questions. A weekly radio broadcast, 77 pourcent  nous les jeunes dAfrique, is already being broadcast in Francophone Africa. The English version will premiere in January.

We want to listen to Africa's young majority and give the people a platform for debate, Stacker said.

People from all over Africa have been following DW for the last five decades. And now up to 40 million Africans tune into at least one DW program weekly and four million follow DW on Facebook.
If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone use the words innovation or disruption in a boardroom or conference venue in the last ten years, I'd have 0.892 bitcoin. Sadly, there is an inverse correlation between the number of people who talk about innovation and disruption, and the number of people who actually innovate and disrupt.

All the BCX Disrupt speakers. Images from BCXDisrupt.com

They are also words that are conspicuously absent from the set of adjectives Id use to describe South Africas corporate giants. In those organisations they appear to be, at best, words used by consultants, experts and gurus in an attempt to leverage fear and paranoia to bill hours at a premium.

I can only imagine, then, how intimidating the task of hosting a disruption-themed conference must be, when you are a business the size and scope of BCX. Its one thing putting together an interesting line-up of speakers and a swanky venue. Its another completely grafting your brand to the promise of disruption. Its more than a tagline. Its more than a PR stunt. Its a statement of intent.

So how do you make such a conference relevant and memorable in a world where the political, social and technological landscape changes on daily, if not hourly, basis? This was the question on my mind while I took my (rather plush) seat, front and centre, just before the start of the 2017 #BCXDisrupt Summit. I had no doubt the big names on the bill (none other than Malcolm Gladwell and Will.i.am) would deliver, but I was curious as to whether the supporting acts could deliver on BCXs promise that youll never think the same again.

Man, was I pleasantly surprised.

While Im sure everyone in the auditorium took something different from the experience, mine was a stark reminder that technology is just a tiny part of the conversation around innovation and disruption. Reinventing capitalism is innovative. Redefining profit is disruptive. Solving problems that make a million people smarter as opposed to ten people richer is innovative.

Sipho Maseko, CEO of BCX parent company Telkom, who 702 recently dubbed the saviour of Telkom set the scene with a talk that revolved around the continental contrast  Africas rife economic and social inequality  and how technology should be a catalyst for equalising society. It was his address that laid the foundation for the theme of lateral thinking around disruption and innovation, a theme embodied in his things do not have to be the way they are mantra. More importantly, I believed he meant it.

Senegalese businesswoman, blogger, technologist and social entrepreneur Marieme Jamme then took the stage and shook the room with the story behind her African-led global movement called Iamthecode, which has at its heart the mission of building a generation of 1 million women and girl coders by 2030.

Jane McGonigal, University of Berkley PhD, NY Times bestselling author and world-renowned game designer, gave us a scientific introduction to the case for video games as a platform for uniting and transforming society with this bombshell: The opposite of play isnt work  its depression. Jane is a remarkable communicator  can watch her speaking at TED here.

Global senior director of social media and video at Lego (hows that for a job title), Lars Silberbauer, talked us through Legos remarkable social media success, highlighting some of the mechanics he and his team use to achieve Legos status as the worlds most engaged brand on social platforms. He dropped a few gems, including one that Ill definitely be stealing and using at Cerebra: Dont create a campaign, create a stage.

My good friend Richard Mulholland then took the stage, and in true Rich fashion, blew us all away by carpet-bombing us with truth missiles. I have seen Richard speak hundreds of times, but this was without a doubt one of his finest moments. Richard challenged our assumptions about futurism, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the notion of there being nothing artificial about Artificial Intelligence. I realised mid-way through his talk that I hadnt taken enough notes, but only because I was so mesmerised by the content and delivery. If you want to see more of Rich, sign up for his newsletter or check out his channel on YouTube. Its gold.

My personal highlight for the day was Rapelang Rabana. Rapelang and I have crossed paths before during her journey with Yeigo, and I was thrilled to see her dominate the stage at #BCXDisrupt. Her ability to combine the complex worlds of business, politics and society with unmatched levels of clarity and poignancy is seldom seen or heard in corporate South Africa. Some of her pearls:

We only win when everyone we touch along the way wins with us. The world needs to see profit differently. Sustainable profit and impact is a byproduct of the right combination of innovation, shared value, and great execution. The world doesnt mind you winning as long as youre not the only one who does.

Rapelang tied a neat bow on Siphos original message that we can build businesses that make money and do good, and that these concepts are not mutually exclusive. She also dominated the panel discussion (despite being flanked by none other than Malcolm Gladwell and will.i.am), dropping a soundbite that reminded us all of our context, and the priorities we should hold closest to our hearts, when she said that

I did not envy Ian Russell, the dynamic CEO of BCX, who was expected to close off the afternoon following a lengthy panel discussion  a bit of a hospital pass! But Ian did an exceptional job of putting BCXs promises into practice, mentioning a range of initiatives and commitments the business is making to transform business and society through sustainable and meaningful technology solutions.

BCX also pulled a classic Kansas City Shuffle when Ian announced that Rapelang would be joining the team as chief digital officer  a massive coup for the organisation. I am genuinely excited to see what Ian and Rapelang, as spearheads of the organisation, could mean for the role of BCX in the market in future.

All in all, BCX Disrupt was a valuable and insightful experience. Im incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have attended the event, and look forward to future iterations.
Mountain Zebra National Park (MZNP) in the Eastern Cape celebrated ten years since the reintroduction of cheetahs in 2007 - after being absent from the plains of the Karoo for 130 years - on International Cheetah Day.

Image Supplied

The park has enjoyed a number of successes with cheetah since the arrival of two male and two female cheetahs a decade ago  most notably that has been instrumental in contributing towards national initiatives to conserve the species through working with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT).

It is South African National Parks policy to reintroduce wildlife species which would have occurred in an area before hunting or habitat loss forced them to local extinction in earlier centuries, says head of corporate communications, Janine Raftopoulos.

Contributing to EWTs Cheetah Metapopulation Project

Since their introduction, the parks cheetah population thrived with the birth of 29 cubs within the first five years. To curb them from interbreeding, the animals are regularly relocated to a number of different reserves throughout South Africa  contributing significantly to the EWTs Cheetah Metapopulation Project.

This project ensures adequate genetic viability and contributes towards national initiatives to conserve the species, and entails the management of over 300 cheetahs on more than 50 small fenced reserves throughout South Africa, continues Raftopoulos.

Image Supplied

Only a few cheetah can be sustained at any given time  dependent on the prey populations in the park. Depending on these numbers, animals may have to be moved to or from other reserves. SANParks manages all predators in terms of social units and by mimicking natural processes.

Cheetah tracking

There are currently six cheetahs in the park, of which two are collared. These are the cheetah guests can encounter should they participate in the cheetah tracking activity, which MZNP is renowned for. The tracking involves guests going out in a game drive vehicle with a trained guide who then tries to pick up the signal on his telemetry device which is emitted from the collars of the animals. Cheetah tracking also includes a game drive where guides showcase the natural flora and fauna in the park.
ECOWAS countries have been tasked to enforce gender-friendly and inclusive agriculture laws to increase production and value chain in order to meet up with Africa's Zero Hunger target by the year 2025.

The reiteration came at the ECOWAS Parliament joint programme with Oxfam and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) aimed at promoting gender equality in agricultural land investments in Africa.

There is no choice but to invest in women

The two-day conference deliberated on issues of the inability of women to own land. Participants revealed that women account for about 60 to 80% of smallholder farmers, and make up the largest percentage of the workforce in the agricultural sector. The event further addressed the inadequately enforced policies that displace not only women but small-scale farmers by multi-agricultural investors.

Speaking at the programme, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) official, Tacko Ndiaye, said data indicate less than 10% of women in some West African are landowners.

Ndiaye, who is the senior officer for gender, equality and rural development at FAO, said ECOWAS must invest in women to increase their productive potentials. She continued: "A 2013 survey by the Gambian Ministry of Agriculture revealed that 90% of rice producers and rice field managers are women. There is no choice but to invest in women."

Beyond gender-friendly policies, Ndiaye recommended the region's investment in agriculture be capacity driven.

Small-scale farmers should be promoted and protected

Oxfam West African Regional Director, Adama Coulibaly, emphasised the importance of gender equality and the protection of smallholder farmers in the region. He notes that with Africa's vast arable land attracting investors, rural farmers lose out to agricultural investors who buy up land in the rural areas. "80% of people in agriculture here in Africa are smallholders. Our governments need to have well-balanced policies so that when investors invest in large-scale agriculture the rights of small-scale farmers should be promoted and protected. If not, we will end up creating more vulnerabilities," Coulibaly warned.

Agriculture and investment advisor at IISD, Carin Smaller, highlighted the need to ensure gender-friendly agricultural programmes are carried out at the time and place that maximises the potentials for women's participation.

To tackle legal obstacles to land rights in West Africa, Smaller said IISD in collaboration with governments, national parliaments and the ECOWAS Parliament work to change laws and policies towards the achievement of the SDGs. "We are very active with parliamentarians to see what roles they can play either at the legislative level by bringing new laws into force or at an oversight level, by making sure that laws being put into place by the government are respected and enforced. Further, that their constituencies know about what is happening, and can apply these new laws and regulations," concluded Smaller.
CEO of Steyn City Properties Giuseppe Plumari was recently named Business Person of the Year at this year's Nedbank Business Excellence Awards. Now in its 18th year, the gala dinner was hosted by the Italian-South Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industries. The charity event was a celebration of all things Italian, from cuisine to people and enterprises that are making their mark on the South African business landscape.

Giuseppe Plumari, CEO, Steyn City Properties (centre)

A new member of our chamber, Mr Plumari was nominated for the award by one of our board members, and won in recognition of the rapid and widely known success of Steyn City and his emphasis on creating employment for South Africans, said Dylan Stewart of the Italian-South Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

Stewart mentioned that Plumaris origins had also been taken into account: born in Milan as one of six children, Plumaris family moved to South Africa in 1966, when he was a young boy. His career in construction started out with some small projects, focusing on alterations. He later moved onto larger projects, and began buying tracts of land which he (correctly) predicted would become future nodes. Steyn City, which he developed with his long-time friend and collaborator Douw Steyn, has been built on one such corridor.

Essential qualities

According to Stewart, Plumaris story displays all the qualities essential to winners of the Business Person of the Year Award: In considering our winners, we look at their personal stories, the turnover and recent growth of their companies, public awareness of the company and the candidates integrity. The entrepreneur must be of Italian origin, and they need to have conducted themselves in a way that enhances the image of the Italian-South African community or facilitates trades between the two countries.

In winning this award, Plumari joins the ranks of former winners like Mark Lamberti of Massmart Holdings, Domenico Cioffi of Mimmos and Italtiles Giovanni Ravazzotti. Other accolades bestowed at the ceremony include the Business Enterprise of the Year, Lifetime Recognition Award and the Young Entrepreneur Award.

It is indeed an honour to win this award. I am proud to have been selected as an ambassador of my birth country, and equally proud of the recognition of my efforts at contributing to South African society, the economy and our vision for creating a lifestyle like none other, Steyn City, Plumari said.
The call for private sector investment in the water sector does not mean the government has changed its policy, Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane told the Water Infrastructure Investment Summit in Sandton, on Tuesday, 5 December.

The summit was the first such conference calling for investment in water and sanitation infrastructure, showcasing opportunities in bulk water supply and municipal reticulation.

Mokonyane said the summit was not a call for new policy, but an effort to turn policy into action. "Lets not reinvent the wheel," she said.

The minister committed her department to restoring the operational integrity of dysfunctional water supply and sanitation, and to provide capacity support to municipalities.

In November, the Department of Water and Sanitation issued warnings to about 30 municipalities that their water supply would be cut off unless they paid their arrears accounts. Local authorities owe the department about R10bn.

The department estimated the investment gap over 10 years would vary from about R330bn considering only new infrastructure, to up to R1tn if all infrastructure maintenance, upgrades and planned initiatives were considered.

"But," said Mokonyane, "there is no new money in the fiscus, [which] means we must introduce a new paradigm of public-private partnerships. The assumption that funding becomes available only through the fiscus must change."

She acknowledged that the government needed to create an enabling environment for investment and that the cost of doing business with the government had to be tackled. She also criticised aspects of the tender system as costly and cumbersome, and emphasised the need to embrace newcomers in the water sector.

Snowy Khoza, the executive chairperson of infrastructure management company Bigen Africa, said SAs home-grown solution in project funding was the special purpose vehicle developed by the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA), referring to the trans-border transfer scheme between SA, Lesotho, Namibia and Botswana.

She said money was available, but that the biggest challenge was that project preparation was not being done adequately. "Projects need to be bankable. We need to look at a facility in the Department of Water and Sanitation for project preparation. We do not have this capacity in the public sector.

Investment was not just about money, she said, but also finding the right skills for projects.

TCTA chairperson Zodwa Manase supported this point, saying that "the state simply does not have the skill to handle the kind of megaproject that the country needed", but that it was available in the private sector.

She said R27bn in projects were under way, which meant there was money available, and called on black-owned companies to participate in phase two of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and acid-mine drainage treatment projects, among others.

She also suggested that municipal capacity could be raised by tapping into engineering skills among retired people.

Mokonyane said the summit was the first in two-step approach and would be followed by a year-long investment stewardship initiative. The medium-term objective was to launch a water and sanitation infrastructure investment strategy by 2019.

Source: BDpro
South African computer programmer Dennis Bartlett says his decision to emigrate was a "no-brainer".

"In my field there are no jobs in South Africa .... The UK on the other hand had 11 possible positions, and I've been able to get British citizenship. It was a no-brainer," he said.

His sought-after skill is programming in older computer languages. And he has joined the ranks of what observers say is increased emigration.

FNB economist John Loos uses statistics, that include property sales in his emigration data. This shows that the number of people selling to emigrate is the highest since 2009.

At the start of 2014 about 2% of respondents were selling to emigrate. This rose to almost 5% in 2016 and peaked at 7.3% between July and September 2017, he said.

Younger people are also making inquiries. Marlene Prentice, principal owner of Migration Network Australia, said since January she had noticed a substantial increase in inquiries from "potential applicants aged 21 to 29" about moving to Australia.

She said from August to November there were 38% more inquiries about relocating compared with the same months in 2016. She said the number of people who inquired about emigrating to Australia but did not qualify had also increased.

Douglas van der Merwe of LCR Capital helps South Africans acquire a US visa that requires they invest almost R8-million in that country.

He said emigration applications to the US had risen in 2017 due to a push to acquire visas by 8 December, when new qualification requirements will be announced.

Van der Merwe said "crime" and the "political situation" were factors in people wanting to leave and inquiries outweighed the number of people who qualified to go.

Bartlett said his move had nothing to do with the perceived troubles in South Africa.

"My general rule of life is to never listen to the news .... As a result I was not affected by the general terror that encompasses all [people] in South Africa."

Source: The Times
Jochem Wijnands, Dutch founder and CEO of TRVL (it's pronounced as an acronym), explains the need for a 'build it yourself' mindset and putting user experience first when it comes to digital publishing.

I started TRVL in 2010. It was the first iPad-exclusive magazine in the world and it quickly became successful. However, the Adobe publishing software we had to use, because no other tools were around, truly sucked.

Jochem Wijnands, Dutch founder and CEO of TRVL. Image supplied.

Wijnands explains that there was no publishing software to publish directly to mobile at the time, so they decided to build it themselves.

This may seem an impossible task as they needed to factor in absolutely everything from design, to metrics, to monetising, to publishing, to text rendering, to file compression, but it took them just a year before Prss was born. When it was ready, they decided to turn Prss into a platform, which took another year, and in 2014 was acquired by Apple.

As a result, Wijnands says the full team moved to Cupertino where they built Apple News, which shipped in the summer of 2015. When he came back from Apple, Wijnands realised that publishers need an abrupt 180-degree shift of focus from the monetising eyeballs mantra to one of adding value for users, as thats the only truly sustainable business model.

Digital publishing lessons to diarise

Sharing what hes learned about digital publishing along the way, Wijnands points out the obvious: Most online content is consumed through our smart phones, and this is only increasing year over year. Thats why being platform- and channel agnostic is the first step, and to try to reach people where they like to hang out: Thats probably Facebook and Pinterest, not your app or your home page. So you need to optimise for each channel.

TRVL mobile search. Image supplied.

As a consequence, Wijnands says publishers should think of themselves as media companies. He speaks from experience in pointing out that Apple News and other apps are proving its the aggregators that get most of the traffic. This means publishing success will mean your brand is part of a newsfeed, together with other brands.

Also note that brand loyalty is feeble and that to a certain degree, algorithms will decide how many people will see your story.

Wijnands adds that paid content is not a realistic business model for digital publishers going forward. For traditional publishers, its diminishing year over year as people simply dont pay for content online.

Only a handful of publishers that started in the 1800s, like the Economist or the NYT or The New Yorker, get away with paid content. But their audiences are white middle aged men. Wheres the future in that?

Thats why digital publishers  those in SA specifically  need to rethink what theyre doing.

The forerunners, like Buzzfeed, Vice Media and Business Insider took it to the next level as they are now content factories. Wijnands explains that they test every story, every headline, and put money against the ones that are trending to promote them. They dont care about what they write so much. Instead, they monetise eyeballs, do content marketing, end-of-article recommendations and lots of ecommerce  they simply dont leave a revenue model unexploited.

But even there, Wijnands thinks they havent yet found the holy grail. He finds it disturbing and off-putting that all current business models diminish the experience of the user. And user experience is everything today.

Join the user experience publisher pack

So what is the future of digital publishing? Wijnands says it starts with thinking about how to enhance users experience and how to add real value. Next, we need to think of publishing as not an objective in itself, but as a way to connect with an audience that have certain interests in common. Wijnands shares the following example:

Say your audience all like serious music and your publication is about serious music. So every week you write about whats going on and where. What if you auctioned empty seats at concert halls every Thursday night between 7pm and 9pm?

TRVL office, Amsterdam. Image supplied.

That would draw a big crowd and people would end up going to more concerts. People would end up going to concerts they wouldnt normally go to. Its a positive spiral. So, at some point, you can start hosting concerts yourself. Publish books. Give an online course about the history of music. Set up Google Hangout sessions with famous musicians. Have readers subscribe to highly specialised newsletters. Create an event where music-lovers can trade collectors items and records

The possibilities are endless, but certainly not pie-in-the-sky. Take TRVL as an example. Wijnands reiterates that it was still just a magazine on iPad when he came back from Apple in early-2016. Its when he was looking for ways to add value for readers that he pivoted TRVL into a peer-to-peer travel-booking platform, while keeping their publisher focus.

Not only do they pay travellers an agent commission on every booking they make and provide access to discounts normally off-limits to travellers, you can also count on peer-based travel advice during the booking process.

Thats how theyre effectively using their publishing assets to up-funnel user acquisition. Hopefully that inspires others to do the same, as media consumers are more likely to return to your offering if theyre getting more from you than the latest headlines.

Click here for more on TRVL and follow them on Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.
Going to the office isn't what it used to be. As more workers shift to on-demand and "gig" employment, the workplace has changed, and no company has capitalised on this more than WeWork.

With free-flowing beer and coffee, the smartly designed offices that have popped up in dozens of cities in some 20 countries have become coveted by small firms and freelancers in technology and other sectors.

WeWork, with a whopping valuation by investors of $20bn, has taken the lead in the co-working space and in the process is disrupting the office and real estate market.

"At WeWork, we want to create a world where people work to make a life, not just a living," says chief executive Adam Neumann, who co-founded the group in 2010 in New York with Miguel McKelvey.

Those who rent desk space or enclosed offices at WeWork are not just clients, they are members of a "community" under the WeWork credo.

Started in New York, WeWork has expanded to some two dozen US cities and around the world in Brazil, Argentina, China, Japan, India, Ireland and Israel, among others, and claims more than 150,000 members.

WeWork supplies an internet connection, cleaning service, a reception desk and more. In San Francisco, the $400 monthly rent offers a workspace in a shared office, while an enclosed office for several people may cost several thousand dollars.

The monthly deals can be particularly attractive to independent workers who don't want to make a long-term commitment. But WeWork also rents to employees of large firms such as IBM where regional offices are less convenient.

WeWork's annual revenues have topped $1bn, according to Neumann, amid speculation the group would launch a public share offering.

Steve King, analyst at Emergent Research, said WeWork's strength is building a sense of community, allowing its members to benefit from the network of co-workers from diverse sectors.

WeWork offers a mobile application that enables users to contact other members, and be notified of events ranging from cocktail receptions to manicures.

Expanding its mission, WeWork has begun a handful of "co-living" spaces that offer some of the same perks, and recently acquired the online social network Meetup - which keeps members apprised of events ranging from tech networking sessions to sporting events - and the Flatiron School, which provides online and offline classes and training.

But WeWork's most visible move came in October with the announcement it would buy the landmark Lord & Taylor store on New York's Fifth Avenue - vastly increasing its visibility with the historic building that will become its new headquarters, with expanded co-working space.

As it ramps up its business, WeWork defies categorisation.

"They don't want to be a real estate company because real estate's old and boring, whereas they want to be new and hip," King said.

While it's not quite a tech company, "they want to be a tech-enabled company that's creating human interaction," according to King.

WeWork has risen to the top of a crowded field of co-working rivals, and earlier this year got a $4.4bn capital infusion from Japan's SoftBank Vision Fund.

"WeWork is disrupting preconceived notions of work styles and opening up myriad opportunities for the next generation of creators around the world by taking a scientific approach that fully utilises the latest technologies," said SoftBank chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son.

The WeWork model has yet to be tested in a weak economy, and King points out the model carries some risk because WeWork has to buy real estate or sign long-term leases for its space while renting to members on short-term deals.

"The risk in the leasing model is that if you face a recession, and you've leased long-term and you're selling short term, they could lose a lot of members but still have to pay the lease," King said.

"The real estate risk is that they pay too much and won't be able to fill it."

WeWork's head start however could help it be more resilient, the analyst noted.

"They always argued that WeWork creates network effect, which is the more members they have, the more valuable they are," King said.

Source: AFP
The Ritz hotel in Sea Point is ready to re-open its doors to guests this holiday season following a R120m refurbishment.

An icon of the citys skyline since the early 1970s, over the decades this once-stylish address slowly lost its lustre until, in 2016, the Ritz Hotel Management Company (RHMC) saw an opportunity to revitalise  and reimagine  this faded star of the Atlantic Seaboard.

"It's a beautiful piece of local architecture that desperately needed a new lease on life. We had a very clear vision of what we wanted to create, and what Cape Town needed," says, Lisa Carey, marketing and PR manager for The Ritz.

RHMC identified a gap in the market for an international-grade hotel that would marry a contemporary design aesthetic with world-class service:

"We are not creating a quirky boutique property or a stiff five-star hotel. We want to cater for that beautiful niche in the middle. We wanted to take luxury and design, and make it accessible, Carey comments further.

That process began with a thorough refurbishment of the 23-story building, the age of the structure necessitating a complete overhaul of the insulation, plumbing and lift shafts. With the bones of the building brought into the 21st-century, the transformation from faded star to contemporary glamour could begin.

The end result is a sleek porte-cochere of steel and glass, a glamorous lobby featuring golden palm trees and front desk of white marble. No mobile app check-in or anodyne staff here: rather, expect refined personalised service to become a hallmark of The Ritz.

Ensuring those world-class standards are maintained is general manager Johann du Plessis, who brings decades of hospitality expertise to the role.

Its so exciting for my seasoned hoteliers and I to be part of restoring The Ritz to its rightful position as one of the most sought-after hotels in Cape Town, says Du Plessis, whose wealth of experience spans luxury resorts, lodges and hotels across southern Africa. The iconic design-driven hotel is really going to set the bar for urban resorts, and we look forward to our first guests  and locals  discovering the understated luxury of The Ritz.

Keeping the restaurant moving

The Ritz has long been famous for its revolving restaurant  the only one of its kind in the Western Cape  and 2017/2018 is set to restore its reputation as one of the most sought-after refined dining destinations in the city with Top of the Ritz located on the 23rd floor.

On the 22nd floor, the Dom Perignon Champagne Lounge, one of only a handful in the world, a sultry and seductive space ideal for pre-dinner bubbles and sundowner cocktails, with local DJs spinning laid-back beats from late-afternoon every day. And on the 21st floor, The Hennessy Cognac Cigar Lounge is similarly set to become an address for after-dinner digestifs and late-night cocktails.

Casa Restaurant and Cabanas brings a touch of Miami South Beach glamour to Sea Point, with all day al fresco dining that ranges from brasserie-classics to sushi and wood-fired pizza. Tables flow out to the pool deck, host to a Veuve Clicquot Bar.

Just a few years ago, who would have believed that The Ritz would be home to a Veuve Clicquot bar, enthuses Du Plessis, emphasising that Casa and the pool terrace is a space for both locals and hotels guests. How do you create a buzz in a hotel? It's the locals. Local residents are essential for creating the soul of a hotel, and we cant wait to welcome them to The Ritz.

The Ritz re-opens on 15 December 2017.
This December, Afrikaans Rock returns to Shimmy Beach Club with an all-star South African lineup of rock legends with homegrown talent performances.

In a partnership with Hunters Dry, Shimmy Beach Club will have their iconic stage feature an unrivalled alternative music experience, which will include Fokofpolisiekar, Jack Parow, Karen Zoid, Francois van Coke, Arno Carstens and Early B.

Get your tickets here.

Early Bird General Access - R225

General Access  R250

Early Bird VIP  R325

VIP  R350

Book your VIP couch pocket by emailing ]]

General Access tickets grant you access to the main standing areas on the beach and pool deck, as well as the main bar.

VIP tickets grant you access through a separate VIP entrance, access to VIP bathrooms, ample unreserved seating, as well as roaming waiters.

Connect with Shimmy Beach Club via Faceboook, Twitter and Instagram.
After more than 30 years' absence from Formula 1, Alfa Romeo is returning to the sport in 2018.

The prestigious Italian brand owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) recently signed a multi-year technical and commercial partnership agreement with Swiss Sauber F1 Team. The official name will be Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team.

The scope of the agreement includes strategic, commercial and technological cooperation in all applicable areas of development, including access to engineering know-how and the expertise of Alfa Romeo technical staff. This partnership will provide additional opportunities for the two organisations in both Formula 1 and the automotive sector in general.

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of FCA, said: "This agreement with the Sauber F1 Team is a significant step in the reshaping of the Alfa Romeo brand... A storied marque that has helped make the history of this sport, Alfa Romeo will join other major automakers that participate in Formula 1. The brand itself will also benefit from the sharing of technology and strategic know-how with a partner of the Sauber F1 Team's undisputed experience. The Alfa Romeo engineers and technicians, who have already demonstrated their capabilities with the newly-launched models, Giulia and Stelvio, will have the opportunity to make that experience available to the Sauber F1 Team."

Pascal Picci, Chairman of Sauber Holding AG, commented: "We are very pleased to welcome Alfa Romeo to the Sauber F1 Team. Alfa Romeo has a long history of success in Grand Prix racing, and we are very proud that this internationally renowned company has chosen to work with us for its return to the pinnacle of motorsport. Working closely with a car manufacturer is a great opportunity for the Sauber Group to further develop its technology and engineering projects. We are confident that together we can bring the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team great success, and look forward to a long and successful partnership."

The single-seaters will sport the distinctive colors and logo of Alfa Romeo, the team's Title Sponsor, and will be equipped with 2018 Ferrari power units.
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The jet lag jag

If we ever develop a treatment for jet lag, it may be because it targets one of the basic processes Nobel Laureates Michael Rosbash and Jeffrey Hall discovered

I feel groggy, disoriented, a little dizzy and desperate to get to my hotel. I know where I am, but I have no sense of time. The sun is out, but I feel like it should be nighttime. I feel a headache coming on. All I want to do is lie down and sleep for hours.

In short, I have jet lag. I left Boston at 9 p.m. and 10 hours later, here I am, in Stockholm. It should be 7 a.m., but ever since the Brits divided the world into time zones in the late 19th century  with Greenwich, England at the center of it all, of course  it hasn't worked this way. Sweden is six hours ahead of the East Coast. The official time here is 1 p.m.

I'm in Sweden to write about the Nobel Prize ceremonies. This week two Brandeis scientists, Michael Rosbash, the Peter Gruber Endowed Chair in Neuroscience, and Jeff Hall, professor emeritus of biology, will receive the prize in physiology or medicine. Rosbash and Hall mapped the molecular mechanisms that drive circadian rhythms in fruit flies. Every day, inside our cells, a master clock keeps a raft of our biological functions operating on schedule. It serves as a kind of alarm clock. When it goes off, hormones get released, our metabolism quickens or we get sleepy. It may be that this clock sets the activation and deactivation time for half our genes.

We get jet lag when our circadian rhythms are out of sync with the actual time. If we ever develop a treatment for jet lag, it may be because it targets one of the fundamental, basic processes Rosbash and Hall discovered.

Now imagine what happens when you travel to another time zone, but the time on the biological clock hasn't been adjusted yet. Your body's physiological processes are still operating as if you were back in the original time zone. Our cells could be functioning as if it's night when around us it's day. Luckily, our bodies are capable of adjusting our biological clocks. Unfortunately, it can feel like it's taking forever.

When life forms first arose on Earth 3.8 billion years ago, the rise and fall of the sun was an essential part of the daily routine. The amount of light determined when they went looking for prey and when they were most likely to become prey. Obviously, it would be a huge advantage if an organism could anticipate when it needed to marshal its energy and when it was best to power down and build up its reserves again. Though we aren't certain, it seems likely that those life forms that could regulate their physiological processes for this purpose had a distinct evolutionary advantage.

This is most likely why life developed a biological master clock. It set the time for the ebb and flow of circadian rhythms to maximize the chances of survival. The clock lets a life form anticipate environmental changes based on the Earth's rotation around the sun. "This natural alarm clock arose to tell you what time it is and tell you what's going to happen," Rosbash said in a recent interview on the WGBH program, Living Lab Radio.

He quoted the adage, "The early bird gets the worm. The early worm avoids the bird." In other words, there's a huge benefit to an organism if its biological processes run according to a schedule where it's most likely to eat rather than be eaten.

Of course, all this evolutionary change happened before we had airplane travel. Natural selection had no idea those single-cell organisms would one day become humans flying from Boston to Sweden. It's a trade off  either life on Earth thrives or we don't get jet-lagged. I know which one I'm taking.
Government revenues from corporation tax, excise duties and Vat surged last month, but income tax revenues faltered as the amount of taxes collected from the self-employed unexpectedly fell short, according to the latest exchequer figures.

November is a tax-rich month as many large and small companies, as well as the self-employed, settle their tax bills, and it is also a designated a key month for the payment of Vat.

As in recent years, revenues the Government taps from corporate taxes surged, to 2.23bn in November, with the tax source taking in 181m, or 8.8%, more than was expected in the month.

And for the full 11 months, corporation tax receipts outperformed all the four main tax sources, with revenues climbing to over 7.65bn and bringing in almost 400m more than was expected for the period.

Recent Companies Registration Office figures show a number of the largest multinationals, which drive huge amounts of their European revenues through companies incorporated in Ireland, have posted large increases in earnings in 2016. That trend is likely to have extended through this year as multinationals continue to transfer billions worth of intellectual property rights into Ireland.

A handful of multinationals accounts for the lions share of all corporate taxes paid in the State.

Corporate tax revenues were being sustained and beating expectations, said Conall MacCoille, chief economist at Davy. At just over 3bn, income tax receipts took in 98m less in November than expected due to weak receipts from the self-employed. Revenue is examining the issue, the Department of Finance said.

In the early part of the year, income taxes had unexpectedly outperformed due to a divergence of USC revenues but since then had almost made up lost ground.

The issue with self-employed taxes means overall income tax revenues were running for the 11 months at 18.28bn, some 251m, or 1.4%, below expectations.

In the month, Vat took in 2bn, which was 83m or 4.3% above target, despite concerns from industry groups that cross-border shopping driven by the drop in the value of sterling would eat into Government revenues. That brought the amount collected in Vat so far this year to 13.22bn, in line with expectations.

There was no cross-border shopping effect in the figures, a Finance Department spokesman said.

At 623m, excise duties also outperformed in November, bringing in 67m, or 12%, more than expected. Excise duties have brought in 5.57bn so far this year, or 2.1% more than expected.
By Ann O'Loughlin

Two local residents have applied to the Supreme Court to permission to bring an appeal over the High Court's rejection of their challenge to permission for tech giant Apple to develop the first phase of a planned 850m data centre in Athenry, Co Galway.

Before any appeal can be brought to the Supreme Court, that court must find the case raises a legal issue of general public importance or it is desirable in the interests of justice that an appeal be brought.

Sinead Fitzpatrick and Allan Daly, Lisheenkyle, Athenry, lodged their application for permission to appeal with the Supreme Court on Friday. It is expected their application will be opposed by An Bord Pleanala and Apple.

Members of the court will meet at a later date to consider the written document from the sides after which they will issue a published determination outlining their decision on whether to permit an appeal.

The High Court last October rejected the challenge by Ms Fitzpatrick and Mr Daly, whose concerns about the planned development, intended to include eight data halls on completion within 15 years, included its considerable energy demands.

The data centre development will increase demand on the national grid by 6-8 per cent, the court heard. If other planned data centres are built around the country, the increased demand could rise to 32 per cent.

Although a Board inspector raised concerns about the energy demands, and their impact on Irelands obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Board itself failed to take a position on that key issue, the applicants claimed.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott later refused to certify that his judgment on the case raised points of law of exceptional public importance entitling the couple to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Any litigant may apply for a Supreme Court appeal but their case must meet the criteria set by that court for an appeal.

When seeking the High Court's permission to appeal, Michael McDowell SC, for the residents, argued it was a matter of dramatic public importance the disputed permission was granted by An Bord Pleanala in a manner that sliced and diced the overall proposed development.

The applicants claimed the High Court wrongly found the Board met its obligations by carrying out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) on Apples planning application for one data hall. They said the Board was required to do an EIA of the masterplan for eight data halls.

If developments can be broken down and sliced and diced in this way, this was of dramatic public importance across the planning spectrum, including for motorways and other major projects, Mr McDowell argued.

Points of law raised by the applicants included the extent to which interdependence between various developments needs to be considered in deciding whether a particular development is a standalone one. Another point concerned the obligation under national and EU law to identify the main effects of the development and the main measures to reduce or offset those.
A body at UCC representing more than 300 researchers has said it will spend 44m on environmental projects in the next three years.

The Environmental Research Institute at UCC said the funds were being spent because of challenges facing Ireland to meet EU and global targets in relation to energy, climate change, biodiversity and sustainability. Over 300 researchers are engaged in institute projects relating to climate change.

The body said its strategy for 2018 to 2022 aims to provide the necessary research and knowledge base to address our current environmental challenges.

Institute director Professor Sarah Culloty said: Our economies are approaching ecological limits, and we are already experiencing some of the constraints of operating outside planetary boundaries in areas such as climate change, biodiversity loss and resource depletion. We need to find new ways to reconcile our high levels of human development with environmental sustainability.

Ms Culloty said research holds the key to unlocking these major problems in very informed, practical and comprehensive ways and that the institute would play a critical role.

A key element of the strategic plan is working in partnership with local government, policymakers, civic society organisations and the public, she said.

Vice president for research and innovation at UCC, Professor Anita Maguire, said there were a number of projects ongoing at the institute that had vast potential.

From wave energy devices, to production of high-value materials and energy from waste, to protecting the quality of the air in our cities and towns, to working with the United Nations to develop training programmes to assess water quality, the Environmental Research Institute is building capacity in Ireland to address the many environmental challenges we currently face, she said.

The institute was established in 2000. Its researchers are drawn from 17 UCC schools, departments and a number of research centres including Marei Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, the Centre for Research on Atmospheric Chemistry, and the Centre for Law and the Environment.

The institute has substantial research facilities at two dedicated buildings on the Lee Road, Cork and the Beaufort Building, Ringaskiddy, along with environmental research facilities across the UCC campus.

The Beaufort Building houses Irelands National Ocean Test Facility, which uses high-spec wave tanks and electrical rigs to support the offshore renewable energy sector and the maritime industry.
A dispute over whether University College Dublin is entitled to a 15% shareholding in a fast-growing company involved in developing commercial processes for global pharmaceutical giants has come before the Commercial Court.

Applied Process Company Ltd, set up in 2011, now employs more than 100 people, expects to double its workforce in the next five years, and is set to achieve revenues of almost 18m by the end of this year, it was stated in court documents.

Its primary business is the development of processes enabling pharmaceutical companies to speed up the commercial development of lifesaving medical advances.

APC was formed by Prof Brian Glennon and Mark Barrett from UCDs School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering. Each own a 50% shareholding and they dispute UCDs claim of entitlement to a 15% stake.

UCD claims it had an agreement with the company and the two shareholders. In return for UCD getting a 15% shareholding, APC would be established and/or approved as a campus company and would be allowed to take part in the Nova UCD Campus Company development programme. APC and the two shareholders dispute that and say APC was not a campus company as it was not set up to commercialise the intellectual property of UCD.

They also say, given the affiliation both have had with UCD, and the affection they have for it, APC has been willing to make very generous contributions to the university, most recently offering to support it by some 1m over five years.

When the proceedings came before the court, Rossa Fanning, for APC and the two shareholders, said his side wanted them fast-tracked and UCD was not objecting to that. When the judge suggested the case appeared suitable for mediation, counsel said it would want to see a detailed statement of claim before considering whether mediation was appropriate.

APC was incorporated in 2011 but this claim had only issued almost six years later, counsel said. There was no executed agreement between UCD and the defendants and UCDs claim was baseless and opportunistic and arose because of APCs success, he said. Counsel for UCD denied delay and said its position had been set out in detail for some time.

Mr Justice McGovern agreed to fast-track the proceedings, directed UCD to deliver its statement of claim next week and returned the matter to later this month

for further directions

.
A poll has found that most people feel Brexit is adversely affecting Ireland's relationship with the UK.

The survey by Amarach Research for RTE's Claire Byrne Live programme tonight also shows most people fear a return of the border between the Republic and the North will mean a resurgence of violence.

Pollsters surveyed more than 1,000 adults today as the EU and UK announced that there was no agreement on a deal that would progress Brexit to the next phase of talks.

A third question also found that almost half, 49%, of people want a united Ireland whereas 29% are against it.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told a press conference at Government Buildings today: "We do not want a border in the Irish Sea, any more than we want a border between Newry and Dundalk or Letterkenny and Derry."

However, today's poll found that 57% of people fear a return to violence if customs checkpoints returned to the border after Brexit. 30% of those surveyed felt there would be no violence.

The Taoiseach has had to endure scathing criticism from elements in the UK over his handling of Brexit, and this may have prompted 68% of respondents to feel that the process is damaging Irish/British relations. Only 19% believed the process has not affected them.

The most obvious rift so far has appeared between Ireland and the DUP, with their party leader Arlene Foster saying they will not accept "any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the UK".

She said today: "The Republic of Ireland claim to be guarantors of the Belfast Agreement but they are clearly seeking to unilaterally change the Belfast Agreement without our input or consent."

It comes as the Government said it will "hold firm" on its bid to prevent a hard border, with Health Minister Simon Harris saying: "We want to make sure their is no regulatory divergence and we want to make sure we can keep as close a relationship both trading and in many other ways wth Britain and Northern Ireland."

Mr Varadkar today said in his press conference, after hearing of the failure of the UK to reach an agreement with the EU over a Brexit deal: "The most difficult issue we faced was to obtain a cast-iron agreement and a written guarantee that there will not be a hard border on this island after Brexit.

"This is not a new issue. Nor has it been given greater prominence in recent weeks, as some people have suggested.

"It has been to the absolute forefront of Irelands concerns since before the referendum. I want to offer reassurance that there is no hidden agenda here."

The questions asked of more than 1,000 adults in Ireland today:

Q1 Do you feel that the Brexit process is negatively affecting our relationship with Britain?

Yes 68%

No 19%

Don't Know 13%

Q2 Do you fear a return to violence if customs checkpoints return to the border with Northern Ireland after Brexit?

Yes 57%

No 30%

Don't know 13%

Q3 Do you want a united Ireland?

Yes 49%

No 29%

Don't know 22%
There are calls to reinstate a memorial plaque for the homeless on Dublin's Apollo House until it is demolished.

Home Sweet Home campaigners took over the building last Christmas, to bring homeless people in off the streets over the festive period.

A plaque mounted on its walls on Sunday which read 'Vulture Republic 1916 - 2017' was taken down a day later.

I wish I was in Dublin to leave some flowers under that plaque too, before it's torn down and buried. If anyone else does I'll be forever in your debt. pic.twitter.com/qCqAv0UaNG  Glen Hansard (@Glen_Hansard) December 3, 2017

Dublin City Council Assistant CEO Brendan Kenny said the local authority had no part in removing it.

Meanwhile, Councillor Dermot Lacey has hit out at whoever took the plaque down, less than a day after it appeared.

"It was a mean-spirited nasty thing to do by people who are going to profit overwhelmingly from Apollo House," he said.

"It could have been left up there for the couple of months that are left on that building. It was an insult to the people who died on our streets. I would ask that representation be made to have that plaque but up for however long that building is there."
Update 6.03pm: The Irish government has denied it had any role in blocking the DUP from receiving the text of yesterday's draft Brexit agreement.

The deal which would have given the north special status in line with EU regulations - was scuppered at the last minute following objections from the DUP.

The DUP leader says she only got sight of the draft agreement yesterday morning.

Arlene Foster says the party was given a number of reasons why they were left out of the loop.

She said: "One of those reasons is apparently because the Irish Government wouldn't allow them to share that text and in many ways I can understand that.

"The important thing is once we seen the text, we knew that it would not fly for Northern Ireland or for Scotland because once you start seperating parts of the UK it has other ramifications in other places aswell."

The DUP's last minute intervention scuppered the deal under which the north would continue observing EU regulations.

DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds claims the Irish Government's attempts to avoid a hard border are putting the whole process at risk.

He said: "By continuing its aggressive stance, they are in danger of delivering for themselves, they very outcome that they say they want to avoid."

Update 5.40pm: Government denies blocking DUP from receiving text of yesterday's draft Brexit agreement

The DUP says the government wouldn't allow British Brexit negotiators to release the text of an agreement over the border.

The deal would have given Northern Ireland a special status distinct from the rest of the UK - and was blocked by the DUP at the last moment.

Arlene Foster explained why.

She said: "We had to look at the text, we had to try and understand what the ramification of the text was and when we had a chance to do that we realised, that in no way could we sign up to that text because essentially, it was making a red line down the Irish Sea."

Update 5.11pm: Gerry Adams warns 'Good Friday Agreement will be destroyed' if citizens' rights not protected

Gerry Adams has warned the Good Friday Agreement could be destroyed if citizens' rights are not protected.

EU Commissioners are due to give a recommendation tomorrow on whether Preexist talks can move to the next stage.

A deal was almost done to solve the border issue yesterday, before the DUP pulled the plug.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has warned these talks pose a serious threat to the Good Friday Agreement.

Update 3.30pm: Varadkar tells May 'the ball is in your court' in resolving Brexit border issue

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told Theresa May 'the ball is in your court' in terms of resolving the Brexit border issue.

Mr Varadkar also warned the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that agreement over a border deal will be between the UK government and the European Union - not one political party.

Speaking during leaders questions in the Dail today, the Taoiseach reiterated his "regret" that the UK Government had backed down from a proposal that Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland should continue to be aligned after Brexit.

The proposed agreement was put on hold after the DUP contacted Theresa May in Brussels when details of the proposal came to light.

Without referring specifically to the DUP, Mr Varadkar said: "There are many political parties in Northern Ireland and we will listen to and respect all political parties in Northern Ireland and recognise that the majority did not vote to leave the European Union."

He added: "This is very important, the negotiations are taking place between a sovereign government, the UK in one hand and the European Union of which we are part.

"The negotiations are not involving one or any political party. This agreement, if we come to it, will not be involving one political party to the exclusion of others."

The Taoiseach said that had the Stormont powersharing Executive not collapsed in January, Northern Ireland would have had a united, cross-community voice in terms of Brexit.

He added that people mistakenly think only one party speaks for the region.

Mr Varadkar admitted that relations between Ireland and the UK "have been strained in the last year or two" because of Brexit.

He added however that he believes Prime Minister Theresa May and her team are "negotiating in good faith".

"I look forward to hearing from them as to how they think we can proceed. The ball is now in London's court," he said.

Earlier today Tanaiste Simon Coveney insisted that the Government would not change its position on the Brexit border deal that was in place on Monday.

Mr Coveney said the Government will work with the British Government on presentational issues around the text which had been agreed on the border, but the core meaning must remain.

He added that while the DUP should be listened to, one political party could not decide what is acceptable and what is not for the British and Irish governments and for the EU negotiators.

Update 3.20pm: Taoiseach admits relations between Ireland and UK 'strained' because of Brexit

The Taoiseach has admitted relations between Ireland and the UK are strained because of Brexit.

Last minute efforts are ongoing to salvage a deal on the border which Leo Varadkar says was agreed yesterday morning.

But the DUP are insisting there will be no deal if it means Northern Ireland is treated differently to the rest of the UK.

In the Dail earlier Leo Varadkar admitted their relationship with the UK isn't the best right now.

He said: "In terms of relations with the United Kingdom, they were probably at their peak since indepdence around the time of the Queen's visit and the years after that.

"Relations have been strained in the last year or two, not becuase of a decision we made but because of Brexit which is a British policy and a British decision, one that we respect but one that we are very aware causes enormous problems.

While Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin took issue with the suggestion that Brexit talks are being influenced by Republican motivations.

He said: "For me, Brexit is about the economic well-being of all our communities on this island, the bread and butter of daily lives, not an opportunity to persue a united Ireland through polls or anything else as others advocated.

Update 2.24pm: DUP only saw border proposals on Monday morning

The Democratic Unionist Party only received draft proposals on the Irish border from the UK government on Monday morning before deciding they were "clearly unacceptable" and scuppering agreement in Brexit negotiations.

DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds blamed the Irish Government and European Union for the delay in seeing plans the party later rejected, because they would have shifted Northern Ireland's customs border to the Irish Sea.

The move by the DUP dashed Theresa May's hopes of securing agreement on the terms of Britain's EU withdrawal, which included the plan to avoid a hard Irish border.

The British Prime Minister had to break off from talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday for an urgent call with DUP leader Arlene Foster, after she dramatically declared her party's implacable opposition to the plans.

At a Westminster press conference, Mr Dodds revealed that the DUP did not receive the proposals until just before Mrs May's lunch with Mr Juncker.

He said: "Despite several briefings over the course of the last few weeks, we only received written text late yesterday morning.

"We understand this was due in part to delays caused by the Irish Government and the EU negotiating team.

"Upon immediate receipt of that text we indicated to senior Government representatives that it was clearly unacceptable in its current form."

Mr Dodds said the DUP would "work for as long as it's necessary" until the issue was resolved because it is of such "vital importance" to the UK.

He also appeared to suggest the Irish government's "aggressive stance" on avoiding a hard border could scupper negotiations and lead to Britain leaving with no deal, and that hard border may therefore be erected anyway.

"The Prime Minister has said that there will be no border in the Irish Sea, she has made it clear that the UK is leaving the European Union as a whole and that the territorial and economic integrity of the United Kingdom will be protected," he said.

"So we want to see a sensible Brexit, and we will continue to work through the detail of all these issues with the Government today and in the coming days.

"These are issues that are of such vital importance to our nation as a whole that we must work for as long as it's necessary to ensure that they are got right.

"So the DUP does stand strong for the union and we also issue a warning today to the Dublin government - that by continuing its aggressive stance they are in danger of delivering for themselves the very outcomes that they said they want to avoid.

"So now more than ever it's clear that we took the correct view in encouraging people throughout the United Kingdom to vote to leave the European Union."

Mr Dodds stressed the DUP do not want to see a "no deal" Brexit.

"We don't want to see the talks fail and we don't want to see an outcome where there's no deal.

"We want to see a sensible Brexit and we will work through on the basis of the clear red lines we have set down, which are as we understand it the red lines of the Government as well."

Update 1.45pm: Northern Ireland won't be left inside EU to avoid hard border: UK Brexit Secretary

David Davis insisted Northern Ireland would not be "left behind" in the single market and customs union after Brexit as Theresa May worked to get withdrawal negotiations back on track.

UK Prime Minister was telephoning Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill on Tuesday for urgent talks as pressure mounted on her to break the logjam.

David Davis

Mrs May's crunch withdrawal talks with the EU in Brussels on Monday ended without agreement after the DUP refused to accept proposals which would have shifted the North's customs border to the Irish Sea, in order to maintain a soft border with the Ireland.

She is now facing internal demands not to cut separate deals for different parts of the UK, after the leaders of Scotland, Wales and London called for carve-outs to remain in the single market and customs union.

Mr Davis stressed that the idea that the North would be left inside the single market or customs union to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland was a "falsehood".

Answering an urgent question in the House of Commons, the Brexit Secretary said: "The suggestion that we might depart the European Union but leave one part of the United Kingdom behind, still inside the single market and customs union - that is emphatically not something that the UK Government is considering.

"So when the First Minister of Wales complains about it, or the First Minister of Scotland says it's a reason to start banging the tattered drum of independence, or the Mayor of London says it justifies a hard border around the M25 - I say they're making a foolish mistake.

"No UK Government would allow such a thing, let alone a Conservative and Unionist one."

Meeting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Downing Street, Mrs May said: "Our talks with the European Union have made a lot of progress.

"There are still a couple of issues we need to work on, but we'll be reconvening in Brussels later this week as we look ahead to the December European Council.

"But I know in everything we do we want to ensure, particularly, that we recognise the needs of Spanish citizens here in the UK , and UK citizens living in Spain."

Update 1.39pm: Anglo-Irish relations set back by government's Brexit appoach - DUP

Anglo-Irish relations have been set back by the government's "aggressive and anti-unionist" approach in Brexit talks, the DUP has claimed.

Nigel Dodds, the DUP's Westminster leader, warned relationships in the North linked to devolution have also been damaged and said they will "take a long time to repair".

Mr Dodds added his party's approach of seeking to "stand strong for the Union" and the North's place within it should come as no surprise.

His remarks came in the Commons after the DUP refused to accept proposals which would have shifted the North's customs border to the Irish Sea.

Mr Dodds said: "It should come as no surprise that the Dublin and Irish government wishes to advance its interests.

"The way it has gone about it in such an aggressive and anti-unionist way is disgraceful and has set back Anglo-Irish relations and damaged the relationships built up within Northern Ireland in terms of the devolution settlement - and that is going to take a long time to repair.

"Secondly, it should come as no surprise that the Democratic Unionist Party stands strong for the Union, stands strong for Northern Ireland's place within the Union under the terms of the devolved settlement, and we will not allow any settlement to be agreed that causes the divergence politically or economically of Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom.

"Because to do so would not only be politically damaging but would be economically catastrophic for everyone in Northern Ireland - unionist, nationalist, Remainer or Brexiteer.

"The reality is that one of the good things that came out of yesterday is that from all sides of this House - Labour, Conservative, backbenchers, Ruth Davidson, Carwyn Jones, everybody - there is now an agreement that the United Kingdom stands together and nothing will happen that will cause the break-up of this great United Kingdom."

Brexit Secretary David Davis replied: "He's dead right. There's no surprise the Democratic Unionist Party stands for the United Kingdom - so does the Conservative and Unionist Party equally."

Update 9.34am: The British Prime Minister is expected to ring DUP leader Arlene Foster later to find an alternative solution to border negotiations.

Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald said it will be hard to find a way through.

"In an act of what I can only describe as absolute recklessness the DUP seem insistent now on a hardening of the border," she said.

"They seem to have turned their face from any rational harmony in dealing with Brexit," she added.

Update 9.25am: Coveney says one political party cannot dictate border issue

The Tanaiste has said one political party cannot be allowed to dictate how the border with the north will look after Brexit.

The Government had reached an agreement with Britain yesterday but it was pulled after the DUP said it wouldn't accept a deal which gave the North a different status to the rest of the UK.

Simon Coveney said today the government would work with Britain on presentational issues but the core text of the document would not change.

"Of course we need to listen to the DUP, they're an important part of Northern Ireland politics," he said.

"But you can't have one political party that decides what's acceptable and what's not for the Irish and British governments and indeed for the EU negotiating team because they happen to hold the balance of power in Westminster," Minister Coveney added.

"That is not a balanced approach to trying to resolve these issues. We have to take account of all political viewpoints on the island of Ireland," he said.

Update 8.12am: 'There isn't a huge amount of time' says Hayes as May is expected to negotiate with DUP

The British Prime Minister is expected to speak to the DUP leader by phone later after a Brexit deal with the EU was blocked at the last minute.

Arlene Foster is insisting Northern Ireland is treated in the same way as the rest of the UK.

There was an agreement with the British government on the border issue yesterday morning, but it was pulled around lunchtime.

As the pressure mounts to move on to stage two of Brexit talks MEP Brian Hayes said there is not much time.

"There isn't a huge amount of time. It has to be done by the very latest by Friday because the European Parliament meets in Strasbourg next week. It must declare a resolution that sufficient progress has been made to allow the council to progress," he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said there is no reason why this can not happen.

"I believe we got a wording that achieved that and we want to ensure that that wording remains intact so that whatever happens we move on to phase two, if we move on to phase two, with the assurance that there is not going to be - under any circumstances - a hard border re-emerging on the island" he said.

"I think we have an obligation to ensure that that's the case," he added.

Earlier: Coveney says it is up to May to negotiate with DUP

The Foreign Affairs Minister has said the government is staying focused on getting the best deal for Ireland after Brexit.

There was an agreement with the British government on the border issue yesterday morning, but it was pulled around lunchtime.

The British Prime Minister asked for more time after the DUP said they would not support anything which saw the North being treated differently to the rest of the UK.

Simon Coveney said it is now up to Theresa May to negotiate with Arlene Foster.

"It is a matter for the British government to manage their side in the negotiations. It certainly isn't our job to manage that or comment on it," Minister Coveney said.

"That's why we have focused on getting Cabinet approval for a wording that we believed could get the job done and also briefing opposition leaders to make sure that we could create a political environment in Ireland on a very, very sensitive issue that would allow us credibly protect Irish interests."
By Ann OLoughlin

A former Ryanair pilot has told the High Court he did not see talks on pay and conditions in the airline as a negotiation.

"I would term it an imposition", John Goss told the 15th day of the airlines defamation action against him and two other members of the Ryanair Pilot Group.

The three, Captains Goss, Evert Van Zwol and Ted Murphy, deny a 2013 email, which Ryanair says falsely inferred it had misled the market, was defamatory.

Under cross-examination by Martin Hayden SC, for Ryanair, Capt Goss also told the judge and jury that he was receiving support in this case from member organisations of the European Cockpit Association, an umbrella body for pilot unions.

He also said the Irish Airline Pilots Association had assisted him in previous cases where he had to defend himself against Ryanair and without its help he would not have been able to afford it.

Capt Goss disagreed with evidence given by Ryanair HR manager, Darrell Hughes, that the company carries out negotiations in the normal way, in which both sides have starting positions, and following discussions come to an agreement.

Capt Goss said: "If it was that simplistic in Ryanair I would agree, but unfortunately it is not".

Earlier, it was put to him the Supreme Court in 2007 had found pilots had voluntarily withdrawn from the companys employee representative committee (ERC) system and that this was a strategy.

"It was not a strategy, it was more one of fear", he replied

Mr Hayden put to him that pilots did get involved and further pay deals were agreed. He said at that time, 2007/8, there had no election of anyone to a representative position in an organised group since 2001 when one of those representatives, Captain Martin Duffy, was dismissed.

Asked what efforts did he make to have an election during this time, he said: "I did not make any effort, I was afraid to move".

He said the first time he knew pilots Captain Alan Caul and George OHara were members of an ERC was when he was disciplined for putting election literature of the ERC in staff pigeon holes.

It was an election which the company had notified on its own "Crewdock" website but which subsequently did not go ahead, the court heard.

Mr Hayden asked was he telling the jury, as a man with his experience, that he was completely in the dark about an agreement which had improved pay and conditions for pilots.

He said he was in the dark because, despite discussing it with others, he did not know exactly who had organised that agreement.

There was no active committee and no meetings organised to discuss it, he said. They were presented "with what was effectively a fait accompli", he said.

When asked did he think of asking George OHara who he had known for several years he said he did not become aware of Mr OHaras involvement until after he was being disciplined over the use of pigeon holes.

He also denied he "kept your head in the sand" about the deal that had been done by those ERC members, including getting a three per cent per year salary rise which he had benefited from.

Counsel put it to him he disagreed fundamentally with an assessment of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) in relation to an incident in which he refused to allow passengers to board a plane while it was refuelling.

Capt Goss, who last week said he had made that decision on safety grounds due to weather conditions, said there was no assessment done by the IAA. It was simply a statement from the IAA that it was an industrial rather than a safety matter.

He also said that while he never said the Ryanair employment model has safety implications, he had said it does increase stress and should be investigated by the authorities.

The authorities were now required to continually assess the new business model in aviation. Mr Hayden said that was "not the position at all" and was a matter he would have to come back to during Wednesdays continuing cross examination of Captain Goss.
Gardai are looking for help in finding a teenage boy missing from Sandyford in Dublin.

15-year-old Ned Cash Connors was last seen on November 29, in the Kilmacud area.
Police in Northern Ireland do not have the numbers to protect a hard Irish border, a representative body has warned.

Planning for a no-deal Brexit needs to begin urgently as it would cost tens of millions of pounds to secure the porous 300-mile (483km) frontier, the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) said.

All sides in the discussions between the EU and UK are united in opposition to a heavily-militarised border that characterised arrangements during the long Northern Ireland conflict.

Federation chairman Mark Lindsay said his members would be "sitting ducks" for terrorists if they had to regularly and predictably protect other agencies like customs officers at crossing points from Northern Ireland into the Republic.

He said: "Numbers are already painfully thin on the ground and, if hundreds were required along a porous border, the situation would inevitably become intolerable and unmanageable.

"No-one wants a 'hard' border, but if there the politicians fail to reach an accord or compromise, it seems something that is a lot less relaxed than what we currently enjoy will be the consequence."

The meandering frontier between Northern Ireland and the Republic encompasses largely remote areas and contains around 275 crossing points.

Mr Lindsay claimed there would have to be a very significant increase in the number of officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland to secure it.

"Imagine, therefore, what would happen in communities all over Northern Ireland if officers were to be transferred to do border security duties alongside other agencies such as HM Customs & Excise? Cities and towns would see officer numbers decimated.

"Contingency planning has to begin as a matter of urgency."

The Federation has been calling for an increase in the number of officers for years.

Mr Lindsay said the present below-par total of fewer than 6,700 was already a few hundred below what Chief Constable George Hamilton said he required.

In October the PSNI launched a new recruitment drive and said they were hoping to sign up 300 new officers.

Next year some 730 are eligible to retire - 11% of the workforce. A further 331 can retire over the following two years, the Federation disclosed.

Mr Lindsay said recruitment was unable to keep pace with the numbers leaving, and those figures do not include officers departing for alternative, less stressful employment.

He added: "It's worth recalling that before the mid-90s (during the Troubles), the border was secured with double the current number of officers, backed by considerable military support.

"We already see considerable negative impacts on service resilience and delivery.

"Our officers are working consistently long hours and far too many are suffering a range of physical and psychological illnesses, such as stress, as a result.

"So, we simply don't have the numbers to protect the other agencies which would be deployed at designated border crossings."

The terrorist threat level posed by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland is rated as severe.

Mr Lindsay said: "It would be an act of complete folly to order our men and women to undertake static duties in extremely exposed areas.

"Border duties would place our officers at an unacceptable risk.

"Setting predictable patterns along any static border establishments would mean our officers would be 'sitting ducks' for terrorists who want nothing more than to murder police."
By Ann OLoughlin

A legal action by former Labour Party TD Joe Costello aimed at ensuring the enactment of laws increasing the number of members of the Dail before the next general election is called has been adjourned at the High Court.

Mr Costello claims the next Dail will be unconstitutional unless new laws increasing the number of TDs are implemented before the next general election is called.

His rights as a citizen are being infringed due to failure to enact the necessary laws, he alleges.

A Labour Party candidate in Dublin Central, he claims the State and the Oireachtas have failed to ensure the number of TDs accords with the requirements of Article 16.2.2 of the Constitution.

Article 16.2.2 provides the total number of members of Dail Eireann shall not be fixed at less than one member for each thirty thousand of the population or at more than one member for each twenty thousand of the population.

Mr Costello claims Dublin Central, following the increase in population evident from the 2016 Census, falls outside the parameters of the ratio of TDs to population specified.

To remedy this democratic deficit the Electoral Commission has recommended an additional cohort of population be added to Dublin Central and that it have an extra TD, to again become a four-seat constituency, he says.

The action was initiated amid intense speculation a general election might be called arising from the controversy surrounding former Tanaiste, Frances Fitzgerald, but the prospect of an imminent election was removed following her resignation as Tanaiste on November 27th.

When the case was mentioned yesterday (Tues) before the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, the judge said the "white heat" seemed to have gone out of the application.

There would be no election before Christmas but it was likely one would be called in 2018, although nobody knew exactly when, the judge remarked.

Conor Power SC, with Mark Dunne BL, for Mr Costello, said, while defences have been lodged on behalf of the defendants legislation was expected to go through the Dail this week which would see the changes proposed in the 2017 Commissions report being implemented.

In the circumstances, the sides had agreed the case should be adjourned for two weeks for mention only, counsel said.
By Ann OLoughlin

A womans action arising from the Volkwagen car emissions scandal should not be further heard by Judge Mary Devins at Castlebar District Court for reasons including lack of fair procedures in dealing with pre-trial issues, the High Court has ruled.

Eithne Higgins case should instead go before a different judge at Castlebar District Court who must first decide whether that court has jurisdiction to hear the case, Ms Justice Una Ni Raifeartaigh ruled.

The transcripts of pre-trial proceedings before Judge Devins suggested "a certain level of hostility" towards Volkswagen and its legal team, "perceived as Goliath flanked by his expensive Dublin lawyers", appeared to have contaminated the District Court proceedings to date and led to hearings "not in accordance with fair procedures", she said.

She also quashed an order made by Judge Devins which required Volkswagen to discover additional documents sought by Ms Higgins side.

That order was made on September 6th 2016 after Judge Devins heard evidence from witnesses in the absence of Volkswagens lawyers, who had walked out after contending the District Court had no jurisdiction.

In her action, Ms Higgins, a nurse, of Boyle, Co Roscommon, claims a 2010 Seat Leon purchased second-hand by her from a garage in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, is among the estimated 11 million cars worldwide affected by the emissions problem.

She is claiming loss and damage in sums to be ascertained, including for any amounts which may be due for motor tax.

Her proceedings first came before Castlebar District Court in May 2016 but lawyers for Volkswagen walked out on September 6th after arguing the court had no jurisdiction to proceed as District Judge Devins proposed.

On September 15th, Volkswagen Group Ireland and Volkswagen AG initiated a High Court judicial review and the District Court were put on hold pending that.

In its High Court case, Volkswagen insisted it was not trying to stop Ms Higgins litigating but that Dublin District Court is the appropriate venue for hers and other cases initiated here against it arising from installation of so-called cheat devices designed to mislead US emissions tests. It particuarly objected to Judge Devins dealing any further with the case.

In her judgment on Tuesday, Ms Justice Ni Raifeartaigh noted it had been argued she, as a High Court judge, should decide whether the District Court has jurisdiction.

She considered the jurisdictional matter should be first decided by the District Court on the evidence and pleadings before it and the High Court should not preempt the lower courts finding.

She was satisfied, for reasons including delays between pre-trial hearings, Judge Devins misremembered what had happened on the first date, May 27th, at the end of which she effectively deferred ruling on jurisdiction.

On September 6th, Judge Devins described herself as having already decided the jurisdiction issue on May 27th when she had in fact fixed September 16th to hear the motion on jurisdiction.

She suspected the root of the confusion was because jurisdiction was one of two different issues raised before Judge Devins on May 27th and she ruled on the second issue, refusing Volkswagens application to have the emissions cases referred to one judge, the judge said.

She found comments by Judge Devins during the September 6th hearing had unfortunately created a situation where it would not be unreasonable for Volkswagen or a bystander to have a concern about her ability to detach herself from her previous ruling.

While she believed, if Judge Devins was permitted address the jurisdictional issue, she would do so in an "entirely professional and impartial" manner, it seemed, in this case, "a line had been crossed, albeit through error", which made it preferable another judge would rule on jurisdiciton.

The judge also found a breach of fair procedures in how the September 6th hearing was allowed proceed.

The "extraordinary procedure" meant something that started as a discovery application had developed into a "mini-trial" of the issues, she said.

It was intended a Volkswagen witness who had sworn a statement of discovery was to be cross-examined not just on the adequacy of discovery but the subject matter of the action. While that witness did not attend due to Volkswagens claim the court lacked jurisdiction, other witnesses were called, including a scientist to talk about the emissions and an economist to talk about loss.
Update 4.50pm: Ireland will become the first EU country to completely ban smoky coal next year.

The new rules come into place in September 2018.

There will be a transition period to allow stocks to be sold off from then.

Environment Minister Denis Naughten says the ban will have health benefits for people around the country.

He said: "I think it is going to have a significant impact, we have already seen when smoky coal was banned in the city of Dublin there were hundreds of deaths saved because of that.

"The belief is that we will see hundreds of lives saved as a direct result of a nationwide ban of smoky coal.

"It is also going to have a significant impact in relation to hospitalisations."

Earlier: Smoky coal ban could be extended countrywide by 2019

A ban on the sale of smoky coal could be extended countrywide by 2019.

The Independent Climate Change Advisory Council will issue a report this morning which recommends banning coal and peat to make up for Ireland's failure to tackle climate change.

The burning of smoky coal has caused major air pollution, leading to respiratory problems and premature deaths.

Climatologist at Maynooth University, John Sweeney said Ireland needs to consider the matter "very seriously".

"Peat, in particular, represents our main carbon store in the landscape. By excavating the peat and then burning it we're actually compounding things, we can't trade off our carbon store and we're actually adding to our CO2," he said.

"Coal is becoming the no-go fuel over most of the world at this stage," he added.
Update 9.39pm: The colleagues of the US policeman who was one of four people killed in a horrific collision on Wexford's N25 have paid tribute to a "decorated officer" who received numerous commendations.

Father-of-two Steven (49), was a police officer with the Bolingbrook Police Department near Chicago.

His colleagues issued a statement earlier today.

It read: "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of Officer Stephen Alexander, badge #1126. Steve was killed in an automobile crash in New Ross / Wexford, Ireland on December 4th, 2017. Steves father Doug, mother Lily, and brother Doug Junior were also killed in the crash. The Alexander family was in Ireland to attend a family funeral. Steve was a proud father who left behind two daughters, age 11 and 10, who were his pride and joy.

"Steve was a decorated Officer who had received numerous department commendations. Steve received the Life Saving Award in 2013, received the departments Top Gun Award and was nominated as Police Officer of the Year in 2014 and 2015."

In the statement Director Ken Teppel stated: Steve was an exemplary officer who took great pride in his law enforcement career and who devoted himself to protecting and serving the citizens of Bolingbrook.

"Steve will be missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing him and we will forever keep the Alexander family in our thoughts and our prayers.

Doug Jnr, 52, and 49-year-old Steven Alexander

Steven Alexander, his brother Doug Jnr and his parents Doug and Lily were all killed in the collision with a truck near New Ross.

The family had travelled from Illinois to Ireland for a family funeral.

The road was closed all day as forensic officers carried out an investigation but it has since reopened.

Local Cllr John Flemming knows the Alexanders extended family.

He said: "The family themselves were a lovely good natured family, well respected in the area and I think the whole place is in shock, especially coming up to Christmas, a time of celebration but it is now a dark time in the area."

Update 4.00pm: Tributes being paid as family of four killed in Wexford road crash named

Tributes are being paid to a family of four who were killed in a road crash in Co Wexford.

RTE have named the deceased as Lily Ryan-Alexander and her husband Doug, who were both 75, and their sons, Doug Jnr, 52, and 49-year-old Steven Alexander.

Lily Ryan-Alexander and her husband Doug were both 75.

The family, from Oakland, Illinois, were home for a family funeral, in Lacken, New Ross, which took place this afternoon.

All four were pronounced dead after their rented car was in a collision with a truck on the N25 near New Ross.

Local Cllr John Flemming says the community is stunned by the news.

He said: "Everybody is completely shocked by the news, it was a huge tragedy and everybody is completely numb."

Update 1.30pm: Investigation into crash that killed four members of the same family continuing

Investigations are continuing after four members of the same family were killed in a car crash in Co Wexford.

A man, his wife and their two sons all died when their rented car collided with a truck near New Ross.

The family, who lived in Illinois, had come to Ireland from America for a funeral.

The husband and wife in their 70s and their two sons in their 50s and 40s were all killed when their rented BMW hit a truck. The driver and passenger of the truck were unhurt but in shock.

A section of the N25 remains closed this afternoon as investigators examine the scene and try to figure out how the crash occurred.

The truck and car had been travelling in the same direction but the car may have tried to turn around.

Chief Superintendent John Roche of the Wexford Division said it is the worst collision he has seen in his career.

Speaking to South East Radio, Mr Roche appealed for witnesses.

"At the time of the accident, there was a high volume of traffic on the N25 travelling both east and west.

"We are just asking if any person saw a silver BMW travelling east followed by a high sided, red coloured 40-foot articulated lorry."

The funeral the family had planned to attend proceeded this afternoon in Cushinstown.

Gardai at the scene of the crash in Co. Wexford tonight. Pic: Patrick Browne.

Earlier: Gardai appeal for witnesses after crash kills four members of the same family

Gardai are appealing for witnesses after a crash in County Wexford that killed four members of the same family.

A couple in their 70s and their two sons were in a car that collided with a truck near New Ross last night.

Gardai said the three men and a woman were declared dead at the scene last night following the horrific crash at Begerin Hill about four kilometres east of New Ross on the N25.

The family in the car are believed to have moved to the US, but returned home for a funeral.

The driver and a passenger in the lorry escaped injury.

The cause of the collision is not known and it is understood road and weather conditions were reasonably good in the area at the time of the crash.

The road is likely to remain closed until lunchtime at the earliest.
Update 9.06pm Police in Strabane, Co.Tyrone investigating dissident republican activity have arrested a second man.

The two men, aged 45 and 55, are being held by anti-terror detectives in Belfast.

It follows searches of a property and land in the Back Row and Riverside areas.

Earlier: Anti-Terror Detectives from the PSNI arrested man in Tyrone

Anti-Terror Detectives from the PSNI have arrested a man in Strabane, County Tyrone.

The 43-year-old is being held in an investigation into suspected dissident republican activity.

Officers have searched a property as well as areas of land in the Back Row area and the Riverside.
By Ruaidhri Giblin

Lawyers for a convicted murderer have told the Court of Appeal that their client couldnt get a fair trial due to the scandalous handling of a garda informer.

The Dublin man jailed for life for the murder of a father-of-three in Dublin nearly eight years ago must now wait to hear the outcome of an appeal against his conviction.

Peter Kenny (35), of McCarthys Terrace, Rialto in Dublin, had pleaded no guilty to the murder of John Carroll (33) who was shot dead while socialising in Grumpy Jacks pub in the Coombe on February 18, 2009.

Kenny was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury and given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Barry White on July 19, 2011.

Opening an appeal against conviction today Kennys barrister, Sean Gillane SC, said the prosecution centred on the evidence of Joseph OBrien, a known drug dealer, former suspect and garda informant.

Mr Gillane, along with Dean Kelly BL, said the genesis of Mr OBriens evidence, and the manner it was brought about, must cause the Court of Appeal concern. It was unorthodox, irregular and involved illegalities.

Some aspects of how Mr OBrien was handled by the gardai were scandalous, counsel said. It lead to an application that a fair trial could not be secured and that Mr OBriens evidence should have been excluded.

He said Mr OBrien was arrested on suspicion of murder, brought back to Pearse Street garda station and brought into a room for a meeting with Det Sgt Adrian Whitelaw and the late Superintendent PJ Browne.

Neither Det Sgt Whitelaw nor Superintendent Browne took a single note of anything that transpired over two hours, Mr Gillane said. Not a single scrap of paper was generated in an engagement between the lead investigating garda, his supervisor and someone who, at that stage, was a suspect in the case.

He said the deliberate and calculated way it was done made the fruits of the discussion almost impossible to subsequently analyse. It placed Kennys lawyers in an impossible position, compromising their capacity to effectively present a case.

Mr Gillane said the exact parameters of the relationship between OBrien, Det Sgt Whitelaw and Supt Browne, which the defence did not know about until just before the trial, was never pinned down because none of the people responsible for managing it ever took a note or shared the existence of it with anybody.

Furthermore, he said there were stark contradictions between what Mr OBrien and Det Sgt Whitelaw were saying on the nature of the relationship, which could never be resolved.

Almost every piece of material related to the meeting resulted in huge divergences in terms of OBriens motivation for making the statement, who mentioned the witness protection programme, who mentioned immunity and whether immunity was applicable to this prosecution.

Mr Gillane said it was a matter which took days of cross examination to pin down.

Counsel said that from 2005 onwards, Mr OBrien was an informer, a known drug dealer, who was giving information to Det Sgt Whitelaw in that capacity to the detective for his use.

What was worse, Mr Gillane said, was that published garda guidelines on how informers were to be dealt with were not just inadvertently breached but knowingly breached. He said Det Sgt Whitelaw had received the guidelines, relating to the Covert Human Intelligence Source (CHIS), had read them, understood them and nonetheless continued to operate in the way that he did.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Patrick Gageby SC, said Kennys lawyers had not demonstrated how, apart from what may or may not have been said in the Garda station, opaqueness impacted the case as proved against Peter Kenny.

Mr Gageby said there was there was abundant supportive evidence against Kenny and it was hard to see how any of that might have been materially affected by anything that was or wasnt said in the meeting with Mr OBrien or whether he had properly been documented as an informer.

He said the case against Kenny largely came down to telephone traffic and his attendance at the place where the gun was in the car.

Mr Gageby said witnesses, who were not Mr OBrien, gave powerful evidence that a chubby man came and went on a motorbike.

Mr Justice George Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Hedigan, said the court would reserve judgment.
A Rohingya man who won his case over the absolute ban on asylum seekers working is challenging the Minister for Justices refusal to let his wife join him here, writes Ann O'Loughlin

The man has also applied to have his two children, who are in an orphanage in Bangladesh, join him here under the family reunification scheme but that application has yet to be decided.

A member of the persecuted Rohingya minority in Myanmar, the man spent eight years in direct provision before getting refugee status here in September 2016.

Last May, the Supreme Court upheld his claim that the ban preventing asylum seekers working before their status is decided is unconstitutional. The court has said it will make a formal declaration to that effect next February.

After getting refugee status, the man applied last March for permission to have his wife, whom he married last January in Bangladesh; his two children by his first wife, who died in 2010; and his brother, join him here.

On May 16, the Minister refused permission for his wife on grounds Section 56.9 of the International Protection Act 2015 requires, before a spouse can join a refugee here, the refugee must be married at the time they seek protection.

The man and his wife are challenging that refusal and a hearing date will be fixed later for their case, taken against the Minister, the Attorney General and Ireland. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is a notice party.

Now in his late thirties, the man arrived here on July 16, 2008, applied for refugee status the following day, and got refugee status on September 19, 2016.

He says he has two children, one born in 2003 and the second in 2005, by his first wife who died in 2010 after a serious illness. Both children are in an orphanage in Bangladesh.

He says he married his second wife last January and they lived at her home in Bangladesh until he returned to Ireland in February.

The Minister has acknowledged receipt of the family reunification application concerning his children, which is still being processed.

However, on May 16, the Minister, informed him, because his wife did not meet the definition of a member of his family under Section 56.9, the application for family reunification in respect of her was refused.

That refusal, it is claimed, breaches various rights of the man, including his family and private life rights under the Constitution, European Convention of Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. He is also seeking, if necessary, various declarations including that Section 56.9.a is repugnant to the Constitution and discriminatory.

He claims, from 2008, when he first sought refugee status and 2016, when he got it, the right to family reunification was governed by section 18 of the Refugee Act 1996.

Under Section 18, a refugees spouse fell within the definition of a family member provided the marriage existed when the application for family reunification, rather than protection status, was made.

Section 56.9 changed that criterion to require the marriage existed when the refugee applied for protection.

The man claims the 2015 Act establishes the procedure, and criteria, by which a refugee applies for family reunification but it is unclear if a declared refugee can apply under the alternative administrative arrangements.

He also says, because he was banned from working for eight years until he got refugee status, he cannot meet the minimum financial threshold applicable to family reunification for non-nationals lawfully residing in the State - 30,000 in each of the last two years.
The roll-out of Ireland's network of charging points for electric vehicles has ground to a halt, an expert said.

Transport emissions trends are moving in the wrong direction, a member of the independent Climate Change Advisory Council said, and the country is on course to miss its 2020 targets.

Joseph Curtin said expenditure needed to be rebalanced towards public transport and other infrastructure projects.

He said: "We have talked about rolling out infrastructure for electric vehicles, that has been very slow in Ireland, particularly for charging infrastructure.

"We started off quite quickly, it has ground to a halt.

"There are challenges to be overcome but we would see a move towards more electrification of the transport fleet as certainly something that can deliver a significant chunk of emissions reductions in the next decade."

The ESB operates a network of 1,200 charge points for electric vehicles, 300 of which are in Northern Ireland.

Energy minister Denis Naughten has previously said there are not enough fast charging points to ensure the required take-up of electric vehicles in Ireland.

He has also said the whole of Government is taking a "concerted" approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Tuesday's Council report said: "Simply put, Ireland will miss its target of reducing emissions by 20% by 2020 by a large margin."

It said the lack of penetration of electric vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles in the national fleet was exacerbating emissions, and an assessment of the adequacy of the current electric vehicle charging network should be undertaken.

Planning and incentivising the take-up of electric vehicles over the coming decade will be "vital" in moving Ireland to a sustainable growth path, it added.

Mr Curtin also raised the prospect of greater community involvement in renewable energy generation.

One community wind farm is working in Tipperary and planning permission has been granted for a second in Wicklow.

He added: "I think we are going to see a lot more community-driven and community-developed wind farms over the next decade.

"We are going to see a lot more community solar farms, we are going to see farms that are developed by developers but they are going to have shared ownership from communities.

"We are going to see projects that are led themselves by communities but that is going to take a while to turn the tanker around, if you like."

The Council said carbon tax should be hiked and the burning of coal and peat ended to help cut emissions.

The Republic is not on track to meet its 2020 targets or to decarbonise its economy by 2050.

Greenhouse gas emissions increased by 3.7% in 2015, data showed.

A statement from the ESB said it had built one of the first nationwide public charging networks in the world.

These include 92 fast chargers (75 in ROI), which can provide an 80% charge to a vehicle in 20-30 minutes, strategically placed along the main inter-urban routes.

Last year, the public charging network was used over 140,000 times to recharge electrically powered vehicles.

It said: "A working Group of the Government's Low Emission Vehicle Task Force is looking at public charging and how to ensure Ireland has adequate charging facilities to meet the increase in EVs on our roads.

"Part of the remit of this task force would include the creating of a regulatory and funding model to support additional investment in charging infrastructure.

"In general, ESB believes that the electrification of transport using clean indigenous energy will play a vital part of tackling climate change, reducing driving costs, lessening dependence on imported fossil fuels and improving air quality in our towns and cities."

Electric vehicles are three times as efficient as conventional internal combustion engines.

This means that even with the carbon content of electricity today, replacing a diesel powered car with an electric vehicle reduces CO2 emissions by 46%, the ESB said.

The carbon content of every unit of electricity has halved since 1990 and is continuing on a clear downward trajectory.

Twenty-six per cent of the electricity generated in Ireland today comes from renewable sources and by 2020 that will increase to about 40%, the organisation added.

It said: "When combined with dramatically improved air quality - especially in towns and cities - and much lower running costs, a worldwide switch to electric vehicles for private cars is increasingly seen as inevitable.

"One of the major benefits of electric vehicles is the ability to recharge at home using night rate electricity.

"Evidence both here in Ireland and internationally points to more than 90% of charging taking place at home where consumers can benefit from cheaper night rate electricity."
Met Eireann have issued a status yellow wind warning as an Atlantic storm approaches.

Met Eireann issued the warning for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare and Kerry, and it comes into place on Thursday, December 7 from 3am until 8pm.

Storm Caroline, named by the UK Met Office, is due to pass close to the north coast of Scotland on Thursday morning.

Winds of 100 to 110km/h are expected with the strongest winds being in coastal areas and over high ground.

Temperatures are set to drop later in the week, with Met Eireann forecasting lows of minus two on Thursday night.

Friday is set to be another cold day as Met Eireann forecasts sunshine along with showers of rain, hail, sleet and snow.

Friday night will see temperatures drop to between minus two and plus three with widespread frost and icy patches returning.
By Greg Murphy

Sting sat down with Ryan Tubridy on RTE Radio 1 this morning and talked about a wide array of topics.

He was in Dublin for the opening of his new show, The Last Ship, in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre.

The musician spoke to Tubridy about his Irish heritage, having recently discovered that one of his ancestors, Mary Murphy, died in a poor house in Co Monaghan.

"I visited the place and was shocked and very emotional," he said.

"The idea that people were punished for being poor, as if it were some sort of judgement from God - the rich

were rich because they deserved to be and the poor were poor because they deserved to be - that really horrified me.

Tubridy asked the artist to describe the workhouse he visited.

"It looked like a concentration camp - the men and women were separated, the children were separated.

"There was a mass burial ground behind the place; it was grim. But it was part of our history, and we all have to accept responsibility for that."

The topic turned to Brexit and Sting described how Brexit annoys him greatly.

"I voted to remain. I feel that Im a European," he said.

"I wish the referendum hadnt happened, I think it was ill-advised - it was really trying to shore up the lunatic elements of the Tory party.

"I wish we could just reverse the whole process. Ive yet to hear a coherent argument why its a good idea.

"Nigel Farage saying lets get our blue passports back. Really? Is that it?"

Thrilled to welcome @officialsting to our studio this morning to talk about @LastShipOnStage running at @BGETheatre next June! pic.twitter.com/remC7gUhmW  Ryan Tubridy Show (@RyanTubridyShow) December 5, 2017

Tubridy asked him about the possibility of a second referendum to ask the British people "are you sure you want a Brexit?".

Sting responded by saying it was too complex an issue to say yes or no.

"If you have a parliamentary democracy, you dont need referendums," he said.

"Referendums were the way dictators in the 30s used to get their way; Hitler and Mussolini used to use referendums.

"It was too complex of an issue to reduce to yes or no."

On Boris Johnson, Sting said what was printed on the side of the Brexit bus was lies.

"Dont start me, absolutely they were lies.

"All that stuff about putting money into the NHS and now theres a 50bn divorce bill, for which we will get nothing."

Listen to the full interview below.
Austrias Constitutional Court has decided that same-sex couples will be allowed to marry by the beginning of 2019, ruling that existing laws are discriminatory.

Same-sex couples in Austria have been allowed to enter legal partnerships since 2010, but until now have not been able to marry.
US special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly subpoenaed Deutsche Bank, seeking records as part of his investigation into allegations that Russia helped Donald Trump win the 2016 US presidential election.

The report in German business newspaper Handelsblatt cites only "informed circles", while a spokesman said Deutsche Bank had no comment.

Handelsblatt said it was not clear whether the demand sought information on the US president or on other members of his circle.

Deutsche Bank has been one of the few major banks willing to regularly lend to Mr Trump, who alienated large banks in New York with his past financial troubles.

Over the years, the banks cumulative loans to Mr Trump added up to billions, and loans originally worth $300m remain outstanding.

Handelsblatt said the subpoena was received several weeks ago.

In May, five Democratic members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Deutsche Bank chief executive John Cryan asking the bank to turn in any records relating to Mr Trump's accounts and any ties to Russia.

The bank refused, saying it had to respect legal requirements to keep client data private.
A senior United Nations official has arrived in Pyongyang for a rare, four-day visit at the invitation of the North Korean government.

Undersecretary-general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman is scheduled to meet foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, vice minister Pak Myong Guk, diplomats and UN staff during his stay.

They are expected to discuss a wide range of issues.

Mr Feltman, the highest-ranking American in the UN secretariat, is the first person in that post to visit North Korea since February 2010.

Though Mr Feltman previously worked for the state department, he is not representing the US government.

The most senior American to visit North Korea in an official capacity recently was James R Clapper, who as director of national intelligence travelled to Pyongyang in late 2014 to secure the release of two American citizens.

A delegation headed by state department special representative Joseph Yun flew to Pyongyang to oversee the release of American college student Otto Warmbier in June this year.

Mr Feltman's visit comes amid high tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The US and South Korean militaries are holding a major air force exercise and just last week Pyongyang test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say could hit Washington.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, have traded insults and engaged in escalating rhetoric in recent months.

Mr Trump announced on November 20 that the US was returning North Korea to the list of state sponsors of terrorism and promised to intensify a campaign of "maximum pressure" and sanctions as part of a rolling effort to compel Kim's government to negotiate over its nuclear programme.

The visit by Mr Feltman follows the dispatch last month by China of its highest-level envoy to North Korea in two years.

It was not clear what progress, if any, was made during that visit to ease a rift that has also been widening between Beijing and Pyongyang.

Six UN agencies, with approximately 50 international staff, are represented in North Korea.

AP
A Spanish judge has withdrawn the European arrest warrants for ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four members of his former cabinet who have been fighting extradition from Belgium.

The five could still be arrested if they go back to Spain, however, because they are still being sought for alleged crimes related to the independence bid in north-eastern Catalonia, a Supreme Court spokesman said.

Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena said that individual European warrants do not apply anymore because evidence has emerged that the alleged crimes were committed as part of a wider group.

He also said that the probed politicians have shown their "intention to return to Spain" in order to run for elections in Catalonia.

The five Catalans are facing rebellion, sedition and embezzlement charges among others for their roles in staging an illegal independence referendum in October that led to an independence declaration in the region's parliament.

The crimes are punishable in Spain with decades in prison.

National, European and international arrest warrants were issued on November 3, after members of Mr Puigdemont's government who remained in Spain were jailed on provisional charges.

Two ex-cabinet members, including vice president Oriol Junqueras, and two separatist activists remain in custody.

There were no immediate reactions by Mr Puigdemont and aides in Brussels to the judge's announcement, but defence lawyer Paul Bekaert was taken by surprise when he heard the news from a reporter.

Mr Puigdemont is leading his party's campaign for the December 21 election called by Spain's government in an attempt to find a democratic fix to the nation's worst institutional crisis in nearly four decades.

AP
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has expressed support for the way her Spanish counterpart is handling the crisis in Catalonia.

Welcoming Mariano Rajoy to Downing Street talks, Mrs May said that Spains constitution needed to be respected.

Madrid has ordered regional elections in Catalonia after separatists pushed for independence following a controversial referendum.

Mrs May said: "I would... like to reiterate my support for Prime Minister Rajoy on Catalonia. It is important that the rule of law is upheld and that the Spanish constitution is respected."

The PM said the UK and Spain were countering international terrorism together.

She said: "We are both countries that have suffered from cowardly and brutal terrorist attacks and we share a determination to defeat terrorism and to defend international security."

Mr Rajoy said it was a "magnificent moment" in relations between Britain and Spain as he thanked the PM for her support over Catalonia.

The Spanish PM said that "without democracy we would simply be going back to the dark ages" as he said constitutional arrangements needed to be safeguarded.

Mr Rajoy said the UK and Spain needed to co-operate to deal with the terror threat.

He said: "We have both been dealt serious and very tough blows in recent times. But, I do believe that we will win this battle against terrorism. And in order to do so our intelligence services have to work in co-operation with each other."
The UN political chief is heading to North Korea on a rare four-day visit at the invitation of the government for a wide-ranging discussion on policy issues "of mutual interest and concern".

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman would arrive in Pyongyang today from Beijing, where he met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong on Monday.

Asked whether Mr Feltman would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Mr Dujarric said that his current schedule included meetings with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk, diplomats and UN staff.

Mr Feltman is the highest-ranking American in the UN Secretariat, after serving for nearly 30 years in the US Foreign Service where his last post was as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs.

His visit comes at a time of heightened tensions between North Korea and South Korea, Japan and the United States, sparked by the reclusive country's frequent missile launches and recent nuclear test, and particularly by its latest launch of a long-range ballistic missile last week which experts say could hit Washington.

Mr Kim and US president Donald Trump have traded insults and engaged in escalating rhetoric in recent months.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly in September, Mr Trump threatened "to totally destroy North Korea" if the US is forced to defend itself or its allies and he later tweeted that Mr Kim - whom he called "little rocket man" - "won't be around much longer".

The North Korean leader responded to the Mr Trump by promising to "tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire", and Foreign Minister Ri called Mr Trump's tweet a "declaration of war" and said that North Korea has the right to retaliate and shoot down US bombers.

Mr Trump announced on November 20 that the United States was returning North Korea to the list of state sponsors of terrorism and promised to intensify a campaign of "maximum pressure" and sanctions as part of a rolling effort to compel Kim's government to negotiate over its nuclear program.

Mr Feltman's visit comes as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres prepares to brief a Security Council ministerial meeting on December 15 about North Korea that was called by Japan, which holds the council presidency this month.

Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho said the meeting will focus on finding peaceful ways to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile tests and denuclearise the Korean peninsula.

Mr Dujarric said Mr Feltman was informally invited to visit North Korea during the annual gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly in September, presumably by foreign minister Ri who attended the session. But he said the invitation wasn't issued until November 30.

AP
Update 10.22am: Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has called for any regulatory alignment under Brexit to be applied on a UK-wide basis.

Ms Davidson said the country should not be divided by "different deals for different home nations" in the wake of the UK Government's attempt to settle the Irish border issue.

Her comments come as Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged politicians from all parties to get behind a deal to keep the whole of the UK in the European single market.

Crunch talks with the European Union (EU) ended without agreement after the DUP - which props up the minority Conservative Government in Westminster - made clear it would not accept any arrangement which saw the North treated differently from the rest of the UK.

It is understood the UK Government and the EU had been poised to agree to guaranteeing ''regulatory alignment'' between the North and Ireland in order to prevent the imposition of a hard border.

Leaders of devolved administrations - including Ms Sturgeon - made it clear any special status for the North would prompt demands from other parts of the UK for their own tailor-made Brexit.

Ms Davidson said: "The question on the Brexit ballot paper asked voters whether the UK should stay or leave the European Union - it did not ask if the country should be divided by different deals for different home nations.

"While I recognise the complexity of the current negotiations, no government of the Conservative and Unionist Party should countenance any deal that compromises the political, economic or constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.

"All sides agree there should be no return to the borders of the past between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

"Similarly, jeopardising the UK's own internal market is in no-one's interest.

"If regulatory alignment in a number of specific areas is the requirement for a frictionless border, then the Prime Minister should conclude this must be on a UK-wide basis."

Ms Sturgeon said that if one part of the UK can retain regulatory alignment with the EU and effectively stay in the single market, there is "surely no good practical reason why others can't".

She said there was now an opportunity to push for a Brexit deal that could keep the whole of the UK in the single market and customs union, and challenged others to back such a position.

She tweeted: "This could be the moment for opposition and soft Brexit/remain Tories to force a different, less damaging approach - keep the UK in the single market and customs union. But it needs Labour to get its act together. How about it @jeremycorbyn?"

This could be the moment for opposition and soft Brexit/remain Tories to force a different, less damaging approach - keep the UK in the single market and customs union. But it needs Labour to get its act together. How about it @jeremycorbyn?  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) December 5, 2017

Earlier: May in race against the clock to break Brexit talks deadlock

Theresa May is engaged in a race against the clock to find the key to break deadlock in Brexit talks.

The UK Prime Minister's hopes of securing agreement on the terms of Britain's EU withdrawal were dashed on Monday when the Democratic Unionist Party refused to accept proposals which would have shifted Northern Ireland's customs border to the Irish Sea.

Mrs May is planning to return to Brussels before the end of the week, with time running out to persuade leaders of the remaining 27 EU nations at a summit on December 14-15 that "sufficient progress" has been made on divorce issues to move Brexit negotiations on to their second phase.

This will deal with trade and the transition to a new relationship.

Today, she was expected to speak by phone with DUP leader Arlene Foster as she grapples to find a form of words acceptable to the Northern Irish party, on which she relies to prop up her minority administration at Westminster.

Mrs May had to break off from talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday for an urgent call with the DUP leader, after she dramatically declared her party's implacable opposition to proposals which would have imposed "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and the Republic in order to avoid the need for a hard border.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the deal had been agreed by the European Commission, UK and the Republic before the process was thrown into disarray by Mrs Foster's eleventh-hour intervention.

He said he was "surprised and disappointed" by Mrs May's request for more time.

European Council president Donald Tusk confirmed that, until the surprise developments at Stormont, he had been preparing to issue new negotiating guidelines for the second phase of talks today.

It is also understood that differences also remain between the EU and Britain over the issue of European Court of Justice jurisdiction over EU nationals living in the UK after Brexit.

Mrs May insisted she was still "confident" of getting a green light for trade talks at next week's summit.

Failure to do so would risk throwing the whole Brexit process into crisis, as many companies are believed to be preparing to activate contingency plans to start moving staff and activities out of the UK if there are no signs of progress by Christmas.

EU officials are understood to believe that a text of the deal must be thrashed out by the end of the week to allow it to be included in draft summit conclusions and give other leaders time to consult their own governments - and in some cases parliaments - before convening in Brussels.

Prominent Tory MPs voiced their opposition to any deal which threatened the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom by forcing Northern Ireland to operate under different regulations from the mainland.

Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "I don't think that can possibly happen. The government doesn't have a majority for that."

Leaders of devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and London said that they would want the option to adopt in their parts of the UK any special status afforded to Northern Ireland.

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the failure of talks showed Mrs May's Government was "completely ill-equipped to negotiate a successful Brexit deal for our country", while former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said she should "leave office now".

But many Conservatives were optimistic of a deal being struck.

The chairman of the Commons Northern Ireland Committee, Tory MP Andrew Murrison, told BBC2's Newsnight: "We understand that later this week there is every prospect of a deal satisfying the European Union that, in its words, sufficient progress has been made which will set us up for a favourable conclusion to the summit.

"The mood here at Westminster at the moment is far more upbeat than I've known it for some considerable time now. I think, with compromise on both sides ... we are set fair for some good news before Christmas."

Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed told Newsnight that "with goodwill on all sides" a deal could be agreed by Friday, but added: "I don't want to underestimate the significance of the issues that have yet to be agreed."

Former top UK Foreign Office official Lord Ricketts said the row was "damaging" for Mrs May and will leave EU leaders with the impression that she lacks the authority to get through Brexit negotiations.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I mean, it's pretty extraordinary that this wasn't all stitched up with the DUP beforehand.

"We're used to prime ministers going to Brussels and having a row with the EU and coming back without an agreement, but to go agree with the EU and then have a row on your own side is inconvenient."

He went on: "It leaves an impression, I think, in Brussels that the Prime Minister hasn't got authority over her own side and that will knock confidence in doing a final deal."

The crossbench peer added: "I think it leaves an impression that the Prime Minister hasn't got the authority to get through these difficult negotiations."

Former UK Brexit minister David Jones said "there will be people in Downing Street who will have regretted not making the position clearer with the DUP".

He urged ministers not to "ignore the parliamentary arithmetic" in which the DUP props up the minority Government, while making clear he also opposed regulatory alignment as it would hinder Britain's ability to strike new free trade deals around the world.

"I think we need to ensure that the DUP are on board with whatever is proposed and I think it's fairly clear that yesterday they were not on board - the fact that they managed to stall the negotiations yesterday, I think, demonstrates the precise strength of their position so I don't think it should be under-estimated at all," he s
Update 12.38pm: Hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" have blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili.

He later escaped with help from supporters and led them on a march towards parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign.

The detention of Mr Saakashvili, now an anti-corruption crusader in his adopted home and arguably the country's most popular opposition politician, has raised fears that Ukraine could be facing its most acute political crisis since the 2014 revolution.

Ukrainian prosecutors accuse him of colluding with Ukrainian businessmen who have ties to Russian intelligence as part of an effort to topple the president.

Mr Saakashvili poses a threat to Mr Poroshenko, who appointed him as governor of Ukraine's Odessa region before the two had a falling out.

In 2016 Mr Saakashvili resigned, complaining that his efforts to root out corruption were being obstructed by officials.

When the SBU, Ukraine's Security Service, went to detain Mr Saakashvili at his home in Kiev on Tuesday, he climbed on to the roof and reportedly threatened to jump off.

SBU officers went after him, detained him and led him to a waiting van.

Several hundred supporters surrounded the van, refusing to let it drive off.

Footage from the scene showed protesters picking up cobblestones and construction rubble to build barricades.

One protester climbed on top of the van and waved the Ukrainian flag.

After Mr Saakashvili escaped, he told his supporters that he would "lay down his life for the freedom of Ukraine" and called on them to follow him to the Supreme Rada.

He also called on Ukrainians to rally at Kiev's main square, the epicentre of protests in 2013 and 2014, to demand Mr Poroshenko's resignation.

Footage showed Mr Saakashvili with the yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag around his neck marching in central Kiev, surrounded by crowds.

Earlier: Former Georgia president detained in Kiev after threatening to jump off roof

Riot police have been deployed to the streets of the Ukrainian capital Kiev amid a stand-off with hundreds of protesters who had blocked a police van carrying an arrested politician.

Ukraine's intelligence agency SBU detained the former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who has emerged as an anti-corruption campaigner in his new country.

Mr Saakashvili climbed on to the roof of his home in Kiev, drawing a crowd of supporters below, and threatened to jump off, Ukrainian media reported.

SBU officers followed him on to the roof, detained him and led him out to a waiting van.

However, several hundred supporters blocked the road and surrounded the van, refusing to let it drive off.

Two hours after Mr Saakashvili entered the van, it was still at a standstill as the crowd chanted "Kiev, rise up!"

Ukrainian Security Service officers detain Mikheil Saakashvili at his house in Kiev. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Footage from the scene showed protesters picking up cobblestones and construction rubble to build barricades.

National Guard riot police were dispatched to help the SBU release the van but they soon found themselves surrounded by a crowd of protesters.

Mr Saakashvili is arguably Ukraine's most popular opposition politician and a challenge to President Petro Poroshenko, who appointed him as governor of Ukraine's Odessa region before the two fell out.

Mr Saakashvili served as Georgia's president for nearly a decade before he was termed out of the office and left the country in 2013.

He resigned as Odessa governor in 2016, complaining that his efforts to root out corruption suffered official obstruction.

Mr Poroshenko revoked Mr Saakashvili's citizenship in July while he was out of the country.

Mr Saakashvili forced his way across Ukraine's border with Poland last month.

His stand-off with Mr Poroshenko ignited long-simmering popular discontent with the slow pace of the president's much-promised reforms.

The Security Service said in a statement that Mr Saakashvili is facing a criminal investigation for "assisting members of criminal organisations or hiding their criminal activities".

Ukrainian prosecutor general Yuri Lutsenko said in a televised briefing later in the day that Mr Saakashvili is suspected of colluding with Ukrainian businessmen with ties to Russian intelligence in order to topple Mr Poroshenko.

AP
Update 5.17pm: Vociferous Arab and Muslim opposition is building to any possible US recognition of contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital, as European leaders expressed concern about harm to fragile Middle East peace efforts.

President Donald Trump informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a phone call on Tuesday that he intends to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a holy city whose Israeli-annexed eastern sector the Palestinians seek as a future capital.

Mr Abbas's office said the Palestinian leader warned Mr Trump of dangerous repercussions for Middle East peace efforts, as well as security and stability in the region and the world.

The statement did not say if Mr Trump gave a timeline for the intended move.

US officials familiar with planning for a possible announcement on Jerusalem said they expect Mr Trump to speak on the matter on Wednesday, although the specifics of what he will say were still being debated.

Donald Trump

The officials, along with an outside adviser to the administration, said they expected Mr Trump would make a generic statement about Jerusalem's status as the "capital of Israel".

They said they did not expect the president to use the phrase "undivided capital", which would imply Israeli sovereignty over east Jerusalem, which is not recognised by the United Nations.

They also said Mr Trump planned to sign a waiver delaying for another six months a US legal requirement to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

But they said Mr Trump would probably give wide latitude to David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel, to make a determination on when such a move would be appropriate.

Mr Friedman has spoken in favour of the move.

As discussions continued on Tuesday, pressure from numerous quarters against full-on recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital appeared to have led to the possibility that Mr Trump include comments in his speech that might mitigate the impact of the announcement.

Among the ideas under discussion were Mr Trump giving a nod to Palestinian aspirations to have the capital of an eventual state in east Jerusalem or endorsing the concept of a two-state solution, something he has yet to do. It remained unclear whether any such comments would be included.

Jerusalem is home to the third-holiest shrine of Islam, along with the holiest site in Judaism and major Christian holy sites.

It forms the combustible centre of the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Any perceived harm to Muslim claims to the city has triggered large-scale protests in the past, both in the Holy Land and across the region.

Earlier: Tension building amid question over US stance on Jerusalem

Vociferous Arab and Muslim opposition is building to any possible US recognition of contested Jerusalem as Israels capital, as European leaders expressed concern about harm to fragile Middle East peace efforts.

Turkey threatened to cut ties with Israel, the Palestinians warned they would halt contacts with their US counterparts, and key Washington ally Saudi Arabia spoke out strongly against such a possible step.

Saudi Arabia, a regional powerhouse, is crucial to any White House plans to promote a possible Middle East peace deal.

President Donald Trump said he hopes to broker the "ultimate deal", but has not divulged details.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he reminded Mr Trump in a phone call on Monday night that the fate of Jerusalem should be determined in negotiations on setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Donald Trump

Mr Macron said in a statement that he expressed concern about any possible unilateral US moves and that he agreed with Mr Trump "to speak again shortly on this subject".

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who was meeting US secretary of state Rex Tillerson in Brussels, said any actions that undermine Middle East peace efforts "must be absolutely avoided".

Jerusalem is home to the third holiest shrine of Islam, along with the holiest site in Judaism and major Christian holy sites.

It forms the combustible centre of the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Any perceived harm to Muslim claims to the city has triggered large-scale protests in the past, both in the Holy Land and across the region.

Mr Trumps next move concerning Jerusalem remains shrouded in mystery.

US officials have said he may recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital this week as a way to offset his likely decision to delay his campaign promise of moving the US embassy there.

Mr Trumps point-man on the Middle East, son-in-law Jared Kushner, later said the president has not decided yet what steps to take.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration appeared to have missed a statutory deadline to sign a new waiver keeping the US embassy in Israel in Tel Aviv.

The deadline came and went without any White House announcement about whether Mr Trump had signed a waiver.

Without the waiver, by law the embassy is supposed to move to Jerusalem.

At the same time, the prospect of Mr Trump recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital has triggered mounting opposition in the Arab and Muslim world.

East Jerusalem, now home to more than 300,000 Palestinians, was captured by Israel in 1967 and then annexed to its capital, a move most of the international community has not recognised.

Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as a future capital.

Israels current government, unlike its predecessors, rejects the idea of partition of the city.

Under international consensus and long-standing US policy, the fate of the city is to be determined in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

A Trump recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital would upend Washingtons traditional approach to the conflict.

It was not immediately clear what Mr Trump could hope to gain from such a step, while downsides include alienating crucial Arab allies, from Saudi Arabia to Jordan.

On Tuesday, warnings against such a possible US move were pouring in from across the region.

Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the head of the Arab League, urged the United States to reconsider.

A possible recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital would be a "dangerous measure that would have repercussions" across the region, he said during a Cairo meeting of Arab League representatives gathered to discuss the issue.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told parliament that US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital was a "red line" and that his countrys response "could go as far as us cutting diplomatic ties with Israel".

Israeli education minister Naftali Bennett played down the threat, saying that "at the end of the day it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogans sympathy".

In the West Bank, the diplomatic adviser of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital could end Washingtons role as mediator between Israelis and Palestinians.

"If the Americans recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, then this would mean they decided, on their own, to distance themselves from efforts to make peace and that they will have no credibility or role in this issue," Majdi Khaldi said.

"We will stop our contacts with them (in the event of recognition) because such a step goes against our existence and against the fate of our cause," Mr Khaldi said.

"It targets Muslims and Christians alike."

Palestinian political factions led by Mr Abbass Fatah movement called for daily protest marches this week, starting on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia expressed its "grave and deep concern" about possible recognition.

In a statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the foreign ministry said that the kingdom affirms the rights of Palestinian people regarding Jerusalem, which it said "cannot be changed".

The statement warned that this step would "provoke sentiments of Muslims throughout world".

On Monday, the Organisation for Islamic Co-operation, which has 57 member states, said US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital would constitute "naked aggression" against the Muslim and Arab world.

AP
Kingsfold based builders merchant D.W. Nye will be helping to raise funds on behalf of Horsham charity Born Free with their fun, Christmas inspired competition Guess how many sweets are hidden inside the Gingerbread House.

The baked masonry masterpiece, which was constructed by Horsham resident Kat Giannini  partner of D.W. Nyes managing director Rex Nye - comes complete with its very own gingerbread pick-up truck filled to the brim with sweets. It took 4.5 hours to bake and a further day to decorate before being transported to its final home as the centrepiece of D.W. Nyes Christmas decorations at its depot on Dorking Road.

Local residents are invited to visit the depot any time between Monday 4 December and Friday 22 December 2017 to guess the total number of sweets hidden inside the gingerbread house and its accompanying truck. There will be a suggested donation of 1 per entry, which will go to the companys chosen charity Born Free, with no limit on the number of entries per person. The person with the best estimate will win a Luscious Hamper courtesy of Cocoa Loco at Swan Walk. The delicious contents include an array of scrummy handmade chocolates worth 75.

Kat said: I am really pleased with the final result. I hope everyone else loves it as much as I do and has a go at guessing and helping to raise money for a worthy cause.

D.W. Nyes Guess how many sweets are in the gingerbread house competition runs until Friday 22nd December 2017. All money raised will go to Born Free. The winner will be announced in the New Year.
From a 'swadesi' apparel line to private security, Ramdev-promoted Ltd has its fingers in many pies, and now it reportedly plans to manufacture solar power equipment.
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Global technology giant Google on Tuesday said that its mobile wallet app Tez, which was launched just 10 weeks back, has gained over 12 million active users. Ceaser Sengupta, VP Next Billion Users at Google, said that the mobile wallet has processed over 140 million transactions in a short span.
Plagued by a shortage of commanders, several domestic airlines are trying to lure back who were poached by West Asian carriers. SpiceJet and Vistara have held roadshows in major Gulf cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai in their bid to recruit captains and first officers for their respective airlines.
(IOC), the nation's biggest oil company, is evaluating setting up a Rs 20,000-crore coke gasification project at its Paradip refinery in Odisha to convert the lowest-cost fossil fuel into gas that can be used to generate power or make petrochemicals.

IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh said the company has been evaluating the project even before the Supreme Court banned the use of petroleum coke and furnace oil in areas around the Indian capital, which is battling alarming levels of air pollution thats risking human health.

"Let me make it clear that we haven't come to a decision yet. We are evaluating a coke gasification project," he told reporters here.

A 2 million tonnes a year coke gasification unit would cost Rs 15,000 crore to 20,000 crore, he said adding pet coke produced in Paradip, Chennai and Haldia refinery can be used in the new plant to generate syngas.

The syngas so generated can be used for power generation or further value addition done to produce chemicals used to making plastics and other products, he said.

IOC already has plans to build a petrochemical complex adjacent to its recently commissioned 15 million tonnes a year Paradip refinery.

Singh said the two projects will have to be synced.

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries is investing $4 billion in a petcoke gasification to use 6.5 million tonnes a year of petcoke to produce fuel to meet the entire energy requirement at its twin refineries at Jamnagar in Gujarat.

RIL will produce 23 million standard cubic metres a day of syngas to cut used of imported gas (LNG) at the refineries.

India is the world's biggest consumer of petroleum coke, which is a by-produce of oil refining process and is considered a dirtier alternative to coal. It is composed mainly of carbon and emits 11 per cent more greenhouse gases than coal. Also emitted on burning are several times more sulphur dioxide, which causes lung diseases and acid rain.

It is widely used by cement factories, dyeing units, paper mills, brick kilns and ceramics business. The Supreme Court ban, which covers Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, came into effect from November 1.

Singh said the ban will cut imports, which current meet half of the domestic demand.

India imported 14.3 million tonnes of pet coke in 2016-17 and 8.3 million tonnes in first six months of the current fiscal.
There seems to be a trust deficit emerging between the Tamil Nadu government and Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan. The state government fears that a faster payment of incentives to the car maker (Renault-Nissan Alliance India Private Ltd or RNAIPL) on its investments near Chennai might result in the company abandoning the project, curtailing the anticipated economic activity from this project.
has spent 15 years with New York Times (NYT), reporting from West Africa and India, among other regions. Early this year, she joined HuffPost as editor-in-chief. HuffPost is part of Oath, the hub of media and content businesses of US telecom giant Verizon. Vanita Kohli-Khandekar spoke to Polgreen on journalism, technology and the internet. Edited excerpts:



What are the challenges that journalism faces?



Well, it is the best of times and the worst of times. You can spread news very fast through WhatsApp or social media. It doesnt need to be fact-checked. And there is this chorus of voices. But the line between chorus and cacophony is very thin and right now we are slipping into cacophony. In the US there has been a real collapse of trust in institutional journalism. I grew up in a time when a story printed in the New York Times was gospel. Now, any opinion or fact you dont like can be discarded. We talk of fake news as if it happened in 2016, but it has been going on for a long time. In 2014, in the run-up to the Indian general elections, there were so many memes and stories. Then there is the profound economic challenge of journalism. In the US we have seen our ad dollars stripped by the duopoly of Google and Facebook. India luckily continues to support the print landscape, people still view print as their daily routine. It (the economic devastation) will come here too.
Businessman Vijay Mallyas lawyer tore into New Delhis allegations of fraud on Tuesday, the second day of an eight-day extradition hearing of the chairman of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines (KFA).
A quarter of a century later  having witnessed the Iraq war and the events like 9/11  one has a clearer idea why the demolition of a 500-year-old mosque by kar sevaks continues to haunt India? Such moments signal the unleashing of a beast that lurks underneath all mixed societies and nations. And, it awaits hands to unchain and set it free. What happened in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992 was no freak show. It was a violent, symbolic and well planned demolition of a structure at the hands of political manipulators. It systematically removed all the barriers of law and custom, one by one, and set the beast free.
On December 6, 1992, in Ayodhya was demolished and the country's political and communal fabric significantly altered. A day short of the 25th anniversary of the event, the Supreme Court will on Tuesday commence the final hearings in the long-standing Ayodhya dispute.
There are very few dates that evoke contradictory emotions in different communities living side by side in a nation. In Indian history, 6 December is a date Hindus and Muslims remember differently. It is a day that may even be called a border. A border which has created two distinct zones of sensibilities  one Hindu and the other Muslim. It ensured that from now on there would be little they would share. They dont intersect, they dont meet. They look at each other, not with interest but with suspicion.
The North Goa district has done a preliminary assessment of the damage caused due to in the coastal state.

Also, the shack owners, whose establishments suffered damages following high tide during to the cyclone, have decided to approach the state tourism department to seek compensation for their losses.

The office of North Goa's district magistrate has done a preliminary assessment of the damage caused in Pernem and Bardez talukas, where several prominent beaches, including Morjim, Arambol, Candolim, Baga and Calangute, are located, an official release said on Tuesday.

"There was no danger caused to human life in North Goa district as necessary instructions were given by the talathis (local revenue officials) to the foreigners, tourists and locals asking them not to enter into the sea waters," it said.

However, there was considerable damage caused to around 50 shacks in Morjim, Mandrem, Arambol and Querim beaches in Pernem taluka, the release said.

"The soil erosion at Anjuna and Baga beaches and damage to the retaining wall at Coco beach in Nerul have also been reported," it said.

North Goa's District Magistrate Nila Mohanan has sent a report to the state government on the damages caused and recommended to include 'sea ingress due to rise in high tide levels' in the list of disasters, so that compensation can be released to the affected shack owners, the release said.

"The shack owners have been asked to prepare a detailed estimate of the loses caused to them and submit it to the state tourism department," Shack Owners' Welfare Society president Cruz Cardozo told PTI.

He said a memorandum would be submitted to the state government demanding compensation for the shack owners who have lost their business during the peak season.

Cardozo said that around 80 per cent of the shacks in the state were affected due to the natural disaster.

Goa is currently witnessing a huge inflow of tourists, who flock its beaches. The hectic activity generally continues till December 31 when lakhs of visitors come to the state to celebrate the New Year.
on Tuesday moved closer to the southern coast near Surat in Gujarat and is expected to make a landfall in the state around midnight, said officials.

As per the latest forecast released by the Meteorological Centre, the cyclone is now just 390 kms away from Surat.

Responding to the latest development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the BJP workers in Gujarat to provide all possible help, as the cyclone inches towards the state. Modi used the social media platform Twitter for this purpose.

With #CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

The situation is being closely monitored and all possible assistance would be provided to those affected by the storm, assured Modi.

Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

The cyclone is approaching Gujarat steadily and now lies centred in the Arabian Sea just 390 kms away from Surat. It is very likely to continue moving north-northwestwards, an official of the MeT centre said.

As per the latest bulletin of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued on Tuesday, the cyclone is expected to hit the coastline near Surat by tonight.

"It is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by the night of December 5," said the latest IMD bulletin.

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall in most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places in Saurashtra and south Gujarat.

As predicted by the weathermen, several districts on Tuesday received light rain since morning, even as almost the entire state witnessed overcast skies.

The Met centre has warned that when the cyclone hits the Gujarat coast, "wind speed would remain between 50 and 60 kmph and may reach up to 70 kmph in south Gujarat".

According to principal secretary in the state revenue department, Pankaj Kumar, at least nine districts have received light showers or drizzle since the morning.

Dharmarpur town of southern Gujarat received a maximum rainfall of 25 mm, he said.

The other districts experiencing a wet spell are Botad, Arvalli, Chhotaudepur, Dahod, Mahisagar, Sabarkantha, Navsari and Rajkot.

Gujarat's chief secretary J N Singh has convened a video conference with the collectors of coastal districts to review their preparedness to deal with any eventuality, Kumar added.
As Mumbai braces for Cyclone Ockhi, areas near the metropolis witnessed a spell of hailstorm, while schools and colleges in the city and adjoining districts have been closed today as a precautionary measure.

An official at the Mumbai office of India Meteorological Department said on account of the cyclone, the megapolis has started receiving rainfall due to spread of clouds.

Here's what you must know

1. Central Railway forms emergency cell

Following the threat, the Central Railway Mumbai Division updated all emergency number and also opened up an emergency cell at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Kalyan.

"More than 250 railway police force and Maharashtra State Security Force personnel have been deployed on crowd management & other related activities at stations, yards etc. Break-down equipment such as Accident Relief Train, Accident Relief medical van, Road ART has been kept in readiness for any eventuality, Central Railway tweeted.

The WR's engineering control has been kept on alert to keep a watch on water level over railway tracks, it said in a release here.

Similarly, RPF and commercial control staff has been asked to monitor crowd movements and undertake necessary evacuation at stations in case of a disaster-like situation, the release said.

2. Schools shut

The Maharashtra government has declared a precautionary holiday for schools and colleges in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Sindhudurga, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts.

"Precautionary holiday declared on 5/12/17 for schools and colleges in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Sindhudurg, Thane, Raigad and Palghar Districts for the safety of the students due to the serious weather predictions on #CycloneOckhi #MumbaiRains," state Education Minister Vinod Tawde tweeted.
The Maharashtra government has declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Mumbai and adjoining districts on Tuesday due to "serious weather predictions" in view of .
With the clock ticking for the high-stakes Gujarat Assembly polls, the Congress is attempting to breach the BJP's traditional "fortress" -- the Mandvi seat in Kutch district -- by wooing a cross-section of voters.

Congress heavyweight Shaktisinh Gohil, the 57-year-old Rajput leader, considered by many as the party's chief ministerial choice, would lock horns with BJP's new face Virendrasinh Jadeja, who is also a Rajput, in the Muslim- dominated Mandvi Assembly constituency.

In an apparent bid to avoid anti-incumbency, the BJP, which has maintained its winning streak on the seat since the last four decades, barring a few occasions, has dropped its sitting MLA Tarachand Chheda and given a ticket to Jadeja, the 51-year-old local leader who had unsuccessfully contested from Rapar seat of Kutch in 2007.

Gohil is a sitting MLA from Abdasa seat of Kutch, but the Congress has decided to field him from Mandvi this time.

After losing in the 2012 Assembly polls from his traditional seat -- Bhavnagar-Rural -- Gohil won the Abdasa by-poll in 2014 with a thin margin of just over 750 votes.

While Jadeja never won any Assembly poll, Gohil, who belongs to the royal family of Bhavnagar, is a four-time MLA and has served as a minister in the past Congress governments.

However, Jadeja is confident of retaining the BJP's stronghold with the support of all communities, including those who are considered to be the Congress' loyal vote bank -- such as Muslims, Dalits, and to some extent the Patidars.

The Mandvi seat, having a total voter base of 2.24 lakh, comprises two talukas of Kutch - Mandvi and Mundra.

Out of the 2.24 lakh voters, the Muslims are in a dominating position with over 50,000 voter population, followed by around 31,000 Dalits, 25,000 Patidars and 21,000 Rajputs.

Though it appears to be a lucrative social dynamics for the Congress, the party won from the seat only four times while the BJP emerged victorious seven times since the formation of Gujarat in 1960.

Former BJP chief minister Suresh Mehta won from the seat five times, starting from 1975 till 1998. In 1975, Mehta won for the first time under the banner of 'Jan Sangh' - the BJP's parent body.

In 2002, Congress candidate Chhabil Patel snatched the seat from BJP by defeating Mehta with a thin margin of 598 votes. However, the Congress lost the seat to BJP in the elections of 2007 and 2012.

Though the Congress might be hoping to sail through by riding on the back of Muslims, Dalits and Patidars, the BJP is confident of retaining the seat with its "vikas" (development) agenda.

"All these communities were also there when we won in the past. Why did they not vote for Congress at that time?" asked Jadeja.

"I recently addressed a function where at least 4,000 Muslims pledged support to me. This has been a BJP fortress since the time of Jan Sangh and it will remain with us," the leader said exuding confidence.

"Above all, our MLA Tarachand Chheda and the BJP government have carried out developmental works worth Rs 1,100 crore in this region during the last five years. Even Narmada canal is being built. We are having the support of all the communities," the BJP nominee told PTI.

On the other side, Gohil, who is the spokesperson of All India Congress Committee (AICC), claimed that he is receiving "great" response from the people.

"Till today, the work of Narmada canal till Mandvi has not been completed. After water, the biggest problem here is unemployment, and the BJP only made hollow promises all these years," he said.

"I am receiving immense support from the locals," Gohil added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the 90th annual general meeting of industry body Ficci here on December 13.

"At a time when economic growth has started showing signs of green shoots, the Prime Minister addressing India Inc is expected to boost the industry's sentiment further," Ficci said in a statement.

The chamber highlighted that this is for the first time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak at the AGM of a leading industry chamber in the country.

"His (PM's) inaugural address at the two-day Ficci AGM (December 13-14) is also significant because though it has been an established practice in the past for prime ministers to attend the AGMs of business chambers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be doing this for the first time.

"It is expected to strengthen the government's efforts to engage with the industry after the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST)," Ficci said.

The AGM, with the theme 'Indian Business in a New India', will also be addressed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on December 14. Senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia will also address a special session, the chamber said.

Four state finance ministers -- Sushil Modi, also the Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar, Amit Mitra of West Bengal, Thomas Isaac of Kerala and Haseeb Drabu of Jammu & Kashmir -- will talk about the landmark indirect tax reform implemented from July 1.
Upset over the non-appointment of Lokpal for the last four years, anti-graft activist today announced a protest against the government on March 23, observed as the Martyrs' Day, next year.

Addressing a press conference here, the octogenarian accused the BJP-led central government of not being serious about fighting corruption.

He said the recent amendments in the Lokpal Act, which removed a clause that made public servants declaring their assets compulsory, reflected the government's intention in fighting graft.

Hazare added that the government was using the pretext that Lokpal could not be appointed as there was no Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and asserted that it could at least appoint the Lokayuktas in the BJP-ruled states.

Hazare announcing a protest against the government in the capital brings back the memories of his 2011 agitation against the then Congress-led UPA government. His protest and hunger strike then had gripped the minds of millions.

Facing graft charges, the Congress was decimated in the 2014 general election.

Hazare said he had written over 30 letters to the NDA government, but received no response, and wondered whether there was any "ego" involved in not responding to his letters, which questioned the non-appointment of Lokpal.

The 80-year-old activist also attacked the Centre over the plight of farmers in the country and said the government had failed to honour its promise of implementing the Swaminathan Commission report and that the farmers would get 50 per cent more money over their investments in cultivation.

"Since 1995, 12 lakh farmers have committed suicide in the country and the governments have shown no sensitivity towards them. There is a huge gap between the prime minister's words and acts," Hazare said.
The Health & Family Welfare Department of Odisha government on Tuesday inked pacts with four private healthcare institutions for providing quality health services.

The MoUs were signed with Kolkata based Glocal Healthcare Systems Private Limited, Centre for Stem Cell Research of Christian Medical College, Velore, Narayan Hrudayalaya and L V Prasad Eye Institute, Bhubaneswar in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
One of Prime Minister Narendra Modis pet projects is finally picking up pace, nearly a decade after he first broached the concept to former prime minister Manmohan Singh. When he was the chief minister of Gujarat, Modi had approached Singh with the idea of setting up a global solar alliance with the aim of bringing clean and affordable energy within the reach of all.
The more than three-decade-long wait for Mumbais most ambitious infrastructure project, the Transharbour Link, has ended as the project inches closer to execution.
The mid-term review of the (FTP), 2015-2020, was a much anticipated document for at least three reasons. At the very top were the expectations of the exporters that the government would finally deliver a permanent solution to the myriad of problems that they have been facing to get their goods and services tax (GST) refunds. Equally significant was the governments response to the emerging reality of the WTO rules, which would make India ineligible to use export subsidies. This would put at risk the core of Indias FTP, namely, export incentives. The third was governments thinking on the future of its engagements with its partners in different forums, multilateral, regional and bilateral.
With ex-factory sugar prices showing a downward spiral since the start of the 2017-18 crushing season in October, thanks to the expected bumper harvest, the central government is planning to discontinue the stockholding limit from December 31. It might also consider other measures, including further raising the import duty, if the decline in prices persists.
GST Network Chairman Ajay Bhushan Pandey today hoped that the new leadership at Infosys will continue with the efforts to further strengthen the portal and make it convenient for businesses to file returns.

In the first four months of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), over 3 crore returns have been filed on the GST Network (GSTN) portal, with 80 lakh alone being filed in November.

Speaking to PTI, Pandey said the return filing on the portal has been increasing by 5 lakh every month on an incremental basis and expressed hope that the new leadership at Infosys would carry the momentum forward.

The comments of the GSTN chief comes at a time when Salil Parekh has been named the next CEO of Infosys, ending three months of high-profile executive search at the IT services firm that has been bruised by an internal turmoil.

GSTN is providing the technology backbone for collection of taxes and filing of returns in the new indirect tax regime and Infosys has developed the software for the same.

"Our meeting at the officer level is always there. Whenever there was a GoM meeting, the CEO used to come for the meeting... Apart from individual meeting, what is more important is work should get done and hope the new leadership (at Infosys) will also take it forward," Pandey said.

Pandey was responding to a query on whether he is slated to meet the new Infosys CEO.

Parekh was appointed Infosys CEO and Managing Director last week and will take charge from January 2 for five years.

The Bengaluru-based firm had initiated the search after previous CEO Vishal Sikka resigned in August following a protracted acrimony between the then management and the high profile founders.

A section of bureaucracy had blamed the top-level vacancy in Infosys for the glitches in the GSTN portal during the filing of GSTR-3B returns in the initial months as well as the matching of purchase return (GSTR-2) with the final sales return (GSTR-1).

Asked if GSTN is satisfied with the handling of back-end software by Infosys, Pandey said: "The GSTN system is showing improvement and everybody who is working for this need to continue their efforts to make the system even more robust and comfortable for more people."



Infosys won a 5-year government contract worth of Rs 1,380 crore in 2015 to develop the IT system for the biggest indirect tax reform, GST.

Pandey further said that till December 2 as many as 52.5 lakh businesses have filed GST returns for October. The corresponding figure of monthly return for September, which was filed by November 2, was 48 lakh.

"In one month, there was a jump of 4.5 lakh businesses filing GST returns. This is a significant number. It shows that GSTN system is stabilising," Pandey said.

The group of ministers, headed by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, was set up in September to streamline the issues faced by businesses while transacting on the portal and also to make it more user-friendly.

The GoM had earlier asked Infosys to deploy more engineers at the state level to ensure smooth functioning of the system.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said the Central government was fully committed to safeguarding the interests of the workers, especially those working in the MSME and the unorganised sector.

Holding pre- consultations with representatives of different trade union groups, he said the workers were entitled to minimum wages prescribed by law and asked all the industries concerned to strictly comply with this without fail.

During the meeting, nine of the trade unions jointly gave a common memorandum on behalf of the workers they represent which contained 12 point charter of demands including increased budgetary allocations for social sector, measures to check the prices of essential commodities and stopping disinvestment and strategic sale of public sector undertakings.

They also demanded to fix minimum wages for all workers on the basis of the 15th Indian Labour Conference recommendations, and linked with Consumer Price Index.

Other suggestions included provisions for "same wages for same work", creation of support system for domestic workers, bringing about Labour Law reforms and creation of a National Fund for unorganised sector workers to provide social security, a statement from the Finance Ministry said.

"Other demands include the raising of the ceiling for income tax purposes for salaried class persons and pensioners up to Rs 5 lakh per annum, and Rs 8 lakh in case of senior citizens," it added.

They also suggested that income gap between rich and poor be checked by taxing rich people who can afford to pay.

Among the major trade groups present during the meeting included Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Indian National Trade Union Congress, All India Trade Union Congress, Hind Mazdoor Sabha and National Front of Indian Trade Unions.
Voicing displeasure over the lopsided provisions in the recently announced Saubhagyra scheme by the Centre, the state government has called for restructuring the programme.
BJP and Congress are heading for a neck to neck battle in Gujarat Elections with each garnering 43 per cent votes, a recent Gujar opinion poll conducted by Lokniti-CSDS for ABP news has found. The poll was conducted from November 23 to November 30 and covered 3,655 voters in 50 constituencies.
The government's debt rollover risk in the next five years is low given the amount of domestic debt that needs to be repaid every year is an average of 5.3 per cent of its outstanding stock, it said in a report on Tuesday.

The rollover risks will get further mitigated through buyback or switching of short-end bonds with longer tenure papers by the government in the market, it said in its quarterly debt management report.

"The implementation of budgeted buyback/switches in coming period is expected to reduce rollover risk further," the ministry said.

The govrenment bought back Rs 17,016 crore worth of bonds maturing in 2017/18 and sold in its place 2024/25 and 2029/30 papers to a bank in June under one of its switches, it said in the report.

The government also bought back Rs 27,767 crore of short-dated securities last week as a part of its debt management operation to reduce risks of bulk payouts next year.

Meanwhile, banks' holding of government debt as of end-March eased to 40.5 per cent of outstanding stock from 41.8 per cent a year ago, while insurers increased their holdings to 22.9 per cent from 22.2 per cent in March 2016.

The central bank's holding of sovereign debt also went up to 14.7 per cent of the total stock as of March 2017 from 13.5 per cent a year ago.
On the occasion of World Soil Day, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh said that the objective of SHC is to provide information about the Soil Health to 120 million farm holdings in the country. The Agriculture Minister stated it while addressing farmers on the occasion of World Soil Day in Jhajjar, Haryana today. It is worth mentioning that every year World Soil Day is celebrated on 5th December. In India, Soil Health Card scheme was launched in February 2015 in Rajasthan. The Minister said that Soil Health Card mobile App has been launched today to help the farmers. The app will benefit field-level workers as it will automatically capture GIS coordinates while registering sample details at the time of sample collection in the field and indicate the location from where the sample has been collected. .

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This app works like other Geotagging apps developed for the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. The app contains farmers details including name, Aadhaar card number, mobile number, gender, address, crop details, etc. .

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Shri Singh said that SHC informs farmers about nutrients status of the soils along with the recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to improve soil health and fertility. A farm will get the soil card once in every 2 years so that nutrients deficiency can be regularly detected and improved. He said that the imbalanced use of fertilizers damages the fields and reduces production. The Minister informed that in the first phase (2015-17) 100 million SHCs have been distributed so far. The aim of the Ministry is to provide SHC to all 120 million farm holdings by December, 2017. The second phase began on May 1, 2017, and will continue for the year 2017 to 2019. .

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The Agriculture Minister said that the key features of Soil Health Card include a uniform approach to collect samples and test them in the laboratory, covering all the land in the country and renew SHC every two years. This scheme is being implemented in collaboration with State Governments. GPS based soil sample collection has been made compulsory to monitor the changes in soil and to prepare a systematic database to compare them with the past years. The Minister further said the online registration of samples and test results are uploaded on the National Portal of the Soil Health Card. Based on the test results, the system automatically calculates the recommendations. .

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Shri Singh said that Soil Health Card is prepared in 14 local languages and distributed to the farmers. The Minister expressed happiness over the preparation of SHC in the local dialect. Now the SHC can be prepared in local dialects such as Kumaoni, Garhwali, Khasi, and Garo. He said that farmers should use nutrients on their farms as per the recommendations in the card. This will reduce the cost of production and increase the output and income of the farmers. .

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The Agriculture Minister informed that the SHC portal has been linked to the Integrated Fertilizer Management System (iFMS) and distribution of fertilizers has started in 16 districts on the basis Soil Health Card recommendation as a pilot scheme. It is worth mentioning that on the Occasion of World Soil Day, programs are being organized in all the districts at the state level to generate awareness about Soil Health. Talking about the progress of SHC distribution in Haryana, the Minister informed that in the first phase, the aim was to distribute SHC to 43.6 lakh farmers and so far 28.92 lakh farmers have been provided SHC. The remaining are being distributed. To promote SHC, various initiatives are being organized by state governments and ICAR, its institutions and Krishi Vigyan Kendras to promote Soil Health Card scheme. .

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The 3rd edition of the Dialogue between the NITI Aayog and the Development Research Council of China, the DRC- NITI Aayog Dialogue was held in Beijing today. The meeting was co-chaired by Vice Chairman NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, and Mr Li Wei, President (Minister), DRC. .

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The Indian delegation led by Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog included senior officials from NITI Aayog as well as Ministries of New & Renewable Energy and Food Processing. The Chinese delegation comprised of researchers and officials from DRC as well as the Chinese Ministries of Finance, Commerce, Foreign Affairs, and the National Development & Reform Commission. .

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The DRC-NITI Dialogue provides an important platform for both sides to discuss key macro- economic issues impacting both countries and areas of mutual interest. The 3rd Dialogue enabled an in-depth interaction between the two delegations on the world economic prospects, India-China economic cooperation and practices for sustainable growth. In the context of global uncertainty and weak global growth, it was noted that as two large and rapidly growing developing countries, both India and China have a major stake in the path that the global economy is likely to take in coming years. .

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Both sides exchanged views on policies and measures to address the challenges for attaining sustainable growth. In-depth discussions were held on sharing of experiences and best practices in the areas of Electric mobility, Clean energy, Higher education and Special Economic Zones (SEZs). .

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Both sides agreed upon the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and investment. The importance of pursuing balanced and sustainable bilateral trade was noted and opportunities for promoting Chinese investments in the Indian economy were highlighted. .

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The two sides agreed that the 4th NITI Aayog - DRC Dialogue will be convened in India in 2018. .

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The dialogue took place under the MOU between NITI Aayog and the Development Research Centre (DRC), State Council of the China. The MoU was signed during the visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to China in May 2015. This was the 3rd Dialogue between the two sides. The 2nd Dialogue was held in New Delhi in November, 2016. .

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On the sidelines of the Dialogue, the Vice Chairman NITI Aayog called-on Chinese Vice Premier Mr. Zhang Gaoli. A site visit to Tianjin has been organized tomorrow on 6th December for the Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog. He will also participate in a seminar on Investment Opportunities in India being co-organized on December 6, 2017 by the Embassy of India, DRC and Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). .

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The opening ceremony of the Indian UN Peace Keeping Training by Mobile Training Team of CUNPK was conducted on Monday (Dec.04) at the Vietnamese Centre for Peace Keeping located at Thaach Hon, Hanoi. The ceremony was attended by the Indian Mobile Training Team (MTT), Sr Colonel Hoang Kim Phung, Director, Vietnamese Centre for Peace Keeping and Colonel PS Poonia, Indian Attach to Vietnam, as also 210 prospective trainees of the Vietnam Peoples Army. The function was also covered by the Vietnamese media..

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The training is to be conducted over two weeks by the MTT comprising of four Indian Army Officers. This is in the furtherance to the ongoing training assistance being extended to the Vietnamese Centre for Peace Keeping by the Centre for UN Peace Keeping, New Delhi (CUNPK). The Director, Vietnamese Centre for Peace Keeping acknowledged the extensive and robust contributions by India towards UN peace keeping efforts across the globe. The Indian Defence Attach to Vietnam brought out the growing cooperation, especially on the aspects related to UN Peace Keeping between the two countries..

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The Indian Team leader apprised the audience of the complexities and challenges posed by the contemporary peace keeping mission dynamics. The need for prospective peace keepers to be well trained before deployment in the mission area is a pre requisite for effective peace keeping. Towards this end, the vast experience gained by the Indian Defence Forces would be of great assistance to the Vietnam Peoples Army..

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The enthusiasm of both the trainers and the trainees was evident at the opening ceremony. The two-week pre- deployment training capsule would be extremely beneficial to the Vietnam Peoples Army in preparing their contingent and officers for the intended deployment..

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The Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley holds his 2nd Pre-Budget Consultation Meeting with the representatives of the different Trade Union Groups in Delhi today; Reiterates the commitment of the present Government to safeguard the interests of the workers especially those working in the MSME and the unorganized sector. .

The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley said that the present Government is fully committed to safeguard the interests of the workers especially those working in the MSME and the unorganized sector. The Finance Minister said that the workers are entitled to minimum wages prescribed by law and asked all the concerned industries to strictly comply with the same without fail. The Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley was making his Opening Remarks at his second (2nd) Pre-Budget Consultative Committee Meeting with the representatives of different Trade Union Groups here today. .

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Along with the Finance Minister Shri Jaitley, the Pre-Budget Consultative Meeting with the representatives of Trade Union Groups was also attended by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Shiv Patap Shukla, Shri A.N. Jha, Secretary, Expenditure, Shri Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary (Economic Affairs), Smt. M. Sathiyavathy, Secretary, Labour and Employment, Govt of India, Ms Vanja N Sarna, Chairperson, CBEC, Dr. Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA), Shri Arun Goel, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Shri Manish Kumar Gupta, V.V.Giri National Labour Institute and Shri Pritam Singh, Director General, Labour Bureau among others. .

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The representatives of the different Trade Groups present during the aforesaid meeting included Shri K. Lakshmna Reddy, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS),Shri K K Nair, National, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC),Shri Sukumar Damle, All India Trade Union Congress(AITUC), Shri Harbhajan Singh Sidhu, Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Dr.K Hemalata, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Shri Sankar Saha, All India United Trade Union Centre, Shri S P Tiwari, Trade Union Coordination Centre, Ms Jyoti Macwan & Manali Shah, Self Employed Womens Association, Shri Santosh Roy, All India Central Council of Trade Union, Shri M Shanmugam, Labour Progressive Federation (LPF),Shri Ashok Ghosh, United Trade Union Congress and Shri Depak Jaiswal, National Front of Indian Trade Unions among others. .

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Many suggestions were received from the representatives of different Trade Union Groups. 9 of the Trade Unions jointly gave a common Memorandum on behalf of the workers they represent. Their Common Memorandum contained 12 point charter of demands. The Major demands include increased Budgetary Allocations for Social Sector including health and education; necessary Financial Resources for the purpose to be raised internally by taxing the rich who have capacity to pay; effective measures against deliberate tax and loan repayment faults; Minimum wages for all workers as an essential part of Social Security and be fixed on the basis of the Recommendations of 15th Indian Labour Conference and linked to Consumer Price Index; Resolve demands of the Government Employees regarding 7th Pay Commission; Measures to check the prices of essential commodities; Ban Speculative Forward Trading; Stop disinvestment and Strategic Sale of PSUs; Massive investment in infrastructure, social sectors and agriculture to generate employment opportunities; Increased import of industrial commodities including capital goods be contained and regulated to prevent dumping; Expenditure on MGNREGA be increased to cover all rural and urban areas; no Contractual/casual workers should be deployed on jobs of perennial nature; Contract and Casual workers doing the same and similar work as permanent workers be paid the same wages and benefits as paid to regular workers following the principle of Same wages for same work; FDI should not be allowed in crucial sectors like defence production, railways, retail trade and financial sector among others; Privatisation of Defence Sector be stopped; Regularisation of the workers deployed in various Schemes of the Govt of India; the Government should ratify the ILO Convention 189 and enact a Central Law and create support System for domestic workers ; Bring about Labour Law Reforms; Create a National Fund for Un-organised Sector workers to provide Social Security; Minimum pension of Rs.3,000 for all and the New Pension Scheme (NPS) be withdrawn; Adequate allocation of resources to Railways for more effective, accessible and affordable transport for the poor ; and Gratuity be raised to Rs.20 lakhs and 30 day wages per completed year of service among others. .

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Other demands include the raising of the ceiling for Income Tax purposes for Salaried Class persons and Pensioners up to Rs.5 Lakh per annum; and Rs.8 Lakh in case of Senior citizens. Other suggestions include GDP Growth should be translated in full basket; Income Gap between rich and poor be checked by taxing rich people who can afford to pay; Workers of un-organized Sector be given benefit of EPF; and Agriculture Reforms be undertaken to generate employment etc. .

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Boom Technology, seeking to build a supersonic jet for passenger travel, got a $10 million investment from Japan Airlines Co. as the US start-up aims to revive ultra-fast travel that ended more than a decade back with the Concorde.
finance ministers adopted on Tuesday a blacklist of tax havens which includes 17 extra-EU jurisdictions seen as not cooperative on tax matters, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.

American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, South Korea, Macau, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates are the countries listed, officials said.

Le Maire said that other 47 jurisdictions are included in a public "grey" list of countries that are currently not compliant with EU standards but have committed to change their tax rules.

Following multiple disclosures of offshore tax avoidance schemes by companies and wealthy individuals, EU states launched a process in February to list tax havens in a bid to discourage setting up shell structures abroad which are themselves in many cases legal but could hide illicit activities.

Blacklisted countries could lose access to EU funds. Other possible countermeasures will be decided in coming weeks, Le Maire said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Monday met Pakistans civilian and military leaders and urged them redouble their efforts to rein in militants accused of using the country as a base to carry out attacks in neighbouring Afghanistan.
On Dec. 4, President Trump traveled to Utah to sign proclamations downsizing Bears Ears National Monument by 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by nearly 50 percent. [S]ome people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington, Trump said . And guess what? Theyre wrong.

Native American tribes and environmental organizations have already filed lawsuits challenging Trumps action. In our analysis as environmental and natural resources law scholars, the presidents action is illegal and will likely be overturned in court.
The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries.

The justices, with two dissenting votes, said that the policy can take full effect even as legal challenges against it make their way through the courts. The action suggests the high court could uphold the latest version of the ban that Trump announced in September.

The ban applies to travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Lower courts had said people from those nations with a claim of a "bona fide" relationship with someone in the United States could not be kept out of the country. Grandparents, cousins and other relatives were among those courts said could not be excluded.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor would have left the lower court orders in place.

The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals and the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, will be holding arguments on the legality of the ban this week.

Both courts are dealing with the issue on an accelerated basis, and the Supreme Court noted it expects those courts to reach decisions "with appropriate dispatch."



Quick resolution by appellate courts would allow the Supreme Court to hear and decide the issue this term, by the end of June.
The stock has jumped 230 per cent in the past two years, taking its market capitalisation to Rs 30,756 crore, a gain of Rs 21,000 crore. The stock on Monday gained 15 per cent to close at Rs 512, after the company on Saturday got the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for cancer biosimilar Trastuzumab.



This is in contrast with an over 22 per cent drop in the Nifty Pharma index in the past two years. As the US government took steps to bring down drug prices, stocks of Indian pharmaceutical suppliers dropped. For instance, Sun Pharmaceutical lost 30.5 per cent in this period, wiping away Rs 56,000 crore in market value for investors.



Investors love for Biocon, the biosimilars maker, has not come easily. For, developing a copycat version of biologic drugs is far more expensive and takes much longer than developing a generic version of chemical drugs. was for long a laggard in the Indian pharma pack. A five-year analysis of Indian pharma stocks showed it grew 61 per cent in the first three years, much below the 98 per cent achieved by the Nifty Pharma.



Analysts estimate the cost of developing a generic drug rarely exceeds $5 million (Rs 32 crore) and takes longer than a year. Biosimilars can cost $40-50 million and take as much as four years. If for developed markets, especially the US, the cost and time could be much more.



That is the reason behind the seven years toil of that finally saw success last week, when the US FDA gave its approval for Trastuzumab. This is potentially the first biosimilar to Herceptin, a branded drug by Roche and used in the treatment of breast cancer and metastatic stomach cancer. It became the first Indian firm and the first ahead of three global rivals which got the regulators nod for this in the highly regulated market. This gives it opportunities to tap other global with the drug before launch by its partner, Mylan, in the US.



This is seven years of research with huge investment in research & development and no guarantees, said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson and MD, Biocon.



According to a Frost & Sullivan report of last year, the wave of patent expiries on biologic medicines coming till 2020 could be worth about $80 billion to companies that get these to the market. Herceptin alone has $2.7 billion in yearly branded sales in the US.



Mylan/Biocon is also the only company to have settled with Roche for launch in the US and the European Union (EU). The partnership has also re-filed in the EU for the product, following facility remediation in India. The EU is a $2.1-billion brand sales market, with a similar competitive landscape to the US.



Clearance for the facility presumably removes the last remaining hurdle for approval of the Neulasta biosimilar. Between Herceptin and Neulasta, Mylan/Biocon will be one of the few biosimilar participants in a $9-billion branded market, said Abhishek Sharma, analyst with domestic brokerage Indian Infoline. With only these two products, the partnership could expect to generate sales of $800 to $900 million by 2021 in the regulated . Biocon is the minority profit sharing partner in the combine.



Though big, the FDA clearance for Trastuzumab is not the first success Biocon has tasted. In March last year, it got approval for sale in Japan of biosimilar insulin glargine. It was the first sign of Biocons bet finally paying off that got investors attention and money. The stock further ran up since Biocon and partner Mylan applied last year in November to the US regulator to make a competing version of Herceptin.



Now, with its approval, says Mazumdar-Shaw, Our credibility has been established that we are a company that has the high-end capability to seriously look at the global market with our biosimilars.



However, the challenge for Biocon is still not over as Chirag Talati, analyst with Kotak Securities wrote in his note, While, in many ways, the approval marks a watershed moment for Biocon, the focus should now shift to commercials, where we believe the competition landscape continues to deteriorate, with biosimilar Herceptin likely to turn into a four to five player market by first half of calendar year 2019.


hit a new high of Rs 258, up 8% on the BSE in otherwise weak market on back of heavy volumes. The trading volumes on the counter almost doubled with a combined 1.36 million shares changed hands on the BSE and NSE till 01:19 PM.
Mumbai police have arrested 11 accused in the Bank of Baroda robbery case.

The police have also recovered jewellery worth more than Rs 3.43 crores and Rs 1.38 crore in cash, which was robbed.

Four more accused are wanted in this case.

Police are considering invoking Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in this case as some of the arrested accused are habitual criminals.

The MCOCA is a law enacted by Maharashtra in India in 1999 to combat organised crime and terrorism.

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President of Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council, actor Vishal, on Tuesday sat on a 'dharna' against cancellation of his nomination as an independent candidate in RK Nagar by-election.

Vishal and his supporters blocked the road outside the returning officer's office in Chennai for rejecting his nomination papers.

The actor had filed his nomination on Monday as an independent candidate for the by-polls to be held on December 21.

The seat fell vacant following the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in December 2016, who represented it for two terms.

The election was earlier scheduled on April 12 but was cancelled following a vote-for-cash scam.

This time two groups of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) - TTV Dinakaran from the Sasikala faction and E Madhusudhanan from the EPS-OPS faction (led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palanisamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam) -- are in the fray for the seat.

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In a new addition to the already strained Islamabad-Kabul bilateral relationship, Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Khawaja Muhammad Asif purported that majority of the attacks carried out in his country have been coordinated from Afghanistan.

The minister said 125 of the 128 attacks in Pakistan were coordinated from Afghanistan, reported the Khaama Press.

The issue was raised before the delegation of the United States officials led by Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who arrived in Pakistan on Monday.

Asif stated that Mattis was conveyed that it is the understanding which they need and not the aid.

Mattis, who held talks with the Pakistani civil and military leadership on Monday, said the purpose of his visit was to find common grounds in order to create a positive, consistent and long-term relationship with Pakistan.

A US embassy statement issued after Mattis met with Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Minister of Defence Khurram Dastigir Khan, said the US Defence Secretary reiterated that Pakistan must redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country.

He emphasised the vital role that Pakistan can play in working with the United States and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan and bring back stability and security to the region.

The latest remarks by Asif come as Kabul and Islamabad steadily purport that the attacks in the two countries are being plotted and carried out by the safe havens located in the two countries.

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Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is the only one validly nominated candidate in the fray for the party president election, party's returning officer said on Tuesday.

Congress' Central Election Authority Chairman Mullapally Ramchandran said that the committee has received 89 nomination papers, all proposing the name of Rahul for the coveted post.

"89 nomination papers all proposing names of Rahul Gandhi have been received by us. We have scrutinised each and found all valid. There is now only one validly nominated candidate that is Rahul Gandhi left in the fray for Congress president election," said Ramachandran.

The Congress Central Election Authority received the nominations for the party president on Monday.

The committee also explained that if there were nominations other than that of Rahul, an election would be conducted, else he would be elevated to the post of the party president.

Rahul filed his nomination papers for the post of the party chief at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters yesterday.

If elected, Rahul will succeed his mother Sonia, who has been holding the post for nearly two decades.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Amit Shah on Tuesday took a potshot at the Congress Party and its vice president, Rahul Gandhi, for adopting double standard in the matter of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.

Addressing the media in Ahmedabad, Shah said Rahul was visiting temples in Gujarat, while on the other hand Congress leader Kapil Sibbal wanted to delay the Ram Janmbhoomi case.

"Rahul ji is visiting temples in Gujarat while on the other hand Kapil Sibbal wants to delay the Ram Janmbhoomi case. Congress should give a clarification on the double standard. I also appeal Rahul ji to tell us what his view on this is," the BJP chief said.

Shah further hit out at the Congress Party for deferring the case when everyone wanted an early resolution of the issue.

"A surprising stand was taken in the Supreme Court by Congress leader and Sunni Waqf Board lawyer Kapil Sibal ji. He said hearing should be deferred till after 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress Party should clear its stand if it wants to resolve the matter as early as possible or not," he added.

The apex court, earlier in the day, decided to hear the civil appeals filed by various parties challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the matter on February 8 next year.

Sibal told the three-judge bench of the court that all the exhibits were not filed before the top court adding that "he and other petitioners have not been served relevant documents of pleadings."

He also requested the apex court to take this matter up on July 15, 2019, once all the pleadings are complete.

According to reports, the top court was hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The high court had then ruled a three-way division of the disputed area at Ayodhya among the parties- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla.

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Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Make in India Korea Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up Korea Industrial Complex in Andhra Pradesh.

The delegation led by the chief minister went to Busan city from Seoul in Speed Train to attend a business seminar.

Naidu wished the business delegates in Korean- "Aan Yong ho sei".

The Chief Minister's presentation was translated into Korean language and distributed to the industrialists, in order to attract investors.

"We will give first priority to South Korea in the matter of investments. We are developing 14 sea ports. Of them, six ports are already working vigorously. 13 percent of Indian sea coast are in AP," he said at the summit.

Naidu enumerated the progress marked in the state in the agricultural sector, as well as the industrial sector.

"Agriculture sector is always a big challenge in India. But Andhra Pradesh is achieving a double digit growth rate. We have recorded a whopping 25.6 percent growth in agricultural sector which no any other state in India could achieve," he said.

Naidu said the state government aims for Andhra to be one of the top three states in India by 2022, the best state in India by 2029, and world's destination with international standards by 2050.

The government's aim is to achieve 15 percent growth rate for 15 years, Naidu stated.

"We are working with the aim of 89 percent public satisfaction. We took family development and social development as indicators. We want to develop happiness index," he added.

In order to encourage industrialists, Naidu said the government is giving all necessary permissions within 21 days through hassle free single desk portal, and as of now, 23,414 permissions have already been given.

The Chief Minister further elaborated that Andhra Pradesh is the state with best connectivity with road ways, rail ways, sea ports, airports and other infrastructure, and also has the best industrial policy.

In automobile sector, companies like Isuzu, Kia, Hero, Bharat Benz, Amararaja, Apollo etc. are operating in Andhra Pradesh.

"Twenty years ago, I brought in many reforms. I built Cyberabad as additional city to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Now Hyderabad is reaping the benefits. After bifurcation of our state, my work started from the scratch. Our journey began with crises, however I took it as an opportunity," Naidu said.

Naidu also praised Korea for developing "very fast" despite facing similar problems as that of Andhra Pradesh.

"Taking inspiration from you, we are passing on the path of development. I request your participation in building a new Andhra Pradesh. Our state has many resources. Thousands of kilometers of sea coast are one of the advantages. There are no labor problems, nor issues of law and order. We have a peaceful ecosystem for industries," he added.

"I will be available on a phone call or SMS text. I believe South Korea can be a confidential business partner to Andhra Pradesh. All of you come with each project and invest in our state," Naidu said.

Busan metropolitan city vice mayor Kim Young Wan addressed the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister as a dynamic leader, and said there were many similarities between South Korea and Andhra Pradesh, and underlined the need for mutual cooperation in various areas like health and medicare, agriculture, renewable energy, sea ports, development of cities, and the like.

Indian ambassador to South Korea Doraiswami expressed happiness over Naidu's visit, and said Busan city and AP have many comparisons in work culture, usage of technology, development of ports etc. He also recommended Andhra as the best place for doing business in India, to the Korean industrialists.

Doraiswami further said that the land allotted to Kia motors in Anantapuram district was a rocky land.

"We thought it will take one year but Andhra Pradesh government cleared and flattened it in just three months," he added.

Later a short film on development works at the land allotted to Kia motors was screened.

During the Busan Business Seminar, Government of AP and Make in India Korea Center signed an MoU to set up Korea Industrial Complex in Andhra. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh Center will be set up in Busan city.

Later, AP Chief Minister interacted with Korean industrialists during the lunch.

Busan Vice Mayor and Naidu discussed the chances of mutual cooperation between fisheries university of AP and Pukyoung university of Korea.

After lunch, the AP delegation went to Busan New Port that was started in 2006. The port officials gave a presentation describing its capabilities. Busan new port is operating with 500 ports from 100 countries.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, on the last leg of his South Korea tour, met with Mayor of Busan, Suh Byungsoo, on Tuesday.

Byungsoo welcomed the chief minister and said he had heard a lot about his dynamic leadership leading to significant progress in Andhra Pradesh.

The chief minister thanked him for all the courtesy extended to the delegation, and ensuring their movements between cities were smooth.

He spoke about his admiration for the pace of economic development in South Korea, especially in sectors like electronics and chemicals.

Naidu said he was also very impressed by the port activity, and that one port there was handling more cargo than all ports in India put together.

He added the AP-South Korea relations were taking off, especially after Kia Motors came to Andhra Pradesh.

"Just as you recovered and grew rapidly after the Second World War, we aim to recover from our crisis, the bifurcation," he said.

"Andhra Pradesh is almost as big as South Korea and has a similar population. We both have a long coastline, and we both have creative and dynamic people," he added.

Naidu further said Andhra Pradesh was strong in knowledge and education, and had a potential in aquaculture. He said these were the sectors that could strengthen the relation between the two states.

He requested the Mayor to visit Andhra Pradesh as the state's guest, as he was keen to work with Busan.

The Mayor responded positively, agreeing that Busan and Andhra Pradesh had common features in ports and aquaculture.

He added it would be a good idea to establish a sister state relationship. "So far, we have been focussing on Japan, China and the US. We are now keen to establish economic ties with other countries as well," he said.

"I will send a suitable delegation for the Partnership Summit in February," he said in response to the chief minister's invite.

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The Congress Party on Tuesday furthered the war of words with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said it was raking up non-issues just to garner votes.

"Congress' stand has always been clear, that the Ayodhya matter will be heard and decided by the Supreme Court. The same has been said by the Law Minister many times. BJP chief Amit Shah is trying to garner votes in the name of Lord Rama. The BJP is playing the role of 'Manthara', raking up Kapil Sibal's stand on the hearing," Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, while addressing the media.

Senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal, who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in the ongoing hearing of the long-standing Ayodhya dispute, wanted the matter to be heard only in July 2019, after the completion of the next Lok Sabha polls citing political ramifications.

To this end, Surjewala said, "Who he represents in the court is Kapil Sibal's personal matter, the Congress Party has got nothing to do with it. Arun Jaitley ji was the lawyer in the Bhopal gas tragedy matter. Does that mean the whole of the BJP is to be blamed?"

Surjewala's attack at the BJP comes after Amit Shah, in a press briefing, took a potshot at the Congress Party and its vice president, Rahul Gandhi, for adopting 'double standard' in the matter.

Addressing the media in Ahmedabad, Shah said Rahul was visiting temples in Gujarat, while on the other hand Congress leader Kapil Sibbal wanted to delay the Ram Janmbhoomi case.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court, however, deferred the commencement of final hearing in the Ayodhya dispute matter to February 8, 2018. The top court was hearing the matter today filed by various parties.

The first hearing was set a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of medieval-era mosque, Babri Masjid.

According to reports, the top court was hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The stakeholders in the case had moved the apex court after the Allahabad HC directed the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla to settle for a three-way division of the disputed site.

The Babri Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528.

The Hindus, however, claim that a Ram temple that originally stood there was demolished to construct the mosque. Citing this, Hindu zealots demolished the mosque on December 06, 1992, triggering communal riots in various parts of the country.

Meanwhile, today, a Delhi court will deliver its verdict in connection with the terrorist attack on the makeshift Ram Temple in Ayodhya in 2005.

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Beijing has offered tripartite talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan and China focussing mainly on peace, stability and economic cooperation.

China's Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Deng Xijun met with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Monday and informed the latter about Beijing's wish to organise a trilateral summit between the three nations, reported Khaama Press, citing the President's office, ARG Palace as saying in a statement.

In addition to this, Xijung invited Ghani for the next round of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

Pakistan had become a full-fledged member of the SCO in June and its membership was strongly backed by China.

Xijung and Ghani also held talks on regional connectivity, economic and development projects, and issues related to regional peace and stability, the statement added.

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Beware! Drop in blood pressure in elderly adults is an indicative of early death, warns a study.

According to University Of Connecticut in Mansfield, U.S. researchers, who conducted the study, blood pressure in the elderly people gradually begins to decrease about 14 years before death.

Researchers from UConn and the University of Exeter Medical School in the U.K. looked at the electronic medical records of 46,634 British citizens who had died at age 60 or older.

The sample size included people who were healthy as well as those who had conditions such as heart disease or dementia.

The findings indicated that blood pressure declines were steepest in patients with dementia, heart failure, late-in-life weight loss and those who had high blood pressure to begin with.

But long-term declines also occurred without the presence of any of these diagnoses.

Study author George Kuchel from the University of Connecticut said that the study highlights the importance of conducting research evaluating older patients like those seen in physician practices everywhere.

The findings should make both doctors and researchers carefully consider what dropping blood pressure really means for older patients.

Doctors have long known that in the average person, blood pressure rises from childhood to middle age. But normal blood pressure in the elderly has been less certain.

The research appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine.

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The Public Debt (excluding liabilities under the 'Public Account') of the Central Government has witnessed a provisional increase of Rs. 65,65,652 crore as of end September, from Rs. 64,03,138 crore at end-June 2017, stated the Ministry of Finance.

Further, the internal debt constitutes 93 percent of public debt as of end-September, while marketable securities account for 82.6 percent of public debt, as per the Quarterly Report on Debt Management for the quarter July-September 2017.

During Q2 FY18, the government had issued dated securities of Rs. 1,89,000 crore, higher than Rs. 1,68,000 crore in Q1 of FY 17, taking the Gross Borrowings during H1 FY18 to Rs. 3,57,000 crore. Further, auctions of both, the government dated securities and Treasury Bills during Q2 of FY18 went over smoothly.

The weighted average maturity (WAM) and weighted average yield (WAY) of the issuance made during Q2 FY18 was 14.58 years and 6.77 percent respectively, the report noted.

The liquidity in the economy remained in surplus, due to demonetisation, during the quarter. The cash position of the Government during Q2 of FY18 was somewhat stressed and the Centre was required to resort to W&M advances from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on a few occasions, the report observed.

Based on the assessment of prevailing and evolving liquidity conditions, the RBI conducted sale of government securities under Open Market Operations for an aggregate amount of 600 billion during the quarter.

The report further noted that about 27.8 percent of outstanding stock has a residual maturity of up to five years at the end of Sept 2017, which implies that over the next five years, on an average, around 5.56 percent of outstanding stock needs to be repaid every year. Thus, rollover risk in the debt portfolio continues to be low, the Ministry opined.

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Pilots in Germany, which is one of the top ten refugee hosting nations, had refused to fly refugees to their country of origin on over 200 occasions.

According to local media reports, pilots refused to deport refugees to Afghanistan despite, surprisingly, it being termed as a "safe country of origin" in some cases.

Most of the refusals came from Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa and its sister-airline Eurowings. The pilots of the two airlines refused to fly 85 times this year for this reason.

According to UNHCR's latest report, Germany, in 2016, gave shelter to most number of refugees seeking shelter in Europe. Over 300,000 took shelter in the country last year.

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Four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has said that he will never partner with McLaren driver Fernando Alonso as the two are like north poles of a magnet that create 'negative energy'.

The German driver's first season in Formula One in 2007 saw him drive alongside the then defending champion Alonso at McLaren.

However, the two talented drivers fell out quickly when Alonso left the team just a year after joining Renault, following a series of incidents between the team-mates.

When asked if he would consider partnering with Alonso in future, Hamilton ruled out the same and said that this is never going to happen as they are like north poles of magnet which repel each other.

"No. That will not happen. Toto [Wolff, Mercedes team boss] understands how the interpersonal dynamics of a team works," Sport24 quoted the Mercedes driver, as saying.

"I would compare it to a magnet: when two north poles meet, they repel each other. You need a north and a south pole. Two of the same results in negative energy, as in 2007 between me and Alonso," he added.

With just a year left with his current team Mercedes, Hamilton has been linked with a return to the Italian team, where Alonso has recently signed a new long-term extension before he takes retirement.

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Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Tuesday filed a caveat in Delhi High Court in connection with the election symbol 'hat'.

In the petition filed by Panneerselvam, he has appealed the court not to pass order in any of the plea filed by sidelined All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader, TTV Dinakaran without hearing both the parties.

Yesterday, the Delhi High Court dismissed the interim plea of TTV Dinakaran to get 'hat' symbol allotted for R K Nagar bypolls.

The High Court has left the decision in the hands of Returning Officer of the Election Commission (EC) to allot the symbol to Dinakaran as an independent candidate for the bypolls.

By-election in Tamil Nadu's R K Nagar is scheduled on December 21.

The seat of R K Nagar has been lying vacant following the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in December 2016, who represented it for two terms.

The election was earlier scheduled on April 12, but was cancelled following vote-for-cash scam.

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Samsung India concluded the second season of its campus program- Samsung E.D.G.E.-with participation from the country's brightest students at leading institutions.

The team from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, 'Athena'Z' comprising Sudarsan MS, Saurabh Sinha and Makesh S emerged as the winner at the national finals here on December 1. National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad came second followed by Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow.

Samsung E.D.G.E witnessed an overwhelming response this year with 2,370 students (790 teams) from 19 leading campuses across the country participating in the program. The competition, spread over three months, invited participation of students from diverse program domains such as B Tech, MBA, Masters of Design and Masters of Social Work.

Ten teams which won at the zonal rounds qualified for the keenly contested national finals of the Samsung E.D.G.E. program this year.

The winning team received a prize of Rs 3 lakh and each member got a Galaxy Note8 smartphone while the team that came second got a prize of Rs 1.5 lakh. The third team received a prize of Rs 75,000. Members of all 10 teams that reached the national finals received Samsung vouchers worth Rs 10,000.

Samsung E.D.G.E brings together bright minds from campuses across India to ideate and showcase their talents on a national platform. The platform gives students an opportunity to interact with the leadership team at Samsung, work on real-world problems and come up with unique solutions.

This year, the top 10 teams worked on ideas around Samsung's intelligent interface Bixby, growth opportunities in smart cities, designing devices for young single-person households, online skilling and certification models and marketing.

The winning team from IIT Madras impressed the jury and the audience with their idea around making Samsung's intelligent interface Bixby better integrated with consumers' day to day usage of smartphones. The team from NID Ahmedabad showcased a very innovative product that can make life better for young single-person households. The team from IIM Lucknow presented an idea around Bixby.

"At Samsung, we always strive to encourage young minds and nurture the spirit of innovation among them. We are overjoyed by the level of enthusiasm to participate and ideation by the students at Samsung E.D.G.E. 2017. This year we engaged with students from diverse domains," said B K Lee, Director, Human Resources, Samsung Southwest Asia.

The maiden season of Samsung E.D.G.E. was also won by a team from IIT Madras. Team 'Monimakers' from IIT Madras had bagged the first prize for their solution on 'Leadership Strategy in Digital Payments'. As part of their internship program, two members from the team underwent training at the Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore while the third member got an opportunity to work with the Samsung Pay team at the Samsung India headquarters in Gurugram.

One of the interns co-authored a paper with his mentor at Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore and has been selected to present his idea at the Consumer Electronics Show 2018 in Las Vegas.

Launched in December 2016, Samsung E.D.G.E. is a first-of-its-kind campus program that provides an opportunity to the country's brightest students to exhibit their talents, exchange meaningful insights and get a head-start in their careers.

The Samsung E.D.G.E. program consists of three rounds. In the Campus Round, team members come together, ideate and put up an executive case summary. After evaluation, the top teams in each campus are shortlisted for the Zonal Round in which all the teams closely work on the case study and present their unique solutions.

At the end of the zonal rounds, top 10 teams were selected and mentored by the leadership on their respective solutions. The final 10 teams battle it out in the National Round after which the three winning teams are announced.

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London [UK], Dec 6 (ANI): Vijay Mallya's defence team on Tuesday argued the Indian Government was "clutching at straws" to implicate the liquor baron in an alleged fraud case as there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations.

The extradition trial of Mallya, wanted in India for financial irregularities involving a total amount of Rs 9,000 crore as well as money laundering, began at the London's Westminster court yesterday, wherein Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) outlined the Indian Government's case against him.

On the opening day of the trial, CPS had claimed Mallya had a "case of fraud" to answer.

The CPS had also questioned why Mallya continued to provide personal guarantees for the loan applications when he, a senior executive at now defunct Kingfisher Airlines and United Breweries Group, knew that the airline would fail.

Responding to this, Mallya's defence counsel, Clare Montgomery, in another detailed session, argued that a false argument was made by CPS at the behest of the Indian Government.

Refuting the government's claim that the representations made by Kingfisher Airlines and Mallya about "profit projections" for the airline in 2009 were false, the defence counsel said that the profitability of the airline was out of his control as it depended on uncertain economic factors.

"How can it contend that that it is false when the profitability of an airline depends on economic factors that are cyclical and out of the control of Vijay Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines. For instance, fuel costs, competition, strength or weakness of the Rupee and the global economic climate. This is a false premise advanced by the Crown Prosecution Service at the behest of the Indian Government," Montgomery said.

The defence counsel further stated that there was no evidence to support the Indian Government's claim that the securities pledged by Mallya against the loans were worthless.

Brushing aside government's claim that Mallya made misrepresentations to various banks to acquire loans, the lead barrister for the defence argued, "The Kingfisher Airlines had a good liquidity in that it was a business where there was regular cash flow, by way of the sale of tickets. The idea that there was a set group of people that had to receive payments is unreal. The airline had cashflow and the funds were diverted where it was needed. The list of creditors does not stand still. The reason that the money needs to be borrowed is because there's a shortfall."

Outlining the issue of dishonesty as alleged by the government, the defense counsel said, "The year 2012 led to a massive falling out between banks and Kingfisher Airlines. Banks were leaking information that they would not continue to support the airline. Even when the government opened up the aviation market, the banks were already declaring that they had no intention of continuing support for Kingfisher. Despite this, Mallya pledged to work with the banks and offered further personal guarantees to make Kingfisher Airlines work."

Montgomery also refuted the government's claim that Kingfisher Airlines had lied about receiving compensation from International Aero Engines, an engine supplier, for faulty engines which had led the company to incur major losses.

"The government claimed this was a lie and that Kingfisher Airlines would not receive any compensation in the future which would go towards liquidity in the company. But a number of contracts were signed between Kingfisher Airlines and International Aero Engines that showed the latter was in talks to honour its commitments in relation to the engines and compensation with the airline," she said.

She also rubbished the government's claim that Mallya inflated his net worth by inflating the values of his assets in April 2009 to acquire loans.

"The government alleged that Mallya had understated the value of his assets. If this was the case then what happened to the money and the adequacy of the securities?" she questioned.

Refuting Indian government's allegation that corporate guarantee by United Breweries Group was worthless and therefore, Mallya attempted to fraudulently obtain loans, the defence counsel questioned on what basis the government was making such claims.

"United Breweries and United Spirits were 'fabulously successful' companies. So on what basis does the government say this?" she said.

On Tuesday, the defence also introduced its first expert witness, Barry Humphries PhD, one of the United Kingdom's foremost experts on the aviation industry.

Humphries spoke at length about the aviation industry in India and the circumstances that could have led to Kingfisher Airlines' demise.

The most animated moment of the day came when Montgomery brought up the issue of jail conditions in India and what she termed the "political motivation" behind the Indian government's case.

"We will provide expert testimony that the CBI has a long and inglorious history of bringing politically motivated prosecutions - we will show that there is a direct correlation between its prosecutions and elections," Montgomery said.

"All political parties - the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress Party and the Shiv Sena - have looked into the Vijay Mallya case to make political capital," she added.

Responding to judge Emma Arbuthnot's comparison between jail conditions in Russia and India - Judge Arbuthnot had recently presided over an extradition case involving a Russian political dissident - Montgomery said that conditions in Indian jails were "infinitely worse than in Russia".

At least in Russia, they provide access to experts to assess conditions, she said.

Montgomery also cited conditions at the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai and the recent incident at the city's Byculla jail.

"There are very few external factors that can be controlled by an airline or its management. Things like the price of fuel, disease, political issues and economic factors impact on a given airline's performance. In India, these are exacerbated by the factors such as excessive bureaucracy and the restrictive Indian regulatory regime," she said.

He stated that at the time of Kingfisher's demise, there was serious "excess capacity" in the aviation sector and that it was there would be some market correction but it was "not inevitable" that Kingfisher would collapse as it did.

"In fact, there was interest in Kingfisher in the years before the Indian Government relaxed rules on overseas investment in the Indian aviation sector. I believe Kingfisher would have benefited enormously by the changes to the laws as it was a very attractive target for an international airline," Humphries added.

Commenting on the concerns about Kingfisher's sponsorship of the Force India Formula 1 team and its impact on Kingfisher's bottom line, Humphries said that the commercial aviation and motorsport was a "perfect fit" as evident by similar tie-ups elsewhere in the world and said such sponsorship was a "very effective" marketing tool.

The courtroom was again packed with press and intrigued members of the public.

Mallya's wife, Pinky Lalvani, was seen sitting in the press gallery, even as the liquor baron sat in the glass-enclosed dock.

The hearing was thereafter adjourned for Thursday (December 7) wherein the arguments will continue in and against Mallya's favour.

The trial is expected to further continue on 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th of December.

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Israel's Ambassador to India Daniel Cameron on Tuesday said it was essential to bring the perpetrators to justice in order to fight against terrorism.

"Bringing the perpetrators to justice is a very basic ingredient of fighting against terrorism and we are into it together. Most of the is suffering from terrorism and we should fight it together," Cameron said, when asked about global terrorist and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

"There should be unity and joint efforts of those who have been manhandled by terrorism," he added.

Last Saturday, Saeed announced that he would contest Pakistan general election in 2018. The announcement came days after the Lahore High Court ordered his release from the house arrest. The United States had strongly condemned the release and called for his immediate re-arrest and prosecution.

In his first address after being released, Saeed had blamed India and the US for detention and raked up the Kashmir issue.

The decision to put Saeed under house arrest in January was seen as a measure to mitigate the pressure being put by US President Donald Trump on nations, deemed linked to terrorism, to take action against the terrorists.

The UN had designated Saeed a terrorist after the 26 November, 2008 attacks in Mumbai, which killed 166 people. Thereafter, after the release, Saeed petitioned the United Nations to remove his name from the list.

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English actor Matt Smith, who returns alongside Claire Foy to star in Netflix's drama 'The Crown,' has recently said that just like women, he was also "objectified by men" in Hollywood.

The 35-year-old said that sexual assault and harassment is not exclusive to women, this happens to men, too.

While expressing himself on the issue of sexual assault and harassment allegations coming to light, the 35-year-old told Telegraph, "The conversation shouldn't stop at this industry just because these are 'celebrities' who we know about who are involved. It has to be broader."

"People in other industries have to have a platform to be heard as well. What happens to the cleaner or the lady who works in a clothes shop? That's not to say I haven't been objectified before by men, because I have - just like women are objectified," he added.

Smith returned in 'The Crown' as the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, with the second instalment all set in the decade beginning in the mid-1950s.

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A major bank robbery was thwarted in the Noorpora area of the Kashmir valley when local people pelted stones on the militants attempting the robbery of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank's Branch. The militants fled the stone pelting and fired at the crowds who gathered to save the bank from being looted.

Munir Khan, the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, complimented the locals for their bravery.

"Terrorists entered the Jammu and Kashmir Bank branch in Tral's Noorpora, and they obviously wanted to loot public money. Compliments to the people (locals) as they resisted very bravely that made the terrorists retreat," Khan told ANI.

According to police, Zakir Musa of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, along with two other militants entered the bank's Noorpora branch. Soon after entering the building, the terrorists fired a few shots and started ransacking the infrastructure of bank.

On hearing gunshots, people from nearby areas rushed towards the bank. They not only raised hue and cry but also pelted stones on the militants. In the face of public anger, Musa and his associates panicked and started firing at the crowds, before slipping out.

The militant group had come armed with the motive of a big heist but seeing people's retaliation, they chose to escape with just Rs. 97,000.

An First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in Awantipora Police Station and further investigation is on.

In July, former Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Musa was announced as the head of Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind, the newly created al-Qaida cell in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the courageous move by the Valley's residents indicates that they are now able to see through the evil motives of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

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A Kerala court on Tuesday accepted a chargesheet against 12 accused, including actor Dileep, in connection with the abduction and assault case of a Malayalam actress.

The court has also issued summons to the accused.

Dileep has been accused of hatching a plot with prime accused Pulsar Suni and his associates to have abducted and assaulted the Malayalam actress in a moving car.

On October 3, the actor was bailed out of jail after submitting a plea for the fifth time.

The actress, who has worked in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films, was kidnapped and molested in a moving car while she was on her way from Thrissur to Kochi on the night of February 17 this year.

Dileep was arrested on July 10 because of his alleged involvement in the molestation case.

On July 11, Dileep was expelled from the primary membership of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) after being arrested.

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United States President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was ghostwriting with a Russian colleague to pen an opinion piece about his political work for Ukraine, reported The Guardian, citing the court documents.

The special counsel Robert Mueller's team investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election alleged Manafort of working on the piece as recently as last week.

Manafort had been working on the English-language editorial with a longtime colleague "who is currently based in Russia and assessed to have ties to a Russian intelligence service", The Guardian quoted the court documents.

Had it been published, prosecutors say, it would have violated a November 8 court order of not to discuss the case publicly.

Mueller's team characterised the op-ed as an attempt by Manafort to sway public opinion around his case.

The development sunk a deal Manafort had struck to be released from house arrest, to which he has been confined for five weeks.

Manafort has proposed an $11.65 million bail package in exchange for lifting him from house arrest and electronic monitoring.

He was placed under detention with electronic surveillance in October, after he was indicted on 12 charges in October that mostly focused on alleged money laundering, failure to disclose financial assets, and false statements regarding work for the government of Ukraine and a Ukrainian political party.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

If the US district court for the District of Columbia sides with the government, Manafort could remain under house arrest until his trial sometime next year.

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The primary inquiry report into the Shalimar Bagh Max Hospital incident submitted to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday found the hospital guilty of not having followed prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants.

A three-member panel of doctors submitted the preliminary report after scrutinising the hospital records and meeting the relevant staff.

The Delhi Police earlier on Monday said a notice was issued to the hospital under sections 91 and 160 of the CrPC in connection with the newborn declared dead case.

"We have sent a notice to Max under sections 91 and 160 of the CrPC. We are collecting all records regarding the admission of the woman and the treatment of newborn babies. We are looking at CCTV footages as well," Aslam Khan, DCP North West, told the media.

Also, the hospital terminated the services of two of its doctors, who were involved in wrongly declaring a newborn dead last week.

The Shalimar Bagh branch of the hospital was accused of medical negligence after an infant was found alive after being declared 'dead' along with his still-born twin by the hospital.

Following this, the Delhi Police sent a notice to the administration of the Max Hospital, seeking detailed information in connection with the case and asked the authorities to be present for an interrogation.

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The Mayor of Bengaluru, Sampath Raj, and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that London and Bengaluru will lead a global partnership of up to 20 other world cities on tackling air pollution in urban centres.

The C40 Air Quality Network will allow city leaders, from India and around the world, to share ideas, nurture innovation and drive ambition in the global effort to improve the quality of the air in cities.

C40's new Air Quality Network will be co-chaired by the Mayor of London and the Mayor of Bengaluru, working with up to 20 other global cities to develop solutions to the international air pollution crisis. Bangalore will host a workshop for global cities to share best practice in tackling air quality in 2018

Six Indian cities-Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata and Mumbai-are members of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, an alliance of more than 90 of the world's greatest cities committed to urgent action on climate change and air pollution. As C40 members these Indian cities will have direct access to the learnings from the Air Quality Network, in addition to specific air quality content in other C40 networks, including those on transport, buildings and energy, and waste.

Air pollution is responsible for 6.5 million premature deaths globally every year according to the WHO. There were nearly 1.1 million early deaths in India in 2015 due to air pollution. This is a global crisis, with 80 percent of urban dwellers breathing air that does not meet WHO health standards.

"The City of Bengaluru is symbolic of the pace of urbanization we are seeing in India and in the global south. The city's population has grown from 3.5 million in 1985 to nearly 11 million today. While this rapid growth has made the City of Bengaluru the driver of economic growth in the region, creating millions of jobs and market opportunities, the city has also experienced deteriorating air quality as a result of increased traffic congestion, and construction works. As the Mayor of the City of Bengaluru, I am keeping a close eye on quality of life in the city and air quality is one such indicator that directly impacts the health and well-being of our citizens," said Mayor of Bengaluru, Sampath Raj.

"C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group has been working with and helping Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) over several years now in exposing us to sustainable urban development best practices. We are extremely excited to be co-leading C40's new Air Quality Network along with London. Together with London's Mayor Sadiq Khan, I look forward to bringing together mayors from cities around the world and sharing our lessons learned, to tackle the urgent need to address air quality in our cities," he added.

Meeanwhile, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: "Air pollution is a global problem that harms the lives of millions of people. Only by working together will we help beat this international health crisis and protect people from breathing in air so filthy it damages their lungs and causes diseases. I'm proud today to announce London and Bengaluru will be leading a new air quality partnership. We hope to work with key cities across the world and in India, including with our good friends here in Delhi."

"I'm doing everything in my power to clean up London's lethal air from introducing the world's first toxicity charge for more polluting cars and bringing forward the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, to cleaning up our bus and taxi fleet. I'm pleased my ambitious work will soon be boosted by new state-of-the-art air quality sensor monitoring technology that will help deliver the most comprehensive data on toxic pollution ever."

"The toxic emissions that cause air pollution are also contributing to climate change that threatens to cause devastation to the world's cities", said Mark Watts, Executive Director, C40. "Mayors recognise how urgently they need to act to clean the air we breathe in our cities, and I'm delighted that Bangalore and London are bringing cities together to accelerate action. The C40 Air Quality Network will help transform the way that air pollution is tackled in cities across India and around the globe."

Bangalore, together with other relevant State Government bodies and agencies have put in place several actions that will improve air quality, including:

45 km of new wider sidewalks on 50 major city centre roads are improving walkability, reducing fatal accidents and supporting more people out of vehicles and walking. The Tender SURE Project is the first of its kind in India where new infrastructure such as storm water, water, sewer and telephone cables are being re-laid along with pedestrian infrastructure

Phase 1 of a new metro system is now complete and operational, making it easier for citizens to travel around the city without their private transport.

Bangalore is also working on last mile connectivity to all the metro stations by implementing Station Access Plans and thereby improving ease of access to metro stations

The state-government-run public transport operator is transitioning its current fleet of 6,300 diesel buses to an all-electric fleet of close to 12,000 buses in the next 10 years. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation will shortly launch a tender for 150 electric buses

Penalty orders have been issued to businesses and citizens caught open garbage burning - a major contributor to air pollution. The city has already achieved 50 percent citywide segregation at source and has identified 16 streams of waste.

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Nepal has decided to close its border points with India for three days from Tuesday midnight ahead of the Parliamentary and the Provincial elections.

Nepal is set to hold the second or the final round of the Parliamentary and the Provincial polls which mark the dawn of a new governance and the implementation of the Constitution which was promulgated in 2015.

The closed border points will be opened from Thursday midnight after the polling gets over.

"The flow of people to and fro the border is high. Security officials also have been facing problems in managing the flow of people despite sealing of the border for the polls. Despite the flow, we are allowing the people with identity cards to enter Nepal from the Indian side and those heading for India are allowed to go," Area Police Office Kakarvitta's Deputy Superintendent of Police, Tanka Bhhatarai, told ANI.

He also informed that the security measures along the border sides were beefed up with the deployment of sniff dogs and strict checking of the people's bag crossing over the border.

Leaders of various political parties are holding exhaustive election rallies and meetings in favour of their party in different parts of the country as the campaigning for the second and final phase of the Parliament and the Provincial elections scheduled for December 7, is in full swing.

A 65 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first phase of the elections on November 26.

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The Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested an accused in connection with the killing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Ravinder Gosain in Punjab's Ludhiana, on Tuesday.

The accused has been identified as Pahar Singh (48), a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Meerut. He has been arrested for supplying a country-made weapon to the main accused Hardeep Singh.

During investigation, it was revealed that Hardeep Singh had visited Meerut on three occasions during 2016-17 to procure weapons to carry out the target killings of members of the RSS and other organisations.

Around April - May 2017, Hardeep procurred a country made weapon from Pahar at his house. This weapon was recovered and seized at the instance of Hardeep Singh subsequent to his arrest by Punjab Police in November this year.

Another case under the Arms Act was earlier registered against the accused Pahar in the District Amroha in September.

The arrested accused will be produced before the Special NIA Court Mohali on Wednesday.

On October 17, Gosain was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Ludhiana's Kailash Nagar.

The NIA teams with the assistance of the Uttar Pradesh Police conducted a search to apprehend the suspected arms suppliers in Meerut.

On October 20, the case was transferred from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the NIA, on the request of the RSS.

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Amid a slew of sexual-assault allegations levied against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has recently sent its two detectives to Los Angeles for investigation.

Referring to the investigation, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said, "I have two detectives in LA right now. I've sent them to Paris. I've sent them pretty much around the world,"

Boyce stated that the Manhattan rape case against Weinstein involving actress Paz de la Huerta "is still going forward right now as we speak," despite criticism by her lawyers that the Manhattan DA's Office was dragging its feet, reports Page Six.

The 'Nurse 3-D' star claimed that Weinstein raped her twice in 2010 at her Tribeca apartment.

Boyce urged everyone to co-operate in the case and help them.

However, Da la Huerta is just one of dozens of women to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault or sexual harassment.

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US Defence Secretary James Mattis has urged Pakistan to redouble its efforts to confront terrorists operating within the country.

A US embassy statement issued after Mattis met with Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Minister of Defence Khurram Dastigir Khan, said the US Defence Secretary reiterated that Pakistan must redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country.

He emphasised the vital role that Pakistan can play in working with the United States and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan and bring back stability and security to the region.

He also met Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence Lt. Gen. Naveed Mukhtar.

Mattis, who held talks with the Pakistani civil and military leadership on Monday, said the purpose of his visit was to find common grounds in order to create a positive, consistent and long term relationship with Pakistan.

He also underscored the importance of continuing and deepening cooperation for the common objective of eliminating terrorism from the region.

Recalling the longstanding relationship with the United States, Abbasi underlined the need for a broad based engagement to strengthen partnership and enhance cooperation between the two countries.

He agreed with Secretary Mattis that both Pakistan and the US have common stakes in securing peace and security in Afghanistan for the long term stability of the broader region.

Earlier, Mattis arrived on Monday for his maiden visit to Pakistan since taking charge of the Pentagon.

He was received by the officials from the defence and foreign ministries at the Nur Khan Airbase, Chaklala.

Mattis' visit came days after the release of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Hafiz Saeed from house arrest in Pakistan following which the US had strongly condemned Islamabad and called for his immediate re-arrest and prosecution.

The White House, in a statement, had said: "The United States strongly condemns the release of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) leader Haft Saeed from house arrest in Pakistan and calls for his immediate re-arrest and prosecution.

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India's largest digital bank Paytm Payments Bank is the only bank providing zero balance accounts and zero charges on digital transactions.

The bank has unveiled 'Paytm Ka ATM' outlets that allows customers to open Saving Accounts and deposit/withdraw money from their bank accounts. These specially branded outlets will play a key role in bringing banking access to smaller cities and towns by ensuring customers find it easy to locate an access point near them.

The company has also introduced a dedicated 'Bank' section on Paytm app where the entire range of banking services including payments, digital debit card, passbook, help and support among others. The bank has been designed to help achieve financial inclusion in the country and is in line with Paytm's mission of bringing half a billion Indians on to the mainstream economy.

In the first phase, Paytm has started with 3,000 'Paytm Ka ATM' points in select cities including Delhi NCR, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Aligarh. These outlets feature local banking correspondents who help customers in depositing and withdrawing money from their Paytm Payments Bank account, making banking simpler and more accessible for one and all.

For example: an auto/taxi driver can now visit 'Paytm Ka ATM' outlet to deposit his money into a Paytm Payments Bank Savings Account to earn interest; and withdraw whenever required.

The company is set to add over 100,000 Paytm Ka ATM banking outlets across India to expand the reach of its banking services to the entire country, including the south and east. It has committed Rs. 3000 crore over the next three years to expand offline distribution network by allowing trusted local partners to act as potential cash-in and cash-out points.

"This will enable our customers to visit their trusted neighborhood outlet to open their bank account, deposit and withdraw cash, in addition to getting their Aadhaar linked. We believe this hyper-local model of banking will play a crucial role in enabling hundreds of millions of under-served and un-served customers to gain access to quality banking services," said MD and CEO - Paytm Payments Bank, Renu Satti.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley formally inaugurated Paytm Payments Bank on Nov 28, marking a major milestone in the history of India's financial services sector.

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President of Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council, actor Vishal, on Tuesday thanked the Election Commission (EC) for accepting his nomination as an independent candidate RK Nagar by-polls.

"I am really thankful to the Election Commission for doing the right thing. My nomination is accepted and I am contesting the RK Nagar by-polls," he told ANI.

Earlier in the day, Vishal sat on a 'dharna' against cancellation of his nomination as an independent candidate in RK Nagar by-elections.

Vishal and his supporters blocked the road outside the returning officer's office in Chennai for rejecting his nomination papers.

The actor had filed his nomination on Monday as an independent candidate for the by-polls to be held on December 21.

The seat fell vacant following the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in December 2016, who represented it for two terms.

The election was earlier scheduled on April 12 but was cancelled following a vote-for-cash scam.

This time two groups of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) - TTV Dinakaran from the Sasikala faction and E Madhusudhanan from the EPS-OPS faction (led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palanisamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam) -- are in the fray for the seat.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday will resume the hearing of plea of two Rohingya refugees against the Centre's decision to deport Rohingya Muslims back to Myanmar.

Last month, the apex court deferred the matter after agreeing to the request of senior advocate Fali S Nariman, who appeared for the two refugees - Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir.

The matter was heard by a bench, comprising of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud. In its last hearing, the bench ordered to Centre not to deport the Rohingya Muslim refugees.

The bench had observed that the whole issue of Rohingya Muslims has to be looked at from various angles like security, economic interest, labour interest and also the protection of children, women, sick and innocent persons.

The Rohingya immigrants, who fled to India after violence in the Western Rakhine state of Myanmar, have settled in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan.

More than 600,000 Rohingya are languishing in Bangladeshi refugee camps after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army campaign launched in late August.

Meanwhile, the UN has said the scorched-earth operation, which has left hundreds of villages burned to ash in northern Rakhine state, amounts to ethnic cleansing.

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The Kremlin has designated nine US-funded media outlets as "foreign agents."

It has added Radio Free Europe and Voice of America, the Russian news agency TASS reported, citing the Justice Ministry as saying.

Other media outlets include congressionally-funded Cold War-era outlets that partly broadcast in Russian, as well as seven outlets controlled by them that mostly focus on specific regions like Crimea and the North Caucasus, the report said.

The move is in retaliation for the US justice department ordering the Russian channels RT and Sputnik to register as foreign agents there.

The US has accused RT, formerly known as Russia Today, of being a propaganda outlet for the Kremlin.

It was specifically accused of spreading false information during the 2016 presidential election.

Earlier in November, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law allowing Russia to register international media outlets as foreign agents.

By law, the nine media organisations listed by the Russian justice ministry will have to brand their output as the work of "foreign agents" - and disclose their source of funding.

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Rebel Janata Dal (United) MPs Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar were disqualified from the Rajya Sabha on late Monday night.

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the chairman of the upper house, issued the order stating that they cease to be Members of Parliament with immediate effect.

JDU leader Anwar told ANI, "I received the information while I was addressing a meeting here in Rajkot. I will speak to Sharad Yadav and we will take a decision together."

"We will appeal at all those places where there is possibility for us to get justice," he said.

Naidu agreed to the JD(U)'s contention that the two senior leaders had voluntarily given up their membership by defying their party's directives and attending events of opposition parties.

The party had sought their disqualification on the grounds that they had attended a rally of opposition parties in Patna in violation of its direction.

Earlier in the day, Yadav reached Gujarat to campaign for the candidates of a JD(U) faction, which is being led by him.

The candidates are contesting on the symbol of Bharatiya Rashtriya Tribal Party on seven out of 182 seats.

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The death toll in a collision between a fishing boat and a refuelling tanker off the South Korean coast has risen to 15 after bodies of two missing victims were recovered on Tuesday.

On Sunday, it was reported that at least 13 people died and two went missing in the maritime tragedy.

20 passengers and two crew members were on board the Seonchang-1, a chartered fishing boat, when it crashed into the 336-tonne (370-ton) tanker before capsising near the port city of Incheon, west of Seoul, reported CNN.

The collision happened nine minutes after the boat departed from the shoreline as the two vessels passed each other under a bridge.

President Moon Jae-in had directed emergency responders to continue search and rescue operations until those still missing, including the boat's captain, were accounted for.

At least six airplanes and six vessels were drafted in as part of the search, the report said.

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Special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating the Russian meddling in the 2016 US Presidential election campaign, has been handed over the data on accounts held by United States President Donald Trump.

Mueller had forced the German banking giant Deutsche Bank to submit documents about its client relationship with the president by issuing the bank with a subpoena for information, reported the Guardian.

Deutsche Bank, which has loaned the Trump organisation millions of dollars for real estate ventures, said it would not comment on any of its clients.

Trump's daughter and advisor in the White House, Ivanka Trump, her husband, Jared Kushner, who is also a presidential advisor; and Kushner's mother, Seryl Stadtmauer, are all the clients of the Deutsche Bank.

The bank told Bloomberg, in a statement, that it had always cooperated with investigating authorities.

This comes after Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador in January.

Flynn is now cooperating with federal investigators.

Trump has ceaselessly thrown flak at the Mueller investigation and has denied the existence of any collusion between his campaign and Russia.

On being questioned if he was worried about what Flynn might say, the president said, "No, I'm not. And what has been shown is no collusion. No collusion. There has been absolutely no collusion. So we're very happy.

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Two Pakistani terrorists have been killed in Qazigund encounter that broke out on Monday when an army convoy came under terror attack.

After the attack on the Army convoy that was on its way to Srinagar; the Rashtriya Rifles, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu & Kashmir cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the militants. The search operation turned into an encounter with militants.

Talking to ANI, S.P. Vaid, Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu & Kashmir, said, "Three terrorists have been eliminated in the encounter, and two have been identified as Pakistani nationals. One of them was divisional commander of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who had taken over from Abu Ismail," Vaid said.

He identified the killed terrorists as Abu Mavia , Furkan and a local militant Yawar.

"All three along with Abu Ismail had also figured in attack on Amarnath Yatris this year. So the entire group, which was instrumental in attack on the Amarnath Yatris has been eliminated," Vaid said.

In July, at least seven pilgrims were killed while several were injured in a terror attack, while they were on their way back from Amarnath Cave. Abu Ismail was killed earlier.

He said the fourth injured terrorist was arrested from a hospital in Anantnag who had escaped from the encounter site.

"Based on his interrogation, the police have also picked up some of their associates," Vaid informed.

A soldier also lost his life in the encounter, while another suffered injuries.

Commenting on eliminating 200 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir this year, the top cop said, "It is due to the joint efforts of the security forces put together to restore peace and tranquility in the Valley."

Vaid added that situation will be very peaceful in the Valley in the coming days.

He reiterated the security forces' resolve to help those misguided youth in joining mainstream

He also said that it is good thing that the misguided youth are responding to the appeals of their families.

"We will support them if they leave the path of violence, serve their families and excel in their careers," Vaid said.

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U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump's travel ban to take effect.

The ban, which is the latest version of Trump's executive order and bars people from Muslim-majority countries: Syria, Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, has been accepted by the apex court for the first time in its entirety, the CNN reported.

According to other media reports, seven out of nine judges voted in favour of the ban, lifting injunctions imposed by lower courts.

The reports further pointed out that this decision was not a final ruling on the ban. Many challenges against the ban are at various stages in the federal courts and would come up for hearings in the top court.

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Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha has pledged to continue his protest supporting cause of farmers in Maharashtra, a day after he was released from the police station for leading a march in the connection.

On Monday, Akola Police detained Sinha along with 250 farmers under Section 68 of the Bombay Police Act, after he vandalised the barricades of the District office on his way out, following an unsatisfactory discussion with the DM over demands of the farmers.

"We were present at the district office yesterday regarding some of our demands. There was a long discussion, the District Collector from Mumbai talked with us but we did not receive a satisfactory answer. So despite the SP's announcement that he has released us, we decided to remain here and we'll go wherever the police takes us, but unless our demands are accepted, our protest will continue," Sinha told ANI here.

Sinha added that the group will further discuss their strategies for today.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday donated Rs five crores from the Chief Minister Distress Relief Fund to Prime Minister's Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the Cyclone Ockhi affected people in Lakshadweep and other states.

Adityanath handed over a cheque of the sum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New Delhi.

On Monday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also sent Rs two crores from the Chief Minister Fund to the Prime Minister Fund for the victims, while Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh offered to send 100 metric tonnes of rice for the cyclone affected people in Lakshadweep.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also met the fishermen families affected by Cyclone Ockhi at Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram and assured them that the search and rescue operations are being conducted with full force.

She informed that, so far, 357 fishermen, including 71 from Tamil Nadu, who had been stranded in the sea due to Cyclone Ockhi, have been rescued.

On November 2, the Tamil Nadu authorities stated that the total number of deaths caused due to the cyclone has reached 19.

The deadly cyclone, which has claimed many lives, lashed the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Saturday with torrential rainfall and gusty winds.

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The global sukuk market will continue to rebound from a sharp drop in volumes in 2015, supported by a range of factors, including rising sovereign issuance, product innovation, increasing demand from retail banks and a narrowing of spreads over conventional bonds, Moody's Investors Service said in a report today.

Moody's estimates that total sukuk issuance will reach around $95 billion by the end of this year, after more than $85 billion in 2016, including more than $50 billion of sukuk issuance by sovereigns.

"Sovereigns have underpinned a recovery in the global sukuk market this year, with their issuance increasing by 50% in the first eight months of 2017," said Christian de Guzman, a Moody's Vice President -- Senior Credit Officer and one of the report's authors. "We expect sovereign sukuk issuance volumes will continue to grow in 2018 as governments look to diversify their financing mix and satisfy the liquidity needs of Islamic retail banks."

A number of factors will support sovereign sukuk issuance, including high borrowing needs for GCC sovereigns, which Moody's expects to reach around $148 billion in 2018. GCC countries drove the market's growth in 2017 with Saudi Arabia (A1 stable) raising the lion's share of sukuk during the year to a total of $17 billion, or 40% of global long-term sovereign sukuk issued in the first eight months of the year.

Other countries with large fiscal deficits, such as Oman (Baa2 negative) and Bahrain (B1 negative) -- estimated at 11.9% and 13.4% of GDP in 2017 respectively -- will also contribute to the market's expansion.

Other factors contributing to higher sovereign sukuk issuance include demand from domestic banks, and product innovation that will help address two fundamental challenges faced by the issuers: the lack of physical assets for structuring sukuk and the prohibition from transferring asset ownership to special purpose vehicles (SPVs) under some jurisdictions. Narrowing of spreads over conventional bonds will also contribute to sukuk issuance.

Despite Malaysia's (A3 stable) falling share of sovereign sukuk issuance, it remains the largest sukuk market with an estimated 43% of total sovereign sukuk outstanding in 2016. Indonesia's (Baa3 positive) share in annual sukuk issuance has increased to 30% in 2016 (from just under 10% in 2010) and will likely grow with the government's efforts to develop the Islamic finance sector.

Although the number of new entrants into the sukuk market has declined since 2014, Nigeria (B2 stable) issued its first sukuk this year and a number of sovereigns have indicated that they intend to take advantage of the asset-based nature of sukuk financing to finance their sizeable infrastructure needs, including Niger (unrated), Kenya (B1 Rating Under Review), Ghana (B3 stable), Morocco (Ba1 positive), Tunisia (B1 negative) and Algeria (unrated).

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Moody's Liquidity-Stress Indicator (LSI) was unchanged at 2.7% last month, the rating agency says in its most recent edition of SGL Monitor Flash. The indicator hit that nadir in October after surpassing its previous all-time low of 2.8%, recorded in April 2013.

Moody's Liquidity-Stress Indicator falls when corporate liquidity appears to improve and rises when it appears to weaken.

"US speculative-grade liquidity continues to be well supported by investors eager for yield," said John Puchalla, a Moody's Senior Vice President. "New high-yield bond issuance has remained healthy despite some deals being pulled due to investor pushback, with November issuance up $2 billion on the prior month."

Upgrades of Moody's speculative-grade liquidity (SGL) ratings came in even with downgrades in November, at six each, Puchalla says. Among the four downgrades to SGL-4, the lowest SGL rating, were stressed retailers Sears Holdings and Bon-Ton Stores.

Eastman Kodak likewise was downgraded to SGL-4, its challenged print businesses suffering further declines. Among November's SGL rating upgrades were two energy companies, California Resources and Pioneer Energy, both of which were raised to SGL-3.

Meanwhile, a continued flattening in the LSI would signal that the US speculative-grade default rate will stabilize toward the end of 2018, Moody's says. For now, the indicator's decline over the past year supports the rating agency's forecast that the default rate will drop to 2.1% in October 2018 from 3.2% today.

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Death toll from week-long clashes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa has increased to 234 people, while 400 others were wounded, including 383 severely injured, the Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the Middle East said on Tuesday.

"Our ICRC teams are now doing all they can to supply hospitals with medicines, surgical materials and fuel," Xinhua news agency quoted Robert Mardini, Regional Director of the ICRC's tweet as saying.

On Monday, dominant Houthi fighters killed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his relatives and his senior aides after three days of deadly street clashes between Houthi movement and Saleh's armed loyalists in Sanaa.

Officials at Saudi-backed Saleh's party vowed to revenge their leader's death and to continue fighting against Iranian-aligned Houthis.

The clashes first erupted a week ago after Saleh's loyalists prevented Houthis from entering a Saleh-run mosque to secure a nearby religious celebration organised by the group in Sabeen Square in central Sanaa.

The clashes then intensified and turned into street fighting after Saleh on Saturday announced disengagement of his alliance with the Houthis and declared war against them, citing allegedly "Houthi assaults on his family members."

Hours after Houthis announced the death of Saleh, the Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi made a televised speech, saying his group had "foiled a plot by ex-president Saleh to involve all Yemeni people in armed chaos."

Houthi leader also accused Saleh of backing a Saudi-led military coalition.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition warplanes have since launched over 30 airstrikes on positions of Houthis inside and outside Sanaa, with no reports of casualties.

--IANS

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Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has adopted the village of "Khajanchi", a child born in a queue outside a bank soon after demonetisation, a party spokesman said on Tuesday.

According to Rajendra Chowdhary, chief spokesman of the state unit of the party, the party will now develop Anantpurwa village of the child in Kanpur rural as a "Samajwadi Vikas Gaon".

All modern facilities would be brought to the village by the party, Chowdhary said.

The child was born on December 2, 2016, in a queue outside a bank in Jheenjhak, where his mother had gone to get the new currency notes, in the aftermath of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to trash Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

The ordeal of the mother was hyped by the then ruling Samajwadi Party as an "example of the troubles people have been put through due to demonetisation".

Named "Khajanchi" (treasurer), the child's family was given a house under the Lohia Awas Scheme by the then state government.

--IANS

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A Belgian judge will decide on Decemebr 14 if Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four councilors, who are living in exile here, are to be extradited.

According to Xinhua, the magistrate has heard the legal arguments from both sides, but will not make any decisions within 10 days, the lawyers of the five Spanish leaders announced on Monday at the end of the hearing at the Brussels Palace of Justice.

The Brussels prosecutor's office again demanded on Monday that the five warrants be enforced.

The defense has argued that the offenses against the defendants are not punishable in Belgium and that there is a danger that their human rights would be violated in Spain.

The five warrants were issued on November 3 involving charges of "rebellion, sedition, embezzlement of public funds, and disobedience to authority," which are liable to up to 30 years imprisonment in Spain.

The Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office requested the European arrest warrants issued by Spain against former Catalan President Puigdemont and his four former councilors be carried out on Nov. 17.

These events took place in the aftermath of an independence referendum held in Catalonia on October 1 that the Spanish authorities declared illegal.

The prosecution, as well as those being prosecuted, have the right to appeal the final decision.

All five of the accused had presented themselves on November 5 to the federal judicial police in Brussels and had been deprived of their liberty. The investigating judge had decided to place them under house arrest.

--IANS

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Alleging deterioration of law and order and attacks on its activists, the BJP on Tuesday demanded President's Rule in Tripura ahead of Assembly elections due in February 2018.

"Many BJP supporters and members have been killed and attacked by CPI-M cadres. Many of our party offices have been destroyed by CPI-M cadres," BJP state chief Biplab Kumar Deb said during a protest outside the West Kotowali police station here.

"In every incident police either remain inactive or file light charges against the attackers. The BJP demands President's Rule in Tripura so that Assembly elections are held peacefully and in a free and fair manner.

"If the Left Front remains in power, there will be more killings before the polls."

Bharatiya Janata Party activists also surrounded 56 of Tripura's 76 police stations on Tuesday.

The BJP alleged that the Left Front government had "completely failed to maintain law and order situation".

Inspector General of Police K.V. Sreejesh said BJP's "Thana Gherao" programme was peaceful. "We arrested a large number of BJP picketers. However, they will be released," Sreejesh told IANS.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders strongly criticized the BJP. "People will subvert all the conspiracies of the BJP," CPI-M leader Narayan Kar told the media.

--IANS

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China has temporarily stopped funding of three projects related to the road network under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) till a decision regarding "new guidelines" is issued from Beijing, according to a senior government official.

The decision could affect over 1 trillion Pakistani rupees ($9 billion) road projects of the National Highway Authority (NHA). The projects to be affected include the 210-km Dera Ismail Khan-Zhob Road at an estimated cost of 81 billion Pakistani rupees, Dawn online reported.

Of this, 66 billion Pakistani rupees was supposed to be spent on construction of road and 15 billion Pakistani rupees on land acquisition. The second project was 110-km Khuzdar-Basima Road and 19.76 billion Pakistani rupees was estimated to be spent on it.

The 8.5 billion Pakistani rupees 136-km remaining portion of Karakarom Highway from Raikot to Thakot was also impacted.

All three projects were originally part of the government's own development programme but in December 2016, the spokesman of the NHA announced that they are to be included under the CPEC umbrella to become eligible for concessionary finance from China.

The Pakistan government official told Dawn that funds for the three road projects were approved in the 6th Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting for the CPEC held last year, pending necessary procedural formalities.

It was expected that the funding of the three projects would be finalised during the Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held on November 20, but Pakistan was informed in the meeting that "new guidelines" will be issued from Beijing under which a new modus operandi for release of the funds will be described.

The decision of the Chinese government was conveyed to Pakistan in the JWG meeting and the existing procedure for release of funds had been abolished.

The official said the Pakistani side was left "stunned" when told of the development.

He, however, claimed that Chinese side was disturbed with increasing news reports being published in Pakistan regarding corruption in the CPEC projects and that was the reason behind Beijing temporarily halting release of funds for the corridor.

--IANS

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With distruptive technologies fast gaining ground, global IT companies are realigning their focus in the Indian market. Sensing opportunity, desktop virtualisation leader Citrix is all set to help customers build secure, modern workplaces by unifying apps, data and services.

Work is transforming and there are many forces at play. The most notable is the rise of Cloud, Mobile, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) which are creating new business models at the cost of old ones and empowering users like never before.

At this juncture, says Makarand Joshi, Area Vice President and Country Head, India Subcontinent, Citrix, the scale of digital transformation at enterprises requires a thoughtful strategy that balances data security with ease of access and maintains control while optimising user flexibility.

"We at Citrix have strategically realigned our focus on providing solutions in the Indian market that aid the creation of digital workspaces. We intend to provide solutions that allow for integration of transformative technologies without causing interruption to the delivery continuity," Joshi told IANS in his first interview to any media after joining Citrix.

Joshi, who was associated in various leadership roles in sales, marketing and operations with Microsoft, joined Citrix in August this year. He is responsible for accelerating and transforming the business in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mauritius and Nepal.

"Citrix will continue to support businesses in their transition, through focused offerings in the Cloud, mobility and the virtualisation space in India," Joshi added.

Citrix provides server, application and desktop virtualisation, networking, software as a service and cloud computing technologies.

For the third quarter in fiscal year 2017, Citrix achieved revenues of $691 million, compared to $669 million in the third quarter last year -- representing a three per cent revenue growth.

Citrix solutions are in use by more than 400,000 organisations and 100 million users globally, including in India.

"We understand that Indian businesses are heterogeneous and there are no one-fit-all solutions that will work. In alignment with these specific requirements that differ in factors like scale and IT needs, Citrix is well positioned to deliver suitable solutions that effectively address businesses' definite tasks," Joshi noted.

The world is headed for a future in which everything will be connected to the Cloud -- not just traditional servers and clients but any kind of industrial plant, building, vehicle, machinery and device.

"Indian conglomerates see digitisation as a necessity to be competitive and engage their customer base actively. Citrix is helping many enterprises achieve this balance. Historically, our virtualisation technologies have been chosen by many government entities to deliver a secure, reliable and accelerated access to traditional distributed computing," the top company executive said.

With nearly 5,000 customers in India, including Mafatlal Industries, BPO firm Aegis, Pune-based multi-speciality Hospital Ruby Hall Clinic and agri-sciences company PI Industries, Citrix has been in the country for the past 15-20 years, but the real journey started some five-seven years ago when enterprises started adopting Cloud and real-time data analytics.

The company is now set to hire and invest more in India.

"We are bullish on India and looking forward to cement our position in an ever-growing market. The country is fast embracing technology. At the same time, the speed at which our Indian customers are implementing Citrix solutions is growing exponentially," Stanimira Koleva, Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), Citrix, had told IANS earlier.

According to Joshi, there has been a thrust for digitisation of processes and financial institutions in the country are fast embracing digital operations, hyper-integrated banking apps and back-office automation.

"Citrix is the primary technology provider in this space. We have found a number of government, banking, finance and insurance companies that are activity pursing digital transformation and simultaneously investing in security to protect their assets," Joshi told IANS.

Citirx technologies enable apps and data to run securely in the data centre instead of the end-point device which has multiple security vulnerabilities. They allow employees to access all apps and data on any device, while giving IT the means to maintain security with uniform policy enforcement, full compliance and efficient control.

"Besides the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector, we see the public, telecom and ITeS sectors undergoing tremendous transformation. They are steadily adopting Cloud, mobility and virtualisation solutions to bring efficiency to their operations," Joshi said.

With India headed in the direction of becoming a mobile-first, digital economy, Citrix expects the demand for secure solutions to become universal.

"Citrix has always been vocal about partners playing a crucial role in cementing our position as a reliable and credible solutions provider in the India market. We have managed to gain a sizable market share because of our partners' successful articulation of our offerings," Joshi noted.

(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)

--IANS

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The Congress on Tuesday condenmed the detention of former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha by police in BJP-led Maharashtra while terming the state government's loan waiver "a cruel joke" on the lakhs of farmers there.

"Even as 35 farmers commit suicide daily in the country, the BJP-ruled Maharashtra government has played a cruel joke on the lakhs of farmers of the state.

"The fascist shades of the BJP have come to the fore yesterday (Monday) in Maharashtra, where senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha was detained by the Maharashtra Police in Akola, along with 250 farmers," said former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan.

"Their only crime was that they were protesting against the insensitive policies of the BJP government, which have severely affected the cotton farmers of Vidarbha," he added.

"We strongly condemn such actions by the state government, who in its hunger of power, is playing with the rights of the farmers."

Sinhav has said his protest was purely for the rights of farmers and there was no political meaning to it.

--IANS

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The UAE denounces terrorism and regularly shares information with India in the fight against this global scourge, the Gulf nation's Ambassador to India Ahmed Albanna said on Tuesday.

"We exchange a lot of information and we have created a mechanism in terms of dissemination of information and exchange of information," Albanna said in response to a question at a media briefing here.

"We denounce terrorism, we denounce extremism. We work very closely with India, with many different countries in the world, to counter-attack all those organisations that have been listed either by the UN or by some other countries or our own country as terrorist organisation and extremist organisation, and we work together to fight those organisations," he said.

Albanna also said that his country was fighting against those funding terrorists in neighbouring Qatar.

Earlier this year, led by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar for intervening in the internal affairs of these four countries, supporting extremists organisations and hosting leaders of terrorist and extremist organisations.

The UAE is also part of the Saudi-led coalition that is fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

On India-UAE economic ties, Albanna said that his country has committed $75 billion to India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and of this, $1 billion was transferred two months ago.

"Two months ago, all the bylaws of the NIIF agreement have been finalised and the very first $1 billion has been transferred by our sovereign fund (Abu Dhabi Investment Authority)," he stated.

--IANS

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Cuban President Raul Castro on Monday paid tribute to former president and his brother, Fidel Castro, exactly one year after his ashes were placed at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba.

During the solemn tribute, which began at 7.00 a.m. local time, Raul Castro placed a white rose at the grey rock that keeps Fidel's ashes in the cemetery, located about 900 kilometres southeast of Havana, Xinhua news agency reported.

Also at Castro's resting place a wreath was placed on behalf of the people of Cuba.

The Cuban president also paid tribute to the national hero Jose Marti, whose tomb lies next to Castro's.

He also paid respects to Carlos Manuel de Cespedes and Mariana Grajales, independence leaders, whose remains are also placed in the central heritage area of the cemetery.

After the ceremony, thousands of people started a pilgrimage from the Antonio Maceo Revolution Square in Santiago's city centre to the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, to honour the revolutionary leader who died on November 25, 2016 in Havana.

On Sunday night, thousands gathered at Santiago's Heredia theater for a political-cultural gala remembrance of Fidel, as Cubans warmly called him.

For several days, Cubans have evoked the life and work of Fidel Castro and the ceremonies carried out a year ago during the procession funeral that moved his ashes from Havana to Santiago de Cuba.

--IANS

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Gujarat is geared "for the worst situation" as cyclone Ochki, that left a trail of destruction in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, is expected to make landfall near Surat by Tuesday midnight, officials said.

The authorities have closed schools in the region till Wednesday. The Coast Guard has called back around 13,000 fishing boats that ventured into the seas on Monday evening.

However, some 700 boats from Dwarka and around 300 in other places were still out at sea. "We are hopeful of navigating them back with the help of the Coast Guard," Pankaj Kumar, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, told reporters here.

"The state is fully prepared for the worst situation, if it arises. Right now the Ockhi cyclone is 390 km from Surat and is predicted to hit the city around midnight," he said.

The official said the wind velocity was expected to reach around 60 to 70 km, or even "up to even 80 km per hour in the coastal areas of Surat and Valsad".

Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and one of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been stationed at Surat and other coastal areas.

The authorities have also halted works at some 510 construction sites. The administration is preparing to erect small towers for uninterrupted cellular services.

When Ockhi hits the state, it is expected that sea waves could reach heights of up to two meters.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi might be listing demonetisation and GST as his government's two major achievements which changed the course of the Indian economy but the people of Maninagar, the constituency he represented as Chief Minister, do not seem to be all that enthusiastic about it as they share their woes on how the two decisions disrupted their business activity and dampened consumer demand.

But many of them still believe that the BJP would sail through in the coming election as voters in this assembly segment of Ahmedabad district have an emotional attachment with the Prime Minister. They also feel that after his elevation, the state has suffered a lot in terms of administration in his absence.

People of different age groups and different sections of society can be seen walking and jogging in the early morning hours at Kankaria lake in the heart of Maninagar.

Naresh Bhai in his 70s, a retired official from the state electricity department, was returning home after his morning walk. When asked about the election scenario, he said, "it's a cake walk for BJP. This seat has been the traditional seat of BJP and that too represented by Modiji." But, he said, after becoming Prime Minister, he has been taking decisions unilaterally which were against the will of the people.

"He is taking decisions in national interest but not taking people into confidence before taking decisions. He took the decision to ban the currency notes but he did not think of difficulties people suffered. Now, he has implemented GST, which has affected business a lot. After protests he has been taking remedial measures. He should have taken these decisions after taking people into confidence," he said.

Hitesh Bhai Panchal, 46, who runs a printing press in the Khokhra circle, called himself a victim of GST.

"I had appointed a part-time accountant for maintaining the accounts and was paying Rs 6000 per month after implementation of GST now I am bound to keep a full time accountant by paying Rs 12,000 per month. This extra amount of Rs 6000, which I am paying to my accountant used to be my savings earlier," he said.

Naresh Bhai and Panchal told a visiting IANS correspondent that they have not yet decided whom to vote for and would take a call later depending on the emerging situation.

However, a group of five people, who were together taking sips of tea after their morning walk, were clear about whom they would vote for.

"Beshak dhandhe par maar padi hai isme koi shak nahi lekin Modiji ke liye sab kuch sahan kar lenge (No doubt our business has been affected but we are ready to tolerate everything for Modiji).

"He is our leader and has emotional connect with the people here. It was Modiji who saved us from the atrocities of a community during Congress regime. Today we feel secure due to him only," said Lalji Bhai Sinh.

Echoing similar views, Sagar Parikh, a businessman, said, "If BJP gets defeated then the situation in the state will be back as it was in the 90s. The state has suffered a lot after Modiji went to national to become Prime Minister."

"Prashashan me dhilai aa gayi hai, wo sabko tight karke rakhte the (There has been laxity on the part of the administration. He used to keep them working)," he said despite accepting that demonetisation and GST have adversely affected their daily earnings.

Mahesh Bhai Chouhan, a taxi driver, said that despite all the problems people here will vote in the BJP's favour.

"Poore Gujarat me BJP jite na jite par yahan se toh jitegi hi (BJP may or may not win in the entire state but will easily sail through here)," he said.

Naresh Bhai Dantani, a daily wage worker (mason) in the railway station area of Maninagar, was eagerly looking to get some work and looked disappointed as his wait was getting longer.

"We are the real victims of demonetisation and GST. During the days of demonetisation we rarely got any work. I went back to my home village Ghatlodiya and focused on farming for a few months. Now, they have brought GST. The shopkeeper adds the GST rate to products like cement, plaster and other material and also gets his share but when we use these materials in construction we do not get our share," Dantani said adding that his vote would definitely go to the "hand" -- the Congress election symbol.

Modi represented this seat in the state assembly from 2002 to 2014 until he became Prime Minister. After he resigned Modi handed over the baton to Suresh Patel, who is representing the seat by winning the by-poll. The BJP has been winning this seat since 1990.

The Congress has fielded 34-year-old Shweta Brahmabhatt, who returned to India from the UK after completing her Masters from a business school in Westminster. She is an IIM pass out in political leadership.

Belonging to a Congress family, she is banking on the image of father Narendra Brahmabhatt, and focusing on wooing over 60 per cent young voters of the constituency.

Maninagar will go to the polls on December 14 in the second phase of the two-phase elections.

(Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in)

--IANS

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The Defence Ministry is likely to take a decision on capping the educational expenses paid to the children of ex-servicemen in line with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, informed sources said on Tuesday.

Amid demands not to go ahead with the decision, a letter dated September 13, issued by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, capped the fee for tuition and hostel at Rs 10,000 per month, as per the recommendations.

The sources said the ministry was "apprised of the matter", indicating that a decision on the issue could be taken soon.

On Tuesday, Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging her not to cap the total expenditure towards tuition fee and hostel charge at Rs 10,000.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and former army chief and Minister of State for External Affairs General V.K. Singh have also urged the minister to review the move.

The scheme for government bearing the cost of education of ex-servicemen's children was announced in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 1971 - two days after the Pakistani forces surrendered in Dhaka after the India-Pakistan war that led to liberation of Bangladesh.

Chandrasekhar in his letter to the minister said capping the fund "goes against the very principal by which this scheme was implemented".

--IANS

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At least six persons were killed on Tuesday when an improvised explosive device (IED) placed on a motorcycle exploded near a military vehicle in Pakistan's North Waziristan area, the media reported.

Eight others were injured in the incident, Geo News reported.

Last week, five people were killed in a similar blast in the South Waziristan Agency.

--IANS

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Firming up its commitment to connect the next billion Indians by focusing on entry-level smartphones, Google on Tuesday announced several India-first products and features, some of which will be rolled out in other countries soon.

Currently, there are nearly 400 million Internet users in India, along with over 300 million smartphone users and about 650 million mobile phone users.

"On average, a connected mobile Internet user in India today is consuming over 4GB of data per month. At the current growth rate and given the connectivity environment, we expect this number to reach 11GB per user per month in the next four years and Google is here to help connect all," Rajan Anandan, Vice President, South East Asia and India at Google, said at the company's third annual "Google for India" event here.

"There are 230 million Indian language users online on Google today and 170 million of them are using our messaging service. Yet, we have over 900 million Indians who aren't connected to Internet. Our mission is connectivity for every Indian. We'll stay focused until every single Indian is connected," Anandan said.

At the event, Google announced Android Oreo (Go edition) that will be available for entry-level smartphones, for which India is a huge market.

"Oreo devices with 512MB to 1GB of RAM will get all the optimisations that come with Android Oreo (Go edition), including a better performing OS with built-in data management features and security benefits," said Caesar Sengupta, Vice President, Next Billion Users Team at Google.

"Our partners' phones running Android Oreo (Go edition) will hit shelves in early 2018," he added.

To help bikers find the most suitable route in India, Google has incorporated navigation routes for two-wheelers with Voice Assistant capabilities in its Maps feature.

"India is the world's largest two-wheeler market and the navigation needs of these millions of riders are different from automobile drivers. Two-wheeler mode in Maps gives routes that use shortcuts not accessible to cars. It also provides customized traffic and arrival time estimations," said Martha Welsh, Director, Google Maps.

The two-wheeler mode uses machine learning to suggest more relevant routes for riders, using smaller roads and two-wheeler-friendly shortcuts.

The two-wheeler mode will arrive in more countries later, Google said.

In a move to empower feature phone users in the country, Google announced to bring its Voice Assistant on Reliance JioPhone.

The Google Assistant for JioPhone will be available in English and Hindi. This is the first time Voice Assistant will be available in any feature phone.

"For the first time ever globally, the Google Assistant will be available on a feature phone. Whether in entry-level smartphones or JioPhones, the Google Assistant can help you call, text, play music and videos, and access other apps," said Gummi Hafsteinsson, Product Management Director at Google.

The company also announced a new set of pre-installed Google apps, including Google Go (a new lighter app from Google Search) and Google Assistant for Android Oreo (Go edition).

Google Go is light on storage and data and works efficiently on patchy connections. "It's less than 5MB to download, and search results in Google Go are optimized to save up to 40 per cent data," Sengupta added.

Google also announced "Files Go," an app that will help free up space, find files faster and share files offline on smartphones that come with less internal storage.

The company also brought bill payment facilities on its digital payment app "Tez".

"More than 70 billers will be supported, including utilities and direct-to-home service providers, on Tez," Sengupta told reporters here.

"Tez" will support bill payments for Tata Power, MTNL, DishTV, CPDCL and other utility providers that will include national and state electricity providers, water, DTH and gas recharges.

"Tez" has processed over 140 million transactions from nearly 12 million active users. There are more than 525,000 merchants already on the Google mobile payment app.

--IANS

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The Houthi militia killed 200 people who were taken prisoners during an attack that killed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Arab media reported on Tuesday.

The Houthis ambushed the homes of Saleh's relatives and killed a few of his supporters and leading figures in his General People's Congress (GPC) Party, Al Arabiya reported.

This follows the killing of Abdullah Saleh at the hands of the militia in the south of Sanaa on Monday.

Al Arabiya said the Iran-backed Houthi militia carried out raids and arrested several leaders and members of the GPC in Sanaa.

Meanwhile, Arab coalition fighters launched several raids on the Presidential Palace amid heavy overflights over Sanaa, while Houthi militias created an undeclared state of emergency in Sanaa hours after Abdullah Saleh's killing.

The militia has also spread its armed forces into different areas in the capital and added new checkpoints leading at their headquarters.

--IANS

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India is among the deadliest countries for defenders of rights related to land, territory, environment, rights NGO Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

In its global report 'Deadly but Preventable Attacks: Killings and Enforced Disappearances of Those who Defend Human Rights', released on Tuesday, the rights watchdog said: "In India, journalists, land rights activists, and those advocating the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, Dalits and Adivasis (tribal) are among those at risk of attack."

Among the deadliest countries for this group of human rights defenders are Brazil, Colombia, the Philippines, India and Honduras, it said.

According to an Amnesty release, as many as 3,500 human rights defenders were killed worldwide since 1998 while the number in 2016 was 281-- a significant increase from 156 defenders killed in 2015 and 136 in 2014.

Also, 48 journalists were killed worldwide in 2016, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The report included testimonies from human rights defenders as well as their relatives and colleagues in India, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritania, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Sudan and Syria.

Many described how victims' pleas for protection had been repeatedly ignored by the authorities and how the attackers had evaded justice, fueling a deadly cycle of impunity, it said.

Asmita Basu, Programmes Director at Amnesty International India, said human rights defenders were painted as a threat to development or traditional values.

"Human rights defenders, instead of being recognised and protected by the state, are

portrayed as 'criminals', 'foreign agents', 'anti-nationals' and 'terrorists', and painted as a threat to development or traditional values. Such labels are divisive, signal contempt for constitutional rights, and give a green light to further abuses," she said, as per the release.

The report has brought together stories from around the world including that of journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was fatally shot outside her home in Bengaluru in September 2017.

It also mentioned Chhattisgarh's Jailal Rathia, who had challenged the Adivasi land grabbing and later died of what was suspected as deliberate poisoning, and killing of Maharashtra Dalit activist Chandrakant Gaikwad.

The report focused on the gravest of violations against human rights defenders-- killings and enforced disappearances.

"The motives behind these attacks are multiple and layered. Some people are attacked because of their legitimate activities, for example, as they stand up to powerful actors violating human rights, share information and raise awareness, or confront discriminatory public opinion and social norms. Others are attacked both for what they do and who they are," it said.

The human rights defenders included those defending the rights of women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people and indigenous peoples and minority groups, it added.

--IANS

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An Indian-origin man from Canada was sentenced by a US court in Arizona state to 46 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to international travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual encounter with a minor.

Dilbagh Singh, 57, was sentenced on Monday by District Judge Steven P. Logan after he was arrested in May this year, the US media reported.

According to a statement by the US Department of Justice, Singh began an online relationship with one "Laura" in January 2017 thinking that she was a 15-year-old girl.

Over the course of nearly four months, Singh told the girl that he wanted to engage in various sex acts with her. In May 2017, Singh travelled from Canada to Flagstaff, Arizona, to meet the girl in person and to have sex with her, according to the statement.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

--IANS

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Conflict in Iraq has left a toxic trail of destruction, which could have severe health consequences for communities and reconstruction efforts, a new report said on Tuesday.

Iraqi are pleading for rapid remediation efforts to clean up the oil pollution and support for health monitoring.

Months of burning oil wells resulted in a blackened landscape, while in other places, large oil spills polluted agricultural lands and rivers, said report "Living under a black sky" by PAX.

The report also identified a sharp increase of hazardous artisanal oil refining, with more than 1,600 small refineries at 20 locations in northern Iraq.

Part of the research included a survey among Iraqi civilians living in Qayyarah, an oil town near Mosul where oil wells were deliberately set on fire by retreating Islamic State fighters. Some of the wells burned for more than eight months.

The report was released at the UN Environment Assembly here, where states are discussion a new resolution on conflict pollution prevention in areas affected by armed conflict.

PAX, as part of the Toxic Remnants of War Network, are contributing to the discussions at the three-day assembly that will conclude on Wednesday.

Local people expressed severe concerns over their health and well-being after living under the noxious clouds that affected their living environment, soil, water sources and livestock.

"Our findings demonstrate the need to provide sustained support to communities affected by toxic remnants of war, and take these concerns seriously," said PAX Project Leader and author Wim Zwijnenburg as per an official statement.

"Environmental health risks tend to be underestimated and overlooked in humanitarian work and reconstruction, yet have the potential to create acute and chronic health risks to civilians."

For the last three years, PAX has monitored the ongoing fighting in Iraq using open-source methods, and local partners in Iraq, UN institutions and humanitarian organisations, to collect data on potential environmental hotspots.

The findings of the report demonstrate the wide-ranging toxic consequences of conflict for the environment and health of civilians, which also hinder reconstruction efforts.

Widespread damage to urban areas, including Mosul, generated millions of tons of rubble often mixed with hazardous materials, while targeted critical infrastructure such as power plants and sewage systems can have detrimental environmental health risks.

Attacks by the Islamic State on oil facilities around Kirkuk and Baiji also resulted in many oil spills in the Tigris river, and flowed over large swathes of agricultural lands.

Local farmers expressed concerns over the environmental disaster that affected their livelihood.

PAX calls for increased data collection, sharing and monitoring to improve humanitarian response towards these toxic remnants of war.

"The environment is often the silent victim in any conflict, but we know that long-term recovery and peace building is also dependent on taking clear action on repairing environmental damage," UN Environment head Erik Solheim said.

Toxic Remnants of War Network Coordinator Doug Weir, who is present at the assembly negotiations, said the conflict in Iraq, and other regional conflicts, have shown that serious conflict pollution can be caused by non-state actors, as well as by states.

The UN Environment Assembly should be an opportunity for the international community to bring forward clear commitments to address the toxic remnants of war, he added.

(Vishal Gulati is in Nairobi at the invitation of United Nations Environment to cover its third annual session. He can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

--IANS

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Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar said on Monday the Irish position in the Brexit talks is "unequivocal".

In a statement on Phase I of the Brexit negotiations, Varadkar said the Irish position is supported by all of the parties in parliament and a majority of people on these islands.

"Our only guiding light is the Good Friday Agreement, which clearly states that the constitutional status of Northern Ireland cannot be changed without the consent of the people of Northern Ireland," Xinhua quoted Varadkar as saying.

The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s. The agreement is made up of two inter-related documents, both agreed in Belfast on April 10, 1998.

"That is fundamental to our position," Varadkar said. "We do not want a border in the Irish Sea."

The prime minister said he was "surprised and disappointed" after the British government failed to reach agreement in talks relating to the border on the island of Ireland on Monday.

But he accepted that the British Prime Minister Theresa May has requested more time.

--IANS

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Israel launched a missile attack against a Syrian military base in the countryside of the capital Damascus late on Monday, the state news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian air defenses responded to the attack, destroying three of six missiles targeting the military base in the town of Jamraya, some 8 km northwest of Damascus, Xinhua cited the report as saying.

People in Damascus heard the powerful sound of explosions at the time of the airstrikes near midnight.

The military research centre in Jamraya was hit by Israeli jets on May 5, 2013. At the time the Israelis said they struck Hezbollah-bound missiles in that base.

Also, the attack comes just two days after Israel stuck another military base in the town of Kisweh in the southwestern countryside of Damascus.

At that time, the army was said to have destroyed two missiles while the rest hit the base, causing damages.

Israeli officials have said several times that they would not accept any Iranian influence near their borders.

The Syrian government has repeatedly accused Israel of aiding the rebels near the Golan Heights.

--IANS

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The principal of a city school, where a four-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by two teachers last week, was on Tuesday summoned to Kolkata Police headquarters, a senior police officer said.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the teachers' community to take more responsibility to avoid such incidents.

"Sharmila Nath, the Principal of the G.D. Birla school, has been summoned today by Kolkata Police's women grievance cell. She is being interrogated in relation with the sexual assault case," Joint commissioner of Kolkata Police, Crime, Vishal Garg, told IANS.

A police complaint was lodged against the principal by the victim's father demanding her arrest on Sunday for allegedly trying to cover up the issue of sexual assault and indirectly supporting the accused instead of taking action against them.

Referring to the incident, Banerjee said: "Teachers community must take more responsibility to isolate people who are involved in such incidents. We will take stand against them who committed such acts and nothing will be compromised."

The case was taken up by the special committee formed on Monday to look into the allegations of negligence and false representation on part of the high-profile G.D. Birla Centre for Education.

On the other hand, the agitation by the guardians of students on the issue of student security continued during the day even as the school authorities and the representatives of guardians' forum held a meeting inside the school.

The Chief Minister said guardians have all the right to protest against the incident, but all must ensure that classes resume. "The ICSE Board should also intervene," she said, adding that some people are trying to fish in troubled waters.

She criticised the "attempt to politicise the incident" and not allowing the school to resume normal operations.

The agitation spilled onto the other south Kolkata schools as several guardians gathered on the streets demanding installation of CCTV cameras in the entire school premises.

"The schools are increasing the annual fees every year by leaps and bounds. We are accepting all that but they must ensure our childrens' security. CCTV camera have be installed in all the schools," an agitating guardian demanded.

Massive agitation by the guardians took place in another south Kolkata-based institution, M.P. Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School, over the allegation of another case of sexual abuse on a nursery student almost three months ago, leading to the arrest of a staff member of the school.

Last Thursday, the four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by two PT teachers inside a school washroom. Both the accused have been arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and sent to police custody till December 15.

The school authorities issued a notice on Sunday stating that all the junior as well as senior classes would remain indefinitely closed. The notice also said that the school has removed the two arrested physical training teachers from duty.

--IANS

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Lebanons Prime Minister Saad Hariri officially announced on Tuesday withdrawing his resignation in a statement he read after the cabinet concluded its session held in Baabda Palace and chaired by President Michel Aoun.

Prime Minister Hariri read the final statement which stressed that Lebanon sticks to the dissociation policy and Taef Accord, the state-run Al Manaar reported.

"The government has unanimously approved a statement pledging compliance with a policy of dissociation, the president's oath of office in terms of dissociating the country from regional conflicts and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries," he added.

Hariri had announced last week that he was going to officially withdraw his resignation sometime this week if "positive circumstances" continue.

Lebanese officials say Saudi Arabia coerced Hariri, a long-time ally of Saudi Arabia, into resigning and held him there against his will until an intervention by France led to his return to Lebanon last week, however, Saudi Arabia denies the charge.

--IANS

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday extended "full support" to former Union minister Yashwant Sinha in his fight for farmers' cause.

She also expressed her concern about the BJP veteran, who was detained by Maharashtra Police.

"I am concerned about @YashwantSinha Ji former union finance minister in jail," Banerjee tweeted.

"I am sending our MP Dinesh Trivedi to meet him. @YashwantSinha is fighting for the cause of farmers. He has our full support."

Sinha was detained for holding a demonstration in Maharashtra's Akola for the rights of farmers.

--IANS

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TV anchor Matt Lauer, who got fired due to allegations of sexual misconduct last month, reportedly offered a heavy amount to his wife Annette Roque to call off their divorce.

Lauer had Roque, who is also a model, sign a post-nuptial agreement which allowed her to get $5 million if she called off the divorce.

In 2006, Roque, who was pregnant with their third child Thijs Lauer at that time, filed for divorce from Lauer following his alleged affair with "Today" show correspondent Natalie Morales when the two were assigned for the Winter Olympics in Italy, reports aceshowbiz.com.

However, Roque, cited "cruel inhuman" treatment as the reason of their divorce.

According to court papers leaked in 2014: "Defendant has continuously and repeatedly given higher priority to personal interests than his family obligations to plaintiff, causing plaintiff to feel abandoned, isolated and alone in raising the parties' children,"

Claiming that the pair had reconciled, Roque withdrew her divorce three weeks later.

The couple had been living separately for the last decade.

Sources told the site that Roque, a former Victoria's Secret and J. Crew model, stays at the couple's properties in ritzy Sag Harbor, Long Island, while Lauer remains in their Park Avenue apartment during the week.

Lauer was fired by NBC after an employee met NBC News' human resource, allegedly accusing Lauer of inviting her to his hotel room late at night while covering the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014.

--IANS

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the 14 recently-elected mayors from the state.

Modi said that "people's participation" has an important role in the "transformation of cities" in Uttar Pradesh, as he congratulated the mayors at his residence here.

Expressing his gratitude to the people of the state for their support to the party in the local body election, he said both Central and state governments are determined to raise the people's standard of living and extend facilities to the last man.

Modi urged the party workers to always remain committed to fulfilling the expectations of people.

The meeting was also attended by state Bharatiya Janata Party chief Mahendra Nath Pandey.

Later, Adityanath also handed over a cheque of Rs 5 crore to Modi from his Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund towards the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, for the cyclone Ockhi-affected people in Lakshadweep and other states.

Of the 16 municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh that went to polls late in November, BJP candidates won the mayoral seats in 14, including in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Moradabad, Kanpur and Allahabad.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was set to address an election rally in Gujarat's Surat on Wednesday has been postponed in view of cyclone Ochki, party leaders said.

"The Prime Minister's rally in Limbayat assembly has been postponed in view of the cyclone Ochki," a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told IANS.

Modi was set to address the public rally at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

The rally of Modi can be again rescheduled on December 7, the party leader said.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister appealed the BJP workers to focus on helping people across the state.

"With Cyclone Ockhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to BJP Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens," Modi said in a tweet.

He also said that he was monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to the cyclone.

"Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to Cyclone Ockhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected," he said in another tweet.

Beside Modi's rally, a public meeting of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari in Surat on Wednesday have also been postponed.

Followng the bad weather in several parts of the state, BJP President Amit Shah too had to cancel his several public meetings in Rajula town of Amreli and Mahuva and Shihor of Bhavnagar district.

While Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi held a poll rally in Anjar but his three rallies in Morbi, Dhrangadhra and Surendranagar were cancelled due to the impending cyclone.

Cyclone Ochki has claimed lives of 39 people from the state of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Over 167 people are still missing after the cyclone hit both the states on November 30.

--IANS

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Days after declaring himself the "biggest supporter" of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), former President Pervez Musharraf has said that he is open to forming a political alliance with the militant organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its chief Hafiz Saeed.

"If it is meant to be, it will be," Musharraf said in an interview on Aaj News.

"There have been no talks yet, but if they want to be included in the alliance, by all means, I will welcome them," the former Pakistan Army chief said, referring to his recently announced 23-party "grand alliance".

Musharraf had earlier said: "I am the biggest supporter of LeT and I know they like me and JuD also likes me." He had also expressed his liking for Saeed, blamed for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

Asked about the possible international repercussions his statements in favour of the proscribed group could have for the country, Musharraf said: "This is our country (...) we are aware of the internal situation in the country, the people in it and if they are good or bad."

"I spoke about Hafiz Saeed and I will say it proudly that LeT and JuD are both very good organisations of Pakistan," he said.

"In 2005, I saw that they were the best engineers. They did the best work at the time of the earthquake (in Islamabad). They are not in favour of Al Qaeda or the Taliban. Why are we pushing them to the wall?"

"They are not terrorists and we should tell (this to) America and the world," Musharraf said.

He added that Saeed should be given credit for employing his followers in welfare organisations and preventing them from "taking up weapons and joining the Taliban".

Musharraf's recent comments in favour of LeT and JuD come in the wake of Saeed's release from house arrest on November 24. Saeed has a $10 million US bounty on his head for his role in terror activities.

--IANS

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Rains driven by Cyclone Ochki lashed most parts of coastal Konkan in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, as the state remained wary of a potential fallout of the stormy weather here on Tuesday.

The state government, as a precautionary measure, has declared a holiday for all schools here on Tuesday and in the coastal districts of Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.

Continuing to remain dark and heavily overcast, Mumbai and its surrounding districts experienced almost continuous rain with bouts of heavy showers since Monday evening.

It has slowed down the road traffic during the morning peak hours.

However, all incoming and outgoing flights at Mumbai Airport are being operated on schedule and the city's lifeline, the suburban local trains, continue to ply unhindered.

The IMD has forecast rains with thundershowers in and around Mumbai with squalls reaching 50-60 kmph and touching 70 kmph in the coastal areas over the next 24 hours, even as the minimum temperature in Mumbai dropped to 20 degrees Celsius.

Danger signals LC-III have been hoisted over all ports between Goa to Dahanu (north Maharashtra), with rough to very rough conditions at sea.

Starting Monday evening, Mumbai suburbs recorded 1.3 cm of rain, while south Mumbai notched 3.29 cm, flooding some low lying areas and leading to water-logging in other places.

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, the state Disaster Management Unit and the railways said they were fully geared up for the cyclonic encounter expected over the next couple of days.

On Tuesday, the Arabian Sea recorded a high tide of 5.04 metres and on Wednesday it will be 5.05 metres, gradually receding to 4.17 metres by Thursday, said a BMC official.

Advising people to stay away from all beaches, the BMC has warned people living in some parts of south Mumbai and suburbs of the possibility of tidal waves flowing into the roads and homes. It has asked them to take adequate precautions.

The Western Railway (WR) said all concerned departments are monitoring the water level on the railway tracks, while the Railway Protection Force and Commercial staff will keep an eye on crowd movement, especially in the areas of Palghar.

"Disaster Management Cell is in readiness for any emergencies. Patrolling of the railway tracks has been intensified over various rail sections,...," CPRO Ravinder Bhakar said.

Technical teams are monitoring critical railway assets and essentials like electricity supply with back-up diesel generators, signals and telecom and breakdown equipment.

Accident relief trains and accident relief medical vans are on standby for any eventuality.

All the BMC disaster units, Mumbai Police, Fire Brigade, the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Home Guards and other agencies are in full preparedness for any eventuality arising due to the cyclone.

Ochki is expected to make landfall near the diamond and textile city of Surat in Gujarat later on Tuesday.

--IANS

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On a day the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) marked world's first "Smog Day", to remember those who died due to air pollution, Delhi-NCR's air quality dipped to "severe" on Tuesday afternoon.

While the observance of this day - December 5 - is inspired from the first day of the lethal smog that hit London in 1952 and which led to Britain's Clean Air Act, UNEP said that "estimated 18,000 people die every day worldwide as a result of air pollution".

"Today is the first international #SmogDay, a moment to remember all of the people who have died prematurely, and avoidably, because of air pollution. #BeatPollution," the US agency said in a tweet.

Growing as an initiative to share the experiences of people living in London and New Delhi, the UNEP points out that each of us will breath about 250 million litres of air in lifetime "no matter where we live and how polluted the air is".

"On the worst day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 during the First World War, 20,000 British soldiers are thought to have died. Yet, an estimated 18,000 people die every day worldwide as a result of air pollution," said a report under a UNEP campaign -- "clearing the air - a tale of two cities (Delhi and London)".

Meanwhile the air quality of Delhi and NCR deteriorated to "severe", with major pollutant PM2.5 or particles with diameter less than 2.5 micrometeres ranging over 10 times the safe value across 21 monitoring stations in the region at 4 p.m.

Of those 21 regions, five regions across Delhi-NCR saw an "emergency or severe plus" air quality, five other regions fell under "severe" category while the remaining 11 regions saw a "very poor" overall air quality.

Air pollution is responsible for 6.5 million premature deaths globally every year according to the World Health Organisation. There were nearly 1.1 million early deaths in India in 2015 due to air pollution.

"This is a global crisis, with 80 percent of urban dwellers breathing air that does not meet WHO health standards," said a statement from "C40 CITIES" -- an alliance of over 90 of the world's greatest cities calling urgent action on climate change and air pollution.

Six Indian cities - Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata and Mumbai - are members of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan who is currently in Delhi as the Vice Chair on the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, on Tuesday announced "a new air quality partnership between London and Bengaluru".

"I'm proud today to announce London and Bengaluru will be leading a new air quality partnership. We hope to work with key cities across the world and in India, including with our good friends here in Delhi," said Khan, who had earlier this year called for a new Clean Air Act.

Aiming to control air pollution, Clean Air Act was passed in 1956 by the British parliament after its 1952 smog situation killed 9000 people.

In India following the 2016 post Diwali smog situation, the Union Environment Ministry notified Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) under the Supreme Court appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority.

The GRAP applies preventive measures based on the severity of air quality and the "severe and emergency" level measures were for the first time applied this November after the Delhi-NCR faced an environment emergency situation mostly due to emissions from stubble burning in the neighbouring states.

--IANS

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The Philippines on Tuesday threatened to pull out of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) if its war against drugs that has left thousands of people dead is investigated.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque previewed elements of a speech he is due to deliver at the ICC headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Efe news reported.

"My statement is we agreed to be a member of the ICC because of the principle of complementarity that the court will only exercise jurisdiction if our courts are unwilling or unable to exercise jurisdiction on any crime cognizable by the International Criminal Court," Roque said at a press conference.

"And to violate the principle of complementarity would be to violate the very basis of our consent to be bound by the Rome Statute. And if this will happen, then there may be a possibility that the Philippines may withdraw from the Rome Statute of the ICC," he added.

In April, a Filipino lawyer filed a lawsuit against President Rodrigo Duterte before the ICC, charging him with mass murder during the anti-drugs crackdown that began after he took office on June 30, 2016.

The lawyer asked the criminal court to sentence Duterte and 11 other officials, including the Secretary of Justice Vitaliano Aguirre II and Director General of the Philippine National Police Ronald dela Rosa to life in prison.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in Duterte's war on drugs, at least half of whom died during police operations against suspected drug users and dealers.

--IANS

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In a significant diplomatic development after the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Doklam region of Bhutan earlier this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India for the Russia-India-China Foreign Ministers' trilateral meeting here next week.

The External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Wang, along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would attend the meeting on December 11 to be hosted by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

"The meeting is expected to review global and regional issues of mutual interests well as discuss trilateral exchanges and activities.

Indian and Chinese troops were in a face-to-face situation near the Sikkim sector of the international border after the Chinese People's Liberation Army tried to build a road in Doklam in mid-June.

While India and Bhutan said that it violated the status quo along the India-Bhutan-China international trijunction, Beijing claimed that it was China's territory.

New Delhi and Beijing eventually agreed to pull back their troops towards the end of August ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China for the G20 Summit.

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A record-breaking nine-hour rainbow appeared in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, the media reported on Tuesday.

"It was amazing... It felt like a gift from the sky... It's so rare!" Chou Kun-hsuan, a professor at the Chinese Culture University's Department of Atmospheric Sciences, told CNN.

Chou and a second professor, Liu Ching-huang, led the efforts to document the rainbow with the help of the department's students and the campus community.

Their observations, pictures and video recordings showed the rainbow lasted from 6.57 a.m. until 3.55 p.m. -- eight hours and 58 minutes.

If confirmed, it would shatter the previous record for the longest-lasting rainbow, set in Yorkshire, England, on March 14, 1994, which was recorded as lasting six hours, according to the Guinness World Records.

Rainbows typically last much less than an hour, according to the Guinness website.

"With the 10,000 pictures we took in our department alone, and the many more taken by others on campus and people living nearby, I'm confident we can prove to Guinness second by second that this rainbow lasted for nine hours," Chou told the BBC.

The conditions that made the rainbow last so long were a seasonal north-east monsoon that trapped moisture in the air, forming clouds; sunlight and a relatively slow wind speed of 2.5-5 metres per second.

Such atmospheric conditions are common in winter in Taipei's Yangmingshan mountain range, where the campus is located, making it an ideal place for spotting long-lasting rainbows, Chou said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a residency certificate issued by gram panchayat Secretary to a married woman for inclusion of name in the National Register of Citizenship should be accepted as a supporting document.

"... the certificates issued by the gram panachayat Secretary/Executive Magistrate will, however, be acted upon only to establish a linkage between the holder of such certificate and the person(s) from whom legacy is being claimed," a bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman said.

The issuance of the residency certificate is a supporting document for further inquiry on the claim to be included in the NRC being prepared for Assam.

"The certificate will be put to such limited use only if its contents are found to be established on due and proper enquiry and verification', the court added.

Speaking for the bench, Justice Gogoi said: "The certificate issued by the panchayat Secretary merely acknowledges the shifting of residence of a married woman from one village to another. The said certificate by itself by no means establishes a claim of citizenship of its holder.

Pointing out that this has been made clear in the "illustrative list of documents" specifying it to be "only a supporting document", the court said that the residency certificate with details of lineage is to be used for the limited purpose of providing a linkage after due enquiry and verification.

The court said this while setting aside the February 28 order of Gauhati High Court that held such certificate as invalid.

In another related matter, the bench in a separate order sought to dispel the notion that the original inhabitants of Assam included in the NRC were a superior class of citizens and were entitled to some benefits in the matter of opportunities for education and employment vis-a-vis those who are not original inhibitants.

"All such apprehensions are wholly unfounded. The exercise of upgradation of the NRC is not intended to be one of identification and determination of who are original inhabitants of Assam," the court said.

It pointed out that the sole test for inclusion in the NRC is citizenship under the Constitution of India and under the Citizenship Act, including Section 6A thereof.

"Citizens who are originally inhabitants/residents of Assam and those who are not are on par for inclusion in the NRC," the court said while seeking to erase any doubt about the exercise being undertaken to update the NRC for Assam.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Saudi cabinet on Tuesday expressed hope that the revolution in Yemen would end the power of Houthi militias, Al Arabiya reported.

"The uprising of the Yemeni people against the Houthi-backed sectarian militias supported by Iran will rid Yemen of the abuse, death threats and the appropriation of public and private properties," Awad bin Saleh Al-Awad, Saudi minister of Culture and Information was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying in a statement.

"Saudi Arabia reiterates its constant concern for the stability of Yemen and its return to its Arab embrace," he added.

The Saudi cabinet also welcomed a joint statement issued by a recently-held international meeting on the Yemeni crisis in London.

The statement affirmed the full support for Saudi Arabia in its legitimate defence against threats to its security and stability.

The statement also said the firing of ballistic missiles by the Houthis toward Saudi Arabia constitutes a threat to regional security and prolongs the conflict.

--IANS

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At least seven people were killed and eight others wounded on Tuesday when an explosive device ripped through a bus in Syria's Homs city, state news agency SANA reported.

The bus exploded in the Ekrima neighbourhood that has been targeted several times by car bombs and explosive devices, Xinhua news agency reported.

The blast comes amid ongoing peace talks between a government delegation and the opposition in Geneva. No progress has been achieved in the talks due to the opposition's demand for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actress Sonam Kapoor on Tuesday mourned the death of veteran actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor and says that he will continue to inspire her.

Sonam shared a famous dialogue by Shashi from the film "Silsila" on Twitter and captioned it: "With the passing of an icon like Shashi Kapoor, the importance and influence of the work we do shines even brighter. Shashi Uncle was a star of Indian cinema and I know he will continue to inspire us!"

The veteran matinee star breathed his last at 5.20 p.m. at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Monday after a period of hospitalisation. The last rites of the 79-year-old actor took place at the Santacruz Hindu Crematorium at 12 noon on Tuesday.

Large numbers of Bollywood personalities visited Kapoor's Prithvi House on Monday night to pay their respects to the late actor, a member of the Kapoor dynasty that has dominated the Hindi film industry for decades.

Sonam said that it's a sad day for Indian cinema.

"An incredibly sad day for Indian cinema, we've lost one of our greatest actors and the entire industry mourns. Shashi Uncle wasn't just a brilliant actor but also a great human and we miss him greatly," she added.

The veteran actor-filmmaker was wrapped in the tricolour for his last rites at the Santacruz Hindu Crematorium.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday dismissed as "wide off the mark" a new opinion polls findings that showed the Congress gaining heavily and fast catching up with the ruling party in Gujarat as well as closing the gap between the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as compared to the similar last two polls done in August and October.

The Congress welcomed the findings saying the voters in Gujarat have already decided to vote the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government out.

The Lokniti-CSDS survey done in the last week of November among 3,655 voters across 50 assembly constituencies threw up some surprising results as it found the Congress leading among voters who take pride in their Gujarati identity over national identity, suggesting that the "Gujarati Asmita" card might not work as the BJP expects it to.

It also found Rahul Gandhi's popularity surging while that of Modi taking a slight hit and the gap between the two leaders' likeability by the public narrowing down to just seven points from 16 points in October. With 64 per cent votes, Modi still remains the most popular leader in the state though.

The survey noted that over the last month the Congress staged an "impressive recovery" in the southern and central regions of Gujarat where it had been trailing the BJP by quite a huge margin. In north Gujarat, the Congress has managed to hold on to its "fairly big lead" over the BJP, it said.

In rural Saurashtra, the Congress is the front runner while the BJP dominates in urban Saurashtra. This rural-urban pattern of support is evident in most parts of the state, the poll said.

The survey opined that economic hardships faced by the voters is a major reason behind the Congress' rise and also a major reason for the Patidars' support to the Congress besides Hardik Patel's call to defeat the BJP over their unmet demand for reservation.

"It seems that India's rise in World Bank's ease of doing business ranking, Moody's ratings upgrade for the Indian economy and the concessions given by the government with regard to GST have not really improved voters' perception of Modi's performance," the survey said.

The survey also ascribed the Congress' new found support among women as another reason for its rising popularity. A month ago, women were found to be strongly backing the BJP over the Congress (50:39 per cent). This 11 point gap has now reduced to just two points, the opinion poll found.

Welcoming the survey findings, Congress Spokesman Sanjay Jha said the survey "clearly manifests that there is an increasing momentum towards the Congress party in Gujarat".

"The Gujarat voters have already decided to vote BJP government out, largely because the so-called 'Gujarat Model' was a fictitious and fraudulent spin which today stands totally exposed. That is why a nervous BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the principal campaigner in Gujarat, are indulging in communal polarisation," Jha told IANS.

However, the BJP dismissed the poll findings as "off the mark" and said the Congress was nowhere in the race, much like the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

"Both the opinion and exit polls of the CSDS-Lokniti in Uttar Pradesh projected victory for the Congress-Samajwadi Party combine, which the BJP won with a landslide margin. The series of CSDS polls are as wide off the mark in Gujarat as they were in Uttar Pradesh," BJP Spokesman G.V.L. Narasimha Rao told IANS.

"The Congress party's so-called comeback in Gujarat is as strong as it was in Uttar Pradesh," he added.
National Conference leaders paid tributes to the party founder and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah, popularly known as Sher-e-Kashmir or Lion of Kashmir, on his 112th birth anniversary on Tuesday.

Scores of supporters joined former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and other senior party leaders in offering prayers and floral tributes to the late leader.

Sheikh Abdullah, born on December 5, 1905, is regarded as one of the most charismatic Kashmiri leaders remembered for his role to liberate the state from the autocratic rule of the Maharajas.

He is also remembered for the revolutionary land reforms he initiated to end absentee landlordship.

The decision to grant proprietary rights to the peasants was the first such decision after the country's independence in 1947 to empower the under privileged peasants.

He died on September 8, 1982, and is buried on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar's Hazratbal area.

Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary is observed as a public holiday in the state.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a letter written to Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday, a Muslim body has demanded that the triple talaq or instant divorce should be made an offence under the Domestic Violence Act and should not be criminalised.

In its letter to Prasad, the Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD), an NGO, said it supported a legislation to declare instant triple talaq an illegal act, but "strongly opposes" any move by the government to criminalise the practice, punishable with three years in jail plus fine.

"The IMSD fully supports the need for a legislation dealing with abolition of triple talaq. It also recognises the need for penal provisions in the Act so that Muslim men realise that committing the illegality of triple talaq will henceforth have serious consequences. However, the IMSD is not convinced that the solution lies in a straight-forward, single-step criminalisation of the instant divorce practice," the letter read.

"Moreover, we are seriously concerned with the fact that the draft bill -- Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act -- makes triple talaq a non-bailable offence punishable with a jail term of three years and fine. The IMSD is concerned with the serious implications of a single-step criminalisation of triple talaq for several reasons," it added.

The letter pointed out that since the socio-economic status of the majority of Muslims was low, the case expenses and the subsequent jail term if convicted would leave the erring husband finacially devastated.

"Also, the woman victim of triple talaq too must find money to hire a lawyer to press for her claims of maintenance, child custody, etc. Where will a husband in jail for three years find money to pay for the maintenance of his wife and children?" it said.

"For these reasons, the IMSD is of the view that all things considered, the proposed new law may simply provide that triple talaq, which is illegal, will be treated as 'domestic violence' as defined under the secular Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005.

"Once the Domestic Violence Act kicks into place, it immediately opens up the possibility of various reliefs provided under the Act for a victim of triple talaq. These include protection against violence, right to residence in the marital home, maintenance, medical facility, compensation...," it said.

The letter stressed that the proposed law should declared triple talaq procedure as illegal and not talaq (divorce) per se.

The IMSD said that any legislation dealing with the issue of triple talaq should be comprehensive and lay down the entire correct procedure of pronouncing talaq in accordance with the Islamic law instead of only penalising the practice.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Forum for Protection of Journalists (FFPJ) on Tuesday staged a protest at the Press Club of India in the national capital demanding a CBI probe into the murder of two Tripura journalists.

FFPJ Convener Pranab Sarkar told IANS over phone from Delhi that an eight-member delegation of the forum led by veteran editor Subal Kumar Dey on Tuesday also met President Ram Nath Kovind, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Press Council of India Secretary Vibha Bhargava to press for their demand.

According to Sarkar, the FFPJ also lodged a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission over the killing of two Tripura Journalists.

Sarkar said the FFPJ, supported by a section of Delhi-based journalists, held demonstrations in front of the Press Club of India to press the demand for a probe into the killings by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"Both the President and Home Minister assured us that they would take suitable steps to the killings. We have also urged both the President and Home Minister that the government should take suitable steps for the protection of the journalists," Sarkar added.

"The Home Minister has asked the Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to take appropriate steps on the issue," he stated.

The FFPJ delegation also met Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh on Monday to demand a CBI probe into the murder of two journalists from the state.

"After a series of agitations in Tripura, we came to the national capital to press for our demand to protect the persons in Tripura," Sarkar added.

A local newspaper journalist Sudip Dutta Bhowmik, 50, was shot dead inside the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) 2nd battalion headquarters at Ramchandra Nagar in West Tripura district on November 21.

Young television journalist Santanu Bhowmik, 28, was hacked to death while he was covering protests of a tribal based political party at Mandai, 25 km from Agartala, on September 20.

PCI Chairman Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad, who took suo motu cognizance of the journalists' murder, has arrived in Agartala for an on-the-spot study of the murders.

To probe the killings, the state government had earlier constituted two separate Special Investigation Teams (SIT) headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police Arindam Nath and Inspector General of Police (IGP) G.S. Rao.

The SIT, led by Nath, has so far arrested four TSR personnel, including TSR second battalion Commandant Tapan Debbarma, who is a senior Tripura Police Service (TPS) officer (1998 batch) and waiting for IPS nomination.

In the Bhowmik murder case too, the SIT led by IGP Rao arrested four youths.

The Congress has demanded a high-level inquiry into the murder. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded a CBI probe and resignation of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who also holds the Home portfolio.

Both parties observed a state-wide shutdown on November 23 to protest the killings.

The ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has criticised the BJP for politicising the journalist's killing.

"State government is on the right track in probing the unfortunate killings," CPI-M central committee member Gautam Das told the .

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump has ordered the largest reduction in public protected lands in the history of the US, cutting more than 9,200 sq.km from two national monuments in Utah, a measure condemned by ecologists and Native Americans.

On a visit to Salt Lake City on Monday, Trump ordered Bears Ears, designated by his predecessor Barack Obama, to be reduced in size from some 1.3 million acres to about 220,000 of federally protected land, reports Efe news.

The President also decreed that Grand Staircase-Escalante, which was designated a national monument by former President Bill Clinton's administration, to be cut from 1.9 million acres to just over 1 million acres.

Trump slammed those who were of the opinion "that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington.

"Guess what? They're wrong," he said, addressing an audience at the Utah State Capitol.

Trump said that his "historic" move was designed to reverse overstepping by the federal government and restore the rights to land in Utah to its citizens.

National monuments - which are federally protected lands - may be created by presidents without the approval of Congress, according to the 1906 Antiquities Act, although national parks require congressional approval.

Trump said that his predecessors in the White House "abused" that law to place ever more land and water under federal control, and he claimed that doing so took from local residents the ability to decide how best to use those territories.

The White House aim is to open up lands that heretofore were protected to facilitate public use of their roadways and pastures, as well as "healthy hunting and fishing", Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told reporters.

Grand Staircase-Escalante has coal deposits but Zinke denied that the decision to reduce its size had anything to do with mineral exploitation interests, adding that Bears Ears has no known oil or gas deposits.

The move sparked vehement criticism by various environmental defence organisations.

In addition, five Indian tribes who pressured to gain federal protection for Bears Ears - the Hopi, the Navajo Nation, the Ute Mountain Tribe, the Pueblo and the Ute Indian Tribe - are suing the Trump administration.

Navajo Nation vice president Jonathan Nez told MSNBC that Trump had overstepped his authority by reducing Bears Ears, saying "It's a sad day in Indian country and it was a sad day for Americans" and adding that "the Navajo Nation is going to take action and we are going to say 'No' to this overstepping (of) boundaries".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Los Angeles City Attorney has sued global ride-hailing app Uber, saying that the company broke California law when it failed to disclose a data breach that exposed the license numbers of 600,000 drivers.

Mike Feuer filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of California residents, Los Angeles Times reported late on Monday.

"We're taking action because we believe very strongly in the importance of protecting consumers," Feuer said during a news conference.

"The case will focus on Uber's failure to disclose the data breach to Uber's California drivers," he was quoted as saying.

The lawsuit seeks $2,500 for each violation of the law.

"The company is committed to changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make, and working hard to regain the trust of consumers," an spokesperson said in a statement.

In a blog post last month, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi revealed that the company in late 2016 became aware that two individuals outside the company had inappropriately accessed user data stored on a third-party Cloud-based service that it uses.

The company suppressed information about the breach and paid the hackers a hefty $100,000 ransom to delete the data they had illegally obtained.

The breach included the names and license numbers of around 600,000 drivers in the US and some personal information of 57 million Uber users around the world.

Regulators of at least five states in the US have said they will question the company for staying silent after the hack.

"At least five states including Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York and Connecticut stated that they would investigate the matter," ReCode reported.

This report comes at a time when the ride-hailing company is already battling a slew of other civil and criminal probes.

An Israeli court has ordered global ride-hailing app Uber to stop two of its services in Tel Aviv in the absence of proper travel insurance.

The court banned UberDay and UberNight, the company's private-car services, while UberTaxi that takes requests via licensed taxi drivers has not been affected, Jerusalem Post reported late last month.
If you are looking for a wedding-setting or a holiday that gives you a 180-degree view of the snow-capped Himalayan peaks with cedar forests thrown in, you may look at Kufri's Royal Tulip resort as a destination.

Situated along National Highway 22 on the Shimla-Kufri-Narkanda route, the Royal Tulip offers views from the Rohtang Pass (near Manali) on one side and the Kinner Kailash (in Himachal's Kinnaur district, close to the India-China border) on the other.

All the rooms in the resort have a view of the Himalayas. Moreover, even the lobby area, the glass elevator, waiting areas on each floor or the restaurants, allow you to gaze at the mighty Himalayas, to marvel at its peaks ranging from 17,000 feet to over 20,000 feet. The resort is located at a height of around 8,600 feet (or about 2,600 metres).

"At the break of dawn, it is a spectacular view. The peaks, simmering in the first light of the day, give the impression of an ECG chart. When the first rays of sunlight fall on the peaks, the snow looks golden and breath-taking," Pooja, a guest at the hotel, told this visiting IANS journalist.

The resort has an all-weather, heated swimming pool in a glass-house structure, an open terrace and a club to engage guests in various activities.

Not too far are a couple of places offering outdoor adventure activities like riding all-terrain vehicles, go-karting, rock-climbing and hiking. A 45-km drive to the ski-resort of Narkanda, which can be done in around 90 minutes on the highway, takes you deeper into the Himalayas, away from the bustle of "touristy" hill towns like Shimla, 20 km from here. Other places to visit from the resort are the picturesque gold course at Naldhera (around 22 km) and the hot springs at Tattapani (around 40 km). Some guests may find riding a Yak or horse an added attraction.

Listed as an international 5-star hotel, Royal Tulip has several dining options, including the Peak, a roof-top restaurant, again offering meals and views. The hotel also has banquet facilities to accommodate 1,000 guests for destination weddings, social functions and corporate off-sites.

"We have the biggest pillar-less banquet hall in the area," said Randhir Sharma, general manager of the resort, adding that there was adequate parking for guests -- not an easy thing to find in hill station towns or resorts.

(Jaideep Sarin was in Kufri at the invitation of the Golden Tulip Hotels and Resorts. He can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hazaari Lal, a man in his 50s with a strong hand and a cataract in his right eye is still on duty at Karsewakpuram, the Vishwa Hindu Parishads (VHP) base camp in Ayodhya. He is now entrusted with showing visitors to Karsewakpuram the biggest replica of the proposed Ram temple at the site, where he, along with others, had climbed the mosques dome 25 years ago to bring it down. Almost half-blind, Hazaari Lal also sells Ayurveda products, cow urine, herbal medicines and accessories like spiritual bracelets and other paraphernalia from the same compound that houses the replica. In his early 20s, he was one of the thousands of karsewaks mobilised by the war cries of some of the tallest Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders with the mission to pull down the Babri mosque. In this piece for Business Standard, he recounts events and the day that shook India.
The Congress on Tuesday said 89 nominations were received to propose its Vice-President Rahul Gandhis name for the next president of the party. With nobody else filing nomination papers, Gandhi became the de facto leader of his party. Some, including a former adviser to senior BJP leader L K Advani, tweeted their best wishes to the Prime Minister of India in 2019. Gandhi, however, had to cancel three of his public meetings in Gujarat because of inclement weather.
One measure of polarisation in the public discourse in the US is clear from the divergent analyses on the impact of the territorial tax proposal in the impending tax reform Bill. Yet one thing is certain. Among the many sweeping changes in the Bill  the Senate and House of Representative versions are being reconciled before it goes for the Presidents signature  the territorial tax will have some impact on US corporations overseas investment decisions and, therefore, on emerging markets like India. The territorial method of taxing profits from the overseas subsidiaries of US corporations essentially aligns US tax methods with those of most developed jurisdictions.
Marking a generational shift, is all set to take over as Congress President next week as he was the only candidate to file nominations before deadline expired on Monday for the post amid opposition jibes over dynasty in a contest with no one else in the fray.

The 47-year-old Gandhi, who will be the sixth Nehru-Gandhi scion to helm the party, filed papers at the Congress headquarters here amid cheers and celebrations by party leaders and workers. His mother and incumbent party President Sonia Gandhi signed the first nomination paper for election of her son.

He has been party Vice President for over four years since 2013.

Among the proposers of 89 nominations -- all in support of Gandhi -- was former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who called the "darling" of the party. Manmohan Singh accompanied Gandhi when he filed the nomination paper.

The last date for withdrawal is December 11 when he may be declared elected since there is no contest. Scrutiny of the nomination will take place on Tuesday.

"Eighty-nine nominations from various states were submitted to the returning officer. Prominent Congress leaders filed nominations (on behalf of Gandhi) including the former Prime Minister, Congress Working Committee members, MPs, state Congress leaders," Returning Officer Mullapally Ramachandran told reporters.

Though Ramachandran did not divulge details, sources said all the nominations were in favour of "one candidate" -- obviously Gandhi.

Originally 90 nomination forms were issued but one could not be filed as there were not enough number of proposers.

However, the filing of nomination was not without controversy stoked by remarks of senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar who invoked the Mughal dynasty in the Congress Presidential election that Prime Minister Narendra Modi latched on to quickly to call it "Aurangzeb Raj".

"When Shah Jahan came in the place of Jahangir did any election happen? And when Aurangzeb came in place of Shah Jahan did any election happen? It was known to everyone that the throne of the king will automatically go to the heir," Aiyar said, retorting to the "dynasty" jibes of the BJP on Rahul Gandhi's election.

"But in a democracy elections are held. I openly invite (Shehzad) Poonawala to file the nomination and contest," Aiyar said, adding no one had earlier heard of Poonawala.

Aiyar was replying to a question about BJP's criticism following Maharashtra Congress leader Poonawala alleging that election for Congress President was a sham and Rahul Gandhi's elevation was rigged.

Modi was quick to pounce on Aiyar's remarks. Addressing an election rally in Gujarat, Modi said: "Aiyar, who never shies away from showing loyalty to one family, proudly said -- When Shah Jahan came in the place of Jahangir did any elections happen? And when Aurangzeb came in place of Shah Jahan did any election happen?

"It was known to everyone that the throne of the king will automatically go the son. I congratulate the Congress on their 'Aurangzeb Raj.' For us, the wellbeing of the people matters and 125 crore Indians are our high command," he said.

The Prime Minister also said that the Congress leaders admit that it is not a party but a "kunba" (family).

Modi at a poll rally in Gujarat on Sunday lauded Poonawala for exposing lack of internal democracy in the Congress. "Those who have no internal democracy can't work for people. I want to say to this youngster Shehzad - you have done a brave thing but this is sadly what has always happened in Congress."

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said Modi was "suffering from phobia".

Surjewala also said that Modi's "love for Shehzad, Shahzada (BJP chief Amit Shah's son Jai Shah) and Shourya ( Security Advisor Ajit Doval's son)" is well known to the world.

"But will Modiji tell when he will answer the questions of his own senior party leaders like Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha?" he asked.

Gandhi, who became the Congress Vice President in January 2013, will succeed his mother Sonia, the longest serving Congress chief who has helmed the party since 1998. He is the sixth in the Gandhi-Nehru family to head the party after his great great grandfather Motilal Nehru, great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi.

Hundreds of Congress workers and leaders from across the country supporters thronged the party office ahead of the filing of nominations.

A large crowd of party workers were seen requesting the guards for a chance to meet their leader as he made his much awaited move.

Earlier, Gandhi called on former President Pranab Mukherjee, who applied tilak mark on his head as a way of blessing.

On his elevation, Manmohan Singh said: "Rahul Gandhi is a darling of the Congress and he will carry forward the great traditions of the party."

Noting that Sonia Gandhi served as Congress President for over 19 years, Manmohan Singh said: "It will be yet another chapter for the party."

Among those who signed the various sets of nomination papers for Gandhi were Motilal Vora, Ahmed Patel, Tarun Gogoi, V.Narayansami, Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath, Anand Sharma, Jaipal Reddy, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Salman Khursheed, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Karan Singh.
A defiant BJP veteran leader Yashwant Sinha, who was detained here yesterday while leading a protest by farmers, today vowed not to move out of the place where he spent the night till demands of cultivators of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region are accepted.

The former Union minister, who has had frequent run-ins with the current BJP leadership, was detained last evening while protesting against the state government's "apathy" towards the farmers of Vidarbha. He was taken to the district police headquarters and later released.

However, the 80-year-old leader refused to leave and sat on a dharna at the police ground, where he spent the night. He said he will not budge from the venue till all demands raised by farmers are met.

"The district administration held talks with us till late last night but didn't accept our demands. We won't budge from this venue till demands of farmers are met," Sinha told reporters.

The former Union finance minister said the government does not appear serious about solving problems being faced by agriculturists.

"I feel the attitude of the administration and the government towards farmers woes isn't serious. We are not a thing to be ridiculed, to be made fun of."



Sinha said he spoke to several local and leaders about issues related to cultivators.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's media advisor Harshal Pradhan told PTI that Thackeray and Sinha spoke on phone today and discussed farmers' issues.

Sinha said there has been no communication with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over half-a-dozen demands of farmers.

There were reports that Sinha had a telephonic conversation with NCP chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

The district administration, however, claimed a majority of the demands raised by farmers have been accepted.

Akola Collector Astik Pandey said the authorities concerned have accepted six of the seven demands and requested the agitators to call off the protest.

The demands include compensation to cotton farmers for losses incurred due to pink bollworm infestation, action against companies manufacturing "bogus" biotechnologically modified seeds and 100 per cent payout for crop losses to moong, did and soyabean farmers. They are also demanding that bank officials and administration execute loan waivers by personally visiting gram panchayats.

The other demands are the uninterrupted power supply to agricultural pump sets, removal of "unjust" conditions from the gold mortgage waiver scheme of the government for farmers, and purchase of all farm produce at MSP by NAFED ( Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India).

"Except for the last one (related to MSP), which is a call to be taken by the Central government, we have accepted all six demands and have requested the protesters led by Sinha to call off their stir," Pandey said.

Sinha said the "excuse" for NAFED purchase is not valid as the BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have been procuring farm produce through their own systems.

"Why can't the Maharashtra government (led by the BJP) then do it?" the bureaucrat-turned-politician asked.

Sinha, who arrived here in Vidarbha three days ago to participate in the Kapus Soyabean Dhan (cotton, soyabean, paddy) Parishad, was detained, along with farmers, by police near the collectorate.

Officials said after the detention of Sinha and 150-odd farmers yesterday, they were told around 9:30 pm that they were free and can go.

Since they decided to stay put, they were provided food, water, blankets and toilet facilities at the protest venue, Akola SP M Rajesh Kalasagar said.

Addressing farmers at Kapus Soyabean Dhan Parishad organised by Shetkari Jagar Manch here on Sunday, Sinha had accused the BJP of reneging on promises made to farmers.

"Before coming to power, the BJP had promised to give 50 per cent over and above the minimum support price (MSP). But after coming to power, the party forgot the promise.

"Just as Indian soldiers carried out surgical strikes across the border, farmers will also carry out a surgical strike against the government to get justice," Sinha had said.
While Rahul Gandhi is all set to take over as Congress president next week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday mocked the sixth Nehru-Gandhi scion saying, "Congratulate the Congress on their 'Aurangzeb Raj."

At a rally in poll-bound Gujarat's Rajkot, PM Mofi pitched the Gujarat elections as a battle between 'vikaswaad' (development) and 'vanshwad' (dynasty).

Here's how Modi targetted Congress party:

1. Modi likens Rahul's elevation to dynastic succession in the Mughal dynasty

"I congratulate the Congress on their 'Aurangzeb Raj.' For us, the well-being of the people matters and 125 crore Indians are our high command," said PM Modi.

'Mani Shankar Aiyar, who was a minister in the Congress government, has said did elections happen during Mughal rule? After Jehangir, Shah Jehan came, was any election held? After Shah Jehan it was understood that Aurangzeb would be the leader. Does the Congress accept that it is a one-family party? We dont want this Aurangzebi Raaj (Aurangzebs rule). For us, the country comes first, 125 crore (1.25 billion) people of this country are our high-command.'

2. Congress has abandoned 'public modesty'

Without referring to the Herald case, in which Rahul Gandhi had got bail, Modi said, "Congress has gone bankrupt, as it is going to make a person who is out on bail in corruption case its president."

3. Congress injured Gujarati asmita

Seeking to play up emotive card, he reminded voters that Morarji Desai, who hailed from Valsad district, was arrested by the Congress regime during Emergency and put behind bars for 19 months.

For the voters of Gujarat and the Valsad district, time has come to punish those who kept on hurling insults on Gujarat. Stop insulting Gujarat, he said the Congress always presumed that people of Gujarat should be insulted and shown in poor light.

They did not do this with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh or West Bengal. What offence we did, was it our offence that we produced Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he said.

4. Gandhi dynasty kept Uttar Pradesh poor

Gandhi dynasty kept Uttar Pradesh, which sent its members to the prime ministerial chair, poor and backward. Modi reminded the people how Congress was wiped out in Uttar Pradesh, Assam and would soon be wiped out in Himachal Pradesh, too.

5. Modi said that there was a time when people competed to prove their "secular" credentials but not anymore.

"Over the years they alleged that the BJP was anti-Muslim. This time, not once have they said anything like that. It shows that even the Congress has accepted that they used to propagate such information to polarise minority votes. Even Muslims have seen through their true nature," he added.

He said the people of Gujarat were not fools and would see through the deception (of visiting temples for Hindu votes).

6. Congress is anti-OBC: Modi

Alleging the Congress of not doing anything for the Other Backward Castes (OBC), the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), Modi said, "All the previous governments did not do anything for these communities. As soon as our government was formed, we granted constitutional status to the OBC commission. Congress had halted that bill in the Rajya Sabha. I don't have to go and learn what backward living is."

"These people talk a lot of OBCs.. but I want to tell the OBCs of south Gujarat that Congress is lying.

7. "Congress is in tears. They've lost whatever they looted from the poor"

Modi said demonetisation hurt the Congress, but not honest common people of the country.

"It is only Congress which is angry due to the note ban as they have lost their opportunity to loot the poor in India. They cry because I have acted against them. I am here for the poor. Every money in India is for the poor, adivasis, Dalits, farmers and workers," he said.

8. "Gujarat won't have to hang its head in shame because of my hard work"

"Today, I can say with pride that after two decades, I got to handle many responsibilities. Two decades is not a short time, but in this time, there has never been an incident due to which my dear Gujarat would have to hang its head," Modi said.

9. Congress learned to divide and rule from the British, says Modi

"Congress is trying to create fights between brothers, between cities and villages, between religions and castes, whatever chasms that they could create, Congress party has learned this sin from the British Raj rather well," Modi says.

10. "Don't know whether to laugh or cry at Rahul's remarks"

Making a veiled reference to Gandhi, he said, "One leader during his speech said Modi gave 48,000 crore acres of land to an industrialist. The area he is talking about is three times the size of land available on the earth. I don't know what to do... to laugh or cry."

The prime minister said, "What can you expect from the Congress" when the person expected to lead the party cannot understand such basic things.

Gandhi had during one of his rallies in Gujarat alleged that PM Modi had given a vast tract of land to an industrialist in Mundra of Kutch district. The video of his speech had gone viral on social media.
A year ago, on December 5, when the state government had announced the demise of J Jayalalithaa, the supremo of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a storm was evolving into a cyclone on its journey to the northern parts of Tamil Nadu. While Cyclone Vardah, which hit land in Chennai on December 12 and wreaked havoc in the region, eventually dissipated, the political storm that engulfed Tamil Nadu at the time continues to hit the state's sustained growth from various corners.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday hit back at the BJP for its dynasty taunt at Rahul Gandhi, saying they should "first look at their own internal party democracy".

Tharoor also said that it was a "classic case of people living in glass houses" without completing the maxim that warns people against targeting others when they are themselves vulnerable.

"BJP should first look at their own internal party democracy... It is a classic case of people living in glass houses (throwing stones at others)," he said.

The Lok Sabha member said this in response to questions from the media here on the allegation levelled by the BJP on the imminent elevation of to the Congress president post, on a day when he filed his nomination for it.

"Democracy doesn't mean that there necessarily has to be more than one candidate. It means the process should be followed, and at present, it seems there is no opposition to his (Rahul Gandhi's) nomination. And, if there is an opposition, there will be a vote," Tharoor told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today likened the imminent elevation of to dynastic succession of Mughal rulers, while BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said "Pidhikaran of the Congress is now complete. Neither the old generation (PEEDI), nor the new generation matters."



He termed the entire election process a "mockery of democratic traditions".

Without naming anyone, Tharoor, also obliquely referred to the detractors within the BJP, to make his point.

At the beginning of the press conference, the Lok Sabha member said it was an important day for the Congress, and "it is a beginning of handing over of the torch to a new generation of leadership" in the party.

Earlier in a video message posted on his Twitter handle, he said, "It is in Rahulji, we have exactly the kind of young, dynamic visionary, leader that the nation as a whole needs."



The Congress vice president filed his nomination for the post of party president, heralding a generational shift in the leadership of the grand old party seeking a revival in its electoral fortunes.

The 47-year-old Gandhi scion is set take over the party's reins from Sonia Gandhi, who has steered the party for 19 years, including the 10, when it led the UPA government.

Accompanied by a host of senior party leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, filed his papers before the party's Central Election Committee.
Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh today said as many as 10 crore soil health cards (SHCs) have been issued in the country.

He said that all farmers in Haryana would get SHCs for their fields by January next year.

After issuing SHCs to all farmers, health of soil would be tested in every two years and recommendations of useful elements for soil health would be registered in this card so that a farmer could improve health of his field, he said.

While launching the soil health card mobile app in Jhajjar today to help farmers and the field level workers, Singh said this app will automatically capture GIS coordinates while registering sample details at the time of sample collection in the field and indicate the location from where the sample has been collected.

This app works like other Geotagging apps developed for the 'Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana'.

The app contains farmers details including name, Aadhaar card number, mobile number, gender, address and crop details, he added.

Expressing concern over extensive use of chemical fertilisers and insecticides, he said that lakhs of hectares of land has lost its fertility.

Efforts would be made to improve soil health according to the health status registered in the soil health card, he said, according to an official release here.

Singh said that farmers in Haryana would become prosperous through Peri Urban Model during next five years.

He congratulated the farmers of Haryana for carrying out farming activities under Peri Urban Model according to the needs of Delhi and NCR.

The minister said that in the first phase (2015-17) 100 million SHCs have been distributed so far and the aim of the Ministry was to provide SHC to all 120 million farm holdings by December 2017.

The second phase began on May 1, 2017, and would continue for the year 2017 to 2019.

Singh said that GPS based soil sample collection has been made compulsory to monitor the changes in soil and to prepare a systematic database to compare them with the past years.

He said the online registration of samples and test results are uploaded on the National Portal of the Soil Health Card.

Based on the test results, the system automatically calculates the recommendations, he added.

The agriculture minister said the soil health card portal has been linked to the Integrated Fertilizer Management System (iFMS) and distribution of fertilizers has started in 16 districts on the basis Soil Health Card recommendation as a pilot scheme.

Speaking on the occasion, Haryana Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister O P Dhankar said that due to deteriorating condition of soil, health of children is also getting affected.

As a result of this, ever year 23,000 cases of cancer and other diseases are being reported, he said.

Dhankar said that there was a time when the country was in need of foodgrains.

The farmers of Haryana and Punjab lead the Green revolution and made the country independent in terms of foodgrains, he said.

He said the farmers of Haryana contribute 13 crore quintal foodgrains annually in the central pool, but for this about 28 lakh chemical fertilizers is used.

Principal Secretary, Haryana Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department, Abhilaksh Likhi, said that at present 34 soil health testing labs were working in the state.

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Father of Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh Pillai, who was allegedly killed in a fake encounter along with Ishrat Jahan and two others in 2004, today opposed the discharge application filed by former IPS officer P P Pandey at a special CBI court here.

Moving an application in the court of special judge J K Pandya, Pranesh's father Gopinath Pillai, who was added as a respondent on the order of the CBI court, said Pandey's discharge would "obstruct the uncovering of the conspiracy".

"Pandey's discharge will obstruct the uncovering of the conspiracy to murder the present respondent's son and others, and will hinder the trial court from arriving at the true facts," the application said.

"Pandey had misrepresented and concealed the case against him as disclosed by the CBI. Pandey, then a joint commissioner of police, was a key conspirator behind the abduction and killing of the four and was involved in criminal conspiracy, as proven by recorded statements of witnesses," Gopinath said in the application.

He said Pandey had "not denied" any knowledge of the incident in his discharge application.

"There are legal evidences which are more than a strong suspicion and therefore, grounds to frame charges and proceed with the trial," Gopinath said.

The court posted the matter for December 16.

An FIR was registered against Pandey and others in December, 2011 and a charge sheet was filed against him by the CBI on July 3, 2013 for murder, criminal conspiracy and other charges under various sections of IPC and the Arms Act.

Pandey surrendered before a special CBI judge here on August 13, 2013. He was granted bail in February, 2015.

Pandey had moved the discharge plea last December, saying that the statements of two witnesses against him were contradictory.

He had also cited his reinstatement and promotion as incharge DGP (he resigned in April this year following the Supreme Court's reservation against him) as one of the grounds for seeking his discharge.

He had claimed that none of the 105 witnesses examined by the court named him in the fake encounter case.

Pandey had also said that he should be discharged as he did not have any "direct or indirect involvement in the case," and that the court had not yet taken supplementary charge sheet on record.

He had submitted before the court that the CBI initiated action against him without taking sanction from the state government as per the provisions of section 197 of CrPC.

Arguing against Pandey's discharge plea, the CBI had told the court that the agency had enough evidence against him.

In the first charge sheet filed by the CBI in 2013, seven Gujarat police officers were named as accused, including IPS officers P P Pandey, D G Vanzara and G L Singhal who are facing charges for kidnapping, murder and conspiracy.

Pandey is facing charges of murder (section 302), criminal conspiracy (section 120(B)), abettor present when crime is committed (section 114), and sections of the Arms Act.

The case pertains to alleged staged encounter of Ishrat Jahan (19), her friend Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh Pillai and two others, by crime branch officials on June 15, 2004 on the outskirts of the city.

The city crime branch had then said that those killed in the encounters were Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who had landed in Gujarat to kill then chief minister Narendra Modi.

The SIT constituted by the Gujarat High Court had concluded that it was not a genuine encounter as the four were first abducted, held illegally and then murdered in cold blood.

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A Border Security Force (BSF) team has arrested three persons with 1.87 kg of snake venom powder valued at Rs 14 crore from Bihar's Kishanganj district late last night.

The three have been identified as Nazrul Islam (55), Jainul Abedin (33) and Mohammad Kamrul Hoda (46), BSF Assistant Commandant Narendra Kumar Bola said.

While Islam hailed from North Dinajpur district of West Bengal, Abedin and Hoda belonged to Bihar's Purnea district.

The team seized 1.87 kg of snake venom powder which was kept in a glass jar. Two motorcycles and two mobile phones were also seized from them. he said.

The value of the snake venom is estimated to be around Rs 14 crore in international market, the BSF officer added.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of intelligence unit and the 146th battalion of BSF put up a mobile check post at Raskhowa Dhantola road near Qadirganj border outpost during which it intercepted two bikes coming from Raskhowa side and recovered the snake venom.

Later, the miscreants admitted during interrogation that it was snake venom powder kept in glass jar, he added.

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An Army jawan was injured in an accidental fire from a rifle in the border belt of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, an official said today.

There was an accidental discharge of fire from the weapon of a soldier at a forward post along the Line of Control in the Mehdar belt yesterday, an army official said.

In the incident a jawan suffered injury, he said.

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Air India will commence Bhubaneswar-Bangkok service from December 10, the second direct international flight from here, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said today.

The Bhubaneswar-Bangkok flight will leave the Biju Patnaik International Airport here at 3.45 p m twice a week - Thursdays and Sundays.

"Expansion of international air connectivity will give huge boost to tourism, trade & ties with South East Asian countries," Patnaik tweeted.

The first direct international flight from Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur started on April 26 this year.

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Delhi BJP legislators today met Lt Governor Anil Baijal and demanded a CBI probe into the alleged DSSSB examination paper leak case.

The Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) exam was held in October for appointment of primary teachers in municipal schools.

A delegation of BJP MLAs led by Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta handed over a memorandum to Baijal, demanding that a fresh examination be conducted.

Gupta alleged the AAP government remained "silent" on the matter even as the Delhi Police registered a case and arrested several persons.

"The government took more than a month to realise the gravity of the situation. The long silence indicates it intended to cover up the misconduct and mismanagement of the DSSSB.

"The paper was leaked and candidates used unfair means. There was utter chaos and mismanagement in the conduct of the exam," Gupta alleged.

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Actor Blake Lively has reportedly been injured during the shooting of spy thriller "The Rhythm Section".

"The Age of Adaline" suffered an injury on her hand while filming an action sequence, reported Variety.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the production said, "Paramount, Global Road (formerly known as IM Global) and producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli today confirmed that filming has been temporarily suspended on 'The Rhythm Section' as Blake Lively sustained an injury to her hand whilst filming an action sequence. Production will resume as soon as possible."



The film is an adaptation of British author Mark Burnell's Stephanie Patrick novels.

The story follows a woman (Lively) who seeks to uncover the truth behind a plane crash that killed her family a flight that she was meant to be on.

The film is being helmed by "The Handmaid's Tale" director Reed Morano and also stars Jude Law.

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West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee today said the infrastructure of private schools should be looked into by the boards to which they are affiliated.

Chatterjee, referring to the alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl student by two male teachers here, said it is not right to blame the entire teaching community for the faults of one or two of them.

Expressing shock that boys and girls were using the same toilet at the G D Birla Centre for Education, where the alleged incident took place, he said the boards were collecting fees but not having a look at the existing infrastructure there.

"It's quite shocking that boys and girls were using the same toilet at this school...We must be extra cautious for girls' schools," the minister said.

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CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat has written to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar over non-payment of compensation to the family of 17- year-old Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death on a train near Ballabhgarh in Haryana in June.

Karat in her letter to Khattar said he had announced Rs 10 as compensation to Khan's kin, but the family did not get anything.

"On June 29, papers carried your statement condemning the murder. You declared a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. Two of his brothers were also injured, one of them seriously. He is unable to do any work till now.

"Unfortunately, no compensation whatsoever has been received by the family from the government," Karat wrote in the letter.

The Left leader claimed the district commissioner had not received any instruction from the chief minister's office to give compensation to the family.

Karat urged Khattar to release the amount for payment of compensation to Khan's kin.

Khan, who had boarded a Mathura-bound train from Delhi, was allegedly stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers and cousins, was returning home to Khandawali village after shopping for Eid in Delhi in June.

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Britain is still "very confident" of a Brexit divorce deal with the EU, finance minister Philip Hammond said today, a day after negotiations failed at the eleventh hour to produce an agreement.

Prime Minister Theresa May would return to Brussels later in the week for fresh talks, Hammond said, after an agreement on Monday was scuppered by objections from a pro- British party in Northern Ireland to plans for the Irish border.

"This is a very complex set of negotiations, there are are many moving parts in it, there are many parties involved, and we're very confident we'll be able to move this forward," Hammond said as he arrived for a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.

"We have made a lot of progress over the last weeks, we've made tremendous steps forward. We are very close but we're not there yet," Hammond told reporters.

"As the prime minister said yesterday we will have to do some further consultations, some further discussion today and she expects to come back to Brussels later in the week."



May is widely expected to return on Wednesday or Thursday, with the EU warning that Sunday is the latest if she wants leaders to approve the opening of Brexit trade talks at a summit on December 14-15.

A deal between May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday had been widely touted, after Britain approved a draft agreement that would have put Northern Ireland in "regulatory alignment" with EU-member Ireland.

Dublin wants Northern Ireland to follow the EU's single market and customs rules after Brexit in order to avoid a "hard border", which it fears could harm both the island's economy and the two-decade-old peace process.

But Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the staunchly pro-British group that props up May's minority government in London, told May in a phone call that they would not accept the agreement.

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Central trade unions today pitched for tax exemption on income of up to Rs 5 lakh, minimum monthly wage of Rs 18,000 and Rs 3,000 minimum pension for workers in a pre-budget consultation with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Representatives of the trade unions, including Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Hind Mazdoor Sabha, took up their 12-point charter of demands with Jaitley in the meeting that lasted for more than hour.

"We demanded that budget should provide for income tax exemption limit of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 18,000 minimum monthly wages and Rs 3,000 minimum monthly pension for retired workers," Hind Mazdoor Sabha General Secretary Harbhajan Singh Sidhu told reporters after the meeting.

Currently, the income tax exemption limit for individual taxpayers is Rs 2.5 lakh, while the minimum EPF pension is Rs 1,000.

Asked about any assurance given by the minister, Sidhu said, "Finance Minister has not given us any assurance. But he listened to our demands as per our 12-point charter of demands."



Jaitley said the government is fully committed to safeguarding the interests of the workers, especially those working in the MSME and unorganised sector, according to a Finance Ministry statement.

Jaitley said the workers are entitled to minimum wages prescribed by law and asked all the concerned industries to strictly comply with the same without fail.

Sidhu further said the unions asked the minister to stop privatisation of public sector undertakings and disinvestment in state-run companies.

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh Vice-President K Lakshma Reddy told reporters that the minister also discussed labour reforms and assured them that the draft codes on industrial relations and wages will be revised in view of objections raised by the trade unions.

Jaitley also heads a ministerial panel which is looking into various labour issues, including labour reforms. The panel has not met since August 2015.

In their memorandum, the unions pointed out that the finance minister had listened to their views while preparing the budget for 2017-18, but none of their suggestions were addressed in final document presented by him in Parliament.

The unions said the government should encourage labour intensive industries.

They also cautioned the government that the decision of encouraging private players in defence production will have a detrimental effect not only on PSU employees and their families but also the security and sovereignty of the nation in the long run.

They said the government spent crores of rupees on demonetisation which could not give the desired results like checking terrorism and reducing black money.

Similarly, they said the Goods and Services Tax was introduced without proper home work.

The whole GST structure need serious review and the government should provide some relief in the budget, they added.

Unions also demanded bringing in a national employment policy and implementing social security coverage for unorganised workers.

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The Delhi High Court today told the DDA and the AAP government to build a new school for the children of a minority institution which functions from tin sheds after it was razed during the Emergency, to ensure better conditions for their education.

Another option given by a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar to the authorities was to enhance the capacity of nearby schools to accommodate the children.

"Ensure that the children do not study under tin sheds. Either increase the capacity of schools in the area or build a new one," the bench said.

The court also made the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) a party in the matter in which a PIL was filed seeking reconstruction of the minority school building which has been functioning from tents and tin sheds at the Eidgah grounds in Quresh Nagar of Old Delhi since its demolition on June 30, 1976 during the Emergency.

It issued notice to the NDMC and sought its response to the PIL, after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) told the bench that the school was demolished by the MCD 40 years ago.

DDA and the Delhi government also told the court that it was difficult to find an alternate plot of land to locate the school as the area in question was very congested.

The PIL filed by civil activist Firoz Bakht Ahmed has contended that the state of affairs at the Qaumi School was "sad and pitiable" as it was functioning from the grounds of the Eidgah after its building was demolished.

The plea has alleged that despite promises of land and building, nothing was done and the school continued to function in a "tattered, tented and tinned structure, without a building" since 1976.

The PIL, filed through advocate Atyab Siddiqui, contended that the children from "downtrodden and backward class have to suffer due to threats of closure, makeshift classrooms, leaking roofs and no proper facilities."



The petition said it was obligatory on the state to provide infrastructure including a school building and the civic authorities have failed to discharge the statutory onus.

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Catalan political parties officially kicked off their campaign for a December 21 regional election today, with separatist candidates either in exile or in jail and polls pointing to a tight race.

The first rallies were held with Catalonia's sacked vice president Oriol Junqueras and three other separatist leaders still in prison after a Supreme Court judge on Monday turned down their request to be freed while they are investigated over their role in the wealthy northeastern region's independence drive.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont meanwhile campaigned by video conference from Belgium, where he escaped to after his region's parliament declared independence on October 27, claiming he would not get a fair trial at home.

"They (Madrid) want to raise as many difficulties as possible so we can't campaign on an equal footing with the other candidates," he said in his address to his party's rally in Barcelona just before midnight.

Voters "can choose between nation or submission, they can choose between Catalan institutions or dark characters in Madrid", added Puigdemont, whose extradition has been requested by Spain.

Madrid wants to prosecute Puigdemont and the other jailed separatist leaders for rebellion -- which carries a maximum 30-year prison sentence -- and sedition for their role in the independence drive, as well as for misusing public funds.

A yellow ribbon to signify support for the jailed separatist leaders occupied an empty seat that had been reserved for Puigdemont at the rally.

A yellow ribbon also occupied the empty chair reserved for Junqueras at his party's opening rally in the town of Vic about 100 kilometres further north.

Madrid called the new elections after the independence declaration, while dismissing Catalonia's government and suspending the region's autonomy. It hopes the polls will restore normality to the region.

Twelve of the 13 members of the sacked Catalan government are standing in the election, with Puigdemont and Junqueras competing to head the separatist camp.

During the last regional election in 2015 separatist parties captured 47.8 percent of the vote, giving them a slim majority of 72 seats in the 135-seat Catalan regional parliament.

While the separatists are united against what they say is "repression" from Madrid, they are divided over the future of their region.

Puigdemont's PDeCAT party and Junqueras' ERC ran on a joint list two years ago but are running separately this time around.

"Given the ongoing disagreements between secessionist parties over how to proceed, their leaders have an incentive to campaign on the ongoing grievances towards the central government while keeping their electoral programme vague," said Teneo Intelligence analyst Antonio Barroso.

A poll published Monday by the central government's Sociological Research Centre (CIS) predicted that the three pro-independence parties would get 44.4 percent of the vote and 66 to 67 seats, just under the absolute majority of 68.

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The Centre has assured the Jammu and Kashmir government support under the its flagship tourism programme 'Incredible India', an official spokesman said today.

The central government has also called for roping in business and corporate houses for facilitating promotion of tourism in the state, he said.

Director General, Tourism Ministry, Satyajeet Rajan has suggested that the International Travel Mart be held in the state's summer capital Srinagar around the Tulip Season in March, the spokesman said.

Rajan was speaking at a high-level meeting convened here last evening to review the progress of tourism projects in J-K under the Prime Minister's Developmental Package (PMDP).

Under the package, Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for development of tourism infrastructure in the state, the spokesman said.

These funds are to be spent over a period of five years beginning 2016 with Rs 400 crore to be released by the Centre each year, he said.

Rajan suggested that corporate bodies such as the CII and the FICCI should be involved by the state for the promotion of tourism and said that support under Incredible India would be provided to J-K.

Chief Secretary B B Vyas said that Jammu and Kashmir has immense potential for varied tourism activities and with adequate infrastructure in place.

He said that the tourism sector has the potential to create jobs and it can be harnessed to address unemployment in the state.

Given the resources available for infrastructure development in the tourism sector, the state is going to witness huge augmentation of facilities in the coming years, the chief secretary said.

He called for fast-pacing tourism projects to ensure productive use of resources under the PMDP.

"Access the funds available to the sector, use it judiciously and deliver the mandated outcome within the set time-frame," Vyas said.

The key projects taken up under the PMDP include the development of tourism facilities on the Mantalai Sudhmahadev-Patnitop, Gulmarg-Baramulla-Kupwara-Leh, Jammu- Rajouri-Shopian-Pulwama, Anantnag-Pahalgam-Daksum-Ranjit Sagar circuits.

These projects are being executed by central government subsidiaries-- the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) and the National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC).

The official said that coordinated efforts must be made at various levels in the administration to remove bottlenecks and called for regular follow-up of projects.

"You can personally flag issues with me, if my intervention is needed at any level to expedite the execution of these important projects," the chief secretary told the officers.

He also called for employing innovative marketing strategies to sell tourism projects.

The projects to be taken up under PMDP include providing infrastructure to 12 tourism development authorities, creating three tourism circuits, setting up 50 proposed tourist villages and conservation of the Wullar Lake, the official said.

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Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today assured the Andhra Pradesh government that the Centre is committed to completing work on the ambitious Polavaram project by next year, sources in the water resources ministry said.

Gadkari gave this assurance over phone to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is currently on a visit to South Korea, they said.

He gave a similar assurance to a delegation of Andhra Pradesh Congress leaders, who met him at Transport Bhawan here.

"The minister (Gadkari) and the chief minister spoke over phone. Gadkari assured him that the project will be completed by 2018... the Centre is committed to do its bit," a source said, adding Gadkari stressed that support of all stakeholders is required to complete the project, often described as the "lifeline" of Andhra Pradesh.

"The responsibilities of acquiring land for the project and environmental clearances will be with the state government," the source said.

Gadkari's assurance comes nearly a week after Chandrababu Naidu had said that he would "hand over the project", in the wake of the Centre recently writing to the Andhra Pradesh chief secretary for stalling forthwith the tenders called by the state government to select new contractor for works on the project's spillway and spill channel.

"If they (Centre) want, we will stop the process. If they continue with this type of stand, I will greet them with folded hands and hand over the project," Naidu had told reporters on November 30.

"We are observing restraint only because we (the BJP and his TDP) are allies. I am unable to understand why these many problems are being created (for Polavaram)," Chandrababu Naidu had said.

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Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to intervene and secure the release 10 fishermen of Karaikal region, taken into custody recently by the Sri Lanka navy for allegedly entering their waters when cyclone Ockhi struck.

A release from the Chief Minister's office today said that Narayanasamy, now in Delhi, had presented a letter in this regard to the Union Minister during a meeting with her.

The Chief Minister, who received a representation from the Fishermen's Association of Karaikal informing him of the arrest of the fishermen and seizure of their boats, also requested the union minister to ensure that the seized boats were retrieved, the release said.

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The Delhi High Court today directed the civic authorities to compile data on the total number of rickshaws plying in the city and to get them registered.

The high court's direction came after it was informed by the municipal corporations that according to them the total number of rickshaws plying on city roads, irrespective of whether they are registered or not, was a little over 30,000.

Whereas,



the bench noted that in a 2010 order, the court had said that total number of rickshaws plying in Delhi would be in excess of six lakh.

Referring to the earlier order, a bench of justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta said clearly the figure of 30,000 given by the municipal corporations in an affidavit cannot be said to be correct as more than seven years have elapsed since the 2010 decision.

To this, the counsel for the North municipal corporation informed the court that it has been decided to conduct a fresh survey in a more realistic manner to get the correct figure of the number of rickshaws plying in the areas under all the three municipal corporations.

The court was hearing PILs filed by NGO, Manushi Sangathan, and others in 2007 on the issue of redevelopment of the Chandni Chowk area and creation of lanes for non-motorised vehicles.

The court reminded the three municipal corporations, South, East and North, that it was necessary to compile the data and make a list by interacting with rickshaw pullers and their owners and gather information about the total number of rickshaws.

It said if such a list already exists, then it should be compiled and placed before the court.

It also asked advocate Sanjeev Ralli, appearing for Chandni Chowk Vyapar Mandal, and Delhi Police counsel Naushad Ahmed Khan to provide any information available with them to the municipal corporations so that a more realistic figure of total number of rickshaws could be gathered.

It said it was aware that a considerable amount of time would be taken for registering all the rickshaws here and granting licences to rickshaw pullers.

The bench further said it was expected that substantial progress will be made in this regard before the next date on January 16.

It also asked the authorities to ensure that sufficient number of public notices are published in electronic and print media on the issue.

To facilitate the exercise without being delayed, the court asked the parties concerned to convene a meeting within a week.

Meanwhile, the court also asked the authorities to proceed with the work of constructing a bus depot at Dangal Maidan in Chandni Chowk and said that no further time should be wasted in commencing the work.

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Punjab Congress today released three more lists of candidates for the forthcoming civic elections in the state, announcing 25 more names from Patiala, 79 from Jalandhar and 80 from Amritsar.

According to a party spokesperson, with the announcement of 25 names today, candidates for 56 of the 60 wards in Patiala have been declared, leaving only four tickets pending in the region.

The party had earlier announced 31 names from Patiala. In Jalandhar, the party today released the names of 79 candidates, leaving only one candidature pending.

Two sitting members have been dropped in Jalandhar, said the spokesperson.

For Amritsar, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) has declared the names of candidates for 80 out of 85 wards. Releasing its first list on Monday, the party had announced that it would stick to its one-family-one-ticket rule with the exception of sitting councillors.

It had also made it clear that it would take a tough stand against rebels and deserters. Elections to three municipal corporations-Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar and 32 municipal councils a nd Nagar Panchayats will be held on December 17.

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A former top Pakistani diplomat has said that because of India's influence and economic power, countries are unwilling to raise the issue of Kashmir at international level, including at the UN.

Masood Khan, former Pakistani Ambassador to the UN, who is now president of Pak-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), ruled that India has veto on the talks between the two South Asian neighbours.

Khan is currently in Washington, for what he described is part of his effort to appraise the international community about the current situation in Kashmir.

"India has strategic alliances with certain countries. Because of the lucrative deals that it offers to powerful countries in the West, it has practically imposed a gag order on Kashmir," Khan said yesterday in response to a question at the Atlantic Council, a top American think-tank.

Khan said that because of increasing Indian influence, "people here (in Washington DC), in Brussels, in London or other world capitals don't talk about Kashmir, because this would have consequences for these countries, like in terms of economic transactions, and strategic costs.

Responding to questions at the thinly-attended Atlantic Council event, Khan alleged that the UN is not acting on its own resolution because of India.

"The United Nations is not acting because of real politics," he said.

"The Security Council, first because of cold war dynamics, and now because of number of other factors is not taking cognisance of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which is regrettable because of mandate that is given to the Security Council by the UN charter under chapter six and chapter seven," he said.

Khan argued that UN should be acting. "It should be proactive. It's because of real politics. It is also because of two other factors," he said.

"One was that in the past 30 to 40 years, India and Pakistan have invested a lot of energy and time in bilateral talks. But these bilateral talks or dialogue have proved to be mirage for Kashmiris because it has produced no results," he said, adding that these talks have been non-productive.

Because of these talks, India has "acquired two vetoes" he said.

One on the agenda whereby they have in fact reduced the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir to a fraction of their whole agenda. It is one of 10 agenda items, he added.

Secondly, India has veto over the timetable. "They will start negotiations when it suites them and when they don't like it they will blame Pakistan for terrorism. And that has just got scuttled the dialogue process," he said.

Khan claimed that there are no terrorist camps in PoK. "None whatso ever," he said during the interaction.

"This is in fact a propaganda against the Kashmiris intended to demonie them," he said, and claimed that there is no terrorism right now in Kashmir. Neither there is any cross-border activities.

"This is not happening," he said.

"Right now, India has fenced the Line of Control. There are two layers of the fence. In between there are landmines. There are motion sensors. They also have electronic surveillance, thermal imaging. If any crossing takes place they would be detected," he added.
A magistrate court today issued a non-bailable warrant against DMDK leader and Tamil actor Vijayakanth in connection with a criminal case against him for allegedly attempting to assault a journalist.

Since the actor-turned politician failed to appear before the court even after repeated summons, Alandur judicial magistrate N Sultan Aribeen issued the warrant against him.

In 2012, on a complaint from a reporter of a Tamil television channel, the Airport Police registered a case against Vijayakanth and then DMDK MLA Murugan for attempting to hit the journalist during a press briefing at the airport.

The Judicial Magistrate Court, Alandur, commenced the trial and subsequently granted bail to Vijayakanth and the former MLA, based on a direction from the Madras High Court.

Meanwhile, when the case came up for hearing on November 16, Vijayakanth failed to appear before the court. Directing him to be present during the next hearing, the court had then adjourned the case to December 5.

But when the plea came up for hearing today, counsel for Vijayakanth submitted that he had gone to Singapore for a medical check-up.

Refusing to accept the submission, the magistrate issued the warrant and adjourned the case to February 13 for further hearing.

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Realtors' body CREDAI today demanded that the Centre should direct state governments to set up appellate tribunal under the new real estate regulatory law being implemented from May this year.

CREDAI has written a letter to Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri "to intervene in a bid to facilitate the successful implementation of the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal under Section 43 of the real estate regulatory authority (RERA) Act in the country."



Welcoming this law, CREDAI stressed on the need to set up the tribunal to proficiently address home buyer grievances and achieve the objective laid down in the law.

CREDAI National President Jaxay Shah said: "We at CREDAI have extended our complete support in the implementation of the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act (RERA)."



"However, to be able to further fulfil the purpose of the act, it is imperative that appropriate guidelines be established for the concerned authorities to set up the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal at the earliest," he added.

The interest of homebuyers, one of the most important stakeholders in the real estate industry, must be protected, Shah said.

CREDAI, in its letter, recognised RERA as a game changer for the sector which will facilitate the long term growth of the Indian real estate industry.

However, the association underlined the disparity between states in regards to the implementation of the act with regions such as Maharashtra, albeit still lacking a tribunal, setting the benchmark while many states namely West Bengal still struggling with the process.

"Overall, this discrepancy has led to certain negative implications with the lack of infrastructure and notification of RERA rules further leading to various delays and loss of revenue for the state and central governments," the statement said.

CREDAI highlighted the necessity for setting up of the tribunal to decrease the need and participation of the higher courts to facilitate matters between different parties.

Stating that over 235 judgements have been delivered by the MahaRERA authority till date, Credai said that many of these cases are expected to reach high court for a resolution and hence there is a need tribunal.

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After dumping rains in Mumbai, Cyclone Ockhi moved closer to Gujarat today and the landfall was likely near Surat, as several top leaders were forced to cancel their rallies in the poll-bound state which experienced showers.

The cyclonic storm passed the Mumbai coast bringing rains in its wake but did not cause any damage to life or property, a senior civic official said. It earlier caused havoc in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep islands.

Due to the impact of the cyclone, Mumbai and its suburbs experienced rains since the morning, but it subsided by the afternoon even as hailstorm lashed some sections of the Munbai-Pune Expressway. The country's financial capital had also experienced showers last night.

As Gujarat remained on alert, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to BJP workers to extend a helping hand to those that would be likely hit by the cyclone, which is expected to make a landfall around midnight tonight on the state's southern coast in Surat.

Modi also said he is constantly monitoring the situation in various parts of the country. "Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected," he tweeted.

The cyclone is approaching Gujarat steadily and now lies centred in the Arabian Sea just 390 km away from Surat, said an official of the Meteorological Centre in Ahmedabad earlier in the day.

As per the latest bulletin of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone is expected to hit the coastline near Surat by midnight tonight.

"It is very likely to continue to move north- northwestwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by the night of December 5," it said.

Several districts in Gujarat received light rain since morning, even as almost the entire state experienced overcast skies.

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall in most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places in Saurashtra and south Gujarat.

It has warned that when the cyclone hits the Gujarat coast, "wind speed would remain between 50 and 60 kmph and may reach up to 70 kmph in south Gujarat."



According to principal secretary in the state revenue department, Pankaj Kumar, at least nine districts including Rajkot have received light showers or drizzle since this morning.

Gujarat's chief secretary J N Singh convened a video conference with the collectors of coastal districts to review their preparedness to deal with any eventuality, Kumar said.

Joint Secretary in the Union Home ministry Sanjeev Kumar Jindal said the cyclone is slowing down and would have no impact in Gujarat, where the first phase of the two-phase assembly election is due on Saturday.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) asked fishermen in both eastern and western coasts not to venture out in the sea for the next three days as heavy rainfall is expected in many areas due to the cyclone.

The traffic on Eastern and Western Express Highways in Mumbai slowed down after rain lashed some parts of the city throughout last night.

There were traffic curbs in some places in view of the expected rush of followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his death anniversary tomorrow.

The weather department in Mumbai has forecast intermittent rains in the country's commercial capital and suburbs in the next 24 hours.

"Heavy rainfall is likely at a few places with squally wind speed reaching 50 to 60 kms per hour gusting to 70 kms per hour very likely along coastal area in next 24 hours," the weather department said.

A few spells of rain or thundershowers are likely to occur in the city and suburbs in next 48 hours, the IMD said.

After an alert by the IMD Mumbai observatory, the state government announced a holiday today for schools in Mumbai, Sindhudurg, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts.

BJP President Amit Shah's poll rallies scheduled today in Rajula town of Amreli and Mahuva and Shihor of Bhavnagar district have been cancelled, a party release said.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi held a poll rally in Anjar but cancelled three in Morbi, Dhrangadhra and Surendranagar due to the impending cyclone.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari's roadshow in Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad was also cancelled due to light showers since early morning, Bapunagar MLA Jagroopsinh Rajput said.

The BJP has also called off rallies and press conferences of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Surat today, a party leader said.

"With CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to BJP Gujarat Karyakartas (workers) to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens," Modi tweeted.

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The Delhi government would come up with a legal framework to check the "loot" and "criminal negligence" by the private hospitals, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today, in the wake of a premature baby being wrongly declared dead by a city hospital.

The chief minister said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had "succeeded" in restraining the private schools from arbitrarily deciding their fee structure, adding that a similar legal framework would be put in place in the health sector to take action against the errant private hospitals.

"We do not want to interfere in the functioning of the private hospitals, but if those suffering from ailments are looted and cheated and the hospitals are guilty of criminal negligence against them, being a responsible government, we will interfere in such cases," Kejriwal said.

Speaking at a function at the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) here, he pointed out two recent incidents -- a private hospital charging Rs 15 lakh from a dengue patient and another hospital declaring an infant dead.

On December 1, the city government had ordered an inquiry into a case of alleged criminal negligence by the Max Hospital at Shalimar Bagh, after it surfaced that its doctors had declared an infant dead, who was found to be alive later.

"We will work on it (on the legal framework) and the government will try to ensure that there is no recurrence of such cases," Kejriwal, who was the chief guest at the 'Delhi Smiles - Dental Health Utsav, 2017' at the MAIDS, said.

On the occasion, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the government would set up 100 dental clinics on the lines of the mohalla clinics.

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A well-marked low pressure area persisting over the South East Bay of Bengal was expected to turn into a depression today and intensify into a deep depression over the next 48 hours, the Regional Meteorological Centre said today.

"The system is expected to concentrate into a depression during the next 12 hours and further intensify into a deep depression in the subsequent 48 hours," the Director of the Area Cyclone Warning Centre, S Balachandran, said.

The depression was expected to move in the north-western direction, towards north Tamil Nadu and the south Andhra coast, he told reporters here.

The fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea for the next four days, till December 8, Balachandran said, adding that those already in the sea were requested to return to the shore.

Light rains were expected at one or two places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the next two days, he said.

To a query, Balachandran said the new system would gain strength and turn into a depression with the weakening of Cyclone Ockhi, which was already on.

"As per the present conditions, the depression is not likely to have much of an impact in Tamil Nadu," he said, while responding to another question.

In Andhra Pradesh too, it was expected to weaken as it moved, Balachandran said, adding that however, the system was being monitored and there might be changes as well.

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Disqualified from the Rajya Sabha last night, Sharad Yadav today claimed the decision is a part of a "conspiracy" as the ruling BJP is in "panic" mode due to his efforts to bring together Opposition parties against it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have succeeded in winning over JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar but he will continue to fight against his government and rally Opposition parties against it, Yadav said at a public meeting in Gujarat, according to a statement issued by his faction.

The former JD(U) chief was disqualified as an MP yesterday as Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu agreed with the party's contention that he had "voluntarily given up" its membership due to his "anti-party activities".

"I had succeeded in forming a government in Bihar by bringing together Opposition parties. Modi won over Nitish Kumar to break this unity but I continued with my efforts. Panicked by this, my membership was terminated as a part of conspiracy," he said.

In the statement, Arun Shrivastava, a senior leader of the faction led by Yadav, termed the disqualification undemocratic and unconstitutional.

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The Reserve Bank has again expressed concerns over customers being allured by fictitious offers in forms of lottery, business deals and credit cards and warned against falling prey to any such schemes.

The RBI's Foreign Exchange Department (FED), Chandigarh organised a Conference "Forex for You" for Authorised Dealer (AD) Banks, their exporter/importer/FDI clients and full- fledged money changers (FFMCs) at Mcleodganj in Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh ) on December 5.

Harish Khanna, AGM, FED, Chandigarh, stated, "The RBI has been conducting such programmes from time to time at various places in order to increase the level of awareness amongst the stakeholders on various forex matters.

Nirmal Chand, Regional Director, RBI, Chandigarh, emphasised the role of Authorised Dealers in promoting/ facilitating trade transactions.

He added, "This assumes greater significance in export/tourist intensive areas such as Dharamshala and its surroundings. RBI's vision is to reach the last mile in terms of raising customer awareness in respect of various regulations governing the financial sector."



He also expressed concerns over the rising incidences of alluring fictitious offers in the form of lottery, business deals, credit cards etc and urged the participants to spread awareness among the general public not to fall prey to all these offers and lose money.

Chief Guest of the Function, Sandeep Mittal, General Manager, FED, Central Office Mumbai, discussed the emerging challenges and opportunities for various stake holders in the forex market.

He gave a detailed presentation on recent regulatory pronouncements on foreign trade, merchanting trade, EDPMS/IDPMS, NRO/NRE accounts, remittance facilities, etc.

This was followed by a highly interactive 'Open House Session' in which all the dignitaries replied to the queries raised by the participants on varied issues.

Sunil Soni, Circle Head, Punjab National Bank and other senior bankers/money changers and their customers from the region were present in the conference.

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Dozens of Japanese lawmakers today made a pilgrimage to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which neighbours China and South Korea see as a symbol of Tokyo's militaristic past.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refrained from sending an offering, as he has done in the past, a shrine official told AFP.

There were no ministers among the group, according an official in the upper house of parliament.

In total, 61 MPs - mainly from Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party - attended the war shrine and 76 sent a representative, he said.

The shrine honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II.

Beijing and Seoul view it as a symbol of Tokyo's past aggression.

The site has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century.

In October, Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine but did not visit, a move seen as an effort to minimise protests from neighbours over the issue.

The group postponed their annual autumn visit to today as they were busy with campaigns for a general election in October.

"I made a prayer hoping that no one else will be enshrined" given the tensions in North Korea, said Hidehisa Otsuji, former upper house member and president of the group.

The visits come amid rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as Pyongyang last week test- fired another ballistic missile that splashed down in the Sea of Japan.

Abe visited in December 2013 to mark his first year in power, a move that sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul and earned a diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States, which said it was "disappointed" by the action.

But he has since refrained from going and sent ritual offerings instead.

Abe and other nationalists say Yasukuni is merely a place to remember fallen soldiers, and compare it with Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.

Tokyo is also seeking warmer ties with Beijing and Seoul, key countries in dealing with the unpredictable North Korean regime.

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte today declared communist rebels "terrorists", his spokesman said, weeks after cancelling peace talks with groups waging one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies.

In an attempt to boost negotiations, Duterte last year freed top rebel leaders from prison and met them at the presidential palace, but the peace process quickly soured after deadly attacks against soldiers and police angered the president.

Duterte signed an order Tuesday declaring two communist groups "terrorist organisations", but it would require court approval to go into effect, his spokesman Harry Roque told reporters.

The classification targets the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its 3,800-member armed wing, and the New People's Army (NPA), accusing them of "continued violent acts".

The Tuesday order follows a 2002 US classification of the two groups as "foreign terrorist organisations".

Communist rebels have been waging an insurgency in the Philippines since 1968 to overthrow what they call a capitalist system that has created one of Asia's biggest rich-poor divides.

Peace talks to end the conflict -- which the military says has claimed 30,000 lives -- have been held on and off for three decades.

Duterte's election last year revived hopes for successful negotiations as the president is a self-declared socialist who has said it is his "dream" to forge peace in the country.

But he cancelled peace talks in November after a rebel ambush in the southern Philippines killed a police officer and a four-month-old baby.

Duterte has also accused the communists of plotting with his political rivals to destabilise his rule.

He has since ordered the arrest of more than a dozen rebel leaders freed last year, and has threatened to shut down mining companies that yield to insurgents' demands for money.

Roque said Tuesday's order would allow the military and the police to crack down on people funding the rebels.

The military said the declaration would also make its operations against the insurgents "more effective".

"We can now address without any hesitation and with all the means and resources available to us the increasing criminal and economic sabotage activities of these terrorists," military spokesman Major-General Restituto Padilla said.

Chief rebel negotiator Fidel Agcaoili of the National Democratic Front -- a group linked with the communist rebels but not targeted by Duterte Tuesday -- denied that the NPA was a terrorist group.

But he said the communists would not question the declaration in court.

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The Delhi High Court today directed the Delhi Police to file a consolidated status report on the bail plea of a middleman arrested in the Election Commission bribery case, allegedly involving AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran and others.

Justice Mukta Gupta asked the Delhi Police Crime Branch to be ready to answer the questions relating to what they have done in the investigation of the case.

The court asked the police to file a consolidated status report in a week and listed the bail application of accused and alleged middleman Sukesh Chandrashekar's for further hearing on December 18.

During the hearing, senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog and advocate Anand pandey, appearing for Chandrashekar, sought bail saying the main beneficiary and accused Dhinakaran has already been released on bail and even the co-accused, Dhinakaran's close aide Mallikarjuna, suspected hawala operators Nathu Singh and Lalit Kumar, have been granted bail.

He also said that charge sheet has been filed against Chandrashekar and the police has not yet probed as to who had allegedly prepared a fake identity card of Rajya Sabha MP purportedly recovered from him.

Prosecutor Hiren Sharma opposed the bail plea saying three more cases have been registered against Chandrashekar while he was in custody and there are a total of 24 FIRs lodged against him.

He contended that the conduct of the accused showed he had no respect for law.

Referring to the new FIRs lodged against him while he was in custody, the prosecutor said while Chandrashekar was supposed to be taken by train, he was going by air along with seven constables against whom action has been initiated.

He also claimed that the accused had made a call to the trial court judge, hearing the case, impersonating as a person from a Supreme Court judge's office and asked her to release him on bail.

The call was traced to a constable's phone while Chandrashekhar was in custody, the prosecutor argued.

Chandrashekar, arrested on April 16, has been denied bail once by the high court and thrice by the trial court.

The high court had on June 15 rejected his bail plea on the ground that the police had seized a fake Rajya Sabha member ID card from his possession.

A chargesheet was filed by the police before the trial court in the case on July 14 alleging that Dhinakaran and Chandrashekar had conspired to bribe Election Commission (EC) officials to get the 'two leaves' symbol for their party.

The police also included in the charge sheet allegations of forgery for purpose of cheating, using forged document as genuine, possessing a forged document, intending to use it as genuine and criminal conspiracy.

Chandrashekar had moved the high court alleging that he was tortured despite an order not to subject him to violence inside the Tihar Jail where he is in custody. The plea is also listed for hearing on December 18.

The claim was denied by the jail authorities, who said it was an "afterthought of the shrewd mind of the accused".

Chandrashekar was arrested for allegedly taking money from Dhinakaran to bribe EC officials to get the AIADMK 'two leaves' symbol for the Sasikala faction in a by-election to the R K Nagar Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu.

Dhinakaran was arrested here on April 25 after four days of questioning for allegedly attempting to bribe EC officials for the symbol. The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa, who represented the assembly segment.

The EC had frozen the AIADMK's symbol after the two factions -- one led by Dhinakaran's aunt Sasikala and the other by former chief minister O Panneerselvam -- staked a claim to it.

Mallikarjuna was arrested for allegedly facilitating a Rs 50 crore deal between Dhinakaran and Chandrashekar.

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The ED has issued a fresh order attaching assets worth Rs 20.41 crore in connection with its money laundering probe against former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and others.

The zonal office of the central probe agency here said it has issued an order for provisional attachment of assets under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

With this fresh Rs 20.41 crore assets order, the total attachment of properties in the case stands at Rs 178 crore now, it said.

The former Deputy CM and NCP leader is in jail after he was arrested by the agency last year.

Bhujbal's son and NCP legislator Pankaj and his nephew Sameer are also accused in this case.

According to the ED, the Bhujbal family allegedly had conspired along with several others to divert or 'launder' kickbacks received by Chhagan Bhujbal, when he was state Public Works Department minister.

The money laundering charges against them relate to the contract for construction of the state guest house- 'Maharashtra Sadan' - in Delhi and the Kalina land-grabbing case in Mumbai.
Egyptian police today arrested former interior minister Habib al-Adly who had been on the run to avoid serving a prison sentence for embezzlement, his lawyer told AFP.

Adly, whose iron-fisted command of the country's police helped fuel a 2011 uprising that unseated longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, was arrested in Cairo, lawyer Essam al-Batawy said.

State television also reported Adly's arrest.

He was sentenced in April to seven years in prison along with 10 other former officials for embezzling about $122 million.

He had been a fugitive since then. He had contested his sentence which an appeals court will examine in January.

Adly had previously been acquitted of charges of responsibility for the deaths of protesters during the anti- Mubarak uprising.

The court dropped charges against Mubarak, who has since been freed, in the same trial.

Under Adly, the interior ministry was accused of practising systematic torture and the repression of dissent.

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al- Sisi, one of Donald Trump's closest allies in the Middle East, urged the US president to be cautious, his office said, after reports Washington was planning to move its Israel embassy to Jerusalem.

Trump informed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas's office said.

In a phone call, Sisi urged Trump "not to complicate the situation in the region by taking measures that jeopardise the chances of peace in the Middle East", the Egyptian leader's spokesman Bassem Radi said in a statement.

Sisi also confirmed "Egypt's consistent position on maintaining the legal status of Jerusalem within the framework of international standards and relevant United Nations resolutions", he said.

The international community considers east Jerusalem illegally occupied by Israel and most countries have their embassies in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

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Fertiliser subsidy arrears have nearly halved to Rs 23,000 crore in the last three years, Union Minister Ananth Kumar said today, assuring the industry that funds would be sought from the finance ministry to clear all the dues.

The direct benefit transfer (DBT) for fertiliser subsidy, which is being implemented in some states, will be rolled out across the country from April 1, he said.

"I am happy to note that backlog of subsidy which was Rs 44,000 crore (in 2014) has been reduced to Rs 23,000 crore. Now, I am going to request to the finance minister to clear this arrear in one go. Once for all, finish this backlog," the chemicals and fertilisers minister said.

He was addressing a conference of industry body, Fertiliser Association of India (FAI).

Kumar said he is going to impress upon the finance minister to clear this long pending dues to the industry. "We want to create clean slate."



The payment of subsidy arrears would boost the industry's cash flow and working capital as well as result in huge saving of interest cost, Kumar said.

"I want fertiliser industry to be viable and buoyant so that it can serve farmers in a better way," he said.

On losses being incurred by urea plants, he said the government is seriously considering revision of fixed cost of urea and giving amnesty to meet the energy norm.

The government has not revised the fixed cost of urea for last 15 years due to which the companies have been incurring losses. The last revision was done way back in 2002.

Also, urea plants have to meet the energy norms from April onwards and as a result some plants are shut to undertake energy efficiency exercise. This has been affecting the urea production.

On industry's demand to reduce GST on fertiliser raw materials, the minister assured that he will take up the matter with the finance ministry.

"We will request for reduction of GST on ammonia and phosphoric acid from 18 per cent. We will take up this matter," he said.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) on fertiliser is kept at 5 per cent for both domestic and imported one, while its raw materials are taxed at 18 per cent.

In the last GST Council meeting, the GST on one of the fertiliser raw materials Sulphur was reduced to 5 per cent from 18 per cent. The fertiliser industry has demanded the same reduction of tax on ammonia and phosphoric acid.

India produces 24 million tonnes of urea and imports 6-7 MT to meet the gap. Urea is highly subsided at Rs 5,360 per tonne, while its production cost is Rs 16,000 per tonne. The difference is paid to manufacturers as subsidy. Non-urea fertilisers like potash are largely imported.

Kumar said the government is reviving the closed urea plant. With an investment of about Rs 40,000 crore, which will boost the capacity by 9.2 MT and make the country self sufficient in the next five years.

The minister highlighted the initiatives taken by his ministry in the last three and half years including 100 per cent neem coating of urea and new urea policy, freight policy, and gas pooling.

"There is a huge transformation in the fertiliser sector and it has become happening sector," Kumar observed.

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The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the chief secretary to file his personal affidavit in connection with unauthorised constructions, and hotels and commercial establishments operating without statutory sanctions in the state, especially in Kullu district's Kasol village.

The court yesterday also directed the director general of police (DGP) to file an action taken report in the matter.

A division bench comprising the Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Sharma issued these orders on a petition taken up by the court as a PIL on affidavits filed by the Zonal Director, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh, in a separate criminal appeal.

Also expressing concern over the drug menace, the court said that it was "alarmed by the sizeable increase" in cannabis seizures by the NCB from the state as per details furnished by the bureau.

The court also wondered how rave parties were being allowed at Kasol and whether foreign nationals residing in Malana have valid permission or are illegally staying there.

"Though the situation in the state is quite alarming, but at present Malana village appears to be the epicentre of the drug menace. Immediate steps must be taken by agencies concerned," the court observed.

It observed that as per reports, there was a organised cultivation of cannabis in the higher reaches of Kullu district and in the Sainj valley.

There was also wild growth of cannabis in Chamba, Kangra, Upper Shimla and areas adjoining to Uttrakhand, but the situation in the Kullu-Manali valley is alarming, despite sanction of considerable funds for the destruction of the contraband. The situation is very distressing, the court observed.

"The campaigns to destroy (cannabis plants) are merely on paper and nothing has been done on the ground by the NCB or the state police for curbing the drug menace as there are such mind boggling figures with regard to seizure of contrabands by the NCB," the bench said.

The court also observed that the NCB was not sufficiently equipped to handle the drug menace.

The high court on October 25 had directed the superintendent of police, Kullu, as well as the NCB's zonal director to constitute a task force to raid restaurants, hotels and dhabas in and around Kasol and Malana.

The task force was also directed to visit Malana village and ensure complete eradication of the contraband.

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The today said it cleared a foreign direct investment (FDI) proposal of Rs 1.90 crore in November.

The proposal relating to Wells Fargo International Finance (India) Pvt Ltd was approved, said in a statement issued today.

The company had sought approval for issuance of equity shares to Wells Fargo International Finance LLC and Wells Fargo International Banking Corporation for meeting obligations pertaining to certain pre-operative or pre- incorporation expenses and the proposed voluntary liquidation of Wells Fargo India, the statement said.

A proposal from SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Management Pvt Ltd was rejected, it said.

The Union Cabinet in May decided to abolish the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) -- an advisory body comprising of secretaries to various departments for vetting of foreign direct investment (FDI) applications and making recommendations to the government.

It was decided that the approvals would be handled independently by administrative ministries of different sectors.

FDI into the country grew 9 per cent to USD 43.47 billion in 2016-17.
The committee set up by the Haryana government to probe allegations against a Gurgaon- based private hospital for overcharging the family of a 7- year-old girl, who died of dengue, is likely to submit its report tomorrow, Health Minister Anil Vij said.

The state government had set up the three-member committee under the chairmanship of the Additional Director General (Health) to probe the matter.

"In all likelihood, the committee, which has completed its investigation, will give its report tomorrow," the minister said here.

Earlier, Vij had said that the report would be submitted by today.

The Haryana government had ordered the probe into the allegations after the central government had asked it to initiate an urgent inquiry into the case.

The committee was to gather information about medicines and treatment given to the girl along with the bills and reasons for her death.

"Further action into the matter would be taken only after going through the report," Vij said.

Vij had said a strict action would be taken if the committee found the hospital guilty.

He noted that though only government hospitals in the state can provide free treatment for dengue, even private hospitals cannot charge Rs 16 lakh for the treatment of the disease.

The parents of the girl had alleged they were billed Rs 16 lakh, which also included the cost of 2,700 gloves.

The case relates to the death of a 7-year-old girl, who was admitted in September to the Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI), Gurgaon, a multi super-speciality care hospital.

Last month, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had also sought a report from the Haryana government over the same case.

However, earlier, the hospital had refuted the charges, claiming that the patient's family was informed about the bill on a daily basis and that there was no medical negligence.

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The charred body of a college girl was found in the bathroom of her classmate's house here and three members of the family were arrested in connection with it, police said today.

She was found last evening and was rushed to a hospital, which declared her dead, Additional Deputy Commissioner(West) of Guwahati Police Amitabh Basumatary said.

The girl was identified as a fifth semester student of K C Das Commerce College and a resident of Paltan Bazar. She was found in the bathroom of the house of her classmate in Shantipur area, he said.

"After preliminary investigation, we have arrested the friend, his mother and sister for their suspected role in the possible murder," Basumatary said.

K C Das Commerce College Principal Ghanashyam Nath said the girl was a brilliant student and had appeared in an ongoing examination yesterday. She was the state topper in the commerce stream in the Higher Secondary examinations of 2015.

Students of the college went to Bharalu police station and demanded strictest punishment to the culprits. A group of residents of Paltan Bazar area came out to the street to protest.

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The global airlines' industry is projected to record a higher net profit of USD 38.4 billion in 2018, primarily bolstered by strong demand, industry grouping IATA said today.

The International Airport Transport Association (IATA) said the expected net profit is more than USD 34.5 billion projected for this year. The figure for 2017 was revised upwards from USD 31.4 billion forecast in June.

Strong demand, efficiency and reduced interest payments would help airlines improve net profitability in 2018 despite rising costs.

"2018 is expected to be the fourth consecutive year of sustainable profits with a return on invested capital (9.4 per cent) exceeding the industry's average cost of capital (7.4 per cent)," IATA said in its 'State of the Industry and Global Economic Outlook' report.

The report was released at the IATA Global Media Day here.

Overall revenues are also forecast to climb to USD 824 billion next year, from USD 754 billion seen in 2017.

Reflecting strong demand, the worldwide air passenger numbers are expected to cross 4 billion this year and grow further to 4.3 billion in 2018.

"Next year, the average world citizen will travel once every 21 months. Back in 1996, the average citizen flew just once every 50 months and in 2000, every 43 months," it said.

In the Asia-Pacific region, including India, airlines are expected to register profits of USD 9 billion in 2018, which would be marginally higher than USD 8.3 billion projected for this year.

"Passenger market conditions vary across the region. Domestic markets have strengthened in China, India and Japan. New low-cost market entrants in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region are intensifying competition and contributing to keeping profitability low," IATA said.

India is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, registering high double-digit growth for more than two years.

IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said it is good times for the global air transport industry and airlines are achieving sustainable levels of profitability.

"It is still, however, a tough business, and we are being challenged on the cost front by rising fuel, labour and infrastructure expenses," he said.

In 2018, direct employment by the airline industry is forecast to be more than 2.7 million.

Further, Juniac said the forecast of record net profit of USD 38.4 billion for the next year is still USD 10 billion shy of the profit that Apple announced for 2016.

"Per passenger, airlines on average will make less than USD 9 and the net margin of 4.7 per cent is hard won," he added.

IATA represents around 275 airlines comprising 83 per cent of global air traffic.

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Tech giant Google today unveiled a slew of new solutions, such as Android Oreo Go edition for low-cost smartphones and a bike mode for Maps, aimed at driving Internet adoption across markets, including India.

The company has also worked with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio to bring a customised version of Google Assistant (virtual assistant) to the latter's smart feature phones.

Caesar Sengupta, Vice-President, Next Billion Users, said Google's India-first suite of products and features are aimed to help more people discover how the Internet can make life easier and more convenient.

"These products and features are India-first, but they are not India-only. When we build better products for India, we ultimately build better products for everyone," he added.

Citing the example of the bike mode on Google Maps and addition of bill payment feature in Tez, Sengupta said, "These additions both speak to the specific lifestyles of a large number of Indians".

"Then you have those who are just adopting Internet. For them, Android Oreo (Go edition) will help improve the experience on entry-level phones while new like Files Go will ensure their experience is smooth and they consume less data," he said.

Files Go helps users free up space on their devices, find files faster and share files offline with people nearby.

Sengupta told PTI that he expects handset makers to bring smartphones based on Android Oreo (Go) edition in early 2018.

Previously, Google had partnered with Indian handset makers like Micromax and Spice to launch entry-level Android One smartphones.

But unlike Android One, Android Go is a software available for any handset with 1GB RAM or less.

There will also be a new set of lighter Google apps, including (for search) aimed at first time smartphone users.

Google has already launched Youtube Go that is in beta testing phase in India.

Sengupta said a special version of the Google Assistant -- in both English and Hindi -- has been developed for Reliance Jio phones.

This is the first time that Google's virtual assistant has been made available on a feature phone.

Over the next few months, Google will also offer information on air quality for 20 Indian cities through its platform.

Talking about Tez launched in September this year, Sengupta said the app now has 12 million users.

"Over the next few weeks, Tez will offer a customised experience to pay bills from within the app ... More than 70 billers will be supported, including utilities and direct-to- home service providers," he said.

Within months of launch, Tez has already seen 140 million transactions and accounted for 70 per cent of the country's UPI transactions in the months of October and November.

On the two-wheeler mode in Maps, Sengupta said the feature will be available in India starting today, with more countries in the coming months.

Google, which offers Internet access at railway stations in partnership with RailTel, said the service will be available at 400 stations in 2018.

Sengupta said Google is now working on offering WiFi hotspots across Indian cities and is also taking it to other markets like Indonesia.
Using Google frequently to search for information, rather than using our brains, may increase the risk of dementia, a UK researcher has warned.

The researcher has described the practice as an "experiment" we are conducting on ourselves.

"It's important to promote good brain health and to do that is to use it, but these days we seem to outsource our brain to the internet," said Frank Gunn-Moore, from the University of St Andrews in the UK.

"If we want to know something, we look it up online rather than trying to recall the information from our memory," Gunn-Moore was quoted as saying to The Sunday Post.

"It's an experiment the human race is running and we will have to wait and see if this outsourcing affects dementia prevalence," he said.

Gun-Moore will be speaking at the annual Alzheimer Scotland Christmas event in Edinburgh on December 14.

"There are several factors that could result in Alzheimers environment, stress on the brain, genetics," he said.

In 2015, the number of people with dementia reached almost 45 million, two times more than in 1990, according to a rough estimate.

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The protesting parents of the students of the G D Birla Centre for Education here gave the school management time till 5 pm tomorrow to remove the principal, in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl student by two male teachers on the school premises.

The Guardians' Forum continued with its protest against the alleged atrocity for the fifth consecutive day today.

Earlier in the day, the principal of the school, Sharmila Nath, who has courted a fresh controversy by revealing the victim's name in contravention of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, was summoned by the city police.

A sweeper and two other non-teaching staff members of the premier school were also summoned for questioning, a senior Kolkata Police official said.

The Guardians' Forum held a four-hour-long meeting with the school management on the institute's premises. Representatives of the West Bengal education department and police were also present at the meeting.

A spokesman of the forum told reporters that the school had sought time till 5 pm tomorrow for taking a decision on removing the principal, who was accused of suppressing facts about the alleged sexual assault, which was reported on Thursday last week.

Forum member Krishnendu Mukherjee told PTI, "We had discussions with the management for hours on two issues, the removal of the principal and the opening of the school, so that the students could attend the classes in a safe environment. The management will let us know about its decision regarding the principal at 5 pm tomorrow."



A spokesman of the school said, "We are conducting an internal disciplinary process and by 5 pm tomorrow, we will let the guardians know of our decision."



He said the school did not get a chance to initiate any follow-up action till Friday midnight due to the sit-in protests by the guardians and then, due to the weekend holidays.

"We did not get a scope to start the process during this time. For us, the students' benefits, their comfort and running the school smoothly are of paramount importance," he added.

To a question, the spokesman said Nath was appointed to the post years back on account of her academic efficiency.

To a question, Mukherjee said there was no question of going back on the demand for the principal's arrest.

"Since an FIR has already been filed against her and a probe initiated by the police, let the legal procedure be completed. We have full faith that action will be taken against her, in accordance with the law, soon."



West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) Chairperson Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborti, who too attended the meeting, said the commission stood by the guardians' demand.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly briefly visited the protest venue for the second time since yesterday and met the victim's parents.

"I express my solidarity with you," she said to the girl's father, who told her with folded hands that the guardians had resolved to fight the issue on their own.

Meanwhile, the principal courted a fresh controversy as she mentioned the name of the four-year-old girl in her letter, which was sent yesterday to around 4,000 guardians, assuring the safety of their wards in the school.

"We have been running the school smoothly for the past 44 years. We can assure you that the safety and security of all our students is always our highest priority while they are on the school premises and travelling on our school buses," Nath had written in the letter after naming the girl.

The WBCPCR would issue a show-cause notice to her for identifying the girl, which was in violation of the provisions of the POCSO Act, Chakraborti said.

"This is absolutely illegal. She (Nath) cannot name the child. She has violated the basic tenets of humanity," she added.

The school authorities had, through a notice on Sunday, had informed the "parents and all concerned" that the junior and senior sections of the school would remain shut from Monday.

In another notice, it had said the two physical training instructors, who were arrested on Saturday for allegedly sexually assaulting the child, were removed from service and promised full cooperation in the police probe.

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Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said Gujarat voters are mature and so the BJP is ruling there for 22 years and expressed hope that the party will also win the Assembly elections in the western state.

The Congress, he said, would be swept away both in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

Results of the Assembly polls of the two states will be declared on December 18.

Das told a press conference here that BJP candidates have been elected in the Uttar Pradesh civic polls with the people giving their approval to development and shunning casteism and communalism.

The BJP on December 1 last won 14 of the 16 mayoral seats in Uttar Pradesh and the elections were touted as the first litmus test of Yogi Adityanath after the BJP stormed to power in March.

The people had elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 on the issue of development, ending casteism, dynastic rule and communalism, Das told a press conference.

"The entire country has accepted our leadership," Das said.

The Jharkhand chief minister said Congress was no more the Congress as it was during the time of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose.

"The Gujarat-born Mahatma Gandhi had wanted to dismantle the Congress party after Independence. Therefore, how can the Congress grow in Gujarat?" Das asked.

Speaking on Jharkhand, the chief minister said the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was not required anymore in the state.

The JMM was floated by A K Roy, Binod Bihari Mahato and Shibu Soren for a separate state. Since Jharkhand was formed in 2000 by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the JMM is not required now, Das said.

Speaking on developing tourism in the state, Das said Mandro in Sahibganj would be developed as a tourist spot besides three hills in Rajmahal hills would be developed as 'Krishna Pahad' by the ISKCON.

Maluti and Massanjore in the Santhal Pargana region were also being developed as tourist spots and work was on at Rajarappa temple and Parasnath.

Tourism would increase the footfall of visitors and generate employment in the state, the chief minister said.

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The Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) has signed an MoU with three US-based varsities to increase agriculture production by utilising minimum resources and doubling farmers' income.

The Hisar-based university will work with the University of Illinois, Washington State University and Michigan State University of America, a statement by CCSHAU said.

Various works such as providing financial assistance to CCSHAU faculty at international level, exchange of ideas between faculty, students and farmers; development and expansion of technology and establishing centres of excellence, will be carried out under the MoU, Prof K P Singh, vice-chancellor of CCSHAU, said.

The technology developed through the collaboration would also be extended to Asian and African countries, he said.

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The Bombay High Court today allowed a 13-year-old rape victim to abort her 26-week-old foetus, considering her age and the agony she was likely to undergo if forced to continue with her pregnancy.

The law does not allow abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

A bench of Justices Shantanu Kemkar and G S Kulkarni, however, allowed the plea filed by the victim's father seeking that the girl, who was allegedly repeatedly raped by her cousin, be permitted to medically terminate her pregnancy since she was physically incapable to bear and deliver a child.

Earlier last week, the bench had directed a medical board at the KEM Hospital in the city to examine the health condition of the victim and to determine whether a medical termination of her pregnancy will be safe at this late stage.

The board submitted that there existed a greater risk of maternal mortality in cases where those below 20 years of age delivered a child.

"Considering the board's report and the age of the victim, considering the trauma she has already undergone and the agony she is likely to undergo if forced to continue with this pregnancy, we are inclined to allow the plea," the bench said.

As per the plea, the girl was repeatedly raped by her cousin, who used to live in the same house with her and her parents.

On November 17 this year, the girl's father registered an FIR.

The compulsory medical test of the victim then revealed that she was 24 weeks pregnant at the time.

Since the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act in the country does not allow abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, the victim and her family approached the Bombay High Court.

The same bench, while hearing a similar petition, also permitted a 27-year-old woman to medically abort her pregnancy after experts at the J J hospital confirmed that her 25-week-old foetus had severe neurological problems.

"Considering that the child, if born, will suffer from life-long neurological complications, and considering the Fundamental Rights of the petitioner, we allow the plea," Justice Kemkar said.

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The Madras High Court has dismissed a PIL seeking to restrain the Tamil Nadu government from observing former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's death anniversary today.

The first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice R Hemalatha dismissed the petition by one R Kumaravel seeking to restrain the state government from observing December 5 as the death anniversary of Jayalalithaa.

The bench said, "This court cannot decide disputes as to whether letters said to have been written by the late chief minister were actually written by her or not.. This court neither has the expertise nor the experience to determine the death on the basis of a thumb impression, which might have been obtained."



"There is no public interest in the order sought for in the petition," it said.

Referring to the commission of inquiry set up by the government to look into the circumstances leading to the demise of Jayalalithaa, the bench said, "the commission would obviously inquire into the cause and the date of death."



The petitioner had submitted that he has no objection to the Chief Minister K Palaniswami or his party (AIADMK) observing the death anniversary on a party basis.

He further submitted that on November 22 he had filed an affidavit before the Commission of Inquiry to call for records of original thumb impressions that were affixed on the nomination papers of the AIADMK candidate AK Bose for Tiruparankundram bypoll in November, 2016.

Those impressions first be sent to the forensic sciences department for finding the basic truth whether she was alive or dead on October 27 last year, he said.

The government should defer from observing the death anniversary either till the Commission declared the date of death or results were obtained from forensic tests on her finger prints, he added.

The state government had on September 25 announced setting up of the inquiry commission, headed by the retired high court judge, to probe the circumstances leading to the hospitalisation and death of Jayalalithaa on December 5 last year after 75 days of treatment at Apollo Hospitals here.
Heavy security deployment was made in the twin towns of Faizabad and Ayodhya as the VHP and the Bajrang Dal plan to observe 'Shaurya Diwas' (Day of Valour) while Muslim organisations plan 'Yaum e Gham' (Day of sorrow) to mark 25 years of Babri Masjid demolition.

Taking note of the gravity of the situation and the advisory issued by the Centre, the Faizabad administration has made heavy security deployments in the two towns.

Police along with the CRPF and RAF have been deployed on roads and sensitive localities of AyodhyaFaizabad. Regular search operations of the vehicles, hotels and dharamshalas in Ayodhya are being conducted.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has given a call for grand celebrations on 6 December to commemorate the silver jubilee of the demolition. Its associated organisation, the Bajrang Dal, will celebrate December 6 as 'Shaurya Diwas' and 'Vijay Diwas' (Victory Day) and have also issued appeal to people of Ayodhya - Faizabad to lit up their homes with lamps.

Talking to PTI, VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma said that not only homes but also temples in the temple town of Ayodhya and adjoining city Faizabad would be decorated and the day would be celebrated with much fan fare.

As per our tradition we will organize a 'Shaurya Diwas' and 'Vijay Diwas' in Karsewakpuram, the VHP headquarters in Ayodhya, he said.

Meanwhile, some Muslim organisations in Ayodhya - Faizabad will observe December 6 as "Yaum E Gham". A functionary of the Indian Union Muslim League said they will observe this day as Black Day.

Talking to PTI, Afaq Ahmad Khan, Chairman of Babri Masjid Action Committee, said, we are in waiting for the last 25 years for justice, we wish that the Government of India must fulfil its promise of reconstruction of Babri Masjid.

Faizabad SSP Subhash Singh Baghel said heavy security deployment had been made in the twin towns of Faizabad



Ayodhya. The police along with CRPF and RAF have been deployed on roads and sensitive localities of AyodhyaFaizabad, he said.

"Regular search operations of the vehicles, hotels and Dharamshalas in Ayodhya are being conducted. We have maintained all necessary security arrangements and have allowed only traditional programmes to be held by both the communities," he said.

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President Ram Nath Kovind today urged students to help the marginalised as they set targets for the future and said it was their duty to repay society.

Addressing the 83rd convocation of Agra University, Kovind said students who graduated today would be deciding on their targets.

"Whatever target you set, you must strive hard to achieve it. Along with your progress, you must take along people who are left behind," he said.

Kovind said the university had an illustrious history of nine decades and had produced presidents, prime ministers and other stalwarts.

"He urged the students to see the convocation not as the end of a journey but the commencement of a new phase of responsibility and learning," a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan said today.

Kovind referred to the many people who had contributed to their education -- from family and teachers to those in government and society, the statement said.

They helped give students an opportunity that millions in the country were unable to get, he said.

"Therefore, it is the duty of the graduating students to pay back to society in some way, and work for the cause of humanity," he said.

The president expressed confidence that the university would continue to play a meaningful role in preparing younger generations for the challenges of the 21st century.

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Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju today said if land was available, a second airport near Kolkata was a possibility.

"Kolkata needs an alternative airport. If the West Bengal government gets a land, it can happen," he said during a media interaction here.

Currently, the city has one airport -- the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Dum Dum on the suburbs.

Raju said land was a state subject and that a huge land was needed for an airport.

The Dum Dum airport is expected to reach a saturation point soon, given the way it is growing in terms of air traffic.

Asked about the greenfield airport at Andal near Durgapur, Raju said its future depended on whether the airlines wanted to use it.

Regarding the Centre's regional connectivity scheme, UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), he said more airports would become active with the start of the scheduled flight operations after the second round of auctions.

The minister had, last month, said the second round of bidding had drawn a "very good response" and that 17 players had come up with initial proposals.

As many as 141 initial proposals for air services, including for operating aircraft and helicopters, on 502 routes were received at the second round of auctions under the regional air connectivity scheme, the government had said.

Raju said on 20-25 routes under UDAN, the operators were not seeking a viability-gap funding as the routes were very promising.

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IIT-Madras emerged winners at the Samsung E.D.G.E. 2017 competition at Gurgaon recently,in which nearly 2,370 students from 19 top institutions participated.

The competition gives an opportunity to students to interact with the leadership team at Samsung on real-world business problems, a press release said.

The students of IIT Madras -- Sudarsan M S, Saurabh Sinha and Makesh S were the winners, followed by National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow came third.

Ten teams which won the zonal rounds qualified for the national finals of the Samsung E.D.G.E. (Empowering Dreams Gaining Excellence) programme, held at Gurgaon on December 4.

The release said Samsung E.D.G.E. brings bright minds from campuses together to ideate and showcase their talents on a national platform.It also gives an opportunity for the students to interact with the leadership team of Samsung.

The top 10 teams this year worked on Samsung's Intelligent Interface Bixby, growth opportunities in smart cities and designing devices for young single-person households, it said.

"We are overjoyed by the level of enthusiasm to participate and ideation by the students at Samsung EDGE 2017. This year we engaged with students from diverse domains", Samsung Southwest Asia,Human Resources,Director B K Lee said.

The winning team received cash prize of Rs three lakh. Each member also bagged a Galaxy Note8 smartphone. The second placed team received Rs 1.50 lakh.

The third placed team received prize money of Rs 75,000, the release added.

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Bringing perpetrators of terror to justice is the "basic ingredient" in fighting terrorism, Israeli envoy Daniel Carmon said today in the wake of the release of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed by Pakistan.

He said joint efforts by victims of terrorism were the main instrument to combat terror.

"Bringing the perpetrators of terrorism to justice is a very basic ingredient in fighting terror," the envoy said.

JuD chief Hafiz Saeed walked free after a Pakistani judicial body ordered his release from house arrest late last month. The development is seen as a setback to India's efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

Israelis too were victims of the terror attack. Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rebbetzin Rivka Holtzberg were killed in the attack at the Nariman House, which was home to a Chabad house, a Jewish outreach centre and a synagogue.

When asked whether Israel, like the United States, would demand re-arrest of Saeed, Carmon said, "The main instrument of fighting terrorism is unity of those and joint efforts of those, who on one hand, are victims of terrorism, but also have decided to join hands in confronting it (terror). We are into it together".

When asked about the likely visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin to India early next year, the envoy evaded a clear reply.

It is "natural" that after the "successful" visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel in July, a visit would be reciprocated by Netanyahu, Carmon said.

"I am not going into the details of the expected visit of (Netanyahu). Let us wait for an official announcement," he added.

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India and Japan today held the first meeting under the newly established 'Act East Forum' set up to identify specific projects for economic development of the Northeastern region.

During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to India in September, both sides had signed an agreement to establish the India-Japan Act East Forum.

The meeting of the forum today was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

"The Act East Forum aims to provide a platform for India-Japan collaboration under the rubric of India's 'Act East Policy' and Japan's 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy'," the MEA said in a statement.

It said the forum will identify specific projects for economic modernisation of the Northeast region including those pertaining to connectivity, infrastructure, industrial linkages as well as people-to-people contacts.

Participants at the meeting included representatives from Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Home Affairs and the States of Northeast region.

The Japanese side included representatives of Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan External Trade Organization, Japan Foundation and Japan National Tourism Organization.

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India and New Zealand today reviewed their bilateral cooperation in diverse areas and resolved to deepen it further.

Preeti Saran, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, and Foreign Secretary of New Zealand Brook Barrington held extensive talks under the framework of Foreign Office Consultations, covering various key issues.

"All aspects of bilateral relations were reviewed," the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said.

The bilateral talks took place around three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a "very fruitful" meeting with his counterpart from New Zealand Jacinda Ardern on the margins of the East Asia Summit in Manila.

The MEA said there had been a growing convergence of strategic perspectives of the two countries.

The bilateral ties between the two countries have seen an upward trend in the last few years.

India contributes the second largest number of tourists to New Zealand while more than 30,000 Indian students are studying in various academic institutions in that country.

Barrington also met Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and Commerce Secretary Rita A. Teotia.

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India's containerised overseas trade grew by 10 per cent in the third quarter of 2017 and the trend is likely to continue, Maersk India said in its latest report.

"As the exuberance around the recent rankings conferred on India by the World Bank and Moody's just about begins to alleviate, the country gets yet another reason to celebrate, with its global containerised import-export recording its highest growth... at a strong 10 per cent in Q3 of 2017," Maersk India Q3 2017 Trade Report said today.

The report, which analysed India's containerised foreign trade with close to 200 countries in Q3 2017, revealed that the growth led by rising exports to Mediterranean and North American nations, registering a surge by 14 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively. The data also indicates India's strengthening trade ties with these regions.

Amongst the Mediterranean countries, Turkey emerged as India's largest export trading partner in terms of overall volumes, due to growing demand for textiles from the northern states of India, as well as vehicles and metal from the western region of the country, it said.

Exports to Algeria, on the other hand, showed the highest jump at 28 per cent growth in Q3 2017 compared to 12 per cent in the corresponding period last year.

Additionally, appliances and kitchenware exports to UAE gained significant steam by recording a 38 per cent growth in the third quarter of 2017, as against a negative growth of 44 per cent in the same period last year.

Demand for India-made appliances and kitchenware in Saudi Arabia also witnessed a 8% growth in Q3 2017.

"The growth we have seen this quarter reflects the resilience of Indias global trade environment. Not only India repeatedly outpacing the global growth average, but it is also one of the strongest global import-export partners amongst the BRICS nations," Maersk Line India MD Steve Felder said.

He said as local businesses supported by the government reforms continued, Maersk Line is committed to continuing to invest in further to enhance its capabilities.

About 2018, the report predicted, "Given the evolving positive trends, we expect this growth to at least be maintained, and possibly grown further in 2018. Growth can be further sped up by the swift implementation of the various infrastructure projects, such as Sagarmala and Dedicated Freight Corridors".

Maersk Line is the global containerised division of the Maersk Group.

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India's growing influence and economic power have enabled it impose a "gag order" on Kashmir with western countries being unwilling to raise the issue at the international level, including in the UN, 'president' of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has claimed.

Masood Khan, a former Pakistani Ambassador to the United Nations, is currently here for what he described as part of his effort to apprise the international community about the current situation in Kashmir.

He said India had veto on the talks between the two South Asian neighbours.

"India has strategic alliances with certain countries. Because of the lucrative deals that it offers to powerful countries in the West, it has practically imposed a gag order on Kashmir," Khan claimed yesterday at the thinly-attended Atlantic Council, a top American think-tank.

He alleged that because of India's increasing influence, "people here (in Washington DC), in Brussels, in London or other world capitals don't talk about Kashmir, because this would have consequences for these countries, like in terms of economic transactions, and strategic costs".

Responding to questions at the event, Khan alleged that the UN was not acting on its own resolution because of India.

"The United Nations is not acting because of real politics," he said.

The Security Council is not taking cognisance of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which is regrettable because of mandate that is given to the Security Council by the UN charter under chapter six and chapter seven, he said.

Khan argued that the UN should act and be proactive.

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An Indian doctor and disability rights activist was today honoured with the prestigious Henry Viscardi Achievement Award in the US for raising awareness and improving the quality of life of people with disabilities.

Dr Satendra Singh, 40, the Associate Professor of Physiology at the University College of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, become the first Indian to get the international award which was first bestowed in March 2013 in the US.

John D Kemp, the American disability rights leader and the President and chief executive of the Viscardi center and the Henry Viscardi School in New York gave away the awards, the Viscardi centre said in a statement.

Singh, who played an integral role in making India's 2014 General Elections in New Delhi accessible to people with disabilities, said: "I dedicate this award to the perseverance and the resilience of each and every person with disability around the globe who is fighting discrimination".

"I felt very proud to sport the Indian flag badge on my chest while receiving the award here in the US," he said.

The Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards recognise exemplary leaders within the disability community and their extraordinary societal contributions, while remembering the spirit and legacy of The Viscardi Center's founder, Dr Henry Viscardi, Jr, who himself wore prosthetic legs.

As one of the world's leading advocates for people with disabilities, Viscardi served as a disability advisor to eight US Presidents from Franklin D Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter.

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A 57-year-old Indian-origin man from Canada was sentenced by a federal court in Arizona to 46 months of imprisonment on charges of travelling to the US this year to have sex with a minor girl.

Dilbagh Singh, from Ontario, Canada, had pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to the court documents, in January 2017, Singh began an online relationship with an individual he believed to be a 15-year-old girl.

Over the course of nearly four months, Singh told the girl that he wanted to engage in various sex acts with her.

In May 2017, Singh travelled from Canada to Flagstaff, Arizona, to meet the girl and to have sex with her.

Singh was sentenced by US District Judge Steven P Logan to 46 months of incarceration.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

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A 57-year-old Indian-origin man from Canada was sentenced by a federal court in Arizona to 46 months of imprisonment on charges of travelling to the US to have sex with a minor girl.

Dilbagh Singh, from Ontario, Canada, had pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to the court documents, in January 2017, Singh began an online relationship with an individual he believed to be a 15-year old girl.

Over the course of nearly four months, Singh told the girl that he wanted to engage in various sex acts with her.

In May 2017, Singh travelled from Canada to Flagstaff, Arizona, to meet the girl and to have sex with her.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

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India's prison system came under the scanner at the extradition trial of liquor baron Vijay Mallya at Westminster Magistrates Court here today when it was compared to extreme conditions in Russia.

The 61-year-old businessman's defence team raised the issue as part of its opening arguments in response to the case for fraud laid out by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on behalf of the Indian government.

The defence told Judge Emma Arbuthnot that there was "simply no mechanism to secure compliance" with the assurances provided by Indian authorities on safe prison conditions in India.

"The government [in India] has been unable and unwilling to remedy breaches of court orders,"Mallyas barrister Clare Montgomery told the court.

The judge questioned how it compares with poor prison conditions in Russia, a country where extradition cases hinge on unsafe prison conditions.

Montgomery said that the situation in Russia was a "lot better than India" because they at least allow international experts in to review breaches of court orders.

"That is interesting," the judge noted.

The issue is likely to be discussed in further detail as the case progresses through the trial, scheduled to end on December 14.

Mallya, wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering allegedly amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores, has been in the dock at Westminster Magistrates Court for his defence on day two of his trial.

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Iran's official agency says an Iranian border guard has been killed by gunmen near the border with Turkey.

IRNA's report says the guard died in a shootout yesterday while another border guard and two engineers who were inspecting nearby water resources were wounded.

The attack happened near the town of Maku in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, about 900 kilometers, or 560 miles, northwest of the capital, Tehran. The province has a large Kurdish minority.

IRNA says the gunmen were members of Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK group and that Ankara has promised to investigate.

The area near Iran's borders with Turkey and Iraq sees occasional skirmishes with Kurdish separatist groups, as well as extremist Islamic rebels. Last month, militants killed eight Iranian border guards in clashes there.

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether his government was only for the rich as he targeted him over rising prices which has made life difficult for the poor.

Taking to twitter in his 'A question a day' series, he hit out at Modi over his repeated "jumlas" (rhetoric), and said demonetisation and GST hit the common man's earnings while the rest was taken away by rising prices.

He listed out various commodities whose prices have risen in the three years of Modi government which made life difficult for the common man.

"My 7th question to the prime minister. People were hit by unkept jumlas, noteban's loot and GST that took away all the earnings. The rest was taken away by rising prices.

"Living has become difficult due to rising prices. Is BJP government only for the rich?," he asked.

He also tweeted a diagrammatic picture of a comparative chart of prices of commodities in 2014 and 2017, illustrating their rise.

Gandhi has been posing questions to the prime minister using tagline "22 salon ka hisaab, Gujarat mange jawaab (Gujarat demands answers for 22 years of BJP rule)" in the run up to the Gujarat Assembly elections.

He has been demanding answers from him for "unfulfilled promises" made by his party.

The Congress vice president had earlier hit out at Modi over various issues including unemployment among youth and "poor" wages to workers, women's safety, education and health through his 'A question a day' series.

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Israeli fighter jets have bombed areas near the Syrian capital Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

"Israeli planes targeted the Jamaraya region near Damascus including a scientific research centre and warehouses where weapons and ammunition of the regime and its allies were stocked," Rami Abdel Rahmane, director of the Britain-based monitoring group told AFP.

The exact target was not immediately identified.

An AFP correspondent in the capital also heard loud explosions.

"Our air defences blocked an Israeli missile attack on one of our positions in Damascus province and downed three of the targets," Syrian state media said.

Israel has acknowledged carrying out airstrikes in Syria since the outbreak of the bloody war in the country six years ago to stop arms deliveries to Hezbollah forces.

Israel said in October it had attacked Syrian government artillery after fire from across the armistice line hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and warned it would step up such retaliation in the future.

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J J Abrams and Quentin Tarantino are joining forces to work on a "Star Trek" film.

Tarantino has pitched a story idea to Abrams and the duo is planning to develop a movie at Paramount studio, confirmed The Hollywood Reporter.

Tarantino is eyeing to direct the potential project.

The studio did not comment.

Abrams had rebooted the franchise in 2009 with "Star Trek" and also went on to helm "Star Trek Into Darkness", before hitching his wagon to Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".

He also serves as a producer on the franchise even as he has signed up to direct "Star Wars: Episode IX", which releases in 2019.

In a 2015 Nerdist podcast interview, Tarantino had expressed his desire to direct a "Star Trek" film, not a "Star Wars" one.

"The only thing that limited them was their '60s budget and eight-day shooting schedule. You could take some of the classic 'Star Trek' episodes and easily expand them to 90 minutes or more and really do some amazing, amazing stuff," he said.

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Three agri products from Bihar - Jardalu mango, Katarani paddy and Magahi betel leaf - have got the Geographical Indications (GI) tag, state agriculture minister Prem Kumar said today.

"It is a matter of pride for the people of Bihar that applications for granting GI tags to these three items have been accepted and the products have been listed in the Geographical Indications Journal's issue dated November 28, 2017," Kumar said.

Jardalu mango has been described as a unique product from Bhagalpur in the journal. This mango variety is known for its light yellow skin and special aroma.

The application for GI tag was moved by Jardalu Aam Utpadak Sangh (Jardalu mango producers' union), Madhuban, Maheshi village under Sultanganj block of Bhagalpur district, he said.

The application for Katarani paddy, long and thin in shape and distinctly aromatic, was moved by Katarani Dhan Utpadak Sangh, Jagdishpur village in Bhagalpur.

Magahi Pan Utpadak Kalyan Samiti, Devdi village, Nawada district, had moved the application for GI tag to the unique variety of betel leaf which is adored for its softness and taste. The betel leaf variety is also grown in adjoining districts of Gaya and Nawada.

"Heartiest congratulations to our farmers for making Bihar proud. Efforts will soon be made to get GI tags for other specialities from the state like Shahi litchi and Makhana," the minister added.

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Former AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa was today remembered on her first death anniversary with party veterans Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam leading workers in paying tributes to their 'Amma' at her mausoleum here.

Sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran also took out a procession with his supporters and paid floral tributes at Jayalalithaa's mausoleum.

Clad in black shirts, AIADMK coordinator Pannneerselvam and co-coordinator Palaniswami led a silent march of party functionaries, including ministers, MPs and MLAs from Anna Salai to late Jayalalithaa's burial site at Marina beach, and paid floral tributes at the bedecked mausoleum.

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami, and his deputy Panneerselvam, placed a wreath at the memorial, where Jayalalithaa was laid to rest in December 2016.

The two senior leaders stood with folded hands for sometime and then bowed down to pay their respects.

Chants by supporters hailing Jayalalithaa filled the air even as some functionaries were seen getting emotional.

AIADMK functionaries led by the two veterans also paid tributes at the memorial of party founder, the late chief minister M G Ramachandran.

Later, the party workers led by Panneerselvam took an oath to mark the day.

In the oath read out by Panneerselvam and repeated by others, including Palaniswami, the AIADMK workers vowed to ensure that the 'golden rule' of 'Amma' continued by their hard work.

Jayalalithaa is fondly addressed by her supporters as 'Amma', meaning mother in Tamil.

They recalled the "relentless hard work of Amma" in making AIADMK a successful people's movement and each one of them vowed to be a true party worker walking in the footsteps of the late leader to ensure the party's growth.

They also recollected Jayalalithaa's popular statement of "makkalukkaga naan, makkalukkagave naan" (I am for the people, I am because of people), and vowed to continue working in that direction.

Panneerselvam started reading the oath by describing Jayalalithaa as AIADMK's "permanent general secretary," a refrain often used by the party leaders when she was in charge of its affairs.

The unified AIADMK, formed following the merger of then factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam in August, has since done away with the powerful general secretary's post, making Panneerselvam the coordinator and Palaniswami the co- coordinator.

The partymen today also vowed to "protect" AIADMK and strive to work towards its future successes.

Later, they observed a two-minute silence in respect of the late leader.

Jayalalithaa's mausoleum saw a steady stream of visitors today, with scores of public paying tearful tributes to the late chief minister.

Jaya Plus, a news channel part of the Jaya TV network managed by the family of deposed and jailed AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, ran shows on Jayalalithaa's various pro-people initiatives as chief minister of the state.

Later, Dhinakaran also took out a procession from Anna Salai to Marina Beach in a jeep.

The vehicle sported a bedecked photograph of late Jayalalithaa and he was accompanied by his supporters, including some of the disqualified MLAs.

He later placed a wreath at the Jayalalithaa mausoleum.

Meanwhile, actor Vishal Krishnan, who is contesting the December 21 bypoll to Radhakrishnan Nagar here, paid floral tributes to Jayalalithaa at his office here, his publicist said.

A popular leader, Jayalalithaa breathed her last on December 5, 2016.

She was admitted to a corporate hospital here on September 22 with complaints of fever and dehydration and underwent medical treatment for about 75 days before her demise.

Her death later triggered a split in the party in February when Panneerselvam, the then chief minister, revolted against Sasikala, now serving a jail term in connection with an assets case in Bengaluru, alleging he was forced to make way for her to the state's top post.

Palaniswami was subsequently made chief minister but he later revolted against then party deputy chief Dhinakaran, with a section of ministers led by the former sidelining him.

The factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam later merged on August 21.

A party general council in September sacked Sasikala as its chief.

In a major boost, the unified AIADMK was recently awarded the party's popular 'Two Leaves' symbol also.

In Puducherry, AIADMK workers, including a good chunk of women, took out a procession from near the statue of Annadurai to the beach road there to pay homage at the portrait of Jayalalithaa on the occasion.
JKNPP chief patron Bhim Singh today sought President Ramnath Kovind's intervention to invoke Section 92 of Jammu and Kashmir's Constitution to impose Governor's rule in the state.

Section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir is invoked to impose Governor's rule. If Governor's rule is not revoked within six months, President's rule under Article 356 of the Constitution of India is imposed.

"There is no governance in the entire state. The situation in the Jammu municipal limits has crossed the flash point because of the presence of Burmese Rohingya in total defiance of law," the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) leader said in statement.

He appealed to the president to direct shifting of Rohingya refugees outside J&K, saying "it will be in the best interest of the state and the rest of the country".

JKNPP chief also called on Governor N N Vohra to convene an all party meeting, either in Srinagar or Jammu and invite Hurriyat leaders.

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The Kochi Water Metro project will begin its operations in April 2019, Kochi Metro Rail Limited Managing Director Mohammed Hanish said today.

He was speaking after meetings here with officials from KfW, the German bank funding the Water Metro project.

He also said the tenders for the boat manufacturing will be out by December 31 this year.

The Kfw team was in Kochi on a one-day visit to review the Water Metro project.

The German delegation headed by senior Policy Officer-India Lisbeth Mller-Hofstede reviewed the water metro project together with undertaking site visits.

During the meeting, Kfw expressed its willingness to explore the possibilities of extending support to the Smart City project.

The team expressed satisfaction in the progress of the project, a Kochi Metro release said.

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An advocate claiming his fee based on the percentage of outcome of a subject matter in a case, is professsional misconduct and against public policy, the Supreme Court said today.

The top court hoped the government will take cognisance of the issue of introducing requisite legislative changes for an effective regulatory mechanism to check violation of professional ethics in the legal profession.

While relying on an earlier verdict of apex court, it said commercialisation to the extent of exploiting the litigant and misbehavior to the extent of browbeating the Court by some members of the legal fraternity, breached the professional duties towards the court and the litigant and needs to be checked.

A bench of Justices A K Goel and U U Lalit termed a complaint filed by an advocate against his client for dishonouring of a cheque as "abuse of the process of law" and quashed it.

The court refused permission to allow the advocate withdraw the case, saying having "committed a serious professional misconduct, the respondent No. 2 (advocate) could not be allowed to avoid adverse consequences which he may suffer for his professional misconduct. The issue of professional misconduct may be dealt with at appropriate forum".

Referring to 131st report of Law Commission, the apex court said it was observed that recurring strikes by the bar had contributed to the piling up of arrears jeopardising the 'consumers of justice' and led to weakening of the system of administration of justice.

It said that the report also considered various aspects like astronomical fees charged by lawyers and role of the legal profession in strengthening the administration of justice.

The court said though the Report was submitted way back in 1988, no effective law was enacted to regularise the fee or for providing the public sector services to utmost needy litigants without any fee or at standardised rates.

"Mechanism to deal with violation of professional ethics also does not appear to have been strengthened. Success of administration of justice to a great extent depends on successful regulation of legal profession in the light of mandate under Article 39A for access to justice," it said.

The court said that deficiency in the working of the present regulatory mechanism has been acknowledged by the court in several decisions and mandate for the bench and the bar is to provide speedy and inexpensive justice to the victim of justice and to protect their rights.

A woman, B Sunitha, whose husband had died in a road accident in 1998, had filed for claim before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) through an advocate.

The MACT awarded compensation to the woman of which she paid Rs 10 lakh to the advocate as his fees on different dates.

The lawyer made the woman sign another cheque of Rs 3 lakh despite her saying that she had no money in her accoount. However, the cheque got dishonoured due to insufficient funds and the lawyer lodged a case against her under section 138 of Negotiable Instrument Act.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled in favour of lawyer and had dismissed the petition of woman, who later moved the apex court.

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Little evidence against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed compelled the courts to set him free, Pakistan's top diplomat here said today, days after the US demanded the immediate re-arrest and prosecution of the Mumbai terror attack mastermind.

Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry was referring to the evidence provided by India against Saeed.

The JuD chief, who carries a bounty of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, walked free on November 24 after the Pakistan government decided against detaining him further in any other case. He was under detention since January this year.

With "that kind of little evidence, it has been very difficult for the courts in Pakistan to keep him behind bars," Chaudhry told a Washington audience.

"What the government did was using some of these other laws like maintenance of public order, and others to keep him behind bars. But the courts are free in Pakistan. They rule regardless of what the government does or does not. They do it in the best interests of justice and therefore they set him free," Chaudhry said in his remarks at the Carnegie Endowment for International Relations.

He was responding to a question on the White House's statement on November 25 in which the US strongly condemned the release of Saeed from house arrest in Pakistan.

Chaudhry said that Pakistan was following the UN Security Council resolution on the matter.

Under the UNSC designation, he said Saeed would not carry arms, raise funds and ravel internationally.

"We have been implementing that regime because Hafiz Saeed was on that list and faithfully," he said.

Chaudhry said the situation in South Asia was not good.

"India and China have an uneasy peace. India and Pakistan are not talking. Afghanistan remains not in a good shape and the security situation has deteriorated by all accounts," he said.

Responding to a question on Indias role in Afghanistan, the Pakistani diplomat said that Islamabad has objections to the use of Afghan soil to create instability in Pakistan.

"We believe that India if it is participating in the development activities of Afghanistan of course fine. But it does not have a military or political role in Afghanistan," he said.

India, he alleged, has "very little interest" in stabilising Afghanistan.

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Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar will pay a three-day visit to Bahrain from Friday to attend the annual Manama Dialogue, a key forum dealing with defence and security related issues of the Gulf region.

The external affairs ministry said Akbar will address the plenary session at the Manama Dialogue being organised jointly by the International Institute of Strategic Studies and the Government of Bahrain.

"During the visit, he will also meet with the Bahraini leadership to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest," it said.

Bahrain is an important partner for India in the Gulf region with bilateral trade exceeding USD 760 million in 2016 -17.

According to official figures, over 4,00,000 Indian nationals are working in Bahrain.

"Their positive and well-appreciated contribution in the development of Bahrain has been an important anchor of our excellent bilateral engagement," the MEA said.

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French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to US counterpart Donald Trump and expressed concern about designating Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the Elysee palace said.

"The French president has expressed his concern at the possibility of the United States unilaterally designating Jerusalem as capital of the state of Israel," a statement said, referring to a phone call between the two leaders.

Any such decisions must be "within the framework of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, aimed in particular at the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as capital," it added.

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls Gaza, called Saturday for a new "intifada" if Washington recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or moves its embassy to the disputed city.

Trump is up against a deadline to decide whether to make good on a campaign pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv -- where all foreign missions to Israel are currently located -- to Jerusalem.

Officials say that move is unlikely to be taken outright, but Trump may instead deliver a speech later this week recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The status of Jerusalem is a key issue in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

Both Israelis and Palestinians claim the city as their capital and previous peace plans have stumbled over debates on whether, and how, to divide sovereignty or oversee holy sites.

The last Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which claimed the lives of some 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis, was sparked by right-wing opposition leader Ariel Sharon's visit to the city's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in 2000.

The Palestinian president's office told AFP on Friday that American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would "destroy the peace process".

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The Maharashtra government today approved an industrial policy for women entrepreneurs, that aims to boost and encourage female entrepreneurship in the state.

A decision to this effect was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Industries minister Subhash Desai claimed that Maharashtra is the first state in the country to have a policy for women entrepreneurs.

Desai, while addressing reporters, also said the government may make necessary changes in some of the clauses in the policy, so that a maximum number of women entrepreneurs could avail its benefits.

"The department expects that the policy would lead to an investment of about Rs 2,000 crore and create about one lakh jobs in the next five years," Desai said.

"The government will keep aside Rs 648 crore in the next year's budget, while this year, Rs 15 crore provision has been made, Desai added.

The policy states that a woman entrepreneur would get a financial assistance from Rs 15 lakh up to Rs 1 crore in proportion of 15 per cent to 35 per cent of the capital investment of the project at a subsidised rate of interest of upto 5 per cent.

At the same time, the projects will get electricity at subsidised rate of Rs 1-2 per unit instead of Rs 7-8 per unit charges for industries.

The policy states that a few stalls or some areas in malls, commercial complexes or market yards will be kept reserved only for women.

Also, land will be reserved for women industrialists in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area across the state.

As per the policy, to make a market for women entrepreneurs, spaces will be kept reserved to display the products in various public places, malls, railway stations, bus stations, airports, movie theatres, foot over bridges, sub-way or commercial complexes.

The woman and child development department will also keep aside Rs 50 crore for the policy, which will be valid for 5 years or till further directives issued by the industries department.

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The BJP today asked the Congress party to make its stand clear on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue after party leader Kapil Sibal sought deferment of the hearing on the title dispute till the conclusion of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

BJP president Amit Shah accused the Congress of adopting "double standards", saying on one hand Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is on "election tour of temples (mandir ka chunavi daura) in Gujarat, while on the other his party wants the hearing on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute to be deferred.

Shah told reporters here that the entire country wanted the case to be heard soon, but when the matter came up in the Supreme Court today, Congress leader Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Sunni Waqf Board, sought its deferment till after the 2019 general elections.

The BJP chief said Gandhi should make the Congress's stand on the issue clear. He said the party should tell if it is in agreement with Sibal's views.

"Kapil Sibal vehemently opposed building a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Sibal, who came prepared with a brief from his Muslim petitioners, was adamant on stopping the construction of the temple. When the apex court overruled his submission, he even tried to leave the court," he said.

"I want to appeal to Rahul Gandhi to make clear the Congress's stand on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. I also want to ask the Congress if it is in agreement with Kapil Sibal's views and whether his views are the official stand of the party," Shah said.

He said the BJP and the entire country want the case to be heard and decided as early as possible.

Sibal, while arguing for the Sunni Waqf Board told the Supreme Court today that since the court's decision in the case would have "very serious ramifications", hearing be deferred till July 2019 by which time the general election would be over.

"Please fix the matter in July 2019 and we assure that we will not seek any adjournments... justice should not only be done, it should seem to be done," Sibal told the court.

The special bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra today also "prima facie" rejected the demand by a battery of lawyers including Sibal and Rajeev Dhavan that the appeals against the Allahabad High Court order be either referred to a five or seven-judge bench keeping in mind the sensitive nature of the case.

The Allahabad High Court had in 2010 ordered a three-way division of the disputed land which has been challenged in the Supreme Court.

The apex court today decided to hear the matter on February 8 next year.

Targeting Sibal, the BJP chief said,"Whenever the Congress wants to say something different, it fields Kapil Sibal. They made him say zero loss had occurred in the 2G spectrum case.

"He was also fielded to convey to the agitating (Patel) community in Gujarat that it is possible to give reservation by breaching the 50 per cent cap on quotas put by the Supreme Court," he said.

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The Islamic State (ISIS) inspired suicide bomber who blew himself up outside an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in May this yearhad been a "subject of interest" and opportunities to stop him were missed, says a new report released here today.

The report's author, David Anderson, said it was conceivable the attack by Salman Abedi on May 22 could have been avoided had "cards fallen differently".

After the bombing, which left 22 people dead, Scotland Yard's internal review found that better resources and infrastructures were needed.

Internal reviews were also conducted by MI5 intelligence service, which remain largely secret, are summarised in Anderson's report.

It highlights the Manchester bomber had been a "Subject of Interest" for MI5 - meaning someone they were investigating - between January and July 2014, and then again in October 2015.

On two occasions in the months before Abedi killed 22 people, MI5 received intelligence, but its significance was not fully appreciated at the time and, in hindsight, was "highly relevant" to the planned attack.

The two other attackers who had been on MI5's radar were Khuram Butt, who attacked at London Bridge and Borough Market, and Khalid Masood on Westminster Bridge in June this year.

Anderson, a former independent reviewer of terror legislation in the UK, said: "Despite elevated threat levels, the fundamentals are sound and the great majority of attacks continue to be thwarted.

"But the shock of these incidents has prompted intensive reflection and a commitment to significant change.

"In particular, MI5 and the police have identified the need to use data more effectively, to share knowledge more widely, to improve their own collaboration and to assess and investigate terrorist threats on a uniform basis, whatever the ideology that inspires them.

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Mid-sized IT firm Mindtree today said it has set up its first North America-based network operations centre (NOC) in Arizona, US to support its growing Infrastructure Management Services business.

Based on the model of its Chennai and Bengaluru NOCs, the US centre will help provide clients support for IT applications and infrastructure, it said in a statement.

The facility accommodates as many as 30 employees per shift across three shifts to give 24/7 coverage, it added.

The Scottsdale NOC will provide infrastructure and application operations support to clients, spanning service desk, level 1, 2 and 3 remote monitoring and management services.

Key clients from banking, financial services and insurance sectors have already committed to engaging with the Scottsdale NOC, the statement said.

This will also allow Mindtree to meet specific compliance requirements where monitoring must be done within the US and by the US citizens when security clearance is required, it added.

Mindtree has been making strategic investments in the US like the launch of its first international Digital Pumpkin innovation hub in New Jersey that opened in September.

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Mizoram government has rescheduled the proposed repatriation of over 5,000 Bru families from six relief camps in Tripura to March next year, a senior state Home department official today said.

The official said that as per the earlier schedule, it was proposed that the repatriation would begin from December first week, but it was deferred to March as the Union Ministry of Home Affairs failed to release funds meant for the exercise.

He said the proposal to commence the repatriation from March, 2018 would be implemented on time only if the Centre releases the fund for expenses to be incurred in the repatriation process.

The state government had submitted a revised estimate for the expenses for repatriation to the tune of Rs 123 crore.

The Mizoram government officials who conducted the identification in the Tripura relief camps during November 2 to November 23 this year, identified 32,857 people belonging to 5,413 families as bona fide residents of Mizoram and to be repatriated.

The proposed physical repatriation scheduled to commence from November 30 could, however, not take off due to different reasons including increase in the number of bona fide residents of Mizoram from 21,000 to 32,857, necessitating revision of the expenditure estimate.

Thousands of Brus fled Mizoram and migrated to Tripura after Bru militants gunned down a forest guard inside the Dampa Tiger Reserve on October 21, 1997.

The first effort to repatriate them in November 16, 2009 not only fizzled out due to the murder of a Mizo youth by Bru militants near Tripura border Bungthuam village three days before the commencement of the repatriation, but triggered another wave of exodus.

Even as a number of families have returned to Mizoram during the government-sponsored repatriation process as also on their own will, thousands of them remained in the Tripura relief camps making several fresh demands and conditions for their return.

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The NDMC's budget estimates for 2018-19 were presented today with the proposal of a single slab of 15 per cent for residential and 20 per cent for commercial property taxes.

Proposals for imposition of betterment and professional taxes were also presented.

Presenting the budget, North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) Commissioner Madhup Vyas proposed simplification and rationalisation of property taxes.

There are eight categories of residential properties and taxes ranging from 7 to 12 per cent. The proposed 15 per cent tax on residential properties will cover all these categories.

For all categories of commercial properties, the current rate is 15 per cent, which is proposed to be enhanced to 20 per cent.

The budget estimates to collect Rs 725 crore in 2018-19. The rebate on one-time payment of property tax by June 30, is proposed to be slashed from the existing 15 per cent to 10 per cent.

The civic body is also developing an interactive portal for property tax, and at present, details of 4.5 lakh properties have been digitised, the commissioner said.

In line with the recommendations of the second and third Delhi Finance Commission, a betterment tax at the annual rate of 15 per cent was proposed by the commissioner for financing infrastructure works, development of transportation facilities and redevelopment of colonies.

The professional tax would come under three categories of Rs 1,200, Rs 2,400 and Rs 2,500 per annum, he said, adding that a special cell would be formed to compare database and realise the tax from processionals living in the NDMC area.

"We hope with these measures, the NDMC will be financially self-reliant by the end of the 2019," the official said.

However, the chairman of the standing committee of the BJP-ruled civic body, Tilak Raj Kataria said that the proposed taxes will be discussed thoroughly and a final decision would be taken keeping in mind the interests of the people.

The commissioner in his budget estimates also highlighted various initiatives and proposals in different areas, including education, health and sanitation.

It has also been proposed to install 20,000 CCTV cameras in sensitive areas of the civic body with funds from a central government scheme.

It was also highlighted that the NDMC has trained 503 teachers of its schools to work for identification and rehabilitation of children addicted to drugs. Thirty such students were rehabilitated.

The commissioner said that community toilets would be handed over to private agencies for proper maintenance. The civic body would bear 50 per cent of the interest amount on loan taken by sanitation workers for medical and engineering education of their children, he said.

Parking facilities would be developed further with multi- storey parkings at the Shiva Market (Pitampura) and Rani Bagh besides providing basement parkings at ground level facilities at Gandhi Maidan and Chandni Chowk.

The budget estimate proposed total revenue of Rs 8,562.28 crore and total expenditure of 8,562.13 crore, for 2018-19. The revised estimate for 2017-18 total revenue is 5,765.96 crore and expenditure is 5,765.66 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal today closed its border with India for 72 hours at more than 22 different entry points for the second round of parliamentary and provincial elections slated for December 7.

The first phase of the election in the land-locked Nepal was held on November 26.

The decision was made by the government to seal the border after holding meetings of security officials of both the countries.

The second phase of the elections is taking place in 45 districts on Thursday.

Following the government's move to seal the border a large number of people travelling to India from Nepal and vice versa have been stranded in the Kakarbhitta border point.

"Those carrying Nepali citizenship and identity cards are only allowed to enter Nepal," police officer Tanka Bhattarai, of Kakadbhitta of eastern Nepal, said.

"The border is open for those traveling to India," Bhattarai added.

Residents of Bhadrapur, Nepal's eastern border with Bihar state, are facing difficulties due to the decision to seal the border, the officer said.

Similarly, entry points along the Nepal-India border in Kailali district have been sealed for 72 hours in view of the elections. The Indo-Nepal border will open on Thursday evening.

Silent period has started ahead of elections from today when candidates are restricted to conduct any type of election campaign.

The Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department have been deployed at the polling booth sites to maintain peaceful environment during the elections so that the voters could cast votes without any fear.

The elections are being seen as the final step in Nepal's transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives.

While many hope Nepal's first state elections will hasten regional development, others fear they will spark a fresh wave of violence.

In 2015, when Nepal adopted a new Constitution that split it into seven states, dozens of people were killed in ethnic clashes over territory and rights.

Following the adoption of the new Constitution in 2015, the ethnic Madhesi group, mostly of Indian-origin, protested for months, saying they were not getting enough territory in one of the states and were also facing discrimination.

Violent clashes not only left more than 50 people dead, but also left the country with severe shortages of fuel and medicine because protesters blocked the borders with India.

The protesters finally agreed to the elections after some amendments were made to the Constitution.

The polls are taking place under a new Constitution passed by lawmakers in September 2015 as part of a peace process that began with the end of a decade-long civil war.

The polls are a major step toward implementing the new Constitution.

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Sashashtra Seema Bal (SSB) today arrested a Nepali citizen along with 4.2 kg charas valued at Rs 80.40 lakh from Bihar's East Champaran district.

The SSB's 47 battalion commandant Sonam Chering said that the Nepali citizen, who was smuggling charas, has been identified as Mohammad Siraj Ahmad, a resident of Mohakot district of Nepal.

Acting on a tip-off, the team arrested Ahmad along with 4.2 kg of charas kept in 16 packets from Prem Nagar colony under Raxaul police station of the district. Ahmad was supposed to deliver the packets to a client at Sugauli railway station.

The value of seized charas is expected to be around Rs 80.40 lakh in international market, he said adding, the SSB handed over the person to local police after preliminary interrogation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's new envoy to China Gautam Bambawale today submitted his credentials to President Xi Jinping, a formality which would enable him to officially function as the Ambassador.

Xi received the credentials of Bambawale, and 10 other envoys, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The Chinese President welcomed the ambassadors to China and asked them to convey his sincere greetings and good wishes to the leaders and people of their countries.

The Chinese government will provide convenience and support for the work of the ambassadors, Xi said, adding that he hopes they will actively contribute to bilateral relations between China and their countries.

Xi said China will enhance mutual political trust, promote practical cooperation, deepen cooperation in international affairs, achieve common development with the countries and contribute to world peace, stability, the report said.

Bambawale, a seasoned diplomat, arrived here last month.

Till recently, he served as High Commissioner to Pakistan and earlier as India's envoy to Bhutan.

A 1984-batch India Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Bambawale succeeded Vijay Gokhale who took over as Secretary (Economic Relations) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

A deft hand in Sino-India relations, Bambawale earlier handled the China desk at the MEA which also included relations with Japan, China, South Korea, Mongolia and North Korea.

A Mandarin-speaker, he had also served as the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Indian Embassy in Beijing earlier.

He came ahead of India and China resuming a high-level dialogue this month after Xi assumed his second five-year term after an endorsement by the National Congress of the ruling Communist Party in October this year.

Bambawale's posting here came at a time when the two neighbours are trying to put behind the Dokalam standoff, and work on a "forward-looking" approach in their ties.

The Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to take part in the Russia, India and China (RIC) dialogue mechanism, expected to be held in Delhi on December 11.

During the visit, he is also expected to hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj and meet top Indian leadership, officials said here.

Following the RIC dialogue, the 20th round of India-China border talks will be held in Delhi between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

Both Doval and Yang have been designated as 'Special Representatives' who are also mandated to discuss all issues related to India-China relations.

For the first time after the Doklam standoff, the two countries held their border consultation and coordination mechanism meeting here last month during which they reviewed the situation in all sectors of their border and exchanged views on confidence building measures and military contacts.

The 10th round of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held in Beijing on November 17.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3488-km long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China claims Arunachal Pradesh as Southern Tibet while India asserts that the dispute covered Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during 1962 war.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vijay Mallya's defence team today argued that there was no evidence to support the case of fraud presented against him by the government of India as the liquor baron returned to court here on day two of his extradition trial.

The 61-year-old, wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores, was in the dock at Westminster Magistrates Court for his defence, headed by barrister Clare Montgomery.

Montgomery opened her arguments by stating that there was no evidence to support the case of fraud.

On the opening day of the trial, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, had asserted that the embattled liquor baron had a "case of fraud" to answer.

Montgomery claimed that the evidence presented by the CPS, on the direction of the Indian government, to prove a case of fraud amounted to "zero", which she said was a "critical failing on the part of government of India".

She claimed that the government does not have a credible case to support the argument that the borrowing by Mallya was fraudulent and he had no intentions to pay back the loans he sought because his profit projections for loss-making Kingfisher Airlines were unreliable.

"The reality is that the profitability of an airline depends on economic factors, which are largely cyclical and largely out of the control of the airline itself," she said.

Indicating that it would be plausible to conclude that any loan default was the result of "business failure", she presented internal company assessments and bank documents to prove that all numbers related to the struggling airline were known to the bankers and there was "no attempt to mislead by over-valuing the worth of the brand".

The prosecution yesterday had laid out what it termed as "three chapters of dishonesty" by the former Kingfisher Airlines boss the first being misrepresentations to various banks to acquire loans, then how he misused the money and finally his conduct after the banks recalled the loans.

"Instead of acting as an honest person and doing what he could to meet his obligations, he sets about erecting lines of defence," CPS barrister Mark Summers had said.

The charge of money laundering, for which Mallya had been re-arrested in October, is being focussed on by the CPS less at this stage.

Summers told the court that the Indian government says there are reasons why a court can conclude that the bank loans at the centre of the fraud case were ones the "defendant (Mallya) never intended to repay".

While Kingfisher Airlines and the airline industry were in "intensive care", Mallya chose to palm off the losses to banks, in particular state-owned banks.

The opening day's proceedings were concluded with an assertion by the CPS that it had "shown by virtue of evidence a prima facie case"against Mallya and the hearing should now move to the next phase of any "bars to extradition".

The next phase is when factors such as prison conditions in India are likely to take centre-stage.

The CPS had earlier admitted that there may have been "irregularities" in the internal processes of the banks sanctioning some of those loans but that would be a question to be dealt with at a later stage in India.

"The focus of our case will be on his (Mallya's) conduct and how he misled the bank and misused the proceeds," Summers said, as he presented a detailed chronology of events with specific focus on a loan sought by Kingfisher Airlines from IDBI bank in November 2009.

His erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines owes several Indian banks around Rs 9,000 crores.

Mallya, who was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant in April this year, has been out on bail on a bond worth 650,000 pounds.

His trial is scheduled to end on December 14, with Wednesday and Friday marked as non-sitting days.

A timeframe for a judgement in the case, being presided over by Judge Emma Louise Arbuthnot, will be determined only at the end of the trial and once the closing arguments have been made.

The tycoon has been on self-imposed exile in the UK since he left India on March 2, 2016.

If the judge rules in favour of extradition at the end of the trial, the UKhome secretary must orderMallya's extradition within two months.

However, the case can go through a series of appeals in higher UK courts before arriving at a conclusion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Operations against militants in Kashmir will continue, Army chief General Bipin Rawat asserted today adding that while it was upto the "neighbouring country" as to how it treats terrorist organisations but India will continue to raise the issue.

"Operations in Kashmir are going on continuously and we an improvement in the situation in the Valley. Such operations will go on," Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony at Suratgarh military station.

The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have eliminated over 200 militants this year, the highest number since 2010.

In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Rawat said that how the "neighbouring country" deals with terrorist organisation is their matter "but we will keep raising this".

We do not want that such organisations are promoted, he said.

Rawat was at the Suratgarh military station in Sriganganagar district to present the President's Standard to three regiments.

The Army chief presented the Standard to87 Armoured regiment, 47 Armoured regiment and 10 Armoured regiment after a mounted parade which was attended by south western Army commander Lt Gen Cherish Mathson, Lt Gen P C Thimmaya general officer commanding of Chetak corps and other senior officers.

The chief hosts of the event were the Colonels of the Regiments of three Armoured regiments-- Maj Gen Vinod Sharma, Maj Gen S S Mahal and Maj Gen Kulpreet Singh respectively, according to defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha.

A formation of T-72 main battle tanks, the mainstay of Indian Armoured Corps, displaying might of the Army was commanded by Brig Praveen Chabbra, commander of Sand Viper brigade with Regiment contingent commanded by respective commanding officers.

The honour was bestowed upon the three Armoured regiments in due recognition of the dedicated and meritorious service rendered by them since raising, more than three decades back.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It is up to the "neighbouring country" how it treats terrorist organisations but India will continue to raise the matter, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said today reacting to former Pakistan president Parvez Musharraf's statement on a poll alliance with Hafiz Saeed.

Rawat also asserted that there will be no let up in the operations against militants in Kashmir.

"Operations in Kashmir are going on continuously and we are trying to bring an improvement in the situation in the Valley. Such operations will go on," Rawat told reporters at the sidelines of a ceremony at Suratgarh military station.

The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have eliminated over 200 militants this year, the highest number since 2010.

Reacting tn Musharraf's statement welcoming an alliance with terrorist Hafiz Saeed for the 2018 general election in Pakistan, Rawat said that it was for the neighbouring country to decide how it deals with terrorist organisations.

"If they want to come into the system then why not the terrorist organisations which are present this (Indian) side participate and be part of the electoral process. How the neighbouring country deals with terrorist organisations is their matter but we will keep raising this," Rawat said.

We do not want that such organisations are promoted, he added.

While rejecting that there was a threat from China, the Army chief said that there existed a mechanism to deal with matters that arose out of differences regarding border perception.

"We keep on the dialogues and discussions. Our boundary perceptions are different and tensions and ups and downs happen, but we have a mechanism to deal with such matters," he said.

The Army chief also said that cadre review for Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) will enhance their promotion prospects and other facilities.

The government had cut the educational expenses of children of martyrs and capped it at Rs 10,000 per month and the matter will be discussed with the Centre, he said.

Rawat was at the Suratgarh military station to present the President's Standard to three regiments.

The Army chief presented the Standard to87 Armoured regiment, 47 Armoured regiment and 10 Armoured regiment after a mounted parade attended by southwestern Army commander Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson, Lieutenant General P C Thimmaya, general officer commanding of Chetak corps, and other officers.

The chief hosts of the event were the colonels of the three Armoured regiments, Major General Vinod Sharma, Major General SS Mahal and Major General Kulpreet Singh, according to defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Manish Ojha.

A formation of T-72 main battle tanks, the mainstay of Indian Armoured Corps, displaying the might of the Army was commanded by Brigadier Praveen Chabbra, commander of the Sand Viper brigade with regiment contingent commanded by respective commanding officers.

The honour was bestowed upon the three Armoured regiments in due recognition of the dedicated and meritorious service rendered by them since raising, more than three decades back.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 'Maily Se Nirmal Yamuna' Revitalisation Project for cleaning and rejuvenating the river, has crossed its deadline and is facing inordinate delay due to non-cooperation of authorities and lack of executive will, the Green Tribunal said on Tuesday.

Expressing displeasure over the slow pace of the Yamuna rejuvenation programme, the NGT said the ground reality shows that the project, which was to be completed by March 31 this year, was far away from the target though some progress has been made in the first phase of its judgement.

The tribunal in January 2015 had delivered a comprehensive judgement dealing with all aspects of preventing and controlling pollution in Yamuna.

The entire project, christened as 'Maily Se Nirmal Yamuna' Revitalization Project, contemplated under the judgment of the tribunal was to be completed by March 31.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar today noted that out of 14 sewage treatment plants (STPs) to be constructed to clean waste water reaching Yamuna through drains, the work on five have started, while at two sites, the survey of land has begun but the actual work is yet to start as the paperwork for handing over the land was still underway.

"It is quite evident that the reason for the delay is non-cooperation and lack of executive will to complete the project. The local authorities, Delhi government, Mission for Clean Ganga have not worked in tandem.

"First, attempts were made to alter the findings and directions recorded in the judgement and later it was improper interpretation and inaction that resulted in inordinate delay in compliance of the directions of the tribunal.

"This includes providing of finance, the manner in which the work should have been executed and who shall be the appropriate authority to ensure implementation," the NGT said.

The green panel said that no "fruitful purpose" would be served by adopting "punitive" action for non-compliance of its directions. It would be more appropriate to adopt an approach which is result oriented and helps in completing the project expeditiously.

The bench, also comprising Justice R S Rathore and Jawad Rahim, said that in order to remove any kind of ambiguity in the minds of authorities, it would deal with each of the major aspects of the project which are either in dispute or have not been implemented properly.

It said it would classify the entire issue of cleaning the river into different broad heads -- matters related to finance, sites for setting of STP, future implementation of projects and proposed action with regard to Phase-II of the Yamuna cleaning project.

The Phase-I of the clean aims to lower the pollution levels in the Najafgarh and Delhi Gate drains, while Phase-II deals with Shahdara, Barapullah and other drains.

The matter was listed for further hearing tomorrow.

The NGT had on October 23 rapped the AAP government and the DJB for not filing their replies to the show cause notices on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for delaying compliance of orders on the project.

Delhi Jal Board (DJB) CEO had then told the NGT that out of the total fund of Rs 1,755 crore allocated to the Board, Rs 939 crore was for water and Rs 816 crore for sewage. Of this, Rs 351 crore had been spent on the sewage head on maintenance and the projects allowed by a committee set up by the NGT.

The tribunal was informed that a total of 14 STP projects were to be constructed to clean waste water. Of these, seven are to be built by the DJB with its own funds.

The green panel had said that pollution in the Yamuna was of serious concern as it was highly contaminated by industrial effluents and sewage.

It had noted that almost 67 per cent of the pollutants reaching Yamuna would be treated by the two sewage treatment plants at Delhi Gate and Najafgarh under the first phase of the 'Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project'.
One person was killed and two others of the family were injured after their car collided with a speedy truck on the Delhi-Dehradun Highway near Bijapura village in the district, police said today.

The deceased, identified as Kuldeep, was travelling with his sister and her 8-year-old child when their vehicle allegedly collided with an over-speeding truck yesterday, they said.

"The family had gone to attend a wedding in Dehradun, and were returning to Bulandshahr," the police official said.

The injured were rushed to hospital in critical condition, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi government today told the Supreme Court, which is hearing pleas on whether the Lieutenant Governor or the Delhi government enjoyed supremacy in administration, that its legislative powers must be accompanied by executive authority to enforce the laws.

The Arvind Kejriwal government commenced its rejoinder submissions before a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra after the Centre concluded its arguments on November 30.

Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the city government, said, "one who makes the law must have the power to execute the law".

Referring to the principle of "collective responsibility" of council of ministers, he told the bench, which also comprised Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan, that there cannot be a situation where legislative powers of a government was not supported by the executive authority to execute enacted laws.

The Westminster system of governance envisaged that the council of ministers would be guided by the principle of collective responsibility and it cannot be said that the MLAs are elected advisors of the Lieutenant Governor.

Referring to Article 239AA of the Constitution which deals with the power and status of Delhi, the bench said it did not say that the Lieutenant Governor would act as per the aid and advice of the council of ministers.

It rather said the LG can take decisions pending final adjudication of the dispute by the President.

The advancing of rejoinder submissions remained inconclusive and would resume tomorrow.

Earlier, the apex court had said it would only lay down the principles on the status of the national capital under the Constitution and not deal with the issues arising out of individual notifications issued by the Delhi government on matters like 'mohalla clinics' and regularisation of guest teachers.

Prior to this, the Centre had refuted Delhi government's charge that the LG sits over its proposals and files and had asserted that 96 per cent of its decisions were approved by the LG within 2-3 days.

The top court is hearing a clutch of appeals filed by the AAP government challenging Delhi High Court's verdict holding LG as the administrative head of the national capital.

The Centre had also said the Delhi government cannot have "exclusive" executive powers as it would be against national interests. It had referred to the 1989 Balakrishnan committee report that had dealt with reasons for not granting the status of state to Delhi.

It had referred to the Constitution, the 1991 Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act and the Transaction of Business of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Rules to drive home the point that the President, the union government and the LG had supremacy over the city dispensation in administering the national capital.

On the other hand, the Delhi government had accused the LG of making a "mockery of democracy", saying he was either taking decisions of an elected government or substituting them without having any power.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One 97 Communications, the entity that runs financial services platform Paytm, has appointed SoftBank's Kabir Misra as a director on its board, according to the company's regulatory filings.

As per the filing to the Corporate Affairs Ministry, Misra was appointed as an additional director in a resolution passed at the company's board meeting on November 7.

"...Kabir Misra is hereby appointed as an additional director on the board with immediate effect to hold the office as director of the company till the ensuing annual general meeting of the company," it said.

Paytm declined to comment on the development.

The move comes after Japanese conglomerate SoftBank pumped in USD 1.4 billion (over Rs 9,079 crore) in Paytm in May this year.

At that time, the investment in Paytm was Softbank's largest investment in a single company in India.

While both the companies had declined to comment on the valuation, market watchers had pegged Paytm's valuation at about USD 8 billion.

Paytm offers payments, banking, lending and insurance solutions. Founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the company is headquartered in Noida.

Apart from SoftBank, the company's investors include the likes of SAIF Partners and Chinese giant Alibaba Group and its payments affiliate, Ant Financial.

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The Congress today termed the farm loan waiver by BJP governments in the states as mere rhetoric and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi order a probe into alleged 22 lakh "ghost accounts" in Maharashtra.

Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan raised the issue of alleged irregularities in bank accounts that emerged after Maharashtra government stressed on online registration by farmers with their Aadhaar number. The matter was flagged by state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself, he claimed.

Chavan, who is a former Maharashtra chief minister, also alleged that the state has provided farm loan waiver only to around 2,000 farmers against the promise made to 89 lakh farmers ahead of elections and asked whether it was merely a poll gimmick.

"Will Prime Minister Modi, who continuously makes tall promises of doubling farm income in his Gujarat rallies, order a probe into the 22 lakh 'ghost accounts'?



"Will the chief minister of Maharashtra and the chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh order an impartial judicial probe into these massive irregularities in farm loans," he told reporters.

Alleging that the implementation of the scheme has come as a "rude shock" to small and marginal farmers of Maharashtra, he asked "whether the promise of farm loan waiver was only a 'jumla' (rhetoric) by the BJP to fetch votes in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra?".

"Have the farmers of India been duped to simply get votes by the BJP in elections after elections," he asked.

He also asked the BJP to apologise to the farmers who have been deprived of these benefit of loan waiver scheme.

"The Congress demands answers to these important questions on behalf of crores of farmers of India," he said.

Chavan also condemned the detention of some farmers in Akola in Maharashtra and that of BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, saying the "fascist shades" of the BJP have come to the fore.

He said their only crime was that they were protesting against the "insensitive policies" of the BJP government that have severely affected the cotton farmers of Vidarbha.

"We strongly condemn such actions by the state government, which in its hunger for power, is playing with the rights of the farmers in the state," he said.

The former chief minister said the much-hyped farm loan waiver scheme announced by Maharashtra government on June 24, 2017 was expected to benefit 89 lakh farmers across the state and an amount of Rs 34,022 crore was to be disbursed to the debt ridden farmers by October 31.

Chavan alleged that BJP's "deception can be gauged by the mere fact that banks (both public sector and co-operative) which were supposed to waive the loans, were found to have inflated the number of farm loan accounts by about 22 lakh".

"These 22 lakh beneficiaries are now termed as 'ghost accounts' by senior officials of the State Bank of India, as per media reports," he alleged.

The Congress leader said several media reports indicate that that now the actual budget for farm loan waiver has been reduced by Rs 10,200 crores to Rs 24,000 Crores.

Chavan said he on the behalf of the Congress party had written to the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, citing several instances of such 'ghost accounts' but did not receive any response.

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A Pakistani activist associated with a friendship initiative between the youth of India and Pakistan has gone missing from his residence here hours after taking part in an open discussion on extremism, his colleagues said today.

Raza Mahmood Khan, convener of Aghaz-i-Dosti, went missing on Saturday, his colleague Raheemul Haq said.

"We last met Raza on Saturday evening for an open discussion on extremism specifically focusing on the recent Islamabad sit-in of Islamists," he said.

Raza is also associated with another community initiative that brings people together for dialogues and debates on issues critical to building a peaceful society.

Raza's brother Hamid Nasir has submitted an application to Naseerabad police for an FIR but the case has not been registered yet.

Another colleague of Raza said he was quite critical of the role of the military establishment in the sit-in staged by religious groups.

The sit-in ended on November 27 after military brokered a deal between the protesters and the PML-N government.

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Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today chaired a high-level meeting of top military officers and discussed the regional security situation with reference to Afghanistan, officials said.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis, during his maiden visit to Pakistan yesterday, asked Islamabad to "redouble" its efforts to confront militants operating from its soil, reaffirming Washington's concern that Islamabad has not done enough to combat terrorism.

"(The) forum also discussed regional and internal security situation with specific reference to Afghanistan," the army said in a statement.

General Bajwa also briefed his commanders about his recent trips to Iran and Saudi Arabia.

"The COAS took the forum on board about his military diplomacy through his recent visits abroad and interaction with foreign dignitaries visiting Pakistan," it said.

They also reviewed the progress in military operation 'Radd-ul-Fasaad' and enhanced security measures along the Afghan border, the statement added.

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US President Donald Trump told Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in a phone call today that he intended to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas's office said.

Trump "informed the president (Abbas) on his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," a statement from the Palestinian presidency said.

It was not clear from the statement if Trump planned to move the embassy immediately or at some point in the future, with no further details provided.

Moving the embassy and recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital would mark a major shift in US policy that would upturn decades of precedent and run contrary to international consensus.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said yesterday that Trump "has been clear on this issue from the get-go: It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when."



He said a declaration on the move would be made "in the coming days."



In today's call, Abbas in turn "warned of the dangerous consequences of such a decision on the peace process, security and stability in the region and the world," the statement said.

"The president reaffirms our firm position that there can be no Palestinian state without east Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the resolutions of international law and the Arab peace initiative," it said.

Abbas "will continue his communications with world leaders to prevent such an unacceptable and rejected step.

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A panel formed by the Delhi government to look into the case of a premature baby wrongly declared dead has found the hospital guilty of not following prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants.

The three-member panel today submitted its preliminary report to Delhi's Heath minister Satyender Jain after scrutinising hospital records and meeting staff members concerned, a Delhi government source said.

"The panel in its report found the hospital guilty of not having followed prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants," the source told PTI.

According to the report, no ECG tracings were done to check if the child was alive. The body was handed over without written instructions.

As part of its initial action, Max Healthcare yesterday decided to terminate the services of two doctors allegedly involved in the case.

The action against the doctors was taken on the basis of initial discussions with the expert group and as a reflection of the commitment to higher standards of care, the hospital said in a statement yesterday.

The hospital had ordered an inquiry into the case on December 1.

The case pertains to the birth of twins (a boy and a girl) on November 30. The parents alleged the babies were declared dead by the Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh but they later found the boy was alive.

The Delhi health minister had on December 2 said if the hospital was found guilty of medical negligence in its probe, its licence could be cancelled.

The parents had earlier said they were told by the hospital that both the babies were stillborn. The infants were handed over to them in a polythene bag, they said.

Just before their last rites, the family discovered that the baby boy was breathing, the police said.

"We rushed the baby to a nearby nursing home in Pitampura, where he is on life support," the father had said.

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A 13-year-old girl who was the target of taunts and insults for years at her California school has died after she hanged herself, leaving a message describing herself as "ugly" and a "loser".

Rosalie Avila hanged herself in her room on November 28 and was rushed to hospital, where she was declared brain dead a day later. The teen was kept on life support until Monday so her organs could be donated, local media reported.

"My daughter is a victim of bullying," Rosalie's mother Charlene Avila wrote on the GoFundMe crowdfunding site, in which she sought money for funeral and medical expenses.

"She was a beautiful person inside and out. She was a great artist, very lovable (and) loving."



Avila, who was a student at a public middle school in the town of Calimesa -- some 114 kilometers east of Los Angeles -- left a farewell note for her parents.

"Sorry, Mom and Dad. I love you," the message read, her father Freddie Avila told CBS .

"And it said, 'Sorry, Mom, you're gonna find me like this'," the grieving father said.

The Avilas said their daughter, who dreamt of being a lawer, was bullied at school and on social media. On the day before she hanged herself, bullies had made fun of her braces.

"Rose just kept this to herself," Freddie Avila told NBC . "On the inside, it was just tearing her to pieces that they were always making fun of her."



According to the New York Post, the parents received a meme via social media taunting them over their daughter's death.

Some 5,900 youths between the ages of 10 and 24 committed suicide in the United States in 2015, according to government figures.

The Yucaipa-Calimesa school district issued a statement mourning Rosalie's death. Candlelight vigils were held at the victim's school in her memory.

An investigation is under way into the allegations of bullying at the school, the statement read.

It added that the district is "committed to maintaining a positive, inclusive school culture that enables our students to grow academically and socially."



According to the government-run "Stop Bullying" website, 28 percent of middle and high school students in the United States are victims of bullying, and nine percent are victims of cyber bullying.

In September, a 15-year-old killed a schoolmate and injured three others at a high school in Washington state, in a case also related to bullying.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with the 14 newly-elected BJP mayors of Uttar Pradesh and the party representatives from Amethi, a Gandhi family pocket borough which the saffron party seeks to wrest from the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP had swept the just-concluded civic polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 14 of the 16 mayoral posts on offer.

"Had a wonderful interaction with the newly elected mayors of UP belonging to the BJP. Congratulated them and wished them the very best as they begin their responsibilities towards contributing to UP's and India's development journey," the prime minister tweeted.

Modi also posted his photos with each of the newly- elected BJP mayors of Uttar Pradesh on Twitter.

He also met the three BJP leaders who won from Amethi and expressed confidence that the region would develop under them.

His meeting with the Amethi leaders is significant as the BJP has been making all-round efforts to snatch the Lok Sabha constituency, represented by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi earlier and now by his son and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, from the opposition party.

"Chandrama Devi will head Amethi's Nagar Panchayat. I could sense her anguish on the lack of development in Amethi so far and could see the determination to work for Amethi's growth," Modi tweeted.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey were also present on the occasion.

Sources said Modi emphasised the importance of "Jan Bhaagidaari" (people's participation) in local governance, and urged the mayors to work hard for the development of their cities.

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Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari today cited "huge crowds" attending rallies of party vice president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat to predict a "turnaround" for the Grand Old Party in elections.

Tewari also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up the campaign in his home state after seeing the response Rahul Gandhi's rallies are getting.

"Modi addressed over 12 rallies in Gujarat in the last several days. The prime minister has intensified the campaign because he is worried about the huge crowds attending the Congress vice president's rallies in various parts of the state," Tewari told reporters.

He said Gandhi's rallies have raised hopes of the people of Gujarat.

"Congress will make a turnaround in Gujarat this time as its electoral fortunes are going to change," the Congress spokesperson said.

The Congress leader alleged that it was "unprecedented" for a prime minister to do so much canvassing for an assembly poll.

He said former prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh used to address maximum 2-3 rallies in their respective states during the poll campaign.

"If Modi thinks that Gujarat polls are being fought on the development plank then he should have let Chief Minister Vijay Rupani handle the campaigning. However, the fact is that Modi has realised that the people of Gujarat are not convinced about the development claims of the BJP," he alleged.

Taking a dig, Tewari said the extensive campaigning by Modi gives an impression that he wanted to return to Gujarat as Chief Minister "because he is tired of ruling the NDA government at Centre".

Criticising the prime minister for likening Rahul Gandhi's imminent ascension as Congress president to dynastic succession of Mughal rulers, Tewari said, "Modi should say how many times elections were held in the BJP to elect its party presidents, including Amit Shah".

On likely outcome of the polls, slated for December 9 and December 14, the Congress leader said, "A change in the voting pattern in urban areas would be of immense significance in Gujarat".

He said the ruling BJP is rattled by the ground reality and has started playing a communal card by projecting the troika of Vijay Rupani, Amit Shah, and Narendra Modi as "RAM".

Tewari said the BJP will suffer due to demonetisation and GST rollout whereas the Congress will gain in rural Gujarat on the back of support from the Patidar community.

Congress has been in political wilderness since last 22 years in Gujarat.

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Police today rescued a 13-year-old girl and arrested the alleged kidnapper from Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district.

The girl's family lodged a complaint at Trikuta Nagar police station here about their daughter being abducted by Shafkat Ahmed on Sunday, the police official said.

The girl was rescued after the police raided a place in Rajouri and arrested the alleged kidnapper, he said.

According to the police, girl was handed over to the family, while a case has been registered against the accused in this connection.

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Vice President M Vekaiah Naidu today said primary education should be given to children in their mother tongue to instill a sense of respect for it in young minds.

We should never forget our motherland and our mother tongue, he said at the second convocation of Swami Rama Himalayan University here.

"There is nothing wrong in learning different languages, but we must respect our mother tongue because it can express feelings and thoughts which other languages cannot," Naidu said.

"Primary education to children should be given in their mother tongue to instill a sense of respect for it in young minds," he said.

Noting that the idea that the entire world is one family forms the basis of India's culture, the vice president said secularism was in the DNA of every Indian.

"We may speak different dialects and languages but the country is one," he said.

Congratulating students who were conferred degrees at the convocation, he asked them to remember that education is not just a means of getting employment but also a means to enlighten minds.

He said the youth had a crucial role to play in the Centre's initiatives such as Skill India, Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao, Swachcha Bharat Mission, Make In India and Digital India.

He also suggested that applying former president APJ Abdul Kalam's idea of providing urban facilities in rural areas could be an effective way to stop migration from the hills of Uttarakhand.

Governor KK Paul in his address at the convocation said the state government had taken a number of steps to stop migration from the hills and results will be visible in times to come.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat asked students to use their education to educate others.

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In an attempt to burnish his public image and leave no fingerprints behind, Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort recently enlisted a longtime Russian colleague to help him ghostwrite an op-ed, prosecutors have said.

The attempt to publish the op-ed under someone else's name now has prosecutors working for special counsel Robert Mueller pushing for Manafort to remain on house arrest and GPS monitoring for the time being.

An op-ed is an opinion essay written to be published in some form, usually on a website or in a newspaper or magazine. It is usually marked as representing the views of the writer and separated from content.

In a court filing , prosecutors say Manafort and the colleague sought to publish the op-ed to influence public opinion about his political consulting in Ukraine, work at the heart of the criminal case against him.

The op-ed was being drafted as late as last week, prosecutors say. They did not name the colleague but noted the person is based in Russia.

Manafort is currently facing several felony charges involving allegations of money laundering and other financial crimes related to his political consulting work in Ukraine. Manafort has denied any wrongdoing. A trial is scheduled for next year.

Reached yesterday, a spokesman for Manafort declined comment on the op-ed described by prosecutors.

In the court filing, prosecutors say the op-ed appeared to violate an admonishment from the judge last month to refrain from public statements.

"Even if the ghostwritten op-ed were entirely accurate, fair, and balanced, it would be a violation of this Court's November 8 Order if it had been published," the prosecutors wrote.

"The editorial clearly was undertaken to influence the public's opinion of defendant Manafort, or else there would be no reason to seek its publication (much less for Manafort and his long-time associate to ghostwrite it in another's name)."



They added, "It compounds the problem that the proposed piece is not a dispassionate recitation of the facts."



Prosecutors said they discovered the efforts to publish the op-ed last Thursday and alerted Manafort's attorney, who assured prosecutors that "steps would be taken to make sure it was no longer going to be published."



At the time, Manafort was working to secure his release from home confinement by posting more than USD 10 million in bond, and according to court papers, he had reached a tentative agreement with the government.

But after discovering the op-ed, Mueller's team is now opposing Manafort's proposed bond agreement.

Prosecutors did not disclose the op-ed in court papers so as to prevent it from becoming public. They also did not disclose what name the ghostwritten op-ed would have been published under.

Manafort and his longtime business associate, Rick Gates, were indicted in October by a grand jury in Washington. They were among the first people to face charges brought by the special counsel's office.

Manafort led the Trump campaign for several months, including during the Republican National Convention. Gates also worked in a senior role in the campaign.

Mueller has been leading a wide-ranging investigation into Russia's election interference and any coordination with Trump associates.

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West Bengal Fisheries department today sought contribution from private players to meet the projected annual demand of 20 lakh metric tonnes of fish by 2019-20.

The current annual demand of close to 17.8 lakh metric tonnes is set to reach 20 lakh metric tonnes by 2019-20, Department of Fisheries Secretary Dr Ravi Inder Singh said at a discussion on 'Agri-business opportunities in West Bengal' organised by Merchants' Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

"This is an area where private players can come in as well as the fishermen's cooperatives and fisheries. Government is ready to cooperate," Singh said.

He said that a fishery hub is already in place at Moyna where the yield is much more than average.

"We wish there could be more such projects," he said.

He said last year more than 1 lakh metric tonnes fish was exported and expressed hope that the export potential of 3 lakh MT can be achieved.

While India is the second largest vegetable producer in the world, West Bengal is the second largest vegetable producer, Secretary, Food Processing, Industries and Horticulure, Nandini Chakravorty said in her address.

"We have prepared an agri-horticulture blueprint for state where we have identified the gaps in infrastructure and in this sector, we invite private partnership, private investments on their own," she said.

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Former Sri Lankan leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, who leads a rival faction of the ruling SLFP, has blamed his successor President Maithripala Sirisena for the breakdown of unity talks between the two sides.

The two factions of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have held talks to try and unite to face local council elections, now likely to be held in mid-February.

"The efforts failed because they (the Sirisena faction) did not want to leave the government. We cannot agree to any alliance with the UNP," Rajapaksa said yesterday, addressing a political rally of his new party - Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) - in the central hill town of Badulla.

The SLPP is the brainchild of his powerful brother Basil, who was the economic development minister during Rajapaksa's 10-year presidency.

Rajapaksa has been reluctant to publicly associate with SLPP until yesterday.

Rajapaksa backers in the SLPP want the Sirisena-led SLFP to leave the current unity government with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United Natinal Party (UNP).

The UNP and SLFP formed the unity government in 2015 after Rajapaksa lost to Sirisena in the presidential election.

Rajapaksa, who had sacked Sirisena from the party after he emerged as the common opposition challenger, had passed on the SLFP leadership to the incumbent president following his stunning victory.

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Clashes in the Yemeni capital have killed at least 234 people and wounded 400 since December 1, the International Committee of the Red Cross said today.

"Now we have 400 wounded reported and 234 dead," Sanaa- based ICRC spokeswoman Soumaya Beltifa told AFP, in reference to fighting between Huthi rebels and forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh -- who was himself killed on Monday.

Strongman Saleh had on Saturday bypassed his Huthi allies of three years, telling the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen he was ready to negotiate if the crippling siege could be lifted.

But the move backfired. Saleh was killed as fighting raged between his forces and the Iran-backed Huthis for control of the capital -- a new front in the war.

Yemen's war has left thousands dead since 2015, led to what the United Nations now labels the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and has deepened tensions between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

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Human Rights Watch in a report today criticised Iraq and the autonomous Kurdish authorities over mass trials of suspected Islamic State group jihadists.

In "Flawed Justice: Accountability for ISIS Crimes in Iraq", HRW said Baghdad and the Kurdish authorities in the north were holding "thousands of trials of Islamic State suspects without a strategy to prioritise the worst abuses under Iraqi and international law".

"The broad prosecution under terrorism law of all those affiliated with ISIS (IS) in any way, no matter how minimal, could impede future community reconciliation and reintegration, and clog up Iraqi courts and prisons for decades," the New York-based group said.

Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director, said that in acting this way, "Iraqi justice is failing to distinguish between the culpability of doctors who protected lives under ISIS rule and those responsible for crimes against humanity".

The group said the authorities "appear to be prosecuting all ISIS suspects in their custody under counterterrorism laws, primarily for ISIS membership, and not focusing on specific actions or crimes that may have been committed".

HRW identified 7,374 cases of suspects charged under this law since 2014, of whom 92 have been executed.

Its researchers estimate the total number of people imprisoned for suspected IS membership at 20,000.

Anti-terrorism laws allow judges to charge a large number of people, even those not involved in violence but who are suspected of having helped IS, such as doctors who worked in hospitals or cooks who fed fighters.

HRW said it was easier to charge a suspect under anti- terrorism laws than with a specific offence under the penal code as all the authorities had to do was to prove IS membership.

It said counterterrorism laws carry harsh sentences, including life in prison or the death penalty, even for belonging to the jihadist group.

"But that makes it more difficult to prioritise and punish the most serious crimes," it said.

HRW also believes the authorities "have made no efforts to solicit victim participation in the trials, even as witnesses".

It said the report was based on information gathered in Arbil and Baghdad between November 2016 and July 2017.

HRW also said it regretted that a 2016 Iraqi law granting amnesty to suspects who can show they joined IS or any extremist group against their will and have not committed a crime was not being consistently applied.

"Execution of fighters who surrender or are hors de combat is a war crime," HRW added.

IS swept across a third of Iraq in 2014 and seized several cities including Mosul, before starting to be driven out in mid-2017.

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Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today pitched for river connectivity on the lines of power grids for better water conservation, according to an official statement.

Gadkari, who is incharge of Ministry of Water Resources, said that availability of water is not the problem in the country, but people need to learn to manage and conserve it.

He said the government's plan to double the income of farmers by 2022 cannot be achieved sans proper water management.

The minister stressed that enhancing drip and pipe irrigation will reduce wastage of water and will be cost effective for farmers.

He also said that river connectivity programme can reduce water crisis in "critical areas" of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra.

Gadkari made the remarks while addressing the second edition of 'India Water Impact Summit - 2017' here.

Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti, who also attended the event, said that apart from the government programme, the willpower of the common man is important to achieve the goal of "aviral and nirmal Ganga" (clean Ganga and unfettered flow in it).

Bharti said that there has been a lot of talk about clean Ganga and that it was "time for action and results" now.

Bharti, who held the portfolio of water resources before Gadkari took charge of the ministry earlier this year, said she wants to see all the projects related to Clean Ganga to be initiated fully by October 2018.

Speaking at the event, water resources ministry secretary UP Singh expressed concern on the declining level of ground water in many parts of the country.

Referring to a survey conducted under national aquifer mapping programme, he said that ground water level has reached an "alarmingly" low level in many areas, while per capital availability is also reducing.

A document titled "Vision Ganga" prepared by the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies, which organised the four-day summit along with National Mission for Clean Ganga, was also released on the occasion.

The first summit was held in 2012, the statement said.

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Banks have so far deposited Rs 5,141 crore in accounts of 9.43 lakh farmers under the loan waiver scheme of the Maharashtra government, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said today.

The government has handed over a list of 17.68 lakh farmers and transferred Rs 10,332 crore to banks and the disbursal of this loan amount will pick up speed in coming days, he said.

After due verification, banks have transferred Rs 5,141 crore in accounts of 9.43 lakh farmers eligible for loan write-off under the the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana (CSMSSY), the minister said.

Patil, commenting on a farmer agitation led by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha in Akola, said the latter should realise the government has already started implementation of the loan waiver scheme.

"He (Sinha) would realise there was no need for him to continue with his agitation," he said.

Patil said in the next 10 days, the government expects to clear another list of 40 lakh to 48 lakh eligible farmers.

Disbursal of the loan waiver amounts will pick up speed after due verification is done, the minister said.

Patil said overall 80 lakh to 82 lakh farmers are expected to benefit from the Rs 34,000-crore loan waiver scheme announced in June this year.

Replying to queries over the delay in depositing loan waiver amounts in farmer bank accounts, Patil said this was due to "faulty" data collection (on eligible beneficiaries) by the nationalised banks.

In respect of Sinha's agitation over bollworm damaging cotton crop in Vidarbha, he said the government has already issued orders to assess the extent of damage.

He said the government will compensate farmers who have availed crop insurance and also consider bailing out those who have not opted for insurance.

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Next time if you are driving a vehicle, stop at a traffic signal and begin to honk, you could find an official from Regional Transport Office (RTO) approach you with folded hands and request you not to do so.

These officials from the RTO will greet motorists with folded hands and say, "we are from Transport Department of Maharashtra. We request you not to honk. Our city is too noisy. Lets make it peaceful".

The officials from the RTO have also been tasked with handing over a pamphlet with the message "Noise is Pollution & Pollution is a crime of 21st Century. Stop Honking. Peaceful Mumbai. Please do not litter. Clean India".

"The anti-honking drive will be a peaceful one with no fines being imposed, but with an aim to appeal to the good conscious of the motorists," an official said.

The drive is being carried out in Mumbai and suburban Mumbai between December 5 to December 18.

During this drive officials from the RTO with their flying squad teams will be stationed at the traffic signals.

"These officials shall only interact with the motorists who are at the traffic signal when the signal has turned red, hand over the pamphlet and urge them not to honk. The message on the pamphlet will be in Marathi, Hindi and English," the official said.

Meanwhile, an Environment Department notification issued on July 31, 2014, has laid down standards for horns, sirens and multi toned horns. This followed the National Green Tribunal, Western Zone Bench, Pune issuing directions to notify the standards in its order of 2013.

The government notification states that sirens and multi tone horns shall be continued to be banned except for police vans, ambulance and fire Brigade only in case of emergency situations.

The use of sirens and multi tone horns shall continued to remain banned in silence zone and during night time in residential areas.

The noise level of horns including sirens, multi toned horns should not exceed 10 dB(A), louder than the noise level of the vehicle engine sound for each category of vehicles.

The position of the horn should be under the bonnet of the vehicle, the notification states.

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Gulf powerhouse Saudi Arabia snubbed its former regional ally Qatar at the annual summit today of regional monarchies as King Salman stayed away despite the presence of the Qatari emir.

The crisis-hit Gulf Cooperation Council summit was going ahead in Kuwait City but amid uncertainty over which leaders from among Riyadh and its allies would join their Qatari rival for the talks.

The future of the six-nation GCC -- formed 36 years ago to bring together energy-rich Sunni Arab Gulf states -- appeared to be hanging in the balance.

This year's meeting comes with Saudi Arabia and its allies engaged in a bitter dispute with fellow GCC member Qatar, in the worst crisis ever to hit the bloc.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani accepted an invitation to attend, but with only hours before talks were due to begin, Saudi King Salman sent his foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, in his stead.

Bahrain sent its deputy prime minister and Emirati media said the state minister for foreign affairs would represent Abu Dhabi.

Those three Gulf states, together with Egypt, cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival.

Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi- led bloc of aiming to incite a change of regime in Doha.

Kuwait has been leading mediation efforts within the GCC to resolve the crisis, but so far with little success.

Casting further doubt on the group's future, the UAE said Tuesday it was forming a new military and economic committee with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC.

The committee "will coordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields," according to a decree issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Founded in 1981, the GCC is a political and economic union grouping Qatar with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman and Kuwait.

Dominated by Riyadh, it has been a regional counterweight to Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia's Shiite rival across the Gulf.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar attended round-table talks ahead of the gathering, in their first such encounter since the diplomatic crisis erupted in June.

Omani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yussef bin Alawi sat between them at the meeting which the foreign ministers of the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait also attended.

After cutting off all ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a land, sea and air blockade of the emirate and issued a list of 13 demands to have it lifted.

Bahrain in October called for Qatar's membership of the GCC to be suspended until it accepted the demands.

Experts warn that the crisis could lead to the demise of the once-powerful GCC.

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Saudi Arabia's King Salman has warned President Donald Trump that moving the US embassy for Israel to Jerusalem was a "dangerous step" that could rile Muslims worldwide.

"Moving the US embassy is a dangerous step that provokes the feelings of Muslims around the world," state-run Al- Ekhbariya TV quoted King Salman as telling Trump in a phone call.

Trump informed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas's office said on Tuesday.

The announcement prompted a slew of criticism from Arab leaders.

Ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States appeared to have warmed after the election of Trump, who chose the Gulf kingdom for his first overseas visit in May.

While the two countries have long been allies, Riyadh viewed Trump's predecessor Barack Obama as overly friendly with its arch-nemesis Iran.

Israel and Saudi Arabia have no official diplomatic relations.
Saudi Arabia on Monday voiced "grave and deep concern" over possible US plans to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the move could have serious implications for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

President Donald Trump faces a key decision this week over Jerusalem's status, potentially reversing years of US policy and prompting a furious response from the Palestinians and the Arab world.

"Saudi Arabia (expresses) grave and deep concern over reports that the US administration intends to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem," the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing a foreign ministry source.

"This step will have serious implications and will further complicate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It will also obstruct the ongoing efforts to revive the peace process."



The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Facing dark warnings of a historic misstep and widespread unrest, Trump on Monday delayed a decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there.

The White House said Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv, after a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and private phone calls between world leaders.

The mercurial president has yet to make his final decision, officials said, but is expected to stop short of moving the embassy to Jerusalem outright, a central campaign pledge which has been postponed once already by the new administration.
The Supreme Court today rejected the vehement submission of Sunni Waqf Board and others that hearing of appeals in the sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute be conducted in July 2019 after the general elections and fixed February 8 to hear them.

A special bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also "prima facie" declined the demand put by a battery of senior lawyers including Kapil Sibal and Rajeev Dhavan that the appeals be either referred to a five or seven judge bench, keeping in mind the sensitive nature of the case and its ramifications on the country's secular fabric and polity.

The bench, also comprising Justices Ashok Bhusan and S A Nazeer, asked the advocates on records (AoRs), dealing with as many 14 civil appeals against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in the land dispute, to sit together and ensure that all requisite documents are translated, filed and numbered before the apex court Registry.

In case of any problem, they were directed to consult the Registry, it said, while fixing February 8 to hear the appeals against the Allahabad High Court order. The special apex court bench is hearing a total of 14 appeals filed against this judgement in four civil suits.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had in 2010 ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

Today's hearing witnessed high drama with lawyers representing the Sunni Waqf Board and the Babri Masjid Action Committee, virtually threatening to walkout of the proceedings as the bench asked senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, representing the deity Ram Lalla Virajman, to commence his submissions in the case.

When the bench headed by the CJI rejected their contention that the matters be sent to a larger bench saying "no, no...", Sibal, appearing for Sunni Wakf Board, said "I do believe that any decision in this case will have very serious ramifications and the appeals should be referred to a five or seven judge constitution bench. Do not say 'no, no, no'. Please hear the matter keeping in mind the ramifications..."



He said, "please fix the matter in July 2019 and we assure that we will not seek any adjournments... justice should not only be done, it should seem to be done."



The bench countered: "What kind of submission is this? You are saying July 2019. Should it not be heard before that?"



Another senior advocate Dushayant Dave, appearing for one of the parties, questioned the "hurry" in hearing the appeals and referred to the fact that the issue of Ram Temple was part of the BJP manifesto.

To this, the bench retorted: "You say it should not be heard ever only because it was not heard in last seven years."



At the outset, Sibal said the pleadings in the cases were not complete due to the voluminous records running into over 19,000 pages.

Till date, the Registry has "given us documents in two separate discs- on September 18, 2017 and on November 7, 2017 respectively. However there are many exhibits and several pleadings which are not contained in these discs and which are still awaited," he said, adding that the High Court had relied upon 781 judgements and they have to be compiled.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for Uttar Pradesh Government, and senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, representing the deity, Ram Lalla Virajman, opposed the contention and said the pleadings were complete and the requisite documents have been filed and supplied.

Moreover, it was made clear by the court that it would commence hearing from December 5, they said.

Sibal sought time saying the pleadings were not complete as many were still awaited. "How do you prepare cases if they (pleadings) are not complete," he said.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for a Hindu 'mahant', opposed the contention saying the parties were supposed to commence arguments.

"Last time also you (Sibal) had said the same thing. Today again you are saying the same thing," the bench said, adding "you (parties) tell us what was the case before the High Court".

Sibal and others including Dhavan again sought time, saying time be granted to enable them prepare the case.

The submission was supported by Dave who said the court should not fall into a "trap". He sought the setting up of a larger bench as was done in the case of Justice C S Karnan to send a message across.

"What kind of argument is this," the bench remarked.

Dhavan said that a three-judge bench cannot hear these appeals in view of a judgement which had held that mosques were integral to Islam and this case also pertained to a mosque.

Salve and the ASG took strong exception to the submission questioning the "hurry" on part of the apex court in hearing the appeals in the matter.

"I take exception to the submission that the apex court was in a hurry. Seven years have gone by and the bench is not told that it was in a hurry," the ASG said.

Dhavan went to the extent of saying that the hearing will not be over by October next year (when the CJI would demit office). However, he quickly retracted when the bench again said "what kind of a submission is this".

"When original suit was finished in 90 days by the Allahabad High Court, why should it take longer than that here," the bench asked.

"Both the sides had a message for this court. But we know what to do. Don't give a message to this court by telling us what message we will send out," the bench said.

Salve said he was "disturbed" to hear such arguments and the fact was that the appeals were pending since 2010.

This court has dealt with many sensitive issues earlier and the ramifications outside are not going to decide as to when the matter will be heard, Salve said, adding that the issue whether the matters needed to be heard by a constitution bench can be decided later if such questions arise in future.

The top court had on August 11 asked the UP government to complete within 10 weeks the translation of the evidence recorded for adjudication of the title dispute in the high court. It had said it would not allow the matter to take any shape other than the civil appeals and would adopt the same procedure as was done by the high court.

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Ahmedabad-based hospital chain Shalby today said it is looking at expansion in eastern and North-eastern region.

"We are looking for an opportunity for our presence in eastern region locations like Bhubaneshwar and Kolkata. However, nothing has been finalised yet," Shalby CEO Ravi Bhandari said on the sidelines of a roadshow for its maiden IPO.

"In metros, we will expand with a super-speciality hospital but in an asset-light model," he said.

Shalby has been expanding rapidly through tie-ups in which the hospital brand does not want to own realty to keep costs low. The company was also open to managing existing hospitals.

A tie-up up with a Guwahati hospital for offering orthopaedic co-branded services like a shop-in-shop concept," Bhandari said.

Currently, the hospital has nine operational hospitals and claimed to have 15 per cent market share of all joint replacement surgeries conducted by private corporate hospitals in India in 2016.

Shalby has fixed the price band between Rs 245 to Rs 248 per equity share for its proposed initial public offer which opened today. It will raise Rs 480 crore in fresh capital and worth around Rs 25 crore via offer for sale from promoters.

The company has already allotted 60 lakh shares to its anchor investors including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Axis Mutual Fund for Rs 150 crore.

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The many facets of actor Shashi Kapoor came alive today, as friends recalled the man who threw parties on the Dal Lake in his younger days, and wept inconsolably in the autumn of his life.

Members of the film industry warmly remembered the veteran actor-producer who died here yesterday and was cremated at noon today with state honours at the Santacruz Hindu crematorium.

The actor, who wielded enormous charm with a crooked smile and a twinkle in his eyes, had been suffering from a kidney disorder. He was 79.

Actor-BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha described his death as an "irreplaceable loss" for the film fraternity, and said he was a source of inspiration to him.

"We worked in a lot of films. He was an actor par excellence. He always encouraged art cinema. He was a charming and smart person. I am heartbroken," Sinha told PTI.

The two had worked together in blockbusters such as "Shaan", "Kala Patthar" and "Kranti".

Sinha said he last met Kapoor at the funeral of his elder brother, the actor Shammi Kapoor, in 2011.

"He came in a wheelchair. Amitabh Bachchan and I went to meet him there. He started crying. He was trying to say something but couldn't speak," Sinha said.

His former co-star Saira Banu described him as full of fun, laughter and mischief. He would act like a "well-behaved" man whenever his wife, theatre artiste Jennifer Kendal, would accompany him to the sets of a film, she said.

"We were to have done several films but only two got made. For our film "Koi Jeeta Koi Haara" we worked mostly in Kashmir. He would entertain the whole unit," she said.

Kapoor often threw parties on the Dal Lake in a shikara, she recalled.

But when Kendal was around, Banu said, he was a different man altogether.

"Everyone from the unit would pull his leg as he would act like a good, well-behaved man when she came to the sets. We had a lot of fun with him," Banu, legendary actor Dilip Kumar's wife, told PTI.

Actor Moushumi Chatterjee remembered how Kapoor would urge her not to address him as uncle.

"I used to call him Shashi Uncle. He once told me, during the shooting of 'Anari', 'Don't call me Shashi Uncle'. He asked me to call him Shashiji or Shashi-Baba," Moushumi told PTI.

The duo also worked in films such as "Ghar Ek Mandir", "Krodhi", "Swayamvar", "Gautam Govinda" and "Roti Kapada Aur Makaan".

Moushmi could not attend his funeral because she said her daughter had not been well.

"It's raining today and I think the weather too is sad with his loss," she added.

Celebrities also paid homage on social media to the "Junoon" actor, the youngest of thespian Prithviraj Kapoor's three sons, named Balbir Raj by his parents.

Actor Hrithik Roshan wrote that his "greatness" would carry on.

"Great artistes not only inspire but also inseminate the hearts and minds of the next generation. In individual ways, we all carry his greatness within us. He and his talent shall live on. And we shall forever celebrate it," he wrote.

"Udta Punjab" actor Alia Bhatt took to Twitter, saying Shashi Kapoor's death was the end of an era.

"Thank you sir for giving us your magic at the movies," she wrote.

Actor Priyanka Chopra, currently shooting in New York, remembered the actor as one who wielded immeasurable charm.

"An end of an era... A talent, the world had the pleasure of witnessing... A humanitarian I had the pleasure of meeting... A charmer the world will always remember," the "Quantico" star wrote.

FTII chief Anupam Kher recalled how the actor offered him a role in "Utsav", which Kapoor produced and acted in.

"Just woke up in Sydney to the sad ... A huge star. He taught me how to treat newcomers with love and dignity. He was full of life and life was full of him. Most charming actor and human being of all times. RIP Sir," Kher tweeted.

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A group of Sikh-Americans today said that they would launch another countrywide campaign to generate awareness about the minority community in the US.

In April, Sikhs launched 'We are Sikhs' campaign in the US to spread awareness and address the "collective misunderstanding" over the minority community amid a spike in hate crimes against them.

The campaign had received positive response.

In the first of its kind national awareness campaign beginning April this year, the National Sikh Campaign (NSC) was able to generate more than 92 million impressions throughout the country, the group said in a statement.

This included 6.3 million impressions through national television advertising on CNN, Fox and Fox Business Network; 28.8 million impressions through local television advertising in Fresno, California; 10.5 million impressions through social media channels; 6.4 million impressions through digital advertising and over 600,000 followers on twitter of the campaign.

The NSC held fund-raising events in 14 cities to garner support from the community and the total cost of this campaign will be USD 1.3 million.

"With limited funding, we were able to help Americans in every corner of the country better understand who their Sikh neighbours are and what we stand for," said Dr Rajwant Singh, NSC co-founder and senior adviser.

"These impressive results are a testament to the hard work that went into the campaign and we are grateful to everyone who helped tell our story," he said.

Many have stopped Sikhs on the streets and have thanked them for their presence, said Nick Sahota from California.

"I have so many stories of people stopping to tell how they appreciate Sikhs. I had a 92-year-old women come and give me hug and shared how her Sikh husband had to leave in 1928 because of the discrimination he faced. She herself supported the campaign," said Amritpal Singh, another NSC member.

The NSC is now negotiating with a media firm connected to Hollywood to make creative videos and a reputable film company to create a documentary for the American TV stations.

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Union Minister Jayant Sinha today urged start-ups and tech-giants to explore the scope for developing 'drone-rickshaws' and electrical two-wheelers to address traffic problems and air pollution.

A huge capital market lies in solving local problems that can make India a USD five to 10 trillion economy, the minister of state for civil aviation said.

Sinha, who was speaking at the Tech Conclave-2017 organised by the National Stock Exchange, called upon tech giants to invest at least a trillion dollars on technology.

"We don't have to solve the problems of Times Square in New York but we have to solve the problems of Jhanda Chowk in my very own Hazaribagh. That is how we have to drive entrepreneurship."



"In solving India's problems, we will solve Egypt's problems, Nigeria's problems, Vietnam's problems," he said.

The minister said India would achieve the target of 5-10 trillion dollars of economy by building great companies that solve India's problems, which will eventually solve the world's problems.

"I want you to think about building not just unicorns. You have to think about building super unicorns of 100 billion dollar market cap. It is doable," he said.

Citing examples of Alibaba, Facebook and Google, he said these companies built 500 billion dollar market cap over the last 10 to 15 years.

Sinha urged tech-giants and start-up companies to think about the innovations that are possible in the field of drone technology.

He said the cost of travelling by air is Rs 4 per km, which is equivalent to travelling in an autorickshaw.

"We in the future are going to see Air Rickshaws. Drones that are powered by electric propulsion."



"The cost for short distance - 20,30,40, 50 km - is also going to be about Rs 4 per km, which is the cost of an autorickshaw," Sinha said.

There is huge market opportunity available in drone technology, he said.

"This is not a science fiction. This is reality. This is the technology that we are going to get."



He said electric two-wheelers have a potential market of 200-300 million dollars.

Automobile giants should flip over from petrol based two-wheelers and start manufacturing electric two-wheelers involving technological innovations.

"Electrical two-wheeler is an opportunity that is sizeable not just in India but around the world and innovators and leaders should come from India," the minister said.

Sinha said a few weeks ago the government issued a set of draft regulations for drones, which have been pending for long time because of security issues and various other manuals.

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A South-Asian group in the US today expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court's decision allowing the immediate enforcement of President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries.

The Supreme Court order is a significant win for the Trump administration, which has fought all year to impose a travel ban against citizens of several Muslim-majority countries. The order means it can be enforced while challenges to the policy make their way through the legal system, US media reported.

Such a move will only contribute to a worsening climate of hate aimed at South-Asian communities, said South-Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) in a statement.

"The Supreme Court's decision comes on the heels of the President tweeting incendiary and irresponsible anti-Muslim videos last week, posts applauded by white supremacists such as David Duke and denounced by British Prime Minister (Theresa May) and civil rights organisations," said Suman Raghunathan, executive director of SAALT.

"No one should be discriminated against on the basis of how they look, how they choose to pray, or their country of origin. 'Muslim Ban 3.0' remains reprehensible at its core and discriminatory in its intent.

"While the Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of the 'Muslim Ban', court after court has consistently rejected it as an outright discrimination and a threat to our most fundamental constitutional protections," Raghunathan said.

SAALT said that anti-Muslim policies and rhetoric continue to have deadly consequences.

The FBI's 2016 hate crime statistics reveal that assaults against Muslims have surpassed levels reached in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Since the election, SAALT has documented over 205 incidents of hate violence aimed at South Asians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Arabs and Middle Eastern Americans, a 58 per cent increase from the year prior.

Due to a massive underreporting of hate crimes, we know this is just a fraction of the attacks our communities experience regularly, it added.

As a result of the 7-2 vote by the Supreme Court, Trump's travel ban, which restricts travel to the US by people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad without bona fide connections to America, can take full effect while legal challenges proceed.

Seven of the nine judges lifted restrictions on the travel ban imposed by other courts earlier. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the government's request.

The court gave no reason for its decision, but said it expected lower court review of the executive orders to proceed quickly.

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Deforestation to make way for palm oil plantations is driving critically endangered Sumatran tigers towards extinction, researchers warned today.

The imposing carnivore has already disappeared from the neighbouring Indonesian islands of Java and Bali, and if its remaining refuge continues to shrink so will its chances of survival, they reported in the journal Nature Communications.

Its habitat declined by 17 percent between 2000 and 2012, and the population dropped from an estimated 742 to 618 adults in the wild over the same period, they found.

Between 1990 and 2010, Sumatra lost nearly 40 percent of its primary forest.

As devastating, the tiger's remaining range is being chopped up into isolated pockets of forest.

"The erosion of large wilderness areas pushes Sumatran tigers one step closer to extinction," said lead author Matthew Luskin, a graduate student at the University of California at San Diego.

"Tiger subpopulations also became significantly more fragmented, greatly increasing the threat of extinction in each individual forest as a species."



There remain only two habitats big enough to host more than 30 breeding females, seem by experts as the threshold for a viable population over the long term.

The other main cause of decline is poaching, driven by a market in the Chinese-speaking world for tiger body parts, thought to boost vitality and virility.

Luskin and two colleagues spent a year trekking through remote Sumatran forests, mounting hundreds of still and video cameras that automatically captured images when a tiger, or other large animal, passed by.

Individual tigers were recognisable through the unique patterns of their stripes.

Based on the data collected, the scientists calculated that a single tiger's home range was roughly 400 square kilometres (150 square miles).

"This is much larger than tiger home ranges in other regions such as India, and indicates they need larger parks to survive," they said in a statement.

There was a sliver of good in the findings, they added.

The camera traps clearly showed that the density of tigers in untouched primary forests has increased, and is about 50 per cent higher than in forests where logging has occurred.

"Safeguarding the remaining expanses of primary forest is now absolutely critical," said co-author Mathias Tobler of San Diego Zoo Global.

The most famous tiger preserve is the Gunung Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra.

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In a major victory for President Donald Trump, the US Supreme Court has allowed his travel ban to take full effect pending appeal, for people coming from six Muslim-majority countries.

As a result of the Supreme Court's ruling, Trump's travel ban, which restricts travel to the US by people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad without bona fide connections to the US, can take full effect while legal challenges proceed.

The travel ban is the third version of a contentious policy that Trump first sought to implement a week after taking office in January.

Seven of the nine judges lifted restrictions on the travel ban imposed by other courts earlier. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the government's request.

The court gave no reason for its decision, but said it expected lower court review of the executive orders to proceed quickly.

"Multiple government agencies have conducted a comprehensive, worldwide review of the information shared by foreign governments that is used to screen aliens seeking entry to the US," US Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in court papers.

"We are not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the President's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said after the order.

Trump's travel ban was challenged by Hawaii and American Civil Liberties Union in separate lawsuits. They argued that such a travel ban discriminates against Muslims.

"It is difficult to conceive of a more flagrant example of discrimination because of nationality," said Indian American attorney Neal Katyal, who appeared for Hawaii.

The New York Immigration Coalition Executive Director, Steven Choi, said that it is entirely unacceptable and un- American to discriminate against people based on race or religion.

"Allowing the full enforcement of the Muslim ban will not make this country safer or greater. Nearly a year after we rallied at JFK in response to the first Muslim ban, we will continue to fight Trump's plan to turn bigotry into policy and resist this latest assault on our liberties just as we have every day since Trump took office," Choi said.

Michael S Glassner, executive director of Donald J Trump for President campaign committee, welcomed the decision.

"From June 16, 2015 to this day, President Trump's immigration policies have always been about one thing: keeping Americans safe from people who seek to do us harm and attack our freedoms," he said.

"As promised, the President directed his administration to conduct a thorough and appropriate review of immigration vetting procedures, in place under the previous administration, to ensure that terrorist attacks do not occur on American soil," he added.

"Now that the Supreme Court has ordered the lifting of restrictions on this ban, minimum security standards for entry into the US can be enforced. All Americans should take heart that President Trump is fully committed to Making America Safe Again, and will continue the fight to ensure their safety no matter what," Glassner said.

Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said that it is unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now.

"But this order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones. We will be arguing Friday in the Fourth Circuit that the ban should ultimately be struck down," Jadwat said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major triumph for US President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court has backed his controversial travel ban targeting people from six Muslim- majority countries, asserting that its immediate enforcement can go into full effect pending appeal.

The travel ban is the third version of a contentious policy that Trump first sought to implement a week after taking office in January.

As a result of the yesterday's ruling by the Supreme Court's, Trump's travel ban, which restricts travel to the US by people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad without bona fide connections to America, can take full effect while legal challenges proceed.

Seven of the nine judges lifted restrictions on the travel ban imposed by other courts earlier. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the government's request.

The court gave no reason for its decision, but said it expected lower court review of the executive orders to proceed quickly.

"Multiple government agencies have conducted a comprehensive, worldwide review of the information shared by foreign governments that is used to screen aliens seeking entry to the US," US Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in court papers.

"We are not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the President's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said after the order.

Trump's travel ban was challenged by Hawaii and American Civil Liberties Union in separate lawsuits. They argued that such a ban discriminated against Muslims.

"It is difficult to conceive of a more flagrant example of discrimination because of nationality," said Indian- American attorney Neal Katyal, who appeared for Hawaii.

New York Immigration Coalition Executive Director Steven Choi said it was entirely unacceptable and un-American to discriminate against people based on race or religion.

"Allowing the full enforcement of the Muslim ban will not make this country safer or greater. Nearly a year after we rallied at JFK in response to the first Muslim ban, we will continue to fight Trump's plan to turn bigotry into policy and resist this latest assault on our liberties just as we have every day since Trump took office," Choi said.

Michael S Glassner, executive director of Donald J Trump for President campaign committee, welcomed the decision.

"From June 16, 2015 to this day, President Trump's immigration policies have always been about one thing: keeping Americans safe from people who seek to do us harm and attack our freedoms," he said.

"As promised, the President directed his administration to conduct a thorough and appropriate review of immigration vetting procedures, in place under the previous administration, to ensure that terrorist attacks do not occur on American soil," he said.

"Now that the Supreme Court has ordered the lifting of restrictions on this ban, minimum security standards for entry into the US can be enforced," he added.

All Americans should take heart that President Trump is fully committed to Making America Safe Again, and will continue the fight to ensure their safety no matter what, Glassner said.

Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said that it was unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now.

"This order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones. We will be arguing Friday in the Fourth Circuit that the ban should ultimately be struck down," Jadwat said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress leader Manish Tewari today said he could not recall having any conversation with Shehzad Poonawalla in which he allegedly told the Maharashtra Congress leader the party is a "proprietorship of the Gandhi family", ahead of Rahul Gandhi's imminent elevation as its president.

After a tape of the purported conversation between Tewari and Poonawalla was aired by some channels, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lapped up the reports and said the Congress lacked internal democracy.

Tewari told reporters here that he did not remember any such conversation.

"There is a particular word in English called 'snitch'. I am not a snitch. I do not go around recording conversations which I have with people throughout the day and I have hundreds of such conversations," he said replying to a query on the purported conversation between him and Poonawalla.

The Congress spokesperson said he did not like to give "dignity" to the issue by commenting on it.

"I do not recall any such conversation and therefore I would not like to dignify (the issue) with (my) comment. And the reason that I found it so funny was that those media outlets which were running (the audio tape) with heavy disclaimers, uncorroborated, unverified...possibly careful that I am a lawyer and my other colleagues are also lawyers," he said.

Poonawalla had allegedly spoken about "dynastic politics" in the Congress over Rahul Gandhi's imminent elevation as the chief of the party, currently headed by his mother Sonia Gandhi.

According to the purported conversation, Tewari told Poonawalla that the Congress is a "proprietorship of the Gandhi family" and "not a political party.

He had allegedly told Poonawalla that "political parties in India are proprietorships".

Poonawalla had allegedly said the Congress president's election is "rigged" and raised questions about the "one family-one ticket" rule.

Addressing an election rally on Sunday, Modi had said, "They keep on muttering words like tolerance, tolerance, tolerance...but the party has brought out a diktat to silence this youth (Poonawalla). The party has gagged him in all WhatsApp groups. He has been collectively boycotted by that party (for raising questions over the process of the election and alleging that it is being rigged)".

Attacking Modi, Tewari said the prime minister was campaigning for the Gujarat polls and talking about "history and fake development" out of his "nervousness".

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows that the people prefer the Congress and that is why he is giving discourses about history and on fake development. If a prime minister is confident about his working style, then he does not need to go around campaigning in an election," Tewari told the presser.

He claimed that no prime minister before Modi had campaigned in such a manner.

"No prime minister before him (Modi) had ever gone around making election campaigns (in such a manner). He is the prime minister of 125 crore people, and words used by him are not becoming of a prime minister...This is because of his nervousness," the Congress leader alleged.

Tewari said Modi was campaigning extensively because if Gujarat is taken away from him "many more secrets will tumble out".

"Why Gujarat has seen such a widespread discontent and agitations? It is because Gujarat has got three chief ministers...Even after Modiji became prime minister, he is running the state with a remote control. BJP president Amit Shah is a small remote control who has his own agenda," Tewari alleged.

During canvassing, Rahul Gandhi had often said that incumbent Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was a "rubber stamp".

Tewari said the people of Gujarat have to decide if they want a chief minister who works for them or who runs on a remote control.

Taking a dig at the BJP for touting the Gujarat model as a development benchmark, Tewari said this "Modi model of development" is "hurting" the country, especially Gujarat.

"What pains most is that the way they (BJP leaders) have misled the people of Gujarat and the youth by showing them the dream of good days," he said.

Tewari alleged education has become "un-affordable" in Gujarat.

Reiterating Rahul Gandhi's promise, he said if voted to power, the Congress will "convert all self-financed courses being offered in government colleges into grant-in-aid".

"There will be 80-95 per cent drop in fees. We will ensure that all self-financed courses offered in all public universities, colleges and government-aided institutions get converted into grant-in-aid," he said.

Tewari said the Congress will convert "fixed pay jobs" into regular jobs if it forms government in the state.

"We are not making promises that we cannot fulfil. Gujarat is a prosperous state but the state government is busy appeasing the 'suit-boot' government," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tata Sky today launched itsinteractive service in partnership with FTheCouch (FTC) Beauty Studio, a Suniel Shetty initiative, in Jaipur.

The new service Tata Sky Beauty will bring make-up hacks, savvy fashion trends, delightful skin care tips, among others fromindustry to households across the country.

Tata Sky Beauty will bring home beauty wizards who will share tips and tricks on makeup, skincare and the latest fashion trends in an easy to understand format at the touch of a butto, according to a release.

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As Gujarat nears the first phase of Assembly polls, all eyes are set on two temples that epitomise "the pride and power of the Patidar community" and exercise considerable influence among members, political analysts feel.

The Khodaldham Temple in Rajkot district, built by the Leuva sect of Patidars, and the Umiya Dham temple in Mehsana district of North Gujarat, built by the community's Kadva segment, have gained political importance ahead of the polls.

Built in the last two years, both the temples have become centres of power and pride for the respective groups, sociologist Gaurang Jani said.

The Khodaldham temple's two trustees - Dinesh Chovatiya and Ravibhai Ambaliya - are contesting the elections on Congress tickets from Rajkot South and Jetpur respectively.

Another trustee Gopalbhai Vastapara is contesting on the BJP's ticket from Lathi Babra in Amreli district.

The temples in Gujarat have often been in news for political reasons. Former BJP president L K Advani started his rath yatra, for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya in 1990, from the famous Somnath temple.

Temple politics came to the fore again in 2002 when the Sabarmati Express was set on fire, killing Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. It led to riots in other parts of the state.

Nareshbhai Patel, the chairman of The Shree Khodaldham Trust, met Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel last week. Hardik later claimed he had succeeded in clearing the doubts in the mind of Nareshbhai Patel.

The trust, however, clarified later that it would remain politically neutral even as it admitted that it agreed with Hardik's claim that a sizable number of Patidar community members live in poor conditions.

However, a senior political analyst from Rajkot said, "Nareshbhai has never appeared before people, but he allowed his photo with Hardik to be released to media. Khodaldham trust supports Hardik's demand of quota, but Hardik wants to achieve it by political victory. It clearly means the community is inching towards Hardik."



He also said that Nareshbhai Patel represents Leuva community, which comprises around 70 per cent of Patidars, and he allowed his photo to be released with Hardik, who is Kadva Patel.

"Isn't it enough to guess in which direction the wind is blowing in Gujarat," he said.

Hemant Shah, another political analyst, said that the BJP was the symbol of power for Patidars and in the last few years, these two temples -- constructed by their own sub-castes -- have become important for them.

"Both the temples witnessed the presence of lakhs of Patidar on the day of their inauguration. It was a clear message that Patidars has formed their own power centre outside BJP," he said.

Notably, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, during his campaign in Gujarat, visited various temples, including these two and met their trustees.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also visited the Khodaldham temple immediately after Gandhi's visit and held talks with Nareshbhai Patel.

A senior Congress leader, while cautiously accepting that the two temples are likely to play a role in the election, felt it is too tall a claim to say that they would swing the polls.

"The people are already disappointed with BJP and its recent attempts to polarise elections. It is true that these two temples are highly revered by Patidars as they have raised funds for it; it will be a tall claim to say that temples would swing the elections," the Congress leader, who does not want to be identified, said.

"More importantly, the failed schemes and wrong policies of the state and Union governments are going to play a vital role in this election," he said.

The BJP appears to have taken the influence of temples more seriously. Following Rupani, the party's senior leaders have held meetings with the trustees of these two temples and assured them of resolving the problems of the Patidar community.

The Patidars are mainly divided into two sects-Kadva and Leuva-- and Patel is the common surname for both.

Though both the sects are part of the community, which accounts about 18 per cent of the state's population, marital alliances between the two are still rare.

But Hardik Patel has largely succeeded in gaining the support of both the sects, said Jani.

Political observers say that Gujarat's former chief minister and senior BJP leader Keshubhai Patel first brought the Patidars together and since then they have been largely supporting the saffron party.

In 2012, the Patels felt the need to have their own power centre outside the political party they have been supporting and both the sects separately constructed Khodaldham for Leuva and Umiya Dham for Kadva Patidars, an analyst said.

Among the Patidars, the Leuva Patidars constitute about 70 per cent of the population, while Kadva Patidars are around 30 per cent.

While the Leuva Patidars are mostly concentrated in Saurashtra, Central and South Gujarat the Kadva Patidars are hail mostly from North Gujarat.
A principal of a private school here allegedly attacked a teacher with weapons, following which he was booked, police said today.

The principal Rameshchandra Mishra had a grudge against assistant teacher Mahajan Prajapati (52), who had complained to the school management alleging irregularities on Mishra's part, said Inspector P C Giridhar of Vartak Nagar police station.

On December 3, at about 10.40 pm, the principal along with his son and friends attacked Prajapati with lethal weapons and injured him, the officer said.

A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and the Bombay Police Act was registered yesterday, he said, adding efforts are on to apprehend the principal.

According to Giridhar, Prajapati was being treated at a private hospital.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said those who create "division" among people cannot be true leaders of the nation.

Addressing a function here, Banerjee said an ideal leader should be like Mahatma Gandhi or Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

"A leader must lead from the front and those who are true leaders do not create division among the people but build. A leader of the country should walk with everyone," she said without naming anyone.

Referring to criticism that she was in favour of "appeasing Muslims", the chief minister said she never chose any particular community but the people.

"Hindu religion has never taught us to create division. It has taught us to love other religions also. I will love my religion and love another religion, too," Banerjee said.

In West Bengal, there were 31 per cent Muslims, 23.6 per cent Scheduled Castes (SC) and 38 per cent Other Backward Classes (OBC), she said.

"So how can Delhi direct me to talk to Ram and not to Rahim?" the Trinamool Congress chief wondered.

The chief minister also cautioned people of not falling prey to those who were coming to the state with money to create division among people.

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In January 2013, Rahul Gandhi was named Congress vice president when his mother told him the night before that "power is like poison".

Five years after that emotional acceptance speech in Jaipur, Rahul Gandhi is ready to pick up that poison chalice. With no other claimants to the post, he will step into his mother Sonia Gandhi's shoes as Congress president next week.

Shehzada, princeling and Pappu, the Gandhi scion, who saw his grandmother and father being assassinated, has been called many a derogatory name through the years as he appeared to shy away from the responsibility of leading the Congress.

The young bespectacled boy who clung to his father Rajiv Gandhi's waist as his grandmother Indira Gandhi's body was consigned to flames is now 47.

There has been no getting away from the spotlight since for the man poised to take over as president of the party, the sixth from the Gandhi-Nehru 'dynasty' to do so, continuing a chain beginning with Motilal Nehru.

The easy elevation is unsurprising, given the tacit understanding within the party that the mantle must pass from Gandhi to Gandhi.

Politics may or may not have been his calling but it was certainly in his blood. So, as he moved from a home education to Delhi University's St Stephen's College and then to Harvard and Rollins College in Florida and Trinity College, Cambridge, the final goal was always clear.

He also joined the Monitor Group, a consulting group in London, where he worked for three years. But it had to be back home, to a political role carved out for him, after that.

Often dismissed for practising the politics of "fits and starts", Rahul Gandhi became an MP in 2004 when he won the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

He has taken a surprisingly long time to learn the ropes, coming across as earnest and well meaning but also uncertain and disinterested.

He took up emotive issues like the agrarian crisis in Vidarbha, did the unusual by staying the night at a Dalit home in Uttar Pradesh with then British foreign secretary David Milliband, but squandered much of the goodwill by seeming to lose interest and disappearing from view.

In 2015, for instance, he took a 56-day sabbatical. And there are also two annual sojourns timed around his June birthday and New Year's Eve.

He may no longer have that luxury.

His first litmus test is only days away with elections in Gujarat on December 9 and 14. The results for both the polls in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will be out on December 18.

Top Congress leaders say Rahul Gandhis leadership of the party would be established if he delivers a victory in Gujarat or at least substantially improves the Congress tally.

Gandhis past electoral record has not been too good. Since he became Congress vice president in 2013, the party has lost power in state after state and is left with only Punjab, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

But Rahul Gandhi looks more confident than he has for a while, having worked on his image and outreach.

Armed with a refurbished social media team mostly managed by his hand-picked people, he is trying to shed his reticence and appear more accessible.

Hes now more relaxed and confident, targets Modi regularly with snappy one liners (Gabbar Singh Tax, for instance), takes selfies with people and has improved his Twitter following to 4.71 million.

In a dose perhaps of some realpolitik, Rahul Gandhi is also openly declaring his Hindu credentials.

"I am a Lord Shiva worshipper," he said recently to counter the BJPs efforts to win the Hindu vote.

He has been visiting temples routinely -- and does not necessarily visit mosques at the same time.

In doing so, he seems to be correcting the Congress' pro-minority image.

Rahul Gandhi has also been speaking out on his life outside the spotlight.

"I believe in destiny," he said when asked why he is not getting married.

He recently also revealed that he is a black belt in the Japanese martial art form Aikido.

It may have made a difference.

Of late, the BJP seems to be taking Rahul Gandhi more seriously, often fielding a host of ministers to counter the Congress charge against demonetisation and GST.

Congress leaders say he has come of age and cite his address at the University of California, Berkley, where he boldly took questions, even on dynastic politics.

There was the Rahul Gandhi who walked into the Press Club of India and tore off an ordinance by the then Congress-led UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh to overturn an apex court order barring convicted MPs from contesting elections.

And then there is this one readying to be president of the grand old party. Maybe not so impetuous or naive, but reasoned and rational.

The normally taciturn Manmohan Singh yesterday called Rahul Gandhi the "darling of the Congress" after he filed his nomination.

It is now up to Rahul Gandhi to prove he is indeed one.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Facing dark warnings of a historic misstep and widespread unrest, US President Donald Trump delayed a decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there.

The White House said Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv, after a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and private phonecalls between world leaders.

The mercurial president has yet to make his final decision, officials said, but is expected to stop short of moving the embassy to Jerusalem outright, a central campaign pledge which has been postponed once already by the new administration.

"The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go: It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, who said a declaration on the move would be made "in the coming days."



Domestic politics may however push Trump toward recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital instead, in a gesture towards conservative voters and donors.

The status of Jerusalem is a key issue in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, with both Israelis and Palestinians claiming the city as their capital.

With Trump's decision looming, leaders from across the Middle East and elsewhere ramped up public warnings against any shift in decades-old US policy.

French President Emmanuel Macron was among those who warned Trump that Jerusalem's status must be decided "within the framework of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians."



Amid internal White House disagreements, several US administration officials were unable or unwilling to say with certainty what Trump would decide.

"The president's going to make his decision," his Middle East peace envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said.

Israeli's defense minister Avigdor Lieberman urged Trump to grasp a "historic opportunity."



But from elsewhere in the region the message was clear: don't do it.

"If the status of Jerusalem is changed and another step is taken... that would be a major catastrophe," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.

"It would completely destroy the fragile peace process in the region, and lead to new conflicts, new disputes and new unrest.

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Ahead of his plans to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, US President Donald Trump held discussions with Israeli and Arab leaders in this regard, the White House has said.

Trump spoke separately with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egypt President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, and King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.

"They discussed potential decisions regarding Jerusalem," the White House said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump will announce his decision on Wednesday.

"Tomorrow, the president will deliver remarks regarding this action," Sanders said.

"I'm not going to get ahead of the president's remarks that he'll make tomorrow. He did speak with a number of leaders this morning, and he's going to continue to have conversations with relevant stakeholders, but ultimately, he'll make what he feels is the best decision for the US," Sanders said.

When asked about the opposition to Trump's potential move on Jerusalem, Sanders said the president spoke with five leaders.

"That's hardly indicative of everybody across the globe, but certainly, he's going to continue to have conversations with different leaders from across the world, and we'll keep you posted as those calls take place, and we'll let you know when the president's made a decision," she said.

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The German Mission has said that a DPR worth Rs 920 crore prepared by the Uttarakhand government to clean the Ganga river was being studied and a decision would be taken on it soon.

A German delegation led by Deputy Chief of Mission Jasper Wieck conveyed this to the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh after holding detailed discussions on the subject, an official release said here yesterday.

The German Mission assured the chief secretary that the by the German Agency for International Technical Co-operation would offer technological and financial assistance in making the river clean.

Holding detailed discussions on the state government's DPR, the mission said it was being studied and a decision on it will soon be taken by the agency.

Sewerage treatment plant networking is to be done over an area spread over 574.25 km in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Tapovan, Mussoorie and Dehradun under the project, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major move to further boost bilateral economic ties, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has operationalised a USD 75 billion sovereign fund for India of which USD one billion has already been transfered, the Gulf nation's envoy said today.

Diplomatic sources said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE, in February to attend a global leadership summit.

On the sovereign fund, UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Albanna said operationalisation of the USD 75 billion sovereign fund for India reflects UAE's commitment to significantly improve trade and investment ties.

He said USD one billion has already been transferred to India's National Infrastructure and Investment Fund. It was not clear when the entire amount will be transferred or the conditions related to the investment.

Abu Dhabi has a sovereign wealth fund of about USD 800 billion. India has been eyeing the fund, parked with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for its infrastructure sector.

The issue was discussed during Modi's visit to UAE in August 2016.

Albanna, during a media interaction, said India-UAE cooperation was moving fast in various areas including in containing terrorism and radicalisation.

"We are working closely to defeat terrorism," he said.

The envoy said UAE will soon open visa and consular services centres in Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Chennai.

The UAE embassy has also launched a mobile app to help Indians living in the Gulf in dealing with visa and work related issues.

The ties between India and the UAE are on an upswing.

India is UAE's number one trading partner and the annual trade currently stands at around USD 53 billion. UAE, a major player in the Gulf region, is a strategically important country for India.

The country is home to around 2.6 million Indians who constitute nearly 30 per cent of its population.

The country contributes significantly to India's energy security and was the fifth-largest supplier of crude oil to India in 2016-17.

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The HRD Ministry today sought fresh nominations for the post of vice chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), weeks after it disbanded a selection panel after sitting on its recommendations for over six months.

The higher education regulator has been functioning without a regular chairperson and vice-chairperson since April this year.

In November, the Ministry of Human Resource Development had disbanded the selection panel headed by Higher Education Secretary K K Sharma.

While no reason was cited behind the scrapping of earlier panel, fresh nominations were sought.

"The committee reserves the right to consider persons of eminence outside the list of such nominations. In accordance with the procedure evolved by the panel, nominees would be shortlisted based on agreed parameters and may be invited for an interaction with the committee," an official notification said.

Candidates meeting the required academic credentials and experience can apply for the post till January 3, it said.

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Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret that the United States is ending its participation in negotiations for a Global Compact on Migration aimed at strengthening governance of the movement of people across borders.

The US Mission to the United Nations informed Guterres over the weekend that numerous provisions in the New York Declaration that launched the process for a compact "are inconsistent with US immigration and refugee policies and the Trump administration's immigration principles."



In the declaration, all 193 UN member states including the US under President Barack Obama said no one country can manage international migration on its own. They agreed to launch a process leading to the adoption of a global compact in 2018.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters yesterday that the US withdrawal is "a decision which we regret, but there's still plenty of time for US engagement on this issue."



"The decision should not disrupt what we see as a clear, unanimous outcome of the New York Declaration for such a global compact," he said, stressing that it will not be legally binding but will be "grounded in international cooperation and respect of national interests."



The US announcement came ahead of yesterday's opening of a stock-taking meeting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on the compact. It follows five regional meetings, hearings and civil society and national consultations around the world.

Dujarric said Louse Arbour, the UN special representative for international migration, told the meeting "there is nothing in there to contradict a state's sovereign right, subject to international and domestic law, to manage who enters and stays within its borders."



He said the Canadian jurist told delegates that "the success of the global compact will rest on" getting the maximum number of countries to buy in politically and morally, and "a willingness to enhance cooperation at the regional and international levels."



Brenden Varma, spokesman for General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak, stressed that migration is a global phenomenon that demands a global response.

"The role of the United States in this process is critical as it has historically and generously welcomed people from all across the globe and remains home to the largest number of international migrants in the world," he said. "As such, it has the experience and expertise to help ensure that this process leads to a successful outcome."



US Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement that "no country has done more than the United States and our generosity will continue."



"But our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone," she said. "The global approach in the New York Declaration is simply not compatible with US sovereignty.

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A senior United Nations official arrived in North Korea today for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.

Jeffrey Feltman's visit - the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 - comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

Feltman shook hands with a North Korean foreign ministry official after flying into Pyongyang from Beijing on the North's Air Koryo.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise - manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation".

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said.

Feltman, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs, arrived in China on Monday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

He met with a Chinese vice foreign minister while there.

China, which is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has called on the United States to freeze military drills and North Korea to halt weapons tests to calm tensions.

In the North, Feltman will discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern" with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether the envoy will meet the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-Un.

"The first step - that North Korea agreed to have (Feltman) visit - is a positive sign," Wang Dong, an international studies professor at Peking University, told AFP.

"If the diplomatic effort is successful, then they will certainly be able to exercise some persuasion.

It will be Feltman's first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago.

"After declaring that the country has achieved full nuclear statehood, the North is likely to reaffirm to the UN envoy its promise that... it will use its nuclear weapons only for defence purposes," Koh Yu-Hwan, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul, told AFP.

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula five days ago when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target -- key technological hurdles for Pyongyang.

A Cathay Pacific crew flying from San Francisco to Hong Kong said they spotted what they believed was the missile, with one airline official saying the crew described seeing it "blow up and fall apart".

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility.

US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit- for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy".

In a new editorial today, North Korean state media blasted the joint US-South Korean drills as going "beyond the danger line" adding the two allies were like "a group of tiger moths flying into fire only to perish in it".

As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this year's war games involve simulated precision attacks on the North's military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources.

Over the weekend Trump's National Security Adviser HR McMaster told a security forum that the potential for war with the North "is increasing every day".

But some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital - only around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people.

China's foreign ministry today said it "welcomes the UN to play a constructive role in properly settling the Korean peninsula nuclear issue".

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The crisis-hit Gulf Cooperation Council began its annual summit today amid uncertainty over whether the leaders of Saudi Arabia and its allies would join their Qatari rival for the talks.

The future of the six-nation GCC -- formed 36 years ago to bring together energy-rich Sunni Arab Gulf states -- appeared to be hanging in the balance as Kuwait prepared to host the gathering.

This year's meeting comes with Saudi Arabia and its allies engaged in a bitter dispute with fellow GCC member Qatar, in the worst crisis ever to hit the council.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani accepted an invitation to the summit but with only hours before talks were due to begin it was unclear whether the rulers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain would also attend.

Those three Gulf states, together with Egypt, cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival.

Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi- led bloc of aiming to incite a change of regime in Doha.

Kuwait has been leading mediation efforts within the GCC to resolve the crisis, but so far with little success.

Casting further doubt on the group's future, the UAE said today it was forming a new military and economic committee with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC.

The committee "will coordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields," according to a decree issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Founded in 1981, the GCC is a political and economic union grouping Qatar with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman and Kuwait.

Dominated by Riyadh, it has been a regional counterweight to Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia's Shiite rival across the Gulf.

Yesterday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar attended round-table talks ahead of the gathering, in their first such encounter since the diplomatic crisis erupted in June.

Oman Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yussef bin Alawi sat between them at the meeting which the foreign ministers of the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait also attended.

After cutting off all ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a land, sea and air blockade of the emirate and issued a list of 13 demands to have it lifted.

Bahrain in October called for Qatar's membership of the GCC to be suspended until it accepted the demands.

Experts warn that the crisis could lead to the demise of the once-powerful GCC.

"The justifications for the existence of the GCC bloc amidst the continued crisis are no longer present like before," said Sami al-Faraj, head of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies.

"As long as our enemy has changed from Iran to Qatar, the GCC will not continue."



The failure of the GCC members to solidify long-delayed plans for economic unity may also threaten its future.

The Gulf states have approved a customs union, a common market, a single currency and a single central bank, but most of these have yet to be implemented.

Speaking at yesterday's meeting, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah stressed the determination of member states to preserve the GCC.

"The GCC is a continuous project in which the will of member states meets to build a unified Gulf body," he said.

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The issue of lack of awareness about menstruation among schoolgirls leading to drop-outs came under the scanner of the Delhi High Court today as it asked the authorities to undertake steps to sensitise and educate students about it.

"If you (governments and schools run by them) undertake steps, Delhi will fully sensitise," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar observed.

"It is an important issue," the bench said and asked the authorities to disclose if they have a menstrual hygiene scheme in place or any action plan in connection with the issue.

It directed the authorities to file their report on the next date of hearing, January 22.

It said governments and civic bodies here must publicise awareness schemes and ensure their effective implementation in schools.

The bench also sought to know the budgetary allocation for the menstrual hygiene scheme under the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) for schools in Delhi.

The court's direction came during the hearing of a plea by advocate Setu Niket, who sought direction to the Centre, the Delhi government and civic bodies to establish a mechanism to provide education on mensuration and menstrual hygiene in all schools here.

The petitioner through her counsel Esha Mazumdar told the court that according to a survey, the school drop-out rate for girls was the most during puberty.

It sought direction to the authorities to ensure that menstrual hygiene products were made available to adolescent girls in schools free of cost or at subsidised rates.

The petitioner has also sought the establishment of a mechanism to provide education to girls aged 11-14 years about menstrual hygiene and safeguards, and access to trained female teachers or health counsellors in schools on a weekly or monthly basis for imparting education on the issue.

Meanwhile, the south Delhi municipal corporation informed the court they were taking educational programmes.

The plea said it was imperative to sensitise children in the 10-14 age group about menstrual hygiene and every possible effort should be made by the State to help girls continue with their education.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Chandigarh bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has restrained the UPSC from finalising the names proposed by the Haryana government to select non-state civil service officers to the IAS cadre.

The interim order of the Tribunal came after a petition filed by Sonepat resident Surender Singh Dahiya, 50, who is working as an additional director of the Haryana Agriculture Department.

The petitioner had sought quashing and setting aside recommendations of the screening committee of the state government which had recommended to the Union Public Service Commission five names to fill up an IAS seat among the non- state civil service officers.

The petitioner had claimed that one of the respondents Asha Sharma, a medical officer, who is the daughter of Haryana Education minister Ram Bilas Sharma, was allegedly not eligible for the IAS post, contending that she was considered "in spite of being ineligible and the applicant being more suitable and meritorious".

The petitioner had also claimed that she did not qualify the criteria of having "an outstanding record for the past five years" prior to the relevant year, as contemplated under Rule 4 of the Indian Administrative Serice (Appointment by Selection) Regulations, 1997 and other instructions.

"The UPSC is restrained from finalising the indicated final select list," the CAT order issued yesterday said.

The Chandigarh bench comprising Justice M S Sullar and P Gopinath also issued a notice of motion to the Haryana government, UPSC and Asha Sharma for December 20.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A US national was today apprehended at the Delhi airport for allegedly using a fake travel ticket to see his sister off, official sources said.

Tarlochan S was apprehended around 4:00 am when the CISF personnel found him roaming suspiciously inside the Terminal-3 (T3) building of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, they said.

The man told the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel that he had entered the terminal to see his sister off, who was travelling to Istanbul, the sources said, adding he told them that he used a cancelled ticket to enter the airport.

Tarlochan, a US national, was subsequently handed over to the police as the cancelled ticket was a fake entry document, they said.

Entering an airport terminal without a valid ticket is illegal under the country's aviation rules.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US special prosecutor Robert Mueller has subpoenaed German lender Deutsche Bank for information on Donald Trump's dealings, according to media reports today.

Investigators -- who are probing whether Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow to swing last year's US presidential election -- presented Germany's biggest bank with a demand for information about Trump and members of his family, Bloomberg and German business daily Handelsblatt reported, citing anonymous sources.

The subpoena arrived "a few weeks ago," according to the German paper, which added that the most important files relevant to the request have already been sent to Mueller's team.

Investigators were looking for "information about specific financial and credit transactions with the Trump family," Handelsblatt reported.

A Deutsche Bank spokesman declined to comment on the reports when contacted by AFP.

An internal investigation at Deutsche "found no suspicious connections between Trump and Russia so far," Handelsblatt added.

Trump has a history of dealings with Deutsche Bank during his career as a New York property mogul, and his businesses owed it around $300 million in July 2016 according to a Bloomberg analysis.

Meanwhile, the president's wife Melania, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner are all customers of Deutsche's wealth management arm, according to Handelsblatt.

In a separate case, Deutsche was fined almost $630 million by US and British authorities over money laundering earlier this year, after moving USD 10 billion illegally out of Russia using a so-called "mirror trading" scheme.

Executives at the lender, which has weathered a series of scandals and swingeing fines in recent years, were reportedly only too keen to hand over what information they have on Trump and remove a political target from their own backs, the newspaper added.

The Republican leader's opponents in the US have called on Deutsche to provide more information on the relationship.

But the bank has so far refused to meet the demands, saying releasing any data would be illegal.

Mueller's probe into Trump has intensified in recent months, with a flurry of charges in late October against former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort, his deputy Richard Gates and campaign official George Papadopoulos.

Last week, Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to investigators, a relatively minor charge stoking speculation he had agreed to testify against others.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh DGP Sulkhan Singh today issued detailed directives to district police chiefs in the state for taking all necessary steps to ensure peace and amity on the anniversary of Babri mosque demolition tomorrow.

The respective police chiefs have been asked to promulgate prohibitory orders in consultation with the district magistrates, wherever required, and take all pre emptive steps to ensure that no one collects bricks, stones, acid bottles and other such things that could be used to harm peace, an official statement said.

Directives were issued to keep cracker shops closed on December 6 besides maintaining alert on shops selling wine and arms, the statement said, adding that special vigil be undertaken against rumour mongers.

Asking for proper deployment of the personnel so that they are visible to the public, the DGP said that additional force be used in the areas having a mixed population and are sensitive.

The police personnel deployed should be properly equipped with body protectors, helmets, tear gas shells and rubber bullets among others, the order said.

The DGP also suggested surprise checks on railway and bus stations, shopping malls, multiplexes and other such places.

He also asked for all the SHOs to keep some force in reserve as well as buses, the statement said, adding that directives were also issued for proper police deployment for the functions related to Dr B R Ambedkar's death anniversary, which also falls on the same day.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju on Tuesday said the government wants to make Air India vibrant for which plans on an 'alternative mechanism' was being worked out.

The national carrier, entirely funded by government, was making losses and was now in a debt trap due to interest burden.

"We want to make Air India a vibrant entity and not to go the Kingfisher way", Raju told reporters here.

He said the government was working on an 'alternative mechanism' and all options were being explored.

Raju said "Air India's financials are bad. But we want it to continue to be in the skies".

The minister said private carrier Indigo had given expression of interest in Air India's overseas operations, while the Tatas were making only verbal enquiries. "There is nothing in writing from the Tatas, it is only verbal", he said.

Meanwhile, the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM) of the finance ministry had decided to go for a strategic divestment route in Air India.

Transaction advisors had also been appointed, Raju said.
The body of a worker, who had got trapped under a pit at an iron ore mine operated by a Vedanta Group firm, was found today, three days after the incident, the company said.

Manoj Naik, who was working on a ripper, had got buried under the iron ore dump along with the machine on December 2 at Sesa Goa Iron Ore's Codli mine in South Goa.

A rescue operation was launched immediately.

"This is to inform that the rescue team recovered the body of our worker, Manoj Naik, around 6.15 pm today. Manoj was trapped in a slope failure in our Codli mine on December 2," a company spokesman said in a statement here.

"The Vedanta team worked round-the-clock in the rescue efforts with the support of the local and state administrative authorities, the Navy and the National Disaster Management (to trace the worker).

"After the post-mortem tomorrow the body will be handed over to his family," the spokesman said.

"All of us at Vedanta are deeply grieved and will provide all the possible support to the family," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Reuters) - Dish Network Corp said on Tuesday co-founder Charlie Ergen has stepped down from his chief executive role to devote more time to build out the company's wireless business.

Erik Carlson, president and chief operating officer, will take over as CEO but will continue to report to Ergen, the U.S. satellite and internet TV provider said.

Ergen, who stepped down as president in 2015, will remain the company's chairman.

Ergen has spearheaded the company's recent expansion, including the launch of streaming service Sling TV and the acquisition of wireless spectrum - areas where he intends to focus.

"We are not overly surprised by the move as Mr. Ergen likely devotes much of his time to wireless already," Jefferies analyst Scott Goldman wrote in a client note.

Dish is battling intense competition in the traditional pay-TV market and has been buying up wireless airwaves, or spectrum, in recent years.

The company also faces a Federal Communications Commission deadline to use the spectrum by 2021 to build its first wireless network. Some investors say Ergen will likely want a partner to help share the cost of the investment, even though he has said the company can build the network by itself.

"The focus on mobility makes strategic sense as more and more consumption takes place in a mobile environment," Jefferies Goldman said.

Dish's hoarding of spectrum assets makes it an attractive target for a telecom major, analysts said after the collapse of merger talks between T-Mobile and Sprint.

"(Ergen) will always have the authority, but maybe not the responsibilities of being the CEO," said Roger Entner, analyst at Recon Analytics. "It's just clearing up his schedule from the day-to-day of running Dish to do something else."

The move is not a first for Ergen. He relinquished his CEO post to Joe Clayton in 2011 and returned to helm Dish in 2015 amid subscriber losses. (http://reut.rs/2AsFNNc)

"I have every confidence that under Erik's leadership our new organizational structure will deliver value for DISH TV and Sling TV and will aid our entry into wireless," Ergen said on Tuesday.

Dish's shares were up nearly 1 percent at $52.05 in afternoon trading.

(Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru and Anjali Athavaley in New York; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two major Chinese lenders plan to support a move by China Development Bank to put Indian wireless carrier Reliance Communications (RCom) into insolvency court as they seek to recover about $2 billion in debt, said three people with knowledge of the matter.

Last month, CDB began insolvency proceedings against RCom, which has been trying for months to restructure its debt via a debt-for-equity swap. Now, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the country's biggest-listed lender by assets, and Export-Import Bank of China, plan to back CDB, the sources said.

The combined effort would be a rare tilt against an Indian conglomerate by a group of Chinese lenders, keen to boost their presence in India.

And it would also further jeopardize Anil Ambani-controlled RCom's efforts to restructure out of court. RCom last week said the majority of its creditors will oppose CDB's insolvency bid.

With total debt of 457.33 billion rupees ($7.1 billion) as of end March, RCom is the most-leveraged of all listed telecoms carriers in India. The company has not reported its debt level since then.

The CDB petition seeking insolvency proceeding against RCom is not on behalf of all three Chinese banks, but the banks are "on the same page", said one of the people with knowledge of the development.

If needed, the other two banks will file their own petitions at India's National Company Law Tribunal, which hears bankruptcy cases in the country, the person said.

Two other people with knowledge of the Chinese banks' plans also confirmed that ICBC and Export-Import Bank would seek to join the insolvency bid unless the parties reach an out-of-court settlement.

The people spoke to Reuters on condition they not be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

RCom did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ICBC declined to comment, while the other two Chinese banks and the mobile carrier's top Indian lender, State Bank of India, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.



DEBT RESTRUCTURING

There has not been any consensus yet on whether Indian banks would oppose the CDB petition as the Joint Lenders' Forum, that comprises all banks that have lent to RCom, is yet to meet following the filing of the insolvency plea, according to two sources.

The sources also said that there is no concrete mechanism for other lenders to block insolvency proceedings initiated against a creditor by one of their peers.

An out-of-the-court settlement between RCom and the Chinese lenders would be "very difficult" from the Chinese banks' perspective as they were frustrated that RCom had not kept promises it made previously on debt repayment, one of the people said.

In June, RCom's group of largely domestic lenders agreed to restructure its debt under the Indian central bank's Strategic Debt Restructuring (SDR) rule that allows banks to own a majority stake in a company by swapping part of their loans for equity.

That plan hinged on two deals that RCom hoped would cut its debt load by 60 percent, but both deals fell apart after months of talks.

Since then, RCom has pledged to do a new asset sales programme to repay debt. Bankers have also held off on the debt-equity swap with RCom's stock falling to less than half of the agreed swap price.

RCom said last week the lenders who planned to oppose the CDB insolvency bid had appointed Indian law firm J. Sagar Associates to represent them.

But Dina Wadia, joint managing partner at the law firm, told Reuters that her firm's mandate, as of Saturday, was only to act for the group of lenders in the SDR process.

RCom did not respond to Wadia's statement.
Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya should not be extradited to his home country to face fraud charges related to the collapse of his Kingfisher Airlines because there is no evidence to back up India's case against him, a London court heard on Tuesday.

The Indian government has requested Mallya's extradition from Britain accusing him of fraudulently palming off the airline's losses onto banks by taking out loans he had no intention of repaying.

The 61-year-old has had business interests ranging from aviation to liquor. He is also the co-owner of Formula One motor racing team Force India.

The case against him centres on a series of loans Kingfisher obtained from Indian banks, especially state-owned lender IDBI. The banks want to recover a total of about $1.4 billion that the state says the defunct airline owes.

"There is no evidence," Mallya's defence lawyer Clare Montgomery told Westminster Magistrates Court.

"Economically and legally it is impossible to palm off losses onto banks by borrowing to pass on the cost of failure."

She said there were competing narratives, fraud versus business failure, and that no reasonable jury would be able to reach a safe conclusion that there had been a deliberate intent to defraud.

She added that the Indian government's case revealed a "shocking" lack of appreciation of how companies function and of basic realities such as the effects of incorporation and the rights of shareholders.

Mallya, the focus of intense media interest in India, arrived wearing a dark suit and yellow tie and was mobbed by cameramen as he walked into the building.

Inside the courtroom he spoke only to confirm his name and age, before sitting quietly in the glass-walled dock as Montgomery spoke.

She said the government's allegation that Mallya had deliberately misled banks by overstating Kingfisher's projected profits was "a false premise".

That was because airlines were subject to many unpredictable factors beyond their control, such as fuel cost fluctuations and the global economic climate, so to make entirely accurate projections several years in advance was unrealistic.

Montgomery also rejected the allegation that senior managers at state-owned lender IDBI were involved in Mallya's fraudulent plan.

"That is one of a number of allegations that prosecuting authorities have made without a shred of evidence," she said.

Montgomery also rejected the allegation that Mallya had improperly spent the money borrowed from the banks, saying there was no evidence of disbursements on anything other than the benefit of Kingfisher.

The extradition hearing is expected to last two weeks. The judge, England's Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot, will have to decide whether there is a prima facie case against Mallya and whether the alleged crimes would be offences in Britain as well as India.
The Rs 9,000-crore ice cream market (including unorganised players) is in for an overhaul. As regional labels such as Arun, Cream Bell, Vadilal Dairy International and Heritage take on the might of Kwality Walls, Amul and such others, the industry expects to grow at close to 10 per cent for the next few years and the brand map for the sector to change forever.
December 1, 2017

If you could be dean for a day, what would you do? University of Montana College of Business senior Nikki Gabrielsen got to answer that question on Nov. 29, when the winner of the colleges second annual Dean for a Day competition swapped roles with Sprunk and Burnham Endowed Dean Chris Shook.

It was the most incredible experience, said Gabrielsen, who is originally from Havre, Montana. I learned so much.

Dean Gabrielsens day as leader began with staff introductions and briefings in preparation for afternoon meetings, followed by a presentation to Missoula accounting firm Boyle, Deveny, and Meyer.

It turned out to be an awesome experience, Gabrielsen said of the presentation. One of the best learning experiences from the day came out of the thing that I was the most nervous about.

Her day rounded out with a donor lunch with alumni and UM supporters Dave and Suzanne Peterson, and more meetings  with faculty chairs and directors, a contractor helping to build a new student study area in Gallagher Business Building, and UM Provost Beverly Edmond. For Gabrielsen, who said she wanted to be dean because displaying women as leaders can influence girls perceptions of what they can accomplish, meeting the provost was another highlight of the day.

Shes another really strong woman in a leadership position, she said. We had a lot to talk about; we had a lot in common. I think shes got some great ideas. Shes a very inspiring woman.

As for Shooks student experience, classes such as business law and organizational behavior filled his day. He took notes for Gabrielsen, participated in her group work project in one class, and was pleasantly surprised when the professors called on each student by name.

They get to know the students a little better than at some other schools, Shook said. Its definitely one of the benefits of being at UM.

After class, Shook made a stop at the College of Business Student Success Center for some advising. A highlight of the day was visiting with the Montana Code Girls in Frenchtown, Montana. Gabrielsen, a management information systems major, volunteers to mentor the group of middle school girls who are interested in coding and app creation. Attending with Shook was Tom Stergios, senior vice president at ATG in Missoula, a firm that hires many UM business graduates.

It was encouraging because they were fun, very energetic, and it would be interesting to see how technology takes a role in their lives or future careers, Shook said.

Dean for a Day began a year ago as a way for Shook to better understand the student experience and for students to gain leadership experience. The contest also has an important community-building aspect, Shook said, explaining that everybody has a right to an education and to be accepted. Giving students opportunities to feel engaged and connected can help them continue and complete their course of study at UM, he added.

Were really trying to build community in the college and make everybody feel like they have a place here no matter who they are or what they believe in, he said.

The journey to the dean and student swap began in October with a college-wide competition in which first-round applicants submitted an online form. Three finalists each created a video, which students and followers in the community helped choose through online voting.

Photo: Shook, left, as a student, and Gabrielsen as dean.
The extradition trial of Vijay Mallya, wanted in India on charges of Rs 9,000 crores fraud and money laundering, began on Monday at a UK court here, with the prosecution asserting that the embattled liquor baron had a case of fraud to answer. The trial, however, was briefly halted as the courtroom had to be evacuated due to a fire alarm. The 61-year-old tycoon and others waited outside the Westminster magistrates court during the fire drill. The trial began with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, presenting its opening arguments in the case which focused on loans totalling around Rs 2,000 crores sought by the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines from a consortium of Indian banks.

The CPS admitted that there may have been irregularities in the internal processes of the banks sanctioning some of those loans but that would be a question to be dealt with at a later stage in India. The focus of our case will be on his (Mallya's) conduct and how he misled the bank and misused the proceeds, said CPS barrister Mark Summers. The CPS noted that in all the loans sought, loss-making Kingfisher Airlines had relied on nearly the same set of security pledges, which included the UB Groups reputation, Kingfishers own brand value, a promised infusion of equity funds and a projected return to profit by the airline by February 2011. The airline had claimed that it had put proactive measures in place to improve performance, the CPS noted.

However, it was also a time when according to an industry analysis, the state of the airline industry was described as grim and as being in intensive care. It was not a scenario in which a state bank would have entertained such loan requests, the CPS added.

Mallya's barrister, Clare Montgomery, told the judge that she had hoped to set out the defences opening arguments on the first day as well. But the CPS said it will not be rushed as it lays out the complete chronology of events. Meanwhile, Mallya watched the proceedings from behind a glasswindowed dock. His defence team tried to get the judge to allow him to sit outside the dock near his defence team to access some of the complicated paperwork being relied upon, but the judge denied that request saying all defendants are expected to sit in the dock. However, the judge has directed that a table be provided to Mallya for easier access to his paperwork.

Earlier, Mallya looked relaxed when he entered the court to stand trial on charges of fraud and money laundering related to his erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines owing several Indian banks around Rs 9,000 crores.

THESE (allegations against me) are false, fabricated and baseless, Mallya told reporters outside the court ahead of the hearing. A four-member CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) team from India had also arrived at the court ahead of the trial, one of whom nodded when asked they were confident about their case. Mallya, who has been out on bail since Scotland Yard executed an extradition warrant in April this year, will be in the dock for the duration of the trial scheduled to end on December 14. A judgment in the case, being presided over by Judge Emma Louise Arbuthnot, is unlikely until early next year.

The CPS will need to demonstrate a prima facie case by producing evidence to show that the criminal charges against Mallya are justified and that he should be extradited to face the Indian courts. Prison conditions in India are expected to be at the forefront during the hearing, with the Indian government providing assurances of protection of Mallya's human rights.

The tycoon has been on selfimposed exile in the UK since he left India on March 2, 2016. He is on strict bail conditions, which include providing a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds, surrender of his passport and a ban on possessing any travel documents.
After milking the science behind Ayurveda, yoga guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali is all set to harness the power of sun. Expanding its market beyond the fast moving consumer goods category, Patanjali is going to diversify into solar power equipment manufacturing, a Mint report said on Tuesday. With the Narendra Modi government's push to bring the renewable energy revolution in the country, Yoga guru Ramdev-led Patanjali wants to tap into the sector that has not been explored to its full potential so far. Though India aims to produce 100 gigawatts of energy in the next five years, the road may not be easy due to a fierce competition from Chinese manufacturers and rising input costs. However, India could still be a favourite market for the solar energy production given the country's unbridled commitment towards the Paris Climate deal.

Patanjali products became a rage in the country soon after the company started operations in 2006. Patanjali currently makes a wide range of products including personal care such as hair oil, toothpaste, moisturizing cream, face scrub, healthcare products, ayurvedic medicine, incense sticks, and products like corn flakes, choco flakes, biscuits and even noodles. Getting into solar is in line with the swadeshi movement. With solar, each household in India can have power supply, and we are here to make that happen," Mint quoted Acharya Balkrishna, managing director of Patanjali Ayurved.

Patanjali acquired Advance Navigation and Solar Technologies Pvt. Ltd. earlier this year. According to the report, the company is set to invest Rs 100 crore in its new factory in Greater Noida. The Greater Noida factory is likely to begin functions in a few months. Balkrishna told Mint that they decided to diversify into solar power after they decided to use solar power in all their factories. "That time we understood (that) most of the solar modules come from China. And there was no quality consistency even in India-made ones," he added. Balkrishna also said that they started making solar modules for their captive use initially and then decided to use the existing capacity to manufacture solar modules and sell in the market.

"The government has been working on the solar industry, and even offering sops. We will manufacture solar panels in India without compromising the quality. But we are not going to get into the price war with the Chinese solar panels," Balkrishna told Mint. Patanjali Ayurved has seen an exponential rise since its inception. Its revenues increased five times to Rs 10,561 this year till March from Rs 2,006 crore the previous year. It aims to cross Rs 20,000-25,000 crore in sales by March next year.

In September, Patanjali had announced it would enter the $70 billion dairy sector and apparel business in India. "The total market size of these two categories will be Rs 20 lakh crore. We will enter both within this year," Baba Ramdev had said, adding that the company was number one in trust and would be number 1 in turnover in a year.

He had also taken a dig at multinational companies, saying the FMCG giants like Hindustan Unilever done and Nestle etc. had done nothing for India, and that Patanjali was the only company that used the revenue generated through Patanjali products for providing employment opportunities.

The company could soon some up with a 'swadeshi' line of clothes for men, women and children. Baba Ramdev's homegrown brand is likely to enter the branded apparels market this calendar year. In July, the yoga guru had entered the Rs 40,000 crore private security market. Patanjali has roped in retired Army and police officers to train recruits who will work as private security guards with Ramdev's Parakram Suraksha Private Limited. Besides, Patanjali Ayurveda also plans to enter the restaurant business dominated by McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Subway in India.

To meet its ambitious targets and expand its areas of interest, Patanjali is also in talks with two investment banks to raise structured credit worth Rs 1,000 crore. Patanjali in September had also announced the launch of its packaged drinking water 'Divya Jal'. Reports had suggested one of the two investment banks was a Hyderabad-based boutique firm specialising in the consumer packaged goods segment, adding that the banks had been asked to approach both foreign and domestic funds.
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Modi to address FICCI

Prime minister Modi will be attending the AGM of a leading business chamber for the first time at a time when the economy has started to recover. He will be delivering the inaugural address at the annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Dec 13. Till now Modi had kept his distance from the corporates.

A case of fraud

UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya has "a case of fraud" allegations to answer, a London court was told at the start of a two-week hearing on India's plea for his extradition. Mallya, who is wanted in India on charges of money laundering and owing Rs9,000 crore in loans linked to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines, denies all charges against him



Investors get a boost

Huge returns from investments in big entities like Flipkart and Paytm have boosted the value of exits by venture capital firms this year which touched an unparalleled high and outpaced fresh investments. Investors garnered returns amounting to Rs 16965 crore in 2017 while new deals brought in capital worth about Rs 7318 crore.

Top taxpayers under scanner

In an effort to understand the slowing GST collections, the Central Board of Excise and Customs has sought detailed field reports with a special focus on top taxpayers. A detailed analysis comparing tax payments before and after GST was imposed has been asked to be submitted. The top 100 assessees will be under the scanner.

Patanjali to enter solar equipment manufacturing

Patanjali Ayurveda, the consumer goods products company is all set to diversify into solar equipment manufacturing. This will be the company's first tryst with the infrastructure sector after it made its mark in consumer products. Acharya Balkrishna of Patanjali Ayurveda said the move was in keeping with its 'swadeshi' focus.



India among nations that will drive ad spends

Five other nations along with India will be driving ad spends in 2018, media agency GroupM has predicted. The five nations are US , China, Argentina, Japan and the UK which along with India will push advertising growth to 4.3 per cent in 2018 versus 3.1 per cent this year.

Lucrative packages offered at IITs

The various Indian Institutes of Technology have witnessed a 40 per cent rise in the offers that have been offered to the students on the day one of the campus placement sessions this year. Unlike previous years, on day one of this years placement session, students were offered packages as high as Rs 1 crore. The number of international offers that were given to prospective candidates also increased this year

New home furniture brand Script launched

Godrej & Boyce today launched a new home furniture brand Script targeting the mass premium segment and is eyeing a revenue of Rs 320 crore in the next three years from this venture. The company has presence in the furniture category with Godrej Interio, but said Script and Interio would operate as different entities.

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Nandini Piramal-led Consumer Products Division of the Piramal Enterprise has further consolidated its position in the Over the Counter (OTC) segment with the acquisition of gastro-intestinal product Digeplex and associated brands from Shreya Lifesciences.



The OTC business of Piramal, already among the top five OTC specialists in the Rs 20,000 crore market, had revenues of Rs 375 crore in 2016-17, a jump of 44 per cent compared to the Rs 261 crore it posted in the previous year. When Piramal Enterprises started its consumer products business in 2009 post the sale of its formulation business to Abbott for Rs 18,000 crore, it was ranked only 40 amongst all OTC players in India. The business has grown at over 24 per cent over the past six years, said sources.

Earlier, dominated by FMCG companies like Dabur, Uniliver, Henkel, Reckitt Benckiser and the like, the OTC market in the country is growing at 10-14 per cent. Of late, drug companies like Cipla, Dr Reddys, Lupin, Sun Pharma etc. have floated separate divisions to boost over the counter sales. Zydus Cadila has a separate company in Zydus Wellness to tap this opportunity. One among the biggest among them is Mankind, which sells near ten per cent of its Rs4000 crore business as OTC products like contraceptive brand Manforce.

Piramal's OTC, which follows the strategy of acquiring legacy OTC brands, already have two GI brands - Polycrol and Naturolax, husk based brand which helps in treating constipation. Piramal's consumer business has brands like Saridon, Lacto Calamine, i-Pill, Quik Kool, Polycrol, Jungle Magic perfumes and bands, Tetmosol, Caladryl etc. and has six brands amongst the top 100 OTC brands.

"Acquisition is one of the important routes to help us achieve our goal and in the last two years, we have completed three acquisitions in the consumer products business", says Nandini Piramal, Executive Director, Piramal Enterprises.
In a major blow to Pakistan, China has decided to temporarily stop the funding of at least three major road projects in Pakistan over several reports of corruption in the CPEC projects. Being built as part of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, the projects were approved in the 6th JCC meeting in 2016. Though funds for these projects were to be decided in the Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on November 20, Chinese officials told their Pakistan counterparts that Beijing was working on 'new guidelines' before releasing the money, reported Dawn. Pakistan's "all-weather-friend" China's decision to unexpectedly stop funding has left officials in Islamabad "stunned" as the delay could affect over 1 trillion Pakistani rupees worth of road projects of the Pakistan's National Highway Authority (NHA).

The CPEC is a flagship project of China's prestigious One Belt One Road. It passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) - India had earlier raised a strong objection to the CPEC road project through PoK - and links China's restive Xinjiang region with Pakistan's Balochistan province. The recent decision of the Chinese government will affect 210-km-long Dera Ismail Khan-Zhob Road (estimated cost Rs 81 billion), 110-km-long Khuzdar-Basima Road (Rs 19.76 billion) and 136-km long Karakarom Highway (KKH) from Raikot to Thakot (Rs 8.5 billion). Dawn reported that all three projects were originally part of the government's own development programme, but in December 2016, the spokesman of the NHA announced that they are to be included under the CPEC umbrella to become eligible for concessionary finance from China.

"The funds for the three road projects were approved in the 6th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting held last year, pending necessary procedural formalities. "It was expected that the funding of the three projects would be finalised during the Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held on November 20, but Pakistan was informed in the meeting that 'new guidelines' will be issued from Beijing under which new modus operandi for release of the funds will be described," the official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The decision of the Chinese government was conveyed to Pakistan in the JWG meeting and the existing procedure for release of funds had been abolished, he said. Under the previous procedure, the projects were to be approved by six different forums after which the funds were released, the official added. "In fact, the Chinese authorities informed us that the previous procedure of release of funds was meant for early harvest projects only and new guidelines will be issued for future projects of the CPEC," the official said.

The official said the Pakistani side was left "stunned" when informed about this development, as it was the first time they were hearing it. He, however, claimed that Chinese side was quite disturbed with media reports, published in Pakistan, about corruption in the CPEC projects and and that was the reason Beijing has temporarily halted release of funds for the corridor. CPEC was launched in 2015 when President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan and it now envisages investment of around USD 50 billion in different projects of development in Pakistan.

With PTI inputs


At the third annual Google for India event, Google has announced Android Oreo (Go Edition). Google claims it to be a powerful experience for entry-level smartphones, which offers the best of Android, built with new and reimagined apps. The Oreo (Go Edition) focuses on offering better performance, more storage, data saving and security. Google has tuned all layers of the OS and app startup time is 15% faster on the Go edition.

While Google has not yet released the names of the manufacturing partners it is working with, the first set of smartphones powered by Oreo (Go Edition) will be launched in a few months from now. The Android Oreo (Go edition) has been designed to work with either 512MB or 1GB of RAM.

The Oreo (Go Edition) will come preloaded with brand new apps that have been designed for lighter updates and downloads that help create more space while improving the performance. Along with enhancing some of the old apps, Google has also created some new apps including Google Go and Files Go. The new Files Go app is created to help one quickly find files and get rid of any unwanted content. The app allows one to see how much free space is left on the phone and the SD card and can easily transfer files to SD card to free up the phone storage, right from the app. It even offers smart recommendations to erase files when running out of the space. The Google Go will power the search on the devices powered by Oreo (Go Edition). Google claims that this makes it easy to find top websites and apps, trending images and gifs, and more with minimal typing. Google has also added Google Assistant Go which will be available with smartphones powered by 1GB RAM or less memory.

Focusing on some other pain points, the data saver feature will be turned on by default to help save data instantly. There will also be an option of peer-to-peer sharing and the entry-level smartphones will also have the same key security features as Android Oreo. It will come with Google Play Protect, the built-in mobile security that keeps the app and data safe and will also have find my device feature built-in.
President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation to shrink the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments at the Utah State Capitol Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce plans to shrink two sprawling national monuments in Utah in a move that will delight the state's GOP politicians and many rural residents who see the lands as prime examples of federal overreach, but will enrage tribes and environmentalist groups who vow to immediately sue to preserve the monuments. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  President Donald Trumps rare move to shrink two large national monuments in Utah triggered another round of outrage among Native American leaders who vowed to unite and take the fight to court to preserve protections for lands they consider sacred.

Environmental and conservation groups and a coalition of tribes joined the battle Monday and began filing lawsuits that ensure that Trumps announcement is far from the final chapter of the yearslong public lands battle. The court cases are likely to drag on for years, maybe even into a new presidency.

Trump decided to reduce Bears Ears  created last December by President Barack Obama  by about 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante  designated in 1996 by President Bill Clinton  by nearly half. The moves earned him cheers from Republican leaders in Utah who lobbied him to undo protections they considered overly broad.

Conservation groups called it the largest elimination of protected land in American history.

The move comes a week after tribal leaders decried Trump for using the name of a historical Native American figure as a slur.

On Nov. 27, Trump used a White House event honoring Navajo Code Talkers to take a political jab at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat he has derisively nicknamed Pocahontas for her claim to have Native American heritage.

Its just another slap in the face for a lot of us, a lot of our Native American brothers and sisters, Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez said. To see that happen a week ago, with disparaging remarks, and now this.

Trump also overrode tribal objections to approve the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines.

The Navajo Nation was one of five tribes that formed a coalition that spent years lobbying Obama to declare Bears Ears to preserve lands home to ancient cliff dwellings and an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites. Native Americans visit the area to perform ceremonies, collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual purposes, and do healing rituals.

A lawsuit from the coalition of the Hopi, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni tribes and Navajo Nation was filed late Monday night.

Earlier Monday, Earthjustice filed the first of several expected lawsuits, calling the reduction of Grand Staircase-Escalante an abuse of the presidents power that jeopardizes a Dinosaur Shangri-la full of fossils. Some of the dinosaur fossils sit on a plateau that is home to one of the countrys largest known coal reserves, which could now be open to mining. The organization is representing eight conservation groups.

Trump, in a speech at Utahs Capitol with the governor and other politicians, said the states lands should not be managed by very distant bureaucrats located in Washington.

Your timeless bond with the outdoors should not be replaced with the whims of regulators thousands and thousands of miles away, Trump said. Ive come to Utah to take a very historic action to reverse federal overreach and restore the rights of this land to your citizens.

The decision marks the first time in a half century that a president has undone these types of land protections.

Trumps move followed months of lobbying by Utahs mostly Republican officials who said the two monuments closed off the area to energy development and other access.

Environmental and tribal groups say the designations are needed to protect important archaeological and cultural resources, especially the more than 1.3 million-acre (2,030-square-mile) Bears Ears site featuring thousands of Native American artifacts.

Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch said only Congress, not the president, has the power to reduce a national monument, something that the tribal coalition argued in its lawsuit.

Additional legal challenges were expected from environmental groups and outdoor clothing company Patagonia.

Outside Trumps announcement Monday, roughly 3,000 protesters lined up near the State Capitol. Some held signs that said, Keep your tiny hands off our public lands, and they chanted, Lock him up! A smaller group gathered in support, including some who said they favor potential drilling or mining there that could create jobs. Bears Ears has no oil or gas, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told reporters, though Grand Staircase-Escalante has coal.

Bears Ears, created nearly a year ago, will be reduced to 201,876 acres (315 square miles).

Grand Staircase-Escalante will be reduced from nearly 1.9 million acres (nearly 3,000 square miles) to 1 million acres (1,569 square miles).

Both were among a group of 27 monuments that Trump ordered Zinke to review this year.

Democrats and environmentalists accuse Trump and Zinke of engaging in a secretive process aimed at helping industry groups that have donated to Republican political campaigns.

Zinke accompanied Trump aboard Air Force One, as did Utahs Republican U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee. Hatch and other Utah Republican leaders pushed Trump to launch the review, saying the monuments designated by the former Democratic presidents locked up too much federal land.

Trump framed the decision as returning power to the state, saying, You know and love this land the best and you know the best how to take care of your land. He said the decision would give back your voice.

Public lands will once again be for public use, Trump said to cheers.

Hatch, who introduced Trump, said that when you talk, this president listens and that Trump promised to help him with federal overreach.

No president has tried to eliminate a monument, but some have reduced or redrawn the boundaries on 18 occasions, according to the National Park Service. The most recent instance came in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy slightly downsized Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.

Trump signed an executive order in April directing Zinke to review the protections, which Trump is able to upend under the 1906 Antiquities Act. The law gives presidents broad authority to declare federal lands as monuments and restrict their use.

Zinke has also recommended to Trump that Nevadas Gold Butte and Oregons Cascade-Siskiyou monuments be reduced in size, though details remain unclear. The former Montana congressmans plan would allow logging at a newly designated monument in Maine and more grazing, hunting and fishing at two sites in New Mexico.

Patagonia President and CEO Rose Marcario said the outdoor-apparel company will join an expected court fight against the monument reduction, which she described as the largest elimination of protected land in American history.



Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey in Salt Lake City and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump signed two proclamations to formally scale back Bears Ears and Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monuments. The ceremony came Monday, during the presidents first official visit to Utah.

Trump spoke from inside the Utah State Capital Monday morning. He said he made the decision after ordering Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to review 27 monuments. He also spoke to colleagues in Washington and friends in the state.

Therefore today, on the recommendation of Secretary Zinke and with the wise council of Senator Hatch, Senator Lee and the many others, I will sign two presidential proclamations. These actions will modify the national monuments designations of both Bears Ears and Grand-Staircase Escalante.

Trump said during his speech, past presidential administrations had severely abused the purpose and spirit of a federal law that allows them to protect public lands by turning them into national monuments.

During the visit, President Trump also met with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He toured Welfare Square and spoke with President Henry B. Eyring and President Russell M. Nelson, from the churchs First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

While speaking at the Capitol, Trump said he was impressed with the way the Church takes care of people.

After our visit I can truly say first hand that Utahs awesome natural beauty is exceeded only by the warmth and grace and hospitality of its citizens. This state has many natural treasures but its greatest treasure by fare is its people.

President Trumps actions were welcomed by Utahs top Republicans but opposed by Native American tribes and environmental groups. Trump was accompanied on Air Force One by Utah Republican senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, and Interior Secretary Zinke.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
Courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol

LOGAN  Law enforcement and emergency crews were busy Monday morning responding to multiple crashes and slide-offs. Several of the accidents partially closed roads and sent several people to hospitals. The crashes came after the first real storm, Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning, brought snow to the roads.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cade Brenchley said most of the accidents were a result of motorists driving too fast for the winter conditions.

The speed limits are not a requirement to go that fast, Brenchley said. Please slow down. Give yourself plenty of time, leaving your house, going to work. Whatever you are doing.

Troopers also recommend motorists avoid following too close to vehicles ahead of them. Utah law requires at least two-seconds between drivers. Troopers suggest adding one-second for each hazard youre driving in.

Brenchley said it is also important that motorists clear snow and ice off their vehicles. Troopers can ticket drivers for not having adequate visibility through their windows.

Even stuff on the top of your car, when it ices over and blows off, it becomes a hazard for people behind you. You are responsible for things coming off of your car. You are not responsible for anything from under your car, if you run over rocks and kick them up. But if something flies off of your car and does damage or causes an accident, you are responsible for that.

Troopers also recommend motorists check their tire treads. They suggest using snow tires this time of year, or at least a good all-season tire.

Brenchley said if you do get into an accident or slide-off, do not leave your vehicle before contacting law enforcement.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
| BY Ricki Green |

Advertisers will soon be able to deliver fully animated, contextually relevant and optimised out-of-home messaging to commuters across Australias two biggest markets through a single network, Adshel Rail.

In a move that extends its leadership in commuter media and brings a host of new scalable digital features to market, Adshel has been awarded the highly-coveted, seven-year contract for Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM). From April 1st 2018, Adshel will add MTMs 15 rail lines and 218 stations to its existing offering across Sydney Trains, creating a single network to connect with the bustling traveller in both cities.

The partnership will see Adshel deploy a new estate of over 150 digital screens at key Melbourne CBD and inner city railway stations including Flinders Street, Melbourne Central, Parliament, South Yarra and Richmond, and when combined with such powerful Sydney locations as Wynyard, Martin Place and Town Hall, unlocks enormous potential for new ways of engaging millions of Australians.

With full motion capability, the digital network increases the touchpoints for vertical video and will be available either in targeted off-the-shelf packs or in hand-picked locations by the day or week part.

By offering dynamic, full-motion campaign opportunities to target over 15 million rail passenger journeys, Adshel will add an exciting new channel to the Australian media landscape, further cementing its unrivalled coverage and Number 1 position in Melbourne, and nation-wide.

During the life of the contract, Adshel will also deliver an enhanced environment for greater impact in Melbourne, featuring quality inventory, screens and technology and new station layouts reducing clutter and facilitating greater cut-through for advertisers.

The win reaffirms Adshels commitment to the Melbourne market.

Says Mike Tyquin (right), CEO, Adshel: We are delighted to have been appointed by MTM. Adshel is committed to building value for advertisers and transport operators in the rail segment through our audience focus and application of technology and innovation. The MTM win, in combination with our Sydney Trains network, will enable advertisers to access Australias largest combined captive commuter audience for the first time.

Adshels scale, unrivalled position and unparalleled understanding of audiences will transform the MTM customer experience and enable advertisers to make intelligent, audience insight-driven out-of-home ad buys across the network. The MTM contract win continues our successful, long-term presence in public-private transport partnerships in the Melbourne CBD and metropolitan areas. We look forward to working with MTM to build and deliver a visionary new tier one media estate.

The MTM win further positions Adshel as a leader in the out-of-home transport sector and specifically highlights the success of our Adshel Rail network that will now cover Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Our forward planning, strong leadership team and transformative, innovation-driven business roadmap positions us strongly for the future.
| BY Ricki Green |

Y&R Group Brisbane has appointed former Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne business lead, Adam Kennedy as managing director, as it continues its period of sustained new business growth.

Leading a team of more than 60 staff, Kennedy steps into the role effective immediately, reporting directly to Y&R regional CEO Australia & NZ, Phil McDonald.

Says McDonald: Adam has had some impressive experience at two of the BBDO networks best agencies. He loves the business of creativity, and understands what clients need and want. Beyond that he is a good bloke and fits in to the Y&R management team perfectly. I have no doubt Y&R Brisbane will continue to go from strength to strength under his leadership.

An experienced strategic thinker with a PhD in advertising, brand and art from Kingston University in London, Kennedy was previously with Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, where he was a member of the leadership team and led major accounts, including Carlton United Breweries and Fonterra.

Prior to that, Kennedy worked in the UK at AMV BBDO, where he rose through the ranks from graduate trainee to board account director in six years. At the time, AMV was the UKs largest and most creatively awarded agency, where Kennedy led accounts including, Sainsburys, Aviva, UK Government, Eurostar, Camelot among others. Hes worked on campaigns that have been awarded at all the global creative and effectiveness shows, including the globally recognized anti-knife crime campaign Choose a different ending for Londons Metropolitan Police.

Says Kennedy: Im excited to be joining Y&R to head up the Brisbane office at such an important moment in the agencys history. Y&R Brisbane has a formidable reputation in this market built on its creative pedigree, depth of talent and enviable client list. Along with the existing leadership team, my hope is to build on this heritage as we evolve our model, culture and ideas to meet the future needs of our clients.
| BY Ricki Green |

The Integer Group, one of Omnicom Groups leading global commerce agencies, has today announced the expansion of its Digitail practice to Australia as Amazon opens for business, locally.

Digitail is a suite of commerce marketing and findability solutions rooted in a deep understanding of the retailer environment, how shoppers shop online, and the role eRetailers play along the shopper journey.

Strategic, creative and operational core capabilities help clients win search, the Buy Box and share of mind and wallet on and off-site  from organisational and operational readiness, to developing the perfect page for the digital shelf, to marketing, media and merchandising techniques that drive conversion and sales in an omni-channel world.

Says Morgan McAlenney, Digitail executive vice president and global operation lead for The Integer Group: Today Amazon has opened in Australia, and with it comes change for both commerce and culture. Integers Digitail offering helps clients turn shoppers into buyers on Amazon and beyond. We are set up to help brands and retailers find success on platforms including Amazon including international platforms such as Walmart.com, Tesco, GPA, Carrefour and many more; so were launching an eCommerce consultancy in Australia under the branded header of Digitail, leveraging our global skills, expertise and deep understanding of the Amazon ecosystem.

Integers Digitail practice launched in 2008 to help clients establish strategies and go-to- market plans to both win in a complex ecosystem and scale to meet the needs of the full channel. As a result, Integer has been recognized as one of very few Amazon Trusted Creative Partners. Representing over 110 brands in 27 languages and producing more than 18,000 eCommerce assets per year for eRetailers globally, Integers digital offering is headquartered in Denver, Colorado with significant regional hubs in Hamburg, Germany, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and now Sydney, Australia to service clients worldwide.

With Amazon entering the Australian market, The Integer Group recognised the well-timed opportunity to launch a regional Digitail offering.

Wylie Fowler, general manager of Integer Sydney (part of the TBWA Group Australia), appointed to lead Australias Digitail launch, outlines the opportunity for brands: The disruption Amazon represents could be seen as either a threat or an opportunity for local brands and retailers. We see it very much as an opportunity. By tapping into our global experience and decade of learnings, we are excited to help Australian brands and retailers thrive in what will be a new retail paradigm in our market.

Amazon represents a potentially disruptive force in Australian retail:

 Amazon, operating in just 11 markets, is responsible for 43% of all online sales

 In 2017, Amazon will be responsible for 22% of all retail growth in the U.S.

 Amazon.com (the U.S. site) is already the second largest mass merchandise website

in Australia  second only to Woolworths.com.au, which ships over 6.5 million

products per week online

 It is predicted that Amazon will double the rate of growth of online retail in Australia,

as it has in each of the 11 markets it has entered (currently, online is growing at 13%

PA v total retail growth of 2.9%)

 In established markets, Amazon is both a dominant retail force and a powerful

search and media tool, with over 55% of all product search happening on Amazon

Says Paul Bradbury, CEO, TBWA Australia and New Zealand: Amazon is a sophisticated, data-rich operation, laser-focused on the customer experience. Vendors and brands need to understand Amazons complexities and motivations to be successful.

Says Fowler: Its more than online shopping, Amazon will force us to re-think content, media spend, digital and programmatic, customer service, and even our relationships with Australian retailers. There is a difference between selling on Amazon and being successful on Amazon  we offer the solutions and expertise to deliver the latter.
| BY Lynchy |

Little Black Book has announced the launch of The Immortal Awards, a free to enter awards show for all LBB members around the world ~ including the 50+ ad agencies and production companies in Australia and New Zealand. They will be easy to enter  but hard to win.

As a business, LBB recognises how much change theres been in our industry. LBB understands the importance of awards in furthering the careers of creatives but recognise just how tough the industry is now, particularly financially. Thats why The Immortal Awards will come at no extra cost to LBB members.

Inspired by Sir John Hegartys insight that single offices rarely create more than five genuinely award-worthy pieces a year, The Immortal Awards will limit companies and offices to a maximum of five entries. The limit ensures only the very best creative work from the last year is entered and creates a democratic, level playing field for all entrants. Its not about playing the numbers game, its simply about recognising the creative ideas that will live forever.

The Immortal Awards will employ a straightforward entry system and simplified range of categories. By removing craft, product and service subcategories, youll be able to submit your entry without spending hours writing submissions forms and navigating endless lists of subcategories.

Awards shows are traditionally an additional cost for companies and LBB is removing that financial burden by eradicating entry fees. Instead, your entries to The Immortal Awards are covered as part of LBB membership that also includes everything that LBB has to offer. Gold membership will include five entries into the awards, with Silver and Bronze memberships allowing two and one respectively.

Winning at The Immortal Awards is going to be difficult  because thats the way it should to be. Entries will be judged to determine the Best of Year by category, with the top scoring qualifying for the final judging stage. The jury will then decide which entrants, if any, will receive Commendations or be deemed Immortal.

London-based Paul Monan has been appointed Awards Director and will oversee the development and implementation of The Immortal Awards into the Little Black Book platform.

Says Matt Cooper, founder of Little Black Book: Introducing an awards element is something that has been discussed with out members for a long time and weve developed a model that we believe is as democratic as it is simple. And more than that, we believe in offering a one cost model  one place for a company to put all of its news, work, jobs and, now, award entries. We become the communications channel for the communications world and, we believe, have created a platform and model that fits the advertising world of 2017.

Call for Entries will commence in early 2018.

Not an LBB Member yet? LBB is represented in New Zealand and Australia by Campaign Brief. Email Lynchy for details.
| BY Ricki Green |

The Great Barrier Reef is under threat  and WiTH Collective, part of Isobar Australia Group, has launched a social movement today, with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef. The colourful campaign will put vivid pops of colour into millions of social media feeds as a global network of individuals unites to pledge support for the future of the Great Barrier Reef.

Spearheaded by Earth Hour founder, Andy Ridley, Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef uses social media to mobilise people from around the globe to take simple, tangible actions to track their impact on the Reef.

Initially, the site launched with six actions that range from saying no to straws to reusing coffee cups and replacing plastic with canvas and collectively feed into a dashboard that shows the global impact of seemingly small, individual choices.

By signing up to citizengbr.org, individuals can claim their own colour of the reef and encourage friends, families, supporters and clients to do the same.

Andy Ridley, CEO Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef launched the movement today, midway between a split coral spawning season, a powerful symbol of ongoing life and a reminder that its action  not apathy  that will secure the future of the Great Barrier Reef.

Says Ridley: Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef is inspired by the Reefs annual coral spawning event that sees billions of tiny gametes and spawn  colourful lifeforms  flying into action and working as one to ensure its survival.

We need humanity to do the same.

We are asking the world to unite as one  like the Reef does  to protect one of the most beautiful natural assets the world has to offer.

As the Reef bursts to life in all its beauty below the surface, were going to flood peoples social media feeds with it above the surface  renaming every colour of the Reef after the Citizens who pledge to protect it.

Ridley said the movement was created to show that individual action does matter and that when scaled an action on one side of the planet can make a difference for the whole planet: The issues facing the planet can be perceived as far too big for any individual to make a difference.

Citizens aims to show that small, local actions taken on a global scale can create real and meaningful change.

While we initially start with six, simple actions that Citizens can join, the site will be opened up to allow Citizens and organisations to initiate and add their own tangible actions all around the world.

These are actions you can do wherever you are in the world.

Its a call to unite for the Reef and demonstrates the power of our individual consumer and social choices, and recognises the importance of the choices made by communities, business and governments.

Ridley explains that while right now, the Great Barrier Reef can still take your breath away, the pressures to its future are real and immediate.

The future of the Reef is in our hands. We are the generation that has the power to save the Great Barrier Reef. Now is the time to act.

Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef will also support real reef management and conservation projects along the 2,300 kilometres stretch of Queenslands coastline.

These include tackling outbreaks of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, protecting endangered loggerhead turtle habitat and supporting graziers to decrease sediment runoff into Reef catchments.

Through the Citizens platforms, people from around the world can follow, support, initiate and be inspired by these projects.

Developed and launched by WiTH Collective and Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, the campaign aligns with the agencys mission: to transform brands, businesses and peoples lives with the creative use of digital.

Says Dom Hind, COO and co-founder WiTH Collective Linked by Isobar: Weve been doing lots of things to reduce the agencys environmental footprint. Its something Ive become particularly passionate about. So when Andy got in touch about Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, and spoke to us about their ambition of creating meaningful change for the Great Barrier Reef, we jumped at the chance.
Monday, December 4, 2017 at 11:55PM

Taiwanese company ASUS has promised it would be bringing Android Oreo not just to its current generation ZenFone 4 line but also to its predecessor. They didnt specify though when the updates will be coming. ASUS ZenFone Blog obtained screenshots though that show what the ZenUI will look like with Android Oreo. Its not much different with how the current ZenUI looks like but you get a new pull-down notification shade and icons in the settings menu. We cant say yet what else they plan to add but we can expect the update to bring features like better background app management and picture-in-picture mode. ASUS has promised itll cut back on bloatware with Android Oreo, by how much we cant say yet. For now, we have to wait for the update to come.

Source: Android Authority
"What it comes down to is that if a jury is told an accused has done something ten times but they only have details of one or two charges, can anyone seriously say that jury isn't more likely to find the person guilty than if they were only told about the single allegation.
"As parents, teachers, school principals and the education leaders contributing to the Future of Education process consistently tell me, there's more to measuring the quality of school education than a school's performance on a test at a point in time, so the government's approach to continuous improvement in these areas is deliberately holistic.
"The women might have no immigration status here, they may not be entitled to income depending on what visa they're on. If they don't have a visa that allows them some sort of income, we end up supporting them as well."
"In the event you are, have you taken all reasonable steps to renounce it? Our people have all submitted themselves to our lawyers at the Labor Party and they have all taken reasonable steps," he said.
White Ribbon, it turns out, is a cookie factory, providing small treats so men can make public statements about their virtue. On November 25, men parade around with white ribbons on their lapels  but the grinding work of those who actually stop family violence doesn't have a day to commemorate that work. Women  and it's mostly women  labour away in private, on support lines, in hospitals, in counselling. They don't get cookies, they don't get ribbons and they very definitely don't get enough funding to help those experiencing violence. White Ribbon focuses on adult men  but the real work has to happen with children.
But a little overstatement was understandable, given the excitement around him. A beaming Yiannopoulos had only just bowled into the room, wearing sunglasses and a loud floral jacket (that he later boasted to be Gucci), somehow bearing a striking resemblance to teen party host Corey Worthington. He kept both jacket and sunnies on for the duration of the event.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
When the Toyota Raize came into the picture early this year , it commanded the kind of attention that made you think of it as possibly just ...
Alanna Kelly

Kelly Pantalone couldnt believe what she witnessed in Kamloops early Saturday night.

She was driving down Batchelor Hills Drive just before the Halston Avenue overpass around 7 p.m. when she noticed a dog running down the right side of the hill.

It was running scared from something and, at the intersection, it darted out into the middle of the road and there was a jeep coming down the hill with us and it was in the left lane, she said. The jeep sped up when it saw the dog in the middle of the road. It swerved into the dog on purpose.

Pantalone called bylaw and police to report the incident, which she believed was intentional.

I just started freaking out, it was terrible to see, it was really bad, she said. Who could do something like that?

She posted her tale of the tragic event in multiple Facebook groups because she knew someone would be wondering where their dog had gone.

And that is how the owner found out her missing dog was killed after being struck by a jeep.

Stephanie McGinty was frantically trying to find her dog, Lucky, Saturday evening, after he ran away from the Batchelor Heights area.

McGinty posted in a Facebook group that she was missing her dog and people connected her to Pantalone.

While the driver of the jeep fled the scene, a witness took Lucky to the vet and stayed with the dog the entire time.

McGinty said she hopes someone may know something about the person who hit the dog.

Clearly, this gentleman had intentions to hit my dog, said McGinty. It is sick, and people should watch out for people like this."

After word broke about the incident, another man said his dog was hit in the same area by a vehicle that fits the same description. He is offering a $5,000 reward for anyone who can identify the driver.

The vehicle is believed to be a black or blue Jeep, less than 10 years old, which has two doors and may have damage to the front of the vehicle.
Realtors in Vernon and Armstrong are aiming to collect tons of non-perishable food this week for local food banks.

This is the 40th annual North Okanagan Realtors Food Drive and the realtors are hoping to collect 40,000 lbs, said Lt. Stefan Reid, manager of the House of Hope. They're really wanting the community to come together for this.

Reid said the Dec. 6th realtors' food drive is the biggest event of the year for the Salvation Army's Vernon food bank.

There is always a need for food at the food bank but this effort makes our food last into June, possibly into July. It is the biggest event of the year for the food bank.

Reid has said the need in the Vernon area has never been greater, with more people than ever before using the Sally Ann's services.

He also pointed to last summer's fire season, when the Salvation Army distributed food and other items to needy families across the province.

We just want to be ready, to be prepared...in the event, heaven forbid, of anything happening in our community.

Realtors will be out in Vernon and Armstrong tomorrow to drop off bags at your front doorstep, while the food donations will be collected  from where they are left on the front porch  on Wednesday and then dropped off at the Salvation Army's food warehouse. The food collected in Armstrong will be going to the Boys and Girls Club food bank.

Residents are asked to leave a front porch light on.

If your donation is missed, people are asked to call any real estate agent and the bag of donated food will be picked up and transported to the food bank.
Photo: Colin Dacre

A Penticton man was found guilty Monday of possession, importing and distributing child pornography.

Jesse Prince, 34, was convicted by Judge Kathleen Ker following a five-day trial in October and November.

I reject Mr. Princes evidence completely, and find it to be completely fabricated, she said.

Prince was arrested in Sept. 2010 when police raided his fathers home on Green Mountain Road, where he was living.

An undercover police officer in Saskatchewan had received childporn from a file sharing account eventually traced to the IP address of the home.

Police seized several computers and found hundreds of child porn images on a desktop computer and external hard drive in Princes bedroom.

During the trial, Prince tried to argue that the computer was common property of the home used by everyone in a common area. He said he moved the computer into his room just a few days before his arrest.

Judge Ker dismissed the explanation, stating it was unlikely someone would download, share and view child porn in a common area of the home. Experts also testified there was no sign anyone besides Prince used the computer.

She stated Princes explanation of the events was contradicted by himself under cross-examination and technical evidence of the Crown.

He will be sentenced at a later date.
Photo: RCMP Afshin Maleki Ighani (pictured) is alleged to have shot Tommy Szajko earlier this year. Szajko passed away at his home on Friday.

A well-known Oliver man and victim of an alleged attempted murder earlier this year has passed away.

Tommy Szajko, 50, died in his home Friday, reports the Oliver Daily News.

Police say the death is in the hands of the BC Coroners Service.

Szajko was allegedly shot with a handgun at his home by Afshin Maleki Ighani on Apr. 19. After the shooting, police swarmed Szajko's home looking for Ighani, who was arrested in Princeton four days later after allegedly kidnapping a woman. He remains behind bars.

Court documents name Szajko as the victim of the initial shooting. Immediately after the incident, neighbours described him as kind and a good, but troubled person.

He was well known in the community for being the recipient of a medal of bravery from the Governor General in 1995 for awakening five residents of a house that was on fire, and re-entering the house after hearing another person crying for help.

with files from the Oliver Daily News
Photo: CTV

A former naval base commander in Victoria has pleaded guilty to a charge related to a sexual relationship he engaged in with an immediate subordinate.

Nord Mensah, who has since retired, was accused of failing to report the relationship to his chain of command.

Mensah was removed from his post at CFB Esquimalt, where he was in charge of logistics, shortly after the allegations of his sexual relationship with a subordinate emerged.

Related Stories

Nord Mensah, who has since retired, was fined and reprimanded for failing to report a sexual relationship with an immediate subordinate to his chain of command. Dec. 4, 2017.

He was eventually released from the military for medical reasons related to mental health issues about a year later.

Mensah was fined $2,500 and given a severe reprimand at a court-martial Monday.

-With files from CTV
Photo: CTV

You already have noticed there aren't as many Christmas trees available this year as in years past and the prices are higher.

That's because a shortage of trees south of the border is causing a domino effect across B.C., where sellers normally rely on imports to meet demand.

According to the U.S. National Christmas Tree Association, suppliers planted fewer seedlings during the recession of 2008, when prices and sales saw a slump.

The decreased supply is also causing price hikes right across the province. Local retailers are blaming higher wholesale costs from suppliers in Washington and Oregon for the higher price tags facing Canadian consumers.

-With files from CTV
Photo: CTV

Traffic is once again moving north on Highway 99 nearly a full day after a truck slammed into an overpass.

The truck crashed into the bridge at 152nd Street in Surrey Monday morning, knocking concrete and other debris into the northbound lanes.

-With files from CTV
UPDATE: 10:15 a.m.

A North Okanagan woman suffering from hypothermia was rescued by emergency personnel and Vernon Search and Rescue after spending more than 14 hours trapped on an embankment off of Highway 6 east of Cherryville.

"She was there for a long time," said Leigh Pearson, VSAR search manager. "Her car from the highway was virtually invisible."

Pearson said the vehicle went off the road around 1 p.m. Monday.

When she didn't arrive home, her husband went searching and happened to see a set of vehicle tracks going off of the highway.

Pearson said his volunteers were called in around 2 a.m. Tuesday for a high angle rope rescue.

"Her car was only about 30 feet down but she had opened the door to get out and went flying down the embankment."

Pearson said the woman was about 150 feet down the slope and lying in the snow.

"It was a real team effort," Pearson said. "It involved the Lumby fire department, the RCMP, BC Ambulance and us."

Searcher Pete Wise said it was a difficult rescue.

"We had to do multiple raises...with teams on the top and people down there with the stretcher."

The woman was lifted up the embankment on a stretcher-spine board before being put in a waiting ambulance, Wise said.

The rescue ended about 3:30 a.m.

ORIGINAL STORY: 8:20 a.m.

Vernon Search and Rescue volunteers came to the aid of a woman stuck down an embankment following an early morning motor vehicle incident east of Cherryville Tuesday.

First responders flew into action at 2:30 this morning, for a high-angle rope rescue. The vehicle was 20 metres down the embankment, with one female occupant roughly 50 metres down the bank below the vehicle.

Vernon Search and Rescue teams set up and deployed a rope system, and with help from RCMP and Lumby fire department members, hoisted the subject up the steep slope to the safety of the roadway.

The subject was then transferred to the care of waiting BC ambulance personnel, who took the patient to Vernon Jubilee Hospital, where she is currently undergoing further care.
Photo: The Canadian Press B.C. unveiled their plan for pot Tuesday.

UPDATE: 11:35 a.m.

The model for recreational cannabis distribution announced by the B.C. government came as no surprise to a local advocate for medicinal cannabis patients.

Mark Conlin said he'd been expecting a model that included wholesale distribution run by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, along with public and private retail outlets.

From what I've seen it looks good, but they're still short on details as to how the private retail side might be working out, Conlin said. The industry is certainly large enough to accommodate public and private sales.

Now that the province is moving forward with recreational cannabis dispensaries, Conlin says he wants to know what will happen with medicinal cannabis dispensaries, which are currently illegal.

It would seem kind of ludicrous to have private retail sales at the provincial level for recreational cannabis and yet prohibit patients from acquiring it in the same fashion, Conlin said.

Five medicinal dispensaries in Kelowna were recently targeted in a lawsuit by the City of Kelowna.

In light of the upcoming legalization, Conlin called the recent lawsuits ludicrous.

I hope that more sober minds prevail on this issue and they'll back off and let the dispensaries serve the patients that they've been serving, Conlin said. I know that the courts are taking a real dim view of frivolous cannabis complaints before them these days.

Correction: A previous version of this story said Mark Conlin was the media manager for Starbuds Medicinal Cannabis, but Castanet has since learned Conlin no longer works for Starbuds.

ORIGINAL: 10:25 a.m.

When recreational cannabis is legalized by the federal government in July, British Columbia will regulate the sale of the plant similar to the model used for alcohol.

After hearing input from almost 49,000 people since September, the province released its plan for cannabis distribution Tuesday.

Only those 19 and older will be able to purchase, possess and consume the newly-legalized drug.

The wholesale distribution will be run by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, while the retail side of things will be handled by both public and private stores.

The province says they will release details regarding the retail model in early 2018.

The federal Liberal party ran in the 2015 election on a platform promising to legalize cannabis. They have said the changes will take effect on July 4, 2018, but have left the distribution side up to the provinces.
Photo: @_BCCOS Five elk were shot and left to die in Farrell Creek area.

Four elk were shot and left dead near a public road in the District of Hudsons Hope, west of Fort St. John, in what conservation officers are calling a very disrespectful act.

Conservation officers received reports of shots being fired on a public road near private property in Farrell Creek on Sunday.

Two conservation officers attended yesterday morning and located four dead elk and one injured elk, said Conservation Officer Murray Booth.

We are obviously concerned, it is very dangerous," he said. "There is a residence nearby, the animals were left very disrespectful.

A fifth elk that was shot ran through a fence and is injured but under its own power."

We are monitoring that elk, he said.

The investigation is very active at this time but officers would not release any further information about suspects.

I cant divulge too much information. We have recovered evidence, said Booth.

Booth said he will be seeking multiple fines and that there will be a report to Crown counsel.

It is not pleasant at all, he said.
Photo: RCMP Police found a number of powerful weapons during their search of a storage locker in Vernon last April.

A man who was found by Vernon RCMP officers hiding in a storage locker full of powerful guns, drugs and stolen property last April has pleaded guilty to a long list of charges.

Taras Horst Becker, 30, was sentenced to 36 months in prison on Monday after a guilty plea in B.C. provincial court. With time already served, plus six months additional jail time on another file, Becker is expected to serve 30 months in prison before he is released.

On Apr. 8, police officers arrested a Vernon man, wanted on an outstanding warrant, who was a passenger in Becker's van, Crown counsel Juan O'Quinn told the court.

During the time it took officers to put the suspect in a vehicle, Becker had disappeared.

The van was outside The Stor-It Place on 43rd Street where an employee observed Becker being locked in a storage locker by two other people.

Police opened the unit with the assistance of the employee, said O'Quinn. One they got into the unit they found firearms.

After getting a warrant to search the unit, police reported finding two sawed off shot guns, three semi-automatic assault rifles, a handgun and assorted ammunition as well as a small amount of dynamite. A loaded semi-automatic pistol was also discovered in an earlier search outside of the locker.

Those weapons, getting into the hands of criminals, could cause great damage, O'Quinn said.

Police also found:

a large quantity of heroin and other drug trafficking paraphernalia

numerous stolen automotive parts valued at over $11,000 stolen during commercial break and enters in Vernon earlier this year

camera equipment valued at over $10,000 stolen during a residential break and enter in Penticton earlier this year

Becker, from the Lower Mainland, appeared by video yesterday when he pleaded guilty to 27 of 32 counts in connection with the find, including multiple weapons and possession of stolen property charges. He also pleaded guilty to three other possession of stolen property charges in a separate file.

Before his capture, Becker had already been under a lifetime firearms ban, O'Quinn said.
Photo: CTV Luka Gordic

One of the men convicted of killing a 19-year-old man in Whistler in 2015 was sentenced to seven years in jail Tuesday.

Despite originally being charged with second-degree murder, Arvin Golic was convicted of manslaughter in June. He was 18 years old at the time of the attack.

Luka Gordic was in Whistler over the Victoria Day long weekend when he was attacked by up to 15 people, and stabbed in the heart.

Throughout the trial, the court heard the attack stemmed from Gordic standing up for women both he and Golic knew.

The Crown had asked for a sentence between nine and 11 years while defence was seeking four.

With enhanced credit for time already served, Golic will serve an additional five years.

"Arvin shouldn't ever see the light of day, Gordic's mother said back in June.

While Golic didn't deliver the fatal stab to Gordic's heart, he had organized the attack. While the judge ruled Golic had intended to harm the victim, it was not clear he had meant to kill him.

In October, three other men were convicted in the attack. The man who delivered the fatal stab was convicted of second-degree murder, while the others were found guilty of manslaughter. All three were underage at the time of the attack and cannot be named.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Contributed

More inspectors will be placed at British Columbia's high volume casinos under changes announced by the provincial government aimed at preventing money laundering, Attorney General David Eby said Tuesday.

Eby said he also directed the B.C. Lottery Corp. and the government's gaming policy branch to set up rules on cash deposits of $10,000 or more in addition to the appointment of round-the-clock regulators at large facilities.

"This presence will allow for an increased vigilance required in casinos," said Eby in a statement. "In particular, it will assist with issues surrounding source of funds, third-party cash drops, and other operational support for gaming service providers and B.C. Lottery Corp."

Eby's statement said the policy changes are the first interim recommendations from an upcoming independent review of money laundering policies and practices in the provincial gambling industry.

Eby launched the review after reading a report commissioned by the province's previous Liberal government that said the River Rock Casino in Richmond had accepted $13.5 million in $20 bills within one month, which police said could be proceeds of crime.

The Great Canadian Gaming Corp., which runs River Rock, has said compliance procedures are strictly followed and the company is committed to preventing illegal activities at all its locations.

Eby said gaming facilities must now be able to identify customers playing with cash or bonds of $10,000 or more and have the customer provide the source of the money.

The government gave the lottery corporation more authority to monitor the gaming industry last month with new service agreements aimed at strengthening security and compliance.

The B.C. Lottery Corp., issued a statement Tuesday welcoming German's ongoing review and accepting the two interim recommendations.

"BCLC is actively engaged in the prevention and detection of money laundering, and will do whatever we can to protect our business and our players," said media spokeswoman Lara Gerrits.
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The list of qualified individuals ready to assume the position of school superintendent grew by 14 names this month, including Dr. Shane Johnston, assistant superintendent, of Rhea County, with the successful conclusion of the tenth Prospective Superintendents Academy hosted by the Tennessee Schools Boards Association and the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents.

Those who successfully completed the 2017 Prospective Superintendents Academy are:

Garfield Edson Adams, Executive Principal, Oak Ridge Schools

Dr. Beth Batson, Student Services and Policy Supervisor, Cheatham County

Dr. Tracey Beckendorf-Edou, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, Oak Ridge Schools

Dr. R. Mason Bellamy, Director of Elementary Schools, Clarksville/Montgomery County

Dr. Donald C. Durley, Principal, Millington Municipal Schools

Drayton Hawkins, Director, Sunny Hill Innovative Learning Center, Haywood County

Dr. Tanisha L. Heaston, Principal, Shelby County

Dr. Shane Johnston, Assistant Superintendent, Rhea County

Jeffrey W. Jones, Chief of Staff, Collierville

Roger Louis Jones, III, Principal, Collierville

Mark Neal, Principal, Shelby County

Dr. Donna Singley, Principal, Campbell County

Dr. Christy D. Smith, Supervisor of Elementary Education, Hardeman County

Lewis G. Walling, Supervisor of System Data, Robertson County

According to TSBA, which conducts numerous superintendent searches in Tennessee, the state faces a shortage of candidates who are prepared to lead school districts. Tennessee has a critical need for a preparatory program for prospective superintendents.

Created in 2007 to address this need, the Academy provides 16 days of training designed to help those with experience in such fields as education, business, military, government or public service acquire the unique knowledge and skills necessary to manage a school system. Courses were taught by educational leaders from across Tennessee, and sessions covered subjects including school finance, school law, board relations, technology, personnel, and facilities management.

We are very pleased with the quality of the candidates who completed the course this year, said TSBA Executive Director Tammy Grissom. A dynamic, innovative and highly-skilled superintendent is crucial to the success of any school system, and based on what we have seen over the past year, we believe these 14 individuals have the tools to meet that challenge.

Upon successful completion of the program, candidates receive certification from the Academys independent review board consisting of educators and business leaders. Evaluation of candidates was based upon work product, class participation, and a final oral presentation and interview.

The Tennessee School Boards Association, a statewide nonprofit organization founded in 1939, is a federation of the states school boards. It serves as an advocate for the interests of Tennessees public school students and school districts and provides in-service training and technical assistance for the more than 950 board of education members in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents is an advocate organization for public education in the State of Tennessee. Since 1975, TOSS has been progressing public education and addressing the needs of the states school administrators.

Click here for the 2018 Prospective Superintendents Academy schedule & brochure.
A radar plot of a hard platelet-soft matrix composite like the one at top shows how changing the values of each input changes the material's strength, strain, toughness and stiffness. In this plot, vertical numbers represent values along the strength axis. The plot is the product of a model by Rice University materials scientists who said it will help in the creation of new synthetic materials that will mimic the toughest composites found in nature. The researchers determined the length of the platelet is the most critical factor in the composite's ability to resist catastrophic fractures.

An illustration shows a model platelet-matrix composite in the foreground and nacre, one of nature's toughest materials, in the background. Rice University researchers have developed computer simulations to decode natural materials to guide research into synthetic multifunctional composites.

How a material breaks may be the most important property to consider when designing layered composites that mimic those found in nature. A method by Rice University engineers decodes the interactions between materials and the structures they form and can help maximize their strength, toughness, stiffness and fracture strain.

In a study that required more than 400 computer simulations of platelet-matrix composite materials like mother-of-pearl, Rice materials scientist Rouzbeh Shahsavari and visiting scholar Shafee Farzanian developed a design map to help with the synthesis of staggered composites for applications at any scale, from microelectronics to cars to spacecraft, where lightweight, multifunctional structural composites are key.

The model integrates the geometries and properties of various platelet and matrix components to compute the composite's strength, toughness, stiffness and fracture strain. Changing any architectural or compositional parameter adjusts the entire model as the user seeks the optimal psi, a quantification of its ability to avoid catastrophic failure.

Natural composites are common. Examples include nacre (mother-of-pearl), tooth enamel, bamboo and the dactyl clubs of mantis shrimp, all of which are nanoscale arrangements of hard platelets connected by soft matrix materials and arranged in overlapping brick-and-mortar, bouligand or other architectures.

They work because the hard parts are strong enough to take a beating and flexible enough (due to the soft matrix) to distribute stress throughout the material. When they fracture, they're often able to distribute or limit the damage without failing entirely.

"Lightweight natural materials are abundant," Shahsavari said. "In these types of materials, two kinds of toughening happen. One comes before crack propagation, when the platelets slide against each other to relieve stress. The other is part of the beauty of these materials: the way they toughen after crack propagation.

"Even when there is a crack, it does not mean a failure," he said. "The crack may be arrested or deflected several times between the layers. Instead of going straight through the material to the surface, which is a catastrophic failure, the crack bumps into another layer and zigzags or forms another complex pattern that delays or entirely prevents the failure. This is because a long and complex crack trajectory requires much more energy to drive it, compared with a straight crack."

Scientists and engineers have worked for years to replicate the light, tough, strong and stiff properties of natural materials, either with hard and soft components or combinations of different platelet types.

To engineers, stiffness, toughness and strength are distinct characteristics. Strength is the ability of a material to stay together when stretched or compressed. Stiffness is how well a material resists deformation. Toughness is the ability of a material to absorb energy before failure. In a previous paper, the Rice lab created maps to predict the properties of composites based on those parameters before crack propagation.

The addition of crack-induced toughening in natural and biomimetic materials, Shahsavari said, is another potent and interesting source of toughening that provides extra lines of defense against failure. "The models uncovered nonintuitive synergies between the before- and after-crack toughening phenomena," he said. "They showed us what architectures and components would allow us to combine the best properties of each."

The baseline model allowed the researchers to adjust four values for each simulation: characteristic platelet length, plasticity of the matrix, the platelet dissimilarity ratio (when more than one type of platelet is involved) and the platelet overlap offset, all of which are important to the composite's properties.

Over the course of 400 simulations, the model revealed the greatest factor in psi may be platelet length, Shahsavari said. It showed that short platelets largely yield fracture control to the plasticity of the soft matrix, while long platelets take it back. Platelet lengths that distribute the fracture evenly and allow maximum crack growth can achieve the optimal psi and make material better able to avoid catastrophic failure.

The model will also help researchers design whether a material will fail with a sudden fracture, like ceramics, or slowly, like ductile metals, by switching components, using contrasting platelets or changing the architecture.

Shahsavari is an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering.
The International Younger Chemists Network (IYCN) was officially launched at the 49th IUPAC General Assembly in Sao Paulo, Brazil, this summer. The IYCN wants to create a unified global network of young chemists to communicate, collaborate, educate, and mentor.

Dr. Paula C. P. Bueno (Adviror), Sao Paulo State University, Brazil, Dr. Sophie Carenco (Chair of the Governance subcommittee), UPMC/CNRS/College de France, Paris, Christine Dunne (Advisor), Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA, Dr. Lori Ferrins (Chair of the Public Outreach subcommittee), Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA, Evijola Llabani (Vice-Chair of IYCN), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA, Nnanake-Abasi Offiong (Chair of Social Media subcommittee), University of Uyo, Nigeria, and Professor Ilya V. Vorotyntsev (Chair), Nizhuy Novgorod State Technical University, Russia, talked about the vision and first steps of this new organization with Dr. Vera Koester for ChemViews Magazine.

What gave you the idea to create the IYCN?

Christine Dunne: The IYCN is an idea that had been stirring in the minds of young scientists since the International Year of Chemistry. In 2011, young chemists began to notice that there was not yet an international, established platform for early-career chemists and graduate students.

Lori Ferrins: Professional exchanges between scientists had been taking place for a number of years. However, this was predominantly between the USA and Europe as seen in the Younger Chemists Crossing Borders exchange program. Although this was an incredibly beneficial experience for those involved, it became clear that there was not a platform through which younger chemists could interact on a global scale.

Nnanake-Abasi Offiong: A key motivation for the establishment of the IYCN was the quest for the active involvement of younger chemists from all over the world, in particular, the underrepresented regions such as Africa.

Sophie Carenco: Also, the IYCN was the next logical step moving forward to connect younger chemists after the success of other recently established networks, such as the European Young Chemists Network (EYCN).

How did it start?

Ilya V. Vortotyntsev: The idea of the IYCN started during a meeting of young chemists at the ACS National Meeting in Boston in 2015. During the 6th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress held in Seville in 2016, it was unofficially launched and this is when I became involved. As the newly elected Chair, I am excited for the future of this organization!

How is the IYCN organized?

Lori Ferrins: IYCN currently consists of a Chair (Ilya) and Vice-Chair (Evijola) who were elected at the IUPAC World Chemistry Congress by representatives from various countries. There are also five steering committees in the fields of Governance (chaired by Sophie), Conference Presence (currently vacant  we are seeking enthusiastic candidates), Public Outreach (chaired by Lori), Finance (Felicia), and Social Media (Nnansake-Abasi). Each of these consists of four to five members who will help to drive IYCN into the future.

We are currently working to develop an advisory board that will consist of established chemists with an interest in mentoring younger chemists. We are working to ensure that this group of people will be diverse and represent all aspects of the worldwide chemistry community. If there is anyone interested in joining our advisory board I would strongly encourage them to contact us at [email protected]

How do you meet?

Lori Ferrins: The leadership team typically meets once a month via Skype. In addition, we see each other at international conferences, such as the IUPAC World Congress.

What are the key activities within the IYCN?

Christine Dunne: During the IUPAC World Chemistry Congress in Brazil, we hosted a symposium and networking session. This allowed young chemists to learn from leaders in the field about green chemistry practices and intellectual property rights, two extremely important topics.

Paula C. P. Bueno: This was a hugely successful event and was the first official IYCN meeting at an IUPAC conference.



Christine Dunne: In the future, we plan to have a full-day symposium organized at all upcoming IUPAC World Chemistry Congresses. The next will be at IUPAC2019 in Paris, France.

Christine Dunne: Our most recent project, prior to the official launch, was an exchange hosted by the German Chemical Societys (GDCh) JungChemikerForum (JCF) during their 2017 meeting in Mainz, Germany. The IYCN, with the help of the GDCh and the JCF, was able to provide five students from normally underrepresented countries at international chemistry conferences with a grant to attend this meeting. In the future, we hope to continue exchanges such as this one on an even larger global platform.

Nnanake-Abasi Offiong: Two students from Nigeria received sponsorship to attend the conferences. In Chukwuebuka Onyemas case, we covered his registration, travel, and accommodation costs. Samuel Ogunniyi was the recipient of the Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation, and IYCN covered his transportation and conference registration. The IYCN also sponsored the Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation Awards during the ACS-sponsored Future Scientists Symposium held in May 2017 in Nigeria. The award presentation was featured in the June issue of the IYCN newsletter. We are hoping to be able to expand our support in the coming months through fundraising efforts and corporate sponsorship.

Christine Dunne: We do, however, know that physical exchange can be costly and challenging for some early-career chemists. Owing to this, we hope to provide virtual platforms for young chemists to share their experiences and connect with other young chemists.

How many countries are currently involved? How will you expand?

Lori Ferrins: We are planning to expand our network in a number of ways. The first is by removing some of the real and perceived barriers to interacting with the chemistry community and the wider community as a whole. There are obviously logistical challenges to communicating worldwide when we consider the number of countries and time zones that are involved. As such, social media use and our online presence will be growing in the coming months so that we are more accessible. We are also working to make it easier for chemists to interact with the general public. We are organizing a database of resources, with a particular focus on experiments and training materials that will facilitate positive interactions between our members and the general public. One way in which we are hoping to achieve this is through the development and translation of a database of how to guides for interactive, hands on experiments using everyday products that can easily be done with the local community.

How and why are you connected to IUPAC?

Evijola Llabani: IUPAC was identified as a great mentor society that would help us create an international platform for young chemists. We believe that we share similar visions, namely, connecting chemists worldwide and contributing to the public appreciation of chemistry. The IUPAC members have been fantastic mentors and supporters, so we are ecstatic to work closely with them throughout this process. It was very gratifying to sign the memorandum of understanding with them this year, and that gives me great hope for the future of the IYCN.

Nnanake-Abasi Offiong: IUPAC is the hub for chemists worldwide and provides a common language for chemistry. It will certainly assist in opening up avenues for new contacts. For example, African delegates who participated in IYCN activities during the 2017 IUPAC World Chemistry Congress indicated an interest in collaborating with the IYCN.

Christine Dunne: In the April issue of Chemistry International, an article was featured with a specific endorsement from IUPAC Secretariat Richard Hartshorn.

Ilya V. Vortotyntsev: In order to truly involve all countries, we are closely aligned and collaborate with IUPAC, we are not a part of IUPAC. This gives us the opportunity and freedom to involve participants from countries who are not members of IUPAC.

Who can become a member and how?

Lori Ferrins: IYCN membership is open to any chemist under the age of 35 or someone who is five years from their terminal degree. Every chemist needs support and a network. You dont need to have any formal affiliation with a national younger chemists group. In fact, not all countries have such a group and we are keen to reach out to these people as a priority. Our goal is to support all younger chemists throughout the world. If you are interested in getting involved I would urge you to reach us at [email protected] If you want to follow what we are doing, please like us on Facebook (@IYCN.global) or Twitter (@IntlYoungerChem). We are constantly looking for highly motivated people to help drive this organization forward in multiple ways. As mentioned previously, we have five steering committees in the fields of Governance, Conference Presence, Public Outreach, Finance, and Social Media who are always excited to have new ideas and projects to work on. Everybody is welcome to join and work together with us.

Christine Dunne: Yes, please do not hesitate to contact us about anything! We are here to help you develop not only professionally, but also personally. We look forward to interacting with you in our constantly growing network.

Evijola Llabani: We are excited about the IYCN, and we hope that you would consider joining and supporting us. Together we can push the boundaries of chemistry and create a better cohesive future for generations to come.

How does the IYCN fit into the work of the national groups and the EYCN? Is the EYCN still relevant?

Lori Ferrins: The IYCN and EYCN are two separate organizations with different focuses, so, yes, the EYCN is definitely relevant.

Sophie Carenco: The two networks are complementary to each other. The EYCN is already a very active network.

Lori Ferrins: A number of people who were, and still are, involved with the IYCN from the very beginning have been active members within the EYCN. Their experience has been invaluable in getting the IYCN into its current position. The goal of the IYCN though is much broader, and we will work closely with younger chemists groups internationally so that we can reach as many people as possible.

Evijola Llabani: We intend to be exactly what our name implies, an international young chemists network, which is eager to collaborate with various national groups such as the EYCN or national young chemists groups such as the Young Chemists Committee (YCC) of ACS or the JCF of the GDCh. A part of our leadership team has served or is currently serving within other societies so that we can ensure strong collaboration ties with these groups and advance the development of IYCN. In the end, we all share one goal: to connect young chemists and provide resources for them.

And how did you get involved?

Christine Dunne: I got involved during the International Year of Chemistry in 2011. The past ACS President Nancy Jackson provided an opportunity for young chemists to travel to Jordan for the International Conference for Young Chemists. It was at this conference that I first presented my undergraduate research. I received this opportunity after participating in the ACS Leadership Development Course recommend by my local undergraduate chapter at Northeastern University.

I am incredibly thankful for these opportunities and am excited about the development of the many international opportunities for younger chemists around the world stemming from these collaborations and now, IYCN.

Lori Ferrins: Having completed my Ph.D. in Australia I was fortunate to have the support from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI), in particular, the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Division, to attend conferences and to build my network. When I moved to Boston to begin my postdoctoral research position I joined the Northeast Section of the ACS Younger Chemists Committee (NSYCC) who sent me on an exchange to Europe, which has led to my involvement in the IYCN. Without the support of these organizations who engage with younger chemists, I dont believe that I would have become involved with such an important program.

Nnanake-Abasi Offiong: I was part of the team in Nigeria that organized a series of activities targeted towards younger chemists during the International Year of Chemistry in 2011. At the ACS National Meeting in Boston in 2015, I was very interested in joining colleagues from other countries to initiate action plans for the official launch of the IYCN and its formal affiliation with IUPAC. I believe that a platform for stronger collaboration amongst young chemists will assist in overcoming some global challenges.



Evijola Llabani: I serve on the national YCC board. In collaboration with the International Activities Committee (IAC) of the ACS, I organized the Boston meeting of young chemists from different countries in 2015. During that meeting, we decided to create a task force to help pave the path for the IYCN to be established as an autonomous international society, without being under any nations professional societies umbrella.

Paula C. P. Bueno: I became involved with IYCN activities during the 250th ACS National Meeting in Boston in 2015. During that year, I went to the USA because I was selected as a SciFinder Future Leader in Chemistry, which also included participation in the ACS meeting. In 2015, I was the only Latin American representative, more precisely, a Brazilian Ph.D. student. Gratefully, I was invited to take part in the first IYCN brainstorming session, where we also discussed the possibility of launching the IYCN officially during the 46th WCC and IUPAC 49th General Assembly in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which became a reality after two years of hard work and preparation.

Sophie Carneco: I was selected in 2015 to participate in the Young Chemists Crossing Border (YCCB) program, which is an exchange between young chemists in Europe and the US. Earlier in the same year, I also participated as a young scientist at the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany where we discussed global issues and opportunities for young scientists to make a better world. As an individual, this seems impossible. But as a group, there is hope! The brain-storming session in Boston made me realize that the IYCN could really make a difference, not only for its members but for our society as well. I was very keen to join in, and recent events in 2016 and 2017 made me even keener to keep pushing for an open-minded community of chemists that can reach across borders.

Ilya V. Vorotyntsev: I got involved with the European Young Chemist Network in 2008. During this time, we established a number of international projects and I was one of the first participants of the Young Chemists Crossing Borders Program. It was during the 6th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress, which was held in Seville in 2016, that I became directly involved in the IYCN activities. It is because our world is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous that we need to support our younger chemists so that they can achieve their full potential.

How do you see your role as a young chemist in the global chemistry community/in the world?

Christine Dunne: As a young chemist in a global society I see it as my duty to educate and expand the knowledge of international younger chemists. Chemists are often restricted by borders. I hope that the IYCN can erase these borders in chemists minds and help to bring young people from all over the world together by using the common language of chemistry.

Lori Ferrins: I feel that it is my responsibility to help ensure that all of the voices of my peers can be heard and that we support them in any way that we can.

Evijola Llabani: I am an international student from Albania obtaining my Ph.D. in the USA. We see more and more students studying in foreign countries. Many chemical companies are expanding their global presence, thus creating a market that incentivizes the need for international chemists and increases the collaboration between different educational systems. The future of chemistry is global, and I believe that each of us with experiences abroad will aid in shaping it.

Paula C. P. Bueno: After my first contact with the IYCN activities in Boston in 2015, I came back to Brazil with the feeling that I should do my best to increase the representation of Brazilian and other Latin American young chemists in the global science community. Although we are underrepresented countries, we are working hard to make science of excellence: we have talented students and researchers, very nice and well-equipped laboratories, as well as lots of local and global challenges to deal with. However, the participation of our young scientists in the global science community is still very incipient. I do believe that knowledge has to be shared and that science is essential to support all aspects of life. I really hope to be able to contribute to the professional and personal development of other young chemists from my country and abroad.

Sophie Carenco: As a student and in the years following, I received a lot from France, my home country: a high-level education, opportunities for travel and personal development, and now a job as a researcher. Not all were given such opportunities: I would like to promote the case of young scientists  chemists in particular  by helping to educate our politicians on the importance of supporting education, research, and development. This goes along with improving the image that people have of chemists and chemistry. This also means finding ways to better explain the added value we bring to society and discussing with policymakers how to improve the overall situation.

Thank you very much for sharing these thoughts.

Sophie Carenco: A final remark: The IYCNs next general assembly will likely be in Paris in July 2019 and should gather an unprecedented group of highly motivated young chemists. You should get in touch with us today to learn more and, maybe, find a way to contribute!
LONDON  Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is desperate to avoid any slip-ups from his side as he targets a place in the Champions League knockout stages with the odds heavily stacked in their favour.

A draw at home to Spartak Moscow in their final group match would put Liverpool through while a win would ensure they top Group E but Klopp is taking nothing for granted after his side let slip a 3-0 lead against Sevilla in the last round of matches.

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Three years ago the five-time European champions needed to win at home to Basel to progress but a draw dropped Brendan Rodgers' side into the Europa League.

"All good and bad things that happened in the Champions League -- mostly good --- has brought us to this situation and if we win we are through and that is cool," said Klopp, whose Liverpool side are bidding to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 2009.

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"I know a lot of people might think we should be already through but that's not life, it is not 'if' and 'when', it is about the moment.

"Spartak could say the same as they gave away four points against Maribor so they would be in a different situation."

Klopp says he will play his strongest team despite Sunday's derby at home to an Everton side buoyed by the appointment of new permanent manager Sam Allardyce.

The starting team is likely to include playmaker Coutinho, who continues to be the subject of speculation over a renewed bid from Barcelona after the Catalan club's failure to sign him in the summer.

Klopp was asked what made him so sure Coutinho would still be at the club in February but he dismissed the question.

"Nothing -- but I don't think about it, I think about the Moscow game," he added. "Not one second have I thought about that so far. I am not unsure, I am not sure, I don't think about it."

Klopp is also optimistic of having Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez back to bolster his defence. Forward Sadio Mane is expected to return after being rested at the weekend.
A Chicago startup wants to match busy parents with the right nannies to drive and take care of their children.

GoNanny, founded by a former child care professional, connects parents to people who can help with kids from 8 months to 16 years old. Parents use the service to book a nanny who can give rides for their children, as well as offer other care, such as homework help, meal preparation and assistance in the morning or evening.

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Founder Patrice Darby sees GoNanny as a key service for parents. Were a support system for the family, she said.

GoNanny joined 1871 as part of the spring 2017 cohort of WiSTEM, an accelerator that supports businesses with women founders. The company soft-launched the service in June and since then has served a small group of families and child-care workers. GoNanny says it has brought 40 families and 14 independent child care providers on the platform, and about 110 families in Chicago and nearby suburbs are currently on its waitlist.

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Parents on the platform book nannies in advance down to 15-minute increments; so far, parents have booked the service for an average of about two hours, four days a week, Darby said. GoNanny child care providers typically keep working with the same families theyre matched with. Once they've become members, they can also book emergency rides in less than 30 minutes.

To use the web-based service, parents pay $300 per year, which covers the nanny screening costs, then pay each time they book a nanny. Other Chicago-area nanny agencies charge between $300 and $800 for background checks and consultations.

GoNanny child care providers undergo a 22-point screening process, during which candidates are screened for up to seven years of their criminal history, their driver competence and social media presence, Darby said. Beginning Dec. 9, the startup plans to roll out GoNanny Bootcamp, a three-hour program during which GoNanny will assess how applicants will perform in everyday situations.

Before matching parents with a provider, parents also complete a screening process that assesses traits like children's personalities or families lifestyle choices, and then matches them with providers.

Similar services centered around transporting kids include Zum and HopSkipDrive, both of which only operate in California at the moment. A company called Shuddle shut down in 2016. Chicago-based Sittercity, an app- and web-based platform for people to book child care, has an on-demand offering called Chime.

Darby founded GoNanny after working in child care for 10 years, during which she recognized problems within the industry, including the lack of flexibility and job security for nannies. With no credit to obtain a business loan, Darby founded GoNanny with $20,000 in savings. When her savings ran out, she moved in with one of her sisters and sold most of her possessions, including some clothes, a TV and furniture, to invest another $3,500 into the business.

It was either sell everything to keep the vision, and keep the mission of the company, or quit, Darby said.

GoNanny recently closed a $25,000 deal with Pipeline Angels, a New York-based investment firm which recruits and trains cohorts of women and non-binary femme investors and funds startups founded by cis women, transgender women, and gender non-binary femme entrepreneurs.

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The funding will help the startup finish the mobile GoNanny app, which should be completed in three or four months after the funding round closes, Darby said. It will also enable the company to improve recruitment, operations and business development.

Darby is the only full-time employee, but she also works with an independent contractor. Her mother and one of her sisters, who also have backgrounds in child care, helped shape the company and also step in to help. She hopes the company's fundraising efforts will help bring in full-time employees.

Though Darby said she has had trouble tapping into existing investor networks in Chicago, Kristina Francis, a member of Pipeline Angels who led the GoNanny investment in her cohort, said services like GoNanny would have helped her and the other working moms as they built their careers, Francis said.

Many of us in our cohort are moms and, at some point or another, wished that we had someone who could pick the kids up, Francis said. Though GoNanny currently has a business-to-consumer model, she said, Id love to see more companies use services like hers as a benefit to parents, not just moms but dads as well.

For Darby, founding GoNanny was not only about continuing a family tradition of working in child care, but also about helping families balance both work and home.

Success isnt in the company itself; its in the impact, Darby said. We have been able to impact families, and thats the No. 1 goal that my parents instilled in me.  At the end of the day, I sold everything to build a legacy and to build impact.

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Tatiana Walk-Morris is a freelance writer.

Twitter @Tati_WM
Bitcoin's stratospheric rise has given way to concerns a bitcoin bubble is about to burst. (Karen Bleier / AFP/Getty Images)

If you ask me to stand on one leg and quickly describe what bitcoin is, Id fall down.

Like the vast majority of people, I really dont understand this emerging, digital alternative to cold, hard cash and what its ultimately supposed to accomplish, or why anyone would want it in their 401(k) retirement account.

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Nonetheless, bitcoin is gaining popularity and notoriety with large and small investors, regulators and Chicagos two global exchanges, which in a few days will start trading bitcoin futures.

It bugs me that theres something big going on and Im in the dark. In an attempt to overcome bitcoin befuddlement, I spent a day foraging for information about this exotic monetary newcomer and trying to get a handle on why we should care that its out there.

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Where did my sojourn begin? Netflix!

No kidding, the movie subscription service offers a 2017 documentary titled Banking on Bitcoin thats a pretty good primer on the birth of the cybercoinage and its subsequent travails.

The upshot: Bitcoin was concocted by a band of self-proclaimed cypherpunks, tech-savvy anarchists who in the early part of this century were hot to create their own computer-generated marketplace and currency system. They wanted to sidestep the U.S. and other governments centralized banking systems and regulations.

[  Bitcoin now bigger than Buffett, Boeing and New Zealand economy ]

In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym for an unidentified individual or individuals, wrote a white paper on bitcoin that set the wheels in motion. Apparently, Nakamoto vanished from the scene, giving bitcoins origins a continuing air of mystery that dogs it to this day.

Law enforcement repeatedly has claimed that gangsters, drug dealers and other nefarious types  the early adopters  embraced bitcoin to launder money and purchase illegal goods, including weapons, on the dark web. There are a fair number of news stories online on that topic, going back to bitcoins earliest days.

In September, one of the most damning private-sector claims against bitcoin surfaced when Jamie Dimon, CEO of massive banking power JP Morgan Chase, called bitcoin a scam used by drug dealers, murderers and outlaw government regimes.

Dimons not alone in his disdain.

Warren Buffett recently called bitcoin a mirage; Carl Icahn, a veteran corporate raider and no stranger to disrupting business models, concedes he doesnt get bitcoin and is avoiding it like a plague.

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[  Before you buy bitcoin, read this ]

Intrigued by these strong reactions, I asked the head of a cryptocurrency investment fund, on background, why such financial honchos are anti-bitcoin.

His take: They are behind the curve, as is the U.S. compared with some European and Asian markets like Hong Kong, Singapore and London that are already tapping into cybercurrencies on a recurring basis.

Eventually, the fund chief told me, U.S. businesses will overcome their bitcoin concerns and get into blockchain technology, a series of private, computer-network-based transactions that use digital currencies. Why? Lower fees and its quicker pace, Im told.

Right now, its not saving money thats lighting the fire under bitcoin. Its making money and investor speculation.

When bitcoin exchanges began in 2010, a single bitcoin was worth just a fraction of a cent. Monday it was trading for over $11,000  an all-time high.

Thats great for those getting in early, like the Winklevoss twins  best known for suing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg after claiming he boosted their idea for the social network site. They reportedly invested $11 million in 2013 and now are touted as the first bitcoin billionaires.

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If youre still confused about how bitcoin gets its value, so am I.

But I do understand supply and demand.

[  Bitcoin surge stirs up worries about a bubble ]

Best as I can determine, under the rules of the aforementioned Satoshi Nakamoto, only around 21 million bitcoins can be issued. Right now, theres about 16 million in circulation, residing in digital wallets that make up the cybermarketplace. They bounce around there while demand builds for this limited supply.

Theres even a handful of ATMs in Chicago that dispense bitcoins  provided you put in cash to get them. No credit or debit cards accepted. By the way, anyone looking to spend bitcoin at a local restaurant, store or business is going to be hard-pressed finding someplace that accepts payment.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board Options Exchange are getting their cryptocurrency operations up and running. Theyre following the lead of federal regulators, who have given them a green light, but are also preaching caution. Using the exchanges, investors will be able to bet on changes in bitcoin prices without actually buying bitcoin itself.

With regulators and exchanges providing greater legitimacy, are concerns about a bitcoin bubble overstated?

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Well, lets just say a great big POP wouldnt surprise me.

I am loath to give personal finance advice, but my brief expedition into bitcoin land has uncovered way too much hype, confusion and uncertainty. Im hoping nobody bets the monthly mortgage on it, nor overstocks a retirement portfolio with this type of speculative investment.

Theres still much I need to learn about bitcoin. But, so far, heres my one big takeaway: Watch out or youre in for a fall.

roreed@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @ReedTribBiz
Downers Grove-based Adtalem will relinquish control of DeVry University and its Keller School of Management. Silicon Valley-based Cogswell Education will take over the schools. (J Pat Carter / AP)

DeVry University, one of the nations largest remaining for-profit college chains, is getting a new owner.

The universitys parent company, Downers Grove-based Adtalem Global Education, plans to transfer ownership of DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management to Silicon Valley-based Cogswell Education, according to a news release. The deal, which still needs regulatory and accreditor approval, is expected to close in 2018.

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No money will change hands when the deal closes, according to the release. Adtalem will inject working capital into DeVry and be paid out over the next few years based on DeVrys performance.

The announcement comes about a year after DeVry University agreed to pay $100 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit alleging it misled tens of thousands of students about their post-graduation job and income prospects. Separately, in January, the company agreed to settle an investigation in New York into misleading advertising.

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[ Targeted by Obama, DeVry and other for-profit colleges rebounding under Trump ]

Adtalem President and CEO Lisa Wardell said in a news release that by transferring ownership of DeVry and Keller, the company can focus more on its remaining institutions. Those include Chamberlain University, which recently expanded degree offerings and underwent a name change from Chamberlain College of Nursing, and health care-focused Carrington College, among other institutions.

We will work closely with Cogswell Education over the coming months to finalize the transfer of ownership and ensure a smooth transition for DeVry University, its colleagues and students, she said in the release.

As of June 30, DeVry University had about 1,100 full-time staff members, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Enrollment numbers in September at DeVry and Keller totaled more than 26,000 students, said Adtalem spokesman Ernie Gibble. The new ownership isnt expected to affect degrees students have earned or are earning, and no tuition changes are planned as a result.

Adtalem has more than 130 campuses globally, including 90 in the U.S. and 12 in Illinois, Gibble said. DeVry accounts for more than 50 of those U.S. campuses, and has online offerings.

A spokesman from Cogswell did not immediately return a request for further comment. Cogswell Education owns the for-profit Cogswell College, which focuses on entrepreneurship, digital art and technology, according to its website.

For-profit colleges came under scrutiny during the Obama administration, which targeted inflated job placement claims, predatory lending practices and more. Government investigations and sanctions have led to closures of several for-profit college chains, including California-based Corinthian Colleges, which sold or closed most of its 107 campuses and liquidated its assets through Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015, and ITT Technical Institute, which closed its more than 130 campuses last year.

DeVry, which denied allegations of wrongdoing in the FTC case, has faced campus closures amid sliding revenue, though Adtalem has expanded globally. According to an annual report filed with the SEC in August, DeVry had reduced its footprint by 22 locations since June 30, 2015.

In May, Adtalem changed its name from DeVry Education Group and debuted a new ticker symbol, ATGE, on the New York Stock Exchange.

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amarotti@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @AllyMarotti
This March 26, 2014, photo shows an entrance of a Mars production facility near Topeka, Kan. Mars Wrigley Confectionery's U.S. headquarters will be in New Jersey, the company announced. (Orlin Wagner / AP)

Mars Wrigley Confectionery will base its new U.S. headquarters at two sites in New Jersey, and not Chicago, the company announced Tuesday.

Mars Wrigley will keep its global headquarters in Chicago, but the U.S. headquarters decision likely means the company will shift more than 200 jobs from Chicago to a new office in Newark and existing offices in Hackettstown, N.J., by July 2020. The candy company, a unit of privately held Mars, was considering both Illinois and New Jersey for its U.S. headquarters.

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Chicago has attracted numerous corporate headquarters in the past few years, particularly in the food industry, drawing companies like Conagra Brands; Kraft Heinz, which is co-headquartered in Pittsburgh; and as of September, the North American headquarters of Mars Food, a smaller business unit of Mars. Last month, Chicago officials believed they were still in the hunt for the Mars Wrigley Confectionery U.S. headquarters, even after New Jersey officials approved more than $30 million in tax credits.

On Tuesday, city officials tried to focus the attention on whats here instead of whats departing, noting Mars Wrigleys global headquarters and Mars Foods North American offices are relatively new additions to Chicago.

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We look forward to continuing to work closely with the company, across its many business lines, to continue to increase its presence in Chicago, Grant Klinzman, spokesman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, said in an email.

Its unclear how much Illinois offered Mars Wrigley in state tax credits to locate its U.S. headquarters in Chicago. Unlike New Jersey, Illinois doesnt make that information available until tax credit agreements are finalized. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity couldnt be reached for comment Tuesday.

Mars Wrigley had considered a 92,300-square-foot office in Chicago for its U.S. headquarters, according to a New Jersey Economic Development Authority board document from last month summarizing the project. If it had chosen Chicago, the company would have moved 370 jobs from New Jersey to Chicago, according to the document.

Instead, the company plans to move 113 Chicago jobs to the new office in Newark and another 92 Chicago jobs to Hackettstown, where the company is planning upgrades to existing facilities, according to the plan outlined in the board document. A spokeswoman for Mars Wrigley Confectionery didnt respond to a request for confirmation on those numbers Tuesday.

Even with the loss, Mars will continue to have a sizable workforce in Illinois. Mars currently has more than 2,400 employees and five factories in the state, as well as five Chicago offices.

Mars, headquartered in McLean, Va., announced last year that it would combine its chocolate business, known for brands like Snickers, M&M and Twix, with its Wrigley candy and gum business, thus forming Mars Wrigley Confectionery.

gtrotter@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GregTrotterTrib
Anyone who visited Patagonia's website on Monday night in search of a warm winter fleece or a pair of snow pants was in for a surprise. Replacing the usual shopping choices were giant white letters on a black background offering a stark message: "The President Stole Your Land."

The message continued in smaller letters: "In an illegal move, the president just reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history."

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The page was referring to President Donald Trump's order Monday reducing the size of two national monuments in Utah by nearly two million acres combined.

Patagonia's move was part of an ongoing war in the West, one the company and the outdoor recreation industry generally has been waging against exploitation of the lands for fossil fuel, development and cattle grazing.

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REI, another recreational gear company, devoted part of its homepage to a more modest protest. "Despite the loss of millions of acres of protected lands this week," the company said, "REI will continue to advocate for the places we all love."

The companies, as well as the entire outdoor recreation industry, are allied with Indian tribes, for whom some of the lands are sacred, as well as with conservationists.

Their lawsuits began flying as soon as the decision was announced.

One came from a coalition of five tribes, including Hopi, Navajo Nation, Pueblo of Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Ute Indian.

Separately, a coalition of 10 conservation groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the Grand Canyon Trust, filed a lawsuit against Trump, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Bureau of Land Management director Brian Steed through the nonprofit environmental law organization Earthjustice. The suit, which is likely to provoke a prolonged court battle, claims Trump cannot legally revoke the land's monument status.

Both actions were in response to Trump's decision to reduce the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by more than 800,000 acres, or 46 percent, and the Bear Ears National Monument by more than 1.1 million acres, or 85 percent, making it "the largest reduction of public-lands protection in U.S. history," as The Post's Josh Dawsey and Juliet Eilperin reported.

The move was supported by Republicans in Utah, particularly Sen. Orrin G. Hatch and Gov. Gary R. Herbert. They argue that the areas protected were unnecessarily vast, limiting the potential for economic growth and generally increasing federal control over a state where some two-thirds of the land is already owned by the U.S. government.

Trump said he reduced the monuments because "because some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what? They're wrong."

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Peter Metcalf, founder of Black Diamond Equipment and an environmental activist, called the move "a rape and pillage approach."

In an interview with The Washington Post, he called it a "real tragedy, to tear up this place that is rich with dinosaur bones, cultural antiquities and is a sportsman's paradise. That's not the best use of the land."

Patagonia's message included illustrations showing what part of the two monuments will no longer be protected and facts about protected lands, noting that "90 percent of U.S. public lands are open to oil and gas leasing and development; only 10 percent are protected for recreation, conservation and wildlife."

The website urged people to take to social media, using the hashtag #MonumentalMistakes to protest the order. Many Instagram users posted photographs of the two landscapes, while many Twitter users praised the clothing company.

"You stole our lands. They belong to ALL Americans. Not corporations," tweeted one user, who employed the hashtag.

"The largest land heist in our history," tweeted another.

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Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard told CNN he too plans to sue the president.

"I'm going to sue him," Chouinard said. "It seems the only thing this administration understands is lawsuits. I think it's a shame that only 4% of American lands are national parks. Costa Rica's got 10%. Chile will now have way more parks than we have. We need more, not less. This government is evil and I'm not going to sit back and let evil win."

Patagonia has long been an active participant in the fight to protect the environment. In 1986, the company pledged to give 10 percent of its profits to small groups focused on either saving or restoring natural habitats, its website stated.

Some critics consider Chouinard - and by extension his company - hypocritical, pointing out his vast wealth. He ranked number 11 on the Forbes list, "12 Notable New Billionaires Of 2017."

"What's his net worth?" San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman asked about Chouinard in a CNN interview. "You got Patagonia here waving the flag of environmentalism while he's just completely exploiting the outdoors for industrialized tourism."
The Senate has passed a Republican tax overhaul bill, but it still must be reconciled with the House version. If the final federal tax bill slashes deductions of state and local taxes, owning a home in high-tax areas will be significantly more expensive. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Whether you already own a home or are thinking of purchasing, the new tax legislation pending before Congress poses serious questions: Am I going to get smacked with punitive new taxes? Will the value of my home decrease because previous real estate tax benefits have been stripped away? Or am I one of the lucky ones, well insulated against big losses?

Prospective buyers like Matthew Wie and Joe Weber already have figured some of this out and are taking defensive steps. Weber owns a house and lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Wie owns a home in Delaware. Both are looking to move and are considering shifting their home searches to locations where theyll be less exposed to tax increases triggered by the new legislation.

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Weber said that as residents of California, he and his family face a dilemma: If the final federal tax bill slashes deductions of state and local taxes, also called SALT, purchasing a new home in high-tax California will be significantly more expensive.

Ill only be able to afford less, he said  presumably a lower price tag and smaller space than he and his family could obtain elsewhere. So the Webers are seriously thinking about expanding their home search to either the Reno, Nev., area, where taxes and prices are much lower and Weber has identified good school opportunities, or Seattle.

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Wie and his wife and daughter are contemplating a similar scenario  moving from Delaware to Pennsylvania. Were relatively high earners, Wie said in an email, so the flat 3.07 percent Pennsylvania (income) tax would benefit us more than the higher property taxes or (the federal) tax change would hurt us. Wies wifes employment location and local school quality also are key considerations.

Wie and Weber participated in a national survey of 900 prospective homebuyers conducted by real estate company Redfin. The survey found that 33 percent of people who expect to purchase within the coming 12 months say they would consider moving to a different state if Congress eliminates SALT deductions. The Senate and House-passed tax overhaul bills would cut maximum SALT deductions to $10,000 and limit them to property taxes only.

Other matters for owners and potential buyers to consider:

Home value impact. Though no independent or academic studies have been published estimating the effects of the new tax legislation on home values and prices, most studies to date have concluded that federal tax benefits are a component of property values. Strip these away and buyers will not obtain the full traditional financial benefits of ownership, and will pay less for homes.

Economists at the National Association of Realtors estimate that the tax changes could whack 10 percent off average prices around the country, with declines steeper in states with higher home costs and tax burdens, lower in areas with more moderate prices and taxes. The flip side of all this, of course, is that if prices do decline, that will make purchasing a home more affordable  potentially good news for renters and move-up buyers priced out of the current marketplace.

Tax-free capital gains exclusion. Under the legislation, owners will still be able to exclude up to $500,000 ($250,000 for single filers) of gain on their home sales. But to qualify they will need to have lived in their house for five of the preceding eight years; for decades the standard has been two out of the preceding five years. For many buyers who own homes for extended periods, this change wont matter. But for many others it could pose problems, especially for people who transfer jobs in less than five years, and owners forced to sell because of divorce, health or other issues.

Mortgage interest, second home deductions. At press time, House and Senate conferees had not agreed on whether to cut the home mortgage interest deduction maximum to loans of $500,000 or less or to eliminate interest write-offs on second homes. Both are only in the House version and would primarily affect upper-income owners.

So where does all this leave you? It depends on what you own, where you live, what you earn and what you may want to buy. Overall, the Republicans tax changes look like a net plus for corporations and stockholders, but a net negative for people whove benefited the most from the tax codes longtime preferences for homeownership over renting.

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kenharney@earthlink.net

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Charlotte Bader, an Oak Forest resident since 1977 who turned 100 last week, was honored with a proclamation by the Oak Forest City Council. She was accompanied at the meeting last week by family members Nicholas Pochinskas and Barbara Windall. ( Gregory Tejeda/Daily Southtown )

Oak Forest officials said the city is taking steps toward being able to dispatch its own fire department calls, but that won't happen until at least 2020.

The Oak Forest City Council recently approved a two-year extension of the agreement it has with the Orland Fire Protection District, which handles dispatch duties for the village's fire department.

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Oak Forest officials have contracted with the fire protection district to handle fire department dispatching since 2009 under a contract that was set to expire Dec. 31.

In the new agreement, approved by a 5-1 vote, the Orland Fire Protection District will continue to handle Oak Forest fire dispatch duties for 2018 and 2019.

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The fair share cost of $40 per call that Orland was charging Oak Forest will remain in place for the extension.

Fire Chief Patrick Duffy said the extension is essential because even though Oak Forest fire officials are taking steps to shift their dispatch duties in-house, Oak Forest officials are not ready to do so at this time.

He said the soonest that Oak Forest might be able to handle some fire department dispatch duties would be during the final months of 2018, and even that might be too optimistic of a deadline to be met.

"I honestly believe we'll know at that time how close we will be to doing our own dispatch," Duffy said.

Mayor Henry Kuspa said it does not bother him to approve an extension as long as he sees progress being made toward in-house fire dispatching.

Ald. Jim Emmett, 5th Ward, a retired Oak Forest police officer, said he didn't mind approving another extension because officials should not feel rushed into implementing their own dispatch services.

But 2nd Ward Ald. Richard Simon, the lone alderman to vote no on the extension, said it bothers him that Oak Forest contracted out dispatch services to begin with.

"I have never supported going outside of Oak Forest (for dispatch), and I'm not starting now," he said.

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The City Council also unanimously approved a resolution praising Charlotte Bader, who celebrated her 100th birthday recently.

Bader has lived in Oak Forest since 1977, after having lived in Chicago for 40 years.

She was born in southern Indiana and moved to Chicago after completing high school. For a time, she worked in a processing laboratory for Eastman Kodak.

"I've seen many, many, many things, good and bad, during my life," Bader said.

Gregory Tejeda is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Wine lovers are easy when it comes to holiday gifts. Give us wine!

Okay, I can see some pitfalls: Perhaps the guy is a wine snob (snobs are almost always guys) and you want or need to impress him. You're already into a price category where the wrong wine will just be an expensive dud. But the real danger is overthinking it. If you're creative in your choice of wine, any wine lover will love you for it.

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Here are three strategies to guide your gift choices for your wine-loving friends and relatives:

- Think local. If your recipient lives out of town or across the country, send a bottle or two of your local vino. If your friends are in California, introduce them to the Finger Lakes with the delightfully floral Semi-Dry Riesling from Agness Wine Cellars, or the minerally rieslings of Kemmeter Wines and winemaker Johannes Reinhardt. Maybe your wine lover friends haven't had the opportunity to try the aromatic gamay from Chateau Grand Traverse or any of the wines from Left Foot Charley in Michigan's Old Mission Peninsula, or Kim McPherson's Rhone-style blends from Texas. If you know a cabernet sauvignon fanatic, call up Markko Vineyard in northeastern Ohio - yes, Ohio - and order up a bottle or two. Include a note saying, "You've never tried a wine like this!" and you will whet their appetite and anticipation. And you will become an unofficial ambassador for that wine region.

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- Order from your friends' favorite winery. Even if they already have the wines, they will appreciate more.

- Let someone else choose. Wine clubs offer selections of several bottles each month or quarter. This can be tricky territory: Some corporate wine clubs appear to be little more than online versions of big-box stores, with "exclusive private label" wines produced by the few large companies that make most American wine, known for quantity and low price, not so much for quality.

But a few companies have been using the growing direct-to-consumer channel to offer wines from domestic producers and importers that may not be widely available through normal distribution channels. To make a long story short, consolidation among alcoholic beverage distributors has favored larger brands and made it more difficult for smaller producers to reach the market. And we wine lovers want the smaller producers, because they make wines more expressive of where the grapes were grown or the winemaker's personality.

Winestyr, founded in 2011 in California's Sonoma County, aims to represent small, family-owned wineries through the direct-to-consumer market. Winestyr moved its operations to the Chicago area this year, opening a bricks-and-mortar "lounge" and a fulfillment center to make shipping to the East Coast easier. The company now sells wines from more than 100 wineries and has expanded beyond California to include wines from Oregon, Washington, Arizona and elsewhere.

Winestyr offers various clubs with monthly or quarterly shipments, but you can also buy a single gift box and let the company proceed with the sales pitch on a club membership. The website also features a handy chat feature with someone named Scott, who is apparently always on call to answer your questions.

Bob Wilson, Winestyr's chief executive, says the company aims to please wine lovers "in their 30s or 40s who are not quite wine geeks" and don't have "the time and desire to do the research necessary to find great wines from great producers or go to an actual bottle shop." A recent Winestyr shipment included a gamay from Division winery in Oregon and a pinot noir from Sandhi produced from ungrafted vines in Santa Barbara County.

Another direct-to-consumer option is the Weekly Tasting, offered by the online sales site Wines 'Til Sold Out. Each week offers a selection of four wines, domestic and imported, chosen alternately by Laura Maniec, a master sommelier, or Elizabeth Schneider, a certified sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers program. The tastings are interactive - each week includes a 10-minute video online and tasting notes or talking points - about each of the wines. For gifting, you can buy your friends a one-week gift pack or a gift card to apply to a club membership.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

One caveat: Current regulations favor shipping directly from wineries to out-of-state customers, but you may have to shop around to find a producer or wine club that will be able to ship your gift, depending on where your recipient lives. A recent enforcement crackdown means that retailers have had trouble shipping alcohol out of state unless it is to one of the 14 states (plus Washington, D.C.) that explicitly allows it.

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That's not to say you shouldn't consult your local wine retailer for gift advice. After all, there's nothing like presenting a fascinating wine in person. You might even get a chance to taste it yourself.

McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. On Twitter: @dmwine.

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Chicago native Joe Mantegna said the inspiration for the raspy voice he uses for the Fat Tony character on The Simpsons came from his late uncle, an Army veteran from Westchester.

I thought as my homage to my Uncle Willie, I did that first episode like that thinking, OK, this will be that and I'll be able to tell Willie, Hey Willie listen, that's you. And little did I know Id be doing it for like 25 years and still going, Mantegna says in the new DVD box set for the Fox animated comedys 18th season. I think Im safe to say that Fat Tony is more a conglomeration of all those kind of guys that I ran into as a kid in Cicero.

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Mantegna started voicing the mobster during the series third season, which premiered in 1991.

His uncle, William Novelli, died in 2014 at the age of 91. He was an Army sergeant who served during World War II and received a Purple Heart.

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Mantegna, 70, recently received a high honor of his own. The southeast corner of Hudson and Armitage avenues in the Lincoln Park neighborhood was named in honor of the Criminal Minds" star in May.

Season 29 of The Simpsons airs at 7 p.m. Sundays on Fox.

tswartz@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @tracyswartz

Fat Tony on "The Simpsons." (Fox network)

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Before Spiaggia executive chef Joseph Flamm began competing on the new season of Top Chef, he sought advice from Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard.

Steph told me, Dont make anything gross,  he said with a laugh.

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Flamm, 31, said he got into the Bravo network cooking competition by happenstance. Spiaggia chef-partner Tony Mantuano, a Top Chef Masters alumnus, suggested he try out when producers were in Chicago for a casting call.

Now Flamm is one of 15 new contestants on Season 15, which is scheduled to premiere at 9 p.m. Thursday. This season is set in Colorado and as a twist, veteran Top Chef contestants are competing in a series of Last Chance Kitchen challenges to try to enter the main competition.

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Flamm, who grew up in the Ashburn neighborhood on the Southwest Side and now lives in West Town, said he prepared for Top Chef" by binge-watching the series, buying books on Colorado cuisine and memorizing a dessert recipe since sweets have led to the downfall of past contestants. This season, though, dealing with the weather was part of the challenge.

The altitude, the weather in Colorado is crazy. It would just change on a dime on you, Flamm said. If Im working the pass at Spiaggia, a hailstorm isnt going to affect how we serve our pasta too much.

If Flamm won the $125,000 Top Chef prize, he would buy a house and start a family.

I thought it was like a really great adventure and Im excited to watch it play out with everyone else. I think it's going to be a really fun season to watch and a really beautiful season because, you know, the Colorado backdrop, Flamm said. Hopefully everything I said isn't bleeped out.

tswartz@tribpub.com

Twitter @tracyswartz

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The Ravinia Festival has severed ties with James Levine, shown here leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the festival in August 2017. (Kristan Lieb / Chicago Tribune)

The Ravinia Festival, where James Levine served as music director for the Chicago Symphony Orchestras summer residencies from 1973 to 1993, has severed all ties with the famed conductor amid allegations of sexual misconduct currently under investigation by authorities in Lake County and at the Metropolitan Opera.

In a terse statement released Monday night, Ravinia noted that Levine, 74, was to have begun a five-year term as conductor laureate, a new position created for him, in summer 2018. That clearly will not be the case going forward.

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Based on recent accounts in the media regarding James Levine, Ravinia has severed all ties with (him), the statement read. Ravinia maintains a zero-tolerance policy and culture on sexual harassment. We are deeply troubled and saddened by the allegations and sympathize with everyone who has been hurt.

Levines most recent, and apparently final, performance at the festival was an Aug. 8 concert of Haydns oratorio The Creation with the CSO and Chorus.

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The Chicago Symphony administration, for its part, has distanced itself from Levine without declaring, as yet, that it is cutting ties with him.

A statement by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, the orchestras parent body, on Monday afternoon appeared to anticipate Ravinias bringing down the curtain on its 44-year relationship with its former music director.:

The CSOA finds (the Levine) allegations deeply troubling, the statement said. We understand that the Ravinia Festival is awaiting the findings of the current investigations and will take action as appropriate.

Levine is not scheduled to conduct future concerts with the CSO at Symphony Center, according to the statement.

It is fair to say Ravinia heard Levines greatest achievements as a symphonic and operatic conductor with the CSO. At the orchestras summer retreat he found it possible to develop the kind of in-depth programming not possible under the less flexible rehearsal schedule that ruled the downtown season.

In fact, his heavy work load as music director of the Metropolitan Opera, in a historic 40-year tenure that lasted from 1976 to 2016, allowed him little free time to accept invitations as guest conductor at Orchestra Hall during those decades.

His most recent CSO guest engagement there was directing subscription concerts of Mozart, Schoenberg and Berlioz works in November 2016.

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Following a 22-year absence from the downtown series, Levine returned in May 2005 to direct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in an all-Brahms concert to benefit the musicians pension fund. Then-music director Daniel Barenboim was the piano soloist.

Before that, Levine led the CSO in a distinguished cycle of the Beethoven piano concertos, with Alfred Brendel as soloist, in June 1983. The concert recordings later were issued as a set on the Philips label.

All of these performances one recalls as happy occasions for the musicians and audience members alike, filled with music-making typically prepared to the most exacting degree. Years later, Levine said in interviews that they were among the happiest moments of his musical life as well.

Neither the conductor nor his manager at Columbia Artists Management has commented on the allegations.

John von Rhein is a Tribune critic.

jvonrhein@chicagotribune.com

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Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham  otherwise known as the Altar Boyz  have returned to the Chicago stage. At this particular moment in our roiled culture, they feel a lot like cute, grinning ghosts from a whole other time and place.

A spoof of both saccharine Christian rock and the 1990s boy-band culture epitomized by the Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block, the musical Altar Boyz was once quite a thing. The music and lyrics are by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and the book is by Kevin Del Aguila. A national tour played Chicago in 2006, followed by a separate commercial production that lasted for many weeks in 2007. Producer Ken Davenports off-Broadway production ran for 2,032 performances. Wow. A whole bevy of affiliated players sprung up: If you could do Forever Plaid and worked out, then you could be one of the Altar Boyz.

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Watching the show for the fourth time (my first was in Detroit) at the Theo Ubique Theatre on Monday, I was struck for the first time by how much The Book of Mormon owes to this show, its simpler, spiritually satirical predecessor. I am a Catholic, the best song in the Altar Boyz faux-concert, is like the uber-text of I Believe.

Theo Ubique of Rogers Park invariably uses its shoebox-size intimacy to its benefit. But that does not work as well in this case, mostly because the Altar Boyz work here quietly and without microphones, which does not help replicate the overamplified harmonic form that the piece is spoofing. You dont get the wall of cloyingly sweet sound that the show depends on for its musical jokes.

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Many of those jokes are now aging as fast as the members of the aforementioned manufactured performing groups. The group of performers  Frankie Leo Bennett, Max DeTogne, Steven Schaeffer, Colin Schreier and Marco Tzunux  assembled by director Courtney Crouse are all very honest and charming, and they execute challenging (and witty) choreography by Sawyer Smith right in front of your face. But without at least the hum of that the pop megaconcert detritus, the conceit just doesnt quite work.

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

cjones5@chicagotribune.com

Review: Altar Boyz (2 stars)

When: Through Jan. 14

Where: Theo Ubique at the No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave.

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Tickets: $34-$39 (dinner available) at 800-595-4849 and www.theoubique.org

Enjoy someone else's drama A great theater city deserves a great theater critic. Enter Chris Jones. Subscribe now and get 4 weeks of full access for only 99.

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Danny Masterson has left production of Netflix comedy "The Ranch."

"As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of 'The Ranch,'" a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. "Yesterday was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him."

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Masterson's departure comes amid mounting pressure over claims by four women who have accused the actor of rape. The Los Angeles County District Attorney and Los Angeles Police Department are currently investigating allegations against Masterson.

Part four of "The Ranch" is set to premiere on Netflix as scheduled Dec. 15, with additional episodes slated to premiere some time in 2018. Netflix has traditionally divided the series into 10-episode batches, each of which is part of a longer season. It is unknown how many episodes from will debut this month and how many will be held until next year. Masterson is not expected to appear in any episodes released after Dec. 15. Also unresolved is the fate of Masterson's executive producer credit on the series.

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The Huffington Post reported Monday that a Netflix executive, Andy Yeatman, told a woman who claims that Masterson raped her that the company does not believe any of Masterson's accusers. According to the report, Yeatman was unaware at the time that the woman he was speaking to was herself one of Masterson's accusers.

"The Ranch" was Netflix's first multi-camera comedy -- an area in which it has since expanded with additional series such as "Fuller House," "One Day at a Time," and "Disjointed." The series stars Masterson and fellow "That '70s Show" alum Ashton Kutcher as well as Debra Winger and Sam Elliott.

The decision to part ways with Masterson comes one day after Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos confirmed that original drama "House of Cards" would resume production in 2018 on a sixth and final season, this one set to star Robin Wright, but not her onscreen partner Kevin Spacey. Production of "House of Cards" season six was halted in October, following sexual-assault allegations against Spacey, who was later suspended from the production.

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
In January, 11-year-old Mahalea Velasco will pack up her pink fleece jacket and furry snow boots. She wont need them anymore where shes going. After the New Year, the Chicago native will say goodbye to her friends and move across the country with her mother and four older siblings to San Diego, California. Velasco will miss the familiarity of her hometown, but she knows that the sacrifice will be worth it. San Diego is only 20 miles from Tijuana, Mexico, where her father settled after being deported five years ago.



Im still trying to fight for him every day, she said. Im still trying to wake up in the morning thinking, I know one day my fathers going to come home, she said.

Mixed-status families live with the constant fear that they might be torn apart by a loved ones deportation. When their nightmare becomes reality and a deportation order arrives, such families have a few options. They can separate, with some members moving to the deportees native country while others stay in the U.S. The undocumented family member can also seek sanctuary. Or, the entire family can leave the country together.



The way the entire system operates today, its disruptive  not for all immigrants, but for certain immigrants, especially those who have entered the country without inspection and for those who have undocumented immigrants in the family, said Cecilia Menjivar, a sociologist at the University of Kansas who studies immigration. Its a very complex system that has multiple repercussions and multiple tentacles that touch different aspects of family life.

When Velasco and her family needed support, they turned to Familia Latina Unida, a ministry of Methodist churches in Hermosa, Humboldt Park, Pilsen and Waukegan. In August 2006, its parish Adalberto United Methodist Church, in Humboldt Park, welcomed its first undocumented immigrant seeking sanctuary from deportation, Mexican activist Elvira Arellano. Just over a decade later, Adalberto opened its door once more for another undocumented Mexican migrant in need of refuge, Francisca Lino.



Francisca Lino with her husband Diego and twin daughters, Judith, left and Juliana, 15. The Lino family along with their supporters gathered at Adalberto Church in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood Wednesday Aug. 23, 2017 to announce that Francisca Lino who was required to turn herself into immigration today will instead take sanctuary in the church. (Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune). (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

A Makeshift Home

In an apartment above Adalberto United Methodist Church, Lino is safe. Multiple locked doors protect her from the imminent threat of deportation. Friends and relatives can cross the threshold, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials arent welcome in the temporary home where she has resided in sanctuary since August 22.



But though the padlocks have shielded her, Lino only had until Thanksgiving Day to surrender turn herself in or considered a fugitive.

Under the advisement of her lawyers, Lino didn't show up for a deportation appointment with ICE officials on August 23. She had 90 days to surrender. The time has passed, now Lino faces a 'heartbreaking' decision: to remain fighting to stay in the U.S with her family or return to Mexico.

And in a final effort to avoid deportation, Lino's attorneys filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that the U.S. government violated her Fifth Amendment rights and expeditiously deported her in 1999 without due process.

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I dont see life without my daughters there  I dont see them alone there, Lino said.

For Lino, sanctuary seemed like the only option when her date of departure arrived. She wasn't ready to live thousands of miles from her husband and five children, all of whom are U.S. citizens.

Lino, a 50-year-old resident of Bolingbrook, received a deportation order in March during a routine meeting with ICE. She has lived in the U.S. for 18 years and doesnt have a criminal record. In 2005, her U.S. citizen husband, Diego Lino, applied for her citizenship, without success, and she has met with ICE agents every year since. Officials granted Lino a few months with her family on the condition that she come to ICE offices with her packed suitcases and the plane ticket to Mexico on August 23, 2017.

Between March and August, the Linos met with their lawyers and pastors to consider all of their options. Initially, Diego and his kids wanted Lino to obey officials and return to Mexico. But the night of August 22, Diego and Lino had a change of heart.

I asked the lawyer if there was another option for me and my family to fix the situation, Lino said. He told me that I still had legal arguments, but that if I left the country, I wouldnt be able to do anything. So, I decided to speak with my pastors and ask permission to take sanctuary.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 12 (Laura Rodriguez )

Making due without Mom



Everything has changed for Lino, who has abandoned the day-to-day of life in the outside world. She misses walking down the street in her quiet suburban neighborhood and taking trips to the mall. But shes not the only one who has been affected by her situation. With the mother of the household in sanctuary, Diego has become the sole provider for his home.

I feel like he doesnt really show it, but I think hes really struggling, said 15-year-old Judith Lino.

Because Diego works night shifts, his three daughters  Britzy, 16, and Judith and Juliana, 15-year-old twins  spend a lot of time home alone. Diego said that his mom comes over to cook dinner for the girls several times a week while they do homework after school, but he wishes his daughters didnt have to spend so much time without their parents.

Juliana added that the loss of her mothers income, while shes in sanctuary, has added to her familys stress. Her older sister, who is still in high school, recently got a job. But Diego is the only full-time earner, and money is scarce.

The first weeks I was very stressed and felt bad and thought, well, that its not  that Im not going to be able to, Diego said. But, thank God, were getting along little by little. It affects me quite a bit, but yes, were going to keep moving forward so that everyone is okay.

Britzy, Judith, and Juliana have witnessed their mothers struggle with Immigration since they were little girls. After over a decade, her annual visits with ICE became routine. But when Lino received a deportation order, the girls were in shock. Because of the instability of their mothers citizenship status, they have suffered from anxiety and depression. One of Linos daughters attempted suicide a few months ago, and all three sisters see a therapist to deal with the stress.

While Lino is in sanctuary, her family members cant count on her constant support. They can see her on Saturdays and Sundays, but they miss her during the week.

I get upset because my mom isnt with me all the time, Judith said. I have to visit her for, like, two days every week and its hard because I dont think anybody should be living like this.

Adalberto United Methodist church and sanctuary banner where Francisca Lino, who is undocumented and currently taking sanctuary at Adalberto United Methodist Church Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017. Lino and her attorneys will be filing a lawsuit against Trump, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Decisions to come

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Linos future is uncertain. If her lawyers determine that her best option is to leave the country, Linos family will have to split up. Diego will stay in the U.S. to work and their children will either stay with him or move with their mother to Mexico, a country they hardly know.

I have everything here, Judith said. I have my friends, I have the school that I like to go to. I really got upset about it.

Juliana added that she barely knows her relatives in Mexico and doesnt speak fluent Spanish. I really dont want to go to Mexico, she said. But I feel like its not my choice because I feel like my mom wants us to stay together.

The Linos hope Immigration officials will reopen her case and grant Lino more time here, as theyve done in the past. But they realize that the future is unclear.

I dont want to fill myself up with false hopes, I feel like, because anything can happen, Juliana said.

Diego added that the uncertainty of his familys circumstances has put everything on pause. I cant make a single decision or buy a house or anything, he said. I cant have a business because everything isnt ok with us  were not stable. We cant make plans for the same reason, because we dont know whats going to happen.

For now, Diego continues to care for his kids alone, hoping to reunite with his wife soon.

Separated by a border

Velascos mother, Cecilia Garcia, is also hoping for an imminent family reunion. Her husband, Hugo Velasco, was deported in October of 2012, when Velasco was six years old.

Hugo was driving when police stopped him for a missing license plate. The officials realized he was undocumented when he couldnt present them with a drivers license and began processing him for deportation hours later. In the blink of an eye, Garcia became a single mother, her husband in another country.

Its been quite difficult, Garcia said. I have the role of Mom and Dad for five kids.

Hugos absence has caused both physical and emotional distance between him and his five children, all of whom are U.S. citizens. Garcias younger kids communicate frequently with their father, but its harder for their older siblings, who still hold onto the trauma of their fathers deportation. Garcias two oldest daughters have suffered from depression. One is currently undergoing treatment for attempted suicide.

Mahalea Velasco, 11 whose father was deported tearfully talks about the trauma of the experience. The Lino family along with their supporters gathered at Adalberto Church in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood Wednesday Aug. 23, 2017 to announce that Francisca Lino who was required to turn herself into immigration today will instead take sanctuary in the church. (Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune). (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

Its not their fault, Garcia said, her eyes welling up with tears. Thats what hurts me the most because theyre not guilty in this situation, but rather, a government that doesnt value them, doesnt have a heart, that doesnt see them as human.

This winter, Garcia and her kids plan to move to San Diego, closer to Hugo, who lives in Tijuana. Though the family will still reside on opposite sides of the border, Garcia and her kids will be able to visit Velasco on weekends.

I'm kind of happy cuz I get to finally be with my father and not worry about the whole hassle of life without my father, said Velasco, Garcias youngest daughter. The 11-year-old girl is nervous to move across the country, but she hopes the move will alleviate her mothers stress.

I know one day, once we all get back together, all that stress is going to be away from her, Mahalea said. She's not gonna deal with it anymore, and I know that all of us are going to be happy.

Garcias husbands deportation has opened her eyes to the gaps in the path to citizenship for those who cross the border illegally. A U.S. citizen herself, Garcia always thought she would be able to arrange her undocumented husbands legal status without a problem. His removal, after years of trying to gain his citizenship, felt unjust to Garcia. She said activism is her form of therapy.

Now, more than ever, I cant stay silent, she said. Rather, I need to fight and struggle and defend my community and the families so that this doesnt happen to other families.

Francisca Lino also continues to fight to keep her family together. Despite the uncertainty of her indefinite stay in sanctuary, she doesnt regret her decision.

Its quite difficult, but it would have been worse if I had left, because here, at least, I can hug my kids every weekend, Lino said. Seeing my daughters  its what motivates me to keep enduring. And I can endure as long as is necessary.
Dear Amy: The woman I have employed to clean my house for several years has a very difficult life. She's a hard worker, does a beautiful job and is completely trustworthy. But, like so many people in her situation, her financial situation is extremely precarious.

I pay her very well and am generous at Christmas, birthdays and so on. When she is faced with a sudden emergency such as her car breaking down, I will give her some extra money to tide her over. She always says she'll find a way to pay me back, but we both know that won't happen.

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These extra amounts probably total around $1,000 a year, overall.

I am able to afford to help her, and am so glad to be able to do this. I tell myself that I choose to support her instead of a far-off charity, although I contribute to organized charities, too.

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She is always tearful and very grateful, but I am increasingly uncomfortable. I hate being put in the position of being her "last resort." The last time she came to me, she needed $300.

I would feel awful knowing she was going to lose her apartment or something, but I cringe when she walks in the door, wondering what it's going to be this time.

How do you think I should handle this?

-- Trying to be Kind

Dear Trying: If you are willing to spend $1,000 annually to help this person, you could either raise her pay by that amount -- and perhaps be willing to say no to any extra entreaties, or put aside that amount into a private "emergency fund." Having this money (figuratively) set aside might ease your anxiety about her next "ask" by simply adjusting your mindset.

As she draws down the fund, you will have to decide what to do if she asks for over the amount within the course of a year. You should also do some research to see if there are local organizations that might help with her utility bill (for instance), or with emergency needs.

You could also help by recommending her high-quality cleaning service to others. Income from an additional client might give her the cushion she needs.

You are doing the right thing to help. Many hardworking people are, as you note, one car repair (or trip to the doctor) away from disaster.

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Dear Amy: I recently had a difficult anniversary of a loved one's death, and was under a lot of pressure at work.

I ended up treating my intern badly (I was hypercritical and micromanaging).

She switched supervisors and badmouthed me to my colleagues (she tended to badmouth people, so I should've seen that coming). The intern has now completed her internship and is now working elsewhere.

I feel so ashamed of how I treated her, and frankly am shocked at myself, because that's not how I normally behave. I am now having a hard time forgiving myself because I know there's no excuse for treating someone badly, no matter the stress I was under.

How do I begin to move on from this?

-- Sad Supervisor

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Dear Sad: The path toward forgiving yourself starts with acknowledging your behavior to the person you have wronged. You should also ask that person to forgive you.

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Contact the former intern through email or a Facebook private message. Write: "I feel very guilty for how I treated you. I was going through a very stressful and rough patch in my own life, which is not an excuse, but an explanation for my behavior, which was unprofessional and unkind. You deserved better from me, and I regret that I didn't take the opportunity to apologize to you in person. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me. I wish you all the very best in your career."

Understand that this person could copy and paste and share your apology with others, depending on her motivation and maturity level. Regardless of where your apology lands, you will have demonstrated an important attitude of acknowledgment.

Then, you should make an effort to turn the page, understanding that like all of us, you occasionally make very human mistakes in your professional life.

Dear Amy: "Perplexed in NY" was judgmental about a family member (who was hurting financially) who never brought gifts to celebrations. Thank you for noting that receiving gifts is NOT the purpose of hosting a celebration.

-- Not Perplexed

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Dear Not: Exactly. This attitude is why some people are accused of "gift grabbing."

(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, 16650 Westgrove Drive, Suite 175, Addison, Texas, 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)

[ How to gracefully offer help to a broke friend ]

[ How to tell your children you can't afford to buy new school gear ]

[ Social Graces: Should you say something if you see someone stealing? ]
The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen, Tachyon, 288 pages, $15.95

With over 350 books, Jane Yolen is a legend in the world of children's and young-adult literature, but her acerbic and witty adult fiction and poetry offer their own pleasures. The 16 stories here, each accompanied by a related poem and notes, revisit some iconic classics, but always from a new, thought-provoking angle: Emily Dickinson encounters a UFO, Dorothy Gale leaves her Kansas farm to join the circus, an 80-year-old Alice looks back on her first trip down the rabbit hole, an O. Henry tale gets a deliciously wicked new twist, the boy Hans Christian Andersen is visited by the Ice Queen  and, at the end of his life, by the Snow Queen.

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Often Yolen explores the unexamined role of women in classic tales. One of three stories drawn from Arthurian legends tells of an island of women famed for sword-making and how they produce the most famous sword of all. In "Lost Girls," a modern-day Wendy, whisked off to Neverland, is appalled at the sexism and narcissism of Peter and his boys, so she organizes all the other Wendys (abducted from various periods) into a feminist labor movement. Not all the stories allude to specific antecedents, though; an excellent ghost story is set in rural Scotland, and others feature Edgar Allan Poe, Queen Victoria and even Geoffrey of Monmouth. Yolen seems to have had fun writing many of these, and the fun is contagious.

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer, Adams, 346 pages, $16.99

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While many view the Victorian age as the heyday of grimly realistic novels, it was also a rich period for fantasy literature  which is one reason so many contemporary writers keep returning to it. Molly Tanzer takes as her starting point one of those Victorian classics, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, and gives it an intriguing, gender-flipping feminist slant. Dorian is now Dorina Gray, a high-spirited teenage girl who yearns to travel to London to become an art critic (and possibly find a richer source of female lovers). Her more plain and common-sense sister Evadne, recently jilted by a longtime male friend, accompanies her as chaperone to visit their Uncle Basil (who painted the original portrait in Wilde's novel).

Dorina soon joins the circle of aesthetes surrounding Lady Henrietta Wotton (Lord Henry in the original), while Evadne finds her own place as the star pupil of a prestigious fencing academy. But both the arts group and the academy are hiding dark secrets involving demons battling for control of their human hosts, who can become addicted to them like a drug. The novel's fast-moving conclusion should satisfy anyone who misses the recent TV series Penny Dreadful, but Tanzer's detailed evocation of Victorian London, of Wilde's original tone and of the complex relationships, especially of the two troubled sisters, lends the novel its real resonance.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon, Akashic, 340 pages, $15.95

The idea of the generation starship, traveling so long that entire generations are born and die en route, began as a way to solve a basic problem for science fiction  namely that we can't travel faster than light, so getting to distant planets might take centuries. But the idea is also a useful thought-experiment about how a self-contained society might evolve over time. It's not always pretty, as Rivers Solomon demonstrates in her stark novel of a starship whose culture resembles nothing so much as the antebellum South. On the Matilda, dark-skinned peoples inhabit the cold, resource-poor lower decks, while the white managerial class live in comfort high above. All are under the authority of the dictatorial (and often clueless) Sovereign and his brutal overseers.

As the story opens, the Matilda has been traveling for three centuries. Aster Grey, a skilled botanist who also works as an assistant to the prestigious Surgeon of the upper decks, tries almost single-handedly to provide health care in the slums of the great ship. She's also fascinated by the journals kept by her late mother, which might encode secret clues about the ship, and even about the possibility of some sort of freedom in a society where it seems impossible. Solomon's strong characters, led by Aster herself, make this a deeply affecting tale that is far more than a simple allegory of injustice.

Gary K. Wolfe is the editor of "American Science Fiction," a Library of America anthology collecting nine classic works from the 1950s.
The warning from our guide made clear that this "forest walk" would be anything but a leisurely stroll.



"Look before grabbing any branches because the ants bite. You will be in pain for 24 hours," said Jackson Edirley da Silva, wearing a bright yellow shirt and rubber boots. "And watch where you step. You don't want to get bitten by a snake."



Our group, about a dozen tourists, got quiet.



"Don't worry," I whispered to our sons, ages 6 and 7. "We will be careful where we step."



My wife and I had flown with our kids from Rio de Janeiro to Manaus, a major jumping-off point for Brazil's Amazon rain forest. From there, we took a boat for an hour ride up a tributary of the Rio Negro, or Black River, and then walked 15 minutes to an "eco lodge" in the middle of a forest.



Even at the edge of the forest, the sounds made a strong impression. Monkeys screeched, birds bellowed and bugs buzzed, a cacophony that felt both terrifying and calming. Ironically, we would learn that it's rare to actually see most of the animals. You are in their house, and they know how to hide.



Our cabin was sparse but had some essentials: a small refrigerator for bottled water, mosquito screens on the windows and an air-conditioning unit that combated the oppressive humidity that would cling to us upon walking outside.





Despite its worldwide fame, not to mention increasing importance as climate change becomes a global issue, the Amazon is not visited in great numbers. Amazonas, Brazil's largest and heavily forested state, which includes Manaus, was visited by just under 1.2 million foreign and Brazilian tourists in 2014, the most recent year for available statistics. By comparison, the Eiffel Tower in Paris gets roughly 7 million visitors a year.



For those who get here, it's hard to imagine disappointment. Over the course of a week, we swam with fresh water dolphins, gawked at alligators wrestled from river banks by scrappy guides, fished for piranhas and stood in awe at "the meeting" of the Negro and Solimoes Rivers (called the Amazon River in Manaus and eastward), where a difference in density and temperature means that for miles black and yellow waters flow side by side.



The food also has unique tastes. Massive tucunare fish get chopped into fillets that taste like chicken with an extra dose of zest, potato-like manioc roots are prepared with forest spices that most people have never heard of and acai berries are ubiquitous  the kids particularly enjoyed sucking on acai popsicles during the afternoon heat.



The Amazon basin, which spans several countries in South America and is nearly as large as the continental United States, has always been central to Brazilian identity, even if most Brazilians will never visit. Conspiracy theories periodically erupt about other countries' alleged attempts to take the territory or plunder its myriad resources, and pressure from international organizations to stop deforestation often draws the ire of politicians.



Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, president between 2003 and 2010 and poll leader for next year's race, once famously said: "I don't want any gringo coming here asking us to let an Amazon dweller die of hunger under a tree."



Te Batista, a boat operator who we hired two days to take us to several areas of the Rio Negro, told me tourists always ask him about conservation.



"Foreigners are afraid about the future of the forest," said Batista, who added flatly that he was not. "They worry that the cutting here will mean they die in their countries" because of global warming.

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At the heart of conservation discussions are indigenous tribes, who provide windows into life in the Amazon both before the arrival of Portuguese colonists in the 16th century and today. While there are still scores of "uncontacted" tribes in the Amazon, most are at least partially connected to Brazilian society and live in ways that combine their traditions with aspects of modern-day life.



One day we visited a small village of about 100 people belonging to the Dessana tribe.



As they have for centuries, the women wore hay skirts and were topless. The men wore small woven cloths on their hips, though noticeably with tight black briefs underneath. They all had red face paint and many wore feathers on their heads and necklaces made with alligator and jaguar teeth. Recently caught fish cooked over a fire and a pottery bowl of large baked black ants were available to snack on.



Speaking limited Portuguese, a young man named Bohoka told me the tribe lived as they always had  in little huts without electricity, running water or cellphones  but with a few modern twists that included allowing tourists to visit.



"Tourism allows us to maintain our way of life," said Bohoka, 24, who showed us necklaces and other handcrafts for sale.



The village was only about a 90-minute boat trip from Manaus but worlds away. The gritty port city of over 2 million people is an eclectic mix of a colonial architecture, urban sprawl and hustle from hardscrabble touts trying to eke out a living. It reached its splendor in the 19th century when growing global demand for rubber brought throngs to the area to cut and gather sap from rubber trees. A beautiful opera house built during that time, which today hosts several shows each year, is the city's main tourist attraction.



As I chatted with Bohoka, a small boat pulled up on the riverbank. About a dozen members of the tribe, all dressed in slacks and T-shirts, got off carrying plastic bags. They disappeared into their huts and remerged a few minutes later wearing traditional clothes.



Bohoka explained they had gone to "the city," or Manaus, to buy sewing materials.



"Why couldn't they just wear traditional clothing there?" I asked, somewhat jokingly.



Bohoka laughed. "Impossible," he said. "Indians' home is the forest."



Peter Prengaman is The Associated Press news director in Brazil. Follow him at: twitter.com/peterprengaman
Chicago Public Schools would use $15 million in federal funding aimed at desegregating schools to turn three neighborhood elementary schools into citywide magnet schools, under a plan laid out by the district and Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday.

Also unveiled were plans to open two selective enrollment K-8 campuses next fall, one on the site of a former charter school near Bronzeville, the other in a former Catholic Archdiocese school on the Southwest Side next fall.

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Across Chicago we are expanding quality school options, ensuring every student has access to a world-class academic experience and providing every family with a range of quality options for their children, Emanuel said in a statement.

The proposals come just days after CPS advanced a number of school action plans that included closing four Englewood high schools before a new $85 million campus opens in 2019; merging two elementary schools in the South Loop to make way for a new high school program; and combining two school programs on the North Side. Declining population and school choice policies that allow families to enroll in schools other than the ones that have long anchored their neighborhoods have left the district to deal with a portfolio of under-enrolled buildings.

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The schools that would be transformed into magnet schools are Brown Elementary, a mostly African-American school near the United Center and the hot West Loop real estate market; Claremont Elementary, which serves an African-American and Latino population in the West Englewood neighborhood; and Jungman Elementary School, a largely Latino school in the rapidly-developing Pilsen neighborhood.

Jungman would keep its neighborhood boundary but open available seats to anyone in the city through a lottery-based process.

This school is still for you and for your community, CPS Chief Education Officer Janice Jackson said Monday, during a packed assembly at the school.

I know when some people hear magnet or classical or some of those other programs, theres some fear associated with that, Jackson said. But what I want you to know is that we are here to support you. Our children deserve the best. We believe in them, and thats why were making these investments in communities that need them.

Xochyl Perez, a community organizer with Pilsen Alliance, said after the assembly that there are a lot of questions that the community has and a lot of worries that the community has.

One of the things one of the moms said is, Everything thats free, you have to be careful of,  Perez said.

Brown, Claremont and Jungman are all currently underenrolled, according to CPS. CPS said students who are currently enrolled at the schools can stay, along with incoming students who successfully apply to attend.

CPS did not provide a total cost for the changes, but said they would be funded in part by a U.S. Department of Education program intended to desegregate schools by developing magnet schools.

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CPS magnet schools specialize in specific subject areas and accept students through a computerized lottery system. The districts plans for the three neighborhood schools will have them invest further in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs  known as the STEM curriculum.

The magnet school proposals are expected to come before the school board in February.

The two selective-enrollment classical schools announced Monday will require minimum test scores for admission. One would occupy the former St. Turibius parish school building in the West Elsdon neighborhood. The school would also have a lottery-based magnet program that prioritizes students who live within two-and-a-half miles of the campus.

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CPS will also reopen the former Hartigan elementary campus  which was closed during the tenure of former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, later reopened as a privately run charter school and closed again by CPS in 2015  as a K-8 classical campus next fall. The South Side school, which is near the Illinois Institute of Technology, would also require minimum test scores for admission.

Both schools would serve grades K-2 beginning in 2018, and add grades each year until eighth graders are phased in.

CPS is covering the cost associated with the new classical schools with Capital Improvement Tax funds. The district said it had budgeted roughly $12 million of borrowed money for the cost of the classical schools, but that it expected to spend more on both projects. The district is leasing the St. Turibius building from the archdiocese, a district spokesman said, at an annual cost of $414,000.

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School board members will take up those two proposals on Wednesday.

jjperez@chicagotribune.com

twitter@perezjr

RELATED

[ More than a dozen Chicago high schools struggle to survive as enrollment plummets, performance falters ]

[ Chicago Public Schools closing and consolidation plan would affect thousands of students ]

[ Chicago Public Schools enrollment drops by nearly 10,000 students ]
The Drug Enforcement Administration arrested three suburban men who allegedly tried to buy 2 kilograms of cocaine in a deal that took place in a Home Depot parking lot, according to recently filed court papers.

DEA task force officer Brian Norris said in an affidavit that the bust was the result of a relationship cultivated by an undercover operative.

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Jose Mendoza, a 53-year-old Melrose Park man who went by the name Jose Corral, allegedly told the operative he was looking for a new drug supplier and had access to weapons.

The two first attempted to do a cocaine deal Nov. 3 in the parking lot of a Menards home improvement store on North Avenue in Chicago, the affidavit claims, but Mendoza said he couldnt get the money. Norris said the men discussed finishing the transaction later.

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In the following days, the men talked about a firearms deal that finally went down Nov. 21 in the parking lot of the Planet Fitness on Mannheim Road in Melrose Park, the affidavit says.

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Mendoza sold the operative four AR-15 rifles for $3,700, Norris said. The men then allegedly discussed making a deal for 2 kilograms of cocaine, according to the affidavit.

It finally came on the afternoon of Nov. 30 in the parking lot of the Home Depot on North Avenue in Northlake, the affidavit says.

Mendoza and two other men  Miguel Pineda, 48, of River Grove, and Alejandro Sandoval, 25, of Waukegan  arrived in two vehicles, one of which, a BMW X6, had a hidden compartment that could be opened only with a device consisting of a battery and a nail, Norris said.

Sandoval opened the compartment, revealing thick bundles of cash, the affidavit says, and the men then agreed to go to Mendozas apartment to finalize the deal. But agents arrested Pineda and Sandoval as they drove away and took Mendoza into custody in the parking lot, according to the document.

Mendoza, Pineda and Sandoval were charged with conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine. Mendoza is also charged with possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. A federal judge ordered them held pending further proceedings.

jkeilman@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @JohnKeilman
Four years after 8-year-old Gizzell Ford was found strangled and badly bruised inside a filthy West Side apartment, a respected child-abuse pediatrician is expected to take the witness stand as soon as this week in a civil lawsuit that alleges he failed to alert authorities to a telltale sign of abuse weeks before her death.

Gizzells 2013 death sparked outrage, and a Tribune investigation found that multiple layers of trained professionals duty-bound to protect children had contact with the emaciated girl in the final months of her life but failed to act on warning signs. Described by teachers as an exceptional student, the fourth-grader had been beaten all over her body, tied to a post, denied food and water, and forced to squat or stand for hours at a time while she stayed with her father and Gizzells paternal grandmother, the latter convicted earlier this year of killing the girl.

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On Wednesday, a civil trial will begin in a lawsuit against Dr. Norell Rosado, the noted child-abuse pediatrician who examined the girl weeks before her death. Rosado, whom court records indicate may be called to testify, found an injury that appeared to be a healing loop mark  a telltale sign of abuse  but did not call the states child welfare hotline despite a statutory duty to do so, the wrongful death suit filed by both Sandra Mercado, the girls mother, and Juan Mercado, the girls maternal grandfather, alleges.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as well as a former DCFS investigator had also been defendants in the lawsuit, but a judge dismissed them from the case, finding that their actions were protected from a civil court challenge under state law.

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The girls father and grandmother were both charged in her death. Gizzells father, Andre Ford, died of an apparent heart attack in 2014 while awaiting trial in her death. Her grandmother Helen Ford, who allegedly beat the girl from head to toe, is serving a life sentence for the murder.

A Cook County family court judge awarded her father custody just eight months before her death, records show.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 11 Family members of Gizzell Ford, Angela Mendez, left, and Frandes Mercado, leave the Leighton Criminal Court Building on June 7, 2017, in Chicago. Helen Ford was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her 8-year-old granddaughter Gizzell. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

During the murder trial, prosecutors said that even before Gizzell was strangled, she was dying of kidney failure because her grandmother and father deprived her of water and food for days. The girl kept a diary that documented her descent into horrific abuse in the summer of 2013. I hate this life because now Im in super big trouble, she wrote July 11, 2013, two days before her body was found clad only in a pair of torn green underwear in the familys apartment.

Rosado, now a child-abuse pediatrician at Lurie Childrens Hospital, examined Gizzell in mid-June of 2013  a few weeks before her death  as part of a molestation investigation initiated by the Fords against her mothers boyfriend.

Rosado wrote in a report at the time of the exam that he saw what appeared to be an old, healed loop mark on her buttocks  an injury that can be received from being beaten with a looped cord and a possible indication of abuse  and linear marks on her thighs. Instead of questioning Gizzell alone, he inquired in front of Helen Ford and did not challenge the grandmothers answer that the child harmed herself. DCFS closed the case later that month after concluding the allegations were unfounded.

The physician noted the injuries in his report, which is included in court records, but did not make a call to the DCFS child abuse and neglect hotline. He also did not tell either the DCFS investigator or the centers family advocate. Any such notification might have sparked an abuse investigation of the Fords as well.

In a 2015 deposition transcript filed as part of the civil lawsuit, Rosado testified that he did not photograph the injuries during the exam at a Chicago-area Childrens Advocacy Center because the available camera often did not work or no camera was available.

He also testified that the healed injury on her buttocks was not an actual loop mark but there were linear marks that if connected would have made one. Rosado testified it would be very unethical to mentally fill in those blanks himself and describe it as a loop mark.

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The marks that Gizzell had are nonspecific marks, he testified.

An attempt to reach Rosado on Tuesday for comment was unsuccessful. But he previously told the Tribune he has never failed to call the hotline if he spotted a sign of child abuse or neglect during an exam. No discipline has been taken against him. A spokeswoman for the Cook County states attorneys office, which represents Rosado in the civil case, declined comment.

The physicians attorney, Assistant States Attorney Meg Inskeep, has argued in court papers that her client was not a legal cause of Gizzells death.

The injury here is death by strangulation, Inskeep wrote. Even if Dr. Rosado had reported signs of abuse, there is no evidence in this matter that DCFS would have immediately removed Gizzell from the Ford home.

Judge Daniel Gillespie rejected that argument and set the case for trial.

sschmadeke@chicagotribune.com

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[ RELATED: Life in prison for grandmother of slain 8-year-old Gizzell Ford ]

[ Promised reforms after brutal death of 8-year-old Gizzell Ford fall short ]

[ Safety net failed girl in abuse case ]

[ 'I hate this life'  Slain girl's journals focus of grandmother's murder trial ]
An elderly woman found wandering in the Edgewater Beach neighborhood on the Far North Side was reunited with her family hours after police issued an alert asking for the public's help.



The woman, who speaks only Bosnian, was found about 1 a.m. Tuesday in the 6300 block of North Sheridan Road, police said. An officer who speaks Bosnian talked to the woman but she did not provide her name, an address or a phone number.



She told police she had been walking for two days.

Police issued an alert about the woman around 6 a.m. Three hours later, the department said the woman had been identified and reunited with her family.
Bolingbrook police Officer Steve Alexander was killed along with his parents and brother in a traffic crash in Ireland. (Bolingbrook Police Department)

Four members of a Chicago-area family  including a Bolingbrook police officer  were killed Monday in a traffic crash in Ireland, Bolingbrook police said Tuesday.

Officer Stephen Alexander, 49; his parents, Doug and Lily, of Oak Lawn; and his brother, also named Doug, were killed after they had arrived in Ireland for the funeral of a relative, according to a news release from the Bolingbrook Police Department.

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According to the Irish Times newspaper, the four had landed at Shannon Airport and were en route to the wake of Lily Alexanders sister, Winnie Keevey, when their rental car collided with a truck near the town of New Ross in County Wexford.

A neighbor of Lily and her husband said the couple often went to Ireland to visit Keevey.

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The Irish Times reported a portion of the front end of the rental car was crushed beneath the truck and emergency crews had to extricate the cars passengers.

According to the paper, the driver of the truck and a passenger were treated for shock at the scene but sustained no injuries.

The Irish Times said Lily Alexander and her husband were both 75. Their son  and Stephens brother  was 42, the paper said.

Steve was an exemplary officer who took great pride in his law enforcement career and who devoted himself to protecting and serving the citizens of Bolingbrook, Bolingbrook Police Director Ken Teppel said in a news release. Steve will be missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing him and we will forever keep the Alexander family in our thoughts and prayers.

Stephen Alexander, who also lived in Bolingbrook, leaves behind two daughters, ages 11 and 10, who were his pride and joy, according to a news release.

Alexander was a 17-year veteran of the Bolingbrook Police Department and a decorated officer who had received numerous department commendations.

He earned his associates degree in criminal justice from the College of DuPage and graduated as class valedictorian in 2001 from the Cook County Police Academy. He also earned the top marksman award at the academy.

He was assigned to the Bolingbrook Park District as a park patrol officer, served as an assistant team leader for the raid and entry containment team, and was the lead department instructor for defensive tactics and use of force.

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Alexander also was involved in the community and taught self-defense classes and self-confidence skills to women and Girl Scouts at the Bolingbrook Park District, according to the news release. He also volunteered with Beat the Heat, a not-for-profit organization devoted to improving drive safety and police community relations. Most recently, he organized a squad car night at the Bolingbrook Promenade in conjunction with the Illinois Special Olympics. The event attracted police vehicles from across the state and included a parade of lights procession through the main street of the Promenade, according to the news release.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Stephens parents were remembered in Oak Lawn as good neighbors.

Were just all in shock, neighbor Gayna Driscoll said. Well really miss them.

Driscoll said her parents and the Alexanders had been good friends. When Driscoll moved into her home about 20 years ago she was happy to find the kind-hearted couple lived on her street.

They were just great people, Driscoll said. Everybody loved them.

Doug was a musician and taught her son how to play guitar, Driscoll said. The couple enjoyed visiting Gaelic Park in Oak Forest.

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Check back for updates.

Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter.
A woman who duped an elderly Palatine widower out of millions of dollars through an elaborate foreign lottery scam run out of Costa Rica was sentenced Tuesday to five years in federal prison.

Before she was sentenced, Corrine Dziesiuta, 39, shook with sobs in U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkins courtroom as she apologized to the victim and called herself an embarrassment to her family.

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I feel like such a loser and a horrible mother to my children, Dziesiuta said as her mother, son and daughter wept in the courtroom gallery. Morally, it has eaten me alive because I am not this kind of person.

Dziesiuta, formerly of New Jersey, pleaded guilty earlier this year to participating in a scheme to defraud the victim, now 88, of nearly $8 million by persuading him to wire funds from his U.S. bank accounts to banking institutions in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

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According to a criminal complaint, Dziesiuta first contacted the man, identified only as Victim A, in 2010. Dziesiuta, who went by the alias "Lisa Conti," told him he'd won millions of dollars in prize money but needed to pay insurance, taxes and other fees" to protect the money because it was located in a foreign country.

Prosecutors said the victim made 37 payments over six years totaling $4.1 million before the FBI was alerted to the scam and set up an elaborate sting.

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Dziesiutas attorney asked for a sentence of two years in prison, saying she was simply a low-level cog in a much larger network of thieves. Although Dziesiuta was promised 10 percent of whatever she was able to steal from the victim, she in fact made very little money off of the scam, with most of the ill-gotten gains going to her bosses in Costa Rica, the attorney said.

But in handing down the sentence, Durkin agreed with prosecutors that Dziesiuta exhibited a stunning ability to lie to her vulnerable victim, gain his trust over time and continue the scam over such a long period.

Its not just the money, its the betrayal, Durkin said. That is the real crime.

After the victim had contacted the FBI, Dziesiuta tried to hit him up again for $3.7 million. The FBI instructed the victim to tell Dziesiuta that he wanted to hand over the money to her in person. The two set up a meeting in New York, and when Dziesiuta flew to LaGuardia Airport, she was arrested in the baggage claim area.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jmetr22b

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[ Read: Criminal complaint against Corrine Dziesiuta in fraud case ]

[ Woman pleads guilty to bilking elderly Palatine man of almost $4.5 million ]

[ Arrest made in scam that duped elderly Palatine man of almost $4.5 million ]
Gov. Bruce Rauner is a few days behind on his news. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Subscribe here.

Topspin

Gov. Bruce Rauner says the Republican attempt to overhaul the federal tax code "has a ways to go," but it might not have as far to go as he thinks.

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"I think they're not there," Rauner said during a question-and-answer session with reporters Monday. "I think there's a lot of wood to chop on the tax policy reform, and I hope they get it done in a good way."

The governor, however, was a few days behind on his news. Over a packed weekend welcoming Illinois National Guard troops home from Puerto Rico, riding his Harley in a Toys for Tots motorcycle run and attending the Illinois Bicentennial bash at Navy Pier, Rauner might have missed that Republican senators had voted for a sweeping tax bill early Saturday morning.

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"First of all, the Senate hasn't passed anything," Rauner said on Monday when asked to explain what he thought Congress needed to do to get the tax code right. "And what the Senate is talking about is very different than what the House is working on. They have a long, long way to go."

Indeed, distance remains between the House and Senate tax bills. But Senate Republicans' approval of their own version was a big step forward and a sign they are willing to approve a tax overhaul even if it adds to the deficit.

Rauner often has avoided talking about national issues, dismissing questions about activity in Congress as not relevant to his role as governor. And Monday wasn't the first time that Rauner appeared out of the loop on the news.

In August, on the Monday following a violent clash of white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Rauner was asked about an Illinois Senate resolution passed the day before urging law enforcement officials to recognize white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups as terrorist organizations.

"I'm not so focused on day-to-day in Congress," he said.

When the reporter informed him that the resolution was in the Illinois Senate, he said, "OK. Well, you know what, great. Whatever fights against this kind of vicious racism and hatred and violence, I support." (Kim Geiger)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will participate in North American Climate Summit events, including giving welcome remarks in the morning.

*Gov. Rauner and Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti plan to announce an opioid initiative at the Thompson Center. Later, he'll speak at a Bolingbrook Chamber of Commerce event and tour a hospital in Rockford.

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*Former President Barack Obama will speak at Emanuel's climate event.

*Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs will have a news conference on the federal tax proposals.

*Illinois House committee will hold a hearing about safety in the corrections system.

*The City Council Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee will meet.

From the notebook

*History foretells a tough road: State Rep. Jeanne Ives' decision to take on an incumbent governor in the March primary is unusual but not uncommon.

In 2014, then-Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn bested anti-violence activist Tio Hardiman, 72 percent to 28 percent. In 2006, then-Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich defeated former Ald. Edwin Eisendrath 71 percent to 29 percent. And in 1994, then-Republican Gov. Jim Edgar won over the late-conservative businessman Jack Roeser, 75 percent to 25 percent. (Rick Pearson)

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*Roskam on sidelines in governor race: Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam hasn't taken sides in the GOP primary for governor.

Asked by Chicago Tribune's Editorial Board Monday if he eventually would, the Wheaton Republican said: "We'll see."

Roskam lives in state Rep. Ives' district and had signed a letter from Illinois' Republican congressmen slamming Rauner for signing legislation expanding taxpayer-subsidized abortions for women covered by Medicaid or state employee health insurance.

Roskam said there's a parallel between the governor and Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Donald Trump. The two presidents came to Washington with "massive personalities" they thought were enough to get their agendas through, Roskam said. Likewise, Rauner, based on "incredible success in the private sector," has run into roadblocks with the Illinois legislature, he said.

"It's a hard lesson for anybody to learn, particularly people who have been very successful in other walks of life," he said. (Katherine Skiba)

*Shortest campaign ever?: Monday brought some last-day surprises among the filings for Cook County office, making this election season even more unusual.

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Perhaps the biggest surprise came from 22nd Ward Ald. Ricardo Munoz. He filed to try to succeed his mentor, Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who is running for Congress. Later Monday, Munoz withdrew his petitions to back Garcia aide Alma Anaya for the post.

"Chuy and I agreed that we hoped to throw the full force of the 22nd Ward organization behind a young progressive woman for this seat," Munoz said in a statement, adding that his effort to run was merely an "insurance policy, of sorts, to guarantee that we'd have a strong progressive candidate on the ballot no matter what."

But insiders knew for years Munoz was interested in Garcia's seat, and Garcia last week even endorsed Munoz. So it was more fodder for those who have raised questions about political machinations this year, given how U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez last week quickly endorsed Garcia.

Also filing for Garcia's seat: Alex Acevedo, a registered nurse whose father is former state Rep. Edward "Eddie" Acevedo, and Angeles Sandoval, the daughter of state Sen. Martin Sandoval. (Hal Dardick)

*In other county news: Robert Shaw, a former alderman and Cook County Board of (Tax) Review commissioner, filed for a six-year seat on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, making him one of eight candidates vying for three spots.

The elder Acevedo filed for sheriff, taking on incumbent Tom Dart, although that was not unexpected.

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And Cook County Clerk David Orr's communications director is running to replace him. Nick Shields will take on Recorder of Deeds Karen Yarbrough, the county party-endorsed candidate whose office is being merged with Orr's in 2020. Orr is not running. Also in the race are Stephanie Joy Jackson-Rowe and Jan Kowalski McDonald.

Property tax consultant Andrea Raila filed for county assessor, joining a primary race that already featured incumbent Joe Berrios and asset manager Fritz Kaegi, who's backed by many self-styled progressives. (Hal Dardick)

*Rush takes his time: U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush filed to run for re-election on the final day to do so. Ald. Howard Brookins signed up to run for the 1st Congressional District too.

Last election, Brookins got less than 20 percent of the vote in his primary challenge to Rush.

*Silverstein accuser gets into House race: The only person to publicly accuse a sitting state lawmaker of sexual harassment amid the ongoing scandal in Springfield filed to run for Illinois House on Monday.

Denise Rotheimer filed as a Republican to run for a central Lake County seat now held by Democratic state Rep. Sam Yingling of Grayslake.

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Rotheimer accused Democratic state Sen. Ira Silverstein of sexual harassment at a public hearing. He has disputed the allegations and said he apologized "if I made her uncomfortable." He has since resigned his leadership post and filed to seek re-election.

For his part, four challengers have filed against Silverstein in the 8th Senate District Democratic primary. They are Ram Villivalam, former political director for U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider; Zehra Quadri, who founded a Rogers Park social services agency; David Zulkey, an attorney who's on the board of the Sauganash Community Association; and Caroline McAteer-Fournier, a DePaul University administrator and abortion rights advocate.

What we're writing (busy news day edition)

*Rauner faces war on two fronts as Republican challenger Ives attacks.

*Rauner: I'm "not in charge," Speaker Madigan is.

*Three aldermen join crowded field to replace Rep. Luis Gutierrez in Congress.

*Stroger won't run for Cook County Board president against Preckwinkle.

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*Roskam: Republicans have "crossed the Rubicon" with tax overhaul plans.

*Obama to address Emanuel's climate meeting Tuesday.

*Millions of dollars fail to brighten dismal academic picture at troubled Chicago high schools.

*Attorney General Madigan launches civil rights inquiry into bus company.

*Cook County judge who allowed clerk to rule on cases is forced to retire.

*Vote coming for O'Hare Fly Quiet plan that could last two years.

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What we're reading

*Illinois Republican John Anderson, third-party candidate for president in 1980, dies at 95.

*Advocate plans to merge with Wisconsin hospital giant Aurora.

*Revolution Brewing steps up with two more barrel-aged releases.



Follow the money

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago

*SCOTUS allows Trump travel ban to be enforced pending challenges.

*Lawmakers try to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the week.

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*Trump makes two Utah national monuments smaller.

*British and EU leaders don't get Brexit deal.
Former President Barack Obama popped in to Mayor Rahm Emanuels mayoral climate summit on Tuesday, saying it can be challenging to address climate change in an unusual time but never mentioning President Donald Trump by name.

The former presidents Chicago appearance also gave a boost to his former chief of staff as Emanuel ramps up to run for a third term as mayor.

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Obama was in town for a private speech later in the day and talked to mayors in attendance at the downtown climate event for about 15 minutes. Though Trumps pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement prompted mayors to take steps to limit greenhouse emissions themselves, Obama stepped around criticizing Trump directly.

Instead, the former president tried to show a path toward fighting climate change without Trumps cooperation.

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Obviously were in an unusual time when the United States is now the only nation on Earth that does not belong to the Paris agreement, Obama said. And thats a difficult position to defend. But the good news is that the Paris agreement was never going to solve the climate crisis on its own. It was going to be up to all of us.

Reciting a litany of recent extreme weather events he said are evidence of climate change, Obama also mentioned the aftermath of Hurricane Marias devastation of Puerto Rico, a recovery effort for which the Trump administration has drawn criticism.

A conveyor belt of some of the strongest hurricanes on record this summer smashed into Houston, and Florida and Puerto Rico, and more than two months later they are still struggling to recover, he said.

And Obama called on American voters to make it a prerequisite for the vote for anybody for elected office that theyre paying attention to global warning. His remarks Tuesday are in keeping with Obamas general policy of not engaging directly with Trump since the new administration took over in Washington, D.C.

While Obama stuck to talk about the environment, Emanuel placed Trump front and center at the event by pointing out he has opted the U.S. out of the Paris climate accords.

The preamble to the Chicago Climate Charter the participating mayors signed on Tuesday read: President Trumps decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement spurred over 380 cities in the U.S., numerous cities in other parts of North America, and countless organizations worldwide to commit themselves to the Agreement.

And Emanuel was champing at the bit to talk Trump at a news conference Tuesday. When a reporter asked Canadian mayors what message they had for Trump, Emanuel interjected: Can I take that question too?

We cant afford, as leaders of our respective cities, the absence of leadership and the wrongheaded policy by President Trump. Cant afford it, the mayor said.

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Would I prefer a national government and a national leader like President Obama, who led the country the right way, and then have that partner? Every one of us would, he added. Can I afford, even if we dont have a partner, to stand still and just blame him? No, thats not leadership.

Obama was already in Chicago on Tuesday for a long-planned speech to the venerable Economic Club of Chicago that is closed to the public. He opened his remarks at the climate conference by embracing Emanuel onstage, then praising him. This is my hometown, so I hope Rahm has been as good of a host as he was a chief of staff, and as good as he has been a mayor, Obama said. Thank you, Rahm, for your outstanding leadership.

His support has been important to Emanuels political fortunes in the past.

As president, Obama held a high-profile send-off in the White House for Emanuel as he left the administration in 2010 to come run for mayor for the first time. Video clips of Obama praising Emanuel at the event later turned up in an Emanuel campaign ad.

Obama came to Chicago to support Emanuel again during the mayors 2015 re-election campaign, and a clip from that event formed the basis of a TV commercial Emanuel ran in the days before the vote.

Emanuel went all in on the pomp and circumstance at the Tuesday event even before Obama arrived. Participating mayors from suburban Hanover Park and Franklin Park, and those from Paris, Mexico City, Honolulu and other U.S. and world cities, were invited up on stage to add their signatures to the charter as their colleagues applauded.

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While the Chicago charter calls on participating cities to set their own standards to reduce emissions, its not clear whether such local action will be able to offset federal shortcomings or how local governments will be held to their commitments.

The climate meeting was just the latest opportunity Emanuel has taken to dog Trump. He hosted a water cleanliness meeting with mayors from around the world in March, an occasion he used to call on the president not to cut the Environmental Protection Agency budget for the Great Lakes.

"To endanger the environmental progress made over 30, 40 years, rolling those dollars back, I think they'll face a fight, but that fight will come at the expense of both our recreation and more importantly our public health and environmental quality and sustainability of Lake Michigan and all the other Great Lakes," he said then.

That news conference also was noteworthy for Emanuel recalling that in his youth "dead fish just rolled in" on Chicago beaches before cleanup efforts.

Its all part of Emanuels broader effort to stand at the forefront of mayors mounting high-profile challenges to the Trump administration. Emanuel has ceaselessly hammered Trump as against immigrants while promoting Chicago at every opportunity as a city that will welcome and protect them. In one case, he sued the Trump Justice Department in federal court over immigration rules the administration wanted to tie to the issuance of public safety grants.

Asked Tuesday at the news conference about the climate charter, Emanuel immediately pivoted to point out the lack of leadership from Trump across a waterfront of issues, and brought up the immigration lawsuit.

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The anti-Trump stances also fit into the mayors long-standing position that we are living in the century of the city. Its a slogan he sometimes applies when discussing the ways municipal governments can continue to get things done for the betterment of residents in spite of gridlock at the federal and state levels.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne

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Gov. Bruce Rauner and Rep. Jeanne Ives ripped into each other Dec. 4, 2017, as she filed to challenge him for the Republican governor nomination. (Chicago Tribune )

Gov. Bruce Rauner and his new Republican opponent wasted little time going after each other Monday, with Illinois chief executive suggesting state Rep. Jeanne Ives is a fringe candidate and the upstart challenger contending the governor betrayed our party.

The challenge from the GOPs conservative wing marks the latest political reversal for Rauner, a private equity investor who four years ago used his vast personal wealth to vault from obscurity to the governors mansion and rebuilt a long-moribund Illinois Republican Party along the way.

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This time around, the little-known Republican governor candidate is Ives, 53, a three-term lawmaker from Wheaton who graduated from West Point and served in the U.S. Army. Perhaps best known at the Capitol for throwing rhetorical bombs, Ives has said same-sex marriage advocates are trying to weasel their way into acceptability, called transgender rights junk science and declared shes not interested in providing child care to people where you dont even know the paternity.

Ives challenge means Rauner, 61, now finds himself waging a war on two political fronts as he seeks a second term in 2018. Not only will Democratic governor hopefuls continue to attack his every move as they try to win their partys March primary, but Rauner is forced to spend money and time trying to fend off a challenge from inside a party he had single-handedly controlled until just a few months ago. A strong showing by Ives would further weaken the political standing of Rauner, who already faces a tough road to re-election in a decidedly Democratic state.

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Buffeted by controversy after controversy since Republicans broke with him to pass a state budget after more than two years of stalemate, Rauner showed signs of the stress Monday.

Hours before Ives filed her paperwork with the State Board of Elections, the governor dismissed the challenge by a fringe candidate and said he had the best chance of anybody in the state to win the general election.

But as he took questions from reporters in Chicago after a speech to the Illinois Farm Bureau, Rauner, whos been governor since January 2015, also made an unusual declaration.

I am not in charge. Im trying to get to be in charge, said Rauner, who argued that the person in charge was powerful Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and Democratic legislative majorities that blocked virtually all of the governors first-term agenda. Rauner went on to say that Madigan was running a Mafia protection racket and rigged the Democratic governor primary, a race in which billionaire J.B. Pritzker has amassed top endorsements.

For her part, Ives chided Rauner for his approval of legislation expanding abortion, transgender and immigrant rights and increasing education funding to Chicago as supportive of Madigan and akin to the actions of an Ivy League gender studies professor.

Hes betrayed our party. And you know what, you cannot buy back trust after a betrayal, Ives said in Springfield.

Earlier, Ives sought to link Rauner to Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

He wants people to believe that hes been fighting Mike Madigan, but he actually instituted a very social and economic liberal agenda supported by Chicago Democrats, like his friend, Rahm, Ives said on a WIND-AM 560 program hosted by her political mentor, Dan Proft, an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 GOP governor nomination. He hasnt been fighting Mike Madigan. Hes been doubling down on the things (Madigan is) wanting to do.

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Rauner has come under increasing pressure from various elements of the Republican Party. Last week, the conservative National Review featured Rauner on its cover, calling him The Worst Republican Governor in America. On Monday, Rauner called the article a political hit piece.

Ives has said she was moved to challenge Rauner after the governor in late September signed into law a bill that would expand taxpayer-subsidized abortions for women covered by Medicaid and state employee group health insurance. Rauner had contributed to abortion-rights causes, but in 2014 told conservatives he would not pursue a social agenda.

Ives home base of Wheaton, where she previously served on the City Council, is one of the last remaining outposts of hard-core conservatism in a DuPage County that has been evolving away from its traditional Republican leanings. That has afforded her the opportunity to be outspoken, often controversial, in her views.

In a 2013 interview on a Catholic talk show, Ives described same-sex partnership as a a completely disordered relationship and accused gay marriage advocates of trying to weasel their way into acceptability so that they can then start to push their agenda down into the schools, because this gives them some sort of legitimacy.

To not have a mother and father is really a disordered state for a child to grow up in, she said, and it really makes that child an object of desire rather than the result of a matrimony.

Last summer, attending the annual cruise for Family PAC, a conservative political action committee that supports what it calls tradition values and limited government, Ives used a similar theme in railing about transgendered people.

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Well, Im concerned about our children, she told cable TVs Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz at the time.

I mean, honestly, this whole idea that transgenders have rights, which is a, something that is made up from the media, needs to be challenged. We need to have that challenged because our public schools are really being taken over by that type of ideology, said Ives, using her fingers for air quotes as she said the word transgenders.

On Monday, she referred to junk science on transgenderism. Rauner approved legislation this year making it easier for transgender people to change the gender listed on their birth certificates.

Her comments on the House floor often have a hard edge. During a September 2015 debate on a spending bill for child support, Ives said she wanted tougher income verification and was not interested in providing child care to people where you dont even know the paternity.

And that means, you better know who the daddy is and whether or not he can afford that child, she said.

Unlike Rauner, who seeks to avoid discussing President Donald Trump and national issues, Ives is an unabashed supporter of the president, speaking at a recent Make America Great Again rally in Rockford and embracing the White House crackdown on people living in the country illegally.

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I think instead of alienating somebody like President Trump, we need to listen to what his administration is asking for because we need their support, she told WBEZ-FM 91.5, adding, I obviously support his idea that states need to comply with federal law when it comes to immigration because that is a federal issue.

Trumps Justice Department has sought to cut off law enforcement grant funding to cities that adopt protections for those in the country illegally and has viewed warily a law signed by Rauner that prevents people from being held by law enforcement based solely on their legal status.

In her nascent campaign, Ives has sought to avoid discussing controversies surrounding her socially conservative beliefs and put the focus on economic issues. An ardent foe of tax increases, she has blasted fellow Republicans who helped Democrats enact a state spending and tax hike plan. She also has said Rauners calls for a property tax freeze should be replaced with property tax cuts. And, like the governor, Ives called for a rollback of the states income tax hike.

I imagine some people want to focus on the wrong things, said Ives when asked in Springfield about her prior statements on social issues. She added that we need to talk about the fiscal mess that were in because thats what Illinoisans care about.

Kent Redfield, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield, said Ives is seeking to tap not only unhappy social conservatives but economic free-marketers along the lines of Trumps appeal to those concerned about their employment and faith-based values.

The only way her candidacy makes sense is if she can get those dissatisfied with economic issues to say that four more years of Rauner is going to mean four more years of getting nothing done and wrecking the state  and that Republicans need a different champion for those causes, Redfield said.

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At the same time, she obviously will be picking up social conservatives, but does that generate enthusiasm? I dont know  whether she can become visible and then viable, he said. I think its very difficult given Rauner and all his money.

Also Monday, three Democrats filed for attorney general, where Lisa Madigan is not running again. Former Chicago police civilian authority chief Sharon Fairley, Chicago Park Board President Jesse Ruiz and attorney Aaron Goldstein of Chicago joined former Gov. Pat Quinn, Sen. Kwame Raoul and former prosecutor Renato Mariotti, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and Rep. Scott Drury of Highwood.

Erika Harold of Urbana, who is backed for the GOP attorney general nomination by the state Republican Party, was joined by last-day filer Gary Grasso, a DuPage County Board member from Burr Ridge.

Republicans also filled out their statewide slate, with Jim Dodge of Orland Park running for treasurer, former Rep. Darlene Senger of Naperville for comptroller and Jason Helland of Mazon for secretary of state.

Democrat Jesse White is seeking his sixth term as secretary of state. Democratic state Rep. Michael Hastings of Tinley Park also filed in case White retired, but said Monday evening that he has no intention of challenging White.

Garcia reported from Springfield.

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Chicago Aldermen Proco Joe Moreno, from left, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and Raymond Lopez join Cook County Commissioner Jesus Chuy Garcia in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez. (Chicago Tribune )

Three Chicago aldermen and a Cook County commissioner are among seven Democrats who filed petitions to appear on the primary ballot to succeed U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, whose announcement that he would not run again set off a mad weeklong dash to collect enough signatures to get in the race.

In addition to Northwest Side Aldermen Proco Joe Moreno, 1st, and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th, Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, are running for the seat, according to the State Board of Elections.

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Lopezs ward includes parts of the Back of the Yards, Brighton Park and West Englewood neighborhoods. The first-term alderman drew attention this spring when the Chicago Police Department put him under police protection because of gang threats against him. That move was in response to Lopez saying no innocent lives were lost after two people were killed when masked gunmen opened fire on a group congregating at a makeshift memorial for a man who earlier had been slain.

Also running for the seat is Cook County Commissioner Jesus Chuy Garcia, whom Gutierrez endorsed last week after saying Nov. 28 that he wont seek a 14th term representing the the 4th Congressional District.

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Garcia, who now represents a Southwest Side district on the Cook County Board, has vowed to unite the disparate parts of the oddly shaped congressional district, which includes chunks of the Northwest and Southwest sides connected by a thin ribbon of real estate.

Two community activists also jumped into the contest.

Sol Flores is the executive director of La Casa Norte, a Logan Square nonprofit group that serves youth and families confronting homelessness. And Neli Vazquez-Rowland is a Gold Coast resident whos co-founder and president of A Safe Haven Foundation, which helps people struggling with homelessness and substance abuse. Shes also a real estate investor.

Chicago police Sgt. Richard Gonzalez, who filed last week, is backed by state Rep. Luis Arroyo Sr., who differs with Gutierrez on the issue of Puerto Rican statehood.

Four people submitted petitions to run in the Republican primary in the heavily Democratic district.

To get on the ballot, a candidate needed 862 signatures from registered voters who live in the district, but most turn in many more than that because opponents often challenge the validity of the names in a bid to thin the field.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne

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In this Nov. 25, 2017, photo, ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont attends a presentation of the candidate list for the Catalan regional elections in Oostkamp, Belgium. (Olivier Matthys / AP)

MADRID  A Spanish judge on Tuesday withdrew international arrest warrants for ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four members of his former Cabinet who have been fighting extradition from Belgium.

A Supreme Court spokesman said that the five could still be arrested if they go back to Spain, however, because they are still being sought at home for possible crimes related to the independence bid in northeastern Catalonia.

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In a surprise move, Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena said on Tuesday that individual warrants don't apply anymore because the alleged crimes were a group action, according to new evidence.

He also said that the probed politicians have shown their "intention to return to Spain" in order to run for regional elections in Catalonia.

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But Puigdemont's Belgian lawyer, Paul Bekaert, said that the Catalan separatist leader wasn't planning an immediate return.

"For the moment he stays in Belgium," Bekaert told VTM network.

A spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecution's office said that Belgian authorities will call for an extra session on the extradition court case so the proceedings can be stopped.

But with the warrant withdrawal official, Puigdemont is fully free in his movements and no longer bound to respect the initial restrictions from the court case, which included the provision that he had to stay in Belgium, spokeswoman Ine Van Wymersch said.

"The restrictions that were set up by the Brussels investigating judge are no longer in effect. So here in Belgium. Mr. Puigdemont and his four ministers are free to leave the country if they want," Van Wymersch said.

The five Catalans are facing rebellion, sedition and embezzlement among other charges for their roles last month in staging an illegal independence referendum that led to an independence declaration in the region's parliament.

The crimes are punishable in Spain with decades in prison.

Spanish, European and international arrest warrants for the five who fled to Belgium were issued on Nov. 3, after members of Puigdemont's government who remained in Spain were jailed on provisional charges.

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The Spanish court spokesman said that the judge's decision applies to both European and international warrants, not to the domestic ones. He asked not to be named, citing internal court rules.

Two ex-Cabinet members, including former Vice President Oriol Junqueras, and two separatist activists remain in custody.

Tuesday's decision seemed to leave up in the air the battle in Brussels over extradition for the five Catalan separatist politicians. A decision had been announced for Dec. 14, but the Belgian prosecutor's office said it was assessing the new situation.

The Belgian judge could have chosen to rule against the Spanish request or agreed to send the five back as requested, or reduced the number of crimes that Spain could try them for.

That possibility was mentioned by the Supreme Court judge in a nine-page document issued on Tuesday to withdraw the warrants. Responsibility should be shared among all the defendants, Llarena said in the document, adding that diminished charges would mean a "distortion" for those already facing the probe in Spain.

Puigdemont is leading his party's campaign for the Dec. 21 election called by Spain's government in an attempt to find a democratic fix to the nation's worst institutional crisis in nearly four decades.

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Campaigning officially began on Tuesday and early polls are predicting a close race between the parties for and against independence, foreshadowing a scenario of difficult post-electoral deals to end the deadlock.

Raf Casert reported from Brussels.
Interstate 66 toll lanes opened Monday in Washington's northern Virginia suburbs. Tolls hit $34.50 to drive the 10-mile stretch from the Beltway to Washington, D.C. (Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post)

The Interstate 66 toll lanes opened Monday in Washington's northern Virginia suburbs with prices so steep they could be among the highest drivers have paid for the privilege of traveling on a state-owned highway in the United States.

Tolls hit $34.50 - or close to $3.50 a mile - to drive the 10-mile stretch from the Beltway to Washington, D.C., during the height of the morning commute.

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The lanes, on one of the region's most congested highways, were billed as a way to help the state better manage traffic, foster carpooling and public transit use, and give commuters more options.

But whatever excitement drivers might have initially felt at having another choice quickly gave way to shock as they watched toll prices tick up - from $4.50 at 5:36 a.m. to $28.50 just before 8 to $34.50 at 8:36.

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"I drove onto I-66 around 8:10 this morning to Washington and my one-way toll was $17.25 - which I at first thought I'd misread," Justin Cole said. "With tolls reportedly climbing to around a daily one-way peak of $34.50, that is going to introduce a real hardship for people on low wages or working in the nonprofit or public sector."

Others took to social media to express their outrage, with the hashtags #I66tolls and #highwayrobbery trending.

"This is like a bad telethon, watching the number go higher and higher all morning," tweeted commuter Cameron Gray.

"The tolls on I-66 are being increased so only the 1% can afford to use it. Time to get that private jet," said another.

"It's price gouging," said Virginia Del.-elect Danica Roem, D, who won office last month on a platform that focused on traffic in her suburban Prince William district. She said she will push to cap tolls in the coming General Assembly session.

"We are talking about $34.50 for a few miles inside the Beltway. That's clearly price gouging," Roem said. "Where else in the country do you pay a $34.50 toll to go somewhere?"

Critics complained that state officials sold the project on projections that tolls would peak at $7 for the morning rush and $9 in the afternoon. State transportation officials said Monday that those projections were based on the average trip - not peak-of-the-peak trips.

"This was the very first rush hour," said Michelle Holland, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation. "Every express lane facility has a ramp-up period because it is such a major change. It probably will take at least three months for us to be able to determine the typical traffic pattern and toll price pattern."

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Here's how it works. From 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. eastbound and 3 to 7 p.m. westbound, Monday through Friday, tolls will fluctuate to maintain a minimum average speed of 45 mph; there is no cap on tolls. Put simply, as traffic increases the toll rises to help manage the vehicles entering the roadway. The tolls change every six minutes.

Solo drivers, who before were barred from I-66 during rush hour, can use the lanes if they pay. That includes drivers of hybrid vehicles, which are no longer are exempt. Motorcycles and vehicles carrying two or more people have free use of the lanes.

State transportation officials said average speeds Monday morning were 57 mph (the posted speed limit is 55), and about 37 percent of vehicles were carpools that traveled free.

Holland said state officials don't expect tolls of $34.50 to be the norm. Rates were lower for the evening commute, with westbound I-66 drivers paying $6.25 to travel from Washington to the Beltway at 4:15 p.m.

But there's no guarantee that prices won't top $30 again. Monday, for example, is typically a lighter commuting day because of federal workers who telework, so it's conceivable that tolls will rise again on days when there is typically more traffic.

Although Monday's prices on I-66 are higher than average for U.S. toll roads, experts and transportation officials say they aren't unheard of in an industry that generates $13.8 billion in annual revenue.

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Driving on U.S. toll lanes costs drivers an average of 10 cents per mile, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration. The data, however, doesn't include average costs from all U.S. road systems. The most expensive interstate tolls cost drivers about 50 cents per mile, and those are on relatively short lengths of road - including the 14 miles of Virginia's Interstate 495 express lanes, where tolls have hit $32.30.

"This is the point of the dynamic pricing - it doesn't prohibit someone from using the lane but it raises the price to keep traffic flowing and a driver considers their time, value for the cost," said Bill Cramer, a spokesman for the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, which represents toll facility operators.

Some commuters and officials said those complaining about high tolls should simply choose a different option. They note that solo drivers have never been able to use I-66 during rush hour - with the exception of hybrid owners. However, the rush-hour periods were extended 90 minutes with the toll lanes. So drivers who timed their morning commutes to leave before 6 a.m. or at 9 a.m. to avoid the restrictions no longer have that option. For those in the outer suburbs, the Washington subway (also known as Metro) and carpooling aren't easy choices.

The I-66 lanes are unique when compared with the region's other toll lanes, the 495 express lanes. The 495 express lanes added capacity and give drivers the option of using general travel lanes if they don't want to pay a toll. I-66 was tolled without adding lanes.

If officials thought the tolls would encourage more people to use transit, that did not happen Monday morning - at least not for Metro. According to the transit agency, the four stations at the western end of Metro's Orange Line in northern Virginia had 13,239 entries during the rush-hour time frame - about 2 percent lower than the same time one week ago.

There also did not appear to be a significant amount of bailout traffic as some had feared might happen on arterial routes such as the George Washington Parkway and Routes 7, 29, 50, 123 and 193. State transportation officials said that on average, traffic volumes, speed and travel times were similar to the same time last year.

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Officials are still betting that more people will turn to mass transit even if tolls don't go as high as $35 again. And toll revenue will be used for transit improvements in the corridor, including new bus routes and park-and-ride facilities.
DETROIT  Democratic Rep. John Conyers resigned from Congress on Tuesday after a nearly 53-year career, becoming the first Capitol Hill politician to lose his job in the torrent of sexual misconduct allegations sweeping through the nation's workplaces.

The 88-year-old civil rights leader and longest-serving member of the House announced what he referred to as his "retirement" on Detroit talk radio, while continuing to deny he groped or sexually harassed women who worked for him.

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"My legacy can't be compromised or diminished in any way by what we're going through now," said the congressman, who called into the radio show from the hospital where he was taken last week after complaining of lightheadedness. "This, too, shall pass. My legacy will continue through my children."

He endorsed his son John Conyers III to succeed him.

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Conyers, who was first elected in 1964 and went on to become a founding member in 1971 of the Congressional Black Caucus, easily won re-election last year to his 27th term in his heavily Democratic district in and around Detroit.

But after being publicly accused by one woman after another in recent weeks, he faced growing calls to resign from colleagues in the House, including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

As the furor grew, he stepped down as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and the Ethics Committee began investigating him.

Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York said he was saddened by the resignation of his "friend and mentor" but added: "There can be no tolerance for behavior that subjects women to the kind of conduct that has been alleged."

It will be up to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to set a date for a special election to pick someone to serve out the remaining year in Conyers' two-year term. State Sen. Ian Conyers, a grandson of Conyers' brother, said he plans to run for the seat.

On Monday, yet another allegation was lodged against Conyers, when a woman who said she worked for him for more than a decade, Elisa Grubbs, said he slid his hand up her skirt and rubbed her thighs while she was sitting next to him in the front row of a church.

Grubbs also said she repeatedly saw Conyers touching and stroking the legs and buttocks of other female staffers. Such behavior "was a regular part of life while working in the office of Rep. Conyers," she said.

Grubbs is the cousin of another accuser, Marion Brown, who reached a confidential, taxpayer-funded settlement of more than $27,000 over allegations Conyers sexually harassed her. That settlement came to light in mid-November, setting off the cascade of allegations against the congressman.

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At least two other women who worked for him have accused him of sexual misconduct.

"This is about much more than one congressman," Grubbs' attorney, Lisa Bloom, said in an email after Conyers resigned. "Systemic change is urgently needed so no other women have to endure the retaliation, secrecy and delays my client Marion Brown and others experienced."

While Hollywood and media titans accused of sexual misconduct have been swiftly fired in recent weeks, including studio boss Harvey Weinstein and TV news hosts Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose, that has not been the case in Congress, where lawmakers have spoken of due process and clung to the argument that the voters have the final say.

Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold of Texas and Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen of Nevada have all rebuffed calls to step down, though Barton has said he won't seek re-election next year.

Conyers said in a statement read Tuesday on the floor of the House that he was resigning "to preserve my legacy and good name."

He also complained that he was not being afforded due process to defend himself, and cited his health problems as another factor in his decision. He added that he hopes his retirement will be viewed in the "larger perspective" of his more than 50 years as a lawmaker.

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Conyers regularly won elections with more than 80 percent of the vote.

He co-sponsored a 1972 resolution recommending President Richard Nixon's impeachment for his conduct of the Vietnam War and regularly introduced a bill from 1989 onward to study the harm caused by slavery and the possibility of reparations to the descendants of slaves.

After a 15-year struggle, Conyers succeeded in establishing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a federal holiday in 1986. He employed civil rights legend Rosa Parks at his Detroit district office for more than two decades.

Word of Conyers' resignation was met with sadness among House Democrats. The uproar had divided members of his party, especially those in the Congressional Black Caucus. Pelosi, too, had struggled, calling Conyers an "icon" before pressing days later for him to go.

"Congressman Conyers has served in the Congress for more than five decades, and shaped some of the most consequential legislation of the last half century," Pelosi said following his retirement. "But no matter how great the legacy, it is no license to harass or discriminate. The brave women who came forward ... were owed the justice of this announcement."

The furor over Conyers unfolded as the sexual misconduct allegations against Franken and Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore sent members of both parties rushing to choose sides.

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"I think that we lose our moral authority if we also don't call out those we love who have done things that are bad," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. "I think we have to recognize and be able to hold the dueling possibilities that somebody can be a great man and have done great things for our country and for civil rights but also have done terrible things that require accountability."
President Trump talks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One ahead of a trip to Utah on Monday. (Jabin Botsford / Washington Post)

WASHINGTON  The brazen assertion Monday by one of President Donald Trump's lawyers that a president cannot be found guilty of obstruction of justice signaled a controversial defense strategy in the wide-ranging Russia probe, as Trump's political advisers are increasingly concerned about the legal advice he is receiving.

Trump tweeted over the weekend that he knew then-national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador before firing him in February - and before FBI Director James Comey said Trump asked him to be lenient while investigating Flynn. Experts said the president's admission increased his legal exposure to obstruction-of-justice charges, one of the core crimes under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

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But Trump's personal lawyer John Dowd sought to excuse the president's tweet in part by telling Axios and NBC News on Monday that the "president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution's Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case."

Dowd declined to elaborate on his theory or explain the emerging legal strategy to The Washington Post.

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Inside the White House, some senior officials were baffled that Dowd publicly offered this interpretation of the law, which has been advanced since the summer by constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz in defense of Trump but flatly dismissed by many other legal scholars.

Ty Cobb, a White House lawyer overseeing its handling of the Russia investigation, said Monday that the Dershowitz-Dowd theory was not the president's official legal strategy.

"It's interesting as a technical legal issue, but the president's lawyers intend to present a fact-based defense, not a mere legal defense," Cobb said in an interview with The Post. "That should resolve things, but we all shall see."

Asked whether Trump agrees that a president cannot obstruct justice, Cobb replied, "I never talk about what the president's beliefs are or discuss communications between the president and his lawyers."

Many Washington lawyers and legal scholars disputed Dowd's interpretation, citing several court cases and articles of impeachment - as well as, in the words of one expert, "common sense."

"We have a president, not a king," said Sam Berger, senior policy adviser at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. "No one is above the law, whether it be Trump or any of his close associates. It's the sort of desperate claim that makes you wonder, 'What exactly are they hiding?'"

Berger argued that Dowd's reasoning amounts to a "Hail Mary pass" for the president to escape responsibility. "This response, 'If it's the president, it's not a crime,' has never flown with the American people or our legal system in any context," he said. "Claiming that the president can't obstruct justice flies in the face of both common sense and past precedent."

Some legal scholars, however, support Dowd's claim. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor, said Monday on Fox News Channel that Trump was within his rights when he fired Comey.

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"You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate," Dershowitz said. "That's what Thomas Jefferson did, that's what Lincoln did, that's what Roosevelt did. We have precedents that clearly establish that."

Dershowitz was appearing on "Fox & Friends," a pro-Trump morning show that the president regularly watches. After his appearance, Trump tweeted, "A must watch: Legal Scholar Alan Dershowitz was just on @foxandfriends talking of what is going on with respect to the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. political history."

Dershowitz wrote a column in June for The Washington Examiner in which he argued that Trump's efforts to stop the FBI probe could not be considered obstruction because he was constitutionally empowered as president to direct the attorney general and the FBI director and tell them whom to prosecute.

Furthermore, he wrote, "the president has the constitutional authority to stop the investigation of any person by simply pardoning that person."

Within Trump's political orbit, concerns have grown in recent weeks about Trump's legal strategy, crafted by Cobb and Dowd, as well as attorney Jay Sekulow, who at key moments has served as the public face of the defense team.

Cobb and Dowd have urged Trump to cooperate fully with Mueller's investigation, providing documents when asked by the special counsel and encouraging White House staffers to comply with requests for interviews.

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The two men have sought to assure White House advisers that Trump is not vulnerable to obstruction-of-justice charges. "They think everything is clean there," said one senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid.

Cobb and Dowd also have been privately assuring the president that the Mueller probe was likely to reach its conclusion by the end of this year, complete with a public exoneration of Trump of any wrongdoing. That timeline seems overly optimistic to some legal experts, considering Mueller last week charged Flynn with lying to the FBI and secured his cooperation in the investigation.

In Monday's interview, Cobb said he still believes Mueller's investigation of Trump will reach "an appropriate result" by Christmas or early January.

But some Trump advisers and outside allies - including former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon - have been grumbling for weeks that the president's legal strategy is too compliant with Mueller and not combative enough.

One Republican strategist in frequent contact with senior White House officials said there had been "consternation" among Trump's political advisers in recent days.

"The concern is that every time the president feels a little bit of pain from what Mueller's doing, [his lawyers] give him OxyContin and tell him he'll be fine by the morning," this strategist said metaphorically, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. "Rather than being aggressive lawyers defending the president's prerogative, they're bending over backwards on the theory that Mueller is fair and it'll all be over soon."

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These concerns grew over the past 48 hours as Dowd sought to explain the president's tweet about firing Flynn in a succession of media interviews, which had some Trump loyalists grimacing.

Asked to respond to criticisms of the legal team, Cobb said, "There's no question that Bannon is doing the president a great disservice by agitating persistently on this issue. Internally, where people are actually informed, there's no consternation about the decision to cooperate fully with the special counsel, and Mr. Bannon has yet to identify what fights he would pick and how constructive that would be."

Going forward, Cobb said, "I'm not going to litigate every isolated fact that people may testify about or may ask about in the press because that's not fair to the process or to the special counsel or to the witnesses."

The Brookings Institution in October published a 108-page study titled "Presidential Obstruction of Justice: The Case of Donald J. Trump." The authors reviewed the articles of impeachment against presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, and those drafted against judges Harry Claiborne in 1986 and Samuel Kent in 2009. They concluded that "obstruction, conspiracy, and conviction of a federal crime have previously been considered by Congress to be valid reasons to remove a duly elected president from office."

Co-author Norm Eisen, former special assistant for ethics and government reform in the Obama administration and a senior fellow in governance studies at Brookings, said, "There's a long line of cases holding that when a government official exercises an otherwise legal authority with corrupt intent, they can be prosecuted for obstruction. It flows from the notion that no person is above the law."

In 1999, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then a senator from Alabama, argued that Clinton should be removed from office for obstructing justice in the investigation into his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

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"The facts are disturbing and compelling on the president's intent to obstruct justice," Sessions said at the time.

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform in St. Charles, Mo., on Nov. 29, 2017. Trump's rally in Missouri was a set-piece of distortion about taxes and the economy. (Jeff Roberson / AP)

WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump's recent rally in Missouri was a set-piece of distortion about taxes and the economy. He compounded his growing legacy of false tales on Twitter, where he spread a British fringe group's factually twisted propaganda aimed at stirring hate and fear of Muslims.

A look at statements from his rally last week, the anti-Muslim propaganda he retweeted and more:

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Trump describes the tax overhaul as "the biggest tax cut in the history of our country  bigger than Reagan," and says of lawmakers: "For years they have not been able to get tax cuts, many, many years since Reagan." The Senate passed its version of the package Saturday and will work to reconcile that with the version passed by the House.

The facts: Trump is just wrong.

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Not only have there been multiple tax cuts since President Ronald Reagan, but Trump's cuts are nowhere near the largest in U.S. history.

An October analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that it would be the eighth biggest since 1918. As a percentage of the total economy, Reagan's 1981 cut is the biggest followed by the 1945 rollback of taxes that financed World War II. Trump's plan is also lower than cuts in 1948, 1964 and 1921.

Post-Reagan tax cuts also stand among the historically significant: President George W. Bush's sweeping cuts in the early 2000s and President Barack Obama's renewal of them a decade later.

Trump on quarterly economic growth: "By the way, 3 percent  did you ever think you would hear that in less than a year? And now it comes in at 3.3 percent, which is the largest increase in many years."

The facts: Not quite. Obama saw the economy grow by 5.2 percent in the third quarter of 2014, only three years ago. So far, 3.3 percent in the third quarter is the high water mark under Trump. Obama saw growth of 4 percent or better twice prior to 2014, plus growth of 3.9 percent in two other quarters.

Trump on how his own taxes will go up under the package he's supporting: "I think my accountants are going crazy right now. It's all right. Hey, look, I'm president. I don't care. I don't care anymore. I don't care. Some of my wealthy friends care. Me? I don't care. This is a higher calling."

The facts: It's close to preposterous to think his wallet would take a hit. Little can be said with certainty because, for one thing, he's refused to release his personal tax forms, which would provide a baseline for comparison. But nearly all available details about the House and Senate tax bills show that an extremely wealthy elite  such as the president  would get a cushy bonanza of tax cuts largely unavailable to the middle class.

In just one area, the Senate bill would slash the tax paid by companies with profits that double as the owner's personal income. These are known as "pass-through" companies. Trump controls about 500 such entities, according to his lawyers. Instead of paying at a top rate of 39.6 percent, Trump would probably be taxed closer to 30 percent.

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Trump: "We're back to the strong days of our banks and not the days of trouble pre that. We're back to the  where bankers can make loans, and community bankers can make great loans to good people. You saw what happened recently where the certain agency or bureau that was causing so much trouble to lenders, where they could not lend. They just couldn't lend. It was devastating. They were going out of business."

The facts: The point he is trying to make here is that federal financial regulations have choked the ability of banks to lend and devastated the industry. He said as much earlier in the week, more succinctly, but it's not true.

Federally insured commercial banks and savings institutions reported more than 5 percent growth in the third quarter from a year earlier. Of more than 5,700 institutions reporting, more than two-thirds (67 percent) had year-over-year growth in quarterly earnings. The proportion of unprofitable banks fell. Quarterly net earnings also were up in the second quarter.

Over the longer term, the Federal Reserve says 34 firms have added more than $750 billion in capital since 2009. That capital essentially is held in reserves that would help the companies weather a future crisis like the 2008 financial meltdown that prompted steps to overhaul the financial sector. Among those steps was the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which many Republicans complain is overbearing and which became the subject of a power struggle this past week as Trump and Obama-era officials vied for control of it (Trump won).

As for smaller community banks, outgoing Fed chief Janet Yellen said this past week that they have indeed shrunk in recent times and federal regulation can be a weight on them. But she said their overarching problem is trying to make a profit in a low-interest-rate economy. Most small businesses are not reporting difficulty accessing credit, she said, though it can be a struggle for the smallest of the small.

Trump on attempts to repeal and replace Obama's health care law: "You know, some people said, 'Oh, you failed with health care.' I said, 'What do you mean we failed? We didn't fail.'"

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The facts: They failed, twice. Each time Republicans could not summon the votes in their own ranks to get rid of "Obamacare." That's when Trump and the GOP in Congress turned to a tax overhaul instead. They are almost certain to try again on health care.

Trump on his recent Asia trip: "That trip was a tremendous success. You know, we brought back $250 billion in contracts; that's going to be over $1 trillion very soon. That's a good  that's a good week and a half's work."

The facts: For the most part, the business he's talking about did not come together during his trip or because of him. Various threads of existing or extended commerce were pulled together to resemble a notable achievement. That's not unusual when world leaders meet. They like to have something to show for the effort, so largely symbolic advances are trotted out.

Papers signed in China during Trump's visit, for example, were largely a packaging of previously worked-out deals, tentative investments, statements of intent and extensions of business with existing Chinese customers, with some new orders. They did not reflect a solution to underlying U.S. grievances about Chinese trading practices.

Tweet with anti-Muslim video: "VIDEO: Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!"

The facts: The tweet by Jayda Fransen of the anti-Muslim group Britain First is false. Trump retweeted it anyway.

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The video shows one young man in the Netherlands punching and kicking a young man on crutches. The attacker was a Dutch citizen, not a migrant.

The Dutch Embassy responded to Trump's dissemination of the video with a tweet directed to him: "Facts do matter. The perpetrator of the violent act in this video was born and raised in the Netherlands. He received and completed his sentence under Dutch law."

Tweet with anti-Muslim video: "Muslim Destroys a Statue of Virgin Mary!"

The facts: The circumstances of the video are not verified, but the images ring true. It's well known that Islamic extremists target people and objects of other faiths  Christians, Jews, Muslims of other sects and movements  as well as indiscriminate populations. Also well known: Anti-Muslim extremists in the U.S. and other countries of the West have torched mosques.

The video shows a man, said to be a supporter of Syria's al-Qaida affiliate then known as the Nusra Front, smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary that is half his size. The Middle East Media Research Institute identified the man as Sheikk Omar Raghba. In the video, he declares that "idols" will no longer be worshipped in the Levant before he smashes the statue in a northwestern Syrian village. The video appeared online in 2013.

Tweet with anti-Muslim video: "Islamist mob pushes a teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!"

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THE FACTS: The circumstances of a violent act on a rooftop in Egypt are unclear in the blurry and shaky video. It shows someone falling from the roof of an apparent elevator shaft during a struggle, then at least one man punching the victim. Perpetrators of the roof violence were sentenced to death for killing a boy and a man.

The video was filmed days after the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi by Egypt's military. In the video, a supporter of Morsi is seen roaming the roof of a building in the coastal city of Alexandria, raising a black flag often used by militants. Little else is obvious from the video except that a confrontation was unfolding.

The wider context of those killings was ignored  the fact that both sides had blood on their hands. It was a time of violent protests by pro-Morsi protesters and a violent military crackdown. More than 1,000 people died in the military's dispersal of Islamic protests.

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TRUMP, asking in a tweet Wednesday whether MSNBC host Joe Scarborough will be fired "based on the 'unsolved mystery' that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate!"

THE FACTS: Authorities decided years ago there's no mystery to investigate, despite Trump's insinuation of wrongdoing by Scarborough when he was a congressman in Florida. Lori Klausutis, who worked in Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach congressional office, was found dead in the office in July 2001. An autopsy revealed that Klausutis had an undiagnosed heart condition and a coroner concluded she passed out and hit her head as she fell. The coroner said the head injury caused the death and no one struck her.

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Associated Press writers Christopher S. Rugaber in Washington and Ian Mader in Miami contributed to this report.

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The Washington Post reports:

"After six months of work, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has indicted two advisers to President Donald Trump and accepted guilty pleas from two others in exchange for their cooperation with his probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election  a sign of mounting legal peril for the White House.

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"With the guilty plea Friday by former national security adviser Michael Flynn  one of Trump's closest and most valued aides  the investigation has swept up an array of figures with intimate knowledge of the campaign, the transition and the White House.

"It appears to have swiftly expanded beyond Russia's interference in the campaign to encompass a range of activities, including aides contacts with Russian officials during the transition and alleged money laundering that took place long before Trump ran for office."

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The list of questions is much longer than the list of known facts. We're going to be looking for answers to these questions in the weeks ahead:

 Why did Flynn feel compelled to lie about transition contacts with Russia?

 Why did Jared Kushner allegedly instruct Flynn to reach out during the transition?

 What was the Trump team going to get in exchange for lifting sanctions against Russia?

 If Kushner directed Flynn to contact Russian officials, was he then looking to cover that up when he urged the president to fire then-FBI director James Comey?

 Why was Trump so upset about the Russia investigation? If Flynn's contacts were authorized and legal, why did Trump allow him to lie to the vice president about them?

 What did Vice President Mike Pence know about the Russia contacts during the campaign and the transition?

 Did Kushner derive any financial benefit from contacts with Russians? Why did he meet with a Russian bank during the transition?

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 Did Kushner intentionally omit Russia contacts on his disclosure forms? If he's been denied a permanent national security clearance, why?

 What's in Trump's tax returns?

 Is it merely coincidental that Attorney General Jeff Sessions also had such a hard time recalling repeated contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians?

 Was Sessions aware of the Russia contacts during the transition?

 During the presidential campaign, Kushner, Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and Donald Trump Jr. all met with Russians. What was discussed, and why did Trump allegedly help draft an inaccurate account of that meeting after the fact? Did he know about that meeting at the time?

 What connection, if any, exists between Russian officials and the Trump campaign data operation conducted by Cambridge Analytica and overseen by Kushner?

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 Did Trump ever promise Flynn he would pardon him or stop the prosecution? Did he tell Flynn he'd fire Comey?

 Why did Trump lie about having no financial deals or connections to Russia?

 How did so many Russia-connected advisers all wind up on the Trump campaign?

 Did Kushner or Trump know about Manafort's Russia connections when they hired him?

 What parts of the Trump dossier have been verified? Can Flynn corroborate any portions of it?

 Which officials or former officials wore a wire at the behest of prosecutors, and did they record any conversations with the president?

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 Will Trump attempt to pardon Kushner if he is indicted?

 Will Trump now attempt to pardon any other officials?

 If Trump starts handing out pardons, will Republicans move on impeachment hearings?

 Will Republicans stand by Trump no matter how damning the information Mueller uncovers?

The iceberg analogy is a good one in cases like this. We see just the public filings and statements from the prosecutors and those who have pleaded guilty, but we do not know what information was traded in exchange for those pleas, what documentary evidence exists and which other officials, if any, are cooperating with Mueller.

As bloggers on Lawfare point out, "If Mueller were prepared to settle the Flynn matter on the basis of single-count plea to a violation of 18 U.S.C.  1001 (Code of Laws of the United States of America), he was almost certainly prepared to charge a great deal more. Moreover, we can infer from the fact that Flynn accepted the plea deal that he and his counsel were concerned about the degree of jeopardy, both for Flynn and for his son, related to other charges. The deal, in other words, reflects the strength of Mueller's hand against Flynn." We're going to find out whether that hand is strong enough to bring down the president.

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The Washington Post

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Washington Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.

Twitter @JRubinBlogger
Nuclear holocaust is the least likely outcome of North Korea's latest leap forward in offensive capabilities. And if it were to occur, it would probably be the result of shoot-from-the-lip bluster from President Donald Trump rather than a calculated U.S. or North Korean strategy. Our biggest worry isn't the future toll of a dubious war, but the toll bad leadership is already taking on our standing in the world.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in indirectly captured this point when, in response to a recent successful test of a long-range missile by North Korea, he said, We must stop a situation where North Korea miscalculates and threatens us with nuclear weapons or where the United States considers a pre-emptive strike. Precisely at the moment South Korea would be expected to be most dependent on, and solicitous of, the United States, its president is instead considering how to counter an American move. That speaks volumes, as does Trump's primary response to the launch: seeking the intervention of the Chinese in putting pressure on Pyongyang.

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As great as the risk of nuclear war seems, common sense and self-interest are likely to prevail because that is what most often happens in international affairs. But it is shocking to realize that we are looking not to Washington but other actors in the drama  including the North Koreans and China  to be the source of reason in this crisis.

To understand what will happen next, we need to consider the comparatively rational reasons behind the North Koreans' nuclear program. It is not about global aggression. Kim Jong Un and his generals know that using such weapons would result in the end of North Korea. Rather, their drive to join the nuclear club is designed to make an outside attack on the country, or a foreign effort to depose the Kim regime, less likely. Perversely, for North Korea, gaining weapons of mass destruction is an existential choice.

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Kim recognizes that no nation, not even one breathing fire and fury, has the power to take his weapons away. Military force is not a realistic option. There are no scenarios for an attack on North Korea that do not produce horrific casualties in the South. And now, with the possible destruction of one or more U.S. cities on the table, it is even more certain we wouldn't undertake the risk.

Economic pressure also won't work  the North Korean state has shown complete indifference to its people's suffering. Besides, China, North Korea's main trading partner, has no interest in pushing its neighbor into complete collapse. It would trigger unrest on its border and weaken a useful ally.

Realistically, there are three possible outcomes to the Pyongyang-Washington duel. One is accidental war, the consequences of which would be so grave that it must be avoided at all costs. Another is that the North Koreans will continue to grow their nuclear weapons program indefinitely. Or, if the regime can be persuaded to freeze the program, the threat can be contained and, as we did with the Soviets, we can patiently seek collapse of the system from within.

Containment and patience is where this will end. It's what China and Russia will lobby for; not, as Trump thinks, because they want to help us, but because they believe we will give up power to make it happen. China, although central to a deal, is not our partner; its interests diverge from ours. Along with the North Koreans, the Chinese have the most leverage in this situation, and they will likely get the best of the negotiations unless the U.S. is very skillful.

That. of course, would require a functioning, well-staffed State Department. But we don't have one of those. Its ranks have been decimated by the Trump administration. In the end, even if the flawed temperament and deficient skills of America's president do not get us all killed, the actions of his administration will lead to the long-term weakening of the U.S. position in Asia and beyond. Already, our allies trust us less.

We may one day look back on 2017 and note not just the nightmarish fears sparked by the words of an unhinged American president, but a disruption in world order, the first big international crises since 1945 in which the United States was no longer the most influential actor.

Tribune Content Agency

David Rothkopf is a senior fellow at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His latest book is The Great Questions of Tomorrow.
Dear Editor,

Thanks for William Lee's Dec. 1 article on mayors coming to Chicago from all over the country. Since the White House has irresponsibly abdicated responsibility for controlling pollutants that contribute to climate change, cities are stepping up. These mayors understand we wont mitigate the worst consequences of climate change until we get significant reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The most effective way to control GHGs is to make fossil fuels more expensive than non-carbon alternatives. The most effective solution is putting a gradually increasing fee on fossil fuels relative to their carbon emissions and returning that fee to every household in the form of a dividend. This will increase the artificially low cost of fossil fuels and eventually make clean energy a less expensive alternative. Such a program would also unleash a torrent of investment that would drive job growth. Now its time for Congress to join the mayors call to action by implementing a carbon fee and dividend program.

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 Andrew Panelli, Homer Glen
In response to Diane Rados article on Bowen High School: I grew up on the South Side and attended public schools, and am, of course, saddened by the the educational situation that exists currently. However, I believe it is unfair seemingly to attribute the lions share of the blame to the Chicago Public Schools system, when in fact the majority of the youth who attend the citys high schools have been disadvantaged from their earliest age and, without early intervention, have little chance of recovery.

I have been part of a volunteer tutoring program in North Chicago which seeks to develop the reading skills of kindergarten through third-grade students in an environment not too dissimilar from Chicagos South Side. The impact of one-on-one tutoring of these disadvantaged kids at this early age for half an hour each school day is simply remarkable, in terms of the rate of improvement in their reading scores year to year, and the sense of pride in each of them that evolves from their participation in the program.

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Perhaps some of our educational dollars could be spent on a full-out effort to attract (and compensate as appropriate) hundreds of volunteers, local or otherwise, to tutor the neediest of these public school students during these formative years to give them a real chance when they reach their high school years and beyond.

 Bob Karlblom, Lake Forest
To the editor: I am disappointed with our representatives. I know each side has different fiscal policy ideas. But regular order should keep those different ideas in balance. There was nothing regular about this tax bill process. It was irresponsible to hold a vote on an almost 500-page bill with handwritten notes in the margin that few saw until hours before the vote.

Both sides agree that tax reform is a good thing. So take it back to the drawing board and come up with a deficit-neutral plan that actually delivers something to middle-class Americans. Does anyone really think they are going to get a raise because of the corporate tax cuts? How many times has trickle-down been tried, and failed? (Look at Kansas, most recently.) Hold some town halls. Discuss it on the floor. Wait for the Congressional Budget Office score. Provide it in a searchable PDF format.

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I might not agree with the president on much, but his America First slogan should really apply here. Our representatives need to do their job and put us first. Take their hands out of their donors pockets, grab some pencils, and write something that will benefit hardworking Americans. The GOP should be ashamed of itself. Isnt it ironic that Republicans accuse the Democrats of being fiscally irresponsible?

 Allison Longenbaugh, Naperville

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Tax scam

To the editor: In 2010, the Republicans in Congress lambasted Democrats for rushing the Affordable Care Act into law, claiming it was written behind closed doors and voted on without giving anyone time to read it first. The claim itself was dubious, but the argument that one party ramming such life-altering legislation through without due deliberation is a bad idea should be one everyone can agree on.

Apparently not, though, since that is exactly how the Republicans managed to push this latest tax reform package through the Senate. There was no debate. It was written in secret by K Street lobbyists. There were illegible amendments handwritten in the margins. It was voted on within hours of being delivered to senators offices.

If its such a great piece of legislation, why did it need to be rushed through? Why did it need to be written in secret and voted on without anyone being allowed to read it first?

We already have a law that requires government agencies to publish their proposed rule changes and allow a period of at least 30 days for public comments before such rules take effect. Perhaps we need a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to do the same  no votes allowed to take place until a finalized bill has been made public for at least 14 days.

 John Houck, Lake in the Hills

Wait and see

To the editor: U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam gave an interview on WGN this week in which he compared the GOPs tax bill to taking out a mortgage to buy a house. Deficits are good, he reasoned, if they serve a longer-term good.

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Of course, Roskams rhetoric falls apart when you consider how the bill treats education. Here, suddenly, deficits matter quite a lot  enough that the bill Roskam pushed taxes graduate tuition waivers and eliminates student loan interest deductions. This may as much as triple the tax burden for graduate students subsisting on stipends that put them close to the poverty line, and stands to shatter Americas research and education ecosystem. Its a marvelous coincidence that the only investment Roskam appears to believe in happens coincide with the incredibly wealthy interests that can fund his re-election campaign in 2018.

Roskam is betting the farm on the idea that his constituents are too busy, or too dim, to fact-check his claims about the tax bill, as with his previous votes on the American Health Care Act. Someday he may want to hold a town hall open to the public so he can find out whether hes made a smart bet or not. Otherwise, he may have to wait until November to find out.

 Patrick King, Winfield
Republican voters in the Arlington Heights area will have a few contested primary races to decide in March, including a crowded Republican primary for Illinois 9th Congressional District. ( Alexander F. Yuan/Associated Press )

In what's shaping up to be a hotly contested race during the 2018 election, four Republican candidates, including a pastor from Arlington Heights, are competing against each other for the chance to try and unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat.

The four Republican candidates who have filed for the March 2018 primary in Illinois' 9th Congressional District include Lt. Col. Sargis Sangari, a retired U.S. Army veteran from Skokie; Rev. John Elleson, a pastor from Arlington Heights; Glencoe resident Maxwell Rice; and Evanston resident D. Vincent Thomas, Jr., a U.S. Coast Guard veteran with a doctorate in public policy and administration.

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The winner who emerges from the crowded Republican field in March will challenge Schakowsky, a longtime Democrat from Evanston, during the general election later in 2018.

Elleson did not return requests for comment. Candidates interested in running for congressional, state and local county races had until the end of business Monday to file their nomination petitions and have their name appear on the March 2018 primary ballot.

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Elsewhere in the Arlington Heights area, incumbent U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg, was the sole Democrat to file for the 2018 March primary in Illinois' 8th Congressional District.

But he is set to face a general election challenge from either Jitendra Diganvker or Vandana Jhingan  two Schaumburg residents who have filed for the Republican primary, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Likewise, incumbent U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Deerfield, was the only Democrat to file for the primary in Illinois' 10th Congressional District, which covers many northern suburbs, including Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect and Wheeling.

But three Republican candidates will compete against each other for the chance to challenge Schneider in the general election, including Deerfield resident Douglas R. Bennett, Highland Park resident Jeremy Wynes and Libertyville resident Sapan Shah.

In the crowded Republican primary race for Schakowsky's seat, Sangari, 48, emerged as the first candidate to file his petition last week. He said he was surprised by the "flood of candidates" who have since entered the Republican race for Illinois' 9th Congressional District.

"The Republicans didn't want to support anyone running against an entrenched candidate like Schakowsky because I think they believe it would be a wasted effort," said Sangari, who added he emigrated from Iran with his family during the Iranian Revolution when he was 10 years old. "But my argument is the citizens in Illinois' 9th District have a right to vote for someone other than the same old candidates  whether they are Democrats or Republicans."

After graduating from De Paul University in 1994 with a degree in political science, Sangari said he completed several military tours during two decades, including serving in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia in Operation Joint Endeavor.

While serving in Iraq, Sangari said, he was tasked with recruiting language speakers in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

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A married father with four children, Sangari is currently a certified anti-terrorism expert and CEO of the Near East Center for Strategic Engagement, he said.

Citing his top three priories as the economy, immigration and health care, Sangari said, he hopes his campaign will encourage other political newcomers to get involved in public service.

"My platform is I'm a reflection of the American Dream, and as immigrants, we can have a voice and show our power, strength and capabilities," Sangari said. "I'm hoping that others in the immigrant community will say to themselves, 'You know what? I want to run for office, too.'"

After spending his childhood in Washington and his teen years on Chicago's South Side, Republican candidate D. Vincent Thomas, Jr., 35, of Evanston, said he thinks he is qualified enough to vie for Schakowsky's seat, having gained experience as a reserve member of the U.S. Coast Guard and working as a Chicago-area political science professor with a doctorate in public policy.

"I'm in this race to win, but win or lose, I've always firmly believed that any major action that takes place needs a person who is qualified to deal with it," Thomas said.

As the youngest of the four Republican candidates competing in the Republican primary in the 9th Congressional District, 26-year-old Glencoe resident Maxwell Rice said his days as a political prankster now are behind him after he faked out a Fox News anchor during a live interview while in college.

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"I was doing fake news before it was cool," said Rice, who served as president of the New Trier High School class of 2010 and now works in marketing for a Northbrook-based energy company.

Rice said he was accompanied by his grandmother when he filed his petitions in Springfield

"The first person I ever voted for was Rick Perry when I was going to school in Texas, and my hero is Abraham Lincoln," he said. "My family absolutely supports me on this, and I feel so blessed, as most parents would tell their kids, 'Don't do this.'"

kcullotta@tribpub.com

Twitter @kcullotta
Four incumbents who cover the Barrington area in the Illinois General Assembly are set to face challengers in the 2018 general election but not the primary election, which happens in March. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Four statehouse incumbents who cover the Barrington area will be running unopposed in the upcoming March primary election but are set to face challengers from opposing political parties in the 2018 general election.

According to candidate filings with the Illinois State Board of Elections, two Democratic candidates are looking to compete against one another in March for the chance to challenge state Sen. Tom Rooney, R-Rolling Meadows, while two Republican candidates filed primary petitions for the chance to unseat state Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, in the general election.

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Although set to run unopposed in the primary election, state Sen. Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods, and state Rep. Tom Morrison, R-Palatine, each would face a Democratic challenger in the general election later in 2018 after Mundelein resident Tom Georges was the only other candidate to file a petition in McConchie's district and Rolling Meadows resident Maggie Trevor did the same in Morrison's district.

Morrison, whose district covers portions of southern Barrington, Inverness, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Arlington Heights, did not face a challenger when he ran for the Illinois General Assembly in 2016.

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"I know the majority of people who live in the district have continued to chose me to represent them down in Springfield," Morrison said of his re-election bid.

Monday represented the last day interested candidates in congressional, state and county races could file petitions to appear on the March 2018 primary ballot in Illinois.

A native of Rolling Meadows, who moved back to the village in 2015, Trevor said she would push for equitable tax reform, health care changes and equal education opportunities, if she beats Morrison in the general election.

Trevor was the only Democratic candidate to file for the primary election in Morrison's district, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

"(Morrison) is a politician who is out of touch with the needs and values of his constituents," Trevor said of her candidacy.

Some Barrington area voters also will have primary races to decide later this spring.

Arlington Heights resident Ann Gillespie and Mount Prospect resident Joe Sonnefeldt are set to square off in the Democratic primary for the chance to face Republican incumbent Tom Rooney, a state senator whose district covers southern Barrington and portions of Arlington Heights, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights.

Rooney said he wanted to run for a new term to try and change the divisive political climate in Springfield after initially being appointed to the position.

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"A big part of me says, 'I want to be there now to change the atmosphere,'" he said.

Likewise, incumbent Rep. Anna Moeller, a Democrat whose district covers the western fringe of Barrington, also will face a challenge in the general election.

"We need representatives in Springfield who share our beliefs, and who will put our priorities first," Moeller said. "I will continue to work on reducing the burden of local property taxes, ending wasteful spending, protecting seniors and the most vulnerable in our communities, closing the pay gap for women, and encouraging new economic development opportunities to support employers and create jobs."

Elgin residents Andrew R. Cuming and Rich Evans both are competing in the Republican primary for the chance to unseat Moeller later in 2018, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Similar to Morrison's race, state Sen. Dan McConchie, a Republican whose district covers most of Barrington, Cary, Lake Zurich and Libertyville, also knows who his challenger will be in the general election after Mundelein resident Tom Georges was the only Democrat to file primary petitions in the district.

Aside from those four races, incumbent state Reps. Dave McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, and Nick Sauer, R-Lake Barrington, are set to run unopposed in both the primary and general elections in 2018.

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McSweeney's district covers the western portion of Barringon and most of Cary, while Sauer's district covers the eastern portion of Barrington and large swaths of Lake Zurich and Libertyville.

tshields@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @tshields19
When Emily Bondarenko first played through her piano part in her high school chamber orchestra's newest piece, the jagged melody and chaotic measures did not seem to go together at all.

"It made no sense whatsoever," said Bondarenko, a junior at Buffalo Grove High School who landed the coveted seat in the orchestra after a decade of piano lessons and persistent practice. "It sounded like the ugliest piece in the world."

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But a few days later, when Bondarenko joined the full chamber orchestra for its first rehearsal of the piece called "Solaces," the seemingly disconnected parts masterfully blended into a moving, turbulent composition. The piece came together just as it was intended by its composer, who wrote it to help the school's students and staff memorialize and mourn three teachers they had lost.

Last school year, the northwest suburban high school of more than 1,900 students and 240 staff took a lot of life's punches. Two much-loved teachers died after long battles with cancer  palpable losses for students and faculty, who had held fundraisers, worn supportive bracelets and organized a charity run in honor of the ailing instructors. Then a third teacher collapsed in her classroom just after the final school bell. She died of a heart condition and was discovered by a janitor hours later.

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Staff and students tried their best to carry on while addressing the grief in the locker-lined hallways. Counselors offered presentations on getting through loss. People stuck hundreds of pink Post-it notes carrying inspiring messages and favorite memories on the walls of the math hallway in honor of Christine M. Lindbloom, 39, the math teacher who died of breast cancer. They raised nearly $20,000 for the Stacey Baylen Family Scholarship Fund, named for the special education teacher who died of colorectal cancer at the age of 42, leaving behind a husband and two sons. And they grieved the unexpected death of Stephanie Ramos, 39, an English as a second language and world languages teacher.

Yet the sense of loss still hung in the air for the Buffalo Grove High School community.

"It was a rough year. It was a year that none of us would've wanted going into it or expected," said Jeff Wardle, the school's principal. "We really joined in clasped hands and arms together as a group."

So orchestra director Elizabeth Bennett created a spreadsheet and invited students and staff to add examples of music that helped them during times of grief. When the suggestions  from "The Beatitudes" by Arvo Part to "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey  came in steadily, Bennett was reminded of the healing power carried in music. It was demonstrated again when students proposed and organized a concert at the end of last school year in which they sang and performed songs designed to cheer their teachers.

Bennett took the notion one step further by commissioning a piece to be composed in honor of the high school. After an anonymous donor stepped up to pay the $1,500 to $2,000 fee, Bennett hired Russell Scarbrough, a New York-based composer and arranger, to meet the school's very specific requests:

She wanted a piece that would convey both the sorrow and grief that the high school community had experienced, but one that also offered hope and gratitude for getting through the tough times together.

The Buffalo Grove High School chamber orchestra prepares to perform a piece composed specifically to help the school memorialize and mourn teachers who died. (Vikki Ortiz Healy / Chicago Tribune) (Vikki Ortiz Healy)

And she also wanted the piece written in the keys of B, G, H and S  Buffalo Grove High School's initials. It was no small feat, considering the pitches B, G, H (B natural) and S (E-flat)  the latter two used in German notation but not commonly in Western music  don't naturally sound great together.

"It wasn't meant to be easy, because nothing that we went through was easy," said Bennett. "It has to be about bonding and being thankful for every day we have here."

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Six months later, the composer emailed over the piece inspired by a letter written by poet Emily Dickinson, in which she offered a friend "blossoms and books"  "a modest collection of ordinary things to ease the healing." Likewise, "Solaces"  the song written by Scarbrough  was composed as a collection of contrasting episodes "meant to touch a range of emotions, from trauma to supplication, to joy, to peace," the composer said in notes about the composition prepared for the Tribune.

In Buffalo Grove, "Solaces" touched off more artistic expression. An English teacher at the high school, upon hearing the piece, wrote a poem called "Reaching for the Light." A guest conductor, in preparing to help the chamber orchestra to learn the piece, was inspired to paint a watercolor depicting children playing along a shoreline lit in part by three shooting stars  representing the teachers who died.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 5 Elizabeth Bennett directs students on Nov. 20, 2017, as they are rehearsing a song composed just to help them and other students heal after the deaths of three teachers last year at Buffalo Grove High School. (Kamil Krzaczynski / Chicago Tribune)

Both the poem and the artwork will be included in the chamber orchestra's program when it plays the piece for the public at a high school performance at 4 p.m. Jan. 21.

The 18 students in the chamber orchestra began rehearsing the piece together this month. Sophomore violinist Kelly Duong said she was amazed by the emotion she felt when all the parts were played together.

"The beginning is more the grief part, but towards the middle, where it is more legato, there's hope and the calmness afterward," she said.

Daniel Suh, a senior cellist in the orchestra, said he is looking forward to the comfort the piece can offer the wider community.

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"It shows a little, tiny bit of support could just go a long way," he said. "I think it's going to be very meaningful."

vortiz@chicagotribune.com






Nova Maday, 18, a transgender senior at Palatine High School who is suing District 211 for locker room access, discusses her experiences in school Sunday Dec. 3, 2017, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) (Armando L. Sanchez)

Earlier in life, Nova Maday was too nervous to come out as transgender at school, fearing teachers and fellow students would never accept her.

The 18-year-old chooses her words carefully as she discusses her decision to sue for locker room access at her suburban high school district, which is already embroiled in a historic battle over transgender rights that set national precedence a few years ago.

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A lot of people hear this trans student or this trans person, and a lot of the time its very non-human, she said, her hazel eyes introspective behind glasses, framed by her long rainbow-colored hair. I wanted to put my face out there, not for myself, but to also show people I am a real person. Im just like you. And anyone who is trans is not alone.

Maday filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court last week, claiming that Township High School District 211 in Palatine has in the past denied her use of the girls locker room during physical education class and more recently restricted her to an unspecified private changing area within the locker room, where no one else is required to dress.

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Officials at District 211  the largest high school district in the state  say these allegations misrepresent the accommodations extended to Maday and other transgender students.

District 211 has provided caring and responsive supports for transgender students who daily use bathrooms and locker rooms of their gender identity in multiple schools, district Superintendent Daniel Cates said in a written statement on Friday. Every transgender student in District 211 who has requested use of the locker room of their identified gender has been offered such access, along with other supports within an individual support plan.

Yet Madays legal fight follows a similar case that made headlines across the country, dividing the greater Palatine community while mirroring a larger battle over transgender rights nationwide. Another transgender student also seeking access to the girls locker room had filed a complaint against District 211 with federal authorities in 2013, marking the first time a school district was found to have violated Title IX based on gender identity.

The teen in this landmark case was identified publicly only as Student A.

Administrators agreed to let Student A use the girls locker room and also installed privacy walls, but then a group of parents sued the district and federal government for violating the right to privacy of and creating a hostile environment for other students. That lawsuit is ongoing.

While Maday is concerned about facing similar backlash, the Palatine High School senior said its important that her identity be made public as she continues the fight for equal access.

It was a difficult decision, but I think the right decision. For a long time, I was scared to put myself out there, she said. As scary as it can be, the world is changing. Its becoming a more accepting place.

Be who you want to be

The teen was sitting up in bed one night a few weeks into her freshman year when she decided it was time to come out.

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Information about me, she wrote in an email addressed to all of her teachers. First, Im transgender. In case you are not fully sure what I mean by that, I do not identify as male, like I was assigned at birth. Instead I identify as female  I would like to state that my chosen name is Nova, and I would ask that you call me by this in class 

She clicked send at 10 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2014. Eight minutes later, she got her first reply.

She recalls that she read it and wept.

Nova, it takes a lot of courage to be open with this, one of her teachers wrote, and life is too short to not be who you want to be.

Until then, she had only shared her gender identity with family and a few close friends because she was scared of how others would react.

Maday attended private schools before her family moved to northwest suburban Palatine about four years ago. Before high school, she said other kids mocked her for seeming feminine, calling her anti-gay slurs in person and online. She avoided using public restrooms. Feeling rejected by her classmates as well as her own body, Maday said she had fleeting thoughts of suicide and seriously contemplated running away.

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Things changed after coming out at Palatine High. When she raised her hand in class the next day, she said she was called Nova and referred to as she and her by teachers, and her peers followed their lead. Her grades in most classes improved, she said, and she was overall happier.

But she was told by faculty that she could not use the girls locker room, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and a Chicago law firm. She began using the nurses office to change, but her anxiety, depression and gender dysphoria heightened because of the requirement that she dress separately from other girls, the lawsuit said.

Maday said that the separate changing area singled her out from other students and often made her late to class, affecting her grade.

It felt humiliating, she said. It really felt like they were making me stand out and pushing me off to the side, in a literal sense.

In early 2016, Maday began using a separate locker room, which had to be unlocked by a faculty member. One day Maday arrived to find that her locker, which contained her gym clothing, had been removed without notice due to renovation, according to the lawsuit. School officials at first couldnt locate the locker but it was later found on the schools loading dock, the lawsuit said.

Maday recalled being in tears as she finally retrieved her belongings, missing much of class.

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Then she went back to changing in the nurses office, according to the lawsuit, but then she would miss notes posted inside the girls locker room listing the location of the days class.

Isolating and singling out Nova from the other girls by forcing her to dress separately for P.E. and requiring her to at times wander the halls looking for where her class was being held were extremely upsetting experiences for Nova, the lawsuit said.

While she has in the past agreed to take a physical education waiver, Maday said she wants to take gym class along with everyone else.

Being an equal member of the community, being treated just like every other girl in school, she said.

Like a rebirth

Madays favorite classes are art and science, particularly a current astronomy course. She chose the name Nova out of that love for space, based on the concept of a supernova, when a star dies and collapses in on itself and explodes, she said. It sounds sad, but it becomes something large and interesting and beautiful. Sort of like a rebirth.

Maday said she became hopeful when news broke about resolution to the Student A case.

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I realized that I was not alone in this, Maday said. I was hopeful that maybe now I will actually get access to the locker rooms. Of course, that didnt happen.

A school official told her mother the settlement only applied to Student A and would not extend to any other student in the district, according to the lawsuit.

Then in 2016 Maday was again encouraged by a ground-breaking directive from then-President Barack Obamas administration that schools must accommodate transgender students, including allowing access to locker rooms and other facilities based on gender identity. But in February, the Trump administration rolled back those protections, arguing that decisions on access should be made locally.

Madays lawsuit contends the district has treated her differently than other female students, in violation of the Illinois Human Rights Act. It asks the court to order District 211 to grant all students the right to use facilities matching their gender identity, as well as damages, including for emotional distress.

The group D211 Parents for Privacy, which is suing the district and federal government in federal court, has opposed locker room access based on gender identity.

We support providing accommodations to students who request one, but the locker room of the opposite sex is not a reasonable accommodation, nor is it compassionate to their fellow classmates to demand this, said group spokeswoman Vicki Wilson.

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Despite this kind of opposition locally and across the country, Maday said she believes that transgender access to locker rooms and other facilities are actually a nonissue for most students at her school.

I know theres people in the community who have differing opinions, but I dont view it as a personal attack against me if they were to lash out, she said. Its not a personal attack against me so much as it is the idea of who I am. And I know that all they need is a level of human understanding to it.

eleventis@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @angie_leventis

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[ Lawsuit: 2nd transgender student fights for locker room access at Palatine district ]

[ Lawsuit filed after transgender student gets locker room access in Palatine ]
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All votes in the CO-3 election won't be counted until the end of this week
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China might have been under the imperial rule of Chinese emperors much earlier than archeologists previously thought, according to the recent excavation of a group of 3,000-year-old tombs.

Experts from China's top archeological research institutions, including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University and Nanjing University, have gathered in Ningxia's Pengyang County to join the excavation of the Yaoheyuan Ruins, where an area of 620,000 square meters has been excavated.

Ma Qiang, who leads the archeological team, told Xinhua on Monday that all of the tombs had been looted prior to the start of the official excavation earlier this year.

However, the team has found the main tomb of a Marquis-level ruler 13 meters underground. Although no bronze burial vessels with inscriptions identifying the owner of the tomb have been located, they have found two jade mantis.

A similar jade mantis was unearthed from China's World Heritage listed Yinxu archeological site near Anyang in central China's Henan Province, which was an ancient capital city in the late Shang Dynasty (1300 B.C. to 1046 B.C.)

"The jade item provides strong evidence of the tomb owner's relationship with the imperial governments during the period from the late Shang to the middle of Western Zhou (1046 B.C. - 771 B.C.) dynasties," said Zhang Tian'en from the Shaanxi Provincial Archeological Research Institute.

Liu Xu, a professor at Peking University, said the discovery of the ruins suggests that Ningxia was part of the imperial empire from the late Shang Dynasty, about 1,000 years earlier than previously believed.

The team has only excavated one quarter of the area, and Liu said it should contain another 40 neighboring tombs.

Experts believe the area was a Marquis fief in the northern frontier of the dynasties.

Two horse burial pits and a chariot burial pit were excavated near the Marquis tomb. The large horse pit bears remains of 12 horses. There were four carriages found in the chariot pit. Archeologists expect to find more remains of horses under the chariot pit.

As well as the tombs, the team has also discovered ruins of a bronze casting workshop, moats and water drainage and road networks at the site.




Although still about a month away from the onset of the coldest spell in Beijing's winter, late November mornings are fairly chilly. Yet the prospect of low temperatures did not dampen Diana Olenja's enthusiasm and excitement about visiting Beijing.





Shortly after daybreak on November 27, she arrived at the Diaoyutai State Guest House. As the Kenya Literature Bureau's public relations manager, she came to sign an agreement on co-publishing Xi Jinping: The Governance of China (Volume II).





"We are going to translate the book into Kiswahili and publish it in Kenya," she told Beijing Review. Kiswahili is one of the most widely used languages in Africa, spoken by more than 50 million people in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.





On that day, Foreign Languages Press, a publishing house under the China International Publishing Group (CIPG), signed agreements on co-publishing the book with 16 publishing organizations from 16 countries: Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Albania, Romania, Kenya, Tajikistan, Viet Nam, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.





All the publishers are influential and well-known in their home countries, and all took part in translating and publishing the first volume of the book, said Zhang Fuhai, President of CIPG.





The first volume, published in September 2014, is now available in 24 languages and 27 editions and has sold more than 6.6 million copies worldwide.





"CIPG is ready to work closely with our overseas partners in introducing this great work to the world," Zhang said at the agreement-signing ceremony.





A seminal book





The book, published in Chinese and English on November 7, is hailed as an authoritative work on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Thought was established as a new component of the guide for action of the Communist Party of China (CPC)at the 19th CPC National Congress, which concluded in Beijing in late October.





The book collects 99 of Xi's spoken and written works from August 2014 to September of this year, arranged into 17 sections by topic.





"It is a vivid account of the great endeavor of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core in leading the Party and the Chinese people to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics," Zhang said.





"It also provides an insight into Xi's charisma and personality, opening a new window for Chinese and foreign readers to better understand Xi's beliefs and the Party," he added.





"Within the book, you can see the historical development of Xi's ideas," Robert Lawrence Kuhn, a U.S. expert on China studies and Chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, told Xinhua News Agency. "You can see it inducing itself as these ideas come together, building up to what has been crystallized as Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era."





The publication of the book "is a major event in the political life of the Party and the state," said Wang Xiaohui, Executive Deputy Director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. It will help the general public learn about the Party's innovation theories and the international community understand China's development path and development concepts comprehensively and objectively, he added.





In particular, Wang said the book embodies the Party's people-oriented governance philosophy. Guided by such philosophy, a large number of measures have been taken since 2012, through which more than 60 million people have been lifted out of poverty, 13 million-plus new urban jobs have been created, and the growth rates of the incomes of urban and rural residents have outpaced the speed of economic expansion. A social security system covering both urban and rural residents has been basically established, and people can enjoy significantly better health and medical services than before, according to Wang.





In the book, readers can find decoded frequently cited concepts in China's political discourses such as the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Two Centenary Goals.





Not only was the text of the book carefully chosen, but also the 29 photos in it. The pictures, selected to capture various facets of Xi's official functions, are grouped into two clusters, one on domestic affairs and the other on diplomatic activities.





Several pictures exhibit Xi's concern for people's livelihoods. For instance, one photo portrays Xi with villagers of Liangjiahe in Yanchuan County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, while reviewing poverty alleviation efforts on February 13, 2015. Xi used to live and work in the village decades ago, when he was sent to the countryside as an educated youth.





Some photos feature him in multilateral meetings hosted by China, including the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing in November 2014, the inauguration ceremony of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Beijing in January 2016, the 11th G20 Summit in Hangzhou in September 2016, the Leaders' Roundtable Summit of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this May, and the Ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen this September. These pictures demonstrate that China is playing an increasingly important role in international affairs.





Not lost in translation





Xi's book not only reveals his governance thoughts, but also his personality and linguistic style.





"He is good at expressing his views and understanding of major issues in light of China's history and culture as well as his personal experiences," said Sun Yeli, Deputy Director of the Party Literature Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, "He is also good at telling stories about China and the Party, quoting classical allusions, in an insightful and penetrating way, and with vivid and colloquial language."





While such a language style has strong appeal, it also poses a challenge for the translators. The 29-member translation team of the English version, coordinated by Foreign Languages Press, comprises top-notch national talent.





"We have formed a high-caliber, dedicated, very responsible and efficient translation and publishing team," Feng Xin, head of the English Department of Foreign Languages Press, told Beijing Review.





The whole team consists of senior language consultants from China, foreign copyeditors who have lived in China for years, and translators who love their job and pursue excellence, he said.





The task is also time-pressing. "We were racing against time," Feng said. To save time while not compromising quality, they established an efficient, streamlined work procedure. "Every morning, senior consultants met to discuss problems they identified and offered their solutions afterward," he said. Meetings were also held to address technical issues such as how to make headlines eye-catching, footnotes accurate and style consistent throughout the book.





"This work procedure enabled us to complete the translation of about 100,000 Chinese characters and revise and finalize another 200,000 Chinese characters in a little over a month," Feng said.





"In the translation process, we put ourselves in the shoes of foreign readers as much as possible, always thinking about how to convey the meaning of the original text accurately and at the same time, make it easier for readers to understand," said Liu Kuijuan, deputy head of the English Department of Foreign Languages Press. "This requires us to be faithful to the original and be flexible at the same time," she explained.





"Translation is not mechanical rendering of one language into another; it is a creative process," Liu said. She said the book includes Xi's remarks at a meeting with secretaries of county-level Party committees, which mentioned many historical figures and poems and contained metaphors and political concepts, making them difficult to translate. "This requires a translator to comprehend the original text, convert it into another language and make adjustments," she said.





Literal translation of some metaphors might cause confusion, so in such cases, it is better to put them in plain and understandable language, said Wang Qin, a senior translator.





Now, Chinese and English versions of the book are available in bookstores.




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China and Canada are willing to conduct feasibility studies toward a free trade agreement in an open and pragmatic manner, Premier Li Keqiang said after meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meet the press after the second meeting of the Annual Dialogue between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 4, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]





Trudeau, who took office two years ago, is making his second official visit to China from Sunday to Thursday.





Li said the relations between the two countries are in a "golden age" and that they should further diversify cooperation because they share great complementary advantages.





"China stands ready for an open and candid discussion toward a free trade agreement with Canada, and both China and Canada are willing to jointly facilitate free trade and investment," Li said.





The two countries agreed to hold annual prime ministerial meetings during Trudeau's first visit to Beijing in 2016.





Trudeau called the dialogue "the best way to build a stronger and more comprehensive relationship". He said it is in the best interest of all Canadians to ensure that the country has a strong and stable relationship with China because "great market access to Canadian businesses means stronger business growth and more jobs for the middle class".





"Canada has always been a trading nation, but the landscape of trade is shifting, and we need to adjust to it," Trudeau told reporters. "If done properly, a trade agreement will bring benefits to both countries, creating jobs, strengthening the middle class, and growing our economies."





The two leaders reached agreement on various issues of common interest, such as jointly dealing with climate change and clean growth, and celebrating a China-Canada Year of Tourism in 2018.





They witnessed the signing of three cooperation documents, dealing with food safety, energy and educational exchanges.





On Monday morning, the 45-year-old Canadian prime minister made Sina Weibo headquarters the first stop on his five-day trip to Beijing, where he promoted tourism and met with a youthful crowd. He will head to Guangzhou, to the Fortune Global Forum, and meet with global business leaders to discuss ways to increase trade and attract international investments to Canada.





Trade volume between China and Canada grew by 13.5 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2017, according to the Ministry of Commerce.




China's market economy status in the World Trade Organization must not be denied by any countries or regions, as its market-oriented economy has benefited the world economy via the multilateral trading system for more than a decade, said a former senior commerce official on Monday.





His remarks came after the United States formally informed the WTO of its opposition to granting market economy status to China last week. If upheld, this would allow Washington to maintain high anti-dumping duties on Chinese goods.





The statement of opposition was submitted as a third-party brief in support of the European Union in a dispute with China that could have major repercussions for the trade body's future.





"The US is opposing China's market economy status for its own interests. It is actually politicizing this issue and not really resolving any problem," said Wei Jianguo, former vice-minister of commerce.





"It further shows that the US, a country that has lost its credibility, reneged on its commitments when China joined the WTO," he told China Daily.





Disrespecting facts and failing to abide by the rules would have greatly damaged the credibility of the entire US market, added Wei, who also is vice-president of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a major government think tank.





When China joined the WTO, members used production costs in a third country to calculate the value of products from countries on their "nonmarket economy" list, which includes China.





In accordance with Article 15 of the accession protocol, the surrogate country approach expired on Dec 11, 2016.





However, the US, the EU and some other members use prices in a third country as a benchmark to calculate the normal value of export products from China, under the surrogate country system.





For years, China has been ramping up efforts to safeguard its legal rights.





The Ministry of Commerce expressed on Saturday its strong dissatisfaction with the US opposition to granting it market economy status in the WTO.





"China is strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposes the rejection, as the US government tried to mix the concepts of the surrogate country approach and market economy status to mislead the public," the ministry said in a statement.





"The case has nothing to do with whether China has been granted market economy status or not as there are no standards in WTO rules for the status, urging all members to drop the practice."





"When the approach expired in 2016, some member countries, including the US and Japan, indicated they would not honor their commitments with no plans to change their trade policies. Their refusal would put trade ties with China at risk," said Xue Rongjiu, deputy director of the Beijing-based China Society for WTO Studies.




You are here: China

Police in southern China's Guangdong Province and Hong Kong seized 71 suspects involved in a cross-border online gambling case Sunday.

Guangdong police captured 48 suspects in the city of Dongguan, and their Hong Kong counterparts seized 23 suspects in Hong Kong, the public security department of Guangdong announced Monday.

Guangdong police froze more than 21 million yuan (3.17 million U.S. dollars) in online bets, and Hong Kong police froze more than 100 million Hong Kong dollars (12.8 million U.S. dollars).

In April, Guangdong police received a report of a gambling ring based in Dongguan, which used websites to place illegal bets in Hong Kong's gambling industry.

Later, Guangdong and Hong Kong police jointly investigated and launched respective raids Sunday.
Internet tycoons reiterated their commitment to shouldering social responsibility in the ongoing drive to lift another 70 million people out of poverty, during multiple forums at the ongoing 4th World Internet Conference from Dec. 3 to 5.











Yao Jinbo, driving force behind 58.com, the country's classified online marketplace, said his company had been pushing for targeted poverty alleviation through providing information, job recruitment services and vocational training to unskilled rural residents.





The company, known as "China's Craigslist," has a business feature called "58 home" that is a multi-category local service platform providing online information and access to high-quality offline services such as cleaning, moving, babysitting and beauty care.





It is currently available in more than 40 Chinese cities and has almost a million certified workers in its housekeeping service sector alone.





Chen Xiaohua, CEO of 58 Home, said: "Many non-skilled rural workers, who cannot even speak fluent mandarin, don't know how to get around the city through public transportation and master the fine points of social etiquette. Our job is to train them to be skilled in at least one field and get hired in a reasonable position."





After training, an ordinary blue-collar cleaner in Puyang, Henan Province, can become a skilled maternity matron (woman responsible for taking care of mothers and newborn babies) with a monthly salary of 18,000 yuan (US$2,720.3) in Shanghai. This compares to a salary of about 5,000 yuan for a human resource manager in a third-tier city like Hefei, Chen said, adding: "That's amazing."





So far, 58 Home has founded 16 training bases across the country, providing knowhow in general housekeeping services for would-be migrant workers. In Puyang alone, the company has trained over 6,000 rural workers since April this year.





Liu Qiangdong, founder and CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, said one of the key reasons for rural poverty was bad transportation and backward logistics, which blocks agricultural products from massive commercial use in big cities.





Besides a huge logistics network nationwide, JD.com is also developing the latest drone logistical technology that can partly replace and complement land shipment of agricultural goods, thus greatly cutting transportation costs.





Last year, the company signed a "Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement on Precision Poverty Alleviation through E-commerce" with the State Council's Office of Poverty Alleviation to help the cause through production, entrepreneurship, and employment.





According to a People's Daily report last August, more than 100,000 impoverished households have benefited from the project.





Poverty alleviation has always been a focus of JD.com ever since the company's founding almost 10 years ago, Liu said. He vowed continuous efforts in the poverty alleviation campaign and hard work toward the goal of common prosperity.




Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province [Chinanews.com]





Beautiful Wuzhen in east China is once again hosting the three-day World Internet Conference from Dec 3-5, attracting some 1,500 representatives from around the world from business, government, technology, and academia, as well as pioneers showcasing emerging technologies, models and platforms for further connectivity.







Among the most important topics is internet security, of great concern to every country, business, and individual who uses the medium. The world media has frequently reported on incidents of cyber terrorism, hacking, stolen identity, fraud, political interference, drugs, human trafficking and the activities of organized crime.





The future of the internet depends upon people having sufficient trust that such abuses will be minimized. This involves close governmental cooperation, given the reality that cyber-crime is not confined to the jurisdiction of one country.





Police and security experts around the world need to work together, exchanging intelligence, gathering evidence, sharing experiences and ensuring that law enforcement receives the necessary training.





A related topic at the conference is Internet communication and social responsibility. New technology, such as social media platforms like Facebook with a billion users and WeChat in China yield great power and influence.

Thus, in the last American presidential election there was significant alarm about the use of Facebook to create false news stories coupled with the reality that social media is increasingly a major source of 'news' for many people. With great power comes social responsibility to use this technology to benefit and not harm society, and governments everywhere must demand greater social responsibility from global tech companies.





Another important topic is artificial intelligence (AI). The world is rapidly moving to a new age in which traditional manufacturing is disappearing as robotics and AI applications are disrupting and transforming business, government and private life.





IROOTECH, for example, is one of the Chinese companies using products like Hyperledger to connect digitally-dispersed technologies and entities, finding affordable ways to connect physical and virtual worlds. Another Chinese company at the conference, Tuya Intelligence, is a world leader in using technology to link millions of devices so as to make the smart homes, smart restaurant and smart organization a reality.





Growing the digital economy is yet another theme. The huge growth potential of the digital economy was again demonstrated recently with China's Double 11 Shopping Festival and in the U.S. with the sales event known as 'Black Friday,' creating records each year for e-commerce.





Not only do individual countries, like China, want to develop their domestic economy, but international trade between and among countries can be greatly facilitated by technology. Thus, another conference theme is how technology can help promote international cooperation, for example, to create a "Digital Silk Road."





Underlying all of these themes is a conference focus on innovation. All societies are experiencing rapid change that is challenging our fundamental institutions. We need new models that better fit these new realities. One example of such models is the emergence around the world of the 'sharing economy.'





Whether talking about public or private development, the reality is that all of this requires significant resources from both the private and public sectors, and so the conference is discussing the role of venture capital in Internet industry development.





Given December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, it's important to note that this includes the use of technology to improve the lives of those one out of every seven citizens, with some form of disability, and many of them are children.





There is also growing concern about the potential harm of technology to other vulnerable groups in society. For example, evidence is emerging that young people can be harmed by internet addiction. Early exposure to porn and violence can negatively impact their social development. Internet regulators are understandably desirous that this new technology be used to benefit people and not harm them.





The topic that has garnered the most attention from much of the Western press has been internet governance. From its earliest days, debate has always raged between those who favor top-down government regulation and those at the other extreme who call for the internet to be a government-free zone.





In my view, it's inevitable that as the internet grows in importance and impact on every aspect of society and almost every individual, governments will see the need to be involved.





There have always been significant philosophical differences among and within countries about how the internet is best regulated. Within this debate are sub-issues such as how to protect consumers, how to avoid a digital divide, how to protect small business, how to tax internet commerce, what to do about peer-to-peer lending, how to regulate new developments like bitcoin, how to protect privacy, and so on.





Thus, the EU favors a greater government role than does the U.S., which has tended to favor a lighter regulatory touch and private industry engaging in self-regulation. With more people connected to the internet than any country in the world and a rapidly growing digital economy, China is understandably very concerned that this new technology be used wisely and responsibly.





It is important that events like the World Internet Conference provide a vehicle for dialogue so that regulators from different countries can better understand each other's concerns and work to find a way forward to better cooperation. Just as countries have diplomatic relations, conferences such as this one can, in addition to advancing technological development and digital economies, help explore new models of 'cyber relations' and 'cyber governance.'





Eugene Clark is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.




Delegates attend the Fourth World Internet Conference in the water town of Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 3, 2017. The conference opened Sunday in Wuzhen. (Xinhua)





The internet was originally conceived as an open global information highway connecting a new kind of global community without borders, a place where the free exchange of ideas could not be regulated. Unregulated information and communication would spread knowledge, understanding and enlightenment, which would usher in a new age for mankind. Unfortunately, like all advancements, it's been more of a Pandora's box than a solution in a box.





The assumptions





It should also be noted that those who believed in this dream, believed mostly in one set of assumptions, one path - that of liberal democratic capitalism. In the years which have followed, the world has changed from a uni-polar to a multi-polar world, where developing and emerging countries have done better when they have followed their own path, rather than liberal democratic capitalist dogma.





This is not meant to denigrate the ideas which created many of the worlds developed countries, only to point out that yesterday's assumptions and solutions are not immutable, especially when changes to the economic and political fabric, such as our current tech revolution, are in play.





The ever changing internet





The internet morphed from a communication and information sharing tool to a distribution and e-commerce platform, and is now entering its next phase, as a semi intelligent, always on, gatherer and processor of information, Internet 3.0.





The challenges this presents to domestic and international security are being played on in the newspapers as we speak. Questions about foreign interference in the elections of sovereign countries, terrorism, cyber espionage, money laundering, theft of information, fraud, cyber warfare, big brother scenarios, are all part of the fears, which society must balance by the efficiencies and opportunities this new type of internet brings. Each time we advance, we discover new challenges and opportunities; the question is who should be responsible and who is equipped to solve these issues and safe guard the people.





The "sovereign internet"





In a 2010 Chinese White Paper called "The Internet in China," the notion was advanced that within China, the use of the internet should be subject to China's laws and regulations. This marked the beginning of China's ongoing attempt to define a "sovereign internet" the idea that each country has the right to control its domestic internet space.





In 2014, China held the first World Internet Conference in Wuzhen City, Zhejiang Province; four years onwards, China is continuing to shape the edges of its "sovereign internet" idea.





Commerce vs. security





The dilemma is China's desire to provide a robust infrastructure for innovation and development, while managing its domestic and international cyber security concerns. The end result is no one will be happy, not domestic businesses, who see restrictions on their ability to access information outside of China, not the international businesses, who will be forced to keep data developed or used in China on servers in China, and not the security establishment who would like to increase restrictions and their powers, in the name of domestic and international security. Ask anyone of these groups and they will say they are giving up too much and getting too little.





Why is China seemingly at the forefront of this effort?





In China, the government is responsible for keeping public and commercial order. Any failure results in severe personal consequences, because politically, with only one responsible party, there is no pressure relief valve. Those who fail, fail alone, but the government must go on. Therefore, you can expect the government to err on the side of security, until they become comfortable with how to handle the ever changing challenges and opportunities presented by the internet.





A brave new world





The Cyber Revolution will continue to transform the political, economic and cultural fabric of our society, much the way the Industrial Revolution did at the turn of the last century. In terms of the rest of the world, the movement towards a sovereign internet is in motion, if not verbally, but in terms of action. Russia, the U.S., U.K. and dozens of countries have adopted, for whatever reason, new laws and regulations citing cyber security threats.





Those who are concerned about the future of the internet in China should keep in mind that the counterbalance will be China's desire for innovation and the need to be competitive. The inability of Chinese companies who are innovating and competing could ultimately hurt them. As China has shown a consistent pragmatism in terms of modifying its policies to fit its needs, there is little chance that it will not continue to do the same.





On a related matter, China also needs to come to terms with itself, as it takes a larger role on the world stage. It cannot, and should not, shy away from its own story because of the views of others. The soft power competition will be won by actions, but must also have a voice.





EinarTangen is now an economic and political affairs commentator for China Central Television (CCTV).





Opinion articles reflected the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.




 Flash

China and Canada Monday agreed to issue a joint statement on climate change and clean growth during the second meeting of the Annual Dialogue between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister.





The two sides also agreed to establish two ministerial-level dialogues between their respective departments of environment and clean energy.

During the talks with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang affirmed the positive roles of the annual dialogue between prime ministers, the annual meeting of foreign ministers, economic and financial strategic dialogue, as well as the national security and rule of law dialogue.

He called on the two countries to expand common interests on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

Li suggested the two sides expand two-way investment, encourage enterprises of the two countries to invest in each other and jointly explore third-party markets.

He called on the two sides to tap cooperation potential in areas such as clean technology, aviation and aerospace, civilian nuclear energy and agricultural science.

Li said the two sides should promote cultural exchanges and successfully run the China-Canada "Year of Tourism" next year.

He said he hoped the two countries could strengthen communication and coordination in international and regional affairs and join hands in coping with global challenges including climate change.

"China and Canada, both as important countries in the Asia-Pacific region and major trading countries in the world, should send positive signals on promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, which is also in the common interests of both sides," Li said. "China will open its door even wider to the outside world," he said, promising that "China's business environment will get better and better, and China will continue to be a hot destination for international investments."

Trudeau said he appreciated the achievements of China's economic development and China's role in international affairs.

He said Canada was willing to work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, enhance economic and trade cooperation, expand people-to-people exchanges and promote friendship in the spirit of mutual benefit.

"Canada supports free trade and has actively participated in the globalization process," Trudeau said. "Canada will strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly advance globalization and free trade to make a contribution to the sustainable development of the world."

After their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of three cooperative documents on education, food safety and energy.

Li told the press that both sides had agreed to discuss the feasibility of a China-Canada free trade agreement with a pragmatic and open attitude.

Trudeau called for more closer cooperation in dealing with global challenges such as climate change.

He said Canada was ready to work with China to "push forward cooperation in tourism, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges, in a bid to promote common prosperity and build long-term, stable and dynamic Canada-China ties."

Before their talks, Li held a welcome ceremony for Trudeau at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
 Flash

Emergency talks are to take place between British Prime Minister Theresa May's government and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) after an expected agreement on Brexit negotiations collapsed Monday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend a press conference after their meeting on Brexit at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 4, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]





The refusal of the DUP to accept controversial cross-border proposals between Northern Ireland and the Irish republic were blamed by media on either side of the Irish Sea for crucial negotiations in Brussels coming to a halt.

May spent the day in Brussels confident that Britain and the EU would make enough progress on outstanding issues relating to future relationships between both sides after Britain leaves the bloc.

Media reports said talks over the border issue were expected in the next few days in the hope of finding a way forward ahead of next week's crucial meeting of the European Council.

The DUP has insisted that it will only agree to a deal that applies to the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, which will eventually form the only EU border within the British Isles.

The Times in London said several commentators had suggested that May was effectively conceding that Northern Ireland would remain part of the European single market and customs union when the rest of Britain leaves.

In a carefully crafted response Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, told a media briefing: "Northern Ireland must leave the EU on the same terms as the rest of the UK and we will not accept any firm of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the UK."

The prospect some form of separate arrangements between the EU and Northern Ireland led immediately to a backlash in both Scotland and Wales.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "Any special status for Northern Ireland would make a similar solution for Scotland even more vital. For Scotland to find itself outside the single market, while Northern Ireland effectively stays in would place us at a double disadvantage when it comes to jobs and investment."

In Cardiff the leader of the Welsh Assembly, Labor's Carwen Jones said the British government could not allow different parts of Britain to be more favorably treated than others.

There was also a response from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who has pressed for London to remain in the EU single market and customs union.

The proposed Northern Ireland border solution, he suggested, made it possible for the British capital to also remain within the single market and customs union after Brexit.

There were also harsh words from Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Britain's main opposition Labor Party. In a statement he said the real reason for the failure of the talks was the "grubby deal May's government did with the DUP.

After May's snap general election result in June when she emerged heading a minority government, the Conservatives agreed a deal with the DUP to enable its 10 MPs to prop up government.

Corbyn said: "It is disappointing that there has not been progress in the Brexit negotiations after months of delays and grandstanding. Labor has been clear from the outset that we need a jobs first Brexit deal that works for the whole of the United Kingdom."

The Leave Means Leave also heaped more pressure on May, saying, she should not agree a deal that involves treating Northern Ireland separately to the rest of Britain.

Media reports in London said a there was hostility to separate arrangements for Northern Ireland among some Conservative MPs who gathered at Westminster for a briefing.




 Flash

Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, revealed the name of the panda baby, the first-ever cub born in the country, at a naming ceremony at a zoo in central France on Monday.

Brigitte Macron (2nd L), wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, looks at a panda baby before a naming ceremony in Saint-Aignan, France, on Dec. 4, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]





Joined by Chinese officials, Brigitte Macron, who is also the new panda's godmother, announced that the four-month-old cub's name was Yuan Meng.

Born on Aug. 4, the baby panda had been called as "Mini Yuan Zi," referring to his father Yuan Zi, who arrived with his female partner Huan Huan in central France's Beauval zoo in January 2012.

"Yuan Meng is the energetic and vigorous fruit of the Franco-Chinese friendship," said Macron.

"Yuan Meng and his parents are the illustration of a dialogue that has always been fruitful between our two countries who, for centuries, have got along and understood each other," she added.

Brigitte Macron (1st R), wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui (3rd R), reveal the name of a panda baby during a naming ceremony in Saint-Aignan, France, on Dec. 4, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]





The panda baby who will return home to China at the age of three, can be seen by visitors to the zoo as of Jan. 13.

On Aug. 4, Huan Huan gave birth to twin cubs, the first panda babies born in France. She took care of the first cub immediately after its birth, but abandoned the first after the second cub was born, a common practice among pandas.

In the wild, female pandas raise only one cub, the "strongest", the one that has the most chances of survival.

There are about 2,000 pandas in the world. They are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
 Flash

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called on all parties concerned to abide by relevant UN resolutions on the Korean Peninsula issue.





Wang made the remarks when meeting the press after talks with visiting Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar. He was asked to comment on the U.S. decision to consider imposing more sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after its recent missile test.

"After two months of relative quiet, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased again," Wang said. He added that it was a regret that the parties involved failed to seize on China's appeals.

"China has always been open-minded to new propositions to resolve the issue, however, the stipulations and spirit of UN Security Council resolutions should be a common principle for all parties to follow," Wang said, adding that UN Security Council resolutions represent the common will of the international community.

Wang said China has fully implemented relevant UN resolutions on the issue and opposed the nuclear and missile programs of the DPRK.

He said China firmly opposes actions to increase the tension on the Korean Peninsula and has always been working to promote peace and dialogue in accordance with all previous UN resolutions.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with visiting Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 4, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]







"Propositions and measures that are against or not included in the resolutions lack international legal support and will jeopardize the execution of UN resolutions," Wang said.

The Republic of Korea and the United States launched a large-scale joint aerial drill Monday. The Vigilant Ace drill will run until Friday.

"The situation on the Korean Peninsula is highly sensitive, and we hope that relevant parties can avoid provocation and do more to ease tension," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said later Monday.
The brothers, both carpenters, had been in Port Moresby for a month working with a large Australian construction company that operates in Papua New Guinea.

Jenkins, 32, has told of the horrifying experience he and his brother had in August while both were living and working in the Papua New Guinea capital, which has the dubious honour of being the most at-risk location for Australian business travellers.

What he didn't know was that a few weeks in, he'd find himself cowering in a room, metres from gunfire, with his temporary home under siege.

PORT MORESBY - When Queensland carpenter Trent Jenkins agreed to go to Port Moresby for work, he knew he'd be helping to build a university.

They spent their days on the work site and at night they slept in a large company house, which was under 24-hour guard by security officers and surrounded by razor wire  a pretty standard arrangement for foreign workers in the crime-ridden city.

Jenkins told news.com.au about 4am one night, towards the end of his time in Port Moresby, his brother barged into his bedroom holding two knives to defend themselves.

"He said some guys were trying to come into the house and he had heard one of the guards screaming," Jenkins said.

"And then I looked out my window and saw both of our guards tied up, kind of hog-tied, about two metres away from me.

"I saw these other guys standing over them and I could hear people trying to get up the side of the house. And then I got a message from my boss, who lived upstairs, saying, 'Whatever you do, don't go outside'."

Jenkins said the men were most likely trying to rob the house, which had already been targeted by thieves about four times that year.

He and his brother cowered in a room while the madness unfolded outside.

"We were sitting in the corner with these knives  I mean, we were probably not going to use them if they came in, I don't know what would have happened," Jenkins said.

"Then one of the guards got free somehow and radioed through to some other guards. All these crews showed up in these trucks, with German shepherds  about 20 other guards came. And then we heard all these gunshots. And we were sitting in this corner, just freaking out."

Jenkins said after a shootout, the guards managed to drive the would-be robbers away and he and his brother eventually stepped outside.

"The guards were all bloodied and had ripped shirts and looked like they'd been bashed," he said.

"They said there were about eight guys who were trying to get in. I don't know what they were going to do, but it was pretty scary.

"I put something up on Facebook [about it] and started getting messages from my mum and friends, saying it wasn't worth the money and to get out of there. We left. I don't think I'll go back."

Jenkins' work had previously taken him around Australia, as well as to Canada and the UK, but Port Moresby was very different.

He already had a sense of the danger there  earlier, he'd had the unpleasant experience of someone snatching at his phone through the window while he was in a slow-moving car.

"My boss had told me about 80% of [people in Port Moresby] were friendly but there's a big 20 per cent who, when they see you're a white person, will do what they can to rob you or kidnap you or hold you hostage," he said. "Some people are so poor, they'll do anything."

Port Moresby's high crime rates, poor security, police corruption and civil unrest makes it the most at-risk destination for Australian business travellers, according to a new report by American Express Global Business Travel and travel risk management experts iJET International.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says Australian officials in Papua New Guinea "adopt heightened security measures while travelling, at home, at work and in public places", due to the country's high level of crime. Australians are urged to exercise a high degree of caution in the country.
 Flash

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Monday hailed strong UK-China relations and expected the beginning of the fifth high-level People-to-People Dialogue between the two countries, which will kick off later this week in Britain.

The two ministers' remarks came as Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong started an official visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on Monday afternoon to co-chair the high-level bilateral meeting on people-to-people exchanges with Hunt.

"The UK-China relationship is strong and continues to deliver benefits for both countries, so I am delighted to welcome Madame Liu to the UK for the People-to-People Dialogue," Johnson said in a press statement released by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

"China and Britain are both global powers with a global outlook, and will continue to work together to solve the big issues facing our world today, build economies of the future and develop our people-to-people links," said the foreign minister.

For his part, Hunt said, "I am delighted to once again co-chair the People-to-People Dialogue, which will reaffirm the strong ties between the UK and China and underline our commitment to working together to solve some of the biggest issues facing the world today."

"Health is a key pillar in this relationship, which is why we will be collaborating to tackle major health issues such as fighting disease and improving health outcomes for all," Hunt said in the statement.

The visit, which is scheduled to end on Thursday, will take Liu to the British cities of London, Edinburgh and Oxford.

During the visit, Liu will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Johnson, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace.

She is also expected to sign a host of cooperative agreements on people-to-people exchanges between China and the UK.

The high-level exchanges, also known as the P2P Dialogue, will enhance the UK-China partnership by promoting further collaboration on a broad range of issues including health, education, culture, science and innovation, tourism and sport, the British foreign ministry said on Monday.

This year's P2P Dialogue theme is the "Spirit of Youth", which connects to a British government campaign that promotes deeper collaboration and exchange through inspiring the next generation of leaders in both countries.

On the eve of Liu's visit, British ambassador to China Barbara Woodward said, "I think the future for the UK-China relations is very exciting and we've already established a'golden era' in UK-China relations."

"I think we'll see a deepening and broadening of our overlapping interests with China, and opportunities for building a very bright future together," said the London envoy.




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German police launched a regional manhunt on Monday after an unknown suspect sent explosives by post last Friday to a Potsdam pharmacy near a Christmas market in an attempt to blackmail the parcel delivery service DHL.

Spokesperson of the Brandenburg Police Office Torsten Herbst said on public broadcaster ZDF that his forces were looking for a perpetrator active in the region around Potsdam where the suspicious package was delivered.

The recipients became aware of the potentially lethal danger posed by the device due to the discovery of wires and paint marks. Police were subsequently able to defuse the bomb. German civilians have since been warned by Brandenburg's governor Karl-Heinz Schroeter (SPD) not to open suspicious mail and to contact authorities.

The author of a letter addressed to the affected Potsdam pharmacy threatened to send further mail bombs unless DHL gives in to their demands for a payment of millions of euros. Security forces currently assume that an individual perpetrator is responsible for the blackmailing attempt, but haven't ruled out the possibly that a larger group could be behind the attack.

Meanwhile, Thuringia governor Bodo Ramelow told press that a second DHL package which may have contained a live grenade was confiscated at the Thuringian State Chancellery in Erfurt on Monday.

Nevertheless, Ramelow described reports which explicitly linked the separate incidents as "pure speculation" at this point.

Police confirmed on Monday that they had already received two dozen tips from the public about the identity of the mail bomber without yet having found a promising lead. A special investigatory commission of around 50 officers has been formed in an urgent bid to solve the case.

German authorities believe that the same perpetrator also sent an explosive device via mail in November which caught fire when it was opened by an online mail order company in Frankfurt.




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The Confucius Institute of the Kiev National Taras Shevchenko University (KNU) on Monday was awarded the Order of Glory, a Ukrainian award recognizing individuals and organizations actively involved in promoting Ukrainian ties with other countries.

The Confucius Institute of the KNU won the prize for its "significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian-Chinese cooperation in the field of education, science and culture."

Sun Kewen, the Chinese director of the KNU Confucius Institute, received the award during a ceremony in Kiev from Pavel Kochubinsky, the president of the All-Ukrainian Foundation for International Communication, known as the "Ukrainian People's Embassy", under the patronage of Kraine's first president Leonid Kravchuk.

"On behalf of the first Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk, I want to present the Order of Glory to the Confucius Institute of the KNU for its outstanding achievements in raising the level of cultural and scientific cooperation" between Ukraine and China, Kochubinsky told the ceremony.

For his part, Sun said it is an honor for the Confucius Institute of the KNU to receive such an award.

"In 2007, we signed an agreement on the creation of the Confucius Institute at the KNU. For these 10 years, we have trained about 10,000 people. The award that we have received today is recognition and acknowledgement of our merits," Sun said.

The Confucius Institute at the KNU was the second Confucius Institute set up in Ukraine.

Kravchuk was elected the first president of Ukraine after the country gained independence from the former Soviet Union via a referendum in December 1991, and served until July 19, 1994.




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President Xi Jinping received the credentials presented by 11 new ambassadors to China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.

The ambassadors are Geir Otto Pedersen from Norway, Noh Young Min from the Republic of Korea, Ali Al Dhaheri from the United Arab Emirates, Constantinescu Vasilica from Romania, Fye K. Ceesay from Gambia, Berhane Gebre-Christos from Ethiopia, Alberto Carnero from Spain, Milia Jabbour from Lebanon, Gautam H. Bambawale from India, Abdulkadir Emin Onen from Turkey, and Jose Augusto Duarte from Portugal.

Xi welcomed the ambassadors to China and asked them to convey his sincere greetings and good wishes to the leaders and people of their countries.

The Chinese government will provide convenience and support for the work of the ambassadors, Xi said, adding that he hopes they will actively contribute to bilateral relations between China and their countries.

Xi said China will enhance mutual political trust, promote practical cooperation, deepen cooperation in international affairs, achieve common development with the countries and contribute to world peace, stability, and prosperity.

The ambassadors offered congratulations on the successful conclusion of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and spoke highly of the significance of the congress to the world.

They also conveyed greetings from their state leaders to Xi and congratulations on Xi's re-election as the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

They said they feel greatly honored to serve as ambassadors to China in the new era, and will devote their active efforts to deepening mutual understanding and friendship with China, as well as promote practical cooperation to a new high.




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President Xi Jinping said Tuesday China and Canada should explore new ideas and take active measures to achieve more substantial progress in bilateral ties.



Xi made the remarks while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is paying an official visit to China from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7.




Kilamba, c. 2012 Anyone who has been to Luanda knows that the city lacks housing. The hotels are extremely expensive, and researchers h...
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks during a news conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia December 5, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

It is not inappropriate for Australia to ban foreign political donations. But it is inappropriate for Canberra to cite Beijing as the reason. When Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull explained his country's intention to crack down on external interference in domestic politics on Tuesday, he wrongly made China the scapegoat, by citing "disturbing reports about Chinese influence".

The reports Turnbull mentioned were by Fairfax Media and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which have jointly been whipping up an anti-China backlash since June.

The two media outlets, presenting unsupported claims as facts and basing their reports on speculation, have accused China of trying to influence the Australian political system by prompting Australian businessmen of Chinese origin to make donations to the country's political parties.

Turnbull should not have bought into this media orchestrated falsehood. And it is wrong for him to engineer his country's policies based on the Australian media's bias against China. The unjustified finger-pointing at China only hurts Australia's ties with its biggest trading partner.

China has no reason to seek political influence in Australia. The growing bilateral ties, highlighted by strengthened economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, have remained the mainstream of interactions in recent years, benefiting both.

Admittedly, the two countries do have differences, not least in their political systems, but that should not create undue friction. Especially since the fundamentals of China-Australia ties remain sound and intact. The signing of China-Australia Free Trade Agreement two years ago created a new starting point for bilateral trade cooperation and has produced tangible benefits for both sides.

In recent years, more and more Australians have come to realize that China plays an indispensible role in propelling Australia's economy. Yet there remains an ugly stain on the generally rosy picture of ties, as there are some who claim the growing trade ties are creating dependency and who are trying to revive the idea of a China threat, which has already been shown to be a fallacy.

This year, this ill trend has become more prominent, as some media and politicians in Australia, instead of extinguishing the fire have chosen to fan the flames. If this tendency persists it could eventually undermine ties.

Substantive engagement at senior levels is needed to shore up the relationship by forging greater trust, instilling Australian leaders with the confidence to refute the unfounded accusations of anti-China proponents.
Li Ya, CEO of mobile news aggregator Yidianzixun. [Photo by Wang Chengmeng/chinadaily.com.cn]

Capital force, such as venture capital and private equity funds, has played an important role in the internet industry's development both in China and the United States, said Li Ya, CEO of mobile news aggregator Yidianzixun.

"China's public market definitely wants these innovative companies to be listed domestically rather than going overseas for IPOs."

Given this, China needs to accelerate the pace of opening up its domestic public trading market, which will further encourage innovations and help to introduce fair mechanisms for new companies to grow and compete in China, he told China Daily Website on Sunday in an interview on the sideline of the 4th World Internet Conference.

The conference, which began on Sunday and ends on Tuesday, is underway in East China's water town of Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.

In Li's view, internet is penetrating every dimension, every aspect of people's lives, and this phenomenon explained why Chinese government encourages the so-called the "Internet Plus" and internet of things.

Meanwhile, China also decided to speed up AI development. In July, the State Council, or China's cabinet, articulated the country's AI development agenda, setting a goal of becoming the major artificial intelligence innovation center of the world by 2030.

General Secretary Xi Jinping said in the report delivered at the opening of the 19th CPC National Congress that China will promote further integration of the internet, big data, and artificial intelligence with the real economy.

As for AI development, Li said, "in the next three to five years, people will be sure to feel the impact of the AI in their daily lives. I think one important thing is how we put human value in front of the machine algorithm, so that we can use the technology for good".

'100 percent concentration on Yidian'

Established in 2012, Yidian positions itself as a media platform claiming to be based on a combination of machine recommendation and people's active expression of their interests.

The Beijing-based company has made further progress this year, including receiving the license for internet news information service, the first one issued since the related new regulations came into effect in June.

The license will allow Yidian to gain competitive advantages over its peers, especially on content acquisition on its we-media platform Yidiaohao, the third quarter financial report of Phoenix New Media released in November showed.

Li regarded the internet license as a unique opportunity for Yidian, as he quit ifeng.com in September and paid all his attention to Yidian.

"We are in a very tough market and you have to concentrate in order to win the competition. And I think our users and our team, our coworkers and shareholders all demand the 100 percent concentration on Yidian."

Other progress is upgraded cooperation with smart phone makers - OPPO and Xiaomi, while Yidian also collaborated with universities for we-media training and made columns of Zhihu, a Chinese Q&A website, accessible on its platform.

At the same time, the financial report also indicated that Yidian has gained investment of $112.1 million from Long De Cheng Zhang Culture Communication (Tianjin) Co and the other two investors, with an estimated transaction valuation of about $1 billion.
Wei Jianguo, former vice-minister of commerce. [Photo/China Daily]

China's market economy status in the World Trade Organization must not be denied by any countries or regions, as its market-oriented economy has benefited the world economy via the multilateral trading system for more than a decade, said a former senior commerce official on Monday.

His remarks came after the United States formally informed the WTO of its opposition to granting market economy status to China last week. If upheld, this would allow Washington to maintain high anti-dumping duties on Chinese goods.

The statement of opposition was submitted as a third-party brief in support of the European Union in a dispute with China that could have major repercussions for the trade body's future.

"The US is opposing China's market economy status for its own interests. It is actually politicizing this issue and not really resolving any problem," said Wei Jianguo, former vice-minister of commerce.

"It further shows that the US, a country that has lost its credibility, reneged on its commitments when China joined the WTO," he told China Daily.

Disrespecting facts and failing to abide by the rules would have greatly damaged the credibility of the entire US market, added Wei, who also is vice-president of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a major government think tank.

When China joined the WTO, members used production costs in a third country to calculate the value of products from countries on their "nonmarket economy" list, which includes China.

In accordance with Article 15 of the accession protocol, the surrogate country approach expired on Dec 11, 2016.

However, the US, the EU and some other members use prices in a third country as a benchmark to calculate the normal value of export products from China, under the surrogate country system.

For years, China has been ramping up efforts to safeguard its legal rights.

The Ministry of Commerce expressed on Saturday its strong dissatisfaction with the US opposition to granting it market economy status in the WTO.

"China is strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposes the rejection, as the US government tried to mix the concepts of the surrogate country approach and market economy status to mislead the public," the ministry said in a statement.

"The case has nothing to do with whether China has been granted market economy status or not as there are no standards in WTO rules for the status, urging all members to drop the practice."

"When the approach expired in 2016, some member countries, including the US and Japan, indicated they would not honor their commitments with no plans to change their trade policies. Their refusal would put trade ties with China at risk," said Xue Rongjiu, deputy director of the Beijing-based China Society for WTO Studies.
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb plans to decide this month whether he will run for governor in 2018.

Kolb, R-Canandaigua, has been exploring a potential gubernatorial bid since the summer. He is one of four Republicans considering whether to seek the party's nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo next year.

"Everything is going great," he said in a recent phone interview. "It's been very exciting and fulfilling and interesting and a lot of work. But certainly well worth it."

His exploratory process will conclude soon. He expects to decide whether he will run for governor or not by Dec. 15.

He wasn't phased by the election results around the state and country in November. In New York, Democrats won county executive races in Nassau and Westchester counties. There were victories in upstate, too.

Outside of New York, Democrats scored several wins in Virginia state legislative seats and won the race for governor.

Cuomo believes 2018 will be a big year for Democrats. He is seeking a third term as governor, a position he has held since 2011. But Kolb doesn't believe the 2017 results are a preview of what's to come in 2018.

"I think the governor should know that anything can happen in a 24-hour time period in politics," Kolb said. "Everything is only what you know today. That doesn't mean today is going to predict the future. Anybody assuming that is making the wrong judgments."

For Kolb, who has been a critic of Cuomo's policies, there are several reasons why he thinks the Democratic governor is vulnerable in 2018. He highlighted the governor's economic policies, including his support for a $425 million a year program that provides tax credits to film productions.

While Kolb fell short of calling for the program's elimination, he pondered what could be done with that large pot of money instead of supporting the movie industry. It could be used to help lower property taxes or assist counties with Medicaid costs, he said.

Kolb also questioned Cuomo's appearance at fundraisers with Hollywood players that he believes creates the appearance of a quid pro quo arrangement.

"Are you raising money for your presidential aspirations? Are you raising money because of what you put in the budget for Hollywood tax credits?" he said. "I think those are all legitimate questions."

As Kolb finalizes his plans for 2018, there is another potential candidate who could factor in his decision.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a fellow Republican who served with Kolb in the state Assembly, is exploring a run for governor. Kolb and Molinaro have discussed the possibility of forming a ticket to challenge Cuomo in 2018.

There haven't been any new developments since the two floated the potential partnership in October.

"Marc and I have stayed in touch," Kolb said. "Nothing has changed since last time we talked. Everything is still percolating."
TOKYO  Some 70 business leaders, former senior officials, experts and scholars exchanged views on enhancing bilateral cooperation at the third round of Sino-Japanese Entrepreneurs and Former High-level Officials Dialogue that kicked off in Tokyo on Monday.

Zeng Peiyan, former Chinese vice premier and chairman of China Center for International Economic Exchanges, and Yasuo Fukuda, former Japanese premier, are among the participants of the dialogue.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and political heavyweights attended a reception of the dialogue Monday evening.

Abe said at the reception that Japan and China are close neighbors, and the two sides have reached an agreement on consolidating and enhancing the momentum for improvement in bilateral ties, deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation in various areas and jointly exploring third party markets during a meeting of leaders of the two countries last month.

He said that the Sino-Japanese entrepreneurs and former high-level officials dialogue is playing a more and more important role in promoting pragmatic cooperation between the two sides and he hopes the dialogue could continue to provide new impetus to bilateral economic cooperation.

Zeng said that Chinese leaders attach great importance to bilateral relationship with Japan, and China has been constantly advocating pushing for the steady and long-term development of bilateral relations based on the four important political documents between China and Japan and in the spirit of taking history as a mirror while facing forward to the future.

As this year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties, leaders of both China and Japan expressed their wishes to enhance bilateral ties, Zeng said.

He added that while the steady development of bilateral ties is in the interests of both sides, economic and trade cooperation is one of the most important mutual interests of the two sides and serves as a bedrock of bilateral relations.

It is sincerely hoped that the two sides could further enhance mutual trust and create a better political environment for bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Zeng added.

The Sino-Japanese entrepreneurs and former high-level officials dialogue, coorganized by China Center for International Economic Exchanges and Japan Business Federation and held in Japan and China alternatively, is aimed at enhancing mutual trust and understanding between entrepreneurs of the two countries and providing positive energy for bilateral relations.

At the third round of dialogue held this year, participants exchanged views on new ideas of economic and trade cooperation, with the focus on trade, investment and industry cooperation as well as third-party market exploration.
BEIJING  The US opposition to recognizing China as a market economy within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is in reckless disregard of the relevant WTO rules, and is intended to make an excuse for its trade protectionism by misleading the public.

By submitting a statement of opposition to the WTO as a third-party brief in support of the European Union in a case brought by China, the United States tried to mix the concepts of the surrogate country approach and market economy status to mislead the public for its selfish interests.

Last year, China filed a WTO dispute case over surrogate country approach, arguing the approach should be dropped after the expiration date on Dec 11, 2016 in accordance with Article 15 of the accession protocol.

In fact, the case has nothing to do with whether China has been granted market economy status or not, as there are no standards in the WTO rules for the status.

As Liang Guoyong, economic affairs officer at the Investment and Enterprise Division of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said, the case is about "surrogate country approach," not "market economy status," which means the former is within multilateral trade rules, while the latter is regarded as a domestic law issue.

The practice to mix the two things together, he said, apparently contradicts multilateral trade rules and also breaks some countries' international commitments and promises.

Furthermore, it is clear that such behavior is a US planned attempt to protect its trade with China and a part of its efforts to contain China's rise.

According to the General Administration of Customs, China's exports to the United States in the first three quarters increased 18.7 percent over the same period of 2016, and China's trade surplus with the United States in the first 10 month expanded 7.3 percent to reach $225 billion.

The robust growth in China's exports to the United States and the appreciable trade surplus could be a catalyst for the US administration to maintain a tough stance on China.

Such behavior is just reminiscent of the domestic laws of certain WTO members in the Cold War era, and the refusal would put trade ties with China at risk.

On the other hand, China has established and continuously improved its market economy system, which has earned worldwide recognition. So far, more than 80 economies have recognized China as a market economy.
Invista, the US fiber and fabrics giant known for its Lycra trademark, launched its first pop-up store in Shanghai under the "L by Lycra" brand to capture a bigger slice of the Chinese market.

The only business-to-customer brand featuring functional garments and underwear will greet Chinese customers with five retail stores by the end of 2017, with more on course to open next year, said Serge Vigouroux, Invista's executive vice-president for business development.

With an existing presence on JD.com, China's second largest shopping site, the lingerie will shortly expand into "a particularly major platform", he said, as e-commerce plays a crucial role in driving sales and brand promotion to succeed in the Chinese retail landscape.

A vibrant business environment, sophisticated customer preferences, and the seamless integration of online and offline channels have propelled the brand to launch its own counter, after being introduced to China a few years back through a partnership with Gujin, a domestic underwear maker, Vigouroux noted.

"Nine out of 10 customers said they are satisfied with our products and want to repurchase. So it is very important to provide the option to experience through concept stores and a retail booth in brick-and-mortar stores when people can also search and purchase online," he said.

Research by consultancy Euromonitor International found that China's top 10 lingerie producers commanded about a 13 percent share of the market. The sector comprises thousands of little-known players that sell low-priced items.

Such market fragmentation would leave space for brands like L by Lycra to expand and gain a share, as sophisticated Chinese women tend to have a more functional orientation towards lingerie, said Kim Chi Phung, global business development director at Invista.

"Our products aim to bring functionality and comfort at the same time. It's especially developed for wearing throughout the day, and for any occasion," she said.
People surf the internet in Nanjing Future Network Town, East China's Jiangsu province, May 10, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

China ranked second after the United States in an internet development index released on Monday that gauges six dimensions from internet infrastructure to application among 38 countries.

China has the largest number of internet users and is the world's top e-commerce and mobile payment market by transaction volume, according to the Global Internet Development Index, published during the 4th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.

The findings are part of the World Internet Development Report 2017, the first such industry index China has compiled as a world-leading digital force, said Yang Shuzhen, head of the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies.

"It represents the specification, standardization and indexing of President Xi Jinping's thought on global internet governance," he said at a news conference.

The index takes a holistic approach by assessing the level of infrastructure, innovation capacity, industry development, internet application, cyber security and internet governance among economies with advanced internet conditions.

The rest of the top six were the Republic of Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

Compared with other international indexes that rely mostly on one specific benchmark, the Chinese plan aims to provide a comprehensive picture of internet development so that countries can draw on each other's experience and make progress accordingly, said Xu Yunhong, assistant to the head of the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies.

"What are often neglected in past trials are evaluations of total internet industry capacity and measures on internet governance," Xu said. "China's experience suggests that both factors are crucial to a sound development of the internet that aims to serve the fundamental interests of the people."

During last year's gathering in Wuzhen, Xi put forward four goals for the healthy development of cyberspace: promoting equality and mutual respect, being innovative, continually opening-up and sharing, and safeguarding its security and orderly development.

The report urged countries to join hands to expand communications, safeguard the order of cyberspace and formulate governance rules.

Also unveiled at the conference is a sister report that scans and analyzes internet development inside China, a country that saw 30.3 percent of its GDP come from the digital economy last year.

Guangdong, Beijing, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai are rated among the top five places where internet is being applied to invigorate economic vibrancy and innovate in social governance.

Government agencies have had a digital makeover, with 27 out of 31 provinces, autonomous regions and provincial-level municipalities having established e-government service platforms by the end of last year, according to the research.

A total of 170,000 government Weibo accounts and 514,000 WeChat public accounts had been set up by June 2017 to enhance transparency and facilitate interaction between the public sector and the people.

Zhejiang province utilizes mobile internet, big data and facial recognition technologies for frictionless and secure transactions in public services, so that citizens run an errand "no more than once", said Che Jun, Party chief of Zhejiang.

"China's goal of internet development is not to nourish a handful of companies and groom them into giants or unicorns," said Shen Yi, head of the Cyberspace Governance Research Center at Fudan University.

"Instead, we strive to give dividends to the vast number of internet users through internet products and services that are affordable, premium and secure."
China is committed to the development of the digital Silk Road, which will transform links between countries, according to a government official.

"We will actively promote the digital Silk Road to construct a community of common destiny in cyberspace," said Chen Zhaoxiong, vice-minister of industry and information technology, during the 4th World Internet Conference held in Wuzhen.

"In the era of economic globalization, China's information communication industry will not only pay attention to development within our borders but also other countries across the world," he said.

In 2016, China's digital economy grew 18.9 percent and contributed 22.6 trillion yuan ($3.35 trillion) to the country's economy, according to a report from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

"As both a practitioner and beneficiary of the digital economy, China is willing to deepen and widen coordination and cooperation with countries around the world to benefit people," said Lin Nianxiu, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner.

The forum was also addressed by Dominique de Villepin, former prime minister of France, who emphasized that he welcomed China's active moves to create the digital Silk Road.

He said it was important that more countries had good digital access, otherwise it would become a source of greater inequality in the world, contrasting that while in the West and in parts of Asia, digital penetration was around 80 percent, this was not the case everywhere.

Chinese companies were beginning to take the lead in the global digital economy, with 2017 seeing the major listed Chinese tech companies being valued more than their US counterparts in terms of their market capitalization.

"There has been a technological shift from West to East with the rise of internet champions in China as an alternative to those in the US and it is a turning point," he added.

China has made breakthroughs in a number of fields of telecommunications and has pioneered areas including shared bikes and payment through smartphones.

In terms of future development, Chen from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that China can cooperate with other countries on cross-border e-commerce and improve the level of logistics which can provide convenience for digitalization. Commercial networks, online education and medical services, and social media are among some of the key areas.

"To seize the opportunity brought by the revolution in information communication technology, China, together with other countries, can also make technological breakthroughs in areas including 4G and 5G, artificial intelligence, industrial internet, cloud computing and big data," he added.
Participants from all over the world attend the 4th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

China is willing to deepen global cooperation in the digital economy to gain new momentum and expand global economic growth, the head of the country's internet regulatory body said on Monday.

Xu Lin, minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China, reiterated that China would further open its economy and would work with other countries to develop an integrated global digital market with mutual benefits.

"We will actively implement the G20 Digital Economy Development and Cooperation Initiative and deepen international cooperation related to the Belt and Road Initiative," Xu said at the 4th World Internet Conference.

According to Xu, countries should strengthen cooperation in policy making and regulation on network facilities, information technology, cross-border e-commerce, data distribution and other digital related fields to build a fair and efficient governance system.

"Working together, we should deepen global cooperation on cybersecurity, strengthen data protection and combat crimes in the field of digital economy," Xu said.

Digital economy is playing an increasingly significant part in driving China's economic growth. The size of China's digital economy hit 22 trillion yuan ($3.3 trillion) in 2016, accounting for 30 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

Yuan Jiajun, governor of Zhejiang province, said the digital economy is also increasingly becoming a key driver to boost global economic development.

"The digital economy is experiencing a new phase of high growth, and is projected to be worth $16 trillion in China by 2035," Yuan added.

Seeing the big potential, the Chinese government has attached great importance to the development of the digital economy and introduced a wide range of strategies and operations, including the national IT development strategy, the national big data strategy and the "Internet Plus" action plan.

Statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center back up this internet boom. By June this year, the country had about 750 million netizens, accounting for one-fifth of the global total.

"To promote and support the development of the digital economy, it is necessary for global leaders, governments, related industries and academia to reach a consensus," said Wang Binying, deputy director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

She added that the digital economy will accelerate transformation and upgrading in various industries, and have a huge impact on people's daily life.

Zhang Yong, CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, agreed, saying the integration of the digital and real economies offers a promising blueprint for future development.

"It offers enormous opportunities for China to catch up with leading countries," he said.
JD.com Inc, China's second-largest e-commerce player, has been helping villagers in poverty-stricken areas since 2016 with multiple measures, said Liu Qiangdong, CEO of the company.

As part of the measures, JD gives newly hatched chicks to villagers in some poor areas.

"Equipped with a monitoring device, each chick should have walked 1 million steps before they can be sold on JD.com," said Liu, adding that chicken raised in such a way can be priced more than six times higher than those raised in cages.

He made the remarks in a speech at a forum themed "Sharing internet dividends for poverty alleviation", as part of the 4th World Internet Conference.

Entrepreneurs and officials participating in the forum agreed that internet technologies and e-commerce can make an increasing contribution to the poverty alleviation campaign.

Li Jun, 32, Party secretary of Xiuyun, a village in Sichuan province, said the village has opened some popular restaurants in provincial capital Chengdu, with food produced by the villagers on their own land.

"For example, the chicken served at our restaurants is priced according to their age rather than its weight," said Li, adding that the practice is aimed at avoiding the use of unhealthy foodstuffs for faster growth.

Customers who are content with the food will very often register on their own e-commerce platform by scanning QR codes in the restaurants, he said.

Beijing Spruce World Technology, which owns meicai.cn, an e-commerce platform for organic food, has been contributing to poverty alleviation by contracting with the villagers for the latter's products, according to Liu Chuanjun, chief executive officer of the company.

"Orders from e-commerce platforms help the villagers avoid market risks," said Liu.

Tang Ke, head of the market and economic information department at the Ministry of Agriculture, said featured industries in the agriculture sector accounted for 68 percent of the turnover by the end of 2016, up from 52 percent in 2012.

China's economic development is unbalanced and connectivity to the internet is essential to solving the problem. The Ministry of Agriculture is working on a project in 10 provinces to establish at least one internet service station in each village, said Tang.

Connectivity means not only infrastructure, but also the knowledge of using the internet, since many of the poverty-stricken villagers don't know how to use it, said Li Jun of Xiuyun village.

Since 2012, more than 7 million people who were previously employed in cities have returned to their rural hometowns to start their own businesses.

With more young and better educated people returning, the popularity of the internet in rural areas would greatly help poverty alleviation, Tang said.
By Ma Si and He Wei in Wuzhen, Zhejiang | China Daily | Updated: 2017-12-05 07:21

Robin Li (front center), CEO of Baidu Inc, and Lei Jun (front right), founder and CEO of Xiaomi Corp, at the 4th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Artificial intelligence will play an important role in reshaping an array of major industries such as retail, manufacturing and healthcare.

Leading senior executives told the 4th World Internet Conference on Monday that rapid technological changes will transform companies and society.

Robin Li, CEO of Baidu Inc, felt that in comparison with mobile internet technology, which revolutionized consumer services, AI will have a far bigger influence on how companies run their businesses.

"For instance, Baidu is leveraging AI to help supermarkets better manage their supply of fresh food, by analyzing and predicting which products are most popular," said Li, who runs China's largest search engine.

He pointed out that such solutions had effectively reduced food waste and boosted the profit growth at pilot stores.

In other sectors, AI can be used to help coal mining companies reduce accidents by bringing in precautionary measures, while steel mills will be able to automatically check product defects.

Li's comments came as China starts to accelerate artificial intelligence applications in manufacturing, healthcare, automobile, consumer electronics and other key sectors.

In July, the country unveiled a national development plan to build a 1 trillion yuan ($151 billion) AI core industry by 2030. This is supposed to stimulate as much as 10 trillion yuan in related businesses.

A 3D-printed terra cotta warrior is displayed at the conference. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily]

Lu Yimin, general manager of China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd, said China Unicom is experimenting with the next-generation mobile communication technology.

The country's second largest telecom carrier by mobile subscribers aims to lay down a sound information infrastructure for the application of AI.

"Connection is ultimate power for all intelligence," Lu said. "We will start offering pre-commercial 5G service in 2019."

China Unicom has set up a 10 billion yuan fund to promote the development of the internet of things, or IoT.

In the future, components at assembly lines, as well as electronic home appliances, will be connected to the internet, producing massive amounts of data to fuel the development of artificial intelligence.

"A key factor of digital economy is integration," said Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi Corp.

"Only by integrating AI with various sectors can we give full display of the technological advancements the world has made," Lei added.

Last month, Xiaomi had more than 85 million consumer electronic devices on its IoT platform.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, the largest e-commerce company in China, is also scrambling to apply AI, this time to the care of the elderly.

Chen Lijuan, head of Alibaba AI Lab, announced that the company will bring its voice-assistant smart speaker, Tmall Genie, to selected nursing homes in Beijing by the end of the month.

Senior residents will be able to activate the device through voice commands.

Among a host of applications, it will then be able to turn on, or off, lights, search for weather reports and control other smart-home devices.

"Such applications can enhance the quality of life for the older generation, and help improve work efficiency of the nursing staff," Chen said.
China is now at the forefront of research and development when it comes to 5G technology.

Industry leaders underlined the country's role in helping to lay the foundations of a unified global standard for the next generation of mobile technology.

Telecom carriers have invested heavily in 5G, carrying out tests in several major cities, Bi Qi, chief technical officer at the China Telecom Research Institute, told a forum at the 4th World Internet Conference on Monday.

"The government should formulate corresponding policies to encourage them," he said. "Meanwhile, other players involved in the telecom sector should also participate."

Wang Jianya, president of Nokia Shanghai Bell, is confident that China will pioneer 5G research and development before it is rolled out in the next few years.

This in turn will help develop a standard blueprint across the sector.

"The key issue for 5G is producing a unified global standard," Wang said.

A joint venture of Nokia Corp and State-owned investment firm China Huaxin, Nokia Shanghai Bell has been promoting the commercialization of 5G with domestic telecom carriers.

China Mobile Communications Corp, the world's largest telecom carrier by subscribers, has stepped up efforts to develop 5G technology.

It plans to launch a pre-commercial service in 2019 before launching a fully commercialized 5G network in 2020.

"With the rapid development of 5G, internet of things (IoT) and big data, we are entering the digital era," said Sha Yuejia, vice-president of China Mobile.

"As intelligent manufacturing, smart transportation and healthcare become more popular, this will promote the economic momentum to achieve a new leap forward in our society," Sha said.

So far, the company has established more than 2.23 million base stations with more than 900 million mobile users and 200 million IoT connections.

It has also worked on intelligent solutions covering mobile authentication, home security, smart cities and logistics.

High-tech companies, such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp, are also keen to help formulate 5G global standards and promote its commercial use.

China is expected to become the world's largest 5G market before 2025, according to a report released by GSMA Intelligence, a global mobile think tank, and the China Information and Communications Technology Academy.

The report also forecasts that 5G connections here will reach 428 million by 2025.

John Hoffman, CEO and director of GSMA, estimated that global telecom carriers will invest 3.3 trillion yuan ($499 billion) in mobile infrastructure by 2020.

Up to 500 billion yuan will come from China.
Visitors contact with a bank's robot at an exhibition in Beijing. Financial institutions are required to remind investors of the flaws and risks associated with algorithm-based robo-advisory models. [Photo/VCG]

With financial institutions increasingly employing roboadvisers, China's central bank and financial regulators issued draft regulations for comment recently, requiring financial institutions to receive regulatory approval for offering such services.

The regulatory authorities said financial institutions should create rational investment strategies and algorithm models, as well as remind investors of the flaws and risks associated with algorithm-based robo-advisory models.

Financial institutions are also required to report to the regulators the principal parameters of their advisory models and the main logic behind their asset allocation.

The draft regulations come at a time when a growing number of financial institutions, including commercial banks, securities firms and fintech companies, have started to explore robo-advisory services in wealth management.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd, the country's largest State-owned commercial lender by assets, announced on Nov 13 that it recently launched a robo-advisory service called "AI Investment".

Personal clients of ICBC can take an investment risk tolerance assessment on its mobile banking platform. Based on the assessment results, the bank will recommend to each client an investment portfolio composed of six types of investment, such as bonds, securities and money market funds, and tell the client the simulated annualized rates of return during different investment periods.

The client will then make investment decisions based on the recommendation of ICBC, which sets the robo-advisory investment threshold at 10,000 yuan ($1,508), and adjusts their investment portfolio according to the latest investment situation in financial markets.

Since AI Investment started trial run on Aug 22, the annualized rates of return of its 15 investment portfolios ranged from 3.14 percent to 14.59 percent, according to ICBC. The robo-advisory model developed by the bank will analyze the data reflecting macroeconomics, industries, fundamentals of listed companies, and market performance and risk.

Before ICBC introduced robo-advisers, China Merchants Bank Co Ltd, a nationwide joint-stock commercial lender with a strong foothold in retail banking, launched a similar service in December 2016.

The bank's robo-advisory system analyzes more than 3,400 public funds to draw a risk-benefit curve that suits the investment goals and risk tolerance level of each client.

Tian Huiyu, president of China Merchants Bank, said the bank will push ahead with changes to its input-output model through the development of financial technologies.

During the process of strategic transformation of commercial banks, advanced technologies like artificial intelligence will be widely used in the financial sector, said senior executives of the bank.

It has invested more than 5 billion yuan a year during the last few years to improve its information technology services. It will further increase investment in technical innovation and establish a fault-tolerant mechanism to build a solid foundation for the development of retail banking, according to Li Jianhong, chairman of CMB.

Non-banks are also eyeing the robo-advisory market. Many securities companies, fintech firms and peer-to-peer lending platforms, which allow individuals to lend money directly to unrelated people and businesses, have launched their own services in this field.

PINTEC Group, a Beijing-based intelligent financial services technology platform, launched a renminbi-denominated robo-adviser in the China market, providing intelligent, customized and automated wealth management solutions to financial institutions and their clients.

Zheng Yudong, CEO of Polaris, the digital wealth-management and robo-advisory subsidiary of PINTEC, said: "Robo-advisers will help investors avoid financial losses caused by irrational investment behaviors, such as buying the winners and selling the losers, amid market fluctuations."

By using big data and digital technologies, Polaris will find asset allocation solutions based on real-time market and financial product conditions. Its investment portfolio covers 12 asset categories worldwide, including securities and bonds in mature markets overseas and emerging markets.

"We have a huge product database and our robots collect a certain fund's market data for calculation every day," Zheng said. "We emphasize long-term performance of a fund, rather than simply highlighting its short-term performance."

The firm provides robo-advisory solutions to institutional investors, including banks, securities and insurance companies, in addition to individual clients.
A visitor looks at a display about cyber fraud at an event on cybersecurity in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Sept 18. [Photo by Wang Hongqiang/for China Daily]

Police will investigate hackers or other cybercriminals to protect national and private information, according to the Ministry of Public Security. The special campaign, initiated by the ministry in September, will run until the end of this year, according to the ministry.

"Cybercrimes have a huge impact on some enterprises and the public's vital interests and we will resolutely fight them," according to a statement from the ministry.

In recent years, a growing number of online crimes infringing on private information have occurred nationwide, resulting in a high incidence of other crimes, such as telecom fraud, online fraud, blackmail or extortion.

Data released by the ministry show that, in 2016, police arrested 4,261 suspects for accessing personal information in 1,886 cases.

From January to June, authorities closed 73 illegal livestreaming platforms and imposed lifetime bans on 1,879 such outfits who violated regulations.

Commenting on the statistics, Shi Yanan, a law professor at Renmin University of China, said: "In China, the number of cybercrimes is on the rise, up 30 percent annually due to the lack of supervision and comprehensive management. The aim of combating cybercrimes is to protect people's information and reduce other crimes."

According to the ministry, suspects illegally obtain information ranging from ID information, phone numbers, home addresses, network account numbers, bank account details, passwords and shopping records. And gang members take on different tasks including that of information suppliers, telecom agents or traders. The suspects also traffic personal information and use fake ID information to engage in telecom or online fraud.

In a recent campaign led by the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications, a team arrested 50 suspects and took down 118 websites and 913 online billboards involved pornography or the trading of personal information.

According to the ministry, police officers will improve investigation abilities to deter such crimes. Besides, they will clean up the online environment, while working with other departments, including websites and online service providers to reduce cybercrime.
An expo is held in Shanghai recently to help the public better understand cybersecurity. [Photo by Yin Liqin/For China Daily]

Prosecuting departments are expected to attach greater importance to combating cybercrimes, a serious threat to national information security, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Figures released by the procuratorate show, between January and September, a total of 710 people were charged with cybercrimes, a year-on-year increase of 80.7 percent. The procuratorate also indicted 334 cases in the same period, up 82.5 percent.

Due to loopholes in the supervision system, such crimes, including cyberattacks, cyber fraud, cyber pornography and cyber gambling are on the rise, said Wang Songmiao, the procuratorate's spokesman.

Meanwhile, crimes involving infringement of personal information, such as online rumor-spreading, cyber blackmail, cyber terrorism and selling drugs online are also rising, he said.

"Cybercrimes tend to be complex and hidden, and the suspects collude with each other and form organizations to operate the criminal ring, especially in cyber gambling or fraud," Wang said.

Moreover, many of the suspects are young people, who have higher education and use their professional computer knowledge to carry out crimes, and then avoid legal punishment.

In November 2015, Li Binglong, a man from Shandong province, was convicted of destroying a computer information system and sentenced to five years in prison by the Xuhui District People's Court in Shanghai.

The court said, Li modified the domain name of a large website in Shanghai on purpose, and hijacked the website to visit a gambling website overseas.

He was found guilty of using the website to spread the advertisements of the foreign gambling website. In early 2015, he was arrested and charged with destroying a computer information system.

Zhang Xiangjun, the deputy director at the SPP's prosecuting department, said prosecutors face practical difficulties in dealing with such cases.

"Lot of the evidence involving such crimes is electronic, which is easy for the suspects to destroy, so it's difficult to collect solid proof," Zhang said.

Wang said, the number of cybercrimes, especially cross-border cybercrimes, is expected to rise in the near future.

For instance, some economic crimes on the internet, such as infringement of privacy or information are likely to increase.

The prosecuting authorities will need to adopt new measures to tackle this, according to the procuratorate.

Wang said the procuratorate will conduct more research on cybercrimes, including the definitions, conviction standards and the verification of digital evidence.

"We will cooperate with other judicial departments to issue legal statements or guidelines. Relevant training will be strengthened to train professionals to handle cybercrimes," he said.

The prosecuting departments will also work closely with financial and telecommunications enterprises to fight online crimes, Wang said.

Moreover, the prosecuting departments will beef up law enforcement cooperation with their counterparts in other countries, including information sharing, conducting joint investigations, transferring evidence and arresting or extraditing suspects, he said.
Israeli scientist Dan Shechtman, the winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, experiences "smiling to get discounts" function in Alibaba's Tmall unmanned supermarket at the Light of the Internet Expo of the fourth World Internet Conference, also known as Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang province, December 3, 2017. [Photo/IC]

Participants gave thumbs-up in Alibaba's Tmall unmanned supermarket after receiving discount for smiling at the Light of the Internet Expo Dec 2 to 6, part of the fourth World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.

"It's amazing to get discount by just smiling. This is what I have never experienced before," said Dan Shechtman, the winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Shechtman enjoyed the "smiling to get discounts" offer in Alibaba's Tmall unmanned supermarket in Wuzhen.

Ni Guangnan, professor of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, also spoke highly of Alibaba's Tmall unmanned supermarket.

People can not only enter the supermarket by just swiping a QR code with their cell phone but also get different discounts based on how much they like a product which is reflected in their smile. They can make the payment when they leave the supermarket as the mall has already recorded their identity when they entered the outlet.

"Unmanned retail not only needs to solve problems of 'Who are you?' and 'What have you bought?' but also 'What do you want to buy?'. That is the original reason for us to add emotional marketing strategy," said Yuan Yuefeng, Alibaba's senior expert in unmanned retail technology.

Unmanned supermarket should not be cold but humane. On the one hand it should provide customers more convenient experience. One the other hand it should help business owners to provide more precise and optimized services to customers at the same time, said Jin Cheng, manager of Alibaba's Tmall unmanned supermarket.

As an independent exhibition project, Alibaba's Tmall unmanned supermarket is an important part of Alibaba's new retail strategy and showcases many unmanned retail industry's global pioneering technologies, such as "behavioral trajectory analysis", "emotion recognition" and "eye tracking".
Guangzhou Automobile Group Co and Tencent jointly released the iSPACE electric concept car in Guangzhou, Guangdong province last month. [Photo by Wang Hua/For China Daily]

The development of intelligent connected and new energy vehicles will become a major business growth driver for the Guangzhou Automobile Group Co, a major automaker based in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, according to a senior company executive.

In the years ahead, the global auto industry will be focused on "intelligent driving and energy saving", said Feng Xingya, president of GAC Group.

In a major effort to boost those lines of business, the GAC Group reached a cooperative agreement with the internet technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd early in September.

In mid-November, the two companies jointly launched an in-car intelligent network terminal product, which will be installed in GAC's various models in the near future.

"Internet-based vehicles will become a major force in the automobile market," Feng said.

"We will make use of advantages in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and big data processing to help develop intelligent connected vehicles."

Based on the terminal product, which will go into mass production by 2018, GAC's cars will be smart in voice interaction, intelligent driving and personalized performance, Feng said.

The terminal product was based on GAC's self-innovated intelligent network platform and Tencent's vehicle-connected AI In Car system, which is an integration of safety, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China has become the world's largest market for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, with about 490, 000 electric vehicles sold in the first 10 months of 2017.

In July, the GAC Group also set up a subsidiary company, the GAC New Energy Co, after it started construction of an industrial park focusing on development of new energy and intelligent vehicles in April.

The park, with an investment of more than 45 billion yuan ($6.78 billion), is located in the Hualong township of Guangzhou's Panyu district.

The park will help integrate resources of cutting-edge technologies of intelligent connected and new energy vehicles, aiming to develop into an ecological automobile township focusing on innovation and intelligent manufacturing, according to Gu Huinan, general manager of GAC New Energy Co.

"Development of new energy cars will help tackle the problems of environmental pollution and energy shortage," Gu said.

The booming information technology and artificial intelligence sectors, especially, have helped lay a solid foundation for the developing trends of producing cars with more electrification, intelligence, internet-based connection and sharing services, according to Gu.

The company also released the iSPACE electric concept car and its fully electric SUV model GE3 during the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition, which concluded on Nov 26.

The concept car is equipped with Tencent's AI in Car system, allowing drivers better interactions with the vehicles.

According to Gu, the company will release a new vehicle capable of unmanned driving by 2019.

"Sales of fully electric vehicles will dramatically increase within the next five years," said Gu, adding that the company will develop more than 20 varieties of new energy cars by 2020.

The production and sale of new energy vehicles will account for more than 10 percent of the company's total by 2020, according to the company.

GAC Group produced and sold about 1.65 million vehicles in the first 10 months of this year, an increase of about 26 percent year-on-year, according to the company.
HANGZHOU  On Nov 28, Yuan Xiaolin personally handed over the keys to the 100,000th Volvo vehicle owner in the Chinese market in 2017, marking a new annual sales record.

Yuan, senior vice president of Volvo Car Group, said an annual sale of 100,000 vehicles in China will be a normal thing for the company in the future.

In the past three years, Volvo's global sales have seen significant growth, especially in China, which has become its biggest market. In 2015, Volvo sold 81,588 vehicles in the country. A year later, sales jumped to 90,930.

Back in 2010, only 22,000 Volvo cars were sold in China that year. The good performance in the Chinese market has become a strong impetus for reviving Volvo brand glory.

The success is traced to technology and market cooperation between the group and Geely, the company which acquired Volvo in 2010. The powerful supporting ability of Chinese manufacturing industry and the comparatively cheap labor in China also contribute to Volvo's success.

The acquisition has benefited both Volvo and Geely.

For Volvo, China has become a key link in Volvo's manufacturing strategy.

From 2015, Volvo's S60 Inscription models, manufactured in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, started to be exported to the United States. This year, Volvo's S90 models, produced in Daqing, in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, have been transported to Belgium via trains connecting China and Europe.

Volvo Car Group CEO Hakan Samuelsson said that China will play an increasingly important role in the group's global manufacturing strategy.

While Volvo continues to make breakthroughs, Geely has also gone through a transformation. Seven years after the acquisition, it has gained more reputation and stepped up efforts to expand globally.

On the same day that Yuan handed over the keys, the jointly developed LYNK 01 hit the market in Zhejiang province. The car's manufacturer, Lynk & Co, uses Volvo engines and scalable platform architecture, while employing Geely's compact modular architecture and transmission.

In June, Geely signed an agreement to acquire a 49.9 percent stake in Malaysian automaker Proton. In November, Geely's Belarus factory was completed. Sedans made in the factory will be sold in Belarus, as well as in other Eurasian Economic Union member countries.

Geely plans to make more breakthroughs, cooperate with others and become a leader in the global auto industry, according to Li Shufu, Geely chairman.
Ted Tokuchi, a former senior executive of CITIC Securities International, a Chinese securities company, recalls the moment he had a face-to-face meeting with President Xi Jinping five years ago.

It was Dec 5, 2012, the date of Xi's first seminar with foreign experts in China after being elected top leader of the Communist Party of China in late November.

At the 80-minute meeting, Xi received proposals from 20 experts including Tokuchi, China's first foreign senior executive at a State-owned enterprise. The proposals ranged from reforming universities to better accommodate the real needs of society to helping Chinese firms going abroad.

"We're open to the world, and we want to learn from the world," Xi said at the meeting, adding that foreigners with expertise in their fields had contributed immensely to national development and had served as a bridge between China and the outside world.

Looking back, Tokuchi, a 65-year-old Japanese economist who has spent about two-thirds of his life in China, said he was impressed by China's great determination to develop and its magnanimous attitude in welcoming talent from abroad.

"China is now showing its charm in the new era, providing more chances and opportunities to the world, and will be an attractive dreamland to the younger generations worldwide," he said.

The State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs said it has records of overseas workers entering China about 3.3 million times in the past five years.

To attract more top overseas talent, the administration has made joint efforts with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security as well as the Ministry of Public Security to simplify the visa application process from weeks to five days. Other preferential policies, including lowering the threshold for permanent residence applicants, also have been adopted.

Zhang Jianguo, head of SAFEA, said a more proactive, open and effective policy on competent professionals will be pursued to further implement Xi's remarks in a report to the 19th CPC National Congress in October.

In the report, Xi said, "We should value people with talent, be good at identifying talent, have the foresight to employ them, be earnest to keep them, and welcome them into our ranks."

Zhang said applications for work permits for foreign experts whose skills are in urgent demand as well as top talent in all fields will be streamlined next year to attract more talent.

"We've seen great progress in policies to recruit more overseas talent, and there will be more of them," he said. "Those preferential policies reveal the country's openness and inclusiveness, which a great power should demonstrate to the world."

Apart from that first seminar five years ago, Xi conducted two similar seminars with foreign experts  one in Shanghai in 2014 and the other in Moscow in 2015  showing the great value he places on foreign talent in China.

In May 2014, Xi met with 50 foreign experts in Shanghai and listened to their proposals, ranging from reforming the talent evaluation system to better supporting innovation.

The president said the country must implement a more open policy for talented workers, to bring in talent no matter where it comes from, make the most use of it and trust it fully. "China will always remain devoted to learning, will learn modestly from the world no matter how well it develops, and will openly enhance learning and exchanges with other countries," he said.

Anthony J. Leggett, a Nobel Prize winner in physics from Great Britain and now a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said he was greatly impressed by the earnestness Xi showed at the meeting. He said he was especially impressed to see the president taking notes. "President Xi knows the necessity of bringing in and fully using foreign expertise," Leggett said.

Wang Huiyao, founder of the think tank Center for China and Globalization, said that Xi's remarks on foreign experts had shown the direction of the country's talent policy.

"In such an era, we should try to realize a Chinese dream that talent around the world could all come to China for a better development," he wrote in an article published after the Shanghai seminar.

In May 2015, Xi also met in Moscow with about 40 Russians who once worked in China or their family members. Since 1978, tens of thousands of Russian experts have come to China and participated in its reform and opening-up drive as well as its modernization.
Premier Li Keqiang and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meet the press after the second meeting of the Annual Dialogue between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister in Beijing, Dec 4, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

China and Canada are willing to conduct feasibility studies toward a free trade agreement in an open and pragmatic manner, Premier Li Keqiang said after meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.

Trudeau, who took office two years ago, is making his second official visit to China from Sunday to Thursday.

Li said the relations between the two countries are in a "golden age" and that they should further diversify cooperation because they share great complementary advantages.

"China stands ready for an open and candid discussion toward a free trade agreement with Canada, and both China and Canada are willing to jointly facilitate free trade and investment," Li said.

The two countries agreed to hold annual prime ministerial meetings during Trudeau's first visit to Beijing in 2016.

Trudeau called the dialogue "the best way to build a stronger and more comprehensive relationship". He said it is in the best interest of all Canadians to ensure that the country has a strong and stable relationship with China because "great market access to Canadian businesses means stronger business growth and more jobs for the middle class".

"Canada has always been a trading nation, but the landscape of trade is shifting, and we need to adjust to it," Trudeau told reporters. "If done properly, a trade agreement will bring benefits to both countries, creating jobs, strengthening the middle class, and growing our economies."

The two leaders reached agreement on various issues of common interest, such as jointly dealing with climate change and clean growth, and celebrating a China-Canada Year of Tourism in 2018.

They witnessed the signing of three cooperation documents, dealing with food safety, energy and educational exchanges.

On Monday morning, the 45-year-old Canadian prime minister made Sina Weibo headquarters the first stop on his five-day trip to Beijing, where he promoted tourism and met with a youthful crowd. He will head to Guangzhou, to the Fortune Global Forum, and meet with global business leaders to discuss ways to increase trade and attract international investments to Canada.

Trade volume between China and Canada grew by 13.5 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2017, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attends a symposium on the Red Boat Spirit in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, Dec 4, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wang Huning, at a seminar, pushes for Xi's instructions to be carried out

General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions on carrying forward revolutionary spirit such as that embodied in "Red Boat Spirit" should be implemented earnestly amid the Party's efforts to strive toward fulfilling the goals set at the 19th CPC National Congress, a senior Party official said on Monday.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remark while addressing a seminar in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, on carrying forward the revolutionary spirit.

Xi, also China's president, had mentioned the idea of Red Boat Spirit and elaborated on its meaning and value during his inspection tour to Jiaxing in late October, said Wang, a member of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat. He said Xi stressed that Red Boat Spirit should be carried forward.

In 1921, the first CPC National Congress reconvened in a red boat on South Lake in Jiaxing after it was interrupted by authorities in what was then the French concession in Shanghai.

On Oct 31, the CPC's newly elected top leadership, headed by Xi, visited South Lake, the new leadership vowed there to stay true to the Party's original aspirations and serve the people. It was Xi's first domestic trip after the 19th CPC National Congress. The congress elected a new CPC Central Committee and drew a blueprint for the country's development in upcoming decades.

"We cannot forget the road that we have taken no matter how far we march," Xi said during the visit.

Red Boat Spirit is the origin of China's revolutionary spirit, and it also reflects the original aspirations of the CPC members, Wang said.

A symbol of creativity, hard work and devotion, Red Boat Spirit is the great spiritual power that encourages the Party to keep working hard and developing, Wang said, adding it is a valuable spiritual wealth for the Party's governance.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era should be highlighted in the process of learning Red Boat Spirit, he said.

Wang urged more efforts to publicize and learn revolutionary spirit, enhance theoretical research and elaboration and lead the people to engage in the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.
Russian ophthalmologist Nikola Vasilyevich Dusan examines a patient at Daqing Ophthalmic Hospital. [Photo by NANA/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Nikola Vasilyevich Dusan has received more than 100,000 patients with eye problems in China over the past 20 years, performing operations on nearly 2,000.

The 70-year-old ophthalmologist has been the chief expert at Daqing Ophthalmic Hospital in Heilongjiang province since 2000, after retiring from the ophthalmology department of the People's Friendship University of Russia in Moscow.

In 2009, Dusan won the Friendship Award by the Chinese government, the highest honor for a foreign expert in China. In the same year, he was invited to attend the ceremony celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Dusan and other Russians who had worked extensively in China met with President Xi Jinping in Moscow in May 2015, when Xi joined Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the 70th anniversary of victory in World War II.

"It was really a memorable experience for me to meet Xi back in Moscow," he said. "I feel greatly honored because I am not only an ophthalmologist, but also an ambassador for the friendship between China and Russia.

"In the book that President Xi sent to me as a present, I found lots of Russians working in various fields in China like me. I am sure they must feel honored to be appraised in the book as having 'made great contributions to the development of China'."

However, in Dusan's heart, his patients are no less important than the recognition from the Chinese government.

According to the hospital's regulations, Dusan only needs to see 20 patients a day, but he usually sees double that number. He even often skips lunch to see more people.

"Before you raise the scalpel, you should know it is not only the patient's eye but also all of his hope for life," he said. "I am really happy to help restore the vision of my patients from almost every corner of Heilongjiang as well as those from elsewhere. Their trust makes me more determined to stay. "The expressions of gratitude from his patients also made him feel quite warm.

"I often receive various presents from them, such as flags, fresh fruits and even sunflower seeds and homemade tofu," Dusan said. "I won't refuse their sincere thanks and like to share them with my colleagues."

In the eyes of his colleagues, Dusan is kind and humorous - in his spare time.

"Dusan is really strict during work," said Li Jie, vice president of the Daqing hospital. "Once I intended to take a relative to him without lining up. To my surprise, he refused my request. At first I felt quite galled, but then I realized that he was responsible for all the patients."

As a senior ophthalmologist, he never stops focusing on cornea donors and corneal transplant surgeries.

In 2007, Daqing Eye Bank was founded in the hospital on the basis of Dusan's qualifications for corneal transplant surgeries. It is the second eye bank in the province, and the hospital became the only one to provide corneal transplant surgeries in Daqing.

Since its founding, about 300 corneal transplant surgeries have been undertaken at the hospital. However, according to Dusan, the demand for corneas in China is enormous.

"We should do more to encourage cornea donors," he said. "When you die, you can't take away light, but the cornea you left can bring others light."

Every week, Dusan gives lessons to the young ophthalmologists.

"I like to impart all my knowledge and experience to them without reservation," he said. "In Russia, people often say that a good teacher should make his students surpass himself. In fact, they made it. They grow rapidly and I haven't been in the operating room for a long time."

During his vacation, Dusan travels the country and records the changes in the past decades with his camera.

"When I came to China for the first time, I needed to bring all my equipment and materials that were essential to operations. But now, modern hospitals with advanced equipment have been established everywhere.

"The improvement of living standards is also obvious. I believe the goal promoted by Xi in the report of the 19th CPC National Congress must come true, that the country will continue to implement targeted poverty alleviation measures and ensure that all rural residents living below the poverty line are lifted out of poverty by 2020," he said.

Li from the hospital said that since it was founded in 1998, 45 foreign experts have been invited to work in the facility, which has greatly promoted its development.


BEIJING -- China and Canada Monday agreed to issue a joint statement on climate change and clean growth during the second meeting of the Annual Dialogue between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister.

The two sides also agreed to establish two ministerial-level dialogues between their respective departments of environment and clean energy.

During the talks with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang affirmed the positive roles of the annual dialogue between prime ministers, the annual meeting of foreign ministers, economic and financial strategic dialogue, as well as the national security and rule of law dialogue.

He called on the two countries to expand common interests on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

Li suggested the two sides expand two-way investment, encourage enterprises of the two countries to invest in each other and jointly explore third-party markets.

He called on the two sides to tap cooperation potential in areas such as clean technology, aviation and aerospace, civilian nuclear energy and agricultural science.

Li said the two sides should promote cultural exchanges and successfully run the China-Canada "Year of Tourism" next year.

He said he hoped the two countries could strengthen communication and coordination in international and regional affairs and join hands in coping with global challenges including climate change.

"China and Canada, both as important countries in the Asia-Pacific region and major trading countries in the world, should send positive signals on promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, which is also in the common interests of both sides," Li said. "China will open its door even wider to the outside world," he said, promising that "China's business environment will get better and better, and China will continue to be a hot destination for international investments."

Trudeau said he appreciated the achievements of China's economic development and China's role in international affairs.

He said Canada was willing to work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, enhance economic and trade cooperation, expand people-to-people exchanges and promote friendship in the spirit of mutual benefit.

"Canada supports free trade and has actively participated in the globalization process," Trudeau said. "Canada will strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly advance globalization and free trade to make a contribution to the sustainable development of the world."

After their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of three cooperative documents on education, food safety and energy.

Li told the press that both sides had agreed to discuss the feasibility of a China-Canada free trade agreement with a pragmatic and open attitude.

Trudeau called for more closer cooperation in dealing with global challenges such as climate change.

He said Canada was ready to work with China to "push forward cooperation in tourism, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges, in a bid to promote common prosperity and build long-term, stable and dynamic Canada-China ties."

Before their talks, Li held a welcome ceremony for Trudeau at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
Shaanxi province will continue its support of Hainan Airlines Group (HNA), the parent company of China's biggest private commercial airline, Hainan Airlines, and hopes to further deepen cooperation, giving full play to the "hub model" economy, portal economy and flow economy led by the aviation field.

This was said by Hu Heping, governor of Shaanxi province, when he met with Chen Feng, CEO of the board of Hainan Airlines Group, in Xi'an on Dec 3.

Hu said that Shaanxi province is located at the center of China's inland and is the starting point of the Silk Road. It has unique location advantages and could become an aviation and freight hub. HNA Group is an important partner of Shanxi province toward that goal.

Chen said that the Shaanxi provincial and Xi'an municipal governments have offered tremendous support to HNA Modern Logistics since its establishment in Shanxi province. Currently HNA is endeavoring to build Shaanxi into "China's Memphis", bringing world-leading modern logistics and travel resources to the province to help it emerge as an international aviation and logistics hub.

Since its establishment, HNA Modern Logistics has founded around 20 companies, such as Changan Modern Logistics. It has opened three international freight airlines starting from Xi'an, with a current freight volume of 8,400 tons. HNA Modern Logistics aims to build a high-value Belt and Road industry supply chain with Xi'an as its center.
The highest court in Shandong province has highlighted several "typical cases" of convicted child molesters to help judges when sentencing sex offenders, according to a report on jiemian.com.

Chinese courts at all levels use "typical cases" to guide judicial professionals, while they can also be cited by attorneys for the prosecution or defense to support their argument.

Among the cases highlighted by Shandong High Peoples Court was that of He Peng, who sexually abused two girls age 12 and 14 at an illegal care center he opened in May 2014.

"He cajoled, threatened and molested (one of the girls) multiple times, causing serious damage to the childs physical and mental health," judge Xie Ping said at a news conference in Jinan, the provincial capital, on Monday.

The accused was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Fu Guoqing, vice-president of the high court, said Shandong courts have annually handed down heavy penalties to over 30 percent of convicted child molesters in recent years. This, he said, has done much to raise awareness about the need to protect the legal rights of minors.

Qiu Weiyi contributed to this story.
One of China's most-wanted fugitives has returned to face fraud charges after nine years on the run in Hong Kong, the top anti-corruption watchdog said on Tuesday.

Zhou Jiyang, 47, is accused of committing contract fraud while working in the Party history research department of the Zhejiang provincial committee of the Communist Party of China.

He fled overseas after being put under investigation in 2008, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Zhou is the 50th corruption suspect that has returned to the Chinese mainland since Interpol issued red notices  international arrest warrants  for the 100 most-wanted fugitives in April 2015.

The CCDI said the milestone fully reflects the nation's attitude and firm determination to seek out fugitives.

"No matter where they escape to, we will try our best to bring them to justice," the watchdog said in a statement.
BEIJING -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has sent a congratulatory message to the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League on its 70th anniversary.

Han Zheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, read the message on behalf of the CPC Central Committee at the league's tenth national congress, which opened Tuesday.

The event also celebrated the 70th anniversary of founding of the league, one of the eight non-Communist political parties on the Chinese mainland.

The letter expressed appreciation of the league's work over the past five years in providing important references to the CPC Central Committee's decision-making with its surveys, studies and suggestions.

It also acknowledged the league's contribution in bridging exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait and in promoting cross-Strait communication and affinity.

Noting that resolving the Taiwan issue to achieve reunification is the shared aspiration of all Chinese, the message hailed the unique advantage of the league, as a political party consisting of Taiwanese living in the mainland, in maintaining broad connections with Taiwanese compatriots both domestic and overseas.

The cause of securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and striving for the great success of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era requires the solidarity and joint efforts by Chinese people from all ethnic groups, the message said.

It said the CPC will, adhering to the spirit of its 19th national congress, uphold and improve the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation.

The CPC will also unswervingly implement the principles of long-term coexistence, mutual oversight, sincerity, and sharing the rough times and the smooth in handling its relationships with other Chinese political parties, and the CPC will support these parties in performing their duties in accordance with the requirements of the Chinese socialist system for their participation in governance, it said.

The letter further called on the league to play its role in expanding economic and cultural exchanges with Taiwan, improving the welfare for people on both sides of the Strait and consolidating the foundation of public opinion for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Lin Wenyi, chairperson of the league's central committee, delivered a work report, calling on league members to make greater contributions in the consultation and deliberation process, enhance exchanges among the public, and implement the people-centered philosophy of development.

The congress is scheduled to elect the league's new central committee.
China has no plans to extend compulsory education to include high school, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday in response to online rumors about a change in policy.

Compulsory education lasts nine to 12 years, from primary school through middle school. Yet netizens recently began to discuss the possibility that the high school entrance exam could be canceled.

"Early this year, the Education Ministry, together with three other departments, released a plan to popularize high school nationwide from 2017 to 2020. But that doesn't mean high school will be compulsory or free," the ministry said in a notice online.

"We will continue to focus on making sure young people nationwide can receive high-quality primary and middle school education," it added.
BEIJING -- China's nine years of compulsory education will not be extended to 12 years, the Department of Basic Education of China's Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement was released after recent rumors went viral online, indicating the extension of compulsory education as well as the cancellation of the country's high school entrance exam.

"We are yet to have the conditions to include senior high school in compulsory education," the department said, adding that the main task in terms of senior high school education is for it to meet the needs of more junior high school graduates.

According to the statement, despite the goal for senior high school education to be implemented nationwide by 2020, which was included in a plan issued earlier this year, it does not mean senior high school education will be compulsory and free.

"Promoting high school education is more about making sure students can attend senior high schools," the statement read.

"Our compulsory education is still imbalanced and insufficient," the statement continued, suggesting that there are many important tasks to undertake to improve compulsory education in years to come.

The department also dismissed rumors that the senior high school entrance exam would be canceled.

"We want to cut the number of exams to reduce the pressure on our students," the statement said.
A charity program is going to distribute 100,000 heart attack first aid guidebooks as a support the families of 10,000 heart disease patients.

China is home to 290 million cardiovascular disease patients and the group is at top risk of death compared with other disease sufferers, according to a report on cardiovascular disease in China issued in 2016. The growth of hospitalization costs of Chinese cardiovascular patients has far surpassed the that of GDP since 2004.

Professor Hong Zhaoguang of Beijing Anzhen Hospital said 80 percent of heart attack cases happen in a patient's home. However, most patients miss the first four to six minutes after heart attack symptoms appear due to not knowing first aid or how to respond to a heart attack.

The "golden time" is important because people suspected of having a heart attack have a better chance of recovery if they get treatment within the first hour of the onset of symptoms.

Geng Dezhang, former minister of health, said the program is part of the national campaign for a healthy China and aims to promote scientific and practical solutions to the wellbeing of the Chinese people.

The program is sponsored by Jiankang Shibao and supported by the First Aid Association of Hunan province.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing, capital of China, Dec 5, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Canada should explore new ideas and take measures to achieve substantial progress in bilateral ties.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is paying an official visit to China from Dec 3 to 7.

Welcoming Trudeau on his second China visit since taking office in November 2015, Xi said that frequent visits between Chinese and Canadian leaders play a leading role in the development of bilateral ties.

Xi said that China and Canada complement each other with their respective advantages and enjoy great cooperation potential.

"Enhancing political mutual trust is the prerequisite to the stable development of state-to-state relations," Xi said.

He said that a country's development path could only be decided by its people, and that China and Canada, though having different political systems, could respect each other and seek common ground while reserving differences.

Xi encouraged the two countries to strengthen cooperation and expand exchanges to bring more benefits to the people of both countries.

"China and Canada need to fully tap potential and create more bright spots in cooperation in areas such as energy resources, science and innovation, aviation, finance, modern agriculture and clean technology," Xi said. "China will continue to support capable Chinese enterprises in investing in Canada and welcome Canadian enterprises to take an active part in Belt and Road Initiative."

He also called on both sides to intensify exchanges and deepen relations on education, culture, tourism and sports, and strengthen cooperation on key areas such as climate change and coordination within multilateral frameworks.

He said the two countries need to work together to hold a successful China-Canada Year of Tourism in 2018, adding that China is willing to learn from Canada on hosting Winter Olympic Games.

Trudeau said he agrees with Xi's comments on Canada-China relations.

Recent years have witnessed robust momentum in bilateral cooperation, which has brought benefits to both peoples and sent positive signals to the international community, he said.

Canada is committed to deepening relations with China on the basis of mutual respect and mutual trust, boosting cooperation on economy, trade and people-to-people exchanges and intensifying coordination on major global and regional issues, he said.

Also on Tuesday, Chinese top legislator Zhang Dejiang met with Trudeau at the Great Hall of the People, calling on both sides to give full play to the regular parliamentary exchange mechanism between China and Canada and conduct exchanges on legislation and governance experience so as to promote the healthy development of bilateral ties.
A Shanghai watchdog has found 10 restaurants selling substandard youtiao, fried dough sticks usually eaten for breakfast, according to eastday.com.

Officials from the Shanghai Consumer Council raided 29 popular eateries and reported those using too much oil or fat or the amount of certain indicators exceeding the national standards to the city's Food and Drug Administration.

Five were closed by the FDA for not having a business license, while another five were ordered to come up to code.

One of store in Pudong New District was selling products containing nearly 10 times the allowed level of aluminum residue, which is 100 milligrams per kilogram.

Nine restaurants, including two branches of Xinya Dabao, were blacklisted for not changing the cooking oil regularly.

Tests also showed youtiao from a KFC outlet in Yangpu district contained the highest levels of saturated fatty acid  the excessive intake of which can lead to cardiovascular disease and obesity.

The average amount of saturated fatty acid contained in samples taken from the 29 restaurants was 3.5 grams, but the KFC product contained 6.8 grams.

In addition to KFC and Xinya Dabao, branches of McDonald's, Yonghe King and Taoyuan Village were also inspected.
A former heroin addict has accused the center for disease control in Chengdu, Sichuan province, of wrongly diagnosing him as HIV positive, thepaper.cn has reported.

Zhong Xiaowei, 54, said he tested positive after a premarital checkup in late 2008, which destroyed his relationship and left his life in tatters.

He decided to stop taking his medication in 2009, but when his condition did not worsen, he underwent another test at Sichuan University's West China Hospital on Dec 25, 2015.

The result came back negative, as did a second test a month later handled by the CDC in the city's Jinniu district, according to the report.

Chengdu CDC told thepaper.cn that in 2008 it was only qualified to give a preliminary result, and that confirmation was made by the provincial CDC, which said it has retested the original sample and received the same positive result.

The authorities said they suspect the blood sample may not belong to Zhong, as a mix up may have occurred due to the fact most HIV/AIDS patients at the time did not register with their real ID.

Zhong is reportedly planning to sue the Chengdu and Sichuan CDCs for compensation.
Raising a healthy, stable family sometimes requires moving to a new state. And the reasons are often similar: career transitions, better schools, financial challenges or perhaps a general desire to change settings.

So, where to go? The personal-finance website WalletHub has released its analysis of 2017's Best & Worst States to Raise a Family.

In order to determine the best states in which to put down family roots, WalletHubs analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 40 key indicators of family-friendliness. Data ranges from median family salary to housing affordability to unemployment rate.

Best vs. Worst

 Wyoming has the highest median family annual income (adjusted for cost of living), $79,732, which is 1.7 times higher than in Hawaii, where it is lowest at $48,111.

 Utah has the lowest divorce rate, 16.22 percent, which is 1.8 times lower than in the District of Columbia, where it is highest at 29.81 percent.

 Wyoming has the lowest share of families receiving food stamps, 6.17 percent, which is 3.6 times lower than in the District of Columbia, where it is highest at 22.01 percent.

 New Hampshire has the lowest share of families living below poverty level, 5.6 percent, which is 3.1 times lower than in Mississippi, where it is highest at 17.6 percent.

 Mississippi has the lowest child-care costs (adjusted for median family income), 6.16 percent, which is 2.8 times lower than in the District of Columbia, where they are highest at 17.41 percent.

 California has the lowest infant-mortality rate, 4.30 percent, which is two times lower than in Alabama, where it is highest at 8.68 percent.

 Vermont has the lowest violent-crime rate per 1,000 residents, 1.18, which is 10.8 times lower than in the District of Columbia, where it is highest at 12.69.

Best States for Families 1 North Dakota 2 New Hampshire 3 Vermont 4 Minnesota 5 Nebraska 6 Massachusetts 7 New Jersey 8 Iowa 9 Connecticut 10 South Dakota

Worst States for Families 42 Alabama 43 West Virginia 44 Georgia 45 Arizona 46 Alaska 47 Nevada 48 Louisiana 49 District of Columbia 50 Mississippi 51 New Mexico
Civil affairs authorities in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, have pledged to help an elderly woman who supports her family by selling useful material she collects from garbage piles.

The simple home of Jiang Guiying in Jinniu district, Chengdu, has been frequented by strangers since late November.

They bring food and cash to the 81-year-old, who has managed to support a family of four by collecting useful materials from dustbins in the city for 19 years.

Visitors are moved by her advanced age and strong will to live longer than her loved ones in her family in need of her support.

Jiang has to support herself, her 88-year-old husband Zheng Mingzhi, who suffers from a severe case of tuberculosis; her 58-year-old daughter, Zheng Sulan, who cannot take care of herself in the aftermath of meningitis at the age of six, and her jobless 18-year-old grandson, Tang Zheng.

Jiang also has three sons and a daughter besides Zheng Sulan. They are also living in financially strained circumstances.

The civil affairs bureau in Jinniu district said it would give a certain amount of financial support to Jiang. Meanwhile, it will consult Jiang's other children to increase their support of Jiang and her ill daughter.

It also promised to help Tang Zheng to find a job as soon as possible.

When Jiang was 62, she came to Chengdu with her husband because they could no longer do heavy farm work in their home village of Ziyang, a city in Sichuan.
Saihanba Afforestation Community is awarded UN's highest environmental honor. [Photo by Pan Zhongming/chinadaily.com.cn]

The United Nations on Tuesday awarded three of its highest environmental honors to an environmental project in China, to Shanghai-based Mobike, the world's largest bike-sharing company, and to the chairman of China's largest private green industries enterprise, during the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.

The three are among the six winners of this year's award of the Champions of the Earth. The other three are from Chile and the United States.

"As we face unprecedented threats to our environment, strong leadership at all levels is more important than ever," said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment. "This year's Champions embody the commitment, vision and energy we so desperately need."

Saihanba Afforestation Community from China was awarded the honor in the category of Inspiration and Action due to its efforts to transform degraded land into a lush paradise.

Saihanba, which covers 92,000 hectares, had by the 1950s become barren due to excessive logging, allowing sand to blow into Beijing from the northern deserts.

In 1962, hundreds of foresters began planting trees in the area. Three generations of these foresters have increased forest cover from 11 percent to 80 percent. The forest now supplies 137 million cubic meters of clean water to the Beijing and Tianjin areas each year, while discharging 550,000 metric tons of oxygen. It has spurred economic growth with green sectors, generating $15.1 million in 2016 alone, according to the release from the UN Environment.

"In the 55 years the farm has existed, people have been growing trees and protecting the forest like their own children," said Liu Haiying, director of Saihanba Forest Farm. "I believe that, as long as we continue to promote ecological civilization, generation after generation, China can create more green miracles like Saihanba and achieve harmony between humans and nature."

Mobike was awarded the honor in the category of Entrepreneurial Vision for exploring market-driven solutions to air pollution and climate change.

Wang Wenbiao, chairman of Elion Resources Group, was awarded the honor in the category of Lifetime Achievement for his lifetime of leadership in the green industry. Better known in China as the "Son of the Desert", Wang, 61, is the chairman of China's largest private green industries enterprise, Elion Resources Group

Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile, was awarded the Policy Leadership honor for outstanding leadership in creating marine protected areas and boosting renewable energy. The Science and Innovation honor was given to Dr Paul A. Newman and his team at NASA's Goddard Space Center for outstanding contributions to the Montreal Protocol, which has phased out 99 percent of ozone-depleting substances and led to the healing of the ozone layer. The Inspiration and Action honor was given to Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jeff Orlowski, for his work on spreading powerful environmental messages to a global audience Orlowski is the founder of Exposure Labs, which uses the power of storytelling to create impact.

The annual Champions of the Earth prize, is awarded to outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have had a positive impact on the environment. Since being founded 13 years ago, the awards have recognized 84 laureates  ranging from leaders of nations to grassroots activists  in the categories of policy, science, business and civil society.
China is pleased the United Nations is playing a constructive role in trying to push forward a resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Tuesday.

He made the remark as Jeffrey Feltman, the UN under-secretary-general for political affairs, started a four-day visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea after meeting with Vice-Foreign Minister Li Baodong in Beijing.

Geng said that Li and Feltman exchanged views regarding UN affairs and other issues of common concern.

Feltman arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday afternoon and will discuss issues of mutual interest and concern with DPRK officials, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. He also will meet with the UN in-country team and members of the diplomatic corps, as well as visit UN project sites.

The trip is the first by a high-ranking UN official to the DPRK since former UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos traveled there in October 2011  Feltman's predecessor, B. Lynn Pascoe, visited the DPRK in February 2010.

Chinese experts said Feltman's visit is "necessary and constructive" to ease heightening tensions on the peninsula, and it will help magnify the UN's role in resolving the peninsula's nuclear issue as an international organization.

A week ago, Pyongyang successfully test-fired a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile, which it claimed is capable of striking the entire United States mainland.

Yu Shaohua, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said any party with the will to solve the issue instead of seeking to achieve its own purpose should take advantage of the visit and make practical efforts.

"Having direct contact with the UN official will enable Pyongyang to express its concerns in a more comprehensive way," she said.

Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences, said it takes time for the UN's mediation work to take effect. He said any unnecessary measures, a reference to ongoing military drills between the Republic of Korea and the US, should be halted.

"Diplomatic efforts should not be given up only because of the difficulties, and this requires sincerity from all directly involved parties," he said.

Contact the writers at mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn
President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Tuesday in Beijing. Xi said he will support investment in Canada and invited the North American nation to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. XIE HUANCHI / XINHUA

Xi tells Trudeau that gains outweigh political differences

China and Canada should enhance practical cooperation in areas such as energy, resources, technological innovation and aviation, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.

China will continue to support domestic companies investing in Canada, and it also welcomes Canadian companies to collaborate on the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi said in a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

"In general, we both have our own advantages, and our cooperation is complementary," Xi told Trudeau.

The president called for more cooperation in finance, modern agriculture and the clean technology sectors. The two countries should enhance people-to-people exchanges in areas including education, culture, tourism and sports, he said.

Trudeau's official visit to China began on Sunday and concludes Thursday, during which he attended the second meeting of the Annual Dialogue Between the Chinese Premier and the Canadian Prime Minister.

"Such close contact between Chinese and Canadian leaders is of great importance to the development of China-Canada relations," Xi said, adding that Trudeau's schedule is "busy and productive".

Xi highlighted the importance of boosting mutual political trust, saying that it is the premise for the stable development of diplomatic relations. A country's development path can only be decided by the people of the country, he said.

Although China and Canada have different political systems, Xi said, the two sides can respect each other, seek common ground while setting aside disagreements, enhance cooperation and enlarge exchanges, thus creating more benefits to the people of both sides.

The two countries should make joint efforts to prepare for the 2018 China-Canada Tourism Year, Xi said. As it prepares to hostthe 2022 Winter Olympics, China would like to learn from Canada's experiences, he added.

Xi also proposed more cooperation in such important areas as climate change and more coordination under a multilateral framework.

Trudeau said Canada is dedicated to developing relations with China on the basis of mutual respect and trust. The two countries should increase their cooperation in economy, trade and people-to-people exchanges and enhance communication on major global and regional issues, he said.

China-Canada cooperation has grown with a strong momentum in recent years, Trudeau said. This has not only brought real benefits to both sides, but also sent positive signals to the international community, he said.

On Monday, Trudeau and Premier Li Keqiang had their second annual dialogue. They agreed to discuss the feasibility of a China-Canada free trade agreement.

The two countries issued a joint statement on climate change and clean growth and signed three cooperative documents on education, food safety and energy.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn
A Chinese tourist group began a visit to South Korea on Saturday, eight months after package tours were halted because of a diplomatic dispute sparked by the US military's deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in the country.

The tourist group of 32 people from Beijing will spend five days in Seoul, according to Sun Lichan, director of the marketing department of Haitao Travel, the tourism company that organized the trip.

Any industry related to Lotte Group will be avoided in the company's new travel schedules, Sun said. The Lotte Duty Free Shop, a former popular shopping spot for Chinese tourists, will be replaced by the Shilla Duty Free Shop.
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage and internet giant Baidu signed cooperation agreement on Monday in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, to have a better online platform introducing cultural heritage.

According to the agreement, reached at the ongoing 4th World Internet Conference, more than 2,000 online digital museums will be created by combining efforts from both sides within the next three years.

The state administration will collect information from museums all over the country as a preparation to establish such huge database. Baidu is to release industry criteria on online digital museum, and select some museums to be promoted globally.

And, about one million entries about cultural relics on Baidu Baike, which is a Chinese counterpart of Wikipedia, will be enhanced in the three years. Other co-produced multimedia channels, such as short videos, are to follow and enable the public to get more knowledge of cultural relics from professionals.
[Photo provided to China Daily]

Six Centuries of Art, an exhibition on now at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing through Sunday, reviews artistic creations since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) of the historic city of Suzhou and its neighboring areas in East China's Jiangsu province.

It begins with an important showcase of classic ink-brush works from the Wumen School which arose from Suzhou, historically called the land of Wu.

Wumen is hailed as one of the most influential painting schools in Chinese art history. Leading artists include the "four great painters of Ming"  Shen Zhou, Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming and Qiu Ying. Their style influenced several succeeding artists include the "four great painters surnamed Wang" of the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)  Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, Wang Hui and Wang Yuanqi.

The exhibition shows representative works of these painters on loan from Beijing's Palace Museum.

Throughout the 20th century, Suzhou has produced generations of artists who revolutionized the art of Chinese painting by incorporating oil painting techniques, and who are devoted to the art education of modern China.

Pioneering painters such as Wu Hufan, Yan Wenliang and Pang Xunqin are featured at the exhibition.
A painting by Zong Qixiang. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) in Beijing recently received a donation of 71 paintings created by Zong Qixiang (1917-99), an established painter and educator, from his family.

It was the family's second donation since they gave 36 ink-brush paintings and watercolors of Zong to the same museum in 2005.

A selection of these artworks is now on show at an exhibition at NAMOC through Sunday.

The exhibition, Born to Painting, marks the centennial anniversary of Zong's birth.

The works on display include Zong's most famous ink-brush series of Chongqing's night view. He began the exploration when he took shelter in the city some 78 years ago during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggressions (1931-45).

He applied varying shades of ink and also, he adopted the liubai (leaving blanks) technique to indicate the graduation of brightness in dark night. He was thus able to show the twinkling lights of Chongqing, the houses layering on the mountain slopes, the ragged hilly paths and chaotic streets.

All through his life, Zong embraced a deep love of nature which eventually burst upon his strokes.

He once told his students at the Central Academy of Fine Arts that, "If you see the world from the perspective of other people, without the critical thinking of yourself, you will end up being nobody".
Poster of the exhibition. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An Ethos of Fortitude - The Exhibition in Commemoration of Pan Tianshou's 120th Anniversary, opened Friday at the Zhejiang Art Museum in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. The exhibition is the largest presentation of Pan's works, with over 120 pieces of his artwork and manuscripts.

Pan Tianshou was a master of Chinese painting and an educator on art in the 20th century. He was born in Zhejiang province, and later took up positions as president of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now the China Academy of Art), vice-president of the China Artists Association and vice-president of the Xiling Seal Engravers Society.
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Puyuan town in Zhejiang province's Tongxiang city is bustling with people involved in woolen business. [Photo by Gao Erqang/China Daily]

Individual stores or plazas are filled with shops selling woolen clothing, everywhere you go in Puyuan in Zhejiang province. Yang Feiyue reports.

A town that does not have big sheep-raising tradition or wool trade has managed to grow into the nation's biggest wool clothing production site.

Everywhere you go in Puyuan in Zhejiang province's Tongxiang city, individual stores or plazas filled with shops selling woolen clothing and other textile products are in evidence.

Approximately 6,000 wool clothing producers have settled in the 64-square-kilometer town, and they supply up to 70 percent of all the woolen clothing in the country, says Qian Juanting, a senior official with the Puyuan government.

Puyuan's wool industry began to take shape in 1976 when a local cooperative bought three manual flat knitting machines.

Locals found making wool clothing lucrative in the early 1980s, and family workshops soon sprung up.

Then, people began to set up shop on the streets and peddle their products, which served as a prototype for today's big-scale wool products market.

The number of wool clothing companies was 373 in 1988, and that of individual business was 259.

They could produce 2.7 million pieces of clothing annually, which has made Puyuan the home of China's wool clothing production.

Chen Jiangen from Yonglian village in Puyuan was one of the first that joined the army of wool clothing dealers back then.

He left his village home and came to Puyuan's downtown area to look for opportunities that year.

He soon settled into the wool clothing business.

"People around me were either producing the wool clothing or selling it," he says.

Chen then began to learn to make the wool clothing.

"My aunt and her husband both worked at a local wool clothing plant, and they had an idle weaving machine at home. So, I began to try my hand," says Chen.

"I learned from an experienced worker who worked with my aunt, and took apart clothes that failed to meet standards and remade them from scratch," he says.

Chen then bought his first box of yarn with a loan of 3,000 yuan ($454) and managed to make 50 pieces of clothing.

He would visit hotels and sell his products to guests, most of whom were textile buyers from northeastern China on their way to Shanghai.

Chen sold his first batch of clothes in a week and raked in a 300 yuan profit. That was several times the amount one could make in an entire month.

Chen was then motivated to invest more in his business.

He rented three two-story houses for clothing production in 1992. This was when locals began to turn their houses facing the street into shops.

The next year, he bought his first shop with 3,000 yuan. The shop still exists today.

Chen did not look back, and his business has expanded over the years.
ALIBABA, China's e-commerce giant, said it will invest 10 billion yuan ($1.51 billion) for poverty alleviation over the next five years. Rednet.cn commented on Monday:

Some people say that poverty alleviation should not be an enterprise's business or responsibility. But quite a few enterprises engage in poverty relief.

Statistics from the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce show 26,500 companies spent a total of 46.55 billion yuan last year helping 3.89 million people living in poverty.

There are no contradictions between making money and undertaking corporate social responsibility projects to help the poor. Charity activities help companies to promote their products and services in the market.

Alibaba is making efforts to expand its e-commerce services, platforms and logistics to some remote rural areas to help local inhabitants sell their agricultural products online. This will require it to make huge inputs at first. But if successful, Alibaba will make money. It is a win-win initiative.

But what Alibaba did not mention is its rural development plan relies heavily on the government making huge infrastructure investments to build roads and expand internet access.

China has pledged to eliminate rural poverty by 2020. The previously poor villagers will thus become newcomers in the e-commerce market after they bid farewell to poverty. It is clear that Alibaba has started cultivating not only its customers but also e-commerce consumers through its "poverty relief" efforts.

Thus, it is too naive to worry that Alibaba distract attention from its proper business to poverty relief. What it will do is, try to kill multiple birds with one stone.

Despite this, its strategy will provide valuable opportunities to the farmers, and it is almost predictable that more companies will follow suit and expand to the poverty-stricken rural areas. And their involvement in poverty alleviation is indispensable to realize the government's zero-poverty objective by 2020.


Nearly six out of 10 Africans today are below the age of 25 and by the middle of this century, one in four people in the world will be an African. But last year, about 5,000 migrants, mainly Africans, drowned in the Mediterranean on their way to seek shelter in Europe.

These figures were highlighted by European Union leaders at the Africa-EU summit in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, on Nov 29-30 which was focused on cooperationinvesting in youth and tackling illegal migration.

In simple terms, ensuring that African children do not drop out of school and college graduates get suitable jobs in their own countries is the best way to ease the migration pressure on the EU.

Facing the challenge of a different nature, an aging population to be precise, the EU leaders said investing in the youth can help the African countries tap into the potential of their demographic dividend. The emphasis is welcome, as China's experience shows that a country with a per capita GDP of less than $200 can develop into a relatively prosperous economy with a per capita GDP of more than $8,000 within four decades if its development policy is suitable and effective.

Apart from the emphasis on investing in the youth, the EU also adopted an "External Investment Plan", which mainly covers Africa and its neighboring countries to the East last year, to leverage investment from various sectors.

Basically, the EU's African policy has been changing to meet the challenges created by the financial and debt crises and the "Arab Spring". The EU has enough reasons to deepen its relations with Africatheir historic, colonial link being onein order to meet Europe's multiple challenges as well as to bring African countries into the global economic chain.

The EU's high-tech capacity and education hubs can help the African people realize their dreams. But since many Africans are still struggling to cope with hunger and conflicts, and most of the continents' economies are fragile, the EU has to work with the international community to overcome these challenges and ensure Africa develops smoothly. And helping the two sides in this endeavor is the responsibility of all the global powers.

The reality is that the West, thanks to some Western powers' military interventions, should share part of the blame for the conflicts in Africa. Such interventions must end, and the EU should make concerted efforts to ensure that.

And while helping the Africans, the Europeans should respect the sovereignty of the continents' countries. Many EU politicians in Brussels have always been keen to promote "European values and economic systems" in Africa. The sharing of ideas and plans is welcome, but while doing so politicians should remember there is no one-size-fits-all economic development model and each country should decide its development path according to its national conditions.

Besides, Europe's development model itself faces problems. So the EU, which has benefited from China's demographic dividends by setting up factories in the fast-growing economy, can now learn from China's experiences in Africa.

The EU has been more open than the US in sharing high-tech applications with China. It has also invested in numerous capacity-building projects in China, which further strengthened the EU-China partnership. Perhaps the EU should do the same in Africa.

Capital, technology and good management are crucial for economic development in the initial stages. In this regard, the EU, apart from providing capital and technology input, should also train Africans in the art of professional management.

Just like the EU joined hands with China to establish a management school in Shanghai in the 1990s, it can work with China to help Africans to realize their potentials. The world's leading economies joining hands to help the Africans to achieve economic prosperity would be an added bonus for the African continent.

The author is deputy chief of China Daily European Bureau.
Ma Xuejing/China Daily

The State Council, China's Cabinet, recently decided to transfer 10 percent equity shares of State-owned enterprises and financial institutions to the National Council for Social Security Fund. A pilot program for such transfers will be launched in some central SOEs by the end of this year, and gradually extended to other SOEs.

Under certain circumstances, the NCSSF could establish a pension fund management company to independently use the transferred assets. The council can receive only equities and earn dividends on them but cannot take part in the management of the SOEs or financial institutions concerned.

This is the third round of reform aimed at transferring SOEs' assets to the NCSSF since 2001, when the central government first decided to reduce its holdings in SOEs to raise funds for the NCSSF. The second round of reform was launched in 2009.

But the reform this time is bigger, because the first two rounds of share transfers related only to partial IPO shares or additional shares.

The central government has transferred the shares of SOEs and financial institutions to the NCSSF several times to narrow the widening gap between the social security fund and increasing financial pressure in recent years due to the aging population. For instance, in 2014, the nationwide premium for urban employees' basic pension insurance was 2.04 trillion yuan ($308.3 billion), whereas the old-age pension was 2.18 trillion yuan. In 2015, the annual overall premium increased to 2.3 trillion yuan, but the pension amount increased to 2.58 trillion yuan. And last year, the annual overall premium rose to 2.68 trillion yuan, but the pension amount soared to 3.19 trillion yuan.

In the past three years, the growth rates of national pension insurance premium were much lower than those of old-age pension, indicating an ever-increasing fiscal subsidy for pension.

Established in 1997, China's basic pension insurance system for urban employees is different from that of Western countries, which was implemented after World War II, because in China it is used to pay old-age pension to retired employees, most of whom didn't pay any pension insurance premium before. In some countries, such as the United States and Canada, the basic old-age pension insurance fund didn't have to bear the historical burden like China does.

The recent document issued by the State Council says the purpose of transferring State-owned assets in this round of reform is to bridge the gap in pension funds, in order to ensure equality between different generations of employees.

The transfer of State-owned assets to the NCSSF will help reduce the financial and premium burden on those paying pension insurance premium today. The current amount of State-owned capital is 147 trillion yuan. If we deduct the assets of some special SOEs, State-owned institutions such as public welfare-oriented enterprises and noncommercial financial institutions from the overall State-owned assets, the estimated State-owned assets transferred to the NCSSF is likely to reach 10 trillion yuan. And the dividend large-scale State-owned shares earn can basically offset the gap between annual pension insurance premium and old-age pension expenditure.

The reform, however, faces many challenges. For instance, SOEs should take the asset transfer into consideration before making any significant changes such as those related to shareholding, restructuring and listing in the market.

Moreover, it is important to establish a reasonable dividend mechanism, and the shares transferred to the NCSSF should be managed independently, which requires specific regulation on State-owned asset management and collection. When the nationwide pension insurance system is unified, the relationship between the central and local governments in terms of financial and administrative powers should be further coordinated and regulated.

Transferring State-owned shares to the NCSSF is a significant part of supply-side structural reform, which reflects the new idea, new thought and new strategy of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, with Xi Jinping as the core, for national governance. It will benefit the people and enhance their sense of gain, laying a solid social foundation for promoting socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

The author is director of the Center for International Social Security Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.


On Dec 1, the United States formally informed the World Trade Organization that it opposes granting China market economy status. This breaches its promise that China would automatically be granted market economy status by 2016.

According to that promise, since China joined the WTO in 2001, it should have been granted the market economy status by the end of 2016, the same treatment that is enjoyed by more than 160 member economies. It has long been clear that trade and economic relations between the US and China will not develop smoothly during the US presidency of Donald Trump.

This was reinforced during his recent trip to Asia, when he failed to express his support for the world trade system. On the contrary, in speech after speech, Trump denounced the WTO and the multilateral trade and investment arrangements that the US established following World War II to regulate conflicts among economic competitors.

The WTO is the global trading body that administers the rules that govern cross-border commerce and presides over negotiations aimed at further trade liberalization. But Trump sees the rulings of a Geneva-based group of experts as an infringement upon US authority. During his Asia trip, Trump categorically vowed to "aggressively defend American sovereignty over trade policy", pursue an uncompromising "America First" agenda that requires every country to substantially reduce its trade surpluses with the US.

When the US opens up its own markets, other countries tend to do the same. If the US were to embrace protectionism, other countries would follow suit. If Trump discards the WTO before he finishes bilateral trade facilitation agreements, it would be a disaster for the US internationally. There are no bilateral free-trade agreements between the US and seven of its top 10 trade partners. When the US leaves the WTO, it will find that it is totally isolated and trapped among trade barriers and disputes that the WTO is striving to eliminate and mediate.

What is anticipated now is a US attack on the global trading system. China believes such a move will come soon.

As a prelude, on Nov 28, the US Commerce Department launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese alloy aluminum sheet imports, the first time such investigations have been initiated by the government in decades.

As to why the US refuses to grant China the market economy status, there are two interpretations: First, the US wants to use it as a tool to combat Chinese companies, since not granting China market economy status would allow Washington to maintain high anti-dumping duties on Chinese goods, which would put the viability of some Chinese industries at risk.

Second, the US wants to form a coalition with the European Union against China. WTO hearings of China's "non-market economy" dispute with the EU is around the corner, and a statement of the US' opposition to granting China market economy status was submitted as a third-party brief in support of the EU' s case.

Obviously, the US and the EU are blind to the great achievements in reform that China has made since joining the WTO. Now the prices and costs in China are determined under market economy conditions. At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China it was decided to let the market play the decisive role in the allocation of resources.

China will negotiate a solution with the US and the EU, but it will be very difficult, considering the complexity of market economy status. Meanwhile, China will continue to file complaints to the WTO. Whether the WTO will respond positively and draw an objective conclusion is sure to influence its credibility.

The author is a research fellow and director of the Division of American Economic Studies at the Institute of American Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
MORE THAN 1,000 CANCER PATIENTS in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, reportedly invested in a local company promising an annualized return rate of 13 percent and funding for a recovery program. However, those behind the company fled after taking their money. Beijing News comments:

The company is not registered to attract public deposits, and this means it has already broken the law.

Besides, some suggest the company was not a genuine business, but rather a scam.

More detailed reports also show that some patients decided to invest because the program boasted the support of local officials. It is not yet clear whether the local officials intentionally "supported" the company. If yes, they deserve punishment for that.

Therefore, we call for both the local police and the local disciplinary departments to probe the case. And if it was a case of fraud, when the fraudsters are sentenced they need to face severe penalties, because many of the cancer patients invested the money they should have spent on their treatment.

That means those involved may be guilty of causing the deaths of some of the patients. If anyone is found guilty of any wrongdoing, it is to be hoped this fact is taken into consideration, because the value of human life should be highlighted.
Delegates attend the Fourth World Internet Conference in the water town of Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang province, Dec 3, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The fourth World Internet Conference (WIC) opened Dec 3 in the ancient town of Wuzhen in Zhejiang, China. In this unassuming little ancient town, the past and future world meet together, history joins technology to fuse the present with the future. The internet is the future, considered the fourth industrial revolution  one that China will not miss out on this time, as the country is deeply involved in charting the course of this amazing innovation that would forge a common destiny for humankind.

The theme of the Conference said it all: "Developing digital economy for openness and shared benefits -- building a community of common future in cyberspace". The rapid advancement of the internet and its pervasive penetration across the world and to every remote corner of the earth, changing lives and how industries operate, is only the beginning of the power of the internet. The world is never the same again. Businesses are never the same again, as communication, transportation, retail, education, logistics, medicine, trade and industry, finance and banking are all changing. The internet is reshaping everything in every way possible to better improve business operations and efficiency with hyper speed.

The internet has developed an industry of its own, known as the digital economy, and also supports the real economy. The internet has even carved out its own niche in warfare involving satellites, robots, artificial intelligence and super computers. Cyber warfare is a major field of military science and strategy arising from the use of the internet and cyberspace; so is cyber espionage.

The WIC will discuss how the internet can continue to develop and to improve the lives of all people across the world. Many new initiatives, concepts and innovations will be revealed and introduced during the conference to harness the immense potential power of the internet, which is really in its early stages of application. In its few decades of existence, the internet is already touching all aspects of life and all people in a world of instant gratification. Everything is moving at light speed, a pace never before known. The modern world would literally come to a standstill without the internet.

There are many challenges with the advent of the internet. To ensure that the internet continues to function smoothly and efficiently, the perpetual problems of securing the internet as well as the safety of the internet and protection of users would again be key topics of discussion at the fourth WIC. The internet needs protection to be allowed to function at peak efficiency without breaking down or being crippled by hostile parties with criminal intent and destructive agendas. These include hacking, scams, spamming, fake news, ransomware and internet warfare, all intent on immobilizing the internet. The security of goods and services and users has never been so threatened before. A concerted effort by governments of the world to police and ensure internet security is of paramount importance and increasing urgency. Will the internet experts and community at Wuzhen rise to the occasion to tackle these serious problems of the internet and arrive at some action plans?

The fourth World Internet Conference has many serious topics for discussion. It will be important for the participating countries and delegates to have something on the table regarding the security of the internet and cyberspace, such as a set of protocols, code of conduct, and regulations and laws to regulate the internet. The internet is now too big to be left alone to evolve on its own without a formal body or authority to regulate its use and activities. Internet governance is long overdue.

China has raised the concept of cyber sovereignty similar to territorial sovereignty. With a big mix of countries of different political systems and stages of development, cyber sovereignty is gaining recognition and importance in how the internet should be regulated worldwide. No country should be allowed a free hand to determine how the internet should be governed and impose its values on other sovereign states. No country should be allowed to conduct political espionage and cyber terrorism against other states using the internet. Hopefully a consensus can be reached to establish a world body to oversee and to protect the development of the internet and the digital economy. A better and more connected world can only be positive for humankind, with each and every state, big and small, having a say in its governance, with sovereignty in cyberspace protected and respected.

The author is a political observer from Singapore.
[Photo provided to China Daily]

The German National Tourist Board recently held a promotional event in Beijing to introduce the unique shopping experience the country offers to Chinese visitors.

Official data shows that the number of overnight stays by Chinese tourists to Germany reached about 1.87 million in January to August this year, an increase of 11.7 percent over the same period last year.

Ingolstadt Village and Wertheim Village are two designer shopping outlets that are 50 minutes by road from Munich and Frankfurt respectively, each with more than 110 shops featuring a variety of German and international brands.

To attract more Chinese customers, German tourism officials say they are offering shuttle bus services, Chinese language brochures and shopping guides, and convenient tax-refund services. They say Chinese customers like to buy German brands due to their reputation for quality.

According to the tourism shopping tax refund company Global Blue, Germany ranked fourth in Europe for sales in tax-free shopping in February 2016, with a market share of 10.1 percent.

Chinese tourists remained the countrys largest shopper group for tax-free commodities, accounting for 39 percent of the German market. Visitors from China like to buy fashion goods and apparel the most, and Munich and Frankfurt were their favorite shopping destinations.
An aerial view of the villages. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Near the ancient water town of Wuzhen, the scenic villages of Maming and Haihua provide the perfect destinations for travelers seeking a taste of authentic rural life. Xing Yi reports.

While most people in Tongxiang city in East China's Zhejiang province are still nestled beneath the covers at 3 am, Tu Yuanqing and his father Tu Bingfa are already up on their feet, arranging cups, boiling water and preparing tea leaves.

The doors to their rustic, cozy teahouse in Maming village open just half an hour later. By 4 am, the space is a hive of activity as elderly residents, most of them aged 60 and above, chat animatedly with one another while sipping cups of tea and smoking cigarettes. Some villagers can also be found playing mahjong in a small room illuminated by a solitary light bulb.

This tea party for the elderly ends at 8 am, the time the villagers begin their day in the fields. But there is no official closing time for the teahouse - the Tu family lives in the same building.

Located at a 30-minute drive from the ancient water town of Wuzhen, Maming village is the polar opposite of the famed tourist destination. There are hardly any crowds here. The old houses are not as well maintained. There are no bright colorful lights that flank the walkways.

Time seems to stand still in the village, making it the perfect day-trip destination for travelers who want an authentic experience of rural life.

Here, tea is not just a beverage, but a way of life. The street that the Tu teahouse is on may only be 50 meters long, but there are three other similar establishments. Not that anyone really cares about the competition. After all, there is little profit to be made from such a business. A pot of black tea costs only 1 yuan (15 cents). They sell between 50 and 60 pots every morning. What he earns in one morning is not even enough to buy him a ticket into Wuzhen.
China said it is regrettable that tensions on the Korean Peninsula have intensified after a period of stability, and called for parties to abide by UN Security Council resolutions.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remark on Monday as Seoul and Washington kicked off their largest-ever air force exercise after Pyongyang's latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov 29.

"Tensions resurfaced on the peninsula after two months of relative calm, and all related parties didn't catch the window of opportunity that China has appealed for them to take advantage of. China feels regret about it," Wang said at a joint news conference with his Mongolian counterpart in Beijing.

The foreign minister also said that while China takes an open-minded attitude toward solutions to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, all parties should jointly abide by the regulations and spirit of Security Council resolutions.

"The resolutions represent the common will of the international community, and they are the global duties that should be followed by all members," Wang said.

Proposals that do not conform to, or measures not in the resolutions, lack an international legal basis and harm the legitimate rights and interests of Security Council members, he added.

The Republic of Korea and the United States started the five-day Vigilant Ace air combat exercise in Seoul on Monday, involving over 230 warplanes and about 12,000 military personnel, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Pyongyang said on Sunday that the drill would push the already acute situation to the brink of nuclear war, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Monday that China hoped all parties will do more to help ease tensions and avoid provoking each other.

China has put forward a dual-track approach and "suspension for suspension" initiative to address the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

The suspension-for-suspension proposal calls on Pyongyang to pause its missile and nuclear activities, and calling on Washington and Seoul to put joint military drills on hold.

Wang Junsheng, an expert on Korean Peninsula affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said no party will win by continually flexing its muscles.

Contact the writers at mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn
AUBURN  In June, 27-year-old Matthew DeSimone messaged someone he thought was a preteen girl named Hannah and set up a meeting. The two were to meet at the Fingerlakes Mall in Aurelius, and DeSimone planned to have sex with her. But when he arrived, it was actually a state trooper who was waiting.

That's what DeSimone told Judge Mark Fandrich Tuesday in Cayuga County Court.

Dressed in a suit and tie, DeSimone pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree attempted rape, a class E felony. During his plea, DeSimone admitted he thought he was messaging a 12-year-old girl and had hoped to engage her in sex; however, he later discovered it was a trooper with New York State Police.

DeSimone could face up to four years in prison, but Fandrich agreed to sentence him to six months in Cayuga County Jail and 10 years probation. Fandrich said DeSimone will also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from jail.

DeSimone, of 51 Maple St. Auburn, will remain out on $2,500 cash bail. His sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 13.

Also in court:

 An Auburn man admitted violating an order of protection this summer when he slapped and imprisoned a 28-year-old woman at her home.

Ronald Ostrander, 28, of 35 Cayuga St., was arrested Aug. 31 after a physical altercation at Oak Creek Town Homes. At the time, the Auburn Police Department said Ostrander chased the victim down and dragged her back to her apartment where he broke her cellphone. The woman had an order of protection put in place against Ostrander earlier in the year.

Ostrander was initially charged with contempt as well as second-degree unlawful imprisonment and fourth-degree criminal mischief, both misdemeanors. However, Fandrich allowed him to plead guilty to the felony in full satisfaction of the charges.

Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann said Ostrander slapped the woman in the face and hit her in the arms and ribs before she escaped to a neighbor's apartment to call police. She allegedly suffered minor injuries and did not require treatment.

Ostrander could face up to four years in prison, but Fandrich agreed to sentence him to five years probation. Ostrander will have to successfully complete Auburn Behavioral Health Court as a condition of his probation.

Meanwhile, Ostrander was released on his own recognizance. His sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 13.

 An Auburn woman was sentenced to prison Tuesday for selling cocaine in Cayuga County.

Lorie Wentworth, 29, of 6 Holley St., pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance in October. At that time, she said she sold cocaine to someone in Auburn on April 4, 2016.

At sentencing Tuesday, the district attorney said Wentworth was a "decent-sized dealer," noting that she sold narcotics with her significant other.

"It seems she and her co-defendant were busy," Budelmann said.

A second felony offender, Wentworth was previously convicted of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance in 2012 and two counts of third-degree robbery in 2008. Her defense attorney, Jonis Strods, said a long history of drug abuse drove Wentworth to commit crime.

"She realizes she has issues and she can't deal with them herself," Strods said.

Wentworth apologized to her family and thanked the court for giving her a chance to change her life. She was sentenced to three years in prison plus three years post-release supervision.

Fandrich also included a shock camp order, which would allow Wentworth to serve her sentence in a boot-camp-style setting while getting substance abuse treatment. She was also ordered to pay $160 in restitution to the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force.
People protest US President Donald Trump's travel ban outside of the US Court of Appeals in Seattle, the US state of Washington, on May 15, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

WASHINGTON - The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed the third version of the Trump administration's travel ban to take effect, impacting citizens of eight countries from entering the United States.

The ruling lifted restrictions imposed by lower courts on the travel ban, which bars all citizens of Syria, Iran, Chad, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as well as certain officials from Venezuela from entering the United States.

"In light of its decision to consider the case on an expedited basis, we expect that the Court of Appeals will render its decision with appropriate dispatch," the Supreme Court said in the ruling.

The travel ban, released in September, was the third version by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration said the ban was needed to ensure national security, while critics said it was a form of religious discrimination as most of the countries impacted by the ban are Muslim majorities.
Brigitte Macron, wife of the French president, French Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Chinese vice-foreign minister Zhang Yesui (2ndL) and former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, attend a naming ceremony of the panda born at the Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, France, Dec 4, 2017. The 4-month-old cub is called Yuan Meng, which means "the realization of a wish" or "accomplishment of a dream." [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS - Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, revealed the name of the panda baby, the first-ever cub born in the country, at a naming ceremony at a zoo in central France on Monday.

Joined by Chinese officials, Brigitte Macron, who is also the new panda's godmother, announced that the four-month-old cub's name was Yuan Meng.

Born on Aug 4, the baby panda had been called as "Mini Yuan Zi," referring to his father Yuan Zi, who arrived with his female partner Huan Huan in central France's Beauval zoo in January 2012.

"Yuan Meng is the energetic and vigorous fruit of the Franco-Chinese friendship," said Macron.

"Yuan Meng and his parents are the illustration of a dialogue that has always been fruitful between our two countries who, for centuries, have got along and understood each other," she added.

The panda baby who will return home to China at the age of three, can be seen by visitors to the zoo as of Jan 13.

On Aug 4, Huan Huan gave birth to twin cubs, the first panda babies born in France. She took care of the first cub immediately after its birth, but abandoned the first after the second cub was born, a common practice among pandas.

In the wild, female pandas raise only one cub, the "strongest", the one that has the most chances of survival.

There are about 2,000 pandas in the world. They are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
A stable, healthy relationship between China and Japan conforms to the shared interests of the two countries, former vice-premier Zeng Peiyan said in Tokyo on Monday.

"Chinese leaders attach great importance to developing relations with Japan," added Zeng, who is now chairman of the nongovernmental organization China Center for International Economic Exchanges. "Economic and trade cooperation is one of their shared interests and is believed to be 'a ballast stone' for stabilizing bilateral relations."

Zeng is in Tokyo for the third round of a dialogue between Chinese and Japanese business leaders and former high-ranking officials, which kicked off on Monday.

"We hope that the two countries will continue to strengthen mutual trust and create a more favorable political climate for economic and trade cooperation," he said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said China and Japan have an inseparable relationship. At their meetings in October, leaders of the two countries reached the consensus on consolidating the momentum to move China-Japan ties forward, deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation on all fronts and jointly exploring the third-party markets.

As China and Japan will observe the 40th anniversary of their Treaty of Peace and Friendship next year, Abe said the two countries should develop high-level contacts and join hands to deal with the huge investment demand for Asia's infrastructure facilities.

Applauding the dialogue for playing an increasingly important role in promoting practical cooperation between the two countries, Abe said he hoped this round of talks will give the bilateral economic and trade cooperation a shot in the arm.

Sadayuki Sakakibara, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, known as Keidanren, said the dialogue came at the right moment.

In 2015, the CCIEE and Keidanren jointly initiated the dialogue, which has served as part of the Track II diplomacy to move bilateral ties forward. Seventy former high-ranking officials, business leaders and scholars will discuss new approaches to developing cooperation. It concludes on Tuesday.

caihong@chinadaily.com.cn
China is poised in the new era to deepen its relationship with the United States in their shared pursuit of a better world, and bilateral exchanges among political parties should play a bigger role, veteran politicians and strategists said on Monday in Beijing at a dialogue between the Communist Party of China and US political parties.

Song Tao, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, said the dialogue offers a chance to put into practice several crucial consensuses to strengthen bilateral ties reached between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump during the US leader's first visit to China last month.

The 10th US-China Political Party Leaders Dialogue, attended by some 50 delegates from both countries, came under the framework of the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, which concluded on Sunday. Attendees on the US side were from both the controlling Republican Party and the Democratic Party, as well as from leading think tanks.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, written into the Party Constitution during the 19th CPC National Congress in October, will inject fresh dynamism into the relationship, Song said.

Speaking highly of the 19th CPC National Congress and the just-concluded gathering between world political parties in Beijing, Ross Perot Jr., chairman of the EastWest Institute, a global security nonprofit organization, said Monday's dialogue "cannot be more well-timed". He hailed the congress as showcasing China's vision to advance social development in the next five years.

Alphonso Jackson, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said success is a "two-way street", and dialogue and exchanges will lead to agreements. "I believe we have much to learn from each other," he said.

cuishoufeng@chinadaily.com.cn
Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh gestures as he arrives to a rally in Sanaa, Feb 27, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

SANAA - A senior Houthi official confirmed to Xinhua on Monday that former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his nephew, relatives and the general secretary of Saleh's party were killed.

"Saleh and his party's Assistant General Secretary Yasser al-Awadhi were killed on Monday morning while they were trying to escape through Khawlan district on the southeastern outskirts of Sanaa on their way to escape to Saudi-backed government-controlled Marib province," the official confirmed to Xinhua.

"Saleh's nephew Tarek was killed also early Monday morning in his home in Haddah quarter in the capital Sanaa," the official said.

"Saleh's party's General Secretary Arif al-Zuka was also killed in Sanaa," the official added.

The security situation and clashes in the capital Sanaa and surrounding provinces have eased.

Meanwhile, Saudi-led coalition warplanes were still hovering over the capital.
Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, shakes hands with Dong Wenjun, Vice-President of Sina Weibo, after signing the strategic partnership at UN Environment Assembly. Provided to China Daily

Nairobi, Kenya - UN Environment has signed a strategic partnership with Sina Weibo, China's biggest social media network, in order to amplify its campaigns on pollution and other urgent environmental issues in the world's most populous nation.

The partnership agreement signed on Monday at the UN Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, means UN Environment's campaigns will reach millions more people through social media in China. It also demonstrates Weibo's strong commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development.

"Weibo's tremendous reach and expertise in social media will make it a valuable partner in cleaning up our seas and putting us on track towards a pollution-free planet," said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment. "Weibo has a great track record on environmental sustainability, and is an example of how aware China and its people are of the need for environmental protection and international cooperation."

"Supporting UN Environment to protect the Earth and its natural systems appeals to our strong sense of corporate citizenship," said Dong Wenjun, Vice-President of Weibo. "Together we can promote deeper understanding of environmental problems and solutions, and motivate more people to take action."

Under the agreement, UN Environment and Weibo will work together to promote and amplify environmental issues and UN Environment content. They will also cooperate in content creation, resource mobilization and analysis of how people in China relate to environmental sustainability.

Weibo has already supported several UN Environment campaigns across its networks in recent years, including World Environment Day and World Wildlife Day. In 2016, Weibo named UN Environment's Wild for Life among the top 10 most influential advocacy campaigns.

Solheim and Dong signed the agreement during the third meeting of the UN Environment Assembly, the highest-level decision-making body on the environment. The assembly is taking place under the theme "Towards a pollution-free planet." After the ceremony, Weibo presented a video showing how they have already collected more than 200,000 pledges for the #BeatPollution campaign.
For the Third United Nations Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, people show their dedication to nature in a ride organized by Chinese bike-sharing company Mobike and the UN on Dec 3. [Photo/Xinhua]

Good government policies and implementation, coupled with strong collaboration with the private groups and the civil society, will help countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative build green and sustainable projects, experts said.

Professionals meeting in Nairobi before the opening of the Third United Nations Environmental Assembly agreed on Sunday that efforts are needed to not only accelerate completion of these projects but also to ensure that they bring long term, eco-friendly benefits to citizens.

While closing the UN Science Policy Business Forum on the Environment, Miroslav Lajcak, president of the UN General Assembly, said bringing together the science, business and public sectors was the right step toward removing artificial barriers.

"Actions by the business community are essential, and government policies need to be informed by science in the interest of the people."

Erik Solheim, executive director of UN Environment Program, said the world had reached a watershed moment, one in which challenges will be turned into opportunities.
Research in the area of bilingualism has improved vastly in the last 20 years. Learning a second language has a powerful influence on our brains.

Bilingualism helps students to be more socially and emotionally skilled.

Studies have shown that when children are in a bilingual environment, they need to determine which language to use with each individual at home and at school.

As a result, they are essential learning how to take on different perspectives, which leads to earlier developments in areas such as empathy.

Learning a second language also helps students to become better readers in both languages.

In learning to read in the second language, students use the skill of decoding. That decoding skill has been found to transfer across both languages resulting in better reading skills.

Studies have also shown that dual language learners are generally more successful in school. Outside of academic achievement, dual language students had better attendance rates and less problem-related behavior.

When a second language is learned, a second culture is also learned. Being raised with one language and one culture can make it more difficult for individuals to be culturally intelligent.

As a result, bilingual individuals are more likely to be open-minded and adaptive. So, bilingualism increases the development of intercultural and communication skills.

In the past, the prevailing thought was that bilingual education would confuse students.

However, current research shows that children successfully use both languages and switch readily between the two. This type of brain function has been shown to support students in multi-tasking, decision-making, and problem solving.

Looking to the future for our children, those who are bilingual have more opportunities open to them.

They can attend higher level education in either or both languages. In addition, these individuals then have an advantage over monolinguists when it comes to career opportunities and opportunities for advancement.

The Canadian International School Kunshan is recognized by the International Baccalaureate Organization as an IB world school, offering a dual language program.

Our students have the opportunity to complete the International Baccalaureate's Diploma Program and receive a bilingual IBDP certificate.

With all the advantages of bilingualism and the IBDP bilingual certificate, our students have an exceptional foundation for their university studies and career success.

The author is the principal of the Canadian International School Kunshan.
Canada's diverse tourism resources, such as national parks, cultural heritage, wildlife and ski resorts, are attracting a growing number of Chinese tourists.

Official data show that more than 610,000 Chinese visitors traveled to Canada in 2016, with a year-on-year increase of 24 percent. China is Canada's third-largest market in terms of tourist arrivals.

With strong economic growth, a rapidly expanding middle-class and improving air transport networks, projected visitor growth for 2017 stands at 23 percent, according to Destination Canada, which promotes the country's tourism offerings internationally.

Canada has opened seven new visa application centers in Chengdu, Hangzhou, Jinan, Kunming, Nanjing, Shenyang and Wuhan this year, targeting second-tier Chinese cities for growth. These offices will make it easier for Chinese tourists to choose Canada as their holiday destination.

Since 2015, UnionPay has been a strategic partner of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada to help tourism operators prepare for more Chinese visitors. In 2018, the acceptance of UnionPay will be further introduced.

More and more Canadian destinations are working hard to strengthen cooperation with Chinese tourism operators and travel agencies to offer in-depth travel experiences.

In early 2017, Air Canada opened the first flight linking Shanghai and Montreal, Quebec province. Chinese visitors can also fly directly from Beijing to Montreal.

As Canada's second-largest province by area, Quebec is attracting more Chinese tourists due to its blending of French heritage and North American culture. It is the only province in Canada that has French as the sole official language.

It is relaxing to take a day trip on a cruise to explore the beautiful St. Lawrence River, which is home to marine mammals such as humpback whales, dolphins and seals. The best time to observe the 13 species of whales there is from May to October.

Destination British Columbia recently launched its One Thousand Chinese Celebrating Chinese New Year in Vancouver BC initiative. It aims to satisfy the increasing demand from Chinese tourists looking to spend Chinese New Year abroad with their family.

During Spring Festival, more than 1,000 Chinese tourists will be able to enjoy specially tailored one- and two-week tours to enjoy British Columbia's natural beauty, delicious food, and Chinese and Western cultures, as organized by the province's partner travel agencies.

They will also be able to watch the Chinese New Year parade, traditional Chinese lion dances and a temple fair in Vancouver. In Richmond, there are live shows and countdown night celebrations for Spring Festival.
SKANEATELES  Multiple fire departments from both Onondaga and Cayuga counties put out a fire at a residence in the town of Skaneateles Tuesday morning.

The fire occurred at 1787 Russells Landing, also known as Fire Lane 50, a one-story home overlooking Skaneateles Lake. The home is just south of the hamlet of Mandana.

Skaneateles Assistant Fire Chief Pete Buehler said no one was home at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries.

A neighbor called in the blaze, which Buehler said appears to have started in the left corner of the front of the building, at 7:59 a.m. The fire was out within 20 minutes, he added.

The fire lane has several houses close together on the water, but damage was contained to the one structure. Though the outside of the structure appeared intact, firefighters were surveying damage inside. Buehler said he did not believe the home was a total loss.

"The guys made a hell of a stop," Buehler said about the firefighters who responded. "It could have been worse."

Onondaga County's Fire Investigation Unit was on scene to determine the cause. As of 2:30 p.m., Buehler said the team was still conducting tests and could not yet say whether the fire was suspicious or not.

Several fire departments responded to the call including Skaneateles, Marcellus, Mottville, Owasco and New Hope. Jordan, Moravia and Sennett departments were standing by.

According to Onondaga County real property records, the single family residence was built in 1979 and is owned by John O. Priest, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
At a recent international education exhibition in Beijing, Canada was placed in the limelight as the guest country of honor for its rich and quality resources in the sector.

Delegations from more than 110 Canadian schools and institutions participated in the China Educational Expo as exhibitors, which ran from Oct 21-22 - a record high in the annual event's history. The North American country has participated in the education expo for 10 years.

Colin Doerr, director of external relations at the British Columbia Council for International Education, told Chinese media that increasing bilateral exchanges in multiple sectors facilitates cooperation in education between the two countries.

Data from the Chinese consulate in Toronto show that approximately 186,000 Chinese students are currently in Canada.

"We'll do whatever we can" to increase the ranks of Chinese students, who already make up 32 percent of the international cohort in Canadian schools, The Global and Mail quoted Ahmed Hussen, Canadian minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, as saying in an interview in Beijing in November.

Educating foreign students has grown into a major business in Canada, worth $11.6 billion annually, Hussen said. The number of international students in Canada rose by a fourth last year.
Business representatives explore cooperation potential at a Canadian wine exhibition stand during the China Food and Drinks Fair in March. Wang Jun / For China Daily

Two countries' complementary industries, resources make for mutually beneficial opportunities

China and Canada have committed to continuing to diversify their economic cooperation and develop stronger trade ties in the long run, as their products are complementary.

"The improving trade ties between China and Canada will create a win-win situation as China has a profound market for imports from Canada, which can spur an increase in employment in Canada," said Su Qingyi, a researcher with the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.

"China can provide Canada with low-cost products for the manufacturing sector in return," he added. "China's outbound investment has been increasing rapidly. If its investment in Canada is also on the rise, it will help to boost the local economy.

"Canada is a country with vast land, abundant natural resources and a smaller population. If it can reach an agreement on exchanges in human resources with China, that can make up for the lack of labor in Canada."

Data from the General Administration of Customs show that the bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $42.41 billion in the first 10 months of this year, up 14.2 percent year-on-year.

Canada's exports to China, worth $25.77 billion in total between January and October, included agricultural, mining and chemical products, jumping by 15.4 percent year-on-year. It imported $.16.64 billion goods such as machinery and textiles from China, up 12.3 percent.

To further boost bilateral trade volume, the two countries started discussing the feasibility of a free trade agreement in Beijing in late February. The Canada China Business Council estimated that the free trade agreement could result in an additional $6 billion worth of exports from Canada to China a year by 2030, and in the process create 25,000 job opportunities in China.

Wang Huiyao, director of the Center for China and Globalization, a major think tank in China, said China-Canada economic and trade relations will be further strengthened in the future, buoyed by supportive stances on both sides.

Last month Ontario, Canada inked 25 deals worth around C$600 million with a number of Chinese institutes and companies, covering emerging areas such as e-commerce and healthcare.

Among them, the China Automotive Battery Research Institute signed a C$3.35 million deal with the University of Western Ontario. The two sides will set up a laboratory to develop new-generation batteries.

"Partnerships with a global powerhouse like China are critical to Ontario's economic success," said Kathleen Wynne, premier of Ontario, Canada's largest province by population and economy.

There are profound trade opportunities for both countries in the sectors of services, elderly care and winter sports.

Sarah Kutulakos, executive director of the Canada China Business Council, said the service industry was set to boom and the two countries are largely complementary in the sector.

"Canada is able to offer the Chinese service industry experience, professional knowledge and mature business models, which help Chinese companies with their going global strategy," she said.

Li Guanghui, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said, "Chinese companies can also consider investing in private enterprises in Canada, especially in fields such as energy, environmental protection and agriculture, as the country has a sound economic system and encouraging government policies."

Contact the writers at renxiaojin@chinadaily.com.cn and zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn
US warned of 'consequences' if Israel policy is reversed

A possible move by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital this week ignited regional debates over the impact the decision would have on peace efforts in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Sunday the president hasn't yet decided whether to make the move or if he will follow through with his plan to transfer the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

"He's still looking at a lot of different facts," Kushner said.

Kushner's remarks came after US media reported last week that Trump could announce a decision on Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, reversing the decades-old US stance that the city's status should be decided in negotiations between concerned parties.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the key questions for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, which has been stalled since April 2014 following nine months of US-sponsored talks that ended without major progress.

The status of the city is not settled as the Palestinians want to make East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967, the capital of their future independent state, while Israel declared the city its capital, a claim not recognized by the international community.

In 1995, former US president Bill Clinton signed a law requiring the US embassy in Israel to be relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem unless the president issues a waiver every six months, which has been done by every president since.

This week marks a turning point for Trump, who last signed the waiver in June. He vowed during his presidential campaign last year to move the embassy.

However, it is now expected that he may postpone the implementation of his promise.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Sunday called for urgent meetings of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the Jerusalem issue.

On the same day, the AL warned against "hazardous consequences" if the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Saeed Abu-Ali, AL assistant secretary-general for the occupied Palestinian and Arab lands, said that such US recognition would give Israel the green light to continue its breaches of international resolutions, and he urged Washington to act as an "impartial broker" of the peace process.

On Twitter, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said he had spoken with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on the potentially dangerous consequences of Trump's move.

"Such a decision would trigger anger across Arab Muslim worlds, fuel tension & jeopardize peace efforts," he wrote.

Over the past several days, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has sought support from Arab and Western leaders on the issue.

The possibility of a US acknowledgment is a "ticking bomb" which will destroy the peace process in the Middle East, analysts said.

Mohammed Daraghmeh, a Ramallah-based writer and political analyst, pointed out that such a decision represented a historic reversal in the US position on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

He said that such a decision was very dangerous, as it "imposes a pre-emptive stance on one of the most important ultimate questions of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Arab-Israeli conflict".

(China Daily 12/05/2017 page10)
A choir of children from Northern Ireland schools sing Chinese songs in Belfast's Parliament Buildings to welcome Chinese provincial and municipal leaders. Provided to China Daily

Chinese deals signed as UK province widens trade scope

Northern Ireland, once an industrial powerhouse, wants closer ties with China to safeguard against economic uncertainty as the United Kingdom prepares to exit from the European Union.

On Saturday, more than 100 provincial and municipal leaders from China gathered in Belfast for the third UK-China Regional Leaders Meeting, a gathering created during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK in October 2015, at the start of the "golden era" of relations between China and Britain.

"Brexit has prompted us to more actively engage with new markets further afield, and China is a key focus," said Tim Losty, director of the Beijing bureau of Northern Ireland's executive office.

"Up until the last few years, we have looked to the UK and Europe and North America as our primary markets. Now, we have a government office in Beijing, we have a Chinese consulate here, some of our businesses have achieved success in China. China is less far away," Losty said.

Decision-makers from the provinces of Hubei, Liaoning, Jilin, and from the cities of Shanghai, Shenyang, Dalian and Benxi were all in Northern Ireland for the gathering. Shenyang and Belfast became sister cities last year, while Derry and Dalian linked up this year.

Following the meeting, agreements were signed in areas including trade, investment, education and research.

Northern Ireland has experienced considerable economic decline since its most prosperous time during the age of shipbuilding, symbolized by Titanic, which launched in 1912 and tragically sank on its maiden voyage.

But in recent years, it has experienced a structural shift, thanks to newly emerging technology sectors and agrifood security, which Northern Ireland academics and companies showcased during the meeting.

Zhou Jianping, a director-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, said he sees potential for tremendous collaboration and experience-sharing between Northern Ireland and Northeast China, which are both developing new economies to replace declining manufacturing industries.

"I suggest that, with this meeting as a good start, both sides should enhance communication and experience-sharing between old industrial cities from both countries, promoting overall and multifield cooperation," said Zhou. The meeting followed October's 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which established future strategic directions.

'Strong drive'

The National Congress proclaimed that China is entering a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, under which it will further open up its economy, promote cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and favor extensive consultation, joint efforts and shared benefits.

Wang Shuying, China's consulate general in Belfast, said the fact that China has entered a new era brings "a new strong drive to the China-UK 'golden era'," and more opportunities for collaboration with Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland's big push to strengthen its ties with China started in 2012 when Liu Yandong, who is now vice-premier, visited Belfast and opened the Confucius Institute at Ulster University.

In 2014, the Northern Ireland executive office opened a branch in Beijing. So far, 12 Northern Ireland companies have established offices in China, and four Chinese companies have invested in Northern Ireland through acquisition during the past two years.

China accounts for 1.3 percent of all exports from Northern Ireland, which is worth around $135 million a year. The main exports are animal hides used to make leather, electronic control devices and power-generating equipment.

cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com
Iranian embassy in Sanaa hit, catches fire during fightings

SANAA, Yemen - A wave of air raids rattled the country's crisis-hit capital on Monday, witnesses said, as clashes between rebels and supporters of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh spread beyond Sanaa.

The strikes appeared to hit targets near Sanaa International Airport and the Interior Ministry, both under the control of the Houthi rebels, according to residents and a source inside the airport.

A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, is the only party in the Yemen conflict known to conduct airstrikes on Sanaa.

A spokesman for the coalition did not respond to requests for confirmation of the raids on Monday.

Residents near the airport said multiple air raids had shaken their homes late on Sunday night and in the early hours of Monday.

An airport source said rebel bases near the location appeared to have been targeted but the airport itself had not been bombed.

Residents also reported that the fighting, which erupted Wednesday night between armed Saleh supporters and Houthi fighters, had spread outside the capital. Gunbattles forced shops and schools to close in the city on Sunday.

The radio station of Houthi-run interior ministry said on Monday that Saleh had been killed.

It said the official Houthi TV station would soon broadcast footage of Saleh's dead body.

But Saleh's party denied that their leader had been killed and said he was still leading forces in heavy fighting in Sanaa that has killed at least 125 people and wounded 238 in six days.

Meanwhile, a fire ripped through the building of the Iranian embassy in Sanaa on Sunday during clashes, a Xinhua reporter said.

The fire broke out after the embassy being attacked by heavy weapons, but it remained unknown who were responsible for the attack.

A security official said that about 20 embassy's staff members were trapped inside the building.

Yemeni territory is split between the forces and government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in the south, backed by Saudi Arabia, the northern Houthi forces loyal to Saleh.

Since 2014, Sanaa has been ruled under an agreement between Saleh and the Houthis, who drove the Hadi government out of the capital, set up their own government and for two years together fought the Saudi-led coalition.

Saleh on Saturday announced he was open to talks with Saudi Arabia and its allies on condition they ended their crippling blockade on Yemen's ports and airports - dealing a serious blow to his already fragile alliance with rebel chief Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

The Saleh-Houthi split has sparked fears of a new front in the Yemen conflict, which has already claimed more than 8,750 lives since the Saudi-led coalition joined the war to support the Hadi government.

The conflict has pushed Yemen to the brink of mass starvation and triggered what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed concern over the recent escalation of the conflict.

"This latest outbreak of violence could not come at a worse time for the Yemeni people, who are already caught up in the world's largest humanitarian crisis," said Guterres in a statement.

The secretary-general called on all parties to the conflict to cease all air and ground assaults, Guterres said, reiterating that there is no military solution to the conflict.

AFP - Xinhua - Reuters

(China Daily 12/05/2017 page12)
BERLIN - German authorities investigating the delivery of a package containing powerful firecrackers, wires and nails to a pharmacy near a Christmas market in the city of Potsdam said on Sunday that it was criminal activity rather than "terrorism".

Karl-Heinz Schroeter, interior minister of the state of Brandenburg where Potsdam is located, told a news conference criminals were behind the package which they had used to try to extort millions of euros from logistics firm DHL, which had delivered the package.

Police said it was highly likely that the package could have exploded.

Staff at the pharmacy in Potsdam, just outside Berlin, called the police on Friday after they discovered the suspicious package. The Christmas market was evacuated and the package was made safe by a police robot.

Schroeter said the market itself most likely wasn't a target. As the person who sent the parcel was still at large, officials declined to say if they had any clues about the sender's identity.

The market was reopened on Saturday with an increased police presence.

DHL warned the public not to open packages if they did not recognize the sender's address or if the sender's address was suspicious.

"As we find ourselves approaching Christmas, which is not only a time of peace, but also a time when many presents are sent, such an act of extortion is reprehensible," Schroeter said. He said all efforts were being made to catch those who sent the package.

The parcel had contained materials to create a bomb, including about 100 nails, an unidentified powdered substance, and a metal cylinder. It also contained a blackmail letter encrypted in the form of a QR code, Brandenburg police chief Hans-Juergen Moerke said.

Moerke said that a QR code that can be read using a smartphone. The extortion letter addressed to DHL was found in the code.

Authorities said the people who sent the package most likely lived in Berlin or in the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds the German capital.

They did not say how much money they had demanded, but said they had told DHL they would send more packages that could kill or injure if DHL, owned by Deutsche Post, refused to pay up.

An online company in the town of Frankfurt an der Oder received a similar package at the beginning of last month.

Reuters - Xinhua - AP
UNITED NATIONS - The United States has quit negotiations on a voluntary pact to deal with migration because the global approach to the issue was "simply not compatible with US sovereignty," said US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.

In a statement on Saturday, the US mission to the UN said that President Donald Trump made the decision.

"No country has done more than the United States, and our generosity will continue," said Haley, whose parents are immigrants from India.

"But our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone. We will decide how best to control our borders and who will be allowed to enter our country."

Trump campaigned last year on a promise to deport large numbers of immigrants and build a wall on the US border with Mexico to help tackle illegal immigration and crime in the US. Since he took office in January, he has also moved to ban US entry by people from select Muslim countries.

With a record 21.3 million refugees globally, the 193-member UN General Assembly adopted a political declaration in September last year in which they also agreed to spend two years negotiating the pact on safe, orderly and regular migration.

Former US president Barack Obama's administration backed the resolution, known as the New York Declaration, which also asked UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi to propose a global compact on refugees for adoption next year.

UN chief Antonio Guterres regretted the US decision, his spokesman said on Sunday.

"The positive story of migration is clear: It needs to be better told. Equally, the challenges it throws up need to be tackled with more determination and greater international coordination," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said.

Three days of preparatory talks begin in Mexico on Monday ahead of the start of formal negotiations in February over the nonbinding pact.

Haley's predecessor Samantha Power mocked the US move.

"How to further insult your Mexican neighbor, turn your back on humanity's most desperate, and make America irrelevant on a hugely destabilizing global crisis in one easy step," she said on Twitter.

Reuters

(China Daily 12/05/2017 page12)
WASHINGTON - Rarely unified, Senate Democrats stood together in opposing the GOP revamp of the tax code despite the traditional popularity of tax cuts and warnings from President Donald Trump and Republicans about the political cost in next year's midterm elections.

White House dinners, trips aboard Air Force One and even threats from Trump during campaign stops in their states were not enough to sway Democrats who rejected the nearly $1.5 trillion tax bill on Saturday. Lawmakers voting against the bill included 10 vulnerable Democrats from states Trump won last year, some handily.

When Trump took office 10 months ago, moderate Democrats such as Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and others were widely expected to break with their party and side with the Republican president.

But on Trump's top two legislative priorities taxes and dismantling former president Barack Obama's healthcare law Democrats unanimously rebuffed the GOP president despite his derision.

Trump said on Saturday: "We got no Democrat help and I think that's going to cost them in the election because they voted against tax cuts. I don't think politically it's good to vote against tax cuts."

He suggested on Saturday that he may be willing to negotiate changes to the significant portion of the tax overhaul.

Trump said that he would consider setting the corporate tax rate at 22 percent.

Democrats argued that the unpopularity of the tax bill with its deep cuts for business and the wealthy and modest changes for many US citizens made their votes relatively easy. Multiple polls show the tax bill is supported by less than 40 percent of voters. And Democrats recall a painful political lesson: In 2010, Democrats backed the unpopular healthcare bill and lost their House majority months later.

"My Republican friends must know that'we needed to notch a political win' isn't a good enough excuse for a constituent who asks why you voted to raise their taxes but slash them for big corporations," Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

AP - Xinhua

(China Daily 12/05/2017 page12)
ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister on Monday called for strengthening the socioeconomic partnership between Ethiopia and China.

Workneh Gebeyehu made the call during his meeting with the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Tan Jian. The foreign minister has on Monday received copies of credentials of the incoming Chinese ambassador.

According to Gebeyehu, the ties between Ethiopia and China has shown consistent upward trajectory over the past years. Gebeyehu further called on strengthening the socioeconomic relations among the two countries to "a higher level."

Gebeyehu, who noted the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn's visit to China during the Road and Belt Initiative Summit of May 2017, also said that the relationship between the two countries "has grown to an excellent level, where the two countries enjoy a comprehensive cooperation and partnership."

The foreign minister, who has also lauded the previous Ambassador of China to Ethiopia, La Yifan, also expressed his high hopes that the ties between the two countries "will even grow to a higher level during the new ambassador's tenure."

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Tan Jian on his part also commended the success of the bilateral cooperation that the two countries have witnessed in trade, investment, infrastructure, manufacturing and other sectors over the years.

The Ethiopian government has previously indicated that its relation with China is given due emphasis as it remains one among the major priority partnerships both in the diplomatic and other sectors.

Ahmed Shide, Ethiopia's Minister of Transport, had previously told Xinhua that Chinese engagement has benefited the east African country both in business and people-to-people relations.

"In the last 20 years the level of economic cooperation with China has grown very fast. It will facilitate industrial manufacturing development, boost Ethiopia's competitiveness," Shide stressed.

"Chinese engagement in Ethiopia is harmonious, contributing to the development of Ethiopia," Shide said, adding that "Chinese personnel, be it workers and businesspeople, are contributing to the development of Ethiopia."
A Wolcott man was arrested Monday for stealing someone's M&T Visa and using it to spend nearly $900 at Walmart in Auburn, the Auburn Police Department said.

David R. Jones Jr., 34, of Furnace Road, was initially taken into custody by New York State Police in Wolcott. Auburn Deputy Police Chief Roger Anthony said there was a warrant out for Jones' arrest after he made an $893.25 purchase with the stolen debit card in June.

Anthony said APD officers met state police in Port Byron at around 2:15 p.m. Monday and took over the case, transporting Jones back to Auburn where he was arraigned in city court. Jones was remanded to Cayuga County Jail in lieu of $1,000 bail.
NAIROBI - The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative will assist partner countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a United Nations official said on Sunday.

Jamil Ahmad, head of intergovernmental affairs at the UN Environment Program (UNEP), told Xinhua in Nairobi that the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative and the SDGs are complimentary.

"The Belt and Road Initiative provides a good example on how to begin implementation work for the SDGs whose aim is to improve the lives of all citizens of the world," Ahmad said.

"The SDGs are exactly talking about the types of development that have been identified in the projects of the Belt and Road Initiative," he said during a forum on greening China's Belt and Road Initiative, which is part of the UN Science Policy Business Forum on the Environment.

The initiative, comprising the overland Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build a trade, investment and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

Ahmad noted that both the Belt and Road Initiative and the SDGs focus on five pillars which will improve the quality of lives of global citizens.

He noted that the Belt and Road Initiative is an enormous project and so various UN agencies are working toward greater and broader partnerships with the Chinese government and partner countries to ensure successful implementation of the project.

The UN Environment Program's role will be to ensure that environmental sustainability is incorporated into all aspects of the projects and programs, he said.

Ahmad said that the very basis of the Silk Road Economic Belt is to promote partnerships among governments and the private sector.

UNEP has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese government to provide expertise on green economy and financing for sustainable development for projects on the Belt and Road Initiative.
Vice-Premier Liu Yandong receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland on Tuesday. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Visiting Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong received an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh on Tuesday during the second day of her four-day official visit to the United Kingdom.

Speaking at the ceremony during which she accepted the honor, which was made in recognition of her contribution to the deepening of Sino-UK ties in the "golden era", Liu stressed that "China has entered a new era, and China-UK relations have entered a golden age".

She said universities now play an important role in the future of China and UK cooperation.

"We hope that universities in both countries can be engaged in more practical cooperation and cultivate more talents with global vision and open minds, so they can keep generating more strategic and innovative products in order to contribute more to China-UK relations, and together solve many global challenges that we face today," said Liu.

The University of Edinburgh has a long tradition of welcoming students from China and the first Chinese students ever to graduate from a European university studied at the university. Timothy O'Shea, principal of the University of Edinburgh, said it also has a proud tradition of promoting the teaching of the Chinese language and Chinese culture to students from all over the world.

"This visit by Vice-Premier Madame Liu Yandong to Scotland and the university is another manifestation of our longstanding partnership and common aspiration in promoting global education and nurturing new generations of global citizens," he said.

Jonathan Seckl, vice-principal of the university, said: "It is a great honor and privilege to present Madame Liu Yandong with the doctorate of the university. In doing so, we recognize her leading role in promoting and nurturing our teaching and research capacity in Chinese language and culture, as well as the university's profile and reputation in China."

He said the university acknowledges Liu's immense contribution to promoting the understanding of China and its culture globally, and promoting friendship and understanding between nations.

The university is also home to a Confucius Institute, which was established 10 years ago to promote the teaching of Chinese language and culture.

The university has 2,839 students from the Chinese mainland, its largest group of international students.

Liu also chaired Shaping Cultural Landscapes on Tuesday, which is a mechanism aimed at intensifying cooperation and exploring complementary strengths between Chinese and British creative industries, including art, film, TV production, and creative art incubators.

During her visit, Liu will co-chair the fifth-annual UK-China High-Level People-to-People Dialogue  the highest level Sino-UK dialogue to be held in the UK this year. Jeremy Hunt, Britain's secretary of state for health, will also co-chair the event.

And Liu is also scheduled to meet with a number of senior figures, including Prime Minister Theresa May, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and Princess Anne and Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace.

"The UK-China relationship is strong and continues to deliver benefits for both countries, so I am delighted to welcome Madame Liu to the UK for the People-to-People Dialogue," Johnson upon her arrival in the UK.

Hunt said: "I am delighted to once again co-chair the People-to-People Dialogue, which will reaffirm the strong ties between the UK and China and underline our commitment to working together to solve some of the biggest issues facing the world today."

Liu is also set to witness the launch of the UK-China Joint Science and Innovation Strategy, and join a roundtable of young leaders, including young parliamentarians.

The meeting, which is also known as the P2P Dialogue, will cover 10 policy strands. The subjects that will be talked about are: health, education, culture and creative industries, science and innovation, tourism, sport, issues affecting young people, regional cooperation, issues impacting women, and social equity.

This year's P2P theme is the "Spirit of Youth", which connects to a UK government campaign that aims to inspire the next generation of leaders in China and the UK, and the promotion of deeper collaboration and exchange.

At the meetings, ministers are expected to agree upon a range of initiatives, including a new joint UK-China health agreement that will advance work to tackle a number of healthcare challenges. The initiatives will also advance collaboration on female leadership and empowerment, and strengthen existing collaboration between higher education institutions.

"I think the future for the UK-China relationship is very exciting and we've already established a 'golden era' in UK-China relations," said Barbara Woodward, the UK's ambassador to China ahead of Liu's visit. "I think we'll see a deepening and broadening of our overlapping interests with China, and opportunities for building a very bright future together."

Zhang Yangfei in London contributed to this story.
In her latest book, Christmas: A Biography, Judith Flanders traces the history of Christmas and its customs through the ages and around the world. Flanders, a New York Times bestselling author and historian of the Victorian era, has turned her scholarly attention to the worlds most beloved holiday. The result is expansive, bold, and surprising.

Flanders begins her biography of Christmas with the early church observances of Christs nativity, where the name and calendar date of the holiday have their beginnings. But she insists that the role of religion is often overemphasized in accounts of the holidays origin. Independently of the Christian holiday, midwinter celebrations had long been held in Greek, Roman, British, and Germanic lands. From the start, there was never one Christmas. Instead, Christmas has always meant many things.

The modern observance of Christmasmarked by familial, commercial, nostalgic, sentimental, and religious elementsbegan to take shape in the late 18th century. Consider the Philadelphia Quaker Elizabeth Drinker, who kept a diary throughout the second half of the 1700s. Her earliest entries show that she, like her fellow Quakers, did not initially recognize or partake in the holiday. Over the next 20 years, we find spotty references to the activities of neighbors on Christmass, so calld. But by the end of the century, we see her shamelessly celebrating with family dinners and visits from friends. Christmas, so it seems, sort of crept up on her.

Quakers like Elizabeth Drinker typically did not keep Christmas for a number of reasons, one of which was the unruly and lowbrow behavior associated with it. Children routinely barred out the schoolmaster from the schoolroom in order to compel him to declare a holiday. Young men in Sweden shot in Christmas by sneaking up on the houses of friends and neighbors and firing guns. Norwegians wore horned masks and impersonated the Julebukk in rowdy celebrations, while German immigrants to Pennsylvania went house to house belsnickling in furs and animal skins. Seasonal drinking and public carousing prevailed in such practices as mumming, wassailing or gooding. Jamaica saw John Canoe parades of elaborately dressed men dancing and performing while separate processions of women did the same.

And yet, by the late 1700s, as Elizabeth Drinker was writing in her diary, the old practices were already giving way to new traditions, such as decorating the home with holly, ivy, and kissing boughs made of mistletoe. The first decorated indoor Christmas tree appeared as early as 1605 in Strasbourg, France, but the practice only attained widespread popularity in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Indoor trees came with particular perils to the host home since they would be fitted with candles to be lit on Christmas Eve. The effect was both delightful and dangerous. Each candle had to be wired or tied to a branch and then closely monitored as it burned.

Gift-giving was not new to the modern age. The old practice followed the expectations of hierarchal protocolsocial superiors gave Christmas boxes and monetary tips to their employees, servants, and various tradespeople. At the other end of the social scales, tenants offered fowl and fresh meat to their landlords. Such hierarchical gifts punctuated differences in social and economic status. But, by the early 19th century, gift-giving began to soften with the new emphasis on home and family. Parents gave to their children presents of books, nuts, wood-carved toys, and ribbons.

Around the same time, newly popularized carols spread from Germany to England, France, and the Americas. The habit of young carousers wassailing from door to door for money or mead gave way to church choirs and neighborhood caroling groups. Lyrics concomitantly shifted from making merry and imbibing deeply to Christs birth and wistful domesticity. In Flanderss words, the new tradition took what was secular and made it religious; and, most importantly, took what was working class and of the street and made it middle-class and of the hearth and home.

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The Ghost of Commerce

Flanders challenges the notion that the Christmas customs of the past were primarily religious. She does not deny their spiritual significance for the believer, but she does contest the idea that Christmas was once religious, and only in our debased, commercial age has been reduced to its current shabby, market-driven modern form. In other words, she disputes the presumption that the holiday was in the beginning primarily or even exclusively observed by devout Christians and that only in the last 200 years has its real significance been displaced by the forces of secularism and consumerism.

If anything, Flanders insists, religion was grafted on to consumerism, rather than consumerism grafted on to religion. Take Christmas cards, for example. An invention of the mid-19th century, the first card printed in the United States illustrated Santa Claus with a family opening gifts. The holiday message read, Peases Great Varety [sic] Store in the Temple of Fancy. The card was nothing more than a commercial advertisement. A survey of the more than 100,000 cards in circulation before 1890 reveals that religious images, such as the Nativity scene, appeared on extremely few. The majority featured holly, mistletoe and Christmas pudding, Father Christmas or Santa, Christmas trees, bells and robins, food and festivity. Biblical or religious themes on holiday cards were numerically insignificant.

Commerce hovers like the ghost of Christmas present over the narrative. The cultural importance of Christmas grew exponentially in the 20th century, largely because of consumerism, not in spite of it. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer offers the perfect illustration. In 1939, as a giveaway to children, the retail store Montgomery Ward printed 2.5 million copies of Robert L. Mays narrative poem about the misfit reindeer. Ten years later, Mays brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, added music which Gene Autry sang. The song shot to No. 1 in the charts, selling millions in the process. In the wink of an eye, a likable red-nosed reindeer was added to the pantheon of Christmas characterson account of a department stores marketing strategy.

Where do Christmas customs come from? Flanders does not confine her answer to a single factor like consumerism here and religion there. Christmas customs in almost every case span years and continentsnot unlike The Nutcracker. Bear with me. The Nutcracker first appeared as an early 19th-century story inspired by the hand-carved nutcracker figurines of Germany. The tale gained popularity when it was adapted and expanded by the Frenchman Alexandre Dumas and scored into a ballet by the Russian composer Tchaikovsky. Later it was re-choreographed by the American Willam Christensen and performed in San Francisco on December 24, 1944, instantly creating an annual institution. Today, ballet companies across the US and around the world stage The Nutcracker at Christmastime and depend on revenue from tickets and memorabilia to fund their yearly budgets. The origin story of The Nutcracker cannot be reduced to one time or place or person. It waltzes across Germany, France, Russia, and America. According to Flanders, it is but one example of the pattern of Christmass own long-strung history.

Christmas: A Biography makes a great stocking stuffer for the person who has dabbled in the subject, has a book or two on the shelf, and wants to go deeper. Flanders does not merely repeat the standard narrative with its tried and true landmarks. She presents intriguing new sources of historical material and insightful reappraisals of common assumptions. Her book reminds us that Christmas is always full of surprises.

Adam C. English is professor of theology and philosophy at Campbell University in North Carolina. He is the author of Christmas: Theological Anticipations (Cascade Books) and The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus: The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra (Baylor University Press).
Read a Protestant response by theologian David S. Yeago.

Make no mistake: The absence of the Orthodox Church in the Reformation debates of the 16th century is one of the great tragedies of Christian history. What might have happened if Orthodox churches had been party to the theological controversies that dominated 16th-century Europe?

The 500th anniversary of the Reformation provides an occasion for assessing Eastern Orthodox and Protestant attempts at unity on the key Reformation doctrine of justification by faith alone (sola fide). Is a consensus possible between the Reformers and the Orthodox Church on this central tenet, which Luther described as the article by which the church stands or falls? As an Orthodox theologian, I think the answer is yes, but only if Christ, not justification, is the core of the Christian gospel.

A Dialogue of Fits and Starts

In the 16th century, both East and West were embroiled in all-consuming issues that stunted effective theological dialogue, especially on issues like justification by faith alone. While Catholics and Protestants were undergoing the most turbulent revolution in the history of Western Christianity, the Orthodox Church was trying to survive repressive conditions under Islamic rule in Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, and the Middle East.

The first positive theological overture came from none other than Martin Luther himself. During the Leipzig Disputation in 1519, Luther defended himself against papal theologian Johann Ecks accusation that Luthers views of the papacy had become schismatic or even heretical like those of the Eastern churches. Luther cited Orthodoxys unbroken continuity with the great church fathers over the previous 1,400 years to argue that they were not heretical. In fact, Luther stated that Eastern Christianity was the best part of the universal church and that it could serve as an ally in his opposition to papal authority.

In this spirit, Luthers colleague Philipp Melanchthon organized the first official contacts with the Orthodox in 1559 by sending the Augsburg Confession (a summary of Lutheran theology) to the patriarch of Constantinople for reply. Unfortunately, no response was given, so the invitation failed. Between 1573 and 1581, Lutheran theologians from Tubingen, Germany, sent the Augsburg Confession again to the new patriarch of Constantinople, Jeremiah II, for a theological assessment. Through a series of written exchanges, both sides showed deep respect and genuine concern for unity. Regrettably, they failed to fully understand the inner rationale of each others theology, and Jeremiah abruptly ended the correspondence.

In 1629, Cyril Lukaris, a later patriarch of Constantinople, published his Confession of Faith with strong Calvinist leanings. Although the Confession sought reconciliation with the Protestants, it landed like a bombshell throughout Western Europe because of its clearly Calvinistic theology. Eventually, the Orthodox Council of Jerusalem condemned Lukaris in 1672, restraining Calvinism in the East.

Between the 17th and early 20th centuries, Orthodoxy was infiltrated by Reformation and Counter-Reformation arguments. Instead of theologizing after the traditional manner of the church fathers, the Orthodox often used Protestant arguments against Catholic critiques, and Latin scholasticism to answer Protestant attacks. Mutual suspicion eventually resulted in the Easts condemnation of Luther as the leader of a heresy by the Synod of Constantinople in 1836.

Today, in the 21st century, the mutual suspicion has eased somewhat. Orthodox churches in the United States and the World Council of Churches (WCC) have engaged Protestant communities through the WCC and the recent Lausanne Orthodox Initiative. Yet, the response given by the worldwide Holy and Great Synod of Orthodox churches that convened in Crete in June 2016 revealed hesitation toward theological dialogue with the West while also affirming the churches need to restore unity.

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Despite this hesitation, there is reason for optimism that a theological reconciliation on topics such as justification by faith alone is possible if both sides are willing to patiently learn from each others history and emphases.

An Orthodox Assessment of Sola Fide

Faith alone is a Reformation formula that expresses how we are saved by grace through faith. But faith alone is a foreign expression in the patristic vocabulary that shaped Orthodox theology, and therefore the phrase has been rejected as an inadequate expression of how humans are saved. Nevertheless, the intended meaning of the Reformation formula can be recognized as consistent with Eastern Orthodox theology if it is interpreted within the context of the Incarnation and the deification of humans offered through union with the divinized humanity of Christ.

I will focus on Martin Luther since his views on sola fide were largely shared by other Reformers. David Yeago, my dialogue partner in the former Orthodox-Lutheran Dialogue of North America, identifies sola fide as the key Reformation issue, which he sums up this way:

How do we become children of God and receive eternal life? Are Christians striving with the help of grace to acquire Gods favor and be rewarded with eternal life? Or are they struggling to receive and rely on the free gift of Gods favor and eternal life amidst conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil? Luther thought that the first model carried with it a corrupting anxiety about self that got in the way of love and thankfulness towards God and service to neighbor.

Luthers opposition to the Roman Catholic system of merit and indulgences was based on concerns about Pelagianismthe belief that humans are the cause of their own salvation. Here Luther was consistent with Orthodox theology, which clearly affirms that good works are the result of saving faith, not its cause. However, Luthers rejection of merit and the opposition between faith and works didnt become contentious within Eastern Christianity largely because of the Eastern Churchs understanding of grace and the Fall.

Eastern theological anthropology sees grace and free will as remaining part of the Trinitarian image of God even after the Fall. Therefore, the Orthodox would not say with Luther that humans are born guilty of the sin of Adam. We inherit sin and death, not guilt, from Adam (Rom. 5:12). Nor would we say that our fallen wills cannot turn to God in faith without a prior liberating act of grace, as if grace were entirely absent in fallen humans.

Although the mind is darkened by inherited evil desires and the will is weakened and prone to sin, grace and freedom remain in humans and may still work together without rivalry or opposition. The Council of Jerusalem in 1672 concluded that God takes not away the power to willthe will to obey or not obey him. Such is the Orthodox emphasis on synergism, the unequal cooperation between God and humans. In our weakened state, Gods grace infinitely outweighs human response as the two mysteriously work together. As Metropolitan Kallistos Ware has stated, We are saved by faith, and not by works; but faith signifies an act of receptiveness on our part, a willingness to accept what God is doing.

The distinction between the Orthodox doctrine of synergism and Luthers claim that humans cannot be the cause of their own salvation is clear in their views of monasticism. Luther condemned the monastic asceticism of his day as Pelagian because of its emphasis on works-righteousness. The Orthodox would concur, but based on the churchs own ascetic understanding of the relation between faith and works.

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A condemnation of works-righteousness similar to Luthers comes from Mark the Ascetic (c. 430535). Mark was popular in Byzantine monastic circles. His teachings are widely accepted across the centuries and included in an anthology known as The Philokalia. Marks treatise titled, On Those Who Think They Are Made Righteous by Works had such a strong emphasis on unmerited grace that Robert Bellarmine (15421621), a Catholic polemicist, forbade Catholics to read it because he believed it reflected a proto-Protestant perspective.

In Marks treatise, good works are not the cause of our acceptance by God, but they are a necessary manifestation of saving faith. Salvation begins through the Spirits sacramental work of uniting the believer with Christs death and resurrection in baptism (Rom. 6:46) and progresses as a lifelong journey of growth in the divine likeness through works of faith and love (known in Orthodoxy as theosis). Although salvation is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast, we are also created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Eph. 2:810). There is no salvation without obedience (James 2:17).

Faith includes good works, not to earn salvation but as a form of cooperation with grace. Mark explains:

We who have received baptism offer good works, not by way of repayment, but to preserve the purity given to us. . . . When Scripture says He will reward every man according to his works (Mt. 16:27), do not imagine that works in themselves merit either hell or the kingdom. On the contrary, Christ rewards each man according to whether his works are done with faith or without faith in Himself: and He is not a dealer bound by contract, but God our Creator and Redeemer.

Another area where Luther converges with Orthodoxy is the grounding of justification by faith in Chalcedonian Christology. Professor Yeago asserts that Luther demonstrates very powerfully the determination of the soteriological by the Christological, on occasion virtually identifying justification with Christological dogma. Although Luther doesnt normally identify justification with Christology, his link provides a bridge for Orthodox agreement. Our salvation is not just a transaction that imputes the righteousness of God to our account, it is bound up with the very person of Christ. This comports well with Orthodoxys doctrine of theosis as expressed by Athanasius: For he [Christ] was made man that we might be made God.

Justification and sanctification are linked together in baptism as one divine action . . . one continuous process, according to the common statement by the Lutheran-Orthodox Dialogue in North America (see 1 Cor. 6:11). Following the Sixth Ecumenical Council (680), the Orthodox maintain that cooperation between the divine and human wills in Christ becomes ours by participating in the vicarious humanity of Christ. Our will is healed through union with his will. In the very act of taking human flesh and living obediently to the Father, he acts in our place and on our behalf so that his obedient will may be given to us by faith. As Gregory of Nazianzus explained, Whatever is not assumed [by Christ] is not healed.

Communion in Faith

Sola fide was a rallying cry of the Reformation, but its meaning no longer needs to be a church-dividing issue between historic Protestants and the Orthodox. The discussions and decisions of the past can be re-examined today with more informed negotiations free from awkward encounters and inhospitable historical conditions.

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Modern evangelical children of Luther are challenged to re-examine how fully they have integrated Chalcedonian Christology in their understanding of justification as primarily an act of imputed righteousness. Justification is not only accomplished by Christ on the cross but is first given through union with Christs justified humanity, which he restored to communion with the Father.

Likewise, the challenge for the Orthodox is to move beyond our past partial understandings of Luthers teachings on grace and justification. If Christ, not justification, is the content of Luthers gospel, and justification is grounded in union with Christ on the basis of the Incarnation, then the Orthodox would have trouble disagreeing.

The main ecumenical challenge facing both the Orthodox and Protestant traditions is the paradox of schism itself: We are separated brethren. Yet, the noun weighs as heavily as the adjective. Our separation must not minimize our unity in Christ.

Bradley Nassif is professor of biblical and theological studies at North Park University. His latest book is coedited with Brock Bingaman, The Philokalia: A Classic Text of Orthodox Spirituality (Oxford University Press).

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The case of a Christian baker in Colorado who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding gets its big day in court today. While Jack Phillipss legal team has emphasized his right to artistic expression as a cake decorator, many following his US Supreme Court case focus on another legal matter at stake: religious freedom.

Advocates on both sides anticipate Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission will set a nationwide precedent for whether the government can require businesses, organizations, and individuals to act against their own sincerely held religious beliefsparticularly following the legalization of same-sex marriage and equal rights granted to LGBT Americans.

As CT previously reported, Phillipss refusal to bake the same-sex wedding cake in 2012 violated Colorados antidiscrimination law, and a state appeals court denied his free speech and free exercise claims. This spring, the high court opted to hear Phillipss case, one of several cases involving Christian wedding vendors (such as florists, photographers, and caterers) currently making their way through state judicial systems.

Oral arguments in the case begin today at the Supreme Court. Most commentators expect Masterpiece Cakeshop will be a tight decision come spring, even with religious liberty defender Neil Gorsuch on the bench.

With Gorsuch, there is some reason for optimism that the Court might narrowly find for Masterpiece Cakeshop, Christian historian Thomas Kidd recently wrote for The Gospel Coalition. If they do not, it will be a devastating blow to a number of Christian business people who have been disciplined under similar circumstances.

A decision against Masterpiece Cakeshop would also raise more questions, such as whether a state can force Christian adoption agencies to place children with same-sex couples.

During oral arguments, the courts conservative justices challenged the gay couples counsel, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) legal director David Cole, over how Colorados law applies to people of faith.

Chief Justice John Roberts asked if Catholic Legal Services would be forced to choose between not providing any pro bono legal services or providing those services in connection with the same-sex marriage, and Cole said if it were operating like a retail store, yes, the Washington Examiner reported.

Justices Samuel Alito and Gorsuch asked about accommodations for same-sex couples at religious schools, but Cole saw the example of schools free exercise as separate from public accommodations.

The case has elicited support from evangelicals, from fellow Coloradans at Focus on the Family to the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Officials from the Department of Justice also filed a brief on the bakers behalf in September.

While the legal tensions between gay rights and religious rights have grown with legal recognition of same-sex marriage (Alito pointed out on Tuesday that gay marriage had not been legalized at the time Phillips turned down the cake order), the underlying issues surrounding religious belief and practice have plenty of precedent for the court to pull from.

Kidd and others bring up a 1990 case involving two men who defended their illegal use of peyote as part of a Native American religious ritual. In Employment Division v. Smith, the Supreme Court issued new operating procedures for when religion and the law come into conflict, stating that the free exercise clause does not relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a law that incidentally forbids (or requires) the performance of an act that his religious belief requires (or forbids) if the law is not specifically directed to religious practice and is otherwise constitutional as applied to those who engage in the specified act for nonreligious reasons.

The peyote case set the stage for Masterpiece Cakeshop, wrote Temple University professor David Mislin on The Conversation. It was in response to the case that Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993. It required that laws restricting religious expression must show that they serve a compelling need.

In other words, people of faith cannot be exempt from a law that doesnt target a specific religious practice, and governments may pass laws that happen to limit religious freedom as long as they are shown to be the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling government interest.

Colorado will similarly argue that it is in the public interest to prevent discrimination against gays and lesbians, and that this requirement is generally applicable to all business people in the state, not just principled Christians, Kidd said. The problem is that it is hard to envision whom this policy might affect other than bakers of traditional religious views.

Religious liberty scholars Thomas Berg and Douglas Laycock, in their amicus brief on behalf of Phillips and in an article posted at the Berkley Forum, argue that the case tests the meaning of neutral and generally applicable since Colorado sided with bakers who were charged with anti-religious discrimination for refusing to bake a cake with a message condemning homosexuality.

Colorado deemed that refusing to provide a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding was sexual-orientation discrimination, but that refusing to provide a cake with a religious denunciation of same-sex relationships was not religious discrimination, they wrote, advocating for a narrow and carefully defined exemption for Phillips.

This distinction cannot stand: Both bakers declined to produce a message they found objectionable, a message associated with a protected class of customers.

Berg tweeted on Tuesday that #SCOTUS spent considerable time on free ex argument in #MasterpieceCakeshop, including other bakers who state treated differently, and that their brief on the matter was mentioned in the arguments.

One of the most quoted lines came from Justice Anthony Kennedy, who said, Tolerance is essential in a free society. It seems to me that the state in its position here has neither been tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillipss religious beliefs.

Americans are pretty evenly split over whether wedding vendors should be required to serve same-sex couples (49%) or should be able to decline on religious grounds (48%), according to a 2016 Pew Research Center survey. The groups most likely to say businesses should be able to turn down clients who conflict with their views were white evangelical Protestants (77%) and Republicans (71%).

Those on the other side of the caseincluding the ACLUcharacterize Phillipss first amendment claims as a license to discriminate.

They worry that a victory for Masterpiece Cakeshop will result in a slippery slope of dubious religious exemption claims. Similar concerns emerged amid other recent religious freedom fights, most prominently the Supreme Court ruling granting Hobby Lobbys birth control exemption; but so far, theres no evidence of those fears coming true.

While there was an uptick of RFRA claims challenging the contraception mandateculminating in Hobby Lobby and Little Sisters of the Poorthose cases have subsided, and no similar cases have materialized, wrote Becket scholars Luke W. Goodrich and Rachel N. Busick in a study slated to appear in the Seton Hall Law Review.

Courts have had no problem weeding out weak or insincere RFRA claims. If anything, RFRA has been underenforced.

In one of the first empirical studies on religious freedom cases following the 2014 Hobby Lobby decision, the pair found that litigation citing religious liberty claims remains rare (about 0.6 percent of the federal docket) and still difficult to win. Of more than 100 religious liberty cases they analyzed from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, none involved clashes with LGBT rights. Religious minorities, defending issues like eagle feather ownership and Islamic law, were actually overrepresented in the successful claims.

In its final brief before this weeks oral arguments, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is representing Masterpiece Cakeshop in court, made the case that the kind of freedom of expression Phillips is fighting for extends past ideological lines. Expressive freedom is central to human dignity. It requires that artists be free to make their own moral judgments about what to express through their works, ADF stated.

Legal scholars Robert P. George and Sherif Girgis penned a New York Times op-ed that focuses on the Supreme Courts historic protection against compelled speech, listing classic rulings in favor of objectors as well as cases where free speech trumped anti-discrimination laws.

They argue, as ADF has, that a Colorado cake bakers conscience, creativity, and faith directly apply to his commercial decisions at work. When the specific context is a same-sex wedding, that message is one Mr. Phillips doesnt believe and cannot in conscience affirm. So coercing him to create a cake for the occasion is compelled artistic speech, wrote George and Girgis.

Meanwhile, across the pond, the highest court in the United Kingdom recently agreed to hear a similar case, this one involving a Belfast bakery who refused to bake a cake with a same-sex marriage slogan. Like Phillips, the owners of Ashers Baking Company state that they do not discriminate against gay customers, and their issue lies with particular orders, not people. Despiteand because ofits legal fight, the bakerys profits rose last year to nearly $2 million.
President Donald Trump is expected tomorrow to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Doing so would fulfill a campaign promise. It would upend decades of American foreign policy.

And it would simultaneously encourage and unnerve the Christians of the Middle East.

I am obviously pleased, as an Israeli, said David Friedman, a professor at the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute and former dean of King of Kings College in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, de facto, concretely. Our government sits there. So why should President Trump continue ignoring reality?

But 65 miles north in Arab-majority Nazareth, another Christian educator has a dramatically different response.

It is a bad idea, said Botrus Mansour, a Baptist elder and co-chair of the Lausanne Initiative for Reconciliation between Israel and Palestine. It will increase resentment and possibly spark unnecessary violence, making peace harder to obtain.

America will lose any remaining legitimacy it had as a fair broker.

Israel occupied Arab East Jerusalem in 1967, and passed a law in 1980 declaring the city its eternal, united, and undivided capital. The United Nations declared the act null and void, by a unanimous resolution in which the United States abstained.

Palestine also desires Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. So American policy has been to leave the thorny issue for negotiation between the two sides, based on the 1967 border.

But in 1995, Congress passed a law requiring the US embassy to move to Jerusalemunless the president exercises a waiver, every six months.

Every president since then has done soincluding Trump, once. He allowed his second deadline to expire on Monday, technically requiring the embassy to move. If so, the United States would be the only nation with its embassy in Jerusalem.

It would undermine the Palestinian cause even further, said Mansour. It is not just a statement, but an action. Another fact on the ground.

Friedman disagrees.

If it is not moved, Israel will not be greatly affected. We will not mourn, he said. Our capital wont be moved to Tel Aviv, [just to be] in accordance with a politically chic, international perspective.

Trumps anticipated announcement has prompted a flurry of international concern. Arab world nations have warned against the damage it will do to the peace process. Hamas has promised a new intifada (uprising). France says it may have to pursue its own course in the region.

But the biggest impact may be felt by Israels neighboring states: Egypt and Jordan. Both have peace treaties with Israel, but maintain strong support for the Palestinian cause.

[Recognizing Jerusalem] will create more tension in the region, and encourage extremists, said Andrea Zaki, president of the Protestant Churches of Egypt.

It is not a helpful position, and Egyptian Christians will be disappointed.

In Jordan, Christians feel fragile, said Philip Madanat, adjunct professor of sociology at JETS and a researcher of Islamic movements. Christians, he said, fear any change to the status quo.

There can always be surprises in the street, especially if economic frustration mixes with political outrage over Jerusalem, he said. It just needs a spark.

Johnnie Moore, co-chairman of Trumps unofficial faith advisory board, believes the decision is being massaged behind the scenes.

It is very unlikely that the administration would make such a decision without meaningful and substantive consultation with our Arab and Israeli allies, he said. Moore was recently part of an evangelical delegation that visited the leaders of Egypt and Jordan.

There will be lots of rhetoric over the next few days, but theres more to the story, for sure, said Moore. The reasoning will likely become more apparent in the coming weeks or months.

Chris Seiple, president emeritus of the Institute for Global Engagement, thinks the rhetoric is more serious.

Our Sunni allies are against it, and it will reinforce the perception that America is less than even-handed in approaching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said.

We can expect tremendous unrest and perhaps violence in the near-term; perhaps killing the peace effort in the long-term.

President Trump has signaled that he will defend Palestinian interests if both sides pursue a two-state solution, and that recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital does not preempt negotiations about its borders.

Seiple observes Trump has also given himself flexibility on the embassy.

Madanat downplayed the possible embassy move, saying the real issue is recognitionthe US siding with Israelif there are no corresponding nods to Palestinian demands.

Warnings of demonstrations sound dire, he said, though they have generally settled down in the past. But this time could be different, as the stakes are higher than even when the peace treaty was signed.

This is because Jordans King Abdullah inherited historical custodianship of Jerusalems holy places, both Muslim and Christian.

If you pull out the carpet [giving Israel responsibility], the Hashemites lose one of the most important pillars of their legitimacy, he said.

We cannot imagine Jordan without the Hashemites. There is little we can do except stand behind the king.

Given the shared importance of Jerusalem to all three Abrahamic religions, Zaki also prefers treading carefully.

If [Trump] recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state, it is against justice for the other two, and against Palestinians themselves, he said.

Keep it as the capital of all three religions.

But even among Middle Eastern Christians, religion is a dividing factor.

I am true to what I see the Torah teaching on this subject matter, said Friedman, highlighting prophesies in Joel and Zachariah, as well as Yeshuas words in Matthew 5.

Jerusalem is part of the covenantal land inheritance granted in Gods mercy to the descendants of Jacob, and Gods covenants are eternally valid.

Mansours interpretation differs.

Jesus makes it clear that specific places of worship are not important but rather that people matter, he said, highlighting John 4.

When the Psalmist asks us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, it involves acting to preserve the human dignity of everyone living there.

International religious leaders tend to agree with Mansouror at least against Trump. Pope Francis has called for the status quo of Jerusalem to be respected. The patriarchs and heads of local churches in Jerusalem did the same.

Evangelicals in the US tend to agree with bothbut mostly with Friedman.

Evangelicals are ecstatic, said Moore. At the heart of the friendship between Israel and the United States is the friendship between evangelical Christians and the Jewish people.

So far, for evangelicals, the Trump administration is batting a thousand.

According to a new survey by LifeWay Research, 63 percent of Americans with evangelical beliefs support Israel primarily because God gave the land of Israel to the Jewish people. Only 22 percent are not sure the biblical promises are still in force.

However, 59 percent say Christians should do more to love and care for the Palestinians (though only 22 percent say Israel has been unfair to them). Meanwhile, 42 percent say they support Israel, but not everything Israel does.

Among younger American evangelicals, however, things seem to be changing. Though most millennials (those under age 34) have a generally positive attitude toward Israel, 41 percent have no strong views about the Jewish state, while 19 percent see the rebirth of Israel as an injustice and 47 percent are not sure.

In Israel, Friedman says the younger generations support for the state is as intense as it has been for their parents.

Our lives, our childrens lives, our very existence, our nations existence, and the continuance of the Jewish people, he said, is at stake every minute of every day.

But Mansour notes an interesting development among Arab Palestinians.

Surprisingly, the new generation is both more Israeli and more Palestinian, he said. Arabs are finding employment with Jews, while rediscovering their identity in the academic freedom of Israeli and other regional universities.

While trailing Jewish enrollment by about half, the percentage of Arab men in Israel receiving some post-secondary education has doubled in the last two decades, according to Israeli labor force statistics. In 1990, it was only 14 percent; in 2011, it was 27 percent.

They are confronted with other students from different nations and they have their identity questioned, Mansour said. They read more and are exposed to what is happening in the world. They realize they are among the only people without self-determination.

Their Palestinian identity is intensified.

But the Israeli identity is also rising. A 2015 survey of Baptist leaders in Israel had 75 percent label themselves Arab-Israeli Christians, deemphasizing their Palestinian identity.

And a recent Kivun poll found 63 percent of all Arab Israelis agreeing Israel is a good place to live.

The severest critics of Israel among Arab believers here are largely financed by interests from outside of Israel, said Friedman. These Arab Christians speak loudly to the Western Christian world.

True or not, they also speak consistently.

More than 300,000 Arab Muslim and Christian Palestinians live in occupied East Jerusalem, said Mansour. Forcing an Israeli rule on them is wrong.

What if Trump were to try to satisfy both, and have the US position honor Jerusalem as the capital of both nations?

To have Jerusalem serve as a Palestinian capital would necessitate the division of the city, physically and politically, said Friedman.

All peace conferences can take place with the Jewish state having its capital recognized exactly where it is. This is no block to peace talks, only an excuse and manipulative ploy not to convene peace talks.

But Jordans Madanat thinks such a fait accompli would hurt the Palestinians.

If they get dragged into negotiations they might only wind up getting a district in East Jerusalem, he said. Abu Dis, the suburb where Palestinians have built some government buildings, has been cordoned off from the rest of Jerusalem by the separation wall.

They have to be strong enough to negotiate [Jerusalem] on their own, or else they are lost.

Perhaps Trump is hoping to recognize the reality on the ground, and get it unstuck.

But there are two approaches to peace, said Seiple, and Trump appears to be risking both.

One approach is inside-out, where local players are helped to agree. Currently, this does not appear to be working.

A declaration of Jerusalem as Israels capital and the move of the embassy will help the world move on, said Friedman.

But not the Palestinians. The peace process is frozen, said Mansour. This will just extend the freeze for another decade, and add to the hostility.

The other approach, outside-in, seeks regional consensus for the whole regionof which the Israeli-Palestinian issue is a part, but also the rights of religious minorities.

Given the defeat of ISIS, there is theoretically an opportunity, said Seiple.

One city, two states, three religions. The one and three are a given; [the question] is how you get to two.
Can the Catholic Church Save the World from Today's Dark Ages? New book presents formidable men who shaped the culture



Contact: Kevin Wandra, 404-788-1276,



SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 /



Conceived and written in the heart of Rome, HEROISM AND GENIUS traces the enormous influence of the Catholic priesthood (and some Catholic lay people) throughout the centuries following the death and resurrection of Jesus.



Ordained to the priesthood by Saint John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica in 1991, Father William J. Slattery, Ph.D., S.T.L., has given Ignatian retreats in English and French in North America, and has founded a new order of priests, the Society of Ignatians, whose candidates will begin formation in July of next year.



While heroes today are reality TV stars, Father Slattery gives sketches of true heroes, the Catholic priests who have stood in an unbroken line extending two thousand years as defenders of humanity and self-sacrifice. HEROISM AND GENIUS goes behind-the-scenes of every major era and reveals the role of the Catholic Church and her servants  from the court of Charlemagne to the advancement of the dignity of women in Western culture to the fight against infanticide until the twelfth century.



HEROISM AND GENIUS makes every effort to demonstrate that Catholics cannot be Catholic by imprisoning themselves in the modern age, that they need to understand history in order to build a future rooted in Catholic values.



"I am happy to recommend Fr. William Slattery's book  [about] the ethos of heroism and genius that inspirited the builders of Christian civilization  and that can inspire the builders of another Christian culture in the future, whether in Africa, Asia, Europe or the Americas," said Cardinal Robert Sarah, author of God or Nothing and The Power of Silence.



For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Fr. William Slattery, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or



Share Tweet Contact: Kevin Wandra, 404-788-1276, KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- Many Catholics would argue that we're in a "Dark Age" of sorts: the culture war battles are seemingly being lost, Christians are being persecuted for their beliefs, and Catholic priests are even being kidnapped and killed in parts of the world. But because Jesus Christ is unchanging and the Catholic Church is divinely inspired, Father William Slattery argues in his new book, HEROISM AND GENIUS, that Catholicism will get society out of today's dark ages, just like it did during the original Dark Ages.Conceived and written in the heart of Rome, HEROISM AND GENIUS traces the enormous influence of the Catholic priesthood (and some Catholic lay people) throughout the centuries following the death and resurrection of Jesus.Ordained to the priesthood by Saint John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica in 1991, Father William J. Slattery, Ph.D., S.T.L., has given Ignatian retreats in English and French in North America, and has founded a new order of priests, the Society of Ignatians, whose candidates will begin formation in July of next year.While heroes today are reality TV stars, Father Slattery gives sketches of true heroes, the Catholic priests who have stood in an unbroken line extending two thousand years as defenders of humanity and self-sacrifice. HEROISM AND GENIUS goes behind-the-scenes of every major era and reveals the role of the Catholic Church and her servants  from the court of Charlemagne to the advancement of the dignity of women in Western culture to the fight against infanticide until the twelfth century.HEROISM AND GENIUS makes every effort to demonstrate that Catholics cannot be Catholic by imprisoning themselves in the modern age, that they need to understand history in order to build a future rooted in Catholic values."I am happy to recommend Fr. William Slattery's book  [about] the ethos of heroism and genius that inspirited the builders of Christian civilization  and that can inspire the builders of another Christian culture in the future, whether in Africa, Asia, Europe or the Americas," said Cardinal Robert Sarah, author of God or Nothing and The Power of Silence.For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Fr. William Slattery, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com ) of Carmel Communications.
Ministry Brands Foundation Awards $18,200 Grant to Calvary Rescue Mission in Memphis Contact: Karen Sebold,



MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 5, 2017 /



Calvary plans to use the computer lab to help residents of the mission with training and education which includes helping many of its residents get their GED. In addition, the new 15,500-square-foot facility will allow the mission to expand its housing capacity to 112 homeless men a night.



"In the neighborhood Calvary serves, one in nine are a victim of a violent crime, yet every night the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached, a meal is served, and a bed is provided for about four dozen that do not have a place to call home," said Steele Billings, Ministry Brands Foundation Selection Committee member.



"This is exactly the type of organization that Ministry Brands wants to partner with and help fund the continued effort."



Started by the late Milton Hatcher and his wife, Betty, Calvary Rescue Mission opened its doors on April 1, 1967 to provide temporary shelter, food, and clothing to homeless men in need. In addition, they offer nightly chapel services, counseling, a discipleship program and a library. The grant was one of seven given out to worthy charities around the country this fall by the Foundation.



About the Ministry Brands Foundation

The Ministry Brands Foundation was established in April 2017 to "propel Christian ministries to fulfill their work with relevance for today's culture." The Foundation is the charitable arm of Ministry Brands, LLC, based in Lenoir City, Tenn., a leading software provider for churches and non-profits across the country. Grants are awarded seasonally, based on four concentration areas: Youth & Young Adults, Church & Technology, Hunger & Homelessness and Biblical Literacy. Funding from the grants is used for capital improvements, projects and programs of qualifying 501(c) 3 organizations selected from Ministry Brands' customer base.



Share Tweet Contact: Karen Sebold, Ministry Brands Foundation , 865-271-9430MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 5, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- Representatives of the Ministry Brands Foundation recently presented a grant for $18,200 to officials with Calvary Rescue Mission that will go to fund a computer lab in the Mission's new facility near downtown Memphis.Calvary plans to use the computer lab to help residents of the mission with training and education which includes helping many of its residents get their GED. In addition, the new 15,500-square-foot facility will allow the mission to expand its housing capacity to 112 homeless men a night."In the neighborhood Calvary serves, one in nine are a victim of a violent crime, yet every night the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached, a meal is served, and a bed is provided for about four dozen that do not have a place to call home," said Steele Billings, Ministry Brands Foundation Selection Committee member."This is exactly the type of organization that Ministry Brands wants to partner with and help fund the continued effort."Started by the late Milton Hatcher and his wife, Betty, Calvary Rescue Mission opened its doors on April 1, 1967 to provide temporary shelter, food, and clothing to homeless men in need. In addition, they offer nightly chapel services, counseling, a discipleship program and a library. The grant was one of seven given out to worthy charities around the country this fall by the Foundation.About the Ministry Brands FoundationThe Ministry Brands Foundation was established in April 2017 to "propel Christian ministries to fulfill their work with relevance for today's culture." The Foundation is the charitable arm of Ministry Brands, LLC, based in Lenoir City, Tenn., a leading software provider for churches and non-profits across the country. Grants are awarded seasonally, based on four concentration areas: Youth & Young Adults, Church & Technology, Hunger & Homelessness and Biblical Literacy. Funding from the grants is used for capital improvements, projects and programs of qualifying 501(c) 3 organizations selected from Ministry Brands' customer base.
Petition Sent to HBO CEO

Contact: The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, 212-371-3191, pr@catholicleague.org



NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue is sending the names of thousands of outraged Catholics who signed our online petition against Bill Maher to HBO Chairman and CEO Richard Plelpler.

As Donohue indicated in his letter to Plepler, thousands more petitions will be sent to him in the coming weeks. In the December edition of Catalyst, the leagues monthly journal, members are invited to sign the petition.

Recently, Maher was forced to apologize for offending African Americans. Also, HBO scratched all of its Louis C.K. shows. Donohue picked up on this in his letter to Plepler.

"We've spoken before about Maher. Citing free speech as a defense looks rather lame, as witnessed by the two aforementioned examples.

"In a time of heightened sensitivity over offensive fare, why does Maher always get a pass when it comes to Christians?"

Donohue asked Plepler to reply. We will post his response.


Judicial Watch: New Justice Department Records Show Strong Support by Mueller Deputy Andrew Weissmann, Other Top DOJ Officials for Yates' Refusal to Enforce President Trump Travel Ban 'I am so proud. And in awe. Thank you so much. All my deepest respects'  Andrew Weissmann, then-Chief of Justice Department Criminal Fraud Section



Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5172



WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch today released two productions (335 pages and 44 pages) of Justice Department (DOJ) documents showing strong support by top DOJ officials for former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates' refusal to enforce President Trump's Middle East travel ban executive order. In one email, Andrew Weissmann, one of Robert Mueller's top prosecutors and formerly the Obama-era Chief of the Justice Department's Criminal Fraud Section, applauds Yates writing: "I am so proud. And in awe. Thank you so much. All my deepest respects."



Judicial Watch obtained the documents through a May 2017 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the Justice Department failed to respond to a February FOIA request seeking Yates' emails from her government account (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:17-cv-00832)) for the time period she served as Acting Attorney General for President Trump.



The emails, several sent from official Justice Department email addresses, show strong support for Yates, who was fired for disobeying a direct order from the President: Thomas Delahanty, then the United States Attorney for Maine wrote: "You are my hero."



Liz Aloi, a career service employee and Chief of the Justice Department's Special Financial Investigations Unit told Yates she was "Inspirational and heroic."



Emily Gray Rice, then the U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire and an Obama appointee said: "AAG Yates, thank you, as always, for making us proud. It is truly an honor to work for you."



Obama appointee Barbara McQuade, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan told Yates, "Thank you for your courage and leadership. This is wonderful news."



DOJ Civil Division Appellate Attorney Claire Jeffrey wrote: "Thank you AG Yates. I've been in civil/appellate for 30 years and have never seen an administration with such contempt for democratic values and the rule of law. The President's order is an unconstitutional embarrassment and I applaud you for taking a principled stand against defending it." "This is an astonishing and disturbing find. Andrew Weisman, a key prosecutor on Robert Mueller's team, praised Obama DOJ holdover Sally Yates after she lawlessly thwarted President Trump," stated Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton. "How much more evidence do we need that the Mueller operation has been irredeemably compromised by anti-Trump partisans? Shut it down."



Yates was appointed by President Obama as U.S. Attorney in northern Georgia and was later confirmed as Deputy Attorney General. In January 2017 she became acting Attorney General for President Trump.



Yates was involved in the controversy concerning Gen. Michael Flynn, allegedly warning the Trump White House in early January about General Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak. (Judicial Watch is separately suing for records concerning the surveillance and subsequent leaks regarding General Flynn.)



MORE: www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-new-justice-department-records-show-strong-support-mueller-deputy-andrew-weissmann-top-doj-officials-yates-refusal-enforce-president-trump-travel-ban/



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home World France's Catholic Church introduces new version of Lord's prayer

The French Catholic Church has introduced a new version of the Lord's Prayer in an effort to clear a misunderstanding among some parishioners that God has a direct hand in tempting people to commit sins.

For decades, French Catholics have been praying "Ne nous soumets pas a la tentation" (Do not submit us to temptation), but on Dec. 3, the first Sunday in Advent, the priests began asking the worshippers to pray "Ne nous laisse pas entrer en tentation" (Do not let us enter into temptation).

The new prayer shifts the emphasis of sin more onto the sinner instead of God. Theologians have been debating the issue for over a decade, with some insisting that it is preposterous to suggest that God could do the devil's work. Others have even argued that the idea was downright blasphemous.

According to The Telegraph, the current ambiguous translation was introduced in 1966 after the reformist Second Vatican Council paved the way for the use of the vernacular instead of Latin in Catholic masses across the world.

The new translation was not supposed to be adopted in the Roman Missel until 2019, but French priests who were tired of waiting for its release took the liberty to introduce it a year early.

The Telegraph reported back in 2013, that the correction to the prayer was made following a 17-year debate between theologians and writers.

The change was also reportedly incorporated into a new French translation of the Bible validated by the Vatican.

Monsignor Guy de Kerimel, the French Catholic Church's chief liturgist, maintained that the translation itself was not wrong, but the interpretation was ambiguous.

The new version has been adopted by both Catholics and Protestants, but not everyone was happy about the change.

The national evangelicals of France (CNEF) has acknowledged that the new version better avoids the idea that God "is somehow responsible for temptation but it waters down God's sovereignty."

Traditionalist French Catholic priest Guillaume de TanoAarn also complained about the new translation, saying "faith is a struggle" and it does not spring from "a world of metaphysical teddy bears."

RaphaAl Enthoven, a high-profile French philosopher, surmised that the French Church's decision to omit the word "soumission" (submission) was an attempt to avoid any comparisons with Islam, which means submission.

However, French bishops' spokesman Monseigneur Olivier Ribadeau Dumas dismissed the assertion as "sad and ridiculous," prompting Enthoven to issue an apology and withdraw the claim.

Kerimel noted that "[t]here's going to be some mumbling for a while" as the parishioners adjust to the new words.
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Saudi Arabia convinced Russia to go along with a nine-month extension of production quotas through the end of 2018, but the pop in crude oil prices will likely be short-lived and offer little relief for nations dependent on oil income.

Nations responsible for about half of the world's oil production agreed last year to hold 2 percent off the market until crude inventories drop to five-year averages. Those cuts have worked, but they have also raised prices, prompting more production from U.S. companies that are not part of the deal.

That's putting oil prices into a tight band, one that OPEC no longer controls, where production cuts keep West Texas Intermediate prices above $50 a barrel, and new U.S. production keeping prices below $60.

"In agreeing to extend current production quotas, OPEC and non-OPEC nations are managing a fine balance, which is likely to maintain prices at current levels in the near term," Chris Midgley, head of analytics at S&P Global Platts, said. "Weak seasonal demand and stock builds will put pressure on prices in the first half of 2018."

The key to keeping prices above $50 is Russia, which in an unprecedented move, joined with OPEC production cuts. But that has hurt Russian oil companies, which are now eager to get out of the deal.

To address the Russian companies' concerns, OPEC agreed to review the deal when it meets again in June 2018. Cartel leaders have also promised to establish a clear plan for unwinding the agreement, which they hope will keep Russia on side.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, can proceed with selling off a 5 percent share in the national oil company, Saudi Aramco, knowing that crude prices will remain at current levels. Any oil company's value is tied to the value of its proven reserves, and low prices hurt stock valuations.

Khalid al-Falih, Saudi Arabia's minister of energy and chairman of Saudi Aramco, believes this grand coalition will hold for some time to everyone's benefit.

"I think the oil market's going to be very happy in 2018," he said after the meeting last week. "This new framework is going to be around for some time ... so get used to it."

How long the deal will actually last, and how closely the partners will hew to their quotas, will be fascinating to watch. Because in the end, OPEC, Russia and U.S. producers are competing against each other for market share at a time when demand is growing slowly.

There will be winners and losers because the world simply has more oil production capacity than it needs. And there is a vast difference between what a private company needs to make a profit and what governments need to finance their spending.

Saudi Arabia, for example, can produce oil for less than $20 a barrel. If Saudi Aramco were a public company, then $60 a barrel would be a huge windfall.

Saudi Aramco, though, is a national oil company owned and operated by a petrostate. To meet the government's budget needs, Aramco needs to sell oil at $84 a barrel or more, according to financial analysis firm Fitch's.

Russia's oil companies are semi-state owned, which means they also produce revenue for the government. President Vladimir Putin needs oil prices to reach $72 a barrel to cover his costs.

U.S. oil companies need nothing more than a 10 percent return on investment to "break even" for their investors. Most shale producers say they can do that at $55 a barrel.

For proof, consider that 33 of the largest U.S. producers added 897,000 barrels a day of new oil hedges during in the third quarter of 2017, up 147 percent from the second quarter 2017, according to financial analysis firm Wood Mackenzie. The strike price was between $50 and $60 a barrel.

"When futures prices rose above that ($50) level, producers may have viewed it as an opportunity to lock in prices that will enable them to hit - or maybe outperform - targets," said Andy McConn, research analyst at Wood Mackenzie. "Recent pressure from investors for producers to live within cash flow is likely compelling producers to limit exposure to price risk."

Most oil price forecasts point to prices for West Texas Intermediate crude remaining below $60 a barrel in 2018. That would be good news for U.S. oil producers, which could increase production, but likely bad news for OPEC and Russia, which will still not collect the prices they need to pay the bills.

Sustained low prices mean Russia, Saudi and all of the other petrostates need to cut their internal spending, which is a sure-fire way to trigger popular unrest when the government is run by a totalitarian government. That's a prescription for instability, which has the ironic consequence of driving up oil prices when the trouble starts.

In the meantime, $60 oil is enough for U.S. oil companies to boost production to 10 million barrels a day next year, making the U.S. the world's largest producer, research firm Rystad Energy predicted. Al-Falih said he wasn't worried about increased U.S. production because it is meeting growing demand, not cutting into OPEC's existing market share.

OPEC's pledge to extend production cuts is welcome, but it does not solve all of the oil industry's problems. It only masks them for now.
The money-losing Schlitterbahn water park and resort on North Padre Island could be auctioned off at a foreclosure sale in February if a deal for the property is not reached before then, under an agreement announced Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Antonio.

About 270 acres surrounding the park and hotel, however, are slated to be sold at Tuesdays foreclosure auction in Nueces County.
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Lawyers for indicted state Sen. Carlos Uresti say steamy text messages sent between one of his co-defendants and Denise Cantu of Harlingen were wrongfully withheld and cast doubt on her credibility as the governments star witness in his upcoming criminal trial.

Uresti contends that federal prosecutors failed to obey court rules by timely turning over the text messages, which he believes may help exonerate him. Urestis legal team led by Tab Turner filed a court motion Monday to force prosecutors to disclose any other information that might help to his case.

READ ALSO: What we know about Sen. Uresti's connection to FourWinds

Uresti, Stan Bates and Gary Cain were indicted in May on 22 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and other crimes for their roles in a now-defunct oil field services company called FourWinds Logistics. Uresti served as the companys outside legal counsel for a short time and recruited Cantu as an investor. She is slated to testify against Uresti, a San Antonio Democrat.

Now Playing: State Sen. Carlos Uresti speaks after his hearing at the federal courthouse on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, following his indictment relating to a fraudulent scheme at now-defunct oil-field services company FourWinds Logistics. Video: Billy Calzada /Express-News

Bates was the companys CEO and Cain was a consultant. The trios trial is scheduled to start Jan. 4.

The "sext" messages between Cantu and Bates are relevant because they raise doubts about Cantus credibility, Turner says.

Screen shots of the text messages submitted as an exhibit to the filing are laced with sexually explicit content in between discussions about the performance of Cantus investment in FourWinds. At one point, Bates tells Cantu that he misses her and she replies I miss you too.. I miss just being able to talk to you, and not about business, according to a copy of the messages.

And (expletive) me, Bates responds. Cantu later says, Lets get this agreement over with and I wanna ride the (expletive) outta you.

PHOTOS: FBI, IRS raid state Sen. Carlos Uresti's San Antonio law office

Turner argues in the filing that the text messages clearly contradict the Governments ongoing efforts to create the impression that Ms. Cantu was an honest, unwitting, and innocent victim who placed great reliance on Defendant Uresti when in fact the truth shows that she was working quite closely, and obviously intimately, with Defendant Bates

Urestis defense team received the texts in question last week, or nearly two years after the government obtained them, Turner says. He described them as exculpatory evidence that should have been turned over earlier.

The defendant is concerned that the Government may be suppressing more evidence, whether due to the FBI or some other reason, Turner says.

In one of their tamer exchanges, Bates told Cantu it was his birthday.

Happy Birthday, she wrote back, adding some birthday cake, smiley face and other emojis I OWE YOU Birthday Sex.

According to the filing, the FBI interviewed Cantu in January 2016, or less than a month after it received the texts from Bates bankruptcy lawyer. During that interview, the filing says, Cantu denied having any form of sexual relationship with either Bates or Uresti.

Prosecutors then became concerned about her truthfulness, Turner says in the filing. The U.S attorneys office told Cantus lawyer, Oscar R. Alvarez, that it hurt the investigation and her credibility.

She was misleading and we therefore need her to correct the statement as soon as possible so as to mitigate any damage to her credibility, prosecutors told Alvarez, according to Urestis filing. Prosecutors turned over their correspondences with Alvarez to Urestis legal team.

Cantu met with the FBI again in April 2016 where she told agents that she previously lied about having a sexual relationship with Bates because she feared her children would find out and was both ashamed and embarrassed, Urestis filing says. Alvarez didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alvarez told the San Antonio Express-News in June that Cantu and Uresti had an intimate relationship that went on for months, which Uresti has repeatedly denied.

Turner reiterated Urestis position that he never had an intimate relationship with Cantu. And, subsequently, after being pressured by the U.S attorneys office, she changed her story, Turner said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell declined to comment.

The six screen shots of text messages were included in an email that Bates sent to his bankruptcy lawyer in Dec. 16, 2015. The email had the subject line Cantus (sic) agrees on Uresti commission.

Uresti earned a 3 percent commission, or $27,000, on Cantus $900,000 investment with FourWinds in 2014.

Bates told Cantu in the text messages that she and FourWinds would each share 45 percent of any profits from her investment, while Uresti would get 10 percent.

Thats great, Cantu replied with a smiley face emoji.

Cantu knew all along that Uresti was getting a commission on her investment, Turner said.

One of (prosecutors) primary claims is that (Uresti) had a duty to disclose that information to her, Turner said. Well, the evidence shows that he did disclose that to her.

Prosecutors have argued that financial difficulties drove Uresti to exploit and defraud Cantu, a mentally and emotionally vulnerable client, who is identified in the indictment as Victim 1. Uresti was part of a legal team that won Cantu a settlement following in the deaths of two of her children in 2010.

Cantu then invested $900,000, or the bulk of the settlement, with FourWinds, which bought and sold sand used in fracking to extract oil and gas from shale rock. She lost about $800,000 on her investment.

In an unrelated matter, Cantu was arrested last month by Harlingen police and charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, both felonies. Its the second time this year that she was been charged with aggravated assault, court records show.

pdanner@express-news.net
A Galveston woman is in jail on an aggravated assault charge after she allegedly threw a flaming object at her ex-boyfriend on Nov. 29, setting the man on fire.

Nancy Allen, 50, is accused of luring the man out of his apartment by repeatedly cutting off the power at the breaker box, a method she had used in the past, in order to assault the victim, Galveston County court records show.

The victim, Theolonious Haley, and his current girlfriend told police that Allen had been at the victim's apartment at 503 21st Street earlier in the day Nov. 29, and that all three had been arguing.

Now Playing: Latest Local And State News Video: Houston Chronicle

TERRIFYING: Man allegedly set house on fire while woman, children were asleep

Allen reportedly threw a beer can at the new girlfriend before she was asked to leave, the court record states.

The power was later cut off to the apartment twice, and each time Haley went outside to turn it back on. On the second time, Haley said Allen threw an object at him.

"He stated that he did not know what the object was, but only knew it was on fire and that a 'ball of fire' was heading towards his head," the court record states.

Haley was severely burned and underwent skin grafts at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, his girlfriend and a nurse at the hospital told police.

On May 3, 2017, Allen pleaded no contest to assaulting Haley after turning off his apartment's breaker three times, court records show. She was convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member.

In 2016, Allen was granted community service and a case was dismissed after she pleaded no contest to pouring lighter fluid on Haley during an argument and telling him, "Ima douse you."

Haley's current condition is not available at this time. Allen was arrested Monday, Dec. 4 and is currently being held in the Galveston County Jail with bond set at $250,000.
Parading down a runway in six-inch heels seems like an endeavor for professional models, but at the Dec. 3 Stilettos and Champagne event, Houston CEO's and other female entrepreneurs took on the challenge in the name of charity.

Hosted by This Woman's Work, a local 501c(3) charitable organization, the second annual event was held at the Ensemble Theater in Houston. More than 125 people were expected to attend, according to This Woman's Work Founder Carla Lane.

Most of the stilettos worn during the fashion show were designed by Texas shoe designer Kamica Hampton. Lane's love of champagne and of high heels inspired the event's theme, as well as her belief that wearing beautiful shoes makes women feel powerful.

"It changes your posture, it changes the way you walk, it changes the way your legs look," Lane said. "So we're just going to walk in power and enjoy ourselves and celebrate each other."

After Hurricane Harvey, executives at This Woman's Work scaled back their fundraising goal for Stilettos and Champagne to $25,000.

Donated funds benefit This Woman's Work programs such as Ironwomen Mentor and Stepping into Strength, which provide opportunities for women and girls in Houston to learn professional skills.

According to Lane, Stilettos and Champagne is an opportunity for like-minded people to support a cause, to meet and to network.

"It's about supporting each other, about doing business with each other, and helping to impact our community positively and support people," Lane said.

One year ago, Jeana Boyd Douglas, currently an employee at Houston Methodist Hospital in Sugarland, signed up for Dress for Success, a nonprofit organization and partner of This Woman's Work's Carla's Closet program. The two organizations work together to provide professional clothing for women in the Houston area, according Thiswomanswork.biz.

Lacking appropriate business attire for her new job, Douglas reached out to Dress for Success. Douglas said the new clothes she received helped her to be confident at work.

"I didn't have to worry about, because if we're being honest, as women sometimes we worry about what other people think of us and especially when you're in a new environment," Douglas said.

As part of the Stepping into Strength program, Ironwomen participants mentor girls at Madison High School in Houston ISD once a month, according to Lane. Through the program, the students visited museums, attended lectures on preparing for college and traveled to Galveston.

Some of the girls had never seen the ocean before the Galveston trip, according to Lane, who said the Stepping into Strength program focuses on exposure and building relationships.

"We want to make sure that we do what we can to help create the next business owners, the next politicians, the next teachers," Lane said. "We've got to catch them before they decide not to go to college, or they decide to become a mother or they decide all these things that you could decide that will change their lives forever."

For more information about This Woman's work visit Thiswomanswork.biz. For more information about Dress for Success visit Dfshouston.org.
Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston will host "The Impact of Harvey on the Holidays" for religious, community and business leaders from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, at IM's Midtown headquarters at 3303 Main St.

More Information About Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston A United Way agency, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (IM) brings people of diverse faith traditions together for dialogue, collaboration and service. IM provides four main services including Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston which delivers more than one million meals each year to seniors in Harris and Galveston counties; Refugee Services which, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, resettles hundreds of refugees in Houston each year; Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships which serves as a hub, resource, and convener of dialogue and service efforts across religious traditions as well as civic, corporate, and non-profit agencies; and, Volunteer Houston, which matches volunteers with nonprofit agencies for a Greater Houston. More information can be found at www.imgh.org. See More Collapse

Thanks to funding from Frost Bank, IM can present this workshop that addresses the unique impact of Hurricane Harvey on holiday stress. This program will help faith, community and business leaders gain insight on how to cope with this year's holiday season
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinas automaker Lifan expressed its interest in producing new energy products in Uruguay at the 11th China-Latin America and the Caribbean (China-LAC) Business Summit.

On November 3, Chinese reporters gained news from the company that at Uruguay governments invitation, the company decided to introduce new energy products into the Latin American country and promote the localization of its electronic control and battery technology. Whats more, Lifan also plans to launch ride-sharing and taxi services of new energy vehicles in Uruguay and then expand the services to other Latin America countries.

Uruguay President Tabare Vazquez, revealed that the presidential palace will take lead in setting up a work team to support Lifan to carry out new energy projects. The government hopes Lifan to expand local production capacity and build new energy vehicle production lines in Uruguay.

Ever since Lifan started to build engine companies and vehicle assembly plants in Uruguay in 2012, the company managed to sell vehicles in many Latin countries while its motorbikes reached throughout the Latin America.

Mou Gang, president of Lifan Group, said that new energy products and globalization matter much to the company. In product, the company sticks to the combination of charging and swapping battery techonology. Currently, the company is researching how to commercialize autonomous technology to solve the problem of last kilometer.
Nov. 17

At 12:32 a.m., Officer Ortega located a suspicious vehicle that she noticed in the area of 4400 Jim West Street. Officer Ortega conducted a computer query on the vehicle's license plate and the vehicle returned as stolen out of Houston Police Department. Officers then received a suspicious person call about 4 young persons in the backyard of a home in the 4500 block of Oleander Street. Officer Bellard later observed an Uber driver leaving the area of the suspicious person call with four young passengers. Officer Bellard conducted a traffic stop and observed a burglary tool on the floor of the rear right passenger seat. All four suspects were arrested and charged with unlawful possession/use of criminal instrument.

At 8:45 a.m., Officer H. Lopez was dispatched to Memorial Herman Orthopedic Hospital in reference to a stolen laptop computer. The reportee stated an employee was terminated and upon doing so did not return her departmental issued laptop computer.

At 1:30 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to the 4400 block of Basswood Lane in reference to an I.D. Theft. The victim stated an unknown suspect, using identifying information, transferred money from the victim's account to an unknown account.

At 9:51 a.m., Officer Schwausch was dispatched to the 4400 block of Camellia Lane in regards to an identity theft. Officer Schwausch met with the reportee who stated between 10/26/2017 and 11/12/2017 an unknown suspect(s) used his identity to open credit accounts, purchase a Samsung cell phone, and file false claims with FEMA and Texas Workforce Commision.

At 11:25 a.m, an unknown suspect wearing a black hoodie and black pants, parked next to the victim's vehicle in a black SUV in the parking lot next to Bank of America at 5133 Bellaire Blvd. The suspect broke the window to the victim's vehicle and stole an empty Bank of America envelope. The suspect fled the scene in the black SUV eastbound on Bellaire Boulevard.

At 1:56 p.m., Officer Schwausch was dispatched to the Bellaire Police Lobby in reference to a burglary of a motor vehicle that occurred between 9 a.m. Nov. 16 and 5:30 a.m. Nov. 17. The vehicle was left unsecured in the driveway and multiple items were taken from the vehicle.

At 3:59 p.m., Officer Younger made contact with the victim who advised an unidentified suspect burglarized her residence in the 4500 block of Wedgewood Drive. Officer Younger collected evidence and supplied the victim with an incident report number.

At 3:40 a.m., Bellaire officers were dispatched to an alarm call at 5420 West Loop South. Bellaire Officers arrived on scene at approximately 0346 hrs. Upon further investigation, unknown person(s) made entry into the business without permission and removed items.

Nov. 18

At 3:49 a.m., Officer Bellard was on patrol in the area of 5500 Bellaire Blvd. when he observed a gray ford focus. Officer Bellard conducted a computer query on the vehicle license plate and it showed the vehicle to be stolen. Officer Bellard initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and the driver of the vehicle was taken into custody. The driver was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

At 4:05 p.m., Officer Younger was dispatched to the 4400 block of Lula Street in regards to a theft. Officer Younger arrived at 4:14 p.m.and made contact with the victim who advised an unknown suspect stole items from their garage.

At 5:15 a.m., Bellaire Officers were dispatched to a burglary in progress at 4805 Bissonnet St. Officers arrived on scene at 5:17 a.m. Unknown person(s) made entry into the business without permission and possibly removed items. Officer Bellard will be the reporting Officer in this case.

At 3:04 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to 5959 West Loop in reference to a theft. Officer Liccketto arrived and met with the Office Manager who informed the suspect was a previous employee and over the course of a year and a half had taken money.

Nov. 19

At 11:18 p.m., Officer Liccketto conducted a traffic stop on a black Nissan 370 for speeding in the 6600 block of West Loop North. During the investigation, the driver was found to have a suspended driver's license with no proof of financial responsibility. The driver was arrested for driving while license invalid enhanced and was transported to the Bellaire Police Department for booking.

Nov. 20

At 3:08 a.m., Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on a white 2009 Toyota Corolla at the 5300 block of IH 610 ESR for failing to maintain a single lane and defective equipment. The operator was intoxicated and was subsequently arrested for driving while intoxicated.

At 8:05 a.m., Officer Andrade was dispatched to 4300 Beechnut St. in reference to two suspicious subjects with ten bags of garbage/items. At 8:13 a.m., Officer Andrade arrived and made contact with the driver and passenger of the vehicle who both stated they stopped to clean out their vehicle. After further investigation, the driver was placed in custody for felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor unlawful carry of a weapon and the passenger was placed in custody for misdemeanor possession of two fictitious Texas Driver's Licenses.

At 9:45 p.m., Officer Barrientos was dispatched to a possible intoxicated person driving a motor vehicle in the 6500 block of Avenue Boulevard. Corporal Clawson located the Silverado and observed the Silverado fail to signal a lane change and driving on the wrong side of the roadway. Cpl. Clawson was able to conduct a traffic stop on the Silverado for these traffic infractions. Ofc. Barrientos placed the driver in custody for driving while intoxicated. During the inventory of the Silverado, Cpl. Clawson discovered a handgun inside the Silverado. Ofc. Barrienntos transported the driver to the Bellaire jail.

At 11:50 a.m., Officer Carson was dispatch to the lobby of 7008 S. Rice to meet with a victim of an identity theft. Unknown suspect(s) applied for a loan in September of 2013.

At 2:45 p.m., Officer Carson was dispatched to the 4500 block of Birch Street in regards to meeting with victim of an identity theft. The unknown suspect(s) opened a line of credit at an unknown jewelry store buying a men's diamond ring. The suspect(s) used the victim's name and date of birth to open the line of credit.

Nov. 21

At 11:30 p.m., Officer Clisham initiated a traffic stop in the 5200 block of Bellaire Boulevard on a vehicle for having a defective rear license plate light (light was not lit). Upon making contact with the driver and further instigation, the driver was found to be in possession of marijuana and multiple Xanax pills. The driver of the vehicle was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a State Jail Felony.

At 12:20 p.m., an unknown suspect committed a burglary of a motor vehicle on a United States Postal Service (USPS) vehicle in the 4500 block of Maple Street. While the suspect was running away, he slapped a witness in the face with his open palm. The suspect was last seen entering a black Nissan sedan which drove away westbound.

At 1:40 p.m., Officer H. Lopez was dispatched to the Randalls Grocery Store at 5130 Bellaire Blvd. in reference to a theft in progress. The assistant store director observed a black male wearing all grey, conceal items underneath his sweater, and exit the store without paying for the items. The black male was located a few blocks away with the items still hidden underneath his sweater, and was promptly placed under arrest.

At 2:44 p.m., Officers responded to a physical altercation at the 6800 block of South Rice Avenue. Officers, including Officer Younger, responded to the scene at approximately 1446 hours and observed an off-duty officer detaining a suspect who had attempted to steal $373.36 in product from Randall's Grocery Store. The suspect was placed into custody and transported to the Bellaire Jail to be processed.

At 3:04 p.m., Officer Delgado was dispatched to assist Lt. Cotton, who was flagged down about a theft in progress. Lt. Cotton observed the suspect vehicle flee from location and was able to stop the vehicle at 5500 block of Bellaire Boulevard. Upon approaching, Lt. Cotton observed several bottles of Dove body wash in the back seat. Lt. Cotton also detected an odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. Through the search of the vehicle, narcotics were located and through investigation it was shown the Dove body wash items were stolen.

At 1:46 a.m., Officer C. Barber was dispatched to a possible intoxicated driver in the 5100 block of Elm Street. Officers made contact with the subject vehicle and driver and after speaking with the driver and performing Standardized Field Sobriety Test's (SFST's), the driver was arrested for of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).

Nov. 24

At 6:13 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to the 7000 block of West Loop North in reference to a minor accident with a fleeing party. Officer Liccketto was able to locate the vehicle fleeing and detained the driver. During the investigation, the driver was found to be at fault for the accident and Officer Liccketto was able to file charges for fail to stop and give information.

At 11:10 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to 4439 Bissonnet in reference to a criminal mischief at the Valero gas station. The suspect kicked the window of the front door, and then left the scene in a new model Jeep.

Nov. 25

At 8:45 a.m., Officer Carson was dispatched to an unresponsive male at the 4500 block of Holly. The victim was transported to Ben Taub hospital by Bellaire Medic 81. The victim was pronounced deceased by Ben Taub emergency room medical physician.

At 12:10 p.m., Officer Schwausch was dispatched to the area of 5002 Bellaire Blvd. in reference to a theft in progress. Officers searched the area and located a suspect across the street at Randalls who had stolen items from Walgreens. The suspect was arrested for theft and possession of drug paraphernalia.

At 3:39 p.m., Officer O'Sullivan was dispatched to the 5400 block of Valerie Street in reference to a past burglary of a habitation. The investigation concluded with possible suspect DNA and prints being sent for analysis at the crime lab.

At 4:45 p.m., Officer Liccketto conducted a traffic stop on a red Kia for defective passenger side brake light in the 5200 block of West Loop Service Road. During the investigation, the driver was found to have a suspended driver's license with no proof of financial responsibility. The driver was arrested for driving while license invalid enhanced and was transported to the Bellaire Police Department for booking.

Nov. 26

At 12:15 a.m., Officer Ortega was dispatched to the 6500 block of IH 610 South in reference to a major accident. Officer Ortega arrived on scene at 12:17 a.m. and after further investigation, the driver of the vehicle was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
The Texas Tribune held a discussion about Health Care after Hurricane Harvey on Thursday, Nov. 30 at the Texas Woman's University Institute of Health Sciences in Houston.

This conversation event was the second out of the three-part series on the state's direction for health care.

The conversation was carried out with State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place; Elena Marks, president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation; and Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health.

Moderator Brandon Formby, urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune, opened the discussion asking about what it takes to get health care in up and running during a disaster and to prepare for the influx of displaced people that comes with a natural disaster.

Shah said with the number of hurricanes that either hit the city or even felt the impact from neighboring states hit by tropical storms and hurricanes has provided the county with the ability to learn what to do in the future and how to improve the health care system.

"We now transfer ourselves 25 to 15 years ahead and what we have now is a system that really did invest in that health care equation, that means we did things like not but the generates in the basement," Shah said.

Shah said that with each natural disaster there are steps of improvement taken and learned experiences that come with a disaster. Now, there is discussion about naming a facility or by default assume a facility will come into play when there is an emergency like Hurricane Harvey.

"One of the biggest challenges that we have is that when people come into the health care system you can start to measure their diseases," Shah said. "The challenge is during Hurricane Harvey people could not get to the health care system."

Marks said that looking at what builds a healthy community what makes an individual a family, a neighborhood, a city, a county healthy the investment that is made in health care have a smaller impact on overall health outcomes.

"We are spending way too much time and money on the health care medical services piece and we are really under invested in what you would call determinants of health," Marks said.

Marks added that in this country there is an obsession with investing in medical services but no focus on investing in looking at what makes people healthy.

"We are not taking care of the things that lead to healthy people and health communities," Marks said. "We're great once you are really sick, you can go to the med center if you can pay and get great treatment otherwise the chance to live a healthy life are stacked against you."

Davis spoke on the impacts of disease after a major storm siting that after Katrina West Nile virus and other mosquito carried illnesses had doubled.

She also said that health care providers should stay vigilant as challenges could still be ahead.

"We'll keep on patting ourselves on the back that we got through Harvey," Marks said. "But then there's everything else."
Nov. 22

An officer was dispatched to the 5900 block of Kirby in regards to a suspicious person/activity. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the individual who had committed a theft in the 2500 block of University and was hiding the stolen items. While placing the subject under arrest, he became uncooperative and began resisting. The subject was taken into custody for theft and interfering with public duties of a peace officer.

An Officer was dispatched to the 3700 block of Goode Street in reference to an abandoned bike in the roadway.

An officer was dispatched to the 2600 block of Nottingham in reference to a burglary of a motor vehicle that had already occurred.

Nov. 23

An Officer was dispatched to the 2900 block of Albans in reference to burglary of a motor vehicle that had already occurred.

Nov. 25

An officer observed a subject standing in the 2600 block of Albans urinating in the roadway. The subject was placed in custody and booked into the West University Jail for disorderly conduct.

At 9:14 am, an officer observed a vehicle traveling at 71 MPH in a posted 35 MPH speed zone westbound in the 4200 block of Bissonnet. A traffic stop was conducted and after further investigation the driver was arrested for the offense of fraudulent use or possession of identifying information.

An officer was dispatched to the Houston Police Department Southeast Jail to pick up a prisoner with warrants out of the West University Municipal Court. The prisoner was transported and processed without incident.

At 10:51 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in regards to fraud that already occurred.

Nov. 26

At 9:53 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 3500 block of Amherst in regards to found property. Upon arrival, it was discovered the complainant found a children's bicycle on his property.

Nov. 27

Officers responded to a disturbance in progress call at the 4000 block of Bellaire Blvd. Officers responded to a possible intoxicated male, officers observed the male walking a short distance away from the reported location and he was taken into custody for public intoxication.

Nov. 28

An Officer was dispatched to the 2700 block of Nottingham in reference to a theft that already occurred.

An Officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in regards to found property that was located at Colonial Park. Upon arrival, the officer took care and custody of the property and submitted it into the evidence locker for safe keeping.

Nov. 29

An officer observed a vehicle traveling southbound in the 6400 block of Buffalo Speedway with expired registration. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver was subsequently taken into custody for Class C Misdemeanor traffic violations.

Nov. 30

At 8:29 am, an officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in reference to an identity theft that already occurred.

An officer was dispatched to the 2700 block of Barbara Ln. for a burglary of a vehicle report that had already occurred.
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In unlikely bedfellows news, an oil production firm and a solar energy supplier have struck up an alliance in California to work together.

Aera Energy, one of California's largest oil and gas producers, and GlassPoint Solar have announced plans to build one of the state's largest solar energy projects to power oil field operations.

The project, called Belridge Solar, will have two parts, an 850 megawatt thermal facility to produce 12 million barrels of steam to help extract oil, and a 26.5 megawatt photovoltaic facility to generate electricity. Aera Energy wants to reduce onsite natural gas usage and reduce its carbon emissions from pumping oil.

RELATED: Renewable energy's future importance apparent in Europe

"We are proud to be an active part of California's low carbon future and lead the industry by adopting bold solutions to deliver valuable energy, more efficiently while protecting the environment," Aera CEO Christina Sistrunk said in a statement.

"By harnessing the power of the sun to produce oil, oil operators can efficiently reduce emissions using advanced technology, creating long-term benefits for the local economy and environment," Sanjeev Kumar, GlassPoint SVP for the Americas, said in the same statement.

"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!," said Bill Murray's character, Dr. Peter Venkman, said in the movie Ghostbusters.

An oil company working to reduce carbon emissions, and a renewable energy company supplying energy to a fossil fuel company. Partisans in both camps are spinning themselves up with outrage.

RELATED: Renewable energy sources challenging assumptions

Yet this is what our all-0f-the-above energy future should look like, and it is consistent with trends around the world. Practical analysis should deliver the best energy choice for a particular application, not parochial interests.

Yes, the oil extracted by Aera will release carbon dioxide and worsen climate change, but we can't eliminate oil production entirely, so we might as well produce oil as cleanly as possible.

Yes, oil companies can acknowledge that their product is damaging the planet without going bankrupt. In fact, cleaning up oil field emissions is the best way to counteract criticism from environmentalists who drive gasoline-powered cars to protest pipelines.

Other countries don't see the contradiction. Saudi Arabia wants to install solar and nuclear power so that they don't have to burn oil and natural gas to produce electricity. After all, those products can be exported for a profit, so its smart to reduce domestic consumption.

This is the same reason Iran wants a nuclear power program, but that's another column.

Unfortunately, too many people in the energy industry see the competition between fossil fuels and renewable energy sources as a zero-sum game. Close examination of the GOP tax bill passed in the Senate on Saturday night reveals how lobbyists obtained many giveaways to fossil fuel companies while inserting measures that crush renewable companies.

RELATED: Shell Oil exec says transition to renewable energy is here

For the time being, there is a need for all of these forms of energy. We cannot continue to warm the planet at the current pace without making life on Earth dangerous and miserable. We need to reserve fossil fuel use for where we have no other options.

Most of all, though, we need our energy companies to work together and not against each other. In the case of Aera, it makes good business sense to switch to solar power. And I imagine if more energy companies took the time to do the analysis, they would reach the same conclusion.
Many of the country's largest oil and gas drillers said Tuesday they will voluntarily reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, even as the Trump administration takes steps to to roll back existing environmental regulations targeting those emissions.

Under a voluntary program announced by the American Petroleum Institute, beginning next year 26 companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, Anadarko and EOG Resources would begin implementing new standards that include employing advanced leak detection technology and replacing older equipment prone to leaks across their U.S. operations.

"The industry is proactively doing something to enhance the improvements we've already made," said Greg Guidry, executive vice president for unconventional production at Shell."There's no question by targeting the areas that joint industry and EPA studies have shown to be the most problematic for emissions, we can continue to improve."

The announcement comes as governments in Europe and across much of the world clamp down on greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to try and prevent the worst consequences of climate change, which scientists say is likely to cause oceans to rise and shifts in weather patterns.

RELATED STORY: Infrared technology new weapon in climate change fight

President Donald Trump has bucked against that movement, announcing earlier this year he would pull the United States from the 2015 Paris climate accord, which was agreed to by almost every other country in the world. At the same time, his administration has worked to roll back climate change regulations put in place by former President Barack Obama, including an EPA regulation that would force new oil and gas wells to take greater steps to control methane leaks.

Guidry said the voluntary program developed by API would go one step further than the EPA regulation, in that it would include not just new wells but existing wells - something the Obama administration was working on when Trump took office in January.

"There's a heck of a lot more existing facilities," he said. "Most companies today, when they're building new facilities, are already using the latest technology."

But the announcement did little to assuage criticism of the oil and gas industry for its longstanding fights against climate change regulation, which included fighting the Obama administration's methane efforts.

"This is nothing but a cynical ploy for public goodwill as API continues to work with Donald Trump and Scott Pruitt to undermine the effective, commonsense methane safeguards that are required by law," said Kelly Martin, director of the Sierra Club's anti-fossil fuel campaign. "This voluntary program falls far short of what is necessary to protect our communities and our climate from the dangers of methane pollution, and API knows it."

For now at least, the impact of the program will be limited by participation. Even with big names like Exxon on board, the majority of U.S. oil and gas production continues to come from companies that produce less than $5 million worth of oil and gas each year, a group largely absent from the list of names published by API.

Mark Berg, executive vice president of corporate operations at Pioneer Natural Resources, said the hope was this initial group would provide an example to other companies by publishing data on the program and sharing best practices.

"In the year ahead the environmental partnership will be working to build on this sold foundation," he said. "There continues to be a tremendous amount of focus on methane emissions."
Statoil ASA gave the final go-ahead to a flagship Arctic oil project after slashing costs by half.

While expected, the move by Norway's biggest oil company is a boost to a region seen as key to arresting a decline in the country's production.

In a striking illustration of how oil companies have adapted to lower prices, Statoil cut estimated investments at the Johan Castberg project to about 49 billion kroner ($6 billion) from an initial forecast of more than 100 billion kroner, it said on Tuesday, reiterating a figure given in June. The field in the Barents Sea is due to start production in 2022.

Castberg is the world's biggest offshore oil project to get the go-ahead this year, with resources of 450 million to 650 million barrels, according to Statoil. The decision comes at a critical time for the industry's Arctic ambitions. The Barents is thought to hold about half of Norway's undiscovered oil and gas, yet Norwegians are increasingly debating whether further exploration makes moral or financial sense amid efforts to fight climate change.

Castberg, made up of deposits discovered from 2011, is only the second oil project approved in the region. The first, Eni SpA's Goliat field that started production last year, has come under intense scrutiny following delays, cost overruns and safety mishaps. The government is also facing a lawsuit from environmental groups challenging Barents license awards.

'Robust Profitability'

Like Goliat, Castberg has been delayed several times, in part because of the collapse in oil prices. Statoil and partners Eni and Petoro AS have since shelved plans for an onshore terminal at North Cape. With a simpler concept and declining supplier prices, the operator cut the price needed to break even from more than $80 a barrel to below $35.

"Even if this is the Arctic and everyone thought this would be extremely complex, with high costs, we're showing that we're getting robust profitability," Margareth Ovrum, Statoil's executive vice president for technology, projects and drilling, said in an interview in Oslo. "I'm proud of that."

Statoil on Tuesday also signed contracts with Aker Solutions ASA, totaling about 4 billion kroner, for Castberg's subsea system and for engineering and procurement management.

Showcasing Castberg

As politicians debate the economics of Goliat, Statoil and the government will be keen to showcase Castberg as a profitable project that will add infrastructure to the underdeveloped area.

Norway's crude output has dropped by half since 2000, and successive governments have pushed the Barents to make up for the decline of North Sea fields. Yet explorers have failed to come up with discoveries similar to the giant fields of the North Sea that made the country's fortune.

In a sign that oil companies may be less interested in the area after a record campaign yielded disappointing results this year, Norway received only 11 applications in the Barents-focused 24th licensing round, down from 26 in the previous one.
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Charming Charlie is overhauling its operations and management in an attempt to stem financial losses and restructure a heavy debt load during the critical holiday season.

The Houston-based accessories retailer announced this month plans to pare down its chain of about 375 stores by an unspecified number, cut jobs at its Houston headquarters and distribution center and shutter its Los Angeles office.

"By reducing the size and scale of our operations, we have the opportunity to stabilize the business," interim CEO Lana Krauter said in a statement. "We also will be better equipped to read and react to trends and what our customers want."

READ ALSO: Modern Acupuncture to open first Houston-area location

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The announcement marks a reversal for the colorful accessories retailer, which expanded at a breakneck pace under the leadership of Houston multimillionaire and entrepreneur Charlie Chanaratsopon. Founded in 2004, it opened nearly 280 stores by 2013 and added almost 100 since then.

Chanaratsopon, who could not be reached for comment, stepped down as CEO this fall, Charming Charlie spokesman Michael Freitag said Monday. He continues to serve as non-executive chairman of the board.

"He's still very much involved," Freitag said.

READ ALSO: Holiday shoppers set records over Thanksgiving weekend

Freitag declined to comment on whether Chanaratsopon remains the company's majority shareholder. At this time last year, he held a 60 percent equity stake while other investors, including private equity firm Hancock Park Associates, held the remainder.

Charming Charlie's initial success snagged Chanaratsopon a spot on the Forbes' list of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40, which estimated his net worth last year at $450 million. By then, though, the company's performance had begun to falter in the face of challenges affecting the entire retail sector.

Credit analysts have for months sounded the alarm about the company's financial health and its ability to repay or restructure a $150 million loan set to mature in 2019. It also has a $55 million line of credit.

Standard & Poor's, in an October analysis, downgraded its rating on the company's debt, noting that its earnings will likely continue to slide. It cautioned that the company may have to restructure its debt to avoid a default as soon as next year.

Freitag said the balance sheet discussions are ongoing and declined to comment on the specifics of the negotiations.

The company has for months been challenged to bolster sales amid a ongoing shift in shopping preferences. Many of its stores operate in malls, which have been losing foot traffic as online sales surge and consumers seek more personalized shopping experiences.

On top of that, the company is still a relatively small player in the highly competitive world of jewelry and accessories sales. A Moody's Investors Service analysis last year noted that deep discounts, lighter foot traffic and poor product assortment had eroded its earnings.

Other accessories stores have felt a similar squeeze. Claire's, once a mall mainstay for ear piercings and inexpensive jewelry, has for months been closings stores to stem substantial losses.
Laptop computers will be delivered to Ecuador, thanks to a recent donation from the Klein Independent School District.

Juan Gavino Guerrero, a Klein ISD substitute teacher, helped to facilitate the district donating a surplus of 20 laptops, worth $2,000, to a small library in Ecuador. Guerrero works with the Investigation and Support for Social Development Foundation which is an organization that focuses on an education innovation initiative for children.

"The experience and training acquired in education, other areas, and the execution of projects and activities implemented jointly with the communities in Ecuador, is our best contribution for community benefit," Guerrero said.

The foundation was founded in 1993 and aims to help less-fortunate communities in various ways. Approximately 1,000 children will benefit from the donation of the laptops that were donated.

"This donation is important because Klein ISD has one of the best technology and computer experience in the field of education," Guerrero said. "We support community development services, facilitating access to the Internet, promoting success, and generating better knowledge, so students can look into better shaping global reality in technology, education, business, culture etc. in the globalized environment in which we live today."

Guerrero submitted two requests to the Klein District to donate the surplus laptops for a small educational library to benefit students in Ecuador from low-income families.

Klein ISD officials agreed that the surplus of laptops could positively impact low-income children in Ecuador.

"Both the Klein ISD Teaching and Learning Center and the finance department received those requests and banded together to make this donation a reality for a neighboring country," Judy Rimato said, Klein ISD associate superintendent. "In Klein ISD, we encourage all to think, we not me. This gift speaks directly to our district's vision thinking globally, building community, and being culturally responsive."
Locked out of the flood-devastated Wortham Theater Center until next September, Houston Ballet has had to completely re-think its 2017-18 season - lining up different works than planned, moving between four venues and significantly cutting the number of performances it would normally offer.

The company finally announced Monday how and where it will carry on this season after its abbreviated "hometown tour" of "The Nutcracker" begins Sunday in Sugar Land. The financial fallout of being temporarily homeless could still be devastating, but amazingly, artistic director Stanton Welch and executive director Jim Nelson have salvaged a few performances of the big story ballets that were on the schedule and devised an innovative plan for dealing with the production challenges of the George R. Brown Convention Center, which will host performances in March and June.
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For some neighborhoods, December nights mean visits from Christmas carolers.

One Fulshear neighborhood got a different type of late-night visitor about 9:30 p.m. on Monday when an alligator went "caroling" through the streets.

AWWW: Adorable Texas alligator thinks it's skinnier than it is, gets stuck in fence

"Christmas caroling this time of year is welcomed and encouraged. However, an alligator singing holiday themed music is apparently frowned up," the Fulshear Police Department wrote Monday on its Facebook page, along with a photo of two officers relocating an alligator. "Therefore, this joyful character was safely removed from Briarcliff and Burnett Hills in Cross Creek Ranch and released among other similar reptiles who appreciate the soulful styling of his holiday tunes."

Now Playing: Alligators are common sights in Chambers County, Texas. Local people grew up cautiously sharing swimming holes and fishing spots along the bayous. (Video produced by Dylan Aguilar) Video: JW Player

Captain Mike McCoy of the Fulshear Police Department told Chron.com the alligator was relocated to Ibis Lakes, a man-made lake in the neighborhood.

The police captain said alligators are common in Fulshear during the spring and summer. But given the recent warm weather, McCoy said the alligator was probably out for one last food run before hibernating.

DID YOU KNOW: You can send a baby alligator in the mail and other Postal Service rules we bet you didn't know

He said he knows construction workers have fed the reptiles their leftover food, which encourages the alligators to approach people.

"Don't feed the alligators. It makes them appear like they're aggressive by nature but they're not," McCoy said. "Also, it's against Texas law to feed them."

Instead, people should call police when they see alligators so they can safely be relocated, McCoy advised. Cross Creek Ranch residents who come across alligators can reach Fulshear police at 281-346-2202.

McCoy said there has been a spike in alligators being spotted in Fulshear as Houston and Katy continue to expand. With numerous manmade lakes and undeveloped land, McCoy said Fulshear may continue to see more alligators wandering into neighborhoods.

Scroll through the gallery above to see what Houston-area residents should do if they encounter an alligator.

Will Axford is a digital reporter for Chron.com. Read more of his stories here and follow him on Twitter.




Shanghai (Gasgoo)- After more than ten years large investment and rapid development, Ford today released its future development strategy of the next phase for China market, namely China 2025 Plan.

The plan will focus on SUV models and aims to introduce more intelligent-connected models and electric models. This strategy is expected to streamline its business structure in China and help the company to understand better the needs of local consumers.

According to the plan, Ford is going to launch more than 50 new models in China by the end of 2025, including eight new SUV models and at least a total of 15 electric models under Ford and Lincoln brands. Besides, Zotye- Ford JV will launch an all-new range of affordable all-electric vehicles.

From 2019, the America company will produce 5 more models in China, including a luxury SUV model from Lincoln brand and the first global battery electric small SUV. At the same time, Ford will step up efforts to strengthen its engineering and R&D ability in China to support the plan.

Ford said it would continue to cooperate with Baidu to develop autonomous vehicles in China. By the end of 2019, all new Ford models produced or sold in China should feature internet-connected services.

The announcement says that the company will enhance the cooperation with its Chinese automaker partners, Changan and JMC, and further optimize its market, sales and service management in China and launch new single distribution services division in 2018, to reduce cost and offer Chinese customers better and consistent experience.
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As a mother of three young children, Asli Remlinger remembers looking for a childcare facility to help her after her youngest - now a fourth-grader - was born.

After her search produced no satisfactory results, Remlinger, who had taught fourth- and fifth-graders decided to use her business degree combined with her love of teaching. The result was the opening of her first The Goddard School in 2010 at 24025 Cinco Village Center Blvd. "I love the philosophy," she explained, of play-based education.

Three years later, that was followed by her second franchise at 5220 Ranch Point Drive, Katy. Her third The Goddard School, 27528 Westridge Creek Lane, Katy, opened this past August during the week of the solar eclipse.

The schools weathered Hurricane Harvey well, she said, being closed only about five days with minor leaks. The campuses, which are similar in design, served as collection sites for books, water and food that all was forwarded to those in need. The close-knit school communities - full enrollment is about 200 with a staff of between 30 and 35 - also reached out to help others.

"We were a hub for families looking for help," Remlinger said. Teachers, staff and parents tore down flood-damaged walls in houses and helped to rebuild. "We were right there to help out."

A Houston Strong shirt featuring The Goddard's horse logo was promoted via email to all Goddard Schools nationwide and raised $25,000, she said. According to its website, https://www.goddardschool.com/, Goddard has nearly 500 schools in 37 states. Goddard School's corporate office matched that effort and all funds were donated to the JJ Watt Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund.

Called a tragedy for the community, Hurricane Harvey brought out the good in people and the desire to help others, she said. It's also stimulated the possibility of Goddard producing a Hurricane Harvey book involving its youngsters.

Two of Remlinger's schools are located near Katy Independent School District elementary schools, and she and other educators work with their peers in public education as they focus on early childhood development for ages six weeks to six years, including after-school programs.

Because Katy ISD is well-known for its academic excellence raises the bar for Goddard to make sure that its students are learning what they need to know to excel when they start school, she said.

The Taylor High School graduate also has her three sons attending schools in the Katy ISD: a Tompkins High School freshman, a Tays Junior High School sixth-grader and a Davidson Elementary fourth-grader.

Curriculum featuring STEAM - science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics - is stressed both in Katy ISD and Goddard schools.

"It's huge," said Remlinger of STEAM. She talked of a two-year-old learning skills in robotics that advance as the student progresses through classes.

The campus can serve as a home away from home for some families. Remlinger said some children start the day at 6:30 a.m. at Goddard and leave at 6:30 p.m. "We're their second family," she said.

Parent Kayla Roca has been part of the Goddard family for about two years.

"Ms. Asli goes out of her way to make everyone within the school, students, parents, and teachers, as part of a collective family, and I have never experienced that with any other school," said Roca.

"I found out about Goddard when I moved to Katy in late 2015," said Roca. "My family and I moved back to Houston after living in Canada for two years, so I was not aware of the early childhood schools in my area until I began to ask other community members and began researching about them."

After visiting a number of preschools in the area, she chose Goddard "because it was the only school that balanced academics and play."

"I teach high school English, and I have seen firsthand how easily students can become disenchanted by formal education, and with the increasing expectations on earlier grades, it was important that my children be academically ready but also have fun," Roca said.

Her son, now 5, started in the preschool classroom when he was 3. Her daughter, now 3, started in the Young Toddlers program right before she turned 2.

According to Children's Progress Academic Assessment, Goddard students outperform other students in all subjects using national averages, which Remlinger attributes to the individualized plan teachers develop for each student.

The teacher to student ratio is two teachers for 20 students, she said. The ratio for babies is three staff for eight babies.

Regular festivals connect the schools to the community and Remlinger estimates 500 people attended the pre-Halloween event hosted by Goddard that included music, games and people dressed in costume.
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Shell and Feeding Texas are continuing to help those in need and still dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Harvey.

Throughout November, they joined forces to provide relief to communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey. As part of this effort, Shell donated the use of its blue "Super Gyro" Synergy Truck, a product of the latest collaboration with the Shell #makethefuture campaign, to multiple food bank events throughout the Houston region including The Bethel Ministry.
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Indivisible Houston along with Texas Organizing Project, Tax March Houston, Pantsuit Republic and Houston Handmaids, rallied outside Ted Cruz's office on Monday, Nov. 27, as part of a National Day of Action protesting the recent Senate tax bill.

Republicans revealed the $1.5 trillion plan early November, which some groups say will produce a significant tax cut for corporations.

Daniel Cohen, president of Indivisible Houston, said the organization and other supporters against the tax bill have been fighting for months.

"Once it looked certain that the House would pass the Tax Scam, there needed to be a concentrated effort to voice our opposition," Cohen said.

Cohen used the term "Tax Scam" to describe the bill that plays favor to business by providing the significant tax cut, which he added that the plan burdens students, teachers, homeowners and workers of all wages with a tax increase that are to come.

"This is a reverse Robin Hood that will steal from the poor and give to the rick," Cohen said.

He added that the organization believes this tax bill would build a bankroll for donors on the backs of poor kids and seniors.

The Senate bill would lower the current 35 percent tax rate for business down to 20 percent.

However, the "Tax Cut and Jobs Act" serves more than just a tax bill, it would also provide changes to health care and make changes to taxes at the state and local level.

Cohen said Cruz's staff allowed four of protesters to go into his office and discuss their concerns compared to John Cornyn's office, which he said allowed everyone who was out protesting the ability to sit and air their grievances.

"It's pretty ridiculous that the senator refuses to talk to us," Cohen said. "He even manipulated the facts to claim he has had town halls this year when he absolutely has not."

Organizing and consistently being present are what Cohen said hopes their effort can "kill this terrible tax plan and start over."

Cohen believes that economic growth and tax relief should be provided to the working class and middle class and not the top tenth of the top one percent of billionaires, millionaires and mega corporations.

"This plan gets rid of the mortgage deduction, the medical expense deduction, student loan interest deductions, teacher materials deductions and makes grad research stipends taxable," Cohen said.

Cohen highlighted many of the administration's policies and legislation produced since President Trump assumed his seat, but he calls this tax bill the worst that could come out of the administration.

"This White House has put forth some horrible policies, including the Muslim Ban and the attack on healthcare," Cohen said. "We're looking at a direct attack on working families, particularly seniors and kids."

President Trump ran on many platforms, one of which was promising major tax cuts, which Cohen said is what we are seeing and with this specific push to present before Christmas is what he called, "a big fat giftwrapped giveaway to corporations."

Cohen said Indivisible knows that the real impact will show come next November with constituents angry and plenty of grassroots activists putting in more work than usual, proves that many people want change.
Local prosecutors and dozens of consular officials haved teamed up this holiday season to prevent crimes against the thousands of international tourists that visit Houston this time each year.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg on Monday announced the new initiative, which uses printed guides and increased communication between foreign consulates to provide assistance and education to those visiting the area this year, or to other groups that might be vulnerable to crime.

Among the tools unveiled at a Monday press conference is a two-page guide for crime victims, printed in five languages and distributed to local consulates.

"We want our international visitors to know they are welcomed here in Houston, the most diverse city in the United States," Ogg said. "It does not matter where you are from, you will be treated with dignity, fairness and respect."

The concern is for not only visitors but Houston residents who speak limited English or are undocumented, and have historically been the targets of both violent and non-violent crimes.

In bolstering communication between consulates, Ogg and others said they hope to give more resources to those who may be victimized.

"We know that information is key to crime prevention," Ogg said. "If we can't prevent it, we hope to give people a tool in our city and county of how they can fight back."

In general, crime does appear to rise slightly in Houston around the holiday season.

The average number of reports written by Houston Police for major violent and non-violent crime -- defined by the FBI as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, auto theft and theft -- jumped by more than 6 percent between November and December over the last five years. That does not account for the additional day in December.

The local initiative also comes as immigration crackdowns and upticks in national hate crimes have together concerned many minority groups about their treatment under the law. Between 2015 and 2016, the number of hate crimes committed nationally increased by 4.6 percent, according to an FBI report released last month.

Ogg said her prosecutors have filed four hate crime cases since Jan. 1, including charges filed in September against a Houston man accused of berating a Lyft driver's Middle Eastern heritage.

However, Ogg noted that it's unclear if there's been an uptick in Harris County hate crimes, noting recent changes in how her office handles and documents hate crimes.

Ogg added the initiative launched Monday is a"response to all crimes committed against anyone,"rather than a direct response to hate crimes.

Mexican government officials praised the initiative.

"The message of respect for diversity and the warm welcome sent to the Mexican community is healing, but also reflects Houston's commitment towards safeguarding all the members of this thriving community," Mexican Consul General Oscar Rodriguez Cabrera said in a statement.

"Mexico welcomes this gesture and we are sure it will lead to a safer environment for everybody."
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Members of a white supremacist group tweeted photos of themselves visiting Southern Methodist University this past weekend, and police need your help identifying the people in the photos.

Texas Vanguard tweeted photos of members giving a Nazi salute on the campus on Sunday.

Members hung up a banner and posters related to white supremacy during the visit, later tweeting "We had a great night at @SMU." One photo shows a suspect wearing a bandana on his face while giving a Nazi salute in front of a Christmas tree. Two photos include a banner that reads, "White men! Save your people. Reject the opioid beast!" One of the photos shows two men with covered faces giving a Nazi salute in front of the banner.

HATE IN AMERICA: Hate crimes in U.S. rose in 216, according to the FBI

The last photo includes two fliers, one that reads "protect white lives now." The other reads "misplaced pride," with disparaging and unsubstantiated claims about homosexual people.

Surveillance video from Park Cities Plaza shows five men getting out of a dark-colored full-sized pickup truck about 11:20 p.m. Saturday. Two suspects are seen carrying a banner about an hour later.

Now Playing: White supremacists hang banners, give Nazi salute on SMU campus Video: Fox4

"While SMU strongly supports freedom of speech and expression, the outside group featured on these signs promotes an abhorrent message that is opposite to SMU values," SMU President R. Gerald Turner said in a press release. "Our university community is deeply committed to maintaining an educational environment that is welcoming and inclusive. As an institution dedicated to learning, we value respectful and civil discourse."

The Texas Vanguard did not respond to inquiries from Chron.com on Monday about the SMU visit.

The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the Texas Vanguard and the American Vanguard organizations as white supremacist hate groups.

Anti-fascist fashion: Houston woman's anti-Nazi coat results in online threats from fascists

Turner said in the release that people who hang unauthorized signs or defaces university property is subject to prosecution.

Anyone with information about the suspects seen in the surveillance is encouraged to call SMU police at 214-768-3333.

Scroll through the gallery above to see more hate groups that operate in Texas.

Will Axford is a digital reporter for Chron.com. Read more of his stories here and follow him on Twitter.
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Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable Ryan Gable is once again teaming up with LongHorn Steakhouse in The Woodlands to raise money this Friday morning for a local non-profit that advocates for families trying to navigate the criminal justice system.

For four years, Gable's office and the steak house have put together a breakfast fund-raising effort at the restaurant by selling tickets to help Children's Safe Harbor-a children's advocacy center that focuses on the well being of children who have suffered immense trauma, such as sexual or physical assault.

In a video posted to Gable's YouTube page, Gable said in Montgomery County it is up to law enforcement and Children's Safe Harbor to investigate "these horrible types of crimes" to provide children with the services they need.

"I want our children to be safe and live a good and happy life," Gable said. "Crimes against children in Montgomery county currently outnumber any other felony crime."

More Information Children's Safe Harbor Fund-Raising Breakfast What: Children's Safe Harbor breakfast fund-raiser Where: LongHorn Steakhouse at 26805 Interstate 45 N, Spring, Texas 77380 Who: Constable Ryan Gable, Precinct 3, LongHorn Steakhouse and Children's Safe Harbor Why: To raise money for Children's Safe Harbor, a non-profit that advocates for vulnerable and abused children When: Friday, Dec. 8, between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Cost: $20 ticket Purchase tickets at: Constable's Office Precinct 3 1520 Lake Front Circle, Suite 200 The Woodlands, TX 77380 See More Collapse

Last fall, the advocacy center reported 90 children in need of help, but that number this year has skyrocketed, according to information from Children's Safe Harbor web site.

According to Children's Safe Harbor, there were 179 children "in crisis" in September, 229 in October and 200 in November.

With so many crimes against children or involving children in Montgomery County, the Constable's Office had to add extra personnel, including a crime analyst and a computer forensic analyst, to help with the intricacies of the investigations, said Precinct 3 Constable Capt. Dan Zientek.

Just recently, Zientek said, Children's Safe Harbor interviewed about 300 children regarding possible crimes. While not all of those are victims, some may have witnessed a brutal death or have seen an assault, he added.

While only a fraction of those interviews might become full-on investigative cases that require time, personnel and resources, it can still be overwhelming to the team tasked with sorting through gruesome photos, compiling evidence and making connections to other cases, Zientek said.

The breakfast fund-raising event is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 8, between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. at LongHorn Steakhouse, 26805 Interstate 45 N.

Tickets for the fund-raiser are on sale for $20 and can be purchased at the Constable's Office Precinct 3 at 1520 Lake Front Circle, Suite 200 in The Woodlands.

Because all the food, time and servers are provided by LongHorn Steakhouse free of charge, 100 percent of the price of the ticket goes to Children's Safe Harbor.

According to Children's Safe Harbor, 90 percent of children who are abused are abused by someone they know, such as a baby sitter or a relative. One in 20 children have been physically abused in their lifetime, according to Safe Harbor.
For the first time since 1985, no Harris County killers will be executed by the state of Texas this year, a landmark shift for a county once known as the "capital of capital punishment."



Despite a slight uptick in executions nationwide, Harris County's one execution this year was cancelled after a desperate death row plot led to a last-minute stay for serial killer Anthony Shore in October. Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings spared two other inmates.



"This has been an important year in terms of death penalty litigation," said District Attorney Kim Ogg. "I view it as a positive thing. I don't think that being the death penalty capital of America is a selling point for Harris County."

Nationwide, executions reached a high water mark in 1999, and Texas executions topped out at 40 the next year. But it's Harris County courts that have kept the death chamber busiest, with 126 executions since the state resumed capital punishment in 1982.



"Harris County has always symbolized America's death penalty because it has executed more people than any other county and  apart from the rest of Texas  more than any other state," said Robert Dunham of the Death Penalty Information Center. "It is both symbolic and emblematic of the change in capital punishment in the United States. For the first time in a generation, the nation's largest executioner has executed no one."

STUDY: Conservatives' distaste for death penalty sends support to 45-year low



In part, that's due to the long-range impact of the Lone Star State's introduction of life without parole as a sentencing option starting in 2005. Before that, jurors on capital murder cases had to pick between death and the possibility of eventual release.



But it's also due to the more immediate impacts of court actions this year. In October, death row inmate Duane Buck was given a life sentence after the Supreme Court granted him a new hearing in light of testimony from an expert who told the jury that Buck was more likely to be a future danger because he is black.



Then in November, Harris County prosecutors asked for a life sentence for Bobby Moore, months after the Supreme Court determined that Texas did not properly consider whether he was too intellectually disabled to face execution.



Falling murder rates and changing political tides have also contributed to the decline in capital punishment.



"Perhaps the most important change is that the public is substantially less supportive of the death penalty than it has been at any time since 1972," Dunham said, citing a recent Gallup poll. The research group's October findings showed that 55 percent of U.S. adults support capital punishment for convicted murderers, a low not seen since March 1972.



Outspoken death penalty supporter Dudley Sharp blamed the drop on the length of time between sentencing and execution.



"At this point it's more than doubled since the 1980s, which would dramatically lower the execution rate," Sharp said.



Even without Harris County, Texas regained its spot this year as the busiest death chamber in the nation with seven executions. Nationwide, 23 prisoners were put to death  three more than the year before  amid an otherwise downward trend.

MOORE: Prosecutors ask for life sentence for Texas death row inmate Bobby Moore



A generation ago, it was a different story.



A year before Karla Faye Tucker's execution grabbed national headlines amid the tough-on-crime efforts of the 1990s, Harris County saw 11 killers in 1997 executed. Tucker, the first woman executed in Texas since the 1800s, was convicted of a brutal pickaxe slaying; she blamed the killing on drugs.



The next execution in Texas is Jan. 18, when "Tourniquet Killer" Anthony Shore is slated to die by lethal injection.



Shore's execution on Oct. 18 was halted at the last minute after he told investigators of an abandoned confession plot with fellow death row inmate Larry Swearingen, a Montgomery County killer whose execution was also delayed.



A handful of other Harris County killers who are nearing the end of their appeals process could potentially net 2018 execution dates, including Carlos Ayestas, a Honduran man convicted in a 1995 slaying. The court heard oral arguments in the case in October and is expected to offer a decision next year.



No new death sentences, however, were imposed in Harris County this year  Ogg's first to helm the district attorney's office.

"I think it reflects both the new administration and the new skepticism about the death penalty and life without parole all combined with a dash of Harvey," said local defense attorney Pat McCann. "And then of course there's the simply bizarre continuing tale of Mr. Shore and Mr. Swearingen and the frankly inexplicable turn of events there."



Next year could be different, however.



"When you have an historic low one year it's not surprising to see the numbers rise slightly the following year," Dunham said.



Death row exoneree Anthony Graves lauded local prosecutors for their role in the shifting tides.



"Kudos to the administration for being out front on criminal justice reform," he said. "Because this is what it is, this is what it looks like."
It's hard to check the news without seeing yet another student-teacher sex scandal in Texas.

Unfortunately, the phenomenon isn't just another media craze, it's an issue that has Texas education officials and legislators concerned.
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Houston police have responded to a report of an armed suspect barricaded inside a vehicle at the intersection of East 32 and Omega streets in Independence Heights in north Houston.

In a Tweet, Chief Art Acevedo described the incident that began around 9 p.m.as " a very volatile situation.
While the city collectively braces for rain and 40-degree temperatures Wednesday, some Houstonians question whether snow may be on the menu this month.

Temperatures are expected to drop roughly 20 degrees Tuesday night as a cold front moves into the area, Dan Reilly, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston, said in a news release Tuesday morning.

"Temperatures will stay mainly in the 40s on Wednesday (upper 40s, lower 50s near the water) with wind chills in the 30s and lower 40s. It will be windy over the marine areas and areas downwind of the Bays," Reilly added.

COLD-BLOODED: Creepy giant cockroach of the sea found on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico

While it's always possible for snow in Houston this time of year, it is highly unliky, Matthew Lanza, managing editor of Space City Weather, told Chron.com Monday.

The cold weather through mid to late December over the U.S. will be heavily directed just east of Houston, meaning the city will likely miss out on really cold temperatures, last seen here with any real consistency back in 2014, Lanza added.

Now Playing: FOX 26 News Chief Meteorologist Dr. Jim Siebert Video: Fox 26 Houston

"So if we want our snow odds to increase, we would like to see the trajectory of the cold shift a little farther west. That's not in the cards for now, but that's not to say all hope is lost. Houston's greatest snowstorm of record was 20 inches on Valentine's Day 1895. So we have a couple months where it can still snow here," Lanza said.

The last time Houston saw a memorable amount of snow was in early Dec. 2008 when flakes were large enough to hold their shape before melting into the pavement. That snowfall left an impact on Reddit users in Houston, who shared their stories and photos Monday on r/houston.

"I went and got my son out of school so he could play in the snow as long as he wanted and as long as it stuck around," Reddit user notyouagain2 commented.

"I imagine a lot of dogs were in heaven. Being from a place where it snows regularly I know my dogs always were the happiest beings in the world when we got good snows," truepoverty added.

Fernando Alfonso III is a digital reporter at Chron.com. You can read more of his stories here and follow him on twitter at @fernalfonso. If you also like surreal GIFs and Polaroids, go here and here.


Shanghai (Gasgoo)- The total sales volume of Dongfeng Renault reached 66,066 units in the past eleven months, driven by the sales force models Kadjar and Koleos. Its learned that Dongfeng Renault plans to achieve 400,000 units annual sales target in 2022 by focusing on SUV models and introducing 7 new models.

Currently, its sedan project has been approved with Talisman, Fluence and other car products likely to be produced in domestic market. Besides, Dongfeng Renault plans to launch small-size SUV and large-size SUV models to further enrich SUV product lines.

So far, Dongfeng Renault has no locally-produced sedan model in China. It has initiated its domestic car project and its first product will be launched in 2019. Dongfeng Renault also plans to launch battery electric cars in the future.

Currently, Dongfeng Renault has researched on the low-cost Kwid EV for domestic SUV market. Besides, its revealed that Dongfeng Renault has introduced ESPACE in 7-seat passenger vehicle market and luxury large-size SUV models are also expected to be introduced in the future.
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Religious leaders in Houston are taking a more critical look at security, just one month after a man killed 26 men, women, and children at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.

Harris County Constable for Precinct 1, Alan Rosen, and his office hosted a second active shooter training Dec. 7. The first training was Nov. 8, just three days after 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley committed the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history.

More than 100 leaders from mosques, temples, and various Christian denominations attended the November training, Rosen told Chron.com Monday afternoon. About 70 religious leaders attended Thursday's event.

MISTAKES: Sutherland Springs shooter not the first criminal the Air Force has failed to report to FBI

"We had to turn away people in our first meeting," Rosen said. "We'll do as many training's as are

necessary to keep these places of worship are safe. We want to help all those places of worship."

Now Playing: The First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas reopened on Sunday after 25 people and an unborn child were killed last weekend in a mass shooting Video: People

At the crux of the training is providing guidance on preparing emergency plans, especially for smaller places of worship unable to afford police officers, Rosen added. One of the churches at the November training was Yale Street Baptist, which is building its own plan. Once that is completed, the church will have the constable's office organize an active shooter role-play exercise, Rosen said.

One of the pieces of advice deals with the importance of religious leaders identifying new visitors at religious services and asking them to sit where security personnel are aware, Rosen said.

For many houses of worship in Houston, security has always been a priority, regardless of the cost. Sagemont Church invests roughly $350,000 a year alone on security measures, which includes numerous surveillance cameras.

Following Sutherland, Sagemont added eight more police officers on Sundays when more 6,000 worshipers descend on its 11300 South Sam Houston Parkway location on average, executive pastor Chuck Schneider told Chron.com.

One of the most visible security additions following the massacre in Sutherland Springs was a police car parked near the entrance of Sagemont, Schneider said.

CONTROVERSIAL: Drexel University professor raises issue of 'whiteness' following the Sutherland Springs massacre

"It's a crazy world," Schneider said. "We take security very seriously."

When it comes to places of worship with congregations averaging 50 to 1,500 people, security has a different look.

At Village Heights Church on 311 W 18th St., the church, which has roughly 60 people, does not have any officers or security on Sunday and allows its parishioners to conceal carry, said lead pastor Bill White. CORE Church Midtown at 2404 Austin St. has a similar number of visitors on Sunday. Church members help handle security, said pastor Jim Stern.

"We cut our teeth in the midtown area," Stern said. "You have to be aware of your surroundings."

Fernando Alfonso III is a digital reporter at Chron.com. You can read more of his stories here and follow him on twitter at @fernalfonso. If you also like surreal GIFs and Polaroids, go here and here.


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A San Marcos police officer was fatally shot Monday afternoon while attempting to arrest a man on a warrant.

San Marcos Police Chief Chase Stapp said at a news conference that officer Kenneth Copeland, 58, was fatally shot when he and a small contingent of officers were ambushed at 2:23 p.m. in the El Camino Real subdivision.

"Ken's a hero ... today was his day off," Stapp said before pausing. "He worked just about every day off to provide for his kids because he knows that we're short-handed and that we need help."

RELATED: Man killed at East Side landfill in 'unfortunate' accident

Stapp said Copeland is the first San Marcos police officer to be killed in the line of duty.

During the news conference, Stapp provided details of the fatal shooting.

"Shortly after their arrival, it appears this individual began firing at the officers much like in an ambush-type situation," he said. The officers were there to arrest the man on charges related to a violent crime, he added.

Copeland, who was wearing ballistic armor, was struck several times, police said. Officers pulled him out of the area, Stapp said.

One officer rushed him to the Central Texas Medical Center in a police car. He was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m., Stapp said.

Other officers at the scene surrounded the home in hopes of talking the man out of the house. The Hays County-San Marcos joint SWAT and crisis negotiation teams responded to the scene.

"He did later come out and surrender to officers and has been taken into custody," Stapp said, adding that the man was shot during the incident.

RELATED: Woman killed in possible road rage incident on Hwy. 281 identified

Investigators did not know Monday evening if the man shot himself or was shot by an officer at the scene.

The man has been taken to an area hospital where he is being guarded until he is medically stable enough to be taken into custody, Stapp said.

Stapp did not identify the shooter nor offer further details on the warrant being served because the man had not yet been brought before a judge. Copeland, a 19-year-veteran of the force, leaves behind a wife, Shiela, and four children: Nile, Noah, James and Jonah.

Were not accustomed to this, with the exception of helping other agencies in the nearby area deal with this when it happens to them, Stapp said.

San Marcos Mayor John Thomaides called for the citys support as they mourn the loss of a member of our family.

RELATED: Suspect in Thanksgiving killing of young girl released then arrested again

No city is prepared for this, Thomaides said. We are all mourning together, and we will continue to mourn even as we all get back to the business of serving our citizens.

San Marcos City Manager Bert Lumbreras described seeing officers reacting to Copelands death.

I can tell you I saw a lot of crying; I saw peoples hearts ripped out, Lumbreras said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement: Today we grieve for the family of the fallen San Marcos police officer, and we vow swift justice for the killer. The men and women in law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect and to serve our communities, and we will never forget their sacrifices.

Cecilia and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the officers family and to the entire San Marcos Police Department.

This will mark the 14th officer shot in the line of duty this year in Texas, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths.

Officers around our state courageously serve and deserve our utmost honor and respect, especially during this time, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. Please join Angela and me as we pray for the officers family, the people of San Marcos, and for our law enforcement officers around the state.

Kelsey Bradshaw is a digital reporter for mySA.com. Read more of her stories here.| kbradshaw@express-news.net | Twitter: @kbrad5
Gary Coronado/Houston Chronicle

Former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia has announced he will run for Precinct 2 commissioner against incumbent Jack Morman.

"We all know that sometimes government can come up short, so it's up to leaders who love what we do to roll our sleeves up and find better solutions," Garcia said in an emailed announcement. "Since the day my mother encouraged me to become a Houston police officer and with the advice that my late father gave me, which was to work hard, be honest, and never forget where I come from, I found I loved being a public servant."
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
According to statistics compiled by Gasgoo.com (Chinese), a total of 1.02 million SUVs were sold in China over the month of October, representing year-on-year growth of 12.0%. The SUV market was the sole driver of the 0.2% sales growth the overall passenger automobile market achieved over the course of the month. SUVs accounted for 44.2% of all passenger automobiles sold in the country that month, up 4.6 percentage points from October 2016s figures.

Own brand manufacturers continued to lead the SUV market in October; their combined 631,072 sales, representing year-on-year growth of 10.2%, accounted for 61.6% of all SUVs sold over the course of the month. It was not only major brands like Geely, Baojun and Roewe which achieved high growth rates; even smaller companies like Hawtai and FAW Besturn also posted strong sales increases.

Japanese manufacturers were the most successful foreign multinationals in the SUV market, with their combined monthly sales totaling 150,549 units, up 27.7% from last October but slightly down from this September. They were followed by German brands, whose SUV sales totaled 97,178 units, representing a dramatic increase of 52.7%, albeit also slightly less than Septembers results. American SUV sales continued to fall, decreasing by 11.9% to 63,878 units. Korean SUV sales also fell, decreasing 36.5% from the previous year and 12.3% from the previous month. A total of 31,319 Korean SUVs were sold in October. Among the major Korean brands, Beijing Hyundais sales fell 14.7%, which was nothing compared to the 66.8% drop that Dongfeng Yueda Kia incurred. French SUV sales, on the other hand, increased a respectable 52.4% to 25,717 units, with Peugeot SUV sales alone increasing a full 83.5%.

The compact SUV segment accounted for 56.4% of all SUVs sold in October; a total of 577,499 compact SUVs were sold in the month, up 9.7% year-on-year. Small SUV sales recovered in October, increasing 4.4% to 225,743 units, while mid-size SUV sales contracted a bit, with only 183,268 units; while that figure was slightly lower than the previous months, it still marked positive growth of 9.8% from the previous year. Full-size SUV sales grew over sevenfold in October, resulting in 37,162 units sold.

Great Wall Motor was Octobers top seller of SUVs, followed by Geely, Changan, SAIC-GM-Wuling, Shanghai VW, Dongfeng Nissan, GAC Trumpchi, SAIC, Shanghai GM and Dongfeng Honda.

Great Walls lead in the SUV segment is indisputable, with the WEY brands monthly sales of over 8,000 units managing to make up for the Haval brands decreasing sales performance. In second place was Geely, which managed to overtake Changan. Geely has continued to maintain strong sales growth, with its cumulative sales growth for SUV sales from the first ten months of the year having reached 200.4%. Changan also performed well, with the CS55 managing to bring in 14,565 new sales.

Behind them was SAIC-GM-Wuling, which saw mixed results among its models. While sales of the Baojun 510 surpassed the 45,000 unit mark, those of the Baojun 560 fell a sharp 70.5%. Just behind SAIC-GM-Wuling was the Shanghai VW joint venture, whose SUV sales over doubled in October due to the good performance of several of its newly released models. Meanwhile the new Nissan Kicks small SUV greatly helped out Dongfeng Nissan with its 10,392 units sold. Guangqi Trumpchi finished in seventh place in the charts, with all of its models other than the Trumpchi GS8, which accumulated 10,006 monthly sales, putting forth rather lackluster market performances.

SAICs ranking in the charts increased due to the strong performance of the Roewe RX5, which has managed to maintain its 20,000-plus monthly sales. The performance of the new Roewe RX3 this month was a little underwhelming, with only 1,546 units sold. Shanghai GM saw sales of its SUV models drop, aside from the newly released Chevrolet Equinox, whose sales totaled 6,005 units, and the Cadillac XT5, which achieved 53.7% sales growth. Dongfeng Honda, which sold a total of 29,846 SUVs in October, also saw mixed results from its models, with sales of the CR-V increasing 85.3% year-on-year, while those of the XR-V fell 47.7% year-on-year.

The Great Wall Haval H6 was once again the months best selling SUV model; it was followed by the SAIC-GM-Wuling Baojun 510, VW Tiguan, Geely Boyue, Changan CS75, GAC Trumpchi GS4, SAIC Roewe RX5, Buick Envision, Nissan X-Trail and Dongfeng Fengguang 580.

Despite leading the market once again, the Haval H6 continued to see its sales fall; its sales decreased 13.5% year-on-year to 49,015 units. By comparison, sales of the Baojun 510 increased from last month, finishing at 45,047 units, just a few thousand units behind the Haval H6. Finishing in third place with a stead sales performance was the VW Tiguan, whose sales totaled 37,971 units.

October marked the first month the Geely Boyue broke the 30,000 sales barrier, with themodel achieving respectable sales growth of 79.6%. Behind it was the Changan CS75, sales of which grew 7.1%.

The GAC Trumpchi GS4, which is clearly in need of a redesign, continued to see its sales decline in October, falling 26.3% year-on-year. Worth mentioning is the performance of the Dongfeng Fengguang 580, which managed to make the top 10 this month due to its impressive sales performance. The Fengguang 580 has been warmly received for its understated design and advanced features.
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A.O. Centrul de Drept al Femeilor anunta concurs pentru selectarea expertilor nationali pentru dezvoltarea conceptului de sprijin psihosocial si a Curriculumului de instruire in acest sens
AKRON, Ohio -- A Summit County grand jury has decided not to bring charges against a former Akron group home employee accused of beating a developmentally-disabled resident.

Mennyon Davis, who worked for ViaQuest, a healthcare services provider, faced charges of felonious assault and abduction. A grand jury on Wednesday declined to charge her, court documents say. The court ordered Davis released from custody, court documents say.

Two other employees face charges accusing them of beating a 20-year-old resident with a broom handle while holding him against his will in a basement, authorities said. The employees have since been fired.

The incident happened Oct. 23 at the group home on Cliffside Drive near Treeside Drive, according to a report from the Summit County Sheriff's Office. All three employees were arrested after the Summit County Sheriff's Office learned of the allegations Oct. 26.

Dominique Gladney, 23, and Octavious Thomason, 43, face charges of felonious assault and abduction. They are scheduled for a pretrial hearing Dec. 7 in Summit County Common Pleas Court, court documents say.

Gladney was a home manager at the facility and Thomason was a project manager, the sheriff's office said.

The investigation revealed employees got angry with the resident because he ate a staff member's sandwich, the sheriff's office said. Employees took him to the basement and struck him several times with a broom handle, the sheriff's office said.

Another provider has been contracted to provide services to the group home after the incident, the sheriff's office said.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
AKRON, Ohio -- A man was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday for fatally stabbing his roommate at University of Akron in a dispute over fast food.

Kendal Scheid was sentenced Tuesday morning in front of Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands.

Scheid pleaded guilty in October to involuntary manslaughter in the Dec. 3, 2016 stabbing death of Duncan Unternaher, court documents say.

The stabbing happened just after midnight at an off-campus apartment on Grant Street in Akron, police said. He grabbed a knife and stabbed Unternaher, 23, in the chest after the fight over the fast food.

A third person who lived in the apartment called police after the stabbing. Both Scheid and Unternaher were drunk when the stabbing happened, the 911 caller told the dispatcher.

Unternaher died two days later at Summa Akron City Hospital.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A former Broadview Heights man was sentenced Tuesday to nearly six years in federal prison for his role in defrauding the Cuyahoga Heights School District out of millions of dollars.

David Donadeo, 43, worked with other people to form companies that conspired with former school district technology director Joseph Palazzo. They billed the district for services that were never provided, and the school district lost more than $3.3 million.

He was indicted in 2013 but had fled to Europe when he found out about IRS and FBI investigations into the scheme in 2011, prosecutors wrote in court filings. He was arrested by Spanish authorities at a border crossing in September 2016 and was brought back to the U.S. and arraigned in May.

He pleaded guilty in April to mail fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson, as part of Donadeo's sentence, ordered him to pay $2.6 million in restitution. She also recommended that he be treated for alcohol abuse while in prison, said John McCaffrey, Donadeo's attorney.

Donadeo and others formed shell companies that billed for and received money for services it never provided to the small suburban district, located about seven miles south of Cleveland. Palazzo would submit the invoices the district, authorities say.

He and the others kept half the money for themselves, while the other half went to Palazzo, who approved false invoices or forged the signature of another school district employee, according to prosecutors.

One of the two companies that prosecutors say were directly associated with Donadeo was Impact Global Network, which operated The Jump Yard, a children's recreation and party center in North Royalton. The company is now under new ownership.

The scheme was uncovered by the Ohio Auditor's Office in 2012. Auditor Dave Yost said at the time that the stolen amount was "one of the largest findings for recovery" that his office has ever issued.

"This defendant set up sham corporations that he used to steal millions of dollars from the students and taxpayers of Cuyahoga Heights," said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said in a news release.

McCaffrey wrote in a sentencing memo that his client is remorseful. He wrote Donadeo's involvement was borne out of financial troubles and that he took the actions he did to protect his family and "while alcohol was clouding his judgment."

Palazzo, 36, is serving a prison sentence of more than 11 years.

Dominick Palazzo, Joseph's 44-year-old brother, was sentenced in June 2016 to 2 1/2 years in prison for his role.

Dennis Boyles, another defendant, served a 27-month prison sentence.

In addition to Cuyahoga Heights, the 900-student district serves Valley View and Brooklyn Heights.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
WASHINGTON (AP)  There was no violence in the midterm elections last week, and many election deniers lost and quietly conceded. Few listened when former President Donald Trump tried to stoke baseless allegations of electoral fraud. For a moment, at least, a familiar sense of normalcy fell over a nation on edge as the extremism that consumed U.S. politics for much of the last two years was replaced by democratic order. The post-election narrative has instead been focused on each partys electoral fate. Republicans are disappointed that a red wave did not materialize, while Democrats are bracing for the likelihood of a House Republican takeover. At least for now, the serious threats that loomed over democracy heading into Election Day have not materialized.

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2018 Forecast: Prepare For A Tech Acquisition Blizzard

Robert Faletra

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The acquisition pace in 2018 is going to feel like a blizzard or, as we say in New England, a Noreaster.

Although this past year was very active, its going to look like nothing happened when we make the comparison in December 2018. The pace is going to quicken for a number of reasons, all of which are coming together at once.

First off, its clear that private equity investors are becoming more interested in the high-tech solution provider market, where there is a large playing field of available deals. The best solution providers that have solid customer relationships and a growth strategy to drive more recurring revenue are highly sought after.

The recurring revenue helps drive a rollup strategy to get bigger through acquisitions and/or puts the company in a position to grow the percentage of profit coming from the recurring revenue side and flip the business a few years later.

The market also is in one of those cycles where bigger looks better despite the challenges that come with operating over a larger geographical market that has strong regional players. The real action in the M&A market, however, is more likely to happen on the vendor side where the technology is moving faster than ever and the floodgates may open soon, ushering in a great deal of cash that needs to go somewhere.

If the tax plan making its way through Washington, D.C., becomes reality, the cash that is being held overseas because of the repatriation tax will rush back to the U.S. The most recent data Ive seen puts the cash hoard being held at more than $2.5 trillion. In the case of Microsoft and Apple, they alone each has more than $100 billion sitting overseas.

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins noted recently that should the changes in the tax plan hold and the cash be allowed to come home at a reasonable rate, the company will quicken its acquisition pace. Robbins also said Cisco would be among the top five companies benefiting from a reduction in the repatriation tax and he would expect to not only use it to acquire companies, but also to invest in innovation and return a portion to shareholders. Cisco, which has always been particularly good at finding, acquiring and incorporating acquisition targets, will be in a particularly strong position.

But Apple, Cisco and Microsoft are not the only ones sitting on billions they would like to use. HPE, Dell, Oracle and virtually every other high-tech multinational would be in the same position.

What I think we can expect to be different, however, is that with the cash available, the likelihood of bigger deals on the order of Dells acquisition of EMC will be high. We are very likely to see some really big brands be both hunters and hunted.

As we exit 2018, its going to be more difficult to call any of the big brands a software or a hardware company. My bet is the traditional hardware companies like HPE, Dell and Cisco will have used the available cash to become stronger in software. Each of them understands the need to have the wide swath of products, services and software in the market, and they are not going to be shy about executing.

So get ready for a wild ride where solution providers become bigger and more important, tech suppliers become more innovative and acquisitive, and the entire industry gets reshaped in ways we have never seen before. Its what makes high-tech so much fun to be a part of and why it ultimately impacts every industry on the planet.

BACKTALK: Make something happen. Robert Faletra is CEO of The Channel Company. You can contact him via email at rfaletra@thechannelcompany.com.
Components & Peripherals News

IBM Unveils Power9 Microprocessor Along With New Servers Geared For AI

Joseph Tsidulko

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IBM unveiled its latest microprocessor Tuesday in conjunction with a new server line that better integrates the new CPU with other embedded devices to power advanced workloads like artificial intelligence.

The new AC922 Servers, along with the Power9 processors, deliver unprecedented performance for computationally intensive tasks like training machine-learning models and advanced analytics, Sumit Gupta, vice president for high performance computing and data analytics at IBM, told CRN.

Those servers directly attack the problem that's slowing the advent of artificial intelligence -- slow connectivity in the system bus that limits data flow between various chips on the server board.

[Related: IBM Shakes Up Hardware Business, Channel Leadership In Prep For 'Cognitive' Push]

"The server is going from being just about CPU to becoming a rich server with lots of different devices," Gupta said, such as graphics and network accelerators that offload computation from the central processor.

The AC922s realize the vision of the OpenPower Foundation that IBM launched roughly five years ago, Gupta said.

Back then, IBM had the realization "that the CPU was no longer really delivering the performance needs required for modern workloads," he said, such as data analytics, machine learning and now deep learning.

IBM concluded speeding those tasks wasn't going to take faster microprocessors, but a faster internal bus connecting the various compute acceleration components, like graphics processing units.

"We knew these other devices were going to be critical in the server, networking devices, other processors. We needed to improve the data throughput, how data moved within a server," he said.

"That's the answer to Moore's Law slowing."

Those efforts are now bearing fruit, Gupta added, due to massive interest in recent years in artificial intelligence. GPU computing "only recently it hit its stride," he said.

Power9, according to Gupta, is the first PCI-Express chip with fourth-generation capabilities. Combined in the AC922 with Nvidia NVlink 2.0 interconnections and leveraging OpenCAPI architecture, it accelerates the flow of data through the server almost 10 times faster than chips enabled to run PCI-Express 3.0 (third-generation) connections, like the ones Intel offers on its most-advanced x86 processors, he said.

NVLink 2.0 is a propriety interface between only IBM Power units and Nvidia Volta GPUs.

That innovation doubles processing speed, he said, giving IBM "a significant data-movement performance advantage."

Deep learning workloads have been clocked to run roughly 3.5 times faster on the new servers, Gupta said.

AC922s will start shipping later in December, with the first batch going to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where thousands will be clustered to build the world's fastest supercomputer, Gupta said.

In addition to the high-performance supercomputing market, enterprises running AI applications, especially deep learning, represent another base of buyers for the new servers, Gupta said.

Google will also be a customer, the internet giant said in a statement.

And while there are no announcements on the cloud front yet, "nearly all of these IBM technologies eventually make it to IBM cloud," he said.
Climate change and its impacts on smallholder farmers in developing countries is a topical issue. As such, peer-learning in climate-smart agriculture (CSA) gives stakeholders an equal chance to address this challenge in their contexts and at their pace.

The global conference brought together partners in global agriculture, including the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), and was held under the theme, Catalyzing local innovations and actions to accelerate scaling up of CSA. Its main focus was on implementation, results and impact in CSA, and was centred on plenary presentations, side events, and parallel sessions.

According to the organizers, the five conference objectives were identified as to

Highlight emerging science and innovations on Climate Smart Agriculture nexus, focusing on agricultural landscapes and food systems;



showcase experiences and lessons in science-policy interactions fostering accelerated up-take of CSA;



Examine circumstance-specific conditions for success for CSA within Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement;



Networking and opening or consolidation opportunities for collaboration and alliances on CSA; and



Stimulate dialogue between scientists and practitioners (policymakers, business, civil society, and farmers).



Plenary presentation: scaling-up climate-smart agriculture

In a first of three main presentations by CTA at the global conference, Dr. Olu Ajayi, Senior Programme Coordinator, CTA, shared with delegates, on behalf of the Director, Michael Hailu, on Promoting policies and practices on CSA: lessons and experiences from the field in Africa, Caribbean, and the Pacific. He pointed out while the technical advances on CSA were well-known, it is important to encourage the science that underlines the scaling-up of CSA and to inform development and policy efforts on CSA to benefit farmers, youths and women.

Drawing from various activities carried out by CTA on climate change in ACP, Dr Ajayi synthesized key lessons for scaling up CSA as follows:

Harness the power of ICT to promote CSA



Establish business case and innovative partnership to scale up CSA



Identify and facilitate livelihood opportunities for the youth through CSA



facilitate access to information on CSA and promote co-creation of knowledge with farmers



Complement policy engagement with field activities in the implementation of CSA.



Citing from CTAs ongoing work to promote bundle of climate solutions to farmers in three countries in southern Africa region, he highlighted how CTA and partners are harnessing the ICT tools to promote a bundle of CSA solutions and building coalition of partners drawn from private sector, insurance, knowledge generators, producer associations and policymakers to reach out to farmers

CTA has supported various innovations in the digital world such as the APPS4AG database, AgriHack, and ICT4Ag Conference held in Rwanda. The work in digital agriculture follows emerging evidence from the field. In Sudan, Short Message Service-based advisory services led to farm productivity increased by 300% with improved water efficiency. Other studies also showed that in Ghana and Rwanda, digital payments cut the transaction costs for farmers and agribusinesses by 90%.

Lessons on policy and partnership models to scale-up CSA

In the second and third presentation, Dr Ajayi presented a joint work by himself and Dr Kadzamira focusing on Lessons on policy and partnership models to scale up CSA: Case of Southern Africa.

The presentation, based on CTAs Southern Africa project, recognized that extra household factors (policy) and type of partnership implementation model influence the decision on CSA. Malawi (single partner), Zambia (triple partners) and Zimbabwe (dual partners) are the three countries in the project, whose goal is to improve food security and income of farmers under climate uncertainties.

Preliminary results from the country case studies showed that at the policy level, stabilities of policies matter to attract investment and that communication on CSA policy matters. At the field level, Ajayi noted that sustainable partnership to scale-up CSA increases when there exist well-defined and mutual benefits for all partners. Transparency, trust, shared decision-making made partnerships to be strong and vibrant.

A new book Indigenous knowledge systems and climate change management in Africa was launched

Perhaps, the key feature of the global conference was the official launch of a new book on Indigenous knowledge systems and climate change management in Africa, co-edited by Dr Olu Ajayi and Prof. Paramu Mafongoya of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The book launch was done at the plenary session of the conference. The book consists of 15 chapters drawn from specific case studies on different uses of indigenous knowledge for prediction of climate, animal behaviour, to facilitate decision-making in managing and adapting to climate risks explores three questions:

What different are IK practices still used by smallholder farmers in Africa to manage climate change?

To what extent is IK actions still relevant in contemporary situations, taking into account population growth and climate change?

What can we learn from the knowledge that farmers have acquired over generations as they continuously contend with the impact of climate change?

Speakers at the book launch including officials from FARA, USDA, AGRA, CRS congratulated CTA, the editors and authors for sharing information contained in the book.
The Beatrice City Council approved moving from a month-to-month franchise agreement contract with Charter Communications to a 10-year, non-exclusive contract.

On Monday night, the council voted unanimously to approve the franchise agreement after removing it from the consent agenda for further discussion. The contract will be for a 10-year term and, at its conclusion, it will automatically renew for five years.

The franchise gives Charterwhich provides cable, phone and internet in the city of Beatrice access to the citys right-of-way and, in exchange, Charter will pay the city a franchise fee equal to 5 percent of their gross revenue.

Council member Bob Morgan wanted the term non-exclusive clarified before voting on the item.

We're not entering into an agreement where Charter is our only option for cable? Morgan asked. This would still allow for free enterprise if somebody else wanted to come in and be a competitor?

City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer confirmed that any other company would be able to come into the market if theyd like to.

Charter also installed a fiber optic line into the Beatrice School Administration buildingwhere the council holds its meetingsand will provide most of the equipment needed for the city to transmit meetings over a public access channel.

The city still needs a camera to transmit the meetings, but that wasnt included in the budget for this year, Tempelmeyer said. The equipment would likely cost around $50,000, and theyre trying to find a way to make it work, he said.

The month-to-month contract the city previously had with Charter didnt offer the same long-term security that a 10-year contract would, Tempelmeyer said.

That's why we negotiated this agreement which gives them a little more security as far as putting improvements into the system that maybe otherwise they were reluctant to do on a month-to-month basis, he said.

Jeremiah Blake, Charters director of government affairs for Nebraska and Kansas, told the council that Charter covers about 26 million customers in 41 states, including about 200,000 customers in 89 Nebraska communities.

Blake said that Charters aim is to provide better speed and picture quality, and that they offer lower cost internet access options for elderly and lower income customers.

Charter provides one public access channelalso known as a Public, Educational and Governmental access channeland, Blake said, if the first channel becomes fully utilized, the city can request a second channel.

Morgan told Blake that hes gotten a number of calls from people in his area in regards to customer service. People have told him that theres a lack of customer service during outages. Morgan asked, as a community franchise, what can be done on Charters end.

If you hear those complaints, please feel free to have Tobias reach out to me and I can kind of shortcut those and address those, Blake said. That's part of my job, so please use me as a resource on that.

The council approved the 10-year franchise agreement unanimously with council members Joe Billesbach and Ted Fairbanks absent.

The council also approved another facade improvement grant in the amount of $10,000 to David and Beth Sederberg, who will perform improvements to their 204 N. Fifth St. building, which houses Uhls Sporting Goods.

This is the first grant approved since early November, due mostly to the fact that the Sederbergs wanted to make sure one of the improvements was acceptable to the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office.

Part of the plan is that they want to have some of the old transom glass, make sure that's put back into their building, their front facade, Tempelmeyer said. And they wanted to make sure that SHPO was going to be OK with them doing that.

Also, he said, most of the work will be performed in the springtime, so there wasnt much of a rush to get the paperwork completed.

This loan agreement is structured in the same way as past agreements, Tempelmeyer said. After improvements have remained in place for five years, the loan is forgiven by the city. Grant recipients must pay at least 25 percent of the total cost and receipts for improvements are turned into the city and then turned over to the state for reimbursement.

Improvements made to the properties have to stay in place for a full five years. If they dont, the city must repay the state for the grant money.

As for future facade renovations, thats up to the people making the improvements, Tempelmeyer said.

We have three more sitting on my desk waiting for approval from the property owners, he said.

The loan was approved unanimously.
STRATFORD - A local mom was arrested after police said she boarded a school bus and began berating another child.

Tashika Smart, 28, of Broadbridge Avenue, was charged with second-degree breach of peace. She was released on a promise to appear in court.

On Friday, police said officers were dispatched to The Johnson Academy for a parent creating a disturbance.

On Thursday, police said there had been an incident on a school bus where a kindergarten students has spit on a 5th grade student.

The 5th grade student then wiped the spittle onto the backpack of Smarts daughter, police said.

On Friday morning, police said the bus stopped to pick up Smarts daughter at her bus stop but instead, Smart got on the bus.

Police said Smart demanded who had put spittle on her daughters. When the other students on the bus all pointed at the 5th grader, police said Smart began yelling at the boy and attempted to approach him only to be blocked by the bus driver. The driver then reported the incident.

Police said when they later confronted Smart she told them she was not sorry for her actions.
You've probably heard that Microsoft founder -- and well-known 1-percenter -- Bill Gates plans to build a futuristic "smart city" in Arizona. More precisely, one of the billionaire's investment companies, Cascade Investment, invested $80 million in a high-tech development planned in the Arizona desert.

The smart city will be designed with high-speed digital networks, data centers, autonomous vehicles, logistics hubs and new manufacturing technologies. Belmont Partners, a subsidiary of Cascade Investments, leads the project and says the smart city, located just outside of Phoenix, will ultimately be home to about 180,000 people.

Related: Bill Gates Believes Robots That Steal Jobs Should Pay Taxes

"Belmont will create a forward-thinking community with a communication and infrastructure spine that embraces cutting-edge technology, designed around high-speed digital networks, data centers, new manufacturing technologies and distribution models, autonomous vehicles and autonomous logistics hubs," Belmont Partners said in a news release.

Tentative plans for Gates's smart city, to be named Belmont, are ambitious. The digital infrastructure will include high-tech public schools and spaces, as well as 80,000 residential units spread over 25,000 acres. But, Belmont is far from the first smart city.

In 2014, India announced its goal to accommodate its burgeoning population with 100 high-tech cities built from the ground up. Likewise, Saudi Arabia officials recently announced plans to build a mega-city spanning three countries that will serve as an innovative global hub that will be the model of future civilization. Google's parent company Alphabet has also pledged $50 million to establish a smart neighborhood in Toronto. In fact, the number of global smart cities is expected to quadruple by 2025.

Related: Bill Gates Imagines His Team Up With Elon Musk

But, can entire futuristic cities be built for $50 billion, $80 billion or even $500 billion?

"Envisioning future infrastructure from scratch is far easier and more cost-efficient than retrofitting an existing urban fabric," Belmont spokesman for the venture said in the statement.

What is a smart city?

Tech jargon aside, just what is a smart city? These futuristic urban areas use electronic data sensors to compile information on residents, transportation, health, pollution and other aspects of city management. The data is then analyzed to make improvements and offer enhanced services in avenues including public utilities, hospitals, power grids, waste management, law enforcement and schools, to name just a few.

"Smart cities encompass a broad range of different aspects ... to describe cities that have deployed -- or are currently piloting -- the integration of information, communications and technology (ICT) solutions across three or more different functional areas of a city," Lisa Arrowsmith, associate director for connectivity, smart homes and smart cities at IHS Technology, said in a press release announcing a new report looking at current smart city trends. "These functional areas include mobile and transport, energy and sustainability, physical infrastructure, governance, and safety and security."

Related: 21 Weird Things We've Learned About Bill Gates

Smart city business benefits

Of Belmont's 25,000 acres, 3,800 will be designated for office, retail and commercial space. And with its advanced technological grid, commercial space won't be inexpensive. But, the smart city still promises to be a draw for companies, for a variety of reasons, including:

1. Internet of things

The internet of things (IoT) refers to the network of physical devices -- vehicles, home appliances, smart phones, watches, etc. -- that are embedded with sensors, software and other electronics that can interconnect and exchange data. Experts estimate that IoT will consist of as many as 50 billion objects by 2020.

And by using IoT, businesses can better track and manage their inventories, reducing the number of employees needed to manage the same information. Better access to IoT also enables customers to be smarter consumers, which ultimately will boost their purchasing power. Since smart cities like Belmont will already feature these important censors and networks, businesses will be better equipped to benefit from IoT.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About the Apple Campus

2. Efficient energy use

A particular benefit to businesses that set up shop in smart cities is reduced operating costs. As previously discussed, businesses can use IoT to reduce the need for employees to gather and analyze data, but the savings go far beyond reduced manpower.

According to one study, the global business community will spend more than $18 billion installing smart technology into buildings this year alone, but spaces in smart cities like Belmont will already be equipped. And some of that technology will drastically reduce energy consumption. Smart windows, for example, can save up to 26 percent on cooling costs and up to 67 percent on lighting.

3. Data monetization

Sensors installed throughout a smart city can supply an enormous amount of data on its residents' behavior and needs. And a smart city with an open data policy, in which some of this information is shared with local commerce, can only improve economic development. Where is the best location to place a particular type of business? During what hours is the area most active? Where is the best place to advertise? How often did pedestrians search for "lunch," "shoes" or "pizza" on a particular street?

"To the extent that we can monetize the data, we can make that available to small businesses, local startups, entrepreneurs, to actually start to generate something of value to benefit our constituents," Jim Loter, Seattle's director of digital engagement, said at the Smart Cities Week conference in Washington, D.C. in October.

Related: Steve Case Shares What Entrepreneurs Need to Create Successful Companies as the World Grapples With Major Technological Advancements

4. Improved transportation

Many vehicles already can monitor and collect data within them: speed, engine hours, driver behavior, fuel efficiency, etc. But, once those same vehicles are connected to a city's infrastructure, the possible benefits are practically endless. Sensors can monitor road conditions to prevent potential dangers such as icy roads or upcoming accidents. And in the greater scheme of transportation, integrated traffic control centers can ease overall road congestion.

Thus, companies that rely on fleet vehicles can benefit greatly from a smart city's technology. Drivers can take the safest and quickest routes, reducing drive time and accidents -- both saving the company money. And over time, this increased efficiency can lead to reduced insurance costs and better compliance processes.

5. Secure connectivity

The search for Wi-Fi or loss of signal aren't issues in smart cities like Belmont. Smart cities provide free, city-wide Wi-Fi that enhance the experience of visitors, residents and commercial entities. Companies won't need to concern themselves with the availability of broadband in certain locations, since it will be equally available throughout the city's borders.

Connectivity enhancements are not only a convenience to businesses, but Romanian researchers found that enhanced internet connectivity boosts tourism and business. By providing free, citywide Wi-Fi, the ancient city of Alba Iulia saw its promise as a tourist destination increase, and it became a more competitive location for major events.

Related: A Beautiful Campus Dedicated to Tech Has Opened in New York. Get Inspired With This Tour.

6. Attracting top talent

It's a competitive world out there, for companies as well as job seekers. Businesses that establish in Belmont will have a hand up on the competition when it comes to recruiting the best and the brightest. After all, who -- particularly recent grads in the expanding tech field -- wouldn't choose to live in a smart city over a run-down community with an outdated grid?

Simply being located in Belmont will be an added perk above and beyond any compensation package. Because for all the benefits a smart city offers companies, the municipal benefits to residents are even greater.

7. Access to capital

Think locating your business to a smart city like Belmont is beyond your means? Think again. So many initiatives are supporting the growth of smart cities; plenty of capital is available to businesses that choose to operate in them.

Related: We Visited Amazon's New Bookstore. The Innovations Made Us Rethink the Possibilities of In-Store Retail

Programs such as the Smart City Export Initiatives through organizations such as the International Trade Administration provide funding, financing and support services for smart infrastructure projects. Funding is available from agencies such as the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the World Bank alongside strategy, marketing and planning services to support the efforts.

8. Reputation

Of course, in today's global society, much business success relies on customers far beyond a city's borders. And we all know that reputation can make or break a company. Simply setting up shop in Belmont, which could easily become the most famous of smart cities, will cement a brand's reputation as an advanced and socially conscious company. Calling Belmont home could be a claim to fame for any company, and draw customers from around the world.

Related Video: Former Apple CEO John Sculley: For Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, Money Wasn't No. 1

Related:

Should Your Business Set up Shop in Bill Gates's Smart City?

This Navigation App is Banking on Augmented Reality to Take on Competitors

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Dancing Christmas trees, Santa Claus, the Grinch, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and even Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation made their way down Fifth Street in Beatrice on Saturday night.

It was the third annual Lighted Christmas Parade in Beatrice and youd have been hard-pressed to find a nicer night for it. With temperatures hovering in the high 50s, 29 floats lit with Christmas lights and flanked by revelers throwing candy to kids watching the show, slowly traversed Fifth Street to bring a little holiday cheer to Beatrice residents.

The day kicked off at 1 p.m., when kids and families could climb aboard a horse-drawn trolley with Santa Claus for some pre-parade excitement put on by Main Street Beatrice.

During each trip through downtown Beatrice, Santa got a good idea of what each of the children would like for Christmas this year. Visitors also got to enjoy a helping of hot chocolate and cookies until about 3 p.m.

In the hours before the parade, downtown businesses were bustling with holiday shoppers getting a head-start on Christmas. The antique and thrift shops were hopping, as were restaurants and retail outlets.

Residents staked out the best spots along Fifth Street, setting out lawn chairs before grabbing a bite to eat. Residents of the Kensington were able to find a spot to sit inside Hill Home Furnishings and were able to stay warm while watching the parade, which was presented by the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce.

At 5:30, just as the sun had set and the super moon was shining brightly overhead, the first floats started coming down Fifth Street from the Country Cookin Cafe parking lot.

Elaborate lighting and costumes were the big draw as the parade winded its way through town. Floats from schools and area businesses stopped to wave and toss candy.

Movies like A Christmas Story, Polar Express and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas were all represented, and as dancing lawnmower-powered Christmas trees.

Finally, Santa Claus arrived in the last float, sitting on the convertible boot of a 1966 Ford Mustang. He smiled and laughed, and greeted kids along the street.

The floats made their way to the parking lot next to Charles Park where parade-goers could enjoy some hot chocolate, cookies and popcorn while they lined up to get their pictures with Santa. There were even two live reindeer on hand for the event.

Marilyn Bruer, manager at the Beatrice McDonalds, was volunteering in the Carnegie Building, handing out activity books and candy canes while encouraging people to vote for their favorite Christmas tree.

Shes a newcomer to Beatrice, having just moved here about a month ago. She got a chance to watch the parade and said it reminded her of the one they had in Cody, Wyo. where she used to live.

I was glad that they did one here, Bruer said. It was very neat and the weather was perfect.
Vickie and Roger Lansman's 24-foot blue spruce arrived Monday morning to stand in state in the Nebraska Capitol Rotunda and serve as the official state Christmas tree.

It was hauled from the front yard of a house the Lansmans own at 34th and Dudley streets in Lincoln. The couple lives in Ord, but bought the house eight years ago for their children who attend college here.

The Lansmans' yard is modest, and another spruce tree resides there, so when Vickie Lansman read last year in the Grand Island Independent that the Capitol Commission was seeking a Christmas tree, she called.

State horticulturist Craig Kreiner accepted her offer, and the tree now awaits lights and decorations, which will be added Tuesday.

Many people passing through the Rotunda on Monday said the 20-year-old tree is one of the most fragrant in years.

"This is just a pleasure to have it here," Vickie Lansman said.

The governor's office and governor's mansion also have Christmas trees, already up and decorated. Those Canaan firs are from Windmill Pines Tree Farm in the Seward area, which is supplying trees for the fifth year in a row.
There is a story  alas, true  of an American aid worker visiting a village in Pakistan where a school had supposedly been built with foreign largesse.

On finding none, he inquired as to its whereabouts and was told by an official, with a shrug: It is probably a Mitsubishi Pajero, driving around Islamabad.

The abuse and theft of foreign aid is a story as old as the hills into which much of the money disappears. Thus the latest horror  that British taxpayers money supposed to fund policing in Free Syria has allegedly been diverted into the pockets of jihadis  is merely a twist in a long-running scandal.

Last nights BBC Panorama investigation of the activities of a contractor named Adam Smith International shows the full range of aid abuses in play: ASI seems to be chiefly a vehicle for enriching its own founders and managers.

Accountability by the Foreign Office and Department for International Development (DfID), the bodies responsible for disbursing 13 billion of our money this year, has yet again been shown to fail.

Panorama claims ASI has been paying policemen, some of whom are fictitious or dead, and that this is the tip of an iceberg. Its employees on the ground are earning up to 850 a day, though they cannot set foot in Syria itself.

The so-called Free Syrian Police have apparently been paid from bags of aid cash disbursed with the carelessness of stale bread to pigeons in the park. For its part, ASI strongly denies the allegations.

The latest horror  that British taxpayers money supposed to fund policing in Free Syria has allegedly been diverted into the pockets of jihadis  is merely a twist in a long-running scandal

I am not among those who think all foreign aid is wasted money. But this saga shows again that almost everything is wrong with the machinery for seeing that Britains money ends up in the right hands.

One of Tony Blairs many follies as prime minister was the establishment of DfID separate from the Foreign Office.

The result was to emasculate Britains embassies in Africa and Asia, where the ability to allocate some cash conferred their only clout, and place this power in the hands of a body whose only purpose was to find homes for a now fixed 0.7 per cent of British GDP  although the Syrian fiasco appears to have been under Foreign Office supervision.

Many DfID staff are social engineers, often rotating in and out of jobs with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), who are eager to do good in the world but understand little about accountability, especially in regions where those who hold political power  or merely own guns  take for granted their right to steal any cash foreigners are foolish enough to strew in their path.

It is shocking how cynically even famous aid charities escape the sort of accountability taken for granted by commercial enterprises and public institutions.

A year or two ago, there was a scandal when it was shown that foreign aid charities pay their bosses wildly extravagant six-figure salaries.

They also spend a large slice of their income from donations on advertising, administration and further fundraising, so that of every pound we give, a dismayingly small proportion ends up feeding the poor and hungry.

Since DfID was created, it has proudly trumpeted that Britain gives a larger slice of its GDP in foreign aid than any other country save Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian nations.

Yet there seems precious little evidence that more than a fraction of this money winds up helping those for whom it is intended, and almost no sign that Britains generosity secures real gratitude  for instance in Pakistan, the largest recipient, followed by Ethiopia and Afghanistan, Nigeria and Syria.

Several big aid distribution companies  through which many millions of the DfID budget are channelled  have incurred critical scrutiny in recent years, especially for their generosity to their own big shareholders, including Oxford Policy Management.

A Commons committee last spring reported hearing of one company that invoiced DfID for 141 per cent of the true cost of its overseas staff.

ASIs turnover peaked in 2014 at 111 million, most of this from British government sources. It is shocking to learn that the company has continued to receive cash after past revelations about its management  for instance, allegations that it falsified testimonials about its activities laid before a Commons committee, something ASI denies.

Its 105 employees earn average salaries of more than 60,000: amazingly high for an organisation supposedly committed to good deeds.

ASIs defence includes the assertion that its staff work in one of the most challenging environments in the world.

The Foreign Office has belatedly suspended the Syrian programme at the heart of the Panorama allegations. It has already barred ASI from bidding for further contracts, following earlier charges laid against the company

It is true that overseas aid bodies must struggle to assist the poor and hungry amid a sea of corruption. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, it was found that mountains of aid supplies and vehicles lay at Colombo airport, held hostage by Sri Lankan customs, pending payment of special duty on everything, including medical supplies.

South Sudan is notorious as an essentially criminal state at the mercy of warlords, most of whom reside in Nairobi. It has been estimated that two-thirds of all foreign aid shipped to Somalia in the first decade of the century was stolen.

As for ASI, we know millions of people inside and immediately outside Syria are suffering terribly; that it is hard to channel aid to them amid chronic lawlessness and rule by local jihadi groups. But none of this excuses the apparent exploitation of chaos and tragedy by the contractor to enrich itself, while failing miserably to supervise spending on the ground.

The Foreign Office has belatedly suspended the Syrian programme at the heart of the Panorama allegations. It has already barred ASI from bidding for further contracts, following earlier charges laid against the company.

Although DfID is not directly responsible for this aid scandal, it has repeatedly demonstrated its unfitness and should be wound up. Its functions should again be undertaken by the Foreign Office.

The obsessive 0.7 per cent of GDP aid target, which David Cameron enshrined in law, should be scrapped.

In order to meet it, millions are entrusted to rackety charities and contractors which lack the machinery  sometimes also the honesty  to see the money is spent wisely.

There is real merit in helping the needy in faraway countries, especially if it helps to keep them at home and discourages them from joining the vast South-North migration. But the British Governments desperation to meet its entirely artificial giveaway objective means our money is being thrown at all manner of people unfit to steward it.

The Adam Smith scandal may yet do some good, by causing both the Government and the public to insist that enough is enough. The aid juggernaut has run out of control for too long.

Foreign aid has been a racket which has escaped proper scrutiny because its practitioners hide behind the blanket defence that we are trying to do good.

But aid contractors and charities have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to regulate themselves and must be policed as rigorously as all other institutions and commercial enterprises.

The British people want to give a fraction of their relative wealth to help those much less fortunate than themselves. But their goodwill can no longer be exploited by the greedy, the criminal  and now, we discover, even by some of our mortal enemies.
Damian Green, Theresa Mays deputy, denies the porn allegations, which are being investigated by the Cabinet Office

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick has condemned the rogue ex-cops attempting to destroy the career of Conservative Damian Green.

She said in no uncertain terms that former Scotland Yard assistant commissioner Bob Quick and a retired detective called Neil Lewis were wrong to reveal publicly that pornographic images had been found on Greens computer.

Dick also confirmed that the Yard was investigating whether either of these ex-police officers has broken the law.

Quick led the outrageous 2008 raid on Greens home and Commons office after a complaint from the Home Office, being run back then by Labours Jackboots Jacqui Smith. Greens alleged crime was to have leaked some official figures exposing Labours shambolic immigration policy, and a memo which showed that an illegal immigrant was working as a cleaner in the Commons.

All he did was something just about every minister and MP does every single day of the week. Westminster leaks like a sieve. Always has, always will.

Yet Green was treated like a dangerous criminal, held for nine hours, fingerprinted and forced to give his DNA, accused of the catch-all offence of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office. The case against him was eventually dropped. But the heavy-handed police action was designed to intimidate Green and any other MP or civil servant who might feel inclined to leak any material which could embarrass the government of the day.

Its easy to forget how Britain was transformed into a virtual one-party state during the Tony Blair/Gordon Brown years  aided and abetted by the highly political former Met Commissioner Ian Blair, who effectively turned the police into the paramilitary wing of New Labour.

She said in no uncertain terms that former Scotland Yard assistant commissioner Bob Quick and a retired detective called Neil Lewis (pictured) were wrong to reveal publicly that pornographic images had been found on Greens computer

Quick fancied his chances of succeeding Ian Blair, but his reputation was tarnished by the Green affair and a photo of him strolling into Downing Street with top secret anti-terrorism documents on display  a blunder which torpedoed his career. He resigned in 2009.

The well-founded suspicion is that Quick decided to get even with Green by revealing that a computer seized in the raid contained graphic, but not illegal, pornography. His claim was backed up by Lewis, now retired, who kept his notebook from the case.

According to Cressida Dick, the behaviour of the former officers is a serious breach of the polices duty of confidentiality.

They have also been criticised by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Tom Winsor, but its not clear whether any further action can be taken against them.

Green, Theresa Mays deputy, denies the porn allegations, which are being investigated by the Cabinet Office. A report is expected later this week. The story took another twist yesterday when Eleanor Laing, deputy speaker of the Commons, said that pornographic images had mysteriously found their way on to her official computer every day before 2010.

Sounds plausible. Its not difficult to infect computers with viruses and malware by remote control over the internet. Just look at some of the junk which turns up in your inbox every five minutes.

Even if the Cabinet Office report finds Green did download the images himself, hes done nothing illegal. But thats almost beside the point.

Theres a much bigger picture here. Revealing confidential information obtained in the course of a police inquiry is a despicable breach of privacy and trust.

But the real scandal is the fact that the police should never have had access to Greens computer in the first place. The raids on both his home and Commons office were disgraceful and, some would argue, unlawful.

It should be no business of the police to investigate MPs accused of leaking information which might embarrass the government  especially when that information is in the public interest. What is worse, however, is the mob-handed methods which have become standard operating procedure for the police over the past decade.

A sinister policy of arrest first and look for evidence later was institutionalised by another Met Commissioner, the appalling Bernard Hyphen-Howe, who used strong-arm tactics to humiliate and persecute a procession of innocent journalists, celebrities and public figures, accused of everything from phone hacking to child abuse.

How many times have we seen scores of coppers ransacking the homes of people falsely accused of crimes, then emerging with dozens of black bin liners full of so-called evidence? The intention is always to intimidate and present an impression of guilt. They wouldnt send all those coppers if he wasnt guilty, would they, Doris?

The police use the flimsiest of pretexts  often on the word of a fantasist  to mount full-scale fishing expeditions, looking for something, anything, they can pin on their unsuspecting targets.

The executive producer of Doctor Who says he would have had a female Doctor sooner, but he was worried about complaints from the shows Daily Mail-reading viewers. Steven Moffat said: This isnt a show just for progressive liberals, this is also for people who voted Brexit.

There speaks the genuine, condescending voice of your typical, snobbish, self-regarding Remoaner. They see themselves as enlightened, educated individuals and consider those of us who voted for Brexit to be a lumpen mass of racist, sexist neanderthals who would go ape at the prospect of a female Doctor.

They voted Remain not because of the single market, or the Irish border or because they want Britain to be governed by unelected foreigners. It was just another way of asserting their bogus moral superiority.

Brexterminate!

Journalist friends of mine who were caught up in the assorted police investigations into phone hacking and alleged bribery of public officials were horrified at the way their homes were violated by detectives and forensic teams.

In the case of one newspaper executive, the police search teams confiscated love letters, private diaries, medical records and bank statements. They even sifted through his daughters knicker drawers. Looking for what, exactly?

The first things the police seize are all the computers in the house, even those belonging to the wives and children of the men being investigated.

Im not going to name again any of the celebrities wrongly accused of historic sex crimes in the post-Savile madness. Theyve been through enough already.

Met commissioner Cressida Dick said former officers were 'wrong' to be using confidential material from a controversial 2008 raid on the deputy PM's office to try and oust him

But, at the weekend, I bumped into one well-known personality and his wife, who had their lives turned upside down by the Mets Nonce Squad. Fourteen  yes, fourteen  coppers arrived to arrest him and collect evidence.

They even took away his wifes laptop. She still gets upset when she thinks about it. All this in connection with something alleged to have happened in a TV studio in 1963  which even a cursory initial inquiry would have proved could not possibly have taken place.

Yet it took an eternity before he was completely exonerated.

Time and again the drills the same. If senior politicians and the former head of the Army arent safe from the Scotland Yard Stasi, then what chance have the rest of us got?

Some years ago, the Womens Institute monstered Tony Blair when he tried to hijack their annual conference for political effect.

I was so impressed that I announced I was thinking of applying for membership. Ive always been an admirer of the WI.

Unfortunately, the president wrote me a charming letter apologising that while theyd love to have me, they didnt accept male members, so to speak.

But nowadays, we can choose to be any sex we want. If I come over all gender-fluid and announce that Im defining as a woman, theyll have to let me in.

I bet you cant wait for their next nude calendar...

At the time, we didnt realise the arrest of Damian Green would herald the start of a new era of over-the-top police fishing expeditions. Nor could we have imagined that a man who once headed the anti-terror squad would dish dirt collected during a police investigation nine years ago in a blatant attempt to bring down the Deputy Prime Minister.

The bond of trust between the police and public is precious, but fragile. It shouldnt be jeopardised by a couple of bitter ex-cops and the routine abuse of search powers by the heavy mob.

Quick (pictured) led the outrageous 2008 raid on Greens home and Commons office after a complaint from the Home Office, being run back then by Labours Jackboots Jacqui Smith

Dick of Dock Green has made an impressive start, reversing the reign of terror and paranoia which existed under Hyphen-Howe.

She has roundly condemned the rogue ex-cops trying to destroy Damian Green and, Im sure, wont hesitate to press for further action to be taken against them if it transpires they have broken the law.

Lets hope she can also restore a sense of proportion and perspective when it comes to the hysteria over historic sex crimes, and manages to rein in those officers who think any kind of complaint gives them the absolute right to ransack homes, confiscate computers and terrify women and children in pursuit of evidence.
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The task of living in modern New Zealand  and especially in modern Auckland  is not just to understand how to live with different peoples, but how to adapt to the future that has already happened.

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A woman who lost a whopping 303lbs in just 18 months has celebrated her remarkable achievement by sharing a saucy snapshot of her husband holding her in up the air while her legs are wrapped around his waist.

Two years ago, Lexi Reed, 26, of Terre Haute, Indiana weighed 485lbs while her husband Danny clocked in at 280lbs. Before they embarked on their weight loss journey together in January 2016, he never would have been able to pick her up with such ease.

Lexi, who has amassed more than 450,000 Instagram followers, posted the snapshot of Danny holding her in his arms alongside a picture of them standing together before they slimmed down.

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Incredible: Lexi Reed celebrated her 303lb weight loss by sharing a photo her husband Danny lifting her up alongside another image of them before they lost a combined 392lbs

Looking good: Nearly two years after they vowed to lose weight, Lexi weighs a healthy 182lbs while Danny is clocking in at 191lbs

The couple's incredible weight loss story went viral in February, and nearly a year later they are just as fit and in love as before.

In her post, Lexi explained that in 2016 they set a New Year's resolution to lose weight once and for all.

'We didn't have a meal plan, surgery, personal trainer, but what we did have was each other and the motivation within to work hard every single day,' she wrote. 'We wanted to be parents in the future and live a longer life together.'

Lexi noted that they had no idea that six months into their resolution they would become a 'completely different couple.'

Transformation: The 26-year-old from Terre Haute, Indiana weighed 485lbs at the start of her weight loss journey

Doting husband: Lexi said her husband Danny has always loved and supported her no matter what her weight

'We may have lost the weight but we have grown closer together. Pound by pound, step by step, day by day  we have transformed our lives and molded our bodies into the people we've always wanted to be,' she wrote.

Lexi went on to pay tribute to her husband, explaining that Danny has always loved and supported her no matter what her weight.

'This man has been by my side for the last 10 years and treated me no different at 485lbs than he does at 182lbs,' she said. 'We all deserve to live a life we are in love with and have people around that make it worth living. We hope others will hear our story & decide not to give up!'!

Success: Lexi traded traded fast-food for home cooked meals and started going to the gym five-six times a week

Amazing: Lexi has gone from a size 28 to a size 10 in less than two years

Weigh in: Lexi and Danny lost the weight naturally, without any meal plans, surgery, or personal trainers

The couple, who said 'I do' in 2015, weighed a combined 765lbs and gorged on a total of 8,000 calories a day before they shed half of their body weight in just 12 months.

They traded fast-food for home cooked meals and started going to the gym five-six times a week. Lexi also began regularly attending Zumba classes.

Lexi regularly updates her Instagram page to show how far she has come, and last week recalled how someone asked her what she told herself the night before she started her weight loss journey on January 1, 2016.

Sharing her response to the question, Lexi wrote: 'Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life. Are you going to just keep talking about losing the weight or are you just going to do it? No more excuses. No more fear.

Online star: The weight loss winner has amassed more than 450,000 Instagram followers since she she started documenting her progress

Next goal: Lexi revealed she wants to lose another 7lbs before the new year

'You don't have to live this way for the rest of your life Lexi. You are in charge of your future so go in that gym and show every single person that stares or doubts you what you're made of. Prove them wrong & lets do this once and for all.'

Nearly two years after Lexi vowed to lose weight, she has lost over 300lbs and weighs a healthy 182lbs while Danny is clocking in at 191lbs.

After Thanksgiving, Lexi revealed that she wants to end 2017 by shedding another 7lbs.

'I'm ready to finish what I started in 2016 & hit my next goal of 175!' she wrote. 'Get comfortable with being uncomfortable & always push yourself to step out of your comfort zone! Lets finish 2017 strong.'
In 2006 Steve Wright brutally murdered five prostitutes in a spate of killings that shocked the nation and saw him dubbed the Ipswich Ripper.

Also known as the Suffolk Strangler, Wright holds the dubious record of carrying out the highest number of murders in the shortest space of time - claiming five victims in the days between October 30 and December 10.

But how did a seemingly ordinary man who lived an ordinary life become a prolific serial killer virtually overnight?

In a new documentary, Wright's father Conrad reveals his own thoughts on why his son grew up to prey on women, explaining how Wright's mother left the family home when he was just eight and took his sisters with her.

My Son the Serial Killer suggests watching them depart from Ipswich train station - the last time he would ever see his mother - set in motion a chain of events that would end in murder, with the killer's father asking on camera: 'Was that where it all started to go wrong?'

An expert goes so far as to say this episode of childhood abandonment 'wrote the script' for Wright, who would go on to become one of the country's most infamous serial killers.

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Steve Wright was given a full life sentence in 2008 for killing five women in Ipswich in 2006

In the documentary Conrad Wright reveals he never suspected that his son was the man behind the series of brutal killings in Ipswich, Suffolk at the end of 2006, and still struggles to accept what happened.

The family lived in Malta and Singapore when Wright was a child, while his father was in the RAF. When they eventually returned to the UK, Wright's parents separated and his mother left with his two sisters. The day she got on the train at Ipswich station would be the last time he ever saw her.

Conrad believes it was then that his son's personality started to change.

He said: 'We'd sort of half agreed that we would have a little break. Well, I never thought she'd go through with it, but she did. We separated in Ipswich railway station of all places.

'That was the last time Steve ever saw her. An eight-year-old boy seeing his mother staying on a train and [going] off with his two sisters... is that where everything went wrong?'

His father Conrad Wright believes his mother abandoning Steve when he was just eight years old may have turned him into a killer

Wright told his father in letters written from prison during his trial that because of the violence he had endured as a child he would never harm anyone. But Conrad denies that either he or his estranged wife were ever abusive towards their son.

And while Criminologists quoted in the documentary do say being abandoned by his mother could help to explain why Wright became a killer, they stressed he could not blame his crimes on it.

Tania Nicol, 19, (left) went missing from the Portman Road red light district of Ipswich on the 30th of October, 2006. Her naked body was found in Belstead Brook stream, Copdock, Suffolk on the 8th of December. Gemma Adams, 25, (right) went missing from the Portman Road red light district of Ipswich on the 15th of November 2006. Her naked body was found in Belstead Brook stream, Thorpe's Hill, in the village of Hintlesham, Suffolk on the 2nd of December 2006

Annette Nicholls, 29, (left) went missing on the 8th of December 2006 and her body was found on 12 December near Levington, naked but not sexually assaulted, and posed in the cruciform position. Paula Clennell, 24, (right) went missng 10th of December 2006 and her body was found on 12 December near Levington on the same day as Nicholls'

Anneli Alderton was found strangled on 10th December 2006 and is Wright's last confirmed victim

Dr Elizabeth Yardley said: 'I think that Wright's upbringing did play a part in what he became. I think it started to write the script for what he would become.

'But I think we have to be careful when we're looking at people's backgrounds, because lots of people have disrupted childhoods, lots of people have parents who separate - very few of them are going to go on to harm anybody else.'

In 2008 Wright was handed a full-life jail term for the murder of five young women who vanished in 2006, but to this day has never acknowledged his guilt.

Locals suffered six weeks of terror as detectives hunted for the serial killer, after his victim's naked bodies were discovered in isolated locations around the Suffolk town.

Dr Elizabeth Yardley, a criminologist, said that Wright's upbringing 'wrote the script' for his crimes (seen in a previous documentary)

Experts believe Wright's background 'wrote the script' for him to be a killer, though it does not justify it

On October 30 2006 Tania Nicol, 19, vanished from Ipswich's red light area, which was followed by the disappearance of Gemma Adams, 25, around two weeks later, triggering a major inquiry.

Miss Adams' body was found in a stream at Hintlesham on December 2. Six days later on December 8 Miss Nicol's body was recovered from a pond at Copdock.

Two days later the body of Anneli Alderton, 24, was found in woods at Nacton. A this point sex workers in the town were urged to stay off the streets by police.

On December 12 the bodies of Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29, were found near woods at Levington.

Conrad says he'll 'never forgive' his son for what he did to the five victims and their families

Wright was arrested at his Ipswich home a week later.

Conrad said he never suspected that his son was capable of murder as he was wreaking havoc on the sleepy Suffolk town, and still struggles to accept that he claimed the lives of five women.

But he says he'll 'never forgive' his son for what he did to the women and their families.

He admitted in the film: 'I know one of the parents of the girls reckons he forgives him, but there's no way I forgive him. You cant take five people's lives away.

'It's not just the five lives he took away, not just them five it's others, them girls parents and them girl's children, you can't just switch off and not be concerned or think about it.'
A lingerie brand's latest campaign is mixing racy lace outfits with inspiring stories to encourage self-acceptance among women.

Anine Bing is known for delicate lace bralets and other sheer intimates loved by the likes of Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, but the designer is trying out something a little different for her latest social media campaign: taking the focus from the clothes to the women wearing them.

The series, called #AnineBingStories, features a selection of stunning ladies of different backgrounds and ages lounging around their homes in their favorite lingerie designs - while revealing intimate details about their lives.

A different campaign: Clothing brand Anine Bing have teamed up with nine inspirational women for a new lingerie campaign

Showing strength: Among the women are entrepreneurs, such as Maya Haile, a model and founder of non-profit The Three Goats Organization

Easy-going: The campaign is entirely Photoshop-free and includes women between the ages of 19 and 64, with the youngest, Janna Tew, proudly showing off her armpit hair in this snap

'The campaign is about loving yourself, celebrating yourself, being yourself, and wearing what you want to wear for yourself!' Anine wrote on her blog.

'We worked with nine amazing women with individual stories who are entrepreneurs, cancer survivors, philanthropists, mothers, and such inspiring people.'

The campaign, which is Photoshop-free, features the women ranging in ages from 19 to 64 photographed in their 'natural environments'.

Among the women are Chloe Hayward, a model and comedienne, Meredith Burner, a photographer and breast cancer survivor, and hair stylist Kylee Heath, who is pregnant with her first child.

The shoot even features three generations of one family in LA-based Ashleigh Dempster, her youngest daughter Vincent and the baby's grandma Julie.

Standing up: According to a blog about the new images, the campaign is 'about loving yourself, celebrating yourself, being yourself, and wearing what you want to wear for yourself'

A fighter: Meredith Bruner (pictured) is described as 'a photographer, cancer survivor, and healthcare advocate'

Right at home: Each woman welcomed the brand into their personal homes, where the candid photos were taken, meaning they felt completely comfortable and relaxed

Caught out: Anine Bing's wares (worn here by model Chloe Hayward) are popular among celebrities such as Kendall Jenner

Many of the ladies are businesswomen in charge of various companies, including skincare brands, lines of children's shoes, and even a non-profit dedicated to helping children, young women and families in Ethiopia access food and water.

But what really unites all of them is the feeling of empowerment that they all expressed while candidly posing in the lingerie.

Cancer survivor Meredith, for example, explained that she took part in the shoot because she want to help others who have, or have had, breast cancer that there is life beyond the disease.

'I did this project with Anine Bing because I want women to see that there is life after breast cancer, and that you can still be yourself and empowered,' she explained.

New mother Kylee, meanwhile, who was nine-months pregnant when she did her shoot in her home in California, discussed her desire to 'raise a young girl with a voice who sticks up for herself'.

Lounging around: 51-year-old fashion editor Angelina Jolin shows off a lace bralet sitting on the floor of her home

Little lady: Los Angeles-based shoe designer Ashleigh Dempster, is pictured with her youngest daughter Vincent

Helping out: The campaign even features three generations of women including grandmother Julie (right and left holding the baby), daughter-in-law Ashleigh and baby Vincent

According to the Anine Bing Instagram, Kylee actually gave birth to 'a beautiful baby girl on 11.11.2017 at 5:01 pm', not long after her shoot took place.

'Rae Lynn Hollister was born 7lbs 13oz and Kylee tells us: "Aside from telling her how cute she is, I also tell her how strong she is. She had to be in the NICU after she was born because she was having trouble clearing the fluid from her lungs. But she fought through fast, and is healthy and just perfect. I'm proud of her for entering the world a strong little lady from the get-go."'

Each biography is followed by the woman in question's personal reason for buying lingerie, whether it be for comfort, for feeling 'sexy' or for simply treating themselves.

The photos and the stories are being posted on the brand's Instagram page with the hashtag #AnineBingStories.

As for the lingerie, the outfits on show include a re-launch of some of the brand's most popular items as well as a few new styles added into the line.

Each of the bra and panty styles are on sale for under $100 and come in a large range of sizes.
Christmas is often referred to as a 'magical' time of year, however most Australians actually don't enjoy the festive period, it has been revealed.

Survey results released on Tuesday by online marketplace Groupon found more than 70 per cent think Christmas is a stressful time, while almost 80 per cent are 'annoyed' by it.

Among the key stress-points and irritations for Australians are how to keep finances in check, and how to find presents for people who are difficult to buy for - the 'ungiftables'.

Survey results released on Tuesday by online marketplace Groupon found more than 70 per cent of Australians think Christmas a stressful time, while almost 80 per cent are 'annoyed' by it (stock image)

Among the key stress-points and irritations for Australians are how to keep finances in check, and how to find presents for people who are difficult to buy for (stock image)

Half of Australians are concerned about blowing their budgets over Christmas time, while 43 per cent panic about finding the 'ungiftables' the perfect present.

Also stressing more than 40 per cent of Aussies at Christmas time is how to find time to prepare, while one-in-five are concerned about wasting time searching for and buying gifts, and advertisements on the TV or radio.

The survey also pinpointed December 1 as the date almost one-quarter of Australians begin to feel the festive pressure, while the stress kicks in for another quarter one week before Christmas - on December 18.

But for one-in-five, the stress lasts for months, starting as early as September, the survey found.

The most popular coping-measure during the Christmas period was found to be the consumption of alcohol, with one-third of Australians saying they over-indulge in wine.

Fronting a Christmas anti-stress campaign is Real Housewives of Sydney star Nicole ONeil (pictured), who shared her top 'housewife hacks' for tackling the period

Nicole's (pictured) tips include doing online shopping, gifting 'experiences' instead of objects to people who are hard to buy for, and to still treat yourself

NICOLE O'NEIL'S 'HOUSEWIFE HACKS' 1. Choose experiences - such as wine blending or yacht sailing vouchers - for people who are hard to buy for 2. Avoid the crowds and save time by doing your Christmas shopping online 3. Treat yourself with a spa day or a yoga class to keep the stress at bay Advertisement

A further 29 per cent turn to decadent foods to help them through the stress.

Fronting a Christmas anti-stress campaign is Real Housewives of Sydney star Nicole ONeil, who shared her top 'housewife hacks' for tackling the period.

Her tips include doing online shopping, gifting 'experiences' instead of objects to people who are hard to buy for, and to still treat yourself.

'Christmas is such a beautiful time of year but it can be a particularly stressful occasion, as theres so much to do and so little time,' she said.

'However, with a bit of forward planning and a few clever hacks, like shopping online with Groupon for a great bargain, you can really take the sting out of festive stress.'
As Christmas edges ever closer, the Danish Royal family have a slew of engagements to attend to before they tuck into their turkey with all the trimmings.

Indeed, no sooner had Princess Mary and Prince Frederik put up their Christmas tree in Amelienborg Palace, were they out attending a church service to honour the 500th anniversary of the Reformation movement in Copenhagen.

The church where the service was at, however, holds special sentimental value for the Royal couple - who were married in the Church of Our Lady on May 14, 2004.

The couple even held hands during an adorable moment in the ceremony.

Scroll down for video

Princess Mary (pictured) and Prince Frederik attended a church service in Copenhagen to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation

The church holds sentimental value for the Royal couple - who were married in the Church of Our Lady on May 14, 2004 - they held hands at one point (pictured) during the service

For the illustrious occasion, Princess Mary opted for an elegant grey wraparound coat, which she paired with trademark stilettos and a darkly-coloured hat; she carried flowers (pictured)

The Royal couple are especially busy in the lead-up to Christmas, with any number of festive appointments and get togethers before they head to Australia for Christmas

The service, attended by a number of church representatives, was held in honour of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

Denmark is this year hosting a series of celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

The Reformation is a historical period in which the Protestantism Reform movement started officially on October 1, 1517.

The service, attended by a number of church representatives, was held in honour of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation - Denmark is holding a series of such events this year

Princess Mary has worn this grey coat (pictured) on a previous occasion - last Christmas, she and the family gathered in Aarhus for a Christmas eve service

For the illustrious occasion, the 45-year-old mother-of-four dressed simply, but beautifully.

Clad in a grey wraparound coat to protect her against the biting Danish winter, Princess Mary paired her coat with a dark-coloured hat, dress and her trademark stilettos.

She wore her hair loose and straight, and carried a bouquet of white roses among other flowers as she entered the church.

This isn't the first time Princess Mary has plumped for this elegant grey wool coat.

Last Christmas, she gathered with her family at the Aarhus Cathedral in Aarhus for a Christmas eve service, wearing the same garment.

The service took place on the first Sunday of Advent, Sunday December 3

The Reformation movement is being celebrated in both Denmark and around the rest of Europe

Earlier on in the day, the Palace released a short video of Princess Mary and her family decorating their Christmas tree in Amelienborg (pictured)

On the first Sunday of Advent, the Australian-born Royal also celebrated the imminent arrival of Christmas, by releasing a clip of herself and her family decorating their tree in Amelienborg.

In the video, Princes Christian, 12, and Vincent, 6, can be seen helping parents, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary, to decorate the tree, alongside Princess Isabella, 10 and Josephine, 6.

They slowly kit out the luscious fir tree with candles, Santa Claus baubles and a small gold kangaroo, which perhaps serves to remind the Australian-born Princess Mary of her home in Tasmania.

While Princess Mary appears to direct in the styling of the tree, pointing out to the girls where exactly they should place their candles, Prince Frederik stands atop a ladder, tending to the highest parts.

The finished product - captured in their palatial home of chandeliers and opulent furniture - is a picture of understated but regal elegance.

In the video, Princes Christian, 12, and Vincent, 6, can be seen helping parents, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary, to decorate the tree, alongside Princess Isabella, 10 and Josephine, 6

They slowly kit out the luscious fir tree with candles, Santa Claus baubles and a small gold kangaroo, which perhaps serves to remind the Australian-born Princess Mary of her home

What was the Reformation? * Martin Luther, a German, started the Protestant Reformation in 1517 when he wrote 95 theses criticising the Catholic Church for corruption in Rome, including the buying of ecclesiastical privileges, nepotism, usury and the selling of indulgences, and nailed them on the church door in the town of Wittenberg. * Pope Leo X excommunicated him, but the church could not stop Luther's teachings from spreading throughout northern Europe or the world. * The Reformation led to a violent, often political schism throughout Europe and Christianity, prompting among other things the 30 Years' War, the destruction of English monasteries, and the burning of numerous 'heretics' on both sides. * Catholics persecuted Protestants and vice-versa for hundreds of years. * St. Ignatius Loyola founded the Jesuit order in 1537, 20 years after Luther's protest, in part as a response to the heresies being promoted. * In the past Pope Francis, himself a Jesuit, spoke harshly of the Protestant reformers. But recently he has had only words of praise for Luther. * He recently called the German theologian a reformer of his time who rightly criticized a church that was 'no model to imitate.' * 'There was corruption in the church, worldliness, attachment to money and power,' Francis said this summer. Advertisement

Last year, the children also helped to decorate their elaborate Christmas tree (pictured)

The Princess and her family will spend Christmas in Australia for the first time in years (pictured: Prince Christian decorating the tree)

The Princess and her family are sure to continue to keep busy in the run-up to Christmas, which they will spend in Australia for the first time in years.

Princess Mary visited Australia in 2015 with her family and in 2013 with Prince Frederik, but bypassed her home state of Tasmania on both occasions.

Meanwhile, ceremonies and services to mark the milestone Reformation anniversary are ongoing around the world.

In London, Westminster Abbey also hosted a service to mark the 500th Anniversary of the 95 Theses and the beginning of the Reformation led by the Dean of Westminster, the Reverend Dr John Hall.
Banana Boat is standing behind its aerosol sunscreen products, refuting claims made by Bannister Law last month that some of their sprays don't meet the SPF 50+ label.

In a statement the brand said: "Following standard legal process, Banana Boat has contacted Bannister Law to share its intention to contest any allegations made in the firm's potential class action."

Bannister Law asked Eurofins Dermatest, a skincare product-testing company, to conduct independent tests on seven Banana Boat aerosol sunscreens.

Consumer watchdog, Choice Australia, released details about the sunscreens that reportedly failed to meet the advertised SPF 50+ claims. Some of the factor 50 products tested to be factor 10 or less than factor 20.

'These results are entirely inconsistent with the testing that has been conducted at independent, reputable labs in accordance with the Australian mandatory standard,' said Ivan Nuich, Regional Vice President, Oceania, Edgewell Personal Care.

Laboratory, Eurofins Dermatest, reportedly found that seven sunscreens by Banana Boat, failed to meet the advertised SPF 50+ claims (pictured) but the brand is standing by its products

'We are confident that all Banana Boat products meet their SPF claims when used according to their label instructions.'

'Banana Boat is surprised by these dubious test results and the actions taken by Bannister Law,' Mr Nuich said.

'In our view, by commissioning their own research to support their case, Bannister Law appears to be trying to undermine the regulatory framework monitored by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).'

Ivan Nuich, Regional Vice President, Oceania, Edgewell Personal Care said Banana Boat was surprised by the actions taken by Bannister Law (stock image)

'Bannister Law alleges that our Ultra Clear Sunscreen Spray has a lower SPF rating than labelled on pack, however, we disagree. The TGA recently evaluated the exact same product and confirmed it met active ingredient and labelling requirements,' he added.

'We question the testing methodology used by the laboratory that was hired by Bannister Law because its results fly in the face of tests conducted by reputable, independent labs and the TGA's recent review.'

Mr Nuich said that media coverage of claims made by Bannister Law could be ''needlessly frightening everyday Australians and deterring sunscreen use''.

The laboratory tests reportedly found Banana Boat's SPF50+ sunscreen sprays averaged ratings of SPF 20 or less, but the brand said (stock image)

How the products tested for Dermatest - from best to worst * Banana Boat Kids SPF50 - test result SPF 20.2 * Banana Boat Everyday SPF50 - test result SPF 19.5 * Banana Boat Sport SPF 50 - test result SPF 18 * Banana Boat Ultra SPF 50 - test result SPF 17.7 * Banana Boat Sport Cool Zone SPF 50 - test result SPF 16.1 * Banana Boat Dry Balance SPF 50 - test result 13.5 * Banana Boat Sun Comfort SPF 50 - test result SPF 10.7 Advertisement

'It is disappointing that Bannister Law is stooping to scaremongering tactics to promote its case,' he said.

'All sunscreens sold in Australia are held to the highest standards that are set and monitored by the TGA.

'Australians should continue to use and have confidence in sunscreen as an important step in their sun protection regime.

'At Banana Boat we are fully committed to developing sunscreen products to protect against the adverse effects of the sun and we stand behind the efficacy of our entire product range.

'We are hopeful this matter can be resolved without court action and before any further misleading information is shared with the Australian public, but Banana Boat is fully prepared to defend our case in court if needed,' Mr Nuich concluded.

Bannister Law is currently taking registrations against Edgewell Personal Care Australia, after the laboratory tests of its SPF50+ sunscreen sprays averaged ratings of SPF 20 or less.

'All seven aerosol varieties we tested fell well short of the marketed SPF 50+,' Charles Bannister, founder and principle of Bannister Law, said, as reported on Choice Australia's website.

The best-performing sunscreen achieved an average SPF rating of 20.2 (pictured left: Everyday, with an average of 19.5), while the worst performing scored 10.7 (pictured right: Ultra, with an average of 17.7)

'To claim SPF 50+, products need to test greater than 60+.'

The best-performing sunscreen achieved an average SPF rating of 20.2, while the worst performing scored 10.7. Each sunscreen spray was reportedly tested ten times according to international standards by the laboratory, Eurofins Dermatest.

Leading the class action is a mother and her five children, who Bannister Law claims were repeatedly burned despite using two Banana Boat products: its Ultra Clear Sunscreen Spray SPF 50+ and Kids Clear Sunscreen Spray 50+.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)  the Department of Health body responsible for regulating sunscreens, among food packaging and medication  says it began investigating sunscreens in May following widespread public concerns.
This is the heartwarming moment a mother was reunited with her son 44 years after she placed him up for adoption.

Diana Daley, from Clarksville, Tennessee, made the difficult decision to give up her youngest child after she found herself struggling to raise her older two children as a single mother.

Diana, now 66, had no contact with her son, Casey Wineland, until her daughter Mimi Montgomery tracked him down in October this year following a tireless 17-year search.

She arranged for Casey to join her mother and her siblings, Kelly and Doug, for Thanksgiving and the emotional family reunion was caught on camera.

Reunited: Diana Daley with son Casey Wineland, whom she placed up for adoption in 1973. The mother and son were reunited at Thanksgiving following a 17-year search by his sister

The clip captures Casey and Diana shaking as they embrace for the first time.

Mimi said: 'My mum was so nervous, I had to basically cook the entire meal because she couldn't even hold anything.

'She keeps telling me how thankful she is for what I've done for her, she never imagined how wonderful it would all be.

'Casey even asked her [Diana] if he could call her mum - she was so excited she cried.'

Casey was adopted as a baby in 1973 by a couple living in Ohio, 500 miles away, and said they were the 'most loving family' he could have had.

Emotional: Diana and Casey both shake as they embrace for the first time in her kitchen

Family reunion: Diana looks delighted as Casey is introduced to his biological brother, Doug

Overwhelmed: The reunion was arranged by Casey's biological sister Mimi, pictured together

Following his adoptive mother's death to cancer when he was just 18, Casey turned to drink and drugs but has been sober since 2014.

The bar manager, who now lives in Kansas, Missouri, said he believes his reunion with his biological family is the work of his late adoptive mother as a reward for his sobriety.

Casey said: 'If I would have met them four years ago, I would've been so ashamed.

'But in the three years since I managed to get clean and sober, I've married a beautiful woman and met my biological family - my heart is full.'

Meanwhile Mimi, 40, did not know she had a brother who had been adopted until she was 23 but immediately knew she wanted to find him.

Brothers and sisters: Casey, centre, with his sisters Mimi and Kelly, and brother Doug, left

She explained: 'I was never really that close with my other siblings, so after I found out I had another brother, I just thought that he [Casey] was the one I was meant to be close with so my goal became to find him.'

She spent years posting Casey's birthdate in adoption forums and finally had a breakthrough earlier this year when she was given his name by someone on Facebook. From there, she was able to contact Casey's adoptive sister, Mayra, on the social networking site.

Casey said: 'When Marya called me to tell me she was 99 per cent sure she'd just spoken to my biological sister, suddenly an empty place in my heart began to fill. I was about to get all the answers I'd been waiting a lifetime to hear.

'I was so happy; all the nervousness just went away when I got to hug my mother.'

Casey explained that he also understood his mother's decision to place him up for adoption.

'Diana was worried I'd be mad,' he said, 'but I was put into the most loving family I ever could've had. I'm very happy for the family I have and now I have even more.

'I hope to see my biological family as much as possible, my wife and I have invited them to come visit us in Kansas.'
Live TV can go horribly wrong, as viewers of The Wright Stuff discovered this morning.

Veteran presenter Matthew Wright, 52, suffered an on-air meltdown after growing frustrated at being interrupted by the noise of traffic outside the London studio on Tuesday morning's show.

Wright, 52, was chairing a debate about celebrity charity videos when he suddenly jumped out of his seat and started to bang on the window, walking out of view of the camera.

Presenter Matthew Wright, 52, jumped out of his seat and started banging on the window after growing frustrated at traffic noises outside his studio during Tuesday morning's show

He was heard pleading with a lorry driver below to 'shut up' when their vehicle started beeping.

The host started ranting about the building works, and bizarrely said it's 'got to be' the EU.

Meanwhile Wright's guests looked utterly bemused by his antics and waited until he returned to his seat to continue the debate.

The panel were discussing whether it was offensive for celebrities to visit poor people for charities like Comic Relief.

Boiling point: The TV presenter ranted about the noise coming from the lorry below, telling the driver to 'shut up'

Interruption: The guests, right, looked bemused as Wright stood at the window and banged on the glass

Wright seemed engrossed in the debate until he heard beeping coming from below the window.

While one of his guests were speaking he jumped out of his seat and ran to the window, where he started banging on the glass with his hands.

He said: 'Can you shut down there with that lorry? I'm sick of your beeping ways. Stop it! Leave me in peace.'

Regaining control: After his rant he simply sat back down and carried on the debate as normal

Live TV: He'd been in the middle in the debate with guests over whether celebrities visiting poor areas with cameras is offensive

Wright then blamed the European Union for the disruption, ranting: 'We never used to have this noise! It's the EU, it's got to be the EU.'

He then started mimicking the sounds of the lorry by repeating the word 'beep' over and over again.

'The noise! The noise!' he added.

He eventually sat back at the table while clenching his fists and sighing in exasperation.

Wright's guests appeared a little bemused and told him to calm down while he got back into the show.

He apologised and the debate, quite bizarrely, continued without another word.
Jewellery brand Pandora has removed a controversial advert which asks whether women would rather be given an apron or a bracelet for Christmas.

The Danish company was accused of sexism after the campaign was unveiled on billboards at Milan's metro stations over the weekend.

Targeting shoppers buying for the woman in their lives, the advert asks: 'An iron, pyjamas, an apron, a Pandora bracelet. What do you think would make her happy?'

Controversial: Targeting shoppers buying for the woman in their lives, the advert asks: 'An iron, pyjamas, an apron, a Pandora bracelet. What do you think would make her happy?'

Danish jewellery giant Pandora is best known for its charm bracelets and stacking rings

It was branded 'sexist' and outdated after a picture of the advert was shared on Facebook by Italian burlesque group Lefanfarlo, The Local it reported.

The image was shared with the caption: 'We could not believe it, but unfortunately it's all true.'

Furious Facebook users were quick to express their outrage, with one writing: 'What a sexist and stereotypical advert'. Another posted: 'Welcome to the middle ages.'

Others called on the advert to be withdrawn.

Global brand: Stars including Tess Daly, pictured, have appeared in Pandora's advertisements

Pandora is best known for its charm bracelets and stacking rings and celebrities such as Millie Mackintosh and Abbey Clancy are frequently spotted wearing the designs.

It has grown rapidly over the past decade as its customisable offerings became increasingly popular with customers.

In a statement, Martin Kjaersgaard Nielson, Pandora's head of Head of Global Media Relations said: 'We have received some inquiries from the Italian market in regards to a specific advertisement posted in a subway station in Milan.

'It would appear that the advertisement in question could be misinterpreted as offensive which is completely unintentional. It is an unfortunate situation
A woman who is in an open relationship with two chandeliers has revealed that she is 'engaged' to one of them.

Amanda Liberty, 33, from Leeds, has embarked on an open relationship with her chandeliers, and is now 'engaged' to a 70cm wide chandelier named Lumiere, after spotting it on eBay 12 months ago.

She claims it was love at first sight and after spending 400 on the antique from Germany, Lumiere is regularly showered with cuddles and kisses.

Amanda Liberty is in an open relationship with her chandelier collection, revealing that she is engaged to one named Lumiere (not pictured)

However, she prefers to spend her nights cuddled up to Jewel, a portable chandelier that she happily tucks in to bed with her.

Lumiere and Jewel are part of a 25 strong chandelier collection that Amanda owns, and even though she is only engaged to Lumiere, she considers herself to be in an 'open relationship' with the others.

She identifies herself as Objectum Sexual, which means that she is attracted to objects.

Amanda says that after seeing Lumiere (pictured) online it was love at first sight and she proposed to the light fitting on Valentine's Day

While she may be set to marry Lumiere Amanda goes to bed with another chandelier, Jewel, as she is portable

Amanda, who identifies as Objectum Sexual, says that her chandeliers are not jealous of one another

Amanda said: 'As soon as I saw Lumiere on eBay, I knew immediately that she was the one for me and it was love at first sight.

'She was based in Germany and although I knew it would be tricky to get her home, I knew I needed to find a way to make her mine.

'I couldn't stop thinking about her and how beautiful she was - she has such a beautiful shape, and I could feel really amazing energy coming from her.

'After buying the chandelier, I patiently waited for her to be imported into the UK and after six days of waiting, she was finally in my arms.

She first fell in love with a drum kit age 14 before moving on to the Statue of Liberty, but after dedicating her life and decor to the landmark, she says the relationship was too long distance

'She had been disassembled for her own safety, but once I put all her pieces together and she settled in to her new home, our relationship just went from strength to strength.

'A friend of mine actually named her Lumiere because of the film Beauty and The Beast, after the candlestick who comes alive.

'Last Valentine's Day I proposed to her, to signify our long lasting love.

'I hope at some point we will have a commitment ceremony - I haven't been engaged before so it's very new and exciting!'

Amanda first fell in love with a drum kit aged 14, before falling in love with the Statue of Liberty years after, whom she affectionately refers to as 'Libby'.

Amanda says that Jewel is more comfortable to sleep with and nice to cuddle in bed

Amanda insists that her feelings are completely natural, and she's happy with her companions

Amanda, who changed her surname by Deed Poll in 2010 to Liberty, has travelled to the USA a total of six times to meet the real thing.

Her living room is adorned with memorabilia dedicated to the monument and despite insisting that she still loves Libby, the long distance between them left her lonely.

She now happily resides with her many chandeliers at home, many of whom she has restored to pristine condition.

Amanda said: 'None of my chandeliers are jealous of each other, they understand that I love them all for all of their different personalities.

'For example, I love kissing and cuddling Lumiere, but I sleep with Jewel every night, as she is portable and very nice to cuddle.

'I've always loved the look of chandeliers and when I saw my first chandelier, Luna, it was love at first sight.

'You can't control who you fall in love with and things just went from there.

'I spend my spare time restoring old and broken chandeliers to their former glory, which I really enjoy as I can tell that they enjoy the attention that they receive.

'My dream job would be to work in public buildings such as Buckingham Palace, looking after the grand chandeliers that they have there.'

Despite her unique relationships, Amanda insists that her feelings are completely natural, and she's happy with her companions.

Amanda said: 'People often can't understand that this is just a natural orientation for me, that I can find the beauty in objects and can sense their energy.

'I want others to see how happy the chandeliers make me, and how much they've enriched my life.

'I'm not hurting anyone by entering in to a relationship with them, I am simply just following my heart.'
Last night, Lady Amelia Windsor made her most daring public appearance to date, as she wafted down the red carpet at the British Fashion Awards in a see-through lace gown with only a pair of nipple pasties to preserve her modesty.

The racy look that would not have looked out of place on a Hollywood starlet was the strongest sign to date that the granddaughter of the Queen's cousin, 22, is set to assume a more high profile role within the world of fashion.

After attending a slew of shows and parties during fashion month this Autumn, and taking a turn on the catwalk herself for Dolce & Gabbana, her debut at the prestigious British Fashion Awards on Monday night proved the industry is taking her seriously as a rising star.

And now brand and industry experts are predicting that the 36th in line to the throne - who has all the kudos of royalty without any of the restraints placed on more high profile members of the family - could make 1 million a year through brand collaborations alone.

Branding expert Chris Ogle, of Flow Digital, told Femail: 'Realistically, should she choose to monetise her value through brand endorsements, she would be able to earn around 1m per year without too much difficulty.

'However, should she choose to remain selective in her partnerships, then her relative value would skyrocket, as she is seen [as] not to be sold to the highest bidder.'

Lady Amelia Windsor made a very racy appearance at last night's British Fashion Awards, the first time she's attended the prestigious ceremony, and now experts predict she could easily make 1 million a year from brand collaborations

Amelia Windsor walks the runway at the Dolce & Gabbana secret show during Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 at Bar Martini in September 2017

The royal (centre) in a coveted front row seat at the John Galliano show during Paris Fashion Week

In the future Chris sees Lady Amelia setting up her own fashion label, but says that collaborating with existing high end brands would be the most natural place to start.

'As money is likely to be less of an incentive for Lady Amelia than it would be for other celebrities, she would be far more likely to pick and choose the opportunities that fit her best,' he said.

She may have an Instagram following of more than 22,000 but Chris doesn't expect to see the granddaughter of the Queen's cousin, Prince Edward the Duke of Kent, doing sponsored posts any time soon.

'The value of being both a royal family member and seen to be engaging with social media, allows Lady Amelia to deliver an experience unlike that most other celebrities can offer,' he explained. 'Should a large brand be able to befriend Lady Amelia, then she would likely deliver as much, if not more value then just paying for the privilege.'

Wearing the crown: Modelling for Dolce & Gabanna at Milan Fashion Week in February 2017

Looking glamorous in head to toe Chanel at a national service of thanksgiving to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday at St Paul's Cathedral

Opting for a more demure look as she attended the Queen's annual pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace in December 2016 for members of the extended royal family

Stylist and fashion industry expert Rochelle White also predicts big things for Lady Amelia, saying she has the potential to be a successful model in the league of Gigi and Bella Hadid.

'Lady Amelia has the makings to build herself up to be, dare I say, a global brand.

'She has already worked with Dolce & Gabbana, she is a known face at fashion parties and with the industry as well as a strong social media following.

'It would be great to see her start to build herself as a brand, just like the Hadid sisters. Collaborating with brands like Stella Mccartney, Charlotte Tilbury or Chanel and being a face of their campaigns would suit her style and look.'

How Lady Amelia could become a global star after cracking the US Mischa Joslin, Managing Director of fashion, celebrity and lifestyle PR agency, EdenCancan says that Lady Amelia has huge potential to become a global star, thanks to her position in the royal family. 'As the granddaughter of the Queens cousin, she got all the kudos, mystery and glamour that comes with being a part of the royal circle, but ultimately she is on the periphery of the family and therefore isnt bound by the tight boundaries imposed on the likes of Kate Middleton, and even the soon to be Princess, Meghan Markle,' she explained. 'With this in mind, she can leverage the royal connection as much as she needs to, without feeling the wrath of the palaces PR team. Her royal status will be impactful in markets outside the UK. The United States loves the Royal Family, and I can see her being able to translate her success significantly over there. 'As a keen creative, I can imagine Lady Amelia would want to go beyond the catwalk to be involved in the design process herself, helping to shape a collection from its inception. With that in mind, a great route for her would be to partner with a smaller, more bespoke (and luxe) label that would allow her design freedom. A brand like Astrid & Miyu jewellery would really suit her, or Pretty Ballerinas who have recently worked with Olivia Palermo, another style icon. 'These brands would likely pay her a fee up front, but would offer her a revenue share, meaning she makes money if it sells well. Its a great way for brands to work with a famous face as there is a direct incentive for the individual to promote the collection as much as possible, be it through word of mouth, on social media or in the press. 'However, if she wants to hit the big time, she would be wise to work with a high street label on a collection that shows off her signature style. Brands like Zara, Whistles, Warehouse or & Other Stories could be a great fit for her, especially if they did a cool diffusion line. Weve seen the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whitely deliver phenomenal sales for M&S, and Kendall Jenners line for Topshop exceeded targets, so we know that using their runway status to give a halo effect to a more mass-market brand works wonders. Its a win-win, the brand can leverage her royal connection and she becomes a bigger star. 'These kinds of brands would offer her a big pay out up-front to cover her appearing in an advertising campaign, media interviews to promote and wearing the brand at key events.'

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Named Britain's 'most beautiful royal' by society magazine Tatler, Amelia's first dabble in the world of modelling came in 2010, when she and her siblings posed for Hardy Amies. She's now signed to Storm - the same agency that represents Kate Moss.

Since then she has been hand-picked as a muse by Dolce & Gabbana, and featured in a campaign for the Italian power house alongside another royal; Princess Olympia of Greece.

The Edinburgh University graduate was a regular on the social scene throughout fashion month in September, attending the Dior show in Paris with a sheer white floor-length dress decorated with polka dots, with a tiny Dior crop top and boxer-style briefs visible underneath.

She also graced the Tommy Hilfiger show and parties for Miu Miu and Bottega Veneta during London Fashion Week as well as taking a prime seat in the front row at the Emporio Armani show.

What would the Queen say? Lady Amelia wowed in a sheer dress and a Dior bra and boxers as she attended the design house's Paris Fashion Week show

Social butterfly! Celebrating her 21st birthday with (left to right) her sister Marina Windsor and friends Isabella Samengo Turner and Adriana Samengo Turner

Pushing the boundaries! Her position on the periphery of the royal families means the starlet doesn't have to opt for the demure look of Kate and Meghan

In Milan, she opened a secret Dolce & Gabbana show held at Bar Martini, striding down the catwalk in a ruffled polka dot gown

But she's previously hinted that her interest in fashion extends beyond appearing in front of the camera in previous interviews.

She told Vogue she wanted to understand 'every aspect' of a fashion house - down to how fabrics are made.

The rising star has also completed an internship at Chanel and said of her time with the fashion house: 'It was one of the best experiences Ive ever had. To see how much goes into making a fashion business is quite exciting.'




A beauty vlogger has described how she was left terrified after being assaulted by two men during a night out with friends.

Nikkie, who goes by the moniker NikkieTutorials, said the men kicked her in the foot, knocking her to the ground in a bid to steal her purse in Amsterdam.

The Dutch YouTube star explained how the men ran off empty-handed, with her friends quickly alerting police.

Sharing the traumatic incident on Twitter, Nikkie, 23, said she was 'so scared' when the pair knocked her to the ground, describing it as a 'big eye-opener'.

She sad her foot had been left 'very sore and swollen,' but reassured she was 'okay'.

YouTube star NikkieTutorials has revealed how she was assaulted while on a night out with friends in Amsterdam

Posting on Twitter, she explained: 'Last night in Amsterdam I was assaulted by two men. they hardcore kicked my foot, I fell down and their goal was for me to drop my purse, so they could take it. DIDNT DROP IT, so they ran off. A**holes.

'My foot is very sore and swollen, but Im okay. Just such a big eye opener its good to be aware that there are people with evil intentions out there.'

She continued: 'Not gonna lie, I was so scared they were gonna do worse stuff after I fell.. but thank god they ran off and my friends ran to cops so they could chase the b****es.'

Hundreds of fans quickly took to Twitter to send their support to Nikkie following the incident.

The 23-year-old said two men kicked her in the foot and knocked her to the ground, in a bid to steal her purse

She described being 'so scared', explaining how her friends had quickly alerted police

One wrote: 'Im so sorry that happened to you! Im glad youre fine AND YOU ARE A STRONG WOMAN.'

Another added: 'Sending my love! I hope youre okay angel.;

Nikkie later thanked her followers for their 'incredibly sweet messages', adding that she was 'doing okay'.

The YouTube star, who is known for her beauty tutorials, has over eight million subscribers on her channel.

In the past, she has shown just how much difference make-up can make, transforming one side of her face while leaving the other side fresh-faced.
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Most women would keep a safe distance from a newly engaged ex-boyfriend but it seems that Cressida Bonas has no hard feelings for former flame Prince Harry.

The 28-year-old actress was seen arriving at the Henry Van Straubenzee Memorial Fund carol concert on Tuesday night where her former royal beau Prince Harry was also spending the evening.

And while his fiance Meghan Markle has now officially relocated to the UK, living in the Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace with Harry, the bride-to-be was nowhere to be seen tonight.

Cressida Bonas attended the Henry Van Straubenzee Memorial Fund carol concert accompanied by her mother Mary-Gaye Curzon on Tuesday evening

Cressida, who split from the prince in 2014, looked elegant in a blue velvet wrap coat with a leopard print collar as she arrived at the St Luke's Church in Chelsea on Tuesday evening.

She was joined by her mother Mary-Gaye Curzon, who was on hand to offer her daughter a supportive hand to hold as she came face to face with her ex just a week after his engagement to Meghan was announced.

The newly engaged Prince, 33, made a discreet entrance slipping straight from the car and into the church for the carol service.

Also attending is her newly-engaged ex-boyfriend Prince Harry who arrived discreetly at St Luke's church in Chelsea

Cressida split from Harry in 2014, and this is thought to be the first time she will see her former flame since the engagement was announced

Also in attendance this evening were Carole Middleton and her daughter Pippa Matthews, the younger sister of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Pippa, 34, who married husband James Matthews in a lavish ceremony attended by Harry earlier this year, looked chic in a 669 houndstooth coat by Red Valentino.

Meanwhile Carole Middleton, 62, wrapped up warm in a chic black faux fur coat and matching ruff as she made her way into the church on Tuesday evening.

The mother and daughter are both regulars at the concert having attended regularly since it began 15 years ago.

The charity, which uniquely has both William and his brother Prince Harry as patrons, was set up in memory of their friend, who died in a car crash in 2002.

Prince William was not present at this evening's event as he was attending the annual Queen's Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.

Since Henry's death, the foundation set up in his memory has raised enough money to support the education of more than 26,000 children in 39 schools across Uganda.

Also in attendance was the Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister Pippa Matthews who looked chic in a checked jacket

Carole Middleton also attended the carol concert in aid of the charity, which uniquely has both William and his brother Prince Harry as patrons, was set up in memory of their friend, who died in a car crash in 2002.

The two princes remain close friends with the surviving van Straubenzee brothers, with both attending the 2013 wedding of Thomas van Straubenzee.

Prince Harry once described Henry as a 'Polzeath surfing legend and ladies' man with whom we shared so many special memories'.

Henry van Straubenzee, 18, was killed instantly when the car in which he was a passenger hit a tree outside the exclusive school where all three boys were once pupils.

Henry, of Hertfordshire, became friends with the princes at Ludgrove prep school in Berkshire. He was a classmate of Prince Harry's, while his older brother Thomas was a friend of the Duke of Cambridge. The foursome were said to be inseparable as they were growing up.
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A mall Santa Claus in Illinois found himself working some serious double duty last week, after ten sets of twins arrived to sit on his lap.

The stunt was pulled off after Stacy Kifer, mom to her own 16-month-old twins Kaleb and Kobe, got to talking with other mothers during a meeting of their playgroup, 'Chicago Twin Moms', at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois.

The parents had spotted mall staff setting up a place for Santa and saw it as the perfect opportunity to snap a group photo.

Controlled chaos: A group of 10 Chicago-area twin moms gave Santa Claus a big surprise at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois, last Monday by showing off with their 20 kis

So, for their next play date, the 10 moms made a plan to take all 20 of their children - all of whom are under the age of two - and give Santa a big surprise.

The idea came to fruition last Monday, with Stacy also coming up with the idea of having all of the kids dressed up in red and green.

In order to keep the inevitable chaos to a minimum, the large group arrived nice and early and let the toddlers play in a snow globe-shaped waiting area.

When their turn to visit Santa eventually came around, the mall staff couldn't believe what they were seeing.

The brains: Stacy Kifer, who is mom to her own 16-month-old twins Kaleb and Kobe, came up with the idea

Coordinated: The moms dressed their little ones in green and red for the occasion and played in a snow globe-shaped waiting area as their turn to meet Santa approached

'The look on the face of Santa when more twins just kept coming out of the waiting area was pretty priceless!' Stacy explained to Today.

'Santa's "elves" and the photographer were amazing at getting all the kids to look at them. We only had one meltdown, which we thought was really good given the number of kids.'

In the end, every set of twins and their respective moms - including Stacy, Becky Raz, Jessica Ferguson, Terri Preston, Michelle Schroeder, Deborah Knoll, Maureeca Lambert-Stefanski, Shannon Teresi, Olga Pakhnyuk, and Katie Leep - sat in on the photo, surrounding a clearly overwhelmed Santa.

All together: The group of ladies regularly get their kids together for play dates

Helping out: The women have become close friends after bonding over their twins, with many talking to each other on a daily basis

It's far from the first time the playgroup have marveled onlookers by gathering their gaggle of twins, having grown from a group of just five moms who got together on occasion for lunch, to a group of 10 who get their kids together on the regular.

They try to snap a group photo at each one of their play dates, from excursions to the park to Halloween parties.

The group have found confidants and kindred spirits in each other, with Stacy claiming that 'having multiples sometimes feels like an exclusive club.'

'Many of us talk to each other on a daily basis,' Stacy added to Today. 'We are not just a random twin club that got together to try to get a huge photo. These are my friends!'
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It is a rare occasion to see any member of the royal family in a crown but it was tiaras all round on Tuesday night.

Both the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall could be seen wearing the ceremonial piece as they made their way to the Queen's Diplomatic Reception this evening.

Kate, 35, and Camilla, 70, were seen wearing their glittering head pieces as they made the short trip from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace for the annual celebratory dinner.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are expecting their third child in April 2018, were all smiles as they rode in the back of a Bentley to the prestigious event.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are expecting their third child, were decked out in all their finery for the Queen's Diplomatic Reception on Tuesday

Kate wore the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara which she is accustom to wear on ceremonial occasions such as tonight's reception

The pregnant mother-of-two appeared to be wearing a white silk gown which featured inticate embellishment around the neckline off-set by an elegant diamond necklace.

As she is custom to do when she wears a tiara, Kate swept her brunette locks up into a low chignon revealing a pair of pearl drop earrings.

The tiara we see Kate in this evening is the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara a piece beloved by William's late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales and one that the Duchess seems to favour.

William, 35, looked his dapper best in white tie, saved only for the most special of occasions as he chatted with his wife in the passenger seat.

Camilla stunned in a white lace gown which was paired a four-string pearl necklace fixed with a diamond clasp.

The pregnant mother-of-two appeared to be wearing a white silk gown which featured inticate embellishment around the neckline off-set by an elegant diamond necklace

The Duchess swept her famous brunette locks into a low chignon for the glittering event at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday

KATE'S TIARA TRIBUTE TO HER LATE MOTHER-IN-LAW Princess Diana wearing the Cambridge Lover's knot tiara The Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara is the one worn by the Duchess of Cambridge most frequently - and for very sentimental reasons. The tiara was made by Royal jewellers Garrard in 1914 to Queen Mary's personal design, from pearls and diamonds already in her family's possession. It was a copy of one owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, who married the first Duke of Cambridge, seventh son of King George III, in 1818. In her will Queen Mary left the tiara to to the Queen who wore it frequently, including at an evening event in 1955. In 1981 she gave it as a wedding present to Prince William's mother, Diana, who wore it for the first time at the state opening of parliament that November. Diana also wore the tiara in 1985 on an official visit to Washington with Prince Charles. And since her death the glistening head piece has been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge who was most recently spotted wearing it at the state dinner during Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI's visit. It was also seen on Kate at last year's Diplomatic Reception. Advertisement

She was pictured wearing the Boucheron tiara, a piece from the Queen's collection most famously worn by the Queen Mother that Camilla favours when it comes to choosing a tiara.

The Duchess of Cornwall was joined by Prince Charles, who too was dressed in all of his finery including several ceremonial medals for the reception.

Camilla is also thought to be wearing The Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II, an honour bestowed on female members of the British Royal Family by the monarch and worn on formal occasions.

It depicts the Queen as a young woman in evening dress wearing the ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter.

The miniature, painted on ivory, is bordered by diamonds and surmounted by a Tudor Crown in diamonds and red enamel. Its reverse, in silver-gilt, is patterned with rays and depicts the royal cypher and St. Edward's Crown in gold and enamel.

According to tradition, the Order is worn pinned to the dress of the recipient on the left shoulder with a watered silk ribbon in chartreuse yellow, formed into a bow.

The women currently entitled to wear the order aside from the Queen are: Camilla, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne, the Queens cousin, Princess Alexandra, and the Duchess of Gloucester, married to her first cousin.

Camilla stunned in a white lace gown which was paired a four-string pearl necklace fixed with a diamond clasp

The Duchess of Cornwall was joined by Prince Charles, who too was dressed in all of his finery including several ceremonial medals for the reception

THE FAMILY HEIRLOOM FAVOURED BY CAMILLA The Boucheron tiara is one that was worn by the Queen Mother The stand-out part of her outfit was the glittering Greville tiara, on loan from the Queen who was left the tiara by her late mother. The Queen Mother was left the diamond tiara by the Hon. Mrs Greville from Boucheron, a well-known society maven. The honeycomb-patterned jewellery piece was made by Boucheron jewellers for the Hon. Mrs. Greville in 1921 out of stones salvaged from another tiara. Having no heirs of her own, she left her considerable jewellery collection to Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother) when she died in 1942. In 1953 the Queen Mother asked for the height of the tiara to be increased by adding a number of brilliant cut diamonds and a single marquise cut diamond in 1953. Since the Queen Mothers death, the Queen has not worn this tiara (unlike the Queen Mothers other signature tiara, the Oriental Circlet); instead, the Queen has loaned it to the Duchess of Cornwall who has worn it at most of her tiara events. Camilla has worn the tiara to several high profile events, including the Queen's Diplomatic Reception last year. Advertisement

The white tie Diplomatic Reception is the main social event of the year in London for the diplomatic community and reflects the Queens importance in terms of the UKs international relations.

It is also the largest reception held at Buckingham Palace, requiring hours of intricate planning by the Master of the Household and the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, as well as the commandeering of almost every member of waiting staff.

More than 1,000 people from around 130 countries, including members of the British government, past Prime Ministers and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York attend the gathering.

Most notable, however, are the many hundreds of ambassadors and embassy staff officially accredited to the Court of St James, often in brilliantly coloured and eye-catching national dress.

One noticeable absence this evening is of course Prince Harry, who was attending an annual charity carol concert in London's Chelsea.

Harry, 33, who announced his engagement to Meghan Markle last week, was joined by Pippa Matthews, Carole Middleton and former flame Cressida Bonas at the Henry Van Straubenzee Memorial Fund carol concert.

The charity, which uniquely has both William and his brother Prince Harry as patrons, was set up in memory of their friend, who died in a car crash in 2002.
Can there be any more vivid illustration of how Prince Harry and Meghan Markles wedding will be an uneasy union of showbusiness and arcane royal tradition?

I hear that Lay Stewards at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, where the ceremony will be held next May, have been instructed to watch U.S. legal drama Suits, in which Meghan made her name as an actress.

Historian Hugo Vickers, who is Captain of the Lay Stewards, confirms: Ive told the Stewards to get Netflix and watch Suits, so they know who everyone is at the wedding.

Pictured: (l-r) Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson, Rick Hoffmann as Louis Litt, Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane, Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter, Patrick Adams as Mike Ross

Vickers, 66, who was speaking at The Ritz launch of Basia Briggss memoir, Mother Anguish, declined to provide further details, but Meghan may invite Patrick J. Adams, 36, who plays her on-screen fiance, Mike Ross. The Canadian reacted to Kensington Palaces announcement of her engagement to Harry, by joking online: She said she was just going out to get some milk . . .

Meghan, 36, plays glamorous paralegal Rachel Zane and another co-star who could be in line for an invitation is Gabriel Macht, 45. The New Yorker plays Rachels smooth-talking colleague Harvey Specter.

Rick Hoffman, 47, who plays the highly jealous Louis Litt, and Sarah Rafferty, 45  legal secretary Donna Paulsen  could also make an appearance.

Meghan is pictured with Sarah Rafferty and Gina Torres in 2013 (left) and right, with Prince Harry following the announcement of their engagement

The Lay Stewards main duty at the chapel, established by Edward III in the 14th century, is to assist at Sunday services. They are also on duty at special events, including royal birthdays, weddings and funerals.

The chapels website says appointment as a Lay Steward is rightly regarded as a considerable privilege and all the Lay Stewards in consequence strive to fulfil their duties in as exemplary a fashion as possible.

And if those duties involve watching an occasionally racy TV drama, so be it.
Controversial fashion designer John Galliano, whose career imploded after a racist rant in 2011, became the real spectacle at the British Fashion Awards after being welcomed back into the industry with open arms.

Moments before receiving her Fashion Icon prize, designer Donatella Versace, 62, wearing one of her own golden gowns, stopped to embrace the 57-year-old British-Spanish couturier.

Moments before receiving her Fashion Icon prize, designer Donatella Versace, 62, wearing one of her own golden gowns, stopped to embrace the 57-year-old British-Spanish couturier

Galliano was dropped as creative director of Christian Dior following his arrest over an anti-Semitic outburst in a Paris bar. A video later emerged of him making a similar rant a few months before, in which he told a group of Italian women: I love Hitler . . . People like you would be dead.

Your mothers, your forefathers would all be f****** gassed.

Italian Donatella clearly does not begrudge him his comeback.

Jeremy Clarkson lost his job after punching a BBC producer for failing to provide him with a hot meal. Now screen hunk James Norton has complained at a Bafta screening of new drama McMafia of an eight-month shoot where catering was thin on the ground because its the BBC. Afterwards he apologised to Director-General Tony Hall. No need to apologise, replied Hall, conscious of the Beebs need to demonstrate austerity. Thats exactly the message I want out there. Perhaps BBC talent should bring a biscuit with them to top up their rations.

Cloak and dagger KGB role for Victoria's Prince Albert

Hotly tipped to play James Bond, Tom Hughes relishes being the spy who came in from the cold.

After playing Prince Albert in ITVs Victoria, Hughes donned a university gown to film scenes in chilly Cambridge for the thriller Red Joan. Hughes, 31, plays seductively attractive KGB agent Leo in the film, which stars Dame Judi Dench as Joan Stanley with Sophie Cookson as the young Joan.

After playing Prince Albert in ITVs Victoria, Hughes donned a university gown to film scenes in chilly Cambridge for the thriller Red Joan

Critics have praised his electrifying chemistry with Victoria co-star Jenna Coleman, which was given extra frisson by the fact that they are a couple off-screen, too. Friends say the actors relationship is intense and vocal.

A new book on Theresa May called I, Maybot: The Rise And Fall by satirical writer John Crace has made it to number one on Amazons bestsellers list for electronics and communications engineering. So much for Amazons algorithms.

Why acting icon Dame Eileen doesn't love you!

Has even Dame Eileen Atkins, 83, grown tired of luvvies?

The veteran actress, who played Queen Mary in The Crown, hates the modern trend for over-using the phrase love you as a conversation pay-off. Family members saying love you all the time drives me a bit crazy, she says.

Has even Dame Eileen Atkins, 83, grown tired of luvvies? The veteran actress hates the modern trend for over-using the phrase love you as a conversation pay-off

I cant bear it and it all becomes a bit meaningless, doesnt it, if you say it all the time and have to end every conversation with it.

Maybe its a good thing to do, but no one in my family said it all the time.

In my case, it was fine because I always knew I was loved, but perhaps not all kids do.

They said it wouldnt last, but publishing queen Tina Brown, 64, has been happily married to legendary former newspaper editor Sir Harold Evans, 89, since 1981.

They got together when she was 22 and he was married to his first wife. The former Vanity Fair editor says she still doesnt notice the age difference. He is so vibrant, I still say to Harry to slow down because he is walking so fast ahead of me.

We were at dinner a year or two ago and, in his usual habit, he speeds out, taking four steps at a time. I was trying to catch up in my long dress and heels and I went wham, fell over on the way out. I said to him: Its because of you  you shoot out so fast!
Downton Abbey star Phyllis Logan has opened up about going through the menopause in her mid-forties, and the relief she felt at having 'crammed a child out' beforehand.

The 61-year-old said that although her 'unfortunate' experience is now a 'thing of the past', she knows many women of a similar age who wake up with damp bed-sheets due to hot flushes.

The Scottish actress, who played Mrs Hughes in the hit period drama, said she is 'delighted' that the menopause is being addressed head-on in an upcoming primetime drama, Girlfriends, on ITV because so many women 'suffer'.

Miss Logan said it was 'long overdue' to see a TV series covering the menopause and other issues affecting middle-aged women.

Downton Abbey star Phyllis Logan (pictured) has opened up about going through the menopause in her mid-forties, and the relief she felt at having 'crammed a child out' beforehand

She said: 'I can speak about mine because I unfortunately started it when I was in my mid-40s.

'So it's a bit of a thing of the past now. Thank god I managed to cram out a child before that, because otherwise I wouldn't have been

'It affects so many people. And the older you get the more people you know that are suffering and waking up with sheets wringing and having to tear their clothes off in the middle of the tube station.

'It's hellish really. I'm delighted [it's in this drama], long overdue isn't it?'

In the first episode of Girlfriends, which airs on ITV in the New Year, Zoe Wanamaker's character is shown dabbing at her neck, experiencing a hot flush and discussing her 'mood swings'.

The eight-part series, also starring Cold Feet's Miranda Richardson, will address age discrimination and the 'sandwich generation', which refers to people who care for older and younger relatives.

The 61-year-old (pictured as Elsie Hughes in Downton Abbey) said that although her 'unfortunate' experience is now a 'thing of the past', she knows many women of a similar age who wake up with damp bed-sheets due to hot flushes

Miss Logan, who lives with her husband, actor Kevin McNally, in Chiswick, London, discussed the fear of ageing that is portrayed by several characters in the drama.

Asked if she felt that her career may have an end point, she said: 'It might be thinner on the ground, some of the jobs, but there's always room for 60-plus, 70-plus women.

'There's the lovely Wendy Craig, we had to juggle her days filming because she was filming something else in Cheshire.

'I suppose there has maybe been blips here and there where you think 'Oh this is a bit slack at the minute'. So yeah, definitely there have been times. For the time being I'm feeling quite positive.'

However, she said she is currently not letting her hair go grey, explaining: 'I'm trying not to have grey hair. One of these days I'm going to let it go altogether.'

Meanwhile, Bafta-winning screenwriter Kay Mellor said that 'nobody tells you anything' about the menopause and she wanted to include the topic in her new drama Girlfriends so 'it's not a shock'.

The Scottish actress (pictured), who played Mrs Hughes in the hit period drama, said she is 'delighted' that the menopause is being addressed head-on in an upcoming primetime drama, Girlfriends, on ITV because so many women 'suffer'

Miss Mellor, who was awarded the BAFTA Dennis Potter award in 1997 for Outstanding Writing for Television, said she wanted to 'celebrate' middle-aged women.

She added: 'Nobody tells you anything [about the menopause]. I thought 'I'll write a programme about it'.

'I want to write about it. I celebrate it, and I think it's a good thing. Every stage in a woman's life is an amazing thing. We need to talk about stuff so that it's not a shock.'

Recalling her own experience, she said: 'I used to think 'why have I got these hot flushes all the time? I keep getting hot all the time'.

And somebody went 'you're probably going through the menopause', and I said 'What?' And I said to my mum 'You didn't tell me about menopause' and she said 'Oh I had my menopause when I was in Lewis's, got hot, ran outside and it was over'. I said to her 'well mine has been going on for 10 years'.
Every woman knows the pain of trying to take a bite of food after gliding on a fresh coat of lipstick.

But now women all over China are showing just how they manage to keep their make up fresh with a hilarious lipstick challenge that has gone viral in Asia.

The clips show women putting on their bright red and orange lipsticks carefully, before putting an entire spoonful of food in their mouths.

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The lipstick challenge has gone viral in China as women comically demonstrate how you can eat without ruining your painted pout

Each woman opens up her mouth as wide as possible for comic effect - and to make sure she doesn't ruin her painted pout.

The craze has completely swept China, racking up millions of views as people of all ages and genders tackle the challenge with chips, noodles, and even soup.

Although the videos have found a huge audience on Facebook, the challenge actually originated on Chinese video app Dou Yin.

There is a challenge section on the social media app that encourages users to take a video doing something and invite others to imitate them.

The hilarious clips show women putting on their bright red and orange lipsticks carefully, before putting an entire spoonful of food in their mouths

The craze has completely swept China, racking up millions of views as people of all ages and genders taking on the challenge with chips, noodles, and even soup

Two weeks ago the official Dou Yin account created a challenge titled 'My Big Mouth Never Stains The Cup', according to Buzzfeed.

The challenge featured women putting on lipstick as they told the camera: 'What do you mean how do I drink water after applying lipstick? I just drink it normally.'

Then each woman would would turn on the app's big-mouth face filter and drink the water.

The challenge took a turn thanks to user jingyun, who filmed herself applying lipstick and then actually opening her mouth wide to take a bite of food.

Since the videos have been posted on Facebook, women all over the world have found the challenge both amusing and relatable

Her video received more than 301,000 likes on the app and quickly went viral, inspiring women all over China to film their own 'Eating After Applying Lipstick'.

And since the videos have been posted on Facebook, women all over the world have found the challenge both amusing and relatable.

'I don't know why I found this hysterical. Maybe because I always get lipstick on my chin,' one woman commented. 'Shall I eat like this from now on?'.

'I don't even need the challenge, I do this already!' another woman added.
HPV vaccine rates have plummeted in Japan, Ireland and Denmark after a wave of allegations that the shot causes brain damage and seizures.

The downturn came after an allegedly fake study on mice linked the vaccine to neurological issues.

The study went viral among anti-vaccine groups, who also posted unsourced videos of girls in wheelchairs that they claimed were disabled by the vaccine.

Since the social media campaign started in 2013, vaccine rates have slumped from 70 percent to under one percent in Japan, and experts say it has been similarly drastic.

The world's leading health officials have slammed anti-vaxxers for 'promoting pseudoscience', as they warn the vaccine has been proven to be safe in more than 10 years of studies, and it is essential for preventing dozens of HPV-linked cancers.

And now, the revered John Maddox prize for 'sense about science' has been awarded to a Japanese researcher who has dedicated the last four years of her career to debunking these claims against the HPV vaccine.

An allegedly fake study in 2013 commissioned by the Japanese government found the vaccine caused brain damage, driving a huge downturn in coverage rates for the shot which prevents cancer

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US and the UK with an estimated 14 million Americans infected every year, and a third of British adults.

While about two-thirds of infected individuals can eventually clear the virus, it persists and can cause a wide range of health problems in the remainder, including a whole host of cancers.

In the US, a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the most common HPV-related diagnoses in women were cervical cancers.

For men, mouth and throat cancers were the most common.

Riko Muranaka of Kyoto University has been awarded for debunking claims against the HPV vaccine

The CDC estimates that more than 28,000 of these diagnoses could have been blocked by the HPV jab.

A vaccine to protect against HPV launched in the US in 2006 and in the UK in 2008, and coverage rates have been steadily climbing in the years since.

Japan was seeing a similar trajectory until 2013, when a study by Shuichi Ikeda at Shinshu University - backed by the Japanese government - found links between the vaccine and brain damage.

The media started to report it uncritically, and the claims spread.

In 2015, Riko Muranaka of Kyoto University started publishing her own research about the study itself, breaking down why it was flawed.

'I was really surprised that people believed it so easily. With screening and this vaccine we could prevent many deaths from this disease in Japan, but we are not taking the opportunity,' Dr Muranaka told the Guardian.

Since Dr Muranaka started speaking out - and receiving death threats for her work - the World Health Organization has put out a number of reports concluding that there is no evidence the HPV shot has any detrimental health impacts. This sparked some to accuse Dr Muranaka of being a 'WHO spy'.

On Thursday, Dr Muranaka was awarded the John Maddox prize from the charity Sense About Science, the journal Nature and the Kohn Foundation.

While Muranaka is still embroiled in a legal battle with the author of the mouse study, she said she hopes the prize will spur people to read her research and question the claims against the vaccine.

The virus is typically spread through vaginal and anal sex and can develop into cancers in the vagina, penis, throat and anus.

Nearly all men and women will be contracted with one form of HPV, there are an estimated 150 types, in their lifetime, according to the CDC.

WHAT IS HPV? HPV is the most common sexually-transmitted infection. In fact, almost every sexually active man or woman will get it during their lifetime. It is spread through sex and oral sex with someone who has the virus, regardless of whether they show symptoms. Many people never show symptoms, and the majority of cases go away without treatment. However, it can sometimes cause genital warts and/or cancer. Symptoms can arise years after infection. Around 99 per cent of cervical cancer diagnoses are related to infections like HPV. HPV can also cause cancers of the throat, neck, tongue, tonsils, vulva, vagina, penis or anus. Often, the cancer does not develop until years after a patient was infected with HPV. Source: CDC Advertisement

Annually an average of 38,000 cases of HPV-related cancers are diagnosed in the US.

Of those cases, 59 percent are women and 41 percent are men.

But men are more likely to develop a type of head or neck cancer, known as oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, than women.

The CDC recommends for all children in the US to receive the vaccine between the ages of nine and 12.

Forty percent of girls and 22 percent of boys aged 13 to 17 years old had completed the three-vaccine series by 2014, the organization found.

In contrast, the National Health Service in the UK recommends for only females to receive the vaccination between the ages of 12 and 13. There are no plans to extend the vaccine to males at this time because it is 'unlikely to be cost-effective', according to the The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization.

The vaccination was first introduced for females in a three-part series to help prevent against cervical cancer that forms in the cervix.

Cervical cancer occurs from genital HPV, which is skin-to-skin contact during sex.

US men are now encouraged to receive the jab after data revealed they too were at risk from developing HPV and cancers associated with the virus.

Research has also shown that men who give or receive anal sex increase their risk of developing HPV.

Condoms are a protective barrier that health experts recommend for men use in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
George Frey/Getty Images(SALT LAKE CITY) -- President Trump is going all-in to encourage the longest-serving Republican senator, 83-year-old Orrin Hatch of Utah, to run for an eighth term.



"You are a true fighter, Orrin, I have to say," Trump said Monday during his announcement in Salt Lake City rolling back the scale of two national monuments in Utah.



"We hope you continue to serve your state and your country in the Senate for a very long time," Trump said.



Hatch, coming off a big win after the tax reform bill drafted by his committee cleared the Senate on Friday, shared a round-trip flight with the president on Air Force One on Monday. And on Thursday, Hatch in a press release said the president accepted his invitation to come to Utah and that the president told him on a phone call last month "I'm approving the Bears Ears recommendation for you, Orrin."



Amidst a sea of Congressional Republicans increasingly frustrated with the president, Hatch has consistently remained a Trump loyalist ever since the 2016 presidential campaign.



Just last week, after Trump sparked swift backlash when he retweeted three videos containing anti-Islamic content from a leader of a far-right British political group, Hatch quickly came to the president's defense.



"He's been one of the best presidents I've served under," Hatch, who took office during the Carter administration, said.



But the president's reciprocal strong public support for Hatch is not just a vote of confidence in the Utah senator. It also has the effect of sending a not-so-veiled message to Mitt Romney, whose name has been floated as a potential replacement for Hatch should he retire.



Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, has long been critical of Trump. Last year, he referred to Trump as a phony and a fraud during remarks at the University of Utah, and implored people not to vote for him.



During a tour of the Latter-day Saints Church food services facility in Utah, Trump was asked if he was sending a message to Romney by encouraging Hatch to run for re-election.



The president, referring to Romney, replied: "He's a good man."



ABC News has reached out to a Romney spokesperson for comment but has not received a response.



A spokesman for Hatch says the senator plans to announce a final decision by the end of the year.



Over the past year the President has encouraged Senator Hatch to consider running for re-election a number of times, because of his leadership position and ability to advance their shared Republican agenda," Hatch spokesman Matt Whitlock said in a statement to ABC News.



"Senator Hatch is one of the most effective legislators of all time and has worked very effectively with President Trumps administration," he continued.



But Hatch is also a fan of Romney's. Earlier this year in an interview with National Journal, Hatch addressed whether he'd support Romney if he ever ran to replace him in the Senate.



If I could get a really outstanding person to run for my position, I might very well consider [retiring], Hatch said, adding, Mitt Romney would be perfect.



A source with knowledge of the matter told ABC News that "while it may be entirely true that Trump dislikes Mitt, if there's anyone who can bridge the divide, it's Orrin."



"Keep in mind that [Hatch] was the only person in Utah to stick with Trump through the campaign. He never uttered a negatively critical word about Trump," the source said.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
There was good news last week for people who suffer with severe migraine, with reports that the first new drug for the condition in 20 years, erenumab, halves the number of attacks and could be approved for use in the NHS within months.

An estimated eight million Britons suffer from migraines, and many more experience headaches at some point. But headaches are not all the same  nor is their treatment. Here, the experts explain the different types of head pain, and how best to treat them.

The first new drug for migraines in 20 years, erenumab, halves the number of attacks and could be approved for use in the NHS within months

PAIN AT BACK OF HEAD

SYMPTOM: Dull pain either radiating across the forehead, or focused on the back of the head, typically getting worse throughout the day.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: Pain at the back of the head often occurs in people in their late 30s and early 40s and is a sign their eyes are struggling to see objects close-up as part of the ageing process, says Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, clinical adviser at the College of Optometrists. The back of the head is where the occipital lobe, the part of the brain involved with vision, is located.

Pain around the forehead tends to be caused when the eyes are not perfectly aligned  the muscles around the eye and forehead then strain to cause alignment, leading to pain. This often strikes teenagers when studying intensively or those who start using a screen more, as the eyes are unprepared for intensive reading and screen use.

TREATMENT: GPs often refer people with headaches to an optometrist to rule out vision problems. They are a good first port of call, says Daniel Hardiman-McCartney. Optometrists can pick up more serious causes, such as raised pressure around the brain, by studying the back of the eye, and give advice on keeping a headache diary, so that when you go to your GP you have all the information they need to hand.

SKULL SQUEEZER

SYMPTOM: A constant squeezing ache on both sides and all over the head.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: A tension headache is the most common form of head pain, affecting eight in ten people at some point.

Around a third will have this type of headache several times a month, according to the NHS and one in ten has one every week.

Being unable to switch off from work pressures, poor health and too little sleep increase the risk of getting tension headaches, according to a study in the journal Neurologic Clinics in 2009.

The traditional explanation is that this headache is caused by tension in the muscles of the head and neck, but this is quite rare, and the new thinking is that most people suffering frequent headaches actually have mild migraines (caused by chemical changes in the brain), says Fayyaz Ahmed, a consultant neurologist at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

This has implications for preventative treatment.

TREATMENT: Dr Ahmed recommends 1g (2 x 500mg tablets) of paracetamol or 200mg to 400mg of ibuprofen or the painkiller sumatriptan  available over the counter as Imigran Recovery.

If that is not sufficient and your GP decides it is a mild migraine, they can prescribe preventative medication which includes the antidepressant amitriptyline, which blocks serotonin, a brain chemical thought to play a key role in headache and migraine.

Under NICE guidelines, doctors may refer patients for up to ten acupuncture sessions to help prevent chronic tension headaches.

An estimated eight million Britons suffer from migraines, and many more experience headaches at some point

WHEN COFFEE IS THE CURE NIGHT-TIME HEADACHE SYMPTOM: Squeezing pain across the whole head that wakes you; pain lasts up to four hours. POSSIBLE CAUSE: Hypnic headaches, also called alarm clock headaches, occur only at night. They generally begin after the age of 50, and typically last up to four hours. Scans suggest theyre caused by the brains hypothalamus area, which has an important role in sleep and setting your internal clock, growing in volume. It is a dreadful thing, says Peter Goadsby, a professor of neurology at Kings College London. Some people have it for 20 to 25 years. TREATMENT: One in three people finds caffeine  a strong coffee at night before bed  solves the problem, says Professor Goadsby. How is not fully understood, but he suggests its worth risking caffeine-induced sleep disruption to end the pain in a safe manner. Other treatments include lithium, usually used for bipolar disorder and the hormone melatonin  both are thought to help with the bodys internal clock. Advertisement

THE FACE EXPLODER

SYMPTOM: Throbbing pain behind the cheeks, nose and around the eyes, usually on one side of the face, thats worse in the morning.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: Sinusitis  where the small air pockets in the skull that allow air and mucus to flow through the nose, become infected. The lining of the sinuses becomes inflamed, leading to a painful build-up of pressure. Sinusitis often occurs with other symptoms of infection such as fever, and green and bloody discharge from one nostril.

People often blame headaches on their sinuses but Nick Silver, a consultant neurologist at the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, suggests 90 per cent of headaches blamed on sinusitis are caused by something else.

TREATMENT: Inhaling steam, to loosen mucus and clear sinuses, may be helpful for sinusitis- induced headaches, along with over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, says Professor Anne MacGregor, a specialist in headache and womens health in the NHS and Harley Street.

Over-the-counter decongestants can be helpful but should only be taken for a few days or they can make the problem worse, she adds.

Thats because decongestants narrow vessels in the sinuses that produce mucus, and when the effect wears off, the vessels rapidly expand, causing a sudden increase in mucus production, so people take more decongestants, and it causes a cycle.

If it persists, go to the doctor to discuss whether it could be a different type of headache, such as a migraine.

POST-EXERCISE HEADACHE

SYMPTOM: Pulsating pain on both sides of the head during or after intense exercise

POSSIBLE CAUSE: Post-exercise headaches are believed to be caused by the increased blood flow enlarging the brains veins and arteries, triggering pain.

A Norwegian study published in the journal Cephalalgia found that 12 per cent of headache sufferers studied had exertion headaches. Exercising in hot temperatures makes headaches more likely.

It usually happens when people who are not particularly fit increase their exercise levels, says Peter Goadsby, director of the NHS National Institute for Health Research and professor of neurology at Kings College London. Those affected should see a doctor to rule out more serious causes of the pain.

TREATMENT: Ceasing exercise will generally see headaches wear off, though they can last from a few minutes to two days. Increasing exercise gradually can help prevent the headaches returning.

If people take it easier, then generally it settles within six months spontaneously, says Professor Goadsby.

The prescription-only painkiller indomethacin, thought to turn off the nerves that transmit pain signals, can be taken  usually at 25 to 50mg  before exercise, after checking with your doctor, to prevent the headache.

DOUBLE-SIDED HEAD SQUEEZER

SYMPTOM: A constant dull squeezing ache on both sides of the head that occurs most days and is often worse in the morning.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: Using pain relief medicine to treat headaches more than two or three times a week can lead to more headaches, says Brendan Davies, a consultant neurologist at University Hospitals of East Midlands NHS Trust and a trustee of the Migraine Trust.

Its thought that the painkillers increase the sensitivity of nerves in the brain, which then respond to the stimulus for headaches such as stress and poor sleep. Up to 2 per cent of the population may have this type of headache, according to a 2014 review published in the Journal of Pain Research.

Dr Davies says about 40 per cent of the patients he sees at his clinic have medication-overuse headaches, adding that while any painkillers taken for more than ten days a month can cause this pain, combined products, such as Anadin Extra and triptans, which treat headache and migraine, are most likely to cause problems, although it is not clear why.

This is such a common but unrecognised reason for people suffering the frequent misery of headaches, says Dr Davies.

TREATMENT: Speak to your GP if you think this could be your problem. They may advise you to stop all painkillers for a period of six to eight weeks to see if the headaches reduce. But be aware that head pain can increase for the first week or so, before improving.

AGONISING ONE-SIDED ACHE

SYMPTOM: Agonising one-sided headache, drooping eyelid, blocked or running nose.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: Cluster headaches are said to be one of the most painful conditions that can be experienced. Unlike migraine, it affects five to six times more men than women (which means it can take longer for women to get a diagnosis, says Dr Davies). These headaches usually last between 15 minutes and a few hours, happen up to eight times a day and occur in bouts of four to 12 weeks. They appear to be linked to the hypothalamus area of the brain.

TREATMENT: About 90 per cent will get some or complete relief during an attack by inhaling oxygen from a tank. Sumatriptan injections and nasal sprays, which block the transmission of pain in nerves, are also used as a frontline treatment. Preventative drugs include high doses of verapamil, a drug developed for high blood pressure and heart conditions, and lithium, most commonly used to treat bipolar disorder.

POUNDING ALL-OVER PAIN

SYMPTOM: Throbbing pain around the head for several days.

POSSIBLE CAUSE: Skipping your usual coffee can bring about caffeine-withdrawal symptoms, including headache. This can occur a few hours after your last cup and last for up to three days. Its thought the caffeine helps oversensitise the brains nerve cells.

The more coffee you drink the greater the headache when its withdrawn, a 2009 study published in Psychopharmacology revealed.

TREATMENT: Dr Silver advises anyone who suffers from headaches or migraine to give up caffeine  including coffee, tea, green tea, chocolate, cola and energy drinks.

Symptoms such as head pain and sleep disturbance can worsen for up to a week afterwards, but should then start to improve.

If I could choose one thing to improve the way people feel in the UK, I would ban caffeine and painkillers, says Dr Silver.

However some doctors point out that caffeine can have a beneficial effect for some types of headache. It is also often included in tablets with painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, as it boosts their absorption by the stomach.
Cancer specialists who have been trained to eradicate tumours with radiotherapy are being instead told to man the phones.

An in-depth report into NHS staffing has uncovered how highly qualified radiographers are being put in charge of reception desks.

It also found that 43 per cent of doctors, nurses and other specialists did not have enough time to talk to or comfort cancer patients.

An in-depth report into NHS staffing has uncovered how highly qualified radiographers are being put in charge of reception desks

Cancer Research UK, which carried out the report, predicted that the NHSs cancer services would slip down the ranks if staffing levels did not improve. Around half of us will develop cancer at some point and there are around 360,000 new cases in the UK each year.

This is predicted to increase to 422,000 a year by 2022 due to an ageing population and cancers caused by obesity, smoking and alcohol.

Experts say the NHS cannot cope with these numbers.

Only last week the health watchdog launched a major review over concerns that cancer cases were being missed due to a lack of staff. The Care Quality Commission found that three lung cancer patients had suffered significant harm at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. The watchdog said that junior doctors had been left to interpret X-rays due to a lack of radiologists, who are specially trained to read scans.

This latest report is based on a survey of 2,544 NHS cancer specialists including doctors, nurses, researchers and staff who interpret scans and X-rays.

Some 43 per cent of the specialists who took part said they did not spend enough time with patients to provide excellent care. Experts from Cancer Research UK also visited the cancer units of 11 teaching hospitals to interview staff. In several they found therapeutic radiographers, who help guide radiotherapy treatment, were manning reception desks.

Millennials failing to turn up for GP Millennials are 50 per cent more likely to miss GP appointments than those of their parents generation, research suggests. Patients who fail to turn up are a huge drain on NHS resources, with 12million sessions missed every year at a cost of 160million. The first major study examining attendance records of different groups found 16 to 30-year-olds are the most likely offenders. They are 51 per cent more likely to miss their appointment than people aged 60 to 74, and 36 per cent more likely than 46 to 60-year-olds. Those aged 16 to 30 were second only to people in their 90s in terms of poor attendance. The study, published in the Lancet Public Health journal, tracked the appointments of 500,000 patients in Scotland between 2013 and 2016. It found 46 per cent of patients missed at least one appointment, and 20 per cent missed more than two. Overall 12 per cent of appointments were missed. The researchers, from the universities of Glasgow, Lancaster and Aberdeen, found social deprivation was linked to bad attendance, with poor people living in wealthy areas particularly likely not to turn up. NHS bosses have trialled automated phone call reminders and text messages to eradicate the problem. Many groups have suggested fining those who do not turn up. But Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said this could disproportionally impact on the most vulnerable in society, and this new research backs this up. Advertisement

The report stated: During our site visits many health professionals highlighted the problems with lack of administrative staff. In some instances, therapeutic radiographers had been asked to man the reception.

Another 73 per cent of specialists said their hospital was too short-staffed to provide excellent and efficient cancer care. Many were also too busy to carry out research and develop cures.

Emma Greenwood, of Cancer Research UK, said: If staff dont have time to do research our world-class health system will start to slip down the ranks.

The report also predicted a shortage of cancer doctors by 2022 as many retire early.
Could a simple magnet that you stick to your underwear really help with some of the unpleasant side-effects of breast cancer treatment?

It might sound extraordinary, not least because most doctors are sceptical about the health benefits of magnets. But this is not a marketing managers claim  its the belief of a breast cancer surgeon, and appears to be backed up by a small trial.

During breast cancer treatment, women who have yet to go through the menopause may develop such symptoms as hot flushes.

Five years ago, a patient told breast surgeon Tena Walters about a new option to deal with the side-effects  wearing a magnet attached to underwear

Chemotherapy can stop the ovaries from working, so the production of oestrogen is cut, says Tena Walters, a consultant breast surgeon at The London Breast Clinic and the Lister Hospital, Chelsea.

This has a similar effect to when oestrogen production falls at the menopause.

The other big cause is hormonal treatments such as tamoxifen.

These drugs are given to women who have had oestrogen-receptor positive tumours  meaning their cancer is encouraged to grow and divide by the presence of oestrogen.

During breast cancer treatment, women who have yet to go through the menopause may develop such symptoms as hot flushes

Even if you remove the breast cancer, cells from that tumour can lodge into organs such as the liver and lungs and, in the presence of oestrogen, carry on growing  this is why breast cancer can be fatal, says Miss Walters. Tamoxifen can block the oestrogen receptor on the cancer cells and stop that from happening.

If you take the drug for at least two years, it can reduce the chance of that cancer returning by about 40 times.

Most women are encouraged to take tamoxifen for at least five years. The problem is, although the 5p-a-day pill can stop the cancer, the menopause-like side-effects it can cause may make women stop taking it.

We cant give these patients HRT (hormone replacement therapy), as this can, in some cases, stimulate breast cancer due to the oestrogen it contains, adds Miss Walters.

Results from the International Breast Cancer Intervention Study presented last year found that of just under 4,000 women given tamoxifen or a placebo, 62 per cent were still taking tamoxifen after four-and-a-half years, while 71 per cent of the placebo group were still taking the pills.

I find it upsetting that women stop taking tamoxifen, as it is so effective, says Miss Walters. Five years ago, however, she had her first patient tell her about a new option to deal with the side-effects  wearing a magnet attached to underwear.

There are other ways to prevent the hot flushes associated with this drug, such as medication, but I have never had a patient saying: Thats brilliant, it works so well  until I started recommending they try the magnet, she says.

So, how could this device, called LadyCare, which is worn 24/7, stop hot flushes? Miss Walters admits it may be the placebo effect. There is iron (in the form of haem, found in red blood cells) in the blood, which may, in some way, connect with the magnet, she says.

Another theory is that the magnet impacts on the sympathetic nervous system. This controls, among other things, the rate at which we sweat.

Miss Walters, who has not received any financial incentive from the manufacturer, co-authored a study published in the European Journal of Surgical Oncology that involved 508 women experiencing menopausal symptoms, such as night sweats and mood swings, who tried the magnet for a minimum of three months.

While 43 per cent reported no change in symptoms, 28 per cent had a reduction of 20 to 40 per cent and a quarter reported a reduction of 50 to 100 per cent.

The findings were significant, although menopausal symptoms can get better on their own and the participants were self-reporting, says Miss Walters. The magnet was not compared to a placebo device, the gold standard of studies.

Karen Riley, 55, a grandmother from Solihull, West Midlands, used the magnet after starting on tamoxifen in 2013. She says: Within three months, I had about 20 hot flushes a day and was having trouble sleeping, but within days of using the magnet, they had significantly reduced.

Yet experts remain sceptical that magnets could really help. There is no real evidence this does anything beyond giving a placebo effect, says Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon at the London Breast Institute. The placebo effect can be substantial, especially for symptoms such as this. I would like to see a trial to compare the magnet against a control to see if there are any benefits beyond a placebo.

Having said that, I have patients who tell me their symptoms improve using these magnets, and they wont do any harm.
Heart transplants could be discarded within a decade, a leading cardiac surgeon believes.

Professor Stephen Westaby, of Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, made the comment on the 50th anniversary of the first human heart transplant.

He thinks it is time to replace the conventional method with artificial pumps and pioneering stem cell therapy.

Professor Stephen Westaby, from Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, believes that heart transplants could be discarded within a decade

What does Professor Westaby think?

Professor Westaby, who was the first surgeon to fit a patient with a new kind of artificial heart in 2000, told The Sun: 'I am a great supporter of cardiac transplantation.

'Some patients live for 20 years with excellent quality of life, but we can only treat one per cent of people.

'How does a society value a treatment that needs another young person to die first and is applicable to less than one per cent of those who might benefit?

'I think within ten years we wont see anymore heart transplants, except for people with congenital heart damage, where only a new heart will do.

'I think the combination of heart pumps and stem cells has the potential to be a good alternative which could help far more people.'

WHO IS DR BARNARD? Christiaan Barnard performed the first ever human heart transplant on December 3 1967. He grew up in South Africa, where he studied medicine for several years, even inventing a remedy for intestinal obstruction that saved 10 babies lives in Cape Town. In 1955 he emigrated to the US and specialised in cardiac surgery, His first heart transplant involved taking the organ from a patient who died of head injuries and putting it into Louis Washkansky, 54. Mr Washkansky lived for 18 days after the surgery before dying from pneumonia, which was likely caused by the immune system-suppressing drugs he was given. Dr Barnard performed the second ever heart transplant operation on Philip Blaiberg, who survived for 19 months, in 1968. Dr Barnard, who became a worldwide celebrity, meeting Princess Diana, Mohammed Ali and former American President Lyndon Baines Johnson, retired as a surgeon in 1983 after developing arthritis in his hands. He established the Christiaan Barnard Foundation to help underprivileged children throughout the world. Dr Barnard died in 2001 at the age of 78 after an asthma attack. Advertisement

Heart transplants: The facts

As many as 200 heart transplants are carried out on adults in the UK each year, according to official statistics.

But an estimated 1,300 men, women and children die every year waiting for a new organ, according to the British Heart Foundation.

Figures released by the charity also show that the number of people on the waiting list for a new heart has nearly trebled in a decade.

Waiting lists

Patients are added onto a waiting list if they are deemed for suitable for such an operation to replace their faulty heart.

Once placed in such a queue, it could take days, months or even years before a healthy donor organ is found.

One fifth of such patients never get the organ they so desperately need, while half manage to get one within three years.

The first ever heart transplant

Dr Christiaan Barnard defied doubters to perform the first ever heart transplant 50 years ago last week in Cape Town on Louis Washkansky.

The procedure prompted a medical revolution that meant heart conditions were no longer considered a death sentence.

However, Mr Washkansky, 54, died nine days later from pneumonia, thought to have been caused by the immune system-suppressing drugs he was given.

Dr Barnard's second attempt at the procedure in 1968 was more successful, with patient Philip Blaiberg surviving 19 months.
This picture will make you think twice before using strange tools to squeeze the pus out of nasty zits.

A construction worker caught a horrific fungal infection after strangely deciding to drain a pimple on his lower lip with his woodworking blade.

Resembling that of a third lip, the unsightly mass had been growing for nearly seven months before the unnamed man sought help from doctors.

The 23-year-old, believed to be from Chicago, was cured of the blood-encrusted lesion two weeks after undergoing treatment.

A construction worker caught a horrific fungal infection after strangely deciding to drain a pimple on his lower lip with his woodworking blade

Stunned dermatologists wrote about the unusual case, caused by the Blastomyces conidia fungus, in the Journal of Emergency Medicine.

The infection is typically found in soil and animal habitats in areas close to the Great Lakes, the Ohio River basin and the Mississippi River.

Is this rare?

Only 50 cases of blastomycosis caused by traumatic inoculation, such as in this case, have been recorded in medical literature.

However, this is believed to be the first noted case of infection from a woodworking blade, according to the dermatologists.

The man, who presented himself to the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, had no other worrying symptoms.

Upon questioning, the anonymous patient denied travelling anywhere in recent months or having been around any ill friends.

BLASTOMYCOSIS: THE FACTS People can get blastomycosis after breathing in the microscopic fungal spores from the air. This often occurs after participating in activities that disturb the soil, according to the CDC. Symptoms usually appear within three weeks of someone breathing in the fungal spores. They include fever, cough, night sweats, muscle aches or joint pain and even weight loss. Advertisement

Writing in the journal, the medics said the patient's condition was 'likely initiated' by the woodworking blade.

They added: 'It [blastomycosis] is usually observed in laboratory or morgue workers, and less frequently in dog handlers after a bite or scratch.'

Don't pop your spots!

The case comes after a New York-based dermatologist warned last May that popping spots could actually make them worse - despite the temptation to squeeze them before a date or an important interview.

Dr Cameron Rokhsar warned that squeezing spots can also damage skin, leading to infection and permanent scarring that is difficult to treat.

Dr Rokhsar explained spots are caused by three factors: overproduction of oil, irregular shedding of dead skin, and a build-up of bacteria.

The skin is covered in tiny openings called pores which allow sweat and sebum - an oily substance the body produces to lubricate the skin and hair - to pass through.

When these become blocked with sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria, spots can form.
Menopausal women could get lab-grown ovaries instead of hormone drugs to treat the debilitating symptoms without raising their risk of deadly diseases.

New research in rats found bioengineering artificial ovaries could provide a safer and more natural hormone replacement therapy for women.

The hormone replacement therapy that most women take to offset the loss of estrogen in their late 40s and 50s is not advised long-term, since it increases the risk of heart disease and breast cancer.

Now, a team from Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina has found that the engineered ovaries were more effective than hormone therapy drugs at improving bone and uterine health and body composition.

New research in rats by Wake Forest in North Carolina found bioengineering artificial ovaries could provide a safer and more natural hormone replacement therapy for women

'The treatment is designed to secrete hormones in a natural way based on the body's needs, rather than the patient taking a specific dose of drugs each day,' said senior author Dr Emmanuel C Opara, a professor of regenerative medicine at the institute.

The cell-based system of hormone replacement is an attractive alternative to drugs.

It can match the dose with the body's needs and it is consistent with current guidelines in the US and Europe recommending the lowest possible doses of hormone replacement therapy.

WHY WOMEN TAKE HRT Menopause, which commonly strikes women in their late 40s and early 50s, can cause depression, hot flushes, headaches and night sweats. Long term, it can also cause bone disease and memory loss. HRT tackles these symptoms by replacing the female sex hormones - oestrogen and progestogen - as the body stops producing them. But while it can transform the lives of many women, it also raises the risk of cancer, meaning a small number will develop the disease who would otherwise not have. Advertisement

To engineer the bioartificial ovary, the research team isolated the two types of cells found in ovaries (theca and granulosa) from rats.

They used a thin membrane as a capsule for the cells, which was then implanted in rats that had their ovaries removed.

These rats were compared with animals with normal ovarian function, untreated rats and rats who received either a low- or high-dose of traditional hormone replacement drugs.

The study looked at three areas commonly affected by the loss of ovarian function: body composition, bone health and uterine health.

It is well known that loss of ovarian function leads to body fat accumulation and weight gain.

The study found that the cell-based constructs led to a substantially lower percentage of body fat levels than low-dose drug therapy and had the same results as animals with intact ovaries.

Estrogen deficiency can also lead to osteoporosis and related fractures. In the rat study, the cell treatment led to better bone outcomes than the traditional hormone replacement drugs.

The loss of ovarian function is also known to have adverse effects on the genital and urinary system, including sexual dysfunction and urinary incontinence.

The researchers evaluated uterine tissue in study animals and found that uterine health in the cell-treated animals was similar to the animals with intact ovaries.

'Safe hormone replacement will likely become increasingly important as the population of aging women grows,' said Dr Opara.

'Whether the loss of ovarian function is due to surgical removal, chemotherapy or menopause, the effects can range from hot flashes and vaginal dryness to infertility and increased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

'This study highlights the potential utility of cell-based hormone therapy for the treatment of conditions associated with the loss of ovarian function.'

The team now needs to determine that the treatment is effective in women.

One of the key issues will be to ascertain whether donor cells are a safe option, since women who need hormone therapy are unlikely to have enough ovarian cells for transplantation.

The capsule was designed to allow oxygen and nutrients to enter the capsule, but to prevent the patient from rejecting the cells.

Allowing functional ovarian tissue from donors could to be used to engineer bioartificial ovaries for women with non-functioning ovaries.
Living in a cold climate could make people more likely to get cancer, a study has found.

Inuits have the highest rate of cancer, followed closely by Scandinavian people, while chilly Britain has a cancer rate three times higher than that of India and twice the rate of Thailand.

Evidence now suggests people are at greater risk in colder countries because of their genes.

The same genes which stop our cells dying in freezing temperatures are also linked to breast and bowel cancer and leukaemia.

Living in a cold climate could make people more likely to get cancer, a study has found (file photo)

A researcher says the genes contributing to cooler climates are the same which increase the risk of malignant tumours forming in the body.

Dr Konstantinos Voskarides, author of the study from the University of Cyprus Medical School, said: The findings of this study provide evidence that genetic variants found to be beneficial in extreme environments, can also predispose for cancer.

Cell resistance at low temperatures and at high altitude probably increases the probability for malignancy.

Previous research from 2010 found grim weather in northern parts of the world may make men more vulnerable to prostate cancer, perhaps due to a lack of vitamin D from the sun.

However the new study - which compared international rates of cancer with 240 genetic studies of cancer and seven others in cold and high-altitude countries - suggests where people live affects their genes.

Extreme cold can cause our cells to die, so that people in freezing countries have genetic mutations to prevent cell death and repair DNA.

Evidence now suggests people are at greater risk in colder countries because of their genes (file photo)

These same processes are closely related to leukaemia and breast and bowel cancer, the study states.

Analysis of global cancer rates found 186 human populations had cancer rates mirroring their average temperatures.

The strongest links included more cases of bowel, lung and oesophageal cancer In Siberian Eskimos and a higher incidence of leukemia in the Oromi - a high-altitude population living in Ethiopia.

Dr Voskarides said: Evidence was found that cancer rates have been increased in those populations through natural selection procedures.

This is the first study that provides evidence that high cancer risk may be a result of evolutionary adaptation in certain environmental conditions.

Dr Sophie St-Hilaire, who carried out the study on the link between cold weather and prostate cancer, said it was difficult to be sure how genes worked in cancer patients. But she added: It is well known that exposure to certain pollutants is higher when the air temperature is colder than when it is warmer.

This suggests pollution in colder countries may increase cancer rates, with diesel fumes known to be linked to lung cancer.

The study, published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, also found a link between people living at altitude and cancer rates.
In a conflict situation, as in Kashmir, among the factors that promise to change the state of stalemate are: a radical policy turn about, re-statement of disrupted continuity, bridging the gap between words and action, and management of conflict between ruler's obligation to the unyielding cold-hardness of the state and human sensitivity demanded by democratic ethos.

The appointment of Dineshwar Sharma, a former Intelligence Bureau director, as special representative holds a promise, if consistency and process dominate the concern rather than showcasing of spectacular results.

Violence

While concluding his November visit, Sharma said that he 'would try to make every effort to meet Hurriyat leaders'. Radical departures, such as this, from earlier positions are morally binding, for they suggest radical review and conviction.

Violence has intensified in Kashmir over the past year due to rising tensions

Cynicism is good only as a reminder of earlier experiences of hopes raised and razed, but is not good for clearing the path of hopelessness and loss of trust - a must for mitigation of violence in the Valley.

What matters is not just the reduction in number of armed militants and pockets of militancy, but the unprecedented growth in anti-India mood from limited pockets to larger population. Both are dissimilar challenges.

It is easy to shoot down a gun-wielding militant, but not the public sentiment.

What has grown has far more serious consequences than what has declined. Unlike armed militancy which carries with it longstanding structure, training, organisation and international network, public mood is largely autonomous, fed on sudden incidences that swing sentiments, sense of right and wrong, just and unjust.

Statements convey commitment when there is continuity and underlying consistency between the earlier and the later, and when words translate into action.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day statement - 'Kashmir issue cannot be solved by bullets or abuses, but by embracing every Kashmiri' - besides suggesting a radical shift from hardline policy, establishes policy continuity in its spirit and message with Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statesman-like statement that had won every Kashmiri's heart: 'Kashmir is not a constitutional issue, it is a humanitarian issue.'

Appointment by the home minister of a special representative with open mandate being in continuity with his earlier stand becomes morally biding due to additional signals of commitment and resolve.

Experience

Commitment and sincerity will be on the test, for Kashmir's past experience with interlocutors during the Congress rule destroyed confidence in the motives of Indian state.

All the three reports - KC Pant, NN Vohra and latest by Dilip Padgaonkar and team - were unceremoniously shelved.

The very word 'interlocutor' lost its meaning, became a symbol of betrayal of hope. Henceforth, promise for dialogue and talks symbolised for them Indian state's dishonesty, deception and hypocrisy, for words were not followed by commensurate action.

Kashmir's loss of trust drives their youth towards radicalisation and militancy, makes them easy prey to the religious extremism and terrorism. It is an equal responsibility thus of Kashmiri stakeholders, especially of the Hurriyats' leadership, to ease the process by responding constructively.

Kashmiris have paid heavily and so has the Hurriyat leadership for closing doors on the all-party parliamentary delegation and then on the repeated visits by the home minister.

It reduces the confidence of Kashmiri youth in the Hurriyat leadership's capability and sincerity about delivering change and forces them to look up to external leadership for whom Kashmir is just a pawn, not a party.

Engagement

Non-cooperation in talks makes Indian state open up cupboards with skeletons, things people knew but did not talk about. Now they question.

Engagement in talks with adversary follows a different route by the very rule of its process and dynamics. It does not spring bitter surprises, even if it fails to spring sweet moments.

Above all, it undermines violence, its legitimacy and use. Secession of militant violence, like that of violation of human rights, is the first condition for a constructive dialogue; Hurriyat's failure to cooperate will leave the ball in its court.

A politician's challenge is to resolve innate conflict between his twin obligations: to the unyielding cold-hardness of the state, and democratic obligation to humane sensitivity towards legitimate popular aspirations.

In 2010 a senior professor at Kashmir University told this writer: 'We have seen only the brutal face of Indian state.'

Success of a leader lies in not allowing hardness either of an ideology or of the state to disfigure his/her humane moral image. Norms of a popular movement and those of a government differ, but not those of the leadership.
The sensational Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri masjid case took a new twist with the lawyers for the Sunni Waqf board and Babri Masjid Action Committee vehemently urging the Supreme Court to defer the hearing until after 2019 Lok Sabha polls, citing 'huge political ramifications.'

But the three judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, who remained undeterred, fixed February 8 as the next date of the hearing. And the court was reminded there was already a delay of seven years in hearing the appeals.

During the two hour-long high-voltage hearing in a jam packed court when sparks flew, Kapil Sibal, Dushyant Dave and Rajeev Dhavan, senior lawyers representing various Muslim bodies, referring to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy without naming him, said the bench should not show undue hurry and 'fall into the trap' laid by a person who was not even a party in the case, but worked for expediting the hearing.

The current Ram Temple in Ayodha, believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama

On December 6 1992 the VHP and BJP organised a rally at the mosque and the 150,000-strong crowd overwhelmed security forces before tearing down the mosque

Almost questioning the CJI's integrity and casting aspersions on him, Sibal said the court should not been seen as helping the BJP with the Ram temple issue, one of the highlights in its 2014 election manifesto.

The Ayodhya-Babri Masjid dispute In 1992 a large 'group' of Hindus demolished the 16th century Babri Mosque in the UP city of Ayodhya after a political rally at the site turned violent. The city is believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama and the mosque is believed to be built on Ram Janmabhoomi, the actual birthplace of the deity. On December 6 1992 the VHP and BJP organised a rally at the mosque and the 150,000-strong crowd overwhelmed security forces before tearing down the mosque. This came in a climate of inter-communal rioting between Hindus and Muslims that left at least 2,000 dead. A subsequent inquiry found that 68 people were responsible for the demolition, including leaders of the two political parties. The current Ayodhya dispute is a political and socio-religious debate in India concerning which religious group ought to possess the land. A 2010 landmark decision split the 2.77 hectare site equally between three parties - one Hindu, one Muslim, and one organisation trusted with maintaining the site. Advertisement

'The hearing should be put off till July 2019. This judgement is going to have huge political ramifications. Hearing was suddenly expedited on the request of a person who is not even a party to the case. A party is pushing its manifesto. The court should not fall into a trap. This is nothing but a trap', said Sibal.

Sibal added: 'What is the hurry? If your lordship is insisting it should be heard now and finished before the end of next year itself then your lordship must tell us why? It is perhaps the most important litigation in the history of the country. It's going to be a judgement of such ramification, so a minimum five judge should hear it if not seven.

Harish Salve, lawyer heading the argument for pro-temple outfits, said : 'Such presumption is disturbing. This is an extraordinary request. There are several judgements that have repercussions. That does not mean the court need not hear a case.'

Dhavan said the hearing in any case cannot be completed even before Justice Misra retired in October next year.

The specially constituted bench is hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The high court had then ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acre area at Ayodhya among the parties - the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla.

A sect of Muslims, under the banner of Shia Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, had approached the court offering a solution that a mosque could be built in a Muslim-dominated area at a 'reasonable distance' from the disputed Ayodhya site.

Meanwhile, security forces were deployed in Faizabad and Ayodhya as the VHP and the Bajrang Dal plan to observe 'Shaurya Diwas' (Day of Valour), while Muslim organisations plan 'Yaum e Gham' (Day of sorrow) to mark 25 years since the Babri Masjid demolition.
Right-wing group Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP)'s youth wing, Bajrang Dal, has started recruiting volunteers in Uttar Pradesh's Agra for an outfit specifically designed to counter alleged cases of 'love jihad'.

The young recruits will undergo arms training as well under the drive being called 'Bahu Lao, Beti Bachao'.

A registration fee of Rs 10 is being charged from Hindu men willing to join the outfit for 'saving their bahubeti (women)' from 'falling prey to love jihad'.

The drive, started by Bajrang Dal, targeted 2,00,000 men in Agra

Local Bajrang Dal members say these women are 'lured by some Muslim men in order to change their religion'.

The volunteers from this outfit will be trained to use swords and other weapons in order to intervene if needed, they added.

Some reports, however, had earlier cited some Hindu groups as saying that they will encourage Muslim women to marry Hindu men under the 'Bahu lao, Beti Bachao' drive and even assist them in getting married.

Camps for the purpose have already started in Agra from December 3 and about 1,000 have registered for arms training.

Earlier, this drive was supposed to be held from November 19 to December 19.

'We are in danger. This network is spreading from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. It's time to wake up, otherwise our girls will be lured in the name of love, and they will be pushed into prostitution,' Abhisek Saxena, Bajrang Dal co-convener from Naamner, Agra, told India Today TV.

And Saxena is not satisfied with the current turnout. He said the drive targeted 2,00,000 men from Agra alone, while he hoped more will join from adjoining cities.

Certain quarters view these measures as an effort to polarise the young in Bharatiya Janata Party's favour in the name of Hindutva. The target is the 2019 Lok Sabha poll which they say will be fought on the Hindu-Muslim card.
The Congress central election authority's announcement that all the 89 nominations filed on Monday proposed party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's candidature for the top job set in motion celebrations and preparations for the imminent change of guard on Tuesday.

Following Rahul's elevation, the party's highest executive body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), too is slated for an overhaul, and is expected to see a 'healthy mix of the old and young.'

With a new organisational team at the district and state levels in place and a new party chief, the elections for the CWC remains pending and according to sources will be complete by mid-January.

A senior Congress leader, while praising Rahul Gandhi, has said the latter intended to groom young leaders while making the most of partys senior leadership

Senior party leaders told Mail Today that by the onset of the auspicious month post makar sankranti in mid-January, the party's entire organisational set-up will have changed.

A sitting CWC member said: 'Rahul Gandhi is all set to usher in a new era of dynamism in the party. At the state level, new Pradesh Congress Committee presidents and district incharges have taken guard and now at the national level some changes might be made.

'The All India Congress Committee elects its representatives and the new president will nominate roughly 12 members to the CWC. This process is likely to be complete by mid-January.'

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with warty leaders during filing of his nomination papers for the post of party president, at the AICC office in New Delhi on Monday

A large party convention, on the lines of the Jaipur Chintan Shivir in January 2013 that saw Rahul's nomination as number two in the party, is likely to be held by end of next month, in which Rahul will address party workers.

Though the venue is yet to be decided, it could be held either in Karnataka or Delhi.

Meanwhile senior party leaders expectantly look at Rahul to breathe life into the Congress' sinking ship.

A senior party functionary close to Rahul said: 'He is not one who imposes his views but is extremely democratic in his interactions and handling of issues. While there is clear indication that state leaders will be given more autonomy and freedom in decision-making, there will be legitimate space for more than one leader.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Sushilkumar Shinde, Anand Sharma and other leaders, during filing of his nomination papers for the post of party president

'The idea is to work as a team. It is not like only young leaders will be promoted and the party veterans, who have served for decades will be done away with. There will be a healthy mix of the young and the old. Experience of the old leaders' and youthful energy of the young blood will together bring change.'

A senior party leader said: 'When Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister, he gave key responsibilities to several young leaders like Ashok Gehlot, Oscar Fernandes, Digvijaya Singh, Okram Ibobi Singh, who were all below the age of 40 years then.

'It was because he groomed them then that these leaders went on to become assets for the party. Rahul ji intends to do the samegroom young leaders while making the most of its senior leadership.

'Today he is solidly backing Sachin Pilot, Arun Yadav, Ashok Tanwar and such young leaders, who are the party's future.'

Party leaders maintained that while Sonia had to depend on the advice of her political aides when she took over as the party chief in 1998, Rahul has been working closely not only with the top national leadership but has also met district and state level leaders one-on-one.

'Rahul ji has been preparing for this day, years in advance and is all set for the challenges ahead,' added the leader.
Firing line: London Stock Exchange chairman Donald Brydon

Sir Christopher Hohn is showing no sign of backing down in his campaign to oust Donald Brydon as chairman of the London Stock Exchange.

If Brydons corporate history, outlined in a circular from Hohns fund TCI, is any guide, then there is only one person qualified to take on the chief executives job vacated by Xavier Rolet.

Step forward Australian-born board veteran Philip Bowman.

Brydon was among the non-executives who ousted Tony Hales at Allied Domecq and replaced him with Bowman.

The LSE chairman was again among the directors who removed Ian Russell at Scottish Power in 2006 and yes, you guessed it, replaced him with Bowman.

And what did Bowman do with Allied Domecq and Scottish Power? He steered both into overseas hands selling Allied Domecq to French rival Pernod Ricard and Scottish Power to Spains Iberdrola.

Indeed, Bowman, who now works with Jon Moultons private equity outfit Better Capital, would be incredibly well placed to follow the Brydon dream of flogging a City crown jewel, the LSE, to a foreign buyer  whatever the consequences for the UKs status as a financial centre. The central proposition of the TCI circular is that the LSE defence of Brydon is spurious.

Far from offering a stable future following Rolets abrupt departure, Brydon is the cause of disruption. He set the LSE on a costly and failed merger track and bungled the Rolet succession.

TCI points out there are at least three sound replacements for Brydon among the LSE non-executives qualified to chair Europes most important stock exchange.

They are David Nish, former chief executive of Standard Life, Stephen OConnor, a derivatives expert, and Mary Shapiro, the former chair of the Securities Exchange Commission in the US. Each would be a fit and proper chairman, offering a fresh start.

Tax cuts

Amid the tumult over the prosecution deal with Donald Trumps former national security advisor Michael Flynn, the passage of the Republican tax reform plan by the Senate went virtually unnoticed.

At the heart of the 479-page plan is the radical corporate tax rate cut  from 38 per cent to 20 per cent  intended to encourage US-based global firms to pay their taxes in America rather than park revenues overseas.

No one can be certain how the final version of the bill will turn out after it emerges from the conference between the House and Senate.

Most US fiscal bills tend to be Christmas-tree festooned with the baubles of individual lawmakers.

The bill is controversial because it seen as giving money to corporate America while taking it away from ordinary citizens.

There is a point here. America is the home of boardroom greed and lacks most of the governance constraints we have in Britain.

So it will also be an opportunity for executives to fill their boots as earnings rise, pushing up the value of bonus schemes.

The most serious criticism is that the reforms will add $1 trillion to an already ballooning fiscal deficit over the next decade. But is that really so?

The British experience is relevant to this. George Osborne began the task of lowering corporation taxes in 2010-11 when the rate was 28 per cent and revenues were 36.2billion.

In the current year, 2016-17, the corporate tax rate dropped to 20 per cent but income will surge to 55.1billion.

In spite of scepticism, supply-side economics looks to have worked.

Clearly the mechanics in the US are very different. It is still unclear where personal tax bands will end up because of differences between House and Senate bills. So there is no clarity, as yet, as to winners and losers.

One of the ways the lower rates will be paid for is by capping state property tax deductions from federal taxes at $10,000.

There are also questions as to whether cutting taxes, when stock markets are at record highs and the US economy is going at great guns, is sensible.

After the financial crisis there was much talk of building counter-cyclical buffers. Now the US is spraying petrol on a roaring fire.

Seasonal cheer

Congratulations to Paul Manduca, chairman of the Pru. His Christmas card is the first to arrive in the City Office.

It supports a brilliant cause, Place2Be, which provides mental health services to children in difficult circumstances. So much better than impersonal, email cards.
All investment is risky but some propositions amp up the stakes to levels akin to slot machines in Las Vegas.

Binary options are one of these. They allow you to bet that a stock, currency, index, or just about anything that is capable of being measured in financial terms, will move up or down in seconds.

In the time it takes to spin a coin, you can win back your money plus a percentage  or lose the whole lot.

Viva Las Vegas: binary options amp up the stakes to levels akin to slot machines

They have been labelled as 'the biggest investment con in Britain' by consumer group Which?, while the Financial Conduct Authority warned in November that those who pile their cash into such propositions make a loss more often than not.

Investors of binary options are often lured by flashy marketing campaigns often through social media from providers promising eye-watering rates of return.

However, the sad reality is that people typically lose money on them, and the quick-fire nature of these trades leads to uninformed decision making.

Investors are offered higher returns for lower probability events and lower returns for higher probability events, so they need to 'beat the odds' on a regular basis to make a profit.

This factor, along with the short duration of trades, can cause addictive behaviour typically associated with gambling, according to the City watchdog.

The regulator also said those who invest in binary options are at greater risk of falling victim to scam artists than the more mainstream propositions.

Such unscrupulous individuals commonly take bets from punters but fail to place them on their behalf, and manipulate software to distort prices and payouts - meaning they could control whether the victim would win or lose.

They also commonly refuse to return client funds and break all contact with customers.

Around 50million has been reported lost to binary options - 18million of which has been reported in 2017 alone, according to the latest police figures.

In the publication of its research, Which? outlines the perils of an unnamed individual who invested and lost the 60,000 and 'dozens' of five-figure bets - each lasting a few seconds.

Which? alleges the firm was acting as a bookmaker and such transactions were rigged. Magnum Options, has since been shut down by the Insolvency Service.

Another person was charged twice for an initial investment of 10,000 with another binary broker BinaryTilt following a persuasive sales pitch.

After trying to reclaim the money he discovered a 4,200 bonus had been added to his account - forcing him to trade his money many times over before he could withdraw a penny.

BinaryTilt failed to respond to This is Money's request for a comment on the matter.

A key risk of binary options is the fact they are typically priced in a similar manner to fixed odds bets, according to the FCA

Which? said it was concerned by the terms and conditions of all 10 companies reviewed. It said that many offered initial bonuses that required investors to trade up to 40 times their deposit before they were allowed withdraw cash.

What's more, the consumer group claimed that some sites stated that customers would only be allowed to withdraw their profits - effectively banning them from getting their original investment back.

'Shockingly, others had clauses which meant the money in the account was effectively owned by the site and could be used for their day-to-day business operations,' it added.

Regulation

At present, the Gambling Commission has overseen binary options trading but only if the firm has remote gambling equipment in the UK.

To check whether a company holds an operating licence from the Gambling Commission, you can search its public register of licensees.

From 3 January, 2018 binary options will be regulated in the same way as investment products and will be regulated by the FCA.

This means they will be regulated in the same way as vanilla equity and bond investment products, so any individual complaints will be resolved by the Financial Ombudsman Service and consumers will have access to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Should you invest in binary options

The industry consensus is that binary options should form no part of an investment strategy - be it long or short term.

Some investors might find these products attractive because they essentially only have to guess whether or not something specific will happen. Sounds simple right?

But more often than not, it is a case of heads I win, tails you lose for the broker.

'Binary options are a ludicrous, high risk, short-term bet.

'Those who absolutely must play high stakes games would have more fun at William Hill betting on a White Christmas  but dont bet the ranch,' says Justin Urquhart Stewart, co-founder and head of corporate development at Seven Investment Management.

'And more crucially, dont confuse it with a sensible long-term investment strategy. It is horrifying to see that around 50 million has been reported lost to binary options scams. Its another rallying call for more financial education.'
A merger between SSE and Npower should be investigated over fears it could drive up bills, MPs have urged.

Labour MP Rachel Reeves, chairman of the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, said the tie-up was worrying at a time when the Government is trying to clamp down on rip-off bills with a price cap.

Miss Reeves has written to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), asking it to look in detail at the potential impacts that this merger could have.

Concerns: Labour MP Rachel Reeves said a merger between SSE and Npower was worrying at a time when the Government is trying to clamp down on rip-off bills with a price cap

She added that the watchdog should undertake a full investigation if competition in the sector was threatened.

SSE and Npowers German parent, Innogy, announced plans last month to merge their household energy supply and services arms in Britain.

An Innogy spokesman said Npower and SSE were talking to the CMA about the transaction.

No investigation has been announced.
Sir Chris Hohn claims no one talented will work with Donald Brydon (pictured)

London Stock Exchange chairman Donald Brydon has a toxic track record and must be fired before he causes more havoc, a top investor has warned.

Brydon has fired several chief executives at different firms and no one talented will work with him, hedge fund boss Sir Chris Hohn said.

Hohn is furious with the 72-year-old for forcing out LSE chief executive Xavier Rolet, and has mounted a campaign to get the chairman sacked.

Shareholders are to decide on the future of Brydon, right, at a crunch vote this month which was called by Hohn, 51.

In a scathing note setting out his case, Hohn said Brydon had ousted five bosses before Rolet became his latest victim.

He said Brydon was a board member at the LSE when Michael Lawrence was ditched as chief executive in 1996  a sacking that stunned the City.

Brydon then sat on the boards of Allied Domecq and Scottish Power when they ditched bosses Tony Hales and Ian Russell respectively.

At Allied Domecq, the split was so acrimonious that Hales sued for 2million.

As chairman of the engineering firm Smiths Group, Brydon then axed Keith Butler-Wheelhouse.

All three of these bosses were replaced by break-up guru Philip Bowman, famed for carving up companies for a profit.

EXECUTIVES WHO LOST THEIR JOBS UNDER BRYDON 1996 Michael Lawrence, London Stock Exchange. Sacked after falling out with directors 1999 Tony Hales, Allied Domecq. Fired for poor share performance 2006 Ian Russell, Scottish Power. Ditched in boardroom cull 2007 Keith Butler- Wheelhouse, Smiths Group. Quit over failed merger 2014 Guy Berruyer, Sage Group. Left for lifestyle reasons 2017 Xavier Rolet, London Stock Exchange. Quit after the collapse of German takeover

Brydons next victim was Guy Berruyer, of Sage Group. Analysts said he quit in 2014 because they didnt see eye to eye.

Hohns note said: Donald Brydon has run a poor process with regard to chief executive succession and shareholder engagement.

'Shareholders have lost faith in Donald Brydon. It would be difficult to find a world-class chief executive to serve under Donald Brydon.

Rolet revealed he would quit in October after failing to sell the LSE to the Germans for 21billion.

But Hohn, who owns a 5 per cent stake, objected to the decision and sought to reverse it, demanding shareholders vote to sack Brydon instead.

The stand-off only ended weeks later when Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said he couldnt see a way for Rolet to stay on. Rolet stepped down immediately.

Sources close to Brydon said all five firms shares outperformed the market when he was a director. The LSE declined to comment. Its shares rose by 0.1 per cent, or 4p, to 3787p.
A US hedge fund could make up to 500million from the collapse of heavily indebted care home chain Four Seasons.

Key creditor H/2 Capital Partners could take over the group within a fortnight after buying up most of the firm's debt.

Current Four Seasons owners Terra Firma are keen to do a deal and hand over the company to H/2. However, the two sides have fallen out over the future of an additional 24 care homes.

If a deal is not struck Four Seasons could go into administration. If it is done, H/2 would take over Four Seasons for a nominal sum.

Four Seasons care homes owners Terra Firma are keen to do a deal and hand over the chain to US hedge fund Key creditor H/2 Capital Partners

Either way it would take on a chain with estimated assets of 700million, but around 256million of Four Seasons debt it owns could be sold on or written off.

This would give H/2 around 444million. With interest already earned it would mean the hedge fund could make 500million from the chain.

Four Seasons houses around 17,000 residents across 343 homes but it has run in to financial trouble in recent years.

City financier Guy Hands, 58, owns Four Seasons via his Guernsey-based Terra Firma private investment group.

Former Lehman Brothers banker Spencer Haber, 49, runs 29billion New York -based H/2, which has spent the last two years buying Four Seasons' debt.

Four Seasons is on the brink of financial collapse and says it will be unable to pay a 26million interest payment due to H/2 on December 16.

A rescue plan is on the table that would see H/2 take over the business for a nominal sum and install Margaret Ford as chairman. She held the same role at rival Barchester.

But talks have stalled amid a major row over whether the extra 24 lucrative homes owned by Terra Firma should be included in the deal.

Both sides have accused each other of contributing to the delay and the homes could fall into administration if no agreement is reached by the time of the interest payment.

Four Seasons is understood to be still reviewing a proposal from H/2 to defer that payment.

Sources last night claimed agreement was delayed due to conditions such as Four Seasons having to pay restructuring fees, and H/2 being able to walk away during the first seven days.

The row appeared to deepen yesterday when Terra Firma accused H/2 of being unwilling to engage with negotiations. It claimed H/2 had refused face-to-face meetings and blocked emails.

Terra Firma urged H/2 to get on with taking over the homes. A spokesman said: 'We believe this outcome will deliver much-needed certainty for patients and employees of the Four Seasons group.'

An H/2 spokesman said it was 'totally focused on ensuring a transparent, fair and ultimately successful restructuring process for everyone involved'.

H/2 has stressed it 'cares deeply' about Four Seasons, its quality of care and the stability of the group. Care watchdog Care Quality Commission could block the homes from accepting new residents if it has concerns about the impact of the financial troubles on care.
Benny Higgins is joining the board of financial tech firm Kyckr

Departing Tesco Bank boss Benny Higgins is joining the board of a financial technology company as he moves on from mainstream banking.

The Scot, who turns 57 this month, will become chairman of Kyckr in March after he steps down as boss of Tesco Bank after a decade in charge.

Four-times married father-of-six Higgins hit the headlines last year when it emerged he had spent 18,000 on London taxis in just eight months as he was ferried to and from upmarket restaurants and private members clubs.

He was head of the retail bank at RBS, where he was accused of running off with his best friends wife, and later worked at toxic bank HBOS.
An undercover policeman's son is suing the Metropolitan Police over claims he suffered depression after discovering his father was not a political activist.

The 32-year-old man has won the latest round of a High Court compensation battle with the force, after launching legal action against commissioner Cressida Dick.

He argued Ms Dick was responsible for his father and the officers supervising him.

The man's father was Bob Lambert (pictured) - who went under the alias 'Bob Robinson' - was an undercover Metropolitan Police officer in the 1980s

However, lawyers representing the Met asked a judge to dismiss the man's claim entirely  arguing that there were 'no reasonable grounds' for launching it.

Mr Justice Nicol on Monday refused to take such a step.

The judge said the man might win compensation if he demonstrated that supervising officers had failed to provide a 'duty of care' they owed him.

Mr Justice Nicol, who analysed the issue at a High Court hearing in London in October, has not named the man in a written ruling.

But he said the man's father was an undercover policeman named Bob Lambert, who used the pseudonym 'Bob Robinson' when working undercover to infiltrate the Animal Liberation Front in the 1980s.

He said the man's mother had been a political activist.

The 32-year-old man has won the latest round of a High Court compensation battle with force, after launching legal action against commissioner Cressida Dick

Mr Lambert pretended to share the woman's political views during the mid-1980s and 'formed a liaison' which resulted in the man's birth.

He 'purported to fulfil' a 'father's role' until 1988 when he 'pretended that he had to leave to avoid prosecution', said Mr Justice Nicol.

His son lost contact with him until his role as an undercover policeman was revealed about five years ago.

Justice Nicol referred to the man as 'TBS' in his ruling and to the man's mother as 'Jacqui'.

He said the man's mother launched a separate damages claim four years ago and received 425,000 following a settlement.

Undercover police officer Bob Lambert holding his newborn son, just after he was born in 1985

'The claimant was born in September 1985,' said Mr Justice Nicol in his ruling.

'His mother was a political activist who is referred to as 'Jacqui'. His father was Bob Lambert.

'Lambert was an undercover police officer who, using the pseudonym Bob Robinson, pretended to share Jacqui's political views and formed a relationship with her which resulted in the claimant's birth.'

Mr Justice Nicol added: 'The claimant seeks compensation for, among other things, the Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood which he says he suffered as a result of finding out that his father was not a political activist but a police officer, from Lambert purporting to assume a father's role under a false identity and from Lambert abandoning his parental role towards him and relying upon a false explanation.'

The man has alleged misfeasance in public office and negligence.

He says the commissioner had a responsibility for Mr Lambert and supervising officers.

The man says officers supervising Lambert were at fault for deploying him as they did and for allowing his role to continue after he had fathered a child.
Imran Mostafa, son of hate cleric Abu Hamza, has been released from jail for armed robbery

Hook-handed hate cleric Abu Hamza's son has been released from a 'cushy' open prison after serving less than half of his 11-year sentence for armed robbery, MailOnline can reveal.

Imran Mostafa, 26, managed to win his freedom early after informing the Home Office that he had found God.

The armed robber had lied throughout his trial denying that he was one of four gangsters who robbed a Norfolk jewellery store and even attempted to persuade a friend to take the rap for him.

But a jury refused to believe his lies after being presented with compelling evidence that he participated in the 70,000 heist.

He had been convicted in August 2012 at Norwich Crown Court that he and his gang had robbed the Francis Wain jewellery store in King's Lynn, Norfolk and was jailed in November later that year.

But there was fury after MailOnline revealed the Mostafa had walked out of the soft Ford Open Prison without completing half of his tariff.

Hate preacher: Mostafa's father is the rabble rouser Abu Hamza (pictured) who is serving a life sentence in the US for eleven terrorism offences having been found guilty in 2014

Mostafa was held at HMP Ford open prison (pictured) after he was convicted of armed robbery on a jewellers in August 2012

Local MP Sir Henry Bellingham slammed the decision to release the son of Hamza, who became known as 'Hook' and said he would like the Home Office to investigate whether he could be deported.

Sir Henry, MP for North West Norfolk told MailOnline: 'The vicious and ruthless raid on the Francis Wain jewellery store in King's Lynn a few years ago by, amongst others, Abu Hamza's son did cause anger and consternation within the community.

'All this was made much worse when Abu Hamza's son received a relatively light sentence, even after admitting he was a habitual drug user, and even after it turned out he had lied throughout the trial.

'Many of my constituents will be quite appalled he is now out of prison after only five years.'

Mostafa was freed from HMP Ford (pictured) having served less than half his 11-year term

'The man is an absolute disgrace and I am urging the Home Office to examine whether there are grounds for removing his UK passport and possibly deporting him if he holds the citizenship of another country.

'What is equally depressing is that Britain has done a lot for this young man, even though his father spent much of his time in Britain preaching hatred  what a sad way for him to repay Britain's hospitality to him.'

Mostafa has been seen travelling in a white Mercedes and has been staying at his mother's home in West London.

The five-bedroom terraced council house has a phalanx of security cameras and floodlights after his father became one of Britain's most hated men for his vile and outspoken attacks.

His mother Nadjet, who wears a burka, lives there with two of his siblings and holds regular prayer meetings behind drawn curtains.

'Absolute disgrace': Sir Henry Bellingham slammed the decision to release the son of Hamza, who became known as 'Hook' and said he would like the Home Office to investigate whether he could be deported

She denied that her son had been staying in the property which is funded by taxpayers and said to be worth more than 1million.

Speaking in the street after approaching our team, she said: 'We have had a lot of trouble in the past. He is not here. But I will ask him if he can speak to you.'

But Mostafa has not been seen since MailOnline confirmed his release. Asked about the family and Mostafa's release, a neighbour said: 'I don't talk to them. I don't get involved.'

Mostafa's father is in jail in the US serving a life sentence for eleven terrorism offences having been found guilty in 2014. But unlike his son, he will never taste freedom again as the Americans have slammed the door shut and told him he will never be paroled.

The preacher, a father of nine, used to incite violence with his rantings at Finsbury Park Mosque, but was finally jailed in Britain in 2006 for inciting violence.

After his seven-year sentence had been served, the Americans came for him.

But Mostafa, who told his trial he had travelled to King's Lynn to buy cannabis, has declared he is not a trouble maker anymore and has turned to his Muslim faith to find sanctuary.

He wants to be seen in the future as a devout Muslim and put his troubled past behind him.

Hamza was jailed for life for terrorism offences during a trial in New York City in 2015, and has been serving his sentence in solitary confinement at a high security prison in Colorado (right)

The former civil engineering student's crime was to mastermind the robbery and then lie to the judge by saying he was teaching Arabic and the Koran at a community centre in London at the time it took place.

Armed with a gun and a hammer he and his gang smashed display cabinets as shop staff cowered behind counters after a smoke bomb was let off.

His accomplices, Jonathan Abdul, 18, from Fulham, was sentenced to 11 years, Ossama Hamed, 19, also of Fulham, to eight years and three months, and Ahmed Ahmed, 20, of Enfield, seven years and four months.

Three of Mostafa's brothers are also no strangers to delving in criminal behaviour.

Hamza Mustafa Kamel, 22, Mohamed Kamel Mostafa,27, and Mohssin Ghailam,28, were jailed in 2009 for their part in a 1million luxury car scam.

The men helped steal and sell cars such as Mercedes, BMWs and Range Rovers in a sophisticated ringing scam aimed at funding their party lifestyles.

They obtained documents fraudulently for the cars and either sold them or used them as collateral for loans which were not paid back.

But freed Mostafa knows he can never shield himself from his firebrand father who spewed out hate against non-Muslims and wanted to see Britain burn.

He was convicted of conspiring to take Western hostages in the Yemen, funding terrorism and running a terrorist training camp in Oregon between 1998 and 2000.

Hamza, 59, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole and will serve his whole sentence at a prison in Colorado.

His son remained loyal to his terrorist father after being jailed despite his defence team telling the jury he had been marginalised as a youngster because of his hated father.

A representative read a statement on his behalf outside the court which said he was he was the victim of a 'plot against my father, myself and my family'.

'They've locked me up for something I did not do, all because of the conspiracy against my father and his beliefs' Mostafa said.
A black man says in a lawsuit that he was kicked in the face, kneed in the groin and seriously hurt by a white suburban Cleveland police officer recently fired for using excessive force on a black man in another case.

Erimius Spencer filed the suit Friday against the city of Euclid, Ohio, former Euclid police officer Michael Amiott, current officer Shane Rivera and the owners of the apartment complex where he lived.

Amiott was fired in October from Euclid after dashboard camera video showed him repeatedly punching a different black man during a traffic stop.

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Erimius Spencer has filed a lawsuit against Euclid, Ohio, two police officers (one current, one former) and his apartment complex. He has alleged police brutality

Two officers moonlighting as security guards allegedly assaulted Spencer at his apartment complex. One officer, Michael Amiott (pictured), was fired in October over an incident involving his assault of a different black man

A message seeking comment was left Monday for Euclid police. No phone listing could be found for Amiott or Rivera.

Spencer's lawsuit said Amiott and Rivera were moonlighting as security guards at his apartment building last December when they confronted him in a hallway, asking him if he had any warrants and whether he was armed.

Amiott reached into Spencer's pocket and found a small amount of marijuana, grabbed him by the arm and shoved him against the wall while ordering him to stop resisting, Spencer said in the lawsuit.

Spencer denies he was resisting the officer.

Amiott then kneed him in the groin and shoved him to the floor while Rivera jumped on his back and restrained his arms and legs, according to Spencer's suit.

The lawsuit says Amiott kicked Spencer in the face when he called out for help and that both officers shocked him with stun guns before placing him in handcuffs.

Spencer was treated for a broken bone in his face.

He later was charged in Euclid Municipal Court with theft, resisting arrest, criminal damaging and drug abuse.

Euclid eventually hired a special prosecutor, who dropped the first three charges in September. Spencer paid a fine for the drug charge.

The theft charged stemmed from Amiott's allegation that Spencer had tried to steal his Taser, Fox8 reports.

'He also charged him with criminal damaging because when they were tasering him numerous times part of a piece of plastic broke on the taser...and apparently Officer Amiott said his sunglasses got broken during what was essentially a beat-down on Erimuis,' Spencer's attorney told Fox8.

Spencer also allegedly had less than one gram of marijuana on his person. In Ohio, this is only punishable by a fine of up to $150.

In October, Amiott was fired by Euclid after being suspended for punching a black man during an August traffic stop.

The city's mayor said she received other complaints about Amiott during the suspension.

He was fired from his previous police job in Mentor for lying.

Euclid and its police department face additional lawsuits over allegations of excessive force.

Spencer (pictured center) had less than one gram of marijuana at him, an offense that is punishable by a fine of up to $150 in the state of Ohio. Such an amount is not a cause for arrest in the state

Last week, 36-year-old Lamar Wright sued the city and two officers in federal court saying officers shocked him with a stun gun and doused his face with pepper spray and accused him of resisting arrest after he had pulled into a driveway to use his cellphone last year.

Prosecutors dropped the charges against Wright, a black man.

The family of 23-year-old Luke Stewart, an unarmed black man who was fatally shot by Euclid police officer Matthew Rhodes in March, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Rhodes and the city in October.

Reports said Rhodes encountered Stewart, who was asleep at the wheel of his car, and then tried to push him out when Stewart started the vehicle and began to drive away.

The officer said he struggled with Stewart and then shot him because he feared the car would crash.
Steve Wyard thought he knew what sexual harassment looked like: a put-out-or-lose-your-job overture. Now he's not so sure.

'Have we gotten to the point now where men can't say, "That's a nice dress" or "Did you do something with your hair?"' said the veteran sales associate for a Los Angeles company. 'The potential problem is you can't even feel safe saying, "Good morning" anymore.'

The sexual misconduct allegations that have brought down powerful men in Hollywood, media, politics and business are sending a shiver through the workplace. Men are wondering if it's still OK to hug a female colleague or ask about her weekend. And some are asking themselves if they ever, perhaps even inadvertently, crossed the line.

Many men in professional spaces are now confused as what constitutes as being acceptable for coworker interaction and what constitutes as a form of sexual harassment. Steve Wyard (pictured) feels like even saying 'good morning' seems difficult

If Garrison Keillor, the gentle-natured former host of public radio's A Prairie Home Companion, can be fired for accidentally (he said) placing his hand on a woman's bare back, could they get in trouble for something similar?

CEO Tom Turner of Bitsight Technologies, a cyber security company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that held a training session for its 270 employees on sexual harassment last month, worries about the effect the national furor will have on the workplace.

Turner added his business takes pride in being a place where people enjoy being around each other. The company's website features photos of employees taking part in ski trips and parties.

CEO Tom Turner of Bitsight Technologies, a cybersecurity company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that held a training session for its 270 employees on sexual harassment last month, worries about the effect the national furor will have on the workplace

'With what all is going on in the media, there could be a tendency to go so far that you actually lose what is special about your company,' he said.

Wyard, who is retiring at the end of the month after 35 years with a company that supplies industrial washers and dryers, claims he can't recall anyone bringing a sexual harassment complaint during his time there.

While some public figures such as Hollywood power broker Harvey Weinstein have been accused of rape, others like Keillor and former President George HW Bush are said to have put their hands where they didn't belong

He chalks that up in part to the family atmosphere he says exists at a business that has employed many of the same people for decades, including fathers and daughters who work together. It's fostered a culture among its 70 employees, he said, 'where you just treat everybody the way you'd want them to treat your sister.'

But he asserts his wife, the CEO at a health maintenance organization, got a complaint from a woman just last month who believed a fellow employee was getting too personal. 'It turned out the guy thought he was just saying, 'What did you do over the weekend?'' Wyard recalls his wife telling him.

John Frith, who worked for years as a spokesman for California government agencies and a California congressman before becoming a consultant, claims he was always careful to keep even an innocuous inquiry about someone's weekend plans to himself - particularly if he was talking to a woman he supervised.

Looking back, he continues, he believes his most egregious transgression was ordering a female intern to fetch him a cup of coffee. He added he wouldn't do it now.

'She glared at me like I was just the worst person in the world,' he recalls. 'I would like to apologize to her now, but after these many, many years I can't remember her name.'

While some public figures such as Hollywood power broker Harvey Weinstein have been accused of rape, others like Keillor and former President George HW Bush are said to have put their hands where they didn't belong.

It's those cases that have everyday guys sweating as they wonder whether they might have leaned in a little too close for that hug. Or if they should have kept that oral sex joke to themselves, or just between them and their male friends.

Wyard, who is retiring at the end of the month after 35 years with a company that supplies industrial washers and dryers, claims he can't recall anyone bringing a sexual harassment complaint during his time there

'What I see in terms of my male friends now is an, 'Oh, my gosh, I hope I didn't.' There's a sense of shame,' said independent filmmaker Laura Lee Bahr.

She says she has been reassuring male friends that giving her a friendly hug when they greet her isn't harassment. It's the flat-out propositions and the unwanted grabbing of body parts that need to stop, she continued.

'So for me, I wish it was the people who really need to take a look at themselves who would take a look at themselves,' she adds.

University of Southern California sociologist Carolann Peterson said men do need to recognize that a sudden arm around the shoulder or a pat on the butt isn't the innocuous gesture some might have thought it was, and it can make women uncomfortable, even if they don't say so at the time.

'Sometimes we as women have a tendency of playing what I call nice,' she said. 'We don't want to offend anybody so we don't say anything.'

But those days are ending, Peterson adds, noting the recent allegations against so many high-profile men have emboldened students in her USC classes to discuss their own experiences.

'We need to speak up when we're uncomfortable,' she said. 'And we need men to be a little more sensitive in what they do.'
British soldiers could face prosecution at the Hague after the International Criminal Court said there was a 'reasonable basis' to believe they committed war crimes in Iraq.

The startling threat of a renewed investigation was buried in a 74-page report on preliminary inquiries as the ICC's member states gather in New York for its annual nine-day meeting.

The new threat comes despite another probe into abuse claims being discredited. A group of UK lawyers who promoted allegations were found guilty of misconduct and senior lawyer Phil Shiner was struck off.

The Iraq Historical Allegations Team was shut down earlier this year after an inquiry found it took up 3,500 allegations with little credible evidence.

Johnny Mercer, the Tory MP who led a campaign against IHAT, said the ICC report was a symptom of continued failure to properly deal with complaints.

The Government said its own investigations into the small number of remaining cases would 'preclude' any need for an international case.

British soldiers could face prosecution at the Hague after the International Criminal Court. Pictured are British soldiers patrol in the southern city of Basra in 2007

In 2014, The Hague-based prosecutor reopened an initial probe into war crimes allegations relating to prisoner abuse.

In the new report, chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said: 'Following a thorough factual and legal assessment of the information available... there is reasonable basis to believe that members of the UK armed forces committed war crimes, within the jurisdiction of the Court, against persons in their custody.'

Ms Bensouda's office said individual statements received from the discredited lawyers 'could be considered credible enough if substantiated with supporting material' such as detention records, medical certificates and photographs.

ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said there was a 'reasonable basis' to believe UK soldiers committed war crimes in Iraq

Her office is now considering 'complementarity and gravity' before evaluating further steps.

'The prosecutor must be satisfied as to admissibility on both aspects before proceeding,' the report said.

Bensouda will then decide whether to ask ICC judges permission to launch a full-blown investigation.

Mr Mercer told MailOnline: 'Our inability to deal properly with historical allegations against our servicemen and women continues to dog the MOD.

'The catastrophic moral failure of the IHAT process can never be used as a shield to hide genuine isolated abuses that are alleged.

'If we had a resilient, robust and fair way of addressing these issues in a timely manner we could be facing more of the deep and profound challenges we currently face in defence which we must answer as a matter of national priority.'

The new threat comes despite another probe into abuse claims being discredited. A group of UK lawyers who promoted allegations were found guilty of misconduct and senior lawyer Phil Shiner (pictured) was struck off

Set up in 2002, the Hague-based ICC is an independent court of last resort, only to intervene and prosecute those committing the world's worst crimes if a member country is unwilling or unable to do so themselves.

The UK government has always insisted it will investigate justified complaints and no international probe is necessary.

The original investigation was launched after human rights groups and lawyers alleged that at least 1,071 Iraqi detainees were tortured and ill-treated between March 2003 to December 2008.

The same group also alleged that British personnel committed 52 unlawful killings of people in their custody over the same period.

Investigations into allegations against British troops were discredited after a group of lawyers who formed part of the those making the claim were later found guilty on misconduct charges resulting from a public inquiry.

The scandal led to a major inquiry and Mr Shiner, who ran the now defunct Public Interest Lawyers, was struck off.

The world war crimes court's previous chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in 2006 said he would not open a full probe in Iraq because he did not have enough evidence.

Earlier this year Britain dismissed hundreds of allegations of misconduct by its soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A UK government spokesman said: 'We have a legal responsibility to investigate credible allegations of wrongdoing by UK forces, and that is what we are already doing as part of service police legacy investigations, which is reviewing the relatively small number of remaining cases after the closure of IHAT, and through Operation Northmoor.

'We are confident that our existing efforts to investigate allegations preclude the need for any investigation by the ICC.'
Some of his never-before-seen photos, which survived a flood, a building fire, and an earthquake, are showcased in his new book, London Rock: The Unseen Archive

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Photographer Alec Byrne, now 68, recalls being on the front lines of London's rock n' roll music scene in the late 1960s

It was the summer of 1968 and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger was filming his first movie.

The film, Performance, was being shot in a house in Knightsbridge, west London on a closed set, but word quickly got out.

Young music photographer Alec Byrne had somehow managed to sneak in - but the 19-year-old wasn't prepared for what would happen next.

'To this day I don't know how I pulled it off, when I got there the house was nothing fancy and, with a full complement of cast and crew, a bit cramped,' Byrne told DailyMailTV.

'I followed the flow of people to where the focus of the activity was and I suddenly found myself in a small bedroom - there was Mick Jagger lay in bed with two naked women, it was some sight.'

Jagger was in the middle of filming a steamy scene with actresses Anita Pallenberg and Michele Breton when Byrne stumbled in - he couldn't believe his luck.

'It was pretty special, the girls were free and easy about being naked,' he recalls. 'Mick was very quiet, intensely focused on what he had to do. But shooting bands on stage and behind the scenes did nothing to prepare me for this situation.'

Byrne squeezed passed the production crew tried to position himself in the corner of the room out of the way.

But as he did so did a grip guy carrying a lightning stand and blocked him off.

'There was nowhere else to go so I had to sit on the edge of the bed, Mick glared at me with the two women beside him, I'll never forget it.

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Iconic: One of Byrne's favorite shots, he says, was the photo he took of Mick Jagger filming a steamy scene on the set of his first film, Performance, which the 19-year-old photographer happened to walk in on. 'There was nowhere else to go so I had to sit on the edge of the bed, Mick glared at me with the two women beside him, I'll never forget it,' he said

The film, Performance, was being shot in a house in Knightsbridge, west London on a closed set, but word quickly got out, Byrne said

'I quickly moved off into the corner and stayed for the rest of the shoot grabbing shots between takes. I got some of my favorite photos that day.'

Byrne's extraordinary photos - seen here for the first time and showcased exclusively on DailyMailTV - make up part of his new book on the British music scene of the late 1960s and early 70s called London Rock: The Unseen Archive.

The photos are among hundreds of pictures documenting his early career as a rock photographer snapping music legends like Jagger, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, and Bob Marley as well as iconic bands of the day including The Beatles, Cream, Beach Boys, and The Who.

Incredibly, the entire archive sat gathering dust in Byrne's garage for almost 50 years until the treasure trove was recently unearthed.

And amazingly the thousands of photos had somehow survived through a fire, flood, and earthquake over the years - events which had destroyed thousands more images in Byrne's collection.

Byrne recalls those early days captured on film fondly.

He started life as a dispatch rider for Keystone Press, a photo agency in Fleet Street, collecting film from photographers to be processed.

Byrne's extraordinary archive will be released on December 7

'I was riding around on a scooter and I was a Mod with the parka and the whole "Quadrophenia" set up.

'But I got to know the photography end of it by hanging out in the dark room.

'I picked up various things a long the way and my brother had a real cheap 35mm camera and I started shooting that - going to the park, snapping family, and friends.

'I was earning five guineas (5.25) a week and remember buying my first camera for 42. I had to get my mother to sign a hire purchase loan agreement.'

After getting an artsy photo of a building published in the local paper, Byrne became hooked.

He began taking photos of bands after work trying to go to as many gigs as possible.

'I was shooting everything and I'd do three or four bands a week and I would send these pictures in and the magazine New Musical Express (NME) would publish one or two and it got to the point I was making as much money from the weekly music papers as I was from my job.

'I was ready to quit, but before I made that decision I'd done a gig and went back to the office, snuck in through the window, and developed some pictures.

'Problem was I fell asleep though complete exhaustion then the morning guy came on and said: "What the hell are you doing here?" and I was fired immediately.'

Byrne went straight to NME asking for a job and they gave him a retainer.

It was 1966 and the London music scene was about to explode.

'I was in the right place at the right time,' Byrne recalls. 'There was a music revolution happening and I was in the thick of it.'

One of Byrne's most memorable photos came on May 4, 1967 - the day after his 18th birthday.

Byrne, who began taking pictures of bands as a teen, recalls seeing rock legend Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger at the taping of the weekly music show Top of the Pops on May 4, 1967 - a day before his 18th birthday - He snapped a photo of the two stars which he believes had met for the first time this night

The young photographer's extraordinary photos - seen here for the first time - make up part of his new book on the British music scene of the late 1960s and early 70s called London: The Unseen Archive. Above is Byrne's shot of Keith Moon, Peter Townshend, and Mick Jagger in 1968

Byrne remembers vividly the time he was at the Marquee Club in SoHo when Keith Richards (pictured in 1971) collapsed on stage, his eyes rolling back in his head and his body crashing into an amp

Byrne was going to the BBC's studios at Lime Grove every Thursday for the taping of the weekly music show Top of the Pops, and that night Jimi Hendrix was playing.

He recalls: 'I was in awe of Hendrix, he blew the doors off the place, but the cool moment came when I noticed Mick Jagger behind stage, out of the lights, just standing there watching Jimi's set.

'When taping finished, Jimi went over to Jagger and I immediately followed.

'I asked if they minded my taking their picture and they said no, I snapped a shot on my Rolleiflex, just one frame, no other photographers were around.

'As far as I'm aware that was the first time these two music legends met.'

The following month Byrne covered the Our World TV special at Abbey Road Studios.

The Beatles's Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album was only three weeks old, and the event would include the band's first performance of 'All You Need Is Love.'

It was the world's first international satellite broadcast - the first worldwide show - and involved contributions from 19 nations and an estimated audience of 700 million people, mindblowing figures in 1967.

Byrne remembers the press day at Abbey Road Studios the day before being a scrap of media, but when all the newspaper guys went he stuck around.

'After the crush inside, everyone was ready for a little fresh air, including the Beatles,' he recalls.

'I found myself standing with Paul and Ringo, who were out on the forecourt having a cigarette.

'I asked if they don't mind me taking a few more shots and they were fine. They were the best shots I got all day.

'I asked Ringo if he was nervous about the satellite show and he smiled: "Not really. I just keep the beat y'know."'

Young Alec: Byrne landed a young photographer's dream job in the late 1960s photographing rock legends when London's music scene was about to explode. Above he is pictured in his London studio in 1968

Byrne's nearly lost his valuable body of work several times over the years. In 1994 the devastating Northridge earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.7, struck the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. Byrne's office in Hollywood was badly hit and hundreds of negatives were again damaged

In 1971 he recalls how a fire ripped through his studio in London destroying thousands of negatives

Five years later when Byrne decided to move to the States hundreds more negatives were damaged by sea water during the Atlantic crossing in a shipping container (pictured)

During those golden days of the London music scene, gaining access to huge music stars was not like it is today.

Byrne remembers setting up a photo shoot with David Bowie in a park.

'It was agreed we would go to a park in Beckenham (South London) which is where he was living at the time,' said Byrne.

'But when I got there I was surprised, it was just him standing at the gate, none of his people.

'His star was rising but he didn't arrive with an entourage of publicists, make-up artists, and hangers-on the way an artist would today.

'I always had an interest in Bowie and his 'Space Oddity' was special, but while I was expecting a withdrawn, artsy, introverted guy, he was the opposite - he was warm and easy going.

'We were both South London boys and I think we clicked right away, we spent a few hours together working out how to get the best pictures.

Byrne managed to capture some incredible portraits of Bowie in his prime and shortly after the shoot the star's office called asking if they could use one of his photos as his publicity shot in the program for the Humble Pie tour.

'Fast forward to 2015, and I got word that the same photo , pulled from an old copy of the program, was to be the lead image for the book accompanying Bowie's new box set, Five Years (1969-1973).

'I was humbled, here's a guy who has been photographed thousands of times over the past 50 years but he remembered that one picture, I was honored.'

For Byrne, the stories come thick and fast.

Smoking marijuana with Bob Marley during a photo shoot was particularly memorable and hanging out at Elton John's house was great, he says.

Byrne, who had had the privilege of hanging out with some the biggest music icons, says the death of Rolling Stones founder and guitarist Brian Jones deeply affected him (Pictured December 11, 1968)

Jones died aged 27 shortly after being pulled, unconscious, out of the floodlight swimming pool at his home in Hartfield, East Sussex on July 3, 1969. After the ceremony when nearly everyone had drifted away Byrne walked over to the open grave and captured a memorable photo

But Byrne seems to gravitate back to the Stones, a band he had the privilege of photographing dozens of times.

He remembers vividly the time he was at the Marquee Club in SoHo when Keith Richards collapsed on stage, his eyes rolling back in his head and his body crashing into an amp.

'It was a small venue, low stage and literally I could feel the sweat coming off Jagger because I was right in the front,' he recalls.

'The guys were having so much fun because this was their last gig before they were going to leave England and go to France.

'So there was lots of booze and substances being passed around and at one point you can see in the picture that Mick is looking at Keith because no one knows what he is playing and he's weaving around.

'Next thing he falls back, crashes on the amplifiers, slumps down on to the stage and everyone starts thinking "has he died?"'

'People rushed to him and he was taken away and I caught it on camera. I was amazed that he reappeared on stage a short time later.'

While Byrne remembers how easy success came to bands like the Stones, he also remembers how others needed a leg up.

In January 1968 he began working with an emerging band called Love Affair whose first single 'She Smiled Sweetly', written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, flopped.

The band was desperate for their next hit so they turned to Byrne to give them a boost.

The young rock photographer whisked them to Piccadilly Circus where he came up with the idea of shooting photos at the statue of Eros - the goddess of love.

But his idea came with a twist.

In a few short years, Byrne had built up an archive of material that would be the envy of music photographers the world over. Pictured is his shot of Iggy Pop, King's Cross Cinema, in 1972

'The Who, Who's next' press party at Keith Moon's house, Chertsey, Surrey, July 14, 1971

He attended The Who, Who's next Press party at band drummer Keith Moon's house (pictured in 1971)

Byrne also befriended The Beatles while the band was making their appearance on Our World TV special at Abbey Road Studios. Pictured left is a photo he snapped of John Lennon and his first son Julian in 1968, and right, Paul McCartney in 1973

The incredible archive of material sat in storage for more than four decades. Pictured above is Jim Morrison, The Roundhouse, September 1968

'I told them to climb up on the statue for a photo and the traffic began to slow down with all the people looking up,' he recalls.

'Then it clicked, I told them to stay up there as long as they could, the traffic was backed up and now hundreds of people began to gather to see what was going on and the police were called.

'The police eventually coaxed them down, they get arrested and taken away, and by the time they appeared in court a week later all the newspapers had covered the story, job done.

'Their new record Everlasting Love shot straight to number one - I'd definitely credit my little stunt for that.'

Cutting his teeth in the rock and roll scene in London in the swinging 60s had been incredible for young Byrne.

In a few short years he had built up an archive of material that would be the envy of music photographers the world over.

But as a young lad who had had the privilege of hanging out with some music icons, nothing affected him more than the death of Brian Jones.

Stones founder and rhythm guitarist Brian Jones was a universally respected pioneer of new musical forms.

He died aged 27 shortly after being pulled, unconscious, out of the floodlight swimming pool at his home in Hartfield, East Sussex on July 3, 1969.

'I just couldn't take it in,' recalls Byrne. 'Just a few months before, I'd been photographing and chatting with him at the Rock and Roll Circus. Now his life was over, and the reality hit me hard.'

Byrne decided to go to his funeral in his hometown of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, 115 miles from London.

He said: 'Brian's hearse arrived as part of a 14-car procession.

'His coffin, carried into the church through the crowd, was covered with flowers, including a guitar shaped wreath from the Stones office.'

Byrne said Jagger couldn't make the funeral because he was filming a movie in Australia, but Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts were there. Keith Richards was expected but never arrived.

Byrne managed to capture some incredible portraits of Bowie in his prime and shortly after the shoot the star's office called asking if they could use one of his photos as his publicity shot in the program for the Humble Pie tour. In 2015, that same photo was to be the lead image for the book accompanying Bowie's new box set, Five Years

Byrne was lucky to meet some of London rock's biggest legends, including Marc Bolan, the lead singer of English rock band T. Rex (pictured in 1971). Bolan in 1977, at age 29

T. Rex live at Lyceum Ballroom, London on January 16, 1974

After the ceremony when nearly everyone had drifted away Byrne walked over to the open grave and captured a memorable photo.

He said: 'There was no security, just Brian's coffin in the ground and two young female fans in long dark coats and hippie hats standing there paying their respects. I captured the moment on film.

'The experience drilled home a simple fact, good times don't last forever.'

Byrne covered music in London from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s eventually setting up his own photo agency.

Eventually in 1976 he decided to switch to America, settling in Los Angeles where he stills lives today with wife Kim at the family home in Encino. He has two daughters Lucy and Chloe.

His incredible archive of material sat in storage for more than four decades.

Byrne, 68, said: 'For nearly 50 years these images were in boxes hidden away in my garage until a friend I was working with, Drew Evans, came by the house and saw a picture on the wall of The Beatles and said, 'where did you buy that?'

'I explained I had taken it along with photos of other bands and that's what got the ball rolling.'

Byrne also explains how he almost lost his valuable body of work.

In 1971 he recalls how a fire ripped through his studio in London destroying thousands of negatives.

Five years later when Byrne decided to move to the States hundreds more negatives were damaged by sea water during the Atlantic crossing in a shipping container.

Then in 1994 the devastating Northridge earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.7, struck the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles.

Byrne's office in Hollywood was badly hit and hundreds of negatives were again damaged.

'Looking back I feel fortunate that there's still so much material that has survived through fire, flood and quake,' he said.

With the remaining photos dusted off, in late 2012 Byrne held an acclaimed one-night show in LA attended by more than a thousand people.

'That showed me just how important these images are,' he explained.

Since then Byrne's work has been featured during the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, exhibited by the South by southwest music festival, and accepted into the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Now his impressive body of work will be available for wider consumption in the book, London Rock: The Unseen Archive, which will be released on December 7.

London Rock: The Unseen Archive by Alec Byrne is available for pre-order at Amazon.com

London Rock is also published by Virgin Books 50 www.penguin.co.uk http://amzn.to/2AefFpm

London Rock is on display at Proud Central, London 8th December  28th January

London Rock: The Unseen Archive - The Perfect Exposure Gallery, Los Angeles - Opens Dec. 14

Alec Byrne Website http://alecbyrnearchive.com
While facing several felony charges, Donald Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been working on an op-ed essay with a longtime colleague assessed to have ties to a Russian intelligence service, according to court papers filed Monday by prosecutors working for special counsel Robert Mueller.

In the court filing, prosecutors say Manafort and the colleague sought to publish the op-ed under someone elses name and intended it to influence public opinion about his work in Ukraine. The op-ed was being drafted as late as last week, with Manafort currently under house arrest. Prosecutors did not name the colleague but noted the person is based in Russia.

Manafort is currently facing several felony charges involving allegations of money laundering and other financial crimes related to his political consulting work in Ukraine. He has been confined to his home while he works out a bond arrangement with the government.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is seen above arriving at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse after a court hearing on the terms of his bail and house arrest on November 6

In the court filing, prosecutors say the op-ed appeared to violate an admonishment from the judge last month to refrain from public statements.

Even if the ghostwritten op-ed were entirely accurate, fair, and balanced, it would be a violation of this Courts November 8 Order if it had been published, the prosecutors wrote. The editorial clearly was undertaken to influence the publics opinion of defendant Manafort, or else there would be no reason to seek its publication (much less for Manafort and his long-time associate to ghostwrite it in anothers name).

They added, It compounds the problem that the proposed piece is not a dispassionate recitation of the facts.

Manafort has denied any wrongdoing related to his work in Ukraine. A spokesman for Manafort did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prosecutors said they discovered the efforts to publish the op-ed last Thursday and alerted Manaforts attorney, who assured prosecutors that steps would be taken to make sure it was it was no longer going to be published.

Prosecutors did not disclose the op-ed in court papers so as to prevent it from becoming public. They also did not disclose what name the ghostwritten op-ed would have been published under.

Manafort has agreed to an $11.65 million bail agreement with the special counsel investigating Trump campaign ties to Russia. Special Counsel Robert Mueller (right) is seen above in Washington on June 21

Manafort had agreed to an $11.65 million bail agreement with the special counsel investigating Trump campaign ties with Russia.

Manafort, who was indicted along with a business associate Richard Gates in October, would be released from house arrest and electronic monitoring under the deal, lawyer Kevin Downing said in a filing in US District Court in Washington.

Manafort, who has been confined to his Virginia home, has agreed to forfeit four real estate properties if he commits a bail violation, the court document said.

Manafort previously had an unsecured $10 million 'appearance bond' to guarantee he shows up to court.

Agreement on bail had been reached with the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Downing said in the filing.

A spokesman for Mueller could not immediately be reached for comment.

Manafort, who ran Trump's 2016 campaign for several months, and Gates pleaded not guilty in October to a 12-count indictment by a federal grand jury.

They face charges including conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy against the United States and failing to register as foreign agents of Ukraine's former pro-Russian government.

The charges are part of Mueller's investigation into the conclusions of US intelligence agencies that Russia undertook a campaign of hacking and misinformation to tilt the election in Trump's favor and potential collusion by Trump associates, allegations that Moscow and the president deny.

Mueller and his attorneys have previously argued that the court should only agree to a bail agreement if Manafort fully explains his finances to the court and that they considered him a flight risk.

The four properties posted as bail are a Bridgehampton, New York home valued at $4 million, a New York City property valued at $3.7 million, a Florida property estimated at $1.25 million, and a home in Virginia worth $2.7 million, the filing said.

Manafort's wife, Kathleen, and his daughter Andrea have agreed to act as sureties on the appearance bond, it said.

To address the issue of flight risk, Manafort has agreed to not travel overseas, has handed over his passports, and will restrict his travel to Florida, Virginia, New York and Washington DC.

Downing called the $11.65 million a 'substantial portion' of Manafort's assets.

'Simply put, Mr. Manafort's family would face severe economic consequences if he were not to appear as required.'
Adam Smith International, the fattest of Britains foreign aid fat-cat contractors, remains defiant, if not entirely convincing.

For more than 20 years, weve been consistently bringing the best minds together to solve complex development problems, and are known for turning policies into action, the consultancys website continues to boast. The quality of our work is proven and award-winning.

Many would disagree. Allegations that the firm managed a 12million UK Government scheme which poured money into a brutal, jihadi-dominated justice system in rebel-held Syria is simply the latest in a succession of ASI scandals.

According to a BBC Panorama investigation, Jihadis You Pay For, screened last night, the Syrian community policing project was linked to the stoning to death of two women by an Al Qaeda affiliate and the beheading of a teenager, as well as torture of other suspects.

Allegations that the firm managed a 12million UK Government scheme which poured money into a brutal, jihadi-dominated justice system in rebel-held Syria is simply the latest in a succession of ASI scandals (stock photo)

Documents seen by Panorama also suggested that police officers were forced to hand over UK cash to the extremists in control of their area.

Dead and fictitious people were put on the forces UK-funded payroll, it was claimed. The Foreign Office has suspended the three-year-old aid project as a result of the revelations.

Whether this proves to be the last straw for Adam Smith International  the most notorious of Britains foreign aid enterprises  remains to be seen. ASI has rebutted the latest claims.

But only nine months have passed since four ASI founder-executives quit after the Government froze further company funding amid question marks over its ethics and integrity.

Confidential Government documents had been improperly obtained by ASI executives, while the company had also assisted with the drafting of glowing testimonials by its clients to be given to MPs to head off criticism and presumably drum up new business.

These abuses fed into a wider anger over the way private-sector bosses have enriched themselves through the commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of Britains annual national income  some 12billion  on foreign aid.

Taxpayers money set aside for projects to alleviate poverty and injustice abroad instead found its way into six-figure salaries and seven-figure executive bonuses or  in the apparent case of the Syrian police project highlighted by Panorama  squandered on wholly inappropriate causes. Perhaps as much as 1billion a year in total has recently gone to consultants.

ASI, which has its headquarters close to Blackfriars bridge in central London, remains at the centre of this disquiet over profiteering in the worlds trouble spots. The firm was founded in 1992, arising from, but unconnected to, the Right-of-Centre Adam Smith Institute think-tank.

ASI grew in prominence and income during the early years of New Labour. Its role in spreading free-market thinking in Third World countries, in particular the privatisation of state utilities, soon brought it into ideological conflict with more traditional organisations in the field.

Documents seen by Panorama also suggested that police officers were forced to hand over UK cash to the extremists in control of their area (stock photo)

In 2004, it emerged that the Labour government had paid ASI 118million in six years. The following year the company received a further 22.5million from the Department for International Development (DfID). This attracted the description fat cat consultants. But the rewards then were as nothing to what they would become.

Among the controversies was the 444,000 ASI was paid to boost the public image of a water project in Tanzania which collapsed amid much recrimination about cost and incompetence.

ASI even produced a pop song to support the venture, the lyrics of which claimed: Governments and business people/ Tanzania and foreigners/ are like four legs of a table/ at which our children will one day feast.

ASI did not have to wait so long for rich pickings. It won lucrative contracts to help in reconstruction in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where most inhabitants were surviving on a few dollars a day.

In 2010-11 alone, DfID gave ASI 37million, out of a total company turnover of 53.6million. Four of ASIs directors received a remuneration of more than 1million each over that period, including founder Peter Young.

He justified the rewards by saying: We have got tax revenues in Afghanistan up from next to nothing to 2billion. If you want to get a good job done, you have to get people who know what theyre doing.

However, the Commons public accounts committee described the dividends paid to the firms executives as excessive.

The brakes were apparently applied to this gravy train in 2013 when then-international development secretary Justine Greening introduced new guidelines on transparency.

She claimed consultancies such as ASI had been paid more than 1billion under Labour with virtually no effective ministerial oversight.

But neither turnover nor profits showed signs of waning. Quite the opposite.

ASI gross profits almost doubled from 9million in 2012 to 17.4million in 2014. In the same period, DfIDs handouts to the firm had risen from 43million to 88million. Chief executive Layth Bunni was paid almost 240,000.

Some 10 per cent of the overseas aid budget was being spent on such consultants  described by MPs as a grotesque waste.

Peter Young, of Adam Smith International

But not as far as former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind was concerned. His place on the ASI board earned him 35,000 a year, not including bonuses.

Staff were paid an average of 64,000 a year. Then came the allegations of dirty tricks. A year ago, it emerged that a senior figure at ASI had got hold of secret Government files concerning policy plans for foreign aid.

In an email to colleagues he said: Id appreciate if you could treat these with the right level of sensitivity  it could be detrimental if DfID know that we have these, particularly via me. I think these can help us on BD [business development] planning and strategic approach on bids.

He was, of course, talking about bids for taxpayers money, and this was the aid industry equivalent of industrial espionage. A DfID investigation began.

Shortly afterwards, leaked internal emails written by Peter Young, ASIs head of strategy, set out his firms need for testimonies from foreign clients to be produced to be shown to MPs, to head off the growing storm.

The firm had to be careful, though, not to appear to be authoring those glowing submissions. We need to be judicious. It would not be plausible for an illiterate farmer to submit a long note in perfect written English, Mr Young allegedly advised.

It emerged that nine executives had each received more than 1.5million tax-free in 2015. Far from slowing, the gravy train was running away.

In February, DfID froze the award of future contracts to ASI after a scathing report by MPs of the international development committee on the firms inappropriate behaviour.

DfID said: Since these allegations came to light, we have frozen awards of new contracts to ASI and are taking detailed advice on next steps.

Within weeks, four of ASIs millionaire founders had stepped down while the company restructured. They were Mr Young, Andrew Kuhn and Amitabh Shrivastava, to be followed by executive chairman William Morrison. Then, in September, chairman Sir Martin Davidson lost a vote of no confidence and left. He was followed by Sir Malcolm Rifkind.

ASI shareholders might have hoped a clean sweep of the board would see it given a fresh go at the foreign aid trough. Now, the Syria revelations are a blow from which it might not recover.
A group of young Muslim women were left in tears on Monday night after taking part in ABC panel show Q&A.

Zara Bilal, a Year 10 student at Pymble Ladies College, asked the panel how individuals and government bodies should respond to US President Donald Trump tweeting anti-Muslim propaganda.

'Being a young Muslim female Australian, I have been on the receiving end of many hurtful discriminatory comments,' she said.

'This hate was perpetuated by US president Donald Trump who retweeted anti-Muslim propaganda, with a 78 per cent increase in hate crimes against Muslims in the US in 2017.'

Zara Bilal (pictured centre) asked Monday night's Q&A panel how individuals and government bodies should respond to anti-Muslim propaganda in the wake of a series of videos retweeted by US President Donald Trump

Her question was addressed positively by all panelists except one.

Simon Breheny, the director of policy at the Institute of Public Affairs, dismissed the question, asking why the panel was not discussing the US tax bill instead.

'It's extraordinary the one thing we're plucking out of the US when it comes to news and current affairs is what he's tweeting,' Mr Breheny said.

'Please, can we talk about something of substance?'

The harsh response, and the anger directed at Mr Breheny from the rest of the panel afterwards, provoked host Tony Jones to ask Ms Bilal why she felt moved to ask the question.

The Year 10 student teared up as she told the panel she felt unwelcome and alone because of her religion

As she spoke about her feelings of isolation, her friend (left) also began to cry

Tearily, the young woman explained how the spread of propaganda and the reactions it received left her feeling unwelcome.

'It's definitely a struggle when you're living in a society where you think you're welcomed and you think the people around you are going to be there,' she said, as her friend wiped tears from her own eyes.

'When you hear about people getting, international people, who are supposed to be there to speak up about you, it's difficult to then have to justify yourself to the people who you thought were standing behind you.'

President Donald Trump retweeted three anti-Muslim videos originally posted by Jayda Fransen, the leader of nationalist group Britain First, last week.

Last week, Mr Trump retweeted a series of videos posted by Jayda Fransen, the leader of British nationalist group Britain First

Fake news: This video retweeted by the President was debunked as staged. It claims it depicts a 'Muslim migrant' according to Jayda Fransen, beating up a 'Dutch boy on crutches.' Dutch authorities have told MailOnline the 'migrant' is a Dutch national

Fransen's Twitter feed is littered with videos and pictures condemning Islam.

The first clip supposedly showed a Muslim migrant beating up a Dutch boy on crutches.

However, DailyMail.com learned the Dutch boy video is 'fake news'.

A spokesman for the Monnickendam Police, where the incident took place, said: 'The boy in the video attacking a boy on crutches is a Dutch national'.

Seconds later, Trump retweeted a video showing what is claimed to be a Muslim man destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The third video posted in quick succession to his 43.6million followers was by far the most disturbing - a video showing an alleged Islamic group throwing a teenager off a roof before beating him to death.

One of the videos shows a 'Muslim man' speaking to the camera and then bashing a statue of Virgin Mary on the ground, shattering it

Trump retweeted this video purporting to show: 'Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!'

South Australian Senator Linda Singh said it was 'outrageous' that Mr Trump, as President of the United States, would attack Muslims.

'That the President of the US, the leader of the free world, is targeting a certain group within our society, and that's having an effect on the women here that have shared that experience with us tonight here in Australia,' she began.

'That's outrageous. It's terrible. And we can't be flippant about it.'

Former Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs slammed the President for 'almost licensing the world to use social media and particularly the public context to abuse people on the basis of their race'.

'That is where we need leadership to stand up against the Trump behaviour,' she said.

'To say this is completely unacceptable and that we have to speak in favour of the ability of people to be in the public arena without that kind of racial and religious abuse.'
Almost 200 paedophiles were arrested in just one week for grooming children on live-streaming apps.

Suspects included teachers, care workers, medical staff, police officers, military personnel and civil servants.

Detectives said the swoop had saved 245 children from abuse and exploitation.

Some were primary school age. The officers fear that sex offenders are locked in a feeding frenzy, taking full advantage of new streaming technology.

Detectives said the swoop had saved 245 children from abuse and exploitation (file image)

Posing as children, they trick their young targets into exposing themselves or performing sex acts that are broadcast online. Some record the footage and use it to bully and blackmail victims into more depraved acts.

The paedophiles often offer cash rewards in return for compliance.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the countrys most senior officer charged with tackling child abuse, said officers were trying everything to keep youngsters safe.

Predator groomed girl Glen Friend was the first paedophile to be jailed in Britain for targeting children on live-streaming apps. The 28-year-old groomed a nine-year-old and persuaded her to expose herself on Live.me. Friend, from Walthamstow in north-east London, regularly breached orders relating to a conviction in 2009 for sexual activity with a child. He was jailed last December for flouting the orders but after his release in April he was back online contacting the girl. Glen Friend was the first paedophile to be jailed in Britain for targeting children on live-streaming apps She was appalled to discover her video was seen by almost 300 users, including ten paedophiles police are still trying to trace. Friend was jailed for four years after admitting inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and breaching a sexual harm prevention order. Advertisement

But he added: We also need help. We need internet companies to help us stop access to sexual abuse images and videos and prevent abuse happening on their platforms. We need parents and carers to talk to their children about healthy relationships and staying safe online.

Young people in their millions are broadcasting footage of themselves online through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or apps such as Live.me.

Earlier this year a Daily Mail investigation revealed paedophiles use the sites to target children as young as three.

They are able to send messages and tip the child broadcasters with virtual gifts that can be swapped for cash.

The paedophiles asked the children whether they had kissed boys or liked to wear swimsuits. Young girls were asked to show off their bedrooms and do handstands while barely dressed. Many agree to do so to win the virtual rewards and can be coaxed into appearing naked.

More than 170million people worldwide use the broadcasting platforms, including an estimated three million in Britain.The internet firms do very little to check their users meet the general rule of being over 13 and having parental permission.

Crime gangs are also exploiting the live-streaming apps, charging paedophiles to watch child victims being abused.

In October, a Devon couple were jailed for 17 years after live-streaming the abuse of an infant over the internet to a woman in America.

Sarah Gotham, 34, and Craig Forbes, 36, drugged and sexually abused the girl for a paedophile in California using Skype.

A month earlier a group of Britons were jailed for logging on to a chatroom as an American raped a six-year-old boy.

Will Kerr of the National Crime Agency said live-streaming was one of the fastest growing threats to young people.

We are concerned about some new offences that have become a significant concern over recent years such as live-streaming, particularly in the Far East, he said.

We see the live-streaming of contact abuse of children, some as young as babies, all done to order by organised crime gangs

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the countrys most senior officer charged with tackling child abuse, said officers were trying everything to keep youngsters safe

This adds a new, complex and worrying level to the number of sex offences worldwide because it is not just done because of peoples sexual predilections. It is done for profit.

His colleague Zoe Hilton, who has responsibility for protecting children, said offenders were adapting to new technology. She said: These individuals are learning how young people communicate online and are using this knowledge to contact, befriend and abuse them. Offenders will also take advantage of the fact that young peoples inhibitions are lower online.

Were also encouraging parents to talk to their children about what a healthy relationship looks like and how to spot when someone might not be who they say they are.
Nicholas Banfield had moored his yacht at a secluded beach to enjoy dinner and a drink with his girlfriend in what 'should have been the start of a beautiful weekend'.

But when friends and police officers boarded the boat at Balmoral, Sydney, some two days later the talented young sailor was dead and his girlfriend was seriously ill.

A coronial inquest found the 23-year-old had died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning after a stove was turned on in his sealed yacht cabin for warmth.

Nicholas Banfield, 23, died from carbon monoxide poisoning last year after turning on a gas stove in the sealed cabin of his yacht to stay warm

Mr Bainfield had moored the yacht (left) at Sydney's beautiful Balmoral beach and had planned a romantic weekend with his girlfriend. She gained consciousness two days later and survived the poisoning against all odds, a coronial inquest found

'Nicholas Banfield was an intelligent and careful sailor with many years of experience,' deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame said in her written findings.

'That such a tragedy can befall him, in itself calls for a re-thinking of the regulation in this environment.'

Ms Grahame said it was difficult to know exactly what happened after Mr Banfield and his girlfriend ate nachos and shared an alcohol drink on the Friday night.

All the girlfriend remembers is her heart racing and feeling sick and confused.

It wasn't until Sunday that the woman, who hasn't been named, gained enough consciousness to make a call to her mother for help.

Police responded quickly but Mr Banfield had already died.

Ms Grahame said it was 'very difficult to know how (his girlfriend) survived'.

'Nicholas Banfield (pictured) was an intelligent and careful sailor with many years of experience,' deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame said

The coroner on Monday recommended the NSW government urgently consider mandating carbon monoxide alarms in boats and recreational vehicles with sealable cabins.

She also recommended Transport for NSW form a working party to consider ways of educating the community about carbon monoxide poisoning, which is believed to be more common than reported.

'It became clear during the course of the inquest that the potential danger of carbon monoxide poisoning is somewhat unknown or under-estimated in the recreational boating field,' Ms Grahame said.

Even a detective involved in the investigation was largely unaware of the dangers despite being attached to the Police Marine Area Command and a recreational boat owner.

Ms Grahame said Mr Banfield himself was well aware of safety standards in the boating industry and wasn't known to take risks.

The coroner expressed her sympathy for his parents and said she hoped the tragedy of Mr Banfield's death would lead to legislative change.
Aviation experts have demanded a new investigation into images showing debris floating in the Indian Ocean soon after missing flight MH370 vanished.

Leader of the MH370 Independent Group, US engineer Victor Iannello, said the pictures appear to show debris, including a suitcase and a cargo package, that could have come from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.

Dr Iannello told The Australian the images taken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force were initially overlooked but need to be given more attention as US company Ocean Infinity reignites the search for the plane next year.

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Scientists and aviation experts are urging for images of the Indian Ocean taken soon after flight MH370 disappeared to be re-evaluated (pictured is a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777)

Leader of the MH370 Independent Group, US engineer Victor Iannello, said the pictures appear to show debris, including a suitcase (pictured) and a cargo package, that could have come from the missing Malaysian Airline flight

Dr Iannello told The Australian the images taken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force were initially overlooked but need to be given more attention as US company Ocean Infinity reignites the search for the plane next year

The Boeing 777 vanished with 239 people aboard while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014.

The plane carried mostly Malaysian and Chinese passengers, but passengers from 14 different countries were also on board.

The plane's remains have never been found.

Ocean Infinity has proposed a 25,000 square kilometre search area as part of the 'no-find, no-fee' agreement with Malaysia.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi told ABC Ocean Infinity would be paid up to AUS$91 million if MH370 aircraft wreckage is found within 90 days.

French gendarmes and police inspect a large piece of plane debris which was found on the beach in Saint-Andre, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion in July 2015

But Dr Iannello said the designated search area should be shifted to the north where the Royal New Zealand Air Force took the photographs 21 days after MH370 vanished.

'Many believe that ... it is possible that debris was missed during the surface search,' he told The Australian.

'As far as we know, none of the objects identified in the surface search on March 29, 2014, were recovered by ship, so the relationship to MH370 remains unknown.'

'As only 21 days elapsed between the impact of MH370 and the discovery of the debris, it should be possible to backtrack the objects to March 8 to determine a potential point of impact.'
What prevented a deal?

The thorny issue of what happens to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic after Brexit. It combines the intractable politics of the peace process, the delicate Conservative/DUP coalition and the complexity of Brexit. The EU has accepted Mrs Mays offer on money and a deal is close on the rights of EU nationals in the UK. But all three issues must be agreed by December 14 if the talks are to move on to trade.

Why is the border a problem?

After Brexit, Northern Ireland will have the only land border between the UK and the EU. With Britain leaving the single market and the customs union  but the Republic staying inside both  there are questions about how to move goods over the 300 crossing points along the 310-mile frontier.

The EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker praised Theresa May as a 'tough negotiator' and both politicians signalled that there would be more talks later this week

What does each side want?

Dublin  backed by the EU  says there must be no hard border involving customs checks for fear of undermining peace accords. Irish ministers have suggested Northern Ireland should stay inside the customs union. But Mrs May  and the DUP  could never agree, as it amounts to breaking up the integrity of the United Kingdom.

How far apart were the sides?

Government sources played down the prospect of a deal after Mrs May arrived for talks with Brussels chiefs yesterday, describing the meeting as a staging post. But EU officials briefed that a deal was imminent, in what was seen as an attempt by to bounce Mrs May into an agreement.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said the party would 'not accept any form of regulatory divergence that separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the UK'

What went wrong?

At just after 11am, details of a draft deal were leaked to Irish media. They were interpreted as suggesting the UK would agree to single market and customs union rules north of the border and that Mrs May had capitulated. They were seized upon by SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and London mayor Sadiq Khan, who demanded separate deals for Scotland and the capital.

What did the DUP say?

DUP leader Arlene Foster denounced any deal that separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the UK. The economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom will not be compromised in any way, she said.

The Prime Minister was forced to leave a lunch meeting to speak to Mrs Foster who  it soon became clear  had not agreed the wording of the draft deal. Tory MPs insisted the UKs integrity must not be undermined in a sign of deep disquiet that Mrs May appeared ready to agree the proposal.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar (pictured at a press conference in Dublin) said he had been ready to sign up to what was on the table but that he was told by Brussels that Britain was backing off

What does No10 say?

Officials dispute the Irish interpretation of the text. They argue that the suggestion of aligning regulations would only have applied to specific aspects of the Good Friday Agreement, including energy, agriculture and transport. The language appears designed to be palatable to both sides until trade is on the table and a detailed agreement is possible. But the way the story emerged has hardened positions in Belfast and among Tory MPs.

What happens next?

Mrs May is expected to talk to the DUP today and return to Brussels on Wednesday.
A California state assemblyman was accused on Monday by a female lobbyist of cornering her and forcing her to watch as he masturbated in front of her.

Matt Dababneh, a Democratic state legislator from Los Angeles, is alleged to have trapped the lobbyist, Pamela Lopez, in a bathroom at a Las Vegas hotel in January 2016.

According to Lopez, Dababneh, 36, dropped his pants and asked her to touch his genitalia.

Lopez's allegations, which the assemblyman denies, were reported by The Sacramento Bee.

'It was a terrifying experience,' Lopez wrote in a letter addressed to a senior California state lawmaker.

Matt Dababneh, a California state assemblyman, was accused on Monday by a female lobbyist of cornering her and forcing her to watch as he masturbated in front of her

'During the time he blocked me in that room, my instincts were focused on escaping without any physical contact and in a way that would not cause a scene. Before the ordeal ended, he told me not to tell anyone.'

Dababneh was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2013. He represents the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles.

He is considered a powerful legislator, particularly because of his role as head of the influential Banking and Finance Committee, according to The Bee.

'Assemblymember Dababneh condemns this type of inappropriate behavior and was not involved in this incident,' his chief of staff, Kathleen O'Malley, said in a statement.

'I affirmatively deny that this event ever happened  at any time,' Dababneh said in a statement.

'I am saddened by this lobbyist's effort to create this falsehood and make these inflammatory statements, apparently for her own self-promotion and without regard to the reputation of others. I look forward to clearing my name.'

Lopez appeared at an Assembly hearing last week during which she went public with her allegations, though she did not name Dababneh at the time.

Dababneh, a Democratic state legislator from Los Angeles, is alleged to have trapped the lobbyist, Pamela Lopez, in a bathroom at a Las Vegas hotel in January 2016. Lopez is seen addressing the California State Assembly on Tuesday, November 28, in Sacramento

On Monday, she held a news conference at the Sacramento office of her lobbying firm, K Street Consulting.

Lopez said that the alleged incident in the bathroom took place during a gathering of mutual friends.

'I had no reason to think I was unsafe,' she said.

'I went to the restroom and felt a large body behind me, use the weight of his body to push me into the bathroom.'

When she turned around, she said she was face to face with Dababneh, who until that point was just an acquaintance.

'I started backing up, and he moved toward me while he was masturbating.'

When he allegedly asked her to touch his penis, she refused.

'I said several times, "No, I will not touch you. No, I will not touch you".'

Lopez said Dababneh ejaculated into the toilet as she was pressed up against the wall.

When it was over, she said, he appeared to realize that he had made a mistake.

'I can't believe I did that,' Lopez remembered him saying.

She said Dababneh then encouraged her not to tell anyone about their encounter.

Lopez said there was no indication Dababneh was under the influence of alcohol.

She said her decision to go public was made after she received assurances from Ken Cooley, the chairman of the Assembly Rules Committee, that any women who came forward with allegations would be protected.

'This is a moment. This is a moment of collective action,' Lopez said.

'I want to stand with them and show that there is a path to stepping forward and seeking justice.'

According to Lopez, Dababneh, 36, dropped his pants and asked her to touch his genitalia. The assemblyman denies the allegations

Lopez said Dababneh 'has tried to silence me by threatening to sue me for defamation if I persisted in reporting this assault.'

Cooley said that the Assembly will hire an independent investigator to look into the allegations.

'Since the allegation is criminal in nature, Ms. Lopez is encouraged to contact law enforcement as well,' he said.

Another woman joined Lopez at the news conference to allege that Dababneh made sexually suggestive comments to her.

Jessica Yas Barker, who once worked with Dababneh in the district office of US Representative Brad Sherman in the San Fernando Valley, accused the assemblyman of repeatedly commenting on her appearance.

Another woman, Jessica Yas Barker, joined Lopez at the news conference to allege that Dababneh made sexually suggestive comments to her

Barker, who once worked with Dababneh in the district office of US Representative Brad Sherman in the San Fernando Valley, accused the assemblyman of repeatedly commenting on her appearance

Dababneh allegedly told her not to dress like 'such a lesbian.'

He also is alleged to have told Barker about his sexual experiences.

Barker alleges that he on one instance brought her into the office and showed her condoms in his desk drawer.

'Who knows what my career would look like today had I been able to stay in a congressional office with a boss who was respectful and encouraging?' she said.

Lopez and Barker said that they know of other women who have allegedly experienced harassment at the hands of Dababneh  but they are still hesitant to come forward.

'I can't have it on my conscience that this may happen again,' Lopez said.

'I've heard from enough women that I'm fearful and worried that this will happen again.'
Cooper Christensen passed away aged six

A group of cold-hearted vandals have graffitied a memorial bench dedicated to a brave six-year-old boy who passed away from a rare brain tumour.

The devastated parents of Cooper Christensen, have slammed the heartless thugs who took a can of spray paint to their son's memorial bench in Hervey Bay last week.

Cooper's family visited the bench on the Esplanade at Torquay on Sunday - which would have been his ninth birthday - and were devastated by what they found when they arrived.

Cold-hearted vandals graffitied a memorial bench dedicated to a boy who died of brain cancer

His mother Amanda, father Michael and sister Jessie Mahoney were 'shocked and disgusted' to find vandals had actually scratched words into the wood as well as spray-painting the bench.

Jessie told the Fraser Chronicle that seeing the crude graffiti just centimetres from the plaque honouring her on hurt her mother deeply.

'We are really torn over it,' she said. 'It really hurt mum. She feels like it's her fault she can't protect something Cooper loved so much. It just tore everybody apart.'

She also took to Facebook to share her feelings about the 'f***ing disrespectful low lifes' that defaced her brother's memorial bench.

'You graffitied my little brothers chair who passed away,' she wrote. 'Seriously that is sad and so disrespectful. You would have to be blind or just down right dumb so go graffiti right next to the plaque...

'I know there is some pathetic people in this town but grow up, it was put there for family [and] friends to sit down think and enjoy the view...A place where we can go and feel close to him again. Not a canvas for you to deface.'

Cooper's sister older Jessie posted a picture of some of the damage to the bench on Facebook

Jessie wrote a Facebook post slamming the 'disrespectful' vandals responsible for the damage

Amanda said that Esplanade was a 'special place' for the Christensen family because it was Cooper's favourite spot in Torquay.

'On his birthday we got up early to take cupcakes and blow out the candles as we watched the sun come up,' she shared.

The local council was informed of the damage, who acted quickly to remove the worst of it within 24 hours, much to the gratitude of the Christensen family.

The Christenson family regularly visit the memorial bench dedicated to son Cooper (pictured)

Christensen family visits the bench regularly because it's located in Cooper's favourite spot

Cooper was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma when he was just four years old, with doctors estimating that he had one year to live.

But the brave youngster fought for one year, eight months and twenty-six days until he succumbed to his illness on July 25, 2015 - one of just ten children per year in Australia who are diagnosed with the rare, deadly disease.

Jessie also said her little brother was loved and missed every day: 'He was the most down to earth, fun loving kid. He was always happy, always laughing. He was so brave and strong.'

Cooper's parents have established an annual walk to raise money for brain cancer research

In 2016, Amanda and Michael established Cooper's Walk - an event set up by the family to honour their son and raise money to help with the the battle against brain cancer.

'My ultimate goal for any family is for them to one day hear the words there is a cure for brain cancer,' the loving mother said at the inaugural walk.

More than 250 people walked 5km in Hervey Bay to celebrate Cooper's life and together raised over $27,671 for the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation was well as spreading awareness of the rare disease.

'My wish is for families in the future to never have to hear the words we did - I'm sorry but there is no cure,' Amanda said on the day. 'I made Cooper a promise and I intend to stick to it.'

The 2017 annual 'Cooper's Walk' saw hundreds of balloons with messages released into the sky

In a bittersweet speech, Amanda announced that she is becoming a nurse to help other kids

The 2017 walk also attracted hundreds of participants and raised almost $12,000, and included a birthday cake for Cooper and the release of hundreds of balloons into the sky.

In a bittersweet speech at the event on Saturday, Amanda announced that she is now pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse to help other sick children.

She spoke of how proud Cooper would have been of everyone's efforts, before leading the crowd in singing 'Happy Birthday' and encouraging them to write messages on their balloons.

Special guest at the 2017 walk was Cooper's school friend Koby Herrmann, 9, who turned up with his parents to remember his late friend.
A teenage Meghan Markle is revealed to have told her best friend how she and her father were not 'on the best of terms' in candid never-before-seen footage.

Prince Harry's fiancee, seen on film as an 18-year-old, opened up about her difficult relationship with Thomas Markle, 73, to her childhood friend Ninaki Priddy.

The clip was captured as the aspiring actress drove with Miss Priddy to an audition for a Shakira music video in the summer of 1999.

Donning a pair of black sunglasses, as she drives her Volvo hatchback, Miss Markle tells the camera in footage obtained by The Sun: 'We are about four minutes from my dad's house.

'From my dad's house you can see the Hollywood sign, but we aren't going to go there because my dad and I aren't on the best of terms.'

The footage was shot in the summer of 1999 and shows Meghan driving back from an audition for a Shakira music video, with her friend Ninaki Priddy

Meghan Markle as a young girl with her father, Thomas, who she claims she is 'not on the best terms with' in the video

An even older photo shows Thomas carrying Meghan around in a backpack when she was a baby

The clip was captured just before Miss Markle, who found fame in US legal drama Suits, was due to leave for North Western University in Chicago.

The fresh-faced teen is brimming with excitement as she tells her friend she stands to earn about $600 - around 445 at the time - for two days work on the shoot.

On returning to the car after the audition, she tells Ms Priddy: 'We just all danced like wild women and I was shaking my hair around and all sorts of stuff, so hopefully Ill book that.

'I won't get any camera shots but it will be just as fun.'

As she fiddles with her strapless top, she adds: 'I am burning up, I was really nervous I was going to fall out of my top I was just shaking around so much.'

She also comments that she recognised a girl from another music video she featured in, Tori Amos' 1,000 Oceans.

Meghan was ultimately unsuccessful in landing the Shakira job, and her first appearance of any note came two years later when she had a one-episode part in General Hospital.

Future royal: Prince Harry and Meghan announced engagement their engagement on Monday (left) and will marry in May at Windsor Castle; they made their first official appearance since revealing the news on Friday in Nottingham (right)

It was not until 2005 that she first started making multiple - albeit still minor- television appearances, before landing her big break in 2011 when she starred as Rachel Zane in Suits.

Her father, Thomas Markle, is now living a secluded lifestyle in Mexico, atop a 120-foot cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Mr Markle is an award-winning TV lighting director and worked on shows including Married with Children and General Hospital.

His estranged son Tom Jnr, 51, told The Mail on Sunday last week: I havent seen him in years. He hates the attention Meghans romance has brought on to him. He loves her but hates the idea of being in the spotlight.

As a 15-year-old she stopped for a photo in front of Buckingham Palace with the other woman in the video, Ninaki Priddy (pictured, together)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend a Terrence Higgins Trust World AIDS Day charity fair at Nottingham Contemporary

Thomas Markle, 73, is seen in exclusive DailyMailTV pictures at his home in Rosarito, Mexico just south of the border with the U.S., where he lives in a peaceful retirement. He told DailyMailTV he could not comment 'out of respect for my family'

And according to residents Rosarito Beach, Thoms Markle enjoys spending time relaxing at home, shops at Walmart, and tells friends: 'Have you heard of Meghan Markle? I am her dad.'

His red-tiled home sits on a cobblestone street, with plywood covering the windows that face inland.

But on the other side, he enjoys sweeping views of pelicans flying low over the Pacific and curlews and other wading birds strutting on the shore.

The outline of the Coronado Islands, eight miles out to sea, can be seen in the distance.

Mr Markle's family recently confirmed that he will be attending his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry.

When approached by DailyMailTV he said: 'I can't speak out of respect for my family. I just can't.'
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The horrific human cost of the fight against ISIS on the war-torn streets of Syria and Iraq has been captured in a series of harrowing images.

Striking photos show a father crying as he flees with his young daughter through rubble-strewn streets, Kurdish fighters wielding machine guns, bomb damaged churches and debris flying through a cloud of smoke as missiles are fired at ISIS strongholds in Mosul.

The collection is part of Reuters pictures of the year and features work by 12 different photographers.

One of the most heartbreaking scenes, of a man sprinting from an ISIS-controlled part of Mosul in March this year, was captured by Goran Tomasevic.

Describing the moment, he said: 'Both were screaming in terror, a father and the young daughter he cradled in his arms fled through the rubble-strewn streets of Wadi Hajar, transformed in a flash into a battleground between Islamic State fighters and Iraqi special forces.

'They and their neighbours - some wearing rubber sandals, some barefoot - were running from an ISIS counter-attack in this part of Mosul, dodging gunfire as the militants closed in.

'When they reached the special forces lines, males were ordered to lift their shirts to prove they weren't suicide bombers.

'Some had to take off their clothes or show their belts, though not those carrying children. The father was so beside himself, so panicked. It was obvious because he had a short shirt on and was carrying a child that he wasn't Islamic State.'

Goran Tomasevic: A man cries as he carries his daughter while walking from an ISIS-controlled part of Mosul towards Iraqi special forces soldiers during a battle on March 4, 2017

Goran Tomasevic: Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) run across a street in Raqqa, Syria, July 3, 2017

Zohra Bensemra: Displaced Iraqi women, who just fled their homes, rest in the desert as they wait to be transported to safety as Iraqi forces battle with ISIS militants in western Mosul, Iraq, February 27, 2017

Rodi Said: Displaced Syrian children, who fled Raqqa, stand near their tent in Ras al-Ain province, Syria, January 22, 2017

Thaier Al-Sudani: Iraqi rapid response members fire a missile against ISIS militants during a battle in Mosul, Iraq, March 11, 2017

Youssef Boudlal: Relatives carry the bodies of civilians killed in an air strike, during a battle between Iraqi forces and ISIS militants, in Mosul, Iraq, March 17, 2017

Goran Tomasevic: People cross a makeshift ladder in a village near Raqqa after a bridge was destroyed in fighting between the U.S.-led coalition and ISIS, in Raqqa, Syria, June 16, 2017

Erik De Castro: A civilian prays after she was rescued by fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces from a sports stadium after Raqqa was liberated from the ISIS, October 17, 2017

Marko Djurica: An altar of a damaged church is seen in the town of Qaraqosh, south of Mosul, Iraq, April 11, 2017

Alaa Al-Marjani: Iraqi Special Operations Forces arrest a man suspected of belonging to ISIS in western Mosul, Iraq, February 26, 2017

Goran Tomasevic: A Syrian Democratic Forces fighter sits as medics treat his comrades in a field hospital in Raqqa, Syria, after they were injured by ISIS sniper fire, June 28, 2017

Marko Djurica: People walk in front of the remains of the University of Mosul, which was burned and destroyed during a battle with ISIS militants, April 10, 2017

Zohra Bensemra: A boy who just fled a village controlled by ISIS fighters cries as he sits with his family on a bus, before heading to the camp at Hammam Ali south of Mosul, Iraq, February 22, 2017

Goran Tomasevic: Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) fire rifles at a drone operated by ISIS in Raqqa, Syria, June 16, 2017




New evidence that Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore had a relationship with a teenage girl when he was in his 30s surfaced on Monday.

Debbie Wesson Gibson told The Washington Post that she and Moore were romantically involved back in the early 1980s, when the longtime Alabama politician was 34 and she was 17.

Evidence that the two were acquainted came in the form of a signed yearbook, with an inscription Gibson claims was written by Moore.

Debbie Wesson Gibson(present picture left) claims she and Moore were romantically involved back in the early 1980

Evidence that the two were acquainted came in the form of a signed yearbook she produced for The Washington Post (pictured Nov. 27, 2017)

'Happy graduation Debbie,' the inscription, written in slanted handwriting, reads. 'I wanted to give you this card myself. I know that you'll be a success in anything you do. Roy.'

The Washington Post last month published a shocking report claiming that Moore had made inappropriate sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl while he was an assistant district attorney during the 1970s.

The Post also interviewed four other women who claimed the Alabama Senate nominee pursued a sexual relationship with them while they were still teenagers.

Soon after the allegations went public, four other women, including Gibson, stepped forward to accuse Moore of pursuing them when they were teenagers.

Moore has vehemently denied the allegations, blaming an orchestrated media effort of trying to take down his campaign.

Gibson told the Post that she and Moore did not try to hide their courtship, started back in the early 1980s, and even considered it a 'badge of honor.'

Roy Moore is accused of pursuing numerous sexual relationships with teenage girls back when he was in his 30s

The 54-year-old said, however, that she began having second thoughts about their relationship in light of the recent allegations against the former Alabama Supreme Court Judge.

The Moore campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Gibson said that she has rejected dozens of media requests for an interview in the wake of the Roy Moore scandal, telling the Post that she has received numerous death threats after coming forward last month.

Despite the accusations, President Donald Trump, who has denied a litany of sexual assault allegations himself, endorsed Moore's candidacy for The US Senate on Sunday

Gibson, a registered Republican who now lives in Dayton Beach, Florida, said that after another woman, Beverly Young Nelson, came forward with allegations during a televised press conference along with a yearbook signed by Moore, was she reminded of her own memento.

'I just couldn't imagine him doing something like that,' Gibson said. 'And then when I saw the interview from Beverly, and I saw his handwriting in her yearbook, my heart just sank. And when I saw what I knew to be Roy Moore's handwriting, I just began to sob openly.'

Despite the accusations, President Donald Trump, who has denied a litany of sexual assault allegations himself, endorsed Moore's candidacy for the US Senate on Monday.

In a statement, a White House spokesman said that the president 'had a positive call with Judge Roy Moore... during which they discussed the state of the Alabama Senate race and the President endorsed Judge Moore's campaign.'

Kayla Moore, the Republican candidate's wife, wrote on Facebook that Trump had called her husband, forcing the White House to answer questions about it.

'Judge Moore just got off the phone with President Trump  we have his full support! Thank you Mr. President! Let's MAGA!' Mrs. Moore wrote.

Her husband said in a tweet that Trump told him, 'Go get 'em, Roy!'

'I look forward to fighting alongside the President to #MAGA!' he said.
Utah authorities raided a compound of a polygamist sect in search of four missing children, finding two boys and their sisters.

An Amber Alert was canceled Monday evening for 8-year-old Dinah and 4-year-old Hattie Coltharp.

The girls were found with a religious leader and associate of their father, 34-year-old Samuel Warren Shaffer.

Their brothers, William and Seth, ages 7 and 6 respectively, were found safe and sound earlier on Monday.

Their father, John Coltharp, 33, was arrested last week on suspicion of kidnapping and had refused to disclose the children's location.

Spring City Police Chief Clarke Christensen says the kids, their father and paternal grandparents disappeared in mid-September.

An Amber Alert was canceled Monday evening for 8-year-old Dinah (left) and 4-year-old Hattie Coltharp (right), who were found after Utah authorities raided a compound of a polygamist sect

Their brothers, William and Seth, ages 7 and 6 respectively, were found safe and sound earlier on Monday. All four children are seen in the above photo

John Coltharp is in jail.

After his arrest, Coltharp refused to reveal his children's location - even after prosecutors offered to release him from jail if he told them where they were.

He is being held on a $100,000 cash bond, Christensen said.

Records do not list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

The Amber Alert was canceled Monday evening after Shaffer was found in Lund, Utah, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Shaffer was in the custody of the Iron County Sheriff's Office, though it was not known if he was charged with a crime.

Cindi Ray, Coltharp's sister, said that her brother holds fundamentalist Mormon beliefs, including support for polygamy.

Their father, John Coltharp (above), 33, was arrested last week on suspicion of kidnapping and had refused to disclose the children's location

Polygamy and bigamy are illegal in the United States, although Utah, a state that is home to a large Mormon community, does not prosecute polygamists who are law-abiding.

Coltharp and Shaffer started a movement called Knights of the Crystal Blade.

Ray was concerned that Dinah and Hattie were being hidden by their father so that he could prepare them for marriage at an early age.

The girls were found with a religious leader and associate of their father, 34-year-old Samuel Warren Shaffer

She said that her brother has 'said to all of [his] siblings in the past that girls are meant to get married at the age of 12 - their bodies are ready.'

Ray's husband, Greg Ray, 30, told The Denver Post that his brother-in-law has said he would rather put a bullet in his daughters' head then allow the government to take them away.

Coltharps ex-wife, Micha Soble, 28, of Springville, Utah, said her husband is a 'doomsday prepper' - a popular term for someone who is preparing for apocalyptic scenarios.

In divorce papers, she said he distrusted modern medicine to the point that he didn't allow her to use pain medication during childbirth.

Soble also said that Coltharp carried a pistol and that he has 'threatened to send any DCFS [Division of Child and Family Services] worker or police officer to the next life if they try to take the children from him.'

Shaffer, meanwhile, has been referred to as the 'prophet' of the Knights of the Crystal Blade.

Also known as Fredrick Shaffer, he has written essays and done videos promoting extremist Mormon beliefs.

Despite Coltharp's unorthodox views, the judge in Soble's divorce case denied her request for a temporary restraining order that would have given her custody of all four of their children.

Coltharps ex-wife, Micha Soble (above), 28, of Springville, Utah, said her husband is a 'doomsday prepper' - a popular term for someone who is preparing for apocalyptic scenarios

The judge who presided over the case, Derek Pullan, said that Coltharp's religious beliefs were not extreme enough to represent an immediate threat to the safety of the children.

On November 27, as the divorce proceedings wound down, Pullan eventually did grant Soble custody of the kids, but Coltharp failed to turn the children over to his ex-wife.

Samuel Shaffer's brother, Benjamin Shaffer, denied on Monday that the children were ever in danger.

He said he believed his brother was simply looking out for Dinah and Hattie as a favor to a friend.
This is the touching moment Sir Paul McCartney gives a seasoned ABC journalist a hug as she is overcome with emotion.

Leigh Sales, the host of 7.30, interviewed the greatest living Beatle, who is still performing at 75.

'I have never interviewed someone of whom I'm a bigger fan than you,' she said at the end of a backstage rehearsal chat in Perth.

Leigh Sales was overcome with emotion after chatting with Beatles legend Paul McCartney

'Thank you for all of those songs and making time to speak to us.

'I'm speechless. It's been so unbelievably thrilling.'

After 55 years of fame, Sir Paul was a true professional in his only Australian TV interview.

'Wow,' he said in response to Sales. 'Thank you. Give us a kiss.'

Sir Paul then hugged Sales, who was born in 1973 three years after The Beatles had broken up.

The ABC's Leigh Sales told Sir Paul McCartney she had never interviewed someone she was such a big fan of

Moments earlier, Sales had nothing but praise for the Beatles legend who wrote dozens of chart-topping 1960s hits including Hey Jude, Eleanor Rigby and Yesterday.

'Sir Paul, I have been very fortunate in my life that I've been allowed to interview world leaders: Aung San Suu Kyi, the Dalai Lama. Lots of celebrities: Elton John, Patti Smith and everyone,' she said.

The nine-minute interview had covered how Sir Paul deals with fans wanting his autograph on the streets and in the shops.

'I've kind of developed a strategy over the years,' he said.

A true professional: Sir Paul McCartney gives Leigh Sales the thumbs up after their hug

'Pretty soon, everyone settles down. We're just talking.'

Sir Paul is visiting Australia for the first time in almost 25 years as part of his world One On One, with sold-out performances in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland.

He was last in Australia in 1993 for his The New World tour, which occurred two years before his beloved wife Linda McCartney was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Since then, George Harrison has died, leaving Sir Paul and Ringo Starr as the only surviving Beatles, following the 1980 murder of John Lennon in New York.
A 27-year-old man has been charged with allegedly trafficking his wife and a two-month-old daughter from Sydney to India.

The man from Lidcombe in Sydney's west was charged by the Australian Federal Police and will face Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday.

AFP Human trafficking team say it received a tip-off from an anti-slavery Australia group in Sydney in May, following reports the man used coercion, threats and deception to force his Indian-born wife and Australian-born child to go to India in March.

A 27-year-old man has been charged with allegedly trafficking his wife and a two-month-old daughter from Sydney to India in March (stock image)

Detectives allege that after the pair arrived in India, the man contacted Australia's Immigration Department and tried to cancel his wife's visa.

The 27-year-old man, who officers said is an Australian citizen, is also accused of removing the infant's passport so the two-month-old girl couldn't return.

The man's wife was able to fly back to Australia in May before her visa was cancelled, but was unable to take her daughter with her, detectives said.

She contacted authorities upon her arrival and worked with the AFP Human Trafficking team to bring the infant home, authorities said.

The man was arrested in November and has been charged with one count of trafficking persons, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years.

He's also facing a forge documents charge and general dishonesty charge, which carry five and 10 year sentences, respectively.
Just when she thought she would bleed to death, Angela Jay was doused in petrol.

The Port Macquarie obstetrician had been stabbed 11 times by a Tinder date who broke into her house just four days after she had filed an AVO against him.

There was no way to call triple-zero as she sat on the floor feeling utterly alone.

Dr Angela Jay was stabbed 11 times by a Tinder dates who broke into her house to attack her

On November 3, 2016, Dr Angela Jay's (left) ex-partner Paul Lambert, 36, (right) lay waiting for her inside her Port Macquarie home  intent on killing her because she had broken up with him

Dr Angela Jay's physical scars serve as a daily reminder of the night that she was almost killed

'As I saw his knife rise and fall it took a while for my brain to comprehend that he was actually stabbing me,' she told MPs and senators at Parliament House on Tuesday.

'I remember one distinct thought - I am going to bleed to death.'

The White Ribbon ambassador described how she felt the most profound sorrow thinking of how she would never see her family or friends again or hold them in her arms.

The White Ribbon ambassador shared her story at Parliament House a year on from the attack

Dr Jay spoke with mant politicians including Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) on White Ribbon Day

'I eventually found the strength to pick myself off the ground only to be met by a shower of petrol,' she said.

'It ran down my face and through my hair. It burned my eyes and I coughed as the fumes began to choke me.'

But it was in that moment of indescribable horror, waiting to be lit on fire, that her adrenaline kicked into overdrive and somehow she ran for her life.

During the night, Dr Jay managed to escape her would-be-killer and get help from a neighbour

The young woman suffered stab wounds to her hip and leg during the frenzied attack last year

Dr Jay managed to run away from her ex-partner after he stabbed her and doused her in petrol

One year on from the incident, the doctor says she is beyond grateful to have survived, but her thoughts are with the 71 others who are not so lucky.

She can only too vividly imagine what they felt in their last moments.

'What does White Ribbon mean to me? It means the difference between life and death.'

The ambassador shared her story at a breakfast attended by MPs from across the political divide.

'I say no to violence against women and girls', Dr Angela Jay (pictured centre) on Facebook

The doctor has become a White Ribbon ambassador and 'warrior' against domestic violence

'We have both stared death in the eyes and lived to tell the tale,' Angela Jay captioned this picture - her personal post for White Ribbon Day - a year after her ex-boyfriend tried to kill her

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten used the event to announce a Labor government would legislate for 10 days of domestic violence leave - double the policy he took to the 2016 election.

He rejected claims about the economic costs and the possibility of phantom requests for leave as a result of the proposal.

'I've never met a victim of domestic violence who goes through the process of domestic violence ... just to get the leave,' he said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull challenged all Australian men to think about advancing equality in their world.

'A word to a nephew, a word to a grandson. That could change the direction of a life and keep women safe in the future,' he said.

National domestic violence helpline: 1800 737 732 or 1800RESPECT. In an emergency call triple-zero.

Dr Jay addressed dozens of women (pictured) at a White Ribbon charity ball on Saturday

Dr Angela Jay (pictured) said that White Ribbon 'means the difference between life and death'
Alani Murrieta, 20, died in a Phoenix, Arizona, hospital on Tuesday at 3.25pm - mere hours after her 7.30am check in - from pneumonia

A young mother of two who was diagnosed with the flu on Monday, died the next day.

Alani Murrieta, 20, passed away in a Phoenix, Arizona, hospital on Tuesday at 3.25pm after her diagnosis was changed to pneumonia.

The mother of AJ, two, and 6-month-old Jr, had always been known to be very healthy said her aunt, Stephanie Gonzales.

Murrieta's family say the girl hardly ever got sick with the exception being a cold every so often.

She had gone home from work earlier than usual on Sunday, after complaining of not feeling well.

'Monday she was still feeling sick, so her sister took her to urgent care, her and her kids. They diagnosed them with the flu, sent her home with flu meds,' Gonzales said to Fox 10.

But the 20-year-old mother got worse throughout the night. Her mom would take her into the hospital on Tuesday around 7am because she was having problems breathing.

The mother of two was diagnosed with a flu on Monday and went home before returning the next morning asserting that she had trouble breathing

'Her oxygen levels were low. They took an x-ray around 9 that morning, and they told her she had pneumonia, and it kind of just went down hill after that,' Gonzales added.

Her family has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for her funeral

And while the woman was put on a ventilator, her heart soon stopped.

Gonzales added: 'They were trying to resuscitate her, and they tried for several minutes and they told my sister there was nothing else they could do, that she was gone.'

And while doctors informed the family that the mother's flu turned into pneumonia, Gonzales asserts her niece had no pre-existing condition.

'Never in a million years would we have thought that we would have lost her that day like this,' she said.

Gonzales claimed that Murrieta didn't get a shot for the flu.

The family has set up a GoFundMe for the funeral.
Setback for Fixers! For hours yesterday they assured us a deal was imminent. Rollingnews channels went into moment of history mode.

TV correspondents tried to contain their glee. Dublins Taoiseach was so keen to rush to work, he forgot to put on a shirt.

In Brussels, when Theresa May arrived for lunch with Jean-Claude Juncker, the wine waiter must have been fingering his corkscrew like Wyatt Earp checking his Colt .45.

Were the Europeans trying to bounce lunch guest Theresa into accepting a dodgy agreement? Or was she trying to mislead Democratic Unionists? Only a fool tries to bounce an Orangeman.

Were the Europeans trying to bounce lunch guest Theresa into accepting a dodgy agreement? Or was she trying to mislead Democratic Unionists?

Midday went and the fervour built. The Juncker-May lunch began and the starter apparently slipped down a treat.

But then, hundreds of miles away in Co Down, DUP leader Arlene Foster came stomping down the cold staircase at Stormont.

As Dexys Midnight Runners didnt quite put it, Come on, Arlene.

Mrs Foster was flanked by MPs Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, smouldering, and Nigel Dodds, bouncing on his toes.

Her voice sounded shaky, maybe with anger or because she had been hurrying down a corridor and her fitness regime is not what it might be.

She said, so firmly not even a Eurocrat could fail to understand, that Northern Ireland could not accept different status from the rest of the nation. And zat, mes amis, was zat. Pop! went the media-political worlds bubble of baloney.

Over-anticipation, hype, vapours and shillelagh-shaking had produced nothing.

European officialdom smashed into that ancient intractable called parliamentary reality. Mrs May needs Arlenes MPs more than she needs M Juncker. So its au revoir Jean-Claude, at least for the moment.

In Brussels, Dublin and London, elites made fools of themselves by becoming over-confident about things not yet formally accepted.

Before doubts set in, Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness stood outside the European Commission in Brussels and told TV viewers, were definitely in a much better place than we were yesterday. Depends where you were on Sunday, Mairead. Meanwhile, the world was having to cope with the sight of her boss Leo Varadkar being driven to his office in a vest or gym singlet

Downing Street did try to tell reporters on Sunday night, when the story caught light, that the European Commission was running a little ahead of things. In the zeal  zeal for a concession from the Brits, perhaps  those warnings went largely unheeded.

Before doubts set in, Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness stood outside the European Commission in Brussels and told TV viewers, were definitely in a much better place than we were yesterday.

Depends where you were on Sunday, Mairead. Meanwhile, the world was having to cope with the sight of her boss Leo Varadkar being driven to his office in a vest or gym singlet. Shudders. Its a new look for Taoiseachs.

I think I preferred Eamon De Valeras undertaker suit. Whoosh! That sound you heard in the middle of Mrs Mays lunch was Scotlands First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, jumping to conclusions about Ulster having different trading conditions from the rest of us, and instantly demanding equal status for Scotland.

Whoosh! Off went another idiotic rocket, this time in London where Mayor Sadiq Khan, idiotically, demanded the same for his city. Pfffft! A damper squib went off in Wales some time later, when Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones also joined that game.

Sometime before M Junckers waiters served pudding, word of Mrs Fosters fulminations reached the May lugholes. Some time later, Jean-Claude shuffled out on to the stage of the Brussels press room and said no agreement was reached.

He claimed Mrs May was a v. tough negotiator, etc., but she may not be his obstacle. Mrs May, in dramatic lipstick (a darker, bloodier hue than normal  unless it was red-wine stains) was clipped and succinct as she said on a couple of issues some difficulties do remain.

The way M Juncker gestured to her when it was her turn to speak was freighted with weariness.

In Dublin, Mr Varadkar, now properly dressed, claimed there is no hidden agenda here. Ha!

By now the BBCs Remainerish business editor, Simon Jack, was a picture of wild-haired despair.

And at Westminster, as Tory MPs poured out of a briefing, the only ones with a ready opinion for the good scribes of the Press were, you guessed it, Anna Soubry and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The number of children aged 13 to 15 with a Saturday or evening job has fallen by a fifth in the past five years.

New figures show a steady decline in those earning money on the side by doing work such as newspaper rounds or waiting on tables.

Experts said the trend may be the result of teenagers placing more importance on their studies and prioritising homework over paid employment.

Youngsters maybe missing out on vital experience that prepares them for the workplace, experts say

They say pupils are under pressure to work harder than previous generations because good exam grades are being demanded by an increasing number of employers.

Or it may be that youngsters prefer to stay indoors and go online so dont need so much money to go out.

The trend has led to concerns that teenagers may be missing out on vital experience that prepares them for the workplace.

According to figures obtained by the BBC, child employment permits issued by councils in the UK have declined steadily between 2012 and 2016. They are required by employers wishing to hire staff between the ages of 13 and 15.

More than 140 local authorities responded to the broadcasters Freedom of Information requests, which revealed that 29,498 permits were issued in 2012, compared to just 23,071 in 2016.

Dr Angus Holford, of the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, said the pressure to do well at school could be to blame for the fall.

Teens are told you need to get good GCSEs and A-levels to get a good job in the long term, he said. Passing the exams you need is looming larger in peoples concerns.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told the BBC it was vital young people left themselves enough time for study and rest. But he added: Properly regulated part-time work is a good way of helping young people learn skills they will need in their working lives.

Passing exams to get a good job in the long run has become much more of a priority for teenagers

Changing consumer habits is also thought to be behind the fall in part-time jobs. In Middlesbrough, where the number of permits issued fell to just seven last year, the local council said the massive drop was due to a decline in the number of people who had a newspaper delivered.

Norfolk and Dudley, in the West Midlands, were the top areas for children with jobs, the BBC said. Norfolk County Council issued 1,376 permits in 2016, equivalent to 5.2 per cent of children aged 13 to 15, while Dudley Council issued 471 (4.4 per cent of the age group).

Despite teenagers appearing to spurn job opportunities, a separate study shows young people in Britain are among the wealthiest in the world.

The International Youth Foundation charity used data on people aged between 15 and 24 to show young Britons enjoyed high standards of living, near perfect education levels, low unemployment and good health.

However, 70 per cent think they will be worse off than their parents and half agreed with the statement my life is too stressful.
Recent arrests in a police operation targeting dial-a-dealer drug syndicates have reinforced Australia's insatiable appetite for cocaine and the ease with which it is bought.

Sydney detectives have now arrested 39 people they will allege were part of cocaine dealing syndicates using a central phone number for customers to contact and organise drug drops at locations of their choice.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Bell has compared the system to arranging the delivery of fast food.

'Just like ordering a pizza ... only illegal,' he said.

The operation of one such syndicate was laid bare in a Sydney court earlier this year after Bondi businessman George Gerges was arrested in 2015 over his role in a dial-a-dealer network.

One of those arrested by Strike Force Northrop in a two-month operation targetting drugs

Former Bondi businessman George Gerges is awaiting sentence in the NSW District Court following his arrest in 2015

Police have arrested almost 40 people in an operation targeting dial-a-dealer syndicates

Cocaine seized by police in an operation led by Strike Force Northrop targeting drug supply

Over the past two months Strike Force Northrop has allegedly disrupted several syndicates - which may not all work in precisely the same way - and most of those arrested are yet to face court.

But previous busts and court cases give an insight into how ordering cocaine in Australia's major cities is done in 2017.

None of it is particularly sophisticated and the large scale of some of these operations means they are liable to infiltration by police.

At the most basic level, buyers who have had previous personal contact with a smallish dealer maintain a direct relationship with that supplier.

One step up in planning from that scenario, a buyer may be once removed from those actually delivering the drugs.

One man arrested by Strike Force Northrop in an operation targeting Sydney's cocaine supply

Drug dealers and customers use simple codes to organise the supply of cocaine in Sydney

Typically, dealers will ask customers to use a basic code word or phrase for drugs. When repeated in hundreds or thousands of messages these code words can seem ridiculous.

In the George Gerges operation, customers would send a text message to one of four mobile telephones controlled by two handlers from the syndicate and ask for 'rock show tickets', 'tickets' or 'beers'.

One of those handlers would ask the potential buyer for an address, then send a text to one of six drivers, including Gerges, to deliver the drugs.

Just how easily a first-time buyer might get on the books of the dealers was made clear in the Gerges case.

In one text exchange potential customer 'Frank' sent a text to a number he had been given. He wrote: 'Hey my mate said to text you for a ticket to the rock show tonight. I'm in the city.'

Police count out money seized during an operation into the supply of cocaine in inner Sydney

Bondi businessman George Gerges has pleaded guilty to his role in a cocaine supply syndicate

Drugs seized in the operation which led to the arrest of drug delivery driver George Gerges

The handler then asked Frank to 'send a mate's number for confirmation'. Frank replied with a number and the handler answered 'sweet'.

Unfortunately for Gerges and his colleagues, 'Frank' was an undercover officer who got hold of the number for the handlers as part of a police investigation and his conversations were recorded.

In this operation, the person actually delivering the drugs had no contact with the buyer until just before they were to meet.

When the driver was close to a designated address, he or she would ring one of the two handlers and they would call the customer. The customer and driver would then take part in a conference call to arrange the exact meeting place.

Gerges conducted his deliveries, which were mostly to Sydney's central business district, in a black Lexus

The demand for cocaine in Australia's major cities and the risks dealers will take was obvious in the Gerges case.

'Hey bro. Could I pick up 1 ticket for the show tonight. I'll be around Mascot ... between 2-3pm'

Officers attached to Strike Force Northrop make a drug-related arrest in Sydney last month

Police investigating drug dealing in Sydney seized two loaded handguns including this one

While he was under investigation between April and September 2015 Gerges delivered cocaine to more than 1000 customers.

Buyers were not getting great value. Cocaine normally retails in Sydney for about $300 a gram. The Gerges buyers were getting an average .47 grams for $200 and the purity was on average below 50 per cent.

As with any transaction business between a buyer and seller, cocaine customers sometimes make complaints.

In one telephone conversation captured on May 15, 2015, Gerges complained to his handler about the quality of the cocaine he had been supplying.

Gerges: 'You need to have a chat with the big man, bro.'

Handler: 'What about?'

Gerges: 'About the gear man, I've got so many people telling me how rubbish it is.'

Handler: 'It's s***. Yeah it is.'

NSW police from Strike Force Northrop arrest a man within view of the Sydney Opera House

Cash seized by officers from Strike Force Northrop targeting Sydney's cocaine supply

Over the past two months police from Strike Force Northrop have arrested almost 40 people in a two-month operation

Gerges: 'A guy got into my car and I swear to god he goes, he goes to me, I wouldn't lie to you, he goes "I had three lines and there was no effect. It was just like I was having sugar".'

Handler: 'Yeah, nah, I tried to tell him. We told him... give out the s*** ones on the weekend. Let them go out on the weekend and use the good stuff during the week.'

'The regulars, they know... Just tell them next week it's going to change. Tell them it's going to get better, so it's all good.'

Poor customer service and sloppy personal appearance on the part of drivers was also bad for business.

In another conversation, on September 2, 2015, Gerges was caught complaining about a scruffy fellow dealer who 'looks like a junkie', suggesting he get a haircut, have a shave and buy a nice collared shirt.

Gerges warned his handler that a new cocaine delivery driver working for their syndicate was scaring young female buyers because of his disheveled appearance.

A shortened firearm seized in the operation which led to drug driver George Gerges's arrest

Police arrest a man during a two-month operation into the supply of cocaine in inner Sydney

Cash seized by police from Strike Force Northrop's operation targeting cocaine supply

'Little things,' Gerges told the handler. 'Just tell him little things bro, like get a haircut, dress nicely and make sure your face is shaven. Keep your car clean, that's really important too bro.'

And like every other Sydneysider, drug dealers have to battle traffic. Congestion means they sometimes miss scheduled appointments.

Gerges was unhappy during his dealings with another undercover cop, James, on May 6, asking him to pick a meeting place where there would be less traffic.

'I can't keep coming out here...,' Gerges said. 'Anywhere around the city, Surry Hills, Waterloo, something like that bro... even Central... I just can't come here bro; like I've missed five people now... the traffic is so bad coming to Mascot bro.'

But Gerges's most passionate speech was reserved for his feelings about a new driver with a ponytail.

George Gerges had to battle Sydney's chronic traffic congestion as he delivered cocaine

Police attached to Strike Force Northrop make an arrest in Sydney's central business district

A text message sent to people whose numbers were found on seized mobile telephones

'The guy looks like a junkie,' Gerges told his handler. 'Some of the girls, they're like 'we were a bit scared to get into the car'... and he looks really suss too.'

The handler: 'He does. He is a suspect looking guy, man.'

Gerges: 'Yeah, f***ing oath. Tell him, listen bro... if he wants to keep working for us you've gotta cut your hair and you gotta wear a f***in nice collared shirt when you work. Like he's making decent money, he can buy a collared shirt.'

The handler replied: 'It won't cost him nothing. I'll f***ing buy him a shirt.'

Other tricks of the trade were revealed in recorded conversations.

In a chat with his handler, Gerges suggested the group's new driver change the address on his driver's licence to somewhere in the eastern suburbs, which would attract less suspicion from police if he was pulled over.

Gerges also gave an insight into the risks delivery drivers faced.

A barefoot man is lead away by Strike Force Northrop police after his arrest in central Sydney

Almost 40 people have been arrested during a two-month operation targeting cocaine supply

He was recorded telling his handler: 'Look cuz, let's be honest, most people with a good head on their shoulders wouldn't be doing this ... I do my absolute best to minimize my risk.'

Police pulled Gerges over a short time later that same day and found 40 bags of cocaine in his underwear. A further 32 bags were found in a first aid kit and 110 more in a gym bag on the back seat of his car.

Gerges pleaded guilty to four counts of the ongoing supply of cocaine, two counts of supplying a prohibited drug, participating in a criminal group and possessing steroids.

He will appear for sentence in the District Court on December 15.

Detectives involved in the recent arrests are now employing a simple technique to obtain further information and frighten future buyers.

Police from Strike Force Northrop have examined the mobile phones seized from alleged dealers and have sent text messages to about 2000 contacts phoned on those devices.

'This ph no has been ID'd as part of a NSWPF Cocaine investigation in the Sydney area,' the text said.

'If you have any information please contact Crime Stoppers on 1300 333 000.'
Black Friday bombed on the High Street suggesting stores will be forced to ramp up promotions and deals ahead of Christmas.

So-called like for like sales of non-food products, everything from toys to fashions, TVs and household appliances, fell in November compared to last year.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggest British shoppers are refusing to be caught up in the hype around the imported American event.

Black Friday bombed on the High Street suggesting stores will be forced to ramp up promotions and deals ahead of Christmas (file photo)

Instead, they are only making a purchase after doing thorough price research and when there is a real bargain to be had. Also many of the sales were not confined to one day but were spread over several weeks.

It is known that there were fewer people in the streets and shopping centres on Black Friday this year as people switched to bargain hunting online.

However, even the increase in internet sales was relatively modest, according to the BRC.

Despite the fact the Black Friday weekend is presented as a one-off opportunity to make big savings before Christmas, many retailers are continuing to run festive sales.

Just yesterday, Debenhams was promising up to 30per cent off throughout its stores with a one day half-price sale on womens dresses.

Similarly, the Currys PC World group continues to offer deals under its Black Tag event.

So-called like for like sales of non-food products, everything from toys to fashions, TVs and household appliances, fell in November compared to last year (file photo)

These promotions effectively force rivals to follow suit, including John Lewis under its Price Match promise.

The BRCs chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said: Black Friday, the big retail event of the month, failed to fundamentally shift underlying trends in spending.

Non-food sales - the focus of Black Friday  fell, as the squeeze on household incomes continues to impact discretionary spend.

Rather than increasing overall sales, the event has shifted spending away from other parts of the festive period, and focusses shoppers attentions online and away from stores.

Black Friday, which was brought to this country by American tech giant Amazon, fell on November 24, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US (file photo)

There was a mixture of performances across the industry over Black Friday itself, with retailers reporting shoppers being tempted solely by generous promotions, but resisting other items. Gaming, wearable tech and internet of things performed well, while toys, last years star performer, saw sales sharply down this year.

That heralds a challenging festive period ahead for retailers and shoppers alike.

Black Friday, which was brought to this country by American tech giant Amazon, fell on November 24, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.

The BRC figures show that only a strong increase in sales of food in November, kept like for like retail sales from falling into the red.

The trade body said UK retail sales increased by 0.6per cent on a like-for-like basis in November compared to a year ago. On a total basis, which takes into account new stores, sales rose by 1.5per cent on a year ago.

Looking at sales of non-food products through bricks and mortar stores, there was a fall of 3per cent over the three months to the end of November compared to a year ago.

Online sales of non-food products were up 6.5per cent in November on a year ago, however this increase was below the figure seen in earlier months.

Over the three months to November, food sales increased 2.8per cent on a like-for-like basis and 4.0per cent on a total basis.

This is largely because prices have risen, rather than people are buying more.
Childcare handouts for the middle classes should be curbed so that more poorer families can benefit from them, according to a senior Conservative MP.

Robert Halfon, chairman of the education select committee, called for free nursery hours to be diverted to the unemployed, whose children need it more.

He urged a reduction of the earnings cap below which parents are eligible for 30 hours a week of free childcare for three-and four-year-olds.

Robert Halfon called for free nursery hours to be diverted to the unemployed whose children need it more as part of an effort to 'reboot social justice'

Currently, all working couples or single parents are able to access the Government-funded hours as long as they earn less than 100,000 each.

Mr Halfon wants this cap halved so that only middle earners are included in the offer, which was introduced in the autumn. He said the money saved from such a move could then be diverted to unemployed parents, who currently are only entitled to 15 hours, doubling the amount of time their children benefit from nursery learning.

The shift would help the Tories reboot social justice and fight the disadvantage which is still endemic in every part of our education system, he said.

Previous studies have shown that more disadvantaged children have the most to gain from attending nurseries as it gives them a good grounding before they start school.

Research has shown that disadvantaged children have the most to gain from attending nurseries

Richer children tend to have more resources available to them in their own homes, meaning they have a head start on their poorer peers, experts say.

Teachers have previously complained some of their most disadvantaged pupils have been turning up at school unable to speak due to neglect at home.

Mr Halfon made the suggestion during a speech about boosting social justice to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation yesterday. He also urged the Government to drop the eligibility earnings cap for tax-free childcare to 65,000 from the existing 100,000 mark, which would save 150 million.

He said this reform would free up cash for foster carers to access 30 hours of childcare for nursery-age youngsters. Currently, fostered children can only access 15 hours.

Mr Halfon said: The exclusion of fostered children from the additional 15 hours of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds in England is indefensible. Foster carers raise some of societys most vulnerable children, many of whom would benefit from high quality childcare, which would help boost social development.

We could pay for this by reducing the generous threshold that exists for parents to claim tax-free childcare, a subsidy that does not capture societys most disadvantaged families. He added: In time, we should also reduce the similarly generous earnings cap for the 30 hours of free childcare that is available for three- and four-year-olds.

Jeremy Corbyn has said Labour would provide universal childcare for every child before they start school

And we should channel this to non-working parents, whose children need it more.

The suggestions will be welcomed by poverty campaigners, who have pointed out that children with the most to gain from a nursery education are the poorest. In June, Andreas Schleicher, education director of the OECD, said the Government should prioritise nursery access for the most deprived families.

The 30 hours policy was introduced to help mothers in England get back to work and was welcomed by middle-class parents across the country struggling to make ends meet. Many women previously spent their entire salary or more on childcare, meaning often it is not worth them returning to their jobs.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to provide universal childcare for every child before they start school, regardless of family circumstances.

A Department for Education spokesman said: We want to build a Britain where every young person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential regardless of their background.

'Our data shows the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers has narrowed, that there are more people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering top universities than ever before and over 90 per cent of apprentices go into further work or training after their apprenticeship.
Rosalie Avila, 13, hanged herself on Tuesday after being bullied for nearly two years

The parents of a 13-year-old who committed suicide after years of bullying are now being bullied themselves.

Rosalie Avila's parents are already dealing with the trauma of losing their daughter, who hanged herself on Tuesday November 28.

Her father, Freddie Avila, found her body after hearing screams at their home in Yucapcia, Cailfornia.

The parents rushed her to the emergency room in critical condition, but it was too late and she was pronounced brain dead.

Her life support machine is due to be switched off on Monday evening and her family plans to donate her organs.

And ever since Freddie and his wife Charlene had to say goodbye to their daughter - they have started receiving hateful cyber-bullying messages on social media.

One person sent them a message with a meme that said 'hey mom,' next to a picture of Rosalie's face.

It then showed her face cut out and put onto a body who was giving a thumbs down to a bed, saying 'Next time don't tuck me in this,' and then the her face onto a body pointing at an open grave with the words 'Tuck me in THIS.'

DailyMail.com has chosen to show the image to reflect the abject cruelty of the bullies who drove Rosalie to take her own life and who are now abusing her distraught parents.

'For you to do that, I mean, you're heartless,' Charlene told CBS Los Angeles.

'You're a very heartless person and you have no compassion.'

And ever since Freddie and his wife Charlene had to say goodbye to their daughter - they have started receiving hateful cyber-bullying messages on social media

In one particularly harrowing message, a malicious bully sent the grieving parents an image that showed a photo of their daughter pointing at an open grave. DailyMail.com has chosen to show this picture to reflect the cruelty of the bullies of drove Rosalie to take her own life

Mr Avila found Rosalie's body and rushed her to the emergency room in critical condition, but it was too late and she was pronounced brain dead. She will be taken off of life support on Monday night; her family plans to donate her organs

Mr Avila on Saturday told NBC 7 San Diego that Rosalie was in the eighth grade at Mesa View Middle School, and described her as a loving and warm individual who wanted to be a lawyer one day so she could make the world a better place.

'My daughter had the whole world,' he said, choking back tears.

'Now, I just have to think about what she could have done or what she could have become, now it's just a memory.'

Rosalie left behind a letter apologizing for the hurt she was causing her family, and writing that she did it because she was 'ugly' and a 'loser.'

Mr Avila said that although his daughter's smile could light up a room, he noticed something was off in the recent months.

He said he found that she was carrying a journal around with her that had names in it of all of the people who used to bully her.

He told ABC 7 that Rosalie would often cut her wrists.

'I remember a couple nights she'd come home, telling me that the kids are calling her names about her teeth,' he said.

'I go, "You have braces, honey, don't worry. The braces are going to come off," and she said, "Yeah, but my teeth are straight and they're still making fun of me.'"

Her parents have turned the journal over to police - and told CBS they hope the school district will do something to prevent further bullying, saying not enough was done to help their daughter.

'I did everything I'm supposed to do as a father, and these people did not respond, because those bullies are still at the school,' Mr Avila said.

'They're still there, and my daughter's gone.'

Her parents said Rosalie kept a journal, describing those who had bullied her. They have turned the journal over to police - and told CBS they hope the school district will do something to prevent further bullying, saying not enough was done to help their daughter

Mesa View Middle School (pictured) was aware Rosalie was being bullied, and she was in counseling. The school released a statement saying that crisis counselors and intervention teams will be available

The middle school released a statement in the days after her death to say grief counselors will be available to anyone who needs them.

'No one can fathom the heartbreak and confusion that we are certain many of our students and families are feeling right now,' the school said in a statement, according to NBC.

'Crisis counselors and intervention teams will be available and supporting our students throughout the district in the coming days.'

Her family is now raising money for her funeral expenses with GoFundMe.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255
Wealthy MP Adam Afriyie, once dubbed the 'Tory Obama' owing to his status as a successful, black Conservative entrepreneur, is being sued over claims he discriminated against a disabled member of his staff.

In a fresh blow to the MP, the case against him is set to be heard at the London Central Employment Tribunal over four days later this month.

Afriyie, 52, MP for Windsor for the past 12 years, is facing allegations of breach of contract by a member of his staff, who says he suffered 'detriment, discrimination, and/or dismissal because of his disability or failure of employer to make reasonable adjustments'.

Wealthy MP Adam Afriyie (pictured), once dubbed the 'Tory Obama' owing to his status as a successful, black Conservative entrepreneur, is being sued over claims he discriminated against a disabled member of his staff

Tipped as a successor to David Cameron, Afriyie's personal wealth was once estimated at 100 million from his media and marketing businesses. But he has recently suffered a reversal of fortune.

In a fresh blow to the MP (pictured in 2013), the case against him is set to be heard at the London Central Employment Tribunal over four days later this month

His London-based IT company, Connect Support Services, went into administration in 2016 owing the taxman 1.7 million and was later sold to an undisclosed buyer.

It has also emerged that Afriyie was embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute with two shareholders in a second business, Axonn Media.

Although the case was settled in 2015, the pair took out a charge over his 5 million family home in Windsor.

The duo are Graham Riddick, a former MP, and businessman Andrew Scott.

From employing 200 in its heyday providing content for company websites, Axonn's sales have fallen and the company now has about 50 employees.

After Afriyie was reported to be plotting a leadership bid against David Cameron in 2013, Nicholas Soames branded him a 'chateau-bottled, nuclear-powered ****'.

Afriyie declines to comment.

Lewis star Laurence Fox's romance with his posh new lover, TV presenter Lilah Parsons, goes from strength to strength following his divorce from Billie Piper last year.

Just weeks after they went public by kissing outside a trendy London pub, he whisked 29-year-old Lilah away at the weekend to the five-star Bruern luxury cottages in the Cotswolds and Lilah shared a snap of the door of their cottage, next to which her Hunter wellies can be seen.

Lewis star Laurence Fox's (pictured left) romance with his posh new lover, TV presenter Lilah Parsons (right), goes from strength to strength following his divorce from Billie Piper last year

Just weeks after they went public by kissing outside a trendy London pub, he whisked 29-year-old Lilah away at the weekend to the five-star Bruern luxury cottages in the Cotswolds (pictured) and Lilah shared a snap of the door of their cottage, next to which her Hunter wellies can be seen

Despite their ten-year age gap, they have much in common.

Laurence, 39, comes from one of the country's most illustrious acting dynasties and was educated at 38,550-a-year Harrow School.

Lilah, daughter of courtier Sir John Parsons, former Extra Equerry to the Queen, attended 35,565-a-year Oundle School in Northamptonshire.

Pete Best, the Beatles drummer denied stardom when he was sacked in 1962 and replaced by Ringo Starr, is to play himself in a new stage drama at Liverpool's Epstein Theatre.

The comedy, Lennon's Banjo, based on a book by Rob Fennah, is about a quest to find the holy grail of pop memorabilia  the first instrument John Lennon learned to play.

'When speaking to Rob Fennah about the book becoming a stage play, I said in passing, 'I should play me!',' says Best, 76, one of several people referred to as the Fifth Beatle.

'And, lo and behold, here I am doing a few of the performances.'

Starr, 77, has no need to play himself on stage, as he is worth 200 million.

Pete Best (pictured), the Beatles drummer denied stardom when he was sacked in 1962 and replaced by Ringo Starr, is to play himself in a new stage drama at Liverpool's Epstein Theatre

The Royal Family might be angered to see Prince Philip portrayed as a philanderer in hit Netflix series The Crown, but at least the Queen and her late sister will be spared the indignity of appearing topless.

Vanessa Kirby, who plays Princess Margaret, admits: 'We had a big debate about whether to show royal boob or not, and we decided people probably don't want to see royal boob, thank God!'

Vanessa Kirby (pictured), who plays Princess Margaret in The Crown, has admitted: 'We had a big debate about whether to show royal boob or not, and we decided people probably don't want to see royal boob, thank God!'

Farewell to Kate Reardon, who has stepped down as Tatler editor after seven years.

The self-styled 'honking great Sloane' perked up the society magazine with her frisky sense of humour and it was the subject of an entertaining BBC series, Posh People, in 2014.

Last month, a third of the magazine's staff were laid off to save costs, which made her position increasingly untenable.

'I've had the time of my life,' says Reardon, who is married to bloodstock agent Charles Gordon-Watson.

'I've also had the immense good fortune to work with some mind-blowingly talented, hard-working and funny people.'
The founder of the controversial Safe Schools program was among those involved in a violent protest outside Milo Yiannopoulos' event in Melbourne yesterday.

Roz Ward stood side-by-side with Campaign Against Racism and Fascism supporters and starred down fans of the right-wing firebrand outside his event on Monday night.

During her time as leader of the Safe Schools program, Ms Ward was criticised over her political views and hardline Marxist opinions. She was sacked in December 2016.

But she wasn't the only big name to be brought out by Yiannopoulos' event, with top figures from both sides of the online political divide putting themselves right in the midst of the mayhem.

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Roz Ward (pictured in a red and black jumper), the founder of the Safe Schools program, was at a protest against controversial right-wing firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos in Melbourne

Ms Ward wasn't the only big name to be brought out by Yiannopoulos, with the event drawing Jewish activist Avi Yemini

Regarded as one of the original leaders of the right-wing movement, Blair Cottrell (middle) appeared to be keeping his distance as the violence broke out

Violent scenes erupted about 6pm on Monday as opposing crowds gathered at the intersection outside the Melbourne Pavilion, in the inner-city suburb of Kensington.

The police riot squad was forced to keep the opposing sides at bay as mayhem broke out, with rocks, street signs, punches and verbal abuse being hurled.

Scores of protesters from left-aligned Campaign Against Racism and Fascism rallied with Ms Ward against Yiannopoulos, who they called 'racist', 'sexist' and a 'w**ker'.

Among those standing opposite and praising the political commentator were right-wing figures Blair Cottrell, Avi Yemini, Neil Erikson and the Soldiers of Odin group.

Footage shared online showed convicted stalker Erikson wrestling with protesters as the mayhem broke out.

The 'Patriots Blue' leader, who abused Sam Dastyari at a pub last month, was joined by his co-founder Ricky Turner.

Neil Erikson (pictured), the founder of Patriots Blue, was at the event just a month after abusing Senator Sam Dastyari at a Melbourne pub

Prominent martial arts expert Avi Yemini attended in support of Yiannopoulos, broadcasting live online from the event (pictured)

Turner was involved in a skirmish with an opposing protester before being covered in pepper spray by police and later arrested.

Regarded as one of the original leaders of the alt-right movement, Cottrell appeared to be keeping his distance as the violence broke out.

Prominent martial arts expert Avi Yemini attended in support of Yiannopoulos, broadcasting live online from the event.

Among those standing alongside Ms Ward was rocker Ezekiel Ox, with the left-wing supporter hanging up on Neil Mitchell in a phone interview on Tuesday morning.

During the confrontations a police officer was hit by a rock and two protesters were arrested for 'discharging a missile'.

Speaking of the ugly scenes on Tuesday morning, Yiannopoulos accused 'the left' of inciting the violence.

'There was a lot of kerfuffle out front,' he told Alan Jones on 2GB Radio.

Police in riot gear were forced to subdue demonstrators during ugly scenes on Monday night

A police officer was hit with a rock and two protesters were arrested for 'discharging a missile' during violent clashes outside Yiannopoulos' Melbourne event

The mayhem unfolded outside the Melbourne Pavilion in inner-city Kensington on Monday night

Campaign Against Racism and Fascism members demonstrate outside the event on Monday

WHAT HAPPENED OUTSIDE MILO YIANNOPOULOS' EVENT? - Anti-fascism protesters and right-wing supporters clashed outside an event for controversial speaker Milo Yiannopoulos at Melbourne Pavilion, Kensington on Monday night. - Up to 500 protesters were part of anti-racism and anti-fascist groups, with local residents joining their side. - About 30-50 protesters from right-wing groups attended, with police forced to protect them as they were outnumbered. - Five police officers suffered minor injuries by protesters throwing bottles and rocks. - Two men, one from each side of the protest, were arrested for discharging a missile and later released with charges pending. - Police and event organisers were unsure of event location until late Sunday night, as many venues did not want to host it due to controversy. - Three back-to-back shows scheduled, protesters stood outside venue until about 10pm. -Police plan to invoice event organisers for the attendance of officers. Advertisement

'It was not as the newspapers reported ''a clash between the far left and far right'' it was the left, showing up, being violent to stop freedom of speech.

'The left really showed us who they are. They attack the police, they attacked other people, they attacked journalists - they showed us they are petulant babies.'

Victoria Police assistant commissioner Stephen Fontana blamed 'Kardashian-style' politics for the left and right wing clash outside the event.

'We've always got Kardashian-style politics now and these people know that you have to do something outrageous in order to get it on to YouTube and seen across the world,' he told Melbourne radio 3AW on Tuesday.

'I've got no doubt part of their motivation last night was to get as much as they could splashed around the world and feel famous for five minutes.'

Scores of protesters from left-aligned Campaign Against Racism and Fascism and two right-wing groups, Reclaim Australia and the True Blue Crew, rallied with a heavy police presence

A protester throws a street sign towards Police officers during a demonstration outside Milo Yiannopoulos's sold out show at the Melbourne Pavilion

Extra security measures are expected to be in place when Yiannopoulos visits Parliament House in Canberra

Extra security measures are expected to be in place when Yiannopoulos pays a visit to Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday afternoon.

Later that night he will hold the first of three speaking events in Sydney, where police are also expected to have a strong presence.

Yiannopoulos's speeches on university campuses in the United States have sparked violent protests previously.

He was also banned from Twitter last year amid a barrage of racist abuse directed at Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones.

He has previously likened feminism to cancer, Islam to AIDS and spoken out against gay rights and the Black Lives Matter movement - despite being openly homosexual and married to an African American man.

The British-born, US-based commentator lost a book deal after a video emerged in February in which he appeared to suggest it was OK for older men to sleep with teenage boys.

Protesters could be heard chanting 'Milo is a w**ker' before the clash turned physical
The picture was tweeted by a Falkland Islands account, saying: '#ARASanJuan as she left port for the last time on Monday, Nov 13'

An eerie final photograph of an Argentinian submarine missing for almost three weeks shows it leaving port and dipping below the water's surface to head out on its suspected doomed final voyage.

ARA San Juan went missing with 44 crew members on board on November 15 in the South Atlantic, and an explosion was detected near the time and location it vanished from.

Experts said the crew only had up to 10 days of oxygen if the sub remained intact under the sea.

It comes as U.S and Russian ships with highly-advanced equipment joined the search.

The photograph was taken from the Aerolineas Argentinas 737 flight near Ushuaia, at the country's southerly tip, two days before it disappeared.

It was tweeted by a Falkland Islands account, saying: '#ARASanJuan as she left port for the last time on Monday, Nov 13.'

The crew's families are demanding that Argentina's navy reverses its decision to stop looking for survivors.

The navy said that the search was no longer considered a rescue mission but it would continue looking for the missing sub.

American and Russian ships will join five vessels from Argentina and a Chilean ship combing an area of some 1,500 square miles (4,000 square kilometers), where sonar detected three unidentified objects on the sea floor.

Relatives of the lost mariners of San Juan comfort each other as it is announced the search for survivors is over

Relatives of crew member Gabriel Rodriguez of the missing ARA San Juan submarine leave the navy base in Mar del Plata

Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said Russia's Yantar oceanographic research ship would arrive in the search area Tuesday.

The U.S. Atlantis research vessel is expected to arrive Saturday.

They are equipped with deep submergence vehicles that allow them to examine undersea areas nearly 20,000 feet deep (6,000 meters).

Relatives of the crew met Argentina's defence minister and the navy chief on Friday at the sub's naval base in the coastal city of Mar del Plata. Some held pictures of their loved ones.

Captain Enrique Babi said on Thursday that he was ending rescue efforts for the 44 missing crew of ARA San Juan more than two weeks after it vanished.

Search efforts will continue, he said, but are now solely focused on recovering the wreck of the vessel from somewhere on the sea bed.

Captain Enrique Babi, head of the search operation for the ARA San Juan, said on Thursday that the navy will be ending its rescue mission more than two weeks after the sub vanished

The Navy will continue searching for the wreckage of the vessel, Babi said, but admitted there are now no hopes of finding the 44 crew alive

Family members of the missing crew members collapsed in grief as Babi broke the news at the naval base in Mar del Plata, where the sub was travelling before it vanished

He said the rescue efforts had already been 'extended for more than twice what is estimated for a rescue.'

'We've had 28 ships, nine aircraft, 4,000 people involved, 18 countries supporting,' he added.

'Despite the magnitude of these efforts, we've been unable to find the submarine.'

Some relatives of the crew broke into tears after they received the news.

'I don't understand this arbitrary and unjustified decision,' Luis Tagliapietra, the father of 27-year-old crew member Alejandro Tagliapietra, told local TV.

'It's unusually cruel. Every day, it's a new blow. I'm destroyed.'

Among the missing, now presumed dead, is 35-year-old Eliana Maria Krawczyk, Argentina's first female submariner.

The San Juan last made contact with commanders on November 15 to report that water had entered the vessel through its snorkel and caused a battery fault.

Relatives of the missing walk past a fence at the Mar del Palta base where a chain link fence has been turned into a makeshift memorial for the missing

Emotions ran high as Babi announced his decision, saying the search had already been extended to twice the length of a typical rescue mission

It was advised to divert to Mar del Plata to have the problem fixed, and the captain later commuincated via satellite phone that the problem had been contained.

That was the last communication received from the submarine before a loud noise, possibly and implosion, was detected from around the area where it vanished.

Some family members have denounced the navy's response to the sub's disappearance as well as the age and condition of the vessel. President Mauricio Macri has promised a full investigation.

The San Juan, a German-built diesel-electric TR-1700 class submarine, was commissioned in the 1980s and was most recently refitted in 2014.

During the $12 million retrofitting, the vessel was cut in half and had its engines and batteries replaced.

A relative of one of the members of crew on board the San Juan is pictured distraught at the Mar del Plata base

Tributes paid to those feared dead in the disappearance of the San Juan submarine

Experts say refits can be difficult because they involve integrating systems produced by different manufacturers, and even the tiniest mistake during the cutting phase can put the safety of the ship and crew at risk.

At the sub's home naval base in Mar del Plata, relatives were hit hard by Thursday's announcement. Some hugged and fell on their knees sobbing near a fence crowded with blue-and-white Argentine flags, rosary beads and messages of support.

Others took to social media to pay homage to their loved ones.

'I stay with this image,' Jesica Gopar, said in a tweet that included a photo of her husband, submarine officer Fernando Santilli, smiling and holding their young son in his arms.

'He's the most beautiful being that God could have put on my path 13 years ago,' she wrote. 'He's a hero who must be recognized along with his 43 other crew members. I hope you didn't suffer my love.'
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The streets of Ubud have been left deserted following eruption warnings for Bali's Mount Agung.

Pictures from the usually busy tourist area show the streets devoid of people, after the volcano forced more than 40,000 local residents from the danger sector.

Flights in and out of Bali have regularly been interrupted and cancelled, both due to the smoke and potential explosion from the volcano.

Mount Agung's activity level remained listed as high despite no major eruption occurring, Indonesia's volcanology agency said on Saturday.

The streets of Ubud have been left deserted, as tourists evacuate following eruption warnings for Bali's Mount Agung

The area is usually bustling with activity (pictured in January 2011) as the warmer weather sees visitors from around the world

A stray dog is seen sitting on the sidewalk of the deserted streets of Ubud in Bali on Monday, as more than 40,000 local residents remain displaced amid volcano warnings

Street views taken in busier times in previous years show tourists, scooters and cars lining the streets of Ubud, Bali before Mount Agung rumbled to life

Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics stated the number of foreign tourists visiting in November was down 16 percent from the previous month

A busy street view in front of the Arjuna statue, one of the city's iconic statues in the streets of Ubud, shows the popular city before Mount Agung rumbled to life

The area in front of the Arjuna statue resembled a ghost town on Monday as tourists leave the area in fear of a volcanic eruption

The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said that the rate of seismic events had decreased since peak activity in September and October.

Mount Agung's crater is now more than one-third full, which means a violent eruption remains likely.

Earthquakes and seismic tremors have been increasing in the area as the threat of a catastrophic eruption looms closer.

Earthquakes and seismic tremors have been increasing in the area as the threat of a catastrophic eruption looms closer

A man sits and plays with his phone on the sidewalk on Monday as the streets of Ubud, Bali remain eerily quiet

A street view of the area in busier times, taken in previous years, shows tourists and locals zipping around on scooters in Ubud

Deserted restaurants line the streets of Ubud as the area remains on high alert for a volcanic eruption on Monday

Shop attendants were spotted waiting at the entryways of their stores this week as they stared at the empty streets

Shops and restaurants in Ubud were eerily quiet, as the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics stated the number of foreign tourists visiting in November 2017 was down 16 percent from the previous month.

Shop attendants were spotted waiting at the entryways of their stores as they stared at the empty streets.

A lingering volcanic ash cloud above Mount Agung had forced the cancellation of several flights from Bali, keeping thousands of holidaymakers stranded in Bali and others unable to go on holiday.

Qantas and Jetstar resumed flights to and from the Indonesian island on Monday after previously cancelling all flights.

A woman waits with her suitcase at the entrance to a local shop on the streets of Ubud, which currently resembles a ghost town

A man is seen organising his offering plate at the sidewalk of a street in Ubud, Bali on Monday, as the area remains deserted

Food and souvenir markets that usually line the streets of the popular Balinese city (pictured) have disappeared as the area evacuates

A lingering volcanic ash cloud above Mount Agung had forced the cancellation of several flights from Bali

The quiet streets are a result of the high alert warnings from Mount Agung and evacuating tourists

A panorama view of the streets of Ubud, taken in 2012, show the usual busy streets flocked with tourists and locals

Other parts of the resort island have been blanketed by black ash, covering temples and forests in the 'red zone'.

The once colourful island has been left almost unrecognisable as pictures taken from inside the area appear to reveal an apocalyptic aftermath.

The images, captured by local photographer Solo Imaji at Pura Pasar Agung just metres south of the volcano mouth, show the woodlands cascading off the mountain plastered by dried embers.

Photos of blackened leaves, lamp posts and street signs provide a glimpse into the war between mother nature and its impending doom.
A Georgia police officer has been hailed a hero after he saved a 1-month-old girl who had stopped breathing.

Video shows Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department Officer William Eng rushing up a flight of stairs of an apartment complex where poor Bella, 29 days old, was not breathing.

Family members called police around 8.30pm on Friday, December 1 to ask for urgent help.

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Officer William Eng had responded to a call from baby Bella's family members on December 1.

The toddler had stopped breathing. He was able to revive her and doctors said he saved her life

Savannah-Chatham, Georgia police officer William Eng, 46, plays with 29-day-old Bella Adkins while her mother, Tina Adkins, holds her during the trio's Monday reunion

The police department noted on Facebook: 'Although Officer Eng was not the one dispatched, he knew he was closer and headed that way.'

Eng, 46, found baby Bella in the arms of her mother, Tina Adkins.

He performed compressions on Bella for about one minute before she began to cry - a sign of life.

She was then taken to a hospital, where doctors said Eng had saved her life.

'I just took a deep breath and did what I was trained to do,' Eng told ABC News.

During the November 4 reunion, Eng presented Bella with a onesie emblazoned with the police department's logo

'I just took a deep breath and did what I was trained to do,' Eng said

The three were reunited at the SCMPD headquarters on December 4.

One of Bella's family members told the assembled crowd: 'Sometimes angels don't come from heaven. Some of them are already here. And [Eng] is an angel.'

He presented the girl with a toddler's onesie emblazoned with the department's logo.
A teenager has died and four others have been injured after a vehicle carrying five people rolled in central Queensland.

Emergency services were called after the black truck flipped near the Moranbah Airport around 4am on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old male driver suffered severe head injuries and died at the scene.

A teenager has died and four others have been injured after a vehicle carrying five people flipped over in central Queensland (pictured)

Emergency services (pictured) were called after the black truck rolled near the Moranbah Airport around 4am Tuesday

An 11-year-old girl was flown to Townsville Hospital in serious condition with injuries to her head and chest.

Three others, including a teenage girl with head and arm injuries, were transported to Moranbah Hospital.

The crash is under investigation.
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Theresa May has ten days to save Brexit talks after DUP allies blocked plans to resolve the status of Northern Ireland's border with the south.

The Prime Minister had to break off from lunch with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker yesterday to field an angry call from DUP leader Arlene Foster who had gone public with her concerns.

Before the lunch, EU diplomats and journalists had been told to expect a 15-page document outlining details of a deal that would clear the way for trade talks to begin this month.

But later in the afternoon Mrs May and Mr Juncker faced the Press in Brussels to announce that discussions on a divorce deal had been abandoned for the day.

All smiles: Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker ahead of their lunch at the European Commission in Brussels yesterday as rumours of a deal emerged

Glum: The Prime Minister and Mr Juncker emerge from their meeting yesterday without a deal

Before the lunch, EU diplomats and journalists had been told to expect a 15-page document outlining details of a deal that would clear the way for trade talks to begin this month

The Prime Minister and Mr Juncker left immediately after making their statements, without taking any questions from the press pack

Mrs May, pictured with Mr Juncker in Brussels, is said to have signed up to enough 'continued regulatory alignment' between Northern Ireland and the Republic to 'support North-South cooperation and the protection of the Good Friday agreement'

A senior Tory said the DUP had 'gone ballistic' over a proposed compromise which they feared would result in 'regulatory divergence' from the rest of the UK and an effective border in the Irish Sea.

The party even threatened to pull out of a deal to prop up the Government at Westminster. 'They are seething,' the source said.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson described the proposals as a 'unionist nightmare' which could lead to the break-up of the UK.

But the British proposals are understood to be more subtle. Mrs May is thought to be proposing an arrangement which would require the whole UK to retain 'regulatory alignment' with the EU on a narrow range of issues that affect the Irish border. These include energy, agriculture and transport.

The UK would commit to the same regulatory outcomes in these areas as the EU, but would be free to achieve them by different routes. Crucially, the UK would be free to diverge from EU rules in all other areas.

The proposed compromise would allow Northern Ireland to retain the same rules as the Republic in critical areas without splitting from the rest of the UK.

But it will prove highly controversial with some Tory MPs.

Mrs May will spend today in talks with Cabinet colleagues and political leaders in both the north and south of Ireland as she tries to find a way through the deadlock.

She is then expected to head back to Brussels tomorrow to resume talks with Mr Juncker.

The Prime Minister yesterday insisted progress had been made, but acknowledged that on 'a couple of issues some differences do remain which require further negotiation and consultation'.

Mr Juncker described Mrs May as a 'tough negotiator' but said he remained 'very confident' a deal would be agreed this week.

EU Council president Donald Tusk had set yesterday as the 'absolute deadline' for agreement. Last night he said time was 'very tight'. But No 10 said a summit of EU leaders on December 14/15 was the real deadline  giving Mrs May ten days to save the talks.

Allies of the PM said that, unlike David Cameron, she had not accepted the first deal offered by Brussels. One said Dublin and Brussels had tried to 'bounce' her into a deal by briefing broadcast media that it was all but done.

There are deep concerns in Northern Ireland about the border issue, especially any return to 'hard' checks.

Patrick McNamee, 60, told the Irish Daily Mirror: 'There was an Irish customs post there in the 1960 and checkpoints with soldiers during the Troubles.

'We don't want that back but there obviously has to be something for the movement of goods and people. The old border may well come back. But I haven't an effing clue and I don't think anybody else has either.'

Peter Thomas said: 'It would mean more hardship for people trying to bring money into the economy and Rose Gilsenan added: 'We don't want a barrier. We want to be free to go back and forth as we like.'

TICK TOCK: HOW DRAMATIC COLLAPSE UNFOLDED 10.27am: Jean-Claude Juncker meets with his chief negotiator Michel Barnier and EU Parliament representative Guy Verhofstadt. He says they are working for a 'fair deal'. 11.10am: David Davis says today's talks are the culmination of seven months work by both sides and that Britain hopes to get agreement on 'sufficient progress' on divorce issues at the meeting. 11.16am: Irish broadcaster RTE reports on a leak of the draft agreement suggesting the UK will agree there will be no 'regulatory divergence' between the Republic and Northern Ireland. 12.09pm: European Commission confirms the plan for the May-Juncker lunch is to get 'as close as possible' to a deal. 12.40pm: May arrives at the talks and poses for pictures with Juncker ahead of lunch. 12.44pm: EU Council President Donald Tusk tweets 'Tell me why I like Mondays' and says he was encouraged about the prospects for a deal following talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar. PM Theresa May arrives in Brussels for talks with jean-Claude Juncker 12.45pm: DUP MP Sammy Wilson accuses the Irish government of leaking claims about regulatory divergence and claims the UK government will not sign up to them. 1.30pm: Nicola Sturgeon seizes on the leaks to demand Scotland gets access to the same terms as Northern Ireland. 2pm: Arlene Foster appears in front of cameras at Stormont to denounce any deal that 'separates Northern Ireland economically or politically' from the UK. 2.30pm: Varadkar postpones a statement in Dublin on Ireland's position in the talks. 3.12pm: Reports emerge Foster and May have spoken by telephone during a break in the May-Juncker lunch. 3.57pm: Juncker appears alongside May to confirm there would be no deal today but that he remains confident. 3.59pm: May insists she is 'confident we will conclude this positively' but announces talks will reconvene later in the week. 4.15pm: DUP MP Sammy Wilson appears on TV again to brand the deal a 'unionist nightmare'. 5.10pm: Tusk tweets a picture of himself and May, warning time is 'tight' but agreement is 'still possible'. 5.20pm: Varadkar finally makes his appearance in Dublin, confirming Britain was ready to sign up to an agreement. He said Ireland was ready to sign and was 'surprised and disappointed' Britain could no longer sign up. Advertisement

DUP leader Arlene Foster said the party would 'not not accept any form of regulatory divergence that separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the UK'

Q&A: The Brexit deal derailment explained What prevented a deal? The thorny issue of what happens to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic after Brexit. It combines the intractable politics of the peace process, the delicate Conservative/DUP coalition and the complexity of Brexit. The EU has accepted Mrs May's offer on money and a deal is close on the rights of EU nationals in the UK. But all three issues must be agreed by December 14 if the talks are to move on to trade. Why is the border a problem? After Brexit, Northern Ireland will have the only land border between the UK and the EU. With Britain leaving the single market and the customs union  but the Republic staying inside both  there are questions about how to move goods over the 300 crossing points along the 310-mile frontier. What does each side want? Dublin  backed by the EU  says there must be no 'hard border' involving customs checks for fear of undermining peace accords. Irish ministers have suggested Northern Ireland should stay inside the customs union. But Mrs May  and the DUP  could never agree, as it amounts to breaking up the integrity of the United Kingdom. How far apart were the sides? Government sources played down the prospect of a deal after Mrs May arrived for talks with Brussels chiefs yesterday, describing the meeting as a 'staging post'. But EU officials briefed that a deal was imminent, in what was seen as an attempt by to 'bounce' Mrs May into an agreement. What went wrong? At just after 11am, details of a draft deal were leaked to Irish media. They were interpreted as suggesting the UK would agree to single market and customs union rules north of the border and that Mrs May had capitulated. They were seized upon by SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and London mayor Sadiq Khan, who demanded separate deals for Scotland and the capital. What did the DUP say? DUP leader Arlene Foster denounced any deal that 'separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the UK'. 'The economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom will not be compromised in any way', she said. The Prime Minister was forced to leave a lunch meeting to speak to Mrs Foster who  it soon became clear  had not agreed the wording of the draft deal. Tory MPs insisted the UK's integrity must not be undermined in a sign of deep disquiet that Mrs May appeared ready to agree the proposal. What does No10 say? Officials dispute the Irish interpretation of the text. They argue that the suggestion of aligning regulations would only have applied to specific aspects of the Good Friday Agreement, including energy, agriculture and transport. The language appears designed to be palatable to both sides until trade is on the table and a detailed agreement is possible. But the way the story emerged has hardened positions in Belfast and among Tory MPs. What happens next? Mrs May is expected to talk to the DUP today and return to Brussels on Wednesday. Advertisement

EU Council President Donald Tusk (pictured last night with Theresa May) said a deal was still possible before the summit on December 14 but that time was 'tight'

Nicola Sturgeon seized on the news to argue that Scotland should be given similar leeway to 'stay in the single market'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan leapt on the bandwagon to demand a special deal for London

Sir Alan Duncan appeared in high spirits in the chilly London weather while the Prime Minister was battling for a Brexit deal in Brussels. But that optimism was soon dashed

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BORDER? Hard Border: This would include customs and security checks, border controls, posts and guards to monitor who and what is travelling over from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, and vice versa. The UK, EU and the Republic of Ireland have all agreed there can be no return to the hard border of the past, fearing this could reignite the sectarian violence of The Troubles. Soft Border: A soft border would mean no security or border checks between the two territories - essentially maintaining the status quo. Under this plan goods and people will be free to cross from one side to the other without any checks or documentation. Third Way: It has been proposed that an 'invisible border' can be erected via a new high-tech system. Under this plan, number plate recognition technology and spot vehicle checks could be used to carry out customs checks. While it has been suggested that Northern Ireland and the Republic both create squads of flying border guards to police potential smuggling routes from the skies. Advertisement

Michel Barnier (second from left) and Jean-Claude Juncker (second from right) held talks with a European parliament team led by Guy Verhofstadt (right) ahead of the meeting with Mrs May

A union flag was raised alongside EU counterparts in Brussels yesterday ahead of the meetings, which ultimately proved fruitless

DEVOLVED POWERS COULD SOLVE IRISH IMPASSE One of the proposed solutions for the Irish border issue is for the Northern Ireland Executive to be handed sweeping new powers. Fresh devolution would hand authority to keep laws in the province close to the EU single market rules and different from the rest of the UK. The set up would allow Northern Ireland to leave the customs union with the rest of Britain but still operate different rules on cross-border trade to the mainland UK. But the details are still hotly disputed and would eventually rely on the restoration of devolution to Belfast - despite the institutions being on ice since January. Advertisement

He added: 'We need to maintain the integrity of our red lines and  not be like a former prime minister who did take exactly what he was given first time round.'

The talks foundered after sources in Dublin and Brussels leaked draft versions of a text they hoped to agree with Mrs May on the status of the Irish border.

The leaks suggested the PM was willing to sign a deal that would allow Northern Ireland 'no regulatory divergence' from Dublin, effectively tying it to the EU's customs union. A later leak said the UK had agreed Northern Ireland would remain in 'regulatory alignment' with the EU in some key areas.

Nicola Sturgeon, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones seized on the claims to demand that Scotland, London and Wales remain tied to the customs union and single market. SNP leader Miss Sturgeon said: 'If one part of UK can retain regulatory alignment with EU and effectively stay in the single market  there is surely no good practical reason why others can't.'

Last night Conservative Eurosceptics warned Mrs May against further compromise over the Irish border and the role of the European Court of Justice in policing EU citizens' rights after Brexit.

Tory ex-leader Iain Duncan Smith said: 'We have to be very careful. Northern Ireland cannot see any regulatory divergence from the UK. And we cannot get into a position where EU citizens have more rights than British citizens.'

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (pictured arriving at work in Dublin yesterday ahead of a cabinet meeting) has thrown fresh doubt on Brexit talks after objecting to Irish border proposals

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar (pictured at a press conference in Dublin last night) said he had been ready to sign up to what was on the table but that he was told by Brussels Britain was backing off

Jacob Rees-Mogg accused Dublin of spreading 'propaganda', adding: 'You cannot align the regulation of one part of the UK with the EU. And if we align the whole of the UK with the regulation of the EU, we haven't left the EU.'

Pro-Remain Tory Anna Soubry said it was untenable to have one part of the UK diverging from the rest  but said the solution was to keep the whole country in the single market.

Dublin had threatened to veto Brexit talks unless it gets guarantees that Northern Ireland will be tied to single market rules.

WHAT ARE THE EU RULES THAT APPLY IN IRELAND? Regulatory convergence between Northern Ireland and the Republic after Brexit could cover a whole gamut of different rules. As members of the single market, Ireland accepts the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. Financial services companies have the ability to work freely across the continent without jumping through additional bureaucratic hoops. They also have standardised EU rules in areas such as safety, quality standards, and working hours. Ireland's membership of the EU customs union, meanwhile, means there are no tariffs on goods traded within the bloc. And the same tariffs are applied to goods from outside the union. As a result of being in the customs union, Ireland cannot negotiate its own free trade deals with other countries. Advertisement

But the DUP's Mrs Foster said: 'Northern Ireland must leave the EU on the same terms as the rest of the UK. We will not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the UK.'

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was 'disappointed' by the break-up of talks. He said EU diplomats had told Dublin a deal had been done with a 'cast-iron guarantee' on the border.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn blamed the breakdown in talks on the Government's 'grubby deal' with the DUP.
A packed Manly ferry has crashed into Sydney's Circular Quay during the morning rush-hour commute, injuring two passengers and a crew member.

The Manly Fast Ferry crashed into the wharf about 8am Tuesday, a company spokesman told AAP.

Pictures posted on social media show damage to the ferry's bow, however the spokesman said the boat was still watertight.

A packed Manly ferry has crashed into Sydney's Circular Quay during the morning rush-hour commute

Authorities were called to the wharf to interview the skippers of the ferry.

Three people suffered minor injuries and were assessed by staff on board the ferry. Paramedics were not required.

Manly Fast Ferry director Richard Ford told the Manly Daily the cause of the crash of the Ocean Rider was still being investigated.

'We go through lot of checks during the safety repairs to find out what problem was and that all authorities are satisfied before it goes back into service,' Mr Ford told News Corp.

Three people suffered minor injuries and were assessed by staff on board the ferry
A focus on phonics has seen the reading standards of Britain's schoolchildren rise to the best in a generation.

An study of 9-10 year olds from 50 different countries ranked the UK's youngsters as eighth for their reading ability.

Phonics is taught in primary schools across the country and has been championed by both the Conservatives and Labour as the best way to help children learn to read.

A focus on phonics has seen the reading standards of Britain's schoolchildren rise to the best in a generation (file photo)

It was introduced by the Tory Government in 2010, who changed the national curriculum to ensure children were taught to identify and pronounce specific sounds in words, rather than letters.

Schools minister Nick Gibb said the results of the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, which saw Britain's highest ranking since 2001, were proof the Government's reforms were having a positive effect.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Gibb said: 'In the years just before we came into government in 2010, we knew something was wrong with the way our primary schools taught reading; England was falling down the international league tables.

'The international data also showed a wider gap between top and bottom performers than in most other countries. England was well known for its 'long tail of underachievement'.'

Previously children were taught using a 'look and say' method, where they were shown words until they could regonise them.

However, teaching reading using sounds rather than individual letters has been found to be far more effective by researchers at the London School of Economics (LSE).

Young pupils from poorer backgrounds and those whose first language is not English have both been found to advance quicker using synthetic phonics.

An assessment of more than 270,000 children by LSE's Centre for Economic Performance, last year, discovered that those who were learning phonetically had developed far better by age seven than those using traditional methods.




American embassies around the world are on heightened alert this week over potential violence as President Donald Trump mulls whether to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it was reported on Monday.

The possibility that Trump may recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital has stirred opposition from American diplomats and foreign officials.

Such a decision, which US officials have said has not been finalized, would violate decades of US policy not to take a stance on the fate of Jerusalem on the grounds that this was an issue Israelis and Palestinians should negotiate and decide.

If Trump made such a move, it could spark demonstrations or violence by Palestinians or by Muslims around the world, in part because of the sensitivity of the Jerusalem site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

American embassies around the world are on heightened alert this week over potential violence as President Donald Trump (seen above at the White House on Monday) mulls whether to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it was reported on Monday

The site includes the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, and the golden Dome of the Rock.

It was also the site of an ancient Jewish temple, the holiest place in Judaism.

Israel seized East Jerusalem, which includes the area, during a 1967 war.

However, the Waqf, a Muslim religious body, manages the Islamic sites within the compound.

A senior US official told Reuters last week that Trump was likely to make the announcement on Jerusalem's being Israel's capital on Wednesday, though his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner on Sunday said no final decision had been made.

A senior US official said last week Trump was likely to make the announcement on Jerusalem's being Israel's capital on Wednesday, though his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner (seen above with his daughter, Arabella) on Sunday said no final decision had been made

Kushner is leading Trump's efforts to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, efforts that so far have shown little progress.

The White House said it would not take any action on Monday on whether to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, something that Trump had promised to do in his presidential campaign.

Trump is expected to sign the waiver, according to several US officials.

One US official said Trump was likely to accompany the signing with an order for his aides to begin serious planning for an eventual embassy move, though it was unclear whether he would establish a strict timetable.

Two other US officials said on condition of anonymity that news of the plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital had kicked up resistance from the State Department's Near Eastern Affairs bureau (NEA), which deals with the region.

'Senior (officials) in NEA and a number of ambassadors from the region expressed their deep concern about doing this,' said one official, saying that the concerns focused on 'security.'

'The impending Jerusalem announcement has me very worried about the possibility of violent responses that could affect embassies,' a State Department official told POLITICO.

'I hope Im wrong.'

The White House said it would not take any action on Monday on whether to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, something that Trump had promised to do in his presidential campaign. The US Embassy in Tel Aviv is seen above

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the concerns of US and foreign officials about the possibility of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

A fourth US official said the consensus US intelligence estimate on US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was that it would risk triggering a backlash against Israel, and also potentially against US interests in the Middle East.

The core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute include borders, the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.

The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war and the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Islamist Hamas, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

US allies voiced their misgivings about the United States unilaterally calling Jerusalem Israel's capital.

If Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it could spark demonstrations or violence by Palestinians or by Muslims around the world, in part because of the sensitivity of the Jerusalem site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (above)

'Any US announcement on the status of Jerusalem prior to a final settlement would have a detrimental impact on the peace process and would heighten tensions in the region,' Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron 'expressed his concern over the possibility that the United States would unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel' during a phone call with Trump on Monday, Macron's office said after the two leaders spoke by telephone.

And in an unusually detailed statement published by Jordan's official news agency Petra, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi was quoted as having warned US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson against the move in a call on Sunday.

Safadi said such a move would 'trigger anger across the Arab and Muslim world, fuel tension and jeopardize peace efforts,' Petra reported.

There are fears that any change in the status quo on Jerusalem could spark another round of Palestinian violence from militant groups like Hamas (whose members are seen above in Gaza City on November 14)

The Palestine Liberation Organization's chief representative in Washington, Husam Zomlot, said a formal US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would be the 'kiss of death' to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

'Should such a step be taken it would have catastrophic consequences,' Zomlot told Reuters.

A fifth US official said concerns of Palestinian and other Arab leaders about endorsing Israel's claim to Jerusalem were being taken into account but no final decisions had been made.

Daniel Benjamin, a former US counterterrorism official now at Dartmouth University, had a simple message: 'This is playing with fire.'
Senator Derryn Hinch says he will use parliamentary privilege to name a convicted rapist who is threatening the safety of female Melbourne doctors by making one-on-one appointments.

The Australian Medical Association Victoria issued warnings for the convicted criminal in August and again in November after 'several' GPs had appointments with the man.

Senator Hinch on Tuesday told 3AW he would name the 40-year-old in the Senate on Tuesday night and he has previously named other sex offenders using his parliamentary privilege.

A spokeswoman for the Senator confirmed to Daily Mail Australia Mr Hinch is intending to name the man, who for legal reasons cannot be named or pictured by the media.

Name and shame: Senator Derryn Hinch says he will name the serial sex offender who is threatening the safety of female GPs in Melbourne

The 40-year-old man slipped away from supervision at Corella Place on the outskirts of Ararat in south-west Victoria, a transitional facility nicknamed the Village of the Damned

Convicted paedophiles and sex offenders are sent there where they live freely but are monitored with GPS ankle bracelets

Parliamentary privilege means members of Parliament cannot be sued or prosecuted for anything they say in debate in the houses.

The sex offender slipped away from supervision at Corella Place on the outskirts of Ararat in south-west Victoria, a transitional facility nicknamed the Village of the Damned.

He has repeatedly travelled to Melbourne demanding to see only woman doctors at clinics since August.

The man has a history of raping, stalking and assaulting women, reported the Herald Sun.

The convicted criminals live in modern one, two and three bedroom cottages, complete with their own kitchens

He was convicted on two counts of rape in 2008 after sexually assaulting his housemates partner.

He was also convicted of assault in 1995 and has a background of violent crimes, stalking and breaching intervention orders.

Victoria Police and the Australian Medical Association are warning people after several female doctors found themselves in dangerous and unacceptable situations.

AMA Victoria president Lorraine Baker said more needed to be done to protect doctors from the convicted rapist.

The police have been informed, but appear limited in their powers to assist, she said.

'During August and November 2017, AMA Victoria has been contacted by some of our GP members who work in Melbourne's northern suburbs.'

Men are sent to Corella Place in the hope they can be rehabilitated as part of a post-sentence scheme

The men are free to come and go as they please during daylight hours but must be accompanied by two guards

They are court ordered to be there for a period of time, which can be extended if they are still thought to be a threat to the community

The residents live in modern one, two and three-bedroom cottages complete with their own kitchens

In August, AMA Victoria sent out a short alert to members warning them of the man's behaviour.

'The male usually rings and says: "Dr X has seen me in the past and can I make another appointment to see her",' the warning read.

This is a serious issue. Female GPs are being exposed to dangerous and unacceptable situations in their workplaces.

Orders demand that the man is accompanied by a supervisor when seeing female doctors but it is alleged he showed up without a supervisor to at least one consultation.

Corella Place is a complex-style village that houses serious sex offenders after they complete their jail sentences.

Convicted paedophiles and sex offenders who are sent there live freely, but are monitored with GPS ankle bracelets.

The residents are also able to claim Centrelink payments given they have completed their prison sentences
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Temperatures could plummet as low as -8C this week with 70mph storms and an Arctic blast set to dump at least two inches of snow.

Britons have been told to brace themselves for a plunge in temperatures as freezing gales, rain and hail showers batter the nation.

While many people enjoyed a relatively mild weekend, with highs of 12.4C (54F) in South Wales on Sunday, the weather will become far more wintry by Wednesday.

Temperatures could plummet as low as -8C this week with 70mph storms and an Arctic blast set to dump at least two inches of snow. Pictured: a steam engine powering along the North York Moors Railway near Goathland yesterday

As Britons brace themselves for a plunge in temperatures as freezing gales, rain and hail showers batter the nation, a stag is pictured in a snow blizzard at Whitworth Hall, County Durham earlier this week

On the North York Moors this man has some fun with the freezing conditions as he is pictured skiing behind a Land Rover

The sun begins to rise this morning over Tynemouth Longsands in South Shields, Tyne and Wear

Your browser does not support the <code>iframe</code> HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later.

The Met Office predicts the balmy weather will be replaced by rain and strong winds - then temperatures will really plunge and much of the country will see snow on Friday.

Spokeswoman Nicola Maxey told the Daily Express: 'It will turn cold from Friday as an Arctic Maritime air mass moves over the country.

'Anywhere could see sleet, snow or hail by the weekend although snow accumulations are more likely further north.'

Ms Maxey also said that high tides along the east coast of the country could bring waves crashing over sea walls.

By Friday, the cold is expected to be felt across most of Britain, with hail, sleet and snow all forecast. The showers will spread across most parts of the country, with snow possible in many places even at sea level.

The coldest temperature last week was -6C (42.8F) in Pershore, Worcestershire, on Thursday. The coldest night of autumn, which ended last week, was Saturday, November 25 when Topcliffe in North Yorkshire fell to -6.3C (20.6F).

The coldest night of 2017 so far was January 30 when Braemar, Aberdeenshire, fell as low as -10.1C (13.8F).
A British university has been accused of wasting money after opening a sister campus on Mauritius  only to close it just two years later over lack of demand.

Aberystwyth University built the overseas site to accommodate 2,000 students, but only 106 enrolled in its second year and in its first year there were only 40.

The institution  which has to make 6milllion saving this year  made a loss of nearly 200,000 from the venture during the first 12 months, according to its latest figures.

Aberystwyth University built the overseas site to accommodate 2,000 students but just 146 students enrolled

The campus was opened in 2015 with an aim to provide degree courses for both British and international students.

Its degree courses include criminal law, business finance and computer science and the university has spent about 600,000 on the venture, mostly on staff.

At the time, Professor John Grattan, Pro Vice-Chancellor for International and Student Experience, said: Why Mauritius? Why not! Whilst many regard Mauritius as a holiday destination for newly-weds, the British Council has recognised the small islands ambitions to be a global hub for higher education in Africa and India.

Are we brave in seeking to develop a new branch campus in the Indian Ocean? Absolutely. However, we need to extend our reach, be entrepreneurial and take big steps forward with our international and developmental strategies that provide a clear signal of our intent.

The university recently announced that 11 academic jobs were to be lost in a bid to make 6 million savings in the current financial year.

But last year Professor Derec Llwyd Morgan, who ran the university from 1994 to 2004, branded the venture madness and said resources would be better off invested in high-quality staffing in the UK.

In October it was announced that 11 academic jobs were to be lost at Aberystwyth in a bid to make 6 million savings in the current financial year.

This week, it emerged the governing body of the institution has decided it will not enrol further intakes of students at the branch campus from March 2018.

The closure plans, discovered by BBCs Newyddion 9 programme, emerged after information was disclosed in minutes from the universitys council meeting in October.

They read: Discussions with the academic departments which deliver programmes at the branch campus had indicated that there was no appetite for an intake of new students in March 2018.

The move was welcomed by Mid and West Wales Assembly Member Simon Thomas, who is also a former student.

He said he wanted the university to return to its core values as a university in mid Wales and not focus on a vision I did not share.

Welsh Assembly member Simon Thomas, a former student, said the university should return to its core values

Cen Llwyd, of Ffrindiau Pantycelyn, a campaign group set up to protect Welsh language halls of residence at Aberystwyth University, called the Mauritius venture a waste of money.

The Mauritius campus plan was overseen by former vice chancellor Professor April McMahon, who earned 254,000 in her last year including benefits.

She was also given a 100,000 pay-off when she left, according to local media.

She stepped down from her role last year following a furore over the university slipping down a newspaper universities league table.

Aberystwyth is ranked 68th out of 129 in the Complete University Guide league table and did not take part in the governments Teaching Excellence Framework this year.

It comes amid a growing debate over whether universities are using funds provided by students and the taxpayer in the most efficient way.

Vice chancellors across the country have already been criticised for accepting salaries which by far exceed that of the Prime Minister when student fees have increased again to 9,250.

The university did not respond to a request for comment.
Right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has launched a scathing attack on modern feminism during his speech at Parliament House.

The controversial figure labelled the movement 'vindictive' and 'man-hating' as he addressed MPs and journalists in the Mural Hall in Canberra on Tuesday.

'Feminists like to say that feminism is about equality for women - about giving women equal standing with men. They have it,' Yiannopoulos said.

'What feminism has become - since it has run out of things to complain about - is a mean, vindictive, sociopathic, man-hating movement.

Right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has launched a scathing attack on modern feminism during a speech at Parliament House. He is pictured with Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm

Pauline Hanson (pictured sitting front right) was among the One Nation Senators to attend

'You'd be hard pressed to find a journalist who doesn't describe themselves as a feminist these days. But it's very difficult to find a normal woman who does.'

Yiannopoulos said Western women should be 'enormously proud' of the advances they had made, but said there is 'no place left for an organised feminist movement'.

'[Women] now have equal access to education, equal access to the workplace - they get paid the same for the same work.

'A female Harvard economist attempted to establish the existence of a wage gap last year and failed to do so.

'Feminists like to say that feminism is about the equality for women - about giving women equal standing with men. They have it,' Yiannopoulos said

Former One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts (centre) asks a question to British commentator Milo Yiannopoulos

Yiannopoulos said Western women should be 'enormously proud' of the advances they had made, but said there is 'no place left for an organised feminist movement'

'When you take in women's different educational choices, different preferences and the fact they have to have children... the wage gap narrows to almost nothing.'

Yiannopoulos argued there is a divide in how modern-day feminists describe themselves and the way they behave.

'The horror of mainstream media companies employing people who tweet things like ''kill all white men'', ''I bathe in male tears'' and ''masculinity is so fragile''.

'People just don't want to be around that kind of thing... it has alienated an entire generation of women who realise the great victories that feminism fought for in previous generations have all been won.

'There is no place left for an organised feminist movement in society because, thankfully, we won.'

Greens leader Richard Di Natale (pictured right) unsuccessfully requested Milo Yiannopoulos (left) be banned from speaking at Parliament House

Senator Di Natale posted a letter he wrote to the Presiding Officers of the House of Representatives and the Senate along with this caption on Twitter

Greens leader Richard Di Natale launched an unsuccessful bid to have the British-born commentator banned from making the Parliament House speech.

Senator Di Natale last week wrote to the Presiding Officers of the House of Representatives and the Senate to revoke his invitation from Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm.

He wrote that Yiannopoulos is 'an individual who has become notorious for his racist, sexist and abusive behaviour'.

Though the request was unsuccessful, he did manage to have a Senate motion passed condemning the 33-year-old author.

Police arrest two protesters during a demonstration outside Milo Yiannopoulos's Melbourne show

A Campaign Against Racism and Fascism supporter and a Yiannopoulos supporter are pepper sprayed by police

'Good on the Senate for passing the Greens motion condemning Milo Yiannopolous,' Senator Di Natale tweeted.

'His desperate attempts to seek attention through vile and hateful rhetoric has no place in the Australian Parliament.'

Meanwhile, a police officer was hit by a rock and two protesters were arrested for 'discharging a missile' during violent clashes outside Yiannopoulos' Melbourne event on Monday.

Scores of protesters from left-aligned Campaign Against Racism and Fascism and two right-wing groups, Reclaim Australia and the True Blue Crew, rallied with a heavy police presence attempting to maintain order.

A left-wing protester is seen with facial injuries after a violent scuffle on Monday afternoon

Left-wing protesters were stationed in Kensington, Melbourne's north-west, on Monday afternoon ahead of the right-wing firebrand's speech

Extra security measures are expected to be in place when Yiannopoulos visits Parliament House in Canberra

Dozens of officers worked to keep the groups separated, but still had to use pepper spray.

Protesters could be heard chanting 'Milo is a w**ker' before the clash, which lasted nearly five hours, turned physical.

Yiannopoulos spoke of the ugly scenes on Tuesday morning.

'There was a lot of kerfuffle out front,' he told Alan Jones on 2GB Radio.

'It was not as the newspapers reported ''a clash between the far left and far right'' it was the left, showing up, being violent to stop freedom of speech.

'The left really showed us who they are. They attack the police, they attacked other people, they attacked journalists - they showed us they are petulant babies.'
The daughter of an American man who was abducted in Baghdad last year says he has died from health complications stemming from his month in captivity.

Amanda Frost says her father, 49-year-old Russell Frost, died on Thursday at his home in Wichita, Kansas, after going into cardiac arrest in his sleep.

According to his daughters, Frost was waiting for his insurance to approve kidney surgery as he had suffered severe malnutrition and dehydration during his month-long ordeal, causing his kidneys to fail.

Frost was working as a contractor in January 2016 when he and two co-workers, Amr Mohamed and Waiel El-Maadawy, were abducted in the neighborhood of Dora by members of the Shiite Muslim militia.

Kansas contractor Russell Frost, who was kidnapped in Dora, Iraq, last year died on Thursday from complications related to the month that he spent in captivity, according to his daughter (Pictured, clockwise from top left: daughter Amanda Frost, daughter Crystal Frost, Russell Frost, grandson Brixton Thompson, and daughter Madison Frost)

Frost had been working as a military contractor in the Middle East for more than a decade when the January 15 kidnapping occurred although it is unclear what his specific assignment was at the time of his kidnapping.

The father-of-three dealt with days of physical torment. His hands were tied together with zip ties - causing circulation to be cut off and his wrists to bleed

The father-of-three dealt with days of physical torment. His hands were tied together with zip ties - causing circulation to be cut off and his wrists to bleed, reported The Wichita Eagle.

The ties would eventually be replaced with heavy chains.

His mouth and nose were covered so tightly with packing tape that he had to gasp for breath.

Iraqi officials said the men were in good health when they were handed over to the US Embassy on February 16 after 31 days in captivity.

But Amanda Frost says her father lost more than 40 pounds in captivity because of dehydration and malnutrition, which caused kidney problems.

'He was battling kidney issues,' she told the Wichita Eagle. 'It was one battle after another. He had multiple surgeries but - his insurance - he wasn't given enough and his kidneys appeared to be failing on him.

'It was hard as his family to watch someone who was so full of life go to someone who could barely move and was in so much pain and swelling.'

Frost also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after his return. He would sleep during the day on the floor, in the corner, where he could see everyone in the family and would not sleep at night without a light on.

'The trauma he had suffered so very much affected his life,' Amanda said.

'He tried to put a stone face on for his girls so we could see the dad we had all known and loved. He didn't want us to see him in any way weak. His focus was on getting back to everything the way it was before this all happened.'

Frost was working as a contractor in January 2016 when he and two co-workers, Amr Mohamed (left and right) and Waiel El-Maadawy, were abducted in Dora, a mixed neighborhood that is home to both Shiites and Sunnis

Iraqi officials said the men were in good health when they were handed over to the US Embassy on February 16 after 31 days in captivity (Pictured, Waiel El-Maadawy, second from the right)

The family has started a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses. So far, $7,337 has been raised out of a $10,000 goal.

Frost leaves behind his wife, Tammie, and three daughters, Amanda, Crystal and Madison.

Amanda wrote on the GoFundMe page: 'This exceptional man was the pillar of his family. He meant the world to all who knew him. In January 2016, my dad was kidnapped in Iraq and held captive for 31 days.

'In February 2016, our family received a miracle and our father was released. Upon returning home, he suffered myriad of health issues due to his captivity. My mother and sisters need all the help they can get as my father was the main source of income for his family.

'My dad was the best. He would do anything he could to help a friend or stranger. He was loved by so many and his absence has created a massive void.'
Pauline Hanson, a prominent hijab-wearing Muslim psychologist and a left-wing comedian packed into a Parliament House room to hear Milo Yiannopoulos denounce Islam.

They were among 160 people who gathered in the Mural Hall to hear the right-wing firebrand take questions in Canberra as a guest of libertarian Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm, who was emcee.

One Nation's Senate team was in full attendance, with Ms Hanson sitting on the entertainer's far right.

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One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and her two senators had front row Canberra seats for Milo

Prominent Muslim psychologist Hanan Dover was seated behind Pauline Hanson

Muslim psychologist Hanan Dover sits behind One Nation's Pauline Hanson and Brian Burston

The One Nation leader's chief adviser James Ashby was also in the front row, along with senators Brian Burston, Peter Georgiou and their former parliamentary colleague Malcolm Roberts, who was forced out of the Senate for being a dual British citizen.

Prominent western Sydney-based Muslim psychologist Hanan Dover, who regularly uses Facebook to accuse conservative politicians of Islamophobia, was seated in the second row next to left-wing former ABC comedian John Safran.

Mr Roberts, who ran unsuccessfully at last month's Queensland elections, praised Yiannopoulos for being outspoken before asking about Islam.

'I really appreciate the way you speak up and speak your mind,' he said.

'Perhaps you could discuss the similarities you may see between Mohammad's Quran, which is the basis for the Islamic ideology, and Hitler's Mein Kampf, which is the basis of Nazism.

One Nation's Senate team, including Pauline Hanson and adviser James Ashby, at the front

Pauline Hanson and Milo Yiannopoulos have lunch at Parliament House in Canberra afterwards

'I'm actually being serious, Milo. Both of them espouse authoritarianism, control over people and both are antisemitic.'

Yiannopoulos, who has Jewish ancestry, answered by pointing out 'there was communion between a lot of Muslim countries and the Nazi regime'.

'Largely centred on their mutual hatred of Jews, absolutely,' he said.

'Certainly their authoritarian instinct, the desire to legislate how other people should live is intrinsic to Islam. The word means submission to the will of Allah.

'Together with the Sunnah and the Hadith, it provides a much more prescriptive code for life than any religion and one that hasn't changed in hundreds of years unlike every other world religion.'

Comedian John Safran (right) and hijab-wearing Muslim psychologist Hanan Dover (left) sat behind Pauline Hanson

Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm and Milo Yiannopoulos promote each other's books at Parliament House in Canberra

Comedian John Safran sat behind One Nation senators Pauline Hanson and Brian Burston

Safran asked Yiannopoulos, who is a married U.S.-based homosexual, why it was ridiculous for anyone to wish to have a gay son.

'I don't like it when people in media, either to be funny or to communicate their own left-wing virtue, say that they were prefer to have gay children,' Yiannopoulos answered.

'Let me tell you, irrespective of homophobia, it's not a life you would choose for anybody.

'That's not because I'm self-loathing nor have internalised hatred about my sexuality, but everybody who is gay must come to terms, at some point, with the fact they can't create a child with the person they love in the ordinary way.

'That is an inescapable biological reality of existence.'

Yiannopoulos delivered his 45-minute session a day after the Greens successful moved a Senate motion denouncing him for being offensive.

One Nation defector Fraser Anning was also in the room, along with renegade Nationals MP George Christensen and his coalition colleagues Tim Wilson, Andrew Laming, Andrew Hastie, Craig Kelly, Ian Macdonald and David Gillespie.
Sabra Bewley's, 27, of Nevada was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after she drove down a highway the wrong way, danced atop her SUV and attempted to flee from officers on a kid's scooter

A Nevada woman was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after she drove down a highway the wrong way, danced atop her SUV and attempted to flee from officers on a kid's scooter.

Police in the city of Sparks answered a call Saturday after someone complained about a car driving in the wrong direction.

Authorities found Sabra Bewley's, 27, Jeep Cherokee about 20 yards up a hill off a highway.

Officers said Bewley was acting erratically and dancing on top of the Cherokee before attempting to get away on a kid's scooter.

Police detained Bewley and took her to a hospital before she was booked into the Washoe County jail.

She was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, trafficking MDMA, destruction of property and resisting arrest.
Matthew Leveson's heartbroken mother has opened up about her anger at her son's gay lover after the 'bittersweet' coronial inquest into the 20-year-old's death.

Mark and Faye Leveson were told on Tuesday the coroner could not make a finding into the cause and manner of Matthew's death in Sydney on September 23, 2007.

Mrs Leveson told Daily Mail Australia she and her husband should never have been 'forced into a corner' to choose between bringing their son home and having justice served after Matthew's boyfriend, Michael Atkins, was acquitted of murder.

Matthew Leveson's heartbroken mother Faye (pictured with her husband Mark) has opened up about her anger at her son's gay lover after the 'bittersweet' coronial inquest into the 20-year-old's death

A coroner has made an open finding as to the cause and manner of Matthew Leveson's (pictured) death

'It was our number one goal to bring Matty home, we shouldn't have been forced into a corner and choose between bringing Matty home or justice being served,' Mrs Leveson said.

'It doesn't get any easier... the fact that he hid him for years, denying any knowledge, saying he was in Thailand... all because he was facing the law, then decides he knows where Matty is.'

Deputy State Coroner Elaine Truscott's findings on Tuesday came two years after the inquest began and more than eight years after Atkins was acquitted of murder.

But the Levesons don't believe Atkins' latest version of events and still allege he's responsible for their son's death.

'You dont do that to someone you love, he said he loved Matty but that's cr*p,' Mrs Leveson said.

'He never tried. Nobody has seen him since the day Matty was found. But I don't want to see him, he's nothing to me.

'It was our number one goal to bring Matty home, we shouldn't have been forced into a corner and choose between bringing Matty home or justice being served,' Mrs Levesonn (pictured) said

Deputy State Coroner Elaine Truscott's findings on Tuesday came two years after the inquest began and more than eight years after Atkins was acquitted of murder

Matthew was last seen leaving Darlinghurst's ARQ nightclub with his older boyfriend, Michael Atkins (left), in September 2007

The coroner said Atkins was the only person who could provide the answers as to how Matthew died, and he'd been given the opportunity to do so during his protected evidence at the inquest last year.

'For reasons unknown to me, he did not take that opportunity,' Ms Truscott said, later adding that Atkins had not been a 'witness of truth'.

Atkins, 54, finally led police this year to Matthew's remains in a south Sydney national park after striking a deal to avoid contempt and perjury charges over lies he told during his inquest evidence.

He told police he panicked and buried his boyfriend's body in bushland after finding him dead from a drug overdose.

'You dont do that to someone you love, he said he loved Matty but that's cr*p,' Mrs Leveson (pictured) said

Mark and Faye Leveson stand together in bushland in the Royal National Park in May this year

Justice won't be served and it won't ever be served thanks to our so-called justice system... we have 18th century laws in the 21st century. The victims need more rights.'

Mrs Leveson said she is still trying to comprehend the 139-page coronial inquest only hours after she left court on Tuesday.

The grieving parents said it only gets harder during Christmas time and her son's 31st birthday which would have been on December 12.

'We haven't had time to think about it all. There's still things to be done, we haven't had Matty's funeral,' Mrs Leveson added.

'We will get to being Matty home, as to when I'm not sure yet.'

Michael Atkins (above) told police he panicked and buried his boyfriend's body in bushland after finding him dead from a drug overdose

During the lengthy inquest, Atkins drew diagrams for police officers about where he buried his younger boyfriend afyer he claimed he found he had overdosed on GHB

He told them he decided to bury him in bushland after finding him dead in their bedroom

Although they want justice, they say they achieved their main goal from the inquest - to find Matthew and bring him home.

'Our son was the most precious thing to us and to his brothers, why would we worry about Atkins,' Mrs Leveson said on Tuesday.

'We would have loved both but we were forced in this corner, and Matty comes first every time.'

'I was hoping at that stage he might go to jail and with luck might be killed in jail,' Mark Leveson said in an interview with 60 Minutes earlier this year.

When asked whether he wants Aktins dead, he replied: 'Yes. Slowly, painfully.

And Mrs Leveson earlier stood in court and accused Atkins of possibly smothering, drowning or burying Matthew alive.

'We will always be left worrying, did Matty suffer?' Mrs Leveson said. 'Did he die quickly or was it slow and painful? Was he terrified?'

'Our son was the most precious thing to us and to his brothers, why would we worry about Atkins,' Mrs Leveson said on Tuesday

Although they want justice, Matthew's heartbroken parents say they achieved their main goal from the inquest - to find Matthew and bring him home

Matthew's parents Mark and Faye Leveson (pictured in October) believe Atkins killed their son

As she spoke, her son's remains were being held in the morgue under the court.

Mrs Leveson also revealed her son would not be wearing his favourite suit when his family finally bury him. They cannot dress a skeleton, she told the court.

'We had to watch Matty be exhumed from the grave, piece by piece, bit by bit, and then rebuilt and then watched him be packed up into two cardboard boxes and some evidence bags,' she said.

Matthew was last seen leaving Darlinghurst's ARQ nightclub with Atkins in September 2007.

Atkins long denied any knowledge of his whereabouts, but finally led police to his bones at a national park south of Sydney after striking a deal last year to avoid contempt and perjury charges.

Police offered the 54-year-old the deal after he admitted lying during the investigation into Matthew's disappearance and while giving evidence during the inquest.

He told them he decided to bury him in bushland after finding him dead in their bedroom from an overdose of GHB.
A 27-year-old man accused of allegedly trafficking his wife and a two-month-old daughter from Sydney to India has appeared in court.

Pardeep Lohan, from Lidcombe in Sydney's west, was charged by the Australian Federal Police and faced the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Wearing a grey hoodie and jeans, Mr Lohan was captured in video footage shaking his finger at reporters as he left the building.

AFP Human trafficking team say it received a tip-off from an anti-slavery Australia group in Sydney in May, following reports Mr Lohan used coercion, threats and deception to force his Indian-born wife and Australian-born child to go to India in March.

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Pardeep Lohan, a 27-year-old man accused of allegedly trafficking his wife and a two-month-old daughter from Sydney to India, appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon (pictured)

AFP Human trafficking team say it received a tip-off from an anti-slavery Australia group in Sydney in May, following reports Mr Lohan used coercion, threats and deception to force his Indian-born wife and Australian-born child to go to India in March (stock image)

Detectives allege that after the pair arrived in India, Mr Lohan contacted Australia's Immigration Department and tried to cancel his wife's visa.

The 27-year-old man, who officers said is an Australian citizen, is also accused of removing the infant's passport so the two-month-old girl couldn't return.

Mr Lohan's wife was able to fly back to Australia in May before her visa was cancelled, but was unable to take her daughter with her, detectives said.

She contacted authorities upon her arrival and worked with the AFP Human Trafficking team to bring the infant home, police said.

Mr Lohan was arrested in November and has been charged with one count of trafficking persons, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years.

He's also facing a forge documents charge and general dishonesty charge, which carry five and 10 year sentences, respectively.
Twitter has revealed its most talked about brands of 2017 - with Australia Post coming out on top.

The social media giant released data showing the year's top trends in Australia on Tuesday.

Australia Post was followed by Telstra, Qantas, Foxtel and CommBank as the most tweeted about brands of the year, according to the data.

Twitter revealed its most talked about brands of 2017 - with Australia Post coming out on top

The top ten was rounded out by ANZ Australia, TAB, iiNet, Westpac and Samsung Australia.

'Twitter has become a place for 24/7 customer support for many brands  Auspost, Telstra, and Qantas all offer 24/7 customer support via direct messaging and it's making it quicker and easier for brands and consumers to connect and respond,' a spokesperson for Twitter explained.

A search of tweets directed at the official accounts of the brands revealed that the companies appear to be the ones that receive the most complaints from customers.

'Why is @auspost so bad? It takes two months to get a parcel from Melb to Syd. I should have drove it up myself,' a recent tweet directed at the postal service said.

'Looks like my mail didn't quite fit in my mailbox no @auspost? Not ideal in the wettest Melbourne Summer EVAR,' another said, alongside a picture of a soggy parcel.

A search of tweets directed at the official accounts of the brands revealed that the companies appear to be the ones that receive the most complaints from customers

There were some positive comments, however.

'Lots of criticism of @auspost but just saw postie ride out of his way to save disabled neighbour having to tackle his steps. Well done, that man.'

'Australia Post is one of the country's biggest brands, delivering more than 3.5 billion items every year to more than 10 million customers every day. We encourage our customers to reach us through a number of feedback channels, including our 24/7 monitored social media accounts,' a spokesperson for Australia Post said.

'This Christmas, we have added 340 new staff in our contact centre, and will continue to offer support through our social media channels. We appreciate the feedback we receive, which helps us deliver better experiences for our customers.'

Australia Post was followed by Telstra, Qantas, Foxtel and CommBank as the most tweeted about brands of the year, according to the data. File photo

A spokesperson for ANZ told Daily Mail Australia the majority of tweets they have received have been overwhelming praise for their equality and diversity agenda.

'The biggest volume of tweets we've had to our Twitter handle in the past year have been about our support of Mardi Gras, diversity & equality, the Australian Open and our payments platform launches such as Samsung Pay and Fitbit Pay,' a spokesperson said.

'We will continue to use social media to engage with our customers and to help resolve any issues or complaints they have.'

A Commonwealth Bank spokesman added: 'Our customers have overwhelmingly told us that they like being able to contact us 24 hours a day, 365 day a year via our customer service channels including social media, and they'll be helped by one of our Australian based teams.'

Twitter's data also revealed that Hugh Jackman was the most followed Australian, #auspol was the most popular hashtag and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was the most talked about politician.

The year's Golden Tweet was from AU Marriage Equality in November following the yes vote in the same-sex marriage postal survey with more than 20,000 retweets.

'THANK YOU. This all happened because of you. We did this together,' it said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the other brands for comment.
Nearly 200 passengers on one of the world's largest cruise ships are being treated for gastro as the liner docks in Hobart.

Ovation of the Seas, which carries more than 5800 passengers, has been sailing for two weeks and arrived in Tasmania on Tuesday after a trip to Singapore.

Approximately 325 of the passengers on board the ship are British nationals.

Crew members decked out in industrial cleaning suits complete with face masks were seen spraying down hallways of the lavish ship in a video posted to Facebook.

Nearly 200 passengers on one of the world's largest cruise ships are being treated for gastro

Crew members decked out in industrial cleaning suits complete with face masks were seen spraying down hallways of the lavish ship as it docked in Hobart, Tasmania

Ovation of the Seas, which carries more than 5800 passengers, has been sailing for two weeks

'I'm on here now and basically a sitting duck with people in both cabins either side not well with the gastro,' one person commented on the clip.

'They are doing everything perfectly to avoid further sickness.

'I could hear them last night doing this spraying outside my cabin.'

A spokesperson from Royal Caribbean International, which owns the ship, said all guests affected by gastro were given over-the-counter medication by doctors.

'We hope all our guests feel better. Meanwhile, we're taking steps like intensive sanitary procedures to minimise the risk of any further issues.'

The spokesperson said the ship would be 'comprehensively sanitised and cleansed' once it arrived at its next port in Sydney, resulting in a slight delay for new guests.

Notices found on social media revealed the bottomless brunch had been cancelled as a result of the gastro outbreak

There have been 195 reported cases of gastrointestinal illness in the 14 days the ship has been at sea

The Tasmanian Health Service said the outbreak of gastro on cruise ships was 'not unusual'.

'It is not unusual for gastroenteritis outbreaks to occur aboard cruise ships, just as it is within the normal population,' a spokesman told the ABC.

'Cruise ships have their own medical teams, medical surveillance systems, outbreak control measures and are well-trained in treating passengers.'

There have been 195 reported cases of gastrointestinal illness in the 14 days the ship has been at sea.
Stories of midnight attacks by blood-sucking vampires is continuing to cause problems in Malawi, southeastern Africa.

'Victims' claim they are being attacked in the night by vampires, unlikely tales which have triggered deadly vigilante violence in the southern parts of the country.

At least seven people have been killed in one district, and earlier this year, UN workers and US Peace Corps volunteers were pulled out of the region.

Vampire victim: Jamiya Bauleni claims that a vampire entered her home in southern Malawi and sucked her blood in October

While UN staff have now returned, the stories of blood-sucking attacks continue.

Jamiya Bauleni, a 40-year-old single mother, said that an attacker entered her home and sucked her blood at her home in Thyolo district.

'This is not hearsay,' she told a fascinated crowd in Ngolongoliwa village in the country's south, which has been at the heart of recent panic over rumours of vampire activity.

'I know my blood was sucked. I saw light on the corner of my roof. I failed to stand up from my bed and felt something piercing my left arm,' she said, pointing near her breast.

Her story is part of a long line of similar testimonies in Malawi, where belief in witchcraft and vampire activity is widespread and rouses revenge mobs that kill those suspected of black magic.

Consequences: Allegations like those made by Bauleni and others like her have triggered killer mob attacks on supposed suspects

Bauleni, who makes a living selling wild pea stew, said that before she fell unconscious she heard someone fleeing the scene.

She was taken to a clinic and later discharged after being given vitamin supplements, but she chose not to report the attack.

The latest bout of vampire rumours allegedly originated in Mozambique and spread across the border to Malawi's districts of Mulanje and Phalombe, according to the United Nations.

At least seven people have been killed in Mulanje district after being hunted down, police say.

Strong belief: A view of Ngolongoliwa Village in Thyolo district in southern Malawi where reports and rumours of vampires are rife

One purported victim, Florence Kalunga, 27, says she was sleeping alongside her husband in their home when she saw a light 'like fire'.

'I heard the door open. I felt something like a needle in my finger,' she said.

The people targeted by vengeful mobs are often wealthier individuals in rural parts of the southern African country, where grinding poverty and poor educational standards are the norm.

Entrepreneur Orlendo Chaponda narrowly avoided an attack when 2,000 villagers, some carrying machetes and stones, stormed his home in Thyolo on September 30.

'They said I was keeping blood suckers,' said Chaponda, who was out at the time. 'They could have killed me if they found me.'

He called the police who fired tear gas to disperse the crowd after a five-hour standoff.

'There is no truth about blood suckers, but jealous people and thugs want to take advantage to attack rich people,' Chaponda said.

'If you have a nice car, you are a bloodsucker.'

Malawi's national blood transfusion service - the only institution mandated by the government to collect blood for hospitals from volunteers - says that rumours of vampire activity have also begun to set back activity.

'This issue has affected us a lot. It has prevented us from going to collect blood in the affected areas,' said Bridon M'baya, medical director of the service.

Under attack: Orlendo Chaponda, standing outside the mill on his farm, was rescued from an attack by hundreds of armed villagers by a rapid police response to his call for help

At least 250 people have been arrested in Malawi over the mob violence, and 40 more arrested over similar crimes in neighbouring Mozambique.

Malawian President Peter Mutharika was even forced to step in and insist that the government had the situation under control.

'There is no evidence of blood suckers. It's a lie meant to destabilise the region,' he said recently. 'Those spreading rumours will face the law.'

Anthony Mtuta, assistant lecturer in anthropology at the Catholic University of Malawi, said the roots of the vampire scares were in 'economic hardships and inequalities'.

'It's the rich versus the poor. The poor believe the rich are greedy and are sucking the blood of poor people,' he said.

Malawi is largely reliant on foreign aid, but some locals view the assistance with suspicion.

'To villagers, the thinking is that no gift is for free... you pay back through blood,' said Mtuta.

He has researched the vampire phenomenon and has warned that violence would 'resurface unless the government learns how to handle contemporary issues'.

McDonald Kolokombe, a clerk at the state-run Likhubula forest reserve, noted that the number of tourists visiting the Mulanje area had collapsed since mid-September.

'The communities rely on visitors to feed their families working as tour guides, porters and selling curios,' he said.

'We are starving because of a bad rumour about blood suckers,' added amateur tour guide Eric Yohane. 'It is a big lie.'
A man has died in a workplace incident involving a cherry picker at a construction site in Queensland on Tuesday.

A Queensland Ambulance spokesman said paramedics were called to the site on Link Drive, Yatala at 10.24am.

Numerous emergency crews were called to the area following reports a man was seriously injured.

A man has died in a workplace incident involving a cherry picker at a construction site in Queensland on Tuesday

A Queensland Ambulance spokesman said paramedics were called to the site on Link Drive, Yatala at 10.24am

A spokesman confirmed the man, believed to be in his 20s, died at the scene.

The man was operating a boom elevating work platform, a spokesman for Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) Queensland said.

The incident is now under investigation by WHS Queensland.
People in Ireland and on social media are criticizing Saturday Night Live for its Aer Lingus skit, claiming the skit plays into Irish stereotypes.

The Saoirse Ronan-starring skit is even being branded 'racist' and a 'hate crime' by some on Twitter.

Donald Clarke, writing in the Irish Times, said: 'No British sketch show would now even attempt these levels of Paddywhackery.'

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Saturday Night Live put on a skit spoofing Aer Lingus that has drawn ire from some in the Irish community for its portrayal of stereotypes. Pictured are SNL cast members Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong and that weekends host Saoirse Ronan

The skit featured certain stereotypes about Irish people such as eating potatoes. Pictured is SNL cast member Aidy Bryant announcing that only potatoes will be served on the flight

The skit stars Ronan and SNL cast member Cecily Strong as flight attendants for a fictional Aer Lingus flight.

The skit opens with the pair joking about how Aer Lingus sounds quite similar to the word 'cunnilingus'.

The American SNL cast member mostly sport off-key Irish accents throughout the skit.

Throughout the four-minute skit, dogs appear on the plane and the runway.

Kate McKinnon shows up to alert passengers to a delay due to a dog. She is shown wearing an Aran sweater.

She says: 'We've got a dog on the runway. It's got sad eyes and the soul of Oscar Wilde, so we're going to have to wait.'

The skit also appeared to satirize an alleged love of dogs by Irish people

At one point Kate McKinnon's character says: 'We've got a dog on the runway. It's got sad eyes and the soul of Oscar Wilde, so we're going to have to wait'

Aidy Bryant later comes out to tell passengers what is on the menu for their flight.

She says: 'We've got fingerling potatoes. We've got purple potatoes, and we got salmon," Bryant informs passengers. "I'm sorry, I misread that. The salmon is also potatoes.'

Unimpressed tweeters announced their dissatisfaction with the skit to the world.

Most notably, Aer Lingus itself tweeted at SNL with a 140-character takedown that echoed a similar one made by the current United States president.

The airline tweeted: 'Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Ronan impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad'

Tweeter rebecca deemed the skit a 'hate crime'.

People took to Twitter to express their negative opinions about the skit

Not all the comments were negative.

Ellen Kruger wrote on Twitter: 'Controversial opinion: the Saoirse Ronan/SNL Aer Lingus skit wasn't that bad.

'Instead of painting us as drunk and violent (oh hi Liam Neeson NSL episode), they painted us as weird, dog-loving and badly organised.

'We need to choose another hill to die on, huns.'

And Clarke has penned an aggressive takedown of the skit for the Irish Times.

He appears to be no friend to SNL, branding it a 'hit and miss affair' and 'a morass of sentimental, liberal, button pushing'.

Not all of the reaction was negative; Ellen Kruger tweeted that it 'wasn't that bad'

Aer Lingus wrote a tweet styled after Donald Trump to clap back at the sketch comedy show

The Aer Lingus plane was shown to be quite small in the skit. Donald Clarke of the Irish Times said: 'No British sketch show would now even attempt these levels of Paddywhackery'

He writes: 'If there were a decent gag in there nobody would awkwardly recall the connotations of the potato in Irish history.

'No viewers would find themselves considering why so many Irish ended up in the United States.

'There were no good jokes.'

He continues: 'Where in the name of blazes does this notion of Ireland come from?'

He concludes: 'They could have tried just a little harder. Just a little.

'Anyway, its no big deal. We shant be demanding the return of our ambassador.

'Saoirse will still get (and deserve) her Oscar nomination for Lady Bird.'

The Greta Gerwig-directed film stars Ronan as a high school senior in Sacramento, California.

The film has been performing quite well in its platform release and is proving to be a major contender on the awards circuit.
Matt Lauers jealousy of up-and-coming male rivals at NBC has left the network without a viable replacement to fill his spot on the Today show, according to a report on Monday.

The Peacock Network is desperately scrambling to find a suitable stand-in for Lauer  even though he personally made sure there would be no heir apparent, according to Page Six.

Lauer was fired last week after more than 20 years as co-host of NBCs flagship morning program after a female colleague came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.

Since his firing at least seven other women have accused Lauer of similar behavior.

Page Six quoted industry insiders as saying that during Lauers tenure at 30 Rock, he made sure to use his power to snuff out any internal threat to his perch.

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Matt Lauers jealousy of up-and-coming male rivals at NBC has left the network without a viable replacement to fill his spot on the Today show, according to a report on Monday. Lauer is seen above on November 1, 2017 in the Today show studio

The Peacock Network is desperately scrambling to find a suitable replacement for Lauer  even though he personally made sure there would be no heir apparent, according to Page Six. Lauer is seen above with co-host Savannah Guthrie

Matt killed off, in their infancy, every man who could succeed him at the time that he was ready to hang it up  so theres nobody to take his place. And now NBC is paying the price, a source told Page Six.

Among possible successors whose paths to the top were supposedly short-circuited by Lauer were former Meet the Press anchor David Gregory; former sportscaster Josh Elliott; and Billy Bush.

Bush last year was fired from NBC, where he co-anchored the third hour of Today, after the infamous Access Hollywood tape of his 2005 interview with Donald Trump surfaced.

Trump is heard on the audio making explicit remarks about grabbing women.

Among possible successors whose paths to the top were supposedly short-circuited by Lauer were former Meet the Press anchor David Gregory (seen above in 2012)

Billy Bush (left), who once co-hosted the third hour of the Today show, and sportscaster Josh Elliott (right), were also once thought to be potential successors to Lauer

According to Page Six, Lauer was wary of Bush well before the Access Hollywood tape was revealed.

With the dearth of successors, the current front-runner to take over for Lauer is Craig Melvin, according to Page Six.

Melvin is host of Weekend Today. He also frequently appears as anchor on MSNBC.

I couldnt pick him out of a lineup, a television executive told Page Six.

With the dearth of successors, the current front-runner to take over for Lauer is Craig Melvin (left), according to Page Six. Megyn Kelly, who currently hosts Megyn Kelly Today, is not considered a 'viable savior'

Lauers departure fuelled speculation that NBC would turn to its other big-ticket megastar, the recently-arrived Megyn Kelly.

But Page Six says that the poor ratings for Kellys show, Megyn Kelly Today, means that the network doesnt view her as a viable savior.

Besides, network sources told Page Six that Kelly has no interest in Lauers job.

NBC hired Kelly away from her previous television home, the Fox News Channel. She is reportedly earning a salary of $23million per year.

Hoda Kotb will continue to fill in for Lauer in the short term, according to Page Six.
It is judgment day for former A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack as he learns if he will be jailed over his text message child sex fantasies.

The 43-year-old will appear in front of District Court judge Paul Conlon for sentence on Wednesday morning.

McCormack pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to promote, publish or transmit child pornography in September.

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It is judgment day for former A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack as he learns if he will be jailed over his text message child sex fantasies

Ben McCormack is seen arriving at Downing Centre Local Court for sentencing on Wednesday

The Nine reporter sent messages over Skype using the name 'oz4skinboi' to another man about how he 'loved bs (boys)', a statement of agreed facts said.

The offence is punishable by a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

However, during a sentencing hearing the judge described McCormack's offending as at the 'lowest' end of the scale as the offending is not typical of the charge.

Police did not allege there any evidence of McCormack exchanging pictures or video showing children in pornographic poses, only words.

The 43-year-old arrives to appear before District Court judge Paul Conlon for sentencing

Police did not allege there any evidence of McCormack exchanging pictures or video showing children in pornographic poses, only words

A Crown prosecutor, who declined to be named to media, then told the court McCormack should serve a custodial sentence.

But the prosecutor said that 'doesn't mean we are saying full-time custody'.

Judge Conlon said he had 'never' previously seen someone facing charges like McCormack seek treatment prior to their arrested.

Ben McCormack reported to the police station for bail for the final time before his sentencing on Monday morning

Former Nine journalist Ben McCormack quit the network shortly before entering his guilty pleas

McCormack's defence lawyers had submitted to the court he had seen a psychiatrist over his paedophilic thoughts well prior to his arrest.

'This is the first time I have ever seen a case involving this type of charge (where) the offender himself, well before he was arrested .... was seeking professional assistance for what he knew was wrong,' he said.

The sentencing begins at 9am.
Germans see US President Donald Trump as a bigger challenge for German foreign policy than authoritarian leaders in North Korea, Russia or Turkey, according to a new survey.

Topping the list of foreign policy concerns were refugees, with 26 per cent of respondents to the Koerber Foundation survey worried about Germany's ability to cope with inflows of asylum seekers.

Relations with Trump and the United States ranked second, with 19 per cent describing them as a major challenge, followed by Turkey at 17 per cent, North Korea at 10 per cent and Russia at 8 per cent.

Relations with Donald Trump and the United States ranked second on the list of foreign policy concerns for Germans, with 19 per cent describing them as a major challenge

Since entering the White House in January, Trump has unsettled Germans by pulling out of the Paris climate accord, refusing to certify an international agreement on Iran's nuclear programme and criticising Germany's trade surplus and its contributions to the NATO military alliance.

Trump's actions prompted the usually cautious German Chancellor Angela Merkel to say earlier this year that Berlin may not be able to rely on the United States in the future.

She also urged Europe to take its fate into its own hands.

In the poll of 1,005 Germans of voting age, carried out in October, 56 per cent of Germans described the relationship with the United States as bad or very bad.

Trump's actions prompted the usually cautious German Chancellor Angela Merkel to say earlier this year that Berlin may not be able to rely on the United States in the future

Despite Merkel's pledge, the survey showed deep scepticism in the population about Germany taking a more active role in international crises, with 52 per cent of respondents saying the country should continue its post-war policy of restraint.

That may reflect the fact that neither Merkel nor her main challengers in the recent election campaign talked much about how Germany should respond to the challenges posed by Trump's disruptive presidency and Britain's looming departure from the European Union.

Last week, Norbert Roettgen, a member of Merkel's conservative party and head of the foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag, decried a 'deplorable' lack of leadership in educating Germans about the need to invest more in their own defence and security.
SYDNEY NEW YEAR'S EVE FIREWORKS BY THE NUMBERS * Eight tonnes of fireworks (1 tonne more than 2016) * 28,000 fireworks will be shot from 175 firing points on the Sydney Harbour Bridge * 13,000 shells (1000 more than 2016) * 30,000 shooting comets (5000 more than 2016) * 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects on the night * 832 fireworks to be set off from the sails of the Sydney Opera House * 16 computers will digitally launch 16,500 fireworks cues from all locations (Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and barges) * 18 shipping containers of equipment weighing 120 tonnes Advertisement

The elaborate plans for Sydney's world-famous New Year's Eve fireworks have been revealed - and it's safe to say that 2018 is going to start with a bang.

In a celebration has taken 15 months of planning and taken more than 10,000 hours to pull together, a rainbow waterfall will cascade from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark the 40th anniversary of Sydney's Mardi Gras in 2018.

The display will pay tribute to to the '78ers' - the first gay rights campaigners to march in the Sydney Mardi Gras for gay rights in Australia in 1978.

Sydneysiders can thank more than 1000 accredited personnel and 300 volunteers for the planning and execution of the unique 2018 New Year's Eve celebrations.

It takes more than 5000 hours just to prepare and pull off the two impressive firework displays that are the lynchpin of Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore told the City of Sydney that the dramatic technicolour fireworks would confirm Sydney as the New Year's Eve capital of the world and celebrate Australians saying 'Yes' to marriage equality.

Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks as seen from Mrs Macquarie's Chair on December 31, 2016

Clover Moore took to Twitter to share her excitement about the rainbow waterfall cascade

'This is a fabulous way to see out 2017  the year that four out of five Sydneysiders said a resounding 'Yes' to marriage equality,' the Lord Mayor said.

'The rainbow waterfall is a tribute to the Sydney 78ers who marched for gay rights 40 years ago  it's a reminder of how far we have come and how far we have left to achieve true equality for our LGBTI community.

'It's a wonderful way to ring in the New Year, and celebrate the 40th anniversary of Mardi Gras.'

Clover Moore (left) with artist Nadia Hernandez at the launch of Sydney NYE creative program

Clover Moore said rainbow fireworks will celebrate Aussies saying 'Yes' to marriage equality

This year, ABC Me launched an NYE Design Your Own Firework Competition, where the winning child will be flown to SYdney with their family to push the 'start button' on the 9pm fireworks display that will also feature their design.

The winning design is titled Rainbow Kiss, and features a multicolour umbrella with a silver palm tree centre.

'This is Australia's night of the year, enjoyed by millions around the world, and for a child to be part of this wonderful evening is a once in a lifetime opportunity,' the Lord Mayor said.

'I can't wait to see the winning entry light up the sky on New Year's Eve.'

ABC Director of Television, David Anderson, said: 'Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks displays is a highly anticipated event, and one of the best in the world.

'The ABC is thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity once again. With such a sought after prize, the challenge is on for Aussie kids to send in some amazing and unique designs.'

The winning design will be brought to life by Foti International Fireworks, the company that has delivered Sydney's spectacular New Year's Eve displays since 1997. Master pyrotechnician Fortunato Foti says bringing a child's firework design to life is an exciting challenge.

'I love seeing what kids' imaginations come up with. I can't wait to see what designs they come up with this year,' Mr Foti said.

'It's such a unique and wonderful challenge to be able take a child's drawing and turn it into a firework that's enjoyed by millions of people all around the world.'

The winner of the ABC Me original firework design contest will push the 'start button' at 9pm

If you want to get the best view of the fireworks, there are several spots you can head to - but you'd better get there early!

Plenty of spots on the eastern side of the bridge, including Barangaroo Reserve which offers spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge and an amazing vantage point for the New Year's Eve fireworks, has already sold out.

Campbells Cove in The Rocks, Darling Harbour, Dawes Point are excellent spots for those who want to stay in the city, while people wanting to escape the bustle can opt for Dudley Page Reserve in Dover Heights, Dumaresq Reserve in Rose Bay or Duff Reserve in Point Piper.

But if you head north, you'll find that Birchgrove Park, Blues Point Reserve, Cremorne Point and Bradfield Park are all good options - although alcohol and BYO are prohibited.

Towards the inner West, there are good vantage points at Illoura Reserve, Simmons Point and Lookes Avenue Reserve in Balmain East.

There are dozens of vantage points (pictured) to watch the Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks

The official Sydney New Year's Eve website also lists locations in Mosman, Manly and more, so you can check the capacity, BYO situation, transport options and more.

In the early hours of the morning on January 1, the City of Sydney will invest upwards of $300,000 in clean-up efforts - approximately 350 staff will collect 44 tonnes of waste in 60 trucks before the sun rises on the first day of 2018.

Thousands of extra public transport services will be running in all parts of SYdney on New Year's Eve, with people urged to plan their trips and aim to arrive early to escape the huge crowds that are expected to descend on the city.

The Sydney NYE fireworks are watching by million (sometimes billions) of people worldwide and have only been cancelled once in history - in 2003, the 9pm family fireworks were cancelled due to winds gusting up to 90km/h.
A Sydney armed robber, who shot an innocent bystander rendering him a paraplegic, has had his 'crushing' and 'manifestly excessive' sentence slashed by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.

Graeme Hunt, then 62, had come out of his Merrylands house after hearing arguing and apparent gunshots in March 2014 and asked Ali Chaouk if everything was all right.

Chaouk, then 23, said: 'What's it got to do with you, you f*****g dog' and immediately fired the gun at close range to Mr Hunt's chest.

Sydney man Ali Chaouk who shot innocent bystander Graeme Hunt (pictured) rendering him a paraplegic, has had his 'crushing' and 'manifestly excessive' sentence slashed by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal

In the District Court in September 2016 he was jailed for 27 years, with a non-parole period of 20 years, after pleading guilty to four offences committed on March 26 in 2014 when committing a robbery with two other men.

But on Monday, Justices Robert Macfarlan, Elizabeth Fullerton and Des Fagan concluded his sentence was crushing and manifestly excessive, reducing it to 20 years, with a non-parole period of 14 years.

'I accept, without reservation, that for the applicant to have deliberately discharged the pistol at close range at Mr Hunt's chest in the circumstances that are reflected in the agreed facts is an extremely grave example of an offence of its type,' Justice Fullerton said.

However, the sentence relating to Mr Hunt's shooting was excessive before account was taken of Chaouk's guilty plea, youth, remorse and steps taken towards rehabilitation, the appeal court found.

In the District Court in September 2016 Chaouk was jailed for 27 years, with a non-parole period of 20 years, but had that sentence slashed to 20 years, with a non-parole period of 14 years on Monday (Pictured is the scene of the Merrylands shooting)

Mr Hunt, then 62, had come out of his Merrylands house after hearing arguing and gunshots in March 2014, before Chaouk immediately fired at close range to Mr Hunt's chest

It said the starting point was 'excessive' and strongly suggestive of the trial judge 'having given preponderant weight to the permanence of Mr Hunt's catastrophic injuries' in a way which failed to take into account all relevant factors.

Chaouk also had pleaded guilty to robbery while armed with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to rob while armed with a dangerous weapon, and to a similar charge involving the infliction of grievous bodily harm.

This related to his firing three shots at 18-year-old Rhynal Nand, hitting him in the right arm, chest and abdomen.

Mr Hunt was formerly a truck driver (pictured) and was three years away from retirement when he was shot, leaving him hospitalised for 16 months and having to use a wheelchair, with the bullet still lodged near his spine

Chaouk and his associates had conspired to rob Mr Nand and two other teenagers who thought they were buying a mobile phone.

Chaouk got in the teens' car and held a gun to the heads of Mr Nand's passengers before taking cash from one of them.

Mr Hunt, a truckie who was three years from retirement, was hospitalised for 16 months and now uses a wheelchair.

The bullet which had lodged in Mr Hunt's spine was not able to be surgically removed due to the risk of further spinal injury or death.
Billy Bush says his disgraced former NBC colleague Matt Lauer tried to save his job when the infamous Access Hollywood p***ygate tape was leaked during last year's presidential campaign.

The ousted anchor also claims bosses at the network told him they were too quick to let him go in the months after his lewd conversation with Donald Trump from 2005 surfaced.

Bush, 46, opened up about his firing to Stephen Colbert on Monday in his first late-night talk show appearance since he was shown the door at 30 Rock in October, 2016.

He told The Late Show host that he checked into a 'soul-searching retreat' after the tape was made public by the Washington Post during the race for the White House, and spent nine days without any electronic contact with the outside world.

The former Today Show host also explained that he needed to defend himself by writing an op-ed in the New York Times on Sunday, after the president said it 'wasn't his voice' on the tape.

He reiterated that sentiment during the interview with Colbert, saying: 'He said it. "Grab 'em by the p****." Of course he said it.'

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Billy Bush talked to Stephen Colbert about the infamous Access Hollywood tape in which he laughed along as Donald Trump bragged he could grab women by the p****. It was his first late-night talk show appearance since he was fired from NBC in October 2016

The 46-year-old said Matt Lauer (pictured right) spoke to bosses at NBC about saving his job at The Today Show, and that his boss admitted to being hasty in the decision to fire him after the tapes were leaked by the Washington Post during the 2016 election

He was let go almost immediately after the 2005 Access Hollywood audio was published by the Washington Post, and said it was an 'emotional time'. Pictured is a frame from the 2005 video

Bush says Lauer, who was spectacularly fired from his $25-million-a-year job last week following sexual harassment claims, was ready to go to senior executives at NBC to get his job back.

'We had a conversation about that and he told me that he went privately to the bosses and took that line,' Bush told Colbert after being asked if Lauer - who at the time was still on Today and had a lot of influence - had gone to bat for his coworker.

'I said I appreciated it and thanked him. I will say I would have liked to address the audience,' Bush said.

Bush also said that a month after being fired his boss told him 'we may have moved a little quickly.' He wouldn't name the executive he spoke to.

He was let go almost immediately after the 2005 Access Hollywood audio was published by the Washington Post, and said it was an 'emotional time'.

But more than anything, he said he wish he'd changed the subject while he was on the bus.

'Trump liked TV and competition. I could've said "Can you believe the ratings" on whatever? But I didn't have the strength to do it,' he explained.

'If I had thought there was a man detailing a sexual assault strategy to me I would have contacted the FBI and not just brought it to the attention of my producers.

'Everybody had to kiss the ring of Donald because he was making the big money for NBC at the time.' He was the host of The Apprentice at the time.

Speaking about the interview, Bush also said he wish he'd changed the subject while he was on the bus (pictured). Bush said that Trump was such a big name at NBC that people had to 'kiss the ring'

The Access Hollywood tape resurfaced last week when it was reported that President Trump told a senator the voice in the 2005 recording wasn't his.

In response Bush wrote an op-ed in the New York Times to insist the voice was Trump's.

He said he was frustrated and offended 'on the personal front' when he heard Trump had claimed he didn't say it.

'Last week, for some reason, he came out with "that's not my voice on the tape,"' Bush said.

'Like I said, you can't say that. That is your voice. I was there, you were there, that is your voice on the tape.'

The Access Hollywood tape resurfaced last week when it was reported that President Trump told people a senator the voice in the recording wasn't his

In response, Bush wrote an op-ed in the New York Times to insist the voice was Trump's. He reiterated that sentiment on Monday's interview with Colbert, saying: 'He said it. "Grab 'em by the p****." Of course he said it'

He then hit out further at the president, bringing up the laundry list of women who have come forward to accuse Trump of sexually harassing or assaulting them at some point in his career.

'You've got 20 women, who used their names,' Bush said. 'We've got powerful people being held accountable and sometimes there's anonymous sources. All of these women came out with their names and told their detailed accounts.'

He continued: 'As I read these I said, 20 women don't get together and say, "You know what would be fun? Let's take down a powerful guy together." No they don't. You're opening wounds on them, too. Enough's enough. Stop playing around with people's lives.'

The New York Times reported that Trump compared the outrage after the Access Hollywood tape was leaked to the public's response to the sexual assault allegations against Alabama Republican Senate hopeful Roy Moore.

During Monday's interview Colbert replayed the tape and asked how it made Bush feel.

'The first time I ever heard it was three days before it leaked and it was like a gut punch. It's like a gut punch now,' he explained.
Dr Jeffrey Rosenthal, a plastic surgeon, sad of losing girlfriend, Rohina Bhandari, 49, who was killed by a female tiger shark on Thursday in Costa Rica

The groom-to-be of the Wall Street executive who was fatally mauled by a shark off Costa Rica on Thursday claims the diving company did not keep his fiancee safe.

Dr Jeffrey Rosenthal, a plastic surgeon, was grieving over the loss of girlfriend, Rohina Bhandari, 49.

'Apparently they didn't have any protection  the divers or the instructors had nothing to ward off any of these fish, sharks,' he said to the New York Post on Monday.

The WL Ross & Co Senior Private-equity Director was killed on Thursday by a female tiger shark while scuba-diving that also injured a company diver guide.

He added: 'I don't understand that aspect of it, that there was no protection for her or for the other guests for that matter.

'I just feel that the safety precautions they took were not as good as they should have had.'

But the surgeon found comfort knowing his love had been doing something she enjoyed, highlighting dives in Jamaica, the Galapagos Islands and the Bahamas.

He added: 'She loved seeing the fish. The wildlife fascinated her.'

Rosenthal spoke highly of his Republican girlfriend, 'a 10-star person' known for her infection smile.

'We'd go to an affair or party, and within 5 minutes she'd know everyone in the place,' he added of the extroverted woman.

'Apparently they didn't have any protection  the divers or the instructors had nothing to ward off any of these fish, sharks,' he said of the diving company, who he blames for the death of his fiancee

At President Trump's inauguration party, she had managed to get acquainted with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan after meeting his wife in the restroom, according to the surgeon.

Rosenthal remembered his girlfriend for being extroverted and the life of the party

'She was someone who befriended everyone,' added Rosenthal.

The two had their first date after Rosenthal had just gotten back from a beach trip.

'She was all dressed up in makeup and jewelry and was really beautiful, and I'm wearing a pair of shorts, and I'm like, I can't compete,' he exclaimed.

'There was a universe of stars, and she was the brightest.'

He takes it on himself to watch over the director's seven-year-old golden Labrador, Simba.

'When we started going out many years ago, the deal was that I accept them both,' Rosenthal added of a promise he made to Bhandari.

'And I accepted them with open arms, and a while later she said, "Well when are you going to adopt him as yours," and I said, "He's adopted, he's mine now," so Simba and I are now together.'

Rosenthal stated that he's been offered both emotional and financial support since Bhandari's death.

The surgeon wished for contributions made to the South African based foundation, US Friends of Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center, which Bhandari advocated for.

Rosenthal added that the foundation will name their next new animal after her.

A 49-year-old US female tourist was killed by a tiger shark this week while diving off a Costa Rican island in the Pacific Ocean, the government and local media reported. The tourist has been identified by friends as Rohina Bhandari, 49, a private equity director from New York City

The 49-year-old US female tourist was killed by a tiger shark this week while diving off a Costa Rican island in the Pacific Ocean, the government and local media reported.

The tourist was been identified by friends as Rohina Bhandari, 49, a private equity director from New York City.

News of her death was reported by the New York Daily News late Saturday.

The attack also badly injured the 26-year-old male Costa Rican diving guide leading the group that included Bhandari.

The shark savaged the two on Thursday as they were surfacing after a dive off Cocos Island, a pristine national park located 300 miles off the Costa Rican mainland, the environment ministry said in a statement.

The attack also badly injured the 26-year-old male Costa Rican diving guide leading the group that included Bhandari who suffered fatal bite marks on both of her legs

Bhandari was said to have sustained fatal bite marks on both of her legs.

It stressed the attack was 'an isolated incident' and the first one of such seriousness recorded for the island.

According to the Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion, the guide noticed the shark approaching his group underwater and tried to scare it away.

But as they surfaced, the shark went for the American woman, tearing at her legs.

Cocos Island, a Costa Rican island in the Pacific Ocean, is a pristine national park located 300 miles off the Costa Rican mainland

The guide, too, suffered leg injuries.

Park rangers came to assist, as did doctors who happened to be diving in the area and who declared the woman dead.

The injured guide was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition and conscious.

He told La Nacion he believed the shark was a female.

Bhandari, a resident of Manhattan's Upper East Side, was a senior director at WL Ross & Co. LL, a firm founded by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

She was also frequently spotted at charity events throughout the city.

Her death was met with shock and sadness by her friends on Facebook.

Tiger sharks, which have dark stripes on their body when young, are predators often found around Pacific islands. The image above is a stock photo of a tiger shark

'Unbelievably sad and heartbreaking news that Rohina has died,' wrote Julie Walker.

'She was such a wonderful person who loved life. I will always remember her kindness, friendship and our adventures together.'

'Your kindness and genuine warmth to those of us lucky enough to call you 'friend' was a blessing to behold,' another friend wrote.

Tiger sharks, which have dark stripes on their body when young, are predators often found around Pacific islands.

Unlike many other species of shark, they can be aggressive and account for a large proportion of reported attacks on humans.

Costa Rica, a small Central American nation that boasts both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, relies strongly on its tourism industry, especially visitors from the nearby United States.
Key Labor MP David Feeney has said he will ask to be referred to the high court if he is unable to find records of his UK citizenship renunciation.

He joins three other Labor MPs and two Liberal MPs with questions over documents, despite Malcolm Turnbull giving his MPs weeks to get their paperwork in order.

If documents cannot be found it may trigger a by-election in the Melbourne seat of Batman which was almost won by the Greens in the last federal election.

Mr Feeney was one of 150 MPs to lodge their citizenship and family history details in parliament on Tuesday.

The Batman MP, whose father was born in Ireland, said he had signed and lodged renunciation papers in 2007 but has been unable to find any records of them.

Key Labor MP David Feeney (pictured) has said he will ask to be referred to the high court if he is unable to find records of his UK citizenship renunciation

He joins three other Labor MPs and two Liberal MPs with questions over documents, despite Malcolm Turnbull giving his MPs weeks to get their paperwork in order (pictured is Susan Lamb)

Mr Feeney was one of 150 MPs to lodge their citizenship and family history details in parliament on Tuesday (pictured is Josh Wilson, right)

'On this basis, if the relevant documents have not been located by the time this issue has been dealt with in the House of Representatives, I will be asking the manager of opposition business to refer this matter to the High Court,' he told parliament.

'As far as I am aware, those documents were sent to the relevant British and Irish authorities as required at the time,' he wrote in a declaration.

Mr Feeney joins three other Labor MPs who could face High Court referral after they lodged documents which could raise questions about their eligibility.

They are Tasmanian Labor MP Justine Keay, Longman MP Susan Lamb and Fremantle MP Josh Wilson.

The citizenship and family history details of 150 lower house MPs were tabled in parliament on Tuesday afternoon, a day after the details of their 76 Senate colleagues were released.

Ms Keay, whose father was born in the UK, completed a declaration of renunciation on May 9, a month before the close of nominations for the 2016 election.

Mr Feeney joins three other Labor MPs who could face High Court referral after they lodged documents which could raise questions about their eligibility (pictured is Josh Wilson, centre, with Anthony Albanese and Matt Keogh)

Australia Post confirmed the form was delivered to the UK Home Office on May 23.

However, the Home Office did not write back to her confirming the renunciation until July 8, six days after election day, and the declaration of renunciation was registered on July 11.

The Home Office letter was stamped both 'received 31 May' and 'received 16 June'.

She also tabled legal advice which said she had satisfied all the legal requirements for renouncing British citizenship when she mailed her completed form.

Ms Lamb, whose father was born in Scotland, filled out her renunciation form on May 24 and the Home Office processed payment on June 6, three days before the close of nominations.

However, the Home Office sought further information on July 7, which she provided, and on August 10 the British bureaucracy told her: 'We cannot be satisfied from the documents available that you hold British citizenship. The application has therefore been refused.'

They are Tasmanian Labor MP Justine Keay, Longman MP Susan Lamb and Fremantle MP Josh Wilson (pictured is Susan Lamb with Bill Shorten)

Ms Lamb also released legal advice which stated she had taken all necessary steps to renounce her citizenship when she sent her form on May 25.

Mr Wilson, who was born in London, completed his renunciation form on May 12 and confirmation of its delivery was given on May 16, with the payment processed on June 6.

However, the date of the UK Home Office letter confirming renunciation was June 24, well after the close of nominations for the 2016 election.

Liberal MP Jason Falinski has sought further legal advice after being unable to ascertain whether his former-USSR-born father, Polish and British-born grandfathers and Leningrad-born grandmother conferred foreign citizenship on him.

Ms Keay (pictured), whose father was born in the UK, completed a declaration of renunciation on May 9, a month before the close of nominations for the 2016 election

The Mackellar MP wrote on his citizenship declaration form lodged with parliament on Tuesday he had made inquiries of both the Polish consulate and UK High Commission and searched 'archival material.

'I have further sought legal advice ... to confirm my citizenship status solely as an Australian citizen,' he wrote, despite marking a box declaring he had never been a citizen of any country other than Australia.

Liberal MPs Ross Vasta and Nola Marino say they have been told they are not dual Italian citizens, but are also unable to provide paperwork proving their claims.

This could mean they not in the clear, as Mr Turnbull gave his MPs weeks to prepare the needed documents, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

'As far as I am aware, those documents were sent to the relevant British and Irish authorities as required at the time,' Mr Feeney wrote in a declaration (pictured)

The news comes after revelations Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher could be referred to the High Court.

She revealed British authorities did not confirm renunciation of her UK ties until two months after nominations closed for the 2016 election.

Senator Gallagher lodged paperwork, in line with a new parliamentary register of citizenship, on Monday confirming she completed a British citizenship renunciation form, with payment, on April 20, 2016.

But the UK Home Office wrote back on July 1, almost a month after election nominations closed, requesting original copies of her birth certificate and parents' marriage certificate.
The Attorney General is investigating a possible legal breach amid claims the new identity of child killer Jon Venables (pictured) was revealed on social media

The Attorney General is investigating a possible legal breach amid claims the new identity of child killer Jon Venables was revealed on social media.

Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 when they abducted, tortured and killed two-year old James Bulger in 1993.

Identifying the killers anywhere in the world breaches an anonymity order put in place before their release from prison in 2001.

Anyone prosecuted could be jailed for breaching court order.

A spokesman for the Attorney General's office said: 'We have received a complaint that the anonymity order has been breached and we are investigating.'

In 2013 two men who posted images they claimed to be of Venables and Thompson were given nine-month sentences, suspended for 15 months. Breaking the injunction carries a punishment of up to two years in prison.

Venables has been sent back to prison twice since his release in 2001.

He was sent back in 2010 and again earlier this month, in both cases for possessing indecent images of children.

James' mother Denise Fergus was told Jon Venables was back behind bars only because a newspaper had found out and was about to break the story.

She angrily denounced the Ministry of Justice and the Probation Service for 'trying to keep quiet' that Venables, 35, had been returned to prison last month after allegedly being caught with child pornography on his computer.

Venables and Thompson (left, in CCTV) were both 10-years-old when they shocked Britain by abducting toddler James (pictured), then just two-years-old in 1993

It is the second time he has been recalled to jail since he was released under a new identity after serving eight years of a life sentence. Both times Venables has allegedly been found in possession of vile images.

Mrs Fergus said she was 'absolutely fuming that once again I'm last to know'.

In a statement, she said: 'Venables has now proved beyond any doubt what a vile, perverted psychopath he has always been. But what hurts me most is the way the Probation Service has tried to cover this up.

How Bulger killer Jon Venables is back in jail for the second time in seven years Jon Venables is back in prison Jon Venables was first released from prison in 2001, at the age of 18, and given a new identity to protect him from the risk of vigilante attacks - but he has been returned to jail twice/ At the time, a psychiatrist ruled that he did not pose a danger to the public and was extremely unlikely to commit any further offences. However, he developed drinking and drugs problems, and he compromised his identity at least twice by telling friends he was a convicted murderer. When a probation officer visited his home in Cheshire in 2010 to discuss his fears that he could be in danger, he was attempting to destroy the hard drive of his computer. The hard drive was later examined by police, who discovered that it contained dozens of indecent images of children. Venables admitted that he had posed online as a 35-year-old woman who had abused her eight-year-old daughter, and was returned to prison. Advertisement

'Venables was taken back into custody a week ago, yet I was only informed hours before it hit the press. But it's clear that they were trying to keep this quiet, until they got a call from the media.

'That left me extremely upset, angry, feeling insulted. I predicted Venables would reoffend unless they kept a very tight rein on him and I pray that now please someone from the UK Government will finally listen to me.'

The news triggered renewed calls for Venables to be locked up for the rest of his life.

He and his friend Robert Thompson were ten years old when they abducted James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993. The pair tortured and murdered the two-year-old before leaving his body on train tracks two and a half miles away in Liverpool. The barbaric murder by such young children shocked the nation.

Venables and Thompson were found guilty after a trial at Preston Crown Court in November 1993. A judge ruled that reporting restrictions should be lifted and the pair, then 11, could be named.

The court heard that Venables and Thompson snatched James after his mother let go of his hand to pay for some sausages.

They led James along a canal towpath before battering him with an iron bar, pouring paint in his eyes, clubbing him with bricks and leaving him on a railway line to be hit by a train.

The youngest to be convicted of murder in Britain for 250 years, they were ordered to be detained indefinitely in youth custody. They were released in June 2001, with new identities, under a lifelong licence after it was ruled they were no longer a danger to the public.

Venables was returned to custody last week after probation officials allegedly discovered child porn images at his home in the North of England during a routine check and alerted police.

The material is said to be similar to that discovered on his computer in 2010, leading to his first recall to jail. But the Probation Service did not tell Mrs Fergus until 8.40pm on Wednesday, hours before the news was set to be revealed by The Sun.

The crime made Thompson and Venables the youngest killers in modern English history

Ralph and Denise Bulger, parents of James, during an emotional police press conference in the aftermath of his death

Her lawyer Sean Saxton said: 'She is kept in the dark and only given information about her son's killers when it is about to be revealed publicly in any event.

'She has worried for many years that there may have been a cover-up as to the risk truly posed by Venables and Thompson.

'She believes that there was a rush to release them before they entered youth custody and the authorities turned a blind eye to any evidence that either of them posed a risk to children.'

Venables is being held at a maximum security prison, which cannot be identified, while the new allegations are investigated.

If he is charged, he will appear via videolink at any trial, to protect his identity. The Ministry of Justice said: 'We do not comment on individual cases.'
A conservative, catholic politician has revealed how his lesbian daughter helped him change his traditional view on same-sex marriage.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Queensland Liberal MP Andrew Wallace said he was shocked when his daughter Caroline, 22, told him she was dating a woman, and found the news hard to swallow.

'I couldn't believe it was happening to us,' he said.

'We go to church every Sunday, it was certainly a real shock. I couldn't believe it.'

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Andrew Wallace, Member for Fisher in QLD, revealed his daughter's same-sex relationship changed his opinion on same-sex marriage

Mr Wallace said both he and his wife Leonie were 'upset' because they were raised in the Catholic Church.

'It went against what our traditional beliefs were,' he said.

Despite this, Mr Wallace said he and his wife knew they needed to embrace and support their daughter rather than ostracise her.

Mr Wallace also revealed Caroline struggled with eating disorders anorexia and bulimia growing up.

'I don't think her mental health issues were caused by her same-sex attraction, but I certainly think that internal struggle she was suffering through couldn't have helped her,' he said.

Despite this, Mr Wallace (pictured with his wife and daughters) said he knew he needed to embrace and support his daughter rather than ostracise her

Queensland MP Andrew Wallace framed by his father Ian, and his four daughters

Mr Wallace shared his daughter's story in Parliament on Tuesday as part of the same-sex marriage debate in the House of Representatives.

Mr Wallace said one thing his daughter said left a particularly lasting impression.

'She said: 'Dad, in the years to come, my generation will look back and judge your generation about how you deal with the issue of homosexuality in the same way that your generation considered your parents' generation in the way that they dealt with our Indigenous people,' he said.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Mr Wallace for further comment.

Mrs Wallace, who was in Canberra to watch her husband's speech, said her daughter's sexual preference could never break their close family ties.

Mr Wallace shared his daughter's story in Parliament on Tuesday as part of the same-sex marriage debate in the House of Representatives

Mrs Wallace, who was in Canberra to watch her husband's speech, said her daughter's sexual preference could never break their close family ties (four daughters pictured)

'I don't understand parents who turn their backs on their kids because they have a different way of living to what the parents expect,' she told AM.

'She's my child and I will love her no matter what.'

Mr Wallace said he would vote for the same-sex marriage bill, but would fight for amendments.

He said he wanted more protection for religious charities, schools and civil celebrations.

More than 80 MPs are expected to speak about same-sex marriage in the House of Representatives this week, which has extended sitting hours to debate the issue.
A drunk young mother killed a teenage girl and injured five others when she drove her car into a power pole after drinking all day.

Emily Toulson was jailed for eight years and eight months for the horror crash in Mt Evelyn, east of Melbourne, on October 6, 2015.

The 24-year-old and eight friends piled into the supercharged V6 Holden Commodore, only two of whom were wearing seat belts.

Drunk young mother Emily Toulson, 24, killed a teenage girl and injured five others when she drove her car into a power pole after drinking all day

The crash killed Amber Beard, 16, and seriously injured five others, who were rushed to hospital with broken bones, collapsed lungs and internal bleeding

The probationary licence holder drove dangerously, tailgating and overtaking other cars when it was unsafe to do so.

Toulson then took a bend at 100km/h and lost control, clipping two other cars before ploughing into a concrete pole about 6.15pm.

The crash killed Amber Beard, 16, and seriously injured five others, who were rushed to hospital with broken bones, collapsed lungs and internal bleeding.

One of the young victims suffered lacerated organs while another had to learn to walk again after suffering multiple pelvic fractures.

Amber was sitting on her brother's lap in the front passenger seat and suffered fatal head and chest injuries in the crash

Toulson then took a bend at 100km/h and lost control, clipping two other cars before ploughing into a concrete pole

Amber was sitting on her brother's lap in the front passenger seat and suffered fatal head and chest injuries in the crash.

Toulson had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11, more than twice the legal limit, when she crashed on the way back from the lake at Lilydale.

She was seen drinking Jack Daniels and cola pre-mix cans during the day and the boot of the mangled car was loaded with leftover alcohol.

Toulson pleaded guilty to culpable driving and negligently causing serious injury and on Tuesday was sent to jail for at least five years before parole.

Judge Michael O'Connell said she was drunk and had been urged not to drive by her boyfriend before the crash, who hid her keys before she demanded them back.

'You then drove dangerously and at an excessive speed. You did so with a large number of people. You ignored requests to slow down,' he said.

'The impact of your offending has been devastating. Its catastrophic effects will be felt for years to come.'

Toulson had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11, more than twice the legal limit, when she crashed on the way back from the lake at Lilydale

Toulson was seen drinking Jack Daniels and cola pre-mix cans during the day and the boot of the mangled car was loaded with leftover alcohol

Toulson suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash and now has cognitive, memory and speech difficulties.

She forgot how to be a mother to her young children and Judge O'Connell said her 'precarious' mental health will make her time in prison more onerous.

'I have no doubt you are deeply remorseful for what you have done. But I must denounce what you did,' he said.

The teenage victim's family were heartbroken by her death, with her mother telling the court: 'Amber had such a passion for life'.

'Life without Amber has taken its toll,' she said in a statement read to court.

Toulson was jailed for eight years and eight months for the horror crash in Mt Evelyn, east of Melbourne, on October 6, 2015

Toulson pleaded guilty to culpable driving and negligently causing serious injury and on Tuesday was sent to jail for at least five years before parole

After the sentencing, her sister Charlotte Pritchett said Toulson was 'deeply sorry' to the victims and their families

Friends told police she was 'half-cut' and 'pretty pissed' when she got behind the wheel and some wished they had done more to stop her.

'I don't want to go to sleep because I have nightmares that I'm still in the car,' passenger Kira Douglas earlier told the court in a victim's impact statement.

'I have so much anger and guilt that I didn't stand up and say "this is wrong, we should catch the bus".'

Toulson's mother Tracy Port said: 'She is ashamed, she is quite admant that she should have died in the accident.'

She said the young mother drinking heavily because she hadn't seen her children, now aged five, three, and two, for three weeks.

Relatives and friends of Amber Beard leave the County Court in Melbourne on Tuesday

The teenage victim's family were heartbroken by her death, with her mother telling the court: 'Amber had such a passion for life'

Her father was less willing to admit his daughter's guilt, speaking outside court after her guilty plea.

'The only thing my daughter is guilty of is being human... by having friends who leeched off her,' he said.

After the sentencing, her sister Charlotte Pritchett said Toulson was 'deeply sorry' to the victims and their families.

'Two years ago Emily made a terrible mistake that had tragic consequences,' sister she said outside court in a lengthy statement.

'Now she is ready and willing to accept the consequences.'
North Korea has been accused of digitally altering photographs of its latest nuclear missile test-launch.

Images of the launch of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) show it being blasted off into the night against a starry sky - but there are inconsistencies in the photos.

Photos supposedly taken from the same angle show different star constellations in the background, an expert claims.

Fake News? Dr Marco Langbroek spotted inconsistencies in the background on two images taken from the same angle, indicating that the photos have been digitally altered

It is not known why North Korea would alter their images, but it is thought it could be purely for aesthetic reasons.

Academic Dr Marco Langbroek spotted the differences between the images and tweeted comparisons of two photos taken from the same viewpoint.

'So, I just discovered that the North Koreans DID tamper with their #Hwasong15 launch photo's! Two images from clearly same viewpoint, but dramatically different star backgrounds! Orion (Southeast) versus Andromeda (Northwest)!'

Dr Langbroek, based in Leiden, The Netherlands, also pointed out that in one of the images, the Sirius star is missing from the Canis Major constellation.

'You should see constellations that are opposites in the sky. That is not the case,' Dr Langbroek told CNN.

Altered: Dr Langbroek also pointed out that in one of the images, the Sirius star is missing from the Canis Major constellation.

Different: In another post, Dr Langbroek highlighted that one image has Andromeda in the background and another has Orion

North Korea launched the Hwasong-15 ICBM on Wednesday, and it travelled 600 miles before it broke apart in the air and landed in waters near Japan.

While it is thought it could have the potential of striking targets as far as 8,100 miles away, analysts agree that Pyongyang the North may not have yet mastered all the technology required to successfully hit the US with a nuclear warhead.

Later today, a senior United Nations envoy is due to land in North Korea for a rare visit to discuss 'issues of mutual interest and concern' with officials.

Three chees: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrates after giving an order to test-fire the newly developed inter-continental ballistic rocket Hwasong-15

U.S. diplomat Jeffrey Feltman, The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, will also meet with foreign diplomats and UN workers during his four-day visit.

A UN spokesperson said Monday that they are unable to say whether Feltman will meet with Kim Jong-Un.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise - manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an 'all-out provocation'.

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said.
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DUP leader Arlene Foster refused to back down in a row over Brexit tonight insisting she was just as 'unequivocal' as Dublin about the terms of the Irish border.

In a clear signal there will not be a quick fix as Theresa May scrambles to reassemble a draft deal that was ready for agreement yesterday lunchtime, Mrs Foster said there was 'no way' she could endorse the current version.

The DUP leader is due to finally speak to the Prime Minister later tonight, more than 24 hours after her call yesterday that forced Mrs May to quit a crucial round of Brexit talks without a deal.

Mrs Foster blocked a draft that apparently promised Northern Ireland would match EU rules after Brexit, separately from Britain. Irish Premier Leo Varadkar has claimed Mrs May was ready to sign before the DUP intervention and insisted the contested language was drafted by Britain.

It was confirmed tonight Mrs Foster had not seen the detail of what was about to be agreed until yesterday. The DUP leader told Irish broadcaster RTE that it was a 'big shock' when the document was finally handed over after five weeks of the party demanding to see what was on the table.

She blamed Dublin for stopping the Tories sharing the details before yesterday.

When they speak later, Mrs May must quickly find a new form of words that is acceptable to Mrs Foster and will also be agreed by Brussels and Dublin.

Speaking in Belfast tonight, Mrs Foster warned she was in no mood to give in to Mr Varadkar's demands, insisting: 'He can be as unequivocal as he likes. We're equally unequivocal.'

The Government in Westminster has scrambled today to insist any arrangement for Northern Ireland will be matched across the UK, meaning in some areas rules after Brexit will still follow EU terms.

Brexit Secretary David Davis flatly denied that the government was prepared to sign up to terms that would risk Northern Ireland's future, vowing that the 'integrity of the UK comes first'.

But he risked Eurosceptic fury by giving the clearest sign yet that all of Britain would 'align' with EU rules in crucial areas such as agriculture, energy and transport in order to secure a close relationship with the bloc.

The comments quickly triggered gloating from Eurocrats that Mr Davis had effectively agreed to 'make the UK kind of a regulatory protectorate of Brussels'.

DUP leader Arlene Foster (pictured in Belfast tonight) refused to back down in a row over Brexit tonight insisting she was just as 'unequivocal' as Dublin about the terms of the Irish border.

Summoned to answer questions in the Commons, Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured at the Despatch Box this afternoon) dismissed claims the government was putting the union at risk or that the 'DUP tail was wagging the government dog'

The Prime Minister (pictured in Downing Street today) is scrambling to get negotiations with the EU back on track after an humiliating day in Brussels

In a round of interviews tonight, Mrs Foster said: 'We hadn't seen any text, despite asking for text for nearly five weeks now, we haven't been in receipt of any text and the text only came through to us late yesterday morning.

'And obviously once we saw the text we knew it wasn't going to be acceptable.'

Meanwhile, DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds defended his party's decision to torpedo the deal Theresa May had painstakingly assembled in the EU yesterday.

Mr Dodds confirmed the party only saw a draft text of the plan late yesterday morning, at which point they declared the 'ambiguous' wording guaranteeing 'regulatory alignment' between Northern Ireland and the Republic was unacceptable.

Tory Eurosceptics hailed the move for having 'saved Brexit' and urged a tougher line against Irish demands over the border.

But Labour said it showed the 'DUP tail was wagging the government dog' as Mrs May depends on their 10 MPs to cling to power.

The Prime Minister is scrambling to get negotiations with the EU back on track after an humiliating day in Brussels which saw her pause lunch with Jean-Claude Juncker in order to take a call from Ms Foster raising alarm about her plans.

While Mrs May and Mrs Foster have still not spoken today as the Prime Minister has tasked her chief whip Julian Smith to hammer out the details of what is acceptable with Mr Dodds.

With the high stakes negotiations continuing today, Theresa May hosted the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for private talks in Downing Street

DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds defended his party's decision to torpedo the deal Theresa May had painstakingly assembled in the EU yesterday

Mr Dodds (pictured centre with his DUP MPs today) confirmed he and party leader Arlene Foster only saw a draft of Theresa May's deal late yesterday morning and declared the 'ambiguous' wording was immediately unacceptable

Amid the turmoil, Mrs May hosted the Spanish Prime Minister in No 10 today shortly after a two-hour Cabinet meeting with her senior team. She told Mariano Rajoy 'a lot of progress' had been made on the talks so far.

If she can patch up her divorce deal, Mrs May could return to Brussels as soon as tomorrow afternoon to seal the agreement. EU chiefs warn a deal must be finished by Friday to be signed off at a summit next week.

IRISH PM SAYS DEAL WORDING WAS CHOICE OF UK Irish PM Leo Varadkar yesterday The wording of the controversial Brexit deal over the Irish border was the UK's choice, Leo Varadkar said today. The Irish PM said his team had suggested a guarantee of 'no regulatory divergence' between Northern Ireland and the Republic in key areas that affect the border. But the British side had proposed the term 'regulatory alignment' instead. 'We satisfied ourselves on Sunday night that we could accept either of those two lines and 'regulatory alignment' was what was accepted by British advisers on Monday morning,' he told the Irish parliament this afternoon. Mr Varadkar said 15-page proposal, had provided for three potential outcomes in a final deal. The first was a 'UK free trade agreement that would allow free trade to continue not just north and south but between Britain and Ireland'. The second was 'a bespoke arrangement involving technology and others things'. And the third was a backstop for if neither of the possibilities came to fruition to ensure 'ongoing regulatory alignment between north and south'. Advertisement

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tonight said: 'I will have a meeting with the Prime Minister in the course of this week. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow - not on Friday and Saturday because I'm out of town - maybe on Sunday.'

Mr Davis was clearly angry as his commitment to the UK was questioned in the Commons this afternoon about the 'shambles' over the talks.

'The suggestion we might leave the EU but leave one part of the United Kingdom behind still in the single market and customs market that is emphatically not something the UK government is considering,' he said.

'So when the first minister of Wales or the first minister of Scotland starts banging the tattered drum of independence or the mayor of London says it justifies a hard border around the M25, I say they are making a foolish mistake. No UK Government would do so a foolish thing let alone a Conservative and unionist one.'

Grilled about the suggestion that the deal would have meant Northern Ireland staying aligned to Irish regulations - and thereby the EU - while the rest of the UK left, Mr Davis shot back: 'The presumption of the discussion was that everything we talked about applied to the whole United Kingdom.

'I re-iterate: alignment isn't harmonisation, it isn't having exactly the same rules. It is sometimes having mutually recognised rules, mutually recognised inspection, all of that sort of thing as well. And that is what we are aiming for.'

The remarks chime with a statement from Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson this morning demanding that any commitments to follow regulations after Brexit apply to the whole UK rather than individual parts of the union.

Senior Brexiteers thanked the DUP leader today for standing up to Dublin, which selectively leaked parts of the agreement prompting suggesting Northern Ireland would effectively be left behind after Brexit following EU rules.

Mr Dodds used the Commons debate to lash the Irish government for its 'aggressive and anto-unionist' behaviour and warned the leaks from Dublin which triggered the breakdown had caused 'damage' that 'is going to take a long time to repair'.

Mrs May has been warned that caving in to Irish demands could see her kicked out of Downing Street within weeks - while friends admit she has 'two guns held to her head'.

Despite the tough line coming from the DUP, whose 10 MPs prop Mrs May up in power, Chancellor Philip Hammond earlier insisted he was still 'very confident' that a settlement would be reached.

According to No10, she told the gathering that she was 'very close to an agreement' and there were only a 'small number of issues' outstanding.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell warned colleagues there could be no deal that 'prejudices the integrity of the UK'.

The latest nailbiting phase of the Brexit process comes after a last minute intervention from the DUP yesterday threw Mrs May's carefully laid plans into chaos.

The premier had to break off from lunch with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker to field an angry call from the party's leader Arlene Foster, who had gone public with her concerns.

It emerged today that she had not seen the details of the plans before they began leaking out of Dublin.

Before the lunch, EU diplomats and journalists had been told to expect a 15-page document outlining details of a deal that would clear the way for trade talks to begin this month.

But later in the afternoon Mrs May and Mr Juncker faced the Press in Brussels to announce that discussions on a divorce deal had been abandoned for the day.

During the urgent question (pictured), Mr Davis faced repeated calls from Remain-backing MPs for the Uk to stay inside the single market after Brexit

Brexiteer Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Amber Rudd smiled as they walked up the famous street for the meeting

Andrea Leadsom and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson were among the ministers attending a Cabinet meeting today

Michael Gove and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt were deep in conversation as they arrived for Cabinet today. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss also attended, although Chancellor Philip Hammond was on business elsewhere

Glum: The Prime Minister and Mr Juncker emerge from their meeting yesterday without a deal

A senior Tory said the DUP had 'gone ballistic' over a proposed compromise which they feared would result in 'regulatory divergence' from the rest of the UK and an effective border in the Irish Sea.

The party even threatened to pull out of a deal to prop up the Government at Westminster. 'They are seething,' the source said.

UK COULD FOLLOW EU RULES ON ENERGY AND AGRICULTURE The Brexit divorce deal plans are yet to be spelled out in detail. But it appears they could see the whole UK could accept abiding by some EU regulations in order to neutralise the Irish border issue. According to David Davis, the move would not mean having 'exactly the same rules'. 'It is sometimes having mutually recognised rules,' he said. The areas covered would be those considered essential to maintain the soft border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, such as agriculture, energy and transport. It would mean livestock and people could continue to move freely, while the common energy market on the island of Ireland would be facilitated. If a wider EU trade deal was signed, it would almost inevitably go much wider and deeper than the areas covered in this agreement. But Mr Davis's comments quickly triggered gloating from Eurocrats that Mr Davis had effectively agreed to 'make the UK kind of a regulatory protectorate of Brussels'. Advertisement

DUP MP Sammy Wilson described the proposals as a 'unionist nightmare' which could lead to the break-up of the UK.

Senior Brexiteers spoke up in favour of the DUP intervention in the Commons today.

Jacob Rees-Mogg revealed his 'gratitude to the DUP for helping the government stick to its own red lines', tweeting that the party had 'saved Brexit'.

Mr Dodds, the DUP Westminster leader, says the 'damage' caused by the aggressive Irish government to relations with Ulster is 'going to take a long time to repair' and calls Dublin's behaviour outrageous.

He says 'We will not allow any settlement to be agreed which causes divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK'.

Mr Davis replied: 'He's dead right  and neither will the Conservative and Unionist party'.

Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the government should put staying in the single market 'back on the table' - despite Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell previously ruling the idea out.

He also insisted that the fixed date for Brexit of March 29, 2019 should be dropped, an issue that is set to be the subject of a Commons clash later this month.

The British proposals are understood to be more subtle than the Irish leaks suggested.

Mrs May is thought to be proposing an arrangement which would require the whole UK to retain 'regulatory alignment' with the EU on a narrow range of issues that affect the Irish border. These include energy, agriculture and transport.

The UK would commit to the same regulatory outcomes in these areas as the EU, but would be free to achieve them by different routes. Crucially, the UK would be free to diverge from EU rules in all other areas.

The proposed compromise would allow Northern Ireland to retain the same rules as the Republic in critical areas without splitting from the rest of the UK.

In the Commons today (pictured) Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg (left) revealed his 'gratitude to the DUP for helping the government stick to its own red lines' while DUP Westminster chief Nigel Dodds said it would take time to undo the 'damage' caused by the aggressive Irish government

One senior Tory said they were hoping that Dublin would settle for an 'unenforceable form of words'.

'If they don't, or Theresa May goes too far, then we and the DUP will withdraw support and there could be a leadership change this side of Christmas,' they added.

A source close to Mrs May told the Telegraph she realised too late that 'two guns were being held to her head', by the DUP and Scotland.

HOW DRAMATIC TALKS COLLAPSE UNFOLDED 10.27am: Jean-Claude Juncker meets with his chief negotiator Michel Barnier and EU Parliament representative Guy Verhofstadt. He says they are working for a 'fair deal'. 11.10am: David Davis says today's talks are the culmination of seven months work by both sides and that Britain hopes to get agreement on 'sufficient progress' on divorce issues at the meeting. 11.16am: Irish broadcaster RTE reports on a leak of the draft agreement suggesting the UK will agree there will be no 'regulatory divergence' between the Republic and Northern Ireland. 12.09pm: European Commission confirms the plan for the May-Juncker lunch is to get 'as close as possible' to a deal. 12.40pm: May arrives at the talks and poses for pictures with Juncker ahead of lunch. 12.44pm: EU Council President Donald Tusk tweets 'Tell me why I like Mondays' and says he was encouraged about the prospects for a deal following talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar. PM Theresa May arrives in Brussels for talks with jean-Claude Juncker 12.45pm: DUP MP Sammy Wilson accuses the Irish government of leaking claims about regulatory divergence and claims the UK government will not sign up to them. 1.30pm: Nicola Sturgeon seizes on the leaks to demand Scotland gets access to the same terms as Northern Ireland. 2pm: Arlene Foster appears in front of cameras at Stormont to denounce any deal that 'separates Northern Ireland economically or politically' from the UK. 2.30pm: Varadkar postpones a statement in Dublin on Ireland's position in the talks. 3.12pm: Reports emerge Foster and May have spoken by telephone during a break in the May-Juncker lunch. 3.57pm: Juncker appears alongside May to confirm there would be no deal today but that he remains confident. 3.59pm: May insists she is 'confident we will conclude this positively' but announces talks will reconvene later in the week. 4.15pm: DUP MP Sammy Wilson appears on TV again to brand the deal a 'unionist nightmare'. 5.10pm: Tusk tweets a picture of himself and May, warning time is 'tight' but agreement is 'still possible'. 5.20pm: Varadkar finally makes his appearance in Dublin, confirming Britain was ready to sign up to an agreement. He said Ireland was ready to sign and was 'surprised and disappointed' Britain could no longer sign up. Advertisement

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson insisted any Brexit deal should apply to the whole UK - suggesting any commitment on aligning regulations on the island of Ireland would also cover England, Scotland and Wales.

'The question on the Brexit ballot paper asked voters whether the UK should stay or leave the European Union - it did not ask if the country should be divided by different deals for different home nations,' she said.

'While I recognise the complexity of the current negotiations, no government of the Conservative and Unionist Party should countenance any deal that compromises the political, economic or constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.

'All sides agree there should be no return to the borders of the past between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. 'Similarly, jeopardising the UK's own internal market is in no-one's interest. 'If regulatory alignment in a number of specific areas is the requirement for a frictionless border, then the Prime Minister should conclude this must be on a UK-wide basis.'

Arriving for an EU meeting in Brussels today, Mr Hammond sounded an optimistic note.

'We're very confident that we will be able to move this forward,' he told reporters.

'Discussions are going on right now and will go on throughout the day.'

Former top Foreign Office official Lord Ricketts said the row was 'damaging' for Mrs May and will leave EU leaders with the impression that she lacks the authority to get through Brexit negotiations.

Former Brexit minister David Jones said 'there will be people in Downing Street who will have regretted not making the position clearer with the DUP'.

He urged ministers not to 'ignore the parliamentary arithmetic' in which the DUP props up the minority Government, while making clear he also opposed regulatory alignment as it would hinder Britain's ability to strike new free trade deals around the world.

'I think we need to ensure that the DUP are on board with whatever is proposed and I think it's fairly clear that yesterday they were not on board - the fact that they managed to stall the negotiations yesterday, I think, demonstrates the precise strength of their position so I don't think it should be under-estimated at all,' he said.

Mrs May will spend today in talks with Cabinet colleagues and political leaders in both the north and south of Ireland as she tries to find a way through the deadlock.

She is then expected to head back to Brussels tomorrow to resume talks with Mr Juncker.

The Prime Minister yesterday insisted progress had been made, but acknowledged that on 'a couple of issues some differences do remain which require further negotiation and consultation'.

Mr Juncker described Mrs May as a 'tough negotiator' but said he remained 'very confident' a deal would be agreed this week.

EU Council president Donald Tusk had set yesterday as the 'absolute deadline' for agreement.

Last night he said time was 'very tight'. But No 10 said a summit of EU leaders on December 14/15 was the real deadline  giving Mrs May ten days to save the talks.

Allies of the PM said that, unlike David Cameron, she had not accepted the first deal offered by Brussels.

One said Dublin and Brussels had tried to 'bounce' her into a deal by briefing broadcast media that it was all but done.

The talks foundered after sources in Dublin and Brussels leaked draft versions of a text they hoped to agree with Mrs May on the status of the Irish border.

The leaks suggested the PM was willing to sign a deal that would allow Northern Ireland 'no regulatory divergence' from Dublin, effectively tying it to the EU's customs union.

A later leak said the UK had agreed Northern Ireland would remain in 'regulatory alignment' with the EU in some key areas.

Nicola Sturgeon, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones seized on the claims to demand that Scotland, London and Wales remain tied to the customs union and single market.

SNP leader Miss Sturgeon said: 'If one part of UK can retain regulatory alignment with EU and effectively stay in the single market  there is surely no good practical reason why others can't.'

Conservative Eurosceptics have warned Mrs May against further compromise over the Irish border and the role of the European Court of Justice in policing EU citizens' rights after Brexit.

Tory ex-leader Iain Duncan Smith said: 'We have to be very careful. Northern Ireland cannot see any regulatory divergence from the UK. And we cannot get into a position where EU citizens have more rights than British citizens.'

Nicola Sturgeon and Sadiq Khan have seized on claims about the consequences of the proposed deal to argue that Scotland should be given similar leeway to 'stay in the single market'

WHAT ARE THE EU RULES THAT APPLY IN IRELAND? Regulatory convergence between Northern Ireland and the Republic after Brexit could cover a whole gamut of different rules. As members of the single market, Ireland accepts the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. Financial services companies have the ability to work freely across the continent without jumping through additional bureaucratic hoops. They also have standardised EU rules in areas such as safety, quality standards, and working hours. Ireland's membership of the EU customs union, meanwhile, means there are no tariffs on goods traded within the bloc. And the same tariffs are applied to goods from outside the union. As a result of being in the customs union, Ireland cannot negotiate its own free trade deals with other countries. Advertisement

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BORDER? Hard Border: This would include customs and security checks, border controls, posts and guards to monitor who and what is travelling over from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, and vice versa. The UK, EU and the Republic of Ireland have all agreed there can be no return to the hard border of the past, fearing this could reignite the sectarian violence of The Troubles. Soft Border: A soft border would mean no security or border checks between the two territories - essentially maintaining the status quo. Under this plan goods and people will be free to cross from one side to the other without any checks or documentation. Third Way: It has been proposed that an 'invisible border' can be erected via a new high-tech system. Under this plan, number plate recognition technology and spot vehicle checks could be used to carry out customs checks. While it has been suggested that Northern Ireland and the Republic both create squads of flying border guards to police potential smuggling routes from the skies. Advertisement
At least two people have been arrested after violent protests erupted in Sydney ahead of Milo Yiannopoulos' event.

Hundreds of protesters and police officers lined the streets outside Le Montage at Lilyfield, Sydney's inner-west, where the right-wing firebrand was due to speak on Tuesday night.

Riot Squad officers with shields and police on horseback were tasked to the area in preparation for potentially dangerous demonstrations.

Protest groups descended onto the street on Tuesday about 7pm, where they were heard chanting 'racist, sexist, anti-queer, Milo is not welcome here'.

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Hundreds of protesters and police officers lined the streets outside Le Montage at Lilyfield, Sydney's inner-west, where the right-wing firebrand was due to speak on Tuesday night

One bare-foot protester is seen being walked away from the demonstration by police officers

Police erected a battle line between the protesters and the counter protesters.

Officers were seen dragging a protester away from the scene, in an effort to prevent a riot from breaking out.

Demonstrators were heard chanting 'f*** off Nazi scum' and 'kill yourself like Adolf Hitler'.

When audience members for Mr Yiannopolous' show started to arrive at the venue, protesters re-focused their attention.

'Nazi scum off our streets,' they shouted at the audience walking past.

The Sydney protest follows demonstrations outside Milo Yiannopolous' Melbourne venue on Monday night.

Hundreds of demonstrators and supporters clashed in Kensington, Melbourne's north-west, forcing police to use capsicum spray.

Officers erected a battle line between the protesters (pictured) and the counter protesters

Protesters pictured at La Montage where Milo Yiannopoulos has a speaking engagement

Far-left activists protested against Milo Yiannopoulos Troll Academy Tour in Sydney

Milo Yiannopoulos pictured arriving in Sydney on Tuesday, wearing his staple sunglasses and Louis Vuitton

Milo Yiannopoulos was pictured arriving at the venue surrounded by a large police escort.

Dressed in an animal print jacket and his signature black sunglasses, Mr Yiannopolous appeared relaxed as he entered the building - even sharing a laugh with his personal security.

Mr Yiannopoulos, 33, touched down in Sydney on Tuesday, for the fourth leg of his speaking tour.

The US-based commentator's tour has proven controversial since it kicked off in Adelaide on Friday.

Protesters were dragged away from the demonstration outside the Sydney speaking venue

Milo Yiannopoulos was pictured arriving at the venue surrounded by a large police escort

Dressed in an animal print jacket and his signature black sunglasses, Mr Yiannopolous appeared relaxed as he entered the building - even sharing a laugh with his personal security

The self-confessed 'troll' and 'provocateur', has offended Muslim groups and women's rights acitivists with his controversial opinions.

A video of the personality went viral last week, when he told a Muslim presenter he thought all Muslim people should be deported to the Middle East.

'Expel Islam from the West,' he told Australian-born Muslim reporter Emma Eros on Wednesday.

'Anyone who describes themselves as a Muslim, send them back to the Middle East.'

While he had his critics, Mr Yiannopoulos also attracted a cult following, with supporters praising him for his opinions.
The manager of a waste firm bravely disarmed a knife-wielding ex-employee who raided his home hours after being sacked.

Oliver Jones-Lee found disgruntled former worker John Blanchard ransacking his home in Hull following his departure from waste management firm The Rubbish Man.

Sacked Blanchard had stolen his boss's house keys from his car and went to smash up his home before Mr Jones-Lee worked out what had happened and confronted him.

Blanchard had grabbed a knife from Mr Jones-Lee's kitchen but was disarmed by his former boss, who then handed him over to police.

Oliver Jones-Lee disarmed disgruntled former employee John Blanchard, who raided his former manager's home after he was sacked from a waste management firm

Mr Jones-Lee said: 'I was so angry. I grabbed hold of John and he was just obnoxious and horrible and threatening me.

'He had been done for carrying knives previously and he said "you know what I am capable of", thinking he was real smart.

'Then he went towards the back of his trousers but I grabbed hold of his hand and pulled the knife away from him.

'I pinned him on the floor and he was knocked out cold for half an hour.

'He was in my house and he had already annoyed me, and the knife was the icing on the cake for me to think you are not getting away with anything else.

'No one comes into my house and takes my stuff.'

Mr Jones-Lee said the sight of Blanchard threatening him in his own home made him furious

Blanchard has since pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed for 32 months.

Another man Daniel Stephenson, who assisted in the raid, was given a two-year community order.

Describing former-employee Blanchard, Mr Jones-Lee added: 'He is just a nasty piece of work. He always goes around threatening people.

'He has done this to me before but I've always shrugged them off. He gets off his face on drugs and threatens you.

'I've always taken him as an idiot but this time he took it one step too far. I want to name and shame him and I want people to realise what a nasty man he is.

'People need to know what he is like so he doesn't target anybody else in the future.'
The last surviving porn cinema in Paris is closing down at the end of the year as it struggles to compete with the internet.

The Beverley cinema in the second arrondissement has been entertaining customers with vintage erotic films since 1960.

But 74-year-old boss Maurice Laroche is shutting up shop as sales plummet to a third of what they were 20 years ago.

The last surviving porn cinema in Paris is closing down at the end of the year as it struggles to compete with the internet. Pictured: Owner of the Beverley cinema Maurice Laroche

He told Le Parisien: 'Today, when we sell 600 tickets a week, we are happy. Twenty years ago, we sold 1,500-1,600.'

'In the early 1980s, the atmosphere was happy. There were 20 porn cinemas in Paris and 110 across France,' he added.

Even The National Film Center had up to 44 screens devoted to X-rated films.

But now the Beverley cinema's annual turnover hardly exceeds 300,000.

Maurice Laroche, director of the Cinema Le Beverley movie theatre, sprays air freshener in the theatre in Paris

The Beverley is the last cinema in the capital still screening pornographic movies but it will close at the end of the year

Laroche, who has owned the cinema since 1993, blamed this decline on the rise of internet porn.

He said: 'Now 10-year-old kids can see any porn movie.'

Reflecting on his time as boss, Laroche recalled when his cinema attracted all sorts of people aged 18 to 100 and his couple's nights made the cinema 'a place of reproduction'.

'Fifteen years ago, a couple came to introduce me to their baby, who they said was conceived at The Beverley,' he said.
Patagonia clothing is planning to sue Donald Trump over his decision to shrink two national monuments in Utah.

Bears Ears and the Grand-Staircase Escalante national monuments span millions of acres in Utah and are among 27 national monuments that Trump ordered his Interior Secretary to review earlier this year.

The President called it an 'important move for states' rights', but Patagonia bit back, accusing him of stealing land.

The company's website was emblazoned with a striking message in the aftermath of the Trump's move - The President Stole Your Land.

'Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what? They're wrong,' Trump said

Bears Ears, a more than 1.3 million-acre site in southeastern Utah that features thousands of Native American artifacts, including ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs, is to be slashed by 85 per cent

A statement on Patagonia's site, which was attempting to garner support to help sue the White House, read: 'In an illegal move, the President just reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.

'This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history.

'Public lands have never been more threatened than right now.

'The fate of our national monuments is in the hands of the Trump administration. Public landsfrom Maine to Hawaiiprovide enormous cultural, ecological and recreational value, and they are at risk.

'Removing protections for these wild places to open them up for development will not make us energy independent, and history shows that when states control these lands, they are sold to the highest bidder.

'This is not a chance we are willing to take. Defend the land you have left.'

President Donald Trump unveiled his plan on Monday in Utah to dramatically scale back two national monuments  calling it an important move for 'states' rights'.

'Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what? They're wrong,' he said in the cavernous Utah Capitol Rotunda in Salt Lake City.

'The families and communities of Utah know and love this land the best. And you know the best how to take care of your land. You know how to protect it, and you know best how to conserve this land for many, many generations to come,' he said.

'Your timeless bond with the outdoors should not be replaced with the whims of regulators thousands and thousands of miles away. They don't know your land, and truly they don't care for your land like you do.'

The result, he said, is that 'public lands will once again be for public use'.

As Trump signed a proclamation rolling back the Obama- and Clinton-era national monument designations, his audience briefly broke into a chant of 'Four more years'.

President Donald Trump announced plans Monday in Utah to shrink two sprawling Utah national monuments by nearly two-thirds after Barack Obama and Bill Clinton expanded them

Trump's audience broke out into a brief chant of 'Four more years!' after he signed the national monument proclamation

'Your timeless bond with the outdoors should not be replaced with the whims of regulators thousands and thousands of miles away,' Trump said in the Utah state capitol's rotunda

The 'House on Fire" ruins in Mule Canyonare part of Bears Ears National Monument, near Blanding, Utah

'We're going to be doing something that the state of Utah and others have wanted to be done for many, many years,' the president said as he left the White House.

'It will be one of the great, really, events in this country in a long time. So important for states' rights and so important for the people of Utah.'

Trump commented Monday as he left the White House for a trip to Salt Lake City.

Trump previously had condemned the act of creating the Utah monuments as a 'massive federal land grab.'

Utah Republican leaders had complained that the monuments locked up too much federal land.

And Trump said 'this tragic federal overreach' had resulted in 'harmful restrictions on hunting, ranching and responsible economic development.'

The Natural Resources Defense Council, a moneyed liberal advocacy group, promised: 'We'll see Trump in court.'

'We'll stand up for the public lands and waters set aside as a public trust, in the public interest. And we'll stand up for the rule of law.'

The NRDC argued that the Antiquities Act, a 1906 law that allows presidents to wall off millions of acres at a time from development, doesn't permit Oval Office occupants to roll those protections back.

President Trump arrived in Utah on Monday, greeting well-wishers ahead of a speech where he will declare a rollback of multimillion-acre plots of federally protected lands

Trump said Monday on his way to Utah that dramatically scaling back the size of two national monuments would be a win for 'state's rights'

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told a crowd in the Utah Capitol Rotunda that the Antiquities Act, an obscure law that Barack Obama used to broaden federal monuments in Utah, 'was never meant to prevent. It was meant to protect.'

'Our public land is for the public to use,' Zinke said.

During his short Utah visit, the president also met with leaders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and toured the Mormon 'Welfare Square,' a facility that provides aid  and jobs  to poor families.

He complimented the LDS leaders for 'the respect you have all over the world' for taking care of people.

But outside, riot police had to disperse a crowd of people jeering the president with shouts of 'Shame on you!'

Other protesters outside the state capitol yelled 'F**k you Trump!' as the president's motorcade sped by

Trump traveled to Utah with Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utahan who has been in office since 1977 and faces a decision soon about whether to run for an eighth term.

Asked Monday if he was encouraging Hatch to run again, Trump gave reporters a clear 'yes.'

Trump pushed a shopping cart through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' food distribution center at LDS Welfare Square in Salt Lake City on Monday, accompanied by LDS President Henry B. Eyring (left)

Trump He joked during his speech an hour later in the state capitol rotunda that 'I went around the store. I wanted a nice can of tuna fish and they had plenty!'

Protesters yelled 'Shame on You!' and 'F**k you Trump!' on Monday in front of the Utah state capitol; a different group of activists were dispersed by riot police outside the LDS Welfare Square facility

That's seen as a move to block Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee  who has been openly hostile to Trump  from running.

WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT? When Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante were designated national monuments, most public use of the millions of acres  other than hiking  was prohibited. That included hunting and fishing, and allowed the Interior Department to issue only a limited number of livestock grazing permits. It also prohibited Americans from building bathrooms and fire pits. More consequentially, it put most of those lands off-limits for mining, oil and gas drilling, and logging. And most motorized vehicles, including trucks, ATVs and motorbikes were shut out. Returning most of those acres to local control will reverse what oil and gas companies call a federal land grab. National monuments are somewhat like national parks: lands that are protected by law from most development. While Congress creates national parks, howveer, national monuments are created by presidents under the 1906 Antiquities Act, a law that allows the White House to unilaterally mark millions of acres off-limits. The Antiquities Act requires presidents to limit their national monument designations to the 'the smallest area compatible' with the care of the land. Advertisement

Asked if he was sending a message to Romney, Trump would only say: 'He's a good man. Mitt's a good man.'

Hatch introduced Trump on Monday, saying he had the 'redundant task' of introducing the most famous man in the world.

Trump's move to shrink the sprawling Utah national monuments by nearly two-thirds overall has drawn howls from environmentalists and some tribal leaders, who call the move illegal and another affront to Native Americans.

San Juan County, Utah Commissioner Rebecca Benally, a Navajo native, spoke Monday before Trump and said she was outraged by the establishment of the Bears Ears National Monument 'in our own backyard.'

Benally, a Democrat, said her people had been denied access to 'an area larger than Rhode Island and Delaware' where they had harvested medicinal plants and harvested wood for centuries.

She cast the battle over Bears Ears as a struggle between natives who want to stay connected to their ancestral lands and bureaucrats who want to control them.

Trump shrunk Bears Ears by nearly 85 percent and reduce Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by almost half.

The plan would cut the total amount of land in the state's red rock country protected under monument status from more than 3.2 million acres (5,000 square miles) to about 1.2 million acres (1,875 square miles).

Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, said after Trump's speech that his decision 'tears at the heart of America's conservation legacy and is a direct assault on sacred lands and tribal sovereignty.'

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One to Salt Lake City

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke rode in the Bears Ears National Monument in Blanding, Utah earlier this year while plans were being drawn up to shrink their scale

'President Trump has denied future generations the opportunity to learn about the past and explore the remote mesas and canyons that have inspired visitors and inhabitants, dating back thousands of years,' he claimed.

'I'm confident that this shameful action will rightly face the same types of legal challenges as others pushed through by a White House hell-bent on appeasing a few extreme interests at the expense of the interests and values of the American people,' Heinrich added.

The proposals prompted an outcry from environmental groups, tribal leaders and others who say Trump's actions threaten important archaeological and cultural resources, especially Bears Ears, a more than 1.3 million-acre site in southeastern Utah that features thousands of Native American artifacts, including ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.

Trump has told Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch and other Utah officials that he will follow the recommendation of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to shrink both monuments, but the White House and Zinke's office have not offered details about how they'd redraw the monument boundaries.

How it's expected to happen: The reduced scale of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was revealed in leaked documents

Little left: One leaked document showed how the scale of the Bears Ears National Monument could be reduced

The proposed changes would be the most significant reductions by any president to monument designations made under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives the president wide authority to protect federal sites considered historic or geographically or culturally significant.

Trump ordered Zinke to review 27 monuments created in the past two decades, with Bears Ears the top priority. Trump called some monument designations by his Democratic predecessors a 'massive federal land grab' that 'should never have happened.'

President Barack Obama created the Bears Ears monument last year after tribal leaders and environmental groups clamored for protection of land considered sacred by Native Americans.

Grand Staircase-Escalante was created by President Bill Clinton in 1996.

Supporters of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments gathered during a rally on Saturday in Salt Lake City

A spokeswoman for the Interior Department said the newspaper 'has very old, outdated and inaccurate information.'

The spokeswoman, Heather Swift, declined to offer any other details.

But the NRDC called it 'an unprecedented attack on our nation's most cherished public lands.'

'This is unprecedented  and its illegal,' the group's president Rhea Suh said.

'Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante are iconic American lands. In stripping out their needed protections, Trump swept aside the voices of the American people, nearly three million of whom filed formal comments calling for him to leave the monuments alone. Trump is breaking the promise weve made, as a nation  to future Americans and to all Americans  to forever protect these lands,' the group said.

Utah's Republican leaders, including Hatch, have said the monuments declared by Obama and Clinton unnecessarily locked up too much land and asked Trump to shrink or rescind them.

Hatch said in a statement Thursday that 'details of the president's announcement are his and his alone to share,' but added: 'I appreciate his willingness to listen to my advice and even more importantly, to give the people of Utah a voice in this process.'

Trump's action, 'following Secretary Zinke's fair, thorough and inclusive review, will represent a balanced solution and a win for everyone on all sides of this issue,' Hatch said.

Natalie Landreth, an attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, said her group has already drafted a lawsuit to challenge Trump's action, which she called unprecedented and illegal.

'He will not be able to bask in one day of applause at the Salt Lake City airport' before being sued, she said.

Randi Spivak, public lands program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, called Trump's actions a disgrace. 'He wants to turn public lands over to corporations to mine, frack, bulldoze and clear-cut until there's nothing left,' she said.
Several members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus threw a brush-back pitch Monday night calculated to stall the Republican-backed tax reform plan.

On what normally would have been a routine  but crucial  vote to send the all-important tax bill to a House-Senate conference committee, caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows and about a dozen other Republicans held back their support.

The conservatives were trying to get the attention of House leaders, who were marching ahead with a plan for a pre-Christmas budget agreement that has the potential for dealing conservatives losses on immigration, health care, and money for domestic agencies and hurricane recovery.

'One person says disruption. We like to say we're doing what we told the voters we were going to do,' said Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, former chair of the Freedom Caucus. 'That's what we're doing.'

Having made their point, the dissenters ultimately backed down

Separately, Republicans are grappling with a thorny question about corporate taxes as they work to reconcile competing tax bills from the Senate and House.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan had to deal with a revolt on his right flank Monday night from conservatives who held up a routine vote advancing the tax-cut bill because they're upset over budget priorities

Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, staged the protest with other group members during a closed-door strategy session with House Republicans

The Senate bill that squeaked through on a 51-49 vote last week jettisoned a long-held Republican goal of repealing the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax to help pay for last-minute deals that secured the Republican votes for passage.

That puts Senate Republicans on a collision course with Republicans in the House of Representatives, whose own tax bill repeals the corporate AMT and who are already calling for the tax to be eliminated in final legislation.

The corporate AMT combines a low 20 per cent rate with fewer tax breaks, and kicks in if a firm's final tax rate falls below a set threshold.

Most companies aren't caught up in the AMT since they pay a 35 per cent tax rate on their income. But the GOP plan calls for a new top rate of 20 per cent, which means that more firms will end up paying the AMT and losing a wide variety of deductions in the process.

Tuesday's delay on a budget deal underscored the clout that conservatives wield within the House GOP as the party aims to push legislation through the House and Senate this week to keep federal agencies functioning.

A partial shutdown would occur at midnight Friday night unless the Republican-led Congress approves more money, and a closure due to GOP fissures would be a jarring political blow to a party straining all year to show it can govern effectively.

The short-term legislation is designed to give bargainers more time to address remaining disputes over spending levels and other issues that have been folded into the year-end mix, including immigration and health care. Congressional leaders from both parties plan budget talks with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's version of the tax bill kept the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax in place, which upsets business advocates who don't want to be lumped into the program that disallows many of their lucrative deductions

Speaker Ryanis grappling with a looming deadline to pass a spending bill to fund the government by week's end

Without support from their own conservatives, House GOP leaders would need backing from Democrats to push a temporary measure through the chamber. Democratic votes will definitely be crucial in the Senate, where Republicans by themselves lack the 60 votes needed to approve the legislation.

Democrats hope to use their leverage in the year-end budget battle to win concessions on spending, immigration and other issues. They have yet to say what they will do.

In further indication of the problems GOP leaders face, 34 House Republicans sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, urging him to hold a vote by year's end on extending protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who arrived in the U.S. illegally as children. Trump ended those protections this fall and Democrats are demanding that they be renewed in the year-end rush of business.

Earlier Tuesday, Ryan declined to describe the status of internal GOP budget talks after House Republicans met privately to discuss their next steps.

'We're having a conversation with our members about what we think the best way forward is,' he told reporters. 'You'll see when we bring the bill to the floor.'

North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, head of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, said his group was having 'a good, healthy discussion' with leaders about ways to 'fund the government without putting our military at a disadvantage.'

On Monday, the Freedom Caucus pressured GOP leaders for the short-term bill to run through Dec. 30, not Dec. 22 as has been planned. Conservatives say setting the deadline before Christmas, when lawmakers want to go home, gives Democrats more leverage to get higher spending into the legislation.

Several Republicans said after Tuesday's meeting that the bill would likely run through Dec. 22 but said there were no final decisions. One Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., said conservatives wanted leaders' assurances that they wouldn't agree to unacceptably higher spending.

'It's always the load-up-the-Christmas-tree play, go get Democrat votes, bust the budget caps,' Brat said of past spending showdowns when Democratic votes were needed.

Across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said that besides temporarily financing the government, the short-term measure would make cash available to several states that are running out of money for the Children's Health Insurance Program. That widely popular program helps provide medical care to more than 8 million children.

McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said he was hoping that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats 'will continue to work with us in good faith to pass this short-term funding bill and maintain the critical functions of the federal government.'

On Monday, McConnell expressed more confidence, saying, 'We will pass it before the end of the week.'

With the budget chafing under spending caps imposed by a 2011 bipartisan budget deal, Democrats want defense and domestic programs to get equal funding increases. Both sides say they want to provide money for a health insurance program that serves more than 8 million children and for states battered by recent storms.

In addition, some from both parties want to restore billions in federal payments to health insurers that Trump halted last autumn. There are also demands for money for battling opioid abuse.
The former president of Georgia was arrested inUkraine after a dramatic standoff on the roof of his apartment building in Kiev which saw hundreds of his supporters clash with riot police.

Mikheil Saakashvili, who is now a popular opposition politician in the Ukraine, was dragged off the roof by agents from the country's intelligence agency on Tuesday while addressing a crowd of his supporters below.

Upon Saakashvili's arrest, his supporters blocked the van holding him, and fought with riot police until they were able to free him.

Saakashvili then led the crowd on a march toward parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign.

Arrest: Ukrainian Security Service officers arrest the former Georgian president and ex-Odessa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili in downtown Kiev

Fight: Under threat of arrest, Saakashvili climbed onto the roof where he addressed his supporters who gathered below in the street

Clashes: Saakashvili's supporters fight riot police in the street by his apartment

The detention of Saakashvili has raised fears that Ukraine could be facing its most acute political crisis since the 2014 revolution.

Under threat of arrest, Saakashvili had climbed onto the roof of his home in the Ukrainian capital, with a small group of supporters, and reportedly threatened to jump off.

Intelligence officers followed him onto the roof, detained him and led him out to a waiting van.

However several hundred supporters blocked the road and surrounded the van, refusing to let it drive off.

Two hours after Saakashvili entered the van, it was still at a standstill as the crowd chanted 'Kiev, rise up!'

Footage from the scene showed protesters picking up cobblestones and construction rubble to build barricades.

Taken: The Ukrainian Security Service officers reportedly entered the building and dragged Saakashvili down from the roof

Anger: Saakashvili, who emigrated to the Ukraine in 2013, can be seen loudly protesting as he is arrested by Ukrainian intelligence agents

Crowd: The hundreds of supporters can be seen behind Saakashvili as he is put in a van

National Guard riot police were dispatched to help the SBU release the van but they soon found themselves surrounded by a crowd of protesters.

Saakashvili is arguably Ukraine's most popular opposition politician and a challenge to President Petro Poroshenko, who appointed him as governor of Ukraine's Odessa region before the two fell out.

Saakashvili served as Georgia's president for nearly a decade before he was termed out of the office and left the country in 2013.

He resigned as Odessa governor in 2016, complaining that his efforts to root out corruption suffered official obstruction.

Block: Saakashvili's supporters blocked the police van from leaving the scene and two hours after the arrest, the car was still in the same spot

Authorities called riot police to the scene to help disperse the protesters

Slow progress: Riot police cam be seen surrounding the police van

Supporters of Georgian former President Mikheil Saakashvili move paving stones to build a barricade in Kiev

Poroshenko revoked Saakashvili's citizenship in July while he was out of the country. Saakashvili forced his way across Ukraine's border with Poland last month.

Saakashvili's stand-off with Poroshenko ignited long-simmering popular discontent with the slow pace of Poroshenko's much-promised reforms.

The Security Service said in a statement that Saakashvili is facing a criminal investigation for 'assisting members of criminal organizations or hiding their criminal activities.'

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko said in a televised briefing later in the day that Saakashvili is suspected of colluding with Ukrainian businessmen with ties to Russian intelligence in order to topple Poroshenko.
Sydney's Wynyard train station has undergone a massive transformation, one which many commuters may say takes the phrase 'topsy-turvy' to new heights.

Part of a $160 million dollar revamp of the public transport hub, a new 'Interloop' art installation now adorns the ceiling above the main concourse.

The brainchild of Australian artist Chris Fox, the five tonne escalator-style sculpture is also rich with history, hanging above the spot its boards use to rest.

Sydney's Wynyard train station has undergone a massive transformation, one which many commuters may say takes the phrase 'topsy-turvy' to new heights

Part of a $160 million dollar revamp of the public transport hub, a new 'Interloop' art installation now adorns the ceiling above the main concourse

The artwork was constructed from 244 wooden escalator treads and four escalator combs that were initially built for the station in 1931.

Its design took six months to perfect according to the artist, with a kilometre of welding needed to construct the looped pairs.

In total, the piece measures more than 50 metres in length, with the final accordion-like structure made from high strength aluminium and the original steps that used to reside at the York Street entrance.

'Connecting yesterday and tomorrow, 'Interloop' interrogates the conceptual and material boundaries between art and architecture,' Mr Fox said.

The five tonne escalator-style sculpture is the brainchild of Australian artist Chris Fox and is rich with history, hanging above the spot its boards use to rest

The entrance it hangs over was officially re-opened back in September, with the new installation unveiled this week.

The old escalators were replaced prior to that, with workers painstakingly dismantling them so they could be used for the design.

As part of the upgrade there will also be a series of LED screens added, which will feature images and videos of the area's heritage.

Fans of the installation flocked to social media following it's unveiling, praising it for breathing new life into a part of Sydney's history.

he artwork was constructed from 244 wooden escalator treads and four escalator combs that were initially built for the station in 1931

The wooden boards were re-purposed for the piece, with the design taking six months to perfect according to the artist

'I love this re-purposing of the old wooden escalators at Wynyard station. Iconic,' one person wrote.

While another user in awe of the design added: 'Sometimes - just sometimes, we do things right in Sydney. #wynyard #magicescalator'

Others kept it simple, writing 'Old meets new', 'Thats awesome!!' and 'Just incredible'.

And one person summed it up by labelling it a 'masterpiece', writing: 'Rightly called "Interloop" - connecting yesterday and tomorrow. Futurism meets history'.

The original escalators, featuring the wooden treads, were installed in 1931, with plenty of people loving the upgrade and the 'old meets new' sculpture
Doctors have come out in defence of a paediatrician who was found guilty of the manslaughter of a six-year-old boy after missing the signs of sepsis.

Hadiza Bawa-Garba was convicted, along with agency nurse Isabel Amaro, of the manslaughter of Jack Adcock at Nottingham Crown Court in November last year.

Jack, who had Down's syndrome and a heart condition, died at Leicester Royal Infirmary in February 2011, hours after being admitted with sickness and vomiting.

Bawa-Garba made the 'remarkable error' of mistakenly placing Jack under a 'do not resuscitate' order after confusing him with a two-year-old who had been discharged.

Hadiza Bawa-Garba (left) was convicted, along with agency nurse Isabel Amaro, of the manslaughter of Jack Adcock (right) at Nottingham Crown Court in November last year

However more than 700 doctors have protested against attempts to strike off Bawa-Garba, The Times has reported.

In a letter to the newspaper, healthcare professionals said the General Medical Council's pursuit of Bawa-Garba ignores the role short-staffing played in the tragedy.

They also claim that the case could lead to a 'climate of defensiveness' where doctors would be scared to admit to mistakes.

Jack's mother Nicola said she was 'disgusted that doctors are all sticking together' and defending Bawa-Garba, who was given a two-year suspended sentence.

She's never been held accountable for what she did,' added Mrs Adcock. 'She hasn't gone to prison, she hasn't been struck off.

'Never once did she ever say sorry to us, she showed no remorse, nothing.'

Jack's mother Nicola (pictured with husband Victor) said she was 'disgusted that doctors are all sticking together' and defending Bawa-Garba

Earlier this year the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found that Bawa-Garba should not be struck from the profession, a decision the GMC is appealing.

The case is set to be heard in the High Court on Thursday, with the GMC arguing that the healthcare profession in the UK will be damaged if a doctor convicted of manslaughter is allowed to continue working.

Charlie Massey, Chief Executive of the General Medical Council, told MailOnline: We have a clear responsibility to maintain the publics confidence in the medical profession.

'That is why we must act in cases where a truly exceptional degree of negligence  the very high threshold set in the criminal law for gross negligence manslaughter  has been established, as was the case with Dr Bawa-Garba.

Jack, who lived with his parents and younger sister Ruby in Glen Parva, Leicester, was said to be a 'lively and energetic' boy who attended a mainstream primary school.

A court heard the pair had provided Jack with 'truly, exceptionally bad care' in the hours before his death

But on February 18, 2011, Jack showed symptoms of diarrhoea, sickness and breathlessness and was admitted to hospital's children's assessment unit.

Although he had sepsis and urgently needed antibiotics, Bawa-Garba - originally from Nigeria - wrongly diagnosed him as having gastroenteritis and failed to look at an X-ray for over three hours which showed he had signs of the highly dangerous infection.

She also did not review 'seriously abnormal' blood tests results which showed the youngster was suffering organ failure and later allowed him to be mistakenly given medication usually used to treat high blood pressure.

That evening Jack suffered septic shock and a 'crash call' went out to medics to revive him only for Bawa-Garba to call off CPR because she mistakenly believed there were instructions not to resuscitate him.

Efforts to help Jack were halted for up to two minutes until the junior colleague picked up the mistake but by then it was too late.

Mother-of-two Bawa-Garba was convicted at Nottingham Crown Court of manslaughter by gross negligence in December 2015 but was given a 24-month jail term suspended for two years after she said she was sole carer for her five-year-old son who is disabled.

She said her husband, who lives in Dubai and works in aviation, would not be able to care for her autistic son and has no right to work or claim benefits in the UK.

Portuguese agency nurse, 47-year-old Isabel Amaro, of Manchester was also given a two-year jail terms suspended for two years for gross negligence manslaughter.

The court heard the pair had provided Jack with 'truly, exceptionally bad care' in the hours before his death.
Toni Stevens, 32, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communications with children at Plymouth Magistrates Court last week

A charity worker who asked underage girls for 'naughty pictures' and threesomes admitted 'I'm ashamed of myself' following an on-camera sting.

Toni Stevens, 32, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communications with children at Plymouth Magistrates Court last week.

He arranged to meet several girls under 14 for sex at hotels across the country and had been speaking to at least 39 decoys online at the time of his arrest.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Exeter Crown Court on December 19 for sentencing.

In chat logs released by UK Database founder, Chris, who did not wish to disclose his surname, the community volunteer discussed having a threesome with his ex-girlfriend.

After being confronted, Mr Stevens sheepishly stated 'I'm ashamed of myself' and hung his head while listening to chat logs from his conversations over WhatsApp.

Chris, 42, said: 'Toni had been speaking to at least 39 underage girls online and had arranged to meet a lot of girls countrywise.

'He told [several decoys] he would book a hotel room to facilitate the threesome.

After being confronted, Mr Stevens sheepishly stated 'I'm ashamed of myself' and hung his head while listening to chat logs from his conversations over WhatsApp

'In this sting, he originally told the decoy to meet him at Taunton Travelodge at two o'clock on the Monday. He'd arranged to meet our other decoys in Coventry, Birmingham and Manchester.

'Strangely, he had no intention of actually meeting up with any of them. We knew he wasn't going to turn up to the meetings, so we called the charity that he volunteered at called Hele's Angels.

'We told a member of staff we had worked with Toni when previously homeless and had come into money and wanted to thank him.

'Toni does a lot of charity work in the community. I said to him when we met "the work you do in the community is outstanding".

As part of the sting, members of the Plymouth Against group set up decoy profiles and spoke to Mr Stevens over messaging apps.

'The best feeling you get from doing this is the reaction when these people finally realise that their lives are over. It's not necessarily the convictions because the sentences can be lenient and varied.'

As part of the sting, members of the Plymouth Against group set up decoy profiles and spoke to Mr Stevens over messaging apps.

Working on the website in his own time, Chris often spends three hours a day answering emails from victims and adding offenders to his database.

In the messages exchanged between Mr Stevens and the decoy, the conversation quickly turns from general chit-chat to sexually explicit content despite the paedophile knowing the account he was talking to was supposedly 14-years-old.

Hele's Angels, which supports the local community, claim Mr Stevens never had contact with children while working there

Chris said: 'He'd written in his messages "Hi Gorgeous" and the decoy said "I'm 14, is that okay?" Around 90 per cent will carry on the conversation while the rest will say no.

'Within three or four pages of conversation, it turns quite sexually explicit and he said he wanted to meet up. He said '"I have a girlfriend and she wants a threesome".

'He then sends images of her naked. This woman was actually an ex-girlfriend from a few years ago and knew nothing about it.

'Finally, he starts sending images of himself lying on the bed with his manhood out. The decoy never spurs him on but just goes along with it.

'When we arrived, he'd gone to the shop so we went up there to meet him on his way back.

'When we first met him he was in shock. He said "I thought they were over 18" but we showed him the chat logs where she says "I'm 14 is that okay?"

The UK Database was founded by Chris a decade ago and so far has over 60 million hits. The website allows anyone to search and find convicted paedophiles in their area.

Chris said: 'My main aim is to give victims a voice. They get to a certain age where they want to speak out and often they'll happily even say 'yes, it was my dad, mum, uncle, aunty'.

In chat logs released by UK Database founder, Chris, who did not wish to disclose his surname, the community volunteer discussed having a threesome with his ex-girlfriend

'The police in Devon have been fantastic and have advised and supported us.

'My website has over 60 million hits since we launched and lists the details of 67,000 convicted paedophiles.'

Mr Stevens was arrested on the scene at 2.15pm last Monday after the group called Torquay Police.

Plymouth Magistrates Court confirmed Mr Stevens pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity.

The charity, Hele's Angels, which supports the local community, claim Mr Stevens never had contact with children while working there.

As part of the sting, members of the Plymouth Against group(pictured) set up decoy profiles and spoke to Toni over messaging apps

The chairman of Hele's Angels, Dennis Hagger, said: 'The man has worked for us since April as a volunteer. At no time did he have contact with children on our premises.

'He was never left alone while there were other people there.

'We help adults with learning difficulties and mental health issues to get them food vouchers and help them to write CVs and get them into work.

'He had helped more than 50 people back into work since he started here.

'We have been taking a bit of flak from people about this - but we have to move on. We've got a charity to run.'
David Davis today accused Nicola Sturgeon, Carwyn Jones and Sadiq Khan of a 'foolish mistake' after they seized on Brexit chaos to try and carve up the Union.

The Brexit Secretary said the United Kingdom would leave the EU as one nation and no government of any stripe would ever countenance doing otherwise.

Scottish First Minister Ms Sturgeon today claimed the breakdown in talks was the 'moment' to force the Government to change its stance.

Together with Welsh First Minister Mr Jones and London Mayor Mr Khan, she yesterday demanded Scotland get the same exit terms as Northern Ireland amid rumours of a special deal to avoid a hard border.

Mr Davis condemned the trio when he was summoned to the Commons to answer an urgent question on yesterday's talks.

David Davis (pictured in the Commons today) accused Nicola Sturgeon, Carwyn Jones and Sadiq Khan of a 'foolish mistake' after they seized on Brexit chaos to try and carve up the Union

Miss Sturgeon, pictured greeting China's Vice Premier Liu Yandong in Edinburgh today, has gleefully seized on the reports to claim Northern Ireland was being allowed to stay in the single market - and demanded Scotland be given the same right

Mr Davis told MPs today: The suggestion that we might depart the European Union but leave one part of the United Kingdom behind, still inside the single market and customs union - that is emphatically not something that the UK Government is considering.

So when the First Minister of Wales complains about it, or the First Minister of Scotland says its a reason to start banging the tattered drum of independence, or the Mayor of London says it justifies a hard border around the M25 - I say theyre making a foolish mistake.

No UK Government would allow such a thing, let alone a Conservative and Unionist one.

The SNP leader was backed today by Labour and Tory Europhiles, with Conservative Anna Soubry saying she was 'right'.

Meanwhile Ed Miliband stepped up the attack on Mrs May by claiming she could not organise a 'p*** up in a brewery'.

The Prime Minister is is racing against time to save her Brexit divorce deal after it was dramatically derailed by the DUP yesterday.

But she has been warned that giving in to Irish demands could see her kicked out of Downing Street within weeks - while friends admit she has 'two guns held to her head'.

Scottish First Minister urged pro-EU politicians to join forces and seize the 'moment' to force the government to change stance. Former Labour leader Ed Miliband stepped up the attack on Mrs May by claiming she could not organise a 'p*** up in a brewery'

The latest nailbiting phase of the Brexit process comes after a last minute intervention from the DUP, which is propping her up in power, threw Mrs May's carefully laid plans into chaos.

The premier had to break off from lunch with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker to field an angry call from the party's leader Arlene Foster, who had gone public with her concerns.

Before the lunch, EU diplomats and journalists had been told to expect a 15-page document outlining details of a deal that would clear the way for trade talks to begin this month.

But later in the afternoon Mrs May and Mr Juncker faced the Press in Brussels to announce that discussions on a divorce deal had been abandoned for the day.

Glum: The Prime Minister and Mr Juncker emerge from their meeting yesterday without a deal

The row was triggered when leaks of a draft statement emerged suggesting that the UK was prepared to say there would be 'no regulatory divergence' between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

It later emerged that the proposal was actually for there to be 'continued alignment', and the plan was narrowly drawn to cover only areas such as energy and agriculture.

But by then Miss Sturgeon had gleefully seized on the reports to claim Northern Ireland was being allowed to stay in the single market - and demanded Scotland be given the same right.

Pressing her point today, the Scottish First Minister appealed for Jeremy Corbyn to join the drive.

'This could be the moment for opposition and soft Brexit/remain Tories to force a different, less damaging approach - keep the UK in the single market and customs union. But it needs Labour to get its act together. How about it @jeremycorbyn?' she wrote.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the 'clear solution' to the government's problems was the UK 'remaining in the single market and customs union'

Labour's Chris Leslie also joined the calls, while Tory Anna Soubry retweeted scientists Brian Cox and said she wanted the whole UK to stay in the single market

Brexiteer Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Amber Rudd smiled as they walked up the famous street for the meeting

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the 'clear solution' to the government's problems was the UK 'remaining in the single market and customs union'.

Tory MP Anna Soubry wrote on Twitter: 'U don't need a planet sized brain to work out effectively staying in SM & CU delivers Brexit & strong economy for everyone in UK.'

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband wrote: 'What an absolutely ludicrous, incompetent, absurd, make it up as you go along, couldn't run a piss up in a brewery bunch of jokers there are running the government at the most critical time in a generation for the country.'

But with Labour badly split on the Brexit issue, the party leadership was showing little signs of the joining the campaign.

No shadow ministers were deployed to spell out Labour's position on the airwaves this morning.
The 16-year-old charged with plotting a high school massacre in Riverland at South Australia has been denied bail and remanded in custody.

Earlier, prosecutor Amy Winra opposed the bail application even with strict conditions in the Adelaide Youth Court, saying the teen was 'extremely likely' to carry out the attack if released.

Ms Winra said the boy, who can't be identified, and his 18-year-old co-accused plotted to 'kill as many people as possible'.

One of two teenagers accused of plotting a massacre at a South Australian school has been described as a 'good kid' before 'something changed in him'

She said the pair had attempted to obtain guns and made other weapons which they tested out in October, including a homemade Molotov cocktail and what was referred to as a 'poor man's napalm'.

They had also made their own body-armour and had machetes and knives.

The boy's defence counsel requested bail with the strictest home-detention monitoring, but Ms Winra said his internet skills and weapon-making ability meant he would be difficult to control.

Des Bray (pictured), the head of major crime in South Australia, said this was as close to a U.S-style school shooting as Australia had ever come

'Because he has the skills to source and make weapons, he can still make weapons. Your Honour can't stop him from possessing household goods,' she said.

The two teens had allegedly been planning a massacre at a school using knives and explosives, but their plot was thwarted when fellow students alerted police.

Police believe there would have been significant casualties if the attack had gone ahead before the end of the school year. It's believed the pair had been planning the attack since June 1.

The teenagers have been charged with planning a 'Columbine-style' (pictured) shooting at a school in South Australia

15 people died when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (pictured) opened fire on Columbine High School on April 20, 1999

They would not identify the school in the Riverland area, but said the two had 'a relationship' with the school.

The 16-year-old was arrested on November 7 after police searched his home. He has been in custody since then.

He faced court on Tuesday charged with soliciting to kill as well as using or having possession of a prohibited weapon, unlawful possession and dealing in body armour without written permission.

The 18-year-old, whose name is suppressed by a court order to protect the identity of the younger co-accused, was also arrested on November 7 and will appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court in January charged with aggravated counts of threatening to kill.

The principal of the school in the Riverland region has been praised by the education minister for keeping parents informed over the alleged plot

In court on Tuesday, Magistrate David White said he was concerned about the 16-year-old using a computer, given the crimes he was charged with.

'On the prosecution case, this is sophisticated offending that involves a great deal of planning,' he said.

Mr White said he denied bail based on the gravity of the crimes.

The boy will next appear in court at the end of January.
A British baby will meet his Russian grandparents at Christmas after the Home Office backed down over a visa for his mother who has been a UK citizen for ten years.

Russian-born Elena Holdsworth, who lives in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was facing being unable to introduce her 12-week-old son Brian to her parents in Russia.

The 42-year-old mother-of-two hit trouble after applying to renew her UK passport, which expired in September, because her Russian passport is in her maiden name.

Elena Holdsworth, 42, of Southend-on-Sea, who has been a UK citizen for ten years, is pictured with her husband Antony, 44, nine-year-old daughter Tatyana and 12-week-old son Brian

But MailOnline intervened and the Home Office will now give her a certificate of right of abode in a week rather than the normal six months  which will get her to Russia.

Her husband Antony, 44, who runs an accounting firm, told MailOnline: 'Thanks to you, it's a real triumph that we will be able to go to Russia at all this Christmas.

'My son is 12 weeks old, and his Russian family don't get to see him every day. If they don't get to see him over Christmas, they're never going to meet him as a baby - and they're precious moments that will be lost forever.'

The family's problems began after a policy was introduced in 2015 of every person who holds a UK passport having to have one identity for 'national security' reasons.

However, Mrs Holdsworth is unable to change her international Russian passport because she has to go to Siberia to change her internal Russian passport first.

But she cannot do this, because - having got her internal passport changed in her home city of Novosibirsk - she wouldn't have a UK passport to get her back to Britain.

Now, the Home Office will issue the certificate of right of abode for her Russian passport, which will allow her to go in and out of Britain without restriction.

But Mr Holdsworth said this document, costing 321, is not the end of the problem, because his wife still has to change her passports in Russia, to get a UK passport.

The couple are now going to be able to visit Mrs Holdsworth's parents Vladimir, 68, and Tatyana Knol (pictured), 69, in Russia  after appealing to the Home Office for help

He said: 'If my wife travels to Russia to change her internal passport, her international passport which contains the certificate will immediately become invalid.

'This means the certificate of right of abode will become invalid, because it's only valid in the document in which it's stuck. That means that she will still be stuck in Russia with no means of return.

'So whilst in Russia, after having renewed her internal passport, she needs to apply to renew her international passport - we don't know how long that could take.

'Then, having got her international passport, whilst still in Russia, she'd have to apply for another certificate of right of abode to go in the new international passport, which would cost another 321. Then she would be able to return to Britain to get her British passport.

'The big problem is that I'm the only earner and my wife would have to take the children to Russia with her and she could be there for months. My daughter needs to go to school.'

The couple, who met scuba diving in Cyprus in 2002, got married in Thundersley, Essex, in 2004 and also have a nine-year-old daughter named Tatyana.

The Home Office have told the family that the second certificate of right of abode that Mrs Holdsworth will need while in Russia should only take two weeks to process.

But the official timescale on the Home Office website is six months, and the family are concerned that she could be stuck in Russia with the children for a long period.

Mrs Holdsworth is hoping to introduce her 12-week-old son Brian to her parents in Russia

However, they are at least happy that they will get to visit Russia for Christmas to see Mrs Holdsworth's parents Vladimir, 68, and Tatyana Knol, 69.

Mr Holdsworth said: 'We'll go to Russia , but we won't be able to start applying for the internal passport because my wife won't be able to return.

'So we'll have to come back to England again and then we're back in exactly the same situation again of having to go back to Russia to deal with it all.

'All it does is get us to Russia to see my wife's family. It doesn't deal with the problem - and more to the point, it's going to cost us a fortune in visas (and travel costs).

'There's two things that are important - one is that I need a fair and sensible way for my wife to deal with her situation, and secondly this matter needs to be brought out into a public domain as much as possible to make it clear how awful this policy is.

'It's a huge problem for us, because even with the certificate, my whole family will have to go to Russia and stay in Russia for possibly a couple of months.'

Mr Holdsworth added that since his story was published on MailOnline, he was contacted by a woman who had been similarly affected by the new rules.

She claimed she was issued with a temporary 12-month British passport just three weeks ago  and Mr Holdsworth said such a document would 'really help us'.

The mother-of-two faced trouble when applying to renew her UK passport (pictured), which expired in September, because her Russian passport is still in her maiden name

He added: 'We've got a difficult decision to make - do we stump up 300 for this visa, or do we wait to see if they will issue a 12-month passport?'

A Home Office spokesman told MailOnline: 'This Government is committed to protecting the public from fraud.

'This is why we ensure all UK passports are issued with the name the holder uses for all official purposes, in order to safeguard the public from fraudulent and criminal uses of passports.

'We are currently in contact with Mrs Holdsworth and her family, to enable her return from Russia and to support the progression of her UK passport application.'

The Home Office first introduced the one-name-for-all-official-purposes policy was first announced in February 2015, and then maintained last year following a review.

This review introduced exceptions, which allow a passport to be issued in the name requested even if it differs from the name on the passport issued by another country.

But no evidence has been provided to the Home Office by Mrs Holdsworth that indicates she meets one of these exception requirements.

Yesterday, outlining the family's case to MailOnline, Mr Holdsworth said: 'My wife's British passport expired in September, so we filled in the forms to renew it.

'There is a new box to tick on the passport form where you have to tick it if you have any other passports with any other countries.

Mrs Holdsworth was born in the Russian city of Novosibirsk (pictured) in south-western Siberia

'Then you have to send all of your other passports in with your application. From what my MP said, we think (this rule) came in around 2015.

'My wife's Russian passport is still in her maiden name because it's quite a difficult process for a Russian living in Britain to change their passport.

'It seems Great Britain has introduced a policy of one identity for every person, and they say it's for reasons of national security.'

Mr Holdsworth said Her Majesty's Passport Office (HMPO) would not issue a new British passport until she gets her Russia passport changed to her married name.

Russians have an international passport which the Russian Embassy in London will change, but only once Mrs Holdsworth changed her internal Russian passport.

This can only be changed in the person's place of birth, so his wife would have to travel to Siberia and spend four weeks there to get it sorted.

Mr Holdsworth told how others have reported similar problems - and, while it will happen to any dual citizens, it's a bigger problem for those from Russia.

He said: 'This is supposedly to stop terrorism and crime. But what self-respecting terrorist is going to tick the box to say "Yeah, I've got another passport?"'

The couple are being helped by their local Conservative MP James Duddridge, whom Mr Holdsworth said had been 'excellent' and 'tried hard' for them.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force carried out a one-off photo shoot in Death Valley, California this week - and the results were breathtaking.

Two F35 fighter jets, which have a top speed of nearly 1,200 miles per hour, were caught zooming towards Welsh photographer Dafydd Phillips's camera in the remote area for a photo shoot, flying overhead as they passed.

The roar of their engines in the background can be heard getting louder as the two jets, flying side-by-side, move closer to the camera.

The video has since been seen thousands of times since it was posted onto social media with the caption 'Tinnitus', with viewers astounded by the rare footage.

The fifth-generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack and air superiority missions.

Shannon Fox commented on Mr Phillips' Facebook video: 'What a rush!'

Jayden Difesa added: 'Looks like something outa (sic) top gun.'

Jeremy Kesling said: 'God damn I love that sound!'

Two F35 fighter jets were caught zooming towards Welsh photographer Dafydd Phillips's camera, flying overhead as they passed
China has been staging military drills in the sea bordering North Korea, reportedly in response to the current US-South Korean joint exercise.

China's Air Force said Monday that a surveillance aircraft had been conducting drills in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea to 'improve combat-readiness and safeguard the country's strategic interests'.

The surveillance flight would have taken place as U.S. fighter jets arrived in South Korea ahead of the annual joint drill which started yesterday.

China has been staging military drills in the Yellow and East China Sea in recent days, the Air Force said, reportedly in response to the current US-South Korean joint exercise (pictured)

The aircraft took a flight path not previously flown to regions they had never previously operated in, spokesman Shen Jinke said, according to a post on the Air Force's official microblog.

It also coordinated with fighter jets, alert aircraft and guided missile forces, the post stated.

Experts say that the military drills were a response to the annual U.S.-South Korean drill, called Vigilant Ace, which will run until Friday.

'China is showing that it can uphold the balance of power in the region,' Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told The Telegraph.

The annual U.S.-South Korean drill will see six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to be deployed among the more than 230 aircraft taking part.

A US Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth jet takes off at a South Korean air base in Gwangju on Monday as the joint air exercise started

North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country called U.S. President Donald Trump 'insane' on Sunday and said the drills would 'push the already acute situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war'.

F-35 fighters will also join the drills, which will include the largest number of 5th generation fighters ever to have taken part, according to a South Korea-based U.S. Air Force spokesman.

Around 12,000 U.S. service members, including from the Marines and Navy, will join South Korean troops. Aircraft taking part will be flown from eight U.S. and South Korean military installations.

South Korean media reports said B-1B Lancer bombers could join the exercise this week. The U.S. Air Force spokesman could not confirm the reports.
Nearly 18,000 Army personnel are not medically fit to be deployed to all war zones  fuelling fears more defence cuts would leave the forces dangerously undermanned.

The British Army is meant to be 82,000-strong but has already fallen to just 78,407 as soldier and officer numbers have eroded.

And it emerged today that just 60,546 members of the Army are fully fit to be sent to the frontline  meaning the force has a fifth fewer recruits than if it was at full strength.

Tory MP Andrew Bowie, a former Royal Navy officer who uncovered the figures, said it is 'appalling' troop numbers have been allowed to get so low.

He warned that with the trio of deadly threats posed by Russia, North Korea and Islamist terrorism, Britain's Army simply does not have the manpower to do everything asked of it.

The revelation piles further pressure on the Government to bin proposals to cut Army numbers even further as it tries to slash 2billion a year from its budget.

British soldiers, some of whom are pictured at Camp Bastion in 2014, have seen their numbers drop in recent years. New figures show that nearly 18,000 Army personnel are not medically fully fit to be sent to all war zones, fuelling fears that proposed further cuts would leave the force without the resources it needs to keep Britain safe

Mr Bowie MP told Mail Online: 'It is very worrying. It basically means if we were to go to war tomorrow we would only have 60,000 medically fit soldiers to actually serve.

'And a lot of them will not be infantrymen or cavalry, it will include logistics, chefs, and general support.

'There are a lot of global threats  Russia, North Korea, the Islamic terrorism in the Middle East.

'The concern is that we have full time Army of only 60,000 is simply not enough to do the jobs that we are asking them to do.'

Ministry of Defence figures released via a parliamentary question show that 7,890 Army personnel are 'medically not deployable' in April 2017.

While another 9,971 were categorised as 'medically limited deployable' - meaning they can only be sent to some areas.

The Government is considering cutting Army numbers to 70,000 and cutting Britain's two amphibious assault vessels to slash 2billion a year from the defence budget.

But the proposals are hugely controversial among Tory MPs who have warned new Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson they will not put up with further cuts.

Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood  who battled to try to save Pc Keith Palmer in the Westminster terror attack  has reportedly threatened to quit if Army numbers are cut further.

Tory MP Andrew Bowie, who uncovered the figures, said it is 'appalling' troop numbers have been allowed to get so low and warned the Army risks being left so depleted it cannot do everything the Government ants it to do

A string of Conservative MPs - including Sir Nicholas Soames, a grandson of Winston Churchill - have called for an urgent rethink on the plan.

Mr Bowie, MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine in Scotland, said: 'The concern among Conservative MPs is that the Army is too small as it is, cutting it down to 82,000 was a mistake in the first place.

'You are always going to have people who are medically unable to serve, but in the Armed Forces it is a serious worry that we have so many unable to serve as it drives down the level of our forces.

'It is quite clear myself and other MPs are deeply unhappy about the rumours coming from the Ministry of Defence, any further cuts to the defence budget would be unacceptable in the eyes of many MPs.'

An Army spokesman said: 'The Army has enough people to perform its operational requirements to keep Britain safe.'

He added that 95 per cent of posts 'are filled and in the last year we've recruited nearly 8,000 people into a variety of posts which will give them skills for life'.
The status of Jerusalem is a 'red line' for Muslims and could even prompt Turkey to cut ties with Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Tuesday.

US officials have said that President Donald Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a step that would break with decades of policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East.

Erdogan said Turkey, which currently holds the chairmanship of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), would immediately call a summit meeting of the pan-Islamic group if Trump went ahead with the move.

'Mr Trump! Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims,' Erdogan said in a raucous televised speech to his ruling party that was greeted with chants and applause.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country would immediately call a summit meeting of the pan-Islamic group if Jerusalem is recognised as Israel's capital

US officials have said that President Donald Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a step that would break with decades of policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East

'It is a violation of international law to take a decision supporting Israel while Palestinian society's wounds are still bleeding,' he told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling AK Party.

'...this can go as far as severing Turkey's ties with Israel. I am warning the United States not to take such a step which will deepen the problems in the region.'

Erdogan said that if such a move was made to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, he would summon a summit of the OIC in Istanbul within five to ten days 'and we would set the entire Islamic world in motion'.

As for Turkey, Erdogan said Ankara would 'follow this struggle to the very last moment with determination and we could even go right up to cutting our diplomatic relations with Israel'.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital, a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

'I am saddened by the reports that the US is getting ready to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital,' Erdogan said.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital, a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want Jerusalem (pictured) as the capital of their future state

Erdogan said that if such a move was made to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, he would summon a summit of the OIC in Istanbul within five to ten days 'and we would set the entire Islamic world in motion'

Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel's deadly storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left ten Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties.

The two sides have since stepped up cooperation in particular in energy but Erdogan, who regards himself a champion of the Palestinian cause, is still often bitterly critical of Israeli policy.

The United States is a strong supporter of a strong relationship between Turkey, the key Muslim member of NATO, and Israel, which is Washington's main ally in the Middle East.

Erdogan's comments came after the White House said Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv, after a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and world leaders.

Israeli government spokesmen had no immediate reaction, but Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a senior partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus coalition government, brushed off Erdogan's comments.

'There will always be those who criticize, but at the end of the day it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogan's sympathy,' he said.
Kristy McManus, the Institute of Directors' Northern Ireland director, said all sides need to 'get creative' to unblock the crunch Brexit talks (file pic)

Northern Ireland business chiefs today rejected the Republic's demands for a border in the Irish sea.

Kristy McManus, the Institute of Directors' Northern Ireland director, said all sides need to 'get creative' to unblock the crunch Brexit talks.

She said businesses are 'clear' there must not be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic or with the rest of the UK.

Her intervention comes as the Brexit negotiations were thrown into turmoil last night when the DUP pulled the plug on an agreement to move on to the second stage of talks.

The party had 'gone ballistic' over a proposed compromise which they feared would result in 'regulatory divergence' from the rest of the UK and an effective border in the Irish Sea.

But Theresa May is thought to be proposing a more subtle arrangement that will see the whole UK to retain 'regulatory alignment' with the EU on a narrow range of issues like energy, agriculture and transport.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4's Today Programme this morning, Ms McManus said: 'I think our members are clear - we don't want to see a border north-south, nor do we want to see a border in the Irish Sea.'

She said the Good Friday Agreement needs to be 'reinforced', and that 'regulatory co-operation' with the Republic of Ireland must continue.

Ms McManus said: 'There (are) very strong binding agreements for both UK and Ireland around the all-island economy which (have) been longstanding since 1998 and we already see significant cross-border co-ordination.

So what we would say is there are existing templates there for co-operation.

'Northern Ireland is unique - we're the only part of the UK that shares a land border with the European Union and areas like the electricity market must be maintained post-Brexit.

'So therefore what we would say is that regulatory co-operation has to continue.'

Trevor Lockhart, chief executive of the Fane Valley farmers' co-operative, said there is 'growing frustration' after crunch negotiations in Brussels were derailed night.

Theresa May, pictured in Brussels yesterday with Jean-Claude Juncker, faces a race against time to win over the DUP to her compromise deal and get the Brexit talks back on track

He said something had clearly gone 'horribly wrong' on Monday 'and this morning we're trying to pick up the pieces'.

He said staff, suppliers and customers are all frustrated that there is still a lack of clarity about future arrangements.

He went on: 'From an economic perspective, the reality for us as a business is that an economic border north-south is no more acceptable than it is east-west.'

The PM faces a race against time to win over the DUP to her compromise deal and get the Brexit talks back on track.

She needs to prove to Brussels that 'sufficient progress' has been made on the divorce bill, Irish border and citizens rights so they sign up to kick start trade talks at the EU summit on December 14 and 15.

Mrs May is holding her weekly Cabinet meeting at No10 today where her ministers will discuss how they can make a final push to get the crunch negotiations back on track before Christmas.
More than 170 dogs have been saved from a squalid canine meat farm in South Korea, where they would have been electrocuted and turned into a spicy soup if not rescued.

Animal rescuers from Humane Society International rescued the dogs from a farm in Namyangju on November 28.

Officials are flying the dogs to shelters across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom after going through a quarantine process.

More than 170 dogs have been saved from a squalid canine meat farm in Namyangju, South Korea, on November 28

Officials are flying the dogs to shelters across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom after going through a quarantine process

The dog meat farm in Namyangju is thought to be one of 17,000 in South Korea that breed more than 2.5million dogs a year for human consumption

Pete Wicks from The Only Way Is Essex joined the rescue team in South Korea on what he described as one of the most emotional experiences of his life

Wendy Higgins, left, HSI Director of International Media, and Kitty Block, President of HSI, hold and cuddle a Tosa puppy that was born on the farm at a dog meat farm in Namyangju

Abby Hubbard, Deputy Director of Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, Nara Kim, Campaign Manager in South Korea of Humane Society International (HSI), and Wendy Higgins, HSI Director of International Media, hold and cuddle Tosa puppies that were born on the farm

The dog meat farm in Namyangju is thought to be one of 17,000 in South Korea that breed more than 2.5million dogs a year for human consumption.

The farm had a mixture of breeds on location, including greyhounds, spaniels and mastiffs. The 13 dogs headed to the UK are a golden retriever, beagle, and Korean Jindo.

Dogs were kept in filthy conditions, spending their lives in wire cages with no veterinary care.

HSI found that many of the dogs were suffering from eye infections, skin disease, and painful legs and paw sores from standing and sitting on wire mesh.

If they weren't saved by HSI, the dogs would have been electrocuted at a local market or slaughterhouse and made into a spicy soup, called bosintang.

The farm had a mixture of breeds on location, including greyhounds, spaniels and mastiffs. The 13 dogs headed to the UK are a golden retriever, beagle, and Korean Jindo

Dogs were kept in filthy conditions, spending their lives in wire cages with no veterinary care

HSI found that many of the dogs were suffering from eye infections, skin disease, and painful legs and paw sores from standing and sitting on wire mesh

If they weren't saved by HSI, the dogs would have been electrocuted at a local market or slaughterhouse and made into a spicy soup, called bosintang

The dogs were rescued as part of HSI's campaign to end the dog meat trade. The organization has closed ten farms across South Korea since 2014

Kelly OMeara, Senior Director of HSI Companion Animals and Engagement, pets a dog at the farm on November 28

The dogs were rescued as part of HSI's campaign to end the dog meat trade.

Pete Wicks from The Only Way Is Essex joined the rescue team in South Korea on what he described as one of the most emotional experiences of his life.

The dogs were found just ten weeks before the launch of the 2018 Winter Olympics, which is aiming to the appeal to younger generations and create a 'cultural new horizon'.

HSI believes that younger generations of Koreans are rejecting dog meat and see this as a good time to phase out the trade.

Opposition to the dog meat trade is growing among Korean citizens and politicians, and even the newly elected President Moon Jae-in recently adopted a dog named Tory who was rescued from a dog meat farm.

The dogs were found just ten weeks before the launch of the 2018 Winter Olympics, which is aiming to the appeal to younger generations, who are not as interested in eating dog meat

HSI believes that younger generations of Koreans are rejecting dog meat and see this as a good time to phase out the trade

Adam Parascandola, Director of Animal Protection and Crisis Response of Humane Society International (HSI), rescues a dog named Ava from the farm

Opposition to the dog meat trade is growing among Korean citizens and politicians, and even the newly elected President Moon Jae-in recently adopted a dog named Tory who was rescued from a dog meat farm

Claire Bass, HSI-UK Director, right, looks at the UK bound dogs to a truck at the dog meat farm in Namyangju

A row of crates of rescued dogs at a dog meat farm in Namyangju. The dogs will be relocated to shelters across the United States, Canada and the UK

Farmer Mr Kim, who has farmed dogs for 20 years, has plans to enter the construction business and grow vegetables on his land, HSI said

The farm in Namyangju is the tenth HSI has permanently closed since 2014, rescuing and rehoming nearly 1,000 dogs by working in co-operation with dog meat farmers keen to get out of the trade.

Farmer Mr Kim, who has farmed dogs for 20 years, has plans to enter the construction business and grow vegetables on his land, HSI said.

Other dog farmers aided by HSI have moved into humane livelihoods such as chili plant growing and water delivery.

The rescues and farm closures are part of a broader strategy that aims to encourage the South Korean government to end the cruel dog meat industry.

Wicks, who was moved to join the effort after watching videos from previous dog farm closures, said ending the meat trade is close to his heart.

TOWIE star Wicks (pictured) , who was moved to join the effort after watching videos from previous dog farm closures, said ending the meat trade is close to his heart

The farm in Namyangju is the tenth HSI has permanently closed since 2014, rescuing and rehoming nearly 1,000 dogs by working in co-operation with dog meat farmers keen to get out of the trade

Wicks is seen getting emotional as he looks at the dogs inside cages at the meat farm in South Korea

Wicks kisses kisses Stacey, an LA-bound dog at a dog meat farm in Namyangju. The rescue operation was part of HSIs efforts to fight the dog meat trade throughout Asia

In South Korea, the campaign includes working to raise awareness among Koreans about the plight of meat dogs being no different from the animals more and more of them are keeping as pets

He said: 'I'm proud to support HSI's campaign to end the dog meat trade in South Korea because it's a really tough job their rescue team does, and it's not just about saving the dogs, they're offering practical solutions to help dog farmers get out of this horrendous business, and also urging politicians to change the law, so it's the whole package.'

Nara Kim, HSI's South Korea dog meat campaigner, said: 'Eating dog is a dying practice in Korea, especially among young people.

'However, the Bok Nal days of summer still lead many to eat dog meat soup in the mistaken belief that it will invigorate the blood in the sluggish heat.

'Our campaign shows them the disgusting conditions in which the dogs are forced in live in their own faeces, and their pitiful suffering, and it is changing hearts and minds.

'Some people say that dog eating is Korean culture, but you won't find many young people who feel it's a cultural habit we want to hold on to.'

The HSI Animal Rescue Team rescues Jack, a UK bound dog, at a dog meat farm in Namyangju, South Korea

Wicks gently kisses Henry, a UK bound dog, as Claire Bass, HSI-UK Director, watches on before the rescue at a dog meat farm in Namyangj

Lola Webber, center, Campaign Manager for South Korea of Humane Society International (HSI), kisses a dog named Mia outside a cage at the meat farm in Namyangju, South Korea

Claire Bass, HSI-UK Director, at right, holds Mocha, a UK-bound dog in front of his cage at a dog meat farm in Namyangju

Pip Tomson, a UK TV presenter, left, and the HSI Animal Rescue Team rescue Leila, a UK bound dog, at the farm

Dog farmers aided by HSI have moved into humane livelihoods such as chili plant growing and water delivery

The rescues and farm closures are part of a broader strategy that aims to encourage the South Korean government to end the cruel dog meat industry
A French halal supermarket has been shut down for not selling alcohol and pork.

The Good Price mini-market in Colombes, Paris was threatened with closure last year for violating the terms of its lease which required it to be a 'general food store.'

But owner Soulemane Yalcin refused to stock alcohol and pork and a court has now ruled that his rental lease must be cancelled.

The court of Nanterre decided on Monday that he failed to meet 'the needs of all inhabitants.'

The Good Price mini-market in Colombes, Paris was threatened with closure last year for violating the terms of its lease which required it to be a 'general food store' (file photo)

The ruling came after locals complained they could no longer get a broad range of products after the halal supermarket replaced a regular supermarket.

Last year Nicole Goueta, the mayor of Colombes, visited the store to urge Mr Yalcin to begin selling alcohol and pork.

The mayor's chief of staff, Jerome Besnard, said that he asked the owner to 'diversify' his range of products on sale following complaints from locals.

He added that the area wants a 'social mix' where everyone can get hold of a selection of products.

Many of the older residents have been unable to complete their entire shop at the new store, following the closure of the old supermarket.

This has forced them to travel to other shops to buy pork and alcohol.

Mr Yalcin defended his decision not to sell the products, saying he was simply catering to the demands of his customers in the area (file photo)

Speaking to Le Parisien, Mr Yalcin, who opened his shop in April 2015, defended his decision not to sell the products.

He claimed that he was simply catering to the demands of his customers in the area.

He said: 'I look around me and I target what I see. The lease states 'general food store and related activities' - but it all depends on how you interpret 'related activities'.'

Mr Yalcin added that other stores selling alcohol in the area face 'security problems' and claimed Franprix sales figures showed there were 'losses in the deli department'.
Scottish Tory MPs have warned they could still vote against flagship Brexit laws without new Government concessions in a new headache for Theresa May.

The bloc of 13 MPs want changes over how powers are handed to the Scottish Parliament after they are returned from Brussels.

Paul Masterton said the current draft - which is also opposed by the SNP and Scottish Labour - is 'not fit for purpose' and must be replaced.

The MPs stopped short of defeating the Government in a series of late night votes that ran into the early hours of this morning.

But there will be further opportunities to return to the issues as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill is dragged slowly through the Commons by ministers.

Scottish Tory Paul Masterton (pictured in the Commons last night) said the current draft law - which is also opposed by the SNP and Scottish Labour - is 'not fit for purpose' and must be replaced

MPs (pictured during the debate last night) stopped short of defeating the Government in a series of late night votes that ran into the early hours of this morning

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson signalled trouble on another front today, warning Mrs May that the whole UK must operate under the same rules after Brexit.

The Prime Minister's talks in Brussels yesterday over a dispute about how to maintain regulatory alignment across the Irish border.

In last night's debates, which ran until 1am, Mr Masterton said he expects further concessions at the next joint ministerial committee (JMC) between the UK Government and the devolved administrations.

He said the Scottish Conservatives 'stand ready to help broker a compromise' and outlined the assurances he is seeking.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson signalled trouble on another front today, warning Mrs May that the whole UK must operate under the same rules after Brexit

MPs were warned that powers currently exercised by devolved governments within EU frameworks would be returned to Westminster under the current draft.

The Scottish and Welsh governments have called the Bill a power grab by London on devolved matters, and these warnings were echoed by MPs in the Commons.

Concerns were raised over the Bill, which seeks to transfer European law into British law, as MPs continued their line-by-line assessment of it.

Mr Masterton, in response to a question on what action he would take if he does not receive assurances, said: 'I've said it at second reading, I've said it again, I will not support the Bill which undermines devolution and does not respect the integrity of the Union.

'I don't think I could be any clearer to ministers listening.'

Labour Brexit spokeswoman Jenny Chapman has earlier said that it was 'wrong' for the Government to attempt to use Brexit as an excuse to gain powers for London.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford also told ministers that the draft laws 'completely undermined' the current devolution settlements in place and hit out at the 'bare-naked power grab'.

Deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced the result of the final vote at 1am this morning (pictured) as last night's marathon debate came to a close

The Government won all four votes in yesterday's debate (including the final vote, pictured being declared), making a clean sweep at the half way stage of the painfully slow committee stage

Scottish Secretary David Mundell dismissed Mr Blackford's characterisation as 'pantomime'.

Senior Tory Bernard Jenkin shared some sympathy with the points raised by the SNP and Labour, while Tory former Brexit minister David Jones added an indication of a timescale would be helpful.

A revolt of around a dozen MPs would be enough to defeat the Government.

In a separate intervention today, Ms Davidson said: 'The question on the Brexit ballot paper asked voters whether the UK should stay or leave the European Union - it did not ask if the country should be divided by different deals for different home nations.

'While I recognise the complexity of the current negotiations, no government of the Conservative and Unionist Party should countenance any deal that compromises the political, economic or constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.

'All sides agree there should be no return to the borders of the past between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

'Similarly, jeopardising the UK's own internal market is in no-one's interest.

'If regulatory alignment in a number of specific areas is the requirement for a frictionless border, then the Prime Minister should conclude this must be on a UK-wide basis.'
Guests have trashed a million-dollar property on Melbourne's beachfront, causing upwards of $150,000 in one night.

The waterfront home in Altona, south-west Melbourne, was destroyed when about 70 youths rented it out on Saturday.

Victoria Police were called to the four-bedroom home on three separate occasions on Saturday night as fights spilled out onto the street.

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Guests have trashed a million-dollar property on Melbourne's beachfront, causing upwards of $150,000 in one night

One neighbour described the house as a 'write-off'.

'The damage inside the house is incredible. There's not a room or place in the house that isn't destroyed, including the garage,' he told Seven News.

'It's absolutely senseless and useless vandalism, without any need,' another said.

Residents said they confronted the group early in the night, but retreated back inside their homes when pleas for order fell on deaf ears.

Photos showed massive holes in the walls, shattered glass and damaged furniture overturned and strewn throughout.

The rental, advertised as a 'beach holiday house' cost $255 per night.

The house rules included 'quiet hours between 10pm and 8am'.

The waterfront home in Altona, south-west Melbourne, was destroyed when about 70 youths rented out the home on Saturday

Photos show massive holes in the walls and damaged furniture overturned and damaged

The million-dollar waterfront home was rented through for the party on Saturday

'The damage inside the house is incredible. There's not a room or place in the house that isn't destroyed, including the garage,' this resident said

One neighbour claimed young men even threw rocks at passing cars on the street.

Another said the young party-goers were so out-of-control, the police 'didn't have a chance in the world'.

Victoria Police said they were still searching for those responsible for the senseless vandalism.

'It's absolutely senseless and useless vandalism, without any need,' another resident said

Victoria Police said they were still searching for those responsible for the senseless vandalism at the waterfront home in Melbourne

The million-dollar home was vandalised by a group of up to 70 youths on Saturday night
Security services missed vital clues in the days leading up to several of the terror atrocities that have hit Britain this year, it has been revealed.

It is now thought that 35 lives could have been saved at Manchester, London Bridge and Westminster if police had correctly acted on intelligence.

Detectives had intelligence about Manchester bomber Salman Abedi in the months before his attack killed 22 adults and children outside an Ariana Grande concert, David Anderson QC found.

The information would have caused an investigation into him to be opened 'had its true significance been properly understood', the review said.

It also emerged that a meeting to discuss Abedi's threat level was due to be held a week after he carried out his deadly bombing.

The review also revealed that London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt was being actively investigated by security services at the time of his attack and Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood scoped out the bridge days before he drove a car along its pavement, killing tourists.

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Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was flagged up to security services before his attack killed 22 people including children at an Ariana Grande concert

An independent review of the counter-terrorism performance by British police and intelligence services suggests the deadly suicide bombing at Manchester Arena might have been prevented if information had been handled differently

The review, published today, discloses that three terrorists involved in four attacks that hit Britain between March and June this year had at some point been on authorities ' radar.

Manchester attacker Abedi was identified by a 'data-washing exercise' as falling within a small number of former subjects of interest who merited further consideration.

However, a meeting scheduled to consider the results of this process had not been held at the time of the bombing. It was due to take place a week later.

Reviewer Mr Anderson says: 'It is conceivable that the Manchester attacks in particular might have been averted had the cards fallen differently.'

An opportunity was also missed to place Abedi on 'ports action' after he travelled to Libya in April. Despite the issues raised, MI5 says the attack would not have been thwarted had more investigation been carried out.

Attacks at Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge, and Finsbury Park killed and injured dozens of people between March and June this year.

MI5 and police launched independent reviews to examine what was known about the terrorists before they struck and the review of those investigations was published today.

Khuram Butt, who led the three-strong gang behind the London Bridge van and knife attack in June, was the principal subject of an MI5 investigation from mid-2015 until the date of the deadly assault.

Three terrorists lie dead in Borough Market after a van and knife attack on London Bridge. The ringleader, Khuram Butt, was being investigated at the time of the atrocity

Butt was previously thought to have been planning an attack, but an operation examining him was suspended due to other priorities. Fellow London Bridge attacker Youssef Zaghba was flagged up by Italian authorities but an email to UK security services was missed

Three THOUSAND terror suspects being tracked by authorities The scale of the threat facing the UK was laid bare in today's report. It revealed counter-terror teams are running about 500 live investigations involving 3,000 individuals at any one time, while there is also a wider pool of 20,000 subjects previously looked at who must be kept under review. A total of nine Islamist terrorist plots have been thwarted in the UK over the past year, the director general of MI5 has told Cabinet earlier today. And it emerged 22 potentially deadly plans have been thwarted since Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered near his barracks in Woolwich in south London in May 2013. Meanwhile, Home Secretary Amber Rudd told MPs that Islamic State (IS) jihadis fleeing defeats in the Middle East are plotting attacks in the West. The scale of the current threat facing the UK is seen as unprecedented. Advertisement

Butt was also tracked by Operation Hawthorn, but that was suspended due to lack of resources. The Operation was resumed on the day he attacked.

The report stated: 'From mid-2015 until the date of the attack, Khuram Butt was the principal subject of Operation Hawthorn, an MI5 investigation which was opened following information suggesting that he aspired to conduct an attack in the UK.'

'From late 2015 to early 2016 there was no further indication of attack-planning, and Khuram Butt appeared to be disengaging from former associates in ALM (banned organisation Al-Muhajiroun). His focus seemed to be moving towards overseas travel, including potentially to Syria to fight with Daesh (ISIS).'

'On 21 March 2017, prior to the Westminster attack on the following day, investigation of Khuram Butt was suspended. Investigation of the other SOIs (subjects of interest) investigated under the operation had been suspended the previous week due to resourcing constraints brought on by a large number of P1 (high priority) investigations.'

The report says material relating to Butt received in the two weeks prior to the attack added little to the intelligence picture and did not identify activity that led up to the attack.

London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt had been hiding in plain sight, even appearing on TV documentary The Jihadi Next Door. He is pictured, third from the left, in the back row

Another of the London Bridge gang, Youssef Zaghba, was placed on an EU warning list in March last year.

However, Italian authorities placed him on the database under a marker identifying him as being subject to checks for serious crime rather than one which would have led to him being automatically identified as a national security risk.

It was also revealed that, in June 2016, MI5 received an inquiry from Italian authorities about Zaghba but the agency has no record of responding - 'noting by way of possible explanation that it arrived in the incorrect mailbox'.

The request was not chased up by Italian officials.

'The story is not a happy one, but, as MI5 points out, even if the request had been actioned, it would have resulted in a nil return,' the report adds.

Zaghba, and the third London Bridge attacker, Rachid Redouane, were never investigated by MI5.

Police take Khalid Masood to the ground after he drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a police officer in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. The review found he had visited the area a week before the carry out reconnaissance

A van which ploughed into worshippers near Finsbury Park mosque in an attack which killed one. Today's report states: 'In regards to Finsbury Park, neither MI5 nor the police had any intelligence about this attack.'

Manchester attack survivor backs finding no one is to blame Steve Milward survived the attack but said he is keen not to blame police and secret services for not stopping Abedi. He said in a Twitter message to the report's author David Anderson QC: 'David, as a victim of the Manchester attack, thank you for conducting a thorough review of the Police and MI5 reports and information. 'Hindsight is a wonderful thing and we must learn and move on, as you state with systemic improvements rather than apportion blame. Thank you'. Mr Anderson responded to say: 'Steve, it seems a public place to say this, but please accept my condolences on your loss, and many thanks for your kind words which mean a lot'. Advertisement

Outlining the review findings, Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the Commons: 'Based on the MI5 and police reviews, David Anderson explains that in the case of the Westminster attack, Khalid Masood was a closed subject of interest at the time of the attack.

'Neither MI5 nor the police had any reason to anticipate the attack.

'Regarding the Manchester Arena attack, Salman Abedi was also a closed subject of interest at the time of the attack, and so not under active investigation.

'In early 2017, MI5 nonetheless received intelligence on him, which was assessed as not being related to terrorism. In retrospect, the intelligence can be seen to be highly relevant.

'Had an investigation been reopened at the time, it cannot be known whether Abedi's plans could have been stopped. MI5 assess that it would have been unlikely.

'Across the attacks, including Manchester Arena, David Anderson notes that MI5 and CT policing got a great deal right.

'However, in relation to Manchester, he also commented that, quote, 'it is conceivable that the attack might have been averted had the cards fallen differently'.'

Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the House of Commons MI5 had not find any key moments where the attacks could have been stopped

Ms Rudd went on to say: 'In the case of London Bridge, Khuram Butt was an active subject of interest who had been under investigation since mid-2015.

'A number of different investigative means were deployed against him, but they did not reveal his plans.

'His two conspirators had never been investigated by MI5 or CT policing.

'In regards to Finsbury Park, neither MI5 nor the police had any intelligence about this attack.

'Taken as a whole, MI5 and CT policing conclude they could not, quote, 'find any key moments where different decisions would have made it likely that they could have stopped any of the attacks'.'

Westminster, 5 dead: The career criminal Muslim convert who changed name after prison stretch Khalid Masood, 52, killed five people and injured nearly 50 when he drove a hired 4x4 along the pavement of Westminster Bridge before stabbing a policeman outside Parliament. Masood (right) was a low level criminal who racked up a number of convictions while growing up in Kent and Sussex. But he changed his name from Adrian Ajao to Masood and was rarely seen by his family after a 2003 prison sentence for a violent attack. Instead he moved into an area of Luton known for its extremism and was alleged listed as a contact for a website which slammed Christians and Jews urged 'war' against 'the enemy of Allah'. It emerged today he was known to police and MI5 for association with extremists. But he was a closed subject of interest at the time of the atrocity in March, and intelligence officers and police had no reason to anticipate his murderous actions, according to the report. It also reveals how in the days prior to the attack, Masood conducted reconnaissance of Westminster Bridge in person and online, and browsed YouTube for videos relating to terrorism. Minutes before he struck, the terrorist shared a 'Jihad document' with numerous WhatsApp contacts. Advertisement

Manchester, 22 dead: Warning signs over suicide bomber who spent time in Libya before attack Flagged up: Salman Abedi Salman Abedi killed 22 including children as young as eight when he detonated a suicide bomb at the exit of an Ariana Grande concert in May. The 22-year-old British-born son of Libyan immigrants to the UK, Abedi (right) was on MI5's radar after security services were alerted to his extremist views. Today's report revealed security services were passed two pieces of information on the bomber earlier this year. The report said security services did not consider the intelligence terror-related at the time, but now says it was 'highly relevant'. 'It is conceivable that the Manchester attack in particular might have been averted had the cards fallen differently,' the report said. He had travelled to extremism-plagued Libya and Istanbul shortly before the attack and authorities have said he did not act alone. UK prosecutors are currently trying to negotiate the extradition of his brother Hassem, who was arrested in Libya after the attack having previously been pictured online brandishing a machine gun. Advertisement

London Bridge, 8 dead: TV jihadi, failed asylum seeker and 'red flag' Italian behind van and knife attack The ringleader of the London Bridge terror gang was the subject of a two-year MI5 investigation prior to the atrocity, the report reveals. Khuram Butt was the subject of various kinds of 'coverage' from the middle of 2015 following information suggesting he aspired to carry out an attack in the UK. The assessment of intelligence handling published on Tuesday said: 'Though it continued to varying degrees until the day of the attack, it did not reveal the plans of Khuram Butt and his two co-conspirators.' On June 3 a van ploughed into people on London Bridge before 27-year-old Butt, Moroccan Rachid Redouane, 30, and 22-year old Italian/Moroccan Youssef Zaghba launched a knife rampage around Borough Market. Eight victims were killed, while the perpetrators were shot dead by police. Butt was the only terrorist involved in the four attacks examined in the review who was a live 'subject of interest' and under active investigation at the time of the attack. Failed asylum seeker Rachid Redouane (left) and extremist Youssef Zaghba (right) Born in Pakistan in 1990, his family moved to England in 1998, claiming asylum before being given indefinite leave to remain in 2004. Butt was given British citizenship in 2005. In January 2016 Butt, who had no criminal convictions, was identified posing with an Islamic State flag in the Channel 4 television documentary The Jihadis Next Door. While under investigation by MI5, Butt was arrested for fraud in October 2016 and granted bail. Two days before the attack, a decision was made not to prosecute him. Moroccan Redouane had been refused asylum in 2009, when he was using the name Rachid Elkhdar, yet managed to stay in Britain after marrying an Irish woman in Dublin. CCTV showed the moment armed police arrived at the scene and killed the trio He had previously been arrested in Scotland attempting to travel to Northern Ireland by ferry on a fake passport. Moroccan-born Italian Youssef Zaghba meanwhile to the Italian authorities in March 2016 when he tried to fly from Bologna to Syria via Istanbul. His name was put on The Schengen Information System - a red flag warning system informing other European nations if criminals are trying to enter their country. Yet British border guards did not stop him entering the UK at least twice. Advertisement

Finsbury Park, one dead: Attack suspect 'was seen by police in van' A Londoner leaves flowers at the site where a man was killed and 11 injured On Monday, 19 June a man in a hired van mounted the pavement outside the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park. The centre is down the road from the Finsbury Park Mosque, which previously had problems with extremism but has since worked to tackle the issue. The area was busy with Muslim worshippers attending Ramadan night prayers at the time. One man, 51-year-old Makram Ali, died from his injuries after the attack and 11 others were injured. It was claimed after the attack that police had seen the suspect asleep and drunk in the vehicle 24 hours before the attack, but took no action. Today's report found neither police nor MI5 had any information about the attack or any suspects before it was carried out. Advertisement

Calls for more funding and better technology as terrorist threat continues to grow

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has warned ministers they 'cannot keep people safe on the cheap' as stretched security services failed to stop the Manchester suicide bomber.

The head of Scotland Yard Cressida Dick also called for more cash to fight terror to pay for new technology, better infrastructure and staff.

Ms Abbott spoke out as an independent terror assessment noted a reduction of 7.2% in grant funding over the next three years.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd hit back at the suggestion, saying the Government was ensuring the UK was 'always properly resourced on this subject'.

Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott criticised the government over police funding

Ms Abbott said: 'The Home Secretary concedes that linked to the implementation of review recommendations are resources - as we say on this side of the House, you cannot keep people safe on the cheap.

'She will shortly be announcing the budgets for policing in 2017/18; she talks about ensuring that counter-terrorism policing has the resources it needs.

'But does she expect the part in David Anderson's report where he notes that the counter-terrorism indicative profile of their grant allocation over the next three years sees a reduction of 7.2% in their budgets?

Met Police Commissioner called for 'rapid progress' in bringing in new technology

'Does she agree with David Anderson when he talks about the reliance of MI5 and counter-terrorism on community policing? Does she accept that proper funding for community policing is at least as important as resources for counter- terrorism proper?'

Ms Rudd responded: 'I would not want her to imply that the report covers any suggestion that these attacks wouldn't have taken place if there was more resourcing.

'It's fine to ask about more resourcing, and I have acknowledged that there's going to be a need for more, but I would also point out that in 2015 the Government recognised the need for more resourcing and put an increase from 11.7 to 15.1 billion over 2015 to 2020 into the CT budgets to ensure that this country, through this Government, is always properly resourced in this subject.'

Speaking outside Parliament, Manchester's mayor and former shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said the report 'would be difficult reading for everyone in Manchester' and called for more funding to local police to tackle the terror threat.

Mr Burnham said: 'I accept [the report's] conclusion that there's no way of knowing whether the Manchester attack could have been stopped, but it's clear that things could and perhaps should have been done differently and also that wrong judgments have been made.'

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, pictured at the funeral of the youngest Manchester bombing victim, eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos, said the report was 'difficult reading'

He welcomed the report's call for two-way intelligence sharing between national counter-terrorism units and local police forces and urged the government to increase funding to Greater Manchester Police.

'Real-term cuts to the police budget must stop and increases are given to reflect the greater work load and the growing threat,' he said.

Mr Burnham praised security services, saying: 'It's right and important to note that the authorities got a lot right in respect of the Manchester Attack.

'The fact that they were closing in on the perpetrator should reassure the public of the professionalism of our police and security services and the systems that they use. It would be much more worrying if nothing had been known about the attacker.'

But he added: 'Clearly systems can be improved further still.'

Director General of MI5 Andrew Parker said his agency would learn from the report

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said: 'We need to make rapid progress in implementing the recommendations, many of which require new technology, better infrastructures and resources at a time when the threat from terrorism poses significant challenges for police and security services.

'The growth in the number of dangerous individuals who have been radicalised is a major issue for us.

'We will be redoubling our efforts in enforcement activity both to disrupt and confront the threat and to safeguard the vulnerable from radicalisation.'

In its full response to the report released on Tuesday, the Met said the 'tempo' of activity being confronted by counter-terror agencies is 'more intense than ever'.

The force said: 'Although we work tirelessly to keep the country safe the reality of the terrorist threat means that we will not stop every attack.'

Andrew Parker, the Director General of MI5, said the agency is committed to implementing the recommendations identified in the report.

He added: 'We and our partner agencies used the harsh light of hindsight under independent challenge to ensure we squeezed every drop of learning out of these dreadful events.

'MI5 and our partners continue to bring the full weight of our growing capabilities to counter this new intensity of threat.

'Our unrelenting focus remains on doing everything in our power every day to keep the country safe.'
A female Roma inmate at the Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre was raped by a detention officer and groped by one of his colleagues, a court heard today.

The victim, who was awaiting deportation after committing a crime, was told she would be transferred to a prison if she complained, a jury was told.

Syed Hussain, 34, of Bedford, denies raping and sexually assaulting the woman in 2012.

His colleague Bodrul Islam, 30, also of Bedford, denies misconduct in a public office in 2012 by kissing and sexually touching the same woman.

Syed Hussain, 34, of Bedford, denies raping and sexually assaulting the woman at Yarl's Wood in 2012. His colleague Bodrul Islam, 30, also of Bedford, denies misconduct in a public office in 2012 by kissing and sexually touching the same woman

Luton Crown Court heard that the 23 year old Roma woman was in Yarl's Wood as she challenged plans to deport her back to Eastern Europe.

Prosecutor Christopher Donnellan QC said she was in a 'vulnerable' position when she arrived at the centre and, as she fought to stay in the UK, was 'reluctant to rock the boat' when the offences began.

In an outline of the case against the Hussain and Islam, Mr Donnellan told the jury: 'Each defendant took advantage of a female detainee who was in their charge. She was not a free person.'

He said the prosecution's case was that she was at a 'disadvantage' while she was held at the centre and for that reason was vulnerable.

'In many ways this case is about the abuse of power,' said the prosecutor, who went on: 'Detainees have to comply with the rules of the detention centre.'

The prosecutor said the men were employed by Serco who, at the time, ran the centre north of Clapham in Bedfordshire on behalf of the Home Office.

Each held a public office, said Mr Donnellan, and were in a position of trust and accountable to the public as to the way they carried out their duties.

The prosecutor said: 'Each took advantage of a detainee in a sexual way to a different degree.'

Mr Donnellan said Mr Hussain had groomed the victim by flirting with her soon after she arrived at Yarl's Wood.

He said when Mr Hussain had begun committing offences on the woman, which included touching her and getting her to perform a sex act on him.

The victim was told she would be transferred from Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire (pictured) to a prison if she complained, a jury was told

With the second defendant, Mr Islam, the prosecutor said it was a 'different relationship.'

'She thought he was single and he seemed caring and she thought she was in a relationship with him,' he said

As a result, said Mr Donnellan, she agreed to kissing and sexual touching between them, including a sex act on him.

The jury was told Mr Islam was not charged with any sexual offence, but his behaviour amounted to misconduct in a public office.

Continuing his outline of the case against the men, Mr Donnellan said the victim, who is now 28 and who can't be named, had come to the UK as a child and had been born to a Roma family.

Her family arrived in the country in 2000 and in 2006 they were given leave to remain in the UK, said the prosecutor.

But in 2010 the victim, who by then was 21, was convicted of an offence for which she was sent to prison.

While behind bars, the court was told the woman was served with a notice that she was to be deported and, at the end of her sentence, was transferred from the prison to Yarl's Wood in the summer of 2012 'to await removal from the UK.'

'You will hear she was vulnerable because she had issues with her own state which included a history of self harming,' said Mr Donnellan.

The jury was told Mr Hussain's grooming of the woman began with flirting and flattery and hugs and kisses.

'He asked her how long it was since she had had sex,' said Mr Donnelan, and persuaded her to engage in sexual activity.

The prosecutor said that on two occasions when he had sexually assaulted the woman and carried out the rape of the woman, he knew she was not consenting.

The sexual assault had involved him taking her into a room and touching her intimately before performing a sex act in front of her.

Mr Donnellan said the rape offence occurred on November 29 2012 when Mr Hussain took the woman into a photo studio at the centre where detainees could have pictures taken of themselves and then send them to loved ones, friends and relatives.

There, it's alleged he wanted to know why she was seeing his colleague, Mr Islam, who he said was 'chubby.'

He is then alleged to have kissed her before dropping his trousers and forcing the woman to perform a sex act on him.

Mr Donnellan said 'She was coerced. She was down on the ground, on her knees in front of him. She didn't agree, she submitted. She had no choice, we say.'

The court heard that when the woman first made a complaint on December 1 2012 she only named Mr Hussain and didn't refer to what had been going on with Mr Islam.'

It was made to a female officer at the centre, said Mr Donnellan, and he went on 'She warned her if she complained she would go back to prison.'

The court heard, the woman did pursue her complaint, but still only naming Mr Hussain.

However, on seeing Mr Islam's reaction to the news that she had reported his colleague, she realised their relationship wasn't what she thought it was and she told the authorities at the centre 'what he had been doing.'

An investigation was launched by Serco and, in late 2013, Bedfordshire Police interviewed the woman for the first time.

Mr Donnellan said the defendants were interviewed by the police until 2014.

The jury was told there had been a trial of the men in 2016 but 'because of illness' it didn't get very far.

The trial continues.
A German hunter has been gored to death by the rampaging wild boar he was poised to shoot.

Ronald Ahrens, 50, was out with 12 other hunters near the northeastern town of Greifswald, 120 miles north of Berlin, when he was killed by the male boar.

Ahrens, a keen shooter, fired off a round at the 400lb boar and believed he had struck it.

Accident: Ronald Ahrens, 50, had fired at the wild boar and thought he had killed it, but when he went to look for the beast it attacked (stock image)

When he went to look for it in some reeds it suddenly attacked him, goring him with his seven inch long tusks.

He suffered severe injuries to one thigh, toppled into water and lost a massive amount of blood.

Ahrens was a part time supervisor of the nature reserve where he met his end and had been a hunter since his teens.

Recently the region's agricultural ministry had placed a 25 pound bounty on every wild boar shot dead in a bid to reduce the spread of African swine pest fever affecting wild animals in the area.

Ahrens was pulled from the water by a member of the shooting party and flown by helicopter to a local hospital where he died.

Dangerous: The wild boar gored him with its tusks, and Mr Ahrens died from his injuries (stock image)

Mild winters over the past several years have caused a huge rise in wild boar numbers. Experts advised people not to attempt to try and go after the boar which killed Ahrens incase it was wounded and, therefore, highly dangerous.

'Wild boars are the winners of climate change and agricultural and energy policies,' said hunting expert Torsten Reinwald.

About 500,000 wild boars are killed every year in Germany - not enough to keep the population from growing.
A strong contender for the most brutal rejection letter of all time has been found, almost 90 years after it was written.

The letter - penned by Sydney publishing house Angus & Robertson on April 10, 1928 - was addressed to aspiring poet Frederick Charles Meyer.

Meyer, a New Zealander living in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba at the time, had apparently submitted a poetry sample to the bookseller.

A strong contender for the most brutal rejection letter (pictured) of all time has been found, almost 90 years after it was written

Angus & Robertson was scathing in response, not only telling Mr Meyer he could not send any more of his poetry, but also refusing to refer him to another publisher.

'Dear Sir,' the letter begins, the polite tone leaving the reader unprepared for the savage content to come.

'No, you may not send us your verses, and we will not give you the name of another publisher,' the letter continues.

'We hate no rival publisher sufficiently to ask you to inflict them on him. The specimen poem is simply awful.

The letter - penned by Sydney publishing house Angus & Robertson on April 10, 1928 - was addressed to aspiring poet Frederick Charles Meyer (pictured is a book by Meyer)

'In fact, we have never seen worse.'

Seemingly undeterred by the rejection, F.C. Meyer published a book of prose the very next year, titled Pearls of the Blue Mountains of Australia.

He followed that in 1934 with Jewels of Mountains and Snowlines of New Zealand, mentioned in a bad poetry competition run by Scoop magazine in 2001.

A poem from that book, Maori Maiden, included the verse: 'I think - I understand thee well, rub my nose now for a spell!'

Another, My Pet Dog, read: 'Pluto! come here my dearest little dog, don't get mixed up with every rogue, and do not run into a fog.'

Meyer's last published work, Bijoux of Mountains and Valleys of Tasmania, came out in 1940.
Philip Schofield has slammed the woman who started a nationwide hunt for a cheating boyfriend named 'Ben'.

Emily Shepherd was on a service from Bournemouth to Manchester when she heard the love rat bragging to his friends about bedding other women, despite having a girlfriend.

The 23-year-old quickly posted a warning to Ben's partner on Twitter and told them to 'Dump his ass.'

Emily appeared on This Morning today to reveal how she has 'no sympathy' for Ben who she labelled 'disgusting and disrespectful'.

But the TV host argued the man was 'essentially having a private conversation', adding: 'You've called him out and essentially named and shamed him.

'We don't know how old he is, we don't the background, how serious the girlfriend was, whether they were really going out and now everyone is looking for him.'

Emily Shepherd was on the train from Bournemouth to Manchester when she heard a man called Ben tell his friends about his conquests

Emily Shepherd, 23, was on a service from Bournemouth to Manchester when she heard a man bragging to friends about how he had cheated on his partner - so she tweeted about it

Emily appeared on This Morning today to reveal how she has 'no sympathy' for Ben who she labelled 'disgusting and disrespectful'

He added after the interview: 'Although I get what Emily says, his behaviour was obviously appalling and they weren't being particularly good on the train, I don't know whether it's a good idea to call someone out like that if you don't know the circumstances.'

In her tweet that went viral last Friday, Emily wrote: 'If anyone has a boyfriend called Ben on the Bournemouth - Manchester train right now, he's just told his friends he's cheating on you. Dump his ass x'

She later tweeted: 'For those asking: Ben is yet to be found, I've had several messages but nothing yet.

'I'm now on the Manchester - Bournemouth train and no sign yet... thanks to everyone calling me a grass and a snake, you're all great.'

Speaking to Holly and Phil on This Morning, Emily said Ben was among a group of men drinking, swearing and boasting about their conquests on the train carriage.

She said: 'There were just a group of lads on the train drinking, swearing, being really loud overall they were going through Facebook profile pictures of girls saying, 'I would have that one..'

'Then one of them said, 'I already have.' It disgusted me.

'One said to him, 'what about your girlfriend?' He said, 'she doesn't need to know,' and they all laughed.'

Emily tweeted about the incident on Friday evening and went to bed with less than ten likes, but woke up the next day to find her post had gone viral.

When asked if Ben would be found, she added: 'I think after three days, he must know the nation is on the hunt for him.

'I don't think he's going to be found. I've had so many messages from people asking me if 'this is him', but I've had nothing confirmed.

'I don't have any sympathy for him. The way he was bragging about it and shouting at the train carriage.

'If he has any respect for his girlfriend he wouldn't have been shouting about it on the train.'

Speaking to Holly and Phil on This Morning, Emily said Ben was among a group of men drinking, swearing and boasting about their conquests on the train carriage

Among those wading in to help identify the unfaithful partner was Dragon's Den judge Deborah Meaden, who tweeted: 'Dear cheating Ben... can you please make yourself known before all the non cheating Bens find out where you live...'

The post was retweeted more than 27,000 times with tweeters wading in to help identify the unfaithful partner.

Among those hoping to reveal Ben's identity was Dragon's Den judge Deborah Meaden, who tweeted: 'Dear cheating Ben... can you please make yourself known before all the non cheating Bens find out where you live...'

Comedian Katherine Ryan also waded in, tweeting: 'Good work, Em.'

When one man hit back, noting there were 'probably several Bens on the train', she said: 'Dump them all to be safe.'

She later added: 'Ben is trash.'

While some praised Emily for her attempts to expose Ben's unfaithful behaviour, she has also been told to 'mind her own business'.

One poster quipped: '50 Bens just got dumped.'

The post was retweeted more than 27,000 times with tweeters wading in to help identify the unfaithful partner

While another wrote: 'Maybe Ben is just full of bravado in front of his mates and you are all seeking to ruin a happy relationship.

'Whatever happened to privacy and secrecy or just minding your own business?

After one tweeter called her a snake, a poster leapt to her defence saying: 'Why, because she exposed a dude for not treating a girl right?

'If the shoe was on the other foot you boys would be speaking nothing but hell about this girl, saying she being disrespectful and all that. Stop praising and promoting cheating.'
A business owner's latest venture has blown up overnight after a clever marketing technique caught the attention of hundreds of thousands social media users.

Iyia Liu, the cunning entrepreneur behind Waist Trainer and Luxe Fitness, saw her new online clothing store's Facebook page jump from almost zero followers to 70,000 in just one day.

The succession has largely been attributed to a giveaway post teasing one lucky winner with more than $2,000 worth of make up and a large haul of other products, which includes an alluring bounty of Kylie Jenner's lip kits.

Iyia Liu's latest venture has blown up after a clever marketing technique caught the eye of millions of social media users

A post plugging her new brand went viral, engaging more than 70,000 followers to her page overnight

Liu says the brilliance to attract so many eyes so quickly isn't new to her but admits it is a great tool for her new business, Bambi Boutique, which officially launched yesterday.

'Giveaways are just one of the many digital marketing techniques I use to garner attention and generate brand awareness,' Liu told Daily Mail Australia.

She said its often about doing something different that people will love but introducing ideas which can also achieve a strategy or grow engagement.

'To celebrate the launch of Bambi we are giving away $2000 worth of make up + a $500 Bambi Clothing Voucher to 1 lucky winner,' the post reads.

Liu bought all of the products herself and put a lot of time into choosing items that she thought would be sought after by her target consumer.

Initally Liu (pictured) took $6,000 and turned it into two multi-millionaire dollar businesses

With the help of popular make up bloggers including Shannon Harris, who has found fame under the user name Shaaanxo, the post has now, across multiple accounts, been viewed millions of times.

The Bambi Boutique Facebook page has since jumped to more than 70,500 likes and approximately 70,600 followers.

Over on Instagram, she has managed to gain over 65,000 followers after making her first post on October 26.

She says the sudden exposure is helped by offering up a prize which people really want to win.

'We create an amazing prize pack that we think our target audience will love, and post it on our social media accounts.

'We often team up with other parties such as influencers, customers, and other businesses, to do joint giveaways to cross-promote to each others audiences.'

The 24-year-old once paid Kylie Jenner $300K for a sponsorship deal on Instagram

Liu is no stranger to utilising effective tactics to engage with followers.

The 24-year-old gained traction in 2016 after paying Kylie Jenner almost $300,000 for a sponsored post plugging her line of waist trainers.

In her first year of business Liu pulled in more than $3.3 million in revenue but it was initially failing off her first idea that encouraged her to be more strategic.

She incorporated fresh ideas into Waist Trainer and Luxe fitness, while dealing with challenges as they came up, but persevered until she was able to make it work.

Iyia Liu's top three marketing tips 1. Create viral content 2. Work with others 3. Videos are key Advertisement

After recently selling both of those ventures, she decided to return to clothing with a deeper business intuition, varied knowledge and experience.

'Clothing is a passion. I love fashion, I love photoshoots, I love social media, I love e-commerce. This business is literally a bundle of my favourite things, so I wanted to re-visit it to pursue a dream.'

Liu said she loves doing anything that is able to naturally generate viral engagement.

'My motto is ''go hard or go home'', so I try to do things bigger and better than other businesses, and this creates viral content.'

She believes collaboration with others in another key way to ensure the accounts potential is fully utilised.

Liu accumulated a wealth of knowledge, built through her own hard work and the making of 'many mistakes' - which she turned into lessons

'Working with others is vital. You're not going to grow by talking about yourself all the time, get others to talk about you.'

Videos are also a must for any businesses or social accounts wanting to be taken seriously.

Liu recommends any social media accounts pushing a product, brand or idea needs to mix it up with moving and interactive content.

'If you haven't tried video marketing campaigns, get into them now.'

She believes anyone with a flair for running their own company can find success with the right attitude and work ethic

She welcomes dismissing stereotypes, saying it isn't about how much money you have, or what you wear, or where you run your business from.

'I started my business from my home office and garage with $6000 of my life savings, and grew that into two multi-million dollar businesses, running out of my home for two years.

'In this day and age, you can find suppliers and arrange anything from anywhere in the world, thanks to email, Skype, WhatsApp, you can set up a website by yourself for free, there has never been a cheaper time to start a business than right now, and there isn't only one way to do it.

'Do it however it feels right and works for you.'
St Paul's Station and several nearby roads were sealed off this morning as police dealt with a package found inside a building.

At least three police vehicles and several officers arrived at St Martin's Le Grand at around 10.30am to inspect the item, which was initially thought to be suspicious.

The cordons were taken down after police cleared the area, which is near the heart of London's financial district, and deemed the object safe.

At least three police vehicles and several officers arrived at St Martin's Le Grand at around 10.30am to inspect the item, which was initially thought to be suspicious

In addition to the closure of St Martin's Le Grand, Newgate Street was closed between Old Bailey and Cheapside, along with St Paul's Station.

All have since reopened to the public.

City of London Police said: 'The item has now been deemed non suspicious and officers are working to clear the incident. Cordons have been lifted.'

The force said in an earlier statement: 'We are currently in attendance in St Martin's Le Grand (EC1) following a report of a suspicious package inside a building.

'We were called at 10.23am. Cordons are in place around the street and people are advised to avoid the surrounding area. More when we have it.'
A Romanian people trafficker, who tried to smuggle five Vietnamese teenagers through the Channel Tunnel in a tent in his car, has been jailed for more than four years.

Claudiu Pricope was stopped by Border Force officers at the UK checkpoint at the Channel Tunnel in Coquelles, France on November 4.

When asked what he was carrying in his Seat Alhambra, Pricope was vague, saying that it was clothing, but that he did not know where it was from, where it was going or who it was for.

Unsatisfied with his responses, Border Force officers subjected the vehicle to further examination.

They found the car full of clothes, before discovering five people crammed into a two-person tent.

They found the car full of clothes, before discovering five people crammed into a two-person tent

The Vietnamese nationals, two males and three females, were passed to the French Police Aux Frontieres and Pricope, 29, of no fixed address, was arrested

Paul Morgan, Director of Border Force South East and Europe, said: 'The car appeared to be full of bags of clothes, however when officers opened a rear side door and began removing the bags they found a two person tent, fully erected in the void where the rear passenger seats should have been. Inside the tent were crammed five people.

'The temperature inside the tent was intense. All five of the teenagers were drenched in sweat, but people smugglers care little about the conditions in which they transport their human cargo, often putting the lives of others at risk.'

The Vietnamese nationals, two males and three females, were passed to the French Police Aux Frontieres and Pricope, 29, of no fixed address, was arrested.

Pricope pleaded guilty yesterday at a pre -trial hearing at Canterbury Crown Court in Kent and was sentenced immediately

The investigation was passed to Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation officers and Pricope was subsequently charged with assisting unlawful immigration into the UK.

Pricope pleaded guilty yesterday at a pre -trial hearing at Canterbury Crown Court in Kent and was sentenced immediately.

Assistant Director David Fairclough, from the Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation team, said: 'This was not an opportunistic offence, but a carefully planned attempt to circumvent the UK's immigration rules.

'Pricope misguidedly believed that zipping the people into a tent would defeat Border Force, but all it achieved was to subject them to uncomfortable conditions.

'We work closely with Border Force colleagues to rigorously investigate allegations of immigration related criminality and this case should serve as a warning to anyone tempted to get involved with this kind of offending. We will catch you, and put you before the courts.'

Pricope, was charged with assisting unlawful immigration into the UK (contrary to Section 25 (1) & (6) of the Immigration Act and received four years and three months imprisonment.
Tokyo will conduct nuclear evacuation drills for the first time in case Kim Jong Un launches a ballistic missile attack from North Korea.

The drills will take place between January and March in central Tokyo, which has a population of 9.3million.

Residents and commuters will practice evacuating their homes and offices and heading to underground shelters as warning sirens blast around the city.

Tokyo will conduct nuclear evacuation drills for the first time next year in case Kim Jong Un launches a ballistic missile attack from North Korea. Pictured: Tokyo

Although small Japanese towns facing North Korea have already conducted such drills, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has avoided evacuating highly populated metropolitan areas so as not to cause alarm.

But the increasing threat from North Korea, which last week tested long-range ballistic missiles, means they can't be put off any longer.

Tokyo resident Ken Kato told The Telegraph: 'I believe the threat is very real and that war could break out at any time.

'Evacuation drills are a sensible precaution that would help to minimise casualties, in much the same way as we practise what to do in the event of a major earthquake.'

It is feared that Japan would be a major target of North Korean aggression as it has several large US military bases including near Tokyo.

On Friday Hawaii tested a nuclear warning alert for the first time in decades.

The state sounded 385 sirens to give residents and tourists a 20-minute warning if North Korean nuclear missiles are inbound.

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency officials work at the department's command center in Honolulu

The wailing sirens sounded for a minute Friday after the usual testing of a system to alert people to natural disasters.

The sirens produce a different tone than the long, steady tsunami warning that people in Hawaii have grown accustomed to, and includes a wailing in the middle, to distinguish it further.

North Korea last week fired a powerful nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile that some believe could reach Japan and even the US mainland.
Dumped One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts has started a new business - selling Pauline Hanson merchandise online.

The former Queensland politician is peddling a T-shirt saying 'Hanson: Make Australia Great Again' on the print-on-demand site Redbubble.

Mr Roberts was ruled ineligible to be elected to parliament in October, and subsequently failed to win a seat in the state election.

Dumped One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts (pictured) has started a new business - selling Pauline Hanson merchandise online

The former Queensland politician is hawking a T-shirt (pictured) saying 'Hanson: Make Australia Great Again' on the print-on-demand site Redbubble

When asked whether Mr Roberts had permission to sell the T-shirts, Ms Hanson's chief of staff said: 'I don't know what you're talking about,' The Courier Mail reported.

One Nation sells its own merchandise online, including orange T-shirts reading 'Pauline Hanson's One Nation, caps, badges, pens and tote bags.

Mr Roberts' Redbubble profile features a photo of himself wearing the 'Hanson Maga' T-shirt, which is designed in the style of US President Donald Trump's merchandise.

Created in December this year, this profile reads: 'Looking for a tee or product that will provoke conversation?

Mr Roberts (pictured with Ms Hanson) was ruled ineligible to be elected to parliament in October, and subsequently failed to win a seat in the state election

'You know, the type of conversation that has latte sippers throwing smashed avocado at you?

'Perhaps you're tired of being tired and want to take the next step in the revolution?

'Pauline has speaking up for us over the last two decades. Now it's our turn. Don the tee, grab your mug and take to the streets.

'Be bold, be brave, wear your heart on your sleeve and your slogan on your chest.

Mr Roberts' Redbubble profile (pictured) features a photo of himself wearing the 'Hanson Maga' T-shirt, which is designed in the style of US President Donald Trump's merchandise

'Say the things that need to be said. Do the things that need to be done!'

The T-shirt being sold by Mr Roberts is not the only One Nation or Pauline Hanson-related product on Redbubble.

Others include T-shirts saying 'Pauline Hanson's One Nation' with the Australian flag, one reading 'I trust Pauline Hanson' and one covered in images of her face.

Some are less complimentary, featuring Ms Hanson's face crossed out, one saying 'No Nation' and one calling Ms Hanson a racist.

The T-shirt being sold by Mr Roberts is not the only One Nation or Pauline Hanson-related product on Redbubble (pictured are other products for sale on the site)

Mr Roberts received 26 per cent of the vote in the seat of Ipswich in the Queensland state election, but lost to Labor's Jen Howard.

He was elected to the Senate in 2016 despite getting only 77 first-preference votes, the lowest number ever.

A climate change sceptic, Mr Roberts famously clashed with British physicist Brian Cox on ABC's Q&A panel discussion, claiming NASA was manipulating data.
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Storm Caroline is set to batter Britain on Thursday with 80mph wind gusts and up to eight inches of snow.

Forecasters have warned road, rail, air and ferry services could all be disrupted while homes might lose power as the Scottish Highlands are worst hit by the strong gusts which will reach at least 60mph widely.

Snow and ice will then affect the UK's western coast from the Highlands down to Cornwall on Friday and Saturday, with up to 8in (20cm) of the white stuff possible over higher ground in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

An aurora over Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear today as the Northern Lights appear in the sky despite the almost full moon

The DFDS Princess Seaways arrives at the mouth of the River Tyne at North Shields this morning as the sun begins to rise

Caroline is the fifth storm named by the Met Office this year, following Doris and Ewan in February, then Aileen in September and Brian in October. Hurricane Ophelia was named by the US National Hurricane Center in October.

The Met Office has issued a wind warning for Scotland from 8am to 11.55pm on Thursday, saying gusts of 60mph to 70mph are expected widely, with 80mph possible near north-facing mainland coasts and across the Isles.

Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible. Short term loss of power and other services is possible, and coastal routes and seafronts will be affected by large waves.

The strongest winds will reach the North West of Scotland early on Thursday, extending to the North East and Northern Isles in the afternoon, by which time winds will start to ease in the West.

Areas outside the warning are also likely to experience windy conditions. Nicola Maxey from the Met Office said: 'Outside of that area winds will pick up across the rest of the country so it will be a blustery day for many areas.'

The Met Office has also issued a snow and ice warning for the western coast of the UK between 0.05am on Friday and 6pm on Saturday, with snow showers set to be increasingly frequent over northern Scotland late on Thursday.

The Met Office has issued a weather warning for wind on Thursday (left) and snow and ice on Friday and Saturday (right)

Snow is also expected across many other parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and western England on Friday, with 0.8in (2cm) to 2in (5cm) likely for some, and 4in (10cm) to 8in (20cm) possible over high ground.

Icy surfaces are also likely to be an additional hazard, especially overnight - and strong north-west winds may cause drifting of the snow in places, with blizzard conditions possible at times across northern Scotland.

The heaviest and most frequent of the snow showers will become confined to North East Scotland during Saturday - but some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train.

Forecasters also expect there to be some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths - and have warned of injuries from people slipping and falling over on icy and snowy surfaces.
Simon McEvoy, pictured smirking after his arrest, has been jailed for a horrific attack on his girlfriend, Caroline Tranter

A thug who smirked for his police mugshot after being arrested for ripping out his girlfriend's hair extensions and urinating on her bed has been jailed.

Simon McEvoy, 36, held a steak knife to Caroline Tranter's throat and threatened to burn down her house in a fit of jealous rage.

The 34-year-old victim was left with bald patches after McEvoy yanked out her 240 hair extensions when she didn't return his phone calls.

McEvoy, of Erdington, Birmingham, has now admitted to threats to kill, assault occasioning bodily harm, affray and two common assaults and was jailed for two years and eight months at Worcester Crown Court on Monday.

The court heard McEvoy used a steak knife and a Stanley knife to terrify the mother-of-four in her home in Warndon, Worcester on November 12 last year.

McEvoy also told Miss Tranter she'd 'messed with the wrong person' as he pulled at her hair.

As well as the jail term, the judge imposed a 15-year restraining order, banning McEvoy from contacting Miss Tranter.

The court heard McEvoy was controlling during his relationship with 34-year-old Miss Tranter

Judge Nicolas Cartwright told him: 'She was a particularly vulnerable victim given she was in her own home at the time and you were being so controlling towards her. There were five threats to kill in all.'

The court heard McEvoy and Miss Tranter started dating in July last year after meeting through a dating website.

Prosecutor Gareth Walters said: 'At first things went well but then the defendant became controlling.'

Describing the November attack, Mr Walters added: 'The defendant came back to his car and returned with a Stanley knife and started flicking it towards her face.

'He then told her, 'I'm going to kill you. I will hunt you down and kill you. I will burn your house down'.'

Miss Tranter was forced to buy a new mattress, duvet and sheets after McEvoy urinated on her bed.

Miss Tranter said she was pleased after McEvoy was jailed for a number of offences this week

In a victim impact statement that she read to the court, Miss Tranter said: 'He pulled so much of my hair out I had a bald patch and it went really thin.

'He pulled out my extensions and that was very painful. It was very sore at the time and they were unusable afterwards.

'It felt like I had whiplash in my neck and shoulders where he yanked me around by my hair.'

McEvoy's lawyer said the attack took place on a 'night of madness'.

She said his wife had died of cystic fibrosis, leaving him to bring up his daughter alone.

Following the sentencing, Miss Tranter, a carer, said: 'I'm just glad he went down.

'I wanted to see him go to prison. In my mind it should have been longer. I was glad I could go to court to look him in the eye.

'He seemed shocked to see me but I wanted to let him see that I wasn't afraid of him anymore.'
Embattled Michigan Rep. John Conyers announced his decision Tuesday to retire from Congress as he faced down new allegations of groping.

'I am retiring today. And I want everyone to know how much I appreciate the support, the incredible undiminished support Ive received across the years,' Conyers told Michigan radio host Mildred Gaddis.

Even as he faces an Ethics investigation and growing calls to quit, Conyers endorsed his son, John Conyers III, to succeed him in the Detroit-based congressional seat.

Another relative, State Sen. Ian Conyers, has also said he'll run for the seat.

Conyers said his own legacy on civil rights and other issues was 'absolutely not' diminished. 'My legacy cant be compromised or diminished in any way by what wre going through now,' Conyers said. 'This too shall pass.'

He also issued a blanket denunciation of charges brought by women against him.

Michigan Rep. John Conyers, 88, plans to announce his retirement as he faces sexual harassment allegations. He is the longest-serving member of the House

'Whatever they are, they are not accurate or theyre not true and I think that theyre something that I cant explain where they came from,' Conyers said.

Conyers slid in the endorsement of his son, indirectly confirming press reports that he would retire.

'I want you to know that my legacy will continue through my children. I have a great family here and especially in my oldest boy, John Conyers III who incidentally I endorsed to replace me in my seat in congress,' Conyers said.

Conyers also praised his brother Nathan.

At one point during the interview, there was a pause of more than 5 seconds while Conyers discussed his future.

'I am very proud of the fact that I am the dean of the Congress and I that will continue to [pause]  yes Im in the process of putting my retirement plans together and I will have more about that very soon,' he said.

'This goes with the issue of politics the game of politics which were in,' Conyers said, alluding to the problems he has faced since the emergence of sexual harassment allegations against him.

He spoke on the local show that appears on 1200 AM and WCHB on the FM dial.

The New York Times reported earlier Tuesday that Conyers would step down at the end of his term. It was not entirely clear from the longtime lawmaker's language that he was retiring 'today' if he now intends to vacate his seat immediately.

However his lawyer, Arnold Reed, told the Detroit Free Press he was leaving the seat as of Tuesday.

Defiant: Conyers, pictured on November 3 outside the Capitol, has denied any wrongdoing and said through his lawyer on Thursday that he has no intention to vacate his elected post

Conyers' endorsement of his son raised the prospect of a family feud for the seat. Ian Conyers, the grandson of a Conyers brother, was quoted in the Times story confirming the retirement announcement in advance.

His doctor advised him that the rigor of another campaign would be too much for him just in terms of his health, Ian Conyers told the Times.

Requests for confirmation from Conyers' congressional office were not immediately returned.

'Im in the process of putting my retirement plans together and I will have more about that very soon,' he said.

Conyers has been facing calls to step down since it was revealed last month he paid a cash settlement out of office funds to a woman who claims he sexually harassed her.

In the latest turn in the case, another accuser, Elisa Grubbs, says Conyers slid his hand up her skirt and rubbed her thighs while she was sitting next to him in the front row of a church.

Elisa Grubbs made the allegation in an affidavit released by her attorney, Lisa Bloom. Grubbs is the cousin of another accuser, Marion Brown, who previously broke a confidentiality agreement to speak publicly.

'He is not resigning. He is going to retire,' Conyers' great-nephew Ian, a Michigan state senator, told the New York Times, adding that he planned to run for the seat in Congress himself, suggesting Conyers would step down at the end of his term and won't seek reelection.

Conyers, 88, is already facing a House Ethics Committee inquiry.

On Sunday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reversed course Thursday and said embattled Rep. John Conyers should resign from Congress.

'The allegations against congressman Conyers as we have learned more since Sunday are serious, disappointing and very credible,' said Pelosi, a California representative who notably did not call for Conyers to go during a Sunday appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'

'It's very sad. The brave women who came forward are owed justice,' Pelosi continued at a Capitol press conference.

Conyers' attorney Arnold Reed told the Detroit Free Press the new allegations from Grubbs are 'another instance of tomfoolery from the mouth of Harvey Weinstein's attorney.'

The Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP speaks at a rally in Detroit, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Clergy, Detroit elected leaders and community activists are calling for due process in support of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., who faces allegations of sexual harassment from several women who once worked for him

'I pray for congressman Conyers and his family and wish them well, however, Congressman Conyers should resign,' said Pelosi

Conyers flew home to his district last week and checked into the hospital for what a family consultant said was stress.

A family spokesman, Sam Riddle, attacked Conyers' accusers at the time. 'These serial accusers have done this before. We're used to it. We don't condone sexual harassment on any level,' he said.

'But we hope that you will pray for the congressman's good health and we hope and we hope that you will also understand that there is a bitter double edged sword to those that would accuse especially, when they're serial accusers,' Riddle told reporters at the hospital.

Conyers was rushed to a hospital just as a former aide broke her silence for the first time and spoke on the record about her accusations Conyers sexually harassed her.

Conyers' family say the veteran lawmaker is suffering from stress-related illness.

Conyers, the longest serving member of the House of Representatives, will announce on Tuesday he does not plan to run for re-election, U.S. media said following accusations of sexual harassment against the Michigan Democrat.

Conyers is expected to make the announcement on a local radio show, the New York Times reported citing a relative. Other local media also reported the plans, citing sources close to Conyers.

His lawyer earlier said on Twitter that Conyers would make an announcement at 10:15 a.m.

FILE - In this May 24, 2016, file photo, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington during a hearing. When sexual-misconduct allegations surface in the private sector, a boss really can say 'You're fired' - as Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose and others can attest. In the political world, it's never that simple. Conyers, facing sexual misconduct allegations, has refused to step down even after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi urged the veteran Democrat from Detroit to do so. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

The House Ethics Committee last week opened an investigation into Conyers, 88, after he said his office had resolved a harassment case of a former staffer with a payment but no admission of guilt.

Conyers has denied the allegations of sexual misconduct.

Congress has been reviewing policies on how to handle sexual harassment complaints after a string of cases involving prominent figures in the U.S. media, Hollywood and politics.

Conyers, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus who was first elected to the House in 1964, stepped down last month as the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.
Andrei Mamaliga (pictured) was jailed along with his brother Ovidiu for the attack

A pair of Romanian brothers have been jailed for rape just a year after they were released from a French prison for a similar attack.

Ovidiu Mamaliga, 30, and Andrei Mamaliga, 28, attacked the woman in May just months after their release from prison following a rape sentence in France in 2016.

They befriended their victim on her doorstep before attacking her, tying her up with shoelaces and raping her.

Each has been jailed for 12 years with a further eight years to be served on licence.

But police fear they may be other victims of the brothers who are yet to come forward.

The pair started a conversation with the victim, who is in her 40s, at about 7.30am on May 10 her doorstep, in Ealing, west London.

They left then returned later in the morning, chatting to her again, before one brother followed her inside and asked to use the toilet.

When she declined the brothers unleashed their vile attack, tying her up with shoelaces they had brought with them, undressing her and raping her.

They then stole cash, jewellery and mobile phones before fleeing the scene.

Met Police Detective Inspector Tim Desai said: 'This was a horrific sex attack committed by two brothers who pose a huge danger to women and should be behind bars.

'The victim was friendly and welcoming when they engaged her in conversation, but she could have no clue as to their violent intentions.

'She has been left traumatised by what happened, and I praise her bravery in first reporting the attack and then coming face-to-face with her attackers and testifying against them to ensure their convictions.

'There may well be other victims of these two men who for whatever reason did not report the crime to police at the time.

'We would urge you to contact police - our specially trained officer will provide you with any support you need, and we will do everything we can to achieve justice for you.'

Both were found guilty on Wednesday, October 25 of rape, sexual assault, attempted rape, actual bodily harm and theft.

The victim had called police after the attack and the Met's Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command uncovered forensic evidence and DNA at the scene which matched the brothers.

CCTV footage also showed them close to the scene and phone signals and Oyster records placed them in the area.

Both brothers were arrested in Wembley on Tuesday, June 6 and denied any involvement during police interviews.

Ovidiu Mamaliga was charged on Wednesday, June 7 and Andrei Mamaliga was charged the following day with the offences above.

The court heard during the trial that the brothers had been released from prison in France in 2016 after serving a sentence for rape.

They were sentence on December 1.

Applications for them both to be deported at the end of the sentences have been made.
Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday said it had withdrawn an international arrest warrant for Catalonia's pro-independence former leader, in self-imposed exile in Belgium.

The court said Carles Puigdemont and four of his cabinet members also in Belgium had shown a willingness to return to Spain to take part in Catalonia's December 21 regional election.

Campaigning for the December election, called by Madrid in an effort to resolve a crisis over an independence bid by the wealthy northeastern region, started on Tuesday.

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Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday said that arrest warrants had been withdrawn for Catalonia's pro-independence former leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his cabinet members who are in self-imposed exile in Belgium

Madrid hopes parties in favour of unity with Spain will win the election. Pro-independence parties see the poll as a plebiscite on a split from Spain.

A Supreme Court spokesman said that the five could still be arrested if they go back to Spain, however, because they are still being sought for crimes related to the independence bid in northeastern Catalonia.

The spokesman asked not to be named in line with court rules.

Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena said on Tuesday that individual European warrants don't apply anymore because evidence has emerged that the alleged crimes were committed as part of a wider group.

He also said that the probed politicians have shown their 'intention to return to Spain' in order to run for elections in Catalonia.

Lawyers defending ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont arrive at the court in Brussels on Monday

Along with Puigdemont, warrants were also withdrawn for Antoni Comin, Lluis Puig, Meritxell Serret and Clara Ponsati.

It was not clear whether Puigdemont would return immediately to Spain, where he is likely to be detained pending investigations that could take months.

The five sacked politicians travelled to Belgium after a unilateral declaration of independence in the Catalan parliament on October 27, considered illegal by Spanish courts.

Puigdemont is facing charges of sedition, rebellion, misuse of public funds, disobedience and breach of trust.

A Spanish court issued an international arrest warrant for Puigdemont on November 3 on these charges.

Two ex-cabinet members, including Vice President Oriol Junqueras (pictured), and two separatist activists remain in custody

People show banners 'Freedom' during the demonstration to support Catalonian political leaders Oriol Junqueras, Joaquim Forn, and ANC president Jordi Sanchez and Omnium president Jordi Cuixart, who remain in prison by judicial decision, at Sant Jaume square in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday

The crimes are punishable in Spain with decades in prison.

Two ex-cabinet members, including Vice President Oriol Junqueras, and two separatist activists remain in custody.

There were no immediate reactions by Puigdemont and aides in Brussels to the judge's announcement, but defense lawyer Paul Bekaert was taken by surprise when he heard the news from a reporter.

Puigdemont's lawyers have said the crimes of which he and other cabinet members are accused are not punishable under Belgian law. The Belgian judge overseeing the extradition case was expected to deliver a verdict on December 14.

The extradition case between Spain and Belgium could have run for months as Belgian court decisions could be appealed in higher courts.
A couple who claim they were left stranded on the property ladder when a billionaire prince pulled out of buying their 5million mansion are now suing him for 1.8million.

Richard and Deborah Conway say they were due to sell their home in London's Mill Hill to Nigerian royal, Prince Arthur Eze, who is reputedly worth 2billion.

But, after the Prince paid a 500,000 deposit, the move fell through, leaving the Conways needing a bridging loan while they tried to find a new buyer.

They are now suing him for breach of contract at London's High Court, but are being counter-sued by him over the deposit.

Richard Conway and his wife are locked in a bitter court battle over the botched sale of their 5million home. Nigerian Prince Arthur Eze wants his 500,000 deposit back

The proposed 5million sale of the house in London's upmarket Mill Hill fell through

Mr Conway told the court that he and his wife wanted to 'pay off all our debts and start again' and had a target selling price of 5million.

The Conways and the Nigerian royal exchanged contracts in August 2015 after a 'go-between' told the prince about the nine-bedroom property in leafy north London.

Prince Eze, who never saw the house before making an offer, paid the couple a 10 percent deposit of 500,000, the Conways' QC, Matthew Collings told the court.

The Prince, the 62-year-old founder of oil exploration company Atlas Oranto Petroleum, has a fleet of Rolls Royces and a private jet.

But the move fell through, leaving the Conways needing 'bridging finance to fill the huge hole left by Prince Eze's failure to complete, and failure to pay the balance of the purchase price,' Mr Collings said.

The prince's legal team claim the sale contract is 'void' because the Conways agreed to pay the go-between a 'secret commission' to secure the deal.

The lavish property features a beautiful swimming pool in a pool-house extension

The couple were hoping to get 5million for the large two-storey property in north London

The Conways deny any inappropriate conduct. Their lawyer said the go-between initially contacted them without Prince Eze's knowledge, and later 'raised the issue of the Conways paying his 75,000 finder's fee'.

'Otherwise he threatened to scupper the deal,' added Mr Conway, also 62, who now lives in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire.

From the witness box, Prince Eze said he had wanted 'a genuine investment in the UK'.

'I wasn't concerned about the price but I was concerned about people being open,' he told the judge.

The nine-bedroom home also includes this large conservatory which opens onto the garden

The prince rejected suggestions by Mr Collings that a 'drastic fall in oil prices' prompted his decision to pull out of the deal.

He had 'good intentions' to buy the house, he told the court, but was concerned he was not receiving 'proper information about what was going on'.

'I thought there was something funny going on,' said Prince Eze.

Judge Andrew Keyser QC has reserved judgement in the case, which will be decided at a later date.
A young mother was ambushed and pinned to the ground by a teenage sex attacker as her two-year-old son played nearby in a country park.

Aaron Graham, 18, has been detained in a mental hospital after he assaulted the woman at knifepoint at the Stalybridge Country park in Greater Manchester.

The woman has now been awarded 1,000 from public funds by a judge at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, for the way she protected her child throughout the harrowing ordeal.

Aaron Graham, 18, has been detained in a mental hospital after he assaulted the woman at knifepoint at the Stalybridge Country park in Greater Manchester (pictured)

The court heard how the woman was targeted at random on August 22 last year, but remained calm and talked Graham out of raping her as her son played in a nearby stream.

Graham, who was 17 at the time of the attack, eventually jumped to his feet and ran off, and was later arrested after spending the night in a barn.

The woman, who is in her mid 20s, broke down at the scene before grabbing her son and running to anglers fishing nearby.

She later told police: 'When I go out now I leave with my partner or one of my friends. My imagination tends to go into overdrive and I develop anxiety.'

Judge John Potter ordered the woman to received money from public funds as he ordered Graham to be detained in a mental hospital.

As the victim watched from the public gallery at at Minshull Street Crown Court the judge told her: 'I recall in particular your entirely selfless act in protecting your child at all costs during the attack you were forced to endure.

'I take the rare step of commending you publicly for these courageous, brave and truly exceptional acts. As a small token and acknowledgement I shall order 1,000 to be paid to you from the public purse which may in some very small way help you to continue on your difficult and long road to further recovery.

'Your bravery, both at the scene and giving evidence, were truly humbling and I hope the words I've just uttered allow you some support from this terrible ordeal.'

Aaron Graham denied three charges of sexual assault, possession of a bladed article and attempted rape but was convicted following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court

The woman had noticed Graham jog past her as she took photographs of her son, but the teenager then hid in bushes further up the pathway armed with a knife.

The court heard he emerged from the undergrowth and attacked her from behind, pushing her to the ground.

In his ruling Judge Potter told Graham: 'You subjected your victim to a terrifying and dreadful ordeal.

'You said to her: "Do as I say and you won't get hurt".

'She asked you not to do anything in front of her son.

'Throughout the incident you remained armed with a knife and the victim thought mainly of the need to remain calm and above all else protect her child who had stopped splashing and was watching your attack on his mother.

'With incredible bravery and fortitude the victim kept talking to you, trying to delay your actions and asking you to stop given her son was present and observing what was going on.

'At one point you said to the child: "Don't look at this keep playing".

'You started to panic and become frustrated. You then seemed to imply that what you wanted was taking too long and you suddenly jumped up.

'This allowed the victim to escape from you, you approached her and said: "Sorry about that yeah" and ran off.

'This was an extremely serious attack upon a vulnerable young woman that involved the use of a weapon, a child witnessed the attack on his mother.

'The attack was sexually motivated and had a degree of pre-planning by you. You brought a knife to the scene.

'Were it not for the courageous acts of your victim I'm in no doubt your attack would have resulted in her being raped at knifepoint in front of her child.'

The court heard Graham had a 'preoccupation with violence, fire, knives and guns'.

He has learning difficulties including autism and suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

He denied three charges of sexual assault, possession of a bladed article and attempted rape but was convicted following a trial.
Images showing the next generation of Taliban militants pouring over their exam papers  as armed invigilators patrol above them - have emerged from Afghanistan.

Taliban chiefs have been setting up a string of of schools in their strongholds in Afghanistan and remote parts of Pakistan to indoctrinate boys into their fundamentalist teachings that embrace Sharia law.

The Imam Ghazali School is in the Hindu Kush mountain range north of the capital Kabul and the pictures were released by the Taliban's official TV channel.

Images from Imam Ghazali School is in the Hindu Kush mountain range show pupils pour over their exam papers in a giant outside classroom

Staff can be seen walking through the ranks of boys as they work on their papers  one man in blue trousers appears to have a weapon slung over his back.

As the Taliban do not believe in formal education for girls  with 'moderates' arguing females should only be taught until age ten - only boys attend the school.

Other images show a member of staff wearing a combat jacket and with his face covered working at a desk.

An AK47 assault rifle can just be seen laid across the work space behind a globe topped with a flag bearing a white Taliban flag. The group's motto is 'there is no god but Allah.

Other pictures show staff walking through the ranks of boys as they work on their papers  one man in blue trousers appears to have a weapon slung over his back.

Taliban chiefs shave declared war on education in recent years.

Watched: While the students sit their exams, armed invigilators patrol the rooftops above

Gender division: As the Taliban do not believe in formal education for girls  with 'moderates' arguing females should only be taught until age ten - only boys attend the school

They have attacked mainstream schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan that they believe to have promote western decadence and un-Islamic teachings.

In September 2011, Taliban fighters fired a rocket at a school bus transporting students home from Khyber Model school near Peshawar.

When the rocket missed, they opened fire with guns on the other side of the vehicle.

Twelve schoolchildren were injured in that attack, while four more, and their driver, died.

They also closed 900 schools in another area of Pakistan and were behind the gun attack on Nobel prize-winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the face and neck on her school bus for 'promoting secular and anti-Taliban values' by campaigning for girls' education.
The head of MI5 today revealed police foiled nine terror plots against Britain's streets since the Westminster attack in March this year.

And 22 potentially deadly plans have been thwarted since Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered near his barracks in Woolwich in south London in May 2013.

The revelations emerged after Andrew Parker briefed Theresa May's Cabinet about the upsurge in the threat facing the UK at their weekly meeting at No10 today.

While Home Secretary Amber Rudd told MPs that Islamic State (IS) jihadis fleeing defeats in the Middle East are plotting attacks in the West.

Five terror attacks were carried out in in London and Manchester this year - killing dozens and injuring hundreds more.

Andrew Parker briefed Theresa May's Cabinet about the terror threat facing the UK and how officers had stopped death and carnage coming to the country's streets (file pic)

Home Secretary Amber Rudd updated MPs in the Commons today about the growing threat posed by Islamic State (IS) jihadis returning to the West having fled defeats in the Middle East

Ms Rudd told the Commons: As the so-called Caliphate in Syria and Iraq has weakened, Daesh (IS) has increasingly turned its attention to encouraging people to launch attacks in their home countries.

Indeed there is simply more terrorist activity, partly inspired but also enabled, by terrorist propaganda and instructions videos online.

'Plots are developing more quickly from radicalisation to attack and threats are becoming harder to detect partly due to the challenge of accessing communications that are end to end encrypted.'

She said MI5 and counter terrorism policing are currently running well over 500 operations  a third up since the beginning of the year  involving roughly 3,000 subjects of interest.

Ms Rudd said there were another 20,000 subjects of interests who have previously been investigated and may again pose a threat.

Drummer Lee Rigby (pictured left) was murdered near his barracks in Woolwich in south London in May 2013, prompting a mass of tributes to be left outside his barracks. It was revealed today that there have been 22 foiled Islamist terror plots since he was killed

Details about the upsurge in the terror threat came as a security review found that the Manchester bombing could have been stopped.

A eport by David Anderson QC revealed that security services had intelligence about Manchester bomber Salman Abedi in the months before his deadly attack.

The information would have caused an investigation into him to be opened 'had its true significance been properly understood', the review said.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said Mrs May thanked Mr Parker and MI5 for their 'tireless work' tackling terrorism after this morning's update.

He said: 'Cabinet ministers heard that while Daesh (also known as Islamic State) had suffered many defeats in Iraq and Syria this did not mean the threat is over.

'Rather it has spread into new areas, including trying to encourage attacks in the UK and elsewhere via propaganda on social media.'

This morning's briefing comes after Mr Parker used his annual 'state of the union' address in October to warn Britain is facing the biggest terror threat of his 34 year career.

He said extremists are mounting deadly terror attacks with just a few days of planning as the UK sees a 'dramatic' jump in the scale and pace of the threat.

People lay tributes at a vigil for the victims of the Manchester terror attack, which saw some 22 people - including many children - killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at an Ariana grande concert in Manchester in May

Armed police surround terrorist Khalid Masood in parliament's New Palace Yard after he ploughed his car into pedestrians in nearby Westminster Bridge before leaping out and stabbing to death PC Keith Palmer Read

And he stressed that technology giants have an 'ethical responsibility' to crack down on extremists.

Five terror attacks have brought murder to the streets of Britain this year in a dramatic escalation of the threat facing the country.

Some 22 people - including many children - were killed when suicide bomber Salman Abedi blew himself up at an Ariana grande concert in Manchester in May.

Less than two weeks later three jihadis struck in London Bridge, killing eight people and injuring dozens more when their white van drove into pedestrians on a busy evening.

The killers then leapt out and stabbed passers by before being shot dead by police in just eight minutes.

The heart of government was attacked in March when Khalid Masood, 52, drove his car into pedestrians in Westminster Bridge before jumping out and stabbing PC Keith Palmer by Parliament's gates.

While ten people were injured and one died after a man drove his van into Finsbury Park mosque in June.
Sydney Loofe, who disappeared last month after going on a Tinder date, has been found dead

A Nebraska woman who disappeared after a Tinder date last month has been found dead.

The family of 24-year-old Sydney Loofe announced Monday that her body has been recovered.

'Its with heavy hearts that we share this most recent update with you all...May God grant eternal rest unto thee. We love you Sydney,' the statement reads.

They did not release details of where the young woman's body was recovered - but search teams had been combing lakes, rivers and fields surrounding her Tinder date's home in Wilber - located in Saline County.

Wilber was also the last place where Loofe's cellphone pinged.

At a Tuesday morning press conference, law enforcement officials said Loofe's digital footprint led them to a body, in a rural area of Clay County. They are waiting on the results of an autopsy to officially identify the body as Loofe.

Investigators would not get more specific about the area where Loofe's body was found, other than to say it was an open area, and not in an urban environment.

Thy say they believe foul play is involved and that Loofe's Tinder date, 23-year-old Bailey Boswell, and Boswell's roommate Aubrey Trail, 51, continue to be persons of interest in the case. However, neither have been charged in connection to Loofe's disappearance.

Bowell and her roommate have been jailed on unrelated charges since November 30, when they were taken into custody in Taney County, Missouri.

When contacted by DailyMail.com on Tuesday, Saline County sheriff's department officials refused to say what charges the two were being held on.

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Loofe's date, Bailey Boswell (left), and Boswell's roommate Aubrey Trail (right), are considered persons of interest in the case. They are being held on unrelated charges

The last time anyone heard from Loofe was on November 15, when she posted a picture of herself to Snapchat, captioning the image: 'Ready for my date'.

Investigators say Loofe spent the evening with 23-year-old Boswell. It was a second date for the pair who met on the dating website Tinder.

Before they were arrested last week, the pair recorded a bizarre video which they posted on the Finding Sydney Loofe Facebook page.

In the video, Boswell covers her head with a hooded sweatshirt and wears large-rimmed sunglasses. Trail also appears to cover his head, though the camera only ever shows his eyes from the angle that Boswell holds the recorder.

Trail says in the video that he wants to set the record straight, saying that reports that they were not cooperating with the investigation were false.

He said after Loofe went missing, he and Boswell tried calling the police to speak to investigators but never heard back.

No details have been release about how and where Loofe's body was found. The search had centered on lakes, rivers and wooded areas near Boswell and Trail's house in Wilber, Nebraska

Above, search crew members looking for Loofe's body in a lake near Wilber, Nebraska recently

At a Tuesday morning press conference, police said they had located Loofe's body Monday afternoon

Trail said he objected to the reporting on his criminal background, which includes a conviction for grand theft in 2000.

'You've already crucified us in the newspapers. You've already crucified us on Facebook,' he said. 'You know, in America, I sure thought it was a trial first, but I guess not.'

While Trail talks for most of the video, it's Boswell's face that is always seen - staring into the camera. She speaks only for a few minutes at the end of the clip, recalling her two dates with Loofe, who she calls a 'sweet and amazing girl'.

Boswell says she and Loofe had back-to-back dates the nights of November 14 and 15. Both nights, she says she picked Loofe up at her home and the two drove around Lincoln smoking weed. On the 15th, she says she brought her back to her home in Wilber where they smoked marijuana wax and shatter - concentrated forms of the drug. She also say she gave her date 'a quarter ounce of some really good weed'.

When the date was over, she says she went to take Loofe home, but she asked to be dropped off at a friend's house.

'I haven't heard from her since,' Boswell said. She added that she 'didn't have anything to do with' her disappearance.

At the Tuesday morning press conference, investigators said they haven't been able to confirm any of the claims made in the social media video.

They added that they have been speaking to Trail while he's behind bars.

Before they were arrested last week, Boswell and Trail released a bizarre video in which they claimed innocence in Loofe's disappearance. The video only ever showed Trail's eyes (far left). Boswell obscured her face by wearing a hooded sweatshirt and large-rimmed sunglasses

Loofe was reported missing when she failed to show up for work at Menards home improvement store in Lincoln on November 16

Loofe has been remembered as a caring and kind person by those who knew her

The video ends with the two saying they hope Loofe is found soon while expressing their contempt for investigators

'As far as the police department, f*** you,' Trail said.

Loofe was officially reported missing on November 16, when she failed to show up for her cashier job at home improvement store Menards in Lincoln.

According to her family, Loofe was definitely 'planning on coming home that night' - based on the fact that she left her car and her cat at home.

Those who knew her called her a caring and kind person, who enjoyed the outdoors and fishing.

'She's the kind of person the world needs more of,' friend Terra Gehrig told the Journal Star. 'She has a very good heart.'

Loofe is survived by her father George, a high school principal, and her mother Susie, a teacher, who live three hours away in Neligh, Nebraska. She also had two siblings.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has formally rescinded his resignation.

He announced his decision after Lebanon's first Cabinet meeting since he stepped down in a shock broadcast from Saudi Arabia on 4 November.

Hariri said the situation was resolved after all parties in his coalition government committed to a 'dissociation' policy to stay out of conflicts affecting the Middle East.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (pictured today in a Cabinet meeting) has formally rescinded his resignation

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrives today to attend a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace of Baabda

'All (the government's) political components decide to dissociate themselves from all conflicts, disputes, wars or the internal affairs of brother Arab countries, in order to preserve Lebanon's economic and political relations,' Hariri said.

He was referring to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support the governments in Syria and Iraq.

The group has denied helping rebels in Yemen and militants in Bahrain.

The Lebanese government said: 'The cabinet thanks its leader for his position and for revoking his resignation.'

Hariri will attend talks in Paris on Friday with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

'The aim is to support the political process (in Lebanon) at a crucial moment,' the French foreign ministry said, minutes after Hariri announced he had rescinded his resignation.

Last month Hariri said he resigned because Iran was meddling in Lebanon's affairs with the help of Hezbollah, which has 11 members in the Lebanese parliament.

He also said there were threats to his life but did not give any details.

He suspended his resignation when he returned from visiting France and Egypt on 22 November and said he may retract it if Hezbollah withdrew from regional conflicts, including Syria.

A dual Saudi citizen who has previously enjoyed Riyadh's backing, Hariri accused arch-rival Iran and its powerful Lebanese ally Hezbollah of destabilising his country.

Hezbollah has a large military wing in the south of Lebanon which he called 'a state within a state'.

President Michel Aoun refused to accept Hariri's resignation, insisting that he present it in person once back in the Lebanese capital.

During Hariri's two-week stay in Riyadh, Aoun accused Saudi authorities of holding him 'hostage' and demanded that he enjoy freedom of movement.

Hariri has denied he was a hostage and has refused to talk publicly about what happened in Saudi.
The head of the New York City Ballet is being investigated over claims of sexual harassment, it has been revealed.

Peter Martins, 71, who is also an instructor at the School of American Ballet, was accused of harassment in an anonymous letter, both organizations said.

He has been removed from his regular classes but remains in post at the head of New York City Ballet while an investigation is carried out.

Peter Martins, 71, the head of the New York City Ballet and an instructor at the School of American Ballet, is being investigated over claims of sexual harassment

Martins has been removed from his teaching post during the investigation, though lawyers brought in to carry it out say none of the claims have been substantiated (file image)

A spokesman for the school told the New York Times it had 'recently received an anonymous letter making general, nonspecific allegations of sexual harassment in the past by Peter Martins at both New York City Ballet and the school.

'We, together with New York City Ballet, promptly engaged an independent law firm that specializes in such matters to conduct a thorough investigation, despite the anonymous nature of the letter and the lack of specifics.

'Thus far, the investigation has not substantiated the allegations in the letter or discovered any reason to be concerned about student safety.'

Martins began dancing with the New York City Ballet in 1970 and became balletmaster in 1981 (pictured here helping dancers rehearse in 1995)

A spokesman for the Ballet issued a similar statement. Asked by the Times about the allegations, Martins said he had nothing to add.

Martins has discussed romantic relationships he has had with female dancers with investigators, the Times reports, according to an anonymous source.

Martins, a Danish-born dancer, became a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet in 1970.

In 1981 he became balletmaster while still dancing, though retired in 1983 to take on the position full-time as balletmaster-in-chief alongside Jerome Robbins.

Since 1990 has borne sole responsibility for artistic leadership of City Ballet
A group of sticky fingered thieves have made off with a plethora of beehives in a truly buzz-arre burglary.

The robbers performed the sting on a South Australian farm, flying away with 18 hives that would have been full of honey.

Police have been combing the area following the act, which is believed to have happened in the past week.

A group of sticky fingered thieves have made off with a plethora of beehives in a truly buzz-arre burglary

The thieves reportedly cut a padlock off a gate leading into the property in Coorong, south-east of Adelaide, between November 29 and December 6.

The hives would have been full following Spring, with farmers potentially losing thousands of dollars worth of honey.

The 18 structures were marked with the letters 'BRC'.

This is the fourth beehive-related robbery in the area this year, but police haven't confirmed yet whether the crimes are related.

Anyone with any information are being urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Carly Anderson, from Eltham, south-east London, needs a transplant as her kidneys failed earlier this year after the insect bit her on her inner thigh - while she was sunbathing

A diabetic mother-of-three is desperate for an organ transplant after her kidneys shut down following a spider bite.

Carly Anderson, from Eltham, south-east London, needs a transplant as her kidneys failed earlier this year after the insect bit her on her inner thigh while she was sunbathing.

The poisonous spider was not the cause of her kidney failure, but she said it was the antibiotics she was given to treat the bite, which made her condition worse.

After years of medical problems, the 36-year-old was then bitten by what she believes was a false widow spider on the thigh in August.

The subsequent medication used to flush the spider poison from her bloodstream, along with her diabetes, caused her kidneys to shut down, and now she is in dire need of help.

She was diagnosed with diabetes aged 13, suffered two heart attacks, and was told in February last year she also had chronic artery disease and heart failure.

Ms Anderson said: 'My kidneys became unwell because of the dye they used for the heart, the dye that was used for the angiogram.

The poisonous spider was not the cause of her kidney failure, but she said it was the antibiotics she was given to treat the bite, which made her condition worse

'It was weakening my kidneys further and further. I was admitted to Guy's Hospital by London Bridge. I have been there for about a year and half.

'They kept saying Carly, your kidneys are failing. They said you won't feel anything, they will just go.

'I didn't think anything of that. I thought I will be alright, I am a fighter.'

But in September Ms Anderson was told she would need a transplant and that the spider bite medication 'killed' her kidneys.

The medication used to flush the spider poison from her bloodstream, along with her diabetes, caused her kidneys to shut down, and now she is in dire need of help

The mother-of-three added: 'I thought it was the heat burning me. But it was a spider biting me.

'In September, I went to the kidney clinic and they told me I needed a transplant.

'They told me my kidneys were dead - whatever medication you have had when that spider bit you killed your kidneys.

'They still didn't know what spider it was. I presume it was a false widow or something like that.'

Ms Anderson desperately needs to find a kidney otherwise she might not see Christmas.

She lives with her three daughters - Ellie, 14, six-year-old Jessica and Billie, four - and boyfriend Ryan Rice, 32, who cares for her full time.

Ms Anderson said: 'They said if you don't get a kidney you will die. They haven't given me any timespan, just that if I don't find one I won't go.

'My children are just in bits. My eldest daughter cries all the time. They think I am going to die.

'My youngest ones don't really understand about it very much. But my eldest daughter, she is constantly crying.

Ms Anderson said: 'They said if you don't get a kidney you will die. They haven't given me any timespan, just that if I don't find one I won't go.' Pictured: The letter she received from medics

'I try and assure her that I am okay. She is in bits, and so is my boyfriend. I believe that if I am doing an appeal I will find one.

'It would mean the absolute world to me. It would make my Christmas. I would love that person that comes forward to give me the kidney.

'It would mean the world to me. It would be the best Christmas present anyone could give me, for me to be well again.'
A fugitive Kentucky lawyer who went on the run six months ago while he was awaiting jail has been arrested in Honduras.

Eric Conn, 57, was arrested by a SWAT team as he walked out of a restaurant in La Ceiba on Monday.

He had been on the run since June 2 when he cut off his ankle bracelet and dumped it by the side of the freeway in Lexington, Kentucky.

At the time, he was on house arrest after pleading guilty to stealing from the Social Security Administration and paying off a judge to side with him in thousands of civil cases.

For years, the self-styled 'Mr Social Security' attorney had been bribing doctors to forge medical information that would secure his clients' Social Security disability claims.

He then gave money to a federal judge to ensure he would win. The total cost of his fraud was $550million and Conn, who has one daughter, pocketed around $7million himself.

Eric Conn, 57, was arrested in Honduras on Monday by the country's ATIC agents (pictured standing behind him after his arrest) six months after he went on the run in Kentucky

Video courtesy of WLEX

Prosecutors described it as the largest Social Security fraud case in history.

As part of the conspiracy, Conn paid more than $600,000 Judge David B. Daugherty in order to wave through his fraudulent cases.

Daugherty was jailed for four years this August.

Another judge, Charlie Paul Andrus, was jailed as part of the investigation for trying to discredit the claims of a Social Security worker who could have blown the whistle on their scheme. It is not known if he ever received money from either Conn or Daugherty.

Psychologist Bradley Adkins, who signed false information about Conn's clients' mental and physical health, was jailed for 25 years for his involvement.

He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges and was convicted of more offenses than the scheme's ringleader.

In April, the lawyer was indicted on federal fraud and theft charges after a years-long investigation.

He was allowed to wait for his sentencing date on house arrest despite the pleas of prosecutors who deemed him a flight risk.

As a result, he was confined to his sprawling $750,000 home in Pikeville.

Conn (above during a 2013 Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing when he was first accused of fraud) won thousands of fraudulent claims by bribing judges and doctors to submit false information over several years

In April this year, he was finally indicted on charges of stealing from the Social Security Administration and bribing a judge. Conn is pictured in his mugshot after accepting the charges. Shortly afterwards, he was released on house arrest while awaiting sentencing

But on June 2, the day before he was due to testify against a co-defendant, he cut off the bracelet and tossed it by the side of the road.

Conn was next seen on surveillance footage in July at a gas station in New Mexico where he had stopped to buy supplies and gas.

While he was on the run, the lawyer was sentenced in absentia to 12 years imprisonment.

On Monday, agents from Honduras' ATIC team arrested him.

They were seen wearing masks and standing behind Conn, who was visibly slimmed down, as he was questioned shortly after his arrest in a photograph that was distributed by the agency.

They said his capture was the result of 'arduous intelligence, surveillance and tailing by the agents.'

Conn is still believed to be in Honduras. His lawyer, Scott White, said he had not yet heard anything about his capture.

'If in fact Eric has been lawfully captured and is legally returned, then ... this comes as no surprise ... the FBI usually gets their man,' he said yesterday.

The FBI issued a $20,000 reward for information about Conn's whereabouts after he went missing in June

In June, the 57-year-old fled Kentucky to go on the run. He is pictured in July, a month later, at a gas station in New Mexico having shaved his head and lost weight

Conn was also seen at a Walmart in New Mexico where he is pictured above

The 12 year sentence he received was the maximum for the two charges he pleaded guilty to.

Since his escape, he has been charged with plotting his escape for more than a year.

Curtis Lee Wyatt, one of his former employees was also charged with helping him plan his life on the run.

Conn was arrested in La Ceiba, Honduras, on Monday

Prosecutors say Wyatt helped him stash money and arranged for him to have a truck to travel around in. He denies the charges.

As for the thousands of clients who he helped, it remains to be seen whether all will have to sacrifice their payouts.

An estimated 1,500 people are thought to have been given Social Security benefits as a result of his fraud.

Their cases amount to $90million that has already been paid out. The $550million figure that was given by the FBI is how much it would have cost the government if Conn's scheme had never been discovered.

800 people who he represented have been stripped of their benefits since he was arrested. It is not clear whether any of them face criminal charges.

In addition to his prison sentence, Conn has been told to repay the government $175million in restitution.
Health authorities are warning people to remain vigilant after a Victorian woman potentially exposed shoppers to measles.

The woman reportedly had the highly contagious infection when she visited a number of retail outlets in Melbourne on November 29 and 30.

Deputy chief health officer Doctor Brett Sutton warned people to be on high alert for possible signs of the illness, despite it being an 'isolated' case.

Health authorities are warning people to remain vigilant after a Victorian woman potentially exposed shoppers to measles (pictured is a stock image of the trademark rash)

Among the places the woman visited include stores in Bourke Street Mall, DFO Southern Cross and Barkly Square, the Herald Sun reports.

'Measles has an incubation period of up to 18 days so those at risk of measles, who visited these locations, might show symptoms up until December 18,' Dr Sutton said.

Other places people may have become infected include on the Number 19 tram, which the woman travelled on while contagious.

Dr Sutton advised anyone who believes they have developed the illness to ring ahead to their GP or hospital to help prevent further spread.

Among the places the woman visited include stores in Bourke Street Mall (stock image pictured), DFO Southern Cross and Barkly Square, as well as travelling into town via Tram 19

Measles usually begins with common cold-type symptoms, including a runny nose and cough, before progressing to a fever and the trademark rash.

Measles symptoms Runny nose Severe cough Fever Sore and red eyes (conjunctivitis) Red and blotchy rash (first appears on the face before spreading to body) Source: Victoria Health Advertisement

The blotchy markings typically appear within three to seven days after a person shows symptoms with spots beginning on the face.

Measles has become uncommon in Australia following the introduction of a vaccine, however cases can arise from those returning from overseas.

Dr Sutton said many cases came from travel to places where the disease was prevalent.

The latest scare follows dozens of others recorded in Melbourne earlier in the year.

Among them was an outbreak of 11 cases, many of which were linked to a Docklands office building, according to the ABC.
ABC News' president has lashed out at staff over Brian Ross' massive error on a report about Donald Trump's alleged ties to Russia.

The network's chief investigative reporter Ross felt the full force of his boss, who banned him from covering any stories related to the president.

The initial report, which aired around 11am Friday during an ABC News' Special Report, cited a source claiming that a close associate of the former national security advisor Michael Flynn was prepared to testify that Trump 'directed him to make contact with the Russians' during the course of the 2016 presidential race.

But around 6.30pm, Ross issued an on-air 'clarification' that their source had explained it was only after the election that 'President-elect Trump asked [Flynn] to contact Russia on issues including working together to fight ISIS'.

In a scathing rant to his employees, ABC News president James Goldston said he has never felt 'disappointment and rage' comparable to what he has felt in the fallout of the mistake and that the network was conducting a 'full review'.

Brian Ross (above) is being accused of having a long history of getting facts wrong by fellow journalists and even a colleague at ABC News after he was suspended by the network over claiming that President Donald Trump ordered Michael Flynn to contact Russia

ABC News' Brian Ross (left) was suspended without pay for four weeks after he wrongly said on Friday that Donald Trump told Michael Flynn to contact Russia

In a scathing rant to his employees, ABC News president James Goldston said he has never felt 'disappointment and rage' comparable to what he has felt in the fallout of the mistake and that the network was conducting a 'full review'

Audio obtained by CNN from an editorial briefing at ABC picked up Goldston laying into his staff, saying: 'I don't even know how many times we've talked about this, how many times we have talked about the need to get it right,' he added.

'That how we have to be right and not first. About how in this particular moment, with the stakes as high as these stakes are right now, we cannot afford to get it wrong.'

Goldston raged that ABC News 'spent this weekend getting absolutely pilloried as a news division for reporting fake news.'

'250,000 tweets. One percent positive, 99 percent negative about this news division. Two tweets from the president.'

On Sunday, President Trump took to Twitter and wrote that the news network should be sued over the 'bad reporting.'

'People who lost money when the Stock Market went down 350 points based on the False and Dishonest reporting of Brian Ross of ABC News (he has been suspended), should consider hiring a lawyer and suing ABC for the damages this bad reporting has caused - many millions of dollars,' Trump said.

The day before he tweeted about the suspension.

'Congratulations to ABC News for suspending Brian Ross for his horrendously inaccurate and dishonest report on the Russia, Russia, Russia Witch Hunt,' he wrote.

'More Networks and 'papers' should do the same with their Fake News.'

Also on Saturday, Don Jr tweeted: 'ABC retracts their misleading 'bombshell' and removes their tweet approximately 12 hours after they knew it to be false.'

On Sunday, Trump tweeted (above) that people who lost money when the Stock Market dipped should sue ABC News for damages over Ross' 'bad reporting'

Goldston's rant continued: 'If it isn't obvious to everyone in this news division, we have taken a huge hit and we have made the job of every single person in this news division harder as a result.

'It's much, much harder. We have people in Washington who are going to bear the brunt of this today and in the days forward.

'Very, very, very, very unfortunate. Really, really angry about it.'

It appears Ross went on air with the story without anyone 'having ever made a decision that we were going to go to air with that information'.

ABC News president James Goldston

'We just went on air with that information,' he said. 'We hadn't approved doing that. And the thing that just kills me about this is all we had to do was wait.

'We had to wait a few minutes. A few minutes after that, the charging documents came out.

'We know that those charging documents had come out, and we had looked to those charging documents, and the charging documents didn't match what we thought the story was. We would have not gone with that story.'

The ABC president also expressed his frustration over the fact it took more than seven hours for the network to correct the mistake.

'The thing that compounded our mistake is that not only did we make a mistake, if we had then corrected ourselves right away, again - we wouldn't be in this position. It would have been a very different story,' he said in the audio obtained by CNN.

'But we ended up in the impossible situation where we had actually conflicting information that we said on air, which conflicted with the information that was online. And then it took us seven hours, eight hours to get our story straight. This is not acceptable.

'It's not acceptable. And we will all pay the price for a long time.'

Ross is also being accused of having a 'long history' of getting facts wrong after he was suspended by the network for four weeks.

Obama administration former State Department spokesperson Marie Harf claimed on Fox News that Ross has a ' long history of screwing up'.

'Marie Harf says Brian Ross routinely ran stories that were not accurate. 'This was a big screw-up, but he has a long history of screwing up,' a tweet posted to Fox News Channel's Media Buzz show account reads.

In addition, his own colleague at the network, Chief Foreign Correspondent Terry Moran, confirmed in a Twitter exchange with President George W. Bush's former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer another mistake that Ross made in 2001 about Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein being behind the anthrax attack on the White House.
A surge of warm weather has sparked an invasion of snakes deadly to livestock and experts warn they breed like wildfire.

After four American corn snakes were spotted on the Central Coast authorities have reiterated the harmful potential, to both animals and humans, of the invasive species.

The breed carries a bacterium which can kill grazing animals and a parasite which can cause diarrhoea for humans, the Daily Telegraph reported.

A surge of warm weather has sparked an invasion of American corn snakes

Central Coast Council director of infrastructure and business Mike Dowling urges residents to take care and alert authorities if any are spotted.

'We are seeing more corn snakes as the weather warms up, with four being spotted on the Coast so far. Three of those were caught and the other one escaped,' Mr Dowling said.

The Department of Primary Industries needs to be contacted should the corn snake appear to prevent the species impacting the environment.

Four of the species have been spotted prompting a warning from authorities

Most often the snake can be identified by an orange or brownish-yellow appearance with red blotches, outlined in black, down the middle of its back.

Captive corn snakes will have bright-red, orange, yellow and white combinations with red, orange or pink eyes after being selectively bred.

The snake is slim with a small-medium-sized growth expectancy which can reach up to 180cm in length.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) technical specialist of vertebrate pests Nathan Cutter told the Daily Telegraph people should resist the temptation to try and catch one without proper assistance.

'The corn snake can carry a reptile tick spread bacterium which kills grazing animals and the parasite, Cryptosporidium which can infect humans, domestic and native animals with diarrhoeal disease,' Mr Cutter said.

'The corn snake has the potential to reduce populations of native wildlife species by preying upon them or competing for habitat and food. The main ecological impacts where the American corn snake has been introduced in other parts of the world such as the Caribbean and Hawaii are on native animals.'

The breed carries a bacterium which can kill grazing animal and a nasty parasite which induces diarrhoea in humans

He said mice, frogs, lizards and native quolls are all at risk but some corn snakes taking out birds as they sit on their nests.

An emphasis was placed on the biosecuirty risks that are exposed by the serpent while on the loose, which includes eliminating the spread of pests and diseases.

Sightings of the snake can be reported to Wildlife ARC: 02 4325 0666

Photographs can be sent to: invasive.species@dpi.nsw.gov.au for identification.

Alternatively information can be found on the NSW DPI website.
James Hughes, pictured, 54, was jailed for 18 months for using his phone and iPad to record pupils and young girls under a desk at the primary school where he worked

A teacher who secretly filmed pupils and young girls from under a desk at the primary school where he worked has been jailed for 18 months.

James Hughes, 54, used his phone and iPad to record pupils after taking them out of class for one-to-one lessons.

He would get the girls to sit on chairs and put their legs up in the air while he recorded them under a desk.

Hughes, who was a principal teacher at the school in North Lanarkshire, was only caught when three teenagers on work experience at his school discovered him filming them.

One of the girls went into his office and found photos of herself on his iPad and reported Hughes.

Police were contacted and a search of his school office and home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, uncovered 260 images and 79 recordings on his phone and computers.

Hughes admitted two charges of voyeurism under the Sexual Offences Scotland Act by secretly filming and photographing girls aged between 8 and 16 between October and November last year.

He has now been jailed at Airdrie Sheriff Court and placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Furious parents whose children had fallen victim to Hughes had attended court and hit out at the sentence.

One mother said: 'This is an absolute joke, my daughter can't sleep at night because of what he has done to her and he only gets 18 months.

'It would make you sick, he'll be out quickly and we'll have another pervert roaming the streets.

'This can't be right, he abused our children and this isn't justice.'

Defence advocate Gavin Anderson said Hughes wanted to offer an apology for his crimes.

He added: 'It is recognised they have suffered upset as a result of these matters and his apology is public and unreserved.

'He is deeply embarrassed and ashamed to be in the position that he is in, not only for himself but his family and friends who will suffer from the fallout of these proceedings.

'He is someone who has served the community and the education establishment well throughout his career.

'It appears clear that in a great many respects he was a very good teacher and educated those in his charge diligently and purposefully for many years.

'He is someone who sought to achieve promoted posts and if not for these matters could have achieved further posts in his career.

'But this is a career which he now accepts will be lost to him though inevitable disciplinary proceedings which will conclude following resolution of this case.

'It is clear that he will never again be permitted to teach children.'

Fiscal depute Agnes Meek earlier told the court: 'The accused was asking the girls to be excused from lessons saying he needed assistance and for extra reading lessons.

'The complainers described that the accused would play with them. He would have them sit on a chair and raise their legs into the air and tell them to open them wide.

'He positioned one of the girls so the camera was pointing under her skirt. He tried to get her to do the splits but she refused.

'Unbeknown to them the accused was filming them under the desk and the camera was focused on the complainers' genital area.

'He was their teacher and they trusted him. They were ashamed and embarrassed at what had happened.

'He was in a position of trust. They were all pupils in the care of the accused who was an experienced teacher. They thought of him as a great teacher until this happened. All are now aware of what he was doing.'

Miss Meek told how Hughes' crimes came to light when three girls aged between 14 and 16 were on a work placement at the school.

She said: 'The girls spoke with each other and said he had been taking pictures of them and was recording them. They were the only occasions they knew about however the accused was covertly filming them.

'On the last day of the placement one of the complainers went to the accused's office where they had seen him move his iPad about. He was not there and they found images of herself on the iPad.

'The girl became upset by this and spoke about what she had found. The girls went to speak to the headteacher and did not return to any classes.'

Sheriff Petra Collins said: 'The offences took place in a primary school where children and their parents expect them to be safe.

'It was clear a significant amount of planning went into your offending and you absolutely breached the position of trust that you found yourself in.

'The children and their parents now have to work through the psychological consequences of your behaviour.

'I accept everything that has been said on your behalf and considered a non-custodial disposal but in my view the offending and the breach of trust involved means there is no alternative to custody.'

Hughes was suspended from his post when the allegations came to light and has since been sacked.

North Lanarkshire Council said: 'Following the launch of a police investigation, a teacher was immediately suspended and he is no longer an employee of North Lanarkshire Council.

'The safety and welfare of our pupils are a priority for us and immediate action was taken to protect them as soon as the school was alerted to the incident.'
MSNBC has cut its ties with comedian and contributor Sam Seder after an old tweet showed he had joked about film director Roman Polanski raped his daughter.

The talk radio host, 51, wrote online: 'Don't care re Polanski, but I hope if my daughter is ever raped it is by an older truly talented man w/a great sense of mise en scene.'

He has since deleted the 2009 tweet but he will see his contract at MSNBC expire in February next year.

A source added that he does not have any scheduled appearances booked in for the next two months.

Tom Seder (pictured) has since deleted the 2009 tweet but he will see his contract at MSNBC expire in February next year

According to TheWrap, the decision to not renew his contract was related to the historic tweet.

The source said: 'Internally there was disgust over the tweet.'

It comes just days after a report suggested the LAPD has opened a new investigation into Polanski, who has lived as a fugitive since fleeing the country in 1978.

Activist and pro-Donald Trump journalist Mike Cernovich noticed the tweet and it resurfaced again last month.

On his podcast last week, Seder accused Cernovich of a smear campaign and said he was simply trying to get him off air.

He said: 'This smear involves the willful misinterpretation of a tweet that I posted in 2009.

Seder has now said that he wrote the tweet in 2009 to show his disgust about people who were trying to apologise for Roman Polanski (pictured)

'I will never be ashamed of criticizing those who would excuse the predation of women or girls.

'And I certainly won't be quiet about Roy Moore or a conservative movement that which would defend his actions so they could get his vote in the Senate.'

He added that the tweet he posted in 2009 was 'satirical' and he was trying to highlight his disgust at those appearing to apologize for Polanski.

Back in 1977 in Los Angeles, Polanski was charged with raping 13-year-old Samantha Geimer. He fled the country in 1978 to escape prison.

Polanski now lives in Paris with his 51-year-old wife Emmanuelle Seigner.
China has admitted monitoring dozens of Australian social media accounts of 'anti-Chinese forces'.

The Chinese government activity was revealed at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, near Shanghai.

Anti-terrorism chief Mei Jianming said China was tracking Twitter accounts belonging to 'East Turkestan Islamic' terrorists around the world.

China has admitted monitoring dozens of Australian social media accounts of 'anti-Chinese forces' (pictured is the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen)

The Chinese government activity was revealed at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, near Shanghai (pictured is a protest by an East Turkestan group in Australia)

A world map showed 34 accounts in Australia, and a separate chart featured three Uyghur community groups in Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The study highlighted 'anti-Chinese forces' working with terrorist supporters, Mei said.

Those activities included the use of 'twisted facts' and 'polluted language' to advocate for independence in the Xinjiang autonomous region of China, he said.

The same accounts were guilty of disparaging China's vaunted One Belt One Road Initiative - to which Xinjiang is vital - and China's 'national strategy' in the region.

Attendants pose for photos after the closing ceremony of the 4th World Internet Conference on December 5, 2017 in Wuzhen

Xinjiang expert James Leibold of La Trobe University said the news did not come as a surprise, and had left a number of Uyghurs in Australia afraid to contact relatives.

'[They] fear that it might invite unwelcome interferences from security officials,' he said.

China is battling groups such as the Turkistan Islamic Party, a jihadist organisation seeking to set up an independent state of East Turkestan in Xinjiang.

Anti-terrorism chief Mei Jianming said China was tracking Twitter accounts belonging to 'East Turkestan Islamic' terrorists around the world (pictured are Uyghurs outside a mosque in Xinjiang)

Ethnic Uyghurs from the region have travelled to the Middle East to fight for ISIS and other terrorist groups, and carried out terrorist attacks within China.

The resulting series of crackdowns on Uyghurs and Islamic religious activities have stoked tensions in Xinjiang, and led to accusations of human rights violations.

Uyghurs were under heavy surveillance, and all residents in Xinjiang were required to install a smartphone app that monitors users for terrorist materials, Mr Leibold said.

Pictures are police looking for fugitive 'terrorist'" in Aksu, in northwest China's Xinjiang region

Those who do not install the app are punished with ten days in detention, he said.

Cao Shiquan, president of the People's Public Security University of China, said China needed to use advanced technology and big data to monitor terrorists.

The news comes amid increasing concern about Chinese interference in Australian politics.

The Turnbull Government announced a series of proposed law changes, including a ban political parties from accepting foreign donations.
A thug who viciously punched two teenagers in the head smiled and took selfies outside court after a judge spared him jail.

Dylan Robert Thomas was caught on CCTV knocking out a 17-year-old boy with one blow to the head in Claremont, Perth, earlier this year.

Footage showed Sam Ortiz flying backwards and smashing his head on the pavement, knocking him unconcious for several minutes.

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Dylan Thomas smiled and took selfies outside court after a judge spared him jail for viciously punching two teenagers in the head so hard they were knocked unconscious

CCTV footage showed Sam Ortiz flying backwards and smashing his head on the pavement after Thomas hit him, knocking him unconcious for several minutes

He landed with enough force for his friends to hear the sickening thud from 15 metres away as he came horrifyingly close to death.

'There was a concrete wall behind me that had a sharp edge to it and if I was about 30 centimetres backwards, I could've landed straight on that and it could've killed me,' Sam told Seven News.

The court heard Thomas impulsively lashed out when Sam spat at his feet, but the victim denied that ever happened.

Just 15 minutes later, the 20-year-old committed another one-punch attack on a 19-year-old who was so traumatised he wouldn't give his name to reporters.

'There's just no repercussions for your actions any more. It's breeding a bit of a scum society in the city,' the victim said.

He landed with enough force for his friends to hear the sickening thud from 15 metres away as he came horrifyingly close to death

Sam, who had memory loss and headaches after the attack, was appalled by the sentence as he expected Thomas to go to jail

'Ooo the news is here, brother, what's going on?' he said cheekily while taking video and posing for grinning selfies outside court as he was given a 12-month suspended sentence

Despite pleading guilty to both shocking attacks, Thomas was given only a 12-month suspended sentence and walked free from court on Tuesday.

'Ooo the news is here, brother, what's going on?' he said cheekily while taking video and posing for grinning selfies outside court.

He otherwise refused to comment other than telling his father not to do anything as the older man tried to cover a news camera with his hand.

Sam, who had memory loss and headaches after the attack, was appalled by the sentence as he expected Thomas to go to jail.
A former school principal who sexually abused an 'incredibly vulnerable' boy who was bullied and came to him for help, has been jailed for just one year.

Perth's Newman Junior College principal David Austin Christian indecently assaulted the 12-year-old boy as he sat on his lap back in 1991.

Christian, now 75, preyed on the child twice, once after he was bullied at a school dance, and the second time after summoning the young victim to his office.

District Court Judge Mark Herron jailed Christian for 12 months on Tuesday, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of indecently dealing with a child under the age of 13.

Perth's Newman Junior College (pictured) principal David Austin Christian indecently assaulted the 12-year-old boy as he sat on his lap back in 1991

Judge Herron said the former principal traumatised and confused the victim, who was 'particularly vulnerable', according to Perth Now.

'Given your position of trust you should have been protecting the child and ensuring he was safe,' Judge Herron said.

'Your actions undermine the trust and confidence members of the public, particularly parents, have when they place their children in the care of schools.'

Defence lawyer Seamus Rafferty said Christian was a member of the Marist Brothers, an international community of Catholic religious institutions, since he was 15-years-old.

Mr Rafferty said his client was never able to properly explore his sexuality which lead to his 'entirely inappropriate' dealings with children.

He said his client had a very strong sense of remorse for his actions.

Newman College (pictured) is a Catholic school in the Marist Tradition, an international community of Catholic religious institutions

Speaking in the district court on Tuesday, prosecutor Jehna Winter said Christian's dealings with the 12-year-old boy was just one example of his ongoing sexual interest in children.

Tuesday's conviction was not Christian's first.

Christian has previously been convicted with child sex offences on three separate occasions, stemming from incidents in 1982 and 1991.

The now 75-year-old man is currently serving two years in prison for previous indecent dealings with a child, Perth Now reported.

His 12-month jail term passed down on Tuesday was added to his current two year sentence.
The Republican Party resumed its financial support for Roy Moore on Monday evening as new evidence surfaced that the Alabama Senate candidate had a relationship with a minor.

Debbie Wesson Gibson told The Washington Post that she and Moore were romantically involved in the early 1980s, when the longtime Alabama judge and prosecutor was 34 and she was 17.

She says she's since discovered a high school graduation card he penned to her in a scrapbook.

The corroborating document emerged hours after President Donald Trump called Moore to give him total backing in the Dec. 12 special election, telling him, 'Go get, 'em, Roy!'

Trump said Tuesday that that he couldn't stand having a 'liberal Democrat' like Moore's opponent win the seat 'that's controlled by Nancy Pelosi, controlled by Chuck Schumer.'

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney, a former Republican presidential nominee who has his eye on a seat in the upper chamber, came forward and bashed Moore.

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Debbie Wesson Gibson(present picture left) claims she and Moore were romantically involved back in the early 1980s. She's offered a yearbook, and now, a graduation card, as proof

The Republican Party resumed its financial support for Roy Moore on Monday evening as new evidence surfaced that the Alabama Senate candidate had a relationship with Gibson when she was a minor

Senators have continued to withhold their support for Moore, despite Trump leading the way yesterday. If Moore is elected next week, an ethics investigation in the upper chamber is certain to ensue.

At the height of the controversy, the White House claimed the president was supportive of the Republican National Committee's move to yank the Alabama Republican's funding. When Trump made an about-face and endorsed Moore on Monday, the RNC followed suit.

The national party told various news outlets that it would aide Moore in the final push.

In reopening its coffers to Moore, the RNC ignored new details in Gibson's account that appeared in the Post late Monday afternoon.

Gibson says she was rummaging through her attack when she came across a scrapbook containing a graduation card to her from Moore.

'Happy graduation Debbie,' the inscription, written in slanted handwriting, reads. 'I wanted to give you this card myself. I know that you'll be a success in anything you do. Roy.'

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney, a former Republican presidential nominee who has his eye on a seat in the upper chamber, came forward and bashed Moore

The Washington Post last month published a shocking report claiming that Moore had initiated inappropriate sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl while he was an assistant district attorney during the '70s.

The publication also interviewed four other women who claimed the Alabama Senate nominee pursued a sexual relationship with them while they were still teenagers.

Soon after the allegations went public, four other women, including Gibson, stepped forward to accuse Moore of pursuing them when they were under age.

Moore has vehemently denied the allegations, blaming an orchestrated media effort of trying to take down his campaign.

'The allegations are completely false. They are malicious. Specifically, I do not know any of these women,' he said at a Nov. 27 campaign event.

Gibson told the Post that she and Moore did not try to hide their courtship and even considered it a 'badge of honor.'

She decided to come forward with the scrapbook, she said, after Moore's denials.

'He called me a liar,' she said. 'Roy Moore made an egregious mistake to attack that one thing  my integrity.'

Aside from the scrapbook, Gibson says she and Moore exchanged Christmas cards. Gibson also claims to have volunteered on Moore's first campaign for circuit court judge in 1982, passing out fliers.

Roy Moore is accused of pursuing numerous sexual relationships with teenage girls back when he was in his 30s

The 54-year-old said she began having second thoughts about their relationship in light of the recent allegations against the former Alabama Supreme Court judge.

In response to a request for comment from The Guardian, the Republican Senate candidate's campaign said: 'Roy Moore already said he knew Debbie Wesson and her family but did not recall any formal dates. Furthermore, when he stated that he did not know any of the women, he was referring to those who accused him of sexual assault.'

Gibson said that she has rejected dozens of media requests for an interview in the wake of the Roy Moore scandal, telling the Post that she has received numerous death threats after coming forward last month.

A registered Republican who now lives in Dayton Beach, Florida, Gibson said that after another woman, Beverly Young Nelson, came forward with allegations during a televised press conference along with a yearbook signed by Moore, was she was moved to share her own memento.

'I just couldn't imagine him doing something like that,' Gibson said. 'And then when I saw the interview from Beverly, and I saw his handwriting in her yearbook, my heart just sank. And when I saw what I knew to be Roy Moore's handwriting, I just began to sob openly.'

Republican senators have disavowed Moore, and their political arm has refused to financially support him.

'Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity,' Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee for president, said on Monday.

Moore is accused of making advances on teenagers when he was an Alabama prosecutor, and one woman, Corfman, says Moore sexually touched her at his home when she was just 14.

He has denied the charges and he and his team have tried to dispute elements of the women's stories.

After he came under fire from Romeny Moore shot back: 'Either @MittRomney has lost his courage or he doesnt care about truth anymore. Sad day!

'Americas reawakening was led by @realDonaldTrump, not you Mitt.'

President Donald Trump endorsed Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican accused of sexually harassing and assaulting teens, in a Monday morning tweet

The tax cut vote appeared to change Trump's mind about Moore, who has been accused of inappropriate conduct with minors when he was in his '30s

President Trump, who has denied a litany of sexual assault allegations himself, endorsed Moore's candidacy on Monday morning.

In a statement, a White House spokesman said that the president 'had a positive call with Judge Roy Moore... during which they discussed the state of the Alabama Senate race and the President endorsed Judge Moore's campaign.'

Kayla Moore, the Republican candidate's wife, wrote on Facebook that Trump had called her husband, forcing the White House to answer questions about it.

'Judge Moore just got off the phone with President Trump  we have his full support! Thank you Mr. President! Let's MAGA!' Mrs. Moore wrote.

Her husband said in a tweet that Trump told him, 'Go get 'em, Roy!'

'I look forward to fighting alongside the President to #MAGA!' he said.

The White House said Monday that Trump called Moore to endorse him. Moore says the president told him, 'Go get 'em, Roy!'

The endorsement was a stunning reversal of White House policy on Moore amid elevated fears within the West Wing that a Republican loss in the special election could stymie the president's agenda.

The timing of Mrs. Moore's post suggests that Trump placed the call from Air Force One as he flew to Utah for a mid-afternoon speech. That was hours after he tweeted a surprise endorsement.

Trump hinged his support for the U.S. Senate candidate on the weekend's tax cut vote, when legislation advanced in the upper chamber with a one-vote majority in the Senate and no votes from Democrats.

'Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama,' Trump said. 'We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!'

Moore tweeted his immediate thanks, using a favorite campaign slogan of Trump's.

He wrote that he 'can't wait to help' Trump '#DrainTheSwamp.'

The president had mulled an appearance with Moore in Alabama before the special election to replace Jeff Sessions. The White House put the kibosh on it last week, as it attempted to put a buffer between the controversial Republican candidate and the president.

Moore's wife Kayla wrote Monday morning on Facebook that the president had called her husband to endorse him

The timing of the message from Mrs. Moore (shown at right) put the call during the time when Trump was aboard Air Force One en route to Utah

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during a news conference that the president's schedule 'doesn't permit him doing anything between now and Election Day' a week ago on Monday.

Instead, the White House engineered a presidential trip to the Florida panhandle on Friday that just happens to put the president within a major media market across the border. The move signaled how the White House both wanted Moore to prevail but also sought to keep a measure of distance.

Trump had walked a fine line between backing Moore and acknowledging that the allegations against him were troubling.

He signaled to reporters just before Thanksgiving, as he left the White House for his Florida property, that he was conflicted about Moore.

'Look, he denies it,' Trump said of the accusations. 'He totally denies it. He says it didn't happen. And, you know, you have to listen to him also. You're talking about, he said 40 years ago this did not happen.'

The president did not endorse Moore in his exchange with reporters, although his comments were seen as a major boost to him.

The president was put in a difficult position in part because a raft of women accuse him of past misconduct

'I can tell you one thing for sure: We don't need a liberal person in there, a Democrat -- [Doug]Jones,' he said of Moore's general election opponent. 'I've looked at his record. It's terrible on crime. It's terrible on the border. It's terrible on the military.

'I can tell you for a fact, we do not need somebody that's going to be bad on crime, bad on borders, bad with the military, bad for the Second Amendment.'

The tax cut vote appeared to change Trump's calculus on Moore, who has been accused of inappropriate conduct with minors when he was in his '30s.

Trump endorsed the Republican as he prepared to leave the White House for Utah.

Republicans have a thin majority of 52 votes in the U.S. Senate. Their caucus currently includes appointed-Alabama Republican Luther Strange. If Moore is unsuccessful in winning next week's election, Republicans will have a single-vote advantage over Democrats.

The president's late reversal signals the importance the White House places on the Alabama Senate seat.

Polls show Moore and Jones running neck and neck. A defeat in Alabama would carry long-term implications, while also likely depriving the GOP of a final vote on the controversial tax cut measure  a version of which cleared the Senate in the early hours of Saturday morning by just one senator.

The president backed the more mainstream Republican, Strange, in the primary. Strange received strong backing from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well.But Strange ultimately fell to Moore, even though Trump appeared at a rally with him.

The president's explicit backing for Moore in the general election flies in the face of Republican leaders who have called for him to get out of the race and desperately sought a way to try to stop him while keeping the seat in GOP hands through a write-in campaign or other means.

McConnell said Moore should 'step aside' after the first tranche of accusers came forward in a Washington Post report.

Trump campaigned for 'Big Luther' Sen. Luther Strange in Alabama, but now is embracing Roy Moore, who is accused of sexually touching teenagers

On Sunday, McConnell told ABC's 'This Week' the Senate Ethics Committee would have to consider complaints against Moore.

'I think we're going to let the people of Alabama decide a week from Tuesday who they want to send to the Senate, and then we'll address the matter appropriately,' he said.
Shocking footage has emerged of a woman brutally bashing an elderly pensioner in the middle of a Melbourne road.

Annette Lang, 66, was walking home from the shops last week when she was set upon and beaten by the woman and left unconscious in the middle of the street.

'She was slapping me, bashing me. No argument, no nothing,' she told Nine.

'I was hoping she would stop.'

Shocking footage has emerged of a woman brutally bashing an elderly pensioner in the middle of a Melbourne road

Ms Lang had walked to her local Mornington supermarket to buy food when she realised her pension fund hadn't gone into her account yet. She stalled in the store for half an hour before leaving after it still hadn't come through.

It was then the woman attacked her, throwing her to the ground before repeatedly hitting Ms Lang.

She now has several cuts and bruises across her face, arms and body.

66-year-old Annette Lang was walking home from the shops last week when she was set upon and beaten by the woman and left unconscious in the middle of the street

Police arrested the alleged attacker and charger her a short time later, but she has since been released on bail

Police arrested the alleged attacker and charger her a short time later, but she has since been released on bail.

Locals spotted the woman in question back at the same set of shops the next day.

'I think it's disgusting. I just don't know what she'll do next,' a local store owner said.

Ms Lang said she is so angry with the woman she may confront her if she sees her again, saying of the assaulter there's 'no place you can hide.'
Ruby Wilson was pronounced dead hours after staff found her with serious injuries at Forest Place Nursing Home in Essex, a coroner said

A 94-year-old woman was found 'unresponsive' after being stabbed in the neck at the care home where she lived, an inquest opening heard today.

Great-great grandmother Ruby Wilson was pronounced dead hours after staff found her with serious injuries at Forest Place Nursing Home in Essex, a coroner said.

Her grandson Antony Jennings, 32, of Ilford, appeared in court charged with her murder on Monday.

Essex Area Coroner Eleanor McGann suspended the investigation until the criminal proceedings at Chelmsford Crown Court are completed.

Mrs McGann said: 'On the 29th of November 2017 Mrs Wilson was found unresponsive by staff with an injury to her neck.

'Her death was confirmed at the scene at 5.45pm.

'On the 30th of November 2017 a forensic post mortem was performed by Dr Cary at the Princess Alexandra Hospital where the provisional cause of death was given as: incised wound to the neck.'

Mrs Wilson's body has not been released from the hospital mortuary and a date into her inquest has not yet been set.

No members of her family or the public attended the short inquest opening in Chelmsford, Essex.

Her family paid tribute to her in a statement on Friday which read: 'As a family we loved Ruby, who will be remembered for her creativity and love for crocheting, dressmaking and bingo.

'She always brought the family together and loved spending time with her many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchild.

'She was together with her husband Leslie for 75 years and always had a song to sing for every occasion.

'She will be dearly missed by all of us, her loving family.'

Ruby and former docker Leslie, who was also known as Robert or Bob, moved out of their 450,000 terraced home in Loughton, Essex, they lived in for more than 40 years, in 2014

Emergency services were called to the nursing home in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, at around 1.20pm on Wednesday.

Police confirmed the victim and suspect were known to each other after Jennings was arrested on suspicion of murder and was charged after being quizzed by detectives.

He appeared before Chelmsford magistrates who on Friday heard he brought 'several knives' into the care home and allegedly 'slit the throat' of his grandmother.

It is understood roughly 70 people are looked after at Forest Place Nursing Home, which cares for dementia sufferers, people with physical disabilities and offers palliative care.

The home's website describes it as a 'family run business with over 20 years experience in the provision of high quality personalised care.'

In the wake of the 'traumatic' death staff have been given counselling, but the facility is now operating as normal.

A spokesman for Forest Place said: 'A tragic incident occurred within the home, which resulted in the death of a resident.

'The incident was immediately reported to Essex Police and measures were put in place to safeguard other residents within the home.

'Our thoughts are with the family of the resident. This has been a traumatic experience for us all.'

They both moved to Forest Place Nursing Home in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, after suffering from ill health and struggling to live independently

Former neighbours also paid tribute to Ruby, who moved to the care home with her 95-year-old husband three years ago.

Former neighbour George Brunswick, 58 said: 'They were really nice and friendly, they'd always give us a wave, couldn't imagine anyone wanting to do anything to them or to say anything bad about them.

'They were retired when we got here 20 years ago- but they were old, you know?

'They moved to the same home.

'We just really can't believe it to be honest - we didn't know them well but we know that their family still live there but they never speak to us.'

Another neighbour, known only as Irene, said: 'It's just shocking, absolutely shocking - lovely chatty lady she was, I never really spoke to him but I know she was a seamstress she told me, a very long time ago!

'I've lived here 40 odd years and I really don't believe it, they live in the same care home I think, didn't they?

'They didn't tell me when they were moving to a care home though- their daughter didn't tell me, nobody did.'

Ruby and former docker Leslie, who was also known as Robert or Bob, moved out of their 450,000 terraced home in Loughton, Essex, they lived in for more than 40 years, in 2014.

They both moved to Forest Place Nursing Home in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, after suffering from ill health and struggling to live independently.

A former neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: 'They celebrated their diamond wedding at the care home after moving out some three years ago.'

It's understood the couple's granddaughter and her boyfriend now live at their former home, which they still own.
An Indian woman suffering from leprosy had her pension stopped for several months because she was unable to provide biometrics to prove her identity to authorities.

Sajida Begum is blind and has lost both her fingers and toes, and so could provide neither retina scans nor fingerprints to register as a pensioner.

As she could not provide the government with the biometrics, her monthly payments of around 11.50 stopped, leaving her with no income.

Lost pension: As Sajida Begum, 65, could not provide biometrics to the local government, her monthly pension payments of around 11.50 stopped for more than three months

Ms Begum, 65, has been living as an inpatient at a specialist leprosy hospital in Bengaluru for the past ten years.

Her children abandoned her at the hospital and she has not seen them for years, so lives off her monthly pension.

In 2009, the Indian government recently introduced a form of identification called Aadhaar, which has a similar function to UK's national insurance number but based on biometric ID.

Ms Begum has never had an Aadhaar card, and when her local authority contacted her in August to demand one, she was unable to provide them with her biometrics - for obvious reasons.

As a result, her monthly 1,000 rupee (11.57) pension was stopped.

Happy ending: After Ms Begum's situation became a national news story, local authorities visited her in hospital and accepted her doctor's fingerprints

'She buys clothes and meets her meager needs with that money. But since August she hasn't received pension,' Dr Ayub Ali Zai, administrative medical officer, Leprosy Hospital told the New Indian Express.

'She is totally blind in both the eyes, has no fingers or toes. I don't know how her biometric identification can be done.'

Ms Begum went three months without pension until her case became a national news story, and the local authorities reached out.

Having visited Ms Begum in hospital, authorities have accepted her doctor's fingerprints in her stead, the newspaper wrote in an article a few days later.
The stunning release of the 'p****' tape in October 2016 had close advisors predicting it would lead to Donald Trump's downfall and running mate Mike Pence plotting a 'coup,' according to a new report on the vice president Tuesday.

The release of the 'Access Hollywood' tape where Trump boasted about using his celebrity and grabbing women 'by the p***" rocked the campaign, and even persuaded some leading Trump advisors that the candidate was through.

Pence, the religiously conservative former Indiana governor who Trump selected as his running mate, was contemplating a 'coup' to replace Trump at the top of the ticket, the Atlantic reported.

With the party's chances in doubt after the revelations, hours after the Washington Post broke news about the tape, 'Pence made it clear to the Republican National Committee that he was ready to take Trumps place as the partys nominee,' according to the report.

Vice President Mike Pence, the religiously conservative former Indiana governor who Donald Trump selected as his running mate, was contemplating a 'coup' to replace Trump at the top of the ticket after the release of the 'Access Hollywood' tape, according to a report

Denial: Pence's office said Tuesday that the coup plot story was not true and added an emoji

The Vice President's office denied the report

The maneuvering came at a time when official Washington was rocked by the raw hot mic comments of the 'Access Hollywood' tape, which soon led to the firing of Billy Bush.

A former campaign aide said Pence's wife, Karen Pence, was 'disgusted' by the tape.

'She finds him reprehensiblejust totally vile' the aide said of President Trump. The couple was appalled by the video, according to the report.

Pence spokeswoman Alyssa Farah tweeted: 'Regarding The Atlantics tired, false claim about the VP during the campaign -- we denied this in the article and deny it again today. Didnt happen.' She included a sleeping emoji.

In the aftermath, a Republican senator called the Republican Party to take emergency steps to replace Trump, who had already accepted his party's nomination at the convention, according to the Atlantic.

It was at an urgent October 2016 Trump Tower meeting where former RNC chair Reince Priebus, who went on to become White House chief of staff, famously urged Trump to get out of the race.

New York magazine reported that Priebus said if he didn't, he would 'go down with a worse election loss than Barry Goldwaters.'

The candidate ultimately rejected pleas to get out, and hit back hard during the second presidential debate, where he brought along Bill Clinton's former accusers as a way to needle rival Hillary Clinton.

The tape shows Trump bragging to host Billy Bush about using his celebrity and having the ability to grab women 'by the p****'

There wasn't a ready mechanism for the party to replace a potentially hobbled nominee. An RNC rule only authorized the party to fill any vacancy created 'by death, declination, or otherwise.'

There was pressure from some anti-Trump lawmakers, such as Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, for Trump to step aside at this point.

Despite the articles use of the term 'coup,' it does not mention any plotters or a plan to confront the nominee or otherwise force him out.
Jason Dors-Lake, pictured, son of British film icon Diana Dors, has been given a conditional discharge for stealing a 5 bottle of wine from Sainsbury's

The son of British film icon Diana Dors was handed a conditional discharge for stealing a 5 bottle of wine, just days after he was cleared of assaulting a photographer.

Jason Dors-Lake, 48, slipped the wine up his sleeve at a Sainsburys branch near his 1million home in Notting Hill on 25 July.

Dors-Lake, the youngest son of the English Marilyn Monroe Diana Dors and her third husband Alan Lake, admitted theft at Westminster Magistrates Court.

Last week the troubled actor was cleared of assaulting Polish photographer Agnieszka Labedzka, 30, after telling Hammersmith magistrates court she had flown into a rage when he denied her a threesome with her friend Sophie Ingrand.

Dors-Lake was handed a conditional discharge today and told to pay 105 costs for stealing the bottle of wine.

Ruth Johnson, defending, said: At the time Mr Lake was going through a very bad patch, he had stopped drinking for around a year but he lives quite near Grenfell Tower.

He and friends had a first-hand view of that and unfortunately that pushed him back into drinking.

His partner then left him because she couldnt cope with the level of abuse.

Dors-Lake, pictured with daughter Ruby, 'felt like he would die without alcohol', the court heard, after being 'driven to drink' after witnessing the Grenfell Tower tragedy

Dors-Lake, left, is the youngest son of Dors, right, who appeared in dozens of films between the 1940s and 1970s and was known as the 'British Marilyn Monroe'

He was drinking so much, he felt if he didnt drink, he felt as if he was going to die.

Prosecutor Sian Morgan said: Mr Dors-Lake attended the Sainsburys supermarket, Ladbroke Grove, at approximately 10.56 in the morning of 25 July.

He picked up a bottle of wine, he then walked through the adjacent aisle while he concealed the bottle in his left sleeve.

The store supervisor came running out of the shop, he initially denied having anything on him, he was searched and he then took the bottle of wine out of his sleeve.

He was detained and there was a struggle before the bottle was retrieved.

Dors is pictured here with Dors-Lake when he was aged just three days. She died of cancer aged 52 in 1984 when he was 15

Dors-Lake was arrested and taken to Belgravia Police station where he was cooperative.

Magistrate Penny Hatfield said: We are going to take the slightly unusual course of giving you a conditional discharge and that is really putting it over to you now.

Dors-Lake, of Notting Hill, strode out of court in his grey double-breasted suit and wished the magistrate a very lovely day.

He was ordered to pay costs of 105 to be added to the 10 per fortnight he is already paying for shoplifting in October this year.
Ex police chief Bob Quick today threatened to sue Damian Green as the pair's feud over allegations the minister viewed porn on his office computer took a fresh twist.

The former Met Police assistant commissioner said Mr Green must 'publicly retract' allegations he had lied about what was found on the office computer.

He accused Mr Green - Theresa May's de facto deputy - of mounting an 'unpleasant and deeply personal attack upon me' and trying to 'discredit him.

And he warned that unless the First Secretary of State publicly apologises he will consider legal action.

The pair have been embroiled in a bitter row over allegations Mr Green has enormous amounts on 'extreme' porn on his office computer when it was raided by police in 2008.

Former police chief Bob Quick (pictured left) has today threatened to sue Cabinet Minister Damian Green (pictured right outside his home this morning) unless the minister retracts his claims he is a liar

Mr Green is battling to salvage his Cabinet career and is being investigated for over the claims. The report is expected to report back within days.

The allegations surfaced last month as the sex harassment scandal swept through Westminster.

Mr Green put out a statement strongly denying the claim and branding and accusing Mr Quick of being a 'tainted and untrustworthy' source who had long-running vendetta against him.

But in a dramatic escalation of their row, Mr Quick today launched a strongly worded attack against Mr Green which piles further pressure on the embattled minister.

NINE-YEAR GRUDGE MATCH BETWEEN QUICK AND GREEN The Tories put out footage of the 2008 raid on Damian Green's office Damian Green and Bob Quick crossed swords in 2008 when the Met assistant commissioner took dramatic action in an inquiry into leaks from the force. Mr Quick decided to arrest then then shadow immigration minister. The Tory MP was held for nine hours while his Commons office, two homes and constituency office, were searched and computers removed by counter-terrorism officers. The episode sparked a huge inquest at the Commons into whether parliamentary privilege should have protected the material held by an MP. In the ensuing political storm, it emerged Mr Quick's wife was running a car hire firm from their home and details of their address were published on a website. The officer then accused the Tories of being 'wholly corrupt' in leaking the story to intimidate him and his investigation. But he was forced to apologise after then party leader David Cameron said the claim 'Tory machinery' was mobilised against his investigation was 'completely baseless'. Mr Green was later cleared of any wrongdoing. Mr Quick complained bitterly that the investigation cost him his career. He quit in April 2009 after being photographed arriving at Downing Street with documents detailing a counter-terror operation clearly visible. He later claimed he might have survived the gaffe if it had not been for the Green affair. Advertisement

He said: 'Damian Green called me a liar in the statement he tweeted on 4 November 2017. That is completely untrue.

'Everything I have said is accurate, in good faith, and in the firm belief that I have acted in the public interest.'

He added: 'I wish to make it clear for the avoidance of any doubt or further speculation that I am in no way motivated politically and bear no malice whatsoever to Damian Green.

'This is despite unfortunate and deeply hurtful attempts to discredit me. Everything I have said about this matter has been in good faith, and in the firm belief that I have acted in the public interest.

'I invite Damian Green publicly to retract his allegations against me. I am considering legal action.'

It was claimed last month that vast amounts of extreme porn was found on one of Mr Green's office computer's when it was raided in 2008.

The raid was highly controversial at the time, as Mr Green - then shadow immigration minister - had been embarrassing the police with a series of leaks.

But the allegations about what was found on his computer were only levelled by former officers after the standards investigation was launched.

Mr Green has flatly denied viewing pornography at work, while allies said he was 'gobsmacked' that police were being allowed to make 'outlandish smears' against him.

But his war with the police escalated when ex-detective Neil Lewis publicly backed Mr Quick and said he found 'thousands' of pornographic images on the computer.

In his statement today, Mr Quick said everything he has done has been 'in good faith 'and 'in the firm belief I acted in the public interest'.

He said that during the 2008 investigation it was reported to him and other senior officers that a 'vast amount' of porn was discovered on a computer in Mr Green's parliamentary office.

He said he was told that internet history data logs indicated that the material had been viewed 'prolifically and in working hours'.

Mr Quick said he told Sue Gray, the Cabinet Office's head of ethics, about the porn after news broke that Mr Green was being investigated over a separate claim he made an unwanted pass at a female Tory activist.

He denied leaking the story to the Sunday Times and insisted his actions were not politically motivated.

A spokesman for Mr Green said: 'It would be inappropriate for Mr Green to comment while the Cabinet Office inquiry is ongoing and while the Metropolitan Police is investigating the conduct of former officers.'

Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick yesterday said former officers were 'wrong' to be using confidential material from the raid to try and oust him.

Theresa May, pictured outside No10 today with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. It would be a major blow for the PM if she lost her trusted de facto deputy to the scandal




The remains of at least 3,000 suspected cartel murder victims have been discovered in northern Mexico.

Activists found the skeletal remains on Saturday after an anonymous tip-off that the area was being used as an 'extermination center' by gangsters.

They say the bodies were likely dissolved in acid, burned, then broken up with shovels in an attempt to dispose of them.

The remains of at least 3,000 suspected cartel victims have been discovered in northern Mexico, with activists saying it appears the bodies were cooked in acid

Alongside the bones the activists discovered bullet casings, shoes, clothes and human teeth

The bodies were burned 'for hours', the activists said, with diesel, scrap tires and pieces of wood thrown in to help the blaze.

Once the fire was out whatever was left was poured on to the floor where it was smashed to pieces with shovels.

Alongside the bones, members of Victims' Rights In Action (Vida) found bullet casings, clothes, shoes and human teeth.

The grisly remains were discovered in Coahuila state on Saturday, Telesur reported.

It is believed the bones were burned for hours in metal drums before whatever was left was smashed up with shovels

A group spokesman said the true number of victims was likely far higher because no digging has yet taken place pending the arrival of government inspectors.

The area measures around 100 square meters and is located between two communal farming plots according to Silvia Ortiz, who is a member of Vida.

She joined the group looking for daughter Stephanie Sanchez Viesca Ortiz, who went missing in November 2004, when she was 16 years old

After Forensic Medical Examiners (Semefo) arrive, they will send the remains to a laboratory in Mexico City for thorough examination.

The attorney general's office of Coahuila told Telesur that only the Sinaloa Cartel was known to operate in the area, but analysts have also attributed the turf to Los Zetas.

Since 2015, Vida has located the bodies of more than 90,000 people in at least 40 clandestine mass grave sites.
Tadesse Kersmo, 51, was arrested by counter terrorism officers at London Heathrow Airport in September last year on an inbound flight from Eritrea, via Cairo

A university lecturer who was granted asylum in the UK allegedly flew out to an Ethiopian terrorist training camp and was caught with a 'Terrorism for Dummies' manual.

Tadesse Kersmo, 51, was arrested by counter terrorism officers at London Heathrow Airport in September last year on an inbound flight from Eritrea, via Cairo.

Snaresbrook Crown Court today heard the Ethiopian national collected military-themed documents about guerrilla warfare tactics, including one called 'Put 'em down Take 'em Out Knife Fighting'.

Within a file marked 'military' on his hard drive he had a manual on US Navy Seal sniper training, jurors were told.

Downloaded on May 11th, 2016, it contained information on hitting moving targets, shooting at night, weapons and training schedules.

Asked why he would download such a manual, Kersmo told police: 'Well simply interested and I found them because they're there, I don't know actually, actually I cannot explain.

'I simply get documents, I downloaded them.'

He denied downloading it to train himself or others to be snipers, and said he had no skills with weapons.

He is alleged to have been a prominent critic of his country's government before he fled to the United Kingdom and was granted asylum in 2009.

He was charged with seven counts of possessing articles containing information likely to be useful to terrorists and one count of attending a training camp.

The charges he faces relate to activity for an overseas Ethiopian political movement.

A file on his hard drive, called 'Combat Manual', subdivided into sections called 'Hand-to-Hand Fighting', 'Knife Fighting', 'Knife Throwing' and 'Marksmanship'.

One file, a book called Put 'Em Down Take 'Em Out, written by a former inmate of maximum security Folsom Prison in California, was downloaded on May 12 last year.

The manual contained guidance on knife attacks, including carrying out a practice drill on a dummy with a real knife.

It then asked 17 questions about the drill, ending with, 'did you kill the opponent?'

Prosecutor Barnaby Jameson said: 'It's another publication focused on killing people. And a guide that gives advice on attacking a dummy with a real knife is not simply a self-defence manual.

'And given the last words 'did you kill the opponent' we can deduce that 'take em out' means exactly what it says.'

Kersmo also had on his hard drive 'The Compilation of Security and Intelligence Principles' believed to be by Jihadist group 'Hizb Tawheed wal Qitaal'.

The lecturer was granted asylum in the UK in 2009 with his wife whom he was living with at the time of his arrest

Jurors heard it contained information on espionage, surveillance, military training, weapons and operations, and had an image of the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers on the front.

Kersmo told police he was surprised it was there as generally he did not like Islamic extremists, but he wanted to learn intelligence, the court was told.

Mr Jameson said: 'To his students there was nothing to suggest the defendant was anything more than a peaceable academic with a passionate interest in the politics of Ethiopia.

'Certainly, there was nothing to suggest a man involved in political violence or, to put it another way, a man involved in terrorism.

'There was - as you will discover, more than one side to this lecturer in business and economics.'

Describing Kersmo to the jury, Mr Jameson said he was born on May 5, 1966, and lived in Ethiopia until 2009 when, 'as a prominent critic of the Ethiopian government, he fled to the United Kingdom'.

The prosecutor continued: 'Since then he has lived in this country, obtaining leave to remain as the husband of an asylum seeker.

'Among other positions, he worked a job as a lecturer at Greenwich University.

'As you will hear, he taught courses there on business research methods, economics, international business and professional development.'

Kersmo was allegedly discovered in possession of four military themed documents, including a US Military sniper manual and a mini-manual on how to conduct urban guerrilla warfare.

He was caught with the material on two occasions, once on September 27, 2016, and again at Heathrow on January 4.

Kersmo was caught with the material on two occasions, once on September 27, 2016, and again at Heathrow (file photo) on January 4

One charge states Kersmo attended a location used for terrorist training and was photographed shaking hands with suspected terrorists.

He worked as a senior lecturer at Greenwich School of Management until 2017 and also taught at Greenwich University.

Kersmo appeared in the dock wearing a light blue suit, a white shirt and a blue spotted tie for the first day of his trial, provisionally scheduled to last until 21 December.

Mr Jameson told the jury of six men and six women that Kersmo 'did a fair amount of travelling' and was tracked making flights from Heathrow to Eritrea.

The prosecutor said Kersmo made journeys to Eritrea between 5 December 2015 and 27 September 2016.

Mr Jameson said that Ethiopia and Eritrea were once a unified block and 'following a war of independence Eritrea became autonomous in 1993'.

'Tensions between the two countries remain high, the border has witnessed continuing flare-ups of violence that continue to this day,' he added.

'You will have to consider why the defendant was choosing to visit a country that was a neighbour to Ethiopia but not a friend.

'In due course you will see some photographs that make his agenda abundantly clear.'

The prosecutor said that Kersmo was stopped on September 27, 2016, by counter-terrorist officers using their powers under Schedule 7 of the Terrorist Act 2000.

Mr Jameson said that one of the devices Kersmo was carrying was an external hard drive and documents 'of a nature outside economics and business studies' were discovered.

Kersmo, of Seven Sisters Road, north London, denies seven counts of possession of articles containing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and one count of attendance at a place used for terrorist training contrary to section 8 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

The trial continues.
The 'Black Widow' has asked the High Court to rule that she played no part in the death of her British husband Barry Pring (pictured)

A Ukrainian internet bride accused of organising the hit-and-run death of her British millionaire husband says it is 'nonsense' that she did it 'for the money'.

Anna Ziuzina, dubbed the 'Black Widow', has asked for a High Court ruling that she did not murder Barry Pring, who died on their first wedding anniversary in 2008.

Mr Pring's family believe the 47-year-old IT consultant's death in Kiev was deliberate and premeditated.

Relatives also believe that Ms Ziuzina, 38, who has changed her name by deed poll to Julianna Moore, was implicated, said Deputy Master Lloyd on Tuesday.

If that belief was proved to be correct, the forfeiture rule - which precludes a person who has unlawfully killed another from benefiting in consequence - would 'unquestionably' apply, he added.

The judge, who is only concerned with case management, said that it was time 'for the brake to come off' the determination of the forfeiture issue so it could move forward.

'To do otherwise would simply be to prolong the delay in finally resolving the issue without, in my judgment, securing any real benefit to the parties or to the administration of justice.'

Any hearing is unlikely before autumn 2018.

Ms Ziuzina's counsel, John McLinden QC, has claimed she was under the shadow of an unfair and relentless campaign against her.

Mr Pring is said to have been besotted with Miss Ziuzina despite his friends fears that she was a gold-digger. They are pictured together above

Mr Pring's family believe the 47-year-old IT consultant's death in Kiev was deliberate and premeditated

'She wants me to say publicly that the family are completely wrong in their belief and sight has been lost that she too has been gravely affected by this tragedy,' he said.

Ms Ziuzina, who lives in Marbella and was not in court in London, wanted the forfeiture issue dealt with as soon as possible while the family wanted it to remain on hold until after a fresh inquest.

The verdict of the first inquest, that of unlawful killing, was quashed for procedural irregularity after an appeal from Ms Zuizina.

The judge said the family's position was that they 'simply want justice for Barry', that their efforts had not been irrational, unfair or lawful and, if Ms Ziuzina thought otherwise, it was open to her to bring a defamation action.

Mr McLinden said there had been 'gross misrepresentation' of Ms Ziuzina's position.

Ukrainian Ganna Ziuzina (pictured), 38, has asked for a 'murder determination' from judges as she fights to unlock the 2m estate of Barry Pring

Mr Pring died intestate and to prevent her receiving the share of the estate to which she was entitled, the family invoked the forfeiture rule, saying she had murdered the deceased, he added.

'In order to defend the murder allegation, she was forced to engage with the forfeiture rule which had been raised against her.

'If she had not, she would have been labelled a murderer.

'To suggest she is in this for the money, as opposed to defending the murder allegation against her, is a nonsense.'

Mr Pring's estate is now worth about 250,000.
A school bus full of children crashed into a home in Hialeah, Miami, Monday morning.

Fire rescue officials confirmed at least ten of the children had minor injuries and one child was rushed to hospital because of a cut on his back caused by the broken glass on the vehicle.

'It crashed into the house after it went out of control,' said seventh-grader Jose Alba.

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A school bus full of children crashed into a home in Hialeah, Miami Monday morning

Courtesy NBC 6 Miami

'One kid who was free got hit by glass shards in the back. He's now at Palmetto,' he said according to CBS Miami.

The child that had to be taken to the emergency room was driven to Palmetto General Hospital by his father immediately after the incident.

The children were on their way to Palm Springs Middle School at the time.

Fire rescue officials confirmed at least ten of the children had minor injuries and one child was rushed to hospital because of a cut on his back caused by the broken glass on the vehicle

The Maria Elena shool bus smashed into Liuba Garcia's home, both Garcia and the driver, who has not been identified, were too distraught to speak about the situation.

The tragic accident left a giant hole in the living room of Garcia's home but the homeowner does have insurance.

The bus driver's son arrived at the scene to see his mom and would only say, 'It was an accident.'

Meanwhile Rafael Acevedo, Garcia's friend, was on hand to help after the incident. 'Basically, they call us because I guess somebody run the light and the bus couldn't stop and it went inside the house,' said Acevedo.

'It crashes into the house after it went out of control,' said seventh-grader Jose Alba (pictured)

The tragic accident left a giant hole in the living room of Garcia's home but thankfully the homeowner does have insurance (pictured here)

'The front window is gone and everything in the living room is damaged. As of right now, they're calling insurance to see so we can cover it up or something.'

There have been several dangerous situations at the same intersection where the crash happened, W 12th Avenue and W 46th Street.

'Every month there's an accident. They have to do something about this corner,' Garcia's father, Manuel Garcia said.

Neighbor Juan Garcia added: 'It's maybe the third time I see thatNot on the house, on the fence but close to the house,' said Juan Garcia. 'I told the homeowner here be careful. Somebody could be injured in the living room.'

The cause of the crash is still under investigation and currently the school bus company has refused to comment.
After their arrest and release on $20,000 bail, the duo skipped town

The pair were arrested and police found a gun, a rubber tourniquet and a knife

Perillo and her son Richard were waiting in the backseat of an SUV in May 2015 and waiting to kill

A woman from California has been sentenced to 27 years in prison after pleading guilty to plotting to murder a divorce attorney from Indiana.

Renee Perillo, 54, Glendale pled guilty on counts of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder-for-hire.

Perillo wanted to kill attorney Rebecca Eimerman because she was looking to get her hands on unpaid divorce settlement money from her boyfriend, Dr. Arnaldo Trabucco.

Perillo's son, Richard, was also involved in the plot and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and transportation of a firearm across state lines with the intent to commit a felony. He will be sentenced later this month and faces a life sentence.

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Renee Perillo, 54, of Glendale, California will has been sentenced to 27 years in jail. Her son, Richard Perillo, 24, of Laughlin, Nevada, will be sentenced later this month on December 14

Renee Perillo, 54 has been sentenced to 27 years in prison after pleading guilty to plotting to murder a Noblesville, Indiana divorce attorney

Divorce attorney Rebecca Eimerman, pictured, was the target of the murder-for-hire plot

Eimerman was pursuing unpaid settlement money from Perillo's boyfriend, Dr. Arnaldo Trabucco of Fort Mohave, Arizona, on behalf of his ex-wife but the scheme began to unravel one May morning in 2015 when Eimerman's husband got into his wife's Chevrolet Suburban to back it out of the driveway. He saw the Perillos in the back of the SUV and called the police.

The two were still in their SUV when police arrived and claimed to be homeless, according to an affidavit.

The Perillos had a handgun with them and were also carrying a lethal dose of anesthesia called succinylcholine.

The Perillos also had several identification and credit cards belonging to Eimerman, who said she had left her wallet in the SUV, police said.

Richard Perillo, pictured, bragged to an inmate he had gone to Indiana to kill a local attorney

Unpaid: Attorney Rebecca Eimerman was pursuing unpaid settlement money from Perillo's boyfriend, Dr. Arnaldo Trabucco, pictured, of Fort Mohave, Arizona, on behalf of his ex-wife

The pair were arrested on drug and gun charges before being released on $20,000 bail, but the pair skipped town. Richard Perillo was in San Diego and Renee Perillo in Montana.

After the two were booked in the Hamilton County Jail, Richard Perillo bragged to another inmate he had gone to Noblesville, Indiana to kill a local attorney

According to the Indianapolis Star, police continued their investigations while the duo were on the run.

Eimerman had recognized Renee Perillo as the woman who was dating a client's ex-husband and told authorities she feared for her life, meanwhile Richard Perillo had bragged to two inmates in the Hamilton County Jail that he had traveled to Noblesville to kill a local attorney.

When police found the Perillo's car it contained a shovel, latex gloves, duct tape, a hammer, a tranquilizer gun, a machete, a blond wig and a silicone mask of an elderly man's face.

Police searched Renee Perillo's phone and found multiple Google searches of Eimerman and her home, the affidavit said. The phone contained photos of Eimerman's home and her SUV.

'This devious plot to murder and kidnap a victim is beyond any logical comprehension,' United States Attorney Josh Minkler said in a statement. 'Ms. Perillo will have many, many years in the Department of Corrections to think about her actions.'
A Georgia man has been accused of forcing his stepdaughter, 13, to eat cat food and drink detergent in what authorities are calling the worst case of child abuse they'd ever seen.

Rimmon H. Lewis, 33, and Angela Strothers, 33, the victim's mother, have been charged with multiple counts of child cruelty after the years of horrific abuse was uncovered.

Police heard that the girl had been beaten, forced to take scalding hot baths and locked in the laundry room. She was also forced to eat cat food and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or pick the scraps off her her siblings and parents' plates once they had finished eating.

Rimmon H. Lewis, 33, (pictured) has been accused of forcing his stepdaughter, 13, to eat cat food and drink detergent in what authorities are calling the worst case of child abuse they'd ever seen

On one occasion, the teen was made to drink detergent, according to the indictment.

Lewis, who was on probation after being charged with abusing the same girl in 2014, would also punish his stepdaughter for having a stutter by forcing his thumbs in her mouth and stretching the corners until they ripped and bled, causing scars, legal documents state.

It's not clear whether the authorities were monitoring his contact with his stepdaughter after his previous arrest.

'It's amazing to me how this child survived as long as she did,' Assistant District Attorney Tracy Cason, the prosecutor on the case, told Channel 2.

The authorities were first alerted in March after counselors at the girl's school noticed she was covered in bruises.

One police started investigating, they say they uncovered a long history of alleged abuse.

Angela Strothers, 33, the victim's mother, has also been charged with multiple counts of child cruelty after the years of horrific abuse was uncovered

The victim was regularly locked in a laundry room in the family's Gwinnett County home, where she was not allowed to use the bathroom and forced to urinate on herself. She would then be sent to school wearing her urine soaked clothes, according to the indictment.

She would also be forced to complete 'standards' - bizarre tasks such as standing on cans of food while writing sentences and phrases 1,000 times in a row, including statements like 'I will respect my father,' Channel 2 reported.

The 13-year-old would also be forced to squat against a door with her head under the doorknob, and if she moved before Lewis allowed her to, he would beat her with a wooden table leg, authorities say.

She would not be allowed to eat if she hadn't completed her standards for the day.

The indictment states that Lewis beat his stepdaughter with a belt and the table leg, punched her in the head and stomach, and kicked her in the vaginal area.

He is also accused of forcing the victim to take scolding hot or freezing cold baths.

On one occasion, in March, Strothers found her daughter sleeping on the couch without Lewis' permission so did as he instructed and threw her out the house, the indictment says.

The victim was regularly locked in a laundry room in the family's Gwinnett County home (pictured) where she was not allowed to use the bathroom and forced to urinate on herself

Lewis and Strothers were arrested in April. Lewis is charged with 15 counts of first-degree cruelty to children, four counts of aggravated battery and one count of aggravated stalking. He is also charged with for violating his probation.

Strothers has also been charged with stalking and four counts of child abuse.

The stalking charge stems from June when Strothers allegedly gave the victim new clothes and a message from Lewis, apologizing and promising never to hurt her again.

Lewis, who was sentenced to 12 months in prison and 10 years probation in 2014, for his previous arrest for child abuse involving his stepdaughter, has been jailed for five years for violating his probation.

Strothers has been released on bond.

Her daughter, and her other children, have been seized by the Georgia Department of Family and Child Services.
Bill Clinton went on the assault against sitting President Donald Trump over his travel ban and a range of other issues, finally responding to the Republican's attacks on his legacy.

Clinton, in a New York Times op-ed, ripped Trump's America and the social platforms and media outlets that allow him to spread 'division.'

'Our most important challenge is deciding who we Americans really are  as citizens, communities and a nation. On that, all else depends,' Clinton assesses.

The Democrat whose wife Hillary was felled by Trump in the last election never invoked the current commander-in-chief by name. The backdrop of the opinion piece, however, was a Supreme Court ruling backing up Trump's latest travel ban.

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Bill Clinton went on the assault against sitting President Donald Trump over his travel ban and a range of other issues, finally responding to the Republican's attacks on his legacy

A high court decision on Monday allowed Trump's extreme vetting procedures to take effect while his executive actions are evaluated.

The ruling suggests that Trump's measures, which now apply to six Muslim-majority nations and North Korea, will be upheld when they make their way to the top of the judicial ladder.

Critics of the policy say Trump is inherently targeting followers of Islam. After all, he openly pursued a 'total and complete shutdown' of Muslims entering America until the nation's terror problem could be resolved when he was a candidate.

Administration lawyers have argued the temporary measure is not meant to exclude members of any one religion. Instead, they have said, it is narrowly tailored to keep out residents of countries it has deemed to be national security threats.

Clinton indirectly referenced the debate in an op-ed published late on Monday, in which he went on a spiel about the embrace of 'tribalism based on race, religion, sexual identity and place of birth.'

'All too often,' he said, '[it] has replaced inclusive nationalism, in which you can be proud of your tribe and still embrace the larger American community.

'And too often resentment conquers reason, anger blinds us to answers and sanctimony passes for authenticity,' the former president said.

He said social media platforms - namely Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook - had lessened Americans' attention span.

'Too many social media sites are fever swamps of extremist foreign and domestic invaders,' he said. 'Such resolute efforts to abolish the line between fact and fiction, truth and lies, can offset all the benefits of our interconnectedness.'

The observation appeared to be a reference to Trump's own use of social media and his retweets last week of a fringe group in the U.K. spreading false information about Muslims.

'When trust vanishes and knowledge is devalued as an establishment defense of the status quo, anything can happen. We already see citizens being disenfranchised by the millions, targeted by race, ethnicity and age not because they are ineligible to vote, but because they favor inclusive, not tribal, nationalism,' Clinton wrote.

People who win 'in this kind of environment,' he wrote, are 'those who already have it made.'

The Democrat whose wife Hillary was felled by Trump in the last election never invoked the current commander-in-chief by name. The backdrop of the opinion piece, however, was a Supreme Court ruling backing up Trump's latest travel ban

'The least responsible members of the political media, who will prosper covering each new controversy and outrage,' he said. 'And the enemies of democracy, who feed the discord and hope that Americans will finally concede that informed self-government no longer works  and perhaps is no longer even possible  in the modern world.'

Clinton's op-ed echoes themes Barack Obama and wife Hillary Clinton hit on last year as Trump campaigned for the presidency.

The former president has been relatively silent while his wife has traveled the country, thrashing Trump and promoting her election memoir, despite the Republican's occasional attempts to needle him.

Besides accusing the Clintons of a pay-for-play scheme while Hillary was secretary of state and a wide range of 'crooked' behavior, Trump has tried to unravel areas of Bill's presidency, particularly when it comes to North Korea, an increasingly isolated country under immense U.S. and international sanctions.

North Korea is the only country on Trump's newest extreme vetting list that does not boast a large population of Muslims.

Trump has berated Clinton and every president who came after him for their failure to curtail the regime's nuclear ambitions, beginning with a 1994 accord that the two-term president's administration is responsible for.

He has likewise claimed that his predecessors generally left him with a 'mess' on both the domestic and foreign fronts.

The 42nd President of the United States hit back at Trump on Monday, saying that the United States has a 'serious set of security challenges,' which include nuclear proliferation and terrorism that 'have contributed to declining economic mobility, increasing political and social alienation and more personal insecurity for millions of our fellow citizens.'

'These forces have increased our divisions, and make it even harder to recover our sense of common purpose,' said Clinton, whose remembered for residing over the country during a time of economic prosperity.

Clinton also defended the Democratic overhaul of the health system that failed during his administration but was realized during Barack Obama's.

'Health care reform has brought millions of people affordable, quality medical insurance for the first time, but we have wasted too much time fighting over efforts to repeal that progress when we should be fixing the problems that remain and preparing for the aging of our population,' he said.

Bringing up the Charlottesville race riot that left one protester of white supremacism dead and Trump under massive scrutiny for his claim there were fine people on both sides of the dispute, Clinton said: 'We are reminded that the racial divide remains a curse that can be revived with devastating consequences.'

Clinton concluded by reflecting on his own presidency.

'I said that every American should follow our Constitutional framers command to form a more perfect union, to constantly expand the definition of us and shrink the definition of them. I still believe that,' he said.

'Because I do, I favor policies that promote cooperation over conflict and build an economy, a society and a politics of addition not subtraction, multiplication not division.

'Unfortunately, too many people in power across the world seem determined to do the reverse. If we do that here, we will miss this moment to build our brightest days,' he said.
Joyce Wood (pictured), 72, suffered from coronary artery disease and died of shock during the incident that took place in April

A Maine woman has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after a home invasion victim was literally scared to death.

Belfast officials say 37-year-old Tara Shibles pleaded guilty in a deal with the state for a 10-month jail sentence. WABI-TV reports Shibles apologized in court Monday, saying she never meant to hurt anyone.

According to police, Shibles broke into the home of 72-year-old Joyce Wood in April and jumped into bed with her.

Wood called 911 and ran out of the house before suffering a fatal heart attack.

She suffered from coronary artery disease and died of shock during the incident that took place in April, according to the Maine medical examiner's office.

Wood called 911 between 3am and 4am on April 2 after Shibles climbed into bed with her and refused to let her turn on the light, according to the Morning Sentinel.

The woman's family members arrived before police and placed her in a car, where she died.

Tara Shibles, 37, pleaded guilty in a deal with the state for a 10-month jail sentence after she jumped naked into Wood's bed

Police called the case and circumstances 'bizarre' as they investigated what happened that night.

Neighbors remembered Wood as an 'outspoken and blunt' woman. Ernie Glabau, who lived nearby said Wood was 'one of the best neighbors Ive ever had'.

Wood called 911 and ran out of the house (pictured) before suffering a fatal heart attack

'You always knew where her feet were and where she stood and what she had to say,' he told the Sentinel.

Wood had a daughter and three grandchildren.

Shibles is due to start her sentence immediately.
Eoghan Gallagher, 34, is said to have 'grabbed' and 'squeezed' the stranger between her legs as she walked past him at Floritas in Newcastle

A student, who has accused a doctor of groping her in a busy bar allegedly told him 'you've picked on the wrong girl' and punched him in the face.

Eoghan Gallagher, 34, is said to have 'grabbed' and 'squeezed' the stranger between her legs as she walked past him at Floritas in Newcastle.

Newcastle Crown Court heard, in response to the sexual assault, the alleged victim, who was studying at Durham University, told him 'You don't do that to a woman. You've picked on the wrong girl' and punched him in the face.

The medic, from Knocknacarra, Galway, Ireland, denies sexual assault and is being tried by a jury.

Prosecutor Elizabeth Muir told the court the alleged victim, who was wearing stretchy, elasticated jeans, had been in the busy bar looking for friends in the early hours of the morning in spring last year.

The undergraduate was walking through the bar towards an adjoining door with a club next door named House of Smith when she encountered Gallagher.

Miss Muir told jurors: 'She came across the defendant, who was standing in front of her as she was walking by.

'As she approached him, she saw him move his right arm towards her.'

Miss Muir said the student then saw and felt the doctor's hand between her legs.

She added: 'She pushed him away and said words to the effect of "what are you doing, you don't do that to a woman" and was screaming at him.

'He was saying "I'm sorry, I didn't mean any trouble, what did I do?"

'She describes being terrified at this point and punched him in the face and ran out and spoke to the door staff.'

The court heard Gallagher was removed from the club then arrested and cautioned by police, who were already outside on patrol of the city.

He was initially co-operative with officers and said he had done nothing wrong but gave no comment during interview.

The alleged victim told jurors from the witness box she had been concentrating on finding her friends in the bar that night and added: 'I saw a gentleman put his hand out towards me. He was on my right side, he grabbed me.'

The woman said there had been no conversation and added: 'I didn't know the man.'

She told jurors: 'He squeezed as well, I felt his fingers.

'I said "What are you doing? You don't do that to a woman". I looked directly in his eyes. He said he was sorry.'

The woman said she was left in tears by the ordeal.

Ros Scott-Bell, defending Gallagher, said the doctor's recollection of the incident was that he and the woman accidentally came together as he turned to speak to his friend and he apologised because he believed he had spilled her drink.

The doctor's recollection of the incident was that he and the woman accidentally came together as he turned to speak to his friend and he apologised because he believed he had spilled her drink

But the woman replied: 'Absolutely and categorically not. Absolutely not, that was not the case at all, that was not the case.'

The alleged victim added: 'He made a conscious decision to put his hand on me then grab, squeeze, I felt his fingers.'

The woman admitted she had punched the man and added: 'There is no way I would punch someone for spilling a drink on me.

'I am not proud I punched him, I don't condone violence but I was so shaken, I just panicked, I hit him.

'It is not something I was proud of, that was because he had completely invaded my body.'

The woman told jurors she had said to the man: 'You don't do that to a woman, you've picked on the wrong girl.'

Miss Scott-Bell suggested that the victim had not been sexually assaulted at all that night but she replied: 'I was sexually assaulted.'

The trial continues.
Three teenage boys, the youngest of whom is just 14, have been arrested for robbing and beating a homeless man to death.

Brandon Conrad, 14, Malik Page, 16, and Emmanuel Harris, 17, have all been charged with murder for the death of Kevin Cullen, 57.

The teens, who were arrested after police working on the case were assigned to their high school, will all be charged as adults.

They were all taken in to custody in front of their 'shocked' relatives and custodians on Sunday morning.

Cullen, whose friends say he was between homes, was beaten to death in the street in Philadelphia last month.

Brandon Conrad, 14, and Malik Page, 16, and Emmanuel Harris, 17, were arrested on felony murder and robbery charges on Monday and will be tried as adults

Police launched a desperate appeal for his killers who witnesses said laughed as they attacked him.

The boys were arrested as a result of surveillance footage and comments from their classmates who they are understood to have told about the killing.

'It was a combination of video, word of mouth from varying sources. The kids started talking, they spoke to their friends.

'They were known for troublemaking inside the school,' Philadelphia homicide Captain John Ryan told DailyMail.com on Tuesday.

The boys are accused of murdering 57-year-old Kevin Cullen who died in hospital on November 27 after suffering repeated blows to the head

Two of the boys live with their families.

They had no knowledge of their involvement in the crime, Captain Ryan added.

'They were more or less in shock,' he said.

The other teenager lives in foster care.

Conrad and Page live in adjacent blocks. All three are 'neighborhood kids' but none has been in trouble with the law before.

They are accused of attacking Cullen at 5.55pm on November 26.

Grainy surveillance footage taken from a store nearby showed them following Cullen down the street moments before the attack.

Witnesses say they heard the boys smashing his head into a brick wall several times.

When they ran over to intervene, they found Cullen unconscious and with his pockets turned inside out.

'They were laughing, like it was funny.

'They hit his head into a wall so hard I felt it in my house on the second floor,' one resident told WPIV before the boys' arrest.

Police later said the man had nothing on him for them to steal.

Cullen, whose family said he struggled with alcohol addiction, died the following day in Aria Torresdale Hospital as a result of blows to the head.

He was known locally and would often stay with friends.

The attack took place near Loring Street in Philadelphia on November 26 at 5.55pm

Cullen's family said he was not abandoned but that he had been battling demons including alcohol addiction and that he was between homes

His relatives said they were devastated to learn of his death and that he had been battling demons but was not destitute.

'We didn't get to see him too often. He would come in and out of our lives.

'He was not abandoned, he was not unloved. He was loved deeply,' one of his brothers said.

The teenage boys all attend Abraham Lincoln High School. The school declined to comment on their arrest.

All are now being held in a special area of an adult prison as they await their first court date.
A former spokesman for the Florida Department of Children and Families is accused of possessing child pornography.

A Gainesville police report says 67-year-old Thomas William Barnes was arrested last week and charged with possession of sexual performance by a child and promoting a photo of a sexual performance by a child.

On Monday, he was charged with 10 additional child porn charges.

Police have arrested Thomas William Barnes, 67, and charged him with at least 10 child pornography charges. Barnes is a former spokesman for the Florida Department of Children and Families

The Gainesville Sun reports the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report in August that a Yahoo user, later identified as Barnes, sent a graphic photo of a man and a girl.

Police searched his computer and found multiple folders of child porn hidden under seemingly innocuous names, according to authorities.

One file, titled 'Too Much', had at least 55 images.

Police searched Barnes computer at his home (pictured) and found multiple folders of child porn hidden under seemingly innocuous names

The content included depictions of sexual intercourse with children as young as six, Barnes reportedly told police, according to the Gainesville Sun.

Spokeswoman Jessica Sims said in an email that Barnes left the agency more than 10 years ago.

Barnes remains in jail on a $900,000 bond. Records don't list a lawyer.
A five-year-old girl is dead after a school bus left the road and smashed into a tree while carrying children to school in Georgia.

The Georgia State Patrol said a video shows a school bus driver struggling with the gear shift in the deadly crash Tuesday morning in Liberty County, about 50 miles southwest of Savannah.

The crash killed five-year-old Cambria Shuman. The GSP said it is too soon to know whether the 62-year-old bus driver will be charged

The bus driver and 22 children who were passengers suffered injuries. The children were taken to Liberty Regional and Winn-Army Hospitals.

Five-year-old Cambria Shuman has died after her school bus crashed into a tree Tuesday morning

A video shows a school bus driver struggling with the gear shift seconds before the deadly crash

The GSP said it is too soon to know whether the 62-year-old bus driver will be charged

The bus driver and 22 children who were passengers also suffered injuries

Liberty County Public Safety Director Mike Hodges said the driver had the most serious injuries. He said his understanding was that the injured children had 'bumps and scrapes and lacerations.'

The bus driver was 62-year-old Evelyn Rodriguez. Authorities say she was trapped in the crash and then later freed. She was taken to Memorial Health in Savannah.

The State Patrol said the bus driver lost control, drove into a ditch and slammed into a tree. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

The State Patrol said the bus driver lost control, drove into a ditch and slammed into a tree. No other vehicles were involved in the crash

The bus driver was 62-year-old Evelyn Rodriguez. Authorities say she was trapped in the crash and then later freed

The girl who died was sitting in the front of the bus on the right side, the area that felt the worst impact, according to officials

The bus traveled about 100 yards in the ditch before colliding with a tree. The roof of the bus then collapsed on the students

The bus traveled about 100 yards in the ditch before colliding with a tree. The roof of the bus then collapsed on the students.

Cambria was sitting in the front of the bus on the right side, the area that felt the worst impact, according to officials.

Congressman Buddy Carter for Georgia's 1st congressional district tweeted his support on Tuesday saying: 'As a father and grandfather, my heart mourns with the parents and family that lost their child today. I hope for a quick and healthy recovery for those injured in the accident.'

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the student's family in their time of grief,' Chief Academic Officer Patti Crane said in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The bus was taking the children to Taylor Creek Elementary School.
A British man nearly ended up 4,000 miles away from his holiday destination after he booked a flight to the wrong city of San Jose.

Steven Roberts, 31, was mean to be flying out to San Jose in Costa Rica with his friends, but managed to book a flight to San Jose in California.

As luck would have it, one of his friends pointed out to him that there were two cities with the same name and asked him to double check his flight - and the mistake was discovered in time.

Big mistake: Steven Roberts, 31, was mean to be flying out to San Jose in Costa Rica with his friends, but managed to book a flight to San Jose in California.

Hop and a skip: San Jose in Costa Rica is some 4,000 miles away from the one in California

Mr Roberts, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, was set to go on a three week 'lads holiday' with his friends, the Sun reports.

However, having arrived in London and discovered that he and his friends were travelling from different airports, his friend sent him a warning text message.

The message from his friend read: 'Are you sure you are going to the right San Jose? Not the one in the states?'

Mr Roberts posted the conversation on Facebook and wrote: 'Wow... what a night! Having lost my train booking confirmation I managed to persuade a train lady to search for me and retrieve my tickets 5 minutes before the train departed.

All is well that ends well: The mishap set Mr Roberts back 1,000, but he was able to join his friends in the right country

Wake up call: Mr Roberts, from Leeds, realised his mistake just in time to book a flight to the correct destination

Mr Roberts, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, was set to go on a three week 'lads holiday' with his friends. Pictured above, is San Jose, California

Mr Roberts' Facebook post has been liked by dozens of people, with many of his friends mocking him for making the very expensive mistake. Pictured above, San Jose, Costa Rica

'Having arrived in London I realised that my flight from Heathrow to San Jose (Costa Rica) was actually in CALIFORNIA!!

'Two hours on the phone to my AMEX concierge and Im now booked to fly from Gatwick to Costa Rica... TAXI PLEASE!

'This trip suddenly became quite expensive... note to self dont trust travel folk #sanjoseisacommonnameforairports'.

The Facebook post has been liked by dozens of people, with many of his friends mocking him for making the very expensive mistake.
A Massachusetts police officer has been fired after writing an insensitive Facebook post that mocked protesters in Charlottesville who were run down by a car.

Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri announced Friday that he had fired Officer Conrad Lariviere for conduct that 'discredited the department', reported MassLive.com.

On August 12, Lariviere fell under national scrutiny when he posted inflammatory comments on his personal Facebook page.

In response to an article about a car driven by a suspected neo-Nazi through a crowd of demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia, Lariviere wrote: 'Hahahaha love this. Maybe people shouldn't block roadways'.

Massachusetts police officer Conrad Lariviere (pictured) has been fired after writing an insensitive Facebook post that mocked protesters in Charlottesville who were run down

On August 12, Lariviere fell under national scrutiny when he posted 'Hahahaha love this. Maybe people shouldn't block roadways' in response to an article about a car driven by a suspected neo-Nazi through a crowd of demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia

Lariviere (left and right) accused his critics of living 'in a fantasy land with the rest of America while I deal with the real danger'. He later apologized and said he was 'good man who made a stupid comment'

The comment was poorly received, in particular because 19 people were injured and one person, 20-year-old Heather Heyer, was killed. The driver, James Alex Field, has been charged with second-degree murder.

In the comment sections, Lariviere soon identified himself as a police officer and said his critics 'live in a fantasy land with the rest of America while I deal with the real danger'.

The comments drew widespread backlash after they were noticed online and thousands signed a petition calling for Lariviere to be fired.

The day after his remarks were posted, the officer told MassLive.com he was a 'good man who made a stupid comment' and that he was criticizing the blocking of roadways by the public.

However, many local officials including Mayor Domenic Sarno and the local chapter of the NAACP, all criticized the post.

Lariviere, a three-year veteran of the Springfield Department, was immediately removed from patrol and assigned to internal duties.

The comments drew backlash after they were noticed online and thousands signed a petition calling for Lariviere to be fired (Pictured, the car driving into protesters in Charlottesville )

Nineteen people were injured after the car plowed into white nationalist rally protesters and one person, 20-year-old Heather Heyer (left), was killed. The driver, James Alex Field (right), has been charged with second-degree murder

Lariviere, a three-year veteran of the Springfield Department, was immediately removed from patrol and assigned to internal duties (Pictured, the attack in Charlottesville)

The Springfield police officers' union protested Lariviere's termination and expects an appeal (Pictured, bystanders treat an injured person in Charlottesville)

Barbieri, in a brief statement, said he reached his decision after the Community Police Hearing Board reviewed Lariviere's case on November 21.

'The Community Police Review Board determined that Officer Lariviere was in violation of Springfield Police Department rules, regulations and policies,' Barbieri said.

'It was determined that Officer Lariviere impaired the operation of the Springfield Police Department or its employees and discredited the department.'

The Springfield police officers' union protested Lariviere's termination and expects an appeal. The union said the dismissal was political.
Mateusz Madej, 23, disappeared after being granted bail over a brutal machete murder

A murder suspect featured on the BBC's Crimewatch faces extradition to Britain after finally being arrested following a year on the run in his native Poland.

Mateusz Madej, 23, disappeared after being granted bail in September last year over the brutal machete murder of cage fighter Sebastian Zuchlinski, 39.

Mr Zuchlinski was ambushed and hacked to death by four masked men in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in February 2016.

Last March, Tomasz Bubrowski, 39, was jailed for life at Bolton Crown Court for being one of the four suspected killers.

Madej, who was described by police as 'dangerous', fled to Poland after being released by detectives on bail - but he was arrested in Krakow on November 14.

Today, a Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: 'We are aware of the arrest of Mateusz Madej in Krakow.

Sebastian Zuchlinski, 39, pictured with his partner Ewa Bubrowska, was ambushed in the street and suffered at least 17 wounds to his head, body and limbs during the vicious assault

'Madej remains wanted by GMP in connection with the murder of Sebastian Zuchlinski and the subject of a European Arrest Warrant. We will continue to liaise with the Polish authorities.'

A European Arrest Warrant, valid throughout all EU member states, requires another member state to arrest and transfer a criminal suspect to the issuing state.

Cagefighter and father Mr Zuchlinski was ambushed in the street and suffered at least 17 wounds to his head, body and limbs during the vicious assault.

Mr Zuchlinski, known affectionately as 'Seba', had been at home with girlfriend Anna Bubrowska when they decided to go out.

Miss Bubrowska's sister, Beata Brzeleinska, offered to drive Mr Zuchlinski to a friend's house to borrow some smart shoes.

Last March, Tomasz Bubrowski, 39, was jailed for life for being one of the four suspected killers

The pair walked to her Citroen C2 car parked around the corner but after climbing in they were ambushed by men who blocked them off with their Honda Civic.

During Bubrowski's trial, prosecutor Mark Monaghan said four men in balaclavas began hitting the roof and bonnet of the car.

Mr Zuchlinski, known affectionately as 'Seba', suffered a stab wound to the head that was so forceful it fractured his skull

Three of them went to Mr Zuchlinski's side of the car while the fourth - holding a machete - tried to open Miss Brzeleinska's locked car door.

Describing the sudden attack, Miss Brzeleinska told the jury: 'I was so in shock, I didn't know what to do with myself.

'Seba looked at me and said 'Beata run' and then he just opened his door and got out to them. He tried to shield himself with the door and they just grabbed him.'

She ran off and when she returned Mr Zuchlinski was lying dying on the ground.

His thumb was chopped off, a stab wound to the head was so forceful it fractured his skull and a six-inch-deep wound to the chest cut into two ribs and a lung.

The jury heard following the killing, Bubrowski headed back to his home in Bolton with Madej to collect some possessions before the two men drove to Madej's home.

An eyewitness, Naseran Iqbal, came across the men in balaclavas attacking Mr Zuchlinski and saw him attempting to crawl away.

She sounded her horn and when she got out of her car the attackers fled and she went to try and help Mr Zuchlinski.

Bubrowski, who already had a conviction for stabbing someone else in the head, stood looking emotionless in the dock as a jury convicted him of murder.

He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 31 years.

Speaking at the end of the trial, Greater Manchester Police's Detective Sergeant Derek Houston said: 'I am satisfied with the sentence.

'It reflects the seriousness of the offence. We will not stop in our endeavours to catch the remaining killers.'

Detective Inspector John Mulvihill said: 'This was a savage and unprovoked attack that took the life of an unarmed man who had made plans for a fun evening out with his girlfriend and her sister.

'The loss of Seba was one that his loved ones felt deeply and they still feel the impact of his death and miss him dearly. My thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

'I hope the sentence passed will give them some sort of comfort to know that justice has been served and a man responsible for killing their loved one will now start a lengthy prison sentence.'

A Crimewatch appeal in September last year described Madej as 'dangerous' as police tried to track him over the murder.

Two other men, completing the list of four murder suspects, are still wanted in connection with the killing.
CNN host Poppy Harlow shot down Roy Moore spokesperson Janet Porter after Porter made poor-taste comments about her unborn baby.

Porter made the remarks on Tuesday's edition of New Day, in which she defended prospective Alabama senator Moore - who has been accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl - by trying to refocus the debate on abortion.

The spokesperson told Harlow that Alabama voters should pick Moore over Democrat Doug Jones because Jones wants to 'kill babies' like the host's 'up until the moment of birth.'

Harlow was not happy.

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Shot down: CNN's Poppy Harlow (left) shot down Roy Moore spokesperson Janet Porter (right) after she tried to politicize Harlow's unborn baby to distract from Moore's child assault claims

Allegations: Moore (left) is alleged to have sexually assaulted two girls aged 14 and 15. Porter misrepresented the abortion stance of his opponent Doug Jones (right) to change subject

Harlow had introduced Porter - an anti-abortion activist - with a cheerful smile, but the discussion hit rough ground almost instantly.

'Thank you, it's to be with you, and congratulations on your unborn child,' Porter said, talking over Harlow's attempts to ask her first question.

'That's the reason why I came down as a volunteer for Judge Roy Moore, because he'll stand for the rights of babies like yours in the womb, where his opponent will support killing them up until the moment of birth.'

Harlow's face fell throughout the last half of that sentence, but she pressed on - until Porter looped around and tried to once again politicize the host's unborn son.

'If you care about child abuse, you should be talking about the fact that Judge Roy Moore stands for protection not only of our Second Amendment rights, so we can protect ourselves against predators, for the rights of babies like your eight-month baby that you're carrying now.

'Doug Jones says you can take the life of that baby and we should pay for it.'

'Let's leave my child out of this,' says Harlow, but Porter continues her rant until Harlow says again - in a very pointed tone - 'Let's leave my child out of this.'

As well as being offensive to the expectant mother, Porter's remarks were inaccurate or misleading.

Jones does not support - as she appeared to imply - abortion 'up until the moment of birth.'

Shocked: Harlow looked shocked when Porter twice claimed Jones wanted 'to kill babies' like the host's eight-month-old unborn son, then firmly said 'Let's leave my child out of this.' Jones has said he only wants to maintain Alabama's existing decades-old policy

Claims: Leigh Corfman (left as a teen) says the adult Moore stripped and groped her, and made her touch him. Debbie Wesson Gibson (right as a teen) says Moore dated her when she was 17

In a November 2 interview with AL.com, he said that he supports maintaining the existing Alabama law, which puts a 22-week limit on abortions.

Under that decades-old law, he said, 'late-term procedures are generally restricted except in the case of medical necessity. That's what I support. I don't see any changes in that.'

Also, Moore is no longer a judge; he resigned in April following a unanimous suspension by the Alabama Supreme Court after he attempted to force judges to ignore a federal decree that allowed for same-sex marriages.

Moore has been accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl and pursuing inappropriate relationships with various teenagers while in his 30s.

Leigh Corfman told The Washington Post in early November that Moore had given partially stripped her, groped her and made her touch his genitals through his underwear in 1979, when she was 14 and he was 32.

She claims the then-assistant district attorney went on two 'dates' with her, after convincing her mom she could be alone with him, and that it was on the second date that he assaulted her.

Following the publication of that article, Beverly Young Nelson came forward and said that Moore had sexually assaulted her in his car when she was 15 and he was 32.

She said that he had picked her up from her diner job one night on the pretext of giving her a lift home.

He then drove around the back of the diner, groped her and tried to force her head into his crotch. She says she resisted and ended up bundled out of his car and sprawled in the parking lot as he sped off.

Another woman, Tina Johnson, said that Moore leered at her and groped her buttocks when she went to a law office to sign custody documents in 1991.

Evidence: Gibson produced this high-school yearbook message. Moore denies dating her, and also denies all claims of sexual assault

Six other women have said that Moore made unwanted advances on them or otherwise attempted to court them when they were aged between 18 and 22.

Debbie Wasson Gibson claims he dated her when she was 17 and he was 34, and has produced a high-school yearbook with a message from him.

He denies dating her, and all claims of sexual assault. The legal age of consent in Alabama is 16.

Several other people, including ex-cops, said that Moore was banned from he Gadsden Mall for trying to pick up teenage girls, although that claim has been refuted by three witnesses who spoke to Moore's campaign.

Donald Trump has backed Moore's campaign for the Alabama Senate.

'Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama,' he wrote.

'We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!'
A Texas State University student journalist has been fired after his racist rant in their November column of the school paper.

Rudy Martinez, who regularly writes for The University Star, said that 'white death will mean liberation for all,' in his article titled 'Your DNA is an abomination.'

His racist tirade began by saying he has only met a handful of white people who he would describe as 'decent,' KXAN reported.

A Texas State University student journalist, Rudy Martinez, has been fired after his racist rant in their November column of the school paper

This isn't the first time Martinez has run into trouble. He was among the 230 people arrested in D.C. during Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2017 and tried to crowdfund for legal fees.

Among those arrested were journalists and innocent bystanders who were not rioting, Rudy being one of them. He is wrongfully facing rioting charges.

He then went on to say that white people are privileged and the world would be a better place if they were abolished.

'The idea of whiteness and the way we currently understand it in which you have white privilege, you have our system of mass incarceration, you have a history of slavery in this country followed by Jim Crow,' Martinez said.

President of Texas State, Denise M. Trauth, posted on the Texas State University's Facebook page assuring people that these were not the views or opinions of the school

'Mass incarceration is the new Jim Crow. These are all ideas born out of whiteness; they were born out of the minds of white people. So that, I do see as an aberration,' he said.

He aggressively ended his piece with, 'I hate you because you shouldn't exist. You are both the dominant apparatus on the planet and the void in which all other cultures, upon meeting you, die.'

Unsurprisingly his article was met with shock from the paper's editorial board who said, 'The author of this column has jeopardized the atmosphere of inclusivity at this university and will no longer be published in The University Star,' according to The College Fix.

They revealed the paper has received death threats and tons of hate mail since the article was published.

Despite the backlash Martinez (pictured) has no regrets, 'Lets leave the racist attacks out of this. I dont think my piece is racist at all. I dont think colored people can be racist, I think racist attitudes come from a position of power,' he said

In addition, students have started a petition to defend the publication which has already been signed by 1,500 people.

President of Texas State, Denise M. Trauth, assured people 'The columns central theme was abhorrent and is contrary to the core values of inclusion and unity that our Bobcat students, faculty, and staff hold dear.'

Despite the backlash Martinez has no regrets,

'Lets leave the racist attacks out of this. I dont think my piece is racist at all. I dont think colored people can be racist, I think racist attitudes come from a position of power,' he said.
A pair of Lawrence of Arabia's sandals which had been kept safe in a Waitrose carrier bag are among a stash of items expected to fetch 3,000 at auction.

The British Army officer, who made his name in the First World War aiding the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, is believed to have clocked up quite a few miles in the well-worn shoes, according to experts.

Lawrence's exploits were dramatised in the 1962 Oscar-winning Hollywood historical epic, starring Peter O'Toole.

The brown sandals were among a series of keepsakes left by TE Lawrence to family friend Rodney Havelock Walker.

A pair of sandals belonging to Lawrence of Arabia are among a collection of items that are expected to sell for 3,000 at auction later this month

The items belonging to Lawrence, right, who was famously played by Peter O'Toole, left, in the 1962 film, were given to family friend Rodney Havelock Walker

Also going under the hammer are photos of Mr Walker as a baby, wearing Lawrence's white lace christening robe, together with a picture taken by the adventurer while in Libya.

Another lot is a copy of Lawrence's book, Seven Pillars Of Wisdom, given to Mr Walker by his parents because of their connections.

The collection, which goes on sale at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbyshire, on December 19, is expected to fetch up to 3,000.

Mr Walker later bequeathed the mementos to another family, who have now decided to sell them.

Auctioneer and antiquities expert Charles Hanson said: 'When I pulled Lawrence of Arabia's sandals out of a Waitrose carrier bag, I was astonished - and delighted.

'He is one of Britain's most iconic figures, a man who played a key role in world history and inspired one of the most famous films ever made.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson, pictured, said the sandals were in 'delicate condition' but were 'remarkable and war-weary'

'Most importantly, these items come with great provenance.

'The entire collection once belonged to Rodney Havelock Walker, who wore Lawrence of Arabia's christening gown.

'Their families were great friends and Walker bequeathed the items to our vendor's family.

'We understand the sandals were worn by the great man himself.

'Though in a delicate condition, they are remarkable survivors from almost a century ago. They must have faced rocky and sandy terrain and may be war-weary.'

Lawrence, a diplomat, archaeologist and writer, was born in Wales in 1888, and earned renown for his role in helping Arab tribesmen against the Turks in the 1914-18 conflict.

Mr Hanson added: 'He successfully united diverse, often warring, Arab tribes to fight the Turks and led military activities against Ottoman forces, culminating in the capture of Damascus in October 1918.

'His efforts contributed towards the making of the modern Middle East.

'We can only imagine the experiences he had in the Arabian peninsula but, thanks to this rare find, whoever buys this lot will be able to walk in his shoes.'
President Trump is not usually a fan of his impersonators, deriding Alec Baldwin's efforts on Saturday Night Live as 'unwatchable' and 'sad.'

But the was rather more enthusiastic when he met 16-year-old impressionist Trevor Tharp at Salt Lake City airport on Monday morning.

Trevor also does an imitation of the President alongside his twin brother Tristen, who poses up as Mike Pence - and unlike Baldwin's performance, Trump loves it.

Trevor and Tristen Tharp, who impersonate Donald Trump and Mike Pence, met the real-life President as he arrived in Salt Lake City yesterday

Trump spotted them as soon as he got off the plane, came over to shake their hands, and signed their Make America Great Again caps

Speaking to Fox 13, Trevor described the moment Trump got off Air Force One.

He said: 'He points directly at me and says, 'You know I got to meet this kid and he goes you're fantastic. I love this guy isn't he fantastic?'

'I was the first person to get a handshake and then my brother went to him and we got our hats signed.'

Speaking about the handshake, he added: 'He's got a really good grip and he pulls you forward to him so his arm is out like this it's a firm handshake that's for sure.'

Tristen said that he wasn't sure the President would appreciate their impressions because he's often described 'as a rude person', but he was pleasantly surprised.

The teenagers usually perform under the name of The Talented Twins and promote themselves via YouTube and Facebook.

They have also appeared on ABC's The Gong Show, and even appeared at a Utah GOP event earlier this month.
More than 100 nations will today sign a pledge to eliminate plastic pollution from the oceans.

At a global summit yesterday envoys agreed to a zero-tolerance policy to deal with the planetary crisis.

The head of the UNs environment programme told the 7,000 delegates the Mail should be praised for campaigning on the issue. Holding up a copy of the newspaper, headlined Lets turn the tide on plastic, Erik Solheim said: Pollution is the biggest killer on the planet and we need to defeat it.

UN Environment Programme head Erik Solheim waved the British newspaper aloft as he spoke about the devastating effect pollution is having on the environment at a conference in Nairobi, Kenya

The Daily Mail launched the campaign on Saturday with the front page headline 'Let's turn the tide on plastic'

Were facing an ocean armageddon. Every year, were dumping at least eight million tons of plastic in our oceans.

If we continue to allow this to happen, by 2050 there is going to be more plastic in the ocean than fish. To tackle the problem of marine pollution we have to make this a kitchen table conversation.

This is happening. For example, the Daily Mail, one of the most widely read newspapers in the world, is putting the message out and this is really positive, really fantastic.

Today, representatives of almost all of the countries attending the conference in Kenya will sign a pledge to deliver action.

It is even likely to garner support from the United States  whose government under Donald Trump has been criticised for failing to protect the environment.

The UN resolution will establish an international task force and may also detail controls on the use of plastics and ambitions for improved recycling.

While not legally binding, it is hoped the treaty will prompt governments to set much tougher policies  and prompt business to do more.

The UN Environment Assembly is the worlds highest-level decision-making body on green policy.

Mr Solheim said: A majority of 193 governments around the world will commit themselves tomorrow to preventing plastics entering the worlds oceans. He said there was very strong support for zero tolerance.

Sir David Attenboroughs Blue Planet II documentary for the BBC has shocked audiences with scenes of sea life, including whales, choking on plastic.

Last month researchers at Newcastle University revealed that creatures in the depths had been found with plastic in their stomachs.

Crustaceans found almost seven miles down, at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, had swallowed microscopic fragments. The Daily Mail has been at the forefront of the movement to stop plastic poisoning our seas. This newspaper has championed the carrier bag tax as well as pushing for plastic microbeads to be removed from cosmetics.

Beaches across Britain have been blighted by tonnes of waste plastic washed ashore

This litter and debris has destroyed the view of this beach on the Clyde Estuary

The banks of the River Thames in London are also heavily polluted by plastic rubbish

Here are the disgraceful scenes at the mouth of the River Mersey near Liverpool

This beach in Bude, Cornwall, has been covered in plastic flotsam and jetsam

This rubbish was spotted by a photographer walking along the beach in Weymouth

This grey seal is faced with a plastic bottle of detergent at Horsey Gap in Norfolk

Here at Compton Bay on the Isle of Wight, rubbish is strewn across the sand and rocks

Mr Solheim said citizens had to put pressure on governments to take action  and they could help by not using throwaway cups and straws.

We have to stop treating the oceans like a dumping ground and we have to stop right now, he said. We can only go so far with beach clean-ups and the like. The challenge is we have to stop plastics getting in the oceans in the first place. If we kill the oceans we kill ourselves.

The solutions are straightforward. There are plenty of natural alternatives to plastic beads in toothpaste or face scrub.

We dont need food to be systematically wrapped in plastic, and we certainly dont need plastic straws or throwaway plastic coffee cups.

There is no reason for plastic to end up in the ocean  it is basically happening through sheer laziness. Peter Thomson, the UN secretary-generals special envoy for the ocean, said: There is no doubt that the meeting in Nairobi will be an important step in combating humanitys pollution of the ocean with plastic.

There is no quick fix to this gigantic problem and many processes and methods will be required to correct the wrongs that we have brought upon the ocean with our plastic plague.

Lisa Svensson, who is the UN ocean conservation chief, told the BBC: This is a planetary crisis. In a few short decades since we discovered the convenience of plastics, we are ruining the ecosystem of the ocean.

A spokesman for the Department for the Environment said: Countries around the world need to take urgent action to stop plastic entering our oceans and todays UN agreement clearly demonstrates our shared commitment.

At home, the UK continues to be a world leader in tackling this issue  taking nine billion plastic bags out of circulation with our 5p carrier bag charge and drawing up one of the worlds toughest bans on microbeads.

DAILY MAIL LEADING CAMPAIGN The Daily Mail has been at the forefront of campaigning, including with the launch of a Take Back Your Bottles initiative. A spokesman for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: We are taking significant steps to tackle plastic waste including plans to introduce a ban on plastic microbeads, taking nine billion plastic bags out of circulation with our carrier bag charge and the launch of a call for evidence around deposit reward and return schemes for plastic bottles and other drinks containers. We recognise there is more to do in this area, and we will be working with industry to explore how we can further reduce the amount of single-use plastic waste. The Government promised in the Budget to examine taxes on plastic and Environment Secretary Michael Gove is considering a deposit and return scheme. Advertisement

Britain is still falling short of its recycling target

Household recycling is flatlining as councils fail to tackle Englands rubbish mountain, official figures show.

Despite Government targets to recycle 50 per cent of household waste by 2020, Englands rate is just 44.9 per cent, with the rest sent to landfill or incinerated. Confusing waste collection rules, which can vary greatly between different council areas, and a lack of effort on their part to boost recycling have been blamed for the poor record.

Green groups also pointed the finger at manufacturers using increasing amounts of packaging that cannot be recycled. Some 22.8million tons of waste were collected from English households last year but only 10.2 million tons recycled  an increase of just 0.7 per cent on 2015.

Britons are only recycling 44.9% of waste with the rest heading to landfill or incineration

The London Borough of Newham has a recycling rate of just 18% - the lowest in the country

By contrast, the amount of rubbish incinerated jumped 10 per cent to 10.2million tons. Total household waste sent to landfill did fall to 4.1million tons from 5.1million, however.

Englands recycling rate compares unfavourably with Welsh councils, which are recycling 54 per cent of waste.

Julian Kirby, of Friends of the Earth, said English councils had done little to boost recycling since 2010 when the Coalition government backed away from tougher targets. He said: What we have seen since 2010 is councils giving up on their recycling ambition.

The reason councils arent doing more is because central government is giving up on the issue.

Pulling down the national average is London, which had the lowest recycling rate in the country  with an overall rate of 33 per cent. At just 18 per cent, the worst-performing area was the East London borough of Newham.

Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Tim Farron said: Its worrying that recycling levels including of plastic waste are now flatlining. Now is the time for bold action to boost recycling and tackle plastic waste.

Elena Polisano, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: If were going to save our oceans from plastic pollution, we need the manufacturers of plastic packaging to take responsibility for the waste they produce.

A Defra spokesman said it was encouraged to see the recycling rate rising, but said it was looking at further ways to boost rates and avoid waste as part of its waste strategy.
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Carrie Fishers quirky Beverly Hills home has been left untouched since her sudden death, including a Christmas tree complete with a Darth Vader bauble which she used to keep up all year round.

The Star Wars actress, who died on December 27 after suffering a heart attack, lived next door to her mother, Oscar winner Debbie Reynolds, who passed away a day later, and left behind a Hollywood pedigreed estate.

Her bohemian bedroom looks like it could be from a different universe - with a huge colorful rug and bright bed spread, giant lit-up headboard, chandelier and antique lamps.

The home is full of mismatched vintage furniture and collectables, including a huge stain glass window in her living room made for her by a friend in England.

And her love of Christmas takes center stage. On the holiday, she once famously said: 'I don't think Christmas is necessarily about things. It's about being good to one another, it's about the Christian ethic, it's about kindness.'

Carrie Fishers quirky Beverly Hills home has been left untouched since her sudden death, including a Christmas tree (pictured) laden with baubles, including one in the shape of Darth Vader, which she used to keep up all year round

The Darth Vader bauble which hangs from the Christmas tree all-year-round - a touching nod to the movie which made her famous

A piano laden with pictures and trinkets sits in a room alongside a red Smeg fridge which is on the floor with what appears to be a frog ornament on top of it

The grounds of the Beverly Hills house with two fake animal carcasses hanging from a sign reading 'Steaks and Chops'

A Star Wars director's chair with a script placed on top of it sits in a room with a cap that reads 'The Star Wars saga continues'

The kitchen floor with a woman's face reacting in shock to a Prozac pill (left) and the bathroom painted pink with a copy of the New York Post reporting her wedding day hanging above it

Fisher bohemian bedroom looks like it could be from a different universe - with a huge colorful rug and bright bed spread, giant lit-up headboard, chandelier and antique lamps

Carrie had a stained glass window of her daughter Billie Lourd looking like a saint

These pictures were taken in May - months after Fisher passed away.

But despite the fact she died in December, during the holiday season, the Christmas tree and the decorations would have been in place regardless of the month.

Todd Fisher, the actresses brother, has previously said the Christmas tree and fireplaces kept going year round in her eclectic home.

Carrie previously spoke about her 1919 residence in Coldwater Canyon in a feature for Architectural Digest in 2004, saying: 'I had so much stuff, I had to live in a place where it wanted to go.

'The furniture was definitely in charge of where I ended up. If you can say anything about the house, it's always been playful.'

Her home originally belonged to Robert Armstrong, the ship's captain in King Kong, and the likes of Bette Davis have also lived there.

Carrie, who died aged 60, turned her guest room into a home for wandering Brits, and struck up an unlikely friendship with musician James Blunt, who wrote his hit Youre Beautiful during his stay. She fed him soup, watched home movies with him, and even put a cardboard cut-out of Princess Leia outside of his bedroom for protection.

In an interview, she said: 'Hes never been to therapy and I've had enough for both of us, so we started talking quite deeply about his time in the army and the kind of impact that had had. And so on. So I was kind of his shrink/landlady.'

It is thought the house will soon be put up for sale.

The exterior of Fisher's eccentric home, where she lived next door to her mother

The Star Wars actress, who died on December 27 after suffering a heart attack, lived next door to her mother, Oscar winner Debbie Reynolds, who passed away a day later, and left behind a Hollywood pedigreed estate

The script on the directors' chair is opened on the left while a view from the outside shows the house (right) is not short of trinkets in the garden

The stairs are emblazoned with a message that reads: 'They f*** you up, your mom and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had. And add some extra just for you'

Colorful: The dining room is also as quirky as the actress herself, with vibrant mis-matched chairs around a long table

Carrie Fisher: The late actress liked to keep a Christmas tree up in her Beverly Hills home all year round

He stayed at the property for five months and recorded in her bathroom, where she bizarrely keeps a piano due to the good acoustics.

Security has now been upped at Carries property, which belongs to her daughter, Billie Lourd, while her uncle, Todd Fisher, decides what to do with the home.

A friend exclusively told Dailymail.com: 'There are only two members of staff left, but there is a lot more security and cameras in most rooms.

'Nobody knows what is going to happen to the property, or Debbies, but we would love celebrity tours to visit. They both collected so many fascinating items over the years and had different, unique tastes when it came to decor.'

Debbie once held a huge collection of cinematic treasures, including Marilyn Monroes famous white dress from The Seven Year Itch, and Julie Andrews' guitar from The Sound of Music.

She tried for years to have the items put on display in a museum but was forced to part with them before she died, although she still kept dozens of props from movies at her home.

Meanwhile, a public memorial is being planned at Forest Lawn in Burbank, where the pair were buried side by side, giving fans the chance to pay their respects with friends and family.

A source said: 'It was a huge shock when they passed so suddenly and close together, and everyone is still grieving.

'But the family want to organize something special at the end of March for people to pay their respects.'
Donald Trump told Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday that he intends to move America's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Authority made the announcement via the state-run WAFA news service shortly after the two leaders spoke.

The White House told reporters in the morning that Trump had scheduled calls with Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

'Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, informing him of his intention to transfer the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,' WAFA reported, according to an English translation.

President Donald Trump and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas spoke on Tuesday, and Abbas' state-run media outlet says Trump gave him a heads-up that he intended to move America's embassy to Jerusalem

The White House had said it would not take any immediate action on whether to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv (shown above), something that Trump had promised to do during his presidential campaign

WAFA, the Palestinian Authority's state-run press organ, broke the news Tuesday before the White House could put its own spin on the decision

'The president, I would say, is pretty solid in his thinking at this point,' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Tuesday afternoon

'Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said that President Abbas warned of the dangers of such a decision on the peace process, security and stability in the region and the world.'

Trump will deliver a speech on Wednesday in which he is expected to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital city.

'The president, I would say, is pretty solid in his thinking at this point,' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Tuesday afternoon, describing the decision-making as 'a very thoughtful interagency process.'

Separately, Rudeina said in a statement that 'the Palestinian stance is determined and steadfast  there will not be a Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as its capital according to decisions by the international community.'

'Abu Mazen [Abbas] is now holding an emergency meeting in his bureau following the phone conversation with Trump.'

Other reactions in the Arab world were more pointed.

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, threatened to convene a meeting of member nations of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation to oppose en masse any move recognizing Jerusalem as distinctly Israeli.

'Jerusalem, Mr. Trump, is a red line for Muslims,' Ergodan told his nation's parliament.

'We will continue our fight against this with determination until the very end,' he added, 'and this could go all the way to our cutting diplomatic ties with Israel.'

Foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan have also spoken with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the past 36 hours, warning him that loudly siding with Israel in the age-old squabble over Jerusalem's status could stir the region's already boiling pot.

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, threatened on Tuesday to organize Arab nations to block Trump, and called Jerusalem 'a red line' for Muslims

WHY IS JERUSALEM CONTESTED? Jerusalem has been a contested site for centuries, and today three major world religions  Judaism, Islam and Christianity  lay claim to various holy sites and monuments there. Crucially, Israel calls it its capital, but the Palestinians say the east of the city is their capital. The establishment in 1948 of the state of Israel included its declaration of Jerusalem as the capital. But the war which followed left the city split between west and east along religious lines. For the two-thirds of Jerusalem residents who are Jews, they live in the world's holiest city, the capital of the original Israelite Kingdom of Judah and the former location of ancient Jewish temples. The Western Wall, a site where Jews make pilgrimages to pray, is nearby. Israeli soldiers after capturing East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967. Israel later annexed the area and declared it part of its capital - something the international community refuses to recognize Muslims, who comprise nearly all the rest, consider the walled Old City in Jerusalem sacred too. What Jews call the Temple Mount is known in Islam as Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary). It contains the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Palestinians controlled the site until Israelis captured it from Jordan during the Six-Day War in 1967. Christians are only about 2 per cent of Jerusalem's population, but they see the city as the site of Jesus Christ's cruxificion and resurrection from the dead. Israelis consider Jerusalem  all of it  to be their 'eternal capital.' Palestinians want their own sovereign nation with East Jerusalem as its capital, and have made that a condition of pursuing a 'two-state solution' to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Israel's Knesset passed a law in 1980 officially annexing East Jerusalem, but no other nation has ever recognized it as legal. Most countries avoid the issue by having embassies in Tel Aviv which is Israel's economic capital. Advertisement

Trump ignored a semi-annual deadline last Friday imposed by a 1995 law written to force then-president Bill Clinton to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem.

Congress inserted a yawping loophole, writing that the White House can waive the requirement by declaring every six months that keeping it in Tel Aviv is in America's 'national security interests.'

Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and now Donald Trump have all exercised that option.

But as the deadline loomed last week, Vice President Mike Pence said in a speech that Trump 'is actively considering when and how to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.'

Trump's coming acknowledgement of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a move seen by some as a consolation prize from a president who's not yet ready to make the larger commitment.

Trump's move will make life more difficult for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, another man on his call list Tuesday morning

American embassies around the world are on heightened alert as the White House has hinted Trump is ready to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital  but he indicated Monday night at the White House that he couldn't hear shouted questions about it

But the WAFA report raises the possibility that Trump will ride his china-shop bull persona into history instead  and causing a new kind of turmoil in the Middle East.

It's unclear from the report whether Trump told Abbas that he would move the embassy soon or in the more distant future.

The White House isn't saying either.

It has become commonplace for the Trump White House to hold back official accounts of high-stakes calls with world leaders, giving their governments the chance to publicly cast the discussions in whatever light they want.

Last month Turkey's foreign minister announced after one such call that Trump had promised Erdogan that the U.S. would stop arming Kurdish fighters in Syria.

The White House's 'readout,' a publicly released summary, made no specific mention of that.

American embassies around the world have been on heightened alert this week over potential violence as Trump mulls how far to go  whether to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and even move the U.S. embassy there.

The possibilities have stirred opposition from American diplomats and foreign officials.

Another regional leader Trump spoke to Tuesday morning is Jordan's King Abdullah II, pictured with his wife Queen Rania last week in Washington

Such a decision, which U.S. officials have said has not been finalized, would violate decades of American policy not to take a stance on the fate of Jerusalem  on the grounds that this was an issue Israelis and Palestinians should negotiate and decide.

Changing course could spark demonstrations or violence by Palestinians or by Muslims around the world, in part because of the sensitivity of the Jerusalem site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

The site includes the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, and the golden Dome of the Rock.

It was also the site of an ancient Jewish temple, the holiest place in Judaism.

Israel seized East Jerusalem, which includes the area, during a 1967 war.

However, the Waqf, a Muslim religious body, manages the Islamic sites within the compound.

A senior U.S. official told Reuters last week that Trump was likely to make the announcement on Jerusalem being Israel's capital on Wednesday, though his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner on Sunday said no final decision had been made.

Kushner is leading Trump's efforts to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, efforts that so far have shown little progress.

If Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it could spark demonstrations or violence by Palestinians or by Muslims around the world, in part because of the sensitivity of the Jerusalem site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (above)

The White House said it would not take any action on Monday on whether to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, something that Trump had promised to do in his presidential campaign.

Trump is expected to sign the waiver, according to several US officials.

One US official said Trump was likely to accompany the signing with an order for his aides to begin serious planning for an eventual embassy move, though it was unclear whether he would establish a strict timetable.

Two other US officials said on condition of anonymity that news of the plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital had kicked up resistance from the State Department's Near Eastern Affairs bureau (NEA), which deals with the region.

'Senior (officials) in NEA and a number of ambassadors from the region expressed their deep concern about doing this,' said one official, saying that the concerns focused on 'security.'

'The impending Jerusalem announcement has me very worried about the possibility of violent responses that could affect embassies,' a State Department official told Politico.

'I hope Im wrong.'

A fourth U.S. official said America's consensus intelligence estimate on U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was that it would risk triggering a backlash against Israel, and also potentially one against American interests in the Middle East.

The core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute include borders, the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.

The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war and the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Islamist Hamas, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

There are fears that any change in the status quo on Jerusalem could spark another round of Palestinian violence from militant groups like Hamas (whose members are seen above in Gaza City on November 14)

U.S. allies voiced their misgivings about the United States unilaterally calling Jerusalem Israel's capital.

'Any US announcement on the status of Jerusalem prior to a final settlement would have a detrimental impact on the peace process and would heighten tensions in the region,' Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron 'expressed his concern over the possibility that the United States would unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel' during a phone call with Trump on Monday, Macron's office said after the two leaders spoke by telephone.

And in an unusually detailed statement published by Jordan's official news agency Petra, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi was quoted as having warned Secretary of State Rex Tillerson against the move in a call on Sunday.

Safadi said such a move would 'trigger anger across the Arab and Muslim world, fuel tension and jeopardize peace efforts,' Petra reported.

The Palestine Liberation Organization's chief representative in Washington, Husam Zomlot, said a formal US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would be the 'kiss of death' to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

'Should such a step be taken it would have catastrophic consequences,' Zomlot told Reuters.

A fifth US official said concerns of Palestinian and other Arab leaders about endorsing Israel's claim to Jerusalem were being taken into account but no final decisions had been made.

Daniel Benjamin, a former US counterterrorism official now at Dartmouth College, had a simple message: 'This is playing with fire.'
A Georgia man says he was ordered to cut his own dog's head off after police shot it dead.

Joe Nathan Goodwin was at work on Friday when he received a call from his distraught girlfriend Natasha Dakon telling him the police had turned up at their home and shot their dog after receiving reports it had bitten a neighbor.

He rushed home to find the family's beloved dog, which appears to be a Pit Bull cross, dead and the police on his front lawn. Little did he know, the worst was yet to come.

The cops, who claimed they'd shot the animal when it lunged at a deputy, then ordered the grieving pet owner to decapitate his two-year-old dog, Big Boy.

They claimed that his head had to be removed to be sent for rabies testing - despite the fact Big Boy was fully vaccinated against the deadly disease.

The stunned Goodwin, who began recording the confrontation with the officers on his cellphone, says that when he refused to cut off his dog's head, Crawford County Sheriff's Office investigator James Hollis threatened to throw him in jail.

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Joe Nathan Goodwin (right) was at work on Friday when he received a call from his distraught girlfriend Natasha Dakon (left) telling him the police had turned up at their home and shot their dog after receiving reports it had bitten a neighbor

Goodwin says he eventually relented and agreed to remove his pet's head with a kitchen knife

'I will take you to jail and charge you,' he warned Goodwin, when he protested.

When Goodwin demanded to know what Hollis planned to charge him with, the officer initially replied that he'd tell him when they got to the police station. Another officer told him, 'you can be charged with disorderly conduct.'

Hollis, who appeared to be getting increasingly agitated by Goodwin filming him, said: 'We asked you to remove the dog's head. And you're refusing, right?'

Goodwin, who still appeared to be in shock over the bizarre request, replied: 'I ain't got a ... knife to cut' the head off.'

Crawford County Sheriff's Office investigator James Hollis (left and right) threatened to throw him in jail unless he complied

Big Boy (pictured taking a nap at Goodwin's home before the incident) was a beloved family pet

The other officer then jumped in, adding: 'If you would just listen, we don't know this process either.' Another video clip showed Goodwin being slammed onto the hood of the car when he tries to refuse.

Goodwin said later that he told officers that his dog had been vaccinated against rabies but the cops wouldn't let him leave the scene to get the paperwork.

Eventually Goodwin agreed and his girlfriend grabbed him a kitchen knife from the house.

He was then forced, as the cops watched on, to saw and hack away at his pet's neck with the small knife until he could remove his head.

'This was very traumatic for the kids and I,' Goodwin wrote on Facebook after posting the harrowing video clip of the decapitation.

'I don't think anyone should be forced to do what I had to do to their own animal,' he later added to 13WMAZ, breaking down in tears, 'I am sick to my stomach.

'I can't get that scene out of my head.'

He added he wanted his story shared because 'I just don't want this to happen again to any other person.'

Following the beheading, another video clip shows the officer telling Dakon to put the head into a plastic bag.

'You gotta freeze it,' Hollis added. 'That can be tested for rabies, OK?'

Goodwin says the experience has been 'traumatic' for the entire family (pictured with Dakon's three kids)

The couple were then ordered to 'meet them at the health department in Roberta with the head'.

Dakon said she cried all the way to the health department with her dead dog's head in her car, before dropping it off at 7pm on Friday.

Typically, animals suspected of being infected with rabies will be quarantined and closely monitored for ten days. If it shows signs of the disease, anyone who has been bitten will receive treatment. If the animal has been killed, it's brain will be sent for screening for rabies.

But it is unheard of for a mourning pet owner to be asked to remove their own dog's head for the procedure. If the animal was infected, removing the head without proper training or equipment would also put the owner at risk.

However in this case, it does not appear that Big Boy was infected as his owner says he had been vaccinated against the viral disease.

Crawford County Sheriff's Office told DailyMail.com an investigation has been launched over Hollis' actions but would not comment further.

Goodwin has since revealed he plans to take legal action against the police.

He said that he had been given the option to call a vet and pay to have the head removed but, with three children and Christmas approaching, he simply could not afford the procedure.

Goodwin added that he was not allowed to leave the scene, and was threatened with arrest if he did.
A well-loved teacher at the 19,000 a year private school Hugh Grant went to died of heart attack after getting into trouble during a staff swimming session.

Cath Hopley taught biology at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London from 2006 until her unexpected death last week.

According to a statement issued by the school, 'much loved' Miss Hopley was 'taken ill' during a swimming lesson on the evening of November 29 and rushed to hospital where doctors were unable to save her.

Cath Hopley (pictured) taught biology at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London from 2006 until her unexpected death last week

She was 'much loved', 'popular' and 'respected at Latymer Upper School (pictured)

It reads: 'It is with great sadness that I share the news that Cath Hopley, our much loved Biology teacher, friend and colleague, passed away.

'Cath was taken ill during a staff swimming session and given immediate assistance by colleagues and paramedics who were present.

'She was taken by ambulance to the Heart Attack Unit at Hammersmith Hospital.

'Very sadly doctors decided at 10pm that there was no more they could do for her.'

Latymer headteacher David Goodhew added that she was 'accompanied throughout her final hours by colleagues from the school.'

Mr Goodhew describes her death as 'shocking' and 'devastating', saying she was a 'popular' and 'highly-respected' teacher.

He said: 'The entire school community is devastated by this shocking news.

'Miss Hopley had taught biology at Latymer since 2006 and was a popular and highly respected teacher.

'Her lessons were consistently outstanding and she enjoyed leading extra-curricular activities such as DoE, Skern Lodge and swimming.

According to a statement issued by the school, 'much loved' Miss Hopley (pictured) was 'taken ill' during a swimming lesson on the evening of November 29 and rushed to hospital where doctors were unable to save her

'All staff, particularly in their early years of teaching, were grateful for her advice and support as a brilliant mentor.

'We will all miss her dreadfully.'

The school, who took in 100 children and 20 teachers from a Kensington school when it was closed following the Grenfell disaster, is organising a remembrance book for staff, pupils and friends to sign.

Mr Goodhew added: 'In due course we will be looking at ways to celebrate Cath's life and to mark her huge contribution to the Latymer community.'

Latymer is among the top-performing schools in the country, charging upper school students 6,420 a term.

It prides itself on its social mix and takes a significant number of state pupils as well as private ones.

This is in the spirit of its founder, 17th Century lawyer Edward Latymer, who set it up to educate 'eight poor boies' from Hammersmith.

Alumni include actors Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman and chef Heston Blumenthal.

After the fire at Grenfell Tower in Kensington, west London on June 14, pupils at nearby Kensington Aldridge Academy (KAA) were unable to attend school as its proximity to the site made it unsafe.

Headteacher Mr Goodhew describes her death as 'shocking' and 'devastating', saying she was a 'popular' and 'highly-respected' teacher

Latymer head Mr Goodhew grew up in modest circumstances in a tower block near Grenfell in north Kensington and went to the local comprehensive before going on to study Classics at Oxford.

He decided to take in 100 children and 20 teachers from KAA's sixth form to allow them to carry on learning while the Grenfell site was investigated.

Over 70 people are believed to have died in the blaze.

Writing on Facebook, a friend Paul Goldsmith paid a moving tribute to her.

He wrote: 'Cath Hopley was one of those teachers I would have loved to teach my children.

'She was one of those tutors I would have loved to have looked after my children.

'She was one of those colleagues I looked for in the dining room to sit across from as she was always such good value.

'Her determination and innovativeness in her teaching practice was an example to me.

'I cant believe she has gone. There is a hole in our hearts today that will take time to put together again. RIP Cath.'
Russell Simmons took some time to cool off on Monday as he headed out for some cryotherapy in Los Angeles.

The disgraced music mogul was photographed exiting Cryo Healthcare in West Hollywood while wearing a large back brace.

This outing marked the first time that Simmons has been seen since he was accused of sexual assault by director Jenny Lumet - the daughter of Hollywood legend Sidney Lumet.

'The voices of the voiceless, those who have been hurt or shamed, deserve and need to be heard,' Simmons said in a statement last week

'As the corridors of power inevitably make way for a new generation, I don't want to be a distraction so I am removing myself from the businesses that I founded.'

HBO announced soon after that Simmons was being removed from their All Def Comedy series.

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Summon Simmons: Russell Simmons was out in West Hollywood on Monday, the first time he has been seen since stepping down from all his businesses (above)

Keeping chill: The 60-year-old mogul was seen leaving Cryo Healthcare while wearing a large back brace (above)

Prior to Lumet coming forward, 43-year-old Keri Claussen Khalighi claimed in a Los Angeles Times story last month that she was forced to perform oral sex on Russell Simmons at her apartment in 1991 as Brett Ratner looked on, and then raped by the hip-hop impresario while she was showering after that first offense.

Simmons responded soon after by stating the sex was consensual and sharing three affidavits from individuals he claims were also in the apartment that weekend.

All three said there was no evidence of sexual assault, a conclusion they came too based on the demeanor of Khalighi that weekend.

None of those men - two of whom were anonymous and the third being Simmons' former assistant - witnessed the actual sexual acts in question between Simmons and the then-17-year-old model.

'Russell and I have actually had a face-to-face confrontation around this, weve had phone conversations, where we have had a conversation about what happened, where there was no dispute of what we were talking about,' said Khalighi to Megyn Kelly during an appearance on Today soon after she made the allegations.

'We were both talking about what happened on that night and he actually apologized. And part of what is so confusing and retraumatizing is what he is speaking about privately with me, is completely different than what has come out publicly. '

She went on to say that the 'lies and the denial' were 'really, really upsetting, disappointing and quite honestly, just repugnant.'

Khalighi had been out with the men and then gone back to see a music video at Simmons' apartment she told Megyn, the same story she had previously told the LA Times.

'As the video was playing, Russell came over and started making advances and at the time, I thought it was a joke and it became increasingly apparent that it wasnt a joke and he continued his advances and I looked over at Brett at that point for help, and I will never forget the look on his face,' said the model, who now married and expecting her third child on Monday.

'It was in that moment I realized, I think this was their plan all along, there was no help that was going to come.'

Khalighi said she was 'closed' and 'frozen' as Simmons made his move, adding: 'I looked over at Brett and asked to help because I thought we were friends. It was a very confusing and terrifying moment.'

That initial assault was not the end of it though according to the model mom.

'Part of my story that I think is really important to talk about in this conversation that is happening right now nationally, with sex abuse coming out, after the oral sex part of the story, I stayed,' she explained to Megyn, appearing via satellite.

'I didnt run out. I stayed and I took a shower and an additional sexual assault happened there.'

Victim: Keri Claussen Khalighi claimed in a Los Angeles Times story last month that she was forced to perform a sex act on Simmons in 1991 and he then raped her

Simmons responded to the allegations in a lengthy letter published by The Hollywood Reporter a few hours after Khalighi's appearance on Today.

'In our meeting many years later, and subsequent conversations, Keri never accused me of what she has said publicly,' wrote Simmons.

'She insisted I was not violent. She did tell me her boyfriend and many others found out about our long weekend together and she said she was ashamed by that discovery.'

He then added: 'I am sorry for the embarrassment she recounted to me.'

Simmons also introduced the affidavits by stating they were proof that the 'experiences that weekend with Keri Claussen Khalighi 26 years ago were consensual.'

It is unknown how these were obtained though and none give the specific dates of the encounter while, as previously mentioned, the names of two do the individuals who submitted these are unknown.

Ratner meanwhile has denied all of Kalighi's claims through his attorney.

Kalighi did get some social media support from Olivia Munn, who previously accused Ratner of sexual misconduct, as she wrote: 'Eloquent, powerful and 9 months pregnant. Keri Claussen Khaligi epitomizes what it means to be a woman. Im amazed by her courage and bravery to speak out against Russell Simmons and Brett Ratner. I proudly stand behind you Keri and I am so thankful for your strength.'
Iftikhar Ali, pictured, was aged 18 and living at home with his parents in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, at the time he allegedly sent extremist material on his mobile phone

A radicalised young Sainsbury's worker shared Islamic State propaganda on WhatsApp, a court has heard.

Iftikhar Ali was aged 18 and living at home with his parents in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, at the time he allegedly sent extremist material on his mobile phone.

After Ali was arrested on 10 March last year counter terror officers discovered he had typed 'Kuffar', 'Jihad' and 'Sharia4UK' into his phone so much the terms were stored in the device's user dictionary.

Ali allegedly sent a string of audio files on WhatsApp containing Nasheeds (songs), with titles like For the Sake of Allah and Give Our Regards to Abu Bakr and Oh Islamic State You Light the World.

The teenager had also trawled Youtube and saved videos called 'Islam London UK Sharia 4 UK' and 'where are the soldiers of Islam' into his favourites, it is claimed.

He is said to have downloaded a 148-page document called 'advice for those doing Hijrah' containing information about how to sneak abroad to join ISIS.

Ali insists he downloaded the material for 'research purposes' between 8 September 2015 and 10 March last year and denies links to any terrorist organisations, the Old Bailey heard.

He is charged with 12 counts of dissemination of a terrorist document and one of possessing a document likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism.

Opening the case, prosecutor Mark Paltenghi warned jurors that some of the evidence was 'graphic' and 'upsetting' and showed men about to be killed, although it was edited out of respect for their families.

Mr Ali is in court at the Old Bailey, pictured, charged with 12 counts of dissemination of a terrorist document and one of possessing a document likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism (stock photo)

He said: 'The allegations span a period of six months between September 8 2015 and the defendant's arrest on March 10 2016.

'It is the Crown's case that although he was young, he had already become a radicalised proponent and supporter of extreme Islamism.'

In a police interview, Ali made no comment to most questions but when asked about the 'central plank' of the case, denied ties with IS, the court heard.

He told officers: 'I have no links to any terrorist network. I was interested for research and curiosity purposes only as to what was going on in the Middle East. I'm not part of Islamic State or any other organisation.'

Mr Paltenghi said it would be for the jury to decide if Ali had an 'idle interest' in the Middle East or not.

He went on to tell jurors that Ali's defence would suggest that, at the time, he had another mobile telephone which was not recovered.

Ali, now aged 19, of Totteridge Drive, denies the charges against him.
A British motorcyclist was killed in a fiery smash after a stolen BMW crashed into his bike and dragged him down the road.

Keith Stevens, 33, originally from Forfar, Scotland, but now living in Melbourne, was riding home from work when he was hit.

Mr Stevens, a sheet metal worker with a young son, was rushed to hospital but died of catastrophic injuries including burns to 50 per cent of his body.

Four teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection with the hit and run and and also face a string of car theft charges.

British motorcyclist Keith Stevens was killed in a fiery blaze when a stolen BMW smashed into his bike and dragged him down the road in Melbourne, Australia

Four teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection with the hit and run that left Mr Stevens' bike smashed in the middle of the road

Mr Stevens' family have paid tribute to him in a statement released by police in Australia and told how his organs were donated to help save other lives.

They said: 'Keith was a loving father, partner and son. We will remain forever devastated by his loss.

'His passing in the most tragic of circumstances has left us all with immense grief and overwhelming sadness.

'Born in Scotland, he called Australia home. His death is being felt by the lives he touched around the world.

'Keith was our gentle giant and he leaves behind shocked friends and family.

'Keith was an organ donor and we know he would be pleased that in these most tragic of circumstances he was able to help improve the quality of others' lives.

'We thank the passers-by who stopped to help and the incredible staff at the Alfred Hospital who kept Keith sedated on life support till we could reach him to say our goodbyes.'

Mr Stevens had lived in Australia for 10 years and was killed on November 9.

One witness said they saw the car speeding right before the crash, which dragged the bike along the road as it burst into flames

CCTV footage showed the four people allegedly in the stolen BMW approaching a home where they allegedly stole a family's car

The gang allegedly stole this car, which was later found burnt out

An online campaign raised more than 3,000 to help his relatives travel to Australia for a memorial service and friends have taken to social media to pay tribute to him.

Ross Allan wrote: 'RIP Keith Stevens thoughts are with you and your family. Always the good ones get taken too young.'

Vicky de Vere posted: 'So sorry to hear this. There are no words. Thinking of you all and Keith's family/friends in Australia. Stay strong.'

Michelle Harris added: 'Sorry to hear this, I remember him from school was always smiling and being cheeky. Thoughts are with you all.'

Police allege the four teenagers in the car left the crash scene, dumped the BMW and then robbed a nearby home, stealing a Toyota.

A 17-year-old boy, accused of driving the BMW, has been charged with culpable driving and aggravated burglary.

Another 17-year-old is facing charges of aggravated burglary, four counts of theft of motor vehicle, attempted home invasion and home invasion. Two 18-year-olds are also facing burglary and home invasion charges.

Police have said they are not looking for anyone else in relation to Mr Stevens' death.
Terror attack fears spread in Brazil after a firefighter stole a firetruck and vowed to 'blow it up near Congress'.

Sergeant Fabricio Marques led a high-speed police chase of 15 cars through the streets of Brasilia during the dramatic incident in the early hours of Sunday.

The off-duty officer tore through the Brazilian capital and ended the chase just yards from central government buildings.

Sergeant Fabricio Marques led this high speed chase through the streets of Brasilia

The fire truck, stolen by off-duty office Marques, after its tyres where shot by police

Marques, 44, is now facing up to 20 years in prison over charges of theft and endangering lives.

However, investigators have ruled out terrorism after he reportedly shouted over the vehicle's loud speaker tannoy: 'I will stop near Congress. I will not kill anyone. I will not run over anyone. I will not drive over anyone.'

The ten-wheeled truck was intercepted just a mile from the National Congress and ministerial buildings after gunfire punctured the wheels, causing Marques to lose control and hit the curb.

According to witness statements obtained by the Correio Braziliense journal the sergeant revealed to others he wanted to 'harm the Congress' and he 'intended to blow up the truck' at the seat of the legislature.

Marques allegedly stole the 25-ton fire truck from a depot in Ceilandia, central west Brazil, after clocking off from work.

In a major breach of national security, he drove for 18 miles at top speed into the restricted central government zone in Brasilia.

Marques stole the vehicle and then allegedly threatened to 'blow it up' near government buildings

Police vehicles are parked at the scene after the dramatic chase through the Brazilian capital

Multiple gunfire could be heard as officers sprayed the vehicle's tyres with bullets in a concerted attempt to stop the fugitive carjacker.

Colleagues of the Marques pleaded with him to give himself up throughout the chase, but he reportedly shouted that he 'would not stop'.

Colonel Alan Araujo, Federal District fire department spokesman, said: 'The truck was removed without authorisation from a barracks in Ceilandia around 1am on Sunday and driven at high speed for 30kms until it reached the central area in Brasilia.

'The fire engine breached the national security zone and was travelling at 80km per hour (50mph). During the pursuit we were able to determine there were no elements related to the characterisation of a terrorist attack.

'Military police officers following the vehicle ordered the sergeant to stop several times over loud speakers but he refused. They tried to make eye contact with him, without success.

'The accused was not on duty and was wearing civilian clothes.

Marques' legal team said he has no memory of stealing the fire truck (pictured)

Marques is now facing up to 20 years in prison for the theft of the vehicle and endangering lives

'Around 15 police vehicles followed the stolen truck to 'mark out' the path and to avoid accidents until the fire engine was brought to a halt.

'After making sure that no one else was in the vehicle and there was no danger to pedestrians, military police shot the vehicle's tyres,'

The truck spun out of control on the flattened wheels and ended up ramming into the curb as it came to a halt.

Marques, who has over a decade of unblemished service in the fire brigade, was arrested at the scene.

Several cans of beer were allegedly removed from the fire truck by investigators searching the cab. No one was injured.

Skid marks cover the road after the truck was brought to a halt by police in Brasilia

The tyre of the firefighter was blown off as police sprayed it with bullets during the chase

In a statement Rodrigo Veiga de Oliveira, the lawyer representing Marques, said his client denied the charges and could not remember 'carrying out the action'.

Mr Oliveira said: 'My client is perplexed by the situation and surprised by what happened.

'When told what had taken place, Fabricio said he never intended to cause damage to Congress or to himself or others. He praised 'the excellent work done by military police, which intercepted the vehicle without hurting other officers'.

'We believe the actions stem from a deep mental suffering which has taken away my client's sanity.'

According to reports the sergeant's memory loss may be due to 'extreme stress' following two traumatic incidents which may have impacted on his psychological state.

Mr Oliveira explained: 'Fabricio recently lost a colleague to suicide and in a previous emergency he claimed he felt helpless when he was unable to save the mother of another firefighter.'

After a custody hearing on Monday (4 December) a military court ruled the sergeant should be detained behind bars to prevent the episode from being repeated.

The accused has also been sent for clinical examinations at the Medical Legal Institute.

Brasilia fire service said the incident is 'being investigated, and the Department of Health and Service will be involved in handling the case.'
Residents in a New York suburb have been warned to stay away from a coyote-wolf hybrid wandering their neighborhoods.

The creature is known as a 'coywolf' and is a 'mixture of a coyote and a wolf', Clarkstown Police Officer Peter Walker told CBS.

The Clarkstown Police Department posted a photo of the coywolf on its official Facebook page on Monday, informing Rockland County residents it was spotted early that morning in Congers.

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Resident Sean McCormack filmed this coywolf (above) roaming North Midland Avenue, where he says it appeared 'very scary' as it followed a woman into her driveway

Nyack resident Sean McCormack claimed he saw the same species in his town a week prior.

He told CBS he has cell phone footage of the creature on North Midland Avenue that appeared to be 'stalking' a woman and 'kind of followed her back up onto her driveway'.

It appeared 'larger than your average coyote' and 'very scary', he told CBS.

Experts say coywolves can pose a threat to living things they see around them.

'They do pose a threat to people and in particular, domestic animals,' David Dilworth, president of Chaos Wildlife Solutions, told DailyMail.com.

David added the creatures are 'predators' with an instinct to follow living things in their radar. Though he added small animals are more at risk than humans.

'A lot of them feed on moose and deer and small game,' said Dilworth. 'It would be uncommon for them to attack humans, but each animal has an individual personality. Without a doubt there is always that chance of a human attack. They're always dangerous.'

Dilworth said there's been a few recent coywolf attacks in Westchester County, but usually that means the animals are sick.

Due to the recent sightings, Clarkstown Police are warning residents of what to keep an eye out for. Police posted this photo

Due to the recent sightings, Clarkstown Police are warning residents of what to keep an eye out for.

The coywolf ranges in color from 'blonde to black and brown' - but is 'usually tawny brown', according to their Facebook statement.

"There's just so much food in the area. we have tons of deer squirrels rabbits and nice so its not like there's a lack of food.

Police also listed off a set of guidelines for Rockland County residents.

They have been told to chase the coywolves away and make noise, such as banging pots and pans, to get them off of their properties.

Police have informed residents not to feed any animals in their yards, including their own.

Residents are also being told to keep their dogs on leashes and cats indoors.

Officer Walker said if these creatures do begin to attack humans in the area that authorities 'will do what we have to do to stop that threat'.
The head of the FBI has sent a morale-boosting email to his staff in the wake of verbal attacks on the bureau by President Donald Trump.

On Sunday Trump said that the reputation of the FBI was 'in tatters' and 'the worst in History [sic]'.

The following day FBI Director Chris Wray emailed his staff to tell them that he is 'continually reminded of the breadth and significance of our work,' according to an email obtained by CBS News.

'I am inspired by example after example of professionalism and dedication to justice demonstrated around the Bureau,' he wrote. 'It is truly an honor to represent you.'

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FBI Director Chris Wray (pictured) has attempted to boost staff morale by commending their 'professionalism and dedication to justice' and to carry on with 'fidelity, bravery, and integrity'

Wray's email was sent Monday, the day after President Donald Trump wrote this tweet amid the ongoing investigation into his team's alleged collusion with Russia during the election

Wray said that he would be testifying on Capitol Hill at the end of the week, and that he was aware of how much the Bureau was now in the public eye.

He continued: 'We find ourselves under the microscope each and every day - and rightfully so.'

'We do hard work for a living. We are entrusted with protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution and laws of the United States.

'Because of the importance of our mission, we are also entrusted with great power, and we should expect - and welcome - people asking tough questions about how we use that power. That goes with this job and always has.'

He told his staff to 'continue to keep focused on our critical mission with fidelity, bravery, and integrity,' saying that 'The American people rightly expect this from us.'

Wray finished the letter with 'Keep calm and tackle hard' - something he said was one of his favorite 'work maxims'.

On Sunday, Trump wrote: 'After years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters - worst in History! But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness.'

That tweet came amid the continuing investigation by the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between Trump's team and Russia during the election.

Ex-FBI director and current special counsel for the Russia investigation Robert Mueller (left) has obtained financial documents relating to Trump. Trump owes $300m to a German bank

On Tuesday it emerged that Mueller had subpoenaed financial records from Deutsche Bank regarding Trump's debts to it.

He owes the bank around $300 million for building loans.

Word of the subpoena comes just days after former White House national security advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the US.

Mueller has also obtained a guilty plea from Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos.

Two other Trump figures, former campaign chair Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, have been arrested on money laundering charges.

Manafort is now trying to raise his $10 million bail; he has pleaded not guilty.

Trump told the New York Times this past summer he would consider it a 'violation' if Mueller were to expand the probe beyond Russia.
The child, identified only as Reshma, was found murdered after becoming separated from her father in a crowd the day before she turned seven

A young girl was found murdered after becoming separated from her father in a crowd the day before she turned seven.

The parents of murder victim Reshma had taken their daughter out the day before her seventh birthday to buy her a birthday cake and choose some new clothes.

After the shopping trip in the village of Gori Kothapally in the eastern Indian state of Telangana, her father, Raju, took her to see an evening wedding procession event in the village.

But she became separated from him in the dense crowds and he was unable to find her again.

Raju says he searched the crowd and the whole village but in vain. At midnight, he alerted local police that his daughter had gone missing.

Police searched for the missing child but it was a villager who found her body the next day.

She was found on the outskirts of Gori Kothapally and police informed Raju and his wife named only as Pravallika.

A post-mortem examination has been ordered. Police have not said whether Reshma was sexually assaulted before being killed, though local media reports said it was a possibility.

The post-mortem will confirm whether a sexual assault took place, said police.

The cause of the girl's death was not reported.
Forest Gump: Peter Strzok has been involved in both Trump and Clinton-focused probes - and texted his lover anti-Trump messages

The FBI agent who was dismissed from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe for sending his lover anti-Trump text messages is turning into a Forrest Gump character who figured in a number of key moments in the Bureau's recent history.

Peter Strzok was reassigned to the FBI's human resources department after the text messages between him and FBI lawyer Lisa Page were uncovered. He was already known to be the agent who who edited then-Director James Comey's reprimand of Hillary Clinton for using an unsecured private email server for classified messages.

Strzok, among the top officials investigating Clinton, changed Comey's description of her conduct from 'grossly negligent'  language that mirrors the criminal code  to the softer words 'extremely careless.'

His photograph was revealed by Fox News.

Now it can be revealed that Strzok was also part of the team that quizzed disgraced former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn before he pleaded guilty to lying during that interview.

And he participated in the FBI's sit-down interviews with two Clinton insiders linked to her email scandal, both of whom got a free pass despite making statements to agents that were later challenged by other records.

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Clinton aide Huma Abedin was interviewed by Strzok, but he didn't refer her for criminal charges despite proof she was not forthcoming about what they knew of the presidential candidate's classified email scandal

An FBI agent already under scrutiny for sending anti-Trump text messages was behind changing James Comey's (left) description of Hillary Clinton's behavior in regards to her private email server then went to work for Mueller's Russia probe

Peter Strzok softened Comey's language on Hillary Clinton, interviewed her top aide Cheryl Mills and recommended no action on her statements despite them contradicting what she said elsewhere, but interviewed Trump's national security adviser Mike Flynn before he took a deal

The email probe included question-and-answer sessions with several senior Clinton aides including lawyer Cheryl Mills and chief of staff Huma Abedin.

And when those two friends-of-Hillary sat down for their third-degree sessions, Strzok  the partisan anti-Trump agent  was asking many of the questions.

Mills and Abedin both denied knowing of Clinton's unorthodox email server setup, according to summaries of their interviews that the Bureau released last year.

'Mills did not learn Clinton was using a private server until after Clinton's [State Department] tenure. Mills stated she was not even sure she knew what a server was at the time,' one agent's interview notes read.

And Abedin told agents, they wrote, that she 'did not know that Clinton had a private server until about a year and a half ago when it became public knowledge.'

But in emails released by State, Mills and Abedin both referred to Clinton's server specifically, The Daily Caller reported Monday.

Then-FBI Director James Comey defended the Clinton aides' contradictory statements when he testified in a House Judiciary Committee hearing about six weeks before the 2016 election.

'Having done many investigations myself, theres always conflicting recollections of facts  some of which are central, some of which are peripheral,' Comey said then.

President Trump railed against Strzok's actions on Sunday, as the Washington Post and New York Times reported that his text messages 'expressed anti-Trump sentiments and other comments that appeared to favor Clinton.'

ABC News had reported Strzok's departure from the Russia probe in August, but without offering a reason.

Now the controversy could taint not one, but two of the biggest federal investigations in the last year.

President Trump latched onto news reports that said FBI agent Peter Strzok was pulled off the Mueller probe after anti-Trump text messages were found. Strzok was also a lead investigator on the Hillary Clinton email probe, with Trump now suggesting bias

'Tainted (no, very dishonest?) FBI "agent's role in Clinton probe under review,"' Trump tweeted Sunday morning. 'Led Clinton Email probe. @foxandfriend Clinton money going to wife of another FBI agent in charge.'

The latter dig was meant for Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, whose wife took campaign donations from a Clinton ally, the outgoing Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

The FBI has pointed out that McCabe had no role in the Clinton investigation until months after his wife's political campaign had concluded.

But Page, the lawyer who exchanged anti-Trump texts with Strzok, was on McCabe's staff.

Trump went after Strzok again by writing, 'Report: "ANTI-TRUMP FBI AGENT LED CLINTON EMAIL PROBE"'

'Now it all starts to make sense,' Trump said.
An explosion at an Indian restaurant in Sydney's west left three people badly injured.

Emergency crews rushed to the Spice of Life restaurant in Harris Park following the blast at around 11pm on Tuesday.

Staff at the restaurant suffered burns to their arms and legs after an explosion in the coolroom, the Nine Network reports.

An explosion at an Indian restaurant in Sydney's west left three people badly injured

Emergency crews rushed to the Spice of Life restaurant in Harris Park following the blast

Three of the restaurant's staff members, aged 24, 25 and 56, needed hospital treatment for burns.

The blast is not believed to be suspicious.

'SafeWork NSW is aware of the incident at the restaurant at Harris Park and is making further enquiries,' a SafeWork spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.
A mail carrier in Ohio confiscated a suspected drunk driver's keys last week after she parked in front of a home on his delivery route and stumbled while getting out of her car.

The South Euclid Police Department said on Facebook that a resident called 911 to report her mail carrier had taken the keys from a driver who had stopped in the street in front of her house on November 29.

La Sonya Carter, 51, was later identified as the suspected drunk driver.

According to police, the mail carrier was on his route when he came across Carter. The mailman was able to get Carter's keys, turn them over to the resident and request she call the police to investigate.

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A quick-thinking mail carrier in Ohio confiscated a suspected drunk driver's keys last week. La Sonya Carter (pictured in the car), 51, was later identified as the suspected drunk driver after she was confronted by officers from the South Euclid Police Department

According to police, the mail carrier was on his route when he came across Carter. The mailman was able to get Carter's keys, turn them over to the resident and request she call the police to investigate. Carter refused a sobriety test at the time and was arrested on Nov 29

'When he approached her she attempted to get out of the vehicle, kind of fell backwards, and he recognized that she was a problem,' South Euclid Police Chief Kevin Nietert told FOX 8.

A responding officer caught the incident on police bodycam. The officer is heard asking Carter what happened to the front of her car because there was damage.

He also asked her how she injured her eye, but the woman couldn't explain. She then told the officer that her mother had passed away.

'I'm sorry to hear that,' the officer said. But Carter later tells the officers that her mother isn't dead.

The woman's words were a bit slurred but she was able to give the cops her address while searching for her license.

'Can I see your thermos?' another officer asked the unidentified woman. She allows him to take it, and he opens it to smell the contents.

A responding officer caught the incident and the arrests on police bodycam

Police said they found two partial bottles of alcohol in Carter's car. Carter was charged with driving under the influence

'What are you having here he asks her?' the officer asked. She said: 'I am sober.'

'How drunk are you?' he asked her. 'I'm not drunk,' she responds.

Officers then asked her to step out of the vehicle to take a sobriety test. Carter refused to take a field sobriety test, according to FOX.

Police said they found two partial bottles of alcohol in Carter's car.

Carter was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
Firing Matt Lauer turned out to be good business for NBC last week.

Today managed to rocket past Good Morning America is overall viewers last week, finishing out with an average of 4.9 million per Nielsen.

That put the program well ahead of GMA, who averaged 4.36 million as well as CBS This Morning, who wrapped up the five-day period with 3.525 million viewers.

On Wednesday, the morning after Lauer was fired, 5.742 million viewers turned in to Today, the most since the 2012 London Olympics.

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On top: Today posted its highest numbers in close to a year last week as it averaged 4.9 million viewers to win the week over Good Morning America ( l to r: Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Lester Holt)

Morning: The ABC morning show averaged 4.36 million viewers on average for the week, and were behind in the key demo (l to r: Michael Strahan, Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos)

Today also won the key demo for the week with an average of 1.723 million viewers.

GMA had 1.41 million while CBS had 933,000 on average for the week.

Those solid ratings could explain why an NBC source told DailyMail.com that Hoda Kotb would be Savannah Guthrie's co-anchor for the 'foreseeable future.'

This ratings spike comes just after a report last week claiming that Lauer was seeking a $30million payday drew a strong response from executives at NBC on Friday.

A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to DailyMail.com that Lauer would not be receiving any payday or salary beyond his last day of work at the network.

That was first reported by CNN, who noted that Lauer's morals clause likely allows NBC to withhold his salary.

This boost came after Matt Lauer was fired, with NBC pulling in 5.742 million viewers on the day of the announcement last Wednesday

It was also noted that Lauer could choose to sue the network in an attempt to receive additional pay, but they will not agree to hand over any money to the disgraced anchor.

Also on Friday, a memo sent to staff by NBC News Chairman Andy Lack revealed that an internal investigation as underway into the matter of Lauer's 'appalling behavior.'

'A team of the most experienced NBCUniversal Legal and Human Resources leaders have begun a thorough and timely review of what happened and what we can do to build a culture of greater transparency, openness and respect for each other,' read the memo.

'At the conclusion of the review we will share what weve learned, no matter how painful, and act on it.'

On top of that, Noah Oppenheim, the NBC News President, promised 'severe' punishment for any employee who knew about Lauer's behavior and sat on it.

'I can tell you, on a personal level, that if there is anyone who works here, who still works here, who knew about this and didn't report it, this is going to be dealt with in the most severe way possible. And that is why were are conducting this review,'said Oppenheim.
A family in Russia have been jailed for up to 21 years each following a six-year reign of terror.

Inessa Tarverdieva, 46, her daughter Viktoria, 25, Sergei Sinelnik, 31, and his wife Anastasia, 31, were sentenced today after being found guilty in September of committing armed robberies and murders between July 2007 and September 2013.

According to investigators, Inessa and her second husband Roman Podkopaev, 35 were involved in the spate of ruthless serial killings after creating the criminal group in 2007 in Divnoe, which is located in the Stavropol region.

Inessa Tarverdiyeva, a member of the Amazon Gang, is pictured at Rostov Region Court

Viktoria Tarverdiyeva, Inessa's daughter who is pictured in court, was also a member of the gang

According to investigators, Inessa and her second husband Roman Podkopaev, 35 were involved in the spate of ruthless serial killings after creating the criminal group in 2007 in Divnoe, which is located in the Stavropol region. Pictured is Anastasia Sinelnik in court

Sergei Sinelnik, another member, is pictured in court. The group were arrested after a robbery on the home of a former military officer in Baklanova Street, Aksai, in Rostov region

Their victims included Dmitri Chudakov, a police special forces officer, his wife, Irina, and their children, Veronika, 11, and Sasha, 7.

The group was named after a knife discovered near one of the murder scenes engraved 'To my beloved Amazon'. It was later discovered that it belonged to someone unrelated to the crimes.

Inessa, who admitted to some of the murders, previously claimed they saw murder and robbery like 'going to the office for a day's work' after she quit her job as a nursery teacher.

She also confessed to hating police by saying: 'I am a gangster by nature', and said killing was a 'means of earning money'.

The gang used camping trips - which seemed like family holidays - as a pretext for their murderous activities before travelling to Rostov, robbing people and killing them.

Pictured is inside the tent where mother Inessa was caught. The gang used camping trips - which seemed like family holidays - as a pretext for their murderous activities

Their victims included Dmitri Chudakov, a police special forces officer, his wife, Irina, and their children, Veronika, 11, and Sasha, 7 (above)

Former kindergarten teacher Inessa demonstrates to police how she used a gun to kill her victims

Vladimir Markin, chief of Russia's equivalent of the FBI, said: 'They looked like a totally good, nice family. Imagine them - a mother, a father, two children, including an underage girl.

'I am sure that when they were together one could hardly imagine that they could even plan a crime.'

The group were arrested after a robbery on the home of a former military officer in Baklanova Street, Aksai, in Rostov region.

Podkopaev and Viktoria tried to escape on a scooter but minutes after leaving the crime scene they were stopped for an ID check by police.

When they asked for his documents he pulled out his weapon and opened fire.

Roman Podkopaev, 35, a qualified dentist, was in the gang but killed in a shootout

Podkopaev, who was Anastasia's brother, subsequently died in the shootout with police while Viktoria was seriously wounded.

Mr Markin previously said searches of the family's homes revealed an 'arsenal' of 20 firearms, including automatic rifles, grenades, shotguns, silencers and ammunition, as well as items stolen from their victims.

They used walkie-talkies and seemed to be well informed about police movements, he said, adding it was difficult to estimate the total number of crimes they committed.

A friend of Inessa said of her: 'Everyone called her Inna but in her passport she is Inessa.

'She grew up with her mother, step-father and younger brother. The family was a good one, Inessa was a beauty and many young men liked her, but her step-father watched that she was back home in time and she argued with him about it.'

'She fell in love with an Azerbaijani man called Arzu, Viktoria's father. He died in mysterious circumstances at a power station were he worked.'

Inessa was sentenced to 21 years, Viktoria was handed 16 years, Anastasia received 19 years and Sergei received 20 years for murdering 10 people.

The gang were also convicted of stealing more than 400.000 rubles (5,068), according to Russian news websites.

A spokesman for the investigative committee told The Times there would be prosecutions for at least ten more murders, two attempted murders, ten robberies and 60 cases of theft.
The shocking moment a former Oklahoma senator was found inside a motel room with an underage boy who he had paid for sex has been shown for the first time.

Senator Ralph Shortey was caught in the Super 8 motel in Moore, Oklahoma, on March 9 with the 17-year-old boy.

Police were called to the motel by the boy's worried family.

Inside, officers found him with Shortey, a married father-of-four, and a stash of marijuana.

The 35-year-old was wearing a joke t-shirt with a reference to the bible verse Ephesians printed on it.

Last week, Shortey pleaded guilty to a single charge of felony child sex trafficking and is now awaiting sentencing.

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Ralph Shortey is seen above in newly-released bodycam footage taken by police on the night they found him inside a motel room with a 17-year-old boy. He is seen above opening the door at 1.06am with the boy out of sight

He first made contact with the boy on Craigslist by responding to an ad. The pair later spoke on the messaging app Kik. Recovered messages showed how he offered to pay the youngster for sex.

The police officers' bodycam footage had been kept confidential until the case was settled and was this week revealed by Fox 25.

It shows Shortey sitting on the bed, claiming that he did not know the boy was 17 and asking the police officers to prove it.

The teenager is not visible at any point in the footage.

Police officers were called to the motel by the boy's family. It is not known how they knew where he was.

Once they had arrived at the Super 8 Motel, police went to the room which Shortey had taken in his name.

They said they smelled a strong odor of marijuana once outside.

Shortey was shocked by the invasion and told the officers 'you're really freaking me out'. He then claimed he did not know the boy was underage

The motel room had two beds, one of which appeared to have been sat on by the time police arrived

The officers (shown above before Shortey let them in) were called to the motel by the boy's concerned father

It took the 35-year-old several minutes to open the door. As he claimed to get dressed inside, the officers waited on the doorstep.

One yelled: 'You better hurry up,' before Shortey finally opened the door.

Once inside, and with the boy out of view, they scolded the Republican politician.

'He's 17!' one deputy declared.

Shortey replied with a casual 'OK'. It enraged the responding officer who shot back: 'What do you mean OK? He's 17!'.

Shortey is seen above in his mugshot on March 15, several days after the raid

Embarrassed, he at first replied: 'I didn't know that.' He then grew more confident and asked: 'Can you show me that he's only 17?'

The officer fired back: 'No I can't but I can convince you that he is. I could put you in handcuffs and throw you in the back of a car.'

None of them seemed to be aware of who he was when they were in the room.

Later, he said the pair were just talking and that he was trying to help the boy 'get back on track'.

'[We were] just hanging out, talking about life. He couldnt graduate high school, and (Im) trying to help him get his life on track,' he said.

Another officer gave admonished him for spending time with the boy.

'Whatever you are doing, it's a bad f****** idea. Getting high with a young kid is a bad idea, no matter if they're 17 or 20. It's a bad idea.

The 35-year-old is pictured on November 30 when he entered his guilty plea. He is now awaiting sentencing

'You wanna have fun by yourself? You got things you need to figure out by yourself?

'You can live your life however you want to live it but when you start doing it with kids and stuff, then it becomes a serious, serious problem.'

Shortey resigned shortly after the incident. He was not arrested on the night in question but was later charged.

He was initially facing several charges which included child pornography and engaging in prostitution.

It is not known how much money he planned to give the boy or if they ever had any sexual contact.

Shortey is pictured with his wife Jennifer. The pair have four daughters

In the body cam footage, one of the two queen beds in the motel room appears to have been sat on.

Shortey pleaded guilty to a single charge of child sex trafficking. He told police that he used a fake name when he was speaking with the boy.

In text messages, he asked him if he was 'interested in sexual stuff' in return for money.

He called him 'baby boy' and the pair communicated for around a year before the March incident.

In their incident reports at the time, police reported finding an open box of condoms and some lotion inside a backpack in the room.

Shortey is in custody awaiting sentencing. He could be sentenced to life imprisonment and faces a maximum fine of $250,000.

The Trump-supporting former Senator was first elected in 2010 and was reelected in 2012.
British pop group Depeche Mode, that's never released a No. 1 song in the U.S., is selling more concert tickets than some of the biggest names in the business.

The band has astonishingly outdone people such as Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber after selling 1.27 million tickets through the first nine months of 2017.

They smashed a record in October after they became the first act to sell out four consecutive shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

British pop group Depeche Mode, that's never released a No. 1 song in the U.S., is selling more concert tickets than some of the biggest names in the business (Dave Gahan pictured here)

Dave Gahan (left) and Martin Gore (right) of Depeche Mode perform live at the 3Arena Dublin

The band, who formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980, are on their second tour through Europe and they're later headed to Latin America in 2018.

'Every time we go out and tour, we're playing to more people,' guitarist and lead songwriter Martin Gore, 56, said.

'It's just incredible at this stage in our career,' he said, according to Bloomberg.

Depeche Mode in Berlin in July 1984, top left Dave Gahan, top right Alan Wilder, bottom right Andrew Fletcher and bottom left Martin Gore

The band has astonishingly outsold people such as Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber (above)

Depeche Mode have even sold more concert tickets than Ed Sheeran (pictured here)

Depeche, who have been around 32 years, Mode and Liam Gallagher are set headline the Isle Of Wight Festival in 2018 along with The Killers and Kasabian as the music festival marks its 50th anniversary.

The epic event will take place between June 21-24, at Seaclose Park, Newport.

Depeche Mode's Gore said: 'We are looking forward to seeing you at The Isle of Wight Festival in 2018,' according to Team Rock.
Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is pushing on with his plan to drug-test food stamp users despite resistance from federal courts.

Walker proposed the idea in 2015, but a conflict between a similar proposal from Florida and Barack Obama's administration saw it stalled.

He has since reached out to the Trump administration, but with them still having not taken action, he is now pressing on with his plan.

Scott Walker (seen Friday) will push on with his drug-testing rule that would see able-bodied, childless food stamp users tested. He was previously told to wait for a federal dispute to end

Walker was told to wait until the government ruled on Florida's own attempt to impose such a law, after it entered a stand-off with the federal courts. Walker asked the Trump administration to intervene, but they have kept quiet

Walker's rule would mean mandatory testing for those food stamp applicants who are childless and able-bodied.

If they fail, they are eligible for state-funded rehabilitation treatment, if they can't afford it themselves.

Florida had attempted to create a drug test requirement for those applying for food stamps, but it hit a roadblock in 2014 in the federal appeals court.

Federal laws prohibit states from placing any more requirements on food stamp provision, and the move was declared a violation of constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.

The following year Walker filed a federal lawsuit in order to try to get approval to test food-stamp applicants.

But because the Obama administration hadn't declined Florida's attempt, Wisconsin was told to wait.

Walker attempted to get the incoming Trump administration to rule on the decision in December so that his own suit could continue, but they have remained quiet.

Now Walker - who says he has the authority to push the plan into action - is carrying on regardless.

He believes that just 220, or 0.3 per cent, of the 67,400 people who apply for food stamps each year in Wisconsin are likely to test positive.

The Legislature has four months to look over Walker's proposal. If it's accepted it will take a year to come into effect - assuming lawsuits from the opposition don't hold it back

The Legislature has four months to review the plans; if accepted they will not be implemented for a year.

Even then they'll likely face lawsuits from opponent - and that's if they're not officially blocked by the federal government.

Jon Peacock, research director for family advocacy group Kids Forward, said the state would be better off investing in better access to effective drug treatment programs

Walker says that the plans are a way to ensure that drug-free people get into the workforce, but critics say that there are much better ways to achieve that aim.

Jon Peacock, research director for family advocacy group Kids Forward said that 'investing in broader access to effective drug treatment programs, rather than spending scarce state resources on the administration of drug screening and testing requirements,' would have a far better effect.

The budget that Walker signed this year also called for parents of children aged 6-18 on the food stamp program to be tested.

And he called for drug screening for all all able-bodied, childless adults applying for Medicaid BadgerCare health benefits,

Both rules are inactive, pending federal approval.
More than a dozen federal politicians could be facing the High Court next year following the release of citizenship disclosures.

Brinkmanship is underway between the major parties as they pick over 226 sets of documents tabled in parliament.

Labor's is targeting government MPs Jason Falinski, Ross Vasta, Nola Marino, Julia Banks, Alex Hawke and potentially ministers Josh Frydenberg, Arthur Sinodinos and Michael McCormack.

The Turnbull Government is gunning for Labor MPs David Feeney, Justine Keay, Susan Lamb and Josh Wilson as well as Senator Katy Gallagher.

The Turnbull government is gunning for Labor MPs Justine Keay (right) and Susan Lamb (left)

Nick Xenophon Team MP Rebekha Sharkie's eligibility is also in doubt.

Another five Labor MPs  Steve Georganas, Anne Aly, Emma Husar, Ed Husic and Emma McBride - haven't provided details of when they renunciation was confirmed, the Daily Telegraph reports.

They could face a referral to the High Court.

Mr Feeney says he will be asking to be referred to the High Court on Thursday if documents relating to his UK citizenship renunciation can't be found in time, potentially triggering a by-election in his Victorian seat of Batman.

Katy Gallagher (pictured) in the Senate could also facing the High Court next year following the release of citizenship disclosure documents

Nick Xenophon Team MP Rebekha Sharkie's (pictured above) eligibility is also in doubt

Labor's hit list on the government benches could potentially include cabinet minister Josh Frydenberg (left) and Senator Arthur Sinodinos (right)

He famously forgot to declare a $2.3 million investment property in Melbourne last year.

Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus defended Mr Feeney's sloppiness on Tuesday night, while insisting the coalition could be a 'constitutionally illegitimate government.'

'We've seen a continuing cover-up out of a system that was meant to provide disclosure,' Mr Dreyfus told reporters, adding referrals to the High Court shouldn't be made on a tit-for-tat basis.

Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne hit back, seizing on the four Labor MPs 'London to a brick heading for by-elections'.

Labor's hit list on the government benches includes coalition MPs Ross Vasta and Michael McCormack (right)

Another five Labor MPs  including Steve Georganas (above) - haven't provided details of when they renunciation was confirmed

'Bill Shorten has been harbouring these people for the last six months,' Mr Pyne told 6PR Perth Radio.

Mr Falinski has sought further legal advice after being unable to ascertain whether his USSR-born father, Polish and British born grandfathers and Leningrad-born grandmother conferred foreign citizenship on him.

Mr Vasta's declaration did not provide evidence he renounced his Italian citizenship in 2001.

Ms Keay, whose father was born in the UK, received confirmation she had renounced her citizenship on July 8, 2016, six days after election day.

There could be more than a dozen federal politicians facing the High Court next year following the release of citizenship disclosure documents. Above, Alex Hawke

Liberal MPs Nola Marino (left) and Julia Banks (right) are also facing questions about their citizenship

Ms Lamb, whose father was born in Scotland, filled out her renunciation form on May 24, 2016.

However, on August 10, 2016, the British bureaucracy told her: 'We cannot be satisfied from the documents available that you hold British citizenship. The application has therefore been refused.'

Mr Wilson, who was born in London, completed his renunciation form on May 12, 2016

However, the date of the UK Home Office letter confirming renunciation was June 24, well after the close of nominations for the 2016 election.

Ms Sharkie renounced her British ties on April 19 last year, but did not get confirmation until June 29, after nominations closed.

In the upper house, the Turnbull government is weighing up whether to seek Greens and crossbench support in the Senate to refer Senator Gallagher to the court over her UK dual citizenship.

Senator Gallagher, the former ACT chief minister, did not receive confirmation of her UK citizenship renunciation until two months after nominations closed for the 2016 federal election and 118 days after she lodged the application.
Pishevar's representatives said they were confident that the allegations of five other unnamed women 'will be shown to be untrue'

It was previously revealed Pishevar was arrested in London after being accused of rape in May, 2017- those charges were dropped and he denied the allegation

Five other women, who he worked with in various other capacities, alleged inappropriate behavior, groping and forcible kissing

He allegedly groped Austin Geidt, who was head of Uber's global expansion at the time and is still with the company, during a holiday party in 2014

Uber investor Shervin Pishevar, 43, has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by six women

Uber investor Shervin Pishevar has stepped down from his position as executive chairman of electromagnetic train company Hyperloop One amid a cloud of sexual harassment claims.

Pishevar, who invested in Uber in its early days, has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by six women who have worked with him in different capacities.

On Tuesday, he released a statement claiming that the accusations were 'a smear campaign' that he was pursuing in court, and that he was taking a leave of absence to avoid distracting from his companies' work.

Absent: Shervin Pishevar (pictured) has taken a leave of absence from his portfolio companies, including ultra-fast train Hyperloop, amid claims of sexual harassment

Allegation: He allegedly groped a Austin Geidt during a holiday party in 2014 when she was Uber's head of global expansion; she is still with the company and has declined to comment

Pishevar also claimed that the alleged rape he was arrested for in London this year was part of the campaign.

'I have decided to take an immediate leave of absence from my duties at Sherpa Capital and Virgin Hyperloop One, as well as my portfolio company board responsibilities, so that I can pursue the prosecution of my lawsuit, where I am confident I will be vindicated,' he said in a statement.

'Through the discovery process, I hope to unearth who fabricated the fraudulent London "police report," and who is responsible for spreading false rumors about me.'

He added that he cares 'deeply' about his 'incredible teams' and that he hopes his leave of absence 'will eliminate any potential distraction to the great and important work being done at these companies.'

Hyperloop One was created by Pishevar based on ideas by Elon Musk, and aims to use electromagnets to propel trains through closed tubes at speeds of up to 670 miles per hour - far faster than traditional maglev trains.

PISHEVAR'S STATEMENT IN FULL As many of you may have seen in recent news coverage, I filed a lawsuit last month against what I believe to be potential perpetrators of a smear campaign against me. As that legal action progresses, it is my priority to ensure that the Sherpa Capital family is not adversely affected. Therefore, I have decided to take an immediate leave of absence from my duties at Sherpa Capital and Virgin Hyperloop One, as well as my portfolio company board responsibilities, so that I can pursue the prosecution of my lawsuit, where I am confident I will be vindicated. Through the discovery process, I hope to unearth who fabricated the fraudulent London 'police report,' and who is responsible for spreading false rumors about me. This was a decision I came to and proposed on my own accord. It is not one I took lightly and it was a difficult decision that was guided by Sherpa Capitals abiding belief in service and putting others before ourselves. I care deeply about the incredible teams at Sherpa Capital and our portfolio companies and Virgin Hyperloop One, and hope that my decision to take a leave of absence will eliminate any potential distraction to the great and important work being done at these companies. Advertisement

His departure comes after several sources told Bloomberg News that he inappropriately touched Austin Geidt, Uber's then-head of global expansion, during a holiday party in December of 2014.

The bash, held at Uber's chic headquarters in San Francisco, was full of staffers and investors.

The sources claim the then-40-year-old investor placed his hand on a then-30-year-old Geidt's leg and moved his hand up her dress, forcing her to move away.

Pishevar, who is the co-founder and managing director of Sherpa Capital, showed up to the party with his girlfriend and a pony on a leash that was wearing a Santa hat.

He has denied the allegations, and insists that he and Geidt maintained 'a friendly, professional relationship', after the alleged incident.

He also provided email exchanges from 2015 and 2016 in which Geidt agreed to meet him for lunch and coffee.

Geidt declined to comment on the allegations made by her colleagues regarding Pishevar.

In May of 2017, Pishevar was accused of raping a woman while he was in London at the Ned hotel.

He was arrested but wasn't charged after the police investigated.

Pishevar says he was detained briefly and that the assault claim was untrue.

His crisis manager, Mark Fabiani, echoed Pishevar's statement, telling Bloomberg News that he was detained briefly, adding that he was informed in July that no further action would be taken in the case against him.

The five other women who spoke to Bloomberg News allege that while working with Pishevar in various capacities, he used his position of power to pursue romantic relations and unwanted sexual encounters.

Pishevar's representatives said they were confident that the allegations of the five unnamed women 'will be shown to be untrue.'

A spokesman said: 'Shervin Pishevar is the victim of an organized smear campaign, which so far has involved the fabrication of a London police report.

'Now, anonymous and untrue stories have suddenly surfaced concerning Mr. Pishevar.

'Just as the London "police report" turned out to be fabricated, we are confident that these anecdotes will be shown to be untrue as well. Mr. Pishevar is confident that he will be vindicated.'

An entrepreneur said the investor asked her to dinner to discuss Uber a few years ago and that he started hitting on her. She says she made it clear she was only interested in discussing business.

The entrepreneur alleges that later in the evening, Pishevar forcefully kissed and groped her.

'I'm pushing back and trying to talk about anything else,' the entrepreneur alleges. 'It is really shady, this baiting and switching that he does.'

A female tech worker reached out to him in 2013 to discuss career opportunities. They met for dinner in San Francisco, but the topic at hand wasn't discussed, so when he invited her back to his place, she went hoping to get to the point of potential jobs.

She alleges when she got there, Pishevar forcibly kissed her. 'He basically jumped on me, tried to put his tongue down my throat, and I stopped it,' she claims.

'I wanted to get career advice, and it was twisted into something else. It was really inappropriate.'

Pishevar is accused of sexually assaulting or harassing six women. He says the claims are a 'smear campaign' and plans to fight them in court

Another woman in 2013, who Pishevar had hired to work for him, alleges he would repeatedly try to pressure her into sex. She says while on a trip, he booked them a single room.

She alleges he attempted to perform oral sex on her in the room, until she convinced him to stop.

'It felt really wrong, and it was really confusing at the time,' she says. 'I just remember his big body on top of me. I was young enough to be his daughter.'

She says one of the few people she told was her sister, who recounted her allegations to Bloomberg News and described the lasting trauma.

Another woman says Pishevar hired her company to do work for him in 2015. He invited her to a party in Los Angeles, in which she claims, he cornered her and forcibly kissed her.

She says she pushed him off, but that in the following weeks, she claims, he repeatedly harassed her.

'I was so uncomfortable; it was one of the most uncomfortable situations I've ever been in,' she says.

'He was basically trying to bully me into dating him,' he eventually gave up. She told a friend at the time, who backed up her alleged account to Bloomberg News.

During a Web Summit in Dublin in November 2013, in which Pishevar spoke onstage with Tesla Inc.'s Elon Musk, another entrepreneur said during an after party one night during the conference, she found herself alone on the couch with Pishevar and another man.

'They start showing me photos of female genitalia,' the entrepreneur alleges. 'It became really scary. The other guy was just really, really nasty, and Shervin was just laughing and swiping the photos.' The woman says she texted a friend who rescued her before anything else happened.
The White House is said to be considering a proposal developed by a private contracting firm to build a global spy network that would operate separately from U.S. intelligence agencies.

Blackwater founder Erik Prince reportedly developed the proposals with the help of Oliver North for the Trump administration.

In a story on Tuesday, The Intercept revealed the plan and its purpose, which is, according to sources, to work around 'deep state' actors trying to undercut President Donald Trump within in the U.S. intelligence agencies.

The White House is said to be considering a proposal developed by a private contracting firm to build a global spy network that would operate separately from U.S. intelligence agencies put together by Erik Prince of Blackwater fame

Program is said to be heralded by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, seen here at the White House in June

Prince reportedly developed the proposals with the help of Oliver North for the Trump administration. North was convicted of crimes in association with Iran-Contra that were reversed

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she was 'not aware' of anything like what was described this afternoon.

She denied that a new spy network was under discussion - although she admittedly had not had a conversation with the president about it.

A spokesman for Prince told DailyMail.com that the allegations 'are completely false' and claimed that the Intercept knew that when it put the article to bed.

According to the Intercept, Prince, a retired CIA officer, and North, a former marine, pitched the plan to keep enemies of the administration from interfering with the White House's covert operations.

The operation would see spies with no official cover deployed to 'denied areas' that government workers are prohibited from entering such as Iran and North Korea.

Referring to CIA Director Mike Pompeo, one source told the Intercept: 'Pompeo cant trust the CIA bureaucracy, so we need to create this thing that reports just directly to him.

'It is a direct-action arm, totally off the books,' the source said. 'The whole point is this is supposed to report to the president and Pompeo directly.

North's role in the operation was the sell the proposal to the White House, the publication said.

A noted historian and author, North was a member of the National Security Council in the Ronald Reagan administration during Iran-Contra, an illegal arms selling scheme. He was convicted of crimes in association with the scandal in 1980s but they were vacated and dismissed by 1991.

Pompeo himself lobbied the White House to adopt the plan to help Trump get around the deep state, according to a report

Contributors to the effort are said to have met with Trump donors asking them to help fund the operation.

Spokespersons for the White House, the CIA and Prince have said the story is untrue.

'I can find no evidence that this ever came to the attention of anyone at the NSC or [White House] at all,' said Michael Anton, a spokesperson for the National Security Council. 'The White House does not and would not support such a proposal.

Sanders said during her daily briefing with reporters that she also is 'not aware of any plans for something of that definition or anything similar to that at this time.'

According to the Intercept, Pompeo himself lobbied the White House to adopt the plan.

A CIA official told the publication, however, that its sources were wrong. 'You have been provided wildly inaccurate information by people peddling an agenda.'

Prince's spokesperson likewise said in an email: 'The allegations made in Intercepts latest article about Erik are completely false and this was made clear to them before the article was published.

'The Intercept has, once again, targeted Erik using his high profile as click-bait to promote its own website and indulge the fantasies of its reporters with no care or regard for the facts,' the statment said,

Prince is said to have been enlisted by Trump to help with numerous ventures since he took office, including a plan to use private contractors in Afghanistan.

His spokesman said in an email to DailyMail.com that 'any meetings' Prince 'did have with members of the intelligence community, current or former, focused on his well-publicised plan for saving the US taxpayer $42bn in Afghanistan.'

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she was 'not aware' of anything like what was described this afternoon

Prince is the founder of Blackwater, a since overhauled government security firm that had top-dollar contracts with the State Department and the CIA.

Blackwater has a checkered past, with three guards being convicted of manslaughter or murder in 2014 in response to an incident in Iraq seven years earlier where they opened fire and killed 17 people and wounded 20 more.

In 2009 Prince resigned as CEO. The next year he fully unsaddled himself and moved to Abu Dhabi to work for the crown prince.

His sister, Betsy DeVos, is the education secretary. Prince manages Frontier Resource Group, a private equity firm, and has residences in Virginia and the UAE.

He was seen in Washington at the end of last month on Capitol Hill as he testified before a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee.
A 43-year-old woman is in a critical condition after the quad bike she was riding rolled at a rural property in the NSW Hunter Region.

The woman was airlifted in a rescue chopper from the property at Muswellbrook on Tuesday night after suffering head, chest and arm injuries when the quad rolled down an embankment, Westpac Helicopter media said.

She was flown to John Hunter Hospital and is in a critical but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman told AAP on Wednesday.
An accused drug mule is 'lucky to be alive' after allegedly smuggling half a kilogram of cocaine into Australia in a package which exploded in his stomach.

The 37-year-old man arrived at Brisbane Airport from Los Angeles on Monday night, allegedly making it through customs with at least 500g of the drug.

But after falling ill, he took himself to a nearby chemist where staff immediately called an ambulance, Seven News reported.

Doctors said the man was 'lucky to be alive' after allegedly smuggling half a kilogram of cocaine into Australia in a package which exploded in his stomach (stock image)

The man tried to leave hospital before police arrived, but doctors told him he would die without emergency treatment.

'He is lucky to be alive, it is extremely dangerous,' Dr Andrew Smirnov from the Queensland Drug Research and Education Centre said.

'If that quantity is absorbed into their stomach, that's too much for the body to handle.'

The man is now in an induced coma and has undergone surgery to remove the pellets allegedly containing the cocaine from his stomach.

'If that quantity is absorbed into their stomach, that's too much for the body to handle,' a doctor said (stock image)

He remains under police guard and the Australian Federal Police is investigating, but charges are yet to be laid.

The AFP confirmed it was probing the incident, but declined to comment further when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

Dr Smirnov told Seven that cocaine use in Australia is becoming more common, fuelling the demand for traffickers to bring the drug into the country.

'The cliche around cocaine use has been true, it's sort of a white-collar drug for people who've got money, but it is becoming more widespread,' he said.
Senator Derryn Hinch has named a convicted rapist who is feared to be stalking female doctors after escaping a transitional facility dubbed the 'Village of the Damned.'

The 40-year-old sex offender slipped away from supervision at Corella Place, on the outskirts of Ararat in south-west Victoria in August.

Since then, he has repeatedly travelled to Melbourne demanding to see only female doctors at clinics since August, according to the Herald Sun.

After a number of female GPs were put in 'dangerous' situations, Victoria Police and the Australian Medical Association issued a warning  however they are unable to name him.

Name and shame: Senator Derryn Hinch says he will name the serial sex offender who is threatening the safety of female GPs in Melbourne

But on Tuesday night, Senator Hinch used his parliamentary privilege to reveal the sex offender's identity.

'Why are a rapist's rights more important than a victim's or possible victim?' he told the Senate.

'Although he has a history of raping, stalking and assaulting women, court orders  which I believe to be dangerous, irresponsible, court orders  prevent the AMA revealing his identity to medical centres so they can stop his appointments,' he added, according to the Herald Sun.

AMA Victoria issued warnings for the convicted criminal in August and again in November after 'several' GPs had appointments with the man.

Early on Tuesday, Senator Hinch told 3AW he would name the 40-year-old in the Senate and he has previously named other sex offenders using his parliamentary privilege.

The 40-year-old man slipped away from supervision at Corella Place on the outskirts of Ararat in south-west Victoria, a transitional facility nicknamed the 'Village of the Damned'

Convicted paedophiles and sex offenders are sent there where they live freely but are monitored with GPS ankle bracelets

Parliamentary privilege means members of Parliament cannot be sued or prosecuted for anything they say in debate in the houses.

But for legal reasons, the man cannot be named or pictured by the media.

The man has a history of raping, stalking and assaulting women, the Herald Sun reports.

He was convicted on two counts of rape in 2008 after sexually assaulting his housemate's partner.

He was also convicted of assault in 1995 and has a background of violent crimes, stalking and breaching intervention orders.

Since August, has repeatedly travelled to Melbourne demanding to see only woman doctors at clinics since August.

The convicted criminals live in modern one, two and three bedroom cottages, complete with their own kitchens

Men are sent to Corella Place in the hope they can be rehabilitated as part of a post-sentence scheme

Victoria Police and the Australian Medical Association are warning people after several female doctors found themselves in 'dangerous and unacceptable situations'.

AMA Victoria president Lorraine Baker said more needed to be done to protect doctors from the convicted rapist.

'The police have been informed, but appear limited in their powers to assist,' she said.

'During August and November 2017, AMA Victoria has been contacted by some of our GP members who work in Melbourne's northern suburbs.'

In August, AMA Victoria sent out a short alert to members warning them of the man's behaviour.

The men are free to come and go as they please during daylight hours but must be accompanied by two guards

They are court ordered to be there for a period of time, which can be extended if they are still thought to be a threat to the community

'The male usually rings and says: 'Dr X has seen me in the past and can I make another appointment to see her',' the warning read.

'This is a serious issue. Female GPs are being exposed to dangerous and unacceptable situations in their workplaces.'

Orders demand that the man is accompanied by a supervisor when seeing female doctors but it is alleged he showed up without a supervisor to at least one consultation.

Corella Place is a complex-style village that houses serious sex offenders after they complete their jail sentences.

Convicted paedophiles and sex offenders who are sent there live freely, but are monitored with GPS ankle bracelets.

The residents live in modern one, two and three-bedroom cottages complete with their own kitchens

The residents are also able to claim Centrelink payments given they have completed their prison sentences
Lubaina Himid has become the first black woman to win the Turner Prize.

The Zanzibar-born, 63-year-old artist also became the oldest winner when she picked up the award at a ceremony at the UK's current City of Culture, Hull.

She was praised by the judges for her 'uncompromising tackling of issues including colonial history and how racism persists today'.

Himid celebrates black creativity and the African diaspora with her work, which includes paintings, prints, drawings and installations.

A key figure of the Black Arts Movement, she currently lives and works in Preston.

Lubaina Himid has become the first black woman to win the Turner Prize after scooping the prestigious award at a ceremony in Hull on Tuesday

The Zanzibar-born, 63-year-old artist also became the oldest winner. A key figure of the Black Arts Movement, she currently lives and works in Preston

The shortlist for the best known accolade in British art had included, for the first time, two artists who are over 50 - British painter Hurvin Anderson, 52, as well as Himid.

They were competing against German artist Andrea Buttner and Palestinian-English artist Rosalind Nashashibi, who are in their 40s.

According to the BBC, the judging said of Himid that they admired 'her expansive and exuberant approach to painting which combines satire and a sense of theatre'.

They also said they 'acknowledged her role as an influential curator and educator who continues to speak urgently to the moment'.

More than 90,000 people have visited the Turner Prize exhibition in Hull's refurbished Feren's Art Gallery and, on Tuesday night, the British art establishment gathered in Hull Minster for the presentation by the musician, DJ and actor, Goldie.

Martin Green, Director of Hull 2017, said: 'Bringing world-class art and artists to Hull has not just been significant for the city but also the wider region and the north.

'The popularity of the exhibition shows the demand and interest for art in the region and confirms Hull's place as a cultural destination capable of hosting international art and cultural events.'

Leader of Hull City Council Stephen Brady said: 'The Turner Prize has been a major highlight in the Hull UK City of Culture programme and has helped to put Hull on the international map.

Pictured: 'Swallow Hard: The Lancaster Dinner Service, 2007' by Lubaina Himid

'It is incredible for the city to host this fantastic exhibition and has generated so much interest and curiosity from residents and visitors alike, showing intrigue in contemporary art. This is an incredibly exciting time for the artists and the gallery.'

The Turner Prize award is 40,000 with 25,000 going to the winner and 5,000 each for the other shortlisted artists.

As well as considering older artists for the first time, this year's prize was noted for a return to more traditional forms.

Anderson, who was born in Birmingham and currently lives and works in London, is known for his vibrant still-life and landscape paintings with an overarching theme of community.

For Buttner, who is based in London and Berlin, the limitations of the body are a frequent source of inspiration, and her diverse portfolio includes works of printmaking, sculpture, painting, film and collaborative projects.

Croydon-born, London-based Nashashibi works primarily in film and also paints and creates prints, often fusing the different art forms together, and she drew on domestic life in Gaza and the political background for her piece Electrical Gaza 2015.

When judging panel chairman Alex Farquharson visited the exhibition in September he said that it was a 'really strong year' and thought the work was 'no less innovative for taking a more traditional form'.

Turner Prize 2017 will continue to be open to the public at the Ferens until January 7.
The security services believe they have stopped an Islamist suicide bomb plot to assassinate the Prime Minister.

Two Muslim men are suspected of conspiring to attack Downing Street armed with an improvised bomb, suicide vest and knives.

Investigators suspect the pair wanted to detonate a bomb disguised as a bag. They would then attempt to kill Theresa May armed with a suicide vest, pepper spray and knife in the aftermath.

Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman, 20, and Mohammed Aqib Imran, 21, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday charged with planning terror attacks.

Rahman, 20, from north London, is accused of planning to bomb Downing Street's security gates and then attack the Prime Minister in the ensuing chaos.

The security services believe they have stopped an Islamist suicide bomb plot to assassinate the Prime Minister. She is pictured in Number 10 today

The head of MI5, Andrew Parker, yesterday briefed Cabinet ministers on the unprecedented terrorist threat facing the country (file photo)

Two Muslim men are suspected of conspiring to attack Downing Street armed with an improvised bomb, suicide vest and knives

The alleged conspiracy was foiled after a joint operation by Scotland Yard, West Midlands Police and MI5. Security chiefs stepped in amid fears the men were preparing to launch an attack, arresting them at gunpoint.

However, although they appear to have been inspired by Islamic State it does not appear they were able to obtain or build any explosives.

The smashed plot highlights the extreme threat still faced by the UK in a year blighted by terrorist atrocities which claimed 36 lives.

Counter-terrorist chiefs said it was the ninth foiled plot since March as hundreds of terrorist suspects remain under investigation.

The security service and police have thwarted 22 terrorist plots in the past four years and there are more than 500 live investigations ongoing. Police chiefs are struggling to handle more than 3,000 subjects of interest, along with a growing pool of more than 20,000 individuals identified during terrorist inquiries.

The festive season has seen some events, particularly Christmas markets and high-profile events, taking extreme precautions. Police fear a lone-wolf extremist could mount a copycat attack similar to that on Berlins Breitscheidplatz Christmas market last year.

The head of MI5, Andrew Parker, yesterday briefed Cabinet ministers on the unprecedented terrorist threat facing the country.

Mr Parker has said the threat facing the UK was at the highest tempo seen in his 34-year career.

A week after the Westminster Bridge attack in March, police arrested Ummariyat Mirza, 21, who pleaded guilty to researching and plotting a terrorist attack using a hunting knife

The Prime Ministers spokesman said: Mr Parker said that nine terrorist attacks had been prevented in the past year. There have been five attacks that got through, four of which are related to Islamist terrorism. Mrs May thanked Mr Parker and MI5 for their tireless work tackling terrorism.

Some of the foiled terror attacks have never been made public for security reasons, although the majority have.

A week after the Westminster Bridge attack in March, police arrested Ummariyat Mirza, 21, who pleaded guilty to researching and plotting a terrorist attack using a hunting knife.

Days later, MI5 and police foiled an attack when they arrested a man found carrying a bag of knives in Whitehall.

Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, 27, was charged with an offence that involved purchasing knives and travelling to London. He denies the charge and is awaiting trial.

Also in April, police smashed an alleged female terror cell, believed to be Britains first all-female terrorist hit squad. Rizlaine Boular, 21, and her mother Mina Dich, 43, are alleged to have plotted an atrocity with Khawla Barghouthi, 20, in coded chats about cakes.

The trio are facing trial along with a 17-year-old girl accused of plotting a separate terrorist attack on a British museum after she married an IS fighter on Skype.

Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, 27, was charged with an offence that involved purchasing knives and travelling to London. He denies the charge and is awaiting trial

Rizlaine Boular, 21, and her mother Mina Dich, 43, are alleged to have plotted an atrocity with Khawla Barghouthi, 20, in coded chats about cakes

In May, Umar Ahmed Haque, Muhammad Abid and Abuthaher Mamun, from east London, were arrested as part of an investigation by MI5 and the police. Haque and Mamun allegedly planned to use a vehicle in a terror attack. Haque was also accused of having a list of possible targets across the capital.

Police reportedly found a large knife in his car.

In June, a teenager from south Wales was arrested on the day of a Justin Bieber concert and subsequently found guilty of plotting a terror attack in Cardiff.

The boy, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, was found guilty of five terror-related charges at Birmingham Crown Court. It was said he had planned an IS-inspired attack at the pop concert, just a month after the Manchester Arena bombing.

In August, a man armed with a 4ft sword was arrested outside Buckingham Palace as he repeatedly shouted Allahu Akbar.

Official: Westminster jihadi DID view web terror videos before attacks

By Ian Dury, Home Affairs Editor for the Daily Mail

Tech giants are again under fire after it was revealed Khalid Masood browsed Googles video platform for terror videos, including suicide attacks

The Westminster Bridge terrorist watched jihadist propaganda on YouTube three days before the atrocity, it emerged yesterday.

Tech giants are again under fire after it was revealed Khalid Masood browsed Googles video platform for terror videos, including suicide attacks, before launching his car and knife rampage on March 22.

Yesterday, in a victory for the Daily Mail, YouTube finally admitted it was facing serious issues over protecting vulnerable young people from watching vile material.

And Google has been forced to hire significantly more workers to comb through its content so shocking and inappropriate material  including extremist videos  can be deleted. By next year the number of employees will hit 10,000.

A row over the responsibilities of social media and internet firms flared up after Islamic State-inspired fanatic Masood murdered five  including PC Keith Palmer  and injured more than 50 in an attack outside Parliament.

The following day, the Mail revealed that vile terror handbooks encouraging jihadis to mount a car attack before going on a stabbing rampage  the method used by the killer  were available online. There was also anger that encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp were refusing to help security services decode communications. Masood used the app three minutes before embarking on the slaughter.

Details of his attack were published in an internal review of the police and MI5s handling of the four terrorist attacks to strike Britain this year.

The 52-year-old was known to police and MI5 for association with extremists but he was a closed subject of interest at the time of the atrocity, meaning he was no longer under active investigation.

Tech giants are again under fire after it was revealed Khalid Masood browsed Googles video platform for terror videos, including suicide attacks, before launching his car and knife rampage on March 22

The report, by the Governments former terror watchdog David Anderson QC, said: No intelligence was being gathered on him, and neither MI5 nor the police had any reason to anticipate the attack.

Born Adrian Russell Elms in 1964, he grew up in Kent and changed his name to Khalid Masood in 2005, having converted to Islam while in prison five years earlier.

Before the attack, both the police and MI5 had some limited  and largely historic  knowledge of Masood.

He was convicted seven times between 1983 and 2003 for offences ranging from criminal damage to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault on police and unlawful wounding.

Masood came on to MI5s radar in April 2004 when a telephone number linked to him appeared in the contacts list of a terrorist suspect over plans to detonate bombs in the UK.

In 2009, spies believed he could be an individual in Saudi Arabia who was helping jihadis travel to an Al Qaeda stronghold in Pakistan for terror training.

Before the attack, both the police and MI5 had some limited  and largely historic  knowledge of Masood. An officer is seen laying flowers at the National Police Memorial on The Mall in London

Despite it turning out that he was not that individual, Masood was placed under active investigation as a subject of interest between February 2010 and October 2012 while security chiefs assessed whether he posed a threat.

From then until 2016, he associated with extremists linked to the banned terrorist group Al-Muhajiroun, but this was not sufficient to warrant re-opening an investigation into him. The Anderson report also reveals how, in the days before his attack, Masood conducted reconnaissance of Westminster Bridge in person and online, and browsed YouTube for terror videos.

In the Commons yesterday. Home Secretary Amber Rudd called on web giants to do more to take down extremism, including when jihadis look at how to buy bombs. She said Google should invest in machine learning and artificial intelligence so material is taken down before it is seen.

In a briefing in London, Mr Anderson questioned whether tech giants had gone far enough to remove extremist content from websites.

Google yesterday apologised for some of the grotesque content on its YouTube Kids platform. Spokesman Malik Ducard admitted the video platform was facing serious issues

He said: If you use Googles search function for the Islamic State magazine you will find on the first page of your search a pictorial description of how best to use a knife to kill somebody, and how best to use a truck to mow somebody down.

You could say a determined person is going to track that down anyhow but does it really have to be the first page of your search results?

Google yesterday apologised for some of the grotesque content on its YouTube Kids platform. Spokesman Malik Ducard admitted the video platform was facing serious issues.

I know that in light of the news stories that weve all seen in recent weeks, YouTube has more to do to fulfil [its] mission, he said.

The complex threats that we face today are evolving and sophisticated still, the complexity of these issues is no excuse and we are deeply sorry. I cant emphasise enough how seriously we take the issue of child safety across all of YouTube.

Manchester bomb could have been avoided By Richard Marsden for the Daily Mail Counter-terrorism officials might have prevented suicide bomber Salman Abedi blowing himself up at a concert if intelligence had been given greater priority Spies missed crucial opportunities to thwart the Manchester terror attack which killed 22 people, an official report has found. Counter-terrorism officials might have prevented suicide bomber Salman Abedi blowing himself up at a concert if intelligence had been given greater priority. Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the Commons that the jihadist atrocity on May 22 could have been avoided had the cards fallen differently. It was also revealed that the ringleader of the Islamist terror gang which brought bloodshed to central London on June 3 was being investigated by MI5 and police for his extremist views. Khuram Butt  one of three men who slaughtered eight people in a van and knife rampage  had been on the authorities radar for two years. The shocking findings were contained in a report by David Anderson QC, a former terrorism law reviewer asked by the Home Secretary to audit internal MI5 and police reviews into four incidents beween March and June. The security services faced serious questions following the strikes at Westminster Bridge, Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park, which together killed 36 people and wounded 200. Three of the six terrorists were known to MI5, the report revealed. Khalid Masood, who attacked Westminster, and Abedi were former subjects of interest  but no longer under active investigation. Abedi, 22, detonated a home-made suicide bomb outside an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena Abedi, 22, detonated a home-made suicide bomb outside an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena. He had first become an MI5 subject of interest in 2014, but it turned out he had been mistaken for someone else and his case was closed. It was reopened the following year on mistaken intelligence that he had contacted an Islamic State figure in Libya. But although his case remained closed from that point, the report said Abedi continued to be referenced from time to time in intelligence gathered for other purposes. Mr Anderson said: On two separate occasions in the months prior to the attack, intelligence was received by MI5 whose significance was not fully appreciated at the time. In retrospect, the intelligence can be seen to have been highly relevant to the planned attack. He said the security services decision to disregard the intelligence was, with hindsight, wrong. He had first become an MI5 subject of interest in 2014, but it turned out he had been mistaken for someone else and his case was closed. Floral tributes for the victims are pictured But he concluded that it was unknowable whether opening a fresh investigation could have thwarted Abedis deadly plans. In response to the findings, Miss Rudd told MPs the blame for the attacks lies squarely with the terrorists. But Steve Howe, whose wife Alison, 45, died in the attack, told Channel 4 News: Its sort-of a cover up from the fact that everything could have been done a lot better. The two other attackers who had been on MI5s radar were Butt, 27, the leader of the London Bridge attack, and Khalid Masood on Westminster Bridge. The full internal reviews, which are highly classified and run to more than 1,100 pages, contain 126 recommendations. Advertisement




Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta's best-known investigative journalist, was killed when a bomb blew up her car

Three men have been charged over the murder of an investigative journalist killed by a car bomb in Malta.

Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, was one of the island nation's most prominent public figures, thanks to a widely read blog she used to expose crime and corruption.

She was killed while driving near her home, in the village of Bidnija in northern Malta, during October this year.

Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, aged 55 and 53 respectively, and Vincent Muscat, 55, were charged with manufacturing the explosive, murder, taking part in organised crime and possession of explosives.

The three men pleaded not guilty during a hearing in Valletta today and sat motionless in the dock, with their heads lowered before Magistrate Neville Camilleri. They have been kept in jail.

The three suspects were among 10 people arrested in an operation on Monday.

The other seven have been released on police bail pending a further investigation of other evidence.

Ms Caruana Galizia's most explosive reports included allegations that members of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's inner circle benefited from kickbacks on business deals and a controversial passports-for-investment scheme.

She also focused on alleged dubious behaviour by prominent opposition and business figures, fuelling speculation she could have been the victim of mobsters.

The suspects arrested over the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia try to hide their faces as they arrive in a police car at the Court in Valletta, Malta

One of the suspects covers his face with hood of a coat as he is led into the court in Valletta

Another of the three men pulls his beige coat over his had police take him into the court

Police stand outside the court in Valletta, Malta, as three suspects arrested over the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, appear for a hearing

Mr Muscat said all of the 10 suspects were arrested due to a 'reasonable suspicion' of their involvement Ms Caruana Galizia's murder.

The arrests, made in an operation coordinated among the Police Corps, the Armed Forces of Malta and the Security Services, were the first break in the murder on October 16 that has drawn widespread outrage and condemnation.

Europol, the European Union's police agency, sent a team of organized crime experts to help Maltese police investigate the assassination, joining the FBI and Dutch forensic experts.

Just before her death, Ms Caruana Galizia, had posted on her closely followed blog, Running Commentary, that there were 'crooks everywhere' in Malta.

The tiny nation has a reputation as a tax haven in the European Union and has attracted companies and money from outside the continent.

Ms Caruana Galizia, whose reporting focused heavily on corruption on the EU island nation, was killed when a bomb destroyed her car as she was driving near her home

PM Mr Muscat, who faced accusations of wrong-doing by Ms Caruana Galizia earlier this year, denounced her killing, calling it a 'barbaric attack on press freedom'.

'I will not rest until I see justice done in this case. Our country deserves justice,' he said in a televised statement at the time.

'Everyone knows Caruana Galizia was a harsh critic of mine, both politically and personally, but nobody can justify this barbaric act in any way,' Muscat said.

'The only remedy for anyone who felt slandered was through the courts.'

Mr Muscat had called early elections in June seeking a vote of confidence to counter Ms Caruana Galizia's allegations of corruption.

She said documents in a small Malta-based bank showed that the premier's wife was the beneficial owner of a company in Panama, and that large sums of money had been moved between the company and bank accounts in Azerbaijan.

Forensic experts walk in a field after a powerful bomb blew up a car (foreground) and killed investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Bidnija, Malta

An ambulance is parked along the road where a car bomb exploded killing the journalist

Police and forensics experts stand behind a road block after a powerful bomb blew up the car

An ambulance and police vehicles are parked along the road where a car bomb exploded killing investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, in the town of Mosta, Malta. The car can be seen in the field and the blackened tarmac where the explosion appeared to have happened is seen leading to the vehicle

Graffiti on the wall next to a main road. It reads, 'We will not be silenced. RIP Daphne'

Both Muscat and his wife denied the accusation and sued Ms Caruana Galizia for defamation.

Recently, her outspoken blog had turned its fire on opposition politicians.

'There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate,' she wrote in the last blog published on her site days before she was killed.

In another entry last year, she wrote: 'Malta's public life is afflicted with dangerously unstable men with no principles or scruples.'

Television reported that Ms Caruana Galizia had filed a complaint to the police two weeks ago to say she had received threats. It gave no further information.
Greg Ham, 62, of Texas (pictured) was fatally shot by officer Jose Santos after Ham injured Santos and his K9 with a knife

A K9 officer shot and killed a man Sunday night moments after the suspect threatened and injured the cop and his dog with a sword in Texas.

Officer Jose Santos and his dog, Rocky, were responding to a report of a burglary, Kirk Jackson, chief of police for La Marque Police Dept. said in a press conference Monday.

Jackson said the burglary involved 62-year-old suspect Greg Ham, who entered his neighbor, Felize Staples' home around 10 p.m. Sunday night and threatened her by 'placing a sword in her face'.

Staples told ABC 13 news that Ham was her neighbor and friend. She said this incident 'scared' her.

'He got pretty aggressive with me,' Staples told ABC 13.

Ham used furniture to 'barricade the neighbor in a room of her house', Jackson said. Officers then arrived and helped free Staples.

That's when Santos learned of Ham's whereabouts. Santos and his K9 located Ham inside a structure across the street that was open, police said.

'Due to the ongoing threat to public safety that the subject posed, officers attempted to effect an arrest of the suspect,' Jackson explained.

La Marque Police Department officer Jose Santos and his dog, Rocky (pictured) were injured by a reported burglar with a sword, who was subsequently shot and killed on scene

Santos told Ham that if he refused to come out, the dog would be released. After repeated attempts to get Ham out of the structure, the K9 then attempted to remove the suspect, Jackson said.

Ham then brandished the sword  this time on the officer and his dog.

'Upon seeing the K9 and handler, the suspect produced the sword and attempted to strike the officer with the sword.

Santos was slashed in his face by the sword, ABC 13 reported.

'The K9 handler discharged his firearm at least once, striking the suspect,' Jackson detailed.

Police confirmed Monday that Ham was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jackson confirmed the officer sustained 'minor injuries' and was treated at a nearby hospital. The K9 was also injured and treated by a veterinarian.

Santos has been placed on administrative leave following the incident, Jackson added.

The LMPD said there were repeated calls made the week leading up to the shooting regarding complaints about Ham's behavior. Jackson said the calls ranged from 'criminal mischief to burglary'.

Police responded to the scene of a reported burglary in Texas. La Marque resident, Felize Staples said her neighbor Greg Ham barricaded her in her home after threatening her with a sword

Police officer Jose Santos and his K9 sustained minor injuries as a result of the sword slashing and were taken to a nearby hospital and veterinarian, respectively, for treatment

LMPD and the Galveston County Sheriff's Office confirmed during the press conference that Santos had a body cam activated. The footage is currently being reviewed by investigators and will be held for grand jury.

'It's tragic,' Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said at the conference, adding that investigators reviewing the footage believe 'the officer acted like he should'.

Kevin Petroff, first assistant at the Galveston County District Attorney's office, told DailyMail.com there are 'several' ongoing investigations in this case.

'As in any officer-involved shooting, the District Attorney's office does a separate investigation of the incidents, in addition to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office and the Public Integrity Division,' Petroff said.

Petroff explained the reason for multiple agencies working together on this is because 'there's a concern of bias' regarding officer-involved shootings.
Republican Sen. Jeff Flake donated $100 on Tuesday to the U.S. Senate campaign of a Democrat opposing GOP hopeful Roy Moore in Alabama.

Flake, who has sparred with President Donald Trump over the Moore campaign, tweeted a photo of his check written to Democrat Doug Jones. In the memo field, he scrawled: 'Country over Party.'

Earlier in the day, Flake and five other Republican senators sat with Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House to talk about hammering out differences between House and Senate versions of a tax reform bill.

The White House sat him next to Trump, with cameras and TV footage catching him looking very uncomfortable as the president endorsed Moore for the third time in less than a week.

Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake fidgeted in his chair next to Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday as he listened to the president defend Roy Moore on Tuesday

Moore (left), the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Alabama is accused of various sexual abuses against teenage girls decades ago; Flake wrote a $100 check to the campaign of Doug Jones (right), Moore's Democratic opponent, on Tuesday

Flake tweeted a photo of his check on Tuesday, with 'Country over Party' written in the memo field

Moore has been accused of fondling a 14-year old girl and dating a sixteen-year-old decades ago when he was a prosecutor.

But Trump said Tuesday that 'he's going to do very well. We don't want to have a liberal Democrat in Alabama, believe me.'

'We want strong borders, we want stopping crime. We want to have the things that we represent, and we certainly don't want a liberal Democrat that's controlled by Nancy Pelosi and controlled by Chuck Schumer. We don't want to have that for Alabama.'

Flake could hardly contain his eye-rolling.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday afternoon that the allegations against Moore are 'concerning' but Trump 'would rather have a person that supports his agenda versus somebody who opposes his agenda every step of the way.'

Moore 'should step aside' if his accusers are telling the truth, she added. 'But we dont have a way to validate that, and that's something for the people of Alabama to decide.'

Flake and Trump have been at loggerheads over tax and Obamacare repeal legislation, and the president has lashed out at him in the past

Trump blasted Flake last month, saying calling him 'Senator Jeff Flake(y)'

Trump blasted Flake on Twitter two weeks ago, calling his political career 'toast' after he was caught on a hot mic criticizing Moore and the president.

After a town hall event Flake hosted in Mesa, Arizona, he stepped off the stage without removing the microphone on his lapel  letting TV camera crews eavesdrop.

Speaking to Mesa Mayor John Giles, Flake said if the GOP becomes 'the party of Roy Moore and Donald Trump, we are toast.'

Trump retorted on Twitter that 'Senator Jeff Flake(y)' is 'unelectable' in his home state and will 'be a NO on tax cuts because his political career anyway is "toast".'

Flake ultimately voted in favor of the president's tax cut plan in the Senate.

But he tweeted Monday that '[a] Roy Moore victory is no victory for the GOP and the nation.'
Milo Yiannopoulos has been banned from hosting his Gold Coast appearance on Thursday at any council-owned buildings.

A spokesperson for Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the council has zero tolerance towards public rallies or talks that promote discrimination or racism in any form.

The decision comes after violent brawls broke out between the controversial commentator's fans and protestors at both his Melbourne and Sydney appearances on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

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Milo Yiannopoulos has been banned from hosting his Gold Coast appearance on Thursday at any council-owned buildings

A spokesperson for Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the council has zero tolerance towards public rallies or talks that promote discrimination or racism in any form'

The decision comes after violent brawls broke out between the controversial commentator's fans and protestors (pictured) at both his Melbourne and Sydney appearances on Monday and Tuesday, respectively

Ahead of his tour, the 33-year-old was banned from appearing at government owned venues in Western Australia.

'I don't think he's welcome in WA so we will make sure that all government venues are not available to him,' WA premier Mark McGowan said in October.

Calls were also made to revoke Mr Yiannopoulos' invitation to speak at Parliament House as a guest of Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonjhelm.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale wrote to the Presiding Officers of the House of Representatives and the Senate requesting the retraction.

Mr Yiannopoulos said he was 'flattered' by the attempt to have him banned, but accused the Greens of 'casting out the right of free speech'.

The 33-year-old's appearance at Parliament House went ahead as planned on Tuesday, during which he launched a scathing attack on modern feminism.

Ahead of his tour, the 33-year-old was banned from appearing at government owned venues in Western Australia

Calls were also made to revoke Mr Yiannopoulos' invitation to speak at Parliament House as a guest of Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonjhelm (pictured together)

Protesters clash with Victorian Police in Kensington in Melbourne on Monday night

Police detain a protester before Milo Yiannopoulos was set to speak to supporters in Sydney

Protesters shouted at police as they formed a line outside the Le Montage in Lilyfield, Sydney

The controversial figure labelled the movement 'vindictive' and 'man-hating' as he addressed MPs and journalists in the Mural Hall in Canberra.

'Feminists like to say that feminism is about equality for women - about giving women equal standing with men. They have it,' Mr Yiannopoulos said.

'What feminism has become - since it has run out of things to complain about - is a mean, vindictive, sociopathic, man-hating movement.

'You'd be hard pressed to find a journalist who doesn't describe themselves as a feminist these days. But it's very difficult to find a normal woman who does.'

Mr Yiannopoulos said Western women should be 'enormously proud' of the advances they had made, but said there is 'no place left for an organised feminist movement'.

Following his speech, the 33-year-old headed to Sydney for the latest stop in his tour.

The event in Lilyfield was heavily guarded by mounted police, officers on bicycles, riot squad, marine police and police vans.

A man was hustled out of the Le Montage venue in Sydney's Lilyfield's show on Tuesday night

Milo Yiannopoulos had a shoe thrown at him as he spoke at his Sydney show

The rally became violent as some protesters tried to break through police surrounding the wedding reception venue. One protestor stormed the building and threw a shoe at Mr Yiannopoulos.

The black, leather slip-on shoe hurled at the stage missed its target, who stayed on message attacking left-wing political correctness and its supposed alliance with radical Islam.

Fans of the alt-right commentator were heckled by more than one hundred protesters as they entered the venue, with police having to stand between the two groups.

Seven protesters were arrested outside a wedding reception venue where he was speaking.

A protester shouts against racism before right-wing British provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was set to speak in Sydney

Four people were arrested for breaching the peace, one for assaulting a police officer, one for affray and one for not complying with direction.

Banners and placards saying 'f*** off Nazi scum' and 'kill yourself like Adolf Hitler' greeted Mr Yiannopoulos he arrived to denounce Islam, feminism and cultural Marxism.

Police on horseback were called 'animals' and 'racist pigs' as they kept more than 70 youthful demonstrators to a patch of grass by the shores of the Parramatta River.

Protesters held signs including a large banner that said: 'First they came for the Muslims and we said, 'Not this time you f***er'.'

Inside, where 1,200 ticket holders were seated, a shoe-throwing man was hustled out by burly security guards just 20 minutes into the show attended by the Labor Party's indigenous former national president Warren Mundine and Sky News personality Rowan Dean.
The Tory truce on Brexit was fracturing last night as MPs warned Theresa May they would not accept further compromises with Brussels.

The Prime Minister faced a backlash after David Davis confirmed some sectors of the UK economy could have to align with the EU after Brexit to resolve the Irish border issue.

Former leader Iain Duncan Smith  who has acted as a bridge between No 10 and Eurosceptic MPs until now  described the proposal as 'intolerable' and suggested it was time to walk away from the talks.

The Prime Minister had planned to return to Brussels today to try to complete a divorce deal with the EU, but this has been cancelled

Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers also complained they were being kept in the dark about the extent of the compromises, both on the Irish border and the European Court of Justice.

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are said to be leading a revolt of Brexiteers who have a 'genuine fear' that Mrs May is going to push through a soft option.

The Foreign Secretary reportedly confronted the Prime Minister in a dramatic clash during Cabinet yesterday over her negotiating strategy.

A senior insider told The Sun: 'Cabinet is in the dark about what the PM is doing, which is a very strange state of affairs to be in.'

Michael Gove and Boris Johnson are said to be leading a revolt of Brexiteers who have a 'genuine fear' that Mrs May is going to push through a soft option

Meanwhile the DUP, whose ten MPs prop up the Government, made it clear it would not accept the plans put forward by the Prime Minister on Monday to secure a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal.

Talks with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker stalled on Monday after DUP leader Arlene Foster vetoed plans for a compromise on the status of the Irish border.

The Prime Minister had planned to return to Brussels today to try to complete a divorce deal with the EU.

But the trip was cancelled last night after Mrs Foster said she would not accept plans to retain 'regulatory alignment' between Northern Ireland and the Republic after Brexit.

Government sources insisted that the proposal on the Irish border was only a 'backstop' designed to open the door to trade talks this month.

David Davis confirmed some sectors of the UK economy could have to align with the EU after Brexit to resolve the Irish border issue

A source said the proposal was limited to a few areas linked to the Good Friday Agreement, such as agriculture and energy.

But Mr Duncan Smith warned it could 'box in' the UK, making it a 'supplicant' to Brussels even after Brexit, and preventing the Government striking trade deals.

Mrs May began the day by telling the Cabinet she was 'very close to getting agreement' with the EU on a divorce deal, which she hopes could unlock the door to the start of trade talks. The PM told ministers there were 'only a small number of issues outstanding'.

But a Cabinet source said the detail of the plans had barely been discussed by Mrs May at a meeting of the Cabinet yesterday.

'There is not a lot of clarity here,' the source said. 'People want to be helpful to the PM in this, but they are befuddled by the approach she has taken. People want to see the detail and it is not forthcoming  that is a worry.' Whitehall sources last night revealed that even Mr Davis did not learn that the phrase 'regulatory alignment' had been inserted into a proposed agreement with Brussels until Sunday.

One former minister last night warned the crisis could shorten Mrs May's tenure in No 10, saying: 'The PM is in a very weak position and she needs to wake up to the fact. She is making her position less and less tenable.' One EU ambassador said: 'We cannot go on like this, with no idea what the UK wants. She just has to have the conversation with her own cabinet, and if that upsets someone, or someone resigns, so be it.'

Iain Duncan Smith  who has acted as a bridge between No 10 and Eurosceptic MPs until now  described the proposal as 'intolerable'

Tory Sir Bill Cash said any commitment to align all or part of the UK's laws with the EU would be 'massively difficult' to accept.

Former Brexit minister David Jones said the move would make it difficult to strike free trade deals with countries outside the EU. He called the idea 'dangerous', adding: 'If we are aligned with the EU on agriculture, for example, it would be impossible to conclude any meaningful free trade agreements with third countries.'

Jacob Rees-Mogg described the issue as an 'indelible red line' and voiced 'gratitude' to the DUP for vetoing the deal.

What's the truth about trade across the Irish border? Analysis by Jack Doyle Northern Ireland to Ireland It might be assumed that trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic formed a very significant part of the province's economy. But official data shows its economic relationship with the rest of the UK is much more significant. Around two thirds of Northern Ireland's turnover involves sales within the province. Exports to Great Britain make up 21 per cent, while those to the Republic are just five per cent and to the rest of the EU just three per cent. DUP Sammy Wilson said Northern Irish trade with the UK is more important than with the Republic of Ireland and the rest of Europe According to the Legatum Institute think tank, trade patterns from before the UK joined the EU in 1973 have proved 'remarkably resilient'. DUP MP Sammy Wilson has said: 'Our main market is not the Irish Republic. It is not even the whole of the EU. Our main market is the UK, and the integrity of the single UK market is far more important to us, to people who work in Northern Ireland, than having some kind of regulatory convergence or continuance with the rest of Europe.' Ireland to Great Britain By contrast to the relatively small scale of its trade with Northern Ireland, the Republic has very significant trade links with Great Britain, its second biggest trading partner. More than 12 per cent of Irish exports go to Great Britain, and 18 per cent of services (compared to 1.6 per cent to Northern Ireland). It also imports a huge amount from Great Britain, which accounts for 25 per cent of its imports. But because of the size of the two economies, the Republic has a lot more to lose in relative terms from the talks collapsing and no agreement being made on trade. Estimates of the damage to Irish GDP from a collapse in talks suggest it could fall by up to 3 per cent. Henry Newman, of the Open Europe think tank, warns the Irish have the most to lose of any EU state from no trade deal, and are 'playing with fire'. Advertisement

Walk away from Brexit talks unless the EU drops 'intolerable' demands, Iain Duncan Smith tells Theresa May

Iain Duncan Smith last night urged Theresa May to abandon Brexit talks unless the EU agrees to back away from its 'intolerable' demands.

In an ominous move, the former Conservative leader went public about his growing concerns with the direction of the negotiations on a potential divorce deal.

Mr Duncan Smith said accepting the EU's demands would leave the UK a 'supplicant' nation after Brexit.

Iain Duncan Smith last night urged Theresa May to abandon Brexit talks unless the EU agrees to back away from its 'intolerable' demands

He said he had told the PM: 'We have reached the point where really these sets of demands are demands too far.'

He added that it was time to tell the EU: 'We're not prepared to go down this road any longer, this is not working, we will not box ourselves in.'

Mr Duncan Smith has acted as a bridge between No 10 and the Eurosceptic wing of the Tory Party, helping to persuade MPs to back Mrs May and avoid rocking the boat. His decision to speak out underlines the difficulty Mrs May now faces in persuading the Right of the party to back her approach to Brexit.

But last night Mr Duncan Smith said he could not accept plans to resolve the Irish border issue by signing up to a system of 'regulatory alignment' that could tie sectors of the whole UK economy to Brussels rules after Brexit.

He said it was 'not just the DUP' who were unhappy about a plan that would 'give away our status before we even get to the trade arrangements'. He said agreeing to the demand from Dublin and Brussels would 'box in' the UK's future options and limit our ability to negotiate future trade deals with other countries.

Mr Duncan Smith also voiced grave reservations about allowing any future role for the European Court of Justice, which Brussels is saying should continue to have jurisdiction over EU citizens' rights in Britain.

He told the BBC: 'We are beginning to stare at the edge of what is a price that we simply cannot afford to pay.' Mr Duncan Smith said the EU 'needs to budge'. He said the UK was 'reaching the point fairly fast' where it should just walk away and prepare to leave the EU without a trade deal.

He suggested no deal would be better than a 'wholly intolerable one that leaves us boxed in and unable to make the kind of arrangements with the US, Australia, India and all these other countries that we want to make arrangements with'.

Mr Duncan Smith's decision to speak out underlines the difficulty Mrs May now faces in persuading the Right of the party to back her approach to Brexit

And he warned there was a danger that 'we will end up being supplicants in this process rather than being equal partners.'

He added: 'I think the PM is recognising that. It's just becoming very clear that no matter what we say that we will help them with, there is another demand placed there and that stands in the way of trade.'

Signalling the tensions fracturing the Tory Party, former education secretary Nicky Morgan last night rounded on Mr Duncan Smith, saying: 'This is madness. Walking away when the Brexiteers encounter difficulties they never bothered to anticipate is not in the national interest.'
A 30-year-old Florida man was arrested after he allegedly tied up a teenage girl he met online with a rope and dog leash, cut off her underwear before raping her multiple times.

Travis Burton was charged with sexual battery on a 16-year-old girl, kidnapping, burglary, aggravated child abuse and soliciting for prostitution, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

The girl arrived at a home in the Davenport area Saturday morning where Burton was waiting.

He punched the girl in the face before he bound her with tape, cut off her underwear and raped her four times, police say.

Travis Burton (above), a 30-year-old Florida man, was arrested after he allegedly tied up a teenage girl with a rope and dog leash before raping her multiple times

Burton was charged with sexual battery on a 16-year-old girl, kidnapping, burglary, aggravated child abuse and soliciting for prostitution, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office

The teen said Burton then put a knife to her throat and attached a dog leash to her neck, according to the affidavit.

The 30-year-old man then put her in a truck that eventually got stuck in an orange grove, police say.

The girl's pimp, Miguel 'Angel' Ramirez (above), called cops worried when she did not return, police say. He was arrested also

Burton then sexually assaulted the teen girl again, police say.

The girl's pimp, Miguel 'Angel' Ramirez, called cops worried when she did not return, police say, according to WFLA.

Deputies found the girl in the truck, but he ran off and was eventually arrested.

Im not convinced at all that we werent going to have a murder had it not been for our deputies, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told WFLA.

Its just by the grace of God shes not dead right now.

Once apprehended, Burton allegedly told deputies that he met the teen online and offered to pay her $300 for sex.

Burton said they had a disagreement over the money and it 'got a little rough,' according to the sheriff's office.

He is currently being held in jail for at least 179 days after a judge charged him with being contempt of court on Sunday, police say.

Authorities say that Burton (above) has an extensive criminal history, including 25 previous felonies, 12 previous misdemeanors, and a prison sentence. He is currently being held in jail for at least 179 days after a judge charged him with being contempt of court on Sunday, police say

Authorities also arrested Ramirez and charged him for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

He told deputies that the teen asked him for a ride to a friend's house where she was going to smoke marijuana, WFLA reported.

Ramirez said he dropped her off and left before he received a call from her asking for help.

Authorities say that Burton has an extensive criminal history, including 25 previous felonies, 12 previous misdemeanors, and a prison sentence.

His previous charges include: burglary, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery, vehicle theft, resisting, fleeing to elude, giving false ID to law enforcement, cannabis and meth possessions, violating probation, battery on law enforcement, larceny, aggravated stalking, battery on a person 65 or older, grand theft and possession of a weapon by a felon.
Long before humans developed the means to smelt iron ore, civilizations around the world relied on bronze to make harder, more durable tools.

The process involved mixing copper with elements such as tin, and became a dominant craft that defined the Bronze Age.

But, scientists have discovered a number of extremely rare objects from this era that were fashioned out of iron, roughly 2,000 years before the start of the Iron Age.

Recent studies have traced some Bronze Age ironworks to meteoric sources  but now, a new analysis has found all of these remarkable objects had a cosmic origin.

Last year, researchers revealed that an exquisitely decorated golden dagger found inside the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun has a blade made from meteoric iron. Researchers discovered it has levels of cobalt, nickel and phosphorus

BRONZE AGE IRONS Meteoroids that break off a celestial body can be composed of core materials, meaning theyre packed with iron, nickel, and cobalt. When such an object passes through Earths atmosphere and hits the surface as a meteorite, the iron is already in a usable metal state. This would allow Bronze Age metalworkers to create iron tools without the smelting process, which would typically require the reduction of bound oxygen in order to achieve the desired metal. Advertisement

A new study led by Albert Jambon, a mineralogist at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in France, has examined rare Bronze Age iron artifacts found all around the world.

This includes beads from Gerzeh, Egypt, dating back to the year 3200 BCE, a dagger from Turkey from around the year 2500, several artifacts from the Shang Dynasty in China, and even the dagger of King Tutankhamun.

The researcher used a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to conduct non-destructive chemical analyses of the objects.

And, he found that all were made with meteoric iron.

Despite the abundance of iron ore on Earths surface, iron tools during the Bronze Age are a rarity, and greatly treasured.

At the time, humans did not yet have the means to smelt the ore.

Recent studies have traced some Bronze Age ironworks to meteoric sources. In 2013, experts confirmed that beads discovered on a necklace that was first excavated in 1911 were, in fact, made from space rock

A new study led by Albert Jambon, a mineralogist at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in France, has examined rare Bronze Age iron artifacts found all around the world. And, he found that all were made with meteoric iron. Stock image

But, in these rare Bronze Age instances, the researcher found they didnt have to.

Meteoroids that break off a celestial body can be composed of core materials, meaning theyre packed with iron, nickel, and cobalt.

When such an object passes through Earths atmosphere and hits the surface as a meteorite, the iron is already in a usable metal state.

This would allow Bronze Age metalworkers to create iron tools without the smelting process, which would typically require the reduction of bound oxygen in order to achieve the desired metal.

The new study led by Albert Jambon, a mineralogist at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in France, has examined rare Bronze Age iron artifacts found all around the world.

This is the basis of smelting in furnaces, a breakthrough that marked the beginning of the Iron Age, according to CNRS.

With smelting, Iron Age cultures could forget rare extraterrestrial metal and tap into terrestrial iron ores, which were far more abundant and easier to procure.

In the past, some experts have suggested that nickel-laden iron alloys may have come from terrestrial ores.

But, the new findings challenge this idea, claiming iron used during the Bronze Age was always of meteoric origin.
YouTube has promised to enlist 10,000 staff in a bid to root out violent extremism and sick content that targets children.

Susan Wojcicki, the chief executive of the video sharing site which is owned by Google, admitted people are exploiting the website to mislead, manipulate, harass or even harm users.

She revealed that since June, YouTube enforcement teams have reviewed two million videos for extremist content - removing 150,000 from the site.

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YouTube has promised to enlist 10,000 staff in a bid to root out violent extremism and dangerous content (stock image)

YOUTUBE AND EXTREMISM YouTube has promised to enlist 10,000 staff in a bid to root out violent extremism and dangerous content. Susan Wojcicki, the chief executive of the video sharing site, revealed that since June YouTube enforcement teams have reviewed two million videos for extremist content - removing 150,000 from the site. It is estimated that about half a million hours of content are posted on the site every day, and an official report published today by David Anderson QC, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, is expected to highlight the huge task faced by MI5 to monitor those who post online. Videos that were removed include posts by jihadists sympathetic to terrorist groups and bomb-making instructions. Advertisement

The Daily Mail has repeatedly called on social media sites to take down extremist content and videos that exploit young children.

Last month it emerged that Google, which owns YouTube, has raked in millions of pounds in advertising revenue from the clips.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Miss Wojcicki said that YouTube has already developed technology that can identify videos containing extremist content.

The computer-learning technology will now be used to track videos that spread hate speech or pose a risk to children.

She said: We will continue the significant growth of our teams, with the goal of bringing the total number of people across Google working to address content that might violate our policies to over 10,000 in 2018.

Around 98 per cent of videos that were removed were initially flagged by the computer learning algorithms.

Almost half were deleted within two hours of being uploaded, and 70 per cent were taken down within eight hours.

Videos that were removed include posts by jihadists sympathetic to terrorist groups and bomb-making instructions.

It is estimated that about half a million hours of content are posted on the site every day, and an official report published today by David Anderson QC, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, is expected to highlight the huge task faced by MI5 to monitor those who post online.

At the end of last month it emerged YouTube's system for reporting sexual comments on children's videos has not been working for more than a year. As many as 100,000 predatory accounts leaving inappropriate comments (pictured) on videos

SEXUAL COMMENTS At the end of last month it emerged YouTube's system for reporting sexual comments on children's videos has not been working for more than a year. As a result, volunteer moderators have revealed there could be as many as 100,000 predatory accounts leaving inappropriate comments on videos. Users use an online form to report accounts they find inappropriate. Part of this process involves sending links to the specific videos or comments they are referring to. Investigators identified 28 comments that obviously violated YouTube's guidelines. According to the BBC, some include the phone numbers of adults, or requests for videos to satisfy sexual fetishes. The children in the videos appeared to be younger than 13, the minimum age for registering an account on YouTube. Advertisement

Miss Wojcicki added: Our goal is to stay one step ahead, making it harder for policy-violating content to surface or remain on YouTube.

We will use our cutting-edge machine learning more widely to allow us to quickly remove content that violates our guidelines.

At the end of last month it emerged YouTube's system for reporting sexual comments on children's videos has not been working for more than a year.

As a result, volunteer moderators have revealed there could be as many as 100,000 predatory accounts leaving inappropriate comments on videos.

Users use an online form to report accounts they find inappropriate.

Part of this process involves sending links to the specific videos or comments they are referring to.

An investigation byBBC Trending found that when the public submitted information on the form, associated links were sometimes missing.

Investigators identified 28 comments that obviously violated YouTube's guidelines.

According to the BBC, some include the phone numbers of adults, or requests for videos to satisfy sexual fetishes.

The children in the videos appeared to be younger than 13, the minimum age for registering an account on YouTube.

'There are loads of things YouTube could be doing to reduce this sort of activity, fixing the reporting system to start with', an anonymous flagger said.

'But for example, we can't prevent predators from creating another account and have no indication when they do, so we can take action.'

BRANDS PULL ADVERTS FROM YOUTUBE Following the investigation, several firms have decided to pull their adverts from YouTube. Both Mars and Lidl are among the brands to pull their adverts on Black Friday. A spokesperson for Mars said: 'We are shocked and appalled to see that our adverts have appeared alongside such exploitative and inappropriate content. 'It is in stark contrast to who we are and what we believe. 'We have taken the decision to immediately suspend all our online advertising on YouTube and Google globally. 'We have stringent guidelines and processes in place and are working with Google and our media buying agencies to understand what went wrong. 'Until we have confidence that appropriate safeguards are in place, we will not advertise on YouTube and Google.' And a spokesperson for Lidl said the firm was 'shocked and disturbed' by the investigation. Advertisement

They estimated there were 'between 50,000 to 100,000 active predatory accounts still on the platform'.

Some comments were extremely sexual explicitly and were posted on videos clearly made for children.

The report was revealed the same day Lidl, Mars, Adidas, Cadbury maker Mondelez, Diageo and other big companies pulled advertising from YouTube.

An investigation found the video sharing site was showing clips of scantily clad children alongside the ads of major brands.

Comments from hundreds of paedophiles were posted alongside the images, which appeared to have been uploaded by the children themselves, according to an investigation.

One video of a pre-teenage girl in a nightie drew 6.5 million views.

MailOnline has contacted YouTube for comment.
An enormous waterway system built 5,000 years ago is rewriting the history of early Chinese engineering.

The recently excavated dam system was used by the Liangzhu society, a mysterious Neolithic group known for its stunning jade artefacts.

It took 3,000 people nearly ten years to build the waterway, which pushes back the date of the earliest known complex Chinese water system to around 5,100 years ago.

Experts found a series of high and low dams, as well as levees, that they say is one of the world's largest and oldest known hydraulic engineering systems.

Until now, the oldest known comparable systems had been Mesopotamian, dating to around 4,900 years ago.

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Pictured is a map of the Liangzhu Ancient city and its newly discovered hydraulic system along China's Yangtze River Delta. The team found levees (1), dams (2-11), mounds (12) and sections of the outer city wall (13, 14). Meirendi (15) and Bianjiashan (16) were part of this wall

THE WATERWAY The Liangzhu carefully managed water flows around China's Yangtze Delta to help with farming. Thousands of labourers shifted more than 10 million cubic feet of earth over the course of a decade to build the dams, the researchers found. These were supplied by a network of ditches, canals and moats that stretched more than 18 miles (29 km) long that supplemented the river's natural channels. The waterways were constructed 'in isolation' of any expanding empire, used instead for the benefit's of the city's own inhabitants, the scientists said. Rice farmlands used by the Liangzhu were scaled up thanks to the improved availability of water, allowing the group to sustain its entire population. Advertisement

The Liangzhu people occupied a large area of China's huge Yangtze River Delta, which drains into the east China Sea.

Many Liangzhu communities, of which 300 have been discovered so far, lived along the banks of the river on stilted houses to avoid flooding.

The Liangzhu, who thrived between 5,300 and 4,300 years ago, are among the first societies known to have used advanced farming techniques such as irrigation systems and paddy rice cultivation.

To achieve these impressive agricultural feats, communities would have needed to carefully manage water flows around the Yangtze Delta.

This is especially true of the Liangzhu Ancient City, the culture's largest metropolis, found in a wetland environment.

All six of the city's gates found so far acted as waterway entrances that linked water networks outside to one within.

Researchers from the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, with help from an expert at University College London, set out to explore how the mysterious ancient society controlled this water.

They used satellite imagery, remote sensing data, archaeological samples and geographical modelling over a four-year project between 2009 and 2013.

The dams were built very quickly given their size and scale, study coauthor Dr Yijie Zhuang, who studies Chinese archaeology at UCL, told Newsweek.

Thousands of labourers shifted more than 10 million cubic feet of earth over the course of a decade to build the dams, the researchers found.

Experts found a series of high and low dams, as well as levees, that they say is one of the world's largest and oldest known hydraulic engineering systems. Pictured is a pier at Bianjiashan found during excavations, with wooden stakes still preserved, forming a 'T' shape

It took 3,000 people nearly ten years to build the waterway, which pushes back the date of the earliest known complex Chinese water system to around 5,100 years ago. Pictured is a structure at the Meirendi bank with wooden planks still standing upright

THE LIANGZHU The recently excavated dam system was used by the Liangzhu society, a mysterious Neolithic group known for its stunning jade artefacts. The Liangzhu people occupied a large area of China's Yangtze Delta, which drains into the east China Sea, between 5,300 and 4,300 years ago. Jade artefacts were often buried with Liangzhu people of nobility, while poorer community members were buried with pottery. The Liangzhu society, a mysterious Neolithic group known for its stunning jade artefacts. The artefacts, such as the Liangzhu jade ring pictured (file photo), were buried with members of nobility This makes Liangzhu one of the earliest known to have established class systems. Many Liangzhu communities, of which 300 have been discovered so far, lived along the banks of the river on stilted houses to avoid flooding. The Liangzhu are among the first societies known to have used advanced farming techniques such as irrigation systems and paddy rice cultivation. To achieve these impressive agricultural feats, communities would have needed to carefully manage water flows around the Yangtze Delta. Advertisement

These were supplied by a network of ditches, canals and moats that stretched more than 18 miles (29 km) long that supplemented the river's natural channels.

Waterways were constructed 'in isolation' of any expanding empire, the researcher said, used instead for the benefit's of the city's own inhabitants, the scientists said.

Rice farmlands used by the Liangzhu were scaled up thanks to the improved availability of water, allowing the group to sustain its entire population.

The Liangzhu people occupied a large area of China's huge Yangtze River Delta. They used the region's rapid waterways to invent advanced farming techniques. Pictured are well-preserved sand bags found by the team, with the knots still clearly visible

Rice farmlands used by the Liangzhu were scaled up thanks to the improved availability of water, allowing the group to sustain its entire population. Pictured are rice remains discovered from the storage pit excavated at eastern Mojiaoshan

'The scale of landscape transformation at Liangzhu indeed was unparalleled in its era, thereby opening a window into how such a system originated and developed largely in isolation,' the researchers, led by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute's Dr Bin Liu, wrote in their paper.

The Liangzhu Ancient City is currently on the 'tentative list' for Unesco protection, based on its economic, religious and political importance.

This includes the potential for 'unearthed cultural relics' like jade artefacts, which the society buried with members of the nobility.

'[T]he remains including city walls, foundations of large architectures, tombs, altars, residences, docks and workshops imply existence of the largest ancient city of late Neolithic Age in the Yangtze River basin,' the World Heritage Centre said in its case for registering the site for Unesco protection.
Archaeologists have discovered 27 fragmented statues of the fierce lion-headed goddess Sekhmet in Egypt's southern city of Luxor.

The black granite statues of the goddess, known as the Lady of War, were found in the ground at the Colossi of Memnon area on the city's west bank, which used to be a capital for ancient Egypt.

Sekhmet had the body of a woman and the head of a fierce lioness, with a headpiece featuring the sun disk.

In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was a powerful warrior goddess as well as a solar deity, sometimes called the daughter and protector of the sun god Ra.

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Archaeologists have discovered 27 fragmented statues (pictured) of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet across the Nile from Egypt's southern city of Luxor

GODDESS SEKHMET In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was a powerful warrior goddess as well as a solar deity, sometimes called the daughter and protector of the sun god Ra. She is typically shown with the head of a lioness and a solar disk on her head. Sekhmet's name comes from the Ancient Egyptian word 'sekhem' which means 'power or might'and she has also been described as the 'mistress of dread' and 'she who mauls'. In order to placate her wrath, her priestesses performed a ritual before a different statue of the goddess on each day of the year, perhaps explaining why so many have survived. It's thought that 700 statues of Sekhmet once stood iat the temple of Amenhotep III, on the west bank of the Nile. To further pacify Sekhmet, festivals were celebrated at the end of battle, so that the destruction would come to an end. And in an annual festival of intoxication held at the beginning of the year, the ancient Egyptians danced and played music to soothe the wildness of the goddess and drank great quantities of wine ritually. Advertisement

The newly found statues are about two metres (six and a half feet) high and carved in black granite, the antiquities ministry said citing Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The statues have the goddess's head 'crowned by a sundisk' while a cobra 'adorns her forehead,' Mr Waziri said.

Some are of Sekhmet 'sitting on the throne, holding the symbol of life in her left hand' while others are of her 'standing and holding the papyrus sceptre,' he added.

Sekhmet's name comes from the Ancient Egyptian word 'sekhem' which means 'power or might' and she has also been described as the 'mistress of dread' and 'she who mauls'.

In order to placate her wrath, her priestesses performed a ritual before a different statue of the goddess on each day of the year, perhaps explaining why so many have survived.

The excavation began on November 7 and lasted till the end of the month, said Hourig Sourouzian, who led the Egyptian-European mission.

The mission found additional statues at the end of November, bringing the total number to 39, Ms Sourouzian told AFP.

The statues that were found closer to the Earth's surface were in good condition, unlike the others found deeper in the ground, Ms Sourouzian said.

The mission was preparing the discovered statues for display, she said.

The mission has discovered 287 statues of Sekhmet since it began its excavation work in 1998, the ministry said.

In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet (pictured, stock image) was a powerful warrior goddess as well as a solar deity, sometimes called the daughter and protector of the sun god Ra

The statues of the goddess, known as The Lady of War, were found in the ground at the Colossi of Memnon area on the city's west bank, which used to be a capital for ancient Egypt, the ministry said in a statement

Luxor, a city of half a million people on the banks of the Nile, a former Egyptian capital known as Thebes during ancient times, abounds with temples and tombs built by Egypt's pharaohs.

It's thought that 700 statues of Sekhmet once stood at the temple of Amenhotep III, on the west bank of the Nile.

To further pacify Sekhmet, festivals were celebrated at the end of battle, so that the destruction would come to an end.

And in an annual festival of intoxication held at the beginning of the year, the ancient Egyptians danced and played music to soothe the wildness of the goddess and drank great quantities of wine ritually.

The newly found statues were about two metres (six and a half feet) high and carved in black granite, the antiquities ministry said citing Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities

The statues that were found closer to the earth's surface were in good condition, unlike the others found deeper in the ground, Ms Sourouzian said

Last year archaeologists from the same mission discovered six statues carved in black granite that also depicted Sekhmet, sometimes shown holding people's lives in her hands.

All the statutes discovered show her wearing a figure-hugging dress and wig.

Three of the Sekhmet statues were almost complete, measuring six feet (1.9 metres) tall, 1.6 feet (half a metre) wide and three feet (one metre) deep, while the others are damaged with only parts remaining.

Archaeologists also recovered two middle portions of statues showing the goddess was standing holding a papyrus sceptre in her left hand and a life symbol in her right.

Last year archaeologists discovered six statues carved in black granite that also depicted Sekhmet in the same area (pictured), sometimes shown holding people's lives in her hands

The black granite statues of the goddess, known as The Lady of War, were found in the ground at the Colossi of Memnon area on the city's west bank, which used to be a capital for ancient Egypt

While the statues are not particularly rare, with similar discovered in the temple of Amenhotep III during the past seasons, they are still impressive.

The Temple of Amenhotep III was the largest of the mortuary temples near Thebes when it was built some 3,300 years ago, covering a staggering 3,767,369 square feet (350,000 square metres).

It's thought the statues surrounded a large peristyle court in and the hypostyle hall of the vast temple.
Storytellers promoted co-operation and moral behaviour among hunter-gatherers long before the advent of religion, experts have found.

Children in ancient tribes were encouraged to work with one another by these wise figures, who were some of the first people to focus on team-work.

Their stories were also essential in promoting egalitarian values long before similar mechanisms evolved in larger agricultural societies, such as moralising high-gods.

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Storytellers promoted co-operation and moral behaviour among hunter-gatherers long before the advent of religion. The discovery was made by researchers who studied the Agta tribe (pictured), descendants of the first people to colonise the Philippines 35,000 years ago

WHAT THE STORY STUDY FOUND The UCL study showed that 70 per cent of stories from seven different hunter-gatherer societies focused on reinforcing and regulating social behaviour. The research shows that hunter-gatherer storytellers were essential in promoting co-operative and egalitarian values. The study found that skilled storytellers had on average 0.53 more children than those who were not skilled. Almost 300 members from 18 Agta camps were also asked to choose who they would most like to live with, with skilled storytellers nearly twice as likely to be nominated as less skilled individuals. Advertisement

Researchers from University College London's (UCL) Department of Anthropology studied ancient Agta tribe, descendants of the first people to colonise the Philippines 35,000 years ago.

The tribes people live in scattered, isolated mountainous parts of the island of Luzon, and maintain many of the same traditions that have been used over millennia.

Experts found that the majority (70 per cent) of their stories promoted co-operative behaviour.

The concept of working together to achieve an end goal is instilled in the children of the Agta by the tribe's storytellers.

The research, published in Nature Communications, found that the moral lessons from the tribal elders pre-dated similar teachings by religious groups.

Dr Andrea Migliano, lecturer in evolutionary anthropology at UCL and study co-author, said: 'Hunter-gatherer religions do not have moralising gods and yet they are highly co-operative towards the whole community.

'Storytelling in hunter-gatherers was a precursor to more elaborate forms of narrative fiction such as moralising high-gods, common in post-agricultural populations.'

Researchers asked three elders to tell popular children stories.

Researchers from UCL visited the Agta tribe in the Philippines where they were regaled with 89 different stories, 70 per cent of these encouraged shared responsibility and working together to achieve a goal

The concept of working together to achieve an end goal is instilled in the children of the Agta by the tribe's storytellers. This image shows youngsters playing games together

The story of the moon and the sun arguing over who should illuminate the sky on Earth was resolved by them agreeing to split the duty. This taught sexual equality as well as co-operation, which was a prominent feature of ancient hunter-gatherer society

One of the stories was about the sun and the moon bickering over who should illuminate the sky.

They settled the debate by agreeing to share the duty, one during the day and the other at night.

The researchers said the story promotes sexual equality and co-operation between genders, which is common among forager societies.

Almost 300 members from 18 Agta camps were asked to choose who they would most like to live with. Skilled narrators, like this elder, were nearly twice as likely to be nominated as less skilled individuals

Their stories were also essential in promoting egalitarian values long before similar mechanisms evolved in larger agricultural societies, such as moralising high-gods. This image shows a story teller speaking with a child

'These stories appear to co-ordinate group behaviour and facilitate co-operation by providing individuals with social information about the norms, rules and expectations in a given society', according to Daniel Smith, lead researcher of the project.

Almost 300 members from 18 Agta camps were asked to choose who they would most like to live with.

Skilled narrators were nearly twice as likely to be nominated as less skilled individuals.

The study found that skilled storytellers had on average 0.53 more children than those who were not skilled, showing the reproductive benefits of being a good spinner of yarns.

The tribes people live in scattered, isolated mountainous parts of the island of Luzon in the Phillipines
Facebook has come under fire for letting trolls post disparaging remarks about women to the site, but suspending female users who respond.

Hundreds of women, many of them engaging with the Me Too campaign to stamp out sexual harassment, have found their messages removed and accounts banned.

Female comedians and others have spoken out against the move, which also saw a number of protesters who posted 'men are scum' to highlight the problem banned.

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Facebook has come under fire for letting trolls post disparaging remarks about women to the site, but suspending female users who respond. A number of protesters who posted variations of 'men are scum' to highlight the problem were among those banned from the site

HOW THE PROTEST BEGAN The Me Too campaign was launched in the wake of revelations around male celebrities, notably Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, abusing their positions to sexually harass and assault women. Millions of people have used the hashtag #MeToo to come forward with their experiences on social media, including many celebrities. But Facebook's moderation procedures have been called into question by the women who have received a ban for posting their thoughts. The 'men are scum' protest began in part as a response to comic Marcia Belsky receiving a 30 day ban from Facebook in October, for using the phrase as a throwaway comment on a friend's Facebook profile. In late November, after the issue was raised in a private Facebook group of nearly 500 female comedians, women pledged to post some variation of 'men are scum' to Facebook on November 24 in protest. Nearly all of them were banned. Advertisement

In an in-depth interview for the Daily Beast, journalist Taylor Lorenz spoke to a number of women whose accounts Facebook has suspended.

Offending messages, which have been removed, include 'men are scum', 'men are trash' and 'all men are ugly.'

Yet similar messages about women appear to remain on the site, they say.

Boston-based comedian Kayla Avery created a website and campaign group, called Facebook Jailed, based around her experiences being banned from the social network around 10 times.

Her most recent crime? Posting a message reading 'men continue to be the worst.'

Speaking to the Daily Beast, Ms Avery said: 'There was one guy who was threatening to find my house and beat me up.

'I got banned before I could even successfully report it.

'How else can we have a genuine reaction to whats going on? Facebook is absolutely silencing women.'

In response to the claims, a Facebook spokesman told Daily Beast: 'Well look at ways to apply our policies in a more granular way, but we are a global platform.'

MailOnline has contacted Facebook for a further comment.

The Me Too campaign was launched in the wake of revelations around male celebrities, notably Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, abusing their positions to sexually harass and assault women.

Millions of people have used the hashtag #MeToo to come forward with their experiences on social media, including many celebrities.

Hundreds of women, many of them engaging with the Me Too campaign to stamp out sexual harassment, have found their messages removed and accounts banned. Facebook's moderation procedures have been called into question by women who have received a ban

But Facebook's moderation procedures have been called into question by the women who have received a ban for posting their thoughts.

The 'men are scum' protest began in part as a response to comic Marcia Belsky receiving a 30 day ban from Facebook in October, for using the phrase as a throwaway comment on a friend's Facebook profile.

After the issue was raised in a private Facebook group of nearly 500 female comedians, the women pledged to post some variation of 'men are scum' to Facebook during an online protest on November 24.

Nearly all of them were banned.

Other women who have been banned include writer and comedian Rae Sanni, who says on Facebook Jailed that she was targeted with racist abuse which wasn't removed, yet her account was suspended.

This is not the first time that the privileged position of men on Facebook has been called into question.

This is not the first time the privileged position of men has been called into question. Back in June, it was claimed that Facebook allows users to post remarks attacking black children but will ban those who direct hate speech toward white men. Pictured - CEO Mark Zuckerburg

Back in June, it was claimed that Facebook allows users to post remarks attacking black children but will ban those who direct hate speech toward white men.

The social network uses an algorithm that legislates which types of speech are deemed out of bounds and which ones are permissible, according to ProPublica.

The company is attempting to apply a uniform code that will protect each racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic grouping equally from cyberbullying and hate speech.

Critics, however, say that the unintended result is that Facebook essentially protects privileged populations while denying adequate online safety to those most in need of it.
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Flight times from London to New York could be slashed to just 3 hours 15 minutes by 2025, thanks to a $10 million (7.45 million) investment from Japan Airlines.

Boom Supersonic is developing a 55-seat passenger plane that it says will halve flight times and will be faster, quieter and more affordable to fly than Concorde.

As part of the deal Japan's number two carrier has the option to purchase up to 20 Boom aircraft and will provide its knowledge and experience as an airline to hone the aircraft design and help refine the passenger experience.

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Flight times from London to New York could be slashed to just 3 hours 15 minutes by 2025, thanks to a $10 million (7.45 million) investment from Japan Airlines. Boom Supersonic is developing a 55-seat passenger plane that it says will halve flight times and will be faster, quieter and more affordable to fly than Concorde

BOOM PASSENGER AIRLINER SPECS - Crew: Two - Length: 170 feet (52m) - Wingspan: 60 feet (18m) - Passengers: 45 standard (up to 55 in high density) - Flight attendants: Up to 4 - Lavatories: 2 - Powerplane: 3X non-afterburning medium bypass turbofan; proprietary variable geometry intake and exhaust - Aerodynamics: Chine, refined delta wing with swept trailing edge Long Range - Cruise: Mach 2.2 (1,451mph, 2,335 km/h) - Nose Temperature: 307F (345F on ISA+20 day) Maximum Design Route: 4,500 nautical miles without refuel (8300km) Advertisement

Boom Supersonic has said its jetliner, expected to enter service by the mid 2020s, will fly at speeds of Mach 2.2, 10 per cent faster than Concorde, which popularised supersonic jet travel in the 1970s.

The aircraft is expected to produce a sonic boom that would be at least 30 times quieter than Concorde's, which was dogged by high operating costs and fuel consumption and low capacity utilisation.

The Denver-based startup estimates that fares for its aircraft would be 75 per cent lower than Concorde's and comparable to current business class tickets, due to its better fuel efficiency.

In a written statement, Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, said: 'Weve been working with Japan Airlines (JAL) behind the scenes for over a year now.

'JALs passionate, visionary team offers decades of practical knowledge and wisdom on everything from the passenger experience to technical operations.

'Were thrilled to be working with JAL to develop a reliable, easily-maintained aircraft that will provide revolutionary speed to passengers.

'Our goal is to develop an airliner that will be a great addition to any international airlines fleet.'

Boom, whose suppliers include General Electric Co, Boeing, Honeywell International Inc and Netherlands-based TenCate Advanced Composites, has reportedly received 76 pre-orders from airlines, excluding the option of up to 20 aircraft from Japan Airlines.

As of March 2017, the firm had raised about $41 million (30.5 million) in funding.

Yoshiharu Ueki, president of Japan Airlines, added: 'Through this partnership, we hope to contribute to the future of supersonic travel with the intent of providing more "time" to our valued passengers while emphasising flight safety.'

The firm has previously revealed that initial test flights for its 1,451mph (2,330kph) aircraft, nicknamed 'Baby Boom', will begin by the end of 2018.

As part of the deal Japan's number two carrier has the option to purchase up to 20 Boom aircraft and will provide its knowledge and experience as an airline to hone the aircraft design and help refine the passenger experience. This image shows an artist's impression shows Boom's 55-seat supersonic aircraft (below) and Boom's XB-1 supersonic craft (above)

And in November, Mr Scholl revealed that commercial flights on the full-sized, 55-seater aircraft which is 'better than Concorde', could begin running by 2025.

The full-size boom aircraft is expected to reach speeds of more than 1,687mph  100mph faster than the infamous Concorde.

Mr Scholl was speaking at the Dubai Airshow, when he revealed the latest details about the Boom Supersonic aircraft.

He said: 'Think about for a moment the families that are separated because of the long flights.

Boom Supersonic has said its jetliner, expected to enter service by the mid 2020s, will fly at speeds of Mach 2.2, 10 per cent faster than Concorde. The firm says that the journey time from New York to London could be halved and could cost passengers as little as 1,907 ($2,500) each way

'Think about the trips not taken because when you add up the lost hours, the trip just doesn't feel worth it.

'That's where we come in. We are a team of engineers and technologists, brought together for the sole purpose of making our world dramatically more accessible.

'You won't have to be on the Forbes' list to be able to fly, it will cost about the same as flying business class today. The ultimate goal is to make supersonic affordable for anyone who flies.'

While you might think that flying on such a high-speed aircraft could be a daunting experience, Mr Scholl reassured that passengers won't even notice the difference.

'This aircraft will be as quiet as the ones flying around the airports today,' he said, adding that it will also be 'significantly quieter than Concorde.'

The XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator is due to take off on its first test flight in late 2018 and could take passengers from London to New York in 3.5 hours. The jet is designed to carry two crew members

The news comes just months after Mr Scholl revealed that a smaller version of the plane, called the XB-1 will be tested next year.

He also said that Boom had already received 76 orders for its passenger plane from five unnamed airlines.

Backed by Virgin tycoon Richard Branson, the 'Baby Boom' jet could usher in a new era of affordable supersonic travel.

It hit headlines earlier this year when Boom Supersonic announced it had received $33million (26million) in funding and was ready to build its XB-1 jet prototype.

The firm showed off models of the plane at the Dubai Air show, where it also revealed the timeline for the project

'I have long been passionate about aerospace innovation and the development of high-speed commercial flights,' Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, said at the time.

'As an innovator in space, Virgin Galactic's decision to work with Boom was an easy one.'

The airline tycoon confirmed that Virgin has options to buy 10 of the supersonic Boom jets.

'Sixty years after the dawn of the jet age, we're still flying at 1960s speeds,' said Mr Scholl.

The firm has previously revealed that initial test flights for its 1,451mph (2,330kph) aircraft, nicknamed the 'baby boom' (pictured) will begin by the end of 2018

'Concorde's designers didn't have the technology for affordable supersonic travel, but now we do.

'Today, we're proud to unveil our first aircraft as we look forward to its first flight.'

The Boom jet was created by top aviation experts with collective experience working at Nasa, SpaceX and Boeing.

Learning from the Concorde, they combined advanced aerodynamics, efficient engine technology and new composite materials to produce a 'safe and affordable' supersonic aircraft 2.6 times faster than current jetliners.

The prototype has been subjected to more than 1,000 simulated wind tunnel tests and features a tapered carbon fibre fuselage, and efficient turbofan jet engines.

A concept image shows what the interior of the Boom passenger jet could look like. Test flights of the first subscale prototypes begin in late 2018

XB-1 SUPERSONIC DEMONSTRATOR SPECS - Crew: Two (pilot + optional flight test engineer or passenger) - Length: 68 feet (20m) - Wingspan: 17 feet (5.2m) - Maximum Takeoff Weight: 13,500 lb (6,120kg) - Powerplant: 3X General Electric J85-21, non-afterburning; proprietary variable-geometry intake and exhaust - Aerodynamics: Chine, refined delta wing with swept trailing edge - Cruise: Mach 2.2 (1,451mph, 2,335 km/h) - Nose Temperature: 307F (345F on ISA+20 day) - Range: > 1,000 nautical miles (1852km) Advertisement

In March, Virgin told MailOnline Travel: 'Richard has long expressed interest in developing high speed flight and building high-speed flight R&D through Virgin Galactic and our manufacturing organisation, The Spaceship Company.

'We can confirm that The Spaceship Company will provide engineering, design and manufacturing services, flight tests and operations and that we have an option on the first 10 airframes. It is still early days and just the start of what you'll hear about our shared ambitions and efforts.'

Speaking to Bloomberg earlier this year, Mr Scholl said: 'The idea is for a plane that goes faster than any other passenger plane built before, but for the same price as business class.'

According to the simulations, Boom's design is quieter and 30 per cent more efficient than the Concorde.

It will be split into two single-seat rows, so everybody has a window and an aisle.

To reduce weight, the seats are of the standard domestic first-class variety, so no lay-down beds.

To cut flight time, Boom's plane will cruise at 60,000 feet, where passengers will be able to see the curvature of the earth, while going 2.6 times faster than other passenger planes.

Mr Scholl said about 500 routes fit the craft's market, including a five-hour trip from San Francisco to Tokyo and a six-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney.

A concept drawing shows what the interior of the futuristic passenger jet could look like - all passengers would have a seat that sits both on the window and the aisle

Created by aerospace company Boom, the jet nicknamed 'Baby Boom' could pave the way for the larger Boom passenger jet (pictured) and usher in a new era of affordable supersonic travel

A mock-up shows the supersonic craft at Heathrow - its founders hope it will use existing airports once tests are complete
If you're pregnant you might want to think twice about going on a hot beach holiday, according to a controversial new study.

The study claims that for each day spent in 32C (89F) heat or more a baby's future earnings fall by 0.1 per cent.

However it's not all bad - air conditioning completely mitigates these damaging effects, according to researchers.

Experts not involved with the research were skeptical of the study's findings and noted that the impact of high temperature during pregnancy on income as an adult are extremely small.

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If you're pregnant you might want to think twice about going on a hot beach holiday, according to a controversial new study. The study claims that for each day spent in 32C (89F) heat or more a baby's future earnings fall by 0.1 per cent (stock image)

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CLAIMS? The study has claimed that for each day spent in 32C heat or more an unborn baby's future earnings fall by 0.1 per cent. Researchers claim each day spent at this temperature resulted in $30 (22) lost by the time the individual reaches thirty years old. However, experts were sceptical of the study's findings and noted that the impact of high temperature during pregnancy on income as an adult are extremely small. 'This study belongs to a growing body of work which increasingly seeks to blame any issues in later life on the environment of a mother's womb', Clare Murphy, director of external affairs at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service told MailOnline. 'We need to be extremely careful that studies such as these, with either very small or preliminary findings, do not get translated into more rules and strictures about what women can and cannot do while pregnant.' Advertisement

Researchers from University of California, Berkeley looked at the earnings of 12 million Americans born between 1969 and 1977.

With each person they linked their salary when they turned 30 to the temperature in the area where they were born, writes The Times.

Scientists, led by Dr Adam Isen, wanted to study the 'long-run effects of temperature on measures of individuals' economic well-being around age 30 years', according to the paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Throughout pregnancy and during the first year of life temperatures above 28C impact future earnings, researchers claim.

'We find that adult economic outcomes are negatively correlated with prenatal exposure to days with mean temperatures exceeding 32C', the researchers wrote in their paper.

Researchers claim each day spent at this temperature results in $30 (22) lost by the time the individual reaches thirty years old.

But scientists say air conditioning dramatically reduces the potential damage of hot weather on an unborn child.

'The effect only kicks in at extremely high temperatures (over 32C), and then is only worth an average penalty of $30 (22) a year for each day at this exposure when in utero or just born', Dr David Spiegelhalter a British statistician and professor at the University of Cambridge told MailOnline.

Researchers claim each day spent at this temperature results in $30 (22) lost by the time the individual reaches thirty years old (stock image)

'So very interesting scientifically, and we know it's not great to have babies at that temperature, but the effect is tiny and people should not start worrying', he said.

Experts warned that the study was certainly not a reason to cancel a hot holiday while pregnant.

'This study belongs to a growing body of work which increasingly seeks to blame any issues in later life on the environment of a mother's womb', Clare Murphy, director of external affairs at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service told MailOnline.

'We need to be extremely careful that studies such as these, with either very small or preliminary findings, do not get translated into more rules and strictures about what women can and cannot do while pregnant.'
The Google Doodle for 5th December celebrates renowned Russian conductor, Veronika Dudarova, on what would have been her 101st birthday.

Who is Veronika Dudarova?

Veronika Borisovna Dudarova was a Soviet and Russian conductor, one of the very few female conductors in the world and the first ever Russian woman to conduct an orchestra.

Born in 1916 in Baku, now the capital of Azerbaijan, Dudarovas musical proficiency was evident from an early age. Studying first in the music school of Baku, Dudarovas talent quickly took her to the Leningrad Conservatoire, where she studied piano under Pavel Serebryakov, and later to the Moscow Conservatory. There, she studied conducting under Nikolai Anosov and musicology under Lev Ginzburg.

The Doodle shows Dudarova leading the Google letters in a homepage-worthy performance'

After graduating from the Moscow Conservatory in 1947, Dudarova joined the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra as a junior conductor. After 12 years, she was appointed as its principal conductor and led the orchestra until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989.

In 1991, Veronika Dudarova formed the Symphony Orchestra of Russia, leading it until 2003. Dudarova holds a Guinness World Record for being the only woman to have led an orchestra for over 50 years. The conductor received numerous awards and accolades during her career including People's Artist of the USSR and the State Russian Music Award. She even has an asteroid named after her: 9737 Dudarova.

The Google Doodle celebrates the conductors dramatic style and has her leading the Google letters in a passionate, homepage-worthy performance.

Known outside of the Soviet Union as Iron Veronika, Dudarovas sobriquet seems very apt for, as her son Mikhail says, she got so carried away during a performance in 1993 that she actually fell off the podium but continued conducting and even smiled throughout!

Veronika Dudarova was born on December 5th, 1916 and died on January 15, 2009.

A Google Doodle celebrates the birth of Hip Hop on its 44th anniversary in August 2017

What is a Google Doodle?

Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page drew the very first Google Doodle in 1998, to celebrate their trip to that years Burning Man Festival. The original Doodle simply featured a stick man behind the second o in the Google logo.

Users responded positively to the frequent changes to Googles homepage logo, so Google Doodles became daily celebrations of cultural events, with recent ones including tributes to Childrens Day, Thanksgiving and Christian Doppler.

Today, there is a team of illustrators, graphic designers, animators and artists, known as Doodlers, who create the daily Doodles. The logos are hyperlinked to provide readers with more information about the cultural event being celebrated. The latest Google Doodle celebrates Veronika Dudarova on what would have been her 101st birthday.
IT is a far more sophisticated solution than setting a trap or laying out poison-laced cheese.

Scientists say pest problem may soon be solved by releasing genetically engineered rats.

The University of Edinburgh says within two years rats could be made infertile by tweaking their genes, or made to have only male offspring.

The University of Edinburgh says within two years rats could be made infertile by tweaking their genes, or made to have only male offspring.

HOW IT WORKS Scientists say the creatures could be stopped from breeding using CRISPR/Cas 9  a technique which works like 'molecular scissors' to snip away DNA. This technique works to disrupt a fertility gene in rats, to make females infertile. It can also skew the sex ratio which makes some baby rats male with an XY pair of chromosomes and some female with an XX pair. By 'shredding' the X chromosome, scientists have made almost 95 per cent of mosquito offspring male - cutting birth rates massively because there are not enough females to breed. Advertisement

These laboratory rodents, released into the wild to pass on their mutant genes, could cut rat populations in cities like London, where the urban myth goes that residents are never more than six feet away from a rat.

GM mosquitoes are already being created in Australia to protect people from the malaria carried by the deadly insects.

However the British scientists will be the first to try the technique out on mammals.

Gus McFarlane, co-author of a study on the solution, said: 'There are obvious benefits of this gene drive strategy compared to current control measures that are really quite brutal  shooting, poisoning, trapping, kind of 'bash over the head' techniques.

'It is more humane to cause a population decline with minimal animal suffering.

It is species-specific, as you are only targeting the target species you plan to, and also potentially more cost-effective.'

There are believed to be tens of thousands of rats in Britain, which have caused devastation in certain areas.

The remote island of Canna, off the coast of Scotland, was forced to spend around 500,000 and set 4,200 traps before finally becoming rat-free in 2008.

WHAT IS CRISPR-CAS9? Crispr-Cas9 is a tool for making precise edits in DNA, discovered in bacteria. The acronym stands for 'Clustered Regularly Inter-Spaced Palindromic Repeats'. The technique involves a DNA cutting enzyme and a small tag which tells the enzyme where to cut. The CRISPR/Cas9 technique uses tags which identify the location of the mutation, and an enzyme, which acts as tiny scissors, to cut DNA in a precise place, allowing small portions of a gene to be removed By editing this tag, scientists are able to target the enzyme to specific regions of DNA and make precise cuts, wherever they like. It has been used to 'silence' genes - effectively switching them off. When cellular machinery repairs the DNA break, it removes a small snip of DNA. In this way, researchers can precisely turn off specific genes in the genome. The approach has been used previously to edit the HBB gene responsible for a condition called -thalassaemia. Advertisement

Scientists say the creatures could be stopped from breeding using CRISPR/Cas 9  a technique which works like 'molecular scissors' to snip away DNA.

This technique works to disrupt a fertility gene in rats, to make females infertile. It can also skew the sex ratio which makes some baby rats male with an XY pair of chromosomes and some female with an XX pair.

By 'shredding' the X chromosome, scientists have made almost 95 per cent of mosquito offspring male - cutting birth rates massively because there are not enough females to breed.

Edinburgh University's Roslin Institute hopes to start trialling both techniques in a 'contained and controlled' rodent lab within two years.

Professor Bruce Whitelaw, principal investigator at Roslin Institute, where Dolly the sheep was famously cloned, said: 'We have the makings of a technology that could reduce or eliminate a pest population in a humane and species-specific manner.

HOW IT COULD BE USED ELSEWHERE If their approach is successful, the gene drives could potentially be applied to help control a range of other non-insect pest species, such as rabbits, mink and cane toads. Currently, an older approach called 'sterile insect technology' is being used in some areas to fight mosquitoes. Intrexon's Oxitec unit has already deployed its sterile male mosquitoes, whose offspring die when young, in Brazil. But because Oxitec's mosquitoes last only one generation, a vast number must be released to swamp their wild counterparts. Existing approaches to fighting pests, particularly mosquitoes, have so far shown mixed success, with insecticide resistance increasing in many parts of the world and drugmakers struggling to develop good vaccines against complex diseases such as dengue. Advertisement

'We need more research to better understand the risks, and whether these can be mitigated, but we believe the potential benefits merit further investigation.'

The genetically modified rats would pass on their infertility or likelihood to have male offspring to the next generation, scientists believe. It means a mutant gene could spread throughout an entire population within as few as 10 generations.

Pest control costs the UK economy an estimated 1.2 billion each year, with the British Pest Control Association reporting more than 186,000 call-outs relating to rats in a single year.

The researchers stress that additional research to investigate the potential risks associated with gene drive technology would have to be carried out before the approach could ever be applied in the real world.

But if their approach is found to be successful, they say it could potentially be applied to help control other pest species, such as rabbits and cane toads.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards will have a host for the first time next year.

Executive producer Kathy Connell said Monday that actress Kristen Bell will preside over the 24th annual ceremony in January.

Bell said in a statement that she's 'a little nervous' about being the show's first host but glad she'll be in the company of her acting colleagues.

First time's a charm! Kristen Bell to be Screen Actors Guild Awards first host ever in ceremony's 24 year history

'I am honored to be part of the SAG Awards, and am a little nervous about being its first-ever host,' Bell said.

'Im so glad that Ill be in the company of my fellow actors, many of whom Ive worked with before, so I know theyll be warm and supportive.'

Bell said in a statement that she's 'a little nervous' about being the show's first host but glad she'll be in the company of her acting colleagues

'Its going to be an amazing night,' she added.

The SAG Awards recognize outstanding performances in TV and film as chosen by members of the actors' union.

Connell said the awards committee wanted to 'capture the cultural mood' of change by breaking with its own tradition and having a host for its gala show.

The 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be held January 21, 2018, and broadcast live on TBS and TNT.
She's the fashion blogger that now runs with the likes of Kim Kardashian West and celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin.

And Elle Ferguson stuns on the cover of the January issue of Cosmopolitan Australia, as she celebrates being awarded Social Media Star of the Year in Fashion, for 2017.

One image sees the 31-year-old reveal her toned back in a semi-sheer white frock, while the cover shot accentuates her trim pins and lithe arms.

Now THAT'S a page turner! Fashion blogger Elle Ferguson, 31, reveals her toned back in a semi-sheer white frock by Rachel Gilbert, for the January issue of Cosmopolitan Australia

Standing in shallow water, Elle poses side-on to the camera, offering a glimpse of her toned back.

Donning a Rachel Gilbert semi-sheer white gown with delicate embellishment, the Sydney-sider accessorises simply with gold jewels from her sister's line Babyanything.

Her balayage locks are styled in relaxed waves by Remington Schulz, and her striking facial features are enhanced with the aid of makeup artist Max May.

Elle's beauty look consists of a bronzed complexion, defined brows, a touch of highlighter, subtle kohl-rimmed eyes and a nude lip.

Svelte: The cover shot sees the blonde bombshell drawing attention to her lean legs and lithe arms in a flirty two-piece ensemble

Meanwhile, the cover shot sees the blonde bombshell drawing attention to her lean legs and lithe arms in a flirty two-piece ensemble.

With a water backdrop, Elle places her hands on her hips and lets out a wide grin.

A metallic midriff-style top by Toni Maticevski offers a glimpse of her taut torso, while a pair of high-waisted gathered briefs by alice McCALL highlights her trim pins.

Her tresses are swept predominantly over one toned shoulder, looking every inch the beach babe.

The stunning photo shoot comes as Elle continues to celebrate the accolade of Cosmopolitan Australia's Social Media Star of the Year in Fashion, for 2017.

Acclaimed: The stunning photo shoot comes as the beauty continues to celebrate the accolade of Cosmopolitan Australia's Social Media Star of the Year in Fashion, for 2017

Popular: Elle was one of very few international guests to score a coveted invite to Kim Kardashian West's beauty launch at her Bel Air mansion in Los Angeles, back in June

Elle's popularity continues to soar, running in the same circles as Kim Kardashian West and celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin.

The fashion darling was one of very few international guests to score a coveted invite to Kim's beauty launch at her Bel Air mansion in Los Angeles, back in June.

During a chat with Daily Mail Australia shortly after, Elle gushed over how authentic the reality star and entrepreneur is.

'Kim's so beautiful and nice. You meet people all the time and they can have a persona that doesn't match up, but hers does.

Running in high circles: The social media sensation is pictured here with Kris Jenner who she describes as 'amazing and divine'

'She was so proud of the beauty line and what she's done. I find people that are authentic, are people that just go about their business and get it done. They don't stand there screaming about it.

'I see her as a businesswoman and not a celebrity. She is that person of our generation. For someone to be able to market herself and build an empire, that's inspiring,' Elle continued to gush.

The red carpet regular has also added entrepreneur to her list of achievements, with the creation of her self-tan line, aptly named Elle Effect.

Cosmopolitan magazine's January issue is out now.
She has the enviable job of chatting with the biggest names in music, TV and film.

And Renee Bargh has met with the cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The 31-year-old Extra correspondent shared behind the scenes snaps from her interviews with the cast of the highly anticipated movie, including Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley.

She's got the force! Renee Bargh has met with the cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi including Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill who held the iconic jedi choke pose

The blonde beauty dressed for the occasion in a white, strapless jumpsuit, teamed with beige, suede heels.

She took to Snapchat to share a photo of herself holding the light saber with the Luke Skywalker actor who dressed in a dapper navy suit ensemble as he held the iconic jedi choke pose.

Renee was also fortunate enough to have a light saber lesson with British actress Daisy, who looked elegant in a white, long-sleeved dress and grey heels.

Lesson time! Renee was also fortunate enough to have a light saber lesson with actress Daisy Ridley

Keeping it elegant: The British actress looked elegant in a white, long-sleeved dress and grey heels

The brunette beauty taught her the how to grip the mock weapon with one hand, as they do in the film.

The Byron-Bay born stunner also chatted the film's other stars Oscar Isaac, who plays Poe Dameron an X-wing fighter pilot in the Resistance.

She also spoke with Emmy award winning actress and Big Little Lies star Laura Dern, who plays Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo in the film.

Enviable job: The Byron-Bay born stunner also chatted the film's other stars Laura Dern and Oscar Isaac

Since joining the Extra in 2010, Renee has also made a name for herself as one of the most stylish Australian's based in Los Angeles.

She recently turned heads on the red carpet of the American Music Awards in an khaki green dress with a plunging neckline, featuring a belt that emphasised her small waist.

She also accessorised the look with chandelier earrings and strappy black heels.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released in Australia on December 14.
They've been dating for five years and the romance between Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner is still going strong.

The blonde model, 25, and the financial investor, 32, were spotted enjoying a stroll through London on Saturday.

Kloss has been in the U.K. for several days, where she gave a talk in Oxford on Thursday and on Monday night co-hosted the British Fashion Awards.

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Across the pond: Karlie Kloss, 25, and boyfriend Joshua Kushner, 32, were spotted enjoying a stroll through London on Saturday as they spend time int he British capital

The couple were low-key as they toured some of the sites in the British capital together.

The former Victoria's Secret Angel paired a gray turtleneck sweater with a fluffy pink jacket and added a pair of blue jeans.

She wore her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and sported sunglasses despite the cloudy skies.

Her boyfriend, who is the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, wore a navy padded jacket and navy trousers.

Loved up: The two, who started dating in 2012, only had eyes for each other as they took in the sights

Casual style: The model wore a gray turtleneck sweater under a pink fluffy jacket paired with blue jeans while her longtime beau opted for a padded navy jacket and dark blue trousers

On Monday night, Kloss joined other models for the Fashion Awards, walking the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall in a strapless scarlet gown.

The designer number gave a good view of her ample cleavage which event he diamonds dripping around her neck couldn't distract from.

She wore her blonde hair loose in a tousled style and rocked bright red lipstick.
She's always willing to help a good cause.

And now TV personality Katie Piper, 34, is putting her name behind baby company Pampers for a new campaign to say thank you to the 40,000 midwives in the UK.

The author is mere weeks away from welcoming a new edition to her family, due over the Christmas period.

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Baby blue: TV personality Katie Piper, 34, is putting her name behind baby company Pampers for a new campaign to say thank you to the 40,000 midwives in the UK

Katie is already mum to three-year-old Belle Elizabeth with husband, Richard Sutton, but the couple are set to welcome baby number two on 27th December.

For the campaign, the star recalls giving birth to Belle, and how crucial midwives were to her.

She said: 'Its so important to say thank you to our midwives. I had such a nurturing team of midwives looking after me with my first little girl, and their support gave me so much confidence as a mother.

'I want to say thank you to them all as no question was ever too silly or request too much.

'I am far less anxious ahead of my second child and am already working with a great midwife team in preparation for a Christmas baby.'

Memories: Katie For the campaign, the star recalls giving birth to Belle, and how crucial midwives were to her

Ready to pop: The blonde beauty showed off her growing baby bump in a number of soft blue hues for the campaign, where she interacts with a midwife who sensitively places her hands on Katie's belly

Beaming: Matching the baby blue decor of the set, Katie donned a comfortable cobalt turtleneck, along with an elegant sapphire dress with an accentuated umpire waist

The blonde beauty showed off her growing baby bump in a number of soft blue hues for the campaign, where she interacts with a midwife who sensitively places her hands on Katie's belly.

Matching the baby blue decor of the set, Katie donned a comfortable cobalt turtleneck, along with an elegant sapphire dress with an accentuated umpire waist.

It may be a sign the expectant mum could be welcoming a little boy to her growing family, but Katie has previously been tight-lipped about any gender reveal.

The Hampshire-born star has always been candid with her past experiences,most recently talking about her ongong post-traumantic stress disorder following the harrowing acid attack in 2008.

The clue is blue: The colour chosen for the campaign may be a sign the expectant mum could be welcoming a little boy to her growing family

The gorgeous blonde was left scarred and blind in one eye, after her ex-boyfriend arranged for an accomplice to throw sulphuric acid in her face.

The philanthropist revealed to Women's Health magazine in November how she felt 'isolated' to the point she was so terrified to leave her parents' home.

Pregnant Katie, who is set to tour with her live show What's In My Head next spring, told the publication: 'When my post-traumatic stress disorder was at its height, I was so isolated I didnt want to leave my parents house.

'It took my mum dropping me off at church to help me get what I needed at that time: connection with others, free from judgement. Id found my safe space  but it will be different for everyone.

'Nine years on, I am so much more than what happened to me. Im a mother and a businesswoman; I run a charity that supports others overcoming adversity; and, most importantly, Im happy.



Elegance: The expectant mother looks graceful as she holds her growing baby bump in a sapphire gown, and light blue statement ring

Grateful: The star recalls giving birth to Belle, and how crucial midwives were to her. She said: 'Its so important to say thank you to our midwives'
Ever since The Bachelorette finale aired, they've been plagued by reports of 'awkward' public sightings and evidence they allegedly faked their relationship.

For the first time on Monday, Sophie Monk spoke at length about her so-called 'awkward' relationship with Stu Laundy.

'I'm just done with it [public opinion]... we can't win,' she said during a chat on the No Filter podcast.

'I'm just done with it': For the first time on Monday, Sophie Monk spoke at length about her so-called 'awkward' relationship with Stu Laundy

Explaining their strange, seemingly hesitant public displays of affection, the 37-year-old blamed onlookers egging the pair on.

'We're at the airport at they'll just be like "kiss" and I'm like "why are we doing this?" and then they're like "overboard! You're Trying too hard!" she bemoaned.

'Or [they're like] we're not affectionate enough.'

Sophie then explained the reason they're rarely pictured together is that she's more focused on work.

'Why are we doing this': 'I'm just done with it [public opinion]... we can't win,' she said during a chat on the No Filter podcast on Monday

'Trying too hard': 'We're at the airport at they'll just be like "kiss" and I'm like "why are we doing this?" and then they're like "overboard! You're Trying too hard!' she said of onlookers

'I travel a lot for work. I think they're used to these people coming off the show and being together as a profession everyday, but I'm never home,' she said.

Instead of making time to hang out with the millionaire, the reality star seeks out more opportunities to do what she loves.

'Commercials for things, radio - I LOVE working... I'm traveling all over the country all the time, I'm an entertainer at the end of the day, I just love making people laugh.'

Work comes first: Sophie then explained the reason they're rarely pictured together is that she's more focused on work: 'That's what keeps me going, that's my hobby'

'I'm an entertainer': 'Commercials for things, radio - I LOVE working... I'm traveling all over the country all the time, I'm an entertainer at the end of the day, I just love making people laugh'

'That's what keeps me going, that's my hobby.'

So how does that affect her time with Stu? Not significantly, Sophie insisted: 'We've both got separate lives as well, we're not co-dependent, either.'

'It's like... I've got work to do, and then when we meet up it's awesome,' the beauty reasoned.

'So I think just... time will tell.'
Coco Rocha is pregnant with her second child by her husband James Conran.

The 29-year-old revealed Monday that she's expecting, posting a sweet Instagram video in which her two-year-old daughter Ioni broke the news.

At the beginning of the clip, Ioni hid behind her mother as the pair of them stood in the toddler's nursery at the family home in Westchester County, New York.

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Family moment: Coco Rocha announced her second pregnancy Monday, posting a sweet Instagram video in which her two-year-old daughter Ioni broke the news

Suddenly, Ioni sprang out from behind Coco's legs and squealed: 'Surprise! There's a baby in Mommy's tummy!'

The Toronto-born model, who had draped her burgeoning baby bump in a form-fitted off-the-shoulder black gown, cheerfully hugged her daughter.

Coco captioned: 'Your attention please! @ioniconran has a very important announcement to make!!,' adding a megaphone emoji before: '#babyconran2'.

So sweet: At the beginning of the clip, Ioni hid behind her mother as the pair of them stood in the toddler's nursery at the family home in Westchester County, New York

Big news: Suddenly, Ioni sprang out from behind Coco's legs and squealed: 'Surprise! There's a baby in Mommy's tummy!'

Motherly love: The Toronto-born model, who had draped her burgeoning baby bump in a form-fitted off-the-shoulder black gown, cheerfully hugged her daughter

James, an interior designer who hails from Britain, married Coco back in 2010, and going by a 2014 Forbes article is also her manager.

In March of 2015, they welcomed little Ioni, who has had an Instagram account her parents 'Monitor' since the day she was born.

On Ioni's Instagram page this Monday, there was a new black and white video of the two-year-old in the nursery gleefully announcing: 'There's a baby in Mommy's tummy!' before rushing back into her mother's arms.

Glam: That day, Coco was photographed wearing the same off-the-shoulder black dress as in the video when she swung by The Bloomberg 50 Celebration in New York City

Aglow: She posed up a storm on the black carpet at the Gotham Hall event, standing for photos on the arm of her besuited husband James Conran, who was in black tie

History: Coco and James married in 2010 and welcomed Ioni in 2015

That day, Coco was photographed wearing the same off-the-shoulder black dress as in the video when she swung by The Bloomberg 50 Celebration in New York City.

She posed up a storm on the black carpet at the Gotham Hall event, standing for photos on the arm of her besuited husband, who was in black tie.

James' navy suit featured a black lapel, and he clashed it elegantly against a white dress shirt, rounding out the ensemble with a pair of black dress shoes.

Coordinated: She had matched her dress with a black choker
They shot to fame - and found lasting love- on the 2016 series of Love Island, and with a proposal and upcoming wedding, are one of the strongest couples to have come out of the villa.

And Alex Bowen and Olivia Buckland have weighed in on the shock demise of Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies' relationship, saying the immense pressure on couples when they emerge from the TV show along with a punishing work schedule can be difficult to handle.

Alex, 25, admitted to being 'shocked' by the Love Island winners split, little more than five months after they were crowned champions.

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Love Island alumni: Alex Bowen and Olivia Buckland have weighed in on the shock demise of Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies' relationship, saying the immense pressure on couples when they emerge from the TV show along with a punishing work schedule can be difficult to handle

Shock split: Alex, 25, admitted to being 'shocked' by the Love Island winners split, little more than five months after they were crowned champions

He said: 'We've met Amber, we've never met Kem. We didn't really expect it at all.

'Pictures go on Twitter and people look happy but you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.'

'Kem's really busy at the moment, Amber's really busy, not a lot of couples can handle it, but when you're away from each other it's difficult.'

Olivia, 24, said Kem's appearance for the upcoming series of Dancing On Ice will have put a strain on the relationship.

Pressure of Dancing On Ice?Alex said: ' We didn't really expect it at all. You never really know what goes on behind closed doors, Kem's really busy at the moment, Amber's really busy, not a lot of couples can handle it, but when you're away from each other it's difficult'

Leggy: Olivia said: 'With Kem doing something like Dancing on Ice, he's going to be training non-stop so it's a hard thing for them to get past, but you never know, Nathan and Cara got back together

She said: 'With Kem doing something like Dancing on Ice, he's going to be training non-stop so it's a hard thing for them to get past, but you never know, Nathan and Cara got back together.

'I know how hard it is to make a relationship work, I absolutely love Amber. We've been on a couple of nights out as shes an absolute diamond so its just one of the things. '

Alex and Olivia, who readily admit that making their relationship work after the ITV2 show was 'hard work', credit their lasting romance with making an effort to see each other every day when they came out of the villa.

Alex said: ' Olivia has a job I'll go with her, if I have a job she'll come with me. I had a lot of PAs when I first came out. But I would spend every night in my own bed

Reality romance: Alex and Olivia, who readily admit that making their relationship work after the ITV2 show was 'hard work', credit their lasting romance with making an effort to see each other every day when they came out of the villa

So happy: Olivia added: 'He was making the effort to come back and see me every night before the next one. We worked really really hard on it. It probably made us the most tired people in the world. But we always wanted to be together

'It was such hard work but we made it work and we're really happy together.

Olivia added: 'He was making the effort to come back and see me every night before the next one. We worked really really hard on it. It probably made us the most tired people in the world. But we always wanted to be together.

'I always say our relationship is mega strange because we spend 24/7 together and we never get sick of each other. We're so so lucky that we just get on super well.'

The smitten couple have enjoyed a whirlwind romance since meeting in the Mallorcan villa in July 2016, getting engaged just five months later during a romantic trip to New York City.

Smitten: The smitten couple have enjoyed a whirlwind romance since meeting in the Mallorcan villa in July 2016, getting engaged just five months later during a romantic trip to New York City

Sparkler: Alex popped the question with a glittering diamond ring with the couple set to wed in September 2018

Fun times: And Alex and Olivia, who finished as runners-up to Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde, revealed they had a rather unconventional -and very drunken- way of celebrating their engagement, with a wild visit to a strip club

And Alex and Olivia, who finished as runners-up to Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde, revealed they had a rather unconventional -and very drunken- way of celebrating their engagement, with a wild visit to a strip club.

Alex said: 'I was really ill before we went to New York and I was getting better each day I was there but I hadn't really been eating before we went.

'We went to have cocktails after in the hotel and we got absolutely trashed, so trashed. I had two and I was drunk.

'We looked across the street and saw the strip club and we both looked each other laughed and said 'come on we'll go in.'

'Trashed': Alex then paid for a dance for his new fiance which went down a storm with Olivia. Olivia said: 'We made friends with this stripper she was so lovely. We were so drunk and we're always up for a laugh. That was just pure banter'

Alex then paid for a dance for his new fiance which went down a storm with Olivia.

Olivia said: 'We made friends with this stripper she was so lovely. We were so drunk and we're always up for a laugh. That was just pure banter, it wasn't sexual. It was hilarious.'

Testament to the couple's fun-filled relationship, Alex raised eyebrows last month when he unveiled a giant tattoo of Olivia's face on his leg.

While many left compliments of praise and 'relationship goals' for the tattooed hunk's tribute to his future wife others were too sure about the declaration of love commenting 'You're gonna regret that in 5 years' and 'awk if they finish.'

Inked: Testament to the couple's fun-filled relationship, Alex raised eyebrows last month when he unveiled a giant tattoo of Olivia's face on his leg, which got compliments and criticism

Cute couple: A defiant Alex said the comments do not hurt him or Olivia, and said they are simply an 'old-fashioned couple' who want to show their love for one another

A defiant Alex said the comments do not hurt him or Olivia, and said they are simply an 'old-fashioned couple' who want to show their love for one another.

He said: 'It doesn't really affect me. I just thought why don't I get a tattoo of my fiance, who I'm going to spend the rest of my life with.

'At the end of the day, people who are on Twitter split up, they get back together. Me and Liv are quite old-fashioned and I know I'm never going to split with her. It didn't enter my mind that I'm ever going to split with her.

'It's a big deal for some people but for me it was a nice thing to do.'

Stunning: With career success and lasting love, the couple have unfortunately had to deal with negative comments. Olivia recently lashed out at trolls who criticised her 'swollen' face following her glamorous appearance at the Beauty Awards 2017

Defiant: Olivia said: 'We were so stressed and tired from moving house. I knew I looked tired, I'd already called myself tired and swollen so if anyone else said it, it didn't matter'

BFFs: Olivia has also been staying in close contact with BFF Cara who will give birth to her first son with rekindled love Nathan any day now. Olivia is the baby's godmother

(Still) bumping along: Olivia said: Cara's belly is massive. Shes bouncing on her birthing ball. she's so desperate to hold him and get him out. She went Nandos and went extra hot and that didnt do it'

Olivia, added: 'When I saw it, I was speechless. I said before, I've never trusted people. I couldn't trust him more, he's got my face on his leg now.'

Olivia has also been staying in close contact with BFF Cara who will give birth to her first son with rekindled love Nathan any day now. Olivia is the baby's godmother.

She said: Cara's belly is massive. Shes bouncing on her birthing ball. she's so desperate to hold him and get him out. She went Nandos and went extra hot and that didnt do it.

Although the couple have an undeniably strong relationship they do admit to bickering occasionally, but say they are quick to make up.

Strong: Although the couple have an undeniably strong relationship they do admit to bickering occasionally, but say they are quick to make up

Alex said: 'We bicker about random strange things, I wouldn't say I'm lazy but when we move into the new house I will have to up my game a little bit.

Olivia: 'I can be quite pedantic about things, I can be quite controlling about things but we've never had an argument that's lasted over three hours.'

At the forefront of their successful relationship is the inherent trust they have one in one another with Alex saying they never get jealous.

He said: 'It doesn't even enter my head that someone would be with Liv while Olivia gushed: 'We're so chilled about things. I would never have expected myself to be in a relationship like this. I am so lucky.'

Cute: At the forefront of their successful relationship is the inherent trust they have one in one another with Alex saying they never get jealous

Big day: With just nine months to go until the big day Olivia said wedding preparations are in full swing with the couple planning an engagement party for next March

With career success and lasting love, the couple have unfortunately had to deal with negative comments. Olivia recently lashed out at trolls who criticised her 'swollen' face following her glamorous appearance at the Beauty Awards 2017.

She said: 'We were so stressed and tired from moving house. We'd been here there and everywhere, I looked at myself and I was like, I look so tired. I feel like sometimes I push myself so hard.

'The comments don't make me upset, they make me realise that I need to take a break. Sometimes it's a nice thing. It's not worth responding to. I knew I looked tired, I'd already called myself tired and swollen so if anyone else said it, it didn't matter.'

Ahead of their September 2018 wedding, the pair have recently bought their first home together.

Bride and groom: Alex also joked that he knows if Olivia is about to indulge in any 'Bridezilla' behaviour and will try to help her out, or make himself scarce

With just nine months to go until the big day Olivia said wedding preparations are in full swing with the couple planning an engagement party for next March.

Olivia said: 'Another reason we're so stressed and tired, we've been sorting out so much but its coming together.'

Alex also joked that he knows if Olivia is about to indulge in any 'Bridezilla' behaviour and will try to help her out, or make himself scarce.

On Monday night, the ink-loving couple appeared on Just Tattoo of Us, which saw them go under the tattoo gun, but have no idea what their partner chose for them.

While Alex called the experience 'very scary' Olivia said the secrecy of the tattoo made her 'freak out.'

Playful: On Monday night, the ink-loving couple appeared on Just Tattoo of Us, which saw them go under the tattoo gun, but have no idea what their partner chose for them

Wow: Olivia, who received a tattoo of a cow and a milkmaid in honour of her love of milk, said: 'They mean something but they don't mean the best thing. 'Because I couldn't see, I just had a massive freak out, it was really funny

Olivia, who received a tattoo of a cow and a milkmaid in honour of her love of milk, said: 'They mean something but they don't mean the best thing. 'Because I couldn't see, I just had a massive freak out, it was really funny.

Alex: 'I'm really nervous when it comes to tattoos.'

Olivia: 'You know when you see something and you're like OK, and you go through the motions and then you see it later and you're like oh no, but we're keeping it.

Brave: Olivia: 'You know when you see something and you're like OK, and you go through the motions and then you see it later and you're like oh no, but we're keeping it'




They welcomed their first child together, daughter Willow, in October.

And Sam Wood and fiancee Snezana Markoski doted over their precious newborn, during a casual stroll in Melbourne on Monday.

The proud mother also showed off her slender post-baby frame, in a long-sleeved grey top and skinny-leg black jeans.

Baby's day out! Sam Wood doted over precious daughter Willow, as fiancee Snezana Markoski showed off her slender post-pregnancy frame, on a casual stroll in Melbourne on Monday

Sam appeared to be ready for the gym, sporting a black slim-fitting shirt and sleeveless puffer vest.

A pair of black workout shorts and coordinating Nike trainers tied in with the look.

Very much a hands-on father, the 37-year-old former Bachelor star pushed Willow's stroller down an inner-city street.

Ensuring his little one was not disturbed, a lightweight pink scarf was draped over the top of the pram.

Attire: Sam, 37, appeared to be ready for the gym, sporting a black slim-fitting shirt and sleeveless puffer vest. A pair of black workout shorts and coordinating Nike trainers tied in with the look

Doting: The former Bachelor star was very much a hands-on father, pushing Willow's stroller down an inner-city street

Snezana was close by, at one stage replenishing her energy levels with a coffee in hand.

The brunette, who is already a mother to daughter Eve, 12, from a previous relationship, cut a casually chic figure.

Snezana, 37, highlighted her slender post-baby frame in a grey long-sleeved top, teamed with black skinny-leg jeans.

Attentive: Snezana, 37, was close by, also keeping a protective eye on her little one

Casually chic: The brunette opted for a long-sleeved grey top, teamed with black skinny-leg jeans and bone suede sneakers

The brand ambassador accessorised with a black overcoat, bone suede sneakers and stylish sunglasses.

Her dark locks fell effortlessly in relaxed waves, and her complexion appeared blemish-free.

Sam and Snezana welcomed baby Willow, named after Sam's mother, into the world in October, with the newborn weighing a healthy 3.5kg and measuring 48.5cm.

Precious: Sam and Snezana welcomed baby Willow, named after Sam's mother, into the world in October, with the newborn weighing a healthy 3.5kg and measuring 48.5cm. Pictured with Snezana's daughter Eve, 12, from a previous relationship

Love story: The couple met in early 2015 on Ten's popular reality show The Bachelor, and became engaged in December that year during a holiday to Tasmania

The couple met in early 2015 on Ten's popular reality show The Bachelor, and became engaged in December that year during a holiday to Tasmania.

While the pregnancy forced them to postpone their wedding plans, the pair have previously said they're content because they 'already feel married.'

'A wedding can happen whenever, we're committed to each other and we have a family together,' Snezana told NW magazine earlier this year.

'We feel like we're married already...it'll be great to have both our little girls there.'
They announced their shock engagement over the weekend following three months of dating.

And Bachelor reject Alex Nation, 26, was a picture of happiness as she and her fiancee Maegan Luxa emerged for first time since announcing the happy news this Monday.

The besotted duo were spotted strolling down the aisles at Sydney Airport, with Alex sporting her glittering new pear-shaped ring.

They're on cloud nine! Bachelor reject Alex Nation, 26, was a picture of happiness as she and her fiancee Maegan Luxa, 31, emerged for first time since announcing the happy news this Monday

With her white luggage in tow, giddy-in-love Alex couldn't help but pack on the PDA with her former chef partner as they walked hand-in-hand.

Alex cut a chic figure for the low-key occasion, donning a terracotta duster coat layered over a pair of black skinny jeans and a grey cotton T-shirt.

She accessorised her look with a pair off blue heels, some tassel earrings and a gold pendant necklace that paled in comparison to her weighty engagement sparkler.

Newly-engaged bliss! With her white luggage in tow, giddy-in-love Alex couldn't help but pack on the PDA with her former chef partner as they walked hand-in-hand

Maegan was also dressed to impress, sporting a black military-style coat, T-shirt and skinny jeans.

Her chic ensemble was topped off with a pair of sensible leather boots and some sassy sunglasses that sat perched above her forehead.

Things have moved very quickly for the high-profile couple since they met in August playing for the same AFL Women's team, the Frankston Bombers.

Love looks good on her! Alex cut a chic figure for the low-key occasion, donning a terracotta duster coat layered over a pair of black skinny jeans and a grey cotton T-shirt

Back in black! Maegan was also dressed to impress, sporting a black military-style coat, T-shirt and skinny jeans

Just days prior to their engagement, mother-of-one Alex spoke openly about moving in together and the day Meagan met her six-year-old son, Elijah.

'I feel relieved that I can finally talk about it now,' she told the Herald Sun on Friday.

'As of the last few weeks we've lived together. It's been really nice. It just feels so good. Nothing forced or scary.

Parading their love! The couple proudly sashayed through the busy terminal as they giggled and held hands

Look at that bling! Alex's shiny new accessory featured a white gold tear drop cut with a diamond-encrusted band

'I feel relieved that I can finally talk about it now': Just days prior to their engagement, mother-of-one Alex spoke openly about moving in together and the day Meagan met her six-year-old son, Elijah

'And if this continues to blossom and grow there's no reason why I wouldn't get married.'

The glamour model, who revealed she has never been with a woman before Meagan, said she felt feelings for Maegan that were unlike emotions she had ever had with her other female friends.

Although initially hesitant to start a relationship so soon after her split from Bachelor boyfriend Richie Strahan, she eventually 'muscled up the courage' to go for it.

New horizons: The glamour model, who revealed she has never been with a woman before Meagan, said she felt feelings for Maegan that were unlike emotions she had ever had with her other female friends

Taking the plunge! Although initially hesitant to start a relationship so soon after her split from Bachelor boyfriend Richie Strahan, she eventually 'muscled up the courage' to go for it

Cute couple alert! The pair shared a joke as they wandered towards the taxi rank

Alex describes herself as pansexual - someone who is attracted to someone irrelevant of their sex or gender identity - and admits she has probably always been this way - she'd just 'never connected with a woman before.'

When Australia voted 'yes' for same-sex marriage in the recent national survey, an overjoyed Alex was quick to celebrate- particularly as it now means she's one step closer to being able to marry her partner.

'When it comes to love, my friends and family would tell you that my heart isn't one to discriminate,' she said.

'I very much fall for a person and the connection that I share with them.'

True connection: Alex describes herself as pansexual - someone who is attracted to someone irrelevant of their sex or gender identity - and admits she has probably always been this way - she'd just 'never connected with a woman before'
TV funnyman Larry Emdur posted a heartfelt message to his wife Sylvie on Monday, to celebrate the couples 23rd wedding anniversary together.

The 52-year-old uploaded a flashback image of the ageless couple, and it appears they have barely changed a bit.

The Morning Show host showed his sentimental side, penning a poignant tribute on both Instagram and Twitter to his beloved wife.

They've barely changed a bit! Larry Emdur shares sweet flashback image of he and his wife Sylvie to celebrate their 23 year wedding anniversary

Ageless: The couple are pictured at The Book of Mormon opening night earlier this year

'I was a young boy when we met and Sylvie you were a breathtakingly beautiful, incredibly intelligent, scintillatingly sexy wonderwoman,' before adding his trademark sense of humour.

'Im now an old man but YOU are still exactly the same, In fact you have become even more fascinating and fabulous every day.'

The couple  who were married in 1995  only renewed their wedding vows a few years ago, with the pair clearly sharing a mutual joy for life and each other.

'Larry is my friend, my lover, my ATM,' Sylvie said at the vowel renewal.

Larry and his wife have two children, Jye and Tia, and recently sold their lavish Dover Heights home.

They traded in their record-setting $11.5 million property for a smaller $3 million cottage in Sydneys The Rocks.

The youthful couple are an open book about the highs and lows of family life with Larry regularly posting about his children, especially on special occasions.

Sentimental: The Morning Show host showed his sentimental side, penning a poignant tribute on both Instagram and Twitter to his beloved wife

'School formal night or as its otherwise known "breaking daddys heart" night,' Emdur gushed at daughter Tias high school formal.

Family man Emdur finished his ode with a cheeky laugh about the couple's vowels.

'I'm thrilled Im so much for you, except the "lover" and "ATM", that makes me feel like you use me for sex and money  but hey if it aint broke.'
Jennie Garth made a coffee run without her wedding ring on Monday in Los Angeles after recently confirming marriage problems.

The 45-year-old actress kept it casual in a black hoodie with a Darkside logo, dark blue leggings and matching Nike trainers.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 star accessorized with black sunglasses and no makeup.

Coffee run: Jennie Garth stepped out without her wedding ring while grabbing coffee on Monday in Los Angeles

Jennie was not wearing her wedding ring while grabbing coffee and visiting a skin car salon.

The actress last month confirmed through her representative that she and her husband of two years Dave Abrams were 'taking time apart'.

They have not been living together recently, but were 'still trying to make it [their marriage] work,' a source told Us Weekly.

Neither Jennie nor Dave have filed any documentation in pursuit of either a separation or divorce.

Time apart: The 45-year-old actress recently confirmed that she and husband Dave Abrams were taking some time apart

Still trying: Jennie and Dave have not been living together but were still trying to make it work

TV star: The actress, shown in October in Los Angeles, is best known for her role as Kelly Taylor on Beverly Hills, 90210

They were married in California in July 2015 after meeting on a blind date in December 2014.

Jennie was previously married to actor Peter Facinelli from January 2001 until June 2013.

The former couple share daughters Luca, 20, Lola, 14, and Fiona, 11.

Happier times: Dave Abrams and Jennie are shown in October in Los Angeles with her daughter Fiona

Jennie also was previously wed to first husband musician Daniel B. Clark from 1994 to 1996.

The actress rose to fame in 1990 when she landed the role of Kelly Taylor in the series Beverly Hills, 90210.

She later co-starred along with Amanda Bynes in the WB sitcom What I Like About You for four seasons.

Jennie also competed on Dancing With The Stars in 2007 and reached the semi-finals with pro partner Derek Hough.
She's back and how!

Mariah Carey, who had to postpone the start of her annual Christmas concert tour due to illness, looked in peak form Monday night in New York.

The buxom superstar, 47, was spotted leaving the city's Beacon Theatre after her show in a ribbed black bodycon dress.

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In the pink: Mariah Carey, who had to postpone the start of her annual Christmas concert tour due to illness, looked in peak form Monday night in New York

The hitmaker showed off her fabulous figure in the outfit that had a very low-cut neckline.

Showing no sign of the respiratory infection that had laid her low for a couple of weeks, Mariah glowed with good health as she walked to her waiting car surrounded by her entourage.

Her long blonde hair was worn loose with a center parting and tumbling down around her shoulders.

Glamorpuss: The singing superstar, 47, sported black false eyelashes along with a good helping of rosy blush and glossy red lips

Stunner: The buxom hitmaker was spotted leaving the Beacon Theatre after her Christmas show in a ribbed black bodycon dress with low-cut neckline that flaunted her curves

She's back: Showing no sign of the respiratory infection that had laid her low, Mariah glowed with good health as she walked to her waiting car surrounded by her entourage

Plenty of support: Mariah, who wore towering chunky black heels, was accompanied by her backup dancer and boyfriend Bryan Tanaka along with her security detail

The 47-year-old added a pair of towering chunky black heels and had a black leather jacket draped across her shoulders.

She sported black false eyelashes along with a good helping of rosy blush and glossy red lips.

Mariah was accompanied by her backup dancer and boyfriend Bryan Tanaka along with her security detail.

She returned to the stage this past Saturday announcing to her fans that she was glad to be able to finally start her popular All I Want For Christmas Is You concerts.

'Feeling better and back at work!' she tweeted last Thursday.

Recovered: She returned to the stage this past Saturday announcing to her fans that she was glad to be able to finally start her popular All I Want For Christmas Is You concerts

Ready to sing: Earlier she had arrived at the concert venue wearing skintight black leggings paired with a black tailored jacket

Diva: She added a splash of glitz with hoop earrings and large sunglasses as she leaned on an assistant for support navigating the curbs

Earlier she had arrived at the concert venue wearing skintight black leggings paired with a black tailored jacket.

She added a splash of glitz with hoop earrings and large sunglasses as she leaned on an assistant for support navigating the curbs.

Meanwhile, Mariah has been getting into the Christmas spirit with her six-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan, whom she shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon.

On Sunday, she and Tanaka helped the twins pick out and decorate a tree and shared the snaps to her social media platforms.

Traditionally, she spends Christmas Day itself in the tony ski resort of Aspen, Colorado.
Christmas is around the corner and Sylvia Jeffreys was well and truly in the spirit over the weekend.

The Today show star looked lovely in a low-cut red dress as she enjoyed afternoon drinks with friends at North Bondi Fish.

Dressed in a floral wrap dress that also featured a thigh high slit, the 31-year-old glowed as she made her way to the trendy eatery.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Sylvia Jeffreys steps out in a low-cut red dress for afternoon drinks with friends as husband Peter Stefanovic goes for a dip at the beach

The blonde beauty went barefoot as she crossed the road with her gal pals, with her black strappy sandals in hand.

She teamed her weekend look with a pair of black round sunglasses and a mini cross-body bag.

The journalist enjoyed the Sunday catch-up with her friends and even took to Instagram to commemorate a reunion with a girlfriend she had not seen in a while.

Glowing and gorgeous: Dressed in a floral wrap dress that also featured a thigh high slit, the 31-year-old glowed as she made her way to the trendy eatery

Barefoot and beautiful: The blonde beauty went barefoot as she crossed the road with her gal pals, with her black strappy sandals in hand

All smiles! She teamed her weekend look with a pair of black round sunglasses and a mini cross-body bag

Meanwhile her husband, Peter Stefanovic, opted to go for a dip in a nearby beach.

The 60 Minutes reporter sported a pair of orange shorts as he waded through the waves.

Sylvia recently opened up about her dream of having a house full of kids with Peter.

Channeling his inner David Hasselhoff? Meanwhile, Sylvia's husband Peter Stefanovic opted to go for a dip in a nearby beach

Waves: The 60 Minutes reporter sported a pair of orange shorts as he waded through the water

Catching up: Sylvia enjoyed the Sunday catch-up with her friends and even took to Instagram to commemorate a reunion with a girlfriend she had not seen in a while

'We'd love a house full of kids,' she gushed to The Australian Women's Weekly while gracing the cover of their Christmas edition.

Sylvia wed fellow Channel Nine star Peter in a lavish ceremony at the exclusive Ooralba Estate in the Kangaroo Valley, in April this year.

Peter popped the question in July last year while the couple were enjoying a romantic getaway in France.
He's best known for his modern day comedies, such as Peep Show and That Mitchell and Webb Look.

But now comedian, David Mitchell, 43, has travelled back in time for his latest role, playing Shakespeare at Christmas.

The funnyman has enlisted the help of Hollywood heavyweight Emma Thompson to portray Queen Elizabeth I in a Christmas special of his BBC comedy Upstart Crow.

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The Bard: David Mitchell, 43, is donning his wig once again, to play Shakespeare at Christmas

For laughs: The funnyman has enlisted the help of Hollywood heavyweight Emma Thompson to portray Queen Elizabeth I in a Christmas special of his BBC comedy Upstart Crow

Oscar-winning Emma is barely recognisable as the monarch, who reigned from 1558-1603, on the BBC special, dressed head to toe in historical garb.

In the teaser pictures, Emma takes on the incredible look of the Queen, taking on the infamous red hair.

David also takes on a dramatic new look, sporting the famous balding brown hair and white collar of the iconic playwright, who died in 1616.

In the festive show, Shakespeare is set to perform his latest play, titled Eighth Night, to the notoriously stern Queen.

Actor Mark Heap plays antagonist Robert Greene, who in real life disliked William and his work.

Transformation: David was the spitting image of the iconic thespian and looked very different to his usual look (R)

Legendary: Oscar-winning Emma is barely recognisable as the monarch on the BBC special, dressed head to toe in historical garb

Queen: Emma was every inch the Virgin Queen in a look very different to her red carpet glamour (R)

Comedy gold: In the teaser pictures, Emma takes on the incredible look of the Queen, taking on the infamous red hair

For laughs: David also takes on a dramatic new look, sporting the famous balding brown hair and white collar

Iconic: William Shakespeare is widely considered the greatest playwright in history and authored plays including Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth

Fiery: Queen Elizabeth I reigned from 1558-1603 and is considered one of Britain's greatest monarchs

David's Shakespeare hopes to make the right impression as he continues to work on the play.

The second series of the popular Shakespearean comedy premiered back in September and a third series and second Christmas Special is set to air next year.

The comedy, written by Ben Elton, started in 2016 as part of the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death.

Will's wife Anne, played by Liza Tarbuck, is the doting wife, while daughter Susanna, portrayed by Helen Monks, plays a typical teenage daughter - tantrums and all.
Jax Taylor was accused of cheating on girlfriend Brittany Cartwright and possibly getting ex server Faith pregnant during Monday's premiere of Vanderpump Rules.

The 38-year-old bartender and Brittany started season six of the Bravo reality show having moved into a new apartment and talking possible marriage and kids.

Their domestic bliss was shattered in a devastating fashion when Faith, a former server at SUR, the restaurant they work at, claimed that Jax had slept with her.

Cheating rumor: Jax Taylor was at the center of a cheating rumor during the season six premiere on Monday of Vanderpump Rules

Faith also shockingly insisted they had unprotected sex in front of a 95-year-old woman she was supposed to be caring for who was asleep at the time.

She told visibly surprised DJ James Kennedy that the sex session happened after Jax started sending her direct messages on Twitter telling her he had 'been wanting to hook up with you, you're beautiful.'

'It happened so fast,' she told James, who failed to hide his excitement at the scandalous news. 'He was like sucking my toes  it was a situation, a situation.'

She said the pensioner she was supposed to care for slept through the whole thing  and it was only after it was over that they thought about protection.

So fast: Faith told James Kennedy that she had sex with Jax after he sent her direct messages on Twitter

Family talk: Brittany Cartwright beamed earlier when Jax talked about having children with her

'He has no condom on, and I'm on my back and my legs are up in that air and he goes, ''Are you on both control'' and I go, ''Well, no.'' And then he goes, ''Well, I'm too late,'' Faith told James.

'You see why I'm stressed now? That situation can lead to something bigger than that.'

When James asked what she meant, she told him: 'I haven't had my f***ing period, James!'

Stressed out: Faith revealed that Jax was not wearing a condom and she has not had her period

Shocked reaction: James could not hide his shock about learning that Jax and Faith had sex in front of a sleeping pensioner

James failed to express concern, instead showing obvious joy at the news and smiling in a confessional later as he said: 'If Faith was pregnant with Jax Taylor's baby, I would f***ing die. My head would explode.

'I think she would have the baby, I do, and then we've got a mini Jax Taylor running around. Oh my God'

Tom Sandoval was the first to warn Jax about the rumor while they were all at Scheana Marie's birthday party, with Jax insisting: 'I didn't hook up with anybody. I'm in a great relationship, I would never  I'm past that.'

Head explosion: The British DJ said his head would explode if Faith was pregnant and predicted she would keep the baby

Jax, real name Jason Michael Cauchi, then went up to Faith and asked her to 'let them know it's not true,' asking her when she remained quiet: 'Are you kidding me right now? Are you really doing this to me?'

'Are you serious?' Faith replied.

'If I was gonna cheat on Brittany, why would I hook up with somebody that's in our circle?' Jax asked later  with the show adding clips of him admitting to earlier cheating scandals involving those in the same circle.

Not true: Jax after being told about the rumor by Tom Sandoval denied it and confronted Faith asking her to 'let them know it's not true'

Good question: Faith asked Jax if he was serious after he asked her to deny the sexual affair

The hurtful rumor eventually reached Brittany, who was left in tears and promised to 'go f***ing insane' if it proved true.

'Jax has done a lot of f***ed up things to me, but if this is true, I'm gonna wanna drop kick his a** and her a**, and they're both dead to me,' she vowed, saying she 'moved here and changed my entire f***ing life for this man.'

'I literally don't even want to look at you right now,' Brittany told Jax when he finally came up to her at the party. 'You and Faith hooked up  everyone's saying that.'

Tense moment: Brittany wanted nothing to do with Jax after he caught up with her

'I did not. Honey, I'm getting into trouble here for nothing - I'm getting set-up.'

The episode ended with her warning him: 'If I found out this is true, I'm moving the f*** out, I'm taking the dogs with me, and you can rot in f***ing hell.'

She was not the only member of the group infuriated by the rumor.

If true: The Kentucky native said she would leave Jax if the rumor was true

Dogs too: Brittany vowed she would take their dogs if Jax cheated

'I want to bash Jax's balls in with a sledgehammer,' Kristen Doute said, while Ariana Madix insisted: 'If this s*** is true, I'm gonna f***ing kill him.'

Earlier, the couple had bragged about how good their relationship had been, with Jax telling their boss Lisa Vanderpump they had been dating two years and he had been '100 percent faithful.'

As well as her birthday, Scheana's masquerade party had also been her way of introducing everyone to her new man Rob Valletta who she said makes me 'so f***ing happy.'

Not happy: Ariana Madix told boyfriend Tom she would kill Jax if the rumor was true

Tough talk: Kristen Doute wanted to mutilated Jax's genitals with a sledgehammer

She revealed that they had actually 'dated off-and-on from 2006 to 2010' before she met now ex-husband Michael Shay, smirking as she said: 'Rob was the last person I slept with before Shay and I got together  and the first person I slept with after Shay and I got divorced. Everything about him is bigger and better.'

Scheana insisted: 'I would not have started dating so soon after the divorce if it was literally anyone else in the world.'

She also hinted at just how serious she was about Rob.

Bigger and better: Scheana Marie boasted about her new boyfriend Rob after divorcing Michael Shay

'I'm just waiting for that final piece of paper, the divorce certificate, and I can get remarried after that,' she said.

Her attitude seemed to scare her friends with Kristen saying: 'I do think Scheana needs to pump the brakes a little bit.

'I don't think she's looking for a boyfriend, I think she's looking for another husband.'

Slow down: Kristen Doute noted that Scheana wasn't looking for a boyfriend but another husband

Lisa Vanderpump agreed, saying: 'Slow down.'

Stassi Schroeder also revealed that she also was back with one of her exes, Patrick Meagher, telling Katie Maloney-Schwartz: 'Taking seven months off, it changed everything in terms of sex, I swear to God.'

Katie and Stassi were both not invited by Scheana to her birthday party after falling out with her.

The boss: Lisa Vanderpump was introduced by Scheana to her new beau Rob

Not invited: Katie Maloney and Stassi Schroeder were not invited to the birthday party

Together again: Stassi also revealed that she was back on with her on-off boyfriend Patrick

Ariana Madix also showed off a new style with a short haircut  admitting boyfriend Tom Sandoval was thrilled in an unexpected way.

'Tom is obsessed with my new haircut,' she said.

'I'm pretty sure he told me he's masturbated to it already like four or five times. So good luck to my vagina.'

Short hair: Ariana debuted a new short hair style for season six

Popular look: She said boyfriend Tom Sandoval loved the new short look

Lisa meanwhile was reconsidering partnering with Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz in a new bar venture.

She and husband Ken Todd overheard Sandoval sharing his concerns about the venture with Ariana and were soured by his negativity.

Vanderpump Rules returns next week on Bravo.

Candid conversation: Tom shared his concerns about the bar venture with Ariana
She won the Best Actress award at Cannes 2017 for her performance in In The Fade.

And Diane Kruger looked happy to be part of the American premiere as she was spotted in New York City at MOMA for the event.

The 41-year-old actress dazzled in a purple and cheetah print sequined gown as she turned heads on the red carpet.

Stunner: Diane Kruger, 41, was spotted in New York City at MOMA for her In The Fade premiere

The short length couture allowed her gorgeous gams to take center stage as the hem cut high on her thigh.

The quirky dress gave a view of her toned arms as only one side carried a sleeve.

Daring to impress, the Inglorious Basterds star wrapped her enviable figure in the tight dress that sparkled.

Her trademark blonde tresses were left long and tied back in a messy bun as tendrils cascaded over her face.

Dazzle: The actress dazzled in a purple and cheetah print sequined gown as she turned heads on the red carpet

Couture: The short length couture allowed her gorgeous gams to take center stage as the hem cut high on her thigh

Throwing caution to the wind, the lithe thespian went virtually makeup free with just a dab of berry lip.

It's been just six months since the German drama, in which Diane plays lead character Katja Sekerci, was tipped for glory in Cannes.

In the politically-charged film, Katja's life is turned upside after the death of her husband and son Rocco in a bomb attack.

Director: She posed with the director Fatih Akin

Glamour: The quirky dress gave a view of her toned arms as only one side carried a sleeve

Tresses: Her trademark blonde tresses were left long and tied back in a messy bun as tendrils cascaded over her face

Daring: Daring to impress, the Inglorious Basterds star wrapped her enviable figure in the tight dress that sparkled

Flirty: Throwing caution to the wind, the lithe thespian went virtually makeup free with just a dab of berry lip

As she mourns, an eventual trial against the two suspects: a young couple from the neo-Nazi scene drives her to the edge and she finds no alternative but to get her own revenge for the hate crime.

Praising the actress, director Fatih revealed that his German friends had doubts about casting 'boring' Diane, admitting that they did not take her seriously as an actress.

He disagreed, telling IndieWire: 'Ive never worked with such a focused actress my whole career. Shes so curious and had no fear; shes not afraid to embarrass herself. Its always nice to watch someone turn the prejudice about them upside down.

'Im very proud to have been a part of that. I think she can do anything.'

The film opens in German theaters on Thursday and is slated for released in the US in December.

Outfit change: Diane later changed into a black dress for the afterparty

Questions answered: The actress also took part in a question-and-answer session

On stage: Fatih and Diane fielded questions from the audience at the afterparty
Last Wednesday saw select Instagram followers criticising her use of a cigarette as a prop during a recent photo shoot.

Comments on Roxy Jacenko's page included 'such a shame about the smoke' and 'you don't need that dumb prop.'

A week later, the 37-year-old re-posted the same image, but this time airbrushing out the cigarette.

Roxy told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday: 'I don't want to upset anyone and my intention was not to glamorise smoking.'

'I don't want to upset anyone': Roxy Jacenko airbrushes cigarette out of photo shoot after being SLAMMED by Instagram critics for glamorising smoking

The original photo saw Roxy posing with a cigarette in hand, perching her petite frame on a marble bench top at Sydney's art deco hotel Primus.

Opting for a semi-sheer beaded frock that revealed her toned arms and delicate decolletage, the mother-of-two was dripping in Nicholas Heywood jewellery.

Roxy's beauty look consisted of peroxide blonde hair extensions and a glamorous makeup palette.

Hitting back: Shortly after, Roxy told Daily Mail Australia that the cigarette 'was not lit and purely theatre'

It was Roxy's use of an un-lit cigarette as a prop, that had select followers criticising the author.

One in particular posted: 'Should ad you are super stunning and don't need the dumb prop.'

Another followed suit with: 'Hot! Such a shame about the smoke,' and another: 'Cigarette - really?'

Exclusive gig: Hotel heiress Paris enlisted Roxy to host a question and answer session, in relation to her 23rd fragrance Rose Rush, in Sydney last Thursday

Shortly after, Roxy told Daily Mail Australia that the cigarette 'was not lit and purely theatre.'

However a week on, the entrepreneur regretted her decision to use the cigarette as drama for the shoot, telling Daily Mail Australia: 'I dont want to upset anyone and my intention was not to glamorise smoking.

'It was a stupid thing to do, lit or unlit as it was  for drama in a shoot - I want to be a positive role model and I regret posting it, thus removing it from our finished edit of images from the shoot.'

The talent manager's photo shoot came prior to her hosting duties for Paris Hilton, who was in Australia last week, promoting her latest fragrance.

Hotel heiress Paris enlisted Roxy to host a question and answer session, in relation to her 23rd fragrance Rose Rush.
He's been a feature of Sydney's famous Kings Cross night life for almost as long as he has been number one on Sydney radio.

But times are certainly changing for Kyle Sandilands, 46, with the shock jock revealing on Tuesday he had spent his weekend at a children's birthday party.

Kyle and his girlfriend Imogen Anthony attended the superhero themed birthday party of convicted drug dealer Simon Main's son Chayce.

From Kings Cross to kid's birthday parties: Kyle Sandilands spends his weekend attending family soiree for Simon Main's son

Kyle broke the news of how he spent his weekend to co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson on Tuesday.

The shock jock described with mock horror how he was shocked at how his social life had changed from nights out at the club to cutting birthday cake.

'This is what our lives are when we have kids - you go to kids parties every weekend,' Jackie replied, showing little sympathy.

That's different! The shock jock described with mock horror how he was shocked at how his social life had changed from nights out at the club to cutting birthday cake

Family friendly: Kyle and his girlfriend Imogen Anthony attended the superhero themed birthday party of convicted drug dealer Simon Main's son Chayce

Kyle's party over the weekend was a far cry from his days as part owner of Kings Cross nightclub The Piano Room.

The king of breakfast radio owned the popular nightclub with King Cross identity John Ibrahim before it closed in 2012.

Meanwhile, Kyle has hinted several times that he is planning on marrying and starting a family with longtime girlfriend Imogen Anthony.

At the ARIAs last week, he revealed he was planning to propose with one of the diamonds in a choker necklace worn by Imogen on the red carpet.

No sympathy? 'This is what our lives are when we have kids - you go to kids parties every weekend,' Jackie had replied to Kyle's complaints

Used to own Piano Room: The king of breakfast radio owned the popular nightclub with King Cross identity John Ibrahim before it closed in 2012

'(The choker) will be dismantled and one of those (diamonds) there will end up on that finger,' Kyle told Fairfax Media while walking the red carpet, pointing to the $2.2 million diamond choker worn by Imogen.

Appearing shocked by her boyfriend Kyle's admission, Imogen replied: 'Not even I knew that.'

While admitting an engagement wasn't 'too far off', Imogen said she was content in her relationship as it was.

'We're happy as we are,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'We don't need that bit of paper to say we're in love.'
He recently marked nine years of marriage with his musical theatre producer wife Lisa.

And David Campbell revealed he gained quite a bit of weight after their 2008 wedding.

'I maxed. I was ecstatically happy,' the 44-year-old joked on Tuesday's episode of Today Extra.

'I maxed!' David Campbell revealed he gained quite a bit of weight after their 2008 wedding to his his musical theatre producer wife Lisa

David's admission comes after newsreader Amelia Adams talked about a recent UK study that found couples who are happily married gained two to three kilos of weight.

His co-host Sonia Kruger asked him about his own weight journey after saying 'I Do' to Lisa nine years ago.

'I was alright,' he boasted about his pre-marital shape.

'And then really happy, and then celebrated by being super happy and then this happened,' he said, hinting he may have gained more that what the study suggested.

Cutting a happier figure? 'I maxed. I was ecstatically happy,' the 44-year-old joked on Tuesday's episode of Today Extra. After is admission, an image of himself from the G'Day USA event in New York, from back in 2008, appeared on screen (pictured in 2009)

After is admission, an image of himself from the G'Day USA event in New York, from back in 2008, appeared on screen.

'Look, that is in wide screen, right,' he added as a sucked in his cheeks to show off his current, and far more leaner figure.

Sonia complimented his ample-looking cheeks, but he quickly quipped: 'I mean, I maxed. I was ecstatically happy. Look at that guy.'

'I had a head like a Good Year blimp,' he laughed.

'I adore you': Recently David shared a heartwarming tribute to his wife Lisa on Instagram to celebrate their nine year anniversary

Recently David shared a heartwarming tribute to his wife Lisa on Instagram to celebrate their nine year anniversary.

'Nine years today. It feels like six months. Happy anniversary,' he said.

'Happy anniversary Lisa I adore you,' he added.

The couple are proud parents of three children, Leo, seven, and twins William and Elizabeth, two.
She has one of the world's most famous figures.

And Britney Spears flaunted it to the full when she posed in a tight dress on Instagram on Monday.

The star posed in front of a window in a series of revealing photographs.

Oops she did it again: Britney Spears posed in a tight dress on Instagram on Monday

Meanwhile it emerged she was the victim of one of the greatest music heists of the century.

For it has emerged a scammer pretending to be her manager Larry Rudolph persuaded her music label to send him four dozen of her unreleased songs.

A suspect has since been apprehended, and in a twist he is said to be a lawyer studying intellectual property law.

Blonde moment: The popstrel was rocking her trademark look in the exciting snaps

Pink prancer: She looked every inch the pop icon as she posed in front of a window in her gown

Move over The Italian Job: A scammer pretending to be Britney Spears manager Larry Rudolph persuaded her music label to send four dozen of her unreleased songs it has emerged

According to documents obtained by TMZ, the crook pretended to be Larry in emails sent to RCA Records.

He sent missives from a specially created fake email address 'larry.rudolph@aol.com,' which was enough to trick workers at the label into sending over the songs.

In total the impersonator is said to have made off with 49 digital files, which included 12 tunes earmarked for her Glory album, which was released in August 2016.

An inglorious moment: The stolen material included 12 tunes earmarked for her Glory album

Goldmine: Fans will surely be curious to hear the stolen material that went unreleased

The stolen material will surely be considered a veritable goldmine by fans of the Baby One More Time star.

The suspected thief has since been apprehended, and in an ironic twist he is said to be an attorney studying intellectual property law at UCLA.

A search warrant was obtained by the Los Angeles Police Department in October 2016 and June 2017, which allowed them to search AOL and Microsoft records for the suspects email account.
She's the controversial comedienne who has never been afraid to take a jocular jab at her husband.

And Em Rusciano once again poked fun at her beau Scott Barrow by documenting his nasal surgery with a series of Instagram updates this Tuesday.

Taking to her popular page, the 2Day FM breakfast radio host uploaded a series of videos showing Scott lying in a hospital bed during a stint in hospital.

'He's gonna be a new man!' Em Rusciano once again poked fun at her husband Scott Barrow by documenting his nasal surgery with a series of Instagram updates this Tuesday, sharing this image taken prior to the operation

Cheeky! The controversial comedienne has never been afraid to take a jocular jab at her husband

In one photo Scott appears to have been sedated as he lies on a slightly-elevated bed, with Em writing in the caption: 'Scotty boy getting his sinuses operated on. He's gonna be a new man!'

In a subsequent post, presumably taken while Scott was undergoing his procedure, Em filmed a wall ornament depicting the outline of Jesus.

'Is Jesus dabbing here? I dunno what's going on,' she quipped in the caption, referring to the unusual angle at which the Jesus figure's were positioned.

'Is Jesus dabbing here?' In a subsequent post, presumably taken while Scott was undergoing his procedure, Em filmed a wall ornament depicting the outline of Jesus

Wrecked: A final video showed a post-operative Scott waking up from his slumber wearing a bandage across his nose

Woozy: 'How are you feeling? He's back! Give us a thumbs up buddy. Thumbs up Scotty!' Em told him as he looked around in a daze

A final video showed a post-operative Scott waking up from his slumber wearing a bandage across his nose.

'How are you feeling? He's back! Give us a thumbs up buddy. Thumbs up Scotty!' Em told him as he looked around in a daze.

While Scott's surgery appeared to be a success, the same cannot be said for her embattled radio program, which has continuously struggled in the ratings.

Ratings battle: While Scott's surgery appeared to be a success, the same cannot be said for her embattled radio program, which has continuously struggled in the ratings

Departure: To make matters worse, her co-host Harley Breen called it quits on the show last month

To make matters worse, her co-host Harley Breen called it quits on the show last month.

Following Harley's shock announcement, Em broke down live on air, admitting she was 'really sad' by his departure.

Harley will he replaced by by former Triple M radio host and regular Have You Been Paying Attention? TV star Ed Kavalee.
With their blonde hair and radiant smiles they could be mistaken for sisters.

And Reese Witherspoon and her lookalike daughter Ava Phillippe looked like twins as they attended the Molly R. Stern X Sarah Chloe Jewellery launch in West Hollywood on Monday.

Reese, 41, and Ava, 18, were hard to tell apart as they posed up at the event, while the Oscar winner shared a sweet snap captioned: 'Love my date @avaphillippe'.

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They could be mistaken for sisters: Reese Witherspoon and her lookalike daughter Ava Phillippe looked like twins as they attended the Molly R. Stern X Sarah Chloe Jewellery launch in West Hollywood on Monday

The actress, who runs her own lifestyle brand Draper James as well as starring in films and television shows, dressed to impress in a metallic patterned dress with a plunging neckline that showcased her lithe physique.

Flashing her enviable legs, the star slipped on a pair of stylish peep toe heels with a bow detail.

Her platinum locks were styled in a deep side parting and softly curled, while metallic eyeshadow, fluttery lashes and a slick of rose lipstick accentuated her glowing complexion.

Meanwhile Ava flashed her legs in a blue velvet bardot dress which she wore with black stiletto sandals.

Smile: The Walk The Line star dressed to impress in a metallic patterned dress with a plunging neckline, which she paired with bow peeptoe heels

Seeing double: Reese, 41, and Ava, 18, were hard to tell apart as they posed up at the event

Doppelganger: With their blonde hair and radiant smiles Reese and Ava were the spitting image of one another

The actress, who runs her own lifestyle brand Draper James as well as produces films and television, dressed to impress in a metallic dress

Famous friends: Reese and Ava joined actress Lily Collins, 28, at the glittering event

Stylish: Lily rocked an all-black ensemble of a velvet blazer, sweater and leather leggings as she posed with Ava

Chic: Lily looked stunning with her chestnut tresses styled sleek and straight with a splash of colour added with a vibrant red lip

Chatty: Reese and Ava enjoyed a quick chat with a smiling Lily at the fun event

Her blonde locks were styled in loose waves and like her doppelganger mother Reese she opted for a simple make-up palette.

They were joined by actress Lily Collins at the event, who looked impossibly chic in an all black ensemble of a velvet blazer, sweater and leather leggings which flaunted her slender legs.

She forwent the heels for the evening, instead opting for silver tipped brogues, and finished her look with an orange checked bag.

Her chestnut tresses were styled sleek and straight and she added a final pop of colour with a vibrant red lip.

Earlier that evening, Reese was spotted leaving her Beverly Hills office in a glamorous metallic gown well after dark.

Family time: While Reese opted for metallics, her stylish daughter Ava donned a blue velvet bardot dress which she wore with black stiletto sandals

Style: She forwent the heels for the evening, instead opting for silver tipped brogues, and finished her look with an orange checked bag

Happy: Reese cracked a radiant smile as she tapped away on her phone and looked at the beautiful jewellery

Fun times: Lily looked relaxed as she chatted with Ava at the stylish event

Acclaimed actresses: Reese flashed a warm smile as she posed with Love Rosie star Lily

Sparkling: Reese, Lily and Ava joined Molly R. Stern and Zahava Ryzman at the event

Laugh out loud: Reese wrapped her arms around her pals as they enjoyed a group chat

Dinner time: Lily cracked a smile as she sat down to dinner at the exclusive event

Hugs: Lily looked overjoyed as she greeted Maya Rudolph at the exclusive dinner

Reese, 41, shared a snap of her and Ava, 18, at the event with the caption: 'Love my date @avaphillippe'

Just like mom: The 18-year-old was the spitting image of her mother

Radiant: Reese flashed a hint of cleavage as she showed off her rings and gold bracelet

Wearing booties, the star stepped out of her hired car while chatting on her cellphone, clearly a pro at juggling her schedule.

Reese's hair was perfectly styled as she sported a long coat to guard against the autumnal weather.

The actress, who is currently married to agent Jim Toth, was previously wed to actor Ryan Phillipe and the pair continue to co-parent their two children, Ava, 18, and Deacon, 14.

The family spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Paris, France, where Reese accompanied daughter Ava to a glamorous debutantes ball.

Reese will next be seen on-screen in sci-fi adventure film A Wrinkle In Time alongside Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling and Chris Pine, set to hit cinemas in March.

Reese recently paid tribute to her Big Little Lies co-star, Nicole Kidman, 50, after the Australian actress was honoured with a special tribute at the Gotham Independent Film awards in New York on Monday.

Taking to her Instagram, Reese shared a photo of Nicole on the event's red carpet.

She captioned the photo saying: 'Congrats to my girl @NicoleKidman on her #GothamAward.

'We're basically the same height when she takes off her heels! (So not true),' punctuating the humorous aside with a winking face emoji.'
Chris Pratt filled in for Jimmy Kimmel on ABC's late night show Monday as the talk show host takes time off following his baby son Billy's successful heart surgery.

Pratt, 38, welcomed Australian star Margot Robbie, 27, to chat about her new movie I Tonya and couldn't help but gush over the blonde bombshell.

'She's the hottest Australian import since the bloomin' onion,' he told the audience, referencing a menu item on the Australian-themed casual dining chain Outback Steakhouse.

Different role: Chris Pratt filled in for Jimmy Kimmel on ABC's late night show Monday as the talk show host takes time off following his baby son Billy's successful heart surgery

Guest host: Pratt, 38, welcomed Australian star Margot Robbie, 27, to chat about her new movie I, Tonya and couldn't help but gush over the blonde bombshell

'She's the hottest Australian import since the bloomin' onion,' the actor told the audience, referencing a menu item on the Australian-themed casual dining chain Outback Steakhouse

The Guardians Of The Galaxy star went on to gush over the blonde bombshell during their interview while asking her about growing up on Australia's Gold Coast.

After talking about the 'creepy crawly things' and snakes in the house, they got to chatting about how she started work at the age of 10 in a local restaurant.

'I started out polishing cutlery then peeling potatoes,' the actress said. 'Then by 14, I was behind the bar.'

'Is that legal in Australia?' Pratt asked.

'No, it's not, Robbie replied. 'I got away with it.'

Then late night sidekick Guillermo arrived with bottles of Australian beer which Robbie promptly opened without the aid of an bottle opener by using the cap on one bottle to remove the cap on another bottle.

Smitten: The Guardians Of The Galaxy star went on to gush over the blonde bombshell during their interview while asking her about growing up on Australia's Gold Coast

Refreshments: Kimmel sidekick Guillermo brought some bottles of beer on stage for Robbie and Pratt

Neat hack: Robbie, who revealed she worked as a barmaid when she was 14, showed her trick for opening the beer bottles without an opener

Also on the show was country music star Chris Stapleton promoting his album The Room Vol. 2.

Right after the opening monologue, Stapleton came on stage to do a 'wheel of cheesy duets' skit with Pratt.

The two performed the Dirty Dancing hit (Ive Had) The Time of My Life! which ended with the two trying to recreate the famous scene where Patrick Swayze lifts up Jennifer Grey and twirls her around above his head.

Thanks to some special effects, they managed to pull it off.

Can sing too: Country music star Chris Stapleton was also on the show and joined Pratt in a duet of the Dirty Dancing hit (Ive Had) The Time of My Life!

Funny: The two recreated the famous scene where Patrick Swayze lifts up Jennifer Grey and twirls her around above his head thanks to a little special effects magic

Stapleton later came back on for a short interview before performing his single Millionaire.

Also joining Pratt was his Jurassic World co-star Bryce Dallas Howard.

She was there to help introduce an exclusive clip from the new trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom that's set to drop on Thursday.

In the end, they showed just a couple of seconds from the teaser showing pratt cuddling up to a large dinosaur.

Other guest hosts this week as Kimmel spends time with this family are Tracee Elis Ross, Neil Patrick Harris and Melissa McCarthy.

Look who's here: Also joining Pratt was his Jurassic World co-star Bryce Dallas Howard who helped him introduce a three-second clip from the new trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom that's set to drop on Thursday

Big moment: Pratt was psyched as he came on set for the first time, fist pumping the air at the chance to host the ABC late night talk show

Earlier in the day, Pratt and Howard were spotted arriving at the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.

While she changed into a black suit for her TV appearance, Howard arrived wearing a colorful floral-themed skirt paired with a black top and a casual black jacket.

The daughter of Hollywood director Ron Howard was bare-legged in black ankle boots and wore her long flame-red hair loose.

Celebrity guest: Howard was spotted arriving at the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles earlier in the day

Stylish: The daughter of Hollywood director Ron Howard wore a colorful floral-themed skirt paired with a black top and a casual black jacket and went bare-legged in black ankle boots

Pratt arrived for his hosting gig in an all-black ensemble.

He paired a dark finely checked cotton shirt undone at the collar with black jeans,

He rocked a pair of round gold-framed sunglasses.

Hunky star: Pratt arrived for his hosting gig in an all-black ensemble and he rocked a pair of round gold-framed sunglasses

Casual style: He paired a dark finely checked cotton shirt undone at the collar with black jeans

Meanwhile, Pratt confirmed to the audience during the show that Kimmel's seven-month-old son Billy had successfully undergone a second scheduled heart surgery Monday morning.

The late night host is spending time with Billy and wife Molly and their three-year-old daughter Jane.

Billy underwent open-heart surgery shortly after his birth in April and Kimmel spoke about his sons life-saving procedure in an emotional opening monologue on his show, describing it as 'the longest three hours of my life.'
She spent five years restricted to corsets and full skirts on ITV period drama Downton Abbey.

And Laura Carmichael looked pleased to be displaying her fashion flair on Monday night, as she joined stylish stars for The Fashion Awards 2017 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Laura, who is famed for playing Lady Edith Crawley, looked sultry in a black lace jewel encrusted gown that flashed through to a nude minidress.

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What a lady! Laura Carmichael, 31, wore a black lace jewel encrusted gown and ballet styles shoes for The Fashion Awards 2017 held at Royal Albert Hall in London on Monday night

The 31-year-old actress looked beautiful in the glamorous dress which featured a plunging gemstone cleavage and flowing lace details displaying her slim legs.

The talented starlet looked wore her golden blonde bob clipped back, with a few delicate strands framing her pretty features.

The TV star chose black ballet style stilettos, which wrapped beautifully around her slender ankles.

She complemented the look with silver eye-shadow and lashes of mascara with a touch of beige lip gloss.

What a lady! Laura Carmichael, 31, wore a black lace jewel encrusted gown and ballet styles shoes for The Fashion Awards 2017 held at Royal Albert Hall in London on Monday night

The Southampton born beauty has been busy working on various projects since starring as Lady Edith.

Laura has appeared in several films including indie comedy Burn Burn Burn and period drama A United Kingdom.

There's also rumours of a movie version of the hugely popular ITV drama, Downton Abbey in the pipeline which are yet to be either denied or confirmed.

Dazzling beauty: The Southampton born star was on the red carpet to celebrate exceptional talent which has broken new ground in fashion globally over at The Fashion Awards 2017

Fashion Awards 2017 - The Winners Outstanding Contribution to British Fashion Award Christopher Bailey British Designer of the Year - Menswear Craig Green for Craig Green British Designer of the Year - Womenswear Jonathan Anderson for JW Anderson Accessories Designer of the Year - Jonathan Anderson for Loewe Swarovski Award For Positive Change - Maria Grazia Chiuri Urban Luxe Brand - Off-White Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator - Pat McGrath British Emerging Talent - Womenswear Michael Halpern for Halpern British Emerging Talent - Menswear Charles Jeffrey for Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Business Leader - Marco Bizzarri for Gucci Special Recognition Award For Innovation - Stella McCartney Style Icon - Donatella Versace Designer of the Year - Raf Simons Model of the Year - Adwoa Aboah Advertisement

The period drama ended in 2015 after six triumphant series.

The Julian Fellowes show was a global phenomenon, attracting ten million viewers at its peak and shown in 100 countries.

Most of Laura's roles since leaving Downton Abbey have been a far cry from her privileged part in the show, including ITVs bleak crime drama Marcella and the BBCs Man in an Orange Shirt.
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It was a night celebrating fashion, fun and fabulous outfits as the style pack descended on London on Monday night.

And it certainly looked as if the main players lived up to the industry's hedonistic reputation as they exited the Chiltern Firehouse afterparty for The Fashion Awards 2017 gala to carry on their night.

The young and the beautiful headed to the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the latest innovators and players in fashion - and they weren't ready to end the party when the event came to a close.

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Let's go girls! Selena Gomez led the stars who headed out after the star-studded Fashion Awards 2017 followed by Pixie Lott and bright young things Rita Ora and Adwoa Aboah as they all partied at Chiltern Firehouse on Monday night

Selena Gomez looked a tad weary as she left the bash clad head-to-toe in Coach fashion, with the star rocking a custom Prairie Dress, paired with custom Lace Up Western Boots and finished with the Pre Spring 2018 Shearling Coat.

The star was followed out by Pixie Lott, who refused to let the UK winter interfere with her outfit.

The blonde beauty looked a tad worse for wear as she chatted on the phone and waited for her model beau Oliver Cheshire before the pair headed to the afterparty at the Chiltern Firehouse.

Rocking a waspish yellow and black ensemble, Rita looked ready to party alongside her rumoured on/off flame Andrew Watt. The pair left at 4.30am in the morning after mingling with the likes of boxer Connor McGregor.

Queen of the night!Selena Gomez looked a tad weary as she left the bash clad head-to-toe in Coach fashion, with the star rocking a custom Prairie Dress, paired with custom Lace Up Western Boots and finished with the Pre Spring 2018 Shearling Coat

Time for bed: Selena looked ready for some rest after her busy night socialising; the singer earlier in the evening (right) on the red carpet

Come on! Pixie looked a tad worse for wear as she snubbed a coat in her slinky beaded dress while waiting for her fiance Oliver Cheshire to organise their ride to the afterparty

Wild night! The singer's hair seemed to have a mind of its own as she took a call after her wild night out

What a number! Pixie had wowed in the 1920s-inspired dress earlier in the night but appeared to have ripped her designer gown

Party time! The beauty looked a tad more merry as she left the afterparty than her sultry appearance at the beginning of the evening

Couple's night? Rita headed to the afterparty alongside album producer Andrew Watt, who she has been linked to several times in the past

Sting in her tail: Rita certainly turned heads at the bash as she rocked an out-there waspish yellow and black ensemble - a far cry from her seriously hot metal look at the beginning of the evening

Morning glory! Rita managed to still look chic as she left the venue with Andrew at 4.30am

Knock out night! Conor McGregor also partied with the fash pack until the early hours of the morning

She's a champ! Adwoa certainly looked liked she had celebrated her Model of the Year prize in style as she rocked a tiny sequinned mini-dress to the afterparty, leaving looking a tad more bleary-eyed than she did as she arrived for the awards show (right)

All smiles: The model headed off in a taxi with rapper and style pack member Professor Green

The woman of the evening, Adwoa Aboah, was also in celebration mode after picking up the Model of the Year prize, looking leggy in a tiny sequinned minidress.

Other party guests included Winnie Harlow, who was one foot ahead of the competition in a pair of racy thigh-high boots, and Naomi Campbell, who looked ready for bed after her night of socialising.

Meanwhile, stars also headed to another bash at 180 The Strand.

Another one of the main recipients at the bash was Pat McGrath, who was handed the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator at The Fashion Awards 2017 in honour of the late iconic stylist.

Time to relax! Karlie Kloss looked like she had let her hair down after presenting the awards earlier in the night

Cat that got the cream! The supermodel rocked a simple catsuit for the bash after rocking seven outfits earlier in the night - right, one of the many showstoppers she wowed in at the prizegiving

Just boot-iful! Winnie Harlow flashed a tad too much as she headed to the afterparty while rocking a hoodie dress and a pair of killer boots

The party has arrived! The supermodel's wild choice of footwear certainly put her ahead of the competition

No introduction needed: So Winnie didn't need to introduce herself at the party, she ensured her name was emblazoned on her outfit. Earlier in the evening she looked sexily demure in a jumper and flowing skirt ensemble (right)

Still shining! Not even a night on the tiles could stop Izabel Goulart looking anything less than perfect

Unlikely couple! Donatella Versace, who picked up a prize earlier in the evening, arrived at the bash hand-in-hand with Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton

Time for bed: Naomi Campbell looked all partied out as she left the bash in her long, layered ensemble

Starry starry nigh! Poppy Delevingne swapped her long floral gown for a jumpsuit as she headed to Chiltern, while Holly Willoughby remained rocking her tuxedo

Take me home! Alexa Chung looked ready for home as she left the party solo in a cab

The 52-year-old make-up artist - who boasts a long list of celebrity clientele - is set to pick up the honour at the upcoming ceremony in partnership with Swarovski.

Pat has been nominated for the gong because of her contribution to the global fashion and beauty industry, which has seen her work with designer brands, including Prada, Miu Miu, Valentino and Versace, on their campaigns and catwalk shows.

The Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator recognises Pat - who recently launched her own beauty range - for being an inspiring innovator in the business, and for contributing to the business.

Pat was not the only mogul to be recognised at the star-studded bash next week, as Donatella Versace and Maria Grazia Chiuri also took home prestigious titles.

American girl: Across town at 180 The Strand, Hailey Baldwin led the stars arriving for the Off White X Dazed Fashion Party

Legging it! Georgia May Jagger couldn't wait to get into the bash as she arrived by car

Blondes have more fun! Georgia was joined by Suki Waterhouse, who looked in the mood for a big night as they headed to the Strand

She's in fashion! The model/actress rocked a sheer dress over a gold leotard and matching cowboy boots

Flash-ion! The blonde beauty showed a tad too much as she clambered back into her car

Party time! Plus-sized model Felicity Hayward looked in great spirits as she put her curves on display at the party

Couple's night! Idris Elba headed to the bash alongside his new girlfriend, Sabrina Dhowre

Leggy! Talia Storm rocked an edgy ensemble as she mingled with the style part after the awards

Cheers! After their stint at the Chiltern, Professor Green and Adwoa also made an appearance at 180 The Strand party

Cool kid: Skepta rocked a fashionably casual ensemble as he enjoyed the atmosphere

The 62-year-old fashion designer - who is the artistic director of Versace - was handed the Fashion Icon Award, which celebrates the star's work with the fashion house set up by her late brother Gianni Versace in 1978.

And Donatella was "truly honoured" to receive the title, and to be continuing her sibling's 20-year legacy.

She said: 'I am truly honoured to be collecting the Fashion Icon Award at The Fashion Awards 2017. For 40 years my brother and I have done what we love and that is a legacy I am honoured to continue and uphold.

'We have celebrated empowerment, joy and of course glamour. We have championed a community of people who share our values and together with them have created truly iconic images in the world of fashion.

'I am truly humbled by how Versace has been embraced across the decades, across the world and across the generations.

'Thank you to the industry for your support of us, thank you to my team for their loyalty and incredibly hard work, thank you to my family and friends who have supported me more than they can know and thank you to the genius that was my brother Gianni. His incredible spirit is in everything we do and everything we stand for.'

Mingling: Stranger Things stars and real life couple Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer enjoyed a chat on a sofa with some fellow revellers
She is reportedly dating accountant Stuart Wood and was pictured with him over the weekend, amid claims her two-year marriage to Kevin Clifton is in trouble.

And Karen Clifton and Kevin added fuel to the split rumours as they appeared to steer clear of each other after performing on Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday.

The professional dancers were caught on camera standing on opposite sides of the group while the results were announced.

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Hmm: Karen and Kevin Clifton added fuel to the split rumours as they appeared to steer clear of each other after performing on Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday

Viewers spotted that the couple looked tense during the show, after dancing together in a group performance earlier on.

They have been married for two years and became a firm fixture on the BBC competition after Karen joined in 2012 and Kevin arrived a year later.

Despite putting on a united front during the show, Karen and Kevin have been on the rocks for a year and have been living separately since her tryst with a younger man.

According to friends, they have been putting the show ahead of themselves  and even agreed to dance an intimate routine together during Sunday nights results show.

Oh dear: The professional dancers were caught on camera standing on opposite sides of the group while the results were announced

But away from the cameras, it is understood the pair  who have both been married before  have been under great strain and struggled to keep their marriage together.

However, the Venezuelan mambo champion was reportedly caught having dates with accountant Stuart recently, who is eight years her junior.

According to The Sun, the pair have enjoyed dinner dates together and were seen leaving Karen's home in Wimbledon within minutes of one another.

Putting on a show: Viewers spotted that the couple looked tense during the show, after dancing together in a group performance at the dance off

Yet the Daily Mail can reveal they have now ended the liaison and Stuart has returned to Scotland, where his family live in East Linton, near Edinburgh.

Meanwhile, it is understood that Kevin has moved out. A friend said: They have been rocky for about a year now, but were still living together until recently.

Then a fortnight ago, Kevin moved out and has been staying in a hotel near Elstree. Karen had a meaningless fling, which looked to be a cry for attention, but that is now over.

Moving on? It comes amid claims Karen, 35, is dating an accountant amid rumours her two-year marriage to dancer Kevin is 'on the rocks'

'Kevin and Karens split isnt really anything to do with [this], as they were already having trouble.

Things are very difficult for both of them, as they obviously have to rehearse together for the Strictly pro dances but they are trying to be civil and professional.

Representatives for the Cliftons have been contacted for comment.

It comes after pictures obtained by The Sun showed Stuart and Karen on several occasions outside her home, with the duo leaving the house separately on Saturday morning.

Moving on? It's claimed the starlet has enjoyed several meetings with Stuart, (pictured) with sources claiming to the paper that the accountant is 'absolutely besotted' with Karen

It's claimed the starlet has enjoyed several meetings with Stuart, with sources claiming to the paper that the accountant is 'absolutely besotted' with Karen and is hopeful they will have a 'future' together, despite her still being married to Kevin.

They said: 'They've met up on a number of occasions the past few weeks and are getting to know each other.

'She's been telling him that there could be a future together... There is hope for Stuart that they might elope together.'

Trouble: The Strictly Come Dancing professional recently admitted that she and her co-star beau are 'working on their marriage', but new reports have surfaced claiming the beauty is romantically linked to Stuart

An onlooker added that the duo appeared 'smitten' during one meeting at a pub, adding: 'Karen didn't really seem to care who was looking.'

It comes after Karen admitted the duo are 'working on their marriage' while attending the OK! magazine Beauty Awards recently.

Karen made a solo appearance at the bash and it came after cracks allegedly appeared within her seven-year relationship with Kevin, due to distance.

He is said to have spent increasing amounts of time in Scotland training his former Strictly partner Susan Calman for the show.

New love? It's claimed the starlet has enjoyed several meetings with Stuart, with sources claiming to the paper that the accountant is 'absolutely besotted' with Karen, despite her still being married to Kevin (above)

Relationship difficulties: She has found herself plagued by claims that her marriage to dancer Kevin has become strained and seeming to address the rumours, Karen admitted that the duo are 'working on their marriage' recently

Reunited: The professional dancer was joined by fellow Strictly stars Janette Manrara, Kristina Rihanoff and Oti Mabose at the cosmetic award ceremony

Candid: Addressing the claims surrounding her marriage, she said: 'We're just a regular couple, we've been together for seven years and like any other relationship you have your ups and downs. Nothing is perfect'

Karen, meanwhile, had spent time in London and Manchester ahead of the current Strictly series, in which she was partnered with Simon Rimmer.

Addressing the claims surrounding her marriage, Karen had told The Sun: 'We're just a regular couple, we've been together for seven years and like any other relationship you have your ups and downs. Nothing is ever perfect, so you make it work.'

Downplaying rumours of a rift, she made sure to add: 'Everything is fine, it adds a little bit of spark to the relationship and it just means that we care about each other.'

She added: 'We just need to keep pushing and relationships take work, it's not as easy as you think, especially being in a job like Strictly.'

Brushing it off: Downplaying rumours of a rift, she made sure to add: 'Everything is fine, it adds a little bit of spark to the relationship and it just means that we care about each other'

Kevin, meanwhile, is believed to have confided in friends that things 'aren't going well' currently between the married couple.

He touched on the strain between himself and Karen on his exit from this year's Strictly series, after Susan was voted out of the competition.

Kevin reached out to Karen publicly, as he admitted to the show's co-host Tess Daly: 'When Strictly is on I'm not the easiest person to live with. I go a bit mad.

'So I'd like to say first of all, thanks to my wife for putting up with me.'

Prior to his public display, Karen had previously admitted that the pair's marriage is nothing like the perfect union it appears and that domestic fights often result in them sleeping separately.

Marital woes: Kevin, meanwhile, is believed to have confided in friends that things 'aren't going well' between the married couple currently

Making amends: He touched on the strain between himself and Karen on his exit from this year's Strictly series, after Susan was voted out of the competition and publicly reached out to Karen

Emotional: Kevin reached out to Karen, as he admitted to the show's co-host Tess Daly: 'When Strictly is on I'm not the easiest person to live with. I go a bit mad. Thanks to my wife for putting up with me'

'We're not a superhuman couple, we're normal, so when things happen, we fight,' she told The Daily Mail in August.

'We fight about things like him not taking the rubbish out. He does it more than me but that's only because I tell him to do it.'

The stunning brunette joined the show in 2012, and met Lincolnshire-born Kevin when he joined a year later.

At the time, he had been married to fellow dancer Clare Craze for six years, but they split that same year. Striking up a romance with Karen, he married her two years later.

Dynamic duo: The Venezuelan brunette joined the show in 2012, and met Lincolnshire-born Kevin when he joined a year later. They tied the knot in 2015
Reggie Yates has resigned from Top of the Pops after making 'some ill-considered remarks'.

The 34-year-old TV presenter previously came under fire after he referred to music managers as the 'fat Jewish guy', for which he apologised for at the time.

But he has now decided to step down from hosting the show's Christmas special after admitting his comments have 'hurt many people'.

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Stepping down: Reggie Yates has resigned from Top of the Pops after making 'some ill-considered remarks'

In a statement released via his Twitter account, he said: 'On a recent podcast, during a discussion about grime artists, I made some ill-considered remarks which have hurt many people.

'I can see clearly that the words I used reinforced offensive stereotypes, and that there is no context which would justify such remarks.

He continued: 'My comments are no reflection on how I truly feel, and I would like to apologise unreservedly to the Jewish community, people in the music industry and anyone else I have offended.

Resigning: The 34-year-old TV presenter previously came under fire after he referred to music managers as the 'fat Jewish guy', for which he apologised for at the time. But he has now decided to step down from hosting the show's Christmas special after admitting his comments have 'hurt many people' (Pictured with Top of the Pops co-host Fearne Cotton)

Statement: In a statement released via his Twitter account, he said: 'On a recent podcast, during a discussion about grime artists, I made some ill-considered remarks which have hurt many people

'This has been, and continues to be a huge learning experience for me, and on reflection I have taken the decision to step down from hosting Top of the Pops this year. (sic)'

Reggie wrote in the caption of the tweet: 'I am stepping down from hosting Top of the Pops this year, please see below (sic)'.

A BBC spokesperson said: 'We take these issues very seriously and Reggie is in no doubt about the BBC's view of his comments'.

Reggie made the comments during an interview with DJ Chuckie Lothian in an episode of a podcast titled, #Halfcast Podcast: Take Back The Power.

Comments: Reggie made the comments during an interview with DJ Chuckie Lothian in an episode of a podcast titled, #Halfcast Podcast: Take Back The Power

On the show, he said: 'The thing that makes it great about this new generation of [music] artists is that they ain't signing to majors.

'They're independent, they're not managed by some random fat Jewish guy from north west London, they're managed by their brethren.'

Reggie said sorry shortly afterwards, saying: 'I'm hugely apologetic for this flippant comment.

Interview: On the show, he said: 'The thing that makes it great about this new generation of [music] artists is that they ain't signing to majors. 'They're independent, they're not managed by some random fat Jewish guy from north west London, they're managed by their brethren'

'It was not my intention to offend or reinforce stereotypes, but I'm aware that this could have been interpreted that way and for that I am also deeply sorry.

Adding: 'What I was actually trying to say was how proud I am of the new generation of artists making their success independently on their own terms and without giving away control or their rights to major labels."

Reggie was due to co-host the Top of the Pops Christmas and New Years special with Fearne Cotton.

Host: Reggie was due to co-host the Top of the Pops Christmas and New Years special with Fearne Cotton (Pictured in 2009)

The presenter first got his break into the industry as an eight-year-old on Channel 4 comedy Desmonds - which ran from 1989 - 1994.

However, he changed tack in 1998 when he began presenting The Disney Club and Diggit alongside pal Fearne Cotton. Before the pair presented BBC children's show Smile also.

The beginning of a long-standing presenting relationship Fearne and Reggie went on to present on BBC Radio One together and Top of the Pops.

Kick-start: The presenter first got his break into the industry as an eight-year-old on Channel 4 comedy Desmonds - which ran from 1989 - 1994

Career: However, he changed tack in 1998 when he began presenting The Disney Club and Diggit alongside pal Fearne Cotton. Before the pair presented BBC children's show Smile also (Pictured in 2002)

In 2007, Reggie made a brief appearance the third series of Doctor Who as Leo Jones, the brother of the Doctor's time travel sidekick Martha.

Back on the presenting front, he joined forces with Fearne's best pal Holly Willoughby to co-host The Voice in 2012 and 2013.

And in recent years, Reggie has fronted documentaries for BBC Three, including Reggie Yates' Extreme Russia, Extreme South Africa and Extreme UK.

Since 2015, he has co-presented the primetime BBC One game show Prized Apart, alongside Emma Willis.
The genetically-blessed couple celebrated four years of wedded bliss earlier this year, after tying the knot in a lavish Bali ceremony in 2013.

And model Jennifer Hawkins and husband Jake Wall looked as loved-up as ever on Tuesday, as they head out in Sydney for a romantic date night.

The former Miss Universe, 33, appeared to enjoy a dinner at The Star's Black Bar And Grill with her long-time beau.

Date night! Former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins appears loved-up as ever with husband Jake Wall as couple head out for dinner in Sydney on Tuesday

She captioned the smitten selfie from the restaurant's table: 'Dinner w hubby @sesiontequila @thestarsydney #thestarsydney.'

The couple, who also own brand Sesion Tequilka, may have also visited the Sesion Green Room bar they founded within The Star.

Jennifer was all smiles as she placed her arms affectionately around Jake's muscular shoulders for the happy snap.

Nightcap? The couple, who also own brand Sesion Tequilka, may have also visited the Sesion Green Room bar they founded within The Star

Going strong! The genetically-blessed couple celebrated four years of wedded bliss earlier this year, after tying the knot in a lavish Bali ceremony in 2013

Her blonde locks were left out in a voluminous style, with the TV presenter's makeup appearing flawless in natural tones.

Jake wore a brown jumper to dinner as he extended his arm out to capture the sweet moment with his phone's camera.

Most fans responded with praise for the couple's long-standing relationship, but one follower prodded: 'When will you have children?'

'It's kinda just between Jake and I, but everyone keeps asking!' The Myer ambassador claims the couple are regularly asked about when they will likely have kids or start a family, but insist it's their business to keep private

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia inside The Birdcage at the Myer marquee at Derby Day last month, Jennifer revealed it's a question she is asked a lot.

'It's kinda just between Jake and I, but everyone keeps asking!' the successful Australian model insisted.

While she admitted they were keeping their family plans secret, she confirmed they 'couldn't be happier' after moving into the multi million-dollar waterfront mansion earlier this year.
She has never been afraid of flaunting her body in a bid to turn heads.

But supermodel Irina Shayk almost showed too much as she hit the red carpet of the Fashion Awards 2017 on Monday night.

The brunette beauty made the most of her amazing figure as she posed up a storm on the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall.

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Camera, flash! Supermodel Irina Shayk almost showed too much as she hit the red carpet of the Fashion Awards 2017 on Monday night

In the Versace gown, the beauty showed off her long legs, but as she swirled the Grecian style train around, she flashed a tad too much of the silver leotard underneath.

She certainly made an entrance as she arrived at the venue, walking up the carpeted stairs up to the impressive theatre house.

Inside the bash the beauty was sat alongside designer Donatella Versace, Rita Ora, Jourdan Dunn and Formula 1 champ Lewis Hamilton.

Stunner: The brunette beauty made the most of her amazing figure as she posed up a storm on the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall

Grecian goddess: In the Versace gown, the beauty showed off her long legs, but as she swirled the Grecian style train around, she flashed a tad too much of the silver leotard underneath

Work it! The brunette beauty certainly turned heads as she made the most of her barely-there ensemble

Gown-ing it! The star amped up her poses as she stole the show on the red carpet

Legs for days: The Versace number certainly made the most of Irina's long pins

Classic number: The beauty is the perfect model to wear one of Donatella's sexily glam creations

Stairway to heaven: Even moments after getting out of her car, Irina was owning the night

Great friends: The model cosied up to designer Donatella as they shared a table at the event

Fashionable friends: Also guests of Versace were (L-R) Jourdan Dunn, Rita Ora, Conor McGregor, and Lewis Hamilton

Dining in style: The star enjoyed a feast on top of a Lazy Susan after the event

On the way out, the leggy beauty walked out arm-in-arm with fellow catwalk queen Stella Maxwell.

It was rare evening out for Irina who welcomed her first child, Lea de Seine Shayk Cooper, to the world in March with fiance Bradley Cooper.

The runway star returned to work to model for Riccardo Tisci's collection with Nike and for Italian lingerie company Intimissimi over the past couple of months.

Irina splits her time between Los Angeles and her apartment in Manhattan's West Village, which Bradley moved into in November.

The couple's relationship has moved along quickly; they were first linked in May 2015 when they were spotted at Broadway's Finding Neverland after meeting at the Met Gala.

A model exit: The beauty left the event arm-in-arm with Stella Maxwell
He considers himself quite the fashion muse, after running in the same circles as elite models and attending the world's hottest industry parties.

But Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, 32, even had international designer Donatella Versace, 62, on his arm on Monday night, as he landed a coveted ticket to the Fashion Awards 2017 in London.

And while Lewis had won over a fashion icon with the date, it no doubt riled his former flames Rita Ora and Winnie Harlow who were also in attendance.

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On his arm: Lewis Hamilton was on the arm of designer Donatella Versace on Monday night, as the duo arrived together for the Fashion Awards on Monday night

Clashing with the designer's famous Versace chain print, Lewis helped Donatella to make a show-stopping entrance outside the Royal Albert Hall in a bold, tartan suit.

He wore the daring get-up with chunky boots a polo neck and thick chains - complementary to Donatella's dress - as well as handkerchief to match her print.

Donatella - who has headed up the family fashion business since her brother Gianni's death in 1997 - looked flawless in her gold gown.

Dona-tella your exes! Rita Ora, who is believed to have shared a romantic holiday with Lewis in 2016, was one of the hottest red carpet guests

Also in attendance: Model Winnie Harlow - with whom Lewis enjoyed an on/off relationship - was a special guest

Matching: With his red tartan suit, Lewis wore a scarf in the same print as Donatella's dress

Muse: Lewis has fully integrated himself into the same fashion circles as models and designers

Proud: Leaving his usual model flames at the curb, Lewis decided to take the designer as his date

Perfect companion: Donatella has been the head of Versace for 20 years, taking over from her late brother Gianni when he was killed in 1997

She made the perfect red carpet date in a thigh-split dress with a corseted waist, clutching the 32-year-old driver as they arrived together.

It was a special night for the Versace head, who received the Fashion Icon award at the British Fashion Council event, on the 20th anniversary of taking over the label.

Lewis is flourishing in the world of fashion, this year attending Paris, London and Milan Fashion Week.

He's also regularly seen sporting designers from Versace, including the chain mail print.

Can't believe his luck: An unlikely choice of invitee, Conor McGregor looked delighted to meet Lewis

Posing together: On her night, Donatella posed with Lewis and Conor

Into the night: Later, Lewis accompanied Donatella to the afterparties in London

Party people: Donatella made a quick change into a little black dress

Fashion Awards 2017 - The Winners Outstanding Contribution to British Fashion Award Christopher Bailey British Designer of the Year - Menswear Craig Green for Craig Green British Designer of the Year - Womenswear Jonathan Anderson for JW Anderson Accessories Designer of the Year - Jonathan Anderson for Loewe Swarovski Award For Positive Change - Maria Grazia Chiuri Urban Luxe Brand - Off-White Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator - Pat McGrath British Emerging Talent - Womenswear Michael Halpern for Halpern British Emerging Talent - Menswear Charles Jeffrey for Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Business Leader - Marco Bizzarri for Gucci Special Recognition Award For Innovation - Stella McCartney Style Icon - Donatella Versace Designer of the Year - Raf Simons Model of the Year - Adwoa Aboah Advertisement

But most notably, Lewis is becoming known for networking with beautiful models, many of which he's been romantically linked to.

Just one of them included Winnie, who was no doubt dodging an awkward run-in with the F1 driver after a reported on-off relationship.

And while Adwoa Aboah was the one to walk away with Model Of The Year, Canadian beauty Winnie was leading the model army.

Winnie and Lewis were first spotted getting close after the GQ magazine awards in September 2016.

Hanging out: Lewis didn't seem to mind having pictures with Rita, as well as boxer Conor McGregor

Hanging out: Jourdan, Rita, Conor, Irina and Lewis shared a dinner date at the table

Yet in May this year, rumours of a reconciliation emerged after they cosied up at the amfAR Gala in Cannes.

To make Lewis' night even more difficult to negotiate, his musician ex Rita was also a special guest.

In July 2016, it was claimed that the duo had jetted off for a romantic holiday together and she was later spotted leaving his apartment in the summer.

Later, chivalrous Lewis accompanied Donatella to the afterparties in London, leading her by the hand and reportedly partying with her until 4.30am.

She had made a quick change into a black minidress, while he continued to flaunt his fashion flair in the red suit.

Helping her celebrate: Winnie help Adwoa Aboah celebrate her model of the year gong with (right) Leomie Anderson and Jourdan Dunn

Model friends: Winnie was pictured with Hailey Baldwin, Leomie and Jourdan - who Lewis is known to keep company with
She's enjoying a blossoming romance with former Bachelorette star David Witko.

But it appears another man has caught Leah Costa's eye, with the former Bachelor villain taking to Instagram on Tuesday to gush over a shirtless snap of Michael Turnbull.

Days after she was snapped flirting with Michael on a date while filming Bachelor In Paradise, the 24-year-old posted a revealing photo of the ex-Bachelorette hunk alongside a love heart emoji.

Look away Dave! Leah Costa took to Instagram on Tuesday to gush over a shirtless snap of ex-Bachelorette hunk Michael Turnbull. Pictured: Leah and her boyfriend David Witko

She also shared a similar snap of former Bachelorette star Jake Ellis and told fans that the Cosmopolitan Bachelor of the Year finalists both deserve to win.

'You can vote more than once, so flick them both a vote,' she wrote alongside a heart symbol.

It comes after Leah and David sparked split rumours last month when she was pictured on a date with real estate agent Michael, 36.

She's a fan: Days after she was snapped flirting with Michael on a date while filming Bachelor In Paradise, the 24-year-old posted a revealing photo of the ex-Bachelorette hunk alongside a love heart emoji

What would David say? Leah urged fans to vote for Michael in Cosmopolitan's Bachelor of the Year awards

The busty blonde was spotted flirting with the hunk while filming Bachelor In Paradise in Fiji.

Photos show a bikini-clad Leah and a shirtless Michael enjoying a romantic date at the beach on Mango Bay Resort and a source claimed their chemistry is undeniable.

'Even when the cameras weren't rolling, Leah was glued to his side, finding any excuse to touch him or snuggle up close,' an insider told New Idea.

Not the only one: Leah also shared this snap of former Bachelorette star Jake Ellis

'Apparently Leah had her heart set on Michael heading onto the show.

The source continued: 'She knew he was one of the most controversial characters and that hooking up with him would guarantee her airtime.'

Their rumoured romance comes just months after Leah announced she had moved on from former Bachelor star Matty Johnson with David, 34.

Still together? Their rumoured romance comes just months after Leah announced she had moved on from former Bachelor star Matty Johnson with David, 34

On Sunday, Leah and David appeared to be very much still together while enjoying an early Christmas meal.

The pair were enjoying a 'last-minute Christmas dinner' with pals and former topless waitress Leah shared a group shot online.

The photo showed David, who was first linked to the TV villain in August, sitting around an outdoor table while nibbling on hearty cuisine.

Reunited: On Sunday, Leah and David appeared to be very much still together while enjoying an early Christmas meal

Reunited: The pair were enjoying a 'last-minute Christmas dinner' with pals days after her romantic date with another man

Another image shows the fair-haired hunk mingling with guests around a bonfire.

Leah wasn't the only one to document their Sunday funday festivities, with David also sharing a food snap to his own Instagram page.
He is rumoured to have been dating the former Miss Vancouver for the past six months.

And Idris Elba, 45, certainly looked loved up as he stepped out hand-in-hand with beauty queen Sabrina Dhowre, 29, at The Fashion Awards afterparty at 180 The Strand in London on Monday night.

The Luther actor looked effortlessly cool in blue denim jeans, a neon patterned T-shirt and a puff style jacket, as well as sunglasses, as he led his girlfriend to the star-studded bash.

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Couple goals: Idris Elba, 45, looked loved up as he held hands with Sabrina Dhowre, 29, at The Fashion Awards afterparty at 180 The Strand in London on Monday night

The model was seen wearing a pencil black dress showcasing her hourglass figure with matching black sandals.

The gorgeous brunette draped a sheepskin style denim jacket over her shoulders to protect her bare skin from the December chill.

Her long raven locks were fashioned into a side plait revealing huge gold hoop earrings.

Handsome couple: Idris and Sabrina hold hands both wearing black and denim outfits. The striking pair are rumoured to have been dating for the past six months

The stunner was crowned Miss Vancouver back in 2014 and has been working as a model ever since.

The couple went public together at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.

It was the actors first public relationship since he split with make-up artist Naiyana Garth, who he shares his three-year-old son Winston with.

All smiles: The former beauty queen was wearing a pencil black dress showcasing her hourglass figure with matching black sandals with her long dark hair in a long side plait

The Wire actor also has a daughter Isan, aged 15, with ex-wife Kim Norgaard.

Idris recently starred alongside Jessica Chastain in Molly's Game which is the story of Molly Bloom, a former Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game.

The British actor plays her criminal defense lawyer after she is arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents.

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She played a character who is kidnapped by a handsome German in the harrowing recent film Berlin Syndrome.

And while Teresa Palmer is up for Best Lead Actress at this week's AACTA awards, she said real-life abduction victim Natascha Kampusch deserves most of the credit for her performance.

Speaking to News Corp on Tuesday, the 31-year-old actress said she drew upon the Austrian's awful experience which was detailed in her book 3096 Days, describing her as 'brave.

'Im so grateful to Natascha': In an interview with News Corp on Tuesday, Teresa Palmer (pictured) said real-life abduction victim Natascha Kampusch deserved most of the credit for her performance in Berlin Syndrome

'Im so grateful to Natascha and her openness and her willingness to share her journey,' Teresa told the online publication.

She added that Natascha's experience and her writing had a profound effect on her.

'It was so deeply impactful on me and I want to honour how brave she is and how brave people are when they find themselves in that situation,' Teresa said.

'I want to honour how brave she is': Teresa paid tribute to Natascha (pictured) who was kidnapped aged 10 and held captive for eight years

'Im so grateful to Natascha and her openness and her willingness to share her journey' Teresa added she drew inspiration from Natascha's experience and her memoir 3096 Days

In 1998, a then 10-year-old Natascha was taken from her family and imprisoned in a cellar by Wolfgang Priklopil for eight years.

She escaped in 2006 and later penned a memoir about the experience.

In Berlin Syndrome, Teresa played an Australian backpacker who was also held captive for an extended period against her will.

Harrowing role: In Berlin Syndrome, Teresa played an Australian backpacker who was held captive by a handsome German against her will

As well as being an actress, Teresa is a proud mother to two children with husband Mark Webber, 37.

The blonde beauty is a doting parent to sons Bodhi Rain, three, Forest Sage, ten months, as well as husband Mark's son Isaac, nine, from a previous relationship.

Although Teresa has found success on the silver screen, many also know her for blogs 'Your Zen Life' and 'Your Zen Mama.'
She is facing rumours her marriage to fellow Strictly professional Kevin Clifton is all but over.

And amid claims she's 'dating' an accountant eight years her junior, dancer Karen Clifton was seen leaving her home just minutes before her reported new beau over the weekend - amid claims she is 'ignoring' her 'heartbroken' husband.

The 35-year-old went make-up free as she quickly exited her property and got into a waiting chauffeured car.

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That doesn't add up: Married Strictly star Karen Clifton was seen leaving her home just minutes before accountant Stuart Wood over the weekend amid claims they've been 'dating' during a rocky patch in her marriage with co-star Kevin

Ring of truth? While still wearing her wedding ring, she was quickly followed by Stuart Wood, 27, who got into a separate vehicle

While still wearing her wedding ring, she was quickly followed by Stuart Wood, 27, who got into a separate vehicle.

The appearance comes amid mounting speculation that Karen and husband Kevin have called time on their two-year union.

A source close to the Strictly camp tells MailOnline that 'heartbroken' Kevin can't accept that their relationship is over - and was 'alone' behind-the-scenes on the show at the weekend.

The insider says: 'Poor Kevin is heartbroken. Its making it very difficult at Strictly as all the dancers knew but Kevin did not want to accept that his marriage is over.

'But sadly the writing is on the wall. She was ignoring him throughout the show.

Solo: The 35-year-old went make-up free as she quickly exited her home and got into a waiting chauffeured car

Feeling the strain? The Scottish accountant looked a tad worried as he was dragged into the Strictly star's marriage issues

Speedy exit: The 27-year-old got his own car from the star's home

New romance? Stuart is said to be 'besotted' with Karen and hopes for a future with her

Walking away? The dancer was seen out on Tuesday amid the ongoing speculation

Still there: Karen is keeping her wedding ring firmly in place as she battles reports she is dating despite being still married to Kevin

Time to think: The beauty was all wrapped up as she headed out to get some air while walking her dog

Keeping quiet: The star has remained tight-lipped on the claims she is ready to end her two-year marriage

'Kevin was on his own before and after the show in the green room. At one point he was outside looking very upset on the phone after the show . Everyone feels sorry for him as he still in love with her. But its also very awkward for the other dancers as could cut atmosphere with a knife.

As they refuse to comment on the troubles, the pair added fuel to the split rumours as they appeared to steer clear of each other after performing on Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday.

The professional dancers were caught on camera standing on opposite sides of the group while the results were announced.

Viewers spotted that the couple looked tense during the show, after dancing together in a group performance earlier on.

They have been married for two years and became a firm fixture on the BBC competition after Karen joined in 2012 and Kevin arrived a year later.

Despite putting on a united front during the show, Karen and Kevin have been on the rocks for a year and have been living separately since her tryst with a younger man.

According to friends, they have been putting the show ahead of themselves  and even agreed to dance an intimate routine together during Sunday nights results show.

Hmm: Karen and Kevin Clifton added fuel to the split rumours as they appeared to steer clear of each other after performing on Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday - amid reports he is struggling to accept their marriage is over

Putting on a show: Viewers spotted that the couple looked tense during the show and an insider tells MailOnline that he spent most of his time alone behind-the-scenes

But away from the cameras, it is understood the pair  who have both been married before  have been under great strain and struggled to keep their marriage together.

The Venezuelan mambo champion was reportedly caught having dates with accountant Stuart in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, it is understood that Kevin has moved out. A friend said: They have been rocky for about a year now, but were still living together until recently.

'Kevin and Karens split isnt really anything to do with [this], as they were already having trouble.

Things are very difficult for both of them, as they obviously have to rehearse together for the Strictly pro dances but they are trying to be civil and professional.

Representatives for the Cliftons have been contacted for comment.

It's claimed the starlet has enjoyed several meetings with Stuart, with sources claiming to the paper that the accountant is 'absolutely besotted' with Karen and is hopeful they will have a 'future' together, despite her still being married to Kevin.

They said: 'They've met up on a number of occasions the past few weeks and are getting to know each other.

'She's been telling him that there could be a future together... There is hope for Stuart that they might elope together.'

Trouble: The Strictly Come Dancing professional recently admitted that she and her co-star beau are 'working on their marriage', but new reports have surfaced claiming the beauty is romantically linked to Stuart

An onlooker added that the duo appeared 'smitten' during one meeting at a pub, adding: 'Karen didn't really seem to care who was looking.'

It comes after Karen admitted the duo are 'working on their marriage' while attending the OK! magazine Beauty Awards recently.

Karen made a solo appearance at the bash and it came after cracks allegedly appeared within her seven-year relationship with Kevin, due to distance.

He is said to have spent increasing amounts of time in Scotland training his former Strictly partner Susan Calman for the show.

New love? It's claimed the starlet has enjoyed several meetings with Stuart, with sources claiming to the paper that the accountant is 'absolutely besotted' with Karen, despite her still being married to Kevin (above)

Reunited: The professional dancer was joined by fellow Strictly stars Janette Manrara, Kristina Rihanoff and Oti Mabose at the cosmetic award ceremony

Candid: Addressing the claims surrounding her marriage, she said: 'We're just a regular couple, we've been together for seven years and like any other relationship you have your ups and downs. Nothing is perfect'

Karen, meanwhile, had spent time in London and Manchester ahead of the current Strictly series, in which she was partnered with Simon Rimmer.

Addressing the claims surrounding her marriage, Karen had told The Sun: 'We're just a regular couple, we've been together for seven years and like any other relationship you have your ups and downs. Nothing is ever perfect, so you make it work.'

Downplaying rumours of a rift, she made sure to add: 'Everything is fine, it adds a little bit of spark to the relationship and it just means that we care about each other.'

She added: 'We just need to keep pushing and relationships take work, it's not as easy as you think, especially being in a job like Strictly.'

Brushing it off: Downplaying rumours of a rift, she made sure to add: 'Everything is fine, it adds a little bit of spark to the relationship and it just means that we care about each other'

Kevin, meanwhile, is believed to have confided in friends that things 'aren't going well' currently between the married couple.

He touched on the strain between himself and Karen on his exit from this year's Strictly series, after Susan was voted out of the competition.

Kevin reached out to Karen publicly, as he admitted to the show's co-host Tess Daly: 'When Strictly is on I'm not the easiest person to live with. I go a bit mad.

'So I'd like to say first of all, thanks to my wife for putting up with me.'

Prior to his public display, Karen had previously admitted that the pair's marriage is nothing like the perfect union it appears and that domestic fights often result in them sleeping separately.

Marital woes: Kevin, meanwhile, is believed to have confided in friends that things 'aren't going well' between the married couple currently

Emotional: Kevin reached out to Karen, as he admitted to the show's co-host Tess Daly: 'When Strictly is on I'm not the easiest person to live with. I go a bit mad. Thanks to my wife for putting up with me'

'We're not a superhuman couple, we're normal, so when things happen, we fight,' she told The Daily Mail in August.

'We fight about things like him not taking the rubbish out. He does it more than me but that's only because I tell him to do it.'

The stunning brunette joined the show in 2012, and met Lincolnshire-born Kevin when he joined a year later.

At the time, he had been married to fellow dancer Clare Craze for six years, but they split that same year. Striking up a romance with Karen, he married her two years later.

Dynamic duo: The Venezuelan brunette joined the show in 2012, and met Lincolnshire-born Kevin when he joined a year later. They tied the knot in 2015
The 1992 film Romper Stomper caused outrage when it was originally released, attracting criticism for its violence and portrayal of racism.

It looks like history might repeat itself with Stan's new six-part revival series of the same name.

But speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, star Lily Sullivan has hit back at the naysayers, telling critics to open their eyes to the world around them.

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'The truth is confronting': Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, Lily Sullivan (pictured) hit back at criticism that Romper Stomper glorifies neo-Nazis

'People saying you don't want to glorify neo-Nazis on screen just have to go out to the surrounding suburbs, which they never will do, and see these people congregate,' she said.

The actress added: 'The truth is confronting.'

Lily said she hoped the confronting nature of the film would cause audiences to take a closer look at themselves and ideally 'get better.'

'Go out to the surrounding suburbs': Lily called for critics to look at the real world

It's back! Romper Stomper is revival of the 1992 classic film of the same name

In the 90s, Romper Stomper shone a light on Melbourne's neo-Nazi subculture, thrusting Russell Crowe into fame in the process.

While Russell didn't return as ultra right wing skinhead Hando for the remake, several of his former co-stars reprised their roles.

Jacqueline McKenzie, who played Hando's naive love interest Gabe and Dan Wylie, who took the role of one of Hando's underlings, Cackles, came back for the series.

Having an effect: Lily said she hoped the confronting nature of the film would cause audiences to take a closer look at themselves and ideally 'get better'

The established actors are joined by Lily, who is a rising star in the acting field.

Romper Stomper isn't the first classic remake Lily has nabbed a role in.

She also starred in Foxtel's haunting Picnic At Hanging Rock remake, playing Miranda Reid in the six-part miniseries.
She recently talked about her relationship with Julian Assange, admitting they have grown 'very close' since meeting in 2014.

And Pamela Anderson proved her unusual bond with the WikiLeaks founder is going from strength to strength, as she visited him at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London's Knightsbridge on Tuesday.

The Baywatch bombshell, 50, channeled retro glamour in an opulent pale blue fur coat layered over a silky shirt and a string of pearls for the relaxed outing.

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Taking centre-stage: Pamela Anderson proved her unusual bond with Julian Assange is going from strength to strength, as she visited him at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London 's Knightsbridge on Tuesday

The blonde beauty completed her scene-stealing look with a silky nude midi skirt with a racy front split.

Adding height to her petite frame, the glamour model rocked a vertiginous pair of dove-grey suede boots.

Pamela, who was last pictured visiting Julian in October, accessorised with white lace gloves and a black leather chain-trim bag.

Styling her golden tresses in simple, tousled waves, Anderson showed off her age-defying beauty with minimal make-up.

Looking good: The Baywatch bombshell, 50, channeled retro glamour in an opulent pale blue fur coat layered over a silky shirt and a string of pearls

Chic: The blonde beauty completed her scene-stealing look with a silky nude midi skirt with a racy front split

Killer accessories: Adding height to her petite frame, the glamour model rocked a vertiginous pair of dove-grey suede boots

Her outing comes after she opened up about her much-speculated on relationship with Julian, 46.

'I wouldn't say it's romantic, but we are very close,' she said on daytime show Megyn Kelly Today.

She confirmed she was introduced to Assange through fashion designer Vivienne Westwood previously during a visit to the Embassy of Ecuador in London, where he resides.

She was first interested in learning from him about ways to become 'more effective as an activist,' she said, while speaking with Kelly.

Opening up: Anderson frequently visits WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who lives at the Embassy of Ecuador in London. She said they weren't 'romantic' but 'very close'

Having a whale of a time: The beach bombshell appeared to be in great spirits as she arrived at the embassy

Dazzling: Pamela, who was last pictured visiting Julian in October, accessorised with white lace gloves and a black leather chain-trim bag

'How could I improve my foundation? What does he think? Could we brainstorm about something?,' she thought at the time.

Assange has been living in solitude in political asylum for some time now, after being accused in 2010 of sexual assault and rape against two women in Sweden - which he since denied.

When Kelly inquired about the actress' thoughts on the disturbing allegations, Anderson said, 'If you read through the reports and the UN findings, there is no evidence of rape.'

Natural beauty: Styling her golden tresses in simple, tousled waves, Anderson showed off her age-defying beauty with minimal make-up

Solo outing: The star, who has two sons Dylan and Brandon, looked relaxed as she later left the visit

Quite the entrance: The actress ensured all eyes were on her as she made her exit

Earlier this year, prosecutors in the country ended the investigation. Assange was not charged for the alleged crimes.

But it seems that won't change the conditions of his daunting detainment - which Anderson described into grim detail.

'He lives in a very tiny space. He never sees the sunlight. He can't get outdoors. He doesn't go near windows, really, unless he goes out on that balcony once every few years,' she told Kelly.

'I'm there for four hours at a time and I see him all the time. He's happy to see me when I come (and) very sad when I leave.'

History: She confirmed she was introduced to Assange through fashion designer Vivienne Westwood previously during a visit to the Embassy of Ecuador in London, where he resides

Claims: Assange has been living in solitude in political asylum for some time now, after being accused in 2010 of sexual assault and rape against two women in Sweden - which he since denied. Pictured, Pamela visiting him in October

Although confined, she said he is 'safe' where he's at.

'If he were to leave the Embassy, he would be arrested,' she added. 'He's a really important person to me.'

Anderson told the NBC reporter, during the first part of the interview that aired Thursday, that Harvey Weinstein accusers shouldn't have made the choice to go to 'a hotel room alone' with the hot head Hollywood powerhouse.

'It was common knowledge that certain producers or certain people in Hollywood or people to avoid, privately,' Anderson said.

Sympathetic: 'He lives in a very tiny space. He never sees the sunlight. He can't get outdoors. He doesn't go near windows, really, unless he goes out on that balcony once every few years,' Pamela said, while describing his conditions

Dedicated friend: She has been pictured bringing Julian vegan treats and snacks while visiting him throughout this year

She further denied any form of 'victim blaming' while speaking with TMZ Friday when she said: '(I) will not get coerced into apology'.

She also made a point to say the disgraced director is a 'sexist pig and bully.'

In what appeared to be a jibe at his victims, she said it was 'no excuse' to presume the meetings were safe just because they were set up by agents - a claim which has been made by actresses such as Gwyneth Paltrow, who detailed run-ins with Weinstein.

'I just think there's easy ways to remedy that. That's not a good excuse,' Anderson said.
The Australian model took two years of research and development before she launched her cosmetic brand, Luma, in late 2014.

But three years later Jessica Hart took a 'huge risk' to completely reinvent and relaunch her makeup line, because she wasn't proud of what it had become.

Jessica told The Daily Telegraph this week: 'I worked so hard to get it where it was, but I wasn't as proud of it as I knew I could be... it was a bit of a risk and it (the relaunch and rebrand) was expensive, but it was something I had to do.'

'I just took a huge risk': Model Jessica Hart admits to 'expensive' relaunch of cosmetic brand Luma as something she 'just had to do' because she wasn't 'proud' of existing range

She flew in to Sydney from New York on Tuesday in time for Wednesday's launch at a waterfront Point Piper home.

She decided to relaunch the cosmetics brand with completely new packaging and different products.

'I was 24 when Luma was just an idea. That was seven years ago and I have changed a lot since then. I knew I could do better and I just took a huge risk and we took stuff off the shelves and relaunched,' she explained.

Starting fresh! She decided to relaunch the cosmetics brand with completely new packaging and different products

'It is finally where I wanted it to be,' Jessica said, confirming the risk paid off in her eyes.

Her original line was praised for made up of 99% natural ingredients.

The site currently describes the products as: 'Our range has been specially designed to bring out the best in your skin, creating a luminous and healthy glow using naturally sourced ingredients such as crushed pearl powder, ethically sourced mica, moisture-rich hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, and of course never tested on animals.'

'It is finally where I wanted it to be': Jessica confirmed the risk paid off in her eyes

In July, she re-branded the label's Instagram presence, writing: 'We're back and bigger than ever! Stay tuned for some exciting news on our new multi-purpose and Illuminating range.'

The publication claims the model is in talks with a major retail partner in the US to stock her products.

Meanwhile, the full range is available within selected Australian Priceline and Myer stores.
Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix have reached an agreement about their divorce.

On Tuesday TMZ reported the couple, who split a year ago, will have joint custody of their two sons 13-year-old Indiana and Atticus, aged nine.

It was added that though at first the brother of Ben Affleck wanted to deny her any spousal support, in the end he did make some type of private financial settlement.

Done: Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix will share joint custody of their kids, according to TMZ; seen in 2013

The two wed in 2006 and separated in 2016. She filed for divorce this summer. They had a prenuptial agreement.

In November a judge signed off the papers for the divorce, according to People. The actor was ordered to pay his ex spousal and child support.

The documents show that Summer cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason for the split. She asked for joint legal and physical custody of their children as did he.

The pair tied the knot back in 2006, having met in 1995 through Summer's brother Joaquin Phoenix, who was working with Casey on To Die For.

Sad end: The documents show that Summer cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason for the split. She asked for joint legal and physical custody of their children, Indiana, 13, and Atticus, nine. Seen in 2013

They got engaged in 2003.

When the pair split last year, they issued a joint statement to insist they had 'amicably' gone their separate ways.

Their spokesperson confirmed: 'Casey and Summer have amicably separated. They remain very close friends.'

New love: This year he has been seen with Floriana Lima; here they are pictured in June

Busy guy: The star is seen carrying a baseball bat in LA in August

And a source added at the time: 'She was having a lot of trust issues. They went to therapy but they just couldn't recover.'

This year he has been seen with Floriana Lima, even taking her to the Academy Awards where he won an Oscar for Best Actor.

Meanwhile, his brother Ben is still in the process of divorcing Jennifer Garner.

They both want joint legal and physical custody of their three kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel. As for spousal support, they left it open, so the judge could award it before the divorce becomes final, according to TMZ.

They do not list a date of separation, but in June 2015 they announced their separation.
Madison Beer flaunted her taut tummy during lunch with pals at Italian diner Jon & Vinny's in Los Angeles on Monday.

The 18-year-old songstress was wearing a very similar outfit to the bra-top, camouflage pants, and white Nike sneakers she donned at West Hollywood hotspot Delilah last Friday.

The Justin Bieber protogee sported minimal make-up for her meal as well as an Ariana Grande-style ponytail hairpiece.

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Ready for carbs? Madison Beer flaunted her taut tummy in a Kaohs Simwear top during lunch with pals at Italian diner Jon & Vinny's in Los Angeles on Monday

While outside the restaurant, Madison posed for a picture for the amusement of her captive, combined 15.7M social media followers.

'I'm addicted to IG Stories right now,' Beer told Notion Magazine on November 27.

'I think generally I feel the proudest when my fans come up to me or tweet me or whatever to tell me that my music helped them through a hard time, or that they gained confidence from one of my songs. There's no greater feeling in the world than hearing that.'

Double take: The 18-year-old songstress was wearing a very similar outfit to the bra-top, camouflage pants, and white Nike sneakers she donned at WeHo hotspot Delilah last Friday

Hoop earrings: The Justin Bieber protogee sported minimal make-up for her meal as well as an Ariana Grande-style ponytail hairpiece

'I'm addicted to IG Stories right now': While outside the restaurant, Madison posed for a picture for the amusement of her captive, combined 15.7M social media followers

Beer told Notion Magazine on November 27: 'I think generally I feel the proudest when my fans come up to me or tweet me to tell me that my music helped them through a hard time'

Guy pals: The Clearasil spokesmodel - who previously romanced Brooklyn Beckham and Jack Gilinsky - was joined at Jon & Vinny's by two mystery male companions

The Clearasil spokesmodel - who previously romanced Brooklyn Beckham and Jack Gilinsky - was joined at Jon & Vinny's by two mystery male companions.

The underage Long Islander later later shared her snap with the caption: 'bambolone.'

On Sunday, Madison shared her piano-accompanied cover of Elvis Presley's 1961 ballad Can't Help Falling in Love while flaunting significant cleavage.

The underage Long Islander later later shared her snap with the caption: 'bambolone'

Pipes: On Sunday, Madison shared her piano-accompanied cover of Elvis Presley's 1961 ballad Can't Help Falling in Love while flaunting significant cleavage

After releasing the singles Say It To My Face and Dead, Beer plans on releasing her debut EP in January or February.

'There's a song on my upcoming EP that is my absolute favorite,' the homeschooled millennial told Notion.

'I don't want to give anything away, but it's a slower song than I usually write, and I'm so proud of it. So yeah, you'll have to wait for the EP!'
Boardwalk Empire alum Paz de la Huerta got her mind off her Harvey Weinstein rape investigation on Monday night to party at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood with pals.

The 33-year-old SAG Award winner donned a sequin-embellished black gown beneath a fur-lined coat to attend The Kooples and Emily Ratajkowski's cocktail event.

The half-Spanish stunner used to reportedly have a wild reputation for boozy antics and a propensity for stripping naked in public.

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Boardwalk Empire alum: Paz de la Huerta got her mind off her Harvey Weinstein rape investigation on Monday night to party at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood with pals

In 2007, Paz (born Maria Bruce) was allegedly escorted from the Beatrice Inn for peeling off her clothes atop the DJ booth to the song I Touch Myself.

And in 2011, De la Huerta was sentenced to community service and 12 weeks of alcohol counseling for assaulting The City's Samantha Swetra at the Standard Hotel.

But things got serious when she accused the 65-year-old movie mogul - who produced her 1999 flick The Cider House Rules - of raping on two separate occasions in 2010 (October and December) at her Manhattan home.

'He pushed me on the bed, and it happened all very suddenly,' the native New Yorker told CBS News on November 3.

Out and about: The 33-year-old SAG Award winner donned a sequin-embellished black gown beneath a fur-lined coat to attend The Kooples and Emily Ratajkowski's cocktail event

'Love in the evening': The half-Spanish stunner used to reportedly have a wild reputation for boozy antics and a propensity for stripping naked in public

'He pushed me on the bed, and it happened all very suddenly': But things got serious when she accused the 65-year-old movie mogul of raping on two separate occasions in 2010 (October and December) at her Manhattan home

The Streets of East L.A. actress and her attorney Carrie Goldberg think The Manhattan DA's Office has been 'dragging its feet' in convening a grand jury for her case.

'I'm told by DA [Cyrus] Vance [Jr.] and his top echelon that this case is going forward right now,' NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told Page Six on Monday.

'We have made no determination on where its going to go or what timeline as to when its going to go to grand jury.'

Produced Paz's 1999 flick The Cider House Rules: The native New Yorker and her attorney Carrie Goldberg think The Manhattan DA's Office has been 'dragging its feet' in convening a grand jury for her case (pictured September 18)

'This case is going forward right now': The delay has everything to do with an eye-popping 100 women accusing the pervy producer, who's now the subject of around 14 sexual assault investigations in four different cities

$37K/month: Weinstein - who's denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex - is undergoing the 45-day 'Gentle Path' sex addiction treatment at the rehab center The Meadows in Arizona

The delay has everything to do with an eye-popping 100 women accusing the pervy producer, who's now the subject of around 14 sexual assault investigations in four different cities.

Weinstein - who's denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex - is currently undergoing the 45-day 'Gentle Path' sex addiction treatment at the $37K/month rehab center The Meadows in Arizona.

Careerwise, Paz has four upcoming films - Michael Maxxis' dramedy Puppy Love, Jennifer Elster's mystery Concrete Underground, Casey Wilder Mott's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Serge Levin's sci-fi thriller Superstrata.
He's developed a huge following on social media thanks to his indulgent lifestyle and energetic dance moves.

And Gianluca Vacchi, 50, was in perfect shape as he made an appearance on Miami Beach in a pair of skimpy white swimming trunks on Monday afternoon.

The Italian businessman, who has more 11 million followers on Instagram, showed off his numerous tattoos as he paused to check his phone.

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Self love: Gianluca Vacchi strolled around the white sand beach oozing self confidence just as he does in his viral videos showcasing his bulging muscles and impressive tan

Gianluca also opted for tribe style accessories, including a distinctive print designed anklet, as he idled on the sand.

Putting earphones in, the extroverted businessman was in a surprisingly subdued mood during his latest coastal appearance.

Gianluca was without his beautiful wife Giorgia Gabriele, 31, who stars in many of his popular videos.

Man in white: The handsome extrovert was without his beautiful wife Giorgia Gabriele, 31, who stars in many of his popular videos. But he has access to her via his phone always in hand

The wealthy Italian owns manufacturing company SEA Societa Europea Autocaravan through his entrepreneurial father.

His net worth is said to be around 350 million, with an approximate annual income of around 15m.

And the internet star is not ashamed to show off his enormous wealth, often posting pictures of his yacht and lavish champagne meals.

Tanned and toned: With more than 11 million followers on Instagram it's not hard to see why with bulging muscles, intricate tattoos and chiseled cheekbones

Bling bling! The Italian businessman was seen earlier on the beach in a dapper white suit with sunglasses and a large diamond watch while chatting on his popular mobile phone

One of his most watched videos features the white haired hunk emerging from a freezing anti-aging chamber and then performing a dance routine in just his pants and snow boots.

And last year a video of him performing with his model girlfriend on a luxury yacht went viral.

Gianluca also has plenty of celebrity friends including High School Musical star Zack Efron.
Tara Reid was pictured smoking a cigarette as she caught up with a male friend this week.

The Sharknado star sat on the balcony of Los Angeles hotspot Catch LA, puffing away as she talked to her pal.

While the unhealthy habit is widely frowned upon in health-conscious Los Angeles, Tara was unselfconscious as she smoked, perched on the back on the outdoor sofa.

Time to kick that habit! Tara Reid catches up with a pal as she smokes a cigarette at Catch LA

Lighting up: While the unhealthy habit is widely frowned upon in health-conscious Los Angeles, Tara was unselfconscious as she smoked, perched on the back on the outdoor sofa

Animated: The two friends had plenty to talk about as they sat in the sunshine

Perch: The blonde actress sat at a table in the sunny spot

The same day Tara was pictured with her boyfriend Ted Dhanik, walking through the Los Angeles streets hand-in-hand.

The 42-year-old put on a loved-up display with her beau as they strolled along together, even nuzzling into his neck at one point.

Tara looked casual for the relaxed outing, rocking a chic peach satin jacket over a white tank top, along with distressed jeans.

Accessorising with studded trainers and a black chain strap bag, the American Pie star looked totally stylish as she enjoyed an afternoon with her beau.

Happy couple: Tara put on a casual display for the outing, rocking a satin peach bomber jacket and distressed jeans, along with peach studded trainers

New man: Tara and Ted have attended several events together in recent weeks, after news broke of their relationship in September

On the up: Tara has had a career resurgence in recent months, with nine movies on the way, as she became a fan favourite again for starring in the Sharknado series

After her slender frame drew attention, Tara recently slammed claims that she was suffering from an eating disorder, telling Daily Mail TV that she was at a perfectly healthy weight.

She said: 'I am not anorexic. I have never been anorexic and I don't have an eating disorder.'

She added: 'I am just thin. People are overweight and we don't attack them every time they go out.

Cute companions: Tara and Ted were joined by their adorable pet dogs, who relaxed in a black wheely bag for the outing

In love: Tara recently had to slam claims that she was suffering from an eating disorder, telling Daily Mail TV she was at a perfectly healthy weight

'It's the same weight. I don't fluctuate  it's just who I am. I do eat. I eat all the time. But this is just my natural weight and people need to leave me alone.'

Tara's boyfriend Ted is a successful tech entrepreneur, and the pair have kept their blossoming relationship relatively low-key, claiming that they were 'casually dating' when news emerged of their romance in September.

The pair sparked romance rumours when he accompanied her to pal Christina Milian's birthday party.
She was the country's first female newspaper publisher and editor, embroiled in a battle with the Nixon government to print the truth about the Vietnam War in 1971.

Now director Steven Spielberg is set to release The Post, his biopic about The Washington Post's Katharine Graham, played by Meryl Streep, and the explosive Pentagon Papers.

They talked about how quickly it came together in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter released on Tuesday.

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Surrounded by strong women: Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and the creatives behind The Post talked about their biopic about Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham and its role in bringing down the Nixon administration in 1971 in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter

Another Oscar? Meryl Streep stars as The Washington Post's Katharine Graham, in Steven Spielberg's upcoming biopic The Post

'I realized this was the only year to make this film,' Steven, 70, said, inferring the comparison with President Donald Trump's administration.

'I thought this was an idea that felt more like 2017 than 1971  I could not believe the similarities between today and what happened with the [President Richard] Nixon administration against their avowed enemies The New York Times and The Washington Post.'

Meryl, 68, added: 'We dont know where north is. People disagree on what actual facts are.'

Relevant: 'I realized this was the only year to make this film,' Steven, 70,told THR

The film tells how Katharine gave her editor Ben Bradlee, played by Tom Hanks, permission to report on the Pentagon Papers, top-secret documents revealing that the US was losing the Vietnam War.

It came after The New York Times broke the story but was then shut down by a court ruling blocking it from publishing any more.

However, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein famously uncovered the details of what became known as the Watergate scandal that forced President Nixon's resignation.

All female team: Liz Hannah acted as a producer on the movie

Irony: Asked what they thought President Trump would think of The Post, producer Amy Pascal replied: 'I think he'll like the movie. I think he thinks he believes in the same things we do'

The 1976 Oscar-winning movie, All The President's Men, movie barely covered Katharine's pivotal part in the story.

However The Post changes that, portraying a strong woman at a time when Hollywood is reeling under accusations of sexual harassment by powerful industry men including producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey.

Meryl is hopeful about the outpour, telling THR: 'We are on the way to something better.'

Penned it: Kristie Macosko Krieger was the film's screenwriter

She and Steven were joined by the movie's all-female team: screenwriter Liz Hannah, 31, and producers Amy Pascal, 59, and Kristie Macosko Krieger, 47.

Asked what they thought President Trump would think of The Post, Amy replied somewhat ironically: 'I think he'll like the movie. I think he thinks he believes in the same things we do.'

The Post is due for release on January 12.

Read all about it: Meryl, 68, plays The Post's publisher Katharine Graham's fight with the Nixon administration to print the truth about the Vietnam War in 1971 - drawing comparisons to 2017
Good Morning America meteorologist Ginger Zee has opened up about her tough battle with depression.

The 36-year-old television personality - real name Ginger Renee Colonomos (born Zuidgeest) - revealed to People magazine on Tuesday that she was diagnosed after a suicide attempt 15 years ago.

According to the weekly, when she was 21 the star had locked herself in her bathroom and taken every pill she could find in the medicine cabinet as Ginger explained: 'I had lost all hope.

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Tough battle: Ginger Zee - pictured in April - revealed to People magazine on Tuesday that she was diagnosed with depression after a suicide attempt 15 years ago

'I just shut down. It wasn't worth living. I was wasting people's time and space.'

Luckily for Zee, her roommate at the time and ex boyfriend had found out what had happened and brought her to the hospital.

The concoction she had put together wasn't lethal as it was mostly Benadryl but she ended up being diagnosed with depression.

'Depression for me has been a couple of different things  but the first time I felt it, I felt helpless, hopeless and things I had never felt before,' she explained. 'lost myself and my will to live.'

Talented: The 36-year-old Good Morning America chief meteorologist documents her battle with the illness as well as her life in new book Natural Disaster: I Cover Them. I Am One.

She documents her battle with depression and other events in her life in hew new book Natural Disaster: I Cover Them. I Am One.

At the time she had just graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana and her career did not quite start the way she would have hoped but she also had a hard time grasping the the reason for the emotional roller coaster she was on according to People.

'It doesnt matter whats relative to another persons tragedy, or whatever it is thats making you feel low,' she explained. 'In that moment, my brain, and probably a chemical somewhere within me, said, "You need to kill yourself." The only voices I could hear were telling me, "You are not worth it."'

Success: At the age of 25, she worked as an NBC affiliate in Chicago and ultimately joined ABC's GMA in 2011, as she is pictured in March 2016

Oh boy! In 2013, she was named chief meteorologist for the morning program and is the first ever female chief meteorologist for a major US television network, she is pictured with Mickey Mouse last month

Depression isn't her only battle as she struggled with anorexia when she was young and was later diagnosed with narcolepsy in college.

Despite all her trials and tribulations, Ginger never gave up on a career in television.

At the age of 25, she worked as an NBC affiliate in Chicago and ultimately joined ABC's GMA in 2011.

In 2013, she was named chief meteorologist for the morning program, replacing Sam Champion. She is the first ever female chief meteorologist for a major US television network

She said: 'My professional life, in a strange way, has always been going up, up, up, while my personal life was just the complete opposite.'

Strong bond: Ginger has credited her mother, Dawn, and her husband Ben Aaron for helping support her through the rough times, as she and Ben are pictured in 2015

'New baby boy!' Ginger shared a picture of her two-year-old son Adrian holding an ultrasound image as she revealed she's pregnant back in August

Ginger has credited her mother, Dawn, and her husband Ben Aaron for helping support her through the rough times.

Aaron, 36, and Zee married in 2014 and share a 23-month-old son named Adrian together. They are also expecting another boy due in February.

'Its hard to just pick one thing that I am most proud of her for,' her husband gushed. 'Shes the best mom, wife and meteorologist in the world. I often describe her as a goddess.'

Her star is shining brighter than ever as she was even a contestant on the 22nd season of Dancing With The Stars last year. She and dance pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy had an impressive showing as they ultimately came in third place.

Ginger's book Natural Disaster: I Cover Them. I Am One. - which is published by Kingswell - is on sale now.
Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson went on a double date with Bryan Cranston and his spouse Robin Dearden on Monday night in Santa Monica.

The couples dined at Giorgio Baldi, an Italian restaurant immensely popular among celebs like Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, and Kim Kardashian.

Hanks and Wilson have been married for nearly 30 years, and are clearly still enjoying each other's company.

Date night: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson went for dinner at Giorgio Baldi on Monday

Snazzy: Hanks was dressed to the nines in a grey suit and an even lighter grey button up shirt. He wore lace-up black dress shoes and went tie-less for the evening out

Hanks was dressed to the nines in a grey suit and an even lighter grey button up shirt. He wore lace-up black dress shoes and went tie-less for the evening out.

Tom was seen wearing his wedding ring and bold black rimmed glasses.

Wilson wore all black to dinner. Her pants hit just above her pointed ankle boots. She layered a black sweater with a fur collar on top of a black crew neck shirt. A small purse hung from her shoulder. The actress wore diamond studs and her hair in beachy waves parted down the middle.

The two looked slightly caught of guard by the cameras.

Close ties: The couple were joined by Bryan Cranston and his wife Robin Dearden. The party of four carpooled to the restaurant

This day in age were accustomed to our favourite Hollywood couples calling it quits after lengthy stints togetherTom and Rita are the exception.

The couple has been married nearly 30 years and has shut down every divorce rumor that has come their way.

In an interview with Extra, Wilson said, At a certain point you have to call them out on their lies. Our marriage is really sacred to us.



One big happy family: All the children were present for the Kennedy Center Honors in 2014 alongside parents Tom and Rita. (Left to right) Truman Hanks, Elizabeth Hanks, Tom, Rita , Chet Hanks, Samantha Byant, and Colin Hanks

Hanks recently spoke with Phoebe Robinson of the Sooo Many White Guys podcast where he divulged the truth behind his successful marriage.

He said, We learned the secret of happiness with each other a long time ago and that's always telling the truth.

The couple of almost three decades have two children togetherChet and Truman Hanks. Tom had two children with ex-wife Samantha Lewes who passed away in 2002Elizabeth Hanks and Colin Hanks.
She ruffled a few feathers when she appeared to suggest that Iain Lee - who suffers from depression - is 'playing the sympathy card' on I'm A Celebrity in her jungle exit interview, before explaining that her comments had been taken out of context.

And Rebekah Vardy is reportedly 'livid' at Joe Swash, slamming the presenter for pressuring her into commenting on her jungle campmate.

The 35-year-old wife of Jamie Vardy, is also said to be angry that she was branded part of the 'man gang', after co-host Joel Dommett joked that she 'rules the roost' and is a 'top lad', and is planning on making an official complaint against ITV.

Standing up for herself: Rebekah Vardy is reportedly 'livid' at Joe Swash, slamming the presenter for pressuring her into comment on her jungle campmate

After Joe referred to her as 'basically a man' for hanging out with Dennis Wise and Jamie Lomas, a source told The Sun: 'Becky came off the ITV2 show absolutely livid. She was ranting and raving at staff over Joe's comments.

'She made her feelings totally clear and is going to do so on screen again tonight. Becky called him a 'weasel'.

'She expected Extra Camp to be light-hearted and fun  which it is  but ended up feeling like she had her back to the wall and was cornered and forced to talk about Iain Lee.'

Hitting back! The 35-year-old wife of Jamie Vardy, is also said to be angry that she was branded part of the 'man gang', after co-host Joel Dommett joked that she is a 'top lad'

'She was ranting and raving at staff over Joe's comments': After Joe referred to her as 'basically a man' for hanging out with Dennis Wise and Jamie Lomas, a source revealed Becky was fuming

According to Daily Star, Rebekah is now keen to follow up on the questioning she endured on Extra Camp and is planning to 'make an official complaint against ITV'.

A source told the paper: 'She's considering making a formal complaint.'

This comes a day after Rebekah defended herself after claiming Iain Lee, who suffers from depression, is 'playing the sympathy card' on I'm A Celebrity.

The WAG was slammed by fans for her comments, but said on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain she had been 'under pressure' during the live interview after her elimination, and her words were 'taken out of context'.

However, fans have since called for the WAG to be axed from her ambassador role at anti-bullying charity Young Minds UK - reasoning she has 'no understanding' of mental health.

'She expected Extra Camp to be light hearted and fun  which it is  but ended up feeling like she had her back to the wall and was cornered and forced to talk about Iain Lee.'

Standing her ground: Rebekah has defended herself for 'bullying' Iain Lee, who suffers from depression, on I'm A Celebrity

Accused: Becky had said Iain (above), who has been open about his mental health battles, was playing a game and using 'the sympathy card' to progress further in the competition

Becky was accused of bullying during her time in the celebrity jungle, after she branded Iain as 'fake' and hungry for the limelight.

Addressing the issue on Tuesday after her elimination, Becky explained to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that her words had been 'taken out of context', and that she and Iain had bonded over their mutual mental health struggles.

She said: 'I was under pressure when I made that comment and it was slightly taken out of context.

Not true: The 35-year-old said on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain she had been 'under pressure' during the interview after her elimination, and her words were 'taken out of context'

Not appropriate: Viewers have since called for the WAG to be axed as ambassador of anti-bullying charity Young Minds UK - reasoning she has 'no understanding' of mental health

'We had some lovely conversations about our past we actually presented him something to celebrate his courage after a trial. A special homemade medal, it was a hard as nails medal.'

Both Iain and Becky have been honest about their mental health struggles in the jungle - with Iain discussing his depression, and Becky revealing she attempted suicide aged 14.

However the radio host expressed his desire to be eliminated last week - but soon received immunity from the vote off, meaning he would not leave camp for at least 24 hours.

Got on well: She said of their relationship: 'I was under pressure when I made that comment and it was slightly taken out of context. We had some lovely conversations about our past'

Honest: Both Iain and Becky have been honest about their mental health struggles - with Iain discussing his depression, and Becky revealing she attempted suicide aged 14

Speaking to Iain by the fire, Becky claimed he was 'playing a game', and actually wanted to win the show, commenting: 'Look at you, you secret game planner, buzzing that you are not going out tomorrow, you've got a game plan you have.'

Later claiming he was 'fake', she said in the Bush Telegraph: 'He is going in there to win and he is playing the sympathy card and he isolates himself from the rest of the camp and then as soon as the cameras are on he wants the limelight.'

Fans immediately took to Twitter to slam Becky for 'bullying' the radio host - and call for her to be removed as ambassador of Young Minds UK, who support young people with mental health.

Controversial: However, Becky said of Iain: 'He is playing the sympathy card and isolates himself from the rest of camp, then as soon as the cameras are on he wants the limelight'

Not impressed: Fans immediately took to Twitter to slam Becky for 'bullying' the radio host - and call for her to be removed as ambassador of Young Minds UK

One kicked things off by writing: 'Rebecca Vardy, who can't understand how anxiety and depression makes someone isolate themselves... is an ambassador of the charity YoungMinds. Right.'

While others added: ''I can see Iain is struggling but that doesn't excuse his behaviour.' That's Rebecca Vardy, patron of a mental health charity there.'

'@YoungMindsUK I'm disappointed to hear that Becky Vardy is affiliated with your charity, following her behaviour during her time in the jungle.'

And: 'An advocate of MH? Bullying in prime TV ! Maybe time to look for a better role model?'

Passionate: Other fans were even more passionate about the matter, calling for the charity to rid themselves of such an 'insensitive' and 'demoralising' representative

Nonsense: However, a number of other viewers deemed the hateful comments against Becky ridiculous - claiming she was simply speaking the truth

Further unimpressed fans added: '@RebekahVardy an advocate for mental health?! Actually laughable if not really disheartening... @YoungMindsUK

'@YoungMindsUK appalling that you would have an ambassador like Rebecca Vardy after her treatment of Iain Lee and comments about him last night.'

And '@YoungMindsUK you better kick @RebekahVardy to the kerb. She's nothing but a bully and has no idea about mental health.'

Other fans were even more passionate about the matter, calling for the charity to rid themselves of such an 'insensitive' and 'demoralising' representative.

One wrote: 'I hope that @YoungMindsUK reconsider their decision to use @RebekahVardy as an ambassador for mental health after she displayed that insensitive, demeaning attitude towards Iain regarding his anxiety today.'

Agreed: Some claimed her trolls were 'too sensitive' and said Becky was simply stating fact

Farwell: The wife of Leicester City player Jamie Vardy was eliminated from the jungle on Monday night (above)

While another added: 'Patron of the biggest mental health charity and she's allowed to demoralise someone in this way about their mental health. Never pass comment about mental health, calling someone 'fake' until you've walked in their shoes. I am SEETHING.'

However, a number of other viewers deemed the hateful comments against her ridiculous - claiming she was simply speaking the truth.

One said: 'Unpopular opinion, but the whole Becky Vardy 'bullying' situation is SO F***ING inaccurate. People are WAY to sensitive. Iain DOES have a game plan and DOES have a big mouth, so what's the problem with her stating the facts?'

While others added: 'Fact!!! Iain Lee is playing a game! And Rebekah Vardy speaking her mind ISN'T BULLYING!!!'

More than she bargained for: Becky also revealed on GMB that she hugely underestimated the reality show

And: 'Ian is definitely playing a game and so fake. Good on Becky standing up to him and saying it as it is.'

Whoever has been manning Becky's Twitter account in her absence made sure to hit back at accusations she had had been 'bullying' Iain on Twitter and fired back a lengthy message in response that read: 'Are you aware that you have seen a few minutes from 24 hours a day and that even ITV have made it very clear that no one in camp has been bullied? Nothing worse than people jumping on a hate bandwagon.'

A representative for I'm A Celebrity said: 'The welfare of our celebrities is of utmost importance and we've not witnessed nor had any complaints of bullying from any of them.'

Following her elimination on Monday night, Becky also revealed on GMB that she hugely underestimated the reality show.

She said: 'I had no idea actually what I was getting myself in for. I thought I was going to get backhanded bananas and jelly beans, so I feel very hard done by!

Before adding: 'Only joking I've made some friends that I hope I have for life.'

When asked who she would not spend time with outside of camp, Becky remained tight-lipped - and simply speculated whether her positive relationship with all the celebrities was why she was voted off.

She explained: 'Oh that's an under pressure question, I couldn't pinpoint one. In all honesty there isn't any, contrary to what has been said.

'We all got on so well and maybe that's what the public didn't like.'

Close: Becky also speculated whether her positive relationship with all the celebrities was why she was voted off

Iain's sister Jo had also appeared on Lorraine on Tuesday, and praised his decision to be so open about his mental health.

She said: 'I think lots of people at home will be able to identify with that.

'It's really healthy to talk about these things and get them out there. But also, I don't want him to be defined just by that because there's so much more to him than just that.'

She also addressed the infamous 'Strawberry-gate' - which saw Iain and Amir eat the camp's treat of strawberries and cream, without telling their co-stars.

With Iain apologising without Amir, Jo said: 'One of the things Iain likes to live his life by, and he says often, is he'd rather choose discomfort over resentment.

'Rather than carry around a secret or a feeling that makes you feel bad, just get it out there and be honest and face up to it. It's not something that comes easily to him. But he's done really, really well and I'm so proud of him.'
She is in the throes of motherhood after giving birth to her first child, daughter Sunday, at the beginning of November.

And proving her new parenting duties are suiting her, Ferne McCann looked sensational as she paraded her post-pregnancy frame on Instagram on Tuesday.

The former TOWIE star, 27, slipped into an emerald green two-piece that teased a look at her svelte physique and her taut stomach by pairing a cropped wrap-over top with matching flared trousers.

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Ferne McCann, 27, looked sensational as she paraded her post-pregnancy frame on Instagram on Tuesday

Keen to show off her attire on the social media site, Ferne struck up a pose that saw her toying with her hair and lifting her arms to reveal a hint of her toned torso underneath.

Her stomach was slightly covered from the large bow that tied her top together just underneath her bust, but already the reality star has appeared to have snapped back into shape following her pregnancy.

The starlet looked oh so glamorous in the chic co-ords and teamed her outfit with a flawless make-up look, while styling her shoulder-grazing locks into tousled curls.

Clearly a fan of her Portobello two-piece from online retailer Souki Belair, Ferne teased alongside her snap: 'The fabric holds you in in all the right places.'

Criticised: Her glamorous display comes after Jessica Cunningham hit out at Ferne for previous comments she had made about 'not liking' the term 'single mum'

Sultry! The former TOWIE star, 27, slipped into an emerald green two-piece that teased a look at her svelte physique and her taut stomach

Ferne's glamorous display comes after former Celebrity Big Brother star Jessica Cunningham had slammed the beauty for previous comments she had made in regards to being labelled a 'single mum'.

Ferne shares daughter Sunday with ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins - he was recently convicted for his part in a horrific nightclub acid attack that took place in east London earlier this year.

Arthur was convicted of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and nine of actual bodily harm two weeks ago. He had committed the offence while out celebrating the news of Ferne's pregnancy.

He has been warned he could face life behind bars when he is sentenced on December 19.

Glam: Her stomach was slightly covered from the large bow that tied her top together just underneath her bust, but already the reality star has appeared to have snapped back into shape following her pregnancy

Sweet: Ferne shares daughter Sunday with ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins - she had given birth at the beginning of November a week earlier than her due date

According to The Sun, Ferne is understood to have told the father of her newborn daughter that she won't ever see him again after visiting him in prison.

She had addressed her decision to raise Sunday alone in an interview with OK! magazine where she said: 'I dont like the term single mum and I dont want to be addressed as that because I dont think you should be labelled.

'To me, Im going to be a mum like anyone else, but just in a different situation. It shouldnt define you.'

However, her comments left a sour taste in the single mother-of-three's mouth who criticised Ferne for her statement and said she 'strongly disagrees'.

Going solo: She is raising her baby alone without ex Arthur and had said of being a single mum: 'I dont like the term single mum and I dont want to be addressed as that because I dont think you should be labelled'

Jessica is mother to three daughters, whom she shares with her ex-partner Alistair Eccles who passed away in August, earlier this year.

Taking to her personal blog Mother Of Maniacs, she explained that Ferne's statement will cause 'offence' to fellow single mothers and insisted the 'term single mum is something you can own.'

Jessica penned: 'She probably thinks that the statement is empowering for women. But, after experiencing life as a single mum  I strongly disagree. The term single mum is something you can own.

'The sad part is nobody (including Ferne) WANTS to be a single parent - feeling like a statistic, but sometimes situations just dont work out among parents and the parent/parents decide to do what is best for the child/children.

Having her say: Jessica penned: '[Ferne] probably thinks that the statement is empowering for women. But, after experiencing life as a single mum  I strongly disagree. The term single mum is something you can own'

Family: Jessica is mother to three daughters, whom she shares with her ex-partner Alistair Eccles who passed away in August, earlier this year

'I, like many single parents, chose to embrace being a single parent, because that is what I was. Although it was not ideal, or initially what I wanted, I am SO proud of what I have achieved raising three children under the age of three, while single.'

Suggesting that Ferne is still learning what it is like to be a 'single parent', the former Apprentice star added: 'Until you experience life as a single parent, you will never truly know what it is like to be a single parent.

'What we have in common is that the majority of single parents have all been on an emotional journey and a struggle, but are proud that they have coped in the face of adversity... through that journey, they have grown confidence in their own ability as a single parent and dont feel that they are labelled. Instead, they feel empowered.'

However, Jessica did go on to praise Ferne and the way she has handled her difficult pregnancy, as she concluded her piece by claiming she has a 'lot of respect, empathy and support' for the new mother-of-one.

Exciting: Ferne is preparing to share her journey into motherhood in her very own reality series titled Ferne McCann: First Time Mum

Amusing: A new preview released for the spin-off shows Ferne visiting a psychic who tries to predict the sex of her unborn baby

'Through no fault of her own, she has had to make probably the hardest decision of her life choosing to become a single parent! But with that label, she will also have the chance to inspire others, who are in shi**y situations with their partners to be brave, to be bold and to do something about it.

'Ferne is incredibly lucky to be in a position to be able to inspire others and let them know that being a single parent isnt shameful  sometimes its the only option you have.

'I believe that embracing the label she has been given, will help remove the stigma that still surrounds that label. It is not a shameful label, it is a label of courage, determination and will. All three things that Ferne has.'

MailOnline have contacted a representative for Ferne.

Meanwhile, Ferne is preparing to share her journey into motherhood in her very own reality series titled Ferne McCann: First Time Mum. A new preview released for the spin-off shows Ferne visiting a psychic who tries to predict the sex of her unborn baby.

Not convinced by his efforts, however, Ferne is left baffled as he begins by telling her he sees a 'boy and a girl' in her life, before claiming he had a dream about the star and believes she is going to have a boy called Alfie James.

Shooting him down, however, Ferne says: 'Right, it's definitely not going to be called that,' before adding to the camera: 'Where did you pluck that one from?!'

'You've gone from being vague to being very specific on a name!'
Melissa McCarthy is proving to be a good friend.

The Illinois native is set to guest host the late-night chat show Jimmy Kimmel Live while the host takes some time off to spend with his son, aged seven months, who just came out of a successful heart surgery.

But before the movie vet hits the TV stage, she has some errands to do. On Monday The Heat actress was spotted dropping off her dry cleaning in Los Angeles.

You gotta wear shades: Melissa McCarthy keeps her look casual while running errands in Los Angeles on Monday

Although fans are accustomed to seeing the 47-year-old in glamorous gowns when she hits the red carpet, she keeps her look casual when running around the city.

McCarthy was spotted wearing a long-sleeve burgundy top with a pair of black tights.

She accessorized with black Birkenstocks and a roomy handbag with a few layers of fringe. No celebrity look is complete without a pair of oversize sunglasses, although they didn't help her hide from the cameras.

Fashion forward: The actress-turned-designer created a clothing line for curvy women

During McCarthy's turn as the host of the popular late-night show, she'll welcome guests Octavia Spencer and Dave Franco with a musical performance from Hanson.

Whether this means that the Spy star will get down with Hanson and their classic tune Mmmbop is yet to be seen.

Other stars stepping in to help with hosting duties includes Chris Pratt, Tracee Ellis Ross and Neil Patrick Harris.

Smile!: The cast of Ghostbusters pose with host Jimmy Kimmel in support of the film; here she is seen in June

In addition to starring in movies and popping up on TV, Melissa is also a clothing designer.

The Gilmore Girls star was tired of not having fashion available to her that was made for curvier women. So in 2015, she decided to be in charge of her closet by creating items for women of a wide range of sizes.

'I could not find, with consistency, something that felt young and modern and easy to wear,' McCarthy told Fast Company in an interview.

'And then I started thinking, Why dont I make the closet?'

Proud moment: The 47-year-old promotes her line Seven7 between shooting popular films; seen in 2015

She created a collection of items inspired by classic and trendy looks to fit women who wear sizes 4-28.

No matter what your style is or size, you can shop items on her official website as well as retailers including Nordstrom, Lane Bryant, Macy's and Lord & Taylor.

Her collection includes a variety of patterns like animal prints, florals and polka dots. What makes her collection different is that her pieces are structured to give a woman a more flattering shape by using darts, belts and empire waists.

Strike a pose: The Illinois beauty shows off a shirt from her line with a sneaky empire waist that hugs her curves

Her items are also affordable, prices range from $54 to $169.

'Women do not stop at a magical size 10 or 12, and I thought, Why would clothes?' McCarthy said. 'I have been every size under the rainbow, but my style never changed.'

McCarthy has been very passionate about creating items that women could wear anywhere: the office, happy hour or to run errands around town.
She swapped her brunette tresses for golden locks when she graced the small screen as Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's most lavish series The Crown.

And Claire Foy admitted blondes do have more fun when she made a stunning television appearance on The Tonight Show Jimmy Fallon on Monday.

The British beauty, 33, explained she found people were 'nicer' to her when she made the change to her hair colour.

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'People were nicer to me': Claire Foy confessed blondes do have more fun when she appeared on The Tonight Show on Monday after she ditched her brunette locks for Netflix's The Crown

'I loved being blonde. The whole "blondes have more fun" is actually a thing. I mean, I didn't have fun, but people are nicer to you,' she said.

'I swear it's an actual thing. People hold the door open for you, they smile to you in general - when people are actively horrible.'

On Sunday, she enjoyed a royal reunion with her on-screen lover Matt Smith at the BAFTA screening of The Crown in New York.

The event was to celebrate the second season dropping on Netflix next Friday.

Claire cut a stylish figure in a white V-neck top tucked into a bright blue pair of high-waisted trousers while Matt smartened up his look with a blazer.

Dramatically different: She swapped her brunette tresses for golden locks when she graced the small screen as Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's most lavish series The Crown (pictured)

Different attitude: The British beauty, 33, explained she found people were 'nicer' to her when she made the change to her hair colour

The former Doctor Who star recently discussed objectification in the Telegraph Magazine, to which he said`: 'Thats not to say I havent been objectified before by men, because I have, just like women are objectified.'

Said he: 'It is not exclusive to them. This happens to men, too.'

Earlier, discussing the recent sexual misconduct scandals, he had insisted: 'The conversation shouldnt stop at this industry just because these are "celebrities" who we know about who are involved. It has to be broader.

'People in other industries have to have a platform to be heard as well. What happens to the cleaner or the lady who works in a clothes shop?'

Aglow: Claire Foy and Matt Smith posed together at Sunday's BAFTA screening of The Crown in New York, ahead of its second season dropping on Netflix next Friday

Who's who: For the first two seasons of The Crown, Claire has starred as Queen Elizabeth II herself and Matt as her husband, Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh

For the first two seasons of The Crown, Claire has starred as Queen Elizabeth II herself and Matt as her husband, Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh.

It has been revealed that Broadchurch star Olivia Colman will take over as the Queen for the third season, though the future of Prince Philip has not been so clarified.

Speaking to the Sunday People, Claire said of the casting: 'Shell be fantastic, shes an extraordinary actress. Shell completely reinvent it and make it her own... I want to shout it from the rooftops  shes amazing.'

Leading lady: Claire has starred as Queen Elizabeth II herself and Matt as her on-screen husband, Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh

Season one began just before Elizabeth ascended to the throne on the death of her father George VI, and ended with Britain skidding toward the Suez Crisis.

The new season will carry viewers through 1963, per TV Guide. Which is to say, it'll cover such events as a London visit by John F. Kennedy, played by Michael C. Hall.

President Kennedy had been accompanied to England by his famously glamorous wife Jacqueline Kennedy, who has been portrayed by Jodi Balfour.

Vanessa Kirby's Princess Margaret will be seen starting up her romance with her ex-husband-to-be, 'society photographer' Antony Armstrong-Jones (Matthew Goode).

'Tony Snowdon,' so-called by dint of his being Earl Of Snowdon, married Margaret in 1960 and notoriously philandered before their 1978 divorce.

Incoming: The pair are seen in the trailer for season two, which per TV Guide will carry viewers on through 1963

Ill-starred: Vanessa Kirby's Princess Margaret will be seen starting up her romance with her ex-husband-to-be, 'society photographer' Antony Armstrong-Jones (Matthew Goode)

His love life is said to have included men and women - in a memoir, decorator Nicky Haslam said he and Tony had 'a very brief romance' before the Margaret marriage.

For what it's worth, according to Femail, Tony himself said of Nicky's story: 'It's not true as far as I'm concerned --and I should know.'

Going by the trailer, it appears the new season will also show the Queen's iconic 1961 visit to Ghana, which four years earlier had become independent from Britain.

According to Time, she concurred with the Cabinet's wish that she go, bombing in Accra notwithstanding, by telling her prime minister: 'I am not a film star. I am the head of the Commonwealth - and I am paid to face any risks that may be involved. Nor do I say this lightly. Do not forget that I have three children.'

Hot and heavy: 'Tony Snowdon,' so-called because he was Earl Of Snowdon, married Margaret in 1960 and notoriously philandered before their 1978 divorce

Moreover, the trailer depicts simmering tension between the Queen and her consort, who fumes about being 'outranked by my eight-year-old son!' - Prince Charles.

The first season was one of the most critically acclaimed dramas of last year, winning two Golden Globes, two SAG awards, and nominated for four BAFTAs and five Emmys.

The Crown Season 2 will be released worldwide on Netflix on Friday December 8.
She's in town after attending the Fashion Awards earlier this week.

And Irina Shayk was once again leading the glamour when she rocked up at the Versace store grand opening in London on Tuesday night, looking sensational in a pop art themed dress.

The Russian beauty, 31, showed off her incredible figure in the brightly coloured number, bearing Andy Warhol's famous Marilyn Monroe print on it.

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Print-tastic: Irina Shayk was once again leading the glamour when she rocked up at the Versace store grand opening in London on Tuesday night, looking sensational in a pop art themed dress

Irina completed her look with a pair of matching thigh-high boots and carried a tiny, hot pink handbag.

The statuesque stunner made the most of her enviable frame in the minidress, which teased a hint of thigh.

She wore her brunetee locks pulled back in a bun and set off her striking features with nude coloured make-up.

Colour pop: The Russian beauty, 31, showed off her incredible figure in the brightly coloured number, bearing Andy Warhol's famous Marilyn Monroe prints on it

Leggy: The statuesque stunner made the most of her enviable frame in the minidress, which teased a hint of thigh

Think pink: Irina completed her look with a pair of matching thigh-high boots and carried a tiny, hot pink handbag

Making a statement: Irina was hard to miss in her eye-catching ensemble

Elegant: She wore her brunetee locks pulled back in a bun and set off her striking features with nude coloured make-up

It was rare evening out for Irina who welcomed her first child, Lea de Seine Shayk Cooper, to the world in March with fiance Bradley Cooper.

The runway star returned to work to model for Riccardo Tisci's collection with Nike and for Italian lingerie company Intimissimi over the past couple of months.

Irina splits her time between Los Angeles and her apartment in Manhattan's West Village, which Bradley moved into in November.

Posing up a storm: Irina turned heads as she posed in front of the Italian fashion house's latest collection

Working it: Bradley Cooper's partner showed her appreciation for the designer wares

Terrific trio: Irina posed with Donatella Versace and Blondey McCoy

Model behaviour: She also joined forces with fellow model Natasha Poly

Leading lady: Versace's creative director Donatella was in her element

Putting in an appearance: Kim Turnball was also spotted at the fashionable event

The couple's relationship has moved along quickly; they were first linked in May 2015 when they were spotted at Broadway's Finding Neverland after meeting at the Met Gala.

Irian previously revealed she struggled with her confidence at the start of her career.

'You know it doesnt matter if you are big or small or if you are wearing a size zero or size 16. We all are not 100 percent confident. I think confidence comes with age and experience, ' she told The Daily.

Of her experience of motherhood, Iriana said: 'I really believe every woman was born to be a mother one day.'

Brunette beauties: Kim (left) and Doina Ciobanu (right) were in attendance

Fashionista: Leomie Anderson rocked a simple ensemble and a warm coat

On trend: Tamara Kalinic (left) and Doina (right) were checking out the new season's clothes
Diane Kruger revealed that she got her first tattoo after losing a bet about her new movie In The Fade.

The 41-year-old actress was discussing the film following its premiere on Monday in New York City.

She previously revealed that she wagered with director Fatih Akin that the movie would never make it to the Cannes Film Festival.

Toned: Diane Kruger flashed her muscular legs as she wore a mini skirt while hitting the Build Studio in NYC on Tuesday after revealing she got her first tattoo after losing a bet

If she lost, Diane said she'd get a traditional anchor tattoo in honor of the director's hometown of Hamburg.

In The Fade screened at the prestigious French film festival and was nominated for the Palme d'Or while Diane won the award for Best Actress.

'I was hoping that [Akin] would've forgotten about that because I don't have tattoos, but when he called me to say that we got into Cannes, the first thing he said was ''You're coming to Hamburg and getting an anchor tattoo'',' Diane said Monday during post-screening panel, according to an article by Guest Of A Guest.

The German-born actress said she was supposed to get the tattoo on her bicep, but instead got a small one on the inside of her ankle.

Chic soul: The 41-year-old added a bulky cable knit sweater by Rag & Bone with pearls sewn into the knit

Diane meanwhile showed off her legs in New York City on Tuesday while promoting the movie.

She wore a short leather miniskirt during a visit to AOL where she was interviewed about In The Fade.

She added a bulky cable knit sweater with pearls sewn into the knit and completed her look with stylish black Christian Louboutin booties that came over her ankles.

Surprise: Kruger added stylish black Christian Louboutin booties that came over her ankles

Fun and games: Kruger had fun with director Fatih Akin on set of AOL Build studios

Earlier she had on a blue plaid coat that looked very warm.

The Farewell, My Queen star sat down for an interview alongside her In the Fade director Fatih.

In The Fade was selected as the German entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards.

Day and night: While she was dressed up, Akin was dressed down in plaid

A smile: The beauty, who played Helen of Troy alongside Brad Pitt, looked as if she could melt an iceberg

In the crime drama, Diane stars in the role of Katja Sekerji, a woman whose life falls apart after the death of her husband and son during a terror attack in Hamburg.

She mourns, but only for long enough to come up with a plan for revenge.

In the Fade opens in US theaters on December 27.

Outfit change: The actress changed into a sleeveless top and jeans to discuss the film on Tuesday at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations at The Robin Williams Center in NYC

New tattoo: Diane revealed on Monday that she got an anchor tattoo on her ankle after losing a bet

Coming soon: In The Fade is scheduled for release on December 27 in the US

Serious talk: Here the interviewer looked intense as he listened to his guests

'I felt acute responsibility,' Kruger, who spent six months preparing for the role, told WWD.

'I sat in on a lot of self-help groups of families of victims. It's something you never forget and it's changed me as a person.'

She added, 'You don't need to know about the actual hate that it's based on. The issue is everywhere.'

Leggy blonde: Kruger wore a plaid blue coat and carried a black purse on her way into the AOL Build studios

Fun with her fans: The Inglourious Basterds star chatted up the people waiting for her

While promoting the film, the star was asked about what a post-Harvey Weinstein Hollywood looks like.

'We've created a space for women to come forward to talk about what's been happening for years and years and years, and from now on, there will be that space,' she told W Magazine.

'I don't think it's ever going to go back to that. I really don't.'
He's teased his radio co-star about everything from her weight to her husband's performance in bed.

But Kyle Sandilands may have taken things a little too far on Wednesday, jokingly accusing Jackie 'O' Henderson of being an 'alcoholic' live on radio.

During an interview with DJ superstar David Guetta, Kyle referred to Jackie as a 'functioning alco' after the mother of one questioned if the music star ever drank alcohol at gigs.

'Not everyone can be an alcoholic and work like you Jackie': Kyle Sandilands jokes his radio co-star is a 'functioning alco' in VERY awkward segment

'Do you drink when you DJ or do you try to stay off it?' Jackie asked the French musician.

'No I drink if I go out,' he replied. But you know I DJ so much I've seen too many of my friends becoming dependent [on alcohol], it gives you a different approach.'

Seemingly seizing an opportunity to poke fun at his co-star, Kyle decided to take a swipe at Jackie.

Awkward: Kyle referred to Jackie as a 'functioning alco' after the mother of one questioned if David Guetta ever drank alcohol at gigs

'That's a novel approach': Jackie didn't appear to take too kindly to Kyle's joke, swiping back

'Not everyone can be an alcoholic and work like you Jackie', he said jokingly. 'David Guetta likes to remain fresh, Jackie's an alcoholic.'

'That's a novel approach,' Jackie swiped back, while David appeared to try and smooth things over, saying: 'It's alright.'

'It's fine,' Kyle told their international guest. 'She's a functioning alco.'

Kyle and Jackie often discuss their eating and drinking habits on air, last week revealing their affinity for takeaway food.

No holds barred show: Kyle and Jackie often discuss their eating and drinking habits on air

'There is nothing more exciting then when your takeaway order arrives and the delivery comes and you start laying it out on the table,' Jackie said.

Kyle also admitted to having equally romantic feelings about food.

'Nothing gets me harder than seeing that brown bag with the Uber Eats logo,' he said.

'And you don't have to tip, you're like thank you!'
They won fans over on The X Factor Australia.

And it seems Jess Dunbar and Matt Price have had a huge break into the international music scene, with the engaged couple taking on the Asian market.

The duo performed in China this week at a government function, and have become the first Australian artists to release a song in Mandarin, in Asia.

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Breaking onto the international stage: Engaged X Factor stars Jess Dunbar and Matt Price perform in China and become the first Australian artists to release a song in Mandarin in Asia

Their song is called Sydney to Me, and they performed it in Mandarin at a function with Chinese government officials and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

The song was recorded with Destination NSW to promote Sydney at the function.

'As two artists who don't speak any other languages it was a very daunting task as we were to be the first Australian artist to release a song into Asia in Mandarin,' the pair told The Daily Telegraph.

What a feat! Their song is called Sydney to Me, and they performed it in Mandarin at a function with Chinese government officials and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian

Success: The pair said they had to study hard to learn how to pronounce the lyrics, but are thrilled with how they went

The duo said they had to study hard to learn how to pronounce the lyrics, but are thrilled with how they went.

'We've been blown away by the media response here and being invited to feature on Billboard China and Channel V Asia is just incredible considering just two years ago we were playing in pubs,' they said.

On Instagram, the pair shared a smiling selfie and said how thrilled they are at the feat.

'Completely surreal moment in our careers': The pair shared a selfie saying how happy they are

'Completely surreal moment in our careers today being the first Australian Artists to have recorded and released a song in Mandarin into Asia... Weve been blown away by the response, and to have the NSW Premier here in Guangzhou with us topped it all off,' they wrote on their joint account.

The pair appeared on The X Factor in 2015 and were mentored by Guy Sebastian.

Jess and Matt - who are signed to Sony Music Australia - placed third on The X Factor Australia.

The band recently filmed an appearance on Love Child.
They are one of the few Love Island couples that are still standing.

And Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen looked in good spirits as they attended the Tinsel And Tails bash in London on Tuesday.

Olivia put on a racy display in a plunging red ensemble, while Alex- who recently hinted the pressure of Dancing on Ice may have contributed to Kem Cetinay's split with Amber Davies, held their adorable grey French bulldog.

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Red-hot! Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen looked in good spirits as they attended the Tinsel And Tails bash in London on Tuesday

Olivia put on a racy display in a plunging blazer, which showed off her tattooed decolletage.

Boasting statement sleeves and coordinating with a pair of wide-leg trousers, she completed the ensemble with a nude pair of heels, wearing her hair in tousled waves.

Alex cut a dapper figure in a crisp silver shirt and well-fitted suit, holding his belle affectionately.

Turning heads! Olivia put on a racy display in a plunging red ensemble, while Alex held their adorable grey French bulldog

It's over! Alex recently hinted the pressure of Dancing on Ice may have contributed to Kem Cetinay's split with Amber Davies

Their appearance comes after he hinted that the pressure of Dancing On Ice could be responsible for Kem and Amber's shock split.

The pair, who won this year's hit series of Love Island just five months ago, announced their break-up this week following a series of rows.

On Tuesday fellow Love Islander Alex Bowen expressed his surprise at their split to The Sun Online, admitting: 'I think their split is shocking because they won the show and everyone thought they were the best couple. But you don't know what you've got to handle on the outside.

Busty! Olivia put on a racy display in a plunging blazer, which showed off her tattooed decolletage

'You don't know how if you'll be living on different sides of the country, you don't know how much work you'll be getting. The fact Kem got Dancing On Ice - that will be taking up a lot of his time.'

Olivia added: 'We don't know Kem but we both know Amber. I text her last night and said I hoped she was alright. I'm sure he's lovely but it's such a hard thing to make work when you're so busy. He's mega busy, it must be so hard for him - it's just so difficult really.'

Alex and Olivia have enjoyed a whirlwind romance since meeting in the Mallorcan villa in July 2016, getting engaged just five months later during a romantic trip to New York City.

Sizzling! Boasting statement sleeves and coordinating with a pair of wide-leg trousers, she completed the ensemble with a nude pair of heels, wearing her hair in tousled waves

Suave! Alex cut a dapper figure in a crisp silver shirt and well-fitted suit, holding their adorable puppy affectionately

The pair revealed they had a rather unconventional -and very drunken- way of celebrating their engagement, with a wild visit to a strip club.

Alex said: 'I was really ill before we went to New York and I was getting better each day I was there but I hadn't really been eating before we went.

'We went to have cocktails after in the hotel and we got absolutely trashed, so trashed. I had two and I was drunk.

Dapper! TOWIE star Pete Wicks also put in an appearance, cutting a dapper figure in a suave suit and polka dot blouse

'We looked across the street and saw the strip club and we both looked each other laughed and said 'come on we'll go in.'

Back at the event TOWIE star Pete Wicks also put in an appearance, cutting a dapper figure in a suave suit and polka dot blouse.

He was closely followed by reality star Stephanie Pratt, who injected a touch of the festive spirit in a glitter-encrusted ballgown, accompanied by her sweet pet pooch.

Kiss presenter Pandora Christie rounded up the personalities in attendance with their dogs, slipping into a red plunging maxi dress for the pet-themed Christmas event.

Shine bright! He was closely followed by reality star Stephanie Pratt, who injected a touch of the festive spirit in a glitter-encrusted ballgown, accompanied by her sweet pet pooch
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Jurassic World actor Chris Pratt only filed for divorce from his wife of eight years Anna Faris on Friday.

But it appears the Scary Movie star is more than ready to move on as she was spotted house hunting in the Venice Beach neighborhood of Southern California on Monday.

Along with the 41-year-old blonde beauty - who is currently on the hit TV series Mom - was her new beau Michael Barrett.

New life: Anna Faris as spotted house hunting in the Venice Beach neighborhood of Southern California on Monday with her new beau Michael Barrett

They dressed alike: During her house-hunting trip Anna was dressed down in baggy jeans with a black hoodie over a T-shirt, cap and oversized sunglasses. Her new boyfriend kept it simple in a grey T-shirt and puffy vest with jeans and a cap

Cool digs: One of the homes she was looking at was extremely modern with large windows and sharp edges that looked more bachelor pad than family dwelling; it has been listed for $3.56m

Anna held a flier in her hand for a $3.56m two-level property as the lovebirds walked side-by-side in the hip neighborhood known for its tech nerds and hippie artists.

One of the homes she was looking at was extremely modern with large windows and sharp edges that looked more bachelor pad than family dwelling.

The mini mansion is just near Silicon Beach where Snapchat and Google have headquarters and culinary delights such as Cafe Gratitude and Chaya are located.

The property is plenty room inside for Anna's son Jack Pratt with four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms.

A film romance: Anna met her the guy earlier this year while on set of 2018 film Overboard - which Michael was working on as a cinematographer

Up in the air: It is not known if Anna and Michael will be moving in together or if the home is only for her

Good hood: The mini mansion is just near Silicon Beach where Snapchat and Google have headquarters and culinary delights such as Cafe Gratitude and Chaya are located

Not exactly cozy: The front of the home looks like a large block of wood and cement. The top part is cement and the bottom part appears to be wood that hides a two-car garage door

The front of the home looks like a large block of wood and cement. The top part is cement and the bottom part appears to be wood that hides a two-car garage door.

A walkway on the left leads to the small and discrete entrance way off a small porch with three steps.

There is a structure over the front door that offers a modern edge and one lonely light.

A good workout: In the backyard is a long rectangular swimming pool great for laps

This is where she'll watch her sunsets: The second floor offered a master bedroom with a spacious balcony

The second story shows one large window that looks into a room. On the right is more concrete.

There is drought-proof landscaping on the left and a lawn driveway on the right.

But once inside the space, it's an entirely different feeling. There are large windows and long spans of floor-to-ceiling glass, combined with open living design.

Cocktail area: The living room is perfect for entertaining as it has plenty of space for a large sofa and chairs that can look at a fireplace wall made of wood

Dine in: But it's the kitchen that offers the biggest payoff. It's a proper chef's kitchen with a 14-foot island with Carrara marble counters

White or red? Next to the kitchen was a cleverly designed open wood wine cellar that could fit over 50 bottles of vino

It's creates a seamless transitions throughout the downstairs space.

The living room is perfect for entertaining as it has plenty of space for a large sofa and chairs that can look at a fireplace wall made of wood.

It's also a nice touch that the living room likes right off to the pool, a long rectangular shape.

But it's the kitchen that offers the biggest payoff.

A good place to come clean: The master bathroom had not just a walk-in shower but also a long white bathtub

More to love: The second bathroom also had a decadent look with another walk-in shower as well as a large mirror

It's a proper chef's kitchen with a 14-foot island with Carrara marble counters. There are custom white oak cabinets and top-of-the-line Miele, Subzero, and Wolf appliances.

Upstairs in the master suite there is a patio that overlooks the backyard and pool.

Within the master bathroom there are exceptional finishes including Hansgrohe faucets, handcrafted concrete counters, and a solid surface bathtub for soaking.

Over: Jurassic World actor Chris Pratt only filed for divorce from his wife of eight years Faris on Friday; here they are seen with their son Jack in April

The home is fully wired for Crestron smart technology.

During her house-hunting trip Anna was dressed down in baggy jeans with a black hoodie over a T-shirt, cap and oversized sunglasses.

Her new boyfriend kept it simple in a grey T-shirt and puffy vest with jeans and a cap.

Anna met her the guy earlier this year while on set of 2018 film Overboard - which Michael was working on as a cinematographer.

However, they were not romantically linked until September when they were seen at a carnival together with Anna's five-year-old son.

Pratt filed for divorce Friday and Anna filed her response at the exact same time.
They welcomed their first child into the world last month.

And That 70s Show's Topher Grace and his wife Ashley Hinshaw stepped out in public for the first time with daughter Mabel Jane in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The doting new dad, 39, held his little girl close to his chest in a baby carrier while he and his actress other-half, 28, fetched groceries.

Baby makes three! That 70s Show's Topher Grace and wife Ashley Hinshaw stepped out with daughter Mabel Jane in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Tuesday

The American Ultra star was dressed casually in a light blue tee and relaxed denim, walking into the store hand-in-hand with his love Ashley.

While little one Mabel's face wasn't visible, tiny legs clad in cranberry colored leggings could be seen poking from the carrier.

Topher took a quick call before heading into the store with his wife of one year.

The New York native was all smiles as he held his little one close to his body in a Baby Bjorn infant carrier.

Happy family: The doting new dad, 39, held his little girl close to his chest in a baby carrier while he and his actress other-half, 28, fetched groceries

Ashley opted for a simple but stylish red flannel shirt and distressed jeans.

The True Blood star added a pair of neutral slides on bottom, while blocking out the rays with dark shades .

Ashley tied her blonde locks back into a ponytail and carried around a large bottle of water to ensure she kept well-hydrated.

The movie star and his spouse were greeted with their new arrival back at the beginning of November.

Hey mama! New mom Ashley, who wed Topher in 2016, looked simple but chic in a red flannel and distressed jeans while dad carried their newborn

According to E, the duo welcomed their baby girl on November 1.

The couple tied the knot back in May 2016 in the upmarket Santa Barbara area of California, and this is their first child together.

Topher played Eric Forman in Fox sitcom That 70s Show from 1998 until 2006.

His other career highlight was playing reporter Eddie Brock in Spider-Man 3, who goes on to become baddie Venom.
Veteran Indian Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor, who died Monday, receiving an award in 2015

Bollywood icon Shashi Kapoor -- a star of 1970s Indian cinema and a member of the Hindi film industry's famous Kapoor family -- died on Monday aged 79 after a long illness, his family said.

Kapoor died at a hospital in Mumbai on Monday evening, his nephew Randhir Kapoor told the Press Trust of India news agency. Another family member confirmed the death to AFP.

"Yes, he has passed away. He had kidney problem for several years," Kapoor told PTI.

Shashi -- the youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, a pioneer of Hindi film and theatre -- was born in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata in 1938.

He began his career early, assisting in his father's travelling theatre company and appearing on stage in a production of "Shakuntala", a classic Hindu love story, at the age of six.

His Bollywood career also began in childhood and he grew into a matinee idol, appearing in more than 150 films and winning over fans with his charm and suave good looks.

He debuted as a leading man in "Dharmputra" in 1961, and his most memorable roles were in such films as "Jab Jab Phool Khile" (Whenever The Flowers Bloom, 1965), "Kabhi Kabhie" (Sometimes, 1976), and "Kalyug" (Age of Downfall, 1981).

Shashi's eldest brother Raj Kapoor, who died in 1988, was also a famous Hindi cinema actor. Randhir is Raj's son.
Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian during clashes outside Qusra village in the occupied West Bank on December 4, 2017

A Palestinian was shot and wounded by Israeli security forces in clashes that broke out near a settlement in the occupied West Bank on Monday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

"Dozens of Palestinians arrived at the area of Qusra southeast of Nablus and began rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks at security forces," an army statement said.

"(Israeli) soldiers and border policemen responded by using crowd-control means in order to disperse the riot," it added, saying they had declared the area a closed military zone.

The Palestinian health ministry said one man had been shot in the chest, and reported that he was in a stable condition.

A Palestinian ambulance in the northern West Bank village of Qusra amid tear gas canisters fired by Israeli soldiers during clashes on December 4, 2017

The Palestinian village of Qusra is close to the settlement of Migdalim.

Clashes have erupted in recent days after a settler shot dead a Palestinian last Thursday.

Settlers and the army said Palestinians had thrown stones at the man before he fired on them.

Some 400,000 settlers live in the West Bank alongside around 2.6 million Palestinians.

A wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories that began in October 2015 has killed at least 309 Palestinians or Arab Israelis, 52 Israelis and seven foreigners, according to an AFP count.

Israeli authorities say most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks.

The violence has subsided in recent months.
The Syrian government's chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari had said that "Damascus will decide" whether they would return to the Geneva talks

Syrian government negotiators are still unsure whether they will return to continue peace talks in Geneva after they flew back to Damascus this weekend, a government source said Monday.

The government's chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari had told reporters in Geneva on Friday that his team would go home to Syria and that "Damascus will decide" whether they would return to the UN-backed talks.

"For the time being there has been no final decision. Damascus is still thinking about the feasibility of its participation," the government source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"As soon as a decision is reached, it will be made public through the usual diplomatic channels."

A spokesman for the opposition delegation, Yahia al-Aridi, said meanwhile that his side's chief Nasr al-Hariri would be back in Geneva on Monday evening.

The office of UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura, who is mediating the talks, made no announcements Monday on the planned return to negotiations.

De Mistura had said the negotiations would resume Tuesday.

But after meeting with de Mistura Friday, Jaafari said there were "big problems in this round of talks," pointing to a communique published by the opposition last month in Riyadh signalling it was maintaining its insistence on Assad's removal.

The opposition, united in one delegation for the first time, has defied calls to give up on its demand that Assad must step down before any peace deal can be reached.

"The language was provocative, irresponsible politically speaking," Jaafari said, warning that if the opposition delegation stuck to such language "there will be no progress."

The government delegation had initially refused to confirm that it would attend the eighth round of UN-backed talks at all, and arrived a day late.

Syria's six-year war has claimed more than 340,000 lives, forced millions to flee their homes and left the country in ruins.
This file photo shows ancient granaries at the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, which along with another monument will be slashed in size under an order signed by President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump slashed the size of two Utah conservation areas Monday, the first such large-scale reversal in more than 100 years.

Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce that he was cutting 85 percent of the vast Bears Ears National Monument and around 45 percent of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Trump painted the decision as giving government-held land back to communities and ending Washington overreach.

"The families and communities of Utah know and love this land the best, and you know the best how to take care of your land," he said.

"Your timeless bond with the outdoors should not be replaced with the whims of regulators thousands and thousands of miles away."

The move could open the door to energy exploration and other commercial use.

Trump's opponents say the areas are home to more than 100,000 archaeological sites, including rock art that is at least 5,000 years old and the remains of 21 previously unknown dinosaur species.

The move raises questions about the durability of other conservation areas designated under the 1906 Antiquities Act.

"This law requires that only the smallest necessary area be set aside for special protection as national monuments," Trump said.

"Unfortunately, previous administrations have ignored the standard and used the law to lock up hundreds of millions of acres of land and water under strict government control."

Trump said these two areas were a different order of magnitude.

"I understood how big it is -- I'm a real estate developer. When they start talking about millions of acres, I say, 'say it again? That's a lot,'" Trump remarked.

Environmental lobby group Friends of the Earth accused Trump and his allies of plundering resources.

"Donald Trump is overseeing the largest elimination of protected areas in US history. Dismantling these monuments is Trump's latest gift to the corporate interests who backed his campaign. This action is unprecedented and will end up in court," the group said in a statement.

Meanwhile, 10 environmental protection groups, including the Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.

The lawsuit denounced the "unlawful proclamation" which it said "flouted 111 years of conservation history" and would leave natural "treasures exposed to immediate and ongoing harm."

"This is a sad day for indigenous people and for America," Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez said in a statement, adding the Native American tribe would also file a lawsuit against the Trump administration along with four other tribes.
Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998

Around $321 million in public funds stolen by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha will be returned to the African country, Switzerland said Monday.

The money, originally deposited in Luxembourg, was confiscated by a Swiss court in late 2014 and in March last year the two states signed an agreement on its repatriation.

"In accordance with policy on repayment of national assets taken illegally, Switzerland has agreed with Nigeria and the World Bank to return nearly US$321 for the benefit of the Nigerian people," the Swiss government said in a statement.

Military ruler Abacha, in power from 1993 until his death in 1998, is suspected to have embezzled $2.2 billion from Nigeria's central bank in what the United States has called "brazen acts of kleptocracy".

The Swiss statement said these funds were frozen in a legal procedure by Geneva's public prosecutor against Abba Abacha, Sani Abacha's son.

It said the return of the funds would be supported and supervised by the World Bank, adding that the move should "strengthen social security for the poorest Nigerians".

When the agreement was announced, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter had said the fight against corruption was "one of Switzerland's priorities".

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has led a purge of corruption since taking office in 2015, vowing to recover what he said were "mind-boggling" sums of money stolen over decades.
Japanese lawmakers visited Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial spot that honours millions of war dead, including senior war criminals

Dozens of Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday made a pilgrimage to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which neighbours China and South Korea see as a symbol of Tokyo's militaristic past.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refrained from sending an offering, as he has done in the past, a shrine official told AFP.

There were no ministers among the group, according an official in the upper house of parliament.

In total, 61 MPs -- mainly from Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party -- attended the war shrine and 76 sent a representative, he said.

The shrine honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II.

Beijing and Seoul view it as a symbol of Tokyo's past aggression.

The site has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century.

In October, Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine but did not visit, a move seen as an effort to minimise protests from neighbours over the issue.

The group postponed their annual autumn visit to Tuesday as they were busy with campaigns for a general election in October.

"I made a prayer hoping that no one else will be enshrined" given the tensions in North Korea, said Hidehisa Otsuji, former upper house member and president of the group.

The visits come amid rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as Pyongyang last week test-fired another ballistic missile that splashed down in the Sea of Japan.

Abe visited in December 2013 to mark his first year in power, a move that sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul and earned a diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States, which said it was "disappointed" by the action.

But he has since refrained from going and sent ritual offerings instead.

Abe and other nationalists say Yasukuni is merely a place to remember fallen soldiers, and compare it with Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.

Tokyo is also seeking warmer ties with Beijing and Seoul, key countries in dealing with the unpredictable North Korean regime.
Right wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has caused controversy around the world, including on the campus of University College Berkeley in September

Right-wing British provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos blasted those who do not agree with him as "petulant babies" Tuesday after violent protests in Australia.

The polarising former Breitbart editor is touring with his "The Troll Academy" speaking show.

Hundreds of protestors clashed with police and supporters of Yiannopoulos outside a supposedly secret venue in Melbourne on Monday night.

Television images showed officers working to keep the groups apart, but violence erupted. Police responded with pepper spray as rocks, glass bottles and sticks were thrown.

Five police were injured, though not seriously, and two protesters arrested.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane described the protestors as leftists and accused them of using violence to get their message across.

"I've got no doubt part of their motivation last night was to get as much as they could splashed around the world and feel famous for five minutes," he said, slamming the waste of resources needed to keep them in check.

Yiannopoulos called the protesters "petulant babies".

"There was a lot of kerfuffle out front," he told 2GB commercial radio.

"It was not as the newspapers reported 'a clash between the far left and far right' it was the left, showing up, being violent to stop freedom of speech.

"The left really showed us who they are. They attack the police, they attacked other people, they attacked journalists -- they showed us they are petulant babies."

Yiannopoulos spoke on Tuesday at a press conference in parliament house in Canberra after being invited by a minor party senator, David Leyonhjelm, despite efforts by the Greens Party to ban him.

"Some people who don't like him are idiots, and violent idiots into the bargain," said Leyonhjelm, who has been described in the past as a "libertarian purist".

"I wouldn't be surprised if they enage in something stupid (in Canberra), but hopefully the security people in parliament are ready for it."

Yiannopoulos, a conservative firebrand and staunch fan of US President Donald Trump, resigned from right-wing news site Breitbart in February amid a storm triggered by comments in which he seemed to condone paedophilia.

Reviled by his critics as racist and misogynistic, Yiannopoulos casts himself as a gay crusader for free speech who is against "political correctness" in all its forms.
With velvet beds, a relaxing spa, 24-hour medical care and a fully stocked bar - Critterati sounds like the ultimate luxury hotel.

But rather than cater for humans, the hotel in the Indian city of Gurugram is the first in South Asia to be exclusively for dogs.

Owners can book in their pets for a $70-a-night stay (52) in one of the suites at Critterati or send them for a day trip.

One of the rooms at the Critterati dog hotel in Gurugram, India, which is thought to be the first in South Asia

The suites come with a dog bed, TV, and a dog-flap so the pets can wander out on to their own private balcony

Any owners wanting to check their dogs into the hotel overnight pay up to $70 dollars

The hotel is a world away from the daily struggle to survive for India's estimated 30million strays, as breeds such as St Bernards, Labradors and Lhasa Apsos can now enjoy the life of a pampered pooch.

Chief executive Deepak Chawla opened Critterati to offer the wealthy an alternative to more down-at-heel facilities in India.

He said: 'No decent dog owner would want his dog to stay in those places.

'An animal is more loyal than human beings, they will do anything for us so they deserve it.'

A dog cafe serves rice and chicken and the menu also features muffins, pancakes and ice-cream. Pictured is Katriina Bahri with her dog Biloo inside the hotel's cafe

The dog cafe even sells non-alcoholic beer for the pets that has been specially imported from Belgium

The hotel is a world away from the daily struggle to survive for India's estimated 30million stray dogs

The top-of-the range Critterati suite offers a giant bed with velvet headboard, television and private dog-flap leading onto a balcony.

There is a swimming pool, a spa with ayurvedic massage oils and a vet on 24-hour call, while a medical unit with operating theatre is being built.

A dog cafe serves rice and chicken and the menu also features muffins, pancakes and ice-cream, with bacon and vanilla a particular favourite, all washed down with non-alcoholic dog beer from Belgium.

One dog is treated to a well-earned bath at Criterrati, which has special spa facilities for the pets

Hotel workers give one of the dogs a hair cut at the luxury facility in India

After undergoing his pampering, one of the dogs checks out his new appearance in the mirror

Mr Chawla says in standard kennels animals can be left alone for long hours.

He explained: 'Here things are quite different. It starts from 7am with potty breaks, then breakfast, then again a potty break, then play sessions for around two hours, then swimming sessions, then again play sessions, plus time in the cafe.'

Unlike the streetwise hounds waiting outside for scraps, Critterati clients have their every need met and their owners, many of whom refer to themselves as 'parents', think it is money well spent.

One of the playrooms for the dogs at Critterati, which was opened by chief executive Deepak Chawla

One dog takes a dip in the rooftop pool at Critterati as staff keep an eye on proceedings

After enjoying his swim, the staff then use a hair dryer to dry off the dog's coat before he goes back into the hotel

Vets are on 24-hour call at Critterati and here one inspects a guest

Ashish Arora, a hotel chain executive, says he has no qualms about indulging Rubo the Labrador.

Mr Arora said: 'He loves coconut water and vitamin water. He tells me he wants to eat chicken, so he eats it every day.

'I keep spending quite a bit. I dont mind, it is like you are spending on a child.'

The facility is riding a wave of growing love for pets as the Asian giant's economy hits new heights.

The number of household dogs in India has risen from two million in 2002 to an estimated 15million in 2016.

The entrance to the dog friendly cafe at Critterati, which serves both dogs and humans

It's a dog's life: A guest makes the most of the hotel's luxury furniture
Apple chief Tim Cook at the internet conference in China, which was also attended by the head of Google, Sundar Pichai

China's digital economy accounts for nearly a third of gross domestic product, according to a report released at an annual cyberspace conference staged by the government to justify its strict internet censorship.

Beijing this year has dramatically strengthened its already tight regulation of the internet, but officials and local media have used the fourth World Internet Conference to declare Chinese cyberspace is "open" -- but subject to controls for the greater good.

The report unveiled on Monday in the eastern city of Wuzhen by the state-linked Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies, said China's digital economy reached 22.58 trillion yuan ($3.4 trillion) in 2016, according to conference organisers.

That figure is second only to the United States and accounts for 30.3 percent of the country's overall economy, the report said.

The report assessed global internet development from a number of factors including industry capacity and "governance", China's code word for restrictions.

"China's experience suggests that both factors are crucial to a sound development of the internet that aims to serve the fundamental interests of the people," Xu Yunhong, an official from the academy, told a news conference in Wuzhen.

The three-day conference, which closes Tuesday, was set up to counter western criticism of its internet restrictions, which include blocking Facebook, Twitter and other foreign platforms, and bans on a range of content deemed politically threatening to the Communist Party.

China has cracked down even harder this year, including enacting new rules requiring foreign tech companies to store user data inside the country, imposing fresh content restrictions, and making it more difficult to use software tools that allow users to circumvent censors.

Ironically, however, Wuzhen attendees from around the world enjoy unfettered web access during the conference.

Despite criticism of the conference by the US Congress and overseas right groups, Apple CEO Tim Cook and his Google counterpart Sundar Pichai made brief appearances this year, illustrating the pull of China's huge digital market.

Apple has come under fire recently for cooperating with Chinese authorities in purging its app store of software such as Skype that feature secure communications. And Google is thought to be seeking a return to China after pulling out years ago in a row over censorship and alleged cyberattacks.

Both executives seem to have steered clear of any contentious comments in Wuzhen. Company representatives did not respond to AFP requests for further information.

Official estimates emerging from the conference said that as of June 2017 there were 3.89 billion internet users around the world, with 751 million of them in China, Xinhua news agency said.

China's digital economy has exploded in recent years due to a surge in e-commerce and the use of smartphone apps for a range of daily activities including ordering food, hailing taxis, messaging and playing electronic games.
Yemen's war has left thousands dead, led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and deepened tensions between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran

Yemen's exiled president ordered troops to advance on Sanaa hours after his predecessor was killed by Huthi rebels, officials said, as heavy fighting continued in the capital.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi called on Yemenis to unite against the Iran-backed insurgents who shot Ali Abdullah Saleh dead as he fled the city following the collapse of their alliance.

"Let's join hands to end the control of these... criminal gangs and... open a new chapter to rid our beloved Yemen of this nightmare," Hadi, leader of the internationally recognised government, said in a televised address late Monday from Saudi Arabia, where he lives in exile.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for three decades, had joined forces with the Shiite Huthi rebels in 2014 when they took control of large parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

Saleh, who ruled with an iron fist for three decades, had joined forces with the Shiite Huthi rebels in 2014

But that alliance unravelled over the past week, with dozens reported dead in heavy clashes as the former leader reached out to the Saudi-led coalition that has waged devastating air strikes against the Huthis since September 2015.

Yemen's war has left thousands dead, led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and deepened tensions between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Hadi has ordered Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar to "activate military units and advance towards the capital," a presidency official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP.

Military and government sources said the army would advance on Sanaa from the east and northeast, with at least seven battalions ordered to move forward.

- Fears for civilians -

Saleh was forced to step down in 2012, after his forces waged a bloody crackdown on peaceful Arab Spring-inspired protests calling for his ouster.

The 75-year-old had survived civil war, rebellion in the north, an Al-Qaeda insurgency in the south and a June 2011 bomb attack on his palace that wounded him badly.

The Huthis announced Saleh's death on the rebels' Al-Masirah television station, declaring in a statement the "end of the crisis of militias" -- referring to Saleh's armed supporters, to whom the government have offered an amnesty.

The Saudi-led coalition warned the city's residents to evacuate rebel-controlled areas

There were reports of further clashes and coalition strikes against Huthi-controlled government buildings and around Sanaa airport on Monday evening.

The Saudi-led coalition warned the city's residents to evacuate rebel-controlled areas, as international aid groups warned Monday they were losing the ability to reach civilians in Sanaa.

A video provided to AFP by the rebels showed what appeared to be a dead Saleh with a severe head injury, his body wrapped in a floral-print blanket.

A military source said the Huthis had stopped their four-car convoy about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Sanaa and shot dead Saleh and two other officials.

Faiqa al-Sayyid, a leader in Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) party, said Saleh "was martyred in the defence of the republic".

- Fraught alliance -

The Saleh-Huthi alliance had been fraught since its inception in 2014, when the two ended decades of enmity and joined ranks to capture Sanaa from Hadi's government.

Saudi Arabia, accusing Iran of backing the rebels, intervened in Yemen on behalf of the government the following year. The ensuing conflict has claimed more than 8,750 lives.

Saleh on Saturday announced he was open to talks with Saudi Arabia and its allies on condition they ended their crippling blockade of Yemen's ports and airports -- dealing a serious blow to his already fragile alliance with rebel chief Abdul Malik al-Huthi.

In a televised speech on Monday, Huthi made no mention of Saleh's death but expressed his satisfaction at the day's events.

"Today marked the failure of the conspiracy and treason, a black day for the forces of aggression," he said on Al-Masirah.
North Korean boats have been washing up in record numbers on Japanese shores

Everything metallic -- including a door knob -- has vanished from a remote Japanese island where a group of North Korean fisherman landed briefly to take refuge, a local resident said Tuesday.

"Everything has gone. Everything. Including door hinges and a door knob, everything made of metal has gone," said Shusaku Yoshida, the 67-year-old caretaker of a shelter facility for local fishermen.

Some of the North Korean fishermen have admitted to "taking out" some things from the small island, according to Jiji press.

Japanese authorities are continuing to question nine of the 10 North Koreans first spotted last week aboard a tiny wooden boat struggling in bad weather off the northern island of Hokkaido.

The other was reportedly sent to hospital on Monday with a stomach ache.

The fishermen -- who identified themselves as North Korean -- briefly landed on an uninhabited island to take refuge.

But soon after the group left, officials noticed items from buildings on the island had vanished.

The caretaker said the shelter's lock had been broken and gave a long list of items missing from inside the lodge.

"Two TV sets, three fridges, a washing machine, an oven/microwave, two stereo sets, a DVD/CD player, an electric saw, a stove (heater), coal, a motorbike and a generator," he told private broadcaster Fuji TV.

"I was so surprised, I had to sit down," he said.

A coastguard official told AFP on Monday that the list of items that had disappeared included some of the solar panels at the lighthouse on the island, an anime poster and blankets.

More than 60 boats from North Korea have already been discovered this year in Japanese waters, according to the coastguard.

Experts say some North Korean fishermen are travelling far out to sea in order to satisfy government mandates for bigger catches.

But their old and poorly equipped vessels are prone to mechanical and other problems, including running out of fuel, and there are few ways for them to call for rescue.
Charlie Craig (L) and Dave Mullins sued Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado after its owner, Jack Phillips, citing his religious beliefs, objected to making a cake for their same-sex wedding

The US Supreme Court is to hear arguments on Tuesday in a case that has been described as the most significant for gay rights since it approved same-sex marriage two years ago.

The landmark case pits a gay couple, Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig, against a Colorado bakery owner who refused in July 2012 to make a cake for their same-sex wedding reception.

Jack Phillips, owner of "Masterpiece Cakeshop" in Lakewood, Colorado, cited his devout Christian beliefs in turning down their request for a cake.

"What a cake celebrating this event would communicate was a message that contradicts my deepest religious convictions," Phillips wrote this week in USA Today.

"And as an artist, that's just not something I'm able to do," he said. "So I politely declined."

Mullins, a 33-year-old poet and musician, and Craig, a 37-year-old interior designer, said they were emotionally devastated by the rejection and filed suit for discrimination.

"This case is not about artistic freedom," Mullins told AFP. "We didn't ask for a piece of art.

"We were simply turned away because of who we were," he said. "We were publicly humiliated for who we were."

The Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the state appeals court backed up Mullins and Craig. And now it's in the hands of the nine-member Supreme Court which features a conservative justice, Neil Gorsuch, newly appointed by President Donald Trump.

Mullins, Craig and civil rights groups have warned that if Phillips is victorious, other businesses could cite religious beliefs to refuse service to gay customers.

"When you open a business to the public, you must serve the public equally," Mullins said.

"If a business owner is allowed to turn someone away just for their strongly held beliefs, could a hotel owner turn away an interracial couple because their faith believes that the races where not meant to mix?" he asked.

"A loss at the Supreme Court could open the door to many forms of discrimination that have long been considered wrong in our society," he said.

- 'One man and one woman' -

Phillips said he would be happy to sell Mullins and Craig a cake -- just not a wedding cake that would conflict with his conviction that "God designed marriage as the union of one man and one woman."

"Just as I shouldn't be able to use the law to force others to design something that promotes my beliefs, others shouldn't be able to force me to design a cake that celebrates theirs," he added in USA Today.

Jeremy Tedesco, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal aid group representing Phillips, rejected the argument that the bakery owner's stand is discriminatory.

"Jack offered to sell the two gentlemen suing him basically anything in his shop," Tedesco told AFP. "Jack serves all who walk through his doors, no matter what their background or walk of life.

Gay rights activists are lining up outside the US Supreme Court to attend the hearing in a case pitting a gay couple against a baker who refused to make a cake for their same-sex wedding reception

"But like other artists, he just can't create all messages for all events," he said. "Declining to express celebratory messages about same-sex marriages is simply not class-based discrimination.

"This case is about the freedom of artists and creative professionals to not be forced by the government to create custom expression or work for a message or event that violates who they are," Tedesco said.

"To say that a Muslim, Jewish, or Christian artist can no longer adhere to the teachings of their faith and be forced by the government to create expression that violates their beliefs is scary," he said.

"Jack and his family have faced death threats and government punishment," he said. "In a truly free society, tolerance should be a two-way street."

Some 20 states, dozens of members of Congress and Christian lobbyist groups have thrown their weight behind the baker.

The Trump administration has also argued that his cakes are a form of artistic expression and that he cannot be forced to use his talents against his own religious beliefs.

Among those representing Mullins and Craig is the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU.

"This isn't about a cake," said Louise Melling, the ACLU's deputy legal director.

"This is a question about whether the Constitution protects the right to discriminate," Melling said.

"It's about whether the Constitution protects the right of a bakery to put up in its store window a sign that says 'Wedding cakes for heterosexuals only,'" she said.
Dengue fever

The Philippines has suspended the sale and distribution of Sanofi's dengue vaccine, authorities said Tuesday, after the French pharmaceutical giant last week warned it could worsen symptoms for people who had not previously been infected.

Regulators on Friday froze the country's world-first public dengue immunisation programme, that has seen more than 733,000 children receive the Dengvaxia vaccine.

Authorities have now ordered a blanket suspension for private use as well.

"Whether (the vaccine) is used in the public health programme or used by a private practitioner, it is the same product that was licensed. Everyone is covered by the FDA advisory," health undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo told AFP.

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a regulatory agency under the health department, said in a public advisory on Monday it had pulled the vaccine from the market to "protect the general public".

"The (FDA) immediately directed Sanofi to suspend the sale/distribution/marketing of Dengvaxia and cause the withdrawal of Dengvaxia in the market pending compliance with the directives of the FDA," the advisory said.

Sanofi's announcement has caused major fears in the Philippines -- where the mosquito-born disease is extremely prevalent -- particularly for parents of the children immunised in the public programme.

Regulators on Friday froze the country's world-first public immunisation programme that had seen more than 733,000 schoolchildren receive the Dengvaxia vaccine

More than 1,000 people in the Philippines died from dengue last year, out of more than 211,000 suspected cases, according to the government.

Sanofi on Monday sought to allay fears about the new study that led it to release the warning, saying Dengvaxia would not cause anyone who was immunised to die.

Philippine authorities have given conflicting messages on the safety or otherwise of the vaccine.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Sunday that the government would "leave no stone unturned" in making those responsible for putting "hundreds of thousands of young lives at risk" accountable for their actions.

The justice department then on Monday formally launched an inquiry over "the alleged danger to public health".

But Roque also said on Monday there was "no danger" for people who had been immunised with Dengvaxia.

"The worst that can happen is for those who have not had dengue before... they may get infected with dengue but falling under our previous classification of 'mild', having fever and bruises," Roque said.

When asked to comment on the Philippine government's decision to suspend all sales of Dengvaxia, Sanofi said on Tuesday it would continue to work with authorities and highlighted its proposal to re-label the vaccine.

The proposed label update would "include the new data findings and instructions to ensure that physicians can make appropriate vaccination decisions with their patients," said a Sanofi statement emailed to AFP.
Michael Flynn, former national security advisor to President Donald Trump, leaves following his plea hearing at the Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, DC

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's indictment of President Donald Trump's former advisor Michael Flynn has ratcheted up tensions in Washington, with the White House girding for possible obstruction charges against Trump himself.

Flynn, the president's former national security advisor, was the most senior of the four people charged so far in Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to swing last year's presidential election, and whether Trump tried to block the probe by firing FBI director James Comey.

By allowing Flynn, a former defense intelligence chief and a campaign insider, to plead guilty to a simple charge of lying to investigators, Mueller signalled that he expects to go higher up the ladder of political power in his investigation.

But Mueller's end-game -- who precisely is in his sights and for what -- remains unclear.

The tall, gangly 73-year-old former FBI director, who almost never appears in public, is playing his cards tight to the chest, dropping hints in court filings rich enough to stir fears high into the White House, but too scant to discern his next moves.

"With Flynn's plea deal, Mueller has nowhere to go but up the chain," Asha Rangappa, a former FBI agent now lecturing at Yale University, told Politico.

- Hard-nosed investigators -

The Trump-Russia probe

Mueller's team of hard-nosed investigators are particularly skilled in tracking money through international financial thickets, "flipping" witnesses against their bosses, and dealing with counter-intelligence probes.

Those skills have driven the indictments so far. On October 30 Mueller unveiled charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Richard Gates, for conspiracy, money-laundering and related financial crimes tied to their work with pro-Moscow Ukrainian politician Viktor Yanukovych.

On the same day, separately, a Trump campaign foreign policy advisor, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his Kremlin contacts.

Then on Friday Mueller revealed Flynn's plea deal, on charges he lied to investigators about discussions he had with Moscow's ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December 2016.

- Attacking from the edges -

Each case shows Mueller attacking around the edges, probing vulnerabilities, deliberately stirring fear in potential targets, and meanwhile recruiting witnesses.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow and if President Donald Trump tried to block the probe by firing FBI director James Comey (C)

Papadopoulos was a minor Trump campaign figure. But documents in his plea deal reveal that he built up contacts with Russians in London with the knowledge and support of his campaign supervisors.

Mueller described what Papadopoulos told campaign officials in emails about his Russian contacts, but did not reveal the names of whom the emails went to, and little about their replies. Court filings described them as "high ranking" campaign officials.

Two things are clear from the Papadopoulos case: his contacts help establish a pattern of engagement with the Russians by the campaign, and Mueller knows who in the campaign were directing them.

- Pinning down potential witnesses -

As for Manafort and Gates, by going after them on significant crimes only obliquely related to the focus of his probe -- including laundering some $75 million -- Mueller has in effect pinned them down for possible future use as witnesses.

Both were in a position to know whether the campaign was actively communicating with Russians when the election meddling took place. Manafort took part in a suspect June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer who had offered the campaign dirt on Clinton.

The Flynn case seems to show Mueller headed in another direction. The Russian contacts he lied about came after Trump's election victory.

But analysts say Flynn helps Mueller build his cases on three fronts. First, Flynn would have had to promise Mueller something substantial against other, more senior targets of the investigation, to earn his plea deal, which amounts to a hand-slap.

Second, as a book-end to Papadopoulos, Flynn confirms the campaign had standing contacts with Russians. Again, no one specifically is named. Court filings by the Mueller team reference Flynn's communications with a "senior" and then a "very senior" campaign official about his discussions with Kislyak.

They make clear that Flynn was operating at the direction of the campaign. Media reports have said that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is one of those referenced anonymously.

Third, Trump's handling of Flynn, who was fired from the White House in February, could conceivably bolster a case for obstruction of justice against the president or others.

That is, at least, the message the White House took, since Mueller remains steadfastly quiet.

Trump lawyer John Dowd felt it necessary to tell the political news website Axios that the president cannot be guilty of obstruction of justice "because he is the chief law enforcement officer under (the Constitution) and has every right to express his view of any case."

"There's been absolutely no collusion," Trump meanwhile said.
UN diplomat Jeffrey Feltman was spotted at Beijing airport before flying to Pyongyang

A senior United Nations official arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.

Jeffrey Feltman's visit -- the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 -- comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

Feltman shook hands with a North Korean foreign ministry official after flying into Pyongyang from Beijing on the North's Air Koryo.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise -- manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation".

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said.

Nuclear warheads

Feltman, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs, arrived in China on Monday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

He met with a Chinese vice foreign minister while there.

China, which is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has called on the United States to freeze military drills and North Korea to halt weapons tests to calm tensions.

In the North, Feltman will discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern" with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether the envoy will meet the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-Un.

"The first step -- that North Korea agreed to have (Feltman) visit -- is a positive sign," Wang Dong, an international studies professor at Peking University, told AFP.

"If the diplomatic effort is successful, then they will certainly be able to exercise some persuasion."

- Missile progress -

It will be Feltman's first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago.

"After declaring that the country has achieved full nuclear statehood, the North is likely to reaffirm to the UN envoy its promise that... it will use its nuclear weapons only for defence purposes," Koh Yu-Hwan, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul, told AFP.

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Army and civilians celebrating the successful ICBM test-fire in South Phyongan, North Korea

Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula five days ago when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target -- key technological hurdles for Pyongyang.

A Cathay Pacific crew flying from San Francisco to Hong Kong said they spotted what they believed was the missile, with one airline official saying the crew described seeing it "blow up and fall apart".

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility.

US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit-for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy".

- 'Moth flying into fire' -

In a new editorial on Tuesday, North Korean state media blasted the joint US-South Korean drills as going "beyond the danger line" adding the two allies were like "a group of tiger moths flying into fire only to perish in it".

The US and South Korea are currently conducting their largest ever joint aerial military drills

As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this year's war games involve simulated precision attacks on the North's military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources.

Over the weekend Trump's National Security Adviser HR McMaster told a security forum that the potential for war with the North "is increasing every day".

But some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital -- only around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people.

China's foreign ministry Tuesday said it "welcomes the UN to play a constructive role in properly settling the Korean peninsula nuclear issue".
Rohingya children queue for aid at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh

Amnesty International is calling for a "strong resolution" over Myanmar's treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority, as the country enters the spotlight of a rare UN Human Rights Council special session later Tuesday.

Myanmar's military denies accusations by the UN and US that it has committed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine state.

An army-led crackdown has forced some 620,000 people to flee over the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh in recent months, leaving hundreds of villages burned to the ground.

Ahead of the council's session in Geneva, Amnesty urged members to keep the pressure on and said authorities in Buddhist-majority Myanmar are committing crimes against humanity that are continuing on a "daily basis".

"The Council must now step up and pass a strong resolution that sends a clear message to Myanmar's government and military that their abhorrent treatment of the Rohingya must end immediately, and that perpetrators will not enjoy impunity," said James Gomez, Amnesty's regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Rights groups say people are still fleeing Myanmar, joining refugees who give consistent accounts of rape, murder and arson.

The army has justified the crackdown as a proportionate response to deadly attacks by Rohingya militants on border police on August 25.

Myanmar's state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar on Tuesday claimed there had been a "gradual return to normalcy in the region".

The rights council rarely holds special sessions, which can only be convened at the request of at least a third of its 47 member states, or 16 countries.

The session comes amid mounting scrutiny from UN member states. In March the rights council approved a mission to Myanmar to investigate alleged crimes by security forces, particularly in Rakhine.

Myanmar refused to cooperate and blocked access to the team of investigators, who have begun their work outside the country.

After months of wrangling, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on November 23 to start repatriating refugees within two months. But rights groups say the conditions are not in place to ensure safe, voluntary and dignified returns.

The council meeting comes a week after an emotional visit to both countries by Pope Francis.

The pontiff met a group of Rohingya in Dhaka in a symbolic gesture of solidarity after publicly avoiding addressing the sensitive issue in Myanmar, where he held private talks with the powerful army chief and civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi has been the target of global vitriol for a perceived failure to stand up for the stateless minority. But she remains a heroine for most of her compatriots, who largely consider the Rohingya as unwanted illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Amnesty is also urging the rights council to discuss "wide-ranging human rights violations" it says are being committed by Myanmar's security forces against other ethnic minorities.

Many of the country's borderlands are embroiled in long-running conflicts, in which allegations of extrajudicial executions, disappearances, torture and forced labour are common.

"The Council's resolution must reflect this and call on Myanmar to immediately end human rights violations against minorities in all parts of the country," said Amnesty's Gomez in a statement.
Three species of reptile on Australia's Christmas Island have been declared extinct in the wild, according to a study released on Tuesday, with scientists baffled as to the cause.

Lister's gecko, the blue-tailed skink and the Christmas Island forest-skink were downgraded from "critically endangered" to "extinct in the wild" in the latest report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"The extinctions... are an intriguing 'whodunnit', as their cause remains unclear," said John Woinarski, professor of conservation biology at Charles Darwin University in northern Australia.

The reptile population on Christmas Island, an Australian territory just south of Indonesia, has been declining rapidly since the 1970s, the IUCN said.

While scientists speculate that a snake introduced in the 1980s or environmental changes following the introduction of the Yellow Crazy Ant could be to blame, "the reason for the decline remains unclear," according to the report.

Scientists tried in vain to establish a captive breeding programme for the forest skink and it has now been declared extinct in the wild.

Lister's gecko and the blue-tailed skink both have "well-established" captive breeding populations but are now also extinct in the wild.

"In this case, the extent and severity of decline was revealed too late to save these Christmas Island reptiles," said Woinarski.

The forest skink was last seen in the wild in 2010 and the last remaining specimen died in captivity in 2014, Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN's "red list" of endangered species, told reporters.

"It's all a rather sad picture, but the red list also gives us hope and shows us that conservation can work," added Hilton-Taylor.

The IUCN also sounded the alarm over the western ringtail possum, which was downgraded from vulnerable to critically endangered due to a fall in species numbers by 80 percent over the past 10 years.

Scientists suspect climate change is to blame as the possum is "susceptible to heat stress" and its food source has shrunk.

"A drying climate is pushing the ringtail possum to the brink of extinction," said the report.

Hilton-Taylor said: "We are currently losing species at the fastest rate in human history."

However, there was better news for two species of kiwi in New Zealand that were upgraded from endangered to vulnerable due to conservation efforts and predator control.

The IUCN's updated "red list" was released on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are stuggling with cold temperatures with children especially vulnerable

Bangladesh doctors warned Tuesday of a sharp escalation in Rohingya children suffering from pneumonia as hundreds of thousands of refugees shiver through winter in overcrowded camps with little protection from the cold.

A sudden cold snap in southeastern Bangladesh has caught refugees off guard in the makeshift Rohingya camps along the border with Myanmar, with aid workers rushing to distribute blankets to families struggling for warmth in their open-sided shanties.

Medics running hospitals and clinics in Cox's Bazar district -- where more than 620,000 Rohingya have arrived in the past three months -- are reporting huge spikes in ill-equipped refugees falling sick from exposure to the elements.

"The number of patients with cold-related illnesses has increased at least five-fold in the last week. Most are children suffering with pneumonia," Zakaria Mahmud, a duty doctor at a local hospital in Teknaf town, told AFP.

The hospital was so overcrowded that those awaiting treatment were sleeping on the floors of the wards, Mahmud added.

A Rohingya girl gathers dried rice stalks to burn when temperatures fall at night

Children were especially vulnerable to the cold, he said, because they did not have proper clothing to ward off the chilly nights.

Overnight temperatures in Cox's Bazar had fallen to around 14 degrees (56 Fahrenheit), far from freezing but cold enough to test limits for refugees -- particularly children -- living in tarpaulin tents on the bare ground, aid workers say.

Zafrullah Chowdhury, head of a Bangladeshi medical charity, said the cold threatened to worsen the health of children whose immune systems are depressed.

More than half of those to flee violence in Myanmar for Bangladesh since August are children, and many arrived malnourished or suffering from bronchitis or diarrhoea.

- Few blankets -

"I'm very concerned, especially for refugee children. Their condition will degrade if they don't get enough warm clothes soon, as the winter will get harsher in the hills," Chowdhury, the founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, told AFP.

Aid agencies don't have enough blankets to go round in the Rohingya refugee camps

Many of the displaced Muslims fled an upsurge of violence in Rakhine State -- described by US and UN authorities as ethnic cleansing -- with little more than the clothes on their backs, relying on charities for everything.

"We left Myanmar with few belongings, and now winter is coming and we don't have enough clothing to protect ourselves," said Nurun Nahar, 50, whose grandson was coughing inside their shanty.

Kunchuma Khatun worried her three-year-old son's cold would worsen if her family of five spent another cold night huddled under a single blanket.

"It becomes very cold during late night. We have only one blanket that we all share. I haven't got any more blankets from the aid distribution centres," she said.

Aid agencies are overstretched, struggling to distribute blankets fast enough to keep up with the staggering need in the teeming refugee camps.

Rohingya children queuing for aid suplies at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar

"If we bring 500 blankets, 5,000 people turn up. I don't know how many would be enough," said one soldier manning an aid distribution point at one of Cox's Bazar's largest settlement camps.

As the evenings get colder, refugee children are spending their days collecting dry straw from rice fields to burn throughout the night to keep warm.

"The fire will keep my baby siblings warm," said eight-year-old Rohingya girl Nur Kalima.

Local authorities are concerned such open fires in dry weather could wreak havoc in the densely-populated camps, where refugees live cheek by jowl on hillsides dotted by simply bamboo and plastic tents.

"If the fire spreads in these camps, God forbid, thousands of shanties will turn to ashes in such dry weather," said Mohammad Jahanur, fire service inspector at Cox's Bazar.
Activists protest against the anti-drugs campaign in Manila late last month

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday told human rights groups criticising his deadly anti-drug war to "go to hell" after ordering police back to the frontlines of the crackdown.

Duterte had removed the police less than two months ago in response to rising opposition to the campaign. But his spokesman said he was now reinstating them because drug crimes had risen in their absence.

The president dismissed criticism over the thousands of people killed in the drug war as he said the Philippines had turned into a "narco-state".

"You can go to hell, all of you!" Duterte said in a speech, referring to human rights groups, Catholic bishops and priests who had urged an end to the killings.

"I do not want Filipinos to be turned into fools during my time. You can do that at any other time but not during my time, during my watch."

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte signed an order Tuesday reinstating the police to the drug war because there had been a "public clamour" for their return.

"There has been a notable resurgence in illegal drug activities and crimes committed," Roque said as he read the order.

Duterte, 72, was elected last year on a promise to eradicate drugs from society by launching an unprecedented campaign in which up to 100,000 people would die.

Since he took office, police have reported killing about 4,000 people in the crackdown.

Another 2,290 have been murdered in drug-related crimes, while thousands of other deaths remain unsolved, according to government data.

Many Filipinos continue to support the crackdown and believe Duterte is making society safer.

But in October he announced that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would replace the police in the drug war following mounting public opposition, including rare street protests, that were triggered by officers allegedly murdering three teenagers.

Duterte said later he had removed police from the drug war "in deference" to critics, including rights campaigners, Catholic bishops and the European Union.

However Duterte also repeatedly said he believed the anti-drug agency, with only about 2,000 officers, would not be able to effectively prosecute the crackdown. The police force has about 165,000 officers.

The October suspension was the second time Duterte had hauled police off the drug war.

In January he did the same after it was revealed that officers involved in the anti-drug campaign murdered a South Korean businessmen inside national police headquarters.

Duterte said at the time the police force was "corrupt to the core". But he reinstated the police in March without making major reforms to address the graft issue.
Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the GCC foreign ministers' meeting in Kuwait City on December 4, 2017

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia snubbed its former ally Qatar at an annual summit of Gulf monarchies Tuesday as Kuwait vowed to continue mediation efforts in a bitter dispute with Doha.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani attended the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait City but was not joined by the leaders of the UAE and Bahrain, also part of a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar.

The future of the six-nation GCC -- formed 36 years ago to bring together the energy-rich Sunni-led Gulf Arab states -- appeared to be hanging in the balance.

This year's meeting comes six months into a rift between Qatar and the Saudi-led bloc, the worst crisis ever to hit the organisation.

The Qatari emir accepted an invitation, but just hours before the talks began, Saudi King Salman sent his foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, in his stead.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir is attending the GCC summit instead of King Salman

State television showed Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah receiving Jubeir at the airport as the head of the kingdom's delegation.

Sheikh Sabah, whose country has been leading thus far unsuccessful mediation attempts to resolve the crisis, said Kuwait would continue its efforts.

"We have been stormed in the past six months with painful and negative developments... but we managed to achieve calm," Sheikh Sabah said in his address opening the summit.

"Our meeting today is a reason to continue the mediation which fulfils the ambitions of our people."

He called for the GCC charter to be amended to establish a clear mechanism for resolving disputes between member states.

Kuwait Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah later told a news conference that "the holding of the summit amid these delicate situations proves the faith and conviction of GCC leaders in this organisation".

The meeting, scheduled to last until Wednesday, was cut to a single day.

The UAE's state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash told AFP on the sidelines of the summit that it had taken place under "sensitive circumstances and is a positive step".

Bahrain sent its deputy premier to the meeting.

The three Gulf states, together with Egypt, cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival.

Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi-led bloc of aiming to incite regime change in Doha.

Casting further doubt on the group's future, the UAE said Tuesday it was forming a new military and economic committee with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC.

Kuwaiti and foreign journalists mill around the the media centre in Kuwait City on December 5, 2017 ahead of the GCC summit

The committee "will coordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields," according to a decree issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Founded in 1981, the GCC is a political and economic union grouping Qatar with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman and Kuwait.

- GCC future in doubt -

Dominated by Riyadh, it has been a regional counterweight to Iran.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar attended round-table talks ahead of the gathering, in their first such encounter since the diplomatic crisis erupted in June.

After cutting off all ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a land, sea and air blockade of the emirate and issued a list of 13 demands to have it lifted.

Bahrain in October called for Qatar's membership of the GCC to be suspended until it accepted the demands.

Those present at Tuesday's meeting managed to agree on one issue, strongly condemning Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels for killing former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

They called for Yemenis to "get rid of the Huthi militias which are following and being backed by Iran."

The GCC condemned "all terrorist actions carried out by Iran and its continued interference in the internal affairs and Arab countries".

But despite member states' broad agreement over Iran, experts have warned that the Qatar crisis could lead to the demise of the once-powerful GCC.

"The justifications for the existence of the GCC bloc amidst the continued crisis are no longer present like before," said Sami al-Faraj, head of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies.

"As long as our enemy has changed from Iran to Qatar, the GCC will not continue."
Civilians watch as security and rescue workers collect the bodies of victims of a car bomb explosion in a predominantly pro-government neighbourhood of the central Syrian city of Homs on December 5, 2107

An explosives-laden bus blew up Tuesday in a predominantly pro-government neighbourhood of the central Syrian city of Homs that has been repeatedly targeted, killing eight people, state television said.

The attack was claimed shortly afterwards by the Islamic State group in a posting by its propaganda agency Amaq on social media channels.

The blast rocked a street in the Akrameh neighbourhood mostly inhabited by members of the Alawite minority to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs.

"The toll in the terrorist explosion on Al-Ahram Street has rising to eight dead and 15 injured," state television said in a breaking news alert.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said a minibus had blown up on the edge of the Akrameh district.

The attack left the mangled metal carcasses of burnt-out vehicles strewn across the road and shattered windows in buildings on either side of the street.

Shortly afterwards, IS's propaganda agency Amaq said fighters from the group had been behind the attack.

Akrameh has been hit by several such attacks in the past, the deadliest of which killed nearly 50 schoolchildren in October 2014.

That attack prompted rare demonstrations and the firing of several local security officials.

Security measures were stepped up after the 2014 attack, including with additional checkpoints and roadblocks.

Homs has been fully controlled by Syria's government since May, when the last rebel fighters in the city were evacuated after a deal with the government overseen by Russia.
An image grab taken from Egyptian state television shows former interior minister Habib al-Adly behind bars during a retrial at the Police Academy in Cairo on April 13, 2013

Egyptian police on Tuesday arrested former interior minister Habib al-Adly who had been on the run to avoid serving a prison sentence for embezzlement, his lawyer told AFP.

Adly, whose iron-fisted command of the country's police helped fuel a 2011 uprising that unseated longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, was arrested in Cairo, lawyer Essam al-Batawy said.

State television also reported Adly's arrest.

He was sentenced in April to seven years in prison along with 10 other former officials for embezzling about $122 million.

He had been a fugitive since then. He had contested his sentence which an appeals court will examine in January.

Adly had previously been acquitted of charges of responsibility for the deaths of protesters during the anti-Mubarak uprising.

The court dropped charges against Mubarak, who has since been freed, in the same trial.

Under Adly, the interior ministry was accused of practising systematic torture and the repression of dissent.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will hold talks over lunch with European Union foreign ministers

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met his European counterparts in Brussels Tuesday to shore up ties, with allies insisting he still plays a "key role" despite doubts over his future.

Tillerson held talks over lunch with European Union foreign ministers and the bloc's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, before a two-day NATO meeting set to focus on North Korea's missile programme and concerns over perceived hostility from Russia.

But his visit comes against a difficult backdrop -- a rift with President Donald Trump has led to reports he could be replaced within weeks, calling into question his authority to speak for Washington.

And there are major differences between Washington and Europe on a number of key policy areas, notably the Iran nuclear deal which Trump has vehemently condemned but which Brussels is desperate to preserve.

President Donald Trump's possible decision to recognise the contested holy city of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital could also prove to be thorny, after the EU warned the move could provoke "serious repercussions".

Tillerson was welcomed by Mogherini at the European Council building in Brussels, after an earlier meeting with US embassy staff.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday it was vital international powers worked together to tackle the North Korean crisis, after Pyongyang tested a long-range missile it said could hit anywhere in the continental United States.

"Last week's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile showed that all allied nations could be within range," Stoltenberg said on Monday.

"The whole world needs to apply maximum pressure on North Korea in order to achieve a peacefully negotiated solution."

He said the 29-member alliance had been "clear and consistent" in its condemnation of Pyongyang's weapons programme, which has seen the reclusive state carry out a series of ballistic missile and nuclear tests in defiance of international sanctions.

The EU has been ramping up economic sanctions on the North in a bid to force it to the negotiating table -- but with no success so far.

- 'Key role' -

But if the US and EU can present a unified front on North Korea, the deal with Iran to end the Islamic republic's nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions is more problematic.

Trump has slammed the historic 2015 accord, agreed after years of painstaking talks between Iran and the United States, Britain, France, China, Germany and Russia, as a bad deal and threatened to pull America out.

European powers are keen to maintain the deal and Mogherini last month travelled to Washington to lobby US lawmakers not to withdraw from the agreement.

"Preserving the nuclear deal with Iran and its full implementation is a key security priority for Europe," Mogherini said on Friday.

Tillerson's Brussels visit comes at the start of a European tour taking in Paris and Vienna for the 57-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Anonymous White House leaks have suggested Tillerson could be out of a job within weeks and even while denying this on Friday, President Donald Trump reminded him: "I call the final shots."

On Monday Stoltenberg gave his backing to Tillerson's efforts in tackling the North Korean crisis -- an issue where Trump has publicly criticised his top diplomat, saying he was "wasting his time" pursuing contacts with Pyongyang.

"Secretary Tillerson has played a key role, both in sending the message of deterrence, the unity and the resolve of the whole alliance, but also when it comes to the need for continuing to work for a peaceful solution," Stoltenberg said.

Tillerson has dismissed as "laughable" reports that Trump's closest aides want him to resign, but rumours were expected to dog him when he sat down with his European peers.
Smoke billows over the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa during clashes between Huthi rebels and supporters of now slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh

The UN on Tuesday called for a "humanitarian" truce in air strikes and fighting in Yemen as it seeks to deliver aid to people trapped in the capital Sanaa.

As the UN Security Council prepared to discuss Yemen on Tuesday, several international aid agencies chimed in to condemn a surge in violence in the war-torn country, and demanded unimpeded access to civilians.

"I... sent a message asking for a truce, a peace pause, a humanitarian pause, for the parties to stop shooting, stop fighting, stop air strikes, so the people can go to hospitals, can go to seek safety ... and go to also find a place for water and food," UN humanitarian coordinator Jamie McGoldrick told reporters in Geneva by phone from Sanaa.

"Our ability to get to people over the last five days has been impeded because of the air strikes, because of the fighting, and our life-saving support activities were blocked," he said.

McGoldrick's statement came a day after Yemen's Huthi rebels killed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as he fled the capital following the collapse of their uneasy alliance.

For the five previous nights, heavy fighting had rocked Sanaa, leaving at least 234 people dead and 400 wounded, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

After the assassination, Saudi-led warplanes pounded the capital before dawn Tuesday as the rebels moved to consolidate their control over the city.

"What happened... because of our inability to move in the city during the five days -- the UN agencies, Red Cross and NGOs -- we were unable to do our life-saving treatments," McGoldrick said.

"Now the uncertainty continues and despite what happened yesterday, we don't know if we can start doing our operations or whether we have to wait for some time," he added.

Yemen's war has left thousands dead since 2015, sparking what the United Nations now labels the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and has deepened tensions between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

McGoldrick said a UN team would travel to Riyadh "quite soon".

Saudi Arabia imposed a blockade on Yemen's ports after a Huthi missile was intercepted near Riyadh airport on November 4.

The blockade has been eased only partially despite repeated calls from the UN.

- 'Thousands in fear' -

Five major international NGOs meanwhile demanded in a statement an "immediate cessation of hostilities" in Yemen, as well as "full and unfettered humanitarian access to people in need".

The fighting and air strikes have left "thousands of people in fear, trapped in their homes and without any possibility to access humanitarian assistance", the statement said.

Signed by Care, Action Against Hunger, Handicap International, Doctors of the World and Acted, the statement said the warring parties should respect their obligations under international law and "ensure full protection" of civilians.

"A situation that is already catastrophic is only worsening day by day, and we call on the UN Security Council to exert its influence on the parties in order to bring this war to an end as quickly as possible," Handicap International's Arnaud Pont told AFP.

The statement came as the UN Security Council was meeting Tuesday to discuss the situation in Yemen.

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An army-led crackdown has forced some 626,000 people to flee from northern Rakhine state and across the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh in recent months, leaving hundreds of villages burned to the ground

UN member states said Tuesday that Myanmar was likely committing "crimes against humanity" against its Rohingya minority, while the UN rights chief voiced alarm over possible "elements of genocide".

Following a special session of the UN Human Rights Council, the nations overwhelmingly voted in favour of a resolution expressing grave concern over widespread abuses committed against the largely Muslim minority.

Thirty-three of the council's 47 members backed the text listing a long line of horrific abuses, including summary killings of children, rape, torture and large-scale forced displacement, which it said indicated "the very likely commission of crimes against humanity."

An army-led crackdown has forced some 626,000 people to flee from northern Rakhine state and across the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh in recent months, leaving hundreds of villages burned to the ground.

Myanmar's military vehemently denies accusations by the UN and US that it has committed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

But in his address to Tuesday's special council session, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein went even further.

Pointing to the vast array of known abuses, "the burning of houses with families inside", he asked: "Can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?"

- 'Shockingly brutal' -

Zeid slammed "widespread, systematic and shockingly brutal" attacks against the Rohingya, as well as policies that had dehumanised and segregated the minority, and left it wallowing in statelessness for decades.

Major Rohingya refugee camp populations in Bangladesh

Myanmar's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Htin Lynn, slammed the resolution adopted Tuesday, decrying it as "unethical and unprofessional" and as "infringing on the state sovereignty of Myanmar."

The resolution calls on Myanmar to "address the root causes" of the Rohingya crisis, and to fully cooperate with the different UN bodies, providing full access to investigators and humanitarian workers.

It also asked Zeid's office to track progress in the country and to provide regular updates to the council and submit a full report by March 2019.

Rights advocates hailed the resolution.

"Today the UN's top human rights body has sent the strong message to the government that the world will not turn away, it will not avert its gaze, it will not forget," Laila Matar of Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

But the text did not go as far as Zeid had hoped.

He had urged the council to ask the UN General Assembly to launch a new "impartial and independent mechanism", to work alongside a fact-finding mission already dispatched by his office.

In March the rights council approved the fact-finding mission to investigate alleged crimes by security forces, particularly in Rakhine.

But Myanmar has refused to cooperate and has blocked access to the team of investigators, who have begun their work outside the country.

Htin Lynn on Tuesday said that the country's position towards the fact-finding mission "remains unchanged".

Bangladesh, which along with Saudi Arabia had requested the special session, meanwhile voiced disappointment that Tuesday's resolution was not adopted by consensus, given the severity of the crisis.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam warned that the massive exodus over such a short period was "comparable only with the exodus following the 1994 Rwanda genocide".

After months of wrangling, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on November 23 to start repatriating refugees within two months. But rights groups say the conditions are not in place to ensure safe, voluntary and dignified returns.

- Raped to death -

According to the UN's top expert on the situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, Myanmar authorities appear to have already started building camps for returnees, raising serious concerns about the conditions the Rohingya would return to.

Comments from the top UN representative on sexual violence, Pramila Patten, also painted a harrowing picture of the dangers faced by the minority inside Myanmar.

She warned that rampant sexual attacks on Rohingya appeared to be "used as a tool of dehumanisation and collective punishment," citing witness accounts of women and girls tied to rocks or trees "before multiple soldiers literally raped them to death."

Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been the target of global vitriol for a perceived failure to stand up for the stateless minority.

But she remains a heroine for most of her compatriots, who largely consider the Rohingya as unwanted illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Zeid meanwhile lamented the refusal inside Myanmar, but also by some international players to even name the Rohingyas, creating "a shameful paradox: they are denied a name, while being targeted for being who they are."
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrives to attend a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace of Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on December 5, 2017

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Tuesday that he had withdrawn his resignation, a month after his shock announcement that he was quitting sparked a political crisis.

"The council of ministers thanks the prime minister for rescinding his resignation," Hariri said, reading from a cabinet statement issued after its first meeting since his return two weeks ago.

Hariri announced he was stepping down on November 4 in a televised address from Saudi Arabia, prompting fears Lebanon would be catapulted into a political and economic tailspin.

The resignation was seen as part of the boiling tensions between the Saudi kingdom -- which had long backed Hariri -- and its regional rival Iran.

In his resignation, Hariri lambasted Tehran and its Lebanese ally, the powerful armed movement Hezbollah, for destabilising his country and the Middle East.

He later said he would consider coming back as premier if Hezbollah stopped intervening in regional conflicts, like Syria and Yemen.

On Tuesday, Lebanon's cabinet reaffirmed its official policy of "disassociation," or remaining neutral in regional conflicts.

"The Lebanese government, in all its political components, has committed to distance itself from all conflicts, wars, and internal affairs of Arab states," according to the cabinet statement read out by Hariri.

The policy had already been adopted by Hariri's cabinet, formed in 2016 after a settlement across political divides.

That deal put Michel Aoun in the president's office and Hariri at the helm of a government that included ministers from his political rival Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is fighting alongside government forces in neighbouring Syria, has dispatched military commanders to Iraq, and is accused of backing Shiite rebels in Yemen.

Hariri resigned last month from Riyadh and spent the next two weeks there amid speculation that the Saudi authorities were holding him "hostage."

After top-level French intervention, the 47-year-old premier returned to Beirut and "paused" his resignation ahead of consultations.
More than 340,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011

UN-backed peace talks for war-ravaged Syria resumed in Geneva Tuesday but without Syrian government negotiators, who sources said have yet to determine if they will return.

"The delegation will not leave today or tomorrow for Geneva, and the final decision (on attending) has not been taken yet," a source close to the government delegation told AFP on Tuesday.

An eighth round of peace talks aimed at ending Syria's nearly seven-year war began in Geneva last week.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura announced shortly after the talks began that they would be extended by two weeks.

Negotiations were paused over the weekend, but both sides had been expected to return to Geneva to resume discussions on Tuesday.

But only the opposition delegation showed up.

The Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the government, reported that the regime's delegation was in Damascus and was not expected to leave either Tuesday or Wednesday.

It said the invitation to return to the talks "is still being studied by the Syrian leadership".

When asked about the delay, UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said the government delegation had "been invited back in Geneva as of today (Tuesday). The Special Envoy stands ready to engage them when they return."

"We expect and we hope they will be here very soon," she added.

Following the opposition's meeting with de Mistura Tuesday afternoon, delegation chief Nasr al-Hariri said it was time the UN clearly stated which party was sabotaging the peace process.

"Now it is the responsibility of the international community, of the UN and the Special Envoy to announce to the world who is the party who is rejecting the negotiations," he told reporters.

- 'Big problems' -

The government delegation left Geneva last Saturday, after its chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari said there were "big problems in this round of talks".

He was referring to a communique published by the opposition last month in Riyadh signalling that it was maintaining its insistence on President Bashar al-Assad's removal.

The opposition, united in one delegation for the first time, has defied calls to give up on its demand that Assad must step down before any peace deal can be reached.

Jaafari described that position as "provocative" and "irresponsible", warning that "there will be no progress" if the opposition maintained that position.

De Mistura has tried to maintain an upbeat note on the talks, and on Friday he published a document suggesting 12 principles for a future Syria that he suggested the two sides could agree, including that the country "shall be democratic and non-sectarian".

He asked the parties to discuss the points and add their thoughts before the talks resumed.

More than 340,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.
Reading ability among children aged 9-10 has fallen in the US, Canada, France and several other developed countries, according to a comparative study of 50 countries

Reading ability among children aged 9-10 has fallen in the US, Canada, France and several other developed countries, according to a comparative study of 50 countries published Tuesday.

Ten countries fared worse, compared with five years ago, in the 2016 PIRLS assessment of pupils in their fourth year of schooling -- namely Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iran, Israel, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal and the US.

Eighteen, including England, Russia and Qatar made improvements.

Russia and Singapore topped the boards with 581 and 576 points respectively in the study of 319,000 children, who were assessed on their ability to understand literary and informational texts.

Egypt scored 330 points, while South Africa finished at the bottom with 320 points.

Girls outperformed boys in 48 countries, with an average difference of 19 points, and matched their reading abilities in two -- Portugal and Macau.

Boys' reading skills particularly lagged those of girls in mostly Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iran, but the gap was also large in secular South Africa.

The study, conducted by the Netherlands-based IEA international education charity, is the fourth of its kind since 2001.

It contains comparative information on time and resources devoted to teaching reading but does not draw conclusions, or make suggestions, about how countries could improve.

Other findings include:

-- Reading standards among French fourth-graders -- who scored 511 points to take 34th place out of 50, behind Kazakhstan -- have fallen steadily since 2001.

-- In South Africa, which was the only African country to participate, girls pulled up six points between 2011 and 2016, while boys dropped 12 points.

-- In Iran, reading levels among both sexes shot up between 2006 and 2011 only to plummet in the past five years. The boys' score fell 41 points between 2011 and 2016, compared with 15 points for the girls.

-- In the US, 98 percent of the students had a library in their classroom, compared to just 14 percent in Egypt.
Officials have made three unsuccessful attempts to serve Nigeria's former president Goodluck Jonathan with a summons to appear in court

Nigeria's former president Goodluck Jonathan was a "vital witness" in the corruption case of his party's spokesman, a court was told on Tuesday.

But officials have made three unsuccessful attempts to serve the former head of state with a summons to appear at the trial of Olisa Metuh, the Federal High Court in Abuja heard.

Metuh is charged with receiving 400 million naira ($1.1 million, 940,000 euros) from Jonathan's national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

Dasuki is accused of using some $2 billion in defence funds earmarked for the fight against Boko Haram to help fund Jonathan's re-election bid in 2015.

The Dasuki case is the highest-profile prosecution of President Muhammadu Buhari's campaign against endemic corruption.

Metuh maintains Jonathan was aware of the payment and his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, said the presence of the former president would determine whether his client had a case to answer.

"We have earlier indicated that former President Goodluck Jonathan is a vital witness in this case.

"We have said that the need for (Metuh) to testify will only arise after we have appraised the evidence that will come from our next witness (Jonathan).

"We submit that it is only when former president Jonathan has testified that we will know whether the defence for the first defendant has been sufficiently made."

Jonathan is not thought to have been questioned about any of the allegations. Etiaba told reporters outside court that it was "not asking for too much" for him to testify.

But prosecutor Sylvanus Tahir said Jonathan's presence "should not be used as a ploy to arm-twist or tie down the hands of the court" and the defence had enough testimony.

An aide to Jonathan told the court bailiff that the ex-president would be available to receive the summons next Monday.

Dasuki, who is also using Jonathan as an alibi, denied illegally channelling the security funds to prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party when he appeared at the Metuh trial in November.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrives to attend a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace of Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on December 5, 2017

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Tuesday that he had withdrawn his resignation, a month after his shock announcement that he was quitting sparked political upheaval.

The announcement brought some respite to Lebanon, which had been gripped by fears of new political and economic instability in a country riven by deep divisions and caught up in regional rivalries.

Minutes after Hariri's announcement, Paris said the Lebanese premier would attend talks Friday in France on the situation in Lebanon, which US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will also attend.

"The council of ministers thanks the prime minister for rescinding his resignation," Hariri said, reading from a cabinet statement issued after its first meeting since his return two weeks ago.

Hariri announced he was stepping down on November 4 in a televised address from Saudi Arabia, a move widely seen as part of the boiling tensions between the Saudi kingdom -- a long-time Hariri backer -- and its regional rival Iran.

In his resignation, Hariri lambasted Tehran and its Lebanese ally, the powerful armed movement Hezbollah, for destabilising his country and the Middle East.

He later said he would consider coming back as premier if Hezbollah stopped intervening in regional conflicts, including the wars in Syria and Yemen.

In recent days, consultations across the political spectrum have sought to find a compromise between the Saudi-backed camp led by Hariri, and Hezbollah's Iran-backed bloc.

On Tuesday, Lebanon's cabinet, which includes both blocs, reaffirmed its official policy of "disassociation", or remaining neutral in regional conflicts.

- 'Disassociation' -

"The Lebanese government, in all its political components, has committed to distance itself from all conflicts, wars, and internal affairs of Arab states," according to the cabinet statement read out by Hariri.

This "disassociation" is intended to "preserve Lebanon's political and economic relations with its Arab brothers", the statement added.

The policy had already been adopted by Hariri's cabinet, formed in 2016 after a settlement across political divides that saw Michel Aoun appointed president and the creation of a government including Hezbollah deputies.

Hezbollah has been accused of violating the policy, however, by fighting in neighbouring Syria to support the Damascus regime as well as by dispatching military commanders to Iraq and allegedly backing Shiite rebels in Yemen.

"A reaffirmation of Lebanese 'disassociation', notwithstanding its manifest hypocrisy and the impossibility of it being translated concretely, makes it possible to save face and win a little time," said Karim Bitar, an expert at the Paris-based Institute of International and Strategic Affairs.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri and President Michel Aoun at the cabinet meeting on December 5, 2017

During the cabinet meeting, according to a statement obtained by AFP, Hariri expressed the hope for "a new chance to defend the country together".

"We see how the region is boiling and we must be aware that any misstep could bring the country to a dangerous precipice," he told his cabinet.

Lebanon has been buffeted by regional instability in recent years, particularly by the war in neighbouring Syria which has sent more than one million refugees into its tiny neighbour, seeking safety.

The conflict in Syria has also deepened existing tensions, with Hariri's bloc backing the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad while Hezbollah's fighters battled alongside the regime's troops.

Hariri's resignation raised fears that Lebanon could be plunged into chaos, and provoked widespread speculation about whether Riyadh had forced him to step down.

He delivered his resignation announcement from Saudi Arabia and spent the next two weeks there amid rumours that Riyadh was holding him "hostage".

He denied those claims, and after top-level French intervention returned to Beirut where he announced he had "paused" his resignation to hold consultations across the political spectrum.

France's foreign ministry said Friday's meeting was intended to "support the political process (in Lebanon) at a crucial moment".

"It will send a message both to the various parties in Lebanon and to countries in the region," the ministry added.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- will be represented at the meeting, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt.

French officials said the goal was to shore up Lebanese institutions, by strengthening the army and supporting Hariri's economic programme, with a view to encouraging foreign investment.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Tuesday he has withdrawn his resignation

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri will attend talks in Paris Friday on the crisis triggered by his recent resignation announcement to be attended by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, France said Tuesday.

"The aim is to support the political process (in Lebanon) at a crucial moment," the French foreign ministry said, minutes after Hariri announced he had rescinded his resignation.

"It will send a message both to the various parties in Lebanon and to countries in the region," the ministry added.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- will be represented at the meeting, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt.

French officials said the goal was to shore up Lebanese institutions, by strengthening the army and supporting Hariri's economic programme, with a view to encouraging foreign investment in the country.

Hariri announced he was stepping down on November 4 in a surprise televised address from Saudi Arabia that sent tremors through Lebanon, long a proxy battleground for regional powers.

His resignation was seen as part of an intensifying power struggle between the Saudi kingdom -- which had long backed Hariri -- and its regional rival Iran, which backs the armed organisation Hezbollah.

After announcing he was bowing out Hariri, who accused Hezbollah of destabilising Lebanon, remained in Riyadh, sparking speculation that he was being held hostage by the Saudis.

French President Emmanuel Macron intervened to try defuse the crisis, inviting Hariri to Paris for talks, after which he returned to Beirut to a hero's welcome.

Two weeks later, following consultations with the various political groups in Lebanon, Hariri announced Tuesday he was withdrawing his resignation.
Supporters of Jack Phillips, a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding reception, outside the Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court appeared sharply divided Tuesday as it weighed impassioned arguments in the closely watched case of a Colorado baker who cited his devout Christian faith in refusing to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.

The case pitting free speech, religion and artistic freedom against anti-discrimination laws is the most significant for gay rights since the high court approved same-sex marriage two years ago.

Supporters of both sides gathered outside the court and inside the crowded chamber as lawyers presented their arguments to the nine Supreme Court justices during a 90-minute hearing.

The landmark case pits gay couple Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig against Colorado bakery owner Jack Phillips, who refused in July 2012 to make a cake for their wedding reception.

The four liberal-leaning justices appeared to favor the argument that Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, should be obliged to provide service to all customers, regardless of sexual orientation.

Charlie Craig (L) and Dave Mullins hold hands outside the US Supreme Court

Colorado law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race or sexual orientation, and both the state civil rights commission and an appeals court ruled against Phillips, sending the case to Washington.

The conservative members of the court appeared to be more receptive to the argument that Phillips, who describes himself as a "cake artist," should not be forced to create something that conflicts with his religious beliefs.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the 2015 opinion that sanctioned same-sex marriage, is considered the crucial swing vote in the case, which the court is expected to rule on before the end of June.

Kennedy, who generally sides with the conservative faction, had sharp questions for both sides, but he seemed to put great emphasis on Phillips' First Amendment right to free speech.

- 'Cake expresses a message' -

The first question taken up by the court was whether a cake can be considered artistic expression.

"The primary purpose of a food of any kind is to be eaten," said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the liberal members of the court.

Kristen Waggoner, an attorney for Phillips, countered that his elaborate wedding cakes were more than just food.

"That cake expresses a message," Waggoner said.

Phillips, whose lawyers argued that his cakes should be protected as a means of artistic expression, speaks outside the Supreme Court

"The First Amendment prohibits the government from forcing people to express messages that violate religious convictions."

"Yet the commission requires Mr. Phillips to do just that, ordering him to sketch, sculpt and hand-paint cakes that celebrate a view of marriage in violation of his religious convictions," she said.

The Trump administration filed a brief in support of Phillips, who has said he believes marriage can only be between a man and a woman, and Solicitor General Noel Francisco made an appearance on his behalf.

"I don't think you could force the African-American sculptor to sculpt a cross for the Klan service," Francisco said in a reference to the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan group.

David Cole, an attorney for Mullins, a 33-year-old poet and musician, and Craig, a 37-year-old interior designer, said he respected the sincerity of Phillips' convictions.

"(But) no one is suggesting that the baker has to march in the parade," Cole said.

"There was no request for a design," he said. "There was no request for a message."

- 'Humiliated for who we were' -

Mullins and Craig told AFP in an interview this week that they were emotionally devastated after Phillips turned them down in a brief meeting at the bakery.

"We were simply turned away because of who we were," Mullins said. "We were publicly humiliated for who we were."

Mullins, Craig and civil rights groups have warned that if Phillips is victorious, other businesses could cite religious beliefs to refuse service to gay customers.

A supporter of the same-sex couple who sued a baker over a wedding cake holds a sign outside the Supreme Court

Justice Elena Kagan made such a reference while questioning Phillips' attorneys.

"You have a view that a cake can be speech because it involves great skill and artistry," she said. "If that's the case, how do you draw a line?

"How do you decide, the chef and the baker are on one side," she said, "versus the hairstylist or the makeup artist?"

Some 20 states, dozens of members of Congress and Christian lobbyist groups have thrown their weight behind the baker, who spoke to reporters following the hearing.

"I love my craft because I get to turn a cake into a canvas where I get to express ideas, celebrate events and bring joy to my community," he said.

"I don't create custom designs for events or messages that conflict with my conscience," Phillips added. "I don't create cakes for Halloween, for homosexuals, or anti-American themes or that disparage people."

Supporters of both sides were out in force Tuesday outside the court.

"We got your back Jack," read signs supporting the baker.

A Mullins-Craig supporter dressed in a costume as the "Holy Bible" displayed a sign that said "Use me not for your bigotry."
Reza Zarrab has become the star witness in a New York trial over alleged subversion of US economic sanctions against Iran, implicating a former Turkish minister and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey has detained 17 suspects in an investigation into a Turkish-Iranian gold trader who was once a close ally of the government but is now testifying against officials as a star witness in a high profile US case, sate media said on Tuesday.

Reza Zarrab is giving evidence in a New York trial over alleged subversion of US economic sanctions against Iran that has implicated former Turkish ministers and even President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan has rubbished the accusations and on Tuesday said that the case was a "plot" aimed at hurting Turkey.

Zarrab, 34, was arrested by US authorities in March 2016 on suspicion of taking part in the alleged sanctions-busting scam but is now cooperating with the authorities in an apparent plea bargain.

Ankara has reacted with fury to the switch by Zarrab -- once seen as the golden boy of the Turkish business world with a pop star wife -- seizing his assets and opening an investigation against him on accusations of "espionage".

A total of 17 people have now been detained as part of this investigation, with three picked up initially and 14 more in a later sweep, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The three detained initially are accused of sending documents to the US regarding the case and links to the group of Fethullah Gulen who Ankara accuses of masterminding the July 15, 2016 failed coup. Gulen denies the charges.

- 'Plot against Turkey' -

Turkish officials have repeatedly argued that the US case is a bid by Gulen to besmirch Erdogan and Turkey, following a corruption scandal in late 2013 that had also seen Zarrab arrested.

"The case is not a plot against America, it's a plot against Turkey," Erdogan told supporters in a speech on Tuesday.

"The case has nothing to do with law, justice or trade, it's an acrobatic spectacle," he added.

The case risks further straining relations between Erdogan and US President Donald Trump already damaged by rows over the Syria conflict and US prosecution of Turkish presidential bodyguards.

Erdogan repeatedly raised the issue in meetings with Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama while former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, once part of Zarrab's defence team, held a secret meeting with the Turkish leader in February.

- 'Erdogan warned by MIT' -

But the case has also become a hot political issue inside Turkey, with the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu seizing on it to back up his claims of corruption at the heart of the Turkish elite.

Kilicdaroglu said on Tuesday that Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) had in April 2013 warned Erdogan that Zarrab was breaking US law and this could damage Turkey.

"I ask Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The actions of this fraudster, the bribes to ministers, all this was given to you" by the MIT, he said. "And what did you do? You closed the dossier".

Kilicdaroglu called on Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to open a parliamentary commission of enquiry into the matter as it was not right "a Turkish corruption case should be judged in the United States".

Since Zarrab became a witness, deputy chief executive of Turkish lender Halkbank Mehmet Hakan Atilla is now the lone defendant in the dock accused of violating sanctions, bribery and money laundering.

Zarrab has admitted to bribing former Turkish economy minister Zafer Caglayan and being involved in the multi-billion-dollar gold-for-oil scheme.

On Thursday he told the court he was informed that in 2012, then prime minister Erdogan and then treasury minister Ali Babacan had given "instructions" for two other Turkish public banks to take part in the scheme.
The Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia is a popular tourist destination, despite a history of kidnappings and killings of visitors to the area

A German citizen was killed during an attack at a volcano near Ethiopia's volatile border with Eritrea, Germany's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The lava lake at Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia's arid Danakil depression is a popular tourist destination, despite a history of kidnappings and killings of visitors to the area.

"The Foreign Office confirms one deceased German national during the attack at Erta Ale," the ministry said in a statement without offering further details.

Ethiopia's government did not immediately respond to requests for comment and no group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Danakil lies near the country's contested border with Eritrea, a one-time territory that voted to leave in 1993 and that fought a devastating two-year war with Ethiopia, which ended in 2000 and left tens of thousands dead.

The two countries remain enemies and support different armed groups in an effort to destabilise each other.

In 2012, five European tourists including two Germans were killed, and two others kidnapped, at Erta Ale by the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDU) rebel group after a gun battle at the volcano.

The kidnapped tourists, also Germans, were released after less than two months in captivity.

In 2007, ARDUF seized five European tourists and eight Ethiopians. The Europeans were released after 12 days to the Eritrean government, while the Ethiopians were freed almost two months later.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was confronted by mounting concern that President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda has weakened trans-Atlantic ties

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tried on Tuesday to shrug off doubts about his future and reassure Washington's European allies of the strength of trans-Atlantic ties.

In Brussels for talks with EU and NATO leaders, Tillerson was confronted by mounting concern that President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda has weakened the alliance.

But the former oilman was working with one eye looking back over his shoulder to Washington, after leaked reports last week from Trump's White House suggested his own job was on the line.

European leaders were already frustrated that Trump has undermined the hard-fought Iran nuclear deal, which they see as key to preventing a Middle East arms race.

Now they are concerned that Trump is considering declaring Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, a move that would provoke Arab protest and undermine hopes of a revived peace process.

Tillerson put a brave face on the criticism in his first meeting of the day -- one with his own US staff from the Brussels missions to the EU, NATO and Belgium.

He promised "quick wins" from his efforts to streamline State Department decision-making and cut costs, but acknowledged that diplomatic successes have been slow in coming.

"The State Department is not missing a beat," he said, lavishing praise on the "acting" officials running the department as he struggles to recruit new leadership.

"While we don't have any wins on the board yet, I can tell you we're in a much better position to advance America's interests around the world than we were 10 months ago."

But after he left the US mission and arrived at the EU and then the NATO headquarters for talks with his counterparts, he faced a sterner reception.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at the European Union Council building in Brussels on Tuesday

Appearing with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini after talks, Tillerson made only a brief statement and refused to acknowledge questions.

Mogherini, meanwhile, made Europe's position clear.

Jerusalem, she said, should be the "future capital" to two Israeli and Palestinian states and its status must be decided by peace negotiations between the parties.

"We believe that any action that would undermine this effort must absolutely be avoided," she said.

- 'Very frank discussion' -

And she was just as firm on Trump's hopes of reopening the Iran nuclear deal to include measures to contain Tehran's other provocative activities in the Middle East.

Europe's willingness to discuss measures against Iran's missile program and support for militia groups relies on Washington's "continued implementation of the nuclear deal", she said.

After what she called a "very frank discussion" with Tillerson, Mogherini indicated she felt the EU was getting through to the Americans on the deal.

"I think that today we're in a better place when it comes to the commitments to stay compliant with the agreement and work together to keep Iran compliant with the agreement," she told reporters after talks at NATO.

Asked whether the meeting had been frosty, senior Tillerson aide RC Hammond told reporters: "Allies have been very frank in sharing some of their views. Dialogues only work if they go two ways."

Tillerson has other issues to discuss with the allies, in particular the US desire to see them do more to force North Korea to negotiate an end to its nuclear arms build-up.

US officials are full of praise for Europe's support for tougher sanctions on Pyongyang, but want Europe to step up efforts to get China to rein in its neighbour.

Tillerson will also press the allies on Trump's main issue with NATO: Washington wants member states to pay for more of the burden of mutual defence themselves.

The US is also frustrated by the slow pace of Brexit talks, as it wants London and Brussels to finalise their own trade arrangements before trans-Atlantic talks can advance.

And Tillerson wants to rally the allies against Russia's intervention in Ukraine, pushing them to maintain sanctions and to reconsider European pipeline deals with Moscow.

- Ally or 'competitor'? -

But the diplomat's efforts on all these fronts are hampered by deep European distrust of his unpredictable boss.

Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, speaking in Berlin before setting off for Brussels, painted a picture of a widening rift in the formerly solid alliance.

Gabriel said Trump's administration had taken an "extraordinary distance" from its traditionally close relationship with Europe, which it now increasingly views as a "competitor or economic rival" rather than an ally.

And he warned those hoping to wait out the Trump years: "US withdrawal is not just about a single president, it won't change fundamentally with the next election."

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The National Weather Service said easterly Santa Ana winds fueling the fire had registered gusts of up to 55 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour)

More than a thousand firefighters were struggling to contain a wind-whipped brush fire in southern California on Tuesday that has left at least one person dead, sent thousands fleeing, and was choking the area with thick black smoke.

The Ventura County Fire Department said more than 27,000 people had been told to evacuate as the fast-moving fire in the coastal county north of Los Angeles grew to 45,000 acres (18,200 hectares). More than 150 homes and businesses had already been destroyed.

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency over the area, announcing: "This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly.

"It's critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so."

The northern part of Los Angeles county was engulfed in thick smoke, leaving the air almost unbreathable as ash fell on the streets. Mayor Eric Garcetti warned residents to remain vigilant for fresh outbreaks.

"This is an extreme weather event and these winds can spread embers far and/or kick small new fires up quickly. We expect five days of this," he tweeted.

A Red Cross evacuation center which had hosted 600 people Monday night was expecting that number to rise to around a thousand by Tuesday, spokesman Fred Mariscal said.

Lexus Deloni, a 20-year-old caregiver who had brought her two young girls, aged one and two, said she had only 45 minutes to evacuate after returning home from a 12-hour shift in the city of Ojai, an hour-and-a-half drive from LA.

"I'm making sure they are eating, drinking, having fun, playing with them," she said, as a man dressed as Santa Claus arrived, much to the delight of the youngsters.

- Apocalyptic images -

This image obtained from NASA Earth Observatory, shows smoke from the Thomas Fire (top C) in California blowing out to the Pacific Ocean on December 5, 2017, along with smoke from the Creek and Rye fires (top R)

Prospects for containment depended on improving weather conditions.

"Really, Mother Nature is going to decide when we have the ability to put it out," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen told a news conference.

Strong seasonal gusts known as the Santa Ana winds had registered speeds of up to 55 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour), the National Weather Service said, predicting they could hit upwards of 80 miles per hour.

"The fire is pushing quickly towards the city of Ventura," Lorenzen said, and has reached the eastern city limits. The oceanside city has a population of around 100,000.

The fire chief said one death had been reported. "As the individual was evacuating from the fire, the car overturned," he said.

Authorities said more than 1,000 firefighters were currently fighting the "Thomas Fire" -- a blaze captured in apocalyptic images with flames sometimes taking on the appearance of a volcanic eruption.

"Fixed wing aircraft and helicopters are expected to attack the fire at daybreak," the Ventura County website said.

Two other large blazes broke out Tuesday -- the Creek Fire, which has so far swallowed 11,000 acres (around 4,500 hectares) and the more contained Rye fire, spread over 1,000 acres.

- Tinder dry -

The NWS put a "red flag" warning into effect for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Thursday, saying the coming days would likely see "the strongest and longest duration Santa Ana wind event we have seen so far this season."

Lorenzen said the fire was consuming dry brush.

"It's heavy brush, brush that hasn't burned in 15 to 20 years," he said.

"And it's been a five, six-year drought so the fuel is just tinder dry and just as ripe as can be for fire spread."

Roads in the northern part of Los Angeles meanwhile were packed with traffic as firetrucks raced towards the flames, while several sections of highways were closed.

Widespread power outages had hit a quarter of a million people as well as forcing the closure of 20 schools.

The Getty Center, one of Los Angeles' most prestigious museums, said it would remain closed until Wednesday to protect its collection from smoke damage.

The Ventura County Fire Department said more than 27,000 people had been told to evacuate their homes as the fast-moving fire in the coastal county north of Los Angeles grew to 45,000 acres (18,200 hectares)

The inferno began Monday night near Highway 150 before spreading to the city of Santa Paula.

Captain Scott Quirate, a local fire chief, told local TV stations that he had to call his daughter at dawn to tell her that her apartment had gone up in flames.

Authorities warned of widespread smoke and limited visibility, urging residents in impacted areas to run their air conditioners and keep outside windows and doors closed to prevent smoke from entering.

This has been California's deadliest year ever for wildfires. More than 40 people died in the state's wine-producing country in fires in October.
(L to R) Cyprus Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis, Greek Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz and Italy's ambassador to Cyprus Andrea Cavallari sign the pipeline accord on December 5, 2017

Mediterranean countries Cyprus, Greece, Israel and Italy on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding to build the world's longest underwater natural gas pipeline to supply Europe.

"The project will secure a direct long-term export route from Israel and Cyprus to Greece, Italy and other European markets... thereby strengthening EU's security of supply," a joint statement said.

It said the four states would also pool resources on studies for, construction of and operating the ambitious project, which is seen as technically and financially viable.

The pipeline to supply Europe with natural gas will be some 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) long, and is estimated to cost approximately $6 billion (five billion euros).

It will have an annual capacity of 10-16 billion cubic feet, and could be completed by 2025.

Israel's energy minister, Yuval Steinitz, and his Cyprus and Greece counterparts George Lakkotrypis and Giorgos Stathakis attended the ceremony, as did the Italian ambassador to Cyprus, Andrea Cavallari.

The European Commission's Deputy Director General for Energy, Christopher Jones, was also present.

In April, representatives of the EU and the four nations signed a joint declaration to back the project to export gas to Europe from Israel's Leviathan field and Cyprus's Aphrodite bloc.

They decided to establish a working group to promote an interstate agreement.

The planned pipeline will connect the Leviathan field via the Aphrodite field, Crete, mainland Greece and Italy.

It could become a more profitable venture if Israel and Cyprus discover additional major gas fields, thus lowering costs.
Supporters of detained Moroccan protest leader Nasser Zefzafi demonstrate in front of a courtroom in Casablanca as his trial began on October 24, 2017

The hunger-striking leader of a Moroccan protest movement that rocked the country's north was rushed to hospital Tuesday during a hearing at a Casablanca court, one of his lawyers said.

Detained Nasser Zefzafi was attending a hearing at a court of appeal Tuesday morning with 53 co-defendants when he said he "felt faint", Abdessadek El Bouchtaoui told AFP. The judge halted the hearing.

An unemployed 39-year-old, Zefzafi became a leading figure in Al-Hirak al-Shaabi, or the "Popular Movement" that broke out in late 2016, calling for jobs, unemployment and an end to graft in Morocco's neglected northern Rif region.

Zefzafi -- who was arrested in May after allegedly interrupting a preacher at a mosque to call for further protests -- launched a hunger strike last Wednesday along with some 30 other detainees.

It was Zefzafi's first such strike since his detention.

Other jailed Hirak activists earlier held a month-long hunger strike which they suspended in October.

They face trial on various charges including "undermining the internal security of the state".

Rights group Amnesty International says authorities have arrested "hundreds" of Hirak demonstrators, including minors, and that over 400 remain in custody.

A Moroccan court last week sentenced El Mortada Iamrachen, a member of the movement, to five years in jail for "defending terrorism" and incitement over comments on Facebook, Moroccan media reported.

Originally sparked by the death of a fishmonger crushed in a rubbish truck as he tried to salvage a confiscated fish, the Hirak demonstrations snowballed into a major challenge to the authorities.

In response, security forces launched a crackdown, slinging the alleged leaders of the mainly young protesters in jail in May and June.

The Rif has long had a tense relationship with the central authorities in Rabat, and was at the heart of Arab Spring-inspired protests in Morocco in February 2011.

King Mohamed VI relinquished some of his near-absolute control through constitutional reforms following those protests.
Devin Kelley, the shooter in the November 5 attack at a rural Texas church, was convicted by court-martial in 2012 of two charges of domestic assault

US military police often failed to provide fingerprints and other information to federal officials after personnel were convicted by courts-martial, a Pentagon watchdog said Tuesday, meaning disgraced ex-troops could have illegally bought guns.

The issue of former service members illegally buying weapons has come to the fore after it emerged that an ex-airman who carried out a mass shooting in Texas last month bought firearms despite a court-martial conviction for domestic assault.

The Pentagon's Inspector General conducted an evaluation of military police across all the services to see if they had been updating a federal database with the fingerprints and outcomes of military criminal convictions.

For the years 2015 and 2016, the inspector looked at 2,502 cases and found that in 601 cases, no fingerprint cards were submitted to a federal database designed to block felons buying weapons, and in 780 cases (31 percent) no "final dispositions" -- or case conclusions -- were reported.

"Any missing fingerprint card and final disposition report can have serious, even tragic, consequences, as may have occurred in the recent church shooting in Texas," the report states.

"The failure to populate FBI databases with all the required fingerprint records can result in someone purchasing a weapon who should not."

Devin Kelley, the shooter in the November 5 attack at a Texas church that killed 26 people and wounded 20 more, was convicted by court-martial in 2012 of two charges of domestic assault against his wife and stepson.

The Inspector General report predates the shooting. But since the incident, the service branches are looking through old cases to see if any information was not reported.

The Air Force last week said that so far, it had found "several dozen" cases that needed fixing and reporting.

Despite America's lax gun laws, convicted felons are usually not allowed to own guns.

Licensed sellers are supposed to check national databases under the 1993 Brady Act, aimed at reducing handgun violence.

But even this basic requirement can be flouted by private sellers, who do not have to conduct background checks.
A Yemeni waves a national flag during a rally celebrating the death of Yemeni ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh a day after he was killed, in the capital Sanaa on December 5, 2017

The war in Yemen pitches forces loyal to an internationally recognised government backed up by Saudi Arabia against rebels supported by Iran who have controlled the capital for over three years.

More than 8,750 people have been killed as armed groups have sought to exploit a power vacuum left behind after protests in 2011 forced out the now late president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Huthi rebels

The Huthi militiamen, also known as Ansarullah (Supporters of God), have long complained of marginalisation.

They hail from the Zaidi sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam that accounts for about one third of Yemen's population.

Their strongholds lie in northern provinces bordering Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, which leads the Arab coalition against them.

Yemeni Huthi rebel fighters march during a rally celebrating the death of Yemeni ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh a day after he was killed, in the capital Sanaa on December 5, 2017

Badreddin al-Huthi, who formed the "Faithful Youth" political movement in 1992 to fight discrimination, is regarded as their spiritual leader.

They fought six wars with the central government between 2004 and 2010 that killed thousands. Badreddin's 38-year-old son Abdulmalik now leads Ansarullah.

The Huthis seized Sanaa on September 21, 2014 with the help of former president Saleh and army units loyal to him after months of clashes.

In March 2015, they advanced on second city Aden, where internationally backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi took refuge after escaping house arrest in the capital.

But the Saudi-led coalition helped pro-Hadi forces push the rebels out of Aden in July that year, as well as four other provinces.

The Huthis are accused of receiving support from Shiite Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Tensions ratcheted up between the Saudis and Tehran after the Huthis fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh in November 2017.

Saleh's forces

Once foes, the Huthis and former leader Saleh formed an uneasy alliance that lasted some three years but it cracked up last week as violent clashes broke out between the two camps in Sanaa.

The Huthis accused Saleh of "great treason" after he made overtures to the Saudi-led coalition.

Saleh, who dominated Yemen for three decades, was shot dead by Huthi fighters on December 4 as he tried to flee Sanaa. Despite his demise, the strongman's General People's Congress party remains a power with which to be reckoned.

President and foreign allies

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign in support of Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi (R), President of Yemen

Yemen's military was severely weakened due to mass defections of elite troops joining pro-Saleh forces and showed little or no resistance as the rebels seized Sanaa and expanded across the country.

But in March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign in support of leader Hadi, deploying troops and beginning a bombing campaign that helped the loyalists regain some ground.

The United Arab Emirates also plays a key role in the coalition, which includes Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar and Sudan.

Pro-government forces last January began a major assault to recapture areas on the Red Sea coast and press on to Sanaa. However, the offensive has stalled and the frontlines remain relatively static.

Hadi loyalists have been boosted by the Popular Resistance alliance of southern separatists and tribesmen who took up arms after the rebels advanced on their regions.

The separatists have long called for the secession of the formerly independent South Yemen and their support for Hadi is not unconditional.

Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been regarded by the United States as the extremist network's deadliest branch.

It was formed in 2009 when Al-Qaeda in Yemen -- behind the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Aden harbour that killed 17 American sailors -- merged with its Saudi counterpart.

AQAP has attacked security forces and the Huthis, and been targeted by scores of US drone strikes.

The United States has intensified its air attacks on AQAP since President Donald Trump took office in January.

The group has abducted foreigners and claimed responsibility for the deadly January 7, 2015 attack in Paris on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, targeted for its cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Islamic State group

The Islamic State group has claimed deadly attacks against Huthis but has also targeted loyalist militia and government officials.

The group first surfaced in Yemen in March 2015, claiming multiple suicide bombings that targeted two mosques in Sanaa attended by Huthis, killing 142 people and wounding more than 350.

It has since expanded its operations in the south, launching more deadly suicide bombings.
The age group most affected by parenting behaviors were 12- and 13-year-olds

Teenagers who feel their parents rarely express interest in their emotional well-being are far more likely to consider suicide than youths who say their parents are involved and proud of them, US researchers said Tuesday.

The findings by the University of Cincinnati come as the suicide rate among teenagers rises in the United States, adding to concern among parents, educators and health experts.

In the past month alone, a 10-year-old girl in Colorado and a 13-year-old in California have hung themselves. Their parents say bullying at school contributed to the girls' deaths.

"Parents ask us all the time, 'What can we do?'" said Keith King, who coordinates the University of Cincinnati's health promotion and education doctoral program.

"Kids need to know that someone's got their back, and unfortunately, many of them do not. That's a major problem."

King and his colleague, Rebecca Vidourek, based their findings on a 2012 national survey of people 12 and older that revealed a significant link between parental behaviors and thoughts of suicide among adolescents.

The age group most affected by parenting behaviors were 12- and 13-year-olds.

Children in this age group who said their parents rarely or never told them they were proud of them were nearly five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, said the researchers.

They were also nearly seven times more likely to formulate a suicide plan and about seven times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers.

An unusually high risk of suicide was also seen in 12- and 13-year-olds whose parents rarely or never told them they did a good job or helped them with their homework.

Teenagers aged 16 and 17 whose parents rarely or never said they were proud of them were three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and almost four times more likely to make a suicide plan and attempt suicide than peers whose parents sometimes or often did express pride in their children.

- 'Positively connected' -

"A key is to ensure that children feel positively connected to their parents and family," said Vidourek, who serves as co-director of the Center for Prevention Science, along with King.

Teens may also be more likely to try drugs or risky sexual behaviors if parents are not adequately engaged, King said.

A report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year found that the suicide rate among teen girls doubled from 2007 to 2015, and rose 30 percent among boys.

Experts say a range of factors contribute to suicide risk, including depression and mental health, negative influences on social media, bullying, financial struggles and exposure to violence.

So what can parents do?

"You can tell them you're proud of them, that they did a good job, get involved with them and help them with their homework," said King.

The research was presented at this year's American Public Health Association conference in Atlanta.
A series of tremors on December 5, 2017, suggests the basin of Lake Kivu, pictured here, "has become seismologically active" says an expert

Seismologists in Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday voiced concern after four light earthquakes were felt in the east of the country.

Four tremors, each higher than four on the Richter scale, have been recorded in less than week, with the latest overnight Monday registering 4.5, said Professor Kacho Karume, in charge of the Volcanology Observatory of Goma (OVG), told AFP.

Quakes are not infrequent in eastern DR Congo, a region that lies next to Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.

However, the series suggests the basin of Lake Kivu -- one of the African Great Lakes -- "has become seismologically active," said Karume.

"In the coming days, the public should expect far bigger quakes, with a magnitude of greater than five, until the Lake Kivu basin stops being active," Karume said.

The latest quake was close to Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, said Professor Prince Kaleme, head of the Centre for Research in the Natural Sciences (CRSN) in Lwiro, quoted by the UN radio station Okapi.

Kaleme said he was "worried" about the quakes, as they were intensifying.

The administrator of the territory of Walungu, Dominique Bofono, said no casualties had been reported but several churches and schools had been damaged or destroyed.

In September 2016, 19 people were killed in northwestern Tanzania in a quake that was also felt in Bukavu.

In February 2008, a quake in the region killed seven people in South Kivu and 38 in Rwanda, and injured hundreds more. It occurred as churches were crowded for Sunday morning service.

The US Geological Survey (USGS), on its website, said that the latest quake occurred at 0022 GMT Tuesday, 15 kilometres (nine miles) southeast of Bukavu, a city of 225,000, at a depth of 10 km.

It was recorded at 4.6 moment magnitude, a scale that measures seismic activity differently from the Richter scale.

Local residents told AFP the previous quakes occurred on December 1, 2 and 3.
Jerusalem, which appears here in an aerial photo taken on January 11, 2010, lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

US President Donald Trump told Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in a phone call Tuesday that he intends to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas's office said.

Trump "informed the president (Abbas) on his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," a statement from the Palestinian presidency said.

The statement provided no further details on whether Trump plans to move the embassy immediately or at some point in the future.

There have been reports that he will decline to move the embassy for now, but will recognise the disputed city as Israel's capital.

Moving the embassy and recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital would mark a major shift in US policy and upturn decades of precedent in contrast with international consensus.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Monday that Trump "has been clear on this issue from the get-go: it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when."

He said a declaration on the move would be made "in the coming days."

In Tuesday's call, Abbas in turn "warned of the dangerous consequences of such a decision on the peace process, security and stability in the region and the world," his office said.

"The president reaffirms our firm position that there can be no Palestinian state without east Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the resolutions of international law and the Arab peace initiative," it said, referring to a 2002 Saudi-backed plan.

Abbas "will continue his communications with world leaders to prevent such an unacceptable and rejected step."

A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave AFP further details on what he said was discussed during the call.

"Trump told president Abbas there was a decision taken in Congress a long time ago, and there has been pressure from Congress to implement the decision and move the embassy," the official said.

"Trump said he made electoral promises to the American people to move the embassy and wants to keep them."

The official added that Trump told Abbas he had "important ideas" he will introduce after the decision, but the Palestinian leader informed him he rejected moving the embassy, which would "totally change the equation."

Trump has been seeking ways to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Palestinian leaders say recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital will ruin any effort to do so.

There was no comment from Israeli leaders. Israeli media reported that ministers were instructed not to speak on the issue at the White House's request.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address a conference in Jerusalem at 11 am (0900 GMT) on Wednesday.
Afghan Commandos participate in a combat training in Helmand province

A senior Al-Qaeda leader on the Indian subcontinent and the head of the Taliban's "special forces" in southern Helmand have been killed in recent days in Afghanistan, Afghan and US forces said Tuesday.

"Both leaders are responsible for the deaths of many innocent Afghans, and their removal will both disrupt the terrorist operations of their respective organisations and improve overall security of the country," the US command said in a statement.

According to Afghan intelligence services, and a spokesman for US forces in Kabul, "Omar Khetab, number two in the al-Qaeda network for the Indian subcontinent" was killed on Monday.

"He was directly involved in fighting against the Afghan government and foreign troops and had a role in advising in the use of heavy weapons such as rockets, mortars and training for Taliban night attacks," the US command's statement added.

"This operation is a testament to the real growth the Afghan forces have achieved over the past year," said General John Nicholson, commander of US forces and Operation Resolute Support NATO, quoted in the statement.

The US also announced the death of the leader of the "Red Unit" -- the Taliban's "special forces" in Helmand, a southern province where insurgents control ten of its 14 districts.

"Mullah Shah Wali, aka Haji Nasir, commander of the Red Unit in Helmand, was killed on 1 December by a strike, with one of his deputies and three of his men".

According to the spokesman, "Wali and his 'Red Unit' are responsible for planning numerous suicide bombings, IED attacks, and coordinated assaults against civilians, Afghan and coalition forces."

The statement noted: "The Taliban in Helmand province are responsible for poppy cultivation and opium trade that funds their activities."

At the end of November, the Americans began a series of raids against heroin laboratories in Helmand.

US Forces began identifying drug labs to hit after President Donald Trump's strategy announcement in August made it easier for American air power to proactively target the Taliban and its sources of revenue and infrastructure.

The US-Afghan operation comes as around 3,000 additional American troops promised by Trump are deployed to help train and assist beleaguered Afghan security forces who have been struggling to beat back Taliban and Islamic State insurgents.
Displaced Syrians from Deir Ezzor head to refugee camps on the outskirts of Raqa in September 2017

The United Nations said Tuesday that it had received pledges amounting to $857 million (726 million euros) to fund operations aimed to help an estimated 67 million displaced and stateless people worldwide next year.

It was the highest amount ever promised to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) at its annual pledging conference.

But it was still only about 11 percent of the total funding of the more than $7.5 billion it needs for 2018, the agency said in a statement.

That money provides aid that can often be life-saving for people displaced worldwide, including in brutal conflicts like the ones raging in Syria, Yemen, and South Sudan.

While acknowledging that the pledges fell far short of the needs, the UNHCR said they were well above last year's December pledges of just over $700 million.

It said this could indicate that countries would continue being more generous throughout 2018, narrowing the funding gap.

That would be a good thing, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said in the statement, adding that as "refugee crises grow, refugee needs grow as well."

He noted that the agency's work is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental institutions, companies, foundations and individuals.

Large funding gaps, he said, "means that UNHCR has to prioritise, sometimes mercilessly."

"This can mean some will be left to fend for themselves during the harsh winter months and others won't get the assistance they need to reintegrate upon return."
Yemeni Huthi rebel fighters march during a rally celebrating the death of Yemeni ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh a day after he was killed, in the capital Sanaa on December 5, 2017

The UN Security Council called Tuesday on all sides in war-torn Yemen to "de-escalate" and return to talks as the conflict there took an ominous turn with the killing of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

"The members of the Security Council call all sides to de-escalate and to recommit and re-engage without preconditions in the UN-led political process to achieve a durable ceasefire," Japanese ambassador Koro Bessho, the council's president, said after a closed-door meeting on the situation.

Bessho said the 15-member council was deeply concerned about the sharp escalation in violence as well as "the dire and deteriorating" humanitarian situation in Yemen.

"Yemen stands on the brink of a catastrophic famine," he said.

At the same time, he said the Security Council members "strongly condemn" missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Huthi forces have fired at least two ballistic missiles over the past month at Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition against the Iranian-backed rebels.

On Monday, Huthis killed Saleh, a former ally, and moved to consolidate their grip on Sanaa Tuesday after a night of heavy air strikes.

At least 234 people have been killed and 400 wounded in five days of heavy fighting in the Yemen capital, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Five days after being sworn in as president, on January 25 Donald Trump signs an order to build a huge wall along the US-Mexico border, keeping with his campaign vow to halt illegal immigration into the country

US arrests of illegal immigrants soared in the first year of president Donald Trump's administration while border crossings have plummeted, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday.

Announcing the success of one of Trump's key campaign promises to slow the flow of people sneaking into the country from Central America, DHS said there was still a need to build a wall on the border with Mexico even if crossings had fallen to a record low.

"We have clearly seen the successful results of the president's commitment to supporting the frontline officers and agents of DHS as they enforce the law and secure our borders," said acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke.

"We have an obligation to uphold the integrity of our immigration system, but we must do more to step up and close loopholes to protect the American worker, our economy, and our communities."

- Surge in arrests -

In the fiscal year to September 30, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), one of two key DHS immigration enforcement agencies, arrested 143,470 people it said were in the country illegally, 30 percent more than the previous year.

Counting just from January when Trump became president, ICE said, arrests surged by 40 percent.

The focus has been on criminal aliens, it said, though immigration rights groups have accused them of rounding up longtime residents with families and jobs on minor infractions and sending them for deportation, and of rounding up immigrants in places where they should be safe.

ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan rejected those accusations.

"We are often accused of indiscriminate raids or sweeps, arresting people at churches and hospitals," he said.

No caption

"We conduct target enforcement operations, we know exactly who we are going to arrest and where," he said.

He criticized the numerous cities that have declared themselves "sanctuaries" to protect from arrest longstanding residents without immigration documents, an issue which has become a major challenge for the Trump administration.

Homan said those cities make it harder for ICE to arrest hardened criminals.

"We need to hold sanctuary jurisdictions accountable for putting innocent lives at risk by shielding criminal illegals from law enforcement," he said.

Data from ICE, though, suggested that processes to deport arrested illegal immigrants have become even more backed up than before, despite Trump's orders to increase the number of courts and judges handling such cases.

Despite the surge in arrests, ICE said removals fell about six percent in the fiscal year to 226,119.

-Border wall still planned -

Customs and Border Protection, the other key agency, which patrols the border, said it had apprehended 310,531 people trying to sneak in, nearly all along the southern border.

Prototypes of US President Donald Trump's proposed wall to keep out illegal immigrants stand near the US-Mexico border in San Diego, California

That apprehensions figure, which is seen as an indicator of how many people overall are getting into the United States illegally, fell from the previous year to the lowest level on record, the CBP said.

That suggests significant success in cracking down on border crossers, they said.

However, CPB said there had been a slight month-to-month pickup in the amount of people it has caught since May, underscoring the need to boost surveillance and detection. Under Trump, CBP staff numbers have risen by 1,477, or 14 percent.

CBP Acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitiello said that the agency was now studying prototypes for the wall Trump has ordered for the nearly 2,000-mile (3,200 kilometer) border with Mexico.

"The wall is part of a larger enforcement security system," he said, which will also include movement sensors, lighting, radar, and fixed and mobile towers.

CBP is also evaluating the use of drone aircraft to keep hard-to-access parts of the border under watch.
The World Bank said its loan will support "home-grown inclusive reforms" aimed at shoring up the economy and creating jobs in Egypt

The World Bank on Tuesday approved the latest loan for Egypt of just over $1 billion to support the country's economic reform program and reduce poverty.

The loan is the last in a three-part package worth a total of $3.15 billion that started in 2015, the World Bank said in a statement.

The loan will support "home-grown inclusive reforms" aimed at shoring up the economy and creating jobs, the bank said.

"We are privileged to support the country on its path to achieving its full potential and improving living standards for all Egyptians," senior World Bank official Asad Alam said.

The African Development Bank is providing parallel financing of $500 million and Britain added $150 million.

The International Monetary Fund last month reached an agreement with authorities in Cairo to release the third $2 billion tranche of a $12 billion loan package agreed in November 2016, and the IMF board is expected to approve the release of the funds by the end of the year.

Since the 2011 revolt against Hosni Mubarak, the Arab world's most populous country has seen a sharp decline in tourism revenue and reduced foreign investment, caused by political instability and security issues.

To obtain the IMF lifeline, Cairo undertook drastic reforms, adopting value added tax, cutting public energy subsidies and in November floated the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound.

The World Bank praised the country as a model on how to maximize finance for development, including "mobilizing $17 billion of private investment in the energy sector."

The bank focuses on projects to help Egypt reduce poverty, including social safety nets, transport, rural water and sanitation, agriculture and irrigation, housing, health care, and financing for micro and small enterprises. It currently has a portfolio of 19 projects in the country with a total commitment of $7.8 billion.

The country's International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr welcomed the World Bank announcement of support for the "transformational economic reform agenda."

"Egypt's program to help improve its attractiveness for private investment, creating jobs especially for youth and women," Nasr said in the statement.
Huthi rebel fighters inspect the damage after a reported air strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition targeted the presidential palace in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on December 5, 2017

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday appealed for "bold measures" to provide life-saving care to civilians in Yemen after an "unprecedented" escalation of fighting in recent days.

More than 230 people have been killed and at least 400 wounded in nearly a week of fighting in the Yemeni capital, now under the control of Huthi rebels.

"Over the past days Sanaa, the capital, has witnessed the fiercest fighting since the beginning of the conflict in March 2015," the ICRC's regional head of operations, Robert Mardini, told AFP.

Heavy bombardment on Sanaa kept civilians trapped inside their homes and hit an ICRC warehouse storing medical supplies to be delivered to three of the city's strapped hospitals.

The ICRC was subsequently unable to deliver surgical kits to facilities struggling to deal with a "massive influx" of war-wounded.

"You can imagine hospitals of Sanaa that are lacking fuel to run generators and lacking medicine are in dire need of our support," Mardini said.

"It shows that the suffering of the Yemeni people has unfortunately no end in sight."

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with seven million people on the brink of famine and a cholera outbreak that has caused more than 2,000 deaths.

The country's health system has collapsed, and the UN on Tuesday urged a "humanitarian pause" in the fighting to allow aid to reach desperate civilians.

- Yemen 'drip-fed' for years -

A malnourished Yemeni child receives treatment at a hospital in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah on December 3, 2017

But Mardini said Yemen needed more than just a temporary fix.

"This country has been drip-fed now for two years. It needs intensive care. It's not just about a couple of ships in Hodeida or a couple trucks crossing from Saudi Arabia," he said.

"Statistics always hide the tragedy of individual stories, but today there is no single Yemeni who has not suffered this conflict. The time has come now to stop this, to take bold measures."

The Saudi kingdom imposed a blockade on Yemen's ports after a Huthi missile was intercepted near Riyadh airport on November 4.

The blockade has been eased only partially, despite repeated calls from the UN.

"Unfortunately, humanitarian aid is being politicised and used as a bargaining chip, which is of course unacceptable, illegal, and immoral," Mardini told AFP.

On Monday, Huthi rebels killed former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh as he fled the capital following the collapse their uneasy alliance.

After his death, Saudi-led warplanes pounded the capital as the rebels moved to consolidate their control over the city Tuesday.

The heavy bombardment had terrified civilians in Sanaa, according to Mardini.

"Close to our office, there have been every day since the beginning of the conflict, children playing and cheering.

"That was the first time (ICRC staff) didn't hear anything," he said, adding his colleagues had not slept in five days.

"There was a deafening silence between the mortar shells. That was a very eerie sense of how war can break habits and normal life."
A bump stock installed on an AR-15 rifle at Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly, Virgina

The US Justice Department announced Tuesday that it is reviewing the legality of "bump stocks," two months after a man shot down 58 concert-goers from a Las Vegas hotel window using the devices.

The Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- which regulates firearms but not gun accessories -- will determine whether the devices, which make a semi-automatic weapon perform like an automatic weapon, are illegal.

"Possessing firearm parts that are used exclusively in converting a weapon into a machine gun is illegal, except for certain limited circumstances," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

"Today we begin the process of determining whether or not bump stocks are covered by this prohibition."

Bump stocks were little-known outside the firearms community until October 1, when Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old real estate investor and gambler, opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, killing 58 and wounding scores more at a country music concert below.

Paddock, whose motive remains a mystery, had equipped 12 of his AR-15-style assault rifles with bump stocks. Using the spring effect of the stock against the shooter's shoulder, the devices allow a person to fire at a rate of hundreds of rounds a minute, nearly the pace of a machine gun.

Automatic weapons are illegal in the United States. But bump stocks are not regulated because they are seen as accessories to guns rather than functional parts under ATF regulations.

Sessions said the department and ATF had to go through a formal rule-making process that allows comment from the public and the firearms industry.

"ATF and the Department will proceed in accordance with this process as quickly as possible," they said in a statement.

After the Las Vegas shooting, many members of Congress called for a ban on the devices, and Senator Dianne Feinstein submitted a bill to ban assault rifles and bump stocks.

The powerful National Rifle Association lobby had called for an ATF review but said they opposed legislation for a ban.
The Pentagon now sees an open-ended troop commitment in Syria

The US military plans on staying in Syria as long as necessary to ensure the Islamic State group does not return, a Pentagon official told AFP on Tuesday, as the fight against the jihadists winds down.

"We are going to maintain our commitment on the ground as long as we need to -- to support our partners and prevent the return of terrorist groups," Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said.

The United States currently has approximately 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria, where they have been helping train and advise Kurdish and Arab partner forces in the fight against IS.

Now that the jihadists have been cleared from all but a few pockets of territory, the United States is assessing its future presence in the civil war-torn nation.

Pahon said the US troop commitment would be "conditions-based," meaning no timeline will determine any pull out.

"To ensure an enduring defeat of ISIS, the coalition must ensure it cannot regenerate, reclaim lost ground or plot external attacks," he said.

"The United States will sustain a 'conditions-based' military presence in Syria to combat the threat of a terrorist-led insurgency, prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and to stabilize liberated areas."

Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests, but quickly spiraled into a bitter and complex civil war, with IS just one element in a shifting matrix of players.

The US military, along with other nations in a US-led coalition, began bombing IS in late 2014 but until now has largely declined to address what its role in the tangled conflict might be after the jihadists are beaten.

"We are going to be in Syria for some time yet. I don't want to say that's 10 years, I also don't want to say it's not," Pahon said.

"What people should not expect is that we are going to see the last ISIS guy die and then we are going to abandon our partners."

The military's "conditions-based" phrase to define troop commitments is in part a reaction to the administration of Barack Obama, which insisted on a calendar-based withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

The move bitterly angered US commanders, who saw it as giving the Taliban a countdown on when they could resume operations in earnest.

- Russia and Iran -

The open-ended US commitment in Syria will likely rile Russia, which since late 2015 has conducted a separate military campaign to prop up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin embraces his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad during a meeting in Sochi last month

Unlike Russia, the United States is not in Syria at the request or approval of the Damascus government.

Washington has cited Article 51 of a UN charter allowing for self-defense of partner forces as legal justification for its military engagement, and that will remain the case going forward.

Russia has claimed its presence is primarily to thwart jihadist groups but the Pentagon says only a tiny portion of Russian strikes have targeted IS.

Moscow doesn't "appear to have a plan on how to bring a meaningful conclusion to the civil war that addresses the fundamental problems that led to the rise of ISIS, nor do they appear to be serious about the withdrawal of Iranian-backed militias," Pahon said.

Still, successive US administrations have themselves been criticized for failing to articulate a coherent plan for Syria, and the elapsed time has seen Russian and Iranian influence bloom.

Pahon stressed the US would maintain its support for the Kurdish-Arab alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that have done most of the ground fighting against IS and which Sunday on announced the end of operations against IS.

America's support to the SDF has infuriated NATO ally Turkey, which sees the Kurdish component as "terrorists."

"Operating under recognized international authorities, the US military will continue to support local partner forces in Syria to stabilize liberated territory," Pahon said.

These efforts will include restoration of essential services, de-mining and removal of explosive materials, as well as facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid.

"This will also set the conditions for internally displaced people and refugees to safely return," Pahon added.

More than 340,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the Syrian war, and millions have been displaced.

UN-backed peace talks are ongoing in Geneva, and Pahon said the US continues to support these as the "only path to a legitimate political resolution to the conflict."
A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit at Bayan palace in Kuwait City on December 5, 2017

The Gulf Cooperation Council wrapped up an annual summit Tuesday without discussing the Qatar crisis, the worst in the bloc's history, but they did blast Yemen's Huthi rebels and Iran.

The six-nation regional alliance affirmed in a joint declaration the importance of preserving the GCC's existence which was threatened by a bitter dispute between its members.

"The holding of the summit amid these delicate situations proves the faith and conviction of GCC leaders in this organisation," Kuwait Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah told a concluding news conference.

The summit was shortened to one day from the original two and saw the absence of the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which along with Egypt severed political and economic ties with Qatar six months ago.

"We appreciate the level of representation of any country and highly evaluate that the six member states have participated in the summit," the Kuwaiti minister said.

When asked if the summit discussed the dispute, GCC secretary-general Abdullatif al-Zayyani said: "This meeting was to reaffirm the solidarity within the GCC states and their joint work."

In their declaration, the Gulf states called for faster integration of programmes like the common market and the customs union to achieve complete economic unity by 2025.

They affirmed "the important role of the GCC, its cohesion and unity among members" and reiterated their resolve to fight terrorism and extremism.

The GCC members strongly condemned Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels for killing former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

They called for unity of all Yemeni groups and parties, including the party of Saleh, to "get rid of the Huthi militias which are following and being backed by Iran."

The GCC condemned "all terrorist actions carried out by Iran and its continued interference in the internal affairs and Arab countries," the statement said.

It said GCC leaders were committed to work with the administration of US President Donald Trump in confronting terrorism and Iran's expansionist policies in the region.

They selected Oman to host the next summit.
Bloomberg News and the German business daily Handelsblatt first reported that Deutsche Bank had been subpoenaed for documents related to its business dealings with President Donald Trump

The White House on Tuesday denied that President Donald Trump's financial records had been subpoenaed from Deutsche Bank by the special prosecutor examining allegations of Russian election meddling.

A source close to the matter said to AFP that Germany's biggest bank had received a subpoena for documents related to its business dealings with the US president, after Bloomberg News and the German business daily Handelsblatt first reported a summons by special counsel Robert Mueller.

However, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders rejected reports of a subpoena for Trump-related financial records as "completely false," as did Trump's personal attorney Jay Sekulow.

"We have confirmed that the news reports that the special counsel had subpoenaed financial records relating to the president are false," Sekulow said in a statement.

"No subpoena has been issued or received. We have confirmed this with the bank and other sources."

Bloomberg News and Handelsblatt reported earlier Tuesday that Mueller had subpoenaed the German lender to hand over financial information about Trump and members of his family.

Handelsblatt reported that the subpoena arrived "a few weeks ago," and that the most important files relevant to the request have already been sent to Mueller's team.

Investigators were looking for "information about specific financial and credit transactions with the Trump family," Handelsblatt reported.

After the White House denial, a source familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, reiterated to AFP that Deutsche Bank had received the request several weeks ago.

A spokeswoman for the German bank declined to comment on the reports when contacted by AFP, saying only that "Deutsche Bank takes its legal obligations seriously and remains committed to cooperating with authorized investigations into this matter."

Trump has a history of dealings with Deutsche Bank during his career as a New York property mogul, and his businesses owed it around $300 million in July 2016, according to a Bloomberg analysis.

The president's wife Melania, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner are all customers of Deutsche Bank's wealth management arm, according to Handelsblatt.

The news came days after Mueller unveiled his fourth indictment in the sprawling Russia probe, which is examining possible collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and what US intelligence believes was an effort by Moscow to tilt the election in his favor.

One key indictment has been of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was accused of laundering $75 million in relation to work he did for the former Moscow-backed Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych.

On Friday Mueller charged Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn with lying to investigators about his contacts with Russian officials.

Flynn pleaded guilty to the charge in a deal under which he agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation.
US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce, pictured, called a Palestinian policy of awarding payments to the families of convicted terrorists was a "perverse pay-to-slay system"

US lawmakers voted Tuesday to withhold aid to the Palestinian Authority if it does not stop the controversial practice of so-called martyr payments to families of Palestinians convicted of terrorist attacks.

The House of Representatives passed the legislation by a unanimous voice vote.

The bill would have to clear the US Senate and be signed by President Donald Trump in order to become law. But it highlights the outrage in Congress towards the Palestinian Authority's continued use of payments to convicted attackers' relatives, and to the attackers themselves while they are in prison.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has called for an end to the payments, which total several million dollars annually.

Republican and Democratic US lawmakers alike have warned that the payments incentivize violence and serve as a sticking point in the Middle East peace process.

"The Palestinian Authority should be forced to choose between its despicable practice of paying terrorists' salaries and receiving foreign aid funded by the American taxpayer," House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement after the vote.

The Taylor Force Act is named after a US military veteran and graduate student, age 28, who was killed in a 2016 attack while he was visiting Israel. The attacker, a Palestinian, was killed by police.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce called the Palestinian policy a "perverse pay-to-slay system."

"The Palestinian Authority gives salaries to Palestinians who attack innocent people like Taylor. If the attacker dies, their family is compensated," he said.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in June that the Palestinians were preparing to end the payments, but they remain in place.

The House vote came at a crucial juncture. Trump told Arab leaders on Tuesday that he will likely order a move of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

The announcement could come as early as Wednesday, when Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech on the issue.

Such a move could trigger widespread protests and unrest, and imperil the president's efforts at crafting a viable Middle East peace plan.

According to the State Department, US aid to the West Bank and Gaza is set for about $251 million in 2018.
A waterlogged camp for internally-displaced people in northeastern Nigeria, one of three places where the numbers have soared due to worsening conflict

Conflicts, violence and disaster across Africa forced some 15,000 people to flee their homes every day in the first half of the year, international monitors said Wednesday.

A total of 2.7 million Africans were internally displaced within their own countries in the first six months of 2017, a report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) found.

They join the estimated 12.6 million internally displaced people (IDPs) living in African countries at the end of 2016.

That number does not include those who have fled across borders to seek refuge, with UN figures showing there were more than 5.6 million refugees in Africa by end of last year.

Internal displacement has soared in a number of countries where conflicts have worsened, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and South Sudan Wednesday's report showed.

Nearly one million people were displaced inside DR Congo in the first half of the year -- more than the total for 2016.

And more than 200,000 people fled their homes in Central African Republic -- four times as many as a year earlier.

"Behind the numbers lie the blighted lives of people forced to leave their homes, often at a moment's notice and in the most traumatic of circumstances," said the two organisations.

- 'A worsening situation' -

Internal displacement has also soared in Democratic Republic of Congo due to a wave of bloodshed in the central Kasai region

People who flee inside their own country often receive "little protection and assistance from their governments," it said.

And in poor countries and places with weak governance, most IDPs "live in conditions of extreme vulnerability, and are often at risk of further upheaval and long-term impoverishment."

The report said conflict and violence spurred 75 percent of all new displacement across Africa, up from 70 percent in the same period a year earlier.

"This dire and clearly worsening situation demands a new approach that goes beyond humanitarian action to address the causes and long-term implications of internal displacement," IDMC chief Alexandra Bilak said in the statement.

Reversing this trend would require "early action on conflict prevention and peace-building, and overall economic and political development," she said.

And reducing risk could also help slash the number of people displaced by natural disasters.

"Effective risk reduction measures help to reduce the impact of disasters, the number of people they displace and the length of time it takes them to rebuild their lives," it said.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Hundreds of aircraft including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched a massive combined air force exercise. The war games come a week after North Korea test-fired its most powerful missile ever, an ICBM that may be able to target the eastern seaboard of the United States.

The five-day drill, which is called Vigilant Ace, is meant to improve the allies' wartime capabilities and preparedness, South Korea's defense ministry said.

The U.S. Seventh Air Force sent major strategic military assets, including an unusually large number of the latest generations of stealth fighter jets, for the annual training in the Korean Peninsula. They include six F-22 and 18 F-35 stealth fighter jets. About 12,000 U.S. military personnel are participating. In total, 230 aircraft will be flying at eight U.S. and South Korean military installations in the South.

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER JOINT EXERCISE - A U.S. Air Force U-2s spy plane prepares to land at the Osan U.S. Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched their combined air force exercise. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

An official at the South Korean Defense Ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of office rules, corrected his earlier statement that the exercise was the biggest ever.

Some local media report that B-1B bombers will also join aerial drills, but officials did not confirm their participation.

The training, held each year in late fall, is not in response to any incident or provocation, the Seventh Air Force said in a statement.

North Korea's state media said the drill pushes the Korean Peninsula "to the brink of nuclear war." Such language is typical in North Korean propaganda because the country claims U.S.-South Korean drills are preparation for invasion.

Still, always bad tensions are at a particularly dangerous point as North Korea edges toward its goal of a viable arsenal of nuclear-tipped long-range missiles, and as President Donald Trump ramps up his rhetoric toward the North, threatening, for instance, to unleash "fire and fury" against the country.

Pyongyang will "seriously consider" countermeasures against the drill, and the U.S. and South Korea will "pay dearly for their provocations," the Korean Central News Agency said on Sunday before the start of the exercises.

While many South Koreans typically ignore North Korea's rhetoric, some senior American officials have expressed worry following the ICBM test, North Korea's third.

On Sunday, Lindsey Graham, a Republican U.S. senator from the state of South Carolina, said he believes that it's time for U.S. military families in South Korea to leave the country because conflict with North Korea is getting close. The U.S. government has not announced a formal decision to evacuate U.S. citizens from South Korea, and there were no such signs in the diplomatic community in Seoul. An evacuation of dependents by Seoul's closest ally and major military defender could prompt a panicked reaction by other countries, and among South Koreans.

In addition to American diplomats and other embassy workers, about 28,500 U.S. troops operate in South Korea, and many come to their posts with their families, who often live on huge, well-guarded military bases.

Also on Sunday, the White House national security adviser said that Trump will take care of North Korean threats by "doing more ourselves."

"The priorities that the president's given us to move as quickly as we can to resolve this crisis with North Korea," General H.R. McMaster told Fox News in an interview.

"If necessary, the president and the United States will have to take care of it, because he has said he's not going to allow this murderous, rogue regime to threaten the United States."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Monday that war on the Korean Peninsula "would be catastrophic and it would have global consequences."

He said the 29-country military alliance "is strong, and united, and NATO is able to respond to any attack, including ballistic and nuclear attacks."

Stoltenberg added that NATO "will continue to put maximum pressure on North Korea. We will continue to deliver credible deterrence and ... work with our partners in the region."

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This story was corrected to reflect South Korea's defense ministry retracting statement that this was the largest-ever joint air force exercise.

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER EXERCISE - U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets prepare to take off at the Osan U.S. Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched their combined air force exercise. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER JOINT EXERCISE - A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor takes off from a South Korean air base in Gwangju, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. The United States and South Korea have started their joint air force exercise with hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets. (Yonhap via AP)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER JOINT EXERCISE - U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors taxi on the runway upon landing at a South Korean air base in Gwangju, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. The United States and South Korea have started their joint air force exercise with hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets. (Yonhap via AP)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER JOINT EXERCISE - A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor takes off from a South Korean air base in Gwangju, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. The United States and South Korea have started their joint air force exercise with hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets. (Yonhap via AP)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER JOINT EXERCISE - A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor takes off from a South Korean air base in Gwangju, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. The United States and South Korea have started their joint air force exercise with hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets. (Yonhap via AP)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER EXERCISE - In this photo provided by U.S. Air Force, a U.S. Air Force F-22, deployed from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, takes off at Gwangju Airbase, South Korea, during exercise VIGILANT ACE 18, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Hundreds of aircraft including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched their combined air force exercise. (Senior Airman Jessica Smith/U.S. Air Force photo via AP)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER JOINT EXERCISE - In this photo provided by U.S. Air Force, a U.S. Air Force F-15, deployed from Kadena Air Base, Japan, takes off at Gwangju Airbase, South Korea, during the exercise VIGILANT ACE 18, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. South Korea. Hundreds of aircraft including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched their combined air force exercise. (Senior Airman Jessica Smith/US Air Force via AP)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER EXERCISE - In this Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017, photo provided by U.S. Air Force, a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon, right, and F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron Hill Air Force Base, Utah, taxi toward the end of the runway during the exercise VIGILANT ACE 18 at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. Hundreds of aircraft including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, as the United States and South Korea launched their combined air force exercise. (Senior Airman Colby L. Hardin/U.S. Air Force photo via AP)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER EXERCISE - South Korean protesters shout slogans during a rally against the joint South Korea-US Air-force exercises, near the US embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched their combined air force exercise. The banners read " We oppose the joint South Korea-US Air-force exercises." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER EXERCISE - U.S. Air Force EA-18G Growler fighter jets fly over the Osan U.S. Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched their combined air force exercise. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER EXERCISE - U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets fly over the Osan U.S. Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched their combined air force exercise. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greek police say they have arrested a Serbo-Croatian man suspected of being involved in an international smuggling ring importing drugs from Latin America to Europe, after seizing 136 kilograms (300 pounds) of cocaine from the Athens apartment he was living in.

Police said Monday the 33-year-old man, who wasn't named, was arrested Saturday and charged with felony drug offenses, while authorities were also seeking a 35-year-old Serb man believed to be an accomplice. Police estimated the drug ring's profits were more than 15 million euros based on the quantity of drugs seized and the amount already trafficked.

The drugs were seized during a raid on a luxury apartment in the southern seaside suburbs of Athens.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The Latest on tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs (all times local):

9 p.m.

NATO's chief is warning that war on the Korean Peninsula would be catastrophic and says the military alliance has the means to respond to missile and nuclear strikes if they are launched.

CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE TO BIGGEST-EVER JOINT EXERCISE - U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors taxi on the runway upon landing at a South Korean air base in Gwangju, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. The United States and South Korea have started their joint air force exercise with hundreds of aircrafts including two dozen stealth jets. (Yonhap via AP)

North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile last week that some observers say would be able to strike the United States.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that "war in that region would be catastrophic and it would have global consequences."

He said the 29-country alliance "is strong, and united, and NATO is able to respond to any attack, including ballistic and nuclear attacks."

Stoltenberg added that NATO "will continue to put maximum pressure on North Korea. We will continue to deliver credible deterrence and ... work with our partners in the region."

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11 a.m.

Hundreds of aircraft including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched a massive combined air force exercise. The war games come a week after North Korea test-fired its most powerful missile ever, an ICBM that may be able to target the eastern seaboard of the United States.

The five-day drill, which is called Vigilant Ace, is meant to improve the allies' wartime capabilities and preparedness, South Korea's defense ministry said.

The U.S. Seventh Air Force sent major strategic military assets, including an unusually large number of the latest generations of stealth fighter jets, for the annual training in the Korean Peninsula. In total, 230 aircraft will be flying at eight U.S. and South Korean military installations in the South.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):

9:10 a.m.

The Kremlin says a conversation between President Donald Trump's former national security adviser and the Russian ambassador to the United States did not influence Russian President Vladimir Putin's response to sanctions imposed by Trump's predecessor.

President Donald Trump gestures as he walks towards Air Force One at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017. Trump spent the day in New York attending a trio of fundraisers. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about reaching out to Russian officials.

Prosecutors say Flynn in December 2017 asked Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kislyak, "not escalate the situation" after the outgoing Obama administration imposed sanctions on Russia in retaliation for suspected election interference. Just days later, Putin opted not to retaliate.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday it was "absurd" to suggest that the phone conversation could have influenced Putin's decision and added that "such requests could not have been passed on" to the president.

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8:50 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he feels "very badly" for his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who last week pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

The president says it's "very unfair" how Flynn has been treated, adding that "it's like they ruined his life."

Trump tried to contrast Flynn's treatment with that of his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton, whom he says "lied many times to the FBI and nothing happened."

Trump spoke to reporters on Monday as he departed the White House to head to Utah. Trump fired Flynn for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russia.

Flynn left the White House in February after acknowledging that he had given an incomplete account to Pence about his contacts regarding Russia. He pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about reaching out to the Russians on Trump's behalf. He is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

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1:14 a.m.

President Donald Trump fired off a series of weekend tweets taking aim at targets old and new.

He criticized the FBI and raised questions about the special prosecutor's investigation into Russian election meddling and possible ties to his campaign.

The Twitter storm containing more than a dozen tweets Saturday and Sunday came after Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. In one his messages, Trump again denied that he directed FBI Director James Comey to stop investigating Flynn.

Trump also questioned the FBI's direction and wrote that after Comey, whom he fired in May, the FBI's reputation is "in Tatters - worst in History!"

The president also retweeted a post saying new FBI Director Chris Wray "needs to clean house."
MOSCOW (AP) - Russian lawmakers have drafted new regulations that would bar U.S. media named foreign agents from accessing the parliament's lower house in retaliation for the withdrawal of a Russian state-funded television station's credentials in the U.S.

The State Duma's procedural committee proposed Monday that the house vote on the measure Wednesday.

Foreign correspondents in Russia can currently access the parliament and some government agencies using press credentials issued by the Foreign Ministry.

A committee governing Capitol Hill access for broadcast journalists has withdrawn credentials for Russia's state-funded RT television after it complied with a U.S. demand that it register as a foreign agent.

Russia has denounced the move as a violation of media freedom and passed a new law allowing the government to designate any international media outlet as foreign agents.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - A former California state lawmaker was charged with providing a gun to his wife so she could kill herself last year.

Former Assemblyman Steve Clute was charged Thursday in Riverside County Superior Court with a felony count of aiding the suicide of his wife of about 40 years.

Pamela Clute, 66, a well-liked math professor and administrator at the University of California, Riverside, was found dead in the couple's Palm Desert home in August 2016. About 500 people attended a campus memorial service for her.

This undated photo shows Steve Clute. The former California state lawmaker has been charged with providing a gun to his wife so she could kill herself last year. Steve Clute, 69, is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, in Riverside County Superior Court.(Dan Bernstein/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

Steve Clute, 69, a former Navy pilot who served as a Democrat in the state Assembly from 1982 to 1992, allegedly gave her the handgun she used to take her life, John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside district attorney, said Monday.

Defense lawyer Virginia Blumenthal said Clute would plead not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday. She said it was premature to discuss his defense, but noted he was not present "at the time gun went off."

Clute is devastated by the criminal charge that comes after more than a year of grieving.

"You have to understand that everyone around here knows how much in love he was with her," said Blumenthal, who was friends with the couple for four decades. "They were always together. They were very much in love with each other."

Pamela Clute had been suffering from agonizing back problems and medical treatment had failed to relieve pain that shot down her legs, Blumenthal said.

While California's assisted suicide law went into effect a couple months before Clute's death, the law only applies to terminally ill patients who are prescribed life-ending drugs by a physician. Clute wasn't terminally ill.

Blumenthal, who has practiced law for more than 40 years, said it was the first case of its kind she was aware of in Riverside County.

Hall said he wasn't immediately aware of whether the charge was unusual.

This May 7, 2002, photo shows Pamela Clute at UCR in Riverside, Calif. A former California state lawmaker has been charged with providing a gun to his wife, Pamela Clute, so she could kill herself last year. Steve Clute is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, in Riverside County Superior Court. (Silvia Flores/The Press-Enterprise via AP)
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) - A museum that was blocked from selling 40 works of art, including two by Norman Rockwell, is urging an appeals court to let the case quickly proceed to trial.

The Berkshire Museum told the Massachusetts Appeals Court on Monday that it is struggling financially and needs the fight over the art sale to be resolved as quickly as possible.

The museum is asking the appeals court to undo a hold on the proceedings in the trial court.

The museum was set to begin auctioning off the artwork last month, but an appeals court judge granted Attorney General Maura Healey's request to halt the scheduled sale.

Rockwell's three sons are among those fighting the sale. They say the artwork should remain at the museum "for all to enjoy."
DETROIT (AP) - The Latest on sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. John Conyers (all times local):

6:55 p.m.

An attorney for U.S. Rep. John Conyers says an announcement on the congressman's future amid sexual harassment allegations will be made on a Detroit radio talk show.

FILE -- In this file photo from Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., flanked by other top Democrats, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the top Democrat in the House, said today, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, that Conyers should resign, saying the accusations are "very credible." (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

Arnold Reed says Conyers is expected to speak on the show Tuesday morning and will discuss whether he plans to remain in the House or step down.

A number of Conyers' colleagues in the House have called for the 88-year-old Detroit Democrat to step down following allegations of harassment and inappropriate touching by several women who once worked for him. The House Ethics Committee is investigating.

Reed has said Conyers denies the allegations and would fight the claims made by at least three former employees.

The attorney for one of the women has said her client could testify later this week before the ethics committee.

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6:50 p.m.

An attorney representing U.S. Rep. John Conyers says an announcement is forthcoming on a Detroit radio talk show as the congressman deals with allegations of sexual harassment by former staff members.

Arnold Reed tweeted Monday afternoon that he has concluded his "talks with Congressman Conyers" and that the announcement will be made Tuesday morning.

The Michigan Chapter of the National Action Network civil rights group also says it will hold a news conference about the allegations outside Conyers' Detroit home following Reed's announcement.

A number of Conyers' colleagues in the House have called for the 88-year-old Detroit Democrat to step down following allegations of harassment and inappropriate touching by several women who once worked for him. The House Ethics Committee is investigating.

Reed has said Conyers denies the allegations.

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11:50 a.m.

Prominent clergy, Detroit elected leaders and community activists are calling for due process in support of U.S. Rep. John Conyers who faces allegations of sexual harassment from several women who once worked for him.

Detroit NAACP President the Rev. Wendell Anthony, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans and county Clerk Cathy Garrett were among dozens of people attending Monday's rally at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Northwest Detroit.

A number of Conyers' colleagues in the House have called for the 88-year-old Detroit Democrat to step down following allegations of harassment and inappropriate touching. Wayne County Commissioner Martha Scott and others urged Conyers not to resign.

The House Ethics Committee is investigating.

Attorney Arnold Reed said last week that Conyers was hospitalized after feeling lightheaded. Reed says Conyers denies the allegations.

FILE -- In this file photo from Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., attends a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the top Democrat in the House, said today, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, that Conyers should resign, saying the accusations are "very credible.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

FILE -- In this file photo from Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., attends a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the top Democrat in the House, said today, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, that Conyers should resign, saying the accusations are "very credible." (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Tuesday:

1. HIGH COURT RULES ON TRAVEL BAN

The Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to U.S. by residents of six mostly Muslim countries, though challenges to the policy continue to wind through the courts

Protesters yell at police officers as they are stopped from marching up State Street during President Donald Trump's announcement to eliminate vast portions of Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)

2. HOUSE, SENATE SEEK TO RECONCILE DUELING TAX BILLS

Significant differences over estate taxes, health care and mortgage deductions separate the massive tax packages passed by the House and Senate.

3. HOW TRUMP IS TRIMMING PUBLIC LANDS

The president signs a proclamation to scale back Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, triggering the threat of lawsuits from environmental and tribal groups.

4. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS, TRUMP SCHEDULE SUMMIT

The White House meeting set for Thursday aims to start settling budget disputes in hopes of averting a government shutdown that could start Friday.

5. WHAT CVS STANDS TO GAIN WITH $69B AETNA BID

The drugstore chain says the acquisition of the insurer will allow it to dive deeper into managing customer health care.

6. SECOND TIME'S THE CHARM FOR SILVERDOME DEMOLITION

A day after explosive charges misfired, a new attempt is successful at imploding the upper section of the old stadium once home to the Detroit Lions.

7. FORMER LONGTIME REP. JOHN ANDERSON DIES AT 95

The 10-time congressman from Ohio waged a presidential campaign as an independent in 1980.

8. FIRST FRENCH-BORN PANDA IS NAMED

The 4-month-old is now officially Yuan Meng, which means "the realization of a wish" or "accomplishment of a dream."

9. WHO'S SUING BILL O'REILLY

An ex-producer claims the former Fox News Channel host violated a confidentiality agreement related to a 2002 legal settlement.

10. HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PIZZA

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station make pizza pies from scratch, tossing and twirling them before heating and devouring them.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - As a candidate, Donald Trump called for congressional term limits. As president, he is encouraging 83-year-old Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch to extend his streak as the longest-serving Republican in Senate history.

Trump praised Hatch on Monday as "a true fighter" during a joint appearance in Utah, where the president signed proclamations scaling back two sprawling national monuments.

"We hope you will continue to serve your state and your country in the Senate for a very long time to come," the Republican president told Hatch, who is contemplating retirement as the end of his seventh term approaches.

President Donald Trump shakes Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, hand at the Utah State Capitol Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce plans to shrink two sprawling national monuments in Utah in a move that will delight the state's GOP politicians and many rural residents who see the lands as prime examples of federal overreach, but will enrage tribes and environmentalist groups who vow to immediately sue to preserve the monuments. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Trump's support may have less to do with Hatch, however, than with a secret desire to block Mitt Romney from serving in the Senate.

The president declined to publicly attack the 2012 GOP presidential nominee on Monday, saying only that "Mitt's a good man." But privately, Trump has signaled support for an effort to submarine Romney, who is considering running for Hatch's seat - but only if Hatch retires.

Trump has vowed to try to block Romney, whom he views as a potential thorn in his side in the Senate, according to a White House official and an outside adviser who have discussed the possible bid with the president.

Trump's push to stop Romney's prospective Senate bid puts him in line with former White House strategist, Steve Bannon, according to a person familiar with discussions between the president and the Breitbart News head who, like others interviewed, was not authorized to talk publicly about private conversations and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Bannon has publicly vowed to wage war on Republican senators deemed insufficiently pro-Trump in next year's midterm elections. Privately, he said he would prioritize stopping Romney, even if it meant backing Hatch, who entered the Senate in 1977.

Romney fiercely criticized Trump during last year's campaign and came to personify the "Never Trump" movement for a time.

Speaking in Utah last year, Romney aggressively warned against a Trump presidency.

"Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University," Romney said. He charged that Trump's domestic policies would lead to recession and his foreign policies would make the world more dangerous.

"He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president and his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill," Romney said.

Romney softened his opposition before the election, however, and was briefly considered to serve as Trump's secretary of state.

Hatch, who traveled to Utah on Monday aboard Air Force One, said as he disembarked at the end of the day that Trump had been urging him to run. But he said he didn't make any promises to the president.

"We'll have to see," he told the AP.

"I've got a lot pressure to run and a lot of pressure not to ... from my wife," he said with a laugh.

Hatch spokesman Matthew Whitlock told the AP that "the senator appreciates the president's support and plans to make a decision on whether or not to run again by the end of the year."

Romney has not publicly addressed his interest in the Utah Senate seat and is not expected to do so before Hatch makes his decision.

His allies are frustrated by what they see as mixed messages about Hatch's intentions. They insist that Romney, who relocated to Utah after losing the 2012 presidential election, would consider running only if Hatch retires, according to two people close to Romney who were unauthorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Romney's team believed earlier in the year that Hatch would not seek another term. But suddenly backed by Trump, Hatch seems to be leaning in another direction.

Trump called Hatch "a very special man" Monday.

"I've gotten to know a lot of people very well," the president said in introductory remarks focused on Hatch during a Salt Lake City speech about national monuments. "You meet fighters and you meet people that you thought were fighters, but they're not so good at fighting. He's a fighter."

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Peoples reported from Birmingham, Alabama. Associated Press writer Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report from New York.

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Follow Peoples on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sppeoples and Lucey at http://twitter.com/catherine_lucey

President Donald Trump stands with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, left, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, center, after arriving at the Ronald R Wright National Air Guard Base in Salt Lake City on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. (Scott Sommerdorf/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on allegations of sexual misconduct against Assemblyman Matt Dababneh (all times local):

4 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman of California says he's surprised and saddened by a sexual misconduct claim against one of his former top staffers.

FILE - In this May 15, 2017 file photo, assemblyman Matt Dababneh, D-Encino speaks at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. Lobbyist Pamela Lopez alleges that Debabneh followed her into bar bathroom and performed a lewd act in front of her in 2016. Debabneh denies the accusation. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, a Los Angeles Democrat, worked in Sherman's district office until being elected to the Legislature in 2013.

Jessica Yas Barker, another former Sherman staffer, has accused Dababneh of making frequently sexually charged and inappropriate comments in the office. She made her allegations Monday after lobbyist Pamela Lopez accused Dababneh of following her into a bathroom and masturbating in front of her last year.

Sherman says Barker's allegations are the first he heard of inappropriate or disparaging behavior by Dababneh. He says such allegations never came up during Dababneh's campaigns.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, meanwhile, says Dababneh is temporarily stepping down from his committee chairmanship.

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2 p.m.

The California Assembly plans to investigate a sexual misconduct allegation against Los Angeles Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, who has denied any inappropriate behavior.

The Assembly will hire an outside law firm to investigate the claim by Sacramento lobbyist Pamela Lopez. She sent a letter to lawmakers Monday claiming the three-term Democrat followed her into a bathroom during a 2016 party in Las Vegas, blocked the doorway and began masturbating.

In a written statement, Dababneh denied the incident and said Lopez apparently is coming forward "for her own self-promotion." He said he looks forward to clearing his name.

Two other Democrats in the Legislature have been publicly accused of sexual misbehavior. Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra resigned last week, and Sen. Tony Mendoza denies wrongdoing.
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (AP) - Authorities say a pickup truck has hit a horse-drawn Amish buggy in Ohio, killing a woman riding in the buggy.

The State Highway Patrol's Chillicothe (chil-ih-KAHTH'-ee) post says 18-year-old Barbara Swarey died at the scene of the crash Sunday evening in Pike County. Lt. Tim Karwatske says a man pulling a trailer with his pickup hit the back of the buggy.

The patrol says 17-year-old Korie Swarey was driving the buggy and was critically injured in the crash. It doesn't know the relationship of the Swareys, residents of Waverly.

The crash happened the same night four people were injured when another Amish buggy collided with a vehicle in Fairfield County near the village of Amanda.

Both crashes are under investigation.
BOSTON (AP) - The state Senate elected an acting president after former President Stan Rosenberg changed course Monday and agreed to relinquish his leadership responsibilities amid sexual misconduct allegations involving his husband.

Rosenberg, a Democrat, originally had said he would recuse himself only from any matters related to the investigation of the allegations against his husband, Bryon Hefner.

Rosenberg informed senators just prior to a closed-door Democratic caucus that he would step aside temporarily, though he would remain in the Senate.

FILE - In this March 14, 2016 file photo, Massachusetts Senate President Stanley Rosenberg speaks during a signing ceremony for legislation aimed at reversing a deadly opioid addiction crisis at the Statehouse in Boston. Rosenberg on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, agreed to relinquish his responsibilities as Senate leader during an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations involving his husband (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

"I believe taking a leave of absence from the Senate Presidency during the investigation is in the best interest of the Senate," Rosenberg said in a statement. "I want to ensure that the investigation is fully independent and credible, and that anyone who wishes to come forward will feel confident that there will be no retaliation."

Following the nearly eight-hour Democratic caucus, the Senate voted to elect Democratic Majority Leader Harriette Chandler as acting Senate president.

Chandler will continue in the post through the course of an investigation into Rosenberg and his staff. Chandler said she is not interested in serving in the post after the investigation.

"I don't have to tell you how turbulent and tragic and surprising and very sad the last four days have been for all of us," Chandler said. "What's most important right now is that we move toward a swift and resolute conclusion to this whole sad event."

Chandler said the Senate admires the courage of those who came forward to tell their stories.

"No one who serves, works or does business in the Massachusetts Statehouse should feel unsafe, coerced or unsupported," she added.

Rosenberg, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, expressed shock over the allegations reported last week by The Boston Globe. He maintained that his husband had no influence over his policy decisions or actions by the Senate.

Several men told the Globe that Hefner sexually assaulted or harassed them, including three men who said Hefner grabbed their genitals. The men, who were not named by the Globe, said they did not report the abuse partly because they did not want to alienate the powerful Senate leader.

Attorney General Maura Healey and Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley, both Democrats, said Monday they were prepared to launch an investigation and said anyone with information should feel free to contact either of their offices.

The two said they are committed to providing every survivor of sexual assault "a safe, respectful, victim-centered environment."

Lawmakers also voted Monday to refer the case to the Senate Ethics Committee and authorize the committee to hire a special investigator to conduct an independent probe. The investigator would be given the authority to summon witnesses and have access to Rosenberg's office.

Chandler said lawmakers will review the Senate's sexual harassment policy and create an independent reporting entity for those who have been harassed.

The investigation will focus on whether Rosenberg knew about Hefner's behavior or if Hefner had any clout when it came to matters before the chamber. Rosenberg said Friday that Hefner would soon enter treatment for alcohol dependency.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, through a spokeswoman, called Rosenberg's decision to step down "the right one." Baker supports the decision of Healey and Conley to open the possibility of a criminal investigation.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren weighed in Monday, telling reporters "the charges against the Senate president's husband are disgusting and the people who have leveled these charges have a right to be heard and to be respected and protected."

The scenario that unfolded on Monday was without modern precedent in the Massachusetts Senate.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Hillary Clinton returned to New Hampshire for the first time since the 2016 election on Tuesday, basking in a warm welcome and brushing off a question about President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claim that rampant voter fraud led to her victory in the state.

About 1,000 people waited outside in light rain to meet the former Democratic presidential nominee and get a signed copy of her new book about her failed 2016 campaign, "What Happened."

"I love coming to New Hampshire, and I love the friends that I've made over 25 years now. So any chance I have to come back, I am anxious to take it," she said shortly after the signing got underway.

Hillary Clinton smiles during her book signing at Gibson's books store in Concord, N,H., Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. (Geoff Forester/The Concord Monitor via AP)

Clinton won New Hampshire's four electoral votes, though Trump insists he lost the state only because "thousands" of people came by bus to vote against him. He also has created a commission to investigate allegations - offered without evidence - that millions of people voted illegally nationwide in 2016.

Asked about those claims by the Republican president, Clinton demurred.

"Well, you can read my book and find out what I think about that," she said.

Karolyn Carpenter, 65, of Tilton, was more blunt.

"Oh, please. Any time he opens his mouth, it's a lie. Don't even get me started," she said.

Carpenter said she is a longtime Clinton fan but hadn't met her in person until Tuesday.

"I feel the same way she does: What happened?" she said. "I think Trump is destroying our country."

Geena Chiumento, 23, came from Boston to meet the first person she had ever voted for in a presidential election. She said she has been reading Clinton's book and enjoying learning more about her likes and dislikes.

"I think I just really appreciate how open and honest it is," she said.

She arrived several hours before the doors opened and ended up running to a nearby store to buy new socks to stay warm.

"It was worth it," she said. "I'll always remember these socks now."

Protesters across the street from the bookstore included supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton's main opponent in primary elections, and perennial candidate and performance artist Vermin Supreme, who went to court to get permission to bring a pony to the event.

Chris Balch of Wilton held a large banner thanking Sanders "for making Medicare 4 All household words." He said he wanted to remind voters that Clinton represents a corrupt system that rewards corporate greed.

"Bernie does not do that, so it's important to spread that word at every opportunity," he said. "Does it do any good? I don't know. I don't really know."

Later Tuesday, Clinton was honored with the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston's "Believe in Girls" award for working to improve the lives of women and girls.

Perennial candidate and performance artist Vermin Supreme talks with a fellow protester in front of Gibson's book store in Concord, N.H., where Hillary Clinton came to sign her latest book on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. (Geoff Forester/The Concord Monitor via AP)

Perennial candidate and performance artist Vermin Supreme talks with a fellow protester in front of Gibson's book store in Concord, N.H., where Hillary Clinton came to sign her latest book on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. (Geoff Forester/The Concord Monitor via AP)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a benefit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum at the Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a benefit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum at the Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a benefit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum at the Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a fundraising event for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Boston. Clinton was presented with the organization's Believe in Girls award during the event. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center, holds the Believe in Girls award during a fundraising event for the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Boston. Clinton was presented with the award during the event. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appears in silhouette as she applauds before taking the stage to speak during a fundraising event for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Boston. Clinton was presented with the organization's Believe in Girls award during the event. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a fundraising event for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Boston. Clinton was presented with the organization's Believe in Girls award during the event. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center, holds the Believe in Girls award during a fundraising event for the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Boston. Clinton was presented with the award during the event. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Heavy airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition rocked Yemen's capital on Tuesday, striking Sanaa's densely populated neighborhoods in apparent retaliation for the killing of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the Shiite rebels who control the city.

Residents reported heavy bombing, and a U.N. official said at least 25 airstrikes hit the capital over the past 24 hours. The Saudi-led coalition battling the rebels had thrown its support behind Saleh just hours before his death, as the longtime strongman's alliance with the rebels unraveled.

Saleh's body, which had appeared in a video by the militias with a gaping head wound, was taken to a rebel-controlled military hospital. A rebel leader, speaking to a mass rally in Sanaa, said Saleh's wounded sons had been hospitalized, without providing further details.

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

The gruesome images from the previous day sent shockwaves among Saleh's followers - a grisly end recalling that of his contemporary, Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, in 2011.

Saleh's son Salah said on Facebook Tuesday that he won't receive condolences for his father's death until "after avenging the blood" of the former leader. Salah also urged his father's followers to fight their former allies, the Shiite rebels known as Houthis.

Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit meanwhile denounced Saleh's "assassination" at the hands of "criminal militias," and warned of a further escalation of the war and Yemen's humanitarian crisis. A spokesman quoted Aboul-Gheit as saying the international community should label the Houthis a "terrorist" organization.

"All means should be tackled for the Yemeni people to get rid of this black nightmare," he said.

Iran, which supports the Houthis but denies arming them, welcomed Saleh's killing, saying it had put an end to a Saudi conspiracy. "He got what he deserved," Ali Akbar Velayati, an aide to Iran's supreme leader, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Saleh's slaying likely gives the rebels the upper hand in the clashes in Sanaa, which ended after his death, while also dashing the hopes of Yemen's Saudi-backed government that the former president's recent split with the Iranian-allied Houthis would have weakened them.

Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, a rebel leader, said Tuesday that "some sons" of Saleh have been hospitalized, without providing further details. Speaking before the large rally, al-Houthi said that Saleh was "deceived... we hadn't hoped for what happened."

The end of the alliance between the Houthis and Saleh might have tilted the three-year civil war in favor of Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Saudi-led coalition.

But with Saleh's forces seemingly in disarray, it was not immediately clear if the Saudi-led coalition would be able to turn the split to its advantage. Many Sanaa residents remained hunkered down in their homes, fearing the rebels and the Saudi airstrikes, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear for their safety.

Saleh ruled Yemen for more than three decades until an Arab Spring uprising forced him to step down in 2012. He later allied with the Houthi rebels hoping to exploit their strength to return to power. That helped propel Yemen into the ruinous civil war that has spread hunger and disease among its 28 million people.

Houthi officials said their fighters killed Saleh as he tried to flee the capital for his nearby hometown of Sanhan. The Houthis' top leader, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, said Saleh paid the price for his "treason," accusing him of betraying their alliance to side with the Saudi-led coalition.

The Houthis and Saleh's forces began fighting each other in Sanaa last week. The coalition has been striking Houthi positions, hoping that Saleh's loyalists might allow forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to return to the capital.

From the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where he has been in self-imposed exile for most of the war, Hadi tried on Monday to rally Saleh's allies to keep up the fight against the Houthis.

When Saleh left power, he stayed in the country and kept the loyalty of many military commanders, splitting the armed forces between himself and Hadi. Saleh's forces were key to helping the Houthis overrun Sanaa in 2014, and then much of the north and center of the country.

But over the past year, the Houthis appear to have undermined Saleh, wooing away some of his commanders. That seems to have pushed Saleh into flirting with the coalition, ultimately leading to the breakdown of the rebel alliance.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday that at least 125 people had been killed and some 240 wounded in Sanaa since the fighting began last week. Witnesses said the bodies of slain civilians and fighters littered the streets as ambulances were unable to reach them.

Jamie McGoldrick, of U.N. aid agency OCHA, said civilians in Sanaa are "emerging from their houses after five days being locked down, basically prisoners," to seek safety, medical care, fresh water and other survival needs. Speaking to reporters by phone from Sanaa, he said that "at the same time, people are bracing themselves for more."

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Michael reported from Cairo. Samy Magdy contributed to this report from Cairo.

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. The poster shows Yemen's Houthi rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. The poster shows Yemen's Houthi rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. The poster shows Yemen's Houthi rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

A Houthi militant stands guard during a rally of supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Texas officials are asking federal appeals judges in New Orleans to let the state's latest voter ID law take effect.

Tuesday's hearing at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals centers on a law re-worked in May by the Texas Legislature after years of court battles. The new version allows residents who don't have an acceptable photo ID to vote by signing an affidavit stating they cannot reasonably obtain one.

The same federal judge who blocked the 2011 version of the law blocked the re-worked version in August.

She said the law still requires IDs more likely to be possessed by white voters than Latinos or African-Americans. She also said criminal penalties for lying on the affidavit could scare away voters fearful of making an innocent mistake on the form.
BEIJING (AP) - Canada has high hopes for a trade agreement with China but won't rush into negotiations that could affect their economies for generations to come, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.

On the second day of a visit to Beijing, Trudeau told reporters that Canada was "constantly engaged" on trade issues with China as part of exploratory talks on a trade pact launched two years ago that have tackled issues such as agricultural exports.

Despite hopes that formal talks on an agreement would be announced during Trudeau's visit, it appeared that wasn't going to happen.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Trudeau told reporters that his country won't be rushing into negotiations that could affect their economies for "coming decades and generations. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

"For the past two years, we've been working on deepening our trade ties, our opportunities for small businesses, for Canadians to benefit from better access to the Chinese market while standing up for our interests and jobs back home," Trudeau said.

"This is something that is an ongoing process that we take very seriously and of course we are going to continue to talk about opportunities to benefit Canadians every moment that we have" in both China and back in Canada, he said.

Rather than announcing trade talks, Trudeau instead touted an agreement with China on the importance of dealing with climate change and upholding the 2015 Paris agreement, despite President Donald Trump's aim to withdraw the United States from the accord to cap greenhouse gases.

"Our shared concern for our environment will continue to be featured prominently in everything we do," Trudeau said. "Climate change is without a doubt one of the greatest challenges of our time, one we cannot and one we will not ignore."

Trudeau met with Chinese President Xi Jinping later Tuesday.

"I'm sure this visit will be a success and inject new vitality into China-Canada relations," Xi told Trudeau.

The lack of a concrete agreement on trade talks drew questions from some in Canada.

"Prime ministers usually don't go on trips like that without something to announce," John Manley, CEO of the Business Council of Canada, was quoted as saying by the public Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

China has positioned itself as a leading advocate of free trade, particularly since Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a pan-Pacific trade deal. Yet foreign businesses often complain that China closes many key areas to foreign investment, and Xi is known to favor a centralized economic model with special support for state-owned industries.

Canadian businesses have also been unsettled by Trump's threat to renegotiate or even withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trudeau said it was important to oppose economic nationalism, but said he was also looking for ways to "improve NAFTA for the 21st century."

After meeting with Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, Trudeau said Canada hopes a trade agreement with China will reflect "Canadian values" in the areas of labor rights, environmental protection and gender equality. That approach runs against China's inclination to keep such issues separate and avoid links to human rights or civil liberties.

On Tuesday, he reaffirmed Canada's approach of seeking a durable agreement, despite the lengthy timeframe demanded.

"We are going to work very hard, very responsibly to make sure that as we move forward, we move forward in the right way," he said. "Once we get to the stage of negotiating a trade agreement, that's going to take years as well."

In addition to seeking a trade pact with China, Canada has remained part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. During recent talks in Vietnam, Trudeau lobbied for strong provisions for environmental protection, labor rights, and gender issues, and the name of the initiative was altered to be the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

China largely imports wood and agricultural products, ore, fuels and seafood from Canada, while Canada imports machinery, furniture and sporting goods and textiles from China. The trade imbalance has narrowed, but China still ran a surplus of about $17 billion with Canada during the first half of this year, according to the Canadian government.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, third from left, talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping third from right, during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Trudeau told reporters that his country won't be rushing into negotiations that could affect their economies for "coming decades and generations. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the media at a hotel in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Trudeau says his country has high hopes for a trade agreement with China, but won't be rushing into negotiations that could affect their economies for generations to come. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's official news agency says an Iranian border guard has been killed by gunmen near the border with Turkey.

IRNA's report says the guard died in a shootout on Monday while another border guard and two engineers who were inspecting nearby water resources were wounded.

The attack happened near the town of Maku in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, about 900 kilometers, or 560 miles, northwest of the capital, Tehran. The province has a large Kurdish minority.

IRNA says the gunmen were members of Turkey's Kurdish separatist P.K.K. group and that Ankara has promised to investigate.

The area near Iran's borders with Turkey and Iraq sees occasional skirmishes with Kurdish separatist groups, as well as extremist Islamic rebels. Last month, militants killed eight Iranian border guards in clashes there.
BERLIN (AP) - German police have searched the apartments of 22 people suspected of involvement in the rioting that accompanied the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Hamburg in July.

Hamburg police chief Ralf Martin Meyer said Tuesday that they are suspected of being part of a group of anti-G-20 rioters who threw stones and other objects at police. They face an investigation into suspected breach of the peace.

Hamburg saw three nights of violence during the anti-globalization protests as leaders of the world's biggest industrial and developing countries met in the northern port city in early July.

Police officers stand in front of the "Rote Zentrum"'(lit. "Red Centre") in Goettingen, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Five months after the protests against the G20 summit in Hamburg the police has performed raids in eight states. (Swen Pfoertner/dpa via AP)

Investigators launched the raids in various parts of Germany early Tuesday morning. News agency dpa reported that they seized computers, cellphones and USB sticks, but chief investigator Jan Hieber said there were no arrests.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - President Donald Trump's rare move to shrink two large national monuments in Utah triggered another round of outrage among Native American leaders who vowed to take the fight to court to preserve protections for land they consider sacred.

Environmental and conservation groups and a coalition of tribes began filing lawsuits Monday that ensure that Trump's announcement is far from the final chapter in the yearslong battle over public lands. The court cases are likely to drag on for years, maybe even into a new presidency.

Trump decided to reduce Bears Ears National Monument by about 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by nearly half. It earned him cheers from Republican leaders in Utah who lobbied him to undo protections by Democratic presidents that they considered overly broad.

Anthony Fierro yells in front of a police officer as protesters are stopped from marching up State Street during President Donald Trump's announcement to eliminate vast portions of Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)

Conservation groups called it the largest elimination of protected land in American history. The move comes a week after tribal leaders decried Trump's use of the name of a historical Native American figure as a slur.

At a White House event honoring Navajo Code Talkers last week, he took a political jab at Sen. Elizabeth Warren by referring to the Massachusetts Democrat as "Pocahontas," mocking her claim of having Native American heritage.

"It's just another slap in the face for a lot of us, a lot of our Native American brothers and sisters," Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez said. "To see that happen a week ago, with disparaging remarks, and now this."

Trump also overrode tribal objections to approve the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines.

The Navajo Nation was one of five tribes that formed a coalition and spent years lobbying former President Barack Obama to declare Bears Ears a monument to preserve ancient cliff dwellings and an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites. Native Americans visit the area to perform ceremonies, collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual purposes, and do healing rituals.

The coalition of the Hopi, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni tribes and Navajo Nation sued late Monday to challenge the Bears Ears reduction. Two lawsuits have been filed to try to block the Grand Staircase decision.

Earthjustice's suit called it an abuse of the president's power that jeopardizes a "Dinosaur Shangri-la" full of fossils. Some of the dinosaur fossils sit on a plateau that is home to one of the country's largest known coal reserves, which could now be open to mining. The organization is representing eight conservation groups.

Another lawsuit from three groups including the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology makes similar claims.

Meanwhile, two Utah congressmen said Tuesday that they will introduce legislation to create a modest national park at Grand Staircase and allow Native Americans and local residents manage the land in Bears Ears.

Trump, in a speech at Utah's Capitol with the governor and other politicians, said the state's lands should not be managed by "very distant bureaucrats located in Washington."

"Your timeless bond with the outdoors should not be replaced with the whims of regulators thousands and thousands of miles away," Trump said. "I've come to Utah to take a very historic action to reverse federal overreach and restore the rights of this land to your citizens."

It marks the first time in a half century that a president has undone these types of land protections.

Utah's mostly Republican officials have lobbied Trump for months, saying the monuments closed off the areas to energy development and other access.

Environmental and tribal groups say the designations are needed to protect important archaeological and cultural resources. Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch said only Congress, not the president, has the power to reduce a national monument, which the tribal coalition argued in its lawsuit.

Additional legal challenges were expected from environmental groups and outdoor clothing company Patagonia.

Outside Trump's announcement Monday, roughly 3,000 protesters lined up near the state Capitol. Some held signs that said, "Keep your tiny hands off our public lands," and they chanted, "Lock him up!"

A smaller group gathered in support, including some who said they favor potential drilling or mining there that could create jobs. Bears Ears has no oil or gas, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told reporters, though Grand Staircase-Escalante has coal.

Bears Ears, created nearly a year ago, will be reduced to 315 square miles. Grand Staircase-Escalante will be reduced from nearly 3,000 square miles to 1,569 square miles.

Both were among a group of 27 monuments that Trump ordered Zinke to review this year.

Democrats and environmentalists accuse Trump and Zinke of engaging in a secretive process aimed at helping industry groups that have donated to Republican political campaigns.

Zinke accompanied Trump aboard Air Force One, as did Utah's Republican U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee. Hatch and other state Republican leaders pushed Trump to launch the review, saying the monuments designated by the former Democratic presidents locked up too much federal land.

Trump framed the decision as returning power to the state, saying, "You know and love this land the best and you know the best how to take care of your land." He said the decision would "give back your voice."

"Public lands will once again be for public use," Trump said to cheers.

Hatch, who introduced Trump, said that when "you talk, this president listens" and that Trump promised to help him with "federal overreach."

No president has tried to eliminate a monument, but some have reduced or redrawn the boundaries on 18 occasions, according to the National Park Service. The most recent instance came in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy slightly downsized Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.

Trump signed an executive order in April directing Zinke to review the protections, which Trump is able to upend under the 1906 Antiquities Act. The law gives presidents broad authority to declare federal lands as monuments and restrict their use.

Zinke has also recommended to Trump that Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou monuments be reduced, though details are unclear. His plan would allow logging at a newly designated monument in Maine and more grazing, hunting and fishing at two sites in New Mexico.

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Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey in Salt Lake City and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

Protesters gather outside of the Utah State Capitol where President Donald Trump spoke to local representatives on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. Roughly 3,000 demonstrators lined up near the State Capitol to protest Trump's announcement of scaling back two sprawling national monuments, and his declaring that "public lands will once again be for public use." (Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner via AP)

President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation to shrink the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments at the Utah State Capitol Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce plans to shrink two sprawling national monuments in Utah in a move that will delight the state's GOP politicians and many rural residents who see the lands as prime examples of federal overreach, but will enrage tribes and environmentalist groups who vow to immediately sue to preserve the monuments. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

After they took over the intersection of 100S and State Street stopping traffic, the protesters kneel in solidarity during the protest against President Donald Trump during his visit to the State Capital in Salt Lake on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. (Adam Fondren/The Deseret News via AP)

President Donald Trump hands a pen to Sen Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, after signing a proclamation to shrink the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments at the Utah State Capitol Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

President Donald Trump speaks at the Utah State Capitol Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce plans to shrink two sprawling national monuments in Utah in a move that will delight the state's GOP politicians and many rural residents who see the lands as prime examples of federal overreach, but will enrage tribes and environmentalist groups who vow to immediately sue to preserve the monuments. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
BRUSSELS (AP) - The Latest on U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's trip to Europe (all times local):

8 a.m.

The European Union's top diplomat says the United States stepping away from a landmark nuclear deal would be counterproductive and insisted other disputes with Tehran should be tackled otherwise.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, shakes hands with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at the EU Council building in Brussels on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited European Union headquarters on Tuesday to assess trans-Atlantic relations. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool)

Federica Mogherini said Tuesday after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the EU attaches great importance on upholding the agreement, adding that scrapping the deal "would not put us in a better position to discuss all the rest, on the contrary."

Under the 2015 accord, Iran curbed its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of international economic sanctions.

Tillerson stressed, however, that "Iran is carrying out a number of other destabilizing activities throughout the region" and called for joint action to counter it.

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10:20 a.m.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the State Department is "not missing a beat" despite the criticism he's receiving and high rates of vacancies throughout the department.

Tillerson is giving his most extensive public comments since news reports last week that the White House was considering a plan to fire him. Tillerson says he gets criticism for leaving key ambassadorships vacant. He's speaking in Brussels, where there is no U.S. ambassador to either Belgium or the European Union.

Tillerson says the department doesn't have any "wins yet" but that some "quick wins" are coming in the next few weeks. He's not specifying what they are, but he says the State Department is making progress on his planned overhaul.

Tillerson says the first two phases of the "reorganization" are complete and now starts the third phase, focused on execution. He says he'll discuss it more during town hall meetings before year's end.

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2:00 a.m.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is touring Europe this week amid questions about whether he truly speaks for President Donald Trump.

After months of rumors that Tillerson would either quit or be fired, the White House signaled last week it would most likely be the latter - and possibly soon. White House officials told multiple news organizations a plan was afoot to oust Tillerson and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Tillerson says the reports are "laughable" and Trump tweeted it was "fake news." Yet such damage to his standing is not so easily erased.

In Belgium, Austria and France this week, Tillerson will contend with European officials now questioning how much credence to give his policies, and if he'll even be in place long enough to see them through.
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - A senior United Nations official has arrived in Pyongyang for a very rare, four-day stay at the invitation of the North Korean government.

Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk, diplomats and U.N. staff during his stay. Feltman, the highest-ranking American in the U.N. Secretariat, is the first person in that post to visit North Korea since February 2010.

Though Feltman previously worked for the State Department, he is not representing the U.S. government. The most senior American to visit North Korea in that capacity recently was James R. Clapper, who as Director of National Intelligence traveled to Pyongyang in 2014 to secure the release of two American citizens.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged two former spy chiefs who were arrested last month over suspicions they used their agency's funds to make illegal payments to former President Park Geun-hye. Park was removed from office and arrested in March, and is being tried on broad corruption charges.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said Nam Jae-joon and Lee Byung-kee were indicted on charges including bribery and causing unjust losses to state funds.

Prosecutors believe Nam and Lee took a combined 1.4 billion won ($1.2 million) from the National Intelligence Service's coffers and gave it to Park's close aides as paybacks for being named NIS directors. Nam and Lee reportedly acknowledged to prosecutors that they paid the money at the aides' request.

Nam and Lee served as the spy agency's chiefs between 2013 and 2015. Prosecutors are also investigating another of Park's former spy chiefs, Lee Byoung Ho, who served at the NIS from 2015 to 2017, over similar suspicions.

Park faces the possibility of a lengthy prison term over charges that she colluded with a friend to take tens of millions of dollars from companies in bribes and extortion.

She was arrested and jailed weeks after the Constitutional Court upheld an impeachment bill passed by lawmakers in December, formally removing her from office. Millions of people had angrily but peacefully marched in the streets for months calling for her ouster.
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) - Finland's defense ministry says a Russian Tupolev Tu-154 likely violated the country's airspace.

The ministry said Tuesday that "the suspected violation" occurred at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) near the city of Porvoo over the Gulf of Finland.

The international air corridor over the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea is narrow and Finland has experienced several air violations by military and civilian aircraft from neighboring Russia.

The ministry said the Finnish Border Guard will investigate the matter.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) - A lawyer who spent six months on the run after pleading guilty in a huge Social Security fraud scheme was being flown back to Kentucky on Tuesday after he was captured in Honduras.

Eric Conn was handed over to the FBI on Tuesday after he was captured by a SWAT team as he left a Pizza Hut in the coastal city of La Ceiba. The Honduras public magistrate's office said his arrest was "the product of arduous intelligence, surveillance and tailing by the agents." Spokesman Jorge Galindo of the country's Technical Agency of Criminal Investigation said they left Honduras on a private plane.

The fugitive's capture was cheered by his former clients and their families, who have struggled to make ends meet while fighting to keep their Social Security disability checks.

Eric Conn is escorted by SWAT team agents prior to his extradition, at the Toncontin International Airport, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Conn, a fugitive Kentucky lawyer who escaped before facing sentencing for his central role in a massive Social Security fraud case, was captured as he came out of a restaurant in the coastal city of La Ceiba, on Monday. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

"That's wonderful," said Donna Dye, whose husband was among Conn's clients in Appalachia. "I never thought they would catch him. He let people like my husband have trust in him, and he let that down."

U.S. federal agents spent months tracking Conn, who cut off his electronic monitor and fled in June.

The flamboyant attorney had been on home detention while awaiting sentencing, but he disappeared while in Lexington, Kentucky, at the permission of federal authorities to meet with his attorney and prosecutors.

Conn pleaded guilty in March to stealing from the federal government and bribing a judge in a more than $500 million Social Security fraud case. His sentencing went on without him last summer, when he was given a 12-year prison term - the maximum possible.

The FBI office in Louisville, Kentucky, did not confirm the arrest Monday.

Conn's lawyer, Scott White, said he had not been given any official information regarding Conn's capture.

"If in fact Eric has been lawfully captured and is legally returned, then ... this comes as no surprise. The FBI usually gets their man," White said in a statement.

Conn is expected to be transferred to the U.S. on Tuesday, according to the Honduran public magistrate's office.

A photo of Conn distributed by the office shows him with close-cropped, reddish-gray hair and a blue polo shirt sitting at a table, with police agents wearing ballistic vests and carrying assault rifles behind him.

Conn, who started his law practice in a trailer in 1993, had portrayed himself as "Mr. Social Security." He fueled that persona with outlandish TV commercials and small-scale replicas of the Statue of Liberty and the Lincoln Memorial at his office in eastern Kentucky.

Conn represented thousands in successful claims for Social Security benefits. But his empire crumbled when authorities discovered he had been bribing a doctor and judge to approve disability claims based on fake medical evidence. Among his former clients in the impoverished coalfields of eastern Kentucky and West Virginia are many people with legitimate disabilities.

Donna Dye's husband, Timothy, was among the throngs of Conn's clients who had to fight to keep their disability checks. Timothy Dye went on disability for chronic arthritis after working decades in coal mines.

"I have gone through hell," she said by phone Tuesday. "My husband's gone through hell. It's just been nothing but pain and struggle and worries. Just pure pressure."

Ned Pillersdorf, an eastern Kentucky attorney who is representing hundreds of Conn's former clients, said Conn's scheme caused a "true humanitarian crisis."

"With his capture, I'm hoping we can get this ordeal behind us, put him in prison where he belongs and start to undo the damage he has done to his former clients," Pillersdorf said by phone Monday night.

As part of the fallout from Conn's downfall, the Social Security Administration identified about 1,500 beneficiaries, mostly in eastern Kentucky, who were made to undergo hearings. Now, those hearings are nearly complete, and so far about 700 have been found eligible to maintain the benefits, Pillersdorf said.

In an email exchange months ago with the Lexington Herald-Leader, a person claiming to be Conn said he fled the U.S. using a fake passport.

As the mystery of his whereabouts continued, the FBI released two photos that it said showed Conn buying food and water at a gas station in New Mexico and pushing a bike at a Walmart, also in New Mexico.

Federal authorities claim Conn had help in carrying out the escape plot.

An indictment unsealed in October alleged that one of Conn's employees opened a bank account that Conn used to transfer money. It also claimed that the employee, Curtis Lee Wyatt, tested security at the U.S.-Mexico border at Conn's direction, and that he allegedly purchased a pickup truck for use in Conn's escape.

The indictment charged Wyatt with aiding in Conn's escape and abetting Conn's failure to appear. Wyatt pleaded not guilty to charges.

The indictment tacked on escape and failure to appear charges against Conn. It claims Conn hatched his escape plot around June 2016, two months after he was first indicted and a year before his disappearance.

In his escape, Conn put his electronic ankle monitor inside a pouch with a metallic lining meant to suppress electronic signals, authorities said.

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Associated Press writers Mark Stevenson, Bruce Schreiner and Adam Beam contributed to this report.

Eric Conn is escorted by SWAT team agents prior to his extradition, at the Toncontin International Airport, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Conn, a fugitive Kentucky lawyer who escaped before facing sentencing for his central role in a massive Social Security fraud case, was captured as he came out of a restaurant in the coastal city of La Ceiba, on Monday. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Eric Conn is escorted by SWAT team agents prior to his extradition, at the Toncontin International Airport, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Conn, a fugitive Kentucky lawyer who escaped before facing sentencing for his central role in a massive Social Security fraud case, was captured as he came out of a restaurant in the coastal city of La Ceiba, on Monday. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Eric Conn is escorted by SWAT team agents prior to his extradition, at the Toncontin International Airport, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Conn, a fugitive Kentucky lawyer who escaped before facing sentencing for his central role in a massive Social Security fraud case, was captured as he came out of a restaurant in the coastal city of La Ceiba, on Monday. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
SANAA, Yemen (AP) - The Latest on developments in the war in Yemen, following the killing of former president by the country's Shiite rebels (all times local):

11:15 p.m.

The U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen is telling the U.N. Security Council in a closed session that the "alarming levels" of violence in the country are having a "devastating impact" on civilians, and is calling on the warring parties to show restraint.

A Yemeni man inspects his damaged store near the residence of Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Witnesses say that fighting has subsided in the Yemeni capital Sanaa hours after the announcement of the death of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed called the killing of Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and others "an adverse development" that will "constitute a considerable change to the political dynamics in Yemen."

Dujarric said Cheikh Ahmed "emphasized that the need for a negotiated settlement is more acute today than ever" and reiterated "that only an inclusive peace process can bring a peaceful, viable and sustainable solution for the people of Yemen."

He also called for a pause in the fighting to give civilians a chance to restock on basic supplies like food and water, warning that "increased hostilities will further threaten civilian lives and exacerbate their suffering," Dujarric said.

U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowock told the council that nearly 8.5 million people are on the brink of starvation, up from under 7 million in June, Dujarric said.

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7:45 p.m.

France's U.N. ambassador says the latest developments in Yemen "create a period of maximal risks" and dangers on the humanitarian and military front - but also a chance for "new opportunities to boost the political process in the country."

Francois Delattre spoke to reporters before heading into the Security Council Tuesday to hear a long scheduled closed briefing by U.N. special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Delattre said the first priority following the escalation in fighting and the killing of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh "is to silence weapons and to allow complete and immediate humanitarian access in all Yemen and all its ports and airports."

Sweden's deputy U.N. ambassador Carl Skau and Britain's deputy U.N. ambassador Jonathan Allen echoed the call for an end to fighting and the opening of the port of Hodeida and Sanaa airport to deliver aid to Yemenis in desperate need.

Skau stressed that military "logic" must not take over so the parties can get back to the negotiating table.

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6:30 p.m.

The head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard says a plot against Yemen's Shiite rebels was "nipped in the bud," apparently referring to the killing of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The rebels killed Saleh on Monday, days after he broke off his alliance with them against a Saudi-led coalition. Iran supports the rebels, known as Houthis, but denies arming them.

Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari on Tuesday as saying that Saudi Arabia, "on behalf of the U.S. and the Zionist regime (Israel), has a very important role in creating insecurity" in the Middle East.

Yemen's civil war has emerged as one of the main battlegrounds in the Saudi-Iranian rivalry for regional influence.

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5:30 p.m.

Yemeni rebels deny they have detained the sons of slain former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, a rebel leader, said in a speech Tuesday that "some sons" of Saleh have been hospitalized, without providing further details.

The Iranian-backed rebels, known as Houthis, killed Saleh on Monday, days after their alliance with him broke down amid clashes in the capital, Sanaa. It was not immediately clear if the rebels would allow Saleh's family to hold a funeral later in the day.

Speaking before a gathering of supporters, al-Houthi says: "We knew that they were deceived... we hadn't hoped for what happened."

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3:25 p.m.

A top U.N. humanitarian aid official says Yemen's capital came under at least 25 airstrikes overnight, although fighting has now subsided after a five-day wave of deadly violence.

Jamie McGoldrick of U.N. aid agency OCHA says civilians in Sanaa are "emerging from their houses after five days being locked down, basically prisoners," to seek safety, medical care, fresh water and other survival needs.

He says that "at the same time, people are bracing themselves for more." McGoldrick spoke to reporters in Geneva by phone on Tuesday from the Yemeni capital.

McGoldrick said aid providers like OCHA were "locked down in basements or in compounds" during the fighting. He cited accounts of snipers firing upon ambulances, pregnant women with health issues not able to go to hospitals, and armored vehicles roaming the streets over the five-day span.

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2:30 p.m.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says that as many as 234 people have been killed in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in street fighting this month between the country's Shiite rebels and the supporters of the slain former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The ICRC said on Tuesday that another 400 people have been wounded in the clashes, which first erupted last week as the alliance between the rebels and Saleh's followers crumbled.

It's not clear how many civilians are among the dead.

The casualty tolls provided by the ICRC are separate from those sustained in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition which is waging war on the rebels, known as Houthis. The ICRC didn't provide a toll from the near-daily airstrikes.

Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders said patients were evacuated from a hospital in the northern province of Hajja, which is under Houthi control, after it came under airstrikes on Sunday.

Steve Purbrick, MSF's coordinator in Hajja, described the attack as a "deliberate disregard for medical facilities" that endangered the lives of patients and medical staff, and compromised "the care MSF can provide in the midst of intense fighting."

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9 a.m.

The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels as their alliance crumbled has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos.

A video circulating online on Monday showed Saleh's body with a gaping head wound dumped in a pickup truck by rebels - a grisly end recalling that of longtime strongman Saleh's contemporary, Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, in 2011.

Saleh's slaying likely gives the rebels the upper hand in the dayslong fighting for the country's capital, Sanaa.

It also shatters hopes by Yemen's Saudi-backed government that Saleh's recent split with the Iranian-backed rebels, known as Houthis, would have weakened them and given the government and the Saudi coalition backing a chance for a turning point in the stalemated war that has brought humanitarian disaster.
MADRID (AP) - Spain has announced its second-biggest cocaine seizure ever, a near six metric-ton haul with a street value estimated at 210 million euros ($250 million).

Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said Tuesday the highly pure cocaine was found in a container on a ship that docked in the Mediterranean port of Algeciras, about 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of Madrid.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry said the drug was concealed inside boxes of bananas in a ship from Colombia heading to Barcelona.

Authorities have arrested three men - the alleged Spanish ringleader and his suspected Portuguese and Honduran accomplices. All lived in Barcelona.

In 1999, Spain netted 7.6 metric tons of cocaine on a ship at sea in its biggest haul.
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - An overnight fire at a UPS center in Maryland has sent a yet undetermined number of packages up in smoke during this holiday season.

WUSA-TV reports Frederick County Fire Department spokesman Kevin Fox says the fire was reported about 11:40 p.m. Monday.

News outlets report responding crews found 10 trucks and a package loading structure ablaze.

Fox says it took firefighter around 45 minutes to bring the blaze under control. He says the building suffered mostly exterior damage since a sprinkler system activated inside the main structure.

The Fire Marshal is investigating the fire's cause.

A representative for UPS says the company is working to identify and notify shippers of the damaged packages, as well as reroute packages that would have gone out on the damaged trucks.
MOSCOW (AP) - Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Kiev and called for the ouster of Ukraine's president following a botched attempt Tuesday by authorities to arrest Mikheil Saakashvili, a former Georgian president-turned-Ukrainian opposition leader.

The turmoil is just the latest challenge for the Ukrainian government, which has been weakened by months of political infighting and accused of not halting official corruption.

Tuesday's standoff began when officers of Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU, went to Saakashvili's home in Kiev to detain him. Trying to resist the arrest, he climbed onto the roof and threatened to jump off, but SBU agents took him down and put him into a van.

Ukrainian Security Service officers detain Mikheil Saakashvili at his house in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Ukraine's intelligence agency on Tuesday detained the former president of Georgia who has emerged as an anti-corruption campaigner in his new country but faced an angry backlash of protesters who would not let the officers to take him away. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Several hundred protesters then surrounded the vehicle and blocked it from moving. They clashed with police, who unsuccessfully tried to disperse the demonstrators with tear gas.

After a tense standoff that lasted for hours, Saakashvili was freed by his supporters and led them on a march to parliament to demand President Petro Poroshenko's resignation.

"I will die for Ukraine," Saakashvili shouted to the crowd. "I owe you my freedom and my life."

With the yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag around his neck, Saakashvili urged Ukrainians to rise against "Poroshenko and his gang."

"Don't be afraid, let them fear us!" he shouted.

Saakashvili has won broad popularity in Ukraine with his fiery campaign against official corruption, riding a wave of public frustration over Poroshenko's failure to uproot endemic graft. He has staged a series of rallies calling for the president's resignation, but they haven't produced any visible impact.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko claimed on television that his office has evidence that Saakashvili's representative received $500,000 from Ukrainian businessmen who have ties to Russia to finance the protest.

Saakashvili rejected the accusation, noting the long-running hostility between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin. When he was president of Georgia, Saakashvili made a failed attempt to reclaim control over Georgia's separatist province of South Ossetia, triggering a five-day war with Russia in 2008. He has repeatedly mentioned Putin's reported threat to have him hanged.

Saakashvili won quick support from Tuesday other Ukrainian opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Speaking in parliament, Tymoshenko criticized the SBU's attempt to arrest Saakashvili as "political terror."

Oksana Syroyed of the Self Reliance Party also denounced the attempted arrest as an action by a "despotic machine."

But while opposition leaders expressed support for Saakashvili, their activists stayed away from the street protest, reflecting a cautious stance toward a potential competitor.

"Opposition parties see him as a rival and aren't in a hurry to support the protest," said Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kiev-based political analyst.

Fesenko also said while Saakashvili has enough support to stage rallies, he lacks the power to force a government change.

"They can make a lot of noise, but most Ukrainians are wary of the negative and unpredictable consequences of a new Maidan," Fesenko said, referring to the 2014 protests on Kiev's main square that drove out Ukraine's former Russia-leaning President Viktor Yanukovych.

Poroshenko named Saakashvili as governor of the Odessa region in 2015, but he stepped down the following year after falling out with the president. Earlier this year, Poroshenko stripped him of Ukrainian citizenship while he was out of the country, but Saakashvili came back in September, helped by supporters who broke through a police line at the Polish border.

The tensions in Kiev come as fighting continues between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The conflict, which erupted after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, has left more than 10,000 people dead since then.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, was clearly relishing the turmoil in Kiev.

"We are watching those developments with interest," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "It's Ukraine's headache. It's something you wouldn't wish to even your enemy, but, of course, we don't consider the Ukrainian people our enemy."

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Yuras Karmanau contributed to this report from Minsk, Belarus.

Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili addresses protesters after he escaped with help from supporters and led them on a march toward parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Some hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest Saakashvili on Tuesday, who escaped and led supporters on a march toward parliament but was later detained. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, center, greets protesters after he escaped with help from supporters and led them on a march toward parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, back to a camera, gestures to protesters after he escaped with help from supporters and led them on a march toward parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, center, addresses protesters after he escaped with help from supporters and led them on a march toward parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

The Ukrainian Security Service officers detain Mikheil Saakashvili at the entrance of his house in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Ukraine's intelligence agency on Tuesday detained the former president of Georgia who has emerged as an anti-corruption campaigner in his new country but faced an angry backlash of protesters who would not let the officers to take him away. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

The Ukrainian Security Service officers detain Mikheil Saakashvili at the entrance of his house in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Ukraine's intelligence agency on Tuesday detained the former president of Georgia who has emerged as an anti-corruption campaigner in his new country but faced an angry backlash of protesters who would not let the officers to take him away. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Police try to block supporters of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili during a rally in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Some hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest Saakashvili on Tuesday, who escaped and led supporters on a march toward parliament but was later detained. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Supporters block a vehicle carrying former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Some hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest Saakashvili on Tuesday, who escaped and led supporters on a march toward parliament but was later detained. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Supporters block a vehicle carrying former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Some hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest Saakashvili on Tuesday, who escaped and led supporters on a march toward parliament but was later detained. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, center, smiles as he walks with protesters after he escaped with help from supporters and led them on a march toward parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Some hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest Saakashvili on Tuesday, who escaped and led supporters on a march toward parliament but was later detained.(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Protesters hold a Ukrainian national flag as they stand atop of blocked a vehicle carrying former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Some hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest Saakashvili on Tuesday, who escaped and led supporters on a march toward parliament but was later detained.(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Supporters block a vehicle carrying former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Some hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday, who escaped and led supporters on a march toward parliament but was later detained. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Supporters of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili clash with police in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Supporters of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili clash with police in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Some hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday, who escaped and led supporters on a march toward parliament. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, back to a camera, gestures to protesters after he escaped with help from supporters and led them on a march toward parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Hundreds of protesters chanting "Kiev, rise up!" blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. (AP) - Police say 10 high school students and one adult were taken to the hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries after a crash involving a school bus and a minivan in Connecticut.

The crash occurred in South Windsor at about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.

Fire Chief Kevin Cooney says 10 students on the bus were taken to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford.

Deputy Police Chief Scott Custer says only one had a visible injury - a minor cut. About a half dozen other students were not hurt.

The driver of the minivan was also hospitalized.

The bus was taking students from Hartford to South Windsor High School. It had to be towed from the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Denmark's government says it will change the law so foreign academics can share their knowledge outside universities without risking fines.

Education minister Soeren Pind says the rules send "a message contrary to what Denmark wants to signal."

His comments came after it was revealed last month that Brooke Harrington, a U.S. professor with Copenhagen Business School, was one of eight foreign scholars facing fines for not having sought adequate permission to be a guest speaker outside her campus, as Danish law requires.

Harrington's fault - addressing Parliament and Danish tax authorities on her research into offshore tax havens. She had skipped requesting the approval, saying it was complicated and time-consuming.

Pind spoke Tuesday while presenting the center-right government's plan to strengthen research to improve higher education in Denmark.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - An Argentine judge has ordered the arrest of Paraguay midfielder Jonathan Fabbro for alleged sexual assault of an underage girl.

The 35-year-old Fabbro, who was born in Argentina, plays for Mexican club Lobos de Puebla.

The victim's attorney told The Associated Press that the arrest order was issued because of descriptions of the incident by the victim and members of her family in April.

The former Boca Juniors, River Plate and Once Caldas player has not made comments about the accusation.

If found guilty, Fabbro could be in jail for up to 20 years.
BERLIN (AP) - Austria's likely next leader is proposing that the country's politicians do without a pay increase next year after auditors calculated that they are entitled to a 1.5 percent raise.

Conservative leader Sebastian Kurz, who is in talks with the right-wing Freedom Party on forming a new coalition government and is expected to become chancellor, told the Austria Press Agency Tuesday he's proposing a pay freeze for members of the government and the Austrian parliament. He hopes for an agreement with other parties in parliament later this month.

Kurz said: "We promised that we would save on the system and not on people. That means that we should start in politics, with ourselves."

The Austrian Court of Audit has calculated that lawmakers are entitled to a 1.5 percent raise next year.
LONDON (AP) - Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is refuting the Indian government's charge that he obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in bank loans that he knew he wouldn't be able to repay.

Lawyer Clare Montgomery said Tuesday there is no evidence to support the government's claim that Mallya misused loans he obtained to support ailing Kingfisher Airlines in 2009. Prosecutors say he used the money to support his Formula One racing team and other endeavors.

She told Westminster Magistrates Court the government's claim is "nonsense" and said the prosecution had been subjected to improper political interference.

F1 Force India team boss Vijay Mallya arrives for the second day of his extradition case at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to faces an extradition hearing in London that should determine whether he is sent back to India to face money laundering allegations related to the collapse of several of his businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

The 61-year-old Mallya is fighting extradition to India on money laundering charges related to the failure of his airline and other businesses. He denies wrongdoing.

F1 Force India team boss Vijay Mallya arrives for the second day of his extradition case at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to faces an extradition hearing in London that should determine whether he is sent back to India to face money laundering allegations related to the collapse of several of his businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

F1 Force India team boss Vijay Mallya arrives for the second day of his extradition case at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to faces an extradition hearing in London that should determine whether he is sent back to India to face money laundering allegations related to the collapse of several of his businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

F1 Force India team boss Vijay Mallya arrives for the second day of his extradition case at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to faces an extradition hearing in London that should determine whether he is sent back to India to face money laundering allegations related to the collapse of several of his businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

F1 Force India team boss Vijay Mallya arrives for the second day of his extradition case at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to faces an extradition hearing in London that should determine whether he is sent back to India to face money laundering allegations related to the collapse of several of his businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

F1 Force India team boss Vijay Mallya arrives for the second day of his extradition case at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to faces an extradition hearing in London that should determine whether he is sent back to India to face money laundering allegations related to the collapse of several of his businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

F1 Force India team boss Vijay Mallya arrives for the second day of his extradition case at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to faces an extradition hearing in London that should determine whether he is sent back to India to face money laundering allegations related to the collapse of several of his businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

F1 Force India team boss Vijay Mallya looks at his watch as he arrives for the second day of his extradition case at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to faces an extradition hearing in London that should determine whether he is sent back to India to face money laundering allegations related to the collapse of several of his businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate Banking Committee has given approval to President Donald Trump's selection of Jerome Powell to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Powell won the support of everyone on the committee except Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. She cast the lone no vote saying she could not support Powell because of her concerns that he would join in efforts by the Trump administration to unravel the Dodd-Frank Act passed in 2010 to strengthen regulation of the nation's banking sector.

The nomination now goes to the full Senate where it is expected to win easy approval.

In this Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, photo, Jerome Powell, President Donald Trump's nominee for chairman of the Federal Reserve, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, the Senate Banking Committee approved Powell to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Powell, who has been a member of the Fed board since 2012, was tapped for the chairman's job after Trump decided against nominating Fed Chair Janet Yellen for a second term.
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) - Officials say a 709-carat diamond found in Sierra Leone has been sold for more than $6.5 million.

The diamond is said to be the 14th-largest ever discovered, according to the Rapaport Group, which auctioned the stone in New York on behalf of Sierra Leone's government.

The company says 59 percent of the money will go to the government of the West African nation, while 26 percent will benefit the artisanal diggers who found the diamond. Its discovery in March caused a sensation.

The Rapaport Group has dubbed the stone the "peace diamond" and says its sale "will provide vital lifesaving infrastructure to the area where the diamond was found."
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The Latest on arguments before a federal appeals court in the case of a former Russian military officer who received a life sentence for leading a 2009 Taliban attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan (all times local):

11:40 a.m.

A federal appeals court has heard a second round of arguments in the case of a former Russian military officer who is serving a life sentence for leading a 2009 Taliban attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals first heard an appeal from Irek Hamidullin last December. After one of the judges on the three-judge panel announced he was stepping down to become Baltimore's city solicitor, the court agreed to hear additional arguments.

Hamidullin led an attack on Afghan border police officers and coalition forces on behalf of the Taliban and its terrorist organization ally, the Haqqani Network. Hamidullin was captured after being shot and wounded.

In court Tuesday, Hamidullin's lawyer said his client was a soldier, not a criminal, and should have been treated as a lawful combatant. A Justice Department lawyer argued that fighters aligned with the Taliban don't qualify for lawful-combatant status.

The court did not indicate when it would rule.

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11:20 a.m.

A lawyer for a former Russian military officer who led a 2009 Taliban attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan has told a federal appeals court the man was a soldier, not a criminal, and should have been treated as a lawful combatant.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday in the case of Irek Hamidullin, who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on charges that including providing material support to terrorists.

Hamidullin's lawyer said he should have been treated as a prisoner of war after his capture by coalition forces.

But a Justice Department lawyer told the three-judge panel that fighters aligned with the Taliban don't qualify for lawful-combatant status. He said prisoner-of-war protections only apply in international armed conflicts. He said the war in Afghanistan was not an international conflict at the time of the 2009 attack.

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5:32 a.m.

A federal appeals court is set to hear a second round of arguments in the case of a former Russian military officer who received a life sentence for leading a 2009 Taliban attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Lawyers for Irek Hamidullin say he should have been treated as a prisoner of war and shielded from prosecution. However, prosecutors say fighters aligned with the Taliban don't qualify for lawful-combatant status.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in Hamidullin's appeal last December but later scheduled a second hearing after one of the judges announced he was stepping down to serve as Baltimore's city solicitor.

The court will hear additional arguments Tuesday.

During the first hearing, Hamidullin's lawyer argued that he's a soldier, not a criminal.
GUM BRANCH, Ga. (AP) - The Latest on a school bus crash that killed a 5-year-old girl in Georgia (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

A man who came upon a crashed school bus along a dirt road in Georgia says one young passenger told him: "My sister's dead."

Clay Rowe says he spotted the wreck early Tuesday. He said he saw the bus's lights flashing through some trees separating the crash site from an adjacent highway in the tiny city of Gum Branch. When he took a closer look, he found the bus in a ditch with the front end smashed against a tree. He said crying children had escaped through the rear emergency exit.

Rowe said one girl told him her sister's body was on the bus. He said he looked inside and could tell immediately the girl was not alive.

The Georgia State Patrol says 5-year-old Cambria Shuman died in the crash.

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4:30 p.m.

Residents of a small Georgia community say they're heartbroken after a 5-year-old girl was killed in a school bus crash, but also grateful the toll wasn't far worse.

The Georgia State Patrol said Cambria Shuman died early Tuesday when the bus smashed into a tree after losing control on a dirt road. The crash happened in Gum Branch, a tiny city of fewer than 300 people about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Savannah.

Kayla Reinert said the bus crashed before it picked up her two children Tuesday. She called the crash and the girl's death "just tragic."

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1 p.m.

A Georgia state trooper says video shows a school bus driver struggling with the gear shift right before the bus crashed into a tree, killing a 5-year-old girl and injuring other children.

Lt. Thornell King of the Georgia State Patrol told The Associated Press it's too soon to know whether the 62-year-old bus driver will be charged in the Tuesday morning crash in Liberty County. That's about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Savannah.

King said video from the bus's onboard security camera shows the driver trying to bring the bus under control. He said it's possible something malfunctioned.

King identified the girl who died as 5-year-old Cambria Shuman.

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10 a.m.

Authorities say one child is dead after a school bus crashed into a tree in Georgia.

Liberty County Public Safety Director Mike Hodges said more than 20 children were riding the bus when it crashed early Tuesday during its morning pick-up route. He said one child was killed and the driver suffered serious injuries.

Several other children were taken to area hospitals. Hodges said his understanding is that they suffered "bumps and scrapes and lacerations." He did not know the name of the school where the bus was assigned.

The Georgia State Patrol said in a news release that the bus went into a ditch and smashed into a tree. It said no other vehicles were involved in the crash, which happened about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Savannah.
BAGHDAD (AP) - Thousands of people suspected of having ties to the Islamic State group are facing widespread rights violations in Iraqi custody, Human Rights watch said Tuesday.

The New York-based rights group said some 20,000 people are believed to be in Iraqi custody on suspicion of ties to IS. Many are held in inhumane detention facilities and not granted due process, according to the watchdog's 76-page report, based on information gathered in Baghdad and northern Iraq from November 2016 to July 2017.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi dismissed the report, saying much of its findings were "unverified" and that Human Rights Watch should devote more attention to the crimes committed by the extremists.

FILE - In this April 5, 2015, file photo, blindfolded and handcuffed men are lead to custody after being arrested in Hillah, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraqi security forces arrested three men during a recent security operation in the city who they suspected of members of the Islamic State group. Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, that thousands of people suspected of having ties to the Islamic State group face widespread rights violations in Iraqi custody. (AP Photo, File)

As Iraqi ground forces backed by the U.S.-led coalition have slowly retaken nearly all of the territory once held by IS, thousands of men, women and children suspected of having ties to the group have been arrested and detained.

The prisoners have overwhelmed Iraq's already weak judicial system.

Screening processes are flawed, many detainees are being held in inhumane conditions and suspects are largely being tried under broad counterterrorism laws with harsh sentences, the report said.

An innocent person wrongfully identified as an IS member in the screening process "may spend months in mass arbitrary detention during the course of their judicial investigation," the group found.

Prosecuting IS suspects under Iraq's counterterrorism laws is "easier," Human Rights Watch said, as a court would only need to prove membership in IS, rather than establish that individual acts violated Iraqi criminal codes.

Under counterterrorism laws, Iraqi authorities can sentence people who worked as doctors or cooks within IS with the same harsh penalties - including death or life in prison - as IS members who carried out violent acts, the report said.

"This approach makes it less likely that the process will establish a more comprehensive judicial record of the crimes committed," Human Rights Watch warned, ultimately depriving IS victims of justice and potentially undermining future attempts at reconciliation in Iraq.
EDINA, Minn. (AP) - A hacker is demanding a ransom after accessing the personal information of thousands of patients at a Minnesota fertility clinic.

CCRM, the company that runs the facility in Edina, says there is no evidence that the compromised information has been misused. It says the Edina clinic was the only one hacked among its North America locations.

Company spokeswoman Constance Rapson says nearly 3,300 patients of the clinic have been "potentially affected."

The Star Tribune reports that CCRM said it notified patients after discovering in October that its computer server had been hit by a ransomware invasion.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Public notaries in Greece's capital of Athens have called off auctions of foreclosed properties, citing disruptions from security measures for a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The association of Athens notaries said Tuesday that traffic restrictions and other police measures for Erdogan's visit could prevent notaries reaching the courts on time.

The foreclosure auctions resumed last week after a months-long suspension, and then stopped again after protesters clashed with police in an Athens court. Wednesday's auctions would have been the first since then.

Erdogan is due in Athens on Thursday.

Greece's left-led government had pledged to provide adequate police protection to stop protesters from disrupting auctions of foreclosed property. The sales are a key part of Greece's efforts, under its international bailout program, to boost its bad loan-plagued banks.
CAIRO (AP) - Former Yemeni strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh's death at the hands of his own allies, the Shiite rebels known as Houthis, has put the impoverished nation's 3-year civil war at a crossroads, and there are several widely differing directions it could now go.

It could mark the beginning of the end for the Iranian-backed Houthis - as their opponents are hoping, trying to forge a force out of Saleh's angry supporters to assault the rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

Equally, it could show the strength of the Houthis: They easily eliminated the once-mighty Saleh, who had previously ruled Yemen as president for more than 30 years. They also broke the military units loyal to him, leaving his camp in disarray.

Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

That's a sign of how complicated the conflict is. The fighting has been deadlocked for more than a year. Despite a punishing air campaign, the Saudi-led coalition backing President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has been unable to gain further ground against the Houthis, who control the north and western part of Yemen, where most of the population lives.

The war has caused profound misery among Yemen's 28 million people. More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in fighting and airstrikes; food-supply and medical infrastructure has collapsed, causing a humanitarian emergency of hunger and cholera.

Here is a look at Yemen's power players, what happened and what could happen next.

THE HOUTHIS

Originally a religious movement aimed at reviving Yemen's Zaidi branch of Shiism, Ansar-Allah, the group's official name, fought a series of wars against Saleh after his army killed its leader, Hussein Badr Eddin al-Houthi, in 2004. But after Saleh's fall, he backed the Houthis and they overran the capital in 2014.

Saudi Arabia and its allies say the group is a proxy for Iran, accusing it of providing weapons and missiles, a claim Tehran denies. The Houthi forces are battle-hardened and have a constant supply of new recruits from their heartland in the north. They have emerged as warlords with a powerful, repressive hold, detaining thousands, imposing heavy taxes and engaging in black market business.

SALEH'S CAMP

During his three decades as president, Saleh built an extensive network of allies among tribes, the military and his political party. His sons and nephews commanded the main military branches. Much of that remained in place after he was forced to resign in 2012 and was replaced by Hadi.

Hoping to ride the Houthis back to power, Saleh threw that network behind the rebels.

But they never trusted each other. The Houthis quietly sucked away Saleh's strength, winning over his tribal allies, seizing his armories and wooing his military commanders. Analysts believe the large majority of Saleh's forces quit and went home or dissolved into Houthi ranks. Only a few remained in his camp, particularly the Special Guards unit, part of the Republican Guards once headed by his son Ahmed.

When Saleh turned against the Houthis, he "made many miscalculations; he thought the street will rise up; the forces will fight with him; the tribes will get together," one of his former associates, Gamal Ammar, told The Associated Press.

THE SAUDI-LED COALITION

The coalition launched its campaign of heavy airstrikes along with an air, sea and land blockade in March 2015 after Hadi's government was driven out of the capital and nearly out of the country by the Houthi onslaught. The coalition succeeded in pushing the rebels out of the southern and eastern provinces - then deadlocked.

On the ground, the coalition fights with a mix of Yemeni army units loyal to Hadi, southern secessionist militias, the armed branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and ultraconservative Islamist fighters. Most of his forces are centered in Marib, east of Sanaa. Hadi has been in self-imposed exile in Riyadh for most of the war. In the south, the UAE has become the dominant power, setting up its own militias and undermining Hadi's authority.

WHAT HAPPENED IN PAST DAYS?

The Saleh-Houthis alliance deteriorated for months; he resented their domination of power, they suspected he was secretly talking to the coalition. Last week, outright battles over Sanaa erupted between their forces. They fought for six days with artillery, heavy machine guns and tanks, trapping Sanaa residents.

During the fighting, Saleh and Hadi's government each said they willing to put aside their past enmity and join forces. But on Monday, the Houthis gunned down Saleh, and by nightfall they retook most of the capital from his forces.

WHAT COULD HAPPEN NOW?

The Houthis have sole domination over northern Yemen without their untrustworthy partner.

But they are alone, without the political support Saleh brought them, "stripped of any cover and shown purely as a religious sectarian movement ruling with force and repression," said Majid al-Madhaji, from the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies.

The coalition and Hadi will try to unify the remnants of Saleh's supporters and forces and rally them against the Houthis. The forces need a leader, and the most plausible one is Saleh's son Ahmed, the former Republican Guard commander, reportedly under house arrest in the United Arab Emirates.

With Saleh's forces, Hadi and the coalition could launch a push on Sanaa from the mountain region of Nihm just to the east, backed by escalated airstrikes. They would need the backing of the seven big tribes in the areas surrounding the capital, known as the Collar Tribes, which have stayed neutral during the war, essentially allowing Houthi control. They are seen as likely to side with whoever seems stronger.

The plan is that a ground advance on Sanaa, where the Houthis' hold has been unquestioned since 2014, could break the stalemate.

"The road to get rid of Houthis is becoming clearer and easier," al-Madhaji said, calling the end of the Saleh-Houthi alliance "a free gift" for the coalition.

"The question is if it's able to exploit it."

HOWEVER....

The answer to that question is not a sure thing. Even if Saleh's forces can rally, there's no guarantee they can tip the balance against the Houthis. The Collar Tribes won't join unless they believe the Houthis will be beaten.

The anti-Houthi forces are riven by conflicting agendas that have undermined their ability to prosecute the war, like the interminable battle for the city of Taiz.

The UAE, one of the coalition's main players, hates the Muslim Brotherhood - a main component in Hadi's forces - and does not want to see it advance. The Brotherhood and their patron - Hadi's top commander and vice president Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar - hated Saleh and may resist working with his supporters.

The Houthis remain a formidable military force. They have already withstood more than two years of relentless coalition bombardment.

If the war turns decisively against the Houthis, Iran could intervene more substantially to rescue them.

"It would be a risky move, but I see it as a real possibility," said Will Picard, the executive director of the Yemen Peace Project, a Washington-based think tank.

FILE - In this Dec. 24, 2011 file photo, Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh gestures with a hand burned in a bombing, as he speaks during a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Sanaa, Yemen. Saleh was killed Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, by Shiite rebels with whom he had once been allied. It was a grisly end for a leader who ruled for more than 30 years by shifting alliances and playing multiple sides in the many conflicts that plagued his impoverished nation. Even after his ouster in 2012, he remained a power player driving the civil war that has brought Yemen to ruinous collapse. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hamoud, File)
SAN DIEGO (AP) - A group of prominent lawyers representing teachers and students from poor performing schools sued California on Tuesday, arguing that the state has done nothing about a high number of schoolchildren who do not know how to read.

The advocacy law firm, Public Counsel, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court to demand the California Department of Education address its "literacy crisis." The state has not followed suggestions from its own report on the problem five years ago, the lawsuit said.

"When it comes to literacy and the delivery of basic education, California is dragging down the nation," said Public Counsel lawyer Mark Rosenbaum, who sued along with the law firm Morrison & Foerster.

FILE - In this May 10, 2011, file photo, Van Buren Elementary school teacher Debra Keyes teaches a class in Stockton, Calif. A group of prominent lawyers representing teachers and students from poor performing schools filed a lawsuit against the state of California on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, arguing that the state has done nothing about a high number of school children who do not know how to read. Van Buren Elementary School is among the plaintiffs. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)

Assessments found less than half of California students from third grade to fifth grade have met statewide literacy standards since 2015. Both traditional and charter schools are failing, Rosenbaum said.

Of the 26 lowest-performing districts in the nation, 11 are in California, according to the lawsuit. Texas, the largest state after California, has only one district among the 26.

Department of Education spokesman Bill Ainsworth said officials could not comment because the state had not yet been served with the lawsuit.

But he said in an email that "California has one of the most ambitious programs in the nation to serve low-income students."

Ainsworth pointed to more than $10 billion annually in extra funds for English language learners, foster children and students from low-income families. Some 228 districts will get additional support next year to help struggling schools, including the three named in the lawsuit.

Among the plaintiffs are current and former teachers and students from three of California's lowest performing schools: La Salle Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles; Children of Promise Preparatory Academy, a charter school in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood; and Van Buren Elementary School, in the central California city of Stockton.

One of the plaintiffs is an 11-year-old student identified only as Katie T. When she completed fifth grade at La Salle, she was at the reading level of a student just starting third grade and was given no meaningful help, the lawsuit said.

State assessments found 96 percent of students at the school were not proficient in English or math, according to the lawsuit. Only eight of the school's 179 students were found to be proficient when tested last year.

David Moch, another plaintiff, is a retired teacher who taught at La Salle for 18 years. Moch said he had fifth graders in his kindergarten class.

Teachers were not given training or help to deal with the situation and programs that did seem to make a dent were discontinued, Moch said.

"I chose to teach at La Salle because I wanted to help," he said. "Every day I was there, I witnessed students' lack of access to literacy."

The plaintiffs want the state to create an accountability system to monitor literacy levels. They also seek screenings of reading levels at the beginning and middle of the school year for elementary school students and interventions based on programs proven to succeed.

FILE - In this May 10, 2011, file photo, Van Buren Elementary school seventh grade students Daniel Mayen, left, and Victor Gonzalez, right, take a break at school in Stockton, Calif. A group of prominent lawyers representing teachers and students from poor performing schools filed a lawsuit against the state of California on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, arguing that the state has done nothing about a high number of school children who do not know how to read. Van Buren Elementary School is among the plaintiffs. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian military says six of its long-range bombers have raided the Islamic State group in eastern Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Tu-22 bombers struck the IS ammunition deports, fortified positions and groups of militants near al-Sayal in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour.

It said Tuesday's strike helped the Syrian government forces made further advances in the area. The strike comes on top of missions flown by Russian jets based in Syria.

The ministry said Russian warplanes have flown 672 missions and struck 1,450 targets east of the Euphrates River over the past month in support of local tribes' action against the IS. It claimed that the number of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition in a month equals the number of Russian strikes on an average day.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Seven suspected gunmen are dead after police raided a gang camp in Mexico's northern border state of Tamaulipas.

Drug gangs in Mexico often use rural encampments as training bases and areas to hold kidnap victims or dispose of bodies.

The Tamaulipas state government said Tuesday that state police raided the camp near a lake used by tourists.

The police got a tip that armed men were camping there, in a region known as the Huasteca.

The officers came under fire from the undergrowth and returned fire, killing seven men.

The area is plagued by turf battles between rival factions of the old Zetas cartel.

The Huasteca is known for its crystalline rivers, lakes and waterfalls.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A former Weather Underground radical who drove a getaway car in the deadly 1981 Brinks armored car robbery in suburban New York has lost another bid for parole.

Judith Clark has served 36 years of a 75-years-to-life sentence for the heist, which led to the deaths of two police officers and a security guard.

The New York Parole Board declined to grant her parole in April. On Tuesday her attorneys announced that the board's Appeals Unit has affirmed that decision.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo commuted Clark's sentence in December to make her eligible for parole. Supporters and her attorneys have cited the 68-yer-old Clark's rehabilitation and her work tutoring other inmates, training service dogs and founding an HIV/AIDS education program while behind bars.

Clark can seek parole again in 2019.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - With more competitive congressional districts, representatives would be more likely to work with the opposing party and listen more closely to their constituents, Democrats suing for a new congressional map in Pennsylvania told a panel of judges on Tuesday.

Louis Agre, the lead plaintiff in the case being heard in Philadelphia, said too many incumbents now are mostly concerned about primary challenges from the fringes within their own parties. With redrawn lines, he said, "we would have hopefully people in competitive districts working together to solve our problems."

Agre, a union official and ward leader in a Philadelphia voting district, and other Democratic voters are making the novel legal claim that no partisan considerations should be given when lawmakers approve district boundaries. They want the court to throw out the 2011 map in Pennsylvania. Since it was adopted, Republicans have won 13 of the state's 18 seats in the House of Representatives each year - even in 2012, when more total votes were cast for Democrats.

The trial is moving quickly and could wrap up this week. Lawyers said two Republican lawmakers who could have shed light on the creation of the map - state Senate President pro tempore Joseph Scarnati and House Speaker Mike Turzai - would not be called to testify.

Lawyers for those Republican legislative leaders, who are the main defendants, pushed Agre and other plaintiffs to agree in ways they are not harmed by the district lines being drawn as they are. They're still able to vote, contribute money to candidates they support, speak up in public and contact their representatives.

Agre, for instance, said he talks about twice a month with Rep. Bob Brady, a Philadelphia Democrat who represents a district adjacent to Agre's.

A lawyer for the legislative leaders explored why the plaintiffs challenged the congressional map only in October, six years after it was made. Some plaintiffs said they became politically active only after last year's presidential election and helped form progressive groups whose issues of concern include fair congressional districts.

One of them was James Magidson, a Democrat from Haverford, outside Philadelphia. His U.S. House district is represented by a Republican. Kathleen Gallagher, a lawyer for the legislative leaders, asked him if he'd be part of the suit if a Democrat had won the last three elections in his district. Magidson said he would.

Gallagher asked, "This was about Donald Trump's election, not just your district, fair to say?"

He said that wasn't the case. He said he didn't realize until recently that the congressional map could be challenged.

Other plaintiffs include Reagan Hauer, from the Philadelphia suburb of Downingtown. She's a Democrat in a sprawling district represented by Republican Ryan Costello.

She said he'd prefer a competitive district, "particularly because I tend to be moderate and I like to see competition between the two parties and occasionally see a Republican or occasionally see a Democrat that I want to vote for."

Hauer said she was upset that Costello voted for a tax overhaul that Congress is working on. But she acknowledged that, perhaps bowing to pressure in his district, he voted against a Republican plan to scrap much of former President Barack Obama's health insurance overhaul - something she wanted him to do.

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Follow Mulvihill at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill
FAIRHOPE, Ala. (AP) - The Latest on the Alabama Senate race (all times local):

9:30 p.m.

Wounded by allegations of sexual misconduct, Alabama Republican Roy Moore is embracing his role as outsider in the Alabama race for U.S. Senate.

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, file photo, former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a rally, in Fairhope, Ala. In the face of sexual misconduct allegations, Moore's U.S. Senate campaign has been punctuated by tense moments and long stretches without public appearances. Moore faces Democrat Doug Jones for Alabama's U.S. Senate seat in the Dec. 12 election. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

Speaking at a Tuesday night rally in south Alabama, Moore says establishment Republicans "don't want me" in Washington. He is promising an enthusiastic crowd that he will be a supporter of President Donald Trump's agenda.

Moore is not mentioning the allegations against him, but is calling the election a "spiritual battle."

The former judge, known for religious-themed politics, is using social issues to rally the crowd, criticizing legalized abortion and the presence of transgender individuals serving in the military.

Moore says he "can't wait" to take "Alabama values to Washington, D.C."

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9:10 p.m.

Former White House adviser Steve Bannon, rallying support for embattled Republican Roy Moore, called the Alabama Senate race a referendum on the Trump agenda.

Bannon visited the state Tuesday night to support the Republican Senate candidate who faces allegations of sexual misconduct with teens years ago.

Taking the stage to prolonged applause at an Alabama rally, Bannon said establishment Republicans, and now Democrats, are trying to stop Moore's climb to the U.S. Senate.

Bannon told the cheering crowd that establishment Republicans, "think you are a bunch of rubes" and urged them to be "the voice of the deplorables."

Bannon lashed out at Democrat Doug Jones, saying a vote for him is a vote for the "Clinton agenda."

A demonstrator briefly interrupted Bannon's speech with shouts of "No Moore."

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8:10 p.m.

The Republican National Committee has transferred $170,000 to the Alabama Republican Party to bolster embattled Senate candidate Roy Moore.

An RNC official tells The Associated Press it made two transfers to the state party Tuesday: one for $50,000 and another for $120,000.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the transfers by name.

The move is a reversal for the RNC. The party had pulled its support after Moore was hit with accusations of sexual misconduct.

But President Donald Trump on Monday formally threw his support behind Moore and the RNC said it would follow suit.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel last month called the allegations against Moore sufficiently "concerning" to warrant the RNC to sever financial ties.

- Jill Colvin in Washington

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8 p.m.

Alabama's secretary of state is asking election officials to check sample ballots ahead of the U.S. Senate race after someone vandalized about a dozen in one county and pre-marked them for Democrat Doug Jones.

Secretary of State John Merrill says 10 to 15 sample ballots had been marked for Jones in Bullock County.

The sample ballots are available to voters to show them what the ballot will look like on Election Day.

Merrill says he investigated after receiving a complaint from the Republican Roy Moore's campaign. Merrill says the vandalized ballots were removed. He is asking other probate judges to check their sample ballots to ensure it was not a widespread issue.

Moore and Jones face each other in the Dec. 12 vote.

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7:40 p.m.

About three dozen demonstrators are protesting outside a rally for Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore that's being headlined by former White House adviser Steve Bannon.

The group - mostly women - is carrying "No Moore" signs and chanting, "We want a senator, not a predator."

Many in the group are dressed in costumes from Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel "The Handmaid's Tale," in which women are powerless. They say it demonstrates the silencing of the women who have accused Moore of sexual misconduct.

Law enforcement officers told them to leave the private event venue and led them to a spot beside a nearby public road.

Susan Taylor of Fairhope, one of the demonstrators dressed as a handmaid, says Moore does not represent the state she knows.

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5:10 p.m.

GOP Sen. Jeff Flake is showing his opposition to Republican Roy Moore's candidacy for Alabama Senate by donating to the campaign of Moore's Democratic opponent.

Flake tweeted a picture of a $100 check from him to Doug Jones' campaign Tuesday. In the memo it said, "Country over Party."

Other Republicans in Washington have also come out against Moore over accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior, but he has strong support from state Republicans.

Two women have accused the 70-year-old Moore of sexually assaulting or molesting them decades ago, when they were 14 and 16 and he was in his 30s. At least five other women have said he pursued romantic relationships with them around the same time, when they were teenagers.

He has denied the allegations and called the women liars.

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3:15 p.m.

The top Republican in the Senate says if Alabama candidate Roy Moore is elected, he would "immediately have an issue with the Ethics Committee" over allegations of sexual misconduct with teenagers decades ago.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday that the 70-year-old Moore would have to be sworn in if he wins the Dec. 12 special election, based on the 1969 Supreme Court ruling involving Democratic New York Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr.

The House had refused to seat Powell after allegations of personal and financial misconduct. The Supreme Court ruled in his favor, saying the House acted unconstitutionally by not seating him.

Moore faces Democrat Doug Jones in the special election. National Republicans have said he should step aside, but he has strong support from state Republicans.

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2:30 p.m.

Roy Moore's Democratic opponent in the Alabama Senate race says he did his part as a prosecutor to ensure that "men who hurt little girls should go to jail and not the United States Senate."

Doug Jones told supporters Tuesday in Birmingham that the Republican Moore is an embarrassment to the state.

Jones says it's "crystal clear" that Moore's accusers are telling the truth when they say Moore made improper sexual advances against them when they were teens and he was a deputy district attorney in his 30s. The now-70-year-old Moore says his accusers are lying.

Jones' comments came hours before a Moore rally in Alabama with former White House strategist Steve Bannon.

The special election to fill the seat once held by Republican Jeff Sessions is Dec. 12.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday accused outdoor retailer Patagonia of lying when it said that President Donald Trump "stole your land" by shrinking two national monuments in Utah by some 2 million acres.

An angry Zinke called the claim - made in large type on the company's home page - "nefarious, false and a lie."

Zinke told reporters the land targeted by Trump remains protected because it is still under federal control.

FILE - This July 15, 2016, file photo, shows the "Moonhouse" in McLoyd Canyon which is part of Bears Ears National Monument, near Blanding, Utah. President Donald Trump's rare move to shrink two large national monuments in Utah triggered another round of outrage among Native American leaders who vowed to unite and take the fight to court to preserve protections for lands they consider sacred. Trump decided to reduce Bears Ears - created last December by President Barack Obama - by about 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante - designated in 1996 by President Bill Clinton - by nearly half. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

"I understand fundraising for these special interest groups," Zinke said. "I think it's shameful and appalling that they would blatantly lie in order to gain money in their coffers."

Patagonia replaced its usual home page Monday night with a stark message declaring, "The President Stole Your Land." The message called Trump's actions to shrink Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments "illegal" and the largest elimination of protected land in American history.

Outdoor retailer REI also criticized Trump but in less harsh language.

Zinke took a defiant tone in a conference call with reporters, saying, "I don't yield to pressure, only higher principle. And sound public policy is not based on threats of lawsuits, it's doing what's right."

Patagonia has "always viewed public lands as our special interest," said company spokeswoman Corley Kenna. "And it's odd that Ryan Zinke has no problem with special interests when they're paying for his private jets. We have been fighting for these lands for decades, so that hunters, fishers, hikers and everyone else can use them and help us protect them."

Patagonia is expected to file a lawsuit challenging the Bears Ears decision as soon as Wednesday. The company has joined with REI and other outdoor recreation companies in leading a push to move the industry's lucrative trade show from Salt Lake City to Denver after two decades in Utah. The move was a high-profile protest over Utah leaders' insistence on getting the Bears Ears designation rescinded and trying to take more control of federal lands.

Zinke argued that Bears Ears is still larger than Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks combined even after being downsized to about 202,000 acres (315 square miles) while Grand Staircase-Escalante retains about 1 million acres (about 1,500 square miles.)

Environmental and conservation groups and a coalition of tribes filed lawsuits Monday that ensure Trump's announcement is far from the final word in the yearslong battle over public lands in Utah and other Western states. The court cases are likely to drag on for years.

A coalition of the Hopi, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni tribes and Navajo Nation sued late Monday to challenge the Bears Ears reduction, which cuts monument status for the rugged land in southeastern Utah by about 85 percent. Bears Ears features thousands of Native American artifacts, including ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.

The tribes argue that federal law only gives presidents the ability to create a national monument, not the ability to downsize one.

Two lawsuits also have been filed to try to block the Grand Staircase decision, which cuts the monument nearly in half. Grand Staircase contains scenic cliffs, canyons, waterfalls and arches - and one of the nation's largest known coal reserves.

The two monuments were created by Democrats Barack Obama and Bill Clinton under a century-old law that allows presidents to protect sites considered historically, geographically or culturally important.

Trump acted on a recommendation by Zinke, who also has urged that two other large national monuments in the West be reduced in size, potentially opening up thousands of acres of land revered for natural beauty and historical significance to mining, logging and other development.

The interior secretary's plan would scale back Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou, in addition to the two Utah sites.

Zinke said Tuesday he would focus changes in Gold Butte on the site's water districts. Gold Butte protects nearly 300,000 acres of desert landscapes featuring rock art, sandstone towers and wildlife habitat for the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise and other species.

Zinke declined to specify how many acres he wants to remove from monument status, stressing that the administration is working with Nevada's governor and congressional delegation to find a solution.

Similarly, Zinke declined specifics on Cascade-Siskiyou, which protects about 113,000 acres in an area where three mountain ranges converge. Changes will center on recent expansion of the site, which was first created by Clinton in 2000. Much of the additional land is on private property, while some is on land previously designated for timber production, Zinke said.

Zinke also has recommended allowing logging at a newly designated monument in Maine and urges more grazing, hunting and fishing at two sites in New Mexico. He also calls for a new assessment of border-safety risks at a monument in southern New Mexico.

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Associated Press writer Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke takes the stage before President Donald Trump speaks at the Utah State Capitol Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce plans to shrink two sprawling national monuments in Utah in a move that will delight the state's GOP politicians and many rural residents who see the lands as prime examples of federal overreach, but will enrage tribes and environmentalist groups who vow to immediately sue to preserve the monuments. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

FILE - This July 15, 2016, file photo, shows the "Moonhouse" in McLoyd Canyon which is part of Bears Ears National Monument, near Blanding, Utah. President Donald Trump's rare move to shrink two large national monuments in Utah triggered another round of outrage among Native American leaders who vowed to unite and take the fight to court to preserve protections for lands they consider sacred. Trump decided to reduce Bears Ears - created last December by President Barack Obama - by about 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante - designated in 1996 by President Bill Clinton - by nearly half. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) - An AP Fact Check finds that President Donald Trump is making some unusual points in support of his decision to shrink national monument lands in Utah.

For one, he says scaling back land protected by the monuments would restore Native Americans' "rightful voice over the sacred land." But native groups fear losing existing rights because of his decision, and are fighting it in court.

He contends freeing vast lands in Utah from monument designation will also restore recreational rights. But those rights are affirmed in protections he'd roll back.

FILE - This July 15, 2016, file photo, shows the "Moonhouse" in McLoyd Canyon which is part of Bears Ears National Monument, near Blanding, Utah. President Donald Trump's rare move to shrink two large national monuments in Utah triggered another round of outrage among Native American leaders who vowed to unite and take the fight to court to preserve protections for lands they consider sacred. Trump decided to reduce Bears Ears - created last December by President Barack Obama - by about 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante - designated in 1996 by President Bill Clinton - by nearly half. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Trump has acted to reduce the Bears Ears monument lands by 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante by nearly half.

President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation to shrink the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments at the Utah State Capitol Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce plans to shrink two sprawling national monuments in Utah in a move that will delight the state's GOP politicians and many rural residents who see the lands as prime examples of federal overreach, but will enrage tribes and environmentalist groups who vow to immediately sue to preserve the monuments. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - U.S. wildlife officials have a plan for fostering as many as a dozen captive Mexican gray wolf pups with wild packs in Arizona and New Mexico in 2018.

The goal of the proposal unveiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to boost genetic diversity among the endangered species.

Aside from fostering, managers want to remove a female wolf from a pack in Arizona to prevent it from mating with a sibling.

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a Mexican gray wolf leaves cover at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro County, N.M. Federal wildlife officials have a plan for fostering as many as a dozen captive Mexican gray wolf pups with wild packs in Arizona and New Mexico in 2018. (Jim Clark/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP, File)

During a temporary stint in captivity, the wolf either would be artificially inseminated or allowed to mate with another captive wolf before being released back into the wild.

The Mexican wolf is threatened by what biologists call a genetic bottleneck since today's population was built upon only seven founding animals. For that reason, officials say the captive population is carefully managed to increase genetic diversity by establishing breeding pairs based on kinship, or the lack of relation to one another.

In the wild, officials say the probability is high for inbreeding among natural pairs since many of the wolves are related to a single female descendant.

"Release of wolves from the more genetically diverse captive population is necessary to decrease the overall relatedness among wolves in the wild population and to meet the objectives of the Mexican wolf recovery plan," the proposal states.

Placing captive pups with wild packs - or cross-fostering - can help do that, officials said.

Environmentalists contend this year's proposal falls short.

"There's no good reason that these pups couldn't be released with their parents and, in fact, releases of family packs were successful for the first few years of the reintroduction program," said Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Robinson also voiced concerns that the agency's proposal for 2017 called for releasing two family packs into the Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico and up to 10 pups in New Mexico and Arizona. Instead, only four pups were fostered.

Ranchers have been critical, saying more wolves on the land increases the threat to their livelihood as the predators have been known to kill livestock and game animals.

Federal officials are working to mitigate conflicts with landowners through efforts such as supplemental feeding. They also say releasing adult wolves that have no experience in the wild leads to more management challenges.

Over the past decade, the Fish and Wildlife Service has released 108 wolves. The most recent survey in early 2017 showed there were at least 113 wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico and another 31 in northern Mexico.

The public has until Dec. 26 to comment on the proposal.
BOSTON (AP) - Most candidates hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in next year's election aren't shying away from President Donald Trump's criticism of her claims of Native American heritage, although all but one say they won't be adopting Trump's habit of deriding the Massachusetts Democrat as "Pocahontas."

Warren has called the Republican president's use of the name a racial slur, but three of the four candidates challenging Warren say her response to the Republican president leaves her open to charges of playing politics. Warren has said she was told of her heritage by her parents and grandparents.

"At the same time she claims she is so outraged, her campaign is sending out fundraising emails using the term 'Pocahontas,'" Republican state Rep. Geoff Diehl said. "Once again, Sen. Warren is speaking out of both sides of her mouth."

Trump again used Pocahontas to refer to Warren during a recent White House event honoring Navajo Code Talkers. Later that day, Warren emailed supporters referencing the comment and soliciting campaign donations.

Of the four main Warren challengers, each of whom were contacted by The Associated Press, Diehl has the closest ties to Trump, having served as co-chairman of his campaign in Massachusetts.

Diehl said Warren "brought these attacks upon herself by being the chief obstructionist in Washington" and called her criticism of Trump's ridicule "more phony political outrage to build her national profile to run for president."

Another Republican candidate, business executive John Kingston, said that Trump's decision to use the name during a veteran's event was inappropriate but that his criticism is fair.

"I certainly won't be using such a term on the campaign trail - but Sen. Warren's misrepresentation of her heritage is part of a pattern that clearly troubles voters, one of using mistruths, divisive rhetoric and grandstanding to advance herself and now boost her presidential ambitions," Kingston said.

Warren has said she never relied on her Native American heritage to gain any advantage. In a 2012 interview with the AP, Warren said she was told her mother was part Cherokee and part Delaware.

"I never used it to get anything. I didn't use it to get a job. I didn't use it to get into school," she said Monday. "The people who have hired me have made that clear."

Beth Lindstrom, a onetime aide to former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, said she will focus her campaign on other issues, from illegal immigration to job creation.

"This is what is wrong with Washington today - the nastiness of the debates, the labeling and name calling, and the nothingness of the results," Lindstrom said. "To the extent there are questions about Sen. Warren's background, people should direct those questions to her. That is not why I am in the race."

A fourth candidate, technology entrepreneur Shiva Ayyadurai, has embraced Trump's use of the term.

Ayyadurai, who began the race as a Republican but is now running as an independent, already used Pocahontas to refer to Warren in a tweet. He said Warren "has literally shoplifted the racial identity of Native American for her own personal gain," including a job as a law professor at Harvard University.

Warren has acknowledged telling Harvard and an earlier employer, the University of Pennsylvania, of her heritage but only after she had been hired.

Pocahontas was a native woman who lived in present-day Virginia in the 1600s and agreed to marry an English colonist to help ensure peace and protect her people.

Questions about Warren's heritage, which first surfaced during her successful 2012 campaign to oust Republican Sen. Scott Brown, haven't dampened her popularity in Massachusetts. One recent poll found her leading each of her challengers by more than 20 percentage points. Warren also had a hefty $12.8 million in her campaign account as of the end of September.

Warren is frequently mentioned as a potential challenger to Trump in 2020 but has dismissed talk of a presidential bid, saying she is focused on her 2018 re-election campaign.

Tim Vercellotti, a professor of political science at Western New England University, said the question of Warren's heritage won't sway many voters in Massachusetts - and may not change many minds even at a national level if she runs for president.

"The passage of time helps Elizabeth Warren on this. She's been in the Senate for five years now and she's been a national figure longer than that," he said. "People who might find fault with her were probably never going to vote for her and are looking for a reason why."
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - The United Nations is urging authorities in Kosovo to have a clear strategy to deter potential fighters from joining Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq, and to offer more employment possibilities and education.

An independent U.N.-commissioned report, made available to The Associated Press on Tuesday, examined returned foreign fighters and the reasons that Kosovars joined extremist groups.

It also urged Kosovo and international bodies to develop better policies to prevent violent extremism.

According to Kosovo police, 335 citizens have traveled to or been caught en route to conflict zones in Syria and Iraq since 2012, making Kosovo one of Europe's largest exporters of foreign fighters on per capita basis. They included 253 were men, 55 women and 27 children.

The would-be fighters usually traveled through Turkey to Syria, where they joined ISIS, Jabhat Al Nusrah, Ahrar Al Sham or the Free Syrian Army terror groups.

"Ethnic Albanians fighting for extremist groups, including Lavdrim Muhaxheri, Ridvan Haqifi and others, presented photographic evidence that portrayed a sense of pride, freedom, empowerment and, ultimately, happiness," the report said.

The perception of anti-Islamic feelings, poor education and a lack of employment seemed to have been the main causes for recruitment. The internet and social media were identified as tools for radicalization.

Kosovo, which has a mostly Muslim ethnic Albanian population, is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with an unemployment rate above 33 percent, and 57 percent for those under 25. It also has low-quality education.

"Investing in increasing employment opportunities and improving the employability of Kosovo's workforce through better quality education that offers skills sought after in the labor market could be both a measure to prevent violent extremism and aid the disengagement and reintegration of those who have previously joined extremist groups," said the report.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Municipal governments worry the tax overhaul in Washington, D.C. could chill the construction of affordable housing as homelessness reaches a crisis point on the West Coast.

Officials with the housing authority in Portland, Oregon, said Tuesday the U.S. could lose nearly 1 million units of affordable housing over 10 years if the final bill eliminates the tax-exempt status for a type of bond commonly used by developers to finance affordable housing.

That estimate comes from a recent analysis by Novogradac & Co., a San Francisco-based accounting firm that specializes in real estate and affordable housing issues.

FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2016, file photo, Deitra Schmer, standing, and her grandchildren Adrian Atkinson, left, Andrea Brown, middle, and Jordan Otey, listen as friend Terry Daniel talks about the planned police sweep of the homeless encampment where Schmer lives along the Springwater Corridor in Portland, Ore. Homeless advocates say the tax overhaul currently under debate Washington, D.C. could have a chilling effect on the development of affordable housing nationwide by effectively taking away a type of tax-exempt bond that local governments use to motivate developers to build low-income housing. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus, file)

While the tax bill is not finalized, developers are now racing to lock in financing and the uncertainty over the bonds has raised upfront costs for some projects, affecting projects from Oregon to Massachusetts to Illinois to Minnesota. The concern comes at a time when homelessness is soaring on the West Coast amid an acute shortage of affordable housing. Cities, including Portland, are rushing to get projects in the pipeline to address the crisis.

"It's a little bit of chaos because there's so much to unpack in the implications of this and folks are scrambling," Michael Buonocore, executive director of Portland's housing authority, said in a phone interview. "This is straightforward math and it is not just funding for public housing that is purely funneled through the government. The low-income tax credit fuels ... private industry and lenders too, so it's across the spectrum."

In Portland, for example, uncertainty over the fate of the private activity bonds has added $1 million to the cost of a 240-unit affordable housing complex, the largest that's been built in Portland in many years, Buonocore said. Developers will nonetheless break ground in January, but the fate of future projects is less certain, he said.

More than half of affordable housing projects nationwide rely on a 4 percent tax credit that can only be claimed by a developer if at least half of the construction is financed by private activity bonds. The bonds are awarded by states, with the help of local governments, for qualifying projects.

While both House and Senate versions of the tax bill currently retain low-income housing tax credits, the House version would remove the tax-exempt status of the private activity bonds, making them essentially useless as a financing tool.

The analysis by Novogradac & Co. also estimated that lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent - a feature of both the House and Senate versions of the tax bill - would effectively devalue low income housing tax credits and result in a loss of investor equity nationally of about $1.2 billion.

That would translate into about 90,000 fewer affordable rental units over the next decade nationwide, the analysis found.

Portland housing officials say locally that would mean $200 million in lost equity and 1,800 fewer units.

_____

Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus
President Donald Trump has thrown his full support behind embattled Republican US Senate candidate Roy Moore who faces allegations of historical child sex abuse.

Mr Trump tweeted early on Monday that Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama.

It was Mr Trumps most vocal endorsement of Mr Moore, who has lost the backing of many top Republicans since he was hit with allegations of sexual misconduct decades ago.

Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a campaign rally (Brynn Anderson/AP)

Mr Trump has assailed Democratic candidate Doug Jones and has defended Mr Moore against allegations of child molestation.

But the White House has said he has no plans to make campaign appearances.

Mr Trump tweeted: We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!

Mr Moore, contesting the seat created after Jeff Sessions became attorney general, replied to the endorsement by saying he cant wait to help Mr Trump #DrainTheSwamp.

Mr Trump uses that phrase as a derogatory term for what he considers to be a corrupt system in Washington.

After Mr Trumps tweet, Mr Moore tweeted that The America First agenda will #MAGA, a reference to Trumps Make America Great Again campaign slogan.
Social media giant Facebook has opened a new office in London, taking 800 jobs to the capital.

It will be the US companys biggest engineering hub outside the US, with more than half of the team focusing on engineering.

Facebook first arrived in London 10 years ago, and the new addition will take its total UK workforce up to 2,300 by the end of 2018.

The 247,000 square foot office, which opened on Monday, is in Rathbone Place, just off bustling Oxford Street in central London.

Designed by the architect Frank Gehry, it includes seven floors and a new public square called Rathbone Square.

Black and white torsos on the wall inside Facebooks new London office loom over green chairs (Ben Lister/PA)

It will also include an incubator space for start-ups, called LDN_LAB, which will help kick-start fledgling businesses.

Some 400 construction jobs were created to build and fit out the offices from March to December.

Facebooks new incubator space called LDN_LAB (Ben Lister/PA)

Nicola Mendelsohn, vice president for Facebook Europe, Middle East and Asia, said the announcement showed that Facebook is more committed than ever to the UK.

She added: The UKs flourishing entrepreneurial ecosystem and international reputation for engineering excellence makes it one of the best places in the world to build a tech company.

And weve built our company here  this country has been a huge part of Facebooks story over the past decade, and I look forward to continuing our work to achieve our mission of bringing the world closer together.

Neon words decorate the interior of Facebooks new London office (Ben Lister/PA)

Chancellor Philip Hammond was one of the first to congratulate the company.

He said: Its a sign of confidence in our country that innovative companies like Facebook invest here, and its terrific news that they will be hiring 800 more highly skilled workers next year.

A staircase in the middle of Facebooks new office space (Ben Lister/PA)

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also welcomed the fantastic announcement, adding: The launch of the companys incubator is set to play a crucial role in attracting vital talent to London and will help to pave the way for the next generation of successful start-ups.
Brexit is firmly back at the top of the news agenda on Tuesday, as Theresa Mays crunch talks in Brussels ended without a divorce deal.

Claims that the Prime Minister pulled out of a deal at the last minute after meeting fierce resistance from the Democratic Unionist Party dominate the front pages.

The Daily Telegraph says Mrs Mays push for a deal ended in chaos following a damaging public row with the DUP over Northern Irelands future.

What the papers say - December 5

The paper calls it an extraordinary day in Brussels and describes a serious miscalculation over the DUPs response to a key negotiating point.

'May's push for deal ends in chaos' - tomorrow's front page of The Daily @Telegraph #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/coglm4xAX8  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) December 4, 2017

The Guardian declares: DUP wrecks Mays Brexit deal, and says the PMs political weakness was brutally exposed to Brussels.

It also describes it as a day of chaos.

The Guardian front page, Tuesday 05.12.17: DUP wrecks Mays Brexit deal pic.twitter.com/t39rsMQKna  The Guardian (@guardian) December 4, 2017

The Daily Mirror, meanwhile, runs with the headline DUPED, and calls it an EU deal shambles.

The paper reports that DUP leader Arlene Foster refused to accept any arrangement which saw Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK.

The i says Mrs May was within touching distance of an agreement before the negotiations were scuppered, while the Independent declares that the PM was humiliated as her plan was left in tatters.

And the Times says Mrs May was warned she had just four days to salvage a Brexit deal or risk delays.

- May fights to save Brexit deal after Unionist veto

- Landlords force tenants to fund fire cladding#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/pTkJRgnwK0  The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) December 4, 2017

Away from Brexit, the Daily Mail reports that nearly 200 paedophiles were arrested in the space of a week for stalking children on live-streaming apps.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has issued a plea for restraint from all sides in the Yemen conflict following the death of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The leader of the countrys Shiite Houthi rebels said his forces killed their former ally Mr Saleh for treason.

Abdul Malik al-Houthi said they had foiled a conspiracy by a Saudi-led coalition backing the government, to whom Mr Saleh had made peace overtures.

Houthi Shiite fighters guard a street leading to the residence of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh (Hani Mohammed/AP)

The United Nations called for an immediate halt to fighting in Yemens capital Sanaa following a dramatic escalation of ground clashes and airstrikes.

I urge restraint by all parties to the conflict following reports of the death of former President Saleh in Yemen today. The UK continues to work for a political solution to the crisis in Yemen.  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 4, 2017

In a message released on Twitter, Mr Johnson said: I urge restraint by all parties to the conflict following reports of the death of former President Saleh in Yemen. The UK continues to work for a political solution to the crisis in Yemen.

His Labour shadow Emily Thornberry said Mr Salehs killing represented a dangerous new turn in this conflict.

An already multi-sided regional conflict now faces even greater violence between Saleh loyalists and Houthi militias, which will only plunge the millions of malnourished, embattled civilians in rebel-held areas into ever more desperate danger, she said.

The killing of Ali Saleh by his former Houthi allies represents a dangerous new turn in this conflict - @EmilyThornberry https://t.co/KfW0yhrOaG  Labour Press (@labourpress) December 4, 2017

Now, more than ever before, we need an urgent UN-led effort to halt the violence on all sides, allow Yemens civilians to receive the humanitarian relief they need, and work towards a political solution to the conflict.

We renew our calls on the UK government to play their part in that effort by bringing forward the draft ceasefire resolution for which the UN Security Council has now been waiting for more than a year.
Win or lose, its been a tough Test for Australia captain Steve Smith.

After the riches of Brisbane, Smith has been dismissed cheaply twice  by his standards at least  in Adelaide and his captaincy has been questioned.

Choosing to bat again rather than make England follow-on could be seen as a mistake, while using two reviews in three balls to no success certainly was.

The Barmy Army has been making its presence felt (Jason OBrien/PA)

And, as Mitchell Johnson can testify, there arent many less forgiving crowds than the Barmy Army when things go against you.
Riot police have been deployed to the streets of the Ukrainian capital Kiev amid a stand-off with hundreds of protesters who had blocked a police van carrying an arrested politician.

Ukraines intelligence agency SBU detained the former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who has emerged as an anti-corruption campaigner in his new country.

Mr Saakashvili climbed on to the roof of his home in Kiev, drawing a crowd of supporters below, and threatened to jump off, Ukrainian media reported.

SBU officers followed him on to the roof, detained him and led him out to a waiting van.

Mikheil Saakashvili is led out of his house

However, several hundred supporters blocked the road and surrounded the van, refusing to let it drive off.

Two hours after Mr Saakashvili entered the van, it was still at a standstill as the crowd chanted Kiev, rise up!

Footage from the scene showed protesters picking up cobblestones and construction rubble to build barricades.

National Guard riot police were dispatched to help the SBU release the van but they soon found themselves surrounded by a crowd of protesters.

Mr Saakashvili is arguably Ukraines most popular opposition politician and a challenge to President Petro Poroshenko, who appointed him as governor of Ukraines Odessa region before the two fell out.

Mikheil Saakashvili marched with supporters on Sunday

Mr Saakashvili served as Georgias president for nearly a decade before he was termed out of the office and left the country in 2013.

He resigned as Odessa governor in 2016, complaining that his efforts to root out corruption suffered official obstruction.

Mr Poroshenko revoked Mr Saakashvilis citizenship in July while he was out of the country.

Mr Saakashvili forced his way across Ukraines border with Poland last month.

His stand-off with Mr Poroshenko ignited long-simmering popular discontent with the slow pace of the presidents much-promised reforms.

The Security Service said in a statement that Mr Saakashvili is facing a criminal investigation for assisting members of criminal organisations or hiding their criminal activities.

Ukrainian prosecutor general Yuri Lutsenko said in a televised briefing later in the day that Mr Saakashvili is suspected of colluding with Ukrainian businessmen with ties to Russian intelligence in order to topple Mr Poroshenko.
Joe Root took it upon himself to keep English hopes alive as his team tried to complete a remarkable reversal of fortune in the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval.

Roots men earned an outside shot at a national-record run chase after a sustained revival which saw them bowl Australia out for 138 and then reach 176 for four by stumps on day four, on the back of their captains unbeaten 67, in pursuit of a highly-improbable 354.

The architects of Englands improvements, dating back more than 24 hours after their miserable start to this match, have been Chris Woakes and Craig Overton with the bat and then James Anderson and Woakes again with the ball.

Anderson recorded his first five-wicket haul in Australia, while Woakes finished with four for 36, as the hosts mustered only a joint top individual score of 20 after Steve Smith chose not to enforce the follow-on the previous evening.

Session One



England knew what they had to do. Bowl Australia out quickly and cheaply from an overnight position of 53 for four.

The state of the game ahead of Day 4 on the old scoreboard #Ashes



Follow: https://t.co/3UOCbsGqmO pic.twitter.com/XGbCsWhNKR  England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 5, 2017

James Anderson did his bit, with a first five-for in Australia.

Englands James Anderson took five wickets (Jason OBrien/PA)

The real GOAT 



Jimmy Anderson has a five-wicket haul for the first time in Australia.



Well deserved #Ashes



 BT Sport 1 HD pic.twitter.com/34PdIOXlbz  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 5, 2017

And the Barmy Army finally had something to cheer after a tough tour so far.

 When he starts to swing, the Barmy Army sing, Jimmy Anderson 



A new song for England's leading wicket-taker #ItsTheAshes pic.twitter.com/D22TRAuLqp  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 5, 2017

James Anderson leads England off after his five wickets (Jason OBrien/PA)

Terrific effort by England to knock Australia over & very happy that Jimmy Anderson finally showed the Australian public how good a bowler he is. There is no indication that England can get these runs but records are there to be broken. What a series it would b if England got 354  Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) December 5, 2017

Session Two

So England knew what they needed to do. Bat well, better than they have all tour, and make a record chase not only at Adelaide but for them.

Ill eat my hat  well done England ,still in the game.As weve said Australian line up isnt great ? England just have to get runs on the. Board   Darren Gough MBE (@DGoughie) December 5, 2017

"Bad luck to the Aussies, couldn't happen to nicer people, not reviewing it..."@GeoffreyBoycott doesn't mind Alastair's Cook let off #Ashes pic.twitter.com/KiWsBfgnT2  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 5, 2017

But Cook soon went after.

Session Three

England had done OK in the evening session, certainly more studious than before, but under the lights against some charged-up quicks was going to be different.

Massive session coming up for the Aussies. We are about to see this pink ball fly...   Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) December 5, 2017

Clarke was right, the ball did fly. But so did Australian heads as Steve Smith continued to make poor decisions.

Joe Root survives 



He leaves a straight one but DRS saves him...



Please, Joe, don't do that to us again 



101-3 (354 Target)#Ashes pic.twitter.com/Uo11TnvAlW  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 5, 2017

Well played again @root66 but hopefully just the start. Come on @englandcricket keep going boys! #ashes  Matt Prior (@MattPrior13) December 5, 2017

Joe Root and Dawid Malan touch gloves (Jason OBrien/PA)

 Didn't review the one that was out

 Reviewed two that weren't



Steve Smith has had better days as captain...#Ashes



 BT Sport 1 HD pic.twitter.com/sAdUhfwygx  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 5, 2017

Lyon appeals for LBW against Root, turned down. "Shall we lend you a review?" sing the Barmy Army.  Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) December 5, 2017

A reason why the The Barmy Army are the best fans in the world 



Steve Smith has used up all of his reviews and they love it...so does Joe Root #Ashes



 BT Sport 1 HD pic.twitter.com/2BBydfXJfM  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 5, 2017

So England were chipper, the fans were chipper and all was looking as rosy as it could be given the chase. And then

WICKET Cummins bowls Malan for 29



169/4 #Ashes



Follow: https://t.co/jclJcMrBB2  England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 5, 2017

So what next? England have a chance, but it all largely depends on one man.
As Brexit talks get ever more detailed and intense, we explain what the jargon means.

:: Whats the difference between continued regulatory alignment and regulatory divergence?

The word alignment offers a more flexible ambiguity to the sticky issue of the Irish border, which would have given London and Dublin more wriggle room to sell the idea of frictionless trade to their respective audiences.

Prime Minister Theresa May meets European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels

It adds a looser, more EU-style fluidity to the concept of avoiding a hard border after withdrawal as regulatory convergence implies a stricter regime when it comes to standards and practices on both sides of the dividing line. And regulatory divergence suggests a clear break in some areas.

But even the alignment level of ambiguity was considered too strong by the DUP for them to accept, so its back to the dictionary to find a fresh form of words as the Irish Government says it will give Downing Street some space to deal with presentational problems.

:: How does phase two of talks differ from phase one?

For Remainers hoping that Brexit was just a phase, the bad news is that it is in fact two phases  and the first one was meant to be the relatively easy part.

Phase one concentrates on legacy divorce issues, such as the exit bill, the rights of British citizens living in the EU and those of EU nationals living here, as well as the Irish border.

Phase two is intended to hammer out a post-Brexit trade agreement between the UK and the EU27, but bloc leaders will only sign off on opening the second section of talks if they deem sufficient progress has been made on legacy negotiations at a summit in Brussels next week.

Met with PM @theresa_may. I was ready to present draft EU27 guidelines tomorrow for #Brexit talks on transition and future. But UK and Commission asked for more time. It is now getting very tight but agreement at December #EUCO is still possible. pic.twitter.com/oLQQHs9F8q  Charles Michel (@eucopresident) December 4, 2017

:: What is sufficient progress?

Whatever the EU insists upon, it would appear, given the sudden eagerness of London to finally wrap up phase one as exemplified by the apparent acceptance that the Brexit bill will be up to 50 billion, rather than the 18 billion initially indicated by Downing Street.

Some sort of role for the European Court of Justice on citizens rights has also been talked of, along with the wordplay surrounding the Irish border issue.
Joe Root took it upon himself to keep English hopes alive as his team tried to complete a remarkable reversal of fortune in the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval.

Roots men earned an outside shot at a national-record run chase after bowling Australia out for 138 and then reaching 176 for four by stumps on day four, on the back of their captains unbeaten 67, in pursuit of a highly-improbable 354.

The architects of Englands improvements, dating back more than 24 hours after their miserable start to this match, have been Chris Woakes and Craig Overton with the bat and then James Anderson and Woakes again with the ball.

Joe Root (Jason O'Brien/PA)

STUMPS on a brilliant day of #Ashes cricket!



England require 178 more runs to win. Bring on day 5!



Full scorecard here: https://t.co/Lxuuccswwa pic.twitter.com/NRy6eynKM3  England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 5, 2017

Anderson recorded his first five-wicket haul in Australia, while Woakes finished with four for 36, as the hosts mustered only a joint top individual score of 20 after Steve Smith chose not to enforce the follow-on the previous evening.

Then Root ensured England would take it into the last day here to determine whether they will go to Perth level again at 1-1 or a dispiriting 2-0 down with three to play.

Englands second-innings efforts with the ball were outstanding, as was their fielding. Stuart Broad intimidated Nathan Lyon early on, and Anderson reaped the reward when the nightwatchman holed out to mid-off.

A reason why the The Barmy Army are the best fans in the world 



Steve Smith has used up all of his reviews and they love it...so does Joe Root #Ashes



 BT Sport 1 HD pic.twitter.com/2BBydfXJfM  Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 5, 2017

In his next over, Anderson (five for 43) had an out-of-sorts Peter Handscomb especially well-held by Dawid Malan diving to his right at gully.

And Woakes got in on the act thanks to an even better catch of contrasting style when Overton made ground from fine-leg to cling on as he threw himself forward following a mis-hook by Tim Paine.

Mitchell Starc and Shaun Marsh gave the hosts some significant extra leeway until Woakes bowled the first-innings centurion as he aimed to leg.

Handscomb Aus-raised, of English descent - but reckon he must have learned how to bat in Provence #frenchcricket  David Clough (@DavidBClough) December 5, 2017

Starc then became Andersons fifth victim, miscuing to deep mid-off, and Overton finished the job when Josh Hazlewood propped a catch to gully.

England had given themselves the slimmest of unexpected chances, and their top order was never going to lack for motivation after its collective first-innings mishap. But the odds, and around 140 years of Ashes history, were still stacked ominously against them.

A half-century opening stand raised hopes, Alastair Cook surviving on one when Australia incorrectly chose not to review for a Hazlewood lbw. But Cook, lbw to Lyon after Smith did go to DRS this time, and then Mark Stoneman - propping Starc to gully - were to go for the addition of only a single.

Fabulous stuff. A chance now for @root66 to go from being a great player for England to one of crickets all-time greats.  Gary Lineker  (@GaryLineker) December 5, 2017

James Vince began the dangerous dusk-and-dark session by edging a drive at Starc to slip, leaving the onus more than ever on Root.

He needed some fine-margin decisions to go his way, notably when he reviewed an lbw decision against him off Lyon on 32 and saw technology demonstrate the ball clearing middle-stump by a whisker. He also survived on 60 when Cameron Bancroft could not hold a sharp chance at short cover off Pat Cummins.

But there was decidedly more skill than luck about Roots hugely-determined 78-ball half-century as he and Malan battled through 26 overs together under lights until the left-hander was bowled by a beauty from Cummins just before the close.
Maro Itoje has suffered a broken jaw and could be a doubt for the start of Englands Six Nations campaign.

The England and British and Irish Lions lock was injured in a collision with Mike Brown as Saracens lost out 20-19 to Harlequins in Sundays Aviva Premiership clash at The Stoop.

Saracens have confirmed Itojes injury as a fractured jaw, and the 23-year-old will now undergo further testing to determine his recovery period.

Maro Itoje is now a major doubt for England's Six Nations campaign (Mark Kerton/PA)

England launch their Six Nations title defence against Italy in Rome on February 4, leaving Itoje two months to be fit to contest selection for Eddie Jones side.

Scans have confirmed that Saracens forward Maro Itoje fractured his jaw in Sundays round 10 Aviva Premiership clash against Harlequins, read a Saracens statement.

48' Sarries Sub: @maroitoje is off with what looks to be a facial injury, on in his place is Schalk Burger.



Har 8 Sar 10 #SarriesLive  Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) December 3, 2017

The 23-year-old England forward left the field in the 48th minute of Saracens 20-19 defeat at the Twickenham Stoop and was taken to hospital where scans confirmed the fracture.

Itoje will now see a second specialist later this week to confirm his return to play schedule.
A new pancreatic cancer trial which aims to match patients with more targeted and effective treatment for their tumours is to begin in Scotland.

Researchers said it will bring a precision medicine approach to pancreatic cancer treatment for what is said to be the first time in the UK.

#PancreaticCancer patients deserve options and our clinical research aims to uncover what the most suitable treatment is for individual patients affected by PC. The #PRIMUS trials are funded by @CRUKresearch and @Celgene. #BritainAgainstCancer. More: https://t.co/UZDiynm1cu  PrecisionPanc (@precisionpanc) December 5, 2017

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the UK with a five-year survival rate of less than 7%, researchers said.

About 9,600 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK and around 8,800 people die.

Precision-Panc, a research programme and clinical trials project led by the University of Glasgow and majority-funded by Cancer Research UK, has been given approval by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to begin recruiting patients for trials.

Patients will initially be recruited to the Precision-Panc master protocol at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

If you are based in #Glasgow and wish to know more about our study to understand the mechanisms and treatment of #PancreaticCancer , please ask your treating clinicians for more information. Note: You must be willing and able to undergo a biopsy to be a part of this study.  PrecisionPanc (@precisionpanc) December 5, 2017

The master protocol will serve as the entry point to Precision-Panc and is the first step for patients to be recruited before enrolling onto a suitable clinical trial.

As part of the protocol, each patient will undergo a tumour biopsy to obtain material that will then be used for molecular profiling at the Glasgow precision oncology laboratory at the University of Glasgow.

The results may then be used to help match patients to the most appropriate currently available clinical trial.

Glasgow

Project chief investigator Professor Andrew Biankin, regius chair of surgery and director of the University of Glasgow Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, said: This is an extraordinary opportunity to transform the therapeutic options and treatment pathway for pancreatic cancer patients.

It is one of the first projects in the UK to bring genetic sequencing into the clinic in order to direct the care of pancreatic cancer patients.

Simultaneously, the first of three planned Primus (Pancreatic Cancer Individualised Multi-arm Umbrella Study) clinical trials has also opened for recruitment at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.

Glasgow is the first site to receive such approval. Additional sites across the UK are currently being set up and are expected to receive approval in early 2018.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp accepts there are no guarantees his side will progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League despite the odds being stacked in their favour.

A draw at home to Spartak Moscow in their final group match would be enough to put them through, while a win would ensure they top the table but Klopp is taking nothing for granted.

Three years ago they needed to win at home to Basel to progress but a draw dropped Brendan Rodgers side into the Europa League and the current Reds boss is keen for the focus to avoid any slip-ups after conceding a three-goal half-time lead in Seville last time out saw them miss out on early qualification.

Jurgen Klopp says tomorrow's #ChampionsLeague tie against Spartak is THE game of the Reds' season @PAdugout #LFC pic.twitter.com/Fy00yoGrXG  Rich McCarthy (@VJRichMcCarthy) December 5, 2017

He would not even let more questions about Philippe Coutinhos future  not one second have I thought about it  or Sundays looming Merseyside derby deflect from the task at hand.

We are only part of the Champions League because we want to go to the next round, he said as Liverpool look to make the knockout stage for the first time since 2009.

All good and bad things that happened in the Champions League  mostly good  has brought us to this situation and if we win we are through and that is cool.

I know a lot of people might think we should be already through but thats not life, it is not if and when it is about the moment.

Jurgen Klopp was in good spirits ahead of Liverpools Champions League clash with Spartak Moscow (Nick Potts/PA)

Spartak could say the same as they gave away four points against Maribor so they would be in a different situation.

We are stronger than we were when we played them but they are stronger as well, in a good moment in the league, and they have some very important offensive players back so it will be an exciting game.

You dont have guarantees in life but if you dont try all you get nothing so lets try all and we will see where it leads us to.

Klopp insists he will play his strongest team despite Sundays derby at home to an Everton side buoyed by the appointment of new permanent manager Sam Allardyce.

That starting XI is likely to include playmaker Coutinho, who continues to be surrounding by speculation of a renewed bid from Barcelona after the Catalan clubs failure to sign him in the summer.

Klopp on Coutinhos free kick: You cannot train that really... He did it and it was fantastic'https://t.co/ZSWztHMSDv pic.twitter.com/B5CoC6hPLg  Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 5, 2017

Klopp was asked what made him so sure Coutinho would still be at the club in February but he dismissed the question.

Nothing  but I dont think about it, I think about the Moscow game, he added.

Not one second have I thought about that so far. I am not unsure, I am not sure, I dont think about it.

No one knows what will happen in the nice and calm January transfer window. Its nice from an outside view but I have absolutely nothing to say.

Joe Gomez is available again following illness (Nick Potts/Empics)

Klopp is also optimistic of having Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez back to bolster his defence.

Both were ill last week with the former barely fit enough for Saturdays 5-1 win at Brighton and Gomez not even making the squad.

They are much better. They were in training yesterday and I expect them in training today. Ragnar and Joe are back  Joel Matip not and Adam Lallana not, he said.

Sadio Mane admits it's no fun on the Liverpool bench but the most important thing is what's right for the team @PAdugout #LFC pic.twitter.com/ODJ2AKklbf  Rich McCarthy (@VJRichMcCarthy) December 5, 2017

Forward Sadio Mane is expected to return after being rested at the weekend and the Senegal international is targeting a victory to progress as group winners.

For us it is very important. It is still possible so we will try and do it tomorrow, he said.

Every game is important for us. We are improving every single game.
A Chinese firm has forked out 270 million on a Canary Wharf tower as Asian demand for London property shows little sign of abating.

Cheung Kei Group has bought 5 Churchill Place  the former Bear Stearns headquarters  from Said Holdings in a deal said to have delivered the seller a substantial return on investment.

The majority of the site is let to US banking giant JP Morgan, which rents 10 floors, while Time Inc, American Express, Balfour Beatty and Cision Gorkana also have office space.

Canary Wharf in London (Victoria Jones/PA)

Said Holdings founder Wafic Said said: Said Holdings bought this building at an attractive price when financial markets were in a state of some turmoil.

A well-let asset in Canary Wharf seemed to our board to be a sound investment at that difficult time.

We are still confident in the strength of the London market, but received a compelling offer from buyer Cheung Kei Group.

It comes after Hong Kong food conglomerate Lee Kum Kee spent 1.3 billion buying out Canary Wharf Groups and Land Securitiess 50% stakes in the Walkie Talkie skyscraper in June.

Londons landmark cheesegrater building was also sold in March to the investment vehicle of Chinese property magnate Cheung Chung Kiu for 1.15 billion.

Ross Davies, partner at Capital Real Estate Partners, said: 5 Churchill Place is a well-positioned asset in the heart of the Canary Wharf area, which will benefit from the opening of Crossrail in 2018.

The sale price reflects a value per square foot of 846 and a net initial yield of around 5.2%.
Jessica Harrington was among the big winners at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards on Tuesday.

The Moone-based trainer clinched the National Hunt award ahead of the likes of Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins, while her Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Sizing John was named Horse of the Year at a glamorous reception at Leopardstown racecourse.

Harrington said: I started training at 42 with a six-month-old child, so it was total madness!

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Sizing John with trainer Jessica Harrington (left) and groom Ashley Hussey during a parade through Moone Village (Brian Lawless/PA)

Sizing John powers to victory in the Gold Cup, completing the Irish Gold Cup & Cheltenham Gold Cup double #TheFestival pic.twitter.com/C1FsT7Zae9  Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 17, 2017

Sizing John has won four races since the turn of the year, becoming the first horse in history to win the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Punchestown Gold Cup. He is due to make his seasonal reappearance in Sundays John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown.

Harrington also saddled Our Duke to win the Irish Grand National and several winners at the Punchestown Festival during a spectacular climax to the last campaign.

The trainer added: If youd told me this time last year about the spring Id have, I would have definitely sent you to the funny farm!

It got in a roll in January when Sizing John won the Kinloch Brae and it didnt stop until the end of April. It was absolutely amazing. Its not just us at the top, every single person that works for me has had a hand in the success.

What a few weeks it's been for Robbie Power and @Jessica_Racing! Our Duke wins the Irish Grand National in great style at @Fairyhouse: pic.twitter.com/MLRPGSUVlM  At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 17, 2017

Aidan OBrien was on hand to claim the Contribution to the Industry Award after breaking the worldwide record for number of Group One winners trained in a calendar year.

I cant tell you are how grateful we are for this. Its the last thing I ever expected, said the Ballydoyle handler.

Everybody knows our operation is a big chain, were a small link in the chain and feel very privileged to be the link we are.

Were always afraid to set goals because its very rare it happens. We always take it one day at a time, one race at a time and see what happens.

Saxon Warrior wins the Racing Post Trophy - and Aidan O'Brien makes history! @DoncasterRaces pic.twitter.com/mPfjTTOZk3  At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 28, 2017

Were in a very lucky position to be working with the people that we are and with the supply of horses that we have.

Asked if he could name his favourite horse, the trainer added: Weve been lucky to have a lot of great horses. Galileo speaks for himself and when we had Istabraq we always felt wed never get another one like him.

He came out of the blue and he was an incredibly special horse. We always felt that no matter what he was up against, we were always confident that he was better.

Aidans son Joseph was given the Outstanding Achievement award after saddling Rekindling to win last months Melbourne Cup.

Stunning! Rekindling wins the Emirates Melbourne Cup for @JosephOBrien2 - beating fellow Irish raiders Johannes Vermeer and Max Dynamite: pic.twitter.com/seoAYMQX6i  At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 7, 2017

OBrien junior was not present, but said via video message: Firstly Id like to congratulate all the other nominees for this award. I thought it was an unbelievably strong category and Im really humbled to have won it.

Id like to thank all the people that voted and the racing press.

Colin Keane took the Flat Racing award after being crowned Irelands champion Flat jockey for the first time this year.

Barry ONeill won the Point-to-Point Racing award and Down Royal was named Racecourse of the Year.
The Turner Prize has not become a lifetime achievement award despite Lubaina Himid winning at the age of 63, the chair of the judging panel has said.

African-born, Lancashire-based Himid, who is the oldest artist ever to win the best known accolade in British art, said she would use her 25,000 winning cheque to help support emerging artists and then added:  and I might buy the odd pair of shoes.

Her victory was announced by the musician and artist Goldie at Hull Minster, as Hull continues to celebrate its year as UK City of Culture 2017.

Lubaina Himid

And the winner isLubaina Himid!Congratulations to this years #TurnerPrize winner!

Lubaina Himid, A Fashionable Marriage 1987 pic.twitter.com/SyJ9CILzkc  Tate (@Tate) December 5, 2017

Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain and chair of the jury, said he believed Himids selection vindicated this years decision to lift the restriction on artists over 50 being nominated for the first time since 1991.

He said: It reflects well on the motivation for lifting it which is an increasing sense that the work of older artists has been making considerable impact on what were looking at and how were thinking about art today.

I think there is no longer an overwhelming focus on youth as equating to whats innovative in contemporary art.

But Mr Farquharson added: I still think that Lubaina winning is still very clearly not about the Turner Prize becoming a lifetime achievement award. I think its about the resonance of someones work now and someones work made back then, in the present moment.

Himids work celebrates black creativity and the African diaspora and includes paintings, prints, drawings and installations.

She was born in Zanzibar in 1954 and is Professor of Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire, in Preston.

Want to make your own mind up about #TurnerPrize 2017? See Lubainas installation (and all of the shortlisted artists work) at @HullFerens until 7 Jan 2018. pic.twitter.com/n2YMvv1oUq  Visit Hull (@VisitHull) December 5, 2017

Asked about the 25,000 prize, Himid said she already surreptitiously helped artists struggling for funding to put on shows and said: So Ill just use it for that.

She laughed and added:  and I might buy the odd pair of shoes.

Still laughing she stressed: Not 25,0000 worth of shoes.

Himid said: I know it sounds like some cliche, but I feel like I won it for a lot of people, so thats why it means a lot.

She said: I won it for all the times we put our head above the parapet and we tried to do things and we failed. People have died in the meantime.

Prof Lubaina Himid announced as winner of #TurnerPrize 2017 live at @HullMinster @1lubaina said: Its great to win, especially as so many people in #Preston were rooting for me. It will make a huge difference to my profile and give a platform to the issues I want to champion. pic.twitter.com/RXrFZ4pF6L  University of Central Lancashire (@UCLan) December 5, 2017

For all the black women who never did win it even though theyve been shortlisted. It feels good for that reason.

Asked about her age, she said: Ive 63 years behind me. I certainly havent got 63 years in front of me. Maybe 15 years worth of painting if I work it at it? So Ive got a lot to do.

The shortlist included two artists who are over 50. As well as Himid it featured British painter Hurvin Anderson, who is 52.

They were competing against German artist Andrea Buttner and Palestinian-English artist Rosalind Nashashibi, who is Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London.
A Maltese court has charged three men with the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb in October.

Seven other Maltese men were released on bail pending further investigation.

The arrest of the 10 men on Monday was the first breakthrough in a case that shocked the Mediterranean island and led the European Parliament to send a delegation on a fact-finding mission related to the rule of law in Malta.

The wreckage of Daphne Caruana Galizia's car

The three main suspects arrived under heavy police escort at the court late on Tuesday and were represented by a court-appointed lawyer.

Peter Caruana Galizia, the victims husband, attended the hearing.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a leading investigative reporter whose exposes focused on corruption, including among Maltas elite.
The One Big Sky Center project is now envisioned as an economic development strategy with a downtown district featuring two anchors  one built on two of Billings leading sectors, medical and education, and the other a convention center in a civic lifestyle district.

The Hammes Company of Madison, Wisconsin, which has studied the project for about six months, says that solid anchors could lead to billions of dollars in private investment. It could be $2 billion over time, Bob Dunn, president of Hammes Company, told The Gazette Monday afternoon before presenting to the Billings City Council during Mondays work session.

The original One Big Sky Center vision was way too limiting, Dunn said. We want to make (the project) about a downtown urban development strategy, including constructing a convention center up to 100,000 square feet, sized to draw regionally and to a certain degree, nationally.

The analysis describes two phases of development. In the first phase, the public investment is about $150 million, with private investment about double that. The second phase envisions nearly $1.5 billion in private investment, with almost $200 million in public funding required.

Hammes has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to date studying whether to move forward with the project, and could spend as much as $1 million during 2018 bringing it to a plan, Dunn said. In our world, that is a big risk to take without a project.

Dunn left copies of the study that Hammes Company has completed on the project to date with council members for their review.

Hammes was instrumental developing the Titletown District around Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and redeveloping the Arena Block in Allentown, Pennsylvania, among other developments. The company showed the council a brief before and after video describing the Allentown turnaround.

As Hammes representatives discussed the development with Billings people in the health care, education and downtown development communities, the response has been very favorable to overwhelmingly favorable. Even within your development community, there is strong interest seeing this get some traction, Dunn said.

Its probably the most important decision Billings will make, and I think that holds true for Montana as well, he said. While there are currently no plans for constructing specific buildings, within two decades the project could include three million square feet of built real estate.

He said Hammes was attracted to Billings for a number of reasons, including the strength of the local economy, its ability to draw regionally in terms of medical care and retail, and the fact that there arent seven plans pinned to the wall. In Billings we saw a landscape to work with. We always look for anchoring elements, and nothing is standing in the way of making that happen.

The nation is getting re-urbanized, he said, with the next generation of workers moving increasingly from suburbs to cities, some of which are getting ahead of the curve by offering young workers meaningful work and facilities and amenities they appreciate.

Not investing in bright minds means more challenges in the future, Dunn said, noting that impending retirements mean that nearly 40 percent of Billings workforce must be replaced over the next 10-15 years or so.

Older workers  people in their 50s and 60s  are also moving to more urbanized settings, he said, downsizing their housing in exchange for urban amenities.

Billings is at a crossroads, he said.

If you dont have a strategy to build the local tax base, you are deciding to put a greater economic burden on your taxpayers tomorrow, he said.

Council members were generally receptive to the companys presentation.

I wish this had been presented at the start, said Councilman Chris Friedel. I think you would have had a swell of support for the project.

When it comes to sink or swim, said Councilman Rich McFadden, Im all for swimming.
Dozens of people were injured when a commuter train hit a freight train in a town near Dusseldorf, German authorities said.

The Meerbusch fire department said 155 people were on board the regional commuter train when it ran into the freight train on the same track near the towns station.

A crashed train sits on the track near Meerbusch, western Germany

Authorities say three people suffered serious injuries, three had slightly less serious injuries and another 41 were mildly injured. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

Photos released by the Meerbusch fire department showed the passenger train partially derailed but still upright.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.
PARIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri will meet ministers from major powers in Paris on Friday to discuss ways of stabilising his country a month after his shock resignation plunged it into political turmoil, three diplomats said.

The Arab and European diplomats said Hariri would take part in the meeting of the International Lebanon Support Group, a body that includes the five members of the U.N. Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Hariri resigned as prime minister in early November while he was in Saudi Arabia, prompting a political crisis in Lebanon and thrusting it back into a regional tussle between Riyadh and its main regional foe, Iran.

Hariri has now returned to Beirut and indicated that he might withdraw his resignation, which was never accepted by the president.

Lebanese officials say Saudi Arabia had coerced Hariri, a long-time ally of the kingdom, into resigning and held him there against his will until an intervention by France led to his return to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia denies this.

A European diplomat said the aim of the meeting would be "to put pressure on the Saudis and Iranians".

He added that the meeting would be an opportunity to reinforce that the Lebanese must stick by the state policy of "disassociation", or keeping out of regional conflicts.

Before Hariri sets off, Lebanon's cabinet is this week set to meet for the first time since the political crisis erupted.

The date of the cabinet meeting has not yet been confirmed but it is expected to address Hariri's resignation.

A Lebanese MP who met Hariri on Monday said discussions among politicians were "moving positively" and would result in a "unanimous stance" by the cabinet soon.

The comments from MP Wael Abu Faour were published by Hariri's office on Monday.

The Lebanon support group, launched in 2013, also includes the European Union, the Arab League and the United Nations. (Reporting by John Irish in Paris and Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
DAKAR, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has pledged $100 million to a new regional military force battling jihadist groups in West Africa's Sahel region, force member Mali said on Monday.

The contribution would be a major boost to the cash-strapped force and bring pledged commitments to more than half the roughly $500 million the G5 Sahel says it needs for its first year of operations.

The G5 Sahel - composed of the armies of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad - launched its first military campaign in October amid growing unrest in the Sahel, whose porous borders are regularly crossed by jihadists, including affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Those groups have stepped up attacks on civilian and military targets, including tourist attractions in regional capitals, raising fears the zone will become a new breeding ground for militants.

Mali's foreign ministry said Saudi Arabian authorities made the pledge during a visit to the kingdom late last month by Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Sunni Muslim kingdom is competing with its main rival, Shi'ite power Iran, for influence across West Africa and other parts of the Muslim world. Donors from both countries have given money to mosques and other causes there.

France, the G5's most vocal foreign backer, has pressed Saudi Arabia to take concrete actions to fight Islamist militants. French President Emmanuel Macron asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to contribute to the G5 when he saw him in Riyadh last month.

The European Union, France, the United States and each of the G5 countries have also promised to fund the force. (Reporting By Aaron Ross; Additional reporting by Stephen Kalin in Riyadh; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
BAGHDAD, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Iraqi federal and Kurdish regional judiciaries are violating the rights of Islamic State suspects with flawed trials, arbitrary detentions under harsh conditions, and broad prosecutions, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

As the Sunni militant group's self-proclaimed caliphate crumbles following defeats in Iraq and Syria, thousands suspected of joining it have been captured, detained, and put on trial.

At least 200 have been sentenced, Human Rights Watch said, and at least 92 executed.

Iraq's government faces the task of exacting justice on Islamic State members while preventing revenge attacks on people associated with the group which could only undermine efforts to create long-term stability.

The New York-based rights group said that an 80-page report it released early on Tuesday "finds serious legal shortcomings that undermine efforts to bring (Islamic State) fighters, members, and affiliates to justice."

A spokesman for Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, which supervises the federal judiciary, declined to comment on the contents of the report ahead of its release.

Issues highlighted by the HRW report:

- It is too easy to accuse someone of belonging to Islamic State and have them detained. Wanted lists or community accusations without evidence can result in the detention of suspects for months even if wrongly accused.

- Detention centres are overcrowded and authorities fail to separate children from adult detainees. Iraqi law states detainees should be brought to a judge within 24 hours of capture but this does not happen.

- Detainees are often subject to torture, not granted access to lawyers, and their families are not informed of their whereabouts. Iraqi authorities say they have investigated these allegations but have not released any findings.

- The reliance of Iraqi and Kurdish courts on counter terrorism laws to prosecute suspects rather than using other laws in the criminal code means crimes are not prioritised by seriousness and victims are not included in the process as suspects are not tried for individual acts of murder, rape, torture or slavery.

- Proving guilt under counter-terrorism laws is easier as a judge only needs proof that a defendant was a member of Islamic State to find them guilty. This means that anyone from cooks and doctors serving under the group to actual fighters is subject to the same sentences which range from life in prison to death.

This stretches Iraq's resources thin as casting such a wide net means the courts would not have enough time or manpower to go through all cases, the report says, and prevents victims from getting personal justice.

HRW said that when it raised concerns over prosecutors not charging suspects with crimes under the criminal code, judicial authorities said there was no need.

"Genocide and terrorism are the same crime, why would we need a separate charge for genocide?" the report quoted one counter-terrorism judge as saying. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
By Clyde Russell

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Dec 5 (Reuters) - China's push to use more natural gas over winter in a bid to cut air pollution is running into the harsh realities of rising prices and limited supplies of the cleaner fuel.

In a signal of what may become more government intervention in the natural gas market, China's state planner ordered eight regions to meet with natural gas producers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal operators and traders.

The meetings are effectively a warning by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to the various players in the natural gas sector to ensure that prices don't rise too much even as rising demand causes supply shortages.

Beijing has encouraged China's provinces to switch from coal to natural gas for both residential heating and industrial processes over winter as part of efforts to limit the smog that has in past years choked cities, including the capital.

In some ways, the move has been too successful, with the industry-heavy provinces of Hebei and Shandong warning of natural gas shortages, and Hebei forcing some users to cut consumption.

It's not only the shortage of natural gas that's causing problems. China's domestic LNG price has risen to its highest since 2011, topping 7,000 yuan ($1,061) a tonne in the last week of November.

The spot price of seaborne LNG in Asia <LNG-AS> has also surpassed the high from the 2016-17 winter, reaching $9.85 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) in the week ended Dec. 1.

The peak from the previous winter was $9.75 per mmBtu, hit in early January this year, and the price is some 82 percent higher than the $5.40 low reached during the low demand summer period.

JAWBONING THE MARKET

The dilemma facing the NDRC is how to ensure sufficient natural gas without boosting prices too high to start causing economic pain to consumers.

China's oil and gas producers appear to be playing their part by boosting domestic natural gas output, with production up 15.4 percent to 12.4 billion cubic metres (bcm) in October from the same month last year.

Natural gas output is up 9.7 percent in the first 10 months of the year, in stark contrast to a 4.1 percent decline in China's crude oil production over the same period.

Pipeline imports from central Asian suppliers are also up, rising 5.9 percent in the first 10 months of the year to the equivalent of 25.1 million tonnes.

The story is even more dramatic for LNG imports, which surged 48.9 percent in the first 10 months to 29.1 million tonnes, according to customs data.

Given that it's likely that domestic natural gas output can't be ramped up much further in the short term, and pipeline imports will run up against capacity limits, the only viable option to boost natural gas supply is to import more LNG.

It appears China is doing just that, with November likely a new record high.

LNG imports were 4.12 million tonnes in November, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Thomson Reuters Supply Chain and Commodity Forecasts.

This would beat the previous record of 3.7 million tonnes from December last year, and also be well up on October's 3.6 million.

The problem for China is that its strong demand for LNG is driving up spot prices and tightening the market for the super-chilled fuel.

While LNG is likely to move to surplus in 2018 and 2019 as new projects come online, mainly in Australia and the United States, the current market is showing signs of being under-supplied for the northern winter.

For now it appears the Chinese authorities are trying to boost supplies of natural gas from all available sources, while waving a stick at players in the industry in a bid to keep prices from rising too high.

(Editing by Richard Pullin)
By Dhara Ranasinghe

LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The premium investors demand for holding Italian bonds over their German peers fell towards its lowest in more than a year on Tuesday, a day after data showed ECB bond buying continues to favour Italy and France.

The European Central Bank bought fewer German bonds than it should have for the eighth consecutive month in November, with France and Italy once again picking up the slack, data for the bank's stimulus programme showed late on Monday.

France and Italy each enjoyed purchases that were nearly a billion euros above their 'capital key' at 10.439 billion euros and 9.077 billion euros. The capital key is the method by which the ECB buys government bonds for its stimulus in relation to the size of the economy of each member state.

"The latest ECB buying data underscores the flexibility of the scheme that tends to benefit the periphery," said Commerzbank rates strategist Christoph Rieger.

Italy's 10-year government bond yield was flat around 1.71 percent in early Tuesday trade, in line with southern European peers .

The gap over benchmark German Bund yields was around 137 basis points, near around 136 hit last month that was the lowest since October 2016.

Analysts said the fact that the data also suggested the ECB was front-loading purchases ahead of the quiet year-end period, was also positive for euro zone bonds and in particular countries such as Italy.

Citi said the cumulative front-loading of ECB bond buying is 10.77 billion euros, implying potentially 49.2 billion euros of net purchases in December.

To achieve that target, the weekly pace will likely have to go up to 17.2 billion euros from a November average of 14.93 billion for the next two weeks before falling to 10.3 billion euros in the third week of December, Citi analysts said.

"That implies strong support for euro zone government bonds from front-loading for two more weeks, particularly (French) OATs and (Italian) BTPs where buying has continued above the capital key and supply is light," they said in a note.

After last week's unexpected surge in a key overnight benchmark rate European banks use to lend money to each other, analysts said they would be closely watching the ECB's one-week main refinancing operation on Tuesday for any signs of distortions in the market.

For Reuters Live Markets blog on European and UK stock markets see reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=http://emea1.apps.cp.extranet.thomsonreuters.biz/cms/?pageId=livemarkets

(Reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe; Editing by Catherine Evans)
ANKARA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey could go as far as breaking off diplomatic ties with Israel if the United States formally recognises Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a move he said would be a "red line" for Muslims.

U.S. officials have said Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, a step that would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital, a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

"I am saddened by the reports that the U.S. is getting ready to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital," Erdogan said.

"Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims. It is a violation of international law to take a decision supporting Israel while Palestinian society's wounds are still bleeding," he told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling AK Party.

"...this can go as far as severing Turkey's ties with Israel. I am warning the United States not to take such a step which will deepen the problems in the region."

Israeli government spokesmen had no immediate reaction, but Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a senior partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus coalition government, brushed off Erdogan's comments.

"There will always be those who criticize, but at the end of the day it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogan's sympathy," he said. (Reporting by Ercan Gurses, Daren Butler and Ezki Erkoyun in Turkey and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
By Manolo Serapio Jr and Neil Jerome Morales

MANILA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the police to actively support the drugs enforcement agency in his anti-narcotics war, his spokesman said on Tuesday, citing a resurgence in illegal drugs.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, or PDEA, will remain the lead agency in the fight against drugs, but the spokesman, Harry Roque, said the police along with other agencies "shall resume to provide active support to PDEA," citing a memorandum signed by Duterte.

Duterte initially suspended the police's anti-narcotics operations in January, after questions at home and abroad were raised about police conduct.

But he reinstated them five weeks later, arguing that drugs were pouring back to the streets, but then pulled them off the campaign again in October and made the PDEA the sole agency in charge of the anti-drug campaign.

Police say nearly 4,000 people have been killed in their anti-drug operations.

Human rights groups and political opponents say executions of drug users and small-time peddlers have been widespread, but police insist those killed were all dealers who put up violent resistance.

Police have rejected criticism and cite 117,000 arrests as proof that they take suspects in alive. They also deny links to at least 2,000 unsolved street killings of drug users.

Since the PDEA took the lead on Oct. 11, Roque said only one drug suspect had been killed in the course of anti-drug operations. The drug enforcement agency has only a fraction of the manpower of the 190,000-strong police.

Roque, reading from an order issued by Duterte, said the PDEA "has been seriously hampered in performing its huge mandate by the lack of resources specifically agents and operatives who can penetrate drug infested areas". (Reporting by Manolo Serapio Jr. and Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Robert Birsel)
By Nate Raymond

BOSTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp will urge Massachusetts' top court on Tuesday to allow it to avoid handing over records to the state's attorney general amid a probe into whether the oil company misled investors and consumers about its knowledge of climate change.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is scheduled to hear arguments over Exxon's bid to overturn a lower-court ruling that required the company to turn over documents to Attorney General Maura Healey as part of the investigation.

Healey, a Democrat, and New York Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sought records after news reports in 2015 about how Exxon's own scientists determined that reducing fossil fuel combustion was needed to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Healey's office says those documents from the 1970s and 1980s suggested that Exxon failed to disclose what it knew to consumers and investors and engaged in a campaign to sow doubts about the science of climate change.

Exxon contends that the documents, published by InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times, were not inconsistent with its public positions.

After Healey issued a civil investigative demand for documents in April 2016, Exxon filed a lawsuit challenging the records request and another case in federal court challenging her and Schneiderman's investigations.

In January, Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Heidi Brieger denied Exxon's request for an order exempting it from handing over the documents. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Peter Cooney)
By Noor Zainab Hussain and Lawrence White

London, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs is looking to hire about 250 staff in Poland in 2018 and Standard Chartered is also considering the country as a possible new hub for around 500 staff, the banks said on Tuesday.

Poland, by far the largest country in the European Union's eastern wing, has seen strong economic growth over the past decade and has proven attractive for international banks and other companies, partly due to its cheaper labour costs.

A spokesman for Goldman Sachs said the bank would sharply increase its Polish headcount to between 750 and 800 by the end of next year, up from 525 now.

The new jobs will primarily be in operations and technology, risk management, treasury and human resources - mainly 'back office' roles which do not have to be located in more expensive locations such as London or Frankfurt.

Standard Chartered said it was looking to expand in eastern Europe by setting up an office with about 500 staff, a spokesman said, adding that possible locations included the Polish cities of Warsaw and Krakow as well as Prague and Budapest.

The bank will make a decision on the location by the first quarter of 2018, the spokesman added.

In September, Poland announced that U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase planned to hire more than 3,000 people for its new global operations centre in Warsaw.

Goldman Sachs is also set to sign a lease on a new office in Milan that will boost its presence in Italy as Britain prepares to leave the European Union, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week. (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain and Lawrence White, additional reporting by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Gareth Jones)
A direct Delta flight from New York City to Seattle on Saturday night made an unplanned stop in Billings for what several passengers considered an emergency  a potty break.

While enroute, the Boeing 757s toilets ceased functioning, with passengers queuing up and indicating they needed to visit the toilet, according to a Delta incident report.

On a good day, the coast-to-coast flight can take about six hours.

All toilets were full and passengers needed to go really bad, " the report states.

So the flight, traveling near the Canadian border, diverted hundreds of miles south to Billings where it landed about 6 p.m.

But, because a gate was not available, the airplane had to taxi to a cargo area where pilots were again told there were several passengers that needed to find a lavatory very urgently.

Ground crews rolled a stairway to the airplane so passengers could disembark to find relief of built-up pressures, the Delta report said.

Kevin Ploehn, the Billings director of aviation and transit, said ground crews escorted the passengers safely into the terminal where they could do their business and wait while the planes toilets were serviced. The plane was also refueled so it could take off again, he said.

Flights do get diverted to Billings Logan International Airport occasionally, but not normally to answer the call of nature.

Ive heard of flights getting diverted, not here, because toilets overflowed and that blue water was rolling down the aisle, Ploehn said. That cant be very pleasant.
By Sonya Dowsett

MADRID, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday withdrew an international arrest warrant for Catalonia's former leader, now in self-imposed exile in Belgium after an illegal independence referendum, in a move to bring his case back solely into Spanish jurisdiction.

Carles Puigdemont and four of his cabinet members went to Belgium when Madrid imposed direct rule on the wealthy northeastern region after an Oct. 27 declaration of independence by his local government.

The decision to withdraw the warrant leaves Puigdemont without an international legal stage on which to pursue his independence campaign. He is likely to be detained if he returns to Spain, pending investigation on charges of sedition, rebellion, misuse of public funds, disobedience and breach of trust.

The battle between Madrid and Catalan secessionists has hurt the Spanish economy and prompted thousands of companies to shift their legal headquarters outside of Catalonia, which accounts for a fifth of Spain's economy.

On Tuesday, campaigning began for the Dec. 21 Catalan regional election that Madrid called in an attempt to resolve the crisis by installing an administration in favour of Spanish unity.

However, pro-independence parties view the election as a proxy vote on a split from Spain. Polls show the two sides neck and neck on a high turnout.

WARRANTS ISSUED

A Spanish court issued the international arrest warrant for Puigdemont on Nov. 3.

On Monday, a Spanish court declared it would keep Puigdemont's former vice president, Oriol Junqueras, in custody in Madrid while he is investigated for his role in preparing the independence referendum.

Removing the international warrant takes Belgium's legal system out of Puigdemont's case. Months of legal wrangling would have ensued if appeals against his extradition were moved through the Belgian courts.

Investigating magistrate Pablo Llarena of the Supreme Court said it was important that just one legal entity oversaw proceedings against the former independence leaders to ensure they get equal treatment.

The Brussels prosecutor's office said in a statement it had received the Spanish Supreme Court's decision and on Wednesday it would ask the judge to re-examine the extradition process.

The judge would set a date for a hearing at which they "will have no choice but to declare the affair void," the statement said. Afterwards, Puigdemont would be able to leave Belgium.

Puigdemont's lawyer, Paul Bekaert, said legal proceedings in Belgium were now over. Puigdemont would be arrested if he went to Spain, he said.

The Spanish court said Puigdemont and his cabinet members had shown a willingness to return from Belgium to Spain to take part in the election.

Puigdemont gave a televised address from Belgium at a campaign rally on Monday, telling the central government in Madrid that his party would win the election.

"I'm very sorry I can't be with you now," he said to cheers from members of his pro-independence Junts per Catalunya party, which organised the rally. (Additional reporting by Clement Rossignol and Julia Fioretti in Brussels and and Paul Day and Angus Berwick in Madrid, editing by Janet Lawrence. Larry King)
BEIRUT, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri rescinded his resignation on Tuesday, drawing a line under a month-long crisis triggered when he announced from Riyadh that he was stepping down and remained outside Lebanon for weeks.

His coalition government, which includes the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, reaffirmed a state policy of staying out of conflicts in Arab states. Hariri's Saudi allies accuse Hezbollah of waging war across the Middle East as agents of Iran.

Hariri's shock resignation had thrust Lebanon to the forefront of the regional quarrel between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which has been played out on battlefields in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Lebanese officials said Saudi Arabia had coerced Hariri, a long-time Saudi ally, into resigning and put him under effective house arrest until an intervention by France led to his return to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and Hariri have denied this.

President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, refused to accept his resignation while he remained abroad.

Saudi concern over the influence wielded by Shi'ite Muslim Iran and Hezbollah in other Arab states had been widely seen as the root cause of the crisis, which raised fears for Lebanon's economic and political stability.

The Lebanese policy of "dissociation" was declared in 2012 to keep the deeply divided state out of regional conflicts such as the civil war in neighbouring Syria. Despite the policy, Hezbollah is heavily involved there, sending thousands of fighters to help President Bashar al-Assad.

In its first meeting since Hariri's resignation, the cabinet on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to the policy.

"All (the government's) political components decide to dissociate themselves from all conflicts, disputes, wars or the internal affairs of brother Arab countries, in order to preserve Lebanon's economic and political relations," Hariri said.

PARIS MEETING

Lebanon, where Sunni Muslim, Shi'ite, Christian and Druze groups fought a civil war from 1975-1990, has a governing system designed to share power among sectarian groups.

Hariri, a wealthy Sunni businessman with long ties to the kingdom, had denounced Iran during his resignation speech and said he was outside Lebanon because he feared for his family's safety. His father, an ex-prime minister, was assassinated in 2005.

In a speech during the cabinet session, Hariri warned that the tensions in the region could easily drag Lebanon down a dangerous route, and the issues which had led to the crisis could not be ignored.

"Developments in the region suggest a new wave of conflict ... Perhaps the conflict is nearing the end, and Lebanon cannot be plunged into chaos on the finish line.

"If we are rejecting interference by any state in Lebanese affairs, it cannot be that we accept that any Lebanese side interferes in the affairs of Arab states," Hariri said, an apparent reference to Hezbollah.

"We have to address this issue, and take a decision announcing our disassociation, in words and deeds," he said.

Hariri's resignation was accompanied by a sharp escalation in Saudi statements targeting the Lebanese state, with Riyadh at one point accusing the Beirut government of declaring war against it. Western governments, including the United States, stressed their support for Hariri and Lebanon.

Hariri will be in Paris on Friday for a meeting of the International Lebanon Support Group, a body that includes the five members of the U.N. Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

The meeting, to be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron, aims in part to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and Iran to desist from interference in Lebanon, diplomats said. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Ellen Francis in Beirut, John Irish in Paris; editing by Mark Heinrich, Larry King)
STOCKHOLM, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Support for the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party has fallen to its lowest level since surging during the migration crisis of 2015, a government poll showed on Tuesday.

The Sweden Democrats' approval rating shot to nearly 20 percent in November 2015 after hundreds of thousands of people arrived in Sweden to seek asylum.

But a stricter immigration policy has led to a big reduction in numbers, and the issue has slipped from the top of the political agenda.

Support for the Sweden Democrats stood at 14.8 percent in November, compared to 18.4 percent in June, Sweden's Statistics Office found in its twice yearly poll for which it interviewed 9,000 people between Oct. 27 and Nov. 28.

The government, comprised of the Social Democrats and Greens, had a 36.4 percent approval rating, compared with 35.6 percent in the June poll.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has wooed voters with a pledge to boost spending by almost 44 billion crowns ($5.23 billion) in the budget for 2018 with much of the money going on welfare, education and the police.

"Immigration is no longer dominating the political debate in Sweden," Jonas Hinnfors, political scientist at Gothenburg University said.

Together with the Left Party, which supports the coalition in parliament, the government has 43.4 percent support, up from 41.9 percent in June.

At its current level of support, the Sweden Democrats would still have enough clout to block either the centre-left or centre-right blocs from forming a government after the next election in September 2018, should they fail to reach a majority.

The Sweden Democrats, shunned by all the major parties due to their far-right roots, have said they would help vote down either a centre-left or centre-right coalition in 2018, making it unclear how either bloc will be able to form a government. (Reporting by Johan Sennero; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
ATHENS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Israel agreed on Tuesday to back the construction of a gas pipeline from newly discovered fields in the eastern Mediterranean to Europe.

The project, known as East Med, involves a 2,000 km long pipeline to channel offshore reserves in the Levantine Basin in the far east corner of the Mediterranean to Greece and Italy, at a cost of up to 6 billion euros.

The eastern Mediterranean has produced some of the world's biggest gas finds in the past decade, and much of it is still thought to be untapped at a time Europe is looking to diversify its gas resources for reasons of energy security.

"Today we have concluded a very significant milestone, which is the signing of a memorandum of understanding which outlines the political commitment of the four countries to pursue this project," Cypriot Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said during a signing ceremony in the Cypriot capital Nicosia.

The pipeline, he said, was a "very important pillar" in the eastern Mediterranean natural gas corridor.

The four countries also said they would cooperate to facilitate studies, permits, construction and operation of the project, with a view to signing an Intergovernmental Agreement on the project "within 2018", a joint statement said.

Israel has discovered more than 900 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas offshore. Cyprus' Aphrodite gas field holds an additional 128 bcm and Cypriot waters are expected to hold more reserves.

It is estimated the pipeline could transport up to 16 bcm of gas per year. The project owners are IGI Poseidon, a joint venture between Greece's natural gas firm DEPA and Italian energy group Edison. (Writing by Michele Kambas, editing by David Evans)
By Barbara Lewis and Maiya Keidan

LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Glencore has increased production of the metals used to make electric car batteries faster than its major mining rivals, according to an industry-wide analysis that shows the scale of a strategy that has big prospective risks and rewards.

The Anglo-Swiss company's output of cobalt and copper roughly doubled in the five years to 2016, while its production of nickel quadrupled, the research compiled for Reuters by S&P Global Market Intelligence shows.

Electric vehicle metals account for roughly 50 percent of Glencore's core profit, more than double the proportion of its major listed competitors - BHP , Rio Tinto and Anglo American.

The analysis, based on companies' reports, supports Glencore's assertion it is well positioned to capitalise on an anticipated surge in demand for electric cars in the coming decade.

However the drive also holds potential perils; most of the production has been added through acquisitions, and Glencore has racked up more debt than its competitors, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

It had $28.4 billion of net debt, compared with BHP's $16.3 billion, Rio Tinto's $8.1 billion and Anglo American's 5.5 billion, found the study compiled in November.

Concerns about the size of Glencore's debts at a time of falling commodity prices led to its share price crashing to an all-time low in 2015, its management pumping in more money themselves and implementing a debt-reduction plan.

The stock has since rebounded, driven by rising commodity prices and Glencore's efforts to strengthen its balance sheet.

Glencore declined to give fresh comment for this story, saying it would issue an investors' update next week. CEO Ivan Glasenberg has said many times this year the roll-out of electric vehicles will boost demand for copper, cobalt and nickel.

The company calculates its debt differently from the rest of the industry, offsetting some of it with inventories of commodities that can easily be converted into cash. At the end of June it said its debt was $13.9 billion.

Glencore's reliance on Democratic Republic of Congo for cobalt as well as copper presents another risk. The other majors avoid the country, which is plagued by pockets of lawlessness and conflict, political tumult, child labour and an opaque legal system.

Analysts and investors acknowledge the risk, but many see it as worth taking.

"The world needs cobalt and DRC needs foreign inflows," said Ryan Seaborne, portfolio manager at South Africa's 36ONE Asset Management, which holds shares in the miner. "We are still bullish Glencore as a company and like the DRC cobalt assets."

DIVERGING PATHS

Glencore's willingness to operate in Congo has made it the leading global producer of cobalt among the major miners. It increased its cobalt output from 12,880 tonnes in 2011 to 28,300 last year, accounting for more than a quarter of the roughly 100,000 tonne global market, according to the analysis.

It also raised production of copper from 700,000 to 1.4 million tonnes, while its nickel output rose from 28,500 to 115,100 tonnes and zinc from 563,100 to 1.1 million tonnes.

Although not widely regarded as an electric vehicle commodity, some research has found zinc, predominantly used to galvanise steel, could be used in batteries if other minerals become too rare or expensive.

A rapid pace of technological development means the mix of metals needed for car batteries could radically change, according to analysts, which could undermine the company's ambitions. But this is a longer-term threat due to the long lead time carmakers need to incorporate innovations, they say.

Glencore's rivals are on different strategic courses.

BHP, for example, says a mass move to electric cars is more than a decade away. It expects demand for oil from light vehicles to peak in 2030, with other forms of oil demand likely to be more sustained.

Anglo American, the world's top platinum supplier, is looking to squeeze more profit out of its world-class reserves by betting on vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells in which platinum acts as a catalyst.

While Glencore's competitors have lower outputs of cobalt, nickel and zinc, they are all interested in copper - which has many uses as one of the best electricity conductors - even while they remain more cautious about the rate at which electric vehicles will arrive.

Among major listed players, BHP garners the highest proportion of its profits from electric vehicle metals after Glencore - about a fifth - and this is mostly from copper.

Rio Tinto, the world's biggest iron ore producer, is working on a massive underground expansion at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia. It also has a lithium project in Serbia but that will not produce before the next decade.

Lithium is a battery metal that makes many investors nervous. Predicting future price levels is difficult as it is abundant and many new projects are under way. For Glencore, keen to have some control over pricing, that is not tempting.

LEAPING SHARES

Since its 2015 nadir, Glencore's share price has rallied more than 400 percent. The stock is up more than 20 percent this year, more than the other three biggest publicly listed diversified miners, although off peaks hit in October.

Ratings agencies however cite the company's attachment to polluting coal as a downside risk in the long term. Glencore is the world's biggest shipper of export-quality coal.

Some investors have begun taking profits.

David Livermore, founder and managing director of asset manager Livermore Partners, told Reuters he had reduced his holding on the grounds it looks difficult, though not impossible, for the stock to maintain its momentum.

"I don't see a whole lot of upside in the equity here. It's come a long way," he said.

Livermore has reduced its equity stake to $1 million, from a $2.6 million investment in September 2015 when the shares fell below 70 pence, making gains of $3.1 million.

Seaborne of South Africa's 36ONE Asset Management, which holds 3 million shares in Glencore, has also cut exposure: "We had some redemptions out of our fund, so it's been pure portfolio realignment, and also the stock has run quite hard." But Glencore remains its largest mining holding.

They're in a better position than the rest of the miners," Seaborne added. "If you take a five to 10-year view, you probably want to be in Glencore more than you want to be in any of the other diversifieds."

(Additional reporting by Eric Onstad; Editing by Pravin Char)
PARIS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - A public body close to France's health ministry last year advised against the use of a dengue vaccine in the country's overseas territories that is currently at the centre of a health scare, regulatory documents show.

Concerns surrounding the vaccine, sold by French drugmaker Sanofi under the brand Dengvaxia, have prompted the Philippines to halt its sale and suspend a government programme to immunise hundreds of thousands of children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it supported the Philippines' decision until more information was available.

It said its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization would meet to review evidence next week.

The WHO, which issued a report identifying the vaccine's safety risks in mid-2016, recommended it only be used in people who had prior dengue infection.

Documents issued in 2016 by the Haut Conseil de la Sante Publique, a public body close to the French health ministry, show France's overseas territories were also warned of risks linked to the vaccine.

The health body advised in June 2016 the vaccine not be used in territories such as the Caribbean islands of La Martinique and Guadalupe and French Guiana on the grounds that its effectiveness was not demonstrated with people who had not previously been exposed to the virus.

In October 2016, it also warned of safety risks.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease that kills about 20,000 people a year and infects hundreds of millions more.

Brazil, which shares a border with French Guiana, said on Monday it had suggested restrictions on the use of Dengvaxia but not suspended access to the vaccine.

Dengvaxia has been approved in 19 countries and used in 11. It is currently under review by European health regulators. (Reporting Matthias Blamont; Editing by Mark Potter)
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Honduras on Tuesday deported to the United States a Kentucky attorney who had pleaded guilty to charges over his role in a more than $550 million disability fraud scheme, months after he fled U.S. law enforcement, an official said.

Kentucky-born Eric Conn, 57, who was on the most wanted list of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, was arrested on Monday in the Honduran coastal city of La Ceiba as he left a restaurant.

"U.S. citizen Eric Conn was today handed over to FBI agents and is traveling to Lexington, Kentucky," Jorge Galindo, spokesman for Honduras' Technical Criminal Investigation Agency, said.

Conn, a resident of Pikeville, Kentucky, participated in a scheme between 2004 and 2016 that involved submitting thousands of falsified medical documents to the U.S. Social Security Administration, U.S. prosecutors have said.

The arrest and deportation came less than five months after a U.S. district judge in Lexington, Kentucky, sentenced Conn in absentia to 12 years in prison.

Conn pleaded guilty in March to charges of theft of government money and payment of gratuities, but fled in June, after he had been placed under house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor.

The ankle monitor was found in Lexington, along a road in a backpack, the FBI's most wanted page said.

A truck Conn is believed to have used during his escape was discovered in New Mexico near the border with Mexico, the FBI said in July. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia Editing by Marguerita Choy)
By Valerie Volcovici

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday recommended President Donald Trump reduce the size and change the management of more national monuments in the western United States, and lashed out at critics of cuts already announced to protected areas in Utah.

The effort by the Trump administration to roll back monument designations by past presidents covering millions of acres of wilderness and tribal sites has rekindled the national debate over how best to manage America's vast public lands - pitting conservationists against development advocates.

Zinke said the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument straddling the border of Oregon and California and the Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada were both too big for the purpose of protecting important historical sites and should be reduced in size. He said Trump should also consider changing the boundaries of the Pacific Remote Islands and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments in the Pacific Ocean.

He also recommended changes in the management of 10 other monuments to allow for more grazing, timber, fishing, road access and other uses.

Trump on Monday had already acted on Zinke's recommendations to shrink Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments, ordering cuts amounting to millions of acres in a move that triggered swift legal challenges from tribes and environmental groups.

Unlike national parks that can only be created by an act of Congress, national monuments can be designated unilaterally by presidents under the century-old Antiquities Act, a law meant to protect sacred sites, artifacts and historical objects. But Trump has said former presidents abused the act by putting unnecessarily big chunks of territory off-limits to drilling, mining, grazing, road traffic and other activities.

He had ordered the Interior Department in April to identify which of 27 monuments designated by past presidents should be rescinded or resized.

Zinke on Tuesday blasted critics of the effort, including clothing retailer Patagonia, which recently changed its website home page to read: "The President Stole Your Land".

"You mean Patagonia, made in China? This is an example of a special interest," Zinke told reporters. "I think it is shameful and appalling that they would blatantly lie in order to get money in their coffers."

"No land, not one square inch, has been transferred or sold," Zinke said.

U.S. lawmakers from Utah on Tuesday introduced a bill that would carry out the president's proclamations reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase, by creating smaller monument areas and establishing management councils to govern them.

Another bill, introduced by Utah Republican Congressman Chris Stewart, would create a national park out of part of the Grand Staircase monument and transfer an area important to Mormons called the Hole in the Rock Road to the state.

Sharon Buccino, a director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the Utah legislation and Zinke's monument recommendations were an attack on public lands.

"Zinkes report, like yesterdays outrageous and illegal actions by his boss, makes it crystal clear: the Trump administration is waging a war on our treasured national monuments - by land, sea and air," she said in a statement.

Chris Saeger, executive director of the Western Values Project, said in a statement that the proposed monument changes were "unpopular" and do not reflect the majority of public comments that were submitted in favor of protecting existing monuments.

Zinke acknowledged in his report that public comments were "overwhelmingly" in favor of preserving monuments, but were the result of a "well-orchestrated national campaign" by environmental groups.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said Zinke ignored "what the majority of Oregonians signed up for when they spoke out in favor of expanding protections for Cascade-Siskiyou."

Zinke's report said monument opponents "were often local residents associated with industries such as grazing, timber production, mining, hunting and fishing, and motorized recreation."

The National Coalition for Fishing Communities on Tuesday praised Zinke's recommendations for allowing commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyon and Seamounts monument off the Massachusetts coast, as well as the two Pacific monuments.

Zinke's recommendations also included beginning a process to consider three new national monuments: The Badger II Medicine Area in his home state, Montana; the Camp Nelson Civil War site in Kentucky; and the Medgar Evers Home in Jackson, Mississippi, where the civil rights activist lived at the time of his assassination in 1963.

For a copy of Zinke's recommendations, see: https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/revised_final_report.pdf (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Jonathan Oatis)
The sea species which were found trapped in fishing nets at Nawaladi in Batticaloa had been handed over to the Eastern University for further investigations.

Hundreds of sea-snake like species were caught by the fishermen in the area on Sunday.

However, a University source said the species was more akin to a fish species rather than a snake species.

The fishermen who caught the species said they were facing difficulties when continuing with their livelihood because of the rough seas and the incident involving sea snakes.

According to reports, a large number of sea snakes had been caught in the wake of the 2004 tsunami as well.

Some residents said the sea snakes were really a species of eels and that the adverse weather conditions might have triggered their exodus towards the fishing nets. (T.l. Jawfer Khan)
Questions have been raised as to why the Ministry of Public Enterprise Development is silent over Litro Gas Lankas alleged failure to follow government procurement guidelines in the Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) purchase.

The Technical Evaluation Committee [TEC] appointed by the Department of Public Finance and Treasury to evaluate the LPG purchase is now being questioned on how vital requirements seeking from the prospective bidders have been ignored in order to award the tender only to a selected bidder.

Tenders were called from international bidders in May this year for the supply of 300, 000 MT of LPG to Litro Gas Lanka Limited for 2017/2018. The lowest bidder was M/s. Oman Trading International Ltd., which is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Government of Oman, and the second lowest bidder was M/s. Shell International Eastern Trading Company and the other selected bidders were M/s. Vitol Asia (Pvt) Ltd., M/s. BB Energy (Asia) Pvt Ltd., and M/s Maruti Energy DMCC.

The methodology the TEC followed from the time the bids were opened has raised several questions on the sequence of events that took place.

On what basis the TEC rank the bidders and brought Shell International as number one. We do not see any faults with the SCAPC members or with the Cabinet of Ministers but solely with the TEC

The Oman-based companys price quote to supply LPG was US$ 48 per MT while Shell quoted US$ 49. In order to offer the tender to Shell International Eastern Trading - without informing the lowest bidder - the TEC had given Shell International another opportunity to negotiate their price which had led them to bring down by US $ 1.50 to US$ 47.50 per MT. However, the Oman Trading had never been asked to negotiate their price.

Although Oman Trading complied with all the requirements Litro Gas has sought in their tender document, by letter dated July 31, 2017 Secretary Ministry of Public Enterprise Development Ravindra Hewavitharana had informed Oman Trading, Vitol Asia, BB Energy and Maruti Energy that the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC) has recommended the award of the above tender to the (technically responsive bidder) Shell International Eastern Trading.

The letter further states as thus, If there are any representations/ appeals to be made against the above determination, you are kindly advised to make them in writing to the Chairman Procurement Appeal Board, the Presidential Secretariat Colombo 1, with a copy to the Secretary, Ministry of Public Enterprise Development along with all the materials required to support your appeal. This intimation is issued to you in terms of Sections 8.3 of the Government Procurement Guidelines 2006.

According to Oman Trading, they were surprised when they received the letter as they were never informed that their application was rejected though they were the lowest bidder, sources said.

According to the sources, had Oman Trading been given an opportunity to negotiate the prices, they were willing to give a further lower price to supply LPG.

If Shell International could bring down the price by US $ 1.50 per MT, we were told that Oman Trading too would have given a better price than Shell, sources alleged.

The question arises as to why the Ministry of Public Enterprise Development is silent over this matter. The subject minister Kabir Hashim promised at a press conference that he will take action against the members of the TEC, if found guilty of violating government procurement guidelines and if theres any wrongdoing involved in offering the tender.

The reason given by the TEC to SCAPC to select the second lowest bidder disqualifying the lowest bidder was due to shortcomings and non-compliance in vital aspects during their tenure of LPG supply to Litro Gas. According to the sources who wished to remain anonymous, Shell International Trading too had to pay a penalty for having shortcomings and non-compliance in vital aspects during their tenure of LPG supply.

According to the TEC selection criteria, Oman Trading Internationals efficiency is not satisfactory and the number of vessels they have to supply LPG is very much lower than that of Shell International whose efficiency is satisfactory and have supplied LPG to Litro with no records of stock out situations. Although their claim is as such, in the event the government to government negotiations succeeded between Sri Lanka and Oman, Litro would have purchased from Oman Trading leaving aside all their past records and even the number of vessels they have taken up as an issue. Earlier Oman Trading was managed by another company and now it is a company owned by the Government of Oman, sources added.

We wanted them to know their prices to supply gas, their price was US $ 65 per MT which was higher than the price we quoted at that time. Therefore, we requested them to take part in the tender and their bidding price was US$ 48

Speaking on conditions of anonymity, a senior officer at Litro Gas levelled allegations for disqualifying the lowest bidder claiming that past records cannot be considered after lifting the one year ban on Oman Trading. If Oman Trading was blacklisted, it was due to their faults. What was the reason to lift the ban? Once the ban was lifted, they have to forget the past records and take them back to the system. Having lifted the ban and once again talking about their earlier mistakes cannot be justified. On what basis the TEC rank the bidders and brought Shell International as number one. We do not see any faults with the SCAPC members or with the Cabinet of Ministers but solely with the TEC, sources said.

Meanwhile, according to Litro Gas Board Minutes (of August 17, 2017), this paper is in possession, former Director Litro Gas Aruna Siriwardena had raised many questions from the Board in regard to the tender procedure.

Refuting allegations, Ministry Secretary Ravindra Hewavitharana said that there was no scam involved in the tender and added that the entire procurement process followed by Litro Gas and the recommendations made by the SCAPC was transparent.

Although the Ministry Secretary said that Litro Gas Lanka was not happy for the Ministry decision to lift the ban imposed on Oman Trading, this newspaper is in possession of a letter dated May 16, 2017 sent by Executive Chairman Litro Gas, N.M.S. Moonasinghe to the Sultan of Oman Talal bin Salim Al Jabri allowing them to participate in the tender. The letter further states as thus, Dear Sir, With reference to your e-mail dated May 15, 2017 at 22.20 (GMT+05.30), you will be able to participate at the tender (Ref: LGLL/ LPG/082-IMP/2017) as per the decision taken by the Board. Please send your representative to collect the tender documents as per the published advertisement.

When asked whether TEC informed the SCAPC how Shell too had to pay a penalty in the guise of an additional duty, Hewawitharana said that he was not aware of it and added that the TEC would have done it purposely.

Under this ministry we are dealing with about 90 institutions. We are busy and have no time to go through each and every detail. Proper recommendations should come from the TEC as we have to trust them. In the event if wrong details are provided it is their fault, Hewawitharana said.

When contacted the CEO of Union Development and Investment [Pvt] Ltd., Murugesh Devanayagam, the Local Agent for Oman Trading, said that he did not want to make any comment.

Managing Director Litro Gas Muditha Peiris and Finance Director Lakmali Hapuarachchi told this newspaper that the allegations that have been levelled against awarding the tender were baseless and added that every step carried out before and after the tender had been done transparently.

Since there are allegations against the TEC members representing Litro Gas Lanka for violating the government procurement guidelines, when asked who nominated the three Litro Gas officers, Peiris said that they were chosen by the Department of Public Finance and Treasury. Although specifically asked whether Litro Gas Lanka had sent the names to the Ministry of Public Enterprise Development to be forwarded to the Department of Public Finance, Peiris said it was the Ministry that had sent out the list of names they have.

Peiris further said as to why tenders were called to purchase despite letters exchanged by Oil and Gas Minister of Oman to Minister Kabir Hashim to supply LPG on a long term basis under a sovereign agreement between the two countries.

According to the TEC selection criteria, Oman Trading Internationals efficiency is not satisfactory and the number of vessels they have to supply LPG is very much lower than that of Shell International, whose efficiency is satisfactory

We wanted them to know their prices to supply gas, their price was US $ 65 per MT which was higher than the price we quoted at that time. Therefore, we requested them to take part in the tender and their bidding price was US$ 48. All decisions were taken by the SCAPC after the TEC reports were submitted to them, Peiris added.

When asked whether former Board Member Aruna Siriwardena raised questions regarding the tender procedure followed by the TEC at the Board Meeting held on August 17, and that allegations were levelled for not providing the necessary documents to the Board Members, Peiris said that although certain matters were raised at the board meeting once all the necessary documents were given, Siriwardenas concurrence was given not only to extend the gas supply to the country to the existing supplier but also to award the tender to supply LPG for 2017/2018 to Shell International as well.

Rejecting Peiris claim of giving his concurrence to award the tender to Shell International, former Director Aruna Siriwardena told the Daily Mirror that he never signed any document to give his consent to the said tender.

I categorically reject the statement made by Muditha Peris that I gave my concurrence to offer the tender to Shell International. In order to extend the period by one month to supply LPG to the country, I gave my consent only after I spoke to Dr. B. M. S. Batagoda (Chairman SCAPC) on his mobile in front of the Board Members at the board meeting when I was told that he agreed to the one month extension, Siriwardena added.

However, he declined to make any comment in regard to the tender procedure and wanted to go through the Board minutes if more information are needed.

Ban lifted on blacklisted supplier after this govt. came to power - Hewawitharana

Public Enterprise Development Ministry Secretary Ravindra Hewawitharana when contacted said that it was due to the failure to supply gas on time by the lowest bidder during their tenure of supply on earlier occasions that made the TEC to reject Oman Trading application.

Ministry Secretary Hewavitharana said the reason why Oman Trading was not given an opportunity to negotiate their price was due to their earlier track record. Oman Trading was blacklisted earlier but when the Oman Minister made a request to Minister Kabir Hashim that they would like to supply LPG to Sri Lanka on a government to government basis, our Minister had asked them to offer a price at which they could supply gas.

The price given at that stage was above the market price. However at the tender they gave a lower rate. Since the Oman price was above the market price, the SCAPC did not ask them to negotiate the prices and made a request only to Shell which they reduced by US $1.50 which was less than Oman Trading, Hewavitharana said.

According to Hewavitharana, the main reason to reject Oman Trading was their failure to supply gas consistently due to lack of enough vessels and added had the tender was awarded to them, it takes 10 to 13 days to supply the gas whereas Shell International takes only three days since they bring the gas from Maldives.

When asked what would have happened if the Government to Government negotiations were successful and if so whether Oman Trading would have rejected this time too, Hewavitharana did not comment.

Litro Gas Lanka was not happy for lifting the ban. Considering the past records, the TEC said that they will not recommend Oman Trading

In regard to non-offering the tender to the lowest bidder, he said that the TEC was seriously considered about Oman Tradings failure to supply LPG on several occasions earlier and added the SCAPC decided not to award the tender to an irresponsible party. Once they were blacklisted but later once this government came into power it was lifted. Government of Oman made a special request to the Minister that they are ready to supply LPG to Sri Lanka. Litro Gas Lanka was not happy for lifting the ban. Considering the past records, the TEC said that they would not recommend Oman Trading, Hewavitharana said
Elephants have begun to walk their path to extinction. Once a majestic being of the wild that every human feared could be shot dead in seconds today. With the recent killing of the Galgamuwa Dala Poottuwa and another tusker in Karuwalagaswewa, the greed for prestige and a few million bucks has clearly surfaced.



According to legend, the first interaction of a man and an elephant in Sri Lanka dates back to the First Century BC which was recorded on an inscription in Navalar Kulam in Panama Pattu of the Eastern Province. The inscription mentions a religious benefaction by a prince who was designated by an AthAcharya or a Master of the Elephant Establishment. But with the introduction of peraheras (Pageants) during the Kandyan era, elephants became a symbol of prestige and fell prey to the elite.



The human-elephant dealings lie on two extremes; the animals have been used during times of war by royal families or poached for their ivory. At present more elephants are killed than they are born and short term interventions implemented thus far will definitely not save an animal like the elephant who enjoys a lengthy lifespan. According to the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), the number of tuskers in the wild remain as low as 55. This number will further drop if proper conservation methods arent implemented.



Keeping this in mind, the Daily Mirror sheds light on the recent attack on the majestic Dala Poottuwa, state interventions and suggested conservation methods for elephants in Sri Lanka.



Galgamuwa Dala Poottuwa

Also known as the Heritage of Wayamba, the Galgamuwa tusker was a well-built elephant of over 12 feet in height and is said to have been over 50 years old. The tusker was blinded in one eye following a shooting incident that had taken place several years ago. This was just six months before its tragic killing. Before the killing, DWC officials were treating this majestic being in Siyambalangamuwa. He had the habit of frequenting Kala Wewa and the Siyambalangamuwa forest reserves. According to area residents in Siyambalangamuwa, this tusker was known to be an innocent creature when compared to other elephants who frequented the village and caused damage.



The tusker started making headlines on November 23, 2017 when two tusks, with a unique curvature and similar to those of Dala Poottuwa, were found in Nikawewa, a remote village in the Moragollagama Grama Seva Division. Two suspects, a Grama Niladhari and a retired Police constable, who was in possession of these tusks and six ivory gemstones (Gaja Muthu), were arrested by the Walana Anti-Corruption Unit.



Following this find, a team comprising Special Task Force (STF) and five groups including DWC officials and Police commenced a search operation on November 27 to find the tusker, alive or dead. Following a tip-off, a plot of land in Thibbotuwawa too was excavated in several places in search of its remains. This land also belonged to one of the suspects in custody. Despite being futile, the search operations were continued. In the end the body was found in a forest reserve bordering SorowWewa on November 29. Upon discovering its body, officials were yet to confirm whether it was a killing. However, the body was in a rotten state as the elephants remains were two-three weeks old.



The post-mortem was conducted on November 30 by two veterinarians namely, Dr. Tharaka Prasad and Dr. Chandana Jayasinghe from Colombo and Anuradhapura respectively. According to A. H Sumanasena, Assistant Director of DWC in Siyambalangamuwa, the observations confirmed that the body belonged to this tusker. The post-mortem revealed that the elephant had been killed as a result of being fired at with a shotgun. Ten (10) bullets were found in its head. Investigations further confirmed that the elephant would have died due to brain damage. A wound in its left hind leg, which was under medication a few months ago, further confirmed the identity of Dala Poottuwa.



That night itself, five more suspects were arrested by Polpithigama Police following a tip-off received by the CID in the Nikawaratiya and Ambanpola areas. Two tusk cutting saws, part of a hand saw, two pendants made of ivory, one ivory talisman, part of an elephant tusk and organic ivory gemstone (Gaja Muthu) were found when the suspects were taken in to custody.

Perpetrators will be severely dealt with

-Gamini Jayawickrama Perera

Subject Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera said that although five suspects have been arrested, investigations have now been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The law is very weak and we have to change the entire act. There has to be strict penalties imposed in order to put these culprits behind bars. In order to ensure harmony between people and these elephants we have implemented many solutions, but people still consider them as threats. Earlier if a person died or got disabled or wounded in a Human Elephant Conflict (HEC) they were given only Rs.

200,000 but I raised this amount to Rs. 500,000. In terms of crop damage we also introduced insurance schemes for farmers. So under these circumstances I dont understand the reason behind these killings,said Perera.

The law is very weak and we have to change the entire act. There has to be strict penalties imposed in order to put these culprits behind bars

Speaking about the Galgamuwa tuskers incident the Minister said that when the DWC officials visited the suspects house they had been making jewelry items out of tusks. In such instances people should give tip-offs and keep our officials informed. Theres a shortage of manpower in the Department and its a challenge for the officers to be travelling everywhere as and when they receive news. Sometimes they work day and night to ensure the safety of animals. Another worry I have is regarding the reports that there have been many incidents where baby elephants have been tied up for weeks. Several months earlier we saw elephants swimming in the sea. Therefore there are many organized groups aiming at keeping elephants in captivity for various purposes and these matters need to be probed. But we wont tolerate crimes of this nature taking place and the perpetrators will be severely dealt with,said the minister.

Nobody can get away with killing an animal



-Jagath Gunawardena

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, senior environmental lawyer and wildlife enthusiast Jagath Gunawardena said that elephants are a protected species under the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance (FFPO). From Section 12 till 24, this fact is quite clear. Section 12 mentions that no one can injure or harm an elephant, while Section 22 (A) states that its an offence to retain a tusk or part of a tusk of an elephant except in accordance to a permit. Those who illegally retain tusks in their possession could be punished according to the Public Property Act (PPA).

The illegal capture of elephants has been continuing for years and this issue of elephants hasnt been a single one. There are many aspects that must be considered. First we have to build a public perception that nobody can get away with after killing an animal. But if the law doesnt stand firm, people wont hesitate to kill an animal or do any crime for that matter and get away with.

First we have to build a public perception that nobody can get away with after killing an animal

I have observed a lack of power, adequate facilities and low morality in people who handle these issues, said Gunawardena who is quite concerned about conserving these species. If the law could be that lenient to allow those in power to keep elephants in captivity in their houses for everybody to see, then killing a wild elephant is an act that anybody could get away with. Such impunity therefore is dangerous. In terms of trading, once again Section 24 states that nobody can retain parts of animals in their possession unless issued through permits. The DWC gets some information and sadly theres a delay in implementing the law and prosecuting the perpetrators, said Gunawardena.

Only 5% of Sri Lankan male elephants have tusks

- Dr.Prithiviraj Fernando

Airing his views on this regard, elephant researcher and Chairman of Centre for Conservation and Research (CCR), Dr.Prithiviraj Fernando said that biologically there is no greater difference between tuskers and non-tuskers. In African elephants, both males and females have tusks. But in Asian elephants the males have tusks. The Sri Lankan elephant population has close to 5% of males that have tusks when compared to the elephant population in India where 95% of males have tusks. The reduction in our tusker population is mainly due to capturing them and taking them out of the wild. Culturally, people have a high regard for tusks and these practices have continued for years, he warned.



Voicing out his concerns on the aggravating HEC, Dr. Fernando further said that various activities are being carried out in terms of agriculture development. Unfortunately most of these activities done are confrontational. As a result elephants become quite aggressive due to these confrontational practices and the matter has escalated over the past few months. Non-confrontational methods such as electric fencing need to be encouraged, but they cant be done single-handedly. Its important that we implement the law. If we dont do that, we will be encouraging people to commit more crimes. We shouldnt be encouraging illegal practices such as killing elephants for tusks,affirmed Dr. Fernando. When inquired from U.L Thaufeeq, DWC Deputy Director for Elephant conservation, he said that those found guilty of killing an elephant or other animals protected under the FFPO, they will have to serve a two-year jail term and pay a fine of five lakhs.

Only 5% of Sri Lankan male elephants have tusks

No temple needs tusks, elephants or GajaMuthu for prestige says Ven. Ananda Sagara Thera

Keeping this in mind, the Daily Mirror spoke to the Convener of the National Environmental Guild, Ven. Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara Thera. Ven. Sagara Thera said that according to this new wave of Buddhism, it is a must to keep elephants and tusks in temples. During the time of the Buddha when He couldnt persuade the monks in Kosambi from quarrelling, He left Kosambi alone to Parileyyaka Forest. Here an elephant, who had given up communal life, attended to the needs of the Buddha. When Buddha left for Jethavanaya, this elephant and several other animals followed Him towards the boundary of that forest. Upon seeing his departure, the elephant died due to being broken heart. If Buddhism spoke about possessing elephants and tusks, this would have been an ideal occasion for the Buddha to preach the importance of keeping elephants and tusks in a temple. But He never preached on these lines. Elephants and other animals belong to the wild and they should die in their own habitats, the priest said.

But the regime change definitely hasnt helped this cause much. Surprisingly, the transaction of the tusks in this incident was also carried out at a temple in Nikawewa. Does this indirectly mean that temples are promoting the message of cruelty to elephants or any animal for that matter?



Ven. Sagara Thera further said that by preaching bana with two tusks on either side just promotes one thing and that is cruelty to elephants. These practices will only encourage the inception of a cruel society. We say May All beings be free of cruelty and then do the opposite. If you go to a temple, you see an elephant in the backyard, two tusks in the living room or the entrance of the temple and GajaMuthu in its relic casket. Doesnt these show how cruel this religion has become? I believe that a case should be filed immediately against everybody from that GramaNiladhari to the retired Police officer. All other suspects should be prosecuted. Several tusks have also been found from various places where other incidents took place. I believe that we should destroy them once again as was done some time back at Galle Face Green. No temple needs tusks, elephants or GajaMuthu for their prestige, Ven. Sagara Thera said.



Indication of an illegal ivory trade taking root in Sri Lanka says Manori Gunawardena

Commenting on this issue, ManoriGunawardena, Country Representative of Born Free Foundation, said that the arrest of persons linked to an organized network of ivory traders and poachers should not be considered an isolated incident. Its an indication that an illegal ivory trade is taking root in Sri Lanka. The target killing of tuskers is worrying and it calls for increased vigilance and action among all law enforcement agencies,said Gunawardena.



Will Sri Lanka and the world over, ever identify the value of elephants beyond ivory? (Pics by Sunil Kahagalla Yapahuwa)
REUTERS, 04th DECEMBER, 2017- France and Germany agree that Iran must reverse its ballistic missile programme and end its hegemonic temptations across the Middle east, the French foreign minister said on Monday.



We also have the same view on the necessity for Iran to go back on its ballistic missile programme and its hegemonic temptations, Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a news conference alongside his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel.
US President Donald Trump claimed Sunday, he never asked former FBI Ddirector James Comey to end a probe of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, as the president blasted the agencys handling of the investigation.



I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie! Trump tweeted, two days after Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.



Trump said Saturday he had to fire Flynn for lying to his administration and the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition.



That missive raised questions about whether Trump knew of Flynns misconduct in relation to the FBI when Flynn was forced to step down.



Flynn resigned in February, after 25 days as National Security Advisor, admitting to inadvertently giving incomplete information to key people in the White House, including Pence, about his communication with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office.



Comey, who himself was later fired by Trump, claimed Trump pressured him to end the investigation of Flynn. Trumps Saturday tweet raised concerns once again about possible obstruction of justice.

Washington (dpa),

4 Dec 2017



Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, which is among the congressional panels probing Russian interference in the election, said she believes what were beginning to see is the putting together of case of obstruction of justice.

Washington (dpa),

4 Dec 2017
Repercussions of advances in bio technology

Sri Lanka is designated as a fascinating island due to its biodiversity and topographic heterogeneity. We as a nation are gifted with a variety of indigenous plants which further enhances the splendor and the value of the country. Its fitting to state that Sri Lankas biodiversity is the remarkable high proportion of genetic species among its flora and fauna: 23% of the flowering plants and 16% of the mammals in the island are endemic.

25% of the countrys plants are endemic and thus Sri Lanka often becomes a victim of bio theft and piracy

23% of the flowering plants and 16% of the mammals in the island are endemic

bio piracy is a situation where endemic plants are used by others who patent them for their own profit making

Biological diversity or biodiversity is a term used to describe the variety of life on Earth. It refers to the wide variety of ecosystems and living organisms; animals, plants, their habitats and their genes. Sri Lanka has a wide range of topographic and climatic variation that contributes to the special features of its biodiversity. But at present Sri Lankas biodiversity is facing an imminent danger as a result of bio- piracy.

It is mainly the medicinal plants that are being subject to bio piracy in Sri Lanka. At present the legal provision against bio piracy in Sri Lanka doesnt control the situation and hence more room has been created for bio piracy in the island

Bio-piracy means unauthorized access of biological material and using them for commercial purposes without paying proper compensation or obtaining monopolistic rights either from an individual, a company or institution regarding certain biological material or indigenous knowledge, while those resources belong to a community, region or another country. In simple terms it is a situation where indigenous knowledge regarding nature is used by others for their own profit, without obtaining permission from the country of origin or without paying compensation or giving recognition to the indigenous people themselves.

Former Deputy Director of Customs and the President of Lanka Nature Conservationists Samantha Gunasekara in an interview with the Daily Mirror said that although Sri Lanka had been identified as a biodiversity hotspot in the world, biodiversity was under threat due to bio piracy.

It is mainly the medicinal plants that are being subject to bio piracy in Sri Lanka. At present the legal provision against bio piracy in Sri Lanka doesnt control the situation and hence more room has been created for bio piracy in the island. Even though, we have opened the floor on numerous occasions to discuss the economic, social and environmental loss that bio piracy brings to Sri Lanka, no effective action has yet been taken by the authorities. Thats really pathetic simply because its our prospects that are being smuggled in and profited on by foreign individuals, Gunasekara said.

Illegal collection of indigenous plants

Former Customs official Gunasekara revealed that plant smugglers usually smuggle plants for the use of ornamental, medicinal and narcotic values inherent in them.

Vandana Shiva, an Indian scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate and anti-globalization author says, Bio Piracy is biological theft and is described as the illegal collection of indigenous plants by corporations who patent them for their own use. She has also written a book on Bio piracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge.

Unauthorized exportation

Before bio piracy was known by the world, the term bio-theft existed. Bio-theft is defined as the unauthorized exportation of the different components of indigenous bio-diversity. The export of any indigenous plant, animal or microbe without submitting to existing laws is bio-theft, regardless of the ornamental, medicinal and narcotic values.

Gunasekara explained that bio-theft signified a quantitative aspect of genetic plants. Infamous Wallapatta (Gyrinops walla) or Kekatiya (Aponogeton) cases can be regarded as examples of bio-theft. But when we focus on the impacts of bio-piracy, we observe that they have a drastic impact on qualitative aspects such as rights, due revenue, etc. Kothala Himbutu (Salacia reticulate) is the best local example and nevertheless over 100 patents had been obtained by various individuals and institutions based on this plant alone.

The moment a plant is taken out of a natural habitat without authorization, it amounts to bio theft. But bio theft can lead to bio piracy if the stolen plants are smuggled outside the country to obtain patents for these plants or any other product that is produced using the physical material of that plant. Most of the patents regarding Sri Lankan genetics have been obtained by Japan.

Originated in Sri Lanka

Bio-piracy began to flourish consequent to the advancement of bio technology in the world. It is an alarming issue that requires pertinent provisions with immediate effect. This first came under the spotlight in Sri Lanka in 1993 regarding an incident that occurred in 1985 where 12 medicinal plants, including Nutmeg (Sadikka), Masakka, Nigella sativa or Black Cumin (Kaluduru), Sida alnifolia (Heenbabila), Weniwalgata and Clove (Karabu Nati), etc were patented in Japan (J.P. No: 60054312 of 28/03/1985) under the title of Preventive for dental caries. The extracts of these plants were used in toothpaste, gargles, ointments or chewing gum, manufactured by Nissan, Tsurui and Yakuhin.

Subsequently, there have been series of similar incidents where patents and other license have been obtained by various individuals or companies regarding indigenous plants of Sri Lanka. But, unfortunately no Governments has taken instant steps so far to obtain the due revenue and to formulate a proper mechanism to conserve the genetic resources of Sri Lanka. Therefore its necessary to take pertinent actions regarding this serious issue, Gunasekara added.

Solutions to curb bio piracy

Organizing programmes to make the general public aware of the value and importance of Sri Lankas bio diversity.

Policy makers should give consideration to tapping our natural resources without allowing other countries to exploit our endemic plants.

Collaborative projects need to be created on the grounds of finding ways and means to protect the genetic plants of Sri Lanka.

Encouraging and facilitating the local researches and productions by providing equipment and training to the personnel in subjected fields.

Providing biotechnology to local scientists.

Strengthening the legislation and imposing severe penalties to penalize the offenders are also methods to control this menace.

It is necessary to improve the knowledge of plant identification among law enforcement authorities and environmental units at police stations. Workshops and awareness programmes need to be arranged to give the officials a basic knowledge as to what sort of plants they should look out for and how to press charges to increase the efficiency of the enforcement of environmental law, Gunasekara added.

Plants that arent covered by the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance as protected plants are further protected by the Forest Conservation Ordinance Sections 20 and 24

In conclusion, its a noteworthy fact that there are more than one thousand native plants species which are used to cure various health disparities. Its obvious that Sri Lanka is blessed with Indigenous knowledge which is passed from generation to generation by native physicians. This knowledge needs to be conserved for the welfare of the future generation Therefore, relevant provisions should be made by the authorities to address this issue in order to conserve the invaluable genetic plants in Sri Lanka.

The main reasons for rapid prevalence of bio piracy in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka becoming a biodiversity hotspot

Plants being located in a small territory allowing easy access to them and the concentration of plants

Enormous indigenous and medicinal knowledge that is documented and tested

Lack of biotechnology

Existence of a variety of plants which have ornamental, medicinal and narcotic values

25% of the countrys plants are endemic and thus Sri Lanka often becomes a victim of bio theft and piracy

Strategic location

Legal aspect

An Environmentalist and senior environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena told Daily Mirror that the legal framework in Sri Lanka was quite adequate to apprehend plant smugglers. But he pointed out that what was lacking was its proper enforcement. Moreover, the authorities had turned a blind eye on implementing existing laws in the face of illicit practices.

According to Section 42 of the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance, it is illegal to remove, uproot, destroy, damage or injure any plant or for that matter sell, expose or offer for sale any plant that is named as a protected plant in the Ordinance. Plants that arent covered by the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance as protected plants are further protected by the Forest Conservation Ordinance Sections 20 and 24, Gunawardena stated.

He said that the act of bio-piracy signified the grabbing of genetic plants by force just like in ordinary piracy, but what made it different in bio piracy was that the force was exerted through the intellectual property laws.

The various components of bio-diversity like Polpala (Aerva lanata) and Ranawara etc, can be exported legally under the provisions of the Forest Ordinance (for all non-protected plants) and under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. If the use of components is purely for research purpose, it has to be subject to an agreement between the provider (not the individual or the institute, but one of the two departments) and the recipient. If there is any possibility of commercial use, then it has to be subject to a Material Transfer Agreement, Gunawardena said.

He further said that the intellectual property tool that was being used to commit bio-piracy in the majority of cases is the Patent and added that there had also been a few instances in when a Plant Breeders Right or a Plant Variety Protection Right had also been used.

The word Patent is usually associated with new inventions and a patent is a legal right conferred on a person who makes a new invention which enables the use of it without competition (a monopoly) for a limited period of time, in order to let the inventor obtain a profit as a reward to the efforts put into making something that is useful to the society.

Gravity

The party which commits bio piracy uses the gaining of patents as an offensive tool even though patents are designed to defend intellectual property rights. Gunawardena said that the monopoly rights after obtaining a patent would extend up to 20 years, within which period the country that actually owns the smuggled plant had no benefit.

It has been analyzed the world over that commercial exploitation is the third major threat to the survival of wild species. The country which owns the rights regarding genetic plants doesnt benefit through bio piracy, as it doesnt receive the due revenue out of the biological resources. Especially income through genetic resources is huge. Compared with the exported quantity, we do not get sufficient income in the trade of certain biological resources. Yet environmental damage done is more.

According to Section 42 of the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance, it is illegal to remove, uproot, destroy, damage or injure any plant or for that matter sell, expose or offer for sale any plant that is named as a protected plant in the Ordinance

At the same time, if a patent is obtained for a plant endemic to Sri Lanka, the patent rights holder could stop the importation and selling of the plant if Sri Lanka attempts to export even though Sri Lanka is the country of origin.

Kothala Himbutu, which is well-known for its priceless medicinal properties, has been smuggled out of the country in this manner. The plant has currently 132 patent applications among which 114 are against the interests of Sri Lanka, Gunawardena pointed out.

Since the exploiters can enjoy patents rights freely, there is a direct consequence to the export markets and incurring revenue in Sri Lanka.

When the plants are taken out of the natural habitat by large quantities, they might even face the danger of being extinct.

Losing certain traits of endemic plants like colour variations could be considered as a repercussion of bio piracy.

What should be done

Samantha Gunasekara suggested that it was applicable to promulgate laws to issue proper patents so that transactions of endemic plants in Sri Lanka would be done legally and thus the economy of Sri Lanka would benefit at grand scale following the revenue incurred through endemic plants.
The US Supreme Court has ruled President Donald Trump's travel ban on six mainly Muslim countries can go into full effect, pending legal challenges.

The decision is a boost for Mr Trump's policy against travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

The ruling covers the third version of the directive that the president has issued since taking office.

Seven of the nine justices lifted injunctions on Monday imposed by lower courts against the policy.

Only liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor would have allowed the president's order to remain blocked.

Federal appeals courts in San Francisco, California, and Richmond, Virginia, will hear arguments this week on whether the latest iteration of the policy is lawful.

The Supreme Court noted it expects those courts to reach decisions "with appropriate dispatch".

The case will eventually end up back in the Supreme Court.

Monday's decision suggests America's top judicial body may ultimately rule in favour of the administration, say legal analysts.

David Levine, a University of California Hastings law school professor, told the Associated Press news agency: "It suggests that from their understanding, the government is more likely to prevail on the merits than we might have thought."

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said the White House was "not surprised" by the Supreme Court's decision.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the ruling "a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people".

But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the president's retweeting of British far-right videos last week showed his discrimination against Islam.

"President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret - he has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter," ACLU lawyer Omar Jadwat said.

"It's unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims." (BBC)
Tel Aviv/Washington (dpa) - US President Donald Trump has not yet decided whether he will recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, amid speculation that such a move could come this week, his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner said Sunday. The president is going to make his decision, Kushner told a Brookings Institution think tank gathering about the Middle East in Washington. Hes still looking at a lot of different facts. Trump was reportedly weighing announcing a move as soon as Wednesday, in what would mark a major shift in decades of US policy by both Republican and Democratic administrations, which have argued the status of Jerusalem must be decided as part of a peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians. Kushner, who was making his first public remarks on the Middle East since being tasked by Trump with leading US efforts to jump-start peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, said his diplomatic team was very focused on the deal.



Palestinian officials had warned earlier Sunday that Trump should not recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and would risk jeopardizing the peace process if he does so. We warned the American side that, if the American government does in fact carry out that statement to recognize a unified Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transfers the American embassy to Jerusalem, this is a step that will end any chance of a peace process, Naabil Shaath, a senior advisor to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas told the dpa on Sunday.
Police are investigating a series of vandalism to 25 downtown Helena locations, including the 1800s trolley car on the Last Chance Gulch Walking Mall.

Several fences and garage doors, the mural at Performance Square and many other buildings in the area were also among the locations tagged with a similar design during the last several days. All of the recent vandalism was found within about a mile of the Walking Mall.

Helena's Assistant Police Chief Steve Hagen said it will cost more than $1,500 to clean up the graffiti, which makes the vandalism a felony, but the cost to Helena is not just monetary.

Its more about what it looks like to the community, rather than the cost, he said.

Authorities are working to review any video footage that may have been captured on security cameras in the area, Hagen said.

Anyone with information about the vandalism is encouraged to call the Helena Police Department at 406-442-3233, or Crimestoppers at 406-443-2000 to remain anonymous.
Since launch on May 1, 2016, more than 3.2 crore LPG connections, each costing Rs 1,600, have been given to poor women under PMUY.

New Delhi: As many as four LPG cylinders are bought by about 60 per cent of the 3.2 crore poor women who were given free cooking gas connection, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday.

Since launch on May 1, 2016, more than 3.2 crore LPG connections, each costing Rs 1,600, have been given to poor women under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). This is more than half of the 5 crore free LPG connection target sector for three years.

"We have studied the first year consumption pattern and have found that about 60 per cent of the beneficiaries on an average bought four refills. This is a very encouraging trend and we hope the number will increase in future," he said here.

Debunking reports that most of the women who got free LPG connections did not buy a refill, he said data suggests beneficiaries are buying LPG refills after exhausting the first bottle.

There however are pockets like tribal areas where the refill is nil as they have gone back to use of firewood. Addressing inauguration of India chapter of 'Women in LPG' here, he said PMUY was launched to provide clean cooking fuel to about 10 crore households that used firewood, coal, dung-cakes and other polluting fuel.

The smoke from burning such fuels causes alarming household pollution and adversely affects the health of women and children causing several respiratory diseases/ disorders, he said.

As per a WHO report, smoke inhaled by women from unclean fuel is equivalent to burning 400 cigarettes in an hour.

"PMUY aims to safeguard the health of women by providing them with a clean cooking fuel LPG, so that they do not have to compromise their health in smoky kitchens or wander in unsafe areas collecting firewood," he said.

He said Rs 8,000 crore was allocated for the scheme. Pradhan said 13-14 crore LPG connections were given between 1955, when the fuel was launched in India, and 2014.

This number has swelled to 21.4 crore in last three years and all the households would have LPG in the next 2-4 years, he said. India has over 25 crore households.

In 2013-14, India had 16.8 crore registered LPG customers, which has increased to 25.37 crore by end of September 2017. But not all of the registered are active users.

As of September, 21.4 crore were active users out of the registered population. The active users were 14.85 crore in 2014-15. Data for active users in 2013-14 is unavailable.

"Today we have 77 per cent penetration of LPG. In 2-4 years, it would be near total or cent per cent," Pradhan said.

To meet the rising demand, the government is expanding LPG infrastructure, setting up new bottling plants and raising number of distributors to 25,000 from current 19,223 in two years, he said.

"In two years, we will have 25 crore LPG consumers," he said.

The minister said PMUY is likely to result in an additional employment of around 1 lakh and provide business opportunity of at least Rs 10,000 crore in businesses ranging from setting up of infrastructure to manufacture cylinders, gas stoves, regulators, and gas hose.
Mumbai: The significant rise in fund raising through the initial public offer (IPO) is likely to spur credit growth in respective sectors. While there is no direct relation between credit growth and fund raising through IPOs, a study conducted by SBIs research department has revealed a positive correlation between credit off-take and IPOs in the past.

If we look at sector-wise IPOs and bank credit for various years, a positive relation between credit off-take and IPO is visible for some sectors with credit off-take picking-up after IPOs in those sectors. The macro implications of such jump in IPO are significant. For example, sectoral analysis reveal that credit growth in sectors like power, mining & quarrying and metals are highly correlated with the amount raised through IPO in these sectors. Another interesting observation is that credit growth in these sectors has positive correlation with GDP growth, said Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic adviser, SBI.

In the recent years, housing finance companies have raised significant amount from the primary market and credit to NBFCs has also increased around 11 per cent in FY17 despite overall weak credit growth momentum. However sectors such as IT and and pharma showed low correlation between fund raising and credit offtake.

This could be because such sectors are more determined by global factors rather than domestic and hence a possible pick up in global growth could push domestic credit growth in these sectors with a concomitant lag, he added.

The current fiscal has witnessed a significant interest in IPO market with Rs 49,175 crore raised in just 7 months period. Interestingly, this is more than the amount raised between FY12 to FY16 put together.

The current rise in fund raising through the IPO route is expected to last as long as the upswing in secondary market continues. Additionally, the performance of the companies, which got listed in recent years, will also play a crucial factor in determining the success of future primary market issuances.
Mumbai: Shashi Kapoor passed away on Monday evening and not a day after the Shashi Tharoor incident, an international leading news channel made a big goof-up.

While trying to pay tribute to the late actor, this news channel broadcasted Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoors songs.

Hang on @bbcnews Shashi Kapoor has died not Amitabh Bachan or Rishi Kapoor, who you've weirdly used to illustrate the story. pic.twitter.com/48jo6DGjU6  Media Diversified (@WritersofColour) December 4, 2017

This enraged many fans and people in general and they called this blunder lack of knowledge and research.

Shocking to note @BBC insults a veteran actor Shashi Kapoor by showing clips of @SrBachchan & @chintskap whilst reporting his death today!!!@BBC must apologize!!! Clearly they have no clue.



RIP Shashi Kapoor  pic.twitter.com/XMT4QJCy53  GABBAR (@Gabbar_food) December 4, 2017

Lack of knowledge & research...if you dont know the news in and out dont telecast....reporting standards should be strict and punishable  Swapna Kashyap (@SwapnaKashyap) December 5, 2017

A journalist from the news channel had to eventually apologize for this mistake, calling it his unusual standards.
New Delhi: A Patiala House Court in Delhi on Tuesday said it will pronounce the verdict in the 2G spectrum scam cases, involving former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and others as accused, on December 21.

Special Judge OP Saini has been exclusively dealing with the cases  two filed by the CBI and the third by the Enforcement Directorate  arising out of the 2G spectrum scam since April 2011.

Responding to questions from mediapersons on her expectations from the verdict, Kanimozhi said, let us see. She had appeared at the special court on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Raja has said that he has faith in judiciary. I am not a judge, I am a law abiding citizen. I faced trial and have faith in the judiciary, ANI quoted him as saying.

"Where is the question of expectation? I faced a trial and have faith in judiciary system of this country. I have faith in the trial court which has all the documents," he added.

In the first case filed by CBI, those facing trial, besides Raja and Kanimozhi, are former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra, three top executives of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG)  Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair  are facing trial in the case.

Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV Director Sharad Kumar and Bollywood producer Karim Morani are also accused in the case.

Besides these 14, three telecom firms  Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL), Reliance Telecom Ltd and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Ltd  are also facing trial in the case.

The court had in October 2011 framed charges against them under various provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act dealing with offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating,forgery, faking documents, abusing official position, criminal misconduct by public servant and taking bribe.

In its charge sheet filed in April 2011 against Raja and others, CBI had alleged that there was a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer in allocation of 122 licences for 2G spectrum which were scrapped by the Supreme Court on February 2, 2012.

The court has recorded the statements of 154 CBI witnesses, including Reliance ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani, his wife Tina Ambani and former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, running into over 4,400 pages in the case.

The offences entail punishment ranging from six months in jail to life imprisonment.

In the second CBI case, those who face trial are Essar Group promoters Ravi Ruia and Anshuman Ruia, Loop Telecom promoters, Kiran Khaitan, her husband I P Khaitan and Essar Group Director (Strategy and Planning) Vikash Saraf.

Three firms, Loop Telecom Ltd, Loop Mobile India Ltd and Essar Tele Holding Ltd (ETHL) are also chage sheeted.

The ED, in its case, had filed a charge sheet in April 2014 against 19 people, including Raja, Kanimozhi, Shahid Balwa, Vinod Goenka, Asif Balwa, Rajiv Aggarwal, Karim Morani and Sharad Kumar in connection with a money laundering case relating to the scam.

In its charge sheet, ED also named DMK supremo M Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal as accused in the case in which it alleged that Rs 200 crore was paid by STPL promoters to DMK-run Kalaignar TV.

The final report named 10 individuals and nine companies as accused in the case and the ED has chargesheeted them for the offence of money laundering under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
A specially constituted Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will be hearing a total of 13 appeals. (File photo)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced the final hearings in the long-standing Ayodhya dispute, which was a result of the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, triggering massive riots in various parts of the country. Hundreds of people were killed in the incident.

The first hearing is set a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of medieval-era mosque.

A specially constituted bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will be hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The stakeholders in the case had moved the apex court after the Allahabad High Court directed the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla to settle for a three-way division of the 2.77-acre disputed site.

A sect of Muslims, under the banner of Shia Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, had earlier approached the court offering a solution that a mosque could be built in a Muslim- dominated area at a "reasonable distance" from the disputed site in Ayodhya.

However, its intervention was opposed by the All India Sunni Waqf Board which had claimed that judicial adjudication between the two sects had already been done in 1946 by declaring the mosque as one which belongs to the Sunnis.

Recently a group of civil rights activists also moved the apex court seeking intervention in the Ayodhya dispute and urged it to consider the issue saying it is not just a dispute over property but has several other aspects which would have far-reaching effects on the "secular fabric of the country".

In pursuance to the apex courts earlier direction, the Yogi Adityanath government has submitted English translation of exhibits and documents likely to be relied upon, as these were in eight different languages.

A battery of high profile lawyers including senior advocates K Parasaran and C S Vaidyanathan and advocate Saurabh Shamsheri will appear for Lord Ram Lalla, the deity, and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will represent the Uttar Pradesh government.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Anoop George Chaudhari, Rajeev Dhavan and Sushil Jain will represent other parties including All India Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.

The top court had on August 11 asked the UP government to complete within 10 weeks the translation of the evidence recorded for adjudication of the title dispute in the high court. It had said it would not allow the matter to take any shape other than the civil appeals and would adopt the same procedure as was done by the high court.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, an intervenor in the matter, had attempted to raise the issue of fundamental right of religion of the Hindus under Article 25 of the Constitution.

Many of the original plantiffs and defendants in the matter including Mohd Hashim, who was the first person to take the matter to the apex court, have died.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Hourt, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had said the land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The Babri Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528.

The Hindus, however, claim that a Ram temple that originally stood there was demolished to construct the mosque.

Citing this, Hindu zealots brought down the mosque on December 6, 1992.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a Delhi court will deliver its verdict in connection with the terrorist attack on the makeshift Ram Temple in Ayodhya in 2005.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2016 ordered an investigation into whether Monsanto had abused its dominant position as a supplier of genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds. (Photo: AFP/ File)

New Delhi: Indias anti-trust regulator has fined Monsanto Co 15 million rupees (USD 233,000) for being too slow in replying to questions in a competition probe into the US seeds company.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2016 had ordered an investigation into whether Monsanto had abused its dominant position as a supplier of genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds.

The CCI, which is yet to complete its investigation, fined Monsanto for delays in filing replies, according to official documents reviewed by Reuters.

Monsanto responded to CCIs queries in August, but only after eight reminders issued between April 2016 and May 2017, the watchdogs November order showed.

The commission hopes and trusts that full cooperation shall now be provided, the CCI said in its order dated Nov. 14.

A Monsanto India spokesman said: Monsanto continues to extensively cooperate with the CCI in the investigation and has been providing information in response to requests received.

This order is related to a procedural matter and is subject to further orders from the Delhi High Court, he added.

Challenging the role of CCI and the nature of its probe, Monsanto has filed two separate cases with the Delhi High Court.

Monsanto is locked in a battle with Indian seed maker, Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd, one of the complainants at the CCI.

That battle sparked a series of government moves that prompted the world's biggest seed company to withdraw from some businesses in India, one of the world's most important seed markets, Reuters reported earlier in 2017.
Bengaluru: "Corruption is used as an adhesive to bind Jammu and Kashmir together. The regime is a puppet and each and every election is rigged. Article 370 and its autonomy is a mere structure as most of it has been eaten up by the Government of India," said Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Kapil Kak, one of six panelists who spoke at a searing discussion on 'Towards Peace and Reconcilation in Jammu and Kashmir' that brought the plight of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the fore.

Moderated by noted historian Ramachandra Guha, the panel hosted by Bangalore International Centre brought together senior journalist Dr Shujaat Bukhari, Ms Rinchen Angmo Chumikchan, activist from Ladakah, Rakesh Gupta, President, Chamber of Commerce, Jammu and Khurram Pervez, a human rights activist.

" This is a three generation problem that led to a 30 year long insurgency. Indian politicians do not engage in political dialogue which would act as a balm when 4,500 lives are being lost everyday," Kak said in his speech, adding that ," The centre of gravity is the youth, their opinion matters. This is the only way to unscramble the Kashmir Omlette as they call it."

Khurram Parvez, a member of a Human Rights Litigation group opined that communal polarization invested by the states adhoc policies, making civilians fight with militants is all being done for electoral gain " In 27 years more than 70,000 people lost their lives due to armed forces and militants. 8000 people were made to disappear most of which was done by the army and there are 7000 unmarked and marked graves in the state," Parvez said, reeling out troubling statistics, rarely reported in the mainstream media. "In the last three decades, not a single member of the armed forces was prosecuted for human rights violations, by the civil court," he added. Based on his organization's report, the State Commission of Human Rights suggested that GOI undertake DNA test and comprehensive investiagtion of the 7000 graves. However Parvez came up against the official counterclaim that these were "the bodies of foreign terrorists and India had only 16 labs capable of doing the analysis, which would not be feasible."

Parvez and the other panelists dwelt in some detail on the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits who were brutalised and killed in lakhs, and forced to leave their homes in Kashmir. Thousands still remain, but the majority still live in Jammu.

Shujaat Bukhari repeatedly drove home the point that no initiative had been taken by the government to drive the political issue to a logical conclusion. " We have new age militancy and Kashmir is at the cross-roads, " Bukhari warned, adding " Kashmir is projected as people who are demonized he said, pointing to the many reports on Kashmir that had been ignored thus far, and his disappointment with Prime Minister Modi's Kashmir policy.

" We thought PM Modi had a strong mandate for Kashmir in 2014. We were hopeful. But he brought up Vajpayees 'Insaniyat, Jumhuriyat, Kashmiriyat, ' many times, but has not walked the talk on it," Bukhari said.

Chumikchan brought up the use of pellets against civilians in Kashmir, saying pellers are being used against protesters in Kashmir, when they were not used in any other conflict zone in the world!

Ramachandra Guha, interestingly while in complete agreement with all of the abive, had only one point of dissent, " " My personal opinion is that Pakistan is not a reliable interlocutor."
The encounter broke on Monday afternoon when the militants opened fire on an Army convoy at Qazigund on Jammu-Srinagar national highway. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

Srinagar: Three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, including two Pakistanis, allegedly responsible for carrying out an attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year, were killed in an encounter in South Kashmir, police said on Tuesday.

One militant, who had managed to flee from the encounter site, was also arrested by the police from a maternity hospital of Anantnag district of South Kashmir, they said.

The encounter broke on Monday afternoon when the militants opened fire on an Army convoy, on its way to Srinagar, at Qazigund on Jammu-Srinagar national highway. One soldier was killed in the attack while another sustained injuries.

The security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the militants. The search operation turned into an encounter with militants which ended at 2 am Tuesday morning, the police said.

The police identified the dead militants as Yawar Basir, who is a local militant, Abu Furqan and Abu Maviya (both foreign terrorists). Basir, hailing from Habiash of Kulgam, joined ranks with Lashkar-e-Taiba this year in February after snatching weapon from a policeman.

Furqan had taken over as the head of Lashkar-e-Taiba in South Kashmir after the death of Abu Ismail, who had led the attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year.

Police said that all the three, killed on Tuesday, were part of the squad that carried out the attack on yatris on July 10.

Eight pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured. Police said the group headed by Furqan, was involved in a series of terror crimes in Anantnag and Kulgam area, which included the Yatra Bus Attack case at Bantingo, few attacks on security forces at Lower Munda on the national highway, attack on police party at bus stand in Anantnag.

Furqan had replaced Ismail in South Kashmir and was responsible for the recent attacks carried by LeT, police said.

Pursuing the leads available at Qazigund encounter, one individual Rashid Ahmed Allai of Hamzapora sangam Bijibehera was arrested from Janglatmandi maternity hospital with a Chinese pistol and live cartridges last night. He was missing since last two days from his house and had joined the Yawar group of LeT.

The police said that he was part of the militant group when they carried out attack on army at Qazigund on Monday but managed to escape from the site when encounter broke.

He had taken shelter at the hospital in Anantnag with the help of one of his associate.

According to the police, he along with his associates were intending to snatch weapon from the policemen by attacking them.
Salem: A lawyer from Pollachi requesting to meet Hadiya, the girl from Kerala at the centre of a love-jihad controversy and who was recently directed by the Supreme Court to rejoin a professional college here to complete her course, was disallowed from meeting the student by its principal on Monday.

Ms. Hadiya, whose marriage to Shafin Jahan had been annulled by the Kerala High court and the issue now pending in the Apex court, had last week returned to re-join the Sivaraj Homeopathy college and Research Institute in Salem to complete her course on the Supreme courts directive, which had asked the college principal G Kannan to be her guardian. Anyone wishing to meet Hadiya could do so only with the permission of the college principal, as per the apex courts order.

The lawyer, Mr. N. Shaw Nawazkhan, in his capacity as president of the Tamil Nadu Muslim Law Academy, west zone, sought the college principal's permission to meet her, he said today.

However, the lawyer alleged that the principal would not allow him to meet Hadiya. On behalf of the Law Academy I had sought in writing the principals permission to meet Hadiya, but my request on Saturday was not acceded to; I was asked to come on Monday, but again denied permission to meet her, the lawyer complained to reporters. While Mr. Nawazkhan said he would consult his colleagues in the Law Academy on filing a Habeas Corpus petition in the Madras High court in this regard, the Homeopathy college principal, Mr. Kannan said, we cannot give permission to everyone who wants to meet a student; moreover, in this instance Hadiya did not express any wish to meet this lawyer and hence permission was not granted.
The bill provides death penalty or a minimum term of 14-year jail term or life imprisonment till death for raping girls aged 12 or below. (Representational image)

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh assembly on Monday unanimously passed a historic Bill awarding death to the rapists of girls aged 12 or below.

There are people in society who can be set straight only by severe punishments. It (the legislation) will deal with them. We will also take steps to generate awareness in the society against such crimes, he added.

The bill, christened as Dand Vidhi (Madhya Pradesh Sansodhan) Vidheyak, 2017, will need Presidents assent to become a law.

The bill comes in the wake of recent twin developments of MP earning the dubious distinction of recording highest number of rape cases in the country in 2016 and the gangrape of an undergraduate by four youths in Bhopal.

The bill provides death penalty or a minimum term of 14-year jail term or life imprisonment till death for raping girls aged 12 or below.

The bill also proposes punishment for disrobing, stalking or sex on the pretext of marriage.
Maharashtra and Gujarat are on high alert as cyclone Ockhi has changed its path. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

Ahmedabad: Cyclone Ockhi on Tuesday moved closer to the southern coast near Surat in Gujarat and is expected to make a landfall in the state around midnight, said officials.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was closely following the advances of the cyclone and appealed to BJP workers across the state to "provide all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens," in a tweet.

Election rallies to be addressed by top BJP leaders in Gujarat for the upcoming Assembly elections have also been cancelled.

Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

As per the latest forecast released by the Meteorological Centre in Ahmedabad, the cyclone is now just 390 kms away from Surat.

The cyclone is approaching Gujarat steadily and now lies centred in the Arabian Sea just 390 kms away from Surat. It is very likely to continue moving north-northwestwards, an official of the MeT centre said.

As per the latest bulletin of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued today, the cyclone is expected to hit the coastline near Surat by tonight.

"It is very likely to continue to move north- northwestwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by the night of December 5," said the latest IMD bulletin.

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall in most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places in Saurashtra and south Gujarat.

As predicted by the weathermen, several districts today received light rain since morning, even as almost the entire state witnessed overcast skies.

The Met centre has warned that when the cyclone hits the Gujarat coast, "wind speed would remain between 50 and 60 kmph and may reach up to 70 kmph in south Gujarat".

According to principal secretary in the state revenue department, Pankaj Kumar, at least nine districts have received light showers or drizzle since the morning.

Dharmarpur town of southern Gujarat received a maximum rainfall of 25 mm, he said.

The other districts experiencing a wet spell are Botad, Arvalli, Chhotaudepur, Dahod, Mahisagar, Sabarkantha, Navsari and Rajkot.

Gujarat's chief secretary J N Singh has convened a video conference with the collectors of coastal districts to review their preparedness to deal with any eventuality, Kumar added.
Chennai: After stormwater now it is turn of sewage water to flow along the city roads. For the past one week there is not much rain in Chennai, but there is a constant flow of foul emanating water along the north Chennai city roads.

Sewer overflow has been a common menace in low-lying areas of north Chennai and the situation near the slaughterhouses are even worse. Public residing in old parts of Chennai is forced to wade through sewer overflow and sanitation is a major issue in Thiru Vika Nagar, Choolai, Egmore, Pulianthope and Pattalam areas.

The smell hits you on your face near Pulianthope slaughter house and the nearby bus stand remains deserted due to the disgusting smell that emanates from the un-cleaned slaughter house. I staged a sit-in protest last week to clear the drains. Only then did the metro water officials clean the drains, said Thayagam Kavi, legislator of Thiru Vika Nagar.

Sanitation is a major issue and there is a need for more staff to attend the clog drains in north Chennai, he said. I am willing to allocate funds from the MLA area development scheme but metro water department remains elusive in executing new projects and has turned a blind eye towards attending public complaints, the MLA added.

The situation in nearby Otteri, Choolai and Pattalam had also turned from bad to worse and the entire Egmore constituency is suffering due to poor administration of Chennai metro water and Chennai corporation, said Egmore legislator K.S. Ravichandran.

Private schools in Doveton, Vepery and Egmore do not have rain water harvesting structures and they often drain the water on to roads adding to water stagnation.

Last week I gave a petition to corporation commissioner seeking solutions for monsoon related complaints. So far, there has been no response, he said.

Real estate brokers in North Chennai also admit that marketing residential properties in north Chennai has become difficult due to monsoon woes.

Sanitation and sewer overflow are a nuisance during November December period. Due to sewerage blocks and water logging, enquiry for property rentals has gone down by 30 per cent in north Chennai, said Arani Sreenivasan, a real estate consultant.

When contacted, municipal administration secretary Harmandar Singh said a lot of repair works had been taken to arrest flooding and regarding the sewer overflow, the specific complaints will be attended.

We are taking all steps to ensure that public grievances are attended to, the top official said. Regarding private schools letting out stormwater in roads the official said that the issue would be examined for a solution.
M Venkaiah Naidu in his communication said they cease to be Rajya Sabha members with immediate effect. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Rebel JD(U) parliamentarians Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar were disqualified from the Rajya Sabha on Monday night, according to a communication from chairman of the House M Venkaiah Naidu.

Naidu in his communication said they cease to be Rajya Sabha members with immediate effect.

The Rajya Sabha chairman agreed to the JD(U)'s contention that the two senior leaders had "voluntarily given up" their membership by defying their party's directives and attending events of opposition parties.

The JD(U) had sought their disqualification on the grounds that they had attended a rally of opposition parties in Patna in violation of its direction.

Yadav had joined hands with the opposition after JD(U) president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kuamar dumped the Grand Alliance in Bihar and tied up with the BJP.

Yadav was elected to the House last year and his term was scheduled to end in 2022. Anwar's term was to expire early next year.

The former JD(U) president, who is at present in Gujarat to campaign against the BJP, is expected to respond to his disqualification on Tuesday.
A sect of Muslims, under the banner of Shia Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, had approached the court, offering a solution that a mosque could be built in a Muslim-dominated area at a 'reasonable distance' from the disputed site in Ayodhya. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced final hearing in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute, a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of medieval-era structure.

A specially constituted Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer are hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

Kapil Sibal who is representing Sunni Waqf Board read out in the Supreme Court the details of exhibits filed by the contesting defendants before the Allahabad High Court.

Sibal told the three-judge bench that all these exhibits were not filled before the court. He submitted that all the pleadings were not complete.

Rebutting all the averments of Kapil Sibal, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta, representing the State of Uttar Pradesh told SC that all the related documents and requisite translation copies were on record.

Kapil Sibal also raised doubts over assertions of ASG Mehta and asked how more than 19000 pages of documents could be filed in such short time. Sibal told SC that he and other petitioners have not been served relevant documents of pleadings.

Sibal told SC that there have serious repercussions outside court whenever the matter is heard.

Therefore, to preserve the decorum of law and order, Sibal personally requested the court to take the matter up on July 15, 2019, once all the pleadings are complete.

Advocates Kapil Sibal, Rajiv Dhawan along with other petitioner counsels also sought for a larger bench of at least 7 judges to hear the matter.

Petitioners also pleaded in the SC for reasonable time to translate, file and serve the copies of all the exhibits and relevant documents, which were filed before the Allahabad High Court bench at Lucknow.

The Allahabad High Court had ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acre area at Ayodhya among the parties  the All India Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

A sect of Muslims, under the banner of Shia Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, had approached the court, offering a solution that a mosque could be built in a Muslim-dominated area at a reasonable distance from the disputed site in Ayodhya.

Sunni Waqf Board's opposition

However, its intervention was opposed by the Sunni Waqf Board. It claimed that judicial adjudication between the two sects was done in 1946 by declaring the mosque, which was demolished on December 6, 1992, as one which belongs to the Sunnis.

Recently a group of civil rights activists also moved the apex court, seeking intervention in the dispute and urged it to consider the issue, saying it is not just a dispute over property but has several other aspects that would have far-reaching effects on the secular fabric of the country.

In pursuance to the apex courts earlier direction, the Yogi Adityanath government has submitted English translation of exhibits and documents likely to be relied upon, as these were in eight different languages.

A battery of high profile lawyers, including senior advocates K Parasaran and CS Vaidyanathan and advocate Saurabh Shamsheri, will appear for Lord Ram Lalla, the deity. Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will represent the Uttar Pradesh government.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Anoop George Chaudhari, Rajeev Dhavan and Sushil Jain will represent other parties, including the Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, an intervenor in the matter, had attempted to raise the issue of fundamental right of religion of the Hindus under Article 25 of the Constitution.

Many of the original plantiffs and defendants in the matter, including Mohd Hashim, who was the first person to take the matter to the apex court, have died.
Hyderabad: Operation Beggars, which was on in full swing before the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, has now been put on hold by all departments and it is as usual on city roads for beggars who must not be seen by foreign delegates lest all the hype spouted at the summit is proven to be less than true.

While the Telangana State Prisons Department launched Operation Beggars on October 20, 2017, other departments such as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the police department joined in 10 days before the Summit.

All departments deputed two special patrolling vehicles and special teams at police station level. Till November 20, Operation Beggars had shifted 212 male and 123 female beggars to Anand Ashrams, and shelter homes run by the prisons department.

The prisons department had announced on November 25, that Operation Beggars would be re-launched from December 1, but no such action is visible and gangs of beggars are back at all major junctions in the city.

G. Ramesh from Malakpet market said, throughout November Malakpet, Nal-gonda Chowrasta, Moosa-rambagh and Dilsukhnagar localities were free from beggars.

From Sunday onwards, many beggars have begun appearing on roads and junctions. The operation was launched for making the roads beggar-free in view of the GES and as the programme has been completed, no department is focusing on it, he said.

M. Ganesh, a retired defence officer from Gachibowli, observed that beggars were back at work at Cyber Towers Junction, Kothaguda and Gachibowli on Monday.

Organised beggar gangs can be seen again at Ranigunj, Begumpet, Secu-nderabad railway station, and Church at Mettuguda, Sangeeth Junction and at major temples in Secunderabad.

Vinoy Kumar Singh, Dire-ctor General of Telangana Prisons, said that as promised, city roads will be beggar-free by December 20. We will launch the operation again. We stand by our promise to give `500 cash reward to those who pass us information on beggars after December 25, he said.
Mahant Dharam Das outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: In consonance with the prevailing political dispensation, the Muslims have been advised to observe the 25th anniversary of Babri demolition on December 6 in a restrained and peaceful manner.

The VHP, on the other hand, has called for grand celebrations on December 6. The VHP and the Bajrang Dal have asked Hindu families to light up their homes with diyas.

All homes and temples in Ayodhya will be decorated with diyas. A meeting will be organised at Karsevakpuram, which is the VHP headquarters in Ayodhya, in which saints and seers will participate. It is a moment of celebration for us and everyone knows that temple construction is only a step away, VHP spokesman in Ayodhya Sharad Sharma said.

The Bajrang Dal has asked also its supporters to take out mashaal (torch) processions in various cities. Since this is the first time in recent years that the BJP  representing aggressive Hindutva  is in place in Delhi as well as Lucknow, the VHP wants the occasion to be celebrated as never before.

This time it is not going to be a mere formality. We are on the verge of temple construction and the occasion is special for us, the VHP spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the All-India Babri Masjid Action Committee (AIBMAC) has asked Muslims and other secular forces to hold programmes in a restrained and peaceful manner.

We have asked our community members to hold programmes in a peaceful manner and submit memorandums to the Prime Minister, seeking speedy disposal of cases related to demolition of the Babri mosque.

In the memorandum, we will ask PM Modi to ensure that the status quo is maintained at the disputed site in reverence to the Supreme Court directives. We will also be holding special prayer meeting on the occasion, said Mr Zafaryab Jilani, convenor of the All-India Babri Masjid Action Committee.

Prohibitory orders have been enforced in Ayodhya on Tuesday on the eve of the Babri demolition anniversary.

Special security cover has been given to the Ram Janambhoomi complex, said Faizabad SSP, Subhash Singh Baghel.
The demonstrators gathered under the banner of Forum Against the Assassination of Gauri Lankesh and expressed concern over the delay in the cracking the case and arresting the accused. (Photo: DC)

BENGALURU: A group of writers and activists marched to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs official residence on Kumar Krupa Road from Maurya Circle on Tuesday to express their displeasure and anger over the Special Investigation Teams (SIT) inability to solve the murder case of senior journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh.

The demonstrators gathered under the banner of Forum Against the Assassination of Gauri Lankesh and expressed concern over the delay in the cracking the case and arresting the accused, even though three months have passed since the incidents. Gauri was shot dead outside her residence in Rajarajeshwari Nagar on September 5.

Protestors detained

Protestors detained

When the protesters tried to enter the Chief Ministers residence to press for their demands, they were detained by police.

Noted litterateur Chandrashekar Patil (ChamPa) lashed out at the government for bringing the culprits to book even after three months.

He said though the government had claimed it knew Gauris killers, it hasnt identified or exposed them. If the government knows who killed Gauri, what is stopping it to reveal their names and background. How long the SIT would take to solve the case, he questioned.

It may be recalled that Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy had on many occasions claimed that SIT had cracked the case and identified the killers, but neither Mr Reddy nor SIT revealed further information.

No let up in SIT probe: Officer

A senior police officer, who is part of the SIT, said that the team had spent sleepless nights in an attempt to crack the case at the earliest. The team has been questioning every suspect and except the professional angle (related to her profession), all other angles were still being looked into.

We have questioned a number of gun dealers to know whom all they had supplied the guns. Our investigation is still going on with the same spirit, the officer said, adding, the team believed the culprits would be caught soon.
While House and Senate Republicans have agreed to finance the corporate tax cut by ballooning the national debt, they have insisted the cost of health care for low-income children be paid for with cuts in other federal health care spending.

Time is running out for 9 million American children covered by the Childrens Health Insurance Program, including 24,000 Montana children. CHIP expired at the end of September and Congress has failed to reauthorize it. Most states had enough money to continue childrens care through this fall, but money will run out this month for some.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle profess to be in favor of CHIP. Early in November, House Republicans passed a five-year CHIP bill that would also extend community health center funding for two years. The bill would cut preventive care spending and charge some higher-income Medicare enrollees a new fee to cover the costs of CHIP and the community health centers.

As of Monday, the Senate hasnt passed a CHIP bill. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who helped write the corporate income tax bill, said last Thursday that there isnt money to continue the childrens health program.

We're going to do CHIP, there's no question about it in my mind. It has to be done the right way, Hatch said Thursday on the U.S. Senate floor. But we  the reason CHIP is having trouble is because we don't have money anymore.

Unless Congress acts, the entire federal government runs out of money on Friday. President Donald Trump and Congress havent yet agreed on a budget for the fiscal year that began two months ago. CHIP is likely to be included in a massive budget bill, possibly later this week.

But keep your eyes open. What tradeoff will be demanded to keep kids covered? Will CHIP be funded for a or less? Why are corporate tax cuts a higher priority for the GOP than childrens health?

As Holly Michels reported for The Gazette last week, without a federal funding renewal by the middle of this month, the Montana Department Public Health and Human Services will send letters to the families of 24,000 Montana kids, letting them know CHIP will run out of funding at the end of January.

Funding CHIP is a top priority for most Americans, according to a Kaiser poll conducted in mid-November. In the poll, 62 percent of respondents rated reauthorizing CHIP funding as a top priority, making the kids program slightly more popular than funding for places in the U.S. affected by hurricanes, which 61 percent listed as a top priority.

Reforming the tax code, which may cut taxes for some was a top priority for only 28 percent of those polled.

Most Americans recognize the tremendous importance of caring for the health of our children. Its also a great investment -- preventing lifelong problems that cause disability, suffering and higher medical costs.

Congress needs to get that message. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, has been a staunch supporter of CHIP, advocating its reauthorization with no strings attached. Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforte should buck their partys line. Put childrens health ahead of partisan politics. Pay for kids health care first, then figure out how much corporate taxes can be reduced.

States are running out of money, the National Governors Association said in calling on Congress again last week to reauthorize CHIP. Colorado was the first state to notify families that their kids are at risk for losing CHIP coverage, according to National Public Radio. Virginia officials are drafting a similar letter.

NPR reported that Texas is running out of CHIP funds faster than expected because many children were enrolled for the first time after Hurricane Harvey hit, leaving families homeless and children traumatized. Like CHIP families in Montana, those Texas families may be getting letters just before Christmas telling them that the children soon wont have health insurance.
Interestingly, the ASCIs Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) reviewed the complaints regarding the TV commercial at the instance of Maharashtra State Commission for Women, sources stated. (Representational image)

New Delhi: Soon airing of advertisements for condoms may only be allowed during watershed hours (between 10 pm and 6 am) on television after the Advertising Standards Council of India  the apex self-regulating body of advertising sector  received several complaints regarding a steamy condom commercial featuring actor Sunny Leone.

After receiving a slew of complaints against the commercial, the ASCI, in a letter to the Union information and broadcasting ministry, stated that we suggest that the ministry advise all television channels to ensure that the condom advertisements are aired during the watershed hours  between 10 pm and 6 am  as these advertisements are meant to be seen only by adults.

Interestingly, the ASCIs Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) reviewed the complaints regarding the TV commercial at the instance of Maharashtra State Commission for Women, sources stated.

Explaining the process, ASCI secretary-general Shweta Purandare stated that as a self-regulatory body the ASCI can not issue a directive to private companies. The ASCI seeks the advise of the Union I&B ministry in this regard, she added.

It is understood that the ASCI has sought the advice of I&B ministry on the issue of adult content in such commercials being broadcast on television during non-watershed hours.

The CCC further recommended that for the objects regarding the viewing hours of the above TVC or for channels that it should be aired on, the complainant should be asked to approach the I&B ministry as this matter is not in ASCIs purview, sources added.

To ensure that advertisements are not offensive to the generally accepted standards of decency Advertisements should contain nothing indecent, vulgar (especially in the depiction of women), or nothing repulsive which is likely, in the generally prevailing standards of decency and propriety, to cause grave and widespread offence, says norms for advertisement, Chapter II: Non-Offensive to the Public.
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday said that a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander was among three militants killed in a fierce gun battle that took place in southern Kulgam district on Monday night.

It also claimed that the slain men were involved in the July 10 attack in neighbouring Anantnag district in which eight Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured.

J&Ks Director General of Police, Shesh Paul Vaid, identified the slain militants as LeT divisional commander as Furqan, a Pakistan national and his accomplices Abu Muawiyah (also a Pakistani) and Yawar Bashir, a resident of Kulgams Hablish village. A fourth militant who had escaped during the encounter was arrested from a maternity hospital in Anantnag on Tuesday.

The police chief tweeted, Furkan, a Pakistani terrorist who took over as Divisional commander of LeT after the elimination of Ismail was killed in todays encounter at Qazigund along with another Pakistani terrorist identified as Abu Mavia. Great success for security forces!

The police had on September 14 said that LeTs Abu Ismail, the mastermind of the attack on Amarnath pilgrims was killed in a fire fight with the security forces in Srinagars Nowgam area earlier during that day.

Vaid wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.com on Tuesday With the elimination of Abu Ismail earlier & now these three Abu Mavia , Furkan & Yawar group that attacked Amarnath Yatries is wiped out.

The fighting in Bonigam area near Qazigund, the gateway to Kashmir Valley from the south, had begun late Monday afternoon after the group of four LeT militants ran into a private house in the village after targeting an Army convoy moving along the Srinagar-Jammu highway. A soldier of Sikh Li who was injured in the attack later died in a military hospital in Srinagar.

Another soldier was injured in the ensuing encounter. The security forces including the Army, the J&K polices counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) and the CRPF used improvised explosive devices to blow up the house in their final assault against holed up militants, the police sources said.

Later the bodies of three militants were recovered from the encounter site. Their third accomplice who had escaped the security dragnet was traced in a maternity hospital in Anantnag.

The police said that it while pursuing the leads available at Qazigund encounter found militant identified by it as Rashid Ahmed Allai in the hospital in Anantnags Janglatmandi locality. It also said that a Chinese pistol with live cartridges was also recovered from Allai, a resident of Hamzapora in Sangam area of Anantnags Bijbehera belt.

Allai had joined the militants ranks only a couple of days ago. The police said, Pertinently, this individual was missing from his house for last two days and had joined the Yawar group of LeT. It also said that Allai took shelter in Anantnag hospital with the help of one of his associates. He along with his associates was intending to snatch weapons from the policemen after attacking them. Further investigation is going on to unearth the conspiracy, the police said.

LeT had on Monday while claiming responsibility for attacking the Army convoy said that four soldiers were killed and several others wounded. Its spokesman Dr Abdullah Ghaznavi said that the Bashir Lashkari squad of the outfit was involved in the attack. He threatened more such attacks.

On Tuesday, intense clashes took places between groups of youth and the security forces amid a spontaneous shutdown observed in several areas of Kulgam including the main town to mourn the death of militants. The security forces fired dozens of teargas canisters to quell stone-pelting mobs in the area, witnesses said.

Thousands of people attended multiple funeral prayers held for slain militant Yawar Bashir in his native village Hablish. His corpse had been draped in a green flag and the mourners were chanting pro-Pakistan and pro-aazadi slogans, the witnesses said. The bodies of the other two militants were transported to Uri area near the Line of Control for burial for their being foreign nationals, the police sources said.

Meanwhile, the J&K police on Tuesday said that two more local Kashmiri militants have shunned militancy and returned home. Two more boys shunned the path of violence and returned home who went astray and joined the ranks of militants. Welcome back home! DGP Vaid said in another tweet.
District educational officers say that the problem can be combated only if equal education is provided to all, including adults.

Hyderabad: The UNESCO Global Education Monitoring report released on Monday has painted a grim picture of Indian education.

The report states that 35 per cent of the worlds illiterate population lives in India; that means that if India improves its education scenario, it could change the global educational scenario significantly.

Around 34 per cent of the population of Telangana is still illiterate. District educational officers say that the problem can be combated only if equal education is provided to all, including adults. With more adults who cannot read and write, the literacy rate of the state is taking a hit.

B. Sudhakar, director of Adult Education, says, We have over 8,000 adult education centres in gram panchayats that offer classes mostly in the morning.

However, understanding that it is difficult for many to attend in the day time, we have also begun classes in the evening and have started employing women instructors so that women from rural areas feel more comfortable attending the classes.

A test is conducted every six months which the student has to pass to be counted as a literate citizen, but most of the adult students shy away from giving the exam. We also have dropouts in adult education because of lack of support, and stigma, which should stop. It is never too late to learn, Mr Sudhakar said.

Adult literacy is important because only by educating parents can we ensure that they will encourage their children to study further, says Professor Narayana Rao, an educational expert.

There is a difference in the attitude of parents who have begun attending adult education centres. They no longer believe that their wards education is unnecessary. He says that the attendance at night classes should be higher.

The main reason why adults do not enrol is because they do not want to lose their daily wages. We should encourage migrant workers in the scheme, says Prof Rao.

School dropout difficult to curb

More than 12 million children in India are not enrolled in schools. Efforts are directed towards ensuring that children stay in school at least till the age of 12, but the statistics show that many children do not even complete their lower secondary education.

The biometric system of attendance, which was proposed to be implemented in schools, has been criticised by the teachers associations.

District education officers claim they are doing their best to enrol children in schools. We keep raising awareness regarding education in the rural areas but parents still hesitate to send their children. The gender bias can also be clearly seen as more boys are sent to school. Although there is an improvement in TS, we still have to go a long way to ensure that every child is educated, said an educational officer.

In his opinion, children below the age of 14 should not be employed at construction sites. The child should instead go to school. Child labour and education is intrinsically connected. Education should always come first, he said.

Kishan Kumar, the principal of a government school in LB Nagar frankly admits that, The problem is the state of government schools. People need to have faith in the schools. Many schools need to update their infrastructure and begin regular classes for students to feel motivated. The Centres idea of forming associations of successful alumni from government schools should be implemented soon so that examples are set.

The UNESCO report has identified another marker for the poor education figures and has called for better regulation of private tutoring.

Increased private tutoring is widening the education gap. Deepthi Divakar, a high school teacher says, It is alarming how many students attend private tuitions, which basically repeat what is taught in schools. Students have become lax in school knowing that they can learn the portion through private tutoring." Since private tutoring is more expensive, only better off students can afford it, giving them an unfair advantage.
Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modis assertion during campaigning in Gujarat on Monday that the 50 per cent cap on reservation quota decided by the Supreme Court cannot be overruled by political parties, has irked the governments of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Both states have passed Bills recently increasing the reservation quota for various communities above the stipulated 50 per cent.

The Telangana State government has proposed and passed Bills in the State Assembly increasing reservation for the Muslim community from four per cent to 12 per cent, and for Scheduled Tribes from six per cent to 10 per cent, thus taking the overall reservation quota to 62 per cent from the existing 50 per cent.

The Andhra Pradesh government recently passed a Bill in the Assembly providing five per cent reservations to Kapu, Telaga, Balija and Vontari castes, increasing the overall quota to 55 per cent from the existing 50 per cent.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced in their respective legislatures that the Bills passed in the State Assembly will be sent to the Central Government to include in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution so that the courts will not be able to object to the enhanced quota.

In fact, Mr Rao claimed that he had spoken with the Prime Minister on the matter and had been assured that the issue would be considered positively.

However, while campaigning for the ensuing Gujarat elections, the Prime Minister referring to the Congress partys promise of providing reservations to the Patidar community in the state said it was not possible to hike the quota, as the 50 per cent cap has been fixed by the Supreme Court and no one can go against it.

Prime Minister Modi has correctly said about the cap on quota, that it is not possible as of now. States have developed a tendency to promise whatever they think and bring some legislation and send it to the Centre to take political advantage, BJP state president Dr K Laxman told Deccan Chronicle.
Bengaluru: "Don't you have any easy questions for me?" joked choreographer Wayne McGregor, as he took on the volley of questions as he arrived in Bengaluru for The MixedBody Project, in collaboration with the British Council and the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts. The remark leaps out, for nothing about McGregor is simple. Flesh in the Age of Reason, which will premiere in Bengaluru on December 6, is McGregor's return to the age of enlightenment, a period of rational thought marked by philosophers like Rene Descartes, Voltaire, Thomas Hobbes Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant.

It was the first time autopsies were conducted on the human body, the first time the rib cage was opened up and explored without the soul jumping out at you, said McGregor. The award-winning British choreographer and director, who is often credited with revolutionising the landscape of contemporary dance. His highly collaborative works have made forays into the worlds of science, psychology and technology, done through long relationships with experts from a number of fields. McGregor's works have been performed by the Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and Royal Dance Ballet and have a sizeable set of accomplishments in the world of cinema too. McGregor's work in film includes Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Disney's Tarzan.

FAR, which was created in 2010, unpeels the layers of creativity, returning to a time when scientists and artists first talked about understanding the body, he said. These explorations had a huge role on religion, politics and our understanding of the self. In 2004, he was made a research fellow at the neuroscience department in Cambridge University, an association that remains to this day. "What happens in the brain when we construct meaning from things? How do I respond to stimuli and what forms appear? Neuroscience gives us different ways of understanding our physical habits and in the art of shifting attention in a way that creates perceptual richness," he remarks. The journey began earler this year, when artists from Attakkalari collaborated with Wayne McGregor on a digital dance project, as part of the British Council's UK-India 2017: Year of Culture, which includes a series of events across India as a "move to democratise creative arts in the country."

Like the school of philosophy to which McGregor pays tribute, his choreographies are intense explorations of cognition in dance. "I never studied a particular style, my learning has been intuitive. But that's the question we're asking  is dance an intuitive form of expression or is a collection of things we already know? It is a brilliant example of distributed cognition."

Flesh in the Age of Reason by Wayne McGregor will take place at Chowdiah Memorial Hall on December 6 at 7 pm.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the central assistance would be decided after getting a formal memorandum from the state government. Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues met the union minister at Technical Area of the airport here and sought Centres help. The minister said she would take up the matter with the Union Cabinet, including with Union agriculture minister who holds the portfolio of fisheries. We will do whatever is required. I have requested the Chief Minister to send their recommendations through proper channel. I will also apprise the Union ministers about what I have witnessed here and what I have heard from fishermen, she added.

Ms Sitharaman said during her visit to coastal areas fishermen came up with many demands. The minister said that some of them had pointed out loss of boats, fishing nets and equipment. Many of them have lost their means of livelihood. Obviously they are faced with a dark future and uncertainties in life, the minister said and added all these issues would be solved in consultation with the state government.

The Union minister said suggestions like having an independent fisheries ministry and foolproof communication and forecast system were significant and would be considered in due course. Senior officials including chief secretary, church leaders, collector, and officials of the fisheries department were present during the meeting.
Capturing elephants with tranquilizers used for predators is a risky affair as they might face health complications. (Photo: DC)

Hassan: The forest department has been waiting for the past two years to procure tranquilizers from the international market and with its stock now exhausted, there is a question mark over the rescue operations of elephants conducted especially in human-animal conflict zones such as Sakleshpur in Hassan.

The last time the department procured 10 vials of tranquilizers from United Kingdom based Vet Pharma was in October, 2015 and since then, the officials had conducted rescue operations (translocation) with the available stock of sedatives/revivers.

The department now needs fresh tranquilizers/revivers (Etorphine Hydrochloride and Diprenorphine Hydrochloride) but none of the suppliers within the country and abroad have responded to the requests.

We used to procure tranquilizers from Vet Pharma but they have not responded to our numerous communications so far. Even, suppliers from China and Singapore have been contacted but nothing has happened, said an official to Deccan Chronicle on Tuesday.

We do not know what we will do when we need to tranquilize an elephant with no sedatives/revivers available to dart the animal, added the official. The sedatives/ revivers are available in South Africa where troublesome jumbos are tranquilized in rescue operations. The officials feel that tranquilizers being narcotic drug, suppliers might be reluctant to supply them.

If the situation demands, forest officials plan to undertake rescue operations of elephants with sedatives (Xyalazine Hydrochloride and Ketamine Hydrochloride) used for darting tigers, leopards, lions, bears and deers. But, capturing a jumbo with tranquilizers used for predators, is a risky affair since the jumbo might suffer from health complications, they added.
Chennai: As Vishal entered the RK Nagar election fray as an independent candidate, actor-director-producer Cheran on Monday demanded that the actor resign his post as the chief of Producers' Council for the betterment of the industry.

The actor, who claimed that his demand has the support of majority of film producers of the Tamil cinema industry, said Vishal would antagonize both the ruling and Opposition parties during his campaign that would not augur well for the industry, which is dependent on the government on several issues.

"Let Vishal contest RK Nagar or Ashok Nagar or KK Nagar. We have no problem at all. But he should contest the election after resigning his post as president of Producers' Council. Producers' Council is an organisation that should be kept away from politics and an organisation that is dependent on the government.

"AS Alagappan and Rama Narayanan had quit their posts as chief of Producers' Council immediately after the party to which they owed allegiance had ceased to be in power because they all knew that film industry is dependent on the government. Now Vishal should also quit his position as he is directly taking on the government of the day," Cheran told reporters here.

Vishal, the chief of Producers' Council and general secretary of Nadigar Sangam, filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate to contest the December 21 bypoll to R K Nagar constituency in Chennai.

The decision by the actor, according to Cheran, would create "several hurdles" for the film industry, especially for producers, since the government "might not like" to be criticised by the head of the council. "Actor Vishal contesting from RK Nagar amounts to inviting the wrath of all political parties and it would create a permanent wedge between the government and the producers' council. It would lead to disastrous consequences for the film industry," Cheran, who was flanked by "small-time" producers, said.

"Majority of the film producers support the demand," Cheran said when asked how many members of the council are supporting Vishal's ouster.
Hyderabad: Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) chairman Prof Kodandaram launched an all-out attack on the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government in his speech towards the end of the Koluvula Kotlata held on Monday.

He accused the state government of putting obstacles in the way of this meeting even as permission was easily granted for the Sunburn festival that was all about drinking and dancing.

TJAC initially planned to conduct this meeting in February. Government tried all means not to allow it. Ultimately, after the courts intervention it was held successfully, he said. We fought for Telangana and will continue in the same spirit until job vacancies are filled, he said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi being greeted by former president Pranab Mukherjee before he filed his nomination papers for party presidents post, in New Delhi on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The decks are clear for the elevation of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to the post of party president.

The Central Election Authority CEA of the Congress on Tuesday declared that after scrutiny of nominations Mr. Gandhi was the only candidate in the fray.

A total of 89 nomination papers were received, all proposing Mr. Rahul Gandhis name.

All the nominations were found to be valid after scrutiny. Speaking to reporters the chairman of the CEA Mullapally Ramachandran said, There is now only one validly nominated candidate, that is Mr Rahul Gandhi.

Since December 11 is the last date for withdrawal of nominations Mr Gandhi is expected to be given a certificate of being elected unopposed on that day. Meanwhile taking the battle to the BJP Mr Gandhi posed a seventh question to the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi over Gujarat. The Congress Vice President has been tweeting a question a day to the Prime Minister on the 22 year rule of BJP in Gujarat. He asked the Prime Minister to give reasons regarding the increase in prices since the BJP has come to power.
Mumbai: A day after former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, was detained by the police in Akola while protesting over the issues of cotton and soya bean farmers, the Maharashtra government intervened.

Public works department minister Chandrakant Patil has finally agreed to talk with the 80-year-old leader, who continued his protest on Tuesday in Vidarbha, insisting that FIRs be lodged against bogus Bt cotton companies.

Mr Patil said he would speak to the CM regarding Mr Sinhas protest. I appeal to our senior leader to withdraw the protest as the state government is fulfilling the demands made by him, Mr Patil told reporters.

The district administration, however, has adopted a tough stance and refused to cave in to all of Mr Sinhas demands.

District collector Astik Pandey said the administration has accepted six of the leaders seven demands and urged him to call off the agitation. The administration has pointed out that it would not be able to accept the seventh demand  purchase of all farm produce at minimum support price by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India  as it comes under the jurisdiction of the Centre.
This is an extract from the report of the third round of the Tracker Poll conducted by the Lokniti-CSDS team in Gujarat in the last week of November, which covered 3,655 voters in 50 Assembly constituencies:

The electoral race in Gujarat between the BJP and the Congress could well be headed for a photo-finish. The Lokniti-CSDS tracker poll found the two arch-rivals locked in a neck-and-neck competition  both with 43 per cent votes each. Compared to the previous poll, in the last week of October, this represents a four percentage point loss for the BJP and a two-point gain for the Congress, whose recovery in the state has been nothing short of stunning. The party trailed the BJP by 30 points in the first half of August when Lokniti-CSDS conducted Round 1 of the Tracker Poll. By Round 2 in October, the huge gap had shrunk to just six points, and now with the BJPs lead having evaporated, it seems the race could be won by either side as they enter the final lap. The challenge for the Congress is to not let this momentum slip away in the last few days of campaigning, while the BJP cant afford any further fall in popularity if it wants to return to power in Gandhinagar for the sixth straight term.

Over the past month, the Congress staged an impressive recovery in the southern and central regions of the state, where it had been trailing the BJP by quite a huge margin. The latest poll finds the party made a major recovery in south Gujarat where it is now leading the BJP by two points. In central Gujarat too, it has regained ground and is almost at par with the BJP. It has also managed to hold on to its fairly big lead over the BJP in north Gujarat. In Saurashtra and Kutch, however, it has suffered a slight drop in popularity. Here, the BJP leads the Congress by about five points.

There is, however, a rural-urban divide in Saurashtra when it comes to voting intentions. In rural Saurashtra, the Congress is the frontrunner, while in urban Saurashtra, the BJP dominates. This differing rural-urban voting behaviour, in fact, is not limited to Saurashtra alone and can be seen in most parts of Gujarat. Much of the Congress popularity in rural areas can be attributed to discontent among farmers, over half of whom are planning to vote for the party.

The other occupational category where the Congress seems to have made significant gains are traders, who were hit hard by the introduction of GST. While the October survey showed the BJP leading by four points among traders, this round shows the lead nearly reversed, with the Congress now getting 43 per cent votes among the trading community, opposed to the BJPs 40 per cent. The trading community still remains largely dissatisfied by the recent GST concessions made by the GST Council, with 52 per cent of them registering their dissatisfaction, which is eight points above average (overall, 44 per cent respondents said they were dissatisfied).

That said, their dissatisfaction has reduced a bit with the announcement of the new concessions. Another reason for the Congress popularity rising in the last four weeks is the new support it is getting among women. A month ago, women were found to be strongly backing the BJP over the Congress, 50 per cent to 39 per cent. This 11-point advantage has now reduced to two points. The price rise, which emerged as the most important issue for voters for the third straight round, could be one possible explanation for this shift in womens support away from the BJP. Lack of jobs and poverty are the two other important issues for voters. If we factor in price rise, unemployment and poverty, these issues together trump the issue of vikas, or development, by a wide margin. While some election watchers suggest caste considerations might trump the development issue, our survey indicates that the economy and economic concerns might determine voter choices the most. Economic hardship faced by voters is, in fact, a big reason for the Congress rise.

A majority of Patidars/ Patels, for instance, was found to be backing the Congress in the latest survey. This despite the fact that Hardik Patels likeability among them was found to have declined somewhat. It seems many Patidars are backing the Congress not just due to Hardik Patels call to defeat the BJP or their unmet demand for reservations but also over economic concerns. Also, tribals or adivasis, who had moved towards the BJP in the first two trackers, now seem back with the Congress. The Congress alliance with Chhotu Vasavas Bharatiya Tribal Party may partly explain. The decline in support among adivasis for the BJP is significant as it may be banking on their votes to offset its losses among Patidars.

The latest poll also finds a majority of Kshatriyas, Thakors, Dalits and Muslims are backing the Congress. But Kolis, a major voting bloc, seem to have moved away from the party and towards the BJP. As far as leadership is concerned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still the states most popular leader. But his popularity has taken a bit of a hit in the last four weeks. While he was liked by 67 per cent of voters at the end of October, this is now 64 per cent. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis likeability has, on the other hand, gone up by six points, from 51 to 57 per cent. The 16-point gap between Mr Modi and Mr Gandhi is now down to just seven points.

Not only is Mr Modi a bit less popular, satisfaction with his government has also declined drastically in the last four months. In early August, 67 per cent expressed their satisfaction with his government. This has fallen to 54 per cent in October and is now just 47 per cent. Similarly, peoples satisfaction with the performance of chief minister Vijay Rupanis government has declined from 69 to 57 to 53 percent. This is significant since in the 2012 election Mr Modi had returned to power in Gujarat with a 63 per cent satis faction rating for the state government led by him. What should also worry the BJP is the rising anti-incumbency sentiment. Only one in three wants to give the present state government another chance now, compared to one in two back in August.

What should also concern the BJP is that three in every five voters now believe the Modi government has failed to bring in achche din, compared to one in every two in October. It seems Indias rise in the World Banks ease of doing business ranking, Moodys ratings upgrade for the Indian economy, and the GST rate concessions have not really improved voters perception of Mr Modis performance. All three events took place after the October-end tracker and before the November-end one.

The issue of development in Gujarat has always polarised opinions, and our survey too reveals a mixed set of responses. Of the total respondents, 26 per cent believe development in Gujarat has been inclusive for all, 36 per cent feel it only benefited the rich, and 20 per cent believe no development has taken place.

Mr Rahul Gandhi, on the campaign trail, has made development, or the lack of it, one of his main issues, and this seems to have made an impact. The Congress leads by a significant margin among those unconvinced by the BJPs development record in the state. Among those who feel development has been for all, the BJP has a strong lead.

As the competition heats up, the race is getting more ambiguous, which is reflected in the responses of this round. Asked about the possible outcome from their Assembly seat, the responses were equally divided between Congress win and the BJPs. The BJP seems to have a slight edge over the Congress, with 38 per cent predicting its victory against 37 per cent for the Congress. However, this is not very different from the picture that emerged in the last round. What is significant and should be noted is that the answer category cannot say who will win shows the maximum gains. This could be due to the competition getting tougher as one nears voting day. Hardik Patels purported CD managed to get impassioned reactions from several quarters, with people divided between the morality of its content and the legitimacy of interfering in a private matter. Our survey, too, shows respondents are divided over the issue. First, however, it must be noted that the knowledge of the CD itself wasnt very widespread. Only 39 per cent of respondents had actually heard of or seen the video in question, mainly concentrated in urban regions. A high percentage of voters from Saurashtra, 49 per cent, had seen it, perhaps as it is a major centre of the Patel agitation.

Mr Modis personal popularity and his emotional connect with Gujaratis are said to be the trump card that can upset the Congress gains at the last moment. Our survey, however, reveals surprising findings. The Congress leads among those voters who pride their Gujarati identity over national identity, while the BJP leads in the segment who view their national identity higher than their regional one. This is significant and could suggest the Gujarati Asmi-ta card might not work as the BJP hopes, though it is too early to predict given that the last leg of campaigning is left.

 Team Lokniti
Former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush on Monday confirmed that he along with seven other people witnessed US President Donald Trump boasting about grabbing women by their modest parts.

Bush accused Mr Trump of engaging in revisionist history amid reports he was questioning the authenticity of a recording featuring lewd comments leaked just a month before presidential election. He said it, Bush wrote in a New York Times opinion piece about Mr Trumps comment made on a hot mic in an Access Hollywood bus in 2005.

And we laughed along, without a single doubt that this was hypothetical hot air from Americas most verbose person, said Bush, who was fired from NBCs Today after the tape surfaced. Bush added, There were seven other guys present on the bus at the time. We thought, none of this was real.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he feels badly for his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty last week to lying to the FBI, and lamented that his former rival Hillary Clinton lied many times and nothing happened. Mr Trumps comments to reporters were the latest in a series of outbursts over the FBIs sprawling Russia probe after Flynns guilty plea on Friday and his admission he is cooperating with investigators.

I feel badly for general Flynn. I feel very badly, Mr Trump said before heading off on a trip to Utah. Hes led a very strong life, and I feel badly about it. I will say this  Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI. Nothing. Flynn lied, and they destroyed his life. I think its a shame, he said, calling Flynns treatment unfair.

Flynn, Mr Trumps first national security adviser, has pledged to cooperate with special counsel Robert Muellers probe into whether members of Mr Trumps team colluded with covert Russian efforts to sway the 2016 US election in the Republicans favour. He also lashed out at the FBI accusing it of bias in favour of Clinton during its election-year probe.
A 49-year-old Indian-origin woman equity manager based here has been killed by a tiger shark while scuba diving on a remote Costa Rican island, according to media reports. Rohina Bhandari was part of an 18-member group that went for a diving session off Cocos Island National part in Costa Rica, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site, famous for the abundant varieties of shark species, The New York Post reported. Bhandari, a Wall Street private equity manager, was hauled out of the water after sustaining severe bites to her legs, Costa Ricas environment ministry said. A dive master also suffered a shark bite but those injuries were not life-threatening.
Washington: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries.

This is not a final ruling on the travel ban: Challenges to the policy are winding through the federal courts, and the justices themselves ultimately are expected to rule on its legality.

But the action indicates that the high court might eventually approve the latest version of the ban, announced by President Donald Trump in September. Lower courts have continued to find problems with the policy.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said the White House is "not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the President's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism."

Opponents of this and previous versions of the ban say they show a bias against Muslims. They say that was reinforced most recently by Trump's retweets of anti-Muslim videos.

"President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret. He has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter. It's unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims," said Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project. The ACLU is representing some opponents of the ban.

Just two justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, noted their disagreement with court orders allowing the latest policy to take full effect.

The new policy is not expected to cause the chaos that ensued at airports when Trump rolled out his first ban without warning in January.

The ban applies to travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Lower courts had said people from those nations with a claim of a "bona fide" relationship with someone in the United States could not be kept out of the country. Grandparents, cousins and other relatives were among those courts said could not be excluded.

The courts were borrowing language the Supreme Court itself came up with last summer to allow partial enforcement of an earlier version of the ban.

Now, those relationships will no longer provide a blanket exemption from the ban, although visa officials can make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

The justices offered no explanation for their order, but the administration had said that blocking the full ban was causing "irreparable harm" because the policy is based on legitimate national security and foreign policy concerns.

In lawsuits filed in Hawaii and Maryland, federal courts said the updated travel ban violated federal immigration law. The travel policy also applies to travellers from North Korea and to some Venezuelan government officials and their families, but the lawsuits did not challenge those restrictions. Also unaffected are refugees. A temporary ban on refugees expired in October.

All the rulings so far have been on a preliminary basis. The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals and the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, will be holding arguments on the legality of the ban this week.

David Levine, a University of California Hastings law school professor, said that by allowing the ban to take effect just days before the appeals court arguments, the justices were signalling their view.

"I think it's tipping the hand of the Supreme Court," Levine said. "It suggests that from their understanding, the government is more likely to prevail on the merits than we might have thought."

Both appeals courts are dealing with the issue on an accelerated basis, and the Supreme Court noted it expects those courts to reach decisions "with appropriate dispatch."

Quick resolution by appellate courts would allow the Supreme Court to hear and decide the issue this term, by the end of June.
US announcement on the status of Jerusalem before a final settlement is reached in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would hurt the peace process and heighten regional tensions. (Photo: File)

Washington: US President Donald Trump's keenly awaited decision on whether to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will not come by a Monday deadline, the White House said.

"The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go: It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley hours before the administration's decision was due.

Saudi Arabia said on Monday any US announcement on the status of Jerusalem before a final settlement is reached in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would hurt the peace process and heighten regional tensions.

"Any US announcement on the status of Jerusalem prior to a final settlement would have a detrimental impact on the peace process and would heighten tensions in the region," Saudi Ambassador Prince Khalid bin Salman said in a statement.

"The kingdom's policy - has been - and remains in support of the Palestinian people, and this has been communicated to the US administration."

Trump was theoretically due Monday to decide whether to sign a legal waiver delaying by six months plans to move the US embassy to Jerusalem - as successive administrations have done at regular intervals for more than two decades.

"No action though will be taken on the waiver today and we will declare a decision on the waiver in the coming days," Gidley said.
Protesters yell at police officers as they are stopped from marching up State Street during President Donald Trumps announcement to eliminate vast portions of Utahs Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Tuesday.  AP

Washington: In a major victory for President Donald Trump, the US Supreme Court has allowed his travel ban to take full effect pending appeal, for people coming from six Muslim-majority countries.

We are not surprised by Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the Presidents proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said after the order.

Mr Trumps travel ban was challenged by Hawaii and American Civil Liberties Union in separate lawsuits. They argued that such a travel ban discriminates against Muslims.

It is difficult to conceive of a more flagrant example of discrimination because of nationality, said Indian American attorney Neal Katyal, who appeared for Hawaii.

The New York Immigration Coalition executive director, Steven Choi, said that it is entirely unacceptable and un-American to discriminate against people based on race or religion.

Allowing the full enforcement of the Muslim ban will not make this country safer or greater. Nearly a year after we rallied at JFK in response to the first Muslim ban, we will continue to fight Mr Trumps plan to turn bigotry into policy and resist this latest assault on our liberties just as we have every day since Mr Trump took office, Choi said.

Michael S. Glassner, executive director of Donald J. Trump for President campaign committee, welcomed the decision.

From June 16, 2015 to this day, President Trumps immigration policies have always been about one thing: keeping Americans safe from people who seek to do us harm and attack our freedoms, he said.

As promised, the President directed his administration to conduct a thorough and appropriate review of immigration vetting procedures, he added.
The shrine honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II. (Photo: AP/File)

Tokyo: Dozens of Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday made a pilgrimage to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which neighbours China and South Korea, see as a symbol of Tokyo's militaristic past.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refrained from sending an offering, as he has done in the past, a shrine official said.

There were no ministers among the group, according an official in the upper house of parliament.

In total, 61 MPs - mainly from Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party - attended the war shrine and sent a representative, he said.

The shrine honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II.

Beijing and Seoul view it as a symbol of Tokyo's past aggression.

The site has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century.

In October, Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine but did not visit, a move seen as an effort to minimise protests from neighbours over the issue.

The group postponed their annual autumn visit on Tuesday as they were busy with campaigns for a general election in October.

"I made a prayer hoping that no one else will be enshrined," given the tensions in North Korea, said Hidehisa Otsuji, former upper house member and president of the group.

The visits come amid rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as Pyongyang last week test-fired another ballistic missile that splashed down in the Sea of Japan.

Abe visited in December 2013 to mark his first year in power, a move that sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul and earned a diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States, which said it was "disappointed" by the action.

But he has since refrained from going and sent ritual offerings instead.

Abe and other nationalists say Yasukuni is merely a place to remember fallen soldiers, and compare it with Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.

Tokyo is also seeking warmer ties with Beijing and Seoul, key countries in dealing with the unpredictable North Korean regime.
Pervez Musharraf said he was open to forming a political alliance with Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeeds JuD and the LeT for the general election in 2018.

Islamabad: Former Pakistan military ruler Pervez Musharraf said he was open to forming a political alliance with Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeeds JuD and the LeT for the general election in 2018, calling them NGOs working for the welfare of the country.

Musharrafs remarks came days after he declared himself the biggest supporter of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Tayyab (LeT).

So far, there has be no talks with them but if they want to be part of the alliance, I would welcome them, Musharraf, currently living in self-exile in Dubai, told Aaj News while responding to a question about forming an alliance with Jammat-ud-Dawah chief Saeed.

The 74-year-old former military ruler had last month announced the formation of a grand political alliance after a consultative meeting between representatives of around two dozen political parties. However, several parties dissociated themselves from Musharrafs Awami Ittehad alliance.

No one has made as many sacrifices in Kashmir as the LeT, yet the international community called its activities terrorism, but ignored the political situation in Kashmir, he said.

No matter what other people say, what is happening in Kashmir should not be termed as terrorism. At least we should not call it that, he said.
Every day I ask myself: How long must this go on?

Its not just Trump, but the declining quality of Congress  Republican or Democrat.

The wave of sexual harassment charges goes on with men from both parties having to apologize or admit to payments to women for allegations of harassment that occurred years ago. And Congress itself seems unable to reform itself to provide more transparency to voters about how these taxpayer funds have been spent on hush money.

Trump continues to back would-be Sen. Roy Moore for his seat as an Alabama senator, not surprising in light of our presidents own refusal to admit any wrongdoing to the women who have accused him of groping and other unwarranted attention. This week he said that the Access Hollywood tape in which he bragged about groping women is false.

The Democratic leadership has done little better. The old boy network is alive and well and secure in the assumption that they will somehow escape responsibility.

Its time for Congress to show us voters that it can govern itself and apply the same rules of transparency to itself as to those of us further down the political food chain.

Special investigator Robert Mueller still has much to tell us about the Trump family and its involvement in the possible obstruction of justice. And recent Democratic wins in Virginia, Maine and Oregon have given hope that the Republican block will be broken in 2018.

Dave Grimland

Columbus
The ruling came after a case was brought by two women in a registered civil partnership who were denied the right to marry by authorities in the capital Vienna. (Photo: AP/Representational)

Vienna: Austria's top court said Tuesday that it has ruled that same-sex couples can marry, bringing the Alpine country into line with more than a dozen other European nations.

"The Constitutional Court nullified with a decision on December 4, 2017 the legal regulation that until now prevented such couples from marrying," a statement said.

It said that this would come into force on December 31, 2018.

The ruling came after a case was brought by two women in a registered civil partnership who were denied the right to marry by authorities in the capital Vienna.

In April 2001 the Netherlands became the first country in the world to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in a civil ceremony.

More than a dozen European countries have followed including most recently Germany. But others only allow same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships.

Many eastern European countries - including Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia - deny homosexuals the right to marry or enter into unions.
The lack of progress so far has raised concerns that Britain may not have a deal on key issues by the time it officially leaves on March 29, 2019.(Photo: File/ Representational)

Brussels: The European Union and Britain ended a flurry of top-level diplomacy on Tuesday without a deal on the terms of their divorce, as agreement on how to maintain an open Irish border after Brexit slipped out of the negotiators' grasp.

But the two sides said they were within striking distance of consensus, setting up a hectic negotiating rush ahead of next week's EU summit which must decide whether to broaden the talks to the topic of future relations.

On a day that see-sawed between hope and disappointment, the leaders fell short of reaching what the EU considers "sufficient progress" on the divorce issues: Britain's exit bill, and rights of citizens affected by Brexit, and the status of the currently invisible Irish border, the main sticking point "We had an agreement this morning," said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, expressing disappointment at the last-minute glitch.

EU leaders want a deal on divorce terms in time for them to agree at a summit on December 14-15 whether to move the negotiations on to the next stage of talks, including trade.

The lack of progress so far has raised concerns that Britain may not have a deal on key issues by the time it officially leaves on March 29, 2019.

"Despite our best efforts and the significant process we and our teams have made over the past days on the remaining withdrawal issues, it was not possible to reach an agreement," said EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

"This is not a failure," Juncker added after a long negotiating lunch with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

May said that "on a couple of issues some differences do remain which require further negotiation and consultation." But she said talks would reconvene later this week "and I am also confident we will conclude this positively."

The EU and the UK are nearing agreement on some divorce terms, including the size of the bill that Britain must pay as it leaves and the rights of citizens affected by Brexit. But the border issue has proved more intractable.

After Britain leaves the bloc, the currently invisible 500-kilometer frontier will be the UK's only land border with an EU country.

Britain says it wants to maintain a "frictionless" flow of people and goods with no border posts. But Ireland and the other EU nations are demanding to know how that will work if Britain is outside the EU's borderless single market and its tariff-free customs union, a looser trading bloc that includes non-EU states like Turkey.

Negotiators were discussing an agreement that would commit Britain to maintaining "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and Ireland after Brexit. Both sides would promise to maintain compatible trading rules, keeping the border transparent for trade.

Irish and EU officials indicated that agreement was close. But then Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, which props up May's minority government, announced it wouldn't support any deal that made special rules for Northern Ireland. The pro-British Unionist party opposes any special status that could take Northern Ireland further from Britain and closer to the Republic of Ireland.

The DUP has only 10 seats out of 650 in Britain's House of Commons, but without their support May's government would fall.
Tillersons visit comes against a difficult backdrop - a rift with President Donald Trump has led to reports he could be replaced within weeks, calling into question his authority to speak for Washington. (Photo: AP/File)

Brussels: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets his EU and NATO counterparts in Brussels Tuesday to shore up ties, with allies insisting he still plays a "key role" despite doubts over his future.

Tillerson will hold talks over lunch with European Union foreign ministers and the bloc's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, before a two-day NATO meeting set to focus on North Korea's missile programme and concerns over perceived hostility from Russia.

But his visit comes against a difficult backdrop - a rift with President Donald Trump has led to reports he could be replaced within weeks, calling into question his authority to speak for Washington.

And there are major differences between Washington and Europe on a number of key policy areas, notably the Iran nuclear deal which Trump has vehemently condemned but which Brussels is desperate to preserve.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday it was vital international powers worked together to tackle the North Korean crisis, after Pyongyang tested a long-range missile it said could hit anywhere in the continental United States.

"Last week's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile showed that all allied nations could be within range," Stoltenberg said Monday.

"The whole world needs to apply maximum pressure on North Korea in order to achieve a peacefully negotiated solution."

He said the 29-member alliance had been "clear and consistent" in its condemnation of Pyongyang's weapons programme, which has seen the reclusive state carry out a series of ballistic missile and nuclear tests in defiance of international sanctions.

The EU has been ramping up economic sanctions on the North in a bid to force it to the negotiating table - but with no success so far.

Read: Rex Tillerson here to stay: Spokeswoman debunks rumours about ouster

But if the US and EU can present a unified front on North Korea, the deal with Iran to end the Islamic republic's nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions is more problematic.

Trump has slammed the historic 2015 accord, agreed after years of painstaking talks between Iran and the United States, Britain, France, China, Germany and Russia, as a bad deal and threatened to pull America out.

European powers are keen to maintain the deal and Mogherini in November travelled to Washington to lobby US lawmakers not to withdraw from the agreement.

"Preserving the nuclear deal with Iran and its full implementation is a key security priority for Europe," Mogherini said on Friday.

Tillerson's Brussels visit comes at the start of a European tour taking in Paris and Vienna for the 57-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Anonymous White House leaks have suggested Tillerson could be out of a job within weeks and even while denying this on Friday, President Donald Trump reminded him: "I call the final shots."

Tuesday Stoltenberg gave his backing to Tillerson's efforts in tackling the North Korean crisis - an issue where Trump has publicly criticised his top diplomat, saying he was "wasting his time" pursuing contacts with Pyongyang.

"Secretary Tillerson has played a key role, both in sending the message of deterrence, the unity and the resolve of the whole alliance, but also when it comes to the need for continuing to work for a peaceful solution," Stoltenberg said.

Tillerson has dismissed as "laughable" reports that Trump's closest aides want him to resign, but rumours will inevitably dog him when he sits down with his European peers.
Human Rights Watch identified 7,374 cases of suspects charged under this law since 2014, of which 92 have been executed.(Photo: File/ Representational)

Baghdad: Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report on Tuesday criticized Iraq and the autonomous Kurdish authorities over mass trials of suspected Islamic State group jihadists.

In "Flawed Justice: Accountability for ISIS Crimes in Iraq", HRW said Baghdad and the Kurdish authorities in the north were holding "thousands of trials of Islamic State suspects without a strategy to prioritize the worst abuses under Iraqi and international law".

"The broad prosecution under terrorism law of all those affiliated with ISIS (IS) in any way, no matter how minimal, could impede future community reconciliation and reintegration, and clog up Iraqi courts and prisons for decades," the New York-based group said.

Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director, said that in acting this way, "Iraqi justice is failing to distinguish between the culpability of doctors who protected lives under ISIS rule and those responsible for crimes against humanity".

The group said the authorities "appear to be prosecuting all ISIS suspects in their custody under counter-terrorism laws, primarily for ISIS membership, and not focusing on specific actions or crimes that may have been committed".

HRW identified 7,374 cases of suspects charged under this law since 2014, of which 92 have been executed.

Its researchers estimate the total number of people imprisoned for suspected IS membership is 20,000.

Anti-terrorism laws allow judges to charge a large number of people, even those not involved in violence but who are suspected of having helped IS, such as doctors who worked in hospitals or cooks who fed fighters.

HRW said it was easier to charge a suspect under anti-terrorism laws than with a specific offence under the penal code as all the authorities had to do was to prove IS membership.

It said counter-terrorism laws carry harsh sentences, including life in prison or the death penalty, even for belonging to the jihadist group. "But that makes it more difficult to prioritize and punish the most serious crimes," it said.

HRW also believes the authorities "have made no efforts to solicit victim participation in the trials, even as witnesses". It said the report was based on information gathered in Arbil and Baghdad between November 2016 and July 2017.

HRW said it regretted that a 2016 Iraqi law granting amnesty to suspects who can show they joined IS or any extremist group against their will and have not committed a crime was not being consistently applied as well.

"Execution of fighters who surrender or are hors de combat is a war crime," HRW added.

IS swept across a third of Iraq in 2014 and seized several cities including Mosul, before starting to be driven out in mid-2017.
US Defence Secretary James Mattis on Monday met the top Pakistani leadership here and reviewed current state of the bilateral ties and the war on terror, amidst Washingtons concern that Islamabad was not doing enough to dismantle terror safe havens on its soil.

Mr Mattis, who arrived in Pakistan on Monday with the issue of terrorists safe havens high on the agenda after the release of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed from house arrest last month, met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

According to the state-run Radio Pakistan, they discussed different aspects of Pak-US relations especially the regional security situation. Relations between the US and Pakistan have plummeted after President Donald Trump directly blamed Islamabad for supporting the Afghan Taliban.
The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan. (Photo: File/Representational)

Beijing: A senior United Nations envoy arrived at Beijing's airport Tuesday on his way to North Korea for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

The unusual trip by Jeffrey Feltman, which runs to Friday, comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

AFP journalists saw Feltman arrive in a UN-flagged car at the Chinese capital's international airport in the morning.

North Korea's Air Koryo airline has a 0455 GMT flight to Pyongyang Tuesday.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise - manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation".

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said.

Feltman arrived in China Monday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

China is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, and its main trade partner.

Once in the North, Feltman will discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern" with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether Feltman will meet with the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-Un.

It will be Feltman's first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago, and the first by a UN under-secretary-general in more than seven years.

The UN envoy is also planning to see foreign diplomats and UN workers in the North on humanitarian missions, Dujarric said.

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula Thursday when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

Read: US, S Korea kick off largest joint air drill, days after N Koreas missile test

Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target - key technological hurdles for Pyongyang.

A Cathay Pacific crew spotted what was "suspected to be the re-entry" of the missile as they flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong, the airline said.

In a separate message to staff, Cathay general manager Mark Hoey said the crew described seeing the missile "blow up and fall apart," The South China Morning Post reported.

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility.

US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit-for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy".

North Korean state media has hit back with a flurry of its own colourful insults, calling Trump a "dotard", a "frightened dog" and a "gangster."

Over the weekend, Pyongyang countered that Washington was "begging for nuclear war" as the North blasted the joint US-South Korean drills.

As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this year's war games involve simulated precision attacks on the North's military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources.

As tensions surged, US Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential Republican and foreign policy hawk, warned that the US was moving closer to "preemptive war" if the North continued its nuclear tests.

His remarks echoed those of Trump's National Security Adviser HR McMaster, who told a security forum on Saturday that the potential for war with the North "is increasing every day."

But some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital - only around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people.

Tokyo's parliament Monday slammed the North's weapons programme as an "imminent threat". Last week's missile landed in Japan's economic waters.

China's foreign ministry warned that the situation on the Korean peninsula remained "highly sensitive" and called on all sides to "do more things to ease the tension and avoid provoking each other."

The North has boasted that the Hwasong 15 ICBM tested on Wednesday is capable of delivering a "super-large" nuclear warhead anywhere in the US mainland.

While analysts agree the latest test showed a big improvement in potential range, they say the North may not have yet mastered all the technology required to successfully hit the US with a nuclear warhead.
PREDATOR-PREY DYNAMICS



Reasons for the disappearance of tigers

The dwindling population of wild tigers has always been of great concern. While several efforts are being made to control the illegal poaching of tigers in India, the decline in the number of tigers is also strongly affected by other factors like the loss of habitat. Scientists from the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), Tamil Nadu and the Salim Ali School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Puducherry have studied the natural causes that led to the near complete absence of tigers in KMTR for over two decades. The scientists believe that such an absence is linked to the low numbers of large hoofed herbivores, which are the primary prey for tigers.

They looked at how the banning of cattle grazing in the KMTR plateau affected the populations of large carnivores and their prey. They argued that ban would leave more vegetation for the prey and lead to an increase in their population. This would mean that the tiger population would increase too.

However, while there were improvements in the prey population, their density was still low. The scientists found that the plateau had large herbivores enough to only sustain around 11 tigers per 100 square km area. This study might help us better understand the complex dynamics between predators and preys in a forest.

LONG NECKS

Similar prey, but two very different necks

It was a question that dogged biologists: Why the neck? Imperial cormorants, lanky, long-necked creatures that live on the southern coasts of Argentina and Chile, spend much of their time immersed in the frigid waters of the ocean. They dive to chilly depths to hunt fish.

But the cormorants have neighbours: Magellanic penguins. Their stout, well-insulated bodies seem like a much better choice for hunting in this unforgiving environment, while the slender, exposed necks of cormorants are like gloveless hands in January. "They would lose heat," says Agustina, a researcher at the Instituto de Biologia de Organismos Marinos in Argentina. "So what's the advantage?" As it turns out, that long, flexible necks offer real benefits when you hunt like a cormorant, according to a paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

While cormorants shed heat in the ocean, this energy loss may be offset by being able to move only their head, not their whole body, when they snap up prey. Cormorants prowl among the rocks and see their prey only when they are very close, their heads shooting out to grab it. Researchers found that a cormorant uses half as much energy by just moving her head and not her whole body.

A long neck does mean a certain amount of heat is lost, and the cormorant's gawky profile is not as streamlined as a penguin's form. But in a species that moves a bit slower than penguins, the benefit of being able to hunt more efficiently may outweigh these downsides.

GENETIC EVIDENCE

Developing in two generations

A study of Darwin's finches, which live on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, has revealed direct genetic evidence that new species can arise in just two generations. The arrival of a strange bird to a remote island in the Galapagos archipelago 36 years ago has provided direct genetic evidence of a novel way in which new species arise.

In a recent issue of the journal Science, researchers from Princeton University, USA and Uppsala University, Sweden report that the newcomer belonging to one species mated with a member of another species resident on the island, giving rise to a new species that today consists of roughly 30 individuals.

The study comes from work conducted on Darwin's finches, which live on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The remote location has enabled researchers to study the evolution of biodiversity due to natural selection.

DOCUMENTARY

Anthropocene

In geological terms, we're currently living in the Holocene stage of the Earth's existence; a period of time when all the elements have proven most beneficial to our species. But our unfettered growth has left a massive footprint upon our planet, and its ramifications may soon usher in a new geological epoch. Anthropocene, a short documentary produced by the ABC-TV Catalyst series, examines the characteristics and the consequences of this oncoming age.

From singular events such as the first nuclear weapons test of 1945 to the unprecedented industrialisation that's occurred in nearly every region of the world, our Earth has undergone more rampant change in recent times than any other period in its history. Geologists call this period the anthropocene.

In the midst of the climate change debate, Anthropocene examines the crisis our planet faces from a fresh perspective that is not often considered by the mainstream. To watch the documentary, visit

www.bit.ly/2jPqwuF.
Israel will launch the 2018-2020 phase of its agricultural cooperation with India this week, ahead of its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's New Delhi visit on January 14.



The MASHAV, an Israel Government agency for international development cooperation, will launch the new phase of Indo-Israeli Agricultural Project (IIAP) during the visit of its chief Gil Haskel to India.

Haskel commenced his visit to India on Monday. He will visit Bengaluru and Mumbai before concluding the visit on Thursday.

"The IIAP is MASHAV's biggest project outside of Israel, and it holds a significant portion of our bilateral relations. The success story of our agricultural cooperation is second to none, and it is only the beginning," Daniel Carmon, Israel's ambassador to India, said.

"We hope to see the same achievements in the fields of water, innovation and academia."

The MASAV chief will inaugurate a Center of Excellence for flowers in Thally, Tamil Nadu.

He will also award two $10,000 grants to MASHAV Alumni to continue their projects in women empowerment and farmer empowerment in India, a spokesperson of the Embassy of Israel India said.

He will meet officials overseeing the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture of the Union Government, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of External Affairs during his visit.

Modi's visit to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in July this year was the first by an Indian prime minister. He and Netanyahu witnessed signing of a new three-year work programme in agriculture.

Netanyahu is likely to start his visit from Ahmedabad, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive him.
Three Lashker-e-Taiba militants, including two Pakistanis, allegedly responsible for carrying out an attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year, were killed in an encounter in South Kashmir, police said today.



One militant, who had managed to flee from the encounter site, was also arrested by the police from a maternity hospital of Anantnag district of South Kashmir, they said.

The encounter broke yesterday afternoon when the militants opened fire on an Army convoy, on its way to Srinagar, at Qazigund on Jammu-Srinagar national highway. One soldier was killed in the attack while another sustained injuries.

The security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the militants. The search operation turned into an encounter with militants which ended at 2 AM this morning, the police said.

The police identified the dead militants as Yawar Basir, who is a local militant, Abu Furqan and Abu Maviya (both foreign terrorists). Basir, hailing from Habiash of Kulgam, joined ranks with Lashker-e-Taiba this year in February after snatching weapon from a policeman.

Furqan had taken over as the head of Lashker-e-Taiba in South Kashmir after the death of Abu Ismail, who had led the attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year.

Police said that all the three, killed today, were part of the squad that carried out the attack on yatris on July 10. Eight pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured.

Police said the group headed by Furqan, was involved in a series of terror crimes in Anantnag and Kulgam area, which included the Yatra Bus Attack case at Bantingo, few attacks on security forces at Lower Munda on the national highway, attack on police party at bus stand in Anantnag.

Furqan had replaced Ismail in South Kashmir and was responsible for the recent attacks carried by LeT, police said.

Pursuing the leads available at Qazigund encounter, one individual Rashid Ahmed Allai of Hamzapora sangam Bijibehera was arrested from Janglatmandi maternity hospital with a Chinese pistol and live cartridges last night. He was missing since last two days from his house and had joined the Yawar group of LeT.

The police said that he was part of the militant group when they carried out attack on army at Qazigund yesterday but managed to escape from the site when encounter broke.

He had taken shelter at the hospital in Anantnag with the help of one of his associate.

According to the police, he along with his associates were intending to snatch weapon from the policemen by attacking them.
The no-tax legislature just taxed the employers of Montana an additional $30 million dollars. They took $30 million that was paid to support workers compensation in Montana. They took that money, earmarked for payment of unemployment claims, and used it to balance the state budget they were supposed to balance before they went home from the legislative session. It seems like that is the same amount they took from the previous budget as the $30 million earmarked for firefighting. Employers are required to pay the workers money to build the fund for paying unemployment. We pay and are charged enough to maintain the fund at certain levels, not to balance the budget with another tax. Now the fund has lost that money which was growing the fund thru investments, so that the fund would grow for future use instead of charging additional fees. The system is designed to build a fund for future use. Just like a family might have an emergency fund that builds thru investing it to add to the fund for future use. When the state takes $30 million from the fund, that is a significant amount that is lost and the cumulative earning are gone also. Now the business community has lost that and we have to pay again to build the fund. Just like you don't dip into your designated emergency fund to make up for poor budgeting and diminish your fund and its ability to make more for your fund. As a business person, I don't like being double taxed for the same required money. If that money should be needed we (the business employers) will have to make up that money by being taxed again plus the lost interest. Double taxation and more taxes!
A former top Pakistani diplomat has said that because of India's influence and economic power, countries are unwilling to raise the issue of Kashmir at international level, including the UN.



Masood Khan, former Pakistani Ambassador to the UN, who is now president of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), rued that India had veto on the talks between the two South Asian neighbours.

Khan is currently in Washington for what he described is part of his effort to apprise the international community about the current situation in Kashmir.

"India has strategic alliances with certain countries. Because of the lucrative deals that it offers to powerful countries in the West, it has practically imposed a gag order on Kashmir," Khan said yesterday in response to a question at the Atlantic Council, a top American think-tank.

Khan said that because of increasing Indian influence, "people here (in Washington DC), in Brussels, in London or other world capitals don't talk about Kashmir, because this would have consequences for these countries, like in terms of economic transactions, and strategic costs".

Responding to questions at the thinly-attended Atlantic Council event, Khan alleged that the UN was not acting on its own resolution because of India.

"The United Nations is not acting because of real politics," he said.

"The Security Council, first because of cold war dynamics, and now because of number of other factors is not taking cognisance of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which is regrettable because of mandate that is given to the Security Council by the UN charter under chapter six and chapter seven," he said.

Khan argued that the UN should be acting.

"It should be proactive. It's because of real politics. It is also because of two other factors," he said.

"One was that in the past 30 to 40 years, India and Pakistan have invested a lot of energy and time in bilateral talks. But these bilateral talks or dialogue have proved to be mirage for Kashmiris because it has produced no results," he said, adding that these talks have been non-productive.

Because of these talks, India has "acquired two vetoes", he said.

One on the agenda whereby they have in fact reduced the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir to a fraction of their whole agenda. It is one of 10 agenda items, he said.

Secondly, India has veto over the timetable he added.

"They will start negotiations when it suites them and when they don't like it they will blame Pakistan for terrorism. And that has just got scuttled the dialogue process," he said.

Khan claimed that there are no terrorist camps in the PoK.

"None whatsoever," he said during the interaction.

"This is in fact a propaganda against the Kashmiris intended to demonise them," he said, and claimed that there is no terrorism right now in Kashmir. Neither there is any cross-border activities.

"This is not happening," he said.

"Right now, India has fenced the Line of Control. There are two layers of the fence. In between there are landmines. There are motion sensors. They also have electronic surveillance, thermal imaging. If any crossing takes place they would be detected," he added.
The Supreme Court is likely to commence the final hearing in the long-standing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute from Tuesday, a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the structure.



The court will only decide the way and procedures of hearing in the dispute on Tuesday.

A specially constituted bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will be hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The high court had then ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77-acre area at Ayodhya among the parties - the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Lord Ram Lalla.

The Shia Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh had earlier approached the court offering a solution that a mosque could be built in a Muslim-dominated area at a "reasonable distance" from the disputed site in Ayodhya.

However, its intervention was opposed by the All India Sunni Waqf Board which had claimed that judicial adjudication between the two sects had already been done in 1946 by declaring the mosque, which was demolished on December 6, 1992, as one which belongs to the Sunnis.

Recently, a group of civil rights activists also moved the apex court seeking intervention in the Ayodhya dispute and urged it to consider the issue saying it is not just a dispute over property but has several other aspects which would have far-reaching effects on the "secular fabric of the country".

In pursuance of the apex court's earlier direction, the Yogi Adityanath government has submitted English translation of exhibits and documents likely to be relied upon, as these were in eight different languages.

A battery of high profile lawyers, including senior advocates K Parasaran and C S Vaidyanathan and advocate Saurabh Shamsheri, will appear for Lord Ram Lalla, the deity, and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will represent the Uttar Pradesh government.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Anoop George Chaudhari, Rajeev Dhavan and Sushil Jain will represent other parties, including the All India Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, an intervenor in the matter, had attempted to raise the issue of the fundamental right of religion of Hindus under Article 25 of the Constitution.

Many of the original plaintiffs and defendants in the matter, including Mohd Hashim, who was the first person to take the matter to the apex court, have died.
A special CBI court's verdict in the multi-crore 2G spectrum allocation scam against former telecom minister A Raja and others will be delivered on December 21.

Special CBI judge O P Saini, who has kept the verdict reserved since April, announced the date for pronouncement of judgement on Tuesday.

The court will also pronounce its verdict on December 21 in a related case in which Essar Group promoters Ravikant Ruia and Anshuman Ruia, as well as Loop Telecom promoters Kiran Khaitan and her husband I P Khaitan, are accused among others.

The accused, including Raja and DMK Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, were present in the court on Tuesday.

"Do I look nervous to you. Let's see," Kanimozhi told reporters when her comments were sought outside the court.

The CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have filed separate cases against Raja and others in the main case.

The CBI filed the case against Raja and others in connection with the scam about six years ago.

The ED filed a separate case against them in 2014 on the basis of the CBI's charge sheet, accusing Raja and others of money laundering.

In its charge sheet, the CBI claimed that Raja, in collusion with other accused, caused a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer.

Seventeen people, including three private companies, are accused in the CBI case. In the ED case, there are 19 accused, including Raja and nine private companies.

The court began the trial in the CBI case in October 2011 and framed charges against the accused, including DMK chief M Karunanidhi's ailing wife M K Dayalu, under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

Apart from Raja, former telecom secretary Sidharth Behura, Raja's erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, as well as managing director of Unitech Ltd Sanjay Chandra, are accused in the main case.

During the trial, the CBI court examined 154 prosecution witnesses, including Reliance ADAG chairman Anil Ambani, his wife Tina and former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia.
The late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa was remembered on her first death anniversary on Tuesday with party veterans K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam leading workers in paying tributes at her mausoleum.

Clad in black shirts, Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Pannneerselvam led a silent march of party functionaries including ministers, MPs and MLAs from Anna Salai to Jayalalithaa's burial site at Marina beach.

Palaniswami and Panneerselvam placed a wreath at the memorial, where Jayalalithaa was laid to rest in December 2016.

The two senior leaders stood with folded hands for some time and then bowed down to pay their respects.

Chants by supporters hailing Jayalalithaa filled the air even as some functionaries were seen getting emotional.

AIADMK functionaries s also paid tributes at the memorial of party founder, the late chief minister M G Ramachandran.

Later, party workers led by Panneerselvam took an oath to mark the day.

In the oath, the AIADMK workers vowed to ensure that the "golden rule" of Jayalalithaa continues.

They recalled her "relentless hard work" in making AIADMK a successful people's movement and each one of them vowed to be a true party worker walking in the footsteps of the late leader to ensure the party's growth.

They also recollected Jayalalithaa's popular statement of "makkalukkaga naan, makkalukkagave naan (I am for the people, I am because of people)," and vowed to continue working in that direction.

Panneerselvam started reading the oath by describing Jayalalithaa as AIADMK's "permanent general secretary," a refrain often used by the party leaders when she was in charge of its affairs.

The unified AIADMK, formed following the merger of the then factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam in August, has since done away with the powerful post of the general secretary, making Panneerselvam the coordinator and Palaniswami co-coordinator.

Party men also vowed to "protect" AIADMK and strive to work towards its future successes.

Later, they observed two-minutes silence in respect of the late leader. Jayalalithaa's mausoleum saw a steady stream of visitors, with scores of public paying tearful tributes to the late chief minister.

Jaya Plus, a news channel part of the Jaya TV network managed by the family of deposed and jailed AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, ran shows on Jayalalithaa's various pro-people initiatives as chief minister.



In Puducherry, AIADMK workers took out a procession from near the statue of Annadurai to the beach road there to pay homage at the portrait of Jayalalithaa.
Domestic airlines are expected to reduce losses this fiscal riding on healthy seat occupancy coupled by a moderation in capacity, rise in tourism demand and economic environment, a credit rating agency said on Tuesday.

According to ICRA, improved tourism demand, supportive policy measures like the National Civil Aviation Policy and the Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) and the start of economic revival are the key positives for the aviation industry.

However, it warned that inadequate aviation infrastructure, which has constrained the performance of airlines, remained a bottleneck.

The report said that rising seat occupancy supported by a decline in competitive intensity due to moderation in capacity addition and suspension of operations of three regional airlines has augured well for the industry profitability.

Kinjal Shah, ICRA assistant vice president and co-head (corporate sector ratings), said, "The increased ability of the airlines to pass on the costs to the customers due to reduced competitive intensity has resulted in an increase in the revenue per available seat kilometre (RASK) cost per available seat kilometre (CASK) spread for the airlines, and the financial performance of most of the airlines improved during the current year."

"With peak season demand expected to be robust in the second half of 2017-18, the aggregate net loss of the industry is expected to reduce to Rs 500 million to Rs 1 billion in 2017-18 from Rs 10 billion in the previous year. It has to be noted that the loss is primarily on account of losses of Air India, while all other major airlines are expected to report profits during the year," Shah said.

All major airlines are expected to report higher net profits this fiscal. However, with many of the airlines having large capacity expansion plans, which may be either owned or on operating lease, the debt level of the industry is expected to remain high in the medium term.

"Further, any unfavourable changes in ATF prices may pose short-term liquidity problems for the industry," Shah warned.
A woman dentist called off her marriage with a doctor after a last-minute dowry demand by the groom's family on the wedding day.

The bride, daughter of senior professor Dr Anil Saxena, was set to tie the nuptial knot on Sunday evening with Dr Saksham Madhok, an assistant professor at a medical college in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, when the groom and his family suddenly demanded Rs 1 crore.

"We were in deep shock. At the engagement on Saturday, we gave the groom a car and five gold coins of 10 grams each. But on the day of marriage they sought more gifts, cash and jewellery worth Rs 1 crore," Dr Saxena said.

The woman's family said they had already spent around Rs 30 to 35 lakh on dowry and arrangements for the wedding.

Confronted with the fresh demand, Dr Saxena and his wife spoke to their daughter Dr Rashi, who spoke to the groom over the phone.

"On finding that the groom was adamant, my daughter refused to marry him," Dr Saxena said.

They then conveyed the decision to call off the wedding to the groom's family and filed a complaint against the groom, his sister, brother-in-law and his parents at Nayapura police station.

However, the bride's family played the gracious host and broke the news to the guests only after the wedding feast was served.

The guests appreciated the woman's decision to call off the wedding and said it would inspire other women to fight the menace.

"My parents had planned a grand wedding and had given all possible gifts and cash but the groom and his family were expecting more cash," the woman said.

"Noticing the greed for dowry by the groom and his family members, I decided to call off the wedding," she said.

Harish Bharti, circle in-charge at Nayapura police station, said the investigation is underway.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to hear the civil appeals filed by various parties challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute on February 8.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and S A Najeeb also asked the Advocates on Record of appeals to sit together and ensure that all the required documents are translated, filed and numbered before the Registry.

In case of any problem, the counsels were directed to consult the Registry.

The bench took serious note of the submission of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the parties, that the appeals be heard in July 2019 after completion of the next Lok Sabha polls as the atmosphere at present was not conducive.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, vehemently opposed contentions that the pleadings were not complete and asserted that everything has been complied with and the cases were ripe for hearing.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three parties - the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the deity, Ram Lalla.
The Allahabad High Court has directed the release of a murder convict who served 26 years of his life imprisonment, of which 22 years was in a mental hospital.

The convict is still undergoing treatment and is in a critical condition.

Expressing deep anguish over the delay in disposal of the convict's appeal, the court, while upholding the conviction, confined his life imprisonment to only 20 years, which he has already undergone.

Pronouncing the verdict on Monday, a division bench comprising Justices Mahendra Dayal and Dinesh Kumar Singh deprecated the conduct of the defence as well as the government lawyer in not providing proper assistance in disposal of the old appeal.

"There has been virtually no assistance either from the counsel representing the accused or the state. The court has to help itself in deciding the appeal virtually without any assistance," the Lucknow bench of the court observed.

The bench further observed, "Who all are parts of the justice delivery system must bear in mind that justice delayed is justice denied. The most important fundamental right to life and liberty guaranteed under our Constitution is denied if a person is in jail without finality attached to the sentence."

A sessions court at Sultanpur had convicted Nageshwar Singh on August 24, 1982, for murdering his five-year-old nephew on December 19, 1981.

Nageshwar filed an appeal in the high court against the judgement of the sessions judge and on September 3, 1982, the high court admitted the appeal for final hearing and also allowed his bail plea.

But Nageshwar could not file sureties and bail bond for 11 years and when after 11 years he filed the same, even then he was not released from jail for reasons not decipherable from records.

The appellant suffered from mental problems and was sent from Central Prison, Allahabad, to Mental Hospital, Varanasi, on February 24, 1986.

Ironically, the appellant was released on bail only on March 9, 2007, despite the bail order of September 3, 1982.

In the high court, as his lawyer did not appear to argue, the bench issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him on December 2, 2015, following which the police arrested him on February 15, 2016, and put him in Sultanpur district jail.

Later, the appellant was again sent to the hospital in Varanasi on March 15 where he is in a critical condition.

In view of his serious condition, the superintendent of Sultanpur district jail wrote to his sons on May 18, requesting them to come and look after their ailing father.

Considering the circumstances, the bench took a strong note of the unprofessionalism of the defence as well as of the government lawyer for unnecessarily delaying the disposal of the appeal.
The Supreme Court today said it would hear on January 31 a batch of pleas, including that of two Rohingya refugees who have approached it against the Centre's decision to deport Rohinigya Muslims to Myanmar.



A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said it would also hear on the next date the interim applications seeking to be impleaded as parties in the ongoing case.

"We are not rejecting any of the impleadment application before us in this matter. We will hear it on the next date," the bench said.

On November 21, the apex court had agreed to defer the matter for hearing it today.

Two Rohingya immigrants, Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, had approached the apex court opposing the Centre's decision to deport over 40,000 refugees who came to India after escaping from Myanmar due to widespread discrimination, violence and bloodshed against the community there.

Various other petitions, including those by former RSS ideologue and Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan leader K N Govindacharya, the CPI(M) youth wing Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the West Bengal child rights body and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, have been filed in the apex court on the matter.

The top court had on October 13 said the Rohingya refugee problem was of a "great magnitude" and the state would have to play a "big role" while dealing with the contentious issue.

It had earlier decided to give a detailed and holistic hearing on the government's decision to deport Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, observing that a balance has to be struck between national interest and human rights as the issue involved national security, economic interests and humanity.

The court had suggested to the Centre not to deport these refugees, but the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta had urged that it should not be written in the order as anything coming on record would have international ramifications.

The Rohingyas, who fled to India after violence in the Western Rakhine State of Myanmar, were settled in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan.

In a communication to all states, the union home ministry had said the rise of terrorism in last few decades had become a serious concern for most nations as illegal migrants were prone to recruitment by terrorist organisations.

It had directed the state governments to set up a task force at district level to identify and deport illegally- staying foreign nationals.
The crisis-hit Gulf Cooperation Council began its annual summit today amid uncertainty over whether the leaders of Saudi Arabia and its allies would join their Qatari rival for the talks.



The future of the six-nation GCC -- formed 36 years ago to bring together energy-rich Sunni Arab Gulf states -- appeared to be hanging in the balance as Kuwait prepared to host the gathering.

This year's meeting comes with Saudi Arabia and its allies engaged in a bitter dispute with fellow GCC member Qatar, in the worst crisis ever to hit the council.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani accepted an invitation to the summit but with only hours before talks were due to begin it was unclear whether the rulers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain would also attend.

Those three Gulf states, together with Egypt, cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival.

Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi- led bloc of aiming to incite a change of regime in Doha.

Kuwait has been leading mediation efforts within the GCC to resolve the crisis, but so far with little success.

Casting further doubt on the group's future, the UAE said today it was forming a new military and economic committee with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC.

The committee "will coordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields," according to a decree issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Founded in 1981, the GCC is a political and economic union grouping Qatar with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman and Kuwait.

Dominated by Riyadh, it has been a regional counterweight to Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia's Shiite rival across the Gulf.

Yesterday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar attended round-table talks ahead of the gathering, in their first such encounter since the diplomatic crisis erupted in June.

Oman Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yussef bin Alawi sat between them at the meeting which the foreign ministers of the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait also attended.

After cutting off all ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a land, sea and air blockade of the emirate and issued a list of 13 demands to have it lifted.

Bahrain in October called for Qatar's membership of the GCC to be suspended until it accepted the demands.

Experts warn that the crisis could lead to the demise of the once-powerful GCC.

"The justifications for the existence of the GCC bloc amidst the continued crisis are no longer present like before," said Sami al-Faraj, head of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies.

"As long as our enemy has changed from Iran to Qatar, the GCC will not continue."

The failure of the GCC members to solidify long-delayed plans for economic unity may also threaten its future.

The Gulf states have approved a customs union, a common market, a single currency and a single central bank, but most of these have yet to be implemented.

Speaking at yesterday's meeting, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah stressed the determination of member states to preserve the GCC.

"The GCC is a continuous project in which the will of member states meets to build a unified Gulf body," he said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the people want Rahul Gandhi to lead Congress Party and his elevation to the post of All-India Congress Committee (AICC) president will have a big impact on the politics in the country.

During his stopover at Hubballi Airport on his way to Haveri district, Siddaramaiah told media persons on Tuesday that appreciation about Rahul Gandhi becoming the AICC president cannot be expected from other parties.

The strength of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be known in next elections, he predicted.

In the 130-year history of the party, those who were not the members of Nehru family had also become its presidents, he said.

Janashirvada Yatra

On the Congress party's proposed 'Janashirvada Yatra', Siddaramaiah said, "We have not yet thought about 'Janashirvada Yatra'. Therefore, there is no question of spending the government's money to prepare a bus for that."

He said, "As the chief minister, I am visiting various constituencies to lay foundation stone for development works or to inaugurate the completed works."

In reply to Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde and state BJP President B S Yeddyurappa criticising him, Siddaramaiah said, "Anantkumar Hegde is unfit to be a Union minister. Let Yeddyurappa first come out of the cases he is facing."

When asked about the charges against District In-charge Minister Vinay Kulkarni with regard to Zilla Panchayat member Yogishgouda Goudar murder case, he reiterated that the police will take action as per the law and they have freedom.
Fisheries Minister Pramod Madhwaraj on Tuesday hit out at the Goa government for considering imposition of a fee on the sale of seafood to other states.

He said the move is in "bad" taste as it will affect the entire fisheries sector across the country.

Addressing media persons, Madhwaraj said that if Goa acts on this proposal, it will affect fishermen --- both inside and outside the state.

"Goa wants to impose a special tax on the sale of seafood to other states. This will majorly hit the fishermen of all states, including those in Goa, apart from affecting the consumers. I don't think this is in good taste. It is an immature statement by the state's fisheries minister -- it's a selfish move," he added.

Goa Fisheries Minister Vinod Palyekar had recently said that the sale of fish from Goa to other states will attract a heavy fee. The intention is to discourage the sale of fish from Goa's coast and make it "abundantly" available for the Goans.

Seafood production down

Madhwaraj also said that Karnataka's seafood production has taken a hit this year. He, however, said that it is difficult to quantify the dip in production.

"We don't weigh the seafood, due to dearth of staff. Hence, it is difficult to measure the quantum -- there are umpteen ports in the state," he said.

He, ,however added that this year's diesel consumption by the fishermen is comparatively lesser. "The government provides a diesel subsidy of Rs 32 crore to the fishermen. This year, the consumption was relatively lesser. This is one way of ascertaining whether the fishing activities have been good or not," he added.

Karnataka produces around 4 lakh metric tonnes of seafood annually, with exports to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore per year.

Mathsya Mela

The Fisheries Department will organise Karnataka Mathsya Mela 2017, from December 8 to 11, for the second time at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

The event will mark the completion of six decades of the Department of Fisheries.

The mela, which will connect industries and institutions with fishermen, is expected to attract four lakh visitors.

It will showcase more than 60 diversified stalls representing various fisheries activities, schemes, programmes of different organisations and aquarium business.

There will be an exclusive ornamental fish gallery with over 100 varieties of exotic and indigenous fish, aside from an informative theme area and food courts. There will also be fish recipe competition. The entry is free.

Fish consumption hailed

Madhwaraj gave a call to non-meat eaters to start consuming fish, given its health benefits.

"Fish is very nutritious. The aim of this mela is to introduce fish to people who don't eat it. Consuming fish makes one more intelligent. If one wants to eat unadulterated food, then they have to shift to eating fish. This is my personal advice," he added.
The tripartite meeting between the management of G D Birla Centre for Education, guardians forum and the police on the ongoing impasse in the school here in the metropolis remained inconclusive on Tuesday.



The school continued to remain shut for an indefinite period and the authorities have said that the decision to reopen the school and restart academic activities will only happen after conducive atmosphere prevails.



Members of the guardians forum said after todays meeting that they have stuck to their demands that the junior section principal is immediately removed from services and arrested.



A four-year-old girl student of the school was allegedly sexually assaulted by two teachers of the physical education department in the junior section on last Thursday.

Both teachers have been arrested and charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.



The principal of the school, Sharmila Nath, was summoned by officers of the detective department at the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar and was interrogated for over six hours.



The girls parents were also called for recording their statement by the detectives. Police officers told DHNS that the girls medico-legal test will be conducted tomorrow at the state-run SSKM Hospital and her statement in front of a magistrate will be recorded on Thursday.



The school authorities tried to divert our attention from the main issue and were saying what all measures they have taken to ensure safety and security of students since the allegation of sexual assault surfaced. But, we have told them that the guardians have lost faith in the present principal.



The management has to remove this principal, who has not only been insensitive about the whole incident, but also tried to dilute the issue and shield the guilty. And the police needs to arrest her. The management has sought for some time and we have been asked to come for a second meeting tomorrow at 5 PM. Though we want the school to open, we will wait till tomorrow, said a member of the forum.



The police team, which attended todays meeting, was led by the Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner (South Suburban Division).



In the mean time, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed before the Division Bench of acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya, demanding that a Special Investigating Team led by a lady Joint Commissioner be constituted to probe the G D Birla school sexual assault case, a committee be constituted with two eminent members from the state administration and education world to prepare concrete guidelines to ensure safety and security in all educational institution - both private and state-owned, installation of CCTV cameras be made mandatory at all schools and presence of lady attendants be made must outside lavatories used by girl students in schools.



The PIL is likely to come up for hearing tomorrow.




Senior Haryana BJP leader Sural Amu, who recently announced a Rs 10 crore bounty for beheading Padmavati actor Deepika Padukone and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, on Tuesday dared directors to cast former porn star Sunny Leone as a Hindu deity in films.



He drew an uncanny parallel trying to suggest the dangers attached to the offensive representation of facts in films by Bollywood directors. "Sunny Leone is the daughter of Punjab and settled abroad. Would we ever tolerate Sunny Leone portraying a Hindu goddess in films," he asked.

The BJP leader, who recently resigned as chief media coordinator of the state unit of the party, did not spare Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on the Padmavati controversy saying, "Capt thuk ke chata hai" (spits and then licks).

He accused Singh of going back on his words on the release of the controversial movie. Amu also said he would hold a massive rally on December 9 in Panchkula take forward his fight to ban the movie.

The motormouth BJP leader even trained his guns at former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah using derogatory utterances against him. "Farooq Abdullah is an illegitimate child of Pakistan. I will unfurl the national flag at Srinagar's Lal Chowk since Farooq Abdullah has now dared anyone to unfurl the tricolour there," he said.
North Dakota oil operators will be required to provide more details to mineral owners about deductions taken from their royalty checks under new rules approved unanimously Monday by the North Dakota Industrial Commission.

The administrative rule changes aim to address a growing frustration among royalty owners about deductions taken from their payments.

Royalty owners who testified in favor of the rule changes said they often struggle to get answers from oil companies about the purpose of the charges, said Bruce Hicks, assistant director for the Department of Mineral Resources.

Royalty owners really indicated they were frustrated with industrys inability to identify the deductions, Hicks said.

The new rule will require standardized royalty statements that identify the amount and purpose of each deduction. The deductions also will be identified under the categories of transportation, processing, compression and administrative costs.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council testified against the rule change, citing expensive upgrades that would be needed for the third-party software systems that generate royalty statements.

The industry group estimates it will cost $500,000 to $1 million for each software package, or potentially several million dollars for the industry statewide, said Brady Pelton, government affairs manager for the Petroleum Council.

Lynn Helms, director of the Department of Mineral Resources, said the cost to comply with the rule should be considered in the context of the amount of royalties distributed by the oil industry, which he said was $8 million a day in September.

The Industrial Commission postponed the effective date of the rule to July 2019 to give the industry time to comply and in anticipation that the state Legislature may address the issue in the 2019 session.

Gov. Doug Burgum, chairman of the Industrial Commission, said oil companies could be proactive and comply earlier, which would provide data for legislators to consider.

The rule changes still need to go through a procedural review by the Attorney Generals Office and a hearing before the Legislature's Administrative Rules Committee in March 2018 before they can move forward.

Gary Preszler, vice president for the North Dakota chapter of the National Association of Royalty Owners, said the change brings the administrative rules in line with what state law already requires.

The association is working to educate royalty owners about how to evaluate whether deductions are reasonable under the terms of their leases and how to negotiate terms that eliminate or limit those charges, Preszler said.

Spill bill

Also approved Monday is a rule that relates to the reporting of oilfield spills.

State regulators had proposed requiring companies to file a document known as a sundry notice within 10 days after cleanup of any spill that was not reported.

The Petroleum Council called this a backdoor reporting requirement that conflicted with a bill approved earlier this year that no longer requires spills of oil, brine or natural gas liquids under 10 barrels to be reported if they stay on an oilfield location.

Under the changes adopted Monday, regulators will require companies to file the sundry notice for all spills that are not cleaned up, including those that are less than 10 barrels, or 420 gallons. The notice will include information such as the type of fluid spilled, the root cause of the incident and an explanation of how the volume was determined.

The rule change also gives the director of the Department of Mineral Resources the discretion to require a site assessment before or after reclamation.

Troy Coons, chairman of the Northwest Landowners Association, said landowners would still prefer to have all spills reported, no matter the size. But Coons said he was glad to see the requirements for spills that are not cleaned up.

Thats a step forward, for sure, Coons said.

If approved by the legislative committee, all rule changes except for the royalty statement requirements would take effect in April 2018.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined a plea by Sunni Waqf Board to defer the hearing in title dipsute case of Babri Masjid and Ram Janambhoomi at Ayodhya till July 2019 after the next Lok Sabha polls.



The top court also rejected for now a plea by the board to refer the matter to a Constitution bench.

A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice Dipak Misra could not begin its final hearing in view of strong opposition by senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhawan and Dushyant Dave, representing the board, Babri Masjid Action Committee and others. The counsel at one point of time threatened to walk out of the courtroom as the court asked the advocates, representing Ram Lalla and others to start arguments.

The counsel for the board maintained that the pleadings in the matter were not complete. There were about 90,000 pages, which have to be gone through. "Why so much hurry," Sibal asked.

"Perhaps this is the most important litigation in independent India. Every day of hearing will have serious ramifications on the world outside and polity of this country. Hear this case in July 2019 after next general elections and we will be ready. This case will impact the future of the country," Sibal submitted.

Dhawan, for his part, said the root of the issue is if mosque is an essential part of Islam. He raised a Constitution bench decision of 1994. "This case will not finish until October (the time when CJI would retire) and it required to be heard by a larger bench," he added.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, also supporting him, contended the court should not hear the matter as the issue has been mentioned in election manifesto of the party in power.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, countered them by saying all the pleadings in the matter have been complete. He termed Dhawan's remarks as "most unfortunate."

The counsel for the board, however, maintained the case would affect the principle of 'secular-democratic republic' of the country. Sibal also tried to rake up a letter written by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and statement made by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on 'Ram temple' issue.

Expressing "surprise and shock" over the plea made by the counsel, the bench told Sibal, "You are making non-serious comments. We understand it is the most important matter. We are not bothered by what is happening outside the court."

"We have asked you to start hearing from January. We want you to at least open your arguments today," the bench further told him.

Senior advocates Harish Salve, C S Vaidyanatha and K Parasaran and others, representing Ram Janambhoomi Nyas, 'Ram Lalla' and others submitted that the other side was prejudging what the court may decide in the case.

"I strongly oppose their arguments. Their request is extra ordinary. The strongest message for the court to give would be treat this case like any other case," Salve said.

On this, the bench asked the counsel, representing the board, to argue why the matter should be referred to the Constitution bench. On their refusal, the court asked the counsel, representing Ram Lalla to open their arguments. On this, the counsel, representing the board, threatened to walk out of the courtroom, by terming the court's move as "not fair". The court finally put the matter for hearing on February 8.
Corruption will come down only if people who draw their salaries from public money are held accountable and tangible to the citizens, said Karnataka Prajnavanta Janata Paksha (KPJP) founder Upendra.



Speaking during a press conference at Patrika Bhavan in the city on Tuesday, the Kannada actor said that bureaucrats should realise that they thrive on people's money. The officers should not be confined to office rooms, but to the doorsteps of people. Upendra also said that it is high time the people realise their responsibilities in a democratic system and act accordingly.

He felt that education and medical facilities should be made accessible to people free of cost. "Most of the problems will be solved when these needs are met. If one wants this nation to develop, one has to take initiative to lead a movement for development rather than to sit and watch as spectators for the elected representatives to do the job and be disillusioned. People have the greatest responsibility in a democracy. Unless they realise it and act accordingly, nothing is going to change," said the KPJP founder.

Speaking on his purpose of entering into politics, Upendra said, "Even I have spoken on the flaws of the system many times in movies as an actor and director. But, I wanted to do something practical."

The actor-director ridiculed the conventional methods of being a part of a political party and winning elections on money and muscle power. "The party should only be a platform to contest elections. But today, party politics has become a parallel administration now," he opined.

Upendra further said he has never followed any 'set' method of canvassing for his party. "Anyone can come to the Karnataka Prajnavantha Janata Paksha, provided he or she has a sense of development, with a micro-level study of the existing problems in his or her region. I have received many mails from people, on various development models proposed by them," he informed.

The candidature of the members from KPJP, including him, will be finalised by January, he said and added that there will be a manifesto on both the constituency and state levels.

Stating that the Constitution of India is a role model for him, Upendra clarified he has not accepted funds for his party in any form. Neither has he paid to people to be his supporters. He also said that he hasn't thought in the direction of lending support to any party, post elections.
The National Highway Authority of India is mulling over merging the toll plaza at Surathkal (Mukka) and Navayug toll plaza at Hejamady on NH 66. The NHAI has sought permission from the state government in this regard.



The NHAI has decided to transfer the stretch from Surathkal toll plaza to Nanthoor Circle and from there to Padil Junction on NH 73 to Navayug Toll Road jurisdiction. Accordingly, it has decided to merge Surathkal toll plaza with Hejamady toll plaza. The NHAI regional office senior officer has written to the state government's chief secretary seeking approval for the same.

The road from Surathkal to BC road was developed by New Mangalore Port Road (NMPR) Company and the company is in a vicious circle of loan. The company is finding it difficult to adjust grants for filling the potholes on the stretch. At the same time, there is stiff opposition from the general public for operation of two toll plazas within a distance of 10.86-km. To find a solution for it, the NHAI has decided to include Mukka to Nanthoor-Padil Junction, covering a distance of 18.36-km to Navayug Toll Road and merge two tolls.

The NMPR Company had availed a loan of Rs 363 crore for laying Surathkal -B C Road stretch under port connectivity project. However, it was able to collect only Rs 60 crore from the toll so far. The company is finding it difficult to repay the loan. As a result, even maintenance of the stretch could not be taken up. Hence, it has been decided to hand over the stretch of 18.36-km and toll collection to Navyug company. The NHAI has already initiated the process, said NHAI Mangaluru regional office project engineer Ajith Kumar.

"After the state government gives approval, the proposal will be sent to the NHAI heaquarters in New Delhi. Later, the NHAI and Navyug Company will hold talks on the merger. After getting approvals from the Ministry of Road Transport and National Highway, the process of merging the two toll plazas will be completed."

In fact, the public had opposed the setting up of a toll plaza at Surathkal from the beginning. The residents had alleged that two toll plazas had been opened by flouting the NHAI rules.
With his elevation as Congress president a mere formality, Rahul Gandhi faces an uphill task of infusing fresh energy into the 132-year-old organisation that has been reeling under a series of electoral losses.



The green shoots of revival are already visible in Gujarat, where the Congress is putting up a fight to the BJP in the Assembly elections - an act considered normal but, as some party leaders admit, unthinkable six months ago.

Eye on Karnataka

"Six months ago, we never thought the Congress would put up such a big fight against the BJP in Narendra Modi's home state. Now, whatever be the result in Gujarat, Rahul has to plan the next battle to retain Karnataka," a senior Congress leader said.

The Central Election Authority scrutinised the nomination papers filed for the election of Congress president on Tuesday and found all of them to be in order. "There is now only one validly nominated candidate, ie Rahul Gandhi, left in the fray for the election of Congress president," Returning Officer for the election Mullapally Ramachandran said here.

The 47-year-old Rahul is expected to be declared elected as Congress president at 3 pm on December 11, the last day of withdrawal of nomination.

With Rahul set to be firmly in the saddle by next week, Congress leaders now want him to focus on organisation building, recasting the Congress Working Committee - the top decision-making body of the party - and also to ensure there are no ruffled feathers in the process.

Youth and experience

Rahul had already indicated that his team in the party will comprise a mix of youth and experience and the same has reflected in the organisational appointments in the last few months. Veterans Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath have been drafted for organisational roles, as also the young brigade such as K C Venugopal, Rajeev Satav, Sushmita Dev, R P N Singh among others.

Young leaders such as Milind Deora, Meenakshi Natarajan, Jitendra Singh, K Raju and Manish Tewari are being talked about for organisational responsibilities.

Congress leaders argue that the fact that Rahul had brought the party in a close fight in Gujarat elections could spring up a surprise which could add fresh momentum to the new presidency.

Rahul's next task would be to maintain the momentum and try to retain Karnataka, aim to upset the BJP in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and set the tone for Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
Tight security arrangements are in place in the twin towns of Faizabad and Ayodhya on the eve of 25th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition on December 6.



According to official sources here on Tuesday, searches were conducted at 'dharmshalas' (inns), hotels and lodges by the security personnel.

Police put up barriers at all exit and entry points into the twin towns and vehicles were being subjected to extensive checking before being allowed in, sources said.

Security was beefed up at all important buildings and markets, including bus and railway stations, temples and ashrams and a strict vigil was being maintained, the officials said.

"Ayodhya and Faizabad have been put on high alert...the district has been divided into four zones, each of which will be under the charge of a zonal magistrate,'' a senior police official said in Faizabad on Tuesday.

The administration has appealed to the residents of the twin towns and district not to pay heed to rumours. ''We are keeping a close eye on the social media also...any attempt to foment tension will be sternly dealt with,'' the official said.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will observe 'shaurya diwas' (bravery day) on the demolition anniversary and hold programmes at its headquarters in Ayodhya. Senior VHP leaders were expected to attend the event, sources said.

Black Day

The Muslim outfits, on the other hand, will observe 'Black Day' on Wednesday.

The district administration has imposed a ban on public meetings and marches and processions on the day.

Barely a few days ago, communal clashes rocked nearby Baharaich district during a procession on the occasion of 'Barawafat' (a Muslim festival).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a veiled dig at the lack of development in Rahul Gandhi's constituency, Amethi, during his interaction with the recently elected Mayors and other heads of Nagar Parishads and Nagar Panchayats of Uttar Pradesh.



"Chandrama Devi will head Amethi's Nagar Panchayat. I could sense her anguish on the lack of development in Amethi so far and could see the determination to work for Amethi's growth," Modi scoffed in one of his tweets.

The PM, interestingly, tweeted photographs and a short synopsis of his interaction with each of them.

Two other BJP leaders from Amethi - Mahesh Pratap Sonkar, heading the Jais Nagar Palika Parishad and Brijesh from Musafirkhana - were part of the delegation that met the PM.

The delegation was accompanied by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and party's state president Mahendra Pandey.

About Brijesh, Modi said "he seems all set to transform Amethi and ensure this district receives the care it deserves" which was another comment on the neglect of Gandhi pocket borough ahead of Rahul's elevation as Congress president.



The PM stated that Sonkar "has our best wishes in serving Amethi and ensuring the youth of this district have a bright future".

He also spoke to Mridula Jaiswal, the mayor of Modi's Varanasi parliamentary constituency.

"The support Kashi has shown to BJP and me personally is phenomenal. Our aim is to create a prosperous Kashi. Over the last three years lot of work has happened and we will build on this in the years to come," he posted on twitter.

Modi said people's participation has an important role in the transformation of cities as he congratulated the chiefs of civic bodies.

Of the 16 municipal corporations that went to polls late November, BJP candidates won 14 mayoral seats, including in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Moradabad, Kanpur, Ghaziabad and Allahabad.
Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar charged that the State Government is not disclosing Vasanthkumar Committee report on nonpayment of compensation to many chilli and cotton growers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for 2016 kharif season, to hide its own mistake in agreeing for multi-picking crop cutting procedures to settle the claims.

He told media persons here on Tuesday that he would write letters to chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to take steps to ensure the payment of amount already sanctioned under the PMFBY, and to cancel multi-picking crop cutting procedure.

In Dharwad district, Rs 172.60 crore was sanctioned under PMFBY for 2016 kharif season. Only Rs 88.92 crore has been disbursed to 36,285 farmers, while Rs 83.69 crore to be given to 53,698 farmers is still pending. Farmers in other districts are also facing the same problem, he said.

As per the information I have, Vasanthkumar Committee appointed to look into the matter has shown the errors of the State Government itself. It must have recommended alternative method for multi-picking crop cutting procedure also. The State Government should not have agreed for this procedure, while signing the MoU with insurance companies. Instead of following delay tactics and shifting the responsibility to Union Government, the State Government should disclose that report and should take suitable measures for the benefit of farmers, Mr Shettar added.
Calling the State Government headed by Siddaramaiah as 'clean chit government', Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar predicted that the additional superintendent of police who is inquiring into the alleged involvement of District In-charge Minister Vinay Kulkarni in ZP member Yogishgouda Goudar murder case would soon give a clean chit to Mr Vinay, on the lines of clean chit given by the CID to minister K J George and former minister H Y Meti after conducting a namesake inquiry.

Speaking to media persons here on Tuesday, Mr Shettar stated that Mr Siddaramaiah refused to hand over the case to the CBI or to drop Mr Vinay Kulkarni from the Cabinet, though audio-video evidence of DySP Tulajappa Sulfi holding talks with Mr Goudar family members, repeatedly mentioning the minister's name, are available.

"In the session of the Legislative Assembly, the Speaker did not allow us to move an adjournment motion on this issue," he said.

'Vinay giving caste colour'

If he is innocent, Mr Shettar said, Mr Vinay should face an impartial inquiry and take up the legal battle.

But, he tried to protect himself through a show of strength by arranging a protest against MP Pralhad Joshi in front of Mr Joshi's house here, by giving caste colour to the issue. Yogishgouda Goudar was also a Lingayat, and why no protest was staged when he was murdered, Mr Shetar asked.

The FIR has not yet been filed based on the complaint lodged by Yogishgouda's borther Gurunathgouda, and it shows how much pressure is on the police. Neither Mr Sulfi nor Mr Vinay are being interrogated, he said.

IGP (north rage) K Ramchandra Rao is also trying to protect Mr Sulfi though he tried to pressurise Yogishgouda family members. There is every possibility of tampering with evidences, as Mr Vinay has not stepped down from the post of district in-charge minister. "Therefore, we are demanding a CBI probe or at least a probe by a young IPS officer," he said.

It is being said one 'Mama' from Vijayapur area is involved in the murder case, and truth could come out if he is arrested, he said.

On Simha's statement

When asked about Mysuru MP Prathap Simha's statement about 'ferocious' protests by BJP Yuva Morcha, Mr Shettar said, "Mr Simha might have misunderstood the message of BJP national President Amith Shah. Mr Shah had suggested to hold protests on streets, instead of mere Twitter statements".

This government is curtailing the rights of Hindus in celebrating their festivals. Because of the vote bank politics of the Congress government, clashes are taking place in the State, he claimed, adding that the government money is being spent for Congress conventions.

Mr Shettar also expressed confidence that efforts being made under the leadership of State BJP President B S Yeddyurappa to convince Goa to allow diversion of water from Mahadayi basin to Malaprabha river would be successful at the earliest.

MLC Pradeep Shettar, Mayor D K Chavan, BJP leaders Nagesh Kalburgi, Veeranna Savadi, and others were present.
India and China have lined up back-to-back engagements to mend bilateral relations, which hit a new low during the military face-off at Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan earlier this year.



NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar met Li Wei, president of Development Research Council of China, in Beijing on Tuesday. The meeting comes just days before External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is set to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Russia-India-China trilateral talks in New Delhi early next week.

The meeting between Sushma and Wang is likely to be followed by the 20th round of boundary negotiation by the Special Representatives of India and China a Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi.

A senior official told DH in New Delhi that both India and China were keen to schedule more such engagements in the coming months to bring the ties back on track. He said that the Sushma-Wang meeting early next week might set the stage for more high-level interactions early next year.

The meeting between Sushma and Wang in New Delhi is going to be the first between the two after the 72-day-long face-off between the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army of China ended on August 28.

The face-off further strained the bilateral ties, which were already plagued by several irritants, including China's policy of shielding terrorists based in Pakistan from United Nations sanctions and blocking India's bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

New Delhi has also been opposed to Beijing's Belt-and-Road cross-continental connectivity initiative, particularly to its key component China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The corridor is proposed to pass through areas India claims as its own but accuses Pakistan of illegally occupying. Beijing has been upset over India's growing strategic convergence with US and Japan in Indo-Pacific.

The dialogue between NITI Ayog and DRC of China provides an important platform for both sides to discuss key macro-economic issues impacting both countries and areas of mutual interest.

According to a press release issued in New Delhi, the 3rd NITI-DRC dialogue, which was held in Beijing on Tuesday, "Enabled an in-depth interaction between the two delegations on the world economic prospects, India-China economic cooperation and practices for sustainable growth in the context of global uncertainty and weak global growth."
Zilla Panchayat vice president Lokeshwari Gopal called upon the doctors to motivate physically challenged children to do higher achievements.



She was speaking during the World Day for Physically Disabled at Omkara Sadana on Tuesday.

"Disabled physically does not mean disabled psychologically. They too have will power to reach high, which the normal people would hesitate to. There are a lot of examples in front of us. Children having physical limitations should be given emotional support," she said.

District Principal and Sessions Judge R K G M M Mahaswamiji said that the physically disabled should utilise government benefits such as monthly assistance scheme, free bus passes, vehicle and housing facilities. Also, 3% of reservation is provided to them. The officials must provide information on all benefits the physically disabled are eligible to receive.

Zilla Panchyat Social Justice Committee president M K Viju Subramani urged to increase the honorarium amount for physically disabled. Platform should be provided to stage their talents.

Silk Marketing Board chairman T P Ramesh, Senior Civil Judge Vijay Kumar also spoke. Women and Child Welfare Department deputy director Mumtaz, Additional deputy commissioner M Satish Kumar and District Specially Challenged and Senior Citizen's welfare officer T P Devraj were present.
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday asked the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to produce a certification of safety from the authorities concerned for the construction of the steel bridge at Sivananda Circle.



A division bench of acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar was hearing a PIL filed by B P Mahesh and 19 citizens residing near the Sivananda Circle.

The Palike counsel submitted that the flyover will be constructed with a vertical clearance of 4.5 meters as against the 5.5 meters as suggested by the Indian Road Congress (IRC) guidelines. The vertical clearance of 4.5 meters is to ensure the safety of the bridge.

The counsel submitted that if the steel bridge is made at a vertical clearance of 5.5 meters, the bridge will become steep. This will lead to increased traffic congestion at the end of the bridge leading to the railway underpass.

The bench also asked if the safety of the public is compromised with the construction of the flyover which is not in accordance with the IRC guidelines.

The counsel also submitted that if there was a possibility to increase the vertical clearance, they would do so in the interest of the public. However, it is technically not possible to have a vertical clearance of 5.5 meters as suggested by the IRC with the existing conditions.

The BBMP counsel also submitted that a team of construction engineers and IISC professor Srinivasa Murthy had examined and approved the bridge's design.

The bench also suggested that with one of the fastest growing cities in the world like Bengaluru, the plan has to be a long term plan.

The matter was adjourned to Wednesday.

Reacting to the HC's direction, Srinivas Alavilli of Citizens for Bengaluru said: "We are happy that the high court asked the right questions, including about the viability of the project. Our request is to stay the project and we demand that a public consultation be held."
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will conduct water adalat on December 6 in Central-1 and on December 7 in the North-1 subdivision from 9.30 am to 11.00 am.



The grievances related to water billing, delay in providing water supply and sanitary connections, delay in converting domestic connection to non-domestic connection and other issues will be settled in the adalat.

The disputes of consumers of LLR, Chikka Lalbagh, Bannappa Park, Sudhama Nagar-1, service station coming under Central-1 subdivision, will be discussed in detail and problems will be settled in the office of the assistant executive engineer (Central-1) sub-division, Tulasi Thota, Chikka Lalbagh.

More details can be obtained from the office of executive engineer (Centra), phone number 22945187, or office of assistant executive engineer (Central-1) 22945188.

The disputes of consumers of MEI Layout, Soladevanahalli, Bahubali Nagar, service station coming under North-1 subdivision will be discussed. The problems will be settled in the office of the assistant executive engineer, North-1 sub-division, No 1, MEI layout, 7th Main.

More details can be obtained from the office of executive engineer, North West-2, phone number: 23311337, or from the office of assistant executive engineer North-1, phone number: 28371048.
A 35-year-old software engineer, who set himself ablaze in the course of an argument with the owner of a tutorial institute, has died of burn injuries.



Ritesh Kumar, a resident of Lal Bhadur Shastri Nagar in HAL, doused himself with petrol and struck a match. The flames engulfed him.

Ritesh worked for a company in Marathahalli, and lived with his wife Parul, son Dharsh and daughter Vidhi.

He had handed Rs. 2.5 lakh to Aditya Bajaj, owner of Aditya Tutorials in JP Nagar, seeking admission for his son at a school.

Bajaj neither got the child a seat nor returned the money. Frustrated, Ritesh carried a bottle of petrol to Aditya Tutorials on November 30.

Heated arguments ensued, and Ritesh poured the petrol on himself, telling Bajaj to set him ablaze if he couldn't return his money.

Seeking more time, Bajaj snatched the matchbox from Rithesh's hand and placed it on the table.

A desperate Ritesh picked it up and set himself on fire, police said.

Bajaj poured water on him, but Ritesh sustained severe burn injuries. In trying to rescue Ritesh, Bajaj also suffered burn injuries.

Neighbours rushed the two to Victoria Hospital, where the police obtained a statement from Bajaj.

Ritesh died on December 1. His wife Parul Mahansaria then lodged a complaint with the police, who booked Bajaj for cheating and abetment to suicide.

The couple wanted their son to study in National Public School, the complaint says.

When the couple did not receive any intimation from the school even a month after they had paid Bajaj, Rithesh began demanding his money back.

Bajaj gave him Rs 1.25 lakh and sought a week's time to return the rest of the money. But he didn't keep his word.

Bajaj dodged Ritesh, saying he was in no position to return the money, police said.

Ritesh threatened to file a police complaint, but decided to try one last time to get his money back, Parul told the police.

On November 30, Ritesh met Bajaj around 8 pm. At 11 pm, Parul got a call saying her husband had been admitted to Victoria Hospital.

She rushed to the hospital and saw both Ritesh and Bajaj in the same ward.
Actor-turned-politician and AICC social media head Ramya has tweeted about the Ramya canteen that was opened by one of her fans in Mandya, recently.



Ramya has shared a link of the website that has published about Ramya canteen. She has tweeted that she would visit the canteen once and will have food there. Hundreds of people have expressed happiness and have reacted to the tweet.

The tweet said, "He's got the smarts. Will come by some day and have a meal!", along with the picture of the canteen.

Meanwhile, Ramya canteen has evoked a good response. People buy food, standing in queues. While breakfast is available from 6 am to 11 am, lunch is available from 1.30 pm to 3 pm.

A variety of dosas, chappathis, pooris and rice items are available and is sold at just Rs 10. As the canteen is situated near the government hospital, it is helpful for the rural people, who visit their relatives admitted to the hospital.
Police superintendent Dr Sanjeev Patil said that the team led by him was able to crack down the most notorious case of dacoity in the recent past that took place in the district.



A gold salesman from Mumbai was robbed of 4.112 kilograms of gold on September 18 inside the Nethravathi Express travelling from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram.

Rajendra Singh Shakthvakth, working for a jewellery company in Mumbai, was called out in sleeper class S-7 and his suitcase containing gold bangles was taken away, with the robbers brandishing a knife and a pistol. The incident took place in the morning hours on September 18. The robbers escaped at Surathkal railway station. Rajendra Singh had received minor injuries. The gold robbed was about 4.112 kilograms and worth Rs 28,32,216. As many as three teams headed by Karkala ASP Rishikesh Sonawane were formed to trace the culprits.

The team initially started off the inquiry with basic clues which they gathered in the market in Mumbai. The police had a lengthy tour, which covered CST, Panvel, Javeri Bazara, Giri Gav, Mumbai Central, Thana, Vashi and Udaipur, Mavali, Raj Samand, Sukher, Pathepur in Rajasthan, and Ahmedabad in Gujarat where the accused were spread out.

Elaborating over the modus operandi, the police head said the accused No 3 Yogeshwar was the mastermind behind the crime. Yogeshwar was jailed in Udaipur on charges of murder, where he met the accused No 6 Devraj Takur. He was removed from the employment in G M Gold, where the victim Rajendra Singh is working. Yogeshwar shared his grievance with Takur, who assured to help him out.

Yogeshwar was released in March, 2017 and he met accused No 9 Prabhulala Gurjar, also an ex-employee of G M Gold. The latter agreed to help Yogeshwar. Thakur, in turn, contacted Mithun alias Rohith Shetty and asked him to help Yogeshwar in the dacoity. Yogeshwar came in contact with Mithun Vaniyan as instructed by Takur. Mithun is the accused No 1 and he, along with accused No 2 Pinto Arjun Chaudhary, accused No 4 Mukthar Ibrahim and accused No 5 Riyaz K from Kerala, hatched the plan and asked them to come to Karwar or Udupi railway station.

The initial attempt to rob the gold transported by G M Gold was a failure although well planned. The accused were unable to collect information of the train where the gold was transported to Delhi. Finally, they embarked upon a plan where they looted Rajendra Singh, while he was travelling to Thiruvananthapuram.

The accused Nos 1, 2 and 3, following the information by accused No 9, boarded the train at Panvel while No 4 and 5 joined them in Kundapur. The crime was committed just one stop before Surathkal.

Following the crime, the accused dispersed with their share of gold. Accused No 1 is a notorious criminal who is wanted in several inter-state crimes. He has committed crimes under several names. Udupi police have confiscated 97.023 gm of gold bangles, a revolver, two live bullets and Rs 1,600 cash from him. The police have confiscated 1.60 kg of gold from the accused, which is worth Rs 31.80 lakh. The total amount of confiscated items, including mobile phones and a car is worth Rs 40.25 lakh.

Of the total accused, the arrested are seven. Patil said that the police are hunting for more numbers of accused and hope to confiscate the remaining gold.
The November 24 massacre, by an Islamic State (IS) affiliate, of 311 civilians in a mosque in Egypt's North Sinai province, the worst terrorist incident ever in modern Egypt, demonstrated, once again, that the cult has not been defeated. Recruits based outside the toppled 'caliphate', proclaimed in 2014 in Syria and Iraq, remain deadly, while fugitive fighters make their way to other battlefields.



The Egyptian attackers numbered 25 to 30, wore beards and long hair, dressed in camouflage and flew the black banner of IS. They shot worshippers and detonated explosives at the Rawda mosque in Bir al-Abed, near the coastal resort of al-Arish. The cult's targets were Sufis, adherents of a moderate, mystical stream of Islam who are regarded as "polytheists" because they revere saints. IS belongs to the narrow, puritanical Saudi Wahhabi sect.

North Sinai province has been lawless for decades. The majority of its inhabitants of more than 4,34,000 is not Nilotic Egyptian but Bedouin Arab, some tribes resident there since the eighth century. Bedouin face discrimination, abuse and official neglect. Tribesmen dwelling along the border with Gaza are of Palestinian origin and have relatives in Gaza.

The province's economy has, traditionally, relied on smuggling, which became highly lucrative after 2005 when Israel pulled its settlers and soldiers out of Gaza. More than 1,500 tunnels were dug along the strip's southern border with North Sinai. Foodstuffs, clothing, livestock, spare parts for vehicles, building materials, petrol, fuel oil and even spiced Kashmiri tea were trafficked through the tunnels. North Sinai Bedouin are estimated to have earned $500 million a year.

Until then, all Gaza imports had been through crossings managed by Israel, which limited how much and what kinds of goods could enter the strip. The situation reverted to the pre-tunnel era after 2013 when Egypt systematically destroyed the tunnels, depriving Gaza of both essential and commercial goods and hundreds of North Sinai Bedouin of jobs and income.

Impoverishment was compounded by the rise in the prices of fuel, cooking gas and public transport. Alienated young men joined Ansar Beit al-Makdis (Supporters of Jerusalem) and took part in attacks on Egyptian police and troops. In 2014, the group proclaimed fealty to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. More than 1,100 attacks were mounted between 2014-16.

Cairo intensified Bedouin hostility by bulldozing homes and shops on the Egyptian side of the North Sinai-Gaza frontier, destroying homes of tunnel entrepreneurs, and conducting raids against tribesmen. During the past two years, IS fighters have fled Syria and Iraq and migrated to North Sinai with the aim of holding on to this territory, a strategic bridge between West Asia and North Africa.

During ongoing army operations, schools are closed, roads are blocked, there are arbitrary arrests and random shootings by army snipers. Residents of the province now live in terror of both IS and the army. Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has ordered the military to crush Ansar Beit al-Maqdis/IS within three months, although the armed forces have been fighting the grouping since existing extremist factions formed a coalition in 2011.

Grandiose plans

Meanwhile, Sisi focuses on grandiose projects which do not benefit the 40% Egyptians who live below the poverty line and whose sons are easy prey for IS and similar jihadi factions. Having constructed an $8.5 billion second shipping lane to increase traffic through the Suez Canal, Sisi is now preoccupied with the building of a new $45 billion administrative capital in the desert 60 kilometres from Suez.

Although all government offices are set to be relocated to the new city and between 5-7 million people are meant to settle in the 21 residential areas in the 700 square kilometre site, the city is likely to share the fate of largely uninhabited satellite towns around Cairo, a city of 18-20 million.

Sisi seems to see himself as a modern day 'Pharaoh' committed to grandiose modern mega-projects to proclaim Egypt's -and his - greatness. His ancient predecessors constructed massive tombs - the pyramids at Giza and the monuments in the Valley of the Kings near Thebes - that benefitted only the architects and builders. Instead of providing affordable food and shelter, jobs, healthcare and education for Egypt's 96 million, he has invested in a canal that has not brought in expected revenues and in an administrative capital far from Egypt's main population centre at Cairo.

He should be upgrading Cairo's neglected infrastructure: repair its sewers, water pipes and streets, build new schools, clinics and social housing. Sisi should travel to Egypt's south where farmers - forgotten since the death of president Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1970 - live as they have for millennia. He should tackle the alienation of the North Sinai Bedouin to encourage them to shun IS and al-Qaeda.

Unfortunately, Sisi, like his predecessors, the assassinated Anwar Sadat and the ousted Hosni Mubarak - appears to have developed a neo-Pharaoh-complex and is following the examples of the leaders of Malaysia and Myanmar who have built shiny new white elephant capitals while their countries' citizens suffer privation in overpopulated, polluted, deteriorating cities.
On November 29 the Acton Institute filled the Pontifical Gregorian Universitys aula magna to maximum capacity with at least 380 participants, a record attendance during Actons 17 years of academic programming in Rome.

The international mix of students, professors, diplomats, journalists and lay professionals representing all continents came in droves for the afternoon conference Globalization, Justice, and the Economy: The Jesuit Contribution which was co-sponsored by Acton and the Gregorians Faculty of History and Cultural Heritage of the Church. The discussion, historically set in the 16th and 17th centuries, focused mainly on the Spanish late scholastic tradition from within the then young Society of Jesus while reflecting on their support for free global trade between the New and Old Worlds.

The conference addressed the epic contributions to liberty, property rights and free trade made by three historic Jesuit figures: Juan de Mariana, Luis de Molina, and Leonardus Lessius at a time when global commerce was expanding along new trade routes to the Far East and the Americas. Their thought, together with other eminent scholars associated with the School of Salamanca in Spain, anticipated the revolution in modern economic thinking made by Adam Smiths 1776 magnum opus The Wealth of Nations. In response to violations of natural rights by conquistadors and colonists in the Americas, these Jesuit scholars vigorously defended the anthropological basis for economic and political liberties based on medieval Thomistic teachings on the sanctity of property rights, human creativity, and other rights associated with the natural law. Their arguments paved the way for the development of the ius gentium  the law of nations  which would firmly establish natural rights and associated liberties as inviolable for all human beings in all corners of the globe.

Actons director of research, Samuel Gregg, led off the conference by contextualizing the Renaissance periods Commercial Revolution:

Accompanying these economic changes was the rise of urban towns. The predominant mode of life remained agricultural. Nevertheless, upward economic mobility became a distinct possibility for more people, and such mobility was primarily found in cities. Thriving business communities developed in Northern Italy, Flanders, parts of France, and Southern England. Alongside this emerged inter-European trade, a transnational division of labor, and a new class of entrepreneursOne of the Commercial Revolutions most important features was growth in the available amounts of capital in the form of equity and debt. This was accompanied by increased trading in money and credit, and accelerating demand for commercial loans. This internationalization of finance followed and facilitated the internationalization of European economies.

Following Samuel Greggs opening lecture was Fr. Diego Alonso-Lasheras, SJ, a moral theologian from Madrid teaching at the Gregorian University whose doctorate was in late scholastic economic thought. Fr. Alonso-Lasheras articulated the notion of fair price stemming from the philosophical considerations of Luis de Molinas three types of value  legal, just, and natural  during the nascent period of globalization. For de Molina, who was well aware of the lack of legal structures, rule of law, and western commercial traditions in the New World, the natural price was perhaps the most significant determination of what was a fair exchange between Europeans and the indigenous peoples. The natural pricewas the price of a good determined by the nature of the good itself, without the intervention of a human law or decree, Fr. Alonso-Lasheras explained. Yet figuring out natural price was not without its problems especially for goods that were new and unknown for both the sides of the negotiating table, such as European steel products were for the native Americans and certain rare American spices were for the colonists when bartering with one another for fair trades.

Argentine-American scholar and president of the Atlas Network, Alejandro Chafuen presented insights from Juan de Marianas vast writings asserting the inseparable relationship between Christian anthropology and commercial exchange as well as the justification for an international division of labor: God created humans in want of many things to develop their will power and force them to act [so that] many different interactions [are] needed to create any product, as there are many things, which neither one man alone, nor even several together are able to guarantee to themselves.

Capping off the evening, Actons 2017 Novak Award winner Prof. Wim Decock presented his expert knowledge on Leonardus Lessius, a Flemish Jesuit, while demonstrating the interconnectedness of theology, economics, and law in the early modern era. As is customary upon winning the Novak Award, Prof. Decock delivered the Calihan Lecture entitled Knowing before Judging: Law and Economic Analysis in Early Modern Jesuit Ethics. He gave insight into Lessiuss vision of legal agreements and partnerships which emboldened risky trade to reach the limits of the known world, especially with the triple contract between business partners, insurers, and clients which served as the bedrock for expanding international commerce. At the end of his lecture, Prof. Decock was presented with a $15,000 prize for his unique research in the synthesis of theology, law and economics.

For those who were not present at the Rome conference, it is possible to watch the full recording on LiveStream.

Actons Rome intern Lindsey Wilbur contributed to this report.
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Historys worst tyrannies began as attempts to create utopia. This longing to inaugurate the heavenly kingdom on earth  to immanentize the eschaton, in William F. Buckley Jr.s memorable phrase  empowers politicians who promise peace and prosperity in exchange for power. The Brexit vote shattered one such imitation kingdom, according to Stephen F. Copp in an insightful and scholarly new essay for the Religion & Liberty Transatlantic website.

Brexit has profound implications for those who care about religion and liberty, he writes.

In a sweeping historical and theological essay Copp, an associate professor of law at Bournemouth University in the UK, traces the history of failed utopias. He clearly distinguishes how human nature as revealed in the Western, Judeo-Christian tradition has thwarted would-be utopias from ancient Babylon, to the Soviet Union (with a nod to Yuri Slezkines new book House of Government), to Nazi Germany. These plans inevitably concentrate power and decision-making powers into the hands of a distant few who increasingly compel others to obey their will.

One of the distinctive facets of human nature standing in the way of collectivist utopian schemes is free will  which, Copp writes, is deeply rooted in economics:

Taking a key issue in utopianism  poverty  the Biblical framework includes respect for human dignity, property rights, and the fulfilment of promises. It provides a first-rate model for how prosperity can be generated but nonetheless makes relieving poverty a matter of individual conscience. (Compare Matt. 26:10-12 with 19:21.) Christian society is not an abstract, top-down vision of a perfect world ultimately based on compulsion, but one of transformed individual choices made within a framework of the rule of law, recognising the imperfection of the world.

The EU, he argues, has fallen prey to self-aggrandizing views: that the EU political union generated all European peace and prosperity into existence and, through an ever-closer union, can will them to continue. By blotting out Christianity in its House of European History, the supranational body implies that Europe is more indebted to Brussels than Bethlehem. The UK vote to leave the EU shatters that utopia, Copp writes.

In God, Brexit, and EUtopia, the first article of a two-part series, Copp explores how Judeo-Christian theology resolves the clash between the utopian dreams for the EU and UK national self-determination, and sets out the basis for a non-utopian Christian vision of Europe.

The EUs self-image, he writes, is an honourable vision based on sincere beliefs.

The key protagonists of the early European project in the 1950s included some no doubt who shared an explicit moral/religious vision for its future. As Nick Spencer of the British think tank Theos has observed, they were overwhelmingly Catholics from Christian Democrat parties. Frank Furedis Populism and the European Culture Wars (Abingdon: Routledge, 2018) identifies several important statements by key figures in the history of the EU who sought to put Christianity at the heart of the European vision. For example, Robert Schuman in 1958 justified a democratic model of governance that was deeply rooted in Christian basic values, whilst Jacques Delors in 2011 recognised the major role of Catholicism and Christianity in Europes constitution (p. 14).

However, the EU first separated and then placed into opposition the historic moral values of the West from a nebulous category of European values.

Furedi identifies how dramatic the change from that earlier vision has been. Specifically, he argues that in the run up to a 2012 European Parliament debate, policymakers portrayed the new Hungarian Constitutions references to its national and Christian traditions as dangerous (p. 12). Guy Verhofstadt, noteworthy for his antagonism as the European Parliaments lead Brexit negotiator, demanded a report be drawn up to investigate whether there was a breach of our values. Others insisted that Christianity was alien to the EUs values. One French MEP went so far as to declare that European values are not Christian values.

What are these European values? Copp makes a forceful case that, as propounded by EU officials, they  and the institution they reflect  are vacuous. In this he writes, he is following Margaret Thatcher who concluded it was empty. If empty, it is a vacuum which has yet to be filled  and history sets dangerous precedents for this.

Copps immaculately documented and well-reasoned article brings a new depth to the ongoing Brexit negotiations. In this light, they are not merely wrangling over a divorce bill, the Irish border, or post-Brexit trade conditions, but over whether human nature is perfectible and whether an entire continent of fallen creature can be regimented into this new vision from afar.

Read his full article here.

(Photo credit: RonnyK. Public Domain.)
The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed the full implementation of the latest version of President Donald's Trump's order banning travellers from six mainly Muslim countries, pending appeal, ending a year-long tug-of-war between the executive and the judiciary. The apex court stayed the October rulings from two lower courts that had blocked implementation of the ban on visitors from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen on the back of appeals filed by affected parties (See: Trump moves SC for full travel ban after court okays partial ban). The revised travel ban, which also covers people from North Korea and a selection of senior officials from Venezuela, is now fully enforceable. The third version of the Trump administration's travel ban, unveiled in September, also drew immediate challenges in federal appeals courts in Richmond, Virginia and San Francisco, California. The challengers could also convince local courts on the need to keep the ban on hold as lawyers fight out the legality of the ban. They argued that the measure targeting Muslim countries is in violation of the US Constitution and that the policy has nothing to do with the government's avowed security goals. However, the Supreme Court accepted the government's views and in a 7-2 vote let the government move ahead, even as the appeals continue. The Trump administration said the ban was crucial to protect US national security and deter terror attacks. ''We are not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the President's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism,'' the White House said. ''The proclamation is lawful and essential to protecting our homeland. We look forward to presenting a fuller defence of the proclamation as the pending cases work their way through the courts,'' it added. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, criticised the ruling. ''This decision ignores the very real human consequences to American citizens and their families abroad imposed by President Trump's Muslim Ban 3.0,'' said CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri. The Supreme Court also asked justices in the lower appeals courts to expedite their decisions, even as the travel ban continued. Trump has been trying to implement a promised travel ban ever since he became president on 20 January. But the administration's efforts have been undermined by a series of court rulings. After Monday's ruling the Department of Homeland Security said, ''the administration's common sense travel restrictions on countries that do not meet basic security standards and do not share critical information with us about terrorists and criminals are designed to defend the homeland and keep Americans safe.'' The initial ban was to be for 90 days, ostensibly to give the US and the targeted countries time to implement tougher and more thorough vetting procedures for visitors. After a series of court battles, the 90 day ban was finally allowed in June and the administration had since intensified the vetting for US-bound travelers from almost every country. When the six-country ban expired in September, the administration sought to replace it with an open-ended ban, with Chad added to the list while Sudan was removed, and North Korea and Venezuela were appended. Immigration and civil rights activists hold the latest travel ban also essentially targets Muslims, which would violate the US Constitution's guarantees of religious rights.








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 Palestinian Textbooks Are Significantly More Radical Than Before | Main | USA Today Cartoon Notes Palestinian Calls to Destroy Israel 

December 05, 2017

The Hill Omits Turkeys Support for Hamas



A Hill dispatch about Turkey threatening to cut ties with Israel, omitted key information about Ankaras support for Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group committed to the Jewish states destruction ("Turkey: Recognizing Jerusalem as Israeli Capital Would Be 'Red Line' for Muslims," Dec. 5, 2017).

Reporter Max Greenwood noted a Dec. 5, 2017 speech by Turkeys President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, before his countrys parliament. Erdogan stated that a potential decision by the U.S. to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital is a red line for Muslims.? The Turkish leader added: We could go as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Israel over the issue.?

Yet, The Hill failed to inform readers that Erdoganthe leader of Turkeys Islamist Justice and Development Party, also known as the AKPhas been a long-time supporter of Hamas, which routinely launches terror attacks against Israel.

Erdogans support for Hamas is well documented.

As Politico highlighted in an Aug. 16, 2016 article: Turkey has worked with Islamist groups and supported militant organizations in the Middle East for years, according to the German government (German government: Turkey supports terror groups in the Middle East").?

The German foreign ministry even issued an August 2016 statement, based on information from its Federal Intelligence Service, pointing out that as a result of the gradually Islamized domestic and foreign policy of Ankara since 2011, Turkey has become the central platform for action for Islamist groups in the Middle East.? Hamas and Egyptian and Syrian Muslim Brotherhood groups were among those listed by the German diplomatic service.

Indeed, as CAMERA has noted, Turkey has supported humanitarian agencies? with ties to Hamas. In February 2017, a man named Muhammad Murtaja, the Gaza coordinator for the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency, was arrested by the Israeli security agency, Shin Bet. Murtaja was accused of funneling funds earmarked for humanitarian projects to Hamas,? according to a Jerusalem Post report.

Murtajas employer, the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency is a government-run agency that operates on five continents. The agency is a department of the Prime Minister of Turkey and is tasked with providing development assistance to select countries and regions.

Another Turkish charity,? the IHH, has a record of supporting terrorist groups? and has close relations with Turkeys AKP government,? per a study by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.

Although relations between Ankara and Jerusalem have waxed and waned since the ascension of Erdogan and the AKP in 2003, Turkeys support for Hamas has been a constant, according to Jonathan Schanzer, the Vice President of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, and a former U.S. Treasury Department terror analyst ("Turkish Organizations Under Fire for Alleged Hamas Support," FDD Policy Brief, March 22, 2017).

On several occasions, Hamas has even thanked Erdogan for his support. In a June 28, 2016 statement posted on its official website, Hamas expressed its deep appreciation of Turkish official and popular efforts? to bolster the groups propaganda efforts against Israel.

Such expressions of gratitude shouldnt go unmentioned.

Posted by SD at December 5, 2017 02:24 PM

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A Convoy man appeared at Omagh Magistrates Court this morning charged with the murder of his wife between the 11th and 14th of April this year at Devenish Island, Co Fermanagh.

Stephen McKinney, 41, of The Flax Fields, Convoy was also charged with possession of the drug Zopiclone. McKinney appeared flanked by two police officers and did not speak during the hearing, except to confirm he understood the charges.

Objecting to bail, a police witness said the murder was premeditated. There was a risk McKinney would interfere with witnesses as people have expressed genuine fear of his actions should he be released.

The witness also said McKinney was a flight risk as he had money and property in China. He has access to money from various sources, the witness said.

A defence barrister said McKinney said McKinney had surrendered his passport. He is actually from Strabane and he has strong connections with that area, the barrister said.

This is a local man with his roots completely in the area, with his family in the area. McKinney's two children were now living with his parents, and attending schools in Donegal. McKinney's parents are willing to stand bail for him, and have him reside at the family home. The case against him is by and large a technical one, the barrister said. There is expert opinion that was put to him in interviews. Interference is not an issue there.

Judge Bernie Kelly said she was concerned at the risk of flight, particularly as there is no European arrest warrant arrangement with China.

That is reinforced because he was there relatively recently, she said. Judge Kelly refused bail, and remanded 41 year old McKinney of The Flax Fields, Convoy, in custody to appear by videolink in Enniskillen Court on Monday next December 11th.
A wind warning has been issued for Donegal for Thursday.

An Atlantic storm heading for the north coast of Scotland is expected to bring strong winds to the west coast of the country.

Met Eireann issued the status yellow wind warning today for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare and Kerry.

The UK Met Office has named the storm Caroline. Severe winds will affect parts of Scotland, but it will generate strong and blustery winds over Ireland also.

Northwest winds of 55 to 65 are expected to gust 100 to 110 km/h with strongest winds in coastal areas and over high ground.

The storm comes ahead of very cold weather which is expected to hit the north west towards the end of the week.

Thursday night is to bring hail and snow showers, with accumulations of snow possible and lowest temperatures of minus 2 to plus 2 degrees with frost and icy patches on untreated surfaces

Friday will also be cold with scattered showers of rain, hail, sleet and snow and temperatures of 3 to 6 degrees. There will be widespread frost and icy patches on Friday night as temperatures fall to between minus 2 and plus 3 degrees.
With Christmas right around the corner, Enterprise State Community Colleges Fine Arts Division is preparing to spread a little Christmas cheer to the community.

The school will be holding a Student Art Exhibit and a Christmas Concert on Thursday, Dec. 7, and Fine Arts Division Chair Ken Thomas invites anyone who is interested in attending to stop by for an evening of art and music.

The art exhibit is scheduled to come first and will be held in ESCCs Multipurpose Room in its Student Center. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.; admission is free. According to Thomas, the exhibit will feature a wide variety of subjects and artistic mediums, each piece crafted by one of ESCCs art scholars.

Following the exhibit, the Christmas Concert will begin at 7 p.m., also in the Multipurpose Room. Multiple vocal and instrumental groups will be represented in the performance, including ESCCs Concert Band, Concert Choir, Entertainers, Vocal Ensemble, and the Wiregrass Chorale. This years concert will be special, as each piece the groups will be performing is designed take the audience on a journey through Christmas in different countries around the globe.

You wont want to miss an evening of inspiring music and stories from our talented students, Thomas said.

A catered reception will follow the performance, and monetary donations to the Fine Arts Division are welcomed.
The Alabama State Parks System is seeking nominations for this years Eagle Award winners. The Eagle Award is given, in five categories, to people and organizations that have made outstanding contributions in support of the parks.

Our parks could not survive without the many wonderful partnerships we enjoy and our Eagle Awards are a way to recognize some of our most giving supporters, said Greg Lein, Director of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources State Parks Division. We hope that friends of our parks will take a few minutes to nominate people they know who deserve this recognition.

To nominate someone in one  or all  of the following five categories, visit alapark.com/eagle-awards. The deadline for nominations is January 5, 2018.

Here are the 2018 Eagle Award nomination categories:

Elected Official - Our parks are shining examples of important quality of life amenities and the strong economic drivers needed in our communities. The support of elected officials is critical to the success of our parks. This award honors an elected official who has worked in conjunction with the parks to help fulfill its mission to preserve natural areas, operate recreational facilities and extend the publics knowledge of the states natural environment.

Community Partner - The parks cannot succeed without the cooperation and support of community organizations such as other government organizations, chambers of commerce, tourism organizations and local businesses. These groups understand that the success of the park means success for the community and work in many different ways to help the parks achieve their goals.

Park Partner - Organizations work to provide or maintain amenities in the parks, such as hiking and biking trails, that otherwise might not exist due to the allocation of resources for other services. This award celebrates those partners who see a need and cooperate with park leadership to fill it.

Volunteer in Parks - These VIPs work in various ways to make our parks system better. Volunteers may be providing physical labor or strategic planning to improve one park, or the entire system of parks. This award honors a person who gives of his or her time for the benefit of every person who visits the parks, all without any expectation of any recognition.

Youth - Our parks inspire young  and old  alike, but the impression left on youngsters often lives with them forever. Many turn their love of the parks, of the outdoors, into projects to benefit some of their favorite places  often as part of a Scouting program. This award, for students 12th grade and younger, honors the person whose contribution is extraordinary.

The Alabama State Parks is a division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The division maintains 22 parks encompassing approximately 48,000 acres of land and water. These parks rely on visitor fees and the support of other partners like local communities to fund the majority of their operations. Download the State Parks app at pocketranger.com. For more information about Alabama State Parks, go online to www.alapark.com. Partners Pay the Way.
The Episcopal Church of the Nativity, 205 Holly Lane, Dothan, will hold a Parents Day Out on Saturday, Dec. 9, from noon to 3:30 p.m. The Parents Day Out is offered to give parents an opportunity to take some time for themselves whether to finish up the Christmas shopping or just having a break. The event is open to children of all ages with the nursery available for the youngest. The afternoon will include a pizza lunch, crafts and a movie. Call the Parish office at 334-793-7616 to reserve spots so the church can have an accurate count for lunch and craft supplies.

County Line Baptist Church, 1000 Highway 92, Enterprise, will host A Night in Bethlehem on Dec. 9 starting at 5 p.m. In this recreation of Bethlehem, visitors can tour the shops, hear the news, and discuss among themselves what it means. There will even be a Roman soldier on horseback. Guests end up at the live nativity and experience the powerful emotions that reflect the night Jesus Christ was born. The event concludes with a time of fellowship and caroling.

Christ the King Lutheran Church, 208 E. Watts St., in Enterprise will host its annual Christmas Cookie Sale on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For $6 per pound, attendees can pick their own treats from among the cookies and candies available. Fair trade items will also be for sale. Proceeds go to the House of Ruth, WEPS, POBLO, CTK Benevolent Fund, and the churchs LWML Mary Martha group.

A Prayer Breakfast hosted by the Alpha Pi Chi National Sororitys Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter will be held Saturday, Dec. 9, at 9 a.m. at the Enterprise Civic Center. This is the 20th year for the prayer breakfast, which will feature guest speaker, Col. Teresa A. Townsend, U.S. Army Retired. It includes a full breakfast for $10. The funds raised at this event go towards scholarships for graduating seniors in the Wiregrass. This year's recipient is Ajia' Lum Wilkinson, a 2017 graduate of Enterprise High School and currently a student at Wallace College studying nursing. Tickets can be purchased from any member of the sorority and will be available at the door.

Klondyke Gospel Music Center, located between Newton and Ozark at 3885 Highway 123 S., will host Walter Wilson from Dothan, Dec. 9, and the Byrd Family Bluegrass from Newville, Dec. 16. Music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free. There will be no concerts on Dec. 23 or Dec. 30. For more information, contact Ron Jeffers, president and concert coordinator, at 334-797-9862.

The Episcopal Church of the Nativity, 205 Holly Lane, Dothan, will host the Festival of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 4 p.m. The Lessons and Carols service is an annual tradition that dates back to 1878. During the service the story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is told in nine Bible readings from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing of carols, hymns and choir music. This year, alongside the Nativity choir, there will be a nine-piece string orchestra and timpani. A reception in the Parish Hall will follow. For more information, contact the Parish office at 334-793-7616.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, 1124 County Road 11, (crosses U.S. 231 North) in Ozark will host The LeFevre Quartet on Sunday, Dec 10, at the morning service starting at 11 a.m. Everyone is invited. A love offering will be taken.

New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church will hold the churchs annual Christmas Cantata on Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. The musical will feature contemporary and traditional music, including an arrangement of the Hallelujah chorus from Handels Messiah. The program is free and open to the public. For information, call 334-793-7134.

The Episcopal Church of the Nativity, 205 Holly Lane, Dothan, will host a Blue Christmas Service with Holy Eucharist on Dec. 13 at noon. For many people, the holidays are a time of sorrow, grief, anger, sadness and loneliness. This service has a more quiet and somber feel than many traditional Christmas services. Scripture, music and prayer will focus on the comfort that God offers. All are welcome to attend this service. For more information, contact the Parish office at 334-793-7616.

Lively Stones Ministries Worship Center, 187 Parker Hills Drive, Ozark, will host its 10th annual Senior Citizens Community Prayer Breakfast on Dec. 16 at 8 a.m. The tickets are $10 per person. For more information, call Linda Evans at 334-498-6587 or Annie Womack at 334-453-0632.

The Enterprise Aglow Community Lighthouse will host an outreach meeting on Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. at Po Folks in Enterprise. For more information, call 334-406-9683.

Dothan Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, 2867 Fortner St., Dothan, will hold a Christmas Cantata on Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. with special guest Charles Beasley and The Chosen Vessels of Eufaula. Everyone is invited. For additional information, contact Evangelist Linda Scott at 334-350-4941 or Mother Versie Jones at 334-792-9172.

First Community Fellowship Church, 400 E. Crawford St., Dothan, will hold an appreciation program for Deacon Charles Melton on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 4 p.m. Everyone is invited to this event, which will feature choirs, groups, soloists, praise dancers and preaching.

Emmanuel Holiness Church, 3502 Sandridge Church Road, in Sneads, Florida, will be hosting their Christmas program, Just A Little Christmas, on Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. Food and fellowship to follow program. Everyone is welcome.

Rocky Mount Baptist Church in Abbeville will host an Honoring Our Elders program on Dec. 17 at 11 a.m. Speaker will be Minister Oscar Hogans.

United Christian Fellowship, 208 E. Lafayette St., Dothan, will host a pastoral installation service for Elder Charlie Smith Jr. and family on Dec. 17 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call 334-699-6760.

All Nations Family Worship Center, 1415 Honeysuckle Road, Suite 1, will host the second of three pre-launch services on Dec. 17 at 10:30 a.m. The new churchs grand opening will be Feb. 16-18. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call Erica Harris at 804-484-9696.

Grace Place Church, 5730 Shellfield Road, Enterprise, will hold a Christmas Eve service on Dec. 24 at 6 p.m. Everyone is invited to join and celebrate the birth of Jesus. There will be no child care during this evening service.

First Community Fellowship Church, 400 E. Crawford St., Dothan, will host a community Christmas program and play on Sunday, Dec. 24, at 2:30 p.m. Everyone is invited. For information, call Dr. James Melton, pastor, at 334-405-0531; first lady Charlo Melton at 334-258-6187; Sister Elinda Thomas at 334-714-5254; or Sister Annie Cobb at 334-798-5359 or 334-522-3030.
Former Houston County Sheriffs Lt. Randy Anderson has been retired for just under a month and hes already eager to go back to work  as sheriff.

Anderson announced that hes running for the Republican nomination for Houston County sheriff Monday at a reception at the Houston County Farm Center. About 40 family members and supporters were at the event.

Anderson, a 31-year-veteran of the department, told attendees that he felt he still had something to offer Houston County and that his long years of experience and deep roots in the county made him the ideal candidate.

Anderson, commonly known as Deputy Randy, is best known for his work as a school resource officer, but he has worked in every division of the sheriffs department. Hes worked patrol, been a shift supervisor, transported prisoners and performed a variety of other duties. Anderson was actually the first K-9 officer in the department, training his own dog for law enforcement use.

Anderson will face Donald Valenza, the current sheriff, and former sheriff Andy Hughes in the Republican primary in June 2018. Valenza has served as sheriff since 2014, when Hughes resigned to work for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
PARISHIONERS in Lordship have been praised for their kindness by the family of Joseph Reilly, whose body remained unidentified in a parish grave for over ten years.

Joseph's body washed up on Rockmarshall beach in June 2007.

Locals tended to the unidentified grave for over ten years before the family finally learned this week that Joseph's DNA had been matched to that of the unidentified body.

Gerard Quinn, funeral director at Quinn's Funeral Homes, Dundalk, who dealt with the burial of Joseph Reilly's body, told the Dundalk Democrat how he has come to know the Reilly family and how grateful they were to the people of Lordship.

He said: The body was buried in Lordship in 2007. All efforts to identify the body came up negative and it was decided that he would be buried in the area that he was found in November 2007.

Gerard explained that locals took it upon themselves to make sure the grave wasn't forgotten.

The grave was in a very prominent place, so visitors to the graveyard were very attentive. They placed flowers on the grave everyChristmas and during the Blessings of the Graves.

In fact the Reilly family even came over to Lordship at the beginning of November and met with some of the people who had tended to Joseph's grave. They also spoke to the woman who found his body on Rockmarshall beach.

Speaking to RTE News, Joseph Reilly's brother Gabriel said: "The local community in Lordship have been quite stunning in terms of what they have done. They virtually adopted Joe and have taken great care of him since then."

Mr Reilly lived alone on Hatch Street in Dublin city when he disappeared in December 2006. He was 50 years old at time time of his disappearance.

The Reilly family searched for Joseph for over ten years before Forensic Science Ireland solved the mystery. DNA samples of two brothers of Mr Reilly, taken by the forensic team as part of an ongoing operation to identify unidentied bodies, was matched with a sample of DNA taken from Joseph's body.

Mr Quinn said that locals were relieved for the family to hear that the body had been identified.

At least after the ten years, this mystery has been solved. We're all very relieved to hear the news and the family are equally pleased.

The Reilly family are currently making arrangements for Jason's body to be buried alongside his mother and father in Co Cavan.

Brother Gabriel told RTE News: "There is a little bit of relief, of course as well as the mystery is now solved. We get the chance to bring an end to the situation and bring Joe home, so to speak.

And the community who looked after the mysterious grave for the last decade will also be holding a memorial service in honour of Jason Reilly. Mr Quinn said: We are currently planning a memorial service for next year. Locals will be informed.
The financial services industry is in the midst of a digital revolution led by fintech startups. These nimble, customer-centric companies are rapidly establishing a new status quo as they hone in on the consumer and business pain points the large incumbents have failed to address.

This week, for our exclusive Lets talk feature looking at competition, we asked more than a dozen industry experts  including the CEOs of FinTech Australia, Prospa, MoneyMe, zipMoney and Tyro  whether the big financial institutions can survive without fintech.

The consensus was well, not really and that to maintain their market relevance and stay competitive, the large incumbents must think like  and collaborate with  fintech startups. Of course, many noted that fintech startups also have much to gain from collaborating with the big institutions, from scale through to access to hundreds of years of financial market experience. As one commentator put it, both sides need each other to thrive.

Read on for further insights from this weeks line-up of Lets Talk commentators:

Can the big financial institutions survive without FinTech?

Danielle Szetho, CEO, FinTech Australia: No, the large banks cannot survive without fintech. NAB admitted as much in its profit announcement in early November, when its CEO flagged a digital transformation program, stating: we are trying to think like a fintech ourselves.

As an incumbent, it can be hard to think outside of your own product lines and technology stack. Truly unique ideas  the ones that create giant leaps rather than step-change innovations  often come from starting with a blank canvas where the consumer need is at the centre. Thats why Australian consumers are increasingly looking to fintech solutions and, therefore, the banks will need to follow suit.

The EY FinTech Adoption Index released in June this year found that 37% of Australias digitally-active population are now fintech users, compared to 13% in 2015. Over the same period, the number of Australians who said they would prefer to use a traditional financial services provider dropped from 23% to 10%. The real question is whether banks try to develop their own in-house fintech solutions, or instead seek to collaborate with existing fintech startups.

Moreover, if banks seek to simply develop their own solutions, then the Australian financial services industry will remain extremely concentrated, less competitive and easier to disrupt by overseas players. As a result, we advocate strongly on behalf of collaboration between banks and fintechs.

Clayton Howes, CEO & Co-founder, MoneyMe: My quick answer would be that we need each other. Fintechs need banks to continue providing the foundation while banks need fintechs such as MoneyMe to establish new forms of user journeys that satisfy changing finance consumption patterns. Australian fintechs and banks need to exist in partnership to alleviate the pressure that will be applied to us by global players like Apple Pay, Alibaba, PayPal, Facebook so that we can continue to own our own market.

Larry Diamond, co-founder & CEO, zipMoney: Large financial institutions might be able to survive without FinTech but theyll really struggle. Traditional financial institutions are finding it extremely difficult to reach the consumer and this is only going to get harder. While some of the big guys in-house FinTech innovation is excellent, its not enough.

Technology and culture is moving toward greater openness, connectedness and transparency and you only tackle that by being open and experimenting with a vast diversity of new ideas and approaches. Fintech is re-imagining the world of money for everyone.

In our space, weve turned payments into a powerful customer engagement tool in part because we always stay close to our consumers and our merchants, shaping the offering to fit their needs. The future will be partnering  similar to what we recently did with Westpac since theres plenty to learn on both sides: Fintechs from the hundreds of years of financial market experience banks possess; banks from the dynamism and technology they lack.

Beau Bertoli, Joint CEO, Prospa: They can survive but not thrive in the long term. The 2017 World Economic Forum Report The Future of Financial Services, made it very clear fintechs have changed consumers expectations around customer experience and have played a major role in defining the pace of innovation.

Traditional financial institutions have recognised they need to change in order to remain competitive and are developing their own technology solutions, or partnering with established innovators like Prospa.

And as fintechs lead the revolution, the big winners will be customers  including small business owners  who can now access and manage their finances quickly and easily, from their phones, 24/7. Theyre already voting with their feet. Weve just passed $500m in loans delivered over 5 years and demand is not slowing down.

Rob Ferguson, Executive Director & acting CEO, Tyro: Fintechs are creating a more competitive market and forcing change to the economy in which all financial institutions operate, from startups to the major banks. We are now starting to see this change in the finance landscape with the bigger players slowly losing dominance. To stay relevant in this changing economy, big financial institutions will need to redesign their outdated business models and innovate with technology.

Fintechs are providing improved technology and operations to better deliver financial services which is disrupting the traditional financial services industry. This is one of the biggest risks facing big financial institutions  to keep up with the change of pace, they need to put significant investment into technology to meet the risks of new entrants working with agile methodologies and service models reflecting customer expectations.

As a fintech that uses disruptive technology, Tyro supports fintech newcomers through its very own FinTechHub.

Andrew Corbett-Jones, Head, Tyro FinTechHub: Im often asked what the next hotspot in Fintech will be. I cant tell you what it will be but I can 100% tell you why it will be. Its easy  look for any segment of the market that the banks have ignored, or overcharged, or mistreated. Right there is where the fintechs will swoop in. And theres a lot of those segments! If the banks wanted to defend their market share in those segments they could, but they tend not to, until its too late.

As much as they may talk about adopting fintech, we know that fintech will radically re-shape the banks and their role in the market. The web fundamentally changed newspapers. Streaming media fundamentally changed TV and music publishing. Fintech is doing the same to banking. As Bill Gates famously said: Banking is necessary, banks are not.

Shahirah Gardner, co-founder, Finch: Probably not. At the end of the day, financial institutions arent technology companies. The pace of innovation is faster than their internal processes and systems can adapt to.

More importantly, the culture and core competencies of existing employees are such where the risk of failure is high and not promoted. Fintechs are disruptive precisely because we fail fast, and can deliver innovative, experience-driven solutions in a fraction of the time and resources it normally takes.

Finally, with big tech posing the greatest threat to banking, financial institutions should be collaborating with fintechs to accelerate innovation instead of partnering with the companies that will become their direct competition.

Joel Robbie, co-founder & CEO, AI-powered financial advice platform Nod: The short answer is yes but in a much smaller form. Fintech will cause the fragmentation of offerings because the technology is built to be interconnected. All of a sudden, you dont need a big financial institution to be efficient in managing your financial affairs, technology is helping you to do that.

If Im a big bank Id be thinking about becoming a platform ecosystem. The biggest companies in the world have this structure  Apple, Google, Facebook etc are all platform businesses that allow other companies to integrate with them seamlessly, making them stickier as a result. This is the way for big financial institutions to embrace fintech and ensure their own survival.

Pat Garrett, CEO, robo-advisor Six Park: Big financial institutions might survive but theyre unlikely to keep thriving without embracing the value propositions of FinTech  and they know it. In November, NAB committed $1.5 billion to tech innovation and jobs, while international banks such as JP Morgan and HSBC are acquiring or partnering with FinTechs because they understand both the benefits of FinTech solutions, and the threat that these solutions pose to the status quo. If you cant beat em, join em.

The recent announcement of a Banking Royal Commission (BRC) in Australia further highlights the lack of transparency, trust and accessibility thats plagued the traditional banking sector. FinTech entities use technology and innovation to address these problems, and the BRC is partly a result of the public demanding that clients interests come first.

Fintechs are nimble  with product development, they can pivot faster than large incumbents and, as a result, theyre at the forefront of innovation in banking and investment management. The big banks will undoubtedly be at a significant disadvantage if they dont embrace technology and transparency and make sure customers needs are at the centre of product and service offerings.

Hugh Morrow, CEO & co-founder, digital advice provider SuperEd: Australias big financial institutions, particularly super funds, are struggling when it comes to fund member engagement and fees. Getting members engaged can of course create cost pressures for these institutions both to initiate and then to service the higher levels of engagement. This is one reason why they will need to turn to fintech disruptors who can add so much value by facilitating the provision of additional service with little cost impact or by helping migrate traditional costly services to lower cost channels.

Our focus at SuperEd is on empowering people to make better financial decisions. We empower them by helping them understand who they are, how they want to interact, what their objectives are and by providing them with the knowledge and the tools to be able to make decisions and take the appropriate actions.

While I dont believe fintechs will necessarily overtake the traditional funds, and certainly not the large ones, some of them could carve out a significant niche. They are already doing this by appealing to particular values that the traditional funds are not. This could be a generational and technology focus as with Spaceship, an ethical focus such as Cruelty Free Super or the focus on control and empowerment of Mobi and GROW Super.

All of these funds are appealing to particular goals and values. The traditional funds can also do this not only through the investment options available but also in how this is communicated, particularly in terms of the language and imagery used. Some funds might even consider the creation of products under secondary brands to help with their positioning. Technology is facilitating the rise of these entrants but also can provide the tools for the traditional funds to respond quickly.

Julius Wei, Co-Founder & Head of Investment Analysis, Chinese wealth advisory firm BMY Group: The technological disruption in the financial industry has been going on for a while, and there is really no fintech-free financial institution now in the market, particularly so among big institutions. This alone proves our answer that they cannot survive without embracing fintech.

Fintechs can provide more efficiency for financial institutions across two main aspects.

Firstly, they improve the front-end user-experience significantly to help the service win more clients and increase the stickiness of those clients. Hence, not using updated technology means losing your clients. Secondly, technology also helps to enhance back-office efficiency with automated processes. The financial sector is one of the most heavily regulated sectors, which has huge transactional/compliance workloads and costs at the back office. Lots of fintechs can provide this with less errors and potentially cheaper costs. Hence, not using fintech also means losing profitability.

Its no wonder the big banks are also the biggest buyers and investors in fintech in Australia.

John Cooper, Managing Director, CHL Home Loans: Any financial institution in todays market will find it difficult to remain commercially competitive without embracing some elements of emerging fintech solutions in their back-office processing and customer portals.

By carefully selecting appropriate, user-friendly software and systems an organisation providing financial products can not only reduce processing costs but can offer those potential savings to the borrower.

As we know many borrowers currently apply online for finance without the need to speak with a broker or lender. While this suits some people, there are still a large proportion of people who prefer human interaction in their dealings with a financial institution. So, the secret is to keep your technology and products simple and make them easily useable for your customers.

Sarah Moran, Co-founder & CEO, Girl Geek Academy: All banks are technology companies now. FinTech is forcing banks to revolutionise their organisations as they are under increasing pressure from up-and-coming digital financial products  which includes offerings from Google and Amazon, alongside smaller, niche offerings that target a specific demographic, like Tyro.

Banks are making bold moves to own the market and target the generation most resistant to traditional banking methods  millennials. Like many traditional industries banking must engage with FinTech startups rather than lose their market share to smaller, nimble businesses by embedding best of breed technology quickly and respond to current market needs.

Brett Shanely, Co-founder & CEO, Study Loans: The digital revolution has completely shaken up the financial services industry. Not long ago, those in the industry discussed whether FinTech start-ups would gain any real traction, now theyre beginning to surpass traditional banks in their IT system offerings and ability to react to rapid changes in consumer expectations.

Disruptor companies offer innovative solutions to traditional banking through product offerings, technology and processes. Where traditional banks fall short, FinTech innovators have begun cropping up. Student loans are a great example of this. Where the big four might turn a student away due to a lack of assets or income, others take a more flexible and broader view of an individuals financial situation. In order for the big financial institutions to survive, they need to embrace the disruption that FinTech inevitably brings.

David Jones, General Manager, Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA): There is still a role for the traditional financial institutions, but the areas of growth all lie in embracing new technologies. In Wellington, weve witnessed a thriving community of fintech companies grow in a short period  embracing the potential of reinventing how people manage and invest their finances.

Historically, financial institutions acted as a trusted third party to handle funds. However, thanks to developments in fintech, the need for this traditional business model is rapidly diminishing. Wellington has helped nurture a supportive home for a range of businesses that are embracing the fintech revolution; including ASX-listed Xero, Wellingtons 2Shakes  using blockchain tech to make transferring money safer or Sharesies, a startup giving everyone access to investment and the chance to have an investment portfolio.

Three main areas are driving the rapid growth of fintech  identity verification, big data and security. As customers become more aware and more concerned about the safety of online transactions, they are turning to fintech solutions for peace of mind and greater simplicity. Fintech firms will likely never completely replace the areas dominated by traditional finance institutions, but they will continue to challenge the status quo and are likely to grow even faster, because they are building solutions that address customer needs.

About Lets Talk

This exciting new, weekly initiative provides entrepreneurs and industry experts with a forum to share rapid-fire views on a range of issues that matter to start-ups and SMEs. Every Wednesday, we pose a themed question to a line-up of knowledgable industry figures, with a view to picking their brains for valuable insights to share with you, our readers.
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Malaysians are now well travelled and this Matta Travel Fair promotions article is for those who are planning to travel locally or around the world.



The Matta Fair is also Malaysia's largest travel fair that is held twice a year on a massive scale here at the Putra World Trade Centre or PWTC in Kuala Lumpur.



Matta Travel Fair Promotions and Discounts Malaysians are now well travelled and this Matta Travel Fair promotions article is for those who are planning to travel locally or around the world.The Matta Fair is also Malaysia's largest travel fair that is held twice a year on a massive scale here at the Putra World Trade Centre or PWTC in Kuala Lumpur.









The beauty of the Matta Fair is that you can get incredible bargains almost anywhere in Malaysia or around the world.



What is the catch? You just need to do a lot of walking around and asking questions during the fair.



Travel agents giving out Matta promotions



So, what are the Matta Travel Fair promotions all about? It is where consumers come to get the best and cheapest travel packages being offered by hundreds of travel agents from around Malaysia.The beauty of the Matta Fair is that you can get incredible bargains almost anywhere in Malaysia or around the world.What is the catch? You just need to do a lot of walking around and asking questions during the fair.

A very Malaysian thing, where consumers are always on the lookout for discounts and promotions for just about anything, even travelling has entered this game.



People flock to the travel fair in KL just to browse and shop for travel packages that are being offered on huge discounts. Well, not every destination is cheap, but common tourist destinations are usually on promotions.









This has been a phenomenon for the last decade and has changed how Malaysians travel.



Gone are the good old days of walking into a travel agent to book your tours. Nowadays, people just book them online or wait for the Matta Fair.



Local travel package deals from Sabah Tourism Board booth at Matta Fair



Matta Fair Promotions are usually offered for popular destinations where there is a huge volume of visitors to that place.



In return, tourism operators there can offer better deals in terms of tours, packages, and even hotel accommodations. Over 100,000 people will attend this fair which is spread over three days and at any one time, there are thousands of people walking around and enquiring with travel agents and tourism boards.This has been a phenomenon for the last decade and has changed how Malaysians travel.Gone are the good old days of walking into a travel agent to book your tours. Nowadays, people just book them online or wait for the Matta Fair.Matta Fair Promotions are usually offered for popular destinations where there is a huge volume of visitors to that place.In return, tourism operators there can offer better deals in terms of tours, packages, and even hotel accommodations.



This is then translated into travel packages with massive discounts that are sold during the Matta Fairs. Well, this is just one of the promo factors and there are many more.





The types of promotions also come in various forms of travel, which are;

Full Board Packages - Everything from flight, transport, food, rooms, and attraction are included.

- Everything from flight, transport, food, rooms, and attraction are included. Half Board Package s - Almost everything is included.

s - Almost everything is included. Ground Packages - Only the hotel room or transfers is provided.

- Only the hotel room or transfers is provided. Series Group - Fixed scheduled departures. The dates are locked and you travel on those dates.

- Fixed scheduled departures. The dates are locked and you travel on those dates. Cruise Packages - Local and International Cruise Packages

Cheap Travel Promotions at Matta Fair 2018





Most consumers tend to go for cheap travel packages at Matta Fair 2018, but the reality is that sometimes, cheap does not mean good quality.



Depending on the type of travel a person or family chooses, it can range from short vacations to long holidays. However, the majority of consumers would be going for the mid-range or three to five days.









You should also read this article about the



Matta Fair Hall Layout While prices are sometimes unbelievable, you need to double-check with the tour agents about what is offered in the package.You should also read this article about the Matta Fair Tips and Tricks as it highlights almost everything you need to know. From the travel codes to what kind of packages are sold.









In total, there are four main halls and one mezzanine floor above hall one, and each of these halls caters to different regions. They are;



The main International Hall at Matta Fair



Hall One - International Hall (Worldwide) So, depending on where you want to visit, the options are many. You just need to know which section on the Matta Fair you need to be at.In total, there are four main halls and one mezzanine floor above hall one, and each of these halls caters to different regions. They are;



This is where you will find all the international travel packages and tour agents that sell worldwide tour packages. You will also find the major tourism boards like Japan Tourism who will be focusing heavily on visiting Tokyo.



The Tokyo Booth at Matta Fair will be offering much information about one of the most sought after destinations. So, if you plan to visit Japan, Korea, Europe or other international destinations, this would be a good place to start.





Hall One - Mezzanine Floor (Upstairs)



Here, you will find the main stage for the Matta Fair 2017, where all the activities and shows take place. Also, the food and beverage area is located up here too. There are toilets, a nursing room and a surau for prayers.



In one area, you will also find travel agents that are selling the Muslim Umrah Packages or Haj Packages. You can use the escalator to go up on one end of the hall or use the stairs in the food and beverage area.



Entrance to the International Hall 2 at Matta Fair



Hall Two - International Hall (Worldwide and Smaller Hall) Here, you will find the main stage for the Matta Fair 2017, where all the activities and shows take place. Also, the food and beverage area is located up here too. There are toilets, a nursing room and afor prayers.In one area, you will also find travel agents that are selling the Muslim Umrah Packages or Haj Packages. You can use the escalator to go up on one end of the hall or use the stairs in the food and beverage area.



Hall 2 also provides tour agents that sell worldwide tours, but the hall is a little smaller than the main hall one. Generally, Hall 2 offers only travel agents. Most of the reputable and larger companies occupy this hall.





Hall Three - ASEAN Hall



This hall provides all the travel agents that sell ASEAN country tours. You will also find the ASEAN Tourism Boards in this hall and among them are Indonesia Tourism, Nepal, Cambodia and the Philippines.



Indonesia Tourism will be the largest booth with a lot being offered. You will find other companies like Star Cruises, Royal Caribbean and some local hotel operators.



Entrance to the domestic hall or Malaysia Hall at Matta Fair



Hall Four - Malaysian Domestic Hall



For any local travel in Malaysia, this is the main hall where you will find all the local travel packages and local tourism boards like Sabah Tourism, Sarawak Tourism, Langkawi Tourism, and Terengganu Tourism.



Malaysian theme park operators are also found here, like Legoland Malaysia, Sunway Lost World, Angry Birds Activity Park and some other hotels as well.









The halls are divided into sections for this therefore, you need to go to the hall that sells the packages you want. Meaning, if you want to buy a Please note, if you visit the Malaysia Hall, you will not be able to buy any ASEAN travel packages or International travel packages.The halls are divided into sections for this therefore, you need to go to the hall that sells the packages you want. Meaning, if you want to buy a Tokyo Travel Package at Matta Fair , you need to go to Hall 1 & 2.



Some of the halls attract plenty of visitors due to cheap travel promotions



Most Popular Tour Packages at Matta Fair





You may be wondering what are the most popular tour packages at the Matta Fair? Over the years, Malaysians have been travelling all over the world and a huge thanks go to the budget airlines that have changed travel.



Players like AirAsia, AirAsia X, Malindo and FireFly have been aggressively promoting cheap airline tickets at Matta Fair where consumers will buy the flight tickets from the airline, and then buy the ground only package from the travel agent.









So, places like Bali, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Bangkok, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan have been very popular destinations.



Matta Fair is held for three days and offers all kinds of travel promotions



Usually, the airlines will run special promotions in conjunction with the Matta Fair and offer discounts to various destinations. This goes to say, where ever the airline runs a promotion, that is where the consumer will decide ongoing.So, places like Bali, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Bangkok, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan have been very popular destinations.Usually, the airlines will run special promotions in conjunction with the Matta Fair and offer discounts to various destinations.





Japan is one of the top-performing destinations due to many Malaysians wanting to visit this fascinating country. Most of the popular Japan travel packages include Tokyo, Osaka, and Hokkaido as AirAsia X flies to these three destinations.









This opens up a whole new destination as Hawaii has always been one of the top island destinations in the world.



From Hawaii, you can easily connect to west coast USA, to places like Los Angeles and San Francisco.



Airline tickets are always on promotion at the Matta Fair



Matta Fair March Recent News in February about AirAsia X flights to Hawaii in the USA has also gained much interest from many Malaysians as this would be the cheapest airline to offer flights to the US.This opens up a whole new destination as Hawaii has always been one of the top island destinations in the world.From Hawaii, you can easily connect to west coast USA, to places like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Date: First weekend of March

Venue: PWTC, Kuala Lumpur

Time: 10.00 AM to 9.00 PM

Tickets: RM4.00 per entry



Conclusion










Aviagen, KegoAgri host poultry professionals from Greece and Cyprus





A range of poultry management topics, ranging from good breeder performance to cost-effective broiler nutrition, were on the agenda at a joint Aviagen-KegoAgri customer seminar, which took place on November 7 in Athens, Greece.

KegoAgri is the sole distributor of Aviagen's Ross broiler parent stock in Greece and Cyprus. The event underscores the close collaboration between the company and Aviagen to promote the success of Ross customers as well as the growth of the Ross brand throughout the region. It also provided the ideal opportunity for Aviagen and KegoAgri to share best practices of helping broiler and breeder poultry producers improve the health and performance of their flocks and the profitability of their businesses.

A variety of the latest broiler and breeder information was presented, including the vital significance of the brooding period for broilers and breeders, the importance of rearing management for good breeder performance, the economic impact of genetic improvement on production, and how to effectively reduce the cost of broiler nutrition.

In attendance at the event were 45 delegates, who represented 90% of the poultry industry in Greece and 50% in Cyprus. These delegates included veterinarians, hatchery and broiler production managers. Additionally, the seminar offered a setting where attendees could exchange ideas and discuss about challenges and opportunities.

"Our goal for this event was to help our customers, whether they are broiler companies, hatcheries or integrators, to improve in specific areas of their business as there is always ample room for advancement," Achilleas Stefanou of KegoAgri said.

"Our customers really appreciated the focused presentations of all speakers and are eager to work with us to consistently enhance performance. We thank the Aviagen team for the support and knowledge they provide through events like this."

"This was the first time we have hosted both broiler and breeder producers from Greece and Cyprus together to offer specific knowledge in genetic improvement, flock management and nutrition," John Stamoulis, general manager of Greek subsidiaries for Nireus Group of Companies, commented. "Customers were impressed by the quality of the speakers and the interesting topics. Because knowledge is our ongoing priority, more events like this will follow in the future."

"We'd like to congratulate KegoAgri on a well-organised event and thank them for their tremendous work as a Ross distributor. Aviagen values customer seminars as opportunities to meet customers personally, hear their stories and share information that will advance their success," Alan Thomson, Aviagen's regional commercial and technical manager for Europe, remarked.
When someone goes to hospital seriously ill, doctors often have to treat with antibiotics before the results of time-consuming tests come in. The consequence is that patients stay longer than necessary in hospital and are given ineffective treatments, which can also increase the chance of antibiotic-resistant disease.

With innovative tools that facilitate the preparation of samples, automatically run comprehensive tests, and analyze results, the German company Curetis, Spains STAT-Dx and Finnish-French Mobidiag aim to solve this problem for a range of diseases.

Our Unyvero kit takes between four to five hours from sample to answer in a fully automated platform that takes just a few minutes of hands-on time, says Oliver Schacht, chief executive of Curetis.

Created using Visme. An easy-to-use Infographic Maker.

In Holzgerlingen near Stuttgart, this start-up that started with just 6 people is currently marketing four diagnostic test cartridges for four distinct serious infectious disease syndromes: pneumonia, implant and tissue infection, blood culture testing and intra-abdominal infections. Several more cartridges are in development, for example, for urinary infections and sepsis, one of the main cause of death in patients treated in intensive care units, he adds.

Mobidiag and Stat-Dx are supported by the European Investment Banks InnovFin Infectious Diseases Finance Facility, which provides a range of financial products to innovative companies developing vaccines, drugs, medical and diagnostic devices or novel research for combatting infectious diseases. Curetis was financed under the Investment Plan for Europe. Both mandates are set-up by the EIB in collaboration with the European Commission.



Mobidiag, a Finnish-French start-up headquartered in Espoo, developed a molecular test allowing simultaneous detection of the main enteric viruses causing diarrhoea.

Improving quality of care

Barcelona-based STAT-Dx proposes a platform which allows syndromic testing in about one hour, versus a minimum of 4-6 hours for other methods. DiagCORE offers on-demand testing, which means the instrument is ready whenever and wherever one test needs to be run, explains co-founder Jordi Carrera. With other methods, samples are often batched before testing and laboratories might be closed when test result becomes available. This further delays the results needed to make critical clinical decisions.

Meanwhile, Mobidiag has developed two platforms to detect gastrointestinal infections: Amplidiag is already on the market addressing large laboratories, while Novodiag  focussing on emergency settings requiring fast results should be out in December.

Amplidiag is a great success in Nordic countries, where we have closed long-term agreements with large private and public laboratories. We are now moving into France and in the UK, says Mobidiag chief executive Tuomas Tenkanen.

Like Curetis and STAT-Dx, diagnoses by Novodiag are very quick compared to classical methods. Amplidiag is a platform that can run up to 48 stool samples and provide results after two hours and a half, says Tenkanen. For Novodiag, the time will be reduced to one hour.

Reducing unnecessary antibiotic treatments

The tests arent just quick. They will also tackle a big problem highlighted by the World Health Organisation and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention: severe antibiotic resistance. For instance, Mobidiag allows the identification of resistance to two main antibiotics, carbapenemase and colistin.

Today`s clinical gold standard microbiology culture takes several days, and sometimes weeks, to get results. That forces doctors to choose antibiotics without any diagnosis of pathogen and resistance patterns. The molecular diagnostics tests are intended to reduce unnecessary antibiotic treatments which can increase the likelihood of additional antibiotic resistance, hospital stays, prolonged illnesses, deaths, excessive medical procedures and redundant visits to the doctor. Thats because the exact cause of the disease can be treated following a clear diagnosis

Thousands of euros saved per patient

These tests are also cheaper than manual systems.

Our test typically sells in the EUR 150 to EUR 250 range, says Curetis Schacht. A single additional day spent in an intensive care unit costs more than EUR 2,000. Innovative diagnostics have the potential to save patients lives, but also to cut costs for hospitals that are often facing increasing cost pressure.



The Curetis Unyvero platform and its four cartridges work with respiratory samples, tissues, swabs, and synovial fluids from joints, while tests from blood and urine are currently under development.  Curetis GmbH.

All three CEOs agree that these automated kits allow improved quality and consistency, because they are not subject to human error or fatigue.

A tired laboratory technician at 3 a.m. can run these tests just by following some simple steps that take a few minutes, says Tenkanen.

Carrera, who hopes to launch his DiagCORE platform at the 28th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Madrid next year, highlights simplicity and safety. DiagCORE can work with most specimens without extensive offline preparation, he says. Our cartridge has embedded sample preparation capabilities. That simplifies and increases the security of the work of laboratory technicians and enables the platform to be directly installed in the clinical wards. They dont need to use harmful chemicals, sharps or be unnecessarily exposed to infectious materials. It also enables less skilled people to use the system in point of care settings.

A significant financial support

Curetis, Mobidiag and STAT-Dx all started with small teams and quickly developed, partly thanks to the backing of the EIBs Infectious Diseases Finance Facility.

We learnt about the EIB debt financing facilities at a BIO Deutschland workshop and then reached out to the team, says Schacht. From start to finish this was a smooth, transparent and very efficient process for Curetis. I have highly recommended this type of EIB funding to many of my biotech industry peers in Europe.
The EU Bank welcomes the election of Mario Centeno, Portugals Finance Minister, to President of the Eurogroup. Minister Centeno currently chairs the Board of Governors of the European Investment Bank.

Mario Centeno is an outstanding choice for chairman of the Eurogroup, said Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank. He is serving his country well, consolidating Portugals growing reputation as an economic success story. And in his role as chairman of the EU Banks Board of Governors, he is helping the EIB build on its strong track record and contribute to the EU's economy and financial system. I very much look forward to working with him in his new role as well as to continuing to cooperate with him as President of the EIB.

The Board of Governors of the European Investment Bank comprises the Ministers of Finance of all the Member States of the European Union.
Manufacturers and supply chains have slowly started to adopt Industry 4.0. However, if they want to make the transition successful, most enterprise processes will need to become smarter and more digitized. This is easier said than done. In fact, a new survey by Zebra Technologies found that only five percent of enterprises are truly intelligent, and 48 percent are on their way to becoming intelligent.

Being an intelligent enterprise means leveraging ties between the physical and digital worlds for better visibility and actionable insights. But how do you measure a companys intelligence? Human intelligence is measured through standardized tests, but assessing company intelligence is not as clear-cut.

Last year, Zebra, in partnership with the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard (TECH), hosted the 2016 Strategic Innovation Symposium: The Intelligent Enterprise, during which executives from organizations including Google, GE Healthcare and IBM developed criteria that define todays Intelligent Enterprise. Based on these criteria, Zebra then conducted a survey to measure companies intelligence as well as provide a path for them to become intelligent.

The framework of an intelligent enterprise is based on technology solutions that integrate cloud computing, mobility, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to automatically sense information from enterprise assets. Operational data from these assets, including status, location, utilization, or preferences, is then analyzed to provide actionable insights, which can then be mobilized to the right person at the right time so they can be acted upon to drive better, more-timely decisions by users anywhere, at any time.

Within the supply chain, an intelligent enterprise could help manufacturers better anticipate disruptions and react to them in real-time. However, most currently lack the operational data needed for this kind of transparency.

According to Zebras recent Manufacturing Vision Study, only 27 percent of manufacturers are collecting data from production, supply chain and workers. Additionally, much of the data that is collected remains in silos where it cannot increase the intelligence of the organization.

The on-demand economy is impacting the way supply chains must operate. Now that almost everything  from car services to groceries  is available with the touch of a button, both consumers and customers expect quicker, more customized responses. As consumer expectations continue to grow at a rapid pace, access to operational data is crucial in improving productivity and streamlining operations.

If supply chains hope to become smarter and better cater to consumer needs, they must start investing more in IoT. Zebras Intelligent Enterprise Index found 42 percent of companies spend an average of $3.1 million on IoT annually, and 75 percent expect that number to increase in the next one to two years.

Manufacturers need to accelerate the pace of Industry 4.0 adoption if they want to stay ahead. Having a more intelligent and digitized supply chain offers a new level of resiliency and awareness that will give them a competitive edge.
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Democrats on the Senate education committee had some tough questions Tuesday for President Donald Trumps picks to head up civil rights and special education policy at the U.S. Department of Education.

Kenneth Marcus , who is currently the head of a Jewish civil rights organization and has been tapped to lead the departments office for civil rights, and Johnny Collett , the program director for special education at the Council of Chief State School Officers, are likely to be confirmed. But Democrats used the confirmation hearing to air deep concerns about the Trump administrations record on both civil rights and disabilities issues.

One of the most appalling ways that President Trump has damaged our country is when it comes to civil rightsand undermining the rights and safety of women, people of color, and people with disabilities, said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the panel.

Murray said Marcus appears to share the goal of halting discrimination on the basis of race ethnicity or religion particularily on college campuses. But she worries about his ability to stand up to Trump and to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

And she expressed qualms about Colletts record as head of special education in Kentucky. She noted that the state was criticized for allowing frequent use of seclusion and restraint in schools, which are used to a disproportionate degree on students with disabilities.

Only after public outcry and work from the [states] protection and advocacy agency did Kentucky take steps to address this, Murray said. Additionallyyou told my staff you support Secretary DeVos privatization agenda, which includes $20 billion school voucher proposal. Voucher programs do not support all of the needs of students with disabilities.

But Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the committee, defended both nominees. He said Marcus has a deep understanding of civil rights issues having founded the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights and having served as staff director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for four years. He said he had letters from 10 individuals and organizations supporting Marcus nomination. And he said that Collett is widely supported by the special education community.

Civil Rights Protections

Marcus served as the acting assistant secretary at the office for civil rights during the George W. Bush administration. During his testimony, he played up his record of looking out for disadvantaged groups of students.

For instance, he noted that during his tenure, OCR issued policy guidance clarifying that Jewish, Sikh, and Muslim students could not be discriminated against on the basis of religion. And he worked to make sure that racial and ethnic minorities and English-language learners were not placed in special education programs that didnt meet their needs.

Marcus also did not distance himself from any of the presidents past statements about womens and civil rights when questioned about them.



If confirmed, Marcus said he would, work to strengthen OCR, to preserve civil rights, to seek equal justice for all; to respect the rule of law; and to promote public confidence.

Under the Obama administration, OCR opened record numbers of investigations, and issued guidance on everything from resource equity to discipline disparity. But the Trump administration has contemplated rolling back some of those directives , in light of criticism from school officials who say they are well-intentioned, but unworkable. And, under the Trump administration, OCR has shifted from away from examining each civil rights complaint for evidence of systemic discrimination.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., asked Marcus about that change. He said that there is a role for both systemic and individual investigations, and that the decision on which way to go needs to be made on a case-by-case basis.

In response to a question from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Marcus said that if a school disciplines African-American students more harshly than their white peers, it could be grounds for a complaint. Marcus comments are particularly key here because the Trump administration is considering scaling back or reworking Obama-era guidance aimed at ending discipline disparities.

If even one child is punished because of their race, or punished worse because of their race that would be a significant concern, Marcus said. But he said that each complaint needs to be investigated individually and fairly to make sure there is really discrimination going on, as opposed to say, paperwork problems. (More on the discipline issue from Evie Blad here.)

All of the cases before OCR should be treated the same way, Marcus said.

Murphy also asked Marcus if he intended to continue with the Civil Rights Data Collection as it functions now. Marcus said he doesnt have any plans to change the CRDC, but that he would be open to suggestion for improving it.

And Marcus told Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., he thinks cases of discrimination against LGBT students should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Trump administration has moved to dial back guidance put forth by the Education Department on Title IX , as it relates to campus sexual assault. The Obama administration called for colleges to use a more likely than not standard when considering sexual assault complaints, rather than the tougher, criminal standard of innocent until proven guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt. In temporary guidance, the Trump administration has said colleges could also use a convincing evidence standard in trying to determine whether a sexual assault had taken place.

Murray asked Marcus if he thought the changes to that guidance were appropriate. He said they were. Murray made it clear that she was disappointed to hear that. In her view, the guidance has helped encourage survivors of campus sexual assault to come forward.

Special Education Concerns

Franken noted that students with disabilities who use vouchers to attend private school waive individual protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act . He said parents dont necessarily always realize thats the case, and asked Collett how he would make sure parents are informed.

Collett said that, if confirmed, he would work with DeVos and her team to address the issue. That answer didnt appear to satisfy Franken, who wanted Collett to pledge to do everything he can to make sure every parent is aware of their rights.

Murray asked Collett whether he would stand up to DeVos if she offered states waivers from a requirement in the Every Student Succeeds Act that no more than 1 percent of students, or 10 percent of students in special education, be allowed to use alternative assessments for students in special education. Collett said only that he would push for high expectations for students in special education.

And Hassan asked a very in-the-weeds ESSA question: Should states be allowed to use so-called super-subgroups which combine students in special education with racial minorities, English-language learners, and other groups of students?

Collett said that DeVos is committed to approving ESSA plans that comply with the law. Some states, including Tennessee, have had their ESSA plans approved even if they use super-subgroupsbut some Democrats argue that isnt allowed under ESSA.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, asked Collett if he thought that the federal government should cover the share of special education costs. Collett said he is grateful to teachers and administrators who are doing the best they can with the resources they have. He was cut off before he could give a more complete answer.

The confirmation hearing isnt the only action that Congress will take this week on nominations. On Thursday, the committee will vote on two other nominations: Mick Zais, to be deputy secretary of education, and Jim Blew, to be the assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy analysis.

Kenneth Marcus, left, nominated to be the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, is joined by Johnny Collett, center, nominated to be the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the Department of Education, and Scott Mugno, right, nominated to head OSHA, during confirmation hearings on Dec. 5 before the U.S. Senates committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. --Tasos Katopodis for Education Week

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
The vast majority of Puerto Ricos schools are back online, but thats not even close to the end of the issues facing the islands educational system .

Last Friday, we spoke with the islands Secretary of Education Julia Keleher about the state of K-12 there. Heres the update she gave us:



1,075 schools have reopened. Thats compared to the nearly 1,200 schools that were open on the island before Hurricane Maria hit the island in late September. (Before the storm, the island had closed a large number of schools due to financial problems.)

Keleher said 38 schools have been permanently closed due to structural damage.

The number of students enrolled stands at about 331,000, down from approximately 350,000 before Maria hit. However, Keleher called the 331,000 figure a fluid number.

She didnt have info on the number or share of teachers who have come back to schools. Keleher granted a hardship waiver so that teachers have until January to return to work.

Keleher also singled out the Council of the Great City Schools, a district leadership organization, for helping Puerto Ricos K-12 leaders manage the challenges of getting schools back on their feet.

But she remains concerned about the condition of the schools that have reopened, such as the mold in many schools that have suffered water damage. Puerto Rico is a single, unified school district under the control of Kelehers department, although she was in the process of trying to beef up local control of schools when the hurricane hit. When we asked her why she had agreed to allow such schools to open, she stressed that while her department had mitigated the worst potential issues, there is also tremendous pressure in local communities to get the schools up and running.

Communities on the U.S. mainland would not accept the circumstances under which many Puerto Rican schools are opening, Keleher added.

I am not satisfied with these conditions, Keleher said. Were mitigating the major risks. But the expectation should not be that schools have mold.

Puerto Ricos schools were allowed to re-open without power, although they did need to be able to provide water to students.

Click here to read our on-the-ground coverage of Puerto Ricos schools from October. For a video of the state of Puerto Ricos schools, see below:

Photo: Puerto Rico Education Secretary Julia Keleher works at her makeshift headquarters in the convention center in San Juan last month. (Swikar Patel/Education Week)

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Stranger Things co-stars Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton recently made a red carpet appearance together and fans couldn't be happier.

Is It Official?

Dyer and Heaton, who play the roles of Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers in the Netflix series, have been rumored to be romantically involved with each other for quite some time now.

Although neither of them has confirmed the relationship publicly, People reported that the couple is indeed dating and walked the red carpet together at the 2017 Fashion Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, on Monday, Dec. 4.

The pair, who also star as love interests on Stranger Things, posed for shutterbugs on the red carpet of the event with their arms wrapped around each other.

Heaton, 23, rocked a black shirt and matching trousers, which he coupled with a mustard-colored bomber jacket. Meanwhile, Dyer, 20, looked gorgeous in a burgundy short-sleeved dress, emblazoned with shimmering stars and polka dots.

Second Red Carpet Appearance

This isn't their first red carpet appearance this week. Dyer and Heaton also attended Burberry and Cara Delevingne's Christmas party together in London on Saturday night, Dec. 2.

The couple pulled off another chic look on Saturday as Dyer donned a purple suede coat over a polka dotted outfit and an orange scarf around her neck while Heaton sported a long black coat on top of a plaid top and printed khaki trousers.

Dyer and Heaton have a lot to celebrate this week as the Netflix series was renewed for a third season on Dec. 1.

Heaton Denied Entry Into US For Alleged Cocaine Possession

Heaton and Dyer's red carpet appearance on Monday night marks the British actor's first since he was denied entry into the United States.

About a month ago, the actor was detained at LAX and sent back to the United Kingdom after airport officials allegedly found cocaine in his possession. Heaton arrived in Los Angeles to attend the premiere of the second season of Netflix's breakout hit. Heaton later released a statement to People and apologized for his absence at the show's premiere.

"My planned travel to the U.S. last week was affected by an issue at U.S. immigration, and I am working to rectify it as soon as possible," the statement reads. "I do want to clarify that I was not arrested or charged with a crime, and cooperated fully with the U.S. officials at LAX."

He then expressed his apologies to fans and his Stranger Things co-stars for missing the premiere.

"We are all so proud of this season and I would never want this story to negatively impact the show," he added.
When it comes to migration, all eyes are now focused on the central Mediterranean route, which runs primarily from Libya to Italy. Until mid-July, irregular crossings from Libya to Italy were on course to become a record high with more than 200,000 arrivals and a corresponding number of drownings.

At the end of the summer, however, the number of arrivals suddenly fell between a quarter and a third when compared with the numbers recorded before the summer. The reasons for these developments are getting increasingly obvious. The number of people coming into Libya along migration routes from the neighboring countries dropped in 2016 which was also coupled with more assistance from the voluntary return program. There is also some evidence that migrants are increasingly turning towards the Western part of the Mediterranean but most importantly, the fall in the number of arrivals can be attributed to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that Italy signed with the UN-backed Libya government in February of this year. The deal talks about resuming past cooperation between Libya and Italy on issues such as security and migration while also aims at deepening migration policies.

Despite the good intentions, there are reasons that prompt many to reconsider the viability of the cooperation between the EU and Libya. Tracking the money flows from the EU is increasingly difficult, human rights are a constant issue and there are rumors that smugglers turned into coast guard officers overnight. The simple truth is that working with the countries along the migration routes was always an easy choice but never a complex treatment to a very convoluted problem.

Undeniably, Libya is far from an ideal partner. Yet, it is a straightforward partner whose motivations are clear: money and equipment are always useful. And even though the EU is now very vulnerable to mood and power dynamics within Libyas power structure, it is probable that more money could solve at least some of the future differences. There is also an alternative to the unsustainable situation before summer 2017 but it involves more actors and is therefore more unwieldy. Despite the voluntary return program, most migrants do not want to leave and arriving on EU soil is a de facto a ticket to stay, making public sentiment more and more hostile.

The African countries of origin need to persuade their own citizens to stay at home and they are often unwilling to do so. One reason for this is the fact that the diaspora is an important source of remittances, facilitating trade opportunities. Returning people is also unpopular in the destination countries and therefore there is a push in EU legislation to focus on future migrants rather than on the current ones. The expectation of being repatriated will over time decrease the number of crossings by those migrating for economic purposes. However, this strategy is only applicable if asylum procedures accompanied by all the necessary conditions to protect human rights are done relatively swiftly. Italy will likely continue bearing the brunt of this process and it will therefore need substantial physical and moral support by the European community.

Migrants in the Mediterranean: Easy and Difficult Solutions  Commentary by Mikkel Barslund  Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).

(The Commentary can be downloaded here)
Nashville, Tenn.

As reports of cyberattacks multiplyfrom national election-related hacking to school-level phishing scamsthe need for trained high school and postsecondary graduates in the field is growing.

And increasingly, industry, governments, and educators are looking to introduce students to online security earlier in their K-12 careers, in the hope of encouraging their continued academic study of the topic and their awareness of careers in the field.

If youre in high school, its almost too late, said Sheila Boyington, the president of Thinking Media , in a keynote address here on Monday at the NICE K-12 Cybersecurity Education Conference .

Creating curricular opportunities for younger students to learn the basics of networks, cryptography, and cyberethics is a topic in focus at the event taking place this week in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference is supported by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The elementary and secondary curriculum developed by the National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center weaves cybersecurity principles into core academic subjects, said Kevin Nolten, the organizations director of academic outreach, during a presentation at the conference. Funded through the Department of Homeland Security, all NICERC curricula and professional development are free for districts and schools.

Nolten pointed to a lesson on series and parallel circuits as an example of this integrated approach.

Instead of teaching the properties of electricity and ending the lesson there, NICERC asks students to imagine theres been a cyberattack on the nations power grid, and that its their responsibility to get the system back up and running.

Students learn how to rewire the lights, but they also get experience managing a cyberattack in real time.

We want to change the context of the [cybersecurity] content to something thats engaging to the student, said Nolten.

On-Ramps for Young Students

Some lessons are designed to incorporate robotics and programming tools, like the micro:bit , Raspbery Pi , Boe-Bot , and Arduino robot. Others reach beyond technical skills, tackling cyber ethics issues like the U.S. Patriot Act and the tension between privacy and security.

With lessons spanning multiple grade levels, NICERC hopes to create a cybersecurity interstate, said Nolten, with on-ramps in elementary school and off-ramps that include many different postsecondary education and career paths, from certification programs to bachelors degrees.

The number one reason that students do not major in STEM is that they do not know what these careers are, said Boyington.

Learning Blade , a career explorer tool designed by her company Thinking Media, offers virtual STEM-related missions that introduce middle school students to potential careers in these fields. The tool is available for free to all teachers in Tennessee and Arkansas through state partnerships.

One mission, supported by IT company Tata Consulting , asks students to imagine theyre conducting damage control after a hack to their schools network. The mission teaches how to secure social media accounts, websites, and apps.

The activity and similar lessons can demonstrate to young students how cybersecurity skills can help solve real-world problemsand that these skill sets can actually help society, said Boyington. Part of the focus on building STEM skills needs to include demonstrating this relevancy to students, she said.

We dont always take them to the finish line and show them that.

See more:
Hi you all! :yo:



I'd like to know whether ExpressEntry gives points for work experience before graduation or not.



I ask you this because I work as a software engineering and on this profession it is normal to work on the field before graduation.



I also ask you this because Australia for example does not give points for work experience before graduation, only after.
Washington

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments in its most high-profile case of the term, pitting the First Amendment rights of a Christian baker against a states prohibition against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The case is being watched by educators, from religious colleges worried they will be required by the government to act contrary to their theological beliefs to the teachers unions, which signed on to a brief supporting the same-sex couple who were denied a cake for their wedding reception.

At oral arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (Case No. 16-111), the justices were sharply divided.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., a member of the courts conservative bloc who voted against legalizing same-sex marriage in 2015, wondered whether a ruling against the baker would compel religious colleges to provide housing for same-sex couples on the same basis they provide it for straight couples.

But members of the courts liberal bloc wondered who would not qualify as an artist engaged in expressionA florist? a hairdresser? A makeup artist?

Why is there no speech in creating a wonderful hairdo? Justice Elena Kagan pressed Kristen K. Waggoner, the lawyer for Phillips, who had said some of those jobs were not necessarily involved in speech.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who has written all of the high courts major gay-rights decisions, expressed concerns an affront to the gay community by bakers who refused service to same-sex couples. But he was critical of anti-religious language used by one member of Colorados civil rights panel in proceedings below. The panel member had said, Freedom of religion and religion has been used to justify all kinds of discrimination throughout history, whether it be slavery, whether it be the Holocaust ... .

Tolerance is essential in a free society, Kennedy said. It seems the state in its position here has been neither tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillipss religious beliefs.

A Reference to Pledge of Allegiance Case

In July 2012, the same-sex couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins visited Masterpiece Cakeshop, a Lakewood, Colo., bakery owned by Jack C. Phillips.

Colorado did not recognize same-sex marriage at the time, so Craig and Mullins were to be married in Massachusetts. They were planning a reception for the Denver area and came to Phillipss shop for to discuss a cake.

Phillips, who describes himself as a cake artist, creates elaborate confections for weddings and other occasions. He is a devout Christian who wont even bake goods with Halloween themes.

Turned away by Philips, Craig and Mullins filed complaints about Masterpiece Cakeshop with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission that they had been discriminated against based on their sexual orientation, which is protected under Colorado law.

The state civil rights panel ordered Phillips to design wedding cakes for same-sex ceremonies if he also provides them for opposite-sex ones. And he was required to reeducate his staff about the states anti-discrimination law. (Phillips says he stopped offering wedding cakes in response, giving up 40 percent of his shops business.)

The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the commission, ruling among other things that Phillips does not convey a message supporting same-sex marriages merely by abiding by the law.

Phillips appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after Colorados highest court declined review. The baker prominently cites the high courts 1943 decision in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, which held that public schools could not compel schoolchildren to salute the U.S. flag.

Meanwhile, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of neither party, but arguing that the ruling below for the same-sex couple represents a serious, even existential threat to U.S. religious higher education.

For if the First Amendment allows a government to coerce Mr. Phillips to act and speak in ways contrary to his religious beliefs, it is a small step to concluding that nonprofit religious colleges have no First Amendment defense when the government coerces them to speak or act contrary to their beliefs or teachings, the brief says.

A friend-of-the-court brief signed by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association in support of Craig and Mullins argues that a decision for Phillips could lead to more same-sex couples facing rejection from private child-care facilities and schools on religious grounds.
Hi,



I like to trade in USA, European equities. Any suggestion/recommendations on which banks/organizations offer such services in UAE. Presently I am not looking at taking leverage.



Want to pay the least in commission/fees/charges.



Thanks.

Miky
I posted a question recently concerning a letter both my husband & I received from URSSAF concerning Social Charges on unearned Income.



Today, having seen an article in Connexion Newspaper they have flagged up two Scams circulating at the moment.



One is a Scam Email from Orange but more interesting is that apparently these letters supposedly from URSSAF are Scams. The letter is apparently poorly written, asking you to call an 0810 number if you want more information. Your Dossier apparently held in Limousin but letters are posted from Lyon.



Thought readers might be interested


Leading health charities, higher education organisations and science campaign groups have joined together to urge the British Government to ensure that they will be able to recruit highly trained technical staff.The major intervention from several of the UKs best known research funders and education organisations highlights the importance of international technicians in delivering world leading research and training the UKs future researcher workforce.Under existing non-European Economic Area (EEA) immigration rules, many highly qualified technicians are in roles which are not classified as skilled enough to be eligible for working visas. If the same system were applied to EEA nationals post-Brexit, universities and research institutions across the UK could struggle to fill many technical roles with appropriately skilled staff.The warning from campaigners came in a joint statement from the Russell Group, Universities UK, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, the Wellcome Trust, the Campaign for Science and Engineering, Cancer Research UK, the Science Council and the Institute of Cancer Research.In developing a future immigration system, Government has an opportunity to review how it can best support the recruitment of people with skills needed in the UK, including technical skills that underpin world-class research and teaching in universities, research institutes and industry, they said in a joint statement.Technicians are vital to the success of the UKs world leading research. They are a highly trained part of the workforce with a diverse range of expertise, providing essential support to research and knowledge transfer, the statement continued.Technicians directly contribute to research outputs and their subsequent impact and improve the efficiency of laboratory operations. Many also play a key role in building the UKs future workforce by teaching and developing the technical skills students require to pursue a future career in research, it added.The statement also pointed out that although most are highly qualified, their skill level, according the current non-EEA immigration system, isnt always high enough for them to be eligible for a working visa.Estimates suggest UK industry needs to recruit at least 70,000 new technicians every year to replace those retiring and to fill new positions and demand for STEM technicians is particularly acute. The groups also pointed out that growing the technical skills pipeline in the UK will take time.According to professor Karen Vousden, Cancer Research UKs chief scientist, an international technical workforce contribute essential skills and expertise to cancer research across the UK. The Government must design a future immigration system which enables us to attract, recruit and retain global scientific talent at all professional levels, she said.Kelly Vere, higher education engagement Manager for the Science Council, stressed that technicians make a vital contribution to teaching and research in the UK. To be a leading place for science and innovation, we need to attract and develop leading technical talent. Its crucial that the UKs immigration system recognises this and ensures future reforms support the recruitment of technician roles, she explained.Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, also believes that vital research could be compromised. Technical scientists are at the heart of the world leading cancer research that goes on here at the ICR. They make up nearly a quarter of the ICRs staff, and have been crucial to many of our most exciting discoveries, he said.Many of our technical scientists are EU citizens, and it is vital that the Government secures a deal that allows us to continue to recruit these talented people. We already find it difficult to attract staff in certain areas where there are skills shortages, and it would be damaging for us, and for the UKs competitiveness on the world stage, if further barriers around visa requirements were put in place, he added.
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Lets face it, winter in South Texas isnt exactly an exercise in survival from the elements. We can still usually go outside without a jacket and the fireplace may only need to be stoked a few times before its time to turn the air conditioner back on.

But that doesnt mean there isnt a changing of the taste buds, especially when it comes to our favorite adult beverage concoctions.

Theres definitely an adjustment into what people prefer (during the winter), said Justin Vitek, co-owner of the downtown On the Rocks Pub. Its sort of weird how that happens here, where the weather doesnt change too drastically, but it does.

Those margaritas are awfully tasty, but they get a little awkward when Bing Crosby is singing Christmas songs on the radio.

Drinks with umbrellas tend to disappear and the Moscow mules are often relegated back to the barn, making way for darker spirits that gently warm the insides, along with other bold flavors.

Bourbons and whiskeys come out better in the winter, said Zack Marland, co-bar manager of Bar 301 in Leon Springs. People tend to want a more boozy drink, like an old fashioned or a manhattan. Things slow down a tad, and people arent in as much of a hurry.

Heather Bury Stich, owner of The Recovery Room bar, looks at the cooler winter months as an opportunity to experiment. Shes a big fan of infusing spirits such as vodkas and gins with seasonal herbs like rosemary and other spices.

Area bars are currently in the process of rolling out new winter cocktail menus, with creative takes on martinis, bloody marys and other libations that can also be created in the home bar. We sought out four area bars with staff that provided two cocktail recipes each, ranging from the super simple to some more elaborate creations, including one that even calls for the use of live fire.

So get ready to mix it up and sit down with a freshly made winter cocktail in hand.

Recipe: Red Rider cocktail

Recipe: The 301 Float cocktail

Recipe: Espresso Warmer cocktail

Recipe: Smoky Old Fashioned cocktail

Recipe: Santa Baby Martini cocktail

Recipe: Christmas Tree Cure cocktail

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Martini

Recipe: Turkey Cranberry cocktail

cblount@express-news.net | @chuck_blount
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Convicted child killer Genene Jones, a former nurse sent to prison in 1984 for killing a toddler, was moved to San Antonio on Monday to face more charges that she caused the deaths of five children in the 1980s.

Jones was a nurse at hospitals in San Antonio and Kerrville in the 1980s. Dubbed the Angel of Death, she was convicted of murder in 1984 and sentenced to 99 years in prison in the death of 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan, who died in 1982 from a fatal overdose of muscle relaxers at the hand of Jones.

Jones also was convicted in Bexar County of injury to a child/serious bodily injury and sentenced to 60 years in prison for giving an overdose to Rolando Santos, who was 4 weeks old. He survived.

Her sentences are being served at the same time at the Texas Department of Criminal Justices Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville.

She has been indicted on five more murder charges, which came this year because Jones is set to be released in March 2018 under a law designed to prevent prison crowding.

In May, Bexar County District Attorney Nicholas Nico LaHood announced a Bexar County grand jury returned a murder indictment against Jones in the death of 11-month-old Joshua Sawyer on Dec. 12, 1981.

In June, the grand jury returned three more murder indictments against Jones in the deaths of Richard Ricky Nelson, 8 months, who died July 3, 1981; Patrick Zavala, 4 months, who died Jan. 17, 1982; and Rosemary Vega, 2-years-old, who died Sept. 16, 1981.

And in October, the grand jury indicted Jones in the death of 3-month-old Paul Villarreal. She is alleged to have injected him with the drug Heparin on Sept. 24, 1981.

In each case, the grand jury set Jones bail at $1 million, according to court records.

Jones is in the Bexar County jail, awaiting a trial setting in the 399th state District Court, presided by Judge Frank Castro.

LaHood said Monday evening that Jones would remain in Bexar County until there is an adjudication on each of the five cases.

Now its going to be up to the court to give us a scheduling order, he said. It will take a little bit of time. She will be here until the cases are resolved.

Her attorney, Cornelius Cox, did not return a call seeking comment Monday.

Staff Writer Kelsey Bradshaw contributed to this report. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
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EDINBURG  John Feit confided that he had gotten away with murder, Dale Tacheny said Monday on the stand in Feits murder trial.

Feit showed little remorse, Tacheny testified Monday, yet the troubled priest confessed in 1963 that he was still haunted by the sound of the heels of Irene Garza, a former beauty queen he is accused of killing in 1960. Tacheny was a Trappist monk at Assumption Abbey, a monastery in Ava, Missouri, when Feit was sent there. Tacheny left the monastery in 1967.

He put the young lady in a bathtub, the 88-year-old Tacheny testified. As he was leaving, the young lady said I cannot breathe, I cannot breathe. Then he left.

Feit attacked Garza in the church rectory, fondled her, then stored her in the basement while he went next door to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen to offer the sacrament of confession, Tacheny said.

Feit took a break to transport Garza to the pastoral house, a hotel in San Juan where he stayed, leaving her in a bathtub before returning to the church to again offer confession. When he returned the next day, Garza was dead, Feit allegedly confessed to Tacheny.

I asked him, Do you feel bad about any of these things, do you feel remorse, do you feel guilt? Tacheny said. He said, No, I get anxious when I hear  heels on a hard concrete, hard floor, Tacheny testified, rapping his knuckles on the witness stand for emphasis.

Tacheny said it wasnt his place in 1963 to take Feits admission to authorities. Instead, the monastery attempted to modify Feits behavior by having him imagine walking into a church, walking up to a woman and not attacking her.

Feit was a 27-year-old priest April 16, 1960, preparing to offer confession, when the 25-year-old Garza knocked on the door, he told investigators.

I had never made the acquaintance of this person before, Feit told investigators at the time, and to the best of my knowledge, Id never seen her before.

Several days after Garzas body was found, Feit gave investigators a meandering alibi. On the night Garza disappeared, she had asked to make a confession in the rectory at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Feit told investigators in 1960.

Feit, now 85, gave investigators conflicting versions of what transpired.

In that original statement to authorities, Feit said he did not hear her confession and that another priest had been present in the rectory when Garza arrived. But on June 14, 1960, Feit contradicted his earlier statement, saying he was alone and that he had indeed heard her confession.

It makes his first statement an obvious lie, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez testified. I believe it was deceitful.

The last Feit saw of Garza, she was standing on the sidewalk in front of the church in McAllen, he told investigators. Her body was found in an irrigation canal five days later. She had been beaten, raped while unconscious and asphyxiated.

Rodriguez read Feits 1960 statements while on the stand Monday. He first became involved with the murder investigation in 2001 when McAllen police revisited the cold case.

In 1960, Feit was living at the pastoral house in nearby San Juan, filling in at area parishes where he was needed.

On the night of April 16 and into the following day, Easter Sunday, Feit told investigators that he made six trips between the McAllen church and the pastoral house.

He explained that he scraped his hand while climbing to the second-story balcony of the pastoral house. Jose Garcia, 87, a classmate of Feits at what was then Pan American College in Edinburg, testified last week that he noticed what appeared to be scratch marks on the priests hands.

Garza had been Miss All South Texas Sweetheart in 1958 and a former prom and homecoming queen at Pan American College.

Contrary to Feits statement to investigators, Ana Marie Hollingsworth, 83, a friend of Garzas, testified Friday that Feit had pulled Garza out of a confessional booth at least once before to hear her confession face to face in the rectory, a practice that was highly unusual at the time.

Hollingsworth said her friend was disturbed by Feits behavior.

In the weeks leading up to Garzas killing, Feit reportedly had threatened several women and attacked America Guerra at a church in Edinburg. Feit pleaded no contest to assaulting her and was fined $500.

Cleotilde Tilly Sanchez, 80, a cook who worked at the rectory, testified last week that after the attack on Guerra, Feit called her at the rectory to say, Tilly, youre next, honey.

After Tacheny worked with Feit, the monastery sent Feit to Chicago and St. Louis to find out if his behavior had changed.

It wasnt until years later when another priest asked Tacheny to write a book that he revisited that episode of his life and decided to contact San Antonio police. Detective George Saidler took the call.

Tacheny didnt know the name of Feits alleged victim or where the murder had taken place  only that Feit had been trained as an oblate in San Antonio. He had also given Saidler 1963 as the date for the murder.

Saidler couldnt find any unsolved murders from San Antonio but a chance encounter with a Texas Ranger led him to the Garza cold case. In 2002, Texas Rangers, with testimony from two former priests  including Tacheny, who told investigators that Feit had confessed to the killing  reopened the case.

Feits attorney, O. Rene Flores, pressed Rodriguez, the police chief, to provide evidence of a crime scene linking his client to the murder.

You dont have any physical evidence or anything that was collected from the rectory that affirmatively links John Feit to the disappearance of Irene Garza, Flores asked.

No sir, Rodriguez said.

You dont have any evidence affirmatively linking John Feit to the disappearance of Irene Garza from what was known as the pastoral house, Flores asked.

Thats correct, Rodriguez said.

However, Rodriguez suggested that church officials had gotten rid of items belonging to Garza found in the rectory.

On Thursday, the first day of trial, Darrell Davis, a TV reporter in 1960, testified that the Hidalgo County district attorney, now dead, told him off the record that the plea in the Guerra case was part of a deal struck with the Catholic Church.

The states prosecutor, Michael Garza questioned why Tacheny finally approached San Antonio police after keeping quiet for decades.

Tacheny paused before answering. She had parents, he said, tearing up.

anelsen@express-news.net | Twitter: @amnelsen
A San Marcos police officer was fatally shot Monday afternoon while attempting to arrest a man on a warrant.

San Marcos Police Chief Chase Stapp said at a news conference that officer Kenneth Copeland, 58, was fatally shot when he and a small contingent of officers were ambushed at 2:23 p.m. in the El Camino Real subdivision.

Kens a hero  today was his day off, Stapp said before pausing. He worked just about every day off to provide for his kids because he knows that were short-handed and that we need help.

Stapp said Copeland is the first San Marcos police officer to be killed in the line of duty.

During the news conference, Stapp provided details of the fatal shooting.

Shortly after their arrival, it appears this individual began firing at the officers much like in an ambush-type situation, he said. The officers were there to arrest the man on charges related to a violent crime, he added.

Copeland, who was wearing ballistic armor, was struck several times, police said. Officers pulled him out of the area, Stapp said.

One officer rushed him to the Central Texas Medical Center in a police car. He was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m., Stapp said.

Other officers at the scene surrounded the home in hopes of talking the man out of the house.

The Hays County-San Marcos joint SWAT and crisis negotiation teams responded to the scene.

He did later come out and surrender to officers and has been taken into custody, Stapp said, adding that the man was shot during the incident.

Investigators did not know Monday evening if the man shot himself or was shot by an officer at the scene.

The man has been taken to an area hospital, where he is being guarded until he is medically stable enough to be taken into custody, Stapp said.

Stapp did not identify the shooter nor offer further details on the warrant being served because the man had not yet been brought before a judge.

Copeland, a 19-year-veteran of the force, leaves behind a wife and four children.

Were not accustomed to this, with the exception of helping other agencies in the nearby area deal with this when it happens to them, Stapp said.

San Marcos Mayor John Thomaides called for the citys support as they mourn the loss of a member of our family.

No city is prepared for this, Thomaides said. We are all mourning together, and we will continue to mourn even as we all get back to the business of serving our citizens.

San Marcos City Manager Bert Lumbreras described seeing officers reacting to Copelands death.

I can tell you I saw a lot of crying; I saw peoples hearts ripped out, Lumbreras said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement: Today we grieve for the family of the fallen San Marcos police officer, and we vow swift justice for the killer. The men and women in law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect and to serve our communities, and we will never forget their sacrifices.

Cecilia and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the officers family and to the entire San Marcos Police Department.

This will mark the 14th officer shot in the line of duty this year in Texas, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths.

Officers around our state courageously serve and deserve our utmost honor and respect, especially during this time, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. Please join Angela and me as we pray for the officers family, the people of San Marcos, and for our law enforcement officers around the state.

kbradshaw@express-news.net | Twitter: @kbrad5 | jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA
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NEW BRAUNFELS  Several new detention centers are in various stages of development in the greater San Antonio area, including a $76 million public safety initiative in Comal County hailed as perhaps the most costly and significant capital project in the countys history.

This is quite a big occasion for Comal County, County Judge Sherman Krause told the audience at a groundbreaking ceremony last week. Were not only building a bigger jail, but were also adding office space for our sheriff and trying to get some of his officers out of closets.

Sheriff Mark Reynolds said the local fervor over the project likely mirrored the enthusiasm felt 34 years ago when construction began on a new 144-bed jail on South Water Lane, which has been expanded to 337 beds since then.

The new 566-bed jail, designed by HDR Architects, will incorporate design elements used in detention facilities in other communities that local officials toured since voters approved issuing bonds in 2015 to fund the project.

Other detention facilities in the works include the jail Kerr County, set to reopen soon after a major expansion. Contractors are also busy on new law enforcement facilities in Kendall County, and ground was broken weeks ago on $106 million in upgrades at the Hays County Sheriffs Department and Jail.

Meanwhile, Atascosa County Commissioners are expected to issue $10 million in debt this month to nearly double the inmate capacity of the jail there.

Around the state there is an increase in jail construction that began several years ago after an extended lull, DRG Architects Wayne Gondeck, an architect on 150 justice projects since the 1970s, said Friday.

Population growth in the greater San Antonio region is driving the need for additional jail cells, but Gondeck reported incarceration rates have also climbed, from about 1 inmate per 1,000 residents decades ago to nearly 3 per 1,000 now.

Jail construction is more or less cyclical, but the overall incarceration rates have gone up over time, said Gondeck, whose firm is currently working on the Kerr County jail and for Bexar County on a $60 million project that includes adding 512 beds to the existing detention center in San Antonio.

Jails often are the last component of infrastructure built in rapidly growing areas, said Mike Kaiman, vice president and general manager of Turner Construction, which has contracts to build the projects in Kendall, Hays and Bexar counties.

The first things are home building, retail and then schools and roads being built, he said. The last thing thats every on anybodys mind is, How are we going to deal with the increased jail population?

When a county jail fills up, the options to avoid intervention by the state jail commission are to rent jail beds in other counties  an expense that can add up in a hurry  or to begin taking steps to expand capacity.

Weve spent $860,000 since January boarding inmates in other counties, said Krause, the Comal County judge, on Friday.

Kendall County voters in 2004 rejected issuing $7 million in bonds to replace its 54-bed jail, but in 2015 later approved spending $22 million for a new 102-bed jail and new sheriffs offices next to the existing jail and law enforcement center in Boerne.

Its unfortunate that we have to build a new jail. Its not unfortunate that were building a better place for our employees, said Kendall County Judge Darrel Lux, Their offices were in dire need of improvement.

One unusual design aspect of the new facility on Staudt street are huge culverts being installed beneath its parking lot to convey water in an unnamed creek that traverses the construction site.

Kendall County Sheriff Al Auxier said work should wrap up by the end of 2018 on the new jail and sheriffs offices, and the conversion of the current sheriffs office and jail into quarters for the countys adult probation department.

I dont know that ours is going to last that long before we have to expand it again because of the growth explosion that were experiencing, he said.

Because Kerr County vacated its jail during work on its expansion, Kendall County had to look elsewhere in recent months to board its overflow inmate population, which averages about 15.

Steve Huser, president of the firm doing the $15 million project in Kerr County, convinced officials there it was worthwhile to spent $7,000 a day boarding all prisoners elsewhere so his crews could expedite work without concerns about security or jeoparding inmates health with fumes and dust.

Normally they try to cordon off areas to work, if possible, with the inmates still there, said Perry Rabke, the project architect with DRG.

Besides finishing ahead of schedule on upgrading sheriffs department facilities and expanding the jail to 328 beds from 192, vacating the entire jail permitted Huser Construction to also strip and resurface all the old cells and floors.

I want this to last 20 years, Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer said of the newly-finished facilities that are slated to be reoccupied by prisoners Dec. 11.

Atascosa County Judge Robert Hurley hopes the planned addition of 92 beds to the countys 138-bed jail in Jourdanton will allow the county to reap income from renting vacant beds to other counties.

Besides a boost in local crime he traced to the recent infusion of oil field workers, Hurley linked the need for more jail space around South Texas to delays in shipping prison-ready inmates to state lockups, and the detention in jails of alleged parole violators while they await a decision in Austin on their cases.

Ive tried to get legislation passed that would have required the state to pay counties for boarding blue warrant prisoners (parole violators) but have not been able to, Hurley said.

State law requires prison-bound inmates to be transferred within 45 days of sentencing to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said agency spokesman Jason Clark, noting the current average is 22 days.

The state has shuttered eight detention facilities since 2011, comprising about 7,800 beds, as its overall inmate population declined from about 156,000 then to 147,000 today, he said.

An opening in late 2019 is forecast for the Hays County project that includes adding about 240 jail beds to the existing 362-bed jail, and building a new public safety building for sheriffs personnel at another site in San Marcos.

Were spending about $10,000 a day to rent space in other jails, not including transportation costs, Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler said Thursday. This morning Ive got 179 prisoners in other counties.

Even though some funds spent on jail expansions are recouped by renting empty beds to other counties, the costly projects usually add unwelcome pennies to county tax rates.

As former Comal County Sheriff Bob Holder put it after Wednesdays ceremony, investing in lockups to safeguard citizens is a necessary evil.

zeke@express-news.net
Manuel Medina, the controversial chairman of the Bexar County Democratic Party, apparently has a habit of encouraging his own disciples to run against well-regarded incumbents in the Democratic primary.

Case in point: Robert Escobedo, a Democratic Party precinct chair who served as a loyal foot soldier for Medinas failed mayoral campaign this year. On Monday, Escobedo told me that Medina has encouraged him to run against state Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, in the March 6 primary  a scenario that Medina denied.

Manuel said, Man, you are the perfect candidate. If anybody deserves to run, you do, said Escobedo, 73, who has never before run for public office. He knows my qualifications. Im completely bilingual, bicultural.  Maybe he feels like Bernal isnt doing a good job, either.

That sort of thing bothers Monica Ramirez Alcantara: one of the reasons the local paralegal is running to replace Medina as party chair. She filed a treasurers appointment on Monday.

Thats unfortunate that thats occurring, Alcantara said. Once somebody has been elected, I believe we should provide them the support and resources that they need and help them along the way.  We need to stay out of the primary process and not pick sides.

She added, I believe that we need to provide support to our legislators when theyre in session, and I dont believe thats been occurring.

Bernal would concur.

The legislator was critical of the party chairman during the latters mayoral campaign, complaining that Medinas political ambitions at home interfered with his obligations to elected officials during a grueling session for Democrats at the state Capitol.

While waging his ill-fated campaign, Medina effectively hijacked the local party, leasing the Bexar County Democratic Party headquarters for use as his mayoral campaign office  and partnering with tea-party Republicans in the process. Meanwhile, the party chairman paid scant attention to Democrats under siege in the Legislature.

I was frustrated with the lack of support during the legislative session because the party was focused on the mayoral race at the exact same time, Bernal told me. Maybe (Medina) is unhappy with that.

On Monday, Medina told me exactly why he was unhappy with Bernal  but not before disputing that hed recruited Escobedo to run against him.

Whatever (Escobedo) said, great. Hes in campaign mode, Medina said. The truth is that Diego is a state rep, hes an incumbent state rep and Ive endorsed all our incumbents. I dont go around dissuading people from running, is also true.  Some people would like me to dissuade candidates, but thats not my job.

State Rep. Ina Minjarez, D-San Antonio, is another respected incumbent who recently picked up a political novice for a primary opponent. Medina has denied an allegation that he encouraged Sergio Contreras to run against Minjarez. But he made crystal clear that Bernal and Minjarez are both on his naughty list this year.

I do have problems with some candidates when they dont become sustaining members of the Democratic Party and help turn Texas blue, Medina said. And coincidentally, Ina and Diego are not sustaining members of the Democratic Party.

Medina defined a sustaining member as someone who pays the party at least $10 a month.

So yes, I have an issue with Ina and Diego, he said. But it has nothing to do with whos running against them. Theyve registered zero voters, recruited zero election judges and done nothing to increase turnout in the precincts they represent so we can turn Texas blue.

Theyre on the sidelines while everyone else works, Medina added, and I would imagine thats why they get opponents.

Perhaps its also a coincidence that Bernals out-of-nowhere primary opponent is a Medina loyalist.

I worked very diligently on Manuels (mayoral) campaign, Escobedo said. I delivered most of the Southwest Side to him.  I would hire people off the street to go out and knock on doors and pass out fliers.

Escobedo, who began weeping when our conversation turned toward his late grandmother, said hes running because hes tired of politicians with Hispanic surnames who dont speak Spanish.

Theyre not Hispanic, he said. Theyre a bunch of coconuts.  I dont care about Manuels support. To me, Im getting a message from God Almighty: Hey, its your turn. Its your time.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
News / National

by Staff reporter

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development has launched a probe into delays by Austrian firm, Geiger International, to start work on the Harare  Beitbridge Highway dualisation project, six months after a ground-breaking ceremony was held.Committee chairman Mr Dexter Nduna, yesterday said they have demanded to be furnished with agreements between the contractor and Government, as part of a fact finding mission ahead of recommendations that are expected to guide the implementation of the key infrastructure project."We have also requested that they bring in the agreement that they went into with the Government of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Transport (and Infrastructure Development) in particular on the day that they appear," Mr Nduna told journalists after Geiger snubbed an invitation to give oral evidence on the progress of the project yesterday.He said Geiger officials had indicated to Parliament, through unofficial means, that their country representative was in Hong Kong and therefore had failed to attend the portfolio committee.The committee has rescheduled the session to December 11. Mr Nduna said if Geiger fails to attend the session, it will be charged with contempt of Parliament. He said his committee is currently not aware of the details of the agreements entered into between the contractor and Government."We need the agreement so that we unpack it. In the same vein, I have asked the Ministry of Transport to give us the agreement with Group Five because we believe in the Plumtree-Harare-Mutare highway is embedded a clause that speaks to and about the equipment that was used on the highway project."It is the belief of the committee that something has gone dangerously wrong; the train has gone off the railway as it relates to the distribution and onward transmission of the equipment that was used. We have asked that agreement comes to Parliament so that we can now bring in Group Five so that they answer," said Mr Nduna.The probe by Parliament comes as work on the Beitbridge dualisation project has stalled despite initial plans to have commenced construction in April 2016.Dates were shifted to October 2017 but nothing is yet to materialise. As reported earlier by our sister publication, Business Weekly, the project was yet to take off amid claims Government had not given tax concessions to the company through a Statutory Instrument.However, the Ministry of Finance said all was in order as the deal had been granted national project status, giving it free duty on capital equipment and special taxes on expatriate labour.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in China this week building on the work achieved during Agriculture Minister Lawrence Macaulays recent trade mission to the country.

There was some good news for Canada's beef industry as Trudeau and China's premier announced an agreement to expand access for Canadian beef into China.

China will allow the importation of Canadian fresh chilled beef in a pilot project, and establish the documentation to enable bone-in beef trade.

I am happy to say that their demand for beef is also growing and Canadian ranchers are glad to have more opportunity to supply them, thanks to the expanded access announced today by Prime Minister Trudeau, said Canadian Cattlemens Association (CCA) Vice President David Haywood-Farmer. If we can someday reach a free trade agreement, our objective would be to eliminate the Chinese tariffs on Canadian beef as well.

Previously Canadian beef exports had been limited to frozen boneless beef, with bone-in access approved in principle last year, subject to establishing the documentation requirements.

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) and Canada Beef estimate that the new access announced could be worth $125 million in additional beef exports to China over the next five years.

There was also a positive development on the pork side, as both countries agreed to start a pilot project for the export of Canadian chilled pork to China.

Canada has a particular expertise in exporting chilled pork, especially to Japan, where shares of chilled Canadian pork continues to climb. In 2016 alone, Canada exported 132,094 tonnes of chilled pork to Japan valued at $755m, a 5% volume increase over the previous year.

This announcement cannot come at a more critical time says Rick Bergmann, Chair of the Canadian Pork Council. We are very grateful for all the hard work being done by Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Champagne to improve access and are pleased that Minister MacAulays trade mission was able to contribute to this success.

Source : Steinbachonline
An historic event saw three accomplished and outstanding Canadian women inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame at a special awards banquet on November 30, 2017 in Calgary, Alberta. The 2017 inductees are Robynne Anderson, Patty Jones and Jean Szkotnicki.

We are so proud as an organization to be recognizing these three extraordinary women for their contributions to the Canadian agriculture industry, and the contributions we know they will continue to make, says Guy Charbonneau, President of the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association. They are all trailblazers and focused their professional passion for our industry by leaving a lasting legacy in publishing and consulting, livestock photography and animal health.

Robynne Anderson

Nominated by Canadian Seed Growers Association, Canadian Seed Trade Association, SeCan and Stokes Seeds

Robynne is a visionary leader and facilitator of change. Shes dedicated her professional career to supporting, promoting and advancing the Canadian seed industry on many fronts in Canada and internationally. She was raised on a family seed farm in Manitoba, and began her career in agricultural advocacy in the political arena, working on legislation impacting the Plant Breeders Rights Act.

She worked extensively with the Canadian Seed Trade Association after launching Issues Ink, an agricultural publishing and consulting company that created agricultural publications including Germination, Seed World, Spud Smart, Flavourful and CAAR Communicator. In 2010, Robynne started Emerging Ag, a consulting firm to the agricultural sector. Her contributions to Canadian agriculture are extensive and diverse  including the push for identity preservation through the food production chain and as a media commentator on the seed, biotech, crop protection and fertilizer sectors. Her issues management work reaches throughout the value chain working with farmers, food processors, scientists and government.

On the international stage, Robynne founded Farming First, an international coalition of farmers, industry, civil society and academia that has become the leading voice for global agricultural advocacy. She helped make the UNs 2016 International Year of Pulses a reality, built the International Agri-Food Network and co-founded a non-profit organization that supports orphans to learn agricultural skills through schools in Zambia.

Patty Jones

Nominated by Semex

As photographer to the bovine stars, Patty Jones photographs have changed the way animals are marketed in Canada and around the world. Over the past 44 years, Patty has taken more than 65,000 photographs as the owner and operator of the largest livestock photography business in Canada  Canadian Livestock Photography Inc.

Pattys photographs have made an immeasurable contribution to the Canadian dairy industry, bringing genetics to life to help breeders market cow families and breeding stock. The Canadian artificial insemination industry has used her bull and daughter pictures of proven sires as an effective marketing tool for the global frozen semen market. Shes created a priceless visual history of breed improvements in Canadian dairy cattle.

Pattys style, skill and patience creates the perfect picture every time, and her signature on a photograph is synonymous with success. Shes photographed cattle around the world, captured champions of every dairy breed at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and provided photography at national, provincial and regional 4-H shows.

Patty received the highest honour from Holstein Canada in 2012 with its Certificate of Superior Accomplishment for her outstanding business achievements, mentorship, leadership and promotion of the Holstein breed. She is a long time contributor to the Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund. Pattys passion for the industry goes beyond photography  she is the owner of Silvercap Holsteins that buys, sells, shows and breeds Holstein and Jersey cattle.

Jean Szkotnicki

Nominated by Byron Beeler and Canadian Animal Health Institute

Jeans unique brand of quiet determination has delivered tremendous leadership to the Canadian animal health industry. For more than 25 years, Jean has led the Canadian Animal Health Institute by skillfully balancing the responsibility of advocating for veterinary pharmaceutical companies with the needs of the veterinarians, livestock producers and public.

One of Jeans major achievements for Canadian agriculture was closing abused legislative loopholes that permitted importation and use of veterinary pharmaceuticals through Own Use Import and use of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients politics that allowed large quantities of non-Health Canada licensed medications to be imported and used in Canada. Her persistence over more than two decades ultimately brought together all stakeholders, including farmers, industry, veterinarians and regulators.

Jean is an international champion for antimicrobial resistance  an issue of major concern to agriculture that impacts the use of antibiotics in farm and companion animals. Shes been instrumental in ensuring antimicrobials are used properly as part of a One Health approach to human and animal antibiotic use in Canada.

Jeans passion for public trust in Canadian agriculture guides her work on numerous industry boards including the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity and the Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare at the University of Guelph. An articulate problem solver, Jean has earned the trust and respect of government regulators in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

Source : Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association
"Both the quantity and quality of what we produce is dependent on the biology of our soils, we need our policies and programs in soil revitalisation to be based on rigorous scientific research, and the Soil and Land Conservation Council can provide the bedrock of knowledge to drive a real improvement in our soils and agricultural productivity.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Former ZBC presenter Ezra Tshisa Sibanda has been encouraged by President Emmerson Mnangagwa following the dismissal of Lazarus Dokora as Minister of Primary and secondary education due to the concerned raised by citizens."Dokora fired! Surely it's encouraging that President ED Mnangagwa is showing signs of being a leader who is both Responsive and reactive. After public outcry, Dokora has been sacrificed out of many and removed as Minister of Primary and Secondary Education and replaced by Prof Mavima, a highly educated technocrat. He also added another female to his cabinet as he appointed Mrs Petronella Kagonye as Minister of Labour and Social Welfare," Sibanda said."As complex and sensitive as our internal relationships in Zimbabwe are, he rightly saw it fit to appoint Professor Clever Nyathi to a Presidential advisory position for Peace and Reconciliation. Of major significance is the appointment of a special advisor to the Presidents office for Disability Issues. He appointed Cde Joshua Teke Malinga to this role showing the progressive intentions of his administration. People should give Pres ED a chance to get on with it."
Dustin Hoffman has cited his film 'Tootsie' as evidence of his respect for women.

Dustin Hoffman

The 80-year-old actor was accused by Anna Graham Hunter, who worked as an intern on his movie 'Death of a Salesman' in 1985, of sexually harassing her on the set 32 years ago.

Anna alleged Dustin "grabbed" her ass on the set and asked her to give him a foot massage and her claims led to him issuing a statement in which he said: "I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am."

Hoffman has now been confronted about the allegation by 'Last Week Tonight' host John Oliver at a panel event to promote the 20th anniversary of his film 'Wag the Dog' in New York.

Hoffman defended himself vehemently during the discussion as the British comedian and TV presenter refused to let the subject lie.

According to The Washington Post, Hoffman referenced 'Tootsie' as he said: "I would not have made that movie if I didn't have an incredible respect for women. The theme of the movie is he became a better man by having been a woman."

The 1982 film sees Dustin star as an unsuccessful actor who disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role in a soap opera.

'The Graduate' star said that when dressed as a woman he found some of the men on set ignored him and that gave him insight into what it was like to be a woman.

He recalled: "I said when I came home to my wife that I never realised men were that were brutal, that men are that obvious. They didn't find me attractive and they just erased me ... What makes me sad is that I grew up in an environment in which we were taught to want the girls on the covers of magazines, the models, and I said to my wife 'Look at how many interesting women I passed up ... look at how many women were erased by me because of the generation I was born.' That was a very strong reason for me wanting to make that movie."

HBO presenter Oliver has won praise on social media for forcing Dustin to confront the allegations, but was heckled by some members of the audience for his harsh confrontational manner.

During the discussion, Oliver accused Hoffman of only apologising after being encouraged to do so by his agent, and stressed that it was a conditional apology "if" there was anything he "might" have done, adding: "It didn't happen the way she reported".

Oliver said: "I'm not the moral arbiter of anything. It's just ... 'It's not reflective of who I am.'

"It's that kind of response to this stuff that p***es me off. Because it is reflective of who you were. If it happened - and you've given no evidence to show that it didn't happen - then there was a period in time, for a while, when you were creeping around women. So it feels like a cop out to say 'Well, this isn't me.' Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?"
Lindsay Lohan is ready to return to her movie career.

Lindsay Lohan

The 31-year-old actress - who started out as a model at the age of just three - hasn't made a film since 2013's 'The Canyons' and has been living in London and with Syrian refugees while she got her life back on track following a turbulent period of numerous stints in rehab and run-ins with the law.

However, she's now back in New York for the holiday period and reportedly plans to use her break to also take meetings about potential new projects.

Insiders told The Blast that acting has always been the 'Mean Girls' star's "true passion" and she feels the life experiences she's gained over the last few years can only help refine her talents.

Lindsay - who appeared in West End stage show 'Speed-the-Plow' in 2014 and has shot scenes for British comedy series 'Sick Note' which are due to air soon - isn't looking for a particular genre of movie and is willing to take her time with her comeback in order to attach herself to the "right" script and project.

The 'Parent Trap' star previously admitted she has "found peace" since leaving the US.

She said: "Yeah, I miss Hollywood.

"[But] I think there's a lot of noise that we deal with, so I found a kind of peace in life working with children and helping other people that really interest me.

"I think it's important for us to see that all of this stuff is fun, but you have to take time for you."

Earlier this year, Lindsay visited Syrian refugees fleeing from the war-torn country to Turkey and revealed her hopes that her visit would help to raise awareness of those being displaced by the unrest in the country.

She admitted: "I cried right away, right off the bat. These kids... they're scared of bombs going off every second.

"But you just see that they have this light inside of them and seeing a new face in somebody willing to teach them, sit with them, and bringing attention to other people coming to do that is really important.

"I mean, the stories of some of these women, and this young girl Bana [Alabed, a refugee she met in Turkey], who's the first child who has a voice in what's going on, it's incredible."
Miranda Kerr is "really excited" to add to her family with husband Evan Spiegal after they announced her pregnancy last month.

Miranda Kerr and Evan Spiegal

The 34-year-old mother of one - who already has six-year-old son Flynn with ex-husband Orlando Bloom - is looking forward to having her first child with her new man, who she tied the knot with in May.

Speaking to Us Weekly, she said: "We're just really excited to expand our family."

Her son Flynn is also happy with the news, with Miranda revealing he can't wait to become a big brother to his future sibling.

She added: "Oh, he's very excited. It's so sweet."

While Miranda has been pregnant before, she admitted this time has been more difficult as she has been suffering with "hormonal headaches" for the first time.

She explained: "I have been getting hormonal headaches, which I never got with Flynn.

"Apparently, my doctor said [with] the second pregnancy, your hormones kind of kick in a little stronger because they're like, 'Oh, yeah. I know what's happening. I know what to do.' So that's probably why."

The Victoria's Secret Angel and her Snapchat founder spouse revealed the exciting news in a statement last month.

A spokesperson told DailyMail.com: "Miranda, Evan, and Flynn are looking forward to welcoming the newest member of their family."

Miranda and Evan, 27, tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in May after over two years of dating, and the former Victoria's Secret Angel revealed before they tied the knot that they weren't going to have sex until they were married because of the Snapchat founder's "traditional" views.

Speaking before they wed, she said:"I don't [use birth control]."

Asked if that means she is planning another child, she replied: "Not yet. Not until after we get married. My partner is very traditional.

"We can't... I mean, we're just... waiting."
HUF Holdings will sell 90 per cent of the HUF brand to Japanese apparel group TSI Holdings for $63 million by mid-December. The latter, which also distributes the Stussy brand under its subsidiary Jack, plans to apply a model similar to that it used for Stussy and expects to significantly increase the HUF brands annual revenue in Japan within five years.US brand HUF, founded by skateboarder Keith Hufnagel in 1992, currently has three retail stores in Japan that annually generate 400 million yen.

HUF Holdings will sell 90 per cent of the HUF brand to Japanese apparel group TSI Holdings for $63 million by mid-December. The latter, which also distributes the Stussy brand under its subsidiary Jack, plans to apply a model similar to that it used for Stussy and expects to significantly increase the HUF brand's annual revenue in Japan within five years.#

In 2014, HUF received a significant investment from Altamont Capital, which declined to comment on the sale of HUF, according to an American news portal.TSI would like to expand HUF in China as well, said TSI Holdings president Tadashi Saito. TSI is reportedly chasing a joint venture with a leading Chinese apparel firm and plans to nearly double the brand's overseas sales from 5.1 billion yen to 10 billion in the next five years. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The National Retail Federation, the worlds largest retail trade association with members from the United States and more than 45 countries, has welcomed the recent passage of a tax reform legislation by the US Senate, saying the action will help boost consumer confidence and savings from reforms could be enough to pay for many families holiday shopping.Consumers and voters are beginning to realize that tax reform will create jobs, leave more money in the pockets of middle-class Americans and give our nations economy the biggest boost its seen in decades, an NRF press release said quoting president and CEO Matthew Shay.

The National Retail Federation, the world's largest retail trade association with members from the United States and more than 45 countries, has welcomed the recent passage of a tax reform legislation by the US Senate, saying the action will help boost consumer confidence and savings from reforms could be enough to pay for many families' holiday shopping.#

NRF hopes members of the House of Representatives and the Senate will reconcile the differences between their versions of the legislation and a final bill is signed into law at the earliest, Shay added. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA) plans to send technicians to Angola for experimental cotton cultivation in the Capanda Agricultural Hub in Malanje province. Field trials with cotton varieties using a drip irrigation system, in collaboration with the Angolan Institute of Agrarian Development, will assess their adaptability and yield.JICA support will bring in irrigation equipment, seeds, fertilizers and cotton pressing machinery, a Portuguese news agency report cited the Japanese Embassy in Luanda as saying.

The Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA) plans to send technicians to Angola for experimental cotton cultivation in the Capanda Agricultural Hub in Malanje province. Field trials with cotton varieties using a drip irrigation system, in collaboration with the Angolan Institute of Agrarian Development, will assess their adaptability and yield.#

Angola first witnessed cotton cropping in the mid 16th century during the Portuguese colonial period. The countrys cotton production reached a record of 86,000 tons in 1973, making it one of the worlds largest producers.But the civil war after the proclamation of independence in 1975 virtually ended cotton production. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

ZimFirst leader Maxwell Shumba has described former Primary and secondary education minister Lazarus Dokora as having been former President Robert Mugabe's blue-eyed boy s assigned as an English teacher on the Cuban Teachers training programme.He said for 4 years he (Shumba) was a student of Lazarus Dokora, the loony Zimbabwean Minister of Education."Dokora was assigned as an English Teacher on the Cuba Teachers Training Program, a role which was meant to keep Student Teachers' English language proficiency up to speed in an all Spanish learning environment. He was always sneaky and had some aloofness in him. He was different and we did not know why. A few years later after I graduated I was shocked to hear that Dokora visited my friend's house in the middle of the night with CIO operatives demanding property he had given to my friend as a courier upon leaving Cuba;" he said."Dokora and his hoodlums were ruthless in executing a military-style operation which left the family deeply traumatized. The crime was that their son kept the TV and stereo instead of taking it from Harare to Gweru where Dokora intended to sell the merchandise. Hearing this horrifying story it finally dawned on us that all along Dokora was less a lecturer than a Mugabe assigned man in our classes. His English classes we all knew were worthless and nobody ever cared whether they attended or not. He was just being there and enjoying the Cuban sunshine and the perks that came on being Mugabe's eye on the program."He said when he finally left his lecturer post in Cuba Dokora became a Director in the Ministry of Higher Education and eventually, a Deputy Minister and of late perennial Minister on Mugabe's know nothing cabinet executing the geriatric's crazy missions."That's Dokora's brief resume for you. He is mean, arrogant and vicious. And Mugabe's blue-eyed boy. Those who live in Mashonaland Central have horrific stories to tell about this man from past election cycles when he commandeered troops of political thugs," he said."In a country facing economic doom, he is in the news every day. First for banning Scripture Unions in Schools, then the decree on the pledge in Schools and the latest decree on making teachers wear a uniform. The Emperor has no clothes. What a shame! Why is Dokora doing all this? The answer is anybody's guess but my best shot is that he is simply following orders from the man who brought him on board the gravy train. Mugabe is 92 years old and senile. He is married to a narcissistic wife. The combination of senilism (word is my invention) and narcissism is what we witness today. True to their behaviour Mugabe and his wife want to create diversions so that people don't focus on the myriad of illnesses afflicting the nation."He said everything has broken down in Zimbabwe and what a better way to distract the attention of Zimbabweans than make them focus on trivialities."Predictably we have fallen into the trap once again. Social media is awash with Dokora crazy stuff. Dokora this, Dokora that and nothing is neither progressive nor productive. It's all regression but to his credit, Dokora is doing Mugabe's dirty bidding very well. He is a man who owes Mugabe years of riding on the gravy train and so far he gets a pass on repaying his debt;" he said."More horrible stuff is expected to come from the pot cooked by Mr Senile and Mrs Narcism and dished by none other than Lazarus Dokora. We will change that without fear."
The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) recently wrote a letter to the United Nations, the European Union (EU), the United States and other foreign embassies urging continued economic support for the countrys garment industry and its 700,000 workers despite the deteriorating political climate amid a clampdown on civil society and media.The letter follows five separate letters from trade unions urging foreign buyers to continue purchasing Cambodian garments, according to a newspaper report in the country.

The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) recently wrote a letter to the United Nations, the European Union (EU), the United States and other foreign embassies urging continued economic support for the country's garment industry and its 700,000 workers despite the deteriorating political climate amid a clampdown on civil society and media.#

Concerned that foreign buyers may reduce their purchases as a result of the Cambodian governments recent actions to stifle dissent, GMAC deputy secretary general Kaing Monika urged countries not to misunderstand the situation in Cambodia.The EU responded to the dissolution of the primary opposition party in the country by saying that Cambodias Everything But Arms (EBA) trade status is dependent on respect for human rights. The United States has pulled election funding and US lawmakers have not ruled out the possibility of sanctions.Monika believed the EU would not cancel the EBA if it correctly considered the Cambodian governments decision, but he does not think losing the EBA status would cause irreparable damage, the report added. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been among the first to personally congratulate His Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Wales, on his engagement to Ms. Meghan Markle.



At a meeting in London, the PM and Prince Harry also discussed Fijis growing engagement with the Commonwealth, new opportunities for cooperation between Fiji and the United Kingdom and the historical ties between the Fijian and British peoples.



Prince Harry commended Fiji for hosting the upcoming Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in February and expressed his appreciation for the major contributions made by Fijians in the British Army, many of whom he served alongside during his own military service, including a deployment in Afghanistan.



His Royal Highness congratulated Fiji for winning the Gold medal in Rugby Sevens at the 2016 Olympic Games. He said he was keen follower of Fijian rugby and passionate about watching Fiji play. He also reiterated Britain's support for Fijis efforts to rebuild after Cyclone Winston, and thanked Fiji for its initiatives in environmental sustainability and food security.



For his part, Prime Minister Bainimarama thanked Prince Harry for his work in assisting the development of young people in vulnerable communities around the world. Prince Harry asked that the PM pass on the best wishes of the Royal Family to the Fijian people.



The Prime Minister is currently in London to attend the 52nd Session of the International Sugar Organisation.



-ENDS-


The Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has set out Fiji's vision for supporting Fijians affected with albinism at a meeting in Suva with Ms. Ikponwasa Ero, the United Nations Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of Human Rights by Persons with Albinism, on 29 November 2017. At the meeting, they discussed the complexities of albinism, the unique obstacles that are faced by Fijians living with the condition, and solutions to ease their integration into Fijian society.



The Attorney-General said that the Fijian Government looks forward to working with the office the Independent Expert to ensure progressive realisation of rights of persons with albinism and disabilities.



In their discussions, the Attorney-General also highlighted Fijis recently ratified Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He distinguished that albinism in itself is not considered as a disability in the same vein as a physical difference, such as a spinal injury.



Instead, he noted that the condition often, but not always, manifests itself concurrently in the form of another disability, such as visual impairment. Ms. Ero added that persons with albinism are also usually sensitive to sunlight, and are thereby more prone to skin cancer, which can pose a particular risk in tropical climates like Fiji.



"Fiji strives to set a bold example in inclusive development by ingraining equal opportunity into our economic growth, and that means making special efforts to provide Fijians affected with albinism with the support ad resources they need to fully participate in our national life, said Sayed-Khayum.



In the 2016-2017 National Budget, the Fijian Government has given greater incentives for employers to hire people with disabilities, including Fijians with albinism, by extending the Employment Taxation Scheme to include employment of disabled people for a period of 3 years with a 300 percent tax deduction. And at the 19th Attorney-General's Conference, for the first time, we will hold a panel on albinism and disability rights, aptly titled See the Able, Not the Label, to advance thought leadership on this important issue.



Ms. Ero concludes her mission in Fiji on 5 December 2017, and will subsequently speak at the 19th Attorney-Generals Conference on 8 December 2017 as a distinguished member of the panel, See the Able not the Label (Albinism and Disability Rights).



Those interested in registering for the Conference can visit http://www.ag.gov.fj/docs/Registration%20Form%202017.pdf, or find a full programme of events at http://www.ag.gov.fj/docs/Programme2017-281117.pdf



-ENDS-


Washington, DC--(Newsfile Corp. - December 4, 2017) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Seattle-area outdoor digital signage advertising company and two of its senior executives with stealing more than $2 million from retail investors.

According to the SEC's complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Digi Outdoor Media Inc.'s former chief executive officer, Donald MacCord Jr., and chief financial officer Shannon Doyle raised nearly $4.5 million in promissory notes by claiming they would use investor money to construct and install digital signs for commercial advertising around Washington, D.C. Instead, the complaint alleges that MacCord and Doyle secretly diverted millions of dollars of investor money for their own personal use, including MacCord's luxury cars, $20,000 per month rent on a Southern California mansion, nanny and housekeeping services, and private school tuition for his children, while Doyle diverted several hundred thousand dollars to his other unrelated businesses.

The SEC's complaint further alleges that MacCord and Doyle tried to hide their theft by creating fake invoices and sham loans to justify the money they took. They then encouraged investors to convert their promissory notes to common stock, provided forged leases to Digi's independent auditor, and filed false financial statements with the SEC in an attempt to take the company public rather than pay off their outstanding debt to their investors.

"As alleged in our complaint, MacCord and Doyle went to great lengths to conceal their fraud by creating fake invoices, loans, and leases so they could use Digi as their personal piggy bank and bilk individual investors," said Jina L. Choi, Director of the SEC's San Francisco Regional Office.

In a separate action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California filed criminal charges against MacCord for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, submitting false writings to a government agency, obstruction of official proceedings, and destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations, and against Doyle for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruction of official proceedings.

The SEC's complaint charges MacCord, Doyle, and Digi with violations of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws and seeks disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten monetary gains plus interest and penalties, permanent injunctions, and officer-and-director and penny stock bars.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Justin M. Lichterman and Michael Foley of the San Francisco Office and supervised by Tracy Davis. The litigation will be led by Robert Tashjian and Jason Habermeyer and supervised by Susan LaMarca. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, the FBI, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 4, 2017) - Los Andes Copper Ltd. (TSXV: LA) ("Los Andes", or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Ricardo Palma C. as Vice President of Development for the Company as well as Executive President for Compania Minera Vizcachitas Holding, Los Andes's operating subsidiary in Chile.

Mr Palma is a Mining Engineer with over 40 years experience. Prior to Los Andes, he was General Manager (Division CEO) of Codelco's Andina Division, which is located in the same region as Vizcachitas. Before joining Andina, Mr Palma was the Country Manager in Chile for Yamana Gold, and worked on Barrick Gold's Pascua-Lama and Veladero projects. He also worked on Cia Minera Dona Ines de Collahuasi, the joint venture controlled by Glencore and Anglo American, where he was tasked with completing construction, commissioning and running of the original project.

Antony Amberg, President and CEO of Los Andes, commented:

"We are pleased to welcome Ricardo to Los Andes as its Vice President of Development and Executive President of Compania Minera Vizcachitas Holding.

"Mr Palma brings significant expertise to the Company as Los Andes transitions to the development phase of its Vizcachitas project. He has extensive relevant experience and has worked on many of the largest copper projects in the world, and in South America. His knowledge and track record in design, construction and operation of copper and gold projects, considerably strengthens the management team on the ground.

"We look forward to working with him as we take the Vizcachitas project forward."

For more information please contact:

Antony J. Amberg, President & CEO

Tel: +56 2 2954-0450

Aurora Davidson, CFO

Tel: 604-697-6207

E-Mail: info@losandescopper.com or visit our website at: www.losandescopper.com

Certain of the information and statements contained herein that are not historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the Securities Act (British Columbia), Securities Act (Ontario) and the Securities Act (Alberta) ("Forward-Looking Information"). Forward-Looking Information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend"; statements that an event or result is "due" on or "may", "will", "should", "could", or might" occur or be achieved; and, other similar expressions. More specifically, Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Information; including, without limitation, the achievement and maintenance of planned production rates, the evolving legal and political policies of Chile, the volatility in the Chilean economy, military unrest or terrorist actions, metal and energy price fluctuations, favourable governmental relations, the availability of financing for activities when required and on acceptable terms, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, current and future environmental and regulatory requirements, the availability and timely receipt of permits, approvals and licenses, industrial or environmental accidents, equipment breakdowns, availability of and competition for future acquisition opportunities, availability and cost of insurance, labour disputes, land claims, the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates, currency fluctuations, expectations and beliefs of management and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Management's Discussion and Analysis in the Company's financial statements. Such Forward-Looking Information is based upon the Company's assumptions regarding global and Chilean economic, political and market conditions and the price of metals and energy, and the Company's production. Among the factors that have a direct bearing on the Company's future results of operations and financial conditions are changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, a change in government policies, competition, currency fluctuations and restrictions and technological changes, among other things. Should one or more of any of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from any conclusions, forecasts or projections described in the Forward-Looking Information. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise Forward-Looking Information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
OCEANSIDE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/04/17 -- Cornerstone Communities and Presidio Residential Capital announced homes are now open for sale at two new neighborhoods within Pacific Ridge, a 30-acre gated community perched atop the crest of Rancho del Oro in Oceanside. Brisas at Pacific Ridge is offering 117 two-story triplex homes, and Lucero at Pacific Ridge is offering 125 three-story townhomes.

"The upscale townhome communities offer unparalleled views of the surrounding coastal hills and these gorgeous homes have been designed to meet the needs of young professionals and families," said Michael Sabourin, president and COO of Cornerstone Communities. "We're fortunate to be able to provide these homes in one of the last buildable properties in this prestigious area."

Every home at Brisas at Pacific Ridge, located on Old Grove Road between Mesa Drive and College Boulevard, has a private courtyard or back yard. Designed by San Diego-based Stark Architecture and Planning, the up to four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath triplex homes are available in three floor plans ranging from 1,499 to 1,806 square feet in California Craftsman, Coastal Tuscan and Santa Barbara architectural styles. The homes have open living areas, spacious master bedrooms with walk-in closets and generous secondary bedrooms. Many of the homes feature optional fourth bedrooms and balconies off the master bedroom.

The three- and four-bedroom townhomes at Lucero at Pacific Ridge, ranging from 1,569 to 1,824 square feet, have open floor plans with up to three-and-a-half baths, two-car garages, flexible space options, private entry courtyards and covered terraces.

"The homes at Lucero have rich exteriors that echo the romance of California coastal living with familiar, yet fresh, details," Sabourin said.

Taking advantage of ocean breezes and panoramic views, Brisas and Lucero at Pacific Ridge offer abundant opportunities for outdoor living and recreation, including several play areas and a beautiful recreation area with a pool, spa, barbecues and seating.

Located close to California State Route 76 and California State Route 78, Brisas and Lucero at Pacific Ridge offer easy access for commuters via Oceanside Boulevard. The new communities are close to schools and across the street from a growing business park and Kaiser Permanente medical offices.

About Cornerstone Communities

The management team at Cornerstone Communities is comprised of a seasoned group of development and building professionals possessing over 150 years of combined experience in the homebuilding field having developed, mapped, and/or constructed over 15,000 homes in over 60 developments throughout California and Nevada. Professional Builder magazine heralded the group as one of the nation's Building Giants. Cornerstone has been consistently ranked as one of San Diego's top privately held residential homebuilders by the San Diego Business Journal and was recently recognized as one of the Top 500 Privately-Held Businesses in the U.S. by DiversityBusiness.com. www.cornerstonecommunities.com

About Presidio

Presidio Residential Capital is a real estate investment company focused on the residential housing sector. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the firm provides capital in the form of joint ventures for the entitlement, development and build-out of for-sale residential projects throughout the Western United States. Presidio has infused more than $1 billion into the economy to capitalize the housing industry. The firm's goal is to invest in excess of $150 million in capital for home-building projects in the Western United States in the next 12-plus months. It currently has investments in Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado and Washington with current committed capital of $800 million focused on 100+ projects. The firm is affiliated with a privately held registered investment advisor specializing in alternative investment strategies who has a long history of investing in the home-building sector. Current assets under management total more than $2.5 billion. Online and social media: www.presidioresidential.com, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contacts:

Anton Communications

Vanessa Showalter

Email Contact

Genevieve Anton

Email Contact




HONG KONG, CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/04/17 --Comba Telecom Systems Holdings Limited ("Comba Telecom" or "the Group" (HKSE: 2342), a global leading wireless solutions provider, has announced its role as a key supplier of base station antennas to be deployed in a 4G LTE network of the largest mobile operator in Brazil.

Brazil is the largest mobile market in Latin America with the number of smartphone users in the country estimated to reach over 77 million in 2017. According to industry reports, 38.85% of Brazilians accessed the internet through mobile devices and this is expected to grow to 53.23% by 2022.(1) Correspondingly, the wireless telecommunications industry will need to adapt to address these trends and opportunities.

In the multi-year agreement, Comba Telecom will provide a portfolio of multi-band antennas for the national expansion and enhancement of 4G LTE mobile networks to cover all of the cities in Brazil to meet the growing demand for network coverage and data traffic. In this deal, Comba Telecom will supply more than 30,000 base station antennas, including outdoor directional quad-band antennas and outdoor directional hexa-band antennas over a period of three years.

Mr. Simon Yeung, Executive Director and Senior Vice President of Comba Telecom and President of Comba Telecom International said, "We are honored that our base station antennas are selected for this national project. This demonstrates that our strong product portfolio can satisfy the different needs of our customers. Customer focus is at the core of our corporate values and Comba Telecom actively engages our customers in creating solutions that addresses their technical and business needs. In this case, the hexa-band antennas are customized according to the specifications of this operator. We believe our values coupled with our unrivalled R&D capabilities positions us as a true partner to our customers around the world."

(1)Source: https://www.statista.com/

About Comba Telecom Systems Holdings Limited

Comba Telecom is a global leading wireless solutions provider with its own R&D facilities, manufacturing base, and sales and service teams. The Company offers a comprehensive suite of products and services including wireless access, wireless enhancement, antenna and subsystems and wireless transmission to its global customers. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Comba Telecom's global operations include manufacturing bases in China, R&D centers in China and the USA and more than 40 offices worldwide. Comba Telecom has been included into several indexes including the MSCI China Small Cap Index, Hang Seng Composite Index (Information Technology Industry Index, MidCap & SmallCap Index and SmallCap Index), Hang Seng Global Composite Index, Hang Seng Internet & Information Technology Index, as well as Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Benchmark Index. For further information, please visit: www.comba-telecom.com.

Media Contact

Comba Telecom

Ms. Charmaine Chan

Tel: +852 2116 6072

Email: Email Contact




KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/04/17 -- A Taiwanese delegation group comprising leading health industry representatives and doctors has recently held a press conference and forum celebrating the recent medical success and excellence with Malaysian patients.

Led by Taiwan External Trade and Development Council (TAITRA), the team includes

Dr Kuan-Wen Wu, the director of the Division of Neuro-Trauma and Neuro Critical Care Neurosurgery from Chang Gung Hospital,

Dr Chieh-Tsai Wu, a bariatric specialist from E-DA Hospital,

Meng-Xi Lin, Dean of Aphrodite Medical Clinic,

Dr Hung Ching-Cheng, from Dept. of Pediatrics at Siaogang Hospital,

Dr Yi Jung (Irene), MD from Royal 101 International Health Clinic,

Dr. Ming-Shian Tsai, an aesthetics surgeon

Coordinator Stacy Ni from Lee Women's Hospital,

Professor Hsu-Wei Fang from Healthcare Industry Development Association,

An orthopedic specialist from Taiwan University Hospital

Director Rachel Wu from Taiwan Trade Center, said, "Taiwan has become the 4th global destination in implementing hospital evaluation system after the United States, Canada and Australia. On top of self-evaluation, 15 hospitals from Taiwan are accredited by JCI. Taiwan not only provides world-class medical services, full line of senior care system, our aesthetics medicine and health equipment are also well developed. We welcome all health industries to invest and collaborate with us."

Some of the Malaysian patient success stories that were shared at the event includes

An operation led by Dr Chieh-Tsai Wu for Solomon, a toddler from Malaysia who suffered from congenital hydrocephalus by birth. With Dr Wu's treatment and compassionate support from hometown, baby Solomon was able to return to Malaysia healthily and is now moving towards normal growth and development.

There were many cases of treatment of obesity at the E-DA Hospital. Dr Tsai shared the success of a bariatric surgery that was performed on a 22-year-old overweight girl with BMI reading of 60. After Dr Tsai carried out a gastric bypass weight loss operation for his patient, she regained her normal weight and regained confidence in her life.

Additionally, Lee Woman's Hospital cited cases of Malaysian patients who have successfully gained in artificial reproductive therapy and treatments.

Taiwan University Hospital stated that most of their patients come from east Malaysia. They have been successfully treated for minimally invasive surgery on prostate cancer and removal of osteoma.

Wu added, "Taiwan continues to be an attractive destination for Malaysians seeking quality medical treatment at competitive prices. We are proud to bring our medical team to share these success stories in Malaysia. Our collaboration with Malaysian partners has grown from strength to strength, and we look forward to receiving even more patients from Malaysia in the near future."

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3183833



For media enquiries, please contact:



Penny Ching

PR /Marketing Executive

Flame Communications

(E): Email Contact

(T): 6259 3193/ 6253 3193




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 4, 2017) - Centurion Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: CTN) ("Centurion" or the "Company") wishes to announce that it has not been able to file the Company's annual audited financial statements and accompanying MD&A for the year ended July 31, 2017 (the "Required Filings") by the filing deadline of November 28, 2017 and, as such, is in default under applicable securities legislation.

The delay in the timely completion of the audit has been primarily due to unforeseen coordination and procedural difficulties involving the auditor's review of the Company's Argentinian joint venture records. As the Argentinian audit is now well underway, Centurion expects to be in a position to complete and file the Required Filings within 30 days.

Unfortunately, the Company was only notified of the audit issues immediately prior to the filing deadline, which did not allow sufficient time for the preparation and filing of an application for a management cease trade order.

Upon review of applicable securities legislation and after conferring with the British Columbia Securities Commission (the BCSC), regarding the default, the BCSC can impose a cease trade order that all trading in securities of the Company cease for such period of time as the Principal Regulator may deem appropriate.

The Company also advises that it has postponed its Annual General Meeting, which was scheduled to be held on January 12, 2018 (the "Postponed Meeting"). Shareholders are advised to disregard any mailed documents they may receive in connection with the Postponed Meeting.

ABOUT CENTURION

Centurion Minerals Ltd. is a Canadian-based company with an international focus on the development of agri-mineral fertilizer projects. For additional information on the Ana Sofia project and applications of agri-gypsum, visit our website: www.centurionminerals.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"David G. Tafel"

President and CEO

For Further Information Contact:

David Tafel

604-683-1991

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward looking statements and information (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), within the meaning of applicable securities laws, concerning future operations of Centurion, the current Board and management's plans, next steps, and vision for the Company. Although Centurion believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements and all forward-looking statements concerning the Company's future plans and operations, including management's assessment of the Company's expectations or beliefs may be subject to certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control. . Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, assumptions, opinions and expectations of Centurion's management at the time they are made. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of numerous risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual performance and exploration and financial results may differ materially from any estimates or projections. Such statements include, among others: delays and other risks related to construction activities and operations; timing and receipt of regulatory approvals of operations; the ability of the Company and other relevant parties to satisfy regulatory requirements; the availability of financing for proposed transactions, programs and working capital requirements on reasonable terms; the ability of third-party service providers to deliver services on reasonable terms and in a timely manner; market conditions and general business, economic, competitive, political and social conditions Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and are made as of the date of this News Release. Centurion does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement or information should those beliefs, assumptions , opinions or expectations, or other circumstances change, except as required by law.
Executive Appointments Align with Global Commercialization Strategy

Avita Medical (ASX:AVH) (OTCQX:AVMXY),a regenerative medicine company with a technology platform positioned to address opportunities and unmet medical needs in burns, chronic wounds, and aesthetics indications, announced that Dale A. Sander has been appointed Avita's new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective today. Dale will be responsible for overseeing the global finance and investor relations functions, and aligning them with the company's commercialization strategy. Current CFO, Tim Rooney, has been appointed Avita's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), responsible for global operations and supply chain management, human resources, and information technology. Both executives will be based in Valencia, CA.

"These executive changes come at a pivotal time in the transformation of our company," said Dr. Mike Perry, CEO, Avita Medical. "Dale has more than 20 years of experience, including serving as CFO of four medical device and pharmaceutical companies as well as eleven years of leading public companies in the CFO role. Dale brings extensive experience in leading both public and private equity offerings, including multiple IPOs in the U.S. and Europe. He also has a strong track record of managing investor relations in these markets as well as in Asia. Dale's expertise will be critical in supporting our commercialization strategy in advance of our anticipated approval of ReCell in the United States."

Tim Rooney, who has been with Avita Medical since 2012 in various key executive roles, will now lead a variety of critical operational and strategic functions. "I'm thrilled to continue my work with Avita as part of our senior executive team," said Tim Rooney, CAO, Avita Medical. "In my new role, I look forward to continuing my contributions to critical elements in Avita's growth, especially as we prepare for the anticipated approval of ReCell."

A premarket approval (PMA) application for the ReCell device was filed on September 28, 2017, and is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ReCell is a regenerative medicine platform with the potential to offer patients benefits across a broad range of applications, including burns, chronic wounds, and aesthetics.

ABOUT AVITA MEDICAL LIMITED

Avita's patented and proprietary collection and application technology provides innovative treatment solutions derived from the regenerative properties of a patient's own skin. Our medical devices work by preparing a Regenerative Epithelial Suspension (RES), an autologous suspension comprised of the patients' own skin cells and wound healing factors that are necessary to regenerate natural healthy skin. This is then applied to the area to be treated.

In all countries outside of Europe, our portfolio is marketed under the ReCell brand to promote skin healing in a wide range of applications, including burns, chronic wounds, and aesthetics.

ReCell is TGA-registered in Australia, and CFDA-cleared in China. In the United States, ReCell is an investigational device limited by federal law to investigational use.

In Europe, our portfolio of medical device products received CE-mark approval as three tailored product presentations, with three individual brand names. ReCell is designed for the treatment of burns and plastic reconstructive procedures; ReGenerCell has been formulated for chronic wounds, including leg and foot ulcers; and ReNovaCell is tailored for aesthetic applications, including the restoration of pigmentation.

To learn more, visit www.avitamedical.com.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This letter includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "could," "may," "will," "believe," "estimate," "look forward," "forecast," "goal," "target," "project," "continue," "outlook," "guidance," "future," other words of similar meaning and the use of future dates. Forward-looking statements in this letter include, but are not limited to, statements concerning, among other things, our ongoing clinical trials and product development activities, regulatory approval of our products, the potential for future growth in our business, and our ability to achieve our key strategic, operational and financial goal. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Each forward-looking statement contained in this letter is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statement. Applicable risks and uncertainties include, among others, the timing of regulatory approvals of our products; physician acceptance, endorsement, and use of our products; failure to achieve the anticipated benefits from approval of our products; the effect of regulatory actions; product liability claims; risks associated with international operations and expansion; and other business effects, including the effects of industry, economic or political conditions outside of the company's control. Investors should not place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this letter. Investors are encouraged to read our publicly available filings for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this letter speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of these statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171204006276/en/

Contacts:

Australia

Monsoon Communications

Sarah Kemter

Phone: +61 (0)3 9620 3333

Mobile: +61 (0)407 162 530

sarahk@monsoon.com.au

or

Avita Medical Ltd

Tim Rooney

Chief Administrative Officer

Phone: +1 (661) 367-9161

trooney@avitamedical.com

or

USA

INC Research/inVentiv Health

Deb Kazenelson

Phone: +1 (310) 309-1043

Deborah.kazenelsondeane@inventivhealth.com
News / National

by Staf reporter

Robert Mugabe's daughter hired Chinese builders to construct a new home for herself on state land earmarked for a school.Bona Mugabe, 27, the former Zimbabwean leader's eldest child, was planning to add to her family's property empire with a hillside sprawling mansion on Umwinsidale Road on the outskirts of Harare.Construction has already started there, but when the dictator was ousted from his throne, the contractors downed tools and removed their bulldozers and equipment.But damage to the hillside has already been done with a huge slice of land cut out of the land.Zimbabwe's former President Robert Mugabe (right) and his wife Grace (left) with their then 24-year-old first-born child and only daughter Bona Mugabe (centre) pose after the convocation at MDIS-University of Wales graduation ceremony in Singapore on November 16, 2013The hillside on the outskirts of Harare where the sprawling mansion was said to be under constructionPolice are still guarding the area, which is littered with concrete foundations, scaffolding and pipes, and told the Sunday Telegraph the Chinese builders had left the site.Neighbours told the paper Bona and her 40-year-old husband first turned up in June and the first piece of foundation was laid down in October.But when Mugabe's reign looked to be under threat, the work stopped and the cranes, diggers and personnel vanished.It would have been another addition to the family's enormous empire, which will go untouched due to Mugabe's resignation deal.Bona's mother Grace Mugabe has several properties dotted around the country and beyond worth more that a million dollars.Robert Mugabe's daughter hired Chinese builders to construct a new home for herself on state land earmarked for a school. Pictured is the outskirts of HarareRusty Markham, councillor for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Party, told the Telegraph: 'This was City of Harare land. Planning years ago was that a school would have been built on this site.'It is a mystery how this couple landed up with this property.'The paper informed a senior Zanu PF MP about the Mugabe's clear plans to use land meant for the state to bolster their own assets and he claimed to be unaware of the situation.He added: 'Planning was that a school would be built on this site.'It is a mystery how this couple landed up with it'
International utility implements sophisticated trading and risk management solution via Openlink Cloud

Openlink, the global leader in trading, treasury and risk management solutions for the energy, commodities, corporate and financial services industries, has announced a deal with the international energy company, Uniper based in Germany, to move its extensive energy trading and risk management (ETRM) systems into the Cloud. This marks the first fully public Cloud ETRM implementation for a company of Uniper's size and prestige.

The 700-user deal will include two applications of Openlink's system, covering front-to-back office trading and risk management support across Uniper's asset classes including oil, gas, LNG and power.

Uniper has one of the world's largest and most extensive energy trading portfolios, both to supply its broad fleet of generation assets and for proprietary trading purposes. Uniper's goal is to migrate from its current hosting facility into a future ready, fully scalable and cost effective Cloud offering from Openlink.

Having worked with Openlink on other solutions for the past 15 years, and with a new five-year partnership agreement in place since 2016, Uniper already had a trusted partner in Openlink. The timing was also perfect: Openlink has invested heavily in bringing its award-winning systems to the Cloud and developing industry-leading expertise. This meant that Openlink was able to deliver the ideal solution to include Openlink Cloud, cloud management tools and ancillary services to fulfill Uniper's requirements.

In a three-month proof of concept (POC) project between October 2016 and January 2017 it was demonstrated that the system could provide the required featureset, security and computing power while maintaining access to historical data.

The POC showed that a Cloud-based delivery could not only match current performance, but significantly improve it, for example by accelerating end of day batch processing along with allowing intra day calculations that would not have been possible on premise. The solution was also shown to lower the total cost of ownership by enabling Uniper to only pay for what it needed, scaling to suit requirements all this in combination with a sophisticated security stack and integration into the Uniper downstream systems.

As is typical for a utility of Uniper's size, the existing system included highly customised physical and virtual components and bespoke user interfaces.

"There are a lot of challenges in recreating highly customised software ecosystems completely in the public Cloud," says Rich Grossi, CEO at Openlink. "However, we've built a robust Cloud environment at Openlink and we're confident it is up to the task. The fact that Uniper agrees is testament to the power of our Cloud offering."

"Uniper is at the center of the global energy markets," says Marco Scherer, SVP Sales and Trading IT at Uniper. "Our traders need the very best technology underpinning their actions to ensure we are always managing our risk responsibly. To be able to do so while reducing IT spend and increasing performance is a hugely attractive proposition.With Openlink Cloud, we will be able to even better support the Uniper Business activities and our future Business developments with this future proven, scalable and pay-per-use Cloud solution."

About Openlink

For more than 25 years, Openlink (www.Openlink.com) has been providing trading, treasury and risk management solutions for the world's most sophisticated commodity, energy, corporate and financial services organisations.

Openlink's innovative solutions help clients break down organizational silos and instantaneously connects trading, risk and treasury across multiple asset classes and throughout the front, middle and back office. The Openlink Cloud platform, coupled with our advanced analytics, enables clients to manage huge data volumes, take advantage of even the most fleeting of market opportunities, and mitigate risk.

Openlink has topped Chartis' RiskTech100 Energy Trading Risk Category for the last six years and been named a Leader in Gartner's Trading Platforms Magic Quadrant. Other accolades include the Treasury Management International awards, Energy Risk awards and Central Banking awards.

Openlink is proud to support more than 38,000 users and more than 600 clients, including 12 of the world's largest commodity/energy companies, 9 of the largest financial institutions, and 13 central banks.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171204005934/en/

Contacts:

Openlink

Liz Allen, +44 (0)79 0026 8478

Liz.Allen@openlink.com
Global Research Hub reveals the Award-Winning Investment Papers of 2017

The Savvy Investor Awards, announced on 5 December, celebrate the best pensions and investment white papers of 2017.

The accolade of "Best Investment Paper 2017" is awarded to the CFA Institute Research Foundation for their report, "Financial Market History: Reflections on the Past for Investors Today

This compendium of papers, authored by prominent industry professionals, and produced in conjunction with Cambridge University, provides a detailed and fascinating look at the history of financial markets, including long-term risk and return, bubbles and crises, financial innovation, and more. A compelling tour de force!

Savvy Investor www.savvyinvestor.net is the world's leading research hub for institutional investors. Since launch in 2015, the site has curated over 20,000 white papers, providing a unique platform from which to host the Awards. Visit the website for a full list of winners and commended papers

Savvy Investor Award 2017 Winners

Click on any of the award categories below to see the results for that category:

Best Investment Paper 2017

Financial Market History: Reflections on the Past for Investors Today (CFA Institute Research Foundation)

Best Asset Allocation Paper 2017

Five-Year Expected Returns 2018-2022: Coming of Age (Robeco)

Best Smart Beta Paper 2017

How active managers are using factor strategies (BlackRock)

Best Fixed Income Paper 2017

The Future of Monetary Policy (Credit Suisse)

Best ESG Paper 2017

Shifting Perceptions: ESG, Credit Risk and Ratings (United Nations PRI)

Best Pensions Paper 2017 (North America)

Designing the Future of TDFs: A new blueprint for improving retirement outcomes (AB)

Best Pensions Paper 2017 (UK)

Pension Fund Indicators 2017 (UBS Asset Management)

Best Superannuation Paper 2017

The Australian Superannuation Industry (ASFA)

Best Innovations Paper 2017

Disruptive Innovations: Ten More Things to Stop and Think About (Citi GPS)

Best Real Assets Paper 2017

The Behavioural Science of Real Estate Cycles (BNP Paribas)

Best Private Equity Paper 2017

Global Private Equity Report 2017 (Bain Company)

Best Emerging Markets Paper 2017

Asia: Leaning In (KKR, Oct 2017)

Best Quant Paper 2017

Embracing Downside Risk (AQR Capital Management)

Best Investment Industry Paper 2017

Global Asset Management 2017: The Innovator's Advantage (Boston Consulting Group)

Best ETFs Paper 2017

Active Strategies, Indexing and the Rise of ETFs (Greenwich Associates)

Management commentary

Andrew Perrins, CEO of Savvy Investor said, "We have over 20,000 white papers on the site, every one of which has been rated, categorized and tagged by our Research Team. This means that institutional investors can instantly get a list of the top research papers on any given investment topic, with the best papers at the top of the list. Our 23,000 members are highly engaged; every month more than 15,000 white papers are downloaded from the site."

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171204005923/en/

Contacts:

For more information about the Savvy Investor Awards,

or to find out how you can partner with Savvy Investor in 2018:

Savvy Investor

Andrew Perrins, CEO

Email: andrew.perrins@savvyinvestor.net

Telephone: +44-1202-201550
UBS AG and its group company Fondcenter AG have commissioned fundinfo AG to procure and source fund data from fund providers and asset managers. In order to provide efficient, legally compliant investment advice, UBS Fondcenter's external and internal partners require on-demand access to complete, accurate and up-to-date fund information, including MiFID II and PRIIPs data. They also rely on the openfunds standard for fund data that was launched and is being continuously enhanced by UBS Fondcenter, Credit Suisse and Julius Bar.

"fundinfo has many years of experience in the procurement, validation and distribution of fund information and meets our high quality requirements", says Christophe Hefti, head UBS Fondcenter at UBS Asset Management. "By partnering with fundinfo, we can concentrate on our core competencies and expand our range of services, including data preparation. At the same time, we are providing fund providers with an experienced partner for high-quality fund data and document management."

"After working successfully with UBS Fondcenter for many years in the area of fund document management, we are pleased and proud that UBS Fondcenter has now placed their trust in fundinfo to perform their fund data management" says Jan Giller, Head of Sales Marketing at fundinfo. "It is a privilege and a strong testament to our capabilities that the largest asset manager in Switzerland has chosen to work with fundinfo to procure their fund data".

Fund providers are requested to ensure that their static fund data is provided correctly and promptly to fundinfo according to the openfunds data standard (www.openfunds.org). The openfunds standard was initiated by the fund and banking industries. Currently the openfunds Association has 48 active and informational members. Information about fundinfo's Data Dissemination Service can be found by visiting about.fundinfo.com, or clicking on this short video.

About fundinfo AG

fundinfo AG hosts one of the leading international platforms for information and mandatory publications of investment funds. The platform www.fundinfo.com strengthens the network between fund houses, fund distributors and investors and is recognised by financial market supervisory authorities for mandatory publications. The service is available in Europe and Asia, and covers thousands of funds from the world's largest fund houses. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, fundinfo AG has offices in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Paris and Singapore.

About Fondcenter AG

Fondcenter AG, a group company of UBS AG, is the leading fund platform in Switzerland and one of the most important in Europe and Asia. Since 1993, UBS Fondcenter has brought together around 300 distribution partners mainly banks, insurance companies and regulated financial institutions from Switzerland, Europe and Asia with around 400 fund providers. In addition to its head office in Zurich, UBS Fondcenter now has new offices in Frankfurt and Hong Kong.

Photos and logos: https://about.fundinfo.com/en/news/photos-and-logos/

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171204005801/en/

Contacts:

fundinfo AG

Diana Mampell, Marketing Manager

Email: diana.mampell@fundinfo.com

Tel. +41 44 286 91 01

Web: http://about.fundinfo.com
Janssen's Tremfya(R) now approved in the U.S., Canada and the European Union

PLANEGG/MUNICH, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / December 5, 2017 / MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX; OTC PINK: MPSYY) announced today that its licensee Janssen Inc. (Janssen), previously reported Health Canada approval of Tremfya(R) (guselkumab) for the treatment of adults living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

Tremfya(R) (guselkumab) is a fully human anti-IL-23 monoclonal antibody developed by Janssen and was generated utilizing MorphoSys's proprietary HuCAL antibody library technology. MorphoSys is eligible to receive royalties on net sales of Tremfya(R).

Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG, said: "We are very pleased that Tremfya(R) has now been approved in three territories, namely the U.S., Canada and the European Union. We expect this drug will provide an important treatment option for patients living with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis."

Beyond plaque psoriasis, Janssen is studying Tremfya(R) (guselkumab) in a Phase 3 psoriatic arthritis development program.

Further information about the Canadian approval of Tremfya(R) (guselkumab) can be found in a press release issued by Janssen on November 15, 2017.

About Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune inflammatory disorder that results in the overproduction of skin cells, characterized by raised, inflamed, scaly, red lesions, or plaques, which can cause itching and physical pain. It is estimated that as many as 125 million people worldwide have psoriasis, thereof about one million Canadians, and approximately 20% of people affected have cases that are considered moderate to severe.

About MorphoSys:

MorphoSys is committed to developing exceptional new treatments for patients suffering from serious diseases. A leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies today, MorphoSys is driven by the ambition of creating the most valuable pipeline of biopharmaceuticals in the biotechnology industry. Based on its proprietary technology platforms, MorphoSys, together with its partners, has built a therapeutic pipeline of more than 110 programs in R&D, around a quarter of which is currently in clinical development.

In its proprietary development segment, MorphoSys, alone or with partners, is developing new therapeutic candidates, mainly focusing on cancer and inflammation. In its partnered discovery segment, MorphoSys uses its technologies to discover new drug candidates for pharmaceutical partners and participates from the programs' further development success, through success-based payments and royalties. MorphoSys is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol MOR. For regular updates about MorphoSys, visit http://www.morphosys.com.

HuCAL(R), HuCAL GOLD(R), HuCAL PLATINUM(R), CysDisplay(R), RapMAT(R), arYla(R), Ylanthia(R), 100 billion high potentials(R), Slonomics(R), Lanthio Pharma(R) and LanthioPep(R) are registered trademarks of the MorphoSys Group.

Tremfya(R) is a registered trademark of Janssen Biotech, Inc.

This communication contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the MorphoSys group of companies. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of MorphoSys as of the date of this release and involve risks and uncertainties. Should actual conditions differ from the Company's assumptions, actual results and actions may differ from those anticipated. MorphoSys does not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements as far as the wording of the relevant press release is concerned.

For more information, please contact:

MorphoSys AG

Anke Linnartz

Head of Corporate Communications & IR

Jochen Orlowski

Associate Director Corporate Communications & IR

Alexandra Goller

Senior Manager Corporate Communications & IR

Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-404

investors@morphosys.com



SOURCE: MorphoSys AG
The Focus of Bulk Testing is to Assess the Economics and Substantiate the Recovery Yield of Lithium Carbonate Directly From Mineralized Clays

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 5, 2017 / Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX-Venture: NRM; Frankfurt: N7R; OTC PINK: NRVTF) ("Noram" or the "Company") and Alba Minerals Ltd. ("Alba") (AA.V; AXVEF; A117RU) are pleased to announce Noram's 100% owned subsidiary, Green Energy Resources, is appling to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to collect a 10 tonne sample to proceed with bulk sampling untilizing the Membrane Development Specialists LLC (MDS) bulk testing process on lithium-rich clay samples from its Clayton Valley Project following the successful drilling results from its Zeus and Hades claim groups (see news release of (Nov 21 2017).

MDS is a world-leader in membrane technology applications and has extensive experience designing, building, commissioning and operating nanofiltration systems for the mining and oil & gas industries.

"In our proprietary process, we are concentrating lithium as a sulfate. The permeate will contain 50-80% of the acid that is used, which is recycled back into the process," explains Larry Lien, managing director of MDS. The technology enables the use of lithium deposits that previously were viewed as too dilutive for feasible recovery. The technology has been demonstrated at bench scale, and MDS is currently working with stakeholders to develop it for larger-scale operations. Since the process is based on established technologies and requires no underground mining, Lien is confident in the scaleup potential. Lien projects that a relatively small 1,000-gal/min system could produce 5 tons of lithium carbonate per day.

After acidifying the clay, a UF unit removes the suspended solids. Next, a specialized NF membrane removes divalent cations like calcium and magnesium, and in some cases, rare-earth elements (REE) that can be concentrated in this step as well. The resulting permeate is a relatively pure stream of lithium sulfate, chloride or nitrate, which is concentrated with acid. "We concentrate the lithium stream up to 1,000 to 2,000 ppm, depending on what the osmotic pressure will allow," explains Lien. "We can recover up to 96% of the lithium that is leached out of clays, so it is a pretty attractive solution," he adds.

The focus of the bulk testing is to assess the economics and substantiate the recovery yield of lithium carbonate directly from the mineralized clays using MDS's environmentally friendly process. The MDS system will not incur many of the costs associated with other recovery methods. The process captures all reagents and nearly all of the water used in the process for reuse.

Prior to the bulk testing, the samples will be assayed by SGS Labs, using a 3-Acid Digestion / ICP method. The samples will then be sent to MDS's lab in Escondido, California, where the samples will be mixed with acid to simulate a Vat Leach process. The resulting samples will be processed by MDS to remove unwanted elements, such as magnesium and calcium thereby isolating the lithium carbonate. The lithium carbonate will then be assayed by SGS Labs for purity.

Noram's independent technical consultant, Bradley Peek, MSc and CPG, will be preparing the 10 tonne clay samples; one from the drilling spoils pile surrounding the Hades bore hole (See Photo) and one collected from the location where vertical chip samples ZS-2-029, ZS-2-030 and ZS-2-031 (See Table) were taken through a 12 foot (3.66 meters) stratigraphic section in the central area of the Zeus claims.

"We expect the results of the MDS bulk testing will add significantly to our knowledge base as to the most effective method of recovery and help define the process model and plant design for further development of the lithium clays on our Clayton Valley Project, Our research indicates the MDS process could be the most effective to negate lithium extraction challenges particular to the Clayton Valley," said Noram's President, Mark Ireton.

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Bradley Peek, MSc and CPG, who is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 with respect to Noram's Clayton Valley Claim Group Project.

About Noram Ventures Inc.

Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: NRM Frankfurt: N7R OTCBB: NRVTF) is a Canadian based junior exploration company, with a goal of becoming a force in the Green Energy Revolution through the development of lithium and graphite deposits and becoming a low-cost supplier for the burgeoning lithium battery industry. The Company's primary business focus since formation has been the exploration of mineral projects that include lithium projects in the Clayton Valley in Nevada, the Arizaro East mineral claim located in the eastern portion of the Salar de Arizaro in north-western Argentina and the Jumbo graphite property in British Columbia. Noram's long term strategy is to build a multi-national lithium-graphite dominant industrial minerals company to produce and sell lithium and graphite into the markets of Europe, North America and Asia.

Please visit our web site for further information: www.noramventures.com

About Alba Minerals Ltd

Alba Minerals Ltd. is a Vancouver-based junior resource company with projects in North and South America, focusing on the development of our Lithium properties. Lithium Projects are located in Clayton Valley, Nevada, where Alba has earned a 25% interest in the project. The second lithium project Quiron II consist of 2,421 hectares of prospective exploration property in the Pocitos Salar, Province of Salta, Argentina. The Project is located approximately 7 km South East of Millennial Lithium - Southern Lithium JV Pocitos North Cruz Brine Project and 12 km northeast from the Liberty One Lithium Corp.

Please visit our website for further information: www.albamineralsltd.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

/s/ "Mark R. Ireton"

President & Director

Direct: (604) 761-9994

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding, among other things, the completion transactions completed in the Agreement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, regulatory approval processes. Although Noram believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, including that all necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained in a timely manner, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Noram disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Noram Ventures Inc.
LINKOPING, Sweden, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) announces that all St. Antonius Hospital locations have now gone live with Sectra's enterprise image management solution for radiology, nuclear medicine and cardiology. With this solution for handling medical images across multiple locations and medical disciplines in a single system, physicians at St. Antonius can seamlessly share images and information with each other. Using a single system that is tightly integrated with the Epic EMR system will also reduce the workload of the IT department.

"Having a single system for all medical images improves efficiency in multiple ways," says Eric Vlasman, Information Manager at St. Antonius Hospital. "Physicians can more easily access images and are able to smoothly share information across departments. As a result, we see increased efficiency, which of course ultimately benefits our patients."

With the new enterprise image management solution, St. Antonius has gained a unified imaging solution for radiology, nuclear medicine and cardiology, a solution that covers the organization's multiple locations. A total of approximately 600,000 images per year will be handled by the Sectra solution.

"This was a major installation project since we went live with both the Sectra solution and the Epic solution at the same time. The solutions are now up and running as planned," explains Eric Vlasman.

Medical images and patient information are now available throughout the hospital using Sectra's universal viewer and the integration with the Epic EMR system.



For further information, please contact:

Dr. Torbjorn Kronander

CEO and President Sectra AB

+46(0)705-23-52-27

Marie Ekstrom Tragardh

Executive Vice President Sectra AB and President Sectra Imaging IT Solutions

+46(0)708-23-56-10

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/sectra/r/dutch-hospital-uses-sectra-s-enterprise-image-management-solution-for-multisite-collaboration,c2407256

The following files are available for download:
Institut Curie is one of an increasing number of major European cancer centers to become a co-validation partner for the new NGS-based MammaPrint BluePrint Kit

Agendia, a world leader in personalized medicine and molecular cancer diagnostics, and Institute Curie in Paris, France, a leading player in the fight against cancer, announce a co-validation partnership for Agendia's new in vitro diagnostic (IVD) MammaPrint BluePrint Breast Cancer Risk of Recurrence and Molecular Subtyping Kit.

The co-validation study will demonstrate the performance of this new kit version of the MammaPrint and BluePrint tests in the decentralized setting ahead of the CE-marking and launch of the Kit in Europe early next year. Decentralized testing will enable additional European cancer centers to adopt the test in-house.

The objective of the study is to compare the processing of breast tumor samples at Institut Curie's Diagnostics Core Facility using the new next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based MammaPrint BluePrint Kit, to the CE-marked microarray-based test performed at Agendia's central laboratory in Amsterdam.

Tumor samples from patients enrolled in the study will be tested using the commercially-available microarray-based tests at Agendia. The Low Risk or High Risk result will be provided to Institute Curie's clinical team to help in treatment management decisions. The Institute's pathology and diagnostics team will also run the same sample in their laboratory using the NGS-based MammaPrint BluePrint Kit to ensure that the results are concordant.

Dr. Marjolaine Baldo, Commercial Vice President EMEA, at Agendia, said:

"By adding a decentralized solution to Agendia's portfolio we can offer prestigious European cancer centers, like Institut Curie, the opportunity to both run the MammaPrint and BluePrint tests in a kit form, and to take advantage of the NGS instruments they already have in place. This benefits patients by bringing these valuable tests closer to them, expanding access to the benefits of personalized breast cancer treatment approaches.

"Institut Curie is a highly innovative and one of the most prestigious cancer centers in Europe and we are excited by the possibilities of this collaboration. This partnership demonstrates the demand for and support of a MammaPrint BluePrint kit-based solution."

Amaury Martin, Head of Institut Curie Technology Transfer and Industrial Partnerships Office and Director of the Institut Carnot Curie Cancer said:

This partnership with Agendia on the validation of the MammaPrint BluePrint Kit marks a new stage in the collaboration between Institut Curie and Agendia. The Institut Curie MC21 strategic plan has identified innovation around breast cancer as a major axis of medical-scientific research. Treatment of these cancers represents a little over 60% of the hospital activity of the Institute and is regularly cited in the list of the best hospitals in France.

"The work carried out at Institut Curie in this area benefits from a unique fundamental and translational research ecosystem with state-of-the-art teams. The technologies developed by Agendia will fully benefit our patients and their presence within the Institute opens the door to future collaborations to develop and validate predictive tests whose usefulness is undeniable in the course of care.

In June 2017, Agendia announced an agreement to extend its relationship with Agilent Technologies Inc. to develop an RNA sequencing-based kit version of its existing MammaPrint and BluePrint tests which are currently performed centrally at the Company's CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratories in Irvine, CA and Amsterdam.

Ends

About MammaPrint

MammaPrint is an in vitro diagnostic test, performed in a central laboratory, using the gene expression profile of breast cancer tissue samples to assess a patients' risk for distant metastasis. MammaPrint is cleared by the US FDA and carries the CE Mark, enabling the use of the test in the European Union. MammaPrint is indicated for use by physicians as a prognostic marker only, along with other clinical-pathological factors. The test is not intended to determine the outcome of disease, nor to suggest or infer an individual patient's response to therapy.

About Agendia

Agendia is a privately held, leading molecular diagnostics company that develops and markets genomic diagnostic products, which help support physicians with their complex treatment decisions. Agendia's breast cancer tests were developed using an unbiased gene selection by analyzing the complete human genome. Our offerings include the MammaPrint 70-Gene Breast Cancer Risk-of-Recurrence Test, and the BluePrint Molecular Subtyping Test that provides deeper insight leading to more clinically actionable breast cancer biology.

In addition, Agendia has a pipeline of other genomic products in development. The company collaborates with pharmaceutical companies, leading cancer centers and academic groups to develop companion diagnostic tests in the area of oncology.

For more information on Agendia or the MammaPrint and BluePrint tests, you can visit Agendia's patient site at www.KnowYourBreastCancer.com or the corporate site at www.agendia.com.

Follow Agendia, Inc. on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to keep up-to-date with the latest news.

About Institut Curie

The Institut Curie, a leading player in the fight against cancer, combines a leading French research center in oncology and a state-of-the-art hospital group that treat all types of cancer, including the rarest. Founded in 1909 by Marie Curie, the Institut Curie brings together more than 3,300 researchers, physicians and healthcare professionals around its three missions: care, research and teaching.

As a private foundation recognized for public utility, the Institut Curie is authorized to receive donations and bequests and can, thanks to the support of its donors, accelerate the discoveries and thus improve the treatment and the quality of life of the patients.

For more information, see www.curie.fr

About Curie Cancer

Since 2011, the Institut Curie is certified "Institut Carnot Curie Cancer". The Carnot label is a label of excellence granted to academic research structures with proven high quality and involvement in partnership research. Curie Cancer offers industrial partners the opportunity to set up research collaborations, benefiting from the expertise of the Institut Curie teams, for the development of innovative therapeutic solutions against cancers from the therapeutic target to clinical validation.

For more information: http://www.instituts-carnot.eu/en/carnot-institute/curie-cancer

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005135/en/

Contacts:

Media Contacts:

Instinctif Partners (Agendia)

Ashley Tapp Lynne Trowbridge Samantha Cheung

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7866 7855

Email: agendia@instinctif.com

or

Agence Hopscotch (Institut Curie)

Perrine Carriau

Tel: +33 (0)1 58 65 10 30

Email:pcarriau@hopscotch.fr
Version 8.5 offers new features and a free trial

Speech Processing Solutions, the world number one in professional dictation, has launched a brand new version of their Philips SpeechLive dictation and speech recognition workflow solution. The cloud-based solution saves busy professionals' time and resources by allowing them to be more flexible and turn their voice into written documents quicker than ever before. The latest version of the solution comes with improved usability, new features and enhanced stability for an even more efficient dictation workflow.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005110/en/

Philips SpeechLive (Photo: Business Wire)

New SpeechLive Upload Client

The enhanced upload client automatically feeds audio files from dictation recorders straight into the SpeechLive system. The new feature works on Windows computers with all Philips devices including the Philips Pocket Memo, SpeechAir and Voice Tracers. Even customers using non-Philips audio recording devices can take advantage of this time-saving innovation. Users only need to simply plug in their dictation recorder to their PC and the files will transmit automatically.

Email notification for transcriptionists

Another new feature of SpeechLive 8.5 is that transcriptionists receive automatic email notifications whenever new dictations arrive in their SpeechLive intray. This way transcriptionists can attend to important tasks quicker than before. "We wanted to improve the workflow capabilities for our users, to enable them to get their tasks done even quicker than before" explains Dr Thomas Brauner, CEO of Speech Processing Solutions.

Transcription and speech recognition service

Philips SpeechLive offers two additional productivity-boosting services to their users: Philips Speech Recognition Service and Philips Transcription Service. "The transcription service is perfect for when your assistant or transcriptionist is out of the office or simply too busy. Our highly trained transcriptionist staff will take care of even complex transcriptions for you and deliver them back to you quickly" adds Dr Brauner.

Free trial with free included speech recognition minutes

Philips provides a completely free 30-day trial of SpeechLive, where customers can test the solution themselves. The free trial includes 10 free speech recognition as well as 10 free transcription service minutes, so users can test these two additional services as well.

Visit www.speechlive.com to sign up for a free trial now.

About Speech Processing Solutions

Speech Processing Solutions is the global number one in professional dictation solutions. Founded in Austria in 1954 as part of Philips, the company has been the driving force behind innovative speech-to-text solutions for over 60 years. The company has developed ground-breaking products, such as the mobile Philips SpeechAir device, the Philips PocketMemo voice recorder, the Philips SpeechMike Premium USB dictation microphone and the Philips voice recorder app for smartphones, thus delivering its promise of excellence and outstanding quality. Thanks to the latest innovation, Philips SpeechLive, designed as a cloud-based workflow solution, recording dictations is quicker and easier than ever. The tailored range of products and services offered by Speech Processing Solutions helps professional users to save time and resources and to work at maximum efficiency.

Follow Speech Processing Solutions:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/philipsvoicetracer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philips_dictation/

Twitter @speech_com:http://www.twitter.com/speech_com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/philipsdictation

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/speech-processing-solutions

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005110/en/

Contacts:

Your contact for further information:

Speech Processing Solutions

Lea Pachta

lea.pachta@speech.com

Tel: +43 160529-1744

www.philips.com/dictation
BAGSVRD, Denmark, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Switching to Tresiba reduced the rate of hypoglycaemia by 67% in people with controlled blood sugar levels

In people with diabetes whose blood sugar was too high, switching to Tresiba significantly improved blood sugar levels

Switching to Tresiba from another basal insulin benefits people with diabetes regardless of whether or not their blood sugar levels are controlled.[1] This is the conclusion of a post-hoc analysis of data from the EU-TREAT study collected in a real-world clinical setting among people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

In people with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar levels were controlled (HbA 1c 7.5%) with basal insulin prior to switching, Tresiba significantly reduced the rate of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels) while maintaining blood sugar control. Results showed a 67% reduction in the rate of hypoglycaemic events over six months after switching to Tresiba, with an 11% lower dose of insulin.[1]

In patients with uncontrolled type 1 or type 2 diabetes, switching to Tresiba resulted in significantly improved glycaemic control without an increase in the risk of hypoglycaemia or insulin dose.[1][2] These results were sustained for up to 12 months after switching from another basal insulin, mainly insulin glargine U100 and insulin detemir.[1]

In people with type 1 diabetes whose blood sugar levels were controlled, a 16% lower rate of hypoglycaemia was observed over six months, and blood sugar control was maintained with a 13% lower dose of insulin.[1]

"This new analysis shows that people with diabetes who have switched to Tresiba in the real world benefit from this change, regardless of whether they did so to improve blood glucose control or reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia," said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief science officer at Novo Nordisk. "This confirms that the benefits of Tresiba seen in clinical trials are being reproduced in clinical practice."

The main results of the EU-TREAT real-world evidence study reported earlier this year showed that that people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes experienced a significant reduction in HbA 1c six months after switching to Tresiba. Rates of overall hypoglycaemia were also significantly lower at six months after switching to Tresiba. In people with type 1 diabetes, the rate of severe hypoglycaemia was reduced by 85% and by 92% in people with type 2 diabetes. Similar reductions were seen at 12 months.[2,3]

About EU-TREAT

EU-TREAT (EUropean TREsiba AudiT) is a European, multicentre, real-world evidence study (n=2,550) investigating the effect of switching to Tresiba from another basal insulin in people with type 1 (n=1,717) and type 2 (n=833) diabetes. Patients in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy and Switzerland were switched from another basal insulin to Tresiba 6 months prior to data collection. Outcome measurements were collected at 63 and 123 months after initiation on Tresiba and was compared to baseline measurement taken from the prior basal insulin during a 3-month period prior to initiation on Tresiba. [2,3]

About Tresiba[ ]

Tresiba (insulin degludec) is a once-daily basal insulin that provides a duration of action beyond 42 hours with a flat and stable glucose-lowering effect.[4,5] It provides low variability in blood glucose levels and a lower risk of overall, nocturnal and severe hypoglycaemia vs. insulin glargine U100.[4,6] On occasions when administration at the same time of day is not possible, Tresiba allows for flexibility in day-to-day dosing time with a minimum of eight hours between injections.[5] Tresiba received its first regulatory approval in September 2012 and has since been approved in more than 80 countries globally. It is now commercially available in more than 50 countries.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to help people defeat obesity, haemophilia, growth disorders and other serious chronic diseases. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 41,700 people in 77 countries and markets its products in more than 165 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube .

Further information

Media: Katrine Sperling +45-4442-6718 krsp@novonordisk.com Asa Josefsson +45-3079-7708 aajf@novonordisk.com Investors: Peter Hugreffe Ankersen +45-3075-9085 phak@novonordisk.com Hanna Ogren +45-3079-8519 haoe@novonordisk.com Anders Mikkelsen +45-3079-4461 armk@novonordisk.com Christina Kjr +45-3079-3009 cnje@novonordisk.com Kasper Veje (US) +1-609-235-8567 kpvj@novonordisk.com

References

1. Novo Nordisk. EU-TREAT post hoc analysis. Data on file. 2017.

2. Siegmund T, Tentolouris N, Knudsen TS, et al. EU-TREAT 1: Switching to insulin degludec reduces the risk of hypoglycaemia in patients with T1DM in a real-world setting. Poster presentation. 77th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), San Diego, California, US. June 2017.

3. Schultes B, Tentolouris N, Knudsen TS, et al. EU-TREAT 2: Switching to insulin degludec improves glycaemic control in patients with T2DM in a real-world setting. Poster presentation. 77th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), San Diego, California, US. June 2017.

4. EMA. Tresiba Summary of Product Characteristics. Available at: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/002498/WC500138940.pdf. Last accessed: December 2017.

5. Haahr H, Heise T. A review of the pharmacological properties of insulin degludec and their clinical relevance. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2014; 53:787-800.

6. Marso SP, McGuire DK, Zinman B, et al. Efficacy and safety of degludec versus glargine in type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2017; 377:723-732.



ZINC ID: HQMMA/TB/0917/0327: December 2017
LONDON, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Pegas announce plans for bringing their retro communist lowrider bike to the UK. The Romanian brand made their first tire marks in the United Kingdom, supporting the Romanian community through sponsorship for a series of concerts with the most famous Romanian hip hop band, Parazitii, together with Funk Rock Hotel. The concerts held in Birmingham and London this past weekend were both sold out. Another series of concerts will follow next year.

The Pegas bike business started with a bicycle frame built during the communist time in 1972, from an armament factory in Zarnesti, Brasov county. The design was inspired by American and British muscular bikeswhich in turn imitates the style of a chopper motorcycle. The Pegas silhouette, with long saddles and horns, would become the definitionof the word "bicycle" for thousands of children in communist Romania. A cult object and one that defined childhoods for those who learned to ride a bicycle betweenthe 1970s and the 1980s. Europe and the United States loved these models known under different brands, for example, Raleigh in the UK, Bonanza bike in Germany, High Riser in Austria. After 1989, the Romanian revolution, Pegas was slowly going out of the market.

20 years later, in 2012, four bike-passionates through an independent project brought Pegas and theold bicycle into a new form for the children who had grown up. 28 new models and over 200 colour combinations are available on bicicletapegas.ro/en.

Furthermore, Pegas is actively looking for institutional partners in the UK to implement the smart bike sharing service. This smart solution is run by a phone app through GPS and GPRS and have dockless stations meaning you have a large freedom to park your bike. The smart bike sharing system from Pegas is a project inspired by the new shared economy trends and wants to solve the problem of the last mile in the daily routine. We offer the complete service, from bikes especially designed for bike sharing, meaning anti-theft nuts, anti-corrosive parts, no-puncture tires and basket, to special app and lockers for the program.

The innovation we bring on for this smart bike project is related to free floating, geo located and secured by external lock. At this point, it's free of charge for municipalities. The entire process is administrated by Pegas, while the user's cost is currently calculated for GBP 0.5/ 30 minutes.

View Pegas' romantic promotional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_DAQv1a6O4

Contact: Oana Vasiliu, PR Manager, pr@bicicletapegas.ro
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has challenged the new cabinet ministers to come up with quick-win government-led intervention measures which make a visible impact on the development of the country.President Mnangagwa said this as he chaired his first inaugural cabinet meeting today.In his opening remarks at the meeting, President Mnangagwa said the advent of the new dispensation has generated high expectations amongst Zimbabweans, development partners and other stakeholders who rightfully see it as the dawn of a new era.The President said the meeting comes against the backdrop of major socio-economic challenges that need to be urgently addressed that include the scourge of corruption, the current liquidity crunch, low direct investment inflows and heavy dependency on imports.He said other militating factors include low capacity utilisation by industry, high country risk perception, policy inconsistency, and the devastating effects of economic sanctions among others.
Opening in the last quarter of 2018

SINGAPORE, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Capella Hotel Group together with leading real estate developer Country Group Development PCL, announce the opening of Capella Bangkok in the last quarter of 2018.Located along the rejuvenated Chao Phraya River waterfront promenade, Capella Bangkok is an all-suite urban resort offering 101 suites and villas with panoramic views of Thailand's revered river.

Poised on the east bank of the River of Kings, Capella Bangkok is an integral part of the prestigious new development, Chao Phraya Estate.All 101 suites and villas offer unobstructed river views complemented by the exceptional hallmarks of Capella Hotels and Resorts, which was recently voted as the world's fifth best hotel brand by readers of Travel + Leisure in the 2017 World's Best Awards.

Another distinctive feature of Capella Bangkok is the partnership with the celebrated culinary icon, Mauro Colagreco.As the only Argentinian chef in the world to have two Michelin stars, Mr. Colagreco will conceptualize a signature restaurant to express his personal interpretation of the Thai culture and its influence on his cuisine.

Asked why Mr. Colagreco chose to debut his signature style at Capella Bangkok, he explained: "For me, Capella is not only synonymous with luxe and elegance but also for unique concepts with personalized attention to each guest.That is exactly what I look for in the conceptualization of my cuisine - to give clients a unique experience! Every year I visit Asia, including several times to Bangkok, a city that I love for its charming blend of contemporary and heritage, for its unique culture which is simply extraordinary, and for the local cuisine that is for sure one of the best in the world."

"Capella Bangkok adds a new dimension to our growing portfolio of iconic hotels in key Asian destinations. Its remarkable location along the legendary Chao Phraya River makes it a natural choice for discerning travelers in search of authentic Thai experiences at every touch point.This commitment to local culture is evident at all Capella hotels, which include Singapore, Shanghai, Dusseldorf and Saint Lucia as well as properties under development in Ubud, Maldives and Sydney," said Mr. Nicholas M. Clayton, Chief Executive Officer of Capella Hotel Group.

"We have hand-selected Capella Hotel Group to help bring our vision of delivering unprecedented luxury residential and intimate hospitality experience to life.Country Group Development is confident that the partnership with Capella Hotel Group will add a new dimension of luxury experience to discerning world-travellers. With renowned reputation for providing extraordinary experiences in unique locations, Capella Bangkok will be the definitive showcase of bespoke service in Thailand," said Mr. Ben Taechaubol, Chief Executive Officer of Country Group Development.

Other features of Capella Bangkok include The Capella Library, decadent dessert bar with innovative cocktails, riverside all-day dining venue, Auriga Spa wellness retreat as well as an elegant grand ballroom featuring panoramic views of the Chao Phraya River.

Being the new landmark along the Chao Phraya, Capella Bangkok is a collaborative effort between world class artisans in real estate development.The master planner is Hamiltons International Pte Ltd, while the interiors are crafted by lead designer BAMO as well as PIA Interior for the spa and Hirsch Bedner Associates.

For more information on Capella Bangkok, please visit www.capellabangkok.com.

About Capella Hotel Group

Capella Hotel Group, headquartered in Singapore with offices in China, Europe and USA, offers global hospitality management services through two distinct brands.Capella Hotels and Resorts is an ultra-luxury hotel, resort, and residential concept designed for the most discerning travelers and offering personalized attention with locations in Dusseldorf, Saint Lucia, Shanghai and Singapore as well as hotels planned for Ubud, Bangkok, Maldives and Sydney.

Solis Hotels and Resorts, is an exclusive collection of resorts, hotels and residences designed for travelers and meeting planners who seek an environment with a global palette of cosmopolitan comfort, inspiring cuisine, world-class spas with locations in Donegal, Ireland; Nanjing, China and Atlanta, USA along with hotels planned for Bali and Guangzhou.

Learn more at www.capellahotelgroup.com

About Country Group Development

Country Group Development (CGD) is the Thailand-based, international real estate development and investment arm of Country Group. With a proven track record of delivering bold and complex asset transformations including Four Seasons Private Residences Bangkok, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, and Capella Bangkok; the company is a unique player in the market with a competitive edge from its diversified real estate strategy and ability to leverage from the Country Group affiliate network of companies. For more information, please visit www.cgd.co.th.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Joleena Seah

Director, Marketing & Communications

Capella Hotel Group

Telephone: +65 6887 9835

Email: joleena.seah@capellahotelgroup.com

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BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. shares rose on Tuesday as the pound extended its Brexit setback slide and data showed U.K retail sales rebounded last month, fueled by higher food spending. The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 12 points or 0.17 percent at 7,351 in late opening deals after rising half a percent the previous day. Randgold Resources rose over 1 percent as gold held steady on a weaker dollar. Tullow Oil shares jumped 2.6 percent even as oil extended overnight losses ahead of U.S. crude inventories data. Online trading company IG Group soared 4.2 percent. The company said it continued to perform well in the second quarter following a strong first quarter. Retailer Tesco rallied 3 percent after an upgrade by research analysts at Goldman Sachs Group. Provident Financial shares slumped 13.5 percent after UK regulator FCA launched a probe into its Moneybarn unit. Miners Anglo American, Antofagasta and Glencore were down 1-2 percent despite positive services sector data from China. Royal Bank of Scotland shed half a percent and Lloyds Banking Group was little changed after announcing the closure of branches in response to the shifting consumer preference toward digital banking. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

APRIL International, the leading international private medical insurance provider to the individual, student, SME and corporate markets, has announced the appointment of Mandy Dicksee to the newly created post of business development manager to be based in their London office.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/615532/April_Mandy_Dicksee.jpg )



With over 20 years experience of the private medical insurance industry, Mandy previously held the posts of operations manager Europe for Now Health International and corporate account manager at BUPA Global.

Commenting on her appointment, business development director Joe Thomas said, "Mandy represents an important hire for us. With over 20 years experience and a proven track record of developing strong working relationships with clients, brokers and distributors at the highest level, Mandy brings a proven set of skills and experience to this new role.

Our ambition is to become a global platform combining expertise and proximity to the client through our network of worldwide offices. We are confident that this service and knowledge led approach will result in APRIL International becomingthe most recommend gateway for clients to access high quality international private medical care and I am sure Mandy will play a vital part delivering our vision."

Mandy adds, "April International has a clear strategy to meet ambitious growth targets which, with the recent alignment of business activities across the group globally, it is well placed to deliver on. I am looking forward to the challenge and to begin the task of identifying new key intermediaries and accounts for development."

APRIL International offers a range of standout international private medical insurance plans delivered by 250 staff members, across 13 offices worldwide.

Please visit https://en.april-international.com/united-kingdom

About the APRIL Group

Established in 1988, APRIL is an international insurance services group with operations in 31 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and the leading wholesale broker in France. Listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment B), the group produced a turnover of 861.2 million in 2016. Its 3,800 staff members design, manage and distribute specialised insurance solutions (health and personal protection, property and casualty, mobility and legal protection) as well as assistance services for private individuals, professionals and businesses, while pursuing APRIL's ambition: to make insurance easier and more accessible to everyone. Driven by a strong enterprising ethos, the group aims to offer its customers an insurance experience which is easier, by means of tailored products and services and customised care. For more information, please visit www.april.com
AUSTIN, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 12/05/17 -- Buzz Points, Inc., an incentive-based customer engagement and revenue-generating platform, made famous by its "buy local, spend local" rewards for community financial institutions (CFIs), today introduced Real-Time Rewards (RTR) for US financial institutions issuing Visa credit or debit cards for consumers. The rewards program gives cardholders the power to redeem rewards in-store, following a qualifying purchase, without the hassle of coupons, vouchers or QR codes. The reward will appear as a statement credit on a consumer's account, typically within ten days from redemption.

"In the modern financial services landscape, there's significant friction in the rewards redemption process," said Buzz Points CEO Dwayne Spradlin. "This new near real-time redemption method enables users to simply claim a reward, make the qualifying purchase and see the cash back applied as a credit to their account."

As Real-Time Rewards incentivizes customers to use a specific financial institution's card, partner community banks and credit unions can expect to generate additional interchange revenue with every redemption. The streamlined redemption process also improves preferred local businesses' experiences by eliminating paperwork and extra steps at point-of-sale.

Additional features of Real-Time Rewards include:

Visa Offers Platform: RTR utilizes Visa's powerful Visa Offers Platform to enable CFIs to identify qualifying transactions and offer cash back to cardholders as a credit to their statement without changes on the CFI's end.

Flexible Channel Architecture: The feature was designed with emerging channels in mind, allowing the cardholder experience to extend across mobile, web, chat messenger, voice commands and more.

State-of-the-Art Engineering: RTR is built with the latest engineering, including Amazon Web Services and Microservice architecture that enable responsive applications, reliable services with high uptime, and flexibility for future innovation.

"We are very excited to offer Real-Time Rewards to our loyal Buzz Points members," Joel Steenhoven, President of Siouxland Federal Credit Union. "Extending this cutting-edge technology to our community helps us bring innovative loyalty programs to our customers and give back to the local economy by further incentivizing local spending."

To learn more about Real-Time Rewards by Buzz Points, visit https://www.buzzpoints.com/financial-institutions/.

About Buzz Points, Inc.

Buzz Points is a community-focused rewards and marketing platform that connects community financial institutions, consumers and locally-owned businesses. The Buzz Points platform incentivizes members to shop locally, drives business results for community banks and credit unions, and helps local businesses compete against national chains.

Media Contact:

Ian Toner

Communications Strategy Group, on behalf of Buzz Points

itoner@cwearecsg.com

720.726.5460






WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Lowell Hawthorne, the Jamaican-born founder of Golden Krust, fatally shot himself on Saturday, the police said. He was 57.



The fast-food magnate, who used the flavors of his native Jamaica to build an empire in the United States, was found dead around 5:10 p.m. inside a company factory in the Bronx in New York City. Investigators recovered a handgun and a note, but its contents were not revealed.



'Our hearts are broken, and we are struggling to process our grief over this tremendous loss. Lowell was a visionary, entrepreneur, community champion, and above all a committed father, family man, friend and man of faith,' the Golden Krust company said in a statement on Sunday.



The Bronx-based company said funeral arrangements would be announced at a later date.



Hawthorne, with inspiration from his baker father, and support from siblings, opened the first Golden Krust in the Bronx in 1989. For 28 years, he was the president and chief executive of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill.



Golden Krust now grew into the largest Caribbean-food chain in America with more than 120 stores in New York and beyond.



Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, and Andrew Holness, the prime minister of Jamaica, offered condolences on Twitter.



No one in his family, friends or employees could offer any explanation for why he might have killed himself.



In a Facebook post on November 28, Hawthorne wrote, 'I was always in search of the next honest means to make a dollar. Like many transplanted Caribbean nationals, I struggled to work and raise a family. I can only thank God for everything I have achieved....if my story here can inspire others to rise up and give it a go, then I would have succeeded in doing something meaningful.'



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The euro weakened against its major counterparts in the European session on Tuesday, trimming early gains, after a data showed that German services activity slowed more-than-estimated in November, while Eurozone PMI matched preliminary reading.



Final data from IHS Markit showed that Eurozone private sector growth accelerated as estimated in November.



The composite output index rose to 57.5 from 56.0 in October. The score was unchanged from the earlier flash estimate.



The services Purchasing Managers' Index came in at 56.2, in line with flash estimate, versus 55.0 in October.



Germany's composite output index improved to 57.3 from 56.6 in October but below the flash reading of 57.6. At the same time, the services PMI fell more-than-estimated to 54.3 from 54.7 a month ago. The initial reading was 54.9.



Meanwhile, European stocks were trading mixed as investors monitored currency movements and looked ahead to further progress in Brexit talks and U.S. tax reform.



The currency has been trading in a positive territory in the Asian session.



The euro dropped to 1.1842 against the greenback, from a high of 1.1877 hit at 9:30 pm ET. The euro is likely to locate support around the 1.17 region.



The single currency retreated to 1.1673 against the franc, after having advanced to a 4-day high of 1.1704 at 3:00 am ET. On the downside, 1.15 is possibly seen as the next support for the euro.



The euro weakened to a 4-day low of 133.23 against the yen, compared to 133.36 hit late New York Monday. Continuation of the euro's downtrend may see it challenging support around the 132.00 mark.



The latest survey from Nikkei showed that Japan's services sector continued to expand in November, albeit at a slower pace, with a PMI score of 51.2.



That's down from the 26-month high of 53.4 in October, although it remains well above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.



The single currency slid to near 2-week lows of 1.5494 against the aussie and 1.4995 against the loonie, from yesterday's closing values of 1.5614 and 1.5035, respectively. Further downtrend may take the euro to support levels of around 1.53 against the aussie and 1.49 against the loonie.



On the flip side, the euro hit a 6-day high of 0.8868 against the pound and held steady thereafter. The pair finished Monday's trading at 0.8801.



Survey data from IHS Markit showed that British service sector activity logged a further solid expansion in November, though the rate of growth eased since October.



The IHS Markit/Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply Purchasing Managers' Index, dropped to 53.8 in November from 55.6 in October. Economists had expected the index to drop to 55.0.



Looking ahead, U.S. and Canadian trade data for October, ISM non-manufacturing composite index and Markit's U.S services PMI for November are slated for release in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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DETROIT, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report onGlobal Aerospace & Defense Ducting Marketby Aircraft Type (Commercial, Regional, General Aviation, Helicopter, Military Aircraft and Others), by Duct Type (Rigid, Semi Rigid, and Flexible), by Application (Airframe, Engine, and Others), by Pressure Type (Low Pressure and High Pressure), by Material Type (Nickel & Alloys, Titanium & Alloys, Stainless Steel & Alloys, Composites, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2017 - 2022.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/402975LOGO )



This 193-page strategic report, from Stratview Research, studies the global ducting market in the aerospace & defenseindustry over the trend and forecast period of 2011 to 2022. The report provides detailed insights on the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.

The Global Aerospace & DefenseDucting Market: Highlights

As per Stratview Research, the global aerospace & defense ducting market offers healthy growth opportunity during the forecast period of 2017 to 2022 and reach $2.9 billion in 2022. The author of the report stated that Increasing deliveries of commercial and regional aircraft, increasing the share of wide-body aircraft in the commercial aircraft deliveries, rising aircraft fleet size, and increasing demand for lightweight ducting are major growth drivers of the market.

In terms of material type, composites ducting is likely to witness the highest growth over the next five years, propelled by continuous replacement of heavy metals including aluminum and stainless steel with composites in low-pressure & low-temperature and low-pressure & high-temperature applications.

Based on aircraft type, commercial aircraft is projected to remain the largest and fastest-growing segment of the aerospace & defense ducting market during the forecast period, driven by increasing production rates of the best-selling aircraft, such as A320 family, B737, B787, and A350XWB, rising aircraft fleet size, and development of high thrust engines.

Based on the duct type, the high-pressure ducting segment is likely to remain the largest and fastest-growing duct type during the forecast period. Major applications of high-pressure ducting are environmental control systems (ECS), engine bleed air, thermal anti-ice systems, APU air intake/exhaust, fuel tank inerting systems, and engine starter duct systems.

In terms of region, North America is expected to remain the largest market for global aerospace & defense ducting over the next five years. The region is the manufacturing capital of the aerospace & defense industry with the presence of several major players, such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Bombardier and the presence of major ducting manufacturers. However, Asia-Pacific is likely to experience the highest growth during the same period, driven by the commencement of commercial and regional aircraft manufacturing in China and Japan, the introduction of offset policy, and increasing defense spending.

As per Stratview Research, the global aerospace & defense ducting market is moderately consolidated with more than three dozen players active in the market. Top 5 players (Eaton Corporation, Senior Plc, PFW Aerospace, Arrowhead Products, and Triumph Group) captured close to 50% of the market in 2016. New product development, formation of long-term contracts, and collaboration with OEMs are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.

Market trend and forecast analysis.

Market segment trend and forecast.

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.

Emerging trends.

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.

Key success factors.

This report studies ducting market in the global aerospace & defense industry and has segmented the market in six ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. The following are the six ways in which the market is segmented:

Global Aerospace & Defense (A&D) Ducting Market by Aircraft Type:

Commercial Aircraft

Regional Aircraft

General Aviation

Helicopter

Military Aircraft

Others

Global Aerospace & Defense (A&D) Ducting Market by Duct Type:

Rigid Ducts

Semi-Rigid Ducts

Flexible Ducts

Global Aerospace & Defense (A&D) Ducting Market by Application Type:

Airframe

Engine

Others

Global Aerospace & Defense (A&D) Ducting Market by Pressure Type:

Low Pressure

High Pressure

Global Aerospace & Defense (A&D) Ducting Market by Material Type:

Nickel & Alloys

Titanium & Alloys

Stainless Steel & Alloys

Composites

Others

Global Aerospace & Defense (A&D) Ducting Market by Region:

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Rest of the World

Stratview Research has number of high value market reports in the global aerospace & defense industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Aerospace & Defense Industry

Some of our other premium market reports in the aerospace & defense industry:

About Stratview Research

Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas.

We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies.

Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making.

For enquiries, contact:

RiteshGandecha

Stratview Research

E-mail:sales@stratviewresearch.com

Direct: +1-313-307-4176


SPARTANBURG, SC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/05/17 -- Integrated Biometrics today announced that the company recently closed on a $2 million equity financing round. The funds will support the company's rapid global growth, including increased production to meet high levels of demand for its comprehensive family of FBI certified biometric fingerprint scanners. This transaction represents a private investment.

Integrated Biometrics is the industry leader in rugged, lightweight biometric fingerprint scanners. These FBI certified units range from single-finger to 10-finger sensors known for durability, compact design, and exceptionally low power consumption. Identity management solutions providers depend on Integrated Biometrics' products to provide reliable results even under challenging conditions, such as daylight or bright lights, temperature extremes, dirty fingers, and mobile field operations.

"Demand for our solutions continues to increase at a tremendous rate," said Stephen Thies, Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Biometrics. "That's why we're on both Inc. Magazine's 5000 and the South Carolina 25 Fastest Growing Companies lists for two years running. This growth capital addresses working capital needs, enables capacity improvements, and supports engineering projects that will bring exciting new features to our product line."

For more information on Integrated Biometrics or the company's FBI certified optical fingerprint scanners, visit www.integratedbiometrics.com or email sales@integratedbiometrics.com.

About Integrated Biometrics

Integrated Biometrics, LLC designs and manufactures FBI-certified fingerprint sensors for law enforcement, military operations, homeland security, national identity, election validation, social services, and a wide range of commercial applications. The company's patented light emitting sensor technology enables lightweight scanners that outperform traditional prism-based devices in size, power consumption, portability, and reliability. Identity management solutions providers, government agencies, and corporations around the world rely on Integrated Biometrics' products to enroll and verify individual identity quickly and accurately, even in remote locations.

Media Contact:

David Wright

Integrated Biometrics

+1.408.363.2843

david.wright@integratedbiometrics.com




NEW YORK, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Immigrants comprise 13.5 percent of the U.S. population today, the highest share in 106 years. "In addition to starting a new life in a wealthy country, they play a pivotal role in the nation's economy," tells USAFIS Organization.

In the late 19th century, the absolute number of immigrants in the country rose from less than 2.5 million in 1850 to more than 13.5 million in 1910. What is fantastic is that places that took in more immigrants in the 19th century still benefit economically from it, reported NYC-based Quartz news portal.

That group of immigrants was similar in many ways to those entering the U.S. today. Most did not speak English, followed different religious practices than the natives, and were fleeing politically or economically treacherous situations. The majority were unskilled laborers, though a small number were highly educated.

President Donald Trump recently welcomed some 4,000 immigrants in California to the 'American family' and urged them to help other newcomers assimilate. The message is a key part of naturalization ceremonies. Do you dream of living and working in America? Come integrate to the American culture with the assistance of USAFIS!

More immigrants almost immediately led to more vibrant economies. Of course, the current economic and political circumstances are quite different from the late 19th century, but there are enough similarities to suggest that the benefits of immigration would hold true in the 21st century and beyond.

USAFIS is a worldwide leader in assisting clients from around the globe in preparing and submitting their applications successfully to the American Green Card (Diversity Visa) Lottery Program. USAFIS is a private entity that provides its customers with professional immigration-related services and products to help them apply to the Green Card Lottery Program successfully, and guide winners through the post selection process until arrival to the U.S.

For more information about the United States current immigration programs and USAFIS, please visit the company's site at http://www.usafis.org, call +1-646-517-6334 or write to csr@usafis.org.
ODENSE, Denmark, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Hi-tech Greenhouse Positions Spectrum Cannabis as European Cannabis Leader and Odense as Major European Medical Cannabis Centre

Spectrum Cannabis Denmark ApS (the "Company"), a joint venture between Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy Growth"), the largest cannabis company in the world, and Danish Cannabis ApS ("Danish Cannabis"), a leading European hemp producer, has announced plans to establish a 40,000 m2 production facility in Odense, Denmark. The immediate conversion of 30,000 m2 of existing greenhouse infrastructure could be completed as soon as early 2018, subject to regulatory approvals and licensing, and has the full support of Odense Mayor Peter Rahbk Juel.

"We are pleased that our efforts to create a stable, skilled and safe environment continues to attract global businesses to Odense, which will now share in the prosperity of the largest and most reputable medical cannabis company in the world," said Mayor Juel.

Denmark is an ideal country for greenhouse cannabis production because of the abundant availability of experienced greenhouse producers and labourers. Odense was specifically chosen because of the support of the greenhouse industry that exists in the area.

The Odense facility is expected to employ over 125 staff, including its former orchid growers who will all be offered employment with the Company. Based on current usage rates in Canadian patient groups, production capacity from the state-of-the art greenhouse could serve the needs of approximately 60,000 patients, with a retail production value of over 500 M DKK.

While the Company proceeds through the Lgemiddelstyrelsen licensing process for production, it expects to import Spectrum Cannabis products from Canada, which are currently sold to medical patients in Canada and Germany.

The Spectrum Cannabis products are based on the simple doctor and patient friendly Spectrum system, which classifies products from high THC to balanced THC and CBD products to high CBD-only products. Throughout 2018, the Company intends to introduce its range of products in dried form for inhalation, as well as cannabis oils and Softgel capsules, an offering currently only available through Canopy Growth's subsidiaries, Spectrum Cannabis and Tweed.

"The Danish market is a stable, attractive market for a number of strategic reasons," said Bruce Linton, Chairman and CEO of Canopy Growth. "In Denmark, we see a strong pharmaceutical industry with an equally strong research tradition as well as a skilled labour pool and attractive energy rates. Based on these foundational aspects and with the expertise of our partners at Danish Cannabis, I am confident we will build upon our global success here in Denmark."

The confidence and trust in the medical control system exercised by Lgemiddelstyrelsen and the evolving cannabis laws in Denmark have created a market opportunity that will create jobs for the community of Odense while also improving the health and quality of lives of Danish people suffering from chronic illnesses by providing a safe and consistent supply of high quality medical cannabis products.

Subject to regulatory approvals, a variety of Spectrum Cannabis products will be available throughout 2018, including over ten dried cannabis strains, and ingestible cannabis oils available in liquid and Softgel capsule formats.

Here's to Future Danish Growth.

About Canopy Growth Corporation

Canopy Growth is a world-leading diversified cannabis and hemp company, offering distinct brands and curated cannabis varieties in dried, oil and Softgel capsule forms. From product and process innovation to market execution, Canopy Growth is driven by a passion for leadership and a commitment to building a world-class cannabis company; one product, site and country at a time.

Canopy Growth has established partnerships with leading sector names including cannabis icon Snoop Dogg, breeding legends DNA Genetics and Green House seeds, and Fortune 500 alcohol leader Constellation Brands, to name but a few. Canopy Growth operates seven cannabis production sites with over 665,000 square feet of production capacity, including over 500,000 square feet of GMP-certified production space. The Company has operations in seven countries across four continents. The Company is proudly dedicated to educating healthcare practitioners, conducting robust clinical research, and furthering the public's understanding of cannabis, and through its partly owned subsidiary, Canopy Health Innovations, has devoted millions of dollars toward cutting-edge, commercializable research and IP development. Through partly owned subsidiary Canopy Rivers Corporation, the Company is providing resources and investment to new market entrants and building a portfolio of stable investments in the sector. From our historic public listing to our continued international expansion, pride in advancing shareholder value through leadership is engrained in all we do at Canopy Growth.

For more information visithttp://www.canopygrowth.com

About Spectrum Cannabis

Spectrum is medical cannabis, simplified. Its colour-coded strain classification system is available in Canada with operations underway in the European Union, Australia, and South America. Spectrum products are available in a range of potencies and formats designed to simplify the dialogue around strength and dosage by categorizing medical cannabis according to THC and CBD levels. Spectrum Germany Gmbh processes cannabis for sale in Germany in a GMP-certified facility and then distributes products to hundreds of German pharmacies. Spectrum Denmark is a partnership between Canopy Growth and Danish Cannabis. Through the partnership, Spectrum Denmark is developing a large-scale greenhouse facility in the city of Odense.

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Canopy Growth Corporation, its subsidiaries, or its affiliates to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include future operational and production capacity, the impact of enhanced infrastructure and production capabilities, and forecasted available product selection. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and Canopy Growth Corporation does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.

Contact:

Jordan Sinclair,

Director of Communications,

Jordan@tweed.com,

+1-613-769-4196;



Investor Relations:

Tyler Burns,

Tyler.burns@canopygrowth.com,

+1-855-558-9333 ex 122;



Director:

Bruce Linton,

tmx@tweed.com


News / National

by Staff Reporter

Norton member of Parliament Temba Mliswa has said the new president of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa and his cabinet should stop blaming sanctions but work around them.Mliswa said the government should plan and implement policies with consideration that they inherited a government already under sanctions."Note to the President and his Cabinet...please, we do not ever want to hear any excuses and Lamentations of Sanctions or any such excuse. When you got in, you all knew that sanctions were there. So we expect you to plan and implement policy with that consideration in mind," reads Mliswa's tweet.He said former Rhodesia Prime Minister Ian Smith grew an economy under sanctions.Mliswa went on to say "Ian Smith grew the industry under sanctions, the man build his economy and sustained a war while under sanctions."
MONTREAL, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SEMAFO Inc. (TSX:SMF) (OMX:SMF) is pleased to announce the appointment of John Jentz, (CA, CPA) as Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations, effective December 4, 2017. Mr. Jentz will report directly to Benoit Desormeaux, the Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Jentz will be responsible for communicating the Corporation's growth strategy in addition to leading its ongoing business development efforts. He will be based in Toronto. Mr. Jentz is a financial professional with over 20 years' experience in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions mostly within the mining sector. He has worked at a variety of global, national and independent investment banking firms. Mr. Jentz has an MBA and an undergraduate degree in actuarial science. Mr. Jentz succeeds Robert LaValliere, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs, who will retire at the end of this year after heading up SEMAFO's Investor Relations department since 2012. During his tenure, Robert was instrumental in developing the Corporation's program of transparent communication with the investment community, which helped propel SEMAFO along its growth path. We thank him for his contribution over the past five years and wish him a happy and healthy retirement. About SEMAFO SEMAFO is a Canadian-based mining company with gold production and exploration activities in West Africa. The Corporation operates the Mana Mine in Burkina Faso, which includes the high-grade satellite deposit of Siou, and is targeting production start-up of the Boungou Mine in the third quarter of 2018. SEMAFO's strategic focus is to maximize shareholder value by effectively managing its existing assets as well as pursuing organic and strategic growth opportunities. The information in this release is subject to the disclosure requirements of SEMAFO under the Swedish Securities Market Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. This information was publicly communicated on December 5, 2017 at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Standard Time. For more information, contact: SEMAFO Robert LaValliere Vice-President, Corporate Affairs & Investor Relations E-mail: Robert.Lavalliere@semafo.com Cell: +1 (514) 240 2780 Ruth Hanna Analyst, Investor Relations E-mail: Ruth.Hanna@semafo.com Tel. local & overseas: +1 (514) 744 4408 North America Toll-Free: 1 (888) 744 4408 Website: www.semafo.com
Vernon, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 5, 2017) - True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. (CSE: MJ) (FSE: TLA) (OTCQB: TRLFF) ("True Leaf"), announced today that it will present at the LD Micro 10th Annual Main Event being held in Los Angeles, California, from December 5-7, 2017. True Leaf founder and Chief Executive Officer, Darcy Bomford, will be giving a presentation, participating in a panel discussion, and meeting with investors throughout the conference.

In his presentation, Mr. Bomford will discuss the progress of True Leaf's current Regulation A+ equity crowdfunding offering. More information about the offering is available at invest.trueleaf.com. Boustead Securities, LLC is serving as lead underwriter for the offering.

Event: True Leaf presents at LD Micro 10th Annual Main Event Date: Wednesday, December 6, 2017 Time: 3:30pm PT (Pacific Time) Location: Track 5, Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, Los Angeles, CA

Also on December 6, Mr. Bomford will participate in a panel discussion at the conference titled, "High Times Panel - Cannabis in 2025: How has the cannabis landscape changed? How large is the market? Where is it legal? What regulatory changes have taken effect?" The panel will be moderated by Adam Levin, CEO of High Times, and in addition to Mr. Bomford, panelists include Alan Lien, CEO of SolisTek, Hadley Ford, CEO of iAnthus Capital Holdings, Derek Peterson, CEO of TerraTech, and Nick Kovacevich, CEO of Kush Bottles.

LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. For investors attending the LD Micro Conference, please contact True Leaf Investor Relations to schedule a meeting with True Leaf management at tpatel@edisongroup.com.

About LD Micro

The LD Micro Main Event takes place December 5-7, 2017, at the Luxe Sunset Hotel in Los Angeles, and will feature over 200 companies in the small/micro-cap space.

LD Micro is an investment newsletter firm that focuses on finding undervalued companies in the micro-cap space. Since 2002, the firm has published reports on select companies throughout the year. The firm also hosts the LD Micro Invitational in June. It is a non-registered investment advisor. For more information, please contact 408-457-1042 or visit www.ldmicro.com.

About True Leaf

Founded in 2013, True Leaf has two main operating divisions: True Leaf Medicine Inc. and True Leaf Pet Inc. The Company's goal is to provide federally-approved, safe and effective cannabis products that will be sold across Canada and the United States. True Leaf Medicine Inc. was launched in July 2013 to become a licensed producer of medicinal cannabis for the Canadian market. True Leaf Medicine Inc. has been given approval by Health Canada to build its grow facility and will be subject to a Health Canada security inspection upon completion to allow for the cultivation, manufacture, and distribution of cannabis products. Currently, True Leaf does not have a license to produce cannabis.

Established in 2015, True Leaf Pet Inc. markets safe, hemp-focused products for the pet industry. The Company launched the True Hemp pet supplement line in Canada, the United States, and Europe, becoming one of the first hemp-based pet product lines to be marketed worldwide. True Hemp North American products are free of CBD and THC, making them the first federally legal products to be marketed in Canada and the United States.

Media Contact:

Paul Sullivan

Director, Public Relations

Paul@trueleaf.com

O: 604-685-4742

M: 604-603-7358

Investor Contact:

Kevin Bottomley

Director and Corporate Relations

Kevin@trueleaf.com

M: 778-389-9933



Tirth Patel

Edison Advisors

tpatel@edisongroup.com

O: 646-653-7035

Follow True Leaf

trueleaf.com

twitter.com/trueleafpet

facebook.com/trueleafmedicine

instagram.com/trueleafpet
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 5, 2017) - TerraX Minerals Inc. (TSXV: TXR) (OTC Pink: TRXXF) (FSE: TX0) is pleased to announce high-grade surface sampling results from the Homer Lake Gold structure on their Northbelt property, one of 8 new high grade target areas identified on the Yellowknife City Gold Project during field work this summer (see Map 1 here).

Initial surface exploration in the Homer Lake area in 2013 identified massive lead and zinc mineralization with high silver and gold values over a strike length of approximately 1 kilometer. Drilling on this target in 2016 (6 holes) extended this zone to a vertical depth of at least 250 meters and two of these holes intersected a gold zone trending north-south (see our news release of May 4, 2016 here). Prospecting and mapping by TerraX in 2017 has followed these mineralized structures over two kilometers of strike length. Mineralization is pervasive and has been discovered in all rock types including mafic volcanics, mafic intrusives, granitic intrusives, felsic volcanics, and quartz veins (60 samples greater than 1 g/t Au, and 192 samples of 567 samples grading greater than 0.10 g/t Au). Maps showing the location of these samples can be accessed here.

Joe Campbell, CEO of TerraX, states. "Our 2017 field exploration program has greatly expanded the mineralized zones at Homer Lake, providing us with yet another opportunity for high grade discoveries on the Yellowknife City Gold property during our upcoming drilling programs in early 2018."

A total of 567 samples have been taken in the Homer Lake area, including 217 channel and chip samples. Individual highlights from outcrop samples include:

Up to 25 . 5 g/t Au , with 60 samples greater than 1.00 g/t Au

, with 60 samples greater than 1.00 g/t Au Up to 529 g/t A g , with 28 samples greater than 100 g/t Ag

, with 28 samples greater than 100 g/t Ag Up to 21 .0 0 % Pb , with 42 samples greater than 3% Pb

, with 42 samples greater than 3% Pb Up to 1 3 .6 5 % Zn , with 24 samples greater than 3% Zn

, with 24 samples greater than 3% Zn Up to 1.50% Cu, with 23 samples greater than 0.10% Cu

Channel sampling was carried out in mafic volcanics, felsic volcanics, and in granitic rocks. Best results included:

3.00 meters @ 2.00 g/t Au , 44 g/t Ag, 1.99% Pb, and 7.94% Zinc in felsic volcanic

in felsic volcanic 3.00 meters @ 0.88 g/t Au , 90 g/t Ag, 4.55% Pb, and 2.22% Zinc in felsic volcanic

in felsic volcanic 6.95 meters @ 0.11 g/t Au , 16 g/t Ag, 1.12% Pb, and 0.55% Zinc in mafic volcanic

in mafic volcanic 5.70 meters @ 1.00 g/t Au, 7 g/t Ag in granitic intrusion

Assay values ranged from nil to highs of 25.5 g/t Au. Sampling included insertion of certified standards and blanks into the stream of samples for chemical analysis. Samples were prepared at ALS Chemex's laboratory in Yellowknife and shipped to their Vancouver facility for gold analysis by fire assay and other elements by ICP analysis. ALS is a certified and accredited laboratory service. It should be noted that, due to their selective nature, assay results from grab samples may not be indicative of the overall grade and extent of mineralization on the subject area.

Terrax's summer field exploration program at Yellowknife is now complete, with over 5,600 surface samples taken from outcrop throughout the property. Assay results are still pending from over 3,700 samples as well as biogeochemical and lake sediment surveys completed this fall throughout the property. Results will be reported when received and interpreted. All assay results will be used for targeting the next drill campaign in early 2018.

The technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Joseph Campbell, the Chief Executive Officer of TerraX, who is a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects."

About the Yellowknife City Gold Project

The Yellowknife City Gold ("YCG") encompasses 440 sq km of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, TerraX controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 km of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople.

The YCG lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering 45 km of strike length along the main mineralized break in the Yellowknife gold district, including the southern and northern extensions of the shear system that hosted the high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The project area contains multiple shears that are the recognized hosts for gold deposits in the Yellowknife gold district, with innumerable gold showings and recent high-grade drill results that serve to indicate the project's potential as a world-class gold district.

For more information on the YCG project, please visit our web site at www.terraxminerals.com.



On behalf of the Board of Directors



"JOSEPH CAMPBELL"



Joe Campbell

CEO

For more information, please contact:

Samuel Vella

Manager of Corporate Communications

Phone: 604-689-1749

Toll-Free: 1-855-737-2684

svella@terraxminerals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors - including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the completion of due diligence and the results of exploration activities - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Logic Supply's new ML100G-31 brings 7th gen. Kaby Lake processing to pocket-sized computing

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vermont, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --For more than 14 years, Logic Supply (www.logicsupply.com) has been developing highly reliable computer hardware for demanding applications. The company pioneered the use of Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) motherboard within industrial PCs, and today has announced their latest fanless NUC, the ML100G-31. This brand new system joins Logic Supply's ML100 Series of fanless NUC computers, and is powered by Intel's new Dawson Canyon motherboard, enabling 7th generation Core processing in a chassis that fits in the palm of your hand.

"We were excited when Logic Supply was one of the first companies to develop industrial Intel NUC systems years ago," says Joel Christensen, General Manager Systems Product Group of the Intel Corporation. "Since that time, the industry has incorporated the NUC into many industrial applications due to its performance, reliability, and size, and Logic Supply has established itself with industry-leading solutions in the fanless NUC market."

The all-new ML100G-31 includes a wide range of upgraded features. The new Intel Kaby Lake Core i3 processor offers benchmarked numbers similar in performance to the previous generation i5, while maintaining the same low power consumption. The Dawson Canyon industrial NUC from Logic Supply will also soon be 4G capable, making it the first ever commercially available NUC to offer globally compatible cellular connectivity. Other upgrades from previous NUC offerings include the latest Intel HD Graphics chipset for dual monitor and 4K support and options for adding special I/O such as DIO and Terminal Block Power.

As the fourth member of the ML100 family, the ML100G-31 uses Logic Supply's proven HardShell' Fanless Technology to passively cool the device, improving reliability and helping ensure dependability in challenging computing environments across a range of industries from manufacturing and automation, to industrial digital signage, logistics and even remote security and surveillance.

For more information, full specs and pricing or to configure the system online, visit www.logicsupply.com/ml100g-31, or contact a Logic Supply Solution Specialist directly at +1 802-861-2300 in the US or +31 (0)85 2733760 in Europe.

About Logic Supply:

A leading global Industrial PC company, Logic Supply designs highly-configurable computers engineered for reliability. Their systems operate in the harshest environments and power innovation in the evolving Internet of Things. Fueled by a unique direct-to-customer business model that combines vertical integration, modular product design, and a powerful online platform, Logic Supply offers computers "designed to last, built to order, and delivered in days." Founded in 2003, the company has served more than 60,000 customers. Logic Supply has offices in North America, Europe, and Taiwan. See why today's technology companies Depend on Logic at www.logicsupply.com and on Twitter @LogicSupply.

Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/615058/Logic_Supply_ML100G_31.jpg
The risk of losing benefits-including bonuses-for failure to comply with GDPR policies is a real possibility for employees at one in four organizations worldwide according to a study

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --A study from Veritas Technologies, a leader in multi-cloud data management, has found that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has the potential to drive major cultural changes in businesses worldwide. Nearly three in fourrespondents plan to incentivize employees to improve data hygiene and take accountability for data compliance.

According to The Veritas 2017 GDPR Report, 88 percent of organizations around the world plan to drive employee GDPR behavioral changes through training, rewards, penalties and contracts. Almost half (47 percent) of businesses will go so far as to add mandatory GDPR policy adherences into employment agreements.

Failure to adhere to contractual guidelines could have significant implications. Nearly half (41 percent) of respondents also plan to implement employee disciplinary procedures if GDPR policies are violated. A quarter of businesses (25 percent) would consider witholding benefits-including bonuses-from employees found to be non-compliant. At the same time, 34 percent say they will reward employees for complying with GDPR policies, as those employees are helping to promote proper data governance within their organizations, which can lead to better business outcomes.

GDPR Driving Cultural Changes

The report found that the vast majority of respondents (91 percent) admit that their organization does not currently hold a culture of good data governance or GDPR compliance. However, as indicated above, companies understand that training is critical to driving cultural changes within their organizations.

The majority (63 percent) of companies believe all employees must receive mandatory training on GDPR policies. However, respondents were also quick to identify the types of employees that should be trained: 86% believe the IT department must be prioritized,closely followed by business direction and strategy employees (85 percent), business development/sales/channel employees (84 percent), legal employees (82 percent) and finance employees (82 percent).

"Data is one of the most critical assets within an organization, yet many businesses are struggling to implement good data hygiene practices-and that often starts with employees," said Mike Palmer, executive vice president and chief product officer, Veritas. "However, our research shows that businesses are getting serious about driving cultural change within their organizations."

"As businesses consider deploying new processes and policies including training, rewards and updated contracts in support of GDPR compliance, more employees will understand the role they play in protecting their organization's data. And, for employees that fail to take matters seriously, their bonuses and benefits may be negatively impacted."

Business Benefits of GDPR Compliance

While avoiding stringent regulatory penalties and fines is clearly a driver for improving an organization's compliance posture, many companies also see major business benefits that go well beyond avoiding such sanctions. The research shows that almost all businesses (95 percent) see substantial business benefits to achieving GDPR compliance, including better data management across the entire organization.

Specifically, organizations believe that once they have advanced their compliance standing, they are able to reap the following benefits:

Improve data hygiene: 92 percent of respondents believe that their organization will benefit from good data hygiene, which helps drive trust in the data and improve data quality, accuracy and policy enforcement

92 percent of respondents believe that their organization will benefit from good data hygiene, which helps drive trust in the data and improve data quality, accuracy and policy enforcement Generate more insights: 68 percent believe that they will gather stronger data insights about their businesses through GDPR compliance, which can play a key role in delivering better customer experiences

68 percent believe that they will gather stronger data insights about their businesses through GDPR compliance, which can play a key role in delivering better customer experiences Save money: 68 percent think that their organization will save money

68 percent think that their organization will save money Build brand reputation: 59 percent believe that data compliance will also strengthen their reputation or relationships with their customers

59 percent believe that data compliance will also strengthen their reputation or relationships with their customers Protect data: 51 percent of organizations believe they will be able to protect data more efficiently

51 percent of organizations believe they will be able to protect data more efficiently Increase revenues: 45 percent expect to reduce costs, increase revenue or market share with better data management. One in five (22 percent) think it will ultimately help their organizations have more disposable cash, which can be used to invest in research and development (R&D) or to deploy additional resources to drive innovation

45 percent expect to reduce costs, increase revenue or market share with better data management. One in five (22 percent) think it will ultimately help their organizations have more disposable cash, which can be used to invest in research and development (R&D) or to deploy additional resources to drive innovation Hire more people: A quarter (25 percent) say enhanced data compliance will allow the organization to employ more staff to provide better customer service

"The GDPR will take effect on May 25, 2018 and will apply to any organization-inside or outside the EU-that offers goods or services to EU residents, or monitors their behavior," added Palmer. "Companies that adhere to compliance not only reduce their risks of fines, but have an opportunity to offer customers better experiences through proper data management, which can impact customer loyalty, revenues and brand reputation."

Veritas also announced today significant technology advancements that can help companies comply with the GDPR. Specifically, Veritas announced a key integration between its Classification Engine and its eDiscovery Platform that will help customers quickly scan and tag data, using a pre-designed set of classification policies, to ensure that sensitive or risky information is properly managed and protected. Click here to read more on that announcement.

Detailed information on the report and the full infographic can be found here.

And, for information on how Veritas can help your organization become GDPR compliant visit https://www.veritas.com/gdpr.

Methodology

Veritas commissioned independent technology market research specialist Vanson Bourne to undertake the research upon which this report is based.

A total of 900 business decision makers were interviewed in February and March across the US, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The respondents were from organizations with at least 1,000 employees, and could be from any sector. To qualify for the research, respondents had to be from organizations that do at least some business with the EU.

Interviews were conducted online using a rigorous multi-level screening process to ensure that only suitable candidates had the opportunity to participate.

About Veritas Technologies

Veritas Technologies empowers businesses of all sizes to discover the truth in information-their most important digital asset. Using the Veritas platform, customers can accelerate their digital transformation and solve pressing IT and business challenges including multi-cloud data management, data protection, storage optimization, compliance readiness and workload portability-with no cloud vendor lock-in. Eighty-six percent of Fortune 500 companies rely on Veritas today to reveal data insights that drive competitive advantage. Learn more atwww.veritas.comor follow us on Twitter at @veritastechllc.

Forward-looking Statements:Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change at the sole discretion of Veritas. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Veritas,may or may not be implemented, should not be considered firm commitments by Veritas,should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions, and may not be incorporated into any contract.

Veritas, the Veritas Logo, NetBackup, Backup Exec and Enterprise Vault are trademarks or registered trademarks of Veritas Technologies LLC or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

PR Contacts

US Contact

Veritas Technologies

Dayna Fried +1 925 493 9020

dayna.fried@veritas.com

EMEA Contact

Veritas Technologies

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brooke.hamilton@veritas.com

APJ Contact

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Belinda Lim +65 64275564

belinda.lim@veritas.com

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Company is consistently profitable, now the largest provider of solar loans in Africa

London-based private equity fund manager Apis Partners and other investors announced disbursement of $60 MM in new funding to Greenlight Planet Inc., the leading provider of off-grid solar products and solar financing for underserved populations around the world.

Greenlight Planet, a growth-stage company with a mandate to deliver social as well as financial returns, disclosed that it has been profitable in each of the last 10 financial quarters. Greenlight's profitability is unique in the off-grid solar industry, in which several companies have found readily-available investment and growth, but struggled to demonstrate sustainability.

Greenlight Planet announced that it now operates the world's largest direct-to-consumer, pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar product distribution business, with over 2,400 company-managed sales agents in five countries, selling more than 25,000 solar products to off-grid consumers each month. Using mobile money systems, customers pay for their solar energy products over time, for as little as 25 cents per day. After six to eight months, they own the solar product outright, making solar energy more affordable than traditional electrical grid power.

Greenlight's line of Sun King solar-powered products, now used by nearly 30 million consumers in 62 countries, includes lighting, home energy systems, phone chargers, radios, fans, and soon-to-be-released televisions. The company began selling affordable solar home systems just three years ago, and has sold nearly 600,000 to date, now at a rate of over 1,000 solar home systems per day. Greenlight Planet partners with a network of more than 100 distributors, including retailers, NGOs, and over 40 micro-finance institutions, to provide sales and service for off-grid communities in 62 countries.

Financing of off-grid solar home systems is a step toward broader financial inclusion for rural, unbanked consumers in emerging markets across Africa and Asia: Consumers without previous access to credit can build a credit history via the PAYG payment model, enabling Greenlight to offer them additional products and financial services in the future.

Greenlight Planet will use the new debt and equity capital to expand its solar-energy product lines, distribution networks, and financing capabilities in Africa and Asia. There, over a billion people lack reliable access to electricity, finding it too expensive or unavailable.

Patrick Walsh, Co-Founder CEO of Greenlight Planet, said that "Today, for less than the cost of a single electrical pole, we can provide a solar home system with enough energy to power a complete range of appliances needed by rural consumers. Apis's investment will allow us to continue rapidly expanding access to these life-changing products."

Anish Thakkar, Co-Founder of Greenlight Planet, added, "We look forward to drawing upon the expertise of Apis Partners to consolidate our market-leading position, building on our mission to connect off-grid, unbanked populations to power and to financing. This is a first step toward solutions for an expanded range of life necessities, from cookstoves to fans, TVs, and more."

Matteo Stefanel, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Apis, noted, "We are excited to partner with Greenlight Planet to serve over 1 billion underserved and unbanked customers with no access to electrification or financing. As the first consistently profitable, and hence proven-sustainable, company in the off-grid solar industry, Greenlight Planet is leading the off grid solar sector in leapfrogging the electrical grid by providing reliable and affordable off grid energy and financing for rural Africa."

According to Udayan Goyal, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Apis, the investment will leverage the firm's financial services expertise to fund innovation across growth markets. "We see a tremendous opportunity to leverage Greenlight Planet's distribution partners, technology, Sun King brand and platform to offer broader appliance financing to underserved Africa populations. Greenlight Planet's PAYG system offers a financing product embedded within the sale of a much-demanded physical product, and we think this context-based approach to financial services will drive widespread financial inclusion in growth markets."

Led by Apis Growth Fund I, Greenlight Planet raised $60 million, including equity and debt. Existing shareholders Eight Roads Ventures and Bamboo Capital Partners participated. Debt investments included new disbursements from the company's earliest institutional lenders, Deutsche Bank and Global Partnerships, as well as from SunFunder, PG Impact Investments, responsAbility and SIMA Funds. Freshfields acted as the legal advisor to Apis Partners.

About Greenlight Planet

Since 2009, Greenlight Planet has been a leader in solar home energy around the globe, designing products with off-grid consumers in mind. Greenlight Planet brings innovative and affordable solar technology to remote communities in more than 60 countries, powering the homes, businesses, and human potential of their 25 million customers.

Greenlight Planet operates out of 11 offices in 8 countries, across Africa and in India, including 800 employees, and more than 2,400 direct-sales agents. Greenlight Planet provides clean energy to 28 million people in 5.5 million households, who benefit from kerosene-free lighting and prevent emission of 400,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases annually. Find out more at www.greenlightplanet.com

About Apis Partners LLP

Apis Partners LLP (www.apis.pe) is a private equity asset manager that supports growth stage financial services and financial infrastructure businesses in Africa and Asia by providing them with catalytic growth equity capital. Apis Partners LLP's team is comprised of 17 professionals based in London and Lagos, with specialized expertise in financial services and technology in growth markets.

Apis Partners LLP is highly conscious of the developmental impact that the provision of growth capital for financial services in growth markets can achieve, and as such, financial inclusion is a core tenet of Apis Partners LLP's approach and investment mandate.

About the Off-Grid Solar Industry

Relevant (unaffiliated) aggregators of industry information are Lighting Global (a platform of the World Bank Group, to support sustainable growth of the international off-grid solar market): www.lightingglobal.org and the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association: www.gogla.org

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005749/en/

Contacts:

Allison+Partners

Matthew Kraft, 646.428.0672

Matthew.Kraft@allisonpr.com
Agilvax, Inc. announced a significant milestone for its immunotherapy, AX09, for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The preclinical results are being published in an article in the journal OncoImmunology, entitled "A Virus-Like-Particle immunotherapy targeting Epitope-Specific anti-xCT expressed on cancer stem cell inhibits the progression of metastatic cancer in vivo." Agilvax is a biotechnology company that develops targeted cancer immunotherapies and vaccines using its proprietary virus-like particle (VLP) discovery and development technology.

The preclinical results show that AX09 is able to significantly reduce both tumor growth and the development of pulmonary metastases, as a result of a robust and specific antibody response against xCT. Additionally, IgG isolated from AX09 treated mice bound to cancer stem cells, inhibited xCT function, and decreased cell growth in vitro. Collectively this data demonstrates the promise of AX09 as a potential therapy for TNBC. AX09 is currently being tested in combination with chemotherapy agents and checkpoint inhibitors to improve antitumor effects.

"AX09 represents a highly promising new therapy for TNBC," commented Federica Pericle, Ph.D., MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are proud to receive scientific interest in Agilvax, and AX09, as demonstrated by this publication in a high impact peer reviewed journal. We are focusing efforts and resources to complete IND enabling studies and ultimately advancing AX09 through the clinic."

TNBC is a histological subtype of breast cancer that is aggressive, with an overall poor prognosis due to a lack of effective treatment options. Chemotherapy remains the primary treatment for TNBC across the different settings: neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and metastatic.

AX09 is a VLP that displays a portion of the extracellular domain of the cystine-glutamate antiporter system protein xCT (SLC7A11), which has been found to be overexpressed in cancer stem cells. TNBC is enriched in cancer stem cells, which contributes to the aggressive nature of TNBC. Cancer stem cells have unique biological properties that represent a key cellular reservoir for relapse, metastatic progression and therapeutic resistance. Thus, the development of therapies that eliminate cancer stem cells is paramount to creating a durable response.

About Agilvax

Agilvax discovers and develops targeted cancer immunotherapies and vaccines with its proprietary virus-like particle (VLP) platform technology. Agilvax's lead product, AX09, is being developed as an immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by targeting cancer stem cells. TNBC has a high frequency of cancer stem cells, which play a critical role in the high rates of recurrence and poor outcomes in TNBC as compared with other forms of breast cancer. The company's pipeline and drug discovery platform are based on VLPs derived from RNA bacteriophage that have been engineered to display antigens in an ordered geometric pattern, which can be utilized to stimulate robust and specific immune responses to both foreign pathogens and self-antigens. The Company was founded in 2011 and has headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and offices in El Paso, Texas.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005453/en/

Contacts:

Agilvax

Michael Perrine, 505-200-9541

Director of Business Development

mperrine@agilvax.com


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Two prominent Republicans say a victory for sex scandal tainted party candidate Roy Moore in Alabama Senate Special election is not good for neither the party nor the country.



Former GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) spoke against Moore just hours after President Donald Trump fully endorsed the Republican candidate, who is accused of preying on teenagers.



Romney said on Twitter Monday that Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. 'Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity,' according to him.



Flake came in support of Mitt Romney's view about the controversial former Alabama Supreme Court judge. 'A Roy Moore victory is no victory for the GOP and the nation,' the retiring senator from Arizona tweeted.



According to Flake,who is a frequent critic of Trump, the President has made a big mistake by supporting Moore.



He already pledged support for Moore's rival candidate, the Democratic nominee Doug Jones, whom Trump called a 'Liberal Puppet' of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and senior Senator Chuck Schumer.



Five women have accused Moore of making romantic or sexual advances on them when they were teenagers, in the 1970s. But, he denied the allegations.



Last month, the president had said he doubted the stories presented by Moore's accusers and questioned why things said to have happened 40 years ago were emerging now, just weeks before the election.



The White House said the President spoke with Moore from Air Force One about the state of the race in Alabama and to offer his endorsement. 'The President would much rather have someone in the Senate who supported his agenda as opposed to someone who did not,' Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters en route Washington, D.C.



Following Trump's endorsement, Politico reported quoting a senior official with the Republican National Committee that it would reinvest in Alabama race.



Trump has an election campaign rally planned later this week in Florida, it quoted his Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah as saying.



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Margaret Fong, Executive Director of the HKTDC, speaking at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Forum.



HKTDC Corporate Communications Marketing Department Christine Kam Tel: +852 2584 4514 Email: christine.kam@hktdc.org Vince Lung Tel: +852 2584 4341 Email: vince.mh.lung@hktdc.org

HONG KONG, Dec 5, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - Asia's newest business opportunities are in focus at the 18th Hong Kong Forum which opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations Worldwide, the event has attracted more than 350 business leaders from 29 countries and regions. Key topics at this year's Forum include start-ups, electronic retailing (e-tailing) and business opportunities on the Chinese mainland.This year's Forum is participated by representatives from the Chinese mainland as well as Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungry, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.Bay Area and ASEAN trade agreement creating opportunitiesAt the Forum this morning, HKTDC Executive Director Margaret Fong called 2017 a year of changes. Noting that amid a volatile global political and economic environment, Hong Kong has once again been named the world's freest economy, underscoring the city's standing as a world-leading hub for financial, trade and professional services. Hong Kong's close ties with the mainland have also strengthened its unique role on the world stage. Fong added that the HKTDC is committed to helping SMEs develop opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative, which was a focus of last year's Forum. In addition to organising missions to countries and regions along the Belt and Road, the HKTDC is actively building new business networks related to the Initiative."This year, China has put forward the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area Initiative," said Ms Fong. "The Bay Area will be a world-class city cluster with international competitiveness. It will propel Hong Kong's innovation and technology development, which will make it a leading economic growth engine." Ms Fong added that the free trade agreement recently signed between Hong Kong and ASEAN will further promote Hong Kong's trade. The HKTDC will continue to develop connections with different markets.Hong Kong: Cradle for start-upsIn recent years, many Hong Kong start-ups have successfully ventured into global markets. At the first seminar this morning, speakers discussed the challenges and opportunities for young entrepreneurs. Jason Chiu, CEO of cherrypicks, Eric Chen, Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Vitargent (International) Biotechnology Limited, and Wesley Ng, CEO and Co-founder, Casetify, examined how Hong Kong's distinctive business environment can help start-ups succeed. They also shared their entrepreneurial experience. Jason Chiu said Hong Kong offers many favourable conditions for start-ups to develop, and encouraged young entrepreneurs to stay true to their style, think globally and not be afraid of failure. He said he is optimistic about the prospects for AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality) and eLearning, and hopes to develop enhanced technical solutions to create a better interactive learning experience for students.Leveraging Hong Kong's unique advantages to "go out"With the Belt and Road and Bay Area development expected to generate tremendous opportunities, Hong Kong will see a strengthening of its role as a launch pad for enterprises aspiring to go global. In the second seminar in the morning, the leaders of several renowned mainland enterprises, including Wang Tian Yi, General Manager of China Everbright International Limited, and Shen Weizhong, Director and Executive Vice President of China Mobile International Ltd, examined how mainland companies can leverage Hong Kong's professional services platform to capture market opportunities and to succeed in international markets.Wang Tian Yi said green industries are playing a more and more important role as China's economy transitions into a "new normal", and that Hong Kong's advantages in professional services can facilitate the development of related industries in the Chinese mainland. He added that Hong Kong is just starting to focus on innovation and technology, and more resources are needed to increase the city's competitiveness in the area. Shen Weizhong said Hong Kong, with its international talent pool, favourable business environment, low tax rates and sound legal system, is the ideal platform for mainland companies to tap into global markets. He said the company will continue to leverage Hong Kong's advantages to support its business expansion worldwide.Carrying on entrepreneurial acumenEach year, heavyweight speakers invited to the Forum's luncheon share their views and insights. Today's Luncheon Dialogue with Dreamcatchers invited two young business leaders - Winnie Chiu, President and Executive Director of Dorsett Hospitality International, and Bosco Law, Deputy Chairman & CEO of LAWSGROUP - to share their keys to success and how they have leveraged the experience and wisdom of older generations to sustain development of their family businesses.Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, will be the speaker at the keynote luncheon tomorrow (6 December). She will introduce Hong Kong's latest developments and business policies to participants from around the world. She will also explain how Hong Kong will establish closer cooperative relationships with regional partners to capture the opportunities presented by the new global economic order together.New Asian e-tailing landscapeThe inaugural Asian E-tailing Summit will be held tomorrow (6 December). The event will feature star speakers to comprehensively examine the latest e-tailing developments and trends. Speakers include Dai Feng Jun, General Manager of Hong Kong Suning Commerce Co., Ltd, Yang Tao, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kilimall International Ltd, Giulio Xiloyannis, Managing Director of ZALORA, and Kiril Popov, Senior Analyst of Fung Global Retail and Technology. The event provides a platform for industry professionals and event participants to explore Asian business opportunities.Chongqing: Important logistics hubChongqing is one of China's major industrial bases, serving as a hub for the automotive, military, iron and steel and aluminium industries. The city has been actively developing modern and high-tech industries in recent years. It is also home to factories operated by many major manufacturers of computers and related products, including Taiwan's Foxconn and Inventec, and boasts immense market potential.From 7-9 December, Iris Wong, HKTDC's Director of Belt and Road and External Relations, will lead a business delegation to Chongqing to survey the city's investment environment and development prospects. The delegation will include nearly 40 representatives from chambers of commerce from Belt and Road countries, as well as from Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States. The group will meet senior Chongqing officials, as well as visit the Lifan Group, the Hong Kong Industrial Park in Chongqing, the Chongqing Logistics City and the Chongqing Tiandi. They will also meet with Hong Kong entrepreneurs in Chongqing and explore cooperation opportunities between Chongqing, Hong Kong and overseas enterprises.The two-day (5-6 December) Hong Kong Forum is an annual flagship event of the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations Worldwide. The Federation was set up in 2000 and has a membership of more than 13,000 businesspeople. It has 42 association members from 31 countries and regions around the world. Chile is the new member association joining this year.Fair Website: https://www.hkfederation.org.hk/hkforumPhoto download: http://bit.ly/2iTbRUgAbout the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations WorldwideWith the help of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations Worldwide was established in 2000. It is a unique network of 42 Hong Kong Business Associations in 31 countries and regions with over 13,000 individual associates. They are Hong Kong's closest allies and partners in the world market. The Chief Executives is the Federation's honorary patron and HKTDC serves as its secretariat. For details, please see http://www.hkfederation.org.hkAbout HKTDCEstablished in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Google+, Twitter @hktdc, LinkedIn.- Google+: https://plus.google.com/+hktdc- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/hktdc- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-councilSource: HKTDCContact:Copyright 2017 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
SAN FRANCISCO, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Grand View Research Inc., has recently introduced, a BI enabled intuitive market research database, the Grand Library. The design of the platform is an outcome of multiple customer expectation surveys. The objective of the survey was derived from the following observations.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160524/371361LOGO )

A google search on the market of one's interest will render multiple results advertising holistic and in-depth market research reports. Reports that are available off-the-shelf and are designed to cater a syndicate, ranging from manufacturers to investment bankers.

Although a syndicated market research report, is a good introduction to a business space, it mostly is not an answer to one's business problems. Over the years, the business of market research has transformed into customizations and due diligence based studies. While the syndicated studies are still the bestsellers, the market is slowly, but firmly moving towards personalization.

Constant interactions with clients and Grand View's business intuitions have suggested that syndicated market research reports may eventually be replaced by market research databases. A client now either wants a customized report/study or needs access to a wide array of data points which can be used to create one such study on his/her own.

The Grand Library is an attempt at moving forward in the field of market research. Apart from it being a knowledge store encompassing a comprehensive amount of information on market spaces and associated micro and macro factors, it is a one-of-its-kind platform for direct and real-time customizations.

The clients will have direct communication channels established with research analysts. Customized data sets will be presented in a flexible and editable BI enabled platform, with PDF, XLS and PPT download options. The platform is extremely cost-effective, with a complete access priced at that of a syndicated report. All customizations are free with a standard purchase and are delivered on a mobile cloud-enabled platform.

To request a free fourteen day trial, please visit https://www.grandviewresearch.com/grand-library;

About the Author

Swayam Dash is the Managing Director at Grand View Research Inc. He is one of the founding members of Grand View Research Inc. and has an extensive understanding of the business of market research. Swayam holds a Master's degree in management, and has more than 6 years of experience, in management roles. He has an eclectic approach to doing business and firmly believes in delivering positive customer experiences.

Connect on LinkedIn with Swayam Dash, MD, Grand View Research, Inc.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc

Phone: +1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com



Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com
Opinion / Columnist

MDC-T STUDENT'S COUNCIL condemns in the strongest term the barbaric and diabolic action which has been taken by the ZNA and the city council municipality to remove vendors on the streets without an alternative.The Constitution of Zimbabwe must be respected and people or organisations must work according to their job descriptions.Vendors who are on the streets are not there by choice but by design of the status quo of our country. It is now a public secret that about 98% of the people are unemployed yet they are graduates and professionals in their respective trades, but have turned into vending due to economical doldrums.On the day of President Mnangagwa's inauguration, if you still remember the majority cheered and clapped hands with ululation when the "new President " emphasized or repeated the word "jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs". This is what the people of Zimbabwe want, not vending.As the Student's Council, we totally condemn such an inhuman behaviour and we call soldiers and the "new President" Mnangagwa to order.We can not allow them to add salt on the already bleeding wound. Now we demand for real things not zhing zhongs. Be realistic and start to deliver if you are true patriots of this country.We deny the situation of keeping on subjecting us to poverty.What happened in 2005 Murambatsvina must not be repeated. In 2005 houses were demolished before the government built houses to put those who were affected in. Now you want to remove vendors and demolish tuckshops without employment, NO, the government must provide jobs.The government must remember the promised 2.2 million jobs and forget about 2.2 million vendors.Fanuel ChinowaitaNational SpokespersonMDC T Student's Council.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 5, 2017) - Stakeholder Gold Corp. (TSXV: SRC) ("Stakeholder Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce commencement of its Phase 1 program of core drilling on the Goldstorm property in Nevada.

The Company has completed preparation of three drill site pads on the Clayton and Prochnau Midas-style gold-silver targets at Goldstorm. Stakeholder has now mobilized a core rig capable of drilling 600 metre deep, HQ wireline core holes.

The first drillhole will test the 100 m wide Clayton zone and transect seven discrete fault zones that could host Midas-style, epithermal, low sulphidation gold-silver mineralization, including the first test ever of the "Collar Vein" fault zone that was discovered in 2010 during drill site preparation for hole G-2010-1.

The first hole is planned to intersect the gold-mineralized Clayton Vein at an elevation below the 1830 MSL (Mean Sea Level) elevation that appears to be the approximate top of the zone of ore continuity at the Midas Mine, and perhaps also at the Fire Creek and Hollister mines. This may represent an ancient paleo ground water table present in the region at the 15.4 Ma age of mineralization for all of these mines.

The location of the second and third drillholes will depend on the visual results of the first core hole. A second hole is currently planned to test the southeast extension of the Clayton zone. The third hole will test the 90 m wide Prochnau zone that lies northeast of, and sub-parallel to, the Clayton Vein system. The Prochnau Veins system has never previously been drill tested.

The Company's combined ground position now encompasses 3,806 contiguous acres. The enhanced land position surrounds both the Clayton Veins and the Prochnau Veins systems, and includes their respective strike extensions. Success with early drilling would open up the prospect of considerable expansion on strike and depth extensions.

"This initial drill program will be executed quickly. It is designed to provide us with confirmation of the Clayton Vein and Prochnau Vein systems. Our target is mineralization similar to a Midas Mine type, high grade low sulphidation epithermal gold system. Success with this program will have a meaningful impact on our prospects for an economic gold discovery at Goldstorm." stated Chris Berlet, President and CEO.

Goldstorm Property

The Property is situated in the Snowstorm Mountains Mining District in the western part of Elko County, Nevada. The Property is located approximately 17 km northwest of Klondex's Ken Snyder ("Midas") underground gold mine, approximately 18 km east-northeast of Newmont's Twin Creeks gold mine and approximately 25 km northeast of Barrick Gold's Turquoise Ridge mine.

A National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the property has been filed on SEDAR and is available on the Stakeholder Gold website at:

http://stakeholdergold.com/goldstorm-project/ni-43-101-technical-report/

In 2010, West Kirkland Mining drilled two core holes on the Property. Drill hole WG-1001 is located on the Clayton Veins system, situated about 1 km south-southwest of the more extensively explored northern vein zones. Beginning at 64.4 m depth, the hole intercepted a 2 m vein zone that assayed 5.5 g/t Au, including a 1 m interval @ 9.29 g/t Au and 73 g/t Ag. The Clayton Veins system trends NW-SE and has been tested by only this one drill hole. The parallel Prochnau Veins system, located about 300 m to the NE, has not yet been drill-tested below 42 metres from the surface. Both these vein systems are open along strike and to depth.

Evidence of veining has been traced over 2,000 m strike length, and these veins will be the subject of exploration drilling planned to be undertaken by Stakeholder in the coming months.

The exploration target/model for the Property is based on the high-grade Midas Au-Ag mine located about 17 km (11 miles) to the southeast. Goldstorm sits near the intersection of three important gold-bearing structural corridors: the Getchell Trend; the Carlin/Midas Trend and the Northern Nevada Rift.

Figure 1.SRC exploration ground position covering 3,806 contiguous acres

http://stakeholdergold.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GOLDSTORM-CLAIMS.jpg

Figure 2.SRC exploration ground relative to Nevada Gold Trends & Snowstorm

http://stakeholdergold.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GOLDSTORM-INDEX-MAP.png

John Nebocat, BSc (Geological Engineering), P.Eng, Vice President Exploration for Stakeholder, is the Qualified Person for the Company, as defined by NI 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the contents of this press release.

About Stakeholder Gold

Stakeholder Gold Corporation is a Canadian mineral exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The primary focus of the Corporation during 2017 is to explore the Goldstorm property in Elko County, Nevada (USA). Stakeholder is also exploring on its 100% owned Ballarat Gold Project located in the White Gold District of the Yukon Territory, Canada.

For further information on the content of this release or about Stakeholder Gold, please contact:

Christopher J. Berlet BSc (Mining), CFA

President & CEO

416 548 - 9749

cberlet@stakeholdergold.com

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information. All information, other than information of historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" and includes any information that addresses activities, events or developments that the Corporation believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including the Corporation's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance.

When used in this news release, the words "estimate", "project", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "believe", "hope", "may" and similar expressions, as well as "will", "shall" and other indications of future tense, are intended to identify forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is based on current expectations and applies only as of the date on which they were made. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Corporation to fund the exploration expenditures required under the Agreement. Other factors such as uncertainties regarding government regulations could also affect the results. Other risks may be set out in the Corporation's annual financial statements, MD&A and other publicly filed documents.

The Corporation cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required by law, the Corporation does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Egenera, a leading provider of wholesale cloud services to the channel today announced that it has signed a strategic partnership with Brigantia Partners, the largest subscription community of independent technology resellers and MSPs in the United Kingdom. Under the agreement, Brigantia is offering Egenera's Xterity Cloud Services to its extensive network of UK-based partners.

"We're seeing demand for cloud ramping up significantly among UK MSPs and solution providers," said Iain Shaw, commercial director, Brigantia. "End users are asking for cloud and the channel is actively looking for competitively priced, high quality services with top notch support and management. Brigantia can now deliver with Xterity."

Egenera's Xterity Cloud Services deliver a full range of dedicated, managed, private and public cloud services, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), Backup as a Service (BaaS), and cloud migration exclusively through the channel.

With Xterity, resellers can quickly enter the cloud services market with no up-front capital or ongoing maintenance costs. Unlike reselling cloud services from large, commodity cloud vendors, Xterity delivers the margins resellers need to develop a profitable and sustainable cloud services business.

"Brigantia delivers tremendous value to its MSPs and solutions providers in the UK and we're looking forward to partnering with such a significant force in the UK market," said Till Brennan, vice president, EMEA Sales, Egenera.

About Brigantia

Brigantia Partners Limited was a management buyout from Techgate plc in January 2016. Originally founded in 1996, as a sales aid business IT leasing brokerage, over the past twenty years Brigantia has evolved into the largest subscription partner services community in the UK with hundreds of technology channel partners. Brigantia exists to add value to its partners' businesses either by reducing costs or by increasing sales. Beyond increasing profits, Brigantia aims to add capital value to its partners' businesses. Brigantia is headquartered in Northern England but also has a London office. For more information, visit www.brigantia.com or call 44-20-3358-0078.

About Egenera

Egenera is a leading provider of wholesale cloud services to the channel. Xterity, Egenera's cloud service, offers Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Backup as a Service (BaaS), Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) and cloud migration to partners seeking to deliver monthly recurring revenue cloud services with no upfront costs, and compelling margins. Headquartered in Boxborough, Mass., Egenera hosts Xterity in Tier 3 and Tier 3+ datacenters in Boston, MA, Ashburn, VA, San Jose, CA, London, Newcastle, Dublin(2) and Tokyo. For more information on the company, please visit egenera.com. Follow Egenera on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005936/en/

Contacts:

Egenera

Maryellen Edwards, 978-206-6326

medwards@egenera.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 5, 2017) - Reservoir Capital Corp. (TSXV: REO) ("Reservoir" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has completed its private placement financing announced November 14, 2017 (the "Private Placement") raising $872,500 through the issue of 17,450,000 common shares at $0.05 per share. The Company paid finder's fees of 2% ($16,250) in respect of subscriptions from investors introduced by Kappafrik Group ($13,050), CRM Global Capital Group ($2,000), and Haywood Securities ($1,200).

The net proceeds of the offering will be used to explore for hydropower transaction opportunities in frontier regions and for general corporate purposes.

The Company also announces that, simultaneous with the closing of the Private Placement, the Company has converted the remaining $60,000 of a $200,000 loan pursuant to the unsecured loan agreement entered into on June 7, 2017 (the "Loan Agreement") into 1,200,000 units. Each unit consisted of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share until December 5, 2018 at an exercise price of $0.05. For further details regarding the Loan Agreement, please see news release dated June 9, 2017 available at www.sedar.com).

The shares issued in the Private Placement and loan conversion, including shares issuable on exercise of the Warrants, are subject to restrictions on transfer under Canadian securities law and TSX Venture Exchange policy expiring, at the earliest, on April 8, 2018. Following closing of the Private Placement and loan conversion, the Company has 48,164,424 shares outstanding.

About Reservoir

Reservoir is a renewable energy company engaged in hydroelectric projects in frontier regions. Reservoir's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange (symbol "REO").

For further information on Reservoir Capital Corp., please consult the Company at 604-662-8448 or the Company's website www.reservoircapitalcorp.com.

-30-

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES NOR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA


SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) said it will open its biggest location ever on Wednesday in the Chinese city of Shanghai.



The 30,000 square-foot Starbucks Reserve Roastery is Starbucks' second Reserve Roastery after its flagship Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room that opened in the company's home market of Seattle in 2014. Starbucks Roastery stores are the company's new upscale coffeehouses in major metros.



China is Starbucks' fastest growing market in the world with a store opening there every 15 hours. The company has more than 3,000 stores across 136 cities in China. This includes over 600 stores in Shanghai - the largest number of stores in any city where Starbucks has a presence.



The new Roastery will feature a two-story, copper cask, adorned with more than 1,000 traditional Chinese chops, or stamps, which are hand-engraved. The ceiling is made of 10,000 handmade wooden hexagon-shaped tiles, inspired by the locking of an espresso shot on an espresso machine.



Customers at the Shanghai Roastery can visit one of three wood-carved coffee bars offering multiple brewing methods, explore specially-crafted teas at the 3-D printed tea bar, and enjoy freshly baked Italian artisanal food by acclaimed baker Rocco Princi.



For the first time ever, unique, small-lot Reserve coffee which Starbucks sources from more than 30 countries around the world, including coffee from China's Yunnan Province, will be roasted in China by eight highly trained Chinese coffee roasters.



The Roastery will also feature China's first Starbucks Teavana Bar, where customers can select a Teavana signature pure tea or blend, served either hot or iced.



In addition, Starbucks has included an augmented reality or AR experience for people who visit Shanghai's Roastery. Customers can point their mobile devices around the Roastery for the Starbucks AR experience - accessible through the custom-designed Roastery digital web-app platform or on Alibaba's Taobao app.



The Starbucks Foundation and Starbucks China plan to make charitable donations totaling about $20 million, or 132 million yuan, over the next five years to drive social impact in communities across China.



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BUDAPEST, Hungary and BOSTON, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

ChemAxon and ChemPass, jointly announce that several ChemAxon software components and toolkits are incorporated into ChemPass' artificial intelligence design technology platform; and also, into the SynSpace software that has specifically been designed for medicinal chemists.

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ChemPass built its new design software applying ChemAxon components that handle fundamental cheminformatics tasks and enable users to work with industry leading standard capabilities within SynSpace. Features such as; chemical drawing, structure checking and standardization, searching and enumeration - are all powered by the ChemAxon functionality as part of a long-term collaboration. As a result of the partnership, medicinal chemists and users alike will now have a platform that can expand the synthesizable chemical space for their projects while utilizing familiar industry standard methods.

Dr. Gergely Makara, CEO of ChemPass says; "We are very pleased with the scientific support ChemAxon provided and the flexibility of their cheminformatics components we have built into our technology. It enabled us to focus on the development of our core technologies, the synthetic artificial intelligence, synthesis know-how and design technology. The partnership with ChemAxon significantly accelerated the development progress, therefore SynSpace is now becoming available for all in the Cloud - bringing synthetic chemists closer to chemoinformatic solutions."

ChemAxon's CEO, Dr. Ferenc Csizmadia adds, "We believe that both our customers benefit from the collaboration and software integration. The ChemPass software has great potential in the medicinal chemistry design field and their unique scientific approach can help all users generate new ideas and develop novel leads and clinical candidates - And, ChemAxon will be able to assist drug discovery practitioners via a new avenue."

About ChemAxon

ChemAxon is a leader in providing cheminformatics software platforms and desktop applications for the chemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. We focus on active interaction with users and software portability to create powerful, cost effective cross platform solutions that power modern cheminformatics and chemical communication. The company is privately owned with European headquarters in Budapest, US East Coast headquarters in Cambridge, MA and sales and support offices in Europe, Japan and across North America.

For further information please visit www.chemaxon.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

About ChemPass

ChemPass is an artificial intelligence design technology company focusing on the development of software solutions that help chemists and medicinal chemists generate ideas, design novel scaffolds or lead analogs, and reach a significantly expanded synthesizable chemical space. For further information please visit www.chempassltd.com or contact Gergely Makara at gergely.makara@chempassltd.com.

For further information about ChemAxon, please visit www.chemaxon.com or contact sales@chemaxon.com

For media inquiries, please contact marketing@chemaxon.com
The "Global Chlorinated Paraffins Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering. The global chlorinated paraffins market to grow at a CAGR of 4.50% during the period 2017-2021. Global Chlorinated Paraffins Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. According to the report, one driver in the market is increasing demand for PVC from the construction industry. The demand for chlorinated paraffins has been increasing over the years owing to their increased consumption in PVC compounding and lubricant industries, and the increased use of PVC in the automobile and construction industries. It is used extensively in manufacturing various products such as profiles and tubes, film and sheets, pipe and fittings, bottles, and wire and cables. APAC has been leading the PVC market and is expected to retain its position during the forecast period. The increasing demand for PVC and policies regarding emission control and use of eco-friendly products have led to developments and innovation in the industry, making it a robust hub globally. Key vendors

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/05/17 -- Canadian Metals Inc. (The "Company") (CSE: CME)(CSE: CME.CN)(CNSX: CME) is pleased to announce that it has received the Certificate of Authorization (CA) for the Langis Silica Project from the Quebec Ministere du Developpement Durable, de l'Environnement et de la lutte contre les changements climatiques ("MDDELCC"). The Certificate of Authorization represents the principal regulatory approval required to start the operation of the Langis quarry, and has been issued by the Quebec regulators.

Hubert Vallee said, "The CA for the operation of the Langis quarry is an important milestone for the development of our Silicon Alloys project, we would consider to sign offtake contract with customer for the Quartz of Langis and potentially operate the quarry next spring. I must say thanks to our consultant expert WSP (Eric Lucas) and Golminds Geoservices (Claude Duplessis) for their precious help to get our CA. This demonstrates again the strongest of the development team of Canadian Metals who put together the best team to achieve this milestone."

Stephane Leblanc, Canadian Metals Chief Investment officer commented: "Today's news represents the most significant milestone in the development of the Langis Project achieved to date. The MDDELCC Certificate of Authorization is the one very most important element of the permitting process in Quebec. As of today we are able to say that the principal regulatory hurdle for the Langis Project is behind us."

The Company is not basing its production decision on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. Decision to apply for a BEX and CA is not based on Prefeasibility or Feasibility and as such uncertainty on economic parameters and technical risks of failure associated with its production decision exist.

About Canadian Metals

Canadian Metals is focused on the development of its Langis Project, a high-purity silica deposit located in the province of Quebec. The Company is rapidly positioning itself as a supplier of high purity silica and silicon alloy in North America. Silicon based materials can be formulated to provide a broad range of products from more durable, faster building materials with smarter electronic devices, solar panels and more efficient wind turbines. We expect to become a global supplier for a number of industries and applications but without limitation: glass, ceramics, lighting, oil and gas, paint, plastic and rubber. We also want to become an integrated supplier to metallurgical industries including foundries, and participate in a wide range of civil, industrial, environmental and related applications. These target markets are an integral part of the lives of millions of people every day.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

Certain statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements included in this press release that address future events, conditions or results, including in connection with the pre-feasibility study, its financing, the hybrid flex project, job creation, the investments to complete the project and the potential performance, production and environmental footprint of the silicon plant, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "must", "plan", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "think", "continue", "should", "will", "could", "intend", "anticipate" or "future" or the negative forms thereof or similar variations. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by management in light of their experiences and their perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors they believe are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those mentioned in the Corporation's continuous disclosure documents, which can be found under its profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Many of such risks and uncertainties are outside the control of the Corporation and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In making such forward-looking statements, management has relied upon a number of material factors and assumptions, on the basis of currently available information, for which there is no insurance that such information will prove accurate. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth above. The Corporation is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Canadian Metals Inc.

Hubert Vallee

President and CEO

hvallee@canadianmetalsinc.com

www.canadianmetalsinc.com



Canadian Metals Inc.

Stephane Leblanc

Chief Investment Officer

sleblanc@canadianmetalsinc.com

www.canadianmetalsinc.com




NINGBO, China, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Thomson Reuters released the Top 100 Global Energy Leaders list, with the top 25 rankings in the field of renewable energy. It is a big achievement that Risen Energy Co., Ltd, the leader of photovoltaic enterprise in China, has also been selected for its excellent contribution in the field of PV power generation, and was enlisted in this chart together with other industry leaders or wind power giants, and others significant companies.

The comprehensive evaluation has been conducted for the first time in the industry from the financial level, risk index, investor confidence, social responsibility, environmental impact and industry reputation as well as other multiple dimensions of today's world's leading energy companies.

An important part of this evaluation lays in financial health and reliability of companies from the chart. Particularly Risen Energy Co., Ltd proved its financial confidence in the eyes of clients, investors and other parties. By managing risks and effectively using its financial resources, Risen Energy Co., Ltd remains financially sustainable and therefore gains trust of its work results- the goal that every company strives for.

This chart shows that the list of energy leaders outperformed the S&P 500 Index and the Morgan Stanley Capital International Corporation World Energy Daily Index.

Emely Lyons, director of Thomson Reuters Energy Business Group, says: "In today's competitive global market, leadership goes beyond the balance sheet and requires a holistic view on the business. Companies provide health and safety of workplaces, commitment to the environment, etc., and that's how the leadership of a company is determined. We congratulate the listed companies who are among the best in their field; they address business challenges with agility and responsibility, maintaining their leadership in changing business environment."

As the world's leading provider of efficient photovoltaic power generation solutions, Risen Energy Co., Ltd always adheres to the core philosophy of lightning up every corner of the world. It has developed and delivered thousands of projects worldwide and is widely distributed in Indonesia, India, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic and many other countries and regions along One Belt One Road initiative.

Wang Hong, president of Risen Energy Co., Ltd, noted: "For this reason we have been devoting ourselves to continuous exploration and ongoing investment in frontier power generation technology and some breakthroughs in half-cell technology have already been made. Currently, the power of 60 black silicon polycrystalline half-cells, developed by Risen Energy's innovative research center, has exceeded 330W and achieved mass production and used in Yangquan, Ruicheng projects, and already has won widespread recognition of customers. In the future we also hope to work hand by hand with partners in order to accelerate the continuous optimization and upgrade of the PV industry as well as help the innovation and development today and in the future."
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - California Senator Kamala Harris tops the Foreign Policy magazine's 50 Leading Global Thinkers' list that also included Nikki Haley, Chelsea Manning, Stephen Bannon and French President Emmanuel Macron. This year's list of 50 'Global reThinkers' include legislators, technocrats, comedians, advocates, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, presidents, political prisoners, researchers and strategists, 'who together found amazing ways not just to rethink our strange new world but also to reshape it,' said the prestigious magazine. It selected Kamala Harris 'For giving the Democratic Party hope in the Trump era.' It cited Attorney General Jeff Sessions struggling to answer questions by the Democratic Senator about interactions with Russian officials during his time working with the Donald Trump campaign. In a sweeping 2016 victory, Harris won the Senate seat vacated by Barbara Boxer, making her the nation's first Indian-American senator. She was an elected attorney general of California. The 53-year-old junior senator has become an early favorite to challenge Trump in the 2020 presidential election. South Korean president Moon Jae-in comes second in the list 'For trying to rebuild decent democratic leadership in South Korea.' Foreign Policy said it recognized Hasan Minhaj, third in the list, for defining the narrative of a 'New Brown America.' Former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen Bannon and Iraqi President Haider-al-Abadi are in the following positions in the list. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Release no. 28/2017 The Board of Directors for Columbus A/S has approved the following plan for publication of financial and management statements in 2018, as well as the date for the annual general meeting. Annual Report 2017 15 March 2018 Interim Management Statement Q1 24 April 2018 Annual General Meeting 24 April 2018 Interim Report 23 August 2018 Interim Management Statement Q3 7 November 2018 After publication of financial statements the Company will conduct an investor presentation via a conference call. For details regarding the conference calls, please see the Company's website: http://ir.columbusglobal.com/events.cfm. Annual General Meeting Columbus A/S's annual general meeting will take place on Tuesday 24 April 2018 at Lautrupvang 6, 2750 Ballerup. The meeting will start at 10.00am. Any shareholder is entitled to have an item included on the annual general meeting agenda, provided that the request reaches the company no later than 14 March 2018. If the general meeting approves the Board of Directors' proposal for the payment of dividends, the dividends are expected to be available in the shareholders' cash accounts on Monday, 30 April 2018. Ib Kune Thomas Honore Chairman CEO & President Columbus A/S Columbus A/S For further information, please contact: CEO & PresidentThomas Honore, T: +45 70 20 50 00. Translation: In the event of any inconsistency between this document and the Danish language version, the Danish language version shall be the governing version. Attachment: https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=656013
Opinion / Columnist

Zimbabwe land reform must be rationalisedOne of the founding principles of the MDC clearly and unequivocally advocates for holistic and sustainable land redistribution in order to guarantee food security for all Zimbabweans as well as to grow our agro-based industrial infrastructure. Since its formation in September 1999, the MDC has passionately called for the need to have a land reform policy that affirmatively targets historically disadvantaged people, most of whom are blacks who were ruthlessly confined to barren and overcrowded communal lands by successive racist colonial governments. Thus, the land reform program is an integral component of the MDC policy on land and agriculture.Our main bone of contention with the haphazard land reform program that was instituted by the Robert Mugabe - led Zanu PF regime in 2000 was its violent and unco-ordinated trajectory. As a result of this ill-planned and poorly - executed land reform exercise, the country's commercial agricultural base was decimated as several top Zanu PF politicians and other politically well - connected individuals selfishly and corruptly awarded themselves huge tracts of arable farmland that they couldn't efficiently and competently manage. From being the breadbasket of Southern Africa, Zimbabwe rapidly deteriorated into a basket case and a net importer of food as the agricultural industry suffered considerable damage from the violent and unsustainable land reform program that was unleashed by the Robert Mugabe - led Zanu PF regime. To this date, millions of Zimbabweans remain food insecure and our country is now importing most of its food requirements, particularly from neighbouring South Africa.The need for a holistic and sustainable land reform program can never, ever be over-emphasised. Indeed, it was grossly unfair and immoral to have more than 90% of Zimbabwe's arable commercial farmland in the hands of less than 6000 white commercial farmers whilst the majority of the black population was squashed in the then tribal trust lands. The armed liberation struggle was benchmarked on the need to redress the colonial land occupation policy that deliberately discriminated against the majority black population. The MDC is a social democratic political party that firmly upholds the values and ethos of the armed liberation struggle against racist colonial exploitation and subjugation.An MDC government will ensure that all those Zimbabweans who were resettled under the land reform program are given security as owners and occupiers of their pieces of land. We will also capacitate the resettled farmers to ensure that they are provided with the requisite farming skills as well as financial support to make them viable farmers who can be able to feed their families and also to produce agricultural commodities for export. Resettled farmers will be empowered in such a way that they will be able to grow and expand the country's agricultural base. The MDC will also institute a land audit that will unlock all underutilised land for redistribution to deserving Zimbabweans regardless of race, colour, creed or political affiliation.In fact, the MDC would like to call upon all its supporters who are in need of agricultural land to promptly apply for land allocation at the relevant government departments. All deserving Zimbabwean citizens, including MDC supporters, shouldn't be ashamed of applying for land under the land reform program. The MDC has never been against the underlying principle of land reform. All we have been clamouring for is that the land reform should be undertaken in a holistic, sustainable and non - partisan manner. Those Zimbabweans who grabbed several farms under the land reform program should be made to relinquish these multiple farms and remain with only one farm per family to enable other landless Zimbabweans to also benefit from the land reform exercise. The land reform program shouldn't be abused and bastardised in order to create land barons.
Frost & Sullivan Industry experts host interactive briefing discussing the technologies driving cancer, diabetes and obesity management

SANTA CLARA, California, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Frost & Sullivan, the growth partnership company, announced today that it will host a live, complimentary Growth Innovation Leadership (GIL) briefing titled, "Biomarkers Poised to Transform Disease Management" on Thursday, December 14, 2017, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern Time. The webinar will offer expert insight from Frost & Sullivan's Vandana Iyer (TechVision Healthcare Analyst).

Both predictive and prognostic biomarkers constitute a central element in all targeted drug discovery and development strategies. Rapid technological advances facilitating accurate and sensitive detection of disease biomarkers have enabled enhanced management of several disorders, including cancer and diabetes. Biomarker advancements are likely to pave the way for personalized and precision medicine strategies in the future. Furthermore, there is a substantial unmet need for noninvasive or minimally invasive screening technologies. Hence, liquid biopsy methods that leverage molecular biomarkers to enable the early detection of oncological indications using biofluids samples will witness rapid adoption. Biomarkers will also be relevant in the detection and monitoring of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Apart from early screening and treatment profiling, biomarker-based research may even open novel paradigms for drug discovery and development across these indications.

"Biomarker technologies are ideally poised to transform the future of the global healthcare landscape with groundbreaking innovations across noninvasive diagnostics and targeted treatment strategies. While enabling novel drug target discovery, biomarkers will also fuel disease profiling and treatment monitoring strategies that will transform the future of patient care," noted Vandana Iyer.

Greatest growth opportunities will lie in the space of pharmaceutical and biotechnological collaborations and will enable selection of ideal patient population for targeted treatment strategies. Growing focus towards the use of assays that enable molecular insights across pathogenesis will greatly aid drug target discovery and open novel avenues for groundbreaking therapies.

The webinar will provide expert insight on disruptive technology trends across the global biomarker landscape, upcoming biomarker technologies across lifestyle indications, and will highlight key innovators across liquid biopsy platforms.

The informative webinar will cover key insights:

Discover novel liquid biopsy platforms enabling enhanced cancer management

Explore biomarker opportunities for diabetes management

Learn about minimally invasive cancer screening technologies

Understand the impact of biomarker studies in enabling precision medicine

For more information and to register for the webinar, click here. The event will also be recorded and available for on-demand viewing athttp://frost.ly/1ti.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

For more information, visit ww2.frost.com or call +1 (877) 463-7678.

Press Contact:

Mariana Fernandez

Frost & Sullivan

+1 (210) 348.1012

mariana.fernandez@frost.com
At the Solar Power Europe event, "Digital Solar & Storage" held today in Munich, Germany, the opportunities offered by the digitization of the solar industry were discussed. A dispute arose over the role hardware development will play.A big dispute arose today in Germany's capital at the conference, Digital Solar & Storage, organized by European solar industry association, SolarPower Europe. The panelists discussed how different the strategies in the industry are, and where they are heading. On one side of the "Dinner Debate" sat Andreas Gutsch, Managing Director of Solarwatt Innovation, while on the other, sat Jean-Baptiste Cornefert, Managing Director of Sonnen E-Services, Sonnen's subsidiary that provides electricity services products. Both are battery system manufacturers, with Sonnen E-Services focused on services, and Solarwatt specializing in hardware. It is well known that Sonnen claims electricity services could increase the independence of traditional utilities. Andreas Gutsch from Solarwatt ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - December 5, 2017) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced an award of more than $4.1 million to a former company insider who alerted the agency to a widespread, multi-year securities law violation and continued to provide important information and assistance throughout the SEC's investigation. The whistleblower is the third awarded by the SEC in the past week.

"Company insiders often have valuable information that can help the SEC halt an ongoing securities law violation and better protect investors," said Jane Norberg, Chief of the SEC's Office of the Whistleblower. "The breadth of the SEC's whistleblower program is demonstrated by this case, where the whistleblower, a foreign national working outside of the United States, affirmatively stepped forward to shine a light on the wrongdoing."

The SEC's whistleblower program has now awarded more than $179 million to 50 whistleblowers since issuing its first award in 2012. All payments are made out of an investor protection fund established by Congress that is financed entirely through monetary sanctions paid to the SEC by securities law violators. No money has been taken or withheld from harmed investors to pay whistleblower awards.

Whistleblowers may be eligible for an award when they voluntarily provide the SEC with original, timely, and credible information that leads to a successful enforcement action. Whistleblower awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected when the monetary sanctions exceed $1 million.

By law, the SEC protects the confidentiality of whistleblowers and does not disclose information that might directly or indirectly reveal a whistleblower's identity.

For more information about the whistleblower program and how to report a tip, visit www.sec.gov/whistleblower.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 5, 2017) - Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTC Pink: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold" or the "Company") through its wholly owned subsidiary, Nevada Select Royalty, Inc ("Nevada Select") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive option agreement with Coeur Explorations, Inc., ("Coeur") a wholly owned subsidiary of Coeur Mining, Inc., whereby Coeur has the option to acquire a 100% interest in the Tonopah West Project, located in Esmeralda and Nye County, Nevada (the "Option" or "Option Agreement"). The total Option consideration (if exercised by Coeur) is US$900,000 and Nevada Select will retain a net smelter returns royalty ("NSR"). The Option Agreement was executed December 4, 2017 (the "Effective Date").

The Tonopah West Project consists of seventeen (17) unpatented mining claims (the "Unpatented Claims"), eighteen (18) patented mining claims known as the "Tonopah-Hughes Claims" and five (5) patented claims known as the "West End Claims". The property is located in the mineral-rich Walker Lane Trend. Tonopah is a historic mining district which produced 1,861,200 ounces of gold and 174,152,628 ounces of silver, making it the second largest silver producing district in Nevada. Production occurred from 1901 through the mid-1950's. Nevada Select acquired the Tonopah Claims through staking and by the purchase of the patented claims in two separate transactions.

Jerry Baughman, President of Nevada Select commented on the Option, "This is exactly the kind of high-quality project and exploration partner we need to develop to maximize our chances for success and create real value for our shareholders."

The Option

Under the terms of the Option Agreement, Coeur can acquire a 100% interest in the Property by making an initial payment of US$25,000, followed by:

$50,000 six months after the Effective Date

$75,000 one year after the Effective Date

$100,000 two years after the Effective Date

$250,000 three years after the Effective Date

$400,000 four years after the Effective Date (the "Final Option Payment")

and electing to exercise the Option. Coeur may terminate the Option Agreement at any time without further liability for future Option payments.

In addition to the payments, Coeur must pay advance royalty payments as follows:

$25,000.00 on the first and second anniversary of the Final Option Payment; and

$40,000.00 on the fourth anniversary of the Final Option Payment and on each anniversary thereafter.

There are no work commitments or additional expenditures required other than Coeur's obligation to maintain the claim maintenance fees. If the Option is exercised by Coeur, Nevada Select will retain a 2% NSR on the Tonopah-Hughes Claims and a 3% NSR on the West End and Unpatented Claims. Coeur will have the right to buy-down 1% of the underlying royalties on all the claims for an aggregate purchase price of $1,000,000. There is no area of interest restriction surrounding the Tonopah West Project.

Trey Wasser, President and CEO of Ely Gold stated, "This transaction provides another excellent example of the Ely Gold business model. The Tonopah West Project involved a series of transactions by Nevada Select to purchase patented claims, purchase underlying royalties and stake unpatented claims. Finalizing this Option to our portfolio adds another important partner to our Nevada exploration portfolio."

Stephen Kenwood, P. Geo, is director of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Kenwood has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

About Ely Gold Royalties

Ely Gold Royalties offers shareholders a low risk leverage to the current price of gold and low-cost access to potential long-term mineral royalties. Ely Gold has built a portfolio of assets that produce recurring cash flow from mineral property options, advanced royalty payments and the potential to generate future operating royalty payments. Ely Gold's growing royalty portfolio is organically developed from the consolidation, enhancement and resale of highly prospective, unencumbered, precious metals properties located in located in the Western U.S., with a focus on projects in Nevada. The Company's business model includes property acquisition and advancing the potential of each property, employing our extensive database, while retaining royalty interests. The growing portfolio, under this business model, is generating steadily increasing revenue from 17 optioned properties and 20 deeded royalties with future growth expected from over 12 properties currently available for sale or option.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Signed "Trey Wasser"

Trey Wasser, President & CEO

For further information, please contact:



Trey Wasser, President & CEO

trey@elygoldinc.com

972-803-3087

Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer

jjobin@elygoldinc.com

604-488-1104

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/05/17 -- Sparton Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: SRI) ("Sparton" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Pu Neng Energy has announced, on December 4th, 2017, the appointment of John Wang as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Wang is an experienced technology industry executive and entrepreneur with a wide range of international management experience.

The appointment compliments and expands Pu Neng's management and technical team and will advance Pu Neng's current rapid growth cycle.

"We are delighted and fully supportive of John's appointment", stated Lee Barker Sparton's CEO, "and look forward to working with him going forward. This is another positive milestone in Pu Neng's development as the Vanadium Redox Battery ("VRB") manufacturer of choice for the energy storage industry".

Sparton's 87.46% owned subsidiary, VanSpar Mining Inc. holds an 18% equity interest in Pu Neng.

The full Pu Neng News Release follows:

"December 4, 2017

Pu Neng Appoints Technology and Management Consulting Veteran John Wang as Chief Executive Officer

BEIJING, CHINA and VANCOUVER, CANADA - Pu Neng is pleased to announce that the company has appointed John Wang as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Wang is a seasoned executive in the technology and management consulting sectors. He has held various leadership positions with IBM, Deloitte Consulting and BearingPoint, all of which provided services to Chinese state-owned enterprises in the telecommunications, energy and manufacturing industries. He was most recently Vice President at Dell-EMC and General Manager for Dell Service. During his seven year tenure with Dell, he managed at both the local and global levels, and was responsible for over US$700 million of annual revenue, managing more than 4,000 service professionals.

Robert Friedland, Chairman of Pu Neng, commented, "China has set aggressive growth targets for the renewable energy sector to dramatically reduce air emissions. To integrate renewables into the grid, China recognizes the need for energy storage and has just announced a new policy for storage that includes 100-megawatt-class vanadium flow battery projects as part of the solution. This presents a huge growth opportunity for Pu Neng and John is the right person to scale-up the company to meet this demand."

Mr. Wang joins Pu Neng following the company's recently announced start of construction of a 12-megawatt-hour vanadium redox battery (VRB) system in Hubei, China. "The China and global market for energy storage is rapidly expanding, with demand poised to double every two years between now and 2030," Mr. Wang commented. "Pu Neng has the most advanced, safest and reliable vanadium flow battery technology in the world, and I am delighted to join the team. With an almost unlimited number of charge and discharge cycles, Pu Neng's systems are the most practical and economical solution for integrating large-scale solar and wind generation onto utility grids."

Eric Finlayson, President of Pu Neng's majority shareholder High Power Exploration, who has been serving as interim CEO of Pu Neng, will remain on Pu Neng's Board of Directors and continue to support efforts to source low-cost vanadium supply. Mr. Finlayson noted, "John's expertise in just-in-time manufacturing in China will help us scale manufacturing operations efficiently to meet demand from our growing sales pipeline in China, Australia and in the global mining sector."

Prior to his role of General Manager with Dell, Mr. Wang was China President and Global Vice President of Amdocs China, responsible for building a world-wide development center in China and managing 1,400 employees across six regional offices. Mr. Wang received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Nankai University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from University of Missouri.

About Pu Neng

Pu Neng is a fast-growing, privately-held clean technology innovator. The company has developed the most reliable, longest-lasting vanadium flow battery in the world, with over 30MWh installed and in construction worldwide, and more than 800,000 hours of demonstrated performance. The combination of Pu Neng's proprietary low-cost ion-exchange membrane, long-life electrolyte formulation and innovative flow cell design sets it apart from other providers.

Pu Neng's vanadium redox battery (VRB) systems store energy in liquid electrolyte in a patented process based on the reduction and oxidation of ionic forms of the element vanadium. This is a nearly infinitely repeatable process that is safe, reliable, and non-toxic. Components can be nearly 100% recycled at end-of-life, dramatically improving lifecycle economics and environmental benefits compared to lead-acid, lithium-ion and other battery systems.

Pu Neng is majority-owned by High Power Exploration (HPX), a metals-focused exploration company that also invests in minerals-dependent, high-growth emerging technologies. HPX is a subsidiary of I-Pulse, a global leader in developing innovative commercial applications for pulsed power technologies that convert small amounts of electrical energy into limitless power to address a broad and growing suite of applications across multiple industrial markets. I-Pulse is a private company with offices in San Francisco, Toulouse, London and Singapore.

For more information on Pu Neng, HPX and I-Pulse, please visit our websites at www.punengenergy.com, www.hpxploration.com, and www.ipulse-group.com.

Information contacts

Jim Stover Eric Finlayson jimstover@punengenergy.com Eric.F@hpxploration.com +1 604 648 3900 +1 604 351 6350 Charles Ge Bill Trenaman charlesge@punengenergy.com billtr@ivancorp.net +86 186 7010 7777 +1 604 331 9834"

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release involves forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, financings and transactions being pursued, and all such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. Although the Company believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and, accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such forward-looking statements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein.

We Seek Safe Harbour

Contacts:

A. Lee Barker, M.A Sc., P. Eng., P.Geol.

President and CEO

647-344-7734 or Mobile: 416-716-5762

647-344-7734 (FAX)

info@spartonres.ca

www.spartonres.ca




LONDON, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The winner of the 2017 Educational Writers' Award is THE BOOK OF BEES , written by Wojciech Grajkowski, illustrated by Piotr Socha, and translated into English from the Polish by Agnes Monod-Gayraud.

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The result of this year's Award - the UK's sole award for creative educational writing - was announced this afternoon at the All Party Parliamentary Writers Group (APWG) Winter Reception at the House of Commons. John Whittingdale MP, chair of the APWG presented the winning author and illustrator with a cheque for 2000.

Published by Thames & Hudson, THE BOOK OF BEES is a striking, witty and many-layered hive of a book which tracks bumble bees from the age of the dinosaurs to their current plight, swarming with information along the way about the role bees have played throughout history and in the rest of the natural world. It also answers such buzzing questions as: Who survived being stung by 2443 bees? What does a beekeeper actually do? And how do bees communicate?

This year's judges - school librarian Marion Le Lannou; London headteacher Mike Reeves; and writer, editor and publisher of books for young people Annemarie Young - were full of praise for the winning title which they described as:

"A wonderfully imagined and wittily illustrated compendium of information all about bees their central role in our world, which pitches contrasting elements together in just the way that children love. Full of humour, it takes in the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, entomology, botany, the Bible, design, technology and more, breaking the subject of bees out of its traditional confines. Everything is beautifully explained in detail on a double-page spread for a deeper understanding. Quite magnificent".

Further information about the winning authors can be found in the Editor's Notes below.

The 2017 Educational Writers' Award focuses on books for 5-11 year-olds, published in 2015 and 2016. THE BOOK OF BEES beat off strong competition from the five other titles shortlisted for this year's Award. They were SECRETS OF THE SEA, written by Kate Baker and illustrated by Eleanor Taylor (Big Picture Press/Templar); FLUTTERING MINIBEAST ADVENTURES, written by Jess French and illustrated by Jonathan Woodward, with paper engineering by Keith Finch (Red Shed/Egmont); GENIUS! THE MOST ASTONISHING INVENTIONS OF ALL TIME, written by Deborah Kespert and designed by Karen Wilks (Thames & Hudson); HOW TO CODE IN 10 EASY LESSONS, written by Sean McManus and illustrated by Venitia Dean (QED Publishing/Quarto); and TREE OF WONDER: THE MANY MARVELOUS LIVES OF A RAINFOREST TREE, written by Kate Messner and illustrated by Simona Mulazzani (Chronicle Books).

Now in its tenth year, the Educational Writers' Award was established in 2008 by the Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS) and the Society of Authors (SoA) "to celebrate educational writing that inspires creativity and encourages students to read widely and build up their understanding of a subject beyond the requirements of exam specifications".

EWA17

About the Winning Author, Illustrator & Translator

Wojciech Grajkowski is a Polish author of text books, and popular science books, as well as a translator of popular science texts for periodicals and for Polish radio.

Piotr Socha is also Polish and the son of a beekeeper! He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and now works as an illustrator for books, as well as for many newspapers and magazines. He has won an award for his artwork for Polish TV, and is one of Poland's most popular cartoonists.

Agnes Monod-Gayraud is a writer, editor and translator of children's books from Polish into English. She is based in Warsaw.

About the 2017 Judges

Marion Le Lannou is a school librarian at the College Francais Bilingue de Londres in central London. She has been working with junior students for over 15 years in an international school environment. Marion is an enthusiastic professional, passionate about reading and learning. She is involved in two major British library associations; the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP) and the School Library Association (SLA), and has been an active committee member of the London groups of both organisations.

Mike Reeves has taught English in three boys' comprehensives for 29 years: Southborough School in Kingston (1986-1989); Ravens Wood School in Bromley (1990-1991); and Wimbledon College (1991-2005). In 2000 he became Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) at Wimbledon College and six years later left mainstream education to become Assistant Headteacher (Curriculum and Assessment) at Garratt Park, a special school in Wandsworth. He also completed an MSc in Education and an NPQH. He became Deputy Headteacher of Garratt Park in 2015, and is currently its acting Headteacher.

Annemarie Young is a writer and series editor of non-fiction for older children, and fiction for young readers. She was a publisher for twenty years at Cambridge University Press before turning to writing. Her belief in the power of books to counter the effects of prejudice was the impetus for her and her husband Anthony Robinson's first non-fiction project, the award-winning Refugee Diaries (Frances Lincoln). Her latest projects include Young Palestinians Speak: Living Under Occupation (Interlink), written with Anthony Robinson, Who are Refugees and Migrants? (shortlisted for the SLA non-fiction award 2017) and What is Humanism?, written with Michael Rosen (Wayland). A third book in the Big Questions series, What is Right and Wrong? Who Decides? Where do Values Come From? will be published in Spring 2018.

The Society of Authors (SoA)

The Society of Authors is a trade union for all types of writers, illustrators and literary translators, and has been advising individuals and speaking out for the profession for more than a century. The SoA administers many other prizes and grants, including the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award and the Betty Trask Award. It distributed more than 400,000 in prizes and grants in 2015.

societyofauthors.org

Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS)

The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) is a not-for-profit organisation for the benefit of all types of writers. Owned by its members, ALCS collects money due for secondary uses of writers' work. It is designed to support authors and their creativity, ensure they receive fair payment, and see their rights are respected. It promotes and teaches the principles of copyright and campaigns for a fair deal. Today we represent around 90,000 members, and since 1977 have paid over 450 million to writers.

alcs.co.uk
MERIDIAN (dpa-AFX) - Dish Network Corp. (DISH) Tuesday announced that Chairman Charlie Ergen has 'relinquished' his role as Chief Executive Officer to focus more on the company's emerging wireless business. The company also announced a major shakeup of its senior management team. Dish has promoted President and Chief Operating Officer Erik Carlson to President and CEO. Carlson will continue to report to Ergen. Carlson will work to 'effectively organize the company's operational and staff leadership to support DISH TV, Sling TV and the company's wireless business.' 'With more than 20 years' experience at DISH, Erik brings a complete understanding of the business opportunities both DISH TV and Sling TV possess,' said Ergen. 'I have every confidence that under Erik's leadership our new organizational structure will deliver value for DISH TV and Sling TV and will aid our entry into wireless.' Along with Carlson's appointment as CEO, Dish appointed Warren Schlichting to lead Sling TV as its EVP and group president, while Brian Neylon will head Dish TV as EVP and group president. John Swieringa succeeds Carlson as COO, overseeing all operational departments supporting the company's Dish TV, Sling TV and wireless groups. David Scott has joined Dish as chief human resources officer. Vivek Khemka, EVP and chief technology officer, is joining Carlson's executive leadership team. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DUBLIN, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Aluminum - Procurement Market Intelligence Report" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

Global Aluminum Market, provides up-to-date information about market shifts and potential risks, as well as in-depth knowledge of products and services, which can help in planning and executing category management activities. It focuses on the cost-saving aspects of procurement and on providing insights that can lead to optimization of category spend.

Aluminum Market is an all-inclusive guide enabling sourcing and procurement professionals to make smart purchasing decisions. One of the key growth contributor for the global aluminum market is the increase in investment for R&D to develop technology-related innovations that can reduce emissions. Suppliers have invested a substantial amount in R&D activities directed towards the development of environment-friendly technologies that reduce emissions.

The report provides actionable insights to improve source-to-contract cycle performance in the Global Aluminum Market. Its helps sourcing professionals formulate better category strategies, enhance savings, understand supplier and market challenges, and implement sourcing best practices.

Category driver

Increase in investment for R&D to develop technology-related innovations that can reduce emissions.

Category constraints

Unable to determine the quality and working condition of the equipment used for the production of aluminum.

Procurement best practices

Engage with experienced suppliers who have expertise in the various modes of transportation

Key Topics Covered:



Part 1: Category at a Glance

TAKEAWAY 01: Market Overview

TAKEAWAY 02: Demand and Supply Snapshot

TAKEAWAY 03: Key Market Dynamics

TAKEAWAY 04: Supply Market Highlights

TAKEAWAY 05: Pricing Insights

TAKEAWAY 06: Procurement Insights

Part 2: Scope of the Report

Category Definition

Research Methodology

Part 3: Market Insights

Category Spend Analysis

Category Maturity by Regions

Demand-Supply Shifts

Regional Demand-Supply Snapshot

Global Molasses Production Hubs

Market Developments

Regional Impact of Trends

Key Category Growth Drivers and Corresponding Regional Impacts

Major Category Growth Constraints and Corresponding Regional Impacts

Key Current Technological Innovations

Major Regulatory Frameworks

Strategic Sustainability Practices

Porter's Five Forces

PESTLE Analysis

Part 4: Supply Market Insights

Supplier Operational Capability Matrix

Other Prominent Suppliers by Region: Operational Capability Matrix

Supplier Functional Capability Matrix

Other Prominent Suppliers by Region: Functional Capability Matrix

Key Clients/Partners

Supplier Cost Breakup

Supplier Positioning Matrix

Part 5: Pricing Insights

Pricing Models Snapshot

Pricing Models - Pros and Cons

Indicative Pricing

Part 6: Procurement Insights

Major Category Requirements

Major Procurement Pain Points

Category Sourcing Evolution Matrix

Procurement Best Practices

Cost-saving Opportunities

Supplier Selection Criteria

Category Negotiation Strategies

SLA Terms

Supplier Evaluation Criteria

Category Risk Analysis

Part 7: Top Five Suppliers

UC RUSAL

Aluminum Corp of China

Rio Tinto Group

China Hongqiao Group Ltd.

Alcoa



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/js8ds4/global_aluminum





Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 5, 2017) - Opawica Explorations Inc. (TSXV: OPW) (the "Company") announces that effective at the opening of markets on December 6, 2017, the Company will consolidate its common shares (the "Shares") on the basis of one (1) post-consolidated Share for every five (5) pre-consolidated Shares held (the "Consolidation"). The new CUSIP number will be 683476501 and the new ISIN number will be CA6834765019. The Company's name and stock symbol will remain unchanged following the Consolidation.

The Consolidation was approved by the shareholders of the Company at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on November 23, 2017 and has received the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. No fractional Shares will be issued under the Consolidation as fractional Shares will be rounded to the nearest whole number. The Company currently has 30,120,959 common shares issued and outstanding and immediately following the Consolidation will have approximately 6,024,191 common shares issued and outstanding.

Letters of transmittal with respect to the Consolidation will be mailed shortly to all registered shareholders of the Company. All shareholders who submit a duly completed letter of transmittal along with their respective share certificate(s) representing the pre-consolidated Shares to the Company's transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc., will receive a certificate representing the post-consolidated Shares.

ABOUT OPAWICA EXPLORATIONS INC.

Opawica Explorations Inc. is a junior resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and evaluation of gold and base metal mineral properties in Canada. The Company owns 100% interest subject to certain royalties in the Bazooka gold property located in the Beauchastel Township approximately seven kilometres southwest of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. The Bazooka property comprises seven contiguous kilometres of strike length along the prolific Abitibi Gold Belt on the Cadillac Larder Lake Break. The eastern border of the Bazooka gold property adjoins Yorbeau Resources Inc.'s Rouyn Property and the western border adjoins Monarques Gold Corporation's Wasamac gold property (2,882,000 oz Au resources per Monarques NI 43-101 technical report dated October 25, 2017). The Company also holds 100% interest subject to certain royalties in the McWatters gold property in the Rouyn-Noranda area and the Arrowhead gold property in the Joannes Township, Quebec.

For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.opawica.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Antoniazzi

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Opawica Explorations Inc.

Telephone: 604-681-3170

Fax: 604-681-3552

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release.
Forest Stewardship Council considers whether to uphold timber giant's de-certification

In a recent field investigation in Romania, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) found evidence of illegal logging in Romania's second-largest national park linked to the Austrian timber giant Holzindustrie Schweighofer.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) disassociated itself from Schweighofer in early 2017 due to "clear and convincing evidence" that the company had sourced illegal wood in Romania. The FSC's Expert Panel recommended that Schweighofer not be allowed back into the FSC until they could trace all their timber supplies from the forest stand to the company's mill gates.

Germany's largest weekly, Der Spiegel, published EIA's findings on Saturday.1

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is meeting this week in Bonn, Germany, to decide whether to start Schweighofer on the path to re-association. Romanian groups have circulated the news widely on social media, calling on the FSC to not let the company back until it makes real changes.

In response, Schweighofer stated that in August they had detected and suspended two suppliers who had delivered wood from a national park. However, the company made this announcement only after the publication of EIA's report. The fact that the company only divulged this information after public pressure illustrates the lack of transparency that has plagued the company for many years.

Schweighofer claimed this wood, which entered into production in its Romanian sawmills, was legal because the supplier had valid paperwork. However, EIA's 2015 report, Romanian media, and the Romanian government have documented how Schweighofer suppliers have systematically used fake paperwork to cover illegal deliveries.

Alexander von Bismarck, Executive Director of EIA, said, "The company took steps in the right direction, but still lacks the most basic ability to trace its wood back to the forest origins. Schweighofer needs to immediately track all its wood back to the specific concessions, for all their products."

Despite over two years of international public scrutiny, significant gaps remain in Schweighofer's international timber sourcing procedures. The company buys over a third of their Romanian wood from third-party log yards, the vast majority of which lack systems for keeping track of the logs' origins. EIA's new report highlights how Schweighofer remains exposed to both illegal and unsustainable logging in Europe's most biodiverse forests.

The FSC's Board of Directors will soon decide whether Schweighofer to allow the company to begin a path to re-association. This process cannot be started until Schweighofer can meet the FSC's most basic requirement - to trace its wood back to the forest.

References:

1 "Einfach unverbesserlich", Der Spiegel 49/2017, P. 69

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205006295/en/

Contacts:

Environmental Investigation Agency

David Gehl, +1 202-486-6621

davidgehl@eia-global.org

www.eia-global.org/rodna
Opinion / Columnist

There's something heroic about a President who parachutes into a country that's facing an existential threat. While such turnarounds are never really a one-person show, it's the head of state boldness and resolve that invariably stand out. They get the credit and the cover story. They are the ones who will put the country forward or backward. The hands of these leaders bears the marks of the rough pulling of the country in a bid to catapult it to the top.But just as impressive, if not as celebrated, is the President who upends the status quo when all is (seemingly) well. Such efforts require at least as much leadership, tenacity, and vision. They may not seem as miraculous or necessary as a change-or-die turnarounduntil you consider how hard it is to instil a hunger for change in a successful state, and what's on the line when complacency sets in. President Munangagwa has inherited a country ravaged by sanctions and littered with opposition which is not productive. The opposition which rejoices when people are starved into voting them.Can you imagine the new president walking into a historically successful country which has been fractured by factionalism and sanctions? This president has inherited an economy which is already in the coffin each person in the system has no good reputation, strong corruption history and almost no appetite for broad change. He is given a recycled team to work with who are excellent in praise singing and blasphemous mouth full of praise which brings a curse to the country and the president himself. Most ministers around him believe seriously that being a good minister is to sing praises and sing them again.This trend tend to highly self-destruct and counter progress.These less competent members tend to be highly self-confident. They are convinced they have the winning model and the ability to win. Ingrained patterns of behaviour have been rewarded over and over again and this rewarding system is inherited. Internally, egoistic trends grow, and politics intensify. Self-criticism is often muted. With so much success for so long, what's the point of being too harsh, anyway? The President must not be measured on his predecessor, he must be measured on his success. Turning around an economy is not an inauguration speech, it is a real hard work.But the borderline between confidence and complacency is thin. Over and over, historically strong leaders have slipped into periods of decline, sometimes precipitously. In fact, the fame of a leader is so short. So how can the leader of a dying country reset the direction and re-energize the state before a crisis hits? Every situation is different, the president must jump out of his honey moon and hit the ground.The president must confront reality the most important quality of a leader is to force his leadership to deal with the world as it is, not as they wished it to be. Using the right yardsticks and benchmarks, asking challenging questions, and conducting follow-up reviews on ideas they must step outside of their inherent comfort zones. The leader must establish the fierce urgency of now. It is common that people find all sorts of reasons to avoid uncomfortable change. Pace and energy go together. With competitive landscapes being reshaped faster than ever, the leader needs to set the agenda and the tone. He needs to walk the talk and not talk the walk. Most elected cadres believe that they are hitting the ground but yes we hit the ground going where. The president might have people who on the same ground with him, hitting it with the same force but going different directions.The President must avoid the false security of "a safe pair of hands, Executives who are solely a safe pair of hands are there to preserve the past, not invent the future. To successfully lead the country forward the president should challenge his ministers to become change drivers. Many will step up in unexpected ways. But over time, tolerating those who simply want to preserve the status quo, even if they do their jobs well, sends debilitating signals to everyone else. Action must be taken against all in a similar manner. The state the country is in does not need golden gloves. The luxurious ministerial system we have inherited must be abandoned and the piece of cake must be shared.We need to tackle organizational sclerosis. Many presidents face two related challenges. First, they are slowed down with protocol, with too many layers and too narrow spans of control. So leaders get distant from the work, decisions take longer, and strong performers feel over managed and under empowered. Second, collaboration often deteriorates as individual success begins to outweigh team success, particularly in activities that cross boundaries within the business. Designing organizations to be lean and creating an environment that fosters the right behaviours and interactions can provide a burst of energy and effectiveness. To make these changes stick, the president will need to win the hearts and minds of a range of stakeholders, service users, service providers, , customers, investors, and, increasingly, regulators and donors so they appreciate why it's worth challenging the status quo.This isn't just about staving off decline. It's about creating a healthy sense of restlessness, motivating people to experiment and act differently, and getting the country, as a whole, to move at a much faster speedto be more adaptive and agile.It takes a special kind of leader to deviate from a tried and true roadand bring a confident, successful country along on the journey.The disadvantage Mnangagwa has is that he only has eight month to prove a point. This is a mountain to climb and a really high mountain.We have an opposition which says they have been left out of the gravy train. Can a father take his family to fight for a piece of meat on winning it he then wants to own it at the expense of the children? Those who took part in the change can continue doing so to assist us to succeed in the long run. But for ED the run is not long, it is only eight months a miracle turn around needs to be done now and not tomorrow. Those crying for positions must think of the country first, those willing to sing praises must join a church. Zimbabwe needs you, do not wait and see what Munangagwa would do but jump in and join in and see what you will do. It is not what the country should do for us, but what we must do for our country.Vazet2000@yahoo.co.uk
WEST CHESTER, OH -- (Marketwired) -- 12/05/17 -- AK Steel (NYSE: AKS) said today that it is pleased to announce that two members of the company's Board of Directors, Sheri H. Edison, and Dwayne A. Wilson, were named to Savoy Magazine's 2017 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors. The prestigious recognition honors accomplished executives, their distinguished careers and the corporations that demonstrate inclusive board composition.

"We are proud of the expertise, leadership and insight that Sheri and Dwayne bring as members of our Board of Directors, and we congratulate them on this special recognition," said Roger K. Newport, Chief Executive Officer of AK Steel.

Sheri Edison is Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Bemis Company, Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Journalism from the University of Southern California and a J.D. from Northwestern University. Ms. Edison has been a member of the AK Steel Board of Directors since 2014, and was also recently recognized by Directors and Boards Magazine as one of the publication's 2017 Directors to Watch.

Dwayne Wilson is a former Senior Vice President of Fluor Corporation and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Loyola Marymount University. Mr. Wilson joined the AK Steel Board of Directors in 2017.

AK Steel

AK Steel is a leading producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products, primarily for the automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing, electrical power generation and distribution markets. Through its subsidiaries, the company also provides customer solutions with carbon and stainless steel tubing products, die design and tooling, and hot and cold stamping. Headquartered in West Chester, Ohio (Greater Cincinnati), the company employs approximately 9,400 men and women at manufacturing operations across seven states (Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia), as well as Canada and Mexico. Additional information about AK Steel is available at www.aksteel.com.

Contacts:



Media

Lisa H. Jester

Corporate Manager, Communications and Public Relations

(513) 425-2510



Investors

Douglas O. Mitterholzer

General Manager, Investor Relations

(513) 425-5215




Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) today announces that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's ordinary shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"):

Trading Venue: London Stock Exchange Date of purchase: 5 December 2017 Number of Shares purchased: 18,000 Shares Highest price paid per Share: 1,040 pence 14.02 USD Lowest price paid per Share: 1,034 pence 13.94 USD Average price paid per Share: 1,035.76 pence 13.96 USD

Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Date of purchase: 5 December 2017 Number of Shares purchased: 33,531 Shares Highest price paid per Share: 13.95 USD Lowest price paid per Share: 13.86 USD Average price paid per Share: 13.92 USD

PSH intends to cancel these Shares. The net asset value per Share related to this Share buyback is USD 17.66 GBP 13.06 which was calculated as of 30 November 2017. After giving effect to the above Share buyback, PSH has outstanding 235,906,497 Shares. The prices per share in USD were calculated by Jefferies.

The number of PSH Management Shares and the 1 special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) has not been affected.

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205006348/en/

Contacts:

Media:

Maitland

James Devas, +44 20 7379 5151

Media-pershingsquareholdings1@maitland.co.uk
Core10, Inc., a Huntington, WV, and Nashville, Tenn.-based software development company that creates financial technology solutions, closed a $3.5m funding round.

The round was led by Fintop Capital with participation from the West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust and a host of West Virginia-based angel investors.

The company intends to use the funds to expand sales efforts nationwide and recruit software development talent in Nashville as well as southeastern Ohio, eastern Kentucky, and West Virginia for permanent positions. It aims to create 250 additional technology jobs by the end of 2020.

Led by Jeff Martin, CEO, Core10 is an innovative software development company dedicated to building fintech infrastructure solutions for banks, credit unions, and fintechs who focus on connecting financial data and applications across various institutions and platforms.

FinSMEs

05/12/2017
London: The extradition trial of Vijay Mallya, wanted in India on charges of Rs 9,000 crores fraud and money laundering, began at a UK court here, with the prosecution asserting that the embattled liquor baron had a "case of fraud" to answer.

The trial, however, was briefly halted as the courtroom had to be evacuated due to a fire alarm. The 61-year-old tycoon and others waited outside the Westminster magistrates court during the fire drill.

The trial began with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, presenting its opening arguments in the case which focused on loans totalling around Rs 2,000 crores sought by the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines from a consortium of Indian banks.

It concluded the opening day's proceedings by asserting that they had "shown by virtue of evidence a prima facie case" against Mallya and the hearing should now move to the next phase of whether there were any "bars to extradition".

The CPS detailed "three chapters of dishonesty" by the former Kingfisher Airlines boss -- the first being misrepresentations to various banks to acquire the loans, then how he misused the money and finally his conduct after the banks recalled the loans.

"Instead of acting as an honest person and doing what he could to meet his obligations, he sets about erecting lines of defence," said CPS barrister Mark Summers.

The Indian government says the reasons why a court can conclude, that these were loans that the "defendant (Mallya) never intended to repay" and that the company and airline industry were in "intensive care" and heading only in one direction, Summers said.

Instead of absorbing those losses, which would "impinge on his lifestyle", Mallya chose to palm it off to banks, in particular state-owned banks. Several internal emails, the government claims, disclose the reality of the position which was misrepresented to the banks, he said.

The judge noted that businessmen in this position would be "hopeful that things will turn around", but the CPS said this was not the case with Kingfisher Airlines. It went on to add that loans acquired in the name of rescuing the struggling airline were in fact used to pay off other debts, including paying the rent on a corporate jet "owned by Kingfisher but operated for the defendants (Mallya) own benefit".

The CPS presented an email written by Mallya in December 2009 justifying the use of loans to "achieve round robins", confirming that he was open to using money received from banks for Kingfisher Airlines to repay other banks to settle overdue bills and charges.

This was "expressly prohibited" as part of the agreed terms of the loans provided to the then struggling airline.

He also failed in his obligations as a "personal guarantor" of the loans by failing to use 40 million dollars received from Diageo from the sale of shares in United Spirits Limited to repay some of the debt.

"Instead of honouring his obligations, he squirrelled away the 40 million dollars in trusts for his children," Summers said.

Mallya claimed later that those personal guarantees were secured by the banks under duress, a move the CPS highlighted was not the actions of an honest person. The judge responded with a chuckle by saying it was "quite inventive though".

The CPS admitted that there may have been "irregularities" in the internal processes of the banks sanctioning some of those loans but that would be a question to be dealt with at a later stage in India.

"The focus of our case will be on his (Mallya's) conduct and how he misled the bank and misused the proceeds," said CPS barrister Mark Summers. He then went on to lay out a detailed chronology of events, with specific focus on a loan sought by Kingfisher Airlines from IDBI bank in November 2009.

The loan sought amounted initially to Rs 950 crores but was later reduced to Rs 750 crores, after it had received Rs 200 crores from UCO bank.

Meanwhile, Mallya was also sanctioned a loan of Rs 150 crores from IDBI in advance of the larger loan sought from the state-owned bank to meet "critical obligations to overseas vendors".

The CPS gave details of how much of this money landed in Mallyas Formula One motor racing team Force India, something the defence has characterised as "legitimate advertising expenses" as the teams cars carried Kingfisher advertisements.

These pertained to the money laundering charges levelled against Mallya, which the CPS said was not a "desperately important issue" for the judge to decide on, with fraud remaining central to the case.

"There is clearly no money laundering case," Mallya said in response to this assertion by the CPS at the end of the hearing.

The CPS noted that in all the loans sought, "loss-making" Kingfisher Airlines had relied on nearly the same set of security pledges, which included the UB Group's reputation, Kingfisher's own "brand value", a promised infusion of equity funds and a projected return to profit by the airline by February 2011.

"The airline had claimed that it had put proactive measures in place to improve performance," the CPS noted. However, it was also a time when according to an industry analysis, the state of the airline industry was described as "grim" and as being in "intensive care".

"It was not a scenario in which a state bank would have entertained such loan requests," the CPS added. Court was told that loans acquired in the name of rescuing Kingfisher Airlines were in fact used to pay off other debts, including paying the rent on a corporate jet "owned by Kingfisher but operated for the defendants (Mallya) own benefit".

The CPS presented an email written by Mallya in December 2009 justifying the use of loans to "achieve round robins", confirming that he was open to using money received from banks for Kingfisher Airlines to repay other banks to settle overdue bills and charges. This was "expressly prohibited" as part of the agreed terms of the loans provided to the then struggling airline, it said.

The first day of the trial is expected to be taken up entirely by the CPS setting out the Indian governments prima facie case against Mallya, a fact that was not welcomed by his defence team.

Mallya's barrister, Clare Montgomery, told the judge that she had hoped to set out the defences opening arguments on the first day as well. But the CPS said it will "not be rushed" as it lays out the complete chronology of events.

Meanwhile, Mallya watched the proceedings from behind a glass-windowed dock. His defence team tried to get the judge to allow him to sit outside the dock near his defence team to access some of the complicated paperwork being relied upon, but the judge denied that request saying all defendants are expected to sit in the dock. However, the judge has directed that a table be provided to Mallya for easier access to his paperwork.

Earlier, Mallya looked relaxed when he entered the court to stand trial on charges of fraud and money laundering related to his erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines owing several Indian banks around Rs 9,000 crores.

"These (allegations against me) are false, fabricated and baseless," Mallya told reporters outside the court ahead of the hearing.

A four-member CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) team from India had also arrived at the court ahead of the trial, one of whom nodded when asked if they were "confident" about their case.

Mallya, who has been out on bail since Scotland Yard executed an extradition warrant in April this year, will be in the dock for the duration of the trial ? scheduled to end on 14 December.

A judgement in the case, being presided over by Judge Emma Louise Arbuthnot, is unlikely until early next year.

The CPS will need to demonstrate a prima facie case by producing evidence to show that the criminal charges against Mallya are justified and that he should be extradited to face the Indian courts.

Prison conditions in India are expected to be at the forefront during the hearing, with the Indian government providing assurances of protection of Mallyas human rights.

The tycoon has been on self-imposed exile in the UK since he left India on 2 March, 2016.

While on strict bail conditions, which include providing a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds, surrender of his passport and a ban on possessing any travel documents, the former Rajya Sabha member has been based at his Hertfordshire estate Ladywalk in the village of Tewin, nearly 50-km from London.

The CPS had presented "supplemental" charges of money laundering to previous charges of fraud against the businessman at an earlier hearing in October.

The judge had agreed to effectively re-open a fresh case so that all charges can be heard concurrently in court.

If the judge rules in favour of extradition at the end of the trial, the UK home secretary must order Mallya's extradition within two months. However, the case can go through a series of appeals in higher UK courts before arriving at a conclusion.

Judge Arbuthnot and her colleague, Rebecca Crane, at Westminster Magistrates Court have recently rejected two other long-pending extradition requests from India. PTI
Mumbai: Investors on Monday cheered the appointment of Infosys Ltds new chief executive, in hopes the Indian IT services firm can move past a costly boardroom spat, though questions remain over how the new boss will navigate strained corporate ties internally.

After well over a decade with Capgemini, Salil Parekh is returning to India to head Infosys, where he is tasked with reinvigorating growth, while keeping the peace.

Parekh joins Infosys, historically a bellwether of Indias $154 billion IT services sector, as it tries to heal following a nasty public spat between its board and founders that led to the dramatic exit of its previous CEO, Vishal Sikka, in August.

Shares in Infosys closed 2.8 percent higher on Monday following Parekhs appointment as markets welcomed the boards move to tap an industry veteran with both deep experience in leading a consulting firm and knowledge of the Indian IT model.

But investors remain concerned about how he will deal with potential strains in the relationship with the founders, which cost Infosys billions of dollars in market capitalisation earlier this year.

The incoming CEO will have to maintain a good rapport with the founders and take care of corporate governance, said R.K. Gupta, managing director at Taurus Asset Management, which owns shares in Infosys. I believe both the CEO and founders will be cautious in their dealings with one another.

Parekh joins Bengaluru-based Infosys in January from Paris-headquartered Capgemini, where he headed their core application services business in key markets like North America and the United Kingdom, and their cloud services and cloud infrastructure businesses. He also managed Sogeti - a unit of Capgemini focused on digital transformation.

In its most recent quarter, Capgeminis digital and cloud services grew 23 percent in constant currency terms. Capgemini also reported 6.9 percent revenue growth in North America - a market largely under Parekhs watch and one which accounts for nearly a third of its revenues.

Infosys, by comparison, saw its North American revenue grow at the pace of just 3.9 percent over that same period.

We believe Infosys slowing growth in the past 18 months has more to do with patchy execution rather than strategy, CLSA analyst Ankur Rudra wrote in a note to clients. Infosys needed a dyed-in-the-wool execution-focused leader who understands services and can build consensus.

Nomura analysts said they awaited clarity on the companys strategy under Parekh, while maintaining a reduce rating on its stock.

Delicate balance

As CEO, Parekh will have to replicate some of his successes at Capgemini while being careful not to antagonise Infosys founders, who own about 12 percent of the company, but command an outsized say in its direction.

The founders, led by Narayana Murthy, the doyen of Indias IT services sector, engaged in a lengthy public feud with Sikka on issues ranging from flights on private jets, to over-spending on a takeover, and on the pricey rent for his US office, to the largesse of payouts given to certain executives following their exits.

The spat culminated with the exit of both Sikka and Infosys then chairman R Seshasayee in August, and the return of one of its founders, Nandan Nilekani, as chairman. Nilekani, a highly regarded industry veteran, had remained silent throughout the public confrontation led by Murthy.

Shares fell nearly 10 percent on 18 August, the day of Sikkas resignation, hitting its lowest level since the start of his tenure in 2014 and wiping $3.45 billion off Infosys market capitalisation.

For Parekh, being hand-picked by Nilekani should give him some cover. Two weeks ago, Murthy endorsed Nilekani, saying absolutely, all is well, with Nilekani at the helm.

In a statement on Saturday, Murthy wrote: I am happy that Infosys has appointed Mr. Salil Parekh as the CEO. My best wishes to him.
Outside the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Monday where his extradition trial is being held, a nattily dressed Vijay Mallya  in a pin-striped suit, manicured beard, neatly set hair and gold-rimmed glasses  met the thrusting booms of Indian TV channels with studied nonchalance and swagger.

According to Times of India report, he refused to answer any of the tens of questions thrown at him beyond mentioning that "all his submissions were with the court" and then lit up a cigar. The liquor baron clearly hasn't exhausted all his good times.

It is evident that the fallen tycoon, a former member of the Upper House of Indian Parliament, feels confident that he won't have to face extradition from the UK, despite intense media scrutiny and the Indian government's painstaking efforts. Mallya's faith isnt misplaced. India has very little chance of getting him back.

If Mallya evades extradition, it won't certainly be due to lack of labour on India's part, however. Mark Summers QC of Britain's Crown Prosecution Service, acting on India's behalf, tried to vehemently build an argument on the opening day of the extradition hearing that this wasn't a case of business decisions gone bad  as the tycoon has argued  but fraudery, mala fide intent and cheating the Indian public, and therefore Mallya must be extradited to stand trial in Indian courts.

The prosecution's attempt during the day-long hearing on Monday was to show that Mallya tried to deflect the losses incurred by his Kingfisher Airlines to public-owned banks, misled the banks into repeatedly giving him loans, and broke the loan agreements to use the funds for personal benefits.

Citing a specific case of IDBI Bank which granted the tycoon an amount of Rs 900 crore in three installments, the CPS highlighted how Mallya and his Kingfisher Airlines had deceived the bank during loan applications by showing inflated brand value. Part of the loan amount was diverted towards paying the rent for a 'corporate jet' used "exclusively" by Mallya and friends; part was consumed as personal cash, and part of the IDBI loan in contravention of agreements was used to meet tax obligations, repayment of debts of other banks so that he may open up still more lines of credit. Eventually, some of the funds were funneled to his motor racing team.

Arguing that there are good enough reasons for the court to conclude that Mallya and his beleaguered airline had no intention of repaying the loan, Summers told the court: "His company was in intensive care and it was going to sustain huge losses. The defendant had a choice: either take those losses yourself and impinge on your lifestyle, or try to palm them off on to your bank".

Summers told the court that when a consortium of banks pressed Mallya hard to retrieve loans totaling Rs 2,000 crore, "rather than honestly honour his debts he squirrelled away $40 million in trusts for his children", including the $40 million that the tycoon had received from liquor giants Diageo Plc as part of deal, according to a report in The Hindu.

Now, if chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot has only to decide whether there is enough evidence to send Mallya back to India to face trial, it may appear that the weight of evidence against him is overwhelming and it is only a matter of time before the flamboyant tycoon lands on Indian shores. The reality is more complex.

Mallya's defence is built on a three-pronged argument that seeks to tap into India's past record in extradition cases, structural lacunas and gaps in prosecution's arguments.

According to Reuters report which cites a "written document" prepared by the defence team led by Clare Montgomery QC, Mallya will request the court to reject the extradition request "because of a lack of evidence, the 'abusive origins' of the case, the impossibility of a fair trial in India and detention conditions there being incompatible with British human rights laws." The document further claims that the case against Mallya was motivated by a "populist and misguided sentiment", that the liquor baron has been victimised as an embodiment of "capitalism's evils", and Indian politicians "of every stripe" want to make an example of him to quell widespread anger over the country's huge bad debt problem in PSU banks.

The arguments immediately focus on two grey areas of the UK-India extradition treaty. One, under Article 2 of the treaty signed in 1992, "extradition can take place only if the offence is punishable under laws of both countries by at least one year," and it is not clear whether the charges of financial misdemeanor or even diversion of loans fall under that legal provision, as Prasun Sonwalkar points out in Hindustan Times.

Second, Mallya's attempt is to show that the charges against him are politically motivated, and hence benefit from the treaty provision that prevents extradition requests of a political nature. Even if it doesn't fall within that provision, getting a person extradited in a civil suit is way more difficult than in criminal cases  more so when we are talking about India, which has a dismal record in extradition cases.

In the 25 years of the existence of an extradition treaty with the UK, India has been successful only once in getting a fugitive extradited. Economic Times, citing data from a data mining website, reports that India's success rate at extradition stands at 36 percent over 15 years, and most of the successful cases involve murder-related offences or crimes of similar nature and terrorism-related offences.

In October, the British magistrates' court where Mallya's extradition case is being heard, rejected two Indian requests  one involving UK-based bookie Sanjeev Chawla and a British-Indian couple. Interestingly, Judge Arburthnot, who is also presiding over the Mallya case, had ruled against India in one of these cases, according to a News18 report.

Though the Indian government, in anticipation of the human rights angle, has already given a "sovereign assurance" (read here) that Mallya will be kept inside Aurthur Road jail in Mumbai and treated with the best practices of human rights in consonance with European standards  even going to the length of sending pictures of jail premises and expressing willingness to be inspected by international human rights bodies  it remains to be seen if the British court is impressed.

Even if Mallya does lose the case here, he still has the security of Britain's multi-layered appeals process before the actual extradition takes place. The effective chance of seeing him back in India, therefore, is close to nil.
Kolkata: Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju on Tuesday said the government wants to make Air India vibrant for which plans on an 'alternative mechanism' was being worked out.

The national carrier, entirely funded by government, was making losses and was now in a debt trap due to interest burden.

"We want to make Air India a vibrant entity and not to go the Kingfisher way", Raju told reporters here.

He said the government was working on an 'alternative mechanism' and all options were being explored.

Raju said "Air India's financials are bad. But we want it to continue to be in the skies".

The minister said private carrier Indigo had given expression of interest in Air India's overseas operations, while the Tatas were making only verbal enquiries. "There is nothing in writing from the Tatas, it is only verbal", he said.

Meanwhile, the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM) of the finance ministry had decided to go for a strategic divestment route in Air India.

Transaction advisors had also been appointed, Raju said.
Olaf's Frozen Adventure, a short film by Disney based on the characters of the 2013 blockbuster Frozen, is being pulled from theaters across the United States starting 8 December.

The short film hasn't exactly been loved by critics despite being based on the beloved Olaf the snowman (voiced by actor Josh Gad). Olaf's Frozen Adventure is currently being screened before every showing of Pixar's new animated movie Coco. Pixar has produced Coco whereas Walt Disney is responsible for its distribution. Coco, the big holiday release universally praised by critics, is the story about a 12-year-old boy who is accidentally transported to the land of the dead and seeks help of his musician great-great-grandfather to return to his family.

It is not unusual for a Pixar movie to begin with an short animated movie.

Viewers look forward to these short movies which are not more than two to eight minutes in length. Short movies have preceded every Pixar release since 1998's A Bug's Life. These shorts are Pixar's own and have been a tradition ever since. Olaf's Frozen Adventure, on the other hand, is a Disney short movie and is 21 minutes long. Many who went to the theaters to watch Coco were confused if they were at the right screening.

The 21 minute Disney short  along with the trailers  delayed Coco by at least 40 minutes. Viewers expressed their dislike for the movie and couldn't make sense of Disney's decision to screen the Frozen short before Coco.

Sometimes I wake up covered in sweat and screaming, filled with the horrifying certainty that Im STILL watching that seemingly endless Frozen short that played before Coco.  Jhonen Vasquez (@JhonenV) November 26, 2017

Coco is spectacular but unfortunately the Frozen short that precedes it will eat your brain from the inside, then spit the amygdaloid rind that remains thereafter down your throat. Arrive late.  Ian Bogost (@ibogost) November 23, 2017

Im going to say it, since no one else will. The Frozen short in front of Coco is a giant piece of frozen shit. Olof made me want to punch myself in the face.  devon sawa (@DevonESawa) November 26, 2017

My 8-year old nephew, after the excruciating 20 minute Frozen short in front of Coco: Nobody asked for that  Nicholas Gurewitch (@PerryFellow) November 25, 2017

good evening to everyone except for the executive that doubted coco's natural ability to draw in an audience and forced a half an hour long frozen 'short' before it that made everyone wanna walk out early  Calvin (@calvinstowell) November 25, 2017 making us endure Olaf's Frozen Adventure to get to Coco is a metaphor for the Mexican American experience I just haven't figured out how yet  JuanPa (@jpbrammer) November 27, 2017

Coco is the first animated movie to be based entirely in Mexico. The story revolves around the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the dead). It's the first animated movie to feature an all-brown cast and has performed extremely well at the box-office. It has already become the highest grossing movie in Mexico's history. Coco has also received widespread acclaim from critics.

The same cannot be said about Olaf's Frozen Adventure. Disney's short movie, which was originally supposed to premiere on ABC during Christmas, was moved to the theaters as a holiday special. Critics have universally panned Olaf's Frozen Adventure with The Washington Post calling it "irritating".

Many blamed Disney's lack of confidence in a movie that stars all-brown Mexican characters as the reason for the Frozen short to be included before Coco. Hollywood has talked a number of times about how a non-white cast cannot attract the same number of audiences like an all-white cast does. Pushing in a 21 minute long short movie is being seen as an attempt to lure in audiences that would not be keen on watching Coco; a movie based firmly in Mexican roots, heritage and culture.

When Coco was released in Mexico with Olaf's Frozen Adventure, it sparked an outcry on social media. The decision has since been taken to completely scrap the screening of the Disney short movie before Coco; first in Mexico and then in the US.
Condolences, obituaries and anecdotes are flowing freely from Bollywood, as Shashi Kapoor, one of the most famous actors of the Kapoor family, took his last breath yesterday on 4 December. His goodwill and fond memories among his contemporaries is a testimony of the legacy that he has left behind.

Shashi Kapoor has been part of some major commercial hits, experimental films and cross-over projects. In fact, he is inarguably the only Indian actor of his era to have achieved this feat at the peak of his career. In his numerous Bollywood films, Kapoor has been seen sharing screen space with a number of actors  some also happen to be his immediate family  over the years. However, among all the on-screen pairings, there are a few which stand out.

Sharmila Tagore

With Tagore, Kapoor has delivered some memorable hits like the 1965 Yash Chopra directorial Waqt, Aamne Saamne (1967), Suhana Safar (1970), Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1973) and the critically acclaimed film New Delhi Times (1986). For this film Kapoor was honoured with the National Film Award for Best Actor.

In an interview, Tagore said that she learnt a lot from Kapoor  most importantly the ability to adapt to the limitations of a film and not complain. "'When you are doing a film for money or to help a friend out, be clear about the motives and then finish what needs to be done. When you come to the set, and are aware of the limitations of the script or the director, dont expect pigs to fly,' he would often tell me," says Tagore, according to The Print.

Rakhee

Kapoor's pairing with Rakhee was also quite popular. They both had very different on-screen personas. The result of this pairing was an array of hit films  the first being their first film together, S Mukherjee's 1971 flick Sharmeelee which went on to become a major box-office success. They later appeared together in films like Jaanwar Aur Insaan (1972), Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Baseraa (1981), Pighalta Aasman (1985), Doosara Aadmi (1977) and the critically acclaimed Trishna (1978) to name a few. Kabhi Kabhie remains a milestone in both of their individual careers; the chemistry between the two actors and the undercurrent of pain, remorse and anger in their performances was widely appreciated.

Hema Malini

Malini-Kapoor formed a successful on-screen pair with films like Abhinetri (1970), Aap Beeti (1976), Maan Gaye Ustaad (1981), Aandhi Toofan (1985) and Do Aur Do Paanch (1980). Both these actors were also in great demand because of their good-looks; while Kapoor made women go weak in the knees, Malini had made her way to the top as Bollywood's dream girl.

In an interview with The Hindustan Times, Malini says, "He was one of the most wonderful and nicest co-stars of mine. I am feeling really bad that he has passed away," she further, talking about Kapoor's long-time ailment, adds, "I had not been in touch with him since 25 years. From the time he was not well, he never used to come out anywhere, toh hum jaante bhi nahi the (even we didn't come to know), since he was so sick."

Rekha

With Rekha, Kapoor was seen in many non-commercial films  Ijaazat (1988) or Vijeta (1983), or big commercial projects of the likes of Silsila or Baseraa which released in 1981. However, the most memorable partnerships of these two talents come from Kapoor's production ventures  Kalyug, Utsav  which had some fabulous performances by Rekha. While Kalyug was more intense in terms of storytelling, Utsav was a period drama.

Nanda

Kapoor made it big in the industry with the 1965 romantic drama Jab Jab Phool Khile that starred Nanda opposite him. The film went on to become a major blockbuster, also because of its songs and beautiful locales of Kashmir. Their performances in the film  both individually and as a romantic on-screen pair  was a major plus-point of the film.

Shabana Azmi

The talented actress and multiple National Award winner Shabana Azmi was seen with her "childhood heartthrob" in films like Fakira (1976), Heera Aur Patthar (1977), the much-acclaimed film Junoon (1978) and in the 1994 English film In Custody. Azmi has immense reverence for Kapoor; she calls him a "trailblazer" for his huge contribution towards cinema and culture in Mumbai, by establishing Prithvi Theatre.

"On the first day, we were shooting the song 'Dil mein tujhe bitha ke'. During rehearsals when the dance director, Satyanarayan, demonstrated the moves, I was aghast! I couldn't get so intimate with Shashi Kapoor. Minutes later, my hero was banging on the door wanting to know what the problem was. Calling me a silly girl, he told me to come out when the shot was ready. When I arrived on the set, I found that he had changed all the moves so I'd be more comfortable," Shabana Azmi said, as reported by The Times of India.

Amitabh Bachchan

Kapoor's on-screen pairing with other heroes was all the rage during the 1970s; but most importantly with Amitabh Bachchan. Both Kapoor and Bachchan have portrayed the roles of brothers (sometimes long-lost brothers) and best friends in films like Deewar, Namak Halaal, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Trishul, Shaan to name a few. Nearly all these films have been major commercial successes upon their release. Kapoor was six-seven years elder to Bachchan, but he played the role of the latter's younger brother in most of the films they starred together.

Also read: Shashi Kapoor passes away: Amitabh Bachchan recollects fond memories of his Deewar co-star
Kochi: Kerala trial court on Tuesday (5 December) accepted a chargesheet which has named Malayalam superstar Dileep as an accused in a case involving the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of an actress in February.

The Angamaly Magistrate Court accepted the chargesheet which names a total of 12 persons including Dileep's former wife Manju Warrier who is a key witness.

The chargesheet was filed by the police probe team on 22 November.

Pulsar Suni, who was the master-mind behind the kidnap, is the first accused and the charges slapped against him include rape and conspiracy.

The 650-page chargesheet includes secret depositions. Among the list of witnesses, around 50 are from the film industry.

The popular actress was abducted when she was on her way from Thrissur to Kochi, forcibly driven around in her vehicle for about two hours and allegedly molested before being dumped near an actor-director's home.

Suni and his accomplices involved in the actual abduction were arrested a week later. Dileep was arrested on 10 July.

After 85 days in jail, he got conditional bail and has been on a religious sojourn but is yet to get back into acting, even as four of his films are under various stages of production.
An axe-wielding murderer is on the run. On a rainy night, a police officer comes face-to-face with the suspect. What happens next? Will the police officer pull the trigger? Thats the choice viewers have to make in the trailer for Amit Kumars Monsoon Shootout, released on Monday.

The movie will hit the screens on December 15.

The trailer is already being tipped as Indias first interactive movie trailer. It gives the viewers a chance to decide whether the police man Adi (Vijay Varma), a young cop in training, should shoot the murder suspect Shiva (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a dreaded and infamous mob enforcer. The stage is set for a moral dilemma and each choice to be made will come with a consequence.

Should the officer gun down a possibly innocent person? Or should he let go a murderer?

Actress Priyanka Chopra launched the interactive trailer via her twitter account. She wrote, Shoot or not to shoot? YOU get to decide what happens next in the trailer for #MonsoonShootout what a cool idea! So glad to see filmmakers innovate & push boundaries of the filmmaking process.

Shoot or not to shoot? YOU get to decide what happens next in the trailer for #MonsoonShootout what a cool idea! So glad to see filmmakers innovate & push boundaries of the filmmaking process... https://t.co/m2HJLvPIpg

Great stuff @guneetm@nawazuddin_s @mrvijayvarma @amitmonsoon  PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) December 4, 2017

It has taken an agonising four and a half years for Monsoon Shootout, premiered at the Cannes Festival in 2013, to be released finally. The experimental thriller was premiered in a few other festivals around the world too, but found it difficult to select the right time and team to release it back home in India.

The movie also features Neeraj Kabi, Geetanjali Thapa and Tannishtha Chatterjee in key roles and it has been produced by Guneet Monga, Anurag Kashyap, Arun Rangachari and Vivek Rangachari.

Check out the trailer below:


Gajendra Chauhan on 5 December termed his controversy-filled stint as the chairman of Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune as his "biggest contribution to the film industry".

"When I joined this institute on 1 January, 2016, it was almost non-functional. The student batch of 2007-8 for three years diploma course were awaiting for their certificates despite remaining in the institutes for eight years. No admission were conducted in 2014-15 session. The 49 students could complete their diploma in 2016 after I joined and cleared the stagnation," he said at a meet the press program.

Chauhan, whose appointment was bitterly opposed by the students, said he had invited top academicians to the institute, improved syllabus, created a choice based credit system and upgraded three years diploma course in to Masters degree in all 6 streams - acting, direction, editing, graphics, cinematography and post-production editing.

"In the earlier period, the students were unable to understand cinema in total. They could study cinema in parts, I think this was my most important contribution to students in this field," he said.

He also he had cleared the construction of two new studios, which would enable funds to flow from their rental for shootings.

About the controversy over his appointment, Chauhan said it was political since the chairman's posting is a political appointment.

Paying tribute to Shashi Kapoor, who passed away on 4 December, Chauhan said that once he was advised by the veteran actor to maintain good behavior so that work could continue and said he was still following the instructions which helped him "survive in this tough world".

On the Padmavati controversy, he said its director Sanjay Leela Bhansali should keep his options open and improve in the areas where there are objections. "If I had been the producer, I would have contacted the royal family first with the script," he said.
With no major new releases hitting theaters, Pixars acclaimed Coco again topped the North American box office with $27.5 million in its second week of release, according to final figures released on 4 December.

The film tells the story of a 12-year-old Mexican, Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), who longs to become a musician but faces a generations-old family ban on music.

It netted an estimated $27.5 million for the three-day weekend and $110 million since it opened over the Thanksgiving Day holiday, an industry data provider, Exhibitor Relations, said.

Coco, which takes Miguel into the magical Land of the Dead, where trickster Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) helps him unravel a deep family secret, received a rare A+ rating from audiences surveyed by CinemaScore.

In second place again was Warner Bros. film Justice League, with $16.7 million in its third week out.

The all-star cast features Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman and Jason Momoa as Aquaman joining to fend off supervillain Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds).

Third, also in its third week out, was Lionsgate's feel-good film Wonder, which netted $12.1 million.

The movie, starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay, tells the story of a fifth-grade boy with a facial deformity who must deal with other children's shock and bullying when he first attends a mainstream school.

Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok claimed fourth place with $9.9 million.

The film features the self-effacing humor of Chris Hemsworth as the powerful Norse god and Cate Blanchett as death goddess Hela. "Thor" has netted $291.6 million since its debut five weeks ago.

In fifth place was the Christmas comedy Daddy's Home 2 from Paramount, netting $7.6 million. It stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as the less-than-competent co-parents of Wahlberg's kids while they cope with their own visiting fathers (John Lithgow and Mel Gibson).
Kolkata: Directors Aparna Sen and Goutam Ghosh mourned the death of legendary Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor who passed away on 4 December.

Recalling that Kapoor had produced her first directorial venture 36 Chowringhee Lane in 1981, Sen said she still remembers how Kapoor used to take care of every single technician of her team and loved them.

"I still remember that against the initial agreement to pay me Rs 30,000 for the film, he had paid me Rs 60,000 when 36 Chowringhee Lane was completed. I asked why he doubled the amount, he said please keep this amount with you," Sen said.

She said she had last met Kapoor two years back.

"As he was seated on a wheel chair I went near him and introduced myself. He had a blank look and once I said can't you recognise the director of 36 Chowringhee Lane, his face lit up."

"He used to call me Coppola, after (film maker) Francis Ford Coppola, while I used to call him Sethji. We knew the end will come, but it was shocking," she said.

Goutam Ghosh said Kapoor was a very charming actor and a wonderful person.

"He was a heart throb among the women of our generation," Ghosh said adding he had once offered to produce a directorial venture of Ghosh's.

"He had been trained under Geoffrey Kendal and was a theatre buff. He used to run Prithvi theatre in Mumbai," Ghosh said.

Remembering how he had met Kapoor countless times in the country and at foreign film festivals, Ghosh recalled, "Once he had made an offer to direct a film under his production, but as I was busy with the shooting of Antarjali Jatra at that time, a film directed by me under Shashi Kapoor production remained a dream."

Kapoor died at the age of 79 at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.
Tamil action hero Vishal has jumped into politics. He has filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the by-poll to the RK Nagar constituency in Chennai, which fell vacant following Jayalalithaas death. It has caught major political parties and Kollywood by surprise, as Vishal rushed into where superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are still waiting to tread.

Vishal's last release Thupparivaalan was a hit and his next film Irumbu Thirai is due in January. Elections are nothing new to Vishal, as he contested and won two important Tamil film association elections against stiff opposition.

His claim to fame was when he opposed veterans like Sharat Kumar in 2015, and got elected as the general secretary of the powerful actors body South Indian Film Artistes Association popularly known as Nadigar Sangam. Early this year he was elected president of the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) in a fierce battle with veterans. Today Vishal is definitely the most powerful personality in Tamil cinema as he heads the actors and producers body, and virtually calls the shot.

The buzz in political circles is that Vishal may be Kamal Haasans trojan horse to test the waters, as a by-poll is ideal. Vishal is more close to Kamal Haasan, who was instrumental in getting him elected as Nadigar Sangam chief. What has lent credence to the story is that Vishal wants the whistle as his symbol, something associated with Kamal Haasan. Kamal had recently annoucned an online whistle blower' app called Maiyyam Whistle.

However speaking to Firstpost, Vishal said: Im here as a commoner and my inspirations are former president late APJ Abdul Kalam and Arvind Kejriwal. I look up to these two people. I havent met Arvind Kejriwal but he is a people's leader. RK Nagar is not new to me as I have worked here providing relief during the 2015 Chennai floods. A lot of actors like Prakash Raj, Arya and Khushboo have liked my idea. Im yet to speak to Kamal sir about my entry into the by-election. There are a lot of young committed voters who appreciated the stance I have taken and Im sure I will win the by-election

Meanwhile some actors and producers have turned the heat on Vishal. Actor, director and producer Cheran said,  I have no issue about Vishal contesting in the by-poll but first he should resign from his president post of TFPC, It has been eight months since he got elected as president of producers council and there's been no improvement as 95 % of the films continue to flop. He has no right to contest the by-poll, let him first set his house (films) in order.

But within Kollywood, there is a feeling that the state government will crackdown on the industry, as Vishals entry into RK Nagar by-elections will further dent the ruling party vote bank. A few others believe that Vishal is trying to boost his career by doing these political stunts. Meanwhile, Vishal is getting ready for a star studded campaign in RK Nagar, where elections will be held on December 21.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Canadas trade minister extended his stay in Beijing on Tuesday in a bid to salvage early talks on a free trade agreement with China, but Canada faces tough choices after the United States threatened to pull out of NAFTA. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends an event at the Sina Weibo headquarters in Beijing, China December 4, 2017. CNS/Wang Jun via REUTERS Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau departed Beijing for Guangzhou after meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, telling reporters that progress towards free trade talks would not be swift. The go-slow signal comes as Canada considers whether to launch formal talks on a free trade deal with China, which wants a trade pact similar to the ones it has with Australia and New Zealand. Trudeaus Liberal government must weigh domestic unease at closer China ties with pressure from business interests for more access to the Chinese market. Polls show Canadians are split over the merits of a trade deal, but Canada needs to diversify exports to offset the possible damage done if U.S. President Donald Trump pulls out of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trudeau reiterated that a deal with China was not an overnight process. And once we get to the stage of negotiating a trade agreement, thats going to take years, as well, Trudeau said. Canadian media reported that Trudeau did not win the commitment he wanted from Li on a progressive trade agenda. Li said China remained open to exploring a deal. We have an open attitude toward the process of negotiations, and an open attitude towards their contents, Li said. While Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne had originally intended to accompany Trudeau to Guangzhou, a spokesman said the minister had made good progress in the last two days, and would continue working in Beijing. Brock University professor Charles Burton, a former Canadian diplomat who served two tours in China, said that Trudeau thought he had come up with something that would satisfy both constituencies and the Chinese just would not buy into it. And so we are left with the decision in the months ahead as to whether we want to proceed with free trade or simply continue with the existing arrangements with China, which are leading to a wider and wider trade deficit, he said. Trudeaus visit, which began on Sunday, comes as plane maker Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) is eager to win a breakthrough order from Chinese carriers for its CSeries jet, whose fuselage is made in China. But the chance of sealing such deals has become more cloudy after Canada encouraged Bombardier to sell a controlling stake in the CSeries program to Airbus rather than a Chinese firm.

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(Reuters) - The final season of Netflixs political drama House of Cards will focus on Robin Wrights first female president character and will start production in 2018, following a hiatus after the exit of star Kevin Spacey, the company said on Monday. FILE PHOTO: Cast member Robin Wright poses at the premiere of "Wonder Woman" in Los Angeles, California U.S., May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Mario AnzuoniNetflixs Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told the UBS 45th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference in New York that the sixth season would be shortened to eight episodes instead of the usual 13. Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) severed ties in November with Spacey, one of its biggest stars who played fictional U.S. president Frank Underwood in House of Cards, after accusations of sexual misconduct against the Oscar-winning actor. Reuters was unable to independently confirmed the accusations. We have made an arrangement to produce six seasons of House of Cards. It will be an eight-episode season. It will start production in early 2018 and it will not involve Kevin Spacey, Sarandos said. FILE PHOTO: 71st Tony Awards Arrivals New York City, U.S., 11/06/2017 - Actor Kevin Spacey. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/File PhotoSarandos did not say when season six would air or how Spaceys character would be treated in the show. A representative for Spacey did not respond to a request for comment. Wrights character, Claire Underwood, finished season five by winning election as the first U.S. female president after wresting power from her husband. Claire Underwood has moved center stage since House of Cards premiered in 2013, going from the wife of Spaceys congressman to first lady and then vice president. Wright has won a Golden Globe for her role, and earned five Emmy nominations.

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United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. BARRY FRANZ VERDIEU, Defendant-Appellant. No. 17-11572 Decided: December 04, 2017

Before WILSON, MARTIN, and JORDAN, Circuit Judges.

Barry Verdieu, proceeding pro se, appeals the district court's denial of his motion for return of property under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41(g). After careful review, we affirm.

I.

In June 2011, Verdieu and another man attempted to purchase 3,000 oxycodone pills for $10,500. United States v. Verdieu, 520 F. App'x 865, 86566 (11th Cir. 2013) (unpublished) (per curiam). A jury found Verdieu guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess oxycodone with the intent to distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C.  846, and one count of carrying a firearm in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a drug-trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  924(c)(1)(A)(i) and 2. Id. at 866. Verdieu appealed only his conviction on the firearms charge, but this Court affirmed. Id. at 868.

Nearly four years after Verdieu's unsuccessful appeal, he filed a motion for return of property taken from him on the day of his arrest, pursuant to Rule 41(g). He alleged that the property ha[d] not been the subject of a criminal or civil forfeiture proceeding, and the government's continued possession of it was thus unlawful. He requested the district court exercise[ ] its equitable jurisdiction and make an evidentiary inquiry to  determine what happened to the property, and to craft an appropriate remedy. In a supporting affidavit, Verdieu identified the $10,500 as the particular property of interest.

The government's response answered Verdieu's question about what had happened to his money: On October 20, 2011, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administratively forfeited the money pursuant to 19 U.S.C.  1609. Specifically, the attached Declaration of Forfeiture stated the money had been seized pursuant to 21 U.S.C.  881 on the day of Verdieu's arrest. It also stated [n]otice of the seizure ha[d] been sent to all known parties who may have a legal or possessory interest in the property and ha[d] been published in accordance with the requirements of 19 U.S.C.  1607. When no claims were filed within thirty days of the last publication, the DEA declared the money forfeited to the United States under  1609. The government's response also stated that, to challenge the forfeiture, Verdieu needed to file a motion under 18 U.S.C.  983(e).

The district court denied Verdieu's motion, concluding the administrative forfeiture by the DEA rendered the court without jurisdiction to provide the relief requested. Verdieu timely appealed. He argues the district court erred because he did not consent to any administrative forfeiture during his criminal proceedings and the court had the authority to entertain his Rule 41(g) motion. He also argues he did not receive a copy of the government's response to his Rule 41(g) motion and thus was prejudiced in being able to object, provide affidavit testimony, expand the record, or in any manner challenge the Government's assertions. Finally, he contends that under Honeycutt v. United States, ___ U.S. ___, 137 S. Ct. 1626 (2017), any criminal forfeiture of the money was improper for lack of proper consideration given to the income source for the acquisition of the property.

II.

On appeal from the denial of a Rule 41(g) motion, we review questions of law de novo and factual findings for clear error. United States v. Howell, 425 F.3d 971, 973 (11th Cir. 2005). [A] district court's determination that it lacks the authority to exercise equitable jurisdiction is reviewed de novo. United States v. Martinez, 241 F.3d 1329, 1330 (11th Cir. 2001). However, the equitable equation of the district court's decision to deny a Rule 41(g) motion is reviewed for abuse of discretion. United States v. Machado, 465 F.3d 1301, 1307 (11th Cir. 2006), abrogated on other grounds as recognized in United States v. Lopez, 562 F.3d 1309, 131113 (11th Cir. 2009).

A person aggrieved by an unlawful search and seizure of property may move for its return. Fed. R. Crim. P. 41(g). Rule 41(g) motions are unavailable when property is seized pursuant to civil forfeiture instead of for use as evidence. United States v. Watkins, 120 F.3d 254, 255 (11th Cir. 1997) (per curiam).

Additionally, Rule 41(g) motions filed after the close of all criminal proceedings are treated as civil actions in equity. Howell, 425 F.3d at 974. Courts have limited equitable jurisdiction to review agency forfeiture decisions. United States v. Eubanks, 169 F.3d 672, 674 (11th Cir. 1999) (per curiam). Specifically, review is limited to determining whether the agency followed the proper procedural safeguards and cannot extend to the merits of the administrative forfeiture. See Mesa Valderrama v. United States, 417 F.3d 1189, 1196 (11th Cir. 2005) (quotation omitted). Equitable jurisdiction also does not lie where the claimant has an adequate remedy at law. Watkins, 120 F.3d at 256. Where equitable jurisdiction does exist, it must be exercised with caution and restraint and is appropriate only when the petitioner's conduct and the merits of his petition require judicial review to prevent manifest injustice. Eubanks, 169 F.3d at 674.

III.

The district court did not err by denying Verdieu's Rule 41(g) motion. The $10,500 was administratively forfeited by the DEA and not retained for use as evidence. Rule 41(g) therefore was not an appropriate vehicle for its return. See Watkins, 120 F.3d at 255 (determining Rule 41(g) motion was unavailable when money was administratively forfeited by the DEA).

The court was also without equitable jurisdiction because Verdieu had an adequate remedy at law. See id. at 256. Specifically, he could file a motion to set aside the forfeiture under 18 U.S.C.  983(e). See Mesa Valderrama, 417 F.3d at 1196 (Section 983(e) is the exclusive remedy for seeking to set aside a declaration of forfeiture under a civil forfeiture statute. (quotation omitted)). We recognize that Verdieu challenged the government's retention of the money as unlawful because he believed there had not been any forfeiture proceeding. This could indicate he did not receive notice of the administrative forfeiture. However, he did not allege this or any other DEA failure to follow proper procedural safeguards. See id.

Verdieu's contention that he never received the government's response to his Rule 41(g) motion does not give the district court jurisdiction. And in any event, under the local rules of the district court, he was not entitled to file a reply. See M.D. Fla. R. 3.01(c). Finally, Honeycutt does not provide relief to Verdieu as it concerned criminal, not administrative, forfeiture. See Honeycutt, 137 S. Ct. at 1631 (The statute at issue here[21 U.S.C.]  853mandates forfeiture with respect to persons convicted of certain serious drug crimes.).

AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. The Declaration identified the owner of the $10,500 as Verdieu's co-defendant, but stated the money had been seized from Verdieu.

. Martinez and other pre-2002 cases cited here addressed Rule 41(e), which was reclassified as Rule 41(g) in 2002 with no substantive changes. See Howell, 425 F.3d at 976 n.3.

PER CURIAM:
PARIS (Reuters) - A public body close to Frances health ministry last year advised against the use of a dengue vaccine in the countrys overseas territories that is currently at the centre of a health scare, regulatory documents show. Concerns surrounding the vaccine, sold by French drugmaker Sanofi under the brand Dengvaxia, have prompted the Philippines to halt its sale and suspend a government programme to immunise hundreds of thousands of children. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it supported the Philippines decision until more information was available. It said its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization would meet to review evidence next week. The WHO, which issued a report identifying the vaccines safety risks in mid-2016, recommended it only be used in people who had prior dengue infection. Documents issued in 2016 by the Haut Conseil de la Sante Publique, a public body close to the French health ministry, show Frances overseas territories were also warned of risks linked to the vaccine. The health body advised in June 2016 the vaccine not be used in territories such as the Caribbean islands of La Martinique and Guadalupe and French Guiana on the grounds that its effectiveness was not demonstrated with people who had not previously been exposed to the virus. In October 2016, it also warned of safety risks. Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease that kills about 20,000 people a year and infects hundreds of millions more. Brazil, which shares a border with French Guiana, said on Monday it had suggested restrictions on the use of Dengvaxia but not suspended access to the vaccine. Dengvaxia has been approved in 19 countries and used in 11. It is currently under review by European health regulators.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell more than 1 percent on Monday on profit-taking as the market eyed signs of rising U.S. production, though prices remained close to recent two-year highs thanks to last weeks decision by OPEC and other producers to extend output cuts. FILE PHOTO: Crude oil is dispensed into a bottle in this illustration photo June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File PhotoBrent crude futures LCOc1 settled down $1.28, or 2 percent, at $62.45 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 were down 89 cents, or 1.5 percent, at $57.47. Brent hit a two-year high of $64.65 a month ago and has since attracted record investment by fund managers. Hedge funds and money managers also boosted bullish wagers on U.S. crude to the highest on record. Managed money is very long - both futures and options, said Tony Headrick, energy market analyst at CHS Hedging. If the bulls are not fed, were subject to a bit of profit-taking that I think were seeing today. John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital Management in New York, said the market could correct slightly, pulling further downward. Were in a situation where there might not be much more ammunition on the bullish side, he said. The market is continuing to watch U.S. crude production, which is nearing a record high, according to data last week. U.S. output rose in September to 9.5 million barrels per day (bpd), the highest monthly output since 2015, government data shows. On an annual basis, U.S. output peaked at 9.6 million bpd in 1970. Additionally, drillers in the United States added two oil rigs in the week to Dec. 1, bringing the total count to 749, the highest since September, energy services company Baker Hughes said on Friday. The U.S. rig count, an early indicator of future output, has risen sharply from 477 active rigs a year ago after energy companies boosted spending plans for 2017. Even higher prices are likely to be precluded by news from the U.S., where drilling activity is being stepped up, said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch. U.S. producers were encouraged during 2017 to increase activity as crude prices started recovering from a multi-year price slump after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and some non-OPEC producers, including Russia, agreed to production cuts a year ago. Last week the producers agreed to extend those cuts of 1.8 million bpd until the end of next year. Market reaction has been positive so far. There are only two worrying aspects .... One is that Iraqs indiscipline has not been discussed, at least not publicly, PVM Oil Associates strategist Tamas Varga said, referring to Baghdads compliance with output cuts. A Reuters survey of output from the 13 OPEC members indicated production fell by 300,000 bpd in November. Supply from the 11 members with production targets under the original accord fell by 230,000 bpd. The latest agreement allows for producers to exit the deal early if the market overheats. Russian officials had expressed concern that extending the cuts might encourage U.S. shale oil companies, which have been a thorn in OPECs side, to pump more crude.

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The Supreme Court has begun the final hearing in the long-standing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute from Tuesday. A specially constituted bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Abdul Nazeer will be hearing 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four suits.

As the apex court begins the hearing a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the medieval-era structure, here is a brief summary of how the case progressed through the years.

The dispute

The main area of contention is a piece of land measuring 2.77 acres in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, where the Babri Masjid was historically located. This site is also considered sacred among Hindus as it is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram, one of the most revered deities of the religion. Muslims argue that the land houses the Babri Masjid, where they had been offering prayers for centuries before the dispute.

A disagreement over how the mosque came into place forms the core of the debate. While Hindus say that the mosque was built on top of a Ram temple  after demolishing or modifying it in the 16th Century, Muslims argue that the mosque is their sacred religious place  built by Mir Baqi in 1528  and that Hindus desecrated it in 1949, when some people placed idols of Lord Ram inside the mosque.

The dispute over this piece of land has defined state politics and influenced debates throughout the country. Spanning across half a millennium, the issue predates empires  Mughal and British  and remains very alive even in modern India.

The demolition

On 6 December, 1992, the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised a rally at the site involving over 1.5 lakh volunteers, known as kar sevaks. Soon, the rally turned violent, and the crowd overwhelmed security forces before demolishing the 16th Century Babri Masjid. This prompted communal riots across the country in which more than 2,000 people lost their lives.

Among those present at the rally were senior figures in the BJP LK Advani, Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi. In 2009, a report by Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan found 68 people to be responsible for the demolition of the mosque, most of who were from the BJP. Among those named were Atal Vajpayee, Advani, Joshi and Vijay Raje Scindia.

The developments in the case

The Liberhan Commission was established by the government ten days after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and in its 2009 report, it said that then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh had posted bureaucrats and police officers to the city whose record suggested that they would not act during the mosques demolition.

In 2010, the Allahabad High Court stated that the "disputed land was Ram's birthplace", that the "mosque was built after the demolition of a temple" and that "it was not built in accordance with the tenets of Islam". It had ruled that the disputed land would be divided into three equal parts  Ram Lalla for the construction of the Ram temple, the Islamic Sunni Waqf Board and the remaining to Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu religious denomination.

In 2011, the Supreme Court stayed the judgment of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court after the Sunni Central Wakf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara, the All-India Hindu Mahasabha and Bhagwan Shri Ram Virajman filed appeals.

The unanimous appeal by all parties to return to status quo prompted Justice Alam to say, "At least on one issue, all of you are unanimous. The high court has granted a new relief, which nobody has asked for. The high court has done something on its own. It has to be stayed."

In March 2017, the Supreme Court has asked for 'an amicable, out-of-court settlement' in the dispute. A bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said that they believed this "to be a better course of action than insisting on a judicial pronouncement."
On Wednesday, it will be 25 years since the demolition of the Babri Masjid, which incited communal violence throughout the country. This will be a day after the Supreme Court begins the final hearing in the long-standing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute from Tuesday.

On 6 December, 1992, the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised a rally in Ayodhya involving over 1.5 lakh volunteers, known as kar sevaks. Soon, the rally turned violent, and the crowd overwhelmed security forces before demolishing the 16th Century Babri Masjid. This prompted communal riots across the country in which more than 2,000 people lost their lives.

Among those present at the rally were senior figures in the BJP LK Advani, Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi. In 2009, a report by Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan found 68 people to be responsible for the demolition of the mosque, most of who were from the BJP. Among those named were Atal Vajpayee, Advani, Joshi and Vijay Raje Scindia.

The Liberhan Commission, which was established by the government ten days after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, said that then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh had posted bureaucrats and police officers to the city whose record suggested that they would not act during the mosques demolition.

Here is what the stakeholders in the case and other prominent voices have said since the incident:

Kalyan Singh: I apologise

In 2012, addressing reporters in Kalyan, Singh said that he owns full responsibility for the demolition of the mosque, thus reigniting the controversial dispute.

"As chief minister of UP, I had ordered police not to fire at Ram bhakts who had assembled at Ayodhya in 1992 during the Ram temple movement, which led to demolition of the Babri mosque. I take full responsibility," he said, according to The Times of India.

Uma Bharti: I was involved; I'm unrepentant

After a special CBI court charged Advani, Joshi and Bharti with criminal conspiracy in the case in 2017, Bharti said she did not consider herself an accused and dismissed the charges of conspiracy.

"It was an open movement like the one that happened against the Emergency," she said, The Hindu reported.

This country belongs to the cow, Ganga, Ram and the tricolour. I will defend them if they are insulted, Bharti was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. "Why should I regret it? I was involved in the Ayodhya incident. I remain unrepentant.

Sakshi Maharaj: It was punya

Co-accused BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj said nobody can stop the construction of a Ram temple on the disputed soil.

"It was punya. I did not commit any crimeNo force can stop the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said.

"There has been no decision since 1992. Many people died in course of the case. Justice should be done quickly. And the same hurry should be shown in the construction of a Ram Mandir," he added.

Swapan Dasgupta: BJP cannot say they weren't involved

Political columnist Swapan Dasgupta said a "small cabal, not 68 people, was responsible", although the BJP bore "larger moral responsibility", according to The Guardian.

"I was there on the day and many BJP leaders had led people there. They cannot say they were not involved. But to anyone under 30 in India, about 500 million people, this is all irrelevant. India's moved on," he said.

Mani Shankar Aiyar: Rao's mindset encouraged destruction

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said that former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao's "pro-Hindu mindset" encouraged the destruction of the Babri Masjid, according to NDTV.

"Rao was completely convinced that by talking to the sadhus and saints he could solve the problem (the Ram temple dispute)," he said.

Aiyar added that even after the mosque's demolition, Rao explained to a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting in Delhi that "even kings in ancient India used to consult sages and sadhus and so did I". "Was this a mindset of a 20th century prime minister or 12th century? This mindset actually encouraged the destruction of Babri Masjid," he said, according to the report.

AIMPLB: Give away land and win hearts

Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, vice-president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said that Muslims should peacefully accept the decision of the Supreme Court even if the verdict goes against the community, The Times of India reported.

He went on to say Muslims should give the disputed land away to live in harmony. "I would rather urge the community to give away the disputed land to Hindus whose feelings are so deeply attached to the place." Clarifying his view, he said, "By giving away a piece of land, the community can win millions of hearts," the report said.

Asaduddin Owaisi: Who is Mohan Bhagwat to declare building of Ram Mandir?

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, while delivering a public address in Hyderabad, said BJP is playing the divide and rule policy while dealing with the dispute.

"Who is Mohan Bhagwat to declare outrightly that a Ram Mandir will be built there? He may be the chief of RSS, but not Supreme Court chief justice. If he thinks he can generate fear among the Muslim community by making such statements, then he is wrong. Even we are waiting for the decision, let us not forget that this is a title suit, not a partition suit," he said.

Courts

In 2010, the Allahabad High Court stated that the "disputed land was Ram's birthplace", that the "mosque was built after the demolition of a temple" and that "it was not built in accordance with the tenets of Islam". It had ruled that the disputed land would be divided into three equal parts  Ram Lalla for the construction of the Ram temple, the Islamic Sunni Waqf Board and the remaining to Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu religious denomination.

In 2011, the Supreme Court stayed the judgment of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court after the Sunni Central Wakf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara, the All-India Hindu Mahasabha and Bhagwan Shri Ram Virajman filed appeals.

The unanimous appeal by all parties to return to status quo prompted Justice Alam to say, "At least on one issue, all of you are unanimous. The high court has granted a new relief, which nobody has asked for. The high court has done something on its own. It has to be stayed."

In March 2017, the Supreme Court has asked for 'an amicable, out-of-court settlement' in the dispute. A bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said that they believed this "to be a better course of action than insisting on a judicial pronouncement."
Mumbai: With Cyclone Ockhi expected to make landfall in south Gujarat later on Monday or early Tuesday, Maharashtra went on a state of high alert to tackle the side-effect of the stormy weather.

Maharashtra education minister Vinod Tawde announced a "precautionary holiday' on Tuesday (5 December) for all schools in the coastal districts of Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, in view of the predictions for the cyclone.

Precautionary holiday declared for schools in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Sindhudurga, Ratnagiri, Thane, Raigad and Palghar Districts for the safety of the students due to the serious weather predictions on #CycloneOckhi #MumbaiRains  Vinod Tawde (@TawdeVinod) December 4, 2017

After a heavily overcast day on Monday, Mumbai and surrounding districts had intermittent rainfall since dusk which continued, slowing down road traffic but the lifeline of the city  the local trains  continued unhindered.

The IMD has already forecast rains with thundershowers in and around Mumbai with squalls reaching 50-60 kmph and touching 70 kmph in the coastal areas over the next two days, with minimum temperatures hovering around 23 degrees Celsius.

Danger signals LC-III have been hoisted over all ports between Goa to Dahanu (north Maharashtra), with rough to very rough conditions in the sea.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the state Disaster Management Unit and the railways were fully geared for the cyclonic encounter expected over the next couple of days.

Western Railway PRO Ravinder Bhakar said that an emergency meeting of all departments was convened and they will closely observe the water levels on the railway tracks while the Railway Protection Force and commercial staff will monitor crowd movements, especially in the areas of Palghar which have been placed on alert.

"Disaster Management Cell is ready for any emergency, patrolling of the railway tracks has been intensified over various rail sections, and the RPF and commercial staff will be prepared for necessary evacuation at respective stations in case of any disaster-like situation," he said.

Technical teams will monitor railway assets and essentials like electricity supply with back-up diesel generators, signal and telecom, breakdown equipment, accident relief trains or accident relief medical vans are on standby for any eventuality.

The BMC has warned people from venturing close to the coastal areas and beaches as high waves are expected in the Arabian Sea owing to the cyclone conditions.

On Tuesday, the high tide will be of 5.04 metres and on Wednesday it will be of 5.05 metres, gradually receding to 4.17 metres by Thursday, said a BMC official.

The BMC has also warned people living in some parts of south Mumbai and suburbs that the possibility of tidal waves flowing into the roads and homes cannot be ruled out and asked them to take adequate precautions.

On 6 December, more than half a million followers from all over India are expected to pay homage to the late Babasaheb R Ambedkar on his 62nd death anniversary at Shivaji Park in Dadar.

The civic officials have requested the followers to stay away from the Dadar Chowpatty beach in view of the stormy seas expected over the next few days, especially at his memorial, Chaityabhoomi which is on the seashore.

Meanwhile, all the BMC disaster units, Mumbai Police, Fire Brigade, the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Home Guards and other agencies are in full preparedness for any eventuality arising out of the cyclone Ochki as it skirts Maharashtra and is expected to make landfall near the diamond and textile city of Surat in the next few hours.

Fishermen in the seas have been advised to return immediately and others told to keep off the sea for the next two days.
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister ND Tiwari had an interesting anecdote about the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue. In 1989, when Tiwari was at the helm in Lucknow, the dispute peaked following posturing and counter-posturing by the RSS-BJP-VHP combine and the Babri Masjid action committee.

Rajiv Gandhi had gambled on Hindu consolidation big time by unlocking the disputed site in 1986. But he was equally not willing to let go of the Muslim constituency. His then home minister, Buta Singh, became his chief strategist and drew up a plan which goaded Rajiv into making a Hobson's choice. A too-clever-by-half move was thus planned.

Tiwari was apparently averse to the idea of exploiting the dispute politically. But Buta, ably assisted by an IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, took Rajiv to a venerated saint from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Deoraha Baba. As his wont, the Baba used to perch himself atop a tree and shower his blessings by touching the foreheads of his devotees with his feet. He did the same to Rajiv, who asked Baba how he should go about it. Baba, from his perch, ordained: "Bachcha, ho jaane do (child, let it happen)."

"Aur bachcha ne ho jaane diya (And the child allowed it to happen)," recounted Tiwari, clarifying his position with a mischievous smile in a conversation with this writer soon after his rebellion against PV Narasimha Rao, before the 1996 General Elections. Perhaps no political episode in Indian history is reflective of the collective ambivalence of the Indian polity as much as the Ayodhya dispute. It is a saga of indiscretions by constitutional entities, Judiciary and political personalities.

Rajiv was not alone in handling this issue in a manner not expected of the prime minister's position. Soon after, VP Singh followed suit as he was quoted by Arun Shourie as having told a VHP delegation: "Arre bhai voh masjid kahan hai, voh to Ram Lalla ka mandir hai (But that is not a mosque, it is the temple of Ram Lalla)."

However, Singh's public conversations had a secular content radically different from what he said privately. The only exception was Chandra Shekhar, who in his brief stint as prime minister in 1991, made a serious attempt to resolve the issue. But Rajiv toppled him within three months of taking charge as the prime minister.

So, as far as the BJP is concerned, the party has always had a consistent approach to Ayodhya. In party manifestos, the BJP's commitment to building the Ram Temple is seen as an article of faith that cannot be contested. But it's something that is easier said than done, as seen whenever BJP acquired a position of power. For instance, the Ayodhya issue is still dealt with like a title suit in the court of law. Obviously, the courts are not equipped to decide on issues of faith.

During Atal Bihari Vajpayee's term as prime minister, this dilemma came up squarely before the government. And Vajpayee's government couldn't do anything different except for relying on the courts. From 1999-2004, the NDA government encountered its worst face-off with VHP and RSS on the issue. In the BJP's scheme of things, the Ayodhya issue practically relegated to background after the demolition of the mosque on 6 December, 1992.

However, the verdict of a three-member bench of the Allahabad High Court tried to address the complexities of the problem in the given social context. But, it raised serious questions on the legal tenability of the judgment. That's the precise reason why the Supreme Court has started hearing the case.

It will be pertinent to bear in mind that today's political situation is radically different from the past. For instance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not coy about wearing his Hindu identity on his sleeves. His unflinching commitment to the Ram Temple construction may seem in conflict with his abiding loyalty to the Indian Constitution, but there are indications that he has managed to navigate through these political landmines.

And one of those indications came in the form of anointing Yogi Adityanath, a Mahant of the Gorakhnath Peeth, as chief minister of the country's most populous state. Yogi belongs to a genre of religious leaders who are most vociferous in their demand for the Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

Of course, Yogi is a much-mellowed person now as his constitutional responsibilities far outweigh his religious incendiarism. At the same time, it would be extremely difficult for Hindutva hardliners to find fault with Yogi.

There are indications that the Ayodhya imbroglio is headed towards a different course, probably a resolution at best, with effective political and judicial interventions in the coming months. It would be a tragedy for the Indian polity if the issue is allowed to fester.
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The high court had then ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acre area at Ayodhya among the parties  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla.

A specially constituted bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will be hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

In the Supreme Court, senior advocate Kapil Sibal is reading out the details of exhibits filed by the contesting defendants before the Allahabad High Court. He tells the three-judge bench that all these exhibits are not filled before this court.He submitted, all the pleadings are not complete.

Kapil SIbal says all exhibits filed in Allahabad HC not filed in Supreme Course

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta, representing the state of Uttar Pradesh rebuts the assertions made by Sibal. Mehta, told Supreme Court that all the related documents and requisite translation copies are on record.

Kapil Sibal, who is representing Sunni Waqf Board, raised doubts over ASG Mehtas claim that all exhibits have been submitted. SIbal asks how more than 19000 pages of documents can be filed in such short time. Sibal also told the apex court that he and other petitioners have not been provided with copies of all relevant documents.

Kapil Sibal requested that the hearing should begin after the Lok Sabha polls of 2019, arguing that all exhibits have not been shared with them.

Activist Teesta Setalvad has requested the Supreme Court to not see the case as a normal land title dispute case and keep in mind the larger bearing of the demolition of Babri Masjid in mind. She also requested to be mande a party in the case.

Speaking to CNN-News18, Congress leader Brijesh Kalappa said that Indian National Congress was not a party in the case. He asserted that any arguments made by Congress leader Kapil Sibal are made in his capacity as a professional lawyer. It does not represents the views of the party.

SC halts hearing to take stock of the documents filed and not filed

The temple-mosque dispute reached the local court in 1949 when Mahant Ramchandradas Paramhans approached it for allowing 'darshan and pujan' of Ramlalla. In the same city, Hashim Ansari, a resident of Kotia locality, about 1.5 kilometre from the disputed site - also approached the court for removing the Lord Rama statue from the Babri mosque.

The key litigants in the 25-year-old Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri mosque dispute will not be part of the final proceedings in the Supreme Court.

A look at key litigants who would no longer be part of SC hearing

Petitioners are pleading in SC for reasonable time to translate, file and serve the copies of all the exhibits and relevant documents, which were filed before the Allahabad High Court bench at Lucknow.

Shia Waqf Board member Wasim Rizvi said that the Shia Waqf Board had worked out a compromise formula, including the building of a temple at disputed site and building of a mosque in Lucknow.

The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing in the case to 8 February, 2018, after the petitioners asked for reasonable time to translate and file all the relevant documents. The apex court said that this would be the last opportunity for the petitioners to get papers ready and no delays would be allowed after this. The Supreme Court also directed all advocates on record of the appeals to sit together and ensure that all documents are filed and numbered.

Owaisi condemned the statements by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders that the construction of the Ram temple will begin on 18 October, 2018 how they could make such a statement when the title suit was still pending in the Supreme Court.

MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that the title suit of the Babri Masjid can be decided only on the basis of evidence and not on 'aastha' (faith) as the Sangh Parivar is demanding.

Rajiv Gandhi had gambled on Hindu consolidation big time by unlocking the disputed site in 1986. But he was equally not willing to let go of the Muslim constituency. However, he was not alone in handling this issue in a manner not expected of the prime minister's position.

Perhaps no political episode in Indian history is reflective of the collective ambivalence of the Indian polity as much as the Ayodhya dispute. It is a saga of indiscretions by constitutional entities, Judiciary and political personalities.

Ayodhya dispute: 25 years on, shift in political ground reality; resolution does not look far away

The temple-mosque dispute reached the local court in 1949 when Mahant Ramchandradas Paramhans approached it for allowing 'darshan and pujan' of Ramlalla. In the same city, Hashim Ansari, a resident of Kotia locality, about 1.5 kilometre from the disputed site - also approached the court for removing the Lord Rama statue from the Babri mosque.

The key litigants in the 25-year-old Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri mosque dispute will not be part of the final proceedings in the Supreme Court.

A look at key litigants who would no longer be part of SC hearing

Petitioners are pleading in SC for reasonable time to translate, file and serve the copies of all the exhibits and relevant documents, which were filed before the Allahabad High Court bench at Lucknow.

Shia Waqf Board member Wasim Rizvi said that the Shia Waqf Board had worked out a compromise formula, including the building of a temple at disputed site and building of a mosque in Lucknow.

Ayodhya dispute: Advocates Kapil Sibal, Rajiv Dhawan along with other petitioner counsels want a larger bench of atleast 7 Judges to hear this matter.

The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing in the case to 8 February, 2018, after the petitioners asked for reasonable time to translate and file all the relevant documents. The apex court said that this would be the last opportunity for the petitioners to get papers ready and no delays would be allowed after this. The Supreme Court also directed all advocates on record of the appeals to sit together and ensure that all documents are filed and numbered.

Owaisi condemned the statements by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders that the construction of the Ram temple will begin on 18 October, 2018 how they could make such a statement when the title suit was still pending in the Supreme Court.

MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that the title suit of the Babri Masjid can be decided only on the basis of evidence and not on 'aastha' (faith) as the Sangh Parivar is demanding.

#BREAKING - MHA issues advisory to states ahead of Babri structure demolition anniversary. Asks all states and Union Territories to take steps to maintain communal harmony pic.twitter.com/1vPdQAmOxj

Rajiv Gandhi had gambled on Hindu consolidation big time by unlocking the disputed site in 1986. But he was equally not willing to let go of the Muslim constituency. However, he was not alone in handling this issue in a manner not expected of the prime minister's position.

Perhaps no political episode in Indian history is reflective of the collective ambivalence of the Indian polity as much as the Ayodhya dispute. It is a saga of indiscretions by constitutional entities, Judiciary and political personalities.

Ayodhya dispute: 25 years on, shift in political ground reality; resolution does not look far away

The Supreme Court will commence final hearing in the long-standing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute from tomorrow, a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of medieval-era structure. A specially constituted bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will be hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The high court had then ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acre area at Ayodhya among the parties  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla.

A sect of Muslims, under the banner of Shia Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, had earlier approached the court offering a solution that a mosque could be built in a Muslim-dominated area at a "reasonable distance" from the disputed site in Ayodhya.

However, its intervention was opposed by the All India Sunni Waqf Board which had claimed that judicial adjudication between the two sects had already been done in 1946 by declaring the mosque, which was demolished on 6 December, 1992, as one which belongs to the Sunnis.

Recently a group of civil rights activists also moved the apex court seeking intervention in the Ayodhya dispute and urged it to consider the issue saying it is not just a dispute over property but has several other aspects which would have far-reaching effects on the "secular fabric of the country".

In pursuance to the apex court's earlier direction, the Yogi Adityanath government has submitted English translation of exhibits and documents likely to be relied upon, as these were in eight different languages.

A battery of high profile lawyers including senior advocates K Parasaran and CS Vaidyanathan and advocate Saurabh Shamsheri will appear for Lord Ram Lalla, the deity, and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will represent the Uttar Pradesh government.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Anoop George Chaudhari, Rajeev Dhavan and Sushil Jain will represent other parties including All India Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.

The top court had on 11 August asked the UP government to complete within 10 weeks the translation of the evidence recorded for adjudication of the title dispute in the high court. It had said it would not allow the matter to take any shape other than the civil appeals and would adopt the same procedure as was done by the high court.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, an intervenor in the matter, had attempted to raise the issue of fundamental right of religion of the Hindus under Article 25 of the Constitution.

Many of the original plantiffs and defendants in the matter including Mohd Hashim, who was the first person to take the matter to the apex court, have died.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Hourt, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had said the land be partitioned equally among three parties  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.
In the last week of November, residents of Amalapuram in East Godavari district were surprised to see posters and flex-banners all over town ahead of a scheduled rally organised by friends of physically challenged GN Saibaba, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi, seeking his release from jail.

"Tera mundu professor, Tera venuka Maoist (Professor in public, Maoist in the background)" screamed the posters placed at prominent locations like the market, parks, bus stand and railway station. These were part of a counter-campaign of the state police and anti-Maoist special wing nicknamed 'psy-ops' launched last year to paralyse the front organisations of Maoist sympathisers and activists.

"We have to paralyse these organisations and activists, freeze their functioning, contacts, resources and also expose their networks," a former DGP and versatile campaigner against the Maoist violence HJ Dora had said often at his lecturers to probationers at the National Police Academy.

Political Prisoners Committee Telangana and Andhra Pradesh chapter general secretary Balla Rabindranath who led the procession and rally at Amalapuram on 27 November said: "Professor Saibaba is a local boy who had excelled in studies and also in fighting for a cause in spite of his disabilities." Saibaba hails from Amalapuram, studied English Literature at Central University, Hyderabad and later joined the faculty of JNU at Delhi.

The posters and flex banners put up by the police department aimed to take away the sympathy wave for Saibaba. He was arrested and lodged in Nagpur jail in May 2014 for being a Maoist sympathiser and released on bail in 2016 by the Supreme Court. In March this year, however, he was handed a sentence of life imprisonment.

"Nowhere in the 800-page document have the Delhi High Court judges ever referred to any crime of Saibaba other than being a sympathiser," said Rao.

But the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana police are not taking any chances. They launched many such psy-ops to counter the growth of radical organisations on the ground and to stem recruitment to the armed dalams (units) of ultras living in hide-outs in rural areas and amidst forests.

While the anti-Naxal commando units of Octopus did the patrolling, raids and combing operations in the forests, the civil police were asked to take up such psychological warfare on the ground to break the popular support to Maoists and weaken any support to frontal organisations.

"It is the success of such operations that has yielded us local support to contain the spread of Maoists activities in rural, tribal areas and also among SC/ST and BCs," a senior police official of the Intelligence wing at Amaravati told Firstpost.

Countering the Maoists

In September, police put up posters in tribal belts of Visakhapatnam to foil Maoists regrouping and enlisting the support of tribals. The police have pasted posters in villages such as GK Veedhi, Chintapalli, G Madugula and Munchingput to spread the message of goodwill and the "ill-effects" of joining the Maoist movement.

On par with Maoists posters, police put up banners and posters with eye-catching designs and pictures in tribal areas to wean the tribal youth away from joining the movement. "It is a mind game with the Maoists and we are winning," said superintendent of police (Vizag Rural) Rahul Dev Sharma. "The Adivasis support our idea and our counter-campaign is winning dividends."

The police succeeded in dissuading 23 tribal youth along with Gemmeli Kesava, son of Gemmeli Narayan Rao alias Jambri, a divisional committee member of the CPI (Maoists) of Galikonda area committee, who was killed in January 2017 in an encounter.

Sources in the Andhra Pradesh state Intelligence Bureau say the ideological counter strategy, after the Ramgarh (Malkangiri) exchange of fire in the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) region last October, has hit the Maoist morale badly. "Though the ultras have stepped up their recruitment campaign in the AOB region, thanks to the monsoon and our ideological campaign, they have not got the desired results," said the source.

Another factor that has led to low tribal recruits on the Andhra side is the Maoists' dependence on Khoya tribals of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, who are hostile to them. The Andhra tribals (Konda doas) feel working with those tribals was difficult and also that they would be undermined in authority and powers. These factors are highlighted by the police in their posters which now dot the tribal areas. Though the posters and flex banners are removed by Maoists, the police replace them.

"Such acts of Maoists indicate that they are worried and we are succeeding," said AP DGP Sambashiv Rao, the creator of the poster and flex banners campaign against Maoists.

Yet another example of such ideological warfare was against building a pylon for Akkiraju Prithvi alias Munna, son of well known Maoist Ramakrishna (Akkiraju Hargopal), who headed the AOB unit until the Malkangiri encounter at his native village of Alakurapadu near Ongole town in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.

The police strategists put up flex banners and posters speaking of how Maoists have no respect for a Dalit activist from the region but were keen to build a pylon for Munna who had come into the movement hardly a year earlier. "Munna is just a baccha (kid) without any achievement, so why are Maoists building a pylon for him and not for the Dalit leader from the same area," asked the posters of the police campaign. Later the pylon was demolished by the police allegedly on the popular demand of the Dalits of the village.

After the October 2016 Ramgarh encounter, the Andhra DGP urged Maoists to come back to mainstream society and released a letter purportedly written by Maoists threatening suicide squads (Atmahuti Dalams) to kill top government leaders. "That letter is fake. Revolutionaries are already in the mainstream. It is the government leaders who are away from people," said G Kalyan Rao, civil liberties leader who runs Virasam, a non-profit.

As of today, barely seven of the 15-member Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the CPI (Maoist) are active, with the remaining either dead, surrendered or in jail. Similarly, only 17 of the total 33 central committee members are available through communications. They find it difficult to even meet.

The top CPI (Maoist) Politburo members are as follows:

Muppalla Laxmana Rao (aka Ganapathi), 65, general secretary. Prashant Bose (aka Kissanda/Manishji), 77. Nambala Keshav Rao (aka Basavraj/Ganganna), 55, chief of the central military commission, intelligence wing and leader of the People's Liberation Guerilla Army. Misir Besra (aka Sunirmal/Commander/Bhaskar), 60+. Akkiraju Haragopal (aka Ramakrishna/Saket/Srinivas Rao), 64, zonal committees of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha report to him. Mallojula Venugopal Rao (aka Abhay/Sonu), Kishenji's brother, chief of the Maoists' Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, spokesman of the Central Committee. Satyanarayana Reddy (aka Kosa/Sadhu/Gopanna).

Almost all the members of the Central Committee and the Politburo have crossed the age of 60 and many are suffering from health problems. About 14 members of the Central Committee and the Politburo such as Kobad Ghandy, Baccha Prasad Singh, Varanasi Subrahmanyam, Amitabh Bagchi, Pulendu Mukherjee alias Jhantu Mukherjee and Pramod Misra alias Madanji, who formed the core intellectual group, are in jail.

Another senior Politburo member Narayan Sanyal passed away in April this year, battling cancer. Adding to the arrest and surrenders, the killing of three other Central Committee members, Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji in 2011, Sande Rajmouli in 2007 and Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad in 2010, weakened the top leadership.

Though the October 2016 encounter has broken the back of the CPI (Maoists), the outfit is still a big winner in rural central and western parts of India, where political awareness is still at a low ebb and jungle raj still prevails with the support of unscrupulous leaders and bureaucrats. The anti-Naxal wing of the Centre's Intelligence Bureau and also that of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states underscore the revival and emergence of the CPI (Maoists) challenging the power corridors in the issues of corruption, nepotism and politicisation of administration.

Hence, the ideological operations against them. This is not the first time that the police have launched mind games against the ultras. In undivided Andhra Pradesh, the then DGP HJ Dora had countered the Praja Natya Mandali (cultural wing of People's War Group) with an outfit titled Jana Natya Mandali.

This wing went around the Naxal areas and performed stage plays highlighting the dangers of supporting the ultras and advantages of state development works. "In the days when tribals and villagers influenced by Maoists had stopped even road work, bridges and electrification, our campaigns changed the mindset of people," said Dora.

In Telangana area too the police have launched such efforts. The police organise medical camps, distribute free grains to families of Maoist activists, support weddings and school education of their children. "Through all such campaigns we succeeded in getting largest surrenders of top guns including CC (Central Committee) and PB (Politburo) members and bring down violence and quality of the movement in Telangana districts," said present Telangana DGP Mahender Reddy.

As a security expert who preferred not to be named put it, ideas are more effective than bullets. "We can wean away the popular support to ultra and terrorist movement through campaigns. What matters is commitment and timing in the campaigns. The police of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana seem to be successful in playing mind games with Maoists as long as the old guard which holds on to some ideology are still around. But how long can these mind games work when hardcore militant and cut-throat younger elements take charge at the helm is the moot question," he said.
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said there is a need to conserve water, incentivise agro-processing and promoting balanced use of fertilizers in order to ensure higher agriculture productivity, which would, in turn, increase income of farmers.

He added that in order to achieve the goal of doubling the farmers' income by 2022, there was need for better storage and marketing facilities for the farmers' produce so that they get better prices.

Jaitley's remarks came at his first pre-Budget consultative meeting with the representatives of different agriculture groups in Delhi.

During the meeting, many suggestions were received including incentivising mechanised farming and micro-irrigation, subsidising machines for crop residue management and tackling the stubble burning problem especially in northwest India.

There were also suggestions to give more focus on dairy, fruit and vegetable items "which have potential to grow three-four times and thereby can help in achieving the goal of doubling of the farmers' income by 2022", a statement from the Finance Ministry said.

The representatives also suggested focusing on vegetables especially TOP -- tomato, onion and potato -- as there is maximum volatility in their prices.

Another suggestion included to give more thrust to warehouses, cold storages at the local level and give boost to agro-processing facilities in order to optimally manage the increased production of agriculture produce, especially of perishable items.

It was also suggested to have an Integrated Transport System so that farmers can take their produce to the far-off market places where they can get better prices for their produce and in turn, help in containing their prices.

The representatives of the different agriculture groups also suggested a shift to "Farmers' Policy" instead of the "Food Policy", which is being pursued since decades.

"Other suggestions included to create a small group of five-six experts who can monitor the agriculture production data of different crops and global market conditions on monthly basis and do advance planning, rather than the government reacting suddenly to an adverse situation," the statement said.

"To ensure the delivery of remunerative prices to farmers, the Price Deficiency Payment Mechanism must be implemented immediately for those crops where procurement cannot be ensured.

"Other suggestions included that the Centre should declare an 'Agriculture Debt Relief Package' for the entire country which is used with matching contributions from the state governments," it added.

It was also suggested that on the lines of other subsidies, food and fertilizers subsidy should also be given through Direct Benefit Transfer mechanism to avoid pilferage.

The stakeholders suggested that 'one shoe fits all' policy may not be suitable and differentiated and flexible policies for different agro ecologies  based on available land and water resources, population and dependency on agriculture  should be promoted to accelerate growth of the agriculture sector.

For full coverage of Union Budget 2018, click here.
Chennai: A magistrate court on Tuesday issued a non-bailable warrant against DMDK leader and Tamil actor Vijayakanth in connection with a criminal case against him for allegedly attempting to assault a journalist.

Since the actor-turned politician failed to appear before the court even after repeated summons, Alandur judicial magistrate N Sultan Aribeen issued the warrant against him.

In 2012, on a complaint from a reporter of a Tamil television channel, the Airport Police registered a case against Vijayakanth and then DMDK MLA Murugan for attempting to hit the journalist during a press briefing at the airport.

The Judicial Magistrate Court, Alandur, commenced the trial and subsequently granted bail to Vijayakanth and the former MLA, based on a direction from the Madras High Court.

Meanwhile, when the case came up for hearing on 16 November, Vijayakanth failed to appear before the court. Directing him to be present during the next hearing, the court had then adjourned the case to 5 December.

But when the plea came up for hearing on Tuesday, counsel for Vijayakanth submitted that he had gone to Singapore for a medical check-up.

Refusing to accept the submission, the magistrate issued the warrant and adjourned the case to 13 February for further hearing.
United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. UNITED STATES of America, PlaintiffAppellee, v. Emilio ESTRADA, DefendantAppellant. No. 17-5081 Decided: December 04, 2017

Before: CLAY, GIBBONS, and COOK, Circuit Judges. ON BRIEF: Gianna Maio, FEDERAL DEFENDER SERVICES OF EASTERN TENNESSEE, INC., Chattanooga, Tennessee, for Appellant. Jay Woods, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, Chattanooga, Tennessee, for Appellee.

OPINION

Emilio Estrada, a Mexican citizen, entered a conditional guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry following removal. The district court denied his motions to dismiss the indictment, and Estrada appeals. His challenge hinges on collaterally attacking his original removal proceedings. Because Estrada falls short of the statutory requirements to lodge this attack on the underlying removal order, we AFFIRM the district court's judgment.

I.

In November 2007, undercover officers attempting a controlled purchase of methamphetamine arrested Emilio Estrada upon finding meth in his pocket and a rifle and ammunition in his car. He eventually pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, see 18 U.S.C.  922(g)(3), and the district court sentenced him to 12 months' imprisonment plus two years of supervised release.

Owing to this conviction for an aggravated felony, see 8 U.S.C.  1101(a)(43)(E)(ii), Estradaa green-card holder but not a U.S. citizenwas ordered to appear in immigration court for removal proceedings, see id.  1227(a)(2)(A)(iii). At his first appearance, Estrada confirmed he understood his rights as read by the Immigration Judge to a group of respondents. He then advised the Immigration Judge that he had retained counsel; Estrada's counsel (Vincent Anderson), however, was neither present nor had he entered an appearance, and the judge continued the case. Estrada appeared again several weeks later with his newly retained counsel (Luke Abrusley), who admitted the facts alleged in the Notice to Appear and conceded Estrada's removability. Noting the unavailability of other relief, the Immigration Judge ordered Estrada removed to his home country of Mexico. Estrada waived his right to appeal, and he was deported in March 2009.

Six years later, law enforcement discovered Estrada in the United States without permission. A federal grand jury charged him with two counts of illegal reentry following deportation, in violation of 8 U.S.C.  1326(a) and (b)(2). Estrada moved to dismiss the indictment via a collateral attack on the underlying deportation order, arguing that the Immigration Judge violated his due process rights by failing to advise him of the possibility of discretionary relief from removal under  212(h) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Id.  1182(h). He filed an amended motion to dismiss making similar arguments, but the district court found no due process violation and thus denied both motions.

Undeterred, Estrada amended once more. He again collaterally attacked the deportation order on due process grounds, newly alleging that he received ineffective assistance of counsel because his attorneys failed to advise him of or present to the Immigration Court his eligibility for relief from deportation under INA  212(h). Reiterating that Estrada had no constitutionally-protected liberty interest in securing discretionary relief, the district court denied the motion.

Estrada ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry. As part of his plea agreement, he reserved the right to appeal the denials of his motions to dismiss. We now entertain Estrada's timely appeal.

II.

A.

We review de novo a defendant's collateral attack on the deportation order underlying his conviction for unlawful reentry. United States v. ZunigaGuerrero, 460 F.3d 733, 735 (6th Cir. 2006).

A defendant charged with unlawful reentry may not challenge the validity of his deportation order unless he demonstrates that: (1) [he] exhausted any administrative remedies that may have been available to seek relief against the order; (2) the deportation proceedings at which the order was issued improperly deprived [him] of the opportunity for judicial review; and (3) the entry of the order was fundamentally unfair. 8 U.S.C.  1326(d). Because the requirements are conjunctive, the alien must satisfy all three prongs. Estrada focuses on the third one; like the district court, we beginand endour analysis there.

B.

Fifth Amendment guarantees of due process extend to aliens in deportation proceedings, entitling them to a full and fair hearing. HuicocheaGomez v. INS, 237 F.3d 696, 699 (6th Cir. 2001). Estrada contends that his due process rights were violated when his attorneys failed to advise him of or present to the Immigration Court his eligibility for relief from deportation under INA  212(h). Accordingly, he claims that the entry of his removal order was fundamentally unfair.

To prove the fundamental unfairness of an underlying deportation order, a defendant must show both a due process violation emanating from defects in the underlying deportation proceeding and resulting prejudice. Id.; see also United States v. LopezCollazo, 824 F.3d 453, 460 (4th Cir. 2016); United States v. CisnerosRodriguez, 813 F.3d 748, 756 (9th Cir. 2015); United States v. Luna, 436 F.3d 312, 319 (1st Cir. 2006). With respect to the procedural component, the defendant must establish that [he] has been deprived of a life, liberty, or property interest sufficient to trigger the protection of the Due Process Clause in the first place. Ashki v. INS, 233 F.3d 913, 921 (6th Cir. 2000).

We have previously announced that an individual has no constitutionally-protected liberty interest in obtaining discretionary relief from deportation. Id.; see also HuicocheaGomez, 237 F.3d at 700 (The failure to be granted discretionary relief does not amount to a deprivation of a liberty interest.). In Ashki, the petitioner appealed the Board of Immigration Appeals' denial of her motion to reopen her deportation proceedings so that she could apply for a discretionary grant of suspension of deportation. 233 F.3d at 91617. She argued, in part, that the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) denied her a fair removal hearing because it exempted only certain nationalities from the stop time provision of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. Id. at 919, 92021. But given that the petitioner sought, at bottom, a discretionary grant of suspension of deportation, id. at 917, we held that she had not asserted any constitutionally protected interest and that NACARA therefore did not violate her due process rights, id. at 921.

Even though Ashki did not examine INA  212(h), its holding guides us here. Section 212(h) provides that [t]he Attorney General may, in his discretion, waive inadmissibility for certain aliens with criminal convictions if he is satisfied that denying the alien's admission would result in extreme hardship to the alien's spouse, child, or parent who is a U.S. citizen or lawful resident, and if the Attorney General, in his discretion,  has consented to the alien's applying or reapplying for a visa, for admission to the United States, or adjustment of status. 8 U.S.C.  1182(h)(1)(B), (2) (emphases added). The statute's plain language is clear: relief under  212(h) is discretionary. And when suspension of deportation is discretionary, it does not create a protectable liberty or property interest. Ashki, 233 F.3d at 921 (quoting Appiah v. INS, 202 F.3d 704, 709 (4th Cir. 2000)).

We acknowledge the circuit split on this question, with the majority of our sister circuits likewise holding that an alien has no constitutional right to be informed of eligibility for, or to be considered for, discretionary relief. See United States v. SantiagoOchoa, 447 F.3d 1015, 1020 (7th Cir. 2006); Bonhometre v. Gonzales, 414 F.3d 442, 448 n.9 (3d Cir. 2005); United States v. AguirreTello, 353 F.3d 1199, 1205 (10th Cir. 2004) (en banc); United States v. LopezOrtiz, 313 F.3d 225, 231 (5th Cir. 2002); Smith v. Ashcroft, 295 F.3d 425, 430 (4th Cir. 2002); Oguejiofor v. Attorney Gen. of the United States, 277 F.3d 1305, 1309 (11th Cir. 2002); EscuderoCorona v. INS, 244 F.3d 608, 615 (8th Cir. 2001); but see United States v. LopezVelasquez, 629 F.3d 894, 897 (9th Cir. 2010) (en banc) (noting the Ninth Circuit has repeatedly held that an [Immigration Judge]'s failure to advise an alien of his potential eligibility for discretionary relief violates due process); United States v. Copeland, 376 F.3d 61, 71 (2d Cir. 2004) (We believe that a failure to advise a potential deportee of a right to seek Section 212(c) [discretionary] relief can, if prejudicial, be fundamentally unfair within the meaning of Section 1326(d)(3).). Estrada asks us to eschew Ashki and follow the Second and Ninth Circuits' approaches. We decline the invitation. See Rutherford v. Columbia Gas, 575 F.3d 616, 619 (6th Cir. 2009) (A published prior panel decision remains controlling authority unless an inconsistent decision of the United States Supreme Court requires modification of the decision or this Court sitting en banc overrules the prior decision.  (quoting Salmi v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., 774 F.2d 685, 689 (6th Cir. 1985))).

That Estrada's appeal concentrates on his attorneys' alleged shortcomings, rather than the Immigration Judge's, matters not. In Hanna v. Gonzales, the petitioner sought to reopen proceedings before the Board of Immigration Appeals because his attorney failed to seek a discretionary waiver of removal under INA  237(a)(1)(H). 128 Fed.Appx. 478, 480 (6th Cir. 2005). We disagreed with Hanna that this violated his due process rights, because Hanna possessed no constitutionally protected liberty interest in receiving a discretionary waiver. Id. at 48081. Hanna claimed that he was challenging his attorney's failure to file for discretionary relief rather than the denial of discretionary relief, [b]ut this distinction lack[ed] constitutional significance. Without a cognizable liberty or property interest at stake, a due process violation cannot occur. Id. at 481.

Like Hanna, Estrada argues that he received grievously deficient representation that denied [him] his right to assert relief from deportation. Yet no due process violation occurs when an attorney's errors cause an alien to be denied discretionary relief. Id. (citing HuicocheaGomez, 237 F.3d at 700). Although Hanna is an unpublished decision, we discern no reason to stray from its holding in the instant case.

Because we hold that Estrada has not established a due process violation, we perceive no fundamental unfairness in the entry of his underlying deportation order. Accordingly, we need not decide whether he exhausted all available administrative remedies, 8 U.S.C.  1326(d)(1), or whether his deportation proceedings improperly deprived him of judicial review, id.  1326(d)(2).

III.

For these reasons, we AFFIRM.

FOOTNOTES

. We use removal and deportation, and their variants, interchangeably in this opinion.

COOK, Circuit Judge.
New Delhi: The foreign ministers of Russia and China will visit India on 11 December for the much-delayed trilateral meeting, which is expected to review global and regional issues of mutual interest.

The external affairs ministry said Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov will visit India for the trilateral.

It will be the first high-level visit from China to India after the Doka La standoff.

"The meeting is expected to review global and regional issues of mutual interest as well as discuss trilateral exchanges and activities," the ministry said.

A joint communique is expected to be released following the meeting.

The RIC foreign ministers' meeting was planned for April but it had to be postponed as Wang could not confirm his participation in the meeting due to scheduling problems.

There were media reports then that Wang had put off his visit to India to protest New Delhi's decision to allow the Dalai Lama to travel to Arunachal Pradesh. However, China had dismissed those reports.

It said both Lavrov and Wang are expected to have bilateral meetings with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Lavrov and Wang are also expected to call on President Ram Nath Kovind.

During the visit, Lavrov will deliver a lecture at a think tank on 'Global Affairs and new vistas of Russia-India cooperation'.

Wang would be gracing an India-China cultural evening being organised at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra.
There is triple talaq, and then there is the politics of triple talaq. The first concerns Muslim women's empowerment, the second is the politics  or public relations and propaganda  to drive votes to the Bharatiya Janata Party. In 2017, the BJP figured out that not fielding a Muslim candidate or talking about triple talaq unites Hindu voters; the leadership is not quite interested in the welfare of Muslims.

The central government has drafted a bill which seeks to imprison a Muslim husband for three years and fine him for using the instant triple talaq. It has sent the bill to states for their views. In the world's largest democracy, the elected government does not consider it necessary to release the bill for public discussion, nor does it think it useful to consult with women's rights groups on the issue. A clique of ministers can decide the fate of this nation without consultation.

There are three forms of triple talaq: Talaq-e-ahsan, talaq-e-hasan and talaq-e-biddat. Talaq-e-Ahsan is the best form of divorce whereby a Muslim husband delivers one talaq and waits for it to become valid after three months. Talaq-e-Hasan is the second-best form of divorce, authorised by the Quran, whereby a husband delivers one talaq each month for three months. Both these forms of triple talaq are valid in India. Talaq-e-Biddat, also known as instant triple talaq whereby a husband can utter three talaqs in one sitting, was banned by the Supreme Court on 22 August.

But, the government's entire strategy is focused on talaq-e-biddat, which is already banned  not on the other two forms of talaq, which too are unilaterally delivered by a Muslim husband. Only the talaq-e-biddat, the instant triple talaq, helps galvanise Hindu voters. So, the Modi government speaks on triple talaq especially at the times of elections. And there are more of them coming soon in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The draft bill is about the instant triple talaq, not about the other two types of unilateral divorce. If the BJP were not on the other side of electoral honesty, the bill would have considered all unilateral talaqs.

Unfortunately, the doors of India's judiciary are closed to the Muslim husband. He cannot go to courts to seek divorce.

So, in the cases of marital breakdown, the Muslim husband is left to either go to Islamic clerics or to draft his own do-it-yourself divorce. Under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act 1939, Muslim women can go to courts in India for divorce. But the Muslim husband has no option but to send a talaq by letter, email, phone, SMS or other means  all of which are as of now legally valid. If the Modi government was serious about reform, it would draft a Muslim family reforms bill, enabling a Muslim husband to seek divorce in court.

Journalists have asked the government whether the Muslim husband will face simple or rigorous imprisonment. There is no answer. The draft is not open for discussion. It's enough that the prime minister and his cabinet have seen it. To my knowledge, there is no country in which marriage and divorce are part of the criminal justice system. By announcing that the husband will be imprisoned for three years, the government is harassing Muslim husbands for electoral purposes. One can support fines in the cases of civil matters, but one fails to understand how criminalising divorce benefits anyone. Laws on rape are part of criminal law, but they have failed to stem the rise of rapes right in the capital of India where the king's ministers sit and decide, for the party, not for the nation.

There are issues in the implementation of laws. If the Modi government's intention is to treat triple talaq as a case of domestic violence and thereby punish the husband, India already has laws on this subject. Under India's social ethos, divorce is seen as unacceptable. Therefore, divorced Muslim women are already using both the Domestic Violence Act and the 498A law on dowry harassment to settle scores against husbands. It has been seen that both in the case of talaq-e-ahsan and talaq-e-hasan, Muslim women have filed 498A cases. Now, instead of addressing the issue at hand, the Modi government wants to bring in another domestic violence law on the instant triple talaq.

The issue is not the instant triple talaq. The real issue is that a Muslim husband is barred from seeking divorce through courts. Once this is addressed, the instant triple talaq, or even a quadruple talaq, doesn't matter if the same is delivered by a Muslim husband in court after approval from a judge. If the government is not electorally motivated on this issue, it should introduce a Muslim family reform bill which should outlaw all forms of unilateral divorce, halala, mehr ('dowry' given to the bride), and address issues such as maintenance to divorced wives and child custody. Or, it can stop playing Hindu-Muslim politics by enacting a Uniform Civil Code. For now, the Modi government is engaged solely in propaganda and electoral politics on the triple talaq issue.

Tufail Ahmad is a Senior Fellow for Islamism and Counter-Radicalisation Initiative at the Middle East Media Research Institute, Washington DC. He tweets @tufailelif
New Delhi: As many as 1,540 people, affected by Cyclone Ockhi in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep, have been rescued by various agencies, the government said on Monday.

A total of 243 fishermen in Tamil Nadu, 250 fishermen in Kerala and 1,047 people in Lakshadweep have been rescued so far, an official statement said, after a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee, headed by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha.

Relief material is also being provided to inmates in relief camps set up by the government agencies and state governments of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep administration, which were also taking prompt action in dealing with the situation, it said.

The central government has deployed 10 Coast Guard ships, six aircraft, four helicopters, 10 Navy ships for rescue and relief, it said.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh also called up Tamil Nadu and Kerala chief ministers and assured them of all help in dealing with the crisis. Singh spoke to Edappadi Palaniswami and Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala respectively, about the situation in areas affected by the cyclone, a home ministry official said.

He also called up the administrator of Lakshadweep, Farooq Khan, and enquired about the situation in the islands. The Centre is providing all possible assistance to these states and union territories and, rescue and relief operations are going on in full swing, the official said.

Keep track of all Cyclone Ockhi updates with our live blog
Unexpected showers continued in Mumbai on Tuesday as Cyclone Ockhi's effects were felt on India's western coast. The cyclone is currently moving towards the Gujarat coast and has already caused damage in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep.

Areas near Mumbai witnessed hailstorms, while schools and colleges in the city and adjoining districts have been closed on Tuesday as a precautionary measure.

The weather department has forecast intermittent rains in Mumbai and suburbs in the next 24 hours. Skymetweather reported that these rains are an unusual sight for the city as it remains almost dry during this time of the year. Mumbai usually receives only 5.3 mm of rains in December but with 22 mm of rain in the last 24 hours, it has broken a decade old record.

The traffic on Eastern and Western Express Highways in Mumbai slowed down after rain in some parts of Mumbai throughout Monday night. Traffic curbs were put in place in some places in view of the rush of followers of Babasaheb Ambedkar on his death anniversary on Wednesday.

Mumbai police put up barricades near Dadar Chowpatty and Juhu Chowpatty to prevent people from going near the beaches. Also, the Mumbai University administration announced that the exams for various streams will continue as per schedule.

Trains on the central line were running 10 minutes late, but the frequency of local trains in Mumbai was not affected, a Railway official told CNN-News18. Public Relations Officer for the Mumbai Airport said that flight operations had not been affected.

Rumours going viral

Several rumours went "viral" on social media regarding Cyclone Ockhi and Mumbai rains. #MumbaiRains started trending on Twitter on Monday and videos and GIFs have been circulating on social media and several Whatsapp groups which are more alarming in nature than true.

Urging people not to trust unverified news, Mumbai Police on Tuesday said the "news" that Bandra-Worli Sea Link has "collapsed" is untrue. Similarly, videos of hailstorm near Mumbai circulating on WhatsApp groups and social media are unverified and it's wise not to trust every video or "news" that comes your way.

Rains to continue

"Intermittent rain/thundershowers very likely to occur in Mumbai and suburbs in next 24 hours," said a report of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai at 8 am. "Heavy rainfall is likely at a few places with squally wind speed reaching 50 to 60 kms per hour gusting to 70 kms per hour very likely along coastal area in next 24 hours," it further said.

After an alert by the IMD Mumbai observatory, the state government announced a holiday on Tuesday for schools in Mumbai, Sindhudurg, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts.

The storm has current weakened and is over east-central Arabian Sea 300 km south southwest of Mumbai and 480 km south-southwest of Surat, said the Skymetweather report. The system is expected weaken further reach Gujarat's coast by the night of 5 December.

With inputs from IANS

Click here to follow LIVE updates on Cyclone Ockhi
Ahmedabad/Mumbai: After dumping rains in Mumbai, Cyclone Ockhi moved closer to Gujarat on Tuesday and the landfall was likely near Surat, as several top leaders were forced to cancel their rallies in the poll-bound state which experienced showers.

The cyclonic storm passed the Mumbai coast bringing rains in its wake but did not cause any damage to life or property, a senior civic official said. It earlier caused havoc in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep islands.

Due to the impact of the cyclone, Mumbai and its suburbs experienced rains since the morning, but it subsided by the afternoon even as hailstorm lashed some sections of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The country's financial capital had also experienced showers last night.

As Gujarat remained on alert, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to BJP workers to extend a helping hand to those that would be likely hit by the cyclone, which is expected to make a landfall around midnight tonight on the state's southern coast in Surat.

Modi also said he is constantly monitoring the situation in various parts of the country. "Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected," he tweeted.

Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

With #CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

The cyclone is approaching Gujarat steadily and now lies centred in the Arabian Sea just 390 kilometres away from Surat, said an official of the Meteorological Centre in Ahmedabad earlier in the day.

As per the latest bulletin of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone is expected to hit the coastline near Surat by midnight tonight.

"It is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by the night of 5 December," it said.

Several districts in Gujarat received light rain since morning, even as almost the entire state experienced overcast skies.

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall in most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places in Saurashtra and south Gujarat.

It has warned that when the cyclone hits the Gujarat coast, "wind speed would remain between 50 and 60 kmph and may reach up to 70 kmph in south Gujarat."

According to principal secretary in the state revenue department, Pankaj Kumar, at least nine districts including Rajkot have received light showers or drizzle since this morning.

Gujarat's chief secretary JN Singh convened a video conference with the collectors of coastal districts to review their preparedness to deal with any eventuality, Kumar said.

Joint Secretary in the Union home ministry Sanjeev Kumar Jindal said the cyclone is slowing down and would have no impact in Gujarat, where the first phase of the two-phase Assembly election is due on Saturday.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) asked fishermen in both eastern and western coasts not to venture out in the sea for the next three days as heavy rainfall is expected in many areas due to the cyclone.

The traffic on Eastern and Western Express Highways in Mumbai slowed down after rain lashed some parts of the city throughout last night.

There were traffic curbs in some places in view of the expected rush of followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his death anniversary on Wednesday.

The weather department in Mumbai has forecast intermittent rains in the country's commercial capital and suburbs in the next 24 hours.

"Heavy rainfall is likely at a few places with squally wind speed reaching 50 to 60 kms per hour gusting to 70 kms per hour very likely along coastal area in next 24 hours," the weather department said.

A few spells of rain or thundershowers are likely to occur in the city and suburbs in next 48 hours, the IMD said.

After an alert by the IMD Mumbai observatory, the state government announced a holiday on Tuesday for schools in Mumbai, Sindhudurg, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts.

BJP president Amit Shah's poll rallies scheduled for Tuesday in Rajula town of Amreli and Mahuva and Shihor of Bhavnagar district have been cancelled, a party release said.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi held a poll rally in Anjar but cancelled three in Morbi, Dhrangadhra and Surendranagar due to the impending cyclone.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari's roadshow in Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad was also cancelled due to light showers since early morning, Bapunagar MLA Jagroopsinh Rajput said.

The BJP has also called off rallies and press conferences of Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Surat on Tuesday, a party leader said.
During the ongoing search and rescue operation to locate fishermen stranded due to Cyclone Ockhi, the Indian Coast Guard on Tuesday provided relief to the crew of 15 fishing boats after sighting them in the sea off Lakshadweep.

In a press release, the Coast Guard said that a Dornier aircraft on search mission found the cluster of fishing boats about 40 kilometres apart from each other, and 125 kilometres from Bitra island.

The Coast Guard ship Samrat was immediately diverted to provide assistance to the fishing boats. Fourteen of the boats belonged to Tamil Nadu, while one boat belonged to Kerala.

The Coast Guard provided the 184 people in the boats with food and water. Critical first aid was provided by ICGS Samrat to stabilise vitals of three fishermen who were also found to be severely dehydrated.

"ICGS Samrat further has been directed to vector the fishing boats to shelter area near Bitra island," the press statement said.

In its extensive search and rescue efforts, the Coast Guard has deployed over 22 surface platforms and five aircrafts.

According to the press release, an international lookout notice has also been raised by Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai for informing the merchant vessels to report the position of stranded fishing boats/survivors in the effected sea area of the cyclone.

Since the onset of Cyclone Ockhi, the Indian Coast Guard in the western region has rescued 367 people so far, claimed the press release.

In view of Cyclone Ockhi, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday asked fishermen in both eastern and western coasts not to venture out in the sea for the next three days.

In its advisory, the NDMA further said that the fishermen along and off Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu coasts should not venture into the sea from 6 to 8 December while fishermen off Andaman and Nicobar Islands were advised to avoid venturing into the sea until Wednesday.

Fishermen living along and off South Gujarat and North Maharashtra coasts were advised not to venture into the sea till Wednesday morning.

After wreaking havoc in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep islands, Cyclone Ockhi passed the Mumbai coast and moved closer to Gujarat on Tuesday.

The severe cyclonic storm will move over east-central Arabian sea and move further north-northeastwards with a speed of 21 kilometres per hour and lay centred over east-central Arabian sea at Latitude 17.5 N and Longitude 70.4 E, about 480 kilometres southwest of Surat and 300 kilometres west-southwest of Mumbai.
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As Cyclone Ockhi intensifies in the Bay of Bengal, eight people were killed  four each  in Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Thursday, reported PTI. Ninety fishermen are also missing, according to NDTV .

Schools in Chennai, Kanchipuram, Villupuram, Kanyakumari, Nellai, Theni, Dindigul, Madurai and Thoothukudi will remain closed on Friday due to the cyclonic storm Ockhi, according to Skymet Weather.

Due to heavy rains, train services along the Nagercoil-Trivandrum section have been affected on the route. Eight trains (numbers 56313, 56310, 56386, 56362, 56363, 56389, 16791 and 16792) have been cancelled, reported The Indian Express . On Friday, six trains (numbers 56305, 56334, 56333, 56309, 56313, 56715) will remain cancelled.

Heavy showers will continue for next 12 hours as it moves towards Lakshadweep over the next 48 hours, the Skymet chief Mahesh Palawat told CNN-News18.

Due to the heavy rains as a result of Cyclone Ockhi, water storage levels in the Periyar dam has increased by six feet and by one foot in the Vaigai dam, reported The Hindu . Periyar dam records 16,022 cusecs and the Vaigai dam at 2,507 cusecs.

The National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) said it has dispatched two teams to Kanyakumari and Nagercoil. "As per the state government's request, we will carry rescue operations. We will be involved in rescuing fisherman, inland area flooding, checking on building collapse and uprooted trees, and clearing the roads," the NDRF told CNN-News18.

CNN-News18 reported that five people died in Kanyakumari district alone due to the heavy rains. The NDRF said it has one team already positioned in Trichur or regional district in Kerala. "As soon as we get a call from the state government they will be dispatched for work," said a NDRF official.

On Thursday, Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted that a total of six warships, and two coast guard vessels from the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard have been deployed along with additional air effort on Friday.

According to the Indian Coast Guard, three fishermen were rescued off Vizhinjam coast in Kerala on Friday morning. Rescue operations are going on to save five more fishermen sighted near Quilon coast in the state.

Three fishermen rescued off Kerala coast, efforts on to rescue five more off Quilon coast

On Friday, relatives of the missing fishermen in Thiruvananthapuram lamented that they did not receive any cyclonic warnings from the administration.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to DG NDRF and reviewed the areas affected by Cyclone Ockhi. According to ANI, NDRF teams have been moved to the affected areas with several more on standby in case of further emergencies.

Cyclone Ockhi can lead to cloudy weather coupled with light rain for some parts along Maharashtra coast and Mumbai next week, reports have said. Indian Met Department issued warning to all ports.

Rainfall will be intermittent in Tamil Nadu but heavy to very heavy showers is expected in Lakshadweep. Skymet predicted that there will be light rains in Saurashtra and Kutch region of Gujarat as well.

This seems to be going to Gujarat, says Twitterati

According to The New Indian Express , Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswamy announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation for the families of those deceased in Kanyakumari district due to heavy rains caused by cyclone Ockhi.

"Since most of the boats are co-owned by people belonging to Tamil Nadu and most of the workers are also from that state, it is also possible that the fishermen might have taken the boats to Colachel, Muttom and Thengapattanam," added Xavier.

Usually, we used to receive advance warnings on the weather. But this time, there was no such notification. This is a matter of concern, given there were reports about the arrival of the cyclone at least two days ago, Xavier said.

Joseph Xavier, general secretary of All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association said that nearly 200 fishing boats which left Kochi coast in the last few days are yet to return to safety, reported The New Indian Express .

Nine persons have died in Tamil Nadu due to rains following the Ockhi cyclone in the last couple of days. Chief Minister E Palaniswami has declared ex-gratia to the bereaved families.

Life in Kanyakumari was thrown out of gear due to heavy rain and strong winds. Over 1,000 affected people have been put up in camps, as per reports.

Heavy rains battered southern districts of Tamil Nadu and state capital Chennai on Thursday night and early Friday morning, forcing the authorities to order the closure of schools and colleges.

"We have responded immediately. We will continue to meet the requirement of safety and security of our fishermen. As soon as we got the request from the government of Kerala for search operations, we have started that," Karve said.

"Maximum efforts have been put in," he said at a press meet held on board the INS Tir on the occasion of Navy Day at the naval base in Kochi.

Rescue operations are on. Some fishermen have already been rescued by the Navy which immediately dispatched aircraft and ships besides helicopters to carry out rescue operations in the sea which is very rough, said Vice Admiral AR Karve, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command.

The Indian Navy is putting in "maximum effort" to rescue fishermen from the sea which is very rough under the influence of Cyclone Ockhi, a top Navy official said on Friday.

Top Navy officials said they have deployed two ships to the Lakshadweep Islands for carrying out rescue and rehabilitation operations in the island which is under threat of the cyclone.

Twenty people have been rescued and efforts are on to bring others to safety. Continuous sorties of aircraft and helicopters are being undertaken in coordination with the units at sea, the spokesperson said.

According to a defence spokesperson, the Navy is continuing search and rescue operations in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard and the state administration in the coastal areas of Kerala. At present, 69 people stranded in the sea have been located and the exact numbers are being corroborated, he said.

Many rescued fishermen have been admitted to the medical college in Thiruvananthapuram and general hospitals since they were weak after being in the sea for the last 48 hours, the official said.

The rescued fishermen included those who were saved by a Japanese cargo vessel. The vessel has rescued 60 fishermen from mid-sea. They are being brought to the Vizhinjam coast, she said.

About 150 fishermen, who put out to sea from various southern districts, were rescued, Thiruvananthapuram district commissioner K Vasuki said, adding that efforts were on to bring the rest of the stranded fishermen to the shore. "There is no need to panic," she said.

Heavy rains continued to lash coastal areas of Kerala on Friday, crippling normal life, even as Cyclone Ockhi lay centered about 80km north-northeast of Minicoy in Lakshadweep.

Top Navy officials said they deployed two ships to the Lakshadweep Islands for carrying out rescue and rehabilitation operations in the island. In Lakshadweep, orders have been issued to evacuate people from low-lying areas in Kalpeni, Minicoy, Kavratti, Agatti, Androth, Kadamath and Amini islands, official sources said. "People are being shifted to schools," they said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Kerala government has asked the defence ministry to deploy more aircraft for rescue operations as the cyclonic storm moving towards Lakshadweep.

The Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force are engaged in rescue operations with their ships, aircraft and helicopters. Besides engaging divers, the Indian Navy has deployed two aircraft and an advanced light helicopter (ALH).

Even though the sea continued to be rough, rescue operations are going on in full swing.

"It is very likely to continue to move west-northwestwards across Lakshadweep islands during the next 24 hours and then move north-northeastwards during the subsequent 48 hours," it added.

As per the latest Met department bulletin, the system is very likely to intensify further during the next 24 hours.

Former chief minister Oommen Chandy, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan visited a fishing hamlet in Poonthura, from where a large number of fishermen, who put out to sea, were yet to return.

Anxious relatives of the missing fishermen, including women, on Friday blocked traffic and raised slogans in Kollam and Thiruvanathapuram, protesting the delay in their rescue.

They said various agencies including the Union home department, National Institute of Oceanography and Indian Meteorological Department had informed the state about the possible landing of the cyclone on Kerala shores days before.

The Opposition alleged that the CPM-led government failed completely in tackling the emergency situation though it had received a prior warning about the cyclone.

The Opposition Congress and BJP in Kerala on Friday slammed the LDF government over the alleged delay in initiating precautionary measures and launching rescue operations for fishermen, who got stranded in the rough sea off the coast due to Cyclone Ockhi.

"A well marked low pressure is lying over South Andaman Sea and its neighbourhood. It is expected to concentrate into a depression in the next 48 hours," Regional Meteorological Centre director S Balachandran said.

A low pressure system over the South Andaman Sea is expected to turn into a depression in the next 48 hours, which may bring more rainfall to Tamil Nadu, as the death toll due to Cyclone Ockhi in Kanyakumari district rose to five on Friday.

To expedite relief works in worst affected Kanniyakumari district, two NDRF teams and seven of the state disaster response agency have been deputed. "They, along with local officials, were rescuing people on a 'war-footing' from inundated areas," it said.

As per the orders of the chief minister, 1,044 persons in Kanniyakumari have been lodged in 16 relief camps while the number was 205 in two camps in Tirunelveli, an official release said.

At a review meeting inChennai, the chief minister asked officials to expedite all works undertaken in the affected areas, even as scores of personnel have been deployed to address various issues, including restoring the power network.

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday said over 1,200 persons affected by Ockhi cyclone in Kanniyakumari and Tirunelveli districts have been lodged in relief camps, as Chief Minister K Palaniswami took stock of the situation.

As the toll due to Cyclone Ockhi in Kanyakumari district mounted to five on Friday, a low pressure system over the south Andaman Sea is expected to turn into a depression in the next 48 hours, which may bring more rain to Tamil Nadu.

The death toll in the two states in rain-related incidents rose to 12 on Friday.

Heavy rains continued to batter coastal areas of Kerala and south Tamil Nadu today, crippling normal life, even as Cyclone Ockhi lay centered about 80km north-northeast of Minicoy in Lakshadweep.

105 fishermen drifting in eight boats rescued; eye of the storm close to Kavaratti

The Sri Lankan Red Cross on Saturday said that showers or thundershowers are expected in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central provinces and in Galle, Puttalam and Matara districts.

Faizal said seven persons were rescued from a sinking Uru, a large Dhow-type wooden ship, in the sea off Kavaratti.

Lakshadweep MP PP Mohammed Faizal said Kalpeni and Minicoy islands were badly hit by the cyclone but no casualties have been reported.

Five boats anchored at a jetty in Kalpeni were damaged in heavy rains, coupled with strong winds.

In Lakshadweep, orders have been issued to evacuate people from low-lying areas in Kalpeni, Minicoy, Kavratti, Agatti, Androth, Kadamath and Amini islands, officials said.

Vice Admiral AR Karve, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, said the Indian Navy is putting in "maximum effort" to rescue fishermen from the sea which is very rough under the influence of Ockhi.

Top Navy officials said they deployed two ships to the Lakshadweep Islands for carrying out rescue and rehabilitation operations in the island.

The report states that 4,000 power lines in the Kanyakumari district have been damaged by the cyclonic storm. It may a week or more for the entire grid to be restored. Meanwhile, NDRF and state forces have been deployed for rescue operations.

As Cyclone Ockhi moves towards Lakshadweep, rain ravaged states are likely to experience relief today. However, as this NDTV report, Kanyakumari in submerged in knee-deep water with no powerless as thousands remain strand across relief centres in the district.

Heavy (7-11cm in 24 hrs) to very heavy rainfall (12-20cm in 24 hrs) is most likely to occur at a few places till the morning on 2 December & heavy rainfall (7-11cm in 24 hrs) at one or two places from morning of Saturday till the morning of 3 December in Kerala. Heavy (7-11cm in 24 hrs) to very heavy rainfall (12-20cm in 24 hrs) is most likely to occur at a few places, and extremely heavy rainfall (21 cm or more in 24 hrs) at one or two places till morning of 2 December and heavy rainfall (7-11cm in 24 hrs) at a few places from morning of Saturday till the morning of 3 December in Lakshadweep.

Following is the official forecast statement from IMD Thiruvananthapuram:

Squally weather with wind-speed reaching 45 to 55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph is very likely along and off Kerala coasts, gale wind-speed reaching 110-120 kmph gusting to 130 kmph is likely over Lakshadweep area till 2 pm 2 December. Fishermen are advised not to venture in to the sea.

Following is the official warning statement for fishermen near Kerala and Lakshadweep:

On Friday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswamy, assuring him of full assistance in the wake of destruction by cyclone Ockhi, reported The Indian Express . Palaniswamy reportedly said the state government would soon seek Central funds to mitigate the damage caused by the cyclone.

She also added that strict instructions have been given that "none should venture into the sea for fishing".

"The search operations now are aimed towards the Alappuzha area, as the boats would have run out of fuel. They would be drifting according to the wind direction. Hence the search operations are focusing towards Alappuzha," said Vasuki.

Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S Vasuki told the media that the 102 fishermen from Thiruvananthapuram cannot be termed as "missing". "These fishermen had gone into the sea. They are yet to reach home or they have not been able to contact their relatives here."

The rescue operations jointly launched by the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard after Cyclone Ockhi hit the southern districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, resumed on Saturday with 102 Kerala fishermen yet to return home, a top state official said.

According to News18, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said family of those who dies in rain-related incidents will be given Rs 10 lakh as compensation. He also said that so far 393 people have been rescued across Kerala. 550 families have been evacuated to 30 relief camps in the state.

The families of the missing have now started to exhibit pictures of their loved ones to the media so as to send message to other parts of the state in case they were sighted.

A special Mass was held at the Poonthura St Thomas Church for the suffering. "There has been no word from my husband Gerald for the past three days. We have got no information from any one at all," said his grieving wife.

Angry fishermen at Poonthura, a coastal hamlet near Thiruvananthapuram, blocked traffic as about a dozen fishermen from their village were yet to be traced.

The Kerala government has already announced free ration to be supplied to the affected fishing villages.

Among those rescued on Friday night, 40 are under medical observation at the Medical College hospital and another 28 at the General Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

On Saturday morning, the intensity of the rains and winds in the deep sea was reported to have come down. However, the meteorological office predicts rains are in the offing.

More fishermen rescued on Saturday morning, some stuck in Lakshadweep waiting to get back: Nirmala Sitharaman

Here, relatives cry for a fisherman, who went missing in the rough sea due to a cyclone, in the coastal hamlets of Poonthura in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. Locals in Poonthura came out in protest alleging rescue operations for the missing fishermen have been inadequate.

Later fresh news came that the Japanese ship since it was on its way to Kochi, it would drop the fishermen there. It was only late in the night that truth surfaced: "It was a fake news".

Following which, a huge crowd of anxious fishermen waited in Vizhinjam expecting to welcome their missing relatives. Many ambulances were also asked to be stationed at the port.

It was Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S Vasuki who told the media, on Friday evening, that she wished to thank the Japanese government as one of their ships had rescued 60 fishermen after Cyclone Ockhi struck the Kerala coasts. She said they would arrive at the Vizhinjam coast.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed rumours on Saturday after it came to light that Friday's reports of a Japanese merchant ship rescuing 60 Kerala fishermen caught in the deep seas, was "fake". Vijayan called those spreading the rumours "mad".

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued an "extremely heavy rainfalls" (>20 cm) warning for isolated areas in north Lakshadweep Islands during the next 24 hours. It also said heavy to very heavy rainfalls were likely in isolated areas of Kerala and south Lakshadweep islands.

Extremely heavy rainfall likely over north Lakshadweep islands in next 24 hours, says NDMA

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswamy to grant Rs 25 crore for relief and restoration efforts in cyclone-hit Kanyakumari district, reports the New Indian Express

Besides, 138 fishermen have been rescued from the Lakshadweep islands, he said.

So far, 393 people from Kerala have been rescued, Vijayan said, as the state government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of those who died in the storm.

As many as 531 fishermen, stranded in the choppy waters off the Kerala and the Lakshadweep coasts due to Cyclone Ockhi, have been rescued, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday.

Palaniswamy had requested deployment of helicopters in the search and rescue operations of fishermen who have not returned after they ventured into the sea a couple of days back.

Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswamy on Saturday requested Union home minister Rajnath Singh to involve the Indian Navy and Coast Guard helicopters for search and rescue of fishermen caught in mid sea in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi.

The death toll in rain-related incidents in Kerala rose to nine with the recovery of two more bodies, officials said.

More than 500 fishermen stranded in the rough sea off Kerala and Lakshadweep coasts have been rescued even as cyclone 'Ockhi' on Saturday lay centered over the South East Arabian Sea and about 250 kilometres near Amini Divi in the Lakshadweep Islands.

Eleven people, mostly fishermen, remained missing in the two countries as nearly 9,000 people sought shelter in relief camps.

Cyclone Ockhi has left 13 people dead in Sri Lanka and killed an equal number in India's Kerala and Tamil Nadu states since Friday as it churns in the Arabian Sea.

Thousands took to relief camps in Sri Lanka and southern India on Saturday to escape rising floodwaters after a cyclone killed at least 26 people.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan entrusted chief secretary KM Abraham with the task of preparing a memorandum in this regard, chief minister office (CMO) sources said.

Trivandrum IMD Director S Sudevan said that his department had passed on three alerts about the deep depression in the sea near the state since 29 November morning. But the authorities started acting only after receiving the third alert at 12 noon on 30 November. But by the time, the depression had developed into a cyclone and started wreaking havoc.

The biggest lapse on the part of the SDMA was its failure to disseminate the repeated warnings they received from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and other agencies about the deep depression in the Arabian Sea to the people.

Experts firmly believe that the intensity of the devastation could have been reduced to a great extent, if not totally averted, had the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) risen to the occasion. Information available from different sources shows that the agency failed utterly on all fronts.

An Indian Coast Guard aircraft spotted 15 fishermen on two vessels six nautical miles off Colachel, Kanyakumari and rescued them by vectoring a vessel in vicinity on Sunday. The fishermen are safe, tweeted the Coast Guard.

"Maharashtra will completely look after everyone till weather permits them to go back," he said.

"In all 68 fishing boats, out of which 66 are from Kerala and two from Tamil Nadu, have reached with total 952 fishermen on board. All are safe," the Maharashtra chief minister said in a tweet.

Fishermen from near Kerala, who were caught in rough seas due to Cyclone Ockhi, have reached Maharashtra's Sindhudurg coast and are safe, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in Mumbai on Saturday evening.

The Lakshadweep MP said he would write to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman in this regard. "We have not got adequate help from the Navy and the Coast Guard. They failed to respond promptly in the adverse situation," Faizal told PTI. He also said that he had spoken to home minister Rajnath Singh, who assured him that a team of officials would be sent to the island.

Lok Sabha MP PP Mohammed Faizal on Saturday alleged that the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard failed to respond promptly in tackling the crisis due to cyclone Ockhi, which left a trail of destruction in the Lakshadweep islands.

Skymet Weather said that Mumbai can brace for some light showers by the evening of 4 December. It also added that the intensity of these rains will be light with moderate showers in some isolated pockets.

Fishermen in Gujarat, north Maharashtra advised not to venture into sea on 4 December

As Cyclone Ockhi slowly recedes from Kerala, cancellations and worried queries from tourists marked the start of the tourist season in the state. According to The Times of India , hoteliers and tour operators observed a drop in inquiries from people planning visits this week. "There have been many cancellations, especially from those who booked online. I received a few calls as well inquiring whether they could still enjoy the stay here in the wake of cyclone Ockhi," Sisupalan, the managing director of Sagara Beach Resort, Kovalam told TOI.

"Heavy (7-11cm in 24 hrs) is most likely to occur at one or two places in Kerala and heavy (7-11cm in 24 hrs) to very heavy rainfall (12-20cm in 24 hrs) is most likely to occur at one or two places in Lakshadweep till morning of 3rd December 2017," read the IMD release.

Titus, a fisherman from Kollam district, told TNIE he had never seen such a violent sea even in movies.

As the navy, air force and coast guard continue conducting search and rescue operations, fishermen who returned to the shore safely had just one thing to say: They had never weathered such a violent storm in their experience. According to The New Indian Express , the rescued fishermen were seen shivering and asking for food. Most of them had bruises all over their bodies from trying to stay onboard their boats for two nights.

Gale winds speed reaching 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph, very likely over and around north Lakshadweep Islands during the next 24 hours and gradual decrease thereafter. Gale winds speed reaching 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph very likely south Lakshadweep Islands during next 12 hours and gradual decrease thereafter.

The IMD, in its official statement , said the following:

Strong winds reaching speeds up to 120 km per hour likely in the next 24 hours

Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph very likely along and off Kerala coast during next 24 hours and along & off Karnataka coast during next 48 hours.

In Kerala, squally wind speeds of up to 65 km per hour expected

The boats, 40 from Poonthura and 15 from Vizhinjam, left the shores with food and water.

Rescue teams decided to step up their operations after a body in a highly decomposed state was recovered near the Vizhinjam coast.

The fishermen community on Sunday decided to launch their own rescue operations as 55 boats ventured into the sea to search for the 115 missing fishermen.

"The authorities have failed miserably and the relief camps are also poorly managed with even the basic facilities not available. We have been demanding opening of a control room in our area but nothing has happened," said a Poonthura resident.

However, anger was mounting in coastal villages as they were unhappy with the authorities failing to take precautions before the cyclone hit the state.

State tourism minister K Surendran and fisheries minister J Mercykutty Amma have been engaged in rescue and rehabilitation operations since 30 November and coordinating with the navy, air force and coast guard officials.

TTV Dhinakaran announces he will go to Kanyakumari to meet people affected by storm

Chennai, Puducherry likely to receive heavy rainfall in next 24 hours, according to Chennai Meteorological Center

As of Sunday morning, 89 boats with 1,154 fishermen taken shelter in various ports: Nirmala Sitharaman

According to the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority, 23 boats from the state with 260 crew members are safe at Myria Bandar, Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.

Kerala to not receive heavy rains as Cyclone Ockhi has moved away: Skymet meteorologist Mahesh Palawat

The compound wall of a private resort was washed away by the waves and a party arranged at the resort had to be cancelled.

The houses belonging to Philomena Fernandes and Everest Alphonse were consumed by the waves which advanced into the shore.

Seen as an after-effect of cyclone Ockhi, damage to the property by huge waves has occurred in most of the coastal areas, official sources said. Two houses near the seashore at Ullal were completely destroyed by the waves while another one was partially damaged.

Three houses were damaged while the compound wall of a private resort collapsed as surging waves lashed the coast of Ullal near Mangaluru in the last two days.

Alphons held a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other cabinet colleagues earlier in the day to discuss the rescue and rehabilitation operations.

"There is no provision to declare this as a national calamity. The Centre will provide funds. If needed, more funds will be allocated," Alphons said in Thiruvananthapuram.

On Saturday, the Kerala government decided to approach the Centre for declaring Ockhi a national disaster.

Cyclone Ockhi, which has caused widespread damage in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts, will not be termed a national disaster, Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons said on Sunday.

71 Tamil Nadu fishermen, 248 Kerala fishermen and 38 fishermen from Lakshadweep have been rescued, defence ministry said

DMDK leader Vijaykanth slams the Tamil Nadu government, calls for action on the wars to fix the storm impacts

Deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam says relief will be given after seeing the Collector's report

5,759 boats are safe, 205 boats are in other states and 97 fishermen we are searching for, says O Panneerselvam

Minister Thoomeani says 100% electricity will be provided in Kanyakumari district within a day or two

Meanwhile, 23 vessels registered at Tamil Nadu took shelter at Miryabandar in Maharashtra to avoid the cyclone

Cyclone Ockhi likely to lash Saurashtra coast in the next 48 hours and subsequently weaken. All fishermen are warned to not venture out and those already out to be contacted immediately to return, says Collector of Gir Somnath district.

Cyclone Ockhi likely to lash Saurashtra coast in the next 48 hours

With the help of the Centre, flights and ships are now being used in the rescue operations, says CM E Palaniswamy

Around 500 houses suffered damage, several coconut trees got uprooted and electric and communication lines were disrupted due to the calamity in Minicoy island alone, he told PTI. Read more here .

Lakshadweep Island, which was hit by Cyclone Ochki, has suffered a loss of over Rs 500 crore, Lakshadweep MP Mohammad Faizal said on Sunday.Faizal sought the Centre's assistance to restore normal life in the islands isolated by the storm. He said normal life in three islands  Minicoy, Kalpeni and Kavaratti  was badly hit by the cyclone.

A total of 243 fishermen in Tamil Nadu, 250 fishermen in Kerala and 1,047 people in Lakshadweep have been rescued so far, an official statement said after a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee, headed by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha.

As many as 1,540 people, including fishermen, affected by Cyclone Ockhi in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep were rescued by various agencies, the government said on Monday, according to PTI.

Patrolling of the tracks has been intensified over various rail sections. The Disaster Management Cell of WR is geared up to deal with any emergency, it added. According to the release, all emergency numbers have been updated.

Similarly, RPF and commercial control staff has been asked to monitor crowd movements and undertake necessary evacuation at stations in case of a disaster-like situation, the release said.

The Western Railway (WR) said it has taken necessary precautions and made suitable arrangements in view of the warning about cyclone Ockhi in coastal areas of Maharashtra, according to PTI. The WR's engineering control has been kept on alert to keep a watch on water level over railway tracks, it said in a release.

The Navy said the whole of Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands are under the cover of its ships and aircraft with rescue and relief operations on in full swing. The lndian Navy is determined to bring back normalcy to Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands most expeditiously, a Defence release said. All other ships at the disposal of Indian Navy would continue the search and rescue operations and provide relief till normalcy is restored.

Indian Navy on Monday continued search and rescue (SAR) operations in full swing for the fifth day over Southeast Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands in the aftermath of very severe cyclonic storm Ockhi.

According to the IMD forecast, wind velocity would remain between 50 kmph to 70 kmph when the cyclone would make landfall.

Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams each have been deployed at Surat, Navsari, and Rajkot, reported News18 . The Army, Navy, and the Border Security Force (BSF) have been alerted in the view of the cyclone's landfall.

NASA's Terra satellite passed over the Arabian Sea on 4 December and found Cyclone Ockhi moving north as desert dust pushed into the region north of the storm

Trains on the central line are running 10 minutes late, but the frequency of local trains in Mumbai has not been affected, a Railway official told CNN-News18 . Public Relations Officer for the Mumbai Airport says flight operations havent been affected.

The traffic on Eastern and Western Express Highways in Mumbai has slowed down. There are traffic curbs in some places in view of the rush of followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his death anniversary on Wednesday.

As Mumbai braces for Cyclone Ockhi, areas near the metropolis witnessed a spell of hailstorm early on Tuesday. The weather department has forecast intermittent rains in Mumbai and suburbs in the next 24 hours.

Some parts of the Munbai-Pune Expressway experienced a hailstorm early today, police said. The weather department has forecast intermittent rains in Mumbai and suburbs in the next 24 hours.

Mumbaikars woke up to an overcast sky on Tuesday as Cyclone Ockhi passed by Maharashtra. Areas near the metropolis witnessed a spell of hailstorm, while schools and colleges in the city and adjoining districts have been closed today as a precautionary measure.

The traffic on Eastern and Western Express Highways in Mumbai has slowed down after rain in some parts of Mumbai since Monday night. There are traffic curbs in some places in view of the rush of followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his death anniversary on Wednesday.

Weather forecasting bureau Skymet on Tuesday predicts moderate rain and thundershower with strong winds in Maharashtra. Rough sea over Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Mumbai, Nandurbar, Nashik, Pune, Raigarh, Ratnagiri, Satara, Thane, Harnai and Kolhapur in the next 36- 48 hours.

Take a look at the updated track of Cyclone Ockhi in seconds

Skymet predicts rain, thundershower, squally winds and rough sea conditions over Ahmedabad, Amreli, Aravali, Bhavnagar, Devbhumi, Dwarka, Gandhinagar Jamnagar, Kheda, Mahesana, Narmada, Navsari, Porbandar, Rajkot, Sabar, Kantha, Surat, Surendranagar, Tapi, Vadodara and Valsad in the next 48 hours.

Day's first high tide happened at 12:49 am (Monday-Tuesday intervening night), the next one will happen at 12:39 pm on Tuesday. The low tide will be around 6:49 pm, according to Tide Forecast . Day's first low tide happened at 6:52 am.

The cyclone is currently less than 420-km southwest of Mumbai in the Arabian Sea and moving northwards.

Suburban train services running as normal. Water logging at some parts on WE highway near Goregaon, jogeshwari. The Central Railway has also said that it has geared up to the cyclone, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and MSSF arrangements for crowd control at all stations.

"Intermittent rain/thundershowers very likely to occur in Mumbai and suburbs in next 24 hours," said a report of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai at 8 am. "Heavy rainfall is likely at a few places with squally wind speed reaching 50 to 60-kms per hour gusting to 70-kms per hour very likely along coastal area in next 24 hours," it further said.

The BMC has made arrangements for accommodation in some civic schools for people coming from outside Mumbai to pay tributes to Ambedkar at Chaityabhumi in Dadar area.

BMC has made arrangements for accommodation in some civic schools for people coming from outside Mumbai to pay tributes to Ambedkar

Take a look at the Mumbai rain figures for the last 10 years in the month of December

Urging people not to trust unverified news, Mumbai Police on Tuesday said the "news" that Bandra-Worli Sea Link has "collapsed" is untrue. (The video attached here is by Twitter user @radhika1705). Similarly, videos of hailstorm near Mumbai circulating on Whatsapp groups and social media are unverified and it's wise not to trust every video or "news" that comes your way.

Several rumours are going "viral" on social media regarding Cyclone Ockhi and Mumbai Rains. #MumbaiRains started trending on Twitter on Monday and videos and GIFs have been circulating on social media and several Whatsapp groups which are more alarming in nature than true.

Severe Cyclone Ockhi has now weakened into a Cyclone, is 230 km WSW of Mumbai

Mumbai police putting up barricades near Dadar chowpatty and Juhu chowpatty to prevent people from going near the beaches.

In view of Mumbai rains, all roads leading up to Dadar Chowpatty have been closed to avoid traffic snafu, reports said

In the last 24 hours, from 08:30 am as on Monday, Mahuva recorded 13 mm of rains, Diu 8 mm, Valsad 7 mm, Surat and Ahmedabad 1 mm, Veraval 0.6 mm while the stations such as Surendranagar, Gandhinagar, Idar, and Kandla witnessed some light traces of rains.

The weather models were already predicting some rains for Gujarat which were a result of cyclone Ockhi that started travelling towards northwest India. As of now, more rains are expected to continue over Gujarat.

According to Skymet, the severe Cyclone Ockhi has weakened to a cyclone and is inching towards Gujarat. Though the intensity of these showers was light to moderate, these rains helped in plummeting the daytime high by a few notches. However, these rains were mainly confined to the southern and central parts of the state.

This system is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards and weaken further. This will cross South Gujarat and adjoining North Maharashtra coast near Surat as a Deep Depression by midnight of 5 December.

The intensity of this weather system has now reduced and at present, it lies over east central Arabian Sea, approximately 480 km south-southwest of Surat and 300 km west-southwest of Mumbai as a severe cyclone, reports said.

As per weathermen, intensity of rains in Mumbai will be more with moderate spells lashing the region and one or two heavy spells of rains could also be witnessed. Weather predictions did not rule out the possibility of some rain on 6 December.

In the last 24 hours, Santa Cruz has recorded 22 mm of rains and Colaba saw 23 mm of rainfall.

Fishermen have been advised to not venture out in the sea as the conditions will remain rough. Fishing activities should remain suspended for another two days at least.

Strong surface winds will continue to blow over Mumbai in view of Cyclone Ockhi. The winds may gust up to 60 kmph in some area.

With 22mm of rain in the past 24 hours, Mumbai broke the decade-old December rain record. According to Skymet, last time Mumbai witnessed the highest rains was in the year 2014 which was a mere 1.5 mm.

Fishing activities suspended for 2 days: Fishermen advised not to venture out in sea

The weather is expected to start improving by 7 December but until then, it is advised for the locals to stay cautious.

Moreover, the sea conditions are also expected to remain rough to very rough. As the storm surge will be high, this may even lead to local flooding in the low-lying areas.

Squally winds in order of 60-70 kmph, reaching up to 80 kmph are likely in Mumbai for next 36-48 hours, weather reports have said.

Take a look at how Cyclone Ockhi progressed on 5 December

Also, the shack owners, whose establishments suffered damages following high tide during to the cyclone, have decided to approach the state tourism department to seek compensation for their losses.

The North Goa district has done a preliminary assessment of the damage caused due to Cyclone Ockhi in the coastal state.

'Operation Synergy,' a joint rescue mission by the Indian Navy, the Air Force, Coast Guard and state fisheries department had so far rescued 252 fishermen stranded in the seas in the aftermath of the cyclone.

The Kerala government said intensified search and rescue operations are on to trace the 92 fishermen missing in high seas after Cyclone Ockhi hit the state's coast.

According to latest forecast released by the Meteorological Centre, the cyclone is now just 390 kilometres away from Surat. It is approaching Gujarat steadily and now lies centred in the Arabian Sea.

The Met centre has warned that when the cyclone hits the Gujarat coast, "wind speed would remain between 50 and 60 kmph and may reach up to 70 kmph in south Gujarat".

Gujarat's chief secretary JN Singh has convened a video conference with the collectors of coastal districts to review their preparedness to deal with any eventuality.

The IFFK, which attracts a large number of cinema aficionados and film personalities from across the country, is scheduled to begin on 8 December.

The Kerala government has cancelled the inaugural ceremony of the upcoming International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in the wake of cyclone Ockhi affecting many districts in the state.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said that two merchant ships and 16 crew members have been rescued in Lakshadweep, The Indian Express reported.

According to The Times of India, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani is expected to hold a press conference on Cyclone Ockhi at 5.30 pm on Tuesday in Surat.

The chief minister and his colleagues have been claiming that the government was doing everything possible to save the fishermen stranded in the sea. But the hapless fisherfolk did not believe them. They have enough reasons not to trust the state government, which let down the fishermen by not acting on the weather alerts that they received from the meteorological department and other agencies.

Revenue minister and state disaster management authority (SDMA) vice-chairman E Chandrashekharan, who is supposed to coordinate the rescue and relief efforts, was seen nowhere in the picture even when the storm battered the coast and displaced hundreds of fishing families and destroyed their houses.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, appealed to BJP workers to extend a helping hand to those that would be likely hit by the cyclone, which is expected to make a landfall tonight on the states southern coast in Surat. -

Amid the heat of the Gujarat polls, cyclone Ockhi, eddying menacingly towards the states coast, poured cold water on the campaigning on Tuesday, forcing cancellation of rallies of several top leaders, including those by BJP chief Amit Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Those affected by the natural calamity have two days to approach government agencies with details of damage to their properties to get compensation, he told the media. - IANS

Twelve beaches in Goa have been affected by the rising sea level caused by Cyclone Ockhi, revenue minister Rohan Khaunte said on Tuesday. He said preliminary estimates suggested that the damage caused by the cyclone, which skimmed Goa's coastline, was between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 30 lakh.

Damage Expected over south #Gujarat (Valsad, Surat, Navsari, Bharuch, Dang, Tapi, Amreli, Gir- Somnath, Bhavnagar districts), Daman, Diu, and Dadra, Nagar Haveli and north Konkan Districts of #Maharashtra (Palghar, Thane, Raigarh, and Greater Mumbai) #CycloneOckhi

Areas in Gujarat and Maharashtra expected to be most affected by the storm

According to The Times of India, Kerala women's commission members will contribute a day's salary to the chief minister's disaster relief fund to help the ones affected by the cyclone.

7 teams of NDRF deployed @ Surat, Navsari, Amreli, Valsad, Bhavnagar and Somnath in Gujrat to assist the administration to deal with the situation arising due to cyclone OCKHI.

NDRF deploys seven teams in Gujarat to deal with situation due to Ockhi

Those affected by the natural calamity have two days to approach government agencies with details of damage to their properties to get compensation, he told the media. - IANS

Twelve beaches in Goa have been affected by the rising sea level caused by Cyclone Ockhi, revenue minister Rohan Khaunte said on Tuesday. He said preliminary estimates suggested that the damage caused by the cyclone, which skimmed Goa's coastline, was between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 30 lakh.

The chief secretary of Gujarat held a review meeting with government officials to look at the state's preparedness in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi, The Times of India reported.

My thoughts are with people who will be braving the onslaught of #CycloneOckhi . Urge Congress leaders and workers in Gujarat to provide all necessary help and support to the needy during this hour of crisis.

Rahul Gandhi urges Congress workers in Gujarat to provide all possible help

The BJP has also called off rallies and press conferences of Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Surat on Tuesday, a party leader said.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari's roadshow in Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad was also cancelled due to light showers since early morning, Bapunagar MLA Jagroopsinh Rajput said.

IMD says cyclone Ockhi is 230 kilometre west-southWest of Mumbai, likely to continue to move north-northeastward, weaken gradually and will cross South Gujarat and North Maharashtra coast.

Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has urged people not to create panic. It further said that road and rail traffic is running smoothly.

The Times of India reported that Mumbai's Chowpatty beach has been closed for the public because Cyclone Ockhi.

With Cyclone Ockhi expected to make landfall in south Gujarat later on Monday or early Tuesday, Maharashtra went on a state of high alert to tackle the side-effect of the stormy weather.

Maharashtra education minister Vinod Tawde announced a "precautionary holiday' on Tuesday (5 December) for all schools in the coastal districts of Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, in view of the predictions for the cyclone.

After a heavily overcast day on Monday, Mumbai and surrounding districts had intermittent rainfall since dusk which continued, slowing down road traffic but the lifeline of the city  the local trains  continued unhindered.

The IMD has already forecast rains with thundershowers in and around Mumbai with squalls reaching 50-60 kmph and touching 70 kmph in the coastal areas over the next two days, with minimum temperatures hovering around 23 degrees Celsius.

Danger signals LC-III have been hoisted over all ports between Goa to Dahanu (north Maharashtra), with rough to very rough conditions in the sea.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the state Disaster Management Unit and the railways were fully geared for the cyclonic encounter expected over the next couple of days.

Western Railway PRO Ravinder Bhakar said that an emergency meeting of all departments was convened and they will closely observe the water levels on the railway tracks while the Railway Protection Force and commercial staff will monitor crowd movements, especially in the areas of Palghar which have been placed on alert.

"Disaster Management Cell is ready for any emergency, patrolling of the railway tracks has been intensified over various rail sections, and the RPF and commercial staff will be prepared for necessary evacuation at respective stations in case of any disaster-like situation," he said.

Technical teams will monitor railway assets and essentials like electricity supply with back-up diesel generators, signal and telecom, breakdown equipment, accident relief trains or accident relief medical vans are on standby for any eventuality.

The BMC has warned people from venturing close to the coastal areas and beaches as high waves are expected in the Arabian Sea owing to the cyclone conditions.

On Tuesday, the high tide will be of 5.04 metres and on Wednesday it will be of 5.05 metres, gradually receding to 4.17 metres by Thursday, said a BMC official.

The BMC has also warned people living in some parts of south Mumbai and suburbs that the possibility of tidal waves flowing into the roads and homes cannot be ruled out and asked them to take adequate precautions.

On 6 December, more than half a million followers from all over India are expected to pay homage to the late Babasaheb R Ambedkar on his 62nd death anniversary at Shivaji Park in Dadar.

The civic officials have requested the followers to stay away from the Dadar Chowpatty beach in view of the stormy seas expected over the next few days, especially at his memorial, Chaityabhoomi which is on the seashore.

Meanwhile, all the BMC disaster units, Mumbai Police, Fire Brigade, the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Home Guards and other agencies are in full preparedness for any eventuality arising out of the cyclone Ochki as it skirts Maharashtra and is expected to make landfall near the diamond and textile city of Surat in the next few hours.

Fishermen in the seas have been advised to return immediately and others told to keep off the sea for the next two days.
New Delhi: Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he is constantly monitoring the situation in various states arising out of cyclone Ockhi battering parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep islands and now heading towards Gujarat.

Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

He also appealed to BJP workers in Gujarat to focus on helping people across the state where the cyclone is likely to make a landfall. "Our karyakartas (workers) should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens," he said on Twitter.

With #CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath called on the prime minister here and handed over a cheque of Rs 5 crore for the cyclone-affected people in Lakshadweep and other states, an official statement said.

Click here for LIVE updates on Cyclone Ockhi
SANAA/DUBAI (Reuters) - The powerful exiled son of Yemens slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed on Tuesday to lead a campaign against the Houthi movement that killed his father after he switched sides in the civil war. FILE PHOTO: Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh attends a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the General People's Congress party, which he is leading, in Sanaa September 3, 2012. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File PhotoThe intervention by Ahmed Ali Saleh, a former leader of the elite Republican Guard once seen as a likely successor to his father, gives the anti-Houthi movement in Sanaa a potential figurehead, after a week of fighting that saw the Houthis rout Salehs supporters in the capital. Yemens war, pitting the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has brought what the United Nations calls the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. The world body says millions of people may die in one of the worst famines of modern times, caused by warring parties blocking food supplies. Saleh had helped the Houthis win control of much of the countrys north including Sanaa, and his decision to switch allegiances and abandon the Houthis in the past week was the most dramatic change on the battlefield in years. But the Houthis swiftly crushed a pro-Saleh uprising in the capital and shot him dead in an attack on his convoy. Tens of thousands of Houthi supporters staged a rally in the capital on Tuesday to show support for their leader and celebrate the death of Saleh. They chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and its allies. Mahmoud Ali al-Houthi, head of the movements Revolutionary Committee, denied allegations that the group was executing members of Salehs party after their capture: We have been treating some of Salehs sons and we havent executed them, he told the crowd. Sanaa saw no fresh fighting on Tuesday after five days of combat that the Red Cross said killed more than 230 people. The Saudi-led coalition struck the city with 25 air strikes overnight, but U.N. and Red Cross aid flights were able to land at the airport, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said. People are now emerging from their houses after five days being locked down basically as prisoners, McGoldrick told a U.N. briefing by phone from Sanaa. They are now seeking safety, moving their families in case things erupt again and at the same time seeking medical treatment and trying to pacify very terrified kids who have endured five days of relentless shelling, shooting and ground fire and air strikes. The Saudi cabinet, in a statement that did not mention Saleh by name, said it hoped the Sanaa uprising against the Houthis would help rid sisterly Yemen of repression, death threats, ... explosions and seizure of private and public property. DANCING ON SNAKES The death of Saleh, who once compared ruling Yemen to dancing on the heads of snakes, deepens the complexity of the multi-sided war. Much is likely to depend on the future allegiances of his loyalists, who had previously helped the armed Houthi group, which hails from the Zaidi branch of Shiite Islam that ruled a thousand-year kingdom in northern Yemen until 1962. Houthi fighters react after Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed, in Sanaa, Yemen December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Khaled AbdullahIn a statement sent to Reuters by an aide, his son said his father was killed at the hands of the enemies of God and the country. Ahmed Ali said he would confront the enemies of the homeland and humanity, who are trying to obliterate its identity and its gains and to humiliate Yemen and Yemenis. In an earlier statement carried by Saudi state media, Ahmed Ali said he would lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen ... the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran. The Arabian peninsulas poorest country, Yemen is one of the most violent fronts in a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who have also backed opposing sides in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere across the Middle East. TIPPING THE BALANCE The Saudi-led coalition appears to have been counting on Salehs decision to switch sides to tip the balance of the war. Slideshow (3 Images)Saleh, who ruled in Sanaa from 1978-2012, had a strong following in Yemen, including army officers and armed tribal leaders who once served under him. During the years the ex-president was allied to the Houthis, Yemeni political sources say Ahmed Ali was living incommunicado under house arrest at a guarded villa in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, where he had served as ambassador. The UAE is a key member of the mostly Gulf Arab alliance that sees the Houthis as a proxy of their arch-enemy Iran. The Gulf countries had struggled to make gains against the Houthi-Saleh alliance despite thousands of air strikes backed by Western arms and intelligence. They have used their air and sea power to tightly restrict imports, action that the United Nations says could lead to mass hunger. Ahmed Ali may be the familys last chance to win back influence. A nephew of the former leader, Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, a senior military commander, was also killed during clashes with the Houthis, Salehs party said on Tuesday. Residents reported that fighting had subsided but that Saudi-led coalition jets pounded several targets, including the downtown presidential palace where a governing body led by Houthi-Saleh politicians had regularly convened. The Houthi leader, Abdul Malek al-Houthi, hailed Salehs death in a speech on Monday as a victory against a treasonous conspiracy by Yemens Saudi enemies and called for Tuesdays mass rally at a parade ground near the site of the air strikes. In the southern city of Aden, where the Saudi-backed government is based, residents set off fireworks and expressed joy. Saleh was hated throughout southern Yemen after he launched a war to unify the country in 1994, lobbing ballistic missiles at the city. But his legacy is mixed. He is still loved in much of the north and many supporters will bear a grudge towards his killers. Some feared Salehs death would only create more instability in Yemen. We expect things will get worse for us. This will be the beginning of a new conflict and more bloodshed. The war will not end soon, said Aswan Abdu Khalid, an academic at the psychology department at the University of Aden.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Srinagar: A split emerged in separatist ranks on Tuesday. Top party leader and former Hurriyat Conference chairman professor Abdul Gani Bhat said that mistakes of the past of rejecting talks with New Delhis interlocutors cant be repeated".

Meanwhile, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yaseen Malik have rejected the offer of talks with Government of India (GoI) interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma, describing it as a time-buying tactics. However, Bhat said talks between India, Pakistan and New Delhi will prevent Kashmir from turning into a hell.

Bhat, who is among the top separatist leaders to have met former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, said that he has always been supporting talks. This statement came even as Mirwaiz Umers Hurriyat (M), of which Bhat is an executive member, said that the amnesty to first-time stone-pelters in Kashmir on the recommendation of Sharma was an 'eyewash' and the talks were futile. Last month, JRL said that the engagement with Sharma was an exercise in futility.

Bhat, who is chairman of Muslim Conference, has sent out feelers that he is willing to engage with New Delhi, which has broken the ice over the Kashmir deadlock and has throwing up the possibilities of further improvement. Bhat said he is advocating dialogue on Kashmir. If Sharma comes to my office it is nice. I am open to dialogue and will also take my people into confidence. I dont want to be tied to the rope of yesterday and to the events that have passed and gone into the abyss of time, he told Firstpost.

Bhat said that India and Pakistan should talk over Kashmir and also take the people of Kashmir into confidence. If I talk to Sharma and tell him, look, unless Pakistan is involved in talks you cant achieve a breakthrough then it is good and not bad. Talking is the only solution. India is a country with nuclear weapons. So is Pakistan. The two countries are neck-deep in Kashmir and if they dont talk, we might meet in hell the next day.

The former Hurriyat chairman said that the people of India talk to Pakistanis. Whether at the official level or non-official or diplomatic level, the fact is that they are talking. I heard the National Security Advisor of Pakistan say that we will have to tear apart the curtains and come out.

Pakistans NSA, General (retd), Nasir Janjua, recently said that the backdoor diplomacy was on between India and Pakistan to resolve all issues and India has to eventually come to table for talks to protect its own interests.

Unlike Bhat, JRL has hardened its stance and even recently paid tributes to five militants who were killed in an encounter with forces in Futlipora in Budgam and in Sopore. On Monday, the JRL sought the intervention of international human rights organisations after a specially-abled youth was detained under the public safety act (PSA).

Malik recently said pro-India politicians and their political parties are responsible for all miseries Kashmiris are facing from the last 70 years.

"Pro-India politicians and their parties are used for promoting a politics of deception by their Indian masters and after every six years we see a change in their theatrical role; one assuming power and another taking the charge of Opposition, he said.

Malik said on the talks with Sharma, as part of the JRL, he has made his position clear and there was no change in it.

However, Bhat said that even as previous efforts of dialogue between Government of India and Kashmiri leadership have failed, the separatists need not be  tied down by the past failures.

If nothing happened, there are reasons that nothing happened. I dont want to be tied down by failures of yesterdays' talks. I cant see a ray of hope if we dont talk. India has developed deadly missiles and so has Pakistan. China is in Pakistan through CPEC, Americans are in Afghanistan and through US, India is also in Afghanistan. It is a huge problem. We will have to address Kashmir in any case, otherwise we may be caught up in a very difficult situation, Bhat added.
Ayodhya: Heavy security deployment was made in the twin towns of Faizabad and Ayodhya as the VHP and the Bajrang Dal plan to observe 'Shaurya Diwas' (Day of Valour) while Muslim organisations plan 'Yaum E Gham' (Day of sorrow) to mark 25 years of Babri Masjid demolition.

Taking note of the gravity of the situation and the advisory issued by the Centre, the Faizabad administration has made heavy security deployments in the two towns.

Police along with the CRPF and RAF have been deployed on roads and sensitive localities of AyodhyaFaizabad. Regular search operations of the vehicles, hotels and dharamshalas in Ayodhya are being conducted.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has given a call for grand celebrations on 6 December to commemorate the silver jubilee of the demolition. Its associated organisation, the Bajrang Dal, will celebrate 6 December as 'Shaurya Diwas' and 'Vijay Diwas' (Victory Day) and have also issued an appeal to people of Ayodhya-Faizabad to lit up their homes with lamps.

Talking to PTI, VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma said that not only homes but also temples in the temple town of Ayodhya and adjoining city Faizabad would be decorated and the day would be celebrated with much fanfare.

As per our tradition, we will organize a 'Shaurya Diwas' and 'Vijay Diwas' in Karsewakpuram, the VHP headquarters in Ayodhya, he said.

Meanwhile, some Muslim organisations in Ayodhya -Faizabad will observe 6 December as "Yaum E Gham". A functionary of the Indian Union Muslim League said they will observe this day as Black Day.

Talking to PTI, Afaq Ahmad Khan, Chairman of Babri Masjid Action Committee, said, we are in waiting for the last 25 years for justice, we wish that the Government of India must fulfil its promise of reconstruction of Babri Masjid.

Faizabad SSP Subhash Singh Baghel said heavy security deployment had been made in the twin towns of Faizabad-Ayodhya. The police along with CRPF and RAF have been deployed on roads and sensitive localities of Ayodhya-Faizabad, he said.

"Regular search operations of the vehicles, hotels and dharamshalas in Ayodhya are being conducted. We have maintained all necessary security arrangements and have allowed only traditional programmes to be held by both the communities," he said.
New Delhi: The whistle of the vintage steam trains will ring even more melodiously across the winding paths amidst the greenery of the Kalka-Shimla and the Nilgiri routes in the months to come.

Addressing a crying need, the Indian Railways have finally decided to place control of the two colonial-era heritage trainsboth designated UNESCO propertiesunder separate and dedicated management units. This is how the new order unpacks: Management and operations of the two toy trains will be yanked out of the administrative control of the divisional headquarters of the Indian Railways and brought under the charge of dedicated and separate administrative units.

An initiative that will help preserve practices, systems and processes of the rail operations of yore; as it will provide a boost to local economy and tourism. In simple terms, the brand of these two trains will get revived, rail enthusiast and former financial commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee told Firstpost.

In a space of 26 years from 1881 to 1907, the erstwhile British rulers built and started operations on five hill routes. Three of thesethe Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) apart from the Kalka-Shimla and the Nilgiri trainshave been designated UNESCO properties. The fourththe Matheran Light Railwaysis on the tentative UNESCO list.

The DHR, in 2007, was the first of the hill railways to have had a dedicated management unit set up to manage its affairs. The UNESCO mandate has been that a similar model be made applicable for the remaining two hill rail properties that the organisation has accredited.

Heritage conservation has not been a high priority area for the Indian Railways. Until the late sixties, the Indian Railways had had approximately 11,000 steam engines in running condition in its inventory. With a vast majority of these having been cut up and sold off as scrap in the following decades, it has no more than 25 steam engines. The hanging clocks visible at railway stations in the first two decades of the countrys Independence; telephone sets, the uniforms or caps that railways employees or officers wore have mostly disappeared. Some of these items sometimes pop up in the flea markets of Delhi or Kolkata.

Compare this with the scenario in the Western world. The United Kingdom has preserved 1,000 steam engines and operates 100 such trains on heritage lines. In recent years, the country has closed electricity-run trains to replace these by steam-run trains. Majority of the steam routes in the country are financially viable. Thailandwhich had a maximum of 200 engines at the peak of its steam erahas preserved 10 locomotives. Four of these are operated as time-tabled run trains. In as tiny a country as Switzerland, there exist 100 kilometers of steam lines.

The Indian Railways carries 24 million passengers and operates 19,000 trains each day across its network of 65,500 kilometers: The fourth largest in the world. Given the pressure of its operations, heritage conservation activities have remained a low priority for railway officials. While the decision to set up dedicated administrative units for Kalka-Shimla and Nilgiri is a step in the right direction, it does not provide for a complete and lasting solution to the challenges facing heritage conservation, according to JL Singh, secretary of the Delhi-based Rail Enthusiasts Society.

Singhs contentions, apparently, are based on the international experience in respect of rail heritage conservation. In a majority of the Western world, tasks of heritage preservation are managed by independent entities such as trusts. Europe has the Federation of Museums and Tourist Railways (FEDIC), while the United Kingdom has the Rail Heritage Trust. Such tasks in Australia are managed by an organisation called Puffing Billy in Australia: Named after one of the countrys famous steam locomotive.

By temperament or training, railways officials are least suited for heritage conservation tasks. We have proposed that such tasks be brought under the control of an independent entity with representation from a cross section of individuals such as rail enthusiasts, volunteers or government representatives, Singh said.

Under the current dispensation, the 172-year-old state-owned transporter has its best chance to revive its heritage. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal is apparently sensitive to conservation needs. At his initiative, rail employees have been asked to move out of the iconic Chattrapati Shivaji Terminal (CST) at Mumbai earlier known as the Victoria Terminus (VT)to make space for a museum.

Ashwani Lohani, chairman of Railway Board (CRB) has also been keen on heritage conservation: He is credited to have single-handedly set up a steam shed at Rewari, a two-and-a-half hour drive from the capital. Approximately 10 steam engines have been rehabilitated at the Rewari shed over past few years. Last October, the railways also started a steam run on the Delhi-Rewari route, powered by the Fairy Queen, the worlds oldest steam engine.
A Delhi High Court bench comprising of justices S Muralidhar and IS Mehta observed last week that presently there is no legal or legislative framework that aims to provide rehabilitation and relief to victims who are wrongly prosecuted and incarcerated and that a policy around this is urgently required. The bench stated that there is an "obvious gap" in the present legal scenario where there is no compensation or rehabilitation of such people.

An order on the matter dated 15 September 2016 stated that there needs to be a proper examination of the issue, and the court sought the expertise of GS Bajpai, professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, National Law School, Delhi by appointing him the amicus curiae. Bajpai submitted a detailed report where he reviewed the practices in the United Kingdom and the United States of America wherein victims of wrongful or malicious incarceration are compensated. In fact, Bajpais research indicates that there are 32 states in the USA, including the District of Colombia where are there specific laws that provided both monetary as well as non-monetary compensation to the wrongfully incarcerated. His report also shows that specific government schemes in the UK and New Zealand also provide remedies and relief to such victims. However, Indias laws remain silent about this.

The concern of the bench about this issue is immense: There is, at present, in our country no statutory or legal scheme for compensating those who are wrongfully incarcerated. The instances of those being acquitted by the High Court or the Supreme Court after many years of imprisonment are not infrequent. They are left to their devices without any hope of reintegration into society or rehabilitation since the best years of their life have been spent behind bars, invisible behind the high prison walls.

The report referred to a number of judgments wherein the Supreme Court had stated that compensation can be awarded if Fundamental Rights under Article 21 of the Constitution had been violated. In Khatri v. State of Bihar (1981), the Supreme Court stated: The liability to compensate a person deprived of his life or personal liberty otherwise than in accordance with procedure established by law was implicit in Article 21." In Rudul Sah vs State Of Bihar And Another (1983), chief Justice YV Chandrachud held: The right to compensation is some palliative for the unlawful acts of instrumentalities which act in the name of public interest and which present for their protection the powers of the State as a shield. Respect for the rights of individuals is the true bastion of democracy. Therefore, the State must repair the damage done by its officers to their rights. In Bhim Singh v. State of Jammu and Kashmir (1985), the courts affirmed that when a person comes to us with the complaint that he has been arrested and imprisoned with mischievous or malicious intent and that his constitutional and legal rights were invaded, the mischief or malice and the invasion may not be washed away or wished away by his being set free. In appropriate cases we have the jurisdiction to compensate the victim by awarding suitable monetary compensation. In the case of Sant Bir v. State of Bihar (1982) the court provided compensation to petitioner stating that he was entitled to this as he was illegally detained.

The above cases were referred to by Bajpai. However, he understands that these are "episodic" instances where the victim of illegal detention has been compensated for rehabilitation. The government of India has no welfare schemes or measures for rehabilitation of such individuals.

The report also looks at specific provisions in the Code of Criminal Procedure of India. Sections 357 and 357 A to C of the CrPC have provisions for compensation to victims of crimes. However, the implementation of these legal provisions is dependent upon the efforts of the legal services authorities and various government officers. Section 358, the report states, provides "token relief" in compensating "persons who are groundlessly arrested". The provisions take into account the suffering of the innocent prisoner as well as his/her family that faces deprivation and hardship. The report suggests that there should be an omnibus legislation that looks at the needs of the victims of crime as well those incarcerated wrongly, and this legislation should look at compensation as well rehabilitation and reintegration of such persons.

However, there are two issues with this proposal. One is that an omnibus legislation that combines rehabilitation and compensation of both victims of crime and wrongful incarceration is unlikely to be implemented effectively. The suffering of survivors of violent crimes and those who are illegally detained can be both examined under Article 21 but they should not be addressed by one legislative framework. Secondly, when debating this proposed legislation, it is immensely significant to look at and deliberate on the policy in a way that it is intersectional.

Prison Statistics of India data from 2013 (NCRB) indicates that Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis who are the most vulnerable people in India make up more than half of Indias prison population. A total of 53 percent people in prison are either Muslim (20 percent), Dalit (22 percent) and Adivasi (11 percent). The 2015 data from Prison Statistics India suggests that 31.2 percent of prisoners in India belong to the Other Backward Classes category, while 20.9 percent belong to Scheduled Castes and 13.7 percent belong to Scheduled Tribes. In 2014, Colin Gonsalves, a human rights lawyer and activist, affirmed that the poverty of these communities are often obstacles to their relationship with the legal system  Our system has an ingrained communal and casteist bias. Also, the proportion of these communities in the police officers and even judiciary is less. These are key factors behind this shocking imbalance.

This systemic problem needs to be examined and be reviewed through this legislative framework. A rehabilitative scheme for the wrongfully imprisoned without examining intersectional issues such as economic, social and communal divides will be futile.
The first death anniversary of the late AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa is being observed on Tuesday. The ruling party, and its rival faction have planned to take out separate rallies to mourn their leader.

Tamil Nadu: People gather at Jaya memorial in Chennai on former Chief Minister #Jayalalithaa's first death anniversary. pic.twitter.com/OtvNtVkBAD  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

According to Deccan Chronicle, Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will be leading a mammoth procession in Chennai.

The procession began at 10 am from Anna statue and will end at Jayalalithaas memorial at Marina beach where party members will pay floral tributes to Puratchi thalaivi (revolutionary leader).

Speaking about the event, both the leaders recalled former chief minister's legacy. "While she passed away, none can remove her from our hearts", The Times of India quoted the chief minister and deputy chief minister as saying.

While, the Dhinakaran (his name is also spelled Dinakaran) faction of the party too will hold a silent procession to mark Jayalalithaa's death anniversary. The party leaders will pay floral tributes and take pledge, the report added.

Deepa Jayakumar accompanied by her supporters, too, would pay their tributes at the Marina memorial, Deccan Chronicle reported.

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court rejected a petition forbidding the Tamil Nadu government from observing Jayalalithaa's death anniversary since her date of death is "disputed".

"With greatest respect, the court cannot adjudicate disputes with regard to the dates of death of any person", the court observed, according to The New Indian Express reported.

In his PIL, advocate R Kumaravel of Villivakkam in Chennai had stated that the state government had set Justice A Arumughaswamy commission of inquiry to probe the former chief minister's death, it should desist from observing 5 December as her death anniversary and wait for the commission to declare the date of her death.

Jayalalithaa passed away a year ago after a prolonged illness.

With inputs from PTI
Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday stayed the trial court proceedings in the alleged lynching of 17-year-old Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death on a train in June.

A Division bench of the high court also issued a notice of motion to the Haryana government and the CBI on his family's plea seeking a probe by the central agency into the matter.

"The high court today stayed the trial proceedings of the court in Faridabad," said Arshdeep Singh Cheema, the counsel for Khan's father Jalaluddin.

The plea for a CBI probe into the killing of Junaid Khan came up for hearing before the division bench comprising Justices Mahesh Grover and Raj Shekhar Attri.

Khan's father had last week challenged the 27 November judgement of a single bench that dismissed the petition seeking a CBI probe into the alleged lynching by filing an appeal.

The high court single bench had said, "during the course of the hearing, the complainant has not been able to show that there are serious flaws in the investigation, which would lead to the conclusion that the same is shoddy or tainted.

"Besides, there is nothing to show that the incident has any national or international ramifications. It is, thus, not a fit case to exercise an extraordinary power to hand over the investigation to the CBI," the high court single bench had said.

While seeking a probe by the CBI, the appeal filed through advocate Cheema mentions "the true nature of the crime has been subjected to a cover-up. The conduct of the named accused and others as a lynching mob has been concealed. It has been projected as if the occurrence were sudden without any element of perpetrators having acted as in conspiracy or an unlawful assembly".

The case will now come up for hearing on 11 January, Cheema said.

Jalaluddin, through his counsel, had earlier filed the petition on 26 October, seeking a probe by an independent agency, such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in the lynching case.

The petitioner also had demanded a stay on the trial in a Faridabad court.

Khan, who had boarded a Mathura-bound train from Delhi, was allegedly stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers and cousins, was returning home to Khandawali village after shopping for Eid in Delhi in June.

His body was dumped near Asaoti village in Faridabad district.
Hours after the Supreme Court deferred the hearing in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case to 8 February, 2018, BJP and Congress indulged in blame-game on Tuesday, with the latter accusing the former of using Kapil Sibal to delay the proceedings.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday evening, Shah demanded that the Congress make clear its stand on hearing of the case.

Today a surprising stand was taken in SC by Congress leader and Sunni Waqf Board lawyer Kapil Sibal ji, he said hearing should be deferred till after 2019 LS polls.Congress should clear its stand on this: Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/qDdtpDcq4F  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

Shah said that while Rahul was visiting temples in the poll-bound Gujarat, "Kapil Sibal is being used to delay Ram Janmabhoomi case". He made an appeal to the Congress that it should "come clean" on whether it wants the hearing to go on or not.

The BJP president said that he wanted to appeal to Rahul to clear his stand on Ram Janmabhoomi.

Sharply criticising Shah's allegation, Congress spokesperson Randeep S Surjewala said on Tuesday that the party had always been clear that the case will be dealt by the Supreme Court.

He also took a dig at the BJP and said that it was playing the role of 'Manthara', a manipulative character in Ramayana who created conflicts among the primary characters influencing the course of the story.

Who he represents in court is Kapil Sibal's personal matter, Congress has nothing to do with it. Arun Jaitley ji was lawyer in Bhopal gas tragedy,does that mean whole of BJP is to be blamed?: Randeep Surjewala,Congress pic.twitter.com/hfW5Prlk1U  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

Surjewala slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raking up issues related to Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and even the Mughal era instead of those pertaining to Gujarat. He said: "The people of Gujarat want to know when will he come to 2017 and address the problems of today. When will he address the issues faced by Patidar community? When will he accept that GST has terribly affected the textile and diamond industries in Surat and Rajkot. These are important issues."

The Supreme Court adjourned the hearing on the Ayodhya case to 8 February after it began hearing the Ayodhya case on Tuesday.

Representing the Sunni Waqf Board at the hearing in the Supreme Court, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday sought delay in the hearing since he did not believe that Uttar Pradesh had filed all the relevant documents that it presented in Allahabad High Court in the apex court.

Despite Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, making assertions that everything was in place, Sibal questioned the possibility of the documents of over 19,000 pages being translated and filed within such a short time.

Sibal also demanded that the matter be heard by a larger bench of at least seven judges, as opposed to the three-judge bench which was hearing a batch of petitions challenging a 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suit. Sibal further argued that the hearing should be deferred to 15 July, 2019which is after the Lok Sabha electionssince it was not an ordinary case and that the matter had political ramifications.

The apex court, however, rejected Sibal's plea to postpone the hearing to 2019 but agreed to set 8 February, 2018, as the next date for hearing.

With inputs from agencies
Stone-pelting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir have come down by over 60 percent this year compared to 2016, a change that the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police SP Vaid attributed to a range of factors, from a decrease in militancy to awareness programmes for the Valley youth.

An RTI response from the Ministry of Home Affairs said that 2,808 stone-pelting incidents were recorded in 2016, whereas only 1,109 have taken place until October 2017.

In November, Vaid had said that the decrease in such incidents in the state was "more than 90 percent." Although the numbers do not tally with Vaid's assessment, the dip is still significant considering 2016 had over 250 percent more stone-pelting incidents than the current year.

Speaking to Firstpost, Vaid said that one particular reason cannot be picked for the drastic improvement in the numbers. He said although factors such as demonetisation and arrest of separatist leaders in Kashmir by the National Investigation Agency helped the cause, the list did not stop there.

"We eliminated many militants this year, plus actions against stone-pelters have also resulted in the decline," Vaid said. He added that after the youth in the Valley were counselled, incidents of incitement through social media have also been curbed to a large extent.

Vaid said the discourse on social media changed, and "the campaign by Pakistan to incite youth has been curbed".

A report of Jammu and Kashmirs department of home affairs on the unrest in the region after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzafar Wani in 2016 had revealed that before the violent protests, "a campaign was launched through various platforms including social media sites to instigate violence and disturb the peace in the state." It was after Wani's death in 2016 that stone-pelting incidents peaked in the region.

Unlike last year, incidents of stone-pelting in 2017 have been largely restricted to the encounters between the forces and the militants, as local youth tried to rescue militants from security cordons.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (North Kashmir range) Vidhi Kumar Birdi, said, "Our preventive and legal action against stone-pelters helped in the improvement of the situation." He, too, said that NIA raids helped bring the numbers down by a large margin. Birdi added that a sudden lack of cash flow brought about by demonetisation also made it difficult to mobilise stone-pelters in the Valley.

In 2016, police had registered around 2,655 FIRs against youths and 8,587 people were arrested in relation to incidents of stone-pelting. Police had arrested 519 juveniles, and 3,900 stone-pelters in the age group of 18-30 years.

"A number of steps including the extra deployment of security forces, the imposition of curfew and restrictions, temporary suspension of internet services, preventive detentions, deployment of additional troops on the national highway for the restoration of traffic were taken to improve the security situation," the state home department report added.
Kolkata: Kolkata Police on Tuesday summoned the principal of GD Birla Centre for Education in connection with the probe into the alleged sexual abuse of a 4-year-old student in the school allegedly by two male teachers.

A worker engaged in cleaning work and two other non- teaching staff members were also summoned for questioning, a senior Kolkata Police official said.

Principal Sharmila Nath, meanwhile, courted controversy by allegedly revealing the name of the victim girl in letters to guardians, violating the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

Joint CP (Crime) Visal Garg on Tuesday said Nath was summoned at Kolkata Police's women grievance cell at Lalbazar, headquarter of the Kolkata Police.

A special committee formed by the police yesterday to look into the allegations of negligence and false representation on part of the school would question the principal and others.

The committee comprises representatives from the West Bengal State Education Department, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the ICSE Board, New Delhi and the Kolkata Police.

The parents of the girl had lodged a police complaint demanding the principal's arrest for allegedly suppressing facts about the incident and for not taking preventive measures despite a similar incident three years ago.

The principal, in her letter sent yesterday to around 4,000 guardians assuring safety of their wards in the school, had mentioned the name of the girl.

"We have been running the school smoothly for the past 44 years. We can assure you that the safety and security of all our students is always our highest priority while they are in the school premises and while travelling on our school buses", Nath wrote in the letter after naming the girl.

When contacted, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Children's Rights chairperson Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborti said it would show cause Nath for identifying the girl.

"This is absolutely illegal. She cannot name the child. We will show cause the Principal for violating the POCSO Act. How can she do it? She has violated the basic tenets of humanity," Chakraborti told PTI on Tuesday.

In a late night development, the police arrested a staff member of another reputed school, M P Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School, for his alleged involvement in sexually abusing a lower nursery student.

He was arrested late last night for allegedly sexually abusing the child twice  in June and September this year.

The parents had lodged a complaint with the police in September.

The arrest was made only after guardians of other students along with the child's parents demonstrated following the incident at GD Birla Centre for Education yesterday.
The Maharashtra government has promised to waive off all pending farmers' loans by the end of this year. The state government's ambitious loan waiver scheme  known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana  has already missed its initial deadline of 18 October by one-and-a-half months. As reported by Firstpost, still only a few hundred farmers have received their waivers, while lakhs of eligible farmers are in the dark.

The government initially provided 18 October as the deadline to begin clearing pending dues. Then it was stated that all dues would be cleared by 31 October, 5 November, 15 November and 25 November, before this latest announcement was made. State cooperation minister Subhash Deshmukh told mediapersons in Osmanabad, "All of those who have applied for a loan waiver and have pending dues, will receive the waiver by 31 December."

A report in The Times of India on Tuesday said that the government is confident of adhering to a 31 December deadline. "We now have comprehensive data; we are sure the scheme will be implemented before 31 December. We have streamlined the entire process," a high-ranking bureaucrat was quoted as saying in the report. He added that there were goof-ups at all levels, resulting in the delays in implementation of the scheme, but that has been ironed out now.

The bureaucrat added that by 4 December, loans worth Rs 9,284.75 crore had been cleared, benefiting 17,82,533 farmers across the state. This was a significant improvement over the corresponding statistics for 27 November, when loans worth Rs 8,386.6 crore of 15,42,923 farmers were cleared, and for 27 October, when loans worth Rs 899.15 crore for 2,39,610 farmers were cleared.

The farm loan waiver was originally announced on 24 June. The scheme was meant to benefit 89 lakh farmers in the state, making 40 lakh debt-free and providing relief to the other 49 lakh. Loans of upto Rs 1.5 lakh were to be waived off completely under the scheme's provisions.

At the time of its unveiling, Fadnavis had said he's "aware" of the difficulties such an ambitious plan would entail, but said the government is prepared. "We are aware that a decision of this scale will have a bearing on the fiscal health of the state. To counter this, some tough decisions will have to be taken," PTI reported him saying.

However, the scheme has been mired in difficulties almost since its inception. Banks derailed Fadnavis' pet project to such an extent that even the most critical rules devised to ensure corruption-free disbursal to only the most distressed farmers had been consigned to the bin, as revealed by a Firstpost investigation in November. On 18 October, when the scheme's roll-out should have ideally taken place, only a few hundred "possible" beneficiaries received their loan waiver certificates, the Firstpost report said.

Furthermore, some farmers who did not even apply for waiver are reported to have received waiver certificates and some eligible ones received certificates with all kinds of errors: Wrong name, loan details, etc.

However, The Times of India report said that these problems have been worked out satisfactorily. The actual number of eligible farmers came down to 56.59 lakh, while the loan waiver amount has also come down to Rs 27,000 crore.

With inputs from PTI
Mumbai: Banks have so far deposited Rs 5,141 crore in accounts of 9.43 lakh farmers under the loan waiver scheme of the Maharashtra government, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said on Tuesday.

The government has handed over a list of 17.68 lakh farmers and transferred Rs 10,332 crore to banks and the disbursal of this loan amount will pick up speed in coming days, he said.

After due verification, banks have transferred Rs 5,141 crore in accounts of 9.43 lakh farmers eligible for loan write-off under the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana (CSMSSY), the minister said.

Patil, commenting on a farmer agitation led by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha in Akola, said the latter should realise the government has already started implementation of the loan waiver scheme.

"He (Sinha) would realise there was no need for him to continue with his agitation," he said.

Patil said in the next 10 days, the government expects to clear another list of 40 lakh to 48 lakh eligible farmers.

Disbursal of the loan waiver amounts will pick up speed after due verification is done, the minister said.

Patil said overall 80 lakh to 82 lakh farmers are expected to benefit from the Rs 34,000-crore loan waiver scheme announced in June this year.

Replying to queries over the delay in depositing loan waiver amounts in farmer bank accounts, Patil said this was due to "faulty" data collection (on eligible beneficiaries) by the nationalised banks.

In respect of Sinha's agitation over bollworm damaging cotton crop in Vidarbha, he said the government has already issued orders to assess the extent of damage.

He said the government will compensate farmers who have availed crop insurance and also consider bailing out those who have not opted for insurance.
Ahmednagar: A 30-year-old Pune resident called up police posing as an aide of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and got himself arrested so he could receive healthcare in prison, an official said on Monday.

Amit Jagannath Kamble, a resident of Navi Peth in Pune, was arrested on Monday for making calls to the Ahmednagar police and jail authorities posing as a personal assistant of Fadnavis, Superintendent of Police Ranjankumar Sharma said.

On 29 November, Kamble called the police on phone and asked them to shift all the three convicts in the Kopardi rape and murder case to Pune's Yerwada jail instead of taking them to Nagpur prison, he said.

Sharma told PTI Kamble is suffering from a kidney ailment for the last four years and can't afford treatment due to his poor financial condition.

He commits petty crimes to get arrested and avail free treatment and receive healthcare inside the jail, the police officer said.

Kamble has several pending criminal cases against him in Deccan, Vishrambaug, Faraskhana and other police stations in Pune, police sources said.
A three-member doctor panel submitted the preliminary report in Shalimar Bagh Max Super Specialty Hospital medical negligence issue to Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain. The report said the hospital was found guilty of not having followed prescribed medical norms. The doctors had not done ECG tracings before writing the death certificate, India Today reported.

Three member doctor panel submitted preliminary report in Shalimar Bagh Max Hospital medical negligence issue to Delhi health minister, find hospital guilty of not having followed prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants: Delhi government sources  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

In a shocking incident, premature twins were allegedly declared dead by an upscale private hospital and handed in a polythene bag to their parents who realised that one of them was alive only when they were on way to perform the last rites.

On Sunday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said there should be a legal framework to check "open loot" and "criminal negligence" by private hospitals, in the wake of the premature baby being wrongly declared dead by a city-based private hospital. He, however, added that the Delhi government valued the independence of private medical facilities and did not wish to interfere in their functioning.

After the hospital's negligence became evident, the Delhi-based hospital terminated the services of two doctors involved in the declaration of a 22-week-old premature baby as dead while he was alive. "While the inquiry by the expert group which includes external experts from IMA is still in process, we have decided to terminate the services of the two treating doctors, Dr AP Mehta and Dr Vishal Gupta in the case relating to the twin extreme pre-term babies," the hospital had said in a statement.

On Saturday, Jain had said that strict action would be taken against the hospital and if required its licence would be cancelled. He said the government ordered an inquiry on Friday when it came to know about the alleged negligence of the hospital.

Jain said a show-cause notice was served to the hospital on 22 November for not treating poor patients.

With inputs from agencies
The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the Gauhati High Court order which said a residency certificate issued by the gram panchayat had "no statutory sanctity" to make a claim in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam and could "at best be a private document". The apex court, which is monitoring the updation of NRC, said that gram panchayat certificates can be used to establish linkages after the verification process.

A link document proves the applicant's residency in the state through the lineage of their parents or grandparents before 24 March, 1971, the cut-off date set by the Assam Accord, The Wire said in a report.

Citizenship document issue in Assam: SC sets aside Gauhati High Court order, which made gram panchayat certificates invalid in the state. SC says gram panchayat certificates can be used to establish linkages after verification process.  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

Earlier, the court had said that the gram panchayat issued certificate is "meaningless" unless supported by some other valid record to make a claim for inclusion in NRC, Livemint had reported. A bench of justices Ranjan Gogoi and RF Nariman said no verification is made before such certificates are issued, the report added.

"Nobody is claiming citizenship based on this document to get an entry on the NRC list. On its own, this document is neither here nor there. The admission of this document was meaningless. One's legacy, without this document still needs to be verified," the bench had said, according to DNA.

The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Gauhati High Court order.

NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela had informed the Supreme Court that about 48 lakh people have submitted panchayat certificates as documents. He said out of these, 17.4 lakh have been identified as original inhabitants but the rest are yet to be verified, The Economic Times said in a report. Most of the 48 lakh people who submitted the document are married women belonging to the Muslim community of East Bengal origin, who had no other documents to prove their citizenship, The Wire said.

The Supreme Court has also rejected the Centre's plea for more time to publish the draft NRC for Assam. The Centre had sought the extension till 31 July, 2018 to complete the task, However, the Supreme Court rejected the plea, saying "it is the sheer inaction on the part of the executive in dragging the matter for a period of over three years and the absence of any justifiable cause to hold back even a partial publication that has led the Court to direct publication of the draft NRC on or before 31st December, 2017."

The office of the State Coordinator, NRC will now be required to publish the first draft after midnight on 31 December, 2017.

The purpose of the NRC is to identify illegal migrants. Sushanta Talukdar wrote for Firstpost, "there has been a consensus in Assam that the updated NRC would help find a permanent solution as it would help identify all migrants from Bangladesh, who entered Assam illegally after 24 March, 1971. It would help in deletion of their names from voters' list and their expulsion from India in accordance with the Assam Accord."

With inputs from PTI
LONDON (Reuters) - Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya should not be extradited to his home country to face fraud charges related to the collapse of his Kingfisher Airlines because there is no evidence to back up Indias case against him, a London court heard on Tuesday. Vijay Mallya arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Britain, December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Simon DawsonThe Indian government has requested Mallyas extradition from Britain accusing him of fraudulently palming off the airlines losses onto banks by taking out loans he had no intention of repaying. The 61-year-old has had business interests ranging from aviation to liquor. He is also the co-owner of Formula One motor racing team Force India. The case against him centres on a series of loans Kingfisher obtained from Indian banks, especially state-owned lender IDBI. The banks want to recover a total of about $1.4 billion that the state says the defunct airline owes. There is no evidence, Mallyas defence lawyer Clare Montgomery told Westminster Magistrates Court. Economically and legally it is impossible to palm off losses onto banks by borrowing to pass on the cost of failure. She said there were competing narratives, fraud versus business failure, and that no reasonable jury would be able to reach a safe conclusion that there had been a deliberate intent to defraud. She added that the Indian governments case revealed a shocking lack of appreciation of how companies function and of basic realities such as the effects of incorporation and the rights of shareholders. Vijay Mallya arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Britain, December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Simon DawsonMallya, the focus of intense media interest in India, arrived wearing a dark suit and yellow tie and was mobbed by cameramen as he walked into the building. Inside the courtroom he spoke only to confirm his name and age, before sitting quietly in the glass-walled dock as Montgomery spoke. Vijay Mallya arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Britain, December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Simon DawsonShe said the governments allegation that Mallya had deliberately misled banks by overstating Kingfishers projected profits was a false premise. That was because airlines were subject to many unpredictable factors beyond their control, such as fuel cost fluctuations and the global economic climate, so to make entirely accurate projections several years in advance was unrealistic. Montgomery also rejected the allegation that senior managers at state-owned lender IDBI were involved in Mallyas fraudulent plan. That is one of a number of allegations that prosecuting authorities have made without a shred of evidence, she said. Montgomery also rejected the allegation that Mallya had improperly spent the money borrowed from the banks, saying there was no evidence of disbursements on anything other than the benefit of Kingfisher. The extradition hearing is expected to last two weeks. The judge, Englands Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot, will have to decide whether there is a prima facie case against Mallya and whether the alleged crimes would be offences in Britain as well as India.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday was told by a Rohingya petitioner that there were no serious moves by the Indian government to send Rohingya refugees in the country back to Myanmar.

Mohammad Salimullah's counsel Prashant Bhushan told a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar, and Justice DY Chandrachud that there was no substantial change in the situation since the last hearing in the matter.

Bhushan's statement came in response of a query on the situation vis-a-vis the Rohingyas since the case was last heard.

He said a survey of Rohingya refugees was on, describing it as "all right".

The top court is hearing a number of petitions that seek to block the deportation of Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar since 25 August to escape persecution.

The top court was initially moved by Mohammad Salimullah and another Rohingya refugee to seek its intervention to stop the Centre's moves to deport them.

In the last hearing on October 13, the court had asked the Centre to strike a balance between national security, economic interests, and humanitarian considerations with regard to the Rohingyas.

Chief Justice Misra said in the last hearing: "(We should see) how we reconcile national security and economic interests and the protection of women, children, old, infirm, sick and innocent" Rohingyas and "how far this court can go".

"As a constitutional court of this country, we can't be oblivious to this and simultaneously the executive too can't be oblivious to this."

The court observations came as the Centre resisted its earlier observation that the government could take action involving the Rohingyas wherever necessary but they should not be deported.

The Centre has, right from the beginning, questioned the maintainability of petitions of the two Rohingya refugees, contending they cannot invoke the Supreme Court jurisdiction for the protection of their right to life and liberty.

However, the top court on 13 October clarified that Article 21 of the Constitution  that guaranteeing right to life and liberty  was available not only to the Indian citizens but all those living in India.

Article 21 says: "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law."
Nairobi: It's not right to blame the Indian government alone for the skyrocketing pollution in national capital New Delhi and neighbouring areas but even so, there is too much politics on the issue, the country's only cosmonaut has said.

"I think as a people, as a community, we inspire for a better lifestyle...I would really not blame the government. The government is trying to do its best. But to expect the government to clean up after you, I think that is not correct. So there is a lot of responsibility on ourselves (too)," Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (retd), who is in Nairobi with former US astronaut Mae Jemison and NASA's chief climate scientist Paul Newman for a talk on the sidelines of the UN Environment Assembly on how a few humans who have left the surface of the earth have witnessed environmental changes from above, told IANS.

"There is too much politics (in India) and it's not going to help us. Realising our responsibilities is what is going to help us."

"The problem with our country is we have too much politics, less democracy. It's one thing to aspire a better life, it's another to reach there responsibly and I do believe that we have not found that balance yet," Sharma contended.

"I don't think we should keep blaming the government," he said on the blanket of toxic smog over the Indian capital for weeks largely die to mass crop residue burning in the neighbouring states.

Sharma was selected for a joint space programme between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Soviet Intercosmos and flew aboard the Soyuz T-11 rocket on 3 April, 1984 to dock with the Salyut 7 space station.

At that time, he was a 35-year-old fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force.

Also the recipient of the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration, Sharma famously replied to then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when she asked him how India looked from the space: "Saare jahan se achcha." ("The best in the world").

On pollution by world's fastest growing economies India and China, he replied: "India and China are both at the threshold of reaching that point where their people are not being enabled to live that kind of lifestyles which are pragmatic with possibilities."

"There is bound to be an increase in the pollution levels from manufacturing to meet the demands of the new consumer group...So when you add the population of these two countries, we are looking at a disaster waiting to happen."

"So we really need to see that act upon, legislate and, if need be, take stringent action," Sharma said.

Favouring a commitment of not littering, he added: "It's not that we don't know the ramifications of our actions. We do."

The global political leadership and partnerships at all levels need to act in unison, a United Nations Environment report said on Monday, the first day of three-day third UN Environment Assembly.

Over a dozen resolutions, including new approaches to tackle air pollution, the single biggest environmental killer that claims 6.5 million lives each year, are on the agenda of the assembly that is seeing a gathering of over 2,000 heads of state, ministers, business leaders, UN officials and civil society representatives to find new ways to deal with pollution.

"The Executive Director's Report: Towards a Pollution-Free Planet", which the meeting is using as the basis for defining the problems and laying out new action areas, recommended political leadership and partnerships at all levels and action on the worst pollutants.

It also favoured lifestyle changes, low-carbon tech investments and advocacy.
A National Security Guard (NSG) commando committed suicide after shooting at his wife and sister-in-law inside a camp located at Gurugrams Manesar on Tuesday, according to media reports.

An NSG Commando committed suicide after shooting at his wife and sister-in-law in NSG Camp, Manesar this morning. Women admitted in hospital. The cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained.: ACP Manesar Dharamvir #Gurugram  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

The deceased, identified as Jitendra Singh from Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, shot at his wife Guddan (30) and sister-in-law Khushbu (17) with his service gun before shooting himself, Hindustan Times reported.

Residents rushed to the commando's home after hearing the gunshots and informed the police, the report added.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Dharambir Singh, ACP (Manesar) said both victims were rushed to Rockland hospital, where they are recovering. Police are trying to ascertain the cause of the incident.

According to PTI, armed forces lost 597 personnel to suicide in the past five years.

From 2009 to 2013, 597 armed forces personnel committed suicide: 498 from the army, 83 from the air force and 16 from the navy, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said in Rajya Sabha.

The highest number of suicides took place in the army in 2010: 116 troops committed suicide that year, but the number came down to 86 in 2013, according to the figures given by the Jaitley.

In September, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan committed suicide in Pampor town of south Kashmir, according to India Today.

In July, Neeraj Kumar Yadav, a 25-year-old army jawan committed suicide in Mumbai. In his suicide note, he held his superiors responsible for his death.

In 2016, a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan, his wife and eight-month old daughter allegedly committed suicide. The victim was facing departmental inquiry for carrying extra cash.

This is the second suicide case reported from the elite forces camp in Manesar. In October 2011, commando Surendra Singh committed suicide by shooting himself, according to a report in The Indian Express.

With inputs from agencies
Srinagar: National Conference leaders paid tributes to the party founder and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Sheikh Abdullah, popularly known as Sher-e-Kashmir or Lion of Kashmir, on his 112th birth anniversary on Tuesday.

Scores of supporters joined former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and other senior party leaders in offering prayers and floral tributes to the late leader.

Sheikh Abdullah, born on 5 December, 1905, is regarded as one of the most charismatic Kashmiri leaders remembered for his role to liberate the state from the autocratic rule of the Maharajas.

He is also remembered for the revolutionary land reforms he initiated to end absentee landlordship.

The decision to grant proprietary rights to the peasants was the first such decision after the country's independence in 1947 to empower the under privileged peasants.

He died on 8 September, 1982, and is buried on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar's Hazratbal area.

Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary is observed as a public holiday in the state.
On Monday afternoon, a Singapore Airlines flight caused a major scare by nearly landing at Mumbai's Juhu airport after the pilot reportedly mistook its runway for the assigned runway of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport (CSIA).

The flight, with 245 passengers and 14 crew members on board, was forced to discontinue the approach to landing and do a "go-around" by Air Traffic Control (ATC). The flight finally landed at the assigned runway nine minutes behind the scheduled time. However, the airline denied the ATC charge, saying it discontinued its approach because of "poor visibility".

"Singapore Airlines flight SQ422, operating from Singapore to Mumbai on 4 December, was scheduled to land on runway 09 at CSIA at 10:35 am. Due to poor visibility conditions, the crew discontinued the approach to runway 09 at approximately 1,000 feet, in accordance with standard operating procedures," the airline said.

"The ATC Mumbai then vectored the flight for a subsequent approach onto runway 09 and the flight landed uneventfully at 10:44 am. At no time did the pilots of SQ 422 mistake Juhu airport as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport," it said.

However, an ATC source was quoted as saying by news agency PTI that the flight was asked to do a go-around as the aircraft was noticed "moving towards Juhu airport runway".

The two runways, at Juhu and at CSIA, are about a kilometre apart and the Mumbai ATC has an alert in place for pilots. According to a report in The Indian Express, the Juhu runway is much shorter than the CSIA runway, and an erroneous landing could have resulted in an overrun.

Officials were quoted as saying in the report that an issue with the Instrument Landing System (ILS), that allows airlines to continue operations in low visibility conditions, could have been the reason for the confusion.

"The Singapore Airlines pilot was in touch with the Mumbai ATC and the flight was supposed to make an approach for runway 09 of the Mumbai airport. On a preliminary basis, the pilot was unable to judge the direction due to an issue with the ILS at the Mumbai airport. Immediately after the Juhu ATC learnt of the error, the officials alerted the pilot and the Mumbai ATC," said a Juhu airport official. "The error was rectified on time. The aircraft was then diverted to the Mumbai airport runway.

With inputs from PTI
Here is the agenda for the Planning Commission, which meets next Monday at 1 p.m. at the County Courthouse:

I. Opening Comments & Announcements (Chairman)

II. Subdivision Plats & Variances

Variances

1. SD 2017-087 Sonia Lane Subdivision, Lots 1-4, 7400 block Sonia Lane,

Variance for minimum Lot Size, Minimum Lot Frontage, Minimum Lot Side

Setback and Minimum Lot Front Setback

(City of Chattanooga District 6/Hamilton County District 7)

STAFF: Deny



2.

SD 2017-89 Betty Brown Subdivision, Lots 1 & 2, 1514 Thrasher Pike, Varianceon width of existing easement from 50 feet to 21.48 feet(Hamilton County District 3)STAFF: Approve3. SD 2017-090 Jeffery L. Cleary Subdivision, Lots 1 & 2, 2100 block WestFairmount Road, Variance on minimum road frontage from 25 feet to 23.59feet for two (2) flag lots(Hamilton County District 3)STAFF: Approve4. SD 2017-091 Hixson Springs Subdivision, Lot 13, Sitton Mills Place (Private) at8200 block Hixson Springs Road, Variance to allow division of less than 5acres on a private easement(Hamilton County District 2)STAFF: ApprovePreliminary and Final Plat5. SD 2017-086 Kirshner Subdivision, Lots 14-20, 2100 block Union Avenue(City of Chattanooga District 9, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: ApproveFinal Plats6. SD 2017-088 Sonia Lane Subdivision, Lots 1-4, 7400 block Sonia Lane(City of Chattanooga District 6, Hamilton County District 7)STAFF: Deny unless neededvariances are approved7. SD 2017-092 George Luttrell Farms Subdivision, Lots 1-14, 37-67, 74-106,12000 block Clift Mill Road(Hamilton County District 1)STAFF: Approve8. SD 2017-093 Oakvale Subdivision, Lots 1-56, 8200 block Igou Gap Road(City of Chattanooga District 4, Hamilton County District 7)STAFF: ApproveIII. Old Business(NONE)IV. New BusinessA. Rezonings, Closures/Abandonments, Special Permits, Condition Amendments1. MR-2017- 163  Frank Goodwin Unopened alley located in the 200 block ofSawyer Street - City of Chattanooga Mandatory Referral: Alley Closure(City of Chattanooga District 1, Hamilton County District 6)STAFF: Approve2. MR-2017- 174  Shea Properties II, LLC  Alley off 200 block Watauga Street -City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Alley Closure(City of Chattanooga District 8, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve3. MR-2017- 175  PMS Properties  6000 block of Shallowford Road  City ofChattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Abandon Sewer Easement(City of Chattanooga District 6, Hamilton County District 5)STAFF: Approve4. MR-2017- 176  Title Guaranty and Trust Company  Unopened RidgewayAvenue located off 6200 block of Westridge Road  City of Chattanooga Mandatory Referral: Street Closure(City of Chattanooga District 7, Hamilton County District 6)STAFF: Approve5. 2017-177  Carol Lynell Simmons  7722 Lasata Lane  Hamilton County Special Permit: Bed & Breakfast(Hamilton County District 9)STAFF: Deny* withdrawn 6. 2017-178  Ooltewah Development, LLC  9730, 9742 & 9744 East BrainerdRoad  Hamilton County  Special Exceptions Permit: Abandon Planned UnitDevelopment(Hamilton County District 7)STAFF: na*withdrawn 7. 2017-179  Ooltewah Development, LLC 9730, 9742 & 9744 East BrainerdRoad  Hamilton County  Rezone from R-1 Single Family Residential Districtto R-3 Apartment-Townhouse District(Hamilton County District 7)STAFF: na8. 2017-180  Phillip and Jennifer Clay  7628 Davidson Road  City ofChattanooga  Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone to A-1 Urban AgriculturalZone(City of Chattanooga District 4, Hamilton County District 7)STAFF: Approve9. 2017-185  Philip and Jennifer Clay  7628 Davidson Road  City ofChattanooga  Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone to R-4 Special Zone(City of Chattanooga District 4, Hamilton County District 7)STAFF: Deny10. 2017-181  Verizon Wireless  16225 May Road  Hamilton County  SpecialPermit: Communication Tower Facility(Hamilton County District 1)STAFF: Approve11. 2017-182  Southeast Real Estate  7608 Shallowford Road, 2216, 2228, 2242& 2252 Murray Lane  City of Chattanooga  Rezone from R-1 ResidentialZone to R-3 Residential Zone(City of Chattanooga District 4, Hamilton County District 8)STAFF: Defer*withdrawn 12. 2017-183  Flipper Bend, LLC  Roberts Mill Road  Hamilton County  SpecialExceptions Permit: Residential Planned Unit Development(Hamilton County District 2)STAFF: na13. 2017-184  Fickling & Company, Inc.  6038 Hixson Pike  City of Chattanooga Rezone from R-1 Residential Zone to R-3 Residential Zone(City of Chattanooga District 3, Hamilton County District 3)STAFF: DeferGOVERNMENT MANDATORY REFERRAL14. MR-2017- 186  County Public Works Department  10000 block of EastBrainerd Road  Hamilton County - Mandatory Referral: Street Closure(Hamilton County District 7)STAFF: Approve15. MR-2017- 164 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  108 SouthviewStreet  City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 1, Hamilton County District 2)STAFF: Approve16. MR-2017- 165 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  1709 RubioStreet City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 8, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve17. MR-2017- 166 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  2102 RaulstonStreet  City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 8, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve18. MR-2017- 167 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  1104 SouthGreenwood Avenue  City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: DeclareSurplus(City of Chattanooga District 8, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve19. MR-2017- 168 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  1502 East 12 thStreet  City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 8, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve*withdrawn 20. MR-2017- 169 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  1126 East 14 th Street City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 8, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve21. MR-2017- 170 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  1510 East 17 thStreet  City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 8, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve22. MR-2017- 171 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  1905 Huff Place City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 8, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve23. MR-2017- 172 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  4022 ChandlerAvenue  City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 7, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve24. MR-2017- 173 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  3711 4 th Avenue City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 7, Hamilton County District 4)STAFF: Approve25. MR-2017- 187 - City of Chattanooga Real Property Office  5905 ClarkAvenue City of Chattanooga  Mandatory Referral: Declare Surplus(City of Chattanooga District 6, Hamilton County District 5)STAFF: ApproveAMENDMENT RESOLUTIONS26. A RESOLUTION TO AMEND CHATTANOOGA CITY CODE, PART II, CHAPTER 38ZONING REGULATIONS, ARTICLE II. DEFINITIONS AND ARTICLE IV. GENERALREGULATIONS, SECTION 38-32 LOT SIZE, LOT FRONTAGE, SETBACK NOT TOBE REDUCED; EXCEPTION TO ADD A DEFINITION FOR SEWER AVAILABILITYSTRIP AND TO EXCLUDE SEWER AVAILABILITY STRIPS FROM MINIMUM LOTFRONTAGE REQUIREMENTS27. A RESOLUTION TO AMEND CHATTANOOGA CITY CODE, PART II, CHAPTER 38ZONING, ARTICLE V ZONE REGULATIONS DIVISION 10. MXU-MIXED USEZONE, SECTION 38-137 ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS TO DELETE ANDADD A CROSS REFERENCE TO CHATTANOOGA CITY CODE CHAPTER 31,ARTICLE VIII. STORMWATER MANAGEMENT28. A RESOLUTION TO AMEND THE CHATTANOOGA CITY CODE, PART II,CHAPTER 38 ZONING, ARTICLE XVI DOWNTOWN CHATTANOOGA FORM-BASED CODE, RELATIVE TO RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS BASED ON THEONE YEAR REVIEW29. A RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING THAT MEMBERS OF THE CHATTANOOGACITY COUNCIL ADOPT THE UPDATED LAND USE POLICY FOR THE LOOKOUTVALLEY AREA PLAN FOR THOSE PROPERTIES FRONTING BROWNS FERRYROAD BETWEEN INTERSTATE 24 AND CUMMINGS HIGHWAYV. Public Comments on Non-Agenda ItemsVI. Approval of Planning Commission Minutes of November 13, 2017VII. Adjourn
Srinagar: Three Lashker-e-Taiba militants, including two Pakistanis, allegedly responsible for carrying out an attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year, were killed in an encounter in South Kashmir, police said on Tuesday.

One militant, who had managed to flee from the encounter site, was also arrested by the police from a maternity hospital of Anantnag district of South Kashmir, they said.

The encounter broke on Monday afternoon when the militants opened fire on an Army convoy, on its way to Srinagar, at Qazigund on Jammu-Srinagar national highway. One soldier was killed in the attack while another sustained injuries.

The security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the militants. The search operation turned into an encounter with militants which ended at 2 am on Tuesday morning, the police said.

The police identified the dead militants as Yawar Basir, who is a local militant, Abu Furqan and Abu Maviya (both foreign terrorists). Basir, hailing from Habiash of Kulgam, joined ranks with Lashker-e-Taiba this year in February after snatching weapon from a policeman.

Furqan had taken over as the head of Lashker-e-Taiba in South Kashmir after the death of Abu Ismail, who had led the attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year.

Police said that all the three, killed on Tuesday, were part of the squad that carried out the attack on yatris on 10 July. Eight pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured.

Police said the group headed by Furqan, was involved in a series of terror crimes in Anantnag and Kulgam area, which included the Yatra Bus Attack case at Bantingo, few attacks on security forces at Lower Munda on the national highway, attack on police party at bus stand in Anantnag.

Furqan had replaced Ismail in South Kashmir and was responsible for the recent attacks carried by LeT, police said.

Pursuing the leads available at Qazigund encounter, one individual Rashid Ahmed Allai of Hamzapora sangam Bijibehera was arrested from Janglatmandi maternity hospital with a Chinese pistol and live cartridges last night. He was missing since last two days from his house and had joined the Yawar group of LeT.

The police said that he was part of the militant group when they carried out the attack on army at Qazigund on Monday but managed to escape from the site when encounter broke.

He had taken shelter at the hospital in Anantnag with the help of one of his associate. According to the police, he along with his associates were intending to snatch weapon from the policemen by attacking them.
New Delhi: London Mayor Sadiq Khan, on a visit to Delhi on a "severe" smoggy day, on Tuesday launched a global network to find solutions to improve worsening air quality in cities worldwide.

Bengaluru mayor R Sampath Raj will co-chair with Khan the newly formed 'Air Quality Network' under the C40 network to tackle rising air pollution.

The decision to work together on the issue of air pollution was announced at a meeting held by mayors in New Delhi on Tuesday.

C40 is a network of major cities like London, Paris, Los Angeles and Copenhagen working together to reduce greenhouse emissions and creating models that other cities and governments can adopt.

With support from the network of cities, London will set up a trial $1 million worth street-by-street air monitoring system to analyse pollution in over 1,000 areas in London including in schools, hospitals, construction sites and busy roads, the statement said.

All the members will have access to the learnings from the Air Quality Network.

"The results from London's new air quality sensor monitoring trial will be used to target policies, engaging citizens in cleaning up London's air, and will be shared with Bengaluru and other cities in the C40 Air Quality Network," it stated.

"Air pollution is a global problem that harms the lives of millions of people and only by working together will we help beat this international health crisis."

Khan said he was "proud to announce that London and Bengaluru will be leading a new air quality partnership. We hope to work with key cities across the world and in India, including Delhi."

Khan is on a six-day trip to India and Pakistan in a bid to improve London's trade relations with the two countries. He arrived in Mumbai on Sunday.

Khan on Tuesday visited Maharaja Agrasain Public School in Delhi where he met students studying air pollution. He also visited "the incredible Akshardham temple" that he called "sister" to Neasden temple  one of London's hidden jewels.

"Thank you to London's Hindu community for the huge contribution you make to our city," he tweeted, posting a video of his visit.
Akola: A defiant BJP veteran leader Yashwant Sinha, who was detained in Akola on Monday while leading a protest by farmers, on Tuesday vowed not to move out of the place where he spent the night till demands of cultivators of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region are accepted.

The former Union minister, who has had frequent run-ins with the current BJP leadership, was detained last evening while protesting against the state government's "apathy" towards the farmers of Vidarbha. He was taken to the district police headquarters and later released.

However, the 80-year-old leader refused to leave and sat on a dharna at the police ground, where he spent the night. He said he will not budge from the venue till all demands raised by farmers are met.

"The district administration held talks with us till late last night but didn't accept our demands. We won't budge from this venue till demands of farmers are met," Sinha told reporters.

The former Union finance minister said the government does not appear serious about solving problems being faced by agriculturists.

"I feel the attitude of the administration and the government towards farmers woes isn't serious. We are not a thing to be ridiculed, to be made fun of."

Sinha said he spoke to several local and national leaders about issues related to cultivators.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's media advisor Harshal Pradhan told PTI that Thackeray and Sinha spoke on phone on Tuesday and discussed farmers' issues.

Sinha said there has been no communication with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over half-a-dozen demands of farmers.

There were reports that Sinha had a telephonic conversation with NCP chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

The district administration, however, claimed a majority of the demands raised by farmers have been accepted.

Akola Collector Astik Pandey said the authorities concerned have accepted six of the seven demands and requested the agitators to call off the protest.

The demands include compensation to cotton farmers for losses incurred due to pink bollworm infestation, action against companies manufacturing "bogus" biotechnologically modified seeds and 100 percent payout for crop losses to moong, udid and soyabean farmers. They are also demanding that bank officials and administration execute loan waivers by personally visiting gram panchayats.

The other demands are, uninterrupted power supply to agricultural pump sets, removal of "unjust" conditions from the gold mortgage waiver scheme of the government for farmers, and purchase of all farm produce at MSP by NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India).

"Except for the last one (related to MSP), which is a call to be taken by the Central government, we have accepted all six demands and have requested the protesters led by Sinha to call off their stir," Pandey said.

Sinha said the "excuse" about NAFED purchase is not valid as the BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have been procuring farm produce through their own systems.

"Why can't the Maharashtra government (led by the BJP) then do it?" the bureaucrat-turned-politician asked.

Sinha, who arrived here in Vidarbha three days ago to participate in the Kapus Soyabean Dhan (cotton, soyabean, paddy) Parishad, was detained, along with farmers, by police near the collectorate.

Officials said after the detention of Sinha and 150-odd farmers on Monday, they were told around 9:30 pm that they were free and can go.

Since they decided to stay put, they were provided food, water, blankets and toilet facilities at the protest venue, Akola SP M Rajesh Kalasagar said.

Addressing farmers at Kapus Soyabean Dhan Parishad organised by Shetkari Jagar Manch here on Sunday, Sinha had accused the BJP of reneging on promises made to farmers.

"Before coming to power, the BJP had promised to give 50 percent over and above the minimum support price (MSP). But after coming to power, the party forgot the promise.

"Just as Indian soldiers carried out surgical strikes across the border, farmers will also carry out a surgical strike against the government to get justice," Sinha had said.
New Delhi: Social activist Anna Hazare on Tuesday said the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government has weakened the anti-graft mechanism by making an amendment to the Lokpal Act.

Both the Congress and the BJP were pro-industrialists and were never concerned about farmers' problems, he said, while announcing an agitation in the national capital from 23 March, 2018.

Hazare will press for remunerative crop prices and a strong Lokpal.

"The Manmohan Singh government had weakened the Lokpal Act when it was framed. Now, the Modi government has further weakened it when it amended Section 44 that says relatives of government officials will not have to submit property details," Hazare told reporters in New Delhi.

"Interestingly, the Amendment Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in just one go, without holding any discussion."

The anti-graft crusader also said the Modi government was talking about a corruption-free India but on the other hand it was weakening the anti-corruption laws.

"There are five Bills to check corruption that have been stuck in Parliament for last five years. No one is thinking about it...Why is Modi making anti-corruption laws weak?" he said.

Hazare said about 12 lakh farmers across the country had committed suicide in the past 22 years.

The BJP had promised that it would do a lot for farmers' welfare before coming to power but nothing has been done in its three years' of governance, Hazare said.

He said he has written at least 30 letters to the central government over farmers' issues but he has not got any reply so far.

"Now, I have asked for a venue to hold agitation on March 23. The Congress government had earlier denied me any place in 2011 and subsequently put me in the jail. Let's see what this government does now," Hazare said.
All 89 Congress presidential election nominations filed proposed party vice-president Rahul Gandhi as the next party president paving the way for the Gandhi scion's undisputed elevation. There is now only one validly nominated candidate that is Rahul Gandhi left in the fray for Congress president election, AICC elections returning officer M Ramachandran said.

89 nomination papers all proposing names of #RahulGandhi have been received, have scrutinized each &found all valid. There is now only one validly nominated candidate that is Rahul Gandhi left in the fray for Congress president election: M Ramachandran, Returning officer  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

There is now only one validly nominated candidate that is #RahulGandhi left in the fray for Congress president election: M Ramachandran, Returning officer pic.twitter.com/h3TZPZ5Y7D  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

The old guard exuded confidence in his leadership and said he would steer the party to greater heights.

While former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday described him as the "darling of the Congress", Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said he would make a "good future prime minister".

The last date for withdrawal of nominations is 11 December, when the returning officer will declare him elected as the new Congress president.

The election has drawn much criticism since it seems like an eyewash for dynasty politics. Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a rally in Gujarat's Dharampur on Monday had raked up Mani Shankar Aiyar's reported statement on Rahul Gandhi's elevation where he had said "its like Aurangzeb taking over from Shah Jahan".

"I congratulate the Congress on their 'Aurangzeb Raj'. For us, the well-being of the people matters and 125 crore Indians are our high command."

The BJP on Monday played on the words "Pidi" and "peedhi (generation)" while dismissing the process for generational change in the Congress leadership as "Pidhikaran", a reference to Rahul Gandhi's dog, Pidi. Neither the old "peedhi" nor the new "peedhi" matters in the Opposition party, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said, using the Hindi word for a generation to take a swipe at the process to elevate Rahul. In no organisation is a member promoted for repeatedly failing to perform, he said after the Gandhi scion filed his nomination papers to succeed his mother Sonia Gandhi as Congress president.

Senior BJP leader and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Monday claimed that ordinary Congress workers were feeling humiliated and sad with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi filing nomination papers for the post of party president. Sarma, one of the most prominent leaders of the Congress in Assam before joining the saffron party, also said that despite belonging to the 21st century, Gandhi missed a historical opportunity to free the Congress from dynastic and feudal politics.

However, the same day, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had tweeted,"Congress has become a burden on this nation, now would be good if after Rahul ji's elevation once and for all this burden is removed."

On the 30 November, the party's Maharashtra unit secretary Shehzad Poonawalla had called the process to elect the Congress president "rigged" and said that Rahul Gandhi must first resign as its vice-president.

Shehzad said he would also contest the election if it was conducted in a "genuine" manner. On Tuesday, he also wrote a letter to Rahul in this regard."I cannot contest a rigged election. If the system is genuine, then I will contest. It is a rigged election... it is a selection. Delegates who are going to vote for this election have not been elected as per the constitutional requirements. They have been handpicked," he told IANS.
The latest pre-poll survey conducted by ABP-CSDS echoes a question people on the ground in Gujarat have been asking for the past two weeks: "Congress aave chhe? (Is the Congress returning to power?)"

The survey indicates that the momentum is with the Congress. Since August, the Congress has gained the support of nearly 14 percent more voters. Its predicted vote share now stands at 43 percent, the same as the BJP's. In August, the BJP was expected to trounce the Congress with a vote share of 59 percent and a projected win in 144-152 seats. But now, the ruling party has slipped so much that it is projected to just about hit the half-way mark in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly.

How is Congress turning it around?

Four important changes appear to be helping the Congress fight back. One, the strategy of erasing the image of the party being anti-Hindu. Two, ban on the entry of outsiders in the electoral arena. Three, fighting the election the conventional way by going door to door. Four, letting Narendra Modi respond to Rahul Gandhi and Hardik Patel counter the prime minister.

The decision to let Gandhi embrace soft-Hindutva was deliberate. At a meeting of party's top strategists attended by Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot, who is party in-charge of Gujarat, it was decided that the BJP would not be allowed the luxury of running away with the Hindutva narrative.

To erase the impression of the Congress being anti-Hindu, it was agreed the party would project Gandhi as a devout Hindu; not mention the R and G words  riots and Godhara  during the campaign; and ask Muslims to participate without drawing attention to their identity.

The argument was simple: The BJP is good at mobilising voters in the name of Hindutva. But, when it comes to social engineering, the party struggles to come up with a fail-proof strategy. This learning was emphasised by the BJP's win in Uttar Pradesh and the debacle in Bihar. So, the Congress decided to simultaneously work on its anti-Hindu image and build a rainbow coalition of castes and communities.

This strategy of denying BJP the opportunity to fall back on Hindutva by positioning the Congress also as pro-Hindu has worked so far. The survey shows that the Congress has made deep inroads into the BJP vote banks of tribals, traders and Patidars. These voters have so far stayed immune to the BJP's call for supporting the party, that is the original proponent of Hindutva and patron of nationalists.

The other important change in the Congress strategy is to not let Modi get away with his searing rhetoric and claims. His every statement is now scrutinised and countered immediately. In doing this, the party has realised that when it comes to rebuttals, Gandhi is no match for the prime minister. So, the party spars with Modi only on social media. The task of taking him on with a louder rhetoric is left to Hardik, a fiery orator trained in the Sangh-style of polemics.

This war on two fronts against Modi is now evident in the alacrity with which the Congress attacks the prime minister on social media and the ferocity of Hardik's verbal attack at rallies in Saurashtra and south Gujarat. A few days ago, when Modi claimed that former prime minister Indira Gandhi had covered her nose during her 1979 visit to Morbi, because of the stench of carcasses, the Congress immediately released the cover of a local magazine that even RSS workers who visited the site had to mask their faces.

Simultaneously, Hardik launched a verbal attack on the prime minister, asking how Modi could come "running" to Morbi from Trivandrum, where he claimed to be on the day of the dam burst that killed hundreds of people.

So, while Gandhi attacks the BJP and its policies, Hardik follows Modi on the ground. In his speeches, he challenges the prime minister's statements, denounces claims of development and chides Gujaratis for believing everything he tells them.

Gandhi berates them for getting used to "slave mentality" and exhorts them to question the BJP's narrative. Since Modi has decided to ignore Hardik as an upstart, the young leader now has the advantage of creating his own narrative without a proper counter.

Whether the Congress goes on to win the election will depend on how effectively it is able to implement another change it has made in its strategy. This year, instead of letting its other leaders address election rallies, it has asked them to go door to door, mobilise workers and manage booths on polling day. The task of holding rallies, mobilising voters has been left to Gandhi, Hardik, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mewani. Its own stalwarts have been asked to concentrate on reaching out to voters and ensure their anger translates into electoral gains.

The fear within the Congress is that its workers are not as dedicated as the BJP cadres. After a few hours of polling, they leave the booths and go home. Also, the BJP has the advantage of last-mile connectivity with voters because of its numerical strength and technological edge.

The Congress is hoping its own teams will combine effectively with dedicated supporters of Hardik, Thakore and Mewani on polling day to ensure the Congress indeed returns to power.

Read complete coverage of Gujarat Elections 2017 here
New Delhi: In January 2013, Rahul Gandhi was named Congress vice-president when his mother told him the night before that "power is like poison".

Five years after that emotional acceptance speech in Jaipur, Rahul Gandhi is ready to pick up that poison chalice. With no other claimants to the post, he will step into his mother Sonia Gandhi's shoes as Congress president next week.

Shehzada, princeling and Pappu, the Gandhi scion, who saw his grandmother and father getting assassinated, has been called many a derogatory name through the years as he appeared to shy away from the responsibility of leading the Congress.

The young bespectacled boy who clung to his father Rajiv Gandhi's waist as his grandmother Indira Gandhi's body was consigned to flames is now 47.

There has been no getting away from the spotlight since for the man poised to take over as president of the party, the sixth from the Gandhi-Nehru 'dynasty' to do so, continuing a chain beginning with Motilal Nehru.

The easy elevation is unsurprising, given the tacit understanding within the party that the mantle must pass from Gandhi to Gandhi.

Politics may or may not have been his calling but it was certainly in his blood. So, as he moved from a home education to Delhi University's St Stephen's College and then to Harvard and Rollins College in Florida and Trinity College, Cambridge, the final goal was always clear.

He also joined the Monitor Group, a consulting group in London, where he worked for three years. But it had to be back home, to a political role carved out for him, after that.

Often dismissed for practising the politics of "fits and starts", Rahul Gandhi became an MP in 2004 when he won the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

He has taken a surprisingly long time to learn the ropes, coming across as earnest and well-meaning but also uncertain and disinterested.

He took up emotive issues like the agrarian crisis in Vidarbha, did the unusual by staying the night at a Dalit home in Uttar Pradesh with then British foreign secretary David Milliband, but squandered much of the goodwill by seeming to lose interest and disappearing from view.

In 2015, for instance, he took a 56-day sabbatical. And there are also two annual sojourns timed around his June birthday and New Year's Eve.

He may no longer have that luxury.

His first litmus test is only days away with elections in Gujarat on 9 and 14 December. The results for both the polls in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will be out on December 18.

Top Congress leaders say Rahul Gandhis leadership of the party would be established if he delivers a victory in Gujarat or at least substantially improves the Congress tally.

Gandhis past electoral record has not been too good. Since he became Congress vice president in 2013, the party has lost power in the state after state and is left with only Punjab, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

But Rahul Gandhi looks more confident than he has for a while, having worked on his image and outreach.

Armed with a refurbished social media team mostly managed by his hand-picked people, he is trying to shed his reticence and appear more accessible.

Hes now more relaxed and confident, targets Modi regularly with snappy one-liners (Gabbar Singh Tax, for instance), takes selfies with people and has improved his Twitter following to 4.71 million.

In a dose perhaps of some realpolitik, Rahul Gandhi is also openly declaring his Hindu credentials.

"I am a Lord Shiva worshipper," he said recently to counter the BJPs efforts to win the Hindu vote.

He has been visiting temples routinely  and does not necessarily visit mosques at the same time.

In doing so, he seems to be correcting the Congress' pro-minority image.

Rahul Gandhi has also been speaking out on his life outside the spotlight.

"I believe in destiny," he said when asked why he is not getting married.

He recently also revealed that he is a black belt in the Japanese martial art form Aikido.

It may have made a difference.

Of late, the BJP seems to be taking Rahul Gandhi more seriously, often fielding a host of ministers to counter the Congress charge against demonetisation and GST.

Congress leaders say he has come of age and cite his address at the University of California, Berkley, where he boldly took questions, even on dynastic politics.

There was the Rahul Gandhi who walked into the Press Club of India and tore off an ordinance by the then Congress-led UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh to overturn an apex court order barring convicted MPs from contesting elections.

And then there is this one readying to be president of the grand old party. Maybe not so impetuous or naive, but reasoned and rational.

The normally taciturn Manmohan Singh yesterday called Rahul Gandhi the "darling of the Congress" after he filed his nomination.

It is now up to Rahul Gandhi to prove he is indeed one.

Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017
The latest opinion poll conducted by Lokniti-CSDS-ABP News predicts that the Gujarat Assembly election 2017 may not be an easy victory for the BJP after all.

In a major turnaround, the poll has predicted that Congress will give the BJP a tough time in the upcoming polls. It said that in the 182-member Assembly, BJP is likely to win 91-99 seats while the Congress will bag 78-86 seats, according to ABP Live.

It further predicted that both Congress and BJP will get around 43 percent of the votes each. The Patidar community, traditionally constituting a vote bank for BJP, will slide towards the Congress, predicted the opinion poll.

This prediction is a massive turnaround from the one the poll had made in August, when it had predicted that BJP will win 144-152 seats in the Assembly while Congress will manage to win only 26-32, according to The Times of India. By October, this number for the BJP had fallen to 113-121 while for the Congress, it had risen to 58-64.

The poll also said that in south Gujarat, Congress will gain an 11-percent vote share to surge ahead of the BJP.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi likened the imminent elevation of Rahul Gandhi to dynastic succession of Mughal rulers, and castigated the Congress for abandoning "public modesty" by deciding to make a person, who is out on bail in a graft case, its president.

The prime minister also targeted the Congress over corruption during its rule, and spoke about the clean governance under him in Gujarat and at the Centre.

Modi said with the Congress deciding to make such a leader its president gave a glimpse of what culture the party will follow and the kind of leadership will emerge there in future.

The Gujarat Assembly election will take place in two phases on 9 and 14 December. The counting of votes will take place on 18 December.

With inputs from PTI
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi might be listing demonetisation and GST as his government's two major achievements which changed the course of the Indian economy but the people of Maninagar, the constituency he represented as chief minister, do not seem to be all that enthusiastic about it as they share their woes on how the two decisions disrupted their business activity and dampened consumer demand.

But many of them still believe that the BJP would sail through in the coming election as voters in this assembly segment of Ahmedabad district have an emotional attachment to the prime minister. They also feel that after his elevation, the state has suffered a lot in terms of administration in his absence.

People of different age groups and different sections of society can be seen walking and jogging in the early morning hours at Kankaria lake in the heart of Maninagar.

Naresh Bhai in his 70s, a retired official from the state electricity department, was returning home after his morning walk. When asked about the election scenario, he said, "it's a cakewalk for BJP. This seat has been the traditional seat of BJP and that too represented by Modiji." But, he said, after becoming prime minister, he has been taking decisions unilaterally which were against the will of the people.

"He is taking decisions in national interest but not taking people into confidence before taking decisions. He took the decision to ban the currency notes but he did not think of difficulties people suffered. Now, he has implemented GST, which has affected business a lot. After protests, he has been taking remedial measures. He should have taken these decisions after taking people into confidence," he said.

Hitesh Bhai Panchal, 46, who runs a printing press in the Khokhra circle, called himself a victim of GST.

"I had appointed a part-time accountant for maintaining the accounts and was paying Rs 6,000 per month after implementation of GST now I am bound to keep a full-time accountant by paying Rs 12,000 per month. This extra amount of Rs 6,000, which I am paying to my accountant used to be my savings earlier," he said.

Naresh Bhai and Panchal told a visiting IANS correspondent that they have not yet decided whom to vote for and would take a call later depending on the emerging situation.

However, a group of five people, who were together taking sips of tea after their morning walk, were clear about whom they would vote for.

"Beshak dhandhe par maar padi hai isme koi shak nahi lekin Modiji ke liye sab kuch sahan kar lenge (No doubt our business has been affected but we are ready to tolerate everything for Modiji).

"He is our leader and has emotional connect with the people here. It was Modiji who saved us from the atrocities of a community during Congress regime. Today we feel secure due to him only," said Lalji Bhai Sinh.

Echoing similar views, Sagar Parikh, a businessman, said, "If BJP gets defeated then the situation in the state will be back as it was in the 90s. The state has suffered a lot after Modiji went to national politics to become prime minister."

"Prashashan me dhilai aa gayi hai, wo sabko tight karke rakhte the (There has been laxity on the part of the administration. He used to keep them working)," he said despite accepting that demonetisation and GST have adversely affected their daily earnings.

Mahesh Bhai Chouhan, a taxi driver, said that despite all the problems people here will vote in the BJP's favour.

"Poore Gujarat me BJP jite na jite par yahan se toh jitegi hi (BJP may or may not win in the entire state but will easily sail through here)," he said.

Naresh Bhai Dantani, a daily wage worker (mason) in the railway station area of Maninagar, was eagerly looking to get some work and looked disappointed as his wait was getting longer.

"We are the real victims of demonetisation and GST. During the days of demonetisation, we rarely got any work. I went back to my home village Ghatlodiya and focused on farming for a few months. Now, they have brought GST. The shopkeeper adds the GST rate to products like cement, plaster and other material and also gets his share but when we use these materials in construction we do not get our share," Dantani said adding that his vote would definitely go to the "hand"  the Congress election symbol.

Modi represented this seat in the state assembly from 2002 to 2014 until he became prime minister. After he resigned Modi handed over the baton to Suresh Patel, who is representing the seat by winning the by-poll. The BJP has been winning this seat since 1990.

The Congress has fielded 34-year-old Shweta Brahmabhatt, who returned to India from the UK after completing her Masters from a business school in Westminster. She is an IIM pass out in political leadership.

Belonging to a Congress family, she is banking on the image of father Narendra Brahmabhatt and focusing on wooing over 60 percent young voters of the constituency.

Maninagar will go to the polls on 14 December in the second phase of the two-phase elections.

Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017
Elections are critical political barometers that judge the mood of the people on many counts with education being an important one. As Gujarat's third-largest city gets ready to vote to elect its representatives for the new state Assembly, the state of education in erstwhile Baroda has left many concerned citizens worried.

In the heart of the city of Vadodara stands the Maharaja Sayajirao University, alma mater to Vinoba Bhave, the spiritual successor to Mahatma Gandhi, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009, Dadasaheb Phalke, father of Indian cinema and Lord Meghnad Desai, economist and Labour politician. Days before the city with five Vidhan Sabha constituencies casts its vote in the Assembly elections, Firstpost reached the university's campus to find out what hopes and despair this round of polls are attached with.

Sayajirao Gaikwad III, Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, could have drowned his life in single malts and patted shiny black stallions around tropical foliage and cold water fonts inside a palace comfortably ensconced. But Sayajirao was an educationist, a believer that higher learning of science, of maths, of Sanskrit and the arts, can bring social reform and put India on par with the West. He brought a 20-year-old Sri Aurobindo back from Cambridge to India to inspire a generation of young Indian patriots and patronised Bhimrao Ambedkar whose ink lent to the letters of independent India's Constitution. Sayarijao retains his hold on the psyche of the Vadodara.

The Firstpost team met II Pandya, Associate Professor of Structural Engineering and former president of Baroda University Teachers' Association. "There are more than 700 teaching posts that are vacant, out of the 1,278 posts sanctioned by the Government of Gujarat. Most departments are being run by less than 50 percent full-time staffers," he admitted that the Engineering department is better placed than other departments right now but most of its senior faculty, including himself, is retiring in 2020 and that worries him.

The Department of Sociology's first Head of Department was MN Srinivas, who gave the discipline the concept of 'Sanskritisation' revealing the fluidity within the Indian caste system. It is now being run by one junior lecturer and four temporary teachers. "There are nearly 40,000 students enrolled in the university but our sanctioned strength is only about 18,000. The additional students are studying in 'self-financed' courses."

Pandya explained that as the university has been diversifying since the 1980s and the demand for courses like BBA, BCA, MCA, diplomas in management and languages like French and German was growing but the state university received no new sanctioned post after 1984.

So, the trend of self-financed courses started. In this, teachers are hired and the public university charges higher fees from the students to run the departments. "While the regular BCom costs Rs 5,000, the self-financed BBA program costs up to Rs 45,000. The teachers are appointed on fixed salaries for eight to nine months and every year new teachers come and go. Sometimes, the full-time staff also lends itself to these courses to make extra money. There are more than 25 self-financed courses," Pandya said. He believes that the parent-teacher connect and the overall quality of learning suffers at the hands of such functional temporariness. Some faculty members, more than others, feel bad that 'higher education' is now 'hire education' and the vision of the Maharaja is being blinded.

Walking past the university's bold byzantine arches and brick red and polychrome Mughal domes towards the Gujarati department, Bharat Mehta waits to share his story. "The career advancement scheme under which we become professors require that we must have at least three articles published in journals. I came to MS University as a reader in 1998, authored 30 books, earned seven national fellowships and four awards from Gujarat's Sahitya Academy. I fought a case against the state government in the high court and finally earned my professorship in 2010," he alleged that critical thinking in academia is being stifled.

A rejection of difference of opinion evolves, slowly and surely, into a culture of dissent. This suspicion towards anything that the government does also harm the university, for instance, the Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavalamban Yojana, intended to provide financial aid to about 70,000 college students from less privileged backgrounds, isn't properly implemented in MS University.

The ideological gap between the university and the government widened after the Gujarat Higher Education Council Bill 2016 was passed. As per this bill, 15 ex-officio members including the chief minister, two ministers, secretaries of education, finance, industries and labour department, among others could form a council that would 'carry out effective monitoring of the academic, administrative and financial performance of universities and affiliated colleges and to recommend remedial measures for better performance'. They were vested with sweeping powers to regulate higher education. It is mentioned in Section 15 of the Bill that the government could also ask the universities to implement reforms suggested by the council.

"Despite resistance from teachers and andolans on Baroda's streets; the act was signed by the governor. Such an environment of antagonism between the state and the educators isn't healthy for any society," said Professor Mehta.

Deeptha Achar of the English Department tells Firstpost there should be a fine balance should be maintained between autonomy and adherence to state police. "For this, what's required is fine administrators, fine teachers and an out-of-the-box approach," she said. The alienation of educators with the government is furthered by a denial of secure jobs and satisfying salaries. Nivya Patel completed her MA from Gujarat University and her Phd from Saurashtra University, with six gold medals in the early 90s. Today, she is a member of the Adhyapak Mandal with nearly 300 others who are fighting for regularisation of their jobs. She lives around the university campus but teaches at a government college in Anklav, 40 minutes from Vadodara, and gets paid Rs 18,000.

Just outside the university gates, at the Sayajiganj circle, a group of people holds candles and a banner that read 'All Vadodara Vali Mandal Association'. This is Vadodara chapter of All Gujarat Vali Mandal, an association of parents resisting against the arbitrary and rapid fee hike by private school operators across the state. In 1906, Sayajirao became the first Indian ruler to introduce free and compulsory education in the state of Baroda. Today, parents holding messages like 'education is not a business' on its streets.

Present among the crowd was advocate Kishore Pillai who explained the matter. There are two sets of cases filed in the high court, one filed by the association of schools in Vadodara which challenges the act called The Gujarat Self Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017 that prescribes an upper limit of Rs 15,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 27,000 on primary, middle and high school education respectively.

"The bill was introduced with good intention by the government but because the private school owners resisted, it hasn't come to fruition," said Pillai, who is representing the petitioner who approached the court to direct the government to implement the rule through Secretary, Education.

The petitioner, Pavitra Mukhopadhyay, a social worker, said he had pinned all his hopes on the judiciary. "Out of the roughly 160 private schools in Vadodara, about 45 are using muscle power and political clout to reject the government-prescribed fee scale. There's an urgency in the matter because four students of Nalanda International School were recently sent back from the premises of the school only because the parents refused to pay the illegally-collected higher fee," he revealed that the list of schools not obeying the government's rule include Navrachana International, DR Amin Memorial, Sant Kabir, Cynus World School and Delhi Public School.

"The act has got an intrinsic way of checking the implementation, this is through the chairman of the fee regulatory committee. In Vadodara, the chairman is a retired judge of the high court. Then why isn't he taking disciplinary action towards who are coming in the way of responsible implementation of an act formed by the respected government?" asked Advocate Pillai.

There are more than 120 special civil applications that have been filed by school managements against the Fee Regulation Act, the hearings of which have been clubbed together. "The oral order by the court on these applications don't mention any interim order restraining the act, they only offer a one-month extension to file proposals for an enhanced fee, which was over in June," said Pillai. The All Gujarat Vali Mandal has similar chapters in Rajkot, Surat and Ahmadabad.

Among the protestors here was Vadodara's ex-Mayor Ratilal Desai. "Whether it's Sayajirao's town or Jyotiba Phule's town, if the government doesn't show empathy towards the education system, people will suffer. The problem with Gujarat is that there is only party and the opposition has remained weak. Even if the opposition wins, it'll win because of people's frustration and not on its own merit," he told Firstpost. Some parents in the group, dodging the hot wax on melting candles, mentioned that they'd like the approach the Aam Aadmi Party adopted in Delhi; the management of 449 private schools was taken up by the Delhi government in order to bring in transparency into their accounts.

"In that scheme, classes were not disrupted. In Gujarat, students are being sent back from schools because parents simply want the schools to obey a government rule. It is really quite strange," said Mohd. Hanif, who disclosed that there's a 10 per cent increase in fees every year and he shells out roughly Rs 35,000 per year on each of his three school-going children. He often wonders if he'll be left with any money by the time they get to college.

But the Aam Aadmi Party's presence in Vadodara weakened after its leader Chinnam Gandhi recently resigned and joined the Congress. Speaking to Firstpost, the Convener of AAP in Gujarat, Kishore Desai said that the pace of privatisation in education is scary. "To adopt the Delhi model here in Gujarat, it is also necessary to parallelly improve the quality of government schools. There's a shortage of government school teachers who are also put on election duty or are seen conducting corporation surveys or doing census work," he noted that privatisation can be fought by strengthening the backbone of public education - the teachers.

The Gujarat government does conduct an annual initiative to evaluate primary education scenario and grade primary school teachers across the state called Gunotsav. As per Statistics of School Education (2010-2o11), conducted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2010-2011, in Gujarat, out of the 3575 schools, 227 were run by the government, 74 by local bodies, 1,863 by private-aided bodies and 1411 by private-unaided bodies.

Naresh Shah, President of the All Gujarat Vali Mandal, told Firstpost that privatisation of education doesn't necessarily mean an improvement in the quality of education. "Private schools often hire less qualified teachers on lower salaries," he recited the group's slogan of Shiksha ej Saacho Vikas (Education is the true meaning of development).

Bhavna Sapkal, President of the Vadodara Vali Mandal, leading the march, said that schools are refusing to share the report cards of those wards whose parents aren't willing to pay the higher fees. "The schools are aware of the vulnerability of these parents and this is how privatisation is turning parents into slaves of the system," she explained.

The frustrated parents too opened up. Men who identified themselves as Deepak Thakkar and Sanjeev C Solanki said they pay an annual school fee of Rs 80,000 and Rs 40,000 respectively. "If education has to be privatised, then they should treat us like consumers and ask us to pay the fees after the semester is over and the fee scale should be proportionate to the child's result," said Satyam Sharma, who pays Rs 40,000 for his two children who are still in primary school.

"When we started this Vali Mandal in March, we found out that the books the schools forcibly sell us are available in the open market for as much as 30 percent of the price. On a state-level, this is a figure that runs into crores," Sharma pointed out.

Sayajirao unleashed education like an iron sword to tear through the evils of untouchability and child marriage. Today, Vadodara is left with a rusted sword and the story of a dead king.
Week of December 4



Mayfield Christmas Chorus Program will be Monday, 6:00 pm at the Lee University Conn Center. All students, family members, and the community are invited to attend this special evening. For more information contact Randall Stephens, 423-472-4541, rstephens@clevelandschools.org.



The E.L. Ross Boot Scootin' Book Fair will be open all this week. Special events planned during the week include:

Book Fair extended hours on Tuesday, 6:30-7:30 pm.

Christmas Show Choir Performance, Tuesday, 6:00 pm

Family Ornament Making , Tuesday, 6:30-7:30 pm

Grandparents' Breakfast and Book Fair, Thursday, 7:30-8:30 am

Click here for more information.



The Denning Center hosts Coffee with the Counselor on Tuesday, 7:30-8:30 am. Parents/guardians can drop in and discuss important topics related to their student and check on their progress. Coffee, tea, and donuts are provided. For more information contact Blair Deacon-Smith, 423-339-0902, bdeacon@clevelandschools.org.



Blythe-Bower Elementary String Ensemble Concert will be Tuesday, 2:15 pm. Parents and guests are invited to attend. For more information contact Joel Barnes, 423-479-5121, jbarnes@clevelandschools.org.



Join E. L. Ross Elementary for the Ross Give Back Event at Chili's on Tuesday. Enjoy lunch or dinner at the Cleveland Chili's and tell your server that you are representing E.L. Ross. Chili's will give back a portion of your sale to the school PTO. For more information contact Lisa Earby, 423-479-7274, learby@clevelandschools.org.



Blythe-Bower Elementary Rockin Bobcat Band Concert will be Wednesday, 2:15 pm. Parents and guests are invited to attend. For more information contact Joel Barnes, 423-479-5121, jbarnes@clevelandschools.org.



Yates Primary 1st grade classes present the ABC's of Christmas on Thursday, 2:00 pm. Families are invited for this holiday performance. For more information contact Mike Collier, 423-479-1723, mcollier@clevelandschools.org.



Cleveland Middle School and Cleveland High School Band Concerts will be Thursday starting at 6:30 pm at the Cleveland Middle School gym. Families and friends are invited to hear the bands perform holiday favorites.

6:30 pm - 6th Grade Band

7:15 pm - 7th Grade Band

8:00 pm - 8th Grade Band

8:20 pm - CHS Band

Blythe-Bower Elementary will host the All Pro Dad Breakfast on Friday, 7:40 am. All students and fathers are invited to attend this monthly breakfast program. For more information contact Laura Murray, 423-479-5121, lmurray@clevelandschools.org.



PTO Meetings:
What started as a walkover now seems to be acquiring the airs of a close competition in Gujarat, if you go by the changing nature of opinion polls days before the state goes to the polls. Congress, to even its own surprise, seems to be gaining ground, and the famed war machine of BJP is coming unstuck, they would have you believe.

Though, pollsters and pundits seem to forget one small subtext running through BJPs campaign. The understated line often gets drowned out in the cacophony of BJP campaign based on Alauddin Khilji, Hafiz Saeed, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb: Apparently all genuine poll issues in 21st Century Gujarat. This new line is about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and comparing him with his performance as Gujarat chief minister for 17 years.

Gujaratis are being offered the liberty of choosing between Modi who rode to the high seat in New Delhi based on the brand equity he cultivated as chief minister, and the Modi who has been ruling India for past three years. The first remains a wildly popular figure here, almost mythical. The second evokes mixed feelings, but sundry grievances apart, the brand of Modi, who is promising a better tomorrow, has its own takers.

And either way you choose, the BJP gets to laugh its way to the bank. Look closer, you will see this prime minister 2017 versus chief minister 2012 narrative playing out on multiple levels. The prime minister it seems, is BJP's only bet in the state, and the party is confident.

In Surats textile market, 47-year-old Sanjay Jagnani, originally from Rajasthan, complains about Goods and Services Tax (GST). However, he doesnt agree with Rahul Gandhi terming it Gabbar Singh Tax either. Jagnani said, Its a catchy phrase. But Rahul wont come to power, how will he change GST? Jagnani said it was unfortunate that GST was stuck for 16 years during the Congress rule in New Delhi.

It was stuck because of Congress, now Modi has shown courage, he said. The textile market in Surat was shut for about 20 days to protest against the GST. Jagnani asked if GST was to promote Inspector Raj: What are they trying to prove by making us file three returns a month? But he was quick to add that there can be no doubt about the prime ministers integrity. Modi has been in politics for 50 years. He has experience and wisdom. He is a good leader and was an effective chief minister. Just because we are raising an issue doesnt mean we are against him, he said.

When Modi visited Kutch on 27 November to launch the poll campaign, he talked about his own record as chief minister and how he changed the fortunes of Kutch, turning it into a tourist destination. Reminding people of the past, he said, in the old days, government officers preferred not to take up their assignment in Kutch because of water problems. Congress did not allow Narmada water to come to Kutch. What if the Narmada waters had come to Kutch 30 years earlier? It would have made such a big difference, he said. The BJP is confident of winning Gujarat with Modi campaigning aggressively. Nobody knows Gujarats districts and its 182 constituencies better than him, said a state BJP leader.

In Surat, in 2007, Dr Pooja Singh set up Nimaaya Womens Centre for Health with her husband. During the past 10 years, the fertility clinic has ensured 7,000 safe deliveries. Her husband, Dr Prabhakar Singh, remembers the horror of the 1994 pneumonic plague. Surat was in a pathetic state. My friends who have lived here for three decades are amazed at how things have turned around in the past 20 years. Today, Surat is one of the cleanest cities in India. We believe Modi as prime minister can change things. It took Gujarat 20 years to do it, he said.

American politics is replete with instances of governors who went on to become president. Jimmy Carter became US president right after Georgia governorship. Similarly, Bill Clinton won the presidential election after serving as the governor of Arkansas for four terms. In India, HD Deve Gowda was first former chief minister who became prime minister. But Modi sold his governance model to the country in 2014 polls. On the one hand the Modi of 2017 is selling the dream of 2022, and on the other, he is reminding people of Gujarati pride and using history as a weapon. In Baroda Lok Sabha seat, which Modi won with a record margin in 2014 before vacating it for Varanasi, Naznee Kanchwala said she was initially unhappy that Modi chose Uttar Pradesh over Gujarat, but she later felt it is for the larger good.

Fyona Dias, a student of Barodas prestigious MS University, said, We have seen him as chief minister. We have seen him work. Why should we bother to find an alternative? Standing next to her is Abhivyakti, a student of political science, who sees Hardik Patel as a fresh face who is trying to break BJPs hegemony. Patels rallies have been drawing massive crowds, making the BJP anxious about Patidar votes. On Sunday, the 24-year-old leader addressed around 50,000 people in Surat, asking them to teach BJP a lesson. This came after a series of roadshows across constituencies where Patels are a sizeable vote bank. It has been three-and-a-half years since Modi moved to New Delhi, but Gujarat is yet to find a new leader. For most Gujaratis, Modi is the synonym for leader.

Explaining this phenomena, political analyst Neerja Chowdhury said, There is unhappiness on the ground against the BJP, but not Narendra Modi. The Congress doesnt have the organisational muscle to convert this unhappiness into votes. They dont have the face. Even though people may want change, the obstacle in the way of change is the persona and stature of Modi. And Modi is incomplete without Amit Shah, the man who knows the art of converting the prime minister's popularity into votes. Shah, who catapulted brand Modi and has a unique relationship with the prime minister, has been camping in Gujarat for around three months, ensuring that anti-incumbency doesnt hurt the partys prospects.

But such dependence on Modi completely undermines the autonomy of his successors: Anandiben Patel and Vijay Rupani. This is one of the reasons why Rajkot farmer Rajesh Patel is looking for an alternative in the Congress. BJP removed Keshubhai Patel and made Modi the chief minister. After Modi, it removed Anandiben Patel and installed Vijay Rupani. BJP doesnt care for Patels, said Patel. The capital of Saurashtra, Rajkot has long been a bastion of Hindutva politics. In 2002, Narendra Modi contested his first election from Rajkot West.

Senior journalist Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, who has authored a Modi biography, said, Modis hypnotic effect is waning and he has to recast it. He said for the first time, Modi was being questioned. Gujarat 2017 is a much keener battle than 2012 or 2014, Mukhopadhyay added. Politics is seen best through the lens of time. Modi today, is reminding Gujarat of his tenure as chief minister, while recounting the benefits of tough decisions such as GST and demonetisation he took as prime minister. When we look at the past through the lens of present, the results are often surprising.

Marya Shakil is political editor of CNNNews18. This article first appeared on www.News18.com

Read complete coverage of Gujarat Elections 2017 here
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Tuesday asked poll authorities in Gujarat to ensure that voters in Assembly seats falling in the path of Cyclone Ockhi are able to cast exercise their franchise on 9 December without inconvenience despite inclement weather.

Citing a weather bulletin, the poll panel pointed out that the movement of the cyclonic depression over parts of Gujarat is likely to be accompanied by a wet spell over the next three-four days.

In a letter to the chief electoral officer of Gujarat, the commission said considering the cyclone alert and the scheduled first phase of polls on 9 December, "besides making effective arrangements for immediate relief and rehabilitation, adequate, effective and fool-proof arrangements may also be made...towards the smooth and efficient conduct of the election process".

It said the authorities should also ensure that all the voters are "able to exercise their franchise without any inconvenience".

Read complete coverage of Gujarat Elections 2017 here
Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa was remembered on her first death anniversary on Tuesday, with AIADMK veterans E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam leading the party supporters in paying tributes.

Tamil Nadu: CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam paid tribute to former CM #Jayalalithaa at Jaya Memorial on her first death anniversary. pic.twitter.com/v7KNAUvFco  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

Jayalalithaa is fondly addressed as 'Amma,' meaning mother in Tamil, by her supporters.

AIADMK coordinator and deputy chief minister, Panneerselvam, and party co-coordinator and chief minister, Palaniswami, led a silent procession of party workers from Anna Salai to Jayalalithaa's mausoleum on Marina beach.

"While she passed away, nobody can remove her from our hearts", The Times of India quoted the chief minister and deputy chief minister as saying.

Most of the party workers, including the two leaders and other ministers, were clad in black shirts. Scores of party supporters also turned up at the mausoleum to pay tributes to her.

Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to a private hospital in September 2016, breathed her last on this day last year, after 75 days of hospitalisation.

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court rejected a petition forbidding the Tamil Nadu government from observing Jayalalithaa's death anniversary since her date of death is "disputed".

"With the greatest respect, the court cannot adjudicate disputes with regard to the dates of death of any person", the court observed, according to The New Indian Express.

With inputs from PTI
The Election Commission has rejected former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar's nomination for RK Nagar bypoll, according to media reports.

Former TN CM Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar's nomination for #Chennai's #RK Nagar has been rejected by Election Commission after several discrepancies were found in her form.  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

The Commission rejected her nomination after several discrepancies were found in her form.

Earlier it was reported that apart from Jayakumar, EC had also rejected actor Vishal's nomination. However, Vishal later claimed that his nomination had been accepted by the poll panel. Nevertheless, the Election Commission once again rejected the actor's nomination.

After much struggle, my nomination for the RK Nagar election is finally accepted.... Truth Always Triumphs !!#JusticeServed#DemocracyPrevails  Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) December 5, 2017

After EC's announcement, Vishal had staged a dharna against its decision to cancel his nomination as an independent candidate.

Chennai: Actor Vishal sits on 'dharna' against cancellation of his nomination as an independent candidate #RKNagarByPoll pic.twitter.com/hi2GOC4eq3  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

Vishal, who heads the Tamil Film Producers Council and is the general secretary of the Nadigar Sangam (South Indian Artistes' Association), said he was told at the last minute that there were "discrepancies," in the papers in respect of signatures.

Along with several of his supporters, he briefly squatted on the road in North Chennai protesting the decision to reject his papers. He was removed from the spot by police, according to PTI

On the other hand, Jayakumar's nomination which was filed on Monday was rejected as one of the forms accompanying her nomination paper was not filled properly, according to India Today report.

The report further added that Jayakumar failed to fill the columns relating to the value of her assets as asked in the 'Form 26I'-which is essentially an affidavit. However, Jayakumar has said that she did not fill the column related to the inheritance of property as it is not mandatory. She further added that she has filled all the other required details.

There is a column where we talk about inheritance of property & I have mentioned that. It's not mandatory. That's not a reason enough to reject this application. All other information I have provided are perfect: Deepa Jayakumar, J Jayalalithaa's niece #RKNagarByPoll pic.twitter.com/Wgfp9AaMJ0  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

In an interview given to Thanthi TV, Jayakumar said, They created many obstacles to my filing affidavit. I even got calls from senior people in the government that I shouldnt file my nomination and to take it back. I don't want to name them. They said my nomination might be rejected. They did not stop any of the other candidates, but they tried to stop me. Even last time, some people told me I shouldn't file the nomination and threatened me. But I didn't take it seriously that time., reported The News Minute.

The RK Nagar bypoll will be held on 21 December and the results will be announced on 24 December. AIADMK will be represented in the polls by senior leader Madhusudhanan, while the Amma faction group has fielded VK Sasikala's nephew TTV Dhinakaran (his name is also spelled Dinakaran). While on the other hand, DMK has fielded Maradhu Ganesh and BJP has nominated Karu Nagarajan.

As many as 145 nominations were received from aspirants seeking to contest the bypoll. Currently, scrutiny of nominations are on and an

official update on the total number of papers accepted and rejected is expected later.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature is 7 December.

With inputs from agencies
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with the 14 newly-elected BJP mayors of Uttar Pradesh and the party representatives from Amethi, a Gandhi family pocket borough which the saffron party seeks to wrest from the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP had swept the just-concluded civic polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning 14 of the 16 mayoral posts on offer.

"Had a wonderful interaction with the newly elected mayors of UP belonging to the BJP. Congratulated them and wished them the very best as they begin their responsibilities towards contributing to UP's and India's development journey," the prime minister tweeted.

Had a wonderful interaction with the newly elected Mayors of UP belonging to the BJP. Congratulated them and wished them the very best as they begin their responsibilities towards contributing to UPs and Indias development journey. @BJP4UP pic.twitter.com/pl6RbrNCK1  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

Modi also posted his photos with each of the newly-elected BJP mayors of Uttar Pradesh on Twitter. He also met the three BJP leaders who won from Amethi and expressed confidence that the region would develop under them. His meeting with the Amethi leaders is significant as the BJP has been making all-round efforts to snatch the Lok Sabha constituency, represented by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi earlier and now by his son and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, from the opposition party. "Chandrama Devi will head Amethi's Nagar Panchayat. I could sense her anguish on the lack of development in Amethi so far and could see the determination to work for Amethi's growth," Modi tweeted.

Chandrama Devi will head Amethi's Nagar Panchayat. I could sense her anguish on the lack of development in Amethi so far and could see the determination to work for Amethis growth. pic.twitter.com/XRPNz0Nook  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey were also present on the occasion.

Sources said Modi emphasised the importance of "Jan Bhaagidaari" (people's participation) in local governance and urged the mayors to work hard for the development of their cities.
Mumbai: Time and nation will decide on the leadership skills of Rahul Gandhi, who is set to be elevated as Congress president, a Shiv Sena MP said on Monday.

The 47-year-old Congress vice president filed his nomination papers for the post of party chief earlier in the day.

"When a party elects its president, it knows what challenges it would face in future. They (Congress) faced debacle in the last elections."

"If they feel, he (Gandhi) is competent enough (to face these challenges), it is ok (sic)," Sena MP Arvind Sawant told PTI when asked about the Congress leader's imminent elevation.

"Let time decide. Off late, when he was abroad, the media said there was a change in Rahul. So let his coronation take place, let him occupy the chair, the country will also decide (on his leadership skills)," he added.

NCP leader Dhananjay Munde said Gandhi's elevation is taking place at an appropriate time, wherein the country is moving towards "dictatorship".

"I congratulate Rahul Gandhi for his (proposed) elevation. This is happening at a time when the country is moving away from democracy and heading towards dictatorship and there is an urgent need of a powerful Opposition.

"A young leader of the country's oldest party will be able to understand and solve the issues of the youth, who account for more than half of the country's population," the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council said.

Munde said he hoped Gandhi would succeed in uniting the Opposition and help check the rise of "communal forces" in the nation.

Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said Gandhi had spent enough time traversing the length and breadth of the nation in the last five to seven years to gain the experience required to head the party.

The former chief minister claimed the BJP fears Gandhi's rise and is hence, criticising his elevation.

"He has travelled across the country and also abroad. The BJP is bound to criticise him as they fear his leadership. Due to his presence in poll-bound Gujarat, Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) had to address around 15 public meetings there.

"The BJP also lined up a battery of chief ministers and Central party leaders to counter him," Chavan said.
Reuters

Amazon.com Incs Australian arm began taking orders on 5 December, ending speculation about the timing of its launch in the worlds No. 12 economy and likely dashing hopes of a holiday boost for struggling brick-and-mortar rivals.

The global retailer said it would offer free shipping nationwide for purchases over A$49 ($37.26), with millions of products available from clothes to sporting goods to consumer electronics.

The move establishes the $550 billion behemoth as an aggressive presence in the sluggish Australian retail sector, just as shopkeepers were hoping for a rush of sales over the important Christmas holiday season.

Amazons Australia country manager, Rocco Braeuniger, said in a statement the U.S. company would earn the trust of Australian shoppers and, over time, create thousands of new jobs.

Australia has long been home to Amazon-registered sellers, but until Tuesday they were limited to sending goods offshore because the Seattle conglomerate did not have a warehouse in the country of 24 million people. This also meant Australians had to wait longer times, and pay higher fees, for shipping.

The company has now set up a massive distribution warehouse on the outskirts of Melbourne city, on the countrys east coast where four-fifths of the population live, and the company hopes to cut delivery time to as little as a day.

Under the free delivery offer, Amazon said it estimated delivery times as short as three business days in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra - home to half the countrys population  while shipping to remote areas could take 10 days.

Shoppers could pay a fee for faster shipping times. Amazon did not comment on any last-minute problems from an order-taking trial which began on 23 November.

It said it planned to offer its rapid-shipping subscription service, Prime, in mid-2018, in a sign it is unperturbed by the geographic challenge posed by one of the worlds most sparsely populated countries. Australia is the size of the mainland United States, with one-thirteenth its population.

Australian retail shares have fallen sharply since Amazon confirmed plans for the country in April. Shares of top department store operator Myer Holdings Ltd are down 30 percent since that time.

Myer has been shutting stores and ramping up online sales, and last month it halved its three-year target for growth in sales per square meter. Its online sales leapt 68 percent in the 13 weeks to 28 October but remained only a tiny fraction of its total revenue.

Shares of No. 1 electronics retailer Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd are down 7 percent since April, while smaller JB HiFi are off by 6 percent amid fears of competition from Amazon.
PTI

Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal has asked the Public Works Department (PWD) to launch a mobile application for residents to report potholes and give feedback on the repair work.

The L-G also made the PWD the nodal agency to coordinate for the repair work with various road-owning agencies  the Delhi Development Authority, New Delhi Municipal Council, MCDs, National Highways Authority of India and Delhi Cantonment Board.

The decisions were taken at a meeting, chaired by the L- G, to review repairing of potholes on the PWD roads, construction of the Barapullah Flyover, widening of the road near Savitri Flyover and greening of central verges.

According to a statement issued by his office, the L-G advised there should be a mobile application through which residents could upload photographs of potholes for the agency concerned to repair.

"The app would facilitate identification of the location using GPS besides informing the complainant about the details of the road-owning agency concerned," the statement read.

Baijal said there was immediate need to repair potholes for road safety and pollution mitigation through dust control. The L-G directed the DDA and the PWD to conduct a joint site inspection to resolve issues related to the extension of Barapullah Phase III so the work can be completed at the earliest.

He asked local bodies, PWD, DDA and other agencies to simultaneously carry out the work of uniform signage, painting of zebra crossing and iron grilling in a time bound-manner.
Reuters

Bitcoin dipped back under $11,000 on 4 December, coming off a record high just shy of $11,800 it hit on 3 December after a surge from less than $1,000 at the start of the year.

The cryptocurrency, which trades 24 hours a day and seven days a week, climbed as high as $11,799.99 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange at around 2100 GMT on 3 December.

It was not clear what caused the move higher over the weekend other than new investors joining the upstart market, with so-called wallet-providers reporting record numbers of sign-ups over the past week.

Analysts said 1 December's announcement by the main U.S. derivatives regulator that it would allow CME Group Inc and CBOE Global Markets to list bitcoin futures contracts had turned sentiment positive after a choppy week.

The price rises are triggered by continued media interest driven by the expectation of futures trading on CME, Charles Hayter, founder of data analysis website Cryptocompare, said.

By 1310 GMT on 4 December, bitcoin had slipped back to around $10,919, down 2 percent on the day but still up more than 100 percent over the past three weeks. Sundays high marked a 1,121 percent increase since the start of the year.

Think Markets analyst Naeem Aslam said reports Britain wants to increase regulation of bitcoin and other digital currencies by expanding the reach of European Union anti-money-laundering rules that force traders to disclose their identities and report suspicious activity, had knocked bitcoin off its highs.

But others said greater regulatory scrutiny would help. If anything, regulation will only increase bitcoins rate of growth as regulation lends credibility and engenders trust, Nicholas Gregory, CEO of London-based cryptocurrency firm CommerceBlock, said.

Sundays record high for bitcoin came as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the launch of the petro, which he said would be a cryptocurrency backed by oil reserves, to shore up a collapsed economy.

Opposition leaders said the digital currency would need congressional approval and some cast doubt on whether it would ever see the light of day in the midst of turmoil.
Reuters

Apple Inc succeeded on Tuesday in preventing Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc from registering its Mi Pad tablet computer as an EU trademark because the name was too similar to Apples iPad.

The European Unions second-highest court, the General Court, ruled that Mi Pad should not be registered as a trademark because consumers were likely to be confused by the similarity of the signs.

Xiaomis Mi Pad and Apples iPad are both tablet computers.

The dissimilarity between the signs at issue, resulting from the presence of the additional letter "m" at the beginning of "Mi Pad", is not sufficient to offset the high degree of visual and phonetic similarity between the two signs, the Court said in a statement.

Xiaomi filed an application in 2014 with the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to register Mi Pad as an EU trademark.

Apple subsequently lodged a complaint that the EUIPO upheld in 2016 on the grounds that consumers would think Mi Pad was a variation on Apples iPad trademark.

The court agreed with the EUIPOs decision and said English-speaking consumers were likely to understand the prefix mi as meaning my and therefore pronounce the i of Mi Pad and iPad in the same way.

Xiaomi can appeal against the ruling at the EUs highest court, the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Baker Donelson announces that it has added 13 new associates across the Firm. The new associates and their primary areas of practice are:

Atlanta, Georgia

Sarah Carrier (Advocacy)

Tanisha Pinkins (Advocacy)

Baltimore, Maryland

Matthew Cassilly (Construction)

Stewart W.

Kameen (Health Law)

Birmingham, Alabama

John Hundscheid (Advocacy)

Daisy Karlson (Advocacy)

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Alexandra Weiss (Financial Services Transactions)

Ms. Weiss is part of a team of attorneys with a niche national practice dedicated to representing lenders and borrowers in HUD-insured loans for commercial, multifamily and senior housing projects. Ms. Weiss assists with due diligence issues, reviews contracts, and helps with closing documentation and coordination.

Knoxville, Tennessee

Jordan Houser (Real Estate/Finance)

Memphis, Tennessee

Shayna Giles (Advocacy)

Maygan Pokabla (Financial Services Transactions)

Nashville, Tennessee

Hunter Threet (Corporate Finance & Securities)

New Orleans, Louisiana

Emily Kesler (Advocacy)

Margaret A. Mentz (Corporate Finance & Securities)
Reuters

Germanys telecoms industry should accelerate the build-out of the countrys high-speed broadband network, its regulator said on Monday, adding it was considering easier regulation on the glass-fiber internet to speed the process.

Germany has set a goal of providing the nationwide internet with speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (mbit/s) in 2018 but the technology relied on by market leader Deutsche Telekom  based on the old copper telephone network  cannot be easily upgraded further.

That makes it harder to realise the vision of a Gigabit society in which all businesses and households would have access to superfast glass fibre connections by 2025 - at a cost of 80 billion euros ($95 billion) or more.

We cant delay further investments into the distant future and risk missing out on the chances of digitalisation, said Jochen Homann, president of the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), presenting its annual reports on the telecoms and postal markets.

Germanys engineering industry has sounded the alarm on the lack of access to high-speed internet, urging the next government to invest up to 40 billion euros to enable connected, automated manufacturing to take off.

Chancellor Angela Merkel had discussed investing 20 billion euros in glass fibre by 2025 in talks on forming a coalition that collapsed last month. Her conservatives are now exploring reviving their ruling alliance with the Social Democrats.

Back of the field

Addressing a news conference, Homann conceded that Germany was pretty much at the back of the international field when it comes to access to glass-fibre internet.

He said the BNetzA was considering a more flexible regulatory regime on glass fibre that would allow companies to cooperate in building out the network to save costs, and depart from strict cost-plus rules on pricing.

That view was supported by Germanys Monopoly Commission, an advisory panel to the government, which in a separate report opposed calls by Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges to completely deregulate glass fibre.

We oppose radical solutions - such as completely abandoning regulation, the commissions point person for telecoms, Juergen Kuehling, told the same news conference. We believe that more flexible regulation would be a sufficient incentive to invest in building out glass fibre.

Kuehling also called for the full privatisation of Deutsche Telekom, which remains 31.5 percent state-owned, to eliminate a conflict of interest in which the government is both player and referee on the telecoms market.

The VATM lobby group, which represents Deutsche Telekoms rivals, welcomed the Monopoly Commissions call for lighter-touch regulation while ruling out a free-for-all in laying fibre connections to buildings and homes.

Around 77 percent of households in Europes largest economy have access to the internet at speeds of 50 mbit/s and upward, the BNetzA estimates. That figure rises to 90 percent in towns but falls to just 36 percent in rural areas.

Around 13 percent of Germanys 32.5 million broadband customers enjoy internet speeds of 100 mbit/s and more  double the level seen in mid-2015.

Demand for ultra-high-speed internet delivered via glass fibre remains very low, the BNetzA said. Even though 2.7 million households could have access to such connections, only a quarter have signed up. That will change.

With increasing demands for performance it is clear that we have to think beyond the 50 mbit/s goal that was set for 2018. Germany needs Gigabit-capable infrastructure, Homann also said.

The BNetzA said that in preparation for the rollout of 5G services it would make available new mobile spectrum in 2018. The mobile standard would make it possible to put self-driving cars on the streets and run connected smart home appliances.
tech2 News Staff

Google is planning to expand it Wi-Fi initiative, Google Station from railway stations to cities as well.

At the Google for India event in New Delhi Caesar Sengupta, vice president of Next Billion Users, said that Googles initiative of public Wi-Fi with RailTel, Google Station, which began in 2016, will expand to the general public within cities as well. Asserting on the importance of public access to Wi-Fi, Google Station would begin expanding its public Wi-Fi networks to provide internet connectivity to cities as well.

Currently, its public Wi-Fi programme which is limited to railway stations supports 227 stations. By 2018, it intends to support all 400 stations with public Wi-Fi in India. 22 stations in India will be going live this month itself.

Public Wi-Fi Hotspots are the Internet cafe of the mobile era. A place to get high-quality Internet, check mail, offline some videos and hang out at. #GoogleForIndia pic.twitter.com/WVdDjiiXSx  Google India (@GoogleIndia) December 5, 2017

On 5 December at the Google for India event, Google made of host of other announcements as well.

It introduced the Bill Pay feature in its digital payments platform, Google Tez. This would be soon rolled out in a few weeks. This feature will allow the user to pay their electricity bills, telephone bills among others. It has included more than 70 billers. Some of them are MTNL Delhi, Reliance Energy, TATA Power, TATA Docomo.

Another announcement is that of a partnership between the TATA Trusts and the Internet Saathi, an initiative by the Google. This partnership intends to bring employment in the life of rural women. Considering the gap between the number of female and male users being abysmally low, this initiative, besides providing digital literacy, wants to empower women.

Other announcements are Google Maps, where there will also be a two-wheeler section along side fourwheeler, train, or walking options.

Meanwhile, Google Assistant is now available in Jio Phone. User can now talk to their Google Assistant in both Hindi and English. It is said to be the first feature phone to have Google Assistant.

Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
tech2 News Staff

Digital literacy in rural India is abysmally low. The ratio of internet users in rural India according to gender is three women to every ten men in 2017. However, this is an increase from an even low number in 2015. The survey was conducted by Kantar IMRB ICube-Rural Internet Report 2017.

Google announced the expansion of the Internet Saathi initiative at Google for India event in New Delhi. Dubbed Internet Saathi 2.0, the initiative has partnered with the Foundation of Rural Entrepreneurship Development (FREND), an initiative from the Tata Trusts.

According to Google, the partnership with FREND is supposed to provide a medium through which women who are a part of Internet Saathi can find means of livelihood with the help of internet.

In the event Sapna Chadha, marketing head, SEA & India, at Google said, In spite of the socio-economic challenges, thousands of Internet Saathis have gone on to do amazing things, once they learnt on the Internet. It was this winning spirit that inspired us to create a new sustainable framework with Tata Trusts, that aims to deliver employment opportunities to Internet Saathi.

From digital literacy to digital livelihoods. Today, were announcing the expansion of the Internet Saathi program.

Introducing FREND. #NotATypo #GoogleForIndia #InternetSaathi pic.twitter.com/ccHTNy4P9G  Google India (@GoogleIndia) December 5, 2017

Meanwhile, Raman Kalyankrishnan, head, strategy, Tata Trusts said, For several years now, livelihood generation has been a core area for the Trusts. Given the progressive penetration of Internet Saathi program, it was only natural for us to bring income generating opportunities to these women so that they become self-dependant and further encourage women in their communities to emulate them. We are happy that several organisations have already tested the strength of this platform. We are confident that with Google we are establishing a very large entrepreneurship movement in rural india.

Currently, 12,000 Internet Saathis have joined this initiative with the Tata Trusts.

Internet Saathi was launched by Google in 2015. It covers 300,000 villages across India. This program is meant to encourage digital literacy among women. It has been rolled in 12 states and is supposed to have benefitted over 12 million women in rural India. Around 30,000 Internet Saathis have been working in 110,000 villages to digitally empower women with the help of smartphones and tablets.
tech2 News Staff

The Honor 7X, which was launched earlier this year in China, will now be unveiled for the globally at an event in London which will start at 8:00 PM IST. The Honor 7X is an almost bezel-less device with an 18:9 aspect ratio display. The 7X is going to be sold exclusively on Amazon starting from 7 December in the Indian market.

To watch the live stream, you can head to the Honor YouTube page or check out the video embed below. The link will be updated as soon as the event starts at 8 PM IST.

The Honor 7X was launched at a starting price of CNY 1,300 (approx. Rs 13,000) in China and it is believed that the Indian price will be around the same range as well. The phone has a 5.93 inch display with 2160x1080 pixels resolution encased in a 2.5 D curved glass screen.

The phone will run on Android 7.0 Nougat along with Huawei's EMUI 5.1. The phone is powered by the Kirin 659 chipset which includes eight Cortex A53 cores and is paired alongside the Mali -T830 MP2 GPU.

In the camera department, the phone houses a dual-camera setup with one lens having a 16 MP sensor and the other a 2 MP sensor. The front of the device has an 8 MP selfie shooter and the fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the phone.

The Honor 7X has a 3,340 mAh battery alongside a micro-USB port instead of a type-C connector and dual-SIM support out of which one slot is hybrid. Check out our first impressions of the Huawei Honor 7X here.
IANS

Global software major Infosys's philanthropic arm, Infosys Foundation on Monday announced a combined grant of Rs 15.7 crore to fund research and mentoring activities of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research's (TIFR) International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS). As part of the agreement between the Foundation and ICTS, of the total grant, Rs 4 crore will be for the travel of 25 overseas students to India each year under the Infosys Foundation ICTS Visitor Fellowship for its programmes.

"About 20 of ICTS students will also travel abroad under the Infosys Foundation ICTS Excellence Grant," said the Foundation in a statement here. The city-based ICTS's programmes enable physicists, astronomers, cosmologists, mathematicians, biologists, students and researchers from the world over to solve questions on nature and discover structures across sciences.

"The Centre also strives for unifying knowledge, in-house research by faculty in theoretical sciences, science outreach that harness young minds and connects students with public interested in the latest developments of scientific research," said the statement. The grants are for students to participate in academic activities abroad and forge partnerships with educational institutions the world over, it said.

About Rs 7.5 crore of grant is for organizing lecture series by Indian and overseas experts, to exchange ideas and explore research opportunities in science and mathematics. The lectures would be known as the Infosys ICTS Chandrasekhar Ramanujan and Turing Lecture Series, said the Foundation. The lecture series will include Chandrasekhar lectures in physical science; Ramanujan lectures in mathematical sciences and Alan Turing lectures in computer science, engineering and biology.

Another Rs 3.35 crore grant is for about 200 students, faculty and post-doctoral students to support the 12th Kavil Asian Winter School (KAWS) on Strings, Particles and Cosmology 2018. To be held here January 8-18, KAWS 2018 will bring together theorists from Japan,AChina and India to discuss about the latest developments in particle physics. The grant will also be used for travel of speakers and participants from India to Strings 2018, an annual conference on string theory of particle physics, to be held at Japan's Okinawa.

About Rs 85 lakh will be for the Homi Bhabha Chair Professorship to support research and mentoring. As part of the agreement between the Infosys Foundation and TIFR, the Chair would be called the Infosys Homi Bhabha Chair Professor. The current chair holder is Professor Spenta Wadia, the founding director of ICTS.
PTI

The Mumbai Police has decided to set up a dedicated cyber cell at each of its police stations to curb rising technology-related cases in the city, a senior police official said today.

Akbar Pathan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime cell, said that the cells will be fully functional at all police stations from 9 December.

All the cyber-related cases, except the complicated ones which need technical expertise, will be dealt by the police station cells, Pathan said.

The cell will comprise a police inspector, two sub-inspectors and two to three constables, he added.

The victim can lodge his or her case at the cyber cell of the police station concerned instead of approaching the cyber police station at Bandra, the official said.

Police said that a five-day-long training programme commenced today to make the personnel who will be part of the dictated cell adept in dealing with such crimes.

"Besides theoretical knowledge, the training will emphasise on providing practical knowledge. From making post-investigation seizures to which sections of the IT Act to be applied, they will be imparted training on a wide range of aspects," Pathan said.

Cyber Cell expert, Vijay Mukhi, termed the move as a positive one and said that it will help in dealing with basic crimes related to information technology.

The recently-released National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report titled "Crime in India 2016" had put Mumbai first among 19 big cities nationwide in the number of cybercrime case registered.

Mumbai saw 4,172 cases reported for the year 2016 followed by Bengaluru with 762 cases and Jaipur with 532 cases.
IANS

A team of Brazilian and Chinese palaeontologists have announced the discovery of about 300 fossilised eggs and skeletons of pterosaurs, a number of them quite well-preserved. Molds and casts of the eggs and the bones found by the team will be on display starting Friday at the National Museum in Rio de Janerio, Efe news reported. The fossils, some of them of embryos with the bones preserved in three dimensions, were found in 2015-2016 in the northeastern Chinese region of Hami, and they were analysed and described in a joint project by Brazilian and Chinese dinosaur experts.

The discovery, which is discussed in the most recent issue of Science magazine, was presented on Thursday at a press conference at the National Museum of the Federal University in Rio de Janeiro. "It's the first time that embryos have been found in a three-dimensional and uncompromised condition, which has allowed many (embryological) details to be seen regarding these flying animals," said Brazilian palaeontologist Alexander Kellner, one of the leaders of the research team.

Kellner emphasised the importance of the large quantity of eggs: "They're very fragile, which always makes their preservation difficult." Pterosaurs are a group of extinct winged dinosaurs that were the first known vertebrates to be able to fly. One of the key contributions of the study was to discover how, at birth, the reptiles had wing bones less developed than their leg bones, leading experts to conclude that they could not fly until they had gotten somewhat older.

"They could have walked but certainly they were not able to fly at first, and so the main contribution of the study is to show that pterosaurs, at birth, required parental care," Kellner said. "Among the behavioural characteristics of these animals that we discovered is that they formed nesting colonies, where several families came to the same sites to lay their eggs and always returned to these areas, implying that they were areas favourable for nest-building.

The National Museum is celebrating its 200th anniversary.
What new shocks will 2018 bring for Indias temporary workers in Trumps America?

The answer rests on two legs: Which rung of the temp worker caste system youre talking from and whether youre taking a 30 year view of immigration in America or a longer one.

On the political side, with the Mueller investigation on the verge of crossing Trumps red line, issues like immigration may become just the what the doctor ordered for an embattled White House to distract and deflect attention, like it has happened several times since Trumps ascent.

The H1B story has moved on. Many of those who came here in the early 90s are citizens and their kids are leading cutting edge work in the Valley, Trump doesnt make a difference to them, says Girish, a New York based techie who moved from an H1B to a green card and now free to take up any manner of employment in the lean periods - something which those on "skilled worker" visas cannot do.

What Girish says makes sense for those who have cut and run from the H1B hamster treadmill. For the steady stream of 60-85,000 H1B workers coming in every year, Trump will continue to matter.

Over a year in office, Trumps settled into a fairly predictable pattern with his tone on outsiders. Although the fine print of the Buy American Hire American executive order has barely a few lines on reviewing the H1Bs efficacy, Trumps political talk on outsiders seeks to blur the line between immigrants, illegals and non-immigrants. The issue, implicit in the Donald Trump / Steve Bannon pitch, is not whether outsiders are in the country legally; its that they are in the country at all.

The H1B is a non immigrant visa with an initial 3 year limit which can be extended subject to employment conditions requiring a longer stay.

But all this matters little to the white resistance against Americas changing palette.

Trump has succeeded in lumping all visa related matters into one dumpster heap called immigration. When Trump talks immigration, he conjures up horror stories that gut punch the average American into believing that all immigrants are bad news and are taking away their jobs and social benefits.

Politically, expect this theme to become fiercer during Trumps time in office and if the Mueller investigation tightens the noose around the White House.

Just by what we know so far, expect Trump to ratchet up anti immigration talk everytime theres gridlock in Congress over ambitious legislation. Its happened before - the RAISE Act which pitches for a 50 percent cut in legal immigration and entry only for Nobel prize or Olympic medal calibre folks - got dusted out when the Obamacare repeal was doomed to fail. This will happen again.

Link: White House backs Raise Act

With more politics up ahead - the midterm elections are in November 2018, Trumps efforts to drag the US back to an earlier era of resentment against non-whites will only strengthen. That's the voter base which remains strong for Trump despite little progress on many of Trump's promises.

As the political leader of the most striking xenophobic movement in American politics, Trump will continue to push the ideas of slashing legal immigration. Expect to hear more from Trumps pet policy prodigy - Tom Cotton, author of the RAISE Act (bill) and intellectual foil to Trumps unbending far right world view.

For Bannon, Trump, Cotton and their ilk, returning America to the racial immigration quotas in the early 1920s is far more appealing than the rainbow nation created by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

Seen from the uncompromising perch of the white man who erroneously believes that America is not a nation of immigrants, the H1B worker feeds into the larger fear that whiteness is under attack from newcomers of colour and questionable quality. More outrage is up ahead.
Chicago: Former president Barack Obama is expected to address a gathering of mayors from around the globe convening in Chicago to discuss climate change after President Donald Trump said the US will pull out of the Paris Accord.

Chicago officials are billing the two-day North American Climate Summit Chicago as the first of its kind in the city.

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel says he's honored Obama will join the summit, which kicked off Monday evening and wraps up Tuesday.

Chicago's chief sustainability officer Chris Wheat says the idea is to "fill the void" the Trump administration has left.

He says mayors will sign a charter and discuss solutions including expanding access to public transportation.

Other mayors attending include Valerie Plante of Montreal and Miguel Angel Mancera of Mexico City.
Washington: President Donald Trump will soon unveil a new national security strategy, his top aide has said as he alleged that revisionist powers like Russia and China are subverting the post-World War-II political and economic order to advance their own interest at the expense of America and its allies.

"President Trump will soon unveil the details of his new strategy," National Security Adviser Lt Gen HR McMaster told a gathering of American national security experts over the weekend at the Regan National Defence Forum in California.

The new strategy will focus on protecting homeland, advancing American prosperity, preserving peace through strength, and finally enhancing American influence.

McMaster said the US today is at a crossroads similar to the period of ex-president Ronald Reagan.

"Revisionist powers Russia and China are subverting the post World War II political economic and security orders to advance their own interests at our expense and at the expense of our allies," he said.

"The rogue regimes of Iran and North Korea are violating the sovereignty of their neighbours, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and exporting terror to other nations, jihadist terrorist organizations such as ISIS threaten all civilised people in every corner of the world," McMaster said.

These security challenges require a dramatic rethinking of American foreign policy from previous decades, he said.

America, under President Trump, is reclaiming the strategic confidence necessary for implementing this strategy through understanding in four areas, he said.

"First the values that define our nation. Second the full instruments of our power. Third the threats facing our nation and fourth the dynamic and competitive nature of our security environment," he said.

McMaster said Trump and his national security team have clearly described the threats that emanate from revisionist powers, rogue regimes and jihadist terrorist organisations.

"The administration's approach of principled realism also adopts a realistic view of our security environment. For this reason we do not base national security decisions on a rigid ideology but instead on our core national interests and clearly defined objectives derived from those interests," he said.

"Some threats are more obvious than others. On the recent Asia trip the president spoke out forcefully against unfair trade and economic policies which have disadvantaged American workers and companies. For too long Washington turned a blind eye to cheating and exploitive practices abroad," he said.

"We in large measure vacated the competitive economic space and the American people pay the price. We've also been clear eyed about the more obvious threat from North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development," he said, adding the president is committed to the total denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

"The error of strategic patience is over. We will not repeat failed efforts of the past," he said.

"We want all people to have the opportunity to rise. We will compete but competition must be fair. Our economic relationships will respect our partners sovereignty over their economic destinies while ensuring that American workers and American companies are not unfairly disadvantaged," he said.

McMaster said Trumps new vision for a free and open ended Pacific imagines a community of nations that are strong, independent and thriving and a future of many dreams for the people of the region.

Confronting the security challenges of today will require US to reclaim its strategic confidence, he added.
CHI Memorial and Rob Headrick, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon, announce the opening of the Chest and Lung Cancer Center at the Rees Skillern Cancer Institute.

Lung cancer affects so many in our community. Dr. Headricks focus on early detection and identifying those at risk will help improve the survival rate for those diagnosed with lung cancer and have a positive effect on the entire Chattanooga region, says Helen Kuroki, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer, CHI Memorial. Dr. Headrick and the Chest and Lung Cancer Center work in close coordination with the Buz Standefer Lung Center to "ensure a seamless experience for those diagnosed with lung cancer."



Dr. Headrick serves as chief of thoracic surgery, and medical dyad leader of oncology services at CHI Memorial. Beginning in 2018, he will serve a three year term on The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Health Policy, Reform and Advocacy.



Dr. Headrick completed his undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University. He went on to medical school at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Dr. Headrick returned to his hometown of Chattanooga for his general surgery residency at the UT College of Medicine, Chattanooga Unit. He then completed a fellowship in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery from the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Mn. Dr. Headrick is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. In 2014, he completed a masters in business administration from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.



The Chest and Lung Cancer Center is located at 2108 E. Third St., Suite 300, in Chattanooga. For more information, call 423-495-LUNG (5864).


Islamabad: China has decided to temporarily stop funding at least three major road projects in Pakistan, being built as part of the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, following reports of corruption, a decision that has left officials in Islamabad "stunned", a media report said on Tuesday.

The decision by the Chinese government is likely hit over Rs 1 trillion-worth road projects of the Pakistan's National Highway Authority (NHA), and initially, may delay at least three such ventures, Dawn newspaper reported.

According to a senior government official, the funds would be released after Beijing issues 'new guidelines'.

The nearly $60 billion CPEC, a flagship project of China's prestigious One Belt One Road, passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). It links China's restive Xinjiang region with Pakistan's Balochistan province.

The road projects that are likely to be affected include 210-kilometre-long Dera Ismail Khan-Zhob Road, being built at an estimated cost of Rs 81 billion. Of this, Rs 66 billion would be spent on construction of road while Rs 15 billion on land acquisition.

The other project which is going to be hit is 110-kilometre-long Khuzdar-Basima Road, having an estimated cost of Rs 19.76 billion.

The third project is Rs 8.5 billion worth, the remaining 136-kilometre of Karakarom Highway (KKH) from Raikot to Thakot.

Originally, all the three projects were part of the Pakistan government's own development programme, but in December 2016, the NHA spokesperson had announced that they would be included under the CPEC umbrella so as to become eligible for concessionary finance from China.

"The funds for the three road projects were approved in the 6th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting held last year, pending necessary procedural formalities.

"It was expected that the funding of the three projects would be finalised during the Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held on 20 November, but Pakistan was informed in the meeting that 'new guidelines' will be issued from Beijing under which new modus operandi for release of the funds will be described," the official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The decision of the Chinese government was conveyed to Pakistan in the JWG meeting and the existing procedure for release of funds had been abolished, he said.

Under the previous procedure, the projects were to be approved by six different forums after which the funds were released, the official added.

"In fact, the Chinese authorities informed us that the previous procedure of release of funds was meant for early harvest projects only and new guidelines will be issued for future projects of the CPEC," the official said.

The official said the Pakistani side was left "stunned" when informed about this development, as it was the first time they were hearing it.

He, however, claimed that Chinese side was quite disturbed with media reports, published in Pakistan, about corruption in the CPEC projects and that was the reason Beijing has temporarily halted the release of funds for the corridor.

CPEC was launched in 2015 when President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan and it now envisages an investment of around $50 billion in different projects of development in Pakistan.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States-led international coalition fighting Islamic State estimates that fewer than 3,000 fighters belonging to the hardline Sunni militant group remain in Iraq and Syria, its spokesman said on Tuesday. Islamic States self-proclaimed caliphate has crumbled this year in Syria and Iraq, with the group losing the cities of Mosul, Raqqa and swathes of other territory. Current estimates are that there are less than 3,000 #Daesh fighters left - they still remain a threat, but we will continue to support our partner forces to defeat them, U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon tweeted, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Dillons tweet was part of his responses to an online question and answer session in which he also said the coalition had trained 125,000 members of Iraqi security forces, 22,000 of which were Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. When asked if the United States planned to build permanent military bases in Iraq or Syria the defeat of Islamic State, Dillon said it would not. No - the Government of #Iraq knows where and how many from Coalition are here to support operation to defeat #Daesh; all bases are #Iraqi led, he tweeted.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic leaders in Congress on Monday accepted an invitation to meet U.S. President Donald Trump and Republicans for talks to avert a government shutdown this week, even as the Democrats pressed demands on funding priorities and protecting immigrants. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Utah State Capitol, where he announced big cuts to Utah's sprawling wilderness national monuments, in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueHouse of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who cancelled a meeting with Trump last week after he issued a disparaging note about them on Twitter, said Monday they hoped the president would remain open-minded about reaching a deal with Democrats. We need to reach a budget agreement that equally boosts funds for our military and key priorities here at home, Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement. There is a bipartisan path forward on all of these items. The meeting was scheduled for Thursday, a day before funding for the federal government is due to run out. Republicans in the House over the weekend introduced a stopgap measure that would fund the government at current levels until Dec. 22 to give lawmakers time to reach a deal on a longer-term bill. The House and Senate are expected to vote on the measure this week. Republicans have a majority in both the House and Senate. But in the Senate they will need some Democratic support to get the spending bill past procedural hurdles that require 60 votes, since there are only 52 Republicans in the 100-member chamber. Schumer said on Monday that everyone should be working to avoid a shutdown, and he did not believe Republican congressional leaders wanted one. The only one at the moment whos flirted with a shutdown is President Trump, who tweeted earlier this year that we could use a good shutdown to fix the mess,' Schumer said. The Republican bill will provide some short-term help for states that are running out of money to finance an insurance programme for millions of lower-income children, called the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Republican aides said. Congress allowed CHIP funding to expire on Sept. 30. Schumer and Pelosi on Monday listed CHIP among their priorities, which also included the opioid crisis, pension plans, rural infrastructure and protection for young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children. But it was unclear whether Democrats would withhold their votes from the short-term spending bill this week if they do not get their priorities addressed. Bipartisan staff-level talks about spending continued on Capitol Hill, Democratic aides said.

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Cairo: Egyptian police arrested former interior minister Habib al-Adly who had been on the run to avoid serving a prison sentence for embezzlement, his lawyer told AFP.

Adly, whose iron-fisted command of the country's police helped fuel a 2011 uprising that unseated longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, was arrested in Cairo, lawyer Essam al-Batawy said. State television also reported Adly's arrest.

He was sentenced in April to seven years in prison along with 10 other former officials for embezzling about $122 million.

He had been a fugitive since then. He had contested his sentence which an appeals court will examine in January.

Adly had previously been acquitted of charges of responsibility for the deaths of protesters during the anti-Mubarak uprising.

The court dropped charges against Mubarak, who has since been freed, in the same trial.

Under Adly, the interior ministry was accused of practising systematic torture and the repression of dissent.
ADEN/DUBAI (Reuters) - The son of Yemens ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh has called for revenge against the armed Houthi movement that killed the veteran leader after he switched sides in the civil war, a Saudi-owned TV station reported on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh attends a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the General People's Congress party, which he is leading, in Sanaa September 3, 2012. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File PhotoThe intervention by the exiled Ahmed Ali Saleh, if confirmed, could shift the balance of power yet again after a dramatic week that saw the elder Saleh abandon his Houthi allies, who responded by killing him and routing his supporters from the capital Sanaa in street battles. Yemens war, pitting the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has led to what the United Nations calls the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. The world body says millions of people may die in one of the worst famines of modern times, caused by warring parties blocking food supplies. Yemens capital Sanaa was quiet on Tuesday after five days of fighting and 25 air strikes overnight, and U.N. and Red Cross aid flights had landed at the airport, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said. The funeral of Saleh was expected later on Tuesday. The Red Cross said more than 230 people were killed and hundreds wounded in the weeks fighting in Sanaa. People are now emerging from their houses after five days being locked down basically as prisoners, McGoldrick told a U.N. briefing by phone from Sanaa. They are now seeking safety, moving their families in case things erupt again and at the same time seeking medical treatment and trying to pacify very terrified kids who have endured five days of relentless shelling, shooting and ground fire and air strikes. The Arab League, which mainly support the Saudi-backed government, condemned the killing of the veteran ex-leader, saying his death could cause an explosion in the country. The Saudi cabinet, in a statement that did not mention Saleh by name, said it hoped the uprising against the Houthis in Sanaa would help rid sisterly Yemen of repression, death threats, ... explosions and seizure of private and public property. The death of Saleh, who once compared ruling Yemen to dancing on the heads of snakes, deepens the complexity of the multi-sided war. Much is likely to depend on the future allegiances of his loyalists, who had helped the Houthis, an armed group from the Zaidi branch of Shiite Islam that ruled a thousand-year kingdom in northern Yemen until 1962, seize and hold much of the country until he dramatically switched sides on Saturday. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the report of comments by his son, a former leader of the elite Republican Guards who has been exiled in the United Arab Emirates, a country that backs the Saudi-led coalition. I will lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen ... the blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran, Ahmed Ali Saleh was quoted as saying by Saudi-owned al-Ekhbariya TV. He called for his fathers backers to take back Yemen from the Iranian Houthi militias. The Arabian peninsulas poorest country, Yemen is one of the most violent fronts in a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who have also backed opposing sides in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere across the Middle East. The Arab Leagues general secretariat condemned the Iran-aligned Houthi movement as a terrorist organisation and demanded that the international community view it as such. Houthi fighters react after Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed, in Sanaa, Yemen December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Khaled AbdullahTIPPING THE BALANCE The Saudi-led coalition had been counting on Salehs decision to switch sides to tip the balance of a conflict that had been stalemated on the battlefield. Saleh, who ruled in Sanaa from 1978-2012, had a strong following in Yemen, including army officers and armed tribal leaders who once served under him. His supporters may still be able to have some impact on the war. Yemeni political sources say his son Ahmed Ali has lived incommunicado under house arrest at a guarded villa in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, where he had served as ambassador before the country joined ally Saudi Arabia to make war on the Houthis. Slideshow (3 Images)Ahmed Ali Salehs reported first public statement may indicate that his former enemies in the coalition are intending to unleash him against the Houthis. The UAE is a key member of the mostly Gulf Arab alliance that sees the Houthis as a proxy of their arch-enemy Iran. The Gulf countries had struggled to make gains against the Houthi-Saleh alliance despite thousands of air strikes backed by Western arms and intelligence. They have used their air and sea power to tightly restrict imports, action that the United Nations says could lead to mass hunger. Ahmed Ali appeared to have been groomed to succeed his father and he may be the familys last chance to win back influence. The whereabouts of Salehs other key relatives, who had led six days of street battles against the Houthis in the capital Sanaa before being routed on Monday, were unknown. Residents reported that fighting had subsided but that Saudi-led coalition jets pounded several targets, including the downtown presidential palace where a governing body led by Houthi-Saleh politicians had regularly convened. The Houthi leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, hailed Salehs death in a speech on Monday as a victory against a treasonous conspiracy by Yemens Saudi enemies and called for a mass rally on Tuesday at a parade ground near the site of the air strikes. He also reached out to Salehs political party and said his movement had no quarrel with it, underscoring the influence his allies still have in Yemen. Relatives of Yasser al-Awadi, the deputy secretary-general of Salehs General Peoples Congress party (GPC) who was reported to have been killed by the Houthis on Monday, told Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV he was safe but GPC secretary-general Araf al-Zouka had died in the Houthi attack on Salehs convoy. In the southern city of Aden, where the Saudi-backed government is based, residents set off fireworks and expressed joy. Saleh was almost universally hated throughout southern Yemen after he launched a war to unify the country in 1994, lobbing ballistic missiles at the city. But his legacy is mixed. He is still loved in much of the north and many supporters will bear a grudge towards his killers. Some feared Salehs death would only create more instability in Yemen. We expect things will get worse for us. This will be the beginning of a new conflict and more bloodshed. The war will not end soon, said Aswan Abdu Khalid, an academic at the psychology department at the University of Aden.

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Paris: French president Emmanuel Macron spoke to US counterpart Donald Trump and expressed concern about designating Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the Elysee palace said.

"The French president has expressed his concern at the possibility of the United States unilaterally designating Jerusalem as capital of the state of Israel," a statement said, referring to a phone call between the two leaders.

Any such decisions must be "within the framework of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, aimed in particular at the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as capital," it added.

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls Gaza, called Saturday for a new "intifada" if Washington recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or moves its embassy to the disputed city.

Trump is up against a deadline to decide whether to make good on a campaign pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv  where all foreign missions to Israel are currently located  to Jerusalem.

Officials say that move is unlikely to be taken outright, but Trump may instead deliver a speech later this week recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The status of Jerusalem is a key issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Both Israelis and Palestinians claim the city as their capital and previous peace plans have stumbled over debates on whether, and how, to divide sovereignty or oversee holy sites.

The last Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which claimed the lives of some 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis, was sparked by right-wing opposition leader Ariel Sharon's visit to the city's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in 2000.

The Palestinian president's office told AFP on Friday that American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would "destroy the peace process".
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A formal U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would be the kiss of death to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestine Liberation Organizations chief representative in Washington said on Monday. FILE PHOTO: The Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall and the Mughrabi Gate entrance to the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, and to Jews as Temple Mount, are seen in Jerusalem's Old City March 7, 2011. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File PhotoShould such a step be taken, it would have catastrophic consequences, Husam Zomlot told Reuters in an interview. That would be actually the kiss of death to the two-state solution because Jerusalem is at the very heart of the two-state solution, Zomlot said. A senior administration official told Reuters last week that U.S. President Donald Trump would likely make the announcement on Wednesday, although his adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said the president had not yet made a final decision. Such a declaration would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East. Past U.S. presidents have insisted that the status of Jerusalem - home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions - must be decided in negotiations between the two sides. Should the two-state solution receive that final lethal blow, then the main reaction from us will be strategic and political because we are not going to be engaged in an empty process, Zomlot said. Israeli officials have made clear they would welcome U.S. endorsement of their claim of sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government to Zomlots comments. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital - a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Kushner is leading Trumps efforts to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, efforts that so far have shown little progress. Zomlot warned the role of the United States as a mediator in the conflict would be effectively torpedoed if Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel. It will be a self-inflicted disqualification of the U.S. from the role of the mediator ... (which) will be irreversible because by then the U.S. would be part of the problem, not part of the solution, he said. Trump suggested earlier this year he was open to new ways to achieve Middle East peace that did not necessarily entail the creation of a Palestinian state, a hallmark of U.S. policy for decades. Trump is again expected to delay moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, U.S. officials said on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity. Saudi Arabias ambassador to Washington, Prince Khalid bin Salman, said on Monday that any U.S. announcement on the status of Jerusalem before a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would harm the peace process and increase regional tensions. Jordan, the Arab League and Turkey have also warned against the dangers of such a move.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Monday accused President Donald Trumps former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, of working with a Russian colleague to draft an opinion piece about his political work for Ukraine. Paul Manafort, former campaign manager for U.S. President Donald Trump, departs after a bond hearing at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., November 6, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua RobertsIn court filings, a prosecutor working with Special Counsel Robert Muellers team said Manafort was working on the article as recently as Nov. 30. Had it been published, prosecutors say it would have violated a Nov. 8 court order not to discuss the case publicly. The Russian colleague who was working with Manafort allegedly to shape public opinion about his work for a Ukrainian political party has ties to Russian intelligence agencies, according to the filing. Manafort ultimately never published the opinion piece, after prosecutors reached out to his attorneys to alert them, they said in the filing. Due to Manaforts actions, prosecutors said the judge should reject his request to modify his bail conditions. Manafort has proposed an $11.65 million bail package in exchange for lifting him from house arrest and electronic monitoring. [nL1N1O023K] As part of that deal, he would forfeit four of his real estate properties if he violated his bail conditions. Even if the ghost-written op-ed were entirely accurate, fair and balanced, it would be a violation of this courts November 8 order if it had been published, wrote prosecutor Andrew Weissmann. A spokesman for Manafort did not have any immediate comment. Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates were both indicted in October in a 12-count indictment by a federal grand jury. They face charges including conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy against the United States and failing to register as foreign agents of Ukraines former pro-Russian government. Initially, Manaforts lawyers had said in their court filing that the special counsels office was willing to accept the proposed terms of his release. But prosecutors wrote that they can no longer trust Manafort, and cannot accept his proposed terms. Because Manafort has now taken actions that reflect an intention to violate or circumvent the courts existing orders, at a time one would expect particularly scrupulous adherence, the government submits that the proposed bail package is insufficient, the filing said.

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GENEVA (Reuters) - Myanmars security forces may be guilty of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority and more of them are fleeing despite a deal between Myanmar and Bangladesh to send them home, the top U.N. human rights official said on Tuesday. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights arrives at the 36th Sesssion of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland September 11, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/FilesThe United Nations defines genocide as acts meant to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group in whole or in part. Such a designation is rare under international law, but has been used in contexts including Bosnia, Sudan and an Islamic State campaign against the Yazidi communities in Iraq and Syria. Zeid Raad al-Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that none of the 626,000 Rohingya who have fled violence to Bangladesh since August should be repatriated to Myanmar unless there was robust monitoring on the ground. Myanmars ambassador, Htin Lynn, said his government was working with Bangladesh to ensure returns of the displaced in about two months and there will be no camps. Zeid, who has described the campaign in the past as a textbook case of ethnic cleansing, was addressing a special session of the U.N. Human Rights Council called by Bangladesh. He described reports of acts of appalling barbarity committed against the Rohingya, including deliberately burning people to death inside their homes, murders of children and adults; indiscriminate shooting of fleeing civilians; widespread rapes of women and girls, and the burning and destruction of houses, schools, markets and mosques. Can anyone - can anyone - rule out that elements of genocide may be present? he told the 47-member state forum. Shahriar Alam, Bangladeshs junior foreign affairs minister, told the session in Geneva that his country was hosting nearly one million Myanmar nationals following summary executions and rapes as a weapon of persecution. Mainly Buddhist Myanmar denies the Muslim Rohingya are its citizens and considers them foreigners. These crimes had been perpetrated by Myanmar security forces and extremist Buddhist vigilantes, Alam said, calling for an end to what he called xenophobic rhetoric..including from higher echelons of the government and the military. Rohingya refugees sail on an improvised raft across the Naf River to reach Bangladesh, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, November 29, 2017. REUTERS/Susana VeraCRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Zeid urged the Council to recommend that the U.N. General Assembly establish a new mechanism to assist individual criminal investigations of those responsible. Prosecutions for the violence and rapes against Rohingya by security forces and civilians appear extremely rare, he said. Marzuki Darusman, head of an independent international fact-finding mission on Myanmar, said by video from Malaysia: We will go where the evidence leads us. His team has interviewed Rohingya refugees, including children in the Bangladeshi port city of Coxs Bazar, who recounted acts of extreme brutality and displayed signs of severe trauma. Myanmar has not granted the investigators access to Rakhine, the northern state from which the Rohingya have fled, Darusman said. We maintain hope that it will be granted early in 2018. Pramila Patten, special envoy of the U.N. Secretary-General on sexual violence in conflict, who interviewed survivors in Bangladesh in November, said: I heard the most heart-breaking and horrific accounts of sexual atrocities reportedly committed in cold blood out of a lethal hatred of these people solely on the basis of their ethnicity and religion. Crimes included rape, gang rape by multiple soldiers, forced public nudity and humiliation, and sexual slavery in military captivity, Patten said. Myanmar denies committing atrocities against the Rohingya. Its envoy Htin, referring to the accounts, said: People will say what they wanted to believe and sometimes they will say what they were told to say. Kelley Currie, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, said the Rohingyas lack of Myanmar citizenship was the fundamental root cause of this crisis, adding: Stop denying the seriousness of the current situation.

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Alexis Willis will join the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce as director of Small Business and Entrepreneurship beginning Jan. 8, a Chamber spokesperson announced Monday. Ms. Willis will direct the activities of the INCubator, which is located in the Hamilton County Business Development Center on the North Shore.

Alexis is a dynamic leader with a great background in our entrepreneurial ecosystem, said Charles Wood, vice president of Economic Development for the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. Her energy and enthusiasm will play a critical role in helping move the INCubator to the next level as we continue this critical partnership between the Chamber and Hamilton County.

Ms. Willis will lead a dynamic and passionate team of five members at the INCubator. Most recently, Ms. Willis served as director of Business Support for The Company Lab, also known as CO.LAB. During her tenure there, she built foundational support for the strong partnership between CO.LAB and LAUNCH Chattanooga. As a certified CO.STARTERS facilitator, she has trained dozens of startup owners and in 2016 was nominated Startup Advocate of the Year by the community through the Chattanooga Startup Awards program.

Ms. Willis serves on the boards of the Virginia College of Business as well as Stove Works, a multi-use venue for artists. Shes a founding member of the Greater Chattanooga Sankofa Fund for Civic Engagement, a giving circle committed to supporting Chattanoogas communities of color; and she served as a board member for the Leadership Chattanooga Alumni Association for two years, having graduated the program in 2014.

Her first company, Natural Beautiful Me, was founded in 2011 as a platform to empower women to value their identity and embrace their natural beauty. Her second brand, The Red Lipstick Experiment, launched in 2013. Ms. Willis earned a B.A. in English-Writing from UTC with a minor in Business Administration, along with several professional certifications.

At any given time, about 70 businesses call the Hamilton County Business Development Center home. Clients generally stay for up to three years before graduating. A recent economic impact survey reported INCubator clients generated $17 million in revenues and investment over a 12-month period. Of that, $13 million represents new dollars brought into the Hamilton County economy.

Next year the INCubator will celebrate 30 years of providing businesses the support services they need to succeed through a three-year, progressive development program.

At the INCubator, clients share administrative services, manufacturing and office space, training workshops and use of the buildings Technology Conference Center, as well as access to free onsite business counseling from the Tennessee Small Business Development Center.


Washington: Special Counsel Robert Mueller's indictment of President Donald Trump's former advisor Michael Flynn has ratcheted up tensions in Washington, with the White House girding for possible obstruction charges against Trump himself.

Flynn, the president's former national security advisor, was the most senior of the four people charged so far in Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to swing last year's presidential election, and whether Trump tried to block the probe by firing FBI director James Comey.

By allowing Flynn, a former defence intelligence chief and a campaign insider, to plead guilty to a simple charge of lying to investigators, Mueller signalled that he expects to go higher up the ladder of political power in his investigation.

But Mueller's end-game  who precisely is in his sights and for what  remains unclear.

The tall, gangly 73-year-old former FBI director, who almost never appears in public, is playing his cards tight to the chest, dropping hints in court filings rich enough to stir fears high into the White House, but too scant to discern his next moves.

"With Flynn's plea deal, Mueller has nowhere to go but up the chain," Asha Rangappa, a former FBI agent now lecturing at Yale University, told Politico.

Hard-nosed investigators

Mueller's team of hard-nosed investigators are particularly skilled in tracking money through international financial thickets, "flipping" witnesses against their bosses and dealing with counter-intelligence probes.

Those skills have driven the indictments so far. On 30 October Mueller unveiled charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Richard Gates, for conspiracy, money-laundering and related financial crimes tied to their work with pro-Moscow Ukrainian politician Viktor Yanukovych.

On the same day, separately, a Trump campaign foreign policy advisor, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his Kremlin contacts.

Then on Friday Mueller revealed Flynn's plea deal, on charges he lied to investigators about discussions he had with Moscow's ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December 2016.

Attacking from the edges

Each case shows Mueller attacking around the edges, probing vulnerabilities, deliberately stirring fear in potential targets, and meanwhile recruiting witnesses.

Papadopoulos was a minor Trump campaign figure. But documents in his plea deal reveal that he built up contacts with Russians in London with the knowledge and support of his campaign supervisors.

Mueller described what Papadopoulos told campaign officials in emails about his Russian contacts, but did not reveal the names of whom the emails went to, and little about their replies. Court filings described them as "high ranking" campaign officials.

Two things are clear from the Papadopoulos case: his contacts help establish a pattern of engagement with the Russians by the campaign, and Mueller knows who in the campaign were directing them.

Pinning down potential witnesses

As for Manafort and Gates, by going after them on significant crimes only obliquely related to the focus of his probe  including laundering some $75 million  Mueller has in effect pinned them down for possible future use as witnesses.

Both were in the position to know whether the campaign was actively communicating with Russians when the election meddling took place. Manafort took part in a suspect June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer who had offered the campaign dirt on Clinton.

The Flynn case seems to show Mueller headed in another direction. The Russian contacts he lied about came after Trump's election victory.

But analysts say Flynn helps Mueller build his cases on three fronts. First, Flynn would have had to promise Mueller something substantial against other, more senior targets of the investigation, to earn his plea deal, which amounts to a hand-slap.

Second, as a bookend to Papadopoulos, Flynn confirms the campaign had standing contacts with Russians. Again, no one specifically is named. Court filings by the Mueller team reference Flynn's communications with a "senior" and then a "very senior" campaign official about his discussions with Kislyak. They make clear that Flynn was operating at the direction of the campaign. Media reports have said that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is one of those referenced anonymously.

Third, Trump's handling of Flynn, who was fired from the White House in February, could conceivably bolster a case for obstruction of justice against the president or others.

That is, at least, the message the White House took since Mueller remains steadfastly quiet.

Trump lawyer John Dowd felt it necessary to tell the political news website Axios that the president cannot be guilty of obstruction of justice "because he is the chief law enforcement officer under (the Constitution) and has every right to express his view of any case."

"There's been absolutely no collusion," Trump meanwhile said.
Geneva: The United Nations (UN) rights chief called on Tuesday for a fresh international investigation into Myanmar's abuses against its Rohingya Muslim minority, warning of possible "elements of genocide".

Speaking before a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the abuses against the Rohingya, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein condemned "widespread, systematic and shockingly brutal" attacks against the Rohingya, as well as decades of discrimination and persecution.

An army-led crackdown has forced some 626,000 people to flee from northern Rakhine state and across the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh in recent months, leaving hundreds of villages burned to the ground.

Myanmar's military denies accusations by the UN and United States that it has committed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

But Zeid decried policies that had dehumanised and segregated the minority, and left it wallowing in statelessness for decades.

He described horrific violence and abuse, including allegations of "killing by random firing of bullets, use of grenades, shooting at close range, stabbings, beatings to death and the burning of houses with families inside".

"Given all of this, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?" Zeid asked the 47-member council.

Myanmar's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Htin Lynn, did not address those accusations, but insisted to the council that the humanitarian situation at its border with Bangladesh was of "paramount concern", and that Yangon was "making every effort to resolve the issue."

He also denied Zeid's claim that Yangon was doing little to rein in hate speech and incitement to violence against the minority, insisting "my government is doing everything possible to deter these individual acts."

But Zeid slammed the government's inaction, warning that "by continuing to dehumanise the Rohingya, the state authorities will fuel even wider levels of violence in the future, drawing in communities from across the region."

He urged the rights council to ask the UN General Assembly to launch a new "impartial and independent mechanism", to work alongside a fact-finding mission already dispatched by his office.

In March the rights council approved the fact-finding mission to investigate alleged crimes by security forces, particularly in Rakhine.

But Myanmar has so far refused to cooperate and has blocked access to the team of investigators, who have begun their work outside the country.

The rights council rarely holds special sessions, which can only be convened at the request of at least a third of its 47 member states, or 16 countries.

Tuesday's session was held at the request of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, with the support of 33 council members and more than 40 observer states.

Bangladeshi foreign minister Shahriar Alam warned that the massive exodus over such a short period was "comparable only with the exodus following the 1994 Rwanda genocide".

After months of wrangling, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on 23 November to start repatriating refugees within two months. But rights groups say the conditions are not in place to ensure safe, voluntary and dignified returns.

According to the UN's top expert on the situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, Myanmar authorities appear to have already started building camps for returnees, raising serious concerns about the conditions the Rohingya would return to.

Comments from the top UN representative on sexual violence, Pramila Patten, also painted a harrowing picture of the dangers faced by the minority inside Myanmar.

She warned that rampant sexual attacks on Rohingya appeared to be "used as a tool of dehumanisation and collective punishment," citing witness accounts of women and girls tied to rocks or trees "before multiple soldiers literally raped them to death."

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been the target of global vitriol for a perceived failure to stand up for the stateless minority.

But she remains a heroine for most of her compatriots, who largely consider the Rohingya as unwanted illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Zeid meanwhile lamented the refusal inside Myanmar but also by some international players to even name the Rohingya, creating "a shameful paradox: they are denied a name while being targeted for being who they are."
DUBAI (Reuters) - Slain former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Salehs nephew, Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, a senior military commander, also was killed during clashes with the Iran-aligned Houthi group, a statement from Salehs party said on Tuesday. Tareqs fate had not been known following an assault by the Houthis in Sanaa on Sunday night that led to the death of the ex-leader.

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Kabul: The Afghan intelligence agency says scores of Al-Qaeda figures, including senior leader Omar Khetab, have been killed in joint operations with coalition forces in the country's eastern and southern provinces.

The National Directorate of Security said in a statement that about 80 members of the terror network were killed and 27 others arrested in the operations, which also destroyed five Al-Qaeda bases in the southern province of Zabul, as well as eastern Ghazni and Paktia provinces.

The statement describes Khetab as the second in command for Al-Qaeda's branch in the Indian subcontinent, which is seeks to fight the governments of Pakistan, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh in order to establish an Islamic state.

The statement made no mention of when the operations took place.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has received the most nominations for leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) ahead of a party vote this month, voting data from the countrys nine provinces show. South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa greets security personnel at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2017 meeting in Durban, South Africa, May 5, 2017. REUTERS/Rogan Ward Ramaphosa is one of two frontrunners in a closely watched contest to take over from President Jacob Zuma as ANC leader at a party conference starting on Dec. 16. Whoever becomes ANC leader will most likely be the next president of South Africa, owing to the ruling partys electoral dominance. Ramaphosa received 1,862 nominations by ANC branches, whereas his main rival for ANC leader, former cabinet minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, received 1,309 endorsements. Reuters compiled the number of nominations for each candidate based on voting data released by provincial ANC structures. ANC officials in the provinces of Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal were the last to release their nominations totals on Monday. Ramaphosa, a former trade union leader and millionaire businessman, is seen as more market-friendly than Dlamini-Zuma, who was previously married to Zuma. Signs that Ramaphosa has been doing well in the nominations by ANC branches have boosted the rand currency ZAR=D3 in recent weeks. However, Dlamini-Zuma could still win the race for ANC leader as analysts say the outcome in December could be swayed by inducements and pressure on conference delegates. Delegates are not bound to vote for the candidate that was nominated by their ANC branch.

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would hear on 31 January a batch of pleas, including that of two Rohingya refugees who have approached it against the Centre's decision to deport Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said it would also hear on the next date the interim applications seeking to be impleaded as parties in the ongoing case.

"We are not rejecting any of the impleadment application before us in this matter. We will hear it on the next date," the bench said.

On 21 November, the apex court had agreed to defer the matter for hearing it on Tuesday.

Two Rohingya immigrants, Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, had approached the apex court opposing the Centre's decision to deport over 40,000 refugees who came to India after escaping from Myanmar due to widespread discrimination, violence, and bloodshed against the community there.

Various other petitions, including those by former RSS ideologue and Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan leader KN Govindacharya, the CPM youth wing Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the West Bengal child rights body and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, have been filed in the apex court on the matter.

The top court had on 13 October said the Rohingya refugee problem was of a "great magnitude" and the state would have to play a "big role" while dealing with the contentious issue.

It had earlier decided to give a detailed and holistic hearing on the government's decision to deport Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, observing that a balance has to be struck between national interest and human rights as the issue involved national security, economic interests, and humanity.

The court had suggested to the Centre not to deport these refugees, but the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta had urged that it should not be written in the order as anything coming on record would have international ramifications.

The Rohingya Muslims, who fled to India after violence in the Western Rakhine State of Myanmar, were settled in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR, and Rajasthan.

In a communication to all states, the union home ministry had said the rise of terrorism in last few decades had become a serious concern for most nations as illegal migrants were prone to recruitment by terrorist organisations.

It had directed the state governments to set up a task force at the district level to identify and deport illegally-staying foreign nationals.
WASHINGTON/GAZA (Reuters) - President Donald Trump told Arab leaders on Tuesday that he intends to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a decision that breaks with decades of U.S. policy and risks fuelling further unrest in the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Utah State Capitol, where he announced big cuts to Utah's sprawling wilderness national monuments, in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueSenior U.S. officials have said Trump is likely on Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital while delaying relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, though he is expected to order his aides to begin planning such a move immediately. U.S. endorsement of Israels claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would reverse long-standing U.S. policy that the citys status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The international community does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordans King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabias King Salman, who all received phone calls from Trump, joined a mounting chorus of voices warning that unilateral U.S. steps on Jerusalem would derail a fledgling U.S.-led peace effort and unleash turmoil in the region. At the same time, a senior Israeli minister appeared to welcome Trumps decision on Jerusalem while vowing that Israel was preparing for any outbreak of violence. Trump notified Abbas of his intention to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said. Abbas, in response, warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world and also appealed to the Pope and the leaders of Russia, France and Jordan to intervene. The Jordanian monarch, whose dynasty is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, told Trump that moving the embassy there would have dangerous repercussions for the region and would obstruct U.S. efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, according to a palace statement. Jordan plans to convene an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Trumps new Jerusalem policy, said Foreign Minister Ayman al Safadi. Egypts Sisi cautioned Trump against taking measures that would undermine the chances of peace and complicate matters in the Middle East, a presidential statement released in Cairo said. King Salman stressed to Trump that any U.S. announcement on the status of Jerusalem will hurt peace talks and increase tension in the region and said it would inflame Muslim feelings all over the world, the Saudi Press Agency said. None of the leaders statements said whether Trump, who was also due to talk to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, specified the timing of an embassy move, a notion that successive Israeli governments have supported. But U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump was expected to sign a national security waiver - as have his predecessors - keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv for another six months but would commit to expediting a move. It was unclear, however, whether he would set a date. Trump, who promised during the 2016 presidential campaign to move the embassy to Jerusalem and is expected to announce his decision in a speech on Wednesday, appears intent on satisfying the pro-Israel, right-wing base that helped him win the presidency. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move not recognised internationally. A general view shows the Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem's Old City December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen ZvulunA BIG MISTAKE Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, who met last week with U.S. officials in Washington, told Israels Army Radio: My impression is that the president will recognise Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years, as the capital of the state of Israel. Asked if Israel was preparing for a wave of violence if Trump recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, he said: We are preparing for every option. Anything like that can always erupt. If Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) will lead it in that direction then he will be making a big mistake. Turkey threatened on Tuesday to cut diplomatic ties with Israel if Trump recognise Jerusalem. Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims, Turkeys President Tayyip Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling AK Party. Senior U.S. officials told Reuters some officers in the State Department were also deeply concerned and the European Union, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League all warned that any such declaration would have repercussions across the region. Slideshow (2 Images)Netanyahu has so far declined to speculate on what Trump might say. But Katz took to Twitter to reject Turkeys threat and reiterate Israels position on the city, which is one of a long list of stumbling blocks in years of failed peace talks with the Palestinians. We dont take orders or accept threats from the president of Turkey, he wrote. A U.S. official said the consensus U.S. intelligence estimate on U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital was that it would risk triggering a backlash against Israel, and also potentially against U.S. interests in the Middle East. It is also likely to upset an Israeli-Palestinian peace push led by Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, in pursuit of what the U.S. president has called the ultimate deal. The initiative has made little progress. The European Unions top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, said on Tuesday that any action that would undermine peace efforts to create two separate states for the Israelis and the Palestinians must absolutely be avoided. Speaking alongside U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels, she said Jerusalems status would have to be agreed through negotiations. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has consistently warned against any unilateral action that would have the potential to undermine the two-state solution, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. We have always regarded Jerusalem as a final status issue that must be resolved through direct negotiations between the two parties based on relevant Security Council resolutions, Dujarric said. The Arab League and Saudi Arabia repeated past warnings, following statements by France and Jordan in recent days. Past Israeli-Palestinian rifts have deteriorated into protests, attacks and fighting and further destabilised the region.

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GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday condemned the very likely commission of crimes against humanity against Rohingya in Myanmar and called on the government to ensure justice for victims and access for U.N. investigators and aid workers. Rohingya refugees build a school at Kutupalong refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Damir SagoljThe 47 member forum adopted a resolution brought by Bangladesh, which is sheltering 626,000 Muslim Rohingyas who fled violence that erupted in northern Rakhine state in August. The vote was 33 in favour, three against including China, with nine abstentions, and two delegations absent. Myanmars ambassador Htin Lynn told the Geneva forum that his government disassociated itself from the resolution. Politicisation and partiality seem to be taking root in our work...Any effort by the international community should not be fanning the flames on the ground, he said.

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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Monday met Pakistans civilian and military leaders and urged them redouble their efforts to rein in militants accused of using the country as a base to carry out attacks in neighbouring Afghanistan. U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis arrives in Islamabad, Pakistan December 4, 2017. U.S. Embassy/Handout via REUTERS Mattis, on a one-day visit to Pakistan, said the South Asian nation had made progress in the fight against militancy inside its borders but needed to make more. More than 100 days since President Donald Trump announced a South Asia strategy that calls for a firmer line towards Islamabad, U.S. officials and analysts say there has been only limited success and it is not clear how progress will be made. U.S. officials have long been frustrated by what they see as Pakistans reluctance to act against groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network that they believe exploit safe haven on Pakistani soil to launch attacks in Afghanistan. The Secretary reiterated that Pakistan must redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country, the Pentagon said in a statement. Mattis, who visited Pakistan for the first time as defence secretary, said before the trip that the goal for his meetings with Pakistani officials would be to find common ground. In his discussion with Mattis, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the two allies shared objectives. Were committed (to) the war against terror, he said. Nobody wants peace in Afghanistan more than Pakistan. Mattis also met with high-ranking officials from Pakistans powerful military, including army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Lieutenant-General Naveed Mukhtar, the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency that U.S. officials say has links with Haqqani and Taliban militants. In August, Trump outlined a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, chastising Pakistan over its alleged support for Afghan militants. But beyond that, the Trump administration has done little to articulate its strategy, experts say. U.S. officials say they have not seen a change in Pakistans support for militants, despite visits by senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis arrives in Islamabad, Pakistan December 4, 2017. U.S. Embassy Handout via Reuters We have been very direct and very clear with the Pakistanis ... we have not seen those changes implemented yet, General John Nicholson, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, said this week. Pakistani officials have pushed back on the U.S. accusations and say they have done a great deal to help the United States in tracking down militants. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis addresses a news conference during a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/Files LIMITED LEVERAGE U.S. official expressed hope relations could improve after a U.S.-Canadian couple kidnapped in Afghanistan were freed in Pakistan in October with their three children. However, while the Trump administration has used tougher words with Pakistan, it is has yet to change Islamabads calculus. Some experts say the United States loses clout in Pakistan when it is seen as bullying. While Mattis travelled to the region earlier this year, he did not stop in Pakistan, but visited its arch rival, India, a relationship that has grown under the Trump administration. There is not an effective stick anymore because Pakistan doesnt really care about U.S aid, it has been dwindling anyway and it is getting the money it needs elsewhere ... treat it with respect and actually reward it when it does do something good, said Madiha Afzal, with the Brookings Institution. Mattiss brief visit to Islamabad comes a week after a hardline Pakistani Islamist group called off nationwide protests after the government met its demand that a minister accused of blasphemy resign. Separately, a Pakistani Islamist accused of masterminding a bloody 2008 assault in the Indian city of Mumbai was freed from house arrest. The White House said the release could have repercussions for U.S.-Pakistan relations. I think for Pakistan, the timing is very bad. There is talk about progress being made against extremists and here you have a situation where religious hardliners have basically been handed everything they wanted on a silver platter, said Michael Kugelman, with the Woodrow Wilson think-tank in Washington.

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Islamabad: US defence secretary James Mattis has asked Pakistan to "redouble" its efforts to confront militants operating from its soil, reaffirming Washington's concern that Islamabad has not done enough to combat terrorism.

Mattis held separate meetings on Monday with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to explore ways to effectively eliminate the threat of militancy.

The defence secretary reiterated that Pakistan must "redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country," the US embassy in Islamabad said in a statement after Mattis concluded his maiden visit to the country.

Mattis recognised Pakistan's sacrifices in the war against terrorism. He emphasised the vital role that Pakistan can play in working with the US and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan that brings stability and security to the region, the statement said.

His visit to Pakistan comes days after the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed was released from house arrest.

The defence secretary also met Bajwa at the general headquarters of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi.

The meeting was focused on regional security with particular emphasis on Afghanistan as well as other matters of mutual interest, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

Bajwa appreciated Mattis' understanding of the underlying issues and said that Pakistan does not require anything from the US but understanding, the statement said.

"We have eliminated safe havens from Pakistan's soil but are prepared to look into the possibility of miscreants exploiting Pakistan's hospitality to the Afghan refugees to the detriment of our Afghan brothers," it said.

The two sides also agreed to work towards specific and sustained actions on each other's concerns.

"He (Bajwa) reiterated Pakistan's support to peace and stability in the region and highlighted Pakistan's concerns emanating from Indian use of Afghan soil, the necessity and right of Afghan refugees for a respectable and early repatriation and the existence of terrorist safe havens across

the border in Afghanistan," the ISPR statement said.

Relations between the US and Pakistan plummeted after President Donald Trump announced his new Afghan policy in August and directly blamed Islamabad for supporting the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

The visit of Mattis comes about a week after the White House asked Pakistan to immediately arrest and charge 26/11 mastermind Saeed, in the absence of which it warned Islamabad of repercussions.

Saeed, who has an American bounty of $ 10 million on his head, walked free on 24 November after a court ordered an end to his 10-month detention.




The Cleveland LongHorn is hosting a holiday celebration for local high school students, as part of what company officials say is LongHorns ongoing commitment to the community.This Friday at 9:30 a.m., Cleveland LongHorn, 4305 Holiday Inn Express Way N.W., team members will host more than 70 children from the special education department of Cleveland High School, serving them favorites like chicken fingers and fries. "The kids will also get to enjoy the company of Santa Claus and participate in an Elf on the Shelf competition," officials said. "This is the fourth year the Cleveland LongHorn has been able to host this event, thanks to the many partnerships in the community."
Washington: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries.

This is not a final ruling on the travel ban: Challenges to the policy are winding through the federal courts, and the justices themselves ultimately are expected to rule on its legality.

But the action indicates that the high court might eventually approve the latest version of the ban, announced by President Donald Trump in September. Lower courts have continued to find problems with the policy.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said the White House is "not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the President's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism."

Opponents of this and previous versions of the ban say they show a bias against Muslims. They say that was reinforced most recently by Trump's retweets of anti-Muslim videos. "President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret. He has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter. It's unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims," said Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project. The ACLU is representing some opponents of the ban.

Just two justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, noted their disagreement with court orders allowing the latest policy to take full effect.

The new policy is not expected to cause the chaos that ensued at airports when Trump rolled out his first ban without warning in January.

The ban applies to travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Lower courts had said people from those nations with a claim of a "bona fide" relationship with someone in the United States could not be kept out of the country. Grandparents, cousins and other relatives were among those courts said could not be excluded.

The courts were borrowing language the Supreme Court itself came up with last summer to allow partial enforcement of an earlier version of the ban.

Now, those relationships will no longer provide a blanket exemption from the ban, although visa officials can make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. The justices offered no explanation for their order, but the administration had said that blocking the full ban was causing "irreparable harm" because the policy is based on legitimate national security and foreign policy concerns.

In lawsuits filed in Hawaii and Maryland, federal courts said the updated travel ban violated federal immigration law. The travel policy also applies to travellers from North Korea and to some Venezuelan government officials and their families, but the lawsuits did not challenge those restrictions. Also unaffected are refugees. A temporary ban on refugees expired in October.

All the rulings so far have been on a preliminary basis. The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, will be holding arguments on the legality of the ban this week.

David Levine, a University of California Hastings law school professor, said that by allowing the ban to take effect just days before the appeals court arguments, the justices were signalling their view. "I think it's tipping the hand of the Supreme Court," Levine said. "It suggests that from their understanding, the government is more likely to prevail on the merits than we might have thought."

Both appeals courts are dealing with the issue on an accelerated basis, and the Supreme Court noted it expects those courts to reach decisions "with appropriate dispatch." Quick resolution by appellate courts would allow the Supreme Court to hear and decide the issue this term, by the end of June.
Sanaa: Yemen's exiled president ordered troops to advance on Sanaa hours after his predecessor was killed by Huthi rebels, officials said, as heavy fighting continued in the capital.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi called on Yemenis to unite against the Iran-backed insurgents who shot Ali Abdullah Saleh dead as he fled the city following the collapse of their alliance.

"Let's join hands to end the control of these... criminal gangs and... open a new chapter to rid our beloved Yemen of this nightmare," Hadi, leader of the internationally recognised government, said in a televised address late on Monday from Saudi Arabia, where he lives in exile.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for three decades, had joined forces with the Shiite Huthi rebels in 2014 when they took control of large parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

But that alliance unravelled over the past week, with dozens reported dead in heavy clashes as the former leader reached out to the Saudi-led coalition that has waged devastating air strikes against the Huthis since September 2015.

Yemen's war has left thousands dead, led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and deepened tensions between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Hadi has ordered Vice-President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar to "activate military units and advance towards the capital," a presidency official said on condition of anonymity.

Military and government sources said the army would advance on Sanaa from the east and northeast, with at least seven battalions ordered to move forward.

Saleh was forced to step down in 2012, after his forces waged a bloody crackdown on peaceful Arab Spring-inspired protests calling for his ouster.

The 75-year-old had survived civil war, rebellion in the north, an Al-Qaeda insurgency in the south and a June 2011 bomb attack on his palace that wounded him badly.

The Huthis announced Saleh's death on the rebels' Al-Masirah television station, declaring in a statement the "end of the crisis of militias"referring to Saleh's armed supporters, to whom the government have offered an amnesty.

There were reports of further clashes and coalition strikes against Huthi-controlled government buildings and around Sanaa airport on Monday evening.

The Saudi-led coalition warned the city's residents to evacuate rebel-controlled areas, as international aid groups warned on Monday they were losing the ability to reach civilians in Sanaa.

A video by the rebels showed what appeared to be a dead Saleh with a severe head injury, his body wrapped in a floral-print blanket.

A military source said the Huthis had stopped their four-car convoy about 40 kilometres south of Sanaa and shot dead Saleh and two other officials.

Faiqa al-Sayyid, a leader in Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) party, said Saleh "was martyred in the defence of the republic".

The Saleh-Huthi alliance had been fraught since its inception in 2014, when the two ended decades of enmity and joined ranks to capture Sanaa from Hadi's government.

Saudi Arabia, accusing Iran of backing the rebels, intervened in Yemen on behalf of the government the following year. The ensuing conflict has claimed more than 8,750 lives.

Saleh on Saturday announced he was open to talks with Saudi Arabia and its allies on condition they ended their crippling blockade of Yemen's ports and airportsdealing a serious blow to his already fragile alliance with rebel chief Abdul Malik al-Huthi.

In a televised speech on Monday, Huthi made no mention of Saleh's death but expressed his satisfaction at the day's events.

"Today marked the failure of the conspiracy and treason, a black day for the forces of aggression," he said on Al-Masirah.
Sanaa: Veteran former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed in a roadside attack on Monday after switching sides in Yemens civil war, abandoning his Iran-aligned Houthi allies in favour of a Saudi-led coalition, foes and supporters said.

Analysts said Salehs death would be a huge morale boost for the Houthis and a serious blow to the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in the conflict to try to restore the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Any hope within the coalition that Saleh could have been bought off to help turn the tables against the Houthis after a protracted stalemate, in which a Saudi-led blockade and internal fighting have exposed millions to hunger and an epidemic, has been dashed.

The coalition will either have to continue waging a grinding war, possibly trying big offensives against Houthi-held areas at the risk of high civilian casualties, or offer compromises to bring the Houthis to the negotiating table.

Sources in the Houthi militia said its fighters had stopped Salehs armoured vehicle with an RPG rocket south of the embattled capital Sanaa and then shot him dead. Salehs General Peoples Congress (GPC) party, in a statement on its website, mourned its leader.

Footage circulated on social media showing his bloodied body lolling in a red blanket and being loaded into a pickup truck, just days after he tore up his alliance with the Houthis following nearly three years in which they had jointly battled the Saudi-led coalition.

In a televised speech on Monday, Houthi leader Abdul-Malek al-Houthi hailed Salehs death as a victory against the Saudi-led bloc, congratulating Yemenis on this historic, exceptional and great day in which the conspiracy of betrayal and treason failed, this black day for the forces of the aggression.

He said the Houthis, who follow the Zaidi branch of Shiite Islam, would maintain Yemens republican system and not pursue a vendetta against Salehs party.

Houthi jubilation

Supporters of the Houthis drove through Sanaas streets blasting celebratory war songs.

Abdul-Malek also hailed a missile launch announced by the group toward the United Arab Emirates this week as a message to its enemies, advising against foreign investment in the UAE and Saudi Arabia as their campaign in Yemen continues.

The Houthi groups spokesman, Mohammed Abdul-Salem, in remarks to Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV, accused the UAE of helping Saleh switch sides, and said the security establishment would publish documents of his contacts with the Saudi-led coalition.

Saleh, 75, had said on Saturday that he was ready for a new page in ties with the coalition and called the Houthis a coup militia.

Warfare between the erstwhile allies has rocked densely populated Sanaa for days, with Houthi fighters seizing control of much of the capital and on Monday blowing up Salehs house while coalition jets bombed their own positions.

The United Nations said roads were blocked and tanks deployed on many streets, trapping civilians and halting delivery of vital aid including fuel to supply clean water.

Residents reported fresh air strikes on a compound that had been used by the Houthi-led government for the first time since the war began in 2015.

The United Nations, which had appealed for a humanitarian pause on Tuesday, said aid flights in and out of Sanaa had been suspended. New fighting had also flared in other governorates such as Hajjah, it added.

In Washington, the United States called on all sides in Yemen to re-energise political negotiations to end the war, according to a Trump administration official.

Hadi, in a speech carried live on Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV, called for a new chapter in the battle against the Houthis after Salehs death. I call upon ... the Yemeni people in all provinces still suffering under this criminal and terrorist (Houthi) militia to rise in its face ... and cast it out.

Analyst Hafez Albukari of the Yemen Polling Centre said he now expected the conflict to escalate. I believe this will give the coalition and the legitimate authority (Hadi) an opportunity to press ahead militarily against the Houthis on several fronts to try to benefit from the new development, he told Reuters.

But this carries major danger to civilians, especially if the coalition tries to invade Sanaa, where the Houthis will fight fiercely.

For two years the war has been one of attrition along mostly static front lines.

Coupled with a Saudi-led blockade and internal clashes, the stalemate has contributed to a human catastrophe. Some 7 million people are on the brink of famine, while one million are suspected to be infected with cholera.

Eyes will now turn to Salehs political allies and military commanders, whom analysts credited with aiding the Houthi march southwards in 2014 to dominate swathes of western Yemen.

Adam Baron, a Yemen expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said it was not yet clear what Salehs family and political allies would do.

His people will be angry, and many will certainly be out for blood, but there are many in the middle, especially among the tribes, who will fall in with whoever appears stronger, he said.

The (Saudi-led) coalition may have put a lot of their eggs in Salehs basket, only for it to fall over now. They appeared to strongly support his attempt to confront the Houthis, and now that bid may have failed.

Heads of snakes

Saleh, a master of weaving alliances and advancing his personal and family interests in Yemens heavily armed and deeply fractious tribal society, unified his country by force, but he also helped guide it toward collapse in its latest war.

Saleh once compared his 33-year rule over Yemen to dancing on the heads of snakes, a period that included unification of conservative north and Marxist south Yemen, civil war, revolts, Islamist militant campaigns and tribal feuds.

But he was forced from power in 2012 after an Arab Spring uprising that left him wounded by an attempted assassination, leading to a Saudi-brokered political transition.

He fled to Saudi Arabia, his former ally, for treatment of his injuries and the princes in Riyadh allowed him to return to Yemen months later  something they came to bitterly regret as he undermined the transition plan and later joined the Houthis.

That set the stage for his final role  that of ally to the Houthi movement which he had previously fought six times during his own presidency, and to Iran, the Houthis political backer.

But Houthi and Saleh loyalist forces jostled for supremacy over the territory they ran together, including Sanaa, and their feud burst into open combat on 29 November.

Residents reported that the situation in Sanaa calmed later on Monday. Most people were indoors, and streets were deserted as the Houthis asserted full control. Saudi-led aircraft continued to pass overhead.

The Houthi movements TV channel al-Masirah and witnesses said Houthi fighters had seized the downtown home of Salehs nephew Tareq, an army general.

Residents said the warring sides traded heavy automatic and artillery fire as the Houthis advanced in the central Political District, a redoubt of Saleh and his family.

Houthi media and political sources also reported the Houthis advancing towards Salehs birthplace in a village outside Sanaa where he maintained a fortified palace.
When the East Ridge Christmas Parade was cancelled for the first time in parade history due to the threat of severe weather on Nov. 18, a couple of business owners decided there would be a parade. Robert Padgett and Brian Scott have teamed up with the city of East Ridge to help hold a Christmas parade on Friday at 7 p.m. The parade will start in the Camp Jordan RV Park and wind east toward the amphitheater, where it will end with an, East Ridge Christmas Celebration.

East Ridge Parks and Recreation Director, Stump Martin said, Robert and Brian have put a lot of time and effort into this project. The city had conflicts moving forward on a make-up date for a parade and these two have done their parts to make this happen.

Parade entry, admission to the party, along with the bonfire and inflatables are all free. Camp Jordan Parks Fun-time Foods will have concessions that will surely include hot cocoa.

The parade line-up starts at 5 p.m. Camp Jordan Parkway will be closed from the Chickamauga Creek Bridge east to Camp Jordan Road at the back gate of the park from the start of the parade at 7 p.m. until it ends.

Santa and Ms. Claus are scheduled to appear on a float in the parade and at the celebration with candy and smiles for the kids.

Three parade floats will receive awards Friday night from the judges of the parade.

Headlining the celebration at the amphitheater will be Music Row's three-time Independent Artist of the Year, Cody McCarver. The Dunlap native spent 12 years in the multi-platinum country music band Confederate Railroad. His 'outlaw' approach to his recordings and stage show boosted an acting career in the movie 'Cole Younger and the Black Train.

Joining McCarver will be other area recording artists for the 60-minute Christmas-themed concert.

Bring your blankets and chairs and join in the Christmas Spirit, Mr. Martin said. The park will be lit up following the parade and the playground and inflatables will be open to the kids.

For more information call 463-4391 or email smartin@eastridgetn.gov








Significant moves in the global snacking sector this week include an acquisition by Hain Celestial Group of Thats How We Roll, the producer and marketer of... Read More
11/17/2022

Coupling a strong night of defense with big performances by Josiah-Jordan James and Olivier Nkamhoua , the 22nd-ranked Tennessee Volunteers emphatically bounced back against Florida Gulf Coast, ... more
Navy SEAL turned entrepreneur Eli Crane and his wife, Jen Crane, have grown their small business turning recycled, decommissioned .50 caliber bullets into unique household gifts, to a business that generates millions in annual revenue.

The veteran owned and operated company repurposes military equipment into kitchen gadgets, mostly known for its bottle openers.

Eli and Jen Crane pitched the idea on ABCs Shark Tank and garnered the attention of billionaire investor Mark Cuban and businessman Kevin OLeary.

With the backing of Cuban and OLeary, the company now employs 35 to 40 people with sales of about $5 million annually.

Eli says that the inspiration for the products comes from his former boss Chris Kyle, known as the American Sniper, and some items even feature the names and faces of fallen soldiers.

20% of the proceeds from items that feature fallen servicemen are donated to veterans charities of the families choosing.

Though the bottle openers are a staple, the company sells other items including barbecue utensils, whiskey bullets that co-owner Jen calls lots of fun man gifts.
Black Rifle Coffee Company is not where you go to get your average cup of Joe. The Salt Lake City-based venture is making waves with high-quality coffee while taking a pro-Trump, pro-gun and pro-military stance.

The companys founder, Evan Hafer said his coffee is becoming very popular among conservatives.

Progressives hate me and conservatives love me. So if youre pro-American, pro-America youre going to love my coffee, Hafer told FOX Business Maria Bartiromo on Mornings with Maria.

The former Army Special Forces vet started roasting coffee in 2006 so he could have fresh coffee while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hafer said his passion for coffee, coupled with his military experience, is how Black Rifle was created.

The black rifles we carry in the military, they are life-saving equipment  However, progressives were villainizing and making this name black rifles  they were just saying the most atrocious things about them, he said. So I thought, okay, heres something that I can do, which is, these are my two passions and Im going to fuse them together. At the same time, Ill just alienate and make a stand and tell people exactly where we are at.

Hafer added there is a 50% hire ratio for veterans and more than 200 years of combined military service at Black Rifle Coffee.
Canada has high hopes for a trade agreement with China but won't rush into negotiations that could affect their economies for generations to come, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.

On the second day of a visit to Beijing, Trudeau told reporters that Canada was "constantly engaged" on trade issues with China as part of exploratory talks on a trade pact launched two years ago that have tackled issues such as agricultural exports.

Despite hopes that formal talks on an agreement would be announced during Trudeau's visit, it appeared that wasn't going to happen.

"For the past two years, we've been working on deepening our trade ties, our opportunities for small businesses, for Canadians to benefit from better access to the Chinese market while standing up for our interests and jobs back home," Trudeau said.

"This is something that is an ongoing process that we take very seriously and of course we are going to continue to talk about opportunities to benefit Canadians every moment that we have" in both China and back in Canada, he said.

Rather than announcing trade talks, Trudeau instead touted an agreement with China on the importance of dealing with climate change and upholding the 2015 Paris agreement, despite President Donald Trump's aim to withdraw the United States from the accord to cap greenhouse gases.

"Our shared concern for our environment will continue to be featured prominently in everything we do," Trudeau said. "Climate change is without a doubt one of the greatest challenges of our time, one we cannot and one we will not ignore."

Trudeau met with Chinese President Xi Jinping later Tuesday.

"I'm sure this visit will be a success and inject new vitality into China-Canada relations," Xi told Trudeau.

The lack of a concrete agreement on trade talks drew questions from some in Canada.

"Prime ministers usually don't go on trips like that without something to announce," John Manley, CEO of the Business Council of Canada, was quoted as saying by the public Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

China has positioned itself as a leading advocate of free trade, particularly since Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a pan-Pacific trade deal. Yet foreign businesses often complain that China closes many key areas to foreign investment, and Xi is known to favor a centralized economic model with special support for state-owned industries.

Canadian businesses have also been unsettled by Trump's threat to renegotiate or even withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trudeau said it was important to oppose economic nationalism, but said he was also looking for ways to "improve NAFTA for the 21st century."

After meeting with Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, Trudeau said Canada hopes a trade agreement with China will reflect "Canadian values" in the areas of labor rights, environmental protection and gender equality. That approach runs against China's inclination to keep such issues separate and avoid links to human rights or civil liberties.

On Tuesday, he reaffirmed Canada's approach of seeking a durable agreement, despite the lengthy timeframe demanded.

"We are going to work very hard, very responsibly to make sure that as we move forward, we move forward in the right way," he said. "Once we get to the stage of negotiating a trade agreement, that's going to take years as well."

In addition to seeking a trade pact with China, Canada has remained part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. During recent talks in Vietnam, Trudeau lobbied for strong provisions for environmental protection, labor rights, and gender issues, and the name of the initiative was altered to be the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

China largely imports wood and agricultural products, ore, fuels and seafood from Canada, while Canada imports machinery, furniture and sporting goods and textiles from China. The trade imbalance has narrowed, but China still ran a surplus of about $17 billion with Canada during the first half of this year, according to the Canadian government.
If you think 2017 was a bad year for cyberattacks, just wait to see what happens in the coming years, one cybersecurity expert warns.

Weve only seen the beginning, Dr. Eric Cole, CEO of Secure Anchor and former CTO of McAfee and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), told FOX Business. Cybercrime is big business  and its a very high-payoff, low-risk crime  weve seen nothing yet.

In 2016, U.S. financial losses stemming from cyberattacks totaled $1.33 billion, a 24% increase over the year prior, according to an FBI report. An Accenture study concluded that the number of hacks likely increased by more than 27% between 2016 and 2017.

Throughout 2017, U.S. institutions and businesses suffered some high-profile data breaches, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and credit reporting giant Equifax (NYSE:EFX). The Equifax hack resulted in thieves gaining access to the personal information of more than 145 million Americans, which will have financial implications for consumers for years to come. Uber also revealed in November that it suffered a hack in 2016, which it attempted to cover by paying the hackers $100,000 to keep the breach secret.

Cole, who was a member of the Commission on Cyber Security for President Bill Clinton and a security advisor for Bill Gates, said criminals tend to get away with cybercrime because they are often international actors from countries with no cybercrime laws or extradition treaties. That means, even when authorities figure out who is responsible for an attack, which is a challenge unto itself, they have no way of punishing the offenders.

In order for the United States to begin to combat that issue, Cole said the government needs to work with other countries, and the United Nations, to implement international laws governing cybercrime. Each countrys individuals laws are largely useless, he said, because most of the time the crimes are being committed in a different country.

Secondly, the U.S. government can implement penalties in order to enforce good security practices, Cole added. A company like Equifax, for example, failed to update a software vulnerability that led to the compromise of more than 145 million Americans personally identifiable information, and faced no clear punishments for putting consumers in financial jeopardy.

While Cole said security experts are constantly trying to figure out how cyberattacks will evolve in the future, he believes an attack on the United States critical infrastructure, including water supply and electrical grid, is on the radar. Further, he said a true information war, which could devastate countries and result in loss of life, is within the realm of possibilities.

In the interim, its critical for security teams to be proactive, because cybercriminals, unfortunately, have the upper hand.

[Cybercriminals] game is easier, they have to find one weakness. We have to find them all, Cole said.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has asked Deutsche Bank to share data on accounts held by U.S. President Donald Trump and his family, a person close to the matter said on Tuesday.

Germany's largest bank received a subpoena from Mueller several weeks ago to provide information on certain money and credit transactions, the person added, confirming a report by German daily Handelsblatt published on Tuesday.

Deutsche Bank, which has loaned the Trump organization millions of dollars for real estate ventures, said it would not comment on any of its clients.

Deutsche Bank rejected demands in June by U.S. House Democrats to provide details of Trump's finances, citing privacy laws.

Mueller is investigating alleged Russian attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election and potential collusion by Trump aides.

Russia has denied meddling in the election and Trump has said there was no collusion.

(Reporting by Arno Schuetze; Editing by Keith Weir)
Oil operators in North Dakota will be required to provide more details to mineral owners about deductions taken from their royalty checks.

The state Industrial Commission unanimously approved the rules Monday to address frustration among royalty owners who struggle to get answers from oil companies about the purpose of the charges, The Bismarck Tribune reported.

The new rule will require standardized royalty statements that identify the amount and purpose of each deduction. The deductions also will be identified under the categories of transportation, processing, compression and administrative costs.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council testified against the rule change, saying it will require expensive software upgrades.

It will cost up to $1 million for each software package  potentially several million dollars for the industry statewide, according to Brady Pelton, the industry group's government affairs manager.

State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said the cost of compliance should be considered in the context of the amount of royalties distributed by the oil industry, which he said was $8 million per day in September.

The rule changes need to be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office and the Legislature's Administrative Rules Committee before they can go into effect in July 2019. The state Legislature could address the issue during its 2019 session, which will conclude before July of that year.

___

Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
Public notaries in Greece's capital of Athens have called off auctions of foreclosed properties, citing disruptions from security measures for a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The association of Athens notaries said Tuesday that traffic restrictions and other police measures for Erdogan's visit could prevent notaries reaching the courts on time.

The foreclosure auctions resumed last week after a months-long suspension, and then stopped again after protesters clashed with police in an Athens court. Wednesday's auctions would have been the first since then.

Erdogan is due in Athens on Thursday.

Greece's left-led government had pledged to provide adequate police protection to stop protesters from disrupting auctions of foreclosed property. The sales are a key part of Greece's efforts, under its international bailout program, to boost its bad loan-plagued banks.
Habitat for Humanity of Tennessee is directing $31,000 in state grant funding to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga to assist in building two new homes in the Scenic City.

The funding comes as part of a half-million dollar grant from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency.





"We are extremely grateful for the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) partnership and consistent support, said Colleen Dudley, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Tennessee, This THDA grant provides us with a solid foundation to jumpstart our larger fundraising efforts, which will reach $2.8 million from individuals, churches, foundations and businesses to complete these builds.





Local Habitat chapters could apply for $15,500 per build in THDA funding from the grant. When construction is complete in June 2018, more than 100 adults and children will be living in the 30 high-quality, energy-efficient homes built in part from this funding.





We share Habitats mission and its passion for creating new homeownership opportunities to Tennessee families, so its a very natural partnership, said THDAs Executive Director Ralph M. Perrey. Were always confident that Habitat is going to put our funding to good use, and Im sure more than a few THDA staffers will be among the volunteers at build sites across the state.





In addition to supporting Habitat for Humanity with grant funding, THDA also provides zero-interest home loans to qualified Habitat homeowners. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage that, in turn, helps fund future Habitat builds.





Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization came to Tennessee in 1978 and has grown to being ranked the fourth largest builder of Habitat for Humanity homes in the country.





Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit HabitatTN.org.
What's happening

Shares of Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE: BNED) are surging, rising about 25% as of 11 a.m. EST on Tuesday. The company's fiscal second-quarter earnings report topped the consensus analyst estimate on the top and bottom lines, helped by recent acquisitions.

So what

Barnes & Noble Education reported that consolidated sales grew to $886.9 million during its busy back-to-school quarter, up 15.1% from the prior-year period. Earnings rose to $1.03 per share for the quarter, higher than the consensus analyst estimate of $0.91 per share.

Acquisitions helped fuel sales and profit growth this quarter. In February, Barnes & Noble Education acquired MBS Textbook Exchange, one of the largest operators of digital bookstores and wholesale distributors of textbooks in the United States. In August, it acquired Student Brands, a portfolio of websites that includes Cram.com and Cite.com, which help students study for tests and properly cite research papers.

These acquisitions are helping paper over a decline in the physical-book business, which operates under the Barnes & Noble College Booksellers brand. This quarter, same-store sales in its legacy business declined about 4.4% year over year, driven by a 5% decrease in textbook sales.

Now what

The company's guidance for the full fiscal year 2018 calls for same-store sales at its brick-and-mortar unit to decline "in the low- to mid-single-digit percentage point range" compared to the year-ago period. It anticipates that adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) will land between $105 million and $120 million for the full fiscal year, up from $78.3 million in fiscal 2017. The company said it intends to spend about $50 million on capital expenditures, driven primarily by its plan to open new brick-and-mortar bookstores.

The fiscal second-quarter back-to-school period is Barnes & Noble Education's busiest season. Investors will want to see that the company can carry momentum into the fiscal third quarter, when college students head back to bookstores to purchase their second-semester materials.

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Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ripped Patagonia on Tuesday, accusing the outdoor retailer of lying when it wrote on its official website that President Donald Trump stole federal land by reducing the size of two national monuments in Utah by roughly two million acres.

An angry Zinke called the claim  made in large type on the company's home page  "nefarious, false and a lie."

Zinke told reporters the land targeted by Trump remains protected because it is still under federal control.

"I understand fundraising for these special interest groups," Zinke said. "I think it's shameful and appalling that they would blatantly lie in order to gain money in their coffers."

Patagonia replaced its usual home page Monday night with a stark message declaring, "The President Stole Your Land." The message called Trump's actions to shrink Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments "illegal" and the largest elimination of protected land in American history.

In an illegal move, the president just reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history, the message on Patagonias homepage said.

Founded in 1973, the outdoor clothing retailer had sales of $800 million in 2017, according to the Guardian.

Outdoor retailer REI also criticized Trump but in less harsh language.

Zinke took a defiant tone in a conference call with reporters, saying, "I don't yield to pressure, only higher principle. And sound public policy is not based on threats of lawsuits, it's doing what's right."

Zinke argued that Bears Ears is still larger than Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks combined even after being downsized to about 202,000 acres (315 square miles) while Grand Staircase-Escalante retains about 1 million acres (about 1,500 square miles.)

Environmental and conservation groups and a coalition of tribes filed lawsuits Monday that ensure Trump's announcement is far from the final word in the yearslong battle over public lands in Utah and other western states. The court cases are likely to drag on for years.

A coalition of the Hopi, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni tribes and Navajo Nation sued late Monday to challenge the Bears Ears reduction, which cuts monument status for the rugged land in southeastern Utah by about 85 percent. Bears Ears features thousands of Native American artifacts, including ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.

The tribes argue that federal law only gives presidents the ability to create a national monument, not the ability to downsize one.

Two lawsuits also have been filed to try to block the Grand Staircase decision, which cuts the monument nearly in half. Grand Staircase contains scenic cliffs, canyons, waterfalls and arches  and one of the nation's largest known coal reserves.

The two monuments were created by Democrats Barack Obama and Bill Clinton under a century-old law that allows presidents to protect sites considered historically, geographically or culturally important.

Trump acted on a recommendation by Zinke, who also has urged that two other large national monuments in the West be reduced in size, potentially opening up thousands of acres of land revered for natural beauty and historical significance to mining, logging and other development.

The interior secretary's plan would scale back Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou, in addition to the two Utah sites.

Zinke said Tuesday he would focus changes in Gold Butte on the site's water districts. Gold Butte protects nearly 300,000 acres of desert landscapes featuring rock art, sandstone towers and wildlife habitat for the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise and other species.

Zinke declined to specify how many acres he wants to remove from monument status, stressing that the administration is working with Nevada's governor and congressional delegation to find a solution.

Similarly, Zinke declined specifics on Cascade-Siskiyou, which protects about 113,000 acres in an area where three mountain ranges converge. Changes will center on recent expansion of the site, which was first created by Clinton in 2000. Much of the additional land is on private property, while some is on land previously designated for timber production, Zinke said.

Zinke also has recommended allowing logging at a newly designated monument in Maine and urges more grazing, hunting and fishing at two sites in New Mexico. He also calls for a new assessment of border-safety risks at a monument in southern New Mexico.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Judge Andrew Napolitano said U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, reportedly subpoenaing Deutsche Bank is dangerous for President Donald Trump.

Mueller has asked Germanys largest bank for data on accounts held by President Trump and his family, according to Reuters.

Deutsche Bank was his go-to lender in the years that he was developing real estate in New York City. This is an area that the president profoundly did not want to be investigated. In fact, the president publically said to  Bob Mueller stay away from my personal finances, my family finances and my corporations finances, Judge Napolitano told FOX Business Stuart Varney on Varney & Co.

Judge Napolitano added that if there is any involvement between the Trump family, President Trump, the Trump organization, the campaign and the Russians, especially if its monetary, that could be very dangerous for the president.

Its the danger of an independent counsel, he said. So you have a team of lawyers, prosecutors and FBI agents outside the chain of command of the Justice Department and not answerable in the normal way, going after anybody they want. And that thing is not recognized under the constitution. We have it and its a monkey on the presidents back.
President Donald Trump told Arab leaders on Tuesday that he intends to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a move that would break with decades of U.S. policy and risks fueling further unrest in the Middle East.

Senior U.S. officials have said Trump is likely on Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital while delaying relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, though he is expected to order his aides to begin planning such a move immediately. The officials said, however, that no final decisions have been made.

U.S. endorsement of Israels claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would reverse long-standing U.S. policy that the citys status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordans King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who all received phone calls from Trump on Tuesday, joined a mounting chorus of voices saying any unilateral U.S. move on Jerusalem could unleash turmoil.

Trump notified Abbas of his intention to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said.

Abbas, in response, warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world and also appealed to the Pope and the leaders of Russia, France and Jordan to intervene.

The Jordanian monarch told Trump that moving the embassy would have dangerous repercussions for the region and would obstruct U.S. efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, according to a palace statement.

Egypts Sisi cautioned Trump against taking measures that would undermine the chances of peace and complicate matters in the Middle East, a presidential statement released in Cairo said.

None of the leaders statements said whether Trump, who was also due to talk to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, specified the timing of an embassy move.

But U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump would sign a national security waiver - as have his predecessors - keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv for another six months but would commit to expediting a move. It was unclear, however, whether he would set a date.

Trump, who promised during the 2016 presidential campaign to move the embassy to Jerusalem and is expected to announce his decision in a speech on Wednesday, appears intent on satisfying the pro-Israel, right-wing base that helped him win the presidency.

Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, who met last week with U.S. officials in Washington, told Israels Army Radio: My impression is that the president will recognize Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years, as the capital of the state of Israel.

Asked if Israel was preparing for a wave of violence if Trump recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, he said: We are preparing for every option. Anything like that can always erupt. If Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) will lead it in that direction then he will be making a big mistake.

Turkey threatened on Tuesday to cut diplomatic ties with Israel if Trump recognizes Jerusalem.

Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims, Turkeys President Tayyip Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling AK Party.

Senior U.S. officials told Reuters some officers in the State Department were also deeply concerned and the European Union, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League all warned that any such declaration would have repercussions across the region.

FEARS OF BACKLASH

Netanyahu has so far declined to speculate on what Trump might say.

But Katz took to Twitter to reject Turkeys threat and reiterate Israels position on the city, which is one of a long list of stumbling blocks in years of failed peace talks with the Palestinians.

We dont take orders or accept threats from the president of Turkey, he wrote.

Two U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity that news of the plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital had kicked up resistance from the State Departments Near Eastern Affairs bureau, which deals with the region.

Senior (officials) in NEA and a number of ambassadors from the region expressed their deep concern about doing this, said one official, saying the concerns focused on security.

The State Department referred questions to the White House. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A fourth U.S. official said the consensus U.S. intelligence estimate on U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital was that it would risk triggering a backlash against Israel, and also potentially against U.S. interests in the Middle East.

It could also derail a fledgling Israeli-Palestinian peace effort led by Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.

The European Unions top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, said on Tuesday that any action that would undermine peace efforts to create two separate states for the Israelis and the Palestinians must absolutely be avoided.

Speaking alongside U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels, she said Jerusalems status would have to be agreed through negotiations.

The Arab League and Saudi Arabia repeated past warnings, following statements by France and Jordan in recent days.

Past Israeli-Palestinian rifts have deteriorated into protests, attacks and fighting and further destabilized the region.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move not recognized internationally.
Chelsea Handlers Netflix series is going out with a bang as the comedian-turned-activist took some brutal shots at White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders over the weekend.

On Fridays episode, Handler conducted an interview in which she interrupted her guest to slam Sanders, calling her a "harlot," trollop and wh---."

That Harlot that theyre dressing up and trolloping out every day? she asked when Sanders name came up. I mean, one day she has no makeup on at all, the next she has six foot long eyelashes, shes got cleavage and summer wh--- lipstick all over her face. Can you believe what they turned her into? A proper trollop.

While Handler is known for her off-color political humor, many fans were quick to jump on her recent characterization of Sanders as being both too harsh and anti-feminist.

Showing your true colors of lifting up women, one user wrote. Huckabee-Sanders is more of a lady than you can ever fathom being.

The user then posted an old quote from Handler about how women should respect women with open arms.

Another user noted that Handler practices many of the beauty tactics that shes chastising Sanders for saying, before you call Sarah Huckabee Sanders a wh--- maybe you should check some of the stuff you have posted on instagram.

Another mocked the double standard that Handler appears to enjoy on social media saying, Just an FYI to everyone APPARENTLY Chelsea Handler can call Sarah Huckabee Sanders a W--- and keep tweeting, but if you return the favor to her, you are suspended.

As previously reported, it was recently announced that Netflix would end its run of Chelsea after the completion of Season 2. The star claimed in a statement that the decision to end the show was her own so that she could focus on political activism in the future. Handler has made a name for herself as a prominent critic of the Trump administration. Her comments against Sanders are just the latest in a long line of jabs at the White House.

Chelseas comments against Sanders come about 28 minutes into the latest episode of Chelsea, titled Dinner Party: Scandalous.
A bombshell report Monday links former ABC, NBC and NPR journalist John Hockenberry to accusations of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, months after he was forced out of radio station WNYC in New York City.

According to the report from WNYC, which it claims senior management had no oversight in writing, a combination of sexual harassment complaints, poor performance during live interviews and the cultivation of a hostile work environment prompted the public radio network to opt out of renewing the 61-year-olds contract in 2017. The Emmy and Peabody award-winner is now the latest in a growing number of public radio figures ousted from their jobs.

Fans and employees alike were scratching their heads when his exit from the long-running show "The Takeaway," which he'd hosted for almost a decade, was announced with little explanation. As previously reported, author Suki Kim, who appeared on the show, accused Hockenberry, who spoke openly about being paraplegic, of unwanted sexual advances and sending her suggestive emails. Even after she stopped responding, he reportedly continued to make contact. This eventually led to a formal complaint to the network that came around the time of Hockenberry's contract renewal.

Kim posted an article detailing her experience in The Cut, where more women came forward with allegations against Hockenberry.

"It horrifies me that I made the talented and driven people I worked with feel uncomfortable, and that the stress around putting together a great show was made worse by my behavior," Hockenberry said in a statement.

However, in the new report from WNYC, it seems that the allegations of harassment were just the final straw. Several employees who chose to remain anonymous claimed Hockenberry created a hostile work environment with staffers, particularly women. People were often crying after one-on-one meetings with him and it was said he was not shy about verbally ridiculing someone if he felt his or her job performance was lacking.

Around the same time, staffers reported he would show up late and underprepared for interviews. When the time came to renew his contract, this swirl of negativity and unprofessionalism reportedly contributed to the network's decision against his renewal.

Hockenberry is just the latest in a line of ousters from public radio. As previously reported, NPRs Chief Editor, Michael Oreskes, recently resigned in the midst of sexual harassment allegations of his own along with Chief News Editor David Sweeney. Last week, famed "A Prairie Home Companion" host Garrison Keillor was let go from Minnesota Public Radio for the same reason.

"I am deeply disturbed by allegations reported recently in the media against the former host of The Takeaway, John Hockenberry, said Laura Walker, president and CEO of New York Public Radio (NYPR), which owns WNYC, in a statement.

Walker went on to explain that the allegations NYPR knew about were investigated thoroughly, but admitted that some of the issues were discovered in the media, along with everyone else.

"The offensive conduct as reported would clearly violate NYPR's standards and workplace practices. As CEO, I deeply regret that our culture and protocols did not work as they should, such that the full nature and extent of the allegations are just now coming to light," Walker concluded. "I apologize, we can do better, and I give our employees and the entire NYPR community my word that the senior team and I will do our utmost to ensure that NYPR will safeguard all employees, provide an equitable, respectful, inclusive and harassment-free environment, and take prompt action when necessary."
An animated high-concept adventure series for adults featuring Barack Obama and Joe Biden as time travelers in search of a better future has brought production company Titmouse and Conan OBrien on board as executive producers.

"Barry & Joe: The Animated Series" is in development, described as a bromantic comedy by creator Adam Reid. The project was jump-started by more than $100,000 in pledges from liberal die-hards via Kickstarter since its August launch.The overly romanticized story of best friends Obama and Biden is described as 'Jonny Quest' meets 'Quantum Leap,' if Jonny and Hadji were actually former Democratic leaders and the entire Hanna-Barbera writing staff were on mescaline during development, according to a blurb from Vice.

On board for the project are executive producers Chris Prynoski and Ben Kalina from Titmouse ("Big Mouth," "The Venture Bros."), who are developing the series pitch.

"My nerdy heart is exploding, said Reid. This has been a grassroots effort, so to now be working with Conan and Titmouse is a creative dream come true. I'm hopeful well find a home for the series together, and I look forward to taking all our backers and new fans on the journey with us.

Reid and Titmouse are repped by CAA. OBrien is with WME, Pariah and Bloom Hergott.
New York Public Radio (NYPR) president Laura Walker told WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer in an on-air interview Tuesday that she "deeply regret[s]" the way her media organization handled reported allegations of sexual harassment against one of its top personalities, as some WNYC members threatened to stop donating to the radio station and called for her ouster.

The latest bombshell report to rock the liberal radio network, published Friday in New York Magazine, said NPR journalist John Hockenberry had sexually harassed and and bullied colleagues for years before he retired, seemingly out of the blue, in August. The article's author, Suki Kim, said she reported her experiences working with Hockenberry to Walker in February, long before the tidal wave of sexual harassment stories, starting with Harvey Weinstein, began.

"Every day for the last several weeks I have asked myself whether we took enough action," Walker said. "I apologize to ... the women who came forward. I have a huge amount of admiration and respect for these women."

Walker said she cannot comment on specific cases, however, including Hockenberry's.

"I can't comment on what action was taken but it was taken seriously, and we did take some action," she said.

Walker added she is now working with outside council to review the way NYPR handles sexual harassment claims.

Walker's plea for forgiveness wasn't enough for many listeners who called for her to step down.

"Walker's behavior is cowardly and her responses during the interview embodied the kind of passive apathy which perpetuates harassment and bullying in the workplace," one Twitter user wrote.

Another said, "You have to do better. I expected more of you. No call ins? That was not a hard enough hitting interview."

Another tweeted, "After listening to Brian discuss the John Hockenberry issue yesterday and Laura Walkers responses today, I find her statements lame. She admits she knew about it long ago. We are sustaining members and I feel that we need a change in top management."

Walker's on-air mea culpa came after Kim wrote in New York Magazine of her experiences with Hockenberry, 61, and the experiences of some of Hockenberry's former female associates to whom she had reached out. Hockenberry, who has been paralyzed from the waist down since a car accident when he was a teenager, provided a statement to the magazine.

Ive always had a reputation for being tough, and certainly Ive been rude, aggressive, and impolite. Looking back, my behavior was not always appropriate and Im sorry. It horrifies me that I made the talented and driven people I worked with feel uncomfortable, and that the stress around putting together a great show was made worse by my behavior. Having to deal with my own physical limitations has given me an understanding of powerlessness, and I should have been more aware of how the power I wielded over others, coupled with inappropriate comments and communications, could be construed. I have no excuses.

Hockenberry is just the latest in a line of ousters from public radio. As previously reported, NPRs Chief Editor, Michael Oreskes, recently resigned in the midst of sexual harassment allegations of his own along with Chief News Editor David Sweeney. Last week, famed "A Prairie Home Companion" host Garrison Keillor was let go from Minnesota Public Radio for the same reason.
Sex scandal cabaret dancer Christine Keeler has died aged 75.

The former call girl, whose affair with married cabinet minister John Profumo shook the British establishment, passed away after a battle with lung disease.

Son Seymour Platt, 46, said she died on Monday at the Princess Royal university hospital in Farnborough, Hamps, suffering from the lung disease COPD.

Writing a tribute online, he said: I wish to share some sad news. My mother, the grandmother to my beautiful little girl, passed away late last night. She suffered in the last few years with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease but lost the fight.

"As many of you know my mother, Christine Keeler, fought many fights in her eventful life, some fights she lost but some she won.

"She earned her place in British history but at a huge personal price.We are all very proud of who she was."

Christine worked as a topless performer in London's Soho when as a 19-year-old she met society man-about-town Stephen Ward.

He introduced her to a whirlwind party scene involving what were described as orgies attended by aristocrats and VIPs.

It was through Ward that she met 46-year-old Profumo and Soviet spy Yevgeny Ivanov in 1961. She had affairs with them both.

When the love triangle came to light two years later, fears of a Cold War security leak sparked a lurid scandal that rocked the government and had the public transfixed for months.

It made Christine Keeler one of the most famous women in the world in 1963.

Mr. Platt, who lives in Ireland, said: "There was a lot of good around Chriss rather tragic life, because there was a family around her that loved her.

I think what happened to her back in the day was quite damaging."

Christine Keeler was born in Uxbridge, Middlesex, in 1942 and raised in Berkshire by her mom and step-dad.

Profumo was Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Tory government when he first saw Christine climbing naked out of a swimming pool at Lord Astor's mansion.

They began an affair that lasted from a few weeks to several months, according to various accounts.

At the same time, Christine was sleeping with diplomat Yevgeny Ivanov, an intelligence officer and the Soviet Union's naval attache in London.

Some accounts claim MI5 hoped to use Keeler as a "honey trap" to persuade Ivanov to defect, and were alarmed when they found out she was also seeing Profumo.

They warned the minister about being associated with Ward's seedy circle, and he ended the affair.

It remained hidden from the public until 1963 when her disintegrating love life thrust her into the spotlight.

A jealous boyfriend, Lucky Gordon, fired bullets at Ward's front door as she hid inside, and the subsequent Old Bailey trial caused rumours to swirl in Westminster.

Profumo lied to the House of Commons, denying any impropriety with Keeler, but was later forced to quit in disgrace, followed months later by the prime minister.

The BBC is currently making a show about the Profumo affair. Filming of The Trial Of Christine Keeler is due to begin next year.

Click here for more on this story from The Sun.
TV star Katharine McPhee  whos reportedly dating pop composer David Foster  accidentally crashed a weekend wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and was kicked out by the bride.

McPhee was with a close pal, producer Hilary Shor  whose credits include Lee Daniels The Butler and Children of Men.

Shor posted their snarky commentary about the incident in a series of publicly available Instagram stories on her feed, calling the poor bride who denied them entry to her nuptials a loser.

One video seen by Page Six and captioned Bride Bitch shows McPhee in her room snottily noting, What bride does her own wedding security? If youre doing your own security, you have a problem.

A second clips titled dead bride #rude bride, and a thirds called loser bride bouncer  in which Shor quips to McPhee off-camera, She could have had a Page Six, New York Post [article] of us coming and dancing the night away . . . By the way, I was ready to rock n roll.

McPhee is shown in bed giggling and chiming in: I was ready to show some serious moves.

McPhee also says in a video on the vacation: Hi everyone, its late-night shenanigans.

Shor also posted captions of their wedding crash fail: That bride voted for Trump I can feel it, and Rise above the rude bride. She should be so lucky to dance with me, I got moves.

McPhee, 33, is currently dating Foster, 68.

Shor made her Instagram account private after we reached out, and even though wed already seen the videos, told us: It was tongue-in-cheek. Katherine did not say anything like that. Do not run that, its not true.

Well, they did want a Page Six item, didnt they?

This article originally appeared on Page Six.
Lori Salmon, RN, BSN, has been appointed Womens Services director at Parkridge East Hospital. Ms. Salmon has worked at Parkridge East for 11 years, most recently serving as clinical coordinator of the hospitals Labor and Delivery department.

Lori has a great vision for nursing growth and enhancement for our Womens Services department, said Lynn Whelan, DNP, RN, assistant chief nursing officer at Parkridge East Hospital.

She is committed to ensuring safe, high-quality and evidence-based patient care.

Ms. Salmon earned her bachelors degree in nursing from Western Governors University and RN certification from Georgia Northwestern Technical College. She recently was selected to participate in TriStar Division of HCAs Emerging Leader Program.

Parkridge East has been an important part of my life, both professionally and personally  all four of my children were born here, Ms. Salmon said. Ive developed my career at Parkridge East, and Im excited about the future of Womens Services at the hospital.

As director of Womens Services, Ms. Salmon will oversee both Labor and Delivery and Mother/Baby units. She will work closely with Kelly Hersey, MD, director of the level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Parkridge East, which provides care for babies born at less than 28 weeks gestation or with severe or complex medical conditions.
The Metropolitan Opera is facing backlash after it was revealed that the company took one year to suspend conductor James Levine after it learned of sexual abuse accusations against him.

The New York Times published interviews with three men who say there were sexually abused by Levine when they were teenagers

In response to the report, the opera company said it was suspending its relationship with Levine, 74, its music director from 1976 through 2016. Levines firing, however, came more than year after a police detective in Illinois first reached out to the opera company.

The detective from the department in Lake Forest, Illinois, first contacted the opera in October 2016 and said she was investigating an allegation made by a New York man, Ashok Pai, who reported that Levine sexually abused him in Illinois when he was 16.

The Met's general manager, Peter Gelb, said he briefed leaders on the opera company's board about the investigation and also spoke to Levine, who denied the allegations. But at the time the Met took no action.

"The Met did not wish to interfere with the police investigation and thought it was the purview of the Illinois police department to follow through and question those who could corroborate (the) allegation," Lee Abrahamian, the opera's spokeswoman, said.

As part of its Sunday report on Levine, the Times unearthed a 1979 letter written by the Met's executive director Anthony Bliss to a board member who had received an anonymous letter accusing Levine of misconduct.

"We do not believe there is any truth whatsoever to the charges," Bliss wrote.

Levine addressed the rumors in The New York Times in 1987, recalling an old story that he had been arrested "in Pittsburgh or Hawaii or Dallas."

"Both my friends and my enemies checked it out and to this day, I don't have the faintest idea where those rumors came from or what purpose they served," Levine said.

Levine addressed the stories again in 1998 when they were alluded to in German newspapers after he was named as music director at the Munich Philharmonic. He called them "such nonsense."

Levine was also let go by the Ravinia Festival, where he was music director for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's summer residencies at the music venue north of the city from 1973 to 1993, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Levine is suspended from The Met while the company conducts its investigation.

The associated Press contributed to this report.
MSNBC reportedly decided not to renew its contract with contributor Sam Seder because he made a joke in poor taste back in 2009. But the same network refuses to even comment on whether or not host Joy Reid will be disciplined for homophobic remarks unearthed over the weekend.

Seder is reportedly being sidelined by MSNBC for a now-deleted tweet from 2009 in which he made a satirical comment about Roman Polanski raping his daughter. The tweet was unearthed by political rivals in what Seder is calling a smear campaign.

Dont care re Polanski, but I hope if my daughter is ever raped it is by an older truly talented man w/a great sense of mise en scene, Seder tweeted eight years ago in what he claims was an attempt to mock Hollywoods obsession with Polanski.

Media Research Center Vice President Dan Gainor thinks liberal MSNBC's hypocrisy is bizarre and feels Seders argument that his tweet was satire appears to be true, while Reid clearly had cruel intentions with her homophobic blog posts.

"Joy Reid, on the other hand, was actively bashing someone for being gay -- just because he was a different political party. It looks like MSNBC figures it can't stand up to the pressure for Seder and just let him go, but already got the signals from the LGBT community that they'll give Reid a pass. The left alleges Republicans are gay all the time and uses it as a slur, but they get away with it because the media let them, Gainor told Fox News. Overall, MSNBC doesn't have a policy on old comments. That's pragmatism masquerading as a policy.

Seders contract ends in February and he has no scheduled appearances between now and then, a spokesperson for MSNBC told TheWrap.

MSNBC declined to confirm the news to Fox News.

The decision to bench Seder sets a clear precedent that old rhetoric can land MSNBC employees in hot water, as The Wrap reported that a person familiar with the situation said the decision to sever ties with Seder was directly related to the Polanski tweet.

Reid wrote a dozen blog posts from 2007-2009 containing remarks that are highly offensive to the LGBTQ community. MSNBC prides itself on being progressive, and Reids decade-old comments directly contradict the networks typical direction.

MSNBC overreacted to Seder's tweet, which was a very distasteful joke, but it was still a joke. Meanwhile, the network didn't lift a finger on Reid's homophobic blog posts that were far more shocking and offensive."  Mediaite columnist Joey Wulfsohn

The old blog posts  unearthed by a Twitter user and reported by Mediaite  targeted former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who Reid mocked as Miss Charlie for being gay and closeted, even though there was never any proof that he was.

MSNBC overreacted to Seder's tweet, which was a very distasteful joke, but it was still a joke. Meanwhile, the network didn't lift a finger on Reid's homophobic blog posts that were far more shocking and offensive than Seder's Polanski tweet, Mediaite columnist Joey Wulfsohn told Fox News.

Washington Examiner media reporter Eddie Scarry called the decision to dismiss Seder but remain quiet on Reid a double standard and noted that Reid is a star for MSNBC while Seder was a simply a peripheral contributor.

In Seder's case it looks like MSNBC was already looking for a reason to get rid of him, which probably means he wasn't well liked in the company, whereas Joy Reid is, Scarry told Fox News.

News that Seder would lose his gig over an old joke didnt sit well with members of the media on both sides of the political aisle.

Give me a break. Seder's comment was meant to shame liberals rehabilitating Polanski, CNNs Andrew Kacynski wrote.

MSNBC has severed its ties with Sam Seder for making a sarcastic rape joke about Roman Polanski. They're more offended by jokes than they are of actual rapists, Ian Miles Cheong wrote, while Washington Post reporter Jeff Stein added, One amazing thing about this Sam Seder story is that Bret Stephens is still a paid MSNBC contributor. This April, Stephens told me that campus rape stories must be exaggerated because women still go to college.

The Nations Joshua Holland called the move completely ridiculous and added, Shame on MSNBC.

Even the super liberal HuffPost reporter Ashley Feinberg, who recently joked that John McCains family would benefit from the estate tax, implying that the senator is about to die, called the decision absurd and deeply embarrassing for MSNBC.

MSNBC declined to comment.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Two days after this article ran, MSNBC reversed course and decided instead to keep Seder onboard. Network president Phil Griffin said in a statement: "Sometimes you just get one wrong - and that's what happened here. We made our initial decision for the right reasons - because we don't consider rape to be a funny topic to be joked about. But we've heard the feedback, and we understand the point Sam was trying to make in that tweet was actually in line with our values, even though the language was not. Sam will be welcome on our air going forward."
While Hugh Jackman is hanging up his claws as Wolverine in the film franchise, it seems the prolific Marvel character cant stay out of the spotlight. Marvel announced Tuesday that its partnering with a popular podcast network to bring a serialized Wolverine story to life through audio.

Wolverine: The Long Night will debut exclusively on Stitcher Premium in the spring of 2018. However, those who dont want to pay for the service can wait until the fall, when it sees a wide release across all podcast platforms. This means fans of Marvel and podcasts will be able to enjoy a dark, gritty Wolverine story like last year's "Logan" on-the-go.

According to Marvel's announcement, The Long Night follows agents Sally Pierce and Tad Marshall as they arrive in the fictional town of Burns, Alaska. Theyre there to investigate a series of murders in which the prime suspect is the gruff, unfriendly Logan. Their search will not only uncover Logans identity as Wolverine, but will take them on a journey through the small towns corruption.

Written by award-winning DC Comics writer Ben Percy, the new Wolverine will be a self-contained plot spanning 10 episodes. The Hobbit and Hannibal star Richard Armitage will lead as the titular mutant character joined by Scott Adsit, Bob Balaban and Brian Stokes Mitchell in other roles.

Wolverine: The Long Night brings our fans a whole new way to experience our iconic characters and the Marvel Universe, said Dan Silver, vice president, head of platforms and content for Marvel New Media.

This tremendous cast will bring a thrilling level of intrigue and drama to our listeners. The character of Logan and this landscape make it the ideal premiere vehicle for us, and were excited to continue to explore the dynamic possibilities of the podcast medium.

While the announcement marks Marvels first foray into the ever-growing world of podcasts, The Hollywood Reporter notes that it isnt the first time the comic book giant has had a brush with the audio-only format. In 1975, the company released a 13-episode Fantastic Four radio series. Additionally, the concept album Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero was released with narration from Stan Lee himself.
Pizza Hut announced Tuesday it will offer beer and wine deliveries to customers who order food from its restaurants.

The company said it was starting the booze delivery in Phoenix, Ariz., and hoped to expand within the next year.

We know that beer and wine go great with pizza and were uniquely positioned to deliver these given many of our restaurants already serve beer and wine, Stacy Lynn Bourgeois, the director of brand marketing for Pizza Hut, said in a press release. When you combine that with our extensive network of delivery drivers, were excited to provide a unique and convenient experience for our customers.

PIZZA HUT LAUNCHES NEW PIZZA AND GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The company said in its press release it hoped to be a one-stop-shop for customers looking to enjoy beer and wine with their pizza. Many of the companys restaurants already have the necessary license to serve and distribute booze.

So how are they going to do it? Pizza Hut said their delivery drivers would carry the alcoholic beverages in special coolers in order to keep it cold during delivery.

In Phoenix, Pizza Hut offers Budweiser, Bud Light, Shock Top and Kilt Lifter as the beer options to choose from, although those offerings would vary depending on the market, the company confirmed.

FLORIDA PIZZA RESTAURANT BANNED CHILDREN, AND PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY

Pizza Hut is planning to begin wine delivery in January, and is considering both single-serving and full bottle options.

Fortune reported that Pizza Huts parent company, Yum Brands, was investing more money into the chain pizzeria in order to fight rivals like Dominos and Papa Johns.
The Patagonia clothing company is less than thrilled with President Trumps plans for Utahs national monuments and its making those feelings abundantly clear to all of its online visitors.

The President Stole Your Land, reads a message currently plastered across the retailers website in large white lettering.

In an illegal move, the president just reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, adds Patagonia, in a smaller message posted just underneath. This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history.

NINE-YEAR-OLD COMPLETES 'TRIPLE CROWN' OF THRU-HIKING, SAYS FEET ARE 'HAPPY TO BE DONE'

The illegal move that Patagonia is referring to is President Trumps decision to move forward with two executive orders that would significantly reduce the sizes of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah, by just under half and 85 percent, respectively.

In response, Rose Marcario, the CEO of Patagonia, has stated that the company plans to sue the Trump administration.

"We've fought to protect these places since we were founded and now we'll continue that fight in the courts," said Marcario in a statement.

Patagonia is also vowing to support the growing number of Native American coalitions and environmental groups who are planning to challenge the orders in court.

Trump signed both executive orders on Monday, effectively giving control over large swaths of previously protected land to the state, and reversing the decisions of predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in the process.

Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington, said Trump, who signed the executive orders on Monday, to a crowd at Utahs State Capitol building. And guess what? Theyre wrong.

PENNSYLVANIA MAN TAKES DOWN 600-POUND BEAR

In the wake of Trumps orders, a coalition of environmental and conservation groups began filing whats expected to be the first of many lawsuits against the order, arguing that Trumps decision is not in the best interest of locals or the land. The Navajo Nation, whose land consists partly of territory in Utah, has also vowed to defend Bears Ears.

The reduction in the size of the monument leaves us no choice but to litigate this decision, said Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye on Monday, NPR reported.

The tribe is currently one of five in a joint lawsuit filed late on Monday, the others of which include the Hopi, Ute Mountain, Ute Indian and Pueblo of Zuni, The Salt Lake City Tribune added.

Patagonia, meanwhile, is urging its customers to tweet their disapproval of the presidents actions.

Tell the Administration that they dont have the authority to take these lands away from you, writes Patagonia on its Take Action page.

Removing protections for these wild places to open them up for development will not make us energy independent, and history shows that when states control these lands, they are sold to the highest bidder. This is not a chance we are willing to take, the site adds.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Following Mondays executive orders, Patagonias fellow recreational retailer REI announced a similar social media campaign, encouraging its website visitors to share a message reading We [love] our public lands in protest of the decision.

A representative for Patagonia was not immediately available to comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
For an emergency medical technician in Maryland, life has come full circle. Dan Helsel, who turned 42 on Monday, marked the occasion by helping a woman deliver a baby in the back of an ambulance, which is the same way he made his entrance into the world.

My mom always said Ive been hearing sirens all my life, Helsel told NBC 12.

Helsel, who had never worked on his birthday before, timed the unidentified womans contractions to be one minute apart.

MAN DEVELOPS FUNGAL INFECTION AFTER USING WOODWORKING BLADE TO POP PIMPLE

As soon as we started to move, the babys head came out, Helsel told the news outlet. I think the babys head came out before we got out of the parking lot.

The baby, named Zoey, was born without complications and is said to be doing well.
A 23-year-old construction worker used a woodworking blade to remove what he called a pimple on his lower lip, developing a rare fungal infection afterward, a recent report of the man's case revealed. The infection was likely caused by his unusual choice of tools to zap his zit, the report said.

Doctors said they suspect the woodworking blade directly transferred the spores of a fungus called Blastomyces to the man's skin. This resulted in a large, painful, blood-encrusted lesion on the skin beneath the man's lower lip, according to the case report, which was published Nov. 21 in the Journal of Emergency Medicine.

The Blastomyces fungi usually live in moist soil and in decomposing wood or leaves, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). In the United States, the fungus is primarily found in Midwestern, South-Central and Southeastern states, the CDC says.

36 PEOPLE DIE IN FOOD-RELATED DISEASE OUTBREAK IN SOUTH AFRICA

People typically become infected with Blastomyces  which causes an infection called blastomycosis  by inhaling the fungal spores, rather than through a cut on the skin. Inhaling the spores leads to a lung infection called primary pulmonary blastomycosis. ("Primary pulmonary" means that the infection started in the lungs.) One common cause of the infection is breathing in spores of the fungus while doing outdoor activities that disturb the soil. Pets, especially dogs, can also get blastomycosis.

The fungal infection usually first causes flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough and muscle aches. From the lungs, the infection can spread to other organs, the most common of which is the skin, where the fungus causes crusty lesions, according to the case report.

But in the recent case, the man did not experience any of these flu-like symptoms, because the fungal spores entered his body through his skin rather than his lungs. His only symptom, in fact, was the noticeable patch of inflamed skin just below his lower lip.

Rare fungal infection

The construction worker told doctors that his skin lesion had first appeared seven months earlier, not long after he used a woodworking blade to snip what he called a "pimple" off his lower lip.

Although the man described the blemish as a pimple, it could have been any type of skin lesion, such as a cold sore or canker sore, said lead case report author Dr. Barry Ladizinski, a dermatology resident at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago who treated the man.

The infection occurred because the woodworking blade that the man used had likely come in contact with soil that contained Blastomycesspores, Ladizinski told Live Science. When the man used the blade on his lip, the tool transmitted the organisms into the cut in his skin, he said.

By the time the man came to the hospital, the entire bottom edge of his lower lip had a raised area of blood-encrusted skin with warty lesions on it and a rolled, hardened border, according to the case report.

The 23-year-old told doctors that the lesion had expanded in size since it first appeared on his face and was painful. He had no other symptoms, and his blood tests were normal, according to the case report.

The doctors performed several skin tests, which showed signs that the man had the rare fungal infection.

He was diagnosed with primary cutaneous blastomycosis, which is when an injury to the skin  in this case a cut, but it can also be an animal bite or scratch  transfers Blastomyces into the body causing an infection. ("Primary cutaneous" means that the infection started in the skin.) It's a very rare form of the fungal infection, with fewer than 50 reported cases in the medical literature, according to the case report.

Most of the reported cases of primary cutaneous blastomycosis have been seen in dog handlers, who may pick up the infection from animal bites or scratches, and scientists, who may be accidentally exposed to the fungus while studying it, Ladizinski said. The infection tends to stay on the skin and does not spread to other organs, he noted.

The man in the case study was given an antifungal medication to treat the infection, and his skin cleared up considerably after two weeks of taking the drug, according to the report.

Originally published on Live Science.
Being stuck behind crowds of dawdlers when youre in a hurry is one of the most annoying First World Problems there is.

But now, a U.K. shopping center has launched a new strategy to help impatient shoppers avoid slow walkers  and the rage that goes with them.

The Lakeside Center in Essex, on the outskirts of London, has introduced a 720-foot fast lane reserved for fast walkers only, just in time for the Christmas rush.

The center is one of the largest in the UK, according to The Independent.

The centers management team said the lane would help shoppers who know where they want to go quickly and dont want to get caught up behind leisurely shoppers on this busiest time of the retail year.

The fast lane was launched after a Mastercard survey found that 80 percent of consumers found slow walkers to be their biggest annoyance while shopping.

The research also found that the average walking speed slowed down by 21 percent during the Christmas shopping period, as most shoppers spent more time window shopping and browsing during this period.

Queensland University of Technology retail expert Gary Mortimer said he wasnt surprised by the hype surrounding the launch of the fast lane and thought the concept would appeal to shoppers the world over.

Crowded parking lots and busy shopping centers tend to be two of the biggest gripes of shoppers over the festive season, he said. I think the fast lanes are a novel approach, however, I suspect it will be a bit like fast lanes on a highway, so it might end up being more trouble than its worth.

I think its a great idea. Certainly, its a frustration for many shoppers trying to get through a mall from one retailer to the next without bumping into people.

The idea is great and I think most shoppers in the U.K. will accept it and comply with it. However, how you police it, I dont know.

The Mastercard survey also identified the four most common types of shoppers.

They include Skaters, the 31 percent of shoppers who try and maneuver their way through crowds politely; Dodgers, the 51 percent of customers who move paths to avoid slow walkers; Bulldozers, the 11 percent who barge through crowds; and Tutters, the 15 percent who vocalize their frustrations with slow walkers.

This article originally appeared on news.com.au
Editor's note: this originally appeared in The Hill.

The charge to which retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty may tell us a great deal about the Robert Mueller investigation.

The first question is, why did Flynn lie? People who lie to the FBI generally do so because, if they told the truth, they would be admitting to a crime. But the two conversations that Flynn falsely denied having were not criminal. He may have believed they were criminal but, if he did, he was wrong.

Consider his request to Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S., to delay or oppose a United Nations Security Council vote on an anti-Israel resolution that the outgoing Obama administration refused to veto. Not only was that request not criminal, it was the right thing to do. President Obama's unilateral decision to change decades-long American policy by not vetoing a perniciously one-sided anti-Israel resolution was opposed by Congress and by most Americans. It was not good for America, for Israel or for peace. It was done out of Obama's personal pique against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rather than on principle.

Despite the banner headlines calling the Flynn guilty plea a "thunderclap," I think it may be a show of weakness on the part of the special counsel rather than a sign of strength.

Many Americans of both parties, including me, urged the lame-duck Obama not to tie the hands of the president-elect by allowing the passage of a resolution that would make it more difficult to achieve a negotiated peace in the Middle East.

As the president-elect, Donald Trump was constitutionally and politically entitled to try to protect his ability to broker a fair peace between the Israelis and Palestinians by urging all members of the Security Council to vote against or delay the enactment of the resolution. The fact that such efforts to do the right thing did not succeed does not diminish the correctness of the effort. I wish it had succeeded. We would be in a better place today.

Some left-wing pundits, who know better, are trotting out the Logan Act, which, if it were the law, would prohibit private citizens (including presidents-elect) from negotiating with foreign governments. But this anachronistic law hasn't been used for more than 200 years. Under the principle of desuetude - a legal doctrine that prohibits the selective resurrection of a statute that has not been used for many decades - it is dead-letter. Moreover, the Logan Act is unconstitutional insofar as it prohibits the exercise of free speech.

If it were good law, former Presidents Reagan and Carter would have been prosecuted: Reagan for negotiating with Iran's ayatollahs when he was president-elect, to delay releasing the American hostages until he was sworn in; Carter for advising Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to reject former President Clinton's peace offer in 2000-2001. Moreover, Jesse Jackson, Jane Fonda, Dennis Rodman and others who have negotiated with North Korea and other rogue regimes would have gone to prison.

So there was nothing criminal about Flynn's request of Kislyak, even if he were instructed to do so by higher-ups in the Trump transition team. The same is true of his discussions regarding sanctions. The president-elect is entitled to have different policies about sanctions and to have his transition team discuss them with Russian officials.

This is the way The New York Times has put it: "Mr. Flynn's discussions with Sergey I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, were part of a coordinated effort by Mr. Trump's aides to create foreign policy before they were in power, documents released as part of Mr. Flynn's plea agreement show. Their efforts undermined the existing policy of President Barack Obama and flouted a warning from a senior Obama administration official to stop meddling in foreign affairs before the inauguration."

If that characterization is accurate, it demonstrates conclusively that the Flynn conversations were political and not criminal. Flouting a warning from the Obama administration to stop meddling may be a political sin (though some would call it a political virtue) but it most assuredly is not a crime.

So why did Flynn lie about these conversations, and were his lies even material to Mueller's criminal investigation if they were not about crimes?

The second question is why did Mueller charge Flynn only with lying? The last thing a prosecutor ever wants to do is to charge a key witness with lying.

A witness such as Flynn who has admitted he lied - whether or not to cover up a crime - is a tainted witness who is unlikely to be believed by jurors who know he's made a deal to protect himself and his son. They will suspect that he is not only "singing for his supper" but that he may be "composing" as well - that is, telling the prosecutor what he wants to hear, even if it is exaggerated or flat-out false. A "bought" witness knows that the "better" his testimony, the sweeter the deal he will get. That's why prosecutors postpone the sentencing until after the witness has testified, because experience has taught them that you can't "buy" a witness; you can only "rent them for as long as you have the sword of Damocles hanging over them.

So, despite the banner headlines calling the Flynn guilty plea a "thunderclap," I think it may be a show of weakness on the part of the special counsel rather than a sign of strength. So far he has had to charge potential witnesses with crimes that bear little or no relationship to any possible crimes committed by current White House incumbents. Mueller would have much preferred to indict Flynn for conspiracy or some other crime directly involving other people, but he apparently lacks the evidence to do so.

I do not believe he will indict anyone under the Logan Act. If he were to do so, that would be unethical and irresponsible. Nor do I think he will charge President Trump with any crimes growing out of the president's exercise of his constitutional authority to fire the director of the FBI or to ask him not to prosecute Flynn.

The investigation will probably not end quickly, but it may end with, not a thunderclap, but several whimpers.
Chris Burcham and Jack Smith have joined The American Insurance Group as account executives.

Mr. Burcham is a native of Chattanooga. Following high school in West Tennessee, he attended UTC and is licensed as a property, casualty and life producer. Mr. Burcham previously was employed by Haskel Sears Design and Bellhops.

Mr. Smith, likewise, is a native of the Chattanooga area. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia in 2016 with a marketing degree. Mr. Smith previously was employed by Bellhops as a manager, and is licensed as a property and casualty producer.

Our client base has grown at a pace that has exceeded our wildest expectations, and we needed to look for new ways to meet that client demand, said Scott Simmons, The American Insurance Groups COO. Chris and Jack are both outstanding with people, and well-connected in the area. We are excited to have them as key team members that will contribute to our continued expansion.

The American Insurance Group was founded in 2014, and provides comprehensive commercial and personal insurance coverage to its clients.






Tax reform should reward individual risk-taking and initiative. The investor who puts the fruits of her labor on the line should not be straitjacketed by accounting rules that are better suited for measuring the value of corporate inventory, or sticking a price tag on a pile of widgets. Yet, this is exactly where one provision of the Senate version of tax reform is headed.

In the course of giving many taxpaying Americans a rate cut in one hand, the Senate proposes to punish them with the other. As things stand now, the Senates version of tax reform would impose rigid accounting standards on the sales of securities by individuals, which rules would effectively deprive small investors and American workers of their well-deserved profits. Specifically, under the Senate bill, individual stock sellers would be forced to use what accountants call the first-in-first-out or FIFO method of pricing stock when calculating what they owe to Uncle Sam.

Obviously, when an investor holds a single position in a stock that is not a problem. But when investors sell off securities in which they hold more than one position in the same investment, the FIFO rule is more than just a headache. Rather, it is unfair and unreasonable.

Unfair and unreasonable? Yes, on both counts.

The Senates bill would dictate how individual investors are required to account their stock sales, but would grant professional fund managers broad latitude in electing the accounting method of their choice. Right off the bat, this would skew the playing field. Individual investors would be left to absorb an even greater degree of risk, all for the sake of $2.4 billion in added tax revenue over a decade. In the world of federal budgets, thats chump change.

Unlike sophisticated investors with their battery of tax lawyers and experts, Middle America lacks the time and wherewithal to continuously structure their investments with an unblinking eye focused on the tax code.

But beyond favoring professional managers over individual investors, this ill-conceived legislation would actually amount to a tax hike. Let me explain.

Right now, the Tax Code grants individual investors the right to choose how they wish to account for their disposition of their securities. But if the Senate provision becomes law, individual investors would be compelled to sell off the first-purchased block of stocks regardless of costs and economic realities.

And the reality is this -- over the past eight years, since the stock market hit its Great Recession lows in 2009, stock prices have more than quadrupled. Significantly, this growth in stock price has real tax consequences under the proposed law.

For example, an American worker who invested in his employer through automatic payroll deductions would likely face a heftier tax bite if he were compelled to first pay taxes on stock gains arising from his 2009 stock purchases than if he were permitted to attribute his gains to securities purchased at a later date. Against this backdrop, the Senate bills FIFO methodology can only be viewed seen as a disguised tax.

Indeed, the contemplated FIFO rule would unduly impact middle-income Americans and recent retirees. Unlike sophisticated investors with their battery of tax lawyers and experts, Middle America lacks the time and wherewithal to continuously structure their investments with an unblinking eye focused on the tax code. For them, investment is less about profiting from slight upticks in the market, and more about a commitment to a disciplined and reasoned reward. A nondiscretionary FIFO regime for individual investors would jeopardize those hard-earned expectations.

To drive the point home, gains from real estate, private equity investments and art are not slated to be subject to this proposed change in the law. In plain English that translates into one rule for the rich, and another for the working stiff. Economically, that route is unjustifiable; politically it borders on the senseless if not the suicidal. Individual investors should not be driven away from the market for the sake of plugging a budgetary rounding error. Equity demands fairness.

At a time when economic growth is experienced unevenly, the tax laws should be a vehicle for rewarding risk, as opposed to punishing thrift and savings. If America is to robustly compete, we need tax laws that encourage savings. Right now, China is out-saving us by more than five-to-one, with a savings rate of nearly 30 percent. Its time for America to get smart and say no to mandating FIFO.
Saudi Arabia has a new crown prince and Mohammed bin Salman is shaking things up in the kingdom. This is good for the Saudis, for America and for the Middle East as a whole.

Saudi Arabia has been our ally for a long time. We accepted some pretty major downsides to our relationship with the oil-rich nation because we really needed a friend in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and in the region.

Its nice to note that the new heir to the throne is changing some of the things that made it tough to defend our alliance with his country. He is only 32 and is trying to pull a very conservative nation into the future. This is happening on the economic, cultural and foreign policy fronts.

One of the most jarring things thus far was lifting the ban on women driving. This was such a stark example of patriarchal oppression that removing it shows good faith and the guts to go against the old guard. There have also been more jobs made available to women and the overall trend seems to be moving toward more equality.

On the economic front, there is a major development project called NEOM to build a new city on the Red Sea coast and expand the Saudi economy beyond its dependence on oil. The Saudis are committing $500 billion and inviting in investors to turn this into a viable enterprise zone.

The Saudi government has also started a major anti-corruption push to stop the diversion of resources. This served to round up potential rivals of the crown prince and those who may oppose the modernization efforts.

In the area of national security and foreign policy, we have seen some very promising and helpful moves. They have caused a lot of turmoil, but since there were so many bad things going on, change was necessary to move forward.

The ball really got rolling after President Trumps trip to Riyadh, where he met with many leaders of Muslim nations. While some arms deals and other agreements came out of the trip, it also seemed there was some sort of back channel agreement to move on some major difficult issues.

First was the blockade against Qatar by some of the Gulf Arab States. There are many reasons given for why this happened, and the disputes between these countries are longstanding. But it struck a blow against Qatari terror financing and that is a good thing. The diplomatic disruption has our State Department in a tizzy trying to find any way to resolve this, but thus far President Trump has been satisfied to let it play out.

We have also seen a very strong reaction to the continued bad actions of Iran and its proxy army Hezbollah in Lebanon and elsewhere in the region.

While visiting Saudi Arabia, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned Nov. 4 over the encroachment of Iran and Hezbollah into the running of the country. He returned to Lebanon Nov. 21, put his resignation on hold and then made a private visit to France.

Also on Nov. 4, an Iranian-built missile was launched from Yemen at the Saudi capital and shot down before it hit. This led to a statement from the Saudis that Lebanon and Iran had effectively declared war on them.

The Saudis recalled their citizens from Lebanon and it really looked like a shooting war could erupt. That seems to have passed, but Hezbollah and Iran are certainly on notice that their bad actions will not be ignored.

There has also been some welcome help in the seemingly never-ending Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Crown Prince Salman summoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Riyadh and put the screws to him saying he must go along with President Trumps new initiative. The only way this has a prayer of working is if the rest of the Gulf States pressure the Palestinians. This is a great way to get that started.

These are all steps in a positive direction, but Im not suddenly a Saudi cheerleader. This requires a trust, but verify Reaganesque approach from the U.S. side.

We should applaud the Saudi moves and work with them to keep this momentum going. Change in the Middle East has to come from the people there. The Saudis are the keepers of the holy sites and a huge influence on everyone else. It is in all our interests to support their progress.
How is it possible that Hillary Clinton escaped criminal indictment for mishandling classified documents despite incriminating evidence that she violated the Espionage Act?

Why did Donald Trump become the target of a criminal investigation for allegedly conspiring with Russia to influence the presidential election despite no evidence that he ever did so?

The answer, it seems, comes down to one person who played a vital role in both cases: Peter Strzok, deputy director of counterintelligence at the FBI.

Strzok was exchanging politically charged texts with an FBI lawyer that denigrated Trump and lauded Clinton at the same time he was leading the bureaus criminal investigation of Clinton. He is also the one who changed the critical wording of then-FBI Director James Comeys description of Clintons handling of classified material that resulted in no charges being brought against her.

Then, Strzok reportedly signed the document launching the 2016 investigation into Russias meddling in the election and whether the Trump campaign played any role. After leading the FBIs probe into Trump, he then joined Robert Muellers special counsel team as an integral investigator.

Thus, it appears that one man with a strident political agenda accomplished his twin goals of clearing Clinton and accusing Trump, evidence be damned.

And then he was caught.

The Strzok Bust and Cover-up

The Department of Justice inspector general, Michael Horowitz, discovered the electronic texts Strzok exchanged with his lover, FBI lawyer Lisa Page. The messages were so politically incendiary and so threatened the integrity of Muellers investigation that Strzok was quietly canned over the summer from the special counsel team, where he was a pivotal participant.

The Trump-Russia investigation is now awash in illegitimacy.

Did Mueller or anyone else notify Congress that both the Trump investigation --and the Clinton case before it-- were corrupted? Of course not. This was covered up. Mueller surely knew that if the truth were revealed, it would further discredit a Trump-Russia probe that had already taken on the stench of dead fish.

The House Intelligence Committee could smell it and knew something was amiss. It demanded answers. But the Justice Department and the FBI refused to respond or otherwise produce relevant documents that the committee subpoenaed. They are still stonewalling many of Congresss valid requests and should now face contempt charges.

Importantly, all of the anti-Trump and pro-Clinton messages should be made public. Americans should decide for themselves whether our system of justice has been compromised by unscrupulous influences.

Just how rife with political prejudice and corrupt motives is the special counsels investigation?

Instead of choosing prosecutors who could be neutral, fair and objective, Mueller stacked his staff with D emocratic donors . Apparently, he conducted little or no vetting of both prosecutors and investigators. How else does one explain the presence of Strzok and Lisa Page on the investigative team?

It appears that Mueller selected people of a particular political persuasion without discerning review or scrutiny. We were supposed to simply trust Muellers judgment, notwithstanding his own disqualifying conflict of interest under the special counsel statute that demanded his recusal.

The Trump-Russia investigation is now awash in illegitimacy. Mueller and those who work for him have squandered all credibility. It is imperative that the special counsel be dismissed, the current staff fired, and a new counsel appointed to re-evaluate the evidence objectively.

Every member of Muellers hand-picked staff must now be examined. The special counsel has proven he cannot be trusted with his assembled team of partisans.

Do not expect Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to make these changes. He, too, should be removed in his capacity as Muellers supervisor. As both a witness and prosecutor, Rosenstein has his own conspicuous and disabling conflict of interest. Yet he has refused to step aside. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is duty-bound to remove both Mueller and Rosenstein.

Are There Other Emails?

Given what we know about the composition of the special counsel team, there may well be others who harbor a blatant political bias and have expressed their animus toward Trump in emails or texts. The computer accounts of the entire staff need to be examined by Congress and the DOJ Inspector General. Failing that, news organizations should file a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

The examination should begin with Andrew Weissmann, who has close ties to Hui Chen, whom he hired at the Justice Department and with whom he worked at the U.S. Attorneys office for the Eastern District of New York. Documents show the DOJ approved a salary for her position of $711,800 for two years of work, which is more than the attorney general earns.

Chen resigned in June of this year, stating that she could no longer work in the administration of a president who had violated the Constitution and engaged in treasonous conduct. According to The Hill , she posted tweets or retweeted articles that were considered critical of Trump.

But before her departure, Chen attended a March for Truth rally and proudly posted on Twitter a photograph of herself outside the White House wearing an orange Resist jacket. She posted another photo of the Trump International Hotel with the words Pay Trump Bribery Here superimposed over the entrance.

Chens favored hashtag is TrumpRussiaCoverUp, and she has blanketed her Twitter account with virulent denunciations of the president. Hundreds of them.

Since Chen made little secret of her views while at Justice, it is reasonable to ask whether she expressed them to Weissmann, the person to whom she reported. If so, how did he respond? Like Strzok, did Weissmann write anti-Trump messages to his friend and colleague, Hui Chen, or others?

Every member of Muellers hand-picked staff must now be examined. The special counsel has proven he cannot be trusted with his assembled team of partisans.

The Sham Investigation of Clinton

It never made sense that Hillary Clinton escaped criminal prosecution for mishandling classified documents.

The Espionage Act makes it a crime to mishandle classified documents through gross negligence (18 USC 793-f). With 110 emails on Clintons private server that were classified at the time they were sent or received, only illogical legal gymnastics driven by corruption could clear her.

Enter Strzok. It turns out, he is the person who altered former Director Comey's early draft describing Clintons actions as criminal under the law. But later, the words grossly negligent were crossed out and the language extremely careless was substituted. Although the two terms are synonymous, the former terminology is specifically stated in the statute while the latter is not.

It appears that Strzok, and perhaps Comey, knew Clinton violated the law but subsequently resolved to conjure a way to exonerate her by editing the language so that it seemed less culpable and more innocuous. Were these machinations driven by Strzoks political agenda? Did he despise Trump so much that he devised a scheme to clear Clinton so that a criminal indictment would not impede her assent to the presidency?

Strzok, Comey and others who may have been involved must be put under oath to answer these vital questions.

In the meantime, the Department of Justice must now, belatedly, reopen the Clinton email case and re-examine fairly and impartially all of the evidence to determine whether criminal charges against her should be sought. The statute of limitations has not expired.

Sadly, the FBI is no longer the respected premier law enforcement agency in America. People like Strzok have politicized the bureau, discredited its work and done immeasurable damage. So, too, have Comey and Mueller.

President Trump is right the FBIs reputation is in tatters, and the Clinton probe was phony and dishonest.
The federal government will shut down unless Congress agrees on a spending bill by Dec. 8 -- or Dec. 22 if an expected extension is passed. A compromise looks increasingly unlikely.

President Trump wants the bill to include funding for a border wall. In their draft spending bills, House and Senate Republicans have both allocated $1.6 billion to start construction on the barrier. But Democrats vow to shut down the government rather than fund the wall.

Leaving our border unsecured any longer is not an option.

The influx of illegal laborers increases the supply of workers. There are currently at least 8 million illegal laborers in the United States. Over half crossed the border illegally and the rest overstayed their temporary visas.

The illegal workers compete against less-educated Americans for the same manual labor and service-sector jobs, especially in industries like construction and landscaping.

Thanks to this pool of cheap illegal labor, corporations feel little need to raise wages and attract American workers. U.S.-born workers lose up to $118 billion a year due to illegal immigration, according to George Borjas of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

The supply of illegal labor has devastated working-class Americans' economic prospects and made it harder for vulnerable Americans to find employment. One in six American high-school dropouts is unemployed or has left the labor market entirely.

Less-educated Americans lucky enough to find jobs have seen their pay shrink or stagnate. Illegal immigration costs the average U.S.-born worker without a high school diploma about $800 a year in lost wages.

Simply put, the failure to enforce America's immigration laws has dealt a major economic blow to America's most vulnerable citizens. Strengthening border security would put the interests of working Americans ahead of illegal immigrants and employers who flagrantly disregard labor laws.

Mexican drug cartels also take advantage of our porous border. Lax border security enables the cartels to smuggle drugs that kill tens of thousands of Americans annually into our country.

Nearly all of the heroin and much of the fentanyl on U.S. streets comes from Mexico, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Those two drugs alone killed almost 20,000 Americans in 2015. Cartels earn about $64 billion annually trafficking drugs across our border.



Drug traffickers are brutally violent. In recent years, cartels have murdered tens of thousands of people in Mexican border cities and that violence has spilled over into American territory. More than 40 percent of federal criminal cases filed in 2013 were in districts along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a recent report from the Department of Justice.

A border wall would improve safety in these regions. Just look at the evidence from Arizona's Yuma Border Patrol Sector, once the most violent area along America's southwest border. In 2006, an initiative known as Operation Jump Start dramatically increased security personnel and built new fencing along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border, including in Yuma. Within a year, the number of violent attacks in the Yuma Border Patrol Sector went from around 200 to zero.

Instances of so-called "drive-throughs" in which smugglers drive contraband and illegal immigrants over the border in vehicles fell from more than 2,700 to six. Two years after the fence went up, arrests for drug trafficking and border-crossing had fallen from 138,000 to 8,363.

As President Trump has said, a wall wouldn't need to span the entire border. Much of the border is impassable anyway due to rivers and rough terrain. That's why the House's $1.6 billion provision earmarked the funds for only 76 miles of additional fencing in high-traffic areas in the Rio Grande Valley and San Diego.

Of course, a border wall alone won't fully solve the many problems stemming from illegal immigration. Authorities also need to crack down on businesses that knowingly employ illegal aliens. All employers should be required to use E-Verify, a free, online verification system, to confirm that prospective employees can legally work in the United States. A mandatory E-Verify policy with a $10,000 fine for each violation would eliminate the lure of cheap labor that some American employers find so irresistible.

The bottom line is that competition from illegal border-crossers costs American workers tens of billions in lost wages every year and drugs flowing across the border claim tens of thousands of American lives. A border wall would help bring this "carnage," as President Trump called it in his inaugural address, to an end.
On Tuesday the Supreme Court of the United States will take up what may be the most portentous case weve seen in a generation: Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a dispute predicated on whether a baker should be compelled by the state to offer a wedding cake to a same-sex couple.



Never before have so many reams of amicus briefs seeking to sway our judicial branch been devoted to dessertindeed, at times the churn of documents arguing for and against the petitioners seem more like cookbooks than juristic tomes. They all seek a diametric resolution in the matter: You must either bake the wedding cake, or not. In the eyes of LGBT and free speech/religious liberty advocates alike, its a zero-sum gamebut it doesnt have to be.

There are three alternative ways to thread the needle on this issue that afford same-sex couples dignity, respect the consciences of people of faith, and give all sides breathing room as America grows ever-more accepting of same-sex marriages.



WITHOUT WORDS, ITS JUST A CAKE

The center-rights recurring argument in the Masterpiece case is that Charlie Craig and David Mullins, the respondents in the case, could just have taken their business elsewhere when Jack Phillips declined their request for a wedding cake (indeed, ultimately they did, obtaining a cake from a different vendor with a rainbow layer to make a political statement). But Phillips could just as easily have sold them a cake off the shelf that Craig and Mullins could have had decorated elsewhere. When the shoe was on the other foot and the proprietor of a bakery in the same state as Masterpiece Cakeshop was asked to create a cake shaped like a bible with the words Homosexuality Is A Detestable Sin, the owner obliged! She offered to make the cake, but drew the line at writing the text, offering instead to let the purchaser do so himself.

CHURCH-BASED SERVICES

Writing for the Daily Beast (hardly a bastion of conservative thought), Jay Michaelson (hardly a poster-boy for conservative columnists) recently proposed the idea that vendors with objections to same-sex marriage tether their wedding-related services to events directly associated with specific churches. Such a compromise, Michaelson states, would nullify the argument that if you make cakes for any heterosexual union, you must do the same for any same-sex union by tying products and services to a location (specifically one with a ministerial exception) rather than an event.



Michaelson concludes that the amped-up voices on both the plaintiff and respondent sides would never agree to such a detenteat least for now. If the Supreme Court somehow threads the needle on this case with a limited ruling or punts to rule on something more comprehensive at a later time, this angle could well end up being embraced as the de facto route private businesses go in relation to this issue.



WEDDING EXEMPTION

For years marriage equality advocatesmyself includedtold same-sex marriage skeptics to trust usthat legally recognized gay unions would be no threat to them, their family, or their faith. Its a soundbite that has taken support for marriage equality to record highs (64 percent as of the most recent polling). But that trust erodes significantly when former opponents who became reluctant supporters suddenly do feel that their way of life is under attack. The solution is an exemption for wedding-related services.



A wedding exemption is not the same as a marriage exemption; allowing providers of goods and services the option to opt out of wedding ceremonies and receptions (and only those) without allowing businesses to withhold services citing more broad moral objections to same-sex unions promoted in bills such as the so-called First Amendment Defense Act opposed by Log Cabin Republicans.



This solution would need to be achieved legislatively unless the Supreme Court contorts its ruling in such a fashion as to achieve this end on its own (one need look no further than the Courts infamous 2012 ObamaCare ruling to see that this outcome is more conceivable than one may think).



Following the achievement of nationwide marriage equality, I urged advocates to adopt a compassionate stance with those still on the fence in order to promote productive, meaningful dialogue and mutual understanding.



That was a mere two years ago. Patience is still neededalthough it seems in short supply. A nuanced resolution to this dramatic debate would prevent descent into a contentious culture war that could last for decades.



Heres hoping the Supreme Court, supported by free markets and people of good will, finds a third way.
Editor's note: The following column first appeared in the Hill newspaper and on the Hill.com.

In advance of Michael Flynns guilty plea last week, President Trump started acting out.

He retweeted a fake and vulgar message about Muslims. He sabotaged a meeting with Democrats on a budget deal and then spread word that shutting down the government might help him politically.

He suggested  falsely, of course  that MSNBCs Joe Scarborough is a murderer. And he injected himself into the firing of TV anchorman Matt Lauer after allegations of sexual harassment, while turning a blind eye to a GOP candidate suspected of pursuing a 14-year-old girl, Alabamas Roy Moore.

At this hellish moment when the president is threatening to drag the country beyond chaos, why are congressional Republicans failing to restrain the Republican in the White House?

Some Republicans cower in fear of Trumps supporters but a surprising number are just quitting Congress.

As of last week, 44 members of the House of Representatives and two members of the Senate have announced that they will retire, resign, or run for another office by the end of the 115th Congress.

Thirty of the 44 heading for the door are Republicans. Most of them are good-government Republicans like Reps. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida. They deserve thanks for years of good public service.

But at the critical moment when the nation is dealing with an out-of-control Republican in the White House, GOP members are leaving instead of standing up to a dysfunctional president of their own party.

Of course, theyve also said nothing about the do-nothing brand of Republican leadership in Congress.

Those of us who came to Congress to change Washington for the better through good governance are now the outliers, said New Jersey Rep. Frank LoBiondo in his retirement announcement. Today a vocal and obstinate minority within both parties has hijacked good legislation in pursuit of no legislation.

LoBiondo is right about that obstinate minority. But he is wrong in saying it is on both sides of the aisle. The hard-right Freedom Caucus belongs to only one party  the GOP.

I cannot help but wonder how different American politics might look if LoBiondo and other moderate Republicans had refused to allow all Republicans to be defined by the Freedom Caucus, talk radio conspiracy theories, Roy Moore and Trumps latest tweet.

Every Republican in this Congress will have to reckon with the part they played in allowing Capitol Hill to devolve into a pit of political polarization.

Some did it to save their own seats from a more extreme Tea Party or Freedom Caucus candidate who threatened them with a primary.

As then-Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said of House Republicans in 2011, half of them think like Michele Bachmann,  the Tea Party firebrand who was then a congresswoman from Minnesota  and the other half are afraid of [a primary challenge from] someone who thinks like Michele Bachmann.

It is also true that some congressional Republicans played along with the extremists to get attention from conservative websites and talk radio shows, setting themselves up for post-Congress careers as paid speakers or TV talking heads.

Still others stood silent because gerrymandered congressional districts made it easier to win reelection even if it meant ignoring the best interests of the nation.

This descent into political cowardice did not happen overnight.

Where were the unequivocal denunciations of false and racist charges that President Obama was not born in the U.S.? Where was the rebuke of the man who used that conspiracy theory as a springboard to the presidency, Donald Trump?

Where were the Republican congressional leaders when the country needed them to stand up to and shout down the likes of Bachmann and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) when they caused a pointless government shutdown that tarnished the nations credit rating?

Silence is assent, ladies and gentlemen.

Russian President Vladimir Putin should send thank you cards to Republicans in Congress for their silence. It opened the door to Russias covert influence campaign against our country.

You cant create fissures in a society, former CIA Director General Michael Hayden told Bill Maher on HBO earlier this year.

Covert influence works when fissures exist and you drive the wedge into the pre-existing fissures, Hayden said.

Republicans in Congress through the Obama years led the way in creating those fissures, dividing the country by making a sport of finding ways to obstruct the Democrats agenda.

They also wasted time generating baseless outrage by spreading conspiracy theories in the guise of investigations  from Fast and Furious to Benghazi.

A September Gallup poll found that 71 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the way their nation is governed with the GOP in control of Congress, the White House and Supreme Court. Just 28 percent said they were satisfied.

These numbers track with the reliably abysmal Congressional job approval numbers  74 percent disapproval, 13 percent approval, according to the latest Real Clear Politics Average.

Journalist E.J. Dionne and scholars Norm Ornstein and Thomas Mann tackle polarization in the age of Trump in their new book, One Nation After Trump.

Donald Trump was not really someone who emerged from the swamp on his own, Ornstein told PBS NewsHour in an interview last month. There were decades that built towards the Trumpism that led to all of this.

When will Congressional Republicans stop this game and start restraining Trump?
The FBI agent who was removed from Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia  because he sent anti-Trump messages to a colleague  oversaw the bureaus interviews with ousted National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Fox News confirmed on Monday.

Peter Strzok, a former deputy to the assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, also was confirmed to have changed former FBI Director James Comeys early draft language about Hillary Clintons actions regarding her private email server from grossly negligent to extremely careless.

The language being edited was important because classified material thats been mishandled for gross negligence calls for criminal consequences, analysts point out.

MUELLER AIDE FIRED FOR ANTI-TRUMP TEXTS NOW FACING REVIEW FOR ROLE IN CLINTON EMAIL PROBE

Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about reaching out to Russian officials. Prosecutors said Flynn in December 2016 asked Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kislyak, not to escalate the situation after the outgoing Obama administration imposed sanctions on Russia in retaliation for suspected election interference.

Flynn left the White House in February after acknowledging that he had given an incomplete account to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts regarding Russia.

The wording change came to light last month after newly reported memos to Congress showed that a May 2016 draft of Comeys statement closing out the email investigation accused the former secretary of state of being grossly negligent. A June 2016 draft stated Clinton had been extremely careless.

The modified language was final when Comey announced in July 2016 that Clinton wouldnt face any charges in the email investigation.

Strzok is being reviewed by the Justice Departments Office of Inspector General for the role he played in the Clinton email investigation.

A source close to the matter told Fox News that the probe, which will examine Strzok's roles in a number of other politically sensitive cases, should be completed by "very early next year."

Fox News' Jake Gibson, James Rosen and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The top Democrat of the Massachusetts Senate stepped aside Monday after his husband was accused of sexual misconduct by several men.

State Senate President Stan Rosenberg told other senators that he would relinquish his responsibilities as president temporarily amid a probe of allegations against his husband, Bryon Hefner.

"I believe taking a leave of absence from the Senate Presidency during the investigation is in the best interest of the Senate," Rosenberg said in a statement. "I want to ensure that the investigation is fully independent and credible, and that anyone who wishes to come forward will feel confident that there will be no retaliation."

REP. FARENTHOLD PAID $84G SEXUAL HARASSMENT SETTLEMENT WITH TAXPAYER MONEY, REPORT SAYS

Rosenberg initially said he would recuse himself only from matters related to the investigation against his husband.

Several men alleged last week that Hefner sexually assaulted or harassed them, including three men who claimed he grabbed their genitals, The Boston Globe reported. The men, who were not named by the Globe, said they did not report the abuse partly because they did not want to alienate the powerful Senate leader.

The Senate elected Democratic Majority Leader Harriette Chandler to take over as the body's acting president.

State lawmakers also voted Monday to refer the case to the Senate Ethics Committee and authorized the panel to hire a special investigator to conduct an independent probe. The investigator would be given the authority to summon witnesses and have access to Rosenberg's office.

PRESSURE GROWS FOR FRANKEN TO QUIT, AS DEMS CITE CONYERS DOUBLE STANDARD

The investigation will focus on whether Rosenberg knew about Hefner's behavior or if Hefner had any clout when it came to matters before the chamber. Rosenberg said Friday that Hefner would soon enter treatment for alcohol dependency.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, through a spokeswoman, called Rosenberg's decision to step down "the right one, and Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren told reporters, "The charges against the Senate president's husband are disgusting and the people who have leveled these charges have a right to be heard and to be respected and protected."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman who was indicted in October for multiple counts related to Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation and is currently under house arrest, has been working on an op-ed with a colleague assessed to have ties to a Russian intelligence service, according to court papers filed Monday by prosecutors working for Mueller.

Manafort, who led Trumps campaign during the Republican National Convention last year, and the colleague aimed to publish the op-ed under someone else's name and intended it to influence public opinion about his work in Ukraine, prosecutors said. They added that the piece was being drafted as late as last week, with Manafort currently under house arrest.

Prosecutors did not name the colleague but noted the person is based in Russia.

Penning the "ghostwritten" piece appeared to violate a judges November admonishment to refrain from speaking publicly, prosecutors said. "The editorial clearly was undertaken to influence the public's opinion of defendant Manafort, or else there would be no reason to seek its publication (much less for Manafort and his long-time associate to ghostwrite it in another's name)."

According to the October indictment, reviewed by Fox News, between at least 2006 and 2015, Manafort and his associate, Rick Gates, acted as unregistered agents of the Government of Ukraine, the Party of Regions, a Ukrainian political party whose leader Victor Yanukovych was president from 2010 to 2014, and the Opposition Bloc, a separate party.

Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars in income as a result of their work in Ukraine.

The indictment claimed Manafort and Gates laundered the money via multiple U.S. and foreign corporations, partnerships and bank accounts in order to hide Ukraine payments from U.S. authorities.

More than $75 million flowed through offshore accounts, prosecutors said.

They added that they discovered the efforts to publish the op-ed last Thursday and alerted Manafort's attorney, who assured prosecutors that "steps would be taken to make sure it was no longer going to be published."

Fox News Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Another woman has come forward accusing Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., of putting his hand up her skirt and rubbing her thighs in the front row of a church.

The latest allegation hit the congressman just hours before he is set to make announcement on a Detroit radio station Tuesday.

Elisa Grubbs made the allegation in an affidavit publicized late Monday by attorney Lisa Bloom. Grubbs worked for Conyers for more than a decade and is the cousin of another accuser, Marion Brown, who reached a confidential settlement with the Michigan politician over sexual misconduct allegations.

"Rep. Conyers slid his hand up my skirt and rubbed my thighs while I was sitting next to him in the front row of a church," Grubbs said in the affidavit. "I was startled and sprang to my feet and exclaimed, 'He just ran his hand up my thigh!' Other staffers witnessed the event."

Conyers is set to speak on Tuesday on a Detroit radio show and expected address the allegations and his political future. Reed said the congressmans health will be the deciding factor whether he will step aside from his House seat he held since 1964. Conyers was hospitalized last week after complaining about feeling light-headed.

As well as touching inappropriately in a church, Grubbs claims she witnessed Conyers touching and stroking the legs and buttocks of her cousin and other female staffers on multiple occasions, adding that such harassment was a regular part of life while working in the office of Rep. Conyers."

In another instance of sexual harassment, Conyers allegedly came out of the bathroom naked knowing Grubbs was in his home.

The Democrats attorney dismissed Grubbs accusations, telling the Detroit Free Press that they are another instance of tomfoolery from the mouth of Harvey Weinstein's attorney." Bloom previously represented disgraced Hollywood producer Weinstein, who is accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.

There are growing calls for Conyers to step down amid the allegations. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who previously called the congressman an icon who worked to protect women, changed her tune last week and urged him to resign.

I pray for Congressman Conyers, however, Congressman Conyers should resign, Pelosi said last Thursday. He has served our Congress and shaped consequential legislation  zero tolerance means consequences for everyone  no matter the great legacy.

Some local community leaders in Detroit rallied on Monday in support of the accused congressman, saying he remains innocent until proven guilty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rep. John Conyers on Tuesday announced his retirement from Congress while at a Michigan hospital, saying he is endorsing his son, John Conyers III, for the seat he has held for more than a half century amid growing sexual-misconduct allegations.

Im retiring today, the 88-year-old Michigan Democrat said in a phone interview with a local radio station from a Detroit hospital, where he has been since last month after experiencing chest pains. I want everyone to know how much I appreciate [their] support.

Conyers, the longest-serving congressman, made the decision two weeks after sexual harassment allegations first surfaced and after returning last week to his Detroit-area district to discuss his political future with family and advisers.

The most recent accusations surfaced Monday and allege Conyers slid his hand up a womans skirt and rubbed her thighs while they sat next to each other in church during a service more than a decade ago.

The latest accusation comes amid mounting claims and after Conyers was hospitalized.

He made his announcement Tuesday on Praise 102.7s The Mildred Gaddis Show.

Conyers endorsement of his son was unexpected, considering his great-nephew, Ian Conyers, a Michigan state senator, said earlier that Conyers would not seek re-election in 2018, instead of retiring, and that he would run for the open seat.

The Constitution does not allow for appointments to the House.

So while Conyers has endorsed his son for the seat, the process begins with the Michigan Democratic Party through its nomination process .Then voters decide in either a special election or the 2018 congressional elections.

The process begins with Conyers submitting a letter of resignation to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who under state law declares the seat vacant. Snyder also sets the dates for the special primary and general elections, almost certainly next year. The processes and procedures for the elections are then put in place by Michigans Secretary of State office.

The resignation announcement was also a surprise considering Conyers attorney, Arnold Reed, said last week that his client wouldnt be forced from office.

"I am very proud that I am the dean of the Congress."  Retiring Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers

The congressmen felt it was important to address the individuals who elected him  separate from those in Washington, Reed said Tuesday, reportedly at Conyers side at an undisclosed hospital.

Conyers, the House's longest-serving member, has vehemently denied the allegations against him.

He declined to address questions Tuesday about his health and said the allegations -- which he said goes with the game of politics -- would not diminish his political legacy.

Absolutely not, Conyers said. My legacy cannot be compromised or diminished in any way, but what we are going through now. This too, shall pass.  I am very proud that I am the dean of the Congress.

The younger, Conyers, 27, would be a first-time political candidate. But has already been connected to an ethics issue, according to the Detroit Free Press. In 2010, the congressman had to reimburse the Treasury Department $5,682 for his sons misuse of a taxpayer-funded Cadillac Escalade, the paper reports.

Conyerss wife, Monica Conyers, was in 2010 sentenced to more than three years in prison for taking cash, as a Detroit council member, to support a Houston companys sludge contract with the city.

The Constitution does not allow for appointments to the House.

So while Conyers has endorsed his son for the seat, the Michigan Democratic Party decides first through the nomination process, then voters decide in either a special election or the 2018 congressional elections.

The process begins with Conyers submitting a letter of resignation to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who under state law declares the seat vacant. The process special election is set by Michigans Secretary of State office.

Other possible Democrats candidates reportedly include Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, former state House Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and state Sens. David Knezek and Coleman Young, as well as Brenda Jones, a nonpartisan member of the Detroit City Council.

New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who took Conyers post as the ranking Democrat on the chambers Judiciary Committee, said after the announcement: John has been a champion for justice his entire life, and there is no doubt that these allegations have taken a tremendous toll on him personally  .With that said, there can be no tolerance for behavior that subjects women to the kind of conduct that has been alleged.

A few days after the first allegations surfaced on Nov. 20, Conyers stepped down as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. But fellow party members had increasingly called for him to step aside.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said unequivocally last week that Conyers should resign, amid increasing accusations and backlash after she called him an icon on womens issues and suggesting an ethics investigation must come before any decisions are made.

Congressman Conyers should resign, she said Thursday. He has served our Congress and shaped consequential legislation [but] zero tolerance means consequences for everyone -- no matter the great legacy.

Still, he had some Capitol Hill support, including from the Congressional Black Caucus, which Conyers helped found.

The group said last week that the accusations are serious, but did not call for his resignation.

The news website BuzzFeed on Nov. 20 reported the first allegation: Conyers' office paid a woman more than $27,000 under a confidentiality agreement to settle a complaint in 2015 that she was fired from his Washington staff because she rejected his sexual advances.

The House Ethics Committee announced the following day that it had begun an investigation into Conyers, after receiving allegations of sexual harassment and age discrimination involving staff members and about the congressman using "official resources for impermissible personal purposes."

The committee will reportedly continue with the investigation, despite Conyerss resignation.

Later in the week, Melanie Sloan, a lawyer who worked with Conyers on the House Judiciary Committee, said she was called into the congressman's office to discuss an issue and found him walking around in his underwear.

Sloan worked on the committee in the 1990s, but it was not clear when the alleged incident occurred. She also claims Conyers often screamed at her, fired and re-hired her, criticized her for not wearing stockings and once even ordered her to baby-sit one of his children.

The allegation made public Monday was from Elise Grubbs, a cousin of another accuser, Marion Brown.

Brown reached a confidential settlement with Conyers over sexual harassment allegations, but broke the confidentiality agreement to speak publicly last week.

Grubbs says in an affidavit made public that she worked for Conyers in various roles from about 2001 to about 2013.

She also said that she saw Conyers touching and stroking the legs and buttocks of Brown and other female staffers on "multiple occasions."

Conyers is among several D.C. lawmakers -- including Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken and Texas GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold -- facing problems amid the recent wave of sexual-misconduct allegations hitting Capitol Hill.

Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Justice Department is in the process of handing over to the House Intelligence Committee the anti-Trump text messages that got a key FBI official removed from Robert Mueller's Russia probe, Fox News has learned -- a move that comes as the panel weighs a possible contempt resolution.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., had demanded the text messages between FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer with whom Strzok was romantically involved. Both were part of Mueller's Russia team at the time. Page has since returned to the FBI, and Strzok was reassigned to the FBI's HR department after the discovery of the anti-Trump texts.

The existence of the texts first emerged publicly over the weekend. A source familiar with the discussion between the DOJ and House panel told Fox News on Tuesday that Nunes has been assured those messages will be turned over in the coming days.

The exact timeline is unclear, and only the relevant texts will be turned over.

Also unclear is whether this will satisfy committee Republicans who had been looking to move forward with a contempt resolution against top DOJ and FBI officials barring a breakthrough  after the agencies did not comply with a deadline to hand over long-sought information that goes well beyond text messages.

Nunes originally had given the agencies until close of business on Monday to fully comply with the panels demands. Otherwise, he threatened to move a contempt of Congress resolution against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Strzok is a focus of their efforts. House investigators have long regarded him as a key figure in the chain of events when the bureau, in 2016, received the infamous anti-Trump "dossier" and launched a counterintelligence investigation into Russian meddling in the election that ultimately came to encompass FISA surveillance of a Trump campaign associate.

Nunes has sought documents and witnesses from the DOJ and FBI to determine what role, if any, the dossier played in the move to direct the surveillance.

MUELLER AIDE FIRED FOR ANTI-TRUMP TEXTS FACING REVIEW FOR ROLE IN CLINTON EMAIL PROBE

Strzok briefed the committee on Dec. 5, 2016, sources said. But within months of that session, House Intelligence Committee investigators were contacted by an informant suggesting that there was documentary evidence that Strzok was purportedly obstructing the House probe into the dossier.

In early October, Nunes personally asked Rosenstein  who has overseen the Trump-Russia probe since the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions  to make Strzok available to the committee for questioning, sources said.

When a month had elapsed, House investigators  having issued three subpoenas for various witnesses and documents  formally recommended to Nunes that the DOJ and FBI be held in contempt of Congress. Nunes continued pressing the DOJ, including a conversation with Rosenstein as recently as last Wednesday.

Responding to the revelations about Strzoks texts, Nunes said Saturday he was directing his staff to draft contempt-of-Congress citations against Rosenstein and Wray.

Early Saturday afternoon, after Strzoks texts were cited in published reports by The New York Times and The Washington Post  and Fox News had followed up with inquiries about the departments refusal to make Strzok available to House investigators  the Justice Department contacted the office of House Speaker Paul Ryan to establish a date for Strzoks appearance before House Intelligence Committee staff, along with two other witnesses long sought by the Nunes team.

In addition, Rosenstein is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Dec. 13.

The Justice Department maintains that it has been very responsive to the House panel's demands, including private briefings for panel staff by senior DOJ and FBI personnel and the production of several hundred pages of classified materials available in a secure reading room at DOJ headquarters on Oct. 31.

But Nunes voiced skepticism on Saturday.

The FBI and Department of Justice have failed to sufficiently cooperate with the Committees August 24 subpoena, and have specifically refused repeated demands from the House Intelligence Committee for an explanation of Pete Strzoks dismissal from the Mueller probe, Nunes said in a statement on Saturday.

He said that after the Strzok texts were revealed, the DOJ expressed a sudden willingness to comply with some of the Committees long-standing demands but added: This attempted 11th-hour accommodation is neither credible nor believable, and in fact is yet another example of the DOJs disingenuousness and obstruction.

Federal officials told Fox News the requested records include highly sensitive raw intelligence, so sensitive that officials from foreign governments have emphasized to the U.S. the potential danger and chilling effect it could place on foreign intelligence sources.

We disagree with the Chairman's characterization and will continue to work with congressional committees to provide the information they request consistent with our national security responsibilities, Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement on Sunday. The Department has already provided members of HPSCI and House leadership with several hundred pages of classified documents and multiple briefingsincluding for example clear answers as to whether any FBI payments were made to a source in question related to the dossierand has more recently cleared key witnesses to testify.

Fox News has learned that Strzok also oversaw the bureaus interviews with ousted National Security Advisor Michael Flynn  who pleaded guilty Friday to lying to FBI investigators in the Russia probe.

Further, DOJ officials confirmed to Fox News that the department's Office of Inspector General is reviewing the role Strzok played in the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Amid the tensions with Capitol Hill as well as the Trump White House, Wray on Monday sent an internal email to FBI employees saying he is inspired by their professionalism and honored to represent them.

Fox News Jake Gibson, James Rosen, Judson Berger and Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the Trump administration on Tuesday that recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital is a red line for Muslims.

Erdogan, while speaking to Parliament, said such a step by President Trump would force Turkey to cut off all diplomatic ties with Israel. He pledged to rally other Muslim countries to oppose any move to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The White House has been considering recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel despite growing calls from the Middle East and Europe to reconsider the move. The possible recognition might come this week.

Turkey is among the latest nations to publicly voice their opposition to the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State, with some saying it will hinder the possibility of the peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians and will be an insult to the Muslim world.

The Palestinian leadership said Tuesday that they will stop contacts with the U.S. if Trump goes forward with the change. Palestinian officials also called for mass protests in the event of the recognition.

The Organization for Islamic Cooperation, an umbrella organization of Muslim countries, said Monday that the move would constitute naked aggression against the Arab and Muslim world.

In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron told Trump during a telephone call on Monday that he was concerned about the plan and asked to reconsider the move, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Mr. Macron reaffirmed that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, particularly those relating to the establishment of two states, Macrons office said.

The opposition surrounds East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967 after Arab nations launched an all-out attack against the state, the home of a large Muslim population. Both Israel and Palestinian leaders see Jerusalem as their countrys rightful capital.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona wrote out a $100 check to Alabama Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones Tuesday, in an apparent response to President Trump's formal endorsement of embattled Republican candidate Roy Moore.

Flake tweeted out a picture of his donation, adding the caption, "Country before Party." The phrase was also written on the subject line of the check.

Moore responded to Flake's donation with a broadside of his own on Twitter describing Flake as a "Pro-amnesty, big gov't Republican Senator" and called for "100 grassroots conservatives to step up and reject the DC Establishment"



JEFF FLAKE: GOP IS 'TOAST' IF IT BECOMES PARTY OF TRUMP, MOORE

Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women. One of the women has alleged that Moore molested her in the late-1970s, when she was 14 and he was in his early 30s.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who has also criticized Moore, tweeted that Flake's donation "is a bad idea," and cited Jones' position on abortion.

"It's possible to be against BOTH partial birth abortion AND child molestation," Sasse tweeted. "Happily, most Americans are."

Republican leaders in Washington, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, called on Moore to drop out of the race after the initial allegations. However, Moore refused to step aside and Trump threw his support behind Moore with a week to go before the election.

"I think he's going to do very well. We don't want to have a liberal Democrat in Alabama, believe me," Trump said Tuesday during a lunch with Republican senators. "We want strong borders, we want stopping crime, we want to have the things that we represent and we certainly don't want to have a liberal Democrat that's controlled by Nancy Pelosi and controlled by Chuck Schumer, we don't want to have that for Alabama."

Following the White House meeting, Flake told reporters "I disagree" with the Trump's endorsement.

"I have a very different view of Roy Moore and what that does for the party," Flake said. "I do think the president is wrong here and I think it will have negative impacts on the party in the long term."

Flake has said he will not run for re-election to the Senate next year and was caught last month on a hot mic telling an Arizona mayor "if we become the party of Roy Moore and Donald Trump, we are toast."

The special election is for the seat once held by Jeff Sessions, now the U.S. attorney general. Although the polls have showed a narrowing contest between Moore and Democrat Doug Jones, Alabama is a strongly Republican state which has not elected a Democrat for U.S. Senate since Richard Shelby in 1992. Shelby switched parties two years later.

Fox News' Bree Tracey contributed to this report, along with The Associated Press.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has come under fire after defending President Trumps endorsement of Republican Alabama Senate hopeful Roy Moore, saying the allegations of sexual misconduct happened decades ago.

"I don't think he had any choice but to do that, Hatch told the reporters on Monday about Trumps endorsement. That's the only Republican we can get down there. He continued, that "many of the things (Moore) allegedly did were decades ago."

Trump, although previously coming short of supporting Moore, gave an unequivocal endorsement for the Republican candidate on Monday.

Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama. We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet! the president tweeted.

Most Republicans leaders were wary of endorsing Moore following the bombshell sexual misconduct allegations, accusing him of initiating sexual contact with teenage women decades ago. One of the accusers, Leigh Corfman, said Moore had a sexual relationship with her when she was 14. Moore denied the allegations.

Moore said Monday Trump offered full support and told him to go get em, Roy. Kayla Moore, the candidates wife, wrote on Facebook: Judge Moore just got off the phone with President Trump-we have his full support! Thank you Mr. President! Lets MAGA!

Hatch has served in the Senate for 41 years and has said he is considering retirement.

Hatch told the National Journal in March that although he has not made that final determination whether he will run again, he said he would consider retiring from politics if Mitt Romney would take his seat. Romney, who is reportedly considering a run in Utah, came out strongly against Trumps endorsement of Moore on Monday, saying his presence in the Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the Nation.

He tweeted: Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity.

The Salt Lake Tribune, endorsed Romney for Senate in October, citing his statesmanship and the fact that Hatch would struggle to win the race if he chooses to run.

The paper cites a poll showing three-thirds of voters in Utah oppose another Senate run by Hatch. Democrat Jenny Wilson, who will be contesting the seat, would also likely win against him, according to a poll. Romney, meanwhile, would comfortably win the election in 2018 against any opponent.
A congressional office in 2006 reportedly brokered a financial settlement between New York Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks and a staffer who says she was fired in retaliation for reporting that she was sexually assaulted at a business connected to a campaign contributor.

Andrea Payne, then a congressional aide in Meeks Queens office, filed the complaint with the U.S. Congress Office of Compliance. Meeks fired her weeks later, according to The Daily Caller News Foundation, which first reported the story.

Meeks spokesman Jordan Morris said the office had no comment on the settlement, but said that taxpayer-funded settlements can save money on extended litigation.

The Office of Compliance uses taxpayer money to pay out financial settlements to resolve allegations of sexual abuse, discrimination and other workplace violations by members. It also binds the victims with tight secrecy clauses. But the offices mediation period brought no resolution, so Payne sued Meeks congressional office and Meeks personally for $7 million. The settlement, for an undisclosed amount, was brokered by the Office of House Employment Counsel, according to the Daily Caller.

On Dec. 1, the Office of Compliance said it has paid out five other settlements involving members offices, ranging from $5,200 to $150,000, in the last five years. Paynes lawsuit dealt with how the Office of Compliance was set up to offer limited protection to Capitol Hill staffers. Meeks argued that the offices existence means that he should not be financially liable in the suit, according to legal documents.

Payne in 2000 got treatment at Flowers Physical Therapy for a car accident injury. The company is owned by Neville Flowers, whose wife, Joan, is an important campaign supporter and fundraiser for Representative Meeks, the suit says.

Joan Flowers complained about a news story alleging Payne was sexually assaulted by one of the companys therapists. Meeks then said he takes complaints from campaign contributors very seriously and told Payne he was not going to pay her for overtime work, the lawsuit says.

Meeks and top staff began allegedly retaliating in other ways, such as refusing to reimburse Payne for expenses, verbally abusing her, removing files from her computer, and requiring her to work more unpaid overtime.

On Oct. 10, 2000, Payne also wrote to the House Ethics Committee to say she believed the overtime issue was retaliation for her lawsuit against the donors company. Less than two weeks later, Meeks fired her, saying I just dont feel that this is working, the lawsuit alleges.

Meeks office then denied her unemployment insurance, saying she had quit voluntarily. Meeks then-chief of staff, Jameel Johnson, claimed he thought he was required to state Ms. Payne had left by mutual consent because of an agreement entered into during the Office of Compliance mediation process, the Daily Caller also reported.

Meeks later said Payne was fired for writing a different letter to the Federal Election Commission flagging improprieties in his campaign finances.
Paul Manafort's prison stay was extended Wednesday  nearly a week after he was sentenced to 47 months on bank and tax fraud charges in a separate case. The former Trump campaign chairman is now slated to spend a total of 81 months in prison.

He was given extra prison time at his second sentencing in connection with his guilty plea related to foreign lobbying and witness tampering.

In August, Manafort became the first Trump campaign associate to be found guilty by a jury as part of Special Counsel Robert Muellers long-running probe. He was convicted of eight bank and tax fraud charges at that time.

PAUL MANAFORT SENTENCED ON FOREIGN LOBBYING AND WITNESS TAMPERING CHARGES

Manafort has been the subject of an investigation over his dealings in Ukraine several years ago  he didnt file as a foreign agent until June 2017. But Mueller has incorporated that investigation into his probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with Trump associates.

Manafort was convicted on multiple counts of financial fraud last year in connection with his Ukranian work, and is in prison. In November, Mueller accused Manafort of lying "on a variety of subject matters" since his plea deal, thus violating that agreement.

Read on for a look at Manafort's work with the Trump campaign and how he is connected to the Russia investigation.

What kind of foreign work did Manafort do?

A GOP operative who worked for former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Manafort reportedly began his work in Republican politics in the 1970s.

Eventually, Manafort was hired by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a controversial pro-Russia politician who was ousted from power twice. After Yanukovych was elected president in 2010, Manafort reportedly stayed on as an adviser and worked on other projects in Eastern Europe, including the Party of Regions political party.

Manafort also worked for Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. In 2005, Manafort allegedly came up with a plan to influence U.S. politics, business dealings and the media in order to greatly benefit the Putin government, according to The Associated Press.

Deripaska is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and signed a $10 million annual contract with Manafort in 2006; they maintained a business relationship until at least 2009.

Financial records obtained by The New York Times indicated that Manafort was in debt to pro-Russian interests by up to $17 million prior to joining Donald Trumps presidential campaign.

He also took more than a dozen trips to Moscow and frequently talked to Putin allies over a period of about 10 years, McClatchy reported. He traveled to Kiev at least 19 times in 20 months after the February 2014 removal of Ukraines pro-Russia leader.

How was Manafort involved with Trump's campaign?

Manafort joined Trump's presidential campaign in March 2016 to help wrangle delegates ahead of the Republican National Convention in Ohio, something he'd done for former President Gerald Ford.

Just two months later, Manafort became Trump's campaign chairman.

Manaforts resignation from the campaign was announced on August 19, 2016, after The Times reported that he'd received $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments from Yanukovychs pro-Russian party between 2007 and 2012.

Manafort and Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016. She reportedly was said to have damaging information on Trumps campaign rival, Hillary Clinton, which was "part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump."

What was Manafort charged with?

Along with his former business associate Rick Gates, Manafort was initially indicted in October 2017 on multiple counts that included: conspiracy against the U.S., conspiracy to launder money, false statements and failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.

Nearly four months later, in February 2018, the pair were hit with additional tax evasion and bank fraud charges. These charges involved much of the same conduct Manafort and Gates were initially accused of, but the amount of money Manafort said to have laundered through offshore accounts increased to $30 million.

In June 2018, Mueller's team brought additional charges of obstruction of justice against Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik, an associate. The charges against Manafort and Gates dont relate to allegations of misconduct during Trumps campaign.

Mueller also accused Manafort of secretly paying former European politicians to lobby on behalf of Ukraine.

Manafort was found guilty of eight counts in August in the first trial victory for Mueller's team. The judge declared a mistrial on 10 other counts after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict.

In September, Manafort pleaded guilty as part of an agreement with Mueller's team ahead of his second trial. According to Politico, the plea deal includes a 10-year cap for how long Manafort will be in prison. It also includes allowing Manafort to serve his time for both trials concurrently.

He received a nearly 4-year prison sentence on March 7 after a federal jury in Virginia convicted him on eight counts of bank and tax fraud last year. A week later, on March 13, he received an additional three and a half years on foreign lobbying and witness tampering charges.

Manafort previously maintained his innocence despite all of the charges brought before him  but he has since expressed remorse for his actions.

"I am sorry for what I have done and all the activities that have gotten us here today," Manafort said in a written statement in March, begging a judge for mercy.

Fox News' Ann Schmidt, Jake Gibson, Alex Pappas, Matt Richardson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A federal judge ruled Thursday that Michael Slager, the former South Carolina police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man, committed second-degree murder.

He was sentenced to 20 years in jail without a fine. Slager will also receive mental health counseling until he is released from prison.

The ruling comes after Slager, 36, pleaded guilty in May to violating Walter Scotts civil rights. He had said he shot Scott multiple times in self-defense, alleging Scott had attempted to grab his Taser. Cell phone video captured at the scene, however, showed Slager shooting Scott in the back as Scott tried to run away.

Federal officials recommended 10 to 13 years in prison, but Slager's attorneys argued he should face far less time.

Slager first began his sentencing hearing Monday. In light of the ruling, here's what you need to know about Slager's case.

What did Michael Slager do?

Slager, a white police officer in North Charleston, S.C., encountered Scott on April 4, 2015, after he stopped him for a non-functioning taillight.

The altercation between Slager and Scott has been heavily debated and scrutinized, according to the Charleston Post and Courier. Prosecutors alleged that during a struggle between the two men on the ground, Slager remained in control of his Taser. They said he threw the device to the ground at one point in order to grab his firearm.

Cell phone video taken by a bystander showed Scott attempting to run away after the stop. Slager then fired his gun eight times at the fleeing man, hitting him five times.

After he shot Scott, Slager dropped the Taser near Scott's unmoving body, according to the Post and Courier. Later, as seen in the video, Slager picked up the Taser and returned it to his belt, the newspaper reported.

Slager argued that he fired his weapon as self-defense, even as Scott ran away. His attorneys had also argued that the use of force was  rooted in Scotts misconduct, according to the Post and Courier.

The Scott family previously reached a $6.5 million settlement with the city of North Charleston.

What already happened in court?

A grand jury indicted Slager in 2015, but a judge ultimately declared a mistrial in December 2016 after a jury remained deadlocked. The panel was made up of 11 white jurors and one black juror.

While that case was ongoing, federal authorities pursued a parallel investigation against Slager on civil rights charges. Solicitor Scarlett Wilson had planned to bring a second case against Slager later this year, but those charges were dropped as part of his federal plea deal.

Slager pleaded guilty in May to violating Scotts civil rights.

A probation officer recommended a prison term between 10 and nearly 13 years, the Post and Courier reported.

He was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison with no fine.

Fox News' Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Madeline Farber and Terace Garnier contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
A top prosecutor who is now a deputy for Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia probe praised outgoing acting Attorney General Sally Yates after she was fired in January by President Trump for refusing to defend his controversial travel ban.

The email, obtained by Judicial Watch through a federal lawsuit, shows that on the night of Jan. 30, Andrew Weissmann wrote to Yates under the subject line, I am so proud.

He continued, And in awe. Thank you so much. All my deepest respects.

The disclosure follows confirmation that another Mueller investigator, FBI official Peter Strzok, was fired over the summer after allegedly sending anti-Trump texts to an FBI lawyer with whom he was romantically involved.

His alleged actions revived concerns about the objectivity of the FBI probes of both Hillary Clintons email setup and Russia election meddling.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton called the new Weissmann document an astonishing and disturbing find.

Andrew Weisman, a key prosecutor on Robert Muellers team, praised Obama DOJ holdover Sally Yates after she lawlessly thwarted President Trump, he said in a statement. How much more evidence do we need that the Mueller operation has been irredeemably compromised by anti-Trump partisans?

The Jan. 30 email was sent at 9:50 p.m. from Weissmanns government account, when he was still in the DOJs criminal division and before he was assigned to Muellers probe.

The email was sent shortly after Trump fired Yates for refusing to defend the first version of his ban on travel from certain majority-Muslim countries.

The president has seized on the reports about Strzoks anti-Trump views, drawing attention to his role in the Clinton email investigation and referring to him as "tainted" and "very dishonest."

Fox News confirmed that Strzok oversaw the FBIs interviews with former national security adviser Mike Flynn, who pleaded guilty last week to lying to federal investigators.

Strzok was also the person who softened former FBI Director James Comeys language about the Clinton email investigation, changing the phrase grossly negligent to extremely careless.

Fox News Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
President Trump's legal team is pushing back against reports that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has called on Deutsche Bank to submit data pertaining to its client relationship with President Trump as part of his investigation into alleged Russian election meddling.

We have confirmed that the news reports that the special counsel had subpoenaed financial records relating to the president are false," said Jay Sekulow, a member of Trumps legal team. No subpoena has been issued or received. We have confirmed this with the bank and other sources.

Bloomberg, citing an unnamed source, reported that Mueller is seeking information on the German lender and its relationship with Trump and his family. Trump reportedly owes the bank $300 million.

Democrats have said Trump's relationship with the bank is crucial in the Russia investigation. The Washington Post reported in August that Democrats have pushed for an investigation into the banks internal review of the loans to see if there is any link with Russia.

Deutsche rejected demands by Democratic lawmakers back in June for details of Trump's finances, Reuters reported. The bank cited privacy laws.

The bank, Trumps primary lender, also approved a $285 million refinancing loan for Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushners company a month before the election, The Post reported.

Trump, who spoke to reporters Monday as he left the White House to head to Utah, unleashed a string of tweets over the weekend in which he criticized the FBI and raised questions about the federal investigation.

In one of his messages, Trump again denied that he directed the former FBI director James Comey to stop investigating his former national secuirty adviser Michael Flynn.

Trump questioned the direction of the federal law enforcement agency and wrote that after Comey, whom Trump fired in May, the FBIs reputation is in Tatters  worst in History! He vowed to bring it back to greatness. The president also retweeted a post saying new FBI Director Chris Wray needs to clean house.

Trump seized on reports that a veteran FBI counterintelligence agent was removed from Muellers team last summer after the discovery of an exchange of text messages that were viewed as potentially anti-Trump. The agent, Peter Strzok, had also worked on the investigation of Clintons use of a private email server.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, said Mueller removed Strzok from the team immediately upon learning of the allegations. He would not elaborate on the nature of the accusations.

Trump tweeted Sunday: Tainted (no, very dishonest?) FBI agents role in Clinton probe under review. Led Clinton Email probe. In a separate tweet, he wrote: Report: ANTI-TRUMP FBI AGENT LED CLINTON EMAIL PROBE Now it all starts to make sense!

Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report
A police department in Oklahoma released body camera footage Monday of former State Senator Ralph Shortey caught in a hotel room with an underage boy, making the video public days after he pleaded guilty to child prostitution and pornography charges.

The Moore Police Department released the footage of the encounter that occurred early on March 9 at a Super 8 Motel in Moore, Okla., Fox 59 reported.

The footage showed police knocking on the door of a room occupied by Shortey -- a Republican -- and the underage male. Police said they went to the room after receiving a welfare check call placed by the teen boy's father.

So, what are they saying? one of the officers asked the other.

OKLAHOMA HALFWAY HOUSE CONTRACT CANCELED AFTER INMATE DEATH

"Well, drug-related, maybe," an officer replied. "Maybe was coming here to buy some weed. Either here for narcotics, or prostitution for narcotics."

"Like the kids prostituting himself out?" the other officer asked.

The officers said they smelled marijuana and later discovered a small amount of it in the room along with condoms and lotion found in a backpack that belonged to Shortey, Fox 25 News reported.

"Hey, its Moore Police Department, man. We just need to check on your welfare, make sure youre OK. Were not going away, the officers were heard saying.

Later the officers were heard talking to someone inside and telling the person to hurry up and get dressed.

The video cuts when the teenager appeared and then picks back up to the officers speaking to Shortey, who was hiding behind the door.

Come out, an officer ordered Shortey. "Now, youre getting me worried, show me your hands."

Shortey appeared and was wearing a shirt with a reference to the Bible verse from Ephesians 5:22, which called for women to submit to their husbands, Fox 25 News reported.

The officers told Shortey he was with a 17-year-old male but the former state senator replied, Can you show me that hes only 17?

"I cant," an officer replied. "But I can convince you that he is. I can put you in handcuffs and throw you in the back of the car."

OKLAHOMA OFFICER CHARGED IN FATAL SHOOTING OF SUICIDAL MAN

The officers asked what Shortey was doing in the room with the teenager and he said they were having a conversation.

The former state senator was eventually arrested. Police accused Shortey of hiring the 17-year-old for sex.

A police report indicated a search of the teen's tablet computer uncovered a series of sexually explicit exchanges in which Shortey referred to him as "baby boy" and offered him cash in exchange for "sexual stuff."

The FBI became involved in the case following Shortey's arrest and searched his Oklahoma City home.

The married father of four resigned in March after he was arrested on state charges of engaging in child prostitution and transporting a minor for prostitution.

Last Thursday, Shortey pleaded guilty to the charges in exchange for federal prosecutors dropping three child pornography charges against him. He faces between 10 years and life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for child sex trafficking. The judge did not set a sentencing date.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., announced his immediate retirement on Dec. 5 following a wave of sexual harassment allegations.

Conyers, 88, was the longest continuously serving lawmaker in the House at the time of his retirement.

Heres a look at the 15 longest-serving U.S. senators and congressmen.

John Dingell - 59 years

Rep. John Dingell Jr., D-Mich., was first elected in a special election to fill a seat which was left empty when his father, Rep. John Dingell Sr., died, according to his House biography. Dingell served in the Army during World War II and was a Wayne County assistant prosecutor before he was elected to public office.

Dingell was in office from Dec. 13, 1955 to Jan. 3, 2015 and remains in the public eye. He is active on Twitter with an account boasting of more 196,000 followers.

Robert Byrd - 57 years

Robert Byrds political career included stints in both congressional chambers -- and he holds the record for the longest term in the Senate.

Byrd, D-W.V., served in the House for six years before spending 51 years in the Senate until his death on June 28, 2010, his congressional biography stated. He was 92 years old when he died.

Carl Hayden - 56 years

Before he was elected to Congress, Carl Haydens resume included being commissioned as a major in the Army during World War I and spending five years as the sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., according to his congressional biography.

Hayden, D-Ariz., was in the House of Representatives from Feb. 19, 1912 to March 3, 1927, and he later served 41 years in the Senate. He was 94 years old when he died in 1972.

Daniel Inouye - 53 years

A World War II veteran, Daniel Inouye volunteered as a private in 1943 and retired after much action as a captain in 1947, according to his congressional biography. Inouye, D-Hawaii, served in the House from Aug. 21, 1959 to Jan. 3, 1963, before serving nearly 50 years in the Senate until his death in 2012.

The lawmaker was a 2000 recipient of the Congressional Medal of Freedom and a 2013 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Jamie Whitten - 53 years

Rep. Jamie Whitten, D-Miss., was first elected through a special election to fill a House seat left empty by Wall Doxey. He was in office from Nov. 4, 1941 to Jan. 3, 1995, according to his congressional biography.

Whitten was chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations from 1979 to 1993. After leaving office in 1995, he died later that year at age 85.

John Conyers - 52 years

Prior to retiring on Dec. 5, Rep. John Conyers represented Michigans 13th Congressional district. Conyers, 88, was elected to his 26th consecutive term in 2014 -- a win that made him the first African American to hold the distinction as Dean, or the most senior member of Congress, according to his website.

The Democratic representative faced pressure to resign after reports emerged that he allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward multiple different women. His settlement with Marion Brown, a former staffer, came to light in November.

Carl Vinson - 50 years

Rep. Carl Vinson, D-Ga., was in Congress for nearly 51 years and was the first person to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 50 years.

Vinson, who was born in Georgia in 1883, served in Congress from 1914 to 1965. He helped modernize the U.S. Navy. Eventually, the Navy vessel, the USS Carl Vinson, was named after him.

He died at the age of 97 in 1981.

Emanuel Celler - 49 years

Rep. Emanuel Celler, D-N.Y., was elected to the House in 1922 when he was just 34 years old. Forty-two years later, he became Dean of the House.

Celler, who was born in 1888 in Brooklyn, became the chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 1949 and was one of the authors of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, according to his obituary in the New York Times.

He died in 1981 at the age of 92.

Sam Rayburn - 48 years

Rep. Sam Rayburn, D-Texas, was born in 1882 and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1906, serving the states 4th Congressional district from 1907 to 1913. Afterward, he became the 43rd Speaker of the House. He served in the position from 1913 until his death in 1961.

Rayburn was also the House majority leader in 1937 and chairman of the National Democratic Convention.

Sidney Yates - 48 years

Rep. Sidney Yates, D-Ill., died in 2000 at the age of 91. One of his greatest accomplishments while serving as a congressman was pushing for legislation that established the National Endowment for the Arts in 1965.

He was elected to Congress in 1948 and served until 1999.

Strom Thurmond - 46 years

Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina was a lifelong lawmaker -- serving as a state senator and governor in the Palmetto State before his stint in Washington, D.C. And when he turned 100 years old in 2002, he became the oldest person ever to serve as a senator.

Thurmond joined the Republican Party in 1964 and ran for president as the States Rights Democrat candidate in 1948, winning four states. Thurmond holds the Senate record for the longest individual speech with his filibuster of the 1957 Civil Rights Act, according to his Senate biography.

He was in office from Nov. 7, 1956 to Jan. 3, 2003. He died in June 2003.

Wright Patman - 47 years

Rep. Wright Patman, D-Texas, served in the House for 47 years until his death on March 7, 1976.

Patman, who was 82 when he died, served in World War I as a private and machine gun officer, according to his House biography. He was first elected to Congress in 1928. He led an effort to impeach former Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon and was chairman of the Houses banking committee for some time.

Ted Kennedy - 46 years

Sen. Edward Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., died on Aug. 25, 2009. At the time, he was 77 years old and partially through his 46th year as a U.S. senator. Kennedy was battling brain cancer when he died.

Known as the liberal lion of the Senate, Kennedy was passionate about voting rights, education, immigration reform, minimum wage, tackling the AIDS crisis and equality for minorities, women, LGBT and disabled Americans, according to his biography.

Kennedy was the younger brother of former President John F. Kennedy.

Charles Rangel - 46 years

Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., was in office until Jan. 3, 2017; he did not seek reelection in 2016.

Rangel, now 87, was censored by the House Ethics Committee in 2010 for financial misconduct. He was found guilty by the committee of 11 violations.

While in the House, Rangel headed many committees for a period of time, including the Ways and Means committee and Joint Committee on Taxation, according to his archived House biography.

Joseph Gurney Cannon - 46 years

Former House speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon, R-Ill., was in Congress for a cumulative 46 non-consecutive years.

As Speaker and chairman of the House Rules committee, Cannon was known for ruling Congress with an iron fist, according to a House biography, and had tight control over the legislative schedule and floor debates. He was given the nickname Czar Cannon for his leadership style. He was also nicknamed Uncle Joe.

Cannon died in 1926 at the age of 90. He left office in 1923.
The Republican National Committee is once again supporting embattled Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore after President Donald Trump formally endorsed him Monday, a senior RNC official told Fox News Monday.

Despite losing the backing of many top Republicans, Moore was praised by Trump who said that Republicans would need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more.

Moore later tweeted his thanks saying hes looking forward to fighting alongside the President to #MAGA.

The White House also announced that Trump had spoken by phone with Moore to formally endorse his candidacy.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said Monday that the two had "a positive call."

The RNCs reversal was first reported by Breitbart News.

The RNC announced three weeks ago that it was severed its fundraising ties to Moore following allegations that he'd molested two teenagers when he was in his 30s.

Former governor of Massachusetts and former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took to Twitter on Monday to express his disapproval.

Moore fired back with a tweet of his own, saying Romney doesnt care about the truth anymore.

Fox News' Peter Doocy and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Many national Republican leaders pulled their support for Roy Moore, the Alabama Senate candidate, in the wake of allegations claiming he had inappropriate sexual contact with teenage girls.

The Washington Post reported that four women accused Moore of initiating sexual contact with them in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he was an assistant district attorney in his early 30s. One of the women, Leigh Corfman, told the newspaper that Moore had sexual contact with her when she was 14. The age of consent in Alabama is 16.

Several additional women have since come forward to accuse Moore of sexually inappropriate behavior.

Moore denied the allegations, saying in a statement obtained by Fox News that the allegations are "based on a lie supported by innuendo."

"It seems that in the political arena, to say that something is not true is simply not good enough. So let me be clear. I have never provided alcohol to minors, and I have never engaged in sexual misconduct," he said.

Multiple Republican lawmakers called on Moore to step aside from the Dec. 12 special election. However, President Trump offered his endorsement for the embattled politician, and the Republican National Committee began supporting Moore after having previously cut its fundraising ties to him.

The White House

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president had no plans for an in-person appearance on Moore's behalf.

In addition, the president previously signed off on a decision by the Republican National Committee to cut off support for Moore's campaign.

But publicly, Trump unleashed his criticism on Democratic candidate Doug Jones instead of Moore.

The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is weak on crime, weak on the border, bad for our military and our great vets, bad for our 2nd Amendment, and wants to [raise] taxes to the sky. Jones would be a disaster, Trump tweeted on Nov. 26.

And just over one week before the election, Trump said he needed Moores vote in the Senate when it comes to certain issues, such as immigration, gun rights and judicial appointments.

Trump also encouraged his Twitter followers to vote for Moore on the morning of the election as he contended that Moore "will always vote with us."

Vice President Mike Pence found the allegations in the story disturbing and believes, if true, this would disqualify anyone from serving in office, his press secretary, Alyssa Farah, has told reporters.

Sen. Mitch McConnell

While speaking to reporters, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he believes the women quoted in the Washington Post story. He urged Moore to step aside in light of the allegations.

Previously, McConnell said Moore should step aside if "these allegations are true."

Sen. Cory Gardner

Cory Gardner, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, said he believes the women who have alleged Moore's misconduct. In a statement, he encouraged the Senate to "vote to expel" Moore should he win the election next month.

"He does not meet the ethical and moral requirements of the United States Senate," Gardner, R-Colo., said.

Sen. Mike Lee

A former backer of Moore, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, pulled his endorsement from Moore after the allegations came to light.

"Having read the detailed description of the incidents, as well as the response from Judge Moore and his campaign, I can no longer endorse his candidacy for the US Senate," Lee said in a tweet.

He had also requested that Moore's campaign no longer use his image.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Im horrified and if its true, he should step down immediately, Murkowski told reporters.

She reportedly also urged Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to fill Jeff Sessions seat when he was tapped to become attorney general, to launch a write-in campaign. The deadline to take Moore off the ballot has passed.

Sen. Mike Rounds

If they are true, then he should seriously think about stepping aside," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said.

Sen. John Cornyn

I find it deeply distrusting and troubling. Its up to the governor and the folks of Alabama to make that decision as far as what the next steps are," Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. He later withdrew his endorsement of Moore.

Sen. Tim Scott

If theyre accurate, he absolutely should [step aside]," Tim Scott, of South Carolina, said.

Sen. Susan Collins

In a tweet, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called for Moore to "withdraw from the Senate race in Alabama."

Collins wrote that she listened to Moore deny the allegations in a recent radio interview, but "did not find his denials to be convincing."

Collins' most recent statement comes after she previously tweeted: "If there is any truth at all to these horrific allegations, Roy Moore should immediately step aside as Senate candidate."



Sen. Steve Daines

"I am pulling my endorsement and support for Roy Moore for U.S. Senate," said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.

Sen. John McCain

"The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying. He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of," Arizona Sen. John McCain said.

Sen. Richard Shelby

Its a devastating nasty story, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby told reporters. If its true, I dont believe thered be a place for him in the U.S. Senate.

He said that he did not vote for Moore when he sent in his absentee ballot but voted instead for a "distinguished Republican write-in."

Sen. Jeff Flake

Like other Republicans, Flake called on Moore to step aside from the election.

"Just to be clear. If the choice is between Roy Moore and a Democrat, I would run to the polling place to vote for the Democrat," Flake tweeted.

Hes said that Republicans to support Roy Moore over Doug Jones is political tribalism at its worst.

Flake also tweeted a photo of a check made out to Jones for $100 with "Country over Party" written in the memo line.

Sen. Luther Strange

Alabama Sen. Luther Strange, who lost the special election primary to Roy Moore, called the allegations disturbing.

It is too late to take Moore off the ballot, but Strange has been encouraged to launch a write-in campaign.

Sen. Rob Portman

I think if what we read is true, and people are on the record so I assume it is, then he should step aside, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said.

Sen. Ben Sasse

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., called the Washington Posts story "heartbreaking."

Sasse also slammed the Republican National Committee for providing funds to Moores race.

This is a bad decision and very sad day. I believe the women  and the RNC previously did too. Whats changed? Or is the party just indifferent? Sasse said on Twitter. This sends a terrible message to victims its not that the party wont believe you if you come forward. It might. But just doesnt care.

The senator than warned that if the National Republican Senatorial Committee decided to contribute to Moore, he would no longer be a donor to or fund-raiser for it.

Sen. Ted Cruz

"These are serious and troubling allegations," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who previously endorsed Moore, said in a statement. "If they are true, Judge Moore should immediately withdraw. However, we need to know the truth, and Judge Moore has the right to respond to these accusations."

Sen. Bill Cassidy

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., officially withdrew his support from the candidate.

"Based on the allegations against Roy Moore, his response and what is known, I withdraw support," he said.

Sen. Orrin Hatch

"I stand with the Majority Leader on this. These are serious and disturbing accusations, and while the decision is now in the hands of the people of Alabama, I believe Luther Strange is an excellent alternative," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, tweeted.

But a week before the election, Hatch said Trump didnt have another choice but to endorse Moore, Bloomberg reported. He also said that many of the things he allegedly did are decades ago. So its hard to  thats a decision that has to be made by the people in that state.

If they make that decision, who are we to question them? Hatch said.

Sen. Pat Toomey

We'll probably never know for sure exactly what happened," Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"But  I think the accusations have more credibility than the denial. I think it would be best if Roy would just step aside.

Sen. Lindsey Graham

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham took to Twitter to say Moore should step aside in the Alabama Senate race.

"In light of the most recent allegations and the cumulative effect of others, I believe [Moore] would be doing himself, the state, the GOP, and the country a service by stepping aside," Graham said. "If he continues this will not end well for Mr. Moore."

He has also bemoaned Trumps attempt to throw a lifeline to Moore.

Rep. Paul Ryan

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said if the allegations are true, they would disqualify Moore from the special election.

These allegations are disqualifying if true. Anyone who would do this to a child has no place in public office, let alone the United States Senate, Ryan said in a statement.

Rep. Peter King

"I would say unless he can prove his innocence, the burden is now on him within the next day or so, I believe he has to step down. He owes it to himself, he owes it to the state and and he owes it to the U.S. Senate," New York Rep. Peter King said after the allegations came out.

Rep. Lee Zeldin

In a tweet, Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., called for that "creepy Roy Moore dude" to step aside from the campaign.

"It's about that time for that creepy Roy Moore dude to exit stage left. He should step aside & let someone take his spot on the ballot who doesn't prey upon young teenage girls as a grown man," he said.

Gov. John Kasich

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on Twitter that hes long opposed Moore and called on him to step aside from the race as well.

Ive long opposed Roy Moore [and] his divisive viewpoints. The actions described make him unfit for office. The GOP must not support him. He should step aside, Kasich said.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, slammed Moore on Twitter.

Innocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections. I believe Leigh Corfman, the former governor said. Her account is too serous to ignore. Moore is unfit for office and should step aside.

"Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity," Romney said in another tweet on Dec. 4.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush

Former Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Moore should step down in light of the allegations.

"This is not a question of innocence or guilt like in a criminal proceeding; this is a question of whats right and whats wrong. Acknowledging that youre dating teenagers when youre 32 years old as assistant state attorney is wrong. Its just plain wrong," he told CNBC, adding that he agreed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said earlier Monday that Moore should "step aside."

"We need to stand for basic principles, and decency has to be one of those," Bush added. "In the really poisonous political environment we have right now, one of the rules I think has to apply is that when you attack somebody on the other party, and the other team for doing something wrong, when it happens on your team, you have an obligation I think to speak out as well."

Ivanka Trump

The president's daughter had some harsh words for Moore.



"There's a special place in hell for people who prey on children. I've yet to see a valid explanation, and I have no reason to doubt the victims' accounts," Ivanka Trump told the Associated Press.

Condoleezza Rice

While she didnt name Moore, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice  who is from Alabama  encouraged voters to take a stand for our core principles and for what is right.

These critical times require us to come together to reject bigotry, sexism and intolerance, Rice said in a statement to AL.com.

"It is imperative for Americans to remain focused on our priorities and not give way to side shows and antics. I know that Alabamans need an independent voice in Washington. But we must also insist that our representatives are dignified, decent, and respectful of the values we hold dear, she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Kirstjen Nielsen has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to oversee the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Nielsen, a former Homeland Security official nominated by President Trump, was confirmed by the Senate in a 62-37 vote on Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Nielsen understands the department's daily operations due to her previous experience and is ready to lead on her first day.

Meanwhile, Democrats said Nielsen lacks the experience required to run a major agency with 240,000 employees. They also cited concerns about possible White House interference in a recent DHS decision to send home thousands of Nicaraguans that have long been granted U.S. protection.

The Department of Homeland Security oversees U.S. borders, cybersecurity and the nation's reponse to natural disasters, among other areas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A constitutional fight over a wedding cake drew hundreds of activists on both sides to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, in a hot-button case pitting religious and artistic conviction against discrimination targeting the LGBT community.

The justices heard nearly 90 minutes of spirited oral arguments, appearing equally divided along ideological lines over perhaps the most-closely watched appeal so far this term-- whether applying Colorado's public accommodations law to compel a local baker to create commercial "expression" violates a business owner's constitutionally protected Christian beliefs about marriage.

Charlie Craig and David Mullins of Denver visited Masterpiece Cakeshop in July 2012 to buy a custom-made wedding cake. Owner Jack Phillips abruptly refused his services when told it was for a same-sex couple. A state civil rights commission sanctioned Phillips after a formal complaint from the gay couple.

Legal questions over compelled speech, expressive content, and societal tolerance placed the nine-member bench squarely in the middle of a culture war debate-- competing claims involving religion and gay rights.

"If you want to be a part of our community, of our civic community, there's certain behavior, conduct you can't engage in," said Justice Sonia Sotomayor. "And that includes not selling products that you sell to everyone else to people simply because of either their race, religion, national origin, gender, and in this case sexual orientation. So we can't legislate civility and rudeness, but we can and have permitted it as a compelling state interest legislating behavior."

"One thing that's disturbing about the record here," said Justice Samuel Alito about the commission's decisions, "is what appears to be a practice of discriminatory treatment based on viewpoint."

Justice Anthony Kennedy, the so-called swing vote, again appeared key to deciding this appeal. He asked tough questions of both sides.

"If you prevail, could the baker put a sign in his window, we do not bake cakes for gay weddings?" he asked the lawyer for Phillips. "And you would not think that an affront to the gay community?"

But later in the argument, he said: "Tolerance is essential in a free society. And tolerance is most meaningful when it's mutual. It seems to me that the state in its position here has been neither tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillips' religious beliefs."

Craig and Mullins met on blind date in late 2010, and decided to get married a couple of years later. Since Colorado did not permit it at the time, they tied the knot in Massachusetts. While planning for a hometown reception with friends and family, the two decided to visit Phillips' small shop in a Denver suburb.

Along with Craig's mother and a book of ideas, they met with Phillips for just 20 seconds by the owner's account, when he said he told them, "Guys, I don't make cakes for same-sex weddings."

"What followed was a horrible pregnant pause during which what was happening really sunk in and we were mortified and embarrassed," Mullins told Fox News. "We teared up. It was a very painful and emotional moment for us."

The Trump administration to a large extent backs Phillips, and legal experts say it is the first time the federal government has asked for an exception to an anti-discrimination law.

Phillips is represented in court by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian nonprofit. He has since lost at every step in the legal appeals process, and said the legal fight brought "many difficult days."

"We've faced death threats and harassment, I have had to stop creating the wedding art that I loved, which means we lost much of our business," he said after the case was argued. "It's hard to believe that the government is forcing me to choose between providing for my employees and violating my relationship with God. That is not freedom, that is not tolerance."

With competing rallies in front of the court, Phillips supporters carried signs including "We Got Jack's Back" while those on the opposing side held banners proclaiming "Don't Discriminate" and "Love Wins."

"This has never been about a cake, this isn't about wedding," Mullins told the crowd. "This is about freedom. Freedom for LGBT people to live full lives in public and not to be denied basic services in businesses, fired from jobs or lose homes just for who they are."

The court explored how their ruling might affect others like florists, hair stylists, wedding planners and others who might object to same-sex unions on religious grounds.

Some justices worried what a ruling for Phillips might mean for other creative pursuits, like architects, furniture makers, filmmakers, even sandwich "artisans."

"So in other words, Mies [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a German-American architect] or Michelangelo is not protected when he creates the Laurentian steps, but this cake baker is protected when he creates the cake without any message on it for a wedding?" asked Justice Stephen Breyer. "Now, that really does baffle me, I have to say."

Chief Justice John Roberts expanded the rim of the possible.

"So Catholic Legal Services," which he said might want to help the poor, "would be put to the choice of either not providing any pro bono legal services or providing those services in connection with the same-sex marriage?" which in the hypothetical, "they say we're not going to do it because, as a religious matter, we're opposed to same-sex marriage."

The case is Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (16-111). A ruling is expected by June 2018.
President Trump reacted to Mike Flynns guilty plea yesterday by switching to his favorite target.

Well, I feel badly for General Flynn, he told reporters. I feel very badly. He's led a very strong life, and I feel very badly

I will say this: Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI and nothing happened to her. Flynn lied and they destroyed his life. I think it's a shame.

Its worth noting that they negotiated a guilty plea from Trumps former national security adviser in the Russia investigation. And even if the president believes his former opponent should have been charged with something, she wasntand that doesnt detract from the Flynn plea.

Trump is now virtually at war with the FBI, which is strange because hes overseen the bureau for nearly a year. His firing of James Comey almost definitely triggered the naming of (former FBI chief) Robert Mueller as special counsel, but it also enabled the president to install Christopher Wray as the new director. Wray has kept an extraordinarily low profile, even with Trump tweeting that the FBIs reputation is in tattersworst in history! Wray did send a message to the staff yesterday--not mentioning the president--saying he is inspired by example after example of professionalism and dedication to justice demonstrated around the bureau."

As the fallout from the Flynn plea continued to build, Trump lawyer John Dowd told Axios that the president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer.

That is a stretch. Im not suggesting in any way that Trump obstructed justice, and I know Richard Nixon embraced this theory after he was forced from office. But the articles of impeachment approved by the House Judiciary Committee in 1974 included an obstruction of justice charge.

We can safely assume Mueller is primarily scrutinizing President Trump with an eye toward making a case of obstructing an FBI investigation, Andrew McCarthy writes in National Review.

At the same time, most legal scholars agree that a sitting president cant be indicted, and impeachment seems far-fetched. Whats more, the Mueller investigation hasnt proven anything on the question of Russian collusion, which was why he was named in the first place.

Theres a media furor over a Trump tweet that seems to indicate that the president knew, when he fired Flynn in January, that he had not only lied to Mike Pence but to the FBI as well. The White House says Dowd wrote the tweet (his first), and some journalists are parsing the language to see if that seems plausible. (I know, this really gets down in the weeds.)

Dowd told the Washington Post that the tweet was sloppily worded and that its inaccurate to say the president knew that Flynn had lied to the FBI.

McCarthy argues that a president has the right to fire his FBI chief for no reason at all, even if his rationale was corrupt.

Meanwhile, the Mueller probe took a hit after he removed an FBI agent found to have sent texts that were anti-Trump and favored Hillary Clinton. That agent, Peter Strzok, had also been part of Comeys Clinton email investigation.

The conventional wisdom, now that Flynn is a cooperating witness, is that he may incriminate his former boss. But for what? After three Hill investigations and a special counsels probe, the allegations against Trump remain murky at best.
FBI Director Christopher Wray is facing renewed criticism after reports surfaced that the bureau did not act on a recent tip about Florida shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz prior to the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14.

In a statement, the FBI admitted to receiving a call on Jan. 5 from a person close to Cruz who contacted the FBI through its Public Access Line (PAL) tipline to express concerns about his erratic behavior, disturbing social media posts and his desire to kill people.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott called for Wrays resignation on Feb. 16, calling the FBIs failure to take action against Cruz unacceptable.

Seventeen innocent people are dead and acknowledging a mistake isnt going to cut it, Scott said in a statement. An apology will never bring these 17 Floridians back to life.

Officials encourage the public to see something, say something, Scott continued, but in this case, the FBI failed to act.

People must have confidence in the follow-through from law enforcement, he added. The FBI Director needs to resign.

After learning the FBI had been warned about Cruz, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered an "immediate review" of both the Department of Justice and FBIs practices.

It is now clear that the warning signs were there and tips to the FBI were missed," Sessions said in a statement. "We see the tragic consequences of those failures."

Wray said the bureau would also review what had happened.

We are still investigating the facts. I am committed to getting to the bottom of what happened in this particular matter, as well as reviewing our processes for responding to information that we receive from the public," Wray said in the statement. "When members of the public contact us with concerns, we must act properly and quickly."

Here's what you should know about Wray, who was tapped as FBI director after President Trump fired James Comey.

When was Wray installed as FBI Director?

Wray was formally installed as the new director of the FBI on Sep. 28, after he was confirmed by the Senate on a 92-5 vote in August. All five nay votes came from Democrats.

He was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in July, after he appeared before the committee. President Trump called Wray "an impeccably qualified individual" in a June statement.

What did Wray do before he was confirmed by the Senate?

Wray worked at the King & Spalding law firm, where he'd been a partner since August 2005, his Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire said.

Wray also represented New Jersey governor Chris Christie during the investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case, nicknamed "Bridgegate." Two former Christie aides were convicted of plotting to close bridge lanes to punish a Democratic mayor who wouldn't endorse the Republican governor.

What about Wray's time at the Department of Justice (DOJ)?

Wray worked as an associate deputy attorney general in 2001, before he was principal associate deputy attorney general from 2001 - 2003, his Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire says. From 2003 to 2005, Wray worked as assistant attorney general for the criminal division under President George W. Bush.

What do we know about Wray's career before working for the DOJ?

Wray graduated from Yale University in 1989 before graduating from its law school three years later, the DOJ says online. He was an assistant U.S. attorney in Georgia from 1997 to 2001.

Before that, Wray was an associate at King and Spalding from 1993 to 1997, according to his Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire. From 1992 to 1993, he was a clerk for Judge J. Michael Luttig, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Fox News' Catherine Herridge and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The new U.S. embassy in Israel is set to officially open in Jerusalem on Monday as President Trump has formally recognized the holy city as the countrys capital.

The opening comes after a day of celebratory festivities in Israel juxtaposed with mass protests along the border of Israel that left at least 52 Palestinians dead and more than 1,000 injured Monday. It was the bloodiest day of weeks of demonstrations that has cast a cloud over the embassy opening.

The Trump administrations decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital was heralded by many pro-Israel activists but decried by Palestinians and Americas Arab allies.

Ahead of the opening, Trump tweeted its a great day for Israel."

Read on to find out why the decision is so contentious  and why it wasnt accomplished before.

Finding the capital

The international community  and until 2017, the U.S.  largely does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as it is claimed by both Palestinians and Israelis. Like other countries, the U.S. kept its embassy in Tel Aviv, approximately an hour away.

The U.S. moving its embassy could cause significant harm to the U.S. credibility as a mediator for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, said Dylan Williams, vice president of government affairs for J Street, a left-leaning pro-Israel advocacy organization.

Williams added that the move could undermine confidence from Palestinians and Arab countries that the U.S. would remain an impartial negotiator in efforts to create peace in the Middle East.

Even seemingly minor changes of Jerusalems status quo  either in fact or in law  have historically had the impact of sparking violence, Williams said.

Support for Jerusalem

Millions of evangelical eyes were on Trump, waiting to see if he would keep his campaign promise to move the embassy, longtime Pastor John Hagee told Fox News ahead of the president's official announcement.

"I can assure you that 60 million evangelicals are watching this promise closely because if President Trump moves the embassy into Jerusalem, he will historically step into immortality," Hagee said. "He will be remembered for thousands of years for his act of courage to treat Israel like we already treat other nations."

"If he does not, he will be remembered as just another president who made a promise he failed to keep which would generate massive disappointment in that strong evangelical base that went to vote for him against Hillary Clinton," he added.

"Trump will be remembered for thousands of years for his act of courage to treat Israel like we already treat other nations."  Pastor John Hagee

Hagee is the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church, a megachurch in San Antonio, Texas. He founded the nonprofit Christians United for Israel in 2006, as well.

A March 2016 Gallup poll found that the majority of Americans didnt express an opinion when asked if the U.S. embassy should move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But of those who did have an opinion, Americans were split with 24 percent supporting a move and 20 percent disagreeing with relocation.

Congressional authority

Trump isnt the only president to declare his intentions to move the U.S. embassy; both former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also pledged to move the embassy  only to abandon the idea once in the White House.

Congress approved in 1995 the funding and relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem by 1999. But the law included a stipulation, allowing for presidents to sign continuous waivers to stall the relocation. Every president since had used the waiver in an effort to avoid conflict with the peace negotiations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Neptune's original family of satellites may have been destroyed when its largest moon, Triton, entered the picture. New research suggests that the massive moon may have tossed some of the original satellites into the ice giant, kicked others out of orbit and swallowed up the rest, creating a new family that doesn't look much like those surrounding the other giant planets.

For years, scientists have suspected that Triton wasn't part of Neptune's original collection of moons. The massive moon has a backward orbit, and makes up over 99 percent of all the mass orbiting the planet. Instead, they thought it was a captured object whose orbit was circularized by debris disks created by impacts.

New research suggests that the crashing primordial moons wouldn't have built up enough material to slow down Triton. [Living on Triton: Neptune's Moon Explained (Infographic)]

"We find that the mutual impacts between satellites are not disruptive enough to create the desired debris disk," Raluca Rufu, a doctoral student at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, told Space.com by email. Working with co-author Robin Canup, a researcher and associate vice president at the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado who models solar system evolution and collisions, Rufu is lead author on new research that suggests Triton likely sent Neptune's original satellites flying.

A homewrecker

The moons of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus are all well-behaved compared with those of Neptune. The other three gas giants have a wealth of satellites  Jupiter has 70 to Neptune's 14, for instance  traveling in nearly circular paths around their equators. While Triton's path is circular, it travels backwardcompared with Neptune's rotation, and spins backward, besides.

And Triton is not the only outlier at Neptune. Nereid, one of the planet's outermost moons and the third largest, has one of the most stretched out, or eccentric, orbits of any moon in our solar system. It takes 360 Earth-days for the tiny moon to make one loop around its planet.

The unusual combination of moons led scientists to suggest that Triton was part of a pair of objects from the edge of the solar system that burst into the Neptunian system.

"The leading theory of Triton's capture is that Triton was part of a binary system, similar to Pluto and Charon," Rufu said. "Triton was captured while the secondary body escaped Neptune's gravitational pull."

Rufu and Canup modeled a Neptunian family similar to the other gas giants, then had Triton crash the party. Over time, the extended orbit of a captured satellite should settle into the more circular orbit seen today, through interactions with other moons and small objects.

Previous studies had shown that Triton's irregular orbit needed to settle down within a hundred thousand years, or irregular satellites like Nereid would have been tossed out, the researchers said. Rufu and Canup found it wasn't enough for Triton to just collide with the small satellites after it was capturedit had to throw some of the moons out, as well.

Instead of modeling an interloper that settled in smoothly with its new family, they crashed Triton into other, smaller satellites, sending many of them flying. The energy from the impacts knocked the rough edges off Triton's orbit, allowing it to succumb to Neptune's gravitational tugs and become more circular.

While some of the original satellites were hurled into space or swallowed up by Neptune, others may have been absorbed by Triton itself.

"If we want to look for the primordial Neptunian satellites, my best guess would be to look inside Triton," Rufu said. She warned that the energetic impacts could melt the satellites, removing any observable craters and making the primordial pieces more challenging to identify.

It's too bad for Neptune's original satellites that the ice giant didn't start out with more moons. Rufu and Canup found that a more massive primordial family could have meant doom for Triton. As long as the mass of the original satellite system was comparable to Uranus, which has only 27 moons, Triton would dominate, wreaking havoc as a homewrecker. But if the original system had contained a more massive moon, Triton may not have stood a chance. According to Rufu, a collision with a large enough satellite in a prograde orbit, along the same path as the planet's rotation, would have thrown Triton into Neptune.

"A massive prograde moon [could] decrease Triton's speed too much, and lead to Triton's fall," Rufu said.

The research was detailed Nov. 6 in The Astronomical Journal.

Originally published on Space.com.
It was the art AND the deal!

John F. Kennedy went head-to-head against President Donald Trump at auction Saturday  and there was no need for a recount.

Bidders preferred JFKs autographed colorful landscape to The Donalds signed doodle of the Manhattan skyline.

The oil-on-canvas Kennedy piece  just one of two autographed works by the assassinated 35th president  fetched a whopping $162,500 while the Trump sketch went for a measly $20,000.

The Kennedy artwork, a cluster of waterfront homes under a blue sky in what is believed to be the south of France, was painted in 1955 when he was a Massachusetts senator.

Accompanying the painting is a delightful black and white circa-mid 1950s photo of JFK working at an easel with Jackie (Kennedy) looking over his shoulder, the listing touts.

The sketch by Trump, whose 1987 memoir is called The Art of the Deal, features lush trees, yellow cabs and stick figures.

JFKs niece Victoria Gifford Kennedy consigned the work, which she received from his brother Bobby Kennedy and Bobbys wife, Ethel, after Victoria married their son Michael.

Im delighted that 25 years later, youre still enjoying President Kennedys painting which I gave to you and Michael for your wedding, reads a note Ethel gave Victoria that accompanies the piece.

I believe it is a scene from the south of France which he gave to Bobby and me for Christmas at Grammas in Palm Beach. For years it hung in our room at [the McLean, Va., Kennedy compound] Hickory Hill.

The lot description noted that unlike other recent presidents, notably Eisenhower and George W. Bush, JFK was not endowed with great artistic talent. Perhaps for this reason he rarely painted or drew.

Trumps drawing, penned for a charity in 2005, renders in green, yellow and brown a view of the New York City skyline rising above taxi-filled streets.

The Dallas-and Manhattan-based auction house Heritage conducted the bidding. The winners declined to be identified, Heritage said.

This story originally appeared in the New York Post.
The discovery of 215 fossilized pterosaur eggs has revealed a new finding about the young of these ancient reptiles: Pterosaur babies likely couldn't fly after hatching and probably needed their parents to take care of them.

An examination of 16 embryos within these eggs shows that the little pterosaurs had well-developed thigh bones, suggesting that the reptiles could walk shortly after hatching, according to a new study describing the findings. But because the embryos had underdeveloped bones supporting the pectoral muscle  the muscle that helps power flight  it's unlikely that newborn pterosaurs could fly, the study researchers said.

"Bones related to flight were less developed, or ossified, than bones of the hind limb, which indicates that hatchlings might be able to walk, but not fly," study co-researcher Alexander Kellner, a paleontologist at the National Museum of Brazil and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told Live Science in an email. [Photos: Baby Pterosaurs Couldn't Fly as Hatchlings]

Pterosaurs lived during the dinosaur age, but they weren't dinosaurs. Rather, they were winged reptiles that went extinct when a 6-mile-long (10 kilometers) asteroid slammed into Earth about 66 million years ago. The fact that these flying reptiles laid eggs wasn't confirmed until 2004, when researchers announced that they had found two pterosaur eggs in China and one egg in Argentina that held well-developed embryos, according to D. Charles Deeming, a principal lecturer in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom, who wrote a perspectiveon the new study, but wasn't involved with the new research.

Researchers found the newly described trove of pterosaur eggs in the Hami region of Xinjiang, in northwestern China, during a long field survey lasting from 2006 to 2017. In addition to finding the 120-million-year-old eggs, the researchers uncovered fossil remains of male and female pterosaurs known as Hamipterus tianshanensis. (The genus name combines the "Hami" region with "pteros," the Greek word for wing, while the species name honors the Tian Shan mountains, which are near the site of discovery, the researchers said in a 2014 study published in the journal Current Biology.)

The eggs are small  just 2.3 to 3.1 inches (6 to 8 centimeters) long  but they were preserved in three dimensions, meaning that many weren't crushed. To investigate the embryos within, the scientists used a computed tomography (CT) scanner, a machine that takes hundreds of X-rays and then arranges them in a virtual 3D image.

The scans revealed that none of the 16 embryos had teeth, suggesting that either the embryos hadn't developed teeth yet or that dental growth was delayed in H. tianshanensis compared with other modern reptiles, including lizards and crocodiles, the researchers said.

The team also found other evidence that H. tianshanensis was slow to develop. As pterosaurs grew, their bones developed lines that, like the growth rings of a tree, indicated how old they were. The anatomy of one bone from a 2-year-old pterosaur showed that it was still growing at the time of its death, suggesting that these reptiles took a while to reach adulthood, the researchers said.

The egg-cellent discovery also provides clues that these Early Cretaceous pterosaurs nested in colonies, since so many eggs were found together, said study lead researcher Xiaolin Wang, a paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

"Our study implies colonial breeding for Hamipterus, and indicate[s] that gregarious behavior might have been widespread among derived [more evolved] pterosaurs," Wang told Live Science in an email.

In addition, the eggs themselves revealed hints about egg-laying behavior. The eggs have soft, parchment-like shells, indicating that they needed to be buried in a moist place to keep them from drying out and killing the embryo, Deeming wrote in the perspective. If these eggs were buried, that means the parents didn't sit on them as many modern birds do, he said.

"However, adults may have attended or defended nests, which would explain the presence of adult skeletons [at the site]," Deeming said.

The study was published online Nov. 30 in the journal Science.

Original article on Live Science.
Sea-level rise this century may threaten Jamestown in Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas; the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which launches all of NASA's human spaceflight missions; and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina, the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, a new study finds.

These iconic locales are some of the more than 13,000 archaeological and historical sites on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the southeastern United States that rising sea levels will endanger this century, researchers in the new study said.

Global warming may lead sea levels to rise by about 3.3 feet (1 meter) in the next century and by 16.4 feet (5 m) or more in the centuries afterward, according to research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others. These rising sea levels could have severe effects, as more than 40 percent of all people worldwide currently live within a 60-mile (100 kilometers) distance from a coastline, many in low-lying areas vulnerable to sea-level rise, according to reports from the United Nations and others.

Archaeologists in the new study wanted to see what effect rising sea levels might have on archaeological and historical sites. For example, in 1999, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was relocated about 2,900 feet (885 m) to protect it from the encroaching sea.

The researchers analyzed data from the Digital Index of North American Archaeology (DINAA), which collects archaeological and historical data sets developed over the past century from multiple sources.

"DINAA allows us to examine where people were living in North America over the entire 15,000-year record of human settlement," said study lead author David Anderson, an archaeologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

If projected trends continue, there could be a 3.3-foot (1 m) rise in sea level by 2100, submerging thousands of recorded archaeological and historical sites in the southeastern United States alone, the scientists predicted.

"We will lose much of the record of the last several thousand years of human occupation in coastal areas, where a great deal of history and settlement has occurred," Anderson told Live Science.

The study found that only relatively minor increases in seal level, on the order of 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 feet), were necessary to threaten these iconic places. Other important cultural landmarks at risk include Charleston, South Carolina, and St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the Americas. In addition, at archaeological sites where indigenous inhabitants, early settlers, and enslaved and later freed peoples once lived, rising seas pose a risk of damage or disappearance.

The 13,000 or so sites identified by the study are only a tiny fraction of the ones known to science, "much less [those] thoroughly examined by archaeologists," Anderson said. Many other sites that archaeologists have not yet had a chance to explore will also be lost, the researchers added.

Furthermore, the researchers found that more than 32,000 archaeological sites  including more than 2,400 sites on the National Register of Historic Places  will get lost if a 16.4-foot (5 m) or higher seal-level rise occurs, the researchers found.

"What was surprising was the vast numbers of archaeological sites that are threatened when the data are examined collectively," Anderson said. "When you develop tools showing how much will be lost at regional and continental scales, it shows the scale of the challenge and the need to start seriously planning for it."

In the future, more states can participate in DINAA so that informed decisions can be made "about what to try to save, and how," Anderson said.

This isn't the first time scientists have suggested that climate change could threaten important U.S. landmarks. In 2014, a study found that rising sea levels pose a risk to cultural landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty. Scientists detailed the findings of the new study online today in the journal PLOS ONE.

Originally published on Live Science.
The Northern Hemispheres winter solstice is just weeks away.

The 2017 event will take place on Dec. 21 at 11:28 a.m. ET, according to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Read on for a look at what happens during the astronomical phenomenon.

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, the National Weather Service says. In the Northern Hemisphere, it occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, which is located at 23.5 south of the equator and runs through Australia, Chile, southern Brazil, and northern South Africa.

The Northern Hemisphere -- which includes the U.S. -- is tipped at its furthest point away from the sun when the winter solstice takes place, according to NASA.

Not everyone around the world will experience the phenomenon on Dec. 21; the Southern Hemisphere will have its summer solstice, the longest day of the year, instead.

SUPERMOON WOWS SKY-GAZERS FOR ONLY TIME THIS YEAR

Will I notice anything special on the solstice?

The only thing you would notice if youre paying attention is that the sun will be at its lowest in the sky around noon, said Dr. Noah Petro of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center.

If you were watching the sun carefully, youd see that the suns path during the day is gonna be the lowest youll ever see it, Dr. Jackie Faherty, a senior scientist in the department of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History, told Fox News.

This includes where the sun sets, where it rises and the highest point it reaches, she explained.

NASA IS BUILDING A NEW ROVER TO LOOK FOR LIFE ON MARS

What else should I know about the winter solstice?

The thing to celebrate on the solstice is that the days are starting to get longer, Petro said. The Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice will take place on June 21, 2018.

Although the winter solstice marks the shortest daylight period in the Northern Hemisphere, its not the day of the latest sunrise or earliest sunset, NASA says. Most places in the mid-latitudes see their earliest sunset two weeks before the solstice, while the latest sunrise is not until early January.
A trove of black granite statues depicting the lioness goddess Sekhmet have been discovered at an ancient site in Egypt.

Researchers with the Egyptian-European Archaeological Mission unearthed the 27 fragmented statues during excavation work at the temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in Luxor.

In a post on Facebook, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the largest of the statues is 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall. Some of the statues depict Sekhmet sitting on a throne with an ankh, or symbol of life, in her left hand. Others show the goddess standing and holding a papyrus scepter in front of her chest. The statues head is crowned by a symbolic sun disk and there is a uraeus, or cobra symbol, adorning the goddess forehead.

ANCIENT ROMAN SHIPWRECKS, STUNNING ARTIFACTS, DISCOVERED NEAR EGYPTIAN PORT

Revered by the ancient Egyptians, Sekhmet is depicted with a womans body and the head of a lioness. The goddess was associated with the sun, hence the presence of a sun disk on her statues. Sekhmet was also goddess of war, destruction, plagues and healing.

The Missions chief, Dr. Hourig Sourouzian, said that the Luxor statues found in the upper layers of earth tend to be in better condition than the statues found in the lower layers. The statues are now being cleaned in preparation for going on display.

Some 287 Sekhmet statues have been discovered at the site since excavations began in 1998.

TOMB OF KING TUT'S WIFE DISCOVERED? EXPERTS EXCITED BY FIND IN EGYPT

The finds are just the latest fascinating archaeological discovery in Egypt.

Last month archaeologists in Egypt announced the discovery of three Roman-era shipwrecks and stunning ancient artifacts on the Mediterranean seafloor off the coast of Alexandria.

Experts also recently unearthed an ancient gymnasium that dates back to the third century B.C. A joint team of German and Egyptian archaeologists made the discovery at Watfa in Fayoum province, about 50 miles southwest of Cairo.

ANCIENT WORKOUT: ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN EGYPT DISCOVER 2,300-YEAR-OLD GYMNASIUM

Earlier this month, scientists also announced that they had discovered a mysterious chamber inside Egypts Great Pyramid of Giza.

In September, archaeologists announced the discovery of an ancient temple belonging to King Ramses II. In August, experts revealed that they had unearthed three tombs from an ancient great cemetery in Egypts Nile Valley. A month earlier, archaeologists said that a tomb that may have belonged to the wife of King Tutankhamun had been discovered in Egypts Valley of the Kings.

In June, archaeologists from Yale and the Royal Museum of Art and History in Belgium announced the discovery of the earliest-known billboard-sized hieroglyphs in the ancient city of Elkab.

DESERT DISCOVERY: LOST TEMPLE OF RAMSES II UNCOVERED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS

Other finds include a 3,000-year-old royal tomb in the Luxor area and the tomb of an ancient gold worker on Sai Island in northern Sudan.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
This is a rush transcript from "Your World," December 4, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: All right, well, thank goodness stocks stopped trading just a few seconds ago. The market day is over.

For a while, we were up a lot stronger than this. But a gain is a gain and a record for the Dow is a record. And that's how we close things up.

Welcome, everybody. I'm Neil Cavuto.

And the tax cut buying spree continues. It wasn't as big as it was earlier, but it was impressive nevertheless. And a lot of this has to do with something we heard when we were doing our live coverage over the weekend.

And that is this, that lawmakers believe it's distinctly possible that they're going to get this thing signed, sealed and delivered before Santa is anywhere near your house. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN BRADY, R-TEXAS: The House is coming back early Monday to move towards a conference committee, so we can do the hard work to finalize these details this year.

CAVUTO: By when?

BRADY: Well, our goal is to get it done by Christmas. And we're on that schedule.

REP. RON DESANTIS, R-FLA.: You have got to work through the weekend. You have got to work the nights. This idea of taking a recess and doing this, the public is sick of that. So get it done. I do think time is of the essence and we have to get this done before Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: Get her done. That's exactly what they're trying to do.

To FOX News Channel's Peter Doocy on how they plan to do it. He's joining us on -- he's joining us, I should say, on Capitol Hill.

Hey, Peter.

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Neil.

Just four days before the government runs out of money and has to shut down if they are not fully funded for at least another couple days or weeks, the Democratic leaders who blew off the meeting with President Trump last week are saying that they will head to the White House on Thursday for a budget summit.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are saying this: "We're glad the White House has asked for a second meeting. We hope the president will go into this meeting with an open mind, rather than deciding the tan agreement can't be reached beforehand."

But some Republicans here are already calling out these Democratic leaders for being too cavalier with issues that could shut down the government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LUKE MESSER, R-IND.: They of course last week showed how political this whole process has been. It's a manufactured crisis. The question about what we're going to do with the DACA, it doesn't have to be solved until March. And it's a manufactured crisis to try to tie it to spending here at the end of the year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOOCY: The next big order of business today, a House vote about two hours from now to go to a conference where lawmakers must take two different bills, the House tax bill and the Senate tax bill, and figure out what stays and what goes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO, R-WY.: The big differences are the Republican bill in the Senate eliminates the mandate of Obamacare. It takes Obamacare from being a mandatory program to a voluntary program.

And, yes, I like the idea of making the -- taking away the death tax entirely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOOCY: One senator from Georgia, David Perdue, a Republican, says he thinks that this tax bill finalized could be on the president's desk within 10 days.

The House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy, says that the only reason they are in tonight, instead of tomorrow, as originally planned, is to get the ball rolling for this conference. We're now starting to see here in Statuary Hall some lawmakers trickling back into town.

And we hope to know soon which lawmakers will represent the House and which will represent the Senate at this conference that they may be able to get done this week -- Neil.

CAVUTO: All right, Peter Doocy on Capitol Hill.

In the meantime, it was a very big November for stocks, as you know, heading into December, one of the best months for stocks. How will things go?

Well, starting off on the right foot right now. The question is for how long. A lot of these gains did dissipate by day's ends, but they were appreciable nevertheless, and for the Dow, of course, another record.

FOX Business Network's Deirdre Bolton with more on that.

Hey, Deirdre.

DEIRDRE BOLTON, FOX BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Neil. Well, you're right.

Stocks were very close, actually just eking out records, although, to your point, especially on the S&P 500, we did close at slightly lower, but the Senate tax bill, that was passed over the weekend, and GOP lawmakers pushing for that final bill, as we just hearing about, to get to the White House before Christmas.

So some traders are saying that, despite losing a little bit of steam this afternoon, that the Dow will reach that record 25000 before the end of this calendar year.

Now, speaking of Christmas, December is historically a strong month for stock performance. The Spoke investment group put out a note, a 100-year performance report, and it shows the December is the best performing month these past 99 other years.

So, on average, the Dow has gained 1.55 percent in December and it has finished higher nearly 75 percent of the time. Now, there are many theories as to why stocks fare well in the last of the year. Some say that the upbeat holiday mood plays a part. People shop for Christmas gifts.

Workers either receive holiday bonuses or they learn what they will be, even if they're paid out later. And people are more likely to spend more and they are also more likely to invest money, put new money back into stocks.

Some investors putting off selling shares in December as well, kind of pushing off potential tax liabilities on gains into the new year.

Not everybody has a rosy outlook, though, for this December. Bob Doll, he's the chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management. He says markets have gained so much this year, that investors may want to break with past patterns and sell in order to seal in profits.

We looked at November alone. You have the Dow up better than 3.5 percent in that month, 23 percent higher for the year so far. If you look at the S&P 500 in November, as a comparison, up 2.8 percent just in the month of November, up 18 percent year to date.

So these are already pretty heady gains. And on top of that, Doll is pointing out that the tax reform bill is still a wild card. He says if for some reason it doesn't pass in the expected form, especially for corporate taxes, some on Wall Street would be shocked.

Many investors have been pricing in stronger economic growth, higher corporate profits due to corporations anticipating those lower taxes for those companies. Doll says if the plan does pass as expected, there's also a chance the market will sell off, since some investors sell on the news, which means investors take profits on gains.

Either way, Neil, we have had a heck of a year, a heck of a bull market run. We're in this ninth year. So, we can't be too surprised if December closes down, but right now all indications and most experts are looking for the markets to just close the year stronger -- back to you.

CAVUTO: Yes. People in a good mood about that.

BOLTON: Yes.

CAVUTO: Thank you, Deirdre, very, very much.

As Deirdre pointed out, all of this happening in record-setting fashion, and fast fashion at that. Whatever the differences between the two plans and how they reconcile them, think in mind that this whole process from beginning to now where we stand, a couple months, think in mind going back to the 1986 Tax Reform Act, a little over a year.

That was then. How the heck are they moving so swiftly right now?

David Smick is a former chief of staff to Jack Kemp.

David, what is going on here? And what do you make of just the sheer speed of all of this coming together?

DAVID SMICK, FORMER JACK KEMP CHIEF OF STAFF: I think it's very clear. They don't want a tax bill sitting out for six months to have every corporate lobbyist run TV ads making a case for their thing to undermine it. And they know they don't have a lot of the mainstream media behind it. The Democrats are certainly not behind it.

So, they have got to move quickly. The other thing is, they have this very, very thin margin in the Senate. And they have a senator running in Alabama who, if he doesn't win, then the Democrat will be seated somewhere around 12 days from the election, which is July -- which is December 12, so somewhere before -- there's a reason they mentioned we are going to have this done by Christmas.

CAVUTO: Right, absolutely.

SMICK: Because they want to make sure that it's done -- it's done before the Alabama problem rears its ugly head.

CAVUTO: Yes. No, you're right about that.

It's all one party one-way, though. Now, the difference with some of these prior tax cuts, they would have bipartisan support. Now, bipartisan, depending on the president at the time, could mean just a couple from the other party, but that's all you need.

SMICK: Yes, but...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Is that a big deal?

SMICK: Go ahead.

CAVUTO: No, go ahead.

SMICK: Well, in 86;, we had a big bipartisan agreement.

CAVUTO: Right.

SMICK: I was involved in that one and the '81.

But I have got to tell you, there wasn't a lot going on until the last -- until the end. And then it came together quickly, I mean very, very quickly.

CAVUTO: Yes.

SMICK: And the Republicans now, I mean, they know each other. The Senate and the House Republicans, they have been talking about this for years.

So this notion that they this is all strange to everyone, they know how they're going to negotiate a compromise in conference. They have already war-gamed that a long, long time ago.

CAVUTO: Yes.

What do you make of what they do now? There had been a rumor floating around this morning, quickly debunked by some in Congress, the House, more to the point, where -- and I don't know whether there was any truth to it, David -- that they would just take what the Senate came up with and the House would vote yea or nay to expedite it still further.

Now, again, they pooh-poohed that when I raised it with a number of representatives. What do you think of that?

SMICK: I don't think it's -- that's going to happen.

But I think that, normally, the way this works is -- in a conference is, the House that has the narrowest margin, which in this case is the Senate, is the one you tend to use their bill as a guide, because it makes sense.

Paul Ryan had a 13-vote margin. This is the Senate. It's much more narrow.

CAVUTO: Yes.

SMICK: So, you start with their bill and you try. And the biggest compromise that was necessary has already been accomplished.

That was the one that Susan Collins insisted on, which was the $10,000 exclusion on the elimination of the state and local income taxes. But I'll tell you what. I think there's a surprise coming, potentially here.

If you notice over the weekend, the president very slyly said, well, you know, I could accept a 22 percent corporate rate or a 21 percent rate.

All right, the other thing is, the House Republicans have never really been comfortable having the top rate on individual income remain the same. Actually, there's a little bubble, and so it would actually go up.

And so they have never been comfortable for that. They don't want tax reform in this climate, with the S&P having boomed and all the rest, to be a big tax cut for people at the top, but they don't believe in a tax increase either.

And when you have the state and local deduction going, that is a tax increase. I think the surprise could be...

CAVUTO: So, they would go beyond what the Senate has with the 38.5 percent rate? OK. We will see.

SMICK: I think it's possible.

And I speak -- I don't speak just making this stuff up. I think there's a -- they're thinking about it. I know that for a fact.

CAVUTO: OK.

SMICK: And it's a possibility, which I think is one reason the market has been -- I assume that if I'm -- they're telling me something, they're telling a lot of other people.

And I think it's a real possibility that that happens, not that they want to give that top bracket a tax cut at this point. They just don't want to -- they don't feel comfortable about a tax increase. And that would be big news.

CAVUTO: Don't do it now. Yes.

David, two things I learned, that as a possibility, and, B, that you're not nearly as young as you look, that you were actually involved in the '81 and '86 tax cuts.

SMICK: I know. I know.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: I'm kidding. Good for you. No, a historic figure.

All right, thank you very, very much, David Smick.

SMICK: I feel...

CAVUTO: Go ahead.

SMICK: I like one of those guys that they interviewed during the Civil War commemoration.

(LAUGHTER)

SMICK: You know, what was it like holding Robert E. Lee's horse when you were 15?

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Tell us about that first tax cut, daddy.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: All right, very, very good. Very good seeing you, David, David Smick.

SMICK: All right.

CAVUTO: So many details, as he pointed out, to iron out, but the markets, if you had any doubt that they are on tenterhooks about these things, look very carefully about how they respond when things don't go to their liking or they're stunned, like a revelation.

Remember, last week, that revelation that maybe General Flynn was going to serve up the president and that he was talking to the Russians at the behest of the president before the election? Oops. A problem there.

And now no less than the president of the United States says if you got burnt in that 350-point sell-off, you might have ground to sue ABC -- after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right, markets continue to rally today, but, man, oh, man, for a while on Friday, it was a different story, when ABC News was reporting in that Brian Ross report that the president might have been sending marching orders to General Flynn to go ahead and talk to the Russians, presumably we're told from Brian Ross, to -- all this before the election itself.

It turns out whatever communications were going on were after the election, which is very, very different. For a while, the Dow was down close to 400 points before correcting on the clarification, and, of course, the ensuing tax cuts.

But, still, it raises questions by no less than the president of the United States that if you were hurt in that downdraft, maybe you should sue ABC. ABC has already suspended Mr. Ross for four weeks without pay.

We have got The Washington Times' Madison Gesiotto with us and former DOJ official Tom Dupree.

Welcome to both of you.

Tom, it's very always nice to sort of peg a market loss or a day loss to events like these outside. But having said that, the president really wanted to send a bigger signal about the news media, right?

TOM DUPREE, FORMER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I think that's right, Neil.

And, look, my personal view is, shameful as this episode is, at the end of the day, I don't think it's a situation where you could sue the reporter or ABC. Our law gives us journalists extensive protections.

I think you would have to show a lot of facts that simply aren't present in this case. And in my view, I think ABC has handled the situation responsibly by suspending the reporter for 30 days, and I would hope will conduct a very rigorous internal review to figure out what went wrong and ensure that something like this never happens again.

CAVUTO: Madison, the key element in this story was that the timing of that so-called conversation that General Flynn was having with the Russians. It's night and day talking to them before an election vs. after, right?

MADISON GESIOTTO, THE WASHINGTON TIMES: Absolutely. Brian Ross' reporting was dishonest. And what he put out was fake news, based on allegedly only one unnamed source.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Well, you're making the assumption he did so deliberately. Journalists do make mistakes, right?

GESIOTTO: Right.

But, I mean, as an experienced journalist, he should have known better than to put a story out like that based on one source that honestly doesn't seem very reliable.

So, I think it's really disappointing to see that. Americans across this country lost money as a result of it, because I do think this is connected to the Dow dropping that day.

On top of that, I mean, ABC needs to take a look at their reporting standards. And someone above him obviously dropped the ball as well, because this wasn't reviewed properly.

CAVUTO: All right, now, again, proving losses that were later recouped by the day's end, you have to really think of a limited group of day traders there, I guess there, Tom.

But there's the basic issue that it is going to give pause to news organizations to dot the I's and cross the T's. But, by definition, they can't. Right?

So, is that going to have -- and I have heard a number of press groups and the likes say this will put a chilling effect on what we do.

What do you say to that?

DUPREE: Well, I don't think it will have a chilling effect on responsible journalism.

I think that many reporters out there, arguably most reporters out there, are responsible and that they do things likes check or double-check with multiple independent sources. And they don't necessarily think I have to be the first person to get this out the door and publish it at the expense of being right.

I think this whole episode is a good cautionary note, because there's no question, journalists wield immense power in our society. And when they make a mistake, you can see the consequences.

So, hopefully, reporters will look at what happened here and make -- go the extra mile to ensure that their stories are truthful and accurate.

CAVUTO: Do you think, Madison, that it will go to that degree, though?

Or that people who are -- when you hear talking to the Russians, the administration talking to the Russians, and that famous Joy Behar scene on "The View" where was almost applauding the constitutional crisis to come, that no one stopped on anyone to check and double-check?

We were very leery here saying that there was no other one to confirm this, that the issue would be the timing of those conversations, but few and far between. What do you make of that?

GESIOTTO: Right.

I think it's scary to see the political climate that we're in. And, as reporters and as people in the media, it's very important to focus on not expedience, but on accuracy.

And that is something that a lot of reporters -- not all, of course, but a lot of reporters have not been focusing on throughout the 2016 election and into Trump's first year as president.

And so when it comes to stories, especially stories as big as this one, I would have hoped that more people would have double-checked on this in other media outlets, including at ABC, much quicker than they did.

CAVUTO: All right, guys, I want to thank you both very, very much.

GESIOTTO: Thanks.

CAVUTO: All right, in the meantime, so many scandals in Congress, so little time.

So who do you think John Conyers, for one, is going to listen to, this group telling him to stay or his friend and colleague telling him over the weekend to go?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER, D-MO.: I can almost assure you that John Conyers is doing to make what I would think is the right decision for his own legacy.

CAVUTO: Which is what? Which is what?

CLEAVER: And that is to -- is to step down and try to enjoy the rest of his life.

I don't think it's worth damaging his legacy anymore by hanging around until the next election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right.

What appears to be a big victory for the president of the United States. I'm not talking about tax cuts. I'm talking about from the Supreme Court moments ago allowing him to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six largely Muslim countries.

The judges saying in this order that the policy can take full effect, even if legal challenges against it are going through a variety of courts pretty much across the country.

Now, the ban applies to travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Lower courts have on and off said this goes too far, that this is racist, that this is targeting people on the basis of their religion.

We do know that Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor have left the lower court orders in place. The others presumably did not. So, that would appear to be a 7-2 decision. We will keep you posted.

In the meantime, the president also fully endorsing Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.

FOX Business Network's Blake Burman with more on that.

Blake, no doubt now, right?

BLAKE BURMAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no doubt about it.

This was pretty clear from the White House, from the president himself today. There had been a pretty good amount of ambiguity on it leading up to today, but now President Trump has fully endorsed Roy Moore.

And here's how he explained it this way in a tweet earlier this morning, Neil. The president wrote -- and I quote here -- "Democrats' refusal to give even one vote for massive tax cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore win in Alabama. We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration."

He went on to list a handful of other issues.

And the president finished by saying: "No to Jones, a Pelosi-Schumer puppet."

In a statement, a celebratory Moore said the following -- quote -- "President Trump knows that the future of his conservative agenda in Congress hinges on this election."

He went on to say: "We had a good conversation over the phone and are working together towards a conservative victory on December 12."

Now, the president's full embrace today of Roy Moore comes as other Republicans are starting to walk back some of the criticism that they had on Moore.

For example, Ted Cruz, who last month said he couldn't urge people Alabama to vote for Moore, and Mitch McConnell, who said that Roy Moore should drop out of the way -- out of the race, rather, since, in the last few days, have taken a different tack. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TEXAS: This is an issue that the voters have in front of them. And they will make a decision. I think we need to respect the will of the voters.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, R-KY., MAJORITY LEADER: We're going to let the people of Alabama decide a week from Tuesday who they want to send to the Senate, and then we will address the matter appropriately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURMAN: Neil, President Trump won Alabama in 2016 by 28 points, some 300,000 votes.

It's a deep, deep, deep red state, as you know. Right now, according to the RealClearPolitics average, Roy Moore only leads Doug Jones by some two- and-a-half points -- Neil.

CAVUTO: That one is a nail-biter. All right, thank you very much, Blake Burman.

Meanwhile, embattled Democratic Congressman John Conyers, supporters for him are saying enough with this. They're holding a rally for him in Detroit today, as more Democratic lawmakers are urging him to resign.

I told you about Emanuel Cleaver, who was on with me live this past weekend, saying his friend should step down right now, not wait until his term expires next year next year.

Independent Journal Review White House correspondent Erin McPike with us.

Erin, what do you make of this growing call?

ERIN MCPIKE, INDEPENDENT JOURNAL REVIEW: For Conyers to resign?

CAVUTO: Yes.

MCPIKE: Look, I think, right now, Conyers is obviously at home trying to make sense of what he should do to go to forward.

And I think this rally is really about his supporters trying to preserve some modicum of respect for his legacy. That's what I think it's really about.

I have seen some political consultants in Michigan say that some of the people who are rallying are doing it because they're jockeying to replace him in Congress. So, that's a lot of what this rally is about, because you're not seeing the same kind of rally come forward for somebody like Al Franken right now.

In terms of what is going on with House leadership, look, there's some new Democrats, some younger, some newer Democrats in the House who have been looking for a reason to overthrow the Democratic leadership in the House.

And this is a great opportunity for them to try to off her.

CAVUTO: Yes.

One of the things that is kind of interesting, because much has been made of the fact the average age of the Democratic leadership I guess is north of 75. So, when a Steny Hoyer or a Nancy Pelosi come out to say, maybe for the better part of valor, you should go, Congressman Conyers, there's more intrigue to that than meets the eye, right?

MCPIKE: Yes.

I think -- again, I think a lot of these Democrats are using it in an opportunistic way. Now, whether or not Conyers should step down is kind of separate from that.

CAVUTO: Right.

MCPIKE: You're seeing a number of members of Congress starting to get hit with some more of these accusations.

And, honestly, Neil, I have heard a number of stories under the surface that haven't necessarily broken yet. But this -- lots of these stories are going to go into the next year.

And what is going to be the standard for when members of Congress have to resign and for what?

CAVUTO: Yes.

When you hear there could be other shoes to drop or whatever, it leaves you wondering. But all of this comes at the same time the president has decided to put aside any feeling of antsiness here by putting his full support behind Roy Moore.

And obviously he's gotten some within the hierarchy of the Republican Party to say, you know, we agree. Whatever Alabama voters want -- I think that was the gist of Mitch McConnell's comments -- that is fine. What do you think is going on there?

MCPIKE: Look, I think that that's going to be a dangerous game for the president to play, because, as you know, Billy Bush had that op-ed in The New York Times this morning.

And you will hear more and more about what Donald Trump has done. I think it's only brought back the spotlight on some of his own transgressions and the accusations against him.

I think it was a dangerous move. Now, obviously, they want that Republican vote in the Senate. But you have seen a number of Republicans say that they think Republican voters in Alabama should support the Democrat, Doug Jones because of -- out of principle.

So, I thought that was a rough line for the president to play, especially when he has got so much on the line right now.

CAVUTO: But he wouldn't win over any people on that issue anyway. The ones who agree with him on that would stick with him. The ones who don't will never go back to him, right?

MCPIKE: Sure. Yes, that's right.

But it doesn't mean that it's going to go away as an issue or go out of the news. In fact, I think it will only get more of a spotlight in the news. And his own issues will stay in the headlines because of it.

CAVUTO: All right, Erin McPike, we will follow it closely, a lot more, obviously, on this issue.

And it could involve other -- other congressmen and other issues.

In the meantime, you think the ACLU calling Colin Kaepernick courageous is outrageous, wait until you hear what TIME magazine may do -- after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: Attention, shoppers in aisle three at CVS -- $69 billion for a big insurance company named Aetna?

Don't laugh. It's reality. And others could follow. Get ready.

We're back in 60.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right.

We're just getting some images coming in to us regarding Illinois, people running away from high taxes. Relax. Relax. It's a movie. Fine.

But my point is this, that if taxes get high enough, they're not going to stick around Illinois or anywhere elsewhere where that is happening. And, of course, they're all lit up over this, fired up.

OK, I'm done.

Jeff Flock is not.

So, Jeff, you have to see the B-roll we're using.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Yes, thank you. Work with me.

Now, what is going on here? The taxes go up, the people leave? What is happening?

JEFF FLOCK, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK CORRESPONDENT: Apparently, that's what the case is, I suppose. If you build it, they will come. If you tax it too much, they will leave.

According to the latest numbers from the IRS and the Illinois Policy Institute, which is a conservative think tank here in Illinois, the state lost about 86,000 residents from 2015 to 2016, and, with it, $11 billion in adjusted gross income.

And why? Well, if you take a look at a poll, by far, the biggest reason is the increased tax burden in the state; 25 percent of the people said -- that were leaving said it was because of the high taxes, worse even than the cold weather, which is about to hit us here in Chicago.

In addition to an income tax increase this past year, property taxes already at the highest level in the country, higher than New York, higher than California, higher than New Jersey, higher than everywhere.

You might think,though, that with all of the high taxes, the first people to leave -- and then talk about a millionaire tax -- the first people to leave would be the wealthy. Well, actually, the data doesn't support that. Folks making over $200,000, they actually increased in population over the 2015-to-2016 period.

I guess Illinois is a great place to live, if only you can afford it -- Neil.

CAVUTO: Yes, that's getting to be the case in a lot of places.

Thank you very, very much, my friend, Jeff Flock.

So a lot of people are looking at this and want to know, are the rich disproportionately benefiting here? And I have told you on this show and on FOX Business that there's a variety of ways of looking at this. And that's where the fake news thing can come in, because you can argue the number a variety of ways.

Daniel Geltrude is with us right now. He follows this, noted CFA, very good with these numbers.

Dan, let's talk, first of all, about how they come to the conclusion that the rich disproportionally benefit, when their taxes, especially in these high-tax states, when those losing those deductions, are going to pay more?

DANIEL GELTRUDE, GELTRUDE & COMPANY: I think that's the -- that's just the talking point that people come up with, is to say that the rich are going to get a tax break. It's simply not true.

CAVUTO: But what are they -- they are usually attaching that -- the estate tax goes higher, that is one that skews to them. But the sheer numbers don't show that that is changing for the rich as a whole.

GELTRUDE: No, they don't.

So if you're talking about simply from an income tax standpoint, if you're a high earner, and let's say you happen to be in a high-tax state, and now you're going to be losing all of your state and local tax deductions, and the rates are not coming down at the highest level.

CAVUTO: Right.

GELTRUDE: If they are, it's just a little bit in terms of the proposal. Their taxes have to go up.

CAVUTO: One of the things I have heard explained to me how this skews, where like The Washington Post and some of these others will say the rich are benefiting, is, they lump them in with those who take advantage of this new pass-through rate, in other words, other individuals with companies and all of that, that can somehow jibe that to their liking.

But it's not that easy.

GELTRUDE: No, it's not, because the -- both the House and the Senate are both building in some checks and balances to make sure that people are not going to be able to just shift their income from earned income into pass- through income and therefore take advantage of a lower rate.

They're not going to allow to do that. As a matter of fact, someone like me, who is an accountant or a lawyer or professional services, the House is specifically excluding you from being able to do that.

CAVUTO: Right. Well, that's because they don't like you.

I'm kidding.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: But, Dan, here's another thing I hear. They say it would lower taxes for corporations.

The rich, who disproportionately do invest, they're going to be beneficiaries of that, higher taxes and all. They will get that. There's no way you can really quantify that anyway. So, that's why I always say, why don't we compare apples to apples, rates to rates?

Here's what your rate is now. Here's what it will be. And that's been the simplest way, at least for my thick skull, to get and compare tax rates in the past.

And this shows quite the opposite of the rich disproportionately benefiting.

GELTRUDE: That's true.

And when you say comparing apples to apples, it's not so easy to do that, because you have the House plan with four tax brackets. You have the Senate plan with seven.

CAVUTO: Right. Right.

GELTRUDE: We currently have seven. The income ranges are changing within each of those brackets.

CAVUTO: Even now.

GELTRUDE: Even now.

So, it's really, really hard to figure out what exactly is going to happen. It's really difficult.

CAVUTO: But we're still going to need people like you, aren't you?

(CROSSTALK)

GELTRUDE: Well, fortunately, that's the case.

But I'll tell you this, Neil. When you talk about people being concerned about what is happening, very few people are calling me saying, how is Cavuto going to make out, one of those rich guys?

(LAUGHTER)

GELTRUDE: They're saying, how am I going to do?

CAVUTO: Yes.

GELTRUDE: People are concerned about themselves.

CAVUTO: Wise, very, very wise.

Dan, always good seeing you. You were great this weekend. And we're catching you this weekend as well. Puts it in perspective, and in English, which is always valued.

But I do want you to meet the United States senator, whom I love Dan, but he is trying to people guys like him out of business. John Thune is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right, a lot going on Capitol Hill today.

A key House vote hours away. The idea now, try to merge or work on merging the two respective efforts on the part of the House and the Senate to cut taxes.

South Dakota Senator -- he's the Republican Conference Chair -- he's a big wig there -- John Thune, the senator, of course, who has put in his sights every accountant in his country, CFAs, you name them. He's joining us again.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: Senator, good to have you.

SEN. JOHN THUNE, R-S.C.: Thanks, Neil.

CAVUTO: We were just talking to a fellow here who says, you know, it's really not that much simpler. People are going to still need my services.

I suspect he's right. What do you think?

THUNE: I think he -- I think there's going to be plenty demand for accountants and lawyers.

(LAUGHTER)

THUNE: But we will have simplified it in some ways.

I mean, doubling the standard deduction means that you're going to have a lot fewer itemizers. About a third of the people in the country itemizer today, fewer than that in my state.

But we think, after this is said and done, there will be under 10 percent, maybe as few as 5 percent, who have to itemize to get some of the benefits that we have got included in here. So, it will be simplified, Neil, but there will still be plenty of need for accountants out there.

CAVUTO: Yes. I think some people are a little nervous without them, so maybe that's just...

(LAUGHTER)

THUNE: That's right.

CAVUTO: But, Senator, there's talk that there might be a hike in the corporate rate beyond the 20 percent, 22 percent.

The president seemed open to it, maybe because it will pay for other things. Can you update us?

THUNE: Well, my preference would be, we keep it at 20. I think that's where we need to be. We fought hard to keep it at 20 in the Senate. There were a lot of runs on raising to it use it for other things.

But I frankly think, Neil, that if we want to ensure that, going forward, we have got a rate that is competitive in the global marketplace, we need to be at 20. I think a lot of these countries are going to see what we do and try and beat it and go lower.

And so every point that we tick that up I think is going to put us in a position where we're going to be less competitive internationally. And, to me, that was part of the -- one of the whole reasons we needed to do this. We have got to get America to make it an attractive place to do because. And today it's not because of our antiquated and very, very high corporate tax rate.

CAVUTO: A number of congressmen, particularly from high-tax states -- less of an issue with senators, of course, who are largely Democratic who come from these high-tax states -- but they have argued, pretty much to a man or woman, Peter King among them in Long Island, New York: I can't vote for this. You know, the way we can't write off state and local taxes for my constituents, it's a deal-breaker.

What do you think?

THUNE: Well, we moved toward the House on that.

We allow a deduction on property taxes up to $10,000. State and local, obviously, not deductible on the income tax level. But I think that's a policy change that needed to be made. This is something -- it's a provision in the code that does subsidize high-tax states.

It's a benefit that is claimed largely by high income earners. And so I think it makes sense. And I hope that we will be able to retain that in our conference with the House and that, when the conference report emerges from that deliberation, that both the Senate and the House will be able to pass and at least get rid of that state and local deduction where income taxes are concerned.

CAVUTO: Who put the AMT back in, though, Senator? That looked like it was dead and gone, and then it reappears.

THUNE: Yes, I'd like to see it dead and gone too on both the individual and the business side.

And it was clawed back a little bit to help pay for some of the changes we had to make at the last minute to get the bill through the Senate.

But we're looking at the interaction between the AMT and the regular corporate tax rate to see what those effects are. Obviously, we're getting -- we're hearing from people about that. And I hope that in the conference committee, we will be able to get this resolved in a way that ultimately gets rid of its impact and its effect.

CAVUTO: Senator, I don't want to hit you broadside with breaking news or try to trap you here, but Roy Moore has gotten the formal support of the president today and had a phone call with him when he was traveling out to Utah.

Mitt Romney not so impressed. Quoting from the former presidential candidate: "Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor and our integrity."

What do you think?

THUNE: Well, I have said before that, if and when he gets here, there's going to be this cloud. I think there's going to be an ethics investigation. I think that's probably inevitable.

And that it would -- everybody would be better served if he would step aside and allow somebody else to one. Even as a write-in candidate, I think we win that seat with a Republican.

But the president sounds like he's sort of stepping up his activities in that race. That's his prerogative. But I still think it's in everybody's best interests, including the party, the Senate and the country, if we could eliminate the distraction that ultimately is going to come with this election.

CAVUTO: So, you slightly differ from Mitch McConnell, who says it's up to Alabama?

THUNE: Well, I mean, ultimately, it is.

I can't -- I'm not going to suggest that -- they don't care what Washington, D.C., thinks. But my own view is that it's going to create problems for the agenda, simply because of the distraction that will be in full display if and when he wins and arrives here.

CAVUTO: Senator, I mentioned Mitt Romney.

There's talk that your colleague Orrin Hatch wants to steps down, retire. President Trump was singing his praises today, that is, Orrin Hatch, presumably to stay.

Mitt Romney has been mentioned as a possible replacement or someone who could run for that seat, probably win it.

How would you feel about that?

THUNE: Well, first off, I love -- I have had great affection for Chairman Hatch. He's my chairman on the Finance Committee and largely instrumental in getting this tax reform bill through the Senate.

That's a decision that is up to him. I'm a big fan of Mitt Romney. I campaigned for him when he was running in 2012. And, eventually, if there's some role for him, love to help out.

But that's going to have to be sorted out by Senator Hatch and others who are interested in this race.

CAVUTO: All right.

THUNE: But my guess is, right now, Senator Hatch is planning to run for reelection.

CAVUTO: All right, we will watch very, very closely.

In the meantime, you seem to have overcome losing potentially all the accountants' votes in this country.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: But I joke.

Senator, very good having you.

(LAUGHTER)

THUNE: Yes, that's right.

CAVUTO: Thank you very, very much.

THUNE: Thank you.

CAVUTO: Dow up 58-and-a-half points on progress on all of this.

We will have more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right.

The polls remain tight in Alabama for Roy Moore. But there's already a divide among many Republicans as to whether to just let Alabama voters decide it, which seems to be a consensus, commonsense view, and those who are concerned about the message it would send if a victorious Roy Moore were allowed in the United States Senate.

You heard from Mitch McConnell a slight shift in his position, that let the Alabamians decide, the president phoning Judge Moore while he was out going out on Air Force One to Utah, expressing his support for him, that he's a better alternative than the Democratic candidate, Doug Jones.

And now, in the middle of all of this, you have the former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who says: "Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate would be a stain on the GOP."

We have got a battle royal going on here, and it won't be decided until we have the Alabama election a week from tomorrow.

Charlie Gasparino following it all.

This is a very quickly developing story, isn't it?

CHARLIE GASPARINO, FOX NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a political tightrope.

And it's the establishment, essentially, of the GOP fighting back against the insurgents, the Bannonites, Steve Bannon, the former presidential adviser -- former adviser to President Trump, currently the lead guy at Breitbart, represents the sort of insurgent wing of the Republican Party.

He helped push Roy Moore even before these allegations of him having -- dating teenagers came out. You have that on one side and then you have the establishment on the other.

And what is interesting about Mitt Romney is that he has not a lot to lose here. Mitch McConnell has to manage a divided majority, so to speak. And he's on the outside.

CAVUTO: Right. Well, maybe not. Romney could be entertaining, you know, Orrin Hatch's seat if Orrin Hatch were to retire.

And I raised that with John Thune, of course, who is a friend of both, said he would be a good candidate, but he hopes Orrin Hatch stays.

GASPARINO: Right.

CAVUTO: But, obviously, Mitt Romney, if you think about it, whatever his overtures to the president-elect at the time to be his secretary of state, something has gotten a little chillier since.

GASPARINO: Yes.

I mean, listen, there was no love lost between Trump and Romney. It was kind of odd that Romney would do that dance with him after saying he was unfit for office.

Then again, Romney is a man of -- pretty much of integrity. The worst thing you could say about him -- in the past is that he lost to Obama. He ran an exemplary business life. He gave a lot of money to charity. He...

CAVUTO: Well, I guess he's off the list too for being considered for secretary of state now, given all this.

GASPARINO: Yes, exactly.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: But what do you make of all this and where this is going?

GASPARINO: Well, you know, Neil, we have said this in the past on the show. This is -- this is just another example of a battle royal within the Republican Party. It's a very fractured party.

It's divided between the populists, led by Bannon still on the outside.

Full disclosure, I'm going to go to a book party tonight that Steve Bannon is putting up for Corey Lewandowski. I will see him there.

On one side and the establishment on the other, which feels embattled.

CAVUTO: Yes.

GASPARINO: I wonder if this is a smart part, though, on Romney's part.

You know, Doug Jones -- I believe that is the gentleman's name who is running against Roy Moore -- is very, very left-wing, I mean, partial-birth abortion, the whole thing. Now, as noxious as Roy Moore is...

CAVUTO: Well, he's opening up other possibilities, but not this one.

You know, but you're right. It's exposing that...

(CROSSTALK)

GASPARINO: As noxious as Roy Moore is, Doug Jones is a far-left liberal.

CAVUTO: All right, we will watch very, very closely.

Charlie Gasparino.

Again, this just shows again, as Charlie pointed out, some of the schism in the party among establishment types, the rabble-rousers, the Bannon types, whatever the case right now. You have Mitt Romney, the former standard- bearer for the Republican Party, saying, this guy doesn't belong in our party.

And so we go. More after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right, we are just getting word that Congressman John Conyers, all of this scandal talk here, will make an announcement tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. We don't know what it's about.

We know that a number of his colleagues have said he should step down. Maybe we will see tomorrow.

See you then.



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Let it be known to all the travelers out there: your airline is (probably) not BYOB.

Having a small drink on board is perfectly fine for adults flying on most airlines, but there are a few passengers out there who take it too far. A woman flying from Alicante, Spain to Liverpool, England learned this the hard way on her easyJet flight.

According to the Daily Mail, a woman who is described as small and blonde had to be escorted off easyJet flight EZY7124, which was diverted by 800 miles to Bordeaux, France, after the flight crew claimed she was being disruptive and was suspected of bringing her own bottle of alcohol on the flight.

Flight crews do not allow passengers to bring their own booze, since they are charged with monitoring alcohol consumption while in the air.

Catherine Skelhorn from Page Moss, Merseyside, saw the incident occur and said she was about to fall asleep when the crew made the announcement about the emergency landing, according to the Daily Mail.

There was a lot of commotion near the front as the crew were speaking to a [woman], when we landed the police came on the plane, they tried to speak to her but took her off and put her in a police car. They found an empty bottle under her seat, Skelhorn told the Daily Mail.

Some passengers assumed someone had gotten sick and other rumors were being passed around about what was happening with the woman, who was sitting at the front of the plane.

Drunk or disruptive passengers can not only be a danger to themselves in-flight, but they can also be risky for others on board.

A spokesperson for easyJet confirmed the incident in a statement, saying: The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority. EasyJet's crew are trained to assess and evaluate all incidents We take [these incidents] very seriously do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard and always push for prosecution. Police met the aircraft on landing and the passenger was escorted from the aircraft. The aircraft has since continued to Liverpool and we would like to apologise to all passengers for any inconvenience caused by the delay.

For those out there who would like a cocktail on their next trip, it would be best to simply ask a flight attendant.
This is your annual yule log turned up to 11.

Every year, the town of Gavle, Sweden, builds a 43-foot-tall straw goat as part of their annual Christmas tradition. But the giant goat, sadly, doesnt last very long before its burned to the ground.

This obviously isnt like your typical tree lighting or relaxing yule log.

The straw goat, or as its locally called, the Gavlebocken, is marking its 51th anniversary this year. Burning it down wasnt really part of the original tradition, but people kept trying to destroy it anyway.

According to NPR, the Gavlebocken has been (successfully?) burned down 35 times in the last 50 years. One time, in 2001, it was by an American tourist who was fined $10,000 and spent two weeks in jail because he thought thats what was supposed to happen.

Last year, the goat burned down on November 27, according to The Local.

The goat is finished and inaugurated on the first day of the Advent, which was Sunday, December 3 this year. The inauguration is celebrated with an amazing fireworks show  which may be a little surprising since the town is concerned with the goat catching fire. Luckily, fireworks are not set off too close to the goat.

In general, the Gavlebocken doesnt make it until December 25. Last year, townspeople debated remaking the goat so it lasts until Christmas day, but ultimately did not, according to NPR.

Town officials have set up cameras to help catch any potential goat arsonists. Hopefully the goat will be safe this holiday season. You can keep tabs on the Gavlebocken on Facebook and Twitter.
Travelers aboard Thomas Cook Airlines flight MT2653 who experienced a nightmare takeoff last week say they feel lucky to be alive in the wake of the incident.

As the plane departed from Frank Pais Airport in Holguin, Cuba, en route to Manchester, England, passengers claim that the engine exploded just as the aircraft was about to lift off, Metro reports.

If it had happened any later there would have been an explosion, we would have all been killed, 64-year-old passenger Joseph Farnhill told the outlet of the Nov. 27 incident.

EASYJET PASSENGER SUSPECTED OF SNEAKING BOTTLE OF LIQUOR ONTO FLIGHT BEFORE CAUSING 800-MILE DIVERSION

According to passengers accounts, the plane began to lurch as it increased speed down the tarmac, culminating in a loud bang as the engine combusted when the aircrafts front wheel lifted off the runway.

You saw the engine exploding, then the plane went down suddenly, and the engine was on fire, with sparks flying down towards the back of the plane, passenger Brian Kennedy told The Sun.

"There was big orange flames coming out of the engine. We were in Row 32, right behind the engine, 38-year-old traveler Christ Best added.

SMART SUITCASES ARE BEING BANNED FROM SEVERAL AIRLINES STARTING JANUARY

According to passenger Gareth Swan, the pilot dropped the plane straight down and hit the brakes as the aircraft skidded across the runway, per The Independent. The flight crew was also said to be visibly distressed as the pilot made an emergency announcement to the 300-plus passengers.

As he came back on, you could hear that he was verbally shaken to the point where his voice cracked and he sounded like he was going to burst into tears, Swan said. At that point I realized it was very serious.

Both Kennedy and Farnhill told the Sun that the passengers were then stuck on the Thomas Cook plane for four hours in what Farnhill described as baking Caribbean temperatures after the incident. They said they felt the airline poorly handled the situation, claiming that cabin crew let premium customers off first.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

A Thomas Cook Airlines spokesperson confirmed that there were 310 passengers and 12 crew members aboard the aircraft, and released the following statement to Fox News:

Flight MT2653 from Holguin, Cuba, to Manchester was scheduled to depart at 22:05 local time on Monday 27th November. Due to a technical engine issue, the captain aborted take-off on the runway and returned the aircraft to the stand where customers and crew disembarked. Our customers safety is always our first priority, and we are very sorry for the delay and inconvenience caused.

We arranged transport and hotel accommodation for all customers and a replacement aircraft returned all passengers from Holguin to Manchester on Wednesday 29th, they added.

In accordance with EU law, all the passengers affected will receive 600 euro, or over $700, in compensation, but some feel that doesnt cut it.

"I'm traumatized, I haven't slept the last few nights, as whenever I shut my eyes I just see fireballs like in a movie," Kennedy said.
Thousands of people are still waiting on access to safe drinking water in parts of Texas more than three months after Hurricane Harvey.

The storm and the heavy rains that followed overflowed drainage districts, cut off water and prompted hundreds of boil-water notices across the Gulf Coast. More than a dozen boil-water notices remain in effect across affected areas.

The areas included cities, mobile home parks and housing developments in seven counties across southeast Texas, the Beaumont Enterprise reported . The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reports more than 3,700 people in those areas haven't had clean drinking water since late August.

In Rose City, the city's boil notice hasn't been lifted because the plan hasn't met TCEQ standards for pH levels and other chemicals, said Janice Ratcliff, the city's water operator. Running water returned to the city's 600 residents in September, but it still requires a two-minute rolling boil before safe consumption.

"It's been so touch-and-go," Ratcliff said. "It will run good for two weeks but then something will happen. It just makes no sense to remove the notice just to have to go right back on it."

Ratcliff said the city's original goal was to have the notice rescinded for good by Thanksgiving. But issues with insurance have pushed back installing the necessary equipment.

"It's crazy what they put us through," Ratcliff said. "It's just been delay after delay. We understand that insurance companies and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) were so overloaded, but a water facility should come first."

Mayor Bonnie Stephenson said that faith-based organizations have been working to provide Rose City with enough bottled water.

"We've barely had any complaints from residents," Stephenson said of the rebuilding process. "They know that they're working as hard as they can to fix it. Nobody has gotten real mad yet."

___

Information from: The Beaumont Enterprise, http://beaumontenterprise.com
A married high school teacher in Maine pleaded not guilty Monday to sex charges after she was accused of sleeping with a 17-year-old student.

Jill Lamontagne, 29, of Kennebunk, pleaded not guilty to 14 charges, including six counts of gross sexual assault, two counts of unlawful sexual contact and six counts of sexual abuse of a minor, according to The Portland Press Herald.

Lamontagne was indicted in October and turned herself into authorities. The teacher allegedly had a relationship with a male student who was in her health class at Kennebunk High School at the time of their sexual contact.

MARRIED MAINE TEACHER INDICTED FOR MULTIPLE SEX ROMPS WITH STUDENT WHO TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE

Mrs. Lamontagne categorically denies the charges, Lamontagnes lawyer, Scott Gardner, said following the indictment, Seacoast Online reported. These allegations arise from a high school rumor which consisted of the fantasies of an emotionally troubled senior at Kennebunk High School. None of this is true.

The alleged relationship between Lamontagne and the student was revealed when the student was hospitalized following a suspected suicide attempt.

The student reportedly ingested a concoction of ibuprofen, Tylenol, cold medicine and blood thinner Warfarin.

The boy confessed to the relationship to his aunt a day after his hospitalization. The student and his teacher had sexual contact numerous times, in the classroom, at her house, in her car, the students mother wrote. The student said Lamontagne performed oral sex on him, adding that other stuff happened.

The student reportedly told his mother and a nurse at the hospital that he loved Lamontagne and took the mixture of medicines to attempt suicide.

The teacher was placed on administrative leave in June and later resigned in September.

PREP SCHOOL TEACHER, 28, HAD 'SEX IN THE PARK' WITH 16-YEAR-OLD BOY STUDENT, POLICE SAY

According to the Press Herald, its a class-C felony under state law for teachers or adults to have sexual contact with someone they have supervisory authority over.

Class-C crimes reportedly carry a maximum prison sentence of five years and/or a $5,000 fine.

Lamontagne is scheduled to appear in court on March 8 for a dispositional conference.
Lawyers for a Mexican man who was acquitted in the shooting death of a young San Francisco woman that sparked a national immigration debate said Monday they will ask a judge to toss his gun possession conviction.

Lawyers for Jose Ines Garcia Zarate say they will argue that he didn't know he had a gun in his hand until it fired.

Garcia Zarate has said he found an object wrapped in a T-shirt under a bench on a pier that turned out to be gun and accidentally fired when he picked it up.

His lawyers say that doesn't constitute possession of a weapon. They intend to seek the dismissal after a sentencing hearing set for Dec. 14.

A jury acquitted Garcia Zarate last week of murder, involuntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon in the 2015 shooting death of Kate Steinle.

Garcia Zarate had been deported five times before he was arrested a few hours after the shooting. The San Francisco sheriff's department also released Garcia Zarate several weeks before the shooting despite a federal immigration request to detain him.

The weapon possession count carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. Garcia Zarate has been in jail since July 1, 2015.

Immigration authorities said they will deport Garcia Zarate after he serves his sentence.
A police officer in San Marcos, Texas, was shot and killed Monday afternoon when he was serving a warrant, police said.

Officer Ken Copeland, a veteran of the San Marcos Police Department since March 1998, was serving a warrant in the El Camino Real subdivison of the city when he was fatally shot, Police Chief Chase Stapp confirmed during a press conference Monday night.

Copeland  who was wearing a protective vest  and other officers were shot at by the suspect, "much like in an ambush type of situation."

He was taken to the Central Texas Medical Center immediately and was later pronouced dead at 3:50 p.m. local time, according to a press release from the city of San Marcos.

The shooting happened near Bowie Elementary School, Fox 7 reported.

A suspect is in custody after he surrendered to law enforcement following a shootout. The suspect was shot during the incident and was transported to a hospital in Austin, police said. It's unclear if the suspect was injured from a self-inflicted wound or if he was injured from police gunfire.

"Ken's a hero. Everybody here loved him," Stapp said, noting that Copeland's photo is hung throughout the police department.

Copeland was shot while working on his day off, the police chief added. "He worked just about every day off to provide for his kids."

Stapp said that Copeland is the first officer from the San Marcos force to be killed in the line of duty.

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott tweeted the news, and said: "We pray for the family of the San Marcos police officer killed in the line of duty. We remember the sacrifices our men and women in law enforcement make every day. #BackTheBlue."

In a separate statement, the governor said, "Today we grieve for the family of the fallen San Marcos police officer, and we vow swift justice for the killer. The men and women in law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect and to serve our communities, and we will never forget their sacrifices."

He added: "Cecilia and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the officers family and to the entire San Marcos Police Department."

Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that he's "deeply troubled and saddened" at the officer's death, and added: "Officers around our state courageously serve and deserve our utmost honor and respect, especially during this time. Please join Angela and me as we pray for the officer's family, the people of San Marcos, and for our law enforcement officers around the state."
Two Utah girls were found safe Monday three months after they were allegedly kidnapped by their doomsday prepper dad -- who reportedly betrothed his daughters to a cult leader.

An Amber Alert was canceled Monday when authorities found Hattie Briella Coltharp, 4, and Dinah Elizabeth Coltharp, 8, outside Lund, FOX13 Salt Lake City reported. Authorities initiated the alert when they received a tip and arrested Samuel Warren Shaffer, 34, who calls himself the prophet of a polygamous sect named Knights of the Crystal Blade. The childrens father, John Coltharp, is a member of the sect.

Authorities raided a suspected sect compound and located the girls and their brothers.

Mondays discovery came days after Coltharp, 33, was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping. He refused to tell authorities the girls' location, even after they offered to release him on his own recognizance if he provided the information. Hes now being held on $50,000 bail and no formal charges have been filed.

Records don't list an attorney for Coltharp.

Micha Soble, the girls mom, told FOX13 she hadnt seen her children since Sept. 10, when their father took them and disappeared with his grandparents. Sobles attorney also told the Salt Lake Tribune her ex-husband stated, according to [Sobles] understanding, that he would rather see the kids dead than with the police.

"They are with a man that calls himself Samuel 'The Seer,'" Soble said. "His name is Samuel Warren Shaffer and he believes he holds the keys of this dispensation and he has been many people throughout the history of time and that he has been reincarnated. They are following his prophecies and I believe he is with them and helping hide the children."

Family members also told the Denver Post they believe Coltharp had given his daughters to Shaffer for marriage.

Coltharp is said to be a survivalist and doomsday prepper who doesn't believe in modern medicine, according to court documents. His ex-wife also said Coltharp carried a pistol and threatened to send a police officer or child care worker to the next life if they took away his children.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A former Russian military officer who received a life sentence for leading a Taliban attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2009 was a soldier, not a criminal, and should have been treated as a lawful combatant, his lawyer argued before a federal appeals court Tuesday.

But a Justice Department lawyer told the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Irek Hamidullin, who led the attack on behalf of the Taliban and its allied terrorist organization, the Haqqani Network, was not entitled to protections given prisoners of war. He said Taliban members were excluded under a 2002 declaration by then-President George W. Bush.

The three-judge panel peppered both sides with questions about what should determine whether Hamidullin should have been given lawful-combatant status.

Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III repeatedly questioned Hamidullin's Lawyer, Federal Public Defender Geremy Kamens, about his argument that prosecuting Hamidullin in a civilian court violated the "fundamental concept that soldiers are not criminals."

Wilkinson said that by the time Hamidullin led the attack in 2009, the Taliban was not recognized as a nation state and instead was widely viewed as "a bunch of marauders."

"Taliban fighters are not lawful combatants," Wilkinson said.

Hamidullin, who was captured after being shot and wounded, was the lone survivor among about 30 insurgents. The coalition forces sustained no casualties.

Kamens argued that under the Geneva Conventions and an Army regulation, Hamidullin was entitled to protections as a prisoner of war from the moment he was captured until a military tribunal determined his status. Kamens said Hamidullin has never had a hearing before a tribunal, so he therefore remains a prisoner of war who is immune from ordinary domestic criminal liability.

"It is absolutely clear that this individual is a soldier," Kamens said.

The court first heard arguments last December, but scheduled a second hearing after one of the judges on the panel announced he was stepping down to serve as Baltimore's city solicitor.

Judge Robert King questioned the government's lawyer, Joseph Palmer, about how the government decided that Hamidullin  who spent five years in military detention  would be tried in a civilian court in Virginia. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2015.

King said there appears to be no record of how the decision was made. "That's what troubles me," he said.

Palmer said the government "has never wavered in its determination that Taliban are not eligible for prisoner-of-war status." He said that by 2009, the war in Afghanistan was no longer classified as an international armed conflict, so that prisoner-of-war protections would not apply.

Under the Geneva Convention, the protections apply only during an international armed conflict and if fighters have a leadership hierarchy, a distinctive uniform or insignia, carry arms openly and adhere to the laws of war. The government said Hamidullin was a member of a group that regularly violates the laws of war by targeting civilians.

The U.S. is among nations that distinguish between acts committed by soldiers during war and violent acts outside an international conflict.

There has been only one criminal prosecution in the past 15 years in which a court considered whether a Taliban fighter had combatant immunity. In that case, the judge ruled for the government.

Hamidullin's lawyers are asking the appeals court to throw out his convictions and transfer him to the custody of the U.S. military to determine his status.

The court did not indicate when it would rule.
The body of a Nebraska woman who reportedly vanished after a November date was found Monday by authorities who traced her digital footprint.

Police said they found the body of Sydney Loofe, 24, in an open area in Clay County, about 90 miles west-southwest of Lincoln, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Loofes family announced the discovery in a Facebook post Monday night.

Its with heavy hearts that we share this most recent update with you all. Please continue to pray for Sydney and our entire family, the family wrote, according to the Omaha World-Herald. May God grant eternal rest unto thee. We love you Sydney.

Lincoln police said an autopsy was being conducted -- but they suspect foul play in Loofes death.

Aubrey Trail, 51, and Bailey Boswell, 23, were taken into custody and named persons of interest in Loofes death. They had not been charged in the case as of Tuesday. Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister, in a news conference Tuesday, said the duo were likely the last people in contact with Loofe on Nov. 15, the day before her family reported her missing.

Authorities searched for clues for nearly a month, and tracked Loofes digital footprint after they found a cell tower in Wilbur had received a ping from Loofes cellphone.

Boswell reportedly posted on Facebook she dropped off Loofe after they went on a date, but investigators could not confirm the account, Bliemeister said in a news conference. A previous warrant was issued for Boswell in May 2016 when she failed to appear in court for a drug possession charge.

Trail also has a criminal history. He was charged with possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person and with being a habitual criminal, court records from Nov. 21 showed. He was previously convicted of forgery and issuing a bad check.

In a cryptic Facebook post last week, Trail said he didnt kill Loofe and decided to turn himself in and see where this goes, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

Weve pretty much decided to turn ourselves in and see where this goes, he said. Im a crook, Im a thief, have been all my lifebut Im not what youre trying to make me out to be.
Outraged Washington, D.C.-area commuters and politicians took to social media Tuesday to blast a new tolling scheme on a busy interstate heading from Virginia into the nations capital, as fees along the route peaked to an eye-popping $40 during the morning rush hour.

The Interstate-66 tolling plan, which launched Monday, opens up express lanes on the highway in northern Virginia to single drivers, as opposed to just carpoolers. But the sticker shock prices being posted on electronic signs along the roadway led some commuters and residents to give the roadway a new nickname.

This is #highwayrobbery. People are just trying to get to work. What happened to a government FOR THE PEOPLE. I'm appalled, one user wrote on Twitter.

Just go ahead & change its name to I-$66," said another.

The Virginia Department of Transportation  which has touted the project as giving commuters new and improved travel choices  did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News on Tuesday.

The tolls are in effect from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. local time eastbound, and 3:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. westbound. It is free for drivers at all other times.

All vehicles using the toll lanes must have a $35 E-ZPass device to pay the cashless tolls or one set to HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) mode to earn the free rides. Motorcycles are exempt.

Its dynamically pricedbasically thats an algorithm that measures congestion, and as the congestion increases the toll increases, and as the congestion goes down, the toll decreases, Virginia Department of Transportation Tolling Division Administrator David Caudill told WTOP in late November.

Drivers heading through the area without the E-ZPass device will have their license plate pictures taken and the bills sent home  plus a $12.50 fee. Law enforcement also will be on the lookout for solo drivers who have their vehicles devices set to HOV mode, and those drivers could face fines of $250, according to Fox 5.

Before surging to $40 Tuesday, the tolls hit a price of $34.50 during Monday mornings rush hour for a trip from one end of the tolling lanes to the other  an 11-mile stretch.

Virginia previously said the tolls would peak at $7 for the morning rush, but on Monday, state transportation officials told the Washington Post those estimates were based on the average trip and not ones made during the highest points of rush hours.

Revenue from the tolls will go toward the funding of express buses and bike sharing stations, and lawmakers have agreed to add a lane to a stretch of I-66 eastbound as part of a compromise for allowing tolling, WMAL reported.

But some state lawmakers also joined in on the chorus ripping the tolling scheme on Tuesday, calling it price gouging.

$30+ tolls are unfair, especially for those of us with limited east-west travel options, Jennifer Wexton, a Democratic state senator, posted on Twitter.

I stand w/ @DelegateJBell & HD13 commuters who battled through an outrageous trip to work Monday, which is why I called charging the highest toll in the country what it is: price gouging, said Danica Roem, a Virginia House of Delegates-elect. I told a VDOT rep either VDOT can fix it or the GA can.
The Nov. 18 death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez, found in a culvert with extensive head trauma, underscores a year that saw a dramatic spike in attacks against agents and the changing culture among those attempting to illegally enter the United States through Mexico.

According to U.S. Border Patrol data, FY 2017 saw a remarkable 678 assaults against agents compared to 403 the previous year, a 68 percent increase. It all came while the USBP is at its lowest staffing level in nearly a decade, a deficit President Donald Trump vowed to alleviate through an Executive Order immediately after his inauguration.

The 36-year-old Martinez, a four-year veteran of USBP, and his partner were found with massive head injuries late Nov. 18 in a concrete culvert heavily used by illegal aliens and smugglers off Interstate 10, some 12 miles east of their station in Van Horn, Texas.

The cause of the injuries  the partner survived - remains under investigation by the FBI but officials with the National Border Patrol Council assert they were unequivocally the result of an attack by assailants using rocks, a common weapon.

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said one explanation for the dramatic spike in attacks is that agents are effectively doing their job, with the support of the new administration to lock down the border. With illegal crossings at the lowest levels in years, Judd said there is a sense of desperation, especially among criminal border crossers, to make it across and they are becoming more violent when they are apprehended, often in remote areas along the border.

When we make it more difficult to cross, assaults go up, Judd said. This should be a barometer for the general public to see these are more violent and dangerous people attempting to enter the country.

Judd also said agents are apprehending more criminal aliens than last year.

Then there is the perception to some, but what seems reality to USBP, that there is a sense of impunity created by dismally low prosecution rates against those who attack agents.

This sense is further amplified among juveniles who are typically recruited by cartels since they face minimal prosecution, if any at all.

In April, Attorney Jeff Sessions said he would not tolerate assaults against federal agents.

I have directed that all 94 US Attorneys Offices make the prosecution of assault on federal law enforcement officersthats all of youa top priority. If someone dares assault one of our folks in the line of duty, they will do federal time for it, Sessions said.

According to information provided to FoxNews.com by the Department of Justice, there has been a steady increase in prosecutions filed over the last three years of assaults against federal agents, but nowhere near the total of assaults reported by USBP.

The other issue is the numbers reflect assaults against all federal agents, not just USBP, which further dilutes the rate of prosecutions. The DOJ data reveals 118 cases filed in 2015; 122 in 2016; and 191 in 2017.

According to the data, it appears that less than a third of assault cases against agents are prosecuted.

Judd points his finger at lingering holdovers in the DOJ from the Obama administration who allegedly continue to refuse to uphold immigration laws and those intended to protect federal agents.

Attorney General Sessions is finding it more difficult to get the job done with these career employees, Judd said.

In the face of erratic federal prosecutions, the agency has had to rely on state level prosecutions to address cases, Texas being one of the strongest states with laws dealing with assault on law enforcement.

In the case of Martinezs death, a cause of death has yet to be determined. Among the speculation is that Martinez and his partner were sideswiped by a semi-tractor trailer, a theory Judd doesnt buy. The other is that they tipped on the ATVs they were driving. Vehicular accidents do account for a large segment of agent fatalities. Then there is the prospect that they were attacked by illegals with rocks.

Judd said his agency is anxious for the cause of death to be revealed so those in the general public know how dangerous policing the border has become.

Two days after Martinezs death, an agent in a remote area of Sasabe, Ariz. was assaulted by a 22-year-old Mexican national illegally entering the U.S.

As recently as Sunday, a 25-year-old Mexican man was charged with assaulting an agent after he attacked a Tucson Sector Border Patrol agent east of Nogales, Ariz. The agent attempted to arrest a suspect found scaling the wall but the suspect resisted, kicking the agent multiple times in the head. Despite the assault, the agent was able to get the combative subject off the fence to complete the arrest before being evaluated at a local hospital for his injuries. The Mexican national was processed for immigration violations and charged with assault.

In January an undocumented alien assaulted and attempted to stab a U.S. Border Patrol agent near Three Points, Ariz. During the struggle, the subject pulled out a knife and attempted to stab the agent. The knife struck the agents handheld radio, which was attached to his body armor. The agent called for assistance while continuing to struggle with the subject.

On October 25, an off-duty agent was shot at while driving his vehicle in El Paso. Two suspects were arrested the following week.

The only other fatality directly associated with an assault on an agent occurred on May 24, when Agent Isaac Morales was assaulted in El Paso, Texas. His assailant was apprehended.
After losing their teen daughter to suicide due to years of bullying, Freddie and Charlene Avila are now being tormented by Internet trolls dishing out the same vitriol that caused 13-year-old Rosalie to take her life.

Rosalie Avila, of Yucaipa, Calif., hanged herself last Tuesday, leaving behind a note to her parents apologizing for the pain she knew her death would cause them, NBC News reported.

"'Sorry, Mom and Dad. I love you. And it said, Sorry, Mom, youre gonna find me like this,' the note read, according to Freddie.

Rosalie was taken off life support Monday after being declared brain dead Friday. Her parents said they would donate her organs.

The Avilas said their daughter was bullied for years  and now they're being targeted, too.

EXPLOSIVE WILDFIRES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FORCE THOUSANDS TO EVACUATE

In one case, the Avilas received a meme on social media. Hey mom, next time dont tuck me in this, read text near a photo of Rosalies face next to a bed. Below that was the text Tuck me in THIS next to a picture of a person gesturing to a freshly dug grave. Rosalies face was photoshopped on to the gesturing person, CBS Los Angeles reported.

"It's so heartless, so mean to do that. And it's not funny, it's not funny to see that image of your daughter and to be mocked like she's crap, and she's not. That's my daughter," Charlene told FOX11.

The Avilas told FOX11 they went to their daughters middle school, Mesa View Middle School, regarding the bullying their daughter endured and felt not enough was done to prevent it.

"Right now, the bullies are still there. They were suspended for a couple days and then they come back and bully someone else, Freddie Avila told FOX11.

Charlene added: "The things that they post on social media about my daughter are unacceptable. The people that liked it and fed into it. It's painful and it makes me angry to know that they have no heart."

The Yucaipa-Calimesa joint unified school district did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

After Rosalie died, her parents found her diary, which chronicled her thoughts and the times she was bullied at school.

They told me I was ugly today, the diary read. They were making fun of me today about my teeth."

The couple turned the diary over to police.

CALIFORNIA 18-YEAR-OLD CONFESSES TO MOLESTING DOZENS OF CHILDREN

The Avilas told NBC News they put Rosalie in counseling after they discovered she had become reclusive and was cutting herself. Rosalie's parents said they were not aware of how serious the bullying was until her death.

Rosalies friends showed the parents a video posted to social media capturing the teenager sitting alone as classmates teased her, NBC News reported.

"Rose just kept this to herself," Freddy said. "On the inside, it was just tearing her to pieces that they were always making fun of her."

The couple said Rosalies five siblings were traumatized and cant stand to be home because their last memory of Rosalie is of her after she hanged herself in her room.

We are an emotional wreck, Charlene said.
At least three wind-whipped wildfires exploded Tuesday in Southern California, forcing more than 150,000 people to evacuate and scorching thousands of acres.

Ventura County Fire officials said the larger blaze, known as the Thomas Fire, broke out Monday evening east of Santa Paula, located about 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The fire has grown to 45,000 acres and has destroyed 150 structures, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency Tuesday for Ventura County and nearby Los Angeles County.

The prospects for containment are not good, Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said at a news conference. Really, Mother Nature is going to decide when we have the ability to put it out because it is pushing hard with the wind.

Firefighters have been unable to reach some of the severely burned areas to confirm lost homes. But Incident Commander Toss Derum told the Associated Press that a bigger tally will likely come on Wednesday. Derum says some 3,000 homes are threatened.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urged people to pack up and go rather than wait and risk their lives.

He said shelters can accommodate as many as 12,000 people.

After initial reports of a fatality, county fire Capt. Steve Kaufmann said a dead dog but no person was found in an overturned car. Lorenzen said at a news conference Tuesday a battalion fire chief was injured in a car crash, but not seriously hurt.

The fire has grown to 85 square miles, with strong winds forcing

water-dropping planes and helicopters essential to battling the blaze to be grounded. Officials hope to have the aircrafts in the sky on Wednesday, but early indications seem to suggest the winds will remain at high speeds.



More than 1,000 firefighters are battling the fire, and power outages have been reported in Santa Paula, Camarillo, Ventura and Santa Barbara.

This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but well continue to attack it with all weve got. Its critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so, Brown said.

Southern California Edison said nearly 180,000 customers in the Ventura County area were without service. Ventura County Fire Public Information Officer Rick Macklin told Fox News around 8,700 homes have been evacuated so far.

The fire is currently burning brush that has not burned in 20 years. The cause of the fire is undetermined.

The fire growth is just absolutely exponential, Lorenzen said. All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people, and protect structures.

Authorities say Ventura, a city of more than 100,000 people 12 miles away, is expected to feel the effects of the fire soon. Thomas Aquinas College, a school with about 350 students, also has been evacuated.

The wildfire jumped the U.S. Highway 101 to a rocky beach

northwest of Ventura, prompting new evacuations. However, due to the lack of vegetation and scarce population officials said it was not overly dangerous, and that the highway remained open.

A psychiatric hospital burned to the ground as the blaze roared through Ventura County, Fox 11 reported. The Vista del Mar Hospital treats patients with mental health problems, chemical dependency and veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Our goal is to keep the public as safe and informed as possible, Lorenzen said, adding that conditions are about as bad as they can be for fire spread.

Evacuation shelters have been set up at the Miners Building at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and Nordhoff High School, Fox 11 reported.

Residents located outside the evacuation zone watched the blaze shift along the nearby hills overnight, and debated whether they should stay or go.

I just hope were all right, Taylor Penny told the Los Angeles Times.

Nearby, Eddie Barragan and his wife Maria told the Times they were watching the fire for hours.

Barragan, who told the newspaper he was an iron worker who worked as a wildlife firefighter, was studying the flames and paying attention to how the wind shifted.

If it comes over this next ridge, or the wind shifts, it takes one ember to get on one of these houses, and there it goes, he told the Times.

As firefighters battled the Thomas Fire, a second blaze broke out around 40 miles east on the north edge of Los Angeles that is threatening portions of the Sylmar and Lakeview Terrace neighborhoods and charring more than 4,000 acres, according to Fox 11.

The Creek Fire was first reported as a 100-acre fire, but quickly grew, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said. There were mandatory evacuations issued for 2,500 homes as red flag and high wind warnings continue in the area.

As if fire crews werent busy enough, a third blaze dubbed the Rye Fire broke out near Rye Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, which is now at 200 acres and is zero percent contained.

Interstate 5, known as the Golden State Freeway, was closed in both directions at the 126 Freeway because of the blaze, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office said.

The National Weather Service said winds of 43 mph with gusts over 60 mph have been reported in the area, and are expected to continue throughout the day.

Damaging #SantaAnaWinds and very critical fire weather conditions today and again late Wed night-Thu, the weather service said on Twitter. Main impacts include downed trees/powerlines, blowing dust, power outages, and very rapid fire spread.

Typical of fall, the Santa Ana winds are spawned by high pressure over the Great Basin that sends air flowing toward Southern California where it speeds up as it squeezes down through mountain passes and canyons and blows out toward the coast.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The fiance of the Wall Street executive mauled to death by a tiger shark while scuba diving in Costa Rica last week is reportedly blaming the diving company for not keeping her out of harms way.

Dr. Jeffrey Rosenthal, a plastic surgeon who was engaged to Rohina Bhandari, 49, told the New York Post the divers who were with his fiancee didnt have the necessary tools to ward off the shark.

Apparently they didnt have any protection  the divers or the instructors had nothing to ward off any of these fish, sharks, Rosenthal said. I dont understand that aspect of it, that there was no protection for her or for the other guests for that matter.

He added: I just feel that the safety precautions they took were not as good as they should have had.

Bhandari, a senior private-equity director for WL Ross & Co. who lived in Manhattans Upper East Side, died after a female tiger shark bit both her legs on Thursday while she was scuba diving near Coco Island with a group of people, Costa Ricas environment ministry said in a statement. The island is a national park about 300 miles off the coast of Costa Rica.

Rosenthal, who called Bhandari a 10-star person, said his fiancee loved scuba diving and had previously gone diving in Jamaica, the Galapagos Islands and the Bahamas. He added he found some comfort knowing she died while doing an activity she loved.

She loved seeing the fish, he said. The wildlife fascinated her.

The plastic surgeon recalled Rosenthals bright personality and how she went through life with a smile on her face. He described her as the more outgoing person in the relationship. She also often attended charity events.

Wed go to an affair or party, and within five minutes shed know everyone in the place, he said.

Rosenthal told the New York Post Bhandari was someone who befriended everyone, recalling a moment when they attended President Trumps inauguration party and spoke to House Speaker Paul Ryan after Bhandari met Ryan's wife in the restroom.

There was a universe of stars, and she was the brightest, Rosenthal said.

Bhandari leaves behind her 7-year-old golden Labrador, Simba, who Rosenthal will take care of  a promise he made to Bhandari when they first began dating.

When we started going out many years ago, the deal was that I accept them both, Rosenthal said. And I accepted them with open arms, and a while later she said, Well when are you going to adopt him as yours, and I said, Hes adopted, hes mine now, so Simba and I are now together.

Rosenthal is asking anyone who wants to pay their respects to Bhandari to make a contribution to the foundation she supported  the South African based foundation, U.S. Friends of Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center.

He added the foundation will name their next new animal after her.
Welcome to Fox News First. Not signed up yet? Click here.

Developing now, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017:

New revelations about FBI agent cast doubt on special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia's probe

New sex allegations against Rep. John Conyers as he prepares to make announcement today

The RNC resumes support of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore

Supreme Court to hear arguments on gay wedding cake controversy

Congress moves closer to final tax bill with House vote

THE LEAD STORY: Revelations about anti-Trump views of an FBI agent who played a key role in Michael Flynn's questioning and in the Hillary Clinton email probe has cast doubt on the credibility of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe and the integrity of agency ... Peter Strzok, who was removed from Muellers investigation because he sent anti-Trump messages to a colleague, oversaw the FBIs interviews with ousted National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Fox News confirmed. Strzok, a former deputy to the assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, also changed former FBI Director James Comeys early draft language about Hillary Clintons actions regarding her private email server from grossly negligent to extremely careless, Fox News confirmed. The language being edited was important because classified material thats been mishandled for gross negligence calls for criminal consequences, analysts point out. Strzok is under review by the Justice Departments Office of Inspector General for the role he played in the Clinton email investigation. The reports about Strzok prompted President Trump to suggest over the weekend that the handling and closure of the Clinton email probe without criminal charges allegedly was driven by partisan politics.

MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR CONYERS?: Another woman has accused embattled Rep. John Conyers of sexual misconduct as he is expected to make an announcement about his political future today ... Elisa Grubbs, who says she worked for Conyers for more than a decade, reportedly said in an affidavit that he slid his hand up her skirt and rubbed her thighs while she was sitting next to him in the front row of a church. Grubbs is the cousin of another accuser, Marion Brown, who reached a confidential settlement with Conyers over sexual harassment allegations. The new allegations emerged as Conyers, 88, is expected to speak on a Detroit radio show today about his political future, according to his attorney, Arnold Reed. Conyers is the longest-serving current House member and has already stepped aside from his position as ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Conyers' long history of controversy surfaces amid misconduct allegations

MOORE BACKING: The Republican National Committee is once again supporting embattled Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore after President Trump formally endorsed him, a senior RNC official told Fox News ... Despite losing the backing of many top Republicans, Moore was praised by Trump who said that Republicans would need his vote "on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more." The RNC's reversal comes three weeks after it announced it had severed its fundraising ties to Moore following allegations that he'd molested two teenagers when he was in his 30s.

GAY RIGHTS VERSUS RELIGION IN HIGH COURT: The encounter between a same-sex couple and a Colorado baker lasted just a few seconds -- but the legal, political and social impact could extend for decades after the Supreme Court takes up their case today ... The justices will hear oral arguments in perhaps the most closely watched appeal so far this term, pitting religious conviction against anti-discrimination laws. At issue is a July 2012 encounter, when Charlie Craig and David Mullins of Denver visited Masterpiece Cakeshop to buy a custom-made wedding cake. Owner Jack Phillips refused his services when told it was for a same-sex couple. A state civil rights commission sanctioned Phillips after a formal complaint from the gay couple.

ANOTHER STEP CLOSER TO TAX REFORM: The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has voted to go to conference on tax legislation with the Senate, moving Congress another step closer to a final bill ... The House voted 222-192 to go to conference with the Senate, setting up formal negotiations on the legislation that could take weeks to complete. Seven Republicans voted "no." The Republican-led Senate was expected to hold a similar conference vote later this week.

AS SEEN ON FOX NEWS

A MATTER OF TRUST: "It's certainly a problem when we have no trust in any of our institutions. The president's at war with the FBI, the FBI's at war with the president, the president's at war with parts of the DOJ. Right now, it seems like no one trusts any member of any institution."  Political commentator Ben Shapiro, on "America's News HQ," on the rift between President Trump and the FBI and the Justice Department. WATCH

FATHER OF BALTIMORE OFFICER IN FREDDIE GRAY CASE SPEAKS OUT : "Some person out there [might] like to even it up." - Edward Nero Sr., father of one of the Baltimore police officers involved in the Freddie Gray case, speaking exclusively to "The Story with Martha MacCallum," on what life has been life for his son after his acquittal and return to the force and why the officers will never be allowed to work a street beat. WATCH

ACROSS THE NATION

Southern California wildfire forces over 1000 homes to evacuate.

FBI issued over 4,000 orders of gun retrieval, largest in 10 years.

LaVar Ball says he's withdrawing suspended son from UCLA.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

Cineworld to buy Regal Entertainment Group for $3.6 billion.

Cybercrime: 'We've only seen the beginning,' expert warns.

Lamborghini races after new customers with first SUV.

NEW IN FOX NEWS OPINION

Log Cabin Republican: Gay wedding cake case doesn't have to be a zero sum game.

Jason Chaffetz: National Park lovers should applaud Trump's monument decision.

My dog Mocha was an expression of God on earth, as all dogs are.

HOLLYWOOD SQUARED

Billy Bush to Colbert: 'Everybody had to kiss the ring of Donald.'

ABC News boss berates staff for botched Brian Ross story, report says.

Chelsea Handler calls Sarah Sanders lewd names on her talk show, sparking outrage.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?

Former Miss Russia contestant mocked on Instagram over size of her feet.

Hair stylist's massive 'transformation' scissors are charming the internet.

Ancient forbidden Christian text of Jesus' 'secret teachings' to his 'brother' found.

STAY TUNED

On Fox News:

Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: On the heels of the Kate Steinle verdict, Rep. Todd Rokita explains his proposed bill to imprison officials who would shelter illegal immigrant criminals; plus Todd Piro has "Breakfast with Friends" in South Carolina.

The Story with Martha MacCallum, 7 p.m. ET: Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowksi and deputy campaign manager David Bossie give the inside story on their new book on the Trump presidential campaign.

Tucker Carlson Tonight, 8 p.m. ET: Tucker is live and on the scene in Las Vegas as he looks for elusive answers in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

Fox News @ Night, 11 p.m. ET: An inside look at the Supreme Court arguments pitting religious freedom against anti-discrimination laws in the Colorado gay wedding cake controversy.

On Fox Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Marc Lotter, former special assistant to President Trump and Vice President Pence's former press secretary, takes on the new revelations about the partisan FBI agent in the Mueller Russia probe and Clinton email case; Kevin Hassett, Council of Economic Advisers for the White House chairman, and former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on the latest steps towards tax reform.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Actor and congressional candidate Antonio Sabato Jr. sounds off the not guilty verdict in the Kate Steinle murder trial.

Risk & Reward, 5 p.m. ET: Former FBI Assistant Director Jim Kallstrom on the credibility of the agency following the controversy over the partisan FBI agent in the Mueller Russia probe and Clinton email case.

On Fox News Radio:

The Fox News Rundown podcast: The Supreme Court will begin to hear arguments in the controversial case of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Fox News judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano discusses the legal arguments for both sides and the larger implications of the case. President Trump continues his plan to roll back regulations set by previous administrations, announcing Monday that two monuments in Utah will be downsized. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum and Josh Ewing, executive director of Friends of Cedar Mesa, provide insight. Plus, commentary from the Fox News Medical A-Team's Dr. Marc Siegel.

Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 am to Noon ET: Allen West takes on Trump's next step in handling North Korea; Karl Rove and Marie Harf take on the latest controversies in the Mueller Russia probe, Clinton email case, Rep. John Conyers, Roy Moore and other hot political headlines. Former Navy SEAL Eli Crane gives a behind-the-scenes look at his company, Bottle Breacher.

#OnThisDay

2013: Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, dies at age 95.

1994: Republicans choose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades.

1952: The Great Smog of London descends on the British capital; the unusually thick fog, which contained toxic pollutants, lasts five days and is blamed for causing thousands of deaths.

Thank you for joining us on Fox News First! Enjoy your day and we'll see you in your inbox first thing Wednesday morning.
A 5-year-old girl was killed and 22 other people were hurt in Georgia on Tuesday when a school bus smashed into a tree, officials said.

The bus was on its morning pick-up route in Liberty County, five miles outside of Glennville, when it crashed around 7 a.m., Lt. Thornell King, with the Georgia State Patrol, told FOX 28.

"We don't know why all of the sudden the bus left the roadway," King said.

The GSP said "charges are pending" in the crash, which involved no other vehicles and happened near the sprawling Army post Fort Stewart, located roughly 50 miles southwest of Savannah.

The agency said in a news release the bus driver had lost control, veered into a ditch and slammed into a tree. The impact caused the bus roof to cave in on the young passengers.

The driver, a 62-year-old woman, was taken to the hospital, as were all the other children, King told FOX 28.

The lone victim to die in the crash was identified as Cambria Shuman, 5, FOX 28 reported.

Liberty County Public Safety Director Mike Hodges told the Associated Press the driver had been trapped inside the bus, and she was hospitalized after emergency responders freed her.

Hodges said the roads had been foggy in the area early Tuesday, but authorities reiterated it was too early to know if the weather played a role in the crash. The bus was equipped with surveillance cameras which will be analyzed to figure out the cause of the crash, according to King.

The Liberty County School System said in a press release their thoughts and prayers are with the students family, and that grief counselors have been made available to all students and staff.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A church in Massachusetts hopes to inspire its parishioners to take action by placing a list of recent mass shootings inside its nativity scene, Boston 25 News reported.

St. Susannas Parish in the town of Dedham posted a list of cities where the shooting occurred and the death tolls directly behind the infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the report said.

Fr. Stephen Josoma told the station that he hopes the list gets people talking and motivated to make a change.

Theres cities, nursing homes, coffee shops, military installations, churches, theaters, he told the station. "This is not the picture of Christmas peace we want to have in people's minds for years to come. It can't be this forever, it just has to change,"
A freshman at the State University of New York reportedly died after he was found unconscious after a night of partying at an off-campus fraternity house.

Daniel William Michaels, an 18-year-old student at SUNY Oneonta, was found unresponsive just after midnight on Saturday, The Daily Star reported on Monday.

Oneonta Police Chief Douglas Brenner told the newspaper Michaels died due to cardiac arrest after ingesting a combination of drugs and alcohol.

Michaels, who was studying business economics, was pledging Alpha Pi  a fraternity that operates off-campus and reportedly isnt recognized by the school.

The college has no affiliation with groups it does not recognize. Such groups operate independent of the college, Hal Legg, executive director of communications at SUNY Oneonta, told the New York Post.

Students told The Daily Star that they noticed Michaels was unconscious on a couch and contacted authorities. The police chief said Michaels was in cardiac arrest when he arrived at Fox Memorial Hospital.

PENN STATE FRATERNITY GAVE PLEDGE 18 DRINKS IN NEARLY 90 MINUTES, CHARGES UPGRADED, PROSECUTOR SAYS

A preliminary toxicology report found amphetamines and benzodiazepines in Michaels system, Otsego County Coroner Terry Knapp told the paper. He noted that Michaels may have taken the drugs separately or combined in an ecstasy or molly capsule or powder.

The students blood alcohol levels were reportedly below the legal limit.

Oneonta considers the students part of the community, and the loss of an 18-year-old member of the community is really heart-wrenching for everyone, Brenner said, and added that foul play in Michaels death is not suspected.

A GoFundMe campaign set up to fund a scholarship in Michaels honor has raised more than $20,000, surpassing its $15,000 goal.

Family members of Michaels told WNBC that his twin brother, Justin, was killed in 2004 at just four years old when a cherry tree fell on him at day camp.
It's not a final ruling, but the Supreme Court is letting the Trump administration fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries.

Challenges to the policy are winding through the federal courts, and the justices themselves ultimately are expected to rule on whether the ban is legal. It applies to travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

The justices offered no explanation for their action Monday. The Trump administration had said that blocking the full ban was causing "irreparable harm" because the policy is based on legitimate national security and foreign policy concerns.

The order indicates that the high court might eventually approve the latest version of the ban, announced by President Donald Trump in September. Lower courts have continued to find problems with it.

A presidential spokesman, Hogan Gidley, said the White House was "not surprised" that the court permitted "immediate enforcement of the president's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism."

Opponents of this and previous versions of the ban say they show a bias against Muslims. They say that was reinforced most recently by Trump's retweets of anti-Muslim videos.

"President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret. He has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter. It's unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims," said Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project. The ACLU is representing some opponents of the ban.

Just two justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, noted their disagreement with court orders allowing the latest policy to take full effect.

The new policy is not expected to cause the chaos that ensued at airports when Trump rolled out his first ban without warning in January.

For people from the six countries covered by the ban, lower courts had said those with a claim of a "bona fide" relationship with someone in the United States could not be kept out of the country. Grandparents, cousins and other relatives were among those courts said could not be excluded.

The courts were borrowing language the Supreme Court itself came up with last summer to allow partial enforcement of an earlier version of the ban.

Now, those relationships will no longer provide a blanket exemption from the ban, although visa officials can make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

In lawsuits filed in Hawaii and Maryland, federal courts said the updated travel ban violated federal immigration law. The travel policy also applies to travelers from North Korea and to some Venezuelan government officials and their families, but the lawsuits did not challenge those restrictions. Also unaffected are refugees. A temporary ban on refugees expired in October.

All the rulings so far have been on a preliminary basis. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, will be holding arguments on the legality of the ban this week.

David Levine, a University of California Hastings law school professor, said that by allowing the ban to take effect just days before the appeals court arguments, the justices were signaling their view.

"I think it's tipping the hand of the Supreme Court," Levine said. "It suggests that from their understanding, the government is more likely to prevail on the merits than we might have thought."

Both appeals courts are dealing with the issue on an accelerated basis, and the Supreme Court noted it expects those courts to reach decisions "with appropriate dispatch."

Quick resolution by appellate courts would allow the Supreme Court to hear and decide the issue this term, by the end of June.

___

Associated Press writer Eugene Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report.
A mail carrier in a Cleveland suburb stepped in to help police stop a suspected drunk driver Wednesday when he took the driver's car keys away, officials said.

The South Euclid Police Department said in a news release a resident contacted authorities to report her mail carrier had taken the keys from the woman after she stopped in the street in front of her house.

"When he approached her she attempted to get out of the vehicle, kind of fell backwards, and he recognized that she was a problem," South Euclid Police Chief Kevin Nietert told FOX8 Cleveland.

The postal service worker gave the resident the keys and asked her to call police to investigate.

"When he went to the house to deliver mail he knocked on the door and he gave the key to the resident and said, 'Hey, you need to call the police, the car that's parked on the street there, I suspect the driver is under the influence,'" Nietert said.

SUSPECTED DRUNK DRIVER CRUISES CAR INTO LAKE TO FLEE TEXAS POLICE, VIDEO SHOWS

When police arrived on the scene, officers said they found two partial bottles of alcohol in 51-year-old La Sonya Carter's car. Carter refused to take a field sobriety test, according to FOX8, and she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

Her arrest was recorded on body camera and posted to the South Euclid Police Department Facebook page.

South Euclid Police said they received a report earlier in the day about a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road. Officers were unable to locate it, but said Carter's car matched that description.

"The mailman was very observant, I give him some credit for getting involved, and he was doing it from a morally conscious perspective," Nietert said.
An Oklahoma City police officer who shot and killed a suicidal man lat month was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder, authorities said.

Sgt. Keith Sweeney, 32, was taken into custody Tuesday morning. Charging documents filed in Oklahoma County District Court listed an alternative charge of first-degree murder in the Nov. 15 shooting of 29-year-old Dustin Pigeon.

District Attorney David Prater told reporters that charges in the were filed against Sgt. Keith Sweeney "after a review of the investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department."

The investigation into the shooting was conducted the same way as any other investigation, said Capt. Bo Mathews, a spokesman for the Oklahoma City Police Department.

"We made sure we talked to all witnesses, to the officer and get his statement ... it's no different from any other crime we work ... this just happened to involve a police officer," Mathews said.

Police said Sweeney and Officer Troy Nitzke responded to a report of a suicidal person that night and found Pigeon trying to set fire to himself with a lighter fluid and a lighter in a residential neighborhood. Police say the Nitzke shot Pigeon with a bean bag, to no effect, before Sweeney fatally shot him.

An investigating officer wrote in an affidavit that Pigeon was "not a threat" to the officers when he was shot and Sweeney's "use of deadly force ... was not justified."

Both officers were placed on paid leave while the shooting was investigated. Court documents do not list an attorney for Sweeney.

Pigeon's shooting was among several Oklahoma cases this year where law officers confronted mentally distressed or suicidal subjects that resulted in fatal outcomes.



Earlier in November near Lindsay, about 45 miles south of Oklahoma City, a man was burned beyond recognition when he re-entered a gasoline soaked van after being shot by police with a stun gun. Police said Dana Dean Carrothers, 52, had been reported missing and was suicidal.



In June, three Tulsa law enforcement officers fatally shot a 29-year-old knife-wielding man, Joshua Barre, while trying to pick him up for a mental health issue.



Handling encounters between officers and the mentally distressed has quickly become a top priority among many law enforcement agencies because of the reality that "people who are mentally ill get killed by officers and officers get killed by the mentally ill," said Johnny Nhan, associate professor of criminal justice at Texas Christian University.



Nhan said some agencies, like the Fort Worth police department, are creating special task forces of specially trained officers, detectives and other professionals, such as counselors, who are embedded in those teams.



"It shows you the level of concern (departments have)," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Police say a fugitive suspected of shooting at officers in Ohio during a high-speed chase has been arrested.

Wooster police say James Schmidt, who's also known as Bubba, was arrested Tuesday evening near Gallipolis Ferry, West Virginia, when police spotted him leaving a pawn shop. A woman was with him.

The Orrville man was wanted on warrants for crimes including assault.

Police say he was spotted at a Walmart early Tuesday morning and fled in a vehicle when authorities tried to stop him.

Schmidt allegedly fired at Wooster police and Wayne County sheriff's deputies, hitting several vehicles. There were no serious injuries.

Police say Schmidt later crashed in a field, broke into a home and escaped in a stolen SUV.

It couldn't immediately be determined if he has an attorney.
A protester accused of helping tear down a North Carolina Confederate statue has struck a deal to avoid a felony charge, while other defendants had their cases continued.

Durham County Judge James T. Hill said Tuesday he would allow a deferred prosecution deal for Ngoc Loan Tran on several misdemeanor property damage counts.

Defense attorney Scott Holmes said the misdemeanors will be dismissed after Tran pays $1,250 in restitution and completes 100 hours of community service.

Tran was among a dozen charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of tearing down the statue of an anonymous Confederate at a Durham government building August 14. One climbed up to attach a rope, then protesters yanked it down.

WARNING: ARREST VIDEO CONTAINS PROFANITY

Eight demonstrators had cases continued until January 11. Charges were previously dropped against three others.
The number of refugees entering the U.S. has plummeted since President Trump lifted a four-month ban on admissions.

Only 3,108 refugees came to the U.S. in October and November, the first two months of the new fiscal year. The Obama administration admitted 18,300 refugees in the same period last year. The new numbers represent a dramatic 83 percent drop.

Trump restarted the refugee resettlement program in October. A month earlier, he lowered the annual refugee admission cap from 110,000 to 45,000, the lowest level on record.

At the current rate, its unlikely the Trump administration will approach that number.

The limits on refugees are in addition to Trumps broader travel ban on people from several countries. Trump promised during the presidential campaign to stop the massive inflow of refugees to protect the country from terrorists.

"The president's strategy on refugees is guided first and foremost by the safety and security of the American people, Trump administration spokeswoman Helen Aguirre Ferre told Fox News. The United States can also help a larger number of refugees by resettling them in their home region and enabling their eventual safe return home.

Fewer Muslims are among the new refugees, according to published reports. Muslims accounted for about 40 percent of refugees admitted into the United States in November 2016. But this past November, the figure stood at 10 percent.

At the same time, the administration said it was backing out of a United Nations initiative called the Global Compact on Migration, a declaration established at the Generally Assembly in 2016 that called for two years of negotiations focused on organized and safe migration of the worlds displaced people.

"The global approach in the New York Declaration is simply not compatible with U.S. sovereignty," the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, said in a statement released over the weekend. "No country has done more than the United States, and our generosity will continue. But our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone."

There are about 22.5 million refugees around the world, more than half of them under the age of 18, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Groups that work with refugees lamented the drop, saying the U.S. should not scale back its support for people fleeing upheaval.

Its tragic, really, said Linda Hartke, president and chief executive of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which resettles refugees. Its tragic for refugees whove fled for their lives, who are simply looking for the chance to be safe and provide for their families and see their kids go to school and live in dignity.

She said to Fox News, It hard for many Americans to understand why this administration fails to see that we not only have an international obligation to protect the most vulnerable, but an opportunity to demonstrate American leadership.

As for the administration's withdrawal from the global talks on migration, Hartke viewed it as bewildering.

The global compact was an opportunity, including for our neighbors, to be much more thoughtful about the flows of migrants, whats good for this country and for our neighbors as well, Hartke said. Having these conversations in a global context is something we shouldnt be afraid of.

Groups that favor tighter border controls called the Trump administrations move a prudent one.

Were coming to an age where you have so many failed states around the world on multiple levels  politically, socially, economically, said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Its going to be impossible to address these problems through mass resettlement."

"We're coming to an age where you have so many failed states around the world on multiple levels ... It's going to be impossible to address these problems through mass resettlement."  Ira Mehlman, spokesman, Federation for American Immigration Reform

He said that globally, "we have to reconsider how we go about dealing with the new reality.

"The global compact was an opportunity, including for our neighbors, to be much more thoughtful about the flows of migrants, whats good for this country and for our neighbors as well.  Linda Hartke, president and chief executive of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

There are also new security threats, Mehlman told Fox News. All these things indicate we need to be cautious. Its obviously a decision each country will have to make based on their own interests and what they think they can manage.
A skydiving Santa looking to make a grand entrance while taking an Elf on the Shelf to a 9-year-old girl crashed into a tree and light pole before hitting a Florida beach and breaking his leg.

News outlets say George Krokus was dressed as Santa Claus during a Saturday skydive to deliver toys to the Tampa Bay Beach Bums Operation Santa Charity Volleyball Tournament.

Madison Spiers saw the crash and later found a note from the "elf" named Kristoff who visits her house during the holidays. It said, "As we were about to land this big tree jumped right out in front of us!"

She tells Bay News 9 that Kristoff is no stranger to adventure.

The elf sported a bandaged leg while staying with the recovering Krokus.
The number of illegal immigrants arrested at the border fell to a record low last year, a sign President Trumps focus on border security has deterred people from illegally entering the country.

While arrests by Border Patrol agents fell, the number of illegal immigrants arrested by deportation agents soared, according to recent statistics released by the Department of Homeland Security.

The department says the numbers underscore how Trumps focus on national and border security is making an impact.

We have clearly seen the successful results of the Presidents commitment to supporting the frontline officers and agents of DHS as they enforce the law and secure our borders, said Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke in a statement. We have an obligation to uphold the integrity of our immigration system, but we must do more to step up and close loopholes to protect the American worker, our economy, and our communities.

In fiscal year 2016, the U.S. Border Patrol made 415,816 arrests. This year, the number of arrests decreased to 310,531, a 25 percent drop. Thats the lowest number of arrests since 1971, according to the Border Patrol.

The border arrests decreased as arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents jumped. From the beginning of the Trump administration in January through the end of September, ICE arrested 110,568 illegal immigrants, a 40 percent increase from the same time period the year before.

Convicted criminals, those facing criminal charges, fugitives and illegal immigrants who have been deported multiple times make up 92 percent of the arrests, the department says.

Overall, deportations for ICE decreased 6 percent, which they attribute to the decline in border apprehensions. Fewer arrests means there are fewer people to deport.

Immigration agents from different branches have told Fox News that immigration enforcement has improved because the Trump administration is letting them do their job, and not holding them back.

ICE Deputy Director Thomas Homan echoed that.

These results are proof of what the men and women of ICE can accomplish when they are empowered to fulfill their mission, Homan said.

The administration has also clamped down on violent gangs like MS-13. There was an 83 percent increase in arrests of MS-13 gang members and associates compared to the year before.

We must continue to target violent gangs like MS-13, and prevent them from rebuilding what we have begun to dismantle, said Homan.

While there has been success in securing the border, there is still work to be done, according to CBP officials. For instance, the number of children crossing the border, either with a family member or alone, has increased month over month since May.

We have seen historic low numbers this year  an almost 30 percent decline in apprehensions in FY17, but we are very concerned about the later month increases of unaccompanied minors and minors with a family member, said Acting CBP Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitiello.

Overall, apprehensions have also increased since May. After hitting a low of 15,766 CBP arrests in April, the number of arrests has consistently increased since, hitting 31,155 in September.

Vitiello said the government also wants to go after drug traffickers bringing heroin, cocaine and opioids into the country.

For us to truly have an operationally secure border, we must close loopholes in our laws that help fund the cartels, Vitiello said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Allies are growing worried about President Donald Trump's legal situation, as his lawyers offer an optimistic view.

The shifting explanations for why Trump fired national security adviser Michael Flynn have revived questions about whether the president may have obstructed an ongoing investigation of potential contacts between his campaign and Russia.

Pressure on the administration has mounted since Flynn last week pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, with prosecutors revealing that he is now cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

And a muddled White House response, including a problematic presidential tweet, has left some Trump confidants worried that the president is not being well-served by his legal team.
A federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of a group of Washington bikini baristas, who sued the city over new dress code ordinances that banned bikinis and required clothing to cover bare skin.

U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman extended an injunction that prevents the city from enforcing the two laws.

The ruling means the coffee stands can continue to operate while the lawsuit, filed by seven baristas and the owner of a chain of coffee stands called Hillbilly Hotties, makes its way through court.

BIKINI BARISTAS SUE WASHINGTON CITY OVER DRESS CODE LAW

"This is just another step in the progress of women's rights," plaintiff Jovanna Edge said in a Monday statement.

Jessica Newman, who partnered with Derek Newman to represent the baristas, said the case centered on "defending women's rights of expression."

We are pleased the court affirmed these rights, especially during these currently troubling times for women in the workplace, Newman said.

Pechman wrote the ordinances -- one that attempted to impose a dress code and another that redefined lewd conduct in the city -- are likely void of vagueness under the 14th Amendment.

Pechman also found the dress code ordinance likely violated First Amendment protections for freedom of expression.

BIKINI BARISTAS TURN MEN INTO HARVEY WEINSTEINS, WASHINGTON CITY CLAIMS

One of the laws required workers to wear a minimum of tank tops and shorts. It specifically applied to employees at quick service restaurants, which also include fast food establishments and food trucks.

The other redefined the city's lewd conduct ordinance and created a new crime of facilitating lewd conduct.

Everett and Snohomish County, north of Seattle, have had a troubled history with the shops, which in some cases have operated as drive-thru strip clubs or brothels. A former Snohomish County sheriff's sergeant pleaded guilty to helping launder money from a prostitution operation run out of roadside stands and was sentenced to one year in jail.

The city cited a number of sex offenses at bikini barista stands while adopting the measures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A prominent Kentucky disability attorney at the center of a more than $500 million Social Security fraud case, who became the subject of a massive manhunt after he vanished months ago, has been captured in Honduras, officials announced Monday.

Eric Conn was captured by a SWAT team as he came out of a restaurant in the coastal city of La Ceiba, the Honduras public magistrates office said in a news release . The office added that the arrest was the product of arduous intelligence, surveillance and tailing by the agents.

U.S. federal agents spent months tracking Conn, who cut off his electronic monitor in June. The attorney was on home detention while awaiting sentencing, but he disappeared while in Lexington, Kentucky, at the permission of federal authorities to meet with his attorney and prosecutors.

Conn represented thousands in successful claims for Social Security benefits. Most of his clients in the impoverished coalfields of eastern Kentucky and West Virginia had to fight to try to keep their disability checks.

Conn pleaded guilty in March to stealing from the federal government and bribing a judge in the massive Social Security fraud case. His sentencing went on without him last summer, when he was given a 12-year prison term  the maximum possible.

The FBI office in Louisville, Kentucky, did not confirm the arrest Monday. Conns lawyer, Scott White, said hed had no communication from the U.S.

If in fact Eric has been lawfully captured and is legally returned, then, as I told you in June, this comes as no surprise ... the FBI usually gets their man, White said. Conn is expected to be transferred to the U.S. on Tuesday, according to the Honduran public magistrates office.

A photo of Conn distributed by the office shows him with close-cropped, reddish-gray hair and a blue polo shirt sitting at a table, with a police agent wearing a ballistic vest and carrying an assault rifle behind him.

Conn, who started his law practice in a trailer in 1993, had portrayed himself as Mr. Social Security. He fueled that persona with outlandish TV commercials and small-scale replicas of the Statue of Liberty and the Lincoln Memorial at his office in eastern Kentucky.

His empire crumbled when investigators discovered he had been bribing a doctor and judge to approve disability claims based on fake medical evidence.

Ned Pillersdorf, an eastern Kentucky attorney who is representing hundreds of Conns former clients, said Conns scheme caused a true humanitarian crisis.

With his capture, Im hoping we can get this ordeal behind us, put him in prison where he belongs and start to undo the damage he has done to his former clients, Pillersdorf said in a phone interview Monday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Staff Sgt. Franklin R. Ramos/U.S. Air Force(SEOUL) -- North Korea issued a dire warning Monday as a large-scale joint U.S.-South Korean air exercise got underway.



Two hundred and thirty U.S. military aircraft and 12,000 American personnel are participating in a five-day annual joint exercise with the South Korean military known as Vigilant Ace 18.



The exercise was scheduled long in advance but comes at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula and just a week after North Korea's latest intercontinental ballistic missile test reached its highest altitude yet.



U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy personnel will train with air assets from the Republic of Korea, flying 230 aircraft at eight U.S. and ROK military installations, read a statement from the U.S. Air Forces Pacific Air Forces Command issued in advance of the long-scheduled exercise. VIGILANT ACE is part of a continuous exercise program designed to enhance readiness and operational capability of U.S. and ROK forces.



The statement continued: "This realistic air combat exercise is designed to enhance interoperability between U.S. and Republic of Korea forces and increase the combat effectiveness of both nations."



Annual joint exercises conducted by the U.S. and South Korea routinely draw harsh criticism from North Koreas state-run media and Vigilant Ace is no different, with North Korean media described the exercise as pushing the U.S. and North Korea "to the brink of nuclear war."



About 200 of the American aircraft participating in the exercise are permanently based on the Korean peninsula but additional aircraft and personnel are deployed to South Korea to augment those forces.



For this years exercise, 24 U.S. aircraft with stealth capabilities have been deployed to South Korea to participate in the exercise, including six F-22 Raptors and 18 F-35 Lightning IIs. It is commonly believed that the radar-evading stealth aircraft could be used to great effect for missions into North Korea if needed.



The stealth aircraft will fly alongside American F-16s, F-15s and F-18 Hornets, as well as South Korean military aircraft, in a realistic air combat training designed to improve coordination between both militaries.



The 28,500 American troops in South Korea routinely participate in joint military exercises with the South Korean military throughout the year.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:15)

In the history of Christian missions in modern China, a group of foreign missionaries pioneering in different regions and even impacted the local history and peoples. They could be called apostolic missionaries who made great contributions to the evangelism ministry in China.

Here are ten of them and what they did for China.

William Chalmers Burns

Born in Scotland, William Chalmers Burns had a fervent heart for evangelism, encouraged by the book The Pilgrim's Progress ever since he was a child. He started mission tours in Britain and the United States and participated in religious revivals when he was young.

In 1847, Burns gave up his rich life and went to China. He first landed in Xiamen, Fujian, and expanded the mission to Zhangzhou as the first stop of evangelism in southern Fujian. Afterwards, he went on to preach in places like Nanjing, Shantou, and Beijing. He died in Newchwang (Yingkou, Liaoning Province).

One of his mottos was "Lord, here am I. Send me." Hudson Taylor regarded Burns as one of his "spiritual mentors" and learned much spiritual knowledge from him, building a solid foundation to establish the China Inland Mission. In addition, Burns was the first to complete the Chinese translation of The Pilgrim's Progress.

Cartairs Douglas

Cartairs Douglas, a Scottish missionary, left Britain for Amoy (Xiamen) in 1855. The next year he began missions in Anhai Town, Quanzhou, but the work was strongly opposed by the locals. However, he insisted on preaching and establishing local believers. He also built churches in southern Fujian.

In 1860, he visited Formosa (modern Taiwan) and found that the cultural environment was basically the same as that in southern Fujian, so he appealed to the English Presbyterian Mission to send missionaries to the island. Later many preachers headed to Taiwan and brought a new revival.

In 1877, he was elected joint Chairman of the Shanghai Missionary Conference. His opinion that missionaries to China might be the most outstanding because China was the greatest among the non-Christian countries motivated more people to share the gospel in the country.

James Outram Fraser

Known as the "apostle to the Lisu People", James O. Fraser was a missionary of the China Inland Mission (CIM). Seeing the spiritual need in China, the top student in Imperial College of London dedicated his life to the mission in China. He came to China in 1908 and spent the rest of his life working among the Lisu, an ethnic minority in southwest China. In 1913, Fraser and his colleagues entered the areas where the Lisu lived. Five years later, the number of Lisu Christians increased to 60,000.

Apart from missions, he helped the ethnic group alter their old customs and habits and quit opium. He created the Fraser alphabet for the Lisu language so that Lisu Christians could read the Bible in their own language. Furthermore, he preached to other minorities like Jingpo, Lahu, and Wa. His ministry changed the history of the Lisu people. In the 1990s, Christians accounted for 90% of Lisu's total population, making Lisu the most Christianized people in China.

Jesse Boardman Hartwell

Hartwell was a son of a pastor of the Southern Baptist Convention, full of enthusiasm for the overseas mission when he was a child.

He arrived in Shanghai in 1858. Two years later, Hartwell and his wife went to pioneer in Chefoo (modern Yantai), Shandong.

The first Baptist church in north China was founded on October 5, 1862. Centered around the church, the mission was expanded to surrounding counties and cities. Many converted and several churches were set up.

In 1875, Hartwell returned to the United States and continued the mission work among the Chinese. He served Chinese Americans in San Franciso for 14 years, contributing much to the local Chinese church.

Jonathan Goforth

Despite lacking a passion for the Christian faith, the Presbyterian missionary was transformed by an amazing experience at 18. He arrived in Chefoo in 1888 and later moved to Henan. Under extremely difficult conditions, Goforth brought up a revival. At the end of the nineteenth century, he led tens of thousands of people in Henan to follow Jesus.

He headed to Pyongyang, North Korea. In 1907, he witnessed the Korean revival. What was more, he preached in the army of Feng Yuxiang, a Chinese warlord and leader, and reaped converts among the soldiers. In his later years, he went to northeast China. Goforth set up mission stations in Jilin Province and preached in Liaoning Province.

James Gilmour

Gilmour was born to a Scottish Christian family. He reached Beijing in May 1870 and encountered some Mongolians. Touched that many people in Mongolia had never heard the gospel, he resolved to preach in Mongolia.

In the following years, Gilmour carried out missionary work in Mongolia, sometimes with his wife. They preached to nomads and had to live in yurts. Tens of thousands of Mongolians heard his preaching and a large percentage were baptized. Gilmour wrote down his twelve-year experience in China in his book Among the Mongols, calling for more attention to evangelism to the Mongols.

In his last days, he preached to more than 20,000 people in Mongolia, sold over 3,000 books, and distributed over 4,000 free gospel tracts.

Griffith John

Griffith John and his wife arrived in Shanghai in 1855. Besides preaching, he attempted to persuade the leaders of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom like Hong Xiuquan to abandon their heretical faith.

In 1861, John traveled west along the Yangtze River and reached Wuhan on June 21, becoming the first Protestant missionary to central China. He preached the gospel openly in public areas while traveling. At times he traveled for over 3,000 miles, leaving his footprints in Hubei, Hunan, and Sichuan. Churches were set up in those areas. He claimed that he established over 100 mission stations in Hubei.

Percy Cunningham Mather

The railway employee quit his job and arrived in Shanghai in 1910 under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Before long, he sensed the spiritual need of people in Xinjiang. In 1914, he arrived there. The special environment there didn't scare him. He learned the local cultures and befriended many Muslims. As a result, many locals gradually accepted the gospel.

In 1926, he and a Uygur worker traveled a circuit in north Xinjiang to reach Kazakhs and Mongolians. However, he was infected with typhus during his medical work and died.

Robert Samuel Maclay

Maclay's parents were active in spreading the gospel. In 1848, he reached Foochow (Fuzhou), China. Over the next decade, he preached in the city and northern Fujian and led the local people to Christ.

His mission also stretched out to Japan and South Korea. In 1870, he went to Japan and baptized over 1,000 people. In 1884, he set out for Seoul and embarked on the mission on the Korean Peninsula.

Samuel Pollard

In 1887, the young Pollard was inspired by the moving story of David Livingston, the missionary to Africa, and had a fervor to reach Chinese people.

After landing in China for a short time, he preached the gospel in Miao-populated areas of Yunnan and Guizhou. He evangelized in places including Zhaotong and Shimenkan. He led Miao people to Christ, created the Pollard Miao script, and founded schools and hospitals. His work promoted the development of science, education and other social undertakings in those areas. Shimenkan quickly became the state-of-the-art area in southwest Miao culture.

- Translated by Karen Luo
Macedonian authorities have jailed three opposition conservative lawmakers, and placed another three under house arrest pending trial for alleged involvement in a violent invasion of parliament by protesters.

A total of 36 people have been charged over April's riot in the capital, Skopje, in which more than 100 people were injured including lawmakers and police.

Out of the suspects, 26 have been ordered jailed for 30 days, including the three lawmakers and the country's former interior minister.

The lawmakers were stripped of their immunity from prosecution in a parliamentary session last week which the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party boycotted on grounds of alleged political bias.

VMRO-DPMNE governed for a decade before the current left-led government took over this year.

The detention order was issued by Macedonia's criminal court Tuesday.
Five townspeople are dead in western Guatemala after they were electrocuted while hanging ornaments on a large, artificial outdoor Christmas tree.

The spokesman for Guatemala's volunteer firefighters says four men and one woman died Tuesday in the hamlet of El Carmen Frontera, near the Mexico border.

Spokesman Mario Cruz says one of the victims apparently touched overhead power cables, causing electricity to surge into the metal-framed tree and electrocute the five young people. The dead were between 17 and 24 years old.
U.S. Marine Corps Fleet Antiterrorism Security Teams (FAST) have bolstered security across several U.S. embassies in the Middle East ahead of the expected announcement Wednesday by President Donald Trump about moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem  as well as mulling whether to recognize Jerusalem officially as the Israeli capital.

Israeli security officials say they're also preparing for a potential outbreak of violence. We understand that in any moment the order that we have achieved could change, said Jerusalem District Police Commander Major Gen. Yoram Halvy about the potential outbreak of violence with moving the U.S. Embassy to the holy city. Any second this place could be set on fire.

Jerusalems status long has been a flash point in the Arab-Israeli conflict, with both Palestinians and Israelis claiming the city as their capital. In 1995, Congress passed a law recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but allowed U.S. presidents to sign a six-month waiver postponing the move to entice both Israeli and Palestinians to the negotiating table.

WHY TRUMPS PROMISE TO MOVE US EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM IS SO CONTROVERSIAL

On Tuesday, Palestinian leaders said that if Trump recognized Jerusalem, as he has promised to do, the move would end U.S.-led peace efforts.

If Mr. Trump recognizes Jerusalem, he will destroy any chance of the deal of the century, Dr. Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, said referring to Trumps vow to reach a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.

Shaath said Palestinians would continue to work with other countries toward a two-state solution.

ERDOGAN: RECOGNIZING JERUSALEM AS ISRAELS CAPITAL IS RED LINE FOR MUSLIMS

Arab and European leaders also have pushed the Trump administration to resume peace negotiations. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah political party has called for daily protests marches this week.

With the threat of a violent Palestinian reaction, Israels police and military commanders have been meeting to evaluate the potential for escalation.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
Catalonian separatists won a razor-thin majority on Thursday, with the three separatist parties winning a total of 70 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament.

But the snap regional election failed to clarify the way forward, as parties seeking Catalonia's independence will be a majority in the new parliament but a pro-union party got the most votes.

Still, ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont celebrated the results from Belgium on Thursday -- the same country he sought refuge in after Spain issued European arrest warrants for him and other separatists in November.

Puigdemont also said that he's ready to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in any location but Spain, because that's where he's facing arrest. In addition, Puigdemont also said he wants guarantees to return to Catalonia and be reinstated as the region's leader.

In response, Rajoy said he expects a "new era based on dialogue" will begin in Catalonia following the snap election, adding that he will talk with the region's new leaders as long as they don't violate Spain's Constitution.

The election comes after the Spanish government took control of Catalonia when separatist lawmakers, led by Puigdemont, declared independence in October.

Spain invoked its never-before used constitutional amendment to take control of the region, giving it the ability to sack Puigdemont and his cabinet as well as authorize the government to curtail the regions parliamentary powers. Spain's Constitutional Court officially annulled the Catalan parliaments independence vote in November.

European neighbors  including Italy, France and Germany  have condemned the independence declaration and rallied behind Spain.

In light of the election, here's what you need to know.

What is Catalonia?

Located in the northeast region of Spain, Catalonia is largely independent with its own culture and language. Its one of the richest and most industrialized areas of the country with a heavy emphasis on manufacturing, according to the BBC.

The region, which includes Barcelona, is home to about 7.5 million people.

Valuing its autonomy, Catalonia has its own parliament and executive, called Generalitat in its language.

Why do they want independence?

Because of its own cultural identity, those in favor of Catalan independence have pushed for the region to become separate from Spain. Supporters also believe that they have given more to the Spanish government than they have gotten back.

The push for independence raises questions of the future of democracy and democratic rule, Pamela Radcliff, a University of California, San Diego professor and modern Spain historian, told Fox News. Whats being contested between Spain and Catalonia, one of the things is different visions of what defending democracy looks like.

SOME SEPARATIST-MINDED CATALANS URGE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Radcliff said that its very possible that neither side has much incentive to compromise.

The region held a referendum on Oct. 1.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets of Barcelona around the Catalan regional government palace to celebrate the independence vote. They chanted for the Spanish flag to be removed as live music played.

The regions parliament voted to establish an independent Catalonia with 70 votes in favor of independence, 10 votes against and two blank ballots. Opposition leaders had left the chambers in protest before the vote.

How did the Oct. 1 vote go?

Catalonias parliament voted for independence after an Oct. 1 referendum with about 90 percent of the 2.3 million people who voted choosing independence, according to Catalan officials. However, fewer than half of the eligible voters participated in the highly contested referendum.

About 900 people were treated for injuries after voting turned violent when Catalan civilians and Spanish police clashed.

Andrew Dowling, an expert in Catalan history at Cardiff University in Wales, said that an independence declaration by the Catalan parliament is symbolic without border and institutional control and no international support.

PRO-INDEPENDENCE CATALANS: 'I'VE NEVER FELT SPANISH'

The declaration "will see the fracture between hardliners and the pragmatic people in Catalonia who are already seeing an economic fallout," Dowling told The Associated Press.

But Spains Constitutional Court officially annulled the Catalan independence vote on Nov. 8.



What has been Spains response?

Spain's top court declared the Oct. 1 independence referendum illegal, and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had warned that the governments first move will be to remove Puigdemont from power when the Senate granted him the special powers under Article 155.

Rajoy said what is happening in Catalonia is a clear violation of the laws, of democracy, of the rights of all, and that has consequences.

Hundreds of thousands of anti-independence protesters demonstrated in the streets of Barcelona and called for the Catalonia region to remain a part of Spain.

Rajoy reportedly refused help from outside civil-society groups and lawyers to mediate negotiations between the two factions. He has also declined to engage in talks with Catalan leaders.

There is no possible mediation between democratic law and disobedience and unlawfulness, Rajoy said.

What is Article 155?

Spain invoked a clause of its constitution after Catalonia forged ahead with its plans to secede from the country that would take away the regions autonomy.

Catalonia's refusal to backtrack from its independence threats triggered Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, the government said, which allows central authorities to take over control of any of the countrys 17 regions. Its a provision that hasnt been used in the four decades since democracy was restored in the European nation.

OUSTED CATALAN LEADER SAYS HE IS NOT SEEKING POLITICAL ASYLUM, SUPPORTS SNAP ELECTION



An English translation of the constitution states that if an autonomous community breaks the law or disregards the constitution, the Spanish government can  after following certain procedures  take the measures necessary in order to compel the [community] forcibly to meet said obligations, or in order to protect [Spains] general interests.

Rajoy's cabinet met in a special meeting to approve measures to take direct control of the Catalan region under Article 155. The Senate gave him the power to do so.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Latest on the Syrian conflict (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

Syrian state media and an opposition monitoring group say an explosion has ripped through a van near the central city of Homs, killing at least eight people.

The Islamic State group claimed Tuesday's attack in Akarma, a government stronghold south of Homs.

IS says it targeted a bus carrying Syrian soldiers, but the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed were civilians, including six women.

Syrian state TV has aired images of the van's charred body, as well as damaged vehicles nearby. State news agency SANA says eight people were killed and 18 wounded.

Homs, Syria's third largest city, is frequently hit by bombs. The city was known as the "capital of the revolution" following the 2011 uprising against President Bashar Assad, but is now under government control.

___

9 a.m.

Syria's state news agency says Syrian air defense has shot down three Israeli missiles that were targeting a military post near the capital, Damascus.

SANA says the attack occurred early on Tuesday but hasn't said whether there were casualties.

The attack comes three days after Syria said Israel fired several surface-to-surface missiles at a military post near Damascus, causing material damage but no casualties.

There was no Israeli comment on the incident.

The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was an Israeli airstrike on the Damascus suburb of Jamraya, which is home to a government research center.

Israel has carried out a number of airstrikes against suspected arms shipments believed to be bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, which is fighting alongside Syrian government forces.
It should have been a positive, uplifting story: Christian residents of a small, newly liberated town in northern Iraq return home after fleeing ISIS in 2014.

But now that the town has been freed by Peshmerga forces, many of the Christians who have trickled back -- their livelihoods and homes in ruins, their sense of safety and security shattered -- are once again desperate to leave.

The reality is we cannot stay without the U.S. or the U.N. helping to protect Nineveh directly, Father Afram al-Khoury Benyamen told Fox News after Sunday mass recently at St. George Cathedral, a 133-year-old church. With international protection maybe we can remain, but if it doesnt come soon ... we go.

Bahzani, which means House of Treasure in ancient Syriac, is considered a contested area between the Baghdad Central Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers provided protection after ISIS was defeated, but then left six weeks ago when Baghdad ordered its troops to take over amid the fallout of the September Kurdish referendum for independence.

For Bahzanis Christians, the new faces at the towns checkpoints, and the fear that something could erupt at any time, has worn many of them to the depths of despair. ISIS is not finished in Mosul and still they can come straight here, the priest said. We expect more attacks. It is like staring into the darkness.

In addition to a plea for international protection, Father Afram -- who proudly said he prayed for Donald Trump to win the U.S. presidential election because he believes Trump will support Iraqs embattled minority -- yearns for financial aid that would enable him and others to piece their lives back together. We are the original people, the indigenous people here in Iraq and the government should want us to stay. Instead there is nothing. The village is dirty and there is no electricity. No water coming, no markets. All of our people are thinking to immigrate and leave.

Scores of Iraqi Christians in the region who earlier fled in fear to neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have waited years for visas to western nations, only to be rejected. Now, the priest said, these refugees are stranded. They dont have money or the courage to resettle in Iraq. Those fortunate to have been granted visas have seen their families split apart with some members living in the U.S., others living in Europe and still others strewn across the Middle East.

That sense of helplessness hangs in the air.

During Sundays service, women wrapped in dark mantillas sang and prayed and the men struck candles to lighten the darkened space. At the same time, tiny children played outside in the cold sunshine.

ISIS destroyed all the crosses, crosses that had been made 150 years ago, he said. But I said to my people, Make new crosses.

Before ISIS, about 400 Christian families lived in Bahzani. Now the number is about 130. There is no stability. Our homes are destroyed, said Mariam Ishaq, 58, who was born and raised in Bahzani.

She held hands with Faiza Yaaqoub, 68, as she stopped to talk after the Mass. Her companion was also born and raised in Bahzani. I dont want to leave, Ishaq said. But what else can we do?

St. George deacon Benian Abdullah echoed the frustration. We are always worried about who will be our future government? Who will be the next to control us? he asked.

After the church emptied, the priest made his way to the church hall, which was looted and suffered damage when ISIS seized the town. ISIS fighters left behind bulls-eye targets painted on the walls for shooting practice. They also used the building as a makeshift hospital.

Father Afram then walked into town and pointed at the crooked streets where 350 houses were bombed and burned in the battle with ISIS.

Those few residents who still live in these homes have been forced to cook on antique stoves and fetch water from old wells as they continue to mourn loved ones lost both directly and indirectly in the ISIS assault.

One resident, Silvia, wept for her 33-year-old son Rimon who died in February from cancer and was laid to rest at the church.

Because of this crisis we could not find him medicine. We could not get help for him to leave, she sobbed. And so he lost his life.

The haunting signs of ISIS brutality are everywhere, around every corner. The bomb fell down from the mountains at this place and you can see the effect, Father Afram said, staring up at the towns ISIS-ravaged wedding hall. The priest and other locals pooled what little money they had to pay for repairs to the banquet hall so that the residents would at least have a place for celebrations. But those meager funds ran out before the project could be finished.

The priest said there are other treasures in the town that he fears are also beyond the point of restoring. Among them are Bahzanis famous olive trees, which once covered much of the plains of Nineveh to the banks of the Tigris River. Before ISIS, everything was green, he said. Now everything is finished, nobody gave the olive trees water. And when I see the village like this I feel there is no life here. We used to have 150 doves come to our church, too. But after ISIS, even they have not come back.
The 22 people who died in the Manchester Arena terror attack might still be alive if information had been handled differently, according to a review of the May slaughter released Tuesday.

The independent review, conducted by lawyer David Anderson and ordered by Home Secretary Amber Rudd, said the May 22 attack might have been thwarted "had the cards fallen differently."

Anderson's assessment was part of an official report into the way police and the security services in the United Kingdom handled intelligence before four terrorist attacks earlier this year in London and Manchester, Sky News reported.

Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi had twice been a "subject of interest" in MI5 investigations in the years before the Manchester bombing, but those investigations by the British spy service were later closed.

In the months before the attack, intelligence officials received new information about the 22-year-old's activities, but the "significance was not fully appreciated at the time."

Anderson didn't provide further details about what intelligence authorities received that put Abedi back on their radar.

A planned meeting by the U.K's domestic intelligence service was scheduled for May 31 to discuss whether Abedi should be further investigated, but it came too later.

The report by Anderson concluded "in retrospect, the intelligence can be seen to have been highly relevant to the planned attack."

Besides the Manchester attacker, Anderson's report also revealed two other terrorists involved in the Westminster and London Bridge attacks this year were on the radar of police and intelligence services.

Khalid Masood, who killed five people at Westminster Bridge in March, was previously investigated by authorities for extremist links and criminal activity. Authorities closed his case file five years before the attack and he was no longer deemed to be a subject of interest.

UKS TERROR THREAT AT LEVELS 'NOT SEEN BEFORE,' SAYS BRITISH INTELLIGENCE CHIEF

While the report detailed missed opportunities, it also credited police and MI5 with stopping many other attacks despite unprecedented extremist activity.

Anderson said 22 terrorist plots had been thwarted by the authorities in the past four years, with nine in the past year alone.
The Trump administration intends to name a former U.S. ambassador to the Philippines and Bolivia to run its embassy in Cuba.

A U.S. official says the administration has selected Philip Goldberg to be the charge d'affaires in Havana. That's the top diplomat at U.S. missions where there is no ambassador. The Senate hasn't confirmed an ambassador to Cuba since relations were restored in 2015.

The official wasn't authorized to disclose the decision and demanded anonymity. The State Department declined to comment.

Goldberg is a long-serving diplomat once kicked out of Bolivia after the government accused him of fomenting unrest. He served in the Philippines under President Barack Obama. It's unclear how long he'll serve in Cuba.

Word of Goldberg's selection came as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Brussels.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the police and other law enforcement agencies to rejoin anti-drug operations, overturning his earlier directive to leave it to the government's anti-drug agency to handle the much-criticized deadly campaign.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Tuesday that Duterte approved a memorandum directing the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies to resume "providing active support" to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in anti-drug operations.

He said the memorandum supersedes Duterte's earlier order. A month before a November summit in Manila of Asian and Western leaders, Duterte pulled the police from anti-drug operations amid international criticism of the campaign, which has left thousands of drug suspects dead.
A senior United Nations official has arrived in Pyongyang for a very rare, four-day stay at the invitation of the North Korean government.

Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk, diplomats and U.N. staff during his stay. Feltman, the highest-ranking American in the U.N. Secretariat, is the first person in that post to visit North Korea since February 2010.

Though Feltman previously worked for the State Department, he is not representing the U.S. government. The most senior American to visit North Korea in that capacity recently was James R. Clapper, who as Director of National Intelligence traveled to Pyongyang in 2014 to secure the release of two American citizens.
China's nine years of compulsory education will not be extended to 12 years, the Department of Basic Education of China's Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement Tuesday.

A student studies at a primary school in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, August 31, 2017. [File Photo: VCG]

The statement was released after recent rumors went viral online, indicating the extension of compulsory education as well as the cancellation of the country's high school entrance exam.

"We are yet to have the conditions to include senior high school in compulsory education," the department said, adding that the main task in terms of senior high school education is for it to meet the needs of more junior high school graduates.

According to the statement, despite the goal for senior high school education to be implemented nationwide by 2020, which was included in a plan issued earlier this year, it does not mean senior high school education will be compulsory and free.

"Promoting high school education is more about making sure students can attend senior high schools," the statement read.

"Our compulsory education is still imbalanced and insufficient," the statement continued, suggesting that there are many important tasks to undertake to improve compulsory education in years to come.

The department also dismissed rumors that the senior high school entrance exam would be canceled.

"We want to cut the number of exams to reduce the pressure on our students," the statement said.
International arrest warrants for ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four members of his former cabinet were withdrawn Tuesday after a Spanish judge ruled the orders no longer applied.

Puigdemont and the other four ministers have been fighting extradition from Belgium since they fled a month ago after declaring unilateral independence for Catalonia in a referendum ruled illegal by Spain.

A Supreme Court spokesman said the five could still be arrested, however, if they return to Spain at any point because they are still being sought for crimes related to the independence bid.

GERMAN POLICE STAGE RAIDS IN PROBE OF G20 SUMMIT VIOLENCE

The five Catalans are facing rebellion, sedition and embezzlement among other charges for their roles in staging the October independence referendum that led to an independence declaration in the region's parliament.

A rebellion charge is considered one of the most serious crimes in Spain and carries a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena said Tuesday individual European warrants don't apply anymore because evidence has emerged the alleged crimes were committed as part of a wider group.

He also said the probed politicians have shown their "intention to return to Spain" in order to run for elections in Catalonia.

The arrest warrants were issued on Nov. 3, after members of Puigdemonts government who remained in Spain were jailed on provision charges.

Two ex-cabinet members, including Vice President Oriol Junqueras, and two separatist activists remain in custody.

MORE US, RUSSIA SHIPS JOIN SEARCH FOR MISSING ARGENTINE SUB

There were no immediate reactions by Puigdemont and aides in Brussels to the judge's announcement, but defense lawyer Paul Bekaert was taken by surprise when he heard the news from a reporter.

Meanwhile, campaigning has begun for the Dec. 21 election called by Spain's government in an attempt to find a democratic fix to the nation's worst institutional crisis in nearly four decades.

On Monday, Puigdemont said the new vote was a choice between nation or submission.

They can choose between Catalan institutions or dark characters in Madrid, he said in a video from Belgium, according to the BBC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
South Korea is reportedly looking to weaponized drones in a bid to counter the North's nuclear and missile programs, which are advancing so quickly Kim Jong Un stands on the precipice of declaring them completed.

The new weapon being developed by the South Korean army will be called a dronebot  combining the words "drone" and "robot," a South Korean Army official told Yonhap News Agency.

The Army plans to set up a special organization to lead the development of dronebots, establish a standard platform and expand the dronebot program by function," the official told Yonhap. "To begin with, we will launch a dronebot combat unit next year and use it as a 'game changer' in warfare."

The dronebots will inspect North Koreas nuclear and missile sites and will be mobilized in case of an attack.

As the countries develop new weapons to bolster defense capabilities amid the mushrooming crisis, U.S. and South Korea continued on Tuesday a joint military drill named Vigilant Ace -- a five-day exercise with more than 230 aircraft flying at eight U.S. and South Korean military installations in the South, including the largest number of stealth fighter jets partaking in the annual exercise. About 12,000 U.S. military personnel are participating in the drill that began Monday.

North Korea last week launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that reached a height of 22,796 miles and traveled 596 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan. The regime called the Hwasong-15 its greatest ICBM and said it was significantly more powerful than previous iterations and could be armed with a super-large nuclear warhead.

Kim later claimed North Korea had completed its nuclear program with the launch, but a U.S. official told Fox News on Saturday the ICBM did not survive re-entry into the Earths atmosphere  a feat Pyongyang has been trying to perfect. Without a successful re-entry, North Koreas ICBM could not make impact on U.S. soil even if it had the ability to reach American cities.

But a South Korean unification ministry official said Kim is most likely still going to declare his country a state nuclear force in a New Years Day address.

"After that, the North may unveil its stance on how to carry out the so-called 'byongjin policy,'" the official told Yonhap News Agency.

The byongjin policy is referring to Kims agenda of seeking nuclear armament and economic growth to allow North Korea to prosper.

South Korea rejects North Koreas claim it is a complete nuclear force and doubts the extent of the North's ICBM capabilities.
Four members of an American family were killed in Ireland on Monday when the rental car they were driving crashed into a truck.

The victims were identified as Doug and Lily Alexander, both 75; and their adult sons Steve Alexander, 49, and Doug Alexander Jr., 42, according to local reports.

The BBC reported the family had traveled to County Wexford, Ireland from their home in Illinois for a funeral. They had arrived at Shannon Airport only hours before the crash.

Irish police believe Lily and the elder Doug may have originally been from Ireland.

According to police, the BMW 5 series rental they were driving crashed into a truck on N25 near New Ross around 6:30 p.m. Monday. The truck driver, and a passenger who was in the vehicle, were not injured.

The crash is under investigation.

John Flemming, a local councilor, told the BBC the incident was completely devastating.

Everyone is just shocked by what has happened, he added.
President Xi Jinping said Tuesday China and Canada should explore new ideas and take active measures to achieve more substantial progress in bilateral ties.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is paying an official visit to China from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7.

President Xi Jinping meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is paying an official visit to China from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7. [Photo: China Plus]

Welcoming Trudeau on his second China visit since taking office in November 2015, Xi said that frequent visits between Chinese and Canadian leaders play a leading role in the development of bilateral ties.

Xi said that China and Canada complement each other with their respective advantages and enjoy great cooperation potential.

"Enhancing political mutual trust is the prerequisite to the stable development of state-to-state relations," Xi said.

He said that a country's development path could only be decided by its people, and that China and Canada, though having different political systems, could respect each other and seek common ground while reserving differences.

Xi encouraged the two countries to strengthen cooperation and expand exchanges to bring more benefits to the people of both countries.

"China and Canada need to fully tap potential and create more bright spots in cooperation in areas such as energy resources, science and innovation, aviation, finance, modern agriculture and clean technology," Xi said. "China will continue to support capable Chinese enterprises in investing in Canada and welcome Canadian enterprises to take an active part in Belt and Road Initiative."

He also called on both sides to intensify exchanges and deepen relations on education, culture, tourism and sports, and strengthen cooperation on key areas such as climate change and coordination within multilateral frameworks.

He said the two countries need to work together to hold a successful China-Canada Year of Tourism in 2018, adding that China is willing to learn from Canada on hosting Winter Olympic Games.

Trudeau said he agrees with Xi's comments on Canada-China relations.

Recent years have witnessed robust momentum in bilateral cooperation, which has brought benefits to both peoples and sent positive signals to the international community, he said.

Canada is committed to deepening relations with China on the basis of mutual respect and mutual trust, boosting cooperation on economy, trade and people-to-people exchanges and intensifying coordination on major global and regional issues, he said.




The Civil War Trust recommends this sampling of 10 activities at historic attractions across the country:

Dec. 9: Christmas through the Ages at Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island, Ala.

Experience a Christmas of days gone by at a 19th-century fort best known for its role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War. As you learn about historical Christmastime from soldiers of the 1700s through the 1900s, children will have the chance to make seashell ornaments and other decorations. Learn more.

Dec. 9: Memorial Illumination Ceremony at Wilsons Creek, Republic, Mo.

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield presents the 14th Annual Memorial Illumination Ceremony, featuring more than 2,539 luminaries, representing those killed, wounded, or missing at the 1861 Battle of Wilson's Creek, the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River. Living history volunteers, carolers, and re-enactors at the Ray House will bring the past to life, and music, refreshments and information will be provided at the visitor center.

Dec. 10: Holiday Open House at Appomattox Court House, Appomattox

Fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, the Battle of Appomattox Court House was one of the last of the Civil War. It was after this battle that Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the McLean House, signaling the end of the war. On Dec. 10, visit Appomattox Court House National Historical Park to see the village decorated with period holiday decorations. Refreshments will be served.

Dec. 10: Holiday Open House at Fort Meigs, Perrysburg, Ohio

During the War of 1812, two victories at Fort Meigs ushered in a period of American successes that would secure the Ohio frontier. On Dec. 10, re-enactors portraying War of 1812 soldiers and civilians will be onsite to provide demonstrations and answer questions about the War of 1812 and camp life. Enjoy holiday music, refreshments, and hands-on activities.

Dec. 16: Christmas at Bennett Place, Durham, N.C.

The site of the largest surrender of Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, Bennett Place State Historic Site was where Confederate Gen. Johnston and Union Gen. Sherman met to sign the surrender papers in April 1865. On Dec. 16, visit Bennett Place to learn how the holidays were celebrated during the Civil War. There will be living historians on site, weapons demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, and craft stations throughout the day, as well as a visit by Old St. Nick for the children. That evening, take a guided candlelight tour around the historic farm to watch and listen as soldiers and civilians celebrate the holiday.

Dec. 16-17: A 19th Century Christmas at Ellwood Manor, Locust Grove

On Dec. 16, head to historic Ellwood Manor in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park to visit with a Victorian-era Santa, make period arts and crafts, and enjoy the beautiful period decorations. The next day, the circa-1790 house will open again with live period music provided by Evergreen Shade. Ellwood Manor was used as a field hospital after the Civil Wars 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville and headquartered a Union general when the Battle of the Wilderness was fought a year later, in 1864.

Dec. 17: Christmas at Chatham Manor

In 1862, General Ambrose E. Burnside crossed the Rappahannock River below Chatham Manor in Stafford County, seized Fredericksburg, and launched a series of bloody assaults against General Robert E. Lee's Confederates, who held the high ground behind the town. On Dec. 17, journey to Chatham to visit with a patriotic Santa, learn about Christmas during the Civil War, and participate in 19th-century traditions. Educational activities will be available throughout the house, including stations dedicated to deciphering Civil War-era letters and learning about 19th-century Christmas trees.

Dec. 25: Christmas Day Crossing Re-enactment, Washington Crossing, Delaware

On Dec. 25, 1776, George Washington dared to cross the Delaware River, and his brave actions led to the defeat of the Hessians in Trenton and a turning point in the Revolutionary War. On Christmas Day, join fellow citizens from around the country to see several hundred re-enactors clad in Continental military dress, including George Washington himself. Listen as General Washington delivers an inspiring speech and leads his troops across the river in replica Durham boats.

About the Trust

The Civil War Trust is a national nonprofit land preservation organization devoted to the protection of Americas hallowed battlegrounds. It saves the battlefields of the Civil War, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, and educates the public about their importance in forging the nation we are today. To date, the Trust has preserved more than 47,000 acres of battlefield land in 24 states. Learn more at Civilwar.org.
I could go to the store and buy walnuts, but I would get no pleasure in that. There is a satisfaction that comes with doing it yourself.
There will be no roundup of illegal immigrants as part of a controversial proposal to train Culpeper deputies to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, both Sheriff Scott Jenkins and ICE official Earl Kennedy stressed to county supervisors Tuesday.

This is not a street-level program, Jenkins emphasized. We would not have the authority to arrest anyone on the street [for immigration violations].

Jenkins explained that under the 287(g) program, only those arrested for crimes would be subject to further interrogation to determine their legal status in this country and that those questions would be asked only in the jail and only by federally trained deputies.

He further assured the supervisors that any memorandum of understanding with ICE would not cost Culpeper taxpayers any more money, as critics of the proposal have claimed.

They pay for the four weeks of training and the equipment, he said. Im not asking for any more people. I dont know where this talk of the program costing millions came from. People often twist information to promote their own agendas.

The sheriff said that the deputiesperhaps as many as sixwould continue with their normal duties and that their only ICE assignments would be to ask those being processed into the jail the standard questions plus a few more. He added that Virginia law already requires jailers to ask for addresses of inmates being booked.

Kennedy backed Jenkins on both the financial and jurisdictional ends of the proposed local/federal arrangement.

These deputies answer to the sheriff on everything but immigration, he said. I make all those decisions.

Kennedy said all the county will be responsible for is having the deputies in place and providing space for the equipment involved. He further stated that any arrangement would be for three years, but that the sheriff could bring the program to a halt on a moments notice if he feels it is not working.

Kennedy said this would be the second such local/federal arrangement in Virginia, the only other being Prince William County. And he urged the supervisors to talk to officials there if they had questions.

That program has been in place for 10 years and there has been no uprising, Kennedy said.

Jenkins spoke of MS13 gang activity that was rampant in Culpeper 15 years ago, but has now been mostly quelled. He also reminded board members of a local Hispanic woman who was eight months pregnant when she and her unborn child were killed by an illegal immigrant who was driving drunk.

As a detective, Ive arrested illegal aliens who were convicted, deported and then come right back into the country, Jenkins said.

He added that the 287(g) program would give his office the ability to almost immediately determine a prisoners status and then hold that person for up to 48 hours while ICE responds. Kennedy said that most such illegals are picked up within 24 hours.

If they are not committing crimes and getting arrested, they are of no [legal] interest to us, Jenkins said. Usually these crimes are against members of their own community and [the residents] are glad to see the bad people removed.

He also spoke of some unpleasant aspects of the job.

Yes, Im really sad when we arrest a husband for domestic violence and he ends up getting deported, Jenkins said. But I have to carry out the law.

And the sheriff assured the supervisors that there would be no profiling.

Ive worked with the state police and other [law-enforcement officials] and I have never seen any racial profiling, he said.

Jenkins thanked the supervisors (the majority of whom appeared to approve of his proposed federal arrangement) for their interest, but made it clear that it was his decision on whether to join the program.

It may not be a popular political move for me, but Ill take responsibility, he said.

A boardroom packed with law-enforcement officials and concerned residents listened to the presentation and the supervisors questions. Because it was a presentation and not a public hearing, no one was allowed to speak.

Almost 150 people showed up at Tuesday nights public forum to speak on the 287(g) program, with those opposed vastly outnumbering supporters.
A computer scientist at Fort Lee charged last spring with a hate crime in a bizarre attack on a young black woman who was yanked from her vehicle by the ankles has been found found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Judge Lynn S. Brice of Chesterfield County Circuit Court found Matthew R. Ellis, 27, not guilty by reason of insanity after reviewing reports from two mental health professionals - including one for the prosecution - who concluded that Ellis was insane at the time of the May 3 incident in Chester.

"The evidence supporting the insanity defense was overwhelming in my view," said Todd Ritter, Ellis' attorney.

Ritter noted that the expert appointed to evaluate Ellis for the defense, clinical psychologist Dr. Evan S. Nelson, along with the expert hired by the prosecution, clinical psychologist Dr. Robert G. Gibby Jr., concurred that Elllis was insane.

"The reports indicated that Mr. Ellis was suffering from bipolar disorder, and this was a manic episode with psychotic features," Ellis said.

According to the judge's order, Ellis was committed to the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services for evaluation to determine whether he may be released with or without conditions or requires continued confinement. Ritter said Ellis will be sent to Central State Hospital in Prince George County.

A hearing was set for Jan. 29 to determined whether Ellis should be released.

Early in the case, Ritter disclosed in court filings that Ellis was paranoid and delusional and that his family had implored him to seek psychiatric help just days before the assault on a black female motorist.

When Ritter first met his client in jail, Ellis claimed Ritter was an "imposter lawyer sent to further the conspiracy and injustice the defendant believes is being perpetrated against him," Ritter said in court papers.

According to a prepared summary of evidence by Chesterfield prosecutor Geoff Easton, Ellis, who lived in Chester, pulled alongside the woman's car at the traffic light on Rivers Bend Boulevard at state Route 10 and began yelling obscenities at her through the open window of his vehicle.

In an attempt to get away, the victim drove onto eastbound Route 10 and Ellis followed her, and when she slowed due to traffic, Ellis rear-ended her vehicle. Ellis then got out, walked to the driver's-side door of the woman's car and yelled that he was going to kill her.

Moments later he opened the woman's door, grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her out. At that point several other motorists stopped their vehicles and three men approached Ellis and tried restraining him.

The men were able to subdue him to the point that the victim was able to escape and run to a nearby office building. But Ellis managed to free himself and he ran to the office building, where he tried to break down the door while yelling he was going to "get" her.

The three men caught up with Ellis and restrained him after he ran around the side of the building, holding him until police arrived. He spat on two Chesterfield officers as he was being placed under arrest.

After initially refusing to answer any questions and keeping his eyes closed, Ellis began making obscene racial comments about the victim. He stated he intended to kill the woman and again used a racial slur to describe her.

Ellis replied "yes" when one of the officers asked if wanted to hurt the woman because of her race.

"He was extremely agitated and vocal during the entire encounter," Easton said.

Ellis was charged with a hate-crime assault of the woman, two counts of assaulting a law-enforcement officer, statutory burglary and reckless driving. He was acquitted of all charges as a result of the judge's finding of not guilty by reason of insanity.

"I was pleased by the outcome and glad to see that Mr. Ellis will now be getting the help he needs," Ritter said. "In fact, there was intervention early on (after the arrest) so my client has been on proper medication for some time, and he is not remotely the same agitated and paranoid person I met shortly after his arrest."

"I was fortunate to have met Mr. Ellis very soon after the incident, and I also heard promptly from his family and numerous coworkers and friends, so it quickly became apparent that this was a mental health breakdown, and that he was not some violent racist," Ritter added. "The victim must have been utterly terrified, and I can assure you Mr. Ellis would have never wanted to be the source of that fright and pain for anyone."

Ellis received high praise from his employer, coworkers and others who vouched for his character, integrity and work ethic in letters submitted to Chesterfield General District Court last year related to a drunken-driving incident for which he was convicted in March 2016.

He was taking Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes to get in shape and receiving treatment from The Meridian Group in Chesterfield to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and panic attacks, according to letters in his court file related to the earlier incident.

Ellis served as the database administrator for the U.S. Army Food Management Information System at Fort Lee, a division of the Army's Communications Electronics Command. He began work there in 2008. An Army spokesman said Ellis is on leave without pay pending further review.
A Fredericksburg man on Monday was ordered to serve 10 years in prison for downloading hundreds of child pornography images.

Michael Stephen Hope pleaded guilty in Fredericksburg Circuit Court to two counts of reproducing child pornography and was given a 20-year sentence with half of the time suspended. He also will have to register as a sex offender.

Prosecutor David Sands III said in court that police became aware of Hope in March.

On March 15, a special agent with the Virginia State Police was searching BitTorrentan online open source, peer-to-peer program used to download large data fileswhen he found nearly 50 child pornography images.

Those images were then linked to Hope.

Agents went to Hope's Fredericksburg home, where he lived with his family and seized a computer, tablet and cellphone, where they discovered hundreds of pornographic images of children.

Hope, who has no criminal history, admitted to downloading the images, telling police he'd had a problem since he was sexually abused when he was 12. He said he had a sex addiction for which he had been seeking treatment.

Defense attorney Andrew Cornick said in court that prosecutors "could have buried" his client by charging Hope for all of the images he downloaded.

Cornick said his client knew he had a problem.

"He was already seeking help for this before the state police found him," Cornick said.

Before he was led away by bailiffs, a tearful Hope addressed the court.

"I would just like to apologize ... first of all to the victims out there ... and my friends and family," he said.

Hope then thanked the court for "helping me get my life back on track."
A judge has advised the Stafford County Board of Supervisors to delay swearing in Mark Dudenhefer, who was set to take the oath for the Garrisonville District seat during a ceremony Thursday night.

Dudenhefer's challenger, incumbent Laura Sellers, has petitioned the court for a recount after losing the election by 12 votes.

"As it appears that a final determination has not been made as to who will occupy that seat, I think it would be inappropriate for an oath for that office to be administered at this time," Stafford County Circuit Court Judge Charles Sharp said in a Dec. 1 letter to the county administrator.

Sharp went on to say that if the challenge was settled prior to Thursday night, "then the oath for that particular office could proceed."

If not, Sharp wrote, "I would suggest that the oath for that office be administered at such time as the results have been finalized."

Staffords three-member Electoral Board on Nov. 14 certified the election results, which saw Dudenhefer's lead narrow from fewer than 20 votes to 12 after adding to the tally 40 provisional ballots.

Sellers filed the petition for a recount Nov. 27. No court date had been set as of Tuesday afternoon. According to the Virginia Department of Elections, the chief judge of Staffords Circuit Court, along with two Supreme Court of Virginia judges, would make up the recount court, which would appoint recount officials. Those officials include election officers who served during the election.

In cases of a recount, after the ballots are tallied, the court certifies as the winner the candidate with the most votes.

"I'm going to let it play out," Dudenhefer said Tuesday. He declined to comment further.

The investiture, or swearing-in ceremony, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Board Chambers at 1300 Courthouse Road in Stafford. Also set to take the oath of office is Cindy Shelton, who won a three-way race for the Aquia District seat and will replace Supervisor Paul Milde, who vacated his seat in an unsuccessful run for the House of Delegates.

Supervisors Gary Snellings and Meg Bohmke will sign on for new, four-year terms after successfully fending off challengers during last month's election.

School Board winners Pamela Yeung and Sarah Breedin Chase will also take the oath of office Thursday evening.
WASHINGTON  With the current administration, there seems to be a new burning question nearly every week. Some linger and others are beyond answering except when they do so themselves. One of these obviously is how to deal with North Koreas pursuit of atomic weapons parity with other nuclear powers with a White House itself seemingly in personnel chaos with increasing reports of top level staff changes that deal with such questions.

If they are correct, the crucial foreign policy team would shift to those more to Donald Trumps way of thinking and that itself is scary given his threats to Kim Jong Un.

Certainly, more sanctions and other restrictions meted out by the United States and its western allies is not going to bring about any curtailment of Kims determination to push his nation into the atomic elite with the threat of dire consequences... a possible attack on any major target in the United States including this town. That was made clear with his firing of yet another intercontinental missile  this one something new with a range that makes any site in the United States a target. That is if, as North Korea claims, it has solved reentry and warhead weight problems.

International experts dont believe that is the case, but concede it wont be too long now before it is. At any rate the incident a few days ago when the test missile reached much higher than the International Space Station was enough to increase concerns. Americas UN ambassador Nikki Haley, echoing her boss, once again warned that the North Koreans would not survive such action.

Strategists, both military and civilian, seem convinced that while this country would sustain a hit or two, the entire infrastructure of North Korea  military, industrial, economically and population would be all but eliminated by a U.S. retaliation. Such foolishness would end them entirely, an ex-general friend detailed. But then, he added somberly, we may be dealing with a madman on their side and an irresponsible one on this.

There seems little doubt that Donald Trumps sword rattling, while it might have stimulated Kims anxiousness over U. S. intentions, wasnt the catalyst for all this. The Norths paranoia about defenses South Koreas bolstered by as they are by U.S. forces, including nuclear weapons if necessary, has been constant.

Also, Kims apparent obsession with exceeding his grandfather and father in power and importance is a factor. He obviously sees equality with the worlds nuclear powers as bringing his impoverished nation an undeniable status. He also has seen Irans nuclear development stunted by U.S. and Israeli pressure and is having none of it  no relegation to that lower status for him.

The overall question of seriousness is one about how far he will take this. Will he continue to test weapons, including the possibility of above ground atomic displays aimed at evermore powerful payloads and to bring about their delivery in more and more sophisticated ICBMs until someone says enough with obvious consequences.

One could only hope that somewhere along the line the North Koreans themselves would rebel against the poverty, starvation and abuse that has been their lot to pay for all this. The other day a North soldier on the DMZ, fled south and was shot several times before he made it and was saved by doctors. His physical shape was deplorable from lack of nutrition and abuse. Although a general rebellion seems the longest of shots considering a populace unable to break the spell under Kims tight control and constant portrayal of himself as an infallible God backed up by steadfast military and bureaucratic leaders.

Is there a way out of this dilemma? There may be. Despite the potential for disaster, there are efforts at negotiations by some U.S. officials, who remain optimistic that a non-violent solution, even one without the use of atomic weapons, can be reached. But Trumps name calling and brinkmanship makes one nervous. Meanwhile, the latest ICBM demonstration has one again convinced the U. S. military that it must be more alert than ever. It has taken defensive steps including bringing forces around concentrating more resources on missile defense and showing muscle whenever possible through military exercises in the area. But even a conventional land war would stand to take thousands of lives if not more, it is estimated.

The little rocket man, as the Donald calls him, seems hell bent for his own destruction... and a whole lot of the rest of us along the way.
OMAHA, Neb. - Greg ONeil had long dreamed of becoming a police officer. And when he and Angella Schuster decided to get married, his dream became her dream.

After ONeil applied to be an Omaha police officer in 2007, his fiancee was always his biggest booster, even when his own confidence at times flagged during the arduous weeding-out process.

I knew you could do it, Angie told him after he beat the clock to pass the physical agility test  no small feat for the past-his-peak 33-year-old.

Then came Dec. 5. ONeil was shocked to hear the reports of a shooting at Von Maur, the department store where Schuster worked, where they had met.

He left desperate messages on her cellphone. Angie, call me.

He stood out in the cold for hours.

Then, after hours of anguished uncertainty, an Omaha detective confirmed ONeils nightmare: His beautiful Angie was dead.

Dazed, ONeil walked from the room to a nearby window, one that looked right out on Von Maur. He stared at the stores distinctive golden globe lights as his life with Angie  and future without her  flashed before his eyes.

* * *

We thought it could never happen here. But 10 years ago Tuesday, a troubled 19-year-old walked into one of Omahas most elegant stores, at the most joyous time of year, and unleashed unimaginable horror.

Eight innocent victims died in just two minutes before the gunman turned the assault rifle on himself. The national media called it the Omaha Mall Massacre. The city joined the long list of places victimized in recent years by mass shootings. Columbine, San Ysidro, Killeen, Virginia Tech, and, suddenly, Omaha.

Ten years later, such shooting sprees continue with numbing regularity. Omahas mass shooting at the time was the 12th deadliest in U.S. history. Its not even among the 25 worst now. Each lethal recurrence becomes a painful reminder of the day that Von Maur employees called 12/5.

Still, Omaha from the start embraced those who were lost and who grieved, rejected the ugliness and moved forward into a hopeful future.

Indeed, for Greg ONeil, the passage of a decade would reveal many truths.

That life does go on. Dreams live on. And even in the face of devastating heartbreak, love endures.

* * *

They first met amid the low-slung aisles of Von Maur.

In 2001, ONeil was working in the loss prevention department, manning security cameras scoping for shoplifters. Schuster managed the girls clothing department.

For a long time they were just colleagues and friends. ONeil was married with a young child. But months after his marriage ended in divorce, his relationship with Angie changed.

In July 2006 they had their first official date. Friendship turned to romance.

ONeil couldnt believe how lucky he was to have Angie in his life. The Dubuque, Iowa, native was classy. Elegant. Beautiful. Friendly. Smart. Dedicated. And she was so great with his preschool daughter, Meghan.

They loved to go to dinner or just hang out at the house. Theyd watch movies or play games with Meghan. They traveled together and spent holidays with their extended families.

By the time the two started dating, ONeil had moved on from Von Maur to a job as a fraud investigator at First National Bank of Omaha. Schuster would often drive downtown over lunch and the couple would share what Angie called car picnics in the park overlooking the Missouri River.

We did it all with ease, ONeil said. We were so comfortable with each other.

They also made life plans together. In 2006 ONeil and Schuster attended the ceremony where a friend received his badge as a new Omaha police officer, and that got them talking.

ONeil always had an interest in law enforcement, one of the reasons he worked in security and fraud. Schuster persuaded him to apply to the Omaha department in July of 2007.

The process was a little daunting. Typically there would be well over a thousand applicants for just 50 to 100 jobs.

But Schuster encouraged ONeil as he trained for that agility test. She reminded him to get a good nights sleep before the written exam. She was so sure he could do it.

She was always positive, always positive, hed recall.  Dont worry. Youve got this. 

By the fall of 2007, ONeil had made it through both tests with scores that put him in the running for the departments next 50-person class. He and the remaining candidates were now undergoing deep background checks.

As he awaited the next step in that process, ONeil and Schuster decided to take another big step together.

By then it was a foregone conclusion they were getting married once ONeils previous marriage was annulled. So in October 2007, Schuster sold her house and moved in with ONeil. He planned to soon make the engagement official, and talked to his dad about shopping for a ring.

She knew it was coming at Christmas, ONeil said. She knew.

* * *

With less than three weeks until Christmas, the holiday shopping crush was on at Von Maur. Schuster found a few minutes over her lunch break that Wednesday to give ONeil a call.

She was just checking in  the last time they would ever speak.

ONeil had a dentists appointment early that afternoon. He was in the chair, the hygienist halfway through cleaning his teeth, when someone mentioned that theyd heard about a shooting at the Westroads Mall.

In the office, they turned on the news and soon heard that the shooting had been inside Von Maur.

Im out of here, ONeil said as he headed for the door.

He tried to stay calm during the 10-minute drive, convincing himself that it was a gang shooting or some kind of domestic dispute.

He arrived to find a crush of police cars and Von Maur employees still straggling out of the store.

He ran up to any employees he knew. Have you seen Angie? Nobody knew anything. Some were so shell-shocked, they couldnt speak at all.

As ONeil stood beyond the yellow police tape in the 20-degree cold, each minute that crawled by without a word from Angie raised his sense of dread.

I called it and called it and called it and called it, he said of her phone.

The families of those unaccounted for finally ended up at a hotel across the street from the mall, where Omaha police had set up a command post. By then, ONeil was aware that there were many dead inside the store. In his gut, he knew.

He barely remembers the meeting with the detectives who told him and Schusters sister that Angies body had been identified.

Im sure a lot of people I know now were in the room, hed say later. The only thing hed remember was how surreal it seemed.

The hardest part came later that night. How could he explain to 6-year-old Meghan that the woman who kissed her goodbye that morning would never come back?

ONeil felt even more numb the next day, when Omahas police chief in a televised press conference gave the names of all the dead and wounded. ONeil knew nearly all of them.

Gary Joy would do anything for you. Janet Jorgensen used to help him pick out gifts for his parents. Dianne Trent always had a smile on her face. Fred Wilson was such a gentleman. Micky Oldham was his work mom. Angie had spoken so highly of Maggie Webb, the store manager who died near Angie that day.

Outside, a clean, thin layer of fresh snow had fallen overnight. Without even thinking, ONeil grabbed a shovel and went out the door. It was the start of the coldest, most bitter December of his life.

* * *

In the weeks following Angies death, Meghan started picking up feathers wherever she found them  at school, on the street.

Angie leaves them for me, she told her father. Theyre from her angel wings.

It was hard for ONeil to share Meghans childlike certainty that Angie was now in heaven watching over them. He started noticing feathers, too, but knew they probably had always been there. Hed just never noticed them before.

Each day, his only goal was to push through to the next one.

In the morning, hed stare at Angies picture on the dresser, all her clothes still hanging in the closet nearby.

It took him three weeks to throw out the coffee grounds, hoping Angie would breeze into the kitchen to perk a fresh pot.

Hed bury his nose in her coat as he entered the house, and trip over her shoes by the front door.

During his 16-mile daily commute  time he used to spend on the cellphone with Angie  hed talk out loud to her.

He couldnt wait that year to take down the Christmas tree. The holidays were that hard.

The community, even total strangers, showered him with support. Talking about Angie was healing. He started seeing a counselor.

Im sorry you lost your fiancee, she said.

You have no idea, he thought. He told her about all the people he knew at Von Maur whose lives had been stolen.

ONeil tried to balance his grief with maintaining a strong front for Meghan. Her needs were the main reason he could even pull himself out of bed in the morning.

During those first months, ONeil had a recurring dream. He was walking in Von Maur, knowing intimately every aisle, backroom and corridor. He came upon the gunman and tackled him to the floor. Angie was safe.

Then hed wake to the reality that she was still gone.

A life with Angie would now and forever be just a dream. But one dream they shared remained alive.

* * *

Weeks after Angies murder, ONeil learned hed passed his Omaha police background check.

The department now wanted to schedule him for an interview, the next step in the process.

The interviewer gave ONeil a choice of dates, including Feb. 14.

He chose that day. He had to. Because Valentines Day was also Angies birthday.

ONeil wondered if it was more than a coincidence.

Was this a feather from Angie?

What are you doing here? one of the interviewers asked ONeil after learning of the days personal significance.

Because this is what she wanted me to do, he replied.

He felt Angies strength. She was still his rock.

I knew more than ever it was what I needed and wanted to do, he said. I was able to collect myself.

Weeks later, ONeil went through another interview  with Omahas chief of police. It was one of the final hurdles to becoming an officer.

A letter soon arrived making his hiring official. But ONeil refused to believe it was happening until June 30, 2008. That was the first day he sat down with 49 other new recruits in the Omaha police training academy.

Life in the academy was also no piece of cake. The hardest day: When all the recruits watched a presentation featuring the lessons learned in the Von Maur shooting.

Fellow recruits told ONeil he should ask out of it. A sergeant checked to make sure he was OK. ONeil insisted on getting all his training, including in active shooter response.

As with all the challenges in the academy, his memories of Angie helped him persevere to the end.

She was there, he said later. She got me through it.

Weeks later, a bittersweet ceremony was held, falling just two weeks before the one-year anniversary of Von Maur. Schusters sister and brother-in-law looked on as Meghan proudly pinned an Omaha police badge on her fathers chest.

* * *

Officer ONeil loves the challenge of working the street. Getting out and meeting the people. Helping them through their worst days, whether they got in a car wreck, their kid got busted or someone burglarized their home.

People dont call us to celebrate things, he said.

One of the toughest duties has been informing a person that a loved one has died or suffered some kind of tragedy.

In those moments, ONeil falls back on his own traumatic experience. You dont want to be a stone, he says. Its OK to show some emotion, some empathy, to ask if they need help.

They need to know you understand and you care, he said. Even at the worst of times, ONeil truly does.

Hes also responded to fatal shootings, incidents that obviously are more poignant for him than most officers. Another tough day came two years ago, when fellow officer Kerrie Orozco was fatally shot in the line of duty. ONeil served on the police honor guard at her funeral.

Like everyone else, ONeil is dismayed by all the mass shootings around the country, growing in both frequency and deadliness. He happened to be in Colorado during the 2012 mass shooting at the Aurora movie theater. Seeing the images on TV, the police lights flashing at night, brought ONeil right back to Dec. 5, 2007.

When that awful day does come to mind, ONeil tries not to dwell on it.

He says hes wiped the name of Angies killer from his brain.

There have been occasions when his police work has brought him back to Von Maur, like the times hes stopped in to pick up a shoplifter.

One thing he still wont do, he said, is go up to Von Maurs third floor. The only time he did he quickly retreated down the escalator. Its too painful to think about where Angie died.

Its a little surprising, but to ONeil, Von Maur is not a dark and somber place. Its a great place  where he remembers meeting Angie, and where he still has many friends.

See all this, he said one day recently, pointing to his tasteful striped shirt and matching tie. Susan Eddins in Von Maur sportswear. I buy everything from her.

There was a reason ONeil was dressed that day in shirt and tie rather than the standard police blues. ONeil earlier this year took a new assignment in the Omaha police public information office, helping keep the media and public informed about public safety matters.

There were several reasons he made the move, including getting better hours for his family. That relates to the other big change in his life over the past decade: Beth.

* * * * *

About a year after Angie was killed, a friend wanted ONeil to meet a woman who worked for another metro-area law enforcement agency. ONeil told him he wasnt ready.

Soon after, the friend invited ONeil to a party. When ONeil got to the party, he and Beth were the only guests.

They didnt start dating right away. But it soon became clear to ONeil hed met another diamond.

As a police veteran, Beth understood what the rookie officer was going through in his new work. He could confide in her.

And she totally understood what Angie meant to ONeil and Meghan, how important and impactful she was. Beth embraced the enduring love they felt for her.

We still have a picture of Angie on the refrigerator, ONeil said. (Beth) never swept those memories off to the side or into a box. She has been the total opposite of that.

ONeil and Beth married in 2011. In, 2015, a son, Aidan, joined their family.

Ten years after Von Maur, ONeil can hardly believe how happy his life has become. But then again, hes also not surprised.

Im pretty sure Angie sent her my way, he said.

Hes convinced Beth was another feather from Angie.
An East Yorkshire farmer has constructed a full-scale model of a John Deere tractor and plough made with Christmas fairy lights to raise money for charity.

Andrew Wilkinson, who farms near Pocklington in East Yorkshire, has created a life-sized model of a John Deere 6820 covered in Christmas lights complete with a three-furrow plough and a front weight block.

The incredible structure is made with 11,000 LED fairy lights attached to a metal frame with about 8,000 tie wraps and has more than 2 miles of wiring.

See also: High-hour horsepower  Lamborghini Formula 115 hits 18,000 hours

Andrew put the masterpiece together in about four months as a tribute to his late father David Wilkinson, who died 11 years ago after a battle with cancer.

The plough I have replicated is the very plough that my dad taught me to plough with, so its a very fitting addition to the tribute, said Andrew.

The large Union Jack flag made from fairy lights pictured behind the tractor is a special dedication to Tom Hughes, who was the grandfather of Andrews girlfriend Emma Lycett. Tom passed away from cancer in 2016.

I also want to say a massive thank you to everyone for their support this year, it means a great deal, said Andrew. Last year, Andrews Christmas light tractor raised more than 3,200 for Cancer Research UK.

To make a donation, visit Andrews fundraising page.
News

GOP chairs vote to wrest control from Gustafson

Carl Gustafson Janis Lowe

A group of Republican precinct chairs gathered last week in the parking lot of the Galveston Central Appraisal District building in Texas City.

They had intended to meet in the building, but it was locked on the order of Galveston County Republican Party Chairman Carl Gustafson. So, the group met in the parking lot and voted to create a new bylaw forming a steering committee that would assume control of many party functions from Gustafson, one committee member said.

The committee, made up of elected precinct chairs, is empowered to prepare the partys annual budget, appoint officers and subcommittee members and set the executive committee agenda, according to the newly created bylaw.

Gustafson, however, said he would not recognize the groups vote.

The meeting was called out-of-order, Gustafson said. Im the duly elected chair of the Galveston County Republican Party.

The steering committee, he said, is nothing.

Whether the vote will mean anything remains to be seen. Gustafson said he would refuse to recognize the action. But it signals a split in the county party between Gustafson and a group of precinct chairs who said they are unhappy with his leadership before the 2018 elections.

The exact cause of strife is unclear. Gustafson blames a group of self-serving individuals trying to grab power from within the party. His critics list grievances about the partys public messages, say Gustafson does not communicate with other party leaders and that pre-election groundwork isnt getting done fast enough.

Gustafson did ask county officials not to allow the group to use the appraisal district space under the partys name. He said he was concerned over insurance issues that might arise from a group having an unapproved meeting in the partys name.

But Janis Lowe, a precinct chair and member of the steering committee, said the group made concerted efforts to call a legal meeting.

I worked really hard to let the meeting commence, Lowe said. Because it was posted as being at the county building, she believed the meeting in the parking lot was proper, she said.

The parking lot meeting was attended by 26 precinct chairmen, according to meeting minutes obtained by The Daily News. All but one voted to create the committee, according to the minutes. There are 45 Republican precinct chairs in Galveston County, according to the Texas Secretary of States Office.

The partys bylaws allow an official meeting to be called if 25 percent of precinct chairs are present, Lowe said.

We all have a responsibility and we all have a duty and were going to start doing that more than relying on someone not doing that, Lowe said.

Gustafson, an engineer by trade, was elected to his position in December 2015 as an interim chairman, and was elected to a full two-year term in March 2016. He also is on the Friendswood City Council. His election came at a time when Republicans control almost all of the elected positions in the county.

Party grievances against Gustafson date back to before the 2016 presidential election, when the partys executive committee, which includes all of its elected precinct chairs, voted to pay for billboards urging people to vote.

Some in the group wanted the billboards to feature then-candidate Donald Trump, and other conservative icons, one precinct chairman said. But what was ultimately purchased was a more staid, red, white and blue sign with the words Vote Republican and the partys website address.

Other complaints followed. Precinct chairs voted in March to disapprove of a Clear Creek Independent School District bond proposal. The resolution called for the referendum to be postponed or for voters to reject it. In April, however, Gustafson was quoted in news reports downplaying that decision.

He was not, to some precinct chairs, sufficiently explaining the partys vote.

Later, Gustafson stood in the way of a resolution calling for censure of Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus. It was similar to ones made in other counties by conservatives upset by Straus performance during the 2017 Legislative Session. Straus blocked several socially conservative pieces of legislation, such as a bill that attempted to regulate which public bathrooms transgender people could use.

The resolution to censure Straus, like the steering committee vote, was improperly taken, Gustafson said.

Gustafson defended the way he has communicated the county partys position on political issues. There have been fights over messaging, he said. He had to work with Facebook to take control of the partys official page, for example, and also created a new party website.

My position is, and always has been, that the party web and social media presence should be upbeat and informational, not a source of negative and controversial communication, Gustafson said. Negativity does not inspire.

But his critics said they see a lack of leadership.

Theres no leadership in the party at all, said Sandra Tetley, a precinct chair who was not among the group at the parking lot meeting. Theres nothing happening; theres nothing going on. He does just the minimal to get by.

Gustafson and the precinct chairs contacted by The Daily News insisted the opposition against Gustafson didnt indicate internal splits or blocs forming around local politics. The coming Republican primaries include multiple Republican candidates for county judge and for the District 23 state representative seat, among others.

Instead, Gustafsons detractors said their move is over a lack of performance and communication before the elections and the partys major fundraising events, which they said is being organized more slowly than in the past years.

Those of us who are experienced precinct chairs are aware of the deadlines and timing and all the duties that we have, Lowe said. We just see the clock ticking and many of the duties and tasks need to be done, and theyre not getting done.

Gustafson said that if the dissident group intends to replace him, they should work to vote him out during the March primary. He intends to run for a second term, he said.
A Pinch of Salt: The election is over, I think, so what now?
For the members of our community who are outraged at the renaming of buildings on the Oregon State University campus: How would you have felt all these years if the buildings were named Stalin, Hitler or Amin? Insert any name of someone who you perceive as a perpetrator of inhumane acts. Many of us do not want to continue to honor those whose time of progress led to atrocities.

For me, the renaming of buildings is one acknowledgement for the incredible injustices perpetuated upon those who lived here when European settlers arrived. We cannot undo the incredible injustices perpetuated by slavery either. Our great American heritage includes invasion and massacre for the sake of economic gains under the guise of freedom. We need to start acknowledging our whole history with what happened to the indigenous peoples and the kidnapped persons who for centuries were trafficked as slaves.

I support the renaming of buildings to honor those who we know were here when the Eurocentric white settlers arrived; they are the ones to honor for they lived a life which did not harm the planet. And, I support the renaming of buildings for those who stood up to Oregon's not-so-long-ago racist laws.

Catherine Stearns

Corvallis (Nov. 28)
Article

Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
xspraise at 5-12-2017 09:04 AM (4 years ago) (m)

After undergoing surgery that lasted for almost six hours, about one week in the intensive care unit (ICU), and a month in recovery in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ali Ahmadu Chibok, the six-year-old boy who fell victim to one of Boko Harams murderous invasions on Chibok community in Borno State four years ago, returned home Monday to a tumultuous welcome.

After undergoing surgery that lasted for almost six hours, about one week in the intensive care unit (ICU), and a month in recovery in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ali Ahmadu Chibok, the six-year-old boy who fell victim to one of Boko Harams murderous invasions on Chibok community in Borno State four years ago, returned home Monday to a tumultuous welcome.

Ali, whose return was covered by reporters, arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, onboard an Ethiopian Airways flight at exactly 12.22 p.m. from Dubai, where he had spent a couple of months undergoing treatment.



The young lad was dressed in grey blazer, white shirt and blue jeans, and was all smiles as he disembarked from the plane.



Overwhelmed with joy, Ali thrilled the crowd with brisk walks at the Abuja airport. It was hectic controlling those who trooped out to catch the glimpse of the boy.



When he was approached by journalists at the arrival area of the airport, he simply said: I am fine.



When asked in Hausa about his experience in Dubai, he said lafiya lao (Fine, thank you).



To really prove that he was fine, Ali lifted his legs almost in a goose-step, much to the delight of onlookers. We are so happy about this.























Ali, whose return was covered by reporters, arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, onboard an Ethiopian Airways flight at exactly 12.22 p.m. from Dubai, where he had spent a couple of months undergoing treatment.The young lad was dressed in grey blazer, white shirt and blue jeans, and was all smiles as he disembarked from the plane.Overwhelmed with joy, Ali thrilled the crowd with brisk walks at the Abuja airport. It was hectic controlling those who trooped out to catch the glimpse of the boy.When he was approached by journalists at the arrival area of the airport, he simply said: I am fine.When asked in Hausa about his experience in Dubai, he said lafiya lao (Fine, thank you).To really prove that he was fine, Ali lifted his legs almost in a goose-step, much to the delight of onlookers. We are so happy about this.

Post Reply I am Victor, I write reportage on sport news and latest metro happenings in Nigeria. Posted: at 5-12-2017 09:04 AM (4 years ago) | Hero
clarajancita at 5-12-2017 01:21 PM (4 years ago) (f)

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has revealed how public officials defrauded Nigeria of a whooping sum. Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, has given more insight into how a pension syndicate defrauded the country of well over N42 billion between 2010 and 2014.



According to Reporters, Malamis revelation was contained in a memo he submitted to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating the reinstatement and promotion of the former chairman of Presidential Task Force on Pensions, Abdulrasheed Maina, headed by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, PDP, Bayelsa Central.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has revealed how public officials defrauded Nigeria of a whooping sum. Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, has given more insight into how a pension syndicate defrauded the country of well over N42 billion between 2010 and 2014.According to Reporters, Malamis revelation was contained in a memo he submitted to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating the reinstatement and promotion of the former chairman of Presidential Task Force on Pensions, Abdulrasheed Maina, headed by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, PDP, Bayelsa Central.

Following the memo, many of the officials concerned are now jittery as many of them have started seeking transfer out of the department. According to Malami in the memo, the office of Head of Service that was used to facilitate the fraud, had 66 separate accounts for pensioners.



According to him, in 2014, the office usually presented 258, 000 pensioners for payment monthly, whereas the actual figure of pensioners stood at 141, 762, noting that in the process, the syndicate defrauded the government of billions of naira amounting to over N42 billion.



Malami noted that as a result of this discovery, many of the officials who were around during the alleged scam, were lobbying to be transfered to other establiahments to be away from the radar of investigation, even as he revealed that the pension syndicate had serious links with the villa to the point of plotting to assassinate Maina.



The AGF assured the Senate Committee that despite the controversy around Maina, his office would still go after the pension thieves, noting that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were already finalising investigation of serving officials in the office of the Head of Service of the Federation linked to the scam.



He also said the government would vigorously prosecute some of the pending cases against the pension scam suspects.



According to the AGF, some of the pending cases of the pension thieves that would be pursued very vigorously in the coming year especially the 21-count charge against Dr Sani Teidi , Omo Eric Uduesegbe and others companies before Justice Gabriel Kolawole, the 10- count charge against Abdul Mohd and 3 other companies before Justice AFA Ademola and 13 other similar cases. Following the memo, many of the officials concerned are now jittery as many of them have started seeking transfer out of the department. According to Malami in the memo, the office of Head of Service that was used to facilitate the fraud, had 66 separate accounts for pensioners.According to him, in 2014, the office usually presented 258, 000 pensioners for payment monthly, whereas the actual figure of pensioners stood at 141, 762, noting that in the process, the syndicate defrauded the government of billions of naira amounting to over N42 billion.Malami noted that as a result of this discovery, many of the officials who were around during the alleged scam, were lobbying to be transfered to other establiahments to be away from the radar of investigation, even as he revealed that the pension syndicate had serious links with the villa to the point of plotting to assassinate Maina.The AGF assured the Senate Committee that despite the controversy around Maina, his office would still go after the pension thieves, noting that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were already finalising investigation of serving officials in the office of the Head of Service of the Federation linked to the scam.He also said the government would vigorously prosecute some of the pending cases against the pension scam suspects.According to the AGF, some of the pending cases of the pension thieves that would be pursued very vigorously in the coming year especially the 21-count charge against Dr Sani Teidi , Omo Eric Uduesegbe and others companies before Justice Gabriel Kolawole, the 10- count charge against Abdul Mohd and 3 other companies before Justice AFA Ademola and 13 other similar cases.

Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 5-12-2017 01:21 PM (4 years ago) | Hero
The Federal Government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Switzerland to recover $321 million stolen by former Head of State General Sani Abacha.

The announcement was made on the Federal Governments official Twitter account @AsoRock.The funds were initially frozen in Luxembourg, after being confiscated by Switzerland as part of criminal proceedings brought by the public prosecutors office of Geneva against Abba Abacha in December 2014.The memorandum of understanding was signed by the Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, with Switzerland and the World Bank.Read the statement below:

Quote

Today at the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) Meeting in Washington, DC, Nigeria signed an MOU with Switzerland for the return of USD$321 million in looted funds to Nigeria.

Nigeria is one of the 4 countries being prioritized for Asset Recovery assistance at this maiden edition of #GFAR2017. Fighting corruption  through institution-building, entrenching safeguards, and global collaboration  continues to be a priority for the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

We are grateful for the international support were getting in the fight against corruption. Global collaboration is critical to the success of the fight. We will continue to work to deepen mechanisms not just for asset recovery but for preventing corruption in the first place.

Nigeria will receive the sum of $321m stolen by the family of late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, following the signing of a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) by Attorney General @AbubakMalamiSAN with Switzerland and the @WorldBank at #GFAR2017 #NigeriaGFAR.

The modalities for the return of the stolen funds are set out in the MOU that was signed by the three parties at #GFAR2017 on December 4, 2017. The return of the looted funds is in line with Switzerlands policy of returning illegally-acquired assets.

The MOU stipulates that the restitution of funds will take place within the framework of a project known as the National Social Investment Program that will strengthen social security for the poor in Nigeria.

The MOU also regulates the disbursement of restituted funds in tranches and sets out concrete measures to be taken in the event of misuse or corruption, as well as allows the involvement of civil society in the monitoring of the restitution process.

These funds being returned to Nigeria  initially frozen in Luxembourg  were confiscated by Switzerland as part of criminal proceedings brought by the public prosecutors office of Geneva against Abba Abacha in December 2014.

Nigeria will use the opportunity of the #GFAR2017 meeting at the headquarters of @IFC_org in Washington, DC to negotiate the return of other assets and also engage in bilateral meetings with several other countries.

The Nigerian delegation to #GFAR2017 includes @AbubakMalamiSAN, Attorney General & Min of Justice, @JulietIbekaku, Special Assistant to the President on Justice Reform, & Coordinator, @ogpnigeria; as well as civil society organizations represented by Reverend David Ugolor, ED, @aneejnigeria
Helsinn Group supports Satellite Symposium at 10th International Conference on Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle Wasting

Lugano, Switzerland, December 5, 2017 - Helsinn, a Swiss pharmaceutical group focused on building quality cancer care products, today announces that it is supporting a satellite symposium hosted by The Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders (SCWD), entitled: 'Navigating cancer anorexia-cachexia: the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score in the spotlight', at the 10th International Conference on Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle Wasting.

This educational event hosted by SCWD will focus on and explain diagnostic methods and the practical solutions to cancer cachexia. The audience will be made up of oncologists, cardiologists, gerontologists, palliative care specialists, primary care physicians and nurses, the groups that on a day to day basis have to treat these debilitating conditions associated with cancer.

This symposium brings together a panel of world-renowned experts in cachexia, sarcopenia, and muscle wasting. The event will be chaired by Maurizio Muscaritoli, MD, Director of the Clinical Nutrition Management Unit, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy and the panel members comprises Donald McMillan, PhD, Professor of Surgical Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK and Barry Laird, MD, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Palliative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

The symposium will be held on Friday, 8th December 2017 at 13:15 - 14:15 in the Sheraton Roma Hotel & Conference Centre, Rome, Italy. Below the programme:

Switching on the navigation system: welcome and introduction

By Professor Maurizio Muscaritoli (Italy)

Blazing the trial: cancer anorexia-cachexia identification using the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score

By Professor Donald McMillan (UK)

Plotting the course: modified Glasgow Prognostic Score subgroup analysis in the ROMANA trials and beyond

By Dr Barry Laird (UK)

The road ahead: summary and close of meeting

By Professor Maurizio Muscaritoli (Italy)

Silvia Sebastiani, Head of Medical Affairs, commented: "Helsinn remains committed to cancer patients' quality of life and general well-being and we are delighted to be supporting this educational event. We support the work of The Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders and look forward to hearing from and working with leading experts on how to improve diagnosis and treatment methods for these debilitating conditions, as we continue to strive to improve the lives of patients living with cancer worldwide."

About the Helsinn Group

Helsinn is a privately owned pharmaceutical group with an extensive portfolio of marketed cancer care products and a robust drug development pipeline. Since 1976, Helsinn has been improving the everyday lives of patients, guided by core family values of respect, integrity and quality. The Group works across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices and nutritional supplements and has expertise in research, development, manufacture and the commercialization of therapeutic and supportive care products for cancer, pain and inflammation and gastroenterology. In 2016, Helsinn created the Helsinn Investment Fund to support early-stage investment opportunities in areas of unmet patient need. Since 2012, Helsinn has been coordinating clinical and regulatory activities in China from Beijing and in 2017 established an office in Shanghai to pursue commercial activities. The company is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland, with operating subsidiaries in Switzerland, Ireland, and the U.S., as well as a product presence in approximately 190 countries globally.

For more information:

Helsinn Group Media Contact:

Paola Bonvicini

Group Head of Communication

Lugano, Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0) 91 985 21 21

Info-hhc@helsinn.com
A wreck in Pittsylvania County killed one person and sent another to the hospital after the car was located five days after the crash.

A couple backed out of their driveway on Stoney Mill School Road and dropped about 50 feet down an embankment on Thursday, Brosville Community Volunteer Fire & Rescue Chief Kevin Farris said.

Crews responded to the wreck on Tuesday.

Farris said one person was pronounced dead at the scene and another was transported to SOVAH Health-Danville.

Farris did not disclose any other details surrounding the wreck or discovery.

Virginia State Police are investigating the crash and did not immediately responded to requests for information Tuesday afternoon.
A scathing report released Friday on the city of Charlottesvilles handling of a series of white nationalist rallies in the city over the summer criticizes the city council and top city officials for a series of mistakes in the lead up to the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally downtown.

The report, authored by former federal prosecutor Tim Heaphy, was also sharply critical of Charlottesville and state police preparations for the deadly rally.

The report from law firm Hunton & Williams says the councils efforts to relocate the Unite the Right rally from Emancipation Park to McIntire Park made planning for the ill-fated rally more difficult for city and public safety officials, some of whom appear to have pushed back against the idea, according to the report.

And while the report says the city managed to keep the public fairly well-informed ahead of the Ku Klux Klan rally on July 8, officials and community members told investigators the city failed to meet the communitys expectations for information before event, which resulted in scores of injuries and the deaths of a counter protester and two Virginia State Police troopers.

The report says the city unduly interfered with the operational planning for the rally, a situation made worse by the decision to relocate the rally within two weeks of Aug. 12.

City Council should not have injected itself into the process of deciding where to hold the Unite The Right rally, the report says. That decision was informed by both legal analysis and operational planning, neither of which is the province of the elected City Council.

***

The citys elected officials were pressured to act in the weeks leading up to the rally. Community members said they were fearful of potential violence and disorder, and argued that the city had ample cause to cancel the event, citing threatening and violent statements made by prospective rally goers.

The report says the city failed to share information with the public in a timely manner before the Unite the Right rally.

Uncertain as to where the event would ultimately take place, City leaders were unable to provide specific details about street closures, safety measures, and other important information, the report says. They left important questions from the business community, neighborhood groups, and interested citizens unanswered.

The report also asserts that a community outreach initiative that was proposed by Capt. Wendy Lewis was rejected by Police Chief Al Thomas.

Lewis, according to the report, suggested that the police department send a letter to every group likely to attend the event, requesting that they sign a written commitment to nonviolence and return it to Chief Thomas. Lewis suggested the letter, which also would reiterate mutual respect for first amendment rights and nonviolent civil disobedience, be shared with news media.

Chief Thomas never took her letter idea seriously, and he privately derided her public communications proposal as Wendys propaganda campaign, the report says.

Mayor Mike Signer told Hunton & Williams investigators that city staff promised to hold a town hall meeting ahead of the rally to provide information about the citys security plans and the legal issues related to the event. The event never happened because, in Signers words, employees ran out of bandwidth and were all crazed.

Ahead of the rally, the city hired public relations firm Powell Tate to provide strategic communications support and counsel to coordinate media engagement through Aug. 8 and 15.

The report says the firm never provided messaging advice to the city and was barred from the command center on Aug. 12, but emails obtained by the Progress show the firm did provide the City Council with talking points ahead of a council meeting following the rally.

Powell Tate and another firm, Edelman, which assisted the city of Orlando, Fla. following a mass shooting at a nightclub there last year, were expected to continue supporting the city on a pro bono basis following the event, but work agreements were never signed with either firm.

City officials said Edelman continued providing media monitoring reports until the end of October, but Powell Tate, which mostly assisted the mayor in coordinating and planning media interviews in the week following the rally, did not continue helping the city.

***

As the council sought out ways to cancel or relocate the rally, the citys attorneys said that prohibiting the event or attempting to relocate it could invite a legal challenge. Despite the prospect of violence at the event, state and local law enforcement officials said the threats were just noise from activist groups that were expected to protest the event, the report says.

The citys attorneys said basing any decision on those complaints and allegations would not provide a valid basis for any decision to cancel the permit without violating the First Amendment.

With McIntire Park in mind and believing that the city attorneys approach to the issue was too conservative, the councilors continued to push to relocate the event. The report says Councilor Kathy Galvin was the only one to defer to Thomas, who told the council that relocating the event to McIntire Park would make things only marginally better.

Galvin did not respond to requests for comment Saturday.

Thomas said he was concerned that it would become difficult to alter the developing operational plan for Emancipation Park, and that resources would need to be directed to both parks in case the rally organizers disregarded the citys wishes.

Signer recommended hiring outside counsel to provide advice on the matter. The city hired the firm Boies Schiller Flexner for a flat rate of $30,000.

Amid the push to relocate the rally, City Attorney Craig Brown warned the mayor that having the council involved in administrative functions could make the councilors personally liable in potential litigation.

Despite his concerns, Chief Thomas ultimately told City Manager Maurice Jones he should move the event.

In the citys system of government, the city manager is in charge of all operations, while the mayor, who is elected every two years by the council, is primarily responsible for managing council meetings.

Chief Thomas told us that he was concerned that continued opposition to the move would result in City Council firing the City Manager, the report says.

The specter of job termination resurfaced on the day of the rally and continues to haunt a few top-level city officials following the publication of the Hunton & Williams report, which is expected to cost the city $350,000.

After a confidential memo regarding a closed-session meeting that was held about two weeks after the rally was leaked to the press, Jones released a statement that said Signer threatened to fire both him and Thomas twice on Aug. 12 because the mayor had been barred from entering an operational command center.

About an hour before the Progress published a report on the contents of the leaked memo authored by Signer, the mayor suggested in an email to Jones that the public relations firm the city hired could help the city handle the fallout from the memo leak.

***

Over the weekend of Aug. 4-6, Signer corresponded with [Boies Schiller Flexner] regarding the appropriate basis and analysis for requiring the move to McIntire, which focused on logistical concerns based on the high numbers of attendees rather than concerns over threats of violence, the report says.

After the city announced on Aug. 7 it would only provide rally organizer Jason Kessler with a permit if the event were held at McIntire Park, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the Albemarle County-based Rutherford Institute on Aug. 10 filed a lawsuit on Kesslers behalf.

As the city prepared its legal defense, Thomas and other members of the citys operational command staff allegedly were hopeful the city would lose the case so that they could focus simply on maintaining control at Emancipation Park.

That position was made clear to Capt. Lewis when she suggested that Chief Thomas include actionable intelligence CPD possessed about the violent intentions of the Unite the Right attendees, the report says. According to Capt. Lewis, Thomas responded he did not want his affidavit to look too good.

The report says Thomas denied leaving anything out of his affidavit, and attributed any omissions to the lawyers working for the city.

The report also says Thomas permitted the violence to unfold during the rally so that an unlawful assembly could be declared, another assertion which he has denied.

The evening before the rally, a federal court sided with Kessler and said the city could not rescind the permit for the event in Emancipation Park.

***

In an email Saturday evening, Signer deferred questions about Thomas to Jones, saying Jones has the sole authority and responsibility to address questions of staff accountability.

Signer said he disagrees with Heaphys critique of the relocation effort, contesting the characterization that the effort to relocate the rally took place at the last minute.

In the leaked council memo regarding the citys preparations for the Aug. 12 rally, Jones was criticized for not acting sooner on the councils desire to relocate the rally. The memo states that Signer met with Jones to discuss the idea on July 13 and spoke with Chief Thomas about it on July 21.

This was a leadership call in a tough circumstance, and I believe we acted appropriately and in the interests of our public, Signer said Saturday.

In hindsight, its clear that it definitely complicated things. If I had to do it over again I think wed probably not do it, Councilor Kristin Szakos said of the attempt to relocate the rally.

Szakos was reluctant to criticize Thomas. Im not going to leap to judgment. [But] its certainly very concerning, she said about the report.

Councilor Wes Bellamy declined to discuss the report, saying that the council will respond to it during a public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday.

Councilor Bob Fenwick was critical of the report from Hunton & Williams, saying that the citys recovery efforts are now set back because Heaphy, the former federal prosecutor who spearheaded the firms investigation, chose to second guess virtually every city decision made under tremendous pressure.

Fenwick said he thinks the report was unfair to the city and failed to appropriately investigate or hold the Virginia State Police, which helped in the Aug. 12 security operations, accountable. The report, however, says that the state police were also responsible for many of the operational failures.

Regarding the effort to move the event to McIntire Park, Fenwick said it was a chance worth taking to help keep the public safe.

Our citizens are not stupid of ignorant or our basic rights, he said. We were just bewildered that in this case the law protected the white supremacists, [the] KKK, Nazis and Communists  not us.
Mineralization Extends to the Northwest and South, and the Deposit Remains Open

High-Grade Gold and Cobalt Veins Intersected

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec 5, 2017) - Cordoba Minerals Corp. (TSX VENTURE:CDB)(OTCQX:CDBMF) ("Cordoba"or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional high-grade intercepts from the ongoing resource expansion diamond drilling at the Alacran Deposit, located within the 100%-owned San Matias copper-gold project in Colombia.

An additional fifteen drill holes (ACD067 to ACD081) have been completed at the Alacran Deposit that focused on improving the continuity of mineralization and testing resource expansion potential in areas located to the north, west and south of the currently defined resource. Assay results from three drill holes are pending (ACD078, 079, and 081) and are expected to be included in the updated resource estimate to be completed in the first quarter of 2018.

Results from new step-out drill holes have demonstrated continuity of the stratabound copper and gold manto-style mineralization 100 metres down-dip and 50 metres to the northwest of the currently defined resource boundary of the Alacran Deposit. Hole ACD070 reported a significant manto intercept of 57.5 metres @ 0.65% copper and 0.43 g/t gold, including a new style of high-grade epithermal vein mineralization comprising a 1.3-metre-thick vein containing 11.30 g/t gold and 1.13% cobalt. The stratabound and the vein-style mineralization are open down-dip and on-strike to the northwest as highlighted on the long section in Figure 7 and on the map on Figure 9.

Diamond drilling has continued to define the southern extension of Alacran, previously identified by hole ACD066, released in July 2017, which was collared 200 metres to the south of the Inferred Mineral Resource. Hole ACD069 was collared 65 metres southwest of ACD066 and intersected 25.4 metres @ 0.71% copper and 0.14 g/t gold.

Exploration efforts continue to add new mineralized zones into the updated Alacran resource estimate expected in Q1 2018.

Highlights (refer to Table 1 for complete drilling results)

ACD070: 57.5 metres @ 0.65% copper and 0.43 g/t gold (0.98% copper equivalent ["CuEq"]; from 183.5 metres), including 1.3 metres @ 11.30 g/t gold, 1.13% cobalt (from 196.6 metres) 13.3 metres @ 0.99% copper, 0.29 g/t gold (1.21% CuEq; from 204.2 metres) 9.1 metres @ 1.26% copper, 0.40 g/t gold (1.56% CuEq; from 222.1 metres)

ACD074: 16.7 metres @ 1.24% copper, 0.13 g/t gold (1.34% CuEq; from 9.4 metres).

ACD069: 25.4 metres @ 0.71% copper and 0.14 g/t gold (0.82% CuEq; from 46.0 metres), including 4.0 metres @ 1.39% copper, 0.39 g/t gold (1.69% CuEq; from 46.0 metres)

ACD071: 7.8 metres @ 0.57% copper and 0.67 g/t gold (1.08% CuEq; from 127.4 metres), and 18.6 metres @ 0.60% copper and 0.22 g/t gold (0.77% CuEq; from 174.1 metres), including 6.3 metres @ 1.40% copper, 0.39 g/t gold (1.70% CuEq; from 174.1 metres)

ACD077: 27.1 metres @ 0.55% copper and 0.13 g/t gold (0.65% CuEq; from 24.0 metres), and 34.0 metres @ 0.48% copper and 0.06 g/t gold (0.53% CuEq; from 63.2 metres).



Mario Stifano, President and CEO of Cordoba Minerals, commented, "We are very pleased with the results we continue to receive from exploration drilling at Alacran. The recent results represent significant potential to extend and increase the scale of the current Alacran mineralized resource, particularly to the northwest with mineralization now extending over 1.4 kilometres in strike and up to 500 metres in lateral width. We continue to be excited and surprised by the prospectiveness of Alacran and the potential of the San Matias district with the discovery of new epithermal veins with high grade gold and cobalt that warrant continued drilling and exploration. We will continue to drill and define these highly prospective areas, and look forward to providing an updated resource estimate in Q1 2018."

Gold-rich zones at the Alacran Deposit are not only associated with copper in the replacive stratabound mineralization but also with two different styles of epithermal vein mineralization: (1) intermediate sulphidation or CBM ("carbonate base-metal") style veining that has a sphalerite-gold association and (2) low sulphidation fault-veins where gold is associated with arsenopyrite with cobalt. Both vein types are associated with strong carbonate-chlorite-white mica alteration and are interpreted to have occurred as part of a later geological event overprinting the stratabound manto-style copper-gold mineralization.

As shown on several of the attached sections from the on-going 3D geological modeling there is a set of sub-concordant altered dykes or sills that are spatially correlated with high grade copper-gold replacement mineralization in the wall rocks and also appears to have a close affinity with high grade gold CBM veins such as the bonanza gold grade previously reported in hole ACD036 (0.90 meters @ 4,440 g/t gold, 10.25% copper, 24.70% zinc and 347 g/t silver).

Based on the continuity of some marker stratigraphic horizons across the Deposit, there are no major faults displacing mineralization although evidence for significant east-verging reverse faulting repeating stratigraphy is found immediately to the west of the Deposit requiring follow-up drilling.

Discussion

On Section 855950mN,

ACD068 was collared to test the northern limit of the 0.3% copper grade shell at Mina Norte under a copper-gold soil anomaly. Low grade mineralization intersected is hosted in the fine sediments and tuffs as part of Unit 2, and is affected by patchy albite-chlorite-sericite alteration overprinted by smectite with disseminated sulphides. Intersections are outline in Table 1.

On Section 855820mN (Figure 1),

ACD070 was successful at proving down-dip continuation of the copper-gold mantos. The replacive stratabound copper-gold mineralization hosted in calcareous sediments and volcaniclastics of Unit 2 is also overprinted in this hole by a discordant metre-wide mineralized fault-vein zone filled with semi-massive sulphides. Predominance of arsenopyrite (plus minor pyrite and sphalerite) coupled with the pervasive chlorite-white mica alteration and carbonate gangue in the vein is diagnostic of a low sulphidation epithermal event. Intersections are outlined in Table 1 and include: 57.5 metres @ 0.65% copper and 0.43 g/t gold (0.98% CuEq; from 183.5 metres), including 1.3 metres @ 11.30 g/t gold, 1.13% cobalt (from 196.6 metres) as epithermal vein mineralization. 13.3 metres @ 0.99% copper, 0.29 g/t gold (1.21% CuEq; from 204.2 metres) as manto style mineralization. 9.1 metres @ 1.26% copper, 0.40 g/t gold (1.56% CuEq; from 222.1 metres) as manto style mineralization.

ACD076 (assays pending) was drilled 80 metres to the southwest of ACD070 and has not intersected significant mineralization but the stratabound- and the epithermal vein-style mineralization are open down-dip and on strike to the west and northwest of ACD070 as highlighted on the long section in Figure 7.

On Section 855710mN (Figure 2),

ACD071 was collared to test the down-dip continuation of the copper-gold mantos and to infill the approximate 100 metres gap between the good intersections in holes ACD030 and ASA048. Intersections are outlined in Table 1 and include: 7.8 metres @ 0.57% copper and 0.67 g/t gold (1.08% CuEq; from 127.4 metres) in calcareous sediments of Unit 2, and 18.6 metres @ 0.60% copper and 0.22 g/t gold (0.77% CuEq; from 174.1 metres) in fine tuffs of Unit 2, including 6.3 metres @ 1.40% copper, 0.39 g/t gold (1.70% CuEq; from 174.1 metres)

This weaker stratabound copper-gold mineralization remains open down-dip as highlighted on the cross section in Figure 2.

ACD077 was successful at infilling the 110 metres gap between the good intersections in holes ACD060 and ACD010. Intersections are outlined in Table 1 and include: 27.1 metres @ 0.55% copper and 0.13 g/t gold (0.65% CuEq; from 24.0 metres) in breccias and tuffs of Unit 2, and 34.0 metres @ 0.48% copper and 0.06 g/t gold (0.53% CuEq; from 63.3 metres) in tuffs of Unit 2, and 11.0 metres @ 1.47% copper and 0.79 g/t gold (2.07% CuEq; from 114.4 metres) in tuffs at the bottom of Unit 2. This intercept is separated from the previous one by a late-mineral diorite sill.



On Section 855415mN (Figure 3),

ACD074 was planned to infill the 130 metres gap between the good intersections in holes ACD064 and ACD033. Intersections are outlined in Table 1, including: 16.7 metres @ 1.24% copper, 0.13 g/t gold (1.34% CuEq; from 9.4 metres) in calcareous sediments and welded ash-flow tuffs of Unit 2.

ACD080A (assays pending) drilled 60 metres to the west of the intercept in ASA015 has not intersected significant mineralization and effectively closes off the mineralization down-dip on this section, as noted in Figure 3.

On Section 855140mN (Figure 4),

ACD073 successfully infilled the approximate 100 metres gap between the intersections in holes ASA043 and ASA047 with multiple intersections in tuffs and calcareous sediments of Unit 2 as outlined in Table 1, including: 4.5 metres @ 2.60% copper, 2.37 g/t gold (4.40% CuEq; from 140.5 metres), and 11.4 metres @ 0.56% copper and 0.29 g/t gold (0.78% CuEq; from 153.1m)

The stratabound copper-gold mineralization remains open down-dip as highlighted on the cross section shown in Figure 4.

ACD078 (assays pending) is an infill hole that proved the continuity of mineralization between the intercepts in ASA011 and ACD038 as shown in Figure 4. Chalcopyrite mineralization is hosted both in the calcareous mudstones above the marker fossiliferous limestone (as in ASA011) and in the tuffs below (as in ACD038).

On Section 854740mN (Figure 5), hole ACD081 was drilled as a step back hole to extend 60 metres down-dip the high-grade intersected by ACD066 (48 metres @ 0.70% copper and 0.19 g/t gold; previously released in July 2017). ACD066 was collared to test outcropping mineralization and an induced polarization ("IP") anomaly identified 200 metres to the south of the Inferred Mineral Resource shell published in January 2017. ACD081 has intersected the down-dip continuation of the same magnetite-chalcopyrite manto hosted in the laminated calcareous mudstones which are stratigraphically part of Unit 2. High grade mineralization is expected as shown in Figure 5.

On Section 854730mN (Figure 6), two drill holes were collared to further step-out to the south of ACD066. These holes have defined an additional strike extent of 70 metres and a dip extent of 70 metres, as shown on the map in Figure 9 and on sections in Figures 6 and 8.

ACD067 intersected oxidized to leached copper-gold mineralization starting at surface hosted by the laminated calcareous mudstones. These are replaced by semi-massive banded silica-apatite, magnetite and sulphides/oxides, with lesser chloritized lithic tuffs at the bottom of the intersection. Intersections are outlined in Table 1 and on the cross section in Figure 6.

ACD069 drilled as a step back from ACD067 has also intersected mineralization hosted by the Unit 2 laminated calcareous mudstones, which are replaced by semi-massive silica, magnetite and sulphides-similar to holes ACD066 and ACD067. Intersections are outlined in Table 1 and on the cross section in Figure 6, including: 25.4 metres @ 0.71% copper and 0.14 g/t gold (0.82% CuEq; from 46.0 metres), including 4.0 metres @ 1.39% copper, 0.39 g/t gold (1.69% CuEq; from 46.0 metres)



On Section 854650mN (Figure 8), drill hole ACD072 was collared an additional 110 metres southwest of ACD066 and only intersected low grade copper in the magnetite-rich manto that replaces the laminate calcareous mudstones, suggesting that mineralization is closing off down-dip and to the south as shown on oblique section in Figure 8.

Holes ACD075, 076 and 080a did not encounter significant mineralization and were not sampled. Refer to the map in Figure 9 for collar locations.

Alacran Copper-Gold Project

The Alacran copper-gold system is located within the San Matias copper-gold project in the Department of Cordoba, Colombia, 200 kilometres north of Medellin. San Matias comprises of a 20,000-hectare land package and contains several known areas of porphyry copper-gold and iron oxide copper gold, and/or carbonate replacement deposit mineralization and gold veins.

The Alacran copper-gold system is located on a topographic high in gently rolling countryside, optimal for potential open-pit mining. Site access and infrastructure are considered to be favourable.

The Inferred Mineral Resources at Alacran are currently 53.5 million tonnes @ 0.70% copper and 0.37 g/t gold. Alacran is approximately two kilometres southwest of the Company's Montiel porphyry copper-gold discovery, where drilling intersected 101.1 metres @ 1.0% copper and 0.65 g/t gold (previously reported in DDH-004), and two kilometres northwest of the Costa Azul porphyry copper-gold discovery, where drilling intersected 86.6 metres @ 0.62% copper and 0.51 g/t gold (previously reported in CADDH003).

The copper-gold mineralization at Alacran is associated with stratabound replacement of a faulted calcareous marine volcano-sedimentary sequence. The Deposit comprises moderately- to steeply-dipping stratigraphy that is mineralized as a series of sub-parallel replacement-style zones and associated disseminations. The mineralization is composed of multiple overprinting hydrothermal events, and the main mineralizing phase is comprised of chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite-pyrite that appears to overprint an early magnetite metasomatic event.

Technical Information

The technical information in this release has been reviewed and verified by Dale A. Sketchley, a Qualified Person for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Sketchley is a consultant to Cordoba Minerals and is considered independent under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Sketchley is a geologist with over 40 years in the mineral exploration, mining, and consulting industry. He is a Member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC) and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIMM).

Copper-equivalent values have been calculated using a US$1,300 per ounce gold price and US$2.50 per pound copper price.

Cordoba utilizes a comprehensive industry-standard QA/QC program. HQ and NQ diamond drill core is sawn lengthwise in two halves, and one half is sampled and shipped to a sample preparation laboratory. The other half of the core is stored in a secure facility for future assay verification. All samples are prepared at ALS Minerals Laboratory in Medellin, Colombia, and assayed at ALS Minerals Laboratory in Lima, Peru. ALS Minerals operates in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025. Gold is determined by 50 g fire assay with an AAS finish. An initial multi-element suite comprising copper, molybdenum, silver and additional elements is analyzed by four-acid digest with an ICP-ES or ICP-MS finish. All samples with copper values over 2000 ppm are re-assayed by a method for higher grades, which also uses a four-acid digest with an ICP-ES finish. Certified reference materials, blanks, and duplicates are inserted into the sample stream to monitor laboratory performance.

The Alacran preliminary Inferred Mineral Resource estimate was completed by Mining Associates Limited and reported by the Company on January 5, 2017, and is in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 and the 2014 Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) definition standards. Inferred Mineral Resources are considered to be too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Table 1 - Significant intercepts from recent Alacran drilling Hole ID From To Interval

(m) CuEq

(%) Cu

(%) Au

(g/t) Cut-off (%CuEq) True Thickness (approx % of intercept width) ACD067 0.0 20.0 20.0 0.34 0.16 0.24 0.3 90-100% ACD068 15.2 24.9 9.7 0.33 0.31 0.03 0.3 90-100% ACD068 36.9 57.0 20.1 0.32 0.28 0.05 0.3 ACD069 10.0 31.0 21.0 0.34 0.29 0.07 0.3 90-100% ACD069 46.0 71.4 25.4 0.82 0.71 0.14 0.3 ACD069 46.0 50.0 4.0 1.69 1.39 0.39 1.0 ACD070 149.5 160.8 11.3 0.33 0.24 0.12 0.3 90-100% ACD070 183.5 241.0 57.5 0.98 0.65 0.43 0.3 ACD070 204.2 217.5 13.3 1.21 0.99 0.29 1.0 ACD070 222.1 231.1 9.1 1.56 1.26 0.4 1.0 ACD071 85.4 93.4 8.0 0.67 0.20 0.62 0.3 90-100% ACD071 127.4 135.2 7.8 1.08 0.57 0.67 0.3 ACD071 127.4 135.2 7.8 1.08 0.57 0.67 1.0 ACD071 174.1 192.7 18.6 0.77 0.60 0.22 0.3 ACD071 174.1 180.4 6.3 1.70 1.40 0.39 1.0 ACD071 216.0 228.0 12.0 0.62 0.29 0.44 0.3 ACD073 140.5 145.0 4.5 4.40 2.60 2.37 1.0 90-100% ACD073 153.1 164.5 11.4 0.78 0.56 0.29 0.3 ACD073 172.6 183.7 11.1 0.60 0.43 0.22 0.3 ACD073 196.0 204.6 8.6 0.35 0.27 0.1 0.3 ACD074 9.4 30.2 20.8 1.14 1.05 0.12 0.3 90-100% ACD074 9.4 26.1 16.7 1.34 1.24 0.13 1.0 ACD074 62.7 74.8 12.1 0.33 0.30 0.04 0.3 ACD074 130.0 140.5 10.5 0.36 0.34 0.02 0.3 ACD077 0.0 14.9 14.9 0.60 0.36 0.32 0.3 90-100% ACD077 24.0 51.1 27.1 0.65 0.55 0.13 0.3 ACD077 63.3 97.2 34.0 0.53 0.48 0.06 0.3 ACD077 80.3 86.3 6.0 1.13 1.06 0.09 1.0 ACD077 114.4 125.4 11.0 2.07 1.47 0.79 0.3 ACD077 114.4 123.6 9.2 2.32 1.68 0.85 1.0

Table 2 - Significant epithermal vein intercept from recent Alacran drilling Hole ID From To Interval

(m) Au

(g/t) Co

(%) ACD070 196.6 197.9 1.3 11.3 1.13

0.3% CuEq cut off with 6m maximum internal dilution and a 6m minimum width.

1.0% CuEq cut off uses 4m maximum internal dilution and 4m minimum width.

True width intervals of the mineralization are estimated in the rightmost column

Copper equivalent ("CuEq") calculations assume a US$2.50/lb copper price and a US$1,300/Oz gold price.

For intercept calculations: sample assays of copper, gold and copper equivalent are all capped to 10% Cu, 10 g/t Au, and 10 % CuEq.

About Cordoba Minerals

Cordoba Minerals Corp. is a Toronto-based mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of copper and gold projects in Colombia. Cordoba is currently focused on its 100%-owned San Matias Copper-Gold Project, which includes the advanced-stage Alacran Deposit located in the Department of Cordoba. For further information, please visit www.cordobaminerals.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY

Mario Stifano, President and CEO

Cordoba Minerals Corp.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, (i) that recent results represent significant potential to extend and increase the scale of the current mineralized resource; and (ii) that an updated resource estimate will be completed in Q1 2018. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management based on the business and markets in which Cordoba operates, are inherently subject to significant operational, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential of the Company's properties are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Company's expectations include actual exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, delays or inability to receive required approvals, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

To view the figures and tables associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1105648_Figures.pdf
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 5, 2017) - Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTC Pink: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold" or the "Company") through its wholly owned subsidiary, Nevada Select Royalty, Inc ("Nevada Select") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive option agreement with Coeur Explorations, Inc., ("Coeur") a wholly owned subsidiary of Coeur Mining Inc., whereby Coeur has the option to acquire a 100% interest in the Tonopah West Project, located in Esmeralda and Nye County, Nevada (the "Option" or "Option Agreement"). The total Option consideration (if exercised by Coeur) is US$900,000 and Nevada Select will retain a net smelter returns royalty ("NSR"). The Option Agreement was executed December 4, 2017 (the "Effective Date").

The Tonopah West Project consists of seventeen (17) unpatented mining claims (the "Unpatented Claims"), eighteen (18) patented mining claims known as the "Tonopah-Hughes Claims" and five (5) patented claims known as the "West End Claims". The property is located in the mineral-rich Walker Lane Trend. Tonopah is a historic mining district which produced 1,861,200 ounces of gold and 174,152,628 ounces of silver, making it the second largest silver producing district in Nevada. Production occurred from 1901 through the mid-1950's. Nevada Select acquired the Tonopah Claims through staking and by the purchase of the patented claims in two separate transactions.

Jerry Baughman, President of Nevada Select commented on the Option, "This is exactly the kind of high-quality project and exploration partner we need to develop to maximize our chances for success and create real value for our shareholders."

The Option

Under the terms of the Option Agreement, Coeur can acquire a 100% interest in the Property by making an initial payment of US$25,000, followed by:

$50,000 six months after the Effective Date

$75,000 one year after the Effective Date

$100,000 two years after the Effective Date

$250,000 three years after the Effective Date

$400,000 four years after the Effective Date (the "Final Option Payment")

and electing to exercise the Option. Coeur may terminate the Option Agreement at any time without further liability for future Option payments.

In addition to the payments, Coeur must pay advance royalty payments as follows:

$25,000.00 on the first and second anniversary of the Final Option Payment; and

$40,000.00 on the fourth anniversary of the Final Option Payment and on each anniversary thereafter.

There are no work commitments or additional expenditures required other than Coeur's obligation to maintain the claim maintenance fees. If the Option is exercised by Coeur, Nevada Select will retain a 2% NSR on the Tonopah-Hughes Claims and a 3% NSR on the West End and Unpatented Claims. Coeur will have the right to buy-down 1% of the underlying royalties on all the claims for an aggregate purchase price of $1,000,000. There is no area of interest restriction surrounding the Tonopah West Project.

Trey Wasser, President and CEO of Ely Gold stated, "This transaction provides another excellent example of the Ely Gold business model. The Tonopah West Project involved a series of transactions by Nevada Select to purchase patented claims, purchase underlying royalties and stake unpatented claims. Finalizing this Option to our portfolio adds another important partner to our Nevada exploration portfolio."

Stephen Kenwood, P. Geo, is director of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Kenwood has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

About Ely Gold Royalties

Ely Gold Royalties offers shareholders a low risk leverage to the current price of gold and low-cost access to potential long-term mineral royalties. Ely Gold has built a portfolio of assets that produce recurring cash flow from mineral property options, advanced royalty payments and the potential to generate future operating royalty payments. Ely Gold's growing royalty portfolio is organically developed from the consolidation, enhancement and resale of highly prospective, unencumbered, precious metals properties located in located in the Western U.S., with a focus on projects in Nevada. The Company's business model includes property acquisition and advancing the potential of each property, employing our extensive database, while retaining royalty interests. The growing portfolio, under this business model, is generating steadily increasing revenue from 17 optioned properties and 20 deeded royalties with future growth expected from over 12 properties currently available for sale or option.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Signed "Trey Wasser"

Trey Wasser, President & CEO

For further information, please contact:



Trey Wasser, President & CEO

trey@elygoldinc.com

972-803-3087

Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer

jjobin@elygoldinc.com

604-488-1104

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
TORONTO, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nextsource Materials Inc. (TSX:NEXT) (OTCQB:NSRC) (NextSource or the Company) is pleased to announce the results of the Annual and Special Meeting of stockholders (the Meeting) held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 5, 2017.

As of the October 6, 2017, the record date for the Meeting, there were 460,995,711 common shares of the Company outstanding and entitled to vote at the Meeting. Of this amount, there were 313,662,602 common shares represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting.

All of the resolutions put forward at the Meeting were approved. The final voting results of the Meeting are set out below:

(1) Election of Directors. The Companys shareholders elected the following 6 nominees to the Board. Each of the nominees will serve for a one-year term and hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders, unless he sooner ceases to hold office. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the election of directors:

Nominee For Withheld Abstain Broker

Non-Vote John Sanderson 97.7% 2.3% - 10.8% Craig Scherba 99.5% 0.5% - 10.8% Quentin Yarie 91.4% 8.6% - 10.8% Robin Borley 99.5% 0.5% - 10.8% Dalton Larson 98.3% 1.7% - 10.8% Dean Comand 99.5% 0.5% - 10.8%

(2) Appointment of MNP LLP. The Companys shareholders approved the appointment of MNP LLP as the Companys independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018 and authorization of the Board to fix their remuneration. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the appointment of MNP LLP:

For Withheld Abstain Broker Non-

Vote 99.2% 0.8% - -

(3) Approval of the Share Consolidation. The Companys shareholders approved an amendment to the Companys articles of incorporation or articles of continuance, as applicable, to be completed at the Boards sole discretion, to effect a share consolidation (reverse stock split) of the Companys outstanding common shares in a ratio of between one-for-five and one-for-ten, at any time prior to the one year anniversary of the Meeting, without further stockholder approval. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the approval of the share consolidation and corresponding amendment to our articles:

For Against Abstain Broker Non-

Vote 94.9% 7.89% - 0%

(4) Approval of the Redomicile. The Companys shareholders approved (i) the redomicile of the Company from the State of Minnesota to Canada (the Redomicile); (ii) a plan of conversion relating to the Redomicile; (iii) the filing of articles of conversion under the Minnesota Business Corporation Act and proposed articles of continuance of the Company under the Canada Business Corporations Act; (iv) the replacement of the Companys articles of incorporation with proposed articles of continuance in connection with, and subject to the effectiveness of, the Redomicile; and (v) the adoption of new bylaws of the Company to replace the Companys existing bylaws in connection with, and subject to the effectiveness of, the Redomicile. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the approval of the Redomicile:

For Against Abstain Broker Non-

Vote 80.8% 19.2% - 10.8% For Against Abstain Broker Non-

Vote 253,524,856 60,137,746 - 33,911,592

(5) Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation. The Companys shareholders approved the non-binding advisory resolution, commonly known as a Say on Pay proposal, regarding the compensation of the Companys named executive officers. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the advisory vote on executive compensation:

For Against Abstain Broker Non-Vote 97.3% 2.7% - 10.8%

Subsequent to the Meeting, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the appointments of the following directors and executive officers:

John Sanderson as Chairman of the Board

Craig Scherba as President and Chief Executive Officer

Marc Johnson as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

Brent Nykoliation as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development

Robin Borley as Senior Vice President, Mine Development

Dean Comand (Chair), Dalton Larson and John Sanderson to the Audit Committee

Quentin Yarie (Chair), Dalton Larson and John Sanderson to the Nomination Committee

Dalton Larson (Chair), Dean Comand and John Sanderson to the Compensation Committee.

ABOUT NEXTSOURCE MATERIALS INC.

Nextsource Materials Inc. is a mine development company based in Toronto, Canada, that is developing its 100%-owned Molo Graphite Project in southern Madagascar to expected production in 2018. The Molo Graphite Project is a feasibility-stage, shovel-ready project and ranks as one of the largest-known and highest quality flake graphite deposits in the world and the only project with SuperFlake graphite.

For further information contact: +1.416.364.4911

Brent Nykoliation, SVP, Corporate Development at brent@nextsourcematerials.com or

Craig Scherba, President and CEO at craig@nextsourcematerials.com
Legislators and staff in the Iowa House of Representatives will be required to undergo sexual harassment training before the start of the next legislative session.The move comes as state officials grapple with the fallout of a sexual harassment and wrongful termination case that resulted in a $1.75 million settlement payment to a former Iowa Senate staffer.However, House Republicans spokesman Colin Tadlock said the new training is not a direct result of that case and had been part of internal discussions for months."We strive to provide the best possible work environment for our employees and are always looking to make improvements," House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said in a statement. "Hiring a human resources professional and updating our sexual harassment policies help accomplish that goal."Previously, House members and staffers were required to sign a form saying they had read the sexual harassment policy.
One of the top agenda items for state legislatures next year will be to address the rampant sexual harassment in state capitols. Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have been accused of sexual harassment -- or worse -- since the #metoo movement took off in mid-October.But several women in the Illinois legislature, which has already passed new laws in response to the outcry, caution that lawmakers should take their time when writing new sexual harassment policies.When youre in crisis mode, you tend to move quickly. I dont necessarily think crisis-legislating makes the best policy, says Illinois state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, who is also the incoming president for the National Conference of State Legislatures.Her advice to lawmakers in other states?I would suggest that you invest the time to really dig in. Were not going to solve this overnight --theres no need for bills overnight, she says. Realize this has to last beyond the next couple of news cycles. Its that important, that meaningful and that worth it.Illinois was one of the first state legislatures in the country to respond to allegations of sexual harassment within its ranks. Lawmakers there regularly convene in November to act on bills vetoed by the governor. This year, Illinois' veto session came just days after more than 100 women signed an open letter saying sexual harassment in the capitol is pervasive (the number of signatures has now grown to 300 ).Ask any woman who has lobbied the halls of the Capitol, staffed council chambers or slogged through brutal hours on the campaign trail. Misogyny is alive and well in this industry, they wrote.House Speaker Michael Madigan tried to get out ahead of the issue by proposing legislation to explicitly prohibit sexual harassment in the legislature. Madigans proposal also called for mandatory sexual harassment training for lawmakers, staff and lobbyists, and required the state Department of Human Rights to set up a hotline to report sexual harassment in the legislature.The leadership wanted to do something and do it big, do it strong, do it fast and do it definitively, Hutchinson says. But there were a lot of women under the dome that thought we are not going to eradicate this with one bill.The speakers hopes for a quick resolution were initially derailed.During a hearing on the proposal, a lobbyist accused a state senator of sexual harassment. The lobbyist had filed a complaint a year ago, but it had gone nowhere because the office of the legislative inspector general -- the only person authorized to handle those complaints -- had been vacant since 2013. That effectively froze investigations of 27 ethics complaints, which may include other sexual harassment charges. The complaints are confidential.So the legislatures focus turned toward hiring a new inspector general (which it did ) and extending the statute of limitations on the pending cases. With the immediate crisis over the inspector general resolved, the legislature then passed Madigan's proposal that included mandatory training.But the new laws don't change how sexual harassment complaints are handled, which some say is problematic. Those accusations will still be vetted by an inspector general and referred to an ethics committee.Our process was the equivalent of a car up on blocks. Just throwing tires on it doesnt mean its going to run well. I feel like thats what we did, says state Rep. Kelly Cassidy. What we could have done is address some of the things that were truly pressing, while taking a more thoughtful and methodical approach toward discovering whether the process we just reinstated was the right one in the first place.Sen. Karen McConnaughay, who sits on the ethics committee, says both Illinois' ethics process and its process for handling sexual harassment claims need to change.She says the role of lawmakers needs to be minimized in picking an inspector general and acting on complaints so that victims feel more comfortable reporting offenses. That would address a major factor common in sexual harassment cases: the imbalance of power between the offenders and their victims.First, you have to have a process in place that does not intimidate a victim from coming forward. Second, there needs to be clearly delineated boundaries for behavior. Thirdly, there needs to be consequences for behavior that cause people to think twice before harassing someone, McConnaughay says.The fact that the inspector general only received 27 complaints over the last few years -- and not all or even most were necessarily about sexual harassment -- shows that women did not feel comfortable reporting violations, says Cassidy. She, herself, never knew who to report violations to.That speaks to the culture of the building, that it never occurred to me to figure that out. Those complaints are the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg.In the meantime, both chambers set up separate task forces to develop new sexual harassment policies for the long term.Cassidy says the idea that the two chambers were working separately on this issue is bananas, frankly. She says the legislature should be taking a bipartisan, bicameral approach to solving the problem.Both Cassidy and Hutchinson have worked as lawmakers, legislative staff and lobbyists. They say a new policy has to take into consideration all of those different situations.We need to really look at the complexity of it, Hutchinson says. When you are a contract lobbyist, there is no HR [human relations department] to go to. If people dont feel the legislative process works, theyre not going to go to a legislator to report a legislator. We need to look at what happens when things can be highly partisan and politicized, which means protecting the integrity of the investigatory process so that the results are held above reproach.There are gradations of this, she added. In much the same way that battery is different than murder, an off-color comment is different than putting your hand up somebodys skirt in the middle of a bill negotiation. The most egregious things do need to be handled differently.But Cassidy also worries that even the best policies wont be effective if people dont have a chance to weigh in on the problem and help shape the solutions.The most important thing we can do, is to come up with the policies as openly and inclusively as possible, she says. Just as important as fixing the broken process is restoring faith for the people we represent that this will be addressed properly. They need to know we have seen and heard them because these are their houses too.
On Monday, in the afternoon, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey hosted an afternoon tea in support of Spinal Life Australia where the Governor addressed guests.

In the evening, in Hamilton, Brisbane, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey attended a reception in celebration of the birthday of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Japan where His Excellency addressed guests.

Following, at Customs House, Brisbane, the Governor attended The University of Queenslands End of Year Senate Dinner.
That dreaded letter in the mailbox after months of struggling to make rent: the eviction notice. In rapidly gentrifying San Francisco, the number of households receiving these dreaded notes is up  and has been for some time. In the wake of the economic downturn of 2008, building in San Francisco stagnated, struggling to keep up with a growing job market. The last five years have seen over 500,000 jobs created in San Francisco, while the housing supply remains limited. The current market rate for a home in the San Francisco metro area hovers around $1.2 million, and is projected to rise to $1.4 million by 2021. The Urban Displacement Project has reported that the influx of higher-educated residentsmost transplants in the tech industryinto working-class areas has already transformed over 10 percent of Bay Area neighborhoods, and almost 50 percent are currently experiencing displacement.The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, a Bay Area nonprofit that showcases the displacement of residents through graphics, mapping, and other visualizations, recently examined where evictions are most prevalent throughout San Franciscos neighborhoods and who is most affected.Through a partnership with CartoDB, the map examines eviction rates per 10,000 households by neighborhood, demographic group, and median rent. Using data from the San Francisco Rent Board, Census data, and median rent estimates from Zillow, the map features displacement trends across 150 demographic categories, such as middle class minority families and high rise urbanites. Using the map, policymakers can target interventions to prevent evictionswhether that be building additional affordable housing or increasing education about and access to existing programstowards those areas and populations in greatest need.The map also allows users to visualize the effects of evictions on areas dominated by more specific populations, such as neighborhoods home to high numbers of married white and minority multi-lingual populations with mixed income and education levelsareas with the third most evictions across the city. Unsurprisingly, areas in which wealthy transplants are displacing long-time residents are also characterized by high levels of evictions, particularly in downtown, Haight-Ashbury, the Castro, and the Mission District, which sees 137 evictions per 10,000 households. Prior to the 1990s dot-com bust, these areas were populated predominantly by Hispanic families; however, demographic data points to shifts in to white and higher educated populations. The number of residents in the Mission District without a high school diploma, for example, decreased from 41 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2003, while the number of residents in the Mission District with a four-year college degree increased from 18 percent in 1980 to 52 percent in 2003.Interestingly, the map also reveals that contrary to popular narratives about gentrification, displacement is certainly not limited to the citys most socioeconomically vulnerable populations. Rather, over two-thirds of evictions in 2015 are in areas dominated by high rise buildings in densely populated areas (described on the map as high rise, dense urbanites). Of course, some of these evictions are likely a result of an influx of these urbanites displacing lower-income, longtime residents. And yet clearly, even some of the citys relatively affluent residents are unable to afford skyrocketing rents, which are currently averaging over $4,500 for a two-bedroom.Google gentrification in and guess which city pops up first? Searchers now have the opportunity to harness the power of mapping to be able to understand and visualize how, where, and for whom the city is changing most rapidly. Whether housing supply will meet hiring demand for Silicon Valley workers  let alone its less affluent residents  will remain to be seen. Until then, those eviction notices will keep piling up.
(TNS)  The phones stopped working again at Pennsylvanias unemployment-compensation offices Tuesday. Due to vendor-related technical issues, the Department of Labor and Industry said.The same department has had to rely on what state auditors in May called antiquated software, written in the COBOL language used by punch-card programmers in the 1970s, since spending more than $160 million on a replacement system that failed.Elsewhere in Harrisburg, the Department of Human Services paid benefits to a couple of thousand dead people after computer systems failed to flag them as ineligible, auditors found last year. At the Department of Environmental Protection, the last full audit found water-quality reviews used decades-old reports updated by hand, before DEP apps this year began speeding data collection.And after contractors were paid $800 million over the years, more than four times its projected cost since the 1990s, the Pennsylvania Statewide Radio Network still doesnt work as designed.Look at the information-technology issues weve had, from unemployment compensation to the emergency phone system, State Rep. Seth Grove (R., York County) told me. We do not know how much money we spend on information technology. How many projects are out there? Are they on budget? Are we meeting their timeline?We dont know whats happening, Grove added. IT people are buried throughout the agencies. And we dont know how much they are spending on consultants. There are so many consultants. We hire consultants to watch the consultants.So Grove is sponsoring House Bill 1704, which would combine most state departmental IT offices and their short- and long-term planning, procurement, and cyber-security protection into a single Office of Technology. It would be part of the governors Office of Administration, under a director with the power to kill or suspend projects that run over budget or below standards.Pennsylvania IT contracts need better controls and stronger clawback mechanisms (performance bonds), so taxpayers can get their money back when the systems they buy dont work, elected Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat like Gov. Wolf, said at a Nov. 14 hearing on the bill. There are similar concerns with all state contracts.But Wolfs appointees worry that the new office could duplicate and conflict with current procurement rules, Curt Topper, Wolfs Department of General Services chief, told Grove at the hearing before State Rep. Daryl Metcalfes Government Affairs Committee.Sharon Minnich, who runs Wolfs Office of Administration, said the governor has spent many months developing a shared services IT procurement improvement initiative, like those Michigan and other states have implemented. The Wolf administration wants legislators to give us time before passing a new IT-contracting law, Minnich told me later.But Grove said hes tired of watching procurement practices shift and shift again under successive governors appointees  Pennsylvania needs better systems for tracking where taxpayer IT spending goes. For example, he said: Departments rely on staff augmentation contracts to bring in short-term IT workers, sometimes foreign nationals from countries that train more engineers than the U.S. has available.We think this saves us a lot on short-term employees, Grove said. But some have been with us now for 10 or 15 years. Some are for purposes so specific they only contract with Corrections, or with PennDot. Should those be permanent state employees?Labor suppliers rake off high margins for each hour worked, depending on a contract employees stated experience and training. IT contractors at state agencies should be subject to at least the same conflict-of-interest restrictions as state employees, Kailash Kalantri, president of Blue Bell-based Acclaim Systems, a state IT contractor that last year received the Governors Achievement Award, testified at the Nov 14 hearing.Stricter contractor review would avoid abuse of power and prevent conflicts of interest, Kalantri added. He questioned whether the current verification system does enough to avoid falsification of resumes, which can add to the bill for IT jobs.Grove praised Kalantri as a rare contractor willing to talk publicly about conflicts of interest. IT is a foundation of government, Grove told me. I got tired of the cost overages, of projects not getting done. I ask about those projects, I get no answers.  The departmental secretaries, God bless them, I dont think they see the day-to-day things that go on.The proposed reform isnt about cutting costs, he added. Its more about financial transparency, so we can better see what were buying.  The idea is to fit together a steady stream of incremental, workable projects that update and improve state services as part of clear goals and long-term plans  instead of these large $200 million projects that always fail.
(TNS)  Bloomberg Philanthropies is donating $5 million to help the Baltimore Police Department enhance crime-fighting technology  including buying more surveillance cameras, gun-shot detection software and license plate readers.The grant money will go to purchase 60 new Citiwatch surveillance cameras, 25 new mobile license plate readers and gunshot detection software to cover 10 miles of East and West Baltimore, city officials said.Equipping our police officers with the tools they need to fight and solve crime is a critical component of our violence reduction strategy, Mayor Catherine Pugh said in a statement. This grant will help provide state-of-the-art equipment to our police force to ensure the safety of our citys citizens and visitors.The 60 new surveillance cameras will be installed on light poles, expanding upon the citys system of 750 fixed cameras.Drew Vetter, director of the Mayors Office on Criminal Justice, said city officials are currently deciding where to place the new cameras by comparing maps of where the most crime occurs with maps of the camera system.This will allow us to fill in those blind spots that exist currently, he said.The 25 additional mobile license plate readers will be installed on patrol cars, enabling real-time alerts and capturing investigative data, city officials said. This technology helps identify stolen cars and other vehicles of interest.The gunshot-detection software will cover 10 square miles and expand upon an existing pilot program with the state. The software helps police quickly respond to shootings before 911 is called and alerts police to gunshots that they otherwise wouldnt have known about.Baltimore police had balked at buying gunshot-detection software in 2008, calling the technology unreliable. But Vetter says it has improved in the past decade.I know significant improvements have been made and more cities have embraced this as a valuable crime-fighting tool, he said.Baltimore is reeling from a surge in violent crime, and the mayor said she reached out to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for help.We made a request, Pugh said. Im glad he honored this request.A Bloomberg spokeswoman said the organization is proud to support these public safety efforts in Baltimore.The number of homicides in Baltimore this year has soared above 300 for a third straight year. Carjackings have jumped by 32 percent since last year. The city is on pace to end 2017 with more than 1,000 shootings.Pugh has released an anti-violence plan that calls for sending more police out on patrol and improving police training and technology. She is seeking to hire hundreds more officers after her predecessor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, cut about 400 positions from the budget during her tenure.We need to have 3,000 officers on the street, Pugh said.City officials said they expected the new technology to be in use in the first half of next year. Bloomberg has frequently made donations to Baltimore institutions  including his alma mater, the Johns Hopkins University, to which hes donated $1.5 billion over the years, the most any living benefactor has given to a single educational institution.Along with the Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg dropped a $10 million donation to fund a small-business initiative in Baltimore for the next five years. That came on the heels of a three-year, $1.5 million grant to City Hall to help reduce violence in Baltimore.Earlier this year, Pugh announced Baltimore was selected for Bloomberg's Innovation Team program. The city will receive as much as $500,000 annually for three years.Pugh has tasked the Innovation Team with finding ways to ensure the city attracts police recruits, hires them more quickly and retains them.City Council President Bernard C. Jack Young said he was extremely pleased with the latest donation.One of the most common requests I receive from my constituents is for more vigilance and more cameras in our neighborhoods, he said in a statement.
(TNS)  CLEVELAND, Ohio  A tiny fraction of license plates scanned by law enforcement cameras actually produce "hits" that lead police to criminal suspects, data collected by the American Civil Liberties Union show.The civil rights group, which believes the cameras raise privacy concerns, reviewed tens of millions of scans from 293 police departments and five state agencies and found hit rates of between 0.01 and 0.08 percent."While it is legitimate to use license plate readers to identify those who are alleged to have committed crimes, the overwhelming majority of people whose movements are monitored and recorded by these machines are innocent, and there is no reason for the police to be keeping records on their movements," the ACLU wrote in a 2013 report about the data. "The vast majority of license plate data are collected from people who have done nothing wrong at all."The ACLU is raising similar concerns in Northeast Ohio as Cuyahoga County prepares to buy 73 license-plate scanners for use at busy intersections in Cleveland and 18 suburbs. Council is expected to vote on the legislation on Dec. 12.Law enforcement officials acknowledge that very few of the plates scanned by cameras match plates filed in federal and state criminal databases. But they said the matches are nonetheless invaluable in investigations and have helped them solve numerous cases.Automated license-plate readers have led to arrests and the recovery of stolen vehicles, said Heather Whitten of the Cincinnati Police Department. She is the program manager for the regional system which has been using 36 plate-reading cameras at intersections since 2011."They have helped us solve some really big cases we may not have been able to without them," she said. She said police used license plate data to find a van wanted in connection to a shooting that occurred outside a bar and to locate an SUV involved in a hit-skip.The information captured from license plates is scanned against the FBI's National Crime Information Center's "Hot List." The hot list contains plate information on numerous factors including stolen vehicles, warrants attached to vehicle owners and missing persons. Local law enforcement agencies can add plates into the system for vehicles of interest.The cameras are already in use in parts of Northeast Ohio.Since 2010, license-plate reading cameras mounted on police vehicles have been used by 19 law enforcement agencies in Cuyahoga County and in nine cities in Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties.The 38 cameras took a total of more than four million images in the last year, said Brandy Carney, director of the county's Department of Public Safety and Justice.Fairview Park Police Chief Erich Upperman, who has worked on the county's camera proposal, said the Chagrin Valley dispatch center stores the license-plate data, but no reports have been issued regarding how many scans have produced hits.But Upperman said removing even one criminal off the streets is a validation of the technology."As far as we are concerned, it is worth it," he said.He offered two examples of arrests made because of the cameras:License plates scanned in the parking lot of a motel led to the arrest two hours later of a suspect in a burglary at one of the motel rooms.A plate scanned in another parking lot indicated an arrest warrant had been issued for the owner. The car contained thousands of dollars of stolen goods.As for the ACLU's concerns about privacy, Upperman said people's movements are monitored all the time by security and other cameras."We've had eight solid years of using this and there has been no hint of inappropriate use of data," he said.The ACLU has said it is concerned about the ability to collect and share data on all drivers. Several states, but not Ohio, have set limits on license plate reader use.The group's 2013 report, "You Are Being Tracked: How License Plate Readers Are Being Used To Record Americans' Movements, " is the most recent study on the effectiveness of the technology, officials said.Here's what the ACLU found on data hits:Maryland: The state's data fusion center collected more than 29 million license plate records from January through May 2012. Only 0.2 percent of those license plates, or about 1 in 500, were hits. Of those, 97 percent were for a suspended or revoked registration or a violation of the state's vehicle emissions inspection program.Minnesota: Of the 1,691,031 plates scanned between 2009-2011 by the Minnesota State Patrol, 852 citations were issued and 131 arrests were made. That is a hit rate of 0.05 percent.Burbank, Illinois: Between August 2011 and July 2012, 706,918 plates were read with a 'hit' rate of 0.3 percent.Rhinebeck, New York: Between January and March 2012, 99,771 plates were read with a 'hit' rate of 0.01 percent.High Point, North Carolina: Between August 2011 and June 2012, 70,289 plates were read with a 'hit' rate of 0.08 percent.The Bay Area Urban Areas Securities Initiative and the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center conducted a pilot project with automated license plate reading cameras at an intersection in Larkspur, California between October 2015 and April 2016.During February, March and April, when the cameras were fully operating, about 1.1 million license plates were captured each month, according to a report issued in July 2016. Of the total of 3,996,094 plate reads during the seven months, there were 985 matches to 'hot list' databases. Of those, 973 were lost or stolen plates. There were 4 felony wants, 3 sex offenders, and 5 on the violent gang/terrorist list.
(TNS)  A plan by the Brunswick Police Department and the Federal Railroad Administration could make the department the first in the country to use drones to patrol for trespassers along railroad tracks in town.The project, which is still in its infancy, also would make the Brunswick Police Department the first in Maine to use drones to look for potential criminal activity, rather than at a crime scene or at a crash site.But both state and federal officials say they will not be writing tickets if they spot people using the camera-equipped quadcopters.This device will only be used for detection, not enforcement, said Desiree French, a spokeswoman for the railroad administration.Brunswick is the current northern terminus of Amtraks Downeaster line, and if plans are approved to extend seasonal Downeaster service to Rockland , police would have to patrol an extra four miles of track, Brunswick Patrol Commander Thomas Garrepy said.We can cover a mile in every direction in a fraction of the time (with a drone), Garrepy said. Its more of education and detection. So were going to detect the violations, and send an officer out to educate them. Were trying to prevent fatalities before they occur.But major aspects of the initiative are still up in the air. Federal funding to buy the equipment has not been approved. Brunswick police also must craft a local drone-usage policy for the department and ink a deal with federal authorities on how the technology will be used. If all goes smoothly, police hope to have the program up and running by early summer 2018.Garrepy said the drone patrols would be limited to the train tracks, which are private property, and where the technology could help avert fatalities and lower the number of people who use the railway as a pedestrian cut-through.The only other law enforcement agencies in Maine that own drones are the Maine State Police and the Cumberland County Sheriffs office. Cumberland Countys aircraft has been sidelined, however, as the agency has waited for more than year for FAA approval of its license application.Since the Maine State Police program began in August, troopers have logged about 50 flights  roughly 30 for training, and about 20 missions in response to incidents. Major Chris Grotton said most of those missions were to assist car crash reconstruction and investigations, in cases where an expansive aerial view of the roadway is helpful.Twice in October, the state police drone was called to assist in other types of incidents. The first was Oct. 11, when a state police drone was deployed to Detroit, Maine, where it was used to inspect a silo where a chemical explosion injured three workers. Later that month, troopers helped the Maine Warden Service investigate the hunting-related shooting that killed 34-year-old Karen Wrentzel In Brunswick, Garrepy envisioned his departments drone project as an extension of an existing partnership with the federal government.The Federal Railroad Administration already has outfitted the tracks in the region with four wireless surveillance cameras, two in Freeport and two in Brunswick  to help police monitor the tracks for pedestrians. The cameras are motion-sensitive, and alert a dispatcher in Brunswick if something or someone enters the field of view. Police can then be dispatched to the area.But Garrepy said the wireless technology is spotty. Sometimes the images freeze, or the cameras cannot establish an internet connection to transmit the picture.The drone program could augment those monitoring efforts.Drones already are in use by railroads across the country, Garrepy said. Rail companies use the nimble, camera-toting aircraft to inspect equipment and infrastructure quickly and at a lower cost than dispatching a helicopter or special team to cover the same area.The same benefits make a drone attractive to the Brunswick department, Garrepy said. Officers cannot drive on the tracks, so patrols have to be conducted on foot, which is time consuming and dangerous, he said.Compared to other modes of transportation, rail fatalities in Maine are relatively rare. In the last 10 years, eight people were killed by trains statewide. All of those people were considered to be trespassing on the tracks when they died, according to Federal Railroad Administration statistics.By contrast, cars killed 18 pedestrians between January and November this year alone, according to the Maine Department of Transportation.Brunswicks drone initiative already has cleared an early hurdle.In November, Garrepy pitched the pilot program to the Brunswick town council for approval  a step required by a 2015 state law that placed procedures and limits on how and when police agencies may use drone equipment. The council voted 7-2 to allow police to continue developing the effort.But the department also must implement its own policy that is in line with a set of standards developed by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy on pilot training, mitigation of privacy concerns, how departments store and handle drone footage, and detailed information that must be recorded about each drone flight.State law also requires prosecutor approval to use a drone for a criminal investigation, in addition to standard warrant requirements to conduct a search.The state law was developed with input from civil rights groups, which have continued to recommend caution as drones are increasingly being used in police work.But Grotton said police in Maine are governed by at least four layers of oversight when it comes to drones, starting with the Fourth Amendment restrictions on conducting police searches, state law, the minimum standards set out by the Criminal Justice Academy, and each departments own guidelines.Ive worked closely with the ACLU, he said. I understand the fear. We think these are good safeguards in Maine. Everyones always suspicious, I understand, but were being very careful.
No video  The current program understands words, not pictures or videos.

Location  Your location will need to be provided to dispatch to receive help quickly.

Delays  Messages can be delayed, causing dispatch to receive messages out order, causing a delay in receiving help.

(TNS)  Weld County officials on Monday announced its emergency communications center will now accept text messages.The text-to-911 service, promoted under the national theme Call if You Can, Text if You Can't, allows people throughout Weld County to reach 911 via text during an emergency if calling is not an option, according to a Weld County news release."It provides another method for people to request help when it's desperately needed," Weld County Commissioner Chairwoman Julie Cozad said in the release. "It's a great asset to Weld County."The text-to-911 option is a growing initiative, and was in just rolled out in Los Angeles County in California.Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams on Monday said it was a good idea, as people aren't always eager to call 911 and at times may not be able to call for fear of alerting someone to the call."It's just one more way for someone to call for help," Reams said. "Any time we can get another way to provide a service, it's a good thing."Weld County officials still say calling 911 should be the first option. If residents must text, the county has offered the following guidelines:For more information about the program, including examples of how and when to use the service, go to http://www.weldgov.com
(TNS)  For more than a year, Uber Technologies Inc. concealed a massive hack that exposed the personal data of millions of drivers and riders, violating a California law that requires companies to promptly report such breaches, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer.In October 2016, hackers stole the names, cellphone numbers and email addresses of more than 57 million riders across the world, as well as drivers license numbers for 600,000 Uber drivers in the United States. Uber disclosed the hack last month.Feuer filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of California residents. The case will focus on Ubers failure to disclose the data breach to Ubers California drivers, he said.California law requires companies to report hacks in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay when some forms of personal data, including drivers license numbers, are compromised. The law is designed to help consumers fight identity theft.Instead, Uber paid the hackers $100,000 to destroy the data, pressured them to sign nondisclosure agreements, and portrayed the ransom as a payment to test the vulnerabilities of the companys data security systems, according to the lawsuit.Were taking action because we believe very strongly in the importance of protecting consumers, Feuer said Monday at a news conference at Los Angeles City Hall.The consumer protection law is commonly invoked in the lawsuits that follow data breaches. In September, San Franciscos city attorney cited the law in a suit filed against Equifax, alleging the company failed to promptly disclose a hack that affected more than 15 million California residents.Feuer said he doesnt yet know how many drivers in California were affected in Ubers lawsuit.The lawsuit seeks $2,500 for each violation of the law. Any payments would be shared between the city and the county of Los Angeles, and would be spent on consumer protection efforts, Feuer said.In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said the company is happy to address regulators questions, and is committed to changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make, and working hard to regain the trust of consumers."Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi, who was hired in August to replace controversial founder Travis Kalanick, said in a blog post last month that he learned of the hack months after it occurred.Ubers chief of security and another employee were fired for not revealing the hack, and the company has provided free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to affected drivers, Khosrowshahi said.None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it, Khosrowshahi said. While I cant erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes.The hack did not expose Uber riders trip histories, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers or dates of birth, he said.In January 2016, Uber paid a $20,000 fine to the New York attorney general for failing to promptly report a separate data breach in 2014. That previous disclosure, Mondays lawsuit said, makes the companys gross conduct ... even more alarming.
To enable future growth in China, Ford will contain structural cost in the region throughout 2018, aiming to generate greater efficiencies, become more operationally fit and deliver additional value to shareholders. Even as the team works to streamline, Ford plans to grow its China revenue by 50% by 2025 versus 2017 and is focusing its business expansion on three areas: even more smart, connected vehicles; closer connections to Chinese customers, and a streamlined business structure.

In Shanghai, Ford Motor Executive Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Hackett outlined the next phase of the companys China expansion strategy, focused on SUVs, electric and connected vehicles, a streamlined business structure and closer connections to Chinese customers.

China is not only the largest car market in the world, its also at the heart of electric vehicle and SUV growth and the mobility movement. The progress we have achieved in China is just the start. We now have a chance to expand our presence in China and deliver even more for customers, our partners and society. Bill Ford

The company plans to offer more than 50 new Ford and Lincoln vehicles in China by 2025. The expanded product portfolio will reflect an even stronger emphasis on SUVswith eight all-new utilitiesalong with more electric vehicles.

The company will launch at least 15 new electrified vehicles from Ford and Lincoln. The new Zotye-Ford joint venture will deliver a separate range of affordable all-electric vehicles under a new brand, pending regulatory approvals.

From luxury Lincolns, to Ford cars and SUVs, to an all-new electric vehicle brand, we will meet the growing desire and need in China for great new energy vehicles. Each of them will be safe, efficient, fun to drive and backed by an ecosystem that makes charging, sharing and servicing easy. Jason Luo, chairman and CEO, Ford China

By the end of 2019, 100% of new Ford and Lincoln-badged vehicles in China will be connected through either embedded modems or plug-in devices. Company leaders also are working on broader infrastructure opportunities to improve future mobility experiences.

Ford is one of the founding members of the Board of Baidus Project Apollo, building on the agreement signed earlier this year. The Apollo Open Platform accelerates the development, testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles. Fords participation supports the companys robotics and artificial intelligence research efforts and provides an opportunity to contribute to a platform that will be key to developing autonomous vehicles in China.

In 2019, the company will start producing five additional Ford and Lincoln models in China for Chinese customers, including a new Lincoln premium SUV, and the companys first global fully electric small SUV.

Producing vehicles locally speeds time to market, while providing greater opportunities to fully leverage the local supply base. It also allows Ford to further tailor vehicles to more closely meet the needs of Chinese customers.

Ford last month opened the Nanjing Test Center, which furthers product development capability and innovation in China. The test centerwhich includes close to 80 different types of real road surface conditions, a three-kilometer test track and a sophisticated emissions testing facilitywill allow Ford to speed development of new products, services and technologies to meet the driving requirements of Chinese customers.

The company also is committed to improving the ownership experience for customers with the launch of Quick Lane, its global fast, high-quality service provider.

The first two outlets open in Nanjing and Chongqing this month, offering routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, light repair services including brake repair and tire replacements on all vehicle makes and models. Ford plans to open 100 new outlets next year.

Ford will strengthen ties with its joint venture partners Changan and Jiangling in 2018, establishing one distribution services division responsible for the marketing, sales and services associated with all Ford vehicles sold in China. The new distribution services division will seek to offer a simplified, improved and consistent customer experience for all Ford customers in China.

Lincoln, which has become the fastest-growing luxury brand in China, remains a stand-alone consumer-facing brand and maintains its separate dealer network to offer the brands unique Lincoln Way one-size-fits-one customer experience.
The deformed nanostructures, produced using a novel spray-printing process, resemble a plants leaves; the increased surface area of the rippling leaf creates three times as many catalytic contact points as other molybdenum disulfide structures, and the new creation can handle higher temperatures than platinum without sintering and gumming up the cell.

A team led by researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and the University of California, Merced has developed an efficient molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) catalyst for driving the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In a study published in the journal Advanced Materials , the team reports that metastable and temperature-sensitive chemically exfoliated MoS 2 (ce-MoS 2 ) can be made electrochemically stable (5000 cycles), and thermally robust (300 C) while maintaining synthetic scalability and excellent catalytic activity through physical-transformation into 3D structurally deformed nanostructures.



These inorganic flowers, color added, were created by Sandia National Laboratories researcher Stanley Chou and University of California, Merced colleague Vincent Tung in a spray-printing process that uses molybdenum disulfide to create a flowering hydrogen catalyst far cheaper than platinum and reasonably close in efficiency. (Image courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) Click to enlarge.

While Pt nanoparticles represent the current benchmark for HER electrocatalysis, the elemental scarcity, high cost, and poor stability against nanoparticle coarsening and agglomeration impose practical limitations and motivate the need for a next generation of alternative HER catalysts. MoS 2 , a van der Waals solid composed of adhered-2D monolayers, has emerged as a promising alternative to Pt due to its elemental abundance, high catalytic activity, and electrochemical stability. Despite the various merits of MoS 2 , its functional performance remains inferior to that of Pt due to comparatively small active site concentrations as well as its relatively low electrical conductivity.

At the root of functional limitations is the inability of MoS 2 , in its natural 2H semiconducting phase, to catalyze HER on its inert basal plane, where the Gibbs free energy for hydrogen adsorption (GH) is exceedingly large. In contrast, MoS 2 edges possess a favorable GH, as well as metallic 1D conductivity due to the presence of electronic states in close proximity to the Fermi level. Because of the highly catalytic nature of MoS2 edges, synthetic approaches that prioritize MoS 2 edges sites over the inert basal plane sites have attracted broad interest.  Yet, despite these innovations, the fundamental inactivity of the MoS 2 basal plane remains a basic material constraint.

 In this work, we overcome these limitations by demonstrating a facile and high throughput approach for obtaining electrochemically stable, thermally robust, and highly efficient HER catalysts via electrohydrodynamic (EHD) induced dimensional transition of 2D planar ce-MoS 2 sheets into 3D structurally deformed MoS 2 nanostructures, namely crumpled MoS 2 (c-MoS 2 ). Chen et al.

Lead researchers Stanley Chou, a Sandia materials scientist, and UC Merceds Vincent Tung have applied for a joint patent for the spray-printing process. The production method uses nature as an ally rather than a hindrance, Chou said. Tung said the method uses natural processes to produce materials for extremely inexpensive fuel cell terminals to liberate hydrogen. The printing process also allows for continued deposition, with the ability to scale for industry, he added.

The team mixed molybdenum disulfide with water and used the printing process to expel micron-size droplets into an enclosed area about 2 feet high. As they dropped, the droplets first separated into nanoscopic subunits. These dried further as they fell, their shrinking volume producing an uneven 3-D surface much like the leaves of plants, with tiny ridges, hills, canals, caves and tunnels.

Landing on a substrate and on each other, the leaves were still moist enough to bond as though attached at critical points by tiny droplets of glue. Thus, the nanostructures did not lose their individuality but instead, by maintaining their identities, created tiny tunnels within and between them that permitted extraordinary access for atoms of hydrogen to seek their freedom from chemical bonds.

The use of electrostatically charged droplets as nanoreactors facilitates colloidal dispersion, fission, and capillarity-induced-self-crumpling of 2D ce-MoS 2 , ultimately transforming it into 3D c-MoS2. Chen et al.

The inspiration for creating a bio-inspired 3-D form arose from studying the cuticle folding process, a mechanism used by plants for controlling diffusion and permeability on leaf surfaces, Chou said.

We see our catalyst as an inorganic material acting like a plant. The nanostructures, like leaves, are varied in shape, with tiny rises and falls. The structures take in an external material to produce hydrogen rather than oxygen, and one day may be powered by sunlight. Stanley Chou

Right now, very low-voltage electricity does the job.

Doubts about the strength of structure formed in such a serendipitous manner, Tung recounted, were settled when a 170-pound student unwittingly trod upon one of the first molybdenum disulfide-catalyst creations when it accidentally fell to the floor. A few hundred nanometers thick, it rested upon a centimeter-square carbon substrate but was otherwise unprotected. Elecromicroscopic investigation showed the tiny structure to be undamaged. The leaves also have proved to be long lasting, continuing to produce hydrogen for six months.

our work provides new insights into the enhancement of catalytic activity, electrochemical and thermal stability of MoS 2 catalysts through physical transformation that is reminiscent of nature, in which properties of biological materials emerge from evolved dimensional transitions. Given the wide variety and availability of chemically exfoliated 2D functional materials, including graphene, transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD), and the emerging MXenes, we anticipate that structurally robust, thermally stable, electronically heterogeneous, and catalytically active, multifunctional hybrid nanocomposites that were previously unattainable can now be readily, rapidly, and rationally assembled through this template free, and scalable nanomanufacturing route. This, in turn, provides exciting opportunities for numerous applications beyond HER, including electrochemical capacitors, battery, catalysis, reactors and separation, drug delivery, biocompatible scaffolds, sensing and high complexity composites. Chen et al.

Researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Yale University also contributed to the article.

The work at Sandia was funded by the Department of Energys Office of Science. Work at UC Merced was supported by a university startup fund.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is offering no reaction to reports that President Trump will decide to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem ...

But others aren't holding back. The Jerusalem Post reports:

Ayman Odeh, Chairman of the Joint List, said: Trump is a pyromaniac who could set the entire region on fire with his madness. The last few days prove decisively that the United States cannot remain the sponsor or arbitrator in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. If the Israeli government wants the world to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, all it has to do is recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Odeh is an Arab-Israeli lawyer and Knesset member.

"Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On warned US President Donald Trump that moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem could enflame the entire region. She warned that such a unilateral move could distance peace.

"'Jerusalem is the Israeli capital and will continue to be with or without the US embassy,' Gal-On said. "Moving the embassy could serve Netanyahu but could bring about an unnecessary explosion.'"

The Israeli right is jubilant, however:

On behalf of the city of Jerusalem, the beating heart and soul of the Jewish people for more than 3,000 years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your commitment and intention to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Mayor Nir Barkat said.

Bloomberg reporting has a different twist:

"President Donald Trump will sign a waiver delaying the move of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv while declaring the contested city the capital of Israel, according to a person familiar with the decision."

Either way, this move is hard to figure out. What's the up side? How does it move Israel and the Palestinians closer to a resolution of differences? How does it foster peace and stability in the region? Who thinks this is a good idea? Certainly not any foreign-policy experts. The U.S. has always been able to provide unwavering support to Israel without recognizing the contested city as Israeli's capital.

This creates another distraction from other troubles, but the overall level of chaos is escalating unnecessarily.

That's apparently what some Americans wanted it, but I don't know why. This is truly dangerous.
You're not going to suffer a June swoon as you try to complete the 2018 Run on the Runway at Piedmont Triad International Airport.

The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority has moved the date of its ninth annual races to 8 a.m. March 24. The event, which will be part of the Greensboro Race Series, includes a 5K run, a 10K run, a mile run-walk, an untimed 5K benefiting hunger relief and a children's dash.

Airport officials say the date is moving because of repair schedules, according to a news release, and the airport will not have a runway available for the run after April.

Were excited about the earlier date for this years run, Airport Authority chairman Steve Showfety says. The weather will be a bit cooler than it is in June. We hope that will encourage even more people to participate. There is always a need to address hunger in the community.

Although were on a shorter schedule this year, we believe we can still make a significant contribution to the food pantries we support through this event, said Paul Mengert, Airport Authority member and treasurer. Mengert and his wife, Gayle, will be co-chairmen for the event.

We have raised more than $100,000 each year over the past two years to address hunger in our community," Paul Mengert said. "We will do our best to keep the fundraising at the same level this year. Our goal is to raise $100,000, even though we have much less time to do it."

Runners will be asked to donate two non-perishable food items when they pick up their run packets. Sponsors are asked to contribute directly to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Registration is open at ptirun.com. Teams of runners also can sign up for the Team Challenge.

Information: Stephanie Freeman at (336) 665-5644.
For months, Duke Energy has been shipping bottles of water to North Carolina homes with private wells close to the electric utilitys coal-ash storage sites.

Now, Duke wants customers statewide to pay for all that water.

Duke began providing bottles to hundreds of households across the state after a 2014 ash spill into the Dan River prompted concerns about well water near Dukes ash sites. The spill brought national attention for the ash, a byproduct of generating electricity at coal-fired power plants.

Last year, North Carolina enacted a law requiring Duke to offer to connect homes close to ash sites to public water systems or to install filtration systems for their wells. In the meantime, Duke has supplied the bottled water to comply with the laws requirement that it provide alternative drinking water sources until it completes the connections or installs filters.

This week, Dukes North Carolina president told a state regulator that bottled-water costs are included in a 9.5 percent rate increase it is requesting in a territory covering eastern North Carolina and Asheville. David Fountains comments came in a hearing of the regulator, the North Carolina Utilities Commission, as it considers Dukes rate request.

Duke customers in Charlotte would also pay for bottled-water costs in a separate 13.6 percent rate increase requested for central and western North Carolina. That would also require the utilities commissions approval. Hearings on that case havent started. Duke has said both requests cover other costs incurred in recent years, including to modernize power plants.

Duke spokesman Jeff Brooks said the rate increase affecting Charlotte includes roughly $1.6 million in bottled-water costs. The Asheville and eastern North Carolina rate hike seeks less than $300,000 for bottled water, he said.

These costs, because theyre part of complying with state law, are no different than any other compliance costs we incur as a regulated utility, and as such are appropriate to include in customer rates, he said.

Duke contends its ash storage sites, which the utility has been closing across the state, arent contaminating private wells.

Our science continues to demonstrate no connection between our operations at our coal sites and the findings in those neighbors wells, Brooks said.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

Amy Brown is among Charlotte-area residents still getting bottled water shipped to their homes. Brown, who said her Belmont home is less than 1,000 feet from Dukes coal-powered Allen Steam Station, gets 360 bottles of Dasani water delivered to her from Duke every two weeks.

Brown remains worried about the quality of the water in her private well, which the states health department in 2015 recommended she not use for drinking or cooking because it exceeded state levels for contaminants.

Brown, who lives in the home with her husband and their two sons, said shes sick of twisting caps off 20-ounce bottles of water day and night. The family has used bottled water to cook every meal  as well as for brushing their teeth and rinsing dishes cleaned by the dishwasher  for more than 950 days, she said.

Shes furious that Duke wants to make its customers pay for bottled water.

Even if the legislature says they can  doesnt mean that you should. If thats the case, why didnt I just buy my own water? she said. Were not the ones who had a Dan River spill. We didnt want to have to live off bottled water.



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GREENSBORO  About 50 religious leaders and activists rallied today in Greensboro to support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights in a case being argued today before the U.S. Supreme Court.

They said the so-called Masterpiece Cakeshop case should be decided in favor of a gay couple denied a wedding cake by Colorado bakery owner Jack Phillips, who argues that customizing a cake for them would violate his religious beliefs against homosexuality.

This argument does not fool the NAACP, said the Rev. T. Anthony Spearman, president of the state chapter of the civil rights group. Jack Phillips is not a victim. He is a purveyor of cakes and a purveyor of hate.

Spearman was among a half-dozen speakers at the gathering Monday morning at Scuppernong Books on South Elm Street. All expressed opposition to discrimination against people of same-sex orientations and said it was wrong to couch that bias in terms of religious faith.

Rabbi Andy Koren of Greensboro told the group that in modern history Iran and Nazi Germany were the two nations most repressive against LGBT people.

We have to ask ourselves as a country and as a people, is that the company we want to keep? said Koren, associate rabbi at Temple Emanuel.

The morning news conference was hosted by the NC Faith Forward coalition that includes the NAACP, Faith in Public Life, Equality NC, the American Civil Liberties Union, More Light Presbyterians and other groups.

The Colorado case has created a storm of divided opinion, similar to North Carolinas recent House Bill 2 controversy over efforts to regulate the use of public bathrooms by people who claim a different gender identity than whats on their birth certificate.

Phillips defenders in the Colorado case argue that the dispute is as much about free speech as it is about religious freedom, contending that forcing him to design a wedding cake for the couple would violate the First Amendments protections against compelled expression.

The cake shop owner refused service in July 2012 to the couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins, because using his artistic talents to celebrate a same-sex marriage would violate his Christian faith and his artistic freedom, said Michael Farris, president of a nonprofit group  the Alliance Defending Freedom  that represents Phillips in the case.

While he cant create cakes that celebrate what his faith prohibits, he offered to sell the men anything else in his shop or to design a cake for another occasion, Farris wrote recently.

But Spearman said arguments against providing equal service to LGBT people echo those of the 1970s that sought to suppress womens right to equal pay and of the 1950s that allowed restaurants to discriminate against black patrons.

Make no mistake, hate-based discrimination is a plague that must be eradicated, Spearman said. And we rely on the court system to protect the vulnerable, particularly at a time when many of our highest leaders are advocating the opposite.
GREENSBORO  Not a dreidel, the four-sided spinning top.

Nor a single menorah, either.

There was no sign of Hanukkah anywhere as the Zakens searched among the walls of Christmas and Thanksgiving displays at their neighborhood Michaels craft store last year.

Hanukkah, the Jewish celebration of the miracle of lights  which starts at sundown Dec. 12  was weeks away at the time.

And that didn't make sense to then 8-year-old Lahav Zaken. The store is a short drive from two thriving Jewish congregations, and the American Hebrew Academy boarding school is down the block.

"I was thinking, seriously?" Zaken, now 9, said of that moment.

So his next words to the clerk at the Highwoods Boulevard store that day wasn't surprising to Hillary Zaken, who describes her son as sort of an "old soul" beneath a bundle of energy.

"He said, 'I need to talk to the manager,'" Hillary recalled, not knowing they were actually talking to her. "She was like, 'Im sorry. They werent selling so well.'"

But that wouldn't be the end of it.

Not for the child who wrote a proposal for starting an environmental club with classmates and scheduled a meeting with Susan Siegel, the head of B'nai Shalom Day School. After waiting, he later approached her in the hallway about her decision.

"I've put the teachers on hold long enough," he politely told Siegel, with a twinge of frustration.

She had simply been busy.

"We do encourage them to have a voice," explained Siegel, with a smile mixed with pride and amusement.

Hanukkah, one of the most celebrated occasions for Jews, recalls the battle for freedom of religion at a time when Jews fell under Syrian-Greek rule and were told they could no longer practice their religion. In the story of miracles, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on Earth. Another miracle occurred when oil in the synagogue, which should have lasted a day, burned for eight days. It was enough time for more to be purified.

Since then, Jewish families have observed the eight nights of Hanukkah by lighting a special menorah with an eight-branched candle holder that has a ninth candle used to light the others.

"We have to keep our ancient holidays intact, otherwise we lose them," says Rabbi Yosef Plotkin of the Chabad Jewish Center of Greensboro, a service-learning organization.

For Lahav, it was about not being left out.

"Hes a passionate kid and he said, 'What can I do? I dont want to just get upset,'" his mother recalled.

So Lahav told his teacher at B'nai Shalom Day School he wanted to write the people who could put the items back on the shelves. At school, he and his classmates had been practicing how to write a persuasive letter. Soon, they were drafting a letter to Michaels.

"His teacher absolutely encouraged them to take it as far as they could," Siegel said.

The whole school, including Siegel, signed the letter, asking that Hanukkah items be sold once again at Michaels.

"We explained all the reasons we bought Hanukkah stuff," Lahav said, "and that we would buy it if they put it back in the store."

And then they mailed it to the company's corporate office in Irving, Texas.

Last month, they went back to see if they could find any Hanukkah items for this season  and there was more than enough to make Lahav happy. That included a gift for his grandmother, which he won't disclose because he says he doesn't want her to read about it in the newspaper.

Lahav and his classmates didn't get a written response from the company, but he did take a picture in front of the colorful display with the store manager.

"Even little people can make change," Lahav said.

His mother said the manager stopped short of saying it was all because of her son's actions.

That manager also referred all media questions to the store's corporate office, which had yet to respond late Monday.

"The manager was clear that they do listen, and the fact that the school came together and wrote this and signed their names was significant," Hillary recalled. "She said, 'I cant say its what your son did, but I can say that corporate Michaels listens.'"

Lahav is just glad Hanukkah items are back on the shelf.

"I was really happy," he said, "that we were included again."
GREENSBORO  Bennett College is on the clock.

Its regional accrediting body announced Tuesday that it will give the private womens college one more year to improve its financial picture. If it doesnt, Bennett could lose its accreditation, a move that would threaten its survival.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges extended Bennetts probation for a second year. It let the college keep its accreditation, which means Bennett students remain eligible to receive federal financial aid such as Pell Grants and student loans.

But colleges cannot be on probation for more than two years. The commission said it will review Bennetts status next December. At that point it will either remove Bennett from probation or strip its accreditation.

In a statement, Bennett President Phyllis Worthy Dawkins said she was grateful that the college will keep its accreditation for now.

Moving forward, she added, we are working diligently to raise money, to increase enrollment and to improve both our infrastructure and student life to ensure we are removed from probationary status by December 2018.

The commission cited Bennett for failing to comply with its standards for financial resources and financial stability. SACSCOC didnt provide details about where the college fell short. Instead, it cited the accreditation standards that Bennett, in its view, did not meet.

These are the same two issues the commission noted in 2015 when it formally warned Bennett and again last December when it put Bennett on probation  its most serious sanction short of removing accreditation.

Bennett has struggled to balance its books amid a steep decline in enrollment. In 2010, the college enrolled 714 undergraduates. Last fall, that number had dropped to 400  a loss of more than 40 percent.

The college has blamed the enrollment decline partly on the recession and partly on a 2011 change that tightened the credit regulations for a federal loan program that parents use to pay for college for their children. Almost all of Bennetts students receive financial aid to attend the college, which is charging on-campus students this year more than $29,000.

As enrollment dropped, Bennetts revenue from tuition dropped, too. The college has had at least two rounds of layoffs since 2013 to try to improve its financial picture.

But the financial gaps persisted. The college ran a deficit of $1.8 million in 2014-15 and $1.5 million in 2015-16, according to a financial report. The college had to borrow $1.3 million from itself to cover payroll and other expenses during the summer of 2016.

Bennett has been in this position before. The college was on probation from 2001 to 2003 amid a 30 percent decline in enrollment and an annual budget shortfall that swelled to $3.8 million. But the commission lifted the sanction after then-president Johnnetta Cole raised $15 million in 18 months.

In its announcement Tuesday, SACSCOC hinted at some improvement over the past year. A year ago, it cited Bennett for not complying with its standards for governing boards. That issue wasnt listed among the commissions concerns Tuesday.

The college said enrollment and finances have improved over the past year. The college saw its first-year class increase by 38 percent this fall. That led to an overall enrollment growth of 2 percent  a modest gain, but its first increase in seven years.

The college also raised more than $1 million from its alumnae last year, an increase of 25 percent over each of the past four years. The number of applications for fall 2018 admission have more than doubled.

We have made great strides in the past year at Bennett College, Dawkins said, and I am confident my leadership team and I, with the help of our faculty, staff, students, parents, alumnae and friends  will continue moving the institution forward in the right direction.

College leaders are scheduled to talk to reporters this morning in more depth about the commissions decision and Bennetts path forward. Dawkins and several other college employees were on the way back home Tuesday from the commissions annual meeting in Dallas.
President Donald Trump led an aggressive charge Monday on behalf of embattled Senate nominee Roy Moore, with the Republican National Committee rejoining Moore's side in Alabama weeks after cutting ties with him following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Before dawn, Trump took to Twitter to declare his strongest support yet for Moore. By day's end, the RNC was back in his corner and America First Action, a pro-Trump group, said it would spend $1.1 million to try to push Moore across the finish line.

Senate Republican leaders, however, remained critical of Moore, warning that the former judge is likely to face an immediate ethics probe if he is elected next week.

The divergent attitudes toward Moore, who has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward teenage girls when he was in his 30s, underscored how polarizing a figure he would be among his party's national leaders if he wins the Dec. 12 special election.

Even if Moore is largely ostracized by his Senate colleagues, the support of the president could make him an influential figure in Washington - a point he appeared determined to emphasize on Monday.

"I look forward to fighting alongside the President to #MAGA!" Moore wrote on Twitter, using the acronym for Trump's signature campaign theme, "Make America Great Again."

Trump and Senate Republicans have already started pondering Moore's place in the party if he gets past Democrat Doug Jones in a contest that recent polling shows is neck and neck. The president wrote on Twitter on Monday that the united Democratic opposition to the GOP's sweeping tax plan showed "why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama."

"We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!" Trump wrote.

Trump's message went further than his previous remarks about the race, in which he has bashed Jones but stopped just short of advocating for Moore.

The president placed a call to Moore on Monday morning, and the Senate nominee proudly trumpeted it in his own tweet.

"'Go get 'em, Roy!' - President Trump," Moore tweeted.

Trump's message came on the same day that the RNC reversed itself and returned to Alabama to support Moore, less than three weeks after pulling out of a joint fundraising agreement with his campaign. An RNC official with knowledge of the plans, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the re-engagement. The committee did not immediately issue any public statements announcing the move.

On Capitol Hill, the reception remained frostier - although a shift in tone appeared underway among senators, too. Sen. John Cornyn, Texas, the second-ranking Republican senator, said Monday that he favors a congressional ethics probe into the allegations facing Moore if he is elected.

But Cornyn also hinted that if Moore wins, he would be a factor in the Senate and cannot be ignored.

"None of us get to vote on who's the senator from Alabama. Just Alabama voters do. So I think we have to respect their decision - whatever it is," he said.

That statement contrasted with a drumbeat among GOP senators for Moore to end his campaign just after The Washington Post reported the first allegations.

Led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Republicans also explored ways to try to elect another GOP candidate, either through a write-in campaign or a postponed election. But neither option proved feasible, as local Republicans rallied around Moore and the White House refused to intervene.

Since then, McConnell and his top deputies have taken a more hands-off approach to the race. Like Cornyn did on Monday, McConnell said in weekend television interviews that the outcome was in Alabama's hands.

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Trump has been ramping up his involvement in the race. After staying relatively quiet in the immediate aftermath of the allegations, the president has steadily grown warmer toward Moore.

Before endorsing Moore on Monday morning, Trump had spoken at length about the Alabama race with his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, according to a person familiar with the conversation granted anonymity to describe private talks. Bannon was scheduled to appear at a Moore rally Tuesday afternoon in Fairhope, Alabama.

Trump will travel to the same media market on Friday, just over the border in Pensacola, Florida, where he could encourage Alabamians to turn out for Moore.

One senior White House official said Trump jumped in for a few reasons: because aides convinced him that his support could push Moore to victory, because he would probably take part of the blame if Moore lost and because he didn't like the idea of backing Moore less than full-throatedly.

The race has exposed some tensions between RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and the White House, White House officials and advisers said. After Trump returned from Asia, he began expressing frustrations that the RNC backed away - even though he was apprised of the decision at the time.

McDaniel, according to one person close to her, felt boxed in and feels like the episode has been a bit of an embarrassment. She also wanted to quickly show the president that the RNC was loyal.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has been frustrated with the Alabama race and did not want the president to dive back in with a full endorsement, these officials said. His argument was one of practicality - that the White House didn't need to bother itself with the race and let that "become the focus," one of the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.

But Trump was shown polls in recent days that were positive for Moore and he became convinced that he would take some of the blame if Moore lost. Trump made the call that the White House should put the RNC behind Moore.

For those around Bannon, Trump's decision to embrace Moore less than a month after the RNC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee pulled out of the campaign is a victory in their fight against McConnell. Bannon is expected to once again mention McConnell in his remarks Tuesday night.

"This is a total embarrassment for Mitch McConnell, who put all of his political capital on the line to deliver this Senate seat to a liberal Democrat completely opposed to the Trump agenda," said Andy Surabian, a confidant of Bannon who serves as senior adviser to the Great America Alliance, a pro-Trump advocacy group.

McConnell's allies continue to view the aggressive defense of Moore mounted by Bannon as a warning sign for the rest of the party.

"You have this unbelievable contrast between on the one hand cash cows like Matt Lauer being shown the door, and on the other hand you have Steve Bannon sending down people to dig up dirt on women who come forward with serious and credible allegations," said Steven Law, a McConnell ally who runs the Senate Leadership Fund, which campaigned against Moore in the primary.

If Moore wins and is seated, he could face immediate scrutiny from the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, a normally secretive panel of three Republicans and three Democrats.

The panel, which has said it is looking into allegations of sexual misconduct against Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., could look into the accusations confronting Moore and determine their validity and whether they merit punishment such as a censure, or, in the most severe case, a vote in the full Senate over whether Moore should be expelled.

Rob Walker, a former chief counsel and staff director of the Senate and House Ethics panels, predicted the process could take three months or more.

Expelling a senator is very rare and would require the approval of two-thirds of the Senate. An actual vote hasn't happened since 1862.

A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll showed that 50 percent of likely Alabama voters support Jones and 47 percent back Moore, which is within the margin of error. On Monday, both candidates sought to shore up their support.

After a campaign event in his home town of Fairfield, Ala., Jones, who is trying to win over Republicans considering crossing party lines over the Moore allegations, parried questions about the Trump endorsement by saying he'd ignore "people calling me names" and focus on his own race.

"We're talking about issues. We're meeting people. We're talking to the media," Jones said. "Roy Moore is nowhere to be seen."

Asked if he would have supported the tax bill that passed the Senate last week, Jones said it would "blow up the deficit" and that there hadn't been enough bipartisan work to fix it.

Jones also attacked Bannon.

"President Trump ran Steve Bannon out of the White House because of his politics of division," said Jones. "It has no place in this state."

Should he win, Moore is expected to complicate McConnell's job of trying to keep Senate Republicans in line. He has openly criticized the GOP leader throughout his campaign.

Moore has also called the long-standing practice of requiring 60 votes for most legislation to pass the Senate "unconstitutional," and he has vowed to fight it if elected.

He also calls abortion a violation of the Constitution and has promised not to vote for a budget that would send any federal dollars to Planned Parenthood.

"I think I could help with the Judiciary Committee, because I do understand the Constitution," Moore said in an interview with One America News Network over the weekend that was broadcast Monday. "I do understand what judges do when they put themselves above the Constitution."

Even among a small group of conservative senators known for bucking McConnell, including Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Moore could have trouble fitting in.

"Sen. Lee has unendorsed Judge Moore and called for him to step out of the race. Nothing has changed. Anything new on the issue would be premature at this point," Lee spokesman Conn Carroll said Monday.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and a potential Senate contender in Utah next year, wrote on Twitter that Moore becoming a senator "would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation."

Moore retorted that Romney had either "lost his courage or he doesn't care about truth anymore."

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., who said he has already voted by write-in absentee ballot for an unidentified "distinguished Republican" who is not Moore, said in an interview Monday that he fears Moore's political style would not serve his state or the nation well.

"I think that he's thrived on controversy, and I don't believe anybody can thrive on controversy forever and not get burned up by it," Shelby said.

He added, "I don't believe that Roy Moore, if he was elected to the Senate, and he might be, would work in the Senate - I don't mean to go along to get along, I'm talking about to build the nation, build the state, at least as a lot of people believe we ought to do."

Weigel reported from Montgomery, Ala. Josh Dawsey in Salt Lake City and Philip Rucker in Washington contributed to this report.

Washington Post News Service (DC)
GREENWICH  The town is seeking reconsideration of a decision to allow Eversource Energy to build a controversial new substation in downtown Greenwich.

Local officials have filed a petition with the Connecticut Siting Council seeking to have it overturn its ruling last month to allow the substation. The filing cites new evidence that Greenwich officials say was not taken into account by council members.

We are doing all that we can to protect the towns interests, as we have done throughout this process, First Selectman Peter Tesei said.

The approved location for the substation is 290 Railroad Avenue, the current location of Pet Pantry.

Eversource spokesperson Mitch Gross said Tuesday an arrangement has been negotiated with the owners of Pet Pantry regarding their exit, but the terms are confidential.

The business, which opened another, smaller Greenwich shop in Riverside, subleases the space from Eversource.

The towns petition was filed on Nov. 29 by attorney David Ball of the firm of Cohen and Wolf.

It cites new planning recommendations and sea rise projections put together by the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation, which is a joint effort of the University of Connecticut and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The recommendations were released after the record in the Eversource application was closed by the Siting Council.

They state Connecticut is susceptible to greater sea level rise than other areas and note the 290 Railroad Ave. location is within a FEMA flood zone and within the coastal boundary.

The CIRCA Report makes clear the real risk of flooding and potential impact on any substation built at 290 Railroad Avenue, the petition states. That risk is far worse because the Siting Council ordered an open-air substation, which is more vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise than would be an indoor substation. It is essential that the substation be fully-enclosed.

The petition suggests an alternate plan in which the substation would be fully enclosed and located at 281 Railroad Ave.

Residents and town officials have argued the 290 Railroad Avenue location is too close to Airgas, on Field Point Road, which sells gas and welding supplies.

Even before the publication of the new CIRCA findings, the record made clear that there is an unacceptable health and safety risk in locating an open-air substation at 290 Railroad Avenue, next door to a compressed gas facility, the petition argues. Ignoring this fact, the decision merely states that [t]here are no standards or safety codes that would prevent an open-air substation from being constructed at 290 Railroad Avenue, adjacent to the AIRGAS commercial property. This finding is wrong.

By not citing safety risks, the town argues, the council did not follow state statutes and should reconsider.

The petition includes testimony from town Conservation Director Denise Savageau and town resident Mitch Mailman, who is working with the town as a consultant.

It is critical that the new substation be an indoor, fully-enclosed substation, Savageau and Mailman said in their testimony, which was presented jointly. By making this modest modification to the current design, the following risks will be mitigated: catastrophic equipment failure within the substation due to storm surges and flooding, equipment failures and outages due to flying debris during weather events, customer outages resulting from damage to equipment in the substation due to storm surges and flooding, and environmental impact resulting from flooding impact on substation equipment.

Eversource has claimed throughout the application process that the energy demand in Greenwich is growing beyond what the existing Cos Cob substation can handle, creating a need for the new downtown substation. Utility spokesman Gross reasserted the position Tuesday.

With the demand for energy expected to exceed capacity of the Cos Cob Substation in the near future, time is growing short for a solution to Greenwichs energy needs, Gross said. The towns filing contains points that were already thoroughly examined during the siting process. Attempts to stop construction only delay the answer to the towns aging electric infrastructure, placing the energy needs of our Greenwich customers in jeopardy.

A Dec. 13 deadline is in place for people to comment about the towns petition. Gross said Eversource will file comments before then.

Staff Writer Macaela Bennett contributed to this report.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
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The price of new wrecking trucks has doubled, along with health insurance and other costs, since the last time Connecticut allowed tow companies to raise their rates for removing cars from highways, local roads and municipal parking lots.

For Fulvio Tamburro, owner of the Lone Star Repair Service on Stamfords Pacific Street, its past time for the state Department of Motor Vehicles to allow him and others to charge more for the thousands of so-called non-consensual towing orders they get each year from local and State Police.

The base charge for such orders  also called trespass tows  is $88, plus $22 to $27 a day for storing vehicles that may have been abandoned.

The owner of the car, hopefully, picks it up, but if its unregistered, we may never even get the $88, said Tamburro, a member of the board of directors of the 158-member Towing & Recovery Professionals of Connecticut, Inc. (TRPC), which has requested the first price hike in a decade. The issue will be the subject of a public hearing Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the State Capitol complex.

Like anything else over the last 10,11 years, costs have gone up, Tamburro said Tuesday. Truck insurance, the labor force, everything has gone up. Property taxes, workers compensation. We have to store vehicles. The biggest factor is the cost of the trucks, which has doubled. Insurance has easily doubled.

The TRPC submitted a request to raise the price of a basic tow to $136.73, plus an abandoned vehicle surcharge of $46.98, for a total of $183.71 per tow. The organization said that of the states 110,865 yearly collisions, 46 percent  about 51,000 incidents  involved non-consensual tows from TRPC members.

More Information Tow charges Average car - $88 plus $4.75 per mile beyond 2 miles 10,000-to-26,000 pounds - $200 per hour More than 26,000 pounds - $325 per hour Proposed new rates Light vehicle - $183.71* Medium - $311.40* per hour Heavy - $461.84* per hour * Including $46.98 abandoned vehicle surcharge See More Collapse

The DMV on Tuesday, in response to a list of written questions, said that rates were last raised in 2007, and that the agency is currently neutral on the issue of rate hikes, but would accept evidence and testimony to make a determination. The DMV said that it had received 203 complaints on tow operators so far in 2017, including claims of excessive towing and storage charges and failing to allow owners to retrieve personal property.

Most tow companies are on rotation lists that local and state police refer to when a crash or driver arrest occurs, or if a motorist is found to be driving without a license or operating an unregistered vehicle. In the case of abandoned cars at towing lots, companies have to wait up to 45 days before they can take title and sell a vehicle, usually for scrap.

Very rarely does someone leave a car with you that has no value, said Tamburro, whose lot, with room for about 50 cars, was half-full on Tuesday. He has about 20 employees and 16 trucks.

In recent years, with the rise of the illegal use of smart phones by drivers, its gotten more dangerous for his employees.

Texting is the worst thing, he said, adding that most motorists are also unaware of the state law that requires them to move over one lane over for working emergency vehicles.

Jesse Langer, the TRPCs attorney, declined comment on Tuesday, but in a 188-page request to the DMV, he submitted a variety of background material, including charts that indicate the average price of tow trucks. A medium-duty, wheel-lift style wrecker that cost between $70,000 and $85,000 in 2006, now costs between $110,000 and $145,000.

Because the states highway system is operating beyond capacity, it is very important that highway incidents, such as vehicular accidents or commercial spills, be cleared as quickly and expediently as possible, Langer wrote. Non-consensual tows are an instrumental component of roadway safety and congestion management. Disabled vehicles must be removed from highway travel lanes in a timely and safe manner.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
Most of us are looking forward to the long weekend this holiday season when we can spend extra time with loved ones. We take for granted that most employers will close their doors for some or all of the upcoming Christmas holiday. And most do: More than 90 percent of businesses responding to a Society of Human Resource Management poll affirmed that they give their employees this time off.

Related: 5 Ways to Really Get Away From Work During the Holidays

However, others will spend their holiday at the workplace.

Roughly 25 percent of workers are employed by organizations that require coverage regardless of the calendar. Health care, retail, security, hospitality and the armed forces are included in these ranks. While people who work for these organizations know this requirement when they choose these professions, that fact hardly lightens the hardship of missing out on special holiday moments with family and friends.

While both of us personally have always had time off on the traditional U.S. holidays, members of our family aren't as fortunate. We boast a nurse, a bartender and a national park ranger among them -- family members who, over the years, have needed to accommodate their schedules to make sure they're ncluded in family celebrations.

The challenge to employers is to keep these employees focused and happy during these times. If you're in this group, consider the following five suggestions:

Offer a great culture.

One of the most important aspects of keeping employees motivated is to create a pleasing work culture. While even the best coworkers are not likely going to replace the opportunity to spend time with family, some of the sting can be alleviated when your business boasts a culture where colleagues enjoy one another's company.

However, a great culture cant be manufactured quickly; it takes time. Creating a company where employees feel dedicated to your customers starts with solid leadership and a commitment to service. Employees look to leadership for the example. Therefore, if you want employees to "own" their jobs, management needs to lead the way.

Related: 5 Ways to Keep Working and Still Have a Life During the Holidays

Management should therefore consistently focus on the organization's mission and vision, on serving the customer and on rewarding employees who embrace these objectives. Committed employees are much more likely to feel accountable to their work.

Offer cash or some other incentive.

Money cant buy happiness, but it can help assuage the pain of missing out on holiday activities. Review your leave and holiday pay policies. Consider paying a premium to employees willing to come in on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

You may also want to buy a special meal or snacks, play music, put up decorations or have some fun activities prepared if these actitivies can be done without compromising the company's workload.

Offer compensatory time off.

Offer employees who are willing or required to work during the holidays additional days of leave that can be taken at another time. For example, we know a woman who has a business that provides personal trainers and instructors for yoga and other types of classes. During the holidays, she always teaches one of the classes herself. And,for those instructors assigned to teach on a holiday, she offers to work for them at another time and gives them the extra money raised from that class.

This is her way of supporting her instructors and making working on the holidays more palatable.

Be fair.

Time off and leave policies should be fair to all employees. Many businesses use a first-come, first-serve or seniority system to dole out leave. However, there are pros and cons to both.

Seniority systems can penalize younger workers who tend to change jobs more frequently. First-come, first-serve systems benefit those few employees who are always very quick to reply while disadvantaging others who make their requests hours or sometimes just minutes later. It can be OK to ask employees to volunteer to work on a holiday, especially if you're offering incentives.

You may find that there are employees who would prefer the additional money or would like the time off at a different time; this then gives the opportunity to take holiday time off to those who really want it. The only caveat here is to make sure that system is truly voluntary.

Offer your sincere thanks.

Finally, no matter what other incentives or systems are involved, say "thank you." Employees who work on a holiday deserve your sincere thanks, regardless of the reason. If possible, thank them on that day, in person. If this isnt possible, be sure to give them your personal thanks, both before and after the day. People need to be appreciated for their sacrifice, even if they volunteer for the duty.

Related: The Importance of Properly Managing a Startup Team During the Holidays and Beyond

While no system or policy will satisfy everyone, you can lessen the pain of working during the holidays. Create an environment that is enjoyable, offer incentives or other rewards to those who work and give a personal thank you. If you are fair, fun and sincere, you are likely to keep your workforce focused and motivated when the workday is mandatory.

Related:

18 Unique Holiday Gifts for Everyone On Your List

5 Ways to Keep Morale High Among Workers Who Have to Be on the Job Dring the Holidays

Do's and Don'ts for Client Gifts Over the Holidays



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


Detention Center

The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Monday was 75, with 55 from Platte County and 19 from out of county.

Police

Nov. 29

9:47 p.m.  In the 1400 block of Eighth Street, Damian Sliva, 20, 1716 11th St., was cited for speeding, 40 mph in a 30 mph zone.

Nov. 30

4:22 a.m.  In the 2600 block of 23rd Street, Jessica Llanes, 38, 3212 21st St., was cited for speeding, 55 mph in a 35 mph zone.

7:45 a.m.  In the 3100 block of 38th Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Tabitha Henke, 17, 31037 190th Ave., and Kassie Thompson, 24, 3117 40th St.

7:52 a.m.  On 27th Street, near St. Francis Drive, a vehicle driven by Martha Aguilar Garcilazo, 18, Carriage House Estates, No. 105, struck a parked vehicle owned by Eric Bolte, 508 27th St.

1:10 p.m.  In the 2300 block of 15th Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Danika Rowe, 40, 4825 Country Club Drive, and Robert Cruise, 50, 3120 36th St.

Dec. 1

6:56 p.m. - Theft at 1657 West Calle Colombo, miscellaneous items stolen from vehicle, $300 loss.

8:43 p.m.  Theft from Husker Bar, 2313 11th St., bicycle stolen, $300 loss.

10:18 p.m.  Theft from Hy-Vee Gas, 3012 23rd St., $70 fine.

Dec. 2

5:23 p.m.  Theft at Smokers Outlet, 2404 23rd St., $50 loss.

Dec. 3

5:24 p.m.  Theft reported at police department, two cellphones stolen, $120 loss.

Sheriff

Dec. 1

4:22 p.m.  Theft from a vehicle at 4631 Country Shadows Place, $80 loss.

4:35 p.m.  Wanted person at the Platte County Detention Facility, 1125 E. 17th St., Brandon Payton of Columbus turned self in on two Platte County warrants.

5:54 p.m.  Traffic violation three miles north of Lakestop on Monastery Road, Matthew Medlar of Columbus jailed for second-offense driving under the influence.

Dec. 2

10:45 a.m.  Burning violation at 24823 265th Ave. in Monroe, Shawn Howell of Monroe cited for a burn permit violation.

Dec. 3

6:10 a.m.  Traffic violation at 17th Street and Platte County Agricultural Park, Jose Cano Ceberos of Schuyler cited for careless driving, no operators license, no seat belt and no proof of insurance.

9:51 a.m.  Wanted person at 717 First St. in Platte Center, Quentin Teeters of Albion jailed on Boone and Saline county warrants.

Fire

Dec. 1

11:53 p.m. - In the 1700 block of Behlen Street, medical.

Dec. 2

9:35 a.m.  In the 2400 block of Kummer Drive, medical.

3:08 p.m.  In the 800 block of 23rd Street, medical.

5:55 p.m.  In the 1200 block of Ninth Street, medical.

Dec. 3

5:35 p.m.  In the 4700 block of 38th Street, medical.

5:58 p.m.  Silent fire alarm at 107 Morton Road, power line arcing.

6:24 p.m.  Silent fire alarm at Hy-Vee, 3010 23rd St., no fire.
Page Content

Co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the DANUBE FLOODRISK project has introduced the most cost-effective measures to reduce flood risk across the region, with large benefits for the rural and urban environment. The project brought together scientists, NGOs and stakeholders from all the Danube countries. Together, they developed a scalable system of flood risk maps for the Danube floodplains. The project team also introduced a series of flood mitigation measures, new spatial development plans and assessment tools for economic development in flood plains. Crucially, their work has resulted in a heightened awareness of flood risk among key stakeholders, including the general public. Total investment for the project Danube Floodrisk is EUR 6,4 million with the EUs European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 5 million through the South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Operational Programme.

The Danube is one of the most important natural axes in South-East Europe, linking most countries in the region. The catastrophic flood events 2006 revealed for the first time how vulnerable it is to extreme natural events. In addition, the recent increase in industrial and urban settlements means that damage costs as a result of flooding have increased significantly. A transnational, interdisciplinary and stakeholder-oriented approach was crucial for adequately assessing and mapping flood risk. And due to the many actors involved in flood risk management, harmonisation was a key feature of the project. This common interpretation of events covered the specification of the goals and tackled major technical questions. The project is a key contribution to the work in the framework of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region through the Priority Area 5 'Environmental Risks', as a first step towards the development and adoption of a single overarching floods management plan at basin level.

DANUBE FLOODRISK has resulted in better socio-economic conditions in the Danube basin and less flood damage to its floodplain. The project has also improved the long-term strategic planning framework for flood risk management. According to experts, the project has a far reaching strategic focus beyond risk management and could become a flagship project for the South-East Europe programme. The project created 28 new jobs in project management and financial management. Hundreds of positions were also created in flood prevention areas. The DANUBE FLOODRISK project established solid transnational cooperation among all the South-East Europe programme countries. All those involved gained a deep understanding of the flood risk management strategy, priorities and methods. In addition, hydraulic models were harmonised and a joint database and flood risk maps were created.




Haiti - FLASH TPS : Senator Campbell at the head of the Haitian Temporary Relief Task Force





State Senator Daphne Campbell (D-Miami) has been appointed Chair of the Haitian Temporary Relief Task Force, an organization formed to advocate on behalf of tens of thousands of Haitian refugees in Florida who fled their native country but now face deportation in the near future.



The appointment of Senator Campbell was made earlier this week by Representative Kionne McGhee, who heads the Miami-Dade County Legislative Delegation.



Her selection comes on the heels of the decision rendered by the Trump Administration last month regarding Haiti's Temporary Protected Status (TPS) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22759-haiti-flash-tps-more-than-50-000-haitians-will-have-to-leave-the-usa.html . Concerned with the expiring sanctuary date and uncertainty with the Trump Administration, Senator Campbell has been advocating on behalf of the Haiti Temporary Protected Status by filing Senate Memorial 442 Haiti Temporary Protected Status https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22733-haiti-flash-usa-law-to-extend-tps-adopted-by-first-senate-committee.html and SM 888 ESPERER Act of 2017 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22692-haiti-flash-towards-a-permanent-residence-for-immigrants-benefiting-from-the-tps.html . She has also attempted to raise public awareness and garner additional support for the refugees' plight by holding press conferences, and traveling to Washington, DC to speak with elected officials such as Senator Bill Nelson, Congressman Carlos Curbelo, Congressman Alcee Hastings and a host of other prominent officials.



In addition, she also held meetings with Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director to the White House, Billy Kirkland, and Special Advisor for Western Hemisphere & Global Economics- Office of the Vice President, Landon Loomis as well as Omarosa Manigualt, Assistant to the President and Director of Communications Office of Public Liaison. On November 17, 2017, the Friday before the decision was rendered, the Senator spoke with Acting Assistant Secretary Simon Henshaw and Deputy Secretary Ken Merton both with the Department of State. The morning of the decision, November 20, 2017, Senator Campbell held a telephone conversation with Acting Assistant Secretary John Barsa, Department of Homeland Security.



Senator Campbell advocated that Haiti TPS be extended for an additional 18 months as it was scheduled to expire on January 22, 2018 causing some 60,000 Haitians to be forcibly returned back to Haiti. Despite multiple campaign promises that he would be their "biggest champion," President Trump's administration agreed to allow them to remain in the USA only until July 22, 2019. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22759-haiti-flash-tps-more-than-50-000-haitians-will-have-to-leave-the-usa.html



Senator Campbell said she is eager to begin work as the Chair of the Haitian Task Force, and continue her legislative advocacy until Haitians and other refugees receive permanent residence.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22816-haiti-tps-we-will-not-permit-trump-to-trample-the-rights-of-haitians-dixit-senateur-hamilton.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22799-haiti-flash-tps-there-will-be-great-pain-and-suffering-dixit-le-cardinal-sean-o-malley.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22784-haiti-tps-flash-canada-prepares-to-welcome-a-new-wave-of-asylum-seekers.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22781-haiti-flash-tps-reactions-multiply-against-the-decision-of-the-trump-administration.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22772-haiti-flash-tps-reaction-of-the-conference-of-catholic-bishops-of-the-united-states.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22769-haiti-tps-haiti-is-not-prepared-to-take-back-nearly-60-000-tps-recipients.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22759-haiti-flash-tps-more-than-50-000-haitians-will-have-to-leave-the-usa.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Arrest and expulsion of more than 500 Haitians...





As part of its migration control operations for illegal aliens in Dominican territory, the Directorate General of Migration (DGM), informs to have arrested 555 Haitians without legal migration documents, in different communities of the Province of Puerto Plata (North). After the process of identification, the Haitians were transferred to the border post of Dajabon to be registered and returned to Haiti



The DGM states that the intervention team participating in this operation, which lasted nearly 8 hours, was composed of inspectors and agents of the DGM with the support of the military personnel of the North Command of the Dominican Air Army and representatives of the Prosecutor's Office. The arrests of our compatriots took place in the communities of Los Cangrejos, Los Munoz, Los Perez, Los Charamicos and La Union, as well as different sectors of the municipalities of Sosua, Imbert and Montellano.



It should be noted that in the past, arrests of persons in an irregular migration situation were carried out during random patrol checks, a practice that is still in force, but it now seems that the Dominican Republic is multiplying larger operations that are carried out after work of intelligence services (to locate undocumented migrants) in communities where citizen denunciations have been received on the presence of undocumented Haitians...



Lieutenant General Maximo William Munoz Delgado, Director General of the DGM, recalls that these operations will continue throughout the territory of the Dominican Republic in a surprise manner in other provinces of the country, to continue to locate irregular foreigners who violate the provisions of the law of migration 285-04.



In recent weeks, the DGM has carried out similar operations in Boca Chica, San Jose de Ocoa, Samana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Santiago Rodriguez, Espaillat, La Altagracia, Santiago and Santo Domingo, where hundreds of Haitians in an irregular situation were arrested and returned to Haiti.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22776-haiti-dr-seizure-of-141-passports.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22708-haiti-pnre-false-cards-more-than-a-hundred-haitians-will-be-expelled.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20762-haiti-dr-seizure-of-more-than-2-200-false-documents-in-the-hands-of-haitians.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22672-haiti-flash-nearly-1-4-millions-haitians-deported-from-dr-in-28-months.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-22569-icihaiti-flash-343-haitians-arrested-in-dr-in-the-province-of-san-jose-de-ocoa.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-22405-icihaiti-flash-297-haitians-arrested-in-rd.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21848-haiti-flash-biometrics-defeats-irregular-haitians-in-dr.html



S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Social : The European Union supports the integration of people with special needs





On Sunday, as part of the commemoration of the International Day of Disabled People, the European Union (EU) reaffirmed its commitment to Haiti, in the fight for the integration of people with special needs and the full respect of their rights.



Despite the efforts undertaken by Haiti, including the adoption of the law on the integration of persons with disabilities by Parliament https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-5278-haiti-social-the-right-of-persons-with-disabilities-to-the-social-inclusion-enshrined-in-the-law-of-march-13-2012.html people with reduced mobility continue to face serious daily constraints in terms of accessibility, participation and access to essential social services, which are all obstacles to the achievement of the rule of law.



Faced with this alarming state of affairs, the EU has already undertaken a number of actions to promote better integration of people with reduced mobility and to enable them to fully enjoy their rights. For example, the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 aims to address the challenges of accessibility, participation, equality, employment, education and training, protection health, for people with reduced mobility. Through its cooperation, the EU also favors a rights-based approach, which systematically integrates one or more human rights into each funded program and project.



Recall that in Haiti, the European Union supports, through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), an initiative to support the integration of people with disabilities in Haiti, up to 300,000 euros, in partnership with the organization "Christian Blind Mission" (CBM) and the Office of the Secretary of State [Gerald Oriol Jr.] for the integration of people with disabilities (BSEIPH), with the idea of promoting a great participation of persons with disabilities (PSH) and their organizations in the development of Haiti. The project will help build the capacity of local organizations working with people with special needs in Port-au-Prince, Gonaives and Hinche through 3 Technical and Material Resource Centers, while providing beneficiaries with a friendly, pleasant and organized space meeting their specific needs.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Justice : Jacmel Prison a critical and unacceptable situation





Despite the efforts of the judiciary in the region, the living conditions of the detainees at the Jacmel Civil Prison are becoming more critical day by day. At present the prison population is over 500 inmates, 487 of whom are in prolonged pretrial detention. Several human rights institutions are concerned about this situation.



Colin Rameau, Head of the Human Rights Section of the Youth Organization for South-East Development (OJEDESE), denounces the "sub-human" situation in which detainees are held and the fact that many are in pre-trial detention extended. He describes this situation as a violation of the rights of these people and hopes that interventions will be made in this matter. Moreover, he deplores the fact that several detainees are still incarcerated despite the fact that they have finished their sentence "For lack of means to pay the penalty fee required by law, according to their case between 500 to 1000 Gourdes, they are still kept in jail" inviting the judicial authorities to act in order to to release these prisoners.



For his part, Jean Jeudi, the human rights defender of the Macaya Society (SOMA), an institution working to promote and defend human rights in the region, criticizes the laxity of the Ministry of Justice and has showed great concern about the situation of the hundreds of detainees held in prolonged pretrial detention awaiting their fate. He took the opportunity to denounce the inhuman conditions in which these prisoners are piled up. "Gouvenman ap gaspiye kob nan karavan, epi anseyan, medsen ak pesonel lajistis ap fe grev pou mande touche" condemns human rights defender of SOMA.



In spite of everything, Me Moraille, the Government Commissioner at the Jacmel public prosecutor's office, drew up a satisfactory assessment of the work carried out by the prosecutor's office during the 2017 judicial year, stating that "out of 2,685 criminal cases from the courts, from the PNH and complaints brought directly by litigants, 428 only have been dismissed. Also, 134 civil declarations were made, 824 indictments of signed surveys. In criminal hearings, with or without jury assistance, 48 defendants were sentenced and 42 acquitted," adding that for correctional hearings there were 42 convictions and 15 releases.



HL/ HaitiLibre / Pierre Myrthel Esther (Correspondante Jacmel)


















Published on 2017/12/05 | Source

Added episodes 15 and 16 captures for the Korean drama "Black" (2017)

Advertisement

Directed by Kim Hong-seon-I

Written by Choi Ran-I

Network : OCN

With Song Seung-heon, Go Ara, Lee El, Kim Dong-jun, Jo Jae-yun, Lee Kyu-bok,...

18 episodes - Sat, Sun 22:00

Synopsis

A reaper borrows a human body and fall in love with a mortal woman who can see the shadows of death. He breaks the rules of heaven and thus completely disappears from the memory of the world in this drama.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/10/14

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Berry Bros & Rudd ups stake in Anchor Distilling Company

By Lisa Riley

Berry Bros & Rudd has increased its shareholding stake of Anchor Distilling Company (ADC).

The family-owned merchant yesterday announced it has purchased co-owner Keith Greggors shares in the San Francisco based premium craft spirits business for an undisclosed sum.

The purchase was incredible exciting news for Berry Bros & Rudd, with ADCs portfolio boasting over 300 specialty products from more than 20 countries, said chief executive, Dan Jago.

In addition, ADC had experienced "strong, profitable and consistent growth" in revenue of more than 500% over the past few years, he added.

President and CEO of Anchor Distilling Company Dennis Carr will continue in his existing role following the purchase, said Berry Bros & Rudd.

Tony Foglio, co-owner of ADC, said: Since ADC first formed in 2010, thanks to a partnership with Berry Bros & Rudd, the company has transformed from an independent craft distiller to a portfolio of the world's finest craft spirits.

The news follows the recent announcement of the sale of the brewing arm of Anchor Brewers & Distillers to Sapporo Holdings Ltd, Japans oldest beer brand.
Adult Corrections Officer's Acceptance of $4,000 from Inmate Under his Supervision

From Hawaii State Ethics Comm, ROC 2017-7, November 16, 2017

Respondent Kimo Kanazawa-Yee ("Respondent Kanazawa-Yee") was employed by the Department of Public Safety ("DPS") as an Adult Corrections Officer ("ACO") at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center ("HCCC") on the island of Hawaii, from approximately December 2007 through January 31, 2010. On Apri115, 2015, the Hawaii State Ethics Commission ("Commission") issued a Charge against Respondent Kanazawa-Yee for alleged violations of the State Ethics Code, Hawaii Revised Statutes ("HRS") chapter 84 ("Charge"). The Charge in redacted form is attached hereto as Exhibit A and made a part hereof.

Respondent Kanazawa-Yee denied the allegations in the Charge as set out in his Response to Charge dated June 15, 2015. The Response to Charge in redacted form is attached hereto as Exhibit B and made a part hereof.

The Commission and Respondent Kanazawa-Yee agreed to resolve the Charge with Respondent Kanazawa-Yee's payment of an administrative penalty of $2,500 to the State of Hawaii; restitution of $4,000 to a former inmate of HCCC ("Inmate"); and the publication of this Resolution of Charge document. The Commission believed that, based on the allegations detailed below, the terms of the resolution were fair and in the public interest.

I. Alleged Facts

The Commission conducted an investigation of Respondent Kanazawa-Yee and issued the Charge against him for allegedly soliciting and/or accepting $4,000 from Inmate. Respondent Kanazawa-Yee cooperated with the Commission's staff by voluntarily participating in an interview on December 4, 2015. The Commission's investigation revealed the following alleged facts .

B. Misuse of Position to Obtain Power of Attorney from Inmate

In or around November 2009, Respondent Kanazawa-Yee and two other ACOs, ACO A and ACO B, planned to obtain money from Inmate. Respondent Kanazawa-Yee took part in a plan to cause Inmate to execute a Power of Attorney appointing ACO A as Inmate's attorney-in-fact for the purpose of making a one-time withdrawal of $10,000 from Inmate's bank account with the intent that the money be divided and distributed between the three ACOs.

C. Soliciting and/or Accepting and/or Receiving $3,000 from Inmate

On November 18, 2009, Inmate executed a Power of Attorney, which (1) was made effective from November 20, 2009 to December 20, 2009, (2) was witnessed by Respondent Kanazawa-Yee, and (3) gave Inmate's power of attorney to ACO A for the purpose of making a $10,000 withdrawal from Inmate's bank account. On December 14, 2009, Respondent Kanazawa-Yee, ACO A and ACO B drove from Hilo to the bank branch in Kailua-Kona where, using the Power of Attorney, ACO A withdrew $10,000 from Inmate's account. ACO A was issued a cashier's check in his name for this amount. On December 22, 2009, ACO A deposited the $10,000 in his own bank account. Subsequently, on or about January 7, 2010, ACO A gave Respondent Kanazawa-Yee and ACO B cashier's checks, drawn on ACO A's bank account, in the amount of $3,000 each. Respondent Kanazawa-Yee then cashed his check or caused it to be cashed.

D. Non-disclosure of $3,000 Gift from Inmate

Respondent Kanazawa-Yee did not file a gifts disclosure statement with the Commission disclosing the $3,000 that he received.

E. Soliciting and/or Accepting, and/or Receiving $1,000 from Inmate

In or around January 2010, Respondent Kanazawa-Yee provided Inmate with his private post office box address. On or about January 28, 2010, Inmate directed his bank to issue a check for $1,000 to Respondent Kanazawa-Yee and send the check to the post office box address. Respondent Kanazawa-Yee was then part of a DPS reduction in force that took effect on January 31, 2010, and ceased employment with DPS on this date. On or about February 4, 2010, Respondent Kanazawa-Yee received a check for $1,000, drawn from Inmate's funds, and cashed his check or caused it to be cashed.

F. Non-disclosure of $1000 Gift from Inmate Respondent Kanazawa-Yee did not file a gifts disclosure statement with the Commission disclosing the $1,000 that he received.

Resolution of Charge

This Resolution of Charge document is being issued pursuant to the Commission's agreement with Respondent Kanazawa-Yee to resolve the Charge without any further administrative proceedings. The agreement and this Resolution of Charge document do not constitute an admission of wrongdoing by Respondent Kanazawa-Yee or a determination by the Commission of any wrongdoing.

The Commission believes it was reasonable, fair and in the public interest to resolve the Charge by issuing this Resolution of Charge, by Respondent Kanazawa-Yee's payment of an administrative penalty of $2,500 to the State of Hawaii, and by restitution of $4,000 to Inmate.
Canada remembers Great Halifax Explosion on 100th anniversary of largest blast of pre-atomic era

On December 6th, 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc, having left New York loaded with explosives destined for the Allied war effort in Europe, collided with the New York-bound Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the harbour at Halifax, Nova Scotia. The resulting fire set off an explosion that flattened large parts of the city, killed at least 2,000 and injured a further 9,000.

Halifax harbour after the blast - Image: Nova Scotia Archives

The harbour had been crowded with vessels organising for a military convoy and were hampered in their movements by underwater anti-submarine nets, protection from the increasing threat of German U-boat attacks.

The impact of the two vessels occurred at about 8:45 am. The Mont Blanc ignited, and the fire quickly went out of control. Sailors on other ships, dock and factory workers, military personnel and residents, including children on the way to school, gathered to watch the blazing ship.

In addition to its full cargo of TNT, the ships hull and deck were crammed with barrels of highly flammable benzole (a fuel) and picric acid (an explosive) as well as guncotton (a propellant or low-order explosive). This made the Mont-Blanc a massive bomb, and 20 minutes after the collision it went off.

The sudden, massive and deafening fireball flattened a 3.5 square-kilometre area, killing approximately 2,000 people and injuring 9,000. This was the largest man-made explosion before nuclear weapons - the equivalent of 2,989 tonnes of TNT.

Nearly all structures within an 800-metre radius, including the entire community of Richmond, were obliterated. A pressure wave snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels, and scattered fragments of the Mont-Blanc for kilometres. Hardly a window in the city proper survived the blast. Across the harbour, in Dartmouth, there was also widespread damage. A tsunami created by the blast wiped out the community of Mi'kmaq First Nations people who had lived in the Tufts Cove area for generations.

Twenty-five thousand were left without shelter. Debris was scattered over a wide area and windows shattered up to 85 kilometres away, blinding many. Yet another cruel blow was to come the next day when a blizzard blanketed the area, hampering relief efforts as snow covered the dead and dying.

The Nova Scotia provincial government is involved in a number of activities to commemorate those who were killed and injured in the disaster, while local and national media have published special reports into the incident and its subsequent consequences.







More information...
KEPA on Friday drew attention to a newly published report analysing the tax laws and practices of 18 countries across Europe.

Finland has much work to do to deliver on its promise to combat tax evasion and aggressive tax planning, states KEPA, a Finnish umbrella organisation for hundreds of non-governmental organisations working on global development issues.

The report found that harmful tax laws and practices, which are susceptible to being taken advantage of by major multinational corporations to avoid taxes, are in place in nine of the 18 countries.

The EU has spoken firmly against tax havens, but the report indicates that it has much to do at home. Member states that facilitate tax evasion are allowed to enjoy the benefits of the single market, but they cannot afford to end up on the EUs black list, highlights Lyydia Kilpi, an advisor for tax justice and corporate responsibility at KEPA.

She is perplexed especially by the fact that several member states continue to oppose demands to increase tax transparency in spite of the recent tax scandals.

It is inexplicable that Finland is opposed to the notion of obliging the largest multinational corporations to disclose the basic details of their tax contributions in each of the countries they operate in. This undermines the governments promise to combat aggressive tax planning, she views in a press release from KEPA.

Finland receives both praise and criticism in the report titled Tax Games  the Race to the Bottom: Europes role in supporting an unjust global tax system 2017.

The country is lauded for passing a law that stipulates that information about the beneficial owners of companies and other legal entities, such as foundations, shall be made public and accessible free of charge. The law, however, has loopholes with respect to the definition of a beneficiary owner, according to the report.

Finland is also reprimanded for its failure to assess the spillover effects of its tax treaties with developing countries and its lack of support for establishing an intergovernmental tax body.

Kilpi reminds that international corporate tax standards are required to put an end to harmful tax competition for large corporations.

We need international negotiations similar to the annual climate negotiations, she states. If the current downward spiral continues, the average corporate tax percentage will be zero in 2052. We have to put an end to tax competition that is exacerbating inequalities and step up our efforts to combat aggressive tax planning, says Kilpi.

The Finnish government, the report concludes, seems committed to combatting tax avoidance and increasing transparency on a rhetorical level. A closer examination of its position on many key policy areas, however, demonstrates a tendency to sometimes prioritise the interests of big corporations over those of broader society.

The report was co-ordinated by Eurodad, a Brussels-based network of non-governmental organisations from 19 countries in Europe. The section on Finland was produced by KEPA.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Vesa Moilanen  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
Small-scale astronomers had recognized her work for quite some time, but it took many years for Hisako Koyamas name to become renowned in the profession science community. A recently published paper outlines how her work impacted the documentation of sunspots over the last century.

Koyamas name lingered in the back of Delores Knipps mind for years before she decided to conduct a detailed study on her work, outlined in the American Geophysical Union journal, Space Weather. Knipp, a space weather scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder, first caught sight of Koyama at a lecture given by Leif Svalgaard, a solar scientist. Svalgaard was discussing a recent effort by international scientists to create a complete timeline of sunspot observances, dating back to 1610, called the sunspot reconstruction project. She displayed a photo of Koyama crouching next to her telescope, and explained how her sunspot sketches closed the early 20th century gap in sunspot documentation, ultimately providing the vital records needed to complete the project.

"I was astounded; I'd never seen a major observational solar record from a woman," Knipp said in a press release. "It stuck in my mind, and I wondered why I hadn't heard of her."

Koyamas accomplishments loomed in Knipps head for two years before an unexpected source gave her the inspiration she needed to finally research her work: the 2016 film Hidden Figures, which follows three female, African-American NASA scientists.

"I was so taken and inspired by that, and even though I had been thinking about it before, the 'Hidden Figures' movie was the thing that pushed me into gear, and I said, 'I've got to know more about this record from Japan,'" Knipp said.

With motivation kicked into high gear, Knipp commissioned space scientist, Huixin Liu, of the Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, and historical researcher Hisashi Hayakawa, of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science in Tokyo, to help her carry out the study. Together, they compiled information that outlined the work of, arguably, the greatest sunspot observer of the 20th century.

Koyama, born in Japan in 1916, showed an interest in astronomy from a young age. Though she didnt have any formal training in science beyond her high school education, she began surveying and illustrating sunspots in 1944, with a refracting telescope that was given to her by her father.

Sunspots represent areas of the Sun with increased magnetic activity, lowering the Suns surface temperature in that area and creating a short-term dark spot. Though sunspots appear sporadically and the number of them fluctuate with each of the Suns 11-year solar cycles, they can be used to track changes in the Suns magnetic activity and give scientists an idea of how the changes may impact conditions on Earth.

In 1944, the same year she began observing sunspots, she submitted one of her sketches to Japan's Oriental Astronomical Association, and received positive feedback from Issei Yamamoto, OAAs solar section president. With direction and insight from Yamamoto, Koyama continued to contribute consistent sunspot sketches, noting any significant details of solar activity, to the Tokyo Science Museum, now known as Tokyo's National Museum of Nature and Science. The museum hired Koyama on as a staff observer that same year.

Koyama spent her career at the museum, documenting and sketching sunspots until her retirement in 1981. All the while, she used the same telescope gifted to her by her father decades earlier. She continued to record sunspots as a museum fellow following her retirement, and died in 1997. Over the course of her life, she created more than 10,000 sketches of Sun activity.
HARRISBURG  State Rep. Greg Rothman is proposing a bill that would put a 6 percent sales tax on medical marijuana and an 11.5 percent tax on recreational marijuana if its ever legalized in Pennsylvania.

The conservative Republican says he is hoping to spark a broader debate on tax reform.

There will be people who are opposed to it because they dont want to see the sales tax imposed, but the reality is we have at least a one-and-a-half billion dollar deficit here that we fix by borrowing money from future generations, so I think its my responsibility as a legislator to find ways to fill that hole, said Rothman, R-Hampden.

Medical marijuana is legal in at least 29 states. Many of those states already have a sales tax on the medicine.

VS Strategies, a pro-legalization research company in Denver, released a report that shows how much money Colorado makes on recreational and medical marijuana. According to the report, Colorado has a 2.9 percent sales tax on medical marijuana and has raised nearly $40 million since 2014.

Overall, the report says Colorado has raised more than half a billion dollars in cannabis-related revenue since 2014. Colorado reportedly uses that money for things like criminal justice and public safety, education and drug prevention and treatment programs

Some critics say legislators should not tax medicine.

We call it medical marijuana but the FDA hasnt called it medical, so at least we should tax it until it is defined as medicine by the federal government, Rothman said.

Rothman said he would also like to see the state assemble a task force to look at how Pennsylvania could restructure its tax code.
Pennsylvania State Police said a woman died in an early-morning fire Tuesday in Franklin County.

The fire broke out just before 5 a.m. Tuesday morning along the 11,000 block of Airport Road in Washington Township, according to police.

Police have not released the name of the victim. A firefighter was also taken to the hospital with burns to his neck. He has been released.

There was no information on what started the fire.

The State Police Fire Marshal is investigating.
At its annual reorganization on Monday night, the Cumberland Valley School Board welcomed two new members, reinstated two incumbents, and also revised district policies regulating career and technical education and foreign exchange students.

Starting initial terms on Monday were Greg Rausch, who represents Middlesex and Monroe townships, and Brian Drapp representing Silver Spring Township. They replace longtime board members Barbara Gleim and Thomas Griffie, whose terms ended last month.

Returning for new four-year terms on Monday were board incumbents Michael Gossert and Bud Shaffner. Gossert also was reappointed as board chairman for the upcoming year, thanking his fellow board members for putting your trust in me for another year. Heather Dunn was reappointed as vice chair, while Pamela Long was chosen as board secretary, a position formerly held by Griffie.

In other action, school directors finalized revisions to the districts existing policy regulating career and technical education. The revisions state that Cumberland Valleys superintendent or a designee is responsible for informing parents and students about several factors concerning career paths and courses.

We want to make sure students and parents are fully aware of economic opportunities that are available or not available for a selection of courses that would lead to careers, Superintendent Frederick Withum III said.

Revisions now call for the district to provide an educational planning mechanism for parents and students to review typical jobs within a career and technical area. This includes job outlooks and median salaries as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as notifying the school board and the Cumberland-Perry Area Vocational Technical School board if a program at either of these schools would lead to a median salary below the income level for a which a family of three qualifies for free or reduced school lunches under federal standards.

In additional to the roughly two dozen career programs offered at Cumberland-Perry AVTS, the Cumberland Valley School District offers agriculture and pre-engineering courses. Cumberland-Perry also is in the process of developing a computer networking program, Withum said.

Also on Monday, the school board approved a revision to the districts policy regulating its foreign exchange student program. With the revisions, the district has the right to refuse a foreign exchange student who isnt as fluent in English as his sponsoring company or family promised. The district also can chose to accept a student under these circumstances and bill the sponsoring exchange organization for English Language Learner services.

At a district policy committee meeting held in September, Withum said some other school districts already have such provisions included in their foreign exchange student policies.
BRISTOL, Va.  Members of the Virginia Fire Services Board heard some diverse viewpoints Monday during a Bristol Virginia town hall meeting.

Five members of the board are visiting  at the citys invitation  to learn more about how fire and emergency medical services are delivered. Monday nights meeting completed a day filled with meetings and interviews, board member Robby Dawson said after the session.

Weve been talking to and listening to staff. We met with the vice mayor, the city manager, the fire chief this morning. We met with members of the Bristol Life Saving Crew this afternoon and some of the members at one of the fire stations. Well continue that at the other stations [today], Dawson said.

The state board is being asked to assess city services, develop a report and some recommendations for city leaders next year. It comes on the heels of 2017-18 budget deliberations that included proposals to have the Fire Department take over all EMS transport, reduce the number of firefighters or possibly close a fire station.

Dawson said the fire board will meet at the other two fire stations this morning then again with the city manager before departing.

There may be more information we need to do our assessment. There may be documents  we heard a couple things tonight wed like to get a copy of  that well need to do our more formal review in the next few months, Dawson said.

Ultimately, the board members will draft a report that will be sent to the city manager to check for accuracy before being approved by the board and presented to the city. It will focus solely on the delivery of fire and EMS services to the public.

Nothing is off the table but were not looking at compensation for firefighters. Were not going to look at how the Bristol Life Saving Crew does quality assurance or business-related things. Ours is how does that citizen in the city of Bristol get that fire truck and that ambulance to their door as quickly as possible, Dawson said.

The study is expected early next year.

Mondays topics included the relationship between the Fire Department and the mostly volunteer Life Saving Crew  which runs emergency medical calls in the city but receives no city money  staffing levels, fire station locations and coverage areas.

They also heard about challenges  from bridges with weight limitations to the road construction on Lee Highway at The Falls commercial center and radio communications.

I think it would be an excellent idea for every agency providing emergency services in the city to be on the same frequency, fire Sgt. Todd Gentry said. If Washington County comes into the city they should switch over to our frequency so we know whos coming and whats going on. I think it would be a very minimal expense to everyone.

Mayor Kevin Mumpower agreed with Gentry, saying that communications between different agencies is important.

Gary Whiteaker, a Life Saving Crew member and former assistant fire chief in Bristol, Tennessee, said he believes EMS should ultimately be managed by the citys Fire Department.

Youve got a good thing here. The Bristol Life Saving Crew has done a very good job over the years, Whiteaker said, adding that any change should occur over time. EMS should eventually come to the Fire Department, but you dont need to declare the Life Saving Crew dead until they are.

Tony Cox, the Life Saving Crews CEO, said there is a lot of misinformation about his agency and he met with the board Monday to try and address those questions.

Michael Wise, president of the Bristol Professional Firefighters Local 2499, said the department faces a lot of challenges.

Some of our biggest concerns are our staffing and our station locations, Wise said. If station locations need to be changed, maybe that is something we should look at. But we are running with 10 people on each shift  with three people off  so we have 13 people per shift or 39 firefighters.

Wise said that is considered a minimal number.

Since last year, the city fire department has lost five people, Wise said. Three were hired since last November, out of 13 applicants, but all three have now left for other jobs due to uncertainty.

One moved here from New York City, one from South Carolina and one was a local guy. They have left because we dont know what the future of our jobs is going to be, Wise said.

Mumpower said the city sought out the state board to get expert, independent analysis.

At the end of the day, we want to make sure we have the best essential services and emergency services in the city, the mayor said. I think these discussions are really healthy because you start everybody talking together.  Whether we make any changes at all, plus or minus, everybody will be better off because there will be problems sorted out through this open discussion.

Members of the public can stop by fire station 3 near Interstate 81s Exit 7 at 8:15 a.m. today or station 1 downtown at about 9:15 a.m. to speak with board members or submit written comments.
If youre a normal person who pays attention to politics, youd be forgiven for thinking that Washington cant decide whether deficits are bad or not. Well, I have one easy trick that will help you make sense of it all.

In Washington, when you hear people complain that this or that piece of legislation will explode the deficit, what they are really telling you is that they dont like the legislation.

Its really that simple. Good legislation, like good food, movies, novels and pretty much everything else except for dogs (theyre all good), is in the eye of the beholder. A politician or partisan who thinks a proposal is worth doing will think its worth doing even if it increases the deficit. If he thinks a proposal is bad, he might argue that its bad on the merits. But you can be sure that if it also increases the deficit, he will cite this fact as a major reason why it is bad.

That is the role deficits  and the national debt  play in our politics. Anti-debt talk serves as dye marker for some more fundamental objection.

Almost everyone thinks deficits are bad in the abstract, but that their badness should only be a problem for the other side. In 2008, for example, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama said that the $4 trillion in debt rung up under George W. Bush was unpatriotic. But his actual complaint wasnt about the debt but what that money was spent on  the Iraq war and tax cuts.

Under Obama, the national debt soared from $11 trillion to just under $20 trillion, but that deficit spending was justifiable, according to Democrats, because it went to combating the financial crisis and paying for various other domestic programs.

The source of the apparent inconsistency isnt simply partisan hypocrisy (though thats a factor as well), but a good-faith ideological disagreement.

As a matter of economic policy, conservatives believe that the people themselves are better at spending their money than the government is. Cutting taxes and regulations drives economic growth. Liberals, meanwhile, believe that the government is the prime, or at least an indispensable, driver of economic growth.

This is why liberals tend to talk about spending on everything from infrastructure to education as an investment. The Obama stimulus was sold as an investment that would pay huge dividends, thanks in part to Keynesian multipliers  the idea that every dollar of government spending results in more than a dollar in economic growth. Obamacare, we were told, would reduce the deficit by cutting health care spending and improving economic growth.

Conservatives make similar arguments about tax cuts. Over the weekend, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News that the tax cuts would yield more than enough economic growth to make up for the deficit the bill creates on paper.

On the philosophical side, theres an even starker conflict of visions. Liberals tend to start from the assumption that the government is entitled to as much revenue as it needs, and so tax cuts amount to giving people money.

Earlier this year, Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed a budget that would add at least $21 trillion to the debt over a decade. But when the Senate passed the GOP tax bill, he tweeted, Historians will look back on Dec. 1, 2017 and conclude this was one of the great robberies in US history because Republicans are looting the Treasury. For Sanders, letting people keep more of their own money is theft  because its really the governments money.

Conservatives, on the other hand, start from the assumption that money belongs to the people and businesses who earn it. Letting people and businesses keep more of their money isnt a handout or giveaway, never mind a robbery: Its fairness.

The ultimate problem is that everyone says they care about the deficit, but few people care about it enough. Democrats think spending is more important than the deficit, and Republicans think cutting taxes is more important. And thats why the national debt is more than $20 trillion, and growing.
One way to kill a predatory animal is to deny it sustenance. The tax-cut bill passed by the Senate, if it clears a conference with the House and President Trump signs it, may be the first step toward starving the big government beast.

Reporting on the Senate vote early Saturday morning reflected the biases of various media outlets. Predictably, The New York Times and Washington Post characterized the cuts as favoring the rich, while doing nothing for the poor. Bulletin: Relatively few low-income people pay federal income taxes. They join the 46 percent of Americans who pay no taxes to Washington.

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on eliminating waste and inefficiency in the federal government, expressed a view opposite that of the major media. CAGW president Thomas Schatz, said: This taxpayer-first bill lowers tax rates on American families; simplifies the tax code; reduces the tax burden on small businesses; and makes American companies more competitive globally.

Two frustrating things about this: One is that too many people expect more from government than they expect from themselves. The Founders never intended government to be a nanny. That it has become one, egged-on by many politicians who preserve their careers by making people dependent on Washington, is why liberty shrinks and debt deepens.

The second and perhaps biggest frustration is that solutions to growing debt exist, but are ignored by many of these same politicians. They fear attacks by liberals who claim conservatives dont care about children, the sick and elderly. One need only consider now-Speaker Paul Ryans proposal to reform Medicare and Social Security a few years ago. Rather than debate the merits of Ryans proposal, a liberal group hired an actor who was shown pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair over a cliff.

Google cut federal spending and you will see dozens of suggestions. Mostly liberal and some Republican politicians dont want to embrace them because cutting spending would reduce their power over us.

Two of these proposals deserve serious attention. One comes from Downsizing the Federal Government, a website designed to highlight where federal spending goes and how to reform each government department, which proposes shrinking every federal department by cutting the most harmful programs. This study proposes specific cuts that would reduce federal spending by almost one-quarter and balance the budget in less than a decade.

The philosophy behind their proposal (which is too long to reprint, so look it up) is this: The federal government has expanded into many areas that should be left to state and local governments, businesses, charities, and individuals. That expansion is sucking the life out of the private economy and creating a top-down bureaucratic society that is alien to American traditions. So cutting federal spending would enhance civil liberties by dispersing power from Washington.

A similar proposal comes from The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.,-based conservative think tank. Nothing has changed, except more debt, since senior fellow Brian Riedl wrote it seven years ago. It includes empowering state and local governments by transferring programs and power out of Washington to governments closer to the people, consolidating duplicative programs, of which there are many, privatizing the many programs that could be done better by the private sector, elimination of outdated and unnecessary programs and the familiar elimination of waste, fraud and abuse.

I would add reform Social Security and Medicare, the main drivers of increased spending, which President Trump has hinted Republicans may try next year.

Ignoring solutions and letting the debt increase is irresponsible. With this Congress, as with many before it, sexual harassment isnt the only example of irresponsibility.
A duck hunter was airlifted to a Charlotte hospital Saturday morning after being shot by another hunter in Burke County, according to a press release from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

Brennen Watson, 25, had just finished hunting around 8:15 a.m. and was walking back to his vehicle when he was shot through the left shoulder by James Cork, 62, of Morganton, the release said.

Cork was hunting deer with a centerfire rifle when the shooting happened on the Johns River Game Land, according to the release.

Watson was airlifted to a Charlotte hospital and was in stable condition Sunday, the release said. WSOC reported that Watson will need reconstructive surgery for his injuries.

WSOC also reported that charges are expected but that officials are waiting to see if Watsons condition improves. As of 2 p.m. Monday, no charges had been filed.

Watson was with a hunting partner when the shooting happened. The investigation is ongoing, the release said.
An area man was charged with several felonies after police say he was involved in a domestic disturbance, which led to him burning down his girlfriends house.

Jonathan Yarbrough, 19, of Cadet, is being charged with a class B felony of arson in the first degree and three class B felonies of assault in the first degree.

According to a probable cause statement, at 5:05 a.m. Monday, deputies were called to the 10,000 block of West Briar Rd. for a disturbance. At that time the deputy had Yarbrough leave the home because he was arguing with his girlfriend and her friend. He told the deputy that the girls were hiding something so he kicked open the bedroom door.

At 5:32 a.m. the deputy left the area after he was sure Yarbrough had left. At 5:34 a.m. Yarbrough called his girlfriends friend and told her he was going to kill all of them. The deputy watched surveillance video and at 5:37 a.m. an employee in a white truck pulled into a nearby business.

The surveillance video showed Yarbrough get up from a bench and start walking toward the direction of the trailer where his girlfriend lived. It wasnt until 6:21 a.m. that the first call came in to Central Dispatch for the fire and the reporting party said she could see the fire from Route E and Highway 21 where she was at.

The report said that at 6:22 a.m. the friend of Yarbroughs girlfriend called to report the fire. The deputy watched more surveillance video and saw Yarbrough at Short Stop Gas Station at 6:28 a.m. The deputy said Yarbrough seemed to be gasping for air and was out of breath.

Yarbrough asked for a phone to call 911 to report a fire. The deputy said he retrieved all 911 calls during this time from the Washington County Central Dispatch and none of them showed any calls from Yarbrough.

When the deputy spoke with the employee at the nearby business he said a guy from Lowe's was dropping off an order and came inside to tell him a trailer was on fire. That employee and another one rushed out the door and ran to the fire to help start getting people evacuated. The employee said everyone was yelling and a man wearing red flannel was outside.

Yarbroughs girlfriend said the house was on fire and she saw Yarbrough five minutes later when he ran up screaming, are you OK? He was told to leave.

Another person filled out a statement and said he woke up to go to the bathroom and heard some noises outside. When he looked out the window he saw the yard glowing orange, so he opened up the door and yelled they had to get out of the house. He also said he saw Yarbrough come out from between two trailers and run up to his girlfriend giving her a hug saying he didnt do it. Yarbrough then ran off.

In an earlier interview, Potosi Fire Chief Roger Lachance said the wind was blowing pretty badly and it caught the trailer next to it on fire. Lachance added that both homes were a total loss. The fire was under investigation by local authorities and the State Fire Marshals Office.

Yarbrough is being held in the Washington County Jail on a $100,000 bond and is to have no contact with the victims upon his release.
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Much of Americas capital has entered a state of near-panic. In recent days, President Donald Trump has been acting more bizarrely than ever, and the question raised in the mind of politicians and civilians alike, though rarely spoken aloud, has been: What can be done with this man? Can the United States really afford to wait for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to wrap up his investigation (on the assumption that hell find the president guilty of something)? That could still take quite a while.

The question of timing has become increasingly urgent, given the heightened danger that the US will deliberately or accidentally end up in a war with North Korea. That risk, coupled with Trumps increasingly peculiar behaviour, has made Washington more tense than Ive ever known it to be, and that includes the dark days of Watergate. To put it bluntly: the worry is that the president might lead the US into a nuclear war.

In just the past week, evidence of Trumps instability has piled up. During an Oval Office ceremony to honour Native-American heroes of World War II, he offended them by issuing a racist comment. He picked an unprecedented and unnecessary fight with the prime minister of the United Kingdom, supposedly Americas closest ally, by retweeting a British neo-fascist groups anti-Muslim posts. In an effort to win a Democratic senators vote for his pending tax-cut bill, he travelled to her state and told lies about her record (though the tax bill was so tilted to the richest 1% of Americans that no Democratic senator voted for it). And he continued to bait North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who seems equally unstable.

At the same time, both the Washington Post and The New York Times ran articles containing disturbing stories about the presidents private behaviour. Trump, it was reported, told people close to him that he considers the infamous Access Hollywood recording of him joking, off-camera, about grabbing womens genitals to be a fraud, even though he admitted its authenticity and apologised after the Post released it in the final weeks of the presidential campaign.

Trump has also been revisiting his mendacious claim about Barack Obama having not been born in the US  the bogus allegation that launched his political career, which, under pressure from advisers, hed renounced prior to the election. He said in a tweet that he had turned down Time magazines suggestion that it would name him Person of the Year, because it wasnt definite. (Trump sets great store by such appearances on Times cover). But a Time official said that no such thing had occurred.

The fact that Trump appears to have some mental disorder, or disorders, has created a dilemma for psychiatrists, politicians, and journalists alike. The American Psychiatric Association has a rule that its members may not offer diagnoses of people they have not examined. But, given what some psychiatrists see as a national emergency, many have broken the rule and spoken or written publicly about their professional assessments of Trumps mental state.

The most widely accepted view is that he suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder, which is far more serious than simply being a narcissist. According to the Mayo Clinic, such a disorder is a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. Moreover, behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem thats vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

This definition is all too reflective of traits that Trump regularly exhibits. Another view held by a number of medical professionals, based on how Trump spoke in interviews in the late 1980s and how he speaks now  with a far more limited vocabulary and much less fluency  is that the president is suffering from the onset of dementia. According to the highly respected medical reference UpToDate, a subscription-financed service used by professionals, the symptoms of dementia include agitation, aggression, delusions, hallucinations, apathy, and disinhibition.

Numerous Republican members of Congress are deeply worried about Trumps capacity to handle the presidency  an incredibly demanding job. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, rumoured to be replaced soon, is said to have called Trump a moron.

Trumps heightened erratic behaviour in recent days has been attributed to his growing anxiety about Muellers investigation into his and his campaigns possible collusion with Russia in the Kremlins effort to tilt the 2016 election in his direction  an investigation that could end in a charge of conspiracy. (Trump appears to be the only significant figure in Washington who wont accept that Russia interfered.) And that increasingly bizarre behaviour came even before the news broke, on December 1, that Trumps first national security adviser and close campaign aide, retired General Michael Flynn, had agreed to plead guilty to one count of lying to the FBI in exchange for his cooperation with the investigation.

What made this highly significant was that Flynn is far and away the highest former official whom Mueller has flipped. Indeed, the generous plea deal makes it clear that Flynn is prepared to name figures higher than he was in the campaign and the White House.

Thats not very many people. It has already been speculated, with reason, that Flynn will point a finger at Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. But Trumps several earlier efforts to steer prosecutors away from Flynn were strong signals that Flynn knows something that Trump desperately hopes that prosecutors wont find out. We may learn what that is fairly soon.

Meanwhile, American and the world nervously await Trumps reaction to this latest very bad turn of events for him.

Elizabeth Drew is a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books and the author, most recently, of Washington Journal: Reporting Watergate and Richard Nixons Downfall.

The views expressed are personal

Project Syndicate 2017
At a stones throw away from Aam Admi Partys camp at Rajkots Nana Mavua Chowk, two back-to-back rallies by the opponents  chief minister Vijay Rupani (for BJP) and Patidar leader Hardik Patel (for Congress), happened during the last week of November.

But, little movement was seen in the AAPs camp at the time teh rallies were being held. This, in a nutshell, presents scenarios of AAPs low-key campaign in an election where the BJP is trying to retain its 22-year-old rule.

Cut to Ahmedabad. Carrying brooms and sporting Nehru caps with slogan main aam aadmi hoon, a group led by Amjad Pathan goes door to door in Bapurnagar constituency promising to bring change.

Ek vaar mat AAP ne, pachi jovo Gujarat ne (elect AAP once to see a new Gujarat) they chant. As Pathan, AAPs Bapunagar candidate, makes an appeal to voters to press the button for broom, others hand over two-page leaflets, the partys election manifesto for the constituency.

Bapunagar, which has a significant population of diamond polishers and other workers, is one of the 30 seats Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals party is contesting.

Until March, the party was ready to contest all 182 seats.

Kejriwal was among the early birds to kickstart the campaign from Hindu pilgrimage town of Somnath and addressed Patidars in north Gujarat, the epicentre of the OBC agitation. He visited Gujarat four times between July and November 2016.

But the plans changed after disappointing results in Punjab and the drubbing in Goa. The party also lost its most credible face, Dr Kanu Kalsaria, who is now contesting from this seat as an Independent, saying his social organisation Sadbhavna Manch wanted to go him solo.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and arch-rival Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi have been leading whirlwind campaigns, AAPs supremo has been missing from the scene.

So far no plan regarding Kejriwal campaigning has come forth, said AAP Gujarat spokesperson Harshil Nayak, three days before campaigning for the first phase comes to an end.

We have been focusing on decentralised campaign. The candidates and workers have been taking care of their own constituencies.

The party says it is contesting only from those seats where it believes it has a strong network of volunteers.

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The state government took a U-turn on extending facilities to ex-chief ministers like government bungalows and salaries and perks on par with that of ministers for life, while submitting before the high court Jabalpur bench that it can reconsider its decision.

Directing the state government to submit a status report on Monday the bench of chief justice justice Hemant Gupta and justice VK Shukla fixed December 20 for the next hearing on the petition filed in this regard by Raunak Yadav, a law student from Jabalpur.

Raunak said in the petition the state government had amended Madhya Pradesh Ministers (Salary and allowances), Act 1972 to allow the ex-chief ministers in the state to avail lifelong the facilities like government bungalows, salary and perks on par with that of ministers in the government. An order to amend the Act was issued on April 24, 2016.

The petitioner said the Supreme Court had ruled that such a facility to ex-ministers was not lawful and mentioned the names of ex-chief ministers Uma Bharti, Kailash Joshi and Digvijaya Singh who are occupants of government bungalows in Bhopal.

The petitioner said such an amendment in the act also amounted to misuse of public money.

Notably, Supreme Court had directed six ex-CMs of Uttar Pradesh in August last year to vacate the official bungalows they were occupying in Lucknow. The ex-CMs include Rajnath Singh, Kalyan Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, ND Tiwari and Ram Naresh Yadav. Ram Naresh Yaday passed away in November last year.

However, Uttar Pradesh amended the law to allow the ex-CMs to enjoy stay in government bungalows and other facilities for their life.

After the Supreme Courts order Madhya Pradeshs ex-CM Motilal Vora vacated his bungalow in Bhopal in response to a notice from the state government.
The BBC on Tuesday apologised for a gaffe in which they ran a video of Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor while reporting on veteran actor Shashi Kapoors death on Monday. The elder Kapoor died after a prolonged illness in Mumbai. He was 79.

The goof up caught the attention of several people on social media, who called out the BBC for their racism. Why do I pay my licence fee for such shabby journalism? asked one user. Apology and correction required. Lazy journalism, wrote another, tagging BBC News editor Paul Royall.

Shocking to note @BBC insults a veteran actor Shashi Kapoor by showing clips of @SrBachchan & @chintskap whilst reporting his death today!!!@BBC must apologize!!! Clearly they have no clue.



RIP Shashi Kapoor  pic.twitter.com/XMT4QJCy53  GABBAR (@Gabbar_food) December 4, 2017

I'm really annoyed about the BBC Shashi Kapoor thing. DOES ANYONE GIVE A DAMN? If you do, please tweet the editor @paulroyall  Aasmah Mir (@AasmahMir) December 4, 2017

Come on @paulroyall. Apology and correction required. Lazy journalism. Next time a white actor dies will you show clips from any other random white actors movies and expect no complaints?  Debbie P (@bennybongo) December 4, 2017

@paulroyall I hope you now have a photograph of the real Shashi Kapoor? Poor man can't even rest in peace because the BBC credited another 'brown person ' with his work. #NotTheSame  Graeme (@Lurganexile) December 4, 2017

#BBCNewsTen Pretty poor work by BBC editors reporting actor Shashi Kapoors death. The videos showed Amithabh Bachan & Rishi Kapoor....Good Lord...they are alive... #BBCNewsTen  ArunS (@bestbabydoc) December 4, 2017

#BBCNewsTen Pretty poor work by BBC editors reporting actor Shashi Kapoors death. The videos showed Amithabh Bachan & Rishi Kapoor....Good Lord...they are alive... #BBCNewsTen  ArunS (@bestbabydoc) December 4, 2017

BBC 10 o'clock news showed a clip of @SrBachchan & Rishi Kapoor while announcing the death of veteran #Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor, ignorance and sheer carelessness @BBCNews  Subhajit Basu (@basu_subhajit) December 4, 2017

Dear @BBC just watched your inaccurate news coverage of Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoors death while you showed pictures of @SrBachchan & @chintskap in error! Could you please do your research more thoroughly & have some respect please!  An Average Brit (@needsfixingnow) December 4, 2017

Sad to hear about Shashi Kapoors sad passing..Even sadder that BBC showed Amitabh and Rishi Kapoor. Duffers!  Prolatariat (@Prolatariat7) December 4, 2017

#BBC News hire proper researchers! Report on legend #Shashi Kapoor's death and you show #Amitabh and his brother #Rishi Kapoor but no clip of him or his iconic movies. Call yourself a news channel?  Mita Morris (@MitaMorris) December 4, 2017

This is Shashi Kapoor BBC News at 10. You presented wrong actors in your news clip @BBCNews #majorfail pic.twitter.com/mtSBaSqY4r  sarwar (@SarwarO69) December 4, 2017

T 1855 -Shashi ji, Chintu and moi .. a moment I think from 'Kabhie Kabhi' .. a wedding sequence or an event .. Dunno pic.twitter.com/e793FCAh1z  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) May 4, 2015

Royall later tweeted an apology, stating that the reporting was not up to our usual standards.

#BBCNewsTen is very sorry wrong images were used to mark the death of Shashi Kapoor. Not our usual standards and I apologise for any upset.  Paul Royall (@paulroyall) December 4, 2017

The youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashis demise marks the death of an era - the second generation of the illustrious Kapoor clan that is often referred as the first family of Hindi cinema. Shashis brother Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor ruled the Hindi film industry for decades. While brother Raj Kapoor died in June 1988, Shammi Kapoor breathed his last in August 2011. Raj Kapoors sons, Rishi and Randhir continue to work in films even as the fourth generation, led by Kareena and Ranbir Kapoor, rules the industry today.

The actors funeral was held on Tuesday in Mumbai, with several members of the film fraternity in attendance.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Around seven months back, when I told my daughters that they were soon going to have a sibling to play with, they were ecstatic. My younger daughter Kavya spent hours washing her favourite doll. I made babus doll look brand new, papa, she squeaked. Its been over a month since my baby boy came into this world, but my daughters are yet to introduce themselves or their doll to their brother.

My name is Dhiraj Devda. I live in Andheri, Mumbai, with my mother, wife, and two daughters. Im a cook, earning about Rs. 12,000 every month. On the night of October 16, my wife experienced mild contractions and her water broke partially. The next morning, we rushed to the hospital. My wife wasnt due until December, so the turn of events was unexpected. There was a lot of water loss from her body by afternoon. Later reports showed an alarming position -- the baby had turned upside down. We were shocked when the doctors informed us that she would have to deliver right away and because it was premature we had to get her to a hospital that has an NICU. Finally, we admitted her at Nanavati Hospital in Vile Parle.

As soon as my wife went into the operation theatre, I was given a consent form that stated the conditions of admission. One of them required my choice on whether  in case of an emergency  my wife of my child should be saved first. I was terrified. I knew I wanted to save my wife but the thought of losing my unborn child made me cry before the operation even began. Those three hours were the most difficult hours of my life.

Thankfully, they both made it; though the doctor immediately informed me of complications with my son. My baby was just 1 kg at birth and had an underdeveloped respiration system, so his body had to be supported with CPAP.

I need money to keep my baby boy alive  Father appeals for aid for sons treatment

For my baby to be healthy, he has to spend two more months within the four walls of the NICU. Each day spent here costs us Rs. 20,000. The doctors explained that these walls are like his mothers womb for the next two months. I cant possibly take him out of there - he wont be able to survive. Weve all been waiting for him to become a part of our lives. Apart from his mother, none of us have even held him yet. Weve only seen him in pictures clicked on my wifes phone. Were struggling to pay the 11 lakh rupees that are required to as per hospital norms. Please help us pay for his treatment by donating to our fundraiser. We want to take him home.

Theres nothing more painful than seeing your own babys fragile frame being pierced with needles and breathing pipes. After his birth, he also had pneumonia because of which he needed regular injections. From his mothers caring womb, he has come into a world full of painful needles and breathing pipes. I wish I could hold his hand and let him know that Im there for him or at least comfort him. Unfortunately Im not allowed to go even go near him. With your help in the form of donations, I can give my baby the treatment he requires and take him home.

My baby has gone through hell since he came into this world. Even as the whole country celebrated Childrens Day earlier this month, we were left hoping and praying for a miracle. After spending over Rs. 2 lakh, theres barely anything left with us to support his treatment. I barely have finances left for the next 6 days. How will I manage to keep my son alive and breathing after that? I want to take my baby home - please help me out.

Founded in 2012, Ketto is a trusted crowdfunding platform that focuses on raising funds and awareness, chiefly on issues in the social domain. Much like an online support network, it allows individuals to know more about issues they support and actively facilitate change through donations. Theyve previously helped raise significant amounts for a variety of different causes. Presently, the organisation is trying its best to make Dhirajs story a positive one by ensuring that he receives funds for his sons treatment in time. Find out how you too can be a part of this here.
The Washington County Sheriffs Department has one suspect in custody after a domestic dispute led to a mobile home fire.

Potosi Fire Chief Roger Lachance said they were called to the 10,000 block of West Briar Rd. for a mobile home engulfed in flames at 6:23 a.m. Monday morning.

The wind was blowing pretty badly and it caught the trailer next to it on fire, said Lachance. We worked to put both trailers out and no one was injured.

Lachance said both homes were a total loss and they were there until 10 a.m. He added the fire is under investigation by local authorities and they called out the State Fire Marshals Office to investigate.

Both homes had people living in them, but everyone made it out safely, said Lachance. We didnt have any problems and were able to get everything done we needed to.

De Soto Rural, Leadwood, Desloge, Richwoods and Big River Fire departments were called out to assist the Potosi Fire Department.

Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen said there was a disturbance at the home prior to the fire.

We have one person in custody and there is an investigation ongoing at this point for the fire, said Jacobsen. They were interviewing him earlier this afternoon, so I am not sure where we are at with it just yet. The fire is suspicious and there was a domestic disturbance earlier.

Jacobsen said deputies were called and one party was told to leave, so he left. He said at this point they dont know what happened after that.

The fire was suspicious, no one was injured and we do have a person in custody as part of the investigation, said Jacobsen. The prosecutor has agreed to charge him, but (charges) arent complete at this time.

The Daily Journal will bring more details as become available.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdevs Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, the consumer goods products upstart, is poised to diversify into solar equipment manufacturing.

Getting into solar is in line with the swadeshi movement. With solar, each household in India can have power supply, and we are here to make that happen, Acharya Balkrishna, managing director of Patanjali Ayurved, said in an interview.

This will be the companys first exposure to the infrastructure sector and comes after its runaway success in consumer products.

Patanjali Ayurved, which was set up in 2006, has grown at a stunning pace, increasing its revenue more than five-fold to Rs 10,561 crore in the year to March 31 from Rs 2,006 crore in 2014-15; it aims to cross 20,000-25,000 crore in sales by March 31, 2018.

Just like it identified the opportunity to compete with established multinational packaged consumer goods companies, Patanjali is seeing a opening for itself in solar equipment manufacturing.

The government is considering a 30% capital subsidy as part of a new solar manufacturing policy.

India is working to improve its per capita power consumption of around 1,200 kilowatt hours (kWh), among the lowest in the world.

Alongside, it is also proposing a rent a roof policy to support its ambitious plan of generating 40 gigawatts (GW) of solar power by 2022.

The government has been working on the solar industry, and even offering sops. We will manufacture solar panels in India without compromising the quality. But we are not going to get into the price war with the Chinese solar panels, Balkrishna added.

Mint reported on September 7 that poor-quality Chinese solar modules, rejected by developers, were being sold in the domestic market at a discount. Solar modules or panels account for nearly 60% of a solar power projects cost.

For Chinas solar panel manufacturing industry, with a capacity estimated to be around 70GW per year, the major global markets are the US and India.

Patanjali Ayurved acquired Advance Navigation and Solar Technologies Pvt Ltd, a manufacturer of navigation aid equipment, earlier this year.

Currently, the facility has a manufacturing capacity of 120 megawatts.

Patanjali plans to invest around Rs 100 crore in solar equipment manufacturing and its factory in Greater Noida is expected to be fully operational within the next couple of months.

This started with our plan to use solar as a source of power at all our factories. That time we understood (that) most of the solar modules come from China. And there was no quality consistency even in India-made ones, Balkrishna added.

With the average efficiency of a solar panel usually at just 16-22%, sub-standard quality will impact generation. India has also been conducting an anti-dumping investigation on solar equipment from China, Taiwan and Malaysia.

We started with making solar modules for our captive use initially and then decided to utilise existing capacity to manufacture solar modules and sell in the market. This unit is at a nascent stage at the moment, said Balkrishna.

Besides its main business of packaged consumer goods, Patanjali has a presence in retail, education and healthcare (Ayurveda). The company sells everything from shampoo and toothpaste to biscuits, noodles, rice and wheat.

Experts questioned the rationale for the diversification.

The two segments require very different capabilities. However, they have built their business on the swadeshi vs. videshi platform. From that perspective, solar manufacturing for domestic content requirement in upcoming projects fits into their business rationale, said Abhishek Poddar, a partner at consulting firm AT Kearney Ltd.

India proposes to award 100GW of solar and wind contracts by March 2020. This includes a plan to invite bids for setting up 20GW solar power capacitythe worlds largest solar tenderat one go, to spur domestic manufacturing of solar power equipment.

We will continue with this for now. We would look at expansion once demand grows, said Balkrishna.
The Faizabad district administration has tightened security in Ayodhya ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition on Wednesday.

As is the annual practice, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will celebrate the day as Shaurya Diwas (bravery day) while Muslim groups mark it as Yaum-e-Gham (day of sorrow) and Yaum-e-Syaah (black day). However, residents are confident that the day will be marked by no untoward incident.

Every December 6 since the mosque demolition has passed off peacefully in Ayodhya. I expect this year to be no different, said Sandeep Garg, a 59-year-old resident of Naya Ghat area.

Despite all the sound and dust, the people of Ayodhya are prudent enough to maintain the peace on December 6, said 51-year-old Radhika Kapoor.

The authorities, however, are leaving nothing to chance. The local police were accompanied by paramilitary forces  including the Central Reserve Police Force, Rapid Action Force and the Provincial Armed Constabulary  in staging a route march on the main streets of the twin cities of Ayodhya and Faizabad through Monday and Tuesday.

Faizabad district magistrate Anil Kumar Pathak and senior superintendent of police Subhash Singh Baghel jointly convened back-to back meetings with bureaucrats, police officers and members of both communities. The administration asked the public to pay no heed to rumours.

Baghel said barriers were installed at 12 entry points to Ayodhya, and police were scouring hotels, guesthouses, bus stations, railway stations and other public places for disruptive elements. Temples dotting Ayodhya and Faizabad have also been asked to maintain visitors registers where the names of every out-of-town pilgrim can be recorded.

We have issued an appeal to people to light diyas (earthen lamps) outside their houses to mark the day, said state VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma, adding that they would organise a Hindu Swabhimaan Sammelan at their Karsevakpuram head office.

Hindu Mahasabha state spokesperson Manish Pandey announced that his organisation would celebrate the day as Mandir Nirman Sankalp Diwas at Naya Ghat. Temples are also expected to be decked up on the occasion.

The Muslim community, for its part, plans to mourn the loss of its beloved mosque on December 6, 1992. Indian Muslim League state president Nazamul Hasan Gani said his organisation will stage a dharna (sit-in) at the Gandhi Park in Civil Lines, Faizabad, to register a symbolic protest.

Muslim Majlis have asked traders from the community to shut their business establishments for the day and raise black flags at places of worship.

Mahant Raghunandan Das, the priest of Mithila Bhavan, claimed that all the events related to December 6 were politically motivated. The hype is more this year because the BJP is in power at the Centre as well as the state, he said.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has a birthday present for Uttar Pradeshs demonetisation baby.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday announced his decision to adopt Anantpurwa, the village of one-year-old Khajanchi born in a bank where his mother had queued up for cash on December 2 last year.

According to SP leaders, the village in Kanpur Dehat district would be developed as a Samajwadi Vikas Gaon.

Yadav was the chief minister when Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a shock announcement on November 8, 2016 decided to withdraw 1,000 and 500-rupee banknotes, removing 86% of the currency in circulation in one stroke.

Snaking queues outside banks and ATM kiosks were the norm for weeks as people struggled to get cash. The one-year-olds mother was one of those many people.

She was waiting to withdraw money when she went into labour and gave birth to a boy in the bank premises who was named Khajanchi, or treasurer in English, by the manager.

Yadav, who opposed demonetisation, gave the newborn Rs 1 lakh from the CMs fund. He also didnt miss to talk about Khajanchi as he tried to mobilise public opinion against the scrapping of the high-value notes in the poll rallies ahead of the UP assembly poll, which he lost badly.

On the first anniversary of demonetisation on November 8, Yadav had sent Rs 10,000 to the family.

On Sunday, he met the boy and his family in Saifai, the turf of the Yadav clan.

            ,         .               .  -        " "   . pic.twitter.com/c15VjlBsCi  Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) December 3, 2017

He posted a picture with Khajanchi on Twitter and again took a swipe at the demonetization decision and the BJPs poll promise of bringing back black money from abroad and putting Rs 15 lakh in each Indians bank account.

Khajanchi, who was born in a bank queue, is a year old now, but his familys bank account is still empty. The family today stands in the queue of false hope of black money finding its way into their bank accounts as promised..., he tweeted.

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Amid the ongoing protests against the expansion of urban local bodies (ULBs) in parts of the state, the Uttarakhand government has fixed the number of corporators for the eight municipal corporations.

A notification issued by the urban development department in this regard on December 4 has locked the criteria for the election of corporators to the municipal corporations depending on their population. As per the notification, the minimum number of corporators in a municipal corporation would be 40 (for a population ranging from 1.01 to 2 lakh) while the maximum number would stand at 100 (for a population of more than 7.01 lakh).

The number has been fixed keeping in mind the population in respective municipal corporation areas, Vinod Kumar Suman, additional secretary (urban development) told HT Tuesday.

It may be recalled that many villages have been included in the municipal corporation limits of late, paving way for their expansion  a move which has triggered protests in many parts of the state.

The development comes months ahead of the civic polls, which are due to be held in Uttarakhand in April next year and are likely to have far-reaching political impact. For instance, in the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC)  where the number of corporators will go up from 60 to 100  as its population will rise to 8 lakh with the inclusion of 72 adjoining villages in the DMC limits  will provide 40 additional wards as fresh political playground to local leaders.

The state has six municipal corporations  including Dehradun, Haridwar, Roorkee, Haldwani-Kathgodam, Rudrapur and Kashipur -- while the government has recently upgraded Kotdwar and Rishikesh municipal councils to municipal corporations, elections for which will take place for the first time in April 2018.

While the number of corporators has been fixed, the process of delimitation  carving out of new/modification of areas in existing wards  is yet to take place. Work (on delimitation) is going on and we are hopeful of completing the process soon, Suman said.

Probe ordered into financial irregularities at 29 local bodies

Urban development minister Madan Kaushik has directed officials to carry out a probe in the alleged irregularities that were found in the audit of 29 urban local bodies of Uttarakhand. Based on Kaushiks directions, the urban development department has asked district magistrates to get the irregularities probed through additional district magistrates (finance). The 29 local bodies are spread across 10 districts. These include one municipal corporation (Haridwar), 10 municipal councils and 18 town panchayats.

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The goods and services tax (GST) has reduced the cost of Delhi Metros Phase-IV project by more than Rs2,500 crore, but the deadline for the new 104km network was delayed by a year because of lack of consensus between the Centre and Delhi government.

The additional six new lines to boost connectivity on the citys outskirts, the airport and south Delhi was estimated to cost Rs55,208 crore, according to the detailed project report (DPR) drafted in 2014.

A revised report submitted to the Delhi government this May put the cost at Rs52,625 crore, after accounting for GST rates that the finance ministry had given to Delhi Metro before the new taxation system was rolled out in July. But the post-GST funding pattern has affected the deadline for completion of the project as it has to be sent to the Delhi cabinet again for approval.

The delay prompted Metro authorities to postpone the commissioning of the project to March 31, 2023. The previous target was March 31, 2022.

Documents accessed by HT indicate the Delhi governments share has increased by 11.14% after the projects estimate was revised. It was to pay Rs11,334 crore, but will have to shell out Rs12,597 crore now.

The Delhi government had already approved Phase-IV in January, but GST happened and the entire funding pattern had to be relooked. I am yet to get the revised estimates, said Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot.

A letter by Delhi Metro chief Mangu Singh this September to the citys transport commissioner explains the increase in Delhis share of the cost. He wrote the ministry of housing and urban affairs has desired that sharing of taxes in new regime (GST) should be agreed by GNCTD in the ratio of 1:2 between GOI and GNCTD respectively.

GNCTD stands for government of national capital territory of Delhi.

Metro authorities can begin work only after approval from the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi and the Centre.

Delhi Metro refused to divulge details, saying the new estimate was based on a fresh study of the project in a GST environment.

Since Phase-IV has not yet been approved, we would not like to comment on its costs or funding pattern, a Metro spokesperson said.

Besides GST, a revised cost escalation rate from 7.5% to 5% also reflected in the reduced budget for the project, according to sources.

The project is expected to add 850,000 riders each day to the network. The new lines IV are Rithala-Narela, Inderlok-Indraprastha, Tughlakabad-Aerocity, Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block, Janakpuri (West)-RK Ashram and Mukundpur-Maujpur.

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A Kenyan woman who lives in west Delhi was raped allegedly by a Nigerian man at his residence in Dwarka on Monday.

The accused is currently absconding.

According to police, the 27-year-old victim approached them on Monday morning and said that she had met the man on Sunday evening at a mall in Vasant Kunj. The two became friends and she agreed to visit his house.

A senior police officer said that after she reached his house, the man forced himself upon her in the early hours on Monday.

He then fled the house and the woman made a call to PCR.

The woman underwent medical check up at Deen Dyal Upadhyay Hospital which confirmed rape. A case was registered in Dwarka.

Dwarka DCP Shibesh Singh said on Tuesday morning said the man who is in his thirties is yet to be traced. .

The victim is in Delhi on a tourist visa and reportedly deals in garments. She lives in a rented accommodation in west Delhi.
United States President Donald Trump claims to be a shrewd businessman, and believes that its time America was run like a business. But not everyone is reassured by his self-proclaimed business acumen. If creating tension and uncertainty is his way of doing business, Mr Trumps doing a good job.

On Monday, the US president missed his second deadline to sign a waiver to the controversial 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, heightening speculation that he will soon announce his intention to shift the US embassy to Jerusalem from its current location in Tel Aviv. The 1995 US law requires the US embassy be shifted to Jerusalem unless the president signs a waiver every six months. All US presidents since then have signed the waiver; Mr Trump last signed it in June, which was seen as being against his campaign promise.

If Mr Trump goes ahead with his plan, it will perhaps be the most significant step in the recent past to upset the fragile peace process, a process that has a highly sensitive trip switch. News reports suggest that White House officials have reservations about the move and it has been opposed by US allies and Arab nations. Jordan, the custodian of Islams holy sites in Jerusalem, has warned against such a move; and so have Saudi Arabia and France. But these are unlikely to figure in Mr Trumps calculus.

The dangers in Mr Trump s plans for shifting are many. Most importantly, it legitimises the whole of Jerusalem as belonging to Israel, which is not the case as Palestines claim to East Jerusalem is yet to be settled. Since 1967, Israel has built dozens of settlements in East Jerusalem, all illegal according to international law, and a shift to Jerusalem would legitimise this.

Diplomatically, for Washington, it is a hare-brained idea because it takes away a chip from the US negotiating table with both Israel and Palestine .In other words, it weakens the prospects of a peace deal and erodes US clout in West Asia.

However, there is a sliver of hope that he might not go ahead with the shift, because Mr Trump is yet to deliver on any of his promises on resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict.

West Asia is yet to recover from the effects of Islamic States terror, and is seeing heightened Saudi Arabia-Iran tensions which are pulling many nations into its vortex. Destabilising the delicate peace in Jerusalem is the last thing the world needs now.
Delhi University will soon launch a post-graduate diploma course in cyber security and law to train professionals with practical handling of the issue.

The university said it has received approval from the statutory bodies to start the course. This programme caters to the niche domain of cyber security with a unique combination of cyber laws, said DU registrar Tarun Das.

With this programme the university intends to move into the domain of teaching and research in cyber security and allied disciplines, Das said.

The course envisages training professionals with practical handling in detection of vulnerabilities and creating resilient system therefrom, he said.

The university said the new programme addresses the dire need of professionals in the domain of cyber security and intends to produce professionals capable of administrating the end to end security for varied virtual platforms and websites, banks and financial intermediaries, social media platforms, industrial applications, mobile data and cloud interface as forefronts.

The course is well equipped to cater the needs of industry for employment as well as entrepreneurship opportunities, the registrar said.

The university recently also started a school of journalism which offers an integrated five-year journalism programme with students having the option to exit after completing a bachelors course in three years.
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has formally proposed that the new metro extension line will connect Huda City Centre station with Sector 21 Dwarka.

The decision comes almost two months after GMDA was given the task of gathering public feedback on two new metro route options for the city. On Tuesday, GMDA compiled its report and recommended the Dwarka route for extension to the Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC).

In its feasibility report submitted to the Haryana government in October, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had suggested two options  a longer route connecting Huda City Centre to Dwarka Sector 21 and a shorter one connecting Huda City Centre to the Gurgaon Railway Station.

The public feedback collected over 15 days indicated that Gurgaon residents prefer a metro route between Huda City Centre to Dwarka Sector 21. According to the GMDA, the consultants for the Metro project, over 400 substantive comments were received.

The 27.5-km route from Huda City Centre towards Dwarka Sector 21 covers Subhash Chowk on Sohna Road, Hero Honda Chowk, sectors 10A,10,9,9A, ESI Hospital, the chowk of Sector 4 and 5 (including the railway station and adjoining area), Sector 23, Chauma rail crossing and Bijwasan border.

In its report, the GMDA has suggested a marginal change to the DMRCs proposed route to HMRTC.

In GMDAs report to HMRTC, a marginal change in the metro route has been suggested for consideration. However, the decision on it rests solely with the HMRTC, V Umashankar, additional chief executive officer, GMDA, said.

Umashankar did not divulge the details of the change.

However, sources revealed that a small stretch of the route between Chauma railway crossing in Sector 111 and Bijwasan border falls within the jurisdiction of the Northern Railways.

GMDA officials suggested tweaking the route from Sector 23 towards Palam-Bijwasan road and subsequently towards Dwarka.

GMDA officials explained that the alteration will allow them complete right over the Metro route within Gurgaon and implement the project in lesser time, as requisite permission from the railways may take time and prove to be a hurdle to the project.

For residents, who favour the route from Huda City Centre to Dwarka Sector 21, the connectivity to places on the right of the Gurgaon Expressway and connectivity to DMRCs blue line and airport express line towards Noida and New Delhi railway stations at the Dwarka Sector 21 interchange, is an added bonus.

The only bus service which takes commuters from Delhis Dwarka to Gurgaons Iffco Chowk, through Palam Vihar and Udyog Vihar, is infrequent. The frequency of DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) buses is such that one has to wait for over an hour for the next bus to arrive.

Travelling on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway could be unpredictable and if you have a flight to catch, you could be under stress as it often takes time for snarls to clear. Metro connectivity will, hence, be a boon, as it will not only give commuters an option to bypass the expressway traffic, but will also help them reach their destinations on time, Aakash Kataria, a resident of Sector 25, said.

According to the DMRCs feasibility report, total boarding in the year 2021 on the proposed new Metro route is expected to be 2.87 lakh and is expected to rise to 4.76 lakh by 2031.

However, many residents fear that the ridership may not measure up to the DMRCs expectation and lead to losses. City residents are not accustomed to using public transport and most take their own vehicles for their daily commute. The newly opened metro lines (under phase 2 of the Rapid Metro project) are operating on low ridership, Mihir Kohli, a resident of DLF 5, said.

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After the underwhelming performance of Star Trek Beyond, this may just be what the franchise needs. Ace director and big time Star Trek fan Quentin Tarantino has reportedly got an idea for the fourth film in the series and may also direct it.

According to Deadline Hollywood, director JJ Abrams has commissioned a writers room of scribes who will hear Tarantinos ideas and come up with the script. As Abrams is busy with Episode IX of Star Wars, the task to direct the film may also fall on Tarantino.

Tarantino has delivered some of the most popular original stories in Hollywood through his films like Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds. However, he has never taken over an existing franchise, except when he directed episodes for CSI and ER.

Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine in a still from Star Trek.

Abrams directed the first two film in the Star Trek reboot: Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness. He then handed the franchise over to Justin Lin for the third film while he went on to take over Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Tarantino is currently prepping for him film on the Manson Family, scheduled for a 2019 release. The date carries a symbolic importance, as it marks the 50th anniversary of Sharon Tate/Manson Family murders.

This will be the first time when Tarantino is not partnering with The Weinstein Company, which is facing uncertainty in the wake of Harvey Weinstein scandal. The project will be produced by David Heyman, Tarantino and Shannon McIntosh, with Georgia Kacandes as executive producer. The shooting will start next year.

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On Tuesday, it will be a year since J Jayalalithaa died. The six-term chief minister had dominated Tamil Nadus political imagination for decades. They say nature abhors a vacuum and in the vacuum that she left behind, Tamil Nadu has witnessed many things that would have never happened if Amma was still alive. To understand the post-Amma state, we look at seven powerful tremors from the last one year.

1. Hearing Sasikalas voice

Till about a year ago, VK Sasikala remained an elusive myth. The world knew her as J Jayalalithaas soul sister  someone the otherwise seemingly indomitable leader couldnt do without. On two occasions, Jayalalithaa did cut off ties with Sasikala and her family but that didnt last long. For over three decades, when Sasikala shadowed Jayalalithaa almost everywhere, the soul sister remained a mysterious companion. Rumours about her far-reaching influence within the party remained just that. Her name was whispered in corridors of power with both awe and contempt. Not many had even heard Sasikala speak.

On 5 December 2016, everything changed. Less than 12 hours after Jayalalithaas death, Sasikala put together an alternative government in place by appointing O Panneerselvam as chief minister for the third time  the first evident sign of her clout. And on December 31, when Sasikala officially took over as AIADMKs general secretary, the world first heard her speak. It was an event. Her speech became the subject of discussion for local channels with expert comments on the content, tone and tenor. Meme creators also had a field day.

If Jayalalithaa were alive, we would have never got to hear Sasikala speak in public or see her in active politics. She never aspired for high office but enjoyed the support of the cadres and the party. All of us wanted Ammas legacy to continue. Sasikala (madam) was the only one privy to Ammas ideology and style of functioning, says Apsara Reddy, spokesperson for AIADMKs TTV Dinakaran camp, the faction led by Sasikalas nephew.

Their relationship was very strong. In Ammas own words, Sasikala replaced her mother, adds Reddy.

But Marudhu Azhaguraj disagrees. Azhaguraj is the former editor of Dr Namadhu MGR, AIADMKs mouthpiece till recently, which is also owned by Sasikala and her family. He was ousted by Dinakaran in August 2017 after he wrote a poem critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Azhaguraj says that Sasikala squandered away a golden opportunity in the last year. There are two things that Jayalalitha held very close as the partys basic tenets. The party was avowedly anti-DMK and it never encouraged family rule. Jayalalithaa had a visceral hatred for the DMK. But Sasikala and Dinakaran threw both to the winds. They have a tacit understanding with the DMK and by appointing Dinakaran as the partys deputy general secretary, Sasikala betrayed Amma, he says.

2. Jaya TV criticising AIADMK

Jaya TV was launched in 1999 and since then has occupied an important place in Tamil Nadus media landscape and especially among the AIADMK cadres and ardent fans of MGR and Jayalalithaa. So it felt like blasphemy when on 19 November, Jaya TV telecast an interview with senior DMK leader Durai Murugan about the corruption in the present AIADMK government.

When asked, Jaya TV officials sought to play it down as shedding off the political colours and trying to become neutral, but the cadres were visibly upset. How can Jaya TV be neutral? asks an AIADMK office-bearer on condition of anonymity. Its USP is that it is Jayalalithaas. She couldnt stand the DMK. This is not done, this is going to dent our image among the public.

Expectedly, senior ministers, including D Jayakumar, who is in chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswamis camp, faulted the channel for becoming a mouthpiece of the DMK. Jaya TV retaliated by levelling corruption charges against the ruling AIADMK  again, a first and unthinkable in Jayalalithaas times.

3. AIADMK Ministers Breaking Rank

Under Jayalalithaa, the ministers had a gag order that none violated. It was impossible for a reporter to get a quote from any of her ministers. Right from her first tenure in 1996, Jayalalithaa always kept her ministers on tenterhooks. Observers point out how the schemes that came under various ministries were, more often than not, announced by Jayalalithaa. When senior leaders revolt, they do so knowing well that they can no longer be a party member. A classic example is perhaps former MLA Pazha Karupaiah. Jayalalithaa expelled the senior leader from the party in September 2016 after he publicly criticised the ministers.

But since her death last year, AIADMK ministers revel in holding press meets and engaging in verbal duels with detractors ranging from Dinakaran to actor Kamal Haasan. Responding to the actors tweets criticising the AIADMK government, revenue minister RB Udayakumar said the actor suffered from a mental disorder. Recently, fisheries minister D Jayakumar said the party would take legal action against Haasan if he continued with his baseless allegations. Would any of these ministers dare to be so vocal if Amma was still alive? asks Apsara Reddy.

Jayalalithaa surrounded herself with experts from various fields. Ministers in her cabinet existed only because it was required in a democracy. She kept them bridled. Now the ministers are free of bridles and can speak anything, says Pazha Karupaiah.

4. The Mutiny of Mr Loyalty

The volte-face by deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam was arguably the most interesting of all the dramas unfolding since Jayalalithaas death. Jayalalithaa had handpicked O Paneerselvam on two occasions  in 2001 and 2011  to be the stand-in chief minister when she had to step down due to court cases. On both occasions, it was widely believed that Jayalalithaa was rewarding him for his staunch loyalty. On both occasions, Panneerselvam turned out to be deserving of the reward. by being more loyal. Not once did he overstep or assert his power. Sasikala clearly expected to command a similar loyalty when she made him CM for the third time on the fateful night of 5 December 2016.

In two months time, he was in deep meditation at Jayalalithaas memorial, communing with Amma for wisdom. His tirade against Sasikala and her family on 8 February 2017 was not just unexpected, it was explosive. The drama began to unfold days after Sasikala decided to occupy the chief ministers post, forcing OPS to quit. Two days after the decision, OPS visited Jayalalithaas memorial and after a 40-minute meditation, told mediapersons that he had been forced to resign and was humiliated while holding the high office. He said that Sasikala was annoyed by his governments work during cyclone Vardah.

He did enjoy considerable public support even after that, reasons Durai Karuna, a seasoned journalist with three decades of experience covering the AIADMK. He was still seen as someone loyal to Jayalalithaa. But when he agreed to a merger with the Palaniswami faction, largely seen as influenced by the BJP, he lost it. Despite his obvious lack of charisma, OPS could have led the AIADMK. He had this next-door image about himself and he could have easily won peoples hearts. But he no longer enjoys the goodwill of the public. Apsara Reddy calls the last-minute U-turn by O Panneerselvam unexpected and unfortunate.

Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami with deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and party senior leaders pay floral tributes to AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa's memorial in Chennai. (PTI FILE)

5. The BJP gets swagger

Since 1998, the BJP has been trying to gain a foothold in the state by aligning with either of the two Dravidian majors. But, aside from a few pockets like Kanyakumari and Coimbatore, the party has not been able to fare well. When the Modi wave swept the country in the 2014 elections, the BJP managed to win only one seat in Tamil Nadu.

In Jayalalithaas death, the BJP perhaps saw an opportunity to strengthen the party in the state. Leaders like Pazha Karupaiah allege that the BJP uses the ruling party for its own ends.

Marudhu Azhaguraj says the AIADMK (EPS-OPS faction) is now controlled by the BJP. Till Amma was alive, the BJP was kept at bay. Today, the party is unleashing its authority over the AIADMK. Observers like him feel that the BJP is using the vacuum created by Jayalalithaas death to establish its roots in the state. The local body elections, whenever that happens, will offer the BJP a chance to strengthen its roots in the state. The AIADMK is offering the opportunity to them on a platter.

It is precisely why the BJP doesnt want someone like Sasikala (madam) to be in power. But she is no pushover, says Apsara Reddy.

Observers point to the fact that in May 2017, Venkaiah Naidu  then a Union minister  had visited the state secretariat to review the schemes. While Naidu maintained it was apolitical, detractors called it a challenge to the federal structure of the country. Till she was alive, Jayalalithaa had also actively resisted central government schemes like NEET, UDAY and the national food security Act. Most of these were passed soon after Jayalalithaas death.

6. The Governor gets swagger

The inspection of a central government scheme  implementation of Swachh Bharat in Coimbatore  by Governor Banwarilal Purohit is the latest development that strengthens the arguments of the detractors. Except for Channa Reddy in the 1990s, whom she had accused of misbehaving with her, Jayalalithaa had a cordial relationship with most governors during her tenure. Purohits predecessor Vidya Sagar Rao took over just before Jayalalithaa was hospitalised.

While the governors office offered an explanation, insisting that he would continue to do such inspections since it was not illegal and it had nothing to do with the Central government, Delhi-based lawyer S Prasanna, refutes this. Implementation of welfare schemes is clearly a government function in which the governor has no role except signing contracts as required on the advice of the chief minister. Every governor is supposed to act under the aid and advice of the council of ministers. The 1973 Shamsher Singh vs State of Punjab case makes it very clear. The circumstances under which he can use discretion as against the advice of ministers are very limited, he says.

No Union minister or governor would go about inspecting schemes if Jayalalithaa was at the helm, argues Durai Karuna.

7. The End of Big, Strong Leaders

Since its inception in 1972, the AIADMK had strong leaders with charisma that could be translated into votes. Backed by a solid film career that helped them reach millions of cinema-crazy Tamils, both MGR and Jayalalithaa enjoyed a sort of cult status in the state. The AIADMK leaders today think that they still command that vote base, since they have won the two leaves symbol. The symbol has a significance, yes, but you need a face to take it forward. MGR and Jayalalithaa were the kind of faces that struck a chord with the public. They were loved by the masses. You cannot think of another such leader in the AIADMK today says journalist Karuna.

Marudhu Azhaguraj agrees: I dont think either of them  EPS, OPS or Dinakaran  will be able to save this party. We need a new leader. The party needs a miracle and as a cadre, I believe it will happen.

Karuna is not so hopeful though. He says the vacuum will remain. Yes, Karunanidhi has also left a vacuum by his inactivity but the leader had a clear plan for the DMK after him. Jayalalithaa, perhaps, did not want the party to survive after her.

To many observers, the AIADMK seems to be heading towards a disaster. The party has no clear leadership. I dont think Edappadi too can make a great leader for the party. The party will probably sustain as long as the government runs. Once the government falls, at least 30 to 40 percent of leaders would either join the DMK or the BJP. It is sad that when the party is celebrating the centenary of its founder MG Ramachandran, it is on the verge of a collapse says Karuna.

Just 12 months and Tamil Nadus political landscape is virtually unrecognisable. And the play is far from over.

(In arrangement with GRIST MEDIA)
The newly elected mayor of Ayodhya, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, and the Prime Minister are all from the BJP, which enjoys comfortable majorities in the state assembly and the lower House of Parliament . And it is all coming together on the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque, an event that left a deep, indelible impression on Indias sociopolitical landscape. After so many years efforts, after so many sacrifices, today it feels like it is near, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on November 24, giving voice to swelling hopes in the Sangh Parivar, a family of Hindu nationalist organisations helmed by the RSS, the ideological fount of the BJP.

If not now, then when? The BJP is in power both at the Centre and in the state, and the commitment of both PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath to the cause is indisputable. They will facilitate construction of the temple, said Ram Vilas Vedanti, member of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, a party in the case before the Supreme Court. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an RSS affiliate, has declared that the construction will start from October 18, 2018  a date that will fall in the middle of the assembly poll campaigns in BJPruled Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, and about six months ahead of scheduled parliamentary elections. Muchhyped mediation efforts by individuals such as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have also contributed to heightened anticipation.

Sanjay Kumar, director of Delhi-based think tank Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, agrees the momentum to build the temple has picked up. But my sense is the BJP is trying to be neutral. When you are in power, you have to play a responsible role, says Kumar, adding that its the UP CM who looks more aggressive.

The 67 acres of land at the disputed site have been with the Centre since 1993. A year after the acquisition, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court upheld the Centres acquisition and directed status quo be maintained. Therefore, until the title dispute is settled, the government cant hand over the land to anyone or allow any construction activity.

And, there are only three ways to untie the knot: court verdict, out-of-court settlement or a new law.

First, the legal route. In 2010, the Allahabad HC trifurcated the disputed 2.77 acres among three stakeholders  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla, a mythical figure of the Hindu god who was made a litigant by the high court, and who is currently represented by senior VHP man Triloki Nath Pandey .The decision was stayed by the top court, which is hearing appeals against the judgment.

We are sure the SC will rule in our favour to allow the construction of the temple. But the issue cant be settled legally. Whoever wins or loses in the court, the fallout will be outside, said a senior BJP leader on condition of anonymity.

Then, there is the idea of a negotiated settlement that is gathering steam. In April, the Supreme Court suggested an amicable settlement, with then chief justice JS Khehar offering to act as a mediator. Ravi Shankar volunteered soon after, and met Adityanath in Lucknow and Bhagwat in Nagpur. But the Sangh Parivar has publicly dissociated itself from the exercise.

A section of Muslims, primarily Shias, are inclined to initiate a dialogue for an amicable out of court settlement, but the Sunni Waqf Board has stuck to its stand of backing a court decision. Finally, theres the prospect of a resolution through legislation, but this is easier said than done. Legal experts believe the government cannot bring in a one-sided legislation to resolve an ownership issue.
Crimes that shake the secular fabric of the Constitution have allegedly been committed almost 25 years ago -- Supreme Court, April, 2017, while reviving criminal conspiracy charges against several political leaders in the Babri demolition case.

The demolition of the 16th century Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradeshs Ayodhya remains a scar on contemporary Indias social and political conscience, but equally vexing has been the resolution of the cases filed against alleged perpetrators and conspirators of the act.

The legal tussle over the disputed site between Hindus and Muslims dates back more than a century, but remains unresolved, inflaming passions on both sides.

The cases over the demolition have wound their way from local courts to the high court and finally the apex court of the country. In these last two decades, confusion has prevailed over which court will try the accused; leaders have been let off on procedural issues, only for the charges to be revived against them years later; and hearings have been hamstrung by which sections should apply.

Twenty-five years after hundreds of Hindu zealots scaled the disputed mosque and tore it down, the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, began hearing the title suit over the disputed land.

A total of 49 criminal cases were registered in connection with the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. But of these 49 cases, there are two main First Information Reports.

The first, crime number 197/1992, was registered at the Ayodhya Police Station against tens of thousands of unknown kar sevaks (religious volunteers) for the demolition of the mosque. They were accused of the offences of dacoity, robbery, causing of hurt, injuring/defiling places of public worship, and promoting enmity between two groups on grounds of religion.

The second, crime no. 198/1992, was registered against eight persons, including Bharatiya Janata Party leaders LK Advani, Uma Bharati, Murli Manohar Joshi and Vinay Katiyar, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders Ashok Singhal, Sadhvi Ritambara, Giriraj Kishore and Vishnu Hari Dalmia, who were on the dais at Ram Katha Kunj when the mosque was being demolished. They are accused of promoting enmity and making assertions prejudicial to national integration. This complaint didnt list a conspiracy charge.

Delays galore

Confusion started on September 9,1993, when the Uttar Pradesh government transferred the case against kar sevaks to a special court in Lucknow, but left the case against Advani and others to be tried in Rae Bareli. A month later, the state government passed another order, shifting the case against Advani and other political leaders to Lucknow.

In October 1993, the Central Bureau of Investigation, filed a composite chargesheet for both cases in Lucknow, adding criminal conspiracy charges against the political leaders. It also included charges against 13 more politicians, including Kalyan Singh, who was chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the mosque was demolished

The CBI sought a joint trial and against both sets of accused.

Subsequently, in 1997, the Lucknow CBI court took cognizance of the chargesheet and framed charges of criminal conspiracy against the 21 accused. This was immediately challenged by the eight original accused on the grounds that, back in 1993, the criminal case against them in Rae Bareli had been transferred to Lucknow without the approval of the concerned high court.

In 2001, the Allahabad high court said the government notification transferring the Advani trial to Lucknow was invalid because of a lack of approval from the HC.

As no new notification was issued by the state government after this judgment, the Lucknow court dropped proceedings against the 21 accused, which included Advani and Kalyan Singh.

However, Advani and seven others continued to face trial at Rae Bareli.

The CBI appealed against the HC order, and sought trial of all 21 accused under criminal conspiracy charges, apart from other offences. In April this year, the top court ruled in favour of a joint trial, and revived conspiracy charges against Advani and 12 others. The case will be heard in a Lucknow court on a day-to-day basis.

The court has also stipulated that the judge hearing the case cannot be transferred until the judgment, which has to be announced in two years. This means the verdict is due in 2019, the year India elects a new central government.

If convicted, the accused persons will go to jail for between three and five years. This would mean that they would be barred from contesting elections for six years following the completion of their sentence. Kalyan Singh has won a temporary reprieve from criminal prosecution as he enjoys immunity by the virtue of occupying the office of the governor of Rajasthan. The SC has said that the trial court will frame charges and move against him as soon as he ceases to be governor.

But there are significant hurdles to justice. Many of the accused -- former Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and Hindu leaders Giriraj Kishore, Ashok Singhal, Ram Chandra Das and Mahant Avaidyanath -- have died. In the original Rae Bareli case against Advani and others, the court was yet to examine 105 witnesses. In the original Lucknow case against kar sevaks, the court had to hear 800 witnesses.

The civil dispute

On September 30, 2010, the Allahabad high court ordered the 2.7 acres of the disputed site to be trifurcated between the Nirmohi Akhara, the Sunni Waqf Board and the party representing the infant Hindu god Ram Lalla. The top court suspended the judgment in 2011.

In March 2017, the Supreme Court pressed for an out-of-court resolution with the then Chief Justice of India and even offered to mediate. But efforts were soon stalled.

The dispute was further complicated with a petition by the Uttar Pradeshs Shia Wakf Board, which wants to become a party in the case and has claimed that the disputed site is its property. The board proposes a Ram temple at the site and a mosque somewhere else -- a formula acceptable to many Hindu leaders.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to continue the final hearing of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case on February 8 next year, brushing aside the plea of the Sunni Wakf Board to postpone it till after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as the final verdict would have political and electoral repercussions.

The Waqf Boards stand, articulated by its counsel Kapil Sibal, a senior Congress leader, took on a political hue outside the court, with Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah asking Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to clear his stand on the Ram temple issue.

On the one hand, temples are being visited (by Gandhi) ahead of elections. On the other hand, they (the Congress) are trying to delay hearing of the Ram Janmabhoomi case. The Congress has double standards on the issue. They should clarify their stand, Shah said in Ahmedabad.

Demanding that the case be heard as soon as possible, Shah said: The Supreme Court should give a judgment and a grand Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya.

Appearing for the Waqf Board, one of the plaintiffs in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, Sibal took strong objection to the manner in which the hearing was expedited on the request of someone (BJP leader Subramanian Swamy) who is not even a party in the case.

The Supreme Court commenced the final hearing of the case at a time when the Congress and the BJP are engaged in a political battle in poll-bound Gujarat, where the opposition party is aspiring to dislodge the BJP from power after 22 years. The BJPs criticism of the Congress over Sibals arguments in the top court could reignite a debate on the Ram temple issue and Hindutva.

It was on Swamys request that the then Chief Justice JS Khehar set up a bench to take up 13 appeals against the Allahabad high courts 2010 judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case. A circular was issued on August 3, listing the matter for a hearing on August 11. The high court had ruled for a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acres in Ayodhya among the parties  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the deity Ram Lalla (Lord Ram as an infant, represented by a VHP activist).

Read | A timeline of key events in the Babri Masjid, Ram temple controversy

Swamy, who intervened in the case, claimed the pending appeals infringed on his right to worship at the temple. On August 11 the bench fixed the matter for hearing on December 6, the 25th anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid, and said no further adjournments would be given.

Why should this court fall in the trap? Why was it not heard earlier, why now? This is not an ordinary suit. It is perhaps the most important litigation in the history of India and will decide the countrys future. It will have serious ramifications. The court should not in this circumstance hear this matter that will have an impact on polity, Sibal argued before a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, asking it to refer the case to a larger bench of five judges.

He also pointed out that technical formalities in the case were still incomplete and documents on which the high court had based its ruling were yet to be filed.

The bench did not accept Sibals arguments but deferred the matter to February 8, 2018, with instructions to advocates of contesting parties to complete the formalities. It ordered the lawyers for both sides to sit together, work in harmony and ascertain which documents have been filed so that no adjournment takes place in the case.

Both sides had a message for this court. But we know what to do. Dont give a message to this court by telling us what message we will send out, Chief Justice Misra said as he took strong exception to the arguments advanced. We will start the hearing.

The high-voltage hearing lasted over an hour and witnessed heated exchanges between the counsel representing the Sunni Wakf Board and those appearing for Hindu Mahant, Ram Lalla and the Uttar Pradesh government.

While Sibal and his colleagues, senior advocates Rajeev Dhawan and Dushyant Dave, insisted technical formalities were yet to be complied, senior counsel Harish Salve, CS Vaidyanathan and additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta disputed this.

When the bench insisted on proceeding with the hearing and allowed Vaidyanathan to open his arguments on behalf of Ram Lalla, Sibal, Dhawan and Dave threatened to walk out.

Salve asked the bench to not to take note of the request to defer the case as it undermined the courts position as a fair arbiter. I am little disturbed that one is presuming which way this court will decide the case.

He said it was true that the outcome of the title suit might have ramifications. But to say that it should be heard in July 2019 is disturbing. This should be the only ground to start the hearing today, he told the bench.

(with inputs from agencies)

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Former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad was catapulted to the national stage when he ordered the arrest of BJP leader LK Advani in 1990, in the run-up to the eventual demolition of the Babri Masjid two years later. Advani was then marching through parts of North India on his Rath Yatra.

Twenty-five years later, Prasad says that he suspects the demolition was a ploy by right wing forces to weaken the movement for backward classes empowerment after the Mandal commission recommendations on job quotas was implemented. Edited excerpts:

How do you see 25 years of demolition of Babri Masjid?

The Sangh Parivar and its affiliates have always tried to whip up communal passion to weaken secularism despite the fact that India, since pre-independence days, has been known for her secular credentials.

Read: It was a temple and will remain one: Kar sevaks recall Babri Masjid demolition

The Babri Masjid issue was raked up just to weaken the empowerment of backward classes following the implementation of the Mandal commission report on job reservations. The demolition broke the nations heart and it gave a big blow to secular credentials. The wounds have still not healed after 25 years.

So you believe the demolition was part of a larger game by the BJP to weaken the backward classes movement?

Yes, it was. See, when the Mandal commission report was implemented, it brought a big social change with the voiceless getting a voice in the society. It confounded the BJP which raked up Babri Masjid.They gave a call Mandal vs Kamandal. L K Advani started a Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya to push the Hindutva agenda by arousing religious sentiments among Hindus. (Eventually) It was me, who arrested Advani, and it sent a signal across the nation and the world that Indias secular forces were still strong and capable of fighting fascist forces.

Read: Ram temple: Will Yogi finish what Kalyan started?

Can you recall the days before the demolition of Babri Masjid?

Those were eventful days. As a chief minister, I attended the national integration council in November 1992 just weeks before the demolition. In the meeting, L K Advani as BJP president assured us that there would be only parikrama of kar sevaks and the mosque would not be demolished. It was an assurance that then Prime Minister P V Narshima Rao took seriously and paid a heavy price. Rao was misled and the central government became lax in handling the volatile situation.

What is your take on the present situation in the country? Do you feel Babri Majsid demolition changed the political dynamics of the country?

Now in power, the BJP is once again playing on old issues, be it Babri Masjid or triple talaq just to divide the nation and influence the youth by fanning communal passions. This is a strategic ploy to divert attention from the countrys burning issues be it unemployment, farmers distress, demonetisation and GST (goods and services tax). The central government has failed on all fronts and is only playing the politics of religion. But such attempts to impose renewed Hindtuva will never succeed as the people have realised the BJPs ulterior motives and how it has no wherewithal to address the core issues. In the coming elections, people will reject the forces trying to divide the nation by giving a big mandate to secular forces.

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The Ram temple-Babri Masjid dispute might have festered on for more than a century but the simmering conflict has now found newer protagonists, who have grabbed public imagination and national headlines. BJP parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Shia Waqf Board chief Waseem Rizvi have emerged as the new actors of the movement.

Read: SC to begin final hearing in Ayodhya case today

SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY

The parliamentarian is convinced that a Ram Mandir will be constructed in Ayodhya by October 2018 and the forthcoming Diwali would be celebrated at the temple.

The basis for his assertion are evidences that he cites to claim the temple existed, these include references from excavations carried out in 2002-03 that found inscriptions describing a temple. Many historians say the evidence doesnt prove a temple ever existed. But Swamy has already moved the Supreme Court, seeking permission to rebuild the temple. Outside court, he is drumming up support and thundering that the mosque can be set up elsewhere, he has often said.

Read: Ram temple: Will Yogi finish what Kalyan started?

SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

In October, the Art of Living founder offered to mediate but did not elicit an enthusiastic response . The RSS distanced itself. Its affiliate, the VHP pointed out similar efforts in the past did not yield results. Former BJP MP and Hindu ideologue Ram Vilas Vedanti rejected the offer, arguing Sri Sri did not qualify to mediate on an issue he was never associated with. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board too expressed reservations, opting to settle for courts arbitration.

WASEEM RIZVI

The UP Shia Waqf Board jumped into the dispute on August 8 with an affidavit before the Supreme Court claiming the mosque was its property. The move came 71 years after it lost the legal battle to the Sunni Waqf Board in a trial court in Faizabad.

Read: It was a temple and will remain one: Kar sevaks recall Babri Masjid demolition

Board chairman Waseem Rizvi is facing the heat for alleged anomalies in waqf properties, which number around 5,000 in the state. A protege of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, Rizvi was last elected chairman of the board for the fourth consecutive term in May 2015.

Rizvi has held several meetings with Hindu leaders but has left out the Sunni Waqf Board, which he says has no claim over the property. The Shia body proposes to shift the mosque and give the disputed land for the construction of Ram Temple.
The new Indian envoy Gautam H Bambawale on Tuesday presented his credentials to President Xi Jinping at a ceremony to welcome newly appointed ambassadors to the Peoples Republic of China.

Bambawale has his task cut out as the two Asian giants look to mend ties and lower the mistrust following the Doklam standoff, which defence experts and think tanks have warned could be the new normal for troubled Sino-India ties.

A 1984-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, Bambawale has served in China before. He was the first consul general at the Indian consulate in Guangzhou, a trade and business hub in southern China with a sizeable Indian community, between 2007 and 2009.

He comes to Beijing after serving as the high commissioner to Pakistan and before that as the envoy to Bhutan; both countries figure prominently in the Sino-India ties.

While Pakistan is Chinas iron-clad friend, Bhutan doesnt have diplomatic ties with Beijing and is the only country, besides India, to have an unresolved land border with China.

Early this year, Indian and Chinese troops were in two-month-long standoff in the Doklam plateau, claimed by both Bhutan and China.

The two countries managed to defuse the situation that had the potential to trigger a flare-up but they need to hit the refresh button on border issues to avoid a repeat.

Bambawale has also served as joint secretary (east Asia) in the ministry of external affairs, a position that is increasingly crucial with Indias increased focus on strengthening ties with (besides China) South Korea, Japan and Asean countries.

The new Indian envoy can expect a busy time ahead as both sides continue protracted negotiations to resolve the festering border dispute.

Chinese state councillor Yang Jiechi is expected in India in a few weeks for the 20th round of talks under the special representatives mechanism put in place for better and effective border management.

Foreign minister Wang Yi is scheduled to visit India next week for the Russia-India-China foreign ministers dialogue.

In the coming months, Bambawale will also have to diplomatically wrestle Chinese inflexibility on at least two issues that have tested the ties  Beijing blocking Indias efforts to get Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist by the UN and China thwarting Indias repeated bids to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday asked the Congress to clarify if it agreed with its leader Kapil Sibal, who as the counsel for the Sunni Waqf Board in the Supreme Court sought deferment of the Ayodhya case until after 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The apex court on Tuesday rejected Sibals submission that the hearing in Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute be put off till the next general election as the atmosphere was not conducive.

BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao tried to corner the opposition Congress over Sibals submission in the apex court.

By seeking deferment of the Ayodhya case until after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Kapil Sibal has politicised the legal dispute. The Congress must clarify if Sibal is representing it or the Sunni Waqf Board? Or, is it the case that the board and the Congress are working in tandem? he asked.

Rather than seeking an early resolution to this vexed legal issue, why is the Congress party trying to perpetuate uncertainty, he asked.

Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who was described as a devotee of Lord Shiva by his party leaders, Rao wondered if the self-deluded Shiv bhakt had no devotion to Lord Ram.

We are glad the Congress is not seeking postponement of 2019 polls due to fear of losing them by a wide margin, he said.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to hear the civil appeals filed by various parties challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute on February 8 next year.
An independent candidate for the upcoming assembly byelection in Sikandra, Kanpur Dehat took the officials at the collectorate by surprise when he offered Rs 15,000 in coins to pay for deposit while filing his nomination papers.

Prof VN Pal, a former mathematics teacher at the CSJM University, packed the coins in a bag which one of his supporters carried to the office of the returning officer. Prof Pal wanted to raise the problems of the people by paying in coins. Loose change has become a problem in Kanpur where coins worth Rs 200 crore are in circulation and banks are not accepting them.

Banknotes are not easily available and coins are not accepted anywhere. I thought the returning officer will accept the coins as banks are not taking them, said Prof Pal. People contributed to my campaign in coins. I could not stop them ... he said.

Security personnel tried to stop me from taking them inside ... Pal said.

He, however, could not file his nomination due to errors in the form and the absence of 10 proposers. I was stopped from filing the papers several times and was not allowed to go inside the office... with the coins, he said. Officials said his papers were incomplete.

He got the chance in the evening but again it was rejected. Pals papers were not complete and he did not have 10 proposers. As a result, his nomination was not accepted, returning officer Dipali Kaushik said.
Authorities activated precautionary measures and politicians were forced to cancel their rallies and campaign in poll-bound Gujarat as cyclone Ockhi is likely to make landfall on Tuesday night on the states southern coast in Surat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to BJP workers to help those in the direct path of the cyclone, which left a trail of destruction in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep islands.

As many as 39 people were killed and 167 fishermen were missing after the cyclone hit Tamil Nadu and Kerala coasts, the Union home ministry said. More than 500 fishermen were rescued from the sea.

The cyclone heading towards Gujarat brought rain and an overcast sky, taking the wind out of campaigning in the state, which goes to the polls on December 9 and 14.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally in Anjar, but cancelled three more scheduled for the day. BJP chief Amit Shahs three rallies in coastal Amreli and Bhavnagar districts were cancelled on Tuesday, a party release said.

The BJP called off a road show of party parliamentarian Manoj Tiwari in Ahmedabad, and rallies of Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and her Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath in Surat.

Former Congress strongman Shankersinh Vaghela was also forced to cancel his road shows and rallies in Junagadh and Saurashtra.

According to the weather department, Ockhi has degenerated into a deep depression on Tuesday afternoon, may weaken further and dissipate before landfall.

Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, joint secretary in the Union home ministry, corroborated the forecast that the cyclone is slowing down.

However, authorities in Gujarat are bracing for the worst situation. Schools are closed till Wednesday and the Coast Guard called back around 13,000 fishing boats that ventured into the seas on Monday evening.

Uprooted trees after Cyclone Ockhi struck Lakshadweep. (PTI File Photo)

Pankaj Kumar, principal secretary in the states revenue department, told reporters that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed along the coastal belt and contingency plans drawn out. The state is fully prepared for the worst situation, if it arises, he said.

The cyclonic storm brought rain and hailstorm to Mumbai on Tuesday, but there was no report of any damage to life or property. The city recorded 36mm of rain, the highest in a 24-hour cycle for the month of December in 50 years.

The rain in the countrys financial capital and its suburbs subsided by afternoon, though a hailstorm lashed some sections of the Munbai-Pune Expressway.

The cyclone, which skimmed Goas coastline, damaged 12 beaches this tourist season, state revenue minister Rohan Khaunte said.

In worst-affected Kerala, the state government intensified search and rescue for 92 fishermen missing in high seas after Ockhi hit the coast on November 29. The navy, air force and Coast Guard are helping the operation.

The state also cancelled the inaugural ceremony of the International Film Festival of Kerala, which was scheduled to begin in Thiruvananthapuram on December 8.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has asked fishermen in both eastern and western coasts not to venture into the sea for the next three days as heavy rainfall is expected in many areas because of cyclone Ockhi.
DEAR HARRIETTE: Years ago, my husband and I got into a series of nasty arguments, and while we stayed together, we retreated to different parts of the house and stopped being intimate.

We now have a much nicer relationship. We tried to be intimate recently, and it didn't work. It was on me; it wouldn't work. When I went for my annual gynecological visit, my doctor told me what I already know -- things are pretty tight down there. I didn't dare ask him what to do because I was way too embarrassed. But I don't know what to do. I want to be intimate with my husband again, but I don't know how. -- Resuming Intimacy, Atlanta

DEAR RESUMING INTIMACY: It turns out that many couples go through periods of abstinence, for a wide variety of reasons. Depending on the length of time, it can be difficult to reconnect. Emotional distance can create a divide that's hard to close. Additionally, women's bodies can become less receptive and literally smaller, making it difficult to be intimate. You may need to speak to your doctor to get suggestions and even medical support to get to the place where you can comfortably receive your husband. Some men find that they experience erectile dysfunction due to age, health or even longtime abstinence, so a doctor's visit may be helpful for both of you.

Given that there were emotional reasons that shut you two down years ago, you should also talk. Work on communicating about your life and what you want now. Consider going to therapy together, a couple's retreat or some other type of engagement that may foster positive vibes between you. Read more here: mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/sexual-health/expert-answers/sex/faq-20058523 and aarp.org/home-family/sex-intimacy/info-12-2012/couples-having-sex-again.html.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My son graduated from college a couple of years ago, and has had difficulty finding the right job fit. He did well in college and has been looking hard, but he has found only odd jobs. My wife and I have let him move back home for a while with the understanding that he needs to get his life together, but we are battling over how to manage this. I think my son should pay rent of some amount so that he begins to accept responsibility for his life. I also think he should participate in household chores. He does none of this right now. My wife is far more doting. She lets him get away with anything.

How can we draw the line? I need my son to step up and be responsible -- for his own good. -- Parenting an Adult Child, Columbus, Ohio

DEAR PARENTING AN ADULT CHILD: You and your wife need to be on the same page. Talk to her about your belief that your son should learn responsibility. Suggest that he pay a small rent. You can put it in an account that you give to him at the end of his stay. That could even help him with a deposit on his own place. Point out that doing chores and participating in household duties is a part of life. He should not get a pass. When you win over your wife, you can approach your son.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been on a weight-loss plan for a few months now. What is working for me is eating cottage cheese and fruit in the morning. I sometimes bring it with me to work and eat it at my desk. The people sitting nearby often eat bagels or muffins, and it has been fine.

All of a sudden one woman who sits near me has started to talk about my food. She calls my cottage cheese "grandma food" and finds ways to poke fun at me whenever I am eating. She even went so far as to say she thinks it's a waste of time to eat such nasty food only to lose a couple of pounds. I was furious. I'm doing my thing, minding my business. How can I get her to back off? -- Healthy Living, Miami

DEAR HEALTHY LIVING: Congratulations on your weight-loss program. It's not easy to stick to a consistent path of wellness. It takes time to develop discipline. Good for you that you are doing it.

You have a couple of options with this woman. You can ignore her. Eventually she will stop if you don't react. Or you can offer to share some of Grandma's food with her! Don't let her see she is upsetting you. That will only exacerbate the situation.

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106
Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Wednesday announced a slew of relief measures for those affected by Cyclone Ockhi that battered the coastal areas of the southern states last week, flooding large swathes of farmland and ripping apart thousands of homes.

Government officials have said that 33,000 people in Kerala and 2,800 in Tamil Nadu have been affected by the cyclone so far. The Centre said 39 people have lost their lives and another 167 are missing after Cyclone Ockhi engulfed parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Multiple rescue operations are being conducted across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep where authorities are also trying to locate the missing people.

Below are the highlights

2.15pm: Tamil Nadu government will provide relief worth Rs 41 lakh to houses that have suffered full and partial damage. A government release quoting revenue secretary B Chandramohan said 1,687 houses had been damaged completely while 2,814 houses suffered partial damage.

2.10pm: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said there was no advance warning about Cyclone Ockhi. There was no advance information about Cyclone Ockhi at all. On November 30, at 8.30 a.m. the India Meteorological Department intimated about a very deep deep depression about 170 km off Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) coast. Even at that time, there was no mention of cyclone. And by that time fishermen had already ventured into the sea, he said.

1.13pm: As per a morning release by the India Meteorological Department, the cyclonic storm first turned into a deep depression, then into a depression and finally into a low pressure area after midnight. The depression over east-central and adjoining north-east Arabian Sea weakened into a well-marked low pressure area over east central Arabian sea and adjoining areas of north-east Arabian Sea, north coastal Maharashtra and south coastal Gujarat at 23:30 hours yesterday. the release said. The cyclone dissipated over the sea before hitting the Gujarat coast, said Jayanta Sarkar, the director of the MeT Centre.

10.06am: Kochi: Three fishermen from Tamil Nadu and two from Kerala will join rescue operations for three days on board INS Kalpeni.

9.30am: The India Meteorological Department said late on Tuesday that the cyclone was likely to bring rain over the next three days. The IMD said the cyclone dissipated due to unfavourable environmental conditions.

9.20am: Ten ships continue to be deployed for search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi, the Indian Navy said late on Tuesday.

9.15am:

Fishing Vessel St Damian SAR effort in progress 180 nm NW of Kavaratti. Coord ac & surface unit operation. Boat located by P8I now being towed by INS Chennai. Technical team on boat since midnight for repairing engine. Sick crew administered medical help.1/2 @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/LqmSwoMLlW  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 6, 2017

9.13am: Surat received light rain in the early hours of Wednesday.

UPDATES FROM TUESDAY:

11: 48 pm: IMD says Cyclone Ockhi may not hit Gujarat coast

Cyclone Ockhi is gradually weakening into a depression and may not hit the Gujarat coast near Surat as predicted earlier, the Meteorological Centre said.

Cyclonic storm Ockhi has already turned into a deep depression and may hit south Gujarat only as a depression late tonight, according to an official statement

11: 19 pm: Govt warning on rise in rivers in Maha, Gujarat

The government issued an advisory in view of Cyclone Ockhi, warning of a rapid rise in the water level of rivers in parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The water resources ministry asked authorities in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha to ensure sufficient vigil in coastal areas for the next three days as the path of a depression developing in the Bay of Bengal is not yet well- established.

9: 59 pm: A Coast Guard ship, ICGS Samrat, locates 15 boats off Lakshadweep and provided assistance to 184 fishermen on board, as part of its Cyclone Ockhi relief operations.

9:19 pm: Downpour in Rajasthan and Madya Pradesh due to impact of Cyclone Ockhi.

9:17 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modis election rally in Surat on Wednesday has been postponed in view of Cyclone Ochki, party leaders said.

8.15 pm: Local fishermen to join naval teams in search operations

INS Kabra, presently involved in search and rescue operations off Kollam, will take on board local fishermen on Tuesday at Kollam port for carrying out guided search operations, based on specific inputs provided by these fishermen, a defence release said.

8.02 pm: Cyclone Ockhi is around 350 km south-southwest of Surat, expected to cross tonight. It is showing sign of decreasing in intensity, said IMD Ahmedabad director.

IMD has issued heavy rainfall alert in coastal districts only for tonight, wind speed expected to be around 65-70 kmph when cyclone cross.

8 pm: Health minister JP Nadda said he has spoken to health ministers of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat regarding Cyclone Ockhi.

Have assured them that all support will be extended by the Centre, in terms of medicines and medical teams, he said.

7. 54pm: 14 more fishermen from Kerala were rescued.

While search and rescue operations by the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and others are based off the Kochi coast, these fishermen were found near the Lakshadweep Islands.

7:50pm: Cyclone Ockhi passes Mumbai coast , bringing rains but causing no damage to life or property.

7: 44 pm: Goa govt to assess damage of cyclone-hit shacks for payout

The Goa government said that the owners of the shacks that were hit by high tides caused by cyclone Ockhi, would be given compensation only after a comprehensive assessment of the damage is carried out.

7:40 pm: Rains and high velocity winds lash Surat, Rajkot and Valsad, says Skymet.

7: 30: Election Commission asked Chief Electoral Officer Gujarat to prepare contingency plan in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi and to ensure that those affected and rehabilitated should be able to vote. (Read full story here)

7:20 pm: Schools will remain closed in the southern Gujarat on Wednesday.

The Coast Guard has called back around 13,000 fishing boats that ventured into the seas on Monday evening.

7:03 pm: Cyclone Ockhi expected to have low impact in Gujarat: MHA

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall in most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places in Saurashtra and south Gujarat.

The cyclone is not expected to have high impact in Gujarats coastal areas. There is possibility of moderate to heavy rain tonight (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) morning with wind speed around 50-70 km/hour, a home ministry official said.

Joint Secretary in the Union home ministry Sanjeev Kumar Jindal said the cyclone is slowing down and would have no impact in Gujarat.

6.55 pm: Due to unfavourable conditions, Cyclone Ockhi may degenerate before reaching Gujarat coast, said Mahesh Palawat of Skymet- a private forecasting agency.

6. 44 pm: Madras HC directs TN govt to provide adequate amenities to cyclone-affected

The Madras high court directed the Tamil Nadu government to provide adequate basic amenities to those affected by cyclone Ockhi in Kanyakumari district.

The bench directed the government officials to provide adequate medicines, electricity and water for the people and also all basic amenities in camps.

6.30 pm:

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri @myogiadityanath met PM Shri @narendramodi. He presented a cheque worth Rs. 5 crore from the CM Distress Relief Fund towards the PMNRF, for cyclone affected people in various parts of the country. pic.twitter.com/YWRwV51Edu  PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 5, 2017

6.15 pm: Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy has urged external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to intervene and secure release of 10 fishermen of Karaikal region, taken into custody by the Sri Lanka navy for allegedly entering their waters when cyclone Ockhi struck.

5.57 pm: 39 dead, 167 fishermen missing in Tamil Nadu, Kerala

As many as 39 people have perished and 167 fishermen were still missing after cyclone Ockhi hit Tamil Nadu and Kerala coasts while 809 others were swept away to Maharashtra, the Union home ministry said.

As of now, 10 people lost their lives in Tamil Nadu and 29 others in Kerala. Even though the exact number of missing persons were not known, as per available information, whereabouts of 74 fishermen in Tamil Nadu and 93 fishermen in Kerala is not known yet, Joint Secretary in the ministry, Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, said.

A total of 556 fishermen were also rescued by relief and rescue teams from seas.

5.39 pm:

My thoughts are with people who will be braving the onslaught of #CycloneOckhi. Urge Congress leaders and workers in Gujarat to provide all necessary help and support to the needy during this hour of crisis.  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 5, 2017

5.29 pm: 12 beaches affected by sea water in Goa

Twelve beaches in Goa have been affected by the rising sea level caused by Cyclone Ockhi, revenue minister Rohan Khaunte said.

The affected beaches are in Varca, Cavellossim, Utorda, Benaulim, Betalbatim, Sernabatim, Arambol, Mandrem, Morjim, Keri, Candolim and Anjuna.

5.45 pm: It (Cyclone Ockhi) is very likely to continue to move north- northwestwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by the night of December 5, said the latest IMD bulletin.

5.17 pm: Seven teams of NDRF deployed at Surat, Navsari, Amreli, Valsad, Bhavnagar and Somnath in Gujarat.

4.30 pm: Rallies of Rahul Gandhi, Adityanath cancelled in Gujarat

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi held a poll rally in Anjar but cancelled three in Morbi, Dhrangadhra and Surendranagar due to the impending cyclone.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwaris roadshow in Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad was also cancelled.

The BJP has also called off rallies and press conferences of Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Surat. (Read full story here)

4.27 pm: People in Surat advised not to go out at night

Its likely to rain today. There will be strong winds. People have been advised to not go out at night. Those living in kachha houses will be given shelter. The NDRF is on alert. Municipality and local bodies are working on their level. said Surat district magistrate Mahendra Patel.

3.13pm: ANI reports a boat from Raigarh with four people on board has gone missing. Rescue agencies are trying to establish contact.

3.00pm: Kerala govt cancels inaugural gala of IFFK

In the wake of cyclone Ockhi, the Kerala government has cancelled the inaugural ceremony of the International Film Festival of Kerala, scheduled to begin in Thiruvananthapuram on December 8.

Organiser Kerala Chalachitra Academy said a decision was taken to call off the official inauguration and associated events, as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives in the disaster.

The screening of the films will, however, proceed as per the plans.

2.39pm: Search intensified to find 92 missing fishermen

The Kerala government said intensified search and rescue operations are on to trace the 92 fishermen missing in high seas after Cyclone Ockhi hit the states coast on November 29.

State Minister for Fisheries Mercykutty said, Officially 92 fishermen are still missing... Rescue work is going with more intensity and by widening the area for search. However, local people have put the number of missing persons as more than 100.

On Monday, Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had visited cyclone-hit areas in Thiruvananthapuram and asserted that rescue operations would continue till every missing fishermen was brought back safely.

2.21pm: Cyclone Ockhi moves closer to Gujarat

Cyclone Ockhi has moved closer to the southern coast near Surat in Gujarat and is expected to make a landfall in the state around midnight, Met officials said in their latest bulletin. As per the latest forecast released by the Meteorological Centre in Ahmedabad, the cyclone is now just 390 kms away from Surat.

2.15pm: NDMAs update on Ockhi

The NDMA says that the severe cyclonic storm OCKHI over east-central Arabian Sea has moved further north-northeastwards during the past 6 hours and has weakened into a cyclonic storm.

Squally wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph are very likely along and off north Maharashtra and South Gujarat coasts during the next 24 hours.

2.05pm: NDMAs advisory to fishermen

The National Disaster Management Authority has asked fishermen in both eastern and western coasts not to venture out in the sea for the next three days as heavy rainfall is expected in many areas due to Cyclone Ockhi.

Fishermen along and off Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu coasts should not venture into sea from December 6 to 8 while fishermen along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands are advised not to venture into sea till Wednesday.

Fishermen living along and off South Gujarat and North Maharashtra coasts are advised not to venture into the sea till Wednesday morning.

1.41pm: Mumbai update | Minimum temperature in the city dropped to 20 degrees Celsius.

On Tuesday, the Arabian Sea recorded a high tide of 5.04 metres. It is expected to be 5.05 metres on Wednesday , gradually receding to 4.17 metres by Thursday, a BMC official told PTI.

As of now, all incoming and outgoing flights at Mumbai Airport are being operated on schedule and local trains continue to ply unhindered.

1.40pm: Ockhis landfall in Gujarat

Ockhi is expected to make landfall near the diamond and textile city of Surat in Gujarat later in the night on Tuesday.

1.37pm: Danger signals LC-III have been hoisted over all ports between Goa to Dahanu (north Maharashtra), with rough to very rough conditions at sea.

Arabian Sea waves of 4.35 meters height entered a slum near the seashore at Bandstand in Bandra, Mumbai due to cyclone Okhi on December 5, 2017. (Satyabrata Tripathy/ Hindustan Times)

1.31pm: Goa assesses damage from Cyclone Ockhi

The office of North Goas district magistrate has done a preliminary assessment of the damage caused in Pernem and Bardez talukas, where several prominent beaches, including Morjim, Arambol, Candolim, Baga and Calangute, are located, an official release said on Tuesday.

The report says there was no danger caused to human life but there was considerable damage caused to around 50 shacks in Morjim, Mandrem, Arambol and Querim beaches in Pernem taluka.

North Goas District Magistrate Nila Mohanan has sent a report to the state government on the damages caused and recommended to include sea ingress due to rise in high tide levels in the list of disasters, so that compensation can be released to the affected shack owners, the release said.

12.57pm: Surat DM Mahendra Patel says its likely to rain in the city today. There will be strong winds. People have been advised not to go out at night. Those living in kachha houses will be given shelter. NDRF is on alert. Municipality and local bodies are working on their level, he told ANI.

12.41pm: Disaster relief for people in Lakshadweep

Relief material, carried on Indian Navy ships, reached the island of Minicoy on Sunday and the Kavaratti and Kalpeni islands on Monday, a defence mnistry spokesperson said.

A total of four tonnes of disaster relief material, including dry provisions like rice, dal, salt and potatoes, water, blankets, raincoats, disposable clothes, mosquito nets and dhurries, has been handed over to the local administration, the spokesperson said.

Dry provisions and ready to eat meals are also being dispatched to Bitra Island by chopper from the INS Dweeprakshak (base) at Kavaratti.The relief material will last seven days for about 2,000 people, he added.

12.38pm: A high tide of 4.22 metre is expected near Mumbai at 12:39 pm

12.35pm: Mumbai Police assures commuters that the Bandra-Worli Sea Link is functional.

Bandra-Worli Sea Link is fully functional today as like any other day.  Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) December 5, 2017

11.32am: Cyclone Ockhi less than 300km off Mumbais coast; city sees heavy rain, traffic snarls

Heavy showers were reported from various parts of the island city as well as the suburbs. Areas such as Mahalaxmi, Worli and Sion have been experiencing rain, as have low-lying areas such as Parel, Mahalaxmi, Lalbaug and Kurla, among others. The civic body has issued warning to people to stay away from the seashore as high tide levels will be high than usual, touching five metres. Read full story

11.29am: According to IMD, the cyclone is 300 kms west of Mumbais coast. It is likely to continue to move North-North Eastward and weaken gradually.

11.25am: The Mumbai centre of IMD has urged the fisherman working on the Maharashtra-Goa coasts to not venture in the sea for the next 48 hours. A statement issued by the IMD advised the fishermen to return back to the coast.

11.14am: Weather forecast for Mumbai

Intermittent rain/thundershowers very likely to occur in Mumbai and suburbs in next 24 hours, said a report of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai at 8 am.

Heavy rainfall is likely at a few places with squally wind speed reaching 50 to 60 kms per hour gusting to 70 kms per hour very likely along coastal area in next 24 hours, it further said.

11.10am: Train update for Mumbai | Western Railways says its local train services in Mumbai are running as normal.

11.05am: Traffic update for Mumbai | The traffic on Eastern and Western Express Highways in Mumbai has slowed down after rain in some parts of Mumbai throughout Monday night. There are traffic curbs in some places in view of the rush of followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his death anniversary on Wednesday.

11.00am: Amit Shahs rallies cancelled

BJP president Amit Shahs public rallies in Rajula, Mahuva and Shihor in Gujarat have been cancelled due to Cyclone Ockhi, ANI reported.

10.03am: BMCs warning for Mumbai

The BMC issued a separate warning for the city from Monday to Thursday (December 4-7) wherein an alert was raised for people living close to the sea, specifically Shivaji Park, Dadar areas and Cadell Road, Mahim. Owing to the warnings related to cyclone Ockhi, there will be increased wave action in these regions and water might come onto the promenade areas and onto the road. On December 6, Ambedkar Jayanti, a huge crowd is expected at Shivaji Park, Dadar. They will need to take precautions and avoid going close to the sea, read the BMC warning.

9.39pm: Cyclone Ockhi effect: Mumbai gets highest 24-hour December rain in a decade

The city recorded its highest 24-hour December rain in a decade after unseasonal showers lashed Mumbai on Monday, as a result of cyclone Ockhi in the Arabian Sea. The city recorded rainfall in December for the first time since 2014. Read full story

9.34pm: In Mumbai, roads leading to Dadar Chowpatty have been closed as precautionary measure.

9.30am: Heavy rainfall alert for Mumbai, but Doppler radar is dysfunctional

The radar located at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Colaba can carry out weather surveillance at a distance of 300km radius from its location. The radar provides long-range weather surveillance, detection and forecast for rainfall, cloud formation, thunderstorms and other weather conditions such as tropical storms. IMD officials said the dysfunctional radar would not affect weather predictions. Read full story

Maharashtra prepares

Maharashtra went on a state of high alert to tackle the side-effect of the stormy weather. State Education Minister Vinod Tawde announced a precautionary holiday on Tuesday (December 5) for all schools in the coastal districts of Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, in view of the predictions for the cyclone.

Mumbai Disaster Management unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued an advisory against visiting the beaches Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Western Railway (WR) said it has taken necessary precautions and made suitable arrangements in view of the warning about the cyclone. The WRs engineering control has been kept on alert to keep a watch on water level over railway tracks

Aftermath in Tamil Nadu and Kerala

The death toll climbed to 28 in Kerala after a rescue team recovered two more bodies on Monday and officials said at least 90 people were still missing in the state. The Kerala government said a total of 530 fishermen have been rescued and 50 still untraced.

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday said a total of 2,604 fishermen out of the 2,864 caught in the cyclone Ockhi had been rescued and search for the remaining 260 was on.

Rescue operations continue

The central government has deployed 10 Coast Guard ships, 6 aircraft, 4 helicopters, 10 Navy ships for rescue and relief off the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Lakshadweep and Minicoy.
The body of a seven-year-old girl was found with bruises and nail and teeth bites on Monday, the day she was supposed to celebrate her birthday in Telanganas Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, police said on Tuesday.

Officials said the body of the Class I student with her clothes partially torn was found in a haystack in her familys agricultural fields near her Gori Kothapalli village of Regonda block at around 4pm on Monday.

Regonda Police said prima facie it appeared she was raped before being strangled to death. They registered a case of murder and sent the body to the local hospital for post-mortem examination.

Police said the girl stepped out of her house after dinner on Sunday to watch a candle-light procession by the villagers in memory of a Dalit woman Bharati, who died of a heart attack during clashes with the police in Hyderabad on November 6.

They added when the girl did not come back home after an hour, her parents and other relatives started looking for her. They lodged a missing persons complaint with the police on Monday morning.

Bhupalpally additional superintendent of police Raju Mahendra Naik visited the village and made inquiries with the villagers.

Andhra Pradesh Child Rights Association strongly condemned the brutal rape and killing of the minor girl.

This clearly shows the status of safety and security of the children in the state. We demand that the accused be arrested immediately and be awarded capital punishment, associations president P Achyuta Rao said.

Ends//

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Vinod Kuruvilla, 40, was at his wits end when he got a call from a number, which he recognised as that of Indian High Commission in Ottawa, Canada.

The caller said his immigration papers were not in order and he must transfer $1,000 immediately to a certain bank account. The engineer from India who had legally migrated to Canada six months ago, called up the high commission. An official told him the call was one of the many cases of cyber fraud where people are asked to transfer money for some reason or the other.

The embassy officials told me to approach local police and advised me against giving out bank details or money, he said.

This was not an isolated call, nor was Canadas only mission to issue warnings. Indian embassies in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal have sent out public notices against such calls.

What is most unsettling for people is that the callers use the embassys landline numbers. The high commission in Ottawa has taken up the matter with the Canadian government and we too have put out a public notice, an Indian official said.

It has come to the notice of the mission that its telephone number [613-7443751] is being misused for calling people regarding nationality, passport matters, tax and money-related issues, the embassy notice said, warning such issue should be immediately reported to police.

Canada is home to over 1.2 million Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and almost 90% of them lives in metropolitan areas and other major cities.

Missions elsewhere have put out similar public notices. Beware of fraudulent/hoax calls purportedly from telephone number 0140505070/71 belonging to Indian embassy asking for Indian students/diaspora to the transfer of money, embassy of India never asks for such transfers, said the warning issued by the embassy in France.

The Indian embassy has estimated that the Indian community, including NRIs, in mainland France number around 106,000.

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Hajari Lal doesnt remember the date of his birth, but the day he helped tear down Babri Masjid is etched in his mind. The kar sevak (religious volunteer) climbed on to the central dome of the 16th century structure alongside hundreds of other men with a shovel, an iron rod and some rope on the morning of December 6, 1992.

I broke the structure with my own hands. Around 11.15am that day, someone hoisted a saffron flag atop the structure, and we broke loose. By 6pm, it was finished, he says with a tinge of pride.

The Supreme Court will on Tuesday commence the final hearing in the long-standing Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute, a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the structure.

Lal says he is around 55 and spends his days in Ayodhyas Karsevakpuram, the nerve centre of the temple movement that houses a prototype of the proposed Ram temple, set up in a mothballed pink room next to heaps of garbage, vials of organic medicines, glossy pamphlets and crumbling scaffolding. He is dressed in a soiled, white vest and his voice is frail, but quickly changes as we ask him about Babri Masjid.

Dont call it a mosque, it is a structure. It was a temple, and will remain a temple, he snarls. It will be a two-storied temple with 212 pillars, Ram Lalla on the ground level and Ram and Sita on the first.

Lal, a resident of Bathlaiya village in the states Shahjahanpur district, dropped out of college and travelled 300 km to Ayodhya in 1990 one of thousands of young men in the Hindi belt who left their homes to converge for what they believed was a divine task.

Read: Ram temple: Will Yogi finish what Kalyan started?

He is certain that Muslims vandalised the Ram temple that legendary Hindu king Vikramaditya apparently built, but is confused sometimes whether Aurangzeb or Babar was the original plunderer. Blue nights would illuminate the temple, he says, pointing at the twinkling Chinese lights that line the prototype.

Lal says he is around 55 and spends his days in Ayodhyas Karsevakpuram, the nerve centre of the temple movement that houses a prototype of the proposed Ram temple. (Manira Chaudhury/HT Photo)

Lal spent three months in hospital after December 6 nursing an injury he sustained buried under the debris, and went home for a week, but soon returned to Ayodhya. My family was very angry. They locked me up in a room, but I escaped. Ram temple hadnt been built. How could I stay away?

Kar sevaks like Lal seethe with anger at the day state police opened fire at them on orders of the then chief minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, in 1990. Sudhir Nag, like Lal, also survived the incident that killed 28 people, but a .303 rifle bullet pierced his face and shattered the retina of his right eye.

The 48-year-old nurses a scar, and is married with two children. But on October 30, 1990, he says he was leading a batch of 70 kar sevaks to the disputed site, when a bullet hit him and he fell unconscious. He regained consciousness on November 2, after emergency surgeries saved his life. When I fell, I could faintly hear that security personnel begin carrying away the dead bodies including mine. But one of them saw one of my legs moving and said Yeh zinda hai (he is alive). He later spent six months at Lucknows King George Medical College and learnt his life was saved because the bullet had rebounded off a wall.

What Mulayam Singh Yadav had said, Masjid pe ek parinda bhi par nahin mar sakega (The security will be so tight that not even a bird will dare to fly past the mosque), we took as a challenge. We marched on, he said. He rues that he couldnt see the mosque demolition because some friends had locked him up.

Why should the judiciary meddle? All know that it is Ram Janmabhoomi. The structure was no mosque. I wish VHP gives a call for building the temple. And we will build it, he said.

Marching as the same time as Nag from another part of town was Raghunandan Das, who was leading a group of 100-odd men who were arrested and put on a bus around 8am that day. What happened next is now popular lore in Ayodhya.

Sudhir Nag was hit in the face with a bullet in 1990. (Pankaj Jaiswal/HT Photo)

We had barely moved a few metres when the driver, a Muslim, jumped off the bus and fled. We took control of the bus and I was at the wheel, smashing all police barricades, the 65-year-old said. They were stopped before the disputed site and clashes broke out with the police. Minutes later, Das says, bullets rained down on them, one hitting his ankle.

Not everyone was as lucky. Gayatri Pandey lost her husband Ramesh in the police firing and says she had to bring up their four children on her own with much hardship. Everyone thinks of Ayodhya but no one remembers us. Mulayam killed Hindus and got seats, she says, standing at the door of her decaying one-storied house. She has filed cases of murder against Yadav and has the backing of the VHP. She says she got courage after hearing Yadav justify the killing during his birthday last month.

The temple movement evokes mixed reactions. Lal is convinced Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sent to build the temple. Pandeys primary concern is the case. And Das is disillusioned. There is no temple movement now. Whatever is going in the name of Ram Mandir is a political movement.
Mehbooba Muftis government in Jammu and Kashmir is likely to extend its amnesty for first-time stone pelters by withdrawing cases against even those involved in last years violence triggered by Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wanis death.

Officials told HT that cases registered against stone pelters between 2015 and 2017 were being currently reviewed for the purpose of drawing up a list of first-time offenders. Chief minister Mehbooba had last month announced the withdrawal of cases against 4,000 youth involved in some 744 incidents of stone pelting between 2008 and 2014.

The cases reviewed up to now were from 2008 to 2014. We are now reviewing cases from 2015 and 2017 and we will soon come up with a second list, director general of state police SP Vaid said.

Mehboobas announcement last month regarding the withdrawal of cases was meant to be a goodwill gesture towards disenchanted Kashmiri youth. New Delhi is understood to have pushed for such a measure to bolster efforts by central government-appointed special interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma in his efforts to kick-start a dialogue and restore peace in the state.

Thousands of locals  particularly youngsters  who had hit the streets and fought pitched battles with security forces in the wake of Wanis killing in an encounter in July last year would benefit if the government extends the period of amnesty. Officials said the amnesty was part of the governments initiative to provide a healing touch to the strife-torn state.

The review of cases against these youth was a major demand from various sections of the society in the state who would be heaving a sigh of relief after this decision, Mehbooba said in a recent statement, describing the measure as a ray of hope for the young men and their families to rebuild their lives. She had attempted to withdraw cases against first-time stone pelters soon after assuming office last year, but the initiative was derailed by the violent protests that erupted over Wanis death. Cases against some 634 youth could only be withdrawn in that phase.

There is a provision in the law where the prosecution has the right to approach the court on the basis of certain reasons to withdraw charges in a case, and the state will invoke that. The prosecution will file a formal application to the court seeking a withdrawal of the charges which the court has to accept, state advocate general Jahangir Iqbal Ganai told HT. On Tuesday, Mehbooba distributed orders of appointment among a group of victims who lost their eyesight due to pellet injuries last year as part of the governments healing touch initiative.

The amnesty, however, has evoked cynicism among the stone pelters. Many of the accused are not even stone pelters. They were falsely framed and arrested. It is all politics, said one. Another said the governments healing touch will not end the violence. Until a political solution to the Kashmir conflict is reached, stone pelting on security forces will not end, he added.

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Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa was on Tuesday remembered on her first death anniversary, with AIADMK veterans K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam leading the party supporters in paying tributes to their Amma.

Jayalalithaa is fondly addressed as Amma, meaning mother in Tamil, by her supporters.

AIADMK coordinator and deputy chief minister, O Panneerselvam and party co-coordinator and chief minister, K Palaniswami led a silent procession of party workers from Anna Salai to Jayalalithaas mausoleum on Marina beach.

Most of the party workers, including the two leaders and many other ministers, were clad in black shirts.

Scores of party supporters also turned up at the mausoleum to pay tributes to her.

Jayalalithaa, admitted to a corporate hospital here in September 2016, breathed her last this day last year, after 75 days of hospitalisation.
Former AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa was on Tuesday remembered on her first death anniversary with party veterans K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam leading workers in paying tributes to their Amma at her mausoleum here.

Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran also took out a procession with his supporters and paid floral tributes at Jayalalithaas mausoleum.

Clad in black shirts, AIADMK coordinator Pannneerselvam and co-coordinator Palaniswami led a silent march of party functionaries, including ministers, MPs and MLAs from Anna Salai to late Jayalalithaas burial site at Marina beach, and paid floral tributes at the bedecked mausoleum.

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami, and his deputy Panneerselvam, placed a wreath at the memorial, where Jayalalithaa was laid to rest in December 2016.

The two senior leaders stood with folded hands for sometime and then bowed down to pay their respects.

People paying their respects to the late AIADMK supremo and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa on her first death anniversary at her memorial near shores of Marina in Chennai on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)

Chants by supporters hailing Jayalalithaa filled the air even as some functionaries were seen getting emotional.

AIADMK functionaries led by the two veterans also paid tributes at the memorial of party founder, the late chief minister M G Ramachandran.

Later, the party workers led by Panneerselvam took an oath to mark the day.

In the oath read out by Panneerselvam and repeated by others, including Palaniswami, the AIADMK workers vowed to ensure that the golden rule of Amma continued by their hard work.

Jayalalithaa is fondly addressed by her supporters as Amma, meaning mother in Tamil.

T hey recalled the relentless hard work of Amma in making AIADMK a successful peoples movement and each one of them vowed to be a true party worker walking in the footsteps of the late leader to ensure the partys growth.

They also recollected Jayalalithaas popular statement of makkalukkaga naan, makkalukkagave naan (I am for the people, I am because of people), and vowed to continue working in that direction.

Panneerselvam started reading the oath by describing Jayalalithaa as AIADMKs permanent general secretary, a refrain often used by the party leaders when she was in charge of its affairs.

The unified AIADMK, formed following the merger of then factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam in August, has since done away with the powerful general secretarys post, making Panneerselvam the coordinator and Palaniswami the co- coordinator.

Chief minister K Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and senior government officials participate in a rally to pay their respects to the late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa on her first death anniversary, in Chennai on Tuesday. (PTI)

The partymen also vowed to protect AIADMK and strive to work towards its future successes.

Later, they observed a two-minute silence in respect of the late leader.

Jayalalithaas mausoleum saw a steady stream of visitors today, with scores of public paying tearful tributes to the late chief minister.

Jaya Plus, a news channel part of the Jaya TV network managed by the family of deposed and jailed AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, ran shows on Jayalalithaas various pro-people initiatives as chief minister of the state.

Later, Dhinakaran also took out a procession from Anna Salai to Marina Beach in a jeep.

The vehicle sported a bedecked photograph of late Jayalalithaa and he was accompanied by his supporters, including some of the disqualified MLAs.

He later placed a wreath at the Jayalalithaa mausoleum.

Meanwhile, actor Vishal Krishnan, who is contesting the December 21 bypoll to Radhakrishnan Nagar here, paid floral tributes to Jayalalithaa at his office here, his publicist said.

A popular leader, Jayalalithaa breathed her last on December 5, 2016.

She was admitted to a corporate hospital here on September 22 with complaints of fever and dehydration and underwent medical treatment for about 75 days before her demise.

An ADMK woman member gets emotional as she pays tribute to former chief minister J Jayalalithaa on her first death anniversary in Coimbatore on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)

Her death later triggered a split in the party in February when Panneerselvam, the then chief minister, revolted against Sasikala, now serving a jail term in connection with an assets case in Bengaluru, alleging he was forced to make way for her to the states top post.

Palaniswami was subsequently made chief minister but he later revolted against then party deputy chief Dhinakaran, with a section of ministers led by the former sidelining him.

The factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam later merged on August 21.

A party general council in September sacked Sasikala as its chief.

In a major boost, the unified AIADMK was recently awarded the partys popular Two Leaves symbol also.

In Puducherry, AIADMK workers, including a good chunk of women, took out a procession from near the statue of Annadurai to the beach road there to pay homage at the portrait of Jayalalithaa on the occasion.
Gauri Lankesh Patrike, the tabloid that journalist Gauri Lankesh owned and edited before being gunned down by assassins three months ago, will be rechristened Namma Gauri (Our Gauri), a member of the trust floated in her memory has said.

The member of the Gauri Memorial Trust that was created recently to perpetuate the journalists memory said Lankeshs mother had asked for a change in the Kannada weeklys name. Her mother said she did not want us to use the name of Lankesh. Respecting this, we will call it Namma Gauri, but it will have the same staff, the member, who did not wish to be named, said.

The trust that is headed by freedom fighter HS Doreswamy and has activist-journalist Teesta Setalvad among its members aims to financially support the Kannaga-language paper. It will also institute an annual award in Lankeshs name to felicitate journalists, organise lectures and extend fellowships to journalists from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Meanwhile, friends and relatives of the slain journalist gathered in Bengaluru on Tuesday  exactly three months after Lankesh was murdered -- demanding answers from chief minister Siddaramaiah for the slow pace of the probe into her killing.

Lankesh was shot dead in the portico of her house by unidentified assassins on September 5 and the police are yet to crack the case.

Kavita, Lankeshs sister, demanded that the police arrest the culprits soon. We want those responsible to be caught without delay, she said at the event attended, among others, by poet Chandrasekhar Patil, writer Yogesh Master and activist KL Ashok. Lankesh was known for her pro-poor and anti-Hindutva activism.

So far, the investigation into her murder has not made any breakthrough. Speaking to HT, a senior officer with the special investigating team (SIT) set up to probe the killing said leads till date have led to dead-ends. In October, the SIT had released sketches of three suspects and a video that purportedly showed a person conducting reconnaissance in the Ideal Homes locality where Lankesh lived.

We had received a tip-off that there were some persons who matched the sketches. But this turned out to be false, the officer said. The SIT has also not been able to track the two-wheeler used by the assailants who shot Lankesh.

Crucially, the SIT is yet to compare the bullets recovered from the scene of Lankeshs murder with the ammunition used to murder three other activists: MM Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare. The local forensic science lab had confirmed in September that the bullets that killed Lankesh were fired from a 7.65 mm country-made pistol. However, the SIT is yet to receive the other bullets for comparison.

State home minister Ramalinga Reddy refused to comment on the issue, saying he would do so when a breakthrough was reached. Kavita, Lankeshs sister, said the family was still hopeful that the SIT would be able to crack the case soon. We havent given up hope, she told HT.

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The group of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants behind an attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July has been wiped out, the Jammu and Kashmir police chief said on Tuesday.

State police chief SP Vaid said in a series of tweets that the success was achieved when three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir on Monday.

At last seven pilgrims to the Hindu shrine at Amarnath were killed and 15 others were injured when militants attacked a bus with 56 people near Anantnag on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway on July 10.

The suspected mastermind of the attack, Abu Ismail, was also killed in an encounter in September.

With the elimination of Abu Ismail earlier and now these three Abu Mavia, Furkan & Yawar group that attacked Amarnath Yatries is wiped out (sic), Vaid said.

In another tweet he said the 4th terrorist was caught.

Police said the arrested local resident, identified as Rashid Ahmad Allai, had recently joined the group. The militant was arrested with a Chinese pistol from a hospital in the area.

According to police, Furqan was heading the group after after Ismails death and had masterminded all recent attacks on security forces in the valley.

The encounter was the latest in a series of success by security forces that has resulted in the death of several top militants this year, including Let commanders Abu Dujana and Hizbul Mujahideens Sabzar Ahmad Bhat, the successor of Burhan Wani as the outfits Kashmir chief. Wanis killing last year had sparked months-long street protests in the Valley that left more than a 100 people, most of them civilians dead.

Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhars nephew Tallah Rashid was also killed in another encounter.

Vaid had said earlier that around 170 militants had been killed by security forces in Kashmir till October  claiming it to be a record of sorts in the past decade.

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The armed forces have written to the defence ministry seeking the reversal of a government order that has capped educational expenses paid to children of martyrs or disabled soldiers at Rs 10,000 per month, South Block sources said.

In a letter to defence secretary Sanjay Mitra, army vice-chief Lieutenant General Sarath Chand has sought the removal of the ceiling on financial aid granted to the children, the sources said on Tuesday.

The cap was imposed earlier this year following the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission report.

Defence ministry officials confirmed that the military wants the cap to be lifted and the ministry was informed of the matter. The scheme to provide financial aid to children of martyrs was announced in December 1971, days after the Indian victory in the war with Pakistan.

This is the least we can do for children of martyrs and disabled soldiers. This order should be recalled at the earliest, an army officer said.

Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar also wrote a letter to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, urging that the order be recalled. The services and sacrifices of our soldiers cannot be repaid ever and it is our moral obligation to ensure their families do not face any hardships and difficulties, he wrote.

Effective from July 1, 2017, the government order has impacted more than 3,000 students. The department of ex-servicemen welfare wrote to the three chiefs and the coast guard chief on September 13 that the combined amount of tuition fees and hostel charges should not exceed Rs 10,000.

It will result in a saving of barely a few crores every year. We are confident that the ministry will do away with the cap, said another officer.
Controversial businessman Vijay Mallya painted himself as a victim of political persecution on the second day of his extradition trial, stating that the BJP, Congress and Shiv Sena were hoping to reap electoral capital on the assumption that he was guilty of fraud.

Defence counsel Clare Montgomery, appearing for Mallya at the Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday, alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation has a long history of being influenced by Indias political masters. She also bemoaned the state of penitentiaries in India, stating that many prisons  including Arthur Road Jail (where Mallya may be lodged if extradited)  were yet to implement reforms prescribed by the countrys courts.

Montgomery presented a series of documents to dub charges of fraud put forth by Mark Summers, lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service on Indias behalf, as nonsensical and financially incoherent. The prosecution has no evidence of fraud against Mallya, she said, alleging that at least 12 documents submitted by India were identical like a template. Montgomery asked judge Emma Arbuthnot to consider if documents submitted in such a state were even admissible.

Denying charges of financial offences against Mallya, the defence counsel contended that the prosecution only provided competing narratives (fraud versus business failure) that no reasonable jury would see as adequate proof of deliberate intent to defraud Indian banks. It is impossible to palm off losses to banks (as alleged by India), she asserted, and termed the charge that Mallya gave false representations to obtain a loan from IDBI Bank in 2009 as extraordinary. She claimed Mallyas actions werent deliberately dishonest, but were born out of a desire to fight his corner.

Montgomery asserted that all the disbursements made by Mallya and Kingfisher from bank loans were meant to benefit the company, and rejected Indias claims that the loans were used to pay for unintended expenses. She also alleged that the prosecutions case revealed a shocking lack of appreciation of how companies function, and basic realities such as shareholder rights and the effects of incorporation.

According to the defence counsel, Indias allegation that Mallya had deliberately misled banks by overstating Kingfishers projected profits was a false premise because airlines are subject to many unpredictable factors  such as fuel cost fluctuations and the global economic climate  that lie beyond their control.

Aviation expert B Humphreys, a witness listed by Mallyas defence team, was called in to depose on the Indian aviation industry.

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Remember the patent and trademark battles that India fought in the United States over basmati and turmeric?

One intense battle of similar vintage that no one outside the Osho community really cared about was over the rights to trademark Osho in the European Union. Can the name of an India-born spiritual guru become a European trademark?

On October 11, the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg delivered a judgment upholding the ownership of the OSHO trademark by Osho International Foundation (OIF), an organisation under Swiss law, headquartered in Zurich.

The court dismissed the petition by Osho Lotus Commune, Cologne, against the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on the trademark case.

The Cologne commune led by Oshos German follower Ramateertha, or Robert Doetsch, had bitterly contested OIFs claim to the OSHO trademark for more than 17 years.

The mysterious Canada-born real estate broker, businessman and Osho follower Michael Byrne, called Swami Anand Jayesh by the community, and Oshos British-born personal physician John Andrews, or Swami Prem Amrito, have been at the helm of the OIF for more than 30 years.

Ever since he rose to the top in the Osho hierarchy in the late 1980s, Jayesh has remained hidden from national and international media glare.

The European Court ruling said: Even if the term Osho in 1999 referred to the name of a person and to his teachings, he could also be associated with a spiritual movement, which several centers in Europe, especially in Germany, were calling to  Furthermore, the comparison of the word Osho with the names of Buddha or Confucius or Pilates, which the applicant claims could not be registered as a trademark, is irrelevant.

Commenting on the judgment, Ramateertha recalled in a recent online article that on December 13 last year, the OIF lawyer said in court that Osho has nothing to do with meditation  it is a brand

He regretted that the court has now decided in favour of this interpretation.

In Pune, a jubilant Amrit Sadhana from the Press and Media office of the Osho International Meditation Resort, Koregaon Park, issued a statement that OIF has successfully defended its ownership of the mark for all Osho Meditation Centres, publishers, entities and individuals involved in supporting Oshos proposal and vision.

The OIF emphasised that it is the sole and registered owner of copyrights to all the published and unpublished words, literary works and other creations of Osho in all mediums, including audio recordings and video.

That includes 6,500 audio discourses, 1,870 video recordings, 600 book titles and a slew of meditation techniques and music.

So how did this Indian guru turn into a European brand? Born as Chandra Mohan Jain on December 11, 1931 in Madhya Pradeshs Kuchwada village, Osho was first known by his nickname Rajneesh.

A captivating orator, with powerful, piercing eyes, this assistant professor of philosophy at Jabalpur University spoke fearlessly and irreverently about the exploitative nature of religion and society.

Alongside, he delivered insightful commentaries on aspects of not just Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainisim, but other world religions too.

Known initially as the itinerant monk Acharya Shree Rajneesh who delivered talks in poetic Hindi during the 1960s in northern and western India, he sparked a controversy with his provocative three-part public talk, Sambhog Se Samadhi Ki Aur (From sex towards super-consciousness) in Mumbai, then Bombay.

The first talk was delivered at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan auditorium in August 1968 and after a sharp public reaction for mixing sex with Indian spirituality, Rajneesh could not deliver the remaining two parts. He did that a month later at Gowalia Tank Maidan in the city.

This was the point when he earned the nickname sex guru and began attracting dollar-powered Westerners by the droves.

Soon he came to be known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh  the rich mans guru. And he headlined through his massive commune in Oregon in the mid-1980s, with 90-plus Rolls Royce cars, diamond-encrusted watches, Gucci shades, and flowing, messiah-style gowns.

A coterie of followers named him Osho just a year before his death. He died in suspicious circumstances in Pune on January 19, 1990. He was 58.

Within India, the OIF does not exercise strict control over the OSHO trademark and copyrights that it owns on the gurus meditations, talks and audio-video discourses. The small band of Indian and Western trustees of OIF who control valuable real estate in Pune and Mumbai prefer not to provoke any controversy in India.

Outside India, especially in Europe, the OIF has been known to use its legal might to prevent anyone from using OSHO without paying licence fees and royalty.

Facts: Ongoing cases in Bombay high court Criminal Writ Petition No. 2150 of 2016 and 1572/2017 relating to Oshos forged will case and alleged transfer of huge amounts from the Osho Ashram to foreign entities in violation of law. On August 12, justice Naresh H Patil and justice Prakash D Naik directed that the RBI and the Enforcement Directorate be made respondents in the case. On September 12, a division bench of justice RV More and justice Sadhana Jadhav upheld petitioner Yogesh Thakkars submission to make the CBI and Union of India respondents in the case.

In 2011, then OIF board member Klaus Steeg said before the European Union Intellectual Property Office that OIF undertook enormous investments to promote OSHO and make it the most well-known trademark in the EU in relation to meditation services in the field of mind, body and spirit.

Attempts by the OIF to register OSHO in the US were successfully challenged by Osho Friends International, New Delhi. In January 2009, the US Patent and Trademark Office cancelled a series of trademarks with the word OSHO in it.

In sharp contrast to the 2017 EU judgment, the US administrative trademark judges said: The primary significance of Osho is as a religious or meditation movement, and not as a source identifier for goods and services.

Oshos followers in India and abroad are undaunted by the EU judgment.

Chaitanya Keerti, the former spokesperson of Osho Commune told Hindustan Times that Osho can never be reduced to a brand.

Ramateertha, in Germany, noted: There is a difference between Osho and OSHO and living with both at the same time is certainly going to require a great deal of intelligent creativity.

(The writer is editor of Hindustan Times Pune edition and author of the investigative book, Who Killed Osho?)
Ghaziabad police on Monday arrested two more persons in connection with the incident at Nahali village where teams of Uttar Pradesh Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) were allegedly obstructed and also fired upon by local villagers on Sunday morning.

The UP Police and NIA teams were at Nahali to pick up a suspect who allegedly supplied the arms in the case related to killing of RSS leader Ravinder Gosain at Ludhiana. However, the suspect gave teams a slip after he was nabbed, but locals allegedly led an attack on police teams.

The officials said that they arrested two more men  Khalid and Yusuf Ali  in connection with Sunday morning incident where villagers allegedly clashed with police during the raid at Nahali.

During the area domination exercise on Sunday afternoon, the police had already picked up another local Nazim who allegedly placed a cart to obstruct police vehicles. He was also arrested and produced before a Ghaziabad court on Monday.

All the three arrests have been made in connection with an FIR lodged against the action by villagers, said an officer from Ghaziabad police.

Nazim said that he works as labourer in Delhi and has denied any role in obstructing the police teams on Sunday morning. He added that had come back to the village to see his infant son born six days ago.

The teams had gone to the house of one Malook, an alleged arms supplier, but villagers tried to thwart their action. Amid the meelee, Malook gave cops an easy slip and went absconding.

However, Malooks mother Mehfooza on Monday said that police had picked up her son from their house and she saw him sitting in a police vehicle before someone started pelting stones on one of the vehicles.

Later, I heard that he fled and is absconding, she added.

The UP police have lodged an FIR under stringent IPC sections of rioting, obstructing government officials from discharging their duties and attempt to murder against several persons and around 50-60 unidentified.

Ghaziabad police said that Malook has cases of murder, attempt to murder and cases under the Arms Act against his name at Babugarh, Bulandshahr, Anand Vihar in Delhi and now at Bhojpur.

His mother said that Malook was acquitted in a murder case and had come out of jail 8-9 months back.
The predicted landfall of Cyclone Ockhi in coastal Gujarat on Tuesday midnight and light rainfall forced political parties to cancel their rallies involving bigwigs, including Congresss Rahul Gandhi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Gandhi could address only a rally in Anjar, one of the four planned for the day. Rest of the three meetings in Morbi, Dhrangadhra and Surendranagar were cancelled.

Shah was scheduled to address rallies in Rajula town of Amreli and Mahuva and Shihor of Bhavnagar district.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwaris roadshow in Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad was also cancelled due to light showers since early morning.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi at an election rally at Anjar in Kutch district of Gujarat on Tuesday. (PTI)

The BJP also called off rallies and press conferences of Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Surat on Tuesday, a party leader said.

Former Congress strongman Shankersinh Vaghela, who floated his Jan Vikalp front, was also forced to cancel his road shows and rallies in Junagadh, and Mahuva and Palitana towns of Saurashtra, a leader of his outfit said.

Though Vaghela was supposed to reach Surat tonight, he dropped his plan due to the approaching cyclone.

Principal secretary in the state revenue department, Pankaj Kumar told media that at least nine districts have received light showers or drizzle since morning.

NDRF teams have been put on alert along the coastal belt and contingency plan has been drawn out.

Schools will remain closed in south Gujarat on Wednesday.
Vijay Mallya was back in court for a second day in London as part of the trial over an extradition request from the Indian government over charges that he misled banks into giving loans to his airline company.

Mallya appeared before the Westminster magistrates court on Monday, even as the prosecution furnished details of the various loans Kingfisher Airlines had fraudulently taken from Indian banks.

Lawyer Clare Montgomery said there is no evidence to support the governments claim that Mallya misused loans he obtained to support ailing Kingfisher Airlines in 2009. Prosecutors say he used the money to support his Formula One racing team and other endeavors.

Here are the highlights:

9:35pm: Mallyas trial ends for the day. It will resume at 10am on Thursday.

8.40pm: Montgomery tells court that CBI has a long history of being influenced by political masters. Mallya, the lawyer argues, was being politically victimised by the BJP, the Congress, the Shiv Sena trying to make political capital on the assumption that there has been fraud.

Aviation expert Humphreys is now deposing on Indian aviation industry.

8.31pm: Mallyas lawyer says Russia is a lot better than India on the issue of prison conditions, alleging that nothing changes in practice despite court rulings on prison conditions, including in Arthur Road jail in Mumbai where Mallya js likely to be held if extradited.

That is interesting, says judge Arbuthnot.

8.15pm: Mallya offered to pay 80% of the sums involved but Montgomery claims that banks were under political pressure not to accept his offer.

8pm: Poverty of material provided by India, Montgomery says, refuting charges against Mallya. She terms the basis of some claims made by India as being utterly misconceived.

7.44pm: Hearing resumes after a lunch break. Montgomery says Indias allegation that Mallya had stolen 5 million dollars credit from Airbus and put it in Kingfisher is untrue because his vehicle that received the amount actually paid it to Kingfisher in 2006. Indian officers making serious allegations gives rise to concern why they were being made, she adds.

6.17 pm: Mallyas lawyer says it is no fraud to pay processing fees to IDBI out of the same loan it gave to Kingfisher. India yesterday said this was among payments made from loan funds that were not supposed to have been made under the loan criteria.

6.08 pm: Montgomery now refuting Indias charge of Mallya playing round robin - using loan from one bank to pay off another in a different bank. All disbursement from bank loans were for the companys benefit and within their remit, she adds.

6.02 pm: Nothing to suggest corporate and personal guarantees by Mallya and Kingfisher to secure bank loans were deliberately fraudulent, as alleged by India, Montgomery submits in the court of Emma Arbuthnot.

5.56 pm: On Mallyas private jet, Montgomery says the issue is whether there was a charge made on Kingfisher airlines, says there is no evidence of that, as alleged by Mark Summers on Indias behalf on Monday.

5.51 pm: Montgomery refutes Indias charge that corporate guarantees given in 2009 by Kingfisher to secure loans were worthless.

5.16 pm: Montgomery refutes Indias case that lies were told regarding Mallyas net worth in April 2009, saying India first claimed it was based on lies and then said the assessment was understated. Delicious irony in this, she adds. His net worth was cited in personal guarantees while seeking bank loans.

5.01 pm: Montgomery refutes Indias charge that the second brand valuation of Kingfisher (apart from the one by Grant Thornton) was concealed and suppressed.

4.50 pm: Simply no evidence that any bank was misled about the brand value of Kingfisher, says Mallyas lawyer.

4.47 pm: Indias claim that loans were obtained fraudulently by Mallya and Kingfisher is nonsensical, says Montgomery. In April 2008, Grant Thornton valued Kingfisher brand at Rs 3400 crore. To Indias claim that it was based on overly optimistic projections submitted by the company, she says it was not an attempt to mislead. Banks had all information they needed, she adds.

4.25 pm: Was it dishonesty or business failure, asks Montgomery. Could a reasonable jury reach a safe conclusion that this was a deliberate plan to go to IDBI Bank to raise the money and default on that loan... or was it a business failure? she asks.

He not only ended up with large losses, but also lost control of jewel in the crown, the UB Group, she says.

4.02 pm: Whatever Mallya did is not deliberately dishonest, but out of desire to fight his corner, his lawyer says. India has accused him of being dishonest.

3.59 pm: All disbursement by Mallya and Kingfisher from bank loans were made for benefit of the company, his lawyer says. Indias case is that loans were used to meet expenses other than for what they were meant for.

3.53 pm: Aviation expert Humphreys to depose today on Mallyas behalf. Montgomery says prosecution lawyer Mark Summers made charges against Mallya yesterday on false premise.

3.43 pm: Impossible to palm losses on to banks, as alleged by India, says his lawyer. Charge that Mallya gave false representation to get loan from IDBI in 2009 is extraordinary, says Montgomery.

3.41 pm: There are competing narratives, no evidence, against Mallya, his lawyer says. GoI charge against Mallya is financially incoherent, without evidence,says Montgomery.

3:35 pm: There is no evidence against Mallya, his lawyer Clare Montgomery said as the trial began. There are competing narratives, but no evidence against Mallya, his lawyer said.

(With agency inputs)

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The ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) has been asked for its response on television channels airing condom advertisements with explicit adult content.

Following a spate of complaints from viewers against several brands of contraceptives using explicit adult content to publicise their products, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has sought the ministrys suggestion if it is possible to restrict the telecast of such advertisements between 11pm and 5am. Adult content cannot be telecast during prime time, which is also considered as family time viewing.

The ASCI is a self-regulatory voluntary organisation of the advertising industry and oversees the contents on the basis of veracity, legal tenability and whether they objectify women to judge the advertisements as safe for consumers, especially children, fair to the competitors.

Shweta Purandare, secretary general, ASCI, told HT that if the content of an advertisement is found to be suitable for viewing, the body cannot ask for the advertisement to be slotted for late viewing.

The letters that we received from consumers complained that the content of the advertisements of condoms was meant for adults and should not be aired during prime time. But slotting ads is not our mandate, so we have asked the government for instruction, she said.

Sources in the ministry said the ASCI letter specifically mentioned Manforce, the condom brand that was in the eye of a storm after political parties sought a ban on its advertisements saying the contents were provocative and offensive.

The Confederation of All India Traders, too, had complained to the I&B seeking action against the brand after its Navratri-themed condom ad featuring Bollywood actor Sunny Leone created a furore in Gujarat.

The ministry, in response to such complaints in the past, has maintained that it cannot restrict or ban contraceptive advertisements. Contraceptives play a key role in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. So its the ministry that will have to take a call on the issue, a source said.

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Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday pledged to continue his fight against the Devendra Fadnavis-led governments apathy towards farmers in Maharashtras Vidarbha region, where at least three farmers commit suicide every day.

Sinha, a former Union finance minister, is leading a protest by hundreds of cotton and soybean farmers who are demanding compensation after their crops were damaged by pests.

The 80-year-old was detained by the police in Akola on Monday for leading a protest march over farmers issues such as waiving of farm loans and payment of the remunerative price to their produces.

The BJP leader said after his release from the police custody that unless their demands are accepted, the protest would continue and threatened to go on hunger strike.

I wish to tell the police, district administration and the state government that if we are formally arrested and released and they think that we will go home, then they are under the wrong impression. You are seeing the mood of farmers now. We wont be responsible for what happens, he said.

On Monday, Akola Police detained Sinha along with 250 farmers under Section 68 of the Bombay Police Act after they vandalised the barricades of the district office on their way out, following what they said was an unsatisfactory discussion with the district magistrate over the farmers demands.

Sinha accused the BJP of reneging on promises made to farmers while addressing them at the Kapus Soyabean Dhan Parishad organised by Shetkari Jagar Manch in Akola on Sunday,

Before coming to power, the BJP had promised to give 50% over and above the minimum support price (MSP). But after coming to power, the party forgot the promise, Sinha said.

The Parishad has sought purchase of all farm produce by the government at an MSP of Rs 50,000 per acre for cotton farmers affected by the pink bollworm disease besides the resolution of issues related to farm insurance and relief to drought-affected villages.

Sinha, whose son Jayant Sinha is a minister in Narendra Modis government, has criticised the Prime Narendra and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley for their economic policies, which he says, has incited a slowdown that will not go away before the next general elections in 2019.

Sinha urged Modi in November to replace Arun Jaitley over issues with the Goods and Services Tax (GST), saying no amount of tinkering with tax rates will set things right. He wrote a newspaper column in September calling last years note ban an unmitigated economic disaster and the implementation of GST a badly conceived and poorly implemented havoc.

This was his second visit to Akola where he has spoken against the alleged anti-farmer and anti-people policies of the BJP government at the Centre as well as in the western state.

Sharad Pawar, whose Nationalist Congress Party has launched a Halla Bol march to Nagpur from Yavatmal, and Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray spoke with the veteran BJP leader over the telephone.

BJP leader Nana Patole said that the senior party leaders such as Shatrughan Sinha, Arun Shourie and Varun Gandhi are likely to come to Akola to lend a support the agitation of Sinha.

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A 27-year-old woman was allegedly raped in a moving auto-rickshaw near Satrod village in Hisar district of Haryana on Monday night.

The auto-rickshaw driver himself committed the crime after he handed over the keys to his friend to drive the three-wheeler, according to the complaint.

The incident comes less than three weeks after a 21-year-old woman was gang-raped by an auto-rickshaw driver and his friends posing as passengers in Chandigarh on November 17.

Police registered a case under Sections 376-D (gang-rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code against the three accused.

The crime investigation agency (CIA), which started probe into the matter, said its team has rounded up some auto-rickshaw drivers.

Police spokesperson Chander Bhan said, The victim is a mother of three and works in a beauty parlour at Barwala town of the district. A case was lodged at the women police station.

In her complaint, the victim said she boarded an auto-rickshaw about 7.30pm to return to Hisar after she was done with her job.

She said the passengers, numbered eight to 10, got down from the auto-rickshaw at Suryanagar after which the driver handed over the vehicle to his friend and sat next to her.

While another accomplice of the two flashed a weapon at me threatening to kill me, the driver raped me in the moving vehicle, the victim alleged in the police complaint.

She said that three fled from the spot after dumping her about 2km from the Satrod military cantonment. She later called her husband who took her to the women police station to file a complaint.

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Nearly two weeks after 40-year-old Chetan Saini was found hanging on the ramparts of Nahargarh fort, the police are yet to reach a firm conclusion about the death.

Some messages related to film Padmavati were found inscribed on stones at the spot where Sainis body was found on November 24.

Members of some Hindu outfits under the banner of Sarv Samaj Ekta held a protest near Jal Mahal on Tuesday, demanding justice in the Saini case. They alleged that Chetans death was a case of murder, and urged the police to nab the killers.

Why have the police registered it as a case of unnatural death? We want it to be registered under sections of murder and the culprits should be nabbed at the earliest. For how long should we wait? asked Sajjan Kumar Saini, a University of Rajasthan student who was a part of the protest. He demanded that Chetans family be given monetary compensation.

We explained to the protesters that the case is being investigated in great detail and senior officials are constantly monitoring the case, said Pratap Mal, assistant commissioner of police, Amer.

The forensic science laboratory (FSL) is likely to give its report this week about the viscera collected from Chetans body, his computer and mobile phone, the stones found with inscriptions on the spot, and the rope with which he was found hanging. The FSL report, particularly whether the inscriptions were in Chetans handwriting, might throw up clues about the mysterious death.

Police officials have hinted that based on first impression, the case seems to be one of suicide. No evidence that points towards murder has emerged so far, said Ram Kishan Bishnoi, the station house officer of Brahmpuri police station and the investigating officer in the case.

Satyendra Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Jaipur North, agreed, saying Chetan had loans to repay and had even mortgaged his wifes jewellery.
The situation in Kashmir is improving, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said Tuesday adding that the military operations against militants in Valley will continue.

Operations in Kashmir are going on continuously and we see an improvement in the situation in the Valley. Such operations will go on, Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony at Suratgarh military station.

The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have eliminated over 200 militants this year, the highest number since 2010.

In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Rawat said that how the neighbouring country deals with terrorist organisation is their matter but we will keep raising this issue. We do not want that such organisations are promoted, he said.

Rawat was at the Suratgarh military station in Sriganganagar district to present the Presidents Standard to three regiments.

The Army chief presented the Standard to 87 Armoured regiment, 47 Armoured regiment and 10 Armoured regiment after a mounted parade, which was attended by south western Army commander Lt Gen Cherish Mathson, Lt Gen P C Thimmaya general officer commanding of Chetak corps and other senior officers.

The chief hosts of the event were the Colonels of the Regiments of three Armoured regiments-- Maj Gen Vinod Sharma, Maj Gen S S Mahal and Maj Gen Kulpreet Singh respectively, according to defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha.

A formation of T-72 main battle tanks, the mainstay of Indian Armoured Corps, displaying might of the Army was commanded by Brig Praveen Chabbra, commander of Sand Viper brigade with Regiment contingent commanded by respective commanding officers.

The honour was bestowed upon the three Armoured regiments in due recognition of the dedicated and meritorious service rendered by them since raising, more than three decades back.

In the course of discharging their onerous duties, both in operations and in peace, the hard work done and sacrifices made by the valiant soldiers of these regiments has been duly recognised, the note added.
The Rajasthan high court has granted bail to the administrator of a WhatsApp group who was booked after a woman lodged a complaint against him and a member about her objectionable photographs and comments posted on it.

Jaisalmer Police said a 24-year-old woman lodged a complaint at Kotwali police station on June 24 against Brajendra Garg, who she said posted her pictures and comments insulting her on a WhatsApp group. She also named Mahendra Garg, the administrator of the group for the members of her community.

The woman said in her complaint that she got married on June 18 and Brajendra Garg posted the obscene pictures on the WhatsApp group on June 21. She said Brajendra Garg even called her husband on June 24 and told him that she was already married.

She said it affected her marriage and led to the loss of her social and personal reputation.

Police registered an FIR the same day under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code for word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman and section 67 of the Information and Technology Act for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.

The FIR named Brajendra Garg as the man who posted the womans obscene pictures on the group and as well as Mahendra Garg.

Mahendra Garg approached a local court in Jaisalmer to prevent his arrest in the case. However, the lower court rejected his application and he approached the Rajasthan high court in Jodhpur.

Mahendra Gargs counsel Ashok Chhangani pleaded before the court that the petitioner was falsely implicated in the case and if he is not released on anticipatory bail his image in the society will be tarnished.

Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur granted an anticipatory bail to Mahendra Garg on December 1. The order read that the court found it to be a fit case for anticipatory bail.

Chhangani said the police did not apply its mind in naming Mahendra Garg as an accused.

They tried to act into the section (of IT Act) which is absent. We pleaded this before the high court and got relief, he added.

Last year, the Delhi high court also held that administrators of WhatsApp, Telegram and similar social networking services cannot be held guilty of defamation if the members of the group post libellous and obscene messages.

People have raised concerns about the misuse of social media as fake news, rumours, morphed photographs and videos with fabricated news can easily be circulated on such groups that can trigger tension and even communal rift in an area.

Police in Uttar Pradeshs Agra registered a case in April this year against an unidentified administrator and three to four other members of a WhatsApp group after a woman complained about objectionable religious posts and that she was repeatedly forced to join it.

The district administration in Darbhanga in north Bihar issued an advisory with detailed dos and donts for administrators of social media groups.

There are over 200 million WhatsApp users in India.
Government schools in Rajasthan have been asked to make students aware about laws protecting children from sexual offences, state child rights panel chief said on Tuesday.

We have directed the schools to start interactions between teachers and students over provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, said Manan Chaturvedi, chairman of the Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Male teachers will discuss the POCSO Act with girl students and female teachers with boys to remove their hesitations on talking about sexual harassment. This will encourage them to take care of such crimes.

Chaturvedi held a meeting with officials in Bharatpur to launch innovative steps to ensure childrens safety. Our aim is to offer benefits and full safety to children under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS).

The district human trafficking units data shows that 145 children were rescued from child labour, and 27 minor girls were freed from prostitution from 2015 to October 2017. The unit registered 25 complaints against child labour till September this year.

Despite directives, no committee has been formed at panchayat level to protect children from sexual offences, officials said.

Relatives and neighbours were found involved in maximum cases of sexual harassment of minor girls, data shows. Parents need to inculcate good manners among children to curb sexual offence cases, said an official.

The state child rights commission had earlier taken cognizance of a case in which two minor girls, involved in prostitution, died after they jumped into a pond when police raided the Mallah red light area on March 21.
This one is young, lonely, and on the move. All that it is looking for is a piece of land, preferably covered in green, and with good supply of food, to settle down. Having travelled far and wide in last six weeks, ST-15, however, is yet to home in on a place it can call home.

The two-year-old sub-adult male tiger is now returning to Sariska Tiger Reserve, the home that he had left in search of a territory after being separated from its mother. Foresters in Rajasthan, meanwhile, are closely tracking its movement.

ST-15 was born to ST-9, one of the five female tigers trans-located from Ranthambore between 2008 and 2012 as part of the conservation efforts to revive tiger population in Sariska. Of the seven cubs born in Sariska after the conservation efforts started in 2008, ST-15 is the youngest.

The sighting of the two-year-old tiger at the Jamwa Ramgarh Sanctuary, about 50 km from Jaipur, a few days ago had cheered the forest department officials and wildlife enthusiasts as it was the first such sighting of a big cat since 1999-2000. It had also raised the hopes of revival of wildlife tourism at Jamwa Ramgarh Sanctuary.

However, officials said that the tiger was once again on the move and was midway between Jamwa Ramgarh and Sariska Tiger Reserve. The aerial distance of Sariska from Jaipur is about 111 km.

ST-15, a sub-adult male, has separated from its mother and has been looking for its own territory. While it was spotted in Ajabgarh range, it is now once again returning back to Sariska and is midway. We are not disclosing the exact location for safety reasons, deputy conservator of Forest (Sariska) Balaji Kari told HT.

The official said it was not clear whether the tiger would return to Jamwa Ramgarh Sanctuary. It may or may not return. If it settles down at Jamwa Ramgarh, then it will definitely give a boost to tourism in the region, he added.

At present, there are 14 tigers at Sariska  two dominant males and five females that were originally shifted to Sariska and their progenies, including ST-15. While three female tigers in Sariska have littered, two are yet to give birth. One adult tiger was poisoned in 2010. The national park is spread over an area of about 800 sq km with a core area of approximately 500 sq km.

For the past five weeks, ST-15 had been roaming in the Ajabgarh Range before reaching Jamwa Ramgarh. The tiger was first spotted on October 17 in the Dagota region and left after spending some days. It returned in the first week of November and since then was regularly spotted in the region.

A tiger normally demarcates 10-12 square km as its territory. If a rival enters the area, it leads to a fight for dominance with the stronger one retaining the territory.

According to Wildlife Institute of India (WII), as per population viability analysis carried out at Sariska, it is necessary to supplement the reserve with an adult male and an adult female tiger every three to five years for next 15 to 20 years to rule out possibility of extinction of tiger population.

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Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav will begin campaigning for the partys candidates in Gujarat from Tuesday.

The party has fielded five candidates in the assembly election scheduled on December 9 and 14.

Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson and national secretary Rajendra Chaudhary on Monday said: To expose the BJPs lies, Akhilesh Yadav has reached Gujarat on Monday. From Tuesday, he will begin telling Gujarat voters that his Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh wrote the development story, but the new BJP regime is taking credit for all those works. The BJP does nothing better than misleading people.

Akhilesh will address rallies in Jamjodhpur in Jamnagar and Lalpur on Tuesday. The next day, Akhilesh will hold public meetings in Upleta (Rajkot) and Mandvi (Kutch).

Read more : On first birthday of UPs DeMo baby, his village gets a gift from Akhilesh

Chaudhary said the BJP had been projecting a mythical Gujarat model to the country and now they were going to try and impress the Gujarat voters with the UP civic polls results that were achieved through rigged EVMs.

Akhilesh Yadav will caution the Gujarat voters against the BJP, its lies and divisive politics, Chaudhary said.
UP director general of police Sulkhan Singh on Monday asked the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) to assist in the probe initiated into pandrol clips gone missing from a railway track before the arrival of an express train here in Lucknow.

Prima facie, in what appeared like a plot to derail trains, 77 pandrol clips used to fasten tracks were found missing from the railway line in Mahanagar area of Lucknow early on Sunday morning. The delayed movement of two trains averted a tragedy.

Later, the two trains  Kaifiyat Express and Gorakhpur-LTT Express  were diverted. This was the second attempt to sabotage rail operations UP this year. In January, a goods train had derailed near Unnao due to missing clips.

The missing clips were detected by railway patrol staff Shiv Shankar and Sanjay, who immediately informed higher authorities. An FIR was registered in this regard against unidentified persons at Mahanagar police station here.

The ATS has been asked to assist in the probe, said IG (ATS) Asim Arun. According to railway officials, timely detection averted a major accident. Train movement on the line was stopped for an hour

No clue about culprits as yet. Cops are still clueless about those who removed 71 pandrol clips of a railway track between Badshah Nagar and Daliganj railway stations.

IG, Railways, Binod Kumar Singh, on Monday informed that a probe was on, but the culprits were yet to be identified. He had called a joint meeting of railway officials, civil police and the ATS in connection with the incident.

Divisional railway manager, North Eastern Railway, Vijaylaxmi, was also present.

Such large number of clips cannot go missing just like that. It seems to be a well-planned and organised effort, Singh told newsmen after the meeting.

The investigation is going on. A large number of people are being questioned, but the real culprits are yet to be identified, added Singh.

Of late, many train mishaps have taken place in UP so cops are not ruling out possibility of sabotage in the missing clips incident.

After initial investigation, it seems that the clips were deliberately removed, said Singh.

Agreeing with the IG, Railways, divisional railway manager Vijaylaxmi said: In my entire career, I have never come across an incident where such large number of pandrol clips went missing.

Patrol men do come across incidents of missing clips. But such a large number of clips missing is unusual, added Vijaylaxmi.

Read more: Major train tragedy averted after multiple pandrol clips of railway track found missing in Lucknow

According to the NER, train movement was resumed at 5.30 am on December 3 after an hour of interruption to repair the damage. Four trains were stopped at Lucknow outer during the period.

Inspector general of police, ATS, Asim Arun stated that though initial probe did not suggest any terror link, its possibility could not be ruled out in the case.

General manager, NER, Rajiv Agarwal had also visited the spot and gave cash reward to the two railway employees who found the clips missing and alerted officials.
The Congress Partys revival in Uttar Pradesh will remain a major challenge for Rahul Gandhi when he takes over as its new president ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Partymen, who celebrated his nomination and distributed sweets at many places on Monday, hoped the Gandhi scion will bring the lost glory back to the Congress in the state that sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

We are proud to have Rahul Gandhi as new party president. He represents Amethi Lok Sabha seat of the state. More youths will get attracted to the Congress and his installation will lead to Congresss revival. We are sure under his leadership the Congress will come back to power across India in the same manner as it happened when Sonia Gandhi took over as the party chief, said Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar.

Rahul has extensively toured the state and was credited for improving partys performance in 2009 Lok Sabha elections. But the Congress reverses in 2014 Lok Sabha led to demoralization in the party cadres. Rahul then undertook Kisan Yatras and addressed a number of rallies to connect with the farmers in 2016. His efforts brought the issues concerning farmers into focus and BJP included the crop loan waiver in its Sankalp Patra for the 2017 assembly elections. The Congress decision to align with the Samajwadi Party in the poll, however, apparently backfired and did not work in favour of any of the two alliance partners.

Gandhi is likely to make desired changes and gear up the party ahead of Lok Sabha elections. Rahuls team is already in place at some important positions. Things will take shape after Gujarat assembly elections. Rahul will have a freehand and formation of his team will be complete in coming months, said sources.

Most other leaders, including those from Amethi and Rae Bareli, echoed same sentiments. We celebrated Diwali in Amethi. Rahul will certainly make changes in the party, said partys MLC Deepak Singh.

Amethi District Congress Committee president Yogendra Mishra, who led a team of partymen from Amethi to New Delhi to witness to the process, said, Five to six leaders from Amethi have also proposed name of their MP for Congress presidents post. We are proud to be witness to this moment.

Read more: Challenges ahead for Congress chief Rahul Gandhi: Reviving party, finding allies

Rae Bareli District Congress Committee president VK Shukla said, Amethi and Rae Bareli are like a family to members of the Gandhi family. Sweets were distributed at DCC headquarters in Rae Bareli. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been taking care of Rae Bareli seat on behalf of her mother Sonia Gandhi. We are sure she will work closely with Rahul and strengthen the Congress. We are not sure whether she will take any official position.

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In what may be termed as the beginning of a new era of free legal aid to marginalised people in Uttar Pradesh, the front desk and main office of UPSLSA started functioning from the premises of the Allahabad high court.

Panel advocates of the UP State Legal Services Authority (UPSLSA) will provide free legal advice to the people from the new offices.

Women, children, members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST), victims of human trafficking, people affected by natural calamities and communal violence, anyone in police custody and a person whose annual income is less than Rs 1 lakh will be eligible to get free legal aid.

Chief justice DB Bhosale is the patron-in-chief while senior judge justice Arun Tandon is the executive chairman of the UPSLSA.

Facilities like video conferencing for prisoners to enable them to talk to their lawyer and family members will start from the main office in a fortnight.

The lawyers in UPSLSA panel will visit jails in the state to ensure that basic necessities like clean water, food and sanitation are provided to prisoners.

A detailed prison report will be prepared by the lawyers to highlight the real condition of prisons and prisoners in the state.

During their visits, the lawyers will also spread legal awareness among prisoners about their basic as well as legal rights. In case any prisoner wants to file an appeal against his conviction or bail application for his release but is not in a position to engage any lawyer, UPSLSA will provided services of a lawyer to him.

The objective of the facility is to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of the society to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen due to economic or other disabilities.

According to prison report, 2015, there are five central jail, 57 district jail and one womens jail in UP.

These jails are overcrowded with the occupancy rate of 168.8. This means that if a jail has a capacity of 100 prisoners, it has on an average 168.8 inmates.

According to 2015 report, there were 62,669 under trial and 25,917 convicted prisoners in jails. Out of total prisoners, 29.2% were convicted while 70.6% were under trial.
The war of words between the BJP and opposition parties over electronic voting machines used in the civic polls continued on Monday with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) counter-challenging the ruling party to get all its 14 newly elected mayors to resign and re-contest elections, this time on ballot papers.

In a press statement issued in the evening, Mayawati responded to the Chief minister Yogi Adityanaths challenge and rejection of her allegations on EVM tampering.

Yogi on Sunday had said: If she (Mayawati) is so sure, she should get her partys mayors in Aligarh and Meerut to quit and contest fresh elections through paper ballot voting. People who have won seats in elections held through electronic voting machines are now questioning it. Mayawati said the chief ministers statement not only smacked of the arrogance of power but also was akin to a pot calling the kettle black.

The Bahujan Samaj Party leader also ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement who dubbed the Bharatiya Janata Party victory in Uttar Pradesh civic polls as victory of the BJPs vision.

They could not manipulate the polls in Meerut and Aligarh as there was massive anger against the BJP and they feared a backlash in case EVMs were tampered with, the BSP leader said.

Read more: Newly elected UP BJP mayors to meet PM Modi tomorrow

Mayawati was the first one to question the use of EVMs after the 2017 UP Vidhan Sabha poll results. Soon, the other opposition parties second her allegation.

Later, she accused the BJP of rigging the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections as well as the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Actor Shashi Kapoors Lucknow connection dates back to the 70s when his period film Junoon was shot in parts of Lucknow, Malihabad and Kakori.

The movie went on to bag three National and six Filmfare awards.

It was in the mid-seventies when actor Shashi Kapoor and director Shyam Benegal approached me for Junoon (released in 1978), recalls Lucknow-based historian Yogesh Praveen.

As the story was set in the backdrop of Indias first war of independence 1857, the actor-director duo wanted to check some historical facts with me as I had done a good amount of research in the area. I have fond memories of meeting Kapoor, his wife Jennifer Kendal and director Shyam Benegal during the shooting of Junoon, he says.

Praveen, who spent hours at the shooting locations of the film, says the actor was very popular.

Girls and boys used to bunk classes to watch the shooting. Thousands of people would gather outside to catch a glimpse of the actor who would happily take out time from shooting and interact with them, he says.

The historian recalls that the actor and the director were so particular about the accuracy of historical facts that they dropped the idea of creating any artificial set for the film.

Read| Never went to see Shashi Kapoor in hospital again: Amitabh Bachchans tribute to man who called him babbua

Instead, he (Kapoor) chose to shoot with actor Shabana Azmi and Jennifer on real locations at old kothis or havelis, he says.

There was a scene depicting clash between Indian and British soldiers that was shot near the famous St. Thomas Church in Sadar Cant area.

Rajesh Messy, who still lives in the area, recalls that he was just 10 when the film was shot in the area. I remember the shooting and the actor very distinctly. People used to go crazy for him during shooting, he says.

Another portion of the film was shot inside Kothi Shahji of Chowk which belonged to a Hindu family.

Read| Live updates: Shashi Kapoors funeral today, Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor reach actors residence

For the Pathan family, kothi of Kavi Kamal Khan in Malihabad was chosen. Kothi of Nawab Kazi Garhi of Kakori was also used for the shooting.

The mahurat of the film was shot near Beta river of Kakori and Malihabad, he says.

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The Bombay high court on Tuesday sought to know from the Maharashtra government what action the police had taken to investigate the losses of Rs 25,000 crore to the exchequer allegedly caused by co-operative sugar factories.

A bench of Justice Naresh Patil and Justice Rajesh Ketkar was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare through advocate Vinod Sangavikar, who alleged that 47 cooperative sugar factories were sold or privatised without due diligence. He blamed various political leaders, mostly from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), for the scam and sought an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The bench directed public prosecutor Deepak Thakare to inform the court if any action had been taken by the police on Hazares complaint. The directive came after Hazares lawyer SB Talekar pointed that they had approached various law-enforcing agencies. The petition stated that cooperative banks controlled by politicians were forced to give loans to stressed sugar factories. The state government allegedly facilitated these loans. When factories turned into non-performing assets, they were bought by politicians or their associates at throwaway prices.

The alleged irregularities took place between 2004 and 2014, when the Congress-NCP government was in power, according to the petition. NCP chief Sharad Pawar was Union agriculture minister during that period.

The PIL said most of stressed sugar factories were allegedly sold to Sharad Pawars associates and his nephew, Ajit Pawar, who was the then deputy CM, also played a key role as the then chairman of Pune District Central Cooperative Bank and director of Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank.

There may not be direct evidence to prove involvement of Sharad Pawar or Ajit Pawar or other high level officials, but there is more than sufficient circumstantial evidence showing their connection, the PIL read.
Doctors who examined 28-year-old police constable Lalita Salve from Rajegaon in Beed district said the she is a man, but was born with an anomaly called undescended testes creating confusion about her gender since birth. Salve had approached the Bombay high court seeking a months leave for gender reassignment surgery.

After the constables medical and psychiatric evaluation on Monday at Sir JJ Hospital, Byculla, it came to light that the Salve is a man, but was raised as a woman by the family owing to gender confusion created by her medical condition.

Ambiguous genitalia is a rare condition in which an infants external genitals dont resemble that of a man or a woman, said Dr Ashok Anand, gynaecologist, who headed the panel. The report was sent to deputy director general of police on Tuesday.

The constable doesnt need a gender reassignment surgery, but may need a corrective surgery for a fully developed male genitalia, Anand said. We did a karyotyping test  to evaluate the type of chromosomes to understand her gender, which ideally should have been done at the time of the birth  after doctors first noticed the anomaly, said Anand. People born with this condition face psychological issues such as gender identity crisis and depression.

As they grow up, they are reared to think that they belong to the opposite sex, but from within they have a tendency to relate to their biological sex, Dr Shirish Malde, a sexologist, said. The corrective surgery would mean improving the genitalia in terms of dimension and function, said doctors. A plastic surgery is done to create neophallus  an artificial penis  which will have the near normal dimensions and function, said Malde.
The weather bureau predicted light to moderate showers and heavy rain at a few places on Wednesday along the north Konkan coastline, including Mumbai.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said cyclone Ockhi moved north-northeastwards and weakened into a cyclonic storm from a severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday morning. By the evening, the system weakened into a deep depression as it reached 160km west of Mumbai.

The system is expected to weaken further, move along the coast of Gujarat and reach Surat as a depression by late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. We do not expect any adverse conditions for the entire Maharashtra coastline from Wednesday onwards, said Mrutunjay Mohapatra, head of climate services, IMD.

Officials said the wind speed over the city ranged from 12kmph to 15kmph during the day, which increased to 25 kmph by the evening and was expected to increase to 40kmph overnight. Minor damage to loose or unsecured structures, breaking of tree branches, uprooting of small trees, damage to banana trees, some damage to agriculture near coastal areas due to salt spray, and damage to ripe paddy crops can be expected as the cyclone dies down, said Mohapatra.

Unseasonal rain during December, the first since 2014, enabled the city to break its all-time 24-hour December rainfall record since the IMD began collating data over the past 50 years. The previous all-time high rainfall record for December was set on December 12, 1967  31.4mm.

Moderate rain on Tuesday brought down the temperature almost 10 degrees Celsius below normal, the lowest ever for December. While Santacruz recorded 23.3 degrees Celsius  9.7 degree Celsius below normal  Colaba recorded 23.2 degrees Celsius  9.8 degrees Celsius below normal. While night temperatures were a degree Celsius below the normal mark, humidity levels were at 95%.

Fishermen said they felt the maximum effect of the cyclone as it passed by over the Arabian Sea. We lost one boat. Two others are currently missing. Of the 450 boats that were at sea on Tuesday, close to 100 were anchored almost 8 nautical miles (14.81 km) into the sea. The fishermen in those boats abandoned their nets and fled to the coast when the sea became rough, said Damodar Tandel, president of a city fishing group. The lack of fish catch led to revenue loss of almost Rs10 crore between Monday and Tuesday.

IMD officials said warnings for the fishing community were issued from Sunday onwards. Fishermen were asked to not enter the sea between December 4 and 6, but they did not listen. The Coast Guard and local government bodies need to ensure that these warnings are followed carefully, said Mohapatra.

The Coast Guard (West) carried out search and rescue efforts for stranded fishermen by deploying more than 22 surface platforms and five aircrafts. Regular updates on the status of fishermen and their boats was shared with all government bodies, an official said.

The Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai, issued an international lookout notice, asking larger vessels to report the position of stranded fishing boats or survivors at sea.

So far, the Indian Coast Guard has rescued 367 people along the western coast.

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Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the state government will file an appeal in the sessions court for action against the witness who had turned hostile in the murder of 17-year-old Dalit youth Nitin Aage, as well as challenge the acquittal of the accused.

Aage, a class nine student, was murdered in April 2014 in Kharde village of Ahmednagar district. He was killed over a purported love affair with an upper caste girl, allegedly by the latters kin. Last month, all the nine accused in the case were acquitted after 13 of the 26 witnesses turned hostile.

Fadnavis met Nitins father Raju Aage in Mumbai on Monday and assured him of justice. The government will file an appeal in the sessions court for action against the hostile witnesses as well as challenge the acquittal in the High Court, Fadnavis said after meeting family members of victim in Mumbai.

In this case, the caste equation is poised exactly opposite of what was in the case of the brutal rape and murder of a 14-year-old Maratha girl by three Dalit men in Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district. The Kopardi case, in which the three accused were recently sentenced to death, had rocked the Maharashtra government.

The police had arrested the girls brother and uncle respectively, as the main accused and seven others on charges of murder and also under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

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A day after a Singapore Airlines aircraft allegedly deviated from its approach path towards Juhu aerodrome, the reason for deviation remains unknown. A team of Mumbai Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted preliminary investigation and called it a serious incident. The team submitted its report to the civil aviation ministry. Sources said the DGCA may initiate a detailed inquiry if the ministry orders.

Sources from Delhi said a component of the instrument landing system, distance measuring equipment (DME), of runway 09 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) was not functional for which Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was issued by the air traffic control to all pilots. A NOTAM is filed with an authority to alert pilots of any hazards enroute or at a specific location. The authority in turn provides means of disseminating relevant NOTAMs to pilots.

A NOTAM stating that DME for runway 09 is not available was issued to all pilots in order to alert them that VHF omnidirectional radio range is in use, said a DGCA official. A VOR is a short radio navigation system for aircraft that enables it to locate their position from the runway that enables the pilot to stay on course.

A Singapore airlines flight SQ 422, which was to land at the city airport at 10.35am on Monday, was delayed by nine minutes as it deviated from its approach path towards Juhu aerodrome and was asked to perform go around before coming back to its approach path and landing at city airport at 10.44am. A statement from Singapore Airlines denied that their aircraft deviated from its path and said the pilot went around the city airport before landing owing to poor visibility.

In no case the pilot would have landed at Juhu, added another senior official from the regulator. The aircraft did deviate from its approach path but the pilot performed go-around when he was at a height of 1,000 feet. He further added, A pilot should maintain certain height and not descend below 700 feet. If the aircraft would have gone closer than this then it could have been termed as critically low towards the Juhu aerodromes main runway.
A 31-year-old businesswoman from Khar has filed a complaint against several gangsters, including fugitive Dawood Ibrahim and his aide Chhota Shakeel, in connection with a Rs1-crore extortion case.

The Khar police registered a first information report on November 30 and handed over the case to the crime branch. According to the FIR (a copy of which is with HT), the complainant, Shabnam Shaikh, runs a garment business and Help Care Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.

In October too, Shaikh had filed a case against a caller, who identified himself as the bodyguard of a Bollywood actor, for allegedly abusing her on the phone. Shaikh said the man abused her because she had helped a contestant who had a tiff with the actor on a reality show. The contestant related his insult by the actor to Shaikh. After hearing his story, Shaikh decided to help him but later found out that he was bluffing.

When she confronted the contestant about it, he defamed her on Facebook by posting misleading information about her, the FIR stated. Shaikh then gave a written complaint to Khar police against him on November 1. After the face-off on November 3, Shaikh claimed that she got a call from Karachi and the caller identified himself as Usman Choudhari and demanded Rs 1 crore on behalf of Chhota Shakeel and Dawood Ibrahim, according to the FIR. The caller allegedly threatened to bump her off if the money was not paid.

After the incident, Shaikh claimed she had received extortion calls from seven different numbers. About 20 audio clips of these calls have been provided to the police. Shaikh told HT, The callers knew my and my familys whereabouts. They have threatened to kill me. After the FIR, a caller threatened to throw acid on my face. They are calling me on my NGOs number.
Twenty-five days after a gang of burglars looted 30 lockers in Bank of Barodas Sanpada branch, the police claim to have solved the crime.

So far, the police have arrested eleven people, including two women, from Mumbai, Allahabad and Kolkata, among others. The main accused in the case is one Hajid Ali Mirja Baig.

The police said on November 11, the gang entered the banks locker room by digging a 30-foot tunnel from a shop nearby, which was taken on rent by the gang in May using fake documents.

They stole valuables worth Rs3.43 crore from the lockers over that weekend (November 11 and 12), when the bank was closed. The police have recovered valuables worth Rs1.49 crore so far. They recovered 5.5kg gold, Rs12.19 lakh in cash, four vehicles and some foreign currency. It is still not clear who had kept the foreign currency in the lockers, said a police officer.

Four people, who played key roles in the crime, are yet to be arrested, the police said.

Hemant Nagrale, police commissioner of Navi Mumbai, said, Baig had spent Rs8.5 lakh organising this crime and arranging different tools and instruments. The gang used walkie-talkies to coordinate.

The gang was inspired by a similar heist in Haryana, wherein a bank was looted in October, 2014, by digging a tunnel. They had watched the video online and applied the same techniques in this crime, Nagrale said.

Read more:

Navi Mumbai bank heist: Police make eighth arrest

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Resident doctors at Mumbais Grant Medical College have complained that the college has restricted many of them to a single clinical unit, thereby limiting their exposure.

In a letter to the dean, the local chapter of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has requested him to rotate the positions of resident doctors across units, as required by the curriculum. The doctors, who are doing their post-graduate specialisations, said that they need to gain experience from all units for complete academic development.

Its been more than six months since our course began, but many of us have not been moved to other units. In our unit, we learn about only one type of surgery. We need exposure to other surgeries as well, said a first-year MS student, requesting anonymity.

For each department, medical colleges and their attached hospitals usually have multiple units that specialise in specific domains. For example, orthopaedic units of medical colleges perform spine, trauma, orthoscopic, ortho-plastic and poly-trauma surgeries.

In case of JJ group of hospitals, which runs the Grant Medical College, the clinical units are located across its four hospitals: Cama Hospital, GT Hospital, St. George Hospital and JJ Hospital. Resident doctors working in various units are moved across hospitals on a rotatory basics.

Speaking to HT, college dean SD Nandkar said that the posts could not be rotated in some departments because of staffing issues. We need experienced hands in clinical units. But I will ensure uniform rotation of posts soon, he said.
To increase the conviction rate in cybercrime cases and reduce pendency, the Mumbai police have set up a special cell in each of the 93 police stations.

Each Cybercrime Investigation and Prevention Cell comprises three officers and three to four constables.

Until now, investigation of these cases was spearheaded by the cybercrime cell and the cyber police station located in Bandra-Kurla Complex.

Starting Monday, the selected batch of officers and constables for the newly-formed cell were trained on how to handle and investigate cybercrime cases. Sources believe that the step will decrease the workload on the cyber cell. The five-day training programme is conducted between 11am and 6 pm until Friday. The teams will be trained to handle online fraud, debit card/credit card cheating, online threat, sexual harassment on the internet, hacking etc. IT experts and legal experts are organising the training session.

The police commissioners office said, A Cybercrime Investigation and Prevention Cell has been set up in each police station. This cell will have one inspector, two assistant inspectors or sub-inspectors and three to four constables.

The training will also teach the selected group on how to handle these cases efficiently.

If there is a webcam at the crime scene, it will be useful. It would help in assisting in investigation, a trainer said while addressing officers and constables during the workshop in Dahisar.

Considering a huge number of revenge cases, each team will have women constables. If a womans social media account is hacked and sexually explicit images are used, women personnel will be able to speak to her so they she does not feel uncomfortable sharing sensitive information, said an inspector, part of the training programme.

Police stations will also be given a tablet loaded with various applications and softwares to help them in investigation.

A senior officer said a cybercrime nodal officer would overlook each region in the city and assist the investigation cell.

From now, each offence related to cybercrime at every police station will be investigated by the special cell. Officials are hopeful this will decrease the pendency of cybercrime cases.
The state has decided to look into forming a special cell to ensure 80% locals get employment in industries across Maharashtra. Industries are obligated to give this percentage of jobs to locals domiciled in Maharashtra  as most of them avail various incentives offered by the state government, say state officials.

In 2008, the previous Congress-NCP government had passed the order, but the committee at the district level, which was set up to oversee implementation, failed to enforce it. We found out that industries do not employ 80% locals. There is a committee at the district level that looks into it, but it has not been enforced fully. To correct, we have planned to set up a special cell. The cell will comprise employee unions and the industries department, Subhash Desai, state industries minister told reporters on Tuesday.

Desai, however, was silent when asked if they will force existing factories to sack non-locals to accommodate 80% local workers. There is an option to link the incentives to this rule. If someone is not performing, as a penalty these incentives can be held back, Desai said, adding if required they can amend the policy to even have penalties.

Desai, who is also a senior Shiv Sena leader, said there is an existing rule to enforce this and will be applicable to both new and existing industrial units in the state. He said special drives will be carried out by the labour department with the help of the district collector to check how many industries have employed locals. This will be applicable for blue collar jobs.

The formation of a special cell is being viewed as the Senas plan to rack up the son of the soil agenda after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis lauded the contribution of north Indian and people of other states in Mumbai last week. His statement drew flak from the Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

Meanwhile, the state government cleared a separate industrial policy to encourage women entrepreneurs in the state. As per the policy, the state will provide a capital grant between 15% and 35% and bear some portion of the initial cost of setting up the unit.

The policy is expected to add the burden of Rs 648.11 crore a year on the states budget.

According to Desai, the idea behind the policy is to boost the number of women entrepreneurs in the state. Maharashtra is lagging behind in number of women entrepreneurs. While the national average is 13.8%, the state stands at 9%. We want to double this figure to 18% in the next five years, Desai announced. The policy is expected to boost the manufacturing sector, industries department officials said.

According to the policy, a woman entrepreneur, who finances 100% of a project and hires at least 50% women employees, can avail the capital grant. There is a clear definition to restrict unscrupulous people from taking advantage of the policy, said a senior industries department official.
An unidentified thief managed to sneak into a lavish wedding being held at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and steal a purse containing gold valuables worth Rs12 lakh, including the brides mangalsutra, in Bandra (East) on December 3.

The complaint was registered by prominent city businessman Prakash Patel, 31.

This is the fourth such incident taking place in a month, and the possibility of one gang being behind it has not been ruled out, said police.

According to the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) police, the complainant approached them on December 4, alleging gold ornaments kept in a blue purse worth Rs12 lakh were stolen by an unidentified person.

As per the FIR, Patels younger brother Sandeep was getting married, and all the gold ornaments belonging to the bride, including her mangalsutra, were kept in the purse.

A friend of Sandeeps gave the purse to Patels mother-in-law, who was seated on a sofa in front of the stage. After some time, they realised that the purse was missing. After ascertaining that a theft had taken place, the family approached the local police and filed a complaint.

An FIR was registered under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for theft against unknown persons. A police official from the BKC police station said, We are checking CCTV cameras in the vicinity and also going through footage from the cameraman at the wedding. As of now, we do not have any leads in the case,

In the past, there have been instances in Mumbai where well-dressed minors and children used to steal gifts from wedding halls, at the behest of their parents. We are also probing that angle, added the police official.
The air quality in Noida remained severe on Tuesday as commuters were forced to inhale toxic air and residents stayed indoors.

Since early November, the air quality across Delhi-NCR has deteriorated to severe. Air quality dipped when farmers started burning paddy stubble. The cities vehicular, construction and dust pollution made the air toxic. The situation was worsened by low wind speed and sudden dip in temperature.

Concerned parents demanded that the administration shut down schools.

As the air quality is dangerous in Noida, schools must be shut until the situation improves. At least, schools must stop all outdoor activities in order to save the children from the air, Sanjay Sharma, a parent, said.

The air quality is again bad and we request all schools to stop all outdoor activities, as due to preparations for winter carnival and Christmas celebrations, children have to go outdoors, Gopal Rathore, a resident, said.

Some private schools in Noida have stopped outdoor activities.

During the previous smog, we had stopped all outdoor activities. When we got a few sunny days, we resumed these activities. Most probably, we will stop all outdoor activities from Wednesday, a spokesperson of Delhi Public School, Noida, said.

District magistrate BN Singh said the situation in Noida has not reached severe plus level and there is no need to shut schools as of now. The decision to shut schools is taken when the air quality index reaches the severe plus category. We will stick to graded response action plan (GRAP) guidelines, Singh said.

Doctors have warned that though the situation is better than November, such level of toxicity in the air results in various short- and long-term health complications.

Dr Anurag Bhargav, chief medical officer, GB Nagar, has asked residents to avoid burning tyres. I was on an inspection two days ago and I found at least eight spots where people were burning old tyres to get respite from cold. I request people to not to burn any plastic, tyre, garbage or firewood to improve the situation. Some action has to be taken by the residents and they must avoid using vehicles if possible, he said.

According to Dr D Saha of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the severe air quality of NCR is due to collective failure of various governments.

Smog effect has gone from Delhi-NCR and now we are seeing fog in which the density of air increases. However, its not a new phenomenon. Therefore, the severe air quality is due to the failure of governments to implement the guidelines issued by Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal and other bodies.

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A man raped a seven-year-old girl after she objected to him stealing radishes from her family field at Machiaon village in Bihars Kaimur district on Sunday evening.

The victim, a Class 2 student belonging to the Mahadalit community, was taken to the Bhabua district hospital in a critical condition. Police arrested the suspect, Lalu Sharma, and registered a case against him at the local womens police station the following day.

Police said the girl went to inspect the radish field along with a five-year-old friend on Sunday evening, when she found Sharma  a father of three  uprooting the crops. When she objected, the angered suspect allegedly dragged her into some bushes nearby and raped her.

The victim returned home bleeding, and narrated her ordeal to her parents. Villagers then caught hold of Sharma and handed him over to the police.

Superintendent of police Harpreet Kaur said a speedy trial would be recommended for the heinous crime, so there is no delay in punishing the suspect. Police will also help the girls family get due compensation and benefits, she added.

This is the fifth incident of a Mahadalit girl being raped in the district over the last four months. On September 29, a 15-year-old girl was raped by a middle-aged man in the Bhagwanpur police station area. A few days later, on September 24, two minors were kidnapped and gangraped for four days by five influential people. The next month, a nine-year-old girl was gang-raped by four youngsters in Chainpur police station area. A 13-year-old girl was also kidnapped from a village in Chand police station and raped by two youngsters around then.
Traders in Motihari staged a protest Monday against rising crime in Bihars East Champaran district after a local BJP leader disappeared on November 27 and the police dragged its feet for a week before registering an FIR.

Champaran Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Satpal Singh threatened to intensify protests if Amit Kumar is not found. Singh also claimed that unidentified gunmen had killed Motihari based Congress leader, Chhotu Jaiswal, barely a week back and the police were still groping in the dark.

Forty-four-year-old Amit Kumar who is also a businessman went missing during a visit to Bettaih from his home in Motihari. Bettiah is 190 km north of Patna. His friends and family suspect he has been kidnapped for ransom. The family has alleged that police did not take their complaint seriously and registered an FIR only on Monday after they persisted.

Amits abduction has also brought the spotlight on the return of crime in Bihar with opposition leaders, including Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, describing the situation under the present NDA government as maha jungle raaj.

In his FIR, the victims brother, Vinit Kumar said Amit had gone to Bettiah town for business related work on November 27 and called up his wife late evening to inform her he will not return home because of pending work.

He told his wife that he would be putting up in a hotel and soon switched off his phone. Since then he is traceless, Vinit said.

Read more: Two businessmen gunned down in Bihars Patna and Vaishali districts

Bettiah town police station SHO, Nityanand Chawdhary confirmed the abduction related FIR but pleaded ignorance about the motive behind the suspected kidnapping.

He said the kidnappers have not called the family members yet. We have formed a team and are carrying out raids at various suspected hideouts of criminals across West and East Champaran to locate the businessman, he said.

Police said they have procured call details and the last location of the BJP leader to help the probe. Amit is a district level leader of BJPs East Champaran unit.

Family members now blame police for deliberately delaying the search operation, which could endanger Amits life.

State tourism minister and local BJP legislator, Pramod Kumar who condemned the incident, said that he has spoken to top police officials and instructed them to ensure Amits release at the earliest. He said police are very close to solving the case and hence they should be allowed to discharge their duties peacefully.

In the last one year, at least 13 businessmen have been killed in East Chamaparan alone. Across state, this is the fifth incident when criminals have targeted businessmen in the last two months. On November 22, unidentified assailants killed shoe trader Jatin Kumar Gandhi in the heart of Patna City, sparking angry protests in the capital.
As many as 470 of the 5,000-odd lawyers of the Punjab and Haryana high court have written to chief justice of India Dipak Misra, seeking probe by the CBI or a commission or special investigation team (SIT) into the mysterious death of CBI judge, Mumbai, HP Loya.

The representation, which has also been sent to other judges of Supreme Court and chief justice of the Bombay high court, says the allegation of his family about foul play, if there is a semblance of truth in it, point towards unsecured and entrusted environment for fair and impartial dispensation of justice.

If the lives of judges who decide high-profile cases are not safe and it is alleged that they work under pressure and influence, the justice itself is not safe. The allegations coupled with the subsequent development is a serious blow to the confidence of laymen and also of the legal fraternity about the forum before which they plead their claim, the representation states.

Loya was hearing the matter of the alleged staged encounter leading to the killing of Sohrabbuddin Sheikh in Gujarat in 2005 in which BJP chief Amit Shah was also an accused.

In 2014, Loya presided over the special CBI court. The case was transferred out of Gujarat by Supreme Court in 2012. Loya was the second judge to hear this case after the earlier judge was transferred in June 2014.

Loya died in November 2014.
Jagtar Singh Tara, one of the main accused in the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, on Monday admitted that he connected wire to the bomb fixed on the body of Dilawar Singh, who finally executed the fatal explosion.

Tara made this confession during the ongoing hearing in the court of additional district and sessions judge JS Sidhu where he recorded his statements under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

He also admitted that he had performed ardas (prayer) before they all executed the assassination plan.

The CBI counsel put up 20 questions to Tara. Responding to these, he stated that on August 31, 1995, he along with Rajoana went to the chief ministers residence to know whether he was there or not.

He added later they went to Mohali to pick up Dilawar Singh where he connected the wire of bomb to the body of Dilawar Singh and also performed ardas.

Tara stated that he and Dilwar Singh then went to the Punjab secretariat in a car and Rajoana followed them on a scooter. He said the car was parked near the Haryana secretariat and he left the place immediately. Thereafter, Rajoana met him for a few minutes and he also left the place.

The matter will now come up for hearing on January 16 when the court will continue recording his statements in the Burail jail.

Beant Singh was killed in an explosion outside the civil secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. Dilawar Singh, a Punjab police employee, had acted as a human bomb in the incident.

The police had arrested nine accused in the case, out of which the fate of eight has already been decided.

The witnesses evidence in the case is over, with all 248 witnesses having recorded their statements. The case is pending since Tara was on the run for around 20 years and was arrested from Thailand in 2015.
A fortnight after HT exclusively reported that Haryana government shortlisted the kin of state BJP leaders from among the non-state civil service officers to fill up an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) seat, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) stayed the governments move.

The Chandigarh bench of CAT on Monday passed an interim order wherein it has stayed the recommendation of five names to UPSC and restrained the UPSC from finalising the final select list.

The tribunal also issued notice to the Haryana chief secretary and the UPSC to respond within two weeks. The matter will now come up for hearing on December 20.

Sonepat resident Surender Singh Dahiya, 50, working as an additional director of Haryanas agricultural department moved the tribunal demanding that the recommendations of the screening committee for appointment be set aside and that the UPSC be directed to restrain from finalising the list of selected candidates.

The main contention was that Asha Sharma, medical officer, who happens to be the daughter of education minister Ram Bilas Sharma, was not eligible and did not qualify or fulfil the criteria of having an outstanding record in the past five years as per rules and regulations of the IAS Regulations, 1997, pertaining to recruitment. Yet, her name was recommended by the selection committee for appointment.

On the other hand, the applicant, Dahiya claimed he had more than 25 publications and four appreciation letters issued by the government of Haryana and district administration, for outstanding work in various fields,and nine trainings with national and international organisations, much more than Sharma.

The CAT order also stated that Sharma remained on Child Care Leave from January 15 to March 15, 2015, and thus the rest of the period was less than three months and that no report could be recorded for a period of less than three months. Before this, she remained on earned leave from December 1 to December 20,2014.

The matter is argued by Rajesh Garg and Nimrita Shergill.

The case

The Manohar Lal Khattar government had shortlisted the names of kin of two front-line Haryana BJP leaders to fill-up one Indian Administrative Service (IAS) seat from among the non-state civil service officers. The 42-year-old Dr Asha Sharma, and Lajpat Rai, 56, brother of Santosh Yadav, deputy speaker Vidhan Sabha, are at first and second position in the list of five candidates that the state government has recommended to the Union Public Service Commission. The matter was exclusively reported by the Hindustan Times on November 21.

While Dr Sharma (MBBS) is a medical officer, Rai is a general manager in Haryana roadways. Other three candidates in the fray are Parveen Sethi (Director Dental Health Services); Dr Rakesh Talwar (in-charge of health facilities at Haryana Raj Bhawan); and Vijender Singh (district town and country planner).

In last years panel also, the state government had recommended Dr Sharma by placing her on top of other candidates. But the UPSC had cancelled the process stating deficient documents/information from the state government.

Given the criterion followed by the state government in preparing the panel, the selection procedure is perceived to be prone to political pulls and is akin to backdoor entry to the elite IAS.

The candidates having eight years service in a Class-1 post, equal to the rank of deputy collector, were shortlisted on the basis of their past five years Annual Confidential Report (ACR), in what is a highly subjective selection process and the easiestto become an IAS officer.

Chief minister Khattar had set up chief secretary DS Dhesi-led screening committee comprising Trilok Chand Gupta, principal secretary and Neerja Sekhar, secretary (personnel) to shortlist names.

The meeting of the screening committee was held on October 13, 2017...The committee decided to consider five preceding years annual confidential reports of the officers...and after considering the same the committee has recommended the names of following officers for consideration of the UPSC, reads October 16 file noting.

The UPSC, otherwise was to hold interviews in December. The interview board comprises one UPSC member, besides Haryana chief secretary and one senior IAS officer of Haryana cadre.

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The Haryana Police on Monday issued a statement clarifying the mistake in the data published by the national crime records bureau (NCRB), which had put the states force at number 1 spot in committing crime in India.

Reacting to a Hindustan Times report published on December 2, the police said the figure mentioned in NCRB data that 488 criminal cases were registered against police personnel in Haryana in 2016 was wrong.

Haryana DGP BS Sandhu had said that he would get the data checked. Upon inquiry, it was found that Gurgaon Police had inadvertently sent the figure 454 under number of criminal cases registered during year to SCRB, whereas it actually pertained to complaint/cases declared false/unsubstantiated after investigation. The actual figure of criminal cases registered against cops in Gurgaon was zero, the statement said.

It said after correcting this error that the final number of criminal cases against cops in Haryana in 2016 comes out to 34. The police said they will inform the NCRB authorities about the error.
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday stayed the trial proceedings in the lynching case of Junaid Khan before a Faridabad court and also sought a response from the Haryana government on his familys plea seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter.

The division bench of the high court acted on the petition filed by Jalaluddin, father of the 15-year-old Faridabad boy who was lynched in June on board a Mathura bound train allegedly by right-wing sympathisers.

A single-judge bench had on November 27 dismissed Jalaluddins petition seeking a CBI probe into the lynching of Junaid.

Pronouncing the judgment, the bench of justice Rajan Gupta had said the case was not fit for an intervention by the high court and did not merit an investigation by the CBI.

Jalaluddin approached the high court on October 25 seeking a CBI probe arguing that the Haryana police had deliberately distorted all witnesses statements to introduce ambiguity, discrepancies and contradictions to benefit the accused.

Junaid was stabbed to death when he returning home with his brothers to Khandawli village after shopping for Eid in Delhi. His body was dumped close to Asaoti village in Faridabad district.

Two men  Naresh Kumar and Rameshwar Dass  have been charged with the murder and four others were booked for other offences.

Haryana defended the probe arguing that his family did not lodge any protest in the trial court against the investigation.

The state government also claimed that Junaids family demanded Rs 2 crore for the settlement of the case from the accused. The family refuted the claim and said it was an attempt to defame them.

The bench observed that it appeared that after the incident was reported the investigating agency swung into action and looked for clues.

The investigating agency appears to have employed forensic and electronic means for cracking the crime. It is for this reason that all accused present at the spot at the time of occurrence are stated to have been identified despite the fact that no names were mentioned in the FIR, justice Gupta had said.

The bench added Jalaluddins plea that there was deliberate attempt to subvert or derail the investigation lacks substance.

The complainants grievance regarding non-inclusion of additional accused or omission of certain offences cannot be a ground for transfer of probe to the CBI, that too after proceedings have made some headway, justice Gupta had said.
The only three living winners of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), the countrys highest gallantry award, will be taking part in the two-day Military Literature Festival that starts with Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh chairing the inaugural session at the Sukhna Lake Club in Chandigarh on Friday.

PVC winners Capt Bana Singh, Naib Subedar Sanjay Kumar and Subedar Yogender Yadav will be attending sessions on both days of the festival. Capt Bana Singh was awarded the PVC for recapturing the highest Pakistani post on the Siachen Glacier, the Quaid Post, on June 26, 1987, that has since been named after him. Naib Subedar Sanjay Kumar and Subedar Yadav were awarded for their acts of gallantry during the Kargil war in 1999.

While Capt Amarinder will be chairing the hour-long panel discussion with veterans on the First Kashmir War, 1947-48, at 11.30am, there will be a parallel session on the Indian Navy of the future that Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (retd) and Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) will address.

Senior journalist Vir Sanghvi will be conducting an interactive session with military historians and authors, including Thomas Fraser and Tom Donovan.

After lunch, Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore will chair a discussion on Defensive Battles of Rajasthan, while there will be a parallel session on Indian Military and Society in which Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, a former vice-chief of the army staff, will be taking part.

On December 9, author William Dalrymple will be taking part in a session on the Anglo-Sikh Wars. Former army chief General VP Malik will be holding a parallel session on military diplomacy, while yet another session on military writing in Punjabi will be held simultaneously.

Former Southern Command army commander Lt General Depinder Singh will be taking part on a discussion on the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka at 12.30pm.

Delhi University student activist Gurmehar Kaur will be taking part in a session on The Latest Military Challenge  Social Media. She is the daughter of Captain Mandeep Singh, who was killed after a Rashtriya Rifle camp was attacked by militants in Jammu and Kashmir on August 6, 1999.
Production is resuming next year on the sixth and final season of House of Cards. Taping of the political drama was halted in October amid sexual misconduct allegations against star Kevin Spacey.

Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos told a conference Monday of the decision, Variety reported. In November, Netflix said it wouldnt be involved with the series if Spacey remained. Producer Media Rights Capital suspended him.

The release date for the upcoming season has still not been revealed.

The eight-episode season will focus on co-star Robin Wright. No release date has been announced.

Netflix has said the decision to end the series was made before Spacey was accused by actor Anthony Rapp of sexual misconduct when he was a teen in 1986. Spacey said he didnt recall it and took the opportunity to come out as a gay man. However, several more allegations by other men soon followed.

Spaceys rep has said he is seeking unspecified treatment.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
China on Tuesday floated the idea of creating a mega regional market with India to mine existing advantages and create new ones within two of the worlds fastest growing economies.

China and India have different political systems but practise market economy. These are the only two countries with more than 1 billion people each. There is huge potential in (creating) market demand, further (creating) international market demand at a deeper level and at a mega regional level, said Li Wei, president of the Development Research Centre (DRC) of the State Council (Chinas cabinet).

Enhanced cooperation between China and India, Li said, will be a win-win situation and help expand the two markets.

Li, who was speaking at the third round of dialogue between the DRC and Indias NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog, referred to Indias demographic advantage, its efficiency in the software industry and low labour costs as being complementary to Chinas experience in developing infrastructure and lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.

In his speech, NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar said India was in position to take over as a driver of high growth for the next three decades.

I think now perhaps all of us agree that given the circumstances globally and in Asia, maybe India can take over the baton of higher growth from China for the next 30 years, he said.

Now, India must follow suit. For that we need to focus on and achieve higher rate of growth of employment, he said. It is imperative that the two countries work together and help each other to grow further.

While you (China) are vacating those spaces, India would do well to invite Chinese investment so that those spaces we can fill and generate employment, Kumar said.

The DRC-NITI Aayog dialogue provides an important platform for both sides to discuss key macro-economic issues impacting both countries and areas of mutual interest, an Indian embassy statement said.
US President Donald Trump faced down warnings of widespread Middle East unrest and untold damage to the peace process Tuesday, telling anxious Arab leaders he still intends to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Amid a frantic round of telephone diplomacy, Trump told Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Jordans King Abdullah that the deeply controversial move was coming, but crucially did not give a time frame.

Trump informed the president (Abbas) on his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Palestinian leaders office said in a statement that was echoed in Amman.

Trump must this week decide whether to sign a waiver keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv or fulfil a campaign promise and move it to Jerusalem -- de facto recognising Israels claim on the disputed city.

Such a move would please Trumps conservative and evangelical donors and voter base.

US officials said he will hold off on moving the embassy right away, but may issue a statement reiterating his intent and even go as far as recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital.

That could upend a decades-old western policy -- observed by both Republican and Democratic presidents -- that stated Jerusalems status can only be decided by negotiation.

The White House argues that such a move would not prejudge final talks and would represent the reality that west Jerusalem is and will continue to be part of Israel under any settlement.

Still, it risks extinguishing Trumps efforts to broker Middle East peace and igniting the flames of conflict in a region already reeling from crises in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Qatar.

Mr Trump! Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a raucous televised speech, echoing alarm expressed by Palestinian and Arab leaders.

In his address, Erdogan warned that any move to back Israels claim to the city would mobilize the entire Islamic world and even prompt Ankara to sever its recently-renewed diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.

The armed Islamist Hamas movement has threatened to launch a new intifada or uprising.

Most of the international community, including the United States, does not formally recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, insisting the issue can only be resolved in final status negotiations.

A way must be found

Following talks in Brussels with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, top EU diplomat Federica Mogherini warned that any move which risked undermining efforts to jumpstart moribund peace talks must absolutely be avoided.

A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states, so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled, she said.

In Cairo, Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit warned it would be viewed as an act of clear aggression against the Arab and Muslim world.

Saudi Arabia also expressed grave and deep concern about the impact it would have on both the conflict and peace efforts, while the Palestinians said it would shatter any illusion about Trumps ability to fairly mediate in any talks.

That totally destroys any chance that he will play a role as an honest broker, said Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

The Jerusalem Embassy Act

In Israel, however, hardline defence minister Avigdor Lieberman hailed the moment as a historic opportunity for Trump, expressing hope he would see the US embassy in Jerusalem next week or next month.

The US Congress has already made its aim clear in the so-called Jerusalem Embassy Act, which was passed in 1995 and which stated that the city should be recognised as the capital of the State of Israel and that the US embassy should be moved there.

But an inbuilt waiver, which allows the president to temporarily postpone the move on grounds of national security, has been repeatedly invoked by successive US presidents, meaning the law has never taken effect.

Israel seized the largely-Arab eastern sector of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, claiming both sides of the city as its eternal and undivided capital.

But the Palestinians want the eastern sector as capital of their future state and fiercely oppose any Israeli attempt to extend sovereignty there.

Several peace plans have unravelled over the issue of how to divide sovereignty or oversee sites in the city that are holy for Christians, Jews and Muslims.
European Union ministers adopted on Tuesday a blacklist of 17 non-EU tax havens including Panama, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates after a year of tough negotiations.

The Paradise Papers leak last month gave a new impetus to the plan, making public some of the intricate ways the worlds rich evade tax using offshore havens.

We have adopted at EU level a list of states which are not doing enough to fight tax evasion. This blacklist includes 17 states, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire told reporters in Brussels.

The EU has struggled for over a year to finalise the blacklist, with smaller, low-tax EU nations such as Ireland, Malta and Luxembourg worried about scaring off multinationals.

The countries on the list are: American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, Macau, the Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

A further 47 countries are on a grey list, sources said.

Other jurisdictions are understood to have been given leeway after suffering severe damage during hurricanes in the Caribbean earlier this year.

Britain fought particularly hard against the list, afraid that its crown dependencies, including Jersey and the Virgin Islands, would be singled out.

Senior officials from member states had whittled down an initial draft of 29 countries, with divisions still strong in recent days on who would make the final version.

EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said ahead of the official announcement that this was fewer than the 20 countries he had hoped for but would be a initial victory.

Enforcement problem

Enforcement is the biggest problem, with EU countries split over whether blacklisted countries should be subjected to financial sanctions or if the list itself is shaming enough.

Several states, including France, support tough measures against the listed tax havens such as exclusion from EU and World Bank funding, though the debate is still open.

Other countries are reluctant to draw up common sanctions, believing that responsibility is better left to member states.

To be on a blacklist is in itself bad enough and of course there will be consequences for these countries, Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna said.

An existing list of tax havens compiled by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) currently includes only Trinidad and Tobago.

The EU originally screened a total of 92 jurisdictions and once the list is compiled it is expected to be continuously updated.

In a blow to activists, states that charge no corporate tax are not automatically considered at risk of breaching EU tax criteria.

However, the criteria do single out countries that facilitate the creation of shell companies and other structures that could aid tax avoidance.

Countries in the EUs firing line have been given an opportunity to stay off the list if they provide a political commitment and a detailed plan to comply.

All countries, which initially included the US, were given until Tuesdays meeting of the EUs 28 finance ministers to provide feedback and possible measures to satisfy EU demands.

The list is the latest international effort to clamp down on tax avoidance -- increasingly seen as a moral issue -- following the OECDs move to compile a list of uncooperative tax havens.
Germans see US President Donald Trump as a bigger challenge for German foreign policy than authoritarian leaders in North Korea, Russia or Turkey, according to a survey by the Koerber Foundation.

Topping the list of foreign policy concerns were refugees, with 26% of respondents worried about Germanys ability to cope with inflows of asylum seekers.

Relations with Trump and the United States ranked second, with 19% describing them as a major challenge, followed by Turkey at 17%, North Korea at 10% and Russia at 8%.

Since entering the White House in January, Trump has unsettled Germans by pulling out of the Paris climate accord, refusing to certify an international agreement on Irans nuclear programme and criticising Germanys trade surplus and its contributions to the NATO military alliance.

Trumps actions prompted the usually cautious German Chancellor Angela Merkel to say earlier this year that Berlin may not be able to rely on the United States in the future. She also urged Europe to take its fate into its own hands.

In the poll of 1,005 Germans of voting age, carried out in October, 56% of Germans described the relationship with the United States as bad or very bad.

Despite Merkels pledge, the survey showed deep scepticism in the population about Germany taking a more active role in international crises, with 52% of respondents saying the country should continue its post-war policy of restraint.

That may reflect the fact that neither Merkel nor her main challengers in the recent election campaign talked much about how Germany should respond to the challenges posed by Trumps disruptive presidency and Britains looming departure from the European Union.

Last week, Norbert Roettgen, a member of Merkels conservative party and head of the foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag, decried a deplorable lack of leadership in educating Germans about the need to invest more in their own defence and security.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday formally rescinded his resignation following a consensus deal reached with rival political parties.

The announcement came at the end of the first cabinet meeting to be held since Lebanon was thrown into a political crisis following Hariris stunning November 4 move.

Hariri shocked the nation with his bizarre resignation in a televised broadcast from Saudi Arabia last month, citing Lebanese militant group Hezbollahs meddling in regional affairs as a main reason for stepping down.

Tuesdays Cabinet meeting, attended by Hariri, endorsed a statement that calls on rival Lebanese groups to distance themselves from regional conflicts and the internal affairs of Arab countries.

Hariri, who heads a coalition government that includes ministers from the Hezbollah, said all members of the government had agreed to stay out of conflicts in Arab countries.

The Lebanese government said in a statement read by Hariri: The cabinet thanks its leader (Hariri) for his position and for revoking his resignation.

All (the governments) political components decide to dissociate themselves from all conflicts, disputes, wars or the internal affairs of brother Arab countries, in order to preserve Lebanons economic and political relations.
Days after describing himself as the greatest supporter of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said he is open to forging a political alliance with the banned militant group, the Jamaat-ud-Dawah and its chief Hafiz Saeed for Pakistans next general election.

So far, there have been no talks, but if they want to be included in the alliance, by all means, I will welcome them, Musharraf said, referring to his new 23-party grand alliance.

If it is meant to be, it will be, the former president, currently living in self-exile in Dubai, said during an interview with Aaj News channel.

Asked about the possible international repercussions of his statements in favour of the LeT, Musharraf said, This is our countrywe are aware of the internal situation in the country, the people in it and if they are good or bad.

He added, I spoke about Hafiz Saeed and I will say it proudly that LeT and JuD are both very good organisations of PakistanIn 2005, I saw they were the best engineers. They did the best work at the time of the earthquake (in the Kashmir region).

Musharraf further said the LeT and JuD were not in favour of al-Qaeda or the Taliban and questioned why the groups were being pushed to the wall. He said, They have religious followers, youngsters who are religiousThey are not terrorists and we should tell (this to) America and the world.

He said Saeed should be given credit for engaging his supporters in welfare organisations and preventing them from taking up weapons.

Musharrafs recent comments backing the LeT and JuD came in the wake of Saeeds release from 10 months of house arrest. The release angered India, which accuses Saeed of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.

The US, which has offered a $10 million bounty for the LeT founder, has demanded that Pakistan re-arrest Saeed and prosecute him for his crimes.

Musharraf, who left Pakistan after being charged with treason, announced the formation of Awami Ittehad, his grand alliance of 23 parties, last month to contest the general election to be held in 2018.
Hilde Kate Lysiak knows how to chase a story. She does her ground work, sticks to facts. After the reporting is done, she records videos and produces the monthly edition of Orange Street News.

Hilde is 11 years old and lives in the town of Selinsgrove in Pennsylvania, United States. Hildes first brush with journalism was when her father, Matthew Lysiak, an author and former New York Daily News journalist, took her around on his reporting assignments.

I used to follow him all around the country, but when he stopped reporting, I didnt want to give it up so I decided to start my own newspaper. That is how I started the Orange Street News (OSN), Hilde told Hindustan Times in an email interview about her two-year-old newspaper.

Every OSN edition has seven or eight stories, plus an original fictional short story -- all reported and written by Hilde. Matthew used to help with the editing, but now chips in only with layout and to occasionally tease me about using too many explanation points. Hildes older sister Izzy, 14, is the papers only other employee and helps with videos and managing the newspapers website.

My parents are great, but the best thing theyve done is to get out of the way, says Hilde.

Hildes parents let her to ride her bicycle around town to chase leads. When she began working on her paper, they allowed Hilde to be home-schooled. Now I have more time to follow leads and report the news, she says.

Hilde explains the basics of reporting at a workshop. (Source: Hilde Lysiak)

Hilde juggles her journalism career with her studies, making slime and listening to Taylor Swift albums. Im usually done with my reporting by 3pm unless something big is breaking, which is rare here.

Orange Street News, like many other local American newspapers, covers every detail of every event happening on every block. Vandalism on your block? OSN will investigate, declares the OSN website.

Zombie Missing From Grove Graveyard, Presumed Stolen, reads one report about a missing Halloween decoration. Allegedly Drugged Out Mom Leaves Infant Inside Car Outside of Grove CVS, Charged with Child Endangerment, says another.

In October, Hilde investigated the use of hard drugs such as heroin and meth at the local Selinsgrove High School. I spent months working that story to confirm all my facts. I am proud of my work, she says. Hilde spoke to students, parents and the superintendent of the school district, trying to uncover the scale of the problem.

But while she was hard on the trail of the story, Hildes age caught up with her. One of her sources told her she could come along on a trip to see how drugs enter the town. That would have been good information to report to the people. But my parents wouldnt allow me to go, she says. Im excited for the day when I dont have to ask anyones permission to get the news to the people.

The police wont talk to her and magistrates wont give her criminal complaints because she is 11, but Hilde says her age is an advantage. Sometimes people look at me and underestimate me. They see a little girl It sometimes works to my advantage because they think they can work me over, but end up talking a little too much, she says.

Hilde waded into controversy last year after she broke a story of a murder that happened a few blocks from her house. She was on the scene ahead of the competition, but soon, she became the story herself. Many locals were aghast that her parents could let cover a homicide. Comments flooded her social media saying her reporting was no longer cute, that she should be playing with dolls.

In a YouTube video, a defiant Hilde defended her work. This year again, when the Selinsgrove district attorneys office objected to a television commercial starring Hilde, she took to social media to counter the claims and lay out the facts.

Other people have publicly called for my paper to be shut down. I know they cant. I think they are afraid of what I might report next, she says.

Hilde and her younger sisters with copies of her book, Hero Dog, a part of the Hilde Cracks the Case series. (Source: Hilde Lysiak)

At 11, Hilde is an intrepid reporter and doesnt budge from her convictions. After the homicide story went viral, Hilde wrote for the Guardian, saying that despite her age, she was a serious reporter. This year, Newsweek published her speech where she argues why journalism has a future.

When shes not hard on the heels of a story, Hilde enjoys writing fiction. Hilde Cracks the Case, her book series published by Scholastic, gives a fictional turn to events, but also encourages children to become reporters and start their own newspapers.

Im going to keep writing fiction but my main passion is reporting the news. I want to get better. I have so much to learn, says Hilde. Ive never even done a jailhouse interview yet.

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The UN rights chief called today for a fresh international investigation into Myanmars abuses against its Rohingya Muslim minority, warning of possible elements of genocide.

Speaking before a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the abuses against the Rohingya, Zeid Raad Al Hussein condemned widespread, systematic and shockingly brutal attacks against the Rohingya, as well as decades of discrimination and persecution.

An army-led crackdown has forced some 626,000 people to flee from northern Rakhine state and across the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh in recent months, leaving hundreds of villages burned to the ground.

Myanmars military denies accusations by the UN and US that it has committed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

But Zeid decried policies that had dehumanised and segregated the minority, and left it wallowing in statelessness for decades.

He described horrific violence and abuse, including allegations of killing by random firing of bullets, use of grenades, shooting at close range, stabbings, beatings to death and the burning of houses with families inside.

Given all of this, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present? Zeid asked the 47-member council.

Myanmars ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Htin Lynn, did not address those accusations, but insisted to the council that the humanitarian situation at its border with Bangladesh was of paramount concern, and that Yangon was making every effort to resolve the issue.

He also denied Zeids claim that Yangon was doing little to rein in hate speech and incitement to violence against the minority, insisting my government is doing everything possible to deter these individual acts.

But Zeid slammed the governments inaction, warning that by continuing to dehumanise the Rohingya, the state authorities will fuel even wider levels of violence in the future, drawing in communities from across the region.

He urged the rights council to ask the UN General Assembly to launch a new impartial and independent mechanism, to work alongside a fact-finding mission already dispatched by his office.

In March the rights council approved the fact-finding mission to investigate alleged crimes by security forces, particularly in Rakhine.

But Myanmar has so far refused to cooperate and has blocked access to the team of investigators, who have begun their work outside the country.

The rights council rarely holds special sessions, which can only be convened at the request of at least a third of its 47 member states, or 16 countries.

Todays session was held at the request of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, with the support of 33 council members and more than 40 observer states.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam warned that the massive exodus over such a short period was comparable only with the exodus following the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

After months of wrangling, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on November 23 to start repatriating refugees within two months. But rights groups say the conditions are not in place to ensure safe, voluntary and dignified returns.

According to the UNs top expert on the situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, Myanmar authorities appear to have already started building camps for returnees, raising serious concerns about the conditions the Rohingya would return to.

Comments from the top UN representative on sexual violence, Pramila Patten, also painted a harrowing picture of the dangers faced by the minority inside Myanmar.

She warned that rampant sexual attacks on Rohingya appeared to be used as a tool of dehumanisation and collective punishment, citing witness accounts of women and girls tied to rocks or trees before multiple soldiers literally raped them to death.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been the target of global vitriol for a perceived failure to stand up for the stateless minority.

But she remains a heroine for most of her compatriots, who largely consider the Rohingya as unwanted illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Zeid meanwhile lamented the refusal inside Myanmar but also by some international players to even name the Rohingyas, creating a shameful paradox: they are denied a name, while being targeted for being who they are.
Three versions of Donald Trumps travel ban--the most controversial of the US Presidents executive orders--were successfully blocked by the courts, before the Supreme Court allowed the third to take effect on Monday, pending appeals.

The US court said the government could fully enforce the revised ban on travellers from six mainly Muslim countries pending appeal, backing President Trump in the year-long battle over the controversial measure.

The court stayed October rulings from two lower courts that had blocked implementation of the ban on visitors from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen while legal challenges to it continued.

The ban also covers people from North Korea and a selection of senior officials from Venezuela, but its main focus is travellers from the six mainly Muslim countries.

Trump has battled to implement a travel ban since just after he became president on January 20, after having repeatedly promised during last years election campaign to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.

This timeline summarises Trumps legal battle, which has spanned most of his time in office.

January 27, 2017: Trump signs an executive order, Protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States. The order closes the US border to citizens of seven countries--Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iran, Sudan, Somalia and Iraq--for three months, and to all refugees for four months. Chaos ensues in airports, while the decision sparks outrage across the world.

February 3: A federal judge in Seattle blocks enforcement of the ban. Trump says the decision is ridiculous and brands Judge James Robart a so-called judge.

February 9: A federal appeals court in San Francisco upholds the suspension. SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!, Trump tweets in response.

March 6: The president signs a second version of the ban, forbidding travellers from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US for 90 days. Iraq is removed from the initial list.

March 16: Another judge, this time in Hawaii, blocks the second version of the ban. A Maryland judge makes a similar decision, and says the text is discriminatory against Muslims. The Trump administration announces it intends to appeal.

A demonstrator chants during a rally and march "to protest discriminatory policies that unlawfully target and hurt American Muslim and immigrant communities across the country" in Washington, DC. (AFP file phot)

May 25: An appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, upholds the suspension of the second version, snubbing the president once again.

June 26: Trump wins a victory in the Supreme Court, which rules in favor of partially enforcing the ban upon travellers who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.

September 24: The president signs a third executive order, permanently prohibiting citizens of Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iran, Somalia, North Korea and Chad, along with some government officials from Venezuela, in the name of poor security and lack of cooperation with US authorities.

October 17: A federal judge from Hawaii blocks the third version of the ban.

November 13: A San Francisco appeals court authorizes limited implementation of the order -- excluding grandparents, grandchildren, brothers- and sisters-in-law, aunts and uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins of people in the US.

December 4: The Supreme Court authorises full enforcement of the travel bans third version pending appeal. The White House says it is not surprised by the ruling, adding, The proclamation is lawful and essential to protecting our homeland.
Romanias royal house says former King Michael, who ruled the country during WWII, has died in Switzerland aged 96.

The royal house said in a statement that Michael, one of the few surviving leaders from that period, died Tuesday lunchtime in his residence in Aubonne, Switzerland.

His family announced last year that Michael had leukemia and another type of cancer and was withdrawing from public life, handing over his responsibilities to his oldest daughter, Margareta.

This file photo taken on May 10, 2011 shows Romania's former King Michael (C) and his daughter Princess Margarita (R) leaving the National History Museum after a book launching during the ceremonies marking King's Day in Bucharest. (AFP File Photo)

Michael, a great-great grandson to Britains Queen Victoria, first acceded to the throne in 1927 when he was 6, ruling for three years after his father Carol II eloped with his mistress and renounced his rights to the throne.

He became king again in 1940 after Carol abdicated again. Michael reigned until communists forced him to abdicate in 1947.
Spain has withdrawn a European arrest warrant for Catalonias sacked leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his former ministers, who fled to Belgium after the regional parliament declared unilateral independence, the Supreme Court said Tuesday.

In a ruling, Judge Pablo Llarena decided to withdraw the warrant as the five appear to have shown their intention to return to Spain to participate in regional elections on December 21.

But Llarena, who is in charge of the case, has maintained the Spanish arrest warrant meaning they will be detained upon arrival in the country, court sources said.

The judge said the European warrant would complicate the overall probe into the regions leaders, some of whom are still in Spain -- either in jail or out on bail -- and are facing charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

He said Belgium could reject some of the reasons for the warrant, meaning it could agree to the extradition of Puigdemont and the four others -- but with restrictions, and only for certain offences.

That would stop Spain from investigating such restricted offences, thereby creating inequalities with those already held in Spain who would be probed on the full charges, Llarena argued.

Electioneering

The unexpected decision comes a day after Puigdemont and his four colleagues attended an extradition hearing in Brussels, with the Belgian judge due to give a decision on December 14.

It also comes as the Catalan election campaign kicked off, with Puigdemont speaking to supporters in Catalonia on Monday night via video link.

The Madrid authorities want to raise as many difficulties as possible so we cant campaign on an equal footing with the other candidates, he told a party rally in Barcelona.

Madrid called the new elections after the independence declaration on October 27, while dismissing Catalonias government and suspending the regions autonomy. It hopes the polls will restore normality to the region.

Twelve of the 13 members of the sacked Catalan government are standing in the election, with Puigdemont and his deputy Oriol Junqueras -- who is still in jail -- competing to head the separatist camp.

During the last regional election in 2015, separatist parties captured 47.8% of the vote, giving them an absolute majority of 72 seats in the 135-seat Catalan regional parliament.

A house divided

A poll published Monday by the central governments Sociological Research Centre (CIS) predicted that the three pro-independence parties would get 44.4% of the vote and 66 to 67 seats, just short of the absolute majority of 68.

The three parties firmly opposed to independence would get 44.3% and gain 59 to 60 seats, the poll suggested.

While the separatists are united against what they say is repression from Madrid, they are divided over the future of their region, which itself is deeply split over independence.

Puigdemonts PDeCAT party and Junqueras ERC ran on a joint list two years ago but are running separately this time around.
US President Donald Trump had a slate of calls with Middle Eastern leaders Tuesday, as he weighs a contentious decision on whether to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The president has calls scheduled this morning with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, King Abdullah of Jordan and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

There are likely other foreign leader calls that will take place today and we will keep you posted as those are confirmed, she added, signalling a frantic round of telephone diplomacy amid fierce international opposition to any change in the Holy Citys status.

In Ramallah, a Palestinian official said the Trump-Abbas call had already taken place but provided no details of the conversation.
The status of Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned US counterpart Donald Trump on Tuesday even as Saudi Arabia voiced grave and deep concern over possible US plans to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Mr Trump! Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims, Erdogan said in a televised speech to his ruling party, warning that if such a move was taken, Turkey would call a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and could even go as far as cutting its ties with the Jewish state.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital  a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Saudi Arabia conveyed its grave and deep concern over the possible US plan, saying the move could have serious implications for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Saudi Arabia (expresses) grave and deep concern over reports that the US administration intends to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem, the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing a foreign ministry source.

This step will have serious implications and will further complicate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It will also obstruct the ongoing efforts to revive the peace process.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump faces a key decision this week over Jerusalems status, potentially reversing years of US policy and prompting a furious response from the Palestinians and the Arab world.

Facing dark warnings of a historic misstep and widespread unrest, Trump on Monday delayed a decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there.

The White House said Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv, after a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and private phone calls between world leaders.

The mercurial president has yet to make his final decision, officials said, but is expected to stop short of moving the embassy to Jerusalem outright, a central campaign pledge that has been postponed once already by the new administration.
Authorities have shut a womens virtue class in northeastern Chinas Liaoning province after a video of women being instructed to talk less, remain at the bottom level and cook instead of ordering food prompted outrage on social media.

The classes were offered in the town of Fushun since 2011 and covered a range of dos and donts for women, according to what the teachers thought was traditional Chinese culture.

The women taking the course were ordered to wake up at 4.30 am and do domestic chores for eight hours. Their performance in class would be closely monitored by the teachers. They were punished for wearing make-up or if they talked about their ambitions, reports said.

Run by the Fushun Traditional Cultural Research Association, the institution has at least three branches in China.

The classes continued till video footage on what was being taught surfaced last week and was picked up local and social media. In the video, an instructor tells the students that women should talk less, do more housework and close their mouths.

The instructor, according to the official Xinhua news agency, said women should not strive to move upwards in society, but should always remain at the bottom level.

The instructor, in a particularly insightful lesson, said: If you order food delivery instead of cooking by yourself, you are disobeying rules for women,

The Xinhua report said: Video footage shared on microblog Sina Weibo had drawn more than 5,000 comments as Sunday, with many chastising the content. Following the uproar, local authorities swung into action and shut down the class.

According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, the institution was run by a person who had been jailed for murder.

I didnt expect it would be like this  that I would be treated as even worse than a prisoner, a 47-year-old woman attending the classes told the newspaper.

What I find worse is that they instil the idea that men are superior to women and our teachers keep repeating that the most important task for a woman is to reproduce, that she cannot say no to her husband and divorce is unacceptable.
If youre at Gettysburg National Military Park and decide to trace the battles first-day action, youll more than likely come across a memorial to the 147th New York Infantry on Reynolds Avenue, just north of the Railroad Cut Bridge. It is, admittedly, a fairly standard monument: a bronze sculpture of a knapsack, canteen, and cartridge box perched below the regiments organizational legend. The inscription on the east side of the monument reads, Position 10 A.M. July 1, 1863, then lists the regiments strength and casualties. The strength and casualty figures are accurate, the position is not. The 147th as a regimental organization never formed where its monument stands.

The 147th was part of Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutlers 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Corpsthe first Union infantry brigade to reach the field the morning of July 1. But it arrived about 10:30, so the time inscribed on the monument is too early. Major General John Reynolds, the 1st Corps commander, was preparing to engage the advancing Confederates west of Gettysburg and needed to occupy McPhersons Ridge before the enemy did. He split Cutlers brigade, sending two regiments south of the Chambersburg Pike to occupy the ridge beside Edward McPhersons farm buildings, while the other three regiments, including the 147th, were to move north of the pike and occupy the ridge near Captain James Halls 2nd Maine Battery, which had unlimbered opposite McPhersons barn.

When Reynolds ordered those three regiments to support Halls battery, the 76th New York and 56th Pennsylvania moved as directed. For some reason, the orders never reached the 147th, so its commander, Lt. Col. Francis C. Miller, led the regiment along the low ground between the eastern and western branches of McPhersons Ridge and massed it behind the barn for cover before riding off to get instructions. The confusion was quickly sorted out, and Miller returned to lead his regiment across the Railroad Cut and into a wheat field just to the north.

Meanwhile, the 76th New York and 56th Pennsylvania continued north behind the eastern ridge until they cleared the Railroad Cut, then turned left and advanced to the crest of the ridge, some 150200 yards to the right and rear of the 147th. They immediately became engaged with the 2nd Mississippi and 55th North Carolina of Brig. Gen. Joseph Davis Brigade.

After the 147th advanced through the wheat, it came under fire from the 42nd Mississippi, also part of Davis Brigade. I could see innumerable heads of rebels bobbing up and down on the north side of this wheat, recalled Lieutenant J. Volney Pierce. Men began to fall on all sides before we fired a shot. The New Yorkers continued up the slope a short distance before being ordered by Miller to lie down and commence firing. The battle was now in all its fierceness, Pierce wrote. [A] continuous roar of musketry drowned all orders.

The 76th New York and 56th Pennsylvania were soon outflanked and ordered by Cutler to retreat toward Gettysburg. Miller received similar orders, but he would be wounded before he could deliver them to his men. The regiment, now under the command of Major George Harney, continued fighting, but it had become isolatedexposed on its right and rear as a Confederate contingent prepared to strike. To confront this new threat, Harney ordered his companies on the right to change front. The odds, though, were clearly not on his side.

Suddenly Captain T.E. Ellsworth, from the staff of division commander Brig. Gen. James Wadsworth, rode into the midst of the maelstrom and ordered Harney to fall back. The New Yorkers fled either across the Railroad Cut toward the McPherson Farm or along the cut itself. Nearly all of those who followed the cut, however, were quickly corralled and taken prisoner.

With 301 of the 380 men who engaged that morning killed, wounded, or captured, it had been a catastrophic 20 minutes of combat for the 147th,

That fall, when Gettysburg historian and artist John Bachelder published an isometric map of the battle, he mistakenly showed the 147th positioned on the same line as the 56th Pennsylvania and 76th New York. Fourteen years later, when Bachelder published separate maps for each day of the battle, he made the same error. The mistake, however, was an honest one, as a staff officer from Wadsworths staff had written him in 1865 that the three regiments had all been on one line when they became engaged. Then in 1868, Henry H. Lyman, the 147ths adjutant during the battle, sent Bachelder a report of the regiments experiences at Gettysburg, noting they were on left of 56th, 76th NY. From these statements Bachelder assumed the 147th had begun fighting while on the same line as the other two regiments.

On July 1, 1888, the monument to the 147th was dedicated in its present position. Bachelder did not select the location, although the members of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, working with veterans of the unit, likely used Bachelders maps. It is also possible the GBMA wanted the monument to be on the same line as the 56th Pennsylvania and 76th New York for ease of access for park visitors. Although most 147th veterans grudgingly accepted the erroneous position, Lyman led a concerted effort to set the record straight. Aware that Bachelder was writing an official history of the battle, the 147th veterans did not want it also to be incorrect. Lyman corresponded with more than a dozen officers and men, including one 2nd Mississippi officer, to document the regiments correct position, and forwarded what he learned to Bachelder.

His efforts paid off. On March 5, 1889, Bachelder wrote to Lyman that he had changed the narrative about the 147ths location in his still unpublished history, thanking him for establishing the truth. Unfortunately Bachelders ponderous history is today read by only a handful of the most ardent Gettysburg students while hundreds of thousands of visitors drive by the regiments monument none the wiser that the men it represents actually fought and bled on the gentle rise about 200 yards to the west.

Scott Hartwig writes from the crossroads of Gettysburg, Pa.
What happens when civilian law and military law collide? An 1887 case helped to settle the question

IN NATIONS WHERE MILITARY LAW IS NECESSARILY SUBORDINATE to civil law, the two legal systems coexist inside clearly defined jurisdictions. Occasionally, however, cases arise that push or even cross those boundaries. For the U.S. Army, such a case occurred at Fort Wayne in Detroit, Michigan, in 1887.

On July 11 of that year, during the garrisons afternoon retreat ceremony, the prisoners in the guardhouse formed up outside the lockup while Sergeant of the Guard James Clark conducted the daily inspection of the facility. At the same time, the adjutant read the orders of the day to the assembled troops.

The orders included the announcement of verdicts and sentences of courts-martial, and it was at this moment that one of the prisoners, Private Arthur Stone, learned for the first time that he faced a dishonorable discharge and two years confinement at hard labor for having falsely accused an officer of stealing a cane.

On hearing this, Stone broke from the ranks and ran for the fence that separated the military reservation from the civilian community just across the street. Two other soldiersthe regimental quartermaster sergeant and an enlisted man named Dufftook off after him, but Stone had a head start and was faster than his pursuers. The quartermaster shouted at him to halt, yelling, There is a load after you!meaning that a bullet might be coming his way. Stone kept running.

Hearing shouts that a prisoner was escaping, Clark ran out of the guardhouse, loading a live round into his rifle. By this time Stone was about 30 yards ahead of his closest pursuer, Duff, who, witnesses later reported, did not seem to be gaining upon him, and stood little if any chance of overtaking him before he could gain the street. Clark, from a distance of about 80 yards, shouted for Stone to halt. Stone kept running. Clark then raised his weapon, took quick aim, and fired. The .45 caliber bullet struck Stone in the backa mortal wound from which he died later that evening.

The post commander immediately convened a court of inquiry in accordance with Article 115 of the Articles of War. The investigation determined that, as sergeant of the guard, Clark had a statutory obligation to prevent the escape of any prisoner in his charge and that it was lawful for him to use lethal force to fulfill that obligation when other options failed. The inquiry also revealed that Clark and Stone had known each other well before the unfortunate incident, that the two men were friends, and that when Clark fired he did not know the identity of his target. The army completely exonerated Clark of any wrongdoing in Stones death.

THE MATTER MIGHT HAVE ENDED THERE, BUT AN ENTERPRISING REPORTER reporter from a local newspaper brought a formal complaint of murder against Clark for the reason that the alleged offence had been committed at Fort Wayne, a place under the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States. Fort Wayne, it turned out, was not a formally designated military reservation, as most army posts were. The county sheriff arrested Clark on a charge of first-degree murder.

The case drew the immediate attention of the War Department. If a soldier in the performance of his duties could be cleared by a military court but subsequently prosecuted by a civilian court for the same act, it opened a huge area of potential hazard for military personnel. Therefore, when Clark went to trial before Judge Henry B. Brown, no fewer than four attorneys appeared for his defense, including Asa B. Gardiner, a judge advocate of the U.S. Army.

At trial the prosecutor argued that Clark was not justified in using lethal force to prevent Stone from escaping, even though military law specifically allowed him to do so. Gardiner countered that if such a contention were correct, military guards should hereafter be armed with clubs and fleet-footed runners employed to prevent the escape of prisoners. He cited paragraphs 364 and 365 of the Army Regulations of 1868, which specified that soldiers on guard duty were not allowed to divest themselves of their equipment or set down their weapons. If Sergeant Clark had thrown off these impediments in order more readily to pursue the fleeing prisoner, Gardiner argued, he would have committed an offence under military law. He concluded his arguments by saying, So long as the United States arms its guards with muskets and makes it an offence to suffer a prisoner to escape or to aid him in doing so, the guard is invested with discretionary power to determine for himself whether when a prisoner is escaping he shall use his piece to prevent it.

Judge Brown acknowledged that the collision between military and civil jurisdiction was tricky ground for the court. He had agreed to hear the case, he wrote, to uphold the crucial American principle that civil power is supreme and that soldiers are equally with all other classes of citizens bound to the same strict observance of the laws. He then laid out the facts of the case as he had determined them:

There is no doubt that the deceased was killed by [Clark] under the performance of a supposed obligation to prevent his escape by any means in his power. There is no evidence that [Clark] fired before the necessity of doing so had become apparent. Stone was called upon several times to halthis nearest pursuer was not gaining upon him, and in another half-minute he would have scaled the two fences between him and the highway.There is not the slightest reason to believe that [Clark] was not acting in obedience to what he believed to be his duty in the premises.The case, then, reduces itself to the naked legal proposition, whether [Clark] is excused in law in killing the deceased.

The prosecutor argued that, under Michigan law, lethal force could only be used to prevent a prisoners escape if the man had been convicted of a felony, saying, but he may not do this if he be charged simply with a misdemeanor, the theory of the law being that it is better that a misdemeanant escape than that human life be taken. Private Stone, he pointed out, was convicted by a military court on a charge that was not considered a felony under civilian law. Judge Brown answered this by noting that in American military law there was no distinction between a felony or a misdemeanor, and he concluded that the argument therefore had no bearing on the case. We are bound to take a broader view and to measure the rights and liabilities of the prisoner by the exigencies of the military service, and the circumstances of the particular case, he wrote. It would be extremely unwise for the civil courts to lay down general principles of law which would tend to impair the efficiency of the military arm, or which would seem to justify or condone conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline.

After acknowledging that military law by its very nature might seem to civilians to be a code of Draconian severity, Brown declared that it would be a fundamental error to try to apply civilian standards to every aspect of military law or action. He also observed that there was a great, gaping hole in American military law into which Clarks case fell completely. There is a singular and almost total absence of authority, the judge wrote, upon the subject of the power of a military guard in time of peace. With that in mind, he then tried to apply the law as best he could to the case.

Above all, Judge Brown said, Clark had acted in good faith that he was obeying a lawful orderindeed I incline to the opinion that it was legal, he wrote. If the order was valid, then all that mattered was whether Clark had followed it correctly in firing the fatal shot or exceeded his authority in doing so. Brown then ruled that Clark was justified in his actions and that the orders he followed at the time were lawful. He declared Clark acquitted and released him from custody.

Clarks case established the crucial precedent that the common-law distinction between felonies and misdemeanors has no application to military offenses. While the court acknowledged that acquittal in a military court would not always insulate a defendant from prosecution in a civil court for violations of civil law, it firmly set the notion that a military courts decision should hold great weight in any further legal proceedings. MHQ

JOHN A. HAYMOND is the author of The Infamous Dakota War Trials of 1862: Revenge, Military Law, and the Judgment of History (McFarland & Company, 2016).

[hr]

This article appears in the Winter 2018 issue (Vol. 30, No. 2) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: The Murky Line

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Career U.S. Army soldier William Walton Morris is the epitome of the statement that Old soldiers never die, they just fade away, as he faded so completely away after his 1865 death that he has been ignored and overlooked for more than 150 years. Mere fragments of his existence remain: a scattered array of war documents and newspaper clips; a list of combat engagements and garrisons in a West Point alumni register; and his image, captured in a handful of cartes de visite that he himself had commissioned. But a close look at that slim evidence reveals an impressive portrait of a man who devoted 45 years to the U.S. military, the four most important of which were during the Civil War. Indeed, this much-forgotten soldier would turn out to be among the earliest public defenders of Abraham Lincolns controversial suspension of habeas corpus.

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]orris was born in 1801 in Ballston Springs, N.Y., the grandson of Declaration of Independence signer Lewis Morris. At age 14 he entered West Point and, in 1820, graduated from the academy last out of 30 cadets. Morris, however, would prove that class rank didnt make the soldier. When he left West Point as a second lieutenant in the 6th Infantry, he dove right into action. In his first three years, he pulled duty on the Iowa frontier, seeing combat in an obscure action known as the Attack on the Indian Towns. In 1836 Morris became a captain in the 4th Artillery and saw service in the Second Seminole War. Within a year he became a brevet major thanks to his Gallant Conduct on Several Occasions, and General Efficiency in the War against the Florida Indians.

During the war with Mexico, Morris saw fighting at the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca-de-la-Palma and participated in the military occupation of Texas. The latter experience made him an ideal candidate for his most significant assignment. On April 25, 1861, Major Morris took command of the harbor defenses at Fort McHenry in the pro-Southern city of Baltimore.

The country was in a bad way when Morris arrived at his new post. President Lincoln had faced a crisis of epic proportions from the moment he took the oath of office, one Southern state after another was peeling away from the Union.

Morris took his post at Fort McHenry after the countrys situation had begun to rapidly deteriorate. On April 12 Rebel batteries in Charleston opened fire on Fort Sumter; three days later, the president issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 troops to protect the Union capital; and on the afternoon of April 19, the first drilled and equipped soldiers to answer this call came under attack in the streets of Baltimore.

Passing through the city on their way to Washington, 700 men of the 6th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia had to switch trains and march between the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore (PW&B) Railroads President Street station and the Baltimore & Ohios Camden depot. In the process, hundreds of furious Southern sympathizers unleashed a brutal assault, leaving four troops and 12 civilians dead and scores more wounded and maimed.

Early the next morning, Baltimoreans burned bridges on the Northern Central and PW&B railroads, and cut telegraph wires, severing communications and land travel between the Northern states and Washington. When Morris got to Baltimore, the citys pro-Southern leadership was arming for war against the North. Fort McHenry was the lone Federal stronghold in the middle of it all.

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ot until Brig. Gen. Benjamin Butlers 8th Massachusetts seized Annapolis on April 21 could Northern troops bypass Baltimore. Even with Butlers alternate path, the transit of South-bound soldiers had slowed to a crawl, placing the already besieged Union capital in greater danger.

Lincoln doubtless felt the pressure and on April 27 took drastic measures to secure Butlers crucial transportation route. In a letter to Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott, the president reluctantly authorized officers along the line between Philadelphia and Washington to suspend habeas corpus at their discretion. The removal of this age-old safeguard against unlawful imprisonment gave military officials limitless police powers. Furthermore, it effectively nullified the jurisdiction of civilian courts, state and federal.

A clash between military and civilian authorities was inevitable, the best-known instance being the standoff between Maj. Gen. George Cadwalader, the commander of Union-occupied Maryland, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney. The confrontation resulted in Taneys landmark Ex Parte Merryman decision, in which the chief justice stridently denounced Lincoln for having exceeded his authority in suspending habeas corpus.

[quote style=boxed float=left]President Lincoln faced a crisis of epic proportions[/quote]

Taney argued that the power of suspension belonged to Congress, and technically he was correct. Yet, despite its unquestionable legal acumen, the chief justices opinion ignored the swiftly ongoing national catastrophe and, more specifically, the perilous conditions in Baltimore. As Lincoln explained in his July 4 message to Congress, because the provision [for the suspension of habeas corpus] was plainly made for a dangerous emergency, it cannot be believed the framersintended, that in every case, the danger should run its course, until Congress could be called together; the very assembling of which might be prevented, as was intended in this case, by the rebellion.

Notwithstanding the countrys obvious state of emergency, Lincolns reasoning fell mainly on deaf ears from the day he authorized the suspension. He had his detractors both North and South. For many, the Constitutions provisions were etched in stone, regardless of external circumstances or consequencesa fundamentally impractical, if not self-destructive position.

But if historians peer into the shadows cast by the celebrated Merryman ruling, theyll find arguably the earliest and best public defense of Lincolns decision. It came more than two weeks prior to Taneys opinion, not from a famed politician or an esteemed legal scholar, but rather an unassuming Army officer who had graduated last in his class from West Point.

The incident began when John Mullan joined the Union Army in April. While at Fort McHenry, a dispute arose over whether the newly recruited private was under age and therefore not subject to the terms of his enlistment. Major Morris believed he was obligated to serve and refused to discharge him. Petitioned by Mullans father, who insisted that he never gave his son permission to enlist, federal Judge William Giles issued a writ of habeas corpus for the major to produce the recruit in district court. But Morris quickly snubbed the order, saying that he did not feel safe in coming to the city among a hostile people. Besides, he added, the administration had suspended the writ of habeas corpus between Philadelphia and Washington.

Giles had no idea who he was dealing with. The leather-tough officer had seen enough of wars ugly necessities to know that Giles was out of his realm. And so in his May 7 response to the judge, Morris provided a lucid reminder of why Lincoln had authorized the suspension in the first place:

At the date of issuing your writ, the city in which you live, and where your court has been held, was entirely under the control of revolutionary authorities. Within that period United States soldiers, while committing no offense, had been perfidiously attacked and inhumanly murdered in your streets; no punishment had been awarded, and I believe no arrests had been made for these atrocious crimes. Supplies of provisions intended for this garrison had been stopped, the intention to capture this fort had been boldly proclaimed, [and] your most public thoroughfaresdaily patrolled by large numbers of troops, armed and clothedwith articles stolen from the United States.To add to the foregoing, an assemblage elected in defiance of law, but claiming to be the legislative body of your Statewas debating the Federal compact. If all this be not rebellion, I know not what to call it. I certainly regard it as a sufficient legal cause for suspending the writ of habeas corpus.In any condition of affairs, except that of civil war, I would cheerfully obey your order, and as soon as the present excitement shall pass away, I will hold myself ready, not only to produce the soldier, but also to appear in person to answer for my conduct; but in the existing state of sentiment in the city of Baltimore I think it your duty to sustain the Federal military and to strengthen their laws, instead of endeavoring to strike them down.

The words poured from his pen, unmistakably clear. Still, Giles would not concede, issuing a second writ, this time for Morris to stand before him to explain why he shouldnt face arrest for disobeying the original order. Again, he failed to appear; however, presumably after prying the truth out of his young recruit, Morris, by then a lieutenant colonel, determined that Mullan was in fact under age and released him to Giles.

All the same, Morris had authored a remarkable, brilliant defense of Lincolns actions. This humble officer had managed to say more in a single hand-written letter than eminent legal experts had in dense, pontifical pamphlets like Horace Binneys The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus Under the Constitution (1862).

Of course, his skillful justification of Lincolns decision wasnt his sole contribution to the war effort. From 1861 to 1865, Baltimore was the Norths principal point of occupation. The loss of so critical a railroad hub at any time would have left Washington surrounded by the Confederacy. Morris played a key role in preventing this from happening.

A hands-on officer, he helped run occupied Baltimore for the duration of the war. On December 11, 1865, he died while on active duty at Fort McHenry. On April 16, 1866, President Andrew Johnson posthumously promoted Morris to the rank of brevet major general for Faithful and Meritorious Services during the Rebellion. The Senate confirmed the rank the next month, which was made retroactive to December 10, 1865, the day before the old soldiers death.

Michael Williams writes from Glen Arm, Md. When hes not writing about military history and firearms, he enjoys hunting and long-range shooting.
Medal of Honor recipient, then prisoner of war.

In spring 1967, Maj. Leo Keith Thorsness was a 35-year-old pilot in a two-seat F-105F Thunderchief fighter-bomber flying over North Vietnam to locate and destroy sites that launched surface-to-air missiles at Americas big B-52 bombers. The 16-year Air Force veteran, an Eagle Scout from Walnut Grove, Minnesota, had racked up an impressive record. On Dec. 2, 1966, he earned the first of six Distinguished Flying Crosses, followed on Jan. 15, 1967, by the first of two Silver Stars.

Thorsness was flying with three other Thunderchiefs southwest of Hanoi on April 19, 1967, when they detected the radar of a SAM site. Thorsness released a guided missile and destroyed the warhead. Turning toward a second SAM site, he dropped a cluster bomb and descended to 3,000 feet to scour the area for other threats. Groundfire erupted around his F-105.

In the distance Thorsness wingman, Maj. Tom Madison, was taking hits from anti-aircraft guns and going down. The parachutes of Madison and his electronic warfare officer, Maj. Tom Sterling, opened in the sky. Thorsness saw a MiG-17 bearing down on the parachuting crew and in an instant was on the enemy craft, destroying it and luring other enemy fighters away from his falling comrades.

Low on fuel, Thorsness left to hook up with a tanker for aerial refueling, while rescue helicopters and their fighter escorts raced to Madisons position. After the refueling, Thorsness turned his jet back toward the rescue effort and encountered a group of MiGs, outnumbering him 4 to 1. Undaunted, Thorsness went on the offensive, damaging one MiG and drawing the others away from the rescue site.

His ammunition depleted and needing more fuel for the long flight to his home base, Thorsness again headed toward a tanker, but another aircraft was so critically low on fuel that its crewmen would have to bail out unless they got immediate refueling. Thorsness gave them the tanker and set his plane on course to the nearest airfield. He glided in on vapors and prayers.

Sadly, the rescue attempt for Madison and Sterling was unsuccessful. The two American aviators were captured and interned as prisoners of war.

Eleven days later, on his 93rd mission, Thorsness was shot down by a MiG-21. He and his electronic warfare officer, Capt. Harold E. Johnson, parachuted onto enemy soil and were captured. The majors resistance to his captors during six years as a POW earned him a year in solitary confinement, and severe torture left him with serious, permanent spine damage.

Thorsness learned privately from another prisoner that he was to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on the day Madison and Sterling were downed. The award, however, was not announced for fear that his captors would use it as an excuse for even more brutal treatment. Thorsness was released on March 4, 1973, during Operation Homecoming. Seven months later, President Richard Nixon draped the medal around the Air Force heros neck.

In 1974 Thorsness ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in his wifes home state of South Dakota, and four years later the Republican lost a bid to represent the states 1st Congressional District. After moving to Washington state in 1988, Thorsness won an election for state senator. In 1992 he lost in the primary contest for one of the states U.S. Senate seats.

Thorsness served as president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society in 2010-11, representing all living recipients of the medal with quiet dignity. The only American to be held as a POW after earning the Medal of Honor died on May 2, 2017, in Jacksonville, Florida, after retiring in St. Augustine.

Doug Sterner, an Army veteran who served two tours in Vietnam, is curator of the Military Times Hall of Valor, the largest database of U.S. military valor awards.

First published in Vietnam magazines February 2018 issue.
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Michele Wright has granted so many wishes for sick children as a Make-A-Wish wish granter it can be hard to keep track of all the details.

She knows the name of the little girl who wanted to have dinner at the Eiffel Tower. The family from Ireland who flew to Houston when Wrestlemania was in town. The 12-year-old aspiring fashion designer who wanted to sit in on classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York - they still keep in touch now, and the former "wish kid" is now a college student majoring in design. Each kid is someone special.

But remembering when these wishes took place isn't easy. So on days like today, she carries a three-ring binder absolutely bursting with fastidiously organized files. Give her a few seconds to thumb through the plastic-protected pages, and she can answer any question about the scores of wishes she's brought to life. The one thing she can't tell you is exactly how long she's been doing this or how many wishes she's granted.

"I've been a volunteer for about seven or eight years," she says, sitting in a Starbucks on a breezy autumn morning. She and her wish partner, Erik Johnson, are preparing to walk across the street to one of the Medical Center's many hospitals. They're about to embark on the first part of what will be a monthlong process of wish-planning.

She digs into her purple binder, flipping through the color-coded tabs, until she finds her very first wish.

"Look at this! 2007," she exclaims, laughing. That was a decade ago.

And in that time, she's brought 180 wishes to life (the Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana office keeps count, even if Wright doesn't). Her partner, Johnson, has granted 146 wishes in six years. Both have been named the chapter's Volunteer of the Year; Wright has earned the title twice.

But those facts and figures hardly matter to either of them. That's not why they do this.

"I had a successful business and my relationship was successful. But I felt like I had little holes in my heart, and I needed to do something," Johnson says. "I felt a calling. I wasn't satisfied, I guess, with my life, and once I started volunteering, it started coming together. Those little holes were slowly patched every time I saw a wish kid smile."

'We've got to think big'

Johnson and Wright enter Adolph Taylor's hospital room a few minutes later. Taylor, a high school senior, has been in and out of the hospital for months, battling intense gastrointestinal issues. He's lost a tremendous amount of weight, and his energy level has dipped dramatically.

But when Johnson and Wright walk into his hospital room, Taylor is up for the first time in a while, out somewhere in the hallway returning from a trip to find a bowl of cereal. The volunteers pounce on the opportunity to ask Taylor's mother what he wants.

"Is he excited?" Johnson asks. "Has he figured out a good wish?"

"All he keeps saying is he wants the new iPhone," Taylor's mom, Vikyzer Brooks, replies.

Johnson waves his hand through the air. "That's too little," he says. "We've got to think big."

Originally, Brooks didn't think her son would qualify for Make-A-Wish. Sure, she'd heard of the program before, but she always thought it was for children with terminal illnesses.

"That's a common misunderstanding," says Teri Andrepont, president and CEO of the organization's local chapter. Often people think wishes are only reserved for children who are dying, or those who have cancer. In fact, any child with a potentially life-threatening illness can qualify for a wish.

And while wishes may seem like a precious resource for those who receive them, Make-A-Wish's goal is to increase the number they give out. Last fiscal year, the Gulf Coast chapter granted 428 wishes. But Andrepont would like to see that number climb above 500. Then she'd like to see it go even higher.

"One thing we get from parents is 'We don't want to take a wish from another child.' They'll say they have plenty of money," Andrepont says. "But No. 1, everyone who medically qualifies is going to get a wish. It's not an either-or situation. And No. 2, I don't care how much money you have, if you have a child with a life-threatening medical condition, you're going to reach your insurance cap."

Johnson and Wright explain this to Brooks.

"Your kid has been in the hospital, getting all this treatment and shots, and everything else," Johnson says. "And it's time for him to have a rock star day. Something cool."

A shopping spree

Taylor walks into the room, an IV bag rolling along behind him.

"Hey!" Wright yells, jumping out of her chair. She and Johnson introduce themselves. They hand over a gift bag filled with toys and a pack of sour gummy worms, which just happen to be Taylor's favorite snack.

They ask him a million questions: Why doesn't he want to go to prom - "you have to go to prom!" - what grade is he in, what's his favorite thing to do?

Then Johnson cuts to the chase: "Your mom and I and Michele are talking, and we need to work on your wish, buddy," he says.

"Let me read some of these," Johnson continues, looking through the long list of wishes he's granted over the years. "Meet a celebrity, swimming pool, Disney cruise, Disney World, meet John Cena, Hawaii."

Wright chimes in. "A shopping spree, or meet Taylor Swift," she says. Taylor grimaces. "OK, Drake. Meet Drake." She keeps going. Wright and Johnson are halfway through planning yet another quinceanera right now - a monthslong affair that includes cake tastings, venue tours and dress shopping. "Do you want a quinceanera?" she laughs.

Taylor laughs, and continues listening as the wish list grows longer. Finally, he rubs his chin with his fingers.

"Man, I want a shopping spree," he says, so low it's almost a whisper.

"A shopping spree?" Wright asks.

"Yeah," he says. This way he can have his iPhone, and maybe some new games.

Wright and Johnson smile at each other. As Make-A-Wish volunteers, they've each coordinated their fair share of shopping sprees. They ask Taylor for a list of his top 10 items, so they can call ahead to stores at the Galleria and have them ready to go. They'll be running under a four-hour time-limit - per Make-A-Wish rules - and they don't want him to go home without a coveted item because it took him too long to find it on the store racks.

"The deal is, we want a picture of you at prom," Johnson says. "You've got to go to prom dude. I mean, that's just something that you've gotta do. OK?"

Taylor nods. As Wright and Johnson fold up their binders, he waves goodbye and grins.

As the volunteers exit, ready to complete the paperwork and phone calls it will take to organize the wish, set for one month out, a nurse comes in for Taylor's late-morning checkup. She pauses. "That's the biggest smile I've seen from him," she says.
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Special prosecutor Robert Mueller zeroed in on President Donald Trump's business dealings with Deutsche Bank as his investigation into alleged Russian meddling in U.S. elections widens.

Mueller issued a subpoena to Germany's largest lender several weeks ago, forcing the bank to submit documents on its relationship with Trump and his family, according to a person briefed on the matter, who asked not to be identified because the action has not been announced.

"Deutsche Bank always cooperates with investigating authorities in all countries," the lender said in a statement to Bloomberg Tuesday, declining to provide additional information.

Deutsche Bank for months has rebuffed calls by Democratic lawmakers to provide more transparency over the roughly $300 million Trump owed to the bank for his real estate dealings prior to becoming president. Rep. Maxine Waters of California and other Democrats have asked whether the bank's loans to Trump, made years before he ran for president, were in any way connected to Russia. The bank previously rejected those demands, saying sharing client data would be illegal unless it received a formal request to do so. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Calls and emails to the White House weren't immediately returned before U.S. office hours. Handelsblatt reported the subpoena earlier Tuesday.

More for you A bold new legal defense for Trump: Presidents cannot obstruct...

Mueller's investigation -- which is looking into alleged Russian interference into last year's U.S. election and whether Trump's winning campaign assisted in those efforts -- appears to be entering a new phase. Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty Friday to lying to FBI agents, becoming the fourth associate of the president ensnared by Mueller's probe. More significantly, he also is providing details to Mueller about the Trump campaign's approach to Flynn's controversial meeting with a Russian envoy during the presidential transition.

Trump's relationship with Deutsche Bank stretches back some two decades and the roughly $300 million he owed to the bank represented nearly half of his outstanding debt, according to a July 2016 analysis by Bloomberg. That figure includes a $170-million loan Trump took out to finish a hotel in Washington. He also has two mortgages against his Trump National Doral Miami resort and a loan against his tower in Chicago.

Deutsche Bank management is ready to share information about the lender's dealings with Trump and is hopeful that doing so will help end the series of inquiries from Democrats, an executive at the bank, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations, has previously told Bloomberg News.

News of the Deutsche Bank subpoena may escalate Trump's vitriol toward investigators, which over the past week has included publicly attacking the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose reputation he declared to be " in tatters."

In July, Trump said in an interview with the New York Times that if Mueller examined his family's finances beyond any relationship with Russia he'd consider it "a violation." Mueller's investigation had expanded to examine a broad range of transactions involving the president's businesses, including dealings by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, a person familiar with the probe told Bloomberg News after the publication of the Times interview.

Democratic senators, including Dianne Feinstein, suggested after the Flynn plea that Mueller might be building an obstruction of justice case against Trump. But the Deutsche Bank subpoena may indicate that the special prosecutor is still looking at a wide range of data, including the president's financial dealings.

Mueller's team has also been interviewing White House aides in recent weeks, including former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, former spokesman Sean Spicer and National Security Council chief of staff Keith Kellogg, according to people familiar with the investigation.

As Mueller's investigation unfolds, Trump has gone on the offensive. Over the weekend on Twitter, he attacked the FBI and Mueller's team and defended some of Flynn's actions. In particular, Trump hailed the news that one of Mueller's aides had been removed from his job over the summer for some anti-Trump text messages.

On Monday, as he left the White House for a trip to Utah, Trump restated his sympathy for Flynn and his assertion that prosecutors should have pursued action against his general election rival, Hillary Clinton.

---

Bloomberg contributors: Billy House, Chris Strohm, Ross Larsen, Kathleen Hunter and Alan Katz.
EDDIE SEAL

Fitch Ratings warned Monday that Citgo Petroleum is a default risk following the recent arrests of the Houston refining company's top leadership in Venezuela.

The major credit ratings agency downgraded Citgo to a negative watch list with a "CCC" rating that describes Citgo as a substantial credit risk with a real possibility of defaulting. Citgo previously held a "B-" as a highly speculative risk that was still functioning OK financially. (Fitch is majority-owned by the Hearst Corp., the parent company of the Houston Chronicle.)
NEW YORK - HBO host John Oliver hammered Dustin Hoffman about allegations of sexual harassment and the actor fired back with a ferocious defense, as a seemingly benign screening became an explosive conversation about Hollywood sexual misconduct on Monday night.

"This is something we're going to have to talk about because . . . it's hanging in the air," Oliver said to Hoffman at the discussion, an anniversary screening of the film "Wag the Dog." He was alluding to an allegation made by Anna Graham Hunter last month that Hoffman groped her and made inappropriate comments when she was a 17-year-old intern on the set of the 1985 TV movie "Death of a Salesman."

"It's hanging in the air?" Hoffman said. "From a few things you've read, you've made an incredible assumption about me," he noted, adding sarcastically, "You've made the case better than anyone else can. I'm guilty."

The "Last Week Tonight" personality was moderating a 20th-anniversary screening panel at the 92nd Street Y on behalf of the Tribeca Institute, with stars Hoffman, Robert De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal and director Barry Levinson on the stage. About halfway through the hour-long talk, Oliver brought up the issue to Hoffman, saying he found the actor's statements about the matter wanting. Nearly the entire rest of the discussion was then dominated by Oliver, Hoffman and the subject of sexual harassment.

Hoffman had offered a conditional apology at the time of the allegation, and on Monday he underscored an "if" included in that statement, noting several times that he didn't really believe he had done anything wrong. He said that he had not engaged in groping, that he didn't recall meeting Graham Hunter and that all his comments on set were simply how members of "a family" talked to one another.

"I still don't know who this woman is," Hoffman said. "I never met her; if I met her, it was in concert with other people."

Oliver dismissed that as insufficient, then cited Hoffman's response at the time of the allegation that the actor's behavior on set was "not reflective of" who he really is.

"It's 'not reflective of who I am' - it's that kind of response to this stuff that pisses me off," Oliver said. "It is reflective of who you were. If you've given no evidence to show it didn't [happen] then there was a period of time for a while when you were a creeper around women. It feels like a cop-out to say 'It wasn't me.' Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?"

Hoffman accused Oliver of "putting me on display" and said he felt blindsided because neither Oliver nor Tribeca organizers had told him that the moderator would raise the subject.

Several times, however, Oliver sought to move on and talk about the film, but Hoffman returned to the subject of harassment, growing testy as he said Oliver was not keeping an "open mind" while unquestionably believing accusers.

"Do you believe this stuff you read?" Hoffman asked.

"Yes," Oliver replied. "Because there's no point in [an accuser] lying."

"Well, there's a point in her not bringing it up for 40 years," Hoffman said.

"Oh, Dustin," Oliver said disapprovingly, putting his head in his hand.

At one point, Rosenthal tried to jump in and defuse the situation.

"You also have the way men and women worked together [in the past]; you are in a situation where 'that was then, this is now,'" Rosenthal said. "[And] what difference is all this going to make? . . . This conversation doesn't do any good. We have a platform here. How are we moving [the issue] forward?"

Oliver, though, said he felt it was imperative to talk about it. "This isn't fun for me," the TV personality noted. "[But] there's an elephant in the room because, this particular incident, a conversation has not been had." He noted that the film they were gathering to discuss, "Wag The Dog," dealt with sexual misconduct by a powerful man.

Rosenthal then said of the film, "It wasn't produced by Weinstein or Miramax. . .Kevin Spacey wasn't starring in it. Let's look at real sexual criminal predators."

"That's a low bar," Oliver retorted.

The back-and-forth mainly centered on the Graham Hunter allegations, and also at times invoked an accusation by Hoffman's "The Graduate" co-star Katharine Ross that he had groped her on the set of the classic film. It did not manifestly address another claim, by the writer Wendy Riss Gatsiounis, that Hoffman had propositioned her inappropriately in a pitch meeting in 1991.

The showdown happened as sexual harassment issues continue to roil the entertainment world, with a growing number of men falling under suspicion and being held to account, often publicly. The exchange, however, marked a rarity in the post-Harvey Weinstein era, which has seen accused harassers generally offer short statements in response to allegations, if they respond at all. Very few have engaged in long public conversations about it, and almost none have sounded as defiant as Hoffman did Monday night.

The conversation grew increasingly angry as it wore on. When Hoffman began talking about his long career, Oliver interjected with "Oh, Jesus."

"So now I can't even finish a sentence?" Hoffman asked.

Hoffman also cited "Tootsie" as evidence of his feminist bona fides.

"I would not have made that movie if I didn't have an incredible respect for women," Hoffman said. "The theme of the movie is he became a better man by having been a woman."

He said he had an awakening of sorts when, dressed as a woman for that film, he was ignored by some men on the set. "I said when I came home to my wife that I never realized men were that were brutal, that men are that obvious," Hoffman recounted. "They didn't find me attractive and they just erased me."

He added, "What makes me sad is that I grew up in an environment in which we were taught to want the girls on the covers of magazines, the models, and I said to my wife 'Look at how many interesting women I passed up . . . look at how many women were erased by me because of the generation I was born.' That was a very strong reason for me wanting to make that movie.

"It's shocking to me you don't see me more clearly," he then said to Oliver. "That you go by a couple of things you read."

As the panel went on some in the crowd became involved.

"Move on. Let it go," one woman could be heard shouting to Oliver. She was soon drowned out by other people, one of whom said "Shame on you." Another yelled to Oliver, "Thank you for believing women," to loud cheers.

Oliver said that he considered not addressing the subject at what was intended as a genial chat but then decided he bore an obligation.

"I can't leave certain things unaddressed," the host said. "The easy way is not to bring anything up. Unfortunately that leaves me at home later at night hating myself. 'Why the . . . didn't I say something? No one stands up to powerful men.'"

"Am I the powerful man?" Hoffman asked.

The actor asked why the questioner wouldn't hear his side. "Keep a kind of open mind if you can, John."

"I'm trying," Oliver said.

"Well I'm trying harder than you are," Hoffman shot back.

Tensions did not cool throughout the session.

"You weren't there," Hoffman said to Oliver about the "Salesman" set.

"I'm glad [I wasn't]," the host replied.

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Video: "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver questioned actor Dustin Hoffman at a Tribeca Film panel on Dec. 4 about sexual harassment allegations made against him.(The Washington Post)

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It has been three months since Salvadoran immigrant Alirio Gamez claimed sanctuary from deportation by entering a north Austin church.

On Wednesday, Gamez will step out of the First Unitarian Universalist Church for the first time to ask for a deportation stay. Faith leaders and members of the Austin Sanctuary Network will then lead a caravan from Austin to San Antonio to file a stay of removal application and meet with ICE officials.

"We are telling ICE to respect my right to safety," Gamez said in a press release. "We are going to show ICE our strength in unity, and we expect to have a victory in our hands."

Gamez's efforts to remain in the country have since drawn the support of hundreds who have signed a petition on his behalf to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and sparked the #LetAlirioStay hashtag.

After fleeing the violence in El Salvador in 2015, Gamez filed a request for asylum but was denied after being held in three detention centers.

"I have the right to live and to have my life respected," Gamez said at a press conference shortly after he began living at the church on Sept. 5. "That's why I'm asking this government to please stop my deportation."

The campaign to keep Gamez from being deported is also part of a growing church sanctuary movement across the country. About 800 churches have joined the movement, with an estimated 32 congregations housing immigrants at risk of deportation. About two dozen churches and religious groups have joined the Austin Sanctuary Network.

The church sanctuary movement has roots in a similar tide of activism in the 1980s when churches and synagogues offered refuge to those escaping civil war in El Salvador and Guatemala.

"We are going to demand that Alirio stay in the country and be granted a stay of removal," Alejandro Caceres, immigration organizer with Grassroots Leadership, said in a press release. "We have built a network that supports him and is enriched by him. Because of this, we also believe that ICE has no authority to come into our city and deport anyone from our community."
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In a bizarre sequence of events for the Harris County Sheriff's Office Monday night, one suspect was accidentally shot in the face by a deputy and transported to the hospital--only for a second suspect to steal a cruiser at that same hospital, the sheriff's office said.

The events began when an off-duty deputy working an extra security job called in a wreck, in which the suspect responsible failed to stop and give information, said spokesman Jason Spencer. Spencer said a second deputy in a marked HCSO vehicle located the suspect and pursued him in a brief chase, which ended at a residence on the 500 block of Connorvale, in Aldine.

Now Playing: After leading an off-duty sheriff's deputy on a brief chase, a man is recovering in the hospital after the deputy accidentally shot him in the face Monday night, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Video: OnSceneTV.com

Before the suspect could even show his license and registration, however, the deputy said he accidentally shot him through the window. He had approached the man's car with his gun drawn, given it was directly after a pursuit, Spencer said.

"When the deputy approached the vehicle with his weapon in hand," Sgt. Cedrick Collier said at the scene, "the deputy slipped in some water and mud in the driveway, and his weapon discharged, grazing the suspect across the forehead."

The suspect was transported to Ben Taub Hospital, where HCSO later said he was in stable condition.

Spencer said deputies had been parked at the hospital waiting for the suspect to be discharged so he could be taken to jail.

At some point early Tuesday morning, a man who appeared to be completely unconnected to the shooting incident spotted one of the unattended HCSO cruisers. The keys were left inside, Spencer said.

The person hopped inside and later told deputies he just wanted to take the car "for a joy ride."

Spencer said it was unclear how far the suspect had gotten before deputies apprehended him and took him into custody. Spencer did not know whether he had been charged as of Tuesday morning.

HCSO said the first suspect who had been shot may face charges for failing to stop and give information following the car accident and felony evading arrest charges.
Rep. Blake Farenthold's former communications director said she's faced significant professional repercussions since alleging sexual harassment in a lawsuit against the Texas Republican in 2014.

In a rare public interview, Lauren Greene told CNN she was advised her career on Capitol Hill would be over if she sought legal recourse against Farenthold, R-Texas. Her lawsuit claimed he made inappropriate comments intended to gauge if she was interested in a sexual relationship; he has denied wrongdoing.

Greene's comments reveal the career difficulties that can arise for women who file sexual harassment complaints, especially in industries that run on loyalty - like politics.

"I was told this would be career suicide," she told CNN Monday night. "As soon as I decided to do this, I had to come to the conclusion that D.C. was no longer going to be in the cards. That was the feedback I got. . . . Staying in D.C. wasn't an option for me."

In a separate interview with Politico, Greene revealed she has been unable to land a full-time job and that her family has had to support her financially since her lawsuit.

"I have reason to believe that there have been a couple of jobs I haven't gotten because they Googled my name and I think somehow it's perceived as a negative," she told CNN.

Farenthold settled with Greene for $84,000, an agreement that resurfaced in the news on Friday after the Committee on House Administration released statistics on workplace settlements involving representatives' offices in the past five years.

That settlement was the only one pertaining to sexual harassment that was paid out of a designated Treasury Department fund since 2013.

The congressman said Monday that while he "didn't do anything wrong," he plans to reimburse taxpayers for the settlement's cost.

Interviewed by a Corpus Christi television station, Farenthold said he doesn't "want the taxpayers to be on the hook for this. I want to be able to talk about it and fix the system without people saying, 'Blake you've benefited from the system. You don't have the right to talk about it and fix it.' "

Greene, 30, said she has "nothing to hide" and would be willing to disclose the terms of the settlement if Farenthold agrees.
A veteran police officer in San Marcos, Texas, was shot and killed in an "ambush-style" attack Monday as he tried to serve an arrest warrant, marking the first time in the department's history an officer was killed in the line of duty, according to the city's police chief.

Kenneth Copeland, 58, was serving a warrant for a violent crime in a subdivision on the city's south side when a man opened fire on him and other officers, "much like in an ambush-style situation," Police Chief Chase Stapp said in an evening news conference.

Copeland, a 19-year veteran of the force who was working on his day off, was struck multiple times. His fellow officers put him in a patrol car and rushed him to the Central Texas Medical Center. He was pronounced dead shortly before 4 p.m.

The suspect, who was not identified, holed up in a house while officers on the scene called for backup and formed a perimeter around the area "in hopes of getting the assailant out peacefully," Stapp said.

A crisis negotiation team arrived, and the suspect eventually surrendered and was taken into custody. He was shot at some point during the standoff, though police said it wasn't clear whether he shot himself or was struck by one of the officers' bullets. He was treated for the injury at a hospital in Austin, about 30 miles northeast of San Marcos.

City officials said Copeland was the first San Marcos police officer to be killed in the line of duty. They described him as a hard-working and well-liked member of the department and said he leaves behind a wife and four children.

"Ken's a hero," Stapp told reporters. "He worked just about every day off to provide for his kids and because he knows we're shorthanded and need the help."

"His picture is hanging in different parts of this police department because everybody here loved him," he added.

Stapp said Copeland, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard before becoming a police officer, was wearing body armor during the attack but that the bullets hit parts of his body that were unprotected. The chief declined to offer further details about the nature of the shooting or the arrest warrant Copeland was serving.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott offered his condolences to Copeland's family and ordered the city's flags lowered to half-staff in his honor.

"Today we grieve for the family of the fallen San Marcos police officer, and we vow swift justice for the killer," Abbott said in a statement. "The men and women in law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect and to serve our communities, and we will never forget their sacrifices."

Texas grieves for the fallen San Marcos police officer and we vow swift justice for the killer. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect and to serve our communities, and we will never forget their sacrifices.

Four schools in the area were placed on lockdown following the shooting, and children who were boarding buses to go home were sent back inside, local media reported.

According to KXAN, Copeland was honored at a recent Cub Scouts program at one of the schools, Mendez Elementary. He also worked security at the Promiseland Church on the edge of town, Pastor Michael Higgins told the station.

"There's a lot of great officers," Higgins said. "There's only a few that really mesh with our environment, and Ken Copeland was so highly respected."

Copeland is the sixth law enforcement officer to die from gunfire in Texas this year, according to statistics from the Officer Down Memorial Page.

San Marcos Mayor John Thomaides called Copeland a "member of our family" and asked for the city to rally around men and women in law enforcement.

"No city is prepared for this, and we are all mourning together," he said in Monday's news conference. "This just rips your heart out."
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Pushed by high winds and extremely dry conditions, a wildfire that started Monday in Ventura County spread rapidly across 45,000 acres overnight, leveling at least 150 structures and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate.

The Thomas Fire started north of Santa Paula in the foothills near Thomas Aquinas College around 6:30 p.m. Monday. By Tuesday morning, the blaze burned into the city limits of Ventura, about 65 miles north of Los Angeles on Highway 101, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Ventura County Fire Department tweeted that at least 150 structures had burned as of 3:41 a.m., and that one firefighter had been been injured. At least 27,000 people were under mandatory evacuation as of 4 a.m. in the Ventura, Santa Paula and Ojai areas.

About 7,000 homes were evacuated from Santa Paula to Ventura, a distance of more than 12 miles.

Now Playing: Strong winds were pushing the blaze in a southwest direction toward the cities of Santa Paula and Ventura, leading to new evacuations of homes north of Foothill Road in Ventura and reports of power outages. Video: Los Angeles Times

The fire, pushed by ferocious Santa Ana winds and gusts of 50 to 60 mph, was zero percent contained at sunrise. The Ventura County Fire Department said aircraft and helicopters are expected to attack the fire Tuesday morning.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The prospects for containment are not good, Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said at a news conference. Really, Mother Nature is going to decide.

Cal Fire officials said at an 8 a.m. news conference that dry vegetation fueling the fire was as bad as it could get and caused the fire to spread at exponential growth overnight. Officials said they were anticipating strong winds of up to 50 mph as firefighters battled the blaze Tuesday.

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for a number of neighborhoods in the area. Some Bay Area fire crews, including those from Alameda County, Oakland, Fremont, Hayward and Palo Alto are being sent to help battle the blaze.

The fire swept into Ventura, a city of more than 100,000 people, engulfing a large apartment complex and the Vista del Mar Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Ventura.

Another fire, called the Creek Fire, has spread to 2,500 acres threatening Sylmar and Lakeview Terrace, in the San Fernando Valley near the Los Angeles city limits.

Southern California Edison tweeted Monday night that approximately 260,000 people in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties were without power. It was not clear when electricity would be restored.

Sophie Haigney is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophieHaigney
People waiting for permanent housing after Hurricane Harvey will have to wait almost a year more before funding starts really flowing to the state, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush warned the State Senate on Tuesday.

Bush said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is still in the rule-making process to determine how $5 billion in federal aid can be used to help people with more permanent housing solutions.

Bush, as he has warned previously, said it can take as little as 9 months to nearly three years for HUD disaster funding to get into communities.

Bush said it won't be until early fall 2018 before funds will begin to arrive. He said the General Land Office is drafting an action plan that will make sure his agency is ready to move once the funding makes it to Texas.

Those bureaucratic delays are coming even though the U.S. Congress passed legislation authorizing the spending back in September. The money is there, Bush said, the feds just need to work out the rules on how Texas can use the money.

While funding for temporary housing has been flowing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Bush said the key to helping homeowners longterm rests with HUD's community development block grant program, often referred to as CDBG money.

That funding is used to help mitigate damage to homes or help people with buyouts, he said.

State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, who leads the Senate Finance Committee, said every time her committee meets she wants to get updates on how the recovery is progressing.

"This is going to be a long and costly recovery," Nelson said.

In late October, Bush made a similar sobering announcement to the Senate Finance Committee on how long it will take for the more permanent housing to get to Texas. Since then, Bush has been in Washington, D.C. working with HUD Secretary Ben Carson to try to cut through red tape.
AUSTIN  Members of the powerful Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday harshly criticized Land Commissioner George P. Bush over a complex web of nonprofit entities overseeing the Alamo they say keep operations of the revered shrine improperly shrouded in secrecy.

A bipartisan group of senators -- including Sens. Joan Huffman, Kirk Watson, Lois Kolkhorst and Paul Bettencourt -- suggested to Bush that he open the records and meetings of the four now-private entities to ensure they are fully accountable for taxpayer funding.
AUSTIN  Texas Education Agency auditors dismissed concerns lodged by the agency's former special education director who alleged the state improperly awarded a multi-million dollar, no-bid contract to a tech company that is mining data on disabled students.

TEA auditors reviewed the state's contract with SPEDx, a data company, after the agency's special education director alleged another TEA employee awarded the contract to a friend. Laurie Kash, the director, also alleged the agency did not attempt to determine if other vendors could provide the same service.

"The accusations could not be substantiated, and the complainant's charges were made without basis and were not supportable," said Bill Wilson, the TEA's director of internal audit, in a memo obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

Kash raised concerns about the contract internally, and in late November, also filed a federal complaint against the agency for awarding the contract.

TEA fired Kash last month because of allegations that she covered up the sexual abuse of a 6-year-old girl in her previous school district. Two former employees filed a civil lawsuit making the allegations in Oregon days before Kash was fired.

Kash denies the allegations. Bill Aleshire, Kash's lawyer, said he does not trust the audit because it does not cite any legal analysis and auditors did not investigate all of Kash's concerns.

"It's hard to refer to that as an audit without putting quote marks around that word," Aleshire said. "It doesn't conclude that TEA properly awarded the contract, it just addresses three issues."

Auditors reviewed whether a TEA staff member awarded a contract to her friend, if the staff member arranged for her friend to become a sub-contractor and if there were attempts made to find vendors with similar products.

Aleshire contends TEA is using the Oregon lawsuit as a cover, and said Kash was fired because she was outspoken about the SPEDx contract. The Georgia-based company received a $4 million contract to analyze students' Individualized Education Program, or IEP.

An IEP lays out a student's disability, his education needs and how a school intends to meet those needs. In a presentation to school districts, TEA said SPEDx will analyze IEPs to "detect hidden patterns and insights" that can help the department better serve students.

TEA did not put the contract out for bid because the data project requires specialized software that state staff say only SPEDx can provide. Kash, however, believed Penny Schwinn, the TEA's Chief Deputy Commissioner of Academics, awarded the contract to a friend.

Christina Heitz, who Schwinn met through an education training program, introduced Schwinn to SPEDx CEO Richard Nyankori in January, according to the audit. Once SPEDx won the state contract a few months later, the company hired Heitz to conduct training for TEA staff and to interview special education stakeholders.

TEA auditors found no wrongdoing with that arrangement. "Mr. Nyankori did not suggest that TEA persuaded him to hire this subcontractor, and it was a decision he made early in the process," the memo said. "In fact, the Agency is not permitted to direct a vendor on what sub-contractor to use."

Auditors also say TEA staff searched for other vendors that had software that could perform a data analysis like the one SPEDx offered, but TEA could not find any. In early November, Kash received a written reprimand for accusing Schwinn of awarding the contract to Heitz. The reprimand letter also noted other instances when Kash objected to the SPEDx project.

"It is your responsibility to represent the positions of the agency, not your personal preferences or opinions," Justin Porter, Kash's supervisor wrote. Porter then required that he be present in all of Kash's meetings, including when taking phone calls. Porter noted that the reprimand was not intended to prohibit Kash from reporting conduct that she believed to be illegal or unethical.

Aleshire, Kash's lawyer, said he was retained soon after Kash received the reprimand. On Nov. 21, Kash responded to the reprimand, and filed a complaint with the Department of Education outlining her concerns with the contract.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, who used $84,000 in taxpayer dollars to settle with a former aide who sued him for sexual harassment in 2014, says he's going to pay back the money.

Farenthold said Monday that he plans to use personal funds to repay the government, a move that would be unprecedented under the 1995 Congressional Accountability Act that governs workplace disputes against lawmakers and their staffs.

"If I don't pay this, anything I say is going to be like, 'This guy benefited from this system,'" Farenthold told the Houston Chronicle in an interview. "It takes away my legitimacy."

The four-term congressman, maintaining he did nothing wrong, said in an earlier statement that he wants to pay the tab himself so that he can take on "a leadership role in reforming an obviously broken system."

"Make no mistake," he added, "this repayment is not an admission of guilt."

Farenthold said in a television interview in Corpus Christi that he might take out a personal loan and try this week to deliver a check to House Speaker Paul Ryan or other congressional leaders.

Farenthold also got an endorsement Monday from a past spokeswoman, Elizabeth Peace, who told the Chronicle that while Farenthold was always respectful, the atmosphere for women in much of the rest of Congress can be "toxic," requiring mandatory sexual harassment training.

72nd richest lawmaker

Farenthold, for his part, said that the losers in his case, which was eventually settled out of court, were the taxpayers who are required by law to underwrite settlements and awards against members of Congress.

"I want to be clear that I didn't do anything wrong," he told KRIS TV in Corpus Christi. "But I also don't want the taxpayers to be on the hook for this."

In a subsequent statement, Farenthold said he thought he had no choice about using taxpayer money in the 2015 confidential settlement he reached with his former spokeswoman, Lauren Greene.

Under the 1995 law, awards and settlements are paid from an account of the U.S. Treasury.

"From day one of this lawsuit, I hired a private attorney to represent me and was prepared to settle it without taxpayer funds," Farenthold said. "But I was advised by attorneys from the Office of House Employment Counsel that since the lawsuit was filed against 'the Office of Representative Farenthold,' not me personally, I could not pay personally to settle the case."

The scion of a wealthy and politically connected family, Farenthold's net worth was estimated in 2015 at more than $5.7 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which ranked him the 72nd wealthiest lawmaker in the House.

Farenthold, 55, is the first member of Congress now known to have benefited from a little-known Treasury Department fund created to cover workplace settlements involving lawmakers.

The congressional Office of Compliance disclosed Friday that the fund paid for only one sexual harassment settlement involving a House lawmaker's office in the past five years, but did not name Farenthold.

Accuser defends claim

In a statement Friday, Farenthold declined to confirm or deny that the claim had involved him. But he confirmed the payment in his interview Monday.

"I wish I could have said something Friday," he told the television station. "I went to the House lawyer and said, 'What can I say?, and they said, 'Nothing  Here's the statement that you can make.'"

Farenthold's account, however, differs from documents provided by the Office of Compliance, which state that the terms of settlement agreements, including any provisions governing disclosure, "are solely determined by the parties and their representatives."

Greene, then 27, alleged in a 2014 federal lawsuit that Farenthold made sexually suggestive remarks and, along with top staff members, created a hostile work environment. She also alleged that he retaliated against her when she complained. She did not allege any inappropriate sexual contact.

"I have nothing to hide," Greene told CNN Monday night. "I think I did the right thing. I stood up for myself."

In his response to Greene's complaint, Farenthold alleged that she was fired for "poor performance."

The out-of-court settlement came after the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent watchdog agency, cleared Farenthold, concluding that there was no "substantial reason" to believe the allegations against the Corpus Christi Republican.

Farenthold emphasized Monday that the mediated settlement with Greene stipulated that both sides agreed that "the mediator's solution saves the parties, and the taxpayers, significant sums that would be expended in further discovery and/or trial. The parties' settlement expressly provides that both parties deny all liability.".

Until now the details of the settlement, including the $84,000 payout, remained under wraps, apparently by agreement of the parties. At the time, Farenthold was represented by lawyers for the House Employment Counsel.

Though Farenthold was cleared in 2015, the House Ethics Committee indicated Friday that it will review all formal claims of sexual harassment and other misconduct involving members and employees of the House.

He said he hired his own attorney at personal expense over the weekend to review the 2015 settlement, and was advised that he can talk about the "process."

Saw him as considerate

Peace, who served as the congressman's spokeswoman for two years after Greene left, said that while Farenthold always treated her with respect, the same is not true elsewhere in Congress.

"My two years with Congressman Farenthold were incredibly valuable," Peace said in an email. "I had an extensive and great career prior to working for the House but I learned so much during my time there. Congressman Farenthold was always very respectful to me and very considerate of my family - as in flexible with my schedule when necessary for the needs of my children as my husband was deployed overseas for the majority of the time I worked there.

"Sadly," she added, "I'm not surprised by the news coming out lately about sexual harassment in Congress as a whole because of other things I witnessed and things that occurred during my time there. It can be a very toxic work environment as a whole, but once the congressman became aware of those issues, he immediately took action on behalf of his staff and did his best to always do the right thing.

"While I don't want to discuss the particulars of that, I am very empathetic to the stories of other women coming forward in recent weeks. I would urge Congress to immediately pass mandatory sexual harassment training for all staffers as I believe it's greatly needed."
A storm dropped about 4 inches of rain along the coast on Sunday - but it also brought something else to our city. Dread. Fear. Anxiety. Call it a condition of post-Harvey stress disorder. A much-needed mini-deluge after the fourth-driest November on record remains little match for the memories of flooded neighborhoods and rescue flotillas. Nobody forgets how quickly the water can climb from the bayou banks to your front doorstep - at least nobody in Houston.

Politicians in Washington, D.C., have a shorter memory.

That's why a delegation from City Hall is visiting our nation's capital today. The Trump administration rolled out an insultingly inadequate hurricane recovery bill last month, and Congress must be reminded of its duty to help our city rebuild from Harvey and prepare for the next hurricane. Millions of lives and billions of dollars flow through the roads, rails and pipelines that crisscross our Energy Capital of the World. Disaster in Houston has ramifications across the globe.

Three major flood prevention projects must be at the top of their honey-do list for Congress. This includes the third reservoir at Cypress Creek, a coastal storm surge barrier and bayou infrastructure, including the completion of Project Brays.

Congress also needs to cut the red tape that can slow our recovery.

Removing the $5 million cap on FEMA Community Disaster Loans will ensure that local governments can be fully reimbursed after cleaning up all the wreckage left behind by Harvey. And loosening environmental reviews for repairing single-family homes will help Houston avoid one of the major barriers to recovery that New Orleans faced after Hurricane Katrina.

Our lawmakers also need to unravel a bizarre plan by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney to redirect $12 billion in Community Development Block Grants toward competitive infrastructure grants. Never before have cities and states been forced to fight over flood prevention funds - especially after enduring such massive disasters. You have to wonder about the moral mind-set of an administration that sees nothing wrong in a plan to pit Texas and Florida against each other in a struggle to survive. We might as well be watching "The Hunger Games" ethos as adopted for public policy. CDBGs should be spent rebuilding neighborhoods. Mitigation projects must be funded through the Army Corps of Engineers. And Congress has to make it all happen.

If our representatives forget about Houston's recovery, then it will fall on voters to remember during the 2018 election.
The City of Houston held a short meeting Monday in which it named an acting city clerk and referred a matter to the planning and zoning commission.

Heather Sponsler was appointed to the post by Mayor Don Tottingham, per city ordinance. Sponsler will perform the duties once filled by Tonya Foster, who was the subject of a 4-1 vote by the council on Nov. 20 that asked her to resign. Foster left her post that night.

Sponslers appointment was important so that the city could easily conduct bank business. In the interim, it was announced at the meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Donnie Wilson was handling banking issues that required the citys attention. Sponsler will now assume that role. Applications are being accepted for the city clerks job.

In other matters, members:

Learned that a Realtor had notified the city about the possibility of rezoning a structure at 201 E. Highway 17 from residential to highway business district. The building is east of a parking lot owned by First Free Will Baptist Church. The matter was referred to the Houston Planning and Zoning Commission.

Readopted an anti-discrimination resolution related to the funding of the citys transit system.

Learned that the Houston Police Department has acquired armored vests that are used during high-risk situations. The seven replace out-of-warranty vests that didnt provide as much as protection. The cost was $2,200-$2,400.

Authorized putting a use tax on the April ballot that would allow the city to recoup sales tax on Internet sales from outside the area. It is part of a regional effort involving several cities.

Heard the city received a $5,244 check for reimbursement of an electrical transformer damaged during spring flooding.

Held the first reading of an ordinance related to firearms in city buildings. A sign at city hall will be removed.

Heard City Administrator Tona Bowen report work continues on the city 2018 budget. Discussion will occur at the Dec. 18 meeting.

Members adjourned into a closed session to discuss personal matters. No votes were taken.
A drive to raise funds for the renovation of the Melba Theatre and adjoining buildings has generated donations totaling more than half a million dollars, organizers announced this week.

Downtown Houston Inc. said the project garnered significant financial support in the last weeks of the year. Members made several presentations to potential donors and worked extensively with CPA and financial planning firms related to the availability of state tax credits available under the Neighborhood Assistance Program. Donors receive 70 cents for each dollar donated toward their state tax obligation and can also deduct the total donation from federal returns.

The project includes the Melba and commercial buildings on each side of it on Grand Avenue. The real estate deal will close before years end. A purchase agreement was reached with representatives of the trust of Kathleen Kelly Fiquet, which owns the buildings. Fiquet was the daughter of Bessie Kelly Womack Herrington, who constructed the movie house that opened in February 1938 and continued to be a social hub for generations. It has been idle since 1980.

This is a significant step in the project, explained Kathy Richardson, the vice president of the organization. Were really pleased with the support received and the excitement generated by this project. There are a lot of happy memories associated with the Melba in downtown Houston.

Richardson said the most significant local donation came from Landmark Bank in Houston, which contributed $100,000 toward supporting the community project. Eric Wells, president of the Houston banking center, made the presentation last week. Landmark has donated generously to our projects over the years, Richardson said. Were really grateful for the support of the local bank, its management and board of directors. It says a lot when they reached out to us before being asked to assist.

The organization in late 2013 submitted a thick application that detailed construction and remodeling plans, a business operating strategy and pledges of support from numerous businesses and organizations.

The Houston application received the maximum tax credit allocation allowed.

The same financing method was used by Downtown Houston Inc. for development of the Lone Star Plaza after a devastating Grand Avenue fire and a major rehabilitation of the former Haney Market that is today the Houston Visitors Center. The City of Houston later obtained grant funding that brought new lighting and sidewalks to the downtown business district.

The Melba project involves several entities that have expressed interest in staging shows and other events, as well as meetings. It will seat about 300. The Houston School District also does not have a stage for its students.

A second component also is a part of the project. Downtown Houston Inc. owns a building on Main Street north of the Lone Star Plaza that also will get a facelift. The Lone Star Plaza Annex includes space for the Houston Farmer Market to have refrigeration equipment and a commercial kitchen to teach residents skills that include canning. U.S. Rural Development awarded the group a $30,000 grant, a portion of that will be used for the equipment purchases.

Contributions are still being sought for the Melba project for such expenses as an audio-video system and other needs. Donors can contribute and receive a federal tax deduction. The groups address is: Downtown Houston Inc., P.O. Box 170, Houston, Mo. 65483. Officers are: Brad Gentry, president; Kathy Richardson, vice president; and Vera Gladden, secretary-treasurer.

This is a significant step in the project. Were really pleased with the support received and the excitement generated by this project. There are a lot of happy memories associated with the Melba in downtown Houston.
Marcus Livius said: That is North Korean propaganda and MSM fake news hysteria.



The Norks only have 700 guns and artillery launchers that can reach the northern parts of Seoul. They cannot all be fired at the same time and continuously. They must be pulled back into harden shelters after each salvo because the US and South Koreans will be firing back at them. The South Koreans also have extensive shelters and a plan to be able the evacuate their population completely out of the reach of artillery within the first day. A military study has concluded that the Norks will only be able to inflict casualties of 3-30,000 before the South Koreans and Americans completely destroy or silence those guns with the greatest bombardment from the air, sea, and land that North Korea will ever have even seen, faster if the Japanese want to join in.



There is also a matter of their supply train, condition of the ammunition, and accuracy, not to mention the condition of the guns themselves.



When North Korea attacked the South Korean island of Yeonpyeongdo with artillery in 2010, the 12 gun battery were only able to fire 170 out of 288 projected rounds. Out of the 170, only 80 manage to land on the island itself including the beach and surf. Click to expand...

Regardless of these considerations and constraints on the North Korean side, if Pyongyang embraces the worst-case scenario for Seoul  the indiscriminate targeting of the capital and its suburbs  the damage would still be significant. Some research claims that overall damage and casualties in Seoul would be minimal, but those studies have relied on very conservative data, especially regarding the effective range of North Korean artillery systems. Many findings do not take into account newly deployed, modernized 122-mm multiple launch rocket systems with extended range, or the much more capable 300-mm multiple rocket launchers. If projectile flight distances reach proven ranges (or commonly accepted ones) and involve these new systems, then the northern portion of Seoul could be saturated with fire. Even areas south of the Han River could be within range of 170-mm self-propelled guns, 240-mm multiple rocket launchers or 300-mm multiple rocket launchers, depending on their position on the North Korean side of the DMZ. If every one of Pyongyang's 300-mm multiple rocket launcher systems were directed against Seoul, their range would be sufficient to rain fire across the city and beyond. A single volley could deliver more than 350 metric tons of explosives across the South Korean capital, roughly the same amount of ordnance dropped by 11 B-52 bombers. 

Studies vary. Most of what you said is correct, however:
Zealand companies are foregoing opportunities to earn hundreds of millions of dollars more a year because women are not fairly represented in business, said Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter.According to the Diversity Dividend Report, having more women in leadership roles could boost the economy by as much as $881 million a year.Having women in leadership roles benefits everyone, but we need to once and for all ditch this notion that women arent talented enough to be there, Genter said.The perception that there is not enough available female talent is the greatest barrier in achieving gender balance in leadership.People hiring and promoting need to question their unconscious bias as to why they are not seeing talented women who can do the job.According to Genter, there are talented women who are well prepared for stepping up into management roles but they need to be promoted, and their skills recognised.The Ministry of Women maintains a database of hundreds of women through their Nominations Service who are available for governance roles. Anyone can access this service, and I encourage any employer to get in touch to ensure that they have the best candidates.Genter said businesses that are still male dominated are missing out on significant business opportunities, as well as denying women a fair shot.For the 42 per cent of businesses that have observed no change in women in management roles in the last two years, now is your opportunity to get with the programme, she said.
Animal rescuers from Humane Society International have saved more than 170 dogs languishing on a squalid dog meat farm in South Korea, a mere two hour drive from where the country will host the 2018 Winter Olympics in 10 weeks time. The charity is flying the dogs to shelters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom to receive care and rehabilitation. Scroll below for a list of shelters receiving dogs.

The dog meat farm in Namyangju is one of an estimated 17,000 dog farms in South Korea breeding more than 2.5 million dogs a year for human consumption. It is a grim, shocking and largely hidden side of South Korea that is in stark contrast to the colourful pomp and ceremony of the Olympic festivities, and one that a growing number of South Koreans believe has no place in their modern, progressive society.

The stated vision of the 23rd Winter Olympic Games is new horizons, explicitly appealing to the younger generation and aspiring to create a cultural new horizon where traditional and world culture converge. HSI believes that with young Koreans increasingly rejecting dog eating, there has never been a better time to phase out the dog meat trade and usher in the cultural new horizon of compassion.

At the Namyangju farm, dogs including golden retrievers, spaniels, beagles, greyhounds as well as Korean jindos and mastiffs, were being kept in filthy and deprived conditions, spending their whole lives in rows of barren wire cages, exposed to the elements and with no veterinary care whatsoever. HSI found many of the dogs suffering from eye infections, skin disease, as well as painful leg and paw sores from endless days of standing and sitting on thin wire mesh. Their fate would have been to be killed by electrocution at the local market or slaughterhouse and made into a spicy soup called bosintang, but instead theyve been saved by HSI as part of the charitys campaign to see an end to the brutal dog meat trade.

Nara Kim, HSIs South Korea dog meat campaigner, said: As a Korean myself, Im hugely proud to be able to save these beautiful dogs and stop their daily suffering. Most people in South Korea have no idea how atrocious these dog meat farms are and what physical and mental misery these animals go through. I feel privileged to be able to show these dogs that humans can be kind not just cruel, and to make them feel safe and loved for the first time in their lives. Eating dog is already a declining habit in South Korea, but if people could see the sorrow of these dogs and the disgusting unhygienic conditions in which theyre raised, I think even more people would stop eating it.

HSI has been working on the ground in South Korea for the past three years; this is the tenth dog farm the charity has permanently closed, working in partnership with dog meat farmers keen to leave the trade. A combination of growing societal shame, increased difficulty in selling dogs as appetite for dog meat declines, and regret at the suffering of dogs, leads farmers to approach HSI for a practical way out. While for some very elderly dog farmers, HSI intervention has meant they can finally retire without the hard physical labour of dog farming and without having to sell their dogs for slaughter, others work with HSI to devise a business plan to transition them into alternative, humane livelihoods such as water delivery or blueberry farming. Mr Kim, who has been farming dogs for twenty years, plans to enter the construction business and to grow vegetables on his land. Its a blueprint for change that HSI hopes the Korean government under President Moon Jae-In will adopt.

Farmer Kim said: I originally started farming dogs because I heard it would make money, but now in South Korea even in the summer the trade has reduced by about one third. I also have a young child, and the dog farming business wont look good for her because she really likes dogs. Working with HSI makes me feel great for the dogs, but at the same time Im nervous to step into a new business. Before HSI, I wouldnt talk to the dogs and I stopped myself from caring about them because it made it harder selling them to traders. But after I decided to work with HSI, I started to talk to these dog and told them to hang on in there. I told them they are going to have a much better life. And I mean it. I feel really great and happy for them.

HSIs President Kitty Block who joined the dog farm rescue effort, said: Ive worked in animal protection for many years but I can tell you, seeing these dog farms for myself has been one of the most emotionally confronting things Ive ever done. As we count down to the Winter Games, its clear that its not sufficient for South Korea to temporarily hide the dog meat trade in the shadows when the worlds media shines its Olympics spotlight. Whats needed is a commitment to phase it out for good.

HSI has saved a total of 1,222 dogs so far from South Koreas dog meat trade, like gentle giant Clint the mastiff who recently starred in a PSA video with Criminal Minds actor Daniel Henney, and little Caspian who went from dog farm horror to Ambassadorial luxury when adopted by the British Ambassador to South Korea.

Take action! To say no to South Koreas dog meat trade, sign HSIs petition in English or Korean  signatures will be submitted to the South Korean government.

Act now. Protect dogs and cats in South Korea.

Facts:

Most people in South Korea dont regularly eat dog meat. In fact, opposition to eating dog is growing among Korean citizens, and the newly elected President Moon Jae-in recently adopted a dog named Tory who was said to be rescued from a dog meat farm.

Most dog meat  up to 80 percent  is eaten during the hottest days of summer, called Bok Nal. Dog meat is usually made into a soup called bosintang. Small dogs can also be made into a herbal drink called Gaesoju.

While some very elderly dog farmers with whom HSI works choose to retire, others work with HSI to devise a business plan to transition into alternative, humane livelihoods such as water delivery or blueberry farming. Mr Kim plans to enter the construction business and to grow vegetables on his land.

In summer 2017 Konkuk Universitys Institute for the 3Rs and Korean Animal Welfare Association inspected dog meat from 93 vendors at 25 markets, and found that 64 percent of dog meat contained antibiotic residues (up to 490 times higher than antibiotic levels seen in other meat products such as beef or chicken). In addition, an earlier study by the Research Institute of Public Health & Environment (Seoul Metropolitan Government) showed that the dogs in the butcher shops of South Koreas largest dog meat market, Moran Market, often carry potentially zoonotic bacteria (e.g. staphylococcus, colon bacillus), and traces of antibiotics exceeding hazardous health standard limits.

Dogs are usually killed by electrocution taking up to five minutes to die, although there are instances of dogs taking up to 20 minutes to die. Hanging is also still used despite laws prohibiting this.

The dog meat industry is in legal limbo in South Korea, neither legal nor illegal. Many provisions of the Animal Protection Act are routinely breached, such as the ban on killing animals in a brutal way including hanging by the neck, killing in public areas or in front of other animals of the same species.

An estimated 30 million dogs are brutally killed and eaten each year in parts of Asia. Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore have laws in place prohibiting the trade, on grounds of both animal welfare and human health/disease control.

At each dog meat farm closure, HSI has a veterinarian test for the presence of the H3N2, or dog flu, virus at the time the dogs receive their rabies, DHPP, and coronavirus vaccines. HSI also vaccinates the dogs for distemper, parvo and coronavirus. HSI then quarantines the dogs on the farm (if theyre healthy and with added enrichment and constant monitoring) or at a temporary shelter with no dogs in or out for at least 30 days prior to transport.

For more information visit hsi.org/dogmeat

Media contact:

United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423

South Korea: Nara Kim, nkim@hsi.org

United States: Raul Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, +1-301-721-6440

Note: Below is a list of HSUS Emergency Placement Partner shelters receiving dogs from this latest rescue. The dogs are being transported on various days in the coming weeks; please check their websites for dog arrival and adoption information.

Kentucky:

The Arrow Fund, Louisville, Ky.

Pennsylvania:

Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue, Reinholds, Pa.

South Hills Pet Rescue, South Park, Pa.

Utah:

Humane Society of Utah, Murray, Utah

Virginia:

Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Arlington, Va.

Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA, Charlottesville, Va.

Peninsula SPCA, Newport News, Va.

Portsmouth Humane Society, Portsmouth, Va.

Wisconsin:

Fox Valley Humane Association, Appleton, Wis.

Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin, Janesville, Wis.

Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS), Waukesha, Wis.

Oshkosh Area Humane Society, Oshkosh, Wis.

In addition to our shelter and rescue partners, we are grateful to the Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART), which provided transport inside the U.S.
Fans Can Now Use Cryptocurrency To Buy Music, Merch From Weezer, G-Eazy and 35 Major Artists

Cryptocurrency Monero has launched Project Coral Reef, an initiative that enables the use of the cryptocurrency to purchase music and merchandise at discounted prices from 35 major artists including G-Eazy, Dolly Parton, Ministry and Fall Out Boy this holiday season

_________________________________

Fans of 35 major artists including Weezer, Mariah Carey, rapper G-Eazy, Kaskade, Motorhead, Fall Out Boy and Toby Keith can now buy discounted music and merchandise using cryptocurrency Monero.

Monero is an open-source cryptocurrency launched in April 2014 that focuses on privacy, decentralization, and scalability. Unlike many cryptocurrencies that are derivatives of Bitcoin, Monero is a unique protocol. It was founded by Naveen Jain, a music industry veteran and serial entrepreneur, and Riccardo Spagni, lead maintainer of Monero.

Dubbed "Project Coral Reef," this holiday initiative is designed to increase awareness of Monero. Payment processor GloBee, music merchandising companies Global and Manhead and platinum-seller G-Eazy, along with several dozen other major recording artists, are all supporting the effort.

As cryptocurrencies become more popular, its important that my fans have choices when it comes to how they buy my songs and merchandise, said G-Eazy, the Billboard chart-topping rap star from Oakland, California. Given Monero is one of the safest, most secure and most private cryptocurrencies, its one of the best options for my fans this holiday season  and just in time for my new album.

"As someone on the front lines of the music merchandise business, I know how passionate fans are in supporting their favorite band or artist, said Chris Cornell, Founder and CEO of Manhead Merchandise. I also know how much they value keeping their financial information private. Giving fans the option to use their Monero to purchase awesome gear at our artists stores this holiday season is a win-win for our artists, and our fans right to privacy.

Share on:
Environmental groups and Native American tribes have vowed to tie up Trumps move in courts. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance plans to file a suit within days, if not hours, legal director Steve Bloch said.



The general gist of the argument regarding both national monuments is that the Antiquities Act is a limited grant of authority from Congress to the president to establish national monuments, Bloch said.  Nowhere in the act does Congress give the president the power to revoke or diminish national monuments, and by doing so the president is acting beyond his authority and unlawfully. 



The Navajo Nation also promised to fight Trumps decision. The Navajos, who consider the Bears Ears monument of critical importance to the culture of many tribes in the region, said the White House ignored their requests to meet and discuss the issue.



The decision to reduce the size of the Monument is being made with no tribal consultation, Navajo President Russell Begaye said in a press release. The reduction in the size of the monument leaves us no choice but to litigate this decision.



...Trump is also in danger of inflaming public opinion even while he appeases the Utah congressional delegation. Besides environmentalists, hunting and fishing groups have come out against the move, including some groups that had expressed early optimism about Trump and Zinke....


Robin Grandchamp, left, gives a $14 check to Ellen Sutherland that carried over the public school's Northern Berkshire United Way drive over the $10,000 mark. That earned her a box full of Sutherland's famed cupcakes, delivered on Monday.

Cupcake Reward Tops $10K Northern Berkshire United Way Drive

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  A chance to be a "United Way hero"  and get a box of homemade cupcakes  drove the School Department's donations to Northern Berkshire United Way across the $10,000 line last week.

The hero was Robin Grandchamp, librarian at Colegrove Park Elementary School, who was first to pledge the $14 that would take it to the $10,000 mark.

"I only wanted to help and I made an initial donation," she said on Monday as she accepted the chocolate cupcakes. "When I heard Ellen [Sutherland's] baked goods were at stake, I couldn't hit that enter fast enough."

Campaign coordinator Ellen Sutherland, assistant to the superintendent, said the drive has collected a record $10,200 so far, more than double that of just a few years ago. School Department employees and retirees were exceedingly generous, but it helped to have a little incentive, Sutherland said, in the form of raffles of donated items and gift cards.

"It's from people who are on all spectrums of the pay scale," she said. "We try to make it fun: Who doesn't like to win something?"

Raffle items ranged from gift cards to area restaurants and businesses and a lot of handmade and homemade items, like real maple syrup from the Caproni family, afghans made by Pat Boulger and Marie McCarron's homemade baklava.

"We usually end it just before Thanksgiving so it's 10 days of raffle prizes, some days there's a couple," Sutherland said. "We make it fun. We had [Facilities Manager] Matt Neville model the afghan. ...

"You're seeing people who are not only reaching into their wallets to make a donation to the United Way but giving a prize to build incentive."

Sutherland also this year reached out to retired employees who had donated in the past, generating $700, including $100 that came in on Monday, and "some really nice notes from people who had retired from the district."

On Thursday, she realized the total amount donated was at $9,986.

"When I came to the totals I thought, 'oh my gosh, we're $14 away from $10,000. I bet I could get that,' " Sutherland said.

So she went to her email list and set a challenge: "If anyone wants to be a hero and donate $14, I will bake and deliver a tray of cupcakes to you on Monday."

Grandchamp was the first one but Sutherland said she had a dozen people "who responded in a minute." Grandchamp had missed out already on some goodies, like Sutherland's whoopie pies, and was happy to have opened her email at the right moment.

"She gives great little incentives ... she makes you want to be part of it all," Grandchamp said.

Christa Collier, NBUW's executive director, said her organization was thrilled by the "generous educators and staff of North Adams Public Schools."

"These dollars, will support our 20 member agencies who provide the critical human service programs in Northern Berkshire, serving the towns of Adams, North Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Savoy, Florida and Williamstown," she said. "Funds raised will support programs in the areas of education, health, financial stability and safety net services."

Collier also credited Sutherland, a member of the nonprofit's board, for her successful campaign efforts.

"First asked to be a campaign coordinator for one of the schools, she eventually became the coordinator for the entire district under Superintendent James Montepare," Collier said. "Since then, she has worked to increase the campaign each year. Of significance is that in 2016-2017, the campaign saw an increase of 30 percent and this year an increase of 25 percent."

Sutherland said more than 40 percent of the district contributed to the drive.

"This district does so much for families. There's so many programs that people don't even know about, that the public doesn't know," she said. "I'm a big advocate for the United Way ... the United Way serves our families in so many ways and, really, it's just such a nice connection."
School Changes to Have Little Impact On Lanesborough's Management

Town Manager Paul Sieloff updates the Finance Committee on Monday.

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  Town Manager Paul Sieloff doesn't expect much to change with the elementary school transitioning to the Mount Greylock Regional School District.

Sieloff said the employee contracts will all be in the district budget in July. The transition team will be merging union contracts, bringing all the workers under the same system. But, the school district will be billing the town for those services.

Sieloff said the only real difference the town will see is that there will be one less line in the budget for insurance, with the school employee insurance being reflected in the district budget.

"We're going to have minimal impact. It is mostly administrative, back office stuff," Sieloff told the Finance Committee on Monday.

The move will take about half of the employee's health insurance off of the town's books, eliminating that budget line altogether.

"The number will be reduced because we are passing those costs onto the district and the district is charging it back to us," Sieloff said.

When it comes to setting that budget, Sieloff said the town will still have oversight. The district agreement, approved at a special town meeting last month, still puts the elementary school budget decisions in the hands of the town.

"To some degree, you are going to have the same oversight on the elementary school budget," Sieloff said.

In other business, the Finance Committee is still looking for ways to do more for senior citizens. Member Ronald Tinkham said the senior population is expected to significantly increase in the coming years. He recently met with the Council on Aging board to get a handle on different programs the town can offer.

Tinkham believes is there is a need for more senior housing. The town had purchased a parcel of land off Prospect Street years ago with the intention to build senior housing but the federal grant program eyed to move that along fell through. Tinkham wants to rekindle the push to build senior housing somewhere in town.

He is also pushing for a way to provide tax relief. He said the town at one point in time had a program to reduce property taxes for seniors of a certain age and who had lived in town for a long time. The senior would pay for town services, but wouldn't be responsible for costs associated with education.

"I pushed on them to try to explore that," Tinkham said.

He recently went to a food service program in Adams and returned with arms full of food to give out to locals. He said programs like that are available all over the county but often many seniors are unaware of it. He'd like to increase awareness of those type of programs and possibly even have the Council on Aging provide transportation.

Another program he'd like to explore is a way to fix items for seniors. He said a lot of widows are currently struggling with maintenance issues but want to stay in their homes. He'd like to see somebody available to do those items.

But, he also wants to hear from the seniors about what they want and need. He said he wants to release a survey to get that input.

Meanwhile, the town is looking to make investments in the Council on Aging. Sieloff is looking to expand the hours of Council on Aging Director Lorna Gayle from 18 to 28. The increase of hours will nearly all be offset by a federal grant. The additional hours are eyed to have her provide more outreach to the community.

"She is pretty much office-bound most of the time. These extra hours will allow her to get out into the community," Sieloff said.

Tinkham, however, would rather see the town use the grant money to hire somebody to specifically focus on outreach.

"I don't want the outreach person task to fall to the bottom of the list," Tinkham said.

Sieloff is also looking to expand the hours of Tax Collector Caryn Wendling. Sieloff said Wendling works some 20 or so hours in Peru, which offers her health insurance. To increase her hours in Lanesborough, Sieloff said she'd be eligible for health insurance. Peru has agreed to split that cost -- meaning Lanesborough shoulders less of the burden it could have and Peru gets its cost cut in half.

Sieloff said the Water District has agreed to split the town's portion of the health insurance increase -- so only a quarter of the entire cost will come from the town's budget. Sieloff said the increased hours of 18 to 27 will allow her to focus more on collecting back taxes and allow more chances for residents to be able to stop in the office and pay.

"In both cases, the Selectmen and the Finance Committee has wanted to look at this creatively so we can feel comfortable that there is a little fiscal restraint," Sieloff said. "In both cases, we were able to mitigate the cost of the hour increases."

Finance Committee Chairman Ray Jones said he wants to make sure the agreement with Peru and the Water District includes her future retiree health insurance as well.

Also in other business, Moderator Robert Reilly told the Finance Committee that the crafting and reading of warrant articles at town meetings have not been running smoothly. He said the town's attorney crafted the motions in years past and provided copies to the Finance Committee chairman and himself. Reilly would then call on the Finance Committee chairman to read them.

However, in recent years, Reilly said the process of getting the language from the attorney has been happening at the last minute. And there has been confusion as to who is reading them. At the recent special town meeting, Reilly said he hadn't heard anything about it and had to craft the motions himself.

"It worked OK when I was 90 percent out of the loop. But my concern is that it is too close to the edge of falling apart," Reilly said.

One example of confusion is the Selectmen were under the impression that Jones didn't want to read the motions. At least one of selectman said he didn't want to read them either. But Jones on Monday said he has no problem reading them and he isn't sure why the Selectmen thought he didn't. Jones said he was surprised to learn that the Selectmen were reading them at the special town meeting.

Sieloff said the attorney will craft the motions in the future and the Finance Committee agreed to continue to have the chairman read the motions.
The Regional Agreement Amendment Committee will recommend the school district rename itself Hoosac Valley.

Adams-Cheshire May Become Hoosac Valley Regional School District

CHESHIRE, Mass.  An advisory committee is recommending a new name for the regional school district: Hoosac Valley Regional.

The suggestion was made at the second meeting of the Regional Agreement Amendment Committee, which is reviewing the documents regulating the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District.

"It just makes sense and it would add some continuity," committee member Erin Milne said. "It is more flexible if towns want to leave or join 20 years down the road."

The amendment committee, facilitated by Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools Assistant Director Stephen Hemman, agreed to change the name as part of the amendment process before delving into the first three sections of the agreement on Monday.

The School Committee showed interest in making this change last year but agreed to only change the name of C.T. Plunkett School at the time to Hoosac Valley Elementary. The RAAC, formed to amend the agreement that was last updated over 10 years ago, took this charge and agreed to add the name change to the agreement that will ultimately be voted on by both towns.

The panel also looked at Section One of the agreement that spells out the composition of the School Committee, how its members are elected and their powers and responsibility.

The amendment committee agreed to change the definition of a quorum so that a quorum can only be achieved if members from both communities are present.

"Basically, it forces both towns to reach across the aisle to come to an agreement," committee member Edmund St. John IV said. "I think 98 percent of the votes taken are unanimous anyways, but this would force .. cross-community communication when voting on something."

The seven-member School Committee needs four members to have a quorum and could theoretically hold a quorum with just the four Adams representatives and none of the three Cheshire representatives.

The panel agreed that the new policy would level the playing field and committee member and School Committee chairman Paul Butler said he has often put off votes if there was no Cheshire representation at a meeting.

St. John also suggested changing voting requirements so that a vote can only pass if both Cheshire and Adams members vote in the affirmative. He said this would make it so the School Committee could not vote a town line as it originally did when members voted to close Cheshire Elementary School.

Hemman suggested not having a blanket voting policy because it could "hamstring" the School Committee. He said there could be specific votes such as hiring a superintendent where this policy applied or it could require a supermajority.

"Just remember one thing it sounds good, but you are sort of tying yourself up ... because the major vote that you make is certifying the budget and in that case, it doesn't matter. You need the supermajority and you need both representatives from both member towns," he said. "You are going to hamstring yourself if it is every single vote."

Hemman asked that the committee make a list of what these votes would be for next meeting.

Committee member Justin Kruszyna asked if the School committee could just decrease a number so the membership is split equally.

"I think we want to avoid a situation that already happened when we closed the school. The vote was down the town line," he said. "We are looking for middle ground here where we can all be happy and work together where one town can't control the direction of the school district"

Committee member Michael Mucci said he felt the School Committee should continue to have membership representative of the towns' populations.

"I am just getting at everything I have read it all seems to go back to population data," he said. "To go to a three to three when you have a 75 percent to 25 percent population that's contrary to every plan we are looking at it ... it doesn't seem like the way to go."

Beyond cleaning up the organization of the section and wording, Hemman suggested clarifying policies that may have been historically practiced and placing them in the agreement.

"You may have procedures that everybody might know but in 20 years different people will be sitting at this table," he said. "You want them to have a clear direction in how they are supposed to operate."

Hemman suggested clarifying who tallies votes and who declares the victors on the School Committee after elections. He also suggested adding a policy that outlines what to do if there is a tie and how to fill a vacancy.

The biggest change the committee agreed to in Section Two, which spells out the makeup of the district and grade levels, was to make it Section One instead of the school committee section.

Hemman said this organization would add a more proper introduction to the agreement.

"I like that idea and Section Two really explains what the school district is," Butler said. "It seems like it would make more sense."

The third section of the agreement outlines the buildings in the district, how the district leases them from the towns and who is responsible for repairs and maintenance.

Currently, the district owns Hoosac Valley High School, but the town of Adams owns Hoosac Elementary and leases it to the district.

With the preferred option to move the entire district up to the Hoosac Valley High School campus in the future, the committee agreed to only note in the policy that the district owns the high school and if a school is owned by one of the towns, there can be a lease.

"If someday we decide to reverse course and we open a school in Cheshire and close the one in Adams or move it all up to the high school all of it is still possible," Committee member Tim Burdick said.

Hemman will send the changes to the state Department of Education for its approval. Ultimately DOE will have to sign off on the amended agreement and the two towns will have to vote on the changes.




iciHaiti - Strike : Truce and resumption of classes at Faustin Soulouque High School in Petit-Goave





Friday at the end of a meeting between the faculty of Faustin Soulouque High School and a delegation of the Ministry of National Education led by Pierrin Cherlvil the Deputy Departmental Director of Education of the West, the teachers strikers made the decision to observe a truce until the end of January 2018...



The directorate of Faustin Soulouque High School thanks the teachers and confirms that classes will be resumed normally from Monday 4th December. In addition, it invites all students to come to the classrooms next week.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22873-haiti-news-zapping.html



IH/ iciHaiti / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goave)






















iciHaiti - Politic : Training of 100 executives of the Ministry of Agriculture





The Ministry of Agriculture recently launched in Port-au-Prince, the third series of training for executives in planning/programming, budgeting and monitoring and evaluation. Two other series took place the weeks passed in the North and the South in the same perspective.



This program aims to build the capacity of a hundred Ministry staff through training and skills transfer aimed at improving the organizational performance of the Ministry.



"The Ministry is determined to ensure the enhancement of learning and new skills, to improve the quality of plans, programs and projects, in accordance with the objectives of the Coordination Unit Study and Programming," said Vilmont Eric Junior, Representative of the Minister of Agriculture, present at the launching ceremony.



For her part, Martine Therer, Deputy Director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) emphasized the essential role of agriculture in achieving sustainable development goals adopted by Haiti in 2015 "historic commitment of the Program sustainable development by 2030 to get rid of the two scourges of poverty and hunger can become a reality if we work together, if all actors join and share their knowledge."



It should be noted that these courses are supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with the technical expertise of the UNDP and the Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine of the State University of Haiti.



IH/ iciHaiti


















Conservative Christian Pastor Calls for Executing All Gay People by Christmas Day

... to celebrate Christmas Day because this is what Jesus would say.

Note this is not being reported in the U.S. This is from a U.K. paper.

It sounds like a sermon that would be delivered in Uganda, but its actually from the mouth of an American pastor in Arizona.Conservative Christian Pastor Steven Anderson openly called for executing every gay person in America during a Sunday sermon at his church in Tempe, Arizona. He claimed from the pulpit that gays need to be put to death in the name of God by Christmas Day in an effort to wipe out AIDS, even though AIDS is not a virus exclusive to the LGBT community. Anderson opined:Turn to Leviticus 20:13, because I actually discovered the cure for AIDS. If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. And that, my friend, is the cure for AIDS. It was right there in the Bible all along  and theyre out spending billions of dollars in research and testing. Its curable  right there. Because if you executed the homos like God recommends, you wouldnt have all this AIDS running rampant.In addition, Anderson went on a hateful tirade about how gay people will never be allowed to step foot inside his church.No homos will ever be allowed in this church as long as I am pastor here, Anderson declared. Never! Say Youre crazy. No, youre crazy if you think that theres something wrong with my no **** policy.Heres the video via YouTube.Slowly but surely, conservatives are becoming more extreme in their anti-gay views. So much so, that some are now willing to endorse genocide in the name of God in a desperate bid to force their agenda of hate upon the nation. Despite the fact that the Constitution is the law of the land, conservative Christians like Anderson want to replace that document with the Bible.The mass extermination of an entire group people is something the Nazis would be applauding. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, conservatives are acting just like the Nazis did in Germany, from claims that homosexuality is a sign of the decay of the nation, to claiming that its a disease that can be cured, to calling for killing gay people.Many in Germany regarded the Weimar Republics toleration of homosexuals as a sign of Germanys decadence. The Nazis posed as moral crusaders who wanted to stamp out the vice of homosexuality from GermanyBecause some Nazis believed homosexuality was a sickness that could be cured, they designed policies to cure homosexuals of their disease through humiliation and hard work.Thousands of gay people died in concentration camps under Nazi rule.It sounds like Anderson is one of those who are posing as a moral crusader to push their hateful anti-gay agenda. And yet, conservatives have the nerve to compare liberals to the Nazis. If we continue to stand by and allow conservatives to take power in the United States, we may discover to our horror that similar Nazi anti-gay policies have been established under the cloak of religion.By Stephen D. Foster Jr.
I have been home with my now elderly father for the past six weeks, and since he is 85 going on 86 years old, he watches television LOUDLY and literally all he watched is FOX NEWS. Since mom died last month and I live in China, basically I am around him all day. I wish he could be younger again and do his activities and not stuck at home watching this stupid **** (actually FOX Business isn't horrible if you are a financial person or just an investor on speed) all day, but that's another story.



Since I have been inadvertently watching FOX, I know that the network hates Hillary Clinton. Just hates her. Every commentator just piles it on to her. Of course, Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong, and is being demonized by the Left and Democrats for doing such a great job. FOX sort of goes one ear and out the other with me, but they ramble on about something called "Uranium One" or some ********, and it is Hillary in bed with the Russians and she caused all this turmoil and mess.



I mean, I don't like Hillary Clinton either. But FOX just uses her to deflect from Trump and his shortcomings. Hillary is out of the game now and she isn't coming back. Hill and Bill are not popular even in their own party, and really Obama is the spiritual head of their party now. Hillary is not relevant anymore yet FOX just rambles on like she's Hitler who eats babies and are traitors.



I was a child of the 1970's but really miss the old school news people like Cronkite, Brinkley, Chancellor, Reasoner, Mike Wallace. Professional, nearly non biased, level journalism with integrity. These morons at FOX went to the Ted Baxter School of Broadcasting.
Israel: Jerusalem Has Been the Jewish Capital for 3,000 Years

The Fellowship | December 5, 2017 Bibi: Best to Confront Iran Sooner Rather Than Later

As were reporting in todays Daily Dispatch, Turkey has joined the Palestinians in making threats against Israel if the United States recognizes  as planned  Jerusalem as the Jewish states capital this week. In response, reports Haaretzs Noa Landau, Israel reminds the world that the Holy City has been the Israeli capital for three millennia:

A senior Israeli official responded to Turkeys threat to cut ties with Israel if the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as its capital, saying that Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for 3,000 years and the capital of Israel for 70 years, whether [Turkish President] Erdogan recognizes it as such or not.

Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the possibility that U.S. President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital is a red line for Muslims. He warned that if such a decision is made it will result in Turkeys cutting diplomatic ties with Israel.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, meanwhile, said that at the end of the day it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogans sympathy.

Erdogans comments echo a growing sentiment in the Arab world and international community who are warning the U.S. against the potential fallout from the move
Based in Hong Kong SAR, Karry joined IFLR in October 2017. She manages the team and is responsible for IFLR's content. She also covers all aspects of financial regulation across Asia and has a particular interest in corporate governance and ESG. Previously, she worked in sustainability education and policy research.
Imperial Valley News Center

Committing to the Fight Against Corruption in Ukraine

Washington, DC - Recent events - including the disruption of a high-level corruption investigation, the arrest of officials from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), and the seizure of sensitive NABU files - raise concerns about Ukraines commitment to fighting corruption. These actions appear to be part of an effort to undermine independent anti-corruption institutions that the United States and others have helped support. They undermine public trust and risk eroding international support for Ukraine.

As Secretary Tillerson has said: It serves no purpose for Ukraine to fight for its body in Donbas if it loses its soul to corruption. Anti-corruption institutions must be supported, resourced, and defended.

Reflecting the choice of the people of Ukraine, the United States calls on all branches of Ukraines government to work together cooperatively to eliminate corruption from public life. Eliminating corruption is key to achieving stability, security, and prosperity for all Ukrainians.
You really don't have a clue.

That is so obvious when you post complete ********.



Ethanol can be made from grain, or any source of sugar, it's fermented sugar.

THC isn't "Created from the process of burning", it's a complex molecule produced by certain plants. Burning isn't required.



When people get high from pot, they are "impaired" for a few hours.

Then they are fine.

There are substances that can be found in their blood for a while, but they aren't "impaired".

OTOH, alcohol can take a while, there are lots of people who are "impaired" the next day after they drink, "impaired" as they drive to work in the morning, "impaired" for the better part of the following day.



The big difference is that alcohol makes a lot of people stupid and brave and aggressive, pot makes most people laid back.



It's rare you get a fist fight at a pot party.

It's rare you get a pot related automobile accident, alcohol makes some people drive fast and aggressive, Pot makes people drive slow.



I'd be a lot more worried about a gun owner drinking than smoking pot.
Imperial Valley News Center

American Heart Association provides financial aid to Puerto Rico with the Ricky Martin Foundation

Dallas, Texas - A shipment of drinking water, water filters, medicine and medical supplies for hospitals and clinics arrived last night to the Muniz Air Force Base in San Juan Airport, as a humanitarian effort of the American Heart Association, the worlds leading voluntary health organization devoted to fighting cardiovascular disease.The arrival of this medical aid to the island, was made possible through the American Heart Associations $100,000 donation, granted to the Ricky Martin Foundation in contribution to Puerto Ricos relief and recovery post-Hurricane Maria.

This donation, made by a nonprofit organization that depends on donations, demonstrates our genuine interest in promoting and preserving the cardiovascular health of Puerto Ricans," said Dr. Angel Davila Franco, M.D., member of the board of directors of the American Heart Associations Greater Southeast Affiliate and emergency room medical director, HIMA San Pablo Cupey. This donation and another anonymous gift, funded the plane that transported the long-awaited supplies from Florida.

The Ricky Martin Foundation will distribute the water, filters and medicine to communities in need. The filters aim to provide sustainable drinking water. The new homes that the foundation is building in Loiza, where Association has its first allied center for the control of hypertension (Target BP), will now have water filters.

The donated medicine and medical supplies will serve to support the services offered by various hospitals and clinics around the island. The foundation itself runs free medical clinics in different towns to facilitate patient access where these supplies will be used.

Every day, our staff and our 33 million volunteers are in the community supporting peoples health and well-being and I am humbled by the incredible displays of courage taking place across the region by emergency responders and by neighbors helping neighbors, said American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown. We also cannot ignore the long-term health effects that disasters have on people everywhere. People on the island are counting on us and we are committed to support our staff colleagues and neighbors impacted by Hurricane Maria as well as those who are fighting cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

Bibiana Ferraiuoli, Executive Director of the Ricky Martin Foundation, and Kurt Schindler, Board Chair, expressed their gratitude to the American Heart Association:

"On behalf of our Founder and entire team, we want to thank you for this humanitarian gesture. The health of our people continues to be our greatest concern, which is why this initiative is a relief and allows us to continue helping on all fronts, as Ricky has requested. We are very grateful and we promise that this aid will reach our people directly, added Ferraiuoli.
Senate tax bill will deprive more Americans of affordable health care

Washington, DC - Monday a group of 15 non-partisan patient and consumer organizations issued the following statement on the passage of the Senate Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:

The bill passed by the Senate takes yet another step towards undermining the stability of the Affordable Care Acts (ACA) insurance markets. The repeal of the individual insurance mandate destabilizes an essential pillar of the ACA by removing incentives for young and healthy people to purchase insurance. Having young and healthy people as part of the insurance pool helps keep premiums manageable for everyone. This move is the latest in a string of actions by both Congress and the administration that puts affordable, adequate and accessible care for patients and families further out of reach.

The patient and consumer community joins members of the provider and issuer communities in raising the alarm about the consequences of the repeal of the individual mandate without a workable alternative, which include higher premiums and fewer Americans with coverage.

A letter issued by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) earlier this week estimated that repealing the mandate will result in 13 million more uninsured Americans and will increase premiums by an additional 10 percent each year. The CBO also clarified that passage of the bipartisan short-term stabilization legislation crafted by Senators Alexander and Murray would do little to mitigate the dramatic drop in coverage or increase in cost. While our groups continue to support the policies included in the Alexander-Murray bill, that proposal cannot compensate for the harm to patients and families resulting from the repeal of the individual mandate.

We are deeply disappointed by the Senates actions and their impact on the health and wellbeing of millions of patients across the United States. We urge the House and Senate to reconsider this approach during their conference negotiations and stand ready to work with Congress to ensure that any healthcare policies included in the tax package reflect the real and urgent needs of Americans, particularly those with costly serious and chronic health conditions.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Francisco L. Palmieri Travels to Guyana for the Caribbean Nations Security Conference

Washington, DC - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Francisco L. Palmieri will travel to Guyana December 5-7 to participate in the annual Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC), co-hosted by the Commander of U.S. Southern Command and the Chief of Staff for the Guyana Defense Force. CANSEC will bring together more than 50 key U.S. and Caribbean senior defense and law enforcement representatives to unify regional action to counter transnational and trans-regional threat networks.

The conference will develop mechanisms for greater security coordination, improve information sharing, and support mutual security goals as underscored in the Caribbean 2020 strategy.

During his visit to Guyana, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary will also meet with government officials and civil society representatives to discuss issues of bilateral and regional interest.
Finland National Day

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson: "On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I wish all the best for the people of Finland as you celebrate the 100th anniversary of your independence.

"The United States and Finland share a deep bond rooted in a mutual commitment to democratic institutions, regional security, and human rights. Finland is a strong international partner on pressing global issues, such as international migration, Arctic cooperation, and defeating terrorism. The United States looks forward to strengthening our relationship and cooperation with Finland in the coming years.

"The people of the United States have enjoyed celebrating the centennial together with the people of Finland through the Suomi Finland 100 campaign over the last year. We are particularly fond of Finlands sauna diplomacy and welcomed the chance to relax in the traveling sauna that traveled more than 10,000 miles across the United States this past year. Through such cultural exchanges, including programs like Fulbright and the Ambassadors Entrepreneurship Challenge, the connections between our people continue to grow closer each year.

"I congratulate you once again as you celebrate your sisu, your grit and perseverance, and all you have achieved in the last 100 years."
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Michael Haneke is the most jovial director Ive met. Just as boxers and horror writers get their anger and angst out in their work, often surprising those who meet them with their well-adjusted dispositions, so it is with the Austrian responsible for some of cinemas cruellest cuts.

The 75-year-old may be the last giant standing (occasional Godard transmissions aside) in the tradition of the austere European auteur. That reputation is enhanced by his new film, Happy End, in which Isabelle Hupperts bourgeois Laurent family have their hypocrisies teased out with a sharp scalpel. Yet Hanekes laugh is an actual ho-ho, as he conspiratorially discusses answers in German with a translator. Hes dressed mostly in black, and his beard is white, but a grey scarf is flicked over his shoulder with the raffishness of an Oxford don.

Haneke was born in Germany in 1942 and raised in post-war Austria by actor parents. In his teens he admired the new, alienated Hollywood heroes James Dean and Marlon Brando, but his course was set when he saw Pasolinis sadomasochist, scatological provocation set in Mussolinis rump fascist state, Salo (1975). It left him sick for three weeks, and wanting to leave his own future audiences similarly, usefully traumatised, till they had to tear their wounded gaze away.

He achieved this with his breakthrough, Funny Games (1997), about a woman who is being tortured after a home invasion bravely escapes, only for one of her captors to press the video rewind, fixing his mistake and her fate. That brutal switch typed Haneke as cinemas cruel scientist, replacing Hollywood consolations with merciless hurt. From the crucified bird in his Palmes dOr-winning investigation of the proto-Nazi atmosphere in a small German town in 1913, The White Ribbon (2009), to Juliette Binoche screaming as she suddenly sees her little boy teetering on a high, distant ledge in Code Unknown (2000), you take your seat for Haneke in the brace position.

Haneke (centre) on set of his new film Happy End with Jean-Louis Trintignant as Georges Laurent who has a beautifully intimate conversation with his granddaughter Eve, played by Fantine Harduin

But you shouldnt always take a director at his word. His Cannes Grand Prix-winner The Piano Teacher (2001) gave Isabelle Huppert a role as iconoclastic as Elle, playing an academic whose icy control repressed deep masochistic pain. Shes left beaten up and humiliated, and responsible for savage violence of her own. But Huppert and Haneke bring you so close to this sometimes repellent woman that you absorb her pained humanity.

Haneke the former psychology student loathes giving his characters the easy explanation of psychological pasts. Huppert filled her performance with acute, daring psychological leaps anyway. The director, meanwhile, pushed her past acting to more visceral truth, as when her elbows involuntarily jerk up like bird wings, as she fights in bed with her mother. Thats what he was looking for  something you cant control, she recalled.

Funny Games rewind rupture typified Hanekes early desire to tell audiences theyre watching fiction. But the great actors he loves make these worlds real, despite him. His most popular film, the Palmes dOr and Oscar-winning Amour (2012), played more like Hitchcock horror than Hollywood weepie, in showing the suffering love of Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Rivas elderly couple as the latter succumbs to dementia. Yet Hanekes tenderness to them is plain. Im trying to be less theoretical, he told Sight & Sound. A film like [1989 debut] The Seventh Continent wasnt a realistic film; it was a model ... [Amour] is hopefully ... getting closer to life.

Its not only Amour that shows Hanekes love for humanity. His vision of apocalyptic social breakdown among the French countrysides second homes, Time of the Wolf (2003), starts with a boys dad being callously shot dead, but ends with that boy saved from fiery suicide in the arms of a stranger. Juliette Binoches frightening humiliation by two young men on the metro in Code Unknown is almost unbearable to watch because Haneke cares for her.

The dysfunctional Laurent family in Hanekes Happy End: (from left) Fantine Harduin, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Isabelle Huppert, Laura Verlinden, Toby Jones and Mathieu Kassovitz

Happy End dissects an unhappy, self-deceiving family. And yet Jean-Louis Trintignant, as a patriarch this time slipping into dementia himself, has a beautifully intimate conversation with his 12-year-old granddaughter Eve (Fantine Harduin). Even if, this still being Haneke, shes probably a murderer, and their heart to heart is about poison and suicide. Hes a more humanistic director than he seems, Huppert has noted. There is of course no sentimentality, but there is a belief in mankind.

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I always say Im a realist, Haneke tells me. But of course thats not enough in itself. You have to have hope in your private life, or in society  if youre a pessimist, its a useless thing to be. But just hoping is insufficient. You have to believe that you can move people, or change people, or making the works would be completely useless. All artists are bound to believe in that.

Was the tenderness thats now more obvious in his work always there, with its apparent cruelty coming from a place of kindness towards his characters?

I am full of kindness! he chortles.

The skewerer of bourgeois callousness  allowed by careful distance from their victims in Happy End; when a Laurent meets one on a housing estate, he gets a kicking  is also less austere in private than his films sometimes suggest. Not put off by the murders that holiday homes inevitably attract in his work, he has a weekend place in hilly countryside in Lower Austria. Glimpses of rural France in Time of the Wolf, or sunny Calais in Happy End, are no less lovely for their irony. Does he have the appreciation associated with Germanic artists for the romantic and sublime in such landscapes?

Haneke shows the suffering love of Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Rivas elderly couple as the latter succumbs to dementia in Amour (Rex) (Rex Features)

Its for the audience to decide if its in my films. But I cant deny that I have a certain weakness for beautiful things  be it in landscape, be it in interior design. Yes, most definitely. But surely thats something that most artists who work in the visual media would have? Because otherwise, if youre a film-maker, youd be in the wrong job.

There are themes which run true from The Seventh Continent to Happy End. Suicide without end! Haneke laughs. Thats certainly one. The watchful, contemplative child in his first film is also matched by Fantine Harduins enigmatic role here. Both have unusually deep, unspoken inner lives. I was a loner as a kid, and Ive remained that way, Haneke once told Film Comment. Do his films children watch the world as the boy Michael did?

Probably yes, he says, but Im not sure I can remember too well. Children probably have to be attentive, because theyre the weakest link in the hierarchy. For that reason theyre particularly fascinating and productive in relation to violence. The same would go for some extent to women in our society. And at the bottom of the hierarchy you have animals. Which is why so many animals get killed in my films.

Women and children arent always the vulnerable ones, though. Watch Happy End carefully, and at the back of an already long shot, like a sight gag, youll see a woman and pram shove an old couple off the pavement. This may be the most personal scene in the film. Yes, Haneke laughs with feeling. Ive experienced this myself, and I absolutely hate these women with their buggies, who push their way through like ramrods! I hate it!

Isabelle Hupperts icy control repressed deep masochistic pain in Hanekes The Piano Teacher (2001) (Rex) (Rex Features)

Happy End begins with Harduin in a jarring, jittery Snapchat sequence. It continues Hanekes career-long interest in our technological lives.

Yes it is indeed fascinating, Snapchat, he considers. The internet has to some extent taken on the role of the church. Earlier, somebody would have gone to a priest and confessed their sins, and they would be told to recite ten Our Fathers, and that would lead to salvation. Now, we turn to an internet forum instead. I looked at dozens of these pages of confession in preparation for the film, and it was completely astonishing. I think if a priest had had a tape recorder, he would have ended up with a very similar result.

From the TV static that ends The Seventh Continent through Funny Games video nasty to a Snapchat confession, Haneke has chronicled a clear evolution. The development of social media is extraordinary, he considers. Its unique in humankind for an extreme change of that kind to happen with such speed, and obviously no one now can do without these technologies at all. My main fear isnt the amount of time people spend looking at their mobile screens. Its if the electricity fails. Thered be no food, drink, heat. That would be the complete end of all of us, something I predicted in Time of the Wolf.

Happy Ends family live largely oblivious to their refugee neighbours in Calais, the latest example of the insensitivity described a favourite poem of Hanekes, by Brecht: A smooth forehead suggests insensitivity. The man who laughs/Has simply not yet had the terrible news. Haneke himself mostly leaves refugees in the films margins, till they intrude at a wedding party like the return of the repressed. The film isnt about migrants, he explains, its about us.

You have to believe that you can move people, or change people, or making the works would be completely useless, the director says

The repercussions of a scuffle between migrants on a Paris street at Code Unknowns start were developed with Juliette Binoche, again, in Hidden (2005), which is rooted in Frances colonial past in Algiers, and 1961 massacre of Algerians in Paris. We wouldnt have the terrorism that we have, he says, if it wasnt for colonialism. A prescient theme barely altered for Haneke by 9/11 only gets more timely.

Its a North-South conflict, he says. The rich countries against the poor. Thats been confirmed categorically, since Code Unknown. Refugees arent a simple problem, and there are no simple solutions, but a solution has to be found. The problem is that, for a lot of people at the moment, the solution is a shift to the right. Im especially sceptical of comparisons with the 1930s. But this current atmosphere, with everyone dancing on the edge of the volcano, has a parallel there. Because in my youth, immediately after the war, everybody thought that things would get better  because everything could only get better, after that. But now everybody thinks that things can only get worse, and that is a parallel to the situation before World War Two.

I wonder if Haneke is treated as a public intellectual in Austria, being asked this sort of stuff all the time.

Yeah, you do get asked those things, he says, but Im not the kind of person who has a public opinion on everything when asked. I have colleagues who do that, and respond to every possible fart! he laughs. And what is German for fart, Herr Haneke? Furz! Thus the worlds of Michael Haneke and Viz comic briefly meet.

The reserve that is more characteristic of Haneke onscreen is typified by 86-year-old Jean-Louis Trintignants return for Happy End. Theres a cold nobility to his features, a distance present even when he was the handsome young star of My Night At Mauds (1969).

Thats because he always has something secret about him, Haneke explains, in words that could apply to his own films. Thats what makes a great actor. Another example would be Marlon Brando. He has that same kind of secret. They never play it fully. They always stay back just a little bit. And that is precisely what transports the thing thats otherwise inexpressible.

Haneke is at his most elegant in Happy End, where he tried to cut back as much as possible. This refining of technique suits a provocateur who has survived to be cinemas Old Master. Such rigour had one example in a stepfather with an absolutely pitch-perfect ear, he told Sight & Sound, who would wince in pain at a false note. There are other youthful traces, too, from a Protestant upbringing in Catholic Austria. Though he lost his faith, something lingered.

Well certainly so, yes  at 14 I wanted to be a priest. And people with bad intent say to me thats what I still want to be! Haneke laughs, before clarifying. Not a Catholic priest. A pastor  a vicar. You can certainly imagine the almost reverend Haneke peering down from some rural pulpit. He has been kinder to his cinema flock than we realised.

Happy End is out now
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Having smashed box-office records last year, fans are eagerly awaiting Deadpools sequel.

While the first trailer having spoofed Bob Ross and featured some actual footage from the movie, the latest teaser merely has Deadpool offering to tattoo your body.

According to the Merc with a Mouth, fans who attend the Brazils Comic-Con can get themselves a free Deadpool-themed tattoo.

Ah, Brazil  The beautiful, sun-kissed home of Pele, hairless genitalia, and the worlds largest Jared Leto statue, Deadpool says.

27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Show all 27 1 /27 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Black Panther Released: 12 February 12 February Director: Ryan Coogler Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Forest Whitaker, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Greatest Showman Released: 1 January 1 January Director: Michael Gracey Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Darkest Hour Released: 12 January 12 January Director: Joe Wright Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri Released: 12 January Director: Martin McDonagh 12 JanuaryMartin McDonagh Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones > Twentieth Century Fox 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Coco Released: 19 January 19 January Director: Lee Unkrich ,p>Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renee Victor 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Downsizing Released: 19 January 19 January Director: Alexander Payne Cast: Matt Damon, Christopher Waltz, Jong Chau, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Early Man Released: 26 January 26 January Director: Nick Park Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Fifty Shades Freed Released: 9 February 9 February Director: James Foley Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Released: 9 February 9 February Director: Wes Ball Cast: Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie Sangster, Kaya Scodelario, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Shape of Water Released: 16 February 16 February Director: Guillermo del Toro Cast: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Annihilation Released: 23 February 23 February Director: Alex Garland Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Lee, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Dark River Released: 23 February 23 February Director: Clio Barnard Cast: Ruth Wilson, Mark Stanley, Sean Bean 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Red Sparrow Released: 2 March 2 March Director: Francis Lawrence Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Irons 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Tomb Raider Released: 16 March 16 March Director: Roar Uthaug Cast: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Dominic West, 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 A Wrinkle in Time Released: 23 March 23 March Director: Ava DuVernay Cast: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Zach Galifianakis 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Pacific Rim: Uprising Released: 23 March 23 March Director: Steven S. DeKnight Cast: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Roman J Israel, Esq Released: 23 March 23 March Director: Dan Gilroy Cast: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo Columbia Pictures 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Isle of Dogs Released: 30 March 30 March Director: Wes Anderson Cast: Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ready Player One Released: 30 March 30 March Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Avengers: Infinity War Released: 27 April 27 April Director: The Russo Brothers Cast: Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Untitled Han Solo Film Released: 25 May 25 May Director: Ron Howard Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Released: 8 June 8 June Director: J.A. Bayona Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pine, B.D. Wong, Toby Jones 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Deadpool 2 Released: 1 June Director: David Leitch 1 JuneDavid Leitch Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Zazie Beetz, Josh Brolin 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ocean's 8 Released: 22 June 22 June Director: Gary Ross Cast: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Munn, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Matt Damon 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ant-Man and the Wasp Released: 29 June 29 June Director: Peyton Reed Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Soldado Released: 29 June 29 June Director: Stefano Sollima Cast: Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Incredibles 2 Released: 13 July 13 July Director: Brad Bird Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Samuel L. Jackson

To show my dedication to the legions of Brazilian Deadpool fans Ive spent up to 20 minutes on Google translate as well as countless hours watching telenovelas to teach me everything about your official language.

Thats right, this sexy red-spandex ass taught himself Portuguese. Alright, well, hopefully, I get the accent right. Well, here it goes.

A female voice-over then takes over, revealing the four options fans will have for tattoos. Watch below.

Deadpool 2 sees Morena Baccarin, T. J. Miller, Leslie Uggams, and Brianna Hildebrand return as Vanessa, Weasel, Blind Al, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, respectively, while Zazie Beetz joins as Domino and Julian Dennison as a fire wielding mutant.

The superhero movie  which also stars Josh Brolin as the mutant Cable  reaches cinemas next year.
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Apple will give Ireland $15 billion  but it doesn't actually want it.

The country will hold the 13 billion euros in a special account and then hopefully return it, once the Court of Justice of the European Union says that it doesn't actually need to pay it.

The European Commission told Ireland that it needed to collect the money from Apple because of a tax ruling. But neither Apple or Ireland actually wants that payment to happen  Ireland because it thinks it has paid enough and wants to remain attractive to companies, and Apple because it thinks it has paid all it needs to.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

The government said in a statement Monday that an agreement had been reached "in relation to the framework of the principles that will govern the escrow arrangements."

The European Commission had ordered Ireland to collect the money after concluding that two Irish tax rulings allowed Apple to pay less tax than other businesses  thus giving them an unfair advantage. The Commission ordered Ireland to collect back taxes for the years 2003-2014, which it estimated to be as much 13 billion euros plus interest.

Recommended Dangerous Apple Mac bug comes back if computers are updated

Ireland disagreed with the Commission's analysis and appealed the decision.

Apple said in a statement that it remains confident the court will overturn the commission's decision once it has reviewed the evidence.

"The Commission's case against Ireland has never been about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government gets the money," Apple said in a statement. "The United States government and the Irish government both agree we've paid our taxes according to the law."

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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A robot called Vestri that has the ability to learn like a growing baby and predict future outcomes has been created by scientists.

The technology, termed visual foresight, enables the robot to imagine what its next action should be and then act based on the best results.

In the future, it is thought this could enable self-driving cars to predict the roads ahead, but, for the time being, the robot uses its skill to move objects around a table.

The researchers took inspiration from the way babies learn while they play  a process known as motor babbling. They allowed Vestri a week of playing with various objects before giving it the task of moving certain objects from one position to another.

Children can learn about their world by playing with toys, moving them around, grasping, and so forth, said Professor Sergey Levine, whose University of California, Berkeley, lab developed the visual foresight technology.

Our aim with this research is to enable a robot to do the same: To learn about how the world works through autonomous interaction, he said.

Having spent time getting familiar with the objects, Vestri was able to make predictions several seconds into the future of what its cameras would see if certain sequences of movements were performed.

These predictions were produced by the robot as video scenes that had not actually happened, but could happen if the object was pushed in a specific way.

During this phase, Vestri taught itself to avoid any potential obstructions. Using this knowledge, the robot then chose the most efficient path for moving the object in question.

Overall, Vestri chose the right path around 90 per cent of the time.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

In the past, robots have learned skills with a human supervisor helping and providing feedback. What makes this work exciting is that the robots can learn a range of visual object manipulation skills entirely on their own, said Chelsea Finn, a doctoral student in Professor Levines lab who invented the deep learning model Vestri is based on.

The Berkeley researchers now want to expand the number of objects Vestri is able to manipulate, as well as the movements it is capable of making.

By expanding its repertoire in this way, they hope to pave the way for robots that can learn and adapt in all sorts of environments.

In the same way that we can imagine how our actions will move the objects in our environment, this method can enable a robot to visualise how different behaviours will affect the world around it, said Professor Levine.

This can enable intelligent planning of highly flexible skills in complex real-world situations, he said.
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Theres a saying that  on balance  its probably better to be a heroin addict than an alcoholic. To a lot of people, this might seem ridiculous. To people like my friend *Naomi in recovery from a long-term alcohol dependency, the words strike a chord. During this festive period, the angst is even more visceral.

The problem is that alcohol is so mainstream in the UK and a part of our culture, a bit like a nice cup of tea, with the exception that taken in excess it can kill, either slowly through the throes of addiction or else by poisoning. Alcohol is all around us, from prime-time TV adverts to billboards and internet banners. For someone who is drink-dependent, the addiction follows like a ghost.

The festive period is particularly difficult for me, Naomi says, as everyone seems to be drinking and getting drunk either at Christmas parties or on TV. This is the time when the adverts for booze come thick and fast and supermarkets push discounted spirits galore. It can be a really difficult time for anyone struggling with this terrible addiction.

Its true that in the run-up to Christmas, TV adverts selling a cosy Christmas card fireside scene, wine glasses in hand, or a glamorous Champagne lifestyle filled with beautiful people, predominate more than ever. Supermarkets push cheap booze and festive parties are raucous and irreverent. Switch on TV soaps and the settings are all too often centred on the pub or the wine bar. They are, to programme producers, an easy, perhaps lazy, way of bringing many different characters together. Coronation Street has as a pub, The Rovers Return, as one of its main focal points, as do Emmerdale, and Eastenders. They are the innocuous hubs of their respective communities, and everyone is cheerful, in control and seemingly immune, with one or two rare exceptions, to the effects of alcohol. The festive period is even more jolly with no hangovers in sight!

Top tips for the festive period Keep congratulating yourself: You have taken a brave step to stop drinking and will hopefully be reaping the many benefits (improved sleep and mood, more energy etc) so remember to pat yourself on the back. Avoid the boozy parties: If you are at an early stage in your recovery you may be best to avoid parties and events where alcohol is flowing freely. At this time of year, it may be a bit harder to refuse alcohol when everyone else is in the festive spirit. You may also find it more challenging to be around drunk people as this might trigger difficult memories or feelings. Identify a supportive circle around you: You may or may not want to share your recovery journey with other people as unfortunately there is still a lot of stigma attached to problem drinking. However, where possible, identify close friends and family members you know will be supportive. They can hopefully be there for a walk, or coffee when you are struggling. Rediscover or learn a new hobby: This will fill your time, provide some structure and help you meet new people outside your drinking circle of friends. There are so many activities to do that dont include alcohol especially around Christmas  cinema, carol concerts, Christmas markets. Look at non-alcohol options: Alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks are becoming popular due to increasing demand. It is slow progress, but there is a cultural shift around our relationship with alcohol, with thanks to advocacy groups such as One Year No Beer and Club Soda and many people now want to enjoy socialising without the added ABV (alcohol by volume). Access digital support: There are now many online communities of people like you, trying to stay on the path to recovery and providing support and tips to each other. Soberistas is a membership site, which offers forums and webinars amongst many other things. Drink Wise Age Well offers advice, support and web chat at drinkwiseagewell.org.uk

Dr Paul McLaren, consultant psychiatrist and medical director at the Priory Hayes Grove and the Priory Ticehurst House, explains: There is a powerful well-resourced marketing industry which convinces us that alcohol is an integral part of Christmas and the New Year. It is part of having a good time, I have had patients with alcohol dependence in the early stages of recovery who say, I know I need to abstain but I would need to have a glass of wine with the family on Christmas day or a glass of bubbly to see in the New Year, or leaving Santa a glass of port.

I have known Naomi for years, we met as students at university in the mid-Nineties, when drink was cheap and one of our favourite pastimes was getting drunk. We lost touch and then met again a few years ago through work. Her drinking had caused her marriage to breakdown and she was a physical and mental wreck, struggling to find a way out. I dont really want to focus too much on her personal story, as it is a story familiar to so many people suffering from this pernicious progressive disease. According to Alcohol Concern, there are an estimated 595,131 dependent drinkers in England, of whom only 108,696 are currently accessing treatment. Alcohol misuse is the biggest risk factor for death, ill-health and disability among 15-49 year-olds in the UK, and the fifth biggest risk factor across all ages. Alcohol abuse is estimated to cost the NHS around 3.5bn annually.

During December, alcohol consumption in the UK increases by 41 per cent. There are numerous reasons why some people end up drinking too much at a consistent level, including the financial strain caused by overspending; the pressure to be upbeat and act as the perfect host; spending extended periods with relatives; and the need for confidence in social situations, such as the office Christmas party.

Julie Breslin, head of programme at Drink Wise Age Well (part of UK drug and alcohol charity Addaction) says: Christmas can be an enjoyable time for many, but for those who have experienced problems with their drinking and are trying to stay alcohol free it can be a minefield. Be mindful of this when planning staff parties and family get-togethers and try to explore alternative options that everyone can enjoy, including those recovering from alcohol problems.

While alcohol use is reducing in our younger population, this is not the case in over 50s who are drinking more than any other age group. Alcohol abuse can lead to more than 60 health conditions including heart disease, cancer and dementia, according to the charity. The festive period is a time when the clinking of glasses becomes a sign of sociability.

Naomi says: Not drinking becomes more obvious at this time of year, and even though more people than ever are choosing not to drink, among the 70 per cent plus of people who do, you are almost made to feel like an outsider for abstaining. I try to avoid festive parties as a result, which is a shame. Like tobacco adverts, I do think the drinks industry should be banned from advertising, as alcohol is such a harmful drug.

Dr Paul McLaren explains: Christmas party drinking can bring to light longstanding drinking problems and I have seen a number of patients whose problems came to light after they passed out or behaved in a disinhibited way at a work Christmas party and their friends or employers recognised the problem. It is as if they felt uninhibited and drank even more than they would usually do.

Naomi adds: Isnt it time to act real and stop pushing alcohol in peoples faces at this festive time? Perhaps then people will remember Christmas and the best bits, such as spending time together without suffering the collective hangover from drinking too much?

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.
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The European Union has released a blacklist of 17 countries which it says are tax havens, after 10 months of investigations by officials.

After a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday EU finance ministers said American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, South Korea, Macau, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates are not doing enough to crack down on offshore avoidance schemes.

Crucially for the UK, the main list excludes a number of British Overseas Territories such as the Cayman Island and Bermuda that were on a previous EU blacklist from June 2015. Complaints about the methodology of that last list saw it scrapped and replaced with the new register.

The lack of well-established tax havens from the list, however, led some MEPs and anti-tax avoidance campaigns to brand it a whitewash.

The new list was drafted by the European Councils Code of Conduct (COC), a group comprised of finance ministers from EU member states, including the UK. Countries inclusion is based on whether a state gives preferential treatment to companies enabling them to move profits to avoid charges.

Another 47 countries have also been included in a grey list of countries not compliant with EU tax standards but who have committed to change their rules. These countries will have to adopt EU rules by the end of 2018, or 2019 for developing countries, to avoid being included in the main list.

This initiative is already proving its value, as numerous countries have worked to meet the deadline for making commitments on the basis of our criteria, said Toomas Toniste, minister for finance of Estonia, which currently holds the European Council presidency.

But it is also important that we closely monitor the implementation of commitments made by our partners around the world.

This is not just a one-off process. We will regularly review and update the list in the years to come. Our aim is to ensure that good tax governance becomes the new norm.

We have adopted at EU level a list of states which are not doing enough to fight tax evasion, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said.

Pierre Moscovici, commissioner for economic and financial affairs, taxation and customs, said: The adoption of the first ever EU blacklist of tax havens marks a key victory for transparency and fairness.

But the process does not stop here. We must intensify the pressure on listed countries to change their ways.

Blacklisted jurisdictions must face consequences in the form of dissuasive sanctions, while those that have made commitments must follow up on them quickly and credibly. There must be no naivety: promises must be turned into actions. No one must get a free pass.

Both the Cayman Islands (pictured) and the British Virgin Islands are British Overseas Territories are excluded from the main list (GETTY)

Members of the European Parliament and campaigners however criticised the absence of certain countries from the list.

It undermines the EUs credibility that Member States were only able to agree on a whitewashed blacklist of tax havens, said Sven Giegold, economics spokesperson for the Green group.

Not one of the most important tax havens has been put on the list. The list is politically biased as relevant financial centers like the United States of America are missing.

Rather than have a list of tax havens based on an objective set of criteria, as originally envisaged, the list appears to be a political fix with EU members picking their least favourite countries to name and shame, said Alex Cobham, chief executive of the Tax Justice Network.

The result of the flawed blacklisting process is a politically led list, that includes only the economically weak and politically unconnected.

10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Show all 10 1 /10 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Luxembourg There are an estimated 2.5 trillion shares of mutual funds registered in the Grand Duchy, 1 trillion of which cannot be traced to an owner 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands contain 6% of the world's total banking assets, but just 0.000008% of its population 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Isle of Man David Cameron has said the Isle of Man, where there is no corporation, capital gains or inheritance tax, should not be considered a tax haven 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Jersey There are over 3.5 billion assets per square mile on the self-governing Channel Island 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Ireland Ireland made headlines last year when it emerged Apple was registered in the country in order to dodge over 40bn in taxes 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Mauritius The Mauritian government notionally charges corporation tax, but companies can easily make this back through generous tax credits for foreign businesses 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Bermuda Google holds more than 30bn in offshore cash reserves, primarily via Bermuda 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Monaco A popular domicile for super-rich private individuals, Monaco has the most expensive property in the world. 1 million will buy just 225 square feet 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Switzerland Switzerland has such secretive banking laws that it took until the 1990s to secure the release of Nazi cash reserves 10 of the biggest tax havens in the world Bahamas David Cameron's father ran an offshore fund which hired Bahamas residents to complete paperwork, thus dodging British tax bills

While EU members like the Netherlands, Ireland and Luxembourg are the greatest procurers of global profit shifting but are excluded; and while the UK has sought to frustrate the blacklisting of its Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories at every turn, the list is hard to take seriously.

The announcement comes less than a month after the publication of the Paradise Papers, a global leak containing information about individuals and companies holding offshore finances.

Mr Moscovici had called for countries to rapidly adopt a European tax haven list in light of the Panama Papers revelations, as well as arguing that such a list should be enforced with credible and meaningful sanctions.

Potential sanctions that could be enforced on members of the list are expected to be agreed in the coming weeks.

A spokesperson for HM Treasury said: Todays publication marks an important step in our ongoing efforts to tackle tax avoidance and evasion internationally.

This is clearly working, as over 40 jurisdictions have made significant commitments to reform as part of this process. For those that are on todays list, we hope that this increased scrutiny and the potential for counter-measures will lead them to re-consider their approach.
The Corvallis Planning Commission has scheduled an annexation-palooza for Wednesday at the downtown fire station.

Commissioners will deliberate on one plan to add land to the citys stock and will take the first steps to review two other annexation proposals. The meeting, at 400 NW Harrison Blvd., starts at 5:30 p.m., 90 minutes earlier than the commission normally meets.

Should all three annexations be moved forward by the Planning Commission and receive approval from the City Council, they likely would be on the May 15, 2018 ballot.

Corvalliss voter-approved annexations process, however, remains in legal limbo. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill into law in March 2016 that limited voter-approved land acquisitions, but Corvallis, Philomath and the League of Oregon Cities have teamed up on a legal challenge to the new law, claiming that it is a violation of the home rule aspect of the city charter.

Corvallis is continuing to use its process, which refers annexations to voters, while the legal process plays out.

Here is a look at the three cases, in the order in which the commission will review them Wednesday night:

Caldwell Farms

The applicant, Caldwell Farms LLC of Corvallis, wants to bring 16.45 acres of land on the south side of Southwest West Hills Road west of 53rd Street into the city limits.

The developers want to change the current Benton County zoning, which requires a minimum of 10 acres per lot, to the citys RS-12 medium to high density residential, or a minimum of 12 units per acre. The property currently is being used as a grass seed farm.

The applicant is not proposing any development or redevelopment at this time, according to the staff report from the citys Planning Division.

The city, as of the Nov. 22 date its staff report was completed, had received two letters from residents expressing traffic, safety, noise and visual barrier concerns. One of the letters was signed by more than a dozen neighbors.

Good Samaritan

Samaritan Health Services wants to expand its Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center campus north into land the nonprofit organization owns that is under Benton County jurisdiction.

Samaritan wants to annex 17.3 acres and rezone it to professional office use. Although no specific development plans accompanied the application, Samaritan said during an earlier iteration of the process that it wants to use the acreage to add a mixture of specialty services, outpatient services, family health and mental health services and conference space.

Samaritan also would build up to 700 parking spaces for use by the new facilities as well as to offset parking on the current campus that will be displaced by a new surgery center.

In its original proposal, Good Sam had proposed to annex 84 acres it owns north of the hospital and adjacent to the city-owned Knotts-Owens farm property. The plan called for the use of 4.5 acres of city-owned land for the stormwater facilities the development would require. Samaritan also hoped to swap approximately 4 acres of city land next to the acreage it planned to use for new medical center buildings and parking for Good Sam land in the upper, more heavily wooded section of the property.

Concerns raised by the citys Parks, Natural Areas and Recreation Advisory Board and residents who attended a Feb. 20 community meeting led Samaritan to alter its proposal.

Although Samaritans earlier proposal triggered community concerns, no one commented to the city on the scaled-down proposal.

Marys Annexation

The commission held a Nov. 15 public hearing on the 118-acre Marys Annexation. Deliberations were postponed until Wednesday because of a request to hold the record open.

The land currently is a tree farm north and east of the West Hills-53rd roundabout. All but about two of the acres are owned by David Lin.

The land is zoned by the county for either 5-acre or 50-acre minimum lot sizes. Lin wants to change that to 91 acres of RS-12 (medium to high density), along with 18 acres of mixed-use residential and 9.5 acres of open space.

Although no development plans have been submitted, the applicant submitted a general land use plan which shows a possible development strategy that would include approximately 1,100 housing units, most of them apartments, plus a park.

More than a dozen opponents of the plan either spoke at the public hearing or submitted material in writing. Concerns were raised about transportation, particularly traffic on West Hills and Timian. Opponents also sought clarity regarding just how much of the acreage would remain open space given that the rezoning proposal noted just 9.5 acres going to conservation/open space.

Three residents spoke in favor of the plan, including two who work in real estate. They emphasized the challenge that the low amount of available land places poses for the industry as well as its influence on housing prices.
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Ubers request to appeal a workers rights decision to the UK Supreme Court was rejected, according to drivers union Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB).

The decision would mean that the Court of Appeal will have to hear the case first.

Recommended Uber to submit application to Supreme Court over employment ruling

Two weeks ago, the ride-hailing app submitted a request to appeal directly to the Supreme Court a decision by a British tribunal that said its drivers deserved workers rights such as minimum wage.

Todays decision is another blow to Ubers legal strategy behind denying workers their rights, IWGB general secretary Jason Moyer-Lee said in an e-mailed statement.

An Uber spokesman said the company will now take the case to the Court of Appeal.

Reuters
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Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been killed aged 75, was the authoritarian President of Yemen who steered his impoverished Middle Eastern nation for more than three decades. Forced from office after a violent uprising, he remained a powerful and divisive figure in the countrys ongoing civil war.

In November 2011, several months after he was nearly assassinated in a bomb attack, Saleh bowed to protests against his rule that were part of the Arab Spring uprisings and reluctantly agreed to leave office. Protests had focused on Salehs inability to address rampant unemployment, virulent corruption and the security challenges in Yemen, a bastion of Islamist militancy that fell further into chaos as the protests raged.

But for Saleh, who once described his job as dancing on the heads of snakes, the resignation was hardly his final chapter.

He evaded pressure from Western and regional allies pushing him to leave Yemen. Instead, Saleh, who retained the loyalty of powerful security forces, struck up an unlikely alliance with the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebel group known as the Houthis.

Together they drove the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi  Salehs Vice President and handpicked successor  into exile in Saudi Arabia in 2015.

The bloody civil conflict that followed had the elements of a regional proxy war, drawing in Saudi Arabia, its key regional rival Iran as well as the United States. The conflict has killed more than 10,000 people and sparked a vast humanitarian crisis.

A former military commander, Saleh come to office in 1978 and proved an unusually resilient president for much of his time in power. His two immediate predecessors, one of whom had been his mentor, were assassinated within months of each other.

As wily as he was ruthless, Saleh had long ruled by carrot and stick, letting patronage and crucial tribal alliances determine key political appointments. He mercilessly quashed coup attempts and once ordered the execution of 30 military officers for their suspected role in a plot to overthrow him. Support from the US, which considered Saleh a key counterterrorism partner against a potent al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, helped cement his grip on power.

Saleh in the 1970s (AFP/Getty)

With unrepentant violence, he dismantled secessionist schemes to undo the strategic unification he had brokered years earlier between North and South Yemen. Soon after unification in 1990, Saleh helped arrange a deal to tap a newly discovered oil field that pumped cash into the nations budget. He oversaw the creation of a new constitution and the first democratically elected parliament.

For a brief period, Yemen was lauded as a model emerging democracy in the Middle East, but it remained a republic in name only. Although Saleh cultivated a reputation as a consensus builder, he alone dominated the political scene.

Yemen, on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula and a gateway to the Red Sea, became a stronghold of Islamist militancy and international terrorism during Salehs tenure.

The US government showered hundreds of millions of dollars on Saleh to equip and train Yemens army and special forces. Saleh also approved a deal to allow US forces to fly Predator drones armed with Hellfire missiles over Yemen.

Yet, despite anti-terrorism efforts, Yemen became home to one of al-Qaedas most sinister affiliates. The terrorist groups late leader, Osama bin Laden, had Yemeni roots on his fathers side. The US-born Anwar al-Awlaqi, a top-ranking al-Qaeda leader, was killed in a drone strike in Yemen in 2011. US officials considered the affiliate  al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula  the terrorist networks most dangerous threat to America. The group sent parcel bombs on flights into the US in 2010 and orchestrated a foiled plot to bomb an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.

In 2000, terrorists detonated a bomb in Yemens Aden harbour that killed 17 Americans aboard the USS Cole, a Navy destroyer. Some of the 9/11 hijackers reportedly trained and lived in Yemen for a time.

Saleh had for years tolerated the militants and used their tribal links to maintain peace in his fractured country. Critics said Saleh frequently exaggerated the reach of al-Qaeda to attract financing from the West and to solidify his authority.

Ali Abdullah Saleh was born in Bayt al-Ahmar, about 20 miles southeast of Sanaa. His family was part of the powerful Hashid tribal confederacy.

With only minimal schooling, he received a prestigious commission to the North Yemen army with the help of tribal patrons. One of Salehs early mentors in the military was Ahmad al-Ghashmi, an officer who became army chief of staff and president of Yemen. Saleh climbed in rank and became more involved in political affairs.

After Ghashmi, then the President, was killed by a briefcase bomb in 1978, Saleh maneuvered to succeed him. A month later, Saleh was elected leader of North Yemen, an Arab nationalist country that he united with the Marxist-oriented South Yemen in 1990 after the end of the Cold War. South Yemen had once been a British protectorate, focused on the valuable southern port of Aden.

With Fidel Castro during an official welcome ceremony in Havana in 2000 (AP)

Soon after taking office, he sought to coup-proof" his regime by placing close family and tribal kin into high-profile positions in the military, according to April Alley, a senior Arabian Peninsula analyst at the International Crisis Group.

Saleh had five children and installed his son Ahmad as chief of Yemens special forces.

Saleh established close relations with Iraqs Saddam Hussein and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to counter the influence of wealthy neighbour Saudi Arabia. Saleh sided with Hussein when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 to set off the Gulf War.

The move proved financially disastrous for Saleh and Yemen. The US dropped all foreign aid to Yemen, and Saudi Arabia expelled more than 800,000 Yemeni workers. At the time, Salehs government was dependent on US aid money and remittances from Yemenis working in Saudi Arabia.

To maintain his grip on the presidency, Saleh kept a robust network of cronies happy by stuffing their pockets with cash from Yemens oil profits. He was an expert at co-optation, divide-and-rule politics and managed chaos, Alley said. He was able to gradually consolidate power over time by including these powerful constituencies in networks of patronage and privilege.

Ultimately, Salehs network failed him. Yemen remained one of the worlds poorest countries and had one of the highest rates of malnutrition, according to the UN World Food Programme. During Salehs tenure, Yemens stark rate of illiteracy and unemployment remained among the regions worst.

In early 2011, Yemenis were inspired by the revolutionary fervour that ignited in Tunisia and Egypt. Pro-democracy demonstrators gathered daily in the streets of Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, to demand Salehs departure.

Instead of democratic change, the protesters pleas were met with bullets and teargas canisters from Salehs loyalist army and special forces. His legitimacy dissolved after more than 150 Yemeni citizens were killed in clashes throughout the country. Yemeni diplomats left their posts to protest the bloody crackdown, and army generals defected to the opposition.

On 3 June 2011, a bomb exploded inside Salehs presidential compound, killing four of his bodyguards and injuring several key members of his government. Saleh suffered burns and shrapnel injuries. After leaving Yemen for treatment, he returned in September, wearing special gloves and with his face badly scarred.

Frustrating human rights groups, Saleh reneged three times on offers to resign in exchange for immunity. In the end, faced with pressure from the US and its Western allies, as well as regional powers, Saleh stepped down. But it was not before he managed to snag a major concession: He would be allowed to remain in Yemen, residing at one of his numerous homes in Sanaa.

Saleh (right) with Hosni Mubarak (left) and Muammar Gaddafi at the second Afro-Arab Summit in Libya in 2010 (Reuters) (REUTERS)

In the months after Saleh left office in 2012, Yemeni factions loyal to the former President skirmished with government forces. Amid the simmering civil war, al-Qaeda terrorists raided towns in southern Yemen, released suicide bombers on missions to attack government installations and American targets, and ruled over swaths of the country.

By late 2014, Saleh had joined forces with the Houthi rebels as they entered the capital. During his rule, he had fought six civil wars against the deeply religious northern rebels. They, in turn, viewed his regime as corrupt. But in a marriage of convenience, they pushed out Hadi and seized control over the capital and much of northern Yemen.

By last week, the tensions had boiled over, triggering fierce clashes between the Houthi fighters and Saleh's loyalists. And Saleh, the master tactician who ruled a fractious Yemen through tumult and despair, became the civil wars most well-known casualty.

Ali Abullah Saleh, President of Yemen, born 21 March 1942, died 4 December 2017

Kareem Fahim and Sudarsan Raghavan contributed to this report

 The Washington Post
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A Polish-born Britain First supporter who said he wanted to kill a Muslim gave a Nazi salute and shouted white power before driving at a curry house owner, a court has heard.

Marek Zakrocki, 48, launched his drunken attack outside Spicy Night, a takeaway in Harrow, north-west London, on the first anniversary of the Brexit vote on 23 June.

Window-fitter Zakrocki was charged with attempted murder before he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of dangerous driving and beating his wife.

Prosecutor Denis Barry told the Old Bailey: Mr Zakrocki had plainly, during the course of that afternoon, had far too much to drink.

During the course of that evening he assaulted his wife, drove off in his work vehicle, insulted a series of passers-by and then drove his vehicle at the owner of a curry house, breaking the window of the restaurant.

It's plain that his conduct is very likely to have been motivated by his views about our diverse society.

The court heard he had drunk two bottles of wine before grabbing his wifes arm and threatening to kill people and himself.

During a racist rampage around Harrow, Zakrocki made a Nazi salute, pushed an unknown Asian man and repeatedly shouted white power".

His concerned daughter called 999 after he left the family home making threats, and during a phone call with police, Zakrocki told them: I'm going to kill a Muslim. I'm doing it for Britain.

"This is how I'm going to help the country. You people cannot do anything. I am going to do it my way because that is what I think is right."

He ended up outside Spicy Night restaurant, blocking the road with his white van.

Following an altercation in the street, he started the engine and aimed the vehicle at restaurant owner Kamal Ahmed.

Zakrocki mounted the pavement as he twice drove at his intended victim, who was forced to jump out of the way.

After he was arrested by armed police, the defendant was found to be in possession of a kitchen knife and baton-torch.

Police found a Nazi coin in Zakrocki's pocket and a stash of Britain First flyers and newspapers at his home in Harrow.

Recommended UK ambassador raises concerns about Trump tweets with White House

In an interview, he told police officers he had no recollection of what happened after he had drunk the wine, and denied he was racist.

But the court heard Zakrocki appeared to be "fixated" by Muslims and said he had made donations to Britain First in the past.

Mr Barry said the defendant appeared to have a history of depressive illness and alcohol problems.

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He told the court that Britain First was an anti-Muslim group formed by former BNP members which held views that were regarded by most people as "very extreme indeed".

Charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having a knife in Northolt Road, Harrow, were ordered to lie on file.

Judge Anthony Leonard QC ordered a report in Zakrockis mental health but warned he was considering a jail sentence.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced on 12 January.

Press Association contributed to this report
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A moped gang snatched thousands of pounds worth of luxury watches after storming a London shop armed with a samurai sword.

The gang smashed through the glass front door of the Chronext watch shop in Fleet Street shortly before 11am on Monday.

Staff were forced to run for cover as the gang burst in with one wielding a Japanese samurai sword while others held knives and iron bars.

In a raid that last just minutes, the gang, wearing black helmets and dark clothing, seized thousands of pounds worth of merchandise before fleeing.

One witness told the Evening Standard: There was a Vespa inside the shop because they drove it through the front door.

I saw about five mopeds parked up on the pavement and the street outside and there were three guys walking up and down, one with a machete and two others with what looked like long sticks.

There were others inside the store smashing the cabinets and grabbing loads of watches and stuffing them into bags.

The witness said they saw someone from another shop attempt to confront them but he was frightened off by the man with the samurai sword.

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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 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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

They all jumped on their scooters and punched the air with their fists in a victory punch before driving off towards the Law Courts. It was seriously organised, they added.

Another witness said: A man came out of a shop, looking as if he was going to try to intervene, and one of the guys came out and raised a knife and tried to intimidate him. He was waving his hand over his head, going towards him.

They came outside with bags.

Then they made off towards the Royal Courts of Justice, pumping their fists in the air like some kind of victory.

There are about 40 people here in my office. It was very frightening  people were crying in the office.

It was like something you see on Netflix or in the movies.

A spokeswoman for City of London Police said: City of London Police were called at 10.52am on Monday 4 December to reports of suspects on mopeds entering a jewellers on Fleet Street. The suspects smashed their way into the jewellers brandishing weapons, including knives, before making off on mopeds.

Officers are on scene. No one was injured during the incident."
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Security services missed opportunities to intercept the Manchester and London Bridge attackers, a report has found.

David Anderson QC, the former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, made a total of 126 recommendations to MI5, police and the Government following the deaths of 36 victims this year.

His report provided new detail on the run-up to the atrocities in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge. The following information has been declassified from internal reviews by MI5 and police.

Westminster

Date: 22 March 2017

Victims: Five killed, 49 injured

Perpetrator: Khalid Masood, British, 52 (died at scene)

Masood was known to police after seven convictions for violent crime leading up to 2003, and to MI5 for associating with extremists, in particular between 2010 and 2012.

Summary: No intelligence was being gathered on him and neither MI5 nor the police had any reason the anticipate the attack  youre looking at someone who is such a long way from the top of anyones grid that frankly, its a bit difficult to see how they would have been easily stopped, whatever agencies had done.

 Met Police announce that terror perpetrator Khalid Masood was born Adrian Russell

Timeline:

2004: Masood appears for the first time on MI5 records after his number appeared on the contacts list of a member of a terrorist network, that was aiming to launch bomb attacks in the UK.

2009: Masood appears on the edge of investigation into jihadis attempting to join an al-Qaeda training camp in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Investigators wrongly believe Masood is an individual in Saudi Arabia facilitating travel.

2010: He is discovered not to be the same person, but an active investigation is launched identifying Masood as a subject of interest (SOI) assessed to be a national security threat. Weeks later, he was downgraded to a potential security threat.

2012: Masood formally closed as an SOI following recommendation in internal review, joining 20,000 other former subjects.

2012-2016: Masood appears intermittently as a contact of a number of SOIs, including some linked to Anjem Choudarys banned al-Muhajiroun network in Luton and Crawley.

2013: Masood expresses contentment that violent actions such as the World Trade Centre attacks attracted people to Islam. Neither his contacts nor those comments were considered to reach the threshold for re-opening an investigation.

April 2016: (Discovered after his attack) Masood researches violent attacks, knives, Isis and vehicle types.

December 2016 - March 2017: Masood informs family he is considering working overseas, but his job and visa applications fail. He sells his car and makes efforts to say goodbye to relatives.

9 March 2017: Masood buys two carving knives from Tesco in Birmingham, and on the same day sends himself an email with the subject line Retaliation.

15 March: He had created a document entitled Jihad in the Quran and Sunnah, with his photograph on the front page and multiple extracts from the Quran that could be seen as supportive of jihad and martyrdom.

16 March: He collects the Hyundai Tucson used in the attack.

19 March: Masood conducts reconnaissance of Westminster Bridge in person and online, and browses YouTube for videos relating to terrorism and suicide attacks.

22 March: Minutes before launching the attack, Masood shares his document with numerous WhatsApp contacts, which was soon sent onwards via iMessage and SMS.

In pictures: Westminster attack Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire In pictures: Westminster attack MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News In pictures: Westminster attack Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News In pictures: Westminster attack Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP In pictures: Westminster attack Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters In pictures: Westminster attack Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire In pictures: Westminster attack Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP In pictures: Westminster attack One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters In pictures: Westminster attack At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP

Manchester

Date: 22 May 2017

Victims: 22 killed, 500 injured

Perpetrator: Salman Abedi, British, 23 (died at scene)

Abedi was known to police for links with the Rusholme Crips gang, but his criminal record was limited to reprimands for theft and receiving stolen goods in 2012, and an assault on a girl at college which was dealt with by restorative justice. He was known to MI5 from 2014, but the investigation was closed and he was deemed low-risk.

Summary: Although Abedi had not given police or MI5 any reason to be highly suspicious of him, they still got very close  information came their way which was assessed from which  with the benefit of hindsight  the wrong conclusions were drawn. Had people understood it in a different way, I think an investigation would have been opened into Abedi, and who knows what it would have found."

 Manchester bomber Salman Abedi's cousins speak out

Timeline:

2011 onwards: Abedi makes numerous trips to Libya with his family, after his parents returned to live there during the civil war that saw Muammar Gaddafi toppled and killed.

2014: MI5 starts active investigation in the belief Abedi could be individual seen acting suspiciously with another SOI. Although he knew the SOI in question, he turned out not to have been the individual seen with him, and his record was closed in July 2014. Abedi was classed as low residual risk.

2015: Another investigation opened over supposed contact with an Isis figure in Libya, but he was closed as an SOI on the same day when it transpired that any contact was not direct.

2015-2017: Although he remained a closed SOI until the day of the attack, Abedi continued to be referenced from time to time in intelligence gathered for other purposes. On two separate occasions in the months prior to the attack, intelligence was received and assessed not to relate to terrorism, but to possible non-nefarious activity or to criminality. In retrospect, the intelligence can be seen to have been highly relevant to the planned attack.

April 2017: Abedi and his brother Hashem leave Manchester for Libya. Abedi returns to the UK four days before his attack, with subsequent investigations showing he made the core purchases for his suicide bomb and manufactured it at various properties around Manchester during the period.

May 2017: Abedi was among a small number of the 20,000 SOIs that data analysis showed merited further examination. A meeting assessing him was due to take place on 31 May, but he attacked nine days before.

Manchester explosion in pictures Show all 37 1 /37 Manchester explosion in pictures Manchester explosion in pictures People running down stairs as they attempt to exit the Manchester Arena after a blast, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Twitter/@ZACH_BRUCE/ via REUTERS Manchester explosion in pictures Helpers attend to people inside the Manchester Arena after a suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people PA wire Manchester explosion in pictures Armed officers guard outside a hotel near the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain EPA Manchester explosion in pictures Police officers are seen outside the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester, northern England Reuters Manchester explosion in pictures Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police and fans close to the Manchester Arena, after reports of an explosion Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England, at a concert in Manchester Arena AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police stand by a cordoned off street close to the Manchester Arena Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police deploy at scene of a reported explosion during a concert in Manchester, England, on May 23, 2017. British police said early May 23 there were "a number of confirmed fatalities" after reports of at least one explosion during a pop concert by US singer Ariana Grande. Ambulances were seen rushing to the Manchester Arena venue and police added in a statement that people should avoid the area AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures An ambulance drives away from the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Reuters Manchester explosion in pictures Police escort members of the public from the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures A woman sits in the street in a blanket near the Manchester Arena as police guard the area following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain EPA Manchester explosion in pictures Two women wrapped in thermal blankets stand near the Manchester Arena, where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Reuters Manchester explosion in pictures A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester. At least 19 people have been confirmed dead and others 50 were injured, authorities said. It is being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise EPA Manchester explosion in pictures A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester EPA Manchester explosion in pictures Members of the public receive treatment from emergency service staff at Victoria Railway Station close to the Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England. There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed this evening. Greater Manchester Police have have confirmed there are fatalities and warned people to stay away from the area Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Armed police after a suspected terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by US star Ariana Grande left 19 dead PA wire Manchester explosion in pictures Emergency services arrive close to the Manchester Arena in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures An amoured police vehicle patrols near Manchester Arena in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures A man carries a young girl on his shoulders near Victoria station in Manchester AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police officers stand at the Miller Street and Corporation Street Crossroads, in front of the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police block a road near to the Manchester Arena in central Manchester, England AP Manchester explosion in pictures Armed police patrol near Victoria station in Manchester, northwest England. Twenty two people have been killed and dozens injured after a suspected suicide bomber targeted fans leaving a concert of US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police forensic officers leave the Manchester Arena as they investigate the scene of an explosion in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures A forensic officer collects evidence on a walkway between Victoria station and Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester, Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures A woman and a young girl wearing a t-shirt of US singer Ariana Grande talks to police near Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester, Getty Manchester explosion in pictures EPA Manchester explosion in pictures Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese speak to the media outside Manchester Town Hall after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester Dave Higgens/PA Wire Manchester explosion in pictures The media gather behind a police cordon in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Flowers left close to the Manchester Arena, the morning after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester Danny Lawson/PA Wire Manchester explosion in pictures Ariana Grande concert attendees Karen Moore and her daughter Molly Steed, aged 14, from Derby, leave the Park Inn where they were given refuge after last night's explosion at Manchester Arena Getty Manchester explosion in pictures Signs saying 'We love Manchester' are displayed in a window in Manchester, England Getty Images

London Bridge

Date: 3 June 2017

Victims: Eight killed, 48 injured

Perpetrators: Khuram Butt, British, 27; Youssef Zaghba, Moroccan-Italian, 22; Rachid Redouane, Moroccan, 30 (all died at scene)

Butt was under live investigation as the principal subject of an MI5 operation opened in mid-2015, following information suggesting he wanted to commit a terror attack in the UK. Redouane was known for immigration offences but had no police or terror record. Zaghba had no criminal record but was known to European authorities after telling Italian police he wanted to be a terrorist. He was not investigated by MI5.

Summary: With Butt what you had was a man who was under active investigation from MI5, who did probably around the end of 2016 team up with his two co-conspirators, and yet MI5 and the police between them were not able to identify what they were actually planning.

Butt displayed strong operational security and much remains unknown, even today, about the mindset of the three conspirators and the planning of the attack.

 London Bridge attack ringleader 'tried to hire 7.5 tonne lorry'

Timeline:

2005: Butt is granted British citizenship after moving to the UK from Pakistan as a child with his parents, who were granted asylum.

2008-2010: Butt receives cautions for criminal offences.

2009: Redouane seeks asylum in the UK under the false identity of a Libyan national and is refused, which sees him reported to immigration officials.

June 2012: Redouane is stopped and arrested in Scotland under his false Libyan name while trying to travel to Northern Ireland by boat. Because removals to Libya had been suspended on humanitarian grounds, he was released from detention in Larne with conditions to reside in Dagenham and report to immigration authorities. He absconded and was not traced.

2012-2015: After going to school and college in London, he works as an office manager with a subsidiary of KFC, marrying a friends sister in 2013. The couple had a son in October 2014 and a daughter in May 2017, born less than a month before the London Bridge attack.

2015: Butt makes a pilgrimage to Mecca and expresses frequent aspirations to travel from late in the year, including to Syria, but never again left England. MI5s Operation Hawthorn starts, seeing Butt put under surveillance over suspected attack planning.

2015: Redouane moves in with his Irish wife in Dublin and successfully applies for an EEA Family Permit and EEA residence card, sponsored by his wife. At the time of the attack, Redouane was living legally in the UK under his Moroccan identity.

June 2015: Zaghba starts working legally in the UK.

September 2015: A potential lone actor triage assessment concluded that Butt represented a medium risk due to his strong intent but weak capability. Over the coming months, there was no further indication of attack planning, and Butt appeared to be disengaging from al-Muhajiroun. MI5 believed his focus was moving towards overseas travel, including potentially to Syria to fight with Isis or to another Arabic-speaking country to learn the language.

January 2016: Butt is shown among a group of Islamists linked to al-Muhajiroun praying towards an Isis flag in Channel 4 television documentary The Jihadis Next Door. The police and prosecutors deemed that no criminal offences had been committed.

February-April 2016: Operation Hawthorn is suspended because of resourcing constraints following Isiss Paris attacks.

March 2016: During a stop at Bologna Airport in Italy, Zaghba tells officials he is travelling to Turkey as a terrorist, but quickly changes the word to tourist. Further investigation in Italy reveals he had expressed an interest in travelling to Syria to join Isis and practice the Real Islam. On 23 March 2016, Italian authorities place Zaghba on the EU-wide SIS II warning list, potentially bringing him to the attention of the UK at the border  but under a marker identifying him as subject to checks for serious crime, not a national security risk.

Spring 2016: Butt shows further aspirations travel to the Middle East and / or Africa and raises money for it, but there was no longer any indication that travel would be for extremist purposes. MI5 decides not to prevent him leaving the country.

July 2016: Butt assaults a moderate imam and member of the counter-extremism group Quilliam, but the victim did not press charges in time for the case to be taken forward. Butt re-engages with al-Muhajiroun and increases operational security to evade security forces.

September 2016: Operation Hawthorn downgraded to a lower threat category.

October 2016: Butt arrested for fraud and granted bail. He was never told the decision was taken not to prosecute.

December 2016: Relationships between between Redouane, Butt and Zaghba and Butt start at the Ummah Fitness Centre in Ilford.

January 2017: Zaghba enters the UK for the final time.

Early 2017: Butt works at the Ummah Fitness Centre and develops links with extremist associates, including Redouane. He teachers Quran class to young members alongside Zaghba.

MI5 and police attempt to disrupt the teaching over radicalisation concerns.

7 March 2017: Butt and Redouane meet at the Ummah Fitness Centre, possibly as part of an attempt by Butt to acquire a firearm.

MI5 receives strands of intelligence regarding a Moroccan male named Rashid, believed to be a peripheral and social associate of Butt, but the figure was not identified as Redouane until after the attack.

21 March 2017: A day before the Westminster attack, the investigation into Butt is suspended for a second time due to resourcing constraints brought on by a large number of higher-priority investigations.

April 2017: With Operation Hawthorn still suspended, MI5 downgrades Butts holding code from one that indicated he was likely to pose a threat to national security, to one that indicated it was merely likely. MI5 noted his continued extremist rhetoric but also uncertainty about whether he posed a threat to national security.

May 2017: Operation Hawthorn is re-opened to consider whether the threat needed continued investigation, or could be closed to put resources elsewhere. A second lone actor triage assessment concluded that the risk posed by Butt had moved from medium to unresolved and further investigation was needed. It remained an active investigation until the attack.

MI5 surveillance never identified Zaghba as Butt or threats, or revealed their attack planning.

3 June 2017: CCTV footage from Butts home address on the evening of the attack shows him getting into a white van hired earlier in the day with a large red holdall. Two males accompanied him, with one carrying chairs  perhaps to support a cover story that they were moving furniture.

London Bridge Terror Attack Show all 16 1 /16 London Bridge Terror Attack London Bridge Terror Attack Armed police on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Police Officers outside the Barrowboy and Banker Public House on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Armed police on Borough High Street as police deal with a 'major incident' at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Emergency services near the scene of the incident Screengrab London Bridge Terror Attack People run down Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge Reuters London Bridge Terror Attack Emergency services arrive at the scene near Borough market at London Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images London Bridge Terror Attack Emergency personnel on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Police sniffer dogs on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack A second helicopter lands on London Bridge as police are responding to three incidents in the capital, amid reports that a vehicle collided with pedestrians on London Bridge, Scotland Yard said. Officers are dealing with reports of stabbings in Borough Market, where armed officers attended and shots were fired. They are also at an incident in the Vauxhall area PA London Bridge Terror Attack Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London REUTERS London Bridge Terror Attack Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters London Bridge Terror Attack A police officer escorts members of the public to safety at London Bridge Getty Images London Bridge Terror Attack Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters London Bridge Terror Attack Police attend to an incident near London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters

Finsbury Park

Date: 19 June 2017

Victims: One killed, 10 injured

Alleged perpetrator: Darren Osborne, British, 47

Darren Osborne has been found guilty (Facebook/SWNS)

Osborne has been arrested and charged with murder. His trial is due to start in January, meaning no indepth findings could be released in the Anderson report because they could prejudice the case.

He is alleged to have acted alone and he was not known to MI5. Police had no intelligence to suggest that he was going to commit the alleged attack.
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Two men have been charged with terror offences after an alleged attack plot was thwarted.

Naaimur Zakariyah Rahman was arrested in London and Mohammed Aqib Imran was detained in Birmingham in coordinated raids by armed police last week.

Rahman, 20, has been charged with preparing to commit acts of terrorism and assisting Imran to the same ends.

Imran, 21, has also been charged with preparing to commit acts of terrorism. Both men have been remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Nine Islamist terror plots have been thwarted in the UK since the Westminster attack in March and officials have warned that the threat shows no sign of diminishing.

Andrew Parker, the director general of MI5, told the cabinet social media was being used to encourage attacks even after the defeat of Isis territorial caliphate in Syria and Iraq.

Theresa May told her ministers that the threat from terror was at an unprecedented level but the Prime Minister's official spokesman could not discuss details of the foiled plots because of ongoing court proceedings.

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Ministers heard that, while Daesh had suffered major defeats in Iraq and Syria, that doesn't mean that the threat is over, he said.

Rather it is spreading to new areas, including trying to encourage attacks on the UK and elsewhere via propaganda on social media.

A review of security services actions in the run-up to the terror attacks that killed 36 victims this year found that opportunities had been missed to investigate and potentially prevent the Manchester bombing.

Reacting to the report, Amber Rudd told the House of Commons there is simply more terrorist activity in Britain as Isis turns increasing attention to global attacks.

Plots are developing more quickly from radicalisation to attack, and threats are becoming harder to detect, she added.

We must learn all that we can from these attacks, and make sure our overall counter-terrorism response is equal to the shift we have seen in the threat.


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Two "hero" retired army dogs who faced being put down because they could not be re-homed have been saved, a minister has said.

Sir Alan Duncan intervened to save Kevin and Dazz, reported to have served in Afghanistan by working with troops to locate explosives in Helmand Province.

The Belgian shepherds had been due to face lethal injections this week, but Sir Alan wrote to Ministry of Defence (MOD) ministerial colleagues to call for a reprieve.

On Monday night he said: "I'm absolutely thrilled that army hero dogs Kevin and Dazz have been saved. They can now enjoy a very happy and well deserved retirement."

The dogs are based at the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire - in the constituency which Sir Alan represents.

The Foreign Office minister previously told how the "hero" dogs had "fought fearlessly alongside our soldiers".

He had said: "Let us now be the ones to fight for them and give them a chance to live happy lives where they can thrive. It is the least they deserve.

"Of course, it is of great importance that all military dogs are properly assessed before re-homing to ensure they do not pose a danger to civilians, but only in circumstances where such danger has been properly proven should they be put down."

A petition had been launched by former SAS soldier Andy McNab to stop the duo being put down, as well as a third canine, a former police dog named Driver.

He told the paper: "It's a brilliant success story and no less than these dogs deserve."

On the website hosting the petition - which gathered more than 370,000 signatures - he praised service dogs for saving "countless lives when I was in the Special Air Service sniffing out explosives".

"In Afghanistan when I was on a patrol the dogs found an IED in front of us, I was number three in line, I was very, very lucky to survive," he wrote.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters 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 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The Sun reported Kevin and Dazz are both aged nine and retired from the frontline about four years ago and will be re-homed along with Driver.

An MOD spokesman previously said: "Wherever possible, we endeavour to re-home them (dogs) at the end of their service life.

"Sadly, there are some occasions where this is not possible."

PA
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A former senior British army officer who worked with an Afghan translator facing removal from the UK has said it is ridiculous that the Home Office plans to deport an interpreter who helped save British lives.

William Locke, who served for five months as troop leader of a squadron deployed in Afghanistan in 2011, told The Independent Hafizzulah Husseinkhel risked his life on the front line in and around Helmand Province.

Mr Husseinkhel has been told he will be removed from the UK within days after the Home Office handed him removal papers and sent him to a detention centre near Oxford last Wednesday.

His asylum claim was rejected in June, and an attempt to overturn the decision by applying for a judicial review at the High Court was later also refused. He is now likely to be deported to Austria, the first country he was registered in as an asylum seeker.

The 26-year-old served on the front line for the British Army between 2010 and 2012, when he worked as an interpreter between British and Afghan officers. He spent several years working for Nato forces before that.

Mr Husseinkhel fled from Afghanistan in 2014 after receiving death threats from the Taliban. His father was shot in the leg when he refused to reveal his whereabouts.

Campaigners attempting to prevent his removal say recent changes to the immigration system in Austria mean he is likely to end up being sent back to Afghanistan, where his life would be in danger.

Now Mr Locke, 32, who was troop leader of the Queen Royal Lancers squadron during Operation Herrick in Helmand Province, has spoken out against the imminent removal of his former translator from the UK.

Speaking to The Independent, the former army officer said: The guy worked for us and put his life on the line for us for some years, and I think he deserves better treatment. It seems ridiculous that someone whos done so much to help us and to save British lives isnt allowed to settle in our country.

Im a pretty hard-line conservative, but I have a fairly developed sense of whats right and wrong, and this is clearly wrong. People like him should be supported and allowed to remain.

Mr Locke said Mr Husseinkhel was a proactive and helpful interpreter who helped to save lives, citing one incident where he warned of an impending ambush after hearing about it through the Taliban radio network, enabling troops to leave the area before they arrived.

Mr Husseinkhel helped to save lives during his time working for the British Army in Afghanistan, says former troop leader Mr Locke (William Locke)

Hafis was good. His English was fantastic, certainly a lot better than my Pashtu. He was proactive. He was a helpful, nice guy and without him, more lives wouldve been lost. He rode with us on our jackals through every single operation, both mounted and on foot. We wouldve achieved very little without him, he said.

There was one particular incident when we were manning a checkpoint in a fairly nasty part of the country. He was monitoring the Taliban radio network and let us know of an impending ambush, which allowed us to react and get out of the way quickly enough so as not to cause an enormous fight in the middle of the town.

Mr Lockes words echo those in a reference Mr Husseinkhal received from the regiment after leaving the post, which said he fulfilled his duties to an extremely high standard and described him as enthusiastic, personable and loyal.

Hafizullah has fulfilled his responsibilities to an extremely high standard and has fitted well into the squadron, it stated. He is very popular amongst his Troop who have commented on several occasions on how impressed they have been with his performance, both in terms of his day-to-day activities and his calm approach during enemy engagements.

He is an enthusiastic, personable and loyal individual.

Recommended Afghan man who worked for British Army faces deportation in days

The Ministry of Defence announced in 2013 that up to 600 Afghans who worked as interpreters, or in other dangerous roles supporting British and allied forces in Helmand, would be eligible to resettle in the UK.

But the resettlement package was available only to staff who were in post on 19 December last year  shortly after Mr Husseinkhel quit.

The 26-year-old was reportedly caught in a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) while serving with US forces in Afghanistan before moving to be with the British Army  an incident that left him with serious eye injuries, causing him to have 20 per cent vision in one eye and 80 per cent in the other.

Mr Locke added that there would be an absolute and genuine threat to Mr Husseinkhel if he were to return to Afghanistan, especially since the security situation there has recently worsened.

There is an absolute genuine threat to the safety and security of anyone who worked for the British forces, and especially the interpreters because they were seen as complicit with what we were doing. The security situation in Afghanistan has worsened, its certainly not safe. Theres a genuine and real threat to Hafiss life, he said.

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It seems ridiculous that interpreters werent allowed to come to the UK straight off the bat. Clearly if people start misbehaving here then things should be reconsidered, but it appears Hafis hasnt been involved in anything he shouldnt have been, apart from the fact that hes illegally come to the UK.

There should be a better route for people like him to legally immigrate to this country and remain here.

An emergency injunction has been made to the High Court by a legal team from Imperium Chambers for Mr Husseinkhel to be released from detention and granted the right to remain in the UK.

The Home Office has told The Independent it does not comment on individual cases.
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Christine Keeler, the model who became embroiled in one of the biggest political scandals in decades after having an affair with Conservative MP John Profumo, has died at the age of 75.

Keeler was romantically involved with a Soviet military officer at the same time as her 1960s liaison with Profumo, who was at the time the Secretary of State for War.

The scandal became known as the Profumo affair and forced the MP to resign from the Government and from Parliament.

Keeler passed away on Monday at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough after battling illness for several months, according to relatives.

Her son told Sky News: I hope we now live in a time where we stop blaming women for the urges of men.

After her involvement in the affair that rocked British politics and played a role in the fall of Harold Macmillans Government, Keeler married twice and had two sons: James from her first marriage and Seymour from her second.

Aged 19 at the time of the scandal, Keeler was working as a model and cabaret dancer when she met Profumo at a pool party at Lord Astors country estate of Cliveden. They were introduced by socialite and osteopath Stephen Ward.

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At the time, Keeler was also in a relationship with Yevgeny Ivanov, an official at the Soviet embassy in London, which prompted fears at the height of the Cold War that national security secrets could have been compromised. Both the MP and the model denied that suggestion.

Profumo initially told Parliament there had been no impropriety in his relationship with Keeler but was later forced to admit to the affair and resign.

After resigning as an MP, Profumo dedicated his life to charity work and was awarded a CBE in 1975. He died in 2006, aged 91.
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Security services dismissed two pieces of intelligence that could have helped them prevent the Manchester attack, a major report has found.

David Anderson QC, the former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, said he could not prove the attack would have be been stopped but that it might have been averted had the cards fallen differently.

MI5 received two separate leads in the months before Salman Abedis bombing at Manchester Arena that were assessed as not to be linked to terrorism, when in fact they were highly relevant to the planned attack.

 MI5 chief warns that Britain is facing an unrelenting terrorist threat

With the benefit of hindsight, the wrong conclusions were drawn, Mr Anderson told reporters at a briefing in London.

Had people understood it in a different way, I think an investigation would have been opened into Salman Abedi, and who knows what it would have found.

MI5s internal assessment claimed that a new investigation would not have prevented the attack, but Mr Anderson said it would have plainly been preferable to open a new probe into Abedi.

Abedi had already been put under active investigation twice  once over his contact with another subject of interest in 2014, when he was considered a low residual risk, and again in October 2015 because of indirect contact with an Isis figure in Libya.

MI5 also missed the opportunity to put a notice in on Abedi that would have triggered an alert when he tried to re-enter the UK from Libya four days before the bombing, and would have allowed him to be searched and questioned at the airport.

He was not the subject of a live investigation at the time, but the same report also showed London Bridge attack ringleader Khuram Butt had been under surveillance for almost two years.

Mr Anderson said the hardest question to answer was how Butt managed to launch a terror attack while under surveillance on suspicion for planning one.

 Attackers shouted 'this is for Allah' says London Bridge eyewitness

Police and the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to launch a separate investigation after he was filmed praying to an Isis flag during a television documentary on a prolific group of Islamists, and believed his focus was moving away from terror attacks to travelling abroad.

An extensive intelligence operation had not flagged Butts accomplices Yousef Zaghba and Rachid Redouane as threats and much remains unknown, even today, about the mindset of the three conspirators and the planning of the attack, the report concluded.

It revealed that Zaghba was put on a Europe-wide warning list after telling officials at Bologna Airport he was travelling to Turkey to be a terrorist, but British authorities took no action.

Months later, Italy asked MI5 for information on Zaghba but it did not respond, possibly because the request arrived in the incorrect mailbox and was not chased up.

Mr Anderson said the terror threat facing the UK is not diminishing, with rising numbers of suspects and shifting methods putting ever greater strain on security services.

He warned of the risk presented by 20,000 former subjects of interest whose investigations have been closed  the group Abedi and Westminster attacker Khalid Masood fell into.

Their dangers are exacerbated by the fact they are not under active investigation, Mr Anderson said in his report.

MI5 has brought in measures like reviews and data analysis to mitigate the risk but it does not always work. A meeting to reassess Abedi was scheduled to take place nine days after he committed his attack.

Meanwhile, Masood had resumed contact with the extremists linked to Anjem Choudarys banned al-Muhajiroun group but the activity was not picked up in any way  despite it being the original cause of MI5s attention.

Manchester explosion in pictures Show all 37 1 /37 Manchester explosion in pictures Manchester explosion in pictures People running down stairs as they attempt to exit the Manchester Arena after a blast, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Twitter/@ZACH_BRUCE/ via REUTERS Manchester explosion in pictures Helpers attend to people inside the Manchester Arena after a suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people PA wire Manchester explosion in pictures Armed officers guard outside a hotel near the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain EPA Manchester explosion in pictures Police officers are seen outside the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester, northern England Reuters Manchester explosion in pictures Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police and fans close to the Manchester Arena, after reports of an explosion Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England, at a concert in Manchester Arena AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police stand by a cordoned off street close to the Manchester Arena Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police deploy at scene of a reported explosion during a concert in Manchester, England, on May 23, 2017. British police said early May 23 there were "a number of confirmed fatalities" after reports of at least one explosion during a pop concert by US singer Ariana Grande. Ambulances were seen rushing to the Manchester Arena venue and police added in a statement that people should avoid the area AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures An ambulance drives away from the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Reuters Manchester explosion in pictures Police escort members of the public from the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures A woman sits in the street in a blanket near the Manchester Arena as police guard the area following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain EPA Manchester explosion in pictures Two women wrapped in thermal blankets stand near the Manchester Arena, where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester Reuters Manchester explosion in pictures A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester. At least 19 people have been confirmed dead and others 50 were injured, authorities said. It is being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise EPA Manchester explosion in pictures A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester EPA Manchester explosion in pictures Members of the public receive treatment from emergency service staff at Victoria Railway Station close to the Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England. There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed this evening. Greater Manchester Police have have confirmed there are fatalities and warned people to stay away from the area Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Armed police after a suspected terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by US star Ariana Grande left 19 dead PA wire Manchester explosion in pictures Emergency services arrive close to the Manchester Arena in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures An amoured police vehicle patrols near Manchester Arena in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures A man carries a young girl on his shoulders near Victoria station in Manchester AFP/Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police officers stand at the Miller Street and Corporation Street Crossroads, in front of the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police block a road near to the Manchester Arena in central Manchester, England AP Manchester explosion in pictures Armed police patrol near Victoria station in Manchester, northwest England. Twenty two people have been killed and dozens injured after a suspected suicide bomber targeted fans leaving a concert of US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Police forensic officers leave the Manchester Arena as they investigate the scene of an explosion in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures A forensic officer collects evidence on a walkway between Victoria station and Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester, Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures A woman and a young girl wearing a t-shirt of US singer Ariana Grande talks to police near Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester, Getty Manchester explosion in pictures EPA Manchester explosion in pictures Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese speak to the media outside Manchester Town Hall after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester Dave Higgens/PA Wire Manchester explosion in pictures The media gather behind a police cordon in Manchester Getty Images Manchester explosion in pictures Flowers left close to the Manchester Arena, the morning after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester Danny Lawson/PA Wire Manchester explosion in pictures Ariana Grande concert attendees Karen Moore and her daughter Molly Steed, aged 14, from Derby, leave the Park Inn where they were given refuge after last night's explosion at Manchester Arena Getty Manchester explosion in pictures Signs saying 'We love Manchester' are displayed in a window in Manchester, England Getty Images

Neither Redouane or Zaghba were known to the agency, nor was the suspected Finsbury Park attacker Darren Osborne.

Mr Andersons findings on that atrocity could not be published because of ongoing court proceedings, nor could those on the alleged involvement of Abedis younger brother in the Manchester bombing.

In a series of internal reviews, MI5 concluded its actions in all cases were sound on the basis of information available at the time.

But Mr Anderson made a series of 126 recommendations, including calling on MI5 to improve intelligence sharing with police and other agencies, while standardising triage assessments across the country and both Islamist and far-right terrorism.

He said neighbourhood policing was particularly crucial to counter-terror work, as forces call for more funding to mitigate real-term budget cuts in the area.

Mr Anderson also recommended increased cooperation with the private sector, such as Amazon and other online retailers, to improve the detection of potential terrorists attempting to buy explosive components and weapons.

He called for a joint lone actor strategy to be drawn up between MI5 and police, and to increase efforts to receive and process referrals to Prevent.

Responding to the report, Amber Rudd praised security services for their work to prevent nine terror plots thwarted so far this year, while investigating 3,000 current subjects of interest.

We should be united in our clarity that it lies squarely with those whose cowardly acts killed 36 innocent people this year, and those who encouraged them, the Home Secretary told the House of Commons.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has denied recent requests for increased police funding by forces saying they are struggling to cope with the terror threat and increased demand (PA)

At the same time, we must learn all that we can from these attacks, and make sure our overall counter-terrorism response is equal to the shift we have seen in the threat.

She has commissioned Mr Anderson to review the progress into his recommendations over the coming year and hinted at an increase in police funding to counter terrorism, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary, said it wasworrying that several terrorists were known to security services and called for budget increases for neighbourhood policing.

MI5 and the police said they were committed to learning and improving to meet the growing terror threat, after their internal operational improvement reviews were assured by Mr Anderson.

Intelligence is always imperfect and counter-terrorism work requires tough professional judgements, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said. Although we work tirelessly to keep the country safe, the reality of the terrorist threat means that we will not stop every attack.

Cressida Dick, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, said many of the reforms require new technology, and better infrastructure and resources, adding: The growth in the number of dangerous individuals who have been radicalised is a major issue for us.

We will be redoubling our efforts in enforcement activity both to disrupt and confront the threat and to safeguard the vulnerable from radicalisation.

Andrew Parker, the director general of MI5, said the agency would continue to adapt to stay ahead of the countrys adversaries and take on Mr Andersons recommendations.

He added: We and our partner agencies used the harsh light of hindsight under independent challenge to ensure we squeezed every drop of learning out of these dreadful events.

MI5 and our partners continue to bring the full weight of our growing capabilities to counter this new intensity of threat. Our unrelenting focus remains on doing everything in our power every day to keep the country safe.
The mid-Willamette Valley will remain in an air stagnation advisory until next Monday as dry weather continues throughout the region, according to the National Weather Service.

A temperature inversion, when a layer of cool air at the ground level is covered by a layer of warmer air, is trapping stagnant air in the area, said Andy Bryant, a hydrologist with the Weather Service office in Portland.

Since little wind and no precipitation is expected this week, air pollution, including smoke particles from outdoor burning, may become trapped at the ground level, Bryant said.

Its just kind of a matter of trying to reduce the rate at which things get worse, because it wont get better until we see a significant weather pattern change, Bryant said.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is asking residents to refrain from outdoor burning and to use alternatives to wood stoves. Young children, pregnant women, people with asthma, those with lung or heart conditions and adults age 65 and older should limit vigorous outdoor activity, according to the DEQ.

Its going to be an increasingly unhealthy environment for those folks, Bryant said.

Pollution levels tend to be highest during evening and morning hours, the DEQ said.

Bryant said there is a large area of area of high pressure over much of the western United States right now, creating temperature inversions in many valley locations that arent receiving much wind.

Until we have a storm situation come in or some more wind to mix up the atmosphere, its not going to change, he said.

No precipitation is expected through early next week, Bryant said.

The temperature inversion is causing cooler than normal temperatures in the mid-valley and is producing night and morning fog and low clouds, according to the Weather Service. High temperatures through the end of the week will be in the low 40s with overnight temperatures in the mid-20s.
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The Government is leaving millions of children vulnerable to terrorist radicalisation by failing to tackle the root causes of extremism, a new report has warned.

Analysts at the Oasis Foundation said issues including identity, poverty and religious literacy were not being properly tackled as push factors driving young people towards fringe groups.

Citing research that found that 82 per cent of Islamism-related offences committed between 1998 and 2015 were committed by individuals from the most deprived areas in the UK, a report entitled Enough is Enough called for urgent reform.

Author Ian Sansbury, director of the Oasis Foundation, said the Governments strategy had so far missed the point regarding radicalisation as research shows religion playing only a minor part.

If we can deal with issues of identity and belonging, deprivation, mental health, community and family and breakdown, we stand half a chance not just of dealing with Islamist radicalisation but gang culture and knife crime as well, he told The Independent.

All of those ideologies have common themes, and it seems to us that what people get radicalised into depends on their context.

Mr Sansbury said childrens background and surroundings largely dictated whether they are drawn into Islamism, the far-right or gang culture, but their paths are very similar.

 MI5 chief warns that Britain is facing an unrelenting terrorist threat

He added: We need to be making young people resilient to all forms of radicalisation  giving them the sense, the knowledge and the literacy of both religion and society so they can pick the bad narratives.

Without that, Mr Sansbury said, the UK will be abandoning many of our young people to a lifetime of danger.

The report argued that the controversial Prevent strategy should be replaced with a longer-term, more comprehensive and re-branded initiative giving more power to grassroots communities.

Critics of Prevent have accused it of demonising Muslims and raising tensions by requiring schools, mosques and other institutions to report suspected radicals.

The authors of the report said that although Prevent, which received more than 7,600 referrals in just one year, is needed to combat the terror threat, wider work needs to be done to stop people falling prey to extremism or violence at a young age.

Officials have defended the programme against frequent criticism, highlighting success stories and pointing out that no comprehensive alternative has been drawn up amid an unprecedented terror threat.

But senior politicians and experts are among its detractors, with a report by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation warning that perceived grievances with Prevent were damaging cooperation with the very communities it needs to succeed.

While there has been alarm over the prospect of jihadis returning from Isiss lost territories in Syria and Iraq, security officials have warned that the biggest threat emanates from domestic terrorists being radicalised at home.

Earlier this month, Mark Rowley, the head of national counter-terrorism policing, said there was no silver bullet to cure the terror threat facing the UK.

A previous report warned that as many as 50 children from the UK are being brainwashed in Isiss caliphate

There is more of it, it is moving more quickly and its harder to detect, he warned.

The most important thing we can all focus on to change the picture in the long-term is the preventative agenda, to counter the ideology to stop the next generation of terrorists.

The Oasis Foundation, which is part of a Christian charity running 49 schools with 25,000 students, said it has formulated education programmes and structures fostering cohesion in deprived communities.

It called for the Government to create a new narrative on radicalisation that avoids demonising Islam and more honestly reflects the many consistent factors driving different forms of radicalisation.

The report said young people must be empowered and involved with society to prevent them seeking belonging and status inside criminal or terrorist networks.

The Oasis Foundations claims are lent credence by statistics on the Governments counter-radicalisation programme, Channel, which showed a high proportion of those referred as potential extremists being passed on to education services, local councils, the NHS and the local community rather than law enforcement.

A police study of 500 cases dealt with by Channel found that 44 per cent of individuals were likely to have mental health or psychological difficulties, while gang members have higher levels of mental illness than the general population, as well as alcohol and drug dependence.

A recent United Nations report found that foreign Isis fighters mainly come from disadvantaged backgrounds, have low levels of education and lack any basic understanding of the true meaning of jihad or even the Islamic faith.

The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 10: Greece AP The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 9: Denmark Shutterstock The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 8: Austalia Getty Images The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 7: Sweden Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 6: Mexico Reuters The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 5: Germany Anthony Faiola/The Washington Post The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 4: Israel AP The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 3: US Getty The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 2: France Getty The 10 developed countries suffering the most deaths from terrorism 1: Turkey AP

Researchers who spoke to returnees said most were novices in their professed religion and some did not know how to pray properly.

He is also more likely than not to come from a marginalised background, both socially and politically, the report said.

Recommended How Isis is turning young criminals into new brand of terrorist

Most were unemployed, or underemployed, and/or said that their life lacked meaning.

Leaked Isis registration documents previously showed that most recruits profess to having only a basic knowledge of Sharia law, while there is mounting evidence of a crime-terror nexus seeing violent criminals and gang members travel to Syria in the hope of redemption.

The same pattern has been played out among domestic terrorists, with the Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi and Westminster attacker Khalid Masood among those with a criminal history.

At least eight terror plots have been thwarted since the start of this year, with the period also seeing almost 40 people killed and hundreds injured in attacks.

British security services are currently running around 600 investigations into 3,000 people considered an imminent threat and another 20,000 who have previously come on to the radar.

The Government is preparing to launch its revamped Contest terror strategy  which includes Prevent  early next year, which will encompass recommendations made by a review of its response to attacks.

Ben Wallace, the security minister, said: The report is inaccurate and amateurish.

"At its heart Prevent is about safeguarding vulnerable people from being exploited. Prevent stakeholders do not respond uniquely to the ideology of extremists but also to the vulnerabilities of potential victims. The Government and local authorities respond to all the factors that can influence people and explore all ways to support them.
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A senior Anglican minister has apologised after saying Christians should pray for Prince George to be gay in order to support same-sex marriage.

The Very Rev Kevin Holdsworth, senior Scottish Episcopal church minister, said Christians should hope the Lord blesses George with the love of a fine young gentleman to aid the progression of LGBT rights in the church.

He wrote: If people dont want to engage in campaigning in this way, they do in England have another unique option, which is to pray in the privacy of their hearts (or in public if they dare) for the Lord to bless Prince George with a love, when he grows up, of a fine young gentleman.

A royal wedding might sort things out remarkably easily, though we might have to wait 25 years for that to happen. Who knows whether that might be sooner than things working out by other means?

He made the comments in a blog post he reposted about LGBT inclusion in the Church of England in the wake of the announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement.

Rev Holdsworth, an LGBT campaigner, sparked controversy for the remarks - which were written more than two years ago - after they resurfaced last week.

The provost of St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow has now clarified his remarks in a post published on Thursday and said it had never been his intention to cause hurt. He also voiced his regret the post had shined the spotlight on the young royal.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters 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 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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. 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The post was entirely about the church and its policies around LGBT inclusion, he wrote. The debate about the church and sexuality will go on. I'm not interested in continuing it through a conversation about Prince George.

The initial comments prompted fury from Conservative clerics including former chaplain to the Queen Gavin Ashenden.

Mr Ashenden said the prayer for the young prince to be gay was un-Christian and anti-constitutional and described the blog post as praying the child out of the intentions of God.

He told Christian Today: It is an unkind and destabilising prayer. It is the theological equivalent of the curse of the wicked fairy in one of the fairy tales.

To co-opt the Royal children to service a narrow sexual agenda seems particularly tasteless.

Rev Holdsworth's comments urging Christians to pray for the four-year-old future monarch, who is third in line to the throne, to be gay was part of a list of suggestions to aid LGBT inclusion in the Church of England.
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A police cordon was thrown up near St Paul's Cathedral after a suspicious package was found.

City of London Police said the package had been deemed non-suspicious a little more than an hour after officers were called at 10.23am.

The object was found inside a building in St Martin's Le Grand, the force confirmed.

It said on Twitter: "The item has now been deemed non suspicious and officers are working to clear the incident. Cordons are still currently in place."

Reports on social media suggested surrounding buildings had been evacuated.

St Paul's underground station was also closed during the alert.
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Nine terror plots have been foiled in the UK over the past year, cabinet ministers have been told.

MI5's Director General Andrew Parker briefed Theresa May and her senior team on the planned attacks on Tuesday.

Ministers were told that the IS forces had been beaten in Iraq in Syria but were now pushing for attacks to be carried out on UK soil.

It comes as Home Secretary Amber Rudd prepared to give a statement to Parliament on the findings of official reviews into counter-terror agencies handling of this year's attacks.

Mr Parker told the Prime Minister that five attacks have been successful over the same period, four of which related to Islamist terrorism.

Ms May's spokesman said: "The Prime Minister led thanks to the tireless work of staff at MI5 to combat the unprecedented terrorist threat.

"Cabinet ministers heard that while Daesh suffered major defeats in Iraq and Syria, this did not mean the threat is over. Rather it is spreading to new areas, including trying to encourage attacks in the UK and elsewhere via propaganda on social media."

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters 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 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Home Secretary Ms Rudd said during the briefing on Tuesday, that the pace of "attack planning" had increased significantly over the year and that the Government had been pressuring social media companies to remove extremist material.

She was set to speak to MPs in a Commons session shortly after as the findings of official reviews into intelligence handling this year's wave of attacks.

Britain's security apparatus came under close scrutiny after dozens of people were killed or injured in atrocities between March and June, including those at Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge, and Finsbury Park.

MI5 and police launched internal reviews to consider what was known about the perpetrators prior to the attacks, examine decisions made regarding any intelligence held before the attacks took place and identify any areas for improvement, such as in the management of thousands of individuals who have been looked at as part of previous inquiries but who are not currently under active investigation.

The assessments have been carried out internally but David Anderson QC was appointed by the Government to provide "independent assurance".

Mr Anderson, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, submitted his classified report to the Home Secretary last month and a version of his findings will be made public on Tuesday.
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The EU has focused attention on Britains dysfunctional political system as a roadblock to progress in Brexit talks  warning that the UK needs to work out its internal differences to reach a deal.

Speaking the day after the shock failure of Theresa May to make progress after face-to-face meetings in Brussels, a spokesperson for the European Commission warned that the show is now in London as far as Brexit was concerned.

It comes after the DUP torpedoed a deal previously agreed by the Prime Minister with the EU on the Irish border  with DUP leader Arlene Foster apparently telephoning the PM while she was meeting with EU president Jean-Claude Juncker.

Recommended No Brexit deal in Brussels after DUP torpedoes Irish border agreement

The DUP, which only has 10 MPs and won less than 1 per cent of the national vote, holds an effective veto on many government policies because Ms May is relying on them for a majority in the House of Commons.

The European Commission spokesperson told reporters in Brussels: We have a common understanding with the United Kingdom on most of the relevant issues but there are some topics still open which will need further consultation and negotiation, notably in London. The show is now in London.

The spokesperson would not confirm when Ms May would return to Brussels for more talks. Negotiations to convince the DUP to back the Government are already underway.

 Theresa May's EU deal under threat from DUP over Northern Ireland border dispute

Ms Mays insistence on taking the UK out of the customs union and single market as part of Brexit has caused a major difficulty at the Irish border, because the Good Friday agreement  supported by all sides  stipulates that it must not be a hard border.

Theresa May with DUP leader Arlene Foster (PA Wire/PA Images) (PA)

Leaving the EU customs union however means customs checks must be implemented between the EU customs union  which the Republic of Ireland is a part of  and the UK.

A draft text jointly agreed by both sides, drawn up to solve this problem, and obtained by the Irish public broadcaster RTE on Monday read: In the absence of agreed solutions the UK will ensure that there continues to be no divergence from those rules of the internal market and the customs union which, now or in the future, support North South cooperation and the protection of the Good Friday Agreement.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

But after the draft leaked Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, ruled out any move which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom.

We have been very clear. Northern Ireland must leave the EU on the same terms as the rest of the United Kingdom, she said, speaking at Stormont.
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Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, has said news of a potential agreement between the UK and the EU on the issue of the Irish border came as a "big shock" to her party, which is propping up Theresa May in Parliament.

A potential agreement between London and Brussels that would have seen Northern Ireland retain "regulatory alignment" with the EU after Brexit fell apart on Monday after the DUP refused to give its backing to the proposal.

Ms May is reliant on the party's support after losing her parliamentary majority in June's general election.

Ms Foster said she had been asking for information on the Government's plans for the Irish border for five weeks but had only received news of the proposed arrangement on Monday morning.

She claimed British negotiators told her the Irish Government had insisted her party was not given advance notice of the text of the agreement.

"We are told the Irish Government prevented it coming to us," she told RTE.

"We hadn't seen any text despite asking for the text for nearly five weeks now.

"The text only came through to us late [on Monday] morning and obviously once we saw the text, we knew it wasn't going to be acceptable."

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Ms Foster said the DUP considered "a situation where Northern Ireland is different to the rest of the UK" to be a "red line".

Speaking after negotiations in Brussels, Irish premier Leo Varadkar said a deal had been agreed between the UK, the EU Commission and the Republic of Ireland but was thrown into chaos at the eleventh hour when the DUP made clear it would not support it in Parliament.

Ms Foster said she had a "very open" telephone conversation with Ms May about why her party could not back the plan, adding that she told the Prime Minister that the situation "could have been dealt with differently".

The issue of how the Irish border is managed after Brexit has become a major sticking point during negotiations with the EU. UK ministers are desperate to resolve the issue in time for the European Council summit on 14 and 15 December, where EU leaders will decide whether talks have been positive enough to progress to the next phase, which relates to a potential trade deal.
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David Davis has vowed the Government will not leave one part of the United Kingdom behind, by allowing Northern Ireland to have a softer Brexit deal.

Answering an emergency question, the Brexit Secretary insisted efforts to avoid a hard border would not see Northern Ireland remain in the EU single market or customs union.

That is emphatically not something the United Kingdom government is considering, Mr Davis told MPs.

We will not be treating one part of the United Kingdom differently from any other part, he added.

The pledge came as Keir Starmer, Labours Brexit spokesman, branded Theresa Mays U-turn on an Irish border deal  after a veto by the Democratic Unionist Party  an embarrassment.

It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase coalition of chaos, Mr Starmer told Mr Davis.

Nigel Dodds, a DUP MP, attacked the aggressive and anti-Unionist Irish Government - warning it would take a long time to repair damaged relations with Northern Ireland.

 Theresa May's EU deal under threat from DUP over Northern Ireland border dispute

And, in a warning to the Prime Minister, he vowed: We will not allow any settlement to be agreed that causes a divergence politically, or economically, of Northern Ireland from rest of the United Kingdom

To do so would not only be politically damaging but economically catastrophic for everyone in Northern Ireland.

The clashes came after the DUP refused to accept regulatory alignment on both sides of the Irish border, as a mechanism to avoid the customs posts and checks that Dublin and Brussels have ruled out.

Mr Davis came under pressure to set out what was meant by the phrase  after Leo Varadkar, the Irish Prime Minister, insisted it meant the same as no regulatory divergence.

Dublins view appears to be that such a deal would see Northern Ireland effectively remain inside both the single market and customs union.

But Mr Davis insisted there was a crucial difference, which was that regulatory alignment would not mean harmonisation on trade, or having exactly the same rules.

The UK would still be choosing our own laws, he argued  a red line for many hardline Brexiteer supporters on the Tory benches.

Pro-EU MPs seized on the confusion to press for the case for the Government to accept the only solution was for the entire UK to remain within the EUs economic structures.

Labour backbencher Ben Bradshaw urged Mr Davis to grant MPs a free vote on staying in the customs union  a nod to a likely majority for that outcome in the Commons  but he rejected the idea.

Chris Bryant, another former Labour Minister, insisted it was the only way to keep the UK together, while ensuring we dont harm our trade, adding: Why cant he just see that?

But Mr Davis also came under strong pressure to continue to rule out any half in half out solution  which he was happy to do.

To jeers from many MPs, the Brexit Secretary insisted it had been clear to the public that voting for Brexit meant departing from the customs union.
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As Brexit negotiations reach a critical juncture, the question of what to do about the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland  the only point where the UK will continue to meet the EU  has become critical. Heres what you need to know.

What is happening in Northern Ireland that is causing so much fuss?

When the EU adopted guidelines for Brexit negotiations at the end of April 2017 it identified three issues on which sufficient progress would be required in phase 1 of the talks, before agreement would be reached to move to phase 2 regarding the transition period and trade agreement. These three issues, which were accepted by the UK government, are: the financial settlement, citizens rights and the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

While significant progress has been made in relation to the first two, the Irish border issue remained unresolved. The roughly 300-mile frontier runs from Carlingford Lough in the north-east of Ireland to Lough Foyle in the north. It is estimated that more than 30,000 people cross the border every day  and Northern Ireland is particularly exposed to any raising of tariffs and imposition of structural barriers to its trade with the South because 25% of all its goods exports go south of the border.

Why cant they just go without a border?

If the UK left the European Union but remained in the single market or the customs union, it would be possible for the border to remain unchanged. However, the current UK government has taken the position that Brexit means leaving the customs union and single market as well as the EU. The status quo is therefore untenable. Northern Ireland will have different trade regulations to Ireland and the UKs desire to control migration would require a border.

The UK also has to honour its obligations to implement World Trade Organisation rules  that means putting in place a customs border if the UK leaves the EU Customs Union.

Why cant they just put up a border?

The creation of a hard border would, in the minds of many people in both parts of Ireland, conjure up memories of the Troubles and severely damage and depress trade. Basic travel would be disrupted with thousands of civilians being checked when travelling between jurisdictions on a daily basis. There is also concern that the erection of manned, visible security posts along the border would be targeted by dissident Republicans. Policing a border is expensive, requiring cooperation from both sides. Dublin is reluctant to invest in border infrastructure for what it regards as a political disaster not of its making.

Why is this such a big issue now?

At the upcoming EU Summit in mid-December, EU leaders will decide whether sufficient progress has been made in the Brexit negotiations in order to move discussions onto the next phase. Michel Barnier, the EU chief negotiator, will soon give his assessment whether sufficient progress has been achieved on all three issues. If he rules that sufficient progress has not been made, it will probably be impossible to begin trade talks until March 2018.

Recommended May scrambles to save Brexit deal after DUP refuses to back her

This would again shorten the increasingly tight window within which the future EU-UK relationship can be negotiated in order to prevent a disorderly hard Brexit. Ireland essentially has the final say on whether this process moves forward.

What is the UK government proposing?

The UK government wants a seamless and frictionless border. Its proposals on how to make that work were dismissed by both the EU and the Irish government. The UK wants to avoid a hard border but lacks concrete ways by which to do so.

A deal may be close. It has been reported that the UK has agreed to maintain regulatory alignment in trade practices and customs regulations between the north and south of Ireland. Ironically, one of the main demands of Brexit supporters was to take back control of borders. Yet if there is no hard border, foreigners entering the Republic of Ireland can travel north and enter the UK through Northern Ireland.

What does the DUP want?

While the DUP wishes to avoid a hard border, the party has also stated that it wants to leave the customs union along with the rest of the United Kingdom. Numerous commentators and political figures have pointed out the contradictory nature of its position, but the DUP believes a soft border can be maintained with technology, including drones and land-based cameras used to track vehicles.

The DUP is quite split on Brexit  some leading members of the party, such as Westminster MP Nigel Dodds, are much more bullish about the prospects for the UK as a result of Brexit. Others, particularly at the local level in Northern Ireland, are more concerned about the potential for political and economic fall-out.

What is the DUP opposed to?

The DUP is opposed to anything which is seen to give Northern Ireland special status, such as by allowing it to continue to enjoy some of the privileges that come with being a member of the EU. It wont support any arrangement that suggests a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Not only would special status separate Northern Ireland from the trajectory of the rest of the UK, some Unionists feel the option is associated with the Irish government and the DUPs chief opponents in Northern Ireland: Sinn Fein.

What does Ireland want and what is it opposed to?

Ireland wants to avoid a hard border. While the UK government has agreed to this in principle, Ireland is seeking concrete details on how this can be achieved. Irelands first preference is for the UK to remain in the single market and customs union  but as the UK government has ruled out this option, Ireland is seeking clarity on alternative proposals. It is concerned about the impact that a potential border would have on the Northern Ireland peace process, cross-border cooperation, daily border crossings and trade.

Ireland was always the EU member state most economically exposed to the impact of Brexit. Tariffs could devastate the Irish food industry and bring all kinds of additional costs and bureaucracy  as well as concerns about illegal activity over the border.

At this stage the EUs position is closely aligned with Irelands.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Could a failure to reach an agreement on this issue lead to an election in the UK?

Only the DUP pulling out of the confidence-and-supply arrangement with the Conservative Party will conceivably trigger an election in the near future. DUP figures have already voiced their disapproval of a potential deal favourable to the Irish government and the EU, but bringing down the government could be seriously counterproductive for the DUP if a general election led to a narrow Labour win.

Not only would the DUP concede its position as kingmakers, it might lose the 1 billion it secured for Northern Ireland in its agreement with the Conservatives.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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Theresa Mays hopes of rescuing a deal to kickstart the faltering Brexit talks have hit fresh trouble after crunch talks with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) were delayed.

The Prime Minister had expected to speak to Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, by telephone to convince the party it has nothing to fear over trading rules to avoid a hard Irish border.

But, after twice telling journalists the call was set to take place today, No 10 was forced to admit later that it did not know when the crucial conversation would go ahead.

The call will happen whenever it happens, a Downing Street source said.

It appeared the DUP believed that little would be achieved from a direct conversation between the two leaders until major changes were made to a proposed deal on the border.

Earlier, the DUP criticised the ambiguity behind a plan for regulatory alignment with the EU to avoid a hard border  explaining why, 24 hours earlier, the party had forced Ms May to pull the plug on a deal.

Ms Fosters apparent snub of the Prime Minister  even as she carried out media interviews  was illustrated by Ms May holding talks with Michelle ONeill, the Sinn Fein leader in Belfast.

The pair had been expected to discuss a pledge by David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, that appeared to point the way to a potential breakthrough.

Mr Davis surprised MPs by insisting any regulatory alignment with the EU would apply across the UK, rather than see Northern Ireland treated differently.

He revealed the policy during an emergency Commons statement during which Keir Starmer, Labours Brexit spokesman, branded the Governments Brexit strategy an embarrassment  and condemned the coalition of chaos.

Asked about keeping regulations in step with Brussels, Mr Davis said: The presumption of the discussion was that everything we talked about applied to the whole United Kingdom.

However, the plan is likely to be opposed by Brexit-backing Tory MPs, who view the freedom to pursue new trade deals outside the EU  with different regulations  as essential.

Jacob Rees-Mogg fired a warning shot in the Commons, telling Mr Davis that the benefits from regulatory divergence had to be indelible red lines.

A second Brexiteer, former Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson, urged Ms May to walk away from the negotiating table if necessary, saying: She should come back with no deal.

And Iain Duncan Smith said the EU had to be told to back off  otherwise we will get on with other arrangements that will not be beneficial to you.

The Prime Ministers spokesman refused repeatedly to say whether Mr Davis had been speaking for the Government  or had Cabinet backing  when he proposed UK-wide regulatory alignment.

In recent weeks, there have been growing tensions between Ms May and her Brexit Secretary, with claims he has been frozen out of the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the EU Commission president appeared to tighten the new deadline for London to present acceptable proposals to ensure no hard land border and allow the talks to progress to future trade.

Jean-Claude Juncker said he would meet Ms May maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow but not on Friday and Saturday because Im out of town. He added: Im very confident that well do it.

Earlier, Ms Foster insisted her party would not bend to Dublins wishes, saying: The Irish Prime Minister can be as unequivocal as he likes. Were equally unequivocal.

However, her Westminster leader, Nigel Dodds, said the party would accept cooperation with Dublin provided it did not mean following the rules of the single market or the customs union.

The DUP did not receive the Prime Ministers proposals to avoid a new hard Irish land border until Monday morning  as they were about to be presented in Brussels, he said.

The plans had far too much ambiguity and didnt actually nail down the issue that needed to be nailed down, he told a Commons press conference.

The explanation added to criticism of Ms May for failing to win the backing of the DUP  her partners in Government  ahead of resuming the negotiations in Brussels.

The proposed deal unravelled after the DUP attacked any move which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom.

It was clear the DUP believed regulatory alignment on both sides of the Irish border, to avoid customs checks and posts, would only apply in Northern Ireland.

In his statement, Mr Davis said there was no question of Northern Ireland remaining in the EU single market or customs union, because the Government would not leave one part of the United Kingdom behind.

He insisted regulatory alignment would not mean harmonisation on trade, or having exactly the same rules. The UK would still be choosing our own laws.

Pro-EU MPs seized on the confusion to press for the case for the Government to accept the only solution was for the entire UK to remain within the EUs economic structures.

Labour backbencher Ben Bradshaw urged Mr Davis to grant MPs a free vote on staying in the customs union  a nod to a likely majority for that outcome in the Commons  but the idea was rejected.
 Close Theresa May's EU deal under threat from DUP over Northern Ireland border dispute

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Theresa May is trying to keep her Brexit plans afloat today after her Northern Irish political partners blocked her attempts to secure a withdrawal agreement with the EU.

The Prime Minister was set to call the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party to convince her to back her proposals for what should happen with Northern Irelands land border after Brexit.

Downing Street has indicated Ms May hoped to be back in Brussels before the end of the week to secure the agreement, after the DUP refused to accept plans that could have seen Belfast following a different regulatory regime than London.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

But the fallout has highlighted Ms May's dependence on the DUP, and given her opponents the chance to pressure her over her failure to secure the deal so far.

Labour has called an urgent question in the House of Commons today, giving Sir Keir Starmer another chance to shout about the major problems the Government finds itself in.

Ms May is planning to return to Brussels before the end of the week, as time runs out to persuade leaders of the remaining 27 EU nations "sufficient progress" has been made to move Brexit negotiations on to their second phase.

The next phase would deal with trade and the transition to a new relationship, but if Ms May fails to move forward new questions will be raised in Tory ranks about her own ability to see through Brexit.
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Ruth Davidson has said that the whole of the UK should remain in alignment with the EUs customs union if it is the only way to secure a frictionless border in Northern Ireland.

In a statement, the Scottish Conservative leader said: If regulatory alignment in a number of specific areas is the requirement for a frictionless border, then the Prime Minister should conclude this on a UK-wide basis.

She suggested that providing one part of the UK with a special deal in the Brexit negotiations would compromise the political, economic and constitutional integrity of the union.

 Brexit: No deal in Brussels after Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker meeting to break deadlock

Ms Davidsons comments came after Theresa May was forced to leave Brussels on Monday with no agreement. Her hopes to move the negotiations onto phase two  discussing a future relationship and trade  were derailed after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) rejected the deal on the cards at the eleventh hour.

The party  responsible for propping up Ms Mays fragile Government  appeared to be blindsided by the UKs apparent concession of regulatory alignment on both sides of the border, to avoid checks in Ireland.

She added: The question on the Brexit ballot paper asked voters whether the UK should stay or leave the European Union  it did not ask if the country should be divided by different deals for the different home nations.

While I recognise the complexity of the current negotiations, no government of the Conservative and Unionist Party should countenance any deal that compromises the political, economic or social integrity of the Untied Kingdom.

Recommended No Brexit deal in Brussels after DUP torpedoes Irish border agreement

She added that all sides in the negotiations recognise the paramount importance of the Good Friday agreement and that there should not be a return of hard border in Ireland. Similarly, jeopardising the UKs own internal market is in no-ones interest, she added.

The comments from Ms Davidson, a vocal supporter of the campaign to remain inside the European Union in last years referendum, also came after the Tory MP Anna Soubry said that no Conservatives wanted Northern Ireland treated different from the rest of the UK, which she said would be gift to the Scottish National Party.

Nobody could want one part of our country to have a different set of rules to another part of our country, said Ms Soubry. On that, everybody is agreed.

Tory former attorney general Dominic Grieve added he would never support internal tariff customs borders within the UK, meaning it would be necessary for the whole country to remain in the customs union in order to maintain an open border in Ireland.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

The reality is that if we wish to maintain a non-border, then the regulatory alignment must apply to the whole country, the whole of us here, he told BBC Radio 4's PM.

I think it highlights the fact Brexit is proving to be immensely complex and difficult, and forgive my saying it, exactly as was predicted a year ago and ruthlessly disregarded by those who advocated leaving the EU, and we're going to have to do a reality check on what is in our national interest.

That may require some of the idols that have been put up, such as our leaving the customs union, to be reconsidered."
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The number of soldiers who are fit for battle has fallen to 60,000 as new figures show nearly one in five troops cannot undertake full combat duties due to illness or injury.

Nearly 8,000 soldiers are unable to fight on the front line because of physical or mental illness, lack of fitness or non-medical reasons, while a further 10,000 troops were found to be medically fit but only able to go on certain operations.

The data casts doubt on the full strength of the British Army as it leaves the force with 18,000 fewer members than its official estimates. Ministry of Defence figures say there are 78,407 full-time and full trained troops - which is already below the Government's 82,000 target.

Tory MP Andrew Bowie, a former naval officer who uncovered the figures through a parliamentary question, said the "worrying" staffing gap could be heaping undue stress on serving soldiers.

It comes as Theresa May was warned that a "very substantial rebellion" was brewing on the Tory benches over potential defence cuts in the upcoming national security review, against a backdrop of growing threats from Russia, North Korea and uncertainty in Iran.

Mr Bowie, MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, told The Independent: I think these figures are very worrying.

Far from the 82,000 soldiers that the British army is supposed to have, it seems that, when medically unavailable soldiers are taken into account, it is more like 60,000.

This gap is placing a huge burden on an already overstretched army required to carry out the roles the Government asks them to do on our behalf.

A decision has to be made. Do we fund and man our armed forces properly and ask them to do all we ask them, or do we continue to underfund and undermine, leading to overstretched and undue stress on our serving soldiers?

Defence minister Tobias Ellwood - who was hailed as a hero for trying to save Pc Keith Palmer in the Westminster terror attack - indicated last week that he would be prepared to resign if proposals to cut full-time army strength by 12,000 went ahead, as defence chiefs try to cut 2bn from their budgets.

Ex-army officer and Tory MP Johnny Mercer has led a campaign to boost resources, saying up to 30 fellow Conservatives would be prepared to hold the Governments feet to the fire on defence spending.

Numbers of deployable army reservists have increased to 22,423 this year following plans to boost recruitment in the reserves to cover reductions in full-time personnel.

Responding for the Government, Mr Ellwood, who released the figures, said: Medically Fully Deployable (MFD) personnel are those medically fit for duty with no employment limitations.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters 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 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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. 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Medically Limited Deployable (MLD) personnel are medically fit for duty with minor employment limitations. MLD personnel may have a medical condition or functional limitation that prevents the meeting of all MFD requirements.

Medically Not Deployable (MND) personnel are medically fit for duty with major employment limitations. MND personnel are not fit to deploy on Operations but may be deployable on UK based exercises.

The Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment.
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The Democratic Unionist Party says it blocked Theresa Mays deal to break the Brexit deadlock because it contained far too much ambiguity.

The party confirmed it did not receive the Prime Ministers proposals to avoid a new hard Irish land border until they were about to be presented to EU officials in Brussels.

Despite several briefings over the course of the last few weeks, we only received written text late yesterday morning, said Nigel Dodds, the DUPs Westminster leader.

The plans had far too much ambiguity and didn't actually nail down the issue that needed to be nailed down, he told a Commons press conference.

The explanation is certain to add to criticism of the Prime Minister for failing to win the backing of the DUP  her partners in Government  ahead of resuming negotiations in Brussels.

The proposed deal unravelled after Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, attacked a move which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom.

The party stamped on the UK's concession of "regulatory alignment" on both sides of the Irish border, to avoid customs checks and posts.

Ms May then interrupted her talks with Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU Commission President, to telephone Ms Foster. When she went back to the lunch, the agreement was off.

Keir Starmer, Labours Brexit spokesman, branded the U-turn an embarrassment, telling MPs: It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase coalition of chaos.

At the press conference, Mr Dodds partly blamed delays caused by the Irish Government and the EU negotiating team for the failure to keep the DUP informed

Upon immediate receipt of that text, we indicated to senior Government representatives that it was clearly unacceptable in its current form, he said.

And he added: Text is important. Words are important. They really do matter.

"When we finally see text, that's when we make the decision - and clearly the text that we were shown very late yesterday morning did not translate what we had been told in general conversations into reality, because there was far too much ambiguity and it didn't actually nail down the issue that needed to be nailed down.
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Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has criticised Facebook for "targeting younger children" by releasing a child-focused version of its Messenger app.

Facebook announced on Monday it was trialling Messenger Kids in the US, a standalone app aimed at children under 13 to chat with friends and family, controlled from a parent's main Facebook account.

The social network said it had consulted with parents and experts to ensure child safety in using the app, but Mr Hunt has accused the tech giant of failing to act responsibly.

"Not sure this is the right direction at all," he tweeted.

"Facebook told me they would come back with ideas to PREVENT underage use of their product, but instead they are actively targeting younger children. Stay away from my kids please Facebook and act responsibly!"

When announcing the app, Facebook said Messenger Kids requires parents to set up an account for their child, where only a name is required, with all contacts added and approved by parents from their main Facebook account.

The social network has not commented on Mr Hunt's tweet.

In a blog post for the launch, Facebook's Loren Cheng said: "Today, parents are increasingly allowing their children to use tablets and smartphones, but often have questions and concerns about how their kids use them and which apps are appropriate.

"So when we heard about the need for better apps directly from parents during research and conversations with parents, we knew we needed to develop it alongside with the people who were going to use it, as well as experts who could help guide our thinking."

"In addition to our research with thousands of parents, we've engaged with over a dozen expert advisers in the areas of child development, online safety, and children's media and technology who've helped inform our approach to building our first app for kids."

Facebook also said the app was in line with child online safety and privacy laws in the US.

The decision to launch an app for children under 13 - the minimum age required to have a Facebook account - has been criticised in some quarters, but children's charity the NSPCC said it was a "step in the right direction" for providing children with safe places to contact friends and family.
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Theresa May was scrambling to salvage her Brexit deal on Tuesday after her Northern Irish political partners pulled the plug on her attempt to secure a withdrawal agreement with the EU.

The Prime Minister was set to call the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party to convince her to back her proposals for what should happen with Northern Irelands land border after Brexit.

Downing Street indicated Ms May hoped to be back in Brussels before the end of the week to secure the agreement, after the DUP refused to accept plans that could have seen Belfast following a different regulatory regime than London.

Recommended Davidson warns against special Brexit deal for Northern Ireland

The Prime Minister was set to brief her Cabinet on Tuesday amid fallout of from the delay, as an ex-senior Foreign Office official said the row had been damaging for Ms May.

She has insisted she is still confident of securing a withdrawal deal, allowing her to get a green light for trade talks at the European Council summit starting December 14.

Failure to do so would risk throwing the whole Brexit process into crisis, with companies believed to be preparing to activate contingency plans to start moving staff and activities out of the UK if there are no signs of progress by Christmas.

It would also call into question her leadership, with backbenchers setting progress in the talks as a key test Ms May must pass to stay in power.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

EU officials are understood to believe that a text of the deal must be thrashed out by the end of the week to allow it to be included in draft summit conclusions and give other leaders time to consult their own governments before convening in Brussels.

Former Foreign Office official Lord Ricketts said the row will leave EU leaders with the impression Ms May lacks the authority to get through Brexit negotiations.

The crossbench peer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: I mean, it's pretty extraordinary that this wasn't all stitched up with the DUP beforehand.

We're used to prime ministers going to Brussels and having a row with the EU and coming back without an agreement, but to go agree with the EU and then have a row on your own side is inconvenient.

He went on: It leaves an impression, I think, in Brussels that the Prime Minister hasn't got authority over her own side and that will knock confidence in doing a final deal.

Former Brexit minister David Jones said that the DUPs intervention demonstrates the precise strength of their position.

 Brexit: No deal in Brussels after Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker meeting to break deadlock

Ms May had to break off from talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday for an urgent call with the DUP leader Arelene Foster, who declared her party's opposition to proposals on the table.

The plans would have imposed regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and the Republic to avoid the need for a hard border.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar said that the deal had been agreed by the European Commission, UK and the Republic before the process was thrown into disarray by Ms Foster's eleventh-hour intervention.

Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, during a press conference in Dublin (EPA)

Prominent Tory MPs voiced their opposition to any deal which threatened the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom by forcing Northern Ireland to operate under different regulations from the mainland.

Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said: I don't think that can possibly happen. The Government doesn't have a majority for that.

Leaders of devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and London said they would want the option to adopt in their parts of the UK any special status afforded to Northern Ireland.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the failure of talks showed Ms May's Government was completely ill-equipped to negotiate a successful Brexit deal for our country, while former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said she should leave office now.
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Internal government assessments into universal credit will by published before Christmas, the Work and Pensions Secretary has conceded after Labour threatened to force a vote on the issue in the Commons.

David Gauke said he would provide the requested reports on a confidential basis to the Work and Pensions Select Committee in Westminster, but added that the Government is doing so on an exceptional basis and it should not set a precedent.

It came after the Labour Party attempted to seek vote in the Commons on Tuesday to make a humble address to the Queen, ordering ministers to release project assessment reviews conducted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) into universal credit, which is gradually being rolled out across the country.

Recommended Labour to force Government to publish its Universal Credit assessments

The arcane parliamentary procedure is similar to the one used by Labour several weeks ago and compelled the Government to publish its Brexit impact assessments into different areas of the British economy.

The reports, known as project assessment reviews, are detailed assessments of the implementation of universal credit, which has come under criticism for driving debt, arrears and even evictions.

The independent Information Commissioner has determined that five of the reports, drafted between 2012 and 2015, are in the public interest and called on the Government to release them. So far it has not done so.

Welcoming the announcement by the Work and Pensions Secretary, the committees chair, Frank Field, said jokingly: We can all go home in a minute.

Speaking during an opposition day debate calling for the reports release, Mr Gauke said sharing information with select committees can be appropriate in exceptional circumstances.

He added: In line with the motion before this House, I will provide, by the time the House rises for the Christmas recess, the reports directly to the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

Now, I just wish to point out to the Shadow Secretary of State that her motion doesnt require us to publish these reports, it doesnt require us to lay it before the House.

What is says specifically is to provide it to the Work and Pensions Committee. In those circumstances, I think it is acceptable for us to do so.

Mr Gauke said he would consider redacting certain information, such as that which is commercially sensitive, while the documents were being handed over in exceptional circumstances and did not set a precedent.

Against this background, I provide the reports to the select committee on a confidential basis, and in these circumstances hope and expect that documents will not be disclosed further, he added.

Mr Gauke added: Many of these reports date back some years, but to disclose the papers without the subsequent reports  showing how well universal credit has progressed  would give a partial picture. So in line with the Motion before the House, I will provide by the time the House rises for the Christmas recess, the reports to directly the Work and Pensions Select Committee. As is customary, I will need to consider redacting any appropriate material such as the names of junior officials and information which is commercially sensitive.

I wish to emphasise that it is the Government's view that this is an exceptional request, agreed to on an exceptional basis, and does not set any precedent for re action. Against this background, I provide the reports to the Select Committee on a confidential basis and, in these circumstances, hope and expect that the documents will not be disclosed further. I say that, knowing that the most recent IPA report was very clear. We were right to expand the roll out of Universal Credit this Autumn. 
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A conservative operative trumpeting his close ties to the National Rifle Association and Russia told a Trump campaign adviser last year that he could arrange a back-channel meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, according to an email sent to the Trump campaign.

A May 2016 email to the campaign adviser, Rick Dearborn, bore the subject line Kremlin Connection. In it, the National Rifle Association (NRA) member said he wanted the advice of Mr Dearborn and Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, then a foreign policy adviser to Mr Trump and Mr Dearborns longtime boss, about how to proceed in connecting the two leaders.

Russia, he wrote, was quietly but actively seeking a dialogue with the US and would attempt to use the NRAs annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky, to make first contact". The email, which was among a trove of campaign-related documents turned over to investigators on Capitol Hill, was described in detail to The New York Times.

Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign, secured a guilty plea on Friday from President Trumps first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, for lying to the FBI about contacts with Moscows former ambassador to the United States. But those contacts came after Mr Trumps improbable election victory.

The emailed outreach from the conservative operative to Mr Dearborn came far earlier, around the same time that Russians were trying to make other connections to the Trump campaign. Another contact came through an American advocate for Christian and veterans causes, and together, the outreach shows how, as Mr Trump closed in on the nomination, Russians were using three foundational pillars of the Republican Party  guns, veterans and Christian conservatives  to try to make contact with his unorthodox campaign.

Both efforts, made within days of each other, centred on the NRAs annual meeting and appear to involve Alexander Torshin, a deputy governor of the Russian central bank and key figure in Mr Putins United Russia party, who was instructed to make contact with the campaign.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

Putin is deadly serious about building a good relationship with Mr Trump, the NRA member and conservative activist, Paul Erickson, wrote. He wants to extend an invitation to Mr Trump to visit him in the Kremlin before the election. Lets talk through what has transpired and Senator Sessionss advice on how to proceed.

It is not clear how Mr Dearborn handled the outreach. He forwarded a similar proposal, made through Rick Clay, an advocate for conservative Christian causes, to Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and a top campaign aide. Mr Kushner rebuffed the proposal at the time, according to two people who have seen Mr Kushners email.

Mr Sessions told investigators from the House Intelligence Committee that he did not recall the outreach, according to three people with knowledge of the exchange. Mr Dearborn did not return requests for comment, and Ty Cobb, the White House lawyer dealing with matters related to the investigations, declined to comment. Repeated attempts to reach Mr Erickson were not successful.

Intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia, on orders from the highest levels of its government, undertook a sophisticated campaign to hack Democratic computers, spread propaganda and undermine the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. The repeated outreach around the NRA convention, where Mr Trump accepted the groups endorsement, came just weeks after a self-described intermediary for the Russian government told George Papadopoulos, a campaign aide, that the Russians had dirt on Ms Clinton. And just weeks later, the presidents eldest son arranged a meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer who promised damaging information about the would-be Democratic nominee.

The Kremlin believes that the only possibility of a true reset in this relationship would be with a new Republican White House, Mr Erickson wrote to Mr Dearborn, adding, Ever since Hillary compared Putin to Hitler, all senior Russian leaders consider her beyond redemption.

Congressional investigators obtained the email as part of their inquiry into Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether Mr Trumps campaign aided the efforts. It appears to have caught the attention of senators as well. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, penned letters to several Trump campaign foreign policy advisers last week asking for all documents related to the NRA, Mr Erickson, Mr Torshin, Mr Clay, Mr Dearborn and others.

Mr Erickson, a longtime conservative operative who has been involved in several presidential campaigns, presented himself in the email as a well-connected intermediary to the upper reaches of the Russian government. By happenstance and the reach of the NRA, Mr Erickson wrote, he had been put in position to slowly begin cultivating a back-channel to President Putins Kremlin in recent years.

Russia is quietly but actively seeking a dialogue with the US that isnt forthcoming under the current administration, he wrote.

Indeed, evidence does appear to show deep ties between Mr Erickson, the NRA and the Russian gun rights community that were formed in the years when many American conservatives, put off by the Obama administrations policies, were increasingly looking to Mr Putin as an example of a strong leader opposing immigration, terrorism and gay rights.

The NRA. was one of Mr Trumps biggest backers during the campaign, spending tens of millions of dollars to help elect him.

Mr Erickson has known Maria Butina, a former assistant to Mr Torshin and the founder of the Right to Bear Arms, a Russian gun-rights group, for several years. Ms Butina, who helped Mr Torshin make the request through Mr Clay, hosted Mr Erickson at a September 2014 meeting of the group at its Moscow office. And in February 2016, the two incorporated a company, Bridges LLC, together in South Dakota. What the company does is unclear.

In December 2015, Mr. Erickson returned to Russia as part of an NRA delegation that included David Keene, the groups onetime president, top donors and David A Clarke Jr, the former sheriff of Milwaukee County who became a popular Trump campaign surrogate. At one stop, the group met with Dmitry Rogozin, the deputy prime minister in charge of defence. A photograph from the meeting shows Mr Torshin was also present.

In the United States, the hospitality was returned. Mr Torshin and Ms Butina attended the NRAs annual convention in 2014 and 2015. Ms Butina told the conservative news site Townhall that she attended the NRA Womens Leadership Luncheon as a guest of Sandra S Froman, a former president of the group. And in 2015, she was given a tour of the NRAs Virginia headquarters.

Attempts to contact Ms Butina were unsuccessful.

Mr Erickson does not explicitly name Mr Torshin in the email to Mr Dearborn, but the message appears to refer to him, the people familiar with the communication said. Instead, he describes President Putins emissary on this front, whose plans match those of Mr Torshin.

Mr Torshin, he wrote, was planning to attend a reception being planned by Mr Clay honouring wounded veterans that he expected Mr Trump would also attend. Mr Torshin expected to use the reception to make first contact  with the candidate and present Mr Trumps wife, Melania, with a gift from the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to Mr Clay, neither Mr Trump nor his campaign officials attended the veterans dinner. The Presidents son, Donald Trump Jr, and Mr Torshin did attend a separate NRA dinner that night.

Mr Torshin served in the upper house of the Russian Parliament and was a member of the countrys National Anti-Terrorism Committee, a government body that includes the ministers of defence, interior and foreign affairs and the director of the Federal Security Service, known as FSB, the KGBs successor. He has been a leading advocate of gun rights in Russia and of more closely linking the government and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Spanish investigators say that while he was in Parliament, Mr Torshin laundered money for the Russian mafia through Spanish banks and properties. Mr Torshin has denied those accusations.

New York Times
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Popular outdoor clothing brand Patagonia has announced plans to sue the Trump administration over its decision to launch the largest rollback of federal land protection in Americas history.

President Donald Trump has announced he will overhaul the legacy of his predecessor Barack Obama and reduce the size of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, a vast region of red rock canyons, by 85 per cent. This means it will be shrunk from around 1.5 million acres to some 228,000 acres.

During an appearance at Utahs state Capitol in Salt Lake City on Monday, the president also said he would halve the size of Utahs Grand Staircase-Escalante to one million acres.

Patagonia, an American company which sells sustainable outdoor clothing, said the billionaire property developers decision to shrink the two Utah national monuments was illegal and was the largest elimination of protected land in American history.

The President Stole Your Land, read a message emblazoned across Patagonias website.

President Trump said his decision was made to "reverse federal overreach and restore the rights of this land to your citizens."

He said: "The families and communities of Utah know and love this land the best, and you know the best how to take care of your land. You know how to protect it. And you know best how to conserve this land for many, many generations to come.

Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park Show all 4 1 /4 Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354728.bin KATERINA ADAMS Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354697.bin KATERINA ADAMS Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354699.bin KATERINA ADAMS Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354702.bin AP

The world leader largely overlooked the tribe's opposition to the move and instead sought to pose the battle as one between local officials and Washington bureaucrats  the latter of which he claimed "don't care for your land like you do."

He claimed Mr Obama emboldened faraway bureaucrats at the expense of the people who actually live here, work here, and make this place their home.

Five tribes that pushed for the creation of the Bears Ears monument and now manage it filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. They are the Navajo, Hopi, Pueblo of Zuni, Ute Mountain and Ute Indians who deem Bears Ears to be sacred.

We will be fighting back immediately. All five tribes will be standing together united to defend Bears Ears, said Natalie Landreth, an attorney for the Native American Rights Fund.

The Bears Ears Monument is of critical importance, not only to the Navajo Nation but to many tribes in the region, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said in a statement. The decision to reduce the size of the Monument is being made with no tribal consultation. The Navajo Nation will defend Bears Ears.

Jonathan Nez, vice president of the Navajo Nation, said: It's a sad day in Indian country.

A number of environmental and conservation groups also sued President Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in federal court on Monday. They allege Mr Trump did not possess the right to shrink Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

The lawsuit, which includes, the Natural Resources Defence Council, The Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club and seven other groups as plaintiffs, argues President Trump's move to shrink the size of Grand Staircase-Escalante was "unlawful" and "exceeds his authority under the US Constitution and the Antiquities Act."

Barack Obama, who in 2016 invoked the Antiquities Act to designate Bears Ears a national monument, and supporters hailed the designation as a means to protect a beautiful natural landscape of towering rock formations and meandering canyons.

A review of national monuments was carried out by Mr Zinke - a former businessman who has exhibited his strong loyalty to the oil, gas and other extractive industries since joining the Trump team  who recommended changes to 10 such areas.

Mr Zinke has reversed an Obama-era ban on coal mining on public lands and his agency has set the wheels in motion for potential oil exploration in Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge  one of the most intensely protected sites of the US environmental movement. He has also announced plans to repeal an imperative fracking safety rule and relaxed safety guidelines for underwater drilling.

President Trumps motorcade was greeted by protesters chanting f*** you Trump and hosting signs which read Tiny hands, off our lands when he arrived in Utah for the big announcement.

Mr Trump used his appearance to say former presidents abused the Antiquities Act  a law intended to protect sacred sites, artifacts and historical objects - by making unnecessarily large areas of territory out of bounds to mining, drilling, grazing, road traffic and other activities.
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An undocumented immigrant says he was targeted for arrest after speaking to a newspaper about the strange arrest of his wife earlier this year.

Baltazar Rosas Aburto Gutierrez said that he was stopped by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) SUV after a long shift harvesting clams in southern Washington State. As Mr Aburto Gutierrez entered a parking lot, the SUV got in his way, and an ICE agent approached him.

You are Rosas, Mr Aburto Gutierrez recalled the agent telling him to the Seattle Times. You are the one from the newspaper.

Recommended Arrest warrant issued for immigrant acquitted of Steinle murder

Mr Aburto Gutierrez had been featured in two recent newspaper articles, where he discussed a sting operation that led to his wifes arrest by immigration officials. In one article his name was not mentioned, while just his nickname was used in the other, in August.

My supervisor asked me to come find you because of what appeared in the newspaper, Mr Aburto Gutierrez said the agent explained when he asked why he was being arrested. He said that the agent was speaking English, a language that Mr Aburto Gutierrez is not fluent in.

Still, he said he understood what the agent was saying. He said that he ultimately concluded that the arrest was retaliation.

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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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An ICE spokesperson denied that the agency targets immigrants for retaliatory reasons. Requests for clarification of the role that the newspaper stories may have played in Mr Aburto Gutierrezs arrest were not immediately returned.

Mr Aburto Gutierrez says that he has lived in the United States for 18 years, and has worked 10-hour days since travelling to Washington, where he met his girlfriend, Gladys Diaz. The two built a life together there, and had children, until she was arrested in June.

The circumstances of that arrest add to the curiosity surrounding Mr Aburto Gutierrezs arrest. While Ms Diaz spent much of her time tending to the children, she also sold pinatas on the side. She was arrested while meeting someone who had answered an online ad she had posted for her pinatas.

After picking Ms Diaz, the arresting agents proceeded to drive her children back home, where they put them in Mr Aburto Gutierrezs custody. He said that he recalls asking the agent then why they werent taking all of them, since he was also in the country illegally.

The agents said that they were arresting Ms Diaz because she had a prior deportation order after getting caught sneaking over the border decades ago. He, however, did not have a similar background.

The unusual nature of the pinata sting made the case a hot topic of discussion in the county, and turned into an example of the deportation policies pushed during the administration of President Donald Trump. While ICE says that they prioritize criminal aliens living in the US unlawfully, critics have said that the President has broadened the definition of who can be considered a threat  and, in the process, picking up non-violent undocumented immigrants without legal histories.
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Ivanka Trump has been accused of cultural appropriation after she wore clothes embroidered with Indian patterns that were created by western designers, during a recent trip to India.

At the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in the southern city of Hyderabad, the US President's daughter wore a 2,600 dress covered with oriental-style flowers by British label Erdem, along with two outfits by American designer Tory Burch.

All featured patterns similar to those used in Indian embroidery, prompting criticism by some members of India's media.

A scathing article on the Daily O, an opinion website owned by India Today Group, accused Ms Trump, who serves as an unpaid adviser to her father, of superficial assimilation of culture

A senior editor on Vogue India was similarly critical of Ms Trump, arguing that the former businesswoman and fashion designer should have worn clothes made by designers in the country.

If Ivankas clothes are to be an acknowledgement of an ancient and rich culture like ours, especially as she arrives as a dignitary, then the sartorial tribute should be authentic in its intention, Bandana Tewari told The New York Times.

"We would rather see her wear a hand-woven sari made in our country or a handmade gown made in her own country. But to hybridize the two, in an era of unfiltered diversity, is a superfluous nod to half-acceptance.

In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home Show all 13 1 /13 In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The front of the house Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The lobby Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The house exterior Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The patio Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The bedroom Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living room Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living area Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The Living Room Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The kitchen Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living room Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The bathroom Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living room Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The hall Zillow

It had been rumoured that Ms Trump would wear a sari gown given to her as a welcome gift by the well known Bollywood costume designer and fashion stylist, Neeta Lulla.

But instead Ms Trump chose a Tory Burch outfit which the Daily O described as a floral gown that looked like a me-too of a Kashmiri pheran.

Ms Trump also wore a red floral print dress by London-based, Bombay-born designer Saloni Lodha. She also appeared in a dress by the Indonesian designer Biyan Wanaatmadja to take a tour of the Golconda Fort in Telangana State and bid her farewells in a traditional kurta dress.

Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times chief fashion critic argued Ms Trumps clothing choices shared parallels with orientalism  Edward Saids famous theory which argues Western societies perceive and patronise Arab culture as exotic, backward, and uncivilised.

(Getty Images (Getty Images)

The selections had echoes of orientalism and ornamentation - just as Ms Trumps choice of a kimono-inspired dress, complete with obi belt, by the Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz, did in Japan earlier this month, she wrote. And just as Melania Trumps Gucci gown with faux Chinese embroidery did during the Trumps state visit to China.

Instead of wearing work by a designer that spoke to the nuances of the country (a tactic adopted often by Michelle Obama, for example), Ms Trump opted, at least initially, for the most obvious: clothes by outsiders who dipped into their fantasy of India as opposed to its reality.

However, the majority of Indian fashion critics were fairly positive about Ms Trumps clothing choices and applauded her for shunning her usual ensemble for more reserved, traditional clothes.

"Dressed to the nines, the businesswoman impressed one and all with a lovely mix of dresses by western and Indian designers," wrote The Times of India.

Recommended Indigenous advocates call on UN to make cultural appropriation illegal

The issue of cultural appropriation  which at its most simple is defined as adopting the elements of one culture by members of another culture  has gained increasing attention in recent years but its exact meaning remains fiercely debated.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.

As well as being criticised for her fashion choices, Ms Trump was accused of hypocrisy for delivering a speech hailing the importance of female empowerment and equality.

The Independent contacted Ms Trump's representatives for comment but none had been received at the time of publication.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Oregon Water Resources Department are planning an open house to inform the public about potential water storage reallocation in the Willamette Valley.

The meeting will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Salem office, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive, Salem.

The Corps is studying this issue because demands on the valley's water supplies have changed due to increasing populations, development, irrigation and the listing of threatened or endangered fish species. Because of this, the Corps' Portland District and the Water Resources Department are sponsoring a study to determine if and how to best reallocate reservoir space during the spring and summer.

This open house is a way to inform the public about the potential changes and to gather comments on a draft integrated feasibility study report and environmental assessment, which includes a draft finding of no significant impact for the study.

The Corps has prepared these documents for this proposal in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The documents include a discussion of the need for the reallocation, as well as environmental effects resulting from the reallocation.

To review the draft assessment, visit www.nwp.usace.army.mil/notice/Article/1364275/.

One of the primary purposes of the Corps' system of 13 dams and reservoirs in the Willamette River Basin is flood risk management. However, Oregon residents benefit from other purposes of the projects, including hydropower generation and recreation.

The Corps is in the process of determining if a reallocation of water storage could grant municipal and industrial water supply, irrigation and fish and wildlife better access to the stored water.
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A wildfire in Ventura County, southern California has forced thousands of people out of their homes and scorched more than 50,000 acres, with second and third fires spreading swiftly over thousands of acres in Los Angeles County.

Whipped by high Santa Ana winds and feeding on dry vegetation, the fast-spreading Thomas wildfire prompted mandatory evacuation orders for some 27,000 Ventura County residents after igniting overnight. Tens of thousands of people are without power.

Officials estimated that at least 150 structures were levelled by the blaze and that one firefighter had been injured. The blaze encroached on the city limits of Ventura, home to more than 100,000 people, and burned within a quarter-mile of city hall. School districts across the county were closed.

A smaller fire erupted on the northern edge of Los Angeles where residents scrambled to get out as heavy smoke billowed over the city, while a third blaze also struck the same county.

Talking about the larger Thomas Fire, Ventura County Fire Department Chief Mark Lorenzen said: The prospects for containment arent good. Really, mother nature is going to decide if we have the ability to put it out.

Fire officials were settling in for a long battle. The National Weather Service said very critical fire weather conditions, with Santa Ana winds continuing to gust powerfully, would likely continue through Thursday and contribute to very rapid fire spread.

Recognising the scale of the peril, the California Governors Office of Emergency Services announced it had secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in containing the fire, and Gov Jerry Brown issued an emergency proclamation for Ventura County.

Fires in Portugal and Spain Show all 9 1 /9 Fires in Portugal and Spain Fires in Portugal and Spain A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire in Cabanoes near Louzan as wildfires raged in Portugal AFP/Getty Images Fires in Portugal and Spain A fireman works to extinguish a forest fire in northern Spain EPA Fires in Portugal and Spain Firefighters work to extinguish flames from a forest fire in Portugal REUTERS Fires in Portugal and Spain Fire rages through Ancares natural reserve in Spain EPA Fires in Portugal and Spain A burned house is seen following a forest fire in Pinheiro do Azere , Portugal REUTERS Fires in Portugal and Spain Smoke rises from a forest fire in Soutomaior, Galicia, Spain EPA Fires in Portugal and Spain A woman pours water over a burnt area in Vila Nova AFP/Getty Images Fires in Portugal and Spain A villager checks a burnt area under the rain in Soutomaior after a wild fire in Pontevedra AP Fires in Portugal and Spain A general view of the burnt land in Muinos, Galicia, Spain EPA

This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but we'll continue to attack it with all we've got, Mr Brown said in a statement. It's critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so.

The smaller brush fire had expanded to around 11,000 acres in the northern Los Angeles area by Tuesday afternoon, spurring evacuation orders and warnings about embers carrying the fire into residential areas.

My message, very strong and clear, to the residents of Los Angeles, is to be ready to go, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said, urging people to gather critical documents and possessions.

Noting that stiff winds were likely to persist, fire officials cautioned that flames could persist for days and that new infernos might ignite.

Punctuating that warning, Cal Fire announced that another blaze, known as the Rye Fire, had sprung up and burned across some 1,000 acres near the town of Santa Clarita, in northern Los Angeles County. By late afternoon it had exploded to more than 5,000 acres.

A blanket of thick smoke led to health warnings throughout southern California, with an air quality regulator urging residents to avoid vigorous exercise and suggesting that children and the elderly remain indoors. Some Ventura County residents were urged to boil tap water before drinking it.

 California wildfires: Rescue of disabled woman caught on bodycam

The multiplying blazes extended a dire year for California firefighting. Residents of northern Californias wine country are still reeling from a series of immense blazes that destroyed thousands of homes and killed more than 40 people.

As with the Thomas Fire, those blazes were sustained and spread by high winds and fuelled by dry brush that was the legacy of a half-decade of record drought. Scenes from Southern California echoed the wine country fires, with authorities issuing mass evacuation orders as an unremitting blaze threatened an urban area.

California wildfires have caused more than 1 million acres (1,500 square miles) burn so far in 2017, according to the latest data released by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which covers land under both state and federal protection. The total area burned in the state this year is bigger than the state of Rhode Island. The figures do not include blazes currently raging in Southern California.

State Fire Chief Ken Pimlott has said that climate change is spawning more and bigger wildfires.
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With Republicans well on their way to passing a dramatic overhaul of the tax code, they have presented to the public a sweeping, comprehensive vision not just of what taxes should look like, but of what government is there for, what our obligations are to one another, and even how each of us should think about our value as human beings. This is a moment of uncommon clarity.

We'll get to how the tax bill itself fits into that picture, but first I want to present a couple of things influential Republican senators said in the last few days. Let's start with Iowa's Chuck Grassley, who made this comment on the estate tax:

'I think not having the estate tax recognises the people that are investing,' Grassley said, 'as opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it's on booze or women or movies.'

Right now, the first $5.5 million of any estate is not subject to the tax. Because of that, fewer than one in 500 estates owes any tax at all. So Grassley is saying that 99.8 percent of Americans lead contemptible lives of waste and folly, while only that remaining sliver of the extra-wealthy have shown the virtue that should win their heirs the ability not to pay taxes on the fortunes bequeathed to them. The Senate bill would double the tax's exemption, while the House bill would eliminate the tax entirely; depending on how the final version turns out, Eric Trump may finally be free of the fear that he'll have to pay taxes on his inheritance.

Now let's turn to Utah's Orrin Hatch, who explained why, despite his support of a bill offering trillions of dollars in tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations, we absolutely must start slashing the social safety net immediately:

'I have a rough time wanting to spend billions and billions and trillions of dollars to help people who won't help themselves, won't lift a finger, and expect the federal government to do everything.'

Grassley and Hatch are being criticized for these remarks, but we should appreciate that this isn't one of those occasions when politicians are just spinning. There isn't much political advantage in saying that if you die with less than $5.5 million in assets, like nearly all Americans do, that means you were lazy and self-indulgent, while only the wealthy have proven their moral worth by the size of their bank accounts. So when someone says something like that, you can be pretty sure he's expressing his actual beliefs.

And that idea is woven through the Republicans' tax bill. As Jared Bernstein points out in The Post, The tax plan is written in such a way as to favour asset-based incomes, passive business investments and inherited wealth, and to penalize, once it's fully phased in, those foolish enough to depend on their paychecks.

Republicans would no doubt counter that any time you reduce taxes, you increase the incentives for work. But it's important to remember that if you're a regular wage-earning American, this bill is as likely to increase your taxes as decrease them. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, Congress' official scorekeeper on tax issues, every income group under $75,000 a year will on average see a tax increase by 2027. And while many of the tax cuts that individuals at lower incomes might benefit from phase out over the course of the next decade, the cuts that most help corporations and the wealthy are permanent. All that is why, as The Intercept's Ryan Grim points out, while the bill has a net cost of $1.5 trillion, it actually cuts $6 trillion in some taxes but increases taxes in other ways by $4.5 trillion.

To be fair, the tax code already favours investments over work; Republicans merely want to reinforce and extend that characteristic. While they often lecture about the dignity of work when they're proposing to take away safety net programs that aid those in need, they are doing little or nothing to change the tax code so that it does more to encourage work. Right now, wage income (i.e., money you work for) gets taxed at a higher rate than investment income (i.e., money you make when your money makes you more money). The salutary effects of labour on an individual's spirit apparently only operate on the grubby lower classes, while the wealthy should be honoured and rewarded for their ability to watch their portfolios grow.

Those are value judgments, rooted in how Republicans tend to view the worth of different people. They operate on the presumption that the economic system is fair, and the results of that system provide a measure of different people's virtue. If you're rich - even if you got rich by choosing the right parents - they presume that you deserve to be taxed as lightly as possible, while if you're in need of the kinds of help we offer low-income people, then it reflects a moral failing. If we give you any help at all, it should be as grudging as possible, accompanied by stern lectures and even rituals of humiliation like drug tests.

Their tax bill, and their upcoming assault on the safety net, will weave these principles more deeply into our laws. And these principles are their real rationale; ignore all the practical claims they make about the explosion of economic growth these tax cuts will supposedly produce, and how the benefits will trickle down to everyone, and how it will all pay for itself. Those arguments are transparently bogus. A recent survey of 38 prominent economists found that only one said the tax bill would significantly increase growth, and all 38 rejected the claim that the tax cut would pay for itself. Every model not constructed by partisan Republicans shows the tax bill producing at best a modest bump in economic activity, but nothing remotely resembling the skyrocketing growth Republicans predict.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

Confronted with this comprehensive debunking of their practical claims, Republicans are undeterred and undaunted. That's because they're driven by a moral imperative, one that says that no matter what effect cutting taxes on the wealthy and corporations might have on the economy, it's just the right thing to do. It rewards the virtuous, and you can tell who the virtuous are by how much money they have. If you're asking why they wrote the bill the way they did, that's just about all you need to know.

The Washington Post
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Deaf people who tuned into a police news conference about the arrest of a suspected serial killer were left baffled by the sign language interpreter.

"She sat up there and waved her arms like she was singing Jingle Bells," Rachell Settambrino, who is deaf and teaches American Sign Language at the University of South Florida, told the Tampa Bay Times.

"I was disappointed, confused, upset and really want to know why the city of Tampas chief of police who is responsible for my safety and the safety of the entire community did not check her out."

The force had called the press conference to announce the arrest of Howell Emanuel Donaldson III, on suspicion of killing four people in Tampa's Seminole Heights area.

The 24-year-old has been charged with the seemingly random murders of 22-year-old Benjamin Mitchell, who was shot dead while waiting at a bus stop on 9 October and Monica Hoffa, 32, who was killed two days later.

He is also accused of the murders of Anthony Naiboa, 20, who was killed 19 October after taking the wrong bus home from his new job and 60-year-old Ronald Felton, who was killed on 14 November.

The murders sparked fear in Seminole and police had instructed residents not to walk in the area alone at night.

Mr Donaldson III was arrested after he asked one of his McDonald's co-workers to take care of a bag containing a gun, who then reported him to the police.

During the police press conference to announce the conference, Ms Settambrino said the interpreter signed various incoherent messages.

"Fifty-one hours ago, zero 12 22 [indecipherable] murder three minutes in 14 weeks ago in old [indecipherable] murder four five 55,000 plea 10 arrest murder bush [indecipherable] three age 24," was one of the things she signed, Ms Settambrino said.

The police chief at the time had been providing a timeline of the shootings and was explaining the police force received 5,000 tips before arresting the 24-year-old.

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

Steve Hegarty, a spokesman for the police department, said he was not informed the interpreter was coming in advance.

He assumed another department member had requested the service.

"I allowed her to do it, I didn't ask enough questions," he said.

The interpreter has been identified as Derlyn Roberts. Someone with the same name and age reportedly has an extensive criminal record including fraud convictions, although the police have not confirmed whether they are the same person.

It is not the first time an apparently unqualified sign language interpreter has appeared at a Florida news conference. As Hurricane Irma bore down on the state in September, an interpreter in Manatee County made an incoherent translation including the words "monster" and "bear".
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Special Counsel Robert Mueller has asked Deutsche Bank to share data on accounts held by US President Donald Trump and his family, a person close to the matter said on Tuesday.

Germanys largest bank received a subpoena from Mueller several weeks ago to provide information on certain money and credit transactions, the person added, confirming a report by German daily Handelsblatt published on Tuesday.

Deutsche Bank, which has loaned the Trump organisation millions of dollars for real estate ventures, said it would not comment on any of its clients.

Deutsche Bank rejected demands in June by US House Democrats to provide details of Trumps finances, citing privacy laws.

Mueller is investigating alleged Russian attempts to influence the 2016 US presidential election and potential collusion by Trump aides.

Russia has denied meddling in the election and Trump has said there was no collusion.

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

Reuters
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The FBI's director has told staff to "keep calm and tackle hard" in the wake of President Donald Trumps recent Twitter attacks on the bureau, in which he claimed the federal agency's reputation was "in tatters"

The President had used Twitter over the weekend to express his dissatisfaction with the FBI by saying it was the worst in history.

The FBI, under the direction of special prosecutor Robert Mueller, is working an investigation into alleged collusion between Mr Trumps 2016 campaign team and Russian officials - with former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleading guilty to a charge of lying to the bureau last week. Mr Trump has lamented that the FBI have "destroyed" Mr Flynn's life.

Recommended Trump lashes out as Mueller investigation heats up

Director Christopher Wray sent an email, obtained by CBS News, to staff on Monday morning, but was careful did not address the Presidents public criticism directly.

He wrote: "We find ourselves under the microscope each and every day -- and rightfully so. We do hard work for a living. We are entrusted with protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution and laws of the United States. Because of the importance of our mission, we are also entrusted with great power, and we should expect -- and welcome -- people asking tough questions about how we use that power. That goes with this job and always has.

He added that he was "inspired by example after example of professionalism and dedication by his staff.

 Trump's FBI pick suggests Donald Trump Jr should have gone to agency over Russia meeting

The Presidents FBI tweet came just two days after Mr Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about a 29 December conversation he had with the former Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak regarding US sanctions against Moscow. That is as well as another conversation on 22 December about a UN vote against Israeli settlement building.

Mr Wray was appointed by Mr Trump to replace former Director James Comey, who was sacked on 9 May.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

The former director testified in front of the Senate some months later that Mr Trump had asked him to stop the investigation into Mr Flynn, during a meet on 14 February. That was a day after Mr Flynn was pushed out of the administration for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Mr Kislyak.

The White House, and Mr Trump, have repeatedly denied that the president asked Mr Comey to drop any investigation into Flynn.

Mr Wray told staff he would be testifying in front of the Senate later this week about the breadth and significance of their work.

"Please continue to keep focused on our critical mission with fidelity, bravery, and integrity. The American people rightly expect this from us, he added.
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A senior Democratic Representative has retired following allegations of sexual harassment by multiple women.

Representative John Conyers of Michigan, the longest-serving Representative in the House, announced he would retire today. He did not specify if he would resign immediately, or simply not seek re-election at the end of his term. The Representative endorsed his son, John Conyers III, to replace him in Congress.

Mr Conyers, a civil rights movement veteran, made his announcement on the Mildred Gaddis Show, a talk radio program in Detroit.

My legacy cant be compromised or diminished in any way by what were going through now, the 88-year-old said. This too shall pass. My legacy will continue through my children.

Mr Conyers has been accused of sexual harassment by at least five women  four of whom were employed by the Congressman at the time. Two of these women attempted to file lawsuits against Mr Conyers, according to BuzzFeed News. The Representative has denied the sexual harassment claims.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The allegations caused multiple Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to call on Mr Conyers to resign. Last week, however, Mr Conyerss lawyer insisted he would not step down, saying: It is not up to Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi did not elect the Congressman and she sure as hell won't tell the Congressman to leave.

The Representative has been hospitalised since last Wednesday for a stress related illness. Doctors recently advised him that mounting a re-election campaign would put too much of a strain on his health, according to his grand-nephew, Ian Conyers.

I stand with my uncle in terms of his belief of no specific wrongdoing, the younger Mr Conyers said of the sexual harassment allegations. However, those things need to have their day in court.

 John Oliver takes on Dustin Hoffman over sexual harassment claims during live interview: 'No one stands up to powerful men'

Mr Conyers previously settled a wrongful dismissal lawsuit alleging that he propositioned staff members for sex and touched them inappropriately, according to documents obtained by BuzzFeed News. Another former employee, Melanie Sloan, said the Congressman had verbally abused her and even summoned her to his office while wearing only underwear.

Mr Conyers is one of several members of Congress facing sexual harassment allegations. Senator Al Franken has apologised for kissing a woman without her consent, and for allegedly groping women who posed with him in photo ops. It was recently reported that Representative Blake Farenthold had settled a $84,000 sexual harassment lawsuit with his former communications director.

Mr Farenthold said he could neither confirm nor deny reports of the settlement, citing the Congressional Accountability Act.
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President Donald Trumps controversial travel ban is set to go forward after the Supreme Court ruled this week in favour of the beleaguered measure.

The bans legal future remains a little unclear, however, as two US appeals courts are set to hear arguments against the ban, which is the third of its kind proposed by Mr Trump.

Just two Supreme Court justices voted against allowing the travel ban to go through. Liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sonia Sotomayor were the two hold-outs on the nine-judge panel.

What is in the ban?

Mr Trumps latest ban targets travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. It restricts admission into the US from those countries unless the individual travelling can prove they have a bona fide relationship with someone in the United States.

The bans have all included restrictive language on refugee admission as well, and have resulted in significant cuts to those programmes this year.

What is the argument against the ban?

Last year, while Mr Trump was campaigning to become president, he repeatedly called for what he then described as a ban on Muslim people from coming into the US. Since the countries targeted by the travel ban are predominantly Muslim, lower courts have frequently ruled that the ban was intended to persecute members of a particular religion instead of for national security.

The Trump administration has argued in the courts that the President has a de facto concern with national security  and the Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a previous ban with that responsibility in mind.

New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Show all 27 1 /27 New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People gather for evening prayer at a rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 02: Yemeni business owner Musa closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty

Whats next for the travel ban?

While the Supreme Court ruled in favour of full implementation of the ban, it recognised that there are other challenges pending in lower courts as well.

The San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, are both planning to hear arguments regarding the bans legality this week. Those cases will then be heard by the Supreme Court.

What has happened to the previous travel bans?

The ban that the Supreme Court upheld Monday is the third iteration of the policy that the President has authorised, and is the second to be green lit by the Supreme Court.

The very first of those bans was signed in the early days of the Trump presidency, and was quickly met with fierce opposition from protesters and lawyers upset by the chaotic scene that the hastily implemented ban had. Federal judges later blocked the ban, and the Trump administration later dropped that version of the ban altogether.

The second draft to the executive order was a bit smoother. Mr Trump signed the executive order in March, and gave advance warning for its implementation. Just before it was to go into effect, however, a federal judge blocked its implementation.

From there, the ban made its way to the Supreme Court, where the justices deferred to the administration and its claims that it requires leeway to keep the country safe.

The new version of the bill was drafted to be implemented after that ban expired.

What will the Supreme Court decide when the other challenges are considered?

While its impossible to say what the justices will ultimately decide, legal experts have said that their Monday ruling indicates that they are likely to rule in favour of the administration. The court has a long history of siding with the executive branch when it comes to measures concerning national security.

What has the reaction been?

The Trump administration was predictably happy with the Supreme Courts decision, while civil rights groups expressed outrage.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the ruling was a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people. Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley said the West Wing was not surprised by the decision.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a statement following the decision calling the President a bigot.

President Trumps anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret  he has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter. Its unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones. We will be arguing Friday in the Fourth Circuit that the ban should ultimately be struck down, Omar Jadwat, the director of the ACLUs Immigrants Rights Project, said.
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The top Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives have said they will now meet with Donald Trump - after dramatically cancelling their scheduled White House powwow last week.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer, the leaders of the House and Senate respectively, pulled out of their original meeting with Mr Trump and Republican leaders following the President's declaration he didn't see the White House being able to reach a deal with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

Were glad the White House has reached out and asked for a second meeting, Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer said in a joint statement. We hope the President will go into this meeting with an open mind, rather than deciding that an agreement cant be reached beforehand.

They added that they are hopeful the President will be open to an agreement to address the urgent needs of the American people and keep government open.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are also expected to be in attendance at the meeting. Both attended last week's rendezvous with Mr Trump, who has theatrically seated between two empty chairs labelled for Mr Schumer and Ms Pelosi.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

The meeting is planned for Thursday - one day before the 8 December deadline to fund the government. If a bipartisan agreement can't be reached, a shutdown may be eminent.

House Republican leadership is currently working on passing a two-week short-term spending bill - a plan that Senate Republican leadership is expected to get on board with.
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US officials have said President Donald Trump will today recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital and will instruct the State Department to begin the years-long process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

The officials say recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital will be an acknowledgement of historical and current reality rather than a political statement. They note that almost all of Israels government agencies and parliament are in Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, where the US and other countries maintain embassies.

The officials say moving the embassy, a campaign pledge that Mr Trump has insisted he must fulfil, will not happen immediately. Earlier, Donald Trump told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a number of regional leaders that he intends to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, setting the stage for todays announcement and seeing the US President turn his back on decades of American diplomacy by recognising the city as the countrys capital.

A declaration that Jerusalem is Israels capital, as well as relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv, is sure to spark protests across the Middle East and fan the flames of the Israel-Palestinian conflict  despite the Trump administrations efforts to broker a peace agreement in the region.

During a call ahead of a speech by Mr Trump on Wednesday, Mr Abbas warned the US President that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would have dangerous consequences  adding his name to a growing list of nations decrying the move, including Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has gone as far as saying that the issue of Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims.

As well as Mr Abbas, Mr Trump delivered the same embassy message in calls to Jordans King Abdullah and Egypts President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, although no timeframe for the move was laid out. Both leaders urged the US President to avoid any statements that would undermine Middle East peace efforts  while King Abdullah warned the embassy move would bring dangerous repercussions. Mr Trump later spoke to Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the move.

Mr Trump will deliver a speech that is expected to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, another break with US diplomatic tradition that itself is highly controversial, with the official Washington position having been that the citys status should be decided in talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Mr Trump has also so far failed to sign a waiver that blocks moving the embassy from Tel Aviv. Each president since 1995  when the US Congress initially passed a law mandating the move to Jerusalem  has signed the waiver every six months. However, the latest deadline passed on Monday with Mr Trump not having put pen to paper.

It is believed that he is likely to defer the moving of the embassy while recognising the new status of Jerusalem, but order aides to start planning for a future relocation immediately. Mr Trump  under pressure from Arab leaders  deferred a decision on relocation in June by signing the waiver, even though he said during his election campaign that it would be one of his first acts as president.

Ahead of the speech - with protests expected - the US consulate in Jerusalem has ordered American personnel and their families to avoid visiting Jerusalem's Old City or the West Bank, and urged American citizens in general to avoid places with increased police or military presence.

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While Israeli officials have mostly stayed quiet as speculation over the move has grown, Israels mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, said that moving the embassy could take two minutes.

Mr Barkat said the United States would only have to convert one of its existing assets in the city, such as its consulate located in West Jerusalem.

Israeli intelligence minister Yisrael Katz, who met US officials in Washington last week, told Israels Army Radio: My impression is that the President will recognise Jerusalem. Asked if Israel was preparing for a wave of violence over such a move, he said: We are preparing for every option. Anything like that can always erupt. If Abu Mazen [Mr Abbas] will lead it in that direction, then he will be making a big mistake.

 Jared Kushner: Trump is still yet to make decision on recognising Jerusalem as Israel capital

Following the call with Mr Trump on Tuesday, Mr Abbas appealed to the Pope and the Russian, French and Jordanian leaders to intervene to block the proposed embassy move, according to his spokesman. In a later call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Abbas was said to have been assured by the Russian leader that Moscow backed the resumption of talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Along with the embassy shift, the diplomatic status of Jerusalem is one of the worlds thorniest issues, and any change could have vast repercussions across the Middle East. The citys holy sites are sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, with both Israel and the Palestinians claiming it as their capital. The Palestinians want a number of areas of the city as part of any future state.

Israel occupied the area in the 1967 Middle East war and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem. According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accord, the citys final status is meant to be discussed in later peace talks.

Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognised internationally, which would change with Mr Trumps announcement. The anticipated move has left several Middle Eastern leaders scrambling to dissuade him from altering the citys status and has kicked up resistance in his own administration.

Senior officials in the State Departments Near Eastern Affairs bureau (NEA), which deals with that area, have expressed their deep concern about the move, a US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The official said the concerns focused on security of US assets.

Asked for comment on this report, a State Department official told The Independent that the President has always said it is a matter of when, not if, regarding the change of Jerusalems diplomatic status.

The President is still considering options and we have nothing to announce, the official said.

Mr Trump cannot say he has not been warned over the implications of moving the embassy, or recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital, thanks to an outpouring of dismay across the region and beyond.

As well as the fierce criticism of Turkeys President Erdogan, Germanys foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel said that recognising the capital of Israel as Jerusalem would be a very dangerous development.

[This] does not calm a conflict, rather it fuels it even more, Mr Gabriel said.

French President Emmanuel Macron and the EUs top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, have also spoken out against the change.

During a phone call with the US leader, Mr Macron expressed his concern over the possibility of the US unilaterally designating Jerusalem as capital of the state of Israel, according to a statement issued by the French government.

It said: Mr Macron reaffirmed that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, and particularly those relating to the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as their capital.

Standing beside Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels on Tuesday, Ms Mogherini, also publicly voiced opposition to Mr Trumps expected announcement on Jerusalem.

During our bilateral meeting we discussed ... the Middle East peace process, the European Union support [and] the resumption of a meaningful peace process towards a two-state solution, she said. We believe that any action that would undermine these efforts must absolutely be avoided. A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled.
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Overriding protesters who greeted his motorcades arrival with chants of F*** you Trump, President Donald Trump announced in Utah that he would to drastically shrink a pair of wilderness national monuments - the biggest rollback of public protected land in US history.

In an appearance at Utahs state Capitol in Salt Lake City, the President confirmed his decision to reduce Bears Ears National Monument from around 1.5 million acres to some 228,000 acres and to cut the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument to one million acres, about half its current size.

It marked Mr Trumps latest effort to unravel the legacy of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who in 2016 invoked the Antiquities Act to designate Bears Ears a national monument. Mr Obama and supporters heralded the designation as a way to protect a stunning natural landscape of towering rock formations and winding canyons.

But Mr Trump blasted the move as having severely abused the Antiquities Act, saying in a speech that Mr Obama had empowered faraway bureaucrats at the expense of the people who actually live here, work here, and make this place their home.

A press release announcing the change touted economic benefits like increased logging, hunting and in some cases mineral development, trumpeting economic growth and prosperity, especially in rural communities and a boost to local tax revenues.

We have seen harmful and unnecessary restrictions on hunting, ranching, and responsible economic development, Mr Trump said in his speech. We have seen grazing restrictions prevent ranching families from passing their businesses and beloved heritage on to the children  the children that they love.

Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park Show all 4 1 /4 Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354728.bin KATERINA ADAMS Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354697.bin KATERINA ADAMS Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354699.bin KATERINA ADAMS Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354702.bin AP

Numerous Congressional Republicans, including some who represent Utah, echoed those justification in lauding Mr Trump's move. Former Utah Rep Jason Chaffetz of Utah said in an op-ed that we can build bathrooms and fire pits, and accommodate hunting, fishing, grazing, and permit accessibility without destroying the land and heralded responsible resource extraction.

Mr Trump signed two proclamations after his speech. One would reduce the 1.3-million-acre (0.5 million hectare) Bears Ears National Monument by more than 80 per cent split into two areas.

The other would cut the state's 1.9-million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, designated by President Bill Clinton in 1996, nearly in half. The landscape of canyons, ridges and rock formations would be split into three zones.

A section of Bears Ears National Monument near Blanding, Utah on October 27, 2017 ( REUTERS/Andrew Cullen) (REUTERS/Andrew Cullen)

While a handful of monuments have been resized in the past, none has been cut back to such an extent, putting the president's proclamation in uncharted legal territory. Previous presidents including Woodrow Wilson and William Howard Taft reduced some monuments but were never challenged in court.

Mr Trump will ask Congress to look at the areas that are being removed from the current monuments to consider legislation designating some as a national conservation or national recreation areas, and create a co-management structure for tribes, an administration official said.

But where Mr Trump and his allies see an economic boon, critics warn of untrammelled development that could lead to mining and drilling on public lands.

Conservationists, Democrats and Native Americans who consider the area sacred blasted Mr Trumps move, saying he was sacrificing a pristine space. The Navajo Nation has already said it plans to challenge Mr Trumps action in court.

The Bears Ears Monument is of critical importance, not only to the Navajo Nation but to many tribes in the region, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said in a statement. The decision to reduce the size of the Monument is being made with no tribal consultation. The Navajo Nation will defend Bears Ears.

Jonathan Nez, vice president of the Navajo Nation, said: It's a sad day in Indian country.

Protesters massed for Mr Trumps appearance in Salt Lake City, shouting epithets and hoisting signs with messages that included Tiny hands, off our lands. The weekend preceding the visit, thousands rallied at the State Capitol against shrinking the monuments.
LINN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

From Monday afternoon:

Weapon, assault charges  James Ronald Rodman, 57, of Sweet Home, was charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault, two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, felony fleeing or attempt to elude and misdemeanor fleeing or attempt to elude. The crimes allegedly took place on Friday and Saturday.

Identity theft  Jordan Curtis Wiard, 24, of Lebanon, was charged with identity theft, computer crime, second-degree theft and fraudulent use of a credit card. The crimes occurred between Nov. 12 and Friday, according to court paperwork.

Theft  Russell Earl Campbell, 46, of Albany, was charged with three counts of first-degree theft, two counts of negotiating a bad check, and second-degree theft. The crimes occurred on various dates between October and November. The state has filed a notice to seek an enhanced sentence on the case based on multiple factors, including a persistent involvement in similar offenses.

LINN COUNTY SHERIFF

DUII crash  9:21 p.m. Saturday, 33900 block Eastgate Circle. Spencer Prosen, 27, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants after he crashed his vehicle into a ditch.

Criminal mischief arrest  6:17 p.m. Sunday, 33000 block Dever-Conner Drive. After an argument, Donald Veach, 57, allegedly rammed his farm truck into a Nissan Maxima occupied by another man. The victim had no injuries. Veach was arrested on a charge of first-degree criminal mischief.

LEBANON POLICE

Trailer theft  8:31 a.m. Saturday, 500 block South 10th Street. A caller reported that a white 6-foot by 12-foot single axle Patriot enclosed trailer was stolen.
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The Supreme Court has decided that President Donald Trumps most recent travel ban that targets six Muslim-majority countries can go into full effect, handing a victory to the President even as legal challenges remain in lower courts.

The court ruled to lift two injunctions that have dogged the controversial travel ban, with two of the nine justices dissenting on the issue. Lower courts had blocked the implementation of the ban, which is the third version of the policy that the Trump administration has pushed this year.

Even as the Supreme Court made its decision Monday, two other challenges to the ban made their way through lower courts that could potentially stall Mr Trumps executive order further. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals are scheduled to hear arguments on the legality of the ban later in the week.

Recommended Trump uses Egypt mosque attack that killed 235 to promote travel ban

Those two courts are considering the merits of the issue in an accelerated manner. The Supreme Court has noted that it expects those court decisions with appropriate dispatch.

Still, although those challenges may present obstacles for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court decision represents a significant victory on an issue that has sparked intense debate in the nation and brought protesters to the streets in opposition. Mr Trumps first travel ban, which he announced soon after he took office, was quickly blocked by a judge. The second was blocked before implementation, but later allowed to go forward following a Supreme Court decision that deferred issues of national security to the President.

The ban targets people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. The lower courts had said that people from any of those countries could not be kept from the US if they could prove they had a bona fide relationship with someone in the United States. The court sought to include people like grandparents and cousins among those with a bona fide relationship to anyone living in the United States.

New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Show all 27 1 /27 New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People gather for evening prayer at a rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 02: Yemeni business owner Musa closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty

Mr Trumps travel bans, which are essentially the fulfilment of promises he made on the campaign in which he vowed to keep Muslims from entering the United States, have proved to be deeply polarising. Almost immediately after Mr Trumps administration announced its first iteration of the travel ban, protesters flocked to the nations airports to express disgust with one of the first significant acts by the new administration. Federal judges soon after intervened, however, and blocked the ban from going into effect.

After several attempts to revive it, the Trump administration ultimately decided against pursuing changes to that first executive order, and began working on a second order that they hoped could stand up to judicial scrutiny.

The second travel ban was introduced by the Trump administration in March, and attempted to avoid the same sort of uproar that brought crowds to the airports by having a delayed implementation date. But, days after it was announced, the state of Hawaii sued to block the executive order, and a federal judge blocked the ban a little over a week after it was unveiled. The ban was stuck in legal limbo until late June, when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Presidents agenda.

The ban, after being implemented, received challenges from there on out  primarily regarding regulations surrounding refugee settlement in the US  but remained mostly intact. Mr Trump signed a new travel ban into effect in late September just as the previous ban was set to expire, modifying the restrictions and which countries were targeted. The new iteration of the ban was later blocked by a federal judge in October, leading to a months-long battle leading to Mondays decision.

The news that the ban would go into effect was met with criticism from activists, some of whom argued that it is an extension of the Presidents personal prejudices.

President Trumps anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret  he has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter, Omar Jadwat, the director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project, said in a statement. Its unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones. We will be arguing Friday in the Fourth Circuit that the ban should ultimately be struck down.
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An American woman has divided social media with her Instagram account dedicated to her hunting trips.

Nikki Tate is a 27-year-old attorney from Dallas, Texas who goes hunting in her free time.

She regularly posts pictures on her Instagram of the animals shes killed, and her account has recently reached a wider audience, prompting mixed reactions.

Tates Instagram account features pictures of her in the countryside, often wearing camouflage clothing and makeup.

But she also poses with the dead carcasses of the animals shes killed.

Tate mainly hunts deer, waterfowl and hogs, but has also killed geese, ducks, doves and coyotes. She says her largest kill was a 180 pound buck.

With her husband Khris, Tate eats everything they kill unless the animal in question is a predator like a coyote.

They skin the animals themselves and if they cant eat everything, they donate the rest to charities that feed the homeless.

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We pride ourselves in only taking ethical shots, and work hard to make sure that it happens, Tate said. Hunting helps maintain animal populations at levels that are compatible with human life/activity.

Tate has a group of girlfriends who she goes out with, saying that they all prefer hunting to brunch.

On Instagram, the attorney has 11,300 followers. However not everyone is on board with her hobby and the way she documents it.

What a sick ghastly person. Those animals had lives too one person wrote online.

Sick and disgusting! People like her are what is wrong with this world, added another.

Tate has admitted that she has received death threats in the past, but she hopes people will respect her freedom.

I hunt for food, conservation, friendship, and so much more, all of which are very important to me, she says. If I can respect others beliefs, values, and reasons, even those that involve human life and death, please respect mine.

After her Instagram account was brought to wider public attention, Tate says shes received a lot of support from the hunting community.

This is why I love the hunting community - everyone has each others backs, she wrote on Instagram.

Proud to be a hunter and will continue to share my story and shed a positive light on hunting and the reasons behind it.
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Austria's Constitutional Court has decided that same-sex couples will be allowed to marry by the beginning of 2019, ruling that the existing laws are discriminatory.

The move brings Austria into line with many other European nations including Germany, France, Britain and Spain.

Same-sex couples in Austria have been allowed to enter legal partnerships since 2010, but until now have not been able to marry.

The Constitutional Court examined a 2009 law following a complaint from two women who were refused permission to enter a formal marriage by authorities in Vienna.

It said in a ruling published on Tuesday that restrictions on same-sex marriage will be lifted at the end of 2018 unless the government does so itself earlier.

The Constitutional Court said that civil partnerships will remain an option after the law is changed, and will then be open to straight couples.

In a statement, Austria's Constitutional Court said "the distinction between marriage and civil partnership can no longer be maintained today without discriminating against same-sex couples," adding that keeping the two institutions separate suggests that "people with same-sex sexual orientation are not equal to people with heterosexual orientation".

Gay marriage has been legalised in many countries in western Europe, most recently in Germany, where there was stiff opposition to the change for several years.

Almost a dozen other European countries have some sort of same-sex unions or civil partnerships, according to the Pew Research Centre.

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. 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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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The conservative People's Party and the far-right Freedom Party, which are in negotiations for a government coalition and both oppose same-sex marriage, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Homosexual Initiative Vienna (HOSI) welcomed the decision. "We are very happy," said HOSI chairman Christian Hoegl. "We want to use the opportunity for a renewed call for a fundamental reform of marriage."
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Three men have been charged in Malta with the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in October by a bomb planted on her car.

The anti-corruption journalist, who worked on the Panama Papers, was killed as she drove out of her home on the Mediterranean island on 16 October.

She had worked on a number of stories exposing corruption among Malta's elite.

Recommended Ten arrested over murder of Maltese investigative journalist

The three men charged with her murder were named in court as brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, 55 and 53 respectively, and Vincent Muscat, 55.

The suspects were remanded in custody after a preliminary court hearing.

They were among 10 people arrested during raids carried out by Maltese police and armed forces on Monday in connection with Ms Caruana Galizia's murder.

Her popular blog had relentlessly highlighted cases of alleged high-level corruption targeting politicians from across party lines, including around the Panama Papers tax scandal.

Her killing sparked protests on the island, with thousands marching against what some called the Mafia state.
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Germans see Donald Trump as a bigger challenge for German foreign policy than authoritarian leaders in North Korea, Russia or Turkey, according to a survey by the Koerber Foundation.

Topping the list of foreign policy concerns were refugees, with 26 per cent of respondents worried about Germany's ability to cope with inflows of asylum seekers.

Relations with Mr Trump and the US ranked second, with 19 per cent describing them as a major challenge, followed by Turkey at 17 per cent, North Korea at 10 per cent and Russia at 8 per cent.

Since entering the White House in January, the US President has unsettled Germans by pulling out of the Paris climate accord, refusing to certify an international agreement on Iran's nuclear programme and criticising Germany's trade surplus and its contributions to the Nato military alliance.

 Donald Trump insists 'no collusion' after Michael Flynn admits lying to FBI

Mr Trump's actions prompted the usually cautious German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to say earlier this year that Berlin may not be able to rely on the United States in the future. She also urged Europe to take its fate into its own hands.

In the poll of 1,005 Germans of voting age, carried out in October, 56 per cent of Germans described the relationship with the US as bad or very bad.

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

Despite Ms Merkel's pledge, the survey showed deep scepticism in the population about Germany taking a more active role in international crises, with 52 per cent of respondents saying the country should continue its post-war policy of restraint.

That may reflect the fact that neither Ms Merkel nor her main challengers in the recent election campaign talked much about how Germany should respond to the challenges posed by Mr Trump's disruptive presidency and Britain's looming departure from the European Union.

Last week, Norbert Roettgen, a member of Ms Merkel's conservative party and head of the foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag, decried a "deplorable" lack of leadership in educating Germans about the need to invest more in their own defence and security.

Reuters
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Pilots have stopped 222 deportations of asylum seekers from Germany by refusing to take off with them on board.

Many of the pilots refused to take control of flights taking people back to Afghanistan, where violence is still rife following years of war and occupation by Western forces.

One of the airlines involved said pilots made the decisions on a "case-by-case" basis if they believed "flight safety could be affected".

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Germany has deemed Afghanistan a "safe country of origin" in some cases, despite ongoing violence and repression in parts of the country.

Between January and September, a total of 222 planned deportations were classified to have "failed" due to pilot refusal, according to German government figures. Most  140  occurred at Frankfurt airport. Others refused to fly from Cologne-Bonn airport.

The figures were obtained by the Die Linke political party, which is commonly referred to as the Left Party.

Some of the flights belonged to Lufthansa and its subsidiary, Eurowings.

The decision not to carry a passenger, was ultimately down to the pilot on a "case-by-case decision", Lufthansa spokesman Michael Lamberty told the Westdeutsche Allegeimeine Zeitung newspaper which originally reported the story.

 Amber Rudd criticised by asylum seeker who was sent back to Afghanistan

He added: "If he has the impression that flight safety could be affected, he must refuse the transport of a passenger.

"Should security personnel at the airports have some sort of information in advance which indicates that a situation could escalate during a deportation, they can decide ahead of time not to let the passengers board."

German publication RBB24 quoted a Lufthansa pilot who did not want to be identified as saying pilots would normally refuse to take off if a potential deportee answers "no" when asked if they want to take the flight.

"We have to prevent anyone from being freaked out during the flight, and we have to protect the other passengers as well," the pilot reportedly said.

Pilots can face disciplinary measures if they refuse to fly on moral grounds.

Lufthansa Group spokesman Helmut Tolksdorf told RBB24 that he was not aware of "any case where one of our pilots has refused to take them for reasons of conscience".

Germany processed more asylum applications than all 27 other EU countries combined. European statistics agency Eurostat, said the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) decided 388,201 asylum cases in the first six months of 2017.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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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

At least one similar refusal is known to have taken place in the UK when British Airways pilot refused to take off while Samim Bigzad was on board earlier this year.

Mr Bigzad, an Afghan, faced deportation to the city where the Taliban had threatened to kill him.

Youre not going to take him; Im not flying," the pilot said. "Someones life is at risk.

* Update. This article and headline have been corrected to reflect the fact that 222 asylum seekers' deportations from Germany were prevented by pilots refusing to fly, rather than a total of 222 flights being grounded by German pilots. 6/12/17
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Mikheil Saakashvili had a mortar round and launcher leaning against the wall at his office when I met him last week. They were not there in case we got attacked, he assured. The weapons were in fact souvenirs from Ukrainian forces on the front line of the war against Russian backed separatists. A gesture of solidarity which showed belief from the troops, the former President of Georgia said, in his unswerving loyalty to his adopted country.

Ukraines President Pietro Poroshenko does not, however, share this sense of warmth and solidarity. The two men, once friends and colleagues, are now bitterest of adversaries. Agents of the countrys secret service, SBU, were sent in to arrest Mr Saakashvili today.

The drama which has been ever present in the tempestuous life of Mr Saakashvilli was very much in evidence. He appeared on the rooftop of his eight storey apartment block, threatening to throw himself off, before being persuaded to climb down. His home was searched, "ransacked" according to an aid. But attempts to take him away in a police van led to a barricade by hundreds of his supporters. There were clashes, with tear-gas fired, before the agents were forced to free him.

SBU spokeswoman Olena Hitlyanska refused to give the reason for the search and arrest. But what happened was not surprising. Mr Saakashvili has been on a self-appointed mission against corruption and lawlessness in Ukraine with a focus on President Poroshenko, who he has accused of stealing billions while leading a government of kleptocrats, of being nothing more than a cheap Mafioso who must be impeached. He had led yet another rally against Mr Poroshenko at the weekend demanding impeachment.

Saakashvili with a mortar in his office, which carries messages of best wishes from the Ukrainian front line

Sitting at the offices of the political group he has founded, Movement of New Forces, a stones throw from Ukraines parliament, Verkhovna Rada, Mr Saakashvili described how the reaction had been, as he put it, total intimidation. Members of his Georgian entourage had been arrested and deported. He had been threatened, he claimed, but had also been promised his troubles would be over if he stopped criticising Mr Poroshenko.

I had first met Mr Saakashvili when he was Georgias leader during the war with Russia nine years ago. That ended in disaster for Georgia and he was forced to leave the country soon afterwards. Now, however, he wants to play a full part in the political future of Ukraine and was preparing for the Presidential election next year.

Mr Saakashvili spoke of talking to a number of possible successors to Mr Poroshenko who he will be prepared to serve as prime minister. Discussions have been held with a few, claimed the former Georgian President. But he was reluctant to be in the cabinet of someone from the old guard (like changing shifts, a carousel, the same faces coming round and round) and wanted new people to come forward.

Much of this is about the President and accumulation of scandals. In normal countries there can be an impeachment process. As we saw with Mugabe, this can happen even in places like Zimbabwe. But there is no law allowing impeachment in Ukraine: so people are saying they are not happy with the President, he must be investigated, they are marching, holding rallies to say it, declared Mr Saakashvili.

Saakashvili flashes a victory sign after he was freed by his supporters in Kiev (Reuters)

What has happened with Poroshenko is like what happened in Brazil or South Korea but here it has become such a routine that its difficult to predict how the people will react. We hope theyll react by kicking out the government and that will create the conditions for taking on the oligarchs and the whole network of corruption.

Mr Shaakashvilis critics hold that as a foreigner and someone without a power base, he has marginal influence. Mr Saakashvili insisted he has growing support and, as the attempted arrest illustrated, they are able to mobilise effectively for the street.

Recommended Former Georgian president threatens to jump off roof after raid

Mr Saakashvili agreed, nonetheless, that the situation was unusual. From a Western point of view this looks strange; a former head of state of a country going to another country and trying to change it, a foreigner trying to save the country. Simon Bolivar was a couple of centuries ago, but there is no modern precedent for it. he admitted.

But, waving his arms over a desk with a bust of Ronald Reagan, he was keen to add the West also understands the need for strong leadership and we all know Ukraine needs strong leadership now.

El Libertador, General Bolivar, freed Latin America from Spanish colonial rule, and established the nations of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Bolivia in the early 19th Century. Mr Saakashvili, a furious Mr Poroshenko and his allies charge, is simply trying a blatant power grab and they rail at what they view as the Georgians ingratitude.

Mr Saakashvili is wanted in Georgia for alleged embezzlement and abuse, charges he claims are politically motivated. President Poroshenko gave him Ukrainian citizenship and made him the governor of Odessa with a remit to clean up a city which had become notorious for graft, vote manipulation and organised crime.Mikheil Saakashvili is my friend from our student years. I remember him as a strong and decisive person, and I have reason to trust him, Ukraines president tweeted at the time.

 Mikheil Saakashvili: Former President of Georgia detained by Poroshenko-backed prosecutors at his home

But there was soon an acrimonious and very public fallout. Mr Saakashvili claimed repeatedly, and publicly, that instead of backing his reforms, Mr Poroshenko was deliberately hindering them. Mr Poroshenko revoked Mr Saakashvilis Ukrainian citizenship while he was on a visit to the US. He still feels deeply aggrieved: I was sabotaged in Odessa. At first the local mafia feared me, but then they began talking to their corrupt friends in Kiev and realised they had nothing to fear because all my efforts would be undermined.

After being stripped of Ukrainian citizenship, Mr Saakashvilli made his way to Poland and, in September, stormed across the border back into Ukraine with a phalanx of former bodyguards and Ukrainian ex-servicemen. He appeared a few days later with Yulia Tymoshenko, the golden braided former prime minister, who had herself once been jailed for alleged corruption, to begin a campaign against Mr Poroshenko. Mr Saakashvili has now got temporary right to stay in Ukraine, but he has no passport.

Yuri Lutshenko, Ukraines Prosecutor General, has announced that Mr Saakashvilis asylum application has been rejected and he will be deported. He also accused the former Georgian President of trying to organise a violent coup and getting together a team of fellow Georgians by obtaining 20 visas under false pretences.

The Prosecutor General is totally wrong in law and we are taking legal action against him, exclaimed Mr Saakashvili.  He is also coming out with all kinds of lies. Is he really serious that I can carry out a coup with 20 people! At one point they even mobilised forces to stop this supposed coup.

But they are using this as an excuse to arrest people from my team in the street and deport them to Georgia, journalists, people who have fought as volunteers for Ukraine. They have been taken out on special trains, military helicopters. They are trying to send me a menacing message.

Mr Saakashvili also claims that an intermediary from Ukraines President had promised him a reprieve if he focussed his criticism instead on Yulia Timoshenko, who is expected to be one of Mr Poroshenkos opponents in the election.

I was told my troubles would be over if I agreed to these things. I would get my passport back in five minutes. Yulia Timoshenko helped me over the border crossing. I dont agree with most things she says, but I dont think this should have been part of the condition.

Mr Saakashvili said he did not want to divulge the name of the intermediary. But I have no doubt he came from the President, he held. In fact I met the President in Malta in March [at a European parliamentary meeting] and he raised the same issues.

An official at Mr Poroshenkos office said he has no knowledge of any such approach being made to Mr Saakashvili.

The Ukrainian government, claimed Mr Saakashvili, had itself received messages; from Western governments. I have been told by my contacts, Western and Ukrainian, that Poroshenko knows from Western governments that he shouldnt even think of deporting me to Georgia. They have been very critical of the way the Ukrainian government had deported Georgian citizens disregarding legal procedure. 

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Saakashvili was once, indeed, the blue eyed poster boy of the West and the affection was reciprocated in Georgia when he was in office. Not many countries would name the main road from the airport George W Bush Boulevard. Did he feel let down by the West during the Russian conflict and subsequently?

We always had high expectations from the West. But at the end of the day we only survived because the Americans intervened, although quite late and what has happened in Ukraine since vindicated us he reflected.

But one thing we learned, and Ukraine would be wise to learn, is that one shouldnt always be the victim. Because at the end the West tends to lose patience and sympathy with victims.
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Spains Supreme Court has withdrawn an international arrest warrant for Catalonias former leader, Carles Puigdemont, and four other members of his deposed cabinet.

The disputed and ousted president is facing sedition, rebellion, and misuse of public funds charges in Spain relating to the calling of an independence referendum on 1 October.

Mr Puigdemont has, however, travelled to Belgium  leading Spanish authorities to issue a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) to seek his deportation to face trial in Spain.

Recommended Removed Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras kept in jail by judge

On Tuesday, a Spanish judge, however, said that individual EAWs were not valid for crimes allegedly committed by a wider group of people  in this case, the whole Catalan government.

He added that the five politicians had in any case shown their intention to return to Spain to run in elections in Catalonia.

The charges against the Catalans are punishable by years in prison.

At the weekend, the leaders lawyer said he planned to stay in Belgium until after the next snap Catalan elections, which the Spanish government has called for 21 December after suspending home rule in the region.

Yesterday, the Spanish courts system refused bail for Mr Puigdemonts deputy, former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras, as well as deposed Catalan interior minister Joaquim Forn and the leaders of two civic groups, ANC and Omnium Cultural.

Six other former ministers from the Generalitat, Catalonias regional government, were released from custody on bail.
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Support for the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party has fallen to its lowest level since surging during the migration crisis of 2015, a government poll showed on Tuesday.

The Sweden Democrats' approval rating shot to nearly 20 percent in November 2015 after hundreds of thousands of people arrived in Sweden to seek asylum.

But a stricter immigration policy has led to a big reduction in numbers, and the issue has slipped from the top of the political agenda.

Recommended Sweden to require sexual conduct education for film companies

Support for the Sweden Democrats stood at 14.8 percent in November, compared to 18.4 percent in June, Sweden's Statistics Office found in its twice-yearly poll for which it interviewed 9,000 people between Oct. 27 and Nov. 28.

The government, comprised of the Social Democrats and Greens, had a 36.4 percent approval rating, compared with 35.6 percent in the June poll.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has wooed voters with a pledge to boost spending by almost 44 billion crowns ($5.23bn) in the budget for 2018 with much of the money going on welfare, education and the police.

"Immigration is no longer dominating the political debate in Sweden," Jonas Hinnfors, political scientist at Gothenburg University said.

Together with the Left Party, which supports the coalition in parliament, the government has 43.4 percent support, up from 41.9 percent in June.

At its current level of support, the Sweden Democrats would still have enough clout to block either the centre-left or centre-right blocs from forming a government after the next election in September 2018, should they fail to reach a majority.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The Sweden Democrats, shunned by all the major parties due to their far-right roots, have said they would help vote down either a centre-left or centre-right coalition in 2018, making it unclear how either bloc will be able to form a government.

Reuters
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I lived in Jerusalem for four years in a flat with a fine view of the Mount of Olives, which will supposedly split apart on Judgement Day and the dead in the vast cemetery on its slopes will rise again.

I found parts of the city like the Dome of the Rock exquisitely beautiful but overall it was a city filled with hatred.

One day a nurse was knifed to death at the bottom of Elisha Street where I was living. Several times there were bombs on buses or in markets on Jaffa Road, which lay a couple of hundred yards in the other direction.

The violence ebbed and flowed, never as great as many other cities in the Middle East, but never entirely absent.

Three religions

There was always a contrast between Jerusalem as a small shabby city and its status as a great symbolic centre for three religions. It seemed to be dwarfed by its history.

Recommended Trump tells Palestinians he intends to move US embassy to Jerusalem

The main friction was between Jews and Muslims, but also within communities as the ultra-orthodox Jews grew in number and secular Jews moved to cities on the coast.

Hopes of a compromise peace were at their height after the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, but were always undermined by the disparity in strength between the two sides.

Israel simply had no reason to compromise to a sufficient degree to satisfy the Palestinians, unless it was put under great and sustained pressure by the US  and this was never likely to happen.

Such hopes flickered out after Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995 by an ultra-nationalist religious zealot opposed to the peace terms.

After a brief hiatus, Rabin was followed by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is back in the prime ministers office today.

 Turkish President Erdogan: 'Jerusalem, Mr. Trump, is a red line for Muslims'

The embassy

The issue of the US embassy being moved to Jerusalem or even US recognition of Jerusalem has been raised at election time in America for decades.

It served as a diversion or smokescreen concealing the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Though Israeli governments regularly raised the issue as one of their grievances, it never seemed to be a major concern.

Capital of the sovereign state of Israel

I arrived in Jerusalem just as the right-wing mayor Ehud Olmert was opening a festival to celebrate 3,000 years since King David captured it from the Jebusites.

Olmert said that the purpose of the celebration was to highlight Jerusalem as the eternal, united capital of the sovereign state of Israel and of the Jewish nation.

Palestinians worried about the impetus this would give to new settlements, and with good reason as 20 years later there are 200,000 Israeli settlers and 370,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

What chance of a resolution?

The mood of rancour and intolerance has worsened over the years. It is difficult to see what good it will do Israel to have President Donald Trump recognise Jerusalem as its capital or move the US embassy there.

Its most likely impact will be to help revive the moribund Palestinian cause in the Muslim world. It will make it more difficult for states such as Saudi Arabia to cultivate closer relations with Israel and President Trump to unite regional Sunni powers against Iran.

It might have been a good idea from the point of view of Israel and the White House to let the issue lie.
Britain and the European Union failed to reach a highly anticipated Brexit deal on Monday despite "significant progress" on key outstanding issues, both sides announced in Brussels.

Negotiators had earlier appeared close to reaching an agreement on the Irish border, the complex and historically sensitive issue that had emerged as a final stumbling block.

But after details of a draft deal leaked, the Democratic Unionist Party, a small but hardline grouping from Northern Ireland that props up the minority government of British Prime Minister Theresa May, said they would not support it.

After talks over lunch, May and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker acknowledged that some issues remained unresolved. Both said they were confident of a deal soon that would allow talks to progress to a future trading relationship.

Juncker said that it was not possible to reach deal on Monday despite "significant progress" made in recent days. "This is not a failure, this is the start of the very last round. I am very confident that we will reach agreement in the course of this week," he said.

May said meetings had been "constructive" but differences remained on a "couple of issues." May said she remained confident an agreement could be reached in the coming days.

'Critical moment' in talks

Britain has been desperate to secure an agreement from the EU that it would move on to discussions about trade.

But the EU has insisted that "sufficient progress" must first be made on three issues: that Britain pay a substantial "divorce bill," that rights of European citizens in the UK are guaranteed and that there is no reinstatement of a border infrastructure between Northern Ireland, which will leave the EU with the rest of Britain in March 2019, and the Republic of Ireland.

The dismantling of a so-called "hard border" was a key plank of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland after years of sectarian conflict. The Irish government was determined to secure a cast-iron guarantee from the UK that there would be no return to border controls after Brexit.

Substantial progress on the divorce bill and on EU citizens was made last week but wrangling on the Irish border continued through Sunday night and into Monday.

It appeared on Monday morning that a deal on the Irish border was close.

Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, scrapped a scheduled trip to Israel, citing a "critical moment" in the negotiations. An EU official said the trip was abandoned so that Tusk could be available for "consultations on draft guidelines" for potential trade discussions.

Philippe Lamberts, leader of the Greens in the European Parliament, told CNN that the British government had made a key concession: Northern Ireland would continue to be aligned with EU laws and regulations that, if they diverged, would require checks at the border. The concession was first reported by the Irish public broadcaster, RTE.

After details of the draft deal leaked, DUP leader Arlene Foster gave a TV statement in which she said that her party "will not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom."

Leo Varadkar, the Irish Prime Minister, said he was "suprised and disappointed" that an agreement was not concluded. He said that the British and Irish governments had agreed the draft wording of a deal on the Irish border on Monday morning. "That's the agreement we had, I believe it stands," Varadkar said at a news conference in Dublin, adding that he was prepared to give May more time. "I trust her," he said.

Repercussions in UK

Even if the DUP came on board with an eventual deal, there could be other consequences for May. The suggestion that Northern Ireland would enjoy a special status withing the UK has infuriated leading figures in areas of the UK that voted to remain in the European Union in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, wrote on Twitter: "If one part of the UK can retain regulatory alignment with EU and effectively stay in the single market (which is the right solution for Northern Ireland) there is surely no good practical reason why others can't."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said there were "huge ramifications" for the city if news of the deal turned out to be accurate.

He said on Twitter: "Londoners overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU and a similar deal here could protect tens of thousands of jobs."

The UK still hopes that the EU will deem sufficient progress to have been made in order to give the go-ahead for negotiations to move on to a second phase of negotiations at a summit next week. This phase would focus on a future trade relationship between the UK and EU and transitional arrangements.

CNN's Hilary McGann, Bianca Nobilo, Carol Jordan and Matt Wells contributed to this report from London.
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The son of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed earlier this week, vowed in a written statement to "confront enemies of the homeland".

Ahmed Ali, a former commander of Yemen's elite Republican Guards, said that his father had died at his house, while carrying his weapon.

Referring to the Iran-aligend Houthi group which killed his father, Ahmed Ali said he would "confront the enemies of the homeland and humanity, who are trying to obliterate its identity and its gains and to humiliate Yemen and Yemenis".

He also vowed to lead a campaign against the movement which carried out the killing after he switched sides in the civil war.

The intervention by Mr Saleh, a former leader of the elite Republican Guard once seen as a likely successor to his father, gives the anti-Houthi movement in Sanaa a potential figurehead, after a week of fighting that saw the Houthis rout Saleh's supporters in the capital.

Yemen's war, pitting the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has brought what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The world body says millions of people may die in one of the worst famines of modern times, caused by warring parties blocking food supplies.

Saleh had helped the Houthis win control of much of the country's north including Sanaa, and his decision to switch allegiances and abandon the Houthis in the past week was the most dramatic change on the battlefield in years. But the Houthis swiftly crushed a pro-Saleh uprising in the capital and shot him dead in an attack on his convoy.

Tens of thousands of Houthi supporters staged a rally in the capital to show support for their leader and celebrate the death of Saleh. They chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and its allies.

Mahmoud Ali al-Houthi, head of the movement's Revolutionary Committee, denied allegations that the group was executing members of Saleh's party after their capture: "We have been treating some of Saleh's sons and we haven't executed them," he told the crowd.

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

Sanaa saw no fresh fighting after five days of combat that the Red Cross said killed more than 230 people. The Saudi-led coalition struck the city with 25 air strikes overnight, but United Nations (UN) and Red Cross aid flights were able to land at the airport, UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said.

"People are now emerging from their houses after five days being locked down basically as prisoners," Mr McGoldrick said. "They are now seeking safety, moving their families in case things erupt again and at the same time seeking medical treatment and trying to pacify very terrified kids who have endured five days of relentless shelling, shooting and ground fire and air strikes."

The Saudi cabinet, in a statement that did not mention Saleh by name, said it hoped the Sanaa uprising against the Houthis would "help rid sisterly Yemen of repression, death threats, ... explosions and seizure of private and public property".

Reuters
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At 270 miles, the Vltava is the Czech Republics longest river, rising in the Bohemian Forest, bisecting Prague, and joining the Elbe at Melnik in Central Bohemia. Each year, some 250,000 Czechs, young and old, take to the river in canoes or aboard rafts, paddling varying stretches, as it passes through the Czech Republics countryside and historic towns. This year, I decided to join their ranks, taking a 20-mile self-guided raft trip from Vyssi Brod, near the Austrian border, to Cesky Krumlov, at the heart of southern Bohemia.

Intrepid as it seems, self-guided on the Vltava is the done thing, but from the outset it is clear our expedition owes more to Jerome K Jeromes Three Men in a Boat than an adrenaline-infused white-water challenge. We arent the only ones  rafting the Vltava seems to be an essential bonding activity for Czech men. As our team of five prepare for the off, a patrol of soldiers spring from a military truck, pull on sombreros, and loudly launch their raft downstream. Already on the water, two middle-aged men in a yellow canoe approach a slipway through a weir, before inevitably capsizing.

Thankfully, though slower, less stylish, and more difficult to direct, our raft proves more stable than their canoe, and the Vltava sweeps us along steadily. Other river traffic accompanies us  some rafts, some canoes, many trailing behind them unidentified bottles of liquor cooling in the water (not for nothing is the Budweiser Budvar brewery located halfway along the Vltava). The atmosphere is convivial, pure boys own adventure. A loud Ahooy! is the accepted greeting as we pass each other.

The countryside here is bucolic: Gentle wooded riverbanks, branches reaching out across the water, with cattle-grazed pasture behind it. At its widest, the river is shallow enough to wade  handy, it turns out, for those of us with a tendency to run aground on rocks. The locals seem unfazed but we seem unable to avoid it, regularly hitting them or spinning around them to the amusement of other rafters. It is all they can do to Ahooy! without capsizing in mirth.

Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river Show all 11 1 /11 Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river The Vltava links some of Bohemia's prettiest towns Untold Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river Sleeping in a tipi on the Czech Republic's most famous river Untold Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river Pulling up for a break is easy Untold Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river Navigating the Vltava is one of the most popular things to do Untold Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river The river passes through beautiful towns Untold Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river Navigating the river can be as hard core or easy as you like Untold Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river The river passes through woods and pasture Untold Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river Taking to the river is a way of life for Czechs Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river In places the river is still enough to sinmply float down it Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river In others, you'll need to negotiate the route Untold Rafting the Czech Republic's Vltava river Pull up in the evening to roast sausages over a camp fire Untold

Some five miles into our inflatable odyssey we reach Rozmberk, one of many villages spawned by the Vltavas historic trade route, which links Linz in Austria with Cesky Krumlov and Ceske Budejovice  the Czech Republics historic beer capital. We follow the rafts and canoes beached on the left bank, and join the queue at a cafe, Bistro U Baby. It is raining by now, but goulash and blueberry dumplings fortify our spirits.

Back on the river, raindrops dance on the waters surface and traffic has thinned. We let the current take us, drink beer and chat. The Vltava bestows an easy camaraderie  even the guy talk gets deep.

Over the next hour, the river widens and deepens, requiring more steady paddling. Seven miles on from Rozmberk, the welcome smell of wood smoke signals arrival at Kemp Branna  a riverside campground with cabins, and enormous teepees that sleep 15.

The campsite offers teepees on the bank of the river (Untold)

The Vltava is crucial to national identity, long-time member of camp staff Jakub Varadi tells us as we check in. Under Communism, the Czechs took to the river for staycations while they were unable to travel. Later, as we cook sausages over an open fire, he returns with a guitar and plays us a dark song about a husbands suffocating love for a wife who secretly wanted him dead.

By the morning, it has stopped raining and the Vltava seems like a different river beneath blue sky. Fish jump out of the water; damselflies flit above it. Czechs still shout Ahooy! but even more loudly. Approaching Cesky Krumlov, even we slip down the last weir with a yell. We had made it.

Cesky Krumlov is a typically pretty town (Untold)

Krumlov has benefited from substantial restoration since the collapse of Communism. Pastel-coloured Renaissance buildings, bars and restaurants line the banks as we glide past; a group of 20 foreign tourists take out their phones and video our arrival. In the shadow of a 13th century castle, we navigate assuredly under the spans of the 15th-century Lazebnicky Bridge. Finally, near Krumlovs former brewery (its now a restaurant), we beach the raft and hop on a bus to Ceske Budejovice for a boozy celebration at the oldest brewery in the Holy Roman Empires capital of brewing.

The Vltava isnt only a journey measured by distance. It spans the generations; while enduring Communist dictatorship, the Velvet Revolution and the Velvet divorce, people came to the river to escape their worries.

Today, Czechs continue to be drawn by the Vltavas relaxed familiarity and perhaps its echoes of a simpler time. They may have a point. Ahooy!

Travel essentials

Getting there

The writer flew with Jet2, which offers flights from Newcastle to Prague from 73 return. Other airlines with regional departures include easyJet, Wizz Air and Ryanair. From Prague, trains run every two hours to Krumlov  the journey takes about two hours. Rafting companies will meet you at Krumlov and take you to the start of the route.

Staying there

Kemp Branna has tepees from 550 koruna (20), plus 80 koruna per person, per night.

More information

Rafting Krumlov operates on various stretches of the Vltava and hires canoes and rafts from 200 koruna and 800 koruna per day respectively, including life jackets and a pick-up at the end of the tour. River guides are available from 2,000 koruna per day. The company will deliver to popular departure points and assist in booking overnight stays, too.

czechtourism.com

czechstories.com
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Every nation has a location that is referred to reverentially, somewhere that gets universal approval when you say you are visiting.

For the Norwegians its the archipelagos that make up the Lofoten Islands and neighbouring Vesteralen islands, on the north-west coast.

Situated way above the Arctic Circle, closer to the North Pole than to London, these islands are surprisingly easy to get to.

Wideroe offers six weekly direct flights from Oslo Gardermoen to the Lofoten capital,Solvr . In summer the airline offers a direct route to Stokmarnes in Vesteralen. Wideroe also flies from the northern mainland airport of Harsted/Narvik to the whale-watching hub that is Andenes, on the northernmost tip of these islands.

Spectacular scenery

The approach to the Lofotens is spectacular: sheer mountains rise from the sea to form a mighty wall against the Atlantic. Its a sight to make the Norse gods proud. Here, at Europes wildest edge, the most dramatic of geological constructs provides relative shelter for Solvr and the towns and villages along the eastern side of the mountain range.

For generations communities clutching to this coast relied on the abundant fish in the area. Winter shoals of spawning cod migrate from the even-more-northerly Barents Sea to the waters around these islands. The legacy of this once all-pervasive livelihood remains  the smell, the sight, the culture and the history.

Just outside of Solvr is a tiny islet called Svinya. Here you can stay in a rorbu, a wooden hut originally built for migrant fishermen for the duration of the cod-fishing season. These huts, painted a distinctive deep red, have been rebuilt into comfortable, hygge-inspired cabins. Dotted along the shoreline they are as much a feature of the coastline as the skerries and white sandy beaches.

There are around 30 of these huts, old and new, on Svinya where you can book a three-night package that includes guides showing you the best places to see the Northern Lights. For a two-night package that includes viewing this pulverised peninsula from the sea and spotting eagles and watching whales, local company Smaken Av Lofoten, offer cabin accommodation and a RIB safari along the coastline.

Efficient travel

Its easy to travel between the islands: geology and climate have not prevented an efficient network of bridges and tunnels being built, giving visitors a lot of choice over where to climb, trek, kayak or fish. A car ferry north from Fiskebol to Melbu connects the two archipelagos.

Vesteralen has a similar if slightly more modest array of mountains, peaks and pulverised coastline compared to Lofoten. Its greener, with a more benign landscape than its better- known neighbour. You see this on the straightforward drive up the islands main road, the E10 that runs from south to north through rock, mountain, field and fjord, through tunnels, towns and farmland.

Vesteralen is where you find arguably northern Norways most famous fjord, the magnificent Trollfjord. Its an extraordinarily thin and long stretch of water, with rock walls rising to heights of more than 3,000 feet. At its narrowest  300 feet wide  you experience a sort of vertigo in reverse, sheer mountains rising up next to you out of a slither of deep, dark water.

This is a wonderful place to fish and see that most regal of creatures: the North Atlantic eagle.

But what Vesteralen is best known for is whale watching. Its the only place in Europe where you can do this activity all year round. Andenes, on the northern most point of this archipelago is the whale-watching epi-centre, this part of northern Norways coast is a nutrient-rich feeding ground for humpback, killer and sperm whales. The first ever whale safari company and now the largest, Hvalsafari, guarantee a sighting every time and provide enough warm clothing to make your Arctic ocean trip a comfortable one even in the depths of winter.

Its not surprising that these islands, the legacy of an ice age, are popular among artists who are drawn by the shifting light, the seascapes, the geological drama and the never-ending horizon. Yet few paintings, or photographs, can ever truly do this land of Norse legend justice. It has to be seen to be believed.

Fore more inspiration click here - and to find out more more and book your break to Norway, visit visitnorway.com
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Nine points to remember in relation to this new 2017 Irish Question in Brexit politics:

Minority governments can survive

It is absurd under any parliamentary system for 10 MPs to hold hostage 640 MPs. Theresa May needs the 10 Democratic Unionist Party members to give her an assured majority in the event of a crisis vote. They are not necessary for 99 per cent of government business and the DUP has already voted against May on one major parliamentary vote.

As an MP who lived through the end of the last Tory government without an effective majority before 1997, I know that Britain can live with minority governments.

The Government wont fail

The chances of Theresa Mays Government falling on a vote of confidence are close to zero. Theresa May has 53 more Tory MPs than Labour MPs. Very few non-Labour MPs from any party see Jeremy Corbyn as a desirable or acceptable prime minister. The chances of non-Labour MPs following Corbyn into the lobby to bring down May  with or without the DUP  is not high.

The DUP isnt the same as Northern Ireland

The DUP does not represent Northern Ireland, which voted strongly to remain in the EU. Plenty of Protestant businessmen and farmers saying the last thing they want is a return to customs checks and border posts, with uniformed officials of the British and Irish state again controlling flows of people and goods across the 270 roads and tracks that go north to south along the 500km border.

 Brexit: No deal in Brussels after Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker meeting to break deadlock

The idea that the DUP is fully representative is wrong, and over the next days this will become clearer. There are 10 DUP MPs, one independent Unionist and seven Sinn Fein MPs. The last of these, of course, refuse to sit in the House of Commons, but some means will be found for the non-DUP voters in Northern Ireland to make their voices heard.

Labour needs to be open about its values

At the weekend, a Labour spokesperson backed the idea of no hard frontier and said UK could remain in a customs union  as if saying a, rather than the, is much of a difference.

For the moment, Corbyn is not saying much on the idea that the future of Britain should be determined by 10 MPs from a party that is openly homophobic and believes women who have been raped and become pregnant should not be allowed an abortion, and 40 per cent of whose activists believe in Young Earth creationism  that God created earth 4,004 years before Jesus.

By any normal political standards in modern democracies, the DUP is at the far end of extreme nationalist identity and eccentric politics. Remember their MPs were ready to bring down the power-sharing Northern Island government rather than accept responsibility for disastrous mismanagement of a key economic policy.

Labour wont jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement

The Good Friday Agreement was one of the proudest achievements of the last Labour government and welcomed by all MPs at the time. It is unlikely that Labour will endorse any policy that will damage the agreement  such as bringing back a hard border.

Unfortunately there is a US President who has no interest in Americas contribution to the agreement and no Northern Ireland politicians of the stature of Ian Paisley or John Hume who can speak up for it within the six counties.

But Labours two key leaders, Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, have strong links to Ireland and apparent sympathy for Irish republicanism. Both Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein back the proposals that the DUP sought to veto. Labour is not going to support the extremist DUP and the more fanatical Tory Brexit MPs on this issue.

Remember how EU politics really works

EU Council President Donald Tusk said in Dublin on Friday that the EU27 stands in agreement and solidarity with the Irish government: What Ireland wants is what the EU wants. This statement is on the record. It cannot be unsaid.

There is no sense from recent talks in Paris that President Macron, now the key leader in Europe, is ready to make any concession to hardline right-wing anti-European obsessives in Northern Ireland. The idea that the EU can now make fresh new concessions to Theresa May to appease the DUP is not how European politics works.

Businesses need clarity  and soon

Business leaders have been briefing all autumn that December is the crunch moment when they need some clarity on whether the UK will maintain existing single market, customs union and ECJ rules for at least a transition period after March 2019. If there is no such assurance, then business federations, the City and individual banks have all said they will have to start planning to relocate, shed staff, change hiring firms and generally restrategise away from the UK.

The Transport Secretary and Brexiteer Chris Grayling now says the UK will accept the ultimate authority of the European Court of Justice to ensure that the UK stays part of the European Aviation Safety Agency, in order to ensure planes can fly after March 2019.

The Conservative Party has its own values to take care of

The Tory Party is the party of British business, not a handful of Ulster politicians obsessed with doing down Dublin. In the United States especially, despite Trumps indifferences, the vast bulk of elected politicians and many state and city leaderships as well as businesses are emotionally and historically supportive of Ireland and Irish aspirations. The so-called special relationship is vital to the British establishments self-esteem and the UK still being important in the world.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Destroying the Good Friday Agreement, which was midwived by the US, would cause London immense damage in America.

British people are turning against the idea of Brexit

The mood on Brexit in the UK is changing. There is now a great deal of apprehension and uncertainty as Brexit is revealed as being unlikely to lead to the richer, stronger world trade champion that the anti-European politicians and press promised the nation in the years leading up to the vote on 23 June 2016.

Most opinion polls now show a majority  narrow, to be sure  in favour of stopping Brexit. An interesting Survation weekend poll showed 50 per cent of people favoured a new referendum to take place when the outline of a final deal is made known (with 34 per cent against).

One senior shadow cabinet member, Barry Gardiner, has called for a new referendum, as have other prominent political figures.

Theresa May and the 21st century generation of Conservative Party MPs and strategists cannot want Brexit to continue to overwhelm British politics for the years after 2019 going into the next general election. At some stage, a line has to be drawn. Facing down the bullying threats of the DUP would be a good place to start.

Denis MacShane is the former Europe minister and author of Brexit No Exit: Why (in the end) Britain wont leave Europe (IB Tauris)
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It would be a great service to our democracy if all elected officials were made to wear electric-shock collars that activate each time they said something demonstrably, unequivocally untrue.

Firstly it would, in theory, discourage MPs from saying things they know to be untrue, but there would be further secondary benefits too.

Since the rise of time-shifted TV, climactic episodes of EastEnders and their subsequent mass rush to the kettle can no longer be counted upon to provide regular stress tests of the National Grid, that crucial task could be undertaken via David Daviss regular statements to the House of Commons on Brexit.

This is not to suggest Davis himself is solely to blame. Indeed, so regular and repeated are the same untruths constantly told by the same people it already bears every outward resemblance to some kind of perversion to which the addition of on-demand electrocution risks making matters worse.

To be clear: David Davis. Jacob Rees-Mogg. Bernard Jenkin. Listen. On the 23 June 2016 the United Kingdom did not vote to leave the customs union and the single market. That. Did. Not. Happen. Now, we can all accept that you really, really, really wish it did happen. No one is doubting the sincerity or the depth of your own desires, but that does not make them true. No matter how many times you say it, it doesnt make it true.

 Brexit: No deal in Brussels after Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker meeting to break deadlock

The context of all this: on Tuesday lunchtime, Davis was called to the despatch box to give an explanation to the deal or no deal chaos that unfolded in Brussels, Belfast, London and Dublin yesterday. Theresa May arrived in Brussels hoping to announce an agreement with the EU on the Irish border issue, only to find it vetoed by her own partners in government, the Democratic Unionist Party. As Labours Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer pithily put it, it is one thing to fall out with those on the other side of negotiating table; quite another to fall out with your own side.

Indeed it is. Davis sought to pre-but all this by laughing it off in his usual manner. The graver, the situation, the harder Davis laughs. Thank goodness the territorial SAS never sent him on active service, or you can imagine the man dissolving into levels of hysterics not seen since Ian Botham failed to get his leg over on Test Match Special.

At the heart of the question, youll know, is the vaguely and wrongly floated idea that Northern Ireland might remain in the customs union and single market after Brexit, which the DUP has made clear it doesnt want but London, Scotland, Grimsby, various towns around Dover and the car industry do.

The idea of leaving one part of the United Kingdom behind, that is emphatically not what we are doing. Davis said. Absolutely not. The whole of the United Kingdom is coming out of the single market and the customs union.

Bernard Jenkin reminded the house that last June the people didnt vote for some half-in, half-out solution, by which, as ever, he means Bernard Jenkin didnt vote for some half-in, half-out solution, and as to the wider motivations of the other 17.5 million people, he has no idea.

Jacob Rees-Mogg rose to make the point that regulatory divergence is an indelible red line. In other words, that peace and stability in Northern Ireland is a small sacrifice to lay upon the altar of Jacob Rees-Moggs private Brexit-related fantasies.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Representative democracy and referenda go together like oil and water, that much has been clear for a while now. And although its far too late for this particular crowd to acknowledge the words written on the ballot paper last June were not what they imagined them to be, youd think it mightnt be too hard for them to remember a few words repeated, ad infinitum by their own party leader and Prime Minister far more recently than that.

For they are right that leaving the single market and the customs union has indeed been put before the people, not yet six months ago. Strengthen my hand in the negotiations with Brussels, Theresa May said, over and over and over again, and on this explicit question, the people passed their verdict, and we are left where we are.

By the way, every development in the Brexit process that tilts the UK further toward hard Brexit can be spotted via a drop in the pound, and this latest Brussels farrago was no exception. Eventually, the penny might drop too. But not yet.
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Yesterday morning it looked like the British Government and the European Union had finally agreed a deal on phase one of the Brexit talks.

Commentators and politicians across Europe were poised for negotiations to progress to the next stage, after it appeared that Theresa May's Government and EU negotiators had reached a compromise on the issue of Northern Ireland.

However, it soon became clear that the morning's optimism had been misplaced. Within hours the DUP leadership at Stormont was at pains to emphasise its refusal to support any special status for Northern Ireland.

By 5pm, the "deal" was off, with many journalists speculating that the Prime Minister had been forced to climb down following DUP leader Arlene Foster's condemnation of the proposed "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and the EU.

 Brexit: No deal in Brussels after Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker meeting to break deadlock

In her statement, Foster said that the DUP would "not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the UK".

This is quite an entrenched position for a party, which has regularly refused to toe the UK line on other matters.

The DUP has constantly blocked any efforts to extend equal marriage to Northern Ireland, or to liberalise its draconian abortion laws.

In Northern Ireland - unlike England, Scotland and Wales  equal marriage is still illegal, vetoed most recently by the DUP in Stormont in 2015.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

The 1967 Abortion Act, 50 years old this year, was never extended to Northern Ireland. As a result the laws restricting abortion are among the most severe in Europe, with women facing life imprisonment if they procure a termination there.

Indeed, it seems that the DUP are more than happy for their policy to match the Republic of Ireland, rather than the rest of the UK, when it comes to bodily autonomy for women and girls.

They also believe that the power to set corporation tax should be devolved to Northern Ireland, and are happy to lobby Westminster for special status on issues of air passenger duty  where for example the UK's higher rate of air passenger duty makes Belfast International Airport less attractive an option than directly competing airports in the Republic of Ireland.

Northern Ireland's geographical position means there are some issues, where it's in everyones interest to be a bit flexible. But human rights issues are different.

There is no reason for Northern Ireland to be out of step with the rest of the UK on equal marriage or abortion access. The majority of the population strongly support liberalisation on both these issues  it's the DUP, sometimes with support from other Northern Irish parties, other times alone, who have consistently blocked changes to the law.

Yesterday, showed that the DUP are only prepared to argue for Northern Ireland to receive special status on issues that suit them.

When it comes to supporting rights for women, or for LGBT+ people, against the wishes of Northern Irish people, theyre happy to strike out on their own.

Caitlin de Jode is a member of the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign
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Amid three catastrophic Middle East wars, it would be difficult to imagine anything more provocative, dangerous  or just plain insane  than for the Americans to move their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Yet that is just what Donald Trump is this week thinking of doing. In a way, we should have expected this: mad presidents do mad things.

But is there no one in the White House able to restrain him? Not even Jared Kushner, who is supposed to be Trumps Middle East hand? Or is Kushner too bound up in his latest scandal  just revealed by Newsweek, that he failed to disclose his co-directorship of a foundation funding illegal Jewish colonies in the West Bank when he filed financial records with the Office of Government Ethics this year  to speak out?

For its not that the embassy itself is just a symbolic move. It means that the United States would acknowledge that the city of Jerusalem, sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians, is the capital of the Israeli state, and that the Palestinians can never share it. The slovenly peace process  abandoned by the Israelis, then by the Palestinians and then by the Americans years ago, although statesmen still talk about it in the dream world in which they live  would no longer exist even in our imaginations.

Thats why everyone from Macron to Erdogan, from the Saudis to the EU, and of course the poor old Palestinians, have been variously criticising and condemning Trumps potential decision. If he doesnt sign the old waiver  which has to be renewed every six months  to the US law to move the embassy, then he will indeed, to quote the Palestinian leadership, be risking an ethnic conflict.

Arent there enough wars in the Middle East to keep even the crazed White House busy? Trump has long ago taken the Sunni side in the Sunni-Shia conflict  but now he risks turning up the heat by infuriating both of them. The Arabs all know  and many Israelis agree  that President Trump is bananas. But the ramifications of any movement of the embassy  or acceptance by Trump that Jerusalem is indeed the capital of Israel  will be enormous. It will tell the Arabs, both Muslims and Christians, that their second most holy city belongs to the Jews of Israel and not to them. It will tell the Iranians the same. It will mean the same to all the Muslim countries of the world.

Could Trump expect another warm welcome and traditional sword dance in Riyadh? Would the Saudis choose to buy all those billions of weapons from the US if it hands Jerusalem to the Israelis? Muslims generally believe that the Prophet, born in Arabia, ascended from Jerusalem to heaven.

In the West, it will further tear apart the relationship between Washington and the EU, it will damage Canadian-American relations  for Ottawa is surely not going to follow Washingtons move  and the EU, still fondly believing in the famous peace process, is certainly not going to respond by moving its own embassies to Jerusalem. There are, of course, European consulates in Jerusalem  but to cover the East Jerusalem and the West Bank, not Israel.

Bibi Netanyahu and his extraordinarily right-wing Israeli government will certainly be happy, for it will unleash a new and far greater expansion of Jewish colonies  which we still oddly call settlements  on Arab land, further aggravating the Palestinians. The Israelis have been stealing land from their legal Arab owners for years, but President Trump would be taking from them even the hope of a capital in East Jerusalem.

And how would the Palestinians of the refugee camps in Lebanon respond? There is scarcely a Palestinian home without a photograph of the Al-Aqsa mosque on the wall. How will Hezbollah respond? Can they merely satisfy themselves with rhetoric  or will they need to fire some missiles over the Israeli-Lebanese border to express their fury?

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 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Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 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Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

And the Russians, the greatest ally of Syria  where Bashar al-Assad would surely declare his regime the standard bearer in a new battle for a liberated Jerusalem  can scarcely let such a moment pass without taking the Arab side. And selling them the warships, fighter aircraft and missiles which they have hitherto bought from the Americans.

An Israeli dream might come true if Trump announces Jerusalem as Israels capital. But so will an Arab nightmare. At least when Jerusalem remained the subject of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the Arabs of the West Bank could believe in the vague hope of a share of the city. But if Trump goes ahead, then America can never field another peace process, even an imaginary one. A colossal blunder will be the least the world will say about the United States if Trump does not sign the waiver.
CONCORD- Jury selection for the trial of one of the men accused of shooting and paralyzing Greg McKee in 2015 is underway.

WSOC-TV reported that jury selection in the trial of Terrell Thomas, one of the two suspects charged with shooting McKee in November 2015 recently began. McKee, a father of four, was left paralyzed from the upper thigh down during the attempted robbery inside a rest stop bathroom off Interstate 85 in Cabarrus County.

McKee was traveling with his family from Virginia back to Gaston County when they stopped at the rest area at 5901 U.S. I-85 South. McKee was approached in the restroom by two black males who pointed a gun at him. As McKee attempted to run from the restroom, he was shot in the back. Both black male suspects fled from the scene.

Darren Tyron Manuel was charged with attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault with a deadly with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. He was arrested December 1, 2015.

Thomas was taken into custody on December 10, 2015 with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at an apartment in Queens, New York. He was extradited to North Carolina in January 2016.

Thomas is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, attempted first degree murder, conspire robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury. He is in the Cabarrus County Jail under a $5,025,000 bond.

WSOC-TV reported that the judge has requested extra security during the trial because Thomas and Manuel both have ties to gangs.
WASHINGTON  Some political moments are like an X-ray  revealing down to the bone.

Here were Senate Republicans, poised for their first (and only) real legislative victory of the year. Tax overhaul, they knew, would be their main shot at shaping public perceptions of the GOP in the Trump era. The bill they were in the process of passing was utterly typical of Republican economic thinking  large tax reductions for corporations, broad income-tax relief for individuals and an increase in the child tax credit (deductible against income taxes). None of this surprising in the least.

Which was a problem. Insofar as blue-collar voters in places such as Pennsylvania and Ohio delivered unified Republican government, you would think their economic needs and struggles might find some central, or at least symbolic, place in the Republican agenda. So when Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., proposed an amendment to make the child credit fully deductible against payroll taxes (which are the taxes actually paid by the working poor), it was clearly good policy and good politics.

The measure ended up getting only 20 Republican votes and was defeated 71-29.

How is this for symbolism: In their tax bill, Senate Republicans gave a break to private jet owners, but refused to increase the corporate rate by 0.94 percentage points to cover the cost of helping an estimated 12 million working-class families. The 20 percent corporate rate, Rubio and Lee were told, was sacrosanct, nonnegotiable  until the day after the vote, when President Trump conceded it may need to rise anyway. What drives many elected Republicans to embody every destructive, plutocratic stereotype? Do they really need to wear spats and a top hat every time they appear in public?

A good case can be made for reducing the corporate tax rate below the 24 percent global average, making America a more competitive place to do business. And it is true that, in a progressive tax system, broad tax cuts will go disproportionately to people who pay a lot of taxes in the first place. But Senate Republicans were presented with a clear and conservative way to both seem and be more favorable to working-class families. And they rejected it decisively.

It was foolish of Senate Republican leaders not to see the obvious political benefit of this change to a bill that is currently unpopular. It was offensive that most Senate Democrats voted against the amendment, on the crassly partisan theory that nothing they oppose should be improved. It is even a bit disappointing that Lee and Rubio did not threaten to blow up the tax bill  any two Republican senators plus Bob Corker, R-Tenn., an announced "no," could have done so  in order to get their amendment included.

It is true enough that many liberals would only be happy with tax-code changes that are frankly redistributionist  designed to decrease inequality, even if overall economic growth were undermined. They think of the tax code as one way of addressing a structural injustice  the injustice of modern capitalism, which favors wealth over wages.

In contrast, compassionate conservatives (the few of us who remain) view healthy, sustained economic growth as a moral achievement  justly rewarding effort and enterprise and allowing society to be more generous to those in genuine need. (What poor and stagnant nation would undertake Medicaid or the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief?) But this is different than saying that economic freedom is always identical to the common good. Particularly in an increasingly high-skill economy, it requires positive effort to (1) train as many people as possible for economic participation, (2) ensure that lower skill work can still result in a dignified life (through measures such as the earned income tax credit), (3) encourage the stability of families (through, for example, the child credit) and (4) increase the scale of private and religious efforts to meet society's desperate human needs (addiction, homelessness, etc.).

The goal of a compassionate conservatism is not economic leveling but social solidarity  an economic system that allows everyone to live lives of dignity. On the best historical and economic evidence, this is achieved through a mixed economy  allowing the freedom to create wealth, but depending on government and civil society to humanize an imperfect human system (as all human systems are imperfect).

The balance here is not always easy to determine. But most elected Republicans don't seem moved or motivated by either equality or solidarity  at least if the damning defeat of Lee-Rubio is any indication.
The term "clean exit" may not be the most appropriate or useful for the period after the ongoing third Greek bailout ends in August 2018, Declan Costello, the European Commission's chief representative in the program told an Athens audience on Monday evening
Representatives of associations ofin the greater Athens area on Tuesday afternoon were debating whether to issue a decision preventing members from attending the next day's property auctions at the main local court (Eirinodikio) in the Greek
Former Yemeni President Killed: The Price of Betrayal



By Stephen Lendman

December 04, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Ali Abdullah Saleh ruled Yemen despotically from May 1990 until ousted in February 2012  earlier ruling North Yemen from 1978 to 1990.

He sided with Houthi fighters against Saudi Arabia until betraying them  shifting his allegiance to the kingdom, saying:

I call upon the brothers in neighboring states and the alliance to stop their aggression, lift the siege, open the airports and allow food aid and the saving of the wounded and we will turn a new page by virtue of our neighborliness.

The Houthi controlled interior ministry accused him of creating chaos by working with militias of aggression, helping extremist militants, the groups political bureau adding:

It is not strange or surprising that Saleh turns back on a partnership he never believed in. The priority has been and still is to confront the forces of aggression.

On December 4, Houthi fighters blew up his home in Sanaa, media reports saying he was killed en route to Marib, his death confirmed by a senior aide, a video of his alleged body posted online by the Houthis, showing a severe head wound.

On Monday, Houthi al-Masriah television said (t)he leader of treason has been killed. Its media official Abdel-Rahman al-Ahnomi said he was killed, trying to flee to Saudi Arabia through Marib.

Heavy fighting has been ongoing in Sanaa for days, Saudi terror-bombing striking Houthi positions. Their fighters now control the city, according to reports, many Saleh loyalists defecting to their forces.

The UN called for a humanitarian halt in fighting to let civilians get out of harms way, enabling aid workers to reach them, the wounded able to get medical treatment.

UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said streets in Sanaa are battlegrounds. Aid workers remain in lockdown.

Sanaa-based Norwegian Refugee Council protection and advocacy advisor Suze van Meegen said fighting in the city completely paralyz(ed) humanitarian operations, adding:

No one is safe in Sanaa at the moment. I can hear heavy shelling outside now and know it is too imprecise and too pervasive to guarantee that any of us are safe.

Regional ICRC director Robert Mardini tweeted: The night was tough. Massive urban clashes with heavy artillery and airstrikes. Yemenis stuck in their homes, too scared to go out. Reduced access to water, health care, food and fuel.

An unnamed woman said (i)ts like horror movies. I have lived through many wars but nothing like this.

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Explosions rock the city, defenseless civilians at risk of death or severe injuries. Bodies of dead and wounded lie in streets unattended, fighting too fierce for anyone to venture out, hundreds killed or wounded since last Wednesday.

Defection of loyalist Saleh forces to the Houthis marks a significant turn in the war, ongoing for nearly three years, causing the worlds gravest humanitarian crisis.

On Monday, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam claimed significant gains in the battle for Sanaa, saying:

With the aid and approval of God, the security forces backed up by wide popular support were able last night to cleanse the areas in which the militias of treason and betrayal were deployed.

Will Trump order aerial attacks on Houthi fighters in Sanaa, aiding Saudi terror-bombing? Will US-orchestrated aggression escalate, intensifying the humanitarian crisis?

Stephen Lendman - stephenlendman.org . Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net . My newest book as editor and contributor is titled Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III. www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

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Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's former leader, killed - reports

Ex-Yemen leader Ali Abdullah Saleh killed hours after gaining Saudi support

How did Yemen's Houthi-Saleh alliance collapse?

Yemen's Houthis blow up ex-president Saleh's house

Houthis reportedly gain control of majority of Sanaa

Yemen President Orders Forces to Retake Sanaa from Houthis

Iran calls on Yemeni groups to hold dialogue

Note regarding comments
Donald Trump: Bullies Never Respect Sycophants



Stop the state visit. Britain should not allow the US presidents racism to be dressed up in pageantry



Editorial

December 04, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - A ll relationships have boundaries. Those between nations can be particularly fraught, freighted with ties forged in history and culture. In diplomacy the manners, customs and morals of others need to be acknowledged and respected. But humanity begins with acts, not just with thoughts. The question is how to deal with a man like Donald Trump, a taunting braggart with a weakness for flattery? The stakes are high: when nations fall out, people get hurt. By using social media as a flame-thrower, Mr Trump uses words as weapons. He does not care who gets burned.

In retweeting anti-Muslim video clips promoted by a leader of a far-right fringe group in Britain and then rounding on the prime minister for reproaching him, Mr Trump proves again that he panders to bigots and is no friend of this country. This is an important  and dangerous  moment for Britain as it launches itself into the choppy waters of Brexit . The vain hope of politicians who pushed for this nations exit from the European Union was that we could hitch ourselves to the United States .

True, the US is Britains most important partner on the global stage. As nations we have a sense of shared values and a long history together. Both have worked to uphold the international rules-based system. After the end of the cold war it was a partnership, along with others, that guaranteed a short period of relative peace . What was not taken sufficiently into account was that this was not only a physical equilibrium but also a moral one.

Mr Trump has few morals. He is a thuggish narcissist who is no respecter of Britains national security and wellbeing. After the London Bridge attack in June, he went after the capitals mayor, Sadiq Khan, for urging, quite reasonably, calm . He attacked Scotland Yard, in September, for not being  proactive  after a terrorist bomb failed to detonate in London. Then, as now, Theresa May rebuked the US president . It was the right thing to do. The prime minister should go further and withdraw the invitation for a state visit . Bullies never respect sycophants. Britain should not allow Mr Trumps racism to be dressed up in pageantry. Mr Trumps strategy is to stoke a climate of paranoia, both at home and abroad. He seeks advantage in the politics of division and hate. He operates by instinct rather than sober analysis.

The truth is that Mr Trump has no respect for the basic rights that are the foundation of democracy . Nor does he care for the decency necessary to sustain citizenship . Democracy cannot survive without letting reasonable debate bring the truth to light. Instead Mr Trump appears to have nothing but contempt for our intelligence. For the US president the show is all about one man. His secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, looks set to be replaced by a cheerleader for Trumpism . Mr Tillersons error was to realise what everyone suspects: his boss was, in his own reported words, a moron.

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As a former British prime minister wisely noted, nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests . Britain must have a relationship with the United States, just as we have relationships with unsavoury regimes which are tempered by the understanding that we do not share their scruples. Our own foolishness means that we are no longer useful as a bridge to Europe.

The longer Mr Trump is in office, the more Americas folkways will become unfamiliar to Britain. Like all relationships, Britain and Americas will experience rocky times. We are living through one of them. With Mr Trump in the White House the US has become flighty when it comes to special relationships, heaping praise on Americas adversaries and downgrading ties with allies . To be credible our bond needs to be grounded in self-respect. Speaking the truth may be difficult, but that is what friends are for.

This article was originally published by The Guardian -

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Note regarding comments
A lawmaker of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) representing Ikwerre State Constituency, Mr. Azubuike Wanjoku has been suspended by the Rivers State House of Assembly.

But the former Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr. Leyii Kwanee, described Wanjokus suspension as a sad day for democracy in the state.

Wanjoku, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress, was suspended after being accused of allegedly expressing his position in the November 22, 2017 edition of a national daily against the resolution of the House on the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police.

It was gathered that Wanjoku, who spoke on behalf of other APC members in the House, had specifically said that they (APC members in the House) would explore legal redress should their names be included in the Assemblys petition against SARS.

But during plenary on Monday, the Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Martin Amaewhule, decried Wanjokus action, adding that the lawmaker (Wanjoku) made such a statement at a time the 8th assembly was working towards moving the state forward.

Amaewhule, who said he was relying on Order 42, Rule 10 of the House Rules, urged the House to suspend Wanjoku.

Earlier, the Speaker, Ikunyi Owaji-Ibani, had maintained that the statement against the resolution of the House, which was credited to the lawmaker, was made in bad taste and aimed at discrediting members of the 8th Assembly.

Explaining that lawmakers were expected to conduct themselves within the ambit of the law and the House Rules, Owaji-Ibani said, Recently, this Assembly has heard in the print and electronic media, every now and then, comments, made by a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Beyond making such comments orally, the member went ahead and printed such comments; and such comments were issued in bad taste just to bring down the value and name built over the decades by this great Assembly. As members, it is improper for us to conduct ourselves in a manner unbefitting of legislators.

Our attention has been drawn to several of such comments and write-ups by a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Azibuike Wanjoku. The last but not limited to a publication in the Nations Newspaper of November 22, 2017.

However, 15 lawmakers voted in favour of the suspension while two APC lawmakers voted against the suspension of the lawmaker.

Continuing, the Speaker immediately referred the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Move over erecting statues, Rochas Okorocha has just appointed his Sister Ogechi Ololo (nee Okorocha) as Commissioner for Happiness and Couples Fulfillment. While Nigerians are yet to forgive and forget for the waste in the name of erecting statues of African leaders, he comes up with this. What on earth is commissioner for Happiness biko, Imo people how far?



End SARS:There is a movement all over the Nigerian social media sphere and it is to end the assault, brutality and injustice meted out on them by those that are suppose to protect them and their properties that is the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS). Notable Nigerians like the former VP, Atiku Abubakar, Gov Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti and many more have joined voices with ordinary Nigerians to end or reform the Nigerian police.

I spent last night reading the stories on this #EndSARS hash tag. I am deeply saddened and will do everything I can to help.  Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) December 4, 2017

I wont say #EndSARS. Rather I will say #ReformThePolice such that someone will not sit in Abuja and be in charge of resolving robbery issue in Abakaliki.  Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose) December 4, 2017

Nigerias Minister for Finance is trending on social media but not for a good reason. According to Nigerians, Kemi Adeosun must go because she has reportedly abused her office. According to National Accord, South-South Coordinator of the Oando Shareholders Solidarity Group (OSSG), Mr Clement Ebitimi, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, for meddling in the forensic audit of Oando Plc. Some newspapers reported on Monday that Adeosun unearthed a previous petition against Mounir Gwarzo and suspended him as Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC] because he demanded to be served in writing with her order to stop SECs forensic audit of Oando Plc.
As many as eight people have been reportedly killed after a car bomb blew up a street in broad daylight, sparking a lot of commotion in the area.

State television has reported that an explosives-laden bus blew up on Tuesday morning in a predominantly pro-government neighbourhood of the central Syrian city of Homs that has been repeatedly targeted.

The blast ended up killing eight people.

According to the Agence France Presse, AFP, the blast rocked a street in the Akrameh neighbourhood mostly inhabited by members of the Alawite minority to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs.

The toll in the terrorist explosion on Al-Ahram Street has rising to eight dead and 15 injured, state television said in a breaking news alert.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said a minibus had exploded on the edge of the Akrameh district.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which left the mangled metal carcasses of burnt-out vehicles strewn across the road.

Windows in buildings on either side of the site of the attack were blown in, and debris from the blast was scattered in the street.

Akrameh has been hit by several such attacks in the past, the deadliest of which killed nearly 50 schoolchildren in October 2014.

That attack prompted rare demonstrations and the firing of several local security officials.

Security measures were stepped up after the 2014 attack, including with additional checkpoints and roadblocks.

Homs has been fully controlled by Syrias government since May, when the last rebel fighters in the city were evacuated after a deal with the government overseen by Russia.
Francis Agoda, I Go Dye, has dished out advice to former vice President, Atiku Abubakar, following his formal return to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The Comedian said Atiku should quit using sentimental empathy on the youths to express his political ambition, rather he advocated for a process that will afford the youth the opportunity of a youthful leadership in the 2019 election.

On his Instagram page @igodye_ he wrote Dont use sentimental empathy on the youths to express your political ambitions. Sir, you are one of those that have immensely benefited from Nigeria since your birth in 1946.

Having worked for 20 years with the Nigeria Customs where you retired at the age of 43 in 1989 as Deputy Director, your bucket list sure looks good because you were obviously employed at youth 23.

In 1999 you became governor of Adamawa and ultimately the Vice President, all of these you achieved at 53. What did you do during your time in that exalted position? When will the youths like in your time get a chance? am motivated to speak, based on your statement: A party that does not take the youths into account is a dying party. The future belong to the young. Please which of the future?

Remarkably, between 1999 and 2007 that you were the Vice president of Nigeria, it is recorded that tertiary institutions witnessed several strikes that wasted seventeen months ,three weeks and three days.Within this period, what did you do?

If social support were given to youths then, their children will be between 18 and 20 years during the 2019 elections, obviously they would have willingly voted for you or anyone that you endorse in 2019. This is the essence of making sacrifices for the future generation.

You cannot be credited to have been a philanthropic to the youths. The recent revocation of the NPA contract with Intel,your company,is the major issue.

As a company either, the people in the region you operated cannot accredit Intel to have provided credible support for the youths or built skills acquisition centers to curb unproductivity as part of its cooperate social responsibility , which has resulted to many youths embarking on the sub- sahara deserts route treking to Europe,which has claimed many lives.

Your excellency,sir Atiku Abubakar, please dont use sentimental empathy on the youths to express your political ambitions, because by 2019 the youths are preparing to substantiate the real economical, political and progressive change.

I kindly recommend that you should advocate for process that will afford us the opportunity of a youthful leadership in the 2019 election.

Source: Daily post
The drama between Nigerian pop star, Kiss Daniel and his former record label, G-Worldwide has taken a new twist.

The morning, the label through its lawyers, Calmhill Partners released court documents saying a Federal High Court in Lagos had on November 30, granted an order that all parties should maintain the status quo under the contract. The company further warned the general public against contracting any business with Kiss Daniel.

Now, Kiss Daniel through his lawyers at L&A Legal Consultants have issued a signed statement saying the Federal High Court in sitting Lagos denied and refused G-Worldwide LTDs application for injunction restraining our client from performing, recording or using the stage name Kiss Daniel.

They also insist that till this moment, Kiss Daniel is yet to be officially served any letter or court document from his former label

See the full statement below..

Source: Linda Ikejis blog
We know the RECESSION talk is already done with (not that there ever was much to it), but it was still good to see that US retail sales were strong in Octo...

13 hours ago
The Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory reportedly unfrozen the bank accounts belonging to former Nigerian First Lady, Patience Jonathan.

According to a Vanguard report, the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, vacated an order it made on May 30, freezing 16 separate bank accounts linked to wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience.

Justice Binta Nyako lifted the order that barred Mrs. Jonathan and 10 different organizations connected to her, from having access to the bank accounts containing aggregate sums of $5.8million and N3.5billion.

The court took the decision after it heard an application that Mrs. Jonathan and the 10 companies filed to challenge an ex-parte order that granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, interim ownership of funds in the accounts.

The companies that were cited as co-applicants in the motion that the ex-first lady filed through her team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, were the Incorporated Trustees of Ariwabai Aruera Reachout Foundation, Pagmat Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, Flinchley Top Homes Limited, Incorporated Trustees of Women for Change and Development Initiative Nigeria, Transocean Property and Investment Ltd, Seagate Property Development Investment Company, Globus Integrated Services and Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited.

Justice Nyako upheld Ozekhomes argument that the interim forfeiture order had elapsed and could not be renewed by the EFCC.

The former first lady had insisted before the court that the anti-graft agency obtained the forfeiture order by an improper use of the judicial process.

Mrs. Jonathan and the 10 firms told the court that the said interim forfeiture order, including a subsequent one that was issued on October 18, had since expired, with the EFCC, failing to establish a nexus between the applicants and any act of illegality.

In a six paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Chinedu Maduba, Mrs. Jonathan and the firms admitted their ownership of the 16 bank accounts.

The applicants told the court that EFCC had before May 30 when it secured the forfeiture order, also filed a similar application that affected most of the parties, before Justice C.M.A. Olatoregun of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos in suit number FHC/L/CS/1342/2016 with same granted on October 10.

They alleged that EFCC suppressed the fact that it had earlier approached the Lagos Division of court for the same relief it applied for and secured from the court in Abuja.

Mrs Jonathan said, though she was not served a copy of the order that froze her accounts, she said she only became aware of the existence of the forfeiture order from the court in Abuja few days ago during the hearing of a petition she sent to the National Assembly and after some of her co-applicants tried to operate their accounts to no avail.

She argued that the interim forfeiture order had a life span of 90 days commencing from May 30, insisting that the order had long elapsed without any renewal or extension of its lifespan.

That by reason of these orders, the Applicants have been unable to operate their accounts as the banks who are in custody of their accounts have refused to honour any of the applicants instructions ostensibly because of the order of this honourable court, the affidavit added.

While five of the frozen accounts are domiciled in Skye Bank Plc with seven of them in Diamond Bank Plc, the remaining accounts are with Union Bank Plc, First Bank Plc, Ecobank and Zenith Bank Plc.

EFCC had in reaction to the application, prayed the court for an extension of the forfeiture order against funds in the 16 bank accounts.

EFCC lawyer, Mr. Richard Dauda also applied for the extension application to be heard first before the application by Mrs. Jonathan and the firms.

However, Justice Nyako, after hearing both motions, said there was nothing before the court to warrant an extension of the interim forfeiture order.

It will be recalled that Mrs. Jonathan had on October 19, also blocked moves by the EFCC to take over assets belonging to her organisation, Ariwabai Aruera Reachout Foundation.

EFCC had in an ex-parte motion it filed before another Judge of the same high court, applied for an order of interim attachment/forfeiture of assets and properties of the foundation at Plot No. 1960, Cadastral Zone A05 Maitama District and Plot No. 1350, Cadastral Zone A00, in Abuja.

The anti-graft agency equally sought for An order stopping any disposal, conveyance, mortgage, lease, sale or alienation or otherwise of the property/asset described in the schedule attached herein.

As well as, An order authorizing the EFCC to appoint a competent person(s)/ firm to manage the asset/property listed in the schedule herein, temporarily forfeited to the federal government pending the conclusion of investigation.

The motion ex-parte marked FHC/Abj/CS/872/2017, was predicated on section 6(d), 7(2), 24(a), 26(1), 28 and 29 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, section 330(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, section 15 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, as amended, and section 44(2) (K) of the 1999 constitution, as amended.

The Commission told the court that the assets/properties of Mrs. Jonathans foundation are subject matter of investigation, enquiry and examination by the EFCC.

It said there was need to preserve the assets/properties pending the conclusion of investigation and possibly determination of criminal charges that may be instituted against the suspects.

If there is any transaction on the property by the suspects by way of disposal, conveyance, mortgage, lease, sale and alienation or otherwise of the asset or property described in the schedule herein, it will render nugatory any consequential order(s) which the court may make if the suspect(s) is convicted of the offences alleged against her/them after possible due trial, the agency added.

Besides, in a 12-paragraphed supporting affidavit that was deposed to by one of its investigators, Mr. Kolawole Mukaila, EFCC said it has a Special Task Force investigating alleged amounts of money laundered by the former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan into various account and properties were purchased with nothing to show for.

Mukaila who identified himself as a member of the special investigating team, averred: That sometimes in 2016, an alleged case of conspiracy and money laundering was received via intelligence report to the office of the Executive Chairman and referred to my team for investigation.

That my team swung into action to conduct a discreet investigation by writing letters to Ecobank, Diamond bank, Corporate Affairs Commission and AGIS.

That in the course of investigation, it was revealed from the responses from the C.A.C and Abuja Geographical Information Systems that the plots of land were allocated to Ariwabai Aruera Reach out Foundation belonging to the former first lady, Patience Jonathan and her allies.

That investigation further reveals the accounts held by Ariwabai Aruera Reachout Foundation had the former first lady, Patience Jonathan as one of the trustees and signatories of the account. Copies of the response from Diamond bank and Ecobank are hereby attached and marked as Exhibit EFCC 2A- 2B respectively.

That investigation also revealed that the plots of land were allocated in 2010 and the Certificate of Occupancy was issued in 2011.

That all the above stated payment/transfers/purchases had no contract award backing it up whatsoever and as such was reasonably suspected to be fraudulent payments and an illegal dissipation of the nations resources, he added.

However, the former first lady persuaded the court presided by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba to suspend hearing on the ex-parte motion to enable her to respond to the application.

Mr. Jonathan said she got wind of EFCCs plans and decided to file a counter-motion in opposition to the interim forfeiture order request.

She prayed the court to strike out EFCCs ex-parte Originating Motion dated September 20 on the ground that the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the application.

Mrs. Jonathan insisted that the motion was legally defective, insisting that Ex-parte Originating Summons is not one of the modes of commencement of action under Order 3 Rule 1 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure Rules) 2009, and it is not known or provided for by any law or rules of court.

She argued that the motion was an abuse of court process as it was filed to overreach the Fundamental Human Rights suit pending before this court in suit no. FHC/CS/586/2017, filed by one of the trustees of Ariwabai Aruera Reachout Foundation, against the said EFCC, with respect to the assets/properties of the said Ariwabai Aruera Reachout Foundation, sought to be forfeited by the EFCC through the instant Exparte Originating Summons.

Mrs. Jonathan, through an affidavit also deposed to by Mr Maduba, told the court that the NGO was founded in 2006 when she was the first lady of Bayelsa state, in conjunction with other trustees.

That the said NGO was registered as a charitable organization and in the last 10 years, it has carried out several charitable programmes, in line with its objectives. Some of the programmes include vocational training for women, treatment of people with heart and kidney problems within the country and abroad, as well as assisting less privileged generally.

That recently, the Respondent herein began to harass Mrs. Patience Jonathan, her relatives and the NGO, by indiscriminately freezing their accounts, even without court order, breaking into their properties, sealing off the NGOs properties without an order of court. That the actions of the Respondent led to the filing of a Fundamental Human Right suit against the Respondent by Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

Justice Dimgba has fixed January 22, 2018, to hear the matter.
Dangote Cement Plc has crashed its prices after signing a pact with popular Nigerias e-commerce platform to offer sales to customers online.

In a new move designed to reduce price and ease logistics inherent in the purchase of its products, the management of Dangote Cement Plc has signed a pact with the e-commerce platform Jumia Nigeria to sell its cement to customers online.

At the unveiling of the deal in Lagos, Dangote Cement, Key Account Director, Chux Mogbolu, said the cement company was happy to partner online shopping giant, in a bid to make its product available with ease to customers.

According to the deal, Nigerians and corporate bodies wishing to purchase a minimum of 300 bags of 50kg of Dangote Cement and above can now order on Jumia from the comfort of their rooms at a reasonable price of N2,500 per bag as opposed to how much it is sold in the open market and see them delivered to any place of their choice without any extra cost for transportation.

Mogbolu, however disclosed that the purchase would only be within Lagos, Port- Harcourt and Abuja for now.

He said: Dangote Cement decided to work with Jumia Nigeria based on its credibility and excellent performance over the years in online shopping management, adding that the new initiative would help arrest the scams perpetrated by online fraudsters who deceived the people by asking them to come and purchase Dangote Cement for N1,000 per bag.

For now, the pilot scheme is in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, but we can extend it to other cities depending on the level of demand and performance of the new deal.

With the deal, Nigerians in need of seamless supply of cement from Dangote can now place order and pay online and wait for the delivery in record time from any of Dangotes nearest cement plant to Lagos, Port Harcourt or Abuja.

We are starting with Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) of 300, 600 and 900. We may increase it depending on demand surge as time goes on.

Speaking on the deal also, Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Nigeria, Juliet Anammah, said the deal with Dangote Cement is part of efforts to deepen service delivery on Jumia Nigeria online platform.

She said she was of the belief that the deal would be beneficial to all parties involved and deepen further online shopping in Nigeria as obtained all over the world.

The Jumia Nigeria boss reflected on the 2017 Black Friday festival run by her organisation and said the festival has attracted more than 14 million visits since the commencement of the campaign on November 13.

According to her, The annual sales event, which was initiated in Nigeria in 2013 by Jumia remains the busiest and largest shopping day of the year on both online and real stores. This years explosive Black Friday numbers demonstrates the increasing capacity and flexibility of the online retail space in Nigeria.

We deliver to the 36 states across Nigeria, and are able to reach neighborhoods and shoppers who traditionally have not had access to a wide variety of products and deals. This year, we also see the increasing interest in groceries and other FMCG products which reflect the increasing relevance of Black Friday to the average Nigerian.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has raised concerns that Nigeria was being faced with a general lack of belief in government by its citizens.

He also expressed dissatisfaction over the disturbing level of violence and mutual suspicion among the ethnic groups within its borders.

Saraki made this known on Monday at a Public Hearing on National Orientation Agency (NOA) Amendment Bill, organised by Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation in Abuja.

Saraki, represented by Sen. Philip Aduda said: It is disturbing to note that there is a general lack of belief in government by the citizens.

We cannot continue in this direction if we truly want to achieve greatness as a nation.

The NOA is the body tasked with communicating government policies, staying abreast of public opinion and promoting patriotism and national development.

Saraki noted that the strength of Nigeria with a population of nearly 200 million lay in its diversity.

If we could be more tolerant of our differences and see ourselves as brothers and sisters, it will be difficult to rise against one another, he said.

He further explained that the Bill sought to provide a framework for the activities of Global Initiative for Harmony in Nigeria Corps under the supervision of the Director-General of NOA.

The President of the Senate stated that Nigeria would be one of the best places in the world when its people became instruments and promoters of peaceful coexistence.

In his remarks, Chairman of the committee, Sen. Suleiman Adokwe, said the corps was more or less a voluntary organisation that sought to create orderliness in the society.

Source  Talkglitz
The Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, produced eleven first class students, in its third convocation ceremony, the Vice-chancellor, Professor Bernard Agbo Kan expressed confidence that graduates of the institution can make meaningful contributions to the development of the society.

Also, 65 graduating students received second class degrees, while 13 were referred by the management of the university.

The vice-chancellor said that the institution, owned by the Apostolic Church, Nigeria, had taken advantage of its young existence and its small population to provide qualitative and uninterrupted education.

Perhaps, our greatest accomplishment as of today is that after six years of uninterrupted and crisis-free academic calendar, we are releasing our third set of graduates into the larger society. Although they are very few, like the small mustard seed, we are confident that they shall blossom.

We are proud to say that they have been taken through the drill, taking advantage of the economics of small size, and our external examiners who are all acclaimed academics have validated the quality of their performance, Aigbokhan said.

While commending the management of the university and the church for their support, he said that the institution was open to financial collaborations with corporate organisations and individuals.

In his remark, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Dr. Bisi Ogunjobi, urged the graduating students to make good use of opportunities provided by the Federal Government to fund entrepreneurial ideas.

Ogunjobi added, This graduation ceremony represents the culmination of three to four years of diligence and hard work, self-denial and, sometimes, punctuated stress and anxiety in a students life on campus. It takes dedication, perseverance and abiding faith to have come this far.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper)
The Federal Government says it has a record of 2,778 Nigerian migrants registered in accessible detention camps in Libya, ready for repatriation.

The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement signed by the Spokesperson, Mr. Tiwatope Elias-Fatile on Tuesday, said the countrys embassy in Libya had been visiting detention camps to identify Nigerians for registration.

The ministry stated that those registered were issued Emergency Travel Certificates.

The ministry also explained that the embassy, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration, repatriates 250 migrants weekly and had returned 3,000 of them so far.

From the 2,778 registered Nigerians who are still in detention camps, another set of 250 Nigerian migrants will be arriving on Tuesday December 5 via the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, at 7.00pm, to be received by NEMA officials.

The Embassy, in collaboration with the IOM, repatriates 250 Nigerian migrants by flight to Lagos weekly  each flight can accommodate only 250 passengers.

The repatriation is a continuous exercise and the Embassy routinely issues the requisite travel documents to the migrants.

The Embassy will continue to engage the legitimate government in Libya and other stakeholders in addressing the plight of Nigerian migrants in that country.

The ministry further said the Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, had invited the Nigerian Embassys Head of Mission, Mr. Iliya Fachano, to Abuja for consultations.

He is in Abuja already and during the period of the consultations, arrangements have been made for him to address press conferences on the issue.

This would afford the Nigerian public the opportunity to hear from him directly.

The ministry, however, advised intending Nigerian travellers to avoid Libya at this period, because of the dangers they may encounter in the process of their journey.

The ministry also urged citizens to reach the Nigerian Embassy in Libya for assistance through these emergency numbers: +218910144487, +218925099384 and +218917953365.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Patrick Osei Tutu, a popular Pastor in Kumasi area of Ghana has revealed that he received specific instructions from God to resurrect ace broadcaster, Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong a.ka KABA, who has been dead for over a month.

According to Pastor also known as OT, the instruction sounds a sound a bit out of this world, but hes very sure. He further disclosed that the next step will be to get the blessing of KABAs family, to bring back the 37-year-old OAP who was pronounced dead on arrival at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra on November 18, to life.

In an interview with 3news.com, Pastor OT insisted that God wanted the miracle to be done, and he was pressing the family to give him the chance to perform the miracle.
The tussle for who will become the next President in 2019 is getting tougher as supporters of Atiku Abubakar believe that he has a chance.

Ahead of 2019 the Atiku Abubakar National Youth Organization (ANYO) has declared that only God gives powers and can stop Atiku from realizing his presidential ambition, according to a report by Leadership has report.

This was the view of the National Secretary of Atiku National Youth Organization, Samuel Tiku who stated this while reacting to a statement credited to former president Olusegun Obasanjo during a meeting with some interest groups in Abuja

Tiku reminded people that power comes from God adding that Nigerian youths are watching events in Nigeria with rapt attention on the activities and action of some past leaders.

According to the scribe of the organization, it is only God that has the power to scuttle ones ambition. How long and how many times would the former vice President apologize to his former boss, Tiku questioned, adding that what becomes of Atiku in 2019 lies on God and other Nigerian voters

He said Nigerian youth are encouraged to support the former vice president because of his disposition to their plight and other Nigerians, we must do all within our power to ensure that Atiku Abubakar realizes his ambition in 2019.

Tiku who lamented that President Muhammadu buhari has wasted the goodwill that Nigerians gave him in 2015 maintained that the Atiku policy and program has shown that he will not forget the youth like other administration if given the mandate by ensuring that the youth are involved in the running of the county.

He noted that the decision by Atiku returning to PDP is for public interest, divine intervention and a blessing not only to PDP but to all Nigerians.

The youth leader how ever cautioned PDP against party wranglings, imposition and impunity that bedeviled the party in 2015 and challenged them to work together towards capturing powers at all levels in 2019.

It is only natural that Atiku is given the opportunity to consolidated on the gains so far made in enthroning genuine democracy and putting the nations economy on the part of economic growth by PDP.
Former First Lady of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe has reportedly filed for divorce from her 93-year-old husband Robert Mugabe after he was ousted as the President, Zimbabwe Today reports.

Grace Mugabe and Robert Mugabe have been married for 21 years. Grace began by working as the secretary of then President Mugabe and when his wife, the former First Lady died, she married the President and immediately became First Lady. She remained First Lady for 21 years until he husband was ousted last month.

Sources close to the Mugabe family confirmed that Grace Mugabe has filed for divorce. The South African born woman has reportedly voiced concerns over her role as the former First Lady of Zimbabwe, claiming that its about time she enjoys some peaceful life. She reportedly said she is not prepared to be ridiculed for the years ahead and that her ostracism and her husbands resignation as the leader of Zimbabwe have gradually grown into a life-threatening headache.

A family source told Zimbabwe Today: Shes been very upset ever since Mugabe gave up to hand over power to his ousted Vice-president. She wanted a role as a First Lady, not as a woman who acts as subordinate. She is also not prepared to leave her luxurious lifestyle to live in a home of captivity. She thinks that the decor is despicable and beyond repair.

Judiciary spokesman, Lawrence Brown has confirmed divorce proceedings were in motion and if both parties agree, they could go their separate ways in about a month.

Source  Ngtrends
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education and Services, Alhaji Aminu Suleiman, has called on the government to invest more fund into tertiary institutions in the country, to enable them to effectively carry out their responsibilities.

Suleiman, in separate meetings with journalists, at the University of Ilorin and the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State recently, said there was ample evidence of ineptitude in many tertiary institutions across the country.

Decrying the abuse of federal character in the recruitment of employees and discrimination against HND holders in preference to first degree holders, he said the National Assembly was working seriously to pass a bill abolishing such a dichotomy.

Suleiman, however, commended Unilorin for its stable academic calendar, saying it was imperative to have harmonious industrial relations and peace in tertiary institutions.

Also, the Rector of OffaPoly, Dr. Lateef Olatunji, stated that there had been considerable reduction in fiscal allocation to states and subventions to government parastatals as a result of the economic recession and the fall in prices of crude oil in the world market.

In another development, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, warned authorities of polytechnics in the country not to flout the 70:30 enrolment ratio in favour of technology-based programmes over management-oriented ones.

He also warned them against admitting students more than their carrying capacities. He reminded the polytechnic authorities that the policies were still in force, adding that government would not be pleased with any institution that flouted the policies.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
The Acting Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Mr Imohimi Edgal on Tuesday assured residents and visitors of utmost safety amid tight security across the length and breadth of the State during the yuletide.

The CP, in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, Mr Chike Godwin Oti, particularly urged residents to be vigilant and celebrate moderately during the festive period, just as he restated that additional batches of arms police officers would be deployed in all volatile areas in the State to ensure safety.

He also warned that the command would not tolerate lawlessness or any act that may conflict with peaceful conduct that the State is known for.

Oti said, The CP commends the support from the State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, as well as the cooperation that the police has been receiving so far from other security agencies including the Neighbourhood Safety Corps.

The CP also expressed satisfaction with the cooperation that the command has been receiving from both the State Government and corporate and religious institutions especially during the organisation of major outdoor functions like The Experience concert and the Lagos Street Carnival which successes underscored the capacity of security, traffic management and emergency rescue operative machinery in the State and the commendable model of social and religious tolerance in the State. 

While assuring of maximum security during the One Lagos Fiesta and other events slated throughout December across the State, Edgal said it was important for the people to be vigilant, celebrate moderately and pass on useful tips to security agencies.

He also said that all emergency numbers would be fully operational and solicited the cooperation of the citizens in ensuring a safe and crime-free December in Lagos State.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Lead campaigner of citizen-led #EndSARS initiative, Segun Awosanya, is now being investigated by the Nigerian Police.

Awosanya is accused of having ties with politicians in a photo Police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood emailed to Premium Times.

When you see someone like that who regularly mingles with politicians now leading a campaign to scrap a critical department in the police, then you know his activities are not genuine, police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, told Premium Times .

Though the Police say they are not accusing Speaker Yakubu Dogara spotted with Awosanya in a photo, of sponsoring the lead campaigner and other #EndSARScampaigners, however Police Spokesperson Moshood said it wont stop them from investigating mischievous elements who cloak their agenda with popular causes.

Our investigation does not mean were trying to infringe on peoples rights, but the quarters where some of the claims are coming from and those leading them should be looked into, Moshood said.

However Mr. Segun Awosanya who is now being investigated for leading major voices demanding the scrapping of the notorious anti-robbery squad, SARS, linked to human rights abuses and brutality against citizen, said he took the picture with Dogara when his team submitted a petition for the scrapping of SARS to the Speaker in September.
A reptile strolling around a hostel at the University of Lagos, Akoka was chased and killed by some students before it disappeared.

Students of the University of Lagos were on the verge of cooking a monitor lizard which was killed at the back of Jaja Hostel at the tertiary institution.

Nigerians have in recent times staged a massive clampdown on reptiles with snakes and monitor lizards feeling the heat.

See more photos:
It has been revealed that Nigeria is now set to receive as much as $321 million from Switzerland as part of the Abacha loot.

Mr. Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has said the government of Switzerland is set to return in tranches the sum of $321m stolen from Nigeria and stashed in the foreign nation by the late former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and his family, Punch Metro reports.

A statement by the AGFs Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Salihu Isah, stated on Tuesday that this followed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed by Nigeria along with Switzerland and the World Bank in the United States of America on Monday.

According to Isah, Malami, on behalf of Nigeria, signed the MoU alongside representatives of Switzerland and World Bank at the ongoing Global Forum on Asset Recovery in the US.

Isah said the Director of the Directorate of International Law and head of the Swiss delegation to the GFAR, Roberto Balzaretti, signed the MoU on behalf of the government of Switzerland and the Country Director of the World Bank office in Abuja, Mr. Rachid Benmessaoud signed on behalf the World Bank.

He explained that the MoU spelt out the modalities of returning the sum of $321m by Switzerland to Nigeria.

He said, the funds would be returned to Nigeria in tranches under a project known as the National Social Investment Program aimed at strengthening social security for the poor in Nigeria.

He stated, The MOU stipulates that the restitution of funds will take place within the framework of a project known as the National Social Investment Program that will strengthen social security for the poor in Nigeria.

The MOU also regulates the disbursement of restituted funds in tranches and sets out concrete measures to be taken in the event of misuse or corruption.

The chosen solution for restitution is being undertaken by the three contracting parties as a partnership in line with the objectives of Switzerlands strategy to freeze, confiscate and return the illicitly acquired assets of politically exposed persons (asset recovery) which is based on the principles of transparency and accountability.

It also allows the involvement of civil society in the monitoring of the restitution process. Furthermore, the return of these funds makes a concrete contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and can set a good example internationally for future restitution cases.

He explained that that the sum of $321m was initially frozen in Luxembourg and confiscated by Switzerland as part of criminal proceedings brought by the public prosecutors office of Geneva against Abba Abacha in December 2014.

The statement added, The signing of this MoU gives Nigeria visibility and will set precedence on the need for transparent management of returned assets internationally.

The GFAR brought together experts from the field of asset recovery to strengthen international cooperation in this area.

Nigeria will also use the opportunity of the GFAR meeting at the headquarters of the International Finance Corporation in Washington DC to negotiate the return of other assets and also engage in bilateral meetings with several other countries.

According to Isah, the Nigerias delegation to the meeting was led by Malami.

The members of the delegation the Special Assistant to the President on Justice Reform and Coordinator, Open Government Partnership comprised Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu; Nigeria/GFAR Focal Person and Assistant Director, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Ladidi Abdulkadir; a representative of the civil society organisations, Reverend David Ugolor, who is also the Executive Director, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice.

The delegation is expected to return to Nigeria Thursday.
A Nigerian Naval Officer, Kola Onifoto, has called out veteran artistes, Eedris Abdulkareem and BlackFace on Facebook over their recent rants in the Music Industry.

Recall that in September 2017, the Naval Officer defended a beggar, who was accused of being a ritualist.

Taking to his Facebook page, Officer Kola, wrote an open letter to veteran rapper, Eedris Abdulkareem, where he advised him to go for mental evaluation, including Blackface, a former member of the defunct Plantashun Boiz.

Read the letter below..

OPEN LETTER TO EDRIS ABDULKAREEM

I remember making a post for you on my wall couple of years ago talking about the few good music you were able to drop for our listening.

I applauded the rhymes, the flow and the delivery as usual, this is our own EDRIS, same man who dissed a whole president, same man who gave us the Mr Lecturer song and many other hits way back..

Same EDRIS who stood his ground against 50Cent in a plane that year and sincerely we Nigerians are proud of you..

Recently sir, youve been trying so hard to be relevant, youve been engaging successful colleagues and have been more controversial than ever.

We would have appreciated you more if you would drop songs about our economic situation in the country yet again, you are good at that sir..

The height of it was kicking an up and coming artiste on stage, kicking him on the balls because he didnt pay proper homage to E-money..

So you can lick ass and stoop so low to impress some certain people?

That you would disgrace a young boy on stage?

Sir, I think you should go for mental evaluation, you and black face..

Hit the studio and do more good music.

Respect is not bought in music, it is commanded.

Kolapo.

Source: Linda Ikejis blog
Punch

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, has said the government of Switzerland is set to return in tranches the sum of $321m stolen from Nigeria and stashed in the foreign nation by the late former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and his family.

Vanguard

Pandemonium broke out on Sunday in Ajaokuta village, Ajaokuta local government area of Kogi State when a happy trigger police officer allegedly shot dead an HND graduate during a political rally.

The Sun

The Rivers State House of Assembly has suspended the lawmaker representing Ikwerre Constituency, Azubuike Wanjoku, over a publication credited to him, concerning an earlier resolution of the House.

Thisday

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja after participating in a two-day counterterrorism retreat, co-hosted by Jordan and Nigeria.

Daily Times

The Federal Government has been called upon to widen the scope of its repatriation project to cover not only Nigerians stranded in Libya but also those held in deportation camps in Asian countries such as India and Malaysia.

Guardian

Nigerians have been thrown into panic following the re-emergence of long queues at fuel stations in parts of the country.

Daily Trust

Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has constructed and handed over a modern rice processing plant to rice millers in Lafia to boost rice production in the state.

Tribune

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has once again emphasized that there is no plan to increase the prices of petroleum products both at the ex-depot level and pump price ahead of the forthcoming yuletide.

Leadership

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said nations foreign exchange reserves added at $991 million in November to close at $34.8 billion as of November 29, 2017.

The Nation

A former member of the National Assembly from Ekiti State, Senator Ayo Arise, was on Sunday evening seized by suspected kidnappers in neighbouring Kogi State
Russias justice ministry on Tuesday named nine US media outlets including Voice of America as foreign agents after President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing international media to be slapped with the controversial label.

The ministry said that US-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven of their media affiliates had been recognised as carrying out the functions of a foreign agent, in a statement posted on its website.

Putin last month signed into law hastily issued legislation allowing the measure to target media.

Russia said this was a retaliatory move after Kremlin-funded RT television registered as a foreign agent in the United States under official pressure.

Rights groups fear the law could have a chilling effect on the ability of outlets to carry out independent reporting.

Voice of America and Radio Free Europe began broadcasting to the Soviet Union in the 1950s, playing a key role in providing its citizens with uncensored news.

Both broadcasters had already been formally warned by the justice ministry that they risked recognition as foreign agents.

The justice ministry has now formalised the move, naming them and their affiliates, including Radio Free Europes news outlets dedicated to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine, and the Caucasus.

They also include a television channel run jointly by Radio Free Europe and Voice of America called Current Time TV.

Speaking on Current Time TV in Russian, Radio Free Europe/Radio Libertys president Thomas Kent said that as a result, the activities of our organisation can face even greater restrictions.

So far we have no concrete information on these restrictions, the head of the US Congress-funded corporation said.

He stressed: We remain committed to continuing our work in journalism in the interests of providing precise and objective information to our Russian-language audience.

Source: ( AFP )
Following the extrajudicial murder of a mans wife and others, the police has been ordered to pay him N21 million as damages.

An Ogun State High Court sitting at Isabo, Abeokuta, has awarded N21m damages against the police command in the state over a police officer, Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi, who killed his wife and four others sometime in 2014, over a domestic conflict.

According to Punch , Ogunbiyi later killed himself after he had killed his wife, Olutosin Faremi, who was a corporal attached to Obantoko Police Station; her landlady, Mujidat Wahab; Mujidats two children, Basirat and Taofik, and a commercial motorcycle operator.

He also wounded three others, but they survived. He, however, did not shoot his children during the incident. A suit No. AB/196/2014 was filed by Ibukunoluwa Oremodu for the claimants, Musiliu Wahab and Sikirulai Wahab.

Giving judgement, Justice O. J. Bamgbose ruled that Ogunbiyi was an employee of the Ogun State Police Command and committed the crime with the weapon officially given to him, thus both the late Ogunbiyi and his employers were liable.

Justice Bamgbose, while reading the judgment, further noted that husband of the deceased landlady, Mr. Sikirulia Wahab, gave revealing evidence into the matter.

The judge said, The uncontroverted evidence before me in line with the fact that policeman Olasunkanmi Ogunbiyi, willfully, without any just reason or legal authorisation, terminated the lives of his wife, and Mujidat, Basirat, Taofiq and Kaosara while he was in lawful possession of guns and ammunition of the police under the defendant.

He also inflicted injury through gunshot on the second claimant, Mr. Sikirulai Wahab.

The policeman was a serving police officer and on duty at the time of the incident and was in possession of gun and ammunition alleged to belong to his employer, the Nigerian Police Force.



I am of opinion that even if it had been shown that Ogunbiyi was not on duty at the time of the incident, this would not have mattered much once his possession of the gun was not unlawful.

This is because there is a provision that the Police Regulation which makes the time a police officer is off duty, to be a time that the employer would still be liable for his actions. This is contained in Section 351 of the regulation.

Justice Bamgbose said the evidence before him was that lives of four innocent people, all members of one family, were terminated by a man who, regrettably and cowardly, ran away from his due punishment by taking his (own) life after he had kept away his children for safe keeping with some other people.

He further disclosed that the claimants, the husband of the deceased, Mr. Musiliu Wahab, had been amenable to discuss and settle their grievance out of court, but all efforts and opportunity windows had been rebuffed by the defendant which made him bring the case to court.

The claimants had called two witnesses who testified in line with their statements on oath. He, however, said they were not cross-examined by the defendant.

He said the defendant stayed away from court and therefore did not give evidence or breathe any life into his pleadings.

Stating the evidence act, Where a party has pleaded certain facts in his pleadings but had failed, refused or neglected to give evidence in line with the said pleadings, the said party is deemed to have abandoned such pleadings that are regarded in law as of no moment in the proceedings (Olanrewaju V. Afribank 2001).

Justice Bamgbose further said that having considered the entire proceedings with which Attorney-General of Ogun State and any right thinking person must have been appalled, that monetary compensation was the best that could be awarded to the claimants.

He ruled, Against the backdrop of law and evidence in this case, the settled law on reward of damages, I award a total sum of N21m in favour of the Claimant against the Defendant.
The Guards Brigade have been commended by President Muhammadu Buhari for demonstrating a high-level of discipline and professionalism expected from officers and men of the Nigerian Army.

Speaking at the decoration ceremony of the Commander, Guards Brigade, Musa Yusuf, who was promoted from Brigadier General to Major-General, Mr. Buhari, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina, said it was instructive that the senior officer displayed a high level of discipline during his two-year stint as commander.

I congratulate the Brigade Commander for his achievements these past two years.

I never received any serious report of indiscipline in your formation that is in-charge of my security.

Hope you will get a command that will complement your experiences in the political headquarters.

I congratulate you very much for making it to this new rank at a very competitive time. I know there are so many Generals but when you go to the records you pick the best and place them at very strategic appointments, he said.

The president expressed confidence that Major General Yusuf would take his experience in the field as a former Guards Brigade Commander to his next posting, as directed by the Defence headquarters.

Recounting his days as a military officer, Mr. Buhari said officers earned the respect of their colleagues because of their intellectual disposition and experience in the field.

An officer is what he is when he gets into the field. Certainly, there was the need for intellectual officers but then what you do in the field is what earns you respect from those who are under you, he said.

In his remarks, Mr. Yusuf while reaffirming his unalloyed loyalty and that of his troops to the President and Commander-in-Chief, thanked President Buhari for the honour of decorating him with his new rank.

He conveyed the appreciation of his troops in Keffi, Nasarawa State and those at Gwagwalada, in the Federal Capital Territory to the president for the renovation works in the barracks.

In Keffi, this is the first time in the last 25 years that 14 blocks of accommodation for soldiers are being renovated, he said, adding that in Gwagwalada, the Chief of Army Staff approved funds for renovation works in the barracks to make it habitable.

Born on November 6, 1966, Mr. Yusuf had served as a member of Nigerian contingent to UN peacekeeping missions abroad including United Nations Mission in Eritrea-Ethiopia (UNMEE) and United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNAMID).

He also served in ECOMOG and Operation Harmony in Bakassi, among several other appointments in army units and formations in the country.

A graduate of Chemistry from the Nigeria Defence Academy, he holds Masters Degree in Transport Management and additional Masters Degree in Strategic Studies.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Masvinu, who was victorious in the same contest in 2012 and 2013, was adjudged to be naturally uglier than four other contestants. Masvinu, with 98 points on the board, beat Fanuel Musekiwa, 61, into second place.

Musekiwa had scored four points less than Masvinu. The 2015 winner of the contest, Mison Sere, could only land third place after netting 91 points. In 2015, Masvinu refused to concede defeat to Sere and blasted the adjudicators for crowning a winner whose ugliness was based on missing teeth.

It was a tight competition since all the contestants were potential winners. Last time, complacency cost me a lot but this time I came well prepared for the contest and I am happy I have reclaimed my trophy, Masvinu said, after reclaiming his title.

I am proud of my ugliness as I was born ugly. Winning the Mr Ugly contest entitled Masvinu to an ox but he opted to be given $500 cash instead. Second-placed Musekiwa pocketed $200 with Sere taking home $100.

Source  Naijaloaed
 Reuben Abati 

Arab countries have a tradition of slavery dating back to centuries. This has persisted despite the existence of international conventions and legal frameworks classifying slavery as a crime against humanity.

The current situation in Libya, involving slavery and human trafficking, has been brought to global attention because we now live in the age of communication where nothing good or bad can be hidden forever. But the situation is far worse than has been depicted. The Nigerians who have been brought back from Libya have told heart-rending stories of woe and misery: how they were sold into slavery by the Arabs and by their own Nigerian brothers and sisters, how they were subjected to all forms of indignity including rape, extortion, and torture, and how living in Libya is now the equivalent of a trip to hell. Quite a number of issues deserve closer interrogation to enable us appreciate the depth of this crisis.

The Libyan story today is a sorry advertisement for the abuse of NATO and the failure of the American foreign policy process. The multinational coalition that intervened in the Libyan civil war in 2011 and made the removal of Libyan strongman Muammar Ghadaffi its primary objective must by now be full of regrets. It is instructive that former US President Barack Obama has described the failure to think through the consequences of that intervention as the worst mistake of his Presidency. The character of that mistake lies in the fact that NATO and other forces despite the division among the global powers on the question of Libya, saw the internal crisis in Libya as an opportunity to deal with a man who had been labeled at various times as the mad dog of the Middle East, and who was gradually expressing imperialist ambitions  the king of kings of Africa with a pan-African vision. NATOs intervention was an act of vendetta, an orchestrated punishment for a man who had been declared guilty of dictatorship. It was most convenient for the multinational coalition, with its eyes fixed on Libyas oil, to support the rebels. The result is the mayhem that has overtaken Libya since the fall of Ghadaffi.

Under Ghadaffis watch, Libya was a stable, organized society. Following the bloodless coup that led to the flight into exile of King Idris 1 in 1969, the new leader, Muammar Ghadaffi, not only abolished the monarchy, he embarked on a mission of unifying the various clans under the umbrella of Libyan nationalism. He seized control of the countrys oil infrastructure from Western interests and redistributed wealth by creating a welfare system. The average Libyan had access to free housing, free medical care, and free education. The government provided infrastructure, and although Ghadaffi soon became a practical dictator, he managed to grow a sense of Libyan identity and unity.

Seeing himself as a pan-Africanist, he encouraged closer relations with other African nations. Many Africans from Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria and other African countries lived and worked in Libya, even if many of them took the menial jobs that an average Libyan would not touch  at that time. The countrys foreign reserve was about $200 billion. Its life expectancy and literacy rates were among the highest in Africa and the Arab world. The average Libyan enjoyed many opportunities except the freedom to be different or query the government and the Constitution. Those who removed and killed Ghadaffi didnt realize how much of a potentially divided country Libya was, and the extent of Ghadaffis efforts in managing the centrifugal tendencies.

After Ghadaffi, Libya imploded. Anything is possible in Libya today because there is no responsible government in charge. People are resorting to self-help. Anybody that is armed exercises authority and does anything to make money. The welfare state has collapsed, criminality is widespread: kidnapping, slavery, violence, the economy is in shambles. Clannish and sectarian differences now predominate. The country is drifting. Most of the people are like prisoners, including those who are gainfully employed. In the absence of a government, the international community appears helpless. This is the setting for the chaos and the humanitarian crisis that has overtaken that country.

Libya remains nonetheless, a major transit point and exit route for many Africans seeking to escape illegally into Europe. Libya, a country whose land area is almost twice the size of Nigeria, has over 2,000 kilometres of Mediterranean coastline from the Egyptian border to the Tunisian border. Frustrated by the objective conditions in their own countries, in the form of crippling poverty, misgovernance, unemployment and the difficulty of getting a visa or being able to buy a ticket to Europe, many Africans, particularly West Africans opt for the cheaper, albeit illegal option of sneaking into Europe through the desert and across the Mediterranean sea, with Libya and Algeria as the most popular exit points. This has always been a risky venture, but the traffic continues to grow. It is also an organized criminal operation involving gangs at home, and along the route. Nigerians constitute the majority of these illegal migrants.

Organized by a criminal gang at home, they usually travel through Niger, which is a contiguous, ECOWAS country. In Niger, another gang of human traffickers, mostly Touaregs take over from their Nigerian partners to take the illegal migrants across the desert to Libya. Only about 60-70% eventually make it to Libya. Many die along the way because of the harsh desert conditions and they are buried in the sand. Those who eventually make it to Libya are not necessarily lucky. They may be kidnapped at the border by rampaging Arab militants, turned into slaves, and asked to contact their families back home to pay ransom. The men are beaten; the women are raped. The images that we have seen from Libyan slave camps are sad. Arab racism has been an issue and violence towards foreigners is not necessarily new in Libya, but it is getting worse because now the issue is not strictly racism but the peoples desperation for survival in a state that failed.

It is estimated that about 500, 000  700, 000 Nigerians are trapped in Libya. The Obasanjo government once had to repatriate over 17, 000 Nigerians from that country. In the light of recent developments, the Buhari government has also repatriated over 1, 000 Nigerians from Libya in 2017 alone, but there is no hope that all of them can be brought back home. Many will like to return home, but they dont even have the means to transport themselves to the evacuation points. Those that are not enslaved are still hoping to make enough money to be able to cross to Europe. They wash cars, work as farm hands or as security guards, or prostitutes, and they get exposed to all the dangers imaginable. The few who manage to make the final journey to Europe are not always lucky either: they could perish in the sea like the 26 Nigerian girls who recently drowned while trying to cross into Italy.

The saddest part of it all is that Nigerians are also involved in the trafficking and dehumanization of their own compatriots. In a shocking account by one Sunday Anyaegbunam, a Libyan returnee, who left Nigeria in April 2017, with his wife, we are told that: The Nigerians selling people in Libya are more wicked than many of the Arabs. I have never seen people so heartless as the Nigerians who bought and sold me. There are many of them in Agadez and Sabha, who are making so much money from selling their own people. But there are other West Africans doing the business too. When you approach them and say please, my brother, help me. They would tell you: No brother in the jungle. Libya is indeed now a jungle in the hands of armed militants, the Islamic State, tribal gangs, and an interim leadership authority. The jungle is a dangerous place: which is why it is surprising that more Nigerians would prefer to abandon their own country and go to the jungle.

About 70% of the Libyan returnees are reportedly from Edo State, and in general most of them are from Edo, Delta, Imo, Anambra and Rivers states. But this is not enough reason for this problem to be treated as Southern Nigerian or Christian. This should not be about North or South, or Christian vs Muslim. It is unacceptable for every Nigerian issue to be reduced to this kind of division, the same way some Nigerians tend to dismiss Boko Haram as a Northern problem. This is a crisis that affects all of us. It is embarrassing that Nigerians are deserting their own country and flocking to Europe in droves despite the risks of illegal migration. In the 70s, many Nigerians were proud and happy to live at home, but since the introduction of austerity measures in the 80s and the gradual collapse of the Nigerian economy, a new kind of economy has since developed around dangerous choices.

The consequences are not limited to the tales from Libya. There are Nigerians in jail or on the death row across the world, in China, Thailand and the Middle East. We need to have a strong policy in place to check illegal migration. Massive enlightenment campaigns should be organized to educate the populace about the associated dangers. There is an assignment here for the National Orientation Agency (NOA), a strategic agency, which has been relatively sleepy since 2015. Our youths should be told that there is no safe route to Europe through the desert or a boat ride.

Everybody should wake up  government, civil society, and all the people who have abdicated their responsibilities at the level of the family unit. The human trafficking gangs in the country especially in the identified major centres should be tracked, identified and sanctioned. Government should create a conducive environment for our youths to make a living at home. Government has a constitutional responsibility to empower all Nigerians and to guarantee their security and welfare. Nigeria should also engage the government of Niger. What can we do to prevent illegal migration through Niger? This has to be a joint responsibility between Nigeria and Niger. Although Chad is not in ECOWAS, quite a number of Nigerians also travel through that route. Joint border patrol and exchange of useful intelligence between Nigeria and her neighbors would be advisable.

The Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Edo State Government and the International Organization on Migration, CNN, Pastor Temitope Joshuas The Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and every other group or agency that has responded decently and responsibly to the plight of the Nigerians from Libya, and the evil of slavery in Libya, deserve to be commended. In spite of the deviousness of a minority who earn a living by dehumanizing their fellow human beings, it is enheartening to see that warm blood still flows in the heart of mankind. The Edo State government has put in place perhaps the most comprehensive rehabilitation programme for the Libya returnees: counseling, accommodation, vocational training, and take off grants after training.

These are worthy steps, but they are at best short-term. The long-term measures for all governments should be good governance, public enlightenment and concerted international action against slavery and all forms of cruelty and inhumanity.
Following a highly publicized campaign against the brutality of innocent persons by the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, it has been revealed that the personnel will undergo new training.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Jimoh Moshood has revealed that the Personnel of the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) are to undergo a new training programme.

According to Punch Metro, Moshood said in a statement on Monday that the training was part of the reorganisation of SARS earlier directed by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris.

The directive, according to him, is aimed at repositioning the squad for more efficiency and effective service delivery to all Nigerians in in accordance with the rule of law and international best practices.

Moshood explained that the training would be organised by the Force in collaboration with some civil society organisations, local and international NGOs and other human rights organisations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the move followed the ongoing social media campaign by Nigerians for the proscription of SARS over allegations of human rights abuses across the country.

Through the campaign, which started on Saturday with the hashtag #EndSARS, many Nigerians have accused personnel of the squad of extra-judicial killings and other forms of abuses.

However, Moshood said SARS had been doing very well in fighting violent crimes such as armed robbery, kidnappings and cattle rustling in the country in recent times.

He noted that this had seen a drastic reduction in incidents of the mentioned violent crimes nationwide.

However, the IGP has directed the immediate reorganisation of SARS nationwide and instant investigation into all the allegations, complaints and infractions levelled against its personnel.

In the new arrangement, a Commissioner of Police is now the overall head of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad nationwide under the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters. Abuja.

The police zonal commands, state commands and divisions will continue to operate anti-crime units/sections, crime prevention and control squads and teams imperative to prevent and detect crime in their area of responsibilities.

They are also to maintain other crack squads necessary to sustain law and order and protection of lives and property in their Area of responsibilities (AOR).

The Federal Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) will now exist and operate in the state and zonal commands under the Commissioner of Police (F-SARS) at the Force Headquarters, he said.

Moshood added that a federal SARS Commander of the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and not below Superintendent of Police (SP) would be in charge of F-SARS in state and zonal commands across the country.

According to him, all commissioners of police have been directed by the IGP to comply with the directive with immediate effect, and warn their personnel not to pose as SARS operatives.

He added that IGP X-Squad had been mandated to go round the commands and police formations nationwide to ensure strict compliance and apprehend any erring police officer.
A man in his early 60s, identified as Rafiu Olalekan, has been remanded in Agodi Prison by an Iyaganku Magistrates Court for an alleged rape on a 14-year-old girl.

The Magistrate, who presided over the Court, Modupeola Olagbenro, in her ruling remanded Olalekan in the prison pending the outcome of the case file at the state Directorate of Public Prosecution as her court does not have jurisdiction to try the case.

She, thereafter, adjourned the case till Jan. 10, 2018 for mention.

Olalekan, a farmer from Abedo village near Moniya, Ibadan is facing a charge of unlawful carnal knowledge of a minor.

The Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Oluseye Oyebanji, told the court that Olalekan on Nov. 20, at about 8 pm at Abedo village allegedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of the girl in his neighbourhood.

According to Oyebanji, Olalekan was alleged to have been having carnal knowledge of the victim mostly on her way back from school.

The victim who stays with her grandmother was running an errand for her when Olalekan waylaid her and had carnal knowledge of her without her consent.

When the victims grandmother did not see her on time, she raised alarm before the victim was seen with Rafiu with the help of the villagers in an uncompleted building, he said.

Oyebanji said the offence was reported to the police by the victims mother, one Mrs Olaide Kehinde of Sapati area, Yemetu, Ibadan.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened section 218 of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol .II, Laws of Oyo State 2000.

Source : (NAN)
International insurer MAPFRE is merging its Asia-Pacific and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) operations into a new Eurasia unit.The new organisational structure will be effective at the beginning of 2018. In a press statement, MAPFRE said that the move was part of the companys strategy of profitable growth to improve the groups efficiency and profitability.The new Eurasia unit will be headed by current EMEA chief executive Nikos Antimissaris, while current Asia-Pacific CEO Leire Jimenez Ayesa will relocate to the UK after her appointment as CEO of MAPFREs Insureandgo and Abraxas businesses there.The Eurasia region will not include the Iberian markets, including MAPFREs home market of Spain.In the first nine months of 2017, the insurers EMEA division wrote 1.39 billion in premiums, while the Asia-Pacific business brought in 56 million.MAPFREs EMEA region has encountered difficulty in recent times, posting a combined ratio of 100.7% for January to September 2017. This was an improvement from the 106% combined ratio for the same period last year. Its Italian operation, Direct Line Italy, posted a combined ratio of 114.2%.
Institutional investor Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) has agreed to acquire a significant minority stake in Hyperion Insurance Group The international insurance group Hyperion is composed of broking divisions Howden and RKH, as well as underwriting division DUAL . The group operates across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the US, Australia, and New Zealand, with over 3,800 employees in 37 countries.A release revealed that CDPQ will invest over US$400 million to provide the Group with new growth equity and liquidity to existing shareholders. The investment also allows CDPQ to join Hyperion as a long-term growth partner alongside General Atlantic (GA).Hyperion management and employees will remain the largest shareholder group, following the investment.CDPQ is a fantastic partner to support us on the next leg of our journey, commented Hyperion CEO David Howden. Their strategy to invest based on long term fundamentals combined with their deep understanding of insurance markets and significant international portfolio, mean they will deliver valuable insight to help direct our future plans, whilst remaining supportive of our independence and of our resolute focus on putting our clients at the centre of everything we do.Since General Atlantics initial investment in 2013, the Groups revenue has grown by almost five times, our EBITDA has increased from 36m to over 150m, and we have created very significant value for all of our shareholders, Howden added. GA has been more than just an investor, it has been an active and collaborative growth partner whose intellectual capital, significant technological expertise, global resources and experience have played a central role in our success over the past four years, and I am delighted that they will continue to do so.We are pleased to partner alongside David Howden, his management team and General Atlantic to continue Hyperions track record of success, said CDPQ executive vice-president and head of private equity Stephane Etroy. Hyperion has a very strong entrepreneurial culture that has consistently yielded superior organic growth. This transaction allows us to support the Group in its global growth strategy while at the same time benefiting from a stable and counter-cyclical industry, together with a high-quality partner who shares our long-term vision.Over the last four years we have enjoyed a strong working relationship with Hyperion over a period in which the Group has delivered market-leading organic growth, a transformational merger with RKH, and significantly invested in embracing technology and transforming its operational platform, stated GA managing director and co-head of EMEA John Bernstein. This unique group has a bright future and we look forward to working with CDPQ and Hyperion as it continues its rapid growth in the provision of leading insurance services to its customers globally.
Lockton has named industry veteran Cheryl Jennings as its new southeast Commercial Insurance Department (CID) practice leader.



Jennings has spent 35 years in the industry. Prior to joining Lockton, she held positions at Marsh, Chubb, Hartford and, most recently, Wells Fargo Insurance Services.



Cheryl is well known and respected in the insurance industry, and we are happy to welcome her to the Lockton family, said Manoj Sharma, Locktons southeast series chief operating officer. Cheryls experience in the industry has equipped her to provide the best service and expertise to clients and associates.



In her new position, Jennings will work with Lockton leadership to develop growth strategies for commercial insurance growth. She will also manage carrier relationships. Jennings will be based in Locktons Atlanta office.






An investigation has found that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has knowingly hired doctors with problematic pasts, whether they were flagged for malpractice or disciplinary offenses.USA TODAYs investigation uncovered that the department had potentially hired multiple problem doctors despite having a rigorous hiring process that involves medical license verifications, reference checks, interviews, and even approval from a professional standards board.One of the problem doctors the VA hired was neurosurgeon John Henry Schneider, who had faced over a dozen malpractice claims and settlements in two states. These include cases alleging that he made surgical mistakes that left patients maimed, paralyzed, or dead.While Schneider was forthcoming with his license being revoked and his malpractice issues, the VA hired him when he applied for a job with the department.Since starting work with the VA in April, several of Schneiders patients have already suffered alleged complications. In one instance, a 65-year-old veteran who received four surgeries from the doctor died in August, allegedly due to complications.In other cases, a VA hospital in Oklahoma knowingly hired a psychiatrist who was previously disciplined for sexual misconduct  the psychiatrist went on to sleep with a VA patient. A Louisiana VA clinic hired a psychologist with felony convictions, but later fired the professional after it had determined that he was a direct threat to others.When attention was brought to the matter, VA officials determined that the hiring of Schneider and an undisclosed number of other problem doctors was illegal.We will take the same prompt removal action with any other improper hires we discover, said VA spokesman Curt Cashour.Federal law prevents the department from hiring physicians whose license has been revoked by a state board, even if a doctor holds an active license in another state.Although his Wyoming license was revoked, Schneider still had his Montana license.The VA last week moved to fire Schneider following the investigation, but he resigned instead.Last October, another investigative report by USA TODAY found that the VA had concealed for years the poor care and mistakes its medical workers have committed when they leave the agency, allowing the workers to still find work despite the risk they carry.
In order for professionals to thrive in the insurance space, they have to find the right firm which shares their vision and passion, the best colleagues to work with, and the ideal team that productively engages and challenges them to be better at what they do.The insurance journey has never been a smooth-sailing one for Beth Barr, EPICs senior vice president and regional director for employee benefits in the Sacramento region. After her almost five-year stint as an account manager for a technology solutions provider, she started her insurance career with her mothers employee benefits business in San Francisco and Barr admits that working in a family-owned business is not as easy as some may assume. For 17 years, Barr helped grow the business, which managed to expand into two offices and house over 60 employees. They faced some lawsuits along the way which threatened the operations of the business, but still, they remained undaunted. Unfortunately, unresolved differences ultimately pushed Barr to close that chapter in her life and explore other opportunities.After working briefly for another small firm, she joined James C. Jenkins Insurance and served as its vice president for operations and outsourcing. Several years later, she became an important asset of EPICs regional office in the Sacramento region, where she found the best set of people to work with and the team that shared her goals and commitment to customers.Insurance Business caught up with Barr to learn more about her story. In this Q&A, Barr shares her secret to becoming a successful insurance professional and she explains why insurance will never be a boring industry.I was working in sales for Xerox in Austin, Texas and decided to move to the San Francisco Bay area where my family had relocated. I had a six month old daughter at that time and my mother had an employee benefits business that she had moved to San Francisco from Fresno. My sister was working with her after finishing law school.The business, Employee Benefit Specialists, Inc. (EBS), began with mostly third-party administration services, Flex, COBRA, pension plan administration, and we had some clients, including the City and County of San Francisco, from which we received commissions (ancillary and voluntary benefits sales). Years ago, we dumped the pension administration and EBS built a competitive online benefits enrolment system.I worked as a principal at EBS and we grew that business substantially in the 17 years I was there. I left the family business in the summer of 2006, worked very briefly for another small benefits firm and in May 2007 began working with James C Jenkins Insurance as the VP of Operations for Employee Benefits. I had previously shared clients with Jenkins while at EBS, so it was a nice transition.In 2008, Jenkins became part of The Leavitt Group and I was promoted to chief operating officer for the entire operation including Benefits and Property & Casualty. I continued in this role until July 2014 when we were acquired by EPIC (Edgewood Partners Insurance Center). I moved into a corporate operations role for a time and then into my current regional role in Sacramento, CA in January 2016 with P&L responsibility. Currently, I am a senior vice president and regional director for the Sacramento region, employee benefits.My expertise in the overall operations of a business has given me a strong background in the financial end of the business but the people aspect, including our employees and our clients, is what drives me. I have had the good fortune to be very involved in hiring, managing, and working with many of our talented staff.I have been successful in finding ways to remove obstacles from the path forward and bring out the best in our services which is critical in this deeply relationship-driven business. Brokers have a lot of the same tools, what differentiates us is our ability to understand our clients needs and do our level best to meet their expectations, which as we know can vary widely.I believe it just may be as simple as tenacity. I enjoy solving problems, especially when they call for creativity and clear-headed thinking. Someone once told me that I was a Swiss army knife! I like to think that I am that versatile, or maybe I just believe I am so therefore I am.When interviewing to hire someone for a team at EPIC, I often remind them that we spend a great number of our awake hours at work. It ought to be with people you want to be around, at a company that shares your values, in a role that engages and challenges you, doing something you enjoy, in a profession that allows you to thrive. We all have bad days, when drama runs high or your to-do list seems insurmountable.EPICs people first culture allows me to work with caring talented colleagues across all offices and departments and including our leadership. Epicness includes: people first, respect, responsibility, adaptability, community, alignment, confidence, innovation, humility and fun. We dont do what is most convenient; our opportunities for growth and level of success come from a consistent commitment to our clients and our team members.Working in a small family-owned business taught me a lot. We grew that business by willpower and hard work. At the time I left, we had two offices and about 60 employees. We had to be creative, forward-thinking, resourceful, and practical. We tried things that didnt work and had to learn to pivot deftly to support our family. We were involved in some lawsuits in the early 90s that we thought could put us out of business, sometimes living off personal credit lines, and our continued success in this very male dominated industry was both our objective and our reward. I was HR, finance, marketing, IT, sales and service, and whatever else needed to be done.Unfortunately, I left over unresolved differences which can happen in a family-owned business.In employee benefits, complexity is growing and compliance with federal, state and local regulations has become more cumbersome. Employers seek affordability while trying to understand what is required of them which puts a lot of stress on decision making.This year, we have seen shorter timeframes to prepare critical relevant employee communications as employers try to do the right thing for their employees and their businesses. Reliance on trusted advisors and resources is paramount for navigating the flood of information and developing a strategy while news stories keep us wondering whats next.I dont believe I have ever run across someone that dreamed of being in the insurance business while growing up! So many of us started someplace else and ended up here. It is an industry that is forever changing, never boring, allows you to learn new things, develop your best talents, it pays well, and, above all, can be very rewarding when you realize that you helped to protect an individual or organization from a previously unforeseen risk, be it a devastating illness or something close to home recently like the fire losses in Napa and Sonoma Counties and elsewhere across the West.When I was in high school the local newspaper (in Syracuse, NY) did a profile of me. The headline was that my future was Fashion and Flying. My mother had three womens clothing stores and I worked in all three of them, I also worked for a local department store, and at the flight school at Syracuses Hancock Airport where I took flying lessons. Office machines, retail sales, and private planes were not meant to be my future, maybe television, which is how my father made his living.
SEATTLE - December 5, 2017 (Investorideas.com Newswire) SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC:SING) today announces a joint venture relationship with Smart Cannabis Corporation (SCNA) (www.smartcannabis.com) in which SinglePoint will license and market Smart Cannabis' SMART APP, an industry specific application that enables cultivators to control entire operations from a mobile device. The SMART APP is leading the way in efficiently cultivating cannabis through the introduction of IoT technology (Internet of Things) to greenhouses. This SMART APP IoT technology measures everything from nutrient levels in soil to watering cycles, to parts per million of carbon dioxide in the air. SinglePoint and Smart Cannabis Corp. will also work together to integrate SinglePoint's bitcoin payment solution. This gives cultivators the ability to collect payment for their sales via the payment application, making for a safer and more secure transaction.

"Cultivators need a solution to secure their payments. We are looking to provide a solution that can be used from seed to sale, the entire life cycle. The transaction from a cultivator to a processor or dispensary can be huge, over $150,000 per transaction, and it is simply not safe or efficient to carry that kind of cash to a transaction. We believe we can help secure and track this transaction with our solution," states SinglePoint President Wil Ralston.

Additionally, SinglePoint and Smart Cannabis Corp. will work together to finalize a track and trace solution. This solution, already available for Smart Cannabis cultivator customers, be developed by SinglePoint and deployed to a consumer base that will bring the solution full circle.

"Consumers who walk into a dispensary, where a cultivator is using our system, will be able to see how, when, and where the product was grown. There is no other system on the market like it and we plan to be the first company to use transparent and traceable blockchain technology to bring this "track and trace" product knowledge to consumers," said Ralston.

John Taylor, president of Smart Cannabis Corp., said the company is excited to "team up" with SinglePoint.

"They are an ideal partner for us to expand our business beyond California for both our current products, our line of innovative automation, and our trace and tracking software solution for cultivators. This joint venture with SinglePoint will give us the ability to market our products on a broader scale. In addition, we believe the uptrend in cryptocurrency use in the cannabis marketplace will continue to expand, and being part of their exchange will help us grow our base business."

SinglePoint is moving into what has been labeled as California's "Green Rush" in a big way. Through joint ventures and acquisitions the company has solidified its beachhead in a state that projects annual cannabis sales around $7 billion. According to Grand View Research, the medical marijuana market is expected to reach a value of USD $55.8 billion by 2025. SinglePoint and Smart Cannabis Corporation are moving into this major market offering top tier solutions that will drive revenue for both companies.

"We are very impressed with the results that Smart Cannabis has quickly achieved in California, and we believe this relationship with them provides a great deal of synergy, both in California and in the nationwide cannabis business. The company is building a truly innovative product. Our expertise in payment processing and point of sale systems is a perfect fit for the track and trace technology they have developed to date. Our overall goal is to have a fully integrated solution for businesses to manage their day-to-day operations from beginning to end, and Smart Cannabis operates to that same goal with their automated greenhouse solutions. We are glad they have turned to us to collaborate on their software solutions, and to be a part of our bitcoin exchange," said Greg Lambrecht, CEO and founder of SinglePoint.

About SinglePoint, Inc.

SinglePoint, Inc. (SING) has grown from a full-service mobile technology provider to a publicly traded holding company. Through diversification into horizontal markets, SinglePoint is building its portfolio by acquiring an interest in undervalued subsidiaries, thereby providing a rich, diversified holding base. Through its subsidiary company SingleSeed the company is providing products and services to the cannabis industry.

Connect on social media at:

www.facebook.com/SinglePointMobile

www.twitter.com/_SinglePoint_

www.linkedin.com/company-beta/165982/ and www.youtube.com/user/SinglePointMobile

For more information visit: www.SinglePoint.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Technical complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Contact:

SinglePoint, Inc.

Greg Lambrecht

602.481.1544

Communications Contact:

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

New York, New York

www.NetworkNewsWire.com

212.418.1217 Office

Editor@NetworkNewsWire.com

Disclosure: SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC: $SING) is featured on the 420 Cannabis Investor Ideas of 2017 at www.420cannabisinvestorideas.com

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Charrisse Jackson Jordan and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Eddie Jordan, are still in the process of ending their 20-year-marriage and it hasn't been an easy adjustment for thestar. "Our divorce is in process," Jordan told. "I should be divorced by sometime in December if all goes according to documents.Jordan tells the publication about her divorce journey and her new normal since ending her marriage and she's feeling positive and optimistic about 2018."There are points where you feel like you've gotten past all of the difficulty," says Jordan. "And then there are other days you wake up, and not so much."Jordan admit since ending her marriage with estranged husband Eddie has pushed her into a totally different realm of her own independence."I'm trying to incorporate meditating and just having positive vibes," says Jordan. "If it's not positive, I don't want to be bothered."Jordan reveals it's her girlfriends who have been the ones to keep her feeling uplifted and staying focused on her two children--Skylar and Jackson--remains most important to her. The hard part is almost over.I don't really talk a lot [to the kids] about the divorce per say, Jordan tells. I mean, they know we're getting a divorce, but I try to be positive. I still know that even though I'm going through it, it's also a transition for them as well. I want them to have positive feelings about their father, so I try to say great things about him to the children. I don't really talk about him much to anybody.Jordan admits that she's open to dating again and she wouldn't mind walking down the aisle again."I'm open to dating," Jordan reveals. "I'm hoping to really find the person to spend real quality time with in the near future. I love being a wife. The chances of finding someone to marry might be difficult, but I would love it. I would love to be in a relationship where I could get to that stage of falling in love and getting married again. I think it's beautiful."Photo Credit: Bravo
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is refusing to budge on a crucial deal for a frictionless border and special status for the North after unionists slammed the brakes on the planned EU-UK Brexit agreement, write Juno McEnroe and Fiachra O Cionnaith.

Mr Varadkar took the stance despite British prime minister Theresa May being forced to backtrack on the agreement by the DUP, which last night told the Irish Examiner it is willing to collapse the Conservative minority government unless its views are heard.

The surprise intervention by the unionists has stalled agreement to align the Norths regulations with Ireland, a policy which would have effectively avoided a hard border.

And while talks between Britain and Brussels will resume this week in a bid to resolve the stand-off, it remains unclear if an acceptable deal can be reached by the end of this year as more crucial Brexit deadlines loom.

The dramatic day had started with confident statements from Government Buildings and even a tweet from EU Council president Donald Tusk declaring: Tell me why I like Mondays!

However, the optimism was short-lived after a crucial lunch in Brussels between Ms May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on the details of the deal was interrupted.

Ms May was forced to take a call from DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose party had convened a surprise press conference in Belfast and ruled out accepting any move which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom.

A Dublin press conference for Mr Varadkar was also cancelled.

The deal was off and Ms May and Mr Juncker made brief statements saying more time was needed.

However, the effort by the DUP to topple the talks has turned all eyes on the North and Ms May, who must now resolve differences with the unionist party who support her government. Tensions also mounted as DUP hardliners attacked the Irish Government.

DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson accused Mr Varadkar and his cabinet of being a bunch of political chancers and of trying to pursue a republican agenda.

Echoing the sentiment, a senior DUP source last night told the Irish Examiner the party is willing to collapse Ms Mays government if it is forced to accept the current agreement.

While declining to say if the threat was made during Ms Fosters call to Ms May, he said if it came to a situation where we were having it actively pushed on us, then there would obviously be consequences.

Any patched-up deal must be agreed in the coming days in order for EU capitals to sign off on it before an EU summit on December 14.

Nonetheless, Mr Varadkar is unlikely to cave into any fresh demands from the DUP or Ms May and insisted after the Brexit day of bedlam that Ireland had the full support of the EU.

My position and that of the Irish Government is unequivocal and is supported by all the parties in Dail Eireann and I believe the majority of people on these islands, he said, adding he would not agree to change the substance of the deal.

The plan said there would be continued regulatory alignment with the South, effectively meaning the current economic links would remain.

And it confirmed the Good Friday Agreement guaranteeing Dublin and Londons role in the North would be honoured in addition to copper-fastening protections for the common travel area.

Fianna Fail Brexit spokesman Stephen Donnelly last night told the Government to speak directly with the DUP to end the stand-off.

He told the Irish Examiner officials must take the DUP concerns seriously and that while in the first instance the Tories should talk to them, but why not us?.

Labour leader Brendan Howlin said he shared the disappointment expressed by the Taoiseach.

This story originally appeared in the Irish Examiner.
By Ann OLoughlin

The family of a woman who went to her GP complaining of chest pains and was diagnosed with a chest infection but was later found dead has settled its High Court action for 100,000.

Sixty year old Rita Anderson, the High Court was told, was found dead in her bed at her Finglas, Dublin home six years ago.

The Anderson family today settled a High Court action against GP Janina Lyons for 100,000.

Senior counsel Liam Reidy SC said Mrs. Anderson the day before her death had chest pains and pain along her arm. Counsel said her family rang for an ambulance but when the ambulance arrived the ambulance man told her she could face a twelve hour wait in hosptial and it was best to go to her GP.

Mrs Anderson attended Ms Lyons practice at Coolmine Woods, Dublin 15 and Counsel said a chest infection was diagnosed and Mrs Anderson was not referred to hospital.

He said Mrs Anderson was later found dead in bed from cardiac arrest.

Rita Andersons son Chrisptopher had taken the action on behalf of the Anderson family of Mayeston Green, St Margarets Road, Finglas, Dublin.

He sued GP Janina Lyons who has a surgery at Coolmine Woods, Dublin 15 as a result of his mothers care.

It was claimed that Mrs Anderson had presented at the GPs practice on September 7, 2011 complaining of chest pain and was not referred for further assessment or treatment in a hospital setting.

It was further claimed Mrs Andersons health was allegedly allowed to deteriorate and there was an alleged failure to heed the history of her condition and the severity of her symptoms.

It was also alleged that it was allegedly wrongly concluded that Mrs Anderson was not suffering from any serious condition.

The claims were denied.

Senior Counsel Liam Reidy said it was a tragic case.

Mrs Anderson, he said was an active woman who was a much loved mother and grandmother.

The money, he said seemed so small for the life of such a vibrant person.

Approving the settlement Mr Justice Kevin Cross said it was a very sad case and he sympathised with the family on their loss.
By Noel Baker

One of a group of people arrested and charged in connection with an alleged cocaine-extraction laboratory has been refused bail.

Dean Gilsenan had reserved his position, regarding a bail application, last week, when he and three other people appeared before Judge Mary Dorgan, at a special sitting of Bandon District Court.

Mr Gilsenan, of 2 Kilmahuddrick Green, Clondalkin, in Dublin 22, was arrested and charged last week, in connection with the alleged cocaine-extraction laboratory.

It was found during a garda operation at Seascape, Dromleigh, in Bantry, in West Cork, on November 26 last.

He, alongside his father, William Gilsenan, of the same address in Clondalkin, Sean McManus, of 32 Burrowfield Road, in Baldoyle, Dublin 13, and Molly Sloyan, of 4B Buenosaires, Benidorm, in Alicante, Spain, each face two charges, under Section 3 and Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Officers from the West Cork and Cork City Drug Units and the Garda Regional Support Unit found bleached cocaine worth 70,000. At last weeks hearing, Judge Dorgan heard claims from gardai that packages were sent to Ireland from South America to the laboratory.

At yesterdays hearing, Det Garda Andrew Manning and Insp Fergal Foley reiterated that gardai were opposing bail, citing the seriousness of the charges.

Gardai said Mr Gilsenan is a possible flight risk, but his solicitor, Patrick Horan, challenged this. He said his client had said he was willing to stay at his mothers house, in Clondalkin, was willing to sign on twice daily at a Garda station, and was willing to observe a curfew. Mr Horan also said gardai had secured his passport.

However, Det Garda Manning told the court gardai understood Mr Gilsenan had spent 10 months out of the past year overseas, stating: He has travelled extensively, particularly in the past year.

Mr Horan said this was not illegal and Det Garda Manning accepted there had been no intimation from Mr Gilsenan that he wanted to leave the country.

Det Garda Manning said, regarding bail conditions that could be acceptable to gardai: There are conditions, at this point [that would be acceptable]. The court heard that Mr Gilsenan had no record of work or social welfare in the past year. Insp Foley said: He seems to be able to live on fresh air.

Mr Horan said definable issues needed to be raised in opposing bail, rather than assertions.

Judge Dorgan said she had considered the evidence and was refusing bail under the Bail Act and the OCallaghan Rules, based on the seriousness of the offences. Gilsenan was remanded in custody to appear before Clonakilty District Court on December 19, for instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

William Gilsenan, Sean McManus, and Molly Sloyan were all remanded in custody, also to December 19, in Clonakilty, for DPP directions.

William Gilsenan arriving at the Courthouse in Bandon, Co Cork, last week. Picture Dan Linehan

A statement of means was handed into court, regarding Dean Gilsenan, and legal aid was granted to his father, to Mr McManus, and to Ms Sloyan.

Judge Dorgan also told the court she had received a letter from Ms Sloyans mother.

I want her to know I have read it, the judge said, adding that she would not be changing her position, taken on the last day in court, with regard to Molly Sloyan. The judge said: It is a very difficult situation.

Hannah Cahill, junior counsel for Ms Sloyan and Mr McManus, indicated that a High Court application for bail for both was likely.
IF you happen to be one of the benighted few who has yet to encounter Jack Reacher, you should know that hes six-and-a-half feet tall at least and has hands the size of hams, which is why us fans refused to go to the movie where Tiny Tom (Cruise) played him.

Once you get to know Reacher, you know nobody other than a young Liam Neeson could play him.

The two downsides to Reacher which you also need to know before you identify with him are, first of all, that he has damn all sense of humour. He has been known to crack a smile, but thats about the height of it.

The second downside is that Reacher doesnt stay. Anywhere. Its not that hes a freeborn man of the travelling people. Its just that when he left the US military, wherein he was a military policeman who attained the rank of major, he decided he was never going to settle.

He has no home. He has no property. Well, OK, unlike most of his compatriots, he has a passport, but youd expect that of a man whose mother was French and who travelled the world as an army brat. He has a passport and a capacity to magic money out of an account somewhere. Other than those two items, zilch.

He travels by Greyhound bus, washes himself a lot but tosses his cheapo clothes into a bin after a couple of days, having picked up more from a Goodwill store. He does not have a phone. Imagine.

What he does have, in every book, is a willing woman  all of them intelligent, brave, beautiful and reasonably happy to bonk and then let him fly free, untrammeled by fidelity. Oh, and a cause. Reacher always has a cause. An adventitious righter of wrongs, he arrives in a town and straightaway a cause presents itself to him, requiring his always principled and inevitably violent response.

His latest outing, entitled The Midnight Line, is set nowhere in particular in Wyoming, a state which, lets face it, is big enough to contain a whole load of nowhere in particular. The novel ticks all of the boxes that have made this big bad multiple killer beloved of peaceable little old lady readers and others. But this time, it does more. It gives a painful insight into Americas opiate epidemic.

Millions of Americans are now hooked on drugs they or somebody close to them had prescribed for pain. Top of the list, one called Oxycontin. The medication was developed to help patients cope with major post-operative and other pain, and the hope, when they first came out, was that they were non-addictive. Indeed, they were marketed as precisely that.

They were so incredibly effective that a new breed of clinic began popping up all over the US: the Chronic Pain clinic, which offered physio, meditation, living in the moment, and, if all of these failed, Oxy. Everybody was happy. Good folk who had suffered genuine pain for years now had something that would kill off the misery and raise them to a new plane of light, happiness and peace.

When it was suggested that patients on time-release Oxy seemed to get pretty desperate for the next dose two hours before it was due, the makers, Purdue, came up with a rationale that talked of pseudo-dependency. Of course the patients suffering this new syndrome were not addicts. They simply needed their next fix.

Oops, sorry, we meant their next dose.

It was a whole new kind of addict: Hard-working, respectable, decent folk, some of them veterans grievously injured in the course of their duty and whose consequent pain was beautifully managed by Oxy. Wars are the best stimulant for the addiction business. They deliver pain-wracked men and women with money and a long life ahead of them, that life bearable only through the use of laudanum (that would be after Americas Civil War) or morphine (the first and second world wars).

But the great thing, let us remind ourselves, the great thing about Oxy was that, unlike heroin and alcohol, which constituted the main ingredients in laudanum, or morphine, it was not addictive, the claim went, if used properly.

So while Oxy, used properly, was managing pain for hundreds of thousands of patients, Oxy, used improperly, was changing Appalachian life for the worst. Given the level of backwoods deprivation that characterises that area of the US, its difficult to imagine any factor making life there much worse, but you have to hand it to Oxy, it managed it.

Young relatives of older patients discovered that a tablet crushed and snorted delivered the most fantastic high, which in time  and it didnt take much time  turned Oxy into an equal generational addiction. Grandpa took it, Mom took it and young Wilbur took it, albeit in different forms.

Since they had only one prescription serving the three of them, they had to engage in a new sport that took over the Appalachians  doctor shopping. It would take a while and a lot of petrol, but eventually, a determined enough Oxy addict would get enough prescriptions to keep them going and allow a few business deals on the side.

Eventually, the family firm that makes the drug came under pressure because of the deaths their medication was causing. Hundreds of thousands, some authorities suggest. Hundreds of thousands of OD deaths. So the family firm that makes the drug took action. They reformulated the pills in a way that made them impossible to crush and snort.

You can tell this family, the Sacklers, are good at heart, even if you didnt know about their philanthropic donations to museums like the Louvre. The only problem was that the consumers who had, over time, become addicted to snorted Oxy and who discovered the new version wouldnt play for them quickly became so desperate that they abandoned the pharmacy where theyd purchased Oxy and went out on the street to buy anything that would deliver the same hit. They found it.

Good old reliable heroin would do it. Right there and then. And tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Thats why authorities find it difficult to nail down precisely how many deaths can be laid at the door of Oxycontin: because many of those who have died since it was reformulated actually died of heroin, for which Oxy was the gateway drug.

WHAT Lee Childs new novel does is change many popular notions of drug addiction. The product is not processed in dubious jungle laboratories owned by killer cartels, but in government inspected pharmaceutical plants. The peddlers are not scabby locals, but white-coated doctors. The people behind the whole operation are not Netflix villains, but a family of generous philanthropists.

Donald Trump says hes going to tackle the opiate epidemic. He could do with a non-fiction Jack Reacher to help him. Because a legally prescribed drug has destroyed a region and more than one generation of Americans.

The Midnight Line by Lee Child is published by Bantam Press
Deep divisions within Europe are increasingly threatening the values upon which the European project of ever closer union is based.

In 2015, during the refugee crisis, many commentators saw a divide between German chancellor Angela Merkels Willkommenskultur (welcoming culture) and Hungarian prime minister Victor Orbans vision of ethnic purity: A Western Europe of bridges versus an Eastern Europe of walls.

But another threat to European unity comes from within individual countries. In Germany, talks to form a centre-left/centre-right coalition have broken down. In the Netherlands, it took prime minister Mark Rutte 208 days to form a new government after elections in March.

In Britain, the political establishment is in disarray over Brexit. And in Poland, white nationalists and neo-Nazis recently staged a massive march through the streets of Warsaw.

Which gulfs are wider  those between member states or those within them? The answer to that question matters a great deal. If Europes biggest problem is that it is divided along national borders, then liberal-leaning countries like France and Germany could try to change the balance of power within increasingly illiberal countries.

Every EU country agreed to a set of liberal-democratic standards (part of the so-called Copenhagen Criteria) when it joined the club. But, over time, the governments of Hungary and Poland have decided that they no longer want to abide by the rules.

One solution could be to create a smaller club with better benefits. Countries that wish to join this privileged inner circle would have to agree to a new  or rather, the original  set of rules; and countries that break the rules would be left out. There would finally be a cost to breaching EU standards.

But this solution could work only if the biggest problem is the divide between member states. As for the divisions within member states, consider Germany. After the federal election in September, Merkel embarked on a fascinating experiment, in which she tried to unite her centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its more nativist sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), and the left-wing Greens.

Merkel is a talented negotiator, and far better suited to write about the art of the deal than others. But it remains to be seen if she can heal the divisions in her own country.

While the Greens would like to uphold the Willkommenskultur, the CSUs position on migration is closer to that of the Visegrad Group (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). In fact, at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015, the CSU hosted Orban at one of its party conferences. Moreover, while the Greens are European federalists who support greater economic solidarity with Greece and Italy, the FDP channels the fiscal discipline of the Finns, the Dutch, and German Swabians. They are staunchly opposed to deeper European economic integration.

Many hoped that Merkel would succeed in forging a Jamaica coalition (named after the colours of that countrys flag). But, in the end, the experiment failed.

The FDP abandoned the talks out of frustration that, as its leader Christian Lindner put it, The four discussion partners have no common vision for modernisation of the country or common basis of trust.

Even without a Jamaica coalition, Germany still has a stable liberal majority in the Bundestag. The same cannot be said for the rest of the EU, where almost every other member state is now a 50-50 society: half cosmopolitan, half communitarian. In these countries, the government at any given time represents whichever side won the latest round in an ongoing culture war.

In the UK, for example, 52% of voters opted to leave the EU. The country is now hurtling toward an isolated state of provincialism and xenophobia, but its leaders keep telling the public Britain will be better off. For those who believe it, the fact that the UK will lose a say in EU decisions affecting its economic environment doesnt seem to matter.

France, on the other hand, has an energetic new pro-European president, Emmanuel Macron, who is committed to preparing his country for the years ahead. And yet France is not much more cosmopolitan than Britain. In the first round of the presidential election this spring, the nativist campaigns of Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Melenchon, and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan collectively won 46% of the vote  almost as much as the UKs Leave campaign.

Clearly, the EU is both a society of states and of citizens. That means intra-national divides are as important as the diplomatic spats between countries.

Earlier this year, a Brookings Institution report tried to determine if Europe is an optimal political area, a concept borrowed from economist Robert Mundells theory of optimal currency areas.

The report concluded that cultural and institutional differences between EU countries have not changed much over the past three decades of European integration. But it also found that the divisions between countries are far smaller than the differences within countries.

Or in other words, on the issue of freedom of movement, there is greater polarisation between London and the British Midlands than between the UK and Poland.

Creating a flexible or multi-tiered Europe could solve some short-term problems, by bringing together coalitions of the willing to address specific issues. But it could also introduce new dangers. After all, most European countries, regardless of what tier they are on, will still be 50-50 societies that could opt in or out of deeper integration with a single election or referendum.

In the future, one cannot rule out the possibility that Le Pen will be elected president of France, or that the anti-EU Five Star Movement will come to power in Italy. By the same token, the more moderate Civic Platform might return to power in Poland.

Confronting the intra-societal challenge to the European project will not be easy. It is a deep, generational problem that goes to the heart of national identity, history, and geography. No quick institutional fix can solve a problem like that.

Mark Leonard is director of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2017.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed that an agreement has been reached with the international tech giant 12 months after a strict European Commission deadline for the payments to begin failed to be met.

After a meeting with European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager in Brussels, Mr Donohoe told reporters the repayments will begin in the first quarter of next year.

Mr Donohoe said the money will be paid into an escrow account, where it will be held independently while a decision is reached on whether the funds are in fact owed.

While continuing to back the Governments position that Ireland should not be given the money as it would effectively be an admittance that this country is a tax haven and as the funds would be shared among other EU member states, he said the fund transfers are likely to begin in March.

We have now reached agreement with Apple in relation to the principles and operation of the escrow fund, said Mr Donohoe.

We expect the money will begin to be transmitted into the account from Apple across the first quarter of next year.

At a Dail public accounts committee meeting last week, the Department of Finance rejected claims it is stalling attempts to obtain the 13bn in tax owed.

Department assistant secretary general John Hogan said any delay is because the multi-billion euro fund transfer - which was meant to take place in January 2017  is complex and cannot be rushed.

While the money was meant to have been transferred to an independent escrow account by January 2017 this has yet to take place, with the European Commission recently applying to take Ireland to the European Court of Justice over the matter.

Pressed on the issue, Mr Hogan said the money is expected to be sent over by Apple in the coming months, with a likely arrival date of next Spring suggested.

We are working for the infrastructure to be put in place in early 2018, he said.

The stand-off over the funds has caused significant friction between Ireland and the European Commission, with Ms Vestager last month demanding progress on the issue in order to prevent legal action.

Apple employs around 6,000 people in Ireland, mostly at its Cork campus.
The criminals purport to be a legitimate supplier of a business and instruct them to send any new payments to a new bank account.

Some of the businesses do so and when they make a payment, that money is quickly transferred or withdrawn.

The scam, known as invoice redirect fraud, is being targeted by the Money Laundering Investigation Unit (MLIU) of the Garda Economic Crime Bureau.

This is real, said Chief Superintendent Pat Lordan of the bureau.

This can bring down your business.

He said that despite media coverage of the crime, they were still seeing businesses from the quite small to big companies being affected.

This is money gone from your company: theres no comeback if its gone, he said. So, it can have a huge impact. If you are hit for 100,000, your company could be wiped out. Theres no recourse unless we are contacted immediately. Really after three to five days, say goodbye. Prevention is the key.

Chief Supt Lordan said that at a particularly busy time of year for businesses, employees should treat any request from their suppliers to change bank account details with extreme caution.

He said invoice redirect fraud was a crime targeting businesses working with suppliers and businesses that regularly perform online financial transactions.

In the last month alone there have been numerous attempts in relation to this type of fraud  in excess of 1.3m with actual losses amounting to over 700,000, said Chief Supt Lordan.

An Garda Siochana works very closely with the financial institution in this regard who have intercepted many transactions of this nature. However, it can be difficult to recover funds once they have left the jurisdiction, so prompt reporting is critical.

Gardai said criminals send emails to businesses purporting to one of their legitimate suppliers.

These emails contain an instruction to change the bank account details that the business has for a legitimate supplier, to bank account details that ultimately benefit the criminals, said the statement.

It said the requests can also be made by letter or through a phone call and that businesses should be aware of this.

In many instances, the business does not know it is a victim of this crime until sometime later when the legitimate supplier sends a reminder invoice for payment.

Gardai said businesses should have robust policies and procedures in place for these situations, including consulting with a supervisory when requests come in and making direct contact with a trusted person in the organisation concerned.

Direct contact should also be made with an identifiable person in a company before a business relationship begins.
A connected charge brought against Natrium Ltd, which bought the famous department store on Dublins OConnell St in 2015, was also withdrawn yesterday. Previous owners OCS Operations petitioned the High Court for liquidation on June 12, 2015.

This was followed by collective redundancies in which 460 people lost jobs; 130 of them were directly employed by Clerys, the court has heard.

Ms Foley was due to go on trial in January on a single charge of impeding a Workplace Relations Commission inspector and three counts of breaking protection of employment laws.

However, following legal argument about non-disclosure of earlier drafts of witness statements yesterday, the charge against Ms Foley for impeding the commission on June 12, 2015, was dropped.

Dublin district court heard this obstruction offence was the only charge against her which carried a potential jail sentence.

Natrium was also charged with obstructing or impeding a commission inspector on June 27 last year at 25-28 North Wall Quay, the companys address. Ms Foley has a 20% stake in that firm which was due to go on trial in January as a co-defendant of Ms Foley and others.

During pre-trial legal argument, Natrium solicitor James McGuill applied for an order to allow a computer expert for the defence examine computer files of the prosecution witness statements.

He said he had applied in accordance with DPP guidelines for copies of earlier drafts of statements made by a commission inspector.

He said he had been told the computer documents had been revised 168 times but it was not possible to access the earlier drafts.

The prosecution had engaged in a process of deleting each draft and that, Mr McGuill argued, amounted to a destruction of evidence. A description of the documents properties could also say when they had been printed but the hard-copies were not available.

He said he was entitled to these versions which also included any possible emailed versions of the documents or drafts which may still be on computer servers. He also submitted that the earlier drafts of the statements were essential for cross-examination.

The application was supported by Ronan Kennedy, for Ms Foley who has an address at Hollybank Avenue, Upper Ranelagh, Dublin 6.

Judge Brennan indicated he would grant the order to allow Natriums computer expert to examine the computer files.

The case against OCS, Mr Redmond and Ms Foley was adjourned until February 6.

All the defendants have indicated that they would be contesting the charges.
Mr Varadkar took the stance despite British prime minister Theresa May being forced to backtrack on the agreement by the DUP, which last night told the Irish Examiner it is willing to collapse the Conservative minority government unless its views are heard.

The surprise intervention by the unionists has stalled agreement to align the Norths regulations with Ireland, a policy which would have effectively avoided a hard border.

And while talks between Britain and Brussels will resume this week in a bid to resolve the stand-off, it remains unclear if an acceptable deal can be reached by the end of this year as more crucial Brexit deadlines loom.

The dramatic day had started with confident statements from Government Buildings and even a tweet from EU Council president Donald Tusk declaring: Tell me why I like Mondays!

However, the optimism was short-lived after a crucial lunch in Brussels between Ms May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on the details of the deal was interrupted.

Ms May was forced to take a call from DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose party had convened a surprise press conference in Belfast and ruled out accepting any move which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom.

A Dublin press conference for Mr Varadkar was also cancelled.

The deal was off and Ms May and Mr Juncker made brief statements saying more time was needed.

However, the effort by the DUP to topple the talks has turned all eyes on the North and Ms May, who must now resolve differences with the unionist party who support her government. Tensions also mounted as DUP hardliners attacked the Irish Government.

DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson accused Mr Varadkar and his cabinet of being a bunch of political chancers and of trying to pursue a republican agenda.

Echoing the sentiment, a senior DUP source last night told the Irish Examiner the party is willing to collapse Ms Mays government if it is forced to accept the current agreement.

While declining to say if the threat was made during Ms Fosters call to Ms May, he said if it came to a situation where we were having it actively pushed on us, then there would obviously be consequences.

Any patched-up deal must be agreed in the coming days in order for EU capitals to sign off on it before an EU summit on December 14.

Nonetheless, Mr Varadkar is unlikely to cave into any fresh demands from the DUP or Ms May and insisted after the Brexit day of bedlam that Ireland had the full support of the EU.

My position and that of the Irish Government is unequivocal and is supported by all the parties in Dail Eireann and I believe the majority of people on these islands, he said, adding he would not agree to change the substance of the deal.

The plan said there would be continued regulatory alignment with the South, effectively meaning the current economic links would remain.

And it confirmed the Good Friday Agreement guaranteeing Dublin and Londons role in the North would be honoured in addition to copper-fastening protections for the common travel area.

Fianna Fail Brexit spokesman Stephen Donnelly last night told the Government to speak directly with the DUP to end the stand-off.

He told the Irish Examiner officials must take the DUP concerns seriously and that while in the first instance the Tories should talk to them, but why not us?.

Labour leader Brendan Howlin said he shared the disappointment expressed by the Taoiseach.
Despite Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and British prime minister Theresa Mays insistence that everyone can still break bread later this week once what is on offer gets reheated, the decision by the DUP to spit in the soup about to be served has led to claims yesterday was the day Brexit finally broke.

And while the disputed view has clear consequences for the now-stalled Brexit talks, it is of equal importance to the ongoing border question, the finances of those living on it, the future of the British government, the risk of a wider British break-up, and potentially even a slow step towards a united Ireland.

With a Brexit deadline just hours away, the sound of relieved sighs was evident across Leinster House yesterday morning as it emerged a breakthrough in lengthy talks had finally arrived which would allow the negotiations on Britains EU departure to move on to its next stage.

In a leaked five-page document, it was confirmed that a special deal for the North, allowing the province to remain in the customs union, was in place.

An agreement that there would be no regulatory divergence  later changed to a guarantee there would be continued regulatory alignment  was signed off on. And the protection of the common travel area appeared to be secured.

After 18 months of on-a-loop messages from Enda Kenny and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to EU leaders about the need to protect the border from Derry to Dundalk, that oh-so Brussels phrase for delight  sufficient progress  was within reach.

Only, suddenly and without warning, it wasnt.

Shortly after European Council president Donald Tusk wrote on Twitter tell me why I like Mondays! and as Ms May sat down for a setpiece lunch with European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker to discuss the deal, her phone began to buzz.

Arlene Foster, the DUP leader whose 10 MPs hang like Damocles sword over Ms Mays government, wanted to talk. She had found a fly in her soup.

As Ms Mays welcome hot dinner suddenly cooled, the message no deal was given in no uncertain terms, forcing the beleaguered British prime minister  and the rest of Europe  to pause carefully choreographed plans.

And with that all hope of a deal just as the Brussels Brexit deadline  now downgraded to just a suggestion  ran out.

While the resulting hours caused both Mr Varadkar and Ms Mays governments into embarrassing planned statement cancellations, both insisted yesterday a deal can still be reached.

However, while Mr Varadkar even went as far to say Ireland will not budge on the plan, it remains unclear how the DUP concerns  presuming they are not choreographed themselves for Northern political reasons  can be resolved.

The situation has clear knock-on effects for not only Brexit, but other equally important Irish and British matters too.

With a deal described by Fianna Fail last night as the best of both worlds now stalled, the only clear plan to date on avoiding a hard border that would be psychologically devastating for Ireland appears gone.

Worse still, the damage such a definitive red-tape wall would cause economies north and south seems unavoidable.

The future of Ms Mays punch-drunk British government is also in doubt, with DUP member Sammy Wilson openly warning the party could collapse the government to protect their interests, even if it means Labours republican-leaning leader Jeremy Corbyn  whose party stands at 45% in the polls  gains power.

And the risk of an even bigger British break-up cannot be ruled out, with Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, London mayor Sadiq Khan, and Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones all saying if the DUP doesnt want the deal they will happily snap it up  leaving onlookers to wonder if Brexit will ultimately just mean Coventry and maybe a bit of Surrey-xit.

This morning, Ms Mays lunch date with Mr Juncker is on hold for another day.

And if the menu then is not more to everyones liking then, the next breaking bread moment could cause far more long-term damage than just the sudden upset stomachs inflicted yesterday.
What the city does need is funding for key infrastructure, housing, and the possible acquisition of underused property.

That is the message from the city councils head of planning and economic development, Pat Ledwidge, who was answering queries from councillors about the implications for Cork in the wake of a major European funding package for a massive urban regeneration project in Limerick.

It comes as planning permission was granted for the development by BAM of a 220-bed hotel on the site of the former Revenue Commissioners office on Sullivans Quay. It will be the largest hotel in the city centre.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) announced an 85m loan last month to help develop the Limerick Opera Centre, which includes three large commercial buildings, one of which could be up to 14-storeys high, the refurbishment of several buildings to provide office space and up to 1,000sq m of retail space which, combined, will have capacity to house up to 3,000 workers.

The news raised concerns in Cork that Limerick could steal a march in terms of development.

It also sparked renewed fears about the delivery of Corks stalled 6,000-seat events centre, earmarked for the former Beamish and Crawford site.

The Department of Arts, which is overseeing the public funding element of this project, has refused to comment on when it will make a decision in relation to a request for an additional 10m in State funding, on top of the 20m which has already been committed.

Sinn Fein councillor Chris OLeary asked city officials if they had any plans to use EIB funding mechanisms to support developments in Cork.

Mr Ledwidge replied that private sector development worth an estimated 365m is underway in Cork city.

Limerick city and county council must be congratulated on its initiative in securing this loan, he said.

Cork City Council is continuing to explore options in relation to the need for funding. However, the situation in Cork appears to be fundamentally different to Limerick.

Developments such as those earmarked for EIB funding in Limerick are being fully funded in Cork by the private sector without the need for the public sector to take on debt, he said.

He cited the 16,000sq m One Albert Quay office complex, the 9,300sq m Capitol development, the under-construction 32,500 sq m Navigation Square project, the 4,320sq m development underway at 85-86 South Mall, and the 70,000sq m HQ office, residential, and retail project on Horgans Quay, which is in planning.

He said pre-planning talks on a 20,500sq m project should begin early next year, with development also planned for the Permanent TSB building on Lapps Quay and at 7-9 Parnell Place.

Where Cork City Council requires assistance is in the funding of key infrastructure, housing [both social and private] and the possible further acquisition of underused properties, said Mr Ledwidge. It is anticipated that government will support the city council in its ambitious and successful regeneration programme.
Diarmaid O Cadhla, aged 56, of 8 Upper Beaumont Drive, Ballintemple, Cork, faces five counts of criminal damage to street signs at three locations in Cork City.

Mr O Cadhla is charged with two counts of criminal damage at Victoria Road, two counts of criminal damage at Victoria Cross, and one count of criminal damage at Victoria St, Military Hill, on February 2.

Judge Olann Kelleher told the defendant he should get a solicitor as the summonses carried up to 12 months imprisonment.

Mr O Cadhla withdrew his application for free legal aid after Judge Kelleher said further information would be required in his written application for free legal aid.

He replied in Irish, and it was translated by the Irish interpreter: I would like to retract the statement, withdraw the statement.

This referred to the written statement of means entered in pursuance of an initial free legal aid application. This document was written in Irish and Judge Kelleher asked the translator to write out this statement in English.

The defendant then applied to the judge to have a judge appointed to the case who was fluent in Irish so that proceedings could take place without the necessity of an interpreter.

Judge Kelleher said: You are not entitled to that under the act. You are not entitled to have the whole case heard in Irish. I know you understand everything I am saying. I am telling you once more, the case is adjourned to December 18 for a plea or a date [to set a date for hearing the case in the event of a not guilty plea].

Mr O Cadhla said through the interpreter: With all due respect, it is my right that a judge hears what I am saying the first time and understands it.

Judge Kelleher said: I am quite entitled to hear the case without being fluent in Irish.

The defendant said he was not finished making his application and referred to a 2014 case which he said showed an entitlement to have his case heard in Irish without the necessity for an interpreter.

Judge Kelleher said: It is his right to give evidence in Irish. It is his right to cross-examine any witness in Irish. It is not correct to state I must be fluent in Irish.

Mr O Cadhla asked the judge to send the case forward to the High Court on the language issue. The judge refused.

The defendant also asked for the prosecution documents in Irish.

My view is that he is entitled to get the statements in Irish, the judge said.

The judge also directed that there would be a court-appointed interpreter on the next occasion.

Two co-accused, Thomas OConnor, aged 56, from 44 Mangerton Close, the Glen, and Tony Walsh, aged 52, from 25 Carrigmore Park, Ballinlough, both indicated not guilty pleas and their cases were listed for hearing on January 19.
Bonkers.ie head of communications Mark Whelan, said recently: There is finally some healthy competition entering the Irish mortgage market, which is good news.

However, although variable rate customers will benefit immediately from any price increase from their own banks, many could still get better rates elsewhere. So what is the advice from experts? You guessed it, it is to switch. This is despite the fact that consumers are notoriously slow to switch providers, particularly for a complex product like a mortgage.

Joey Sheahan, head of credit with MyMortgages.ie promoted the positive benefits: With the still curtailed new house building, banks are struggling to hit their mortgage

targets and so are turning to the switching market. This is creating an opportunity for many homeowners to make considerably savings.

His company recently released figures which suggested that on average mortgages throughout the country, anywhere between 40,000 and 100,000 could be saved by moving to another lender.

Mr Sheahan said people are struggling unnecessarily with repayments. There are homeowners needlessly paying more than 3.6% in interest. A large portion of these people can easily switch lender once they have 10% equity in their property. There are less and less people in negative equity due to the unprecedented recovery in property values over the past few years.

And yet, all the research and figures suggest that very few of us will switch. No matter how many experts advise us too, there is still a perception that the whole process is too difficult. So is it a lot of hassle? I asked Niall Daly, conveyancing partner with BDM Boylan Solicitors in Cork, for an honest assessment of switching and its popularity.

We dont see an awful lot of it, he said. There is some, but is not an avalanche. It would really want to make sense for someone, before they will consider it. There are a number of potential issues he flags, although these will not affect all customers.

He says depending on the type you have, you may have to take out a new life policy, particularly if extending the term. If you have had any health issues since you took out your

original policy, you may run into problems if your insurer requires a fresh medical.

It might not necessarily be a cost but it is one of those things you would want to be aware of, he says.

One issue he is keen to highlight is the need to certify any work that has been done to the property.

If the clients have extended or altered the house since they took out their first loan the solicitor should insist on getting an engineer to sign off on the work, and if it needed planning, check that they got planning, he said.

Some solicitors will require that the local property tax is up-to-date on the property. There will also be a few hundred euro in charges relating to the deeds themselves. However, Mr Daly believes mortgage-holders should definitely review the loan, particularly if they originally took it out over a long term, 30 or 35 years.

What I always say to clients is, if you can afford it, go back to your bank after a number of years and say you want to to reduce the term, he said. It will increase your monthly payments, so it does come down to affordability. But it will reduce what you pay in the long term. What people with very long terms are doing is taking short-term gain for long-term pain. You pay way more in the long run.

While switching is a little more complex, he agrees it is something customers should consider as an option.

Sit down with your calculator and make sure it is worth it. If the bank is paying the legal fees or giving cash back that will cover costs, that eases the pain. You can do it in less than a month if the customer is organised.

Deal of the Week

In addition to groceries, Supervalu now sells insurance, offering cover for the home and car as well as travel insurance. It offers a range of discounts and sweeteners for customers, including vouchers and real reward points, and for December has an offer specifically aimed at couples.

Until the end of the year, customers can get up to 25% discount when they add their partner as the named driver on their policy. The customer gets 20 in money back vouchers to spend in-store. They will also collect 1,000 Real Rewards points but that is only a real incentive if you are already a regular Supervalu shopper and will use them.

The car insurance benefits include breakdown assistance, free windscreen cover and personal possessions in your car protected up to 300. The partner must be the only named driver, live at the same address, hold a full licence and have five years claim-free driving to qualify.
Anyone who has ever negotiated with the British knows that this is mythology. The Irish Government wanted one thing from the current negotiations on Brexit  a simple piece of paper. From the beginning, the Irish Government has insisted that there is only one outcome that can be accepted  an agreement that protects the inviolability of the Good Friday Agreement and that allows no return to the border of the past.

Leo Varadkar, Simon Coveney, and the entire government have stayed true to that simple objective. As I write this, the final shape of an agreement has not been published  and we all know theres many a slip at moments like this. But it seems clear that our government has won the argument for now.

That doesnt mean its over, not least because of the DUPs position, because the second phase of negotiations on trade, assuming they start, will involve hugely complicated arrangements on trading and business relations between this island and the one next door.

But Varadkar and his team have put us in a much more powerful position now. It remains to be seen if Theresa May can deliver her side of the bargain, or even if she will survive the agreement she has signed up to. But thats not a calculation we could ever afford to make. We had to stick to our bottom line.

It cant have been easy. The British style, in situations like this, is to resist to the last minute any prospect of putting down something that can be published. The much more usual approach is to concentrate on personalities. They persuade and cajole, bully and intimidate, threaten one minute, offer blandishments the next. You could expect them, in the run up to the EU summit, to drive whatever wedge they could between the Irish Government and its EU partners.

Weve had a taste of how they operate over the last couple of weeks. The stupidity and ignorance of some of the remarks coming from senior Tories has been matched by the sneering and contemptuous tone of a lot of the British media commentary. Thats all part of the softening up process. Shut your gob, Leo. Stop behaving like an

upstart, and start respecting your betters. Its clear that our leaders saw it coming, and figured out how to react.

I heard Coveney on the radio yesterday morning, calmly and assertively dealing with the issues involved, and going to very considerable pains to ensure that the conversation was around the issues and not the personalities. A couple of times he was asked whether the British had tabled anything, and he said in reply that text was under discussion. Ive no inside information, but Id be ready to bet that the text being discussed was text we had written and put forward. That would be entirely of a piece with the way the British always operate.

And over the weekend it was put to Leo Varadkar on the Marian Finucane Show that he had been under a lot of personal pressure and abuse from the British media. He was calm and measured in his response  effectively paraphrasing Michelle Obama that when they go low, we go high.

Instead they concentrated on the two things that are absolutely essential. The first was that our Government had a clear, explicit, and unambiguous understanding of its bottom line. The second was that they had constantly communicated this  in European capitals, in the European institutions, in London and everywhere else that was willing to listen.

Of course London didnt listen, and wasnt listening. At least, it appears, until Donald Tusk came to Dublin last week.

I have to admit that I thought the ringing endorsement delivered by Tusk in Dublin last week had an element of double-edged sword about it. He effectively handed the Irish Government a veto over the entire negotiations, in all their strands.

But if it had turned out to be the case that the 27 member states were reasonably happy that the British have gone as far as they need at this stage in relation to the other two strands  the financial settlement and the issue of citizens rights  the pressure to get a deal on the border would have been excruciating.

That would have involved a huge test of nerve. When negotiations involve a range of conflicting interests that have to be reconciled, that makes them difficult enough. When they also involve issues of principle, or even perceived principle, there is a considerable mountain to climb. When you are the only one standing up for the principle in question, life gets very lonely.

If it had come down to the wire on the border question, the British tabloids would have a total field day in the run-up to the summit. Ireland and its young inexperienced Taoiseach would have been portrayed as out of his depth and unreasonable. And at the same time there would have been some in the opposition at home getting ready to present the Taoiseach as having sold us out.

But what seems to have happened instead is that Tusks visit to Dublin jolted the British government out of its usual approach. Suddenly, and it seems for the first time, it began to dawn on them that Ireland was acting on the basis of a lot of solidarity and support from our European partners. For the first time, they began to concentrate on Irelands bottom lines.

As I said, all sorts of things can still go wrong. The Tories could still try to make the first phase meaningless once they succeed in getting to the second phase. The DUP in the North  despite their insistence that they dont want a hard border either  could force the British government into reverse.

As things stand though, any development of that kind would simply isolate the British further. The moment has effectively passed when we can be pressured into abandoning our fundamental position. Now, whatever happens, we occupy a position of strength. And we owe that to the Governments clarity and sense of purpose.

Last week, Varadkars style of leadership was under a lot of pressure. There were all sorts of mutterings about how he has been shown to be weak and indecisive. I couldnt tell you how many times I heard and read that Enda Kenny would have dealt with the issues around Frances Fitzgerald much more decisively.

I doubt that is likely to be said now. No leader can ever succeed unless he or she has a clear idea of where they want to go. In these negotiations, weve seen that in spades, from the very beginning. Other taoisigh might well have been tempted to go and look for whatever fudge they could get.

This Taoiseach concentrated on making the bottom line as clear as possible, on communicating it as simply and effectively as he could, and on never deviating from what had to be achieved. And his leadership delivered.

No leader can ever succeed unless he or she has a clear idea of where they want to go. In these negotiations, weve seen that in spades.
Vietnam Airlines, Bangkok Airways sign codeshare agreement

Vietnam Airlines and Bangkok Airways of Thailand have inked a codeshare agreement on air routes between the two countries.









An airplane of Vietnam Airlines (Photo: Vietnam AIrlines)



Under the deal, passengers can buy Vietnam Airlines tickets for flights from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok and then get on Bangkok Airways flights to Thai destinations, including Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi, and Chiang Rai. They only need to book a seat with Vietnam Airlines and have procedures for the whole journey handled for one time by this carrier.



Vietnam Airlines Director General Duong Tri Thanh said the cooperation between the two four-star airlines will offer passengers more choices to visit famous tourist attractions in Thailand and Vietnam while providing consistent service quality.



President of Bangkok Airways Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth said the codeshare will make it easier for his firms passengers to come to Vietnamese destinations and for Vietnam Airlines passengers to reach well-known places in Thailand.



According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, the aviation market of Southeast Asia is highly potential as seen in its strong growth and big travel demand. Six of the 11 Southeast Asian countries recorded double-digit growth rates in terms of the number of passengers.



The number of seats provided for Thailand-Vietnam flights increased by 30 percent last year and almost doubled that in five years ago. This upward trend is forecast to continue in the years ahead.



Bangkok Airways is the first private carrier of Thailand to win the Best Regional Airline in Asia award by SkyTrax in 2017. It began air transportation services in 1968 and now provides flights to more than 20 destinations in Thailand and Asia.
Dec. 2

Joey R. Campos, 30, of West Wendover was arrested under a warrant at 2156 Onyx for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. No bail.

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Stanley J. Gardner Jr. , 57, of Elko was arrested under a warrant at 100 West Wendover Blvd. for trespassing and failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail $3,135

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Clarence D. Glaser, 68, of Carlin was under felony arrest at 791 10th Street for using or being under the influence of a controlled substance. Bail $5,000

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Carri J. Henckel, 37, of Elko was arrested at Sage Street and Mountain City Highway for unlawful use of a hands-free device while driving, and driving with a suspended drivers license. Bail $470

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Darbie J. Kaiser, 28, of Spring Creek was arrested on Lamoille Highway at mile marker five for driving under the influence above the legal limit. Bail $1,140

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Colton B. Larsen, 26, of Elko was arrested at Court and Fifth streets for driving under the influence above the legal limit, and for stopping or parking a vehicle on a highway. Bail $1,255

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Erika M. Lozano, 30, of Elko was under felony arrest at 2065 Idaho St. for conspiracy to robbery, robbery, burglary while in possession of a gun, assault with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to grand larceny, and grand larceny up to $3,500. Bail $152,500

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Felipe Pena-Soliz, 39, of Phoenix, Arizona, was arrested as a fugitive felon from another state, and for driving 1 to 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, and driving without a drivers license. Bail $310

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R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. received a partial, but pivotal, legal victory Thursday in its effort to settle which tobacco manufacturer is responsible for making $30 million in annual Master Settlement Agreement payments in Florida on four traditional cigarette brands.

As part of Reynolds American Inc.s $29.25 billion purchase of Greensboro-based Lorillard Inc., which was completed in June 2015, the manufacturers agreed to sell the Kool, Maverick, Salem and Winston cigarette brands and blu eCigs brand to Imperial Brands Plc, ITGs parent company, for $7.1 billion.

The four brands accounted for 17 billion cigarette sticks sold in 2016, about 8 percent of the domestic tobacco market.

The landmark MSA was reached in November 1998 between the top U.S. tobacco manufacturers and 46 state attorneys general. The manufacturers agreed to pay $206 billion over 20 years to those states to help pay for health-care expenses related to smoking. In some instances, the MSA payments are to be paid in perpetuity.

The side deal was necessary for Reynolds and Lorillard to gain federal regulatory approval for the megadeal.

The state of Florida has pursued legal action to make at least one of the manufacturers responsible for the payments.

A chancellor in the Court of Chancery in Delaware, an often-used venue to settle corporation clashes, ruled for a partial judgment victory for Reynolds. Reynolds said it had no comment on the ruling.

Andre Broussard ruled ITG has not met its obligation to use its reasonable best efforts to reach an agreement with Florida on assuming the MSA payments.

I find that Reynolds interpretation is supported by the plain language of the asset purchase agreement, and that ITG Brands interpretation is not, Broussard said.

He said ITG was not relieved of its MSA payment obligation because an agreement with Florida was not reached before the June 2015 transaction closing. He said the manufacturer continues to receive the benefit of the sales to which those payments relate.

Reynolds has argued its MSA obligations ended with the closing of the transaction, and that ITGs reasonable best effort obligation remains in place until it actually takes over the payment obligations.

ITG said a statement Monday that the chancellor ruled on a narrow technical issue which does not settle the underlying dispute. This was simply an interim ruling.

ITG has said the Delaware court is the proper venue for the dispute, while Reynolds is participating in a lawsuit filed by the Florida Attorney Generals Office in Florida Circuit Court for Palm Beach County. Reynolds said a hearing in the Florida litigation is set for mid-December.

According to the ITG complaint, it reached an agreement with Mississippi to make MSA payments on the four brands, but it could not make arrangements with Florida, Minnesota and Texas before the completion of the Reynolds deal for Lorillard.

In January 2017, Pam Bondi, the Florida attorney general, filed an enforcement action against Reynolds and ITG. Bondi appears to be placing liability for the MSA payments on ITG.

Bondis motion asks for a court order requiring payment to Florida for the past and future sales of the brands. She is requesting from one or both manufacturers $48 million in MSA payments for the period of June 2015 to the filing of her motion, and $30 million annually.

Bondi said Reynolds has told her it believes its MSA obligations toward the four brands ended with the sale. Bondi said she believes Reynolds has not been released from its obligations.

In the meantime, Bondi said, ITG has declined to make any MSA payments to Florida even after agreeing with Reynolds to assume the payment obligations for these iconic brands.

The exact same cigarette brands continue to be sold to Floridians, thus imposing the very public health-care expenditures that the settlement payments are intended to compensate, she said.
GREENSBORO  A Chapel Hill man has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for defrauding the UNC Newman Center Catholic Student Parish.

Brian Lee Cansler, 27, was ordered in late November by U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Eagles to pay more than $171,000 in restitution, according to a news release from Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston, Middle District of North Carolina.

Cansler worked in various roles at the parish before becoming financial director there from September 2014 until his termination, according to the release. The parish ministers to both the student body and the town's community.

Hairston said Cansler used his position to defraud the parish. On two instances, he forged the signature of the serving pastor on checks made out to Cansler from the parish, according to the release. In addition, he fraudulently misused credit cards issued to the parish for official use. Cansler was authorized to use the cards for parish expenses, such as liturgical and office supplies.

From October 2014 to July 2016, Cansler made more than $146,000 in unauthorized purchases,the release said. These purchases included fine dining, clothing, computer products and travel.

Cansler also used the parish's credit cards for trips to London, Brussels, Disney World, and to Las Vegas for a Celine Dion concert.

In addition to the 57-month prison term and restitution, Cansler was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
A proposal to give Marketplace Mall an entrance off Salisbury Ridge Road fell by the wayside Monday when the mall manager withdrew his request in the face of certain defeat on the Winston-Salem City Council.

The withdrawal actually preserves Marketplace Malls option to retool the request in hopes of passing muster with the council and the nearby Washington Park neighborhood. Currently, the malls only entrance is on Peters Creek Parkway.

South Ward Council Member John Larson said during Monday nights council meeting that Washington Park residents are worried that if a second entrance were allowed, people would use it for a cut-through.

Larson said Salisbury Ridge Road would get more traffic and that it doesnt have sidewalks. Larson said the new entry could put more pressure on an area that is transitional between commercial and residential uses.

It is an area that is right on the fringes, and we have to decide whether to protect that neighborhood, Larson said.

Daniel Kleeberg, the manager of Marketplace, said the proposed new entry is part of an ongoing effort to lift the quality of the mall: The mall now has a United Health Center and will be the site of a new Old Salem Bakery location.

The Hamricks store is the chains sixth-best location in sales, he said. The owner, Marketplace Mall LLC, has repainted and is willing to spend another $100,000 on improvements, Kleeberg said.

I do respectfully disagree that (the new drive) would be a nuisance and cause more problems, Kleeberg said, arguing that the new drive would bring more eyeballs to the site and make people feel safer.

People say it is not safe, but it is, Kleeberg said, getting an endorsement on the safety point from Council Member Dan Besse of Southwest Ward.

Larson initially made a motion to turn down the rezoning request to allow the new drive, a measure that would keep Kleeberg from bringing back the same proposal for two years, and any proposal for one year.

At the urging of some on the council, Kleeberg agreed to pull his request to keep his options open.

We support small business, but its difficult to do at the expense of the neighbors, said Council Member James Taylor.

No one from nearby neighborhoods opposed the Marketplace proposal when it came to the City-County Planning Board in November and was unanimously approved.

But Larson said he had gotten emails from Washington Park residents who had learned about the proposal and were opposed to it.

Council Member Robert Clark said Larson should be more worried about the health of Marketplace Mall.

If I was the council member, my biggest concern would be this shopping center going dark, Clark said. I dont know anybody who cuts through malls as a shortcut.

In other action, the council unanimously approved the rezoning of 1.44 acres that is part of a larger tract, mostly in unincorporated Forsyth County, that is proposed as the site of a 124-unit independent living center on the south side of West Clemmonsville Road near Paula Drive.

The county approved its part of the rezoning on Nov. 30. The project is to consist of 88 apartments, 30 patio homes and six single-family homes. The project will be called Stratford Crest.
Ucoms mobile customers will benefit from the best internet roaming rate of 8 AMD/MB when travelling to Georgia, Egypt or the UAE

Ameriabank Launches Google Pay and Google Wallet Support for Card Users in Armenia

Karen Vardanyan donated 112 million drams for the medical equipment for National Center for Infectious Diseases.

UCOM HAS INTRODUCED FUTURE NETWORK WI-FI 6E ROUTERS

Statement by the Spokesperson on the conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts

Foreign Minister of Armenia to participate in the Fifth Paris Peace Forum

Armenia: EU and Armenia Hold annual Dialogue on Human Rights

Todays Shushi, Occupied and Cleared of Armenians, is a Real Example of Turkish-Azerbaijani Policy of Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh

Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Google Ad

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces
What could we North Carolinians learn about ourselves when we sort out the results of the Dec. 12 Alabama special U. S. Senate election?

Nothing, you say. We are not like Alabama. They are Deep South. We are mid-South. They are mired in their George Wallace Stuck in the mud tradition while we North Carolinians have thrived in our Terry Sanford New South progressive tradition.

Not so fast.

Remember when those traditions clashed in 1972? Wallace and Sanford faced each other in the Democratic presidential primary in North Carolina. Wallace beat Sanford by more than 100,000 votes, effectively ending Sanfords presidential bid.

But you say that was a long time ago.

It was, but if given the same choice even today, many of todays North Carolinians would choose Wallace over Sanford.

And, today, if they had the opportunity, they would join their brothers and sisters in Alabama and vote for the Wallace clone, Republican Roy Moore, rather than Democrat Doug Jones, the Sanford stand-in.

Almost certainly, Alabama has a greater percentage of people in the Moore-Wallace camp than North Carolina has. But the significant presence of such voters presents a formidable challenge to Democratic candidates in both states.

In recent years, meeting that challenge has been virtually impossible in Alabama and almost as difficult in North Carolina. To give Democrats a chance to beat a Moore-Wallace candidate in Alabama or in North Carolina, Democrats must take on some tough tasks.

First, inspire, mobilize, and get to the polls hard-core Democrats, including liberals, African Americans, pro-choice advocates, those concerned for the poor and downtrodden, and the poor and downtrodden themselves. If they go to the polls, they would be reliable Democratic voters, all. But to get them there requires well-organized registration and election-day efforts.

Be prepared to cut off or minimize diversions from this core support group. In 1972, third-party candidate U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, an African American from Brooklyn, garnered about 60,000 votes. Almost all of them would have gone to Sanford if Chisholm had not been in the race.

In Alabama, people disgusted with Moore need a message that makes them angry enough to believe they have a public duty to vote against him.

Being angry might not be enough to motivate some of these people. In addition to the anger with a Moore-Wallace type of candidate, some will demand a positive message to show how the alternative is really going to make a difference.

Secondly, find ways to discourage people who would vote for a Wallace-Moore candidate from going to the polls. Dampen their enthusiasm with constant reminders of the Republican candidates sins and inconsistencies. Roy Moores alleged misconduct seemed to present a God-given opportunity to discourage more voters from voting for him. But Alabama Democrats difficulty in exploiting Moores weaknesses shows that this task is not always easy.

Thirdly, find an appeal to conservative and moderate voters who generally vote Republican, but are concerned about what the election of a candidate like Roy Moore would do to their state. These potential supporters need assurances that their vote for a Democrat will not elect someone who is going to push a far-left agenda. The trick is to accomplish this objective without pulling the rug out from under the core Democrats whose enthusiasm, election-day work and votes are critical.

If the Doug Jones campaign finds a way to win by mobilizing the Democratic base, discouraging Moore supporters from voting, and finding ways to appeal to moderates and conservatives who usually vote Republican, North Carolina Democrats will have a model to follow in the 2018 and 2020 elections.
On Saturday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate's tax-writing committee, said this about repealing the estate tax:

"I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, as opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it's on booze or women or movies."

A few days before that, the chair of the committee, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the following regarding Congress' failure to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides Medicaid coverage to 9 million kids in low-income families.

"...the reason CHIP's having trouble is because we don't have money anymore, and to just add more and more spending and more and more spending, and you can look at the rest of the bill for the more and more spending."

Let us examine these statements in turn.

The pure meanness and inaccuracy of Grassley's prejudicial, ignorant statement lit up the Twitterverse, as it should. There's no correlation between estate taxes and investment. Its repeal is nothing more than a gift to a tiny sliver of rich heirs (only the richest 0.2 percent of estates are hit by the tax). But what I want to stress here is that his abhorrent words are clearly embedded in the tax policy that he and his fellow Republicans are busy rushing to legislate.

The tax plan is written in such a way to favor asset-based incomes, passive business investments and inherited wealth, and to penalize, once it's fully phased in, those foolish enough to depend on their paychecks. If your income derives from your stock portfolio or your rich parent, this plan loves you. Otherwise, tough luck.

The mechanisms that push this tilt are the aforementioned repeal (House plan) or doubled exemption level (Senate plan) of the estate tax; the large cut in the corporate tax, as most of those benefit accrue to shareholders and corporate CEOs; the tax decrease on profits from high-end pass-through businesses, like hedge funds and real-estate trusts (about 70 percent of pass-through income accrues to the top 1 percent of taxpayers); the elimination of domestic taxation on foreign earnings; and the ability of U.S. multinational companies to bring years of deferred foreign earnings at a much reduced rate, a change that would save these companies an estimated $500 billion. All of the above significantly raise the value of non-labor income.

Meanwhile, the phasing out of the individual tax cuts and the Senate's repeal of the individual health-care mandate ends up costing low-income households - who, of course, disproportionately depend on their paychecks.

It's awful enough for Grassley to spout such ignorance. But his worse crime was to embed it in tax policy.

Turning to Hatch's statement, I cannot state the following adamantly enough: Because they have used the deficit to pay for a tax cut that blatantly favors the rich over the rest, they have forfeited their ability to tell us what we can and can't afford.

Of course, they will continue to make that argument, as Hatch himself has, along with many of his colleagues. But do not forget this: They could have made their tax plan revenue-neutral. They decided not to, and they further decided, based on their revealed preferences, that the parts that help middle- and low-income families should expire, while those that help the rich should live on forever.

Supporters of the plan say they'll never let that happen. They claim future policymakers will extend those cuts scheduled to expire. Maybe they will; maybe they won't. But if they do, that will add another $500 billion to the federal debt, which will only amplify their calls for more spending cuts.

For decades, the Republicans have employed deficit-induced fear-mongering as a reason to oppose any ideas from Democrats. They never stop caterwauling about the unsustainability of our social insurance and safety net programs. But their deficit-financed gift to wealthy asset holders belies such posturing. Affordability is a choice, and they've shown who's side they're choosing.

All of which leaves us with a terrible, and terribly revealing, tax plan.


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Austrias Constitutional Court [official website, in German] ruled [text, PDF, in German] Tuesday that a 2009 law that allowed same-sex couples to enter registered partnerships but not to get married was unconstitutional.

The court ruled that the 2009 law violated the constitution by discriminating against same-sex couples. The repeal of the 2009 law will take effect at the end of December 31, 2018. The repeal will allow same-sex couples to get married and allow mixed-sex couples to enter registered partnerships. Same-sex couples must first end their registered partnerships before they are able to get married.

The legislature is able to amend the marriage laws to allow same-sex couples to marry earlier than December 31, 2018. The conservative Peoples Party stated [Reuters report] it will accept the ruling while the far-right Freedom Party criticized the ruling.

Austria becomes the latest country to legally allow same-sex marriage. In June Germanys parliament voted [JURIST report] to legalize same-sex marriage. In February Slovenia legalized [JURIST report] same-sex marriage, although it did not allow same-sex couples to adopt children other than those of their spouse.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] on Friday petitioned [text, PDF] the US Supreme Court [official website] to block an order [text, PDF] from Judge William Alsup of the US District Court for the Northern District of California [official website], to produce additional documentation regarding suspension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) [official website] program, which gives undocumented immigrants brought into the US as children, status known as Dreamers, protection from deportation.

The order requested the government turn over a complete administrative record regarding the DACA program, including its decision to suspend the program [JURIST report] and materials relating to arguments to keep it. The decision would require [JURIST report] documents to be made public and various privileges to be breached. Alsup wrote that the argument to rescind DACA due to it exceeding lawful authority of the agency cannot simply be accepted without disclos[ing] the legal legal research that led to that conclusion. According to the DOJ, that means producing hundreds of thousands of documents that would require a lot of man power.

According to the petition, the decision to suspend the DACA program is discretionary and not subject to judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) [text, PDF]. Additionally, the government argues that even if it were the court could review the decision it has no authority to request deliberative materials regarding to the program under the APA. The government provides case law to support their assertion, which provides:

[T]he focal point for judicial review should be the administrative record already in existence, not some new record made initially in the reviewing court. [Since] it is not the function of the court to probe the mental processes of the agency, deliberative materials form no part of the administrative record. [Accordingly, t]he district courts sweeping expansion of the administrative record  in the face of the acting secretarys contemporaneous and reasonable explanation for her decision  directly contradicts this courts precedents. The district courts error in ordering discovery and vastly expanding the administrative record is particularly manifest in light of the nature of the agencys decision: a policy determination  to wind down, in orderly fashion, a previous policy of prosecutorial discretion that itself created no substantive rights.

The DOJ is also seeking a writ of mandamus to overturn the judges decision, arguing that it is in direct violation of clearly establish administrative law.

The Trump administrations decision to disband DACA could affect nearly 800,000 young undocumented immigrants. No new undocumented immigrants may register under DACA, and the immigrants whose DACA documents were about to expire had to renew by October 5, 2017. According to the administrations press release, current DACA recipients generally will not be impacted until after March 5, 2018, which will give Congress the opportunity to consider appropriate legislative solutions.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) [HRW backgrounder] government recruited former M23 rebel fighters to protect President Joseph Kabila [BBC profile] after protests broke out last December over his refusal to step down at the end of his constitutionally mandated two terms, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] reported [text] Monday.

During December of last year, at least 62 people were killed and hundreds were arrested. The M23 fighters were granted authority to use lethal force if any resistance was met. Many journalists were also detained to keep them from reporting about the events taking place.

According to the report, rebel forces have long been recruited into the Armed Forces without formal training or extensive vetting. The forces in question were deserters of the group, recruited from Rwanda and Uganda. The Armed Forces have themselves been criticized for various human rights violations. In February the UN human rights office expressed concern [JURIST report] over reports that at least 101 people have been killed.

M23 rebelled against the government of Congo in 2012 and were defeated in 2013. In 2016 Kabila began actively recruiting those from M23 following his refusal to step down and distrust amongst his forces, according to the report.

After the protests in December, Kabila agreed to a Catholic Church-mediated power-sharing agreement with the main opposition coalition, agreeing that presidential elections would be held by the end of this year and Kabila would not run or amend the constitution. However, elections were not organized, and in October, the DRCs electoral commission published an electoral calendar with the end of next year as the time for elections. Opposition groups say this is another delaying tactic to keep Kabila in power prompting violent protests [JURIST report].

Kabilas push to maintain power has lead to many arrests. In October the arrest of 30 opposition party members [JURIST report] were announced as a part of a crackdown by Kabila.

Opposition groups call for Kabila to step down by the end of this year and for unbiased individuals to lead until elections can be organized.
[JURIST] Spains Supreme Court [official website, in Spanish] on Tuesday withdrew [court order, PDF, in Spanish] a European arrest warrant seeking the deportation of Carles Puigdemont [profile], the former President of Catalonia, and four former Catalan officials.

The deposed officials fled to Belgium [JURIST report] after Spanish courts found the October Catalan independence referendum was unconstitutional and constituted acts of sedition by Catalan officials. Puigdemont has stated he would return to Spain if guaranteed a fair trial.

Judge Pablo Llarenas decision obviates an anticipated December 14 decision by Belgian courts on whether to extradite the former officials. Should the Belgian Court have imposed extradition, it could have dictated which charges [El Diario report, in Spanish] Spain could bring against the former officials. Additionally, Llarena reasoned that given the former officials have registered to run in Decembers Catalan elections, they have clear intention to return to Spain.

A Spanish arrest warrant remains in place to detain the Catalan leaders as soon as they return to Spain. Also Tuesday, six other former ministers were released [JURIST report] from custody on bail.
Dozens of Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday made a pilgrimage to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which neighbours China and South Korea see as a symbol of Tokyo's militaristic past.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refrained from sending an offering, as he has done in the past, a shrine official told AFP.

There were no ministers among the group, according an official in the upper house of parliament.

In total, 61 MPs -- mainly from Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party -- attended the war shrine and 76 sent a representative, he said.

The shrine honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II.

Beijing and Seoul view it as a symbol of Tokyo's past aggression.

The site has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century.

In October, Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine but did not visit, a move seen as an effort to minimise protests from neighbours over the issue.

The group postponed their annual autumn visit to Tuesday as they were busy with campaigns for a general election in October.

"I made a prayer hoping that no one else will be enshrined" given the tensions in North Korea, said Hidehisa Otsuji, former upper house member and president of the group.

The visits come amid rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as Pyongyang last week test-fired another ballistic missile that splashed down in the Sea of Japan.

Abe visited in December 2013 to mark his first year in power, a move that sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul and earned a diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States, which said it was "disappointed" by the action.

But he has since refrained from going and sent ritual offerings instead.

Abe and other nationalists say Yasukuni is merely a place to remember fallen soldiers, and compare it with Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.

Tokyo is also seeking warmer ties with Beijing and Seoul, key countries in dealing with the unpredictable North Korean regime.
Ucoms mobile customers will benefit from the best internet roaming rate of 8 AMD/MB when travelling to Georgia, Egypt or the UAE

Ameriabank Launches Google Pay and Google Wallet Support for Card Users in Armenia

Karen Vardanyan donated 112 million drams for the medical equipment for National Center for Infectious Diseases.

UCOM HAS INTRODUCED FUTURE NETWORK WI-FI 6E ROUTERS

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Statement by the Spokesperson on the conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts

Foreign Minister of Armenia to participate in the Fifth Paris Peace Forum

Armenia: EU and Armenia Hold annual Dialogue on Human Rights

Todays Shushi, Occupied and Cleared of Armenians, is a Real Example of Turkish-Azerbaijani Policy of Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh

Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

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Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces
The Brazos Valley has seen its share of up and down weather. 2017 is no exception. Our area has been in a dry stretch since Hurricane Harvey. How is your yard handling the dry spell after being inundated?

Charla Anthony with the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service said that your lawn likely doesn't need the kind of watering it typically needs in the spring and summer months.

"The grass is still growing. Even though its maybe turned brown, its still alive," Anthony explained. She said the roots are growing ever so slightly, so your grass does have a need for water, but it's very reduced.

Another thing Anthony mentioned is the threat of prolonged dry periods, like the one we're going through right now. That can really dry up the soil and damage your lawn, especially if a strong cold front comes in with a sharp drop in temperatures. Your lawn could get what is referred to as "winter kill." The easiest way to avoid this is to make sure, even during dry spells, to keep the soil moisture in check.

Warm season grasses like St. Augustine, Bermuda, and Zoysia may turn brown, that doesn't mean they are dying. It's a kind of hibernation for your lawn, so it can prepare for shorter days and less water during the winter months.

Now, this doesn't mean you should stop water your lawn. The grass can still die if not fed the proper nutrients. In the winter months, if rainfall isn't received for three to four weeks, it's probably a good idea to give your grass some water.

That'll most certainly save you some money on the water bill when compared to the summer months.
KEARNEY  Nebraska Farm Bureau leaders unveiled a report on Monday they hope will help convince President Trump and members of his administration that the North American Free Trade Agreement is critical to the economic future of U.S. farmers and ranchers.

The report written by Nebraska Farm Bureau Senior Economist Jay Rempe says the value of the states ag exports to NAFTA partners Mexico and Canada  Nebraskas two largest customers for ag goods  exceeded $2.9 billion in 2016.

Exports to those neighboring countries accounted for 45 percent of Nebraskas total 2016 ag exports.

While we understand the president wants to get the best trade deal possible, the idea of withdrawing from NAFTA is unfathomable. That would be a disaster for Nebraska and American agriculture. The same could be said of any renegotiations that would weaken agricultures trade position in the agreement, Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson of Axtell said, especially as farmers and ranchers struggle with low commodity prices.

Rempe explained during a Monday afternoon press conference at Nebraska Farm Bureaus annual convention in Kearney, that his North American Free Trade Agreement and Nebraska Agriculture report looks at NAFTAs effect on prices for five major commodities, soybeans, corn, beef, pork and wheat.

He also broke down the numbers for overall NAFTA value per county, per farm and per commodity in each county.

Rempe found that Phelps County has the most at stake on a per-farm-ranch basis, with the trade agreement estimated to be worth $55,468 to the average ag operation there.

Custer is one of four counties that had NAFTA-related exports valued at more than $30 million in 2016.

In his State of Nebraska Agriculture report to convention participants earlier Monday, Nelson said all international trade is important because nearly one-third of U.S. gross net farm income comes from trade and almost 96 percent of the worlds population lives outside the United States.

So its vital to develop new markets, lower trade barriers, encourage trade agreements and cultivate personal relationships with overseas customers.

Nelson said Nebraskas success in using trade missions to grow relationships and export sales illustrates the need for President Trump and his administration to be extremely careful in how they handle relations with our trade partners.

Taxes top state issues

Nelson also talked Monday about the top state-level issue, fixing a tax system last overhauled 50 years ago that puts a huge property tax burden on farmers and ranchers.

No matter where I go and who I talk to, thats what I hear the most about, sometimes almost exclusively, Nelson told the Hub. Our members have talked about this for a long time, and weve waited a long time.

He said the goal of work with legislators, leaders in education and other interests is to find ways to alleviate the pressure on property taxes to fund schools while still providing quality education.

Legal action remains an option. I want you to know weve looked at that angle, and weve yet to find a legal option that gets us where we need to be, Nelson said.

A third option is a ballot issue that could be initiated by the Legislature or a petition drive. Nelson said the proposal would be a refundable income tax credit for half of the property taxes paid for K-12 education.

He challenged Farm Bureau members to get more involved in local and state issues, noting that 28 of the 49 legislative seats and more than half of Nebraskas population now are in Douglas and Sarpy counties.

That means there are more people today making decisions that affect our well-being who are less likely to understand what we do on our farms and ranches, Nelson said, adding that term limits also make it more challenging to fill in information gaps and tear down barriers with elected leaders in Lincoln.

Celebrating a centennial

During his opening remarks at the convention, Nelson also acknowledged Nebraska Farm Bureaus 100th anniversary.

He said that without knowing anything about the founders or their first meeting, he believes they had some things in common with todays members.

I see (today) the same thing those individuals who started our organization saw in 1917, Nelson said. A room full of hardworking people who make their living on the land ... People who understand that we can get more done working together than we can by working alone.
KEARNEY  This is just fun.

Thats what Executive Director Judi Sickler said as the Kearney Area Community Foundation counts down to Give Where You Live, its fifth-annual 24-hour fundraiser. It starts at midnight Thursday and runs through 11:59 p.m.

The goal this year is $700,000, nearly 10 percent more than the $640,000 raised last year. Since GWYL began in 2013, it has raised more than $2.1 million. Donations up to $25,000, all tax-deductible, will be matched by the Challenge Match Pool, a fund created by KACF and contributing people and businesses.

At KACF, 40 volunteers will be on hand throughout the day to accept donations, greet donors and record donations online.

The region is gearing up for the big day. Nearly 40 of the 149 participating nonprofits will serve cookies and coffee, display building plans or more.

For example, Buffalo County Community Partners will be at Chapman Swifts Coffee House at 2400 Central Ave. from 4-6 p.m. to serve smores to donors who give at least $10. Members will also read poems from this falls PhotoVoice program.

Kearney Family YMCA at 4500 Sixth Ave. is inviting people to stop in and ride on a stationery bike in the lobby in honor of a cancer survivor from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Y hopes to raise $10,000 to launch a new program called Livestrong.

Some participating nonprofits are familiar names  Kearney Little League, Kearney Whitewater Association and the Kearney High Theatre Boosters. Others, such as Rooted, the Todd Becker Foundation, SoulBeauty or Royal Neighbors Kearney Chapter, are less well known, but just as enthusiastic.

The Kearney Rail Viewing Platform is raising money for a place where rail fans can watch trains along the Union Pacific tracks. From 4-6 p.m., visitors can go to the Circle D Boot & Saddle Repair at 1906 Central Ave. to enjoy cookies, see pictures of the proposal and make a donation.

Hollyjeans Hope Cat Spaying, formed in 2012 to reduce the feral cat problem in Ravenna, hopes to raise money to help trap wild cats and have them spayed or neutered and vaccinated. LoperCats, participating in GWYL for the second year, has a similar goal. Last year, it raised $780 through GWYL to buy cat food, repair its eight cat feeding sites around the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus, and trap cats to get them spayed or neutered and vaccinated.

Rowe Sanctuary in Gibbon had a preview Give Where You Live open house Saturday with a hike, face painting, crafts and more. It uses the donations to preserve habitat for sandhill cranes, whooping cranes and other migratory birds along the Platte River.

In Shelton, representatives from 13 nonprofits will gather in the Shelton Community Center to serve coffee and take donations. Organizations in Gibbon, Pleasanton and Ravenna are also participating as GWYL spreads to other communities in the area, Sickler said.

In GWYLs first year, donors gave $453,000 to 99 nonprofits, nearly twice the goal. In 2016, donations had grown by $200,000. Last year, 1,667 donors made roughly 4,100 gifts for 145 organizations and causes.

Visit the GWYL website to learn more about the event, special events, contests, challenges, prizes, sponsors and more.
KEARNEY  Wyatt Hubbard of Elm Creek and Hal Moomey of Kearney skipped some days at their high schools during Thanksgiving week to attend classes at an agricultural high school in Taichung, Taiwans second-largest city.

A lot of it is more hands-on, and they have a small farm where (students) do daily chores, Wyatt said about The Affiliated Taichung Agricultural Senior High School of National Chung Hsing University.

The farm has no beef cattle like the ones his family raises, but Taiwan students do care for pigs, chickens, rabbits, goats and a few Holstein dairy cows.

A major area of study at the Taiwan school is food processing, including a bakery.

Everything the students did, we did, Wyatt said. In the baking class, we made macaroon cookies and decorated them.

It was a new experience, although he has baked pies and cakes as 4-H projects.

Crops are the focus at a second farm affiliated with the school. There was a little corn, but most crops are fruits such as dragon fruit and papayas; vegetables, particularly tomatoes and sweet potatoes; and plants such as lemongrass and trees that provide ingredients for essential oils made and marketed by the students.

Wyatt said there was one outdoor irrigation system and a drip system in a greenhouse similar to ones in Nebraska.

Wyatt and Hal were selected by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to represent the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute in Taiwan as part of a student exchange program coordinated with and co-sponsored by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Denver. Nebraska Farm Bureau is the other sponsor.

For the past 14 years, high school ag students from Taiwan have attended NAYIs week-long summer program for Nebraska high school juniors and seniors.

Wyatt said he met some Taiwan students at NAYI. He and Hal will talk about their travel experiences next summer as part of the 2018 program in Lincoln.

Hal noticed that everything about agriculture in Taiwan is small scale, including the farms and machinery. In contrast, even their small cities are huge compared to us, he said.

Because there are many mouths to feed and not much land for growing food, Taiwan relies on food imports, Hal said.

The Buffalo County high school seniors said Nebraska-grown products are among those imports.

The biggest statistic we heard was that one in four hamburgers eaten in Taiwan is from Nebraska (beef), Wyatt said, adding that soybean imports also are important as human food and to feed swine and poultry. We learned that even though Taiwan is a small country, it has a big impact on our exports and the money we take in.

The boys also saw the importance of trade when they visited a Taiwanese grocery store that sells 320 U.S. products. They were very proud of that, Wyatt said.

They are a key trading partner and trade between Nebraska and Taiwan can continue to flourish in the future, Hal said.

He described the coolest experience as when he and Wyatt went to the foreign administration building and talked with the man who oversees Taiwans trade with North America. We almost had a mini-meeting with him, Hal said.

Neither boy had traveled overseas before. Id been to Jamaica on a family trip one time, but it was nothing like this, Hal said.

In addition to learning about ag trade, the boys had time to experience Taiwans culture and meet its people while walking around Taichung.

They were so nice and friendly, and seemed happy that we were there, said Wyatt, who hopes to study abroad while in college.

He also enjoyed trying the street food, including reticulum  the second stomach of a cow  that was cut into strips and cooked in chicken broth. Three of us cut it into chunks and popped them in our mouths at the same time, Wyatt said. It was very chewy, but the taste wasnt bad.
KEARNEY  A Kearney man is accused of sexually assaulting a girl younger than 12 years old.

Jose Reynaldo Lopez, 63, also known in court records by two other aliases, is charged in Buffalo County District Court with felony first-degree sexual assault of a child younger than12 years of age.

Details about the alleged incident on Oct. 25 are sealed. His case was bound over from Buffalo County Court on Nov. 20.

Lopez was arrested on a Buffalo County warrant on Oct. 31. Late this morning, he remained in jail on 10 percent of a $250,000 bond and must post $25,000 to be freed.

His case is pending in district court. If convicted, and he isnt placed on probation, Lopez faces 15 years to life in prison.
Though a variety of polls have indicated a large majority of Americans support the idea of paid family and medical leave, disagreement about whether it should be mandated by the federal government and where the money should come to pay for it from remains strong.

In the end, it often comes down to a tug-of-war between what businesses can afford and the desire to ensure workers have the chance to provide for their family members, both financially and in person.

A plan by Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer that attempts to bridge this gap offering a tax credit to employers worth between an eighth and a quarter of wages paid to eligible workers during their absences. While the plan doesnt guarantee a minimum number of paid days like those seen in other countries, it marks an initial step to address paid family leave, an area where the United States has long fallen short.

No other developed country lacks paid parental leave requirements at the federal level, according to the international Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Yet the U.S. has more working mothers and two-income families than ever before.

Fischer is correct in noting many pertinent federal laws were passed in an era with far different workforce participation. The Family and Medical Leave Act, for instance, wasnt passed until 1993.

Yet, nearly a quarter of a century later, the Pew Research Center reports only 13 percent of Americans received specific employer-paid leave. Most received at least some pay from banking available time off prior to their absence, but the lowest-income workers were least likely to earn any pay while away from work  and nearly half reported having to go on public assistance to cover lost wages.

Forcing Americans to rely on public assistance is an expensive proposition that often creates a vicious circle for its inhabitants. In too many cases, increasing work or wages leads to an abrupt end of needed money, trapping families by limiting their only way to make ends meet to the social safety net.

Though that bill has some major flaws about which we harbor deep concerns, its better than its companion in the House  but faces a difficult road to passage.

Lincoln Journal Star
Tax reform is our main focus in Congress right now, and many beneficial provisions for the agriculture economy are advancing with this effort. We know farmers and ranchers are weathering uncertain times, and as we get closer to putting a tax reform bill on President Trumps desk, we also need to get moving on the farm bill.

Over the past few months, I held farm bill listening sessions across the Third District. These open forums led to constructive discussions about what has and has not worked in the current farm bill. I have already shared the feedback with a number of my colleagues in Congress.

This week, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway reached out for my input on the priorities we should focus on for the next farm bill. I highlighted four main themes from my ongoing discussions with Nebraska producers.

First, we must maintain an adequate safety net by keeping crop insurance programs available and affordable for producers. Many attendees of my farm bill listening sessions stressed the importance of this public-private partnership to their operations. The 2014 farm bill prioritized crop insurance, which requires buy-in from producers and greatly reduces the need for costly ad hoc disaster payments. Protecting both producers and taxpayers, crop insurance is a cornerstone of responsible agriculture policy.

Second, we need to ensure the Title I farm commodity provisions such as Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) remain available to producers during times of economic stress. With the lack of predictability in the agriculture economy, we must keep risk management tools in place.

Third, we should remember the needs of livestock producers in the development of the farm bill. They face unique challenges, some of which must be resolved outside the bills framework, such as expanding market access for their products through trade negotiations. On the Ways and Means Committee, I continue to work on strengthening and increasing trade opportunities for all producers. Through the farm bill, we can provide valuable tools like the Market Access Program for export assistance while also addressing issues such as disaster assistance and disease prevention.

Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, we need to complete the farm bill on time. There is already too much uncertainty for producers with low commodity prices and an uncertain trade environment. We should not leave them guessing about what the next farm bill will look like when we know they need the information to make decisions about their operations.

The 3rd District is the top-producing agriculture district in the country due to the hard work day after day, rain or shine, of the farmers and ranchers who put food on our tables and steward the land. Their industry has inherent risks, but they take those risks because they know how vital their work is to the health and well-being of people across the globe.

I look forward to more discussions as we move the farm bill forward. As chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources, I will be working closely with the Agriculture Committee on issues related to the farm bill, namely the nutrition title. We must look carefully at its effectiveness, ensuring it is focused on those in need while enabling producers to provide more Americans with nutritious food.

Adrian Smiths 3rd Congressional District encompasses 75 central and western Nebraska counties.
This photo provided by Facebook demonstrates parental controls on Facebook's new Messenger app for kids. Facebook is launching the messaging app for children to chat with their parents and with friends approved by their parents. The free app is aimed at kids under 13, who can't yet have their own accounts under Facebook's rules, though they often do. (Courtesy of Facebook via AP)
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New President of the Federation des femmes du Quebec (FFQ) Gabrielle Bouchard is seen in her office, Tuesday, December 5, 2017 in Montreal. Bouchard is the first trans woman to lead Quebec's main woman's rights organization.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Mary Torres of Falls Church, Va., left, holds a rolling pin up in support of cake artist Jack Phillips, while outside of the Supreme Court with her daughter Maria Torres, right, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, during arguments the 'Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission' case in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Kenosha Police Department is warning against a new tactic being used to extract personal information.

Police want residents to avoid answering calls that appear to be coming from their own phone numbers. Scam artists are using spoofing to achieve the effect.

If you get a call from your own number, do not pick up! the Kenosha Police Department posted on its Facebook page Monday morning. This is the most recent cell phone scam that could put your security and personal information at risk.

The phone call includes a recorded message that states, Your account has been flagged for security purposes. After the tone, please enter the last four digits of your primary account holders Social Security number, the department said Monday.

Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information that comes up on a persons caller ID in order to disguise their identity, and is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

While spoofing is not illegal in all forms, under the Truth in Caller ID Act, FCC rules prohibit any person or entity from transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongly obtain anything of value, the FCC states on its website. If no harm is intended or caused, spoofing is not illegal. Anyone who is illegally spoofing can face penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation.

According to Phylissia Landix from the Better Business Bureau, spoofing can help scammers in two ways:

It can help them trick residents into giving up information by posing as their phone company, hoping to get their Social Security number or something similar.

It can also help scammers use technology that inserts fraudulent charges onto a persons upcoming telephone bill.

The longer you spend on that phone, the greater chances they can get something done and insert the fraudulent charge, Landix said.

If residents are contacted by a suspicious number, the police department encourages them to avoid giving out personal information over the phone unless they are absolutely sure they know who they are talking to, and to avoid answering calls from unknown numbers entirely.

These scammers are even using recent data breaches to create a feeling of legitimacy and get information, the department posted Monday. Avoid problems by never giving personal information out over the phone unless you are positive about who you are talking to  and preferably dialed the number yourself. Just let calls from unknown numbers go to voicemail.

If it is important, the person will leave a message and you can call them back, police stated.
A Glanbia initiative to provide farmer/suppliers with flexible loans has won a major accolade.

The Glanbia MilkFlex Fund won the innovation award at the 2017 European Awards for Co-operative Innovation, presented by COGECA, the Association of European Agri Co-operatives, in Brussels.

The MilkFlex Fund offers Glanbia milk suppliers loan repayments which vary according to seasonality and movements in milk price.

The purpose of the Glanbia MilkFlex Fund is to provide Glanbia milk suppliers with an innovative funding product to support investment in on-farm productive assets (including livestock, milking platform infrastructure and land improvement).

Henry Corbally, Chairman of Glanbia said that since its launch in March 2016, the fund has encouraged renewed debate on the development of innovative funding products for farmers which is positive for the overall sector and to be welcomed.

Since its arrival on the market in May 2016, the Fund has received more than 90 million in loan applications.

The average value of MilkFlex loans drawn from the Fund is 100,000 to date, Mr Corbally pointed out.

A key feature is that it has an inbuilt flex triggers that adjusts the repayment terms in line with movements in Glanbia Irelands (GI) manufacturing milk price and seasonality, thereby providing farmers with cash flow relief when most needed.

Receiving the Award, Sean Molloy, Director of Strategy and Supply Development at Glanbia Ireland highlighted the support of partners - the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, Rabobank and Finance Ireland - in bringing the Glanbia MilkFlex Fund to market.

It is a valuable tool in assisting dairy farmers to manage income volatility, which is particularly challenging for family farms everywhere, he said.

Cogeca President Thomas Magnusson said he was delighted with the quality of the award recipients in 2017.

These awards aim to promote practices and innovative solutions designed by co-operatives. Since 2009, Cogeca - the voice of European agri co-operatives - recognizes and celebrates the outstanding innovation practices of European agri co-operatives, the chief of the giant EU wide co-op.
TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Tuesday he did not discuss with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who would head the central bank when his term expires in April next year. Kuroda, speaking to reporters at the prime minister's official residence after their meeting, said he discussed the global economy with Abe and told him that economic conditions were solid.

(Reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
SAO PAULO, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Brazilian payment processor PagSeguro Internet Ltda is considering an initial public offering in the first quarter of 2018 in New York, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

PagSeguro, which provides online and mobile payment services for Brazilian companies, has been in talks with Goldman Sachs & Co for an IPO since earlier this year.

Goldman Sachs declined to comment. Universo Online, PagSeguro's controlling shareholder, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Dec 4 (Reuters) - Payment processor Mastercard Inc said on Monday it would buy back up to $4 billion of its class A shares.

The new share repurchase program will be effective at the completion of the company's previously announced $4 billion share repurchase program, Mastercard said. Under the previously announced buyback, the company has about $1.5 billion remaining, the statement added.

The company said it also increased its quarterly cash dividend to 25 cents per share, a 14 percent increase over the previous dividend of 22 cents a share.

Mastercard had 1.04 billion class A shares and 15.1 million class B shares as of Oct. 26. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Cooney)
WELLINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Prices for New Zealand's main commodities fell in November as the dairy sector weighed, ANZ Bank's commodity price index showed on Tuesday.

The index dropped 0.9 percent for the month, compared with a 0.3 percent fall in October.

On an annual basis, the index was 6.0 percent higher in November, compared with a 10.4 percent increase the month prior.

Prices for whole milk powder, a major New Zealand export, fell 6.2 percent last month.

(Reporting by Wellington bureau; Editing by Eric Meijer)
HANOI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0403 GMT.

December 5 USD/VND mid-point 22,429 USD/VND interbank 22,717/22,718 USD/VND unofficial 22,760/22,780 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.34/36.56

Interbank offered rates Overnight 1.0-1.6

1 week 1.3-1.8

1 month 2.1-2.7

3 months 4.4-5.0

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom)
LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Europe's banks and brokers could be facing a Brexit "point-of no-return" with key financial contracts as soon as March, one of Germany's top central bankers said on Tuesday.

Bundesbank board member Andreas Dombret, who oversees regulatory issues for the German central bank, was talking about the changes sparked by Brexit requiring hundreds of thousands of contracts to be re-written - a process known as "re-papering".

"For the banks, once they start re-papering it is the point-of-no-return and that will happen in the first half of next year maybe even in the first quarter of next year," Dombret said at conference organised by banking trade association, UK Finance.

He added the issue was bigger especially for longer-term contracts.

(Reporting by Marc Jones, editing by David Evans)
NEW YORK, Dec 5 (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc President Rob Kapito on Tuesday said there is a "high probability" that stocks globally are going to rise as more than $70 trillion in savings enters the market in search of better returns. Speaking at a question-and-answer session in New York, Kapito said the cash is also likely to enter the debt market over the long term, keeping rates low. BlackRock is the world's largest fund manager, overseeing nearly $6 trillion.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; editing by Diane Craft)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
Dec 5 (Reuters) - Below are the ratings awarded by Credit Analysis and Research Ltd. (CARE) for local debt instruments as of December 4, 2017.

COMPANY INSTRUMENT RATING AMOUNT MOVEMENT

(RS.MLN) ------- ---------- ------ ------- --------- SHORT TERM RATINGS: ------------------- Ajanta Pharma Ltd ST Bk Fac (Non CARE A1+ 450 Reaffirmed

Fund Based) Barmer Lignite Mining Co. Ltd ST Bk Fac - CARE A3 250 Reaffirmed

Non-fund based Brij Raj Holdings ST Bk Fac CARE A4 107.5 Reaffirmed Gtn Textile Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A4 797 Reaffirmed Hindustan Equipments Pvt. Ltd. ST Bk Fac CARE A3 50 Assigned India Circuits Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A4 90 Reaffirmed (Enhanced form 7.50 CR) Jindal Fibres Pvt Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A4 40 Issuer not

cooperating

Based on

best

available

information K.H.T Agencies Pvt Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A4 370 Reaffirmed Kumar Brothers Chemists Pvt Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A4 2.5 Reaffirmed M. R. Enterprises_(Jaipur) ST Bk Fac CARE A4 100 Reaffirmed Jai Ganesh Ispat& Ferro Alloys Pvt LtdST Bk Fac Withdrawn Patspin India Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A4 1575 Reaffirmed Peermade Development Society ST Bk Fac CARE A4+ 60 Reaffirmed (reduced from 11.70 CR) Saraf Foods Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A4+ 14.3 Reaffirmed Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills Pvt LtST Bk Fac CARE A3+ 230 Revised from

CARE A3 Tmf Holdings Ltd CP CARE A1+ 25000 Reaffirmed Visaka Industries Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A1+ 1150 Reaffirmed Viraj Enterprises ST Bk Fac Withdrawn Visu Leasing And Finance Pvt Ltd Proposed CP issue CARE A1 2500 Assigned Winsome Textile Industries Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A3 2776 Reaffirmed Vhv Beverages Pvt Ltd ST Bk Fac - - Withdrawn Yash Papers Ltd ST Bk Fac CARE A3 175 Reaffirmed

MEDIUM TERM RATINGS: ------------------- Visaka Industries Ltd Fixed Deposit CARE AA- (FD) 250 Revised from

programme CARE A+ (FD) LONG TERM RATINGS: ------------------- ABT Investments (India) Pvt Ltd LT NonConvertible CARE D 1000 Revised from

Debentures CARE B Ajanta Pharma Ltd LT Bk Fac (TL) - - Withdrawn Ajanta Pharma Ltd LT/ST Bk Fac (Fund CARE AA / CARE 750 Reaffirmed

Based) A1+ Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport LT Bk Fac CARE BB 20000 Assigned Corporation Asthalakshmi Agrotech Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BB- 230.6 Reaffirmed (Enhanced form 18.00 CR) Barmer Lignite Mining Co. Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BBB 16015.8 Reaffirmed Barmer Lignite Mining Co. Ltd LT Bk Fac - CC CARE BBB 750 Reaffirmed Brij Raj Holdings LT Bk Fac CARE BB- 20 Reaffirmed Deekay Impex LT Bk Fac CARE BB- 15 Reaffirmed Deekay Impex LT / ST Bk Fac CARE BB-/CARE 130 Reaffirmed

A4 Deekay Pine Board Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BB- 30 Reaffirmed Deekay Pine Board Pvt Ltd LT / ST Bk Fac CARE BB-/CARE 180 Reaffirmed

A4 Dreamz Overseas Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE B+ 60 Revised from

CARE B East Hyderabad Expressway Ltd LT Bk Fac - TL CARE BBB+ 1366.1 Reaffirmed Fermi Solar Farms Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac - TL CARE BBB 3795 Assigned Gn Pal And Associates LT Bk Fac CARE BB- 90 Assigned Greenko Clean Energy Projects Pvt Ltd Proposed Provisional 1000 Assigned

NonConvertible CARE A+ (SO)

Debenture issue ^ ^proposed to be backed by unconditional and irrevocable corporate guarantee of Greenko Energies Private Limited (GEPL rated CARE A+/CARE A1+ ). Gtn Textile Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE D 290.1 Reaffirmed Hindustan Equipments Pvt. Ltd. LT Bk Fac CARE BBB- 399.1 Assigned Hindustan Equipments Pvt. Ltd. LT /ST Bk Fac CARE BBB- 96 Assigned

/CARE A3 India Circuits Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BB- 90 Reaffirmed (Enhanced form 7.50 CR) Jai Ganesh Ispat& Ferro Alloys Pvt LtdLT Bk Fac Withdrawn Jindal Fibres Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BB 197.1 Issuer not

cooperating

Based on

best

available

information K.H.T Agencies Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BB- 374.9 Reaffirmed Kerala Balers Pvt Ltd LT / Shortterm Bk CARE BB/CARE A4240 Revised from

Fac CARE BB-/CARE

A4 Kumar Brothers Chemists Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BB 370 Reaffirmed Liz Traders And Agents Pvt Ltd LT/ ST instruments CARE AA- 1500 Reaffirmed

/CARE A1+ M. R. Enterprises_(Jaipur) LT Bk Fac CARE BB- 20 Reaffirmed Maliram Jewellers LT Bk Fac/ ST Bk CARE BB/CARE A4150 Reaffirmed

Fac Modern Education Foundation LT Bk Fac CARE BBB- 86.1 Reaffirmed National Energy Trading And Services Ltd LT Bk Fac (CC) CARE BBB- 200 Revised from

CARE BBB National Energy Trading And Services Ltd Long/ST Bk Fac CARE BBB- 1000 Revised from

/CARE A3 CARE BBB

/CARE A3+ Omvishwa Grains Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE B 70 Assigned Parth Thread Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac (TL) CARE BB 49.1 Reaffirmed (reduced from 6.08 CR) Parth Thread Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac (CC) CARE BB 85 Reaffirmed Patspin India Ltd Long/ST Bk Fac CARE C/CARE A4 70 Reaffirmed Patspin India Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE D 1210.6 Reaffirmed Peermade Development Society LT Bk Fac CARE BB+ 80.2 Reaffirmed Rohtak Panipat Tollway Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BBB- 9707.2 Reaffirmed Saraf Foods Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BB+ 314.1 Reaffirmed Saraf Foods Ltd LT/ST Bk Fac CARE BB+/CARE 62.5 Reaffirmed

A4+ Sharekhan Financial Services Pvt Ltd CP Issue (IPO Withdrawn

Financing) Shri Rathi Steel (Dakshin) Ltd LT/ ST Bk Fac Withdrawn Shriram City Union Finance Ltd NCD (Proposed) CARE AA+ 5000 Assigned Sneh Sadan Traders And Agents Ltd LT/ ST instruments CARE AA- 2750 Reaffirmed

/CARE A1+ Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills Pvt LtLT Bk Fac CARE BBB+ 3572.2 Revised from

CARE BBB Venkatesh Cotton Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE B+ 70 Reaffirmed Visaka Industries Ltd Long/ST Bk Fac CARE AA-/CARE 1185 Revised from

A1+ CARE A+/ CARE

A1+ Vhv Beverages Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac - - Withdrawn Viraj Enterprises LT Bk Fac Withdrawn Visaka Industries Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE AA- 2573.6 Revised from

CARE A+ Visu Leasing And Finance Pvt Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE A 5000 Assigned Winsome Textile Industries Ltd LT Bk Fac CARE BBB- 2248 Reaffirmed Yash Papers Ltd LT Bk Fac (TL) CARE BBB- 836.2 Reaffirmed Yash Papers Ltd LT Bk Fac (Working CARE BBB- 583.4 Reaffirmed

capital facility) Yash Papers Ltd LT Bk Fac (Non CARE BBB- 55.4 Reaffirmed

Fund Based - BG) Yogesh Poultry And Breeding Farm LT Bk Fac CARE B+ 150 Assigned -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $: Rating watch with positive implication #: Rating Watch with Developing implications @: Rating Watch with Negative Implications %: Rating under Credit Watch wd -Rating Stands Withdrawn sp -Rating Suspended pp -Principal Protected pn -Principal Not Protected CARE may apply + or - signs for ratings to reflect a comparative standing within the category. BG-Bank Guarantee; CC-Cash Credit; CCPS-Cumulative Convertible Preference Share; CD-Certificate of Deposit; CLO-Collateralized Loan Obligation; CPA-Claims Paying Ability; CP-Commercial Paper; CPS-convertible preference shares; CRPS- Cumulative Redeemable Convertible Preference shares; DDB-Deep Discount Bond; EPBI-Exchange premium bond; FBL-Fund Based Limits; FRB/FRN -Floating Rate Bond/Note; ICD -Inter Corporate Deposit; ITD-Immediate Term Debt; LOC-Letter of Credit; LT -Long Term; LTB -Long Term Borrowing; LTD -Long Term Debt; MOCD-multiple option convertible debenture; MTD -Medium term Debenture; MTN-medium term notes; NCD(SO) - Non-Convertible Debenture-(Structured Obligation); NCD-Non-convertible Debentures; NCRB-Non Convertible Redeemable Bonds; NM-Not Meaningful; OCD-optionally convertible debenture; OD-Over Draft; OFCD-Optionally Fully Convertible Debenture; PCD-Partially Convertible Debenture; PCN-partly convertible notes; PCPS-Partly Convertible Preference Share; POCD-partly optional; PP-privately placed; PSPC-Post Shipment & Packing Credit; PS-Preference Shares; PTC-Pass Through Certificates; RPS-Redeemable Preference Shares; SCPN-secured convertible preference notes; SDO-Structured Debt Obligation; SLR-Statutory Liquidity Ratio; SO-Structured Obligation; SPCD - Secured Partly Convertible Debentures; SPN-secured premium notes; STB-Short Term Bond; STD-Short Term Debentures; ST-Short Term; Sub. Bonds-Subordinate Bonds; TB-Taxable Bond; TFB-Tax Free Bond; TL-Term Loan; TOCD-triple option convertible debentures. (Mumbai Rate Reporting Unit + 91 22 6180 7222/3317 7222, E-mail at rru.data@thomsonreuters.com)

Keywords: CARE RATINGS/
(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

* GRAPHIC: China LNG imports vs. spot price: By Clyde Russell

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Dec 5 (Reuters) - China's push to use more natural gas over winter in a bid to cut air pollution is running into the harsh realities of rising prices and limited supplies of the cleaner fuel.

In a signal of what may become more government intervention in the natural gas market, China's state planner ordered eight regions to meet with natural gas producers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal operators and traders. The meetings are effectively a warning by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to the various players in the natural gas sector to ensure that prices don't rise too much even as rising demand causes supply shortages.

Beijing has encouraged China's provinces to switch from coal to natural gas for both residential heating and industrial processes over winter as part of efforts to limit the smog that has in past years choked cities, including the capital.

In some ways, the move has been too successful, with the industry-heavy provinces of Hebei and Shandong warning of natural gas shortages, and Hebei forcing some users to cut consumption.

It's not only the shortage of natural gas that's causing problems. China's domestic LNG price has risen to its highest since 2011, topping 7,000 yuan ($1,061) a tonne in the last week of November.

The spot price of seaborne LNG in Asia has also surpassed the high from the 2016-17 winter, reaching $9.85 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) in the week ended Dec. 1.

The peak from the previous winter was $9.75 per mmBtu, hit in early January this year, and the price is some 82 percent higher than the $5.40 low reached during the low demand summer period.

JAWBONING THE MARKET

The dilemma facing the NDRC is how to ensure sufficient natural gas without boosting prices too high to start causing economic pain to consumers.

China's oil and gas producers appear to be playing their part by boosting domestic natural gas output, with production up 15.4 percent to 12.4 billion cubic metres (bcm) in October from the same month last year. Natural gas output is up 9.7 percent in the first 10 months of the year, in stark contrast to a 4.1 percent decline in China's crude oil production over the same period.

Pipeline imports from central Asian suppliers are also up, rising 5.9 percent in the first 10 months of the year to the equivalent of 25.1 million tonnes.

The story is even more dramatic for LNG imports, which surged 48.9 percent in the first 10 months to 29.1 million tonnes, according to customs data.

Given that it's likely that domestic natural gas output can't be ramped up much further in the short term, and pipeline imports will run up against capacity limits, the only viable option to boost natural gas supply is to import more LNG.

It appears China is doing just that, with November likely a new record high.

LNG imports were 4.12 million tonnes in November, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Thomson Reuters Supply Chain and Commodity Forecasts.

This would beat the previous record of 3.7 million tonnes from December last year, and also be well up on October's 3.6 million.

The problem for China is that its strong demand for LNG is driving up spot prices and tightening the market for the super-chilled fuel.

While LNG is likely to move to surplus in 2018 and 2019 as new projects come online, mainly in Australia and the United States, the current market is showing signs of being under-supplied for the northern winter.

For now it appears the Chinese authorities are trying to boost supplies of natural gas from all available sources, while waving a stick at players in the industry in a bid to keep prices from rising too high.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ China LNG imports vs. spot price ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Editing by Richard Pullin)
PRAGUE, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The lower house of the Czech parliament approved the 2018 state budget draft in the first out of three readings on Tuesday, setting the deficit target at 50 billion crowns ($2.31 billion).

The budget will now go to committees and then back to the full house for the final reading.

The draft sees central state budget revenue of 1.31 trillion crowns next year and net inflows of EU funding of 29.4 billion crowns.

The budget, prepared by the outgoing centre-left government, won 116 votes against 32 in the 200-seat lower house after factions from the outgoing cabinet backed it as well as deputies for the far-right SPD party.

It won votes from the strongest ANO party led by Andrej Babis, which was in the previous cabinet and is now building a new minority one-party administration following an election in October.

While the central budget is planned with a deficit, the draft sees a surplus of the overall public sector finances - which also include regional budgets, the national healthcare system and other items - at 1.3 percent of gross domestic product, up from 1.1 percent seen in 2017.

This year's central budget was planned with a deficit of 60 billion crowns but rapid economic growth may bring it close to balance. Last year, the central budget recorded the first surplus in two decades.

($1 = 21.6890 Czech crowns)

(Reporting by Robert Muller and Jan Lopatka)
CAIRO, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Egypt has paid back a total $4 billion to the African Export-Import Bank, the central bank said on Tuesday.

The central bank said on Monday it had paid back $2 billion of a $3.2 billion loan and would repay the remaining $1.2 billion by the end of December, state news agency MENA reported.

Newspaper El-Borsa reported on Tuesday that the central bank said it had also paid back $2 billion under a repurchase agreement.

Egypt's foreign reserves were $36.723 billion at the end of November, having climbed steadily since it secured a $12 billion, three-year International Monetary Fund loan programme last year as it tries to lure back foreign investors and revive its ailing economy.

An IMF team completed its second review of Egypt's performance under the loan programme last month and the lender's board is expected to approve a third, $2 billion, disbursement of funds this month.

The latest foreign reserve total did not account for Monday's payment to the African Export-Import Bank. (Reporting by Ehab Farouk, writing by John Davison; Editing by Catherine Evans)
SAO PAULO, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Brazil's benchmark Bovespa index led gains among Latin American equities markets on Tuesday, as the governing coalition appeared closer to gaining the votes needed to pass a pension reform.

The reform, seen as important to shoring up Brazil's fiscal health, has been by far the dominant factor in the Bovespa's performance for weeks. Late on Monday, Rodrigo Maia, the speaker of Brazil's lower house, told journalists that President Michel Temer was still far from assembling the coalition needed to pass the reform, but potential supporters were now far more organized than last week. Earlier on Tuesday, congressmen in Temer's Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) decided to ask the party leadership to formalize support for the measure, a source told Reuters. Other parties, in particular the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), are expected to decide on a similar step soon.

"This is a day-to-day game and the position of the PSDB will force other parties from the base to decide on formal support," analysts at Lerosa Investimentos wrote in a note to clients.

Brazil's Bovespa index had shot up 0.82 percent by midday, while the nation's real currency jumped 0.42 percent.

As with a number of recent sessions, Chile's benchmark IPSA index was the big loser as markets brace for a Dec. 17 second-round presidential vote, in which investor favorite Sebastian Pinera will square off against center-left Alejandro Guillier.

Late on Monday, hard-left Beatriz Sanchez, who came in third in the first round vote, formally endorsed Guillier, as the country's left shows more unity than political analysts initially anticipated. The IPSA had fallen 0.61 percent in midday trading, while the nation's peso currency dropped 0.71 percent.

Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1442 GMT:

Stock indexes daily % YTD %

Latest change change MSCI Emerging Markets 1117,82 -0,37 30,12 MSCI LatAm 2765,92 0,55 17,52

Brazil Bovespa 73689,61 0,82 22,35

Mexico S&P/BVM IPC 47259,06 0,21 3,54 Chile IPSA 4983,83 -0,61 20,05

Chile IGPA 25087,94 -0,58 21,00

Argentina MerVal 26885,95 0,19 58,92

Colombia IGBC 10806,08 -0,03 6,69

Venezuela IBC 1358,80 -3,61 -95,71

Currencies daily % YTD %

change change

Latest Brazil real 3,2327 0,42 0,51

Mexico peso 18,7250 -0,59 10,78

Chile peso 652,35 -0,71 2,81

Colombia peso 3000,2 -0,41 0,04 Peru sol 3,235 -0,06 5,53

Argentina peso (interbank) 17,3700 -0,06 -8,61 Argentina peso (parallel) 18,04 0,17 -6,76 (Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Andrew Hay)
BAGHDAD, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Iraq's government approved a deal to import natural gas from Iran to the eastern border province of Diyala, it said in a statement on Tuesday, increasing purchases of the Iranian fuel which started earlier this year. Iran began exporting gas to Iraq in June after several years of delays. The neighbours, both members of OPEC, initially signed a deal in 2013 for Iran to supply Iraqi power stations, but officials in the past blamed poor security in Iraq for hampering implementation. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Maher Chmaytelli)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
(Kitco News) - A state-owned company in Kazakhstan is cutting output of uranium, which analysts say will dent global supply and lead to higher prices.

NAC Kazatomprom JSC said the company and its subsidiaries plan to reduce uranium production by 20% in order to better align its output with demand. The cuts will be for three years starting in January.

A number of news reports have cited analysts as saying this is a supply shock that will boost prices since a significant amount of metal is being taken away from the market.

On its website, the company said this will result in a production deferral of 11,000 tonnes during the three-year time frame. An estimated 4,000 tonnes will be cut in 2018 alone, representing approximately 7.5% of global uranium production for 2018 as forecast by UxC, Kazatomprom said.

The company said it has informed all major customers, adding that future contractual delivery obligations will not be affected.

"Given the challenging market conditions, and in light of continued oversupply in the uranium market, we have taken the strategic decision to reduce production in order to better align our production levels with market demand, said Galymzhan Pirmatov, chairman of board of Kazatomprom.

We believe that these measures strongly underline our commitment to ensuring the long-term sustainability of uranium mining -- a critical component in the generation of clean, carbon-free electricity around the globe.
TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average dropped on Tuesday with semiconductor equipment manufacturers' stocks hit by weakness in U.S. tech shares overnight, undercutting gains for banks and brokerages.

The Nikkei ended 0.4 percent lower at 22,622.38, but the broader Topix added 0.2 percent to 1,790.97. .

Manufacturers of chip-manufacturing equipment lost ground, with Tokyo Electron sliding 2.8 percent and Advantest Corp shedding 1.8 percent. Silicon wafer maker Sumco Corp tumbled 4.1 percent.

Banks and brokers, like their U.S. counterparts overnight, gained. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group advanced 1.0 percent and Nomura Holdings climbed 1.6 percent.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
MOSCOW, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Promsvyazbank (PSB), one of Russia's biggest private lenders, said on Tuesday its N1.1 capital ratio was expected to reach 7.4 pct as of January 1, 2018 after it sold an asset worth 8 billion roubles.

The bank did not disclose the name of the buyer.

The bank's chairman Dmitry Ananyev told Reuters in an interview the bank planned to sell some non-performing assets which together with its usual banking business should allow it to earn 8 billion-9 billion roubles for the October-November period to increase its capital ratio. (writing by Denis Pinchuk; Editing by Christian Lowe)
JOHANNESBURG, Dec 5 (Reuters) - South Africa's Naspers said on Tuesday it had not been informed of any legal action from any of its investors, after a U.S. law firm said it had launched an investigation into the media and e-commerce giant.

Naspers said in a statement it took allegations that it had engaged in business malpractice seriously. It said the board of MultiChoice would investigate the matter.

(Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by James Macharia)
BUDAPEST, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The Hungarian Government Debt Management Agency (AKK) sold 33 billion forints ($124.78 million) worth of three-month Treasury bills on Tuesday, 7 billion forints less than planned, it said. Series: D180314 Issue status: Auction data: AUCTION DATE 05/12/2017 28/11/2017 TOTAL BIDS (bln HUF) 44.60 101.32 ALLOTTED (bln HUF) 33.00 44.00 AVERAGE YIELD (pct) 0.01 0.00 ($1 = 264.46 forints)

(Reporting by Sandor Peto)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Tokyo Gas Co Ltd said on Tuesday it signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) regarding the sale and purchase of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The move follows China's biggest state oil company Sinopec, one of the country's top banks and its sovereign wealth fund agreeing last month to develop the $43 billion natural gas project in Alaska, as the cash-poor U.S. state seeks to revive its dwindling energy industry. Alaska LNG is designed to carry natural gas from fields in the North Slope through an 800-mile (1,287 km) pipeline to south central Alaska for in-state use and to a liquefaction plant to produce up to 20 million tonnes of LNG per year for export. Tokyo Gas, which purchases about 14 million tonnes of LNG a year, plans to talk with AGDC on details of the possible purchase of LNG, including volume and length, a company spokesman said, adding such an action reflects its efforts to widen its supply sources.

Asked whether Tokyo Gas plans to invest in the project, the spokesman said: "We don't deny or confirm possibility of such an investment. Nothing has been decided at the moment."

Alaska created AGDC in 2010 to build the project to tap the North Slope gas reserves, where production is expected to average about 3.5 billion cubic feet per day, according to Alaska LNG's website.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
ISTANBUL, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Tuesday.

The lira stood at 3.8780 against the U.S. dollar at 0511 GMT, little changed from a close of 3.8730 on Monday.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond was at 12.12 percent in spot trade on Monday and fell to 12.03 percent in Tuesday-dated trade.

The main BIST 100 share index rose 1.6 percent to 105,214.87 points on Monday.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian shares were subdued on Tuesday as investors' rotation out of technology shares took a toll on some of the region's tech heavyweights although hopes of a major tax cut in the United States underpinned risk sentiment. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan were little changed, with a fall in semi-conductor shares offset by gains in telecom and financial shares. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.5 percent, led by declines in high-flying technology shares. U.S. COURT CASE

A Turkish-Iranian gold trader testifying at the trial of a Turkish bank executive in a New York federal court said Monday that he paid bribes to secure his release from jail in Turkey following his arrest in 2013. The trader, Reza Zarrab, has pleaded guilty to charges that he schemed to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions, and is testifying for U.S. prosecutors against Mehmet Hakan Atilla, an executive at Turkey's state-owned Halkbank on trial for related charges. Lawyers for Atilla accused U.S. prosecutors of withholding evidence that might help exculpate their client. They said this included gold trader Reza Zarrab's alleged willingness to lie in exchange for leniency. ERDOGAN

President Tayyip Erdogan will make a speech in parliament to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party (0830 GMT). He will then make a speech at a women's conference (1000 GMT).

YILDIRIM

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim visits South Korea.

CENTRAL BANK

The Turkish Central Bank will release its 2018 monetary and exchange rate policy text. It will also release its real effective exchange rate for November (1130 GMT).

FOREIGN MINISTER

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will travel to Brussels for a NATO foreign ministers' meeting.

For other related news, double click on:

Turkish politics Turkish equities Turkish money Turkish debt Turkish hot stocks Forex news All emerging market news All Turkish news For real-time quotes, double click on:

Istanbul National-100 stock index , interbank lira trading , lira bond trading (Writing by Daren Butler)
(New throughout, adds details from decision, background, byline)

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK, Dec 5 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit accusing Alibaba Group Holding Ltd of defrauding shareholders by concealing a regulatory warning about counterfeiters that the Chinese online retailer had received shortly before going public.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled 3-0 that a lower court judge erred in dismissing claims by holders of Alibaba's American Depositary Shares and ADS call options against Alibaba, Executive Chairman Jack Ma and others.

Alibaba had no immediate comment. The company has long faced accusations that its websites are a haven for counterfeiters, including of luxury goods.

Shareholders accused Alibaba of concealing a meeting on July 16, 2014, two months before its $25 billion initial public offering, in which China's powerful State Administration for Industry and Commerce threatened huge fines if Alibaba failed to suppress counterfeiting.

The price of Alibaba's ADS fell 12.8 percent on Jan. 28 and 29, 2015 after the SAIC revealed its concerns about products that were banned, fake or substandard, or infringed trademarks.

In June 2016, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan dismissed the nationwide lawsuit, saying Alibaba had flagged the regulatory risks in its IPO materials.

But in Tuesday's decision, which did not rule on the merits, the appeals court said the plaintiffs adequately alleged that Alibaba intended to defraud them.

It called the SAIC threat "highly material" to investors because it "required Alibaba to choose between giving up an important source of its revenue or risking enormous fines," either of which could hurt results or the IPO's success.

"Given the eventual market reaction to revelation of the information that was concealed at the time of the IPO, its revelation would likely have had a multi-billion dollar negative effect," the appeals court said.

The lawsuit was returned to McMahon for further proceedings.

Robert Kry, a partner at MoloLamken representing the plaintiffs, said: "We're pleased with the decision, and look forward to proving our claims."

Alibaba shares were up $2.08 at $171.66 in morning trading in New York.

The case is Christine Asia Co et al v Ma et al, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 16-2519.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)
* Indonesia to buy Rio 40 pct interest in Grasberg mine

* Freeport, Indonesia agreed in Aug to divestment plan

* Indonesia to also buy Indocopper Investama stake in Grasberg

(Adds quotes from mining minister, context)

By Wilda Asmarini

JAKARTA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Indonesia plans to acquire Rio Tinto's 40 percent participating interest in the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by the local unit of Freeport-McMoRan Inc , the mining minister said.

Under a joint venture formed in 1996, Rio has a 40 percent interest in Freeport's Grasberg contract, which entitles them to a 40 percent share of all production after 2022. Under a framework agreement announced in August, Phoenix, Arizona-based Freeport said it would divest 51 percent of PT Freeport Indonesia to the Indonesian government, but the fate of Rio's interest in the mine has been unclear. Indonesia plans in 2018 to complete the acquisition of Rio's interest in the mine, as well as the purchase of a 51 percent stake in Freeport Indonesia by the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) and other government units, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said on Tuesday.

"To achieve the 51 percent, there's Rio Tinto's 40 percent participating interest that will be acquired by the State-Owned Enterprise Ministry, which has been appointed by the government, along with regional-owned enterprises and (Papuan) tribes linked to the operations of PT Freeport Indonesia," said Jonan.

"Negotiations are underway and discussion of legal drafting have begun," Jonan added, noting that the talks were being conducted by the companies along with the Ministry of Finance and SOE ministry.

A 9.36 percent stake in Freeport Indonesia held by PT Indocopper Investama, which is wholly owned by Freeport McMoRan, will also be bought by the government, he said.

The government expects a written agreement on the matter, along with new fiscal terms in a special mining permit, in the near-term, he said.

A Melbourne-based spokesman for Rio declined to comment. A spokesman for Freeport Indonesia also declined to comment.

A review of two decades of annual reports shows Rio's capital expenditures on Grasberg reached nearly $2 billion, while its net profit add up to just $1.7 billion. (Reporting by Wilda Asmarini; Additional reporting by Jim Regan in SYDNEY; Writing by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Tom Hogue and Christian Schmollinger)
(Adds details of drug)

By Toni Clarke

Dec 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Novo Nordisk A/S's diabetes drug Ozempic, setting the stage for a heated competitive battle with Eli Lilly & Co's Trulicity.

Ozempic, known generically as semaglutide, will compete with others in a class known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs, which imitate an intestinal hormone that stimulates the production of insulin.

The company did not immediately say how much the drug will cost, saying only that it will be priced "at parity" to current market-leading drugs in the same class.

Ozempic is a once-weekly injection that Novo Nordisk hopes will take market share from Trulicity, which has been taking share from Novo Nordisk's once-daily Victoza. Novo Nordisk is also developing an oral form of semaglutide.

The approval comes as Novo Nordisk faces pricing competition to its existing diabetes products. The company is banking on Ozempic to help drive the overall growth of the GLP-1 market, which includes Trulicity and AstraZeneca Plc's once-weekly Bydureon.

(Reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Matthew Lewis)
* Deutsche plans IPO of minority stake in asset management

* KGaA structure to ensure full control of the unit

* Unit targets annual inflows of 3-5 pct, margins of 0.3 pct

(Adds fund manager comment)

By Arno Schuetze

FRANKFURT, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank plans to rebrand its asset management arm as DWS, the name of its main retail brand, and put a structure in place that gives the group full control even after the unit's planned stock market listing.

Germany's largest lender earlier this year said it would list a minority stake in Deutsche Asset Management, which sources say could achieve a total valuation of around 8 billion euros ($9.5 billion), as part of a broader overhaul following costly lawsuits and trading scandals.

On Tuesday, the bank said at a capital markets day that the asset management unit would assume the legal structure of a partnership limited by shares, or KGaA, during the first quarter of 2018.

That structure ensures Deutsche Bank can retain control of the unit even if its shareholding falls below the 75 percent needed to dominate normal German stock corporations, possibly as part of a merger of the unit with a peer.

However, in the event that Deutsche's holding falls below a certain - so far undisclosed - threshold, the unit would lose the KGaA status and become a normal stock corporation or AG.

Typically, such a threshold would be 50 percent.

Ingo Speich from fund manager Union Investment said the plan could come with a price. "The KGaA structure increases complexity and may lead to a valuation discount," he said.

Deutsche Bank board member Karl von Rohr is poised to become chairman of the unit, while its 12-member supervisory board will include another one or two Deutsche Bank representatives, four labour representatives and five or six independent directors.

"We want to unlock the full potential of Deutsche AM to facilitate growth," unit head Nicolas Moreau said.

The listing will give the unit the ability to attract and retain talent by incentivising staff with bonus shares, although it is not targeting overall pay increases. It will also enable the unit to use its shares to fund acquisitions.

The business is looking for ways to strengthen its so-called alternative products offerings, especially in areas such as structured credit and real estate asset management, bolster its distribution network and expand in countries such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.

Its management is, however, focused on smaller deals.

"I will not go around the world with my cheque book. We will probably not do large transformational deals, we will do add-ons," Moreau said.

In China, where the unit holds a 30 percent stake in Beijing-based Harvest Fund Management, it is aiming to raise money for investments in Europe or the United States, but not in China.

In the United States, Moreau has abandoned a previous strategy of offering a broad product range and wants to focus on areas such as alternative investments, fixed income and real assets.

Deutsche Asset Management currently has roughly 700 billion euros invested worldwide and plans to add 3-5 percent to that annually. It saw outflows of 5.5 percent last year as worries about Deutsche Bank, dogged by legal headaches, prompted some investors to shun the lender.

"We have had a challenging 18 months from mid-2015. We are through this now, we are on a good trajectory again in 2017," Moreau said.

The unit, which offers 600 investment funds, is also targeting management fee margins of more than 30 basis points, an adjusted cost-income-ratio of less than 65 percent and a dividend payout ratio of 65-75 percent.

In the first nine months, the unit posted a management fee margin of 32 basis points, while assets under management grew by 1 percent.

Total assets under management of the world's largest 500 money managers grew 5.8 percent to $81 trillion in 2016, according research from Willis Towers Watson, which lists Deutsche Bank's as the 14th largest firm, behind U.S. groups Blackrock, Vanguard and State Street, as well as European peers such as Allianz, Axa, BNP and UBS.

Some investors have indicated in the past they would prefer a stronger focus at Deutsche's asset management arm on so-called passive investments or exchange traded funds (ETFs). Its main business is currently actively managed funds. The asset management unit has 3,800 staff and aims to keep headcount stable.

($1 = 0.8436 euros)

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BREAKINGVIEWS-Deutsche Bank fund IPO raises perverse paradox ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Arno Schuetze; Editing by Mark Potter and Douglas Busvine)
(Adds pricing details)

By Toni Clarke

Dec 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Novo Nordisk A/S's diabetes drug Ozempic, setting the stage for a heated battle with Eli Lilly & Co's Trulicity.

Ozempic, known generically as semaglutide, will compete with others in a class known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs, which imitate an intestinal hormone that stimulates the production of insulin.

Ozempic is a once-weekly injection that Novo Nordisk hopes will take market share from Trulicity, which has been cutting into sales of Novo Nordisk's once-daily Victoza. Novo Nordisk is also developing an oral form of semaglutide.

The company said it plans to price the drug at $676 per prescription, which it described as "at parity" to current market-leading drugs in the same class.

The approval comes as Novo Nordisk faces pricing competition to its existing diabetes products. The company is banking on Ozempic to help drive the overall growth of the GLP-1 market, which includes Trulicity and AstraZeneca Plc's once-weekly Bydureon.

Novo Nordisk is betting that Ozempic's proven heart benefit and weight-loss advantage over rival products will increase its attractiveness both to physicians and insurers.

Analysts on average expect annual sales of Ozempic to reach $3.17 billion by 2023, with sales of Trulicity, which was approved in the United States in late 2014, reaching $3.71 billion over the same period, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Analysts at Credit Suisse estimate that by 2022 Novo Nordisk will have captured roughly 60 percent of the GLP-1 market compared with an expected 53 percent in 2017. They expect Lilly's GLP-1 share will increase to 33 percent from 29 percent over the same period.

Diabetes drug companies are under pressure from insurers to offer attractive prices in return for a formulary position, the list of medicines approved by an insurance company for reimbursement.

Dr Todd Hobbs, Novo Nordisk's chief medical officer, has said the company planned to "take a very competitive strategy with the payors" in order to gain market share. He said the company has strong relationships with prescribers built up over the years with Victoza.

GLP-1 products are also expected to face increased competition from biosimilars, less expensive versions of rival diabetes drugs.

(Reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington and Bill Berkrot in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Matthew Lewis)
HOUSTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Venezuela's former ambassador to the United Nations, Rafael Ramirez, has left the United States after being forced to resign by President Nicolas Maduro's government, according to a source with knowledge of his travel plan. Ramirez, who for more than a decade ran OPEC member Venezuela's massive oil industry, said earlier on Tuesday he was removed because of his opinions.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
By Yereth Rosen

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Even as the U.S. Senate moves to allow oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the real action is 150 miles (241 km) west, where industry proponents hope a coming sale of 10 million acres of land will revitalize the state's sagging crude production.

The Trump administration, through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, will auction off 10 million acres on Wednesday in the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR-A), a hotbed of oil exploration and development in the western part of Alaska's North Slope.

The planned sale has encouraged the oil industry while angering environmental groups. It would be the largest amount of land offered in a single lease sale there. The last sale of 1.45 million acres in 2016 netted $18.8 million, according to the U.S. Interior Department.

Alaskan crude output this year was just 490,000 bpd, according to government data, far off its peak in 1988, when it produced more than 2 million barrels a day, nearly a quarter of overall U.S. production at the time.

Alaska's Congress members have pushed to allow drilling in ANWR, and a provision to do that was included in the Republican tax bill that recently passed the Senate.

Yet industry supporters say development in the NPR-A, already established for the oil and gas industry, could yield barrels much more quickly than drilling in more remote Alaska frontiers.

"NPR-A has the potential to fulfill short-term oil and gas needs for the state," said Kara Moriarty, executive director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association.

"It's right next to currently producing fields," she said, rather than in the Arctic Ocean or the wilderness. She said that even if ANWR is opened to drilling, it would be 10 to 15 years before any oil could be produced there.

The NPR-A was set aside in 1923 as a source of oil for the military, but seven decades passed before there was any serious interest in drilling, and first production did not happen until 2015. Future development is held in check by a land management plan issued in 2013 that established five areas across the 23 million-acre reserve for special protection.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in May issued an order to review Arctic Alaska oil policies, with a potential repeal of environmental rules restricting NPR-A drilling.

The reserve holds an estimated 896 million barrels of recoverable oil and 52.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to a mean estimate issued by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2010, though the oil figure represents a sharp downward revision from 2002 estimates. In his May order, Zinke directed the USGS to revise that 2010 estimate.

ConocoPhillips Inc , the company most active in NPR-A, will ask the Bureau of Land Management to open up some territory near Teshekpuk Lake, Lisa Bruner, the company's Alaska vice president of North Slope operations and development, said at an industry conference last month in Anchorage.

Teshekpuk is the North Slope's biggest lake and site of protections that date to the Reagan administration.

"We see potential as we move into that area further to the west," Bruner said. ConocoPhillips plans to drill four exploration wells this winter on leases within NPR-A, and one on adjacent state land.

Environmentalists are chagrined at the pace of NPR-A development.

"We need to be talking about the North Slope overall, and the Arctic overall - the Arctic Refuge, the NPR-A and the Arctic Ocean - because the Trump administration wants to open it all," said Nicole Whittington-Evans, Alaska regional director of The Wilderness Society.

Federal law requires protection of ecological resources and Alaska Native cultural rights to hunting and fishing areas, along with oil development, Whittington-Evans said. The Obama-era management plan, the product of years of scientific and public review, accomplished those goals, she said.

(Reporting By Yereth Rosen in Anchorage, Alaska; Editing by David Gregorio)
Community safety forum presents plan to respond to disasters





OAK RIDGE, TN  Secret City Mutual Aid Plan and What it Means to Oak Ridge is the title of the Community Safety Forum, American Museum of Science and Energy, 8:00 a.m.  10:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 6.



The City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Y-12 National Security Complex Fire Departments will present an overview of the State Fire Mutual Aid Plan. The presentation will include a discussion of possible local disasters and the role of the Oak Ridge area Fire Departments in the Plan. Speakers will be Oak Ridge City Fire Chief, Darryl Kerley; ORNL Fire Chief, Mike Masters; and Y-12 Fire Chief, Scott Vowell, who will discuss the resource they provide to the State by participating in the Plan and the benefits to Oak Ridge community.



Effects of natural and manmade disasters have become more frequent, far-reaching, and widespread. We have seen in our neighboring communities that during a disaster or catastrophe, local government resources and capabilities can be overwhelmed said Chief Kerley. The State Fire Chiefs Association has been working with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and other organizations to develop and build a method for rapid activation and response of aid to a community in the event of a local disaster.



The Oak Ridge area Fire Departments are participating in the plan and are part of a coordinated group of emergency responders available to any Tennessee community in need. said Chief Vowell. The plan has the ability to provide us with a steady, adequate, and timely stream of appropriate resources to manage and mitigate any disaster our community may be faced with.



It is very important for our Departments to be involved and engaged in the plan. The days of thinking you can handle a disaster in your community on your own are long gone said Chief Masters, we hope people will be interested hearing about it.





AGENDA:



Secret City Mutual Aid Plan and What it Means to Oak Ridge

American Museum of Science and Energy

8:00  10:00a.m., December 6, 2017



Participants:

Darryl Kerley, Chief, Oak Ridge Fire Department

Mike Masters, Chief, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Fire Department

Scott Vowell, Chief, Y-12 National Security Complex



Safety Forum Program

8:00  8:30  Networking with coffee and bagels

8:30  8:40  Welcome and Safety Moment

8:40  10:00  Program



1. Natural and Manmade Disasters: The new norm

- November 2016 Sevier County fires

- Weather events

- Acts of violence and mass shootings

2. No community has the resources sufficient to cope with all emergencies

- National Response Framework

- Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association Emergency Response Plan

- Regional Medical Control Center (EMS)

- Local agreements

3.Participation in the plans: How the Oak Ridge Fire Departments participate and benefit

- National framework: Integration, Coordination, Engaged Partnership

- Engagement leads to a smoother plan when we need it

- November 2016 Sevier County fires

4. Role of citizen participation.

- Be informed and understand the possible disasters in your ar

- Planning is essential

 Prevention

 Minimize effects

 Prepare to act

- Take Action

 Get involved in community or workplace disaster response programs.

 Until help arrives.



The annual Safety Fest TN is set for September 10-14, 2018.



Published December 5, 2017










By Kwon Mee-yoo



The World Culture Artists Association (WCAA) hosts the 2017 International Art Projects to pursue people-to-people diplomacy through art.



Founded in 2014 by Lee Bo-suk, the WCAA is an international organization of artists promoting values such as peace and harmony through art.



There are about 525 artists from 93 countries registered to the WCAA. The list of international members includes Grete Marstein from Norway, Eddie Botha from Australia, Saud Al Hunani from Oman and Wenzhi Zhang from China.



The main event, Seoul International Art Festival, is themed "Peace & Love" this year and held at the Chosun Ilbo Gallery from Dec. 6 to 12. The exhibit features 200 pieces ranging from painting and sculpture to installation and video art from about 200 artists representing 48 countries.



"This exhibit will provide an opportunity to enjoy art exploring themes such as human dignity, environmental preservation and demilitarization and transcending borders and race," said Lee, WCAA founder and president.



Ahead of the exhibition, the WCAA hosted the 32rd International Painting Symposium from Nov. 26 to Dec. 3, at the Creative Art Studio in Nowon, northern Seoul. Fifty artists from 26 countries took part in the symposium and produced art themed on love.



The event aimed to exchange cultures and promote friendships among artists from various countries.

The 2017 International Academic Art Seminar, studying the theme of anti-war, will be held at the Chosun Ilbo Gallery on Dec. 6 and the Eunbong Hall of Induk University on Dec. 7.



To encourage aspiring artists, the WCAA offers the World Youth Art Festival for artists aged five to 19. This year's youth festival is themed "Window" and the exhibit will be held in two separate venues _ part 1 at the Chosun Ilbo Gallery from Dec. 6 to 12 and part 2 at the Induk University Ajung Museum from Dec. 14 to 20.




By Mark Leonard





LONDON  Deep divisions within Europe are increasingly threatening the values upon which the European project of "ever closer union" is based. In 2015, during the refugee crisis, many commentators saw a divide between German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Willkommenskultur (welcoming culture) and Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban's vision of ethnic purity: a Western Europe of bridges versus an Eastern Europe of walls.



But another threat to European unity comes from within individual countries. In Germany, talks to form a center-left, center-right coalition have broken down. In the Netherlands, it took Prime Minister Mark Rutte 208 days to form a new government after elections in March. In the United Kingdom, the political establishment is in disarray over Brexit. And in Poland, white nationalists and neo-Nazis recently staged a massive march through the streets of Warsaw.



Which gulfs are wider  those between member states or those within them? The answer to that question matters a great deal. If Europe's biggest problem is that it is divided along national borders, then liberal-leaning countries like France and Germany could try to change the balance of power within increasingly illiberal countries.



Every EU country agreed to a set of liberal-democratic standards (part of the so-called Copenhagen Criteria) when it joined the club. But, over time, the governments of Hungary and Poland have decided that they no longer want to abide by the rules.



One solution could be to create a smaller club with better benefits. Countries that wish to join this privileged inner circle would have to agree to a new  or rather, the original  set of rules; and countries that break the rules would be left out. There would finally be a cost to breaching EU standards.



But this solution could work only if the biggest problem is the divide between member states. As for the divisions within member states, consider Germany. After the federal election in September, Merkel embarked on a fascinating experiment, in which she tried to unite her center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its more nativist sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), and the left-wing Greens.



Merkel is a talented negotiator, and far better suited to write about "the art of the deal" than others we won't bother mentioning. But it remains to be seen if she can heal the divisions in her own country.



While the Greens would like to uphold the Willkommenskultur, the CSU's position on migration is closer to that of the Visegrad Group (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). In fact, at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015, the CSU hosted Orban at one of its party conferences.



Moreover, while the Greens are European federalists who support greater economic solidarity with Greece and Italy, the FDP channels the fiscal discipline of the Finns, the Dutch, and German Swabians. They are staunchly opposed to deeper European economic integration.



Many hoped that Merkel would succeed in forging a "Jamaica" coalition (named after the colors of that country's flag). But, in the end, the experiment failed. The FDP abandoned the talks out of frustration that, as its leader Christian Lindner put it, "The four discussion partners have no common vision for modernization of the country or common basis of trust."

Even without a Jamaica coalition, Germany still has a stable liberal majority in the Bundestag. The same cannot be said for the rest of the EU, where almost every other member state is now a "50-50 society": half cosmopolitan, half communitarian. In these countries, the government at any given time represents whichever side won the latest round in an ongoing culture war.



In the U.K., for example, 52 percent of voters opted to leave the EU. The country is now hurtling toward an isolated state of provincialism and xenophobia, but its leaders keep telling the public that Britain will be better off on its own. For those who believe it, the fact that the U.K. will lose a say in EU decisions affecting its economic environment doesn't seem to matter.



France, on the other hand, has an energetic new pro-European president, Emmanuel Macron, who is committed to preparing his country for the years ahead. And yet France is not much more cosmopolitan than Britain. In the first round of the presidential election this spring, the nativist campaigns of Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Melenchon, and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan collectively won 46 percent of the vote  almost as much as the U.K.'s "Leave" campaign.

Clearly, the EU is both a society of states and of citizens. That means intra-national divides are as important as the diplomatic spats between countries.



Earlier this year, a Brookings Institution report tried to determine if Europe is an "optimal political area," a concept borrowed from economist Robert Mundell's theory of "optimal currency areas." The report concluded that cultural and institutional differences between EU countries have not changed much over the past three decades of European integration.



But it also found that the divisions between countries are far smaller than the differences within countries. Or in other words, on the issue of freedom of movement, there is greater polarization between London and the British Midlands than between the U.K. and Poland.



Creating a flexible or multi-tiered Europe could solve some short-term problems, by bringing together coalitions of the willing to address specific issues. But it could also introduce new dangers. After all, most European countries, regardless of what tier they are on, will still be 50-50 societies that could opt in or out of deeper integration with a single election or referendum.



In the future, one cannot rule out the possibility that Le Pen will be elected president of France, or that the anti-EU Five Star Movement will come to power in Italy. By the same token, the more moderate Civic Platform might return to power in Poland.



Confronting the intra-societal challenge to the European project will not be easy. It is a deep, generational problem that goes to the heart of national identity, history, and geography. No quick institutional fix can solve a problem like that.





Mark Leonard is director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate ( www.project-syndicate.org ).


The average South Korean used 4.6 gigabytes per month in 2016, according to the Digital Fuel Monitor (DFM) report by Rewheel, a Finnish management consulting firm, based on a survey of 187 carriers. / Korea Times file



South Korea ranked seventh in the world in terms of per capita mobile data usage last year among 41 major economies checked, a report said Tuesday.

The average South Korean used 4.6 gigabytes per month in 2016, according to the Digital Fuel Monitor (DFM) report by Rewheel, a Finnish management consulting firm, based on a survey of 187 carriers.

Finland topped the list with 16.1 GB, followed by Latvia at 6.4 GB, Austria at 5.5 GB, Denmark and Sweden at 5.4 GB each, and Estonia at 5.1 GB.

Japan came in eighth at 3.9 GB, the United States ninth at 3.6 GB and Poland 10th at 2.9 GB.

South Korean mobile carriers demand higher fees on the usage of mobile data than the average imposed by carriers in other countries, seen in the latest findings.

South Korean carriers charge 13.4 euros ($15.9) per 1 gigabyte of 4G LTE data in the smartphone 4G tariff pricing system, which provided up to 1,000 free calling minutes as of the end of November.

The amount was the highest, followed by Canada at 12.1 euros. The United States came in sixth at 9.6 euros, Japan 10th at 5.7 euros and Germany 13th at 5 euros.

South Koreans can purchase 0.3 gigabyte of 4G LTE data with 30 euros, 38th out of the 41 countries.

In the mobile broadband data-only tariff price, South Koreans can buy 22 GB of 4G LTE data with 30 euros, 33rd out of 41 countries. (Yonhap)
The exercise involved aircraft including reconnaissance planes in areas they have "never flown before" over the Yellow and East seas near the Korean peninsula.



By Minnie Chan





China's air force recently staged drills involving various aircraft through "routes and areas it has never flown before" over the Yellow and East seas near the Korean peninsula.

Air force spokesman Shen Jinke made the announcement at an airport in northern China on Monday  the same day the United States and South Korea began their biggest joint air force exercise, and days after Pyongyang launched its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile to date.

Without specifying the date or exact location of the drills, Shen said warplanes had ventured into unknown areas, adding that this kind of training would become a regular feature as the air force worked to strengthen its capabilities so that it was ready to safeguard China's strategic interests.

The exercise involved aircraft including reconnaissance planes, fighter jets, an early warning and control aircraft, and a joint operation with surface-to-air missile units, he said.

Beijing-based military expert Li Jie said the drills were intended to show that the People's Liberation Army Air Force was making strides in joint operations, which are an important part of modern warfare.

He added that Monday's announcement was also aimed at sending a message to the United States and South Korea.












PRESS RELEASE

There the Parallel Is Again: The LaRouche Case and the Suspended Fake Newsman, Brian Ross

Dec. 3, 2017 (EIRNS)On Dec. 1, as the anti-Trump media mob was in full throat in the United States over Michael Flynns plea to lying to the FBI, ABC Chief Investigative Reporter Brian Ross let loose a "bombshell." According to his sources, Ross proclaimed, Flynn had already told Special Counsel Robert Mueller that a "high-level" official of the Trump campaign had told Flynn to contact the Russians during the 2016 election campaign. The stock market promptly dropped 300 points, as traders digested whether or not the long lost proof of Russian collusion in the U.S. election had finally come to light.

The problem is that Rosss claim was completely and totally false. Flynns plea deal specifies that Flynn was asked to contact the Russiansa completely legal activityafter the election. An extremely embarrassed ABC News issued a full retraction and suspended Ross for a month, without pay.

Ross has a history of outright lies and fabrications on behalf of the U.S. intelligence community sources whose leaks of gossip, lies, and fabrications to him form the bulk of his journalistic oeuvre. Like special prosecutor Robert Mueller, Ross cut his teeth on assassination by media falsehood and the U.S. criminal justice system, in the case of Lyndon LaRouche.

Then a reporter for NBC News, Ross played a major role in a campaign of media defamations against LaRouche originating in a salon of journalists run by John Train, a spook long associated with President George H.W. Bush and the CIA. The goal of this salon was to create pariah status for LaRouche through the news media, in order to facilitate a manufactured criminal prosecution against him. LaRouche had terrified the Anglo-American elite by proposing an alternative to their bankrupt system which was catching on with the U.S. population and with significant foreign leaders. A similar terror today is presented by President Trumps desire to ally with Russia and China to end perpetual war and engage in systemic physical economic development of the world.

In the LaRouche case, among other outrageous defamations the Train crew and Brian Ross invented, in conjunction with U.S. agencies, was that LaRouche plotted to assassinate President Jimmy Carter by remote controlled bomb, and that LaRouche was involved in the assassination of Sweden's Prime Minister Olof Palme. The latter fabrication was actually planted on Ross and his fellow hacks by the East German Staatssicherheitsdienst (internal security police) with collaboration from Muellers Boston U.S. Attorneys Office.

The full story of the parallels between the LaRouche case and the present coup against the President, and the British intelligence origin of both cases, can be found in the EIR Dossier, Robert Mueller Is an Amoral Assassin, He Will Do His Job If You Let Him.

Like Robert Muellers well-known prosecutorial excesses and illegalities on behalf of the Anglo-American establishment, Brian Ross has a long and ugly prior record of fake news reporting. ABC has previously been forced to retract and apologize when Ross claimed that Colorado shooter James Holmes belonged to the Tea Party. In 2001, Ross claimed Saddam Hussein and Iraq were behind the deadly anthrax mailings in the wake of 9/11, juicing the skids, with completely fake reporting, for the disastrous invasion of Iraq. ABC News had to retract again when Ross claimed that a former prisoner from Guantanamo Bay masterminded the underwear terror bombing. The problem with that one, is that the prisoner in question was in full Saudi custody. Then there was the Toyota malfunction story, in which Ross got caught editing and splicing video tape in a fabricated scene of an out-of-control car.

Has the Greek Nemesis principle finally struck in the coup beleaguered United States? We have yet to see.
PRESS RELEASE

Giant U.S.-South Korea Air Force Exercise in Atmosphere of Increasing Tensions

Dec. 4, 2017 (EIRNS)The giant U.S.-South Korean air force exercise, dubbed Vigilant ACE 18 (ACE standing for Air Combat Exercise), kicked off today in an atmosphere of tensions heightened by last weeks North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile test flight. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) added to the tensions during an appearance on CBSs Face the Nation, yesterday, when he claimed that every North Korean nuclear test brings the United States closer to waging a pre-emptive war against North Korea and called for the evacuation of U.S. military dependents from South Korea. At the same time, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman told the Voice of America that there can be no talks with North Korea unless it commits to denuclearization first.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed regret for the higher tensions in remarks after meeting with his Mongolian counterpart in Beijing.

"China has always been open-minded to new propositions to resolve the issue; however, the stipulations and spirit of UN Security Council resolutions should be a common principle for all parties to follow,"

Wang said, reports Xinhua. He said China firmly opposes actions to increase the tension on the Korean Peninsula and has always been working to promote peace and dialogue in accordance with all previous UN resolutions.

Vigilant ACE, which runs through Dec. 8, features some 230 aircraft80 on the South Korean side and 150 on the U.S. side including 6 F-22 and 18 F-35 stealth fighters, along with 12,000 U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine personnel. The Unification Ministry is Seoul insisting that the exercise is wholly defensive in nature, thus dismissing the rhetoric about it from Pyongyang.

"The air force drill is an annual joint military exercise among the allies, of a defensive nature. The government will not comment on every reaction by North Korea,"

Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman at the Ministry of Unification, told a press briefing, reports Yonhap.
PBS is offering its member stations a version of Christiane Amanpours daily show on CNN International as an interim replacement for the departed Charlie Rose.

Stations have been without Roses high-minded talk program since Nov. 21, when it was dropped following a report on allegations that the host had harassed women who worked with him on the long-running late night staple. Roses production company owned the program and offered it to PBS stations.

Since Charlie Rose was canceled, PBSs flagship station WNET in New York has been hearing proposals for a new public affairs discussion show that will attract viewers who were watching Roses nightly chats on a wide range of subjects. The new program could have more than one host, according to a person familiar with the stations plans who was not authorized to comment.

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Amanpours program, which airs on CNN International at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., will be repackaged and called Amanpour on PBS. It will start airing on WNET on Monday and be offered to PBS stations starting next week. The new program, which does not have a launch date, will be paired with Amanpours show.

PBS plans to use Amanpours program as a temporary solution available for stations looking for content to replace Roses hour. However, if her program proves to be popular, it could be a permanent offering.

Amanpour is chief international correspondent for CNN and is likely to appeal to Roses audience, who saw his program as a forum for sober, serious discussions they were not getting elsewhere on TV.

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio
iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's nearly yearlong effort to implement a ban on travel to the United States from countries deemed to pose a national security threat earned a victory at the Supreme Court Monday, where it was ruled the order could go into full effect as it continues to face legal challenges.



The ban, now in its third iteration, currently covers travel from eight countries with varying restrictions ranging from the full suspension of both immigrant and non-immigrant entry, to restrictions on the uses of certain visas. The countries cited in Trump's order are: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.



The president issued the most recent travel ban in September. The first version of the ban encountered intense opposition and numerous successful legal challenges by critics of the administration who felt the first ban unfairly targeted majority-Muslim countries. The second version of the ban was permitted to go into limited effect in June after review by the Supreme Court, but key provisions only last for 90 and 120 days.



According to the government, the third version came after the Department of Homeland Security sent security and information-sharing requirements to foreign countries in July and identified the eight nations that neither met the requirements nor made improvements.



The Supreme Court's unsigned ruling, issued Monday over the dissents of Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, allows the ban to go into effect while appeals are heard by lower courts.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The Weinstein Co. is facing more legal trouble with two producers filing a new lawsuit against the company over an Amazon project with filmmaker David O. Russell that was scrapped after the sexual harassment and assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein became public.

Producers Scott Lambert and Alexandra Milchan are seeking at least $2 million from Weinstein Co. in their suit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, saying the company knew about Harvey Weinsteins sexual misconduct and concealed it from them.

This misconduct was effectively a ticking time bomb, the suit said.

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The husband-and-wife producing team said in their complaint that they spent years developing the television project that was to be directed by Russell, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker of Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.

Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore had been cast in the production, which was supposed to shoot in the New York area.

Lambert and Milchan allege that Weinstein Co. agreed to purchase the intellectual property they developed for the untitled project and would hire them as producers and compensate them on a pay-or-play basis.

Amazon withdrew from the project on Oct. 13 in the wake of the Weinstein sex scandal and the project collapsed. The producers argue in their suit that Weinstein Co. has withheld the compensation it owes them under their deal.

Weinstein Co. didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

The producers compensation includes per-episode fees as well as a development fee, according to the suit. The complaint alleges the producers also negotiated a percentage of profits with Russell that amounted to 1.5% of the projects modified adjusted gross receipts  essentially, the profit pool for the project.

Lambert and Milchan allege that Weinstein Co. has failed to compensate them for their work and work-related travel following the collapse of the project.

They also allege that Weinstein Co. was negligent by allowing Harvey Weinstein to continue in his role as co-chairman of the company when its leaders had numerous signs that a scandal was brewing. They also contend that the company committed fraud by concealing his behavior from them.

Weinstein Co. is facing mounting civil suits related to its former co-founders sex scandal. The company was hit with a class-action lawsuit Nov. 15 on behalf of dozens of women accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, battery and lewd conduct.

Actress Dominique Huett, who has accused him of sexually abusing her in 2010 in Beverly Hills, sued his company for negligence in October.

david.ng@latimes.com

@DavidNgLAT
International travel to the U.S., once a surging source of revenues for hotels, airlines and tourist destinations, is cooling off, raising concerns from leaders in the travel industry that strict security measures are scaring off visitors.

A report released Monday by the International Air Transportation Assn., the trade group for the worlds airlines, said international and domestic travel rebounded from a series of hurricanes in the U.S. this summer.

Although travel demand grew more than 7% around the world in October, the report said demand for international travel into the U.S. increased only 3.7% in that month, compared with October of last year, among the lowest rates of any region in the world.

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There continues to be indications that inbound travel to the U.S. is being deterred by the additional security measures now involved with traveling to that country, the trade group said.

In response to threats that terrorists may be working on explosives that fit into electronic devices, the Department of Homeland Security began in March to impose new restrictions on all electronic devices in the cabins of flights from eight Middle Eastern and African countries. In the U.S., travelers must now put all electronic devices larger than a cellphone in a separate bin during security screening.

The trade group for the U.S. travel industry voiced concern last week about another report that showed that travel to the country is not just slowing but declining.

A report by the U.S. Department of Commerce said that travel to the U.S. for the first six months of the year dropped 3.9% compared with the same period in 2016, with travel from Mexico showing the biggest drop  9.4%.

The latest government travel data is deeply concerning, not just to our industry but to anyone who cares about the economic well-being of the United States, said Roger Dow, president of the U.S. Travel Assn.

Some travel industry leaders have blamed President Trumps rhetoric against Mexicans and Muslims for the decline in demand.

The Commerce Department has reported that international travel to the U.S. began to surge in 2010 and then started to decline gradually in 2016.

In February, a month after Trump took office, international travel from Mexico and overseas countries began to drop sharply, from 8% to 16% each month, compared with the same period in 2016. Travel from Canada to the U.S., meanwhile, has remained strong, partly making up for the loss of travel from Mexico and overseas.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
Since LA Weekly laid off most of its journalists last week and its new owners revealed their identities Friday, backlash has been swift and fierce.

There has been outcry over the new owners political backgrounds and their plan to use articles by unpaid contributors. Former writers for the alternative weekly are spearheading a call for a boycott. A few advertisers have taken a step back.

On Monday, LA Weeklys sales director, Chris Hubbert, sent an email to staffers and new managers with a list of topics to address at an afternoon meeting. Among the topics: Advertisers pulling, Why everyone saw this coming except you and Social Media - Whos [posting] and why, because this weekend was horrible and amateur.

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Investors in Semanal Media, which bought LA Weekly last week from Voice Media Group, said Monday that the backlash was unfair and many of the allegations against them untrue.

Much of the outcry online has centered on the identities of Semanals financial backers. Semanals owners consist largely of men with Orange County ties. Most have donated to conservative causes, and two of them  boutique hotel developer Paul Makarechian and real estate redeveloper Mike Mugel  have given large sums to numerous Republican political campaigns.

The ownership group includes Brian Calle, LA Weeklys new operations manager. Calle previously was an opinion editor for the Orange County Register and 10 other daily newspapers in the Southern California News Group. While running the Registers historically libertarian editorial page, he described himself as a free-market enthusiast. A decade ago, he spent about a year working for the conservative Claremont Institute.

On Friday night, punk-rock veteran Henry Rollins, a columnist for LA Weekly since 2010, announced he was leaving the publication.

Jeff Weiss and April Wolfe, who until last week were a music columnist and film critic for LA Weekly, turned to Twitter to exhort readers, advertisers and event sponsors to boycott the paper. Director Ava DuVernay and actor Mark Ruffalo expressed support for the effort.

On Saturday, LA Weekly issued a tweet calling for contributors  passionate Angelinos to share stories about their life and culture in L.A.  and asking for submissions to be emailed in. Twitter users excoriated the LA Weekly for seeking unpaid work and for the unusual spelling of Angelenos. Within hours, LA Weekly deleted its tweet, and it has not tweeted since.

Calle called the wording of sales director Hubberts Monday email kind of a joke.

The new owners have some level of frustration about the amount of backlash, he said. He believes he and his Semanal colleagues are an unfair target for journalists unhappiness about last weeks layoffs and the overall industrys struggles, and about billionaire Joe Ricketts decision last month to shut down local news website LAist and its sister sites in the Gothamist network.

He said that no advertisers had canceled their accounts with LA Weekly, but that at least three have decided to hold off on running ads until they see that the paper is keeping its progressive bent.

Calle called much of what has been written about him online in recent days absolute falsehood. He said that after a short time with the Claremont Institute, he realized he didnt share its principles and values. On economic issues Im just right of center, he said. On social issues Im progressive. On immigration issues Im very, very progressive.

The new incarnation of LA Weekly, he said, will advocate for things no one else is willing to advocate for  that people view as inappropriate. When asked what specifically it would advocate for, he demurred, saying that choice would be up to the editorial staff.

All of LA Weeklys top editors and all but one of its staff writers were laid off last week as the sale to Semanal went through. The new leadership plans to rely largely on pieces written by paid freelancers and unpaid contributors.

Many people have contacted the new management in recent days wanting to write, said Los Angeles attorney David Welch, a Semanal investor who is the companys chief executive.

LA Weekly has hired no new editors yet.

Welch said the paper is on track to meet deadlines for this weeks print publication. The issues, which are free to the public, typically hit newsstands on Thursdays.

lauren.raab@latimes.com
Broadcom officially launched a hostile takeover bid for Qualcomm on Monday, nominating 11 alternative candidates to Qualcomms board of directors.

The move sets the stage for a showdown over the future of San Diegos largest tech company. Shareholders will vote to support either Qualcomms or Broadcoms board candidates, with the results expected to be announced at Qualcomms annual meeting March 6.

Broadcom did not raise the $70-per-share offer price Monday, which valued Qualcomm at $103 billion. Qualcomms board previously rejected that amount as too low.

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Broadcom could still boost its offer before the March 6 annual meeting, making it more attractive to Qualcomms shareholders.

Qualcomm said Monday that the Broadcom offer undervalues Qualcomms growth prospects in internet-connected consumer and industrial devices (known as the internet of things), 5G cellular networks, automotive and data center/networking markets.

Tom Horton, Qualcomms presiding director, said no company is better positioned than Qualcomm to bring mobile technologies to these industries.

Qualcomms stockholders expect a board that will support this innovation while evaluating objectively the full range of opportunities available to maximize value for all Qualcomm stockholders, said Horton, a senior advisor at Warburg Pincus and former chairman of American Airlines Group, in a statement.

Broadcom Chief Executive Hock Tan said Qualcomms shareholders want the two companies to talk, but so far Qualcomm has ignored Tans attempts to begin a dialogue.

The nominations give Qualcomm stockholders an opportunity to express their disappointment with Qualcomms directors and their refusal to engage in discussions with us, Tan said in a statement. In light of the significant value our proposal provides for Qualcomm stockholders, we believe Qualcomm stockholders would be better served by new, independent, highly qualified nominees who are committed to maximizing value and acting in the best interest of Qualcomm stockholders.

Directors nominated by Tan have a wide range of experience in the financial and technology industries, including previously holding positions at Nokia and EMC Corp., among others.

The hostile takeover bid ramps up pressure on Qualcomm to complete its bogged-down, $38-billion acquisition of chip maker NXP Semiconductors, which aims to further diversify Qualcomms business beyond smartphones. The NXP deal, announced more than a year ago, is still awaiting regulatory approval in Europe and China. In addition, some NXP shareholders want Qualcomm to increase its $110-per-share offer, which is below NXPs current trading price.

To date, fewer than 5% of NXP shareholders have pledged their shares in support of Qualcomms offer. The company needs 80% to complete the deal.

Broadcom says its buyout bid for Qualcomm stands whether the NXP acquisition is completed or not. But Tan could condition an increase to his $70-per-share offer based on what happens with NXP -- including whether Qualcomm is forced to increase the price to close the deal.

Bernstein Research Analyst Stacy Rasgon wrote in a research note Monday that Tan now has three months to build support among Qualcomm shareholders for his slate of directors in the face of what appears, at least at the moment, to be a strategic vacuum from Qualcomm.

So far Qualcomm has yet to produce any sort of concrete response plan to Broadcoms overtures beyond trust us, which we believe is going to become increasingly untenable as things progress, Rasgon wrote. If they want to keep the company they better get cracking on a case as to why shareholders should trust in them instead of Hock, as we are not convinced Qualcomm shareholders necessarily believe that the Broadcom offer undervalues Qualcomm quite as much as Qualcomm management might believe.

Qualcomm argues that Broadcom is asking shareholders to replace its board now despite uncertainty about whether a deal could win regulatory approval. The combined company would be the leading supplier of many high-value semiconductors used in smartphones.

These nominees are inherently conflicted given Broadcoms desire to acquire Qualcomm in a manner that dramatically undervalues Qualcomm to Broadcoms benefit, the company said in a statement.

Tan said initial meetings with antitrust regulators give him confidence that any regulatory requirements necessary to complete a combination will be met in a timely manner. He expects the deal to close within 12 months of reaching an agreement.

Qualcomm has 11 board members -- nine of whom are independent and four of whom have been added in the last three years.

Broadcom shares fell nearly 3% on Monday to $263.61. Qualcomm shares slipped 1.4% to $64.56.

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com
The USC Pacific Asia Museum will unwrap its new look just in time for the holidays.

The Pasadena institution, which has been closed since July 2016 while its 1924 building underwent a seismic retrofit, will reopen Friday with a refreshed 21st century look, the museum said.

The renovation strengthened the foundation of the building and added gallery space for special exhibitions. The museum also added a gift shop and visitor center.

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The grand reopening will mark the debut of the exhibition Winds From Fusang: Mexico and China in the Twentieth Century, the museums offering for the Gettys Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA program. The show, which runs through June 10, uses artworks, video interviews and research records to explore the influence of Mexican art and artists on the development of contemporary muralism in China.

Were a public museum, so were committed to bringing the best of art and culture from Asia to our audiences, museum Director Christina Yu Yu said. And after more than a year of hiatus, were finally here to present the best of our collection and reopen with this great exhibition.

She said Winds From Fusang is the first time a museum exhibition addresses artistic context between Mexico and China in the 20th century.

Many believe the Western influence since the opening of China in the late 1980s is the motivating force of Chinese contemporary art, exhibition co-curator Shengtian Zheng said in a statement. Very few acknowledge other influences occurring prior to the Cultural Revolution, especially during the mid-20th century when China was isolated from the outside world.

Also on view will be a reinstallation of selections from the museums 17,000-object permanent collection, spanning more than 5,000 years. That includes a few newly acquired pieces, such as a 1956 Korean oil painting by Park Soo-Keun and a pair of 13th century Song Dynasty Chinese ceramic vases.

The new Pacific Asia Museum will offer a very different experience as far as visitor flow, Yu Yu said.

Admission to the museum will be free Friday through Dec. 17.

deborah.vankin@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter: @debvankin

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Here are the 2018 SAG Awards nominees reactions to their nods

The on-camera talent recognized during the 24th Screen Actors Guild Award nominations on Wednesday shared their excitement and gratitude for the special honor bestowed upon them by the acting community.

The SAG Awards serve up laurels for actors and ensemble casts working in television and film as voted by their peers. The awards show, hosted by The Good Place star Kristen Bell, will take place on Jan. 21.

LIST: The 2018 SAG Award nominees

In statements to the Los Angeles Times, several nominees repeatedly thanked their drama families, particularly the casts and crews of their respective projects. Heres what some of them had to say about the recognition:

Alison Brie. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Alison Brie, GLOW

It is such a great honor to be recognized by my fellow actors with this nomination. I am so proud to be part of a show that celebrates the craft of acting, with all its pitfalls and glories, and to be able to work with such a diverse group of insanely talented women. GLOW has meant the world to me and Im deeply thankful for this recognition for me and the cast. Thank you SAG-AFTRA!!

Millie Bobby Brown. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things

Screen Actors Guild! Thank you SO much for recognizing me and our cast for the second year in a row! This means the world coming from you, our peers. I am so lucky and honored to have the privilege of playing Eleven  a strong, powerful, badass, strange, wonderful character! Cant wait to celebrate with my Stranger Things family!

Timothee Chalamet. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

What an incredible morning! This nomination is very close to my heart because its from the actor. When we made Call Me By Your Name, we had no idea what it would turn into. The experience in making the film with Armie [Hammer] was so special, and yet, we just didnt know. Simply put, Ive been blown away by the response this film has received. And, to be included in ensemble along with my Lady Bird family (congrats, Saoirse [Ronan]!) makes this recognition that much more special.

David Harbour. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

David Harbour, Stranger Things

If it isnt wildly apparent by now, Ill say it directly  I love actors! To be recognized by my peers in such distinguished company gives me a special joy. And Millie [Bobby Brown] and the show! Beyond.

When I act, when I create, I feel alive, full to bursting, and I feel of service to the mysterious goodness that firmly exists in this world. I have been rewarded with a life that indulges in the primacy of self, but at its core and at its purest and its best, it is a life of service. A service to audiences. To prod and poke when necessary, to comfort and entertain when times seem dark, to ever expand the human experience, to offer a reason to live, to celebrate to the gods the great gift and scourge that is consciousness. Sometimes it means expressing iron intellect and rigorous truth that bonds us all in the achingly profound wisdom of no escape. Sometimes it means revealing the intimate moments of endurance, of unexpected kindness, unasked for love. And sometimes it simply means making a fierce and joyful noise, to spin, to twirl, to throw your hands up with the relentless dips and climb aboard this roller coaster of life. Ya know, to dance. *insert Hopper dancing gif*

Thank you for recognizing me, as it might mean itll be easier to get more jobs doing it.

Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water

I am beyond thrilled to have received the honor of this nomination. And to receive it from fellow colleagues is huge to me. Guillermo [del Toro], this film and the entire cast and crew hold a very special place in my heart and always will. Each and every one of them made me better. I am truly delighted more than I can really express in words but my heart is fit to burst with pride for us all. Thank you dearest SAG members. Thank you for your embrace.

Sean Hayes. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Sean Hayes, Will & Grace

I am so honored to be recognized in this category with these extraordinary actors. I love acting because I love actors. I also like to bake sometimes.

Richard Jenkins. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water

I am thrilled and humbled to be nominated by my peers for a SAG Award. This union is very close to my heart. Well, the SAG card is in my wallet, so its a little further south.

Zoe Kazan. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Zoe Kazan, The Big Sick

Thank you to SAG for honoring The Big Sick ensemble with a nomination. It means so much to us, especially from our acting peers. I am deeply proud to be a part of this film and to have brought Kumail [Nanjiani] and Emily [V. Gordon]s story into the world, especially at this time. We are particularly moved to have been recognized as an ensemble, as this was such an extraordinary collaborative experience Im excited to be reunited once more with my movie family, and to share this with Kumail, Holly [Hunter], Ray [Romano], Zenobia [Shroff], Anupam [Kher], and Adeel [Akhtar] and everyone else who helped bring The Big Sick to life.

Nicole Kidman. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies

What an amazing morning! Thank you to SAG-AFTRA for recognizing Big Little Lies in such a significant way. Ive been acting since I was 14 and have dedicated an enormous amount of my life to my craft so to be acknowledged by my acting family is the most incredible honor.

Jason Bateman and Laura Linney. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Laura Linney, Ozark

I am so proud to be included in a list of such wonderful actresses who have raised the bar so high. What an amazing year for women in television. And I am especially proud to be representing Ozark with my TV spouse, the ever deserving Jason Bateman! Thank you SAG-AFTRA!

Marc Maron. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Marc Maron, GLOW

I am stunned and excited to be recognized by other actors in this way. I really never thought this was possible in my life. It helps to be surrounded by amazing actors and to have such a defined and well written character as Sam Sylvia and to be on a show as unique as GLOW. I am just a small part. So, thanks SAG for recognizing me and the mind-blowing ensemble that is GLOW.

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick

We are so lucky to have been graced with the enormous talents of every single member of our cast. They each put a piece of themselves into our story and we are thrilled at being recognized. Thank you. And a special shout out to Holly Hunters individual nomination!

Now we have to go tell our real parents that they arent actually nominated.

Bob Odenkirk. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul

I am thrilled to get this nomination from my fellow actors! At Better Call Saul I am surrounded by an ensemble of excellence  Michael McKean, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, everybody raises my game. Thank you to SAG-AFTRA.

Gary Oldman. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour

No actor could ever deny the special satisfaction that comes from being recognized by your fellow artists  we all share the same challenges, insecurities, and uncertainties, chief among them, the question am I any good? this nomination, and in the wonderful company of the other nominees, is so very satisfying.

Margot Robbie. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Im so incredibly moved and excited to be nominated by my fellow actors. I feel very fortunate to be able to have had the opportunity to bring Tonyas story to the big screen. Thank you to Steven [Rogers] for his brilliant and unique script, to Allison [Janney] and Sebastian [Stan] for being such incredible screen partners and to Craig [Gillespie] for his amazing direction and perfectly capturing the tone and essence of the film. Im so honored to be recognized among the truly powerful and wonderful women in the category. I cant wait to celebrate with everyone.

Sam Rockwell. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

It is such an honor to be nominated by your fellow actors, I have been a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild for as long as I can remember. To share it with this wonderful ensemble whom I have had the pleasure to work with over the years and others I got to collaborate with for the first time is truly special. I want to thank Martin McDonagh, our director and writer, for crafting these characters, as well as Woody [Harrelson], Fran [McDormand] and the rest of the cast who brought the town of Ebbing to life on screen. I am thrilled.

Ray Romano. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Ray Romano, The Big Sick

This is awesome but I wont believe it till the recount.
Billy Bush expressed shame, repentance and a little bit of outrage Monday on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, where the fallen Today show host sat for his first interview since Donald Trump became president.

Bush lost his job on the NBC morning show in October of last year when a leaked tape from 2005 caught him giggling on a tour bus as Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women. Bush was hosting Access Hollywood at the time, and Trump was the star of The Apprentice.

One of you lost your job. And one of you became president. Do you remember which one [you are]? asked Colbert.

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Am I the president? answered Bush, joking momentarily during an interview that was otherwise remorseful and chastened. And it came on the heels of another Today show hosts dismissal, morning show king Matt Lauer, this time over sexual misconduct allegations.

Bushs return after more than a year in hiding equaled high ratings for Colbert  3.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen research  but more than that, it signaled how low the bar has dropped for celebrities in terms of what is and isnt considered an unforgivable act.

The alleged actions of Lauer, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Roy Moore and dozens more powerbrokers  whether fallen celebrities or politicians who are failing upward  render Bushs behavior more like a childish learning moment in comparison.

Colbert spoke with his visibly nervous guest about why Bush, a cousin of former President George W. Bush, had finally decided to step back into the spotlight.

Bushs said he was spurred by the presidents recent claim that the voice on the Access Hollywood video was not his own, even though Trump apologized last year for those taped boasts about forcibly grabbing womens genitals after the recording leaked a month before the election.

You dont get to say that because I was there, and the last 14 months of my life Ive been dealing with it and you dealt with it for 14 minutes and went on to be the president, he said Monday, as if he were directly addressing the president.

That is your voice. I was there. You were there. That is your voice on the tape, said Bush.

Bushs Colbert appearance followed a New York Times op-ed in which the former host reiterated that it was indeed Trumps voice on that video, and that several more people had witnessed it.

No bombshell there. It was Bushs return, and Colberts willingness to have him on the show, that was more of a surprise.

It was the latest evolutionary step in a national conversation/story/crisis about how America does or doesnt value, defend and respect the rights of half its population: women and girls.

Welcoming Bush back into the fold signaled that network TV, at least, is willing to explore the gradations between stupid, abhorrent and criminal behavior toward women.

Accused serial offender Lauer was riding high, and Trump was accused by more than a dozen women of sexual misconduct, but Bush took the fall for giggling at his remarks. Perhaps it was time to hear what he had to say.

Billy Bush, left, interviewing Donald Trump in 2015. ( Rob Kim / Getty Images )

Colbert played the infamous tape as Bush winced, then asked his guest how he felt watching it today.

Its a gut punch now, said Bush, adding that at the time he didnt believe Trump was being serious. I equated it to some sort of crass stand-up act, like Andrew Dice Clay. Bush said he felt he sacrificed who he was for the moment.

He had nothing of note to say about Lauer, even after Colbert pointed out that Lauer had a huge amount of power over who stayed and went on the Today show.

He did say, however, that an NBC exec later admitted they moved on a little too quickly when firing Bush, and he would have liked a chance to address the audience.

Im doing it now. Here we are, he said.

Bush, whose demeanor was decidedly more solemn than his happy-go-lucky persona on the morning talk show circuit, said several times that he was propelled to come forward for all the women who were hurt by Trumps claim that the Access Hollywood video was perhaps doctored. Its reopening wounds, said Bush.

Women must be believed. We have to find our way to have the dialogue. Im worried the dialogue wont come along, he said.

He referred to his ill-fated conversation with Trump again, which had taken place on a tour bus on a lot where NBC was shooting. The bus ride was the tip of the iceberg, he said.

And so, too, was Bushs first appearance after being one of the first casualties in the new war against sexism and sexual misconduct. Stay tuned for powerful men on all levels of the sexual misconduct spectrum to vie for a comeback, or prove why some are Teflon and others their fall guys.

lorraine.ali@latimes.com

@lorraineali
Gap Kids and Sarah Jessica Parker have linked on a limited-edition collection for spring.

The collection will be sold online and in some of the companys stores throughout the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Italy, China, Hong Kong and Japan.

The company revealed the news Friday, offering few details beyond that. Its unclear what size range the collection would encapsulate or at what pricing. This isnt the first time Parker has worked with Gap Inc., having previously appeared in campaigns for the companys Gap brand in the past.

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Gaps Old Navy launched a test of a new kids box service last month, looking to ride on the growing trend in subscription models in the vein of Stitch Fix, Birchbox and Trunk Club. Old Navys Super Box sends parents a box of six items four times annually. The box is priced at $69.99.

Childrens is a lucrative business with more and more fashion brands seeing childrens as a strategic move to tap an ever-growing market or, simply, the next logical step in a companys own evolution. Among the more recent entrants into kids this year has been direct-to-consumer brands Reformation and For Love and Lemons with its Lil Lemons baby and toddler line. Last month streetwear brand Kith expanded into childrens with the launch of its kids line Kidset and dedicated store for the new offering.
From the handing off of a Pasadena favorite to chef shuffles at some of the best restaurants in the city, heres whats happening in the L.A. food world:

Moving on: Most mornings, Euro Pane bakery can seem like the center of life in Pasadena. Theres often a steady line of customers along the bakery counter, all eyeing the oversize French macarons, giant English muffins, cinnamon rolls and perfectly square lemon bars. And for more than two decades, baker-owner Sumi Chang has been greeting old customers with a smile.

Its hard to imagine a trip to either Euro Pane location (the original on Colorado Boulevard and the the second location that Chang opened down the street in 2010) without her. But in August, Chang sold the bakery.

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Im just going to take a day to breathe, I want to read a book, said Chang, who stayed for a few months to help with the transition. I just love art, so Im catching up with the museums.

Chang moved to the U.S. from Seoul when she was 14, but didnt immediately enter the world of pastry. She was a nurse in intensive care units before studying pastry with Jim Dodge in San Francisco and at Lenotre in Paris. She also worked with Nancy Silverton at Campanile, where she was put in charge of breakfast. She opened the first Euro Pane in Pasadena in 1995.

Even though Chang is no longer there, dont expect anything to look or taste different at Euro Pane. She said she left all her recipes with the bakerys employees.

Chang still gets up at 3 a.m., but instead of heading into the bakery, shes working on converting her garage into a test kitchen. Shes enjoying getting more familiar with her sous vide machine, and shes making her own jam. But because Chang signed a noncompete, she wont be opening another bakery for the next three years. After that, we can only hope. Baking is in my DNA, she said. 950 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 577-1828; 345 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 101, Pasadena, (626) 844-8804.

New on deck: Chefs Walter and Margarita Manzke, the married couple behind Republique, have promoted Chris Carrillo to chef de cuisine. Carrillo has been working at the French restaurant since before it opened in 2013. Before that, the chef went to the French Culinary Institute in New York City, then moved to Italy for more culinary school and an internship in Venice. Now he oversees the Republique kitchen and is responsible for writing the daily menu. The Manzkes have also named Sam Rethmeier the new wine director. Before coming to Republique, Rethmeier ran the wine program at Nocciola in Ojai, and was the floor sommelier at Nancy Silvertons Chi Spacca. 624 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, (310) 362-6115, republiquela.com.

All the sweets: Chef Suzanne Goin and business partner Caroline Styne have named Noubar Yessayan new executive pastry chef of the Lucques Group. Yessayan, who was born in Beirut and attended Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles, is now responsible for the pastry programs at Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern, the Larders and Lucques Catering. Before joining the Lucques Group, Yessayan worked at Bastide, Anisette Brasserie and at Maison Giraud. He was recently executive pastry chef of Soho House West Coast. While Yessayan was at Maison Giraud, The Times food staff held a croissant taste test in which he was dubbed the croissant king of Los Angeles. thelucquesgroup.com.

Jenn.Harris@latimes.com

@Jenn_Harris_

ALSO:

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The Hearth & Hound alert: April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman are (finally) opening the doors to their first L.A. restaurant
Too many California children cant read, and the state doesnt have an adequate plan to fix the problem, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by the advocacy law firm Public Counsel, alleges that the state is not meeting its constitutional responsibility to educate all children.

California lags behind the national average in both reading and writing for fourth- and eighth-graders, according to national education data.

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About five years ago, the state superintendent and state board of education president commissioned a report with suggestions to improve literacy in California. The state has not adopted or implemented an adequate plan based on those suggestions, the lawsuit alleges.

In recent statewide English assessments, fewer than half of California students met the states literacy standards for their grade. The lawsuit cites the case of Los Angeles Unified School Districts La Salle Elementary, where fewer than 10 of 179 tested pupils met state English standards this year.

This is in full view of the state, said Public Counsel lawyer Mark Rosenbaum. They havent done anything in terms of working with the district or working with the school to address a problem that has ...persisted year after year after year.

The plaintiffs are current and former students and teachers at La Salle Elementary School; Van Buren Elementary School, in Stockton; and the charter school Children of Promise Preparatory Academy, in Inglewood. The lawsuit places the onus of responsibility on the state, rather than the districts, because the problem spans schools throughout California, Rosenbaum said.

David Moch, one of the plaintiffs and a retired teacher who taught at La Salle Elementary for 18 years until 2014, said he sometimes used kindergarten reading tools to help children as high as third and fifth grade. Some of the programs the district instituted did help older students learn to read, he said, but they were not long-term programs.

We need citizens that can read. We need citizens that can vote, Moch said. Once you get behind, if theres no intervention, theres no catching up. The level of the work is getting more intense and multiplied at every level.

The complaint calls for better teacher training and more resources for teachers. It also demands that once students are identified as having difficulty reading, the state help schools to implement proven methods of literacy instruction, said Rosenbaum, who filed the lawsuit along with law firm Morrison & Foerster.

The state does not have a current plan in place that assesses each schools literacy instruction, Rosenbaum said. Theres no accountability system in place to ensure that literacy is being delivered.

California Department of Education spokesman Robert Oakes declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said in an email that the state allocates additional funding for high-needs students and makes data available for school communities to use in the targeting of resources.

Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli.

UPDATES:

3:50 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Oaks.

This article was originally published at 10:05 a.m.
Two years ago, an independent policy group warned Los Angeles Unified School District officials that high levels of student absenteeism were eating away at the districts finances.

Since then, the problem has not gone away. As L.A. Unifieds student enrollment has continued to shrink, the percentage of chronically absent students has remained essentially unchanged  a concern because funding is based on attendance. According to one estimate, absenteeism cost the nations second-largest school district $20 million last year, at a time when its desperately in search of new revenue.

Now, a different advisory body is trying again.

Assembled by philanthropist and former Los Angeles Times publisher Austin Beutner to work with Supt. Michelle King, the latest task force is made up of civic leaders and education experts.

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On Tuesday, the group presented L.A. Unifieds school board with its first set of recommendations, aimed at encouraging students who frequently skip class to show up more often.

Their report includes ideas pulled from other districts, including Philadelphia, Cleveland and Long Beach Unified. Among them is a proposal to send direct mail to parents of students who are at risk of missing too much school. Another would dispatch volunteers to canvas homes and businesses near schools with high rates of absenteeism.

This campaign will be a collaborative effort, Beutner said. If we can help shift the curve just one day for each student, that will generate $30 million in additional revenue for the district, not to mention better learning.

Acting Supt. Vivian Ekchian, who is filling in while King is on medical leave, said the district has committed to testing the groups proposals in select schools where truancy is prevalent. The pilot programs are expected to cost $250,000, Beutner said, a cost the district and the task force will split. Officials hope that if the new effort succeeds in improving attendance, increased state funding would cover the cost of expanding them district-wide.

Last year, about 80,000 of L.A. Unifieds students missed 15 or more days of school, the threshold for chronic absenteeism. And although the district has set targets for improvement, the task force report said it does not have an adequate plan in place to meet them.

Students with 15 or more absences made up 14% of L.A. Unifieds more than 500,000 students last year. An additional 18% of students missed between 8 and 14 days. The highest rates of truancy are among African American students and among kindergartners and high school students.

The causes are many  transportation problems, safety concerns, immigration status  and the effects are serious. Research shows that students who are absent frequently are more likely to fall behind and to drop out of school. And because funding in California is tied to attendance, L.A. Unified loses money on each absence.

District schools could see new anti-truancy measures as early as January.

In its report, the group proposes a citywide awareness campaign that would be followed by several closely studied pilot programs.

One of these would require the district to hire a company called In Class Today, which targets parents of frequently absent students with personalized mailers showing how often their children have missed class compared to their peers.

If this sounds like a tactic adopted from get-out-the-vote efforts, thats because it is. The brainchild of behavioral scientist and former Democratic pollster Todd Rogers, In Class Today claims to have reduced chronic absenteeism in Philadelphia schools by as much as 10%.

Families often arent aware that absences are adding up to so much time that their children might be academically at risk, said Hedy Chang, director of Attendance Works, a San Francisco-based policy group. If I can, for five cents, get a letter out there that gets a kid to show up for one more day of school, thats a net benefit for L.A. Unified.

Another of the groups proposals would have the district call and text parents about their childrens attendance. And yet another would give bonuses to schools based on their attendance rates, rewarding them with cash they could spend however theyd like  a tactic used by Long Beach Unified.

These steps are helpful, Chang said, but typically arent sufficient to get the most challenging students back into class.

For those students, the task force recommends more one-on-one counseling, although neither the task force nor the district has said it plans to hire more attendance counselors, known in district jargon as Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors.

Currently, the district spends more than $40 million annually to fight absenteeism. More than half of it is used to pay the salaries of the attendance counselors, who focus on students in foster care or homeless shelters.

Ive seen report after report and committee after committee.  L.A. has the greatest plans in the world and probably the worst follow-through, said board member Richard Vladovic, noting the districts many tries to improve attendance. I feel very energized by this and hopeful.

anna.phillips@latimes.com

Twitter: @annamphillips
After days of searching, an Oceanside woman had given up hope that shed find Catalina, her 9-month-old puppy who went missing soon after Thanksgiving.

But then Salina Hurtado saw her dog on the news.

She said she watched, disbelieving, as a TV news anchor talked of a pursuit in Valley Center. A dog was shot when deputies fired at a man accused of trying to run them over in a stolen van.

Video of the incident showed a white pit bull with a distinctive brown spot being carried away by a deputy. The young dog was excitedly licking the womans face.

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I couldnt believe it, Hurtado said. I remember thinking, My poor baby got into a high-speed chase? Is this for real? But I knew it was her.

The 35-year-old said Catalina went missing from the apartment complex where she and her husband live on Nov. 25.

We went to feed her and she was just gone, Hurtado said. They searched the area and asked neighbors to be on the lookout, but they started to believe someone had taken her.

A week after the dog went missing, a neighbor tracked down Hurtados husband. He said he thought he saw Catalina on the news.

The couple quickly Googled pit bull shot in Valley Center.

The story was everywhere, Hurtado said.

After watching a clip on CBS News 8s website, she called the television station. Someone told her the puppy had been taken to the County of San Diego Animal Services shelter in Carlsbad.

Hurtado said she went to the shelter with veterinary records and pictures of Catalina in hand to help prove her ownership. She was told, however, that they would need to wait before picking up the pup.

Thats because Kevin Meza, the suspect who was arrested after the high-speed chase, claimed the dog was his. Dan DeSousa, director of the countys animal services department, said since Catalina wasnt licensed or microchipped, the county is legally required to give Meza two weeks to contest Hurtados claim.

We will be holding the dog through the legally required 14 days at which time we will allow the family to claim the dog, DeSousa said.

While the Oceanside family waits, theyre asking the community for help. Catalina accrued hundreds of dollars in medical bills while she was being treated for her gunshot wound.

Lyndsay Winkley writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
A rapidly growing wildfire in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest above Sylmar and Lake View Terrace has jumped the 210 Freeway on its way to destroying 30 homes, injuring two firefighters and scorching 11,000 acres Tuesday, authorities said.

Driven by powerful Santa Ana winds, the Creek fire broke out off Little Tujunga Canyon Road about 4 a.m. and threatened homes on both sides of the 210 Freeway.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared a state of emergency for the city and said 110,000 to 150,000 people were evacuated from the area as Santa Ana winds drove flames down into the San Fernando Valley.

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We want to be really clear with folks. We have lost structures  we have not lost lives. Do not wait, leave your homes, Garcetti said. We are erring on a side of abundance of caution for those evacuations because this wind could pick up and go a different direction. We simply dont know what this fire will do.

The California Highway Patrol closed the freeway in both directions between the 5 and 2 freeways before noon, and officials said it may not reopen until Wednesday morning. More than a dozen area schools were also expected to be closed, Los Angeles Unified School District officials said.

The blaze was 0% contained Tuesday, and more than 20 square miles of residential property had been evacuated. The fire jumped the 210 Freeway and burned in Shadow Hills, where residents scrambled to evacuate hundreds of horses, packs of alpacas and other four-legged animals. About 20 of the 30 homes burned were in Little Tujunga, Kagel and Lopez canyons, officials said.

1 / 41 Virginia Padilla, left, who lost 29 horses at her Padilla Ranch on Little Tujunga Road is comforted by horse trainer Shelby Hope. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 41 Maria Kirkland, right, waves and calls for her husband who walked down a canyon to check on their home in Indian Springs Ranch. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 41 Gail Thackeray is distraught over loss of her home and two horses after the Creek fire swept through Indian Springs Ranch. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 41 Smoke from the Creek fire hangs in the air above the San Fernando Valley as seen from the 14 Freeway Wednesday morning. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 41 Marinwood firefighter Brandon Selvitella knocks down smoldering embers on a hillside off Wentworth Street in Sunland-Tujunga. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 41 Oscar Martinez saddened by the death of 29 horses at Padilla Ranch. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 41 The Creek fire burns into the night in the Shadow Hills. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 41 A firefighter monitors the Creek fire as it burns a house inear the intersection of Johanna Avenue and McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 41 A home and cars in the path of the Creek fire are engulfed in flames near the intersection of Johanna Avenue and McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 41 A structure burns on McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 41 Judy Hofmann-Sanders can only watch as her home is consumed by the Creek fire along McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 41 A structure burns on McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 41 Firefighters battle the Creek Fire as it burns near a church along Foothill Boulevard in Sylmar. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 41 A vehicle is engulfed in flames as the Creek Fire burns near the intersection of Johanna Avenue and McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 41 Jessica Farrell evacuates her mothers dog Hazel as the Creek fire threatened homes at the end of Esko Avenue in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 41 A firefighter battles a blaze on McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 41 A structure burns on McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 41 The sun peers through a bank of smoke from the Creek Fire in Sunland. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 41 Firefighters hit hotspots while trying to save homes along Hillrose Street from the Creek fire in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 41 Ziggy Hosn hits hot spots on his brothers property along La Canada Way in Sunland. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 41 Jarrald Ingram, 33, hits hot spots where embers from the Creek Fire were threatening homes along along Bengal Street in Sunland on December 5, 2017. Ingram, who lives in downtown Los Angeles, was trying to make his way to his fathers home and couldnt get there because of a police barricade. He decided to help defend the homes in the area with a garden hose. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 41 A firefighter stands next to a house thats completely engulfed in flames in the Creek fire along Hillrose Street in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 41 A structure burns on McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 41 LAPD officers evacuate a pair of horses as the Creek Fire burns along Foothill Boulevard in Sylmar. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 41 A structure burns the path of the Creek Fire near the intersection of Johanna Avenue and McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 41 Judy Hofmann-Sanders surveys the area after her home was consumed by the Creek fire along McBroom Street in Shadow Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 41 Smoke from the Rye fire obscures Interstate 5 near Magic Mountain (lower right) in Santa Clarita. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 41 Gina Donaldson evacuates her horse as the Creek fire bears down on Foothill Boulevard in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 41 Firefighters try to stop a portion of the Creek fire from jumping the 210 Freeway in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 41 Peter Hernandez waters down the roof of a friends house as the Creek fire approaches in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 41 Caltrans workers move cones against a backdrop of the Creek fire along Wheatland Avenue in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 41 Two firefighters confront flames along Kagel Canyon Street in Lake View Terrace. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 41 A woman evacuates her horse as the Creek fire bears down on Foothill Boulevard in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 41 Firefighters try to control a pile of railroad ties and a trailer burning to protect the structure near Dexter County Park in Lake View Terrace. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 41 Firefighters try to control a pile of railroad ties and a trailer burning to protect the structure near Dexter County Park in Lake View Terrace. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 41 A fireman keeps an eye on surrounding structure near a smoldering tree in Kagel Canyon in Lake View Terrace. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 41 Firefighters try to control a pile of railroad ties and a trailer burning to protect the structure near Dexter County Park in Lake View Terrace. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 41 A horse that got spooked by flames and fell behind a structure is rescued from the fast-approaching Creek fire in Lake View Terrace. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 41 An early morning brush fire that broke out in the Kagel Canyon area above Sylmar on Tuesday charred thousands of acres and damaged homes. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 41 Alex Grigoryants uses a hose to protect his home, located on Kagel Canyon Street in Lake View Terrace, from the Creek fire. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 41 A firefighter climbs a hill to confront flames along Kagel Canyon Street in Lake View Terrace. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Judy Hofman-Sanders, 63, stood in front of her home in the 9900 block of McBroom Street in Shadow Hills south of the 210 Freeway on Tuesday afternoon as it was engulfed in flames.

She said she was in shock and struggled to describe what she was feeling. She and her husband were dropping off belongings where they planned to stay for the night when their home for the last 10 years started to burn.

The fire was in Sylmar, 15 miles away, Hofman-Sanders said. We came over to get another load, and within half an hour, the wind. Its like Armageddon.

Elsewhere at the blaze, a firefighter was injured and was listed in stable condition after a bulldozer he was operating rolled over. A second firefighter was burned when a propane tank exploded, Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said.

Our people are working hard. They know our mission to protect life and property is critical, Terrazas said.

At a morning briefing, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said the conditions were challenging for crews.

Behind him, trees swayed as the winds whipped across the landscape.

Were in an extreme firefight, the chief said. We had a very warm, dry summer, our fuels are at critical levels, and theyre very explosive, as you can see right now.

There are more than 800 firefighters battling the blaze and more than 50 fire engines within Sylmars neighborhoods, officials said. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck told residents that if theyre in the evacuation zone, they need to leave.

This will not be the only fire, Beck said. Were going to be hard-pressed to meet all the resources throughout the city and the county of Los Angeles due to this weather event, and if you stay in your homes, you cause our resources to be diverted to take care of you.

The department was on a citywide tactical alert to ensure full staffing because of the fire, officials said.

A neighbor woke Wood Grigsby up about 4 a.m. Tuesday. Grigsby has lived in upper Kagel Canyon for 12 years.

I came outside, and we were surrounded pretty much on all sides by fire, Grigsby said.

He said his house is well-defended against fire  he clears the brush, has gravel and there isnt much to burn close to him. But he and his son did take furniture in from the porch and grabbed shovels to put out little fires burning in the grass and fields of his neighbors house.

His neighbors house, about 180 feet up the mountain from him, burned, which worried him.

Sources: L.A. County Fire Department, Mapzen, OpenStreetMap (Raoul Ranoa/@latimesgraphics )

By the time the Fire Department got there, it was completely engulfed in flames, he said. The wind would change ... and when it did that, it would blow up a bunch of embers into the air. Its very dramatic looking in the dark to see those embers coming by in a tornado-like fashion and just dropping all over my property.

He and his son stayed outside for about three hours putting out the embers to make sure they didnt start fires on his property or neighbors lots.

The Fire Department was just stretched so thin. When you get a big fire going like this, theres only so much we can do. So my son and I were out there with our little shovels, helping as much as we could.

Grigsby said he was unaware of any mandatory evacuations. The Fire Department checked in on them, he said, and they just told him to be careful.

About five miles from the incidents command post, evacuated families took shelter at the Sylmar Recreation Center. There were 30 to 50 people there before noon.

Scott Wells sat with his wife and son in the centers gym between the basketball hoops, waiting to learn when he might be able to go home. When Wells woke up in the predawn hours in his home in upper Kagel Canyon, he smelled the smoke.

When he looked outside, there was brush burning all around. He woke his wife, Patricia Beckmann Wells, and the two began putting out spot fires.

It was pretty scary, Wells said. It was all around us.

When their 5-year-old son, Petey, woke up and smelled smoke, he got a little freaked out, Wells said. But we talked him down. And then he was fine.

The Fire Department and Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department later came and asked them to evacuate. There were houses on fire, Wells said.

He said theyve been monitoring a Facebook group for the canyon, and theyve been told their house is fine. He said there are at least two houses they know that are gone and theyve heard of more.

Wood Grigsby, who lives in upper Kagel Canyon, also sent me this video he took around 5:30 this morning. #CreekFire pic.twitter.com/7ZNr3P1FM7  Brittny Mejia (@brittny_mejia) December 5, 2017

The Santa Ana winds are expected to linger through at least Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

The blaze comes as other firefighters are dealing with a fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire that has swept into the city of Ventura, burned 50,000 acres, destroyed homes and forced 27,000 people to evacuate. About 150 structures  including at least one large apartment complex  were consumed by flames, and many more were threatened as the fire crept about a quarter-mile from Ventura City Hall.

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The South Coast Air Quality Management District cautioned residents in the San Fernando Valley and northwest coastal areas of L.A. County to stay indoors and avoid areas with visible smoke because of unhealthy air quality.

It is difficult to tell where ash or soot from a fire will go, or how winds will affect the level of dust particles in the air, so we ask all individuals to be aware of their immediate environment and to take actions to safeguard their health, Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, interim health officer for Los Angeles County, said in a statement. Smoke and ash can be harmful to health, especially in vulnerable individuals, like the elderly, people with asthma or individuals with other respiratory and heart conditions.

UPDATES:

6:05 p.m.: This article was updated with the number of structures destroyed.

4:15 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from a Shadow Hills resident.

1:40 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the LAFD chief.

1:15 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from residents.

11:35 a.m.: This article was updated with additional evacuations and freeway closures.

10:05 a.m.: This article was updated with a revised estimate of acreage burned and comments from officials.

9:15 a.m.: This article was updated with a revised estimate of acreage burned and comments from firefighters.

7 a.m.: This article was updated with a revised estimate of acreage burned and evacuation zones.

5:05 a.m.: This article was updated with a revised estimate of acreage burned.

This article was originally published at 4:55 a.m.
Residents in Santa Paula were already awake and alert when a police cruiser slowly drove through the area early Tuesday morning announcing mandatory fire evacuations.

At least one woman in a white robe stopped the cruiser and asked how close the fire was to the neighborhood.

Its coming across this way! the officer told the woman.

Nearby, Mike Medina stood by the intersection, watching flames make their way down the canyon through a gap of tree branches and snapping a photo.

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Earlier, when the fire broke out, Medina said he was returning home from work at Costco in Oxnard when his 73-year-old mother called him.

She told me, I could see flames in the back of our yard, he said.

Medina said he drove straight to his parents home, taking Ojai Road, just past Mupu Elementary School. When he reached their house he saw flames in the distance. The winds, strong enough to shove a person, picked up dust. He said he stayed with his parents until authorities issued mandatory evacuations, and then took them to his home.

He said it was important to reach his parents because his father is an amputee and disabled and needed help getting out.

Medina said a wildfire had burned down his parents home in the early 1980s. They rebuilt, but as he watched the flames while neighbors evacuated, he wondered whether his parents home was still standing. He said the last view was the flames approaching the home.

To see it almost burn, they must be losing their minds, he said.
It appears the worst is still to come when it comes to the powerful Santa Ana winds fueling the destructive wildfire plaguing a swath of Ventura County.

The winds, with gusts topping 50 mph, are expected to continue for at least the next three days, the National Weather Service said.

Generally, its awful fire weather today, tomorrow and Thursday, said forecaster Ryan Kittell. The winds were seeing right now are  plenty strong to drive a fire.

Thursday looks potentially the worst.  Were still going to have the winds, dry relative humidity and maybe 10 degrees warmer, Kittell said.

High-pressure system. (Los Angeles Times)

This is the season, with a vengeance

The winter months are usually when Southern California sees Santa Ana winds, which have been responsible for some of the regions most catastrophic fires. Some of the worst fires occur in October, when hot conditions and heavy winds are a deadly combination.

The winds this week were cool, Kittell said, but powerful and dry. And that was enough.

Santa Ana winds are strong, extremely dry down-slope winds in Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate inland in desert regions and occur mainly in the fall and winter, but can arise during other seasons.

Most Santa Ana wind events are caused by high pressure in the the Wests Great Basin and lower pressure off the coast. Air from areas of high pressure flows toward those of lower pressure, and the gradient, or difference, causes the intense winds.

Air from areas of high pressure over high ground inland flows down toward sea level in Southern California. The sinking air heats up, loses moisture and speeds up, especially as it squeezes through canyons.

The severity of Santa Ana winds varies by year. Some years see less strong winds than others. The winds in some years  such as 1993, 2003 and 2007  have produced multiple destructive fires.

How Santa Ana winds work. (Los Angeles Times)

Wind drove the destruction, and there was little firefighters could do

Ventura County fire officials said the current winds, which began Monday, were so powerful that there was little they could do to stop the flames spread by the turbulent conditions.

"The prospects for containment are not good, Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said during a news conference early Tuesday. Really, Mother Nature is going to decide.

In areas around the Thomas fire in Ventura County, winds were gusting at about 40 mph as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, Kittell said. An increase to 50 mph was expected by the afternoon, he said.

The winds were not expected to subside until at least 6 p.m., he said, with conditions improving overnight before they worsen again with sunrise.

Already browned from the hottest summer on record, the vegetation on Southern Californias mountains and hillside is continuing to dry out and turn into kindling ready to burn. A recent report from the U.S. Drought Monitor said the areas soil is unusually dry.

Most of Southern California is considered abnormally dry or in moderate drought conditions, the report stated.

(Thomas Lauder / Los Angeles Times)

A change after Thursday
Police are looking for additional victims of a bandit taxi driver accused of raping a woman last month after she hailed a ride home, authorities said.

The woman thought she had taken a Yellow Taxi after leaving a bar near Vermont Avenue and Pico Boulevard about 12:15 a.m. Nov. 12, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. She told the driver, whom police identified as Jose Rene Pimentel, to take her to her home.

Instead, police said, Pimentel drove her to Flower Street south of 84th Place and parked his faded 2007 Toyota Prius. There, he forcefully sexually assaulted the woman, police said.

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The woman escaped and asked someone nearby for help. The person called police, who responded and took Pimentel into custody.

Pimentel told officers he works as a bandit taxi driver, which means he does not have a license to drive passengers, police said. On the back side of his car, 1-800-TAXI CA, is printed in faded black letters.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 77th Street Division detectives at (323) 786-5423.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek
The secretary of a local Republican Party in Florida, who was convicted in a brutal 2007 hammer attack on a high school classmate in Los Angeles, can keep his position, state party leaders have decided.

Rupert Tarsey was elected to the Broward County Republican Executive Committee in May as a party newcomer, outscoring two challengers whod been around longer. But a few months later, committee members discovered that the 28-year-old had changed his name several years ago and hid a violent past.

When the revelations reached the board in September, some called on him to resign. He refused.

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The committees chairman, Bob Sutton, tried to suspend him. Tarsey filed a grievance against Sutton with the Florida Republican Party, arguing Sutton didnt have the legal authority to take that action. Suttons attorney filed a cross-grievance against Tarsey.

Florida Republican Party Chairman Blaise Ingoglia resolved those grievances last week, putting both men on probation  Tarsey for one year, Sutton for six months.

Ingoglia also issued a sharp rebuke of Tarsey, saying that anyone with a criminal record is an embarrassment to the party and should resign.

I dont think that Tarsey should be an officer, or even a member, of any Republican Party given his past history and current penchant for intentionally misleading people, Ingoglia said in a statement. He should have resigned for the good of the party and unfortunately, he did not.

But, he said, its up to the local party, which voted Tarsey in without performing their due diligence, to remove him if they so choose.

We are a party of rules and process, he said. Now, the local [Republican executive committee] members have the ability to remove him.

Tarsey declined to comment when reached by phone last week.

A decade ago, he was Rupert Ditsworth, a 17-year-old senior at Harvard-Westlake High School, an elite college preparatory academy in Los Angeles.

He invited a schoolmate to lunch one day in May and on their drive back, detoured to a quiet residential street. There, he told her that he had thoughts of suicide. She suggested he drive back to school and see a counselor.

Instead, according to court records, he reached inside his backpack, pulled out a claw hammer and started swinging. He smashed his classmates nose and leg, split her scalp and gave her two black eyes.

As part of a plea agreement brokered with prosecutors, he pleaded no contest to one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon, avoided jail time and was sentenced to six years probation.

He changed his name and moved to Florida, where he received extensive mental health treatment, excelled in college and earned a masters degree in business administration. Last year, he successfully petitioned to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor.

Ingoglia also criticized the local partys leadership for damaging the broader GOP.

It is unfortunate how this matter is being made public and how the leadership of the Broward REC, which is in complete disarray, is damaging the Republican Party to further their own personal agendas, Ingoglia said. BREC leadership should consider themselves on a very short leash.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek
An armed man crashed his vehicle into a South Los Angeles home Monday afternoon after leading police on a short pursuit, authorities said.

The man, who was not named, fled his SUV on foot after the crash, which occurred about 3 p.m. near Ascot Avenue and East 48th Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police set up a perimeter and took the man into custody, said Los Angeles Police Officer Mike Lopez. Officers found a gun inside the mans car.

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Its unclear if anyone was inside the home, but no injuries were reported. Television footage showed the car wedged into the side of the structure, covered by debris.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek
Los Angeles officials have debated for decades how best to provide for one of the most basic needs of homeless people.

For those camped in the 50-block skid row district, the streets have been an open-air restroom  with only nine toilets available overnight in recent months to as many as 1,800 people camped on sidewalks.

Over the years, the city would install bathrooms and then haul them away after they were commandeered for drug use and prostitution. Some in downtown also worried the restrooms would give a permanence to the homeless camps, and argued that in the lawless atmosphere of skid row, people would not use them.

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But with homelessness at crisis proportions, the first new public toilets on skid row in more than a decade opened Monday.

The action represents a new consensus among many downtown interests about how to provide the essential service on skid row. The restrooms also are expected to help in the fight against a statewide hepatitis A outbreak spread by poor hygiene in homeless camps that has killed more than a dozen people in San Diego.

The Los Angeles facilities will be decidedly different from those in the past, both aesthetically and culturally.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tours the new Skid Row Community ReFresh Spot hygiene center. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )

A key will be having full-time attendants, whom activists are calling ambassadors, to monitor the restrooms and make people feel welcome. Homeless advocates also hope to have a snack stand and a bench for resting and chatting with friends, as well as provide feminine hygiene products, which are in short supply on skid row.

The new approach comes as the border between skid row and the rest of downtown is shifting. High-end development is rising at skid rows doorstep, and the tent cities that once were largely limited to skid row are spreading to other parts of the city.

In other places, the bathrooms might be seen as something thats going to attract certain behaviors or people, said Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council director Nate Cormier, a South Park resident. We have so many people under those conditions, were all looking any way we can to turn the tide and deal with the crisis.

The latest $450,000 facility is modest  eight toilets and six showers, operating four days a week, in a trailer on a city-owned parking lot sandwiched between two homeless housing and service agencies. In addition to attendants, the toilets will be monitored by a maintenance crew and security, which organizers hope will forestall the problems that so long soured skid row bathroom politics.

A January expansion will increase the number of showers and toilets and add laundry facilities, officials said.

At the formal opening Monday morning, Mayor Eric Garcetti underlined the communitys role in the project.

It is for decades that this community has cried out for the need for public restrooms, Garcetti said at the event, which featured a bongo and guitar trio and a dozen other city and county officials. We know here that this is one step, but it is a critical step.

The celebratory atmosphere was broken when a skid row activist who worked on the project tore up the city certificate of appreciation that Garcetti had handed him.

Its 10 years late and three times short, General Dogon, a member of the Los Angeles Community Action Network, an anti-poverty group, said as television cameras rolled. This aint nothing to what we laid out and what we need.

The mayor responded, Its never too late, and promised more sanitation services, but he did not specify how many. Activists have demanded 164 toilets, spaced out within walking distance of every sidewalk camp.

Garcetti also said the project underscores the citys rejection of its longtime containment policy, which centralized homeless services on skid row, and establishes a new era of partnership with activists.

At one time, downtown L.A. was in the midst of radical revitalization and the wisdom of the day at that time was to  concentrate our problems as if somehow that would make it go away, Garcetti said. That has failed us.

Skid row bathrooms were often on the front line of the citys war on modern homelessness. In 1992, city housing officials placed dozens of portable toilets throughout skid row, only to see Mayor Tom Bradley cut off the funding.

It is for decades that this community has cried out for the need for public restrooms  Mayor Eric Garcetti

Alice Callaghan, an activist for the poor, then arranged for six outdoor latrines festooned with ornaments and garlands for Christmas. The mayor had them hauled away.

Two years later, Bradleys successor, Richard Riordan, had two dozen portable toilets placed on skid row. Half were yanked in 1998, then returned after a protest. But when concerns about prostitution and drug use arose in 2006, the city, with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in charge, had them all carted off.

The city opened a handful of self-cleaning toilet kiosks, but they were often on the blink. After county officials in 2012 and 2013 warned of an immediate public health threat , the city paid for more nighttime access to mission bathrooms and, more recently, put temporary restrooms in skid row parks.

But the countys recommendation to add substantial numbers of toilets was largely ignored. A community audit this year found bathroom access on skid row fell short of U.N. standards for Syrian refugee camps. In April, a group called Skid Row Community Coalition came together to renew the push for new restrooms, and the mayors office joined in.

This is our vision and our dream, activist Charles Porter said Saturday. We had people come from the tents, and they came to the meetings on time. We became our own solution.

Even the projects name  Skid Row Community ReFresh Spot  was important in making community members feel comfortable, Porter said.

This is our vision and our dream  activist Charles Porter

Who says, Lets go down to the hygiene center? Porter asked.

The city insisted on security, but the organizers said they made sure guards would be unarmed and from a company with a record of cultural sensitivity to skid rows largely African American population.

They dont want to feel like the law is running it, said Evans Clark, who will manage the facility. Clark also said it was important the bathrooms eventually open overnight.

The missions open and close, and in the middle of the night, you can see somebody using the bathroom on every little corner, Clark said.

Coalition member Tom Grode said he hoped to enlist volunteers to help run the toilets.

The real problem with skid row is its been denied its rights as a community, said Chris Mack, a longtime skid row outreach worker and a coalition member. This space is being done with an aesthetic, and with a persons dignity in mind.

The facility will have to move when the Weingart Center begins building housing on the site as part of the citys ambitious construction program, Clark said.

Though supporters see the bathrooms as a possible turning point for the beleaguered community, the benefits are limited. Cormier said the only concern hes heard about the project was that it was a drop in the bucket compared with the human services needs of downtowns homeless population.

This spot here is temporary and certainly is not the answer to the problem of homelessness, said Deacon Alexander, a longtime skid row resident and a restroom organizer. It resolves one point and one point only: a place to go to the bathroom.
Karen Kwan-Holt, 49, stood near Ventura High School at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, watching her neighbors house burn  a victim of the brush fire plaguing the area.

Kwan-Holt and her husband, Steve Holt, along with their two children, ages 9 and 10, live in a 3,000-square-foot home that sits on a hillside in Ventura, providing a view of the ocean.

On Monday evening, the family packed up precious items such as family photographs and their guinea pigs, Guinea Penny and Gert.

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Steve Holt moved into the home in 1992, when it was a small house. He rebuilt on the land, constructing the familys home.

Kwan-Holt has called their house home for the last 17 years, the time she has been married to Steve Holt.

Its a house that was built with love, she said.

Kwan-Holt watched the tree between her neighbors home and her home catch fire.

Were just hoping for the best, she said.

Tom Weaver, 73, of Ventura had just finished putting some suit coats in the back of a van.

He and his wife Tina, 73, and their son, Blake, 37, were evacuating their home near Main Street in Ventura. Nearby, homes burned on a hillside.

Weaver said he wasnt sure where they would go once they evacuated.

Dont know, he said. Were designating a parking lot to meet at. From there, I think its breakfast and chit-chat [until] we can go home.

Water gushed down North Laurel Street as firefighters worked to put out a flames at the Hawaiian Village Apartments. About 4 a.m., the building continued to collapse as the sound of propane tanks bursting filled the air.

Residents were scattered across North Laurel with cameras and cellphones, watching the fire take the building.

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Ventura wildfire rages over 45,000 acres, destroys more than 150 structures, triggers evacuation of 27,000

Live updates: Ventura and Sylmar fires force thousands to evacuate
In an order this week allowing President Trumps travel ban to go into effect, the Supreme Court added another chapter to a nearly yearlong fight between the Trump administration and civil rights groups over one of the most controversial policies of his presidency.

Its a battle in which each side has claimed major wins. Judges have used Trumps tweets, campaign statements and verbal outbursts to knock down the ban, ruling repeatedly that it discriminates against Muslims and violates immigration law.

But the Trump administration has landed the biggest victories in two temporary orders by the Supreme Court allowing versions of the ban to go into effect. The administration has hailed the orders  each a page or two long  as evidence that the president is within his power to restrict travel in the name of national security.

For now, most nationals of Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea will not be allowed into the U.S.

The Supreme Court is widely expected to conduct a full legal review of the ban, but that has not been scheduled.

You can speculate on the court, but its still unclear if a majority of them would rule in favor of the government, said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. They havent had the chance.

Heres a history of court actions on the ban:

Jan. 27: The first ban

Trump signed the first travel ban on a Friday afternoon, promising it would keep terrorists out of the country. It immediately blocked U.S. travel by all people with visas from seven Muslim-majority countries  Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  for 90 days. It also set up a 120-day ban on all refugees and permanently stopped the resettlement of refugees from Syria.

Within days, the State Department revoked tens of thousands of visas. Green-card holders returning to the U.S. found themselves detained at airports, and crowds swelled at international terminals across the country to protest.

Feb. 3: Judge in Seattle blocks first ban

Replying to a case brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota, U.S. District Judge James Robart said the ban could no longer remain in effect. Other judges had already blocked parts of the ban, but Robarts ruling was the broadest order and applied nationwide.

Its a wonderful day for the rule of law in our country, Washington states solicitor general, Noah Purcell, said at the time. The order was haphazardly carried out and poorly thought up.

Feb. 9: Appeals court upholds block on first ban

In an unanimous decision, a panel of three judges in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said Robarts nationwide order halting the travel ban should stand. The judges said they were unconvinced that the nation needed the ban for security.

Trump took to Twitter to reply. SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE! he tweeted.

Justin Cox of the National Immigration Law Center, center, outside federal court in Greenbelt, Md., after a hearing over the travel ban in March. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)

March 6: Trump signs second ban

In attempt to pass court muster, Trump signed a revised, pared-down ban on residents of six Muslim-majority countries.

The ban blocked travel for 90 days for residents of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It included a refugee ban of 120 days. Iraqi nationals, who were named on the first ban, were no longer included. It removed language from Trumps earlier order that courts said illegally gave preference to non-Muslim refugees, and had language allowing exemptions for green-card holders, dual citizens and other specific visa holders.

March 15: Hawaii judge blocks second ban

U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu wrote that despite the bans stated secular purpose, Trumps own words acted against him.

In another case, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland also ruled against Trump. The judge said it was likely that Trumps ban violated the Constitution by discriminating against Muslims.

May 25: Appeals court upholds block of ban

The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to go against the Maryland court order blocking the ban. We remain unconvinced [the ban] has more to do with national security than it does with effectuating the presidents promised Muslim ban, judges wrote.

On June 12, the 9th Circuit similarly upheld the Hawaii ruling against the ban. It said Trumps order violated the Immigration and Nationality Act.

June 26: Supreme Court revives second ban

In a brief, unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court said that a limited version of the second ban could be put into place. The court did not rule on the constitutionality of the ban, saying it would instead take up those questions in the fall. But justices said it could apply to anyone without bona fide relationships with Americans or U.S. entities. It said those included spouses, employers and universities, but largely left the definition of bona fide open to interpretation.

U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson. (George F. Lee / Associated Press)

July 13: Hawaii judge says grandparents, other relatives must be exempt from ban

Going against the Trump administrations policy on who falls under the ban, Watson said those exempt from it included travelers who had grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and brothers- and sisters-in-law in the U.S.

The judge also said refugees could not be blocked if they had formal assurance from U.S. resettlement agencies for relocation to the country.

July 19: Supreme Court reinstates restrictions on refugees

Justices said the Trump administration could reinstate restrictions on refugee resettlement, but that it could not limit the kinds of close family members exempt from the ban on visitors from the six countries.

A protest against the travel ban at Los Angeles International Airport on June 29. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 7: Appeals court says refugees must be allowed in

Judges on the 9th Circuit upheld a ruling from Watson that said refugees who had relationships to resettlement agencies in the U.S. could count those as bona fide connections to exempt them from the refugee ban.

Sept. 12: Supreme Court allows government to block 24,000 refugees

The court reversed a ruling from the 9th Circuit that forced the government to let up to 24,000 refugees into the country.

Travel ban opponents argued that kind of relationship was a bona fide one that would make the refugees exempt from the travel ban.

Sept. 24: Trump signs third ban

The new ban covered travel to the U.S. by most nationals of Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea. The ban also restricted travel by certain Venezuelan government officials and their families.

It was scheduled to take effect Oct. 18 and, unlike prior bans that had expired or were rescinded, it was indefinite.

The U.S. Supreme Court. (Michael Reynolds / EPA/Shutterstock)

Oct. 10: Supreme Court drops ban case

Two cases  originating in Watsons and Chuangs courts  blocking a second version of the travel and refugee ban were set for October oral arguments in the Supreme Court.

Justices dropped them because the ban had expired and was replaced by a new one.

Oct. 17: Hawaii judge halts ban nationwide

In response to a lawsuit from the state of Hawaii and Muslims in the state, Watson blocked the entire ban on nationals of the six Muslim-majority countries  but not North Korea or select Venezuelan officials. His order came the day before the latest travel ban was to go into effect.

Watson said the ban went against the Immigration and Nationality Act and plainly discriminates based on nationality in a way that was antithetical to American principles. He wrote that the order suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor: It lacks sufficient findings that the entry of more than 150 million nationals from six specified countries would harm U.S. interests.

Oct. 18: Maryland judge halts ban nationwide

In ruling against the ban, Chuang said the administration could not enforce it on any person with a bona fide connection to the U.S. Chuang wrote that the presidents campaign trail comments about Muslims and his Twitter postings pointed to the ban being an unconstitutional example of religious discrimination.

A protest in New York on June 29. (Alba Vigaray / EPA/Shutterstock)

Nov. 13: Appeals court allows a partial ban

After the Trump administration made an emergency request for the 9th Circuit to reverse Watsons order, appellate judges struck a middle ground. They allowed the ban to stay blocked but only for people who had bona fide connections in the U.S.

Dec. 4: Supreme Court revives ban

The court said the ban could go into effect on most nationals of the six Muslim-majority countries. Justices overruled the 9th Circuit, where judges earlier said the government could only block travelers who did not have bona fide U.S. connections, such as family members in the country or job offers.

jaweed.kaleem@latimes.com

Jaweed Kaleem is The Times' national race and justice correspondent. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
With President Trump poised to do what no other president has been willing to do  move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem  leaders and analysts in the region warned Tuesday that it could spur insecurity and instability in a part of the world already beset by both.

Fulfilling an oft-repeataed campaign pledge, Trump will declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel in a speech at the White House on Wednesday, three senior administration officials said. At the same time, he will set in motion a multiyear process for moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the officials said.

The president laid the groundwork in a series of phone calls Tuesday to Saudi Arabias King Salman, Jordans King Abdullah II, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi.

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All the leaders issued strongly worded declarations opposing the idea, which they fear could stir violent passions in a city that has long been a nationalist and religious tinderbox.

Trumps expected declaration on Jerusalem could turn into a match that would ignite a major fire in the violent region we are living in.  Israeli commentator Simon Shiffer

Jerusalem was a divided city until 1967, when Israel captured the eastern half of the city in a war with its Arab neighbors. Palestinians have never accepted Israeli rule over the entire city and have insisted that East Jerusalem become the capital of any future Palestinian state, making decisions about its status especially fraught. Israelis have always considered Jerusalem their eternal capital.

Even before the president unveiled his plan, the emerging outline was enough to send a sense of anger and apprehension coursing through the Arab world and beyond.

European allies appealed anew for moderation on such a sensitive matter, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said through a spokesman that the citys status had always been regarded by the world body as a question that must be resolved through direct negotiations.

In Israel, security forces braced for a potential eruption of unrest, according to Israeli news reports. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stayed largely silent in the run-up to Trumps speech, seemingly worried that any display of satisfaction over an explicit American endorsement of its long-held position might generate even more of a backlash from Arab neighbors.

Trumps expected declaration on Jerusalem could turn into a match that would ignite a major fire in the violent region we are living in, veteran Israeli commentator Shimon Shiffer wrote in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper this week. The U.S. president, he said, is handling every diplomatic issue like a pyromaniac who forces the people around him to put out the fire.

The eve of the presidents statement saw the strongest public warning yet from Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally that has been seen by the White House as a potential partner in any overarching Mideast peace accord.

Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, has cultivated a close relationship with the young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who is considered the main power behind the throne, and the Trump administration has cast Saudi Arabia as a key interlocutor in efforts to revive the peace process.

But the Saudi response to Trumps call  at least publicly  was harsh. King Salman declared that any unilateral U.S. declaration on the status of Jerusalem would be a dangerous step and a flagrant provocation of Muslims all over the world, according to a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Trumps posture on Jerusalem drew expressions of bewilderment from some longtime watchers of the region, who pointed to a plethora of pitfalls awaiting, without the promise of achieving any particular policy aim.

Im just baffled, said Thomas Lippman, an expert in Arab affairs and U.S.-Saudi relations at the Middle East Institute in Washington. Look at this from the Saudi perspective: They see themselves as leading the worldwide struggle with Iran. You dont win the battle for Muslim hearts and minds by being seen as soft on Israel.

But rhetorical flights do not always reflect leaders true sentiments, particularly when it comes to Mideast peacemaking. Some observers suggested Trump could mollify Arab states if his announcement is framed in such a way that makes clear the United States still backs a negotiated solution to the two sides competing claims to Jerusalem.

Its not too late for Trump to make tomorrows Jerusalem announcement artfully, former U.S. envoy to Israel Daniel Shapiro wrote on Twitter. But, he added, its been awfully clumsy getting to this point.

The U.S. Embassy wont be moved immediately, the administration officials said. In the meantime, Trump will sign a waiver to the 1995 law that demanded the State Department move the embassy by May 31, 1999.

Trump will not set a timetable, but one senior U.S. official said that opening a new U.S. embassy in another country routinely takes three to four years.

We dont just put a plaque on the door and open a mission, the official said. There are major security and structural considerations and very, very strict guidelines anywhere in the world that have to be followed before a flag goes up, the official said.

Trump will have to continue to sign such waivers every six months to avoid cuts to the State Department budget that would kick in under the 1995 law. With Trump committing to building the embassy in Jerusalem eventually, the White House would like Congress to amend the law to eliminate the waiver requirement.

Palestinians have long considered Trump to be too partial toward Israel to be a fair broker in any peace process, and the latest developments brought new expressions of angst. A spokesman for Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, was quoted by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA as saying Abbas told Trump during their phone call that moving the embassy would have highly negative repercussions.

Palestinian protesters burn pictures of President Trump at manger square in Bethlehem on Dec. 5, 2017. (Musa Al Shaer / AFP/Getty Images )

Abbas warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world, his spokesman said.

More than any other issue associated with the conflict, the status of Jerusalem is a consistent flashpoint. A disputed holy site in its walled Old City known to Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary  has been at the heart of many outbreaks of violence, including tension that boiled over into deadly clashes this year.

Palestinians have threatened to cut off contacts with Washington if Trump makes unilateral decisions about Jerusalems status. The U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, citing widespread calls by Palestinians for demonstrations in coming days, forbade U.S. government workers and their families from making personal trips to the Old City or the West Bank. It also advised U.S. citizens to exercise caution.

The Jerusalem dispute puts Jordans monarch in a particularly awkward spot because of his role as guardian of Islams third-holiest shrine, in the heart of the walled Old City. Although Israel has security control of the site, Abdullah wields religious and administrative authority over the Al Aqsa compound, the raised plateau above the Western Wall, Judaisms holiest prayer site.

The senior U.S. officials insisted that recognizing Jerusalem as the capital doesnt change U.S. positions on the administration of the Temple Mount and the borders of Israel and Palestine that may be part of a peace deal.

The president believes this is a recognition of reality, the official said, in that the leadership of the state of Israel has run the country from Jerusalem for decades.

Jordan is one of only two Arab states  the other is Egypt  to have a peace treaty with Israel, and any struggle over the shrines status generally leads to calls to abrogate the peace accord. The countrys large Palestinian population is also sympathetic to the plight of kin in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

In a statement carried by Jordans Petra news agency after the phone call with Trump, Abdullah said moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem will undermine efforts to resume the peace process and will provoke Muslims and Christians alike.

After Trumps phone conversation with Egypts president, Sisi warned against complicating the situation in the region by introducing measures that would undermine chances for peace, according to a communique cited by Egyptian state media.

The gathering storm over Jerusalem brought a flurry of diplomatic activity.

In a phone call with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson late Sunday, Jordans foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, urged the United States to refrain from taking any steps aimed at altering the status quo on Jerusalem. Such moves would trigger anger across the Arab and Muslim world, fuel tension and jeopardize peace efforts, Petra quoted Safadi as saying.

The Arab League Council called an emergency session in Cairo and issued a resolution saying that recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital or establishing an embassy in the city would be a blatant assault on Arab nations as well as Muslim and Christian Palestinians.

Staff writer Zavis reported from Beirut and Bennett and King from Washington. Special correspondents Samir Zedan in Bethlehem, West Bank, and Nabih Bulos in Beirut contributed to this report.
Sacramento lobbyist Pamela Lopez on Monday formally accused San Fernando Valley Assemblyman Matt Dababneh of pushing her into a bathroom and masturbating in front of her in 2016.

Lopez had first shared the story in October as the wave of sexual misconduct disclosures rolled through politics, media and Hollywood. At the time, she refused to say who it was, but said she was persuaded to come forward to protect other women after an Assembly hearing last week on sexual harassment policies.

What Lopez described at a Monday morning news conference is serious, possibly criminal, sexual misconduct. But what seems more troubling are the allegations made by the woman at Lopezs side on Monday. Jessica Yas Barker, a Democrat club president from Los Angeles, claimed that while she was a staffer in the district office for Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Porter Ranch) about a decade ago, Dababneh, who was district chief of staff at the time, engaged in ongoing sexual harassment of her and other women in the office.

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She accused Dababneh of making jokes about the glass ceiling to women in the office, commenting on their attire and talking about his sexual conquests. Once, she alleged, he showed her a drawer full of condoms. Dababnehs behavior was an open secret in the San Fernando Valley, Barker asserted, and was the reason she decided to leave her job 18 months later.

Lopezs allegations are the most salacious, but what Barker described  even though its just an unverified accusation at this point  calls for immediate action. Not only should the Assembly launch a full investigation, it should suspend Dababneh in the interim. This is appropriate because, like U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., the complaints suggest a pattern of abuse involving staff.

But its not only the Assembly that should be taking a closer look at its ranks. The Democratic Party leadership ought to do the same. Women in the party particularly ought to demand what leaders knew when they supported Dababneh in his 2013 run for the Legislature and threw over a sitting Democratic Assemblywoman in 2016 to back Raul Bocanegra in 2016. Bocanegra resigned last week, just before the L.A. Times printed a story in which a handful of women accused him of sexual misconduct.

mariel.garza@latimes.com

Follow me @marielgarzaLAT
The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday morning in the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a.k.a. the gay wedding cake case.

But unless you were lucky enough to be at the court, youll have to wait until Friday to listen to the justices questions and the lawyers answers. Thats when the court will post an audio recording of the arguments on its website. (A transcript will be posted Tuesday afternoon.)

The absence of same-day audio in this case contrasts with the situation on April 28, 2015, when the justices last heard arguments in a major case involving gay rights: Obergefell vs. Hodges. That was the case that, two months later, produced a decision establishing a constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples. Reporters and citizens alike could listen to the Obergefell arguments a few hours after they occurred.

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Masterpiece Cakeshop is arguably a less consequential case than Obergefell, but it has attracted enormous public interest. Would-be spectators (and placeholders) began camping out Friday on the sidewalk in front of the court in hope of winning a place at Tuesdays arguments.

The fascination with the case isnt hard to understand. It involves a conflict between the right of a same-sex couple under Colorado law to be free from discrimination in public accommodations vs. the (asserted) 1st Amendment right of a Christian cake artist not to bake a custom wedding cake that contradicts his religious beliefs. (Heres The Times editorial boards take on the issues in the case.)

Both the baker, Jack Phillips, and the couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullin, have become minor celebrities.

The combination of legal significance and human interest makes this case an obvious candidate for same-day audio. Yet the court is making us wait.

Why? One theory is that the justices have soured on same-day audio. They supposedly fear that excerpts from their questions  the dreaded sound bites  are more likely to be used in news reports if they are available the same day than if journalists must wait a few days to access them.

That may be true. But if thats what concerns the justices, theyre being petty and patronizing. Even if one thinks that news broadcasts will air excerpts from the arguments out of context (itself a silly objection), posting audio of the entire argument allows citizens to place a sound bite in context. Thats the sort of engagement with its work that the court should be encouraging.

Periodically, members of Congress will propose that the Supreme Court be forced by legislation to open its public proceedings to television cameras, a much greater intrusion than same-day, delayed audio. If the justices want to fend off such initiatives, they would be wise to act on their own to be more transparent. Posting audio of every argument on the same day would be a painless way to demonstrate their good faith.

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To the editor: While it is not a binding legal document, the Declaration of Independence is pretty strong evidence of what the founders thought was or was not acceptable in an executive. In relevant part, the founders wrote about King George III of England, He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. (Whatever President Trump has done, it cant be obstruction of justice, his lawyer argues, Dec. 4)

In other words, obstruction of justice was repellent enough to the founders that it provided part of the justification for armed rebellion. Why on Earth would we fight a revolution only to assent to explicitly unacceptable behavior from our own executive?

No one is above the law, and its never comported with the basic ideals of our democracy that our most powerful leader is above the law. That has it exactly backward, which is not surprising from an administration that, among other things, loathes the 1st Amendment.

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Branden Frankel, Encino

..

To the editor: It was reported that President Trumps attorney said the president cannot be tried for obstruction of justice. But according to the Constitution, the president may be liable and subject to all laws.

If there is a successful impeachment and subsequent conviction by a two-thirds vote of the Senate as provided in Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution, the president is removed from office. Section 3 later states, The party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment, according to law.

Certainly it is up to the senators to remove a president from office. But it is inaccurate to state he cannot be tried for obstruction of justice.

Michael Miller, West Covina

..

To the editor: Im not a constitutional lawyer, but I know the practical result of the idea that a president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer.

In practice, the president becomes a dictator who is above the law.

Doris Isolini Nelson, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was accused of killing Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco. His defense was that he found a recently stolen handgun, which fired the bullet that struck and killed Steinle in 2015. (The Kate Steinle verdict will please few, and be manipulated by many, Opinion, Dec. 3)

By acquitting him of murder and voluntary manslaughter (criminal negligence), the jury found that he had no legal responsibility for the accidental discharge of the gun held in his hand.

Although the trial jury was never told that Garcia Zarate had been deported as an illegal immigrant five times and had seven prior felony convictions, Im sure the citizens of San Francisco are now aware of these facts because of post-trial media publicity. My question to them is this: Is Garcia Zarate still welcome in their sanctuary city?

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Bill Gravlin, Rancho Palos Verdes

..

To the editor: The mob mentality and rush to judgment espoused by those seeking justice in this case were moderated by a dispassionate group of citizens who honored their duty and obligation to society.

What disappoints me most about this case is how little we have read about losing yet another innocent life to gun violence. We are now so awash with guns that apparently we do not find it notable, much less of great concern, that a stolen loaded handgun can appear in a widely traveled public area.

Do we not recognize that the proximate cause of Steinles tragic death had nothing to do with the immigration status of the person who picked up the gun, but rather our societal irresponsibility that led to that handgun being on the street?

Sadly, we find it easier to engage in scapegoating, because it serves to advance a larger political narrative, rather than confront the ugly consequences of our addiction to violence and guns.

Matt Lucas, Lake Forest

..

To the editor: Saying that the verdict was fair completely misses the entire point of the trial  namely, someone was responsible for Steinles death, and that person was Garcia Zarate. He was illegally carrying a loaded gun that he had no idea how to handle, and now Steinle is dead.

I dont care about his undocumented status or how many times he had been deported; neither of these has anything to do with his causing the death of someone. But at least he should have been convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Upon completion of his prison term, he could then be deported. He might try to come back to the United States, but that is another problem entirely.

Tom Reinberger, Glendora

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Petition drive to repeal California gas tax increase temporarily slows down By Patrick McGreevy A motorist prepares to gas up her vehicle in San Rafael, Calif., in 2015. ( (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)) Paid signature-gatherers for a ballot measure that would repeal gas tax increases may be hard to find on the streets of California this week. Organizers say its not a money issue, adding that they needed to briefly halt paid signature-gathering to catch up on collecting petitions from volunteers. The petition drive has so far collected more than 327,800 verified signatures of the 587,407 needed to qualify the measure for the November ballot, according to Dave Gilliard, the political strategist behind the drive. We knew it was popular but the incredible pace is even faster than we expected so we outran the capacity of our verification operation over the Christmas holiday and told our crew managers to slow down so we could catch up, Gilliard said. We will be back up to speed by the end of this week. The gas tax and vehicle fee increases signed by Gov. Jerry Brown are expected to raise $5.2 billion annually for road and bridge repairs and expanded mass transit. The gas tax jumped from 18 cents to 30 cents per gallon on Nov. 1, and vehicle fees of at least $25 kicked in Jan. 1. The gas tax repeal petition is breaking records for both paid and volunteer signatures and were using the next two weeks to catch up on validation of signatures already received, said Carl DeMaio, a former San Diego City Councilman and conservative radio talk-show host. As a grass-roots-funded effort we are also continuously raising funds and volunteer support. We are highly confident well qualify this Initiative for the November 2018 ballot. Facebook

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State pot bureau ready to enforce Californias new marijuana laws as license applications flood in By Patrick McGreevy The state has issued 104 licenses for retail stores to sell marijuana for recreational use in California and 239 other applications for those permits are pending, officials said Tuesday. An official with the state Bureau of Cannabis Control added that the agency is prepared to begin taking enforcement action against pot shops that are not properly licensed. The bureaus enforcement team is ready to respond to any complaints it receives and start doing compliance checks and site visits at any time, said Alex Traverso, a spokesman for the bureau. Selling marijuana without a license is a crime punishable by up to six months in county jail and a fine of up to $500. Those convicted of engaging in any marijuana business activity without a license will also be subject to a civil penalty of up to three times the amount of the license fee for each violation. A new report issued Tuesday indicated the bureau has issued 478 temporary licenses to firms to test, distribute and sell medical and recreational marijuana, which began Jan. 1 after voters approved a legalization initiative, Proposition 64, in 2016. Businesses have received 153 licenses to sell marijuana for medical use. Another 1,458 firms have applied for licenses that are still being processed. The state Department of Food and Agriculture has separately issued 207 licenses to marijuana growers. Facebook

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Two possible instances of discrimination reported after California issues drivers licenses to immigrants here illegally By Jazmine Ulloa The California Research Bureau on Tuesday released its first report on incidents of discrimination under a 2015 state law that has provided drivers licenses for hundreds of thousands of immigrants here illegally. Researchers found no complaints have been made against government agencies tasked with enforcing anti-discrimination laws. But two possible instances of discrimination were reported in focus group interviews conducted by Drive California, a coalition of advocates studying the impact of the new law. In one case, a woman in Fresno was told her license was not a valid form of identification at a retail store, though it was unclear whether the incident reflected intentional discrimination or simple ignorance of the license marking, the report states. A MoneyGram clerk in another case denied a license holder the ability to cash a check. The same person was later rejected again at a bank. The state Department of Motor Vehicles has issued 960,000 AB 60 drivers licenses as of Nov. 30. The state research bureau produced the report for the Legislature as part of the new law, which declares discrimination against an AB 60 license holder a violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act. Facebook

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California lawmaker proposes requiring panic buttons for hotel workers in response to widespread sexual harassment By Patrick McGreevy More than half of hotel workers surveyed report being sexually harassed at some point. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) Alarmed by a survey indicating sexual harassment of hotel housekeepers is widespread, a California state lawmaker on Tuesday proposed requiring employers to provide panic button devices to their employees so they can summon help if abused by a guest. The bill to be introduced Wednesday by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) would also require individual hotels to impose a three-year ban on guests who engage in harassment on the property. We want to protect our most vulnerable women workers, hotel maids who are going into rooms alone, from sexual harassment, said Muratsuchi, who co-authored the bill with Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward). The legislation signals that concerns over sexual harassment that dominated the state Legislature last year will continue to be an issue for lawmakers as they begin the new legislative year Wednesday. Harassment allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, comedian Louis C.K. and other high-profile men have involved sexual misconduct in hotel rooms. A survey in July by Unite Here Local 1 found that 49% of female hotel workers in Chicago had experienced a guest answering the door naked or exposing himself. The report titled Hands Off, Pants On, found 58% of hotel workers said they had been sexually harassed by a guest. Californias Unite Here Local 11 has been calling for the action proposed in the legislation. It is the intent of this measure to protect hotel employees from violent assault, including sexual assault, and sexual harassment, and to enable those employees to speak out when they experience harassment on the job, said the introduction to the legislation introduced by Muratsuchi. In addition to requiring hotels to provide panic buttons to employees who work alone in rooms, the bill requires hotels to take written complaints from employees and keep them for five years. Any complaint backed by evidence including a statement given under penalty of perjury would result in a guest being banned from a hotel for three years. Hotels would also be required to post a notice on the inside of hotel room doors warning guests about the consequences of sexual harassment. Updated at 4:10 pm to include comment from Assemblyman Muratsuchi. Facebook

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Money, Republican malaise and Tom Steyer: These are the things to watch for in Californias 2018 statewide elections By Seema Mehta Get ready, California. What had been a behind-the-scenes dash for cash closely watched by few other than political observers is about to burst into public view. Voters this year will decide who will succeed Democrat Jerry Brown as the next governor and whether they will send Sen. Dianne Feinstein back to Washington. Before the June 5 primary, candidates will ramp up their campaigns with messages on television and stuffed into mailboxes. Heres a primer on the states two marquee races. Read More Facebook

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Fickle L.A. County is pivotal in the race for California governor By Phil Willon Home to a quarter of Californias 5.2 million registered voters, Los Angeles County is the biggest prize in Californias 2018 race for governor. For two hometown Democratic candidates especially  former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang of Torrance  doing well in L.A. County is essential if they hope to best the front-runner, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Yet this overwhelmingly Democratic stronghold continually bedevils even the most adept campaigns. Read More Facebook

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A renewed brawl over single-payer healthcare in California is on deck for 2018 By Melanie Mason Carolyn Angela Chen, a registered nurse, gives a free hepatitis A vaccination to Glenn Gardner, 52, at Joshua House Clinic (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) California officials are bracing for healthcare battles in Washington to have a major impact on the states budget and programs. Activists and politicians are planning a showdown over whether or not to establish a single-payer healthcare system in the state. And prescription drug manufacturers are the target of a number of bills meant to target the rising costs of medication. Sound familiar? Turns out the brewing healthcare battles in California in 2018 arent all that different from those from 2017. Heres a primer on the upcoming healthcare agenda in California: Read More Facebook

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How California lawmakers plan to protect the online privacy of consumers in 2018 By Jazmine Ulloa (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) With federal regulation rollbacks and a rise in data breaches, California lawmakers this year are looking for ways to protect consumers and their personal information. Some legislation under consideration could give people more notice and control over what data is collected, without having to pay for privacy or better services. Other bills could provide free credit freezes for consumers and require new privacy features for products that connect to the internet. Read More Facebook

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2018 will see California motorists pay more to the state to repair roads and bridges By Patrick McGreevy The new year brings with it new vehicle fees in California ranging from $25 to $175 depending on the value of your car, but Republican lawmakers are hoping to qualify a ballot measure in November to repeal the higher charges. The fees and a 12-cent increase in Californias gas tax last year are part of a plan by Democrats to raise more than $5.2 billion annually to deal with a backlog of road and bridge repairs. Petitions to qualify a repeal initiative are circulating now. Read More Facebook

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A rent control battle tops the list of California housing issues to watch in 2018 By Liam Dillon A new-home community in Anaheim in 2016 (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times) California lawmakers arent wasting any time in tackling one of the most contentious issues in state housing politics this year. On Jan. 11, the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee is set to hold a hearing on legislation that could lead to a dramatic expansion of rent control policies across the state. The debate over rent control could spill over onto the 2018 ballot, where Californians also could see proposals to expand or curtail the property tax restrictions ushered in 40 years ago by Proposition 13. Lawmakers will have to wrestle with how to follow up a package of housing bills that passed last year. The measures provided new funding and regulations designed to encourage homebuilding, but are unlikely to make an appreciable difference in housing costs. Read More Facebook

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Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas is resigning By John Myers Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas abruptly announced his resignation from the California Legislature on Wednesday, citing health reasons. Ridley-Thomas, a Democrat from Los Angeles, informed Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) Tuesday night. The reason for this difficult decision is that I am facing persistent health issues, Ridley-Thomas, 30, said in a written statement on Wednesday. On December 18th, I underwent surgery for the fifth time this year. Although I expect a full recovery, my physicians advise that I will need an extended period of time to recuperate. Earlier this year, Ridley-Thomas was absent from work for more than two weeks. Staff members initially said the absence was a personal leave, then said the time off was due to unspecified medical reasons. His resignation letter on Wednesday offered no additional details. When I resume public life, I intend to remain active in civic affairs, where my passion lies, he said in the statement released by his office. Ridley-Thomas was first elected to the Assembly in a 2013 special election. He is the son of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. Before winning elected office at age 26, the younger Ridley-Thomas worked as an aide for Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price and managed a 2012 Assembly campaign in San Bernardino County. In a statement about his sons decision, Mark Ridley-Thomas said he and his wife more than anyone, have seen him struggle with health challenges this year, and we fully support his decision to step down from the state Legislature so that he can recuperate with complete rest, in accordance with his doctors orders. His solidly Democratic district includes the west Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westwood, Culver City, Crenshaw and Baldwin Hills. He is chairman of the influential Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee, which oversees all tax-related legislation. Ridley-Thomas is a proponent of changes in the operation of the state Board of Equalization, though his plan would have allowed the agency to ultimately retain many of its duties. A more substantial shake-up was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in June. Ridley-Thomas was the author of a bill signed into law in October giving the Los Angeles Unified School District the power to preserve some of its existing single-gender schools. He was unsuccessful, though, in an effort to stop local governments from imposing taxes on streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu. Ridley-Thomas departure will require a special election in 2018. He is the fourth Southern California legislator to leave office this year. The election of Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) to Congress also required a special election. The other two lawmakers Assemblymen Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) and Matt Dababneh (D-Woodland Hills)  stepped down in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct, which both men have denied. A special election to fill Bocanegras seat will be held on April 3, with a potential runoff on June 5. A special election date has not yet been set for Dababnehs seat. My colleagues and I wish Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas all the best going forward as he deals with his health challenges, Rendon said in a statement. The Assembly will continue to assist the residents of the 54th Assembly District until a new assemblymember is seated. This post was updated with comment from Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, as well as more information about special elections. It was originally published at 11:10 a.m. Facebook

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California Senate Democrats are considering some ideas to counter the GOP tax plan By Liam Dillon Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Democrats in the California Senate are planning to write legislation to lessen the effects of the elimination of popular tax breaks in the GOPs overhaul of the federal tax system. To finance broad-based corporate tax cuts and reductions in individual tax rates, the GOP plan caps the deductibility of state and local income and property taxes  a benefit used often in suburban areas of California. The Republican tax scam disproportionately harms California taxpayers, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) said in a statement. Our hard-earned tax dollars should not be subject to double-taxation, especially not to line the pockets of the Trump family, hedge fund managers and private jet owners. De Leon, who also is running for U.S. Senate, said the state Senate is working with law professors at UCLA, UC Davis and the University of Chicago to develop the legislation. Ideas being considered, according to a de Leon spokesman, include: Reducing state personal income taxes through a tax credit program and offsetting that amount through payroll taxes.

Allowing individuals to make voluntary gifts to the state of California, which would be deductible as a charitable donation under federal law. The deduction for the donated amount would replace the state and local tax deduction. Lawmakers return to Sacramento in January.

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L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti admits considering a 2020 bid: I am thinking about this By Seema Mehta Eric Garcetti (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Its no secret Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is interested in running for president. When reporters ask about his intentions, he has used all sorts of ways to deflect, typically by saying hes focused on his day job  for the moment. But speaking in Spanish to a Univision reporter this week, Garcetti edged ever closer to the telltale admission hes actually considering it. I am thinking about this, said Garcetti, who is partly of Mexican heritage but learned Spanish attending private school. The majority of time goes to my work as mayor of Los Angeles, but every [citizen] should think about what our role is in these difficult times, in these dangerous times. Garcetti added that he expects many mayors to run for president, and noted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently visited Iowa, which holds the first presidential nominating contest. Garcetti has long been rumored to be flirting with a White House bid, and he has fueled such speculation by traveling out of state to places such as the early presidential primary state of New Hampshire to campaign for a mayoral candidate. Facebook

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Gov. Brown makes judicial appointments, including attorney who helps train Legislature on anti-sexual-harassment policies .@JerryBrownGov makes two court of appeal and 33 superior court appointments including Lauri Damrell in Sacramento. Damrell, an attorney at Orrick, testified at the Assemblys recent hearing on sexual harassment, outlining the assemblys current prevention efforts.  Liam Dillon (@dillonliam) December 22, 2017 Facebook

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Californias former top cop forms marijuana distribution firm in new age of legalization By Patrick McGreevy Former California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer is going from enforcing laws against marijuana to legally distributing the drug under the states new rules that allow the sale and possession of pot for recreational use. With state-licensed sales of marijuana starting Jan. 1, Lockyer has co-founded a firm, C4 Distro, that will distribute packaged marijuana concentrates and edibles to stores in Los Angeles. He says Californias new regulated system has a chance to be a model for the rest of the country. For me as somebody who was on the law enforcement side for so many years, I saw the inadequacies of the effort to regulate something just by calling it illegal, Lockyer said. I think legalizing will help stabilize and help legitimize this industry and result in better consumer protection and other public benefits. Lockyer, a Democrat who served in the state Assembly and was leader of the state Senate, has co-founded the firm with Eric Spitz, who was chairman and president of the former parent company of the Orange County Register. The businessmen aim to get their products to pot shops in L.A. in late January or early February, Spitz said. Asked if he uses marijuana himself, Lockyer, 76, said, Not in any recent times, but there were college years. He said he sees his involvement in the marijuana industry as a mixture of helping to pay for his kids college tuition and public service to help the new regulations work. This whole industry has to come from the dark side to the light, he said. By focusing on delivery to as many as 700 stores that might open in Los Angeles, C4 Distro hopes to capture a targeted market while other firms distribute statewide. The business has a warehouse in southeast Los Angeles County and is close to applying for a distributors license from the state, Lockyer said. Lockyer served a quarter century in the state Legislature before he was elected as state attorney general in 1999. He left that office in 2007 when he was elected as state treasurer, serving until his retirement from politics in 2015. Before co-leading a group that bought the Register newspaper in 2012, Spitz served as chief financial officer at Narragansett Brewing Company. Spitz left the Registers Freedom Communications in 2016. 2 p.m.: An earlier version of this article mistakenly said Spitz left Freedom Communications in 2015. Facebook

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House passes disaster aid bill with wildfire funding, 18 Californians vote no By Sarah D. Wire (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Eighteen of Californias 53 House members voted no on an $81-billion disaster aid package Thursday, which includes funds for Californias recent wildfires. The 17 Democrats and one Republican voted no on the bill, which passed the House by a 251 to 169 vote. The Senate is not expected to take up the bill until January, when Congress returns from its holiday break. The entire California delegation had recently signed onto a letter asking for the disaster aid. In a speech on the House floor before the vote, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) pleaded with colleagues not to take a political stance on a disaster aid bill. Dont play politics on a vote to give aid to the people of Texas, to the people of Puerto Rico and to the Virgin Islands, to the people of Florida, and to the people of California that are still fighting the fires. Dont play politics on a bill where you hope to maybe stop another. That would be the worst of any politics Ive seen played here, McCarthy said. Here and now, right before Christmas, dont vote against aid for Americans who just lost everything. Several of the Democrats who voted no also voted against the spending bill Thursday, and said that they felt they could not support either because the bills did not include Democratic priorities for the end of the year, including protections for people brought to the country illegally as children. Others said the aid bill doesnt provide enough money for California and doesnt treat Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands fairly in terms of competing for the funds. The 18 representatives voting no were: Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro)

Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles)

Tony Cardenas (D-Los Angeles)

Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park)

Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana)

Anna Eshoo (D-Menlo Park)

Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles)

Ro Khanna (D-Fremont)

Barbara Lee (D-Oakland)

Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)

Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove)

Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco)

Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Downey)

Linda Sanchez (D-Whittier)

Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough)

Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin)

Norma Torres (D-Pomona)

Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) Facebook

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Three California House members cross party lines on spending bill to keep government open By Sarah D. Wire Three California House members crossed party lines Thursday on a vote to pass a spending bill that will keep the government open until mid-January. Democratic Reps. Jim Costa of Fresno and Raul Ruiz of Palm Desert joined the majority of Republicans to vote for the bill. Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of Alpine joined Democrats to vote against it. The bill, which funds the government through Jan. 19, passed the House 231 to 188, right before representatives left for the holidays. Costa said in a statement that he voted yes because keeping the government open is Congress job, but he called the vote a continuation of the dysfunction in Washington. It further illustrates the damage that results from partisan politics and irresponsible leadership. It is unacceptable that we have to resort to funding the government for weeks at a time because we cannot sit down together  Democrats and Republicans  and negotiate a real budget bill, Costa said. Hunters staff said the congressman was concerned that military spending in the bill was extended for only a short period. He had wanted the spending to be extended until September. Facebook

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Poll points to all-Democrat runoffs in California races for governor and senator By Seema Mehta Californians could see two Democrat-on-Democrat contests in the states premier races in 2018, according to a new poll released Thursday. In the gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom remains the front-runner with the support of 26% of likely voters in a Berkeley IGS poll. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came in second with the backing of 17%. The poll found notable demographic differences in the two mens bases of support. Newsom had strong leads in the Bay Area, where he once served as the mayor of San Francisco, as well as among white voters, liberals and the wealthy. Villaraigosa saw strong backing in Los Angeles County, among Latino voters and among those who earned less than $40,000. Republicans splintered in the race, placing businessman John Cox and Assemblyman Travis Allen in a tie for third place with 9% each. Two other Democrats, state Treasurer John Chiang and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin, each won the support of 5% of likely voters. If Republicans fail to consolidate behind a candidate in the June primary, voters will for the first time see no GOP candidate on the November ballot for governor. Its a repeat of what occurred in the 2016 U.S. Senate race, and what is likely to occur again in the 2018 U.S. Senate race if the field does not grow. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has the support of 41% of likely voters in her reelection bid, but her rival, fellow Democrat Kevin de Leon, won the support of 27%, according to the poll. There is no GOP candidate in the race. Feinstein, who has served in the Senate for a quarter-century, has enormous advantages in fundraising, name recognition and support among powerful political groups. However, the poll found that nearly one-third of likely voters said they are undecided or would like to support another candidate. Facebook

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California legislator wants to curb sexual harassment in Hollywood and eating disorders for models By Melanie Mason Fashion models show off the BCBG MAX AZRIA Spring 2016 collection during New York Fashion Week. (Richard Drew / AP) A new proposal by a California assemblyman is taking aim at two of the more criticized phenomena in the entertainment industry: sexual harassment and unhealthy body standards for fashion models. The legislation, by Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), would require the states Occupational Safety and Health Standards to adopt guidelines for fashion models in an attempt to combat the prevalence of eating disorders and excessive thinness in the industry. This is the second time Levine has tried to take on the fashion industry. His similar bill to impose standards on models sputtered in 2016. This time, Levine also is trying to address the prevalence of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry by requiring that talent agencies  which represent actors, performers and other artists  provide training on sexual harassment and how to identify and prevent inappropriate behavior. I believed women who told me their stories of abuse when I introduced legislation to provide workplace protections in the fashion industry in 2016 just like I believe them now, Levine said in a statement. Its time that law reflects societys rejection of sexual harassment in all workplaces, including Hollywood. My bill aims to address the problem before it starts, but also empowers survivors with the tools to report these cases. Facebook

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Local Indivisible group picks Democrat to endorse against Rep. Duncan Hunter By Christine Mai-Duc Ammar Campa-Najjar, 28, is running against Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine). (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) With an already crowded field of contenders hoping to unseat Rep. Duncan Hunter and months to go before the candidate filing deadline, one local activist group has made an early endorsement in the race. Indivisible CA50, made up of activists mostly in San Diego County, announced Thursday that its endorsing Ammar Campa-Najjar, a Democrat and public affairs consultant whos challenging Hunter. The endorsement comes as liberal activists and interest groups all over the state are grappling with whether  and how  to winnow down the dozens of candidates vying for 10 GOP-held seats in California. The group held more than half a dozen endorsement meetings to allow members throughout Hunters district to vote on their preferred candidate. One of the candidates, Pierre Beauregard, dropped out of the race recently and endorsed Campa-Najjar. In a statement Campa-Najjar said in a statement that the nod represents the enthusiasm of hundreds of progressive grassroots activists. Indivisibles national political director Maria Urbina said the endorsement was the first made by any California chapter in the 2018 midterms. Aside from Campa-Najjar, two other Democrats are running for Hunters seat: Josh Butner, a school board trustee and former Navy SEAL, and realtor Patrick Malloy, who ran last year and lost to Hunter by nearly 27 percentage points. Hunter will also face at least two GOP challengers: Shamus Sayed and Andrew Zelt. Hunter is not considered to be particularly vulnerable in next years election, but an investigation into his alleged misuse of campaign funds has caused at least one election handicapper to move his race from solid Republican to the likely Republican column. Facebook

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San Francisco is getting a new mayor and creating a political star. Who will it be? By Mark Z. Barabak San Francisco is the city everyone loves, even if they hate it. The stately Victorians, like a gingerbread dream come to life. The majestic Golden Gate Bridge, standing like heavens portal above the fog. The plucky cable cars, scrabbling up its impossible hillsides. It can almost make you forget the bands of ravaged homeless, the paralyzing traffic, the scent of human waste wafting from sidewalks outside the citys posh eateries and palatial tech headquarters. San Francisco is getting a new mayor, owing to the sudden death of incumbent Ed Lee. All of the grandeur, and all of the grit, accompany the position. To say the race is wide open  Lee having died just about a week ago  is an understatement. Read More Facebook

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Sen. Dianne Feinstein is under pressure over a fix for Dreamers By Sarah D. Wire California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is under pressure from activists and fellow Democrats to withhold support for a spending bill that would avert a government shutdown in exchange for protections for people brought to the country illegally as children. Feinstein said in October that protections for so-called Dreamers are the most important thing we can get done, but the senator known for her moderate bent said this week that she wont try to block the end-of-the-year spending bill over it, and has not offered an explanation. Dreamers this week flooded Feinsteins five California offices and her office on Capitol Hill. Two UCLA students refused to leave her Capitol Hill office after three hours Tuesday and were briefly detained by police. On Wednesday, about a dozen students and parents returned and were asked to leave after about 30 minutes of shouting in her office lobby. Read More Facebook

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The GOP tax plan passed. Now Democrats have another big issue to use in the midterms By Sarah D. Wire As GOP leaders in Congress met behind closed doors to hash out the details of their massive tax overhaul, a group of UC Irvine graduate students met in Rep. Mimi Walters district, fretting about how the plan could cost them money. About 20 miles north, dozens of activists in top hats stood outside Rep. Ed Royces Brea office as they chanted, Shame on you! And up in the Central Valley, protesters gathered outside Rep. Jeff Denhams Modesto office to sing Protest ye dreary congressman  Remember that he voted to take healthcare away. To save himself from taxes now, so you will have to pay. Read More Facebook

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Kevin de Leon to Feinstein: Dont come back to California without forcing a government shutdown over Dream Act By Jazmine Ulloa State Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), left, and Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), right. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) Taking direct criticism to the woman he is attempting to unseat in next years U.S. Senate race, California Senate leader Kevin de Leon on Wednesday urged Democrats to block a year-end spending bill as leverage to pass a Dream Act  clean of GOP demands for increased border security. At a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, De Leon commended Sen. Kamala Harris for pledging to block the measure, saying he could not understand why her colleague Sen. Dianne Feinstein had failed to take a similar stance in pushing for legislation to protect the so-called Dreamers, immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Dreamers make up hundreds of thousands of Sen. Feinsteins constituents, and while talking a good game on Dreamers, when it comes to standing up and supporting them, she is AWOL, said De Leon (D-Los Angeles), who has attempted to position himself to Feinsteins left as he campaigns for her seat. His statements follow days of demonstrations by young protesters at legislators offices in Washington and California. The coalitions of activists have been calling on Democrats to hold up the spending bill, a move that could force a government shutdown. They want to pass Dream Act legislation that would provide protections and a path to citizenship to young people without legal residency in the U.S. At least two young protesters were arrested Tuesday outside of Feinsteins Capitol Hill office, and more demonstrations took place at her offices in Washington and San Francisco on Wednesday. Feinstein, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) have sponsored Dream Act legislation but have not pledged to hold up the spending deal. A separate bipartisan group of senators is advocating punting the issue to January. President Trump has asked Congress to come up with a solution by March. Standing next to De Leon and immigrant rights advocates on Wednesday, state Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) said advocates had to double down the shame on any Democrat who thinks its time to wait on the issue. De Leon said they had made that message clear to Schumer, saying, It is time to find your spine, sir. To Pelosi and Feinstein, he said: Dont come back to California if you havent demonstrated your leadership and your courage to stand up for these young men and women. I can tell you this, De Leon said. If the Republicans were on the other side, they wouldnt hesitate for a nanosecond to shut down the government to move forward what they believe in. Facebook

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12 California Republicans vote to support tax overhaul for a second time; Rohrabacher and Issa say no By Sarah D. Wire The House gave final approval for the GOP tax bill Wednesday, with 12 Republicans in the state delegation again voting in favor of the bill. Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Darrell Issa of Vista voted no. The House and Senate both passed the bill Tuesday, but, because Democrats raised procedural objections that forced the bill to be changed in the Senate, the House had to vote on the bill again Wednesday before sending it to President Trump for his signature. Though many California taxpayers are expected to see an initial income tax cut under the plan, a significant number probably will have higher taxes because of the lost deductions. Analysts also expect the biggest cuts to flow to corporations and the states wealthiest residents. Republicans are expected to head to the White House later Wednesday for a celebration with Trump. No House Democrats, including the 39 from California, supported the bill. Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk) was not present for the second vote, but she voted no on Tuesday. See the Republican votes here: Facebook

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Californias Democratic senators vote no on GOP tax bill Californias @SenKamalaHarris and @SenFeinstein join rest of Democrats in the Senate in voting no on the GOP tax bill, which passed 51-48 along party lines. Sanders, who is an Independent, voted with Democrats.  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) December 20, 2017 "At a time when wages have stagnated and working Americans are trying to do more with less, this tax plan pulls the rug out from the middle class to give billions to those who already have so much. This is an attack on our values, and Americans deserve better," Harris said.  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) December 20, 2017 "Californians will be hit especially hard by the cap on the state and local tax deduction, making it more difficult for communities to pay for services that our families rely on, Its no wonder a bill that primarily benefits the wealthy is so unpopular..." Feinstein said  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) December 20, 2017 Facebook

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GOP tax overhaul passes House with help from a dozen California Republicans By Sarah D. Wire Despite weeks of consternation from some California House Republicans, a dozen of them joined their colleagues to pass an overhaul of the U.S. tax code Tuesday. Two  Reps. Darrell Issa and Dana Rohrabacher  voted against the plan. In the weeks before the vote, Republican Reps. Mimi Walters of Irvine and Steve Knight of Palmdale cited new caps on popular deductions as reasons they were uncertain about whether to vote for the bill. Both worked behind the scenes on changes and ultimately supported the bill, which passed the House on a near party line vote 227-203. Knight said hes satisfied the changes are enough to to turn what would have been a tax increase into a tax cut for his constituents. Read More Facebook

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More than half of Californians oppose GOP tax bill, according to new poll By Sarah D. Wire House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) arrives for a news conference about the tax plan. (Win McNamee / Getty Images) More than half of Californians oppose the GOP tax bill expected to be approved by Congress today, and just 20% believe it will have a positive affect on their families, according to a poll released Monday. Just over half of California voters, 51%, oppose the tax bill, and 30% support it, according to the newest IGS Poll, a survey by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. And the belief falls largely along party lines, with Democrats opposing the bill by a more than 4-to-1 (67% to 15%) margin and Republicans supporting it 3 to 1 (60% to 21%). The House and Senate are expected to vote on the tax bill Tuesday. Californias Republican members of Congress largely support the bill despite some concerns about how cuts to the state and local tax deduction and mortgage interest deduction might affect Californians. Democrats in the delegation oppose it and have said they will use the vote against vulnerable Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections. When asked about the impact they think the bill will have on themselves and their families, just 20% of the polls respondents said they think it will benefit them directly, while 40% foresee a negative impact. About 27% do not expect much of an impact, and 13% said they dont know if theyll be affected. The poll of a random sample of 1,000 registered voters was completed by telephone in English and Spanish from Dec. 7 to 16. Facebook

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A quick look at some of the biggest tax changes for Californians By Sarah D. Wire (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) Congressional Republicans are framing their tax cut bill as a Christmas gift that will give Americans an average tax cut of $2,059. For Californians, especially in the wealthier areas along the coast, the situation isnt as clear-cut. When the measure comes up for a vote in the House on Tuesday morning, its expected to pass along party lines. At least two Republicans say they will join Democrats in the California delegation to oppose the plan because they fear it will hurt their constituents bottom line. Take a quick look at what some of the biggest changes in the tax bill might mean for average Californians. Read More Facebook

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Lawmakers, pot growers say Californias marijuana cultivation rules favor big corporate farms By Patrick McGreevy Californias new rules allowing marijuana cultivation favor large corporate farms despite a promise in Proposition 64 that small growers would be protected, according to a group of state lawmakers and marijuana industry leaders who called Monday for the policy to be changed. The California Department of Food and Agriculture issued emergency rules last month that allow for small and medium-sized farms of up to a quarter acre and one acre, respectively, to get licenses for the first five years. That five-year head start for small farms was promised in Proposition 64, the initiative approved last year by voters that legalized growing and selling marijuana for recreational use. Individuals and businesses can get only one license for a medium-sized farm, but the new rules do not set a limit on how many small-farm licenses can be obtained by one person or business. That could allow a corporation to assemble a 20-acre farm by obtaining 80 licenses for a quarter-acre each, opponents worry. Democratic state Sens. Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Mike McGuire of Healdsburg, Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) and the California Growers Assn. asked for swift action by the state agricultural department to change the rule. This is clearly a broken promise, McGuire said. For two years, every discussion has included a cap on cannabis grows and the Department of Food and Agriculture needs to fix this massive loophole they have created. This last-minute revision rolls out the red carpet for large corporations to crush the livelihood of small family farmers. With cultivation licenses set to take effect next month, the lawmakers also promised legislative hearings on why the rules were drafted to disadvantage small, mom-and-pop farms. California only has one chance to get this right, and it is already on the wrong path with this last-minute change that flies in the face of what the backers of Prop. 64 promised, said Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Assn. This single decision will hand over the California marketplace to multinational corporations and a wealthy few at the expense of thousands of growers who are ready to play by the rules and provide economic opportunity in communities that until recently were criminalized or  at the very least  marginalized. The industry estimates there are about 3,500 independent growers on track to get a state license in the first half of 2018. Allens group estimates that number could grow to as many as 10,000 or 15,000 by the end of 2020, but not if large corporate farms are allowed in early. The agricultural agency issued a response later: A one-acre canopy limit has not been in proposed regulations at any point and was not included in the emergency regulations due to the fact that Proposition 64, the law guiding the process, did not provide authority to include it. However, local jurisdictions may impose that limitation on their own if it meets the needs of their constituents. Updated at 5:10 pm to include comment from agricultural agency. Facebook

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Final tax bill dramatically softens blow to mortgage interest deductions in California By Christine Mai-Duc Last-minute changes to the Republican-led tax overhaul seem to be tailor-made to entice support from California GOP lawmakers, several of whom voted against a previous version passed in the House last month. The House version, passed with the support of all but three California Republicans, had proposed capping the mortgage interest deduction at loans of $500,000 or less. Republicans in high-tax, expensive states had voiced concerns the bill would have major effects in their districts. But the final version of the bill dramatically slashed the percentage of new mortgages that would be affected if the package becomes law. *New mortgages over $500,000 include data through Sept. 2017. New mortgages over $750,000 include data through Oct. 2017. Source: Times analysis of data provided by CoreLogic The particulars of the mortgage interest provision and other popular deductions were major sticking points as House and Senate negotiators hammered out a compromise between the two versions. A previous Times analysis showed that more than half of new mortgages this year in Rep. Dana Rohrabachers coastal Orange County district exceeded the $500,000 cap laid out in the House version. Text of the new bill released Friday outlined a cap of $750,000, which would apply to just under a quarter of new mortgages there through October 2017. Rohrabacher was one of three California Republicans, along with Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) who previously voted against the measure. Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine) said she supported the House version after receiving assurances from leaders that the bill would be changed to account for the loss of deductions, The percentage of new mortgages over the cap dropped from 48% to 14%. Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), whose district had 1% of mortgages exceeding the $500,000 cap proposed previously, saw that share drop almost to zero; 27 of 7,515 mortgages in his congressional district this year have been for more than $750,000. The House is expected to vote on the final tax bill Tuesday. Facebook

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A major change to Proposition 13 takes its first step toward the 2018 ballot By Liam Dillon A commercial property in San Bernardino County that could face higher property taxes under a proposed ballot measure (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times) Proponents of making a dramatic change to Californias landmark Proposition 13 property tax restrictions took their first step to getting a measure on the November 2018 statewide ballot Friday. The change would allow the state to receive more tax dollars from commercial and industrial properties by assessing them at their current market value, an effort known as split roll because existing tax protections on homes would remain in place. Advocates of the measure, including the League of Women Voters of California and community organizing nonprofits California Calls and PICO Network said the change could raise billions of dollars that could be spent on public schools and community colleges. I think the cumulative effects of the unfair tax system have gotten to the point where its created crippling economic impacts on the state, said Melissa Breach, executive director of the League of Women Voters of California. Backers filed their proposed initiative Friday. The attorney generals office will prepare an official title and summary for the measure and it will receive a financial analysis. From there, advocates will decide if they will collect signatures to put the measure on the ballot. Proposition 13 passed in 1978 amid concerns that rising property taxes could force people out of their homes. The ballot measure limited property taxes to 1% of a propertys value at the time of purchase and ensures that the assessed value on which taxes are based can only increase by a maximum of 2% a year  no matter how much a propertys market value goes up. Split-roll measures have been long debated in state politics, but business groups and anti-tax groups have expressed substantial opposition to the idea, arguing that it would cause major harm to the states business climate. Breach said she expected an avalanche of big money against the measure should it go forward, but said that her organization wouldnt get involved without believing it could raise sufficient funding.S For the record 1 p.m., Dec. 18: An earlier version of this post said the split roll ballot measure would allow California to charge higher tax rates on commercial and industrial properties. It would allow the state to assess those properties at current market value, not charge higher rates. Facebook

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Three more women accuse California assemblyman of sexual misconduct By Melanie Mason Assemblyman Matt Dababneh (D-Woodland Hills) (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) A Los Angeles woman has filed a police report alleging Democratic Assemblyman Matt Dababneh had sex with her without consent four years ago, adding new allegations of sexual misconduct to those that led the politician to announce his resignation last week. He says her claims are false. Nancy Miret, 26, told The Times that when she was 22 and a recent college graduate, she spent time with Dababneh over two months in late 2013, primarily at his Encino apartment. At the time, Dababneh was running for Assembly to represent the western San Fernando Valley. They had consensual sex on one occasion, but after that, Miret said she had multiple nonconsensual sexual encounters with Dababneh that left her traumatized. Miret, who now works in commercial real estate, is one of three women interviewed by The Times who have made new allegations concerning Dababnehs behavior. These allegations are false and Im confident that when all the facts are in, it will clearly show that these claims are not true, Dababneh told The Times. Read More Facebook

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San Diego business is first in California to be issued license to sell marijuana for recreational use By Patrick McGreevy A San Diego medical marijuana business is the first firm to be issued a license by the state of California to sell marijuana for recreational use, officials said Thursday. Torrey Holistics received two of the first 20 licenses granted by the state Bureau of Cannabis Control this week to sell or distribute marijuana, although the licenses do not take effect until Jan. 1, according to bureau chief Lori Ajax. An additional 180 firms have applied for licenses but they are being processed. Last week, we officially launched our online licensing system, and today were pleased to issue the first group of temporary licenses to cannabis businesses that fall under the Bureaus jurisdiction, Ajax said in a statement. We plan to issue many more before January 1. The bureau is issuing temporary, four-month licenses to firms initially, but will eventually require firms to undergo background checks and pay a $1,000 application fee for yearlong permits. Tony Hall left a chemical distribution business two years ago to start Torrey Holistics with a friend and classmate at San Diego State. He said he was ecstatic to have the first recreational permit in California. He also obtained a new license to continue selling marijuana for medical uses. We feel fricking great about it, he said Thursday. Its just exciting. This is a once in a multi-generational event, he added, likening it to the end of prohibition. Added Ruthie Edelson, the firms marketing director, We will be open at 7 a.m. on Jan. 1. Last year, voters approved Proposition 64, which makes California one of eight states that allow the growing and sale of marijuana for recreational uses. Facebook

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Conservative activist group files a lawsuit over Los Angeles County inactive voter list By John Myers A Washington-based conservative-leaning activist group filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging Los Angeles County officials are refusing to cancel the registrations of voters who are ineligible to cast a ballot. The legal action by Judicial Watch comes four months after the organization first accused elections officials across the state of maintaining registration lists that are larger than their voting-age population. The lawsuit also names Secretary of State Alex Padilla as a defendant and alleges the voter lists violate the National Voter Registration Act, or NVRA. They dont care about removing ineligible registration, said Robert Popper of Judicial Watch. I think we have a very strong lawsuit. The lawsuit names four Los Angeles County voters as co-plaintiffs and asserts that a countys two lists of voters  the file of active voters and those whose registration has been placed on inactive status  should be combined into a single total. The inactive list includes people who havent cast ballots in recent elections and havent responded to inquiries from elections officials. Though the names on that list are considered voters, they are not counted in official registration reports and are not mailed election material. Popper led an effort earlier this year to estimate the size of each countys voting-age population using the Census Bureaus American Community Survey. He said the surveys five-year average of county populations was then adjusted by focusing just on the estimate of those over the age of 18, and then comparing that with the combined active and inactive voter lists. Popper dismissed any concern that the resulting number might be skewed by the different standards used by counties for the inactive list, which could include names of voters who moved or died and thus be an imperfect guide. I believe that a court is going to accept our numbers, he said. Dean Logan, the registrar of voters in Los Angeles County, said his staffs practices are consistent with federal law. This lawsuit appears to fundamentally interpret the requirements of the NVRA in a manner inconsistent with ensuring voter enfranchisement and appropriate list maintenance, he said. The lawsuit also alleges that Los Angeles elections officials failed to provide Judicial Watch with requested data about the size of the inactive list, and accuses Padilla of failing to address the groups concerns about California not following NVRA rules. In a statement on Thursday, Padilla said county inactive-voter files are not out of compliance with the law. He criticized Judicial Watch for its baseless assertions, bad math, and flawed methodology. Local elections officials have said very few inactive voters show up on election day, and that any who do would be asked to cast a provisional ballot  one that isnt counted unless the voters eligibility is confirmed through additional review. Popper insisted that if the list is never used, theres no reason to keep it. Judicial Watch, which sued for access to Hillary Clintons emails in 2016, alleged that its calculations show 11 California counties with questionable voter registration totals. Facebook

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Voters in California GOP districts may get calls asking them to thank their member of Congress for tax plan By Sarah D. Wire Voters in four key Republican-held congressional districts could get a robocall starting Friday urging them to call and thank their member of Congress for supporting the tax bill. Its a last minute effort by American Action Network, a politically active nonprofit connected with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) that has spent millions to shore up Republican support for the bill. The robocalls include the members office number. The four California members being targeted are Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock, David Valadao of Hanford, Steve Knight of Palmdale and Mimi Walters of Irvine. All four represent districts that backed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and are Democratic targets in 2018. Knight and Walters had been particularly vocal about their concerns with the plan, saying it might raise taxes for their constituents. The final text of the bill is set to be released Friday, with a vote expected early next week. In total, American Action Network plans to place 1 million robocalls in 29 districts nationwide. Facebook

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Merry Christmas Republicans in Congress: Funny or Die video goes after California lawmakers over DACA By Christine Mai-Duc As members of Congress try to pass a controversial tax bill and a measure to keep the federal government funded, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is hitting Republicans hard over another unresolved issue: the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children who could face deportation if lawmakers dont act. Amid negotiations over a long-term spending bill, Democratic leaders have been pushing their GOP colleagues to include a fix for those who were granted temporary protection under President Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA. President Trump announced an end to the program earlier this year and gave Congress a March deadline to address it. Funny or Die and BOLD PAC released a video Friday featuring comedians skewering GOP members, including two in California, for their inaction. In the video, Oscar Nunez, best known for his role on The Office, calls out Reps. Steve Knight (Palmdale), Ed Royce (Fullerton), Carlos Curbelo (Florida) and John Culberson (Texas), who get to go ahead and celebrate as thousands of Dreamers are banished from the only country theyve ever called home. How many broken promises can fit in a stocking? Nunez asks later. Im asking for a congressman. The political action committee says its spending six figures on the weeklong buy, which will go out nationwide across Funny Or Dies social media channels. They are known for blasting out irreverent, often viral parodies that play to young audiences. The video will also be targeted to constituents in each of the four congressional districts. A separate video released by the ACLU last week also urged members of Congress to strike a deal on DACA. Many California Republicans have remained mum on the issue, particularly those facing tough races in 2018. So far, only Reps. David Valadao (Hanford), Jeff Denham (Turlock) and Mimi Walters (Irvine) have pressured fellow Republicans to come up with a solution before Congress breaks for Christmas. Following Trumps decision, Knight said the issue should receive attention by Congress. Royce, who has taken hard-line stances on immigration in the past, urged his colleagues to provide a permanent, legislative solution that gives certainty to these kids. Neither elaborated on what that solution should be. Facebook

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For a prominent California consumer group and savvy political consultants, documents reveal a close financial relationship By John Myers If theres a clear mantra for Consumer Watchdog, one of Californias most visible and vocal advocacy groups, its that hidden financial relationships shouldnt shape politics and public policy. The Santa Monica-based nonprofit has spent more than three decades reprimanding politicians and interest groups for doing the bidding of those who give them money. Its official motto is expose, confront, change. We are loud, and we speak more of a populist truth than the way people usually talk to each other in Sacramento, said Jamie Court, Consumer Watchdogs president. Read More Facebook

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Regional director resigns from California Democratic Party amid sexual misconduct claims By Jazmine Ulloa A regional director with the California Democratic Party submitted his resignation on Thursday, nearly two weeks after a 23-year-old woman reported that he sexually assaulted her last year, spurring party leaders to seek his ouster. Craig Cheslog served as Region 2 director spanning the East Bay, Napa, Sonoma and the Clearlake areas. In a statement, his lawyer, Mary P. Carey, said she and her client were confident that a full and fair exploration of this matter, undertaken in an appropriate, fact-governed venue, would exonerate Mr. Cheslog. We are prepared, if necessary, to put forward the facts of this matter in just such a venue, she said. Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman and other officials initially called for Cheslogs removal in a Nov. 29 letter to state party secretary Jenny Bach. They said he was seen acting in an inappropriate and sexually aggressive manner toward a member of the party in a public area of the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel, following a Nov. 18 executive board meeting. The level to which this activity advanced made a number of those in attendance uncomfortable, the letter stated. It added that another member reported that Mr. Cheslog raped her at a CDP executive board meeting the previous year. Party officers said the incident occurred during a weekend where the prevention of sexual harassment of women in politics was a dominant theme in the wake of the #metoo movement. Before the meetings conclusion on Sunday, the California Womens Caucus approved a resolution making clear that sexual harassment, bullying and other forms of abuse are grounds to lose endorsements and be stripped of party membership. Maddy Dean, who was not named in the letter, spoke at the meeting about her experiences of sexual harassment in the movie industry, and told the Times that she reported Cheslog. She said she could not provide further details about her allegation as she explores possible legal paths moving forward. This was about protecting other women and in particular other young women, she said of reporting the assault. In his own letter to Bach on Thursday, Cheslog did not acknowledge any wrongdoing. He said he was stepping down to prevent any personal misconduct allegations from creating a distraction with the party at a critical moment in national and state politics. I am confident of the results that would be forthcoming in a fair, fact-based exploration of this matter, he said. Since the report, Cheslog has been fired from his job at Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that helps families navigate media and technology. He also has stepped down from his position on the Acalanes Union High School District Board of Trustees. The conduct represented a serious violation of both company policy and the way in which our employees are expected to conduct themselves in the community at large, Common Sense spokeswoman Corbie Kiernan said in a statement. We immediately suspended Mr. Cheslog and conducted an investigation. As a result of the investigation, Mr. Cheslogs employment with Common Sense was terminated. 4:05 p.m.: This post was updated with Cheslogs resignation from the school board. Facebook

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Sen. Bob Hertzberg will cooperate with investigation into unwanted hugs By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Bob Hertzberg works at his Senate Chambers desk. He faces an investigation into unwanted hugging (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) State Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) said Thursday he will cooperate with a state investigation into complaints from a former legislator that she was uncomfortable with his repeated hugs after she asked him not to touch her. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon said Thursday that a team of outside attorneys will investigate a complaint by former Assemblywoman Linda Halderman that Hertzberg has made her uncomfortable with hugs that were too close and lasted too long. Hertzberg, well-known for hugging other lawmakers, said he supports having any allegations investigated by the two outside law firms. I just learned of the investigation, and will fully cooperate, he said. The use of an independent third party investigator is essential to improving transparency and trust in the system. Halderman said Thursday she was encouraged that her concerns will be investigated, but said it was disturbing  that attorneys for one of the law firms selected, Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, contributed more than $90,000 in campaign funds to sitting legislators including Hertzberg. Halderman, a surgeon, served in the state Assembly from 2010 through 2012 and said Hertzberg hugged her multiple times even after she asked him to stop because she was uncomfortable. The last incident occurred in a hallway of the Capitol, she claimed. I told him I dont care to be hugged. Dont touch me,  Halderman recalled. He then grabbed me and pinned my arms to my side and used his hands to press my lower back into his groin and he essentially pinned me so I couldnt push off of him to get away the way I ended previous hugs. It was certainly so over the line, she added. Halderman said a current female senator and assemblywoman also have complained about inappropriate hugs from Hertzberg. However, Sen. Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) defended Hertzberg, saying she has known him for many years and he has always acted as a gentleman. I have never felt uncomfortable with him, and have always felt his hugs were a display of affection - which I appreciate, she said. I consider him a dear friend. Updated at 5:30 pm to include comment from Sen. Galgiani. Facebook

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Rep. Maxine Waters asks Justice Department to investigate fake letter tweeted by Republican opponent By Sarah D. Wire (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Rep. Maxine Waters is asking the Justice Department to look into a fake letter posted to Twitter by her Republican challenger that falsely indicated the congresswoman wants to resettle tens of thousand of refugees in her Los Angeles district. The GOP candidate, Omar Navarro, posted the letter on what looks like official House of Representatives letterhead to Twitter on Monday. The letter, which purports to be from the congresswoman, says the congresswoman wants to bring refugees to her congressional district after the 2018 election and perhaps even once I have secured the Speaker of the House position. Navarro accompanied the tweeted letter with a message: According to this document, Maxine Waters wants more terrorists, like the one who bombed NYC, in Californias 43rd District. As Congressman of CAs 43rd District, I will oppose such policies. Its been retweeted more than 680 times. But the letter is a forgery and a fake, her chief of staff, Twaun Samuel, said in a news release. The letter, dated June of this year, also contains several inaccuracies. It references multiple committees and subcommittees Waters does not serve on, and lists an address for a district office that has been closed for nearly a decade. Waters filed a complaint about the tweeted letter with the House general counsel, who forwarded the complaint to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and the fraud section of the Criminal Division for the United States Department of Justice. The complaint states that Waters has not communicated with the letters purported addressee  Teri Williams, who is president and chief operating officer of the Los Angeles-based OneUnited Bank, about any refugee resettlement program. Impersonating a federal official and misusing a federal seal are federal crimes. Navarro, who is backed by big name far-right conservatives, said Thursday that the letter was sent to his campaign through Facebook by a person he didnt know. He said neither the Justice Department or Waters staff has asked him about the letter. I dont know if its real or not, so I put it out there, Navarro said, adding that he believed his followers would help him determine if it is real. It doesnt say that I know. Its according to this document  what, am I supposed to send it to her and get an email back from Maxine? According to this document, Maxine Waters wants more terrorists, like the one who bombed NYC, in Californias 43rd District.

As Congressman of CAs 43rd District, I will oppose such policies. #VoteNavarro2018https://t.co/vO8YUsyPp3 pic.twitter.com/k7ef0H20if  Omar Navarro (@RealOmarNavarro) December 11, 2017 Facebook

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Sen. Tony Mendoza refuses to take a leave of absence amid harassment probe By Patrick McGreevy Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), left, talks earlier this year about a pending bill with Sen. Ted Gaines (R-El Dorado Hills). (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Defying pressure from legislative leadership, state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) refused Thursday to take a leave of absence until an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him is concluded early next year. Mendoza has denied allegations by former employees that he treated three female aides inappropriately, inviting them to hotel stays and asking one to visit his home to work on her resume. I am very disappointed that certain Senate Rules Committee members are apparently asking me to take a leave of absence or resign before any investigation has even begun and without giving me an opportunity to defend myself, Mendoza said in a statement. This is contrary to the very concept of due process, which is a pillar of our American system of fairness and judicial prudence. These actions bypass any process in a rush to judgment. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) earlier Thursday called on Mendoza to take a leave of absence. Mendoza had previously been stripped of his leadership positions, including chairmanship of the Senates committee on banking and insurance. Mendoza questioned statements urging him to step down, saying they leave him concerned about the fairness of the investigation. He also said he has been disappointed that he has been told he cannot publicly address allegations. I was not appointed to the position I hold, but was elected by the voters in my district, he said. I am grateful to the voters in my district and thank them for their trust and their continued support. The Senate owes them an opportunity to hear the truth. I assure them that I will vigorously defend myself to clear my name. Facebook

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State Senate leader asks Sen. Tony Mendoza to take leave of absence amid sexual harassment investigation By Patrick McGreevy (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) State Senate leader Kevin de Leon said Thursday he has strongly suggested that Sen. Tony Mendoza take a leave of absence until the completion of an investigation by outside attorneys into allegations that Mendoza sexually harassed three former aides. Given the severity of the allegations against Senator Mendoza I do not believe he can perform the duties in Sacramento right now while the investigation is being conducted, De Leon told a packed news conference in his Capitol office. I believe Its the right thing to do, its the fair thing to do, to take a leave, he said. The Senate leader also said the outside attorneys have been asked to investigate complaints by former Assemblywoman Linda Halderman that Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) inappropriately hugged her on multiple occasions in a way that made her uncomfortable, even after she asked him to stop. De Leon also announced the hiring of two law firms to handle the Mendoza and Hertzberg investigations, and all future probes of harassment and abuse involving Senate employees. Mendoza, a Democrat from Artesia, did not immediately respond to the request to step aside. De Leon, a Democrat from Los Angeles who had been Mendozas roommate before the allegations were made public, said he made the suggestion to Mendoza in a meeting Thursday morning. If Mendoza refuses to take a leave, the Senate has the power to suspend him without pay, but De Leon said that is not currently under discussion. There is an effort underway to force his expulsion in January when the Legislature returns to Sacramento. Former Mendoza employees have claimed that he gave inappropriate attention to a female fellow and intern, inviting one to his home and hotel and giving the other alcohol in a hotel even though she was underage. Another former female aide told the Sacramento Bee that Mendoza invited her to one-on-one dinners and a weekend at Pebble Beach. Mendoza has denied the allegations. The Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher and Van Dermyden Maddux law firms have been retained for two years, according to Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), who participated in their selection. Have you experienced sexual harassment in government or politics? Tell us your story   In addition, the state is contracting with Weave, a Sacramento crisis-intervention organization for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, to provide counseling and to establish a hotline for Senate employees who are victims of sexual assault. The hotline number is 1-800-729-1443. America is finally reckoning with entrenched inequities in our personal and professional relationships and in workplaces of every type, De Leon said. Nowhere is this reckoning more important than in the halls of power  our political institutions. Facebook

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Watch live: California Senate leader addresses sexual misconduct at state Capitol Facebook

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California state senator pledges to bring back net neutrality rules just as FCC votes to repeal them By Jazmine Ulloa Demonstrators rally in support of net neutrality outside a Verizon store in New York on Dec. 7. (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press) Moments after the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to roll back net neutrality regulations, a state senator pledged to introduce legislation that would preserve open internet protections for consumers in California. Net neutrality is essential to our 21st century democracy, and we need to be sure that people can access websites and information freely and fairly, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said in a statement. If the FCC is going to destroy net neutrality and create a system that favors certain websites just because they can pay more money, California must step in and ensure open internet access. The announcement of the proposal came shortly after the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality in an expected 3-2 party-line vote, with Republicans calling for an end to the utility-like oversight of internet service providers. The Obama-era rules put in February 2015 barred broadband and wireless companies, such at AT&T Inc., Charter Communications Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. from selling faster delivery of certain data, slowing speeds for certain video streams and other content, and discriminating against legal material online. Before the vote, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai argued loosening the regulations would allow the online economy to flourish. FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, one of the the two Democrats on the commission, said the rollback would inhibit the openness that has made the U.S. internet the envy of the world. Supporters of net neutrality are expected to file suit to try to halt the repeal plan. Weiners attempt to institute net neutrality rules in California could have challenges. The FCC order states that allowing state and local governments to adopt their own separate requirements, which could impose a heavier burden on companies, could disrupt the balance between state and federal regulations. The preemption of state and local net neutrality measures is something that could be challenged in court. Amid such legal battles state legislation could face heavy lobbying efforts from internet providers arguing against uneven regulations. A bill by Assemblyman Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park) was shelved last legislative session over similar disputes. It would have enshrined in state law other FCC regulations that were rolled back this year by President Trump and Congress. The Internet privacy rules limited what broadband providers can do with their customers data. The bills defeat capped a behind-the-scenes battle that pitted telecom companies against state internet service providers and brought other bills to a halt in the state Senate as negotiations unfolded over legislation that would have had national significance. UPDATES 7:57 a.m.: This post was updated with additional information about the potential legal case. LA Times reporter Jim Puzzanghera contributed to this report. Facebook

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L.A. County sheriffs office failed to follow policy for issuing concealed weapon permits, audit says By Patrick McGreevy Handguns are displayed at the Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas in 2016. ( (John Locher / Associated Press)) The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has repeatedly failed to follow its own rules for issuing concealed weapon permits, the state auditor concluded in a report released Thursday. L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell disputed some of the key findings of the audit, saying state officials misinterpreted the policy. The department policy requires applicants to provide convincing evidence of a clear and present danger to life or of great bodily harm to get a license, but the audit found the department issued 24 licenses during the last few years without sufficient evidence. Most of the 197 active licenses in L.A. County as of August went to current or former law enforcement officers, judges and prosecutors, the audit found. The lieutenant in charge of reviewing applications told auditors that people in law enforcement satisfy the departments requirements by the nature of their jobs. However, making that decision based solely on the applicants profession both directly contradicts Los Angeless written policy  which specifically states that no position or job classification in itself shall constitute good cause for issuance  and has led the department to treat applicants inequitably based on their occupations, the audit says. McDonnell said the audit identified some legitimate issues, and the department has added a checklist to the application process in order to show requirements have been met. But he disagreed on the reports sweeping conclusion that the department consistently failed to follow its own policies. The LASD policy simply requires that the applicant provide convincing evidence that his or her life or physical safety is threatened, the sheriff said. He said the policy does not require additional documentation of that evidence if sufficient information is provided in the application. Auditors also concluded that Sacramento County issued some licenses without proper documentation and that San Diego Countys renewal process led it to inappropriately renew some licenses. Facebook

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Anti-Issa effort discloses donors: Leo DiCaprio, Jane Fonda, Ted Danson and more By Joshua Stewart A political group that has brought professional political organizers into the campaign against Rep. Darrell Issa has received its most significant contributions to date  from actress Jane Fonda and other celebrities. Fonda gave $100,000 to Flip the 49th! Neighbors in Action, which recently registered as a political committee to get Issa, R-Vista, out of office. Comedian Bill Maher gave $15,000 to the group, a rebuke of a politician who has twice appeared on his talk show. Former California Sen. Barbara Boxer gave $2,500, as did Academy Award recipient Leonardo DiCaprio. Actor Ted Danson gave $1,500. Flip the 49th gave the The San Diego Union-Tribune a list of donors more than a month before its required to disclose them to the Federal Election Commission. Read More Facebook

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California Senate GOP leader: Release Capitol whistleblowers from non-disclosure agreements By Melanie Mason California Senate Republican leader Patricia Bates is wading into the sexual harassment debate that has swept up the Capitol and is calling on her Democratic colleagues to allow whistleblowers to speak out by releasing them from non-disclosure agreements. Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) wrote in a letter to the Democratic legislative leaders  Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount)  that Senate Republicans are calling for the Legislature to allow victims or witnesses who may have signed such agreements to share their experiences publicly. This release from NDAs would empower victims of sexual harassment, create a new atmosphere for resolving sexual harassment or discrimination concerns, increase public awareness and transparency, and ensure that both the Senate and the Assembly fulfill their obligations to the public and their employees for providing a safe and welcoming workplace environment, Bates wrote in the letter, dated Dec. 12. The Republican senator also laid out suggestions to improve the Legislatures handling of sexual harassment complaints, such as jointly convening both houses rules committees  which act as the chambers human resources departments  to have a comprehensive, bicameral and bipartisan review. Bates wrote that the Joint Rules Committee should consider the assigning of an outside entity for assuming responsibility for all issues regarding sexual harassment. She said the California Highway Patrol or an inspector general could serve that function. Bates is currently serving on a panel designated by the Senate Rules Committee to select an outside law firm to investigate sexual harassment complaints. De Leon, in a statement, said he agreed with Bates that sexual harassment is a bipartisan, bicameral problem that requires bipartisan, bicameral solutions. Many of these recommendations we are already pursuing and evaluating in some form and we look forward to working in collaboration with Senator Bates  as we did with the independent selection panel  on additional reforms in the weeks to come, De Leon said. With regard to non-disclosure agreements, De Leon spokesman Jonathan Underland said the Senate is discussing with attorneys and anti-harassment experts about what options are available without violating the privacy rights of past victims. John Casey, a spokesman for Rendon, said the Assembly does not ask for NDAs in settlement agreements. The Speaker agrees with both the Legislative Womens Caucus and the Rules Committee chair that any sexual harassment policy should be both bicameral and bipartisan, Casey said. Facebook

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California plans to send out licenses for pot sales this month  but they wont be effective until Jan. 1 By Patrick McGreevy Patrons shop at Bud and Bloom, a Santa Ana marijuana dispensary, last year. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) California officials said Wednesday they plan to use email before the new year to send out some licenses to sell marijuana to speed up the transition to a regulated market. The licenses will not go into effect until Jan. 1. Proposition 64, which legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational use, required the state to begin issuing licenses by Jan. 1. Because that date is a state holiday, the bureau originally planned to begin sending them out on Jan. 2. That has changed. Much of the date discussion  Jan. 1 versus Jan. 2  was based on whether or not wed be able to be open on a state holiday, said Alex Traverso, a bureau spokesman. The solution to that issue was to issue licenses with an effective date of Jan. 1 since licenses will be issued electronically. That eliminates the need to have the office open on Jan. 1. He said that, as of Wednesday, the bureau has not yet sent out any emails with licenses approved to begin operating Jan. 1. Facebook

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Californias budget director makes last ditch effort to urge GOP members to vote against tax plan By Sarah D. Wire House Republicans hold a news conference after the House passed the GOP tax bill. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) As closed-door negotiations over the final tax bill come to an end, the head of the California Department of Finance is making a last-ditch effort to convince Republicans in the states congressional delegation to vote against the plan. In a letter to the entire delegation Wednesday, Finance Department Director Michael Cohen detailed 10 issues in the current tax proposals about which the state is worried. Some of Cohens concerns may be addressed in the deal that House and Senate leaders said they reached Wednesday morning. Details of the agreement are not yet public. Cohens concerns range from potentially billions less in federal funding available to California to offset the $1.4 trillion the plan is expected to add to the federal deficit, to the environmental effect of ending green energy tax credits. Californias 39 Democratic representatives are expected to oppose the final tax bill, which could come before both chambers of Congress by early next week. Three California Republicans  Reps. Darrell Issa of Vista, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Tom McClintock of Elk Grove  voted against the original House version, and several other California Republicans have indicated they might be willing to vote against the final plan. Cohen specifically pointed to issues that have been raised by the uncertain House members, including the proposal to lower the cap on the mortgage interest deduction, the plan to limit state and local tax deductions and the elimination of a deduction for uninsured personal property damaged in natural disasters such as fires. Facebook

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California lawmakers have fought sexual misconduct on military bases, farms and college campuses. Will they police their own house? By Jazmine Ulloa Over the past decade, California lawmakers have worked to help curb sexual violence in the workplace and other spheres of public life. They have pushed college campuses to keep better track of incident reports, created whistleblower protections for military officers who file claims and established sexual harassment training for farmworkers and janitors. Now, as more than 140 women have come forward in an open letter to denounce a pervasive culture of sexual harassment in the California Legislature, activists and employment lawyers say lawmakers have not held colleagues and staffers to the same standards demanded of those in other fields. Members [of the state Assembly and Senate] are quick at pointing the finger at other folks, said Fiona Ma, a former Democratic assemblywoman from San Francisco who is now running for state treasurer. But they dont want to look inside and fix their own house, air their own dark, dirty laundry. Read More Facebook

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Californias cap-and-trade climate program could generate more than $8 billion by 2027, report says By John Myers Gov. Jerry Brown signs an extension of Californias cap-and-trade program in July. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) Although Californias cap-and-trade program was designed to combat climate change, a new analysis predicts it could also provide significant cash  as much as $8 billion in a decades time  for state and regional programs. The report issued Tuesday by the independent Legislative Analysts Office projects a wide range of revenue generated by the sale of permits for companies to emit greenhouse gases beyond a state-ordered emissions cap. The most recent auction of those emission permits brought in more than $800 million. The analysis warns that annual cap-and-trade revenue beyond 2020 is highly uncertain, and offers a possible range from $2 billion in 2018 to almost $7 billion in 2030  the final year of the program under legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed in July. The estimate of $8.3 billion in 2027 is the high-water mark for any year in the report. Researchers cite a number of factors that make a specific prediction impossible, including future technology that allows industries to cut greenhouse gas emissions easily and thus pass on purchasing emission allowances. While it is clear that there will be additional revenues to the state beyond 2020, the amount that will be generated annually is highly uncertain, the report reads. Money collected from the sale of pollution permits is required to be spent on programs combating climate change. A portion of the money also is earmarked for the states high-speed rail program. The report urges lawmakers to provide oversight for future decisions made by the California Air Resources Board, the agency that has taken the lead on climate change efforts. In particular, the analysts warn that allowing businesses to stockpile too many permits  ones bought at current low prices  could lead to excessive greenhouse gas emissions in future years, potentially even causing the state to miss its annual benchmark as soon as 2024. Facebook

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Vice President Pence meets with California lawmakers about massive fires By Sarah D. Wire Briefed bipartisan group of California reps on the fed response to #CAwildfires. @POTUS approved an emergency declaration last Friday & @forestservice is providing air & ground assets including 1,000 personnel. Together, we will help the people of CA restore, rebuild & recover. pic.twitter.com/zn7QdbCZOQ  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) December 12, 2017 A handful of California representatives discussed the federal response to their states wildfires Tuesday with Vice President Mike Pence. Attending the West Wing meeting were House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and Reps. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), Darrell Issa (R-Vista), Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village), Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) and Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara). It was a very bipartisan-spirited meeting. He clearly understood the significance of the fires and the impacts, Brownley said after the meeting. She said Pence offered federal assistance and recognized that recovery was going to be very important and that we want to work together to make sure that we can get the resources needed. President Trump signed an emergency declaration for the Southern California fires last week. Pence visited California this fall to view fire damage in Northern California. He stayed engaged and specifically wanted to make sure that FEMA and the other organizations were continuing to meet or exceed all expectations, Issa said after the meeting. We mostly thanked him for the fact that hes taken a personal interest and his team has been at the heart of the domestic coordination. There was no discussion about reinstating a federal tax deduction for uninsured damage repairs that would end up in the House and Senate tax bills, Brownley said. If you cant deduct uninsured property loss, its devastating. It would be devastating, Brownley said. Facebook

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We must talk about the health aspects of climate change, Schwarzenegger says in Paris By Kim Willsher (Thibault Camus / Associated Press) He showed up at Paris City Hall on Monday on a green bicycle and wearing a green tie to talk climate change with the mayor. But Arnold Schwarzenegger almost didnt make the trip from Los Angeles. One of the wildfires scorching Southern California was threatening his home. Luckily we have extraordinary firefighters, he told a group of officials and journalists. The actor and former governor of California was speaking in Paris as the founder of R20, a nonprofit based in Geneva that aims to help regional, state and local governments reduce their carbon emissions by developing clean energy sources. Read More Facebook

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A special recall election for state Sen. Josh Newman would cost a lot more than waiting for the June primary, state says By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) faces a recall campaign (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) State finance officials said Monday it would cost about $2.67 million for a special election on the recall of state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), but only $931,000 to put his potential recall on the regular June primary ballot, which will also feature races for governor and congressional seats. The savings  and the time it took to complete the financial assessment  could give ammunition to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown to put the recall measure on the primary ballot, possibly improving Newmans chance of staying in office. The higher turnout expected in the primary might benefit Newman as he tries to fend off the Republican recall drive. The financial analysis was a new requirement of a law approved this year by the Democrat-controlled Legislature that has slowed the Newman recall. Brown and legislators now have 30 days to review the election cost report. The deadline for calling a special election was last week, 180 days before the June 5 primary, although state officials have been known to extend such deadlines. In this case, that is unlikely. Carl Demaio, a former San Diego City councilman who is leading the Republican-funded recall, denounced the lengthy new process Monday, but said it will not save Newmans political career. This is about a shameful tactic by Sacramento politicians to keep politicians who break public trust and engage in misconduct in office for as long as possible, he said. Republicans launched the recall after Newman voted with the majority of le
After railing against Democrats for weeks and pushing a sweeping tax plan over their objections, President Trump reached out to the rivals Monday  a subtle acknowledgment that hell need their help to avert a government shutdown at the end of the week.

Trump invited congressional leaders to the White House Thursday for discussions on a year-end budget deal, a do-over after Democrats backed out of an earlier meeting when the president tweeted shortly beforehand that he saw no deal to be made.

Trump had little choice but to soften his approach. Because many Republican lawmakers refuse to vote for almost any new spending bill, Trump needs Democrats to provide what House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) calls the currency of the realm  the votes needed to approve a bill to keep government running.

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That gives Democrats, who are the minority, a powerful negotiating hand in talks at the White House. In exchange, Democrats want concessions from Trump, particularly an immigration deal to protect young Dreamers from deportation as the White House phases out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, that allows them to legally work and remain in the U.S.

Were glad the White House has reached out and asked for a second meeting, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement. We hope the president will go into this meeting with an open mind, rather than deciding that an agreement cant be reached beforehand.

Congress often makes a year-end sprint through its legislative to-do list, but this years pile-up is particularly daunting as lawmakers race to finish complicated business before the holidays.

For Republicans, the top priority is to pass the $1.5-trillion tax plan, accomplishing a major campaign promise before Christmas.

The House was set Monday to appoint members of a conference committee to begin reconciling the tax bills approved by the House and Senate into a final product, which will probably be voted on next week.

But first Congress must deal with Fridays deadline to fund the government.

Leaders are lining up a stopgap measure to provide money for two weeks while budget negotiations continue. That would push the deadline to Dec. 22.

The temporary funding measure will also include a short-term extension of the Childrens Health Insurance Program, which helps cover working families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. States have been left in the lurch when CHIP expired Oct. 1 at the start of the new fiscal year.

Democrats have a long priority list for negotiations, but at the top is the push for a solution for the 700,000 Dreamers.

Trump once sided with Pelosi and Schumer on this, but has since shifted his views. Leading Democrats, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), have warned that without a bill to help Dreamers they would withhold their votes on the government funding bills, essentially threatening a shutdown.

Arguments for the immigrants were boosted Monday when the influential U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the business organization largely aligned with Republicans, urged Congress to find a solution by years end or risk workplace disruptions as Dreamers are deported.

We are passionate about this issue because it is a matter of principle and fairness, Chamber CEO Tom Donohue said. The longer Congress waits, the more Dreamers will lose their ability to work here legally and become subject to immediate deportation. This will cause serious disruptions in the business operations of the companies that employ them, which is why many business leaders have spoken out and demanded action on this issue.

Republicans, though, are pushing for an immigration deal that would include border security and reductions in legal immigration. They say the issue can wait until next year because Trumps decision doesnt end the program until March 8.

On Monday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) called Democratic threats to shut down the government over Dreamers a hysterical and cynical ploy. He also said talks to resolve the issue have hit an impasse.

Other issues are also expected to be wrapped up in the year-end deal, including supplemental disaster aid after the devastating Gulf Coast hurricanes and Western wildfire season. California lawmakers objected because the White Houses latest $44-billion disaster funding request failed to include money for wildfire aid.

The budget negotiations are needed because Congress failed to fully fund the government at the start of the fiscal year in October.

A core dispute is the top-line funding level for government operations. Many Republicans want to increase funding for the military, but not for non-defense accounts, while Democrats are pushing for parity.

Without a deal, funding would automatically be reduced to so-called sequester levels  steep cuts across the board, stemming from a 2011 budget deal  that only the most fiscally conservative deficit hawks still support.

House and Senate negotiators, who had not met since Democrats backed out of the White House meeting last week, resumed talks on Monday.

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

@LisaMascaro

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Rep. John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, resigned Tuesday after his support among fellow Democrats collapsed amid accusations of sexual harassment by several female employees.

Conyers endorsed his son, John Conyers III, in a rambling radio interview with Detroit host Mildred Gaddis.

I am retiring today, and I want everyone to know how much I appreciate the support, incredible undiminished support Ive received, Conyers said.

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Conyers use of the word retiring rather than resigning left some uncertainty over when he was vacating the congressional seat he has held since 1965. Later in the day, however, he sent a letter to congressional leaders saying he was stepping down effective today.

Conyers replacement will be chosen in a special election.

The Detroit-area seat is strongly Democratic, so Conyers departure will not affect the balance of power in the House. But it does set up a potential family fight: While the congressman endorsed his son to succeed him, a great-nephew, state Sen. Ian Conyers, has publicly said he intended to seek the seat.

The announcement by John Conyers came after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), fellow Congressional Black Caucus leader Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and increasing numbers of House members urged him to quit as former aides offered detailed accounts of inappropriate sexual advances he had made over decades.

A longtime civil rights activist  the only remaining member of Congress who was elected in the 1960s  Conyers is the highest-profile political figure to be forced from office in the midst of a national debate over sexual harassment that began weeks ago with accusations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

Conyers has continued to deny any wrongdoing, although on Nov. 26, he agreed to step down as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee in what served as the first acknowledgment of his vulnerability.

The accusations against Conyers, who is 88, had preoccupied members of the Democratic leadership, who were reluctant to be seen pushing out a leading African American member of Congress who was widely respected for his advocacy.

At the same time, Democratic activists have been pushing for the party to take the lead in cracking down on sexual misconduct. Democrats have been trying to argue that voters in Alabama should turn aside the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Roy Moore, because of accusations by several women that he had made advances on them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. One of the women has accused Moore of a sexual assault.

The disclosure of accusations against Conyers began on Nov. 20 when BuzzFeed reported that in 2015, he had used $27,000 in taxpayer money to settle a wrongful dismissal complaint made by a female aide, Marion Brown, who said she was fired for not giving in to his sexual advances.

Several other former aides, including his former deputy chief of staff, Deanna Maher, subsequently came forward, saying that Conyers had demanded sexual favors or touched them inappropriately.

Adding to the accusations, a well-known Washington ethics lawyer, Melanie Sloan, said that when she worked for Conyers two decades ago, he had discriminated against her because of her gender, publicly berating her and at one point ordering her to babysit his child. Conyers also called her to a meeting at which he showed up dressed in a shirt and underwear, she said.

Democratic leaders at first circled protectively around Conyers, but as the number of accounts grew, members of his party began calling for his departure.

It is not easy for me to reach this conclusion because, as a civil rights activist, I have looked up to Rep. Conyers for decades. I believe these women, I see the pattern, and there is only one conclusion: Rep. Conyers must resign, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state who is also a member of the Judiciary Committee, said last week as she became the second House Democrat to call for Conyers to step down.

Pelosi was blistered by other party members after she initially appeared to minimize the complaints against Conyers in a Nov. 26 appearance on NBCs Meet the Press.

In that interview, Pelosi cast Conyers as an icon in our country who had worked to secure rights for women and was confronting a host of unverified accusations.

I dont know who they are. Do you? she said of the women. They have not really come forward. Thats for the Ethics Committee to review.

Sloan, the ethics lawyer who had accused Conyers, said that Pelosi later called her to apologize. Pelosi then issued a statement insisting that harassment victims  including any who had signed nondisclosure agreements involving Conyers  should be able to talk openly about their experiences.

Four days after her initial defense of the congressman, Pelosi called for his resignation.

The brave women who came forward are owed justice, she said.

The public turnabout by others in the House was no less abrupt. On Nov. 25, Clyburn, like Conyers a heralded civil rights figure, had raised questions about the veracity of the accusers. The next day  after watching Brown, the recipient of the wrongful termination settlement, discuss Conyers actions on NBCs Today show  Clyburn called on him to resign.

Conyers, on Tuesdays radio show, was emphatic that his legacy would not be diminished because of the allegations against him  though inevitably it will be.

My legacy cant be compromised or diminished in any way by what we are going through now, he said. I want you to know that my legacy will continue through my children.

He also called for a public airing of settlements paid by other members of Congress as a result of sexual harassment allegations. The settlement involving Conyers became public because he used money from his congressional account to pay the former aide. Other settlements have been paid from a centralized House account and remain secret.

There should be a complete disclosure and revealing to all of the citizens of the country of what federal legislators are doing or not doing, he said.

For more on politics from Cathleen Decker 

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Twitter: @cathleendecker

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UPDATES:

11:55 a.m.: This article was updated with Conyers official letter of resignation.

8:40 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from lawmakers and details on the procedure for filling Conyers seat.

8 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details, including comments from Conyers.

This article was originally published at 7:40 a.m.
The Supreme Court gave a somewhat skeptical hearing Tuesday to a Colorado bakers claim that he had a free-speech right to refuse to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, despite a state civil rights law that bans such discrimination.

Several justices questioned why a bakers work could be considered speech and how the court could set a legal rule that would allow some businesses involved in expressive work, but not others, to refuse to serve certain customers.

What about a jeweler, a hairstylist or a makeup artist, asked Justice Elena Kagan. How do you the draw the line?

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Kagan pressed Kristen Waggoner, lawyer for cake maker Jack Phillips, to explain why a baker should have a free-speech right to refuse to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, but not a chef or wedding dress tailor working at the same event.

Because its not speech, Waggoner said.

Some people may say that about cakes, you know, Kagan replied.

The justices were weighing a clash between gay rights and religious liberty and trying to decide when, if ever, a business owner has a right to be exempted from a states civil rights law. Colorado, like California and 20 other states, says businesses that are open to the public may not deny equal service to customers because of their race, religion, nationality or sexual orientation.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who probably holds the deciding vote, pressed a Trump administration lawyer who defended the bakers right to turn away a same-sex couple. If the court were to grant such a right, Kennedy asked, would a store owner with religious objections be able to post a sign in the window stating that gay couples are not served?

You would not think that an affront to the gay community? he asked U.S. Solicitor Gen. Noel Francisco.

Ruling for the baker could have a broad impact, he said, and persuade others around the country to join a movement to refuse service to gay couples. Would the government feel vindicated in its position? Kennedy said, sounding irked.

Backpedaling, Francisco said the administration was defending the principle of free expression. The problem is when you force somebody not only to speak, but to contribute that speech to an expressive event to which they are deeply opposed, you force them to use their speech to send a message that they fundamentally disagree with, he said. And that is the core of what the 1st Amendment protects.

During the second half of the argument, it was clear that Kennedy was equally troubled by what he saw as religious bias against Phillips for his conservative Christian beliefs.

Two years ago, Kennedy wrote the courts opinion for a 5-4 majority that made same-sex marriage a constitutional right. He added a passage saying the law should respect those who adhere to religious doctrines that say same-sex marriage should not be condoned.

He was upset by a statement from one member of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission that was cited in the legal briefs. Freedom of religion and religion has been used to justify all kinds of discrimination throughout history, whether it be slavery or the Holocaust, said Commissioner Heidi Hess. To me it is one of the most despicable pieces of rhetoric that people can use, to use their religion to hurt others.

Kennedy read part of the statement and said it showed a hostility to religion on the part of at least one commissioner. He pressed Colorado Solicitor Gen. Frederick Yarger whether the commission had disavowed her statement.

Do you disavow or disapprove of that statement? he asked. After a pause, Yarger agreed to disavow the statement, but said it did not reflect the full commission or its decision.

Kennedy was not finished. Tolerance is essential in a free society, he told Yarger. It seems to me that the state in its position here has been neither tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillips religious beliefs.

The focus on religious bias made it hard to predict the outcome. Last year, lawyers for the Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom asked the Supreme Court to hear the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado and to rule on whether the states insistence that Phillips offer full and equal service to gay couples violated his rights to the freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion.

After months of delay, the court announced in late June it would hear the case, but only on the free-speech question.

But during Tuesdays arguments, Kennedy and his conservative colleagues seemed more troubled by the religious aspect of the dispute.

Last to be heard Tuesday was David Cole, national legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, who was representing Charlie Craig and David Mullins. They were planning a wedding reception in 2012 when they stopped by the Masterpiece Cakeshop. Phillips said he could not make a custom cake for them because the Bible said marriage was limited to a man and a woman. Surprised and upset, the two men left and later filed a complaint with the state commission.

Cole said the dispute did not involve words or speech. The only thing the baker knew about these customers was that they were gay, he said. There was no request for a design. There was no request for message. He refused to sell any wedding cake. And thats identity-based discrimination.

david.savage@latimes.com

On Twitter: DavidGSavage

UPDATES:

3:30 p.m.: This article was updated with more details about the argument.

9:10 a.m.: This article was updated with justices comments during the argument.

This article was originally published at 3 a.m.
After his father was elected president, Donald Trump Jr. said he would turn his attention away from politics and back to running the family business empire.

But President Trumps eldest son has been unable to completely turn the page as investigators scrutinize his contacts with Russian intermediaries during the campaign last year. Hes scheduled to return to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to answer questions behind closed doors with the House Intelligence Committee.

At issue are recent revelations about communications between Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks, the secretive web organization that released hacked Democratic Party emails as part of what U.S. intelligence officials say was a Russian effort to help sway the election toward Trump.

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Trump Jr. publicly disclosed the private Twitter messages, which were exchanged from September 2016 through July 2017, after their existence was revealed by the Atlantic magazine.

Most of the outreach from WikiLeaks went unanswered by Trump Jr., according to the messages he released. But two days after WikiLeaks asked him to help promote a website where it was posting emails stolen from the account of Hillary Clintons campaign manager, Trump Jr. shared the link on his Twitter account.

The communications with WikiLeaks stoked fresh interest in Trump Jr.s broader role in the campaign. He already has acknowledged meeting in June 2016 with a Russian lawyer who promised that she had incriminating information on Hillary Clinton that could help his fathers White House bid.

To the extent they had information concerning the fitness, character or qualifications of a presidential candidate, I believed that I should at least hear them out, he said when he met with the Senate Judiciary Committee in September.

Trump Jr. said the meeting did not produce any useful information about Trumps Democratic rival and soon shifted to a dispute over a U.S. law that levied sanctions on some Russian officials and businessmen.

A lawyer for Trump Jr. did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Representatives for the Democrat and Republican lawmakers leading the Russia investigation for the House Intelligence Committee declined to talk about upcoming interviews.

In addition to the congressional probes, Tuesday brought more questions about special counsel Robert S. Muellers investigation into whether anyone in Trumps orbit assisted Russian interference in the election.

Bloomberg, Reuters and the German newspaper Handelsblatt reported that Mueller had subpoenaed Deutsche Bank for financial records related to $300 million in loans it gave to Trump before he ran for president, a sign that the special counsel was expanding his investigation beyond the campaign.

The bank would neither confirm nor deny receiving a subpoena, but a member of Trumps legal team said the reports were not accurate.

No subpoena has been issued or received, the lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said in a statement. We have confirmed this with the bank and other sources.

Trump Jr. is not the only presidential family member facing scrutiny from the Russia investigation.

More details trickled out after Michael Flynn, the presidents former national security advisor, pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to federal agents about his contacts with the Russian ambassador after the election.

Flynn agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, and a court filing in the case says a very senior member of Trumps transition team directed Flynn to call the Russian ambassador and other foreign officials in an effort to short-circuit a pending United Nations resolution on Israel last December.

A former official identified the very senior member as Jared Kushner, who is married to the presidents daughter Ivanka and who serves as a White House advisor.

Since Trump had not taken office, the attempted interference with U.S. foreign policy by a private citizen was a potential violation of the law.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff, a Burbank Democrat and the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said he wants to bring Kushner back for more questioning about that incident.

If Mr. Kushner was involved in that, hed have a lot to tell us that he hasnt told us so far, Schiff said Saturday. Kushner met privately with the committee in July.

chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian

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As the special counsel investigation inches deeper into the White House, President Trump has repeatedly insisted that he has done nothing wrong, denying any collusion with Russia and decrying the allegations as a hoax.

On Monday, one of his lawyers offered a backup argument as Trump faces new questions about whether he improperly tried to shield his former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, from an FBI investigation and then fired FBI Director James B. Comey to block the inquiry. Interfering with the case could be construed as obstructing justice, a potential federal crime.

Its impossible, the lawyer said, for the president to obstruct justice under the law. The reason? Hes too powerful.

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Trump cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [Article II of the Constitution] and has every right to express his view of any case, John Dowd, a lawyer for the president, told Axios, a news website. Article II details the presidents authority over the executive branch, which includes the Justice Department.

Trumps potential legal jeopardy is separate from any political liability: obstruction-of-justice charges were among the articles of impeachment filed against both President Nixon, who resigned in disgrace, and President Clinton, who served out his term.

But Dowds claim sparked a sharp debate among legal scholars and others as to how far a president can stretch his constitutional powers without breaking the law and the extent of a presidents legal immunity in office. While the Constitution lays out conditions under which a president can be impeached and removed by Congress, it does not say whether the president can be prosecuted. Neither does federal law. Courts have never ruled on the issue.

Its an unanswered question, said Susan Low Bloch, a Georgetown University law professor who doubts a sitting president can be indicted on criminal charges. Weve never done it.

Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor, said the question has been a parlor game for constitutional scholars for decades.

John Dowd, pictured in 2007, is one of the lawyers representing President Trump. (Yana Paskova/Getty Images)

Turley believes a president could be indicted, noting that federal judges arent immune from criminal charges. Why assume a limitation with regards to presidents when it clearly doesnt exist for other impeachable officials? he asked.

Dowds comment came after special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating whether anyone in Trumps orbit helped Russian operatives interfere with last years presidential campaign, rocked the White House by making a plea deal with Flynn, a retired three-star Army general who was one of Trumps closest advisors during the campaign.

On Friday, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in January about his contacts with Sergey Kislyak, then the Russian ambassador, during the presidential transition. On Saturday, Trump tweeted that he had fired Flynn as national security advisor in February in part because he knew Flynn had lied to federal agents.

Trumps claim for the first time that he knew Flynn may have committed a felony was so extraordinary that Dowd later said he had written it, not the president. Either way, it cast a new spotlight on Senate testimony from Comey, the former FBI director who Trump fired in May.

The day after Flynn was forced out of the White House, Comey later testified, Trump asked him to go easy on his former national security advisor.

I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, Comey recalled the president saying.

Trump denied on Sunday telling Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Raj Shah, a White House spokesman, referred questions to Dowd, who declined to comment. Trump has previously said that hes not personally under investigation.

Mueller has not said one way or another, but all indications are his investigation is far from over. So far he has charged four people and two of them  Flynn and another campaign aide, George Papadopoulos  have pleaded guilty and agreed to assist the FBI.

Jed Shugerman, a law professor at Fordham University, said Dowds comment showed he was concerned about Trumps legal vulnerability. Dowd and others have to argue that a president cant obstruct justice because the facts are increasingly stacked against them, he said.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat and ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday that she sees a case of obstruction of justice in Trumps decision to fire Comey.

It is my belief that that is directly because [Comey] did not agree to lift the cloud of the Russia investigation, she said. Thats obstruction of justice.

Follow live coverage of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz told Fox News on Monday that Feinstein simply doesnt know what shes talking about because Trump was within his rights to fire Comey.

Theres never been a case in history where a president has been charged with obstruction of justice for merely exercising his constitutional authority, Dershowitz said. That would cause a constitutional crisis in the United States.

Solomon Wisenberg, a lawyer who worked with the Office of Independent Counsel that investigated President Clinton, said obstruction cases generally required a suspect to have been engaged in a pattern of activity intended to impede an investigation or have been involved in the original criminal activity thats under scrutiny.

Nixons downfall was accelerated by a White House recording that revealed he was involved in a plan to thwart an FBI investigation into the illegal bugging of Democratic campaign offices at the Watergate. Obstruction was the first of three articles of impeachment approved by the House Judiciary Committee. He resigned in 1974 before the impeachment process advanced to the full House.

Clinton was impeached by a Republican-controlled House in 1998 after his affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern, was revealed. One of the allegations was obstruction of justice. The effort to remove Clinton from office stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Richard J. Davis, a lawyer who served on the Watergate prosecution task force, said both Democrats and Republicans have agreed that obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense.

I remember a lot of debate about whether a sitting president could or should be indicted, but none of it was premised on the notion of whether the president could commit the crime of obstruction of justice, he said. He clearly can.

chris.megerian@latimes.com and joseph.tanfani@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian and @JTanfani

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Wait  did the president really say, Mission Accomplished? By Marc Olson Some are recalling the last time a president declared Mission accomplished, in May 2003 when George W. Bush was talking about Iraq. (Stephen Jaffe / AFP/Getty Images) President Trump on Saturday morning thanked his allies in a tweet that declared the airstrikes on Syria perfectly executed, but he might have wished hed stopped there. Instead, he ended his message with the phrase, Mission Accomplished! Thats a line that might have a previous president shaking his head. On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat in Iraq under a Mission Accomplished banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. That war, which began in March 2003, grew into a prolonged conflict that didnt end until 2011. In 2008, the White House said it had paid a price for the backdrop. A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2018 Facebook

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Auditor says Pentagon is censoring key data on the war in Afghanistan By Shashank Bengali The Pentagon is blocking the release of data showing how much of Afghanistans territory lies outside government control, censoring a key metric used to gauge progress in the 16-year war, a watchdog agency said Tuesday. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, an auditing agency established by Congress, said in its latest report that the Pentagon instructed it not to release unclassified data on how many districts and people are controlled or influenced by insurgent groups. This is the first time SIGAR has been specifically instructed not to release information marked unclassified to the American taxpayer, the head of the agency, John F. Sopko, wrote in a letter. Sopko also said the U.S.-led military coalition, for the first time since 2009, classified information about the size and attrition rates of the Afghan security forces, important indicators of progress in building up army and police forces on which the U.S. already has spent $70 billion since 2002. The decision to withhold more information from congressional oversight and the public comes amid growing violence in Afghanistan and an intensifying combat mission involving a greater number of American troops. Following a series of bombings in Kabul that left at least 136 people dead in 10 days, President Trump signaled on Monday that he was focused on trying to win the conflict militarily, saying, We dont want to talk with the Taliban. But data released by SIGAR since 2015 have shown how the insurgents have gained ground against Afghan security forces. In its previous quarterly report, the watchdog said that only 57% of Afghanistans 407 districts were under Afghan government control or influence as of August 2017, the lowest level of control since it began tracking the statistic in December 2015. The steady decline in government control should cause even more concern about its disappearance from public disclosure and discussion, Sopko wrote. The watchdog also accused the Pentagon of overstating the impact of its efforts to combat drug cultivation and trafficking, among the Talibans main sources of revenue. The Pentagon touted airstrikes that destroyed 25 drug labs in November and December, saying it eliminated nearly $100 million of Taliban revenue. The labs being destroyed are cheap and easy to replace, SIGAR said. According to some estimates, they only take three or four days to replace. Facebook

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Women journalists shunted to rear for Pences visit to Western Wall By Noga Tarnopolsky The view from the womens section. (Noga Tarnopolsky / Los Angeles Times) Vice-President Mike Pences 48-hour visit to Israel stumbled into a public storm Tuesday when female reporters covering his final stop at Jerusalems Western Wall were penned behind four rows of their male colleagues. White House officials told stunned journalists that the arrangement emanated from a request made by the Western Wall rabbi, Shmuel Rabinowitz, and followed Western Wall rules. Some women journalists said they could not recall such treatment in the past. In a statement to Israels Channel 10 news, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation said it was exactly as it was during the visit of the U.S. president to the Western Wall last May. Later in the day, in a statement to the newspaper Haaretz, the foundation blamed the United States embassy in Tel Aviv and Israeli security officials for the segregation, and announced they would reexamine the way they handle such events. Women who covered previous VIP visits said the Pence arrangements were significantly more onerous than previous visits, when male and female journalists were separated but not offered substantially different work conditions. LIVE coverage of our male colleagues granted access to cover VP at Western Wall as we are penned into #PenceFence pic.twitter.com/k3svkxfQsa  Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) January 23, 2018 The arrangement reflected procedures at the Western Wall, Judaisms holiest site, where on regular days, men have access to two thirds of the area available for prayer. Tal Schneider, the diplomatic analyst for Globes, a financial newspaper, protested that the separation of men and women may be valid for the requirements of Orthodox prayer, but no one is praying here. We are here to work. I dont appreciate being restricted in my ability to work because I am a woman, she said. The discriminatory attitude towards women is infuriating and is unbefitting of a modern country. Yael Freidson, the Jerusalem affairs correspondent for Yediot Ahronot, Israels widest circulation newspaper, said she worried that her editors could choose male colleagues for the next assignment, knowing they would have better access. Before Pence arrived, journalists were herded onto a specially constructed platform in the middle of the Western Walls esplanade, with women guided to the right behind a white fence, and men, many carrying cameras, directed to the left, where they had more than double the space. Towards the end of the vice presidents 10-minute visit, male journalists were permitted into the VIP tent where he received a gift from Rabinowitz, while the women remained in their enclosure. None of the men publicly protested the treatment of their female colleagues. Israels Association of Women Journalists filed a formal complaint with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, herself a woman. Facebook

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Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, after his pardon from Trump, says hell run for Senate in Arizona By Kurtis Lee (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press) (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press) Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who last year was pardoned by President Trump in a case stemming from his enforcement tactics aimed at immigrants, announced Tuesday he will run for the open Senate seat in his home state. I am running for the U.S. Senate from the Great State of Arizona, for one unwavering reason: to support the agenda and policies of President Donald Trump in his mission to Make America Great Again, Arpaio, 85, said on Twitter. Hell enter a Republican primary for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Jeff Flake. Last summer, Trump pardoned Arpaio, who was convicted in July of criminal contempt for violating a federal court order to stop racially profiling Latinos. It was Arpaios roughly quarter-century as sheriff that gave him a national reputation for his tough treatment of people suspected of being in the country illegally. Repeated court rulings against his office for civil rights violations cost local taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. In the early 1990s, Arpaio directed construction of a tent city for immigration detainees, a measure he said was intended both to alleviate overcrowding and to underscore his aggressive enforcement measures. But it was open to the burning Arizona sun, and drew widespread criticism. After Trump entered the presidential race in July 2015, Arpaio invited him to Phoenix to talk about a crackdown on illegal immigration. He endorsed Trump just before the first votes in the Iowa caucuses in 2016 and frequently spoke out on behalf of Trumps campaign. Facebook

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President Trump ends controversial voter fraud commission By Kurtis Lee President Trump signed an executive order late Wednesday ending the voter fraud commission he launched last year as the panel faces a flurry of lawsuits and criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. Trump signed the order disbanding the commission rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, created by executive order in May with the stated goal of restoring confidence and integrity in the electoral process, has faced a barrage of lawsuits in recent months over privacy concerns, as the commission sought personal data on voters across the country. Read More Facebook

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Congress returns to work with slimmer GOP majority to accomplish Trumps agenda By Lisa Mascaro Congress returns to work this week with unfinished business on spending, immigration and other crucial issues, but with an even narrower GOP majority that will make it tougher to move on President Trumps agenda. The House and Senate will convene Wednesday, swearing in the newly elected Democratic senator from Alabama, Doug Jones, and Minnesotas Tina Smith to replace a fellow Democrat, Sen. Al Franken, who is resigning as the latest high-profile public figure sidelined by allegations of sexual misconduct. The change gives Republicans only a one-seat margin in the Senate. Trump, fresh off passage of the GOP tax cuts bill, is pushing lawmakers to pivot quickly on his new year priorities of infrastructure investment and immigration, as well as his foreign policy agenda. But another legislative victory seems far off. Republicans have struggled to hold their majority together and Congress first must tackle critical stalled agenda items that leaders punted to 2018. Read More Facebook

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Trump threatens to cut off U.S. aid to Palestinians By Tracy Wilkinson President Trump on Tuesday angrily threatened to cut off U.S. aid to Palestinians as punishment for what he called their failure to show appreciation or respect to the United States. Writing on Twitter, the president compared the Palestinians to Pakistan, a nuclear-armed ally that abruptly drew his ire this week and a similar threat to drastically curtail aid. He accused the Palestinians of recalcitrance in what he described as their refusal to negotiate a peace deal with Israel. Palestinian officials have said they can no longer use Washington as a broker to restart peace talks with Israel following Trumps Dec. 6 decision to overturn decades of U.S. policy and recognize the disputed city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and ultimately to move the U.S. Embassy there. The Palestinians also claim part of Jerusalem as the capital of an eventual independent state. Until now, the United States and most of the world agreed the citys political status was a matter to settle in final peace talks. The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned any effort to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, and the Palestinian leadership said it would not meet with Vice President Mike Pence, who had planned a trip to the region. That trip is on hold. [W]e pay the Palestinians HUNDRED [sic] OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect, Trump wrote on Twitter. [W]ith the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them? In response to Trumps tweet, Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, issued a statement saying: Palestinian rights are not for sale. By recognizing Occupied Jerusalem as Israels capital Donald Trump has not only violated international law, but he has also singlehandedly destroyed the very foundations of peace and condoned Israels illegal annexation of the city. We will not be blackmailed, she said. President Trump has sabotaged our search for peace, freedom and justice. Now he dares to blame the Palestinians for the consequences of his own irresponsible actions! The United States does not pay large amounts of money directly to the Palestinian Authority, the government that rules over parts of the Palestinian West Bank. Instead, most money goes to the U.N., refugee or aid agencies and even Israel to pay for roads, welfare, schools, security and other Palestinian projects. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, said Tuesday that the administration was planning to cut off one of those organizations, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, until the Palestinians return to the negotiating table. UNRWA, which receives around $300 million annually from the U.S., for years has been the lifeline to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It was not clear if Haley was threatening to cut all U.S. support for the agency. Special correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Facebook

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The White House stops short of calling for government overthrow in Iran By Brian Bennett President Trump wants Iran to give its citizens basic human rights and stop being a state sponsor of terror, his top spokeswoman said, but the White House stopped short of calling for a change of government in Tehran. If they want to do that through current leadership, if thats possible, OK, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. Sanders praised the organic popular uprising, which she said the widespread protests in Iran represented. The protests grew out of years of years of mismanagement, corruption, and foreign adventurism have eroded the Iranian peoples trust in their leaders, she said. Earlier Tuesday, Trump called Irans government brutal and corrupt and wrote in a tweet: The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching! Trump also blamed President Obama for foolishly giving Iran money that he said went to fund terrorism. The money he referred to were funds belonging to Iran that had been frozen by the U.S. and were released as part of the deal in 2015, which blocked Irans development of nuclear weapons. 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 Facebook

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Retirement of Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch clears the way for a Mitt Romney revival By David Lauter The retirement of Utahs senior senator, Orrin G. Hatch, opens the way for a widely expected Senate bid by Mitt Romney, the Republicans 2012 presidential nominee and a frequent critic of President Trump. Although Romney previously served for two terms as governor of Massachusetts (and was raised in Michigan, where his father was governor and his mother ran for the Senate), he comes from a prominent Mormon family with strong ties to Utah. He also served as chief executive of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Hes viewed as a strong candidate for the Senate seat. Romneys criticisms of Trump, however, could prompt a challenge in a Republican primary. Trump was widely reported to have tried to convince Hatch to run for a seventh term, in part to head off a Romney candidacy. Last month, Romney and Trump were on opposite sides of one of the biggest political fights of the fall  the battle over the Senate seat from Alabama. The president strongly supported Roy Moore, the Republican candidate who had been accused of sexual misconduct by several women. Romney called Moore a stain on the GOP. Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity.  Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) December 4, 2017 On Tuesday, Romney tweeted praise for Hatch, but did not immediately reveal his own plans. I join the people of Utah in thanking my friend, Senator Orrin Hatch for his more than forty years of service to our great state and nation. Read my full statement: https://t.co/YwjUpjez5y  Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) January 2, 2018 Facebook

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U.S. calls on Iran to unblock social media sites amid protests By The Associated Press The Trump administration is calling on Irans government to stop blocking Instagram and other popular social media sites as Iranians are demonstrating in the streets. Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein says the U.S. wants Iran to open these sites. He says Instagram, Telegram and other platforms are legitimate avenues for communication. The United States is encouraging Iranians to use virtual private networks, known as VPNs. Those services create encrypted links between computers and can be used to access blocked websites. Goldstein says the U.S. is still communicating with Iranians in Persian through State Department accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. He says the U.S. wants to encourage the protesters to continue to fight for whats right. Goldstein says the U.S. has an obligation not to stand by. Read More Facebook

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Trump blasts Democrats in advance of immigration meeting By Brian Bennett The day before a meeting of administration officials and congressional leaders on outstanding legislative business, President Trump accused Democrats of doing nothing to hammer out an immigration deal to protect from deportation people brought to the country illegally as children. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA  just interested in politics, Trump wrote in a Tweet on Tuesday morning, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program by its acronym. 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 House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer along with the Republican leaders, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are scheduled to meet on Wednesday at the Capitol with Trumps legislative director, Marc Short, and budget director, Mick Mulvaney. The White House on Tuesday said the meeting is to discuss separate spending caps on military and domestic programs. Yet the Democrats insist the discussion also must include a variety of legislative issues that Trump and Congress punted into the new year  on immigration, the budget, healthcare and more. That stance reflects Democrats leverage: Republicans need Democratic votes to pass a government-funding bill and avert a federal shutdown when the current funding expires Jan. 19. Democrats especially want separate legislation replacing the Obama-era DACA program; Trump in September ordered a phase-out of the program, beginning March 6, and called on Congress to act before then on an alternative way to address the plight of the group. However, Trump has demanded that any alternative must be part of a package including both money for a border wall and immigration limits. Democrats are opposed. Facebook

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Pakistan hits back after Trump accuses its leaders of lies and deceit By Aoun Sahi Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of lies and deceit and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. 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, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistans prime minister, Shahid Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trumps New Years Day tweet. 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. Read More Facebook

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Trump again cheers on Iran protests 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 The presidents earlier hailing of the protests drew condemnation from Irans government. A Foreign Ministry spokesman called his comments deceitful and opportunistic. Following an overnight report of the first two fatalities stemming from the protests, Trump raised some eyebrows by expressing concern over human rights violations as authorities move to crack down on the demonstrations. During his first year in office, the president has shown scant inclination to press foreign governments to respect the fundamental rights of their citizens. The USA is watching closely for human rights violations! Trump said in his tweet Sunday. Some domestic critics have pointed to the presidents inclusion of Iranian nationals in his travel ban, suggesting he was more interested in bashing the Tehran government than in supporting freedom of speech in Iran. Even some of the presidents allies said that supporting the protesters on social media did not amount to making policy. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he had urged Trump to give a national address laying out his Iran strategy. President Trump is tweeting very sympathetically to the Iranian people, Graham said on CBS Face the Nation. But you just cant tweet here. You have to lay out a plan. Facebook

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Australian diplomats tip a factor in FBIs Russia inquiry By Associated Press Australian High Commissioner Alexander Downer. (Alastair Grant / Associated Press) An Australian diplomats tip appears to have helped persuade the FBI to investigate Russian meddling in the U.S. election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign, the New York Times reported Saturday. Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos told the diplomat, Alexander Downer, during a meeting in London in May 2016 that Russia had thousands of emails that would embarrass Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, the report said. Downer, a former foreign minister, is Australias top diplomat in Britain. Australia passed the information on to the FBI after the Democratic emails were leaked, according to the Times, which cited four current and former U.S. and foreign officials with direct knowledge of the Australians role. The hacking and the revelation that a member of the Trump campaign may have had inside information about it were driving factors that led the FBI to open an investigation in July 2016, the newspaper said. White House lawyer Ty Cobb declined to comment, saying in a statement that the administration is continuing to cooperate with the investigation now led by special counsel Robert Mueller to help complete their inquiry expeditiously. Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is a cooperating witness. Court documents unsealed two months ago show he met in April 2016 with Joseph Mifsud, a professor in London who told him about Russias cache of emails. This was before the Democratic National Committee became aware of the scope of the intrusion into its email systems by hackers later linked to the Russian government. The Times said Papadopoulos shared this information with Downer, but it was unclear whether he also shared it with anyone in the Trump campaign. Facebook

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Trump offers fresh support for protesters in Iran as demonstrations continue By Lisa Mascaro Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching! pic.twitter.com/kvv1uAqcZ9  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017 President Trump again offered support Saturday for anti-government protesters in Iran, where a third day of demonstrations, the largest in years, spilled across the country amid fears of a crackdown. Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching! Trump wrote on Twitter. Trump took a break from playing golf near his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to tweet clips from his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September when he called for Iranian democratic reforms. Iranian authorities warned of potential violence as the street demonstrations, which began over economic conditions, swelled into frustrations with the theocratic rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump has maintained a hawkish stance toward Iran, sharply criticizing the landmark nuclear disarmament accord that Tehran reached with then-President Obama and five other nations in 2015. In October, Trump declined to certify the accord to Congress although the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency says Iran is complying with it. Several conservative GOP senators signaled their support for Trumps position and backed the protesters in Iran. Others in Congress did not immediately respond, however, amid conflicting reports over who had organized the demonstrations. Even after the billions in sanctions relief they secured through the nuclear deal, the ayatollahs still cant provide for the basic needs of their own people, said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a Trump ally and opponent of the nuclear deal. We should support the Iranian people who are willing to risk their lives to speak out against it, he added. Trump initially tweeted his support on Friday night. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement at that time as protests spread. There are many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with the regimes corruption and its squandering of the nations wealth to fund terrorism abroad, Sanders said. The Iranian government should respect their peoples rights, including their right to express themselves. The world is watching. Facebook

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When it comes to U.S.-Russia relations, it takes two to tango, Kremlin says By Sabra Ayres The deteriorating relationship between the United States and Russia is one of the biggest disappointments of 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesman told reporters today. Russia would like to rebuild relations between the two adversaries, but it takes two to tango, Dmitry Peskov said today during a conference call with the press. We want and are looking for good mutually beneficial relations based on mutual respect, mutual trust with all countries, primarily with European ones, including the United States, but it is necessary to dance tango, as they say. Peskov blamed the ongoing anti-Russian Russophobia in Washington for playing a major role in blocking the two countries from moving forward in their relationship. U.S. investigations into the Trump presidential campaigns alleged collusion with the Kremlin during the 2016 U.S. election and accusations that the Kremlin tried to interfere with the electoral process continue to cast a dark shadow over the relationship, he said. Peskov told reporters that Moscow was perplexed by the investigations. The Kremlin has continued to deny having any involvement with the Trump campaign or doing anything to interfere with the American election. This is definitely a U.S. domestic affair, but in this case it naturally hurts our bilateral relations, which is regrettable, Peskov said. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have been categorized as the worst theyve been since the end of the Cold War. This year, Washington and Moscow have engaged in a diplomatic tit-for-tat in which both sides have been forced to reduce diplomatic staff, embassy properties have been repossessed by the hosting countries and visa services have been interrupted. The U.S. diplomatic mission to Russia shrank from 1,200 personnel, including some Russian local staff, to just over 450 across all its three consulates and embassy in Moscow. In the U.S., Russia was forced to vacate its San Francisco consulate. Moscow has also blamed anti-Russian sentiments on the recent decision by the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian teams from wearing their tricolor uniforms or flags during the upcoming games in South Korea. The international body accused some of the Russian national teams of doping. Facebook

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U.S. and Turkey resume reciprocal issuing of visas but frictions remain By Tracy Wilkinson The United States and Turkey began issuing reciprocal visas again on Thursday, more than two months after normal visa service was suspended in a dispute over the arrest of two U.S. diplomatic staffers in Istanbul  the latest friction between the two nominal allies. The State Department said it was lifting the visa restrictions after it was assured by the Turkish government that U.S. Embassy employees would not be arrested when performing their official duties. But the Turkish Embassy in Washington denied assurances were offered concerning the ongoing judicial processes, and suggested that the arrests were legal and justified. It is inappropriate to misinform the Turkish and American public that such assurances were provided, the embassy said in a statement. The dispute has aggravated the already tense relationship between the United States and Turkey, which is a member of the NATO military alliance. The two countries have clashed over U.S. support for Kurdish rebels in Syria and over Turkeys demands that the U.S. extradite a Turkish cleric who lives in rural Pennsylvania. After a failed coup attempt killed more than 250 people in July 2016, Turkeys autocratic president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, launched a harsh crackdown on his political opponents, arresting or firing tens of thousands of teachers, police, journalists, military officers and others. Erdogan accused Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic educator and former political ally, of orchestrating the coup. Gulen, who has lived in a compound in the Pocono Mountains, has denied any involvement. The Justice Department has so far denied Turkeys repeated demands to extradite Gulen. Erdogan raised the issue again at the White House in May, but his visit ended in a public relations disaster when his security guards brutally beat peaceful protesters outside the Turkish ambassadors residence. Two Turkish employees of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul were arrested this fall for alleged ties to the 2016 coup attempt. The U.S. responded by suspending most visa services at its missions in Turkey in October. The Turkish government reciprocated in November. State Department officials said they have repeatedly demanded more information about any formal charges against the two employees. They reiterated on Thursday that serious concerns about the allegations remained. Facebook

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Trump: China caught RED HANDED allowing oil to reach North Korea By Brian Bennett (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) President Trump isnt taking a holiday vacation from Twitter. In one of three tweets early on Thursday from his West Palm Beach golf club, he charged that China was caught RED HANDED allowing oil shipments to reach North Korean ports. Pronouncing himself very disappointed, Trump in effect was acknowledging the failure of his months-long effort to convince China to clamp down further on energy shipments going to the isolated country, which relies heavily on Beijing, as a way to pressure North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Caught RED HANDED - very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2017 Trumps tweet came after a South Korean newspaper published what it said were U.S. spy satellite images of Chinese ships selling oil to North Korean ships. The United Nations Security Council, which includes China, has voted repeatedly to restrict fuel shipments to North Korea. Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping in November to cut off North Koreas oil supply entirely, the American ambassador to the U.N., Nikki R. Haley, said at the time. It is unclear if Trumps admonishment of China was based on news reports or classified information he received from U.S. intelligence officials. There was no daily intelligence briefing on Trumps public schedule Thursday. He is expected to return to Washington next week after spending the Christmas holiday and New Years Eve at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. Facebook

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President Trump again falsely claims hes signed more bills than any president By Brian Bennett President Trump visits a firehouse in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday. (Nicholas Kamm / AFP) After another morning at his Florida golf club, President Trump visited firefighters and paramedics at a West Palm Beach firehouse and praised his own performance as president, including with a false boast. Trump touted his administrations work to roll back government regulations and cut taxes and claimed credit for the stock market hitting record highs. He also said hes signed more bills into law than any other president, which isnt true. We have signed more legislation than anybody, Trump said, standing in front of a rescue vehicle inside the fire station. We have more legislation passed, including  the record was Harry Truman a long time ago, and we broke that record, so we got a lot done, Trump said. An analysis by GovTrack, a website that tracks bills in Congress, shows that Trump has signed the fewest bills into law at this point than any president in more than 60 years, back to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Facebook

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Trump administration urges Russia to reinstate monitors in Ukraine, lower violence By Tracy Wilkinson Sergei Lavrov (AFP/Getty Images) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asked Russia on Wednesday to reinstate its military personnel at a monitoring station in eastern Ukraine intended to quell escalating bloodshed. In a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Tillerson also urged Russia to lower the level of violence and underscored the Trump administrations concern over increased fighting in Ukraine, the State Department said in a statement. Russia last week withdrew its monitors from the Joint Center on Coordination and Control, which is tasked with verifying a much-violated ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists. Moscow cited what it called restrictions and provocations from Ukrainian authorities that made it impossible for the observers to do their jobs. Washington has accused the pro-Russia forces of being responsible for many of the truce violations. Late last week, the State Department also announced plans to provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, a decision that angered Moscow. The State Department statement did not say whether the weapons deal came up in Tillersons conversation with Lavrov. The two also discussed North Korea, its destabilizing nuclear program and the need for a diplomatic solution to achieve a denuclearized Korean peninsula, the statement said. Russia has offered to serve as a mediator between Washington and Pyongyang, but direct talks do not seem likely at this point. Facebook

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U.S. sanctions two more North Korean officials for ballistic missile program By Tracy Wilkinson The Trump administration announced sanctions Tuesday against two more North Korean officials for their alleged role in Pyongyangs expanding ballistic missiles program. The Treasury Department is targeting leaders of North Koreas ballistic missile programs, as part of our maximum pressure campaign to isolate [North Korea] and achieve a fully denuclearized Korean Peninsula, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement. The nuclear-armed country tested an intercontinental ballistic missile last month that U.S. officials said appeared capable of reaching New York or Washington, a significant milestone in the countrys growing arsenal. The Treasury Department identified the two North Korean officials as Kim Jong Sik, who reportedly is a key figure in the ballistic missile program and led efforts to switch missiles from liquid to solid fuel (which makes them easier to hide before launch), and Ri Pyong Chol, who was reported to be a key official in the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The sanctions block banks, companies and individuals from doing any business with the targeted officials. It also allows the U.S. government to freeze any American assets owned by the officials. On Friday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to add more sanctions on North Korea, its third round this year. The new measures order North Koreans working abroad to return home within two years, and ban nearly 90% of refined petroleum exports to the country. In a statement published Sunday by North Koreas state-run KCNA news agency, the foreign ministry denounced the new U.N. sanctions as an act of war. We define this sanctions resolution rigged up by the US and its followers as a grave infringement upon the sovereignty of our Republic, as an act of war violating peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the region and categorically reject the resolution, it said. Facebook

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Salt Lake Tribune calls on Sen. Orrin Hatch to not seek reelection in scathing editorial Perhaps the most significant move of Hatchs career is the one that should, if there is any justice, end it. The last time the senator was up for reelection, in 2012, he promised that it would be his last campaign. That was enough for many likely successors, of both parties, to stand down, to let the elder statesman have his victory tour and to prepare to run for an open seat in 2018. Clearly, it was a lie. Read the editorial>> Facebook

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Christmas Eve, Trump on Twitter: New attacks on FBI official, decrying Fake News By Laura King President Trump launched a Christmas Eve attack on FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whom he accuses of favoritism toward his former opponent, Hillary Clinton, and also returned to a longtime favored theme, excoriating the news media for failing to sufficiently extol his accomplishments. .@FoxNews-FBIs Andrew McCabe, in addition to his wife getting all of this money from M (Clinton Puppet), he was using, allegedly, his FBI Official Email Account to promote her campaign. You obviously cannot do this. These were the people who were investigating Hillary Clinton.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2017 Thank you President TRUMP!! pic.twitter.com/LKdkT0FL99  oregon4TRUMP (@shawgerald4) December 23, 2017 The Fake News refuses to talk about how Big and how Strong our BASE is. They show Fake Polls just like they report Fake News. Despite only negative reporting, we are doing well - nobody is going to beat us. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2017 Trump, who is spending the holidays at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, also sent Christmas greetings to deployed military personnel, praising them for success in the fight against terrorism. The early-morning swipe at McCabe followed a flurry of tweets attacking the deputy FBI chief on Saturday. McCabe, who has been a lightning rod for Republican attacks on the FBI, is expected to retire early in the new year. How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wifes campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017 FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017 Critics say the president and his allies are in the midst of a systematic campaign to denigrate the FBI and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is looking into potential collusion by the Trump campaign in Russias attempts to sway the 2016 presidential election. In a pair of statements on Twitter, Trump again expressed scorn regarding news coverage of his administration. For months, the president has been particularly critical of reports regarding the Russia investigation and more recently has repeatedly complained he does not receive enough credit for a booming stock market. In his video conference message to troops overseas, the president made apparent reference to the fight against the militants of Islamic State, who over the last year have lost most of the territory they previously controlled in Iraq and Syria, including former strongholds in Mosul and Raqqah. Were winning, Trump told military personnel deployed in Qatar, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay and aboard the guided missile destroyer Sampson. Reporters traveling with the president heard his address, but were ushered from the room before he took questions from the troops. The president often breaks with longtime custom and makes politically charged statements at events in which he addresses military personnel. Facebook

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Trumps Wells Fargo tweet cited in court hearing as reason to remove Mulvaney as CFPB acting chief By Jim Puzzanghera A recent tweet by President Trump about possible penalties against Wells Fargo & Co. was cited during a court hearing Friday as a reason for removing White House official Mick Mulvaney as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The attorney for Leandra English  the bureaus deputy director who has said she is the rightful acting head  said Trumps tweet showed he was trying to exercise improper influence over the independent consumer watchdog. I think that [tweet] shows you this isnt just some hypothetical concern, the attorney, Deepak Gupta, told Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia during a nearly two-hour hearing. Read More Facebook

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Trump administration recognizes Honduran presidents reelection By Tracy Wilkinson The Trump administration on Friday formally recognized the incumbent president of Honduras, conservative Juan Orlando Hernandez, as the winner of a bitterly contested presidential election held last month. In a statement, the State Department congratulated Hernandez while also acknowledging widespread irregularities in the Nov. 26 vote and calling for a robust national dialogue to overcome political discord in the Central American country, a close ally of the administration. The Organization of American States, which monitored the election, said it was so flawed that only a new round of voting could establish a fair and transparent outcome. But the U.S. rejected that determination. Uproar over the contest led to demonstrations in Honduras that left numerous civilians dead after state security forces opened fire on the protests. Activists and others voiced criticism Friday of the administrations decision. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), a leading Democratic voice on Central American issues, said he was angry and deeply disturbed by the State Department decision. The recent elections in Honduras were deeply flawed, chaotic and marred by numerous irregularities, McGovern said. U.S.-Honduran cooperation on matters such as drug-trafficking, violence and immigration requires a credible, legitimate government that has the support of its people, in Honduras, McGovern said. Hernandezs victory also was controversial because it was the first time a sitting president was allowed to run for re-election, barred until now by the Honduran Constitution. Facebook

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Senate Leader Mitch McConnell says fixing DACA is no emergency until March By Lisa Mascaro Amanda Bayer, left with banner, and Marisol Maqueda, right, join a rally in support of so-called Dreamers outside the White House. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday hes committed to allowing a vote on a bill for so-called Dreamers in January, but sees no rush to resolve the deportation threat posed by President Trumps decision to end a program protecting immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. There isnt that much of an emergency there, he said. There is no emergency until March. Well keep talking about it. Trump called for phasing out by March the Obama-era program that allows the young immigrants, many of them longtime residents, to get two-year deferrals of any deportation threat so they can legally attend school or work. Beneficiaries must be vetted for security purposes. Trump told Congress to come up with a legislative alternative for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which President Obama created by executive order, to protect those currently eligible. A bipartisan Senate group has been working with the White House, but talks stalled this week amid administration demands for curbs on legal immigration flows in exchange for protecting the DACA recipients. Meanwhile, Dreamers and immigrant advocates stormed the Capitol in recent days pressing for the help promised by Trump and Democratic congressional leaders that failed to materialize in the years final legislation. Advocacy groups say more than 120 immigrants each day are falling out of compliance without DACA renewals, putting them at risk of deportation. The number that is projected to swell to more than 1,000 a day in March. Weve been gridlocked on this issue for years, McConnell said. We want to have a signature. We dont just want to spin our wheels and have nothing to show for it. Facebook

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President Trump signs tax bill By Noah Bierman (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump on Friday morning signed a sweeping tax-cut measure  his first major legislative achievement  before heading off for a Christmas vacation at his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Fla. The president also privately signed a short-term spending bill to fund government operations through Jan. 19. Congress approved it Thursday, after Republican leaders were unable to bridge differences in their own party as well as with Democrats to get agreement on funding for the full fiscal year. The stopgap bill punts fights on immigration and other issues to January. The tax bill, approved earlier this week in Congress in largely party-line votes, slashes corporate tax rates from 35% to 21% and also includes a host of other provisions for individuals, all intended to boost the economy. Critics point to nonpartisan analyses showing that the package, including changes greatly reducing the number of estates subject to taxes, steers the bulk of tax benefits to top earners and the wealthy, including Trump, despite his repeated claims that hell take a hit. Trump signed the bill quietly Friday, but held a public ceremony with Republican lawmakers on Wednesday after the bills passage; he also tweeted about the measure extensively. He is expected to hold another public ceremony after the New Years holiday. Facebook

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Pelosi urges Ryan to prevent Republicans from curtailing Houses Russia probe By Chris Megerian House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin greets House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Friday urging him to ensure the Houses investigation into Russian interference with last years presidential campaign is not cut short. The American people deserve a comprehensive and fair investigation into Russias attacks, wrote Pelosi, of San Francisco, in her letter. Political haste must not cut short valid investigatory threads. The House Intelligence Committee has been probing the issue since March 1, and Democrats have repeatedly warned that Republicans are trying to wrap up its work prematurely. Pelosi said Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, should take urgent action to ensure this investigation can continue. AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan, said Pelosi simply wants to see this investigation go on forever in order to suit her political agenda. Whether it concludes next month, next year, or in three years, she will say it is too soon, Strong said in a statement. She added, The investigation will conclude when the committee has reached a conclusion. The committees work is led by Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-Texas). His spokeswoman, Emily Hytha, said he remains committed to conducting this investigation as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible. With more interviews scheduled, the investigation shows signs of extending into next year, Bloomberg reported Friday. BREAKING: Steve Bannon and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski have been sent letters requesting they testify to House Intel panel in early January, per @HouseInSession  Laura Litvan (@LauraLitvan) December 22, 2017 Facebook

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Congress votes to avert government shutdown, but Senate fails to pass disaster aid package By Lisa Mascaro ( (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)) Congress approved a temporary spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, but failed to complete work on an $81-billion disaster aid package to help California, Gulf Coast states and Puerto Rico recover from wildfires and hurricanes, as lawmakers scrambled Thursday to wrap up business before a Christmas break. The stopgap measure continues federal operations for a few more weeks, setting up another deadline for Jan. 19. But it left undone a long list of priorities that members of both parties had hoped to finish this year. Read More Facebook

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Wells Fargo says raises were not linked to tax bill passage  then backtracks By James Rufus Koren Wells Fargo & Co.s move to raise its minimum pay to $15 an hour was part of a long-term plan and not related to the passage of the Republican tax overhaul as the company implied, said a bank spokesman, who later backtracked and stated the hikes were a result of the bills approval. The bank was among several large corporations to publicly announce pay raises or new investments immediately following the final House vote in an apparent public relations offensive to boost the popularity of the tax bill The San Francisco bank had implied the direct linkage to the tax legislation in a news release Wednesday, shortly after Congress passed the tax overhaul, which slashes the corporate tax rate to 21% from 35% starting Jan. 1. Read More Facebook

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Obamacare signups beat expectations, despite Trump administrations opposition By Noam N. Levey President Trump with Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) Despite Trump administration efforts to discourage people from signing up, the number of people enrolling for Affordable Care Act coverage nearly hit last years level, the government revealed Thursday. Exchange open enrollment for 2018 coverage ended w/ approx 8.8M people enrolling in coverage. Great job to the @CMSGov team for the work you did to make this the smoothest experience for consumers to date. We take pride in providing great customer service.  Administrator Seema Verma (@SeemaCMS) December 21, 2017 The 8.8 million people who enrolled in the 36 states that use the federal governments healthcare.gov system significantly exceeded most forecasts. The Trump administration stopped most outreach and other efforts this year aimed at getting people to sign up. The president also repeatedly said publicly that Obamacare was dead. Open enrollment continues in California and several other states that run their own healthcare marketplaces. The figures from the federal government indicate that when those states wrap up for the year, the number of people covered by Obamacare will be nearly the same as in 2017. Read More Facebook

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U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly condemns U.S. policy change on Jerusalem despite Trumps threats By Tracy Wilkinson The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted Thursday to condemn President Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite Trumps threats to punish countries that voted against the U.S. position. The resolution passed in an emergency session at U.N. headquarters in New York with 128 in favor, nine opposed and 35 abstentions. The nonbinding resolution demands that Washington rescind its declaration, which included a plan to transfer the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in coming years. The resolution value is mostly symbolic, showing how isolated the U.S. is in the move. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., warned this week that she would be taking names of countries that opposed the U.S., and Trump on Wednesday suggested he might cut U.S. aid to governments that voted in favor of the resolution. Let them vote against us, Trump said. Well save a lot. We dont care. The U.S. recognition of Jerusalem reversed decades of international consensus on the political status of the divided city. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as their capital in a future independent state. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said the U.N. was facing an unprecedented test and that history would remember those who stand by what is right. Facebook

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Democrats defend Robert Mueller, saying Russia investigation must be allowed to continue By Chris Megerian Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) speaking during a committee hearing earlier this year. (Molly Riley / Associated Press) House Democrats said they will fight Republican attempts to discredit and undermine the work of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating whether President Trumps associates helped Russian meddling in last years election. There is an organized effort by Republicans, in concert with Fox News, to spin a false narrative and conjure up outrageous scenarios to accuse special counsel Mueller of being biased, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) said. Trump has said he has no plan to fire Mueller, but Democrats are alarmed by escalating criticism of the special counsels work. Why is the president afraid of the facts and the truth? Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) said. He added, No matter what the facts are, were satisfied if the investigation is complete. A letter of support signed by 171 Democratic members of Congress will be sent to Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, a former FBI director, and oversees his investigation. Rosenstein has defended Mueller in the face of Republican criticisms. Facebook

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U.S. blacklists Myanmar army general who it says oversaw atrocities against Rohingya Muslims By Shashank Bengali The Trump administration on Thursday blacklisted a Myanmar army general who it said oversaw human rights abuses committed by security forces against Rohingya Muslims. Imposing economic sanctions against the general, Maung Maung Soe, was the toughest action the United States has taken in response to a brutal army offensive that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has described as ethnic cleansing. In a statement, the Treasury Department said it had examined credible evidence of Maung Maung Soes activities, including allegations against Burmese security forces of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and arbitrary arrest as well as the widespread burning of villages. The Rohingya are an ethnic and religious minority of about 1 million people in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, also known as Burma. The United Nations says that more than 640,000 Rohingya have fled the country since August, after the army launched clearance operations in response to attacks carried out by a Rohingya insurgent group against security forces. Rohingya refugees in crowded camps in neighboring Bangladesh have described horrific violence by Myanmar forces, including mass rapes, summary executions and children being burned alive. The aid group Doctors Without Borders estimates that 6,700 people were killed in the first month of the operation. Myanmar authorities deny committing atrocities and say that only a few hundred fighters were killed. Maung Maung Soe was chief of the armys Western Command, which carried out the offensive. He was transferred from his position last month, according to news reports. He was one of 13 individuals worldwide who were blacklisted Thursday under a new U.S. law that gives the Treasury Department authority to target officials for human rights abuses and corruption. Others included former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh; Gulnara Karimova, daughter of the late Uzbekistan dictator Islam Karimov; and Artem Chaika, son of Russias prosecutor-general. Today, the United States is taking a strong stand against human rights abuse and corruption globally by shutting these bad actors out of the U.S. financial system, said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. The sanctions freeze any assets Maung Maung Soe holds in the United States and bars Americans from doing business with him. It is also a sign of how quickly U.S. relations with Myanmar have soured. Under the Obama administration, the United States forged closer ties with the former military dictatorship and eased economic and political sanctions as the country began implementing democratic reforms. But Myanmar, which does not regard the Rohingya as citizens, has lashed out at the international community over the current crisis. It has jailed journalists, blocked access to affected areas in the western state of Rakhine and this week barred a U.N. human rights investigator from entering the country. Rohingya activists said the U.S. action would not have much effect on a country that survived under economic sanctions for years. It is the whole military institution that has a policy to persecute these people, said Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist and blogger in Germany. According to the U.S.s own definition, the army is carrying out ethnic cleansing. They have a responsibility to protect these people. Sanctions on one person are really not enough. Facebook

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Dreamers will have to wait until next year for Congress long-promised protections By Lisa Mascaro Amanda Bayer, left with banner, and Marisol Maqueda, right, join a rally in support of so-called Dreamers outside the White House. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)) A promised year-end deal to protect the young immigrants known as Dreamers from deportation collapsed Wednesday as Republicans in Congress  fresh off passage of their tax plan  prepared to punt nearly all remaining must-do agenda items into the new year. Congressional leaders still hope that before leaving town this week they can pass an $81-billion disaster relief package with recovery funds for California wildfires and Gulf Coast states hit during the devastating hurricane season. But passage even of that relatively popular measure remained in doubt as conservatives balked at the price tag. Rather than finish the year wrapping up the legislative agenda, the GOP majorities in the House and Senate struggled over their next steps. Read More Facebook

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Chants of protest drown out any caroling this holiday season at the Capitol By Lisa Mascaro U.S. Capitol Police arrest a man wearing a Santa Claus hat during a protest against the Republican tax bill. (Alex Edelman / AFP/Getty Image) Outside the U.S. Capitol, the lights on a towering Christmas tree are flipped on each evening, giving the Engelmann spruce a festive twinkle; inside the marble halls, wreaths and garlands decorate doorways and alcoves ahead of the holidays. But the spirit of the season has been punctuated by other sights: a Jumbotron parked across from the Capitol reflecting pool broadcasts images of young immigrants who face deportation; Little Lobbyists, children with complex medical needs, were featured in a recent news conference; protesters filed into the visitor galleries to shout against the Republican tax plan. While its beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Capitol, its also shaping up to be a holiday season of protest. Read More Facebook

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Tax bill simplifies filing for some but complicates it for others  and dont count on that postcard By Jim Puzzanghera A priority of the Republicans tax overhaul was simplification, and they drove home the point this fall with an omnipresent prop: a red-white-and-blue postcard. Were making things so simple that you can do your taxes on a form the size of a postcard, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) said last month, pulling one from his jacket pocket as he and Republican leaders unveiled their bill. They gave a couple of the cards to President Trump at a White House meeting a few hours later and flashed them often during news conferences and TV interviews in the coming days. Read More Facebook

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Top U.N. human rights official reportedly wont seek reelection The top United Nations official for human rights, who has frequently criticized the Trump administration, has reportedly decided not to seek a second term, saying his work had become untenable. Zeid Raad Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, notified his staff in an email that was obtained by several news outlets, including Agence France-Presse. Staying when his four-year term is up for renewal at the end of August might involve bending a knee in supplication, AFP quoted Husseins email as saying. Hussein is a Jordanian prince who has criticized, among other things, President Trumps attempts to ban visitors or refugees from six predominantly Muslim countries. The news comes a day before the U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote on a nonbinding resolution condemning the Trump administrations formal declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a decision that went against international consensus. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., has warned she will be taking names of those who vote against the United States on Thursday. Trump echoed that sentiment Wednesday, voiced support for Haley and implying to reporters that he would consider cutting off U.S. aid to countries that vote against the U.S. Well, were watching those votes, Trump said. Let them vote against us. Well save a lot. We dont care. On Monday, the United States lost a Security Council vote 14-1 on a binding resolution that would have required Washington to rescind its declaration. Haley then vetoed the resolution. Facebook

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Top Democrat warns Trump not to fire Mueller or interfere with his investigation By Chris Megerian Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, one of the top Democrats involved in the congressional inquiries into Russian interference in last years election, said Wednesday that any attempt by President Trump to interfere with the separate criminal investigation would be a gross abuse of power. Warner, who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, delivered his warning from the Senate floor as Republicans escalate their criticism of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and his team of prosecutors and FBI agents. Some Democrats believe Trump is laying the groundwork to fire Mueller even though the president has publicly denied it. Mueller was appointed in May after Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey. In the United States of America, no one, no one is above the law, not even the president, Warner said. Congress must make clear to the president that firing the special counsel or interfering with his investigation by issuing pardons of essential witnesses is unacceptable and would have immediate and significant consequences. Some Democrats say the White House may try to in effect short-circuit the Mueller investigation by replacing Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who is the only official empowered to fire Mueller. Rosenstein recently told Congress that the special counsel is acting appropriately and that he would not dismiss Mueller without just cause. Facebook

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We have essentially repealed Obamacare, Trump says after tax bill passes By Brian Bennett President Trump at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday at the White House. (Chris Kleponis / Getty Images) President Trump is celebrating Republicans passage of the tax overhaul bill as a two-fer: On Wednesday, in addition to tax cuts, he checked off his promise to repeal Obamacare, pointing to a provision in the bill to end the penalty on Americans who dont get health insurance. We have essentially repealed Obamacare, Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. Other provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act are still in place, and Trump and congressional Republicans failed completely on the replace half of their vow to repeal and replace the program. In Trumps view, however, stripping away the laws individual mandate to get insurance or else pay a tax penalty amounts to repeal of the whole law. Congressional analysts have said that millions of people would lose insurance as a result, either by choice or because they cannot afford it without subsidies, and that premiums would increase for others as younger, healthy people drop coverage. We will come up with something much better, Trump said, adding that block grants to states could be one approach. By his comments, Trump tacitly acknowledged that repeal of the mandate is likely the best he can do following Republicans failure this year to agree on a repeal-and-replace bill. Looking back on his first year, Trump also boasted of his administrations efforts against the Islamic State and increased immigration enforcement. He said he had not given up on funding a border wall or tightening immigration law to limit citizens ability to resettle foreign relatives in the country. He said he would very shortly visit the border with Mexico near San Diego to see wall prototypes that have been built. He didnt answer a reporters shouted question about how he would personally benefit from the tax bill. Facebook

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House gives final OK to GOP tax plan, sending it to Trump By Lisa Mascaro Congress gave final approval to the GOP tax plan Wednesday, 224-201, after the House took an unusual do-over vote to clear up differences with the Senate-passed bill. The $1.5-trillion package now heads to President Trump, who plans to sign it into law. The House had approved the tax bill on Tuesday but was forced to take another vote Wednesday because a couple of provisions in the version it approved were found to be in violation of Senate procedures. Those provisions were dropped before the Senate gave its approval early Wednesday. Critics complained the Republicans rushed to pass the sweeping tax plan to deliver Trump a year-end legislative victory, but supporters shrugged off the problems as minor. The tax plan dramatically cuts corporate rates and provides some individual rate reductions, overhauling the tax code for the first time in 30 years. Facebook

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Trump administration effort to block immigrant from having an abortion fails By David Savage Scott Lloyd is director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) President Trumps lawyers rushed to the Supreme Court and U.S. appeals court in Washington on Monday evening to file emergency appeals seeking to prevent an immigrant in detention, dubbed Jane Roe in court, from having an abortion. That set the stage for a legal showdown on whether the administration can block pregnant minors in custody from choosing to have an abortion. But the legal clash, which the administration has seemed eager to have, fizzled out Tuesday when the governments lawyers admitted the 17-year-old unaccompanied minor in their custody was actually 19. They said they had obtained her birth certificate and realized she was not a minor after all. As a result, Roe, who is 10 weeks pregnant, will no longer be held in a detention center for immigrant minors, and will not be subject to an administration policy that tries to prevent minors in immigration detention from having abortions. Administration lawyers told appeals court judges Tuesday night that Roe was being sent to a facility for adults and likely would be released until her immigration status can be resolved. In a brief order, the D.C. Circuit Court agreed to put the case on hold, but told government attorneys to confirm that she will be permitted to obtain an abortion. The administration had earlier tried to delay another young woman, referred to in court as Jane Poe, from having an abortion, but officials relented on Monday because she was 22 weeks pregnant and nearing the time limit for a legal abortion. Facebook

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Senate panel rejects Trumps pick to lead Export-Import Bank, a leader in the effort to shut it down By Jim Puzzanghera A Senate committee on Tuesday rejected President Trumps nominee to lead the Export-Import Bank, extending the chaos at the embattled agency whose job is to help U.S. companies sell their goods abroad. Two Republicans joined all Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee in voting against former Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) to be the banks president. Garrett had been a vocal critic of the Ex-Im Bank and a leader of a conservative effort that shut the bank down for five months in 2015 by blocking its congressional authorization. He and other bank opponents branded the banks aid as crony capitalism. Read More Facebook

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Congress proposes $81-billion disaster aid package, including funds for California wildfires By Lisa Mascaro Congress is set to consider an $81-billion disaster aid package that includes wildfire recovery money for California and other Western states as well as hurricane relief with a price tag reflecting a year of record-setting natural calamities. The legislation, the text of which was released late Monday, would provide almost twice as much as the $44 billion the White House sought last month to cover relief efforts along the Gulf Coast and in the Caribbean. Republican congressional leaders added more money after California lawmakers objected that the administration had failed to include help for areas damaged by wildfires and Democrats protested that the overall amount President Trump asked for was insufficient. Read More Facebook

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White House blames North Korea for worldwide WannaCry cyber attack By Noah Bierman The Royal London Hospital, a victim of the unprecedented global cyberattack in May. (Niklas Hallen / AFP/Getty Images) The White House officially blamed North Korea on Tuesday for the cyberattack in May known as WannaCry that infected hundreds of thousands of computers in 150 countries, affecting healthcare, financial services and vital infrastructure. Thomas P. Bossert, assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism, noted in a briefing with reporters that the consequences were beyond economic. He warned that North Koreas malicious behavior is growing more egregious. Bossert did not specify what evidence American officials have to blame North Korea, citing security issues, but he cited the countrys prior attacks as revealing hallmarks of how Pyongyang and its network of hackers operates. He said other allied countries had joined the United States in making the determination. The administration did not announce any penalties on the regime, which is already subject to severe sanctions over its nuclear program. They want to hold the entire world at risk, Bossert said of North Koreas rulers, referring to the nations nuclear and missile provocations as well as its alleged cyberattack. Given its isolation and international sanctions, North Korea is desperate for funds. Bossert said the country did not appear to make much money on the ransom attack, as word spread that paying a ransom did not result in getting computers unlocked. Its primary goal, he said, was spreading chaos. Bossert and Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary of homeland security for cybersecurity and communication, said the United States, through a combination of preparation and luck, escaped the worst of the attack, as a patch to the malware was found before U.S. companies and other interests were severely crippled. However, Manfra said, We cannot be complacent. Bossert added, Next time were not going to get so lucky. Manfra praised Microsoft and Facebook for their efforts to combat WannaCry and to block more recent attempts to hack U.S. systems. She and Bossert urged more cooperation and information-sharing from American and multinational companies, arguing a united front is vital to protecting against bad actors who do not differentiate between government and business. Bossert rejected criticism that the the Trump administration has more aggressively called out North Korean cyberattacks than it has Russias meddling in the 2016 election. He said the administration has continued the national emergency initiated by President Obama. Facebook

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GOP lures some mountain bike groups in its push to roll back protections for public land By Evan Halper When their vision of creating a scenic cycling trail through a protected alpine backcountry hit a snag, San Diego area mountain bikers turned to an unlikely ally: congressional Republicans aiming to dilute conservation laws. The frustrations of the San Diego cycling group and a handful of similar organizations are providing tailwind to the GOP movement to lift restrictions on the countrys most ecologically fragile and pristine landscapes, officially designated wilderness. Resentment of these cyclists over the longstanding ban on mechanized transportation in that fraction of the nations public lands presents a political opportunity for Republicans eager to drill fissures in the broad coalition of conservation-minded groups united against the GOP environmental agenda. Read More Facebook

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Vice president postpones Israel trip a second time in case his vote is needed to pass tax cut bill By Noah Bierman (Ethan Miller / Getty Images) Vice President Mike Pence is delaying his trip to Egypt and Israel for a second time in case he is needed to break a tie in the Senate for the tax bill that is expected to pass narrowly this week. Two White House officials confirmed the changed schedule, which they say is unrelated to to protests in the region over the administrations decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. Pence had initially been scheduled to leave last Saturday. Late last week, the White House moved the trip back a few days to Tuesday night, in case Pence was needed to break a Senate tie. But Monday, they decided to postpone the trip further, to January, given the possibility of a late Senate vote and the coming holidays. He wants to see it through the finish line, said a White House official, referring to the tax measure that is a centerpiece of the Republican legislative agenda. We dont want to leave anything to chance. The mid-January dates will allow Pence more breathing room to merge schedules with embassies and hotels, the official said. Trump still plans to address the Israeli Knesset, a high-profile venue to discuss the Jerusalem decision where it is most popular. Facebook

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Trump judicial pick who drew ridicule at hearing withdraws By Associated Press A White House official says the Trump judicial nominee whose qualifications were questioned by a Republican senator has withdrawn his nomination. Matthew Petersen, who was nominated by President Trump to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, has been the subject of widespread ridicule since he was unable to define basic legal terms during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. A White House official says Petersen has withdrawn his nomination and that Trump has accepted the withdrawal. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the development publicly. Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy pressed Petersen, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, who testified he had never tried a case, on his qualifications to the bench. Facebook

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Trump says McCain will return to Washington if needed for tax vote By Laura King President Trump said Sunday that Sen. John McCain, who is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer, was returning home to Arizona for the holidays but would come back to Washington if needed to cast a vote on the Republicans tax overhaul bill. The Arizona Republicans office announced last week that McCain was receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington for complications from his cancer treatment. McCains daughter Meghan tweeted earlier Sunday that her 81-year-old father would be spending Christmas in Arizona. The Senate is expected to vote early this week on the tax cut legislation, but the GOP appeared to have secured sufficient support without McCains vote. John will come back if we need his vote, Trump told reporters as he returned from a weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David. Hes going through a very tough time. Facebook

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Putin calls Trump to thank him for U.S. help foiling terrorist strike By Laura King Vladimir Putin phoned President Trump to thank him for what the Russian president said was CIA help in foiling a terrorist attack, the Kremlin said on Sunday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the two leaders conversation to reporters. It was the second time that the two leaders had talked in four days; Trump called Putin on Thursday to thank the Russian leader for lauding the U.S. economy. Putin, in his annual year-end news conference, had praised Trump for a strong performance by the U.S. stock market. Perhaps ironically, given his credit to the CIAs recent help, Putin at that news event dismissed as hysteria the consensus among American intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign. In reporting Putins call to Trump on Sunday, the official Russian news agency Tass said Putin thanked his American counterpart for information shared by the US Central Intelligence Agency that had helped break up a plot to set off explosives in St. Petersburgs landmark Kazan Cathedral and elsewhere in the city, which is Russias second-largest. Russian authorities last week had credited their countrys counter-intelligence service, the FSB, for foiling the attacks. They reported that seven people affiliated with Islamic State had been detained in St. Petersburg in connection with the plot. The FSB, the successor organization to the KGB, announced Friday that the group had planned to carry out the attacks on Saturday, and that one of those in custody had confessed to the cathedral bomb plot. Facebook

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Mnuchin: Government shutdown unlikely but could happen By Laura King Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said on Sunday that a government shutdown this week was unlikely but possible. A two-week stopgap spending bill passed by Congress earlier this month provided enough funding to keep the government running through Friday. A deadlock on another temporary funding measure would open the door to a possible shutdown. I cant rule it out, but I cant imagine it occurring, Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday, suggesting everyone had an interest in avoiding the government grinding to a halt and federal workers going unpaid, especially in the holiday season. I would expect that both the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, understand if they cant agree on this, they need to have another short-term extension to move this to January, the Treasury secretary said. We cant have a government shutdown in front of Christmas. In May, irate over concessions made to Democrats in hammering out a spending measure, President Trump tweeted that a good shutdown might help matters. While both parties agree that a government shutdown involves a degree of disruption that is not beneficial to either side, shutdowns in 1995-96 and in 2013 mainly caused a backlash against Republicans. The latest funding measure is to be taken up after a vote on a massive GOP tax overhaul, expected by midweek. Facebook

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Trump transition team says sensitive emails should not have been shared with Robert Mueller By Chris Megerian (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) President Trumps transition team is crying foul over how special counsel Robert S. Mueller III obtained emails for his investigation into Russian meddling in last years campaign and possible Trump campaign complicity. Kory Langhofer, a lawyer for the transition team, sent a letter to Congress on Saturday saying there was an unauthorized disclosure of emails. While the Trump transition is long over, the transition team remains a nonprofit organization. Its emails were hosted by the General Services Administration, a federal agency. Mueller reportedly obtained the emails directly from the agency. There are attorney-client communications, Langhofer said in an interview. There are executive-privileged communications. He added, What were asking Congress to do is to take some legislative action to make sure this never happens again. Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsels office, defended the process for obtaining emails. When we have obtained emails in the course of our ongoing criminal investigation, we have secured either the account owners consent or appropriate criminal process, he said. The letter was first reported by Fox News. A request for comment from the General Services Administration was not immediately answered. This story has been updated with a comment from the special counsels office. Facebook

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Virginia house arrest is ending for Paul Manafort By Chris Megerian (Mark Wilson / Getty Images) A federal judge agreed Friday to end Paul Manaforts house arrest in Virginia, allowing President Trumps former campaign manager to return to Florida while awaiting trial. The decision followed a dispute between Manaforts legal team and prosecutors working for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who accused Manafort of violating a court order restricting public statements about the case. Under the terms of the judges order, Manafort will be allowed to live at his home in Florida as long as he stays within Palm Beach and Broward counties and obeys a curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. If he misses a court appearance, he would forfeit four properties valued at $10 million total. The deal, which includes GPS monitoring, is not as permissive as Manafort originally sought. He had asked to be able to travel freely among Florida, New York, Virginia and Washington. Manafort faces criminal charges of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty. Facebook

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GOP negotiators enhance child tax credit to win over Sen. Rubio By Lisa Mascaro Republican negotiators slightly increased the refundable portion of the expanded child tax credit in their tax plan, raising it to $1,400 in hopes of winning back Sen. Marco Rubios (R-Fla.) support ahead of next weeks vote. Rubio announced Thursday he was withholding support after negotiators ignored his push to make the expanded tax credit, which increases from the current $1,000 to $2,000 in the proposed bill, fully refundable for lower- and moderate-income filers. The refundable portion in the original bill was $1,100. The Florida senator argued that was not enough to help working-class Americans, many of whom already view the GOP plan as tilted toward the wealthy. Rubios office was waiting to see the final text before commenting on whether the change was enough to win him over. We have not seen the bill text, and until we see if the percentage of the refundable credit is significantly higher, then our position remains the same, Rubios spokeswoman said. Negotiators meeting Friday before unveiling the bill said they thought they had the support they needed from Rubio and other holdouts. Im confident both chambers will pass it next week, said Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). Facebook

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Sen. Marco Rubio opposes GOP tax bill, depriving leaders of crucial support By Lisa Mascaro 20.94% Corp. rate to pay for tax cut for working family making $40k was anti-growth but 21% to cut tax for couples making $1million is fine?  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 12, 2017 Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) says he is currently opposed to the GOP tax plan because it fails to include his proposed enhancements to the child tax credit, leaving leaders without crucial support ahead of next weeks expected vote. Republicans can only lose two GOP senators from their slim 52-48 majority as they push the plan forward under special budget rules to prevent a Democratic filibuster. Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday altered his planned Israel trip so he could be on hand, if needed, to cast a tie-breaking vote. Rubio, and GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, have fought to increase the child tax credit, doubling it to $2,000 in the GOP plan, but they also want to increase its refundability. They argue it will lower taxes on middle-income families at a time when the tax plan is being criticized as tilted to the wealthy. Sen. Rubio has consistently communicated to the Senate tax negotiators that his vote on final passage would depend on whether the refundability of the Child Tax Credit was increased in a meaningful way, Rubios spokeswoman said. Lee stopped short of opposing the bill, but his spokesman said Wednesday he is undecided. GOP leaders, though, have said they believe they have the support for passage. Facebook

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White House gives Roy Moore a unsubtle shove: Time to concede By David Lauter (Alex Wong / Getty Images) The White House sent a clear signal Thursday to the defeated Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama: Its time to concede. Roy Moore refused to concede the race on Tuesday night when Doug Jones, the Democrat, was declared the winner. Election night results show Jones winning by about 1.5 percentage points, three times more than the states standard for a recount. Although a few absentee and provisional ballots remain to be counted, theres no indication they would change the result. On Wednesday, Moore notably did not call to congratulate Jones  even as President Trump and other leading Republicans did. Instead, he released a video declaring the battle rages on. Asked at the daily news briefing whether the White House thinks Moore should concede today, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, It probably sounds like it maybe should have already taken place. Sanders also dismissed the idea, pushed by some Moore supporters, that Jones victory was tainted in some fashion. Asked if the Democrat had won fair and square, she said, I think the numbers reflect that. The states Republican senator, Richard Shelby, offered a similar comment in an interview with MSNBC in which he said he was willing to work with Jones. If I was 25,000 votes behind, its not going to change much, Shelby said. Facebook

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House Speaker Paul Ryan says hes not leaving anytime soon By Lisa Mascaro House Speaker Paul D. Ryan shot down suggestions Thursday that he might soon be retiring. Stories often circulate that party leaders, especially the House speaker, are stepping aside. Ryans tenure has been as rocky as that of his predecessor, Rep. John Boehner, who abruptly resigned in 2015 amid GOP infighting. Asked Thursday if he would be leaving, Ryan answered a simple no, as he left his weekly press conference in the Capitol. Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who reluctantly took over the speakers gavel after Boehners departure, had just finished talking up the GOP tax plan, which leaders hope to pass next week. He also outlined his sweeping agenda for his longtime goal of entitlement reform of welfare benefits next year. Two stories published Thursday suggested Ryan may soon be out. This is pure speculation, said spokeswoman AshLee Strong. As the speaker himself said today, hes not going anywhere anytime soon. Facebook

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GOP leaders reach tax deal, cutting corporate rate to 21% and top individual rate to 37% By Lisa Mascaro Republican leaders on Wednesday agreed on a revised plan to cut taxes that would lower the corporate rate from 35% to 21% and drop the top individual rate for the richest Americans to 37%, according to GOP senators and others briefed on the deal. The tentative accord marked a significant step in the Republican push to have a tax bill on President Trumps desk by Christmas. Leaders did not release details of the compromise or the text of a final bill as negotiations continued. Its critically important for Congress to quickly pass these historic tax cuts, Trump said Wednesday, promising that Americans could begin to reap the benefits of the plan as early as February, if passed. Critics, however, said the latest changes  particularly the lowering of the top individual rate from the current 39.6%  only reaffirmed several independent analyses that show the bulk of the savings from the Republican plan would go to businesses and the wealthy. Read More Facebook

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Farenthold to retire from House amid harassment accusations By Associated Press Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold wont seek reelection next year, two Republicans said Thursday, adding his name to the list of lawmakers leaving Congress amid sexual harassment allegations that have cost powerful men their jobs in politics, the arts and other fields. The accusations against Farenthold surfaced in 2014, when a former aide sued him alleging sexually suggestive comments and behavior and said shed been fired after she complained. The lawmaker said he engaged in no wrongdoing and the case was settled in 2015. But the House Ethics Committee said last week that it would investigate Farenthold after congressional sources said hed paid an $84,000 settlement using taxpayers money. Though Farenthold said hed reimburse the Treasury Department, such payments have drawn public criticism from people saying lawmakers should use their own money for such settlements. A House official said Farenthold spoke twice Wednesday to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), while another official said the congressman spoke once with Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) who heads the GOPs House campaign committee. Those discussions suggested that Farenthold may have come under pressure from leaders to step aside. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. Last week, three lawmakers facing accusations of sexual harassment announced their resignations. Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) have already left Congress while Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has said he will step aside soon. Mike Bergsma, Republican county chairman in Farentholds home county of Nueces, Texas, said Fare
This marks a milestone in the carriers history of more than two decades.

The 200,000,000th passenger was Vietnamese Mr Nguyen Truong Chinh, who took flight VN223 from Hanoi capital to Southern economic hub HCM city, landed at 10h10.

The other lucky passengers are Mr Ngo Huy Hoang (the 199,999,999th) and Ms Phan Thi Thu Hang (the 200,000,001st), all Vietnamese nationalities.

Pham Ngoc Minh, Vietnam Airlines Chairman of the Board of Directors, congratulated Mr Nguyen Truong Chinh











Mr Duong Tri Thanh, Vietnam Airlines General Director

Saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan and his friend played at the event. (Photos provided by Vietnam Airlines)

Duong Tri Thanh, Vietnam Airlines General Director, spoke: Recording 200,000,000 passengers in more than two decades since the foundation is a milestone for Vietnam Airlines. This achievement is thanks to the trust of millions of domestic and international passengers. Todays ceremony is our tribute to every passenger who puts their trust in Vietnamese Airlines on every flight.

During the 1995-2017 period, the Carrier operated more than 1.6 million flights on both international and domestic routes, posted an average passenger growth rate of 11% per year, earned a total of more than VND777 trillion in revenue with an average growth of 15.62% per year.

It recorded pre-tax profit of nearly VND18 trillion and contributed VND41 trillion to the State budget.

At the event, Vietnam Airlines also launched Flights of love - an activity for the good of the community to support projects aimed at better living. Owners of Flights of love cards would be provided free tickets on all flights to implement their projects. The first three projects are flood housing relief, heart foundation and Operation Smile.

Besides, Mr Thanh shared that social responsibility was important in the development strategy of Vietnam Airlines, hoping Flights of love will contribute to building a sustainable development community./.
A Jan. 12 jury trial date was set Monday for a man accused of killing a Laguna Beach resident who was his business partner.

Edward Younghoon Shin, 40, of Irvine is charged in Orange County Superior Court with murdering Christian Ryan Smith, 32, in 2010 at the San Juan Capistrano office of their advertising and marketing firm.

Shin pleaded not guilty in May 2012, according to court records. The charge comes with a possible sentencing enhancement on allegations of murder for financial gain.

In the months before Smiths death, the pair had argued about money and Shin agreed to buy out Smith for $1 million, authorities said.

According to police, Shin used Smiths email account to tell Smiths family and friends he was going on an African vacation.

Smiths family members in Oregon became worried after all communications from him stopped, and they started investigating his possible disappearance in Congo and Rwanda. In April 2011, the family contacted the Laguna Beach Police Department to open a missing-person case after a private investigator learned Shin had been convicted in Riverside County Superior Court of embezzling money from a previous employer.

Laguna Beach police found no evidence that Smith had left the country and turned over the case to the Orange County Sheriffs Department homicide unit. Detectives visited Smiths and Shins office and found it had been recently painted and thoroughly cleaned. Forensic investigators searched the office and discovered blood that matched Smiths DNA, police said.

After 11 days of surveillance, investigators arrested Shin at Los Angeles International Airport on a Canada-bound plane.

According to authorities, Shin confessed to killing Smith for purposes of financial gain but didnt reveal the location of his body. Smiths remains havent been found.

Shin is in custody at Theo Lacy jail in Orange.

DANIEL LANGHORNE is a contributor to Times Community News.
Thousands of residents near the Foothill (210) Freeway are under mandatory evacuation as a brush fire that originated in the Angeles National Forest above Sylmar spread eastward Tuesday. The blaze also resulted in the early release of students at a local elementary school.

Residents living north of the freeway between Glenoaks Boulevard in Sylmar and Lowell Avenue near the western edge of La Crescenta are being asked to leave the area as crews battle what has been dubbed the Creek fire. As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Fire Department estimated the fire had burned about 11,000 acres with zero percent contained.

#CreekFire Please check this evacuation map to determine if your home falls into the evac zone and if you border the zone be #ReadySetGo Have critical items packed, car fueled up and facing out the driveway Do not delay when order given to Go https://t.co/l0BoLIkymK  LAFD (@LAFD) December 5, 2017

Several evacuation centers have been set up including the Sylmar Recreation Center at 13109 Borden Ave., the Branford Recreation Center at 13306 Branford St. in Arleta and Pierce College in Woodland Hills.

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said during a late Tuesday afternoon press conference its important for residents in the impacted areas to heed evacuation orders.

If not for yourself, then for the safety of first responders, she said.

During the press conference, L.A. City Mayor Eric Garcetti said at least 150,000 county residents are expected to be impacted by the fire and echoed Bargers call for people to evacuate.

We have lost structures; we have not lost lives, Garcetti said.

At least 30 structures were destroyed, primarily in the Kagel and Lopez canyons area, he said.

Anita Shandi, a spokeswoman for the Glendale Fire Department, said no evacuations have been ordered in the city. However, she said the department is monitoring the fires spread and will act if and when necessary.

As of right now, the weather is cooperating in Glendales favor, she said. If anything changes, that can absolutely change our response.

However, because of the fires spread, Dunsmore Elementary School in La Crescenta called for an early release of its students as a result of the campus proximity to the evacuation area.

According to the Glendale Unified School District, students who were unable to be picked up at Dunsmore will be sent to Crescenta Valley High School.

No other schools in the district have been impacted.

In Burbank, officials are monitoring the fires progress but said there was no immediate danger to the city.

In response to several inquiries, there are no evacuation orders or planned evacuations in the City of Burbank at this time. We, like other local police & fire agencies, are on alert and monitoring weather conditions & the #CreekFire. We will provide updates if/when necessary  Burbank Police (@BurbankPD) December 6, 2017

The Creek fire first broke out around 4 a.m. near Little Tujunga Canyon Road and rapidly spread as a result of Santa Ana winds.

By early Tuesday afternoon the fire jumped across the 210 Freeway and into the Shadow Hills area, according to the L.A. Fire Department. The evacuation order was subsequently expanded to include a portion of residents living south of the freeway.

The fire led to the closure of the 210 between the Golden State (5) and the Glendale (2) freeways. Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief John Sherman said during the press conference the closure is expected to last until at least Wednesday morning.

Even if you live in the area, its a hard closure, he said. [People] will be turned away.

Smoke from the fire could be seen across the county, including in Burbank and Glendale.

Standing on a sidewalk in Burbank, I can see a wall of smoke from the fires raging in the distance. Be careful out there. Please. pic.twitter.com/t1LyvpLWmh  Michael Varrati (@MichaelVarrati) December 5, 2017

Also, the South Coast Air Quality Management District released an advisory urging residents in portions of the San Fernando Valley to seek shelter from the smoke.

Roughly 800 firefighters from the Southland were called in to help battle the blaze. Chief Ralph Terrazas of the L.A. Fire Department said during the press conference the footprint of the countys response was first established back in September with the La Tuna fire.

He said its expected the fire will go on for several more days before full containment.

This has only just begun, Terrazas said. You have to be constantly vigilant.

The Creek fire is just one of several fires that erupted in Southern California Tuesday.

In Ventura County, authorities are battling the Thomas fire, which has consumed more than 50,000 acres, while the Rye fire has burned more than 1,000 acres in Santa Clarita.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc

UPDATES:

5:14 p.m.: The article was updated with information from a press conference given by L.A. County and city authorities.

2:34: p.m.: This article was updated with clarifying information from the Los Angeles Fire Department on the borders of the fires evacuation area.

1:37 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the Glendale Fire Department and additional information on evacuations.

This article was originally published at 12:40 p.m.
A Spanish judge on Tuesday withdrew international arrest warrants for ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four members of his former cabinet who have been fighting extradition from Belgium.

A Supreme Court spokesman said that the five could still be arrested if they go back to Spain, however, because they are still being sought for possible crimes related to the independence bid in the northeastern region of Catalonia.

In a surprise move, Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena said on Tuesday that individual warrants dont apply anymore because the alleged crimes were a group action, according to new evidence.

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He also said that the targeted politicians have shown their intention to return to Spain in order to run for regional elections in Catalonia.

But Puigdemonts Belgian lawyer said that the Catalan separatist leader wasnt planning to return to Spain immediately. For the moment he stays in Belgium, lawyer Paul Bekaert told VTM network, adding that he assumed the extradition process in Belgium against the five Catalans would be ended now.

The five fugitives are facing charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement among others for their roles in staging an illegal independence referendum in October that led to an independence declaration in the regions parliament.

The crimes are punishable in Spain with decades in prison.

Spanish, European and international arrest warrants for the five who fled to Belgium were issued on Nov. 3, after members of Puigdemonts government who remained in Spain were jailed on provisional charges.

The Spanish court spokesman said that the judges decision applies to both European and international warrants, not to the domestic ones. He asked not to be named, citing internal court rules.

Two ex-Cabinet members, including former Vice President Oriol Junqueras, and two separatist activists remain in custody.

Tuesdays decision seemed to leave up in the air the battle in Brussels over extradition of the five Catalan separatist politicians. A decision was to have been announced Dec. 14, but the Belgian prosecutors office said it was assessing the new situation.

The Belgian judge could reject the Spanish request, agree to send the five back as requested, or reduce the number of crimes that Spain could try them for.

That possibility was mentioned by the Supreme Court judge in a nine-page document issued on Tuesday to withdraw the warrants. Responsibility should be shared among all the defendants, Llarena said in the document, adding that diminished charges would mean a distortion for those already facing investigation in Spain.

Puigdemont is leading his partys campaign for the Dec. 21 election called by Spains government in an attempt to find a democratic fix to the nations worst institutional crisis in nearly four decades.

Campaigning officially began Tuesday and early polls are predicting a close race between the parties for and against independence, foreshadowing a scenario of difficult post-electoral deals to end the deadlock.
Honduran electoral authorities on Tuesday agreed to opposition demands for a recount of returns from more than 5,000 polling places, representing almost 30% of all voting sites in last weeks disputed presidential election.

We are going to review the [ballots], and if there are discrepancies we will look at them to see what the problem is, said David Matamoros, chief of the countrys electoral tribunal.

The move was a significant concession to the opposition candidacy of Salvador Nasralla, a television personality who, according to official results, finished a close second in the balloting to incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

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Nasralla and his backers have alleged widespread fraud and charged that the election was being stolen by electoral officials beholden to Hernandezs National Party. Critics have taken to the streets to protest since the Nov. 26 balloting.

Opponents have also derided the electoral tribunal as a tool of the incumbent president  an allegation denied by Matamoros, the tribunal president and former federal deputy of the ruling National Party.

Electoral authorities have yet to declare an official winner.

The uncertainty and delays in presenting final results have created a political crisis that has engulfed this Central American country, one of the hemispheres poorest and most violence-prone nations.

Officials declared a dusk-to-dawn curfew last week as pro-opposition demonstrations devolved into episodes of looting and violent clashes between protesters and police.

On Monday, members of the national police said they would no longer take any actions against protesters. But police and army units are still patrolling the streets and the night curfew remained in place.

Nasralla, the opposition standard-bearer, praised the police for rejecting the governments acts of repression and murder.

The police stoppage demonstrated the fragility of the situation, said one international observer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Results show that with the official tally complete, Hernandez garnered 42.98% of the vote, compared with 41.38% for Nasralla, who ran under the banner of a coalition against dictatorship.

Nasralla also ran largely on an anti-corruption ticket, frequently labeling the president and his party as corrupt politicians who had plundered the nations Social Security system, among other allegations  charges rejected by Hernandez.

On Tuesday, electoral officials invited members of the opposition to sit in on the recount of ballot boxes from 5,179 polling sites across the country. The opposition has identified tallies from those areas as having unspecified anomalies.

The push for a partial recount was just one of a number of opposition demands. Nasralla has also called for a review of what he called inflated results from three mostly poor, pro-government provinces.

In a Twitter message on Tuesday, Nasralla suggested that the electoral board conduct a recount of results from all of the more than 18,000 polling places. He also proposed holding a second round runoff between himself and Hernandez.

The partial recount will probably last several days, officials said.

The election aftermath has again dramatized the heavily polarized nature of politics in the nation of 9 million people.

Critics contend that Hernandezs bid for reelection is illegal because the Honduran Constitution bars presidents from serving more than one term. But a decision two years ago by Honduras Supreme Court  dominated by pro-ruling party judges  gave the president a legal opening to seek a second four-year term.

The electoral courts decision to proceed with the review of the contested returns reflects the considerable international pressure on the government here.

International vote-monitoring teams from the United Nations, European Union and Organization of American States have urged electoral authorities to ensure that the results are viewed as legitimate.The U.S. Embassy has also urged a transparent process. Honduras is a major U.S. ally. Hernandez and the Honduran military enjoy warm relations with Washington.

In a Twitter message Tuesday, Matamoros, the electoral tribunal president, said he didnt want there to be any doubt about the results. He said national and international observers, as well as media members, would be invited to witness the partial recount, along with representatives of political parties.

Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Twitter: @PmcdonnellLAT
Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich presents a gift to General Mikhail Kostarakos (Source: VNA)



While receiving a delegation from the EU Military Committee (EUMC) led by its Chairman General Mikhail Kostarakos in Hanoi on December 5th, Lich thanked for his positive assessments about Vietnams role and position in the international arena.

Kostarakos believed that the EUMC delegations visit will open up more cooperation opportunities for bilateral defence relations.

He expressed his hope that the two sides will increase the exchange of information and boost collaboration in training personnel in the fields of maritime security, United Nations peacekeeping, settlement of war consequences, disaster relief and army medicine.

Earlier, General Kostarakos and Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh co-chaired bilateral defence talks between Vietnam and the EU.

The two sides exchanged views on the world and regional situation, informed each other about their respective defence policies and set out cooperation orientations for the coming time.

They agreed to continue exchanging delegations at all levels, and sharing information about issues of mutual concern at multilateral meetings and forums.

The officers discussed the establishment of defence policy dialogue at the deputy ministerial level and the EU sides corresponding level.

They reached consensus on maintaining cooperation in maritime security, cyber security, information technology, and national border safeguarding, and expanding ties in participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions, settlement of war consequences, and disaster relief./.
Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan and Ambassador Wendy Matthews (Photo: voh.com.vn)

At the meeting, the Secretary highly appreciated the strength of New Zealand in the field of agriculture. Currently, the city has 15 projects of New Zealand with a total capital of USD57 million, which is still quite modest compared to the cooperation potential of the two sides.

Therefore, he wished the two sides to continue intensifying trade and tourism cooperation, especially fruit export to New Zealand.

The ambassador said that education is an important field to connect the two countries over the past time, and she was looking forward to strengthening cooperation in the field. In terms of tourism, after opening the direct flight route between the two countries, the number of tourists has increased strongly.

In terms of high-tech agriculture, New Zealand has strength in agricultural product exports. Vietnam has many advantages in this field, so it is necessary to cooperate to promote import and export between the two countries.

New Zealand also wants to boost trade cooperation with Ho Chi Minh city and sustainable cooperation between the two countries in the future./.
The delegates cut ribbon to open the bazaar (Photo: VNA)

The event was participated in by 42 Embassies and international organizations based in the country.

The charity fair aimed to raise funds to help improve lives of women, children, the elderly and the disabled in difficult circumstance in Ukraine. All proceeds from the bazaar will support charitable activities.

In addition, the bazaar is also an opportunity for the diplomatic corps in Kiev to promote cultural exchanges among countries having embassies in Ukraine, tightening relations between the countries and the host country.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine has actively participated in recent charity bazaars to show the spirit of unity and ease the difficulties of Ukrainian people, especially disabled children and the elderly.

Moreover, the charity bazaar is also an opportunity for Vietnam to introduce and promote the land, people, culture and goods of Vietnam to international friends, thereby expanding cultural exchange, and the development of trade and tourism cooperation between Vietnam and other countries.

This year, Vietnams booth was beautifully displayed diverse goods such as tropical agricultural and pharmaceutical products, souvenirs and cuisine.

The International Women's Club of Kyiv was established in 1992 by female diplomats in Kiev, and it now has nearly 200 members./.
Laois County Council has a huge budget to solve the housing crisis over the next two years.

With 1,606 people waiting for a council house in Laois at the last count in October, the local authority has revealed it will spend 30 million in the next two years buying and building homes.

Laois County Councils housing acquisition programme will spend 4.5 million of state granted cash, buying up existing homes or buildings and making them ready for new tenants.

Their housing construction programme has the unprecedentedly huge budget of 25 million, all state granted, to build new council homes.

There will be another 300k spent in improvement works to Local Authority houses. Another 555k will be spent on an Energy Efficiency programme for council houses.

The Capital Programme runs from 2018 to 2020.

The council CEO John Mulholland said that their existing aim, to deliver 366 homes between 2015 and 2017, is making steady progress.

Those homes are being added to the councils stock of about 2,000 homes, through a mix of buying, building, leasing, re-letting vacant homes, and rent payments for tenants in private accommodation in the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

They plan four actions to deliver more houses.

These are firstly to purchase sites and lands in Portlaoise, Portarlington and other areas by Compulsory Purchase if and when appropriate.

The Laois authority will also work closely with Approved Housing Bodies to deliver more homes.

It will also prepare housing scheme master plans in order to apply for government funding to build them, and also explore the possibility of turnkey projects whereby the council works with private developers to create new council housing estates on private owned land.

Homelessness management and prevention in Laois has a budget of 290,000 to spend in 2018.

The council will also spend almost 3 million maintaining its council units in 2018, up by 331k from 2017. This includes an extra 211k to raise fire standards to meet new regulations.

On his recent visit to Laois, Minister of State for Housing Damien English urged Laois County Council to apply for government cash to buy vacant homes, develop turnkey projects and build houses on their lands.

Im at a loss driving around towns and villages and seeing vacant properties, he said.

However he was told by Cllr Willie Aird that the council owned very little banks of land in Portlaoise that it could build houses on.

Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald said that people on low to middle incomes earn too much to qualify for a council home, but too little for a mortgage, left in no-mans land.

I would love to see if we could buy sites for people to build on, she suggested.

Banks own many private vacant houses, Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley said.

In Kilminchy there is a vast amount vacant, banks are sitting on them, the same banks we bailed out. They turfed people out, gave them no writedown, and the local authority is now trying to fund them in private rented accommodation, she said.

Its a myth that thousands of people were put out of their homes by banks, Deputy English told her.

He suggests the Mortgage to Lease scheme for people in unsustainable mortgages.

It uses private funding to buy up houses and lease them back for 30 to 40 years through councils, so people can live there for the rest of their lives, he said.
A top Laois scientist, Michelle Lowry, has been recognised for her work in cancer research at the 2017 Irish Cancer Society Research Awards.

The awards, held on Thursday, November 30 in the House of Lords, Bank of Ireland, College Green, Dublin, recognised some of the vital work being undertaken by researchers funded by the Irish Cancer Society.

The charity is the leading voluntary funder of cancer research in Ireland. Through their donations the public funds more than 100 researchers across the country in the areas of cancer prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship.

Michelle won the top prize of PhD Researcher of the Year at the ceremony, where cancer researchers were judged on the how well they communicate their work to a general non-scientific audience.

Timahoe native Michelle Lowry is joined by Dr Isabella Bray, Cancer Research Manager at the Irish Cancer Society, as she scoops the PhD Researcher of the Year Award. Part of the Irish Cancer Societys BREAST-PREDICT research centre, Michelles work looks at how treatments can be more effective for HER2-positive breast cancer patients. (Photo: Andres Poveda)

Michelle is a native of Timahoe, Co Laois. She attended Scoil Chriost Ri secondary school in Portlaoise, where she credits her science teacher, Mr Slattery, for the beginnings of her scientific career.

Michelle holds a Bachelors Degree in Biochemistry with Immunology and a Masters in Molecular Medicine from Trinity College, Dublin. She worked for a year on oesophageal cancer research in the Department of Surgery at St Jamess Hospital, before beginning her PhD research in breast cancer in 2014.

Michelles research is funded through BREAST-PREDICT, the Irish Cancer Societys 7.5 million collaborative cancer research centre that focusses exclusively on breast cancer research. Funded entirely by public donations, BREAST-PREDICT involves more than 50 researchers across the country pooling resources and expertise to get better outcomes for cancer patients.

At the awards ceremony Michelle was praised for her complex work in HER2-positive breast cancer, which affects around 450 women each year.

A newly approved drug called Neratinib is preventing this type of breast cancer returning in some patients. But it doesnt work for every woman who takes it. Michelles research wants to find out why this is the case.

She has found that some cancer cells produce an ingredient which helps them escape the drug. Now, she is focussing on how to stop the cells making this ingredient which, if successful, may lead to improved treatments for these patients and a greater chance of survival.

Commenting on her work, Michelle said: You always hear people saying we all know someone that has had cancer. Im no different. I have had family members, neighbours and friends diagnosed with cancer. I hate cancer, I hate the pain it causes and I hate how scary it can be for families. So that is the reason why Im a cancer researcher. I want my research to make a difference and I want to help cancer patients.

I started my PhD in 2014 with Professor Lorraine ODriscoll in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin. Im now going into my final year and I am so grateful for the opportunity to work as part of BREAST-PREDICT. Every day is different, I have gained so many new skills and I am so passionate about my breast cancer research.

My parents Jim and Mary have always supported me in everything I do so I owe them a massive thank you. I wouldnt be where I am today without their support throughout the years. Lastly, I just want to say how grateful I am to everyone that donates to cancer research. We couldnt do the work we do without your help.

Michelle was one of six finalists who pitched their research projects to a packed audience of family, friends and Irish Cancer Society supporters. In announcing the awards, the judging panel commended all six for their strong communications skills in highlighting the importance of their work.

Dr Isabella Bray, Cancer Research Manager at the Irish Cancer Society, highlighted the importance of communication as a tool for keeping the public aware of vital research which their donations fund:

None of the vital research we fund would be possible without the support of the public. Since 2010 the Irish Cancer Society has invested 20 million into cancer research, so its really important that our funded researchers can show the public the impact their work is having. Just like the Irish Cancer Society, our cancer researchers wont give up until cancer does.

About Irish Cancer Society Research

This year 40,000 people in Ireland will hear the words you have cancer. Thankfully, though, cancer is no longer a death sentence  six in ten patients will survive the disease for at least 5 years.

Survival rates are improving and patients are living well with cancer and living for longer thanks to research and advances in detection and treatment. Now, more than 165,000 people are living with and beyond cancer in Ireland.

Because of the generous support of the public, the Irish Cancer Society is the leading voluntary funder of cancer research in Ireland. Weve invested 20 million in research projects and initiatives since 2010, all made possible by donations.

Currently we are investing in the work of more than 100 cancer researchers based across the country. Collaboration, both at national and international level, is a core principle of Irish Cancer Society Research. For more information visit cancer.ie/research.

Read more: No HSE statement on Portlaoise hospital protest but praise for pilot project at Tullamore hospital.

This lovely Laois housing estate has scooped the IPB Pride of Place best in Ireland award.
This week marks a critical crossroads in the future of sevices at Portlaoise hospital as the Minister for Health, Simon Harris sits down with his cabinet colleague Charlie Flanagan and other TDs to discuss its possible downgrade.

Minister Flanagan expects to meet Minister Harris with Sean Fleming and Brian Stanley as early as today, Tuesday, December 5.

However, while the Minister is coming under political pressure he is also being lobbied from on high in his Department and the HSE to authorise a downgrade.

His Chief Medical Officer and the National Patient Officer have reportedly urged him to allow the plan's implementation. The HSE chief executive Dr Tony O'Brien has also urged Minister Harris to meet the experts.

It has also emerged that the downgrade plan's lead author, Dr Susan O'Reilly wanted to start implementing a reconfiguration plan in early 2017. The initial downgrade plan was agreed by her and her advisers in March 2016 and was submitted to the Department of Health in May that year.

#WATCH DR BYRNE'S SPEECH

The third version of this plan was submitted to the Department in September of this year, and it still has not been agreed.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group hoped to get capital approval for 100 million to invest early this year. Dr O'Reilly says the HSE has prioritised this spending on Tallaght, Tullamore, Portlaoise, Naas and the Coombe hospitals.

However, the Minister or Government has not given any public indication that this spending has the green light. Between now and 2022, the DMHG wanted to carry out extensive works in all hospitals.

To date no significant progress has been made in advancing any of the building projects.

The plan says its implementation is contingent on the completion of several ambitious and expensive building projects.

The Leinster Express asked the Department for a response to the protest last Saturday night.

The most important issue in relation to consideration of services at the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise is that patient safety and outcomes must come first, it said.

The Department said that since 2014, the focus has been on supporting the hospital to develop and enhance management capability, implementing changes required to address clinical service deficiencies.

It said funding is up almost 30% but it repeated a statement that funding of 300,000 has also been provided in 2017 to facilitate the opening of the new medical assessment unit.

It said the DMHG's draft report was reviewed in detail and was the subject of detailed engagement between Department officials and the HSE.

It said significant additional work was undertaken by the HSE on foot of this engagement, resulting in a revised draft plan that was submitted to the Department in September 2017.

The Minister is ensuring that the report is thoroughly considered in the context of a range of very important issues including bed capacity, demographic needs, future population in the midlands, hospital group configuration and Slaintecare, it said.
The Minister for Health is not due to meet the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan and his fellow Laois TDs to provide clarity on Portlaois hospital, today, Tuesday, as had been expected.

Minister Flanagan and Deputy Brian Stanley confirmed to the Leinster Express that a meeting would not take place on December 5. Neither TD could say if Minister Simon Harris had yet committed to a date this week to meet with themselves and Fianna Fail TD Sean Fleming.

Minster Flanagan told a public protest in Portlaoise last weekend that a meeting would take place this week. The Fine Gael TD later told the Leinster Express that it could take place as early as Tuesday.

However, both TDs have since confirmed to the Leinster Express that the meeting was not happen. Dep Stanley said he has been in touch with the Minister's office.

"It is not happening today. I was in contact with the Minister's office again today and am waiting on word back as to when it will happen," said the Sinn Fein TD.

All three Laois TDs are opposed to the downgrade of the Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. The all spoke at a Portlaoise Hospital Action Committee protest attended by thousands of people last Saturday.

Laois faces worse service after hospital downgrade warns campaigner

In the wake of the protest he Leinster Express asked the the Department of Health and Minister what was the view of the protest against the hospital.

The reply said that 'patient safety must come first'. It concluded that the Minister is ensuring that the report is thoroughly considered in the context of a range of very important issues including bed capacity, demographic needs, future population in the midlands, hospital group configuration and Slaintecare.

If implemented the HSE would withdraw A&E, maternity, paediatrics, ICU and most surgery from the hospital.

Full Department of Health statement to the Leinster Express.

The most important issue in relation to consideration of services at the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise is that patient safety and outcomes must come first.

Since 2014, the focus has been on supporting the hospital to develop and enhance management capability, implementing changes required to address clinical service deficiencies, and incorporating the hospital into the governance structures within the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. Significant work has been undertaken to strengthen and stabilise current arrangements for services at the hospital to ensure that services currently provided that are not sustainable are discontinued and those that are, are safety assured and adequately resourced.

The HSE has confirmed that hospital funding has increased by 28% relative to the 2012 budget and staffing levels have risen by 29% from the 2014 base. Funding of 300,000 has also been provided in 2017 to facilitate the opening of the new medical assessment unit.

In addition, governance and management arrangements in Portlaoise Hospital have been strengthened, additional clinical staff have been appointed and staff training, hospital culture and communications have improved.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group has been working for some time on a draft plan for a new model of clinical service delivery at Portlaoise Hospital. A draft plan was submitted to the Department in December 2016. This draft report was reviewed in detail and was the subject of detailed engagement between Department officials and the HSE. Significant additional work was undertaken by the HSE on foot of this engagement resulting in a revised draft plan that was submitted to the Department in September 2017.

The draft plan has been submitted to the Department and it is being reviewed in detail. Once there is an agreed position on the draft plan, it is intended that there will be further engagement with all interested parties, to ensure that the needs of patients, staff, the local and wider community are addressed.

The Minister is ensuring that the report is thoroughly considered in the context of a range of very important issues including bed capacity, demographic needs, future population in the midlands, hospital group configuration and Slaintecare.

Big week for Portlaoise hospital
Visitors at Vietnam's pavilion (Photo: VNA)

Commercial Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy Nguyen Duc Thanh said that with the participation of more than 3,000 businesses from more than 110 countries in the world, the event is an opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to grasp the demands of the market, promote their products, expand customer networks and gain experience for production and improving design, thereby creating products with high value, quality and aesthetics, meeting the tastes of Italian, European and international consumers.

According to him, the Trade Department in particular and the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy in general are ready to support and connect Vietnamese businesses with Italian and European businesses to strengthen the cooperation and trade exchange.

The relationship between Vietnam and Italy has been developing for over 40 years, since the two countries established diplomatic relations on March 23rd, 1973.

With many products displayed on an area of nearly 1,500m2, apart from the promotion of diverse and well-known handicrafts such as textiles, rattan and bamboo products, paintings, brocade, lacquer, agricultural and gift products, businesses have also helped bring the image of a beautiful, friendly and open country of Vietnam to international friends.

In addition, Vietnams cuisine area with traditional dishes is also one of the attractions for visitors to the fair.

The exhibition is the largest annual international handicraft fair in the world and was first held in 1996. The exhibition this year takes place on December 2nd - 10th.

The participation in the exhibition of Vietnamese businesses will contribute to growing the trade revenue between Vietnam and Italy. The bilateral trade revenue has increased from USD1.13 billion in 2006 to more than USD4.7 billion in 2016, and in the first ten months of 2017, it reaches USD3.76 billion./.
IT has emerged this Tuesday that the four people killed in a horrific car crash near New Ross were attending the funeral of a Limerick woman, who had moved to Wexford some years ago.

The four who died had travelled from the US to attend the funeral of Winnie Keevey (nee Ryan) originally from Patrickswell.

It is understood Mrs Keevey's sister, her husband and their two sons were killed.

It is understood the couple, both in their 70s, and two sons, who were in their 40s, were travelling to attend the funeral of Mrs Keevey in New Ross when the collision occurred on Monday evening at around 6.30pm.

The family, who have been living in Illinois in the US for a number of years, had rented a car at Shannon Airport and were travelling to the home of Winnie Keevey, where her wake was being held.

The fatal road collision between a car and a lorry occurred on the N25 near New Ross, gardai said. All of the occupants - three males and one female - of the car were fatally injured and pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the lorry and a passenger in the lorry were uninjured in the collision.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to contact New Ross Garda station on 051 426030, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.
HIGH-tech manufacturing firm Optel Vision is to make around 15 staff redundant in Limerick.

Workers at the plant in Raheen were told on Wednesday that due to a slowdown in the firms supply chain in the last number of months, it is having to shed 10% of its local workforce.

Around 120 staff work for the company in the Raheen Industrial Estate.

Headed in Quebec, Optel Vision exists to provide solutions to the manufacturing industry.

It specialises in track and trace and vision inspection solutions for the manufacturing industries.

In 2014, it set up its new European headquarters at the former ON Semiconductor building.

In total, around 100 of Optel Vision's global workforce 720 are set to lose their jobs, a company spokesperson confirmed.

Local Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler. above, bemoaned the losses.

Its devastating for the staff affected, especially so close to Christmas, he said, I would call on Optel Vision to engage with the staff and provide as much support as they can to ensure the time they have without a job is as minimal as possible.

Only last January, Optel Vision announced a more than doubling of its workforce in the city.

The company will now embark on a consultation period with members of staff who are to be made redundant.
A LIMERICK politician and a barrister have been elected as graduate representatives to the University of Limericks Governing Authority.

Sarah Jane Hennelly, the Social Democrats national chairperson, was a candidate in the 2016 general election, and has been chosen to represent the party again for Limerick city at the next general election.

Now she will sit on the board responsible for overseeing university affairs, after topping the poll out of six candidates for the two graduate positions, in the Authority election last week.

Like many others affiliated with the university, I was disappointed to see such unacceptable practices come to light recently. I have extensive experience in governance and reform through my political and professional work, so I intend to bring that to bear during my time on the Governing Authority, she said.

The 29-year-old has a degree in Politics and Public Administration, as well as a Masters degree in European Politics and Law from UL. She works in community development in Limerick city.

The second graduate governor is Dromkeen native Liam J. Carroll, a barrister.

The 24-year-old has a Masters Degree in Law from UL. He also holds an undergraduate degree in Law as well as a Barrister-at-Law Degree from the Honorable Society of King's Inns.

Meanwhile, a new vice-president has been appointed at UL  one of two vice presidents who will be appointed for a new split role.

Professor Kerstin Mey, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean at University of Westminster has been appointed to the new role of Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Engagement at UL.

Professor Mey, from Germany, will direct a number of key UL services, including the library and other academic units as part of her role.

Over the past 25 years, Kerstin Mey has built a track record of successfully initiating and implementing pioneering academic and research initiatives and cultural projects in higher education, said UL President Dr Des Fitzgerald.

Speaking on her appointment, Prof Mey said: Having been attracted by UL's values and its innovations in co-operative and entrepreneurship education, advanced research, academic programmes and rich offerings in culture and sport, I feel very privileged to join its community.

I am very excited to work with UL staff, students, alumni, employers, partners and the wider community of Limerick and the region to shape the next generations of inquisitive and imaginative, engaged and resilient professionals, who make a difference in the world. I look forward to moving to Ireland and to continuing to promote a Europe that embraces openness and mobility, inclusion and equality.

Professor Mey is due to take up the UL post in April 2018.
THERE is anger in some quarters after it emerged the decision over Limerick's multi-million Project Opera plan has been taken out of the hands of councillors.

The final verdict on whether the 150m plan to build office accommodation at Patrick Street will go ahead will now be made directly by An Bord Pleanala in Dublin, rather than local councillors, as is normally the case with public projects.

The move has been described by homelessness charity Novas as unfortunate, saying it fears the views of a cross-party lobby of members wanting housing in Project Opera will now not be considered.

Council boss Conn Murray said, having taken legal advice, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is now needed, meaning the decision on Limericks biggest planning project in recent times will go straight to the national appeals body.

Since this means the application will be restarted, there will also be a delay on the project.

Novas communications boss Una Burns said: "It makes the submissions Novas has taken part in null and void. When it was at local level, we were very aware a lot of councillors were advocating for accommodation to be included on the site. We had cross-party agreement. So if that part is eliminated, its unfortunate.

Former mayor Kieran OHanlon said: Id have an issue of an erosion of local democracy. Councillors have been taken out of the formula in a lot of areas in terms of local government. I can understand big projects are unnecessarily delayed by spurious objections, but this is a major development, and I think councillors should have an input.

Sinn Fein councillor Seighin O Ceallaigh, one of only four members to vote against an 85m loan from the European Investment Bank, said: There is a big discussion to be had about this because of the lack of housing involved. We have to look at the fact if we are getting 3,000 workers into the city centre, where are they going to live? There are only 30 to 40 places to rent in Limerick.

"Unfortunately, the likelihood now is we wont have a say in the matter, which Im very disappointed in.

But Independent councillor John Gilligan said he did not believe housing should go into Opera, saying it would be tokenism at best.

He pointed out other office developments, like the National Technology Park in Plassey do not have housing included.

Mr Murray said the council was fulfilling a statutory obligation, adding a number of groups which made submissions on Project Opera sought an EIA, meaning it would go straight to An Bord Pleanala.
A US aircraft materials company has announced its intention to establish a European base at Shannon, creating 25 jobs in the process.

Jetpower Aircraft Materials Limited said it planned to open at the Shannon Free Zone Business Park, having secured a 25,000 sq ft premises, and joins a growing aviation cluster at the International Aviation Services Centre in Shannon.

Michele Viani, Head of Business Development for Jetpower, who have a number of Irish-based leasing company customers, such as AerCap, said the company was very pleased to join Shannons aviation cluster.

It is part of the Jetpower strategy to locate our operations in aviation hubs that match our customer locations and provide tremendous growth opportunities, she said.

Many of our leasing customers are located in Ireland and our new Shannon location amplifies the services and solutions that we can offer to them, she added.

The company plans to expand consignment and service support for its existing customers and continue to grow its European aircraft materials business.

CEO Aaron Neff said: It is a pleasure for us to be part of a cluster that we believe will contribute greatly to the global aviation environment. Aviation is a highly specialised industry sector, and while we are starting with four employees for 2017, we plan to build this to 25 employees by the end of 2019.

The Free Zone, a 600 acre business park where almost 8,000 people are employed in 160 companies is already home to 50 aviation companies and Ray ODriscoll, Managing Director, Shannon Commercial Properties, welcomed the latest addition to the region's aviation industry.

Were delighted to welcome a global company such as Jetpower as part of our growing aviation cluster at the International Aviation Services Centre, he said.

The companys decision to locate here further confirms Shannon as a leading hub for the industry. Our flexibility is a big part of our success; in this case, Shannon Commercial Properties was able to offer Jetpower a property solution that matches their growth strategy.
GARDAI in Limerick are appealing to people to take basic safety precautions when out socialising between now and Christmas.

Divisional Crime Prevention Officer Sgt Ber Leetch is encouraging revelers to have a plan before they head out.

Know exactly where you are going and how you will get there and home. Let somebody know where you are going and what time you expect to be home, she said.

Sgt Leetch says people should also remain in the company of friends and should keep their personal belongings with them at all times.

Stay with your group but if you are leaving that group make sure somebody knows who you are going with and that you will be OK. Protect your property, that is your wallet, handbag and phone, keep them on you at all times," she added.

Sgt Leetch pointed to a report received by gardai of a phone being snatched from a young lady as she was walking along Henry Street.

"This happened last Thursday at 10 to 6 in the evening. Mobile phones are a very popular Christmas present and young teenagers will receive them but they should also be made aware of the importance of keeping them safely on their person and not to use them while walking on the street and especially when crossing the road," she added.
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It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the
The risk-taking Kapoor Shashi Kapoor never let his stardom stop him from taking up unlikely projects /news/talking-point/the-risk-taking-kapoor-111646918449556.html 111646918449556 story

Shashi Kapoor, who died on the evening of 4 December at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, was a star from the moment he decided to step in front of the camera. It could scarcely have panned out any other way: his was a face meant to be blown up and projected on a giant screen for audiences to sigh at.

Like so many others in the Kapoor family, he was a popular commercial actor, appearing in films such as Jab Jab Phool Khile, Waqt, Deewar, Kabhie Kabhie, Trishul and Namak Halaal. Yet, in an era when actors were supposed to find a popular image and stick with it, Kapoor showed a rare willingness to experimentwith directors, genres and parts. Few Hindi film stars have been as restless and wide-ranging in their choices. Here are a few instances when Kapoor strayed off the beaten path.

Shashi Kapoor in a still from Dharmputra.

Dharmputra (1961)

This 1961 film by Yash Chopra about religious fundamentalism during Partition would be radioactive material for any actor, let alone one just starting his career and belonging to one of the most prominent film families in India. Yet, the first time viewers saw an adult Shashi (he made several appearances as a child actor), it was as the Muslim-hating fundamentalist Dilip in Dharmputra. It was a challenging start for both actor and audience, and an early indication that Kapoor was ready to toss out the rulebook when he felt like it.

Shashi Kapoor in a still from Shakespeare Wallah.

Shakespeare Wallah (1965)

One could just as easily have had The Householder, Kapoors first film in English and his first of many with Merchant-Ivory, on this list. But hes still raw in that 1963 film, whereas by 1965s Shakespeare Wallah he has a surer grip on how to use that face and that voice to singularly devastating effect. Hes almost callously sexy in Ivorys elegiac black-and-white film about a British touring theatre company in post-independence India, accepting and then lightly shrugging off the advances of Madhur Jaffrey and Felicity Kendall (his real-life sister-in-law).

Shashi Kapoor in a still from New Delhi Times.

New Delhi Times (1986)

Despite being notoriously difficult to source in a decent print, the reputation of Ramesh Sharmas 1986 film has grown steadily over the years. It had a remarkable crewRenu Saluja as editor, Subrata Mitra as cinematographer, Gulzar as screenwriterand a cast that included Sharmila Tagore, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Om Puri. Kapoor anchors the film as the upright Vikas Pande, a newspaper editor who investigates a politicians murder and finds wheels within greased wheels. With its focus on political corruption and media complicity, the filma paranoid political thriller in the vein of All the Presidents Menwas always going to attract trouble, which came in the form of a lawsuit and a cancelled Doordarshan screening (a big deal in 1986). But time has been kind to both the film and Kapoors fine, restrained performance, which won him his only National Award for best actor.

Shashi Kapoor in a still from Sammy and Rosie Get Laid.

Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987)

As anyone whos cringed through the perfumed parables and meta-religious nonsense of Siddhartha will testify, not all of Shashi Kapoors foreign outings were essential viewing. Stephen Frears Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, though, is one of his best outside of Hindi cinema: a hilarious, provocative, energetic slice of Thatcher-era Britain. Kapoor plays Rafi, a Pakistani politician who returns to London after a murky, possibly fascist stint back home and resumes his courtship of the woman he used to love while trying to adjust to his sons open marriage.

Shashi Kapoor in a still from In Custody.

In Custody (1993)

One of Kapoors great late-career performances was this Falstaffian turn as Nur, an Urdu poet whos revered but whom time has passed by. Om Puri plays a professor who attempts to interview Nur, who, with his set ways, his drinking and his two wives, proves more than a handful. Kapoor looms large in every sense, even in the scenes which dont feature him. Ismail Merchants film is a bittersweet elegy for the Urdu tongue; its also the perfect film to bid a fond farewell to Kapoor with.

Shashi Kapoor in a still from Junoon.

His charm wasnt put on": Remembrances by two of Shashi Kapoors collaborators

Govind Nihalani

I directed Vijeta (1982) for him and he was what youd call a dream producer". I cant recall a single incident when he denied me anything I wanted for production. He was very supportive and totally trusting of the director, even when I worked as the cinematographer on Shyam Benegals Junoon (1979). He acted in both the films.

As an actor he was very charming, sensitive and full of empathy. It was impossible to make him less good-looking, but he never thought (about) how he was going to look or sound. His charm wasnt put on, it wasnt designed and applied to the character. As far his approach to cinema as an actor is concerned, he had no prejudices. He had the same kind of dedication to mainstream as he did to non-mainstream cinema. It was his dutyhe was very inclusive when it came to cinema and nothing was barred.

I think his biggest contribution was Prithvi Theatre, which he started with his wife, Jennifer. They both have their roots in theatre and thats how they met. It started with a small vision of doing something interesting in theatre. Today, it is one of the most wonderful, iconic institutions. His children, Sanjana, Kunal and Karan, have taken their fathers legacy forward in a very admirable way and Prithvi is a model to emulate."

Tinnu Anand

I have worked with Shashi Kapoor in multiple capacities. I have acted in Ajooba (1991), which he directed. And he acted in the first film I directed, Duniya Meri Jeb Mein (1979). We both acted in In Custody (1993).

He was a professional. When I directed him he was one of the busiest actors around, doing five shifts a day. I learnt a lot about filmmaking then, because when you have an actor coming for two hours, you have no choice but to get the maximum out of the minimum.

When the tables turned and he approached me to act in Ajooba, I remember him saying, Dont take revenge on me". In my free time, he would tell me to direct some scenes. He was a lot of fun when he would be on the set as an actor. As a director, he would become serious.

We loved each other very much. I knew him since childhood and I called him Shashi bhaiyya. Our families were close and knew each other from the Peshawar days. Raj Kapoors first film, Aag (1948), was written by my father, Inder Raj Anand. One of my memories is attending the Christmas dinner hosted by his wife, Jennifer. Fast forward from there to Ajooba, where the lunch spread would be so elaborate that the unit would be given two hours to rest after it. I remember the tandoori fish and mutton paya at Chandivali Studio, where the only odd man out would be Amitabh Bachchan, a vegetarian."

-With inputs from Sankhayan Ghosh
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VENTURA  Ferocious Santa Ana winds blew flames across bone-dry grasslands and into neighborhoods, leveling at least 180 structures and forcing tens of thousands to flee, while ensuring that the states worst fire season on record would push well into the holidays.

The Thomas Fire, which broke out around 6:30 p.m. Monday in the foothills near Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula and remained out of control on Tuesday night, swept west and devoured rows of homes, two apartment buildings and a private psychiatric hospital as it raced over grasslands into communities.

It was the worst of four fires that by late Tuesday had burned more than 66,000 acres in Southern California, prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency in Ventura County as Bay Area fire departments sent reinforcements south.

Now Playing: Southern California Fires Video: San Francisco Chronicle

The prospects for containment are not good, said Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen at a news conference. Really, Mother Nature is going to decide.

As neighborhoods turned into scenes of vast ruin and freeways closed down, California got a frightening replay of the October infernos in Wine Country that killed 44 people, destroyed 8,900 structures and, like the Thomas Fire, were driven by nighttime windstorms that blasted flames from more rugged areas into communities built along the edge of the wildland.

By Tuesday morning, the Thomas Fire had burned into Ventura, a city of more than 105,000 residents located about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles on Highway 101. Vista del Mar Hospital, a private psychiatric facility, burned to the ground after its residents and workers were evacuated, as did 150 buildings, including the pair of apartment complexes.

More than 1,000 firefighters worked through the night protecting buildings, including City Hall, where the flames reached the parking lot, destroyed a couple of cars and left an adjacent hillside blackened and smoldering.

It seemed like a lava flow coming down toward the city, said Vince Tovey, an electrical inspector for Ventura.

A firefighter was injured when he was struck by a vehicle during the response to the blaze, said the Ventura County Fire Department. Some 27,000 people were under mandatory evacuation in Ventura, Santa Paula and Ojai, and at least 7,000 more homes were evacuated between Santa Paula and Ventura, a distance of more than 12 miles, officials said. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power.

In issuing his emergency proclamation to secure state and federal disaster resources, Brown cited the destruction, the threats to critical infrastructure and the high winds.

This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but well continue to attack it with all weve got, Brown said. Its critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so.

Evacuee Lorie Denis, 56, stared at the devastation late Tuesday morning as firefighters poured water on the blackened hull of the Harbor View Apartments in the foothills above downtown Ventura.

She had been awakened by a neighbors phone call and had time to grab a few possessions from a safe  among them her late husbands wedding ring and watch  as well as her dog, Carson. She tried to save her neighbors two cats but could find only one before a neighbor screamed for her to leave.

I thought we were done, she said. It was raining fire.

Judy Terry, 69, was getting ready for bed Monday night when she got an alert as well as a phone call from her landlord telling her to leave. She got dressed, grabbed her dog, Sweetie, and corralled neighbors into her car for a drive through heavy smoke to the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

All I had time to do was get up, get dressed and leave and help others, said Terry, who with more than 600 others spent the night on a Red Cross cot in what is normally a livestock center, with her Maltese-poodle mix pup by her side.

As the fire crept near Venturas downtown, the wind howled and pieces of palm trees and tumbleweeds blew through the streets as thick brown smoke blanketed the region. Many people wore masks as they walked through the area.

Burning as well was the Creek Fire in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, which started at 3:42 a.m. Tuesday in the Angeles National Forest and spread to more than 11,000 acres. At least 30 homes in Sylmar and Lakeview Terrace were destroyed, thousands of others were evacuated, and two firefighters were injured.

The Little Mountain Fire broke out about 12:28 p.m. Tuesday on a hill behind a strip mall south of California State University San Bernardino, and spread to 100 acres by the afternoon. The fire injured two people, one critically, and forced closure of northbound Interstate 215, said Eric Sherwin, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

The Rye Fire erupted just before 10 a.m. Tuesday about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles, shutting down Interstate 5 in both directions near Santa Clarita. The fire broke out in the Rye Canyon Loop and grew to 5,000 acres by Tuesday afternoon. It was 5 percent contained, while the other fires had no containment.

Each of the fires was pushed by dry Santa Ana winds, with gusts up to 60 mph. The winds, which originate inland, are similar to the Diablo winds that fueled the wildfires in Northern California. Fire officials said the weather was making it difficult for aircraft and helicopters to fight the blazes.

This is mirroring the Tubbs Fire we had to deal with in Northern California, said Scott McLean, a deputy chief for the states Cal Fire agency. Were dealing with extreme wind conditions and weather that is extremely dry and (difficult) topography. This is not flat land, and some areas are inaccessible to get equipment to.

The Santa Ana winds, which typically occur in the fall, could last as long as 10 days, forecasters said.

Theyve died down slightly, but theyre going to increase again (Tuesday) evening, so its kind of like a seesaw, McLean said. This just shows us that there is no fire season anymore. Its December. We have fires all year round now.

Firefighters in Southern California are used to clusters of wind-driven fires in the fall. In October 2003, Santa Ana winds fed the ruinous Cedar Fire in San Diego County, which consumed 2,820 structures, and the Old Fire, in San Bernardino County, which wiped out 1,003 buildings.

But fires spread by extreme offshore gusts are rare this time of year  even in Southern California, which is typically warmer and drier during the winter than the rest of the state. Cal Fire anticipated the danger, maintaining staffing on 148 engines and keeping reserve firefighters on duty.

We continue to see more and more extreme fires and extreme weather events, said Chief Ken Pimlott, the Cal Fire director. The challenges of our changing climate are real. Historically, winter was a time we could regroup, but spending the holiday season on the fire lines is likely to become more the norm.

Ventura County has been exceedingly dry in recent months. The area has received 0.13 of an inch of rain since July 1, said the National Weather Service.

We had rains last winter that caused all the brush and everything to grow, and throughout the summer they dried out, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Joey Marron. Now with these winds, any little spark is fuel.

A San Francisco Fire Department strike team of 22 firefighters rushed to the Thomas Fire on five engines Tuesday. Fire crews from Marin and Alameda counties, Oakland, Fremont and Hayward were also being sent.

The winds continued to blow Tuesday as Tovey, the city of Ventura electrical inspector, patrolled the perimeter of the Thomas Fire in his city vehicle, turning back residents trying to reach their homes.

One of the downsides living in California, he said of the wildfire danger. There arent many, but this is one of them.

Sophie Haigney, Steve Rubenstein, Peter Fimrite and Jill Tucker are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com, srubenstein@sfchronicle.com, pfimrite@sfchronicle.com, jtucker@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @SophieHaigney, @SteveRubeSF, @pfimrite, @JillTucker.
A day after HuffPost published an article critical of Netflix amid rape allegations against "The Ranch" star Danny Masterson, the company fired the actor from the series.

That story detailed how Netflix executive Andy Yeatman told a woman that higher-ups at the company didn't believe the accusations of the four women who recently have come forward to the Los Angeles Police Department, which is investigating the claims - though he didn't realize at the time that he was speaking to one of the alleged victims. He later told HuffPost that his comments were "careless" and "uninformed."

Tuesday morning, Netflix released a statement that read: "As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of The Ranch. Yesterday was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him."

This is the second time in recent weeks that Netflix has had to change course on a series following allegations of sexual abuse. The company also fired "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey after multiple accusations against him; the final season of the show will cut out his character completely, focusing instead on his co-star Robin Wright.

The four women claim the actor raped them in the early 2000s, according to HuffPost. One of the women reported the attack to the LAPD in 2004, but the case was closed after some of Masterson's fellow congregants in the Church of Scientology disputed the woman's claims.

In a statement provided by his lawyer, Masterson maintained his innocence:

"I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix's decision to write my character off of 'The Ranch.' From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused. I understand and look forward to clearing my name once and for all. In the meantime, I want to express my gratitude to the cast and crew that I've worked so closely with over the past three seasons. I wish them nothing but success. I am also so thankful to the fans that have supported me and continue to do so."

"The Ranch," which also stars Masterson's "That '70s Show" co-star Ashton Kutcher, is set to air the second half of its second season on Dec. 15. Those episodes will still feature Masterson and, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the actor may still appear in scenes that have already been shot for the already-announced third season, but he won't be back on set.
"Tom of Finland" opens on a great expanse of a room, as two men sit on a bench, discussing a rabbit. We don't know who they (or the rabbit) are, or what they are waiting for. Just as you begin to wonder whether you're watching a bunny-based "Waiting for Godot," we are transported to Finland, on the front lines of World War II.

One of the men, as we learn, is Touko Laaksonen (Pekka Strang), a wide-eyed, high-cheekboned Finnish officer who doesn't quite fit in. "Tom of Finland" is the dramatization of his real-life story. Laaksonen, who died in 1991, is known for sexually charged drawings of leather-clad, impossibly handsome men with impossibly high buttocks - images reproduced in comics and magazines that became beloved throughout the gay communities of the world. (Not, however, in Laaksonen's home country, where public sentiment regarding gays was, at the time, as cold as the weather.)

"Tom of Finland," which takes its name from the artist's nom de porn, tracks Laaksonen's life from the 1940s through the 1980s, by which time his pictures had became icons of gay culture. The entire story rests on the sloping shoulders of Strang, who captures the emotional reticence of a man who can find sexual release and emotional comfort only in dark parks, at poker games where not a lot of gambling goes on, and sometimes in underground - literally - bars.

Strang is at his best in these scenes, in which men make connections with each other via coded language and loaded glances, knowing that if they look too long at the wrong guy it could end in violence. Celebrated Finnish director Dome Karukoski and cinematographer Lasse Frank use the interplay of light and shadow - some scenes are lighted as if by Caravaggio - to underscore how Laaksonen and his few friends must remain hidden for their own safety (not just physical, but financial and familial). Even in their sanctuaries, the looming threat of discovery is real.

Later, when Laaksonen's art becomes a sensation, particularly in the United States, the film accentuates the stark difference between relatively freewheeling Los Angeles and repressive Helsinki by contrasting the blue California sky with the claustrophobic gray atmosphere of Scandinavia. Yet even when Laaksonen travels to L.A., where he finds a freedom he's never known and a hearty welcome - it turns out that the first scene takes place just before Laaksonen is greeted by a cheering crowd of fans - Strang plays him as someone who's almost crippled by a life lived in fear. It's a moving performance, rendering a character who, even when the sun is out, can't quite bring himself to emerge from the shadows.

In the end, the overarching theme of "Tom of Finland" is the power of art, even - or maybe especially - so-called deviant art. Laaksonen's drawings are something more than salacious, the film suggests, signaling to generations of teenage boys who looked at them with flashlights under bedcovers that they weren't the only ones who felt what they felt, and wanted what they wanted. In the end, it's not a story about naughty pictures at all, but about how one artist's loneliness helped create a global community.

---

Three stars. Unrated. Contains nudity, sex, coarse language and smoking. In English, Finnish and German. 115 minutes.

Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time.
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A popular KENS-TV news face is exiting the station this week to pursue her dream of anchoring.

Alicia Neaves, a multimedia journalist, reporter and occasional fill-in anchor at San Antonios CBS affiliate for more than two years, will leave her hometown, family, friends and colleagues behind to earn experience as a newscaster on a station in South Carolina. Her last day is Wednesday.

In a private Facebook message, Neaves said shes accepted a job as the weekend evening anchor and reporter at CBS station WLTX-TV in Columbia, S. C.

READ ALSO: Karen Grace's mysterious absence the latest in many changes at KENS

Though the citys TV market size  77th in the country, according to 2017 Nielsen rankings  is a sizable step down from San Antonios rank of 31, the experience could bring her closer to her long-term goal.

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My ultimate dream is to anchor in my hometown. With some hard work, faith and dedication, Im hoping that will happen one day, Neaves said.

Its bittersweet leaving home, added the Clark High graduate. Grandma wants to come in my suitcase.  All of my family with the exception of one aunt in New Jersey and my brother in New Hampshire live here.

Her family, she added, also is very excited for my new adventure.

Neaves began her career in the production arena at rival S.A. station WOAI-TV and went on to serve as a bilingual reporter on West Texas television for two years. She started at KENS in October 2015.

KENS bosses say theyll miss her but are gratified shell be working for another station under the TEGNA banner.

Alicia is a great member of our team. Im so proud of her and glad we are able to keep her in the TEGNA family as she continues to grow, KENS news director Jack Acosta wrote in an email.

Neaves, who was primarily a reporter at KENS, also is thankful for her time in her native city of San Antonio.

 I am grateful for the opportunity and experiences I received at KENS, she said. I was very fortunate to be able to work in my home market for the last two years.

jjakle@express-news.net
Day for Night has revealed set times for all three days of performances, Dec. 15-17 at Post HTX in downtown Houston.

Things kick off at 4 p.m. Dec. 15 with a panel featuring Chelsea Manning, the transgender soldier who spent time in a military prison for giving classified materials to WikiLeaks; visual artist and musician Laurie Anderson; Nadya Tolokonnikova of Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot; and Los Angeles artist Lauren McCarthy.
San Antonio attorney Thomas J. Henry threw quite possibly one of the most lavish quinceaneras San Antonio has ever seen for his daughter Maya on Feb. 12  even Pitbull and Nick Jonas showed up.

David Monn, the best of the best when it comes to party planning, was commissioned by the Henry family to organize their daughter's bash. The New York-based planner spoke with mySA.com while his crew of 150 hurried about on Friday, getting last minute details in place.
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The father of a 14-year-old boy who was electrocuted in May in central Laredo has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the 341st District Court.

Aldo Mauricio Rojas filed the lawsuit Friday as an individual plaintiff and as an administrator of his son's estate. The defendants named in the suit are American Electric Power Texas, Quality Pole Inspection and Maintenance Inc. and AEP employees Benjamin Hinojosa and Joe De Hoyos.

Rojas is seeking over $10 million in damages, including physical and emotional suffering, mental anguish and burial and funeral expenses.

RELATED: 14-year-old boy electrocuted in central Laredo during severe thunderstorm

Aldo Jordany Rojas, then an eighth-grade student at Clark Middle School, was electrocuted in the 5300 block of Alabama Avenue, off East Hillside Road. He died after coming in contact with a downed power line and was burned alive by the electricity, suffering an excruciatingly painful death, the lawsuit states.

"I conducted a pre-suit deposition of AEP's corporate representative on Nov. 29, 2017 to investigate the facts of the case," Rojas' attorney, Ron Rodriguez, said Friday. "The facts discovered are disturbing. I took immediate action to protect my community and bring justice to the clients I represent."

AEP declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing company policy.

"As we indicated at the time of the accident, our hearts go out to family and friends of the victim," AEP Texas Corporate Communications Manager Larry Jones said in a statement Monday to Laredo Morning Times. "When litigation has been filed, it is company policy not to comment on any details about the accident."

Claims

The lawsuit states that the AEP power line that killed Rojas powered an AEP lamp pole and a street light that runs along Hillside Road, close to the intersection with Alabama Street.

READ MORE: Suspect arrested in Zetas cartel auto theft ring investigation

The AEP pole had a steel pipe attached inches from the bare, uninsulated energized line, according to the lawsuit.

Although it is QPIM's responsibility to inspect the lamp pole for safety issues related to the pole and anything attached thereto, the pole has not been inspected by them since 2014, the lawsuit states.

The energized power line fell to the ground when it made contact with the steel pipe that was attached to the light pole, causing the energized power line to arc and break, falling to the ground along the sidewalk adjacent to the apartment complex where Rojas resided, the petition states.

The lawsuit also says Hinojosa, AEP manager, received a call that Rojas was "wrapped up in a downed energized power line," and did not immediately call the AEP substation to shut all the power to the area. He instead instructed the crew, at the time located on Interstate 35 South off the Calton Road exit, to go to the scene, and it took them close to an hour to arrive, the petition states.

The lawsuit states AEP and Hinojosa had the duty to inspect, maintain and repair all their equipment, lines, transformers and poles at the location to guarantee that they were in a reasonably safe condition.

PHOTOS: The most compelling photos from this summer's massive Laredo thunderstorm

De Hoyos, AEP substation manager, failed to recognize the spike in power and did not shut off power to the area from the substation, according to the lawsuit.

The suit also claims that after the incident, AEP reconnected the transformer and put it back to service without removing or testing it first.

"AEP and QPIM have recreated the extremely dangerous condition that places the community and public in current life-threatening danger," the lawsuit states.

The petition states that all defendants were "grossly negligent and negligent, careless and (in) reckless breach of (their) duties."

Joana Santillana may be reached at 956-728-2528 or jsantillana@lmtonline.com
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A man was arrested Friday for his alleged ties to an auto theft ring that operated in Central and South Texas and delivered vehicles to the Zetas drug cartel, authorities said.

Emilio Vidales, 43, was charged with theft.

READ MORE: Zeta-related book 'Wolf Boys' excluded from UISD curriculum

Laredo police said he worked out of San Antonio along with two other suspects identified as Ramon "Mon" Mendoza Jr., 44, of San Antonio, and Jorge "Pelon" Lopez, 39, of Natalia.

Vidales and Lopez allegedly worked under Mendoza, the theft ring's mastermind, authorities said. Mendoza and Lopez remain at large.

LPD's auto-theft task force and San Antonio Police Department's vehicle crimes unit recently issued a lookout for Mendoza and Lopez.

RELATED: Sister of Zetas drug cartel leaders arrested in Nuevo Laredo on kidnapping charges

In March, police announced they had dismantled an auto-theft ring in an enforcement action called Operation Metal Rain. Police said they arrested 16 people. Six others had warrants out for their arrests. That included Vidales, Mendoza and Lopez.

The trio and several other defendants are named in an indictment filed in December 2016 in the 111th District Court.

Authorities said Mendoza, Lopez and Vidales were responsible for providing stolen vehicles to a group labeled as "crossers," who would then take them into Mexico.

READ MORE: Laredo police searching for 'armed and dangerous' suspects in Zetas auto-theft ring case

Authorities said vehicles were used across the border for gun and human smuggling and assassinations.

To provide information on Mendoza's and Lopez's whereabouts, call LPD at 795-2800 or the Laredo Crime Stoppers at 727-TIPS (8477).
For the 15th year in a row, the YMCA Turkey Dash drew thousands of walkers and runners, but some race organizers and participants said the event was of special importance after Hurricane Harvey.

"Running the 10K course, especially the route along Mason Road brought back many memories of Hurricane Harvey," said Rick Bozanich. "The scene was very different on Aug. 28, when the citizen army of volunteers were there to help evacuate families, including my own, affected by the flood. I am grateful for all those volunteers, as well as for all the volunteers that worked so hard to make this a successful race."
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Former Arizona lawman Steve Henry has been selected as the Midland Police Departments new chief.

In this role, Henry will oversee all aspects of the Midland Police Department, including its 243 employees, according to information from the city. Henry is scheduled to begin his duties Jan. 1, 2018. He takes over from interim Chief Price Robinson, who retired in August after serving as chief for eight years.
This weekend Plainview Fire/EMS hosted around two dozen volunteer firefighters as part of its 2nd annual Extraction Tech School.

The school, which included classroom training at the Llano Estacado Museum auditorium and field work at Dulaney Auto Parts South Yard was to train techniques to allow firefighters and EMS personnel to safely mitigate wreck scenes.

According to event organizer and teacher Lt. Tony Ramirez, trainings would consist of proper techniques relating to single vehicles, including vehicles on their sides and roofs. As a form of final exam, Ramirez said that the participants would have to mitigate a simulated multicar pileup wreck scene, which would include a school bus.

This is a form of hands on skill test, Ramirez said. They (participants) will be required to lift and stabilize the bus as well as other vehicles and they will have full access to all of the equipment we will bring on site to do so.

Ramirez said the training includes volunteer firefighters not only from Plainview, but many from the surrounding areas.

We are going to be putting our four rookies through the training, he said. We have around nine from Lockney and we have people coming from Hale Center, Tulia and Muleshoe.

Ramirez said that while this is the second year for the training, he chose a different time of year this time to correspond better to the growing season in West Texas.

Last year we did it in June, he said. Most of our volunteers work in some way with the AG industry, so we decided to move it to December this year.

Teaching the course along with Ramirez are Kurt Ecker and Scott Simmons. Ramirez said that Ecker handled the classroom portion of the training and all three handled the field portion.

On Saturday, the participants broke into three groups around the south yard at Dulaney Auto Parts, and engaged in a variety of training exercises involving several different vehicles.

They (Dulaney) have been helping us out for years, Ramirez said. They give us the cars for practice and provide the facility. They have always helped us out and they do it at no charge.

One of the important aspects of the training is to learn how to properly use several of the cutting tools available to participants as part of the training. Ramirez said that one of the average cutting tools participants could use has some 269,000 pounds of cutting force. Higher end tools generate some 320,000 pounds of cutting force. He said that such high-powered tools are needed because modern vehicles are constantly being made safer for occupants, but that those safety precautions have the added drawback of making it more difficult for EMS personnel to get into the vehicles.

Ramirez noted that modern vehicles are made with a variety of alloyed metals including the use of titanium, magnesium and boron alloys.

We can cut through an old car like a hot knife through butter, he said. But these newer vehicles take a lot more cutting force.

Ramirez pointed out that all modern vehicles also have airbags, some with as many as two dozen and that while they help keep occupants safe, they can be safety hazards for professionals seeking to gain access to a wrecked vehicle.

Ramirez has been teaching similar classes for over 12 years and said that his goal is to grow the program to show what Plainview can do.

I have done several of these (classes) before, he said. Honestly we were looking for something to put us (Plainview) on the map. Everyone is aware of the courses in Amarillo and Lubbock, but we have a number of local volunteers and neighboring departments that can benefit from this type of training held locally.

Ramirez hopes to not only expand the scope of the current school but to expand into other training areas.

This course is the Level 1 technician course, he said. Level 2 is for the larger vehicles. We would like to expand into teaching Level 2 and perhaps alternate the programs. We would also like to get a training facility in Plainview, that would allow us to do so much more.
Throughout history, humans have employed falcons as lethal hunters of other animals. Now those raptors are being sent after drones.

It turns out that many of the skills feathered predators use to find a tasty lunch can be applied to the developing field of drone defense. A U.S. Air Force-funded study by zoology researchers at Oxford University suggests that the means by which a peregrine falcon tracks its quarry could be effective in defending against drones that threaten troops, police or airports.

The researchers fitted the falcons with miniature video cameras and GPS receivers to track their angle and method of attack on other birds, or on bait being towed through the air by a drone. In a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S., the falcons' approach to intercepting its target aligned closely with the rules of proportional navigation, a guidance system used by visually-directed missiles.

The principle is such that a missile-or a falcon on the hunt-will reach a target as long as its line-of-sight remains unobstructed while it closes in. The earliest AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles, dating to the 1950s, used this technique with a rotating mirror to "see" the target.

A key difference, however, is that falcons adjust their angle of attack to compensate for their slower speeds-which is where drones come in. The work, the researchers suggested, could be applied to the development of small, visually-guided drones that can disable other drones.

"We think that the finer details of how peregrines operate could certainly find application in small drones designed to remove other drones from protected airspace," Professor Graham Taylor, the principal investigator, wrote in an email. The research involved data from 55 attack flights in Wales with falconers and a certified drone operator.

For soldiers on the battlefield and even law enforcement at home, the threat of drone attack has grown as every day passes-as has a desire for a working defense. In July, the Pentagon authorized 133 U.S. military installations to shoot down private or commercial drones that threaten their airspace. That move followed a decision earlier this year to ban aerial drones near these facilities.

Cheap, small drones have become a handy weapon for militants, with the Defense Department working to field new technology and techniques to protect troops and equipment. To date, the Pentagon has explored a variety of methods to deter hostile drones. These range from the most basic-machine gun fire-to more sophisticated approaches including lasers, frequency jamming to render them inoperable and more advanced techniques to actually gain control of the drone.

The application to drone defense "emerged naturally through the course of the study" given research by several police forces to eliminate drones using trained raptors, the authors said. Police in the Netherlands, for example, have studied whether eagles can be an effective means to capture and disable small drones.

"The problem with this approach is that raptors are only motivated to chase targets if they are hungry or defending a territory, and spinning rotor blades pose as much of a threat to a birds' talons as they do to our own fingers," Taylor wrote in an email. "Keeping a defense team of hungry raptors on call isn't practical, and flying them at large multi-rotors isn't ethical." (The Air Force didn't immediately return a request for comment)

Taylor called the study's findings "an elegant convergence" of raptor behavior and missile guidance law, "which reflects how natural selection and engineering design are constrained similarly by maths and physics. It's also quite beautiful how well the model fits the data, and thrilling for me as a mathematically-minded biologist to see how the flight trajectories of real birds engaged in real attacks emerge from the equations that ultimately govern them."
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Despite a judge's insistence that the trial of former Beaumont ISD contract electrician Calvin Walker get under way as quickly as possible, a Monday hearing likely set the stage for another round of appeals over its constitutionality.

Walker faces six charges of fraud and money-laundering in Jefferson County's Criminal District Court. In 2012, he pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of failure to pay taxes in a timely manner after his trial in U.S. District Court for fraud and money-laundering ended in a hung jury and a mistrial.

At issue is whether he can be tried again on charges stemming from what his attorney, Dick DeGuerin, says are the same actions that led to his prosecution in federal court.

At a status hearing Monday, Judge John Stevens turned down DeGuerin's request for a hearing, ruling that the points he planned to make already were resolved through his first attempt at halting the trial, which went to the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices declined to hear the case but did not say why, which DeGuerin used as the basis for his argument that Stevens should hold a hearing on the issue.

DeGuerin said several times during Monday's hearing that he plans to challenge Stevens' denial of an evidentiary hearing, which would launch another appeals process in the lengthy case.

He said Tuesday he plans to file a notice of appeal in Beaumont's Ninth Court of Appeals.

He maintains, as he has previously, that the state and federal authorities' cooperation on investigating Beaumont ISD amounted to collusion between them. He has argued that the state trial is a second chance for the same parties to prosecute Walker again, which he says should be prohibited under the U.S. Constitution's protection against double jeopardy - being tried twice for the same offense.

Assistant Criminal District Attorney Wayln Thompson said Monday that Walker was convicted of federal tax charges that the state cannot prosecute, which are not the same fraud and money-laundering charges Walker now faces.

Thompson said DeGuerin is attempting to re-litigate issues that have already been resolved. DeGuerin said that because a hearing hasn't been held on his claims, the issues have not been fully addressed.

DeGuerin also issued two subpoenas to Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham and former U.S. Attorney Malcolm Bales, seeking communications between their offices about Walker.

Stevens denied the hearing and granted Thompson's motion to quash subpoenas, ruling that they are "inappropriate under these circumstances."

He said he found DeGuerin's issues with double jeopardy "irrelevant and immaterial" to the situation at hand.

As he has before, Stevens said he wants the case resolved "as soon as everybody's willing and able," saying it's "languished for too long."

They will reconvene for a status hearing in January.

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/LizTeitz
MOSCOW - Russia on Tuesday named Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven affiliated news services as foreign agents, and the Russian parliament prepared to ban the organizations from attending its sessions.

The moves come as Moscow follows through on its promise to retaliate for similar U.S. actions against the English-language Russian network RT, which Russian leaders characterize as an assault on freedom of the press.

On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Justice published a list of nine outlets, which includes Russian-language subsidiaries of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that cover the Caucasus region of Russia, Crimea, Siberia, and two predominantly Muslim regions in central Russia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Also designated were Current Time TV, which is produced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Factograph, a website produced by Radio Liberty.

The ministry statement did not mention anyspecific restrictions on the media outlets. But the Russian State Duma, the lower house of parliament, planned on Wednesday to ban reporters from any U.S. media declared as foreign agents, following a decision by Congress to ban RT last month.

"The Duma decision might be looked upon as censorship or infringement of the rights of American journalists here but we understand that we have to make such decisions because the Congress has made such a decision in regards to RT," Duma deputy speaker Pyotr Tolstoy told The Washington Post on Monday.

On Tuesday, Sergei Popov, deputy head of the rules committee for Russia's upper house, the Federation Council, said the body could also ban media designated as foreign agents, the Interfax news agency reported.

The Justice Department required that RT, previously known as Russia Today, register as a foreign agent under a 1938 law because of its alleged role in interfering in U.S. affairs and the 2016 presidential campaign by pushing the Kremlin's agenda.

RT disputes that it is an agent of the Russian government, arguing that it offers alternatives to mainstream news coverage, and Russian leaders have vowed to respond in kind.

"We didn't start this theater of the absurd," Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said Monday at a Duma hearing. "But we have to respond to it."

Russia's law, which in the past has been used on nongovernmental organizations critical of the Kremlin, requires the organizations to label their publications as coming from a foreign agent. The Russian government recently designated a union of truckers protesting highway tolls as a foreign agent.

A bill extending that law to media organizations was signed by President Vladimir Putin last month.

On Tuesday, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted its president, Thomas Kent, as saying he had received no details about what the foreign agent designation will mean.

"So far, the full nature of these limitations is unknown. We will study carefully all communications from the ministry and other Russian official organizations," Kent said in a video statement. "At the same time, we remain committed to continuing our journalistic work in the interests of providing accurate and objective news to our Russian-speaking audiences."

Voice of America and Radio Free Europe were created during the Cold War to broadcast news to the closed societies of the Soviet Union and the Communist countries in its orbit.

Russian leaders say that in the drama surrounding RT, they are the ones defending free speech.

"In defending democratic values, [Russian lawmakers] reserve the right to take symmetric measures in response to the decision to withdraw Russian journalists' accreditation with U.S. Congress," a draft of the Duma's resolution reads.

The document recommends that legislatures in Russian regions adopt similar bans against Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and their affiliates.

A Duma official, speaking on the condition on anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to reporters, said Monday that the Russian law regarding foreign agents would be applied only to U.S. media that receive government funding.
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday granted President Donald Trump's request to fully enforce his revised order banning travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries while legal challenges to it proceed in lower courts.

It was a victory for the White House, which has seen the courts trim back various iterations of the travel ban, and it bodes well for the administration if the Supreme Court is called upon to finally decide the merits of the president's actions.

Two lower courts had imposed restrictions on Trump's new order, exempting travelers from the six countries who had "bona fide" connections with relatives - such as grandparents, aunts or uncles - or institutions in the United States. Those exemptions to the president's order, issued in the fall, were along the lines of those imposed by the Supreme Court last summer on a previous version of the travel ban.

But in an unsigned opinion Monday that did not disclose the court's reasoning, the justices lifted the injunctions, which had been issued by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor noted that they would not have lifted the restrictions. The new ban also bars travelers from North Korea and Venezuela, but they were not affected by the injunctions.

The justices said they expected the federal judges reviewing challenges to the order - based on what challengers say are Trump's animus toward Muslims and lack of authority under immigration laws - to handle the cases with "appropriate dispatch."

The court's move is "a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a written statement. "We are pleased to have defended this order and heartened that a clear majority Supreme Court has allowed the President's lawful proclamation protecting our country's national security to go into full effect. The Constitution gives the President the responsibility and power to protect this country from all threats foreign and domestic, and this order remains vital to accomplishing those goals."

The justices acted just after the American Civil Liberties Union, which is leading one of the lawsuits, sent a letter to the court Monday morning pointing out that Trump last week tweeted links to anti-Muslim videos.

Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, reacted to the court's order with disappointment.

"President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret - he has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter," Jadwat said. "It's unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones."

The latest iteration of the travel ban, the third Trump has issued, bars various people from eight countries: Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Chad, Somalia, North Korea and Venezuela. Six of the countries have Muslim-majority populations.

But federal judges in Maryland and Hawaii blocked its implementation for "foreign nationals who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States." They said such people include grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins of people in the United States.

The language was drawn from a Supreme Court decision in June that exempted such foreign nationals from Trump's second version of the executive order, which expired this fall.

The orders from the two district judges will be reviewed this week. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit is set to consider the Hawaii case Wednesday, and the entire U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond will consider the Maryland judge's decision Friday.

Lawyers for Hawaii had told the Supreme Court that there was no reason to back away from the "equitable determination, dutifully adhered to by the court below," that it had already made. If anything, Hawaii's lawyers said, the government's case deserves even greater scrutiny than before, as compared with the earlier temporary travel bans.

The president now "has imposed an indefinite one, deepening and prolonging the harms a stay would inflict," said the brief submitted on Hawaii's behalf by Washington lawyer Neal K. Katyal.

But Solicitor General Noel J. Francisco, representing the Trump administration, argued that there was no reason for the injunctions.

The new executive order, he wrote, followed a "comprehensive, worldwide review of the information shared by foreign governments that is used to screen aliens seeking entry to the United States. Based on that review, the Proclamation adopts tailored entry restrictions to address extensive findings that a handful of particular foreign governments have deficient information-sharing and identity-management practices, or other risk factors."

The cases are Trump v. Hawaii and Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Book launches in South Africa tend to run along predictable lines, beginning with free wine and ending with a question from an audience member that is really more of a comment.

They do not usually begin with the head of a publishing house reciting Yeats' apocalyptic "The Second Coming" to an audience of hundreds or end abruptly because the power has been cut and the generators mysteriously fail to kick in.

They do not usually contain a moment where the introductory speaker repeatedly thanks an author on behalf of the nation, or compares him to a martyred hero of the anti-apartheid struggle.

In a country where books bemoaning the state of politics are depressingly common, the attention surrounding Jacques Pauw's "The President's Keepers: Those Keeping Zuma in Power and Out of Prison," has been markedly different. The book has zeroed in on the details of alleged state corruption and reanimated the debate about how to keep South Africa from plunging into the abyss.

The end of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as president in 1994 threw the country into an extended state of hopeful elation. Concerted efforts toward reconciliation and the creation of one of the most progressive constitutions in the world meant many South Africans hoped the terrible injustices of apartheid would be redressed. More than two decades later, that optimism has soured.

Today, South Africa is measured as the most unequal society in the world, and "economic apartheid" persists for millions of black South Africans. Critics say the two-term presidency of Jacob Zuma has been rife with the abuse of state-owned enterprises for personal gain and a failure to deliver services.

Pauw, a revered investigative journalist, describes what he calls a "cancerous cabal" that has kept Zuma and his family rich and out of prison. The book alleges the president, his allies and his benefactors have gutted law enforcement agencies and abused intelligence networks.

The constitution grants the president the power to appoint the most senior civil servants, and the book alleges Zuma's appointments have irreparably damaged the capacities of law enforcement. Much of Pauw's investigative efforts concern what he says is the president's failure to submit tax returns, his failure to declare all sources of income, and his attempts to avoid a $4.5 million tax bill. Pauw looks closely at the role of Tom Moyane, a close Zuma ally and the commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS). The book is unambiguous in its assertion that South Africa is dangerously close to becoming a bankrupt, failed democracy.

Three days after the its release, the State Security Agency sent a cease and desist letter to its publishers, demanding it be immediately withdrawn and parts of it retracted. The letter claimed allegations made in the book were inaccurate, but also that it contained highly classified information prejudicial to the safety of the state.

Meanwhile the presidency released a statement strenuously denying Pauw's allegations and claiming they were part of an orchestrated smear campaign. The statement insisted Zuma's tax affairs were in order and he had declared all his income.

The tax agency, which is projected to have a loss of about $3.5 billion at the end of this tax year, announced it was seeking legal advice on how to proceed against Pauw. The leadership of the security agency and the revenue service are widely understood to form part of the "cancerous cabal" the author described in the book.

Sales of the book immediately soared and the attempts to quash it have been compared to apartheid-era censorship. In the three weeks since it was released, the book has sold more than 50,000 copies (combined print and e-book sales), with a total print run well in excess of 100,000, breaking records locally and internationally for South African nonfiction.

In a 1965 essay titled "Apartheid: A daily exercise in the absurd," Lewis Nkosi wrote: "I have been considering the millions of words that have been written on South Africa. You would think that the South African government would have been written to death by now."

Just over 50 years later, some South African writers persist in trying to write the government to death - and they too have yet to succeed. For the past five years, South Africans have been reading they are at a tipping point, and the most recent of the revelations about endemic state corruption will herald the country's collapse. One brazen abuse of power follows the next as the country's ruling party, the African National Congress, unravels. Assurances that it cannot possibly get worse are inevitably proved incorrect, and there is an atmosphere of perpetual crisis.

Yet public response to these allegations is by no means united. The reason has a lot to do with South Africa's central conflict: race. Efforts to unseat the president are met with the equally adamant insistence that anti-corruption crusades have a strong racial component, and that some white South Africans use them simply as justification for their belief that a black-led government is incapable of competent rule.

Pleas that the issue "not be made about race" are met with the observation that in South Africa, a country living daily with the catastrophic consequences of apartheid and centuries of racial oppression, everything is about race.

The writer Sisonke Msimang argued in a recent article that some white South Africans "see Zuma's scandals and the allegations of corruption that trail him as a function of his race: Jacob Zuma is corrupt because he is black."

While many South Africans, including people within the ANC itself, are appalled by the information in Pauw's book, the racism displayed in certain public campaigns against Zuma means debates around state corruption have become increasingly polarized, and cracks in an already divided society continue to widen.

"The President's Keepers" will not change any of the above on its own. "It's not going to be a book that ousts Zuma. Only the National Executive Committee [of the ANC] can do that," Pauw pointed out at the Cape Town launch.

The ANC is the majority party in parliament, but it is deeply divided, particularly ahead of its national conference in December, when the country's next leader will be decided. Pauw said a top ANC official had contacted him to say everyone in the party was reading the book, whether they admitted to it.

South Africans have been told for years they are teetering on the brink of disaster, and the phrase "corruption fatigue" has entered the national lexicon. Pauw's book has erased that fatigue in some quarters, prompting urgent and panicked debate about how much longer a country can remain on the edge of a knife.
Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh dominated the political life of his country for close to four decades. He was president for 33 years and survived the 2011 upheavals that rocked the Arab world, stepping down after political negotiations while autocrats elsewhere were cast out or killed. He later resurfaced, allying himself to a rebellion that unseated the weak Saudi-backed government that had replaced him, and became a key player in the civil war that has ravaged Yemen for the past three years.

Saleh, a Machiavellian political operator who held sway by manipulating Yemen's mess of tribal and political divisions, infamously referred to his task as "dancing on the heads of snakes." The snakes, critics contend, were of his own creation. In their view, Yemen was a country consumed by Saleh's short-term alliances and cynical power plays. Whatever the case, Saleh's dance has finally come to an end.

The 75-year-old former president was apparently killed on Monday by Houthi rebels. Though the circumstances of his death were not clear, some reports suggested he attempted to flee the capital, Sanaa, but was stopped and killed at a Houthi checkpoint. It is an astonishing development given that Saleh had been allied with the Iran-backed group as recently as last week.

It was Saleh's tacit support that enabled the Houthis to seize the Yemeni capital in late 2014, driving out the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. And it was his designs on power that saw him maintain his pact with the Houthis - a faction linked to a Shiite sect that Saleh had repressed in the past - after the Saudi-led coalition began bombing and blockading the country in March 2015.

That same thirst for power, however, was likely what drove Saleh to turn his back on the Houthis, possibly in the hope that his Abu Dhabi-based son could ultimately return home and take control. "Yemeni citizens have tried to tolerate the recklessness of the Houthis over the last two and half years but cannot anymore," Saleh said on Saturday, in a gesture of conciliation with the Saudi-led coalition.

By the time he announced the break, forces loyal to him were already engaged in running battles in Sanaa with their new adversaries, with myriad civilians caught in the crossfire. "I call on our brothers in neighboring countries . . . to stop their aggression and lift the blockade . . . and we will turn the page," Saleh said.

A page was indeed turned, but one written in Saleh's blood and that of countless more of his compatriots.

In a televised speech on Monday after Saleh's death, Houthi Abdulmalik al-Houthi said his group had defeated a "large-scale conspiracy that posed a threat to the security and stability of the country, aimed at supporting the forces of aggression" - a jab at Saleh's volte-face and apparent collusion with the Saudis.

According to some reports, Houthi fighters were heard declaring his assassination revenge for the 2004 death of their movement's founder, who was killed in a cave on Saleh's orders. Houthi fighters also seem to be carrying out reprisal attacks and arrests on Saleh loyalists in Sanaa.

The chaos underscores the fundamental awfulness of the situation in Yemen. A hodgepodge of factions are at war inside the country, while foreign powers have meddled in its affairs (read: Iran) or pulverized its cities with months of airstrikes, allegedly killing hundreds of civilians (read: Saudi Arabia), perhaps even with munitions supplied by the West (read: the United States and Britain).

Saleh made a career of playing various sides against each other, including the United States, which directed large sums of money to Saleh's government as part of a wider effort to combat al-Qaida's powerful, entrenched Yemeni branch. Al-Qaida remains in operation in Yemen, as does a covert U.S. drone program that targets suspected extremists but has also been implicated in the deaths of many Yemeni civilians.

More than 10,000 Yemenis have died since March 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition began its campaign against Saleh's forces and his Houthi allies. About 7 million Yemenis are on the brink of famine. But with Saleh dead, there are fears that things may get even worse.

"Having attempted to pull the carpet out from under the Houthis' feet, the Saudis must now decide whether to engage in mediation efforts in a climate of zero trust, or to push on with a military campaign that has had few notable successes over the past two and a half years," wrote Peter Salisbury, a Yemen expert at Chatham House. "Saleh was a divisive figure, but he was also the person most likely to be able to broker some kind of settlement. His death will only lead to deeper polarization in the conflict."

Saleh's death "will only aggravate fragmentation and conflict by adding layers of revenge," tweeted Joost Hilterman, a Middle East expert at the International Crisis Group. "Expect more fighting. Terrible for civilians in Sanaa and the north, who will bear the brunt. Yemen already a humanitarian catastrophe."

In the current environment, Hilterman concluded, "no one wins."
KABUL - Afghanistan's intelligence agency and the U.S. military announced Tuesday that a series of joint U.S.-Afghan operations killed a top leader of the extremist al-Qaida network along with a number of other members.

Omar bin Khatab was the most senior leader killed in Afghanistan since the Taliban was driven from power in late 2001, said an official with the Afghan National Directorate of Security.

The U.S. military command in Afghanistan confirmed Tuesday the death of Khatab and "multiple other" al-Qaida operatives in Afghanistan, saying it had conducted several related operations in the last few weeks in Ghazni, Paktia and Zabul provinces. The Afghan intelligence agency said scores of other al-Qaida members were killed.

U.S. military officials described Khatab as the No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, or AQIS. They said he was directly involved in fighting Afghanistan government and foreign troops and a role in advising the Taliban in night attacks using rockets and mortars.

"This operation is a testament to the real growth the Afghan forces have achieved over the past year," said Army Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. "It is also another example of the lethality of the undefeated Afghan Special Forces and the success of working side by side with our Afghan partners."

Bin Khatab, also known as Omar Mansoor, was killed in air and ground operations in the Gilan district of Ghazni province southwest of the capital, the Afghan intelligence official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly. The intelligence agency's statement did not give details on the joint operation or how authorities confirmed Khatab was killed.

In its statement,the agency said that "80 other members" of al-Qaida were killed, including three top figures, in operations in Zabul and Paktia near the border with Pakistan and adjacent to Ghazni province.

The statement added that 27 members of the network were captured.

The Afghan intelligence agency official said Khatab was from the tribal regions in Pakistan and was in his early 40s, but the official did not offer details on how long Khatab was affiliated with al-Qaeda.

Last year, Afghan officials and the U.S. military reported killing of several foreign members of al-Qaida who were living in Afghanistan.

The presence in Afghanistan of al-Qaida and its leader, Osama bin Laden, after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks prompted the United States to intervene militarily, launching airstrikes in the fall of 2001 that helped Afghan resistance forces drive the Taliban out of Kabul.

The U.S. military also announced Tuesday that it had killed the leader of the Taliban's "Red Unit" in Helmand province, Mullah Shah Wali, with a strike on Dec. 1 in the district of Musa Qala. One of Wali's deputy commanders and three other militants also were killed in the strike, U.S. military officials said.

The Taliban Red Unit was responsible for planning numerous suicide bombings and improvised explosive attacks and coordinating assaults against civilians and Afghan and coalition troops. Wali coordinated the resupply of ammunition and explosives for the Taliban throughout Helmand, U.S. military officials said.

"Mullah Shah Wali's death will disrupt the Taliban network, degrade their narcotics trafficking, and hinder their ability to conduct attacks against Afghan forces," Nicholson said. He added that the United States and the Afghan government "will continue to aggressively target Taliban leaders to destroy their drug network, disrupt their communications, and deny them safe haven."

Nicholson, speaking in a news conference with Pentagon reporters last week, said that he still saw a degree of collaboration and a "close relationship" between al-Qaida and the Taliban. The Taliban harbored al-Qaida prior to the Sept. 11 attacks when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan.

AQIS still provides the Taliban with specialized training in bombmaking and weapons training, and the United States has continued to hunt its members, Nicholson said.

The general, asked why the United States has not announced the death of any senior al-Qaida or AQIS leaders in recent months, said the military kept that information classified because successful strikes usually lead to more strikes.

"We don't want to give the enemy the advantage of knowing what we know about who we've struck, who we've taken off the battlefield and so forth," he said. "I'm afraid that's the best answer I can give you."

- - -

Lamothe reported from Washington.
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One of the first signs came at the keyboard. Mike Beck, a National Security Agency counterintelligence officer, could always bang out 60 words a minute. But in early 2006, Beck struggled to move his fingers at their usual typing speed. He had to hunt and peck.

Soon after, a brain scan showed why: Beck had Parkinson's disease, the second-most-common neurodegenerative disorder in the United States, behind Alzheimer's. He was only 46 - unusually young for Parkinson's. No one in his family had ever had it. Then, in an unsettling coincidence, he learned that an NSA colleague - a man he'd spent a pivotal week in 1996 with in a hostile country - had also just been diagnosed with Parkinson's.

Eventually, Beck read a classified intelligence report that convinced him that he and his co-worker were likely the victims of a covert attack on the trip that led to their illnesses - and have led to a highly unusual workers' compensation claim.

Beck believes that while he and his colleague were sleeping in their hotel rooms, the hostile country, which he cannot name for security reasons, deployed a high-powered microwave weapon against them, damaging their nervous systems.

"I was sick in the stomach and shocked when I read that report," said Beck, who now struggles to drive, fold the laundry, clean the dishes, or get deep sleep. "I am familiar with other things this hostile country does, and it just felt raw and unfair."

For the last four years, Beck, 57, has been trying to persuade the Labor Department to award him 75 percent of his salary, or about $110,000 a year.

But the Labor Department won't approve Beck's request without solid evidence that he was targeted. In Beck's case - short of obtaining proof from the hostile nation's spy service - he'd need the endorsement of the NSA, which has refused to provide it.

Glenn Gerstell, the NSA's general counsel, said the agency has not found any proof that Beck or his co-worker were attacked. Absent evidence, the NSA can't tell the Labor Department whether it agrees or disagrees with Beck's claim, he said.

"We have tremendous sympathy for him, and we'd like to try and help him. But we can't manufacture evidence," Gerstell said. "If the Department of Labor asked us, 'Do you think this is a possibility?' then that would be different. But they didn't ask that."

A Labor Department spokesperson said the agency does not comment on active cases.

"This is not your average workers' compensation claim case, like someone falling while they were working on the roof of a government building," said Mark Zaid, Beck's attorney, who has represented spy agency employees for decades. "How often is it that a foreign government attacks a federal employee with devastating microwaves?"

Working overseas can be dangerous for U.S. intelligence and diplomatic personnel. The State Department said in September that it was pulling most of its staffers back from Cuba, after revelations about a series of mysterious attacks that injured 24 Americans stationed in the country. The Americans complained about numerous symptoms, including hearing loss, dizziness, headaches, even cognitive issues. Cuba has denied responsibility. The ordeal has led to speculation that the Americans were victims of a sonic or acoustic attack.

Beck, a former Secret Service officer who joined the NSA in 1987, was accustomed to working in hostile terrain. He made sure that U.S. facilities around the world could protect intelligence in physical spaces known as "sensitive compartmented information facilities," or SCIFs.

In 1996, Beck and his colleague, Charles W. Gubete, were sent to a foreign nation to assess an American facility's safeguards for classified information. He can't say exactly where, not even which hemisphere. The NSA's presence in the country is secret, the agency told the Labor Department.

When they arrived, Beck said, a soldier detained them in a small conference room at the airport but didn't explain why, and then released them after about two hours. Beck said he and Gubete didn't identify themselves as NSA employees.

Afterward, Beck said their translator intimated that the host country had been observing them. The two men stayed for about a week in side-by-side hotel rooms. Beck can't divulge much about what they did, he said, "But we found something very important to the focus of our mission, something threatening near the building."

A decade later, the right side of Beck's body began to deaden.

His right arm didn't swing normally while he walked. His right hand stiffened, so he typed with his left. Then his right leg started to drag. He felt like he was always about to slip on his office's polished stone floors.

At the time, Beck, his wife, Rita, and two children were living outside London, while he worked at the NSA's British counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters.

The brain scan revealing young-onset Parkinson's was a shock. Only 10 to 20 percent of those diagnosed with the illness are younger than 50.

Beck was put on standard Parkinson's medication, called dopamine agonists, that helped restore his body movement. As his three-year tour in Britain wrapped up, he was offered a fourth year, and accepted.

Beck was well-regarded. He'd received a personal note of thanks from then-FBI director Robert S. Mueller III for helping catch Brian P. Regan, a retired Air Force master sergeant who tried to hawk classified material to China, Libya and Iraq for $13 million.

But even as the medication reduced many of his symptoms, Beck learned that Gubete, his travel partner, had also been diagnosed with Parkinson's. He thought back to their trip in 1996 and wondered whether their ailments shared a link.

Then, in 2012, Beck and others were emailed the intelligence that convinced him there was a link.

Over lunch, he shared his suspicions with Gubete, who by then was retired and no longer held a security clearance. So Beck couldn't tell him much about the intelligence. Gubete, who lived in Laurel, Maryland, died a year later, though the cause remains unknown. He was 61.

Parkinson's ran in Gubete's family. His mother and great-grandmother had it, according to Gubete's sister, Carol Owens, who lives in Pennsylvania.

Beck's doctor, Paul Fishman, a professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in an interview that since Gubete's relatives had Parkinson's, it is far less likely the alleged microwave attack led to his diagnosis. And he wasn't sure it had a connection to Beck's.

Still, Fishman maintained it was possible that the microwave weapon could have helped cause both men's neurological damage.

"There are genes that raise your risk for Parkinson's, but it's not 100 percent that people who carry those genes get Parkinson's," Fishman said. "It's well-established that two causal factors can add together."

The exact cause of Parkinson's is unknown, but genetics and exposure to environmental elements - pesticides and other toxic chemicals - can increase someone's risk. Military veterans with Parkinson's who were exposed to Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant the U.S. deployed during the Vietnam War, may be eligible for disability benefits.

But David Standaert, chairman of the American Parkinson Disease Association's scientific advisory board, said he doesn't know of any published literature linking high-energy microwave rays and Parkinson's.

Beck began exploring a workers' compensation claim in 2012. At that point, six years into his diagnosis, Beck was getting tired much more easily and his dexterity was diminishing. He filed the claim in 2013.

As the Labor Department gathered evidence, the NSA never commented on whether it agreed with Beck's allegation that his Parkinson's was connected to his 1996 trip overseas, according to the case's records.

Beck gave the Labor Department an unclassified version of the intelligence he'd read: an NSA statement saying that the hostile country's weapon "may have the ability to weaken, intimidate, or kill an enemy over time and without leaving evidence" and that it is designed to cause "numerous physical effects, including a damaged nervous system."

Beck also submitted a paper by an NSA counterintelligence agent declaring that the attack against Beck was "highly probable."

But the NSA refused to allow Beck's attorney, Mark Zaid, to review the classified information, although Zaid holds the highest level security clearance for his cases.

"Not only did the NSA refuse to help Mike, they also obstructed my ability to help him," Zaid said.

Gerstell, the NSA general counsel, said that not even the classified information proves Beck's allegation that his Parkinson's is work-related.

In September 2014, the Labor Department rejected his claim, citing the absence of the NSA's endorsement.

Beck felt deflated. He was inching toward three decades of service at the NSA.

"I felt frustrated and confused as to why the agency didn't respond," said Beck, who is appealing the case. "There were no limitations on what the NSA could have said. They could have said it was possible."

Last year, Beck tried to win the NSA's endorsement by arranging a meeting with several high-ranking officials and a senior counterintelligence official from "a sister agency" who is an expert on the hostile nation's spy service.

"At the briefing, the sister agency officer gave a technical summary of the things the host country does to people that could harm them seriously," said Beck, who can't fully describe the meeting because it was classified. "Afterwards, he sent me an email saying it was a 'no brainer' that this attack happened to me."

The NSA declined to discuss the briefing.

But the agency's director of security and counterintelligence, Kemp Ensor, emailed the NSA's then-chief of staff in August 2016 saying that he agreed that Beck's injuries were work-related - and that the NSA should convey his opinion to the Labor Department, Beck said.

Zaid, Beck's attorney, said he asked the NSA to hand over Ensor's email to the Labor Department. But Zaid said the NSA rejected that request because it viewed the email as a personal opinion - not the official agency stance.

The NSA declined to make Ensor available for an interview, nor would it show The Washington Post his email, saying that "it contains classified information and equities of other intelligence community partners which would be inappropriate for us to discuss."

Beck retired last December after nearly 30 years at the NSA. He was entitled to a ceremony at NSA headquarters with a military color guard. Instead, he opted for cake in his Maryland office and, during his speech, joked that he felt like he had a career lifted from the pages of a Tom Clancy novel. Except for a few friends and his bosses, hardly anyone knew of his unresolved battle with the agency.

After work, he and several dozen colleagues headed to the Rams Head, a favorite NSA haunt, where one longtime official approached him.

"It was a senior executive at the NSA. We couldn't talk much because we weren't in a secure facility," Beck said, "He said to me, in his opinion, that my injury was work-related."
President Donald Trump led an aggressive charge Monday on behalf of embattled Senate nominee Roy Moore, with the Republican National Committee rejoining Moore's side in Alabama weeks after cutting ties with him following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Before dawn, Trump took to Twitter to declare his strongest support yet for Moore. By day's end, the RNC was back in his corner and America First Action, a pro-Trump group, said it would spend $1.1 million to try to push Moore across the finish line.

Senate Republican leaders, however, remained critical of Moore, warning that the former judge is likely to face an immediate ethics probe if he is elected next week.

The divergent attitudes toward Moore, who has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward teenage girls when he was in his 30s, underscored how polarizing a figure he would be among his party's national leaders if he wins the Dec. 12 special election.

Even if Moore is largely ostracized by his Senate colleagues, the support of the president could make him an influential figure in Washington - a point he appeared determined to emphasize on Monday.

"I look forward to fighting alongside the President to #MAGA!" Moore wrote on Twitter, using the acronym for Trump's signature campaign theme, "Make America Great Again."

Trump and Senate Republicans have already started pondering Moore's place in the party if he gets past Democrat Doug Jones in a contest that recent polling shows is neck and neck. The president wrote on Twitter on Monday that the united Democratic opposition to the GOP's sweeping tax plan showed "why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama."

"We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!" Trump wrote.

Trump's message went further than his previous remarks about the race, in which he has bashed Jones but stopped just short of advocating for Moore.

The president placed a call to Moore on Monday morning, and the Senate nominee proudly trumpeted it in his own tweet.

"'Go get 'em, Roy!' - President Trump," Moore tweeted.

Trump's message came on the same day that the RNC reversed itself and returned to Alabama to support Moore, less than three weeks after pulling out of a joint fundraising agreement with his campaign. An RNC official with knowledge of the plans, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the re-engagement. The committee did not immediately issue any public statements announcing the move.

On Capitol Hill, the reception remained frostier - although a shift in tone appeared underway among senators, too. Sen. John Cornyn, Texas, the second-ranking Republican senator, said Monday that he favors a congressional ethics probe into the allegations facing Moore if he is elected.

But Cornyn also hinted that if Moore wins, he would be a factor in the Senate and cannot be ignored.

"None of us get to vote on who's the senator from Alabama. Just Alabama voters do. So I think we have to respect their decision - whatever it is," he said.

That statement contrasted with a drumbeat among GOP senators for Moore to end his campaign just after The Washington Post reported the first allegations.

Led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Republicans also explored ways to try to elect another GOP candidate, either through a write-in campaign or a postponed election. But neither option proved feasible, as local Republicans rallied around Moore and the White House refused to intervene.

Since then, McConnell and his top deputies have taken a more hands-off approach to the race. Like Cornyn did on Monday, McConnell said in weekend television interviews that the outcome was in Alabama's hands.

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Trump has been ramping up his involvement in the race. After staying relatively quiet in the immediate aftermath of the allegations, the president has steadily grown warmer toward Moore.

Before endorsing Moore on Monday morning, Trump had spoken at length about the Alabama race with his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, according to a person familiar with the conversation granted anonymity to describe private talks. Bannon was scheduled to appear at a Moore rally Tuesday afternoon in Fairhope, Alabama.

Trump will travel to the same media market on Friday, just over the border in Pensacola, Florida, where he could encourage Alabamians to turn out for Moore.

One senior White House official said Trump jumped in for a few reasons: because aides convinced him that his support could push Moore to victory, because he would probably take part of the blame if Moore lost and because he didn't like the idea of backing Moore less than full-throatedly.

The race has exposed some tensions between RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and the White House, White House officials and advisers said. After Trump returned from Asia, he began expressing frustrations that the RNC backed away - even though he was apprised of the decision at the time.

McDaniel, according to one person close to her, felt boxed in and feels like the episode has been a bit of an embarrassment. She also wanted to quickly show the president that the RNC was loyal.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has been frustrated with the Alabama race and did not want the president to dive back in with a full endorsement, these officials said. His argument was one of practicality - that the White House didn't need to bother itself with the race and let that "become the focus," one of the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.

But Trump was shown polls in recent days that were positive for Moore and he became convinced that he would take some of the blame if Moore lost. Trump made the call that the White House should put the RNC behind Moore.

For those around Bannon, Trump's decision to embrace Moore less than a month after the RNC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee pulled out of the campaign is a victory in their fight against McConnell. Bannon is expected to once again mention McConnell in his remarks Tuesday night.

"This is a total embarrassment for Mitch McConnell, who put all of his political capital on the line to deliver this Senate seat to a liberal Democrat completely opposed to the Trump agenda," said Andy Surabian, a confidant of Bannon who serves as senior adviser to the Great America Alliance, a pro-Trump advocacy group.

McConnell's allies continue to view the aggressive defense of Moore mounted by Bannon as a warning sign for the rest of the party.

"You have this unbelievable contrast between on the one hand cash cows like Matt Lauer being shown the door, and on the other hand you have Steve Bannon sending down people to dig up dirt on women who come forward with serious and credible allegations," said Steven Law, a McConnell ally who runs the Senate Leadership Fund, which campaigned against Moore in the primary.

If Moore wins and is seated, he could face immediate scrutiny from the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, a normally secretive panel of three Republicans and three Democrats.

The panel, which has said it is looking into allegations of sexual misconduct against Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., could look into the accusations confronting Moore and determine their validity and whether they merit punishment such as a censure, or, in the most severe case, a vote in the full Senate over whether Moore should be expelled.

Rob Walker, a former chief counsel and staff director of the Senate and House Ethics panels, predicted the process could take three months or more.

Expelling a senator is very rare and would require the approval of two-thirds of the Senate. An actual vote hasn't happened since 1862.

A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll showed that 50 percent of likely Alabama voters support Jones and 47 percent back Moore, which is within the margin of error. On Monday, both candidates sought to shore up their support.

After a campaign event in his home town of Fairfield, Ala., Jones, who is trying to win over Republicans considering crossing party lines over the Moore allegations, parried questions about the Trump endorsement by saying he'd ignore "people calling me names" and focus on his own race.

"We're talking about issues. We're meeting people. We're talking to the media," Jones said. "Roy Moore is nowhere to be seen."

Asked if he would have supported the tax bill that passed the Senate last week, Jones said it would "blow up the deficit" and that there hadn't been enough bipartisan work to fix it.

Jones also attacked Bannon.

"President Trump ran Steve Bannon out of the White House because of his politics of division," said Jones. "It has no place in this state."

Should he win, Moore is expected to complicate McConnell's job of trying to keep Senate Republicans in line. He has openly criticized the GOP leader throughout his campaign.

Moore has also called the long-standing practice of requiring 60 votes for most legislation to pass the Senate "unconstitutional," and he has vowed to fight it if elected.

He also calls abortion a violation of the Constitution and has promised not to vote for a budget that would send any federal dollars to Planned Parenthood.

"I think I could help with the Judiciary Committee, because I do understand the Constitution," Moore said in an interview with One America News Network over the weekend that was broadcast Monday. "I do understand what judges do when they put themselves above the Constitution."

Even among a small group of conservative senators known for bucking McConnell, including Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Moore could have trouble fitting in.

"Sen. Lee has unendorsed Judge Moore and called for him to step out of the race. Nothing has changed. Anything new on the issue would be premature at this point," Lee spokesman Conn Carroll said Monday.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and a potential Senate contender in Utah next year, wrote on Twitter that Moore becoming a senator "would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation."

Moore retorted that Romney had either "lost his courage or he doesn't care about truth anymore."

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., who said he has already voted by write-in absentee ballot for an unidentified "distinguished Republican" who is not Moore, said in an interview Monday that he fears Moore's political style would not serve his state or the nation well.

"I think that he's thrived on controversy, and I don't believe anybody can thrive on controversy forever and not get burned up by it," Shelby said.

He added, "I don't believe that Roy Moore, if he was elected to the Senate, and he might be, would work in the Senate - I don't mean to go along to get along, I'm talking about to build the nation, build the state, at least as a lot of people believe we ought to do."

---

Weigel reported from Montgomery, Ala. Josh Dawsey in Salt Lake City and Philip Rucker in Washington contributed to this report.
Joe Eleby Jr. managed to find his two oldest grandchildren in the smoke-filled duplex and carried them down the stairway to safety.

But his ordeal late Sunday night was not over, as he realized a third grandchild - a 2-year old boy - was still in the burning upstairs unit.

"I picked up the two big ones, I got them out and I was like, where's Eli?" recalled Eleby on Monday night, after being released from a Houston hospital where he was treated for burns. "He was on the bed with me, but somehow..."

So Eleby, 50, in his bare feet went back up the stairs. He turned on the lights to the apartment, but the smoke was so thick he could not see. He heard Eli crying, and broke a door to get some smoke out of the upstairs apartment so he could find the little boy.

He found his toddler grandson lying on the floor in the corner of the bedroom, the flames moving close.

"I had to walk on the fire with bare feet to get him out of the corner," Eleby recalled. "He was smart enough to lay down. I heard him crying, I felt for him, I snatched him up and ran out."

Eleby downplayed the notion that he's a hero after saving the 3 children, his granddaughter, 8, and grandsons, 3 and 2. "I think any parent would've done the same thing in that situation," he said. "I'm not a hero. But I did what I had to do, to try to make sure they were safe. I didn't even think to run through the fire or not. It was pure adrenaline and instinct. That's my grand baby, and I've got to go."

The grandfather, who takes care of his daughter's three children while she works the night shift, is now staying with friends and Monday was taking stock of what could have been a family tragedy. The fire consumed everything they had.

"He's a brave soldier. He's very smart, because he was low, and the fire had him engulfed on one side," Eleby said of youngest grandson.

The fire broke out on the 3800 block of Lila Street at Ralston just north of the Fifth Ward about 10:50 p.m. Sunday, according to the Houston Fire Department.

At around 11 p.m., neighbor Bobby Rigby woke up to hear shouts about a fire. He could hear the crackle of breaking glass too, and could smell the unmistakable scent of thick smoke. Shepherding his fiance and his roommate out of the apartment, Rigby looked up to see flames bursting through the upper floor windows, coming from the unit above his.

Then he remembered the kids. Three lived upstairs.

Before Rigby could think any further, he turned to find his second-floor neighbor, Joe, standing by the curb, holding the youngest two in his arms with his 8-year-old granddaughter by his side.

"He was all about the kids," Rigby said. "Anybody's who's willing to take their life in their hands and rescue somebody, especially their grand-babies, that's an A-plus for me. He's definitely a hero."

The children was treated for smoke inhalation, and Joe hopes they will be okay.

"They're doing fine. One has diarrhea, and the other one's been throwing up a lot," he said late Monday. "They gave them some medication to try to stop the nausea, but they're be all right for a little bit."

The neighbor, Rigby, said the Red Cross was helping residents whose belongings were destroyed.

In the upstairs where Eleby and his daughter lived, the walls were charred black, the roof was cratered and the furniture appeared like antiques out of a horror movie.

"It's like I was telling my fiance last night, I said, all this stuff can be replaced," Rigby said. "All of it. Documents, all of it. But life cannot be replaced."

HFD spokesman Mario Gallegos said HFD is investigating the cause of the fire, though Rigby said firefighters on scene noted to him that one possible cause was an electric heater.
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Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff, on probation since March in a 2016 driving-while-intoxicated incident, will continue to be monitored after failing a court-ordered drug test.

Wolff recalled being surprised when his probation officer informed him of the positive test during an October meeting.

Ive done everything thats been asked of me, and I have not been drinking and wont, he said. Ill continue to do what is asked of me.

In March, the Republican pleaded no contest to a driving-while-intoxicated charge and accepted a years probation and a breath monitor, which was required to be used for six months.

RELATED: Video shows Kevin Wolff in underwear stumbling, falling over during Whataburger DWI arrest

A supplemental report issued to the court Monday by Wolffs probation officer indicates that since his sentencing, Wolff has not had any blow violations, but has had 24 skipped tests between May 17 and June 17 of this year. He had been allowed by the court during that time to travel and had been told to take the portable alcohol monitoring device and continue compliance, though Wolff, at some point, said that the unit wouldnt function properly.

Wolffs drug tests in April, May and June tested negative; however, he then tested positive for alcohol and benzodiazepine on his urinalysis in August, the report states.

The defendant has prescribed medication for his benzodiazepine and is under psychiatric care, but denied alcohol use when CSO (community supervision officer) confronted him about it at his October visit, the report states.

Because he had completed his DWI classes, community services and paid his fees, Wolff had been placed on reporting every other month at the August visit, but when his urinalysis came back positive, he was placed back on monthly reporting, and use of the mobile testing unit was extended until Jan. 2, the report states.

Wolff said hes not sure what led to the result, but he has an idea of what might have happened.

MORE: Kevin Wolff pleads 'no contest' to DWI charge

During his urinalysis test in August, Wolff said he had not produced enough of a sample to match the required amount. Wolff offered to retake the test the next day, but the attendant told him his first sample might work.

I tell the guy, I guess Ill come back tomorrow, Wolff said. And he goes, well, maybe this will test, lets see. And so he sends it off. I dont think anything of it.

Two months later, Wolff said his probation officer informed him of the test result.

She immediately tells me, you violated on your last urinalysis, Wolff said. And Im like, What are you talking about? She goes, Yeah, your last urinalysis came back positive. I said thats not possible. And she immediately got defensive and said, Well, the test doesnt lie.

Wolff said he was not happy that it took two months to hear about the positive test, which hes never seen.

Bexar County District Attorney Nicholas Nico LaHood said Wolff could face jail time if it is determined that the failed test is considered a parole violation.

Any defendant who violates the terms of their probation could have their probation revoked and they would have to serve their jail sentence, LaHood stated in a text message. Alternatively, the court could continue the defendant on probation and impose a jail sanction as a condition of continued probation.

J. Charles Bunk, Wolffs attorney, said if the allegation that his client was drinking is proven, it could be a violation. But he echoed Wolffs denial, saying the commissioner did not consume alcohol in August.

Wolff said hes unsure whether he can challenge the test results, but might consider doing so if its an option. According to Wolff, he passed his breath monitor test around 6 a.m. the day of the urinalysis test, then took the test a few hours later  a window during which it would make little sense to be drinking.

The commissioner said hes never failed a breath monitoring test, which hes required to take during designated windows three times a day, seven days a week. Many of the skipped tests in May and June resulted from a trip to China, Wolff said, where he and his wife, Sandi, visited their daughter for her 20th birthday. Wolff said the monitor failed to transmit his results, noting he was in remote areas of the country.

Wolffs DWI troubles began on July 31, 2016, when he was arrested around 3 a.m. after twice rear-ending a car in a Whataburger drive-thru. He told authorities at the time that he drank cocktails made of vodka with peach tea, and also took three prescription drugs, including the sleep aid Ambien.

As part of the plea agreement, the DAs Office lessened the charge from a Class A misdemeanor. Wolff was sentenced by County Court-at-law Judge Jason Garrahan to a 180-day jail term, which was probated for a year, and fined $650.

Serving as Precinct 3 commissioner since 2008, Wolff announced in early November he would not seek the U.S. District 21 seat being vacated by Rep. Lamar Smith, a seat he said hed had his eye on for years.

ezavala@express-news.net | jscherer@express-news.net
When Hollywood brings Mexicanos to the big screen, it often misses by a long shot.

Have you ever watched a Mexican character go from Mexicano to No Longer Credible in the blink of an eye because the actor is Latino but not Mexicano, and has never even met a Mexicano? Maybe the accent is wrong. Or maybe the one-liner, gesto or dicho no mas no jala. Considering how many Mexicans live and work in Hollywood, thats just dumb.

Its not as if they cant find a Mexicano or a Mexicana to weigh in. When Hollywood gets it wrong, its just another way of letting us know they didnt really try, because they really think were not sophisticated enough to know the difference. Or, peor tantito, they dont care that we do.

Thats not the case with Disney/Pixars Coco. As far as Mexicanos are concerned, this movie gets everything right because, guess who was involved? Mexicanos. As a result, the monitos look like us and talk like us; the music sounds like the music we grew up with, and the scenes of old peliculas del Cine de Oro are familiar to anybody who has ever been told to sit in front of the TV with mom and get to know Pedro Infante.

Best of all, it understands the way we are. The movie rests on the relationship between a 12-year-old boy and his family. Its about wanting something that doesnt work for the role everyone else has planned for you. Its about following your heart and breaking theirs. Its about the importance of putting your family first.

A lot of us know all about that. We know about the goals our parents have for us, about avoiding situations that would disappoint them and about wishing things were easier to explain. Its the reason a lot of us dont apply to colleges and universities far away from home. Its the reason we dont even smile at that one person we know we could love, but who isnt going to fit in at the Sunday carne asada. Its the reason we dont apply for those jobs that are going to take us to the other side of the world.

But its also the love that keeps us going despite all the missed opportunities. Its about the support that bridges impossible gaps. Its about the web of Si Se Puede that works miracles.

Coco really gets us. Ya era tiempo, que no?

mariaanglinwrites@gmail.com
The Texas Attorney General's Human Trafficking Unit arrested a 48-year-old Uvalde man after investigators said he paid to have sex with a 15-year-old girl.

Domingo Gonzalez was arrested on a warrant for compelling prostitution in Bexar County, officials said.
WASHINGTON  Texas Republican Kevin Brady was appointed Monday to chair to a key panel to hash out differences between House and Senate versions of the GOP tax bill likely headed for President Donald Trump's signature by the end of the year.

Although both the House and Senate have now passed major bills focused on reducing the tax burden on corporations and wealthy individuals, the two versions differ on important details, including how long promised middle-class and individual tax breaks would stay in effect.

The final product, bitterly opposed by Democrats, has been hailed by Republicans as a historic victory and the signature achievement of Trump's first year in office.

Brady, as chairman of the tax writing Ways and Means Committee, was the GOP point man on the House version of the bill. Congressional aides said Monday he was expected to help form the House delegation that will negotiate with the Senate, which passed its own bill early Saturday morning by a vote of 51-49.

Brady, of The Woodlands, called the Senate passage a "major step forward for tax reform and the American people."

But, he added, there's more work to be done.

"Now it's time to take the best of both the House and Senate bills, make them even stronger in a conference committee, and finalize one piece of legislation that will dramatically improve the lives of Americans for generations to come," he said. "This is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver on our tax reform promise. I'm excited to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate on a plan we can send to President Trump this year."

Congressional aides have said they expect the conference report to be concluded by the end of the week, setting up another round of votes in the House and the Senate, which each need to pass the final bill.

Along the way, they will have to reconcile some substantial differences, though GOP leaders have said they don't consider any of them insurmountable.

For example, the Senate bill sunsets tax breaks for individuals in 2025. Brady's House bill makes its individual tax cuts permanent. The corporate rate, meanwhile, would remain permanent in both bills.

The Senate bill also maintains the current mortgage interest deduction of $1 million. The House bill cut it in half to loans of up to $500,000.

Both bills lower tax rates across the board, while taking away many popular personal exemptions and deductions for state and local sales taxes. But in a significant compromise, both chambers would allow a deduction for up to $10,000 in property taxes.

This is important to Republicans from high tax states such as New Jersey, New York and California. On the other hand, many conservatives from lower-tax southern states support removing the deduction, which they say subsidizes the local taxes of high tax states.

Another significant difference is on the corporate side of the tax code. The Senate bill enacts a new 20 percent corporate rate  down from 35 percent  in 2019. The House bill enacts the 20 percent corporate rate in 2018.

Complicating the negotiations on corporate taxes has been Trump's suggestion that the rate could be set a little higher, at 22 percent.

Another potential sticking point is how the two tax bills structure taxes for so-called pass-through businesses, whose owners generally pay taxes as individuals.

For individuals, the Senate bill would repeal Obamacare's individual mandate requiring virtually everyone to buy health insurance or pay a tax. The House bill does not include this provision.

For the super-wealthy, the House bill repeals the estate tax by 2024. The Senate bill doubles the exemption on the estate tax, allowing tax-free inheritances of up to $11 million.

For the merely well-off, the House bill would repeal the alternative minimum tax. The Senate bill kept it.

Democrats have maintained a unified front against the tax cuts, which they call a deficit-funded giveaway to the rich. Republicans argue that the benefits will accrue to all income levels, if not directly through lower taxes, than through the spark to the economy that they say will largely or entirely offset lost revenues.

That has been Brady's contention. In any case, Democrats have been largely written out of the process, with Republicans choosing to pass the bill under a special fiscal provision that gets around a possible Senate filibuster.
AUSTIN  Senate leaders warned Tuesday that Hurricane Harvey could put a billion-dollar hole in Texas' budget, a growing number that could affect how much money is available for other state programs.

"Our state costs are escalating," Senate Finance Committee Chair Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, told her committee at a public hearing on the status of hurricane-recovery efforts. "We need to be judicious" in how state money continues to be spent.

Noting that only $20 million remains in a state disaster-assistance fund, she added, "If we, God forbid, had another disaster in the next 18 months, where would we get the money?"

The Legislature will not convene in a regular session until January 2018.

Updated numbers provided to the committee on Tuesday show the state has spent more than $1.7 billion so far in state funds, along with billions in federal assistance. Legislative Budget Board officials said as much as $2 billion in additional state funds may be needed in 2019 to cover hurricane-related school costs.

The committee also grilled Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who is charge of housing relief programs, about growing complaints from storm victims about the slow pace of repairs and temporary housing.

Their message: Speed things up.

Bush said 8,702 households have immediate needs, out of 890.000 Texans overall who have applied for federal disaster relief -- including housing assistance.

Bush said that $5 billion in assistance approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development may not arrive in Texas until the fall of 2018, a delay attributed to rules that must be written and approved in Washington.

State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, whose district was hard hit by Harvey, acknowledged that the road to recovery from the nation's most destructive storm "will be a long, long road."

Bush said that $1 billion in immediate state funding would allow temporary housing assistance to be speeded up. Those funds could be fully reimbursed later by the federal government, he said.

State Sen. Royce West D-Dallas, suggested those funds could be borrowed quickly from the state's Rainy Day Fund -- a savings account -- to expedite the housing recovery for thousands of Texans, some of whom are living in tents.

"So, we'd need to have a special (legislative) session" to approve that borrowing, West said, drawing silence from other committee members.

Gov. Greg Abbott has said he does not want to call a special session, and intends to allow state agencies to spend into their 2019 budgets to pay the storm bills, with repayment by the Legislature in 2019.

Nelson said the state's costs from Harvey are going to climb.

She reminded the committee: "This is going to be a long and costly recovery."
Unless Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the City Council act quickly, the now-iconic view of the Historic Hays Street Bridge  the one we have seen countless times on television and social mediawill be reserved for the exclusive enjoyment of people living in the upscale Bridge Apartments at 803 N. Cherry.

Soon thereafter, the bridge itself will be dominated by a private skywalk leading to a restaurant closed to all but affluent diners. This transformation of the bridge from public to private will be a result of the backroom favoritism and greed that has been business as usual in San Antonio and has recently made headlines for the Tricentennial Commission and Centro San Antonio.

The long struggle over the citys breach of contract with the Hays Street Bridge Restoration Group is just part of this sad story. The most shocking parts have not yet been reported. But Im jumping ahead in the story.

On Aug. 2, 2012, the City Council approved a very sweet sweetheart deal for Eugene Simor, the owner of Alamo Beer and widely known to be a close personal friend to the former mayor.

Trey Jacobson, former assistant to Mayor Phil Hardberger and current chief of staff for Mayor Nirenberg, represented Alamo Beer in negotiations with the city.

The deal provided that 803 N. Cherry would be sold to Alamo Beer for $295,000. Alamo Beer also would be given a cash grant in the amount of $295,000, to be funded from the sale of 803 N. Cherry.

In the real world, this is called a giveaway. In addition, Alamo Beer would be given three 10-year licenses to build a skywalk to the bridge, to put a private restaurant on the bridge, and to use the land under the bridge. For these, Alamo Beer would pay nothing. To cap the deal, Alamo Beer would be given an additional $499,000 of public money.

In July of 2014, a jury found that the Alamo Beer giveaway breached the citys 2002 contract with the Hays Street Bridge Restoration Group. In September 2014, a judge entered judgment against the city on the breach of contract claim and ordered that the city comply with the terms of the 2002 agreement.

Nevertheless, on Dec. 4, 2014, city staff told the City Council to reinstate the 2012 Alamo Beer Package, including 803 N. Cherry, because the land was still needed by the Alamo Beer Company for parking and ancillary facilities associated with the brewery operations.

Yet later that same day, an assistant city manager signed a deed transferring the land at 803 N. Cherry not to the Alamo Beer Company, as the City Council had been told earlier that day and as Council authorized, but to the Simor Texas Land Company LLC, a private company personally owned by Eugene Simor!

When asked about this, one city official remarked that the Simor Texas Land Company is affiliated with the Alamo Beer Company so the transfer was proper. This is ridiculous. They arent affiliated in any way. They are separate entities and the council was never told that the land would become part of his personal wealth.

On December 18, 2014, the Restoration Group filed a motion for contempt in the district court based on the City Councils reinstatement of the Alamo Beer Package; later that day, the city filed an appeal from the district courts judgment and order. The motion for contempt is still pending in the district court, awaiting further proceedings in the Texas Supreme Court.

This history reveals callous manipulation of the City Council, favoritism and public handouts to satisfy personal greed.

Is this the city we deserve?

Amy Kasteley is the attorney representing the Hays Street Bridge Restoration Group.
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The suspension of activities for all fraternity and sorority chapters at Texas State University following the recent death of a student at a fraternity party was an extreme but warranted measure given the circumstances.

Earlier this month, Matthew McKinley Ellis, 20, a sophomore business major from Humble, was the second student to die in 13 months at an off-campus fraternity gathering.

Law enforcement officials told the Austin American Statesman they will wait for an autopsy report and toxicology tests before making a final determination on a criminal case.

The investigation could take up to six weeks.

Ellis was pledging Texas States Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, which had been ordered a week prior by its national organization to cease social activities. This was due to an ongoing investigation by the university into the organization.

RELATED: TABC joins investigation into death of Texas State student after fraternity event

That investigation was launched in early October based on a complaint received on Sept. 21. University officials are not disclosing the nature of that investigation.

Last fall, the body of Texas State student Jordin Taylor, 20, a respiratory care freshman, was found outside a venue where a fraternity party had been held the night before.

She had been dragged at least 500 feet by a bus. Her body was not discovered for 12 hours.

Four Texas State fraternities were suspended following that tragedy.

Texas State University President Denise M. Trauth took the appropriate action following the latest incident by suspending the activities of all 31 fraternity and sorority chapters while the university conducts an investigation of the Greek system on campus.

Hazing and alcohol consumption at Greek parties are a continuing problem on college campuses across the country.

Earlier this month Florida State University suspended all Greek life activities on campuses following a students death.

A total of 17 Pennsylvania State University fraternity members are facing various charges including involuntary manslaughter in the February death of a student.

READ MORE: Their pledges dies  so should fraternities

Only a small percentage of students in any campus are members of fraternities and sororities. At Texas State only about 6 percent of the almost 39,000 students are enrolled in a Greek organization. Regrettably, however, these types of student activities are not limited to just members of certain organizations.

Universities must maintain strong zero tolerance policies when it comes to hazing, alcohol abuse and sexual harassment involving all students.
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!FEST Holding (Lviv), developing a network of creative restaurants and projects, will double the capacity for beer production to almost one million liters per year, head and co-owner of the company Andriy Khudo has said.

"The capacity of our brewery Theater of Beer Pravda in the Market Square (Rynok Square) in Lviv is 500-600 liters per year. We will double the figure by launching a new brewery in the territory of the former Halychsklo plant," he said.

According to him, in November the company began to use production capacity at the new site.

"Craft beer is a trend we caught a few years ago, the tradition of brewing development in the United States confirms it. Craft allows us to experiment with tastes. We do not pasteurize beer - it's "live," and we give a guarantee of one year for it," the expert said.

He said !FEST has started exporting Pravda beer in small batches to Britain, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and Belarus.

!FEST Holding was founded in 2007. In Ukraine, it develops a network of creative restaurants, coffee houses and other projects.
Ukraine and China celebrate the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and are reaching the new strategic level of cooperation, which envisages the implementation of joint projects for the total amount of near $7 billion, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

According to a report published on Tuesday, the relevant agreements were reached during a meeting of Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman and Vice Premier of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China Ma Kai. The meeting was held during the third session of the commission on bilateral cooperation between the governments of Ukraine and the People's Republic of China.

Groysman congratulated the meeting participants on the completion of important negotiations aimed at enhancing the comprehensive collaboration between the two states.

"China has been and still remains our strategic partner and our strategic priority. And today, we are opening up new opportunities for deepening our partnership and re-launching the implementation of joint projects and initiatives," Groysman said.

In response, Ma Kai said that China pays great attention to cooperation with Ukraine, both in the political sphere, as well as in trade and economy.

"We believe that we are united in this regard. Hence, we express readiness to encourage and boost our cooperation," Ma Kai said.

The parties said that China had demonstrated strong support for Ukraine and enters the top three trading partners of Ukraine. In the first nine months of 2017, trade turnover between the countries has increased by 14.5%, up to $5.6 billion. For its part, Kyiv is pursuing the chosen path of internal reforms aimed at leveraging investment from China into the agricultural sector, industry, banking, and joint implementation of large-scale logistics and infrastructure projects both of the continental, in particular the One Belt One Road initiative, and local significance.

Kyiv counts on the active participation of Chinese investors in the major privatization of Ukrainian assets. Groysman also said that the year of 2019 would be declared The Year of China in Ukraine.

"We will open up new opportunities for investment, including through the adoption of new legislation on privatization and concession. In doing so, we shall create a tool for raising capital in Ukraine. Moreover, we possess sufficient human resources and technology development opportunities, so we can talk about joining efforts to strengthen common positions in the world market," Groysman said.

"Ukraine reiterates its commitment to be a reliable partner in cross-border projects, primarily, in logistics domain. We are open to cooperation and elaboration of initiatives that would be included in the general strategy for the development of the aforesaid projects," he said.

The Vice Premier of the State Council of China welcomed the striving of Ukraine to actively engage in the implementation of international projects, as well as to create the most favorable business climate to bolster entrepreneurship development.

"For our part, we are keen on encouraging investments. Thus, it will contribute to the restoration of Ukraine's economy. So, we propose to step up our cooperation on the international project "One Belt One Road" and, in this context, we consider Ukraine as one of the logistics and industrial hubs on the way to the European Union. We also hope to resume work on our joint infrastructure projects. The spectrum of our interaction is not limited to the agricultural sector or the construction of infrastructure facilities. We are also interested in technological cooperation, the creation of industrial parks, and cooperation in the field of aircraft engineering, space exploration and energy," the Vice Premier of the State Council of China said.

The head of the Ukrainian government thanked the Chinese side for the proposals and assured that the potential of cooperation between the states is really significant.

"We are ready to work out different incentives and promote their implementation. There are plenty of plans, opportunities even more, so we must be responsible to address the tasks that we outlined", he said.

After the third session of the China-Ukraine intergovernmental commission on cooperation a number of documents were signed. Among them are an action plan on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Alternative Fuels between the State Agency for Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine and National Energy Administration of China, Program of Cultural Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China for 2018-2022, Agreement between the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China on cooperation in education area, Memorandum on cooperation in the field of health and medical science between the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China, The Program of Ukrainian-Chinese Investment Cooperation in the agro-industrial complex between the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, the Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China.

At present, the structure of Ukrainian exports to China is dominated by the supply of ore, slag and ash, fats and oils of animal or vegetable origin, cereals and other things. Total exports for the first nine months of this year amounted to $1.5 billion.

Since 2002, there have been signed 14 agreements between China and Ukraine, which stipulate the provision of free assistance to Kyiv. Its volume reached CNY 470 million (more than $70 million).

China is the second largest economy in the world after the United States, which has the world's largest growth of 6.7%. Total turnover of China is almost $3 trillion per annum, and the volume of foreign investments in the economies of third countries in 2016 amounted to $170 billion, the press service said.
The great Gold Rush Music Festival returns to the township of Waihi, with the first nuggets of gold dropping for the highly anticipated return of the 2023 festival.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Executive Director of General Electric Transportation Rafael Santana have discussed prospects for strategic cooperation in the field of modernization of Ukrainian railways.

"The parties noted interest in strengthening effective cooperation between Ukrzaliznytsia and General Electric Transportation, primarily in updating locomotives, in order to promote the development and modernization of Ukrainian railways in accordance with the best international standards," the press service of the Ukrainian president stated.

Poroshenko assured the GE Transportation official in readiness to promote mutually beneficial cooperation with General Electric Transportation, which is aimed at strengthening the transport, transit and export potential of Ukraine. In addition, the sides discussed the development of cooperation with the American side for a strategic perspective.

The parties noted that the existing positive climate in political relations between Ukraine and the United States, as well as progress in the reforms create a favorable ground for the active attracting of the leading American companies to Ukraine.
Kinapara Coulibaly, CEO of BNETD (National Office for Technical and Development Studies), explains what expertise and competitive advantage BNETD can bring to Ivory Coast, as well as other countries in Africa, and discusses why working with BNETD can be a win-win situation.

 BNETD has been working on infrastructure development projects for almost 40 years now. We have been able to develop technical expertise in Ivory Coast, where we are assisting the government. Today, we can bring this technical expertise to other African countries as well. Additionally, when we work in a foreign country, we bring some of our expertise, but we also use and work with local resources so that those resources can improve. In our opinion, working with BNETD can really be a win-win situation. In total, we have been working abroad for almost fifteen years, and, today, we have ongoing projects in Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Benin, Congo and Gabon , says Kinapara Coulibaly.
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir has called on Ukrainian authorities to do all they can to ensure the safe working environment for the employees of the NewsOne TV channel and its unimpeded operations.

"Obstructing access to the news channel's office is direct interference in its work and physical intimidation of media workers. It is an unacceptable situation and an attack on the freedom of the media which cannot be justified," the OSCE quoted Desir as saying in a statement on Monday.

Any pressure on media, not to mention their blockage, is unacceptable, he said.
On 26 November, national elections were held in Honduras. The election was divided into two camps: those who supported current President Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH), who is seeking re-election, and those who supported the candidate of the Alliance Against the Coup, Salvador Nasralla. The first block consists of the most reactionary forces that seek to maintain their privileges, starting with the National Party, the main political force of the oligarchy. The latter comprises the masses of workers, peasants, unemployed, students, housewives...who can no longer stand their exploitation, poverty, violence and lack of democracy and aspire to a profound change in society.

This Sunday, 3 December 2017, one of the largest demonstrations in the history of Honduras, comparable in magnitude to that of 5 July 2009, when the ousted president Manuel Zelaya tried to return to the country in the midst of the coup d'etat, which imposed Micheletti at the head of the country.

These elections were full of irregularities and were completely rigged to ensure the triumph of the National Party. There was vote buying and the ruling party was counting on widespread abstention amongst the people, but they came out massively to vote and defeated them. However, just a few hours after the closing of the polling stations, Juan Orlando Hernandez declared himself winner regardless of the opinion of the population.

Juan Orlando Hernandez (left) and Enrique Pena / Image: Presidencia de la Republica

All the state apparatus is at the service of the oligarchy but so far they have not managed to impose their candidate, due to the response of the masses. Ultimately the election will be decided in the struggle on the streets.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) had to initially recognize that Salvador Nasralla had a lead of around 5 percent in the count. On Wednesday 29 November, the computer system that was carrying out the count went down. The excuse given was that the hard drive was full, something ridiculous and unacceptable for an election that has cost millions of lempiras to Hondurans. When the system was restored, JOH appeared in the count as being ahead.

The Honduran people understood the trick and the response was a huge popular uprising that was not prepared or convened by any central organization, but by local groups and above all by the indignation of working people spurred to action. The response of the state was repression. It is a mockery that now they blame the opposition for "division and violence". The state has used tear gas against demonstrations, and in working-class neighborhoods, the population has been shot at and several people have been killed. This has not stopped the protests, which have covered every corner of this Central American country.

In response to this unstoppable revolutionary movement, Juan Orlando Hernandez decreed, on Wednesday night, a curfew during which people can not meet, demonstrate or even leave their homes between 6:00pm and 6:00am the following morning. Seeking to intimidate the protestors, the armed forces acted with particular brutality that night. The state arrested around 100 people, social networks showed images of the armed troops sadistically beating the population in the streets. A 19-year-old woman, Kimberly Fonseca, was killed after the military fired at the group she was with. The dramatic image of her body thrown in the street with a stream of blood coming out of her head is a scene that in itself shows us the true face of the supposed Honduran democracy.

The opposition candidate, Nasralla, is appealing to the OAS, the European Union and the US to correct the irregularities of the election. The opposition candidate comes from a party that cannot be considered left-wing, but he has been forced to address the problem of hunger facing the people, promising to solve it. Thus, Nasralla has become a bridge through which popular discontent has been expressed. The election has not been won thanks to Nasralla but despite him. People will demand the solution to their heartfelt demands if they manage to defeat the regime of the dictatorship. In a period of global capitalist crisis, we believe that it is only possible to solve the social problems of workers by openly confronting the capitalist system, putting the economic levers  now controlled by corrupt coup oligarchs and their imperialist allies  under the democratic control of the workers by establishing a planned economy. For this, it is necessary to organize a revolutionary tendency that fights within the mass movement and defends a socialist program based on workers' democracy.

Salvador Nasralla / Image: Byga99

Nasralla and the leadership of the Free Party have gone behind the backs of the people in the struggle. The only thing they organised was a rally the day after the election, against the Supreme Electoral Court, but the movement itself developed and acquired a national dimension, with hundreds of thousands of spontaneous actions of the population throughout the country. It was not until the curfew decreed by JOH that the directorate of Libre, through Manuel Zelaya, called for some actions: to challenge the curfew with cacerolazos [banging of pots and pans] in the barrios and a national march on Sunday 3 December.

The Honduran people found in the cacerolazo a way to manifest their discontent. The response was massive. There are those who compare what happened on Thursday night with the celebration of the new year, in terms of the amount of people in the streets and the amount of noise, which shows us the massive nature of this protest. The people responded to the violent coup by the oligarchs with militancy, defying the curfew in each working-class neighborhood of the country.

The weakness of the movement in its first stages has been its relative lack of central focus. Sunday's march was a point of unification and therefore it had a mass character. The demonstrations took place at the national level in the main cities and departments such as Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula or Choluteca. There might have been as many as 300,000 people in the streets (in a country with a population of about 9 million). It is clear that this struggle is bringing out new layers that did not intervene in 2009 (in the struggle against the coup). Among the people on the streets there is a growing defiance of the regime and a questioning of the capitalist system.

Embed from Getty Images

The individual can play a role in the story. Hernandez, in his obsession to maintain power, has accentuated the contradictions, even generating discontent in the very ranks of the National Party. He represents nothing but a decadent and unsustainable capitalist system run by a rotten regime, but he also has his own personal ambitions. The ruling class in Honduras is not capable of securing the minimum bourgeois democracy and every democratic conquest will have to be wrested by the struggle of workers and peasants in the streets.

Nasralla says that before the failure of the counting system, there was little more than 70 percent of the polling station records counted and he was 117,671 votes ahead. After the system crash, the records were digitized and counted in favor of JOH. To do this, new records were printed and recorded without a signature and new records were scanned from the offices of the National Party, which were then fed into the counting system. For the oligarchy democracy is simple: if the results do not favour you, change the results.

In the middle of the protests the TSE accepted to count the records with irregularities, which affect 1,006 of the 12,900 total polling station records. But the opposition demands that 5,179 records, which were added after the fall of the system, be counted, and has provided a full list of those. In addition, the opposition demands a repeat of the count in three departments where the level of voting was well above the average and the National Party won. These are Departments where fraud was concentrated. The opposition's demands are really limited in the midst of such a fraudulent and rigged election but the TSE is refusing to comply even with these elementary nods to democratic process.

After the huge mobilization on 3 December, the TSE rushed the count of 1,006 polling station records with irregularities, giving a slight advantage to JOH with 42.98 percent of the votes, while Nasralla got 41.39 percent. Neither the Alliance Against the Dictatorship nor the people will accept that result. They will fight for the recount of the total number of records they have pointed out as containing irregularities. The fight has already generated fissures in the state apparatus. The TSE magistrate, Marco Ramiro Lobo, has criticized the process and called for a recount of the 5,000 records. The state, due to the current strength of the mass movement, could try to lengthen the process in the midst of the challenges by betting that the movement will eventually wear out and decline.

The imperialists wants their trusted historical allies to rule Honduras, but their enormous loss of prestige casts doubt on whether they can keep things under control, especially after seeing the huge protests. The imperialists do not rule out, therefore, the possibility that Nasralla will come to power, and so are trying to tie his hands so that he is kept within safe limits. The OAS has requested that more than 5,000 records be recounted. But for them, even with all the moderation that Nasralla may have, this is not the most viable option. They fear the rank and file that is behind Nasralla and are not only fighting to get rid of JOH but also aspire to solve their pressing economic and social problems. The only guarantee of victory is that the workers and peasants, together with the rest of the people, force the regime of the dictatorship, and its imperialist masters, to retreat.

2009 Honduras demonstration / Image: Flickr, eduardoferreira

The masses determination to struggle has had an impact even amongst the ranks of the police. The state apparatus is starting to crack along class lines. In the capital Tegucigalpa, a unit of the Cobras riot police has mutinied, demanding higher wages and declaring that they are not prepared to attack the people. There have been threats from the military police to act against other police units. Police mutinies are spreading to other parts of the country and there have been instances of fraternisation with the people. Police officers are disobeying their commanders and putting their units in the hands of mid-rank officers.

The Honduran people have demonstrated their great revolutionary potential. Your struggle is an inspiration. You must trust in your own strength and no one else. The leadership of Libre has not issued a clear action plan for the following days. The action in the mind of the masses is a national strike in the following days. But what is needed is a real general strike, where the workplaces are taken and production is paralyzed, showing the power of the working-class. The leadership of Libre and the unions must organize the struggle in this way. The general strike is part of the revolutionary tradition of the Honduran proletariat: we must recover the legacy of the 1954 movement.



The general strike has to be organized on the basis of committees in the neighborhoods and in the workplaces, coordinated at the local, departmental and national levels with elected and recallable delegates. Such committees of struggle must also take the necessary measures of self-defense against the brutal, repressive offensive of the state.

Finally, the struggle for the defense of the election result must be closely linked to the struggle for work, trade union rights, housing, education and healthcare for all, and these demands can only be achieved through the expropriation of the five families of the capitalist oligarchy. These five families represent the core of that 3 percent of the population that controls 40 percent of the national production and keeps 70 percent of the population in poverty. Those five families are the ones behind the 2009 coup and the current attempt to rob the working people of their chosen electoral result, once again. The struggle for democratic rights is therefore inextricably linked to the struggle for the expropriation of the oligarchy.

The International Marxist Tendency expresses its full solidarity with the Honduran people. Your struggle is a shining example for us all, and the eyes of the most conscious workers of Latin America are turned towards you. A triumph of your movement would be an inspiration for the workers of the world and of all Latin America, and would have an immediate impact in the Central American region and Mexico, which will face in a few months a similar electoral scenario. The comrades of the IMT in Honduras are already participating, to the extent that our strength permits, in the mass movement.

We make a call for international solidarity and breaking the media blockade on what is happening in Honduras. The workers', youth and activist organizations of the world must organize pickets at Honduran embassies everywhere to demand the end of repression, and respect for the electoral result, in addition to denouncing governments and international organizations whose silence is an accomplice of the coup being prepared in Honduras.

The Honduran people deserve to live with dignity, with jobs, healthcare and decent education. If this battle is lost, the nightmare will continue. This is a decisive fight that can be won. The coup plotters do not want to leave power, we must force them to do so with the revolutionary action of the masses.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said that if the operation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at the State Migration Service of Ukraine was conducted jointly with the FBI, then this is a violation of the law.

"As I was informed, [NABU Director] Artem Sytnyk said in your studio that it was a joint operation by the NABU and the FBI. If he said this, then the question arises who authorized the operation of a foreign special service on Ukrainian territory," he said live on the 1+1 television channel late on Sunday, December 3.

He noted that FBI employees had been invited to Ukraine just once, after the murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet.

"A joint operation, as he [Sytnyk] says, is an absolutely illegal action without respective legal procedures," he said.

According to Lutsenko, he understands "Mr. Sytnyk's desire to cover up his problems, but to cover them with foreign partners is childishness."
SPRINGFIELD -- MGM Springfield, constructing a $960 million resort casino in the South End, has announced the hire of Springfield native Jose Delgado as its director of government affairs.

Delgado was employed most recently as a pre-admissions adviser and recruitment coordinator for the University Without Walls, a program of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Previously, he worked as a mayoral aide for Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. .

MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis Tuesday said he was delighted to announce the appointment of Delgado as part of the casino's growing operations team.

"His abundance of local government and community experience and deep understanding of Springfield's rich heritage makes him a welcome addition to our team," Mathis said.

Delgado will manage relationships with state and local elected and administrative officials, represent MGM Springfield's legislative agenda in Massachusetts, and build and maintain relations with host communities, and important community stakeholders, MGM said.

"It's a privilege to be joining the passionate and talented MGM Springfield team," Delgado said. "I am excited to take on this role during such an important time for both MGM and for Springfield. As a Springfield native, I look forward to playing a role in MGM's efforts to enhance the positive impacts of the company's programs in our community."

Under the University Without Walls program, Delgado was involved in promoting outreach efforts in the Springfield area and statewide, working with area organizations, community colleges and businesses, developing partnerships and providing pre-admissions advice to prospective students, the MGM release said.

Delgado is a graduate of Westfield State University, where he holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communication. He currently attends UMass-Amherst and expects to receive a Master's in Business Administration from the Isenberg School of Management in February 2018.

Delgado currently serves as vice-chairman of the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Committee. In the past he has volunteered his time on many local boards and committees, including as a board member of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and a founding member of Suit Up Springfield, the MGM releaase said.

The casino is scheduled to open in September of 2018.
A national home-health care agency that operates out of several locations in Massachusetts including Springfield has agreed to pay a $14 million settlement to end charges that it was paid for improper claims filed with MassHealth.

The settlement between Centrus Premium Home Care Inc. and the state of Massachusetts was announced Tuesday by state Attorney General Maura Healey.

Centrus operates in Massachusetts as Maxim Healthcare Services Inc., and operates from 6 locations in Massachusetts: Springfield, Worcester, Taunton, Needham, Plymouth and Wilmington.

According to Healey, the company billed MassHealth for services that were not eligible under state regulations for reimbursement.

"Home health agencies must be diligent in their billing practices to preserve the integrity of this program, which provides critical health care services to low-income individuals across our state," she said.

MassHealth was alerted to the problem last fall when Maxim submitted disclosure for over-payment and sought reimbursement. The disclosure revealed that claims were improperly submitted but were paid anyway for home health aide services that were not necessary.

MassHealth contacted the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Division in January 2017 regarding the matter, and it launched an investigation., Healey said.

The investigation found that between March 2010 and October of last year, Maxim submitted and received payment for nearly 95,000 claims for services that were not covered per MassHealth regulations.

The settlement requires Maxim to pay $14,264,803 to MassHealth. The company is also required to provide annual written certification to the Attorney General's Office of Compliance, and to provide training to all billing employees for proper procedures.
EAST LONGMEADOW -- The East Longmeadow Planning Board tonight will resume a public hearing on a proposed zoning bylaw that would limit the locations in town where "adult use" establishments can operate.

The bylaw was proposed last month in response to plans by the owners of a Greenfield sex toy and lingerie store to open a storefront at 173B Shaker Road in East Longmeadow.

Residents have expressed concerns about problems they believe an Adam and Eve store would bring to the community, from an influx of similar business to an uptick in sex offenders seeking out the town.

Adam and Eve managers say that while they understand some residents' apprehension over the shop, those concerns are unfounded.

Establishments targeted by the proposed bylaw would include adult bookstores, theaters and other businesses for which sex-related products or content are a main draw. The latest iteration of the proposal would prohibit such businesses from setting up shop within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and places of worship, or 500 feet from residences.

The Supreme Court has ruled that municipalities cannot ban adult bookstores, sex shops or other establishments, citing the First Amendment. However, according to the First Amendment Center, courts have also held that cities and towns may regulate some facets of adult businesses to mitigate "secondary effects" such as increased crime and diminished real estate values.

At a Nov. 7 meeting on the bylaw, resident Phil LaRosa asked whether the town can impose an age limit on customers who patronize stores that sell sex-related products.

"My concern is the people who walk in there and think they're adults," LaRosa said, suggesting that maybe they should raise the minimum age from 18 to 21.

Kingston told LaRosa age limits are beyond the purview of a zoning bylaw amendment.

When the subject came up again at a Nov. 21 meeting, residents were, again supportive of limiting the spaces available to adult-use businesses as much as possible.

At that meeting, East Longmeadow resident Barbara Donahue said she feared one adult-use shop opening will encourage others to seek out East Longmeadow as a location.

"When I heard about this... I was shocked that we would even consider putting this... in center of town," Donahue said. "We need to build this town up... we have kids here, we came here for a reason."

At that meeting, town resident Mark Seuss, who identified himself as a former corrections officer with a 4-year-old daughter, said he believes a sex shop in East Longmeadow would attract sex offenders.

"If you build it they will come," Seuss said to the Planning Board. "If we're the only place around with that kind of store, they will come."

Adam and Eve manager A.J. Johnson has said she understands why residents may be concerned but said the store is operated responsibly, with strict ID rules that require each person who enters to prove he or she is at least 18. She added that the store has a good relationship with Greenfield law enforcement and the local business community.

The number of sex shops in Western Massachusetts has dwindled over the past two decades. Bookends, an adult store near the Longmeadow border, has operated in Enfield, Connecticut for years.

In an interview last week, East Longmeadow Planning Board Chairman George Kingston said he doesn't know when the Planning Board will settle on a version of the bylaw to bring before the Town Council for approval, he said they do agree adult use establishments should be regulated.

Tuesday's hearing is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. during the Planning Board meeting in the School Committee room at East Longmeadow High School, 180 Maple St., according to the meeting's agenda. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.
New England's largest energy company is now the owner of New England's largest private water company.

Eversource Energy announced Monday it had closed an a $1.675 billion deal to acquire Acquarion Water Co., based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Eversource spent $880 million in cash and assumed $795 million in debt. The merger was first announced in June.

Eversource provides gas and electricity to 3.7 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Aquarion provides nearly 230,000 customers with drinking water in the same states.

Aquarion, since 2007 owned by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, "will remain a locally owned company with access to the resources it will need for investments to ensure ongoing reliability and customer service," said Eversource president and CEO Jim Judge in a release.

The office of Attorney General Maura Healey had opposed the merger, saying the petitioners failed to demonstrate customer benefit. "Rather, there will be a net cost to consumers," Healey's office stated in an Oct. 20 brief.

The Department of Public Utilities rejected Healey's arguments, and agreed on Nov. 28 that the merger would benefit water ratepayers. In Massachusetts, Acquarion serves nearly 20,000 customers in Hingham, Hull, North Cohasset, Millbury, and Oxford.

The transaction required approval from utility regulators in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. It also required U.S. Justice Department review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, and approval from the Federal Communications Commission because of radio licenses held by Acquarion.

"We have worked hard to be there when our customers need us for gas and electricity," said Judge. "By joining with Aquarion we are excited to add clean water to that commitment to a clean, sustainable future."
Ex-president of Georgia, leader of the New Forces Movement party, ex-head of Odesa regional state administration, Mikheil Saakashvili, has been detained, according to law-enforcement officials.

"He has been detained. He was put in a car and taken away. A notice of suspicion is being prepared and a preventive measure will be chosen in the near future," a source in Ukraine's law enforcement agencies told the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) together with the Prosecutor General's Office have detained ex-president of Georgia, leader of the New Forces Movement party, Mikheil Saakashvili, at the place of his residence in Kyiv.

According to the SBU press center, Saakashvili was detained as part of criminal proceedings opened under Part 1 of Article 256 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding participants in criminal organizations and covering up their criminal activities).

"Law enforcers, in the presence of Saakashvili's lawyer, told him he is suspected of committing a crime," the press center said, adding that investigators will question him.
One Big Sky Center, originally conceived of as a multimillion-dollar building project in the heart of downtown Billings, expanded considerably Monday night, at least conceptually.

Bob Dunn, president of the of the Hammes Co., told City Council members that One Big Sky Center should no longer be thought of as a building, or as a separate project, but rather as an "economic development strategy" that could lead to as much as 3 million square feet of new development in and around the downtown over the next 15 to 20 years.

Ed Kemmick

http://lastbestnews.com/site/2017/12/one-big-sky-center-now-a-major-blueprint-not-a-project/
Xavier-Luc Duval a pose sa Private Notice Question lors de la seance du parlement du 12 avril 2022 au Dr Renganaden Padayachy, a louverture des travaux.

I have to inform you that the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, Charles Gaetan Xavier-Luc Duval, GCSK, FCA, MP, has given notice of the following Private Notice Question which he proposes to put to Dr the Honourable Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, at the sitting to be held today Tuesday 12 April 2022 at 1130 a.m 

To ask Dr the Honourable Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development 

Whether, in regard to the ongoing fall in the exchange rate of the Rupee vis a vis the US dollar and the ensuing scarcity of this currency in commercial banks in Mauritius, he will state the measures, if any, Government and the Bank of Mauritius propose to take to reverse same?

Monsieur le President,Tout comme mardi dernier, je tiens a remercier le Leader de lopposition pour sa question.Cette question me donne une nouvelle fois lopportunite dapporter un eclairage sur le sens de laction du Gouvernement en faveur de la population et en premier lieu envers les plus demunies.

Pour ce faire et dans un premier temps, je donnerai rapidement quelques elements de contexte.

Monsieur le President,

En effet, il nest un secret pour personne que depuis mars 2020, et suite a lapparition de la pandemie de la Covid-19, un ralentissement notable des activites economiques a ete enregistre.

Avec deux confinements et la fermeture de nos frontieres, notre economie a ete mise a rude epreuve.

Au global, Maurice a subi deux contractions successives. La premiere de 6,9% pour lannee fiscale 2019-2020 et la seconde 5,4% pour lannee fiscale 2020-2021.

Je rajoute a cela que le declenchement du conflit russo-ukrainien a rajoute un halo supplementaire dincertitudes, entraine une poussee inflationniste mondiale et pourrait conduire notre monnaie a se deprecier davantage.

A cet egard, je mappuie sur le recent rapport de la Commission Economique Africaine des Nations Unies intitule  The impact of the Ukraine Crisis in Africa  anticipant :

Une depreciation de 10% de la roupie,

Un surplus dinflation de 2,2% en Afrique uniquement du au conflit, et

Une pression accrue sur les comptes courants de 43 pays africains importateurs denergies et de denrees alimentaires, a linstar de Maurice.

Monsieur le President,

Jen viens donc a la problematique de lentree de devises dans le contexte des deux dernieres annees que jai a linstant etaye.

Le choc a ete particulierement violent pour le secteur du tourisme, celui de lexport et celui des services financiers.

Encore une fois les chiffres parlent deux-memes.

Dune part, Maurice a ainsi du faire face a une baisse drastique des arrivees touristiques. Cest-a-dire que nous sommes passes dun flux annuel pre-Covid de 1,3 million de touristes pour lannee 2019, a 300 000 touristes en 2020 et 180 000 touristes en 2021.

Les consequences en termes dentree de devises ont ete majeures etant donne que sur la periode que je viens de citer, nous avons facilement perdu 2,3 millions de touristes.

Sachant que chaque touriste, en periode pre-pandemique, depensait en moyenne 1 200 euros par sejour hors transport, le manque a gagner cumule est considerable.

Dautre part, les exportations de biens et services, qui avaient rapporte lequivalent de 191,9 milliards de roupies en devises etrangeres en 2019, sont tombees a 128,9 milliards de roupies en 2020 et a 132,9 milliards de roupies en 2021.

Enfin, le secteur des services financiers, bien quayant demontre sa resilience, a enregistre une baisse de la valeur ajoutee brute de 51,8 milliards de roupies en 2019 a 49,3 milliards de roupies en 2020, indiquant une diminution des entrees de devises.

Au global, au cours des deux annees de la pandemie, leconomie a ainsi enregistre un deficit de quelque 122 milliards de roupies dentrees de devises etrangeres.

Monsieur le President,

Pour repondre a la question de lhonorable Leader de lopposition, permettez-moi de prime abord de preciser le mandat revenant a la Banque de Maurice et celui qui incombe au Gouvernement.

Conformement a la section 4 de la Bank of Mauritius Act, la Banque de Maurice est lentite en charge et en toute independance de conduire la politique monetaire et celle des taux de change. Elle seule en est le decisionnaire.

Je cite the Bank is entrusted, inter alia, with the responsibilities to: conduct monetary policy and manage the exchange rate of the rupee, taking into account the orderly and balanced economic development of Mauritius.

En vertu de son mandat et pour faire face au deficit dentree de devises etrangeres, jai ete informe par la Banque de Maurice que cette derniere a vendu quelques 2,9 milliards de dollars americains sur le marche depuis le debut de la pandemie, en mars 2020.

Je rappelle quen 2018 et 2019, Maurice avait recu un montant de 12,67 milliards de dollars, comparativement a 7,35 milliards de dollars en 2020 et 2021.

Soit une baisse de 5,32 milliards de dollars, equivalent a 230 milliards de roupies, representant la moitie de notre PIB.

Lapprovisionnement regulier du marche en devises etrangeres par la Banque de Maurice, qui est en charge de la conduite de la politique monetaire et de la stabilite financiere, a permis de limiter les perturbations du fonctionnement normal du marche des changes.

Et cela en conformite avec le regime de change flottant comme qualifie par le Fonds Monetaire International.

Au vu des perspectives relatives aux performances encourageantes du secteur touristique et en tenant en compte la tendance inflationniste mondiale, la Banque de Maurice a egalement porte a ma connaissance quelle est intervenue sur le marche a hauteur de 25 millions de dollars a un taux apprecie de 43,15 roupies contre 43,25 roupies lors de sa derniere intervention.

Monsieur le President,

Je vais maintenant elaborer sur la strategie deployee et les mesures implementees par le Gouvernement pour soutenir le pouvoir dachat de la population.

Premierement, la reouverture totale de nos frontieres en octobre 2021, dans le respect des protocoles sanitaires, a bien entendu ete une etape importante pour assurer la reprise franche et durable des entrees de devises.

Ce nouveau souffle, cest la bouchee doxygene dont nous avions besoin pour atteindre les objectifs que nous nous sommes fixes.

Deuxiemement, le Gouvernement, sous limpulsion de notre Premier ministre, a travaille darrache-pied pour faciliter les affaires a Maurice et maintenir lexcellente reputation de la juridiction comme un Centre Financier International.

Je pense notamment a la sortie de Maurice des listes du Gafi, de lUnion Europeenne et du Royaume-Uni. Une excellente nouvelle pour leconomie, tant en termes de croissance, demploi que dentree de devises etrangeres.

Troisiemement, et sans porter prejudice a la viabilite de notre dette, le Gouvernement a egalement contracte plusieurs prets concessionnels en devises etrangeres.

Ces prets aux conditions avantageuses et qui plus est souvent accompagnes de subventions ont permis de faire rentrer des devises etrangeres sur le marche local.

Quatriemement, notre strategie pour faciliter lentree de devises etrangeres sest orientee vers louverture de notre economie aux investisseurs et expatries, notamment les seniors.

Les Budgets 2020-2021 et 2021-2022 ont fait la part belle a la Silver economy.

Je rappelle quil est estime que chaque retraite expatrie a Maurice amene au pays une moyenne de 9 000 dollars par individu, sur la base dune residence de 6 mois par an a Maurice.

Atteindre lobjectif de 25 000 retraites a Maurice permettrait daccroitre les entrees en devises etrangeres de 250 millions de dollars.

Enfin, permettez-moi de rappeler les efforts considerables deployes par le Gouvernement pour subventionner une large gamme de produits de necessite, pour un montant total de 8,2 milliards de roupies.

Monsieur le President,

Selon la Banque de Maurice, notre monnaie sest depreciee de 7,6% en 2020 et de 9,2% en 2021.

Au regard du contexte historique, la valeur de notre roupie aurait pu etre plus largement affectee.

Ce qui me fait donc poser la question de la depreciation la roupie a lHonorable leader de lopposition quand lui et ses amis etaient au pouvoir entre 2006 et 2014.

Une periode caracterisee au niveau mondial par une expansion exceptionnelle a savoir une croissance forte de 3,6% en 2014 et surtout une inflation faible, tres faible de 2,9% en 2014, sans pande9-=0mie, sans guerre ni perturbations de la chaine dapprovisionnement.

Auraient-ils cherche deliberement a devaluer la roupie en 2012 ?

La population se souviendra qua cette epoque, le Leader de lopposition, alors Ministre des finances, avait pris la decision non-conforme dinjecter 100 millions de dollars dans le but explicite de devaluer notre roupie.

En 2012, alors que leconomie mondiale se portait bien, quil ny avait pas de confinement ni de crise de la Covid-19 et que le secteur du tourisme avec pres dun million de visiteurs apportait des devises etrangeres et que le niveau du secteur de lexport de biens et services setablissait a 188,6 milliards de roupies, la roupie a pourtant ete devaluee :

de 29,9 roupies pour le dollar en 2011 a 31,2 roupies,

la livre de 46,7 roupies a 50,3 roupies et

leuro de 39,4 roupies a 40,9 roupies.

Ainsi, entre 2005 et 2014, la roupie a ete devaluee de 11,2% par un Gouvernement qui se souciait peu du pouvoir dachat des mauriciens, en particulier de celui des plus vulnerables.

Je conclus en rappelant au Leader de lopposition que pour comprendre le present et preparer le futur, nous devons analyser le passe.

Monsieur le President,

Notre budget alloue a lEtat providence, notre Welfare State, etait de seulement 48 milliards de roupies en 2014.

Aujourdhui malgre la pandemie, malgre la crise, malgre la recession, ce Gouvernement, porte par lhumanisme du Premier ministre, a fait doubler le budget du Welfare State pour lamener a plus de 93 milliards de roupies en 2021-2022.

En y ajoutant le Wage Assistance Scheme et le Self-Employed Assistance Scheme, ce montant depasse largement la barre des 100 milliards de roupies que nous avons retournes a la population.

Ces chiffres demontrent la solidarite dont ce Gouvernement fait preuve envers sa population.

Merci.
During an audience with His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, the government of Sierra Leone and Mercy Ships extended their existing protocol agreements for their newest hospital ship, the Global Mercy to visit Sierra Leone.

Thank you, Mercy Ships, for your continuous humanitarian and medical support towards providing treatment to people with various medical conditions worldwide. This partnership agreement which was signed pre-covid includes a 10-month Global Mercy deployment for free surgical care in partnership with local institutions in Sierra Leone. The hospital ship will serve as a platform for training our healthcare professionals to build capacity. Programs will ensure that the positive impact of Mercy Ships will continue long after the ship leaves the shores of Sierra Leone. This partnership will support our vision to ensure a functional national health system delivering efficient, high-quality healthcare services that are accessible, equitable and affordable for all, stated H.E. President Julius Maada Bio.

Mercy Ships CEO Gert van de Weerdhof highlighted the partnership with the government of Sierra Leone. We are excited to confirm that we are planning a future return to Sierra Leone. This will be our sixth field service working alongside this nation. Now we can fully step into an important season of assessing existing needs and identifying how we can best support to deliver hope and healing to those in tremendous need of surgical care.

When the Global Mercy docks in the host nations port, crew will provide free surgical care for thousands of people, training for local healthcare workers and more. All services by Mercy Ships are provided free of charge to the participant, thanks to donors around the world and their support of the volunteer professionals onboard their hospital ships.

This long-lasting partnership paves the way for Mercy Ships to continue to engage closely with the government of Sierra Leone and to strengthen our joint commitment to improving access to safe surgical care, stated Dr. Sandra Lako, Country Director for Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone.

A collaborative approach is the strongest way to strengthen health systems, added Dr Mark Shrime, International Chief Medical Officer for Mercy Ships. Meetings were facilitated by Dame Ann Gloag, Mercy Ships international board member who has also been working with Sierra Leone for many years.

Past Freetown, Sierra Leone port visits by a Mercy Ship include: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2011.

The Global Mercy is scheduled to visit Dakar Senegal early 2023 for several months prior to Sierra Leone.

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Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Valeriy Chaly on behalf of Ukrainian delegation delivered address at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Global Forum on Asset Recovery that is taking place in Washington, D.C. from December 4 until December 6.

Ukrainian delegation includes Director of National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine Artem Sytnyk, d of Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office Nazar Kholodnytsky, Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yevhen Yenin, d of the National Agency of Ukraine for Finding, Tracing and Management of Assets Anton Yanchuk and representatives of the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine, Embassy of Ukraine to the U.S. said on its Facebook page on Tuesday.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, U.K. Minister for Countering Extremism at the Home Office Baroness Williams of Trafford as well as high-level representatives of Switzerland, Tunisia, Nigeria and Sri Lanka also participated at the opening ceremony.

The Forum is co-hosted by the United States and the United Kingdom with support from the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) - a partnership between the World Bank Group and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Forum provides a platform for participants to meet with jurisdictions, financial centers, civil society, and international organizations to facilitate efforts for tracing, recovering, and returning assets stolen through corruption. The event is part of international efforts to advance asset recovery and to highlight the importance of strong political commitment, multijurisdictional coordination, and practitioner interaction to advance asset recovery investigations, the embassy said.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy has said five Ukrainian SBU Security Service agents are part of an investigator group looking into a map depicting the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics ('DPR/LPR') demonstrated at a forum held in Lviv last week. Sadovy made the remarks after being questioned by SBU agents.

" There was a forum in Lviv on security from Wednesday through Friday that generated much interest  During one of the panel discussions moderated by Myroslava Gongadze, a graphic from the European center of international affairs was demonstrated  some people liked it, others did not. A criminal case was opened as a result. Today I spoke with the investigators  five SBU agents  who were tasked with investigating the incident," Sadovy said, according to his press secretary.

According to Sadovy, the case sets a precedent because it is based on a criminal investigation into "an illustration posted on a European website."

Lviv region's SBU office on December 1 opened a criminal investigation into the matter pursuant to Part 1 of Article 110 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (infringing on Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty).

Sadovy was questioned as a witness in the case.
Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 21 times in the past 24 hours, with three Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action, the press center of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) headquarters has reported.

"Twenty-one violations of the cease-fire regime by the invaders were recorded over the past day. When it was necessary, the Ukrainian military gave the aggressor an adequate response. As a result of the enemy's shelling, three soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been injured and taken to medical facilities," the press centre said on its Facebook page on Tuesday morning.

The Svitlodarska Duha bulge, which is in the Luhansk sector, remained the most volatile confrontation area. Here, the largest intensity of shelling from mortars of various calibers and the entire range of infantry weapons was recorded near the village of Luhanske, and lasted almost during the whole day with small interruptions. A skirmish also occurred in this area, which lasted more than five hours. Our military repulsed a subversive and reconnaissance group of the militants from the 7th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 2nd Army Corps of the Southern Military District of Russia. The enemy suffered losses as a result of the fight, namely one was killed and two others were wounded. In addition, the enemy used heavy machine guns against the defenders of the village of Novoluhanske.

Exposing the civilian population to danger, the militants fired 152mm artillery systems near the village of Vrubivka, a settlement that is located several kilometers from the contact line. More than two dozen 120mm shells were launched by the enemy on the Ukrainian fortified positions near the villages of Krymske and Prychepylivka.

In the Donetsk sector, the Ukrainian fortified positions near the villages of Pisky and Kamianka repeatedly came under fire from 82mm mortars and infantry weapons.
You better watch out and you better not cry, because Santa Claus is coming to Melodies on Main.

The annual Christmas celebration for downtown Marion is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 7 from 5-7 p.m. at the new City Stage on North Main Street. There, Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit with the kids and hear all about what they want for Christmas. A free 4-by-6-inch picture of Santa or Mrs. Santa with each child will be available at the Walmart photo center.

You can enjoy joy caroling and make a Christmas ornament, according to a news release from the Marion Business Association. There will be hay rides around town and funnel cakes, kettle corn and hot cider. You can visit craft booths that will be nearby.

Back again this year is Letters to Santa. Children can bring their letters to Santa and Mrs. Claus and leave them in the Magic Mail Box for delivery.

Merchants will offer extended hours in downtown. There, you can browse businesses for the best Christmas gift ideas. Jewelry, furniture, gift items and candles, musical instruments, coffees, donuts, and custom, hand crafted gifts are just a few of the opportunities for your shopping pleasure.

One of the special features of the downtown Christmas shopping season is the Blue Ridge Artisans Show at MACA. The show features more than a dozen of McDowell Countys finest artisans. This is the place to shop for one of-a-kind Christmas gifts, according to a news release.

The Marion Ghost Riders will sponsor a community food drive. A great opportunity to share the Christmas spirit is by sharing food. You can bring your canned goods and non-perishables to be distributed to McDowell Countys food pantries.

And new for 2017 will be the Pilot Club of Marions annual tree-lighting ceremony at 7 p.m. on the courthouse lawn. The Pilot Club will recognize the folks who purchased lights on the tree in memory or honor of a loved one and those they are honored with the donated lights. Karin Conley, president of the Pilot Club, welcomes the community to come to the ceremony. Local officials are welcome to participate in the event. The names of all the people who were honored with the lights and their donors will be read aloud during the ceremony.

For more information, contact Lou Godfrey, 828-652-2215.
Statements by Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko about the alleged illegality of the work of certain units of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the use of contraband equipment by the bureau's undercover agents are untrue, the NABU has reported.

"We consider it unacceptable when the prosecutor general intentionally misleads the public by reporting false facts and proposing 'arbitrary' interpretation of the legislation," the bureau said in a statement on its official website on Monday, December 4.

The NABU believes that in this way the prosecutor general "gives the green light to a further attack on new anti-corruption bodies."

The bureau notes that in its activity it is guided by the requirements of the laws on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and on operational and search activity, and according to Article 8 of the latter.

"All technical means that the NABU uses in carrying out the operational and search activity were purchased officially and are registered, as required by the law," the report says.

The NABU also notes that in accordance with Article 21 of the law on the NABU, its employees, when performing the duties assigned to them, are representatives of the authorities, act on behalf of the state and are under its protection, and no one, except for authorized officials of state bodies, in cases envisaged by law, has any right to interfere with their lawful activities.

As reported, Lutsenko stated on December 3 that all NABU agents who work under cover were hired in violation of the law and use contraband equipment in their work.

"The law requires that all NABU employees be hired in an open competition, but dozens of agents, including those two who were registered at a secret address, were selected in line with some closed procedures, which violates the law," he said.

He noted that these agents use illegal equipment in their work.

According to him, all this is "a huge bouquet of an illegal group that operates by illegal methods with illegal equipment."

"The whole staff of agents is now outside the law, so the head of the agency who personally started the selection of such agents, gave them access to state secrets, provided them with especially secret documents, must make a decision for himself," Lutsenko said.
The McDowell Endowment recently announced $80,000 in People in Need grants to local nonprofit organizations providing critical services for economically disadvantaged people.

The grants were made in partnership with the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) and include:

 $20,000 to CareNet Counseling of Marion to expand services and provide greater access to behavioral healthcare and substance abuse programs.

 $20,000 to Community Care of Western North Carolina to support Mobile Health Clinics that bring health care outreach, screening and resources to low-income people in convenient and familiar locations, increasing effective access to care.

 $20,000 to Foothills Industries of McDowell County to purchase custom-made equipment for the medical drapes manufacturing line to increase capacity and self-sufficiency.

 $20,000 to Grace Community Church to purchase roofing material for homes occupied by low-income residents, identified by the McDowell Housing Coalition, who are unable to pay for necessary roof replacement.

These grants were awarded as part of The Community Foundations People in Need focus area grant cycle and were funded in part by The McDowell Endowment, the Janirve Legacy Fund and CFWNC fundholders, according to a news release.

Ray McKesson, chairman of The McDowell Endowment said, The McDowell Endowment is here to support the needs of all our neighbors. We are pleased to direct local resources toward these important organizations and are grateful for their work.

The McDowell Endowment, an affiliate of The Community Foundation, was established in 1995 by a group of local residents as a permanent endowment and resource for charitable efforts that benefit the entire county.

To make a tax-deductible contribution to The McDowell Endowment, donate online at www.McDowellEndowment.org or by mail to The McDowell Endowment, P.O. Box 55, Marion, NC 28752-0055.

Checks should be made out CFWNC, noting The McDowell Endowment in the memo line. Contributions of any size are welcome and will enable the Endowment to support more programs with local dollars, according to the news release. The local volunteer advisory board works to raise awareness of The McDowell Endowment and to build assets for the future.

These board members are: Marion Baker, George Simeon Butler, Rebecca B. Cross, Simeon R. Cross, Marsh Dark, Juanita Doggett, Nancy Hunter, Michael Lavender, Ray McKesson (chairman), Rob Noyes, Sharon Lee Parker, Jan Ramsey, Joy Shuford and Nancy Spencer.

The Community Foundation is a nonprofit serving 18 counties in western North Carolina. The Foundation is a permanent regional resource that facilitated $18 million in charitable giving last year. CFWNC inspires philanthropy and mobilizes resources to enrich lives and communities in western North Carolina. CFWNC supports the growth of its affiliate funds to extend the benefits of philanthropy across the region.

To learn more about The Community Foundation, call 828-254-4960 or visit www.cfwnc.org. For more information about The McDowell Endowment, contact Advisory Board Chairman Ray McKesson at 652-2842 or visit www.McDowellEndowment.org.
A minibus with the detained ex-president of Georgia, ex-head of Odesa regional state administration, leader of the New Forces Movement party, Mikheil Saakashvili, was able to leave Kostelna Street, surrounded by supporters of the politician and law enforcers on Triokhsviatytelska Street towards the European Square, but appeared to be blocked by other cars.

At present, the blue minibus with the politician is standing near the building of the Ukrainian House, surrounded by dozens of law enforcers and supporters of Saakashvili. The road to the minibus is blocked by a car standing across the road and three others standing parallel to the roadway of the car. A lot of other cars are parked along the sides of the two-lane Triokhsviatytelska Street, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported.

Driveway on Triokhsviatytelska Street up to Mykhailivska Square is open, but many Saakashvili supporters remain.

The windshield in the minibus is damaged - covered with cracks.

As reported earlier, on Tuesday morning, law-enforcers came to Saakashvili's apartment on 7, Kostelna Street to search him and detained the politician on the roof of his apartment's house. Then he was taken to a minibus and driven away. Activists tried to discourage law enforcement officers, who were followed by activists who clashed with them. The standoff continues.
Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly expects that U.S. President Donald Trump will sign a law on allocating $50 million for lethal weapons to Ukraine by the end of this year; America is providing operational-tactical weapons now.

"I think that this will happen later this year [the signing of the relevant law]. And as for the provision of powerful lethal weapons, this is a separate decision that must be made by the president. All the preparatory procedures have been carried out to date. This is a political decision, and it will be taken in the light of the national interests of the U.S. We hope that our arguments that the provision of such weapons before the presidential election in Russia is very important, and will become an additional lever of influence, will be heard," the ambassador said in an interview with Radio Freedom.

Answering the question whether there are any other contracts regarding the provision of weapons to Ukraine, Chaly replied: "I can only say that all the contracts that exist in the framework of international law. And Ukraine, as a country that duly fulfills the requirements of export control, has the right to purchase weapons. The list is broader, but limited to a tactical type of weapons, lethal including. (...) United States provides weapons, but these weapons are operational-tactical."

Speaking about possible new personal sanctions against Russian oligarchs and the entourage of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the diplomat said: "As for January, I will be frank: now there is no clear position as to what sanctions the Congress requires from the executive structures. In January, a specific list of people from the entourage of Putin will be presented to the Congress. They will decide later what to do with this list."
At least 149 people subjected to torture in Crimea since its annexation

At least 149 people have been subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in Crimea since the beginning of Russia's annexation of the peninsula, the CrimeaSOS public organization has said in a report.

According to the report presented in Kyiv on Monday, December 4, the first cases were recorded in the first days of the Russian military operation in Crimea, when the so-called "self-defense" of Crimea abducted and used torture against journalists and pro-Ukrainian activists.

Later, according to the authors of the report, such actions have already been carried out by FSB officers and representatives of correctional institutions, and were systemic.

"At the time of writing the report, no independent investigation was carried out into a single case of torture or inhuman treatment, and the perpetrators were not brought to justice. In fact, there is a practice of impunity in Crimea with regard to torture," the authors of the report state.

The document also recorded cases when torture caused death (Reshat Ametov, Valeriy Kerimov, ten deaths in a pretrial detention center in Simferopol in 2017).

The study includes information on human rights violations in the occupied Crimea since the beginning of its annexation by Russia, from February 26, 2014 to October 31, 2017.

The report was prepared by CrimeaSOS as part of a project supported by the Representative Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (Foundation) in Ukraine.
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The discussion was led by Dr. Sachin Patil - MD-Medicine, DM-Nephrology Recognizing the importance of the General Physician and Family Doctors in the treatment cycle of patients afflicted with CKD, the interactive discussion addressed various aspects of preventing and managing CKDs in patients along with throwing light on some oft-neglected but important aspects of dialysis.Though dialysis patients are primarily treated by nephrologists, the role of the family doctors continues to be important. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that General Physicians are also fully aware of efficient management of CKD and dialysis.Vikram Vuppala, Founder and CEO, NephroPlus said, "As the incidence of CKD is increasing at quite an alarming pace, the role of the primary care physician or what is called the 'family doctor' becomes all the more important. We are proud to work with our partner Nephrologists who are investing time and effort to improve awareness of CKD management among family doctors"Kamal Shah, Co-Founder & Director of Patient Services said, "At NephroPlus, we don't just provide the finest quality dialysis services to our guests, but make sure they are empowered and self-sufficient to handle their condition better. Knowledge sharing is important for the doctors' community too. I would like to thank the doctors who graced the occasion with their presence today. While lot of workshops, sessions and speeches are conducted on heart related diseases, cancer surgeries, diabetes etc, awareness workshops on kidney disease management hardly happen. As a result of this, not many are aware of the efficient management of the disease, added Mr Shah."Speaking on the oft-neglected role of a family doctor in CKD management, Dr. Sachin Patil said, "Family Doctors definitely play a crucial role in a family. For those suffering from kidney complications, it is important to have a good support system comprising of their family, friends and doctors. With the family dynamics changing fast, initial symptoms are often neglected. Family doctors are often the first to notice these initial signs and hence empowering them to monitor, prevent and manage health issues like CKDs is important."Source: Medindia


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The detention of ex-president of Georgia and former head of Odesa regional state administration, Mikheil Saakashvili, in Kyiv is a violation of the legislation of Ukraine, lawyer Beka Basilia has said, who defends Saakashvili's interests in the Georgian court.

"The actions of the Ukrainian authorities are so unlawful that they can extradite Saakashvili to Georgia, where several trials are conducted against him," the lawyer told journalists on Tuesday.

According to him, currently in an accelerated manner, cases are considered in the court over the excess of Saakashvili's official powers. In particular, the case of early pardon as president of Georgia for the duties of four detained police officers convicted of the murder of bank employee Sandro Girgvilani.

"The prosecutor's office bluntly stated that the verdict would be pronounced before the end of December. The processes in Ukraine suspiciously coincide with this trial against Saakashvili in Georgia," Basilia said.

Eka Beselia, the chairman of the legal committee of the Georgian parliament, told journalists, that the possible extradition of Saakashvili to Tbilisi can occur within the framework of bilateral interstate cooperation.

"As far as I know, the demand for the extradition of Saakashvili was sent by the Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor's Office to the Ukrainian side. Earlier in Georgia, a court on one of the cases brought against him decided to detain him in case he appears on Georgian territory," said Beselia.
The Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine calls on the authorities of the country to respect the rights of former President of Georgia, leader of the New Forces Movement party, Mikheil Saakashvili, and hopes the investigation into his case will be conducted within the framework of the law.

We know that Mr. Saakashvili is suspected. We are closely following this case and we hope that the investigation will be carried out in accordance with the law and on time, the statement of the EU Delegation to the Interfax-Ukraine agency's request reads.

The mission also calls on the Ukrainian authorities to respect Saakashvili's rights.

We urge the authorities to ensure that the basic rights of Mr. Saakashvili are observed, it reads.
Police in Donetsk region have opened a criminal investigation into the beating of a policeman by MP Volodymyr Parasiuk (non-factional) in Mariupol.

"In Mariupol, on December 4, at the end of the meeting of the Court of Appeals of Donetsk region, on changing the measure of restraint to two ex-volunteers suspected of robbery and publicizing the decision of the judges, the MP hit one policeman and damaged the equipment of another one," the press service of the National Police of Ukraine's Donetsk region said on Facebook on Tuesday.

Law enforcers said that the events involving MP Parasiuk were recorded on video. The injured policeman was diagnosed with a concussion and a bruise.

In fact, criminal proceedings were opened under Article 345 (threat or violence against a law enforcement official) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

A pretrial investigation was begun.
An associate of the New Forces Movement led by ex-Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili, Severion Dangadze, has been detained attempting to flee Ukraine. Law-enforcement officials said they seized documents from him documenting payment from Serhiy Kurchenko, an ex-crony of disgraced ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, head of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Yuriy Lutsenko said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

"It has been established that [Dangadze] was travelling in a car of friend and trying to flee Ukraine, driving fast from Kyiv in the direction of Russia. At the police station near Lubny [Poltava region] he was detained by PGO agents, and later by Ukrainian SBU Security Service agents," Lutsenko said.

"Dangadze was detained and questioned. He has been served with a notice of suspicion and will be served another one. He is suspected of violating Article 110 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (treason) and Article 256 (assisting members of a criminal organization and hiding its criminal activity)," the PGO chief said.

Lutsenko said attempts were made on December 2, 2017 to detain Dangadze in Lviv, however he fled and police were able only to arrest his accomplice.

"His name is Nazar. He works as a consultant in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine committee for anti-corruption policy. He was detained with a bag full of documents showing what Kurchenko's money was spent on  on bus transportation, television coverage, power and bribes, including bribes to journalists," Lutsenko said.

The PGO chief also said that during searches of apartments where Dangadze lived many materials were found, including a copy of Saakashvili's Ukrainian passport.
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are not currently considering Movement of New Forces party leader Mikheil Saakashvili's extradition or deportation but are planning to question him first, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said.

"The matter is not about [Saakashvili's] deportation or extradition, the matter currently concerns the questioning of a person suspected of committing an especially serious crime, and there is going to be liability. Only a court can find a person guilty of something. Saakashvili is currently halfway toward suspect status," Lutsenko said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"Any Ukrainian politician who establishes contacts with [former President Viktor] Yanukovych and his entourage in seeking to attain their own political objectives, in order to use the money stolen in Ukraine to seize power, ceases to be a politician. He assumes suspect status in a criminal case," Lutsenko said.

"By maintaining contacts with the criminal organization led by Yanukovych, who obviously financed his political activities in Ukraine, Mikheil Saakashvili has crossed the line as a politician. No allowances can be made for Saakashvili in this situation and given these activities," Lutsenko said.
The leader of the Movement of New Forces party, former Odesa regional governor and former Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, has claimed that a statement by Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko is untrue.

"A statement by the prosecutor general is a blatant lie for the purpose of discrediting Saakashvili and the whole protest movement in Ukraine. The information received by Mikheil Saakashvili from credible sources and made public by him on November 29 was fully confirmed today in the actions of the Prosecutor General's Office and the SBU," Saakashvili said on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

The politician also said that the authorities had prepared falsifications of "evidence" in order to launch a criminal case "on the order of [Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko."

The Movement of New Forces party, in turn, reported that the Ukrainian authorities are trying to make Saakashvili a "Kremlin agent" and arrest him.

"In response to Sunday's multi-thousand march for impeachment, the Ukrainian authorities went on the offensive and continue to make political repressions against Mikheil Saakashvili and the supporters of the Movement of New Forces. The completion of today's madness by the government had to be a press conference by Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, at which he made public poor-quality tapes that protest rallies against the authorities are allegedly financed by disgraced businessman Kurchenko and virtually Yanukovych himself and Putin!" the party said in a statement on Facebook on Tuesday.

The party also said that Ukrainians would not believe the "trumped-up case of Poroshenko against Saakashvili" and urged Ukrainian and international public organizations to condemn the actions of the Ukrainian authorities.
New criminal case opened after Saakashvili's supporters free him from detention

The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal case after Movement of New Forces party leader Mikheil Saakashvili detained by law enforcement officials was liberated by his supporters.

"In light of the detained Saakashvili's liberation, a criminal case has been opened under Ukrainian Criminal Code Article 343," a law enforcement source told Interfax-Ukraine.

Article 343 deals with interference in the functions of a law enforcement official or a state bailiff service official.
HURON COUNTY  Residents in at least 12 Huron County municipalities are without electricity this morning.

High winds are the cause, which have contributed to trees falling on power lines, wind knocking down power lines, and equipment problems, said Randi Berris, spokes person for DTE Energy."We do expect all power to be restored today," Berris said, "But I don't have specific times yet."
BAD AXE  A Huron County jury found a Mount Pleasant man guilty as charged, and he now faces up to life in prison for his involvement in two meth labs that were busted last spring.

Seven women and five men convicted Gregory R. Delmarter, 34, late Friday afternoon on seven meth-related charges after deliberating for less than an hour. Those charges are operating a meth lab, possession of meth, operating a meth lab near specified places, controlled substance-meth lab with hazardous waste, and three counts of delivery/manufacturing meth.

The trial, which included three full days of testimonies, was centered around two meth lab operations that were discovered May 26. Police seized more than 20 grams of processed meth from a Bad Axe home and discovered an inactive cooking operation at a barn in Verona Township.

Delmarter was also found guilty of being a fourth-time habitual offender.

He is scheduled to appear for sentencing Jan. 22, and he will remain in the Huron County Jail until then. Delmarter was on parole for a 2013 second-degree home invasion at the time of the incident, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

He was one of six suspects charged in the bust. Four of the codefendants were sentenced to jail time for their roles in the labs while one remains lodged in the state prison system.
HURON COUNTY  A wind advisory is in effect for Huron County until 7 p.m., and residents in several municipalities remain without electricity.

Portions of Caseville, Hume, Meade, Gore, Rubicon, Pointe Aux Barques and Huron townships are shown on the DTE outage map as having outages.

Southwest winds today are expected to increase to 25-35 mph with gusts 50 mph in the wake of a cold frontal passage this morning over Huron and Tuscola counties, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The NWS warns of hazardous travel for high profile vehicles, and also notes that unsecured light outdoor objects will be blown around. Downed tree limbs and power lines are possible and may lead to sporadic power outages.

High winds have contributed to trees falling on power lines, wind knocking down power lines, and equipment problems, said Randi Berris, spokes person for DTE Energy.

"We do expect all power to be restored today," Berris said, "But I don't have specific times yet."

"These high winds are going to continue all day, so there is a high probability that we will have additional outages as the day goes on," Berris said.

Extra crews are on standby.

Berris warns that if residents are in their yard clearing limbs, there may be live wires hiding under tree limbs.

"If you see a live wire, report it DTE. Don't assume we already know," she said.

Stay 20 feet away from the line and assume it's live, she added.

DTE covers 13 counties in Southeast Michigan, and has 2.2 million customers, Berris said. About 4,500 customers total had no power this morning. By 1:45 p.m., that number had shrank to 2,600.

DTE officials had no numbers specific to Huron County.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's representative in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Lutsenko has said that the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko does not interfere in the work of law enforcement agencies to investigate the case of the former President of Georgia, leader of the New Forces Movement party Mikheil Saakashvili.

"Petro Oleksiyovych fully relies on the actions and conclusions of the relevant security structures, whose powers are qualified for this violation. The president can not interfere in any matters of the security services. The president is standing over the situation," Lutsenko told reporters in the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday.

Lutsenko also noted that the president is not going to discuss this issue with the faction.
American Airlines Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker is investing more than $1 billion to mend tattered labor relations at the world's largest carrier. A recent spat with pilots is prompting some analysts to question whether he's getting his money's worth.

The aviators' union warned last week that more than 15,000 flights were at risk of being scrubbed during the busy holiday season after a scheduling snag left many trips without crews. American promised extra pay for pilots willing to fly. As customer angst about potential cancellations mounted, the company further sweetened its offer before finally reaching a union staffing deal.

The high-profile dispute underscored the lingering challenge for Parker as he seeks to reverse years of labor tensions at the world's largest airline. Earlier this year, American paid out a profit-sharing plan after Parker reversed his earlier opposition. He also approved unusual mid-contract pay increases to pilots and flight attendants, spooking shareholders worried about rising costs.

"Management refers to it as an investment, that they need to invest in their employees," said Joe DeNardi, a Stifel Financial Corp. analyst. "Investors are struggling to see what the return on that investment is going to be, or where it's going to show up."

American's Dec. 1 deal with the union will cover about 1,500 flights and will increase wage costs by about $10 million this quarter, said Jamie Baker, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase. Helane Becker, an analyst at Cowen & Co., said Parker's earlier decisions on profit sharing and pay "created no goodwill for American as, in our view, the union continues to take advantage of" the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier.

"We do not believe the pilot groups at Delta, United or Southwest would have handled it this way," Becker said in a note to investors.

Elise Eberwein, American's executive vice president for people and communications, said such comments were "short-sighted," given the work and time it takes to rebuild trust among employees.

"We'd go back and make all those decisions a thousand times over," she said.

The mid-contract raises, announced in April, will add $930 million to the company's costs through 2019. Separately, American last year provided interim increases averaging 22 percent to mechanics, bag handlers and others because talks on a new accord were taking longer than expected.

Despite the higher fourth-quarter costs from pilot pay, JPMorgan's Baker raised his forecast for American's earnings, citing stronger demand. But beyond the short term, Parker is trying to forge improvement after years of sour relations between American's managers and employees.

Workers embittered by $1.6 billion in concessions in 2003 to stave off bankruptcy endured more cuts when American filed for Chapter 11 in 2011. Months later, tensions were so high that the airline's unions fought the company's plan to emerge from bankruptcy under its existing executive team, opting instead to support Parker's plan to merge American with US Airways, where he was CEO at the time.

Since then, Parker has vowed to make sure new labor contracts at American top industry pay scales. Workers invested in the success of their company take better care of customers, who, in turn, reward shareholders by providing repeat business, he has said, espousing a philosophy championed by Southwest Airlines Co. co-founder Herb Kelleher.

Having the best employee relations is key to competing with Delta Air Lines and United Continental, Parker has said.

In the latest spat with pilots, Eberwein and David Seymour, American's senior vice president for integrated operations, acknowledged that the airline erred by not seeking input from the Allied Pilots Association as soon as it discovered a clerical mistake Nov. 24 that let too many aviators take time off in December.

Union leaders were notified of a problem that day, but didn't learn details or American's proposed solution until a Nov. 28 email to pilots, APA said. Seymour declined to specify how many flights were potentially affected, saying only that "we saw numbers a lot higher than where we would like to see them."

A telephone call between American President Robert Isom and APA President Dan Carey led to a Dec. 1 meeting among leaders from both sides. A resolution was announced hours later and finalized over the weekend.

"The biggest evidence of culture change is the fact you did get really senior people at APA and the company involved quickly, instead of of everybody getting into a corner and getting ready to go to battle," Eberwein said.

Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the pilots' union, agreed, saying the speedy deal "was a sign that things are different."

But the dust-up shows Parker still has a ways to go in his efforts to win over employees, said Samuel Engel, vice president of consultant ICF. A company with better labor relations probably would have been able to resolve a similar dilemma with less trouble.

"Since it takes so long to change and repair a history of strained labor relations, it is absolutely normal that these situations would be in negotiation today," Engel said. "In the future, what Parker can hope for is more give-and-take and goodwill."
PORTLAND  The still-evolving site plan for the Elmcrest property will be the subject of a second public hearing Thursday.

A team representing developer Daniel R. Bertram presented the site plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission early last month.

The plan provides the most detailed vision of the proposed mixed-use proposal which Bertram hopes to build on the 14.7-acre former hospital property on the southern corner of the Main Street/Marlborough Street intersection.

Thursday nights meeting will be held in the Donald W. Gates Auditorium at Portland High School beginning at 7 p.m.

The initial meeting on the site plan was held in the Mary Flood Room at the Portland Public Library. But the fire marshal was not happy with the number of people who crowded into that meeting, so a decision was made to move it to the high school, Land-use Administrator Ashley Majorowski said Tuesday.

BRT/DiMarco Group had been expected to present a revised site plan Thursday. But instead, the commission will review the reports submitted by the members of a review team assembled by the town.

The Rochester, New York,-based DiMarco Co. is handling commercial development on the site.

Members of the Development Division Team include Fire Chief Robert A. Shea, Building Official Lincoln White, Town Engineer Jeff Jacobs and Mary D. Dickerson, the towns economic development coordinator, and consulting engineer Terri Hahn.

Time ran out before the team could present its reports following the Nov. 4 hearing. And so Thursday, they will present their reports and respond to questions from the commission, Dickerson said.

The team will go through the reports step by step. Then, BRT/DiMarco personnel are expected to outline a number of proposed changes to the site plan developed following the initial presentation last month.

Those changes include revising the rear buffer and installing a sidewalk on Perry Avenue, which borders the property on the east, Dickerson said Tuesday.

Each modification could have impacts the developer wants to explain in detail, Dickerson said. The goal is to ensure that any changes that are made will be in compliance with the commissions regulations, Dickerson said.

Changes can also have practical impact. Efforts to save some of specimen trees on the site or move the rear buffer could have an impact on drainage, for instance, she said.

Reporter Jeff Mill covers East Hampton, Portland and Cromwell. Contact him at jeff.mill@hearstmediact.com.
Results of investigatory work and searches in the case involving entrapment by National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) agents show that NABU officials ignored laws on state secrets, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) of Ukraine said on Friday, December 1.

According to the PGO, on September 26, 2017 first deputy head of Ukraine's State Migration Service (SMS) appealed to Ukraine's SBU Security Service in writing about a bribe provocation involving her. Based on information provided the information was entered into the Single Register of Court Cases and investigative activities were begun. As a result, a NABU agent was detained attempting to bribe a SMS official.

"This act was the result of entrapment involving a $15,000 bribe offered to the deputy SMS head in exchange for illegally approving preparation of citizenship documents, legalization of documents belonging to foreign states in contrivance of prescribed legal procedures," the PGO said.

Simultaneously, according to prosecutors, "searches were made in an apartment where the operation was planned, in a secret office in the second subdivision of NABU and at the residence of the "secret unit of NABU."

The PGO said that in one private residence in Kyiv used as a secret office of the second subdivision of NABU in Kozyn "a large amount of documents classified "Secret" and "Top Secret" and "For Personal Use Only" was seized, along with electronic equipment used to conduct surveillance, the passports of foreign citizens and materials documenting clandestine investigative actions, which were processed in the absence of the cleared NABU agent."

"Results of the SBU and PGO investigation, including searches, show NABU top officials practically ignored state secrecy laws," the PGO said, adding that on November 30, 2017 the NABU agent who offered the SMS official a bribe was served a suspicion notice pursuant to Article 369 and 370 of Ukraine's Criminal Code.
Ford Motor Company plans to aggressively grow its market in China, top officials of the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker said.

The goal: Grow its China revenue by 50 percent by 2025 over 2017, a year when Ford's sales there fell and critics said it was failing to capitalize on the market.

The effort will focus on SUVs, electric and connected vehicles, a streamlined business structure - including containing structural costs there through 2018 - and closer connections to Chinese customers.

Executive Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Hackett outlined the move on Tuesday, December 5, in Shanghai. They're in China this week to meet with employees, customers, dealers and government officials.

"China is not only the largest car market in the world, it's also at the heart of electric vehicle and SUV growth and the mobility movement," said Bill Ford. "The progress we have achieved in China is just the start. We now have a chance to expand our presence in China and deliver even more for customers, our partners and society."

Added Hackett: "Ford's aspiration is to become the world's most trusted mobility company, designing smart vehicles for a smart world. We are very excited to see this vision come to life in China."

The move calls for "rapidly increasing engineering and R&D capability in China to support the aggressive growth plan," according to a company statement.

From the company:

Ford is introducing more than 50 new vehicles in China by 2025, including eight all-new SUVs and at least 15 electrified vehicles from Ford and Lincoln.

The new Zotye-Ford JV will launch an all-new range of affordable all-electric vehicles.

The company plans to locally assemble five more vehicles in China for Chinese customers starting in 2019, including a Lincoln premium SUV and the company's first global all-electric small SUV.

All new vehicles in China to be internet-connected by end 2019. Ford continues working with Baidu on autonomous vehicle development.

New single distribution services division planned to launch next year, designed to deliver an enhanced experience for customers and improved brand consistency while reducing costs.

Producing vehicles locally speeds time to market, while providing greater opportunities to fully leverage the local supply base, the automaker said in the news release.

In November, Ford opened the Nanjing Test Center, which furthers product development capability and innovation in China. The test center - which includes close to 80 different types of real road surface conditions, a three-kilometer test track and a sophisticated emissions testing facility, will allow Ford to speed development of new products, services and technologies.

Through October, Ford had sold 938,570 vehicles, a five-percent drop from 2016.

However, within those numbers are record sales for the Lincoln brand, including 180-percent growth for the sedan lineup. Overall Lincoln sales were close to 46,000 vehicles through October.

Ford's biggest joint venture in China is Changan Ford, with the Escort as its top-seller at 216,825 units sold through October.
Lamborghini unveiled its new Urus SUV, which packs a serious punch with its turbocharged V8 engine that makes 650 horsepower in reaching speeds as high as 190 mph.

The Italian automaker touts in a news release that the $200,000 Urus is the world's fastest, and first super sport, SUV. It comes equipped with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that can accelerate 0 to 100 kmh (around 62 mph) in 3.6 seconds with an automatic eight-speed transmission.

"The Lamborghini Urus is a visionary approach based on the infusion of Lamborghini DNA into the most versatile vehicle, the SUV. The Urus elevates the SUV to a level not previously possible, the Super SUV," Stefano Domenicali, Automobili Lamborghini CEO, said in the release.

"It is a true Lamborghini in terms of design, performance, driving dynamics and emotion as well as drivable every day in a range of environments."

The Urus will have four-wheel steering, seven different driving modes in the Strada, Terra (for off-roading), Neve (for snow), Sport, Corsa, Esc and Sabbia (for sand). The Terra and Sabbia driving modes come with the optional off-road package, which also includes reinforced bumpers and more underfloor protection.

Lamborghini's new SUV, due out sometime in the spring of 2018, will come with standard 21-inch wheels with some even bigger options available.

As for the name, Lamborghini says it is "derived from the world of bulls" which is a longstanding tradition for the automaker. The Urus, also known as Aurochs, is a large, wild ancestor of domestic cattle.

"The Urus fits perfectly within the Lamborghini family as a high-performance car," Domenicali said in the release. "It is the culmination of intensive development and passionate skill to create a new breed of bull: a Super SUV that transcends the boundaries of expectations and opens the door to new possibilities, for both our brand and our customers."
Rumors about a massive development project in mid-Michigan included projections that it could involve steel production - and that was confirmed on Monday.

No residents of Durand showed up at the City Council meeting later that day to question or react to the news about the so-called Project Tim, said City Manager Colleen O'Toole.

Firm details on the project - estimated to cost up to $6 billion - remain undisclosed.

"(W)e anticipate that a future announcement will contain more accurate information regarding the exact nature of the project, its partners, and the overall project scope," she said.

Meanwhile, O'Toole said, a regional planning board is being formed to consider the process for the facility. It includes Durand, the townships of Vernon and Venice.

"Those planning meetings will be made open to the public and we strongly encourage public participation once we kick off our master planning activities," O'Toole said in an email after the meeting.

The news on the planning board came in a statement that O'Toole read at the council meeting about the project.

Some members of the community had been concerned for months as options were acquired for up to 1,000 acres in the community along I-69 between Lansing and Flint.

Confidentiality agreements precluded many details from being released, although officials said the effort could bring 800 jobs to Shiawassee County.

Here is O'Toole's full statement:

"It is our understanding that the article released earlier should not be considered an official announcement of the project. While the article does appear to be generally well researched, we anticipate that a future announcement will contain more accurate information regarding the exact nature of the project, its partners, and the overall project scope. As indicated in the article, the company is currently seeking support through the Department of Energy to build a state-of-the art industrial facility here in Durand. However, the company is still actively participating in the underwriting process for that funding and it is not clear what the exact timeline of an official announcement will be.

"We are deeply appreciative of the support and patience we have seen from community members regarding this project. Plans of this scope and magnitude are rarely approved quickly, and that is very much for the benefit of us as a community.

"We know that the community is very excited about the prospect of this development, not just here in Durand but among our neighbors as well. That is why we are working with neighboring communities to form a regional planning advisory board to plan and prepare for our collective futures. We are excited to announce formal participation on that board from Vernon Township, the Village of Vernon, Venice Township, the Village of Lennon, and of course, the City of Durand. Those planning meetings will be made open to the public and we strongly encourage public participation once we kick off our master planning activities."
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said that he was unable to attend the Global Forum on Asset Recovery, which is held in Washington, due to the situation with the suspicion of former Georgian president and leader of the Movement of New Forces party Mikheil Saakashvili in getting money from businessman Serhiy Kurchenko, a fugitive ally of former President Viktor Yanukovych.

"The U.S.-British forum on asset recovery is being held in the United States for several days. I planned to speak there, and I had something to say there. Thanks to our activities, we have the largest return of criminal assets in recent years, namely, $1.5 billion from Yanukovych's organized criminal group, which has already been transferred to Ukraine's state budget. However, the events around today's case did not allow me to go there," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Lutsenko noted that the interior minister and the justice minister were also unable to leave Ukraine because of the "Saakashvili case."

He noted that the heads of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) were present at the conference.

"Mr. Sytnyk [NABU Director Artem Sytnyk] has an opportunity to speak and make the world happy by the fact that the NABU returned 26,000 hryvnias to the state budget through special confiscation. This is also a worthy result for the young institution," he said.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Independent Bank Corp. announced an agreement to acquire Traverse City State Bank (TCSB) in a stock exchange valued at $63.24 million.

The transaction, announced Monday, Dec. 4, adds five branch offices in the Traverse City area to Independent's network of 63 branches statewide.

TCSB has total assets of $$350 million while Grand Rapids-based Independent Bank has total assets of $2.8 billion.

"The transaction with TCSB will strengthen our current franchise and support our growth in the attractive Traverse City market with full-service banking through five locations," said Brad Kessel, president and CEO of Independent Bank in a statement.

Traverse City State Bank was founded in 2000 by an investors group that included several former executives of Old Kent Bank. The original Traverse City State Bank was opened in the mid-1880s and existed until 1980, when it became part of Pacesetter Bank and then Old Kent in 1983.

TCSB's CEO Connie Deneweth will continue to lead the Northern Michigan market, Kessel said. "We are excited to welcome the TCSB team and together create an even stronger bank for the Michigan communities that we serve," he said.

"She is a respected business leader in the Traverse City area who will make a positive contribution to our organization," Kessel said. "In addition, Ann Bollinger will lead the development of our wealth management services in Northern Michigan. Connie and Ann have built an exceptional bank with a strong foundation."

"We are very excited to join the Independent Bank family," Denewith said. "We share a commitment to community banking, valuing our employees and serving our customers.

"This combination significantly enhances our capabilities including, larger lending limits, an expanded loan and deposit product mix, and more automated service," Denewith said. "We believe this partnership is in the best interests of our customers and shareholders."

Independent Bank intends to maintain all five TCSB branch locations while operating them under the Independent Bank name. One member of the TCSB board of directors will join Independent's board upon completion of the transaction in the first half of 2018.

The merger agreement calls for TCSB shareholders to receive 1.1166 shares of IBCP common stock for each outstanding share of TCSB common stock or 2.71 million shares of IBCP common stock in the aggregate.

Independent Bank Corp. was founded as First National Bank of Ionia in 1864. It operates a branch network across the Lower Peninsula through one state-chartered bank subsidiary.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - As a child, Rachel Lee learned to love the Cheshire Village neighborhood along Plainfield Avenue NE when visiting her grandparents.

Today, she's the proud owner of Citizen, a Tiki bar and restaurant in the Cheshire Village Business District in the Creston neighborhood on Grand Rapids Northeast Side.

The new restaurant's decor and menu reflects her Vietnamese, Polynesian and Chinese roots, says Lee, who previously has worked as director of the East Hills Council of Neighbors and helped family members establish their own dining spots in the city.

"Our name 'Citizen' is because we pride ourselves on being a welcoming space to all," said Lee, who compares her new venture to her past community organizing efforts.

After a soft opening and a vigorous social media campaign last week, Lee says she found they had a 2.5-hour wait to seat guests on Friday and Saturday night.

Located in a former karate studio, Lee remodeled the interior in bright a Polynesian theme to reflect the menu and bar. The South Pacific theme also carries over to a bright mural she had painted on the side of the building at 2115 Plainfield Avenue NE.

"We selected the Cheshire Village district for our establishment due to there not being a full-service restaurant in this area," Lee said. "The response we have already received from neighborhood residents has been incredible, so many neighbors happy to have a place within walking distance."

Recognizing the area's appeal to pedestrians, Lee says she removed the parking spaces in front of her building and installed a dining patio with a garage door facade.

Citizen is open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday with a brunch from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has accused Russia of failing to implement the Minsk Agreements and called for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission to Donbas.

"I am also displeased with the quality of the implementation of these agreements, but I am convinced that it's very hard to expect Russia to implement the agreements. Unfortunately, the Minsk Agreements don't work, because Russia doesn't want peace in Ukraine, and not because the document is bad or something else. Russia is blocking the implementation of the Minsk Agreements since it wants Ukraine to lose territory and people, and it is working on this," Poltorak said in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency and the 1+1 television channel.

"It's necessary to put heavy pressure on Russia so as to make it implement at least the first clause of these agreements. Among the options for starting at least some kind of dialogue could be the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission to Donetsk and Luhansk. I spoke about this at a conference in Vancouver, Canada. There were 40 defense ministers there. I spoke and informed them of Kyiv's official position and our terms for deploying such a mission," he said.
The number of ceasefire violations in the conflict area in Donbas remains high, the OSCE Special Envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on Ukraine, Martin Sajdik, said.

According to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM), the number of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine remains at a very high level, Sajdik told reporters following the TCG meeting in Minsk on Tuesday.

In this connection, the security of civilians and the observance of the ceasefire were again high on the agenda, he said.

TCG members highlighted the need for a strict observance of ceasefire. This is especially important in areas near civilian facilities, Sajdik said.

Furthermore, the sides committed again to security guarantees while wooden structures at a checkpoint in Stanytsia Luhanska are repaired on December 9-10, he said. This border checkpoint will be closed on those days, Sajdik said.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has dismissed claims of a "war" between his office and the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

"I would like [...] to bust the myth launched by NABU's press office about a war between the Prosecutor General's Office and the National Anti-corruption Bureau," he said at the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday evening.

He reassured the parliament that he had done and would continue to do everything to make sure that law enforcement works efficiently against corruption.

"I think the continuation of NABU's practice of being the first to 'open fire' to discredit whoever dares to question the legality of this agency's work should be stopped," Lutsenko said.

Of the 50 cases that NABU sent to courts this year, 20 were based on documents filed by the Prosecutor General's Office and the Security Service of Ukraine, he said.

"This alone shows that we are working together where the law allows [us] to move forward together," Lutsenko said.
The lawyer of Mikheil Saakashvili, the leader of the New Forces Movement and ex-governor of Odesa region, says the defense team has not been given documents based on which investigations into their client were held.

"Today, you have seen how dictatorship is being cemented in Ukraine, how the rule of law is being violated, how lawyers are not allowed to defend constitutional rights. This morning, we as lawyers were not let in to defend Saakashvili," Ruslan Chornolutsky said at a rally outside the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday.

"To date, not a single document related to the proceedings has been given us to see on what ground the investigative action and inquiries were conducted," Chornolutsky said.

He also asked Ukrainian judges "not to make unfair decisions or criminal determinations."

This morning, law-enforcement officers came to search Saakashvili's home address at 7 Kostelna Street, apprehended the politician on the roof of the building, escorted him out, and put him in a police van. Activists tried to stop these activities by scuffling with the officers. They stood in the way of the van and later they blocked the vehicle on Triokhsviatytelska Street.
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Ranhill Holdings Berhad has signed a strategic deal with Ramco Systems to digitize its human resources operations covering more than 3,000 employees across its 5 entities in Malaysia.

At 11:43 hrs Ramco System was quoting at Rs 470.95, down Rs 11.25, or 2.33 percent.

The share touched its 52-week high Rs 500.95 and 52-week low Rs 286.00 on 04 December, 2017 and 15 December, 2016, respectively.Currently, it is trading 5.99 percent below its 52-week high and 64.67 percent above its 52-week low.

Market capitalisation stands at Rs 1,434.61 crore.

Source : BSE

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Biopharmaceutical firm Biocon said it has created a new subsidiary to house all its biologic assets to enable the company to unlock value at a later date.

The biologics business consists biosimilars that include monoclonal antibodies and recombinant insulins and novel biologics.

"We have set up a new subsidiary Biocon Biologics, and all our biosimilar assets are consolidated under this legal entity, as we believe it will enable us to unlock value in the future," said a Biocon spokesperson in an email interview.

The company declined to give further details on timeline for unlocking value, and whether it intends to list the subsidiary on bourses or plans to sell equity stakes to PE investors.

"We do not have any specific details to share at this point in time," the spokesperson said.

Biocon's announcement of a separate subsidiary comes at a time when the company got its first ever approval to sell biosimilar version of cancer drug Trastuzumab in US through its partner Mylan.

Trastuzumab blockbuster cancer biologic drug sold by Swiss pharmaceutical major Roche under brand name Herceptin that raked in sales of USD 2.5 billion in 2016.

Biocon has partnered with Mylan to develop and market biosimilars pegfilgrastim, trastuzumab, bevacizumab, adalimumab and insulin glarginefor regulated markets such as Europe and US.

Biosimilars are identical copies of original biologic drugs that have active properties similar to the reference biological product requiring large clinical trials on patients to establish safety and efficacy before approval by regulatory agencies, unlike small generic molecules that can be launched by doing bioequivalence studies.

In April, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in an interview with Moneycontrol said it could take upto five years before the company unlocks the value of its biologics business.

"We want to unlock value through our businesses, that is the strategy, but having said that right now we are pretty focussed on making sure that biologics business actually starts delivering on what we have invested." Mazumdar-Shaw said.

"So for at least five years, we need to make sure that everything that you invested gives you a very rich return. Thats what we have unlocked (in) Syngene," she added.

In 2015, the company listed its contract research and drug discovery services business Syngene, and Mazumdar-Shaw said that a range of options was open for the rest of the businesses.

Biocon's other two biosimilars that include Peg-filgrastim and Insulin Glargine were also under review by US FDA and Europe. Europe is also reviewing biosimilar Trastuzumab.

Biocon estimates that its biologics business will start paying off richly from 2019 onwards. Biocon in its guidance has stated that the company will touch a billion-dollar in revenues in FY19 and biosimilars alone are expected to contribute about 20 percent of those revenues.

Analyst are even more bullish.

Brokerage firm Motilal Oswal expects USD 350m-400 million from sales of these three biosimilars in medium term.

"Trastuzumab approval by US FDA is an important milestone for the company. We maintain our neutral rating with revised target price of INR485@ 26xFY20E PER (v/s INR335 @ 24x 1H FY20E PER). We have increased our TP multiple to capture upside of biologics business in developed market which will commence from 2019 onwards. We have increased our FY20E EPS by 17 percent on the back of higher visibility of Biosimilar sales," Motilal Oswal said in its report.

CLSA said it estimates Trastuzumab launch at FY19-end and value this opportunity at EPS Rs 30. It values other biosimilar opportunities at Rs 93 per share.

Share of Biocon declined 0.18 percent and were trading at 512.60 on BSE at 11.38 am, the benchmark Sensex dropped 0.38 percent to 32,743.65 points.
The caste factor is likely to remain at the core of Gujarat Assembly polls following the emergence of caste-based movements, with major parties distributing tickets accordingly.

Both the BJP and Congress have kept the caste arithmetic in mind while given tickets for polls. The Patidars and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) have been given maximum tickets by both the main parties.

The BJP has nominated 50 Patidars this time, while the Congress has fielded 41 candidates from the community.

The ruling party has fielded 58 OBCs while the Congress has 62 such nominees.

The main opposition party has given tickets to 14 Dalits while the BJP has fielded 13.

As per political pundits, this Assembly poll will be a battle to win that "extra four to five per cent vote share".

The BJP cannot afford to lose that while the Congress is trying its best to attract the castes which are 'angry' and can fill in that gap in the vote share.

According to political analyst Achyut Yagnik, a mere swing of about four to five per cent would prove to be game changer for Congress.

However, he believes that though there is some possibility the Congress may win some additional seats this time, it is too early to predict that it would come to power despite the support extended by caste leaders - Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani.

"If you look at the vote share in the elections of 2002, 2007 and 2012, Congress bagged around 40 per cent while BJP got 49 per cent each time. Now, even a slight swing four to five per cent would significantly benefit Congress," Yagnik said.

He said "the caste factor is still at the core of Gujarat's politics and tickets are also distributed accordingly."

Since the last two decades, the BJP was enjoying support of the Patidars, be it urban or rural voters. But caste equations seem to have changed after Hardik Patel's agitation demanding reservation for Patidars, which triggered the rise of a counter agitation by OBC leader Alpesh Thakor.

When the BJP government was busy placating them, Jignesh Mevani took up the cause of Dalits after the Una flogging incident and started agitating against the ruling party.

While Thakor has already joined the Congress, Patel and Mevani moved closer to the opposition party and appealed to their respective communities not to vote for the BJP.

As per a rough estimate, the Patidars account for 11 to 12 per cent of Gujarat's six crore population. Though scattered across many sub-communities, the OBC population, including the influential Thakors in north and Kolis in central Gujarat and Saurashtra, account for around 40 per cent.

The BJP is fighting on all the 182 Assembly seats while the Congress has not fielded its candidates on six seats - five which were given to the Bharatiya Tribal Party and one seat where Mevani is contesting as an Independent.

Political analyst Ghanshyam Shah feels the Congress has an upper hand at the moment.

However, he says, it will be premature to think that the entire Patidar community or the OBCs would vote for the opposition party.

"Ultimately, Hardik and Alpesh are leading an individual fight in some way. Though they have extended their support to the Congress, we should not conclude that all the votes of Patidars and OBCs would go the party," Shah said.

"However, looking at the current dynamics, the Congress is having an upper hand in comparison to the 2012 Assembly polls," he said.

Though the Congress has indirectly supported Mevani by not fielding any candidate against him on Vadgam(SC) seat, Shah claimed that the Dalit vote swing would not leave any impact due to the marginal population.

"Dalits are scattered. They are only seven per cent of Gujarat's population. Even in reserved seats, they account for only 10 to 11 per cent," he said.

Another political analyst Hari Desai feels it will be a challenge for the BJP to retain its loyal vote bank of Patidars. However, he admits that Patels are not opening their cards despite being persuaded by Hardik Patel.

"We can not conclude that all the Patidars would vote as per Hardik's appeal, because, those who are party workers and loyal, will ultimately go for BJP. But, it is clear that their loyal vote bank is drifting away after Hardik's agitation," he said.

Citing the vote share data, Desai claimed that a minor swing in the loyal vote bank of BJP would prove to be a windfall gain for the Congress.

This time, the Congress has fielded six Muslims while the BJP has not nominated anyone from the community.

According to the Election Commission of India's data on the 2012 Gujarat polls, the BJP then received 47.85 per cent of the valid votes, while the Congress garnered 38.93 per cent votes - a difference of 8.92 per cent between the two parties.

While the Congress is elated to see the new caste dynamics coming to its rescue, the BJP still believes that no one is leaving its ship.

"People from all communities, including Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are coming to Congress with a hope that we will bring a solution to their problems. We firmly believe that Congress will form the government this time," Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.

However, the BJP feels this is not going to happen.

"These new caste equations will not leave any impact," Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.

"It is a fact that when a social movement turns political, it loses its credibility. The same is happening with Hardik, Alpesh and Mevani. Gujarat never accepts people who talk negative," he said.

Gujarat will vote in two phases - on December 9 and 14 - to elect a new 182-member Assembly. The counting of votes will take place on December 18.
Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said that one of its air crews spotted what they believed to be the missile fired by North Korea last week, as they flew between the southern Chinese city and the United States.

The North fired an intercontinental ballistic missile believed capable of hitting the US mainland last Wednesday.

A statement from Cathay said a flight crew had that day sighted "what is suspected to be the re-entry of the recent DPRK test missile".

Cathay did not give the location of the flight at the time of the sighting, but said the crew of the CX893 flight between Hong Kong and San Francisco had notified Japanese air traffic control "according to procedures".

Operations had continued as normal, the statement added.

Pyongyang said the missile reached an altitude of 4,475 kilometres and splashed down 950 kilometres from its launch site.

It also claimed the Hwasong-15 missile fired Wednesday can be tipped with a "super-large heavy warhead" capable of striking the whole US mainland.

Cathay said there is no current plan to change air routes, describing the flight as being "far from the event location".

"We remain alert and review the situation as it evolves," the statement said.

In a message shared with staff, Cathay general manager Mark Hoey said the crew had described seeing the missile "blow up and fall apart", the South China Morning Post reported.

Hoey said that another plane, CX096 which is a freight service between Hong Kong and Mexico, was only a few hundred miles away and could have been closer than the San Francisco flight, according to the report.

Analysts remain unconvinced that North Korea has mastered the advanced technology to allow the rocket to survive re- entry to the Earth's atmosphere.

The months-long nuclear standoff between North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un and US president Donald Trump has fuelled concerns of another conflict, after the 1950-53 Korean War left much of the peninsula in ruin.
KYIV. Dec 5 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Kyiv region would gradually slow the pace of housing construction, and the left bank district of Kyiv would be actively developed, UTG consulting company has said.

"The rush around construction in Kyiv region is gradually falling, which is linked to the price policy: housing prices in the region almost equals to the construction cost," head of UTG's strategic consulting department Rostyslav Simonov said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

He said that construction in the left bank district (Darnytsia and Desniansky districts) continues growing, but 56% of construction sites are on the right bank.

UTG said that in the first three quarters of 2017, 2.3 million square meters of housing space was commissioned in Kyiv city and region, which is 23.5% more than year-over-year.

Despite the increase in supply, the sale pace in Kyiv city is not recorded. Only the premium class housing market has average saturation, and the sale pace next year would stabilize or show a slight decline.

"We expect that credits to buy housing would stir up. The U.S. dollar exchange rate would remain in the range of UAH 26-28/$1, and it is likely that the conditions of mortgage credits would improve next year," Simonov said.

The expert said that in 2017 no sales and housing commissioning meltdown would be seen.

UTG said that 70% of the Kyiv city market is in hands of six or seven companies, and two of them have the share of over 50%. These companies have enough influence to control the number of housing projects commissioned and not allow the market meltdown.

UTG said that last year 114 construction permits were issued, and 59  in H1 2017. The company predicts that the number of permits in 2017 would exceed the figure for the previous year, and in the next two or three years the construction pace could slow, but not significantly.
China has decided to temporarily stop funding at least three major road projects in Pakistan, being built as part of the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, following reports of corruption, a decision that has left officials in Islamabad "stunned", a media report said today.

The decision by the Chinese government is likely hit over Rs 1 trillion-worth road projects of the Pakistan's National Highway Authority (NHA), and initially, may delay at least three such ventures, Dawn newspaper reported.

According to a senior government official, the funds would be released after Beijing issues 'new guidelines'.

The nearly USD 60 billion CPEC, a flagship project of China's prestigious One Belt One Road, passes through Pakistan -occupied Kashmir (PoK). It links China's restive Xinjiang region with Pakistan's Balochistan province.

The road projects that are likely to be affected include 210-km-long Dera Ismail Khan-Zhob Road, being built at an estimated cost of Rs 81 billion. Of this, Rs 66 billion would be spent on construction of road while Rs 15 billion on land acquisition.

The other project which is going to be hit is 110-km-long Khuzdar-Basima Road, having an estimated cost of Rs 19.76 billion.

The third project is Rs 8.5 billion worth, the remaining 136-km of Karakarom Highway (KKH) from Raikot to Thakot.

Originally, all the three projects were part of the Pakistan government's own development programme, but in December 2016, the NHA spokesperson had announced that they would be included under the CPEC umbrella so as to become eligible for concessionary finance from China.

"The funds for the three road projects were approved in the 6th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting held last year, pending necessary procedural formalities.

"It was expected that the funding of the three projects would be finalised during the Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held on November 20, but Pakistan was informed in the meeting that 'new guidelines' will be issued from Beijing under which new modus operandi for release of the funds will be described," the official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The decision of the Chinese government was conveyed to Pakistan in the JWG meeting and the existing procedure for release of funds had been abolished, he said.

Under the previous procedure, the projects were to be approved by six different forums after which the funds were released, the official added.

"In fact, the Chinese authorities informed us that the previous procedure of release of funds was meant for early harvest projects only and new guidelines will be issued for future projects of the CPEC," the official said.

The official said the Pakistani side was left "stunned" when informed about this development, as it was the first time they were hearing it.

He, however, claimed that Chinese side was quite disturbed with media reports, published in Pakistan, about corruption in the CPEC projects and and that was the reason Beijing has temporarily halted release of funds for the corridor.

CPEC was launched in 2015 when President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan and it now envisages investment of around USD 50 billion in different projects of development in Pakistan.
BHEL | Company reported loss at Rs 893.1 crore in Q1FY21 against loss Rs 218.9 crore, revenue fell to Rs 1,990.9 crore versus Rs 4,532.5 crore YoY. (Image: Reuters)

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State-owned power equipment maker BHEL said today that it has secured an order worth Rs 215 crore for renovation and modernisation of electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) at Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station (STPS) in Bihar.

Originally supplied along with the four units (4X210 MW) by Bhel, the ESPs have been in operation for more than 25 years since their commissioning, the company said in a statement.

Renovation of these ESPs will enable these units to meet the new norms for suspended particulate matter (SPM) emission, recently announced by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF & CC). Modernisation of the units will facilitate the operation of these units for many more years.

Bhels scope of work in the contract includes design, engineering, manufacture, supply and commissioning of the ESPs to bring down the SPM emission to the stipulated level for all the four units of Kahalgaon STPS, Stage-1.

Major equipment for the project will be supplied by Bhels units located at Ranipet and Bhopal, while the execution on site will be undertaken by Power Sector Eastern Region.
Mobile wallet company MobiKwik is in talks with various investors to raise over USD 60 million before the end of the current fiscal, the company's co-founder, Upasana Taku, has said.

She also said that the company, through partnership with a few banks and NBFCs, is all set to launch a host of financial services such as personal loans, insurance and zero interest loans to its users.

MobiKwik expects these value-added services will help break-even in the next 18 to 24 months.

"We have raised USD 130 to USD 140 million so far. In August we raised USD 33 million from Bajaj (Finance). And we were looking at raising a complete round of USD 100 million (which includes USD 33 mn raised from Bajaj)," Taku told PTI during her recent visit to the city to participate in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit-2017.

"We are in talks with some of the investors. We may raise it before the end of the current fiscal. We are speaking to a clutch of investors- American, Asians as well as Indian investors," she said.

Taku further said that Mobikwik as a wallet has 65 million users and two million merchants accept the payments across the country.

According to her, currently promoters and some of the senior officials of the company hold about 60 per cent stake in the company while the rest is held by various investors such as South Africa's payments major Net1, Sequoia Capital and American Express among others.

Explaining about the new services that they are going to offer, the company's co-founder said the offering will include KYC, loan disbursal process and collection through the app.

The idea behind the new initiatives is to leverage the user base to increase the earning per customer over a period, she said.

"We have already done a lot of pilots. We are looking at launching lending in the next twenty days or so. We have tie-ups with various banks and lenders. We will be launching in partnership with few NBFCs and a few banks," Taku said.

"By adding these financial services what we are doing is we want to earn more per customer. So we are looking at a part profitability that in the next 18 to 24 months we should get profits," she said.

Taku said they will continue to invest in the company as the market is growing and is demanding.
Softbank-backed Paytm on Tuesday unveiled its ATMs or partner outlets where customers can open bank accounts, deposit cash and withdraw money. It plans to invest Rs 3000 crore over the next three years to expand these offline-distribution networks by allowing local stores to act as potential cash-in and cash-out points.

It plans to add 100,000 "Paytm ka ATMs" across India to the current strength of 3,000 approved outlets.

The company launched its payments bank last month. It offers zero charges on all online transactions and no minimum balance is required for holding an account.

In the first phase, Paytm has started with 3,000 "Paytm Ka ATM" points in select cities including Delhi-NCR, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Aligarh.

These outlets feature local banking correspondents who help customers in depositing and withdrawing money from their Paytm Payments Bank account, making banking simpler and more accessible for one and all.

"The Paytm Ka ATM banking outlets is our step towards ensuring every Indian has access to banking facilities. This will enable our customers to visit their trusted neighbourhood outlet to open their bank account, deposit and withdraw cash, in addition to getting their Aadhaar linked. We believe this hyper-local model of banking will play a crucial role in enabling hundreds of millions of under-served and un-served customers to gain access to quality banking services," said Renu Satti, managing director and chief executive officer, Paytm Payments Bank.

These outlets are expected to be playing a key role in bringing banking access to smaller cities and towns by ensuring customers find it easy to locate an access point near them.
Infosys

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Infosys new chief executive Salil Parekh should focus on building a strategy on top of the digital transformation approach that his predecessor began, and take advantage of being based in Bengaluru, the headquarters of the company.

Given his past record and the board's forward looking statements it seems likely that the general direction and strategy under Sikka will continue, said Peter Bendor-Samuel, the CEO of research firm Everest Group.

Infosys is well-positioned to participate in the arbitrage legacy consolidation which is occurring and I would expect Salil to position Infosys to capture a strong share of this work, he added.

Parekh was named the second non co-founder CEO of Infosys on December 2, following the exit of Vishal Sikka, who stepped down following a very public battle with co-founder NR Narayana Murthy over issues of corporate governance, Infosys acquisition of Israeli software firm Panaya, and questions over Sikkas high salary and use of private jets for travel.

The board blamed co-founder NR Narayana Murthy for Sikkas resignation, and was supposed to find a replacement by March 31, 2018 under co-founder Nandan Nilekani who came back to Infosys as non-executive chairman of the Board.

Salil will likely be a better fit with Infosys as he provides a better balance between the traditional Infosys business and making the changes that need to be made to get them back on top in the industry. The only solution is to have someone who can work with the board, keep the existing revenue ticking along and make the right M&A moves in the market with all the stakeholders aligned, said Phil Fersht, CEO of research firm HfS Research.

He added that the perfect strategy for Infosys would be to create two large divisions  one focusing on strategy and consulting, as well as operations.

Bendor-Samuel stressed the need to reset investor expectations on margins, focus on building a new delivery model that moves away from the factory arbitrage model, focus on clients and not its self, and keeping the commitment to the "aggressive pricing established under Sikka. The market will not tolerate a premium pricing position at this time.

With Infosys and other Indian software exporters facing visa and trade issues in their largest market, the United States, some believe Parekh could look at expanding presence in Europe.

Salil, in my opinion would advocate local hiring for the European markets and fall upon resources within the CapGemini's global pool, said Rajiv Dabhadkar, founder of the National Organization for Software & Technology Professionals.

He added that Infosys could benefit from minimizing their labour redundancies and increasing their profit share.

Being in Bengaluru is a certain positive for Parekh, at least in the short term, as he sets out to build confidence among the co-founders and the companys Board.

At this time what Infosys needs is a steady hand, Sikka did a nice job of raising Infosys profile in the digital transformation space, which has set the table for Salil to be focused on execution. Arguably, where Sikka failed was in bring the founders and a sizable segment of the rank and file along. A more low profile approach may prove successful, said Bendor-Samuel.
The Madras High Court has dismissed a PIL seeking to restrain the Tamil Nadu government from observing former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's death anniversary today.

The first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice R Hemalatha dismissed the petition by one R Kumaravel seeking to restrain the state government from observing December 5 as the death anniversary of Jayalalithaa.

The bench said, "This court cannot decide disputes as to whether letters said to have been written by the late chief minister were actually written by her or not.. This court neither has the expertise nor the experience to determine the death on the basis of a thumb impression, which might have been obtained."

"There is no public interest in the order sought for in the petition," it said. Referring to the commission of inquiry set up by the government to look into the circumstances leading to the demise of Jayalalithaa, the bench said, "the commission would obviously inquire into the cause and the date of death."

The petitioner had submitted that he has no objection to the Chief Minister K Palaniswami or his party (AIADMK) observing the death anniversary on a party basis.

He further submitted that on November 22 he had filed an affidavit before the Commission of Inquiry to call for records of original thumb impressions that were affixed on the nomination papers of the AIADMK candidate AK Bose for Tiruparankundram bypoll in November, 2016.

Those impressions first be sent to the forensic sciences department for finding the basic truth whether she was alive or dead on October 27 last year, he said.

The government should defer from observing the death anniversary either till the Commission declared the date of death or results were obtained from forensic tests on her finger prints, he added.

The state government had on September 25 announced setting up of the inquiry commission, headed by the retired high court judge, to probe the circumstances leading to the hospitalisation and death of Jayalalithaa on December 5 last year after 75 days of treatment at Apollo Hospitals here.
Vijay Mallya

Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya should not be extradited to his home country to face fraud charges related to the collapse of his Kingfisher Airlines because there is no evidence to back up India's case against him, a London court heard on Tuesday.

The Indian government has requested Mallya's extradition from Britain accusing him of fraudulently palming off the airline's losses onto banks by taking out loans he had no intention of repaying.

The 61-year-old has had business interests ranging from aviation to liquor. He is also the co-owner of Formula One motor racing team Force India.

The case against him centres on a series of loans Kingfisher obtained from Indian banks, especially state-owned lender IDBI. The banks want to recover a total of about $1.4 billion that the state says the defunct airline owes.

"There is no evidence," Mallya's defence lawyer Clare Montgomery told Westminster Magistrates Court.

She said there were competing narratives, fraud versus business failure, and that no reasonable jury would be able to reach a safe conclusion that there had been a deliberate intent to defraud.

She added that the Indian government's case revealed a 'shocking' lack of appreciation of how companies function and of basic realities such as the effects of incorporation and the rights of shareholders.

Mallya, the focus of intense media interest in India, arrived wearing a dark suit and yellow tie and was mobbed by cameramen as he walked into the building.

Inside the courtroom he spoke only to confirm his name and age, before sitting quietly in the glass-walled dock as Montgomery spoke.

She said the government's allegation that Mallya had deliberately misled banks by overstating Kingfisher's projected profits was a 'false premise'.

That was because airlines were subject to many unpredictable factors beyond their control, such as fuel cost fluctuations and the global economic climate, so to make entirely accurate projections several years in advance was unrealistic.

Montgomery also rejected the allegation that senior managers at state-owned lender IDBI were involved in Mallya's fraudulent plan.

That is one of a number of allegations that prosecuting authorities have made without a shred of evidence, she said.

Montgomery also rejected the allegation that Mallya had improperly spent the money borrowed from the banks, saying there was no evidence of disbursements on anything other than the benefit of Kingfisher.

The extradition hearing is expected to last two weeks. The judge, England's Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot, will have to decide whether there is a prima facie case against Mallya and whether the alleged crimes would be offences in Britain as well as India.
Democratic leaders in Congress on Monday accepted an invitation to meet U.S. President Donald Trump and Republicans for talks to avert a government shutdown this week, even as the Democrats pressed demands on funding priorities and protecting young immigrants.

House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who canceled a meeting with Trump last week after he posted a disparaging note about them on Twitter, said on Monday they hoped the president would remain open-minded about reaching a deal with Democrats.

"We need to reach a budget agreement that equally boosts funds for our military and key priorities here at home," Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement. "There is a bipartisan path forward on all of these items."

The meeting was scheduled for Thursday, a day before funding for the federal government is due to run out.

House Republicans over the weekend introduced a stopgap measure that would fund the government at current levels until Dec. 22 to give lawmakers time to reach a deal on a longer-term bill. Congress is expected to vote on the measure this week.

Conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus asked House Republican leaders to extend the duration of the stopgap measure through Dec. 30 in exchange for their votes for the House to go to conference with the Senate on tax legislation, which moved Congress closer to a final bill for a major tax overhaul.

"There is a better chance of going to the 30th than the 22nd, but no commitment," Representative Mark Meadows, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told reporters.

The House Republican leadership agreed to consider the Dec. 30 date and talk to the Senate leadership about it, a House Republican leadership aide said.

Trump is scheduled to have lunch with Republican members of the Senate at the White House on Tuesday.

DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT NEEDED

Republicans have a majority in both the House and Senate. But they will need some Democratic support to get the spending bill past Senate procedural hurdles that require 60 votes, since there are only 52 Republicans in the 100-member chamber.

Schumer said on Monday that everyone should be working to avoid a shutdown, and he did not believe Republican congressional leaders wanted one.

"The only one at the moment who's flirted with a shutdown is President Trump, who tweeted earlier this year that 'we could use a good shutdown to fix the mess,'" Schumer said.

The Republican bill will provide some short-term help for states that are running out of money to finance a health insurance program for lower-income children, Republican aides said.

Schumer and Pelosi on Monday listed that program among their priorities, which also included the opioid crisis, pension plans, rural infrastructure and protection for young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children, known as "Dreamers."

Those young immigrants must be taken care of now, Senate Democratic whip Dick Durbin declared on the Senate floor. He said Democrats had offered in return to toughen border security, a Republican priority.

"How can we in good conscience pass a spending bill giving authority and resources to this administration to go out and arrest and deport these young people - and not address the underlying issue of their legality and future in the United States?" Durbin asked.
N Chandrababu Naidu | Andhra Pradesh | Total cases: 3 | Serious IPC: Nil

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today began his three-day tour of the Republic of Korea, urging its industrialists to make the state their second home and invest big in it.

The Chief Minister held meetings with a host of Korean industrialists and told them that AP would like to make rapid strides, inspired by South Korea's success in manufacturing and technology.

Explaining what all his government had been doing to propel growth and prosperity in the sunrise state in the aftermath of bifurcation, Naidu made a strong pitch for Korean investments in different sectors like automobiles, power, textiles, food processing, electronics, etc, an official release issued here said.

"Indias Look East Policy will bear fruit only from our state," Naidu told the Koreans.

He also invited them to attend the Partnership Summit to be held in Visakhapatnam in February, it added.

Showcasing Kia Motors -- which is now setting up its car manufacturing plant in Anantapuramu district of AP -- as a mascot, the Chief Minister asked the South Korean business houses to explore possibilities of investing in AP as both of them shared many similarities like population and (geographical) size, said the release.

A group of 37 South Korean industries already signed Letters of Intent to invest a sum of Rs 3,000 crore in the state, he said.

Many ancillary units of Kia Motors confirmed a total investment of Rs 4,995 crore and provision of employment to 7,171 persons, the Chief Minister added.

A Korean township would soon be developed in the state, he said.

Naidu requested Hwang Chul-joo, CEO of Jusung Engineering that has 3.5 GW of solar power plants in different states of India, to set up a research and development facility in AP.

Jusung is currently developing the next-generation OLED bulbs and also has plans to set up a further one GW of solar power generating plants in India.

The Chief Minister, who is accompanied by Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Industries Minister N Amarnath Reddy and senior officials, visited the automobile manufacturing plant of Kia Motors.
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In an interview with Moneycontrol, Cochin Shipyard Limiteds chairman and managing director, Madhu Nair, talked about the companys maiden dividend pay-out target, contracts for indigenous aircraft carriers and anti-submarine warfare and company's growing interest in passenger vessels.

Here are the edited excerpts:

We would like to state here that the nature of business in which Cochin Shipyard operates is not very amenable to a quarter to quarter comparison of results. As you are aware our projects, both shipbuilding and ship repair, span over a medium or long period and hence an annual comparison of results would be more insightful. The company is targeting a growth of about over 12 percent year-on-year (YoY) and is targeting areas like defence, engineering heavy commercial vessels, Inland Waterways vessels in the shipbuilding front and strong push on the ship repair front especially defence projects for achieving the growth.The company presently has an order book of around Rs 2,600 crores. It is also expected that the Phase III contract for indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) will be entered into by next financial year. Apart from this we have emerged as L1 (lowest bidder) for eight anti-submarine warfare (ASW) Corvettes for the Indian Navy worth for Rs 5,400 crores for which contract is yet to be signed.Post IPO, we have emerged L1 in an order for eight ASW Corvette for Rs 5,400 crores, which is a positive development. Union Minister for Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, laid the foundation stone for the new International Ship repair Facility on 17 November 2017, which is one of the projects for which we raised funds during the IPO. As regards return for shareholder, as per the directives issued by Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), every Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) is to consider a minimum dividend of 30 percent of profit after tax (PAT) or 5 percent of net worth whichever is higher. We would strive to adhere to this directives to the maximum extent.

Also read: Cochin Shipyard eyes inland waterway foray, lines up big money

There are no plans as of now.

Globally commercial shipbuilding had been going through a very difficult period. In comparison, the Indian defence shipbuilding industry looks endearing in the light of the ship acquisition plans for Indian Navy and Coast Guard. However the company will continue to have a strong presence in both segments, so that we can have diversified product mix. The company is looking at Inland Waterways as an emerging opportunity in the commercial segment.

The revenue inflow from defence space is around 75 percent of our revenue.Cochin Shipyard is looking to consolidate its position in the defence space, both in shipbuilding and ship repair. At the same time, we would like to maintain our leadership position in the commercial shipbuilding and ship repair, as well. The new dock, International Ship repair Facility adjacent to our present facility and the Joint Venture at Kolkata would help us in this approach through focus on the Inland Waterways and Coastal Segment. We are also looking at consolidating our ship repair business through presence in major ports. Discussions in this regard have been commenced.

Also read: Cochin Shipyard IPO oversubscribed 76 times on final day

Both these segments compliment and support each other and are equally important in our overall scheme of things. Shipbuilding provides us about 75 percent top line with modest profits whereas ship repair provides the balance 25 percent top line, however, with much higher margins. A prudent mix of both businesses helps us in controlling our overheads and optimally leveraging our infrastructure and resources.

Once our International Ship repair Facility and the new dry dock projects are completed, we expect to have the requisite repair slot availability and subsequently market our ship repair services aggressively towards international clients, especially ships which frequent Indian ports. Our target would be to look at major fleet operators with a view to have frame agreements based on pre allocated slotting, preferential terms etc.

CSL today has two dry docks  275 x 45m and 255 x 42m, amongst the largest in the country. We are now proposing to build an even larger new Dry Dock which will be a stepped dock with a minimum clear length of 310 metre, width of 75 metre at the wider part till a part of the dock length, and width of 60 metre at the remaining part. The new dry dock with 2 x 600MT cranes would help us to take up building and repair of specialised and technologically advanced large vessels such as Liquefied Natural Gas vessels, indigenous aircraft carriers of higher capacity, jack up rigs, drill ship etc. This would help us to diversify our offerings further.The company is keen on various types of passenger vessels  both domestic and international.We feel that Hooghly is located very strategically with reference to the National Waterway No1 and could play a crucial role in supplying and maintaining vessels for the route. We shall strive to make this joint venture herald a new segment in the Indian inland water transport space.
YINCHUAN, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China might have been under the imperial rule of Chinese emperors much earlier than archeologists previously thought, according to the recent excavation of a group of 3,000-year-old tombs.

Experts from China's top archeological research institutions, including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University and Nanjing University, have gathered in Ningxia's Pengyang County to join the excavation of the Yaoheyuan Ruins, where an area of 620,000 square meters has been excavated.

Ma Qiang, who leads the archeological team, told Xinhua on Monday that all of the tombs had been looted prior to the start of the official excavation earlier this year.

However, the team has found the main tomb of a Marquis-level ruler 13 meters underground. Although no bronze burial vessels with inscriptions identifying the owner of the tomb have been located, they have found two jade mantis.

A similar jade mantis was unearthed from China's World Heritage listed Yinxu archeological site near Anyang in central China's Henan Province, which was an ancient capital city in the late Shang Dynasty (1300 B.C. to 1046 B.C.)

"The jade item provides strong evidence of the tomb owner's relationship with the imperial governments during the period from the late Shang to the middle of Western Zhou (1046 B.C. - 771 B.C.) dynasties," said Zhang Tian'en from the Shaanxi Provincial Archeological Research Institute.

Liu Xu, a professor at Peking University, said the discovery of the ruins suggests that Ningxia was part of the imperial empire from the late Shang Dynasty, about 1,000 years earlier than previously believed.

The team has only excavated one quarter of the area, and Liu said it should contain another 40 neighboring tombs.

Experts believe the area was a Marquis fief in the northern frontier of the dynasties.

Two horse burial pits and a chariot burial pit were excavated near the Marquis tomb. The large horse pit bears remains of 12 horses. There were four carriages found in the chariot pit. Archeologists expect to find more remains of horses under the chariot pit.

As well as the tombs, the team has also discovered ruins of a bronze casting workshop, moats and water drainage and road networks at the site.
UP Shia Central Waqf Board Chief Waseem Rizvi addresses the media outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Tuesday. The apex court on Tuesday commenced the final hearings in the long-standing Ayodhya title suit. (PTI)

A man stands at Marine Drive during high tide in Mumbai on Tuesday.(PTI)

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi being garlanded at an election campaign rally at Anjar in Kutch district of Gujarat on Tuesday. (PTI)

A Sri Lankan player, wearing a face mask, stands in the field during India vs Sri Lanka Third Test Match (Reuters)

Activists hold a banner and placards as they demand the speedy probe into journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder, in Bengaluru on Tuesday. (PTI)

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath hands over a cheque worth Rs.5 Crore to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from CM Distress Relief Fund towards PMNRF, for the Cyclone affected people in Lakshadweep and other States, in New Delhi on Tuesday.(PTI)

Indian Air Force's "Surya Kiran" team showing acrobatics during an air show in Jodhpur on Tuesday. (PTI)

An Ehang 184 autonomous aerial vehicle, designed to carry one passenger, is seen at the fourth World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, China. (Reuters)

Preparations in full swing at the burial place of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the first death anniversary of the late AIADMK Chief will be observed across the state. (PTI)

People ride a scooter past trees on a foggy day in a village in Fuyang, Anhui province, China. (Reuters)

Gujarat Elections 2017: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses an election campaign rally for state assembly election in Jamnagar. (PTI)

The Eastern naval Command (ENC) is conducting Naval Operational display highlighting the multi-dimensional warfare capability of the Indian Navy in protecting the vast Maritime borders and offshore assets of our country on the occasion of Navy Day at RK Beach, Visakhapatnam. (PTI)

Gujarat Elections 2017: Bollywood actor & BJP MP Paresh Raval during an election campaign in Surat. (PTI)

Houthi Shiite fighters guard a street leading to the residence of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, Yemen. Saleh was killed by Shiite rebels, Monday as their forces battled for control of the capital officials said. The collapse of their alliance throws Yemen's nearly 3-year-old civil war into unpredictable new chaos. (AP/PTI)

A small group of demonstrators block traffic to demand action by the federal government on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in downtown San Diego, California. (Reuters)

Members of the Honduran police take part in a strike to demand higher wages and rest after working extra hours due to protests caused by the delay in vote counting in the general election, at their headquarters in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. (Reuters)
Actor Akshay Kumar contributes Rs 25 crore to PM-CARES fund. (Image: Reuters)

Films are one medium through which social issues can be highlighted and Akshay Kumar appears to have assumed the mantle of creating awareness through his Bollywood movies. But the actor is also supporting various causes off-screen too. Now, Kumar has joined hands with the agriculture ministry to spread awareness about soil health cards.

The actor recently starred in films such as Toilet Ek Prem Katha and Jolly LLB 2, while Padman is slated for release next year. These films have talked about social issues ranging from the sanitation problem in the country, flaws in the judicial system and menstrual hygiene in rural India.

This time, the actor is telling farmers how important it is to find out the health of the soil by taking part in the Soil Health Card initiative. It is through this programme that farmers can get their soil checked every two years.

Kumar has also done an advertisement explaining to farmers the advantages of owning a soil health card. He also said that just like people get health checkups, health of soil needs to be checked every two years.

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday launched a mobile app on soil health for the benefit of field-level workers.

The government has distributed soil health cards to 10 crore farmers so far against the target of 12 crore.

The mobile app on soil health was launched at Jajjar Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Haryana on the occasion of the World Soil day.

The soil health app will work just like other geotagging apps developed for another centrally-sponsored scheme Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

The app contains farmers details including name, Aadhaar card number, mobile number, gender, address and crop details.
Eros International Media is in focus as Eros International PLC will receive USD 100 million dollars through convertible notes and warrants. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Jyoti Deshpande, MD & Group CEO of Eros International spoke about the same and the latest happenings in the company.

Deshpande said its USD 100 million convertible notes so it gives us amazing firepower and it complete refinances our existing revolving credit facility (RCF).

She further that it brings our net debt down significantly and that's fantastic for our balance sheet.

We will pay USD 53 million of revolving credit facility, she added.

Talking about business, she said we saw high budget releases last year but did not happen this quarter.

Eros Now continues to be a great area of growth for us. Currently we have 3.7 million paying subscribers and will have 6-8 million paying subscribers by end of FY18.

Therefore, we expect Eros Now to be able to generate revenue of USD 40 million by March 2018 compared to USD 15 million of revenue last year.

On margin front, she said margins improving due to profitability from small budget movies and margin improvement will continue.

We will be monetising company's movie library which has 10000 movies, added Deshpande.
Broking firms are largely optimistic about upcoming initial public offering (IPO) of Shalby Hospitals citing good valuations and interesting long-term bet.

The Ahmedabad-based multi-speciality hospital chain fixed the price band between Rs 245 and Rs 248 per equity share for its proposed initial public offer (IPO) to raise about Rs 504 crore.

The offer comprises a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 480 crore and an offer for sale of up to 10,00,000 equity shares.

Proceeds of the IPO will be utilised towards repayment of borrowings availed by the company besides purchasing medical equipment for existing, recently set-up as well as upcoming hospitals, the company said. The offer will open on December 5 and close on December 7.

"We aim to be one of the leading healthcare service providers in India by expanding the network of hospitals owned and operated through greenfield and brownfield projects, strategic acquisitions and operation and management (O&M) arrangements," Shalby chairman and managing Vikram Shah told reporters.

In the recent months, healthcare services firms Alkem Laboratories, Dr Lal Pathlabs, Narayana Hrudayalaya, Thyrocare and Eris Lifesciences have tapped the primary market through IPO route.

Also read: Shalby IPO to open on December 5; 10 things you should know before investing

Heres what brokerages are discussing about the issue.

HEM Securities | Subscribe

The brokerage house highlighted that the firm has nine operational hospitals with an aggregate operational bed count of 841 beds. It has 15% market share of all joint replacement surgeries conducted by private corporate hospitals in India in 2016

On its network, the brokerage said that the firm has a domestic and overseas outreach through a network of hospitals in India, and Outpatient Clinics and SACE located in India, Africa, and the Middle East.

On the valuation front, it said that at price band of Rs 245-248 /share at p/e multiple of 46-47. The firm has leadership in orthopedics with integrated and scalable business model enhancing patient reach and is experienced player with longstanding presence

SMC Research | Subscribe

SMC Research said that the company intends to strengthen its hospital presence in western and central India and continue expanding into new geographies, implement initiatives to improve operational efficiencies and continue to grow ancillary businesses.

At present, the Company is dependent on one field of specialty for a substantial portion of its revenue, i.e. orthopaedics. In order to reining the higher medical cost, the government has recently capped the cost of Knee replacement and heart surgery, which could be risky for the health care industry as the move has the potential to limit the margins, the brokerage said in a report.

Choice Broking | Subscribe

In terms of valuations, Choice Broking highlighted that at Rs 248, the share is available at a P/E multiple of 42.8(x) which is at a discount to its peers P/E (Apollo Hospitals  67.7x, Narayana Hrudayalaya  90x and Healthcare Global  118.4x).

The company intends to strengthen its presence in central and western India and planned to establish new hospitals in new geographies. Its assets light approach with the establishment of outpatient Clinics and SACE provide the opportunity to carry out preliminary assessments on markets prior to setting up a full-fledged hospital which is high capital intensive thereby reducing the risk of business failure, the brokerage said in a report.

Further, it said that the company is a fundamentally strong and well-managed company and at P/E (x) of 42.8 (considered post issue EPS), the issue is available at attractive valuation.

ICICI Securities | Unrated

The brokerage house highlighted that at the upper band of Rs 248, the stock is available at 41.3x FY17 EV/EBITDA of Rs 72.4. The company has a strong brand equity in Gujarat and other emerging areas and has a seen significant growth in inpatient and outpatient volumes across its hospital network.

Orthopaedic speciality continues to dominate its revenue pie although it is also witnessing greater traction in other specialities. However, in the backdrop of steeper valuation and growing government intervention, we assign an UNRATED recommendation on Shalby.
Police officials patrol with a sniffer dog on railway tracks ahead of India's Independence Day celebrations in Guwahati, India, August 12, 2017. REUTERS/Anuwar Hazarika - RTS1BGVL

The locals in Lucknow have handed over CCTV footage of the suspect who might have removed the clips from the railway track. In the footage, the suspect can be seen walking on the track with a torch. The police are trying to get a clear image of the suspect so that he can be identified.

The footage was handed over to the Uttar Pradesh ATS on Monday by an unidentified local resident. A day earlier, a woman also recorded a statement that she had seen someone striking the track repeatedly with an iron hammer in the wee hours of Sunday.

A case of maliciously wrecking or attempting to wreck a train was lodged with the Lucknows Mahanagar police station on Sunday after it was found that a total of 77 Pandrol clips (the clips which keep the track hooked to sleepers) were removed by some people. Two railway trackman while routine patrolling found them littered between Badshah Nagar and Daliganj railway stations in Lucknow, reported Indian Express.

Alok Srivastava, public relations officer (PRO) of the North Eastern Railways said, At around 1.30 am, when patrolmen Shivshankar and Sanjay crossed the stretch while checking the particular track, everything was alright. But when they were coming back on the same track at around 4.25 am, they found the clips missing.

The station masters of both the stations were immediately alerted by the patrolman after which the mechanical staff repaired the damaged track. According to the report, not many trains were scheduled to pass through the stretch at that time, the Gorakhnath Express and Kaifiyat Express were stopped at Badshah Nagar and Lucknow junction respectively till the track was being repaired.

Prima facie, it seems a deliberate attempt to sabotage the railways security and derail the trains on the track, Srivastava said.

He added that the alertness of the patrolling staff averted a major mishap. The general manager of the North Eastern Railway also awarded both patrolmen.
Balaji Amines receives an allotment of 3.6 lakh square meter of land in Solapur, the land will be used for project expansion. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, D Ram Reddy, Joint MD of the company spoke at length about the same.

We will release detailed report with regards to project on Solapur land in 2-3 months, said Reddy.

He further said that the government of Maharashtra has given the approval for the mega project status for about Rs 300 crore investments in this.

Therefore, we will use Rs 120 crore from internal accruals and will raise Rs 200 crore for expansion purposes by end of 2019.

On revenue front, he said FY18 revenue expected at Rs 800-850 crore.

Talking about hotel business, he said there are no plans to expand the business.
As the year 2017 comes to a close, it is time to review how the Deal Street performed and what are the trends that we are picking up for the next year.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18s show, Big Deal, Ganeshan Murugaiyan and Nimesh Karwanyun of BNP Paribas discussed about how Indian markets fared during 2017 as well as shared their outlook for 2018.
The Nifty today managed to hold on to 10,100 levels on back of outperformance from bank stocks. Reliance too supported the market.

The 30-share BSE Sensex was down 67.28 points at 32,802.44 and the 50-share NSE Nifty fell 9.50 points to 10,118.30.

Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com is of the view that the index could chop around in a 100-point band 10,100-10,200 before it moves higher. Maybe the RBI policy will lead the financials to go up.

It is clear that market is finding resistance in going down and if Reliance continues having couple of more good days then it becomes difficult for the Nifty to fall, said Gujral.

One can also see lot of participation in the market from NBFCs. So there is good chance that both Bank Nifty and Nifty may have made lows and whatever RBI says it is priced into the market, said Gujral.

According to Mitessh Thakkar of mitesshthakkar.com, the breakdown below 10,100 hasnt happened, and the fact that we tried to break down below those levels in the last two days but still did not, tells us that throwback should happen.

So, unless todays low of 10,070 gets broken, we may visit 10,200-10,230 first before breaking out eventually. So, till 10,070 holds one may trade long for a few days, said Thakkar.

Market experts SP Tulsian of sptulsian.com, Ambareesh Baliga, Anand Tandon along with Gujral and Thakkar spoke on sectors like real estate, sugar, financials, Bharat Forge Shriram Transport and others.
Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif today left for London along with his daughter, a day after he was granted a week-long exemption from appearing in the court for cases linked to the Panama Papers scandal.

The three cases were registered by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 8 against the 67- year-old Sharif and his family in the Accountability Court Islamabad, following a verdict by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.

The accountability court yesterday granted exemption to Sharif from December 5 to 12 while maintaining earlier exemption for his daughter Maryam from November 15 to December 15 to let them go to London to be with Sharif's ailing wife Kulsoom, who is receiving cancer treatment there.

Kulsoom, who is in her mid-sixties is suffering from throat cancer and has undergone three surgeries in the UK so far.

She was diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma in August and according to doctors her cancer is curable.

However, Sharif's son-in-law and lawmaker Muhammad Safdar appeared in the court today as NAB presented a witness Tayyab Ahmad, an employee of a private bank, to record the statement.

The court also accepted a request by Safdar for a one- week exemption from appearing in the court.

Sharif appeared in the court yesterday when it resumed hearing in the afternoon after the two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court dismissed his appeal against a decision of the trial court to club the three corruption cases against him linked to the Panama Papers scandal.

The accountability court in Islamabad on November 8 had rejected a plea by Sharif to club his cases and he challenged it in the Islamabad High Court.

The three cases against the Sharif family are related to the Al-Azizia Company and Hill Metal Establishment, Flagship Investment Ltd and the Avenfield (London) properties.

Sharif and his sons, Hassan and Hussain, have been named in all three NAB cases, while Maryam and husband Safdar have been named only in the Avenfield case.

Last month, Sharif was indicted in all three cases while Maryam and Safdar, co-accused with Sharif in only one case, were also indicted separately.

Sharif's sons have failed to appear in the court despite repeated summons which prompted the court to separate their case.

The cases are based on the Supreme Court's July 28 verdict which disqualified Sharif and ordered NAB to launch three corruption cases against him and his family, and one case against finance minister Ishaq Dar.

Sharif has denied any wrongdoing.

Dar had been relieved of his duties after the ailing politician, who was declared a proclaimed absconder by a court in the case, requested leave for three months.
Congress vice President Rahul Gandhi addressing a public meeting at Amreli, Gujarat. (PTI)

Senior Congress leader Amarinder Singh said vice president Rahul Gandhi had generated massive enthusiasm in the party and and various fora, including in Gujarat, in the recent months, indicating his "huge" support base.

Rejecting the charge that Gandhi's imminent elevation reflected dynastic succession, Singh said the leader had 100 per cent support of the party workers.

Terming the AICC election as the party's internal affair, he said even other like-minded parties had no problems with Gandhi taking over the reins of the Congress.

Calling for his projection as the prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Singh said Gandhi had generated massive enthusiasm in the party with his ability to connect with the youth.

"He is very inquisitive by nature, has an eye for detail and is modern in his outlook--qualities that would stand the party in good stead if it projects Rahul Gandhi as the next prime ministerial candidate," the Punjab chief minister said.

On the Gujarat assembly elections, he said Gandhi's rallies had evoked a massive response, in contrast to those addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
(Xinhua) 07:38, December 05, 2017

Delegates attend the Fourth World Internet Conference in the water town of Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 3, 2017. The conference opened Sunday in Wuzhen. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

WUZHEN, Zhejiang, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Innovation leaders and government representatives from around the world said the remarks by Chinese President Xi Jinpingin a congratulatory letter to the Fourth World Internet Conference were of great significance and practicality.

In his letter, Xi said the development of the internet has posed many new challenges for the sovereignty, security, and development interests of the world's countries.

He said China hopes to work with the international community to respect cyberspace sovereignty and carry forward the spirit of partnership to commonly advance development, safeguard security, participate in governance, and share the benefits.

China has welcomed world countries to ride fast train of internet and digital economy, which is inspiring, said Vallobh Muangkeo, Secretary General of National Assembly of Thailand.

"We hope Thailand will share the benefit and happiness brought by the development of internet industry along China's 'digital silk road,'" he said.

Luigi Gambardella, President of ChinaEU, the business-led International Association aimed at intensifying business cooperation and mutual investments in Internet, Telecom and Hitech between China and Europe, said the remarks showed Xi's commitment.

"Xi recognizes that there are many challenges ahead of us such as security problem and privacy protection. Today it's not possible to discuss future policy and regulation of the internet without China," he said. "Xi's words show that China is very keen to work with other countries to discuss the challenge and to cooperate."

Tatjana Matic, State Secretary of Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia, said common interests can only be realized when all countries become participants of the global cyberspace.

"I think it's critical to have all the countries come together to build a better future for our society," said Mohammed Almeshekah, Deputy Minister for Planning and Development, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia.

He said it was amazing to see how hard countries were focusing on bringing more people online. "I think we are all in this together to combat challenge in cyberspace and figure out innovative solutions."

The conference, themed on "Developing digital economy for openness and shared benefits -- building a community of common future in cyberspace," runs from Sunday to Tuesday.

According to the organizing committee, over 1,500 guests from more than 80 countries and regions, including government officials, heads of international organizations, leading figures of internet companies, experts and scholars, attended the conference in the east China town of Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province.
For construction workers | Using Rs 31,000-crore fund available in Building and other Construction Workers Fund (BOCW) to aid 3.5 crore construction workers during the coronavirus pandemic. (Image: PTI)

As Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway industrial development authorities assured the three-member Uttar Pradesh ministerial committee delivery of 32,525 flats to homebuyers by end of this month, buyers who have been fighting pillar to post to get possession of their flats, said that the units being promised delivery are only those for which completion certificates are being given and do not include the big three  Jaypee, Amrapali and Unitech.

Meanwhile, sources confirmed that no builders had been arrested for not delivering flats to homebuyers. Any action against builders will be taken only after audit process is completed which may take about a month, sources said.

As many as 1.6 lakh homes are delayed in Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway put together and homebuyers who are burdened with both equated monthly instalments and rent said that delivery of flats being promised by authorities comprise projects that were, in any case, nearing completion and do not include the big builders in Noida whose projects have been delayed for years or against whom insolvency proceedings are currently on. None of those projects have been revived, they say.

Had some of the units from the much delayed projects launched by the big three builders been delivered  Jaypee, Amrapali and Unitech, as many as 1 lakh homes could have been seen actual delivery on ground. This is all an eyewash. Why has the government not implemented the project settlement policy, asks Abhishek Kumar, president of Noida Extension flat buyers' welfare association.

The UP government had on December 13, 2016, approved this policy to resolve multiple issues faced by builders and homebuyers. The policy gives realtors an exit route from projects they are unable to execute. It also benefits homebuyers who are waiting past the deadline for delivery of their flats. Under the policy, a builder can exit a housing or commercial project by surrendering the part of the plot allotted to it on which construction is yet to be started. The PSP was touted as a panacea for sick realty projects.

Builders, meanwhile, said that they had failed to complete some projects because of financial difficulties and also due to some banks not forthcoming in disbursing loans for projects for which some developers have been shown as defaulter on the authority website.

About 8,000 flats are already delivered. As many as 25,000 units are those for which completion certificate has been applied for. These CC's are being processed slowly for procedural reasons (like getting consent from allottees for minor changes in plan, financial reconciliations etc) and should be given in the next 30-60 days, builders say.

The remaining apartments are also 90 percent ready but these are stuck in last mile funding problems due to serious financial disputes with the Authorities (In some cases banks are not disbursing home loan to customers because project is shown as a defaulter on the authorities website) In some cases, interest is being charged for the period some builders did not have possession of even the land, claims Pankaj Bajaj, president (NCR) of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI).

On Monday, top officials from the authorities apprised the three-member ministerial committee, looking into homebuyers issues, at a meeting held to review the progress on delivery of flats in stuck housing projects. The December-end deadline was set by Uttar Pradesh chief minister after he constituted the ministerial panel to look into homebuyers issues and revive stuck housing projects after homebuyers had complained of non-delivery of flats despite several years of delay.

The committee comprises of state industries minister Satish Mahana, urban housing minister Suresh Khanna and minister of state for industry and sugar mills Suresh Rana, had earlier warned builders that they will either deliver flats by December-end or go to jail.

The Noida authority assured the committee that different builders are scheduled to deliver 11,000 flats; the Greater Noida authority promised to deliver 14,000 flats in various housing projects under its jurisdiction; the Yamuna Expressway industrial development authority told the committee that it will deliver 7525 flats by December end.

According to Noida Authority sources, 5,771 completion certificates have been handed over to builders since August 2017. Of these 5,670 flats were handed over by November. Besides, 3,791 flats are being fast-tracked for year-end delivery.

Greater Noida Authority officials reportedly told the group of ministers on Monday that they have already given possession of 4,529 flats. About 9,671 are over 90 percent complete and should get completion certificates this month. About 5,000 flats in Greater Noida are being pushed for completion by January 2018, officials said.

As many as 50,000 housing units were expected to be completed in Noida by end of December this year. At a meeting held in Lucknow a few months ago, it was decided that 12,000-12,500 flats will be completed by builders from Noida, around 27,000-27,500 by Greater Noida developers and 10,000 flats by builders operating in Yamuna Expressway.

The total inventory stuck in Greater Noida is far more than Noida  almost three times that of Noida. As many as 1.7 to 1.8 lakh units are stuck in Greater Noida compared to 60,000 in Noida.

The Noida Authority had selected Currie & Brown, an international private agency, to audit 36,000 units as part of the first phase last month. They have been given 40 to 45 days to audit accounts of 100 developers who have not cleared their dues to the authority and may have failed to deliver housing units to homebuyers on time. They will be employing six teams  each team auditing 5000 to 6000 units each, Alok Tandon, CEO, Noida Authority had earlier told Moneycontrol.

As many as 14 builders are being audited as part of the first phase. The agency will audit the builders on 11 points. The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority has formed a committee to audit the builders accounts. Greater Noida authority has also hired the services of Currie & Brown to do the job.

The Noida authority is struggling to recover around Rs 11,000 crore in land dues from 94 builders. These builders got the land allotted against payment of 10 percent of the total land cost at the time of allotment and the remaining 90 percent in instalments.
The IPO of Shalby Hospitals offers an opportunity to invest in a multi-specialty hospital chain in the growing healthcare segment. The orthopedic focused hospital chain comes across as a decently managed company which would benefit from industry expansion and increasing healthcare penetration in the long run. However, we believe the issue price leaves little on the table for the investors limiting any near term upside.

The company

Incorporated in 2004, Shalby is a multi-specialty chain of hospitals in India led by Dr Vikram Shah, an Orthopedic Surgeon with more than 25 years of professional experience. Focused majorly on tertiary care, their hospitals also offer quaternary healthcare services to patients in various areas of critical specializations.

ALSO READ: Shalby IPO subscribed 20% on Day 1

IPO details

Shalbys issue comprises a fresh issue of up to Rs 480 crore and an offer for sale by Dr Vikram Shah for around Rs 24.8 crore. In the price band of Rs 245 - Rs 248 per share, the total issue size approximates to Rs 504.8 crore. The issue would reduce the promoters stake in the company by approximately 18 percent.

Business overview

Shalby provides inpatient and outpatient healthcare services through 11 operational hospitals with an aggregate bed capacity of 2,012. As on June 30, 2017, they had 9 operational hospitals with an aggregate operational bed count of 841. As per an F&S report, the company has a 15 percent market share in all joint replacement surgeries conducted by private corporate hospitals in India in 2016.

What we like about Shalby

Benefits from growing healthcare sector: Considering the underpenetrated nature of healthcare in India, Shalby looks nicely positioned to benefit from the growth in future demand. Moreover, with increased sedentary lifestyle, orthopedic and joint replacement have shown strong growth.

Focusing on Tier-I and Tier-II cities - The companys strategy of steering clear of metropolitan markets and focusing on smaller cities helps in controlling costs along with finding adequately skilled manpower.

Asset light model  in a quest to control and manage costs, the company has grown by adopting a leased and managed model. This enabled the business to expand rapidly and reduced locking up of capital.

Quick breakeven  The hospitals have turned EBITDA positive within a span of two years and the management looks to reduce this to one year for the upcoming hospitals with active focus on cost control along with marketing and expansion of allied services.

What makes us cautious on the IPO

Highly leveraged balance sheet - With rapid expansion the company has accumulated heavy debt on the balance sheets. Even post the IPO, the debt to equity will not fall substantially. The leverage limits the potential for rapid expansion in the future.

Excessive reliance on one promoter  Although professionally managed, the company has a family operated business model and extensive reliance on Dr Vikram Shah. This exposes the company to risks arising from non-performance or non-availability of one individual.

High concentration in few hospitals and regions  Major investment and revenues of the company are derived from two hospitals and the western Indian region with Ahmedabad accounting for a vast majority of bed capacity.

High dependency on one field - Orthopedics forms more than 2/3rd portion of revenue. Any change in government policies that relate to patients covered by government schemes and regulations for capping of costs exposes the company to risks.

Peer analysis and valuation

In terms of growth performance Shalby clearly has grown at a slower pace compared to most of its listed peers.

At the higher price band of Rs 248, Shalby is priced at a PE of 35x trailing earnings which seems at a discount to most of the peers with a superior EBITDA margin at 22 percent.

However, given the high leverage, the EV/EBITDA stands at 36.7x which is considerably above the average peer multiple of 23x. The debt equity ratio of more than double the average of listed peers is also a point for caution and suppresses the return ratios.

Given the slightly stretched valuation of the issue, we do not expect near-term upside for the IPO investors. Invest only if you have a very long-term investment horizon.

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Bharat Forge shares gained more than 3 percent intraday Tuesday after strong trend continued in North America class 8 truck orders in November.

North America class 8 truck orders for the November month were at 32,387 units, a massive growth of 68 percent over 19,285 units in year-ago.

The reason for strong leap in truck and tractor sales was US economic growth that has been topping 3 percent for last two quarters.

However, month-on-month basis, class 8 truck orders declined 9 percent from 35,700 units in October.

North American business contributes 40 percent to company's total revenue.

At 09:55 hours IST, the stock price was quoting at Rs 696.30, up Rs 20.90, or 3.09 percent on the BSE.
Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com told CNBC-TV18, "DLF is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 226 and target of Rs 240. Kolte Patil is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 368 and target of Rs 385. NBCC is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 250 and target of Rs 275."

"Bharat Forge has corrected to its 50-day moving average. Overall it is a good uptrend, so can be bought around these levels maybe Rs 660 is a good stop loss and look for targets at about Rs 750. So that way Bharat Forge is a much better looking chart than many others."

"Canara Bank is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 365 for target of Rs 382. L&T Finance Holdings is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 163 and target of Rs 176. Berger Paints is a sell with a stop loss of Rs 251 and target of Rs 235."

"The reason we are optimistic on this pullback is because Reliance Industries has reached its 50-day moving average. The Bank Nifty has reached its 50-day moving average. So, once these big components are at their key averages generally there is turnaround even if it is temporary. If somebody wants to buy possibly this is a nice zone - Rs 880 type of stop loss and at some point you should expect Reliance to move back above Rs 950. So that way I think Reliance is a buy," he said.

"Bharti Airtel had that big rally but after that it is kind of getting sideways, so there isnt any great follow-through to that large move we saw. But again if somebody wants to buy keep a stop loss say around Rs 460 and then hope for a move back towards Rs 560. But the way Infosys, Reliance and ICICI Bank are kind of holding on it does not look like a big breakdown is imminent."

"Escorts has reached very close to its 200-day moving average. So it is generally a good place to get into any stock. Now keep Rs 600 type of a stop loss and once the Escorts rally re-starts maybe you can get Rs 780 on the upside."

: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd
Rajat Bose of rajatkbose.com told CNBC-TV18, "I have a sell on Tata Motors. I would put a stop loss above Rs 401.50 and target would be Rs 394 and Rs 392."

"I would suggest Reliance Industries to go long on at current prices, target would be Rs 927 to about Rs 930 on the upside and stop loss to be put around is Rs 908 or so," he said.

: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd
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SIS

Brokerage: IIFL | Rating: Initiate Coverage with Buy | Target: Rs 1,300

The brokerage house expects 44 percent EPS CAGR over FY17-20. Further, it sees revenue CAGR of 21% & margin expansion of 160 bps over FY17-20.

HPCL

Brokerage: Citi | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 564

Citi said that short-term sentiment for the firm could turn bullish. Further, it remains upbeat on Q3 with Singapore GRMs holding well. The company could get a boost from Bhatinda refinery expansion completion.

Bharti Airtel

Brokerage: CLSA | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 640

CLSA said that strategy change was driving Africa improvements & profits. Further, the company has started registering profits in Africa since Q4, which marks a turnaround. It sees growth In India & Africa driving a 9x jump in consolidated PAT by FY21.

Greenply

Brokerage: IDFC | Rating: Outperform | Target: Rs 390

The brokerage house said that any revival in real estate would aid growth for the company. Further, it expects the companys earnings to double over FY17-20.

Parag Milk

Brokerage: Edelweiss | Rating: Initiate with buy call | Target: Rs 340

The brokerage house expects EBITDA to jump 2.3x & RoCE to 19% over FY17-20. Further, it sees revenue and profit CAGR of 14 and 49 percent, respectively, over FY17-20. An improving mix will spur earnings and return ratio.

Heritage Foods

Brokerage: Edelweiss | Rating: Initiate Coverage with Buy | Target: Rs 976

Edelweiss said that the stock entails immense potential in the sector. Additionally, it sees sales and EBIT CAGR of 23% & 21% respectively Over FY17-20.

Prabhat Dairy

Brokerage: Edelweiss | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 211

Edelweiss estimates sales, EBITDA & profit CAGR of 15%, 19% & 39%, respectively over FY17-20. B2C and value-added products will drive growth. The company is also seeing a rapid expansion of distribution network.

Tyres

Brokerage: Deutsche Bank

The global investment bank said that industry profitability should remain healthy over the next few quarters. Further, truck tyre demand trends continue to improve in Q3 and that should aid OEM sales.
The Bharat Forge stock has been outperforming off late, spurred by steady rise in North American Class 8 truck orders as well as a steady improvement in the oil & gas segment.

The first half saw the company post 30 percent growth in revenue and 40 percent in EBITDA. Baba Kalyani, CMD, Bharat Forge is confident of not only maintaining the growth rate but said they aim to do better than that going forward.

The company also has big expansion plans for the domestic market, said Kalyani, adding that they would spend Rs 500 crore expanding capacity within their facilities outside Pune and also spend Rs 200 crore to set up facility in Andhra Pradesh for light weight components.

The orderbook for oil and gas business is also pretty strong he said, it is almost 4-5 times last year. He said they are manufacturing more and more products in that segment in an effort to increase the share of that in the total pie. The response from customers is very encouraging, he added.

He said North American economy is doing extremely well and so the company is benefiting from that. However, only 12 percent of companys revenues comes from North American Class 8 Trucks, he specified. So, no longer are highly dependent on that market, although their market share in that market has gone up.

On the defence business, he said the order pipeline is healthy and they are beginning to get export orders as well. He said, they recently test-fired two artillery guns in Pokhran and will be going for winter-trial to Sikkim. Expect defence orders to come through in the next 24 months.

With regards to BEML, he said they are pursuing it but the process has not started in the way it was expected. With regards to Amtek Auto they will be doing due diligence by the middle of this month, he said.

The demand for aluminium power train products have increased multifold in Europe, said Kalyani.

Below is the verbatim transcript of the interview.

Sonia: Tells us about what your view is on the overall North American market because you have gained so much from that market, is there a genuine pick up that we are seeing over there and do you get a sense of that could continue in the months to come?

A: The North American economy overall is doing extremely well. The growth rates are high and the truck numbers that you see are a derivative of the growth in North America. Almost every sector whether it is oil and gas, whether it is industrials, whether it is trucks, autos, defence everything is increasing in that part of the world. Obviously, we are benefiting from that, but I just want to make one simple clarification. Our exposure, or our business with North American truck Class 8 business is only about 12 percent of our revenue. So, we are not so highly dependent on that as we were a few years ago.

But our market share in that market is much higher than what it was before. So, we have been able to broad base our revenue mix in North American market between trucks, automotive, oil and gas, industrials and some other sectors. The point I am trying to make is you guys tag me like a truck manufacturer, so we are much more than that.

Latha: Exactly, where is the defence order book headed? Is there anything we should expect in the next one year? Are you supplying anything already to defence and how might that look in the next 12 or 24 months?

A: I think in the next 24 months it looks extremely good. In the last three months we have been able to test fire 2 of our artillery guns in Pokhran. They have done extremely well. Now it is going for winter trial to Sikkim. It is all progressing pretty well. In the meantime we are getting smaller orders for components and parts that go into many of the defence products that are made within the country by the defence PSUs, Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) and other. We are also now beginning to get export orders for defence so that portfolio base is beginning to look pretty good.

Latha: You said in the next 24 months you will expect orders. Your investors were expecting that in the next one year you will be getting some big defence order, no?

A: Well, we are hoping, but we have one customer in the defence business and that is the government of India, so we have to wait and watch how things pan out. However, we are pretty much up in the top couple of companies in this field as far as India is concerned and we are quite hopeful that we will have something going.

Anuj: Once again I just wanted to revisit BEML where are we right now on that because there have been couple of issues on government part and is there a plan B for Bharat Forge?

A: As far as Bharat Forge is concerned let me tell you, just summarise you in short way - we are seeing very strong traction on exports. We are seeing very strong traction in the domestic market even with the domestic commercial vehicle (CV) business and other businesses. So, we are right now getting into a capacity expansion cycle. We are now going to increase our Capex, we are going to build new plants and increase capacity because we see by next year our capacities are going to be completely full. So, this is good news.

After a very long time, we are going to invest in new capacities, so we are seeing very strong almost in every market and every sector not withstanding what is likely to happen in the defence sector - that is a separate thing. For example - in the first half of the year our exports grew by 60 percent compared to last year. So, you can see the level of traction that we are able to generate. In the domestic markets the heavy trucks now use more than two axles per truck in the front.

Anuj: You are evading my question, so should we assume that you are not pursuing BEML anymore?

A: No, we are pursuing but the process is still not started in the way we expect it to start.

Sonia: Is that the case with Amtek Auto as well?

A: We have given our bit to the people who are involved in Amtek Auto, let say process of sale, so we are now in the second round. We have to go and do due diligence and visit the plants which is going to happen in the middle of this month, so the process is on.

Latha: We are given to understand that in Amtek Auto the problem is that the parts are manufactured in various subsidiaries and all of those are not under National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is there an operational problem in buying Amtek Auto? Do you see it getting successfully come to a fruition?

A: That largely depends on the Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) and the banker and the NCLT as to how they deal with that. If they are going to put a company for let us say sale which is under their process they would have to provide all the information that is required for any potential buyer to analyse and find out whether it is worth they while to pursue this. For that they would have to provide information about all their subsidiaries and everything else.

Latha: What is the likely haircuts in a plant like that? Do you think anything goes for above a 50 percent loan cut?

A: I dont think I can answer that question. That is best answered by the bankers.

Sonia: I quickly want to squeeze in one question on the evolving electric vehicle (EV) segment because you are putting in a centre for light weighting technology as well in Andhra Pradesh. Tell us a little more about what your plans are over there and what kind of revenue could it bring on board for you?

A: I mean there are three areas that we are pursuing as far as EVs are concerned. One is the electric powertrain technology itself because we make a lot of powertrain component so we need to transit ourselves between the traditional internal combustion (IC) engine powertrains to EV powertrains. So we are doing that and you will hear very soon some announcements as far as that is concerned.

Second, when EVs come in there will be a lot more light weighting that is required in the vehicles so lot more usage of light weight material, light weight components. so we are setting up a facility to do that. We are seeing the same traction in Europe. Demand for our aluminium products have increased multi fold in Europe. The same thing is happening in North America and I think the same thing will happen in India, so we have a pretty comprehensive strategy on this.

Anuj: On Indian particulars because that would be important from the economy and the market point of view as well how much of Capex do we see in India?

A: We are going to spend something like Rs 500 crore plus in expanding capacity within our facilities not in Pune outside Pune plus we are going to spend about Rs 200 crore in setting up our facility in Andhra Pradesh for light weighting components and in that plant the investments will gradually increase even more as the demand for light weight products keeps going up.

Latha: Finally a question on your oil and gas business? Can you give us an idea of how much the order book is increasing since that long last that industry is showing signs of sustained price increase?

A: Our order book is pretty strong. We are many times, I think 4 or 5 times more than what it was last year. Important thing is we are now getting into more and more products in the oil and gas business and trying to increase our share of that total pie, and I think that is very encouraging. We are getting lot of good response from many of our customers who want us to do many more things and that is encouraging.

Latha: It was a giddy rise in your first half whether it was revenues or EBITDA, is that a maintainable run rate - 30 percent revenue, 40 percent EBITDA?

A: Well, let us see. We are trying to do better than that but I am sure that is maintainable.
Mumbai and Pune have reported the highest number of deaths at 17 and 12, respectively due to dengue, reports The Indian Express.

Maharashtra has reported 1.5 lakh suspected cases of dengue, of which 6,894 people have been tested positive for the virus.

Pune has seen the maximum number of cases relating to dengue and chikungunya in the current year. About 1,575 and 873 persons have been tested positive for dengue and chikungunya, respectively, as per the Pune Municipal Corporation officials.

A late retreat of monsoon and unseasonal intermittent rains also aided the spread of the virus. Mumbai registered 1,084 dengue cases between January and November.

Chikungunya and dengue are caused by the aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in clear water. It is widespread throughout the tropics, with indigenous variations in risk influenced by rainfall, temperature and unplanned rapid urbanization.

World Health Organisation states half of the worlds population is at risk of dengue. The virus has grown dramatically in the past few decades.

Flowerpots, water tanks, drums, unused tyres, empty coconut shells and tarpaulin sheets on roofs are common breeding spots for mosquitoes to thrive.

Currently, there is no specific treatment available for dengue, but medical supervision helps reduce mortality rate from 20 percent to 1 percent.
The woman claimed that her husband had abandoned her when she was pregnant with her fifth child.(Representational Image)

As the Global Entrepreneurship Summit ended, beggars have started to re-appear all across Hyderabad. The re-emergence has dashed the hopes of the residents who had believed the official claims that the operation to make the city free of beggars will continue even after the end of the international summit.

The hope to get a beggar-free Hyderabad had emerged after the Telangana State Prisons Department launched Operation beggars on October 20. As per the report in the Deccan Chronicle, other government departments including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the police department too joined the operation 10 days prior to the commencement of the GES.

The operation soon became the talk of the town and was in fact extremely successful in ending the beggar menace across the city. Over 300 beggars were shifted to Anand Ashrams and shelter homes. The city was turned into a beggar-free zone while it hosted the international summit.

After the end of the summit, many expected that the officials will continue to carry on the operation. However, despite promises from officials that operation beggars will restart on 1st December, all seems to have returned back to square one.

Citizens now complain that beggars have started to appear in various areas, especially on the premises of religious places and major junctions. From Sunday onwards, many beggars have begun appearing on roads and junctions. The operation was launched for making the roads beggar-free in view of the GES and as the program has been completed, no department is focusing on it, a city resident was quoted saying in the Deccan Chronicle report. He also added that these areas were free of any beggars during last month.

The officials have said that they would carry out the operation and make the city beggar-free again. We will launch the operation again. We stand by our promise to give Rs 500 cash reward to those who pass us information on beggars after December 25, said Vinoy Kumar Singh, Director General of Telangana Prisons.
The Supreme Court is likely to start hearing appeals in the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute from Tuesday, a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the 16th century mosque by kar sevaks, with no adjournments allowed.

The hearing comes seven years after the Allahabad High Court divided the 2.77 acre disputed land in Ayodhya equally between Ram Lalla Virajman, Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara. The High Court order had been challenged by petitioners, including BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, on the grounds that no prayer had been made to divide the land equally.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will hear 13 appeals against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits, PTI reported.

The hearing assumes significance in the wake of statements made by Right-wing leaders, including RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, that "no other structure" would be allowed to be built at the disputed site other than a Ram Temple.

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Commentary: China willing to share, but not to export Chinese model

BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- A recent high-level political party conference in Beijing drew representatives of nearly 300 political parties and organizations from more than 120 countries, opening a window for the world to learn about the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Behind the four-day CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting, which concluded Sunday, was the message that the CPC is willing to share its vision, path and experience, which have been key to the Chinese miracle.

China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty and become the world's second largest economy. The success of the Chinese model has not only made it impossible for the West to overlook it, but has made China more confident in the path it has taken.

However, it is a modest and sober confidence.

Addressing the opening of the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said the CPC would neither import foreign models of development nor export the Chinese model.

"We will not ask other countries to copy Chinese practice," he said.

Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute at National University of Singapore, said Xi has acknowledged there is a Chinese model -- the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The Chinese model offers an alternative, rather than a replacement, to the Western model, Zheng said.

Xi has also put forward a way for developing countries to learn from China by finding their own paths based on their own conditions.

The CPC itself has learned from the experience of many countries, while adapting these lessons to China's conditions and culture.

Many of the meeting's participants also attributed China's success to its ability to translate vision into action.

Apart from progress in domestic goals such as poverty reduction, strict Party governance and deepened reform over the past years, China has transformed the Belt and Road Initiative from concept into action, and has set up the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund to finance it.

At the meeting, Xi listed some facts and figures that offered a glimpse at the CPC's sincere willingness to share. To date, China has dispatched more than 36,000 peacekeeping personnel, and the country has acted as a major peacekeeping force and contributor of funds for UN peacekeeping missions.

Thousands of Chinese scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, technicians, medical workers, teachers and volunteers are working alongside locals in other developing countries to help change their destiny.

In the next five years, the CPC hopes to invite 15,000 members of foreign political parties to China for exchanges.

A country should not develop by simply following the models of other countries. China has blazed a new trail for other developing countries that want to modernize while preserving their independence.
Amit Kolekar

Succession is a very sensitive and complex issue in a multi-diverse society and culture such as ours. A uniform system of inheritance (the legacy of the Portuguese) is only present in the state of Goa, and the rest of the states in India are governed by the law of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 ("Indian Succession Act"), wherein for the first time various customs, beliefs and practices were codified and given the sanction and sanctity of law.

Succession, on the death of a person may follow either: (a) testamentary succession (i.e. a Will), or (b) intestate succession (i.e. without a Will).

A person is considered to have passed away intestate in respect of property (a) which he has not disposed under a Will, or (b) the disposition under the Will is not capable of taking effect (i.e. invalid bequest, illegal bequest etc). Intestacy may either be total intestacy or partial intestacy.

It is generally understood as per the private international law, that intestate succession of a movable property follows the law of domicile of the intestate at the time of his/ her demise, and in case of immovable property, the law of situs (the place to which a property belongs) would apply, no matter where his/her domicile may have been.

Who can stake claim in intestate succession

In cases where there is no Will, or no valid Will, succession follows the intestate succession route as enshrined under the provisions of the Indian Succession Act, however vesting takes effect under personal law, which is different for Hindus (sometimes different for Sikh, Buddhist and Jain), Muslims, Christians and Parsees who inherit the estate of a person dying intestate. In matters of intestate succession, a court may, either issue Letters of Administration or Succession Certificate.

In cases where a person has passed away without making a Will or prepared a Will but the executor either refuses to take responsibility or is incapable or deceased, Letters of Administration is granted by a competent court for distributing the estate of the deceased among the legal heirs. Generally administration of the estate is granted to the legal heir who is entitled to the whole or any portion of the estate of the deceased, or in case of more than one person making such application the court may at its discretion grant it to any one or more of them, or in the absence of any of them, it may be granted to the creditor of the deceased.

A Succession Certificate is a document issued to a person claiming a right with respect of any debt or security, which forms a part of the estate of the deceased (except where the law requires Probate or Letters of Administration).

To simplify, Succession Certificate may be obtained in cases where(a) Probate or letters of administration are not required,(b) When deceased is a Christian(c) Deceased is a Mohammaden,(d) When a deceased is a Hindu who has left a Will, however the Probate is not compulsory,

(e) In case of a joint family property under Hindu Law.

Succession Certificate is only in respect of movables and cannot be obtained for immovable property. Merely obtaining a Succession Certificate does not vest the property absolutely in favour of the holder of the Certificate; but it only gives him the right to distribute the property of deceased under the personal laws of inheritance of the deceased.

As per Hindu Law, intestate succession follows as per Class I heirs, Class II heirs, Agnates and Cognates. This succession is as per the codified law of Hindu Succession and the share of each member is defined according to a pre calculated formula. Succession for Mohammadens is as per the Shariat Laws read with the Indian Succession Act, likewise intestate succession among Parsees and Christians is under the Indian Succession Act.

Consolidating Assets

In the modern day, it is important to have a comprehensive inventory of assets together with an efficient plan to manage and protect them. A person may have assets in the nature of movables such as investments in shares, mutual funds, bonds, stocks, bank balances, other instruments, as well as interest immovable property either as a co-owner, or owner or in any other capacity as may be legally permissible in law. Often times, the security and / or debt may be difficult to ascertain, especially if the person has not kept a proper record.

Consolidation helps to create a proper and complete picture, especially if succession is through the intestate route, or if certain assets are not included under the Will, as the nature of application and grant of either Probate, Letters of Administration, Succession Certificate will depend on the nature of the asset together with its estimated value and the location of the asset.

Movable Assets

Movable Property is generally understood to mean property of every description, except immovable property, and therefore may include assets in the nature of jewellery, cars, bank balances, deposits, units of mutual funds, bonds, stocks etc. Once the assets are consolidated and movable property is ascertained, Letters of Administration or Succession Certificate (as the case may be) may be granted by a court of competent jurisdiction upon satisfactory proof produced by the person claiming a right to such asset. As already highlighted, the general rule for intestate succession to movable assets is that movables follow the domicile of the person at the time of his demise.

Immovable Assets

The definition of an immovable property is generally understood to mean, land, benefits arising out of the land, things attached to the earth and/or permanently fastened to anything attached to the earth but does not include grass or standing timer. Thus land or building or premises form a part of the immovable assets and are generally the bone of contention in cases of disputes arising out of succession (both testate and intestate). Immovable property or assets follow the law of situs, and does not take into consideration the domicile at the time of death.

The personal laws i.e. Hindu succession laws, Shariat laws, succession laws applicable to Christians and Parsees under the Indian Succession Act govern the method and manner in which the immovable asset would devolve for the benefit of the legatees.

In case of immovable assets, only Letters of Administration may be obtained from a competent court as Succession Certificate is only to facilitate collection of a debt on succession and afford protection to parties paying debts to representatives of a deceased intestate.

The effect of nomination in case of immovable property is that, the immovable property (in case of say a flat or apartment in Co-operative Society) does not automatically vest in the name of the nominee to the exclusion of all other legal heirs. The rules of succession are very clear and distinct as the code is self-contained and no other third mode of succession is open for intestate succession to immovable assets.

Conclusion

To briefly summarise, succession (testate or intestate) in India is as per the body of personal laws codified either under specific personal laws or the Indian Succession Act, and generally, in case of intestate succession, the Letters of Administration or Succession Certificate may be obtained for the purpose of administration of the estate of the deceased.
Representative Image

The Congress on Monday unveiled its manifesto for the Gujarat Assembly polls, which it hopes will bring it back to the power after a gap of 22 years. The manifesto was released by party leaders Ashok Gehlot and Bharatsinh Solanki in Ahmedabad.

The party has promised that it will bring a special bill to provide special category quota to weaker communities without impacting the OBC, SC and ST quota by setting up an Economically Backward Class Commission.

The manifesto promised farm loan waivers and giving 16-hour electricity during daytime to farmers. It also promised to provide free water for irrigation and bonus for special crops like cotton, groundnut, potato, onion etc.

Congress has also promised to give youth unemployment allowance up to Rs 4,000 per month and relaxing the age limit for registered unemployed youth. Vacant government posts will be filled and there will be an outlay of Rs 32,000 crore financing for self-employment scheme, according to the manifesto.

The Congress has assured to every woman a house and said it will set up a crisis centre in each district with a toll-free helpline. Girls will be provided free education from primary to higher education.

For healthcare, it will provide Sardar Patel Universal healthcare card to provide free/affordable healthcare at government hospitals and free medicines through Rajiv Gandhi pharmacy.

The party has also promised to slash the electricity rates by half, reduce fuel price by Rs 10, 50 percent reduction in property rates for small shops and service units.

It promises to ensure equal work-equal pay as well as an increase in minimum wages for labourers. Indira canteens would be set up to provide affordable, nutritious and delicious food for labour class at Rs 10 per plate.

All unorganised sector workers will be provided social security through the issuance of Baba Saheb Ambedkar Samajik Suraksha Card.

It will construct 25 lakh houses in the next five years under the Indira Aawaas Yojana for urban and rural poor, Rajiv Gandhi Aawaas Yojana for LIG and MIG category and Ambedkar Aawaas Yojana for Valmikis and Safai Karmacharis.
Representational picture

Close to 266 million adults cannot read in India, while 12 million children do not go to schools, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)s representative Shigeru Aoyagi said on Monday.

According to a Mint report, Aoyagi stated that if India can develop its current education scenario, the total global education scenario will improve.

Around 35 percent of the worlds illiterate population resides in India. So the challenge is big, the UNESCO official said.

Aoyagi said that the world had 13 years to achieve the sustainable development goals that were finalized at the United Nations in 2015. He said that all stakeholders, which included teachers, parents, and the government, needed to work together to achieve these goals by 2030.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with 150 world leaders, had agreed to achieve 17 goals promoting sustainable development and the standard of living of people worldwide. The summit was held in New York on September 2015.

The report suggests that India allocates 4 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) or 15 percent of its total government expenditure on education. The need for greater accountability was one of the key objectives.

The report warns that disproportionate blame on any one actorin most cases teachersfor systemic educational problems can have serious negative side effects, widening inequality and damaging learning. It also calls for better regulation of private tutoring globally as well as in India.

Private tutoring is a factor for the widening education gap between the rich and the poor. It has a cascading effect on the potential opportunities that are availed by students coming from varied economic backgrounds.
Posters depicting Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who has resigned from his post, are seen in Beirut, Lebanon, November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Tuesday that he had withdrawn his resignation, a month after his shock announcement that he was quitting sparked a political crisis.

"The council of ministers thanks the prime minister for rescinding his resignation," Hariri said, reading from a cabinet statement issued after its first meeting since his return two weeks ago.

Hariri announced he was stepping down on November 4 in a televised address from Saudi Arabia, prompting fears Lebanon would be catapulted into a political and economic tailspin.

The resignation was seen as part of the boiling tensions between the Saudi kingdom  which had long backed Hariri  and its regional rival Iran.

In his resignation, Hariri lambasted Tehran and its Lebanese ally, the powerful armed movement Hezbollah, for destabilising his country and the Middle East.

He later said he would consider coming back as premier if Hezbollah stopped intervening in regional conflicts, like Syria and Yemen.

Today, Lebanon's cabinet reaffirmed its official policy of "disassociation," or remaining neutral in regional conflicts.

"The Lebanese government, in all its political components, has committed to distance itself from all conflicts, wars, and internal affairs of Arab states," according to the cabinet statement read out by Hariri.

The policy had already been adopted by Hariri's cabinet, formed in 2016 after a settlement across political divides.

That deal put Michel Aoun in the president's office and Hariri at the helm of a government that included ministers from his political rival Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is fighting alongside government forces in neighbouring Syria, has dispatched military commanders to Iraq, and is accused of backing Shiite rebels in Yemen.

Hariri resigned last month from Riyadh and spent the next two weeks there amid speculation that the Saudi authorities were holding him "hostage."

After top-level French intervention, the 47-year-old premier returned to Beirut and "paused" his resignation ahead of consultations.
Pakistani Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif speaks at a news conference in Islamabad

Pakistani Foreign Minister has written a letter to Sushma Swaraj seeking to bring an end to the ceasefire violations occurring on the Line of Control (LoC) and across the International border.

As per a report in the Times of India, a letter from Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Pakistans Minister for Foreign Affairs was received by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj last week. According to the report, the letter is written seeking a way to bring down the rising number of ceasefire violations that are taking place between the Indian and Pakistani troops positioned across the Indo-Pak border.

The letter stated that both countries should work together to bring an end to the ceasefire violations that is causing large-scale casualties, especially among the civilians. However, the letter reiterated the claims made by the Pakistani military establishment by alleging that it was the Indian troops that were making the provocations forcing Pakistani troops to retaliate.

The border between India and Pakistan has been extremely volatile in the last few years. According to the Home ministry, Pakistani troops have violated ceasefire over 720 times this year until October along the LoC and the International Border.

The violations, which is the highest since the beginning of this decade has led to both military and civilian casualties in the country. Pakistan has repeatedly summoned the Indian envoy in Islamabad for alleged Indian ceasefire violations and has claimed that the ceasefire violations by Indian troops have led to the deaths of over 50 civilians on its side.

The letter reportedly made no reference about Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is imprisoned in Pakistan for allegedly being an Indian spy. India had recently asked Pakistan to allow Yadavs mother be allowed to meet him along with his wife and had asked for the safety of the family while in Pakistan.
The UN rights chief called for a fresh international investigation into Myanmar's abuses against its Rohingya Muslim minority, warning of possible "elements of genocide"on Tuesday.

Speaking before a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the abuses against the Rohingya, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein condemned "widespread, systematic and shockingly brutal" attacks against the Rohingya, as well as decades of discrimination and persecution.

An army-led crackdown has forced some 626,000 people to flee from northern Rakhine state and across the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh in recent months, leaving hundreds of villages burned to the ground.

Myanmar's military denies accusations by the UN and US that it has committed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

But Zeid decried policies that had dehumanised and segregated the minority, and left it wallowing in statelessness for decades.

He described horrific violence and abuse, including allegations of "killing by random firing of bullets, use of grenades, shooting at close range, stabbings, beatings to death and the burning of houses with families inside".

"Given all of this, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?" Zeid asked the 47-member council.

Myanmar's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Htin Lynn, did not address those accusations, but insisted to the council that the humanitarian situation at its border with Bangladesh was of "paramount concern", and that Yangon was "making every effort to resolve the issue."

He also denied Zeid's claim that Yangon was doing little to rein in hate speech and incitement to violence against the minority, insisting "my government is doing everything possible to deter these individual acts."

But Zeid slammed the government's inaction, warning that "by continuing to dehumanise the Rohingya, the state authorities will fuel even wider levels of violence in the future, drawing in communities from across the region."

He urged the rights council to ask the UN General Assembly to launch a new "impartial and independent mechanism", to work alongside a fact-finding mission already dispatched by his office.

In March the rights council approved the fact-finding mission to investigate alleged crimes by security forces, particularly in Rakhine.

But Myanmar has so far refused to cooperate and has blocked access to the team of investigators, who have begun their work outside the country.

The rights council rarely holds special sessions, which can only be convened at the request of at least a third of its 47 member states, or 16 countries.

Today's session was held at the request of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, with the support of 33 council members and more than 40 observer states.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam warned that the massive exodus over such a short period was "comparable only with the exodus following the 1994 Rwanda genocide".

After months of wrangling, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on November 23 to start repatriating refugees within two months. But rights groups say the conditions are not in place to ensure safe, voluntary and dignified returns.

According to the UN's top expert on the situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, Myanmar authorities appear to have already started building camps for returnees, raising serious concerns about the conditions the Rohingya would return to.

Comments from the top UN representative on sexual violence, Pramila Patten, also painted a harrowing picture of the dangers faced by the minority inside Myanmar.

She warned that rampant sexual attacks on Rohingya appeared to be "used as a tool of dehumanisation and collective punishment," citing witness accounts of women and girls tied to rocks or trees "before multiple soldiers literally raped them to death."

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been the target of global vitriol for a perceived failure to stand up for the stateless minority.

But she remains a heroine for most of her compatriots, who largely consider the Rohingya as unwanted illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Zeid meanwhile lamented the refusal inside Myanmar but also by some international players to even name the Rohingyas, creating "a shameful paradox: they are denied a name, while being targeted for being who they are.
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
(Xinhua) 07:41, December 05, 2017

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds a welcome ceremony for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before the second meeting of the Annual Dialogue between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- China and Canada Monday agreed to issue a joint statement on climate change and clean growth during the second meeting of the Annual Dialogue between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister.

The two sides also agreed to establish two ministerial-level dialogues between their respective departments of environment and clean energy.

During the talks with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang affirmed the positive roles of the annual dialogue between prime ministers, the annual meeting of foreign ministers, economic and financial strategic dialogue, as well as the national security and rule of law dialogue.

He called on the two countries to expand common interests on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

Li suggested the two sides expand two-way investment, encourage enterprises of the two countries to invest in each other and jointly explore third-party markets.

He called on the two sides to tap cooperation potential in areas such as clean technology, aviation and aerospace, civilian nuclear energy and agricultural science.

Li said the two sides should promote cultural exchanges and successfully run the China-Canada "Year of Tourism" next year.

He said he hoped the two countries could strengthen communication and coordination in international and regional affairs and join hands in coping with global challenges including climate change.

"China and Canada, both as important countries in the Asia-Pacific region and major trading countries in the world, should send positive signals on promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, which is also in the common interests of both sides," Li said. "China will open its door even wider to the outside world," he said, promising that "China's business environment will get better and better, and China will continue to be a hot destination for international investments."

Trudeau said he appreciated the achievements of China's economic development and China's role in international affairs.

He said Canada was willing to work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, enhance economic and trade cooperation, expand people-to-people exchanges and promote friendship in the spirit of mutual benefit.

"Canada supports free trade and has actively participated in the globalization process," Trudeau said. "Canada will strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly advance globalization and free trade to make a contribution to the sustainable development of the world."

After their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of three cooperative documents on education, food safety and energy.

Li told the press that both sides had agreed to discuss the feasibility of a China-Canada free trade agreement with a pragmatic and open attitude.

Trudeau called for more closer cooperation in dealing with global challenges such as climate change.

He said Canada was ready to work with China to "push forward cooperation in tourism, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges, in a bid to promote common prosperity and build long-term, stable and dynamic Canada-China ties."

Before their talks, Li held a welcome ceremony for Trudeau at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
Letter to editor: Gas pump politics and the election
State officials announce $2.85M for new police station in Upper Moreland
Economic Watch: Why the U.S. rejection of China's market economy status is wrong

(Xinhua) 07:42, December 05, 2017

BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United States is throwing cold water on the growing geniality of trade relations between itself and China with its rebuke of the latter's bid for recognition as a market economy in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The U.S. government recently formally opposed to China's bid, citing decades of legal precedent and what it sees as signs the country is moving in the opposite direction.

The truth is that denial of such status for China will give the U.S. government useful tools to launch trade probes into Chinese imports under the excuses of dumping goods at unfair price advantages.

REFUSAL DISTORTS FACTS

The U.S. decision comes as the Trump administration is seeking to bridge the trade deficit with China for the so-called fair and balanced trade. To achieve that end, it is tempting to turn a blind eye to China's concrete moves of market liberalization, international observers said.

Since China has implemented the opening up and reform policy, it has made consistent efforts to improve its market economy system, which has won global recognition. The U.S. refusal distorts facts, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce.

China is now the world's largest goods trading nation, being the top trading partner of more than 120 countries and regions.

Su Qingyi, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the "non-market economy status" has not held China back from making those achievements.

The United States will not benefit from a battered bilateral trade relationship considering its interwoven interests with China. Protectionist measures also impair the interests of U.S. companies and consumers.

Over the past three decades, bilateral goods trade surged from 2.5 billion to 524.3 billion U.S. dollars. Low-cost and high-quality Chinese products have helped raise the living standard of Americans.

While much of the U.S. political campaign rhetoric focused on jobs leaving the United States, Chinese investment is supporting more jobs on that side of the Pacific.

UNDERMINED INTEGRITY

In response to the U.S. rejection, Chinese commerce ministry official Wang Hejun said it undermines the seriousness and authority of multilateral rules.

Article 15 of the Protocol on China's accession to the WTO in 2001 has clearly dictated that China will automatically switch over to market economy status when the surrogate country approach expires in 15 years, which means, on that day, the legal foundation for treating China as a non-market economy is gone.

The United States is setting a bad example by breaking international rules, Su said.

Honoring contracts is the basic principle of the market economy, and the United States is breaching this principle, said Bai Ming, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

The U.S. rejection reflects its panic and ideological prejudice, said Zhang Jingwei, a researcher with Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies under the Renmin University of China.

Analysts said that China is likely to take legal action at the WTO against members who are not observing the rules, including the United States. Further retaliatory trade measures may also be considered.

Even if an all-out trade war is avoidable, no party will emerge unscathed, Zhang said.
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To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
(Xinhua) 07:53, December 05, 2017

Photo taken on Dec. 4, 2017 shows an aircraft of the Chinese air force taking off for a drill at an airport in China. The Chinese air force said Monday that its surveillance aircraft had recently conducted high-sea drills in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea to improve combat readiness and safeguard the country's "strategic interests." (Xinhua/Zhang Lei)

BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese air force said Monday that its surveillance aircraft had recently conducted high-sea drills in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea to improve combat readiness and safeguard the country's "strategic interests."

The aircraft took an air route that was not previously flown to areas where they had never been, said Shen Jinke, spokesman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) Air Force.

The air force's fighter jets, airborne early warning aircraft and surface-to-air guided missile forces coordinated with surveillance for the training, Shen said.

The Chinese air force will conduct high-sea exercises under combat conditions on a regular basis, the spokesman said.
(Xinhua) 08:53, December 05, 2017

Brigitte Macron (4th L), wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui (1st R), Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin (2nd R) and Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun (1st L, Rear) pose for photos during a naming ceremony of a panda baby in Saint-Aignan, France, on Dec. 4, 2017. Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, revealed the name of the panda baby, the first-ever cub born in the country, at a naming ceremony at a zoo in central France on Monday. Joined by Chinese officials, Brigitte Macron, who is also the new panda's godmother, announced that the four-month-old cub's name was Yuan Meng. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

PARIS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The first panda cub born in France on Monday got its name from its special godmother, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, along with the blessing of Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan.

Joined by Chinese officials, Brigitte Macron attended the naming ceremony at the Beauval Zoo south of Paris, and announced that the four-months-old cub will go by the name of Yuan Meng, which means "dream comes true" in Chinese.

In a congratulatory message, Peng said that she was pleased to select the name together with Brigitte and that the name carries the people's best wishes for the little panda and high expectations for the China-France friendship.

Pointing out that the panda is not only a national treasure of China but also an envoy and witness of the China-France friendship, Peng said Yuan Meng's birth embodies the bright future of bilateral relations, which are entering a new stage of development.

She conveyed her wish that the cub will grow up healthy and strong and bring more happiness to the French people, especially the children.

Born on Aug. 4, the baby panda had been referred to as "Mini Yuan Zi" after his father, Yuan Zi, who arrived in France with his female partner, Huan Huan, in January 2012.
Initial Fraud Alert: This is for when you are temporarily worried about your identity, for example, if your wallet was stolen.

This is for when you are temporarily worried about your identity, for example, if your wallet was stolen. Extended Fraud Alert: These alerts are for identity theft victims and puts a fraud alert on the file for seven years.

These alerts are for identity theft victims and puts a fraud alert on the file for seven years. Active Duty Military Alert: For those in the military who want to protect their credit while deployed, this fraud alert lasts for one year.

Part II: My clients are freaked out about the danger from the Equifax breach . I really don't know how to advise them regarding how to protect themselves from damage. What should I be telling them?From Several Loan Officers and Agents Recently.Note from Dave Hershman: Last week I asked our credit expert, Chad Kusner, to address this question and he covered credit freezes. This week, he addresses fraud alerts:A fraud alert allows creditors to get a copy of your credit report as long as they take steps to verify your identity. For example, if you give the bureaus a phone number, the lender must call you to verify the application for credit is legitimate. A fraud alert may prevent someone from opening new credit in your name, but again, it will not prevent someone from accessing your existing accounts. You will still want to monitor all of your accounts.Fraud alerts are free, and if you notify one of the credit-reporting agencies, they will inform the others of the fraud alert and in turn will apply the alert on your credit. No need to call all three. Below are the three different types of fraud alerts available.If you are considering whether or not to put a freeze or fraud alert on your credit, I suggest you consider how often you need access to credit when making your decision. If you apply for credit more than once or twice a year or rely on your credit for business, I would suggest a fraud alert. On the other hand, if you pay cash for everything, a freeze may be the right choice for you.Chad Kusner, President of Credit Repair Resources  [email protected] Dave Hershman has been the leading author and a top speaker for the industry for decades with six books authored and hundreds of articles published. His website is www.originationpro.com . If you have a reaction to this commentary or another question you would like answered in this column? Email Dave directly at [email protected]
Former Arizona lawman Steve Henry has been selected as the Midland Police Department's new chief.

Here is a question-and-answer that the Reporter-Telegram had with Henry.

MRT: Why is West Texas the right place for you? Why would you want to come out of retirement?

Henry: West Texas is obviously the best place in the world to live. Midland sits right smack dab in the middle of West Texas. It is close to what I call my historical home. It is everything about West Texas. ... It is the people here, the atmosphere, the ambiance; it's the culture. All of those things are attractive to me on the personal side. On the professional side, I am only 56. I have a lot left to do. I thought I would enjoy retirement, but I am actually bored. I'm not done being a police officer. What's better than an opportunity like Midland? When it opened, I said 'Hallelujah, this is an answer to your prayer.' So, here I am. There is opportunity for everybody in Midland. Even for a new police chief.

MRT: How is law enforcement going to change in the next five to 10 years?

Henry: Midland doesn't face anything that any other police department faces. It may be a little delayed, but it still will face it. When you say five to 10 years, maybe what Midland faces is what other places are facing right now. It has a lot to do with what the societal fabric in America right now. When we talk about transparency and some of the other issues that are important to people  as they should be  everything is instantaneous right now because of social media. Between Facebook Live and Instagram and Snapchat and all the other vehicles that are out there for people to be connected almost instantly, there is really the fabric of transparency now. The days of doing things in the dark of night are over. ... Sometimes it has to happen. We can't tell everybody everything we are going to do all the time. It is no different than the theater of combat. You don't tell your enemy what you are going to do or you will be defeated. There will always be criminals in our midst. Our jobs as policemen are being able to handle that. At the same time, we are protectors. We have to protect the fabric of our society. That means people have to feel comfortable and safe in their homes. They have to comfortable and safe that they can raise their children in an atmosphere that is not dangerous. They have to feel comfortable and safe that they have the ability to thrive and work day in and day out. That is why we are here as police officers.

MRT: When you look at the police department, what are things you like and what are things that can be improved?

Henry: Every organization in the world  I don't care what it is -- can be better than it is today. My mantra is 'be better tomorrow than you are today.' That is the way I live my life. That is my goal. It is the same thing for any organization I have been a part of or led. Be better tomorrow than you are today. That effort could be incremental, but at least it is better. ... When we talk about community policing for example, the community has to be just as involved and has just as much buy-in as the police department. That solves a lot of the problems of distrust and who do we go to for help. They will go to the police. We want them to go to the police. For me, if I am being successful with my interaction and my officers' interaction with the community and how we are here as your guardians and how we are part of the community as well  we are mothers, fathers, husbands, daughters and sons  is when I walk into a restaurant or our officers walk into a restaurant and there is a kid acting up, the measure of success is when the mom or someone says you better behave or I will get that policeman involved. If they are doing that, we failed. What I want to see -- which means we are successful -- is when I walk into that restaurant and the kid isn't behaving and I look over and the mom looks at me and goes 'help.' I walk over to the young boy or young girl and say: 'What's wrong, what is going on, why are you upset? Don't be mad at your mom or your dad, they are doing the best they can.' Be a member of the community. When that mom looks over at me with that eye of 'can you help me' instead of 'that bad man will take you to jail,' then we are successful. That is a great measure.

MRT: For people who want to know something personal about you, what should they know about you?

Henry: I love to hunt and fish. Elk hunting is a spiritual endeavor.
London Hire for Dapresy

MR reporting and dashboard software provider Dapresy has appointed former FocusVision exec Toby Fowler as VP, Business Development, based in London.



Dapresy was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Sweden, with a North American HQ in Portsmouth, NH. It opened in London eighteen months ago, and in May this year received an undisclosed investment from Nordic private equity fund Verdane Capital IX.



In his new role Fowler (pictured) will expand the company's presence in the UK and Ireland. At FocusVision he was Director of Sales and New Business, EMEA, having joined the company through its acquisition of quant MR tech specialist Decipher (known as Decrypt in Europe). Earlier he was a Client Development Manager at Research Now.



Company President Fredrik Osterberg comments: 'The UK is a growing and very important market for us. With his deep market research and technology experience, Toby is a perfect addition to our London team where we can continue to strengthen our position as the leading Market Research reporting specialist in this region'.



Web site: www.dapresy.com .




Shapiro+Raj Hires SVP of Research & Analytics

In the US, brand and marketing insights company Shapiro+Raj has hired Robert Hart as Senior Vice President of Research & Analytics, responsible for leading the organization's research, analytics and data science capabilities.



Headquartered in Chicago, with additional offices in New York and Pune, India, Shapiro+Raj was formed in 2014 when business transformation specialist Zain Raj (pictured) acquired a majority interest in independent MR firm Shapiro. Hart joins from consumer tracking company The NPD Group, where he latterly worked as EVP, Solutions, having previously been the group's Head of Analytics and Modeling. Before this he was Partner, Analytics at brand and communications research consultancy Hall & Partners; he ran his own research, marketing science, modeling and business/market development consulting firm; and he led teams at Ipsos and Harris Interactive.



Commenting on the appointment, Raj said: 'Robert is a unique talent. Not only does he have a deep understanding of research, analytics and data science, he has a vision for where the industry is going and a strong track record of delivering innovations grounded in scientific rigor. This makes him a great fit for Shapiro+Raj as we continue to grow and build an insights and ideas company of the future'.



Web site: www.shapiroraj.com .




(Xinhua) 09:33, December 05, 2017

File photo taken on Feb. 27, 2012 shows Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh attending the inauguration ceremony of the new President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in Sanaa, capital of Yemen. A senior Houthi official confirmed on Monday that former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his nephew, relatives and the general secretary of Saleh's party were killed. (Xinhua/Mohammed)

SANAA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- A senior Houthi official confirmed to Xinhua on Monday that former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his nephew, relatives and the general secretary of Saleh's party were killed.

"Saleh and his party's Assistant General Secretary Yasser al-Awadhi were killed on Monday morning while they were trying to escape through Khawlan district on the southeastern outskirts of Sanaa on their way to escape to Saudi-backed government-controlled Marib province, " the official confirmed to Xinhua.

"Saleh's nephew Tarek was killed also early Monday morning in his home in Haddah quarter in the capital Sanaa," the official said.

"Saleh's party's General Secretary Arif al-Zuka was also killed in Sanaa," the official added.

The security situation and clashes in the capital Sanaa and surrounding provinces have eased.

Meanwhile, Saudi-led coalition warplanes were still hovering over the capital.
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U.S. Supreme Court allows Trump's third travel ban to go into effect

(Xinhua) 09:38, December 05, 2017

File photo taken on on May 15, 2017 shows people protest U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Seattle, the U.S. state of Washington. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed the third version of the Trump administration's travel ban to take effect, impacting citizens of eight countries from entering the United States.

The ruling lifted restrictions imposed by lower courts on the travel ban, which bars all citizens of Syria, Iran, Chad, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as well as certain officials from Venezuela from entering the United States.

"In light of its decision to consider the case on an expedited basis, we expect that the Court of Appeals will render its decision with appropriate dispatch," the Supreme Court said in the ruling.

The travel ban, released in September, was the third version by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration said the ban was needed to ensure national security, while critics said it was a form of religious discrimination as most of the countries impacted by the ban are Muslim majorities.
Lawmakers are working to strike a deal on a program that protects young, undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Government funding for DACA runs out Friday

Activists concerned young people could be deported



Top Democratic leaders, Republican counterparts to meet this week



But time is running out, and government funding for DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, runs out Friday.

It was put in place during the President Barack Obama administration and Democrats are demanding immigrant protections.

The battle could end in a government shutdown.

Activists are urging Congress to act this year to protect 800,000 young immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children.

"These are Americans. These are people who are working in our communities, going to our schools, part of the fabric of our country," said Hanna Siegel of New American Economy.

Siegel is organizing online forums and events in all 50 states this week.

President Donald Trump ended the Obama-era deferred action program in September. Some GOP leaders have said they want to work on a replacement and insist the deadline for action is in March.

But activists say by then it could be too late.

"The DACA program is set to end in March, which means that young people will be in danger of deportation starting early next year, so the urgency is real," she said. "We think that we need a solution for dreamers by the end of this year, and then we need to talk about how to fix the rest of the immigration system."

Republicans are moving toward passing a two-week stopgap measure to keep the government open through Dec. 22.

"The DACA program is set to end in March, which means that young people will be in danger of deportation starting early next year, so the urgency is real." - Hanna Siegel, New American Economy

That task is now complicated after many Democrats have said they won't vote for government funding without protections for tens of thousands of young immigrants known as Dreamers.

Top Democratic leaders say they are going to the White House on Thursday to meet with their Republican counterparts and President Trump to discuss the year-end agenda, after abruptly pulling out of a meeting last week.

They released a statement saying, "We're glad the White House has reached out and asked for a second meeting with an open mind, rather than deciding that an agreement can't be reached."

Sen. Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said lawmakers should be focused on avoiding a government shutdown.

"Certainly, Democrats will be working with our Republican colleagues in Congress to that end," he said. "I think our Republican colleagues agree. I hope that they won't succumb to President Trump's whim, based on a political decision, not on what's good for America."

White House legislative director Marc Short said Monday that Trump wants a solution to the issue of dreamers, but said he does not want it attached to the spending bill.


China said Monday that the proposed name change of the Diaoyu Islands by a Japanese mayor would not change the fact that they belong to China.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama plans to submit a proposal to the city assembly Monday to change the islands' name from "Tonoshiro, Ishigaki City" to "Tonoshiro Senkaku, Ishigaki City," according to Japanese media.

"The Diaoyu Island and its adjacent islets have always been an inherent part of Chinese territory, and China has unshakable will to protect its own sovereignty," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a regular news briefing. "Whatever tricks Japan plays, it will not change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China."

He urged the Japanese side to "face up to history and reality, stop stirring up trouble on the issue and avoid harming the improvement of bilateral ties."
A man is facing charges after police said he was caught taking pictures of women in a mall dressing room.

Altamonte Springs man arrested for taking photos in dressing rooms

Santiago tried deleting photos off phone

Man charged with video voyeurism, tampering w/ evidence



Investigators said on Friday night, a customer at Forever 21 in the Altamonte Springs Mall complained Jose Santiago was taking pictures of her while she was trying on clothes.

Police said when they confronted Santiago, he was trying to delete the pictures off his phone.

Investigators with the Altamonte Springs Police Department said the 40-year-old was using an Apple watch to control his cell phone in the victims dressing room.

Not only is it shocking to us and everyone else, we also quickly think who else could be affected by this, and at this time, were actively looking to make sure that if there are any other victims, we can find that information and maybe locate them, said Det. Anthony Van Cleave with the Altamonte Springs Police Department.

Investigators seized Jose Santiagos cell phone and Apple watch and are looking through pictures to see if there are any other victims.

All these techy products these days make it easier for them to do that, which is a shame, because you really do have to pay attention to cameras up and above and I guess down below now too, said shopper Liza Riedel.

Santiago is facing charges of video voyeurism and tampering with evidence.

He posted bond over the weekend and was released from jail.
Staff displays how to consult long-distance doctors. The 4th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen was held on December 3, 2017. Various high-tech exhibits were shown at the impressive Light of the Internet Exposition.

Staff explains a small-scale, manned aircraft to the audience.

The flexible display screen can be easily bent.

Automated retail receives lots of attention at the exhibit. Customers just scan the QR code at the entrance, no labor is required.

Foreign journalist tries a communication device that can instantly translate five languages into Chinese without an internet connection.

Smart City Travel System, which will be available in the near future.

Intellectual Picture Recognition System on display stuns the attendees.

Staff demonstrates the latest Ofo bicycle.
BEIJING -- Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang will attend the opening ceremony of the 2017 Fortune Global Forum and deliver a keynote speech, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang announced Monday.

During the forum, Wang will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, Geng said at a press briefing.

The 2017 Fortune Global Forum will be held in Guangzhou from Dec 6 to 8.
White collar defense lawyer Chris Flood joined Orrick's office in Houston as a partner. Flood had been at Flood & Flood, a firm he founded two decades ago.

Flood represented executives accused of crimes in the Enron and Stanford Financial scandals and energy traders accused of manipulating the price of natural gas. Earlier this year, he was named to the Texas Ethics Commission, the state agency that sets the per diem rate for members of the Texas Legislature.
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SALT LAKE CITY - President Donald Trump said he would dramatically reduce the size of a vast expanse of protected federal land in Utah on Monday, a rollback of some 2 million acres that is the largest in scale in the nation's history.

The administration said it would shrink Bears Ears National Monument, a sprawling region of red rock canyons, by about 85 percent, and cut another area, Grand Staircase-Escalante to about half its current size. The move, a reversal of protections put in place by Democratic predecessors, comes as the administration pushes for fewer restrictions and more development on public lands.

The decision to reduce Bears Ears is expected to trigger a legal battle that could alter the course of U.S. land conservation, possibly opening millions of protected public acres to oil and gas extraction, mining, logging and other commercial activities.

"Some people think that the natural resources should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington," Trump said, speaking at Utah's domed state Capitol. "And guess what, they're wrong."

"Together," he continued, "we will usher in a bright new future of wonder and wealth."

President Barack Obama designated Bears Ears in 2016, and President Bill Clinton set aside Grand Staircase-Escalante in 1996. In both cases, Utah politicians said the actions were illegal abuses of a century-old law called the Antiquities Act.

Environmentalists and some native tribes say Trump's move will destroy the national heritage and threaten some 100,000 sites of archaeological importance tucked into the monuments' desert landscapes. Conservative lawmakers and many Westerners argue that the move is the proper response to decades of federal overreach.

The announcement sparked immediate outcry from Trump's opponents.

"What's next, President Trump," said Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, "the Grand Canyon?"

In April, the president ordered Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to review 27 national monuments created since 1996, something he said would "end another egregious use of government power." In August, Zinke delivered a report to the president suggesting that Trump change the boundaries of six of those monuments.

Americans on both sides of the aisle had anxiously awaited the decision. On Monday morning, hundreds of people gathered outside the state Capitol in cowboy hats to protest Trump's decision.

Helaman Thor Hale and Andrea Hale, both Native Americans, had brought their three sons to the rally. "It's a historical trauma our people have been through over and over," said Helaman Thor Hale. "We're showing our kids this is the real world. And it's not nice."

Farther south, at the edge of the monument, another group had gathered to applaud Trump's decision over the weekend, standing beneath a banner: "Thank you for listening to local voices."

Trump's decision to reduce Bears Ears is viewed as a victory for Republican lawmakers, fossil fuel companies and others who argue that monument designations are federal land grabs that limit revenue and stifle local control. And it is considered a defeat for many environmentalists and recreation groups and for the five Indian nations who have fought for generations to protect the Bears Ears region.

The Navajo Nation has vowed to challenge the decision in court, along with other tribes and conservation and outdoor industry groups.

"We will stand and fight all the way," said Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation, adding that the U.S. government had already taken "millions of acres of my people's land."

"We have suffered enough," he said.

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said Trump's decision would benefit his state. "He's been sympathetic to our plight," he said of the president. "He's been sympathetic to the fact that we've been mistreated, and I'm grateful that he is willing to correct it."

The federal government controls about two-thirds of the land in Utah, and the state's leading politicians have long pushed for more local control of public lands. In an interview, Gov. Gary Herbert called Trump's move "nothing more than a realignment, a reconfiguration of the boundaries."

Each monument has its own specific restrictions. At Bears Ears, for example, federal rules forbid new mining and drilling, but allow the interior department to continue to issue cattle grazing leases.

Supporters of the Antiquities Act say the law is part of the bedrock of U.S. conservation. But some Republican lawmakers, particularly those in Utah, argue that recent presidents have abused the act, using it to put aside far more land than its language permits. The law says that presidents should limit designations to "the smallest area compatible" with the care of the natural features that the monument is meant to protect.

Trump is not the first president to shrink a monument. Woodrow Wilson reduced Mount Olympus by half. Franklin Roosevelt cut the Grand Canyon monument at the behest of ranchers. (Both are now national parks.)

But the courts have never ruled on whether a president actually has the power to make these changes. The coming legal battle will probably have far-reaching implications.
Discussions between Yu Jianhua and Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh also touched on future cooperation projects. Photo by Cameroon Tribune

Chinas Vice Minister of Commerce, Yu Jianhua, on Friday, December 1, 2017 held discussions for over an hour with Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Secretary General at Cameroons Presidency in the capital, Yaounde. The main subject was the construction of a new National Assembly building for Cameroon. Vice Minister Ju was accompanied to the meeting by the Chinese Ambassador in Cameroon, Wei Wenhua.

We had frank discussions about future cooperation, major projects already launched and the construction of the National Assembly building. We hope to begin work soon, the Chinese Vice Minister told State House correspondents after. The two sides also talked about the supply by China of 500,000 laptop computers to Cameroonian university students, an order that was placed by President Paul Biya.

Earlier the same day, Yu Jianhua met with Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, the Speaker of Cameroons National Assembly during which Yu assured Cavaye of Chinas readiness to construct the new Assembly building. Still on Friday, Yu Jianhua signed a technical and financial accord with Louis Paul Motaze, Cameroons Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development for the gift of 198.58 million RMB to Cameroon.

Some 191 million RMB of the amount is for the carrying out of feasibility studies on the construction of the new National Assembly building, while 7 million RMB is for maintenance of the Warda, Yaounde Multipurpose Sport Complex that was constructed by China. Ambassador Wei Wenhua on November 17, 2017, visited Cameroons National Assembly after a severe fire incident left five of the seven floors completely destroyed the night before. The building houses the Lower House of Parliament, the National Assembly.

The incident occurred barely two days after the house reopened for the third and last session of the year, which discusses and votes the following years National Appropriation Bill. Wei, who joined Cameroonian cabinet ministers and other senior government officials in commiserating with the National Assembly, pledged his governments readiness to entertain any request for assistance from Cameroon following the fire incident. He met Deputy Speaker, Hilarion Etong, whose office was also destroyed in the inferno.

*Kimeng Hilton Ndukong, a contributor to Peoples Daily Online, is Sub-Editor for World News with Cameroon Tribune bilingual daily newspaper in Cameroon. He is a 2017 China-Africa Press Centre, CAPC fellow.
iHeartMedias investors are demanding almost entire control of the beleaguered company as it tries to negotiate its way out of bankruptcy.

Bondholders have rejected the San Antonio-based radio giants request to extinguish about $14.6 billion of its debt in exchange for 87.5 percent of the company and 87.5 percent of its wholly owned billboard subsidiary. The plan proposes to recapitalize the company with $7 billion in fresh bonds.

The creditors involved in negotiations, led by mutual fund company Franklin Resources, are demanding of 95.3 percent of the company and 100 percent of the iHeartMedias ownership of its financially stronger billboard subsidiary, Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. iHeart owns 89.5 percent of the billboard unit.

The lenders and bondholders dont want management to have anything. They want it all, said Seth Crystall, senior credit analyst for Debtwire, an Acuris company.

Negotiations are continuing behind closed doors as the company attempts to restructure $14.6 billion of its more than $20 billion of total debt, said iHeartMedia, which is the largest radio station owner in the nation.

No agreement has been reached, the company said in the filing. There can be no assurance that any agreement will be reached. Any such agreement will require the consent of additional debt holders who are not party to the negotiations, and who hold substantial percentages of our debt.

The difference between the two sides amounts to about $800 million, said Philip Brendel, a Bloomberg Intelligence credit analyst.

The lender group is not moving much. They believe their best interests will be served by the company filing for bankruptcy instead of an out-of-court agreement, Brendel said.

Much of iHeartMedias $20.6 billion in total debt stems from 2008 when two Boston-based private equity firms, Bain Capital Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners, bought 70 percent of the company, which was called Clear Channel Communications at the time. About 30 percent of the company remains publicly traded.

iHeartMedia has said it owes $324.2 million in debt in 2018 and $8.4 billion that comes due in 2019. The company warned last spring that it might not be able to meet debt payments in 2018.

iHeartMedia has lost money in 29 of its last 30 quarters largely because of the cost to keep up with its debt interest payments on top of its operating and capital costs.

Matters could come to a head in April after the company issues its financial results for 2017 that could conclude that the company cannot continue as a going concern.

iHeartMedia could file for bankruptcy before it defaults on its bonds, which would occur 30 days after a written notice is issued, to pre-empt an acceleration of debt payments, Brendel explained.

Efforts to reach the law firm for the group of bondholders and lenders, Jones Day, for comment were unsuccessful Monday.

The latest exchange of debt-related terms at iHeartMedia came last month as another large radio station owner, Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, also filed for bankruptcy in an agreement with its creditors.

Cumulus reported owning 446 radio stations this summer, none in San Antonio, about half of the number owned by iHeartMedia, more than 850.

Brendel said the fact that much of the radio industry is in or near bankruptcy is a reflection of exuberance that existed in the radio space at one time, adding that many media companies became over leveraged with debt.

Their cash flow is not enough to cover their interest payments on debt, he added.

Brendel said forward-looking advertising buyers prefer digital forms of media, meaning traditional media companies are losing their share of advertising spending.

dhendricks@express-news.net
Jungle Disk has acquired SafetyNet, a way to back up QuickBooks Online, the San Antonio company will annouce Tuesday.

Its the first acquisition for the company since it was spun off from local cloud service provider Rackspace nearly two years ago, and CEO Bret Piatt says he thinks Jungle Disk is the largest company with a solution like SafetyNet.

Theres a couple of other folks, Bret Piatt said Friday in an interview in advance of the announcement. QuickBooks has an app store, and theres a couple of other companies that are in there but theyre not ones where theyre our size or scale.

Jungle Disk is buying SafetyNet from Jobber, a cloud and mobile software platform for home service businesses, but none of Jobbers employees are coming to Jungle Disk, Piatt said. The company declined to disclose financial details of the transaction.

We have a lead developer thats devoted to this already and well continue to add and build out the team to take care of this business as it grows, Piatt said.

Jungle Disk has gone from 12 employees when the business was spun out of Rackspace in January 2016, to 28 today, Piatt said. The company has around 25,000 customers, Piatt said.

And while the acquisition of SafetyNet is Jungle Disks first, it wont be its last, he said.

Were going to continue looking at new and interesting technology, and potentially new markets to enter, he said.

Many Jungle Disk customers use the companys existing backup software to back up their desktop version of the accounting software QuickBooks, but before the acquisition Jungle Disk didnt have a way for its customers to back up the cloud-based version, QuickBooks Online, Piatt said.

SafetyNet had been running in beta for a few years, and weve gone through product and weve made some enhancements already, Piatt said.

Theres still some things to improve  always is in a tech product  but were really happy with where its at today, Piatt said.

The product is being offered in three editions: a free tier, a small business edition at $8 a month and an accountant edition at $25 a month, according to the announcement.

As companies move from desktop versions to software-as-a-service products like QuickBooks Online, management isnt always making sure there is a completely separate backup, Piatt said.

According to Intuits site for QuickBooks Online, those who subscribe to the service get automatic data-encrypted back-ups in the deal. But according to a post on QuickBooks Onlines support, because we update your records with every change, we cannot restore your file to a previous point in time.

All QuickBooks Online data is automatically backed up on an ongoing basis, said Stephen Sharpe, spokesman for Intuit, via email. There is not currently a feature in QuickBooks Online where a customer could make a copy of their company file before taking an action and then restoring it later to the earlier point in time.

QuickBooks Online does have an audit log which tracks all actions taken. But that doesnt serve the same purpose, Piatt said, as having that air gapped kind of second copy of something that you can keep with separate authorization to get into it and access it.

sehlinger@express-news.net | Twitter: @samehlinger
Two suspects, including one from San Francisco, were arrested in connection to the fatal shooting in November of a man who went to a San Leandro gas station to sell his cell phone to a buyer who answered his online ad, officials said Tuesday.

Jordan Patton, 18, of San Francisco, and Marcus Fortune, 18, of San Leandro, were charged with the murder of a 32-year-old father, said Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriffs Office.
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Note: This is a Just a Taste review, which the Express-News does soon after a restaurant or bar opens to give our first impressions.

In the world of chef Johnny Hernandez, an idea doesnt stay just an idea for very long. And so when the celebrated San Antonio restaurateur wanted burgers, he created Burgerteca.

Building on the success of La Gloria, El Machito and The Fruteria-Botanero, his burger shop celebrating the styles of Mexico fully opened Monday at Southtowns Blue Star Arts Complex.

Its part burger bar, part cocktail bar and part ice cream shop, all of it placed like a dollhouse diorama in a brand new semi-industrial space along the southern stretch of the River Walk. Ceramic sugar skulls, folk art bowls, cocoon baskets and whimsical chandeliers play across the walls in a crayon box of colors, and rough wood communal tables create a casual vibe.

On the menu: Burgers and mole sauce seem destined for each other. The Oaxaca burger ($9.75) plays to that possibility with the deep, sweet, sorghum character of the sauce. But the truer sign of this righteous mole was a balancing flinty dryness. It made the mole great but clashed with a hamburger patty that was by a degree too flat, too lean and too aggressively cooked.

Even in that clash, the burgers composition showed a mind at work, finished with avocado, pickled onions, black beans and queso fresco on a feathery brioche-style bun.

Having a restaurant empire means that Hernandez can have burger buns baked specifically for Burgerteca at his own commissary.

The bun played an especially strong role in the restaurants Pacifica burger ($11.75), where the sweet, yeasty bread cradled a double-patty fillet of grilled tuna. That tuna wasnt the delicate pepper-seared stuff, but tuna aggressively spiced and cooked the seafood equivalent of medium  tuna with the backbone to carry avocado, slaw and jalapeno-lime mayo into the burger zone.

You can get chips and queso here, or straight-up french fries. Or you can get in the hybrid spirit of the place and try queso fundido fries ($9.25), where thick, white cheese bound together standard burger shop fries with roasted strips of poblano and hard, dry chorizo. Queso fundido? No. Dressed-out fries with a sense of style? Yes.

Now consider the crispy dog. Even in its simplest version  a hot dog stuffed with cheese, wrapped in a corn tortilla and deep fried  the crispy dog is one of San Antonios points of pride.

But in the Burgerteca world, the Big Tex Crispy Dog started with a meal-size jumbo frankfurter with the deep-fried wrap treatment. Then it got caramelized onions, avocado, bacon, chile con queso and a bun of its own. The crispy dog, dressed up Fiesta-style for $6.95.

For ice cream, the smart moneys on chamoyada ($7.25), and not just for the tamarind and mandarin orange ice creams, the mango syrup, the funk of chamoy and a shot of chile powder. What made this special was a sweetness level dialed way back to let the fruit flavors come through.

The bar menu isnt just a collection of margaritas in electric colors. Its practically a tiki bar by way of the Mexican coast, with cocktails served in sugar skull mugs with Rhum Clement as the jumping off point for swirls of pineapple, mango, guava, grapefruit and raspberries.

The spirit and the idea were alive in the finished BigTex Punch ($13), albeit diluted by a snowcone-load of crushed ice.

As Burgerteca works out the kinks, the next big idea is already in the works: Turning the back half of the Burgerteca space into a Mexican seafood house called Villa Rica early next year.

Location: 403 Blue Star, Suite 105, 210-635-016, Facebook: @Burgerteca

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

msutter@express-news.net
A body was found Monday afternoon on a stretch of highway in Seabrook, police said.

Seabrook Police said they found the body, described as a male who had been there for an estimated seven days, at the 3300 block of Texas 146. Police said the man was wearing pants with a light colored T-shirt and had no identification or property on him.
GREENWICH  The name Crumbine is quite well known in Greenwich. Peter Crumbine served four terms as a selectman and his wife, Bea Crumbine, serves as the towns ambassador, often playing a key role in cultural events.

But Greenwich is not the only community that has been improved by a Crumbine. On Nov. 3, a statue was dedicated outside the Kansas state capitol building of Samuel Crumbine, a frontier doctor in Dodge City who is considered to be an early leader in public health.

Samuel Crumbine was Peter Crumbines great grandfather. The dedication ceremony in Topeka included Crumbines from all over the country, including Peter Crumbines brother, Dennis, his son, David, daughter-in-law, Aisha, and two of his grandchildren, Zisa and Jay. While he could not attend, the former selectman said he was definitely there in spirit.

Its a wonderful honor, Crumbine said. (Samuel Crumbine) is someone we have always admired for all he meant to the family and all he did to help people. To see someone in your own family receive a tribute like this is a great thrill.

The statue was dedicated as part of a new pocket park by the capitol building and shows him standing on a soapbox with his arms raised and his hat in one hand as if he is passionately speaking about an important issue. The children were able to pull the tarp off the statue to reveal it during the ceremony.

Samuel Crumbine, who was born in 1862 and died in 1954, was known for being an advocate in the fight against tuberculosis, even starting a campaign to get people to stop spitting on the sidewalk to combat the spread of the deadly disease. He also got rid of shared common drinking cups on railroads and public buildings, replacing them with paper cups to be disposed of after a drink.

He was known for being a strong opponent of the snake oil salesmen of the day, selling unsafe remedies and passing along bad information. Crumbine also educated people about the myths of the day, including that the water in rivers would refresh itself over the course of seven miles, so it was OK to dump things into it and still think the water was clean and safe.

Additionally, Crumbine served on the Kansas board of health, founded the Kansas Public Health Association, was dean of the University of Kansass medical school and was widely published. He pushed for the use of flyswatters and netting to help combat the spread of disease and the use of disposable paper towels. He was even the inspiration for a character on the classic TV western Gunsmoke.

Robert St. Peter, president and CEO of the non-profit Kansas Health Institute, said Samuel Crumbine was someone who had a huge impact on health around the world.

Its hard to measure the impact, but it is most likely that hundreds of thousands if not millions of people lived healthier lives and lived longer because of the basic practices he advocated for, St. Peter said.

Peter Crumbine said he met his great grandfather only once, but that his reputation preceded him, even outside the family. He said his son Dennis once was introduced to his future father-in-law and he was asked if it was the Crumbine? he was related to because he was familiar with an award given out yearly in Samuels memory.

I wish I could have known him better, Crumbine said. He is someone you look up to. It wonderful to have someone like that in your family because what he did helped so many people.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
CHESHIRE  An inadvertent mix of phosphorous and water at Dalton Enterprises Monday morning sent firefighters and state hazardous materials response teams rushing to the factory and forced the evacuation of some homes surrounding the plant, Town Manager Michael Milone said.

Officials received a call at 8:03 a.m. about a hazardous material incident on the Willow Street property, which makes pavement maintenance products. Assistant Fire Chief Dan Ford said upon arrival, the fire department noticed a good amount of steam, despite initially appearing to be smoke, coming from the factory and moving toward the neighborhood. The Cheshire and Waterbury fire departments, along with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, responded.

Jeff Chandler, supervisor for DEEPs Emergency Response Unit, said, the [phosphorous] heated up, heated up the resin, and boiled off all the water, which caused the vapor cloud. He said a Haz-Mat unit went inside the factory and found no hazardous byproducts after performing air monitoring tests.

Milone said prevailing winds carried the odor and steam emitted from the mixture at the plant south, past Cheshire High School.

I was at the Parks and Recreation building when I got the call and the smell was very strong, he said. But I want to stress in the strongest terms that there is no need for panic.

A passer-by described the odor from the steam as similar to rubber. Ford said as a precautionary measure several dozen people from the factory and neighboring homes were evacuated, and the fire department set up a perimeter, blocking off Willow Street. He added all employees were evaluated at the scene.

We have people that were in the building where the hazardous material was, so whether they were two feet from it or 220 feet from it, we wanted to ensure everyone was evaluated and everybody was 100 percent, Ford said.

Milone said schools in the area  including Dodd Middle School, Doolittle Elementary School and Cheshire High School  kept windows closed and shut down any parts of their ventilation systems that would bring in air from outside. He said the evacuations were ordered because of concerns the mixture of phosphorus and water might lead to a fire or an explosion.

Superintendent of Schools Jeff Solan said in an email sent to parents that Cheshire High School students were dismissed at 10 a.m. because of a lingering odor within the school. Students who walk to the high school were not being dismissed until a parent has been contacted.

Charlie Farrell, 16, who attends Cheshire High School, said the students were complaining about the smell, describing it as burnt rubber, with some mentioning they felt light-headed and dizzy. He said people in the area regularly complain about the smell from Dalton Enterprises. He said after the fire department came and checked oxygen levels, he felt safer, just hoping the incident didnt cause too many problems.

Units also were sent to several elementary and preschools in the area to make sure everyone felt comfortable and to reassure them there were no issues, according to Ford.

The Cheshire Fire Department said a residual odor may be present but does not pose any health risks. The nature of the incident is still under investigation.
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Mounds of snow will be ready for snow angels and snowballs, and thrill-seekers can race down a three-lane snow slide when Snow Fest returns to Jordan Ranch. The 70,000 pounds of snow will provide winter fun from noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at 30757 Jordan Crossing Blvd.

Face painters and inflatables will give children more options for fun. Everyone can enjoy free hot chocolate and cookies, and food and beverage trucks will be on hand with further refreshments. Santa will be available for photos and an ice carver will be creating a chilly masterpiece on site. The event is free and open to the public.
Watch the ceremony live! Watch the ceremony live!

Tune in to the 2022 GPHG ceremony, which will be digitally hosted on WorldTempus today at 6:30PM (Swiss time)

Tune in to the 2022 GPHG ceremony, which...
WASHINGTON - The brazen assertion Monday by one of President Donald Trump's lawyers that a president cannot be found guilty of obstruction of justice signaled a controversial defense strategy in the wide-ranging Russia probe, as Trump's political advisers are increasingly concerned about the legal advice he is receiving.

Trump tweeted over the weekend that he knew then-national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador before firing him in February - and before FBI Director James Comey said Trump asked him to be lenient while investigating Flynn. Experts said the president's admission increased his legal exposure to obstruction-of-justice charges, one of the core crimes under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

But Trump's personal lawyer John Dowd sought to excuse the president's tweet in part by telling Axios and NBC News on Monday that the "president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution's Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case."

Dowd declined to elaborate on his theory or explain the emerging legal strategy to The Washington Post.

Inside the White House, some senior officials were baffled that Dowd publicly offered this interpretation of the law, which has been advanced since the summer by constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz in defense of Trump but flatly dismissed by many other legal scholars.

Ty Cobb, a White House lawyer overseeing its handling of the Russia investigation, said Monday that the Dershowitz-Dowd theory was not the president's official legal strategy.

"It's interesting as a technical legal issue, but the president's lawyers intend to present a fact-based defense, not a mere legal defense," Cobb said in an interview with The Post. "That should resolve things, but we all shall see."

Asked whether Trump agrees that a president cannot obstruct justice, Cobb replied, "I never talk about what the president's beliefs are or discuss communications between the president and his lawyers."

Many Washington lawyers and legal scholars disputed Dowd's interpretation, citing several court cases and articles of impeachment - as well as, in the words of one expert, "common sense."

"We have a president, not a king," said Sam Berger, senior policy adviser at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. "No one is above the law, whether it be Trump or any of his close associates. It's the sort of desperate claim that makes you wonder, 'What exactly are they hiding?'"

Berger argued that Dowd's reasoning amounts to a "Hail Mary pass" for the president to escape responsibility. "This response, 'If it's the president, it's not a crime,' has never flown with the American people or our legal system in any context," he said. "Claiming that the president can't obstruct justice flies in the face of both common sense and past precedent."

ALSO READ: Trump may face a reckoning in case brought by female accuser

Some legal scholars, however, support Dowd's claim. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor, said Monday on Fox News Channel that Trump was within his rights when he fired Comey.

"You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate," Dershowitz said. "That's what Thomas Jefferson did, that's what Lincoln did, that's what Roosevelt did. We have precedents that clearly establish that."

Dershowitz was appearing on "Fox & Friends," a pro-Trump morning show that the president regularly watches. After his appearance, Trump tweeted, "A must watch: Legal Scholar Alan Dershowitz was just on @foxandfriends talking of what is going on with respect to the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. political history."

Dershowitz wrote a column in June for The Washington Examiner in which he argued that Trump's efforts to stop the FBI probe could not be considered obstruction because he was constitutionally empowered as president to direct the attorney general and the FBI director and tell them whom to prosecute.

Furthermore, he wrote, "the president has the constitutional authority to stop the investigation of any person by simply pardoning that person."

Within Trump's political orbit, concerns have grown in recent weeks about Trump's legal strategy, crafted by Cobb and Dowd, as well as attorney Jay Sekulow, who at key moments has served as the public face of the defense team.

Cobb and Dowd have urged Trump to cooperate fully with Mueller's investigation, providing documents when asked by the special counsel and encouraging White House staffers to comply with requests for interviews.

The two men have sought to assure White House advisers that Trump is not vulnerable to obstruction-of-justice charges. "They think everything is clean there," said one senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid.

ALSO READ: Supreme Court allows full enforcement of Trump travel ban

Cobb and Dowd also have been privately assuring the president that the Mueller probe was likely to reach its conclusion by the end of this year, complete with a public exoneration of Trump of any wrongdoing. That timeline seems overly optimistic to some legal experts, considering Mueller last week charged Flynn with lying to the FBI and secured his cooperation in the investigation.

In Monday's interview, Cobb said he still believes Mueller's investigation of Trump will reach "an appropriate result" by Christmas or early January.

But some Trump advisers and outside allies - including former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon - have been grumbling for weeks that the president's legal strategy is too compliant with Mueller and not combative enough.

One Republican strategist in frequent contact with senior White House officials said there had been "consternation" among Trump's political advisers in recent days.

"The concern is that every time the president feels a little bit of pain from what Mueller's doing, [his lawyers] give him OxyContin and tell him he'll be fine by the morning," this strategist said metaphorically, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. "Rather than being aggressive lawyers defending the president's prerogative, they're bending over backwards on the theory that Mueller is fair and it'll all be over soon."

These concerns grew over the past 48 hours as Dowd sought to explain the president's tweet about firing Flynn in a succession of media interviews, which had some Trump loyalists grimacing.

Asked to respond to criticisms of the legal team, Cobb said, "There's no question that Bannon is doing the president a great disservice by agitating persistently on this issue. Internally, where people are actually informed, there's no consternation about the decision to cooperate fully with the special counsel, and Mr. Bannon has yet to identify what fights he would pick and how constructive that would be."

Going forward, Cobb said, "I'm not going to litigate every isolated fact that people may testify about or may ask about in the press because that's not fair to the process or to the special counsel or to the witnesses."

The Brookings Institution in October published a 108-page study titled "Presidential Obstruction of Justice: The Case of Donald J. Trump." The authors reviewed the articles of impeachment against presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, and those drafted against judges Harry Claiborne in 1986 and Samuel Kent in 2009. They concluded that "obstruction, conspiracy, and conviction of a federal crime have previously been considered by Congress to be valid reasons to remove a duly elected president from office."

Co-author Norm Eisen, former special assistant for ethics and government reform in the Obama administration and a senior fellow in governance studies at Brookings, said, "There's a long line of cases holding that when a government official exercises an otherwise legal authority with corrupt intent, they can be prosecuted for obstruction. It flows from the notion that no person is above the law."

In 1999, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then a senator from Alabama, argued that Clinton should be removed from office for obstructing justice in the investigation into his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

"The facts are disturbing and compelling on the president's intent to obstruct justice," Sessions said at the time.

---

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.
NEW HAVEN  Local educators expressed their belief Monday that one of the most important things to emphasize in curriculum has been in schools for a long time.

They call them makerspaces, and theyre hardly new. Richard Therrien, supervisor for science in New Haven Public Schools, said makerspaces have been known by many names in education, such as woodshop, industrial arts and tech education, but the function of creating and engineering solutions is an attractive way forward in a knowledge-based economy.

Medria Blue-Ellis, principal of the Engineering and Science University Magnet School, which moved into a new building this year in West Haven on the University of New Haven campus, said the schools model and facilities reflect a hands-on approach to teaching that is not new, but is catching steam.

We knew we wanted to have a school that used the concept of engineering, Therrien said. The kids spend a lot of time solving problems, and thats what education is all about.

What is appealing about engineering and makerspaces from an educational perspective, he said, is the potential for interdisciplinary education and project-based learning.

At ESUMS, few of the classrooms are regular, Blue-Ellis said; some are a series of three rooms, each with different components. The students, especially at the high school level, work on project management, forming mock companies and pursuing entrepreneurship through engineering practices. Recently, a team of students was named a finalist in an international STEM innovation competition for its compact composting machine, which came out of a class project, she mentioned.

The makerspace concept is more about creativity, Therrien said, noting Blue-Elliss art background. The focus of ESUMS has been described as STEAM, a slight modication on the established Science Technology Engineering Mathematics acronym to include the arts.

Vincent Wilczynski, deputy dean of the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science, said education too often is seen as various subjects existing in silos. In his colleges makerspace, he said students are challenged to work for clients, whether they be from the Yale Divinity School or lacrosse team.

These artificial boundaries between departments and schools evaporate in the makerspace, he said.

Therrien said he believes teaching for middle school and high school would benefit from being more like elementary school, where teachers center lesson plans around interdisciplanary schools. Owing to state certification requirements, he said, teachers may conceive of themselves as certified to teach chemistry only, as an example, instead of incorporating writing or social sciences to make lessons interdisciplinary and applicable to practical situations.

Ron Harichandran, dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering at the University of New Haven, said the shift to makerspaces does present challenges for faculty, as it takes away the focus from traditional grading and makes teaching more responsive.

Wilczynski said his program runs similarly.

At the end, its not a piece of paper thats turned in; its a product, he said. We need educators with a new view on education.

Wilczynski said he believes the city of New Haven and the state of Connecticut stand to be a model for the rest of the nation if they own the makerspace model and develop best practices. Therrien agreed, although he said the state currently is behind much of the nation. The states technical education system is exemplary, he said, but its separate from mainstream education.

Career education is for everybody, he said.

Therrien, Blue-Ellis, Harichandran and Wilzynski spoke as panelists for an event arranged by Svigals and Partners, an architecture and design firm that worked on the ESUMS building and is looking to share the makerspace building model with other clients.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
The Washington Post

One intention the framers had when creating the U.S. Constitution was to "provide for the common defense." But who shoulders that duty has not always been so clear.

At many points throughout American history, it's fallen to the poor more than the rich; to the young more than the old; to men more than women. Some who've wanted to fight have been barred. Some who haven't wanted to fight have been compelled.
Masked officers from Ukraine's security services arrived early Tuesday morning to arrest Mikheil Saakashvili, the former Georgian president currently living here - but their plans went quickly awry.

The raiders reportedly broke down the door of Saakashvili's apartment in central Kiev, near the main Independence Square, to search the premises and take him into custody. There was talk of his being involved in a plot to overthrow the government. But Saakashvili, who has reinvented himself as a leading opposition figure here, gave them the slip and escaped to his building's roof. There, he addressed hundreds of his followers who had in the meantime rushed to the scene at the news of his detention.

"[President Petro] Poroshenko is a thief and traitor to the Ukrainian people," he said, and called on Ukrainians to take to the streets to resist the government.

Five years out of power in Georgia, Saakashvili came to Ukraine as a reformer, at Poroshenko's invitation, but has since become an outspoken opponent of the president, even as Poroshenko stripped Saakashvili of his Ukrainian citizenship earlier this year (and rendered the Georgian stateless).

Ukrainian authorities said that they wanted to question Saakashvili on charges of "assisting members of criminal organizations." Yury Lutsenko, the country's general prosecutor and a close ally of Poroshenko, later said that this involved a plan to topple the government together with allies of the country's former president, Viktor Yanukovych, who fled three years ago to Russia.

Officers eventually reached Saakashvili and carefully dragged him from the roof - steep and slippery from an early December snowfall -- and into a waiting police van. But the dramatics had just begun. Saakashvili's supporters surrounded the vehicle and prevented it from leaving. Protesters clashed with police, who used pepper spray at times to hold the throng at bay.

After an extended and chaotic standoff, the demonstrators broke a window and extracted Saakashvili from the van. The Georgian emerged triumphantly, handcuffs still attached to one wrist, and was swept to the top of the steps of a nearby Catholic church.

"They are lying little animals," Saakashvili said about those who leveled the charges against him. "We must throw this organized criminal group, led by Poroshenko, out of power."

Tuesday's events are a further escalation in the high-stakes struggle between Saakashvili and Poroshenko - and a testament to the Georgian's mastery of political theater.

Saakashvili first burst on the international stage as the leader of Georgia's 2003 Rose Revolution, when he stormed the country's parliament and drove President Eduard Shevardnadze from power.

He was subsequently elected to two terms as Georgia's president, but left office under a cloud. His party had lost parliamentary elections and he was under heavy criticism for being drawn into a disastrous war with Russia in 2008.

A new political life beckoned in Ukraine, after the country's 2014 pro-Western revolution, which brought Poroshenko to power. Poroshenko knew Saakashvili from their university days in the late 1980s, and appointed the former Georgian leader as governor of the corruption-ridden southern Odessa region.

However, Saakashvili resigned his post after little more than a year, accusing Poroshenko himself of being steeped in corruption and blocking Saakashvili's attempts at reform. Poroshenko denied the charges.

In July, Ukrainian authorities - claiming irregularities in his citizenship application - revoked Saakashvili's Ukrainian passport, and banned him from returning to Ukraine. Saakashvili has also lost his Georgian citizenship, and is wanted in his home country on charges of abuse of power while in office.

Saakashvili was in the United States at the time of the Ukrainian announcement, but a few weeks later he and his followers, in another dramatic political gesture, stormed through a Ukrainian-Polish checkpoint and re-entered the country.

On Tuesday in Kiev, the drama extended beyond Saakashvili's liberation from the police van. Surrounded by masses of his supporters, and a scrum of journalists with cameras and smart phones extended above their heads, he marched into Independence Square and towards parliament.

On the way, they passed the seat of the Ukrainian government. From the street, the protesters could see government workers peering down from behind curtains in the upper windows. "Shame!" the marchers shouted.

Ultimately, the crowd reached the main square in front of the legislature, where Saakhashvili and his followers have established a weeks-long military-style protest camp. Saakashvili repeated calls for Poroshenko's impeachment, but by this time the energy of the protest seemed to be dissipating.

Recent opinion surveys in fact show Saakashvili polling at somewhere between one and two percent - causing a number of political observers to wonder why the government is so dogged in its pursuit of him. Indeed, operations like the one on Tuesday morning seem only to boost his political profile.

Still, the government shows no signs of giving up. As Saakashvili and his supporters gathered outside parliament, Lutsenko was inside laying out the case against the Georgian.

He played an audio recording allegedly between Saakashvili and Serhiy Kurchenko, a Ukrainian oligarch and close ally of former president Yanukovych, who likewise fled to Russia and reportedly provided a half million dollars to Saakashvili to organize protests. ("I barely know who Kurchenko is," Saakashvili said.)

Lutsenko also said that Saakashvili was now considered a fugitive from arrest and expected him to show up for at the state security services on Wednesday.

"In 24 hours, Ukraine's entire law-enforcement system will do everything necessary for the stateless Saakashvili to appear before investigators to be charged with suspicion, and then [to appear] in court," Lutsenko said.
The Interstate 66 toll lanes opened Monday in Washington's northern Virginia suburbs with prices so steep they could be among the highest drivers have paid for the privilege of traveling on a state-owned highway in the United States.

Tolls hit $34.50 - or close to $3.50 a mile - to drive the 10-mile stretch from the Beltway to Washington, D.C., during the height of the morning commute.

The lanes, on one of the region's most congested highways, were billed as a way to help the state better manage traffic, foster carpooling and public transit use, and give commuters more options.

But whatever excitement drivers might have initially felt at having another choice quickly gave way to shock as they watched toll prices tick up - from $4.50 at 5:36 a.m. to $28.50 just before 8 to $34.50 at 8:36.

"I drove onto I-66 around 8:10 this morning to Washington and my one-way toll was $17.25 - which I at first thought I'd misread," Justin Cole said. "With tolls reportedly climbing to around a daily one-way peak of $34.50, that is going to introduce a real hardship for people on low wages or working in the nonprofit or public sector."

Others took to social media to express their outrage, with the hashtags #I66tolls and #highwayrobbery trending.

"This is like a bad telethon, watching the number go higher and higher all morning," tweeted commuter Cameron Gray.

"The tolls on I-66 are being increased so only the 1% can afford to use it. Time to get that private jet," said another.

"It's price gouging," said Virginia Del.-elect Danica Roem, D, who won office last month on a platform that focused on traffic in her suburban Prince William district. She said she will push to cap tolls in the coming General Assembly session.

"We are talking about $34.50 for a few miles inside the Beltway. That's clearly price gouging," Roem said. "Where else in the country do you pay a $34.50 toll to go somewhere?"

Critics complained that state officials sold the project on projections that tolls would peak at $7 for the morning rush and $9 in the afternoon. State transportation officials said Monday that those projections were based on the average trip - not peak-of-the-peak trips.

"This was the very first rush hour," said Michelle Holland, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation. "Every express lane facility has a ramp-up period because it is such a major change. It probably will take at least three months for us to be able to determine the typical traffic pattern and toll price pattern."

Here's how it works. From 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. eastbound and 3 to 7 p.m. westbound, Monday through Friday, tolls will fluctuate to maintain a minimum average speed of 45 mph; there is no cap on tolls. Put simply, as traffic increases the toll rises to help manage the vehicles entering the roadway. The tolls change every six minutes.

Solo drivers, who before were barred from I-66 during rush hour, can use the lanes if they pay. That includes drivers of hybrid vehicles, which are no longer are exempt. Motorcycles and vehicles carrying two or more people have free use of the lanes.

State transportation officials said average speeds Monday morning were 57 mph (the posted speed limit is 55), and about 37 percent of vehicles were carpools that traveled free.

Holland said state officials don't expect tolls of $34.50 to be the norm. Rates were lower for the evening commute, with westbound I-66 drivers paying $6.25 to travel from Washington to the Beltway at 4:15 p.m.

But there's no guarantee that prices won't top $30 again. Monday, for example, is typically a lighter commuting day because of federal workers who telework, so it's conceivable that tolls will rise again on days when there is typically more traffic.

Although Monday's prices on I-66 are higher than average for U.S. toll roads, experts and transportation officials say they aren't unheard of in an industry that generates $13.8 billion in annual revenue.

Driving on U.S. toll lanes costs drivers an average of 10 cents per mile, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration. The data, however, doesn't include average costs from all U.S. road systems. The most expensive interstate tolls cost drivers about 50 cents per mile, and those are on relatively short lengths of road - including the 14 miles of Virginia's Interstate 495 express lanes, where tolls have hit $32.30.

"This is the point of the dynamic pricing - it doesn't prohibit someone from using the lane but it raises the price to keep traffic flowing and a driver considers their time, value for the cost," said Bill Cramer, a spokesman for the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, which represents toll facility operators.

Some commuters and officials said those complaining about high tolls should simply choose a different option. They note that solo drivers have never been able to use I-66 during rush hour - with the exception of hybrid owners. However, the rush-hour periods were extended 90 minutes with the toll lanes. So drivers who timed their morning commutes to leave before 6 a.m. or at 9 a.m. to avoid the restrictions no longer have that option. For those in the outer suburbs, the Washington subway (also known as Metro) and carpooling aren't easy choices.

The I-66 lanes are unique when compared with the region's other toll lanes, the 495 express lanes. The 495 express lanes added capacity and give drivers the option of using general travel lanes if they don't want to pay a toll. I-66 was tolled without adding lanes.

If officials thought the tolls would encourage more people to use transit, that did not happen Monday morning - at least not for Metro. According to the transit agency, the four stations at the western end of Metro's Orange Line in northern Virginia had 13,239 entries during the rush-hour time frame - about 2 percent lower than the same time one week ago.

There also did not appear to be a significant amount of bailout traffic as some had feared might happen on arterial routes such as the George Washington Parkway and Routes 7, 29, 50, 123 and 193. State transportation officials said that on average, traffic volumes, speed and travel times were similar to the same time last year.

Officials are still betting that more people will turn to mass transit even if tolls don't go as high as $35 again. And toll revenue will be used for transit improvements in the corridor, including new bus routes and park-and-ride facilities.
Egypt's security forces detained fugitive former Mubarak-era interior minister Habib El-Adly after locating him on Tuesday, state-run MENA news agency reported.

In May the former minister lost an appeal due to failure to appear in court while challenging a seven-year prison sentence handed down in the "interior ministry corruption" case, and has remained in hiding until his capture this week.

On 15 April, El-Adly was tried along with 12 former interior ministry officials who received prison sentences of between three and seven years. Charges were dropped against two defendants who died during the period of the trial.

El-Adly fled after the April ruling, and both the ministry and the prosecution have made efforts to arrest him so that he can begin his sentence. However their efforts were unsuccessful, so the ministry notified the central Cairo prosecution office that the former minister was to be considered a fugitive.

El-Adly's lawyer Fareed El-Deeb appealed against the criminal court's ruling. The Court of Cassation set 11 January 2018 to begin the appeal and to decide whether to accept it or to uphold the original criminal court ruling.

The long-serving former minister faced several trials following the ouster President Mubarak in the January 2011 revolution, including for the killing of protesters and the cutting of telecommunications, but he was acquitted in all of the cases except for two.

El-Adly was sentenced to three years in prison in the first trial in 2013, known in the media as the conscripts' enslavement case." The Cassation Court upheld that ruling in February 2014.

In the second trial, known in the media as the "corruption of the ministry interior" case, he was sentenced 7 years in prison.

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NORWALK A car stop for dark window tints led to a drug arrest for Norwalk man and possible revocation of his pistol permit.

About 1 p.m. Friday, an officer patrolling the area of Morton Street and Couch Street observed an Acura drive by with excessively dark windows.

The officer initiated a stop and upon approaching the car, reportedly detected a strong odor of marijuana. When the driver of the car, identified as Miguel Ramirez, 24, of Fillow Street, produced his drivers license the officer noticed that he had a Connecticut pistol permit, police said.

Ramirez told police he was in possession of a firearm. Officers seized a Smith and Wesson 9 mm from him.

Canine Kai alerted for the presence of drugs in the vehicle and more than three ounces of marijuana and packaging materials were seized, along with a bulletproof vest, which was in the trunk, police said.

Ramirez was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia, and illegally tinted windows.

His bond was set $2,500 and he was given a court date of Dec. 4.

Police said State Police were notified of the arrest which may result in the revocation of Ramirezs pistol permit.
BRUSSELS - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's trip to Europe, normally friendly territory, is underscoring the difficulties of defending Trump administration policies to skeptical allies and his own, much criticized management of the State Department.

Federica Mogherini, the foreign policy chief of the European Union, struck one of the first blows when she offered a strikingly unvarnished critique of two key administration policies. Standing beside Tillerson, she told reporters it would be unwise for the United States to back away from the Iran nuclear deal and suggested that moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would undermine Middle East peace efforts.

Tillerson also is facing criticism from within. At a routine meet-and-greet event with employees of the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, Tillerson defended administration policies and his own performance. He deviated from his standard speech outline to say the State Department under his helm is "not missing a beat." Moments later, he acknowledged a lack of major diplomatic successes, though he insisted the groundwork had been laid.

"While we don't have any wins on the board yet, I can tell you we're in a much better position to advance America's interests around the world than we were 10 months ago," he said.

Increasingly, allies do not share that assessment. Tillerson is receiving a chilly, judgmental reception in Europe, startling for a diplomat representing a country that considers itself the leader of democracies with shared values and principles.

Shortly after Tillerson swept into Brussels, he was followed by a line of foreign ministers who uttered their disapproval.

Not long ago, it would have been rare for European allies to lay bare their differences so starkly. Tuesday's criticisms were a measure of Europe's diminished respect for the United States - and also the political benefits of hitting Trump in front of European audiences who are deeply skeptical of the U.S. leader.

One after another, the top diplomats of Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium enumerated their disagreements about the Iran deal and Trump's possible recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"That's oil on the fire," Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said as he walked into a meeting with Tillerson alongside other EU foreign ministers, talking about his government's view about the consequence of recognizing Jerusalem. Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders urged avoiding "any provocation" that might ensue.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel echoed the worry, hours after delivering a searing speech in Berlin that offered a deeply pessimistic view of the future of U.S.-German relations.

"The current U.S. withdrawal under Trump from its role as the reliable guarantor of Western multilateralism accelerates the change in the global order," Gabriel said at the Korber Foundation in Berlin. The pullback "will not change fundamentally even after the next election."

R.C. Hammond, a senior aide to Tillerson, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg disagreed with Gabriel's assertion during a meeting with Tillerson that the European Union can go it alone. He said Stoltenberg told Tillerson NATO depends on U.S. and British contributions to meet its military expenses.

Hammond also disputed the characterization that Tillerson's counterparts showed any frostiness.

"That sounds like partners in communication," he said of the public differences enumerated by diplomats.

"Allies have been very frank today in sharing some of their views," he added. "Dialogues only work if they go two ways."

Complicating his task, Tillerson arrived in Brussels, his first stop on a three-country trip, with his authority to speak for the administration under assault.

Last week, after months of mounting criticism that Tillerson's remote management style and personnel decisions were gutting the State Department, White House officials let it be known that Tillerson's tenure may be ending in a matter of weeks. The White House later denied wanting to get rid of Tillerson, and Tillerson himself dismissed the reports as "laughable."

Tillerson publicly appeared unruffled about the speculation over his political demise. He ignored a shouted question whether he still speaks for the president. But the underlying discontent over his stewardship shadowed Tillerson throughout the day.

In his remarks to embassy staffers, a standard event designed to show appreciation for their work, the former chief executive of ExxonMobil suggested he is nettled by downcast assessments of a State Department diminished under his leadership.

"We're still awaiting a lot of nominees to clear the processes and be confirmed," he said, referring to dozens of senior positions that are being filled temporarily by officials assuming "acting" roles. "I get a little criticism for that from time to time."

Tillerson praised the staffers who have been pressed into duty running bureaus for the past 10 months, and said, "The State Department is not missing a beat because we're still working through the process."

He told the assembled employees that within the next few weeks he will unveil some of the changes expected by his State Department reorganization effort - "Which everyone seems to be an expert on," he added wryly.

Heading over to the European Union offices for talks with Mogherini and a lunch of duckling breast, Tillerson looked unruffled as Mogherini castigated Trump policies on Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a clear allusion to the administration's deliberations about moving the embassy to Jerusalem, she lauded the two-state solution - one state for Israel, one for the Palestinians.

"We believe that any action that would undermine this effort must be absolutely avoided," she said.

She also questioned a basic tenet of the administration's approach to Iran. U.S. officials say they want to work with Europe to obtain a follow-up agreement with Iran addressing its testing of ballistic missiles and the role it plays in conflicts roiling other countries in the region.

"We have discussed the fact that there are other issues that we should discuss and tackle together, but they are not under the scope of the nuclear agreement," she said. "And therefore, we are willing to address them outside of the agreement itself."
A grandmother, along with the executive director of Senior Services Plus, were among the 50 people honored recently as unsung heroes and age disruptors, at an event hosted by the American Association of Retired Persons.

As a 95-year old volunteer with Senior Services Plus, Frances Carter has been volunteering at the Warren G. Murray Developmental Center in Centralia. She serves as a foster grandparent to the adult residents with disabilities, according to information from SSP, which has been offering programs to help seniors for more than 44 years.
State legislators quizzed Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush about the Alamo and a long-range master plan, and asked him to look for ways to provide more transparency in the management of the historic mission and battle site.

We need to get it more simple, and clearer, Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said at the conclusion of an hourlong exchange Tuesday between Bush and the Senate Finance Committee, which Nelson chairs.

Committee members said they would like to see better access to meetings of the nonprofit contractors that run the Alamo and are coordinating the master plan, with Bush serving as a board member of those entities. Senators also asked that meetings of interagency panels overseeing the master plan, with representatives of the Land Office, city of San Antonio and nonprofit Alamo Endowment, be open to the public.

Some members of the Senate committee even said they would like the Alamos 70-member staff be employed directly by the state, rather than working for the Alamo Trust, a subsidiary of the endowment created to provide daily operations at the shrine. Like the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, a lineage group that held a contract to manage the Alamo until Bush dissolved it in 2015, the Alamo Trust holds closed board meetings and is not subject to the Texas Public Information Act.

But members said Bush should find ways to voluntarily make more information available to the media and the public in order to ensure that a planned $450 million, public-private upgrade to the Alamo and surrounding area has the support of Texans and others who cherish the Alamo.

Keep it transparent. My folks want to understand whats happening here, Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, told Bush.

The master plan, set for full implementation by 2024, would include renovation of three state-owned buildings on the west side of Alamo Plaza to serve as a museum and visitor center. Bush said a conceptual design will likely be presented for feedback at public meetings next summer and be completed in fall 2018.

Concerns have been raised about the focus and content of the plan, as well as access to information about management and the expansion of the Alamo site to include the citys Alamo Plaza. Along with $32.5 million allocated by the Legislature for the Alamo in 2015, and another $75 million this year, the city has committed $38 million to the improvement project. Structural repairs and restoration of the Alamos mission-era church and Long Barrack are expected to cost more than $30 million.

Rick Range, a retired schoolteacher from the Dallas area and longtime Alamo devotee, and Davey Edwards, a land surveyor in Decatur, have filed to run against Bush in the Republican primary on March 6  the anniversary of the famed 1836 battle for Texas independence.

shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA
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WASHINGTON  Texas U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, who used $84,000 in taxpayer dollars to settle with a former aide who sued him for sexual harassment in 2014, says he will take out a loan to pay back the money.

Farenthold told a Corpus Christi television station Monday that he plans to take out a personal loan to repay the government, a move that would be unprecedented under the 1995 Congressional Accountability Act that governs workplace disputes against lawmakers and their staffs.

The four-term congressmen, who long has denied any wrongdoing, said he will offer a check to House Speaker Paul Ryan or other congressional leaders this week.

His former spokeswoman, Lauren Greene, then 27, alleged in a 2014 federal lawsuit that Farenthold made sexually suggestive remarks and, along with top staff members, created a hostile work environment. She also alleged that he retaliated against her when she complained. She did not allege any inappropriate sexual contact.

In his response to Greenes complaint, Farenthold said she was fired for poor performance.

Farenthold told KRIS-TV on Monday, that the losers in his case, which eventually was settled out of court, were the taxpayers who are required by law to underwrite settlements and awards against members of Congress.

I want to be clear that I didnt do anything wrong, he said, but I also dont want the taxpayers to be on the hook for this.

In an interview with 6 Investigates in Corpus Christi, Farenthold said he was not given a choice about using his own money in the 2015 confidential settlement with Greene.

Under the 1995 law, awards and settlements are paid from an account of the U.S. Treasury.

The scion of a wealthy and politically-connected family, Farentholds net worth was estimated in 2015 at more than $5.7 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which ranked him the 72nd wealthiest lawmaker in the House.

Farenthold, 55, is the first member of Congress known to have benefited from a little-known Treasury Department fund created to cover workplace settlements involving lawmakers.

The congressional Office of Compliance (OOC) disclosed last Friday that the fund paid for only one sexual harassment settlement involving a House lawmakers office in the past five years, but did not name Farenthold.

In a statement Friday, Farenthold declined to confirm or deny that the claim had involved him. He confirmed the payment in his interview Monday, however.

I wish I could have said something Friday, he told the television station. I went to the House lawyer and said, What can I say?, and they said Nothing ... Heres the statement that you can make.

Farentholds account differs from documents provided by the Office of Compliance, which state that the terms of settlement agreements, including any provisions governing disclosure, are solely determined by the parties and their representatives.

The out-of-court settlement came after the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent watchdog agency, cleared Farenthold, concluding that there was no substantial reason to believe the allegations against the Corpus Christi Republican.

Greene did not return several calls in the last week requesting comment. Her Washington attorney, Leslie Alderman, also did not return calls Monday.

Until now, the details of the settlement, including the $84,000 payout, remained under wraps, apparently by agreement of the parties. At the time, Farenthold was represented by lawyers for the House Employment Counsel.

Though Farenthold was cleared in 2015, the House Ethics Committee indicated Friday that it will review all formal claims of sexual harassment and other misconduct involving members and employees of the House.

The congressman said he hired his own attorney at personal expense over the weekend to review the 2015 settlement, and was advised that he can talk about the process.

Farenthold also got an endorsement Monday from a past spokeswoman, Elizabeth Peace, who said that while Farenthold always was respectful, the atmosphere for women in much of the rest of Congress can be toxic, requiring mandatory sexual harassment training.

Peace, who served as the congressmans spokeswoman for two years after Greene left, said that while Farenthold always treated her with respect, the same is not true elsewhere in Congress, which she called a toxic environment.

My two years with Congressman Farenthold were incredibly valuable, Peace said in an email.

Sadly, she went on to say. Im not surprised by the news coming out lately about sexual harassment in Congress as a whole because of other things I witnessed and things that occurred during my time there. It can be a very toxic work environment as a whole, but once the congressman became aware of those issues, he immediately took action on behalf of his staff and did his best to always do the right thing.

The Congressional Accountability Act was created in 1995 to give Congressional employees a way to pursue harassment claims and secure awards for settlements. In all, it has paid out more than $17 million over the past two decades for 264 settlement cases, including sexual harassment cases.

Farenthold criticized the agency for silencing accusers and lawmakers while forcing taxpayers to pay the costs.

The process is broken, he said, on tape to KRIS-TV.com.

He said he will push for more transparency.

A spokeswoman for Ryan did not respond to a request for comment on Farentholds offer to repay the government.

kevin.diaz@chron.com

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Plummeting illegal immigration resulted in fewer arrests by Border Patrol and fewer deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in FY 2017, top Homeland Security officials said Tuesday.

Border Patrol agents arrested 310,531 people in the period from October 2016 to September, which included the last few months of the administration by former President Barack Obama. The numbers plummeted at the beginning of the year, after President Donald Trump took office, but slowly climbed after the spring. Despite those increases since May, Border Patrol apprehensions were down 25 percent from the 415,816 apprehended in FY 2016, itself a near-historic low.
Egypts permanent representative at the Arab League Yasser El-Atawi warned against undertaking any unilateral actions that could undermine the course of peace between the Palestinians and Israelis, after recent reports that the US administration was considering moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

El-Atawi said at an emergency meeting of the Arab League Council in Cairo on Tuesday that the historical and legal status of Jerusalem for Arabs and Palestinians is a sensitive issue that should be dealt with wisely to prevent fuelling tension in the region.

El-Atawi added that Egypt would continue its efforts to work towards establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the Arab peace initiative.

The Arab League Council issued a resolution on Tuesday stating that recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital or establishing any diplomatic mission in the city would be a "blatant assault" on Arab nations as well as Muslim and Christian Palestinians.

The council also called on the US and all nations to commit to international resolutions on Jerusalem, describing any move to recognise Jerusalem as a capital for Israel as a "dangerous violation" of UN Security Council resolutions.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump delayed a decision on whether the US would relocate its embassy to Jerusalem.

The White House said that Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv, after a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and private phone calls between world leaders.

Israel has occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move that is considered illegal by the international community.

Israel claims the entire city as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians seek the eastern part of the city for the capital of their future state.

In March 2016, Trump promised in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to move the American embassy to the "eternal capital of the Jewish people," Jerusalem.

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AUSTIN  A leader of the effort to censure House Speaker Joe Straus was elected chairman of the Bexar County Republican Party Monday, raising the likelihood Straus could face a formal rebuke from his hometown GOP.

Mark Dorazio takes the helm a week before the county party is set to vote on the latest resolution to censure Straus, R-San Antonio, who isnt seeking re-election in 2018.

(Straus) is not going to be riding off into the sunset in full retirement, he is going to be actively involved, he has a lot of cash, said precinct chair Phil Sevilla, in a group pushing the censure. That's why it's going to be important to continue the censure.

Straus, who hasnt ruled out a future run for higher office, has pledged to be an active player in the upcoming GOP primaries by helping responsible Republicans. His campaign war chest had nearly $10 million at last count.

Speaker Straus understands that acting in the best interest of the state of Texas, as he has tried to do, is going to make him unpopular with some. But hes proud of the way he has led the House and grateful for the overwhelmingly positive feedback hes received in San Antonio and throughout Texas, spokesman Jason Embry said in a statement, emphasizing Staus is focused on ensuring the state economy is competitive.

The campaign to censure the longtime House speaker has sparked bitter divisions among the Bexar County Republican Party members.

Outgoing party chairman Robert Stovall, who stepped down to pursue a bid for U.S. Congress, opposes the move and says Republicans should focus instead on defeating Democrats.

Attacking our own elected officials and candidates hurts the party, he said. We shouldn't be focused on infighting.

Stovall rejected attempts to consider censure at a contentious October meeting of the Bexar County GOP executive committee, during which Dorazio tried to call a vote from the floor in protest.

On Monday, Dorazio handily defeated two competitors  including the candidate Stovall supported  to become the partys interim chairman, several precinct chairs said. Dorazio did not immediately return a request for comment, though he is expected to serve until the March Republican primary, when a permanent replacement will be elected, Sevilla said.

The Straus censure resolution is scheduled to come up for a vote at an executive committee meeting Monday, Sevilla said.

We realize this censure resolution will not have long-term concrete ramifications... however this will be on his record, said precinct chair Susan Bayne. It will be a public statement by his county of their lack of confidence in him and their displeasure in his actions.

The two-page resolution accuses Straus of obstructing Gov. Greg Abbotts agenda, including on anti-abortion policies and proposals to subsidize private-school tuition with state funding, among other things.

If passed by a two-thirds vote of Bexar County Republican precinct chairs and then approved by the state party, the censure would let the GOP withhold financial support for Straus.

Prospects of passage at the state level, however, remain unclear. The first-ever attempt by the State Republican Executive Committee to censure a sitting House member  Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana  failed Saturday without the needed two-thirds margin.

Efforts to publicly rebuff Straus gained steam after a contentious session this year that pitted the five-term speaker against Tea-Party aligned Republicans advocating policies to restrict abortion, transgender bathroom access and other social issues.

More than 50 Republican Party organizations across Texas have taken votes of no confidence or passed other rebuffs of Straus leadership, according to news reports.

Straus, for his part, has dismissed the censure campaign, saying in a recent interview: When I place my hand on the Bible and I raise my right hand on the first day of the session, I pledge to uphold the Constitution of the United States and of this state, and not any party conventions platform.

Straus, whose current term lasts through 2018, also said critics cant claim credit for his surprise decision not to run for reelection, which he said was driven by a desire to leave office on a high note.

They tried to defeat me before I was elected the first time, they didnt even know my name, Straus, who has been speaker since 2009, told the Express-News several weeks ago. I win, they lose They will say what they say, but the records will show they were 0 for 5.

amorris@express-news.net
A human smuggler involved in a deadly incident in August that left three dead, including a 5-year-old boy, pleaded guilty to a federal immigrant transporting charge Monday in Laredo.

Omar Gonzalez Herrera, 25, of Mexico, faces up to life in prison when hes sentenced by a federal judge at a later date. He pleaded guilty to one count of transporting immigrants resulting in death. Prosecutors could have sought the death penalty in the case but chose not to.

Witman Jacinto Poma Ortiz, a Peruvian who was one of 14 people arrested along with Gonzalez near Laredo, described to an agent with Homeland Security Investigations the frantic moments after they illegally crossed the Rio Grande in the early morning hours of August 2, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

Poma Ortiz told agents he heard a woman yelling, Who has my other son? shortly after the group crossed the river.

Poma Ortiz stated none of the smuggling guides attempted to help the woman, according to the affidavit. Poma Ortiz stated the woman continued screaming frantically. Poma Ortiz stated he then jumped into the water to try to find her son but was unsuccessful.

Three of the people Gonzalez was smuggling drowned as they tried to cross the Rio Grande, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Gonzalez told agents he was one of three guides and hed been paid $1,500 to help more than 30 immigrants cross illegally into the U.S., some of whom paid as much as $15,000 to come here, according to the affidavit. He was armed with a handgun when he crossed into the U.S., but threw it on the ground when Border Patrol agents arrived, according to court records.

The other two guides, whom Gonzalez identified as his relatives, avoided arrest.

Its a pretty typical transporting case except for the fact that its accompanied by these very tragic circumstances, said his attorney Oscar O. Pena.

jbuch@express-news.net | Twitter: @jlbuch
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Police gave criminal trespass warnings Sunday night to five men who authorities said were responsible for white supremacist banners hung on the Texas State University campus.

The warnings are the newest development in a year-long saga at the university.

Multiple banners and flyers promoting white supremacy have been found across the San Marcos campus at least five times since Nov. 9, 2016. In that time, the University Police Department have increased foot patrols and opened investigations into the incidents.

RELATED: Texas State's student paper receives death threats after controversial column

University spokesman Matt Flores said the culprits found Sunday night are responsible for banners hung on campus that said: "It's OK to be white" and "Expel anti-whites."

The group of men, none of who are students, were detained in the San Jacinto Parking Garage where they fled after posting more unauthorized flyers on the nearby Music Building and in the Quad, police said.

"The individuals were carrying some of the handbills when UPD officers questioned them, and they acknowledged posting them on university property," police said.

If the men are found on campus again they could be issued criminal trespassing citations, officials said.

Kelsey Bradshaw is a digital reporter for mySA.com. Read more of her stories here.| kbradshaw@express-news.net | Twitter: @kbrad5
A janitorial services contractor and one of his former employees went on trial Monday on charges of fraudulently overbilling the city $500,000 for cleaning the Alamodome.

The contractor, Geoffery Comstock, and the ex-worker, Anna Becerra, were indicted in October 2016 on federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aiding and abetting each other to commit wire fraud. The indictment came a few months after the city ended the longtime contract it had with Comstocks Frio Nevado Corporation, which does business as Go Professional Environmental Management (Go Pro).

During opening arguments, Comstock had accusations leveled at him from two sides  the prosecutors trying to convict him, and Becerra, who sat at the same defense table but whose lawyer raised claims that Comstock is greedy.

Go Pro had done work for the city since March 2002 until discrepancies in its billings led the city to first suspend its contract in October 2015 and terminate it in March 2016, a city spokesman has said. That came at a time that federal Homeland Security investigators began looking at the companys employee eligibility records.

In opening arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Surovic said the case would show Comstocks company engaged in a scheme to defraud the city in the last years of the contract.

Some city contracts require any changes to be done in writing and submitted to City Council for approval, Surovic said, adding Unfortunately, thats not how Mr. Comstock and Frio Nevado did things.

They would bill as if more people came in to clean, he said.

Surovic said a former site manager for the company, Marcelino Garza Jr., will testify that Comstock told Garza to set up a separate entity, MGJ Enterprises, to provide a layer for the fraud Comstocks company was committing. In some cases, Garza had trouble finding workers and would recruit homeless people, clean them up or sober them up in order to meet the numbers of workers necessary to cover up the fraud, Surovic said.

Other former employees will testify about their knowledge of the fraud, including fake sign-in sheets that Ms. Becerra was smack in the center of coming up with, Surovic said.

Comstocks lead lawyer, Mike McCrum, said the defense will show how over 13 years, Comstocks company did its work and billing the same way without complaints. The city kept giving Comstock the contract, or extending it, he noted.

But the city decided on an internal review and a criminal investigation, McCrum suggested, as a means of revenge by Garza, whom Comstock fired for stealing from him.

McCrum also argued that the Alamodome facility manager would send an event promoter a bill that included a set amount for janitorial services  with a surcharge that would make the city a profit  tacked on. The event would happen, and then the Alamodome facility manager would send Comstocks company an unsigned sheet that had the set amount (without the citys profit margin) that Comstock was expected to bill the city, McCrum said. So Comstock would come up with records that would satisfy the facility manager and other city officials, McCrum said.

Its going to come down to an interpretation of billing, McCrum told the jury, suggesting the citys bureaucracy might share the blame because at times the left hand doesnt know what the right hand is doing. That drew nods from some of the jurors.

Becerras lawyer, Angela Saad Lindsey, described her client as being too low in the chain to have any role in the contract. And, Lindsey said, the co-workers who will testify for the government are throwing Becerra under the bus to avoid prosecution.

This is a story about a compassionate person, a greedy boss and a setup, Lindsey said of Becerra.

When Comstock decided there was no money to treat workers to a Christmas party, Becerra used her meager earnings to throw one, and if workers didnt have a way home in the middle of the night, Becerra would drive them, Lindsey said.

If Becerra saw a problem at work, she would bring it to Comstocks attention, but would get barked down with orders to mind your own business.

Theres no evidence Ms. Becerra had the intent to commit a crime, Lindsey said.

gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
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EDINBURG  The Hidalgo County sheriff advised Catholic Church officials in 1960 to hire a private investigator to undermine the investigation into John Feit, the priest suspected of murdering a beauty queen, to avoid a scandal that could rock the church and threaten the chances of John F. Kennedy, the Catholic who was running for president, witnesses testified Tuesday.

Feit, now 85, is on trial for the murder of Irene Garza, a 25-year-old elementary school teacher and former beauty queen killed during Holy Week in 1960. He was 27 at the time.

An official letter dated October 1, 1960, written by Father Joseph Pawlicki, pastor of a church in Georgetown near Austin, to Father Lawrence J. Seidel, provincial of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Southern Province, urged church officials to avoid a public scandal.

I believe I found some element in every paragraph that I found very unusual, that pointed to an attempt to cover this up, to minimize the circumstances to make it go away, testified Father Thomas Doyle, 73, a priest and expert on sexual abuse, especially within the Catholic Church.

Doyle read the letter to the jury.

The sheriff, a Catholic, suggested a private investigator might compel the district attorney to find a case against Feit was weak, Pawlicki wrote. Pawlicki also told Seidel that allowing the case to go before a jury would expose the church to the prejudices of jurors, and threatened to become a political scandal affecting John F. Kennedy, who was running for president. Kennedy would be the first Catholic elected to the nations highest office.

It wasnt immediately clear why Pawlicki and Seidel were involved in the Feit case.

Doyle also testified Tuesday that the church is required by church law to keep a record of priests under investigation for crimes, yet the church has no such files of John Feit in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, which McAllen was a part of in 1960, or in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, where Feit was trained as an Oblate.

One thing I did not see in any of the documentation I read, including this letter, was one word of compassion or concern about the young woman, Ms. Garza, Doyle said on the stand.

Feit was transferred to a Trappist monastery in Iowa, then to another in Ava, Missouri. Feit moved one more time to New Mexico and became a member of the Servants of the Paracletes, an order dedicated to ministering to troubled priests. Eventually, Feit left the church.

Brooks Egerton, 58, a former Dallas Morning News reporter, testified Tuesday morning that Father Joseph OBrien, a priest who worked alongside Feit at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen, had compelled Feit to confess to murdering Garza.

Egerton wrote an article in November 2004 that questioned then District Attorney Rene Guerras decision not to indict Feit.

On the first day of the trial, Darrell Davis, a TV reporter in 1960 assigned to cover the Garza case, testified that the Hidalgo county district attorney, now deceased, told him in an off-the-record meeting that a plea deal had been struck with the Catholic Church.

According to Davis testimony, Feit would be sent to live out his days in a strict monastic life, and the district attorney would no longer pursue the young priest in Garzas murder.

This is a 57-year-old case, and I think the question on everybodys mind is what took so long, said Michael Garza, lead prosecutor in the case.

anelsen@express-news.net | Twitter: @amnelsen
The man accused of stabbing his estranged wife and leaving her at a San Antonio emergency clinic, where she died, was arrested Monday night.

Lewis Bright, 47, was taken into custody on a murder warrant almost three weeks after he dropped Erica Bright off at the First Choice Emergency Clinic on Nacogdoches Road Nov. 16.
A woman who allegedly stabbed her boyfriend in the shoulder outside an East Bexar County gas station was arrested Monday on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On April 28, Montraque Denise Peralta, 22, allegedly followed her boyfriend in her own car until he pulled over at a gas station in the 6200 block of Binz-Engleman Road.
San Antonio police are searching for a 16-year-old girl who has been missing for almost three weeks.

Crsita Dawn Mason was last seen on November 15 in the 9600 block of Bratton Avenue. She was wearing black tights, a maroon dress shirt and black sneakers.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Monday offered a strong endorsement of Roy Moore, the Republican Senate candidate in Alabama embroiled in accusations that he had inappropriate sexual relations with underage girls.

While many Republicans called for Moore to drop out of the race after several women came out with their stories, Trump has defended him, saying that Moore denied the accounts and deserved to be heard.

Moore, a former state Supreme Court judge, has been accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl and of sexually assaulting another teenager when he was a prosecutor in his 30s. He has denied any sexual misconduct, and rejected all calls to quit the race.

In a statement, the White House said that Trump and Moore spoke on the phone and that the president endorsed Moore's campaign.

"The president had a positive call with Judge Roy Moore during which they discussed the state of the Alabama Senate race and the president endorsed Judge Moore's campaign," the statement said.

Moore wrote about the endorsement on Twitter.

On Twitter earlier Monday, Trump described why Moore had to win: "We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more."

Trump's strong support came after a couple of polls showed Moore starting to re-establish a lead over Democrat Doug Jones, providing an argument to Moore's backers that Trump's support could make the difference in the race. A Washington Post poll released Saturday, however, showed the race near a dead heat.

Overall, polling by several organizations has shown the race close despite Alabama's heavy Republican tilt.

Some advisers to the president were concerned that if Trump didn't come out more forcefully in favor of Moore, the former Alabama state judge could lose, according to people familiar with the conversations who spoke anonymously to comment on the internal discussions.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader from Kentucky, has said that the Senate Ethics Committee should investigate the allegations against Moore if he is elected.

The special election is Dec. 12.
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JERUSALEM - Arab nations and Palestinian officials have warned of dire consequences if the United States recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, including potential unrest and an end to the peace process, amid last-minute lobbying to prevent President Donald Trump from making the move.

In a late-night call Sunday, Jordan's foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, warned Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that such a decision could "trigger anger across the Arab and Muslim world, fuel tension and jeopardize peace efforts," according to Jordan's state news agency.

Egypt's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, also discussed with Tillerson the "possible negative impacts" on peace, according to a ministry spokesman. He asked that Tillerson avoid taking decisions that could "stir tensions in the region."

Turkey said a change in policy would be a "major catastrophe." Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh Malki meanwhile called for an emergency meeting of the 22 members of the Arab League, which is expected to take place Tuesday.

Shifting attitudes

For more than two decades, successive U.S. presidents have signed a waiver every six months that allows them to delay a move of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on national security grounds. During his campaign, Trump vowed to relocate the U.S. Embassy but reluctantly signed the waiver six months ago as his administration attempts to broker a peace process.

The White House is mulling a proposal to delay moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem but, as a compromise measure, to issue a formal declaration that the city is Israel's capital.

Israel claims Jerusalem in its entirety as its eternal and undivided capital, but Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Despite the critical statements by Jordan and Egypt, Palestinians may find it hard to coordinate genuinely robust opposition at a time when Arab states increasingly see their security interests aligned with Israel's against their shared enemy, Iran.

In the Knesset on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed an "unprecedented" shift in the Arab states' attitude to Israel.

The regional power broker, Saudi Arabia, has yet to publicly condemn possible U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and presidential adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner reportedly held late-night discussions on Middle East strategy in October.

Kushner said Sunday that Trump is "close" to making a decision on Jerusalembut is "still looking at a lot of facts." Israel captured the eastern part of the city from Jordan in 1967 in the Six Day War, later annexing it in a move considered illegal by the United Nations.

'More tension'

Palestinian officials have warned that recognition of the city as Israel's capital will end U.S.-brokered peace efforts, which they have already complained appear biased toward Israel. Calling it Israel's "undivided" capital would mark an even more dramatic step, effectively recognizing Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last month expressed surprise after the United States threatened to shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization's Washington office unless the Palestinians engaged in meaningful peace talks.

Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital "is offensive and contrary to the role of the U.S. administration as a mediator and sponsor of the peace process," the Palestinian deputy premier, Ziad Abu Amr, told the U.S. consul general for Jerusalem, Donald Blome, in a meeting in Ramallah on Monday, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. It "closes every door to the continuation of a serious peace process, and pushes the entire region into more tension and instability."
A continued drop in temperatures and rains are expected in Egypts northern cities and Cairo on Wednesday, with both Cairo and Alexandria reaching highs of 18 degrees Celsius and lows of 14 and 12 degrees respectively, state-run news agency MENA reported on Tuesday.

Egypt has witnessed a drop in temperatures over the past week, with Cairo's dropping from 28 on Saturday to 22 on Monday.

A heavy morning fog over the past four days has led to a number of road accidents in which several people were killed or injured. Egypt's traffic authority closed several roads in Cairo and other cities due to the fog.

Morning fog is common in Egypt during the winter months. The authorities have issued warnings of fog over the coming weeks, advising drivers to take care.

Temperature in Upper Egypt's Luxor and Aswan during the daytime are expected to hit highs of 24 and 25 degrees respectively, with lows of 11 and 12 respectively in the evening.

The Red Sea resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada will experience highs of 24 and 23 and lows of 18 and 15 respectively.

The touristic Sinai town of Saint Catherine is expected to experienec highs of 15 and lows of 3.

Navigation is expected to be affected severely by active wind, which will also increase the feeling of cold across Egypt.

The Mediterranean and Red sea coasts are expected to see high waves reaching 3.5 to 4 and 2.5 to 3 meters in height respectively.

The average temperature in Egypt during the winter month of December hovers around highs of 21.1 and lows of 10.2.

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The war in Yemen, the Arab world's most destitute country, plunged into a new and uncertain chapter Monday when its former president was killed amid an explosive bout of fighting that has convulsed the capital.

The death of the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, a wily and cunning strongman who had repeatedly switched sides in a bid to regain power, was reported by the rival factions that have been battling in the capital, Sanaa, for days, leaving dozens of people dead.

Yemen's Houthi rebels, Saleh's one-time allies who turned on him after he reached out to their enemy, Saudi Arabia, said they had ambushed and killed him in a rocket-propelled grenade assault on his motorcade, apparently as he was trying to flee to an area outside Sanaa. Other accounts said Saleh had been shot.

The precise details of how he died, and who killed him, could not be immediately confirmed.

But video showing the lifeless body of Saleh, 75, with what appeared to be a severe head wound, was posted on the internet early Monday. U.S. intelligence officials who have been monitoring the mayhem confirmed his death.

Tensions could escalate

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for more than three decades, was among the strongmen caught in the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. He finally left power in early 2012, but retained a strong influence with many armed loyalists in the country.

His demise was likely to compound the escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, its regional rival, which has backed the Houthis in the catastrophic civil war that has gripped Yemen since the spring of 2015.

Analysts said Saleh's death further diminished hopes of a resolution to the conflict, which has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with 80 percent of the population in need of emergency help. It could easily kick off new violence between Saleh's supporters and Houthi militants.

"The war will likely become more fierce," said April Longley Alley, a senior Yemen analyst with the International Crisis Group. "This adds to layers of revenge in Yemen."

Saleh was killed within hours of an explosion at his family's compound. Just two days earlier, he had appeared to betray the Houthis and to signal a willingness to reconcile with the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia that has been bombing them repeatedly.

Ready to turn a 'new page'

Which side may have caused the explosion at Saleh's house - Houthis angry at his betrayal or the Saudi-led bombing campaign - was not immediately clear.

As president, Saleh had been a close ally of both Saudi Arabia and the United States, which considered him a partner in the fight against al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen and a bulwark against the influence of Iran.

After he agreed to leave office in a deal to end the Arab Spring uprising in Yemen, however, Saleh struck an alliance with the Houthis.

In 2015, forces loyal to him helped the Houthis seize control of the capital and much of the country. In retaliation, Saudi Arabia, backed by the United Arab Emirates and other Arab Gulf countries and with help from Washington, launched an air campaign.

On Saturday, Saleh appeared to change sides once more. In a televised speech, he blamed what he called the "idiocy" of the Houthis for the years of war in Yemen. He said he was ready to turn a "new page" in his relationship with the Saudi-led coalition if its forces ceased attacking Yemen. The Saudis welcomed his statement.
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the third version of the Trump administration's travel ban to go into effect while legal challenges against it continue. The decision was a victory for the administration after its mixed success before the court over the summer, when justices considered and eventually dismissed disputes over the second version.

The court's brief, unsigned orders Monday urged appeals courts to move swiftly to determine whether the latest ban was lawful. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the administration's request to allow the latest ban to go into effect.

The court's orders mean that the administration can fully enforce its new restrictions on travel from eight nations, six of them predominantly Muslim. For now, most citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea will be barred from entering the United States, along with some groups of people from Venezuela.

The restrictions vary in their details, but in most cases, citizens of the countries will be unable to immigrate to the United States permanently, and many will be barred from working, studying or vacationing here.

Iran, for example, will still be able to send its citizens on student exchanges, though such visitors will be subject to enhanced screening. Somalis will no longer be allowed to immigrate to the United States but may visit with extra screening.

The Supreme Court's orders effectively overturned a compromise in place since June, when the court said travelers with connections to the United States could continue to travel here notwithstanding restrictions in an earlier version of the ban.

More Information Court ready to permit sports betting in N.J. A majority of the Supreme Court seemed ready Monday to allow New Jersey to proceed with its plan to legalize sports betting at casinos and racetracks, a move that could open a rush among states to grab a share of what is now billions of dollars in illegal gambling. Several justices suggested that they agreed with New Jersey's argument that a federal prohibition from 1992 barring states from authorizing sports betting is flawed because the law forces states to keep in place a betting ban that their residents no longer favor. Washington Post See More Collapse

The move suggested that the administration's chances of prevailing at the Supreme Court when the justices consider the lawfulness of the latest ban have markedly increased.

In a pair of filings in the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Noel J. Francisco said Trump had acted under his broad constitutional and statutory authority to control immigration when he issued a new proclamation in September announcing the new travel restrictions.

Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents people and groups challenging the ban, told the justices that little had changed. "The proclamation is the third order the president has signed this year banning more than 100 million individuals from Muslim-majority nations from coming to the United States," they wrote.
Egypts Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Tuesday that security forces have discovered and diffused an improvised explosive device (IED) loaded with 250 kilograms of TNT in the Abu El-Hassien area in the town of Bir El-Abd, North Sinai.

Security forces have cordoned the area where they located the IED, which was placed inside a barrel loaded with a highly explosive TNT charge planted on the coastal Al-Arish and Kantara road.

Police forces are currently combing the area after safely detonating the IED, the statement said.

On 24 November, Bir El-Abd was the scene of the worst terrorist attack in Egypts recent memory, when militants attacked worshippers at Al-Rawda Mosque, killing 311 people, including 27 children, and injuring over 100.

Shortly after the Al-Rawda attack, Egyptian air forces carried out airstrikes in North Sinai against hideouts used by terrorists believed to be involved in the deadly massacre.

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Guadalupe B. Santillan was only 14 years when she stopped going to school. Growing up during the era of the Great Depression, she instead started working to support her family and sacrificed her own education so that her brothers could continue theirs.

During the 40s, it was important for males to be educated and females to get married and start a family, daughter Teresa Santillan said.

Despite the struggles she faced in her early years, Santillan loved education and never lost touch with learning. Fifty years later, she returned to school when she was 64 and graduated with her General Educational Development diploma.

My siblings and I made sure whenever she needed help, we were right there. We wanted her to fulfill her goal and that was to obtain her GED, daughter Teresa said. She accomplished so much at that age.

Santillan died Nov. 24 from natural causes. She was 93.

The youngest of three children, Santillan was raised by her mother, who was a single parent. In 1946 at the age of 21, she married Alberto Santillan, an infantryman in the U.S. Army.

She and her husband, who fought during World War II and received a Purple Heart for his service, raised six children during their 42 years of marriage. Alberto Santillan died in 1988 from pneumonia.

A talented seamstress, Santillan made tailored prom wear and bridesmaid and wedding dresses.

More Information Guadalupe B. Santillan Born: Oct. 4, 1924 Died: Nov. 24, 2017, San Antonio Preceded by: Husband Alberto Santillan and daughter Maria Adela Sanchez. Survived by: Sons Antonio Santillan and Luis Santillan; daughters Teresa Santillan, Lisa Ortega and Eva Gonzales. Services: Visitation, 5 p.m. Tuesday and rosary at 7 p.m. at The Angelus Funeral Home Chapel, 1119 N. St. Mary's St. Funeral Mass on Wednesdaywill at 12:30 p.m., Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 3107 N. St. Mary's St. Interment at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. See More Collapse

A teenage girl went to my mother and showed her a prom dress from a magazine and my mother was able to tailor a dress exactly how it looked in the magazine, Teresa Sanchez said. My mother was always willing to share her knowledge with others who wanted to learn the adjustments of patterns and sewing techniques.

Santillan also was very involved in her neighborhood and was known for giving a helping hand. She would drop off and pick up some of the neighbors children from school.

She cooked for everyone and made sure everybody had a full stomach when they left our house, Teresa Santillan said.

An avid reader, Santillans daily dose included the San Antonio Express-News and Natural Geographic. She also enjoyed writing poetry and scriptwriting.

At family gatherings, Santillan would have her grandchildren put on a play that she composed together.

A devoted Catholic, Santillan attended Our Lady of Sorrows and even had her poetry published in the church bulletin.

jdelvalle@express-news.net
Parliament also approved a ban on drones as well as a law regulating trade unions

Egypt's parliament approved on Tuesday a number of laws including the 47-article government-drafted Youth Institutions Law, which bans youth centres from engaging in political activity.

The first article of the law prohibits employees of youth centres from using the centre premises for partisan activities or to promote political or religious agendas.

Last month, speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the law would help restrict political activities to licensed political parties, as the constitution makes it clear that youth centres cannot be forums for raising political issues.

Politics as a science includes many ideas that are studied in schools and universities. But what we are talking about here is the indoctrination of young people, which clearly should not happen in youth clubs and the like.

Abdel-Aal's stance has received some support from MPs, including Ayman Abul-Ela of the Free Egyptians Party who agreed clubs should not be used as centres for promoting political or religious agendas.

A number of MPs, however, wanted to amend the law, insisting that youth clubs should be forums for political activities.

"[Young people] need to talk politics in a healthy way in clubs instead of falling prey to extremist groups," said MP Samir Ghattas on Tuesday.

Article 31 of the law also bans smoking, gambling and alcohol from youth centres and prevents them from engaging in any form of financial speculation.

Abdel-Aal said the law was revised in constitutional and legal terms by the state council. More than two thirds of MPs stood up as a sign of approval of the law.

Ban on drones

Another law that was passed bans the use of remotely operated aircraft, commonly known as drones. Abdel-Aal told MPs that the law was also revised by the State Council.

The regulation of the use of electronic and wireless-operated aircraft and their handling and trade bans drones capable of carrying explosives or weapons systems that could pose a danger to national security.

Article 1 makes the Ministry of Defence the sole authority responsible for licensing the use of drones. Article 2 bans ministries, local councils, public institutions, companies and individuals from importing, manufacturing, assembling, handling or trading in drones without prior approval from the Ministry of Defence.

Another article sets prison terms ranging from one to seven years, and fines of EGP 5,000 to EGP 50,000, for anyone found to have violated the first two articles. In cases where drones have been used to facilitate terrorist attacks, the death sentence can be applied.

Major General Mamdouh Shahin, deputy defence minister for constitutional affairs and military justice, told MPs on 7 November that the law does not impose a total ban on drones, but allows them to be used with the prior and exclusive approval of the Ministry of Defence.

Trade union regulations

MPs also endorsed a new law aimed at regulating the formation of trade unions.

Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, a member of parliament's Manpower Committee, told MPs on 7 November that the 83-article law strives to adhere to the 2014 constitution.

"Article 76 of the constitution states that workers would be free to form trade unions in a democratic way and that these unions can only be dissolved by a final judicial ruling," said Abdel-Aal, adding that the law "sounds the death knell of the old socialist policy that brought trade unions under the umbrella of a single entity  the General Egyptian Federation of Trade Unions (GEFTU)."

Article 12 of the law stipulates a quorum of 250 workers in any industrial plant or economic establishment is sufficient to form a trade union committee to safeguard the rights of all workers. Article 13 stipulates no less than 20 trade union committees comprising at least 30,000 workers are needed to form a fully-fledged trade union.

Speaker Abdel-Aal said the law was revised by the State Council, MPs approved it by standing up.

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Cornered former Zanu PF Manicaland provincial youth leader Mubuso Chinguno has reportedly fled to neighbouring South Africa to avoid prosecution for abuse of over $400 000 party funds.

Party insiders said Chinguno sought refuge in South Africa, as the net closed in on him following his suspension in October on allegations of abusing money raised to service residential stands for Zanu PF activists in Chipinge district.

Just like any other person who was rallying behind the G40 cabal, he has decided to take refuge elsewhere and I am reliably informed that he is in South Africa, a Zanu PF youth said on condition of anonymity.

He left the country because of the allegations of land corruption in Chipinge and this has nothing to do with politics.

He just assumed he was no longer safe and decided to flee the country.

I dont think he will be back in the country very soon because he is in a tight position.

Zanu PF accuses Chinguno of siphoning money through a private company, Causepun Investments, where he was a co-director with other Zanu PF officials and their spouses.

Efforts to contact Chinguno were fruitless, as his mobile phone was switched off, but Zanu PF Manicaland youth chairman Tawanda Mukodza said they would continue pursuing the matter.

As it was a party issue, we are going to look at the matter and we want every young person to benefit from the land, he said.

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War veterans leader Chris Mutsvangwa has reportedly said that the millitarys intervention, which resulted in former president Robert Mugabe relinquishing power two weeks ago was a counter coup to former first lady Grace Mugabes bedroom coup.

According to a New Zimbabwe report, Mutsvangwa maintained that there was no coup in the southern African country.

There was no coup. There was a counter-coup The coup was carried out by Grace when her senior husband was losing his faculties and sleeping all the time, Mutsvangwa was quoted as saying.

Grace, a mad woman with no brains, was in charge of the country on behalf of her cohorts and we are revolutionaries; we dont carry out any coups.

She (Grace) just used a marriage certificate to get her cohorts at State House to start running this government. I saw it in cabinet said Mutsvangwa.

He also said that Mugabes inability to reverse Zimbabwes economic crisis had left the country on a knife edge.

Mutsvangwas remarks came as reports indicated over the weekend that Grace was complaining about the way her family, businesses and allies were being treated since the fall of her ageing husband.

According to The Zimbabwe Independent, although the Mugabes seemed to be quiet in the public domain, the former first lady had been complaining behind-the-scenes about how her family and the families of her allies were being treated.

Grace had been complaining to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander Constantino Chiwenga through mediators, Catholic cleric Father Fidelis Mukonori and former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono, the report said.

Grace complained about threats to her businesses and property, citing the terms of the agreement secretly reached as part of the deal for Mugabe to resign.

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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi emphasised Egypt's "firm position" that Jerusalem should maintain its legal status in a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, following the latter's announcement that the US would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

El-Sisi stressed the importance of "maintaining the legal status of Jerusalem within the framework of international rules and relevant UN resolutions," the presidential office said in a statement.

The Egyptian president urged against "complicating the situation in the region by introducing measures that would undermine chances for peace in the Middle East."

A senior administration official said last week that Trump is likely to announce that the United States will recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a move that could fuel tensions in the Middle East and undermine Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts.

The Palestinians have been seeking to establish an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem after the 1967 war, a move that was never recognized by the international community.

Earlier on Tuesday, Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry discussed with his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian the expected decision by the US, with both leaders calling on the Trump administration to be "careful" before taking the move.

The two FMs warned about the "potentially dangerous repercussions on the situation in the region and the future of the peace process."

Palestinian-Israeli peace talks have been stalled for years, collapsing most recently in 2014 partly over Israel's opposition to an earlier Palestinian move to reconcile with Islamist group Hamas, as well as Israel's ongoing building of settlements on occupied land.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Saturday that any move by the United States to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital would fuel extremism and violence.

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President Emmerson Mnangagwa has ordered his new cabinet ministers to come up with 100-day quick-win government-led intervention plans which make visible impact on the development of the country.

President Mnangagwa said this as he chaired his first inaugural cabinet meeting today.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, President Mnangagwa said the advent of the new dispensation has generated high expectations amongst Zimbabweans, development partners and other stakeholders who rightfully see it as the dawn of a new era.

The President said the meeting comes against the backdrop of major socio-economic challenges that need to be urgently addressed that include the scourge of corruption, the current liquidity crunch, low direct investment inflows and heavy dependency on imports.

Environment, Water and Climate Minister Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri says as part of her 100-day plan, Zimbabwe will see the expansion of water harvesting strategies from existing dams to enable Zimbabweans to grow food in good and drought times.

Speaking soon after the swearing in ceremony at State House in Harare on Monday, Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said water harvesting strategies will take a national outlook to boost command agriculture results and build lasting solutions to food sustenance.

Newly appointed Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Cde Petronella Kagonye said there is a lot to be done in her ministry which handles various socio-economic issues affecting Zimbabweans.

Minister Kagonye was formerly Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development during the Mugabe-administrations 2013 appointments.

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As you may know, the internet was mostly down in Zimbabwe today. The main cause as we have established so far is that a Liquid Telecom fibre link supplying most of the countrys internet (directly to Liquid and ZOL customers, but also indirectly through leased capacity to TelOne, Dandemutande and other providers), was down.

So far TelOne has released a statement explaining what the issues are on their side. Essentially, they also had an outage on their Botswana link. Apparently, TelOne gets its internet from 3 sources: Botswana, Mozambique (the EASSy link), and Beitbridge (The Liquid link).

Coincidentally, therefore, the country lost two major links to the internet today. What strange so far is how whatever is supposed to be the backup link or route for the major Liquid link that went down, didnt come up for hours. The coincidence of losing 2 major links at the same time is also quite strange.

Heres the TelOne statement:

Public Notice

TelOne sincerely apologises for the unexpected interruption on our Internet service experienced this afternoon.

This is due to faults that occurred on our main links through South Africa and Botswana. Our back-up link through Mozambique has remained active with limited connectivity.

The link through Botswana has now been restored. We however still have limited connectivity as our major link through South Africa is still being worked on.

Our partners and engineers are on the ground working to restore full service.

Thank you for your valued custom and any inconveniences caused by this unfortunate incident are sincerely regretted.

TelOne

Bringing You Together

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On December 6, the San Antonio City Council will hear a proposal on raising the legal purchasing age for tobacco products from 18 to 21.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas  The San Antonio City Council will meet at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, December 6, to consider a proposal on raising the legal age for sale/use/possession of tobacco from age 18 to 21.

According to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, if the city were to increase the legal minimum sale age of tobacco to 21 years of age, it would be the first city in Texas to do so. If approved, the T21 ordinance will take effect six months after passage, and tobacco retailers will receive resources for complying with the new regulations. For example:

Retailers will receive signage to comply with the T21 ordinance to display in their establishments.

Retailers will receive T21 information to train their employees on the new minimum sale age, types of tobacco products listed in the ordinance, fines and a listing of local tobacco cessation programs.

Those selling tobacco products will be required to maintain the current standard of verifying the age of people wanting to purchase tobacco products who appear to be under the age of 30.

The Texas Food and Fuel Association (TFFA), Association of Convenience Store Retailers (ACSR) and the South Texas Merchants Association (STMA) are asking members to voice their opposition to the tobacco 21 (T21) ordinance. According to the TFFA:

Raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products would be inconsistent with the way the state and federal government define adulthood for other purposes, including voting, serving in the armed forces and paying taxes

Increasing the legal age of purchase on tobacco products will drive current, adult customers to other localities or states to acquire tobacco products. And while there, they will buy gas, food and many of the other items on which your store depends.

Increasing San Antonios legal age of purchase is unnecessary and is not the best approach to reducing underage use of tobacco products.

Texas retailers are planning to make sure their voices are heard in opposition to the T21 ordinance, by rallying at the City Hall Complex in San Antonio on December 6 at 1:00 pm prior to the Councils session.
The Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Ghassan Salame visited Cairo for two days during which he met concerned Egyptian government and Arab League officials to discuss his diplomatic moves to bring the firmly divided Libyan factions to commit to a permanent deal that would be as inclusive as possible.

Salame met with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Assistant Minister of Defence Mohamed El-Keshky and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.

Speaking on Monday morning in Cairo during a limited press briefing that was attended by Al-Ahram Online, Salame stressed that his ultimate objective is to formulate a permanent deal rather than to engage in yet another phase of transition that might not hold due to the fact that previous attempts have failed to gain the commitment of all Libyan factions.

The three basic elements of Salames proposed deal are as follows: a constitution, free and fair elections and national reconciliation.

Each, he said, would require serious work to make sure that what the Libyan factions agree to on paper would match their actual future committments.

Having worked on the post-conflict management process in both Iraq after the US-led 2003 invasion and in Tunis after the ouster of Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, Salame said that he learned that real success comes from putting forth proposals that the factions would be genuinely willing to agree upon.

I would not want to jump to anything including elections without having guarantees that it would be really fair and free, Salame stated. He added that it would not be realistic to talk about presidential -- or for that matter municipal -- elections in the absence of an elections committee and elections regulations.

He would commit to securing the establishment of a committee and the drafting of necessary legislations, but he would not yet commit to a deadline for doing so.

The UN envoy said that he works on parallel tracks with all the Libyan factions, not excluding those who had been party to the regime of toppled Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi or even those subscribing to the monarchy prior to the late dictator's four-decade rule.

I dont dig in the past; I look into the future  so long as we are not talking about anyone who has outstanding legal charges or is being pursued by justice, he said. Exclusion is a trusted recipe to the failure of any deal; this is one thing I am fully aware of, he added.

Salame said that since taking up the mission, he had met with all Libyan groups in and outside of Libya within the past three months , with no discrimination in the committed search for a deal that could really bring Libyans together."

In this endeavor, Salame said that he is also committed to working with all the parties involved in the Libyan issue, including neighborhing states, the African Union, the European Union and of course the UN Security Council. He added that he is currently working on upgrading the role of the so-called Libya Quartet (consisting of the UN, the African Union, the League of Arab States and EU), which could assist in bringing together the many views, and for that matter initiatives, on the country's crisis.

According to the UN Envoy, the objective is not to block the door to any possible effort or initiative, but to make sure that no initiative can become an excuse for the scattering of the Libyan factions.

Acknowledging the pressing security and economic concerns of Libyas direct neighbours (Egypt, Algeria and Tunis), Salame said he would continue to work very closely with them and to encourage their participation to streamline the process of negotiations.

I am aware for example of the incredible spread of arms in Libya and what would that mean for a country like Egypt, which has such large borders with Libya, he stated.

He acknowledged receiving information about the spread of some 23 million pieces of arms within Libya. Given this, Salame insisted that to end the uncontrolled arms situation that is causing serious security trouble for Libya and its neighbours, there needs to be an understanding of the reasons behind this armament and a way to fix it -- by providing security, ending political wars and eliminating looting and other contributing crimes.

Salama declined to simplify the conflict in Libya to one between the eastern-based military forces under Khalifa Haftar's, and those of Fayez Al-Saraj, the chair of the presidential council based in the country's west.

He insisted it was not, or at least no longer, so black-and-white. Foreign states which initially took sides according to their interests are now opening up to the other side, or at least warming to their political sections. This certainly does include Egypt, he said.

Salame said that he appreciated the role of Egypt to work towards as a possible unification of the several leading military groups of Libya.

This, he said, is helpful to his main cause of "unifying the many Libyan bodies," be it the army, the government or parliament -- all under one potential umbrella.

Meanwhile, Salame said that he would find it counterproductive for his diplomatic mission if the UN Security Council were to lift the arms embargo on any Libyan factions at this stage in the process, despite such demands put forward by some Libyan leaders and some countries with direct involvement in the crisis.

What he would find useful, the UN envoy said, would be the pursuit of a legitimate management of Libyan funds overseas to make sure that they would continue to be at the service of the interest of the Libyan people.

Salame said that he is aware of the tough mission ahead of him and that it must be taken one step at a time. He added, however, that one goal he desired for immediate accomplishment is the assembly a board consisting of representatives of the many bodies that are already present in Libya, in order to manage the day-to-day basic interests of Libyan civilians.

I am really worried about the state of schools and hospitals in Libya; this has to be given immediate attention, he said.

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Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit on Tuesday condemned the killing of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh by Houthi rebels, saying it illustrated their "criminal nature".

The head of the pan-Arab bloc warned that Saleh's killing as he fled the capital Sanaa on Monday following the collapse of his uneasy alliance with the rebels threatens an "explosion in the security situation" in the war-ravaged country.

Saleh's "assassination and the way it was done reveals to everyone the criminal nature bereft of humanity of that militia which constitutes the main reason for the devastation that has ravaged the country," Gheit said in a statement.

The Shia Houthi rebels moved swiftly to consolidate their control over Sanaa after nearly a week of deadly clashes with Saleh loyalists.

Saleh, who had ruled Yemen for three decades, joined forces with the Houthis in 2014 when they took control of large parts of the country, including the capital.

But that alliance unravelled over the past week, with dozens reported dead in clashes as Saleh reached out to the Saudi-led coalition that has waged devastating air strikes against the Houthis since September 2015.

Yemen's war has left thousands dead since 2015, led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Suraksha P By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: A day after Express reported the plight of Sajida Begum (65), a leprosy patient in Magadi Roads Leprosy Hospital whose pension was stopped for lack of an Aadhaar card, the Revenue Secretary and the Unique Identification Department of the Centre for e-Governance said they would look into the matter.

READ HERE | No fingers or iris for Aadhaar, Bengaluru woman loses pension

READ HERE | Express Impact: UIDAI to consider leprosy patient Sajida Begum as special case

The story that was extensively shared on social media saw many netizens coming forward to help. On one of the news aggregators alone it had received 6,800 shares on Facebook. A reader has also come forward to send her a monthly allowance. Sajida has lost her fingers and also her sight to the debilitating disease.

In August this year, she got a letter from the deputy tahsildars office in Rajajinagar that her pension of Rs 1,000 per month (her only sustenance) would stop if she failed to link it with her Aadhaar card for which fingerprint and iris scan are mandatory. She has no card.

An official at the treasury department said that pensions are cleared latest by the fifth of every month. There are 80 lakh people in the database. It comes under the department of social security and pensions. It is difficult to track a case without the pension number. If she has not got pension for three months, it must have been suspended. It needs to be checked. The case is being looked into by the UID, he said.

Rathan Kelkar, Director, National Health Mission told Express, I have brought it to the notice of the Centre for e-Governance. The officials there told me they found similar cases of leprosy patients in Chamarajanagar. So they will have to find a solution.

Netizens seek details to aid leprosy patient

Netizens have opened their hearts to Sajida Begum (65), a leprosy patient in Magadi Roads Leprosy Hospital whose pension was stopped for lack of an Aadhaar card.The story that was extensively shared on social media saw a lot ofnetizens coming forward to help. Five FB users were searching for the contact of the hospitalauthorities in order to get in touch with the helpless woman. Among those were Dee Sharma from Kirori Mal College in Delhi, Neha Barve Vyas, Falak Rabnawaz, Senior Financial

Adviser at Bajaj Capital Limited, Noushad Faizal, Lab Technician at Nestle Dubai ManufacturingLtd, and Ashvini Shrivastava.

While Neha wrote on Facebook, I would like to help her. Is it possible to get in touch with her in anyway?, Falak wrote, Please tell us how we can help her or send money to her.

Noushad said, Kindly provide her account details. I will transfer the amount to her account monthly. If she doesnt have an account, please give the address. Dee Sharma wrote, So painful and disturbing. I am trying to get the details.

28-year-old Yogesh Ranganath contacted Express in order to send her monthly allowance. I want to help her in a personal capacity. I will visit her on Monday and give the money directly to her, he said.

Some activists have even approached a senior TNIE Hyderabads journalist offering help for the leprosy patient.

BENGALURU: A day after Express reported the plight of Sajida Begum (65), a leprosy patient in Magadi Roads Leprosy Hospital whose pension was stopped for lack of an Aadhaar card, the Revenue Secretary and the Unique Identification Department of the Centre for e-Governance said they would look into the matter. READ HERE | No fingers or iris for Aadhaar, Bengaluru woman loses pension READ HERE | Express Impact: UIDAI to consider leprosy patient Sajida Begum as special case The story that was extensively shared on social media saw many netizens coming forward to help. On one of the news aggregators alone it had received 6,800 shares on Facebook. A reader has also come forward to send her a monthly allowance. Sajida has lost her fingers and also her sight to the debilitating disease. In August this year, she got a letter from the deputy tahsildars office in Rajajinagar that her pension of Rs 1,000 per month (her only sustenance) would stop if she failed to link it with her Aadhaar card for which fingerprint and iris scan are mandatory. She has no card. An official at the treasury department said that pensions are cleared latest by the fifth of every month. There are 80 lakh people in the database. It comes under the department of social security and pensions. It is difficult to track a case without the pension number. If she has not got pension for three months, it must have been suspended. It needs to be checked. The case is being looked into by the UID, he said. Rathan Kelkar, Director, National Health Mission told Express, I have brought it to the notice of the Centre for e-Governance. The officials there told me they found similar cases of leprosy patients in Chamarajanagar. So they will have to find a solution. Netizens seek details to aid leprosy patient Netizens have opened their hearts to Sajida Begum (65), a leprosy patient in Magadi Roads Leprosy Hospital whose pension was stopped for lack of an Aadhaar card.The story that was extensively shared on social media saw a lot ofnetizens coming forward to help. Five FB users were searching for the contact of the hospitalauthorities in order to get in touch with the helpless woman. Among those were Dee Sharma from Kirori Mal College in Delhi, Neha Barve Vyas, Falak Rabnawaz, Senior Financial Adviser at Bajaj Capital Limited, Noushad Faizal, Lab Technician at Nestle Dubai ManufacturingLtd, and Ashvini Shrivastava. While Neha wrote on Facebook, I would like to help her. Is it possible to get in touch with her in anyway?, Falak wrote, Please tell us how we can help her or send money to her. Noushad said, Kindly provide her account details. I will transfer the amount to her account monthly. If she doesnt have an account, please give the address. Dee Sharma wrote, So painful and disturbing. I am trying to get the details. 28-year-old Yogesh Ranganath contacted Express in order to send her monthly allowance. I want to help her in a personal capacity. I will visit her on Monday and give the money directly to her, he said. Some activists have even approached a senior TNIE Hyderabads journalist offering help for the leprosy patient.
Saudi King Salman on Tuesday sent his foreign minister to lead the kingdom's delegation to a Gulf summit in Kuwait attended by the ruler of rival Qatar, official media reported.

State television showed Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah receiving Saudi Arabia's top diplomat Adel al-Jubeir at the airport as the head of the kingdom's delegation.

The summit comes six months after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut ties with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member Qatar, the worst political dispute of the bloc's 36-year history.

Host nation Kuwait, which is leading mediation efforts to resolve the crisis, and Qatar were the only members of the six-nation alliance to send top-level representation -- their respective emirs -- to attend the summit.

Bahrain sent its deputy prime minister and Emirati media said its state minister for foreign affairs would represent Abu Dhabi.

It was not immediately clear whether the summit, due to begin later on Tuesday, will even broach the Gulf dispute that the emir of Kuwait has warned could cause the GCC to collapse.

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By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A section of the Tamil Film Producers Council has asked actor Vishal to resign as president of the council, now that he has taken a plunge into active politics and has threatened an indefinite protest until he quits. Members of the council, led by director Cheran, held a press meet at the council office near Gemini flyover even as Vishal was filing his nomination for the RK Nagar bypoll in Tondiarpet, alleging that Vishal had prioritised his own interest above theirs.

Cheran, who claimed to represent the voice of majority of the members, alleged that Vishal had done nothing for the producers council since he became president eight months ago. He has not fulfilled any promise. Everything is false.., he told the press.

A section of Tamil Film Producers Council to pull an all-nighter at Council building near Gemini asking for @VffVishal resignation as president. @NewIndianXpress  Samuel Merigala (@themerigala) December 4, 2017

Cheran highlighted how the council, which has 1,230 members, undeniably depended on the governments support for concessions and that Vishals entry into active politics might cause a rift between the government and the council.

In a letter to Vishal, Cheran said Vishals entry into politics, even as he remains the president of the council, would affect the lives of 10 lakh people in the film industry.Members of the council staged a sit-in protest at the council office near the Gemini flyover.

CHENNAI: A section of the Tamil Film Producers Council has asked actor Vishal to resign as president of the council, now that he has taken a plunge into active politics and has threatened an indefinite protest until he quits. Members of the council, led by director Cheran, held a press meet at the council office near Gemini flyover even as Vishal was filing his nomination for the RK Nagar bypoll in Tondiarpet, alleging that Vishal had prioritised his own interest above theirs. Cheran, who claimed to represent the voice of majority of the members, alleged that Vishal had done nothing for the producers council since he became president eight months ago. He has not fulfilled any promise. Everything is false.., he told the press. A section of Tamil Film Producers Council to pull an all-nighter at Council building near Gemini asking for @VffVishal resignation as president. @NewIndianXpress  Samuel Merigala (@themerigala) December 4, 2017 Cheran highlighted how the council, which has 1,230 members, undeniably depended on the governments support for concessions and that Vishals entry into active politics might cause a rift between the government and the council. In a letter to Vishal, Cheran said Vishals entry into politics, even as he remains the president of the council, would affect the lives of 10 lakh people in the film industry.Members of the council staged a sit-in protest at the council office near the Gemini flyover.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: A Lashkar-e-Toiba commander and two militants involved in the July attack on Amarnath yatris have been killed in south Kashmirs Anantnag district, police said.

A fourth militant who managed to flee the encounter site on Monday but was not involved in the Amarnath attack was arrested from a maternity hospital with a Chinese pistol and live cartridges late at night.

The trio were killed in a gunfight that ensued after security personnel repulsed an attack on an army convoy on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway in Qazigund in Anantnag on Monday. A soldier too lost his life.

After the militant firing in which a soldier was injured, security personnel laid siege around the area. The militants were trapped in a house and in the ensuing gunfight, three Lashkar militants and an army man were killed, a police officer said.

The slain militants have been identified as Furqan, Abu Maviya and Yawar. They were involved in the July 10 attack on Amarnath yatris at Batingoo in south Kashmir, in which eight pilgrims were killed.

Furqan and Maviya were foreign militants while Yawar Bashir was a local who joined LeT in February. Furqan had taken over as LeT commander for south Kashmir after his predecessor, Abu Ismail, was killed in an encounter,a police spokesperson said.

J&K Director General of Police Shesh Pal Vaid said with the killing of Abu Ismail earlier and now Abu Maviya, Furqan and Yawar, all but one member of the group that attacked the Amarnath yatris had been wiped out.

A police spokesman said the militant arrested from hospital, Rashid Ahmed Allai, had been missing from home for two days and was suspected to have joined the Lashkar.

Preliminary investigations have established that he was with the three militants killed in the encounter and managed to escape from the site. Consequently, he took shelter at the hospital in Anantnag with the help of one of his associates. He, along with his associates, were intending to snatch weapons from the policemen by attacking them, the spokesman said. He said further investigations were underway to unearth the conspiracy behind the attack.

Two militants, hailing from Hawoora and Sangam areas of south Kashmir, have surrendered before security forces, police said. Earlier, two others, including footballer-turned-militant Majid Khan, had similarly shunned militancy.

SRINAGAR: A Lashkar-e-Toiba commander and two militants involved in the July attack on Amarnath yatris have been killed in south Kashmirs Anantnag district, police said. A fourth militant who managed to flee the encounter site on Monday but was not involved in the Amarnath attack was arrested from a maternity hospital with a Chinese pistol and live cartridges late at night. The trio were killed in a gunfight that ensued after security personnel repulsed an attack on an army convoy on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway in Qazigund in Anantnag on Monday. A soldier too lost his life. After the militant firing in which a soldier was injured, security personnel laid siege around the area. The militants were trapped in a house and in the ensuing gunfight, three Lashkar militants and an army man were killed, a police officer said. The slain militants have been identified as Furqan, Abu Maviya and Yawar. They were involved in the July 10 attack on Amarnath yatris at Batingoo in south Kashmir, in which eight pilgrims were killed. Furqan and Maviya were foreign militants while Yawar Bashir was a local who joined LeT in February. Furqan had taken over as LeT commander for south Kashmir after his predecessor, Abu Ismail, was killed in an encounter,a police spokesperson said. J&K Director General of Police Shesh Pal Vaid said with the killing of Abu Ismail earlier and now Abu Maviya, Furqan and Yawar, all but one member of the group that attacked the Amarnath yatris had been wiped out. A police spokesman said the militant arrested from hospital, Rashid Ahmed Allai, had been missing from home for two days and was suspected to have joined the Lashkar. Preliminary investigations have established that he was with the three militants killed in the encounter and managed to escape from the site. Consequently, he took shelter at the hospital in Anantnag with the help of one of his associates. He, along with his associates, were intending to snatch weapons from the policemen by attacking them, the spokesman said. He said further investigations were underway to unearth the conspiracy behind the attack. Two militants, hailing from Hawoora and Sangam areas of south Kashmir, have surrendered before security forces, police said. Earlier, two others, including footballer-turned-militant Majid Khan, had similarly shunned militancy.
By Online Desk

Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi today visited some places hit by the Cyclone Ochki in southern Kerala that has claimed 63 lives in the state, most of them fishermen, and pitched for a better warning system to prevent recurrence of such tragedies.

Thousands of fishermen and their families in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are continuously holding mass protests, demanding for search operations to continue and for relief to be provided faster.

Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi continued for the 12th day today. As many as 433 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and 186 from Kerala are yet to be traced.

The cyclone, earlier this week, had finally dissipated over the Arabian Sea, sparing Gujarat from destruction.

ALSO READ | No tsunami says IMD as false WhatsApp alerts create panic

Here are all the latest updates:

The Union Home Ministry is constituting an inter ministerial central committee for the spot assessment of damage and admissibility of claims of the states hit by Cyclone Ockhi.

House-to-house verification process is going on and a final figure of the missing fishermen would be known once the process was over, say officials. [READ FULL REPORT]

"The farmers have a ministry that looks after their interests and I think it is time that we create a ministry for the fishermen to look after their interests and make sure they are protected," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after visiting fishermen families in affected areas in Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT]

TN government hikes compensation for non-fisherman families from Rs 4 lakhs to Rs 10 lakhs. ( READ )

The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone that hit the Kerala coast mounted to 65 with more bodies being recovered.

DMK petitions TN governor Banwarilal Purohit to expedite rescue work post-Ockhi.

Efforts are on to identify the recovered bodies through DNA test.

In a bid to set up a mechanism to ensure the safety of fishermen, Kerala CM Vijayan said a system was being planned in association with the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Kerala State control room officials said three bodies were found off the coast of Kozhikode and three from Kochi. [READ FULL REPORT]

The financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh for families of Kerala fishermen killed in the cyclone would be given in one go. An amount of Rs five lakh would be given to those who are seriously injured and are not able to go to work in future as an "alternative livelihood" initiative.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said the Centre has agreed to continue search operations for the missing fishermen in Cyclone Ockhi that hit the state's coast on November 29 and 30.

The death toll due to Ockhi cyclone, which hit the Kerala coast, rose to 52 on Tuesday as more bodies were recovered and the search for the missing fishermen in the high seas continued.

The Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami on Tuesday announced Rs 20 lakh compensation for the kin of fishermen who died in the cyclone that devastated the coastal areas of the state recently.

Pope Francis has enquired about the hardships and sufferings caused to Kerala's fishermen community in the Ockhi cyclone that ravaged the coastal belt on November 30.

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced 'livelihood assistance' ranging from Rs 48,500 to Rs 63,500 per hectare for horticulture farmers of cyclone Ockhi-battered Kanyakumari district.

Kerala fishermen protestors took to the street by waving black flags and photos of the dead and missing fishermen walked about two km from Palayam to Raj Bhavan raising slogans, bringing the traffic to a standstill on the busy stretch.

The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone in Kerala rose to 40 on Monday with the recovery of two more bodies even as the search operations to trace the missing fishermen entered the 10th day.

Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of Ockhi cyclone continued for 10th day today even as 67 persons caught in the storm, returned to Kochi coast.

The Goa government would provide compensation to shacks having legal validity, for the damages suffered during the Cyclone Ockhi last week. [FULL REPORT]

The Indian naval ships engaged in search and rescue mission in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi today continued their operations in the high seas, searching area till the Maldives. No stranded boats , fishermen or floating bodies have been found in the sea by the naval search team during the last 72 hours, the official said.

Kerala Governor P Sathasivam will contribute a month's salary to the special fund being raised for the victims of cyclone Ockhi.

The Kerala government has asked the Indian Armed Forces and the Coast Guard to continue search operations for fishermen missing in high seas post-Cyclone Ockhi for 10 more days.

#HADR #CycloneOckhi #OpSahayam #SAR Based on reports by IN Boeing P8 i aircraft, INS Kalpeni was sent to Off Sesostris Bank/Bassas de Pedro (a traditional fishing area off Lakshadweep island).About 17 boats with 180 plus fishermen have been located.@DefenceMinIndia @nsitharaman  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 8, 2017

Fishing vessel as seen from the aircraft. This video captures the essence of what Navy Boeing P-8i is doing - systematic search of every inch of possible/ probable area & providing hope to the stranded till they are rescued by our ships @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/1sY0VXul42  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 6, 2017

People receive essential commodities at a relief camp following cyclone Ockhi in the Kanyakumari district on Saturday. (PTI)

Given orders to Maharashtra Maritime Board and Collector, Sindhudurg Dist. to make all arrangements for the stranded fishermen. Local authorities are already with them and taking care of all arrangements, tweets Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.

In all 68 fishing boats have reached, out of which 66 are from Kerala and 2 from Tamil Nadu with total 952 fisherman on board.

All are safe.

Maharashtra will completely look after everyone till weather permits them to go back. @nsitharaman @BJP4Keralam

 Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) December 2, 2017

A fresh spell of heavy rain is in store in some areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry with a low pressure area forming over south Andaman sea, which is "very likely" to become a depression over Bay of Bengal . It is very likely to become a depression over southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood during the next 36 hours. It is also very likely to intensify further and move towards north Tamil Nadu south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the next 3-4 days. (IMD)

Though many fishermen from Kerala were brought ashore safely and admitted to hospitals, many are yet to recover from the shock of wrestling the lashing waves and seeing death face-to-face. Stephan, a fisherman hailing from nearby Poonthura, said: "It was the first time we were experiencing such huge waves and a rough sea. Luckily, the rescue boat came back and saved us." Most of the rescued fishermen had bruises all over their bodies and were seen shivering and begging for hot water and food when brought ashore. (PTI)

Stranded fisherman being brought to Kerala coast by Indain Navy personnel in Kochi on Saturday. (PTI)

Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami today requested the Centre to deploy the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for the search and rescue of fishermen who have not returned so far, and that helicopters of Coast Guard and Navy should be deployed for this purpose. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the AIADMK leader that the Centre would provide the assistance required to rescue the fishermen. (PTI)

Several roads that connect Kanyakumari with many interior parts have got cut or were fully damaged due to heavy rainfall following the impact of cyclone Ockhi in the district on Saturday. (PTI)

A Coast Guard advisory here said the status of weather and sea conditions should be checked on television, radio, newspapers and smartphone applications before venturing out into the sea. The merchant ships should also be alert and avoid the path of Cyclone Ockhi, it said. Fishing boats should remain in groups and during distress all the crew should remain together, it said.

DMK working president M K Stalin urged Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in his letter to direct the Coast Guard to search and rescue "thousands of fishermen fighting for their lives in the mid sea, so as to prevent further loss of lives due to the Ockhi cyclone".

Steps have been taken to prevent any possible outbreak of epidemic in rain-hit areas of

Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu Health minister C Vijayabhaskar said today.

A relief worker places sand bags on the banks of a beach in Kochi in wake of cyclone Ockhi on Saturday. (PTI)

Leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare cyclone Ockhi as a national disaster. He also urged the Kerala government to increase the financial aid for the injured at least up to Rs 50,000 from the present Rs 15,000. Lack of coordination had affected the government's relief and rescue operations, launched post Ockhi, he alleged. (PTI)

The Southern Railway announced partial and full cancellation of some trains in the Kaniyakumari-Nagercoil section. One train service was also rescheduled. (PTI

Meanwhile, relatives of missing fishermen from Kaniyakumari staged a road blockade demanding the fishermen be rescued at the earliest. Scores of women also staged protest at Chinnathurai in that district.

There has been a huge demand for generator sets following the devastation caused by cyclone Ockhi in the Kanyakumari region on Saturday. (PTI)

In Kanyakumari, power supply had been restored even as efforts are on to resume power supply in neighbouring areas like Nagercoil and Kuzhithurai. Officials expressed confidence that the power supply would be restored in the entire district by tomorrow.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced Rs 25 crore for expediting relief and restoration work in the district . ( PTI)

261 persons rescued by @IndiaCoastGuard @adgpi and @IAF_MCC in #CycloneOckhi @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/ywhzBQLJnP

 Kiran_TNIE (@tniekiran1) December 2, 2017

The Coast Guard informed in a press release that on November 30, the Coast Guard District Headquarters in Kerala was informed that around 70-80 fishermen were stranded at sea due to the storm. The Coast Guard immediately sailed as many as nine ships towards Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts. Further, ships based at New Mangalore were also sailed towards Kerala coast to undertake the rescue of stranded fishermen. As the cyclone intensified, coordinated search by Coast Guard ships and aircraft continued in extremely rough weather with wind speed gusting up to 150 kmph. Ships at Mumbai and Goa were also placed on maximum alert to augment efforts as required, the press release read. (PTI)

As per the last report, a total of 79 stranded fishermen have been saved by the Coast Guard in coordination with other agencies. Also, the fisheries department has intimated that about 25 boats with 250 personnel are still in distress at sea.

A man watches a road that has been cut off due to floods following the heavy rainfall caused by the cyclone Ockhi which left heavy damage in the Kanyakumari district on Saturday. (PTI)

138 fishermen have been rescued from the Lakshadweep islands. (PTI)

So far 393 people from Kerala have been rescued, Kerala CM Vijayan said, as the state government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of those who died in the storm, in addition to the financial assistance of Rs four lakh being given by the fisheries department.Of the rescued, 132 fishermen were from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, 66 from Kozhikode, 55 from Kollam, 40 from Thrissur, and 100 from Kanyakumari. (PTI)

In Lakshadweep, 31 relief camps have been opened in the10 inhabited islands. So far, 1,047 people have been evacuated to the relief camps, official sources said. No casualties have been reported, with the worst-affected islands being Minicoy and Kalpeni. Seven people have lost their lives in Kerala in rain-related incidents over the past two days, official sources said. (PTI)

Cyclone Ockhi has so far claimed 13 lives in Sri Lanka . Power supply, essential services and air traffic was disrupted in the stormy weather that left several buildings damaged and trees uprooted in its wake. READ FULL REPORT HERE

#CycloneOckhi update @IndiaCoastGuard ship rescued 15 fishermen at sea off Vizhinjam/Quilon (Kerala) Coast and heading towards shore for safe disembarkation of fisher-folks @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/39gJrfI20Z

 Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 2, 2017

Authorities including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Coast Guard and Navy have rescued about 223 fishermen and evacuated thousands of people from cyclone hit areas, officials said, as they continued their operations on Saturday.

While INS Nireekshak, INS Jamuna and INS Sagardhwani are continuing search and rescue operations in their designated areas along the coast off Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, two ships INS Shardul and INS Sharda are heading towards Lakshadweep, a defence spokesman said. (PTI) The naval ships, which left from the Southern Naval Command here yesterday, are likely to reach Lakshadweep this evening.

The Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Lanba briefed me on the on-going rescue operations #CycloneOchki . More fishermen rescued this morning. Rescue work to continue.Some rescued fishermen waiting in Lakshadweep Isle to get back. Details @indiannavy @DefenceMinIndia @IndiaCoastGuard

 Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) December 2, 2017

The Kerala state government has announced a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh to the families of the deceased.

#Kerala Locals have blocked National Highway for last five hours in Trivandrum's Thumba, demand better relief measures & rescue of 6 fishermen missing from the area #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/rcTY0gyDty

 ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2017

Six boats and 73 fishermen that went missing in the sea have been brought back, the Fisheries Minister of Tamil Nadu, D Jayakumar, informed on Saturday. (ANI)

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan slammed rumour mongers on Saturday after it came to light that Friday's reports of a Japanese merchant ship rescuing 60 Kerala fishermen caught in the deep seas, was "fake". It was Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S.Vasuki who told the media, on Friday evening, that she wished to thank the Japanese government as one of their ships had rescued 60 fishermen and said they would arrive at the Vizhinjam coast. (IANS.) [READ FULL REPORT]

Locals in Thiruvananthapuram's Poonthura came out in protest alleging rescue operations have been inadequate. (ANI)

According to Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S Vasuki, 102 fishermen from the city who had gone into the sea have not been able to contact their relatives. [READ FULL REPORT HERE]

Kerala: Locals evacuated to rehabilitation centre in Kochi's Chellanam. #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/iAwj7Q7g94

Several houses suffered damage, trees got uprooted and communication lines were disrupted as rains accompanied by strong winds lashed the Lakshadweep Islands under the influence of Cyclone Ockhi. [ READ FULL REPORT]

INS Nireekshak rescued two fishermen off Alappuzha coast. INS Sagardhwani fished out one cadaver, 30 km off Thiruvananthapuram coast. The ship had earlier found another cadaver. (PTI)

PM Modi dialled Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami and enquired about the damage caused by the cyclone, which also battered parts of Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT HERE]

The Tamil Nadu government has said it will soon seek central funds for the damage caused by Cyclone Ockhi in the southern parts of the state, with Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts being the worst hit.

As many as 218 fishermen from various parts of southern Kerala who were missing at sea since Thursday have been rescued and brought back so far, even as Cyclone Ockhi continued its menacing north-westward path along the Arabian Sea. [READ REPORT HERE]

A rescued fisherman rushed to the ambulance from the technical area of the Thiruvananthpuram airport on Friday afternoon. Express Photo | Kaviyoor Santhosh

According to a CWC advisory, the west-flowing rivers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam in Kerala are likely to rise over the next 24 hours and then, slowly fall as the rains reduced.

Three deaths were reported in Kerala and one in the worst-hit Kannyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, taking the toll to 12, reports UNI.

A report from Lakshadweep said a red alert had been sounded as high waves posed a major threat to most of the islands in the region. (UNI)

WATCH: Navy rescue fishermen off Thiruvananthapuram coast

About 150 fishermen, who put out to sea from various southern districts, were rescued, Thiruvananthapuram District Commissioner K Vasuki said, adding that efforts were on to bring the rest of the stranded fishermen to the shore. The rescued fishermen included those who were saved by a Japanese cargo vessel. Kerala: Rescued fishermen brought to Trivandrim Air Force Station, later admitted to hospital for treatment #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/lB10HNPqsE  ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017

Heavy to extremely heavy rains are likely over Lakshadweep Islands, while light to moderate rains with a few heavy spells are expected over Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, according to Skymetweather's latest weather update.

Two fishing boats Arokia Mary and Hermen Mary from Kanyakumari reported missing due #CycloneOckhi since 30 Nov 2017 with 08 crew each rescued by Coast Guard Ship C-427 off Vizhinjam #Kerala pic.twitter.com/nyLuxkoonk

 ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017

Search and rescue effort progressing off Vizhinjam where approximately 40 people were stranded at sea. Indian Navy ships Sharda and Shardul sailed out to augment search effort, in final stages of embarking humanitarian assistance and disaster relief items for assistance at Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands , reports ANI.

130 families from Chellanam, 17 families from Kumbalangi and 18 families from Edavanakad rehabilitated from the coastal areas, reports ANI. [Read Report]

Cyclone Ockhi is moving to the Arabian Sea. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan says steps are initiated to rescue fishermen stranded in the rough sea, reports PTI.

#WATCH: High tides seen at Lakshadweep coast #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/sxUBC4geku

 ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017

24 people stranded at sea sighted by IN assets. Efforts underway to rescue all 24:-

07 picked up by MV ENERGY ORPHEUS,04 being rescued by INS JAMUNA ,03 rescued by trawler in area,02 rescued by ALH (progressing further rescue of 06 more),02 under Rescue by MV KUN LUN SHAN

 SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 1, 2017

READ FULL STORY: Navy, Coast Guard save 39 Kerala fishermen

ALSO READ | Cyclone Ockhi tales

#Kerala: Relatives of missing fishermen mourn in Thiruvananthapuram, say they received no warnings of #CycloneOckhi from the government pic.twitter.com/gewQlJZvPI

 ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017

- One person was killed when a tree fell on his autorickshaw at Kulathupuzha in Kollam

- A couple at Kattakkada in Thiruvananthapuram was electrocuted when power cables fell over them

- Trees and hoardings collapsed in the strong wind, which also blew away thatched roofs and roofing sheets of houses

- The State Disaster Management Authority has issued alert to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Kottayam districts

Satellite image of Cyclone Ockhi across South India. (Image Courtesy: skymetweather.com)

Southern Naval Command deployed 3 ships & 2 aircraft following request by District Collector, Trivandrum for assistance in search of 6 fishing boats with fisherman & 1 Marine Engineering vessel missing near Vizhinjam, due to cyclonic storm developed in Indian Ocean off Kerala. pic.twitter.com/2fShFmu1NS

 ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2017

 SkymetWeather (@SkymetWeather) November 30, 2017

With a speed of 38 kmph at 8:30 Thursday morning, the cyclone lay centred about 340 km west-northwest of Galle in Sri Lanka, 60 Km south of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and 120 km southwest of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and 480 km eastsoutheast of Minicoy in Lakshadweep. It has moved west-northwestwards towards Lakshadweep Islands in the southeast Arabian Sea. Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 12 atolls, three reefs and five submerged banks lying 200 to 400 km to the West of the South-West coast (Kerala) of India.

Cyclone Ockhi is approaching the Lakshadweep archipelago, a top official at the Ministry of Earth Sciences said in Delhi today. Madhavan Rajeevan, secretary in the ministry, said the archipelago in the southern part of the Arabian Sea will start experiencing heavy rainfall and strong winds from tomorrow. "It will hit the islands on December 2," Rajeevan said. (PTI)

Earlier today, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) had put out an alert saying that the system could intensify further to become a severe cyclonic storm. It further said the storm could re-curve towards the Mumbai-Gujarat region on the West Coast, after being influenced by an incoming western disturbance from the opposite direction.

Heavy rainfall and storms in Tamil Nadu in the first week of November this year killed at least 12 people and thousands took shelter in relief camps, triggering fears of the 2015 floods repeat. It had killed more than 400 people, displaced lakhs and damaged property worth thousands of crores.

What is a tropical depression The India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifies the low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea into seven categories. Low pressure areas with maximum sustained surface wind speeds between 31 and 61 kmph are called tropical depressions. Once the winds around the low pressure area reach at least 62 kmph, it is called a tropical cyclone and is assigned a name. The current system is intensifying rapidly. As per the IMD wind warning, squally winds would reach 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph along and off south Tamil Nadu during the next 48 hours. Another depression kicking-in The trough of low pressure over the Malay Peninsula and neighbourhood is persisting and is likely to develop into a low-pressure area over Malay Peninsula and adjoining south Andaman Sea during the next 24 hours. This system is likely to trigger a wet spell for the north coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, around December 4. (With inputs from Express News Service and agencies)

Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi today visited some places hit by the Cyclone Ochki in southern Kerala that has claimed 63 lives in the state, most of them fishermen, and pitched for a better warning system to prevent recurrence of such tragedies. Thousands of fishermen and their families in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are continuously holding mass protests, demanding for search operations to continue and for relief to be provided faster. Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi continued for the 12th day today. As many as 433 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and 186 from Kerala are yet to be traced. The cyclone, earlier this week, had finally dissipated over the Arabian Sea, sparing Gujarat from destruction. ALSO READ | No tsunami says IMD as false WhatsApp alerts create panic Here are all the latest updates: The Union Home Ministry is constituting an inter ministerial central committee for the spot assessment of damage and admissibility of claims of the states hit by Cyclone Ockhi. Today's #OpSahayam #CycloneOckhi Deployment of IN & ICG assets for #SAR of missing fishermen off Kerala & Tamil Nadu coast. @CMOKerala @CMOTamilNadu @OfficeOfOPS @ShashiTharoor @PonnaarrBJP @pibchennai @PIB_India @PIBTvpm @BJP4TamilNadu @BJP4Keralam pic.twitter.com/oTeP5QI2XP  Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) December 14, 2017 House-to-house verification process is going on and a final figure of the missing fishermen would be known once the process was over, say officials. [READ FULL REPORT] "The farmers have a ministry that looks after their interests and I think it is time that we create a ministry for the fishermen to look after their interests and make sure they are protected," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after visiting fishermen families in affected areas in Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT] TN government hikes compensation for non-fisherman families from Rs 4 lakhs to Rs 10 lakhs. (READ) The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone that hit the Kerala coast mounted to 65 with more bodies being recovered. DMK petitions TN governor Banwarilal Purohit to expedite rescue work post-Ockhi. Efforts are on to identify the recovered bodies through DNA test. In a bid to set up a mechanism to ensure the safety of fishermen, Kerala CM Vijayan said a system was being planned in association with the Indian Space Research Organisation. Kerala State control room officials said three bodies were found off the coast of Kozhikode and three from Kochi. [READ FULL REPORT] The financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh for families of Kerala fishermen killed in the cyclone would be given in one go. An amount of Rs five lakh would be given to those who are seriously injured and are not able to go to work in future as an "alternative livelihood" initiative. Today's deployment on #SAR #CycloneOckhi .@CMOTamilNadu @CMOKerala @OfficeOfOPS @PonnaarrBJP @ShashiTharoor @PIB_India @pibchennai @PIBTvpm @BJP4Keralam @BJP4TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/LQedhf51eA  Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) December 13, 2017 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said the Centre has agreed to continue search operations for the missing fishermen in Cyclone Ockhi that hit the state's coast on November 29 and 30. The death toll due to Ockhi cyclone, which hit the Kerala coast, rose to 52 on Tuesday as more bodies were recovered and the search for the missing fishermen in the high seas continued. The Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami on Tuesday announced Rs 20 lakh compensation for the kin of fishermen who died in the cyclone that devastated the coastal areas of the state recently. Pope Francis has enquired about the hardships and sufferings caused to Kerala's fishermen community in the Ockhi cyclone that ravaged the coastal belt on November 30. The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced 'livelihood assistance' ranging from Rs 48,500 to Rs 63,500 per hectare for horticulture farmers of cyclone Ockhi-battered Kanyakumari district. Kerala fishermen protestors took to the street by waving black flags and photos of the dead and missing fishermen walked about two km from Palayam to Raj Bhavan raising slogans, bringing the traffic to a standstill on the busy stretch. The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone in Kerala rose to 40 on Monday with the recovery of two more bodies even as the search operations to trace the missing fishermen entered the 10th day. Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of Ockhi cyclone continued for 10th day today even as 67 persons caught in the storm, returned to Kochi coast. The Goa government would provide compensation to shacks having legal validity, for the damages suffered during the Cyclone Ockhi last week. [FULL REPORT] The Indian naval ships engaged in search and rescue mission in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi today continued their operations in the high seas, searching area till the Maldives. No stranded boats, fishermen or floating bodies have been found in the sea by the naval search team during the last 72 hours, the official said. Kerala Governor P Sathasivam will contribute a month's salary to the special fund being raised for the victims of cyclone Ockhi. The Kerala government has asked the Indian Armed Forces and the Coast Guard to continue search operations for fishermen missing in high seas post-Cyclone Ockhi for 10 more days. #HADR #CycloneOckhi #OpSahayam #SAR Based on reports by IN Boeing P8 i aircraft, INS Kalpeni was sent to Off Sesostris Bank/Bassas de Pedro (a traditional fishing area off Lakshadweep island).About 17 boats with 180 plus fishermen have been located.@DefenceMinIndia @nsitharaman  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 8, 2017 A decision in this regard was taken at an all-party meeting in Kerala on Friday to discuss the steps taken by the state for rescue of fishermen stranded at sea and situation in the aftermath of the cyclone that hit the coast on November 29 and 30. READ | Cyclone Ockhi: 200 people from Kerala's fisher community to be recruited to coastal police Sixty-six boats from this district were yet to be traced, while 713 fishermen were still to be rescued, in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi, a top district official said. Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan on Friday said all steps were being taken to trace and rescue missing fishermen in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi. A "false image" is being created against the central and state governments though they were taking up rescue, relief and rehabilitation works, Radhakrishnan told reporters in Kanyakumari. READ FULL STORY HERE | Tension at Adimalathura as Finance Minister meets protesting fishermen Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Thursday announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of fishermen who died in Cyclone Ockhi. Palaniswami also announced setting up of a high-level committee to go into the matter of missing fishermen and submit a report. He also announced Rs five lakh solatium to those fishermen who were affected by the cyclone and unable to pursue their profession. ALSO READ | Fishermen meet CM Edappadi K Palaniswami, seek intensive search operations The Tamil Nadu government said on Thursday (08-12-2017) that nearly 2,000 fishermen who had ventured into deep sea before Cyclone Ockhi crossed the coast of Kanyakumari were rescued and safely accommodated in coastal districts of various states. Principal Secretary (Information Technology) T K Ramachandran said that 1,969 fishermen on 284 boats ventured into the sea just a day before Cyclone Ockhi crossed the coast last week. READ | After Cyclone Ockhi, now its a sea of protest for 2000 fishermen families in Nagercoil Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit today assured the families of missing fishermen in the district that steps would be taken to trace all those missing after cyclone 'Ockhi' hit the state coast. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said prime minister Narendra Modi had called the Tamil Nadu chief minister and enquired about the situation, but did not call the Kerala CM. Three bodies were recovered today off the Kerala coast, taking the death toll due to Cyclone Ockhi to 36, even as defence sources said search and rescue operations will be extended to International waters around Maldives. Family members of 19 fishermen from Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, reported missing in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi, today met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and sought help to trace them. "It was an unprecedented calamity, which claimed several lives and caused a widespread damage to properties. The Centre should declare Cyclone Ockhi a national disaster and announce a special package for the rehabilitation of the victims," Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. Tamil Nadu government today said a total of 4,501 houses in cyclone Ockhi-hit Kanyakumari have suffered partial and full damage and relief to the tune of Rs 41 lakh has been provided in this regard so far. [READ REPORT] Nuns take out a candlelight procession for the victims of Cyclone Ockhi at the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom at Vallarpadam in Kochi on Wednesday night. (Albin Mathew | EPS) The Kerala state cabinet on Wednesday cleared a comprehensive rehabilitation package for the victims of Cyclone Ockhi, which includes Rs 20 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased fishermen and Rs 5 lakh each for fishermen who were grievously injured. [READ FULL REPORT] Boeing P8i of Indian Navy detected a fishing vessel near Kavaratti, close to Mangalore, yesterday evening. While INS Chennai has diverted for rescue, search areas are being expanded due to drift and currents in the area, said Navy spokesperson. Fishing vessel as seen from the aircraft. This video captures the essence of what Navy Boeing P-8i is doing - systematic search of every inch of possible/ probable area & providing hope to the stranded till they are rescued by our ships @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/1sY0VXul42  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 6, 2017 The government on Tuesday issued an advisory in view of Cyclone 'Ockhi', warning of a "rapid" rise in the water level of rivers in parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Union Health Minister J P Nadda today spoke to health ministers of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, assuring them of all help from the Centre for dealing with the possible damage caused by Cyclone Ockhi. A Coast Guard ship today located 15 boats off Lakshadweep and provided assistance to 184 fishermen on board, as part of its Cyclone Ockhi relief operations. Local fishermen will join Naval teams with INS Kabra, presently involved in search and rescue operations off Kollam port and their inputs will be taken to carry out the mission. The Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu government to provide adequate basic amenities to those affected by cyclone Ockhi in Kanyakumari district. The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday said that Cyclone Ockhi was not expected to have high impact in Gujarat which is geared for the worst situation. As many as 39 people have perished and 167 fishermen were still missing after cyclone Ockhi hit Tamil Nadu and Kerala coasts while 809 others were swept away to Maharashtra, the Union Home Ministry said today. Narendra Modi today said he is constantly monitoring the situation in various states arising out of cyclone Ockhi battering parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep islands and now heading towards Gujarat. [READ FULL ARTICLE HERE] Light rains were expected at one or two places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the next two days. Rahul Gandhi's rallies in Gujarat's Morbi, Dhrangadhra and Surendranagar cancelled due to bad weather, reports ANI. The Kerala government today said intensified search and rescue operations are on to trace the 92 fishermen missing in high seas after Cyclone Ockhi hit the state's coast on November 29. The National Disaster Management Authority today asked fishermen in both eastern and western coasts not to venture out in the sea for the next three days as heavy rainfall is expected in many areas due to Cyclone Ockhi. The North Goa district has done a preliminary assessment of the damage caused due to Cyclone Ockhi in the coastal state. Cyclone Ockhi today moved closer to the southern coast near Surat in Gujarat and is expected to make a landfall in the state around midnight, said officials. PM Modi and Amit Shah have directed party workers to stop campaigning and instead help people in coastal regions of Gujarat move to safer places. Amit Shahs cancelled rallies were to be held in Rajula, Mahua and Shihor. (TV reports) It's likely to rain today, there will be strong winds. People have been advised not to go out at night. Those living in kachha houses will be given shelter. NDRF is on alert. Municipality & local bodies are working on their level.: Mahendra Patel, Surat DM #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/lUuIpOiauW  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017 Kerala fishermen demand stringent action against erring disaster management officers. [READ FULL STORY HERE] UP CM Yogi Adityanath hands over a cheque worth Rs. 5 Cr to PM Modi from CM Distress Relief Fund towards PM's National Relief Fund, for the cyclone affected people in Lakshadweep and other States #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/vPxxQaE43A  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017 The recent cyclone has brought to the fore the lack of proper mechanism to urgently communicate with fishermen at sea about an impending natural disaster. The situation is set to change once a mechanism to improve the communication with fishermen at sea is put in place by the state government in association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS). [Kerala government to better offshore communication of fishermen | READ HERE] Rs 600 per hour to use a motor generator to fill water tank? Impossible, you might think. But the power-less Nagercoil is seeing this and more, as desperate residents look at help from all quarters to bring life back to normal. They shell out the extra charges to get drinking water and to charge their already-dead mobile phone batteries. [READ FULL ARTICLE HERE] With #CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017 In Mumbai, the Western Railways has deployed extra personnel for crowd management in case of any emergency due to the cyclone. [FULL REPORT] According to the IMD, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held an urgent meeting with senior officials to take stock of the preparedness in the state ahead of the expected landfall of the cyclone today. THE STORM OCKHI OVER ARABIAN SEA MOVED FURTHER NNE WARDS & IS NOW 480 KM SSW OF SURAT LIKELY TO CONTINUE TO MOVE NNE WARDS, WEAKEN GRADUALLY & CROSS S GUJ & N MAHA AS A DEEP DEPRESSION BY TONIGHT. HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG WINDS ALREADY STARTED. BE CAREFUL & TAKE PRECAUTIONS. pic.twitter.com/M5YymjDD7W  Dr. Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) December 5, 2017 Some parts of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway experienced a hailstorm early today, police said. The traffic on Eastern and Western Express Highways in Mumbai has slowed down. There are traffic curbs in some places in view of the rush of followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his death anniversary tomorrow. Five days after #CycloneOchki made landfall @IndiaCoastGuard continues to be at sea off #TamilNadu #Kerala & #Lakshadweep Island for Search & Rescue . Coast Guard Ship rescued 19 fishermen on board 02 stranded vessels 96 Nautical Miles off Bitra (L&M ) Islands @DefenceMinIndia pic.twitter.com/PKFBHiUkjh  Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 5, 2017 All exams for Mumbai University taking place as scheduled, announced the administration. (TV reports) Mumbai police have been putting up barricades near Dadar chowpatty and Juhu chowpatty to stop people from going near the beaches, say TV reports. Cyclone Ockhi is expected to make landfall in Mumbai and coastal Gujarat on Tuesday midnight with squally winds, which may cause heavy rains in several parts of the state during the next two days. The Maharashtra government has declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Mumbai and adjoining districts. An official at the Mumbai office of India Meteorological Department said on account of the cyclone, the megapolis has started receiving rainfall due to spread of clouds. The Tamil Nadu government on Monday said a total of 2,604 fishermen out of the 2,864 caught in the cyclone Ockhi have been rescued. Women with all hopes of the return of their dear ones at the St Mary'schurch at Vizhinjam (EPS | Kaviyoor Santhosh) Several dozen shacks have reportedly been affected by Sunday night's swelling of waters along the coastline. The Central government has assured all help to cyclone-battered Lakshadweep, where there was no loss of lives, but extensive property damage in some islands: Lakshadweep Administrator Farooq Khan. Shibi, whose husband went missing Cyclone Ockhi, in all tears inside the St Mary's church at Vizhinjam. ( EPS | Kaviyoor Santhosh) The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday rescued another 19 fishermen from the Arabian Sea, top officials said. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today donated Rs two crore from the CM's relief fund to the PMNRF to provide relief to the victims of Cyclone Ockhi. A well-marked low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal is likely to become a depression and move towards Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh by December 6, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said today. The National Crisis Management Committee, headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, has reviewed rescue and relief operations being carried out in high seas and coastal areas hit by cyclone Ockhi. Women members of the fisher folk community on Monday held a protest in Kanyakumari district demanding that authorities intensify rescue operations to trace fishermen caught in the deep sea in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi. Hundreds of women held protest on the roads in Neerodi village demanding the authorities trace their loved ones who are still missing. [READ FULL STORY] In a thatched house on Poonthura beach in Kerala, 21-year-old Bobby, his 42-year-old mother Jacintha and his 17-year-old sister Nimmy are hopeless about the future. Their sole breadwinner Christy, 51, a fisherman, died in the Ockhi cyclone in high seas when he ventured out into the sea last Wednesday. [READ THE FULL STORY HERE] Four days after Ockhi hit Chellanam in Kerala, Annamma Pouly, 67, is yet to recover from the troubles she went through to shift her 74-year-old immobile husband from their house as sea water gushed in during the middle of the night. [READ HER ACCOUNT HERE] Cyclone Ockhi and the frantic scramble for organising rescue efforts down south have yet again underscored the need for permanently stationing Naval and Coast Guard ships in Thiruvananthapuram. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday sent two crore rupees from the Chief Minister Fund to the Prime Minister Fund for the relief of victims. (ANI) Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met with the families of fishermen affected by the cyclone at Vizhinam in Thiruvananthapuram. She pointed out that the boats that had gone out well before the cyclone warning was issued had been found 15 days after their departure with the fishermen alive. ''If boats which went 15 days ago can come back with fishermen alive, we will make every attempt to get everybody back,'' she said. (Express News Service) [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Previously, Cyclone Ockhi had moved north-northwestwards during the past six hours and lay centered over southeast and east-central Arabian Sea , about 390 km west-northwest of Amini Divi island of Lakshadweep. Lakshadweep islands, which was hit by Cyclone Ochki, has suffered a loss of over Rs 500 crore, Lakshadweep MP Mohammad Faizal said today. Nirmala Sitharaman taking stock of Cyclone Ochki affected Kanyakumari and interacting with the locals. Very severe Cyclone Ockhi to recurve towards Gujarat, weaken gradually: Skymet Weather Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said 28 more boats, carrying 321 fishermen, which were caught in rough seas due to Cyclone Ockhi, have safely reached Maharashtra's Ratnagiri coast today. [READ FULL REPORT] A total of 357 fishermen, including 71 from Tamil Nadu, stranded in sea due to Cyclone Ockhi , were rescued this morning, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today. What looked like an aftermath of cyclone Ockhi, three houses were damaged while the compound wall of a private resort collapsed as surging waves lashed the coast of Ullal in Dakshina Kannada in the last two days. According to official sources, damage to the property by huge waves has occurred in most of the coastal areas. KJ Alphons on Sunday also said that Cyclone Ockhi will not be termed a national disaster. [READ HERE] Even as the blame game over the lack of warning before cyclone Ockhi continues, Union Minister of State for Tourism and IT Alphons Kannanthanam said that the state had not received any warning until November 30. However, he later clarified that a warning had been issued on November 28 and 29 about a deep depression in the sea. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Four men  three from Thiruvananthapuram and one from Tamil Nadu  were rescued by the IAF and admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. They were identified as Zacharias (55), Seva Kurishu (35), and Kristudas (48) of Adimalathura, Thiruvananthapuram; and Anthony Adima (30) of Kollencode, Tamil Nadu. Another fisherman was brought dead to the hospital. A Coastguard vessel carrying 19 rescued fishermen was expected to arrive in Kochi. Moderate rain is expected at a few places in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry during the next 24 hours, according to IMD. [READ FULL REPORT] Indian Coast Guard ship Sarthi rescued a fisherman in rough seas during Cyclone Ockhi off Kerala coast. [WATCH VIDEO] Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari today. She will arrive at the technical area of the IAF at Shangumugham by 3 pm and leave for Kanyakumari. Fishermen community in Thiruvananthapuram have decided to launch their own rescue operations on Sunday as 55 boats ventured into the sea to search for the missing fishermen. (IANS) TN SDMA has also warned that strong winds from North-easterly direction with speeds reaching 40-55 Kmph is likely along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast. The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TN SDMA) has issued a 24-hour warning to fishermen not to go for fishing to the Arabian sea. 68 fishing boats, out of which 66 are from Kerala and two from Tamil Nadu, have reached Maharashtra's Sindhudurg coast with total 952 fishermen on board. All are safe: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. (READ FULL REPORT HERE) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has decided to ask the Centre to declare the Ockhi cyclone as a national calamity. (ANI) Claims of thousand fishermen stranded are false. Correct figures- 97 are yet to be rescued, 71 from Tamil Nadu have been rescued till now. The Coast Guard is at it, with all its strength to rescue the rest. Hoping for good news soon: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. (ANI) People receive essential commodities at a relief camp following cyclone Ockhi in the Kanyakumari district on Saturday. (PTI) Given orders to Maharashtra Maritime Board and Collector, Sindhudurg Dist. to make all arrangements for the stranded fishermen. Local authorities are already with them and taking care of all arrangements, tweets Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. In all 68 fishing boats have reached, out of which 66 are from Kerala and 2 from Tamil Nadu with total 952 fisherman on board. All are safe. Maharashtra will completely look after everyone till weather permits them to go back. @nsitharaman @BJP4Keralam  Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) December 2, 2017 A fresh spell of heavy rain is in store in some areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry with a low pressure area forming over south Andaman sea, which is "very likely" to become a depression over Bay of Bengal. It is very likely to become a depression over southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood during the next 36 hours. It is also very likely to intensify further and move towards north Tamil Nadu south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the next 3-4 days. (IMD) Though many fishermen from Kerala were brought ashore safely and admitted to hospitals, many are yet to recover from the shock of wrestling the lashing waves and seeing death face-to-face. Stephan, a fisherman hailing from nearby Poonthura, said: "It was the first time we were experiencing such huge waves and a rough sea. Luckily, the rescue boat came back and saved us." Most of the rescued fishermen had bruises all over their bodies and were seen shivering and begging for hot water and food when brought ashore. (PTI) Stranded fisherman being brought to Kerala coast by Indain Navy personnel in Kochi on Saturday. (PTI) Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami today requested the Centre to deploy the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for the search and rescue of fishermen who have not returned so far, and that helicopters of Coast Guard and Navy should be deployed for this purpose. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the AIADMK leader that the Centre would provide the assistance required to rescue the fishermen. (PTI) Several roads that connect Kanyakumari with many interior parts have got cut or were fully damaged due to heavy rainfall following the impact of cyclone Ockhi in the district on Saturday. (PTI) A Coast Guard advisory here said the status of weather and sea conditions should be checked on television, radio, newspapers and smartphone applications before venturing out into the sea. The merchant ships should also be alert and avoid the path of Cyclone Ockhi, it said. Fishing boats should remain in groups and during distress all the crew should remain together, it said. DMK working president M K Stalin urged Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in his letter to direct the Coast Guard to search and rescue "thousands of fishermen fighting for their lives in the mid sea, so as to prevent further loss of lives due to the Ockhi cyclone". Steps have been taken to prevent any possible outbreak of epidemic in rain-hit areas of Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu Health minister C Vijayabhaskar said today. A relief worker places sand bags on the banks of a beach in Kochi in wake of cyclone Ockhi on Saturday. (PTI) Leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare cyclone Ockhi as a national disaster. He also urged the Kerala government to increase the financial aid for the injured at least up to Rs 50,000 from the present Rs 15,000. Lack of coordination had affected the government's relief and rescue operations, launched post Ockhi, he alleged. (PTI) The Southern Railway announced partial and full cancellation of some trains in the Kaniyakumari-Nagercoil section. One train service was also rescheduled. (PTI Meanwhile, relatives of missing fishermen from Kaniyakumari staged a road blockade demanding the fishermen be rescued at the earliest. Scores of women also staged protest at Chinnathurai in that district. There has been a huge demand for generator sets following the devastation caused by cyclone Ockhi in the Kanyakumari region on Saturday. (PTI) In Kanyakumari, power supply had been restored even as efforts are on to resume power supply in neighbouring areas like Nagercoil and Kuzhithurai. Officials expressed confidence that the power supply would be restored in the entire district by tomorrow. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced Rs 25 crore for expediting relief and restoration work in the district. (PTI) 261 persons rescued by @IndiaCoastGuard @adgpi and @IAF_MCC in #CycloneOckhi @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/ywhzBQLJnP  Kiran_TNIE (@tniekiran1) December 2, 2017 The Coast Guard informed in a press release that on November 30, the Coast Guard District Headquarters in Kerala was informed that around 70-80 fishermen were stranded at sea due to the storm. The Coast Guard immediately sailed as many as nine ships towards Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts. Further, ships based at New Mangalore were also sailed towards Kerala coast to undertake the rescue of stranded fishermen. As the cyclone intensified, coordinated search by Coast Guard ships and aircraft continued in extremely rough weather with wind speed gusting up to 150 kmph. Ships at Mumbai and Goa were also placed on maximum alert to augment efforts as required, the press release read. (PTI) As per the last report, a total of 79 stranded fishermen have been saved by the Coast Guard in coordination with other agencies. Also, the fisheries department has intimated that about 25 boats with 250 personnel are still in distress at sea. A man watches a road that has been cut off due to floods following the heavy rainfall caused by the cyclone Ockhi which left heavy damage in the Kanyakumari district on Saturday. (PTI) 138 fishermen have been rescued from the Lakshadweep islands. (PTI) So far 393 people from Kerala have been rescued, Kerala CM Vijayan said, as the state government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of those who died in the storm, in addition to the financial assistance of Rs four lakh being given by the fisheries department.Of the rescued, 132 fishermen were from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, 66 from Kozhikode, 55 from Kollam, 40 from Thrissur, and 100 from Kanyakumari. (PTI) In Lakshadweep, 31 relief camps have been opened in the10 inhabited islands. So far, 1,047 people have been evacuated to the relief camps, official sources said. No casualties have been reported, with the worst-affected islands being Minicoy and Kalpeni. Seven people have lost their lives in Kerala in rain-related incidents over the past two days, official sources said. (PTI) Cyclone Ockhi has so far claimed 13 lives in Sri Lanka. Power supply, essential services and air traffic was disrupted in the stormy weather that left several buildings damaged and trees uprooted in its wake. READ FULL REPORT HERE #CycloneOckhi update @IndiaCoastGuard ship rescued 15 fishermen at sea off Vizhinjam/Quilon (Kerala) Coast and heading towards shore for safe disembarkation of fisher-folks @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/39gJrfI20Z  Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 2, 2017 Authorities including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Coast Guard and Navy have rescued about 223 fishermen and evacuated thousands of people from cyclone hit areas, officials said, as they continued their operations on Saturday. While INS Nireekshak, INS Jamuna and INS Sagardhwani are continuing search and rescue operations in their designated areas along the coast off Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, two ships INS Shardul and INS Sharda are heading towards Lakshadweep, a defence spokesman said. (PTI) The naval ships, which left from the Southern Naval Command here yesterday, are likely to reach Lakshadweep this evening. The Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Lanba briefed me on the on-going rescue operations #CycloneOchki . More fishermen rescued this morning. Rescue work to continue.Some rescued fishermen waiting in Lakshadweep Isle to get back. Details @indiannavy @DefenceMinIndia @IndiaCoastGuard  Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) December 2, 2017 The Kerala state government has announced a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh to the families of the deceased. #Kerala Locals have blocked National Highway for last five hours in Trivandrum's Thumba, demand better relief measures & rescue of 6 fishermen missing from the area #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/rcTY0gyDty  ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2017 Six boats and 73 fishermen that went missing in the sea have been brought back, the Fisheries Minister of Tamil Nadu, D Jayakumar, informed on Saturday. (ANI) Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan slammed rumour mongers on Saturday after it came to light that Friday's reports of a Japanese merchant ship rescuing 60 Kerala fishermen caught in the deep seas, was "fake". It was Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S.Vasuki who told the media, on Friday evening, that she wished to thank the Japanese government as one of their ships had rescued 60 fishermen and said they would arrive at the Vizhinjam coast. (IANS.) [READ FULL REPORT] Locals in Thiruvananthapuram's Poonthura came out in protest alleging rescue operations have been inadequate. (ANI) According to Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S Vasuki, 102 fishermen from the city who had gone into the sea have not been able to contact their relatives. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Kerala: Locals evacuated to rehabilitation centre in Kochi's Chellanam. #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/iAwj7Q7g94  ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2017 Several houses suffered damage, trees got uprooted and communication lines were disrupted as rains accompanied by strong winds lashed the Lakshadweep Islands under the influence of Cyclone Ockhi. [READ FULL REPORT] INS Nireekshak rescued two fishermen off Alappuzha coast. INS Sagardhwani fished out one cadaver, 30 km off Thiruvananthapuram coast. The ship had earlier found another cadaver. (PTI) PM Modi dialled Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami and enquired about the damage caused by the cyclone, which also battered parts of Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] The Tamil Nadu government has said it will soon seek central funds for the damage caused by Cyclone Ockhi in the southern parts of the state, with Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts being the worst hit. As many as 218 fishermen from various parts of southern Kerala who were missing at sea since Thursday have been rescued and brought back so far, even as Cyclone Ockhi continued its menacing north-westward path along the Arabian Sea. [READ REPORT HERE] A rescued fisherman rushed to the ambulance from the technical area of the Thiruvananthpuram airport on Friday afternoon. Express Photo | Kaviyoor Santhosh According to a CWC advisory, the west-flowing rivers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam in Kerala are likely to rise over the next 24 hours and then, slowly fall as the rains reduced. Three deaths were reported in Kerala and one in the worst-hit Kannyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, taking the toll to 12, reports UNI. A report from Lakshadweep said a red alert had been sounded as high waves posed a major threat to most of the islands in the region. (UNI) WATCH: Navy rescue fishermen off Thiruvananthapuram coast About 150 fishermen, who put out to sea from various southern districts, were rescued, Thiruvananthapuram District Commissioner K Vasuki said, adding that efforts were on to bring the rest of the stranded fishermen to the shore. The rescued fishermen included those who were saved by a Japanese cargo vessel. Kerala: Rescued fishermen brought to Trivandrim Air Force Station, later admitted to hospital for treatment #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/lB10HNPqsE  ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 Heavy to extremely heavy rains are likely over Lakshadweep Islands, while light to moderate rains with a few heavy spells are expected over Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, according to Skymetweather's latest weather update. Two fishing boats Arokia Mary and Hermen Mary from Kanyakumari reported missing due #CycloneOckhi since 30 Nov 2017 with 08 crew each rescued by Coast Guard Ship C-427 off Vizhinjam #Kerala pic.twitter.com/nyLuxkoonk  ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 Search and rescue effort progressing off Vizhinjam where approximately 40 people were stranded at sea. Indian Navy ships Sharda and Shardul sailed out to augment search effort, in final stages of embarking humanitarian assistance and disaster relief items for assistance at Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands , reports ANI. 130 families from Chellanam, 17 families from Kumbalangi and 18 families from Edavanakad rehabilitated from the coastal areas, reports ANI. [Read Report] Cyclone Ockhi is moving to the Arabian Sea. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan says steps are initiated to rescue fishermen stranded in the rough sea, reports PTI. #WATCH: High tides seen at Lakshadweep coast #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/sxUBC4geku  ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 24 people stranded at sea sighted by IN assets. Efforts underway to rescue all 24:- 07 picked up by MV ENERGY ORPHEUS,04 being rescued by INS JAMUNA ,03 rescued by trawler in area,02 rescued by ALH (progressing further rescue of 06 more),02 under Rescue by MV KUN LUN SHAN  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 1, 2017 READ FULL STORY: Navy, Coast Guard save 39 Kerala fishermen ALSO READ | Cyclone Ockhi tales #Kerala: Relatives of missing fishermen mourn in Thiruvananthapuram, say they received no warnings of #CycloneOckhi from the government pic.twitter.com/gewQlJZvPI  ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 - One person was killed when a tree fell on his autorickshaw at Kulathupuzha in Kollam - A couple at Kattakkada in Thiruvananthapuram was electrocuted when power cables fell over them - Trees and hoardings collapsed in the strong wind, which also blew away thatched roofs and roofing sheets of houses - The State Disaster Management Authority has issued alert to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Kottayam districts Satellite image of Cyclone Ockhi across South India. (Image Courtesy: skymetweather.com) Southern Naval Command deployed 3 ships & 2 aircraft following request by District Collector, Trivandrum for assistance in search of 6 fishing boats with fisherman & 1 Marine Engineering vessel missing near Vizhinjam, due to cyclonic storm developed in Indian Ocean off Kerala. pic.twitter.com/2fShFmu1NS  ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2017  SkymetWeather (@SkymetWeather) November 30, 2017 Five people dead, 22 fishermen missing, 62 houses fully damaged, 240 houses partly damaged due to heavy rains, in Kanyakumari district. 16 rehabilitation centres established by government in which 1044 people are being given shelter. (ANI) Ockhi can lead to cloudy weather coupled with light rain for some parts along Maharashtra coast and Mumbai next week, reports said. The IMD has issued warning to all ports. Skymet predicted that there will be light rains in Saurashtra and Kutch region of Gujarat as well. Thiruvananthapuram saw a respite from incessant rains Friday morning. Several trains to and from Thiruvananthapuram were either delayed, cancelled or re-scheduled, say TV reports. #WATCH: Water logging in Sthanumalayan Temple in Kanyakumari's Suchindram #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/nDSjmpfXoz  ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami announces Rs 5 lakh compensation to kin of the five deceased in Kanyakumari district due to rain-related incidents. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said there were serious lapses from the side of state disaster management department. The alert from Hyderabad was not sent to the Government on time, reports ANI. [READ FULL REPORT] Indian Navys Advanced Light Helicopter has dropped a life a liferaft for 8 survivors at sea 20nm off Trivandrum and is picking up two critically injured survivors from MV Energy Orpheus. Naval Seaking helicopter being launched shortly to recover 8 survivors & additional SAR. Boeing P8I Aircraft deployed at first light from INS Rajali this morning sights 7 survivors hanging on to a capsized boat ~25 miles West of Tivandrum. A/c drops life raft in the vicinity and reported the exact position. Ships in area are being diverted to render assistance: Indian Navy Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has spoken to the DG of NDRF and reviewed the situation in areas affected by Cyclone Ockhi. NDRF teams have already been moved to the affected areas. More teams are on standby to respond to any further emergencies. The Home Affairs ministry is closely monitoring the situation, according to a the HMO, reports ANI. #Kerala: 59 people stranded due to heavy rains rescued by Navy and coastal guards in Trivandrum #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/8YziNQeaeH  ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 A cyclone alert has been issued across the coastal regions in north Kerala as MET has predicted cyclone Ockhi will reach this part of the state also. Nearly 200 fishing boats, which left Kochi coast in the last couple of days, are yet to return. Joseph Xavier, general secretary, All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association, said, Usually, we used to receive advance warnings on the weather. But this time, there was no such notification." This is a matter of concern, given there were reports about the arrival of the cyclone at least two days ago, he said. Since most of the boats are co-owned by people belonging to Tamil Nadu and most of the workers are also from that state, it is also possible that the fishermen might have taken the boats to Colachel, Muttom and Thengapattanam, said Xavier. Kerala: Fishermen in Trivandrum go missing. Relatives say they received no warnings of Cyclone Ockhi from the government. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held an emergency meeting of top officials to take stock of the situation and has asked police and revenue officials to be on high alert, reports IANS. Balakrishnan Nair, scientist at INCOIS, said that the storm surge of about one metre above astronomical tides are very likely to inundate low-lying areas of Lakshadweep Islands from Thursday night and 0.5 metre surge will inundate low-lying areas of coastal districts of south Kerala (Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts), and adjoining districts of south Tamil Nadu (Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts). Four people were killed in Kerala on Thursday as heavy rains and strong winds lashed southern part of the state after cyclonic storm Ockhi hit the Kerala coast. (READ MORE) Four people died today in Kanyakumari as heavy rains and strong winds uprooted trees, snapped power lines and damaged settlements close to the sea in Kanyakumari-Nagercoil-Thoothukudi region in south Tamil Nadu. Schools in seven districts of the state including Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Virudhunagar were closed today. [READ MORE] Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams with 60 personnel have been sent to Kanyakumari. Another team of 47 will be on standby in Kochi in Kerala to help out in Lakshadweep if the need arises. [READ: TN CM Palaniswami: Taking precautionary steps for Cyclone Ockhi] Heavy rains have caused chaos and destruction in districts of Kerala since Wednesday. Thiruvananthapuram woke up this morning to a sustained heavy drizzle and heavily overcast skies, which hit rush hour traffic in the state's capital city. One death has been reported in the state so far. An autorickshaw driver on the outskirts of Kollam was killed today after a tree fell on his vehicle. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Severe rainstorm &winds in Thiruvananthapuram. Here I'm struggling with my umbrella at Shankumukham Beach where #Padayorukkam is scheduled to conclude tomorrow w/ mass rally by Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/qxXvugMqHV The Southern Naval Command is also gearing up for any Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief that may be required due to the effects of the storm in the southern part of Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] S Balachandran, Director, Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai, said southern districts in Tamil Nadu such as Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Virudhunagar will get heavy to very heavy rainfall till December 1. Cyclone Ockhi is not expected to make a landfall in Tamil Nadu. ALSO READ | High wave warning sounded for south Tamil Nadu For north coastal Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, the skies would be generally cloudy and light to moderate spells of rain can be expected. Chennai received up to 6 cm of rain between 8:30 last night and 8:30 this morning. As far as fishermen are concerned, those in Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Rameswaram, have been asked not to venture out into sea till December 1, Thursday as the wind speed will be 65-70 kmph, meaning the sea will be rough along and off south Tamil Nadu, south Kerala coasts and Lakshadweep Islands. #cyclonealert: Check out the progress of the #CycloneOckhi #Cyclone #Ockhi #Weather #cyclone1 #Chennai #Chennairains #Kerala #TamilNadu @tnsdma @kerala_kaumudi @archvivekh @karthickselvaa pic.twitter.com/A0RNw8wJ90 The weather office has also predicted dense fog in places in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. Cyclone 'Ockhi' (meaning: eye) was a name contributed by Bangladesh. With a speed of 38 kmph at 8:30 Thursday morning, the cyclone lay centred about 340 km west-northwest of Galle in Sri Lanka, 60 Km south of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and 120 km southwest of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and 480 km eastsoutheast of Minicoy in Lakshadweep. It has moved west-northwestwards towards Lakshadweep Islands in the southeast Arabian Sea. Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 12 atolls, three reefs and five submerged banks lying 200 to 400 km to the West of the South-West coast (Kerala) of India. Cyclone Ockhi is approaching the Lakshadweep archipelago, a top official at the Ministry of Earth Sciences said in Delhi today. Madhavan Rajeevan, secretary in the ministry, said the archipelago in the southern part of the Arabian Sea will start experiencing heavy rainfall and strong winds from tomorrow. "It will hit the islands on December 2," Rajeevan said. (PTI) Earlier today, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) had put out an alert saying that the system could intensify further to become a severe cyclonic storm. It further said the storm could re-curve towards the Mumbai-Gujarat region on the West Coast, after being influenced by an incoming western disturbance from the opposite direction. Heavy rainfall and storms in Tamil Nadu in the first week of November this year killed at least 12 people and thousands took shelter in relief camps, triggering fears of the 2015 floods repeat. It had killed more than 400 people, displaced lakhs and damaged property worth thousands of crores. What is a tropical depression The India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifies the low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea into seven categories. Low pressure areas with maximum sustained surface wind speeds between 31 and 61 kmph are called tropical depressions. Once the winds around the low pressure area reach at least 62 kmph, it is called a tropical cyclone and is assigned a name. The current system is intensifying rapidly. As per the IMD wind warning, squally winds would reach 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph along and off south Tamil Nadu during the next 48 hours. Another depression kicking-in The trough of low pressure over the Malay Peninsula and neighbourhood is persisting and is likely to develop into a low-pressure area over Malay Peninsula and adjoining south Andaman Sea during the next 24 hours. This system is likely to trigger a wet spell for the north coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, around December 4. (With inputs from Express News Service and agencies)
'The Gilded Age' hires an army of RI locals to bring show to life

Hundreds of people from greater Rhode Island help keep the set of HBO's 'The Gilded Age' running during filming.
Turkey threatened on Tuesday to cut diplomatic ties with Israel if US President Donald Trump recognises Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, joining a mounting chorus of voices saying the move would unleash turmoil.

Senior US officials told Reuters some officers in the State Department were also deeply concerned and the European Union, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League all warned any such declaration would have repercussions across the region.

A senior US official told Reuters last week that Trump was likely to make the announcement on Wednesday, though his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner said over the weekend no final decision had been made.

Such a decision would break with decades of US policy that Jerusalem's status must be decided in negotiations.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital. The declaration is not recognised internationally and Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

"Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims," Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling AK Party.

"This can go as far as severing Turkey's ties with Israel. I am warning the United States not to take such a step which will deepen the problems in the region."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far declined to speculate on what Trump might say.

But Israel Katz, Israel's minister of intelligence and transport, took to Twitter to reject Turkey's threat and reiterate Israel's position on the ancient city, which is one of a long list of stumbling blocks in years of failed peace talks with the Palestinians.

"We don't take orders or accept threats from the president of Turkey," he wrote.

"There would be no more righteous or proper an historical move now than recognizing Jerusalem, the Jewish people's capital for the past 3000 years, as the capital of the State of Israel."

"Playing With Fire"

Two US officials said on condition of anonymity that news of the plan to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital had kicked up resistance from the State Department's Near Eastern Affairs bureau (NEA), which deals with the region.

"Senior (officials) in NEA and a number of ambassadors from the region expressed their deep concern about doing this," said one official, saying that the concerns focused on "security".

The State Department referred questions to the White House. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A fourth U.S. official said the consensus U.S. intelligence estimate on U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was that it would risk triggering a backlash against Israel, and also potentially against U.S. interests in the Middle East.

U.S. allies added their warnings.

The European Union's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, said on Tuesday that "any action that would undermine" peace efforts to create two separate states for the Israelis and the Palestinians "must absolutely be avoided".

Speaking alongside U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels, she said Jerusalem's status would have to be agreed through negotiations.

The EU's 28 foreign ministers will discuss the matter with Netanyahu in Brussels next Monday, to be followed by a similar meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas early next year, she added.

Nabil Shaath, adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told journalists gathered on the outskirts of Jerusalem near Bethlehem that any announcement along those lines would wreck peace efforts.

"If Mr. Trump really tomorrow or the day after tomorrow comes up and says that 'I recognise united Jerusalem to be the capital of the state of Israel' he has destroyed every chance that he will play to get the deal of the century that he has been talking about".

The Arab League and Saudi Arabia repeated past warnings, following statements by France and Jordan in recent days.

The diplomats and leaders did not spell out what the consequences might be of any announcement. Past Israeli-Palestinian rifts have deteriorated into protests, attacks and fighting and further destabilised the region.

A fifth U.S. official said concerns of Palestinian and other Arab leaders about endorsing Israel's claim to Jerusalem were being taken into account but no final decisions had been made.

Daniel Benjamin, a former U.S. counter terrorism official now at Dartmouth University, had a simple message: "This is playing with fire.

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Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor passed away at the age of 79 on Monday evening in Mumbai and left the film fraternity in deep shock. Many took to Twitter to express their grief and offer condolences to the family.

As many TV channels came forward and paid respects to the star, it was BBC's goof-up that received severe flak on social media.

The news channel aired clips of Shashi Kapoor's co-star Amitabh Bachchan and nephew Rishi Kapoor in a report while the anchor spoke about Kapoor's illustrious journey and contribution to the industry.

Hang on @bbcnews Shashi Kapoor has died not Amitabh Bachan or Rishi Kapoor, who you've weirdly used to illustrate the story. pic.twitter.com/48jo6DGjU6 Media Diversified (@WritersofColour) December 4, 2017

Soon, the outrage brigade came out in full force seeking an apology from the channel.

@paulroyall I hope you now have a photograph of the real Shashi Kapoor? Poor man can't even rest in peace because the BBC credited another 'brown person ' with his work. #NotTheSame Graeme (@Lurganexile) December 4, 2017

@BBCNews At least show the picture of Veteran Actor Shashi Kapoor . BBC showing all other actors except his picture or video pic.twitter.com/6aups2hQrx RRaman Kumar (@RRamanKumar) December 4, 2017

So BBC News mention the death of Shashi Kapoor yet show clips of Amitabh Bacchan #research #fail Tamish Khullar (@TamishKhullar) December 4, 2017

C'mon!!! We don't all look the same!!  Hafsah Aneela Bashir (@Hafsah_A_Bashir) December 4, 2017

FFS ! @BBCNews , Dont your researchers know how to use google? Centrist Massi #FBPE (@Massie68) December 4, 2017

Strangely enough, BBC chose to air clips of two different people (Big B and Rishi Kapoor) and apparently couldn't tell them apart. Even worse, Shashi Kapoor was also part of this 1976 Yash Chopra movie who unfortunately couldn't make it to the report.

Following the social media outrage, Paul Royall, Editor, BBC News posted an apology on Twitter saying, "#BBCNewsTen is very sorry wrong images were used to mark the death of Shashi Kapoor. Not our usual standards and I apologise for any upset."

#BBCNewsTen is very sorry wrong images were used to mark the death of Shashi Kapoor. Not our usual standards and I apologise for any upset. Paul Royall (@paulroyall) December 4, 2017

As it happens, this isn't the first time a channel has made a gaffe in their tribute to the veteran actor.

Shortly after the legendary actor died, a channel accidentally tweeted the Congress MP's name by mistake.

Soon Tharoor's office was flooded with calls and he responded on Twitter in his own inimitable way.

"We're getting condolence calls in the office! Reports of my demise are, if not exaggerated, at least premature" Tharoor tweeted. It's the author-politician's take off on the famous quote attributed to the legendary Mark Twain.

We're getting condolence calls in the office! Reports of my demise are, if not exaggerated, at least premature. @TimesNow #ShashiKapoor https://t.co/nbtZGcdQTa Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 4, 2017

The journalist apologised for his mistake and wished Tharoor a healthy life. The Congress MP graciously accepted the apology and wrote, Mistakes happen. Glad to be able to crack a smile at a tragic moment.

Tharoor also tweeted out a heartfelt condolence message and said it 'feels a part of me is gone'.

A great actor, smart, cosmopolitan, impossibly handsome & w/a name that was often confused w/mine. (My office got two calls from journalists today about my reportedly serious ill-health!) I will miss #ShashiKapoor. Condolences2his family&all his fans (sic), he wrote.
New Delhi: The Patiala House Court on Tuesday set December 21 as the date for verdict in the 2G spectrum allocation scam in which DMK MP Kanimozhi and former telecom minister A Raja are among the accused.

On being asked what she expects will happen on December 21, Kanimozhi told reporters: "Do I look nervous... Let us see." She was present in court when the date was announced.

The 2G spectrum scam is said to be the biggest scam in the history of Independent India. The Time Magazine has called it the second biggest instance of the abuse of executive power  just a notch below Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal.

On November 16, 2010, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), the supreme auditing body of the country, came out with its report on the issuance of licenses and allocation of 2G spectrum by the Department of Telecom.

According to the CBI, A Raja was biased in allocating 2G mobile air waves and operating licences to telecom firms, causing a huge loss to the state exchequer. (Photo: PTI)

CAG, then headed Vinod Rai, revealed 2G licenses had been issued to telecom operators at throwaway prices causing a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.

Moreover, licences had been issued to ineligible applicants who had deliberately suppressed facts, disclosed incomplete information, submitted fictitious documents and used fraudulent means for getting licenses and thereby access to spectrum.

According to the CBI, Raja was biased in allocating 2G mobile air waves and operating licences to telecom firms, causing a huge loss to the state exchequer.

The CBI chargesheet said Rs 200 crore was transferred from DB Group to Kalaignar TV, which were kickbacks in lieu of allocation of 2G spectrum to Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd.

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a separate case related to money laundering alleging that a conspiracy was hatched by Raja, Kanimozhi and DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal besides others and that the Rs 200 crore was the proceeds of crime.

All accused, including Raja, are out on bail.
New Delhi: Congress leader Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Sunni Waqf Board in the Ayodhya title suit, gave a new twist to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute on Tuesday by urging the Supreme Court to defer hearing in the case till July 2019 after the next Lok Sabha elections get over.

The apex court took note of the plea but fixed February 8, 2018, as the date to commence the final hearing in the case.

As the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer began hearing the matter, Sibal, along with senior counsels Rajiv Dhavan and Dushyant Dave, urged the court not to go ahead with the hearing as it could have repercussions for the country's polity and the general election.

Senior counsel Harish Salve countered Sibal, and told the bench that repercussion outside were not the court's lookout. As far as the court was concerned, it was "just a case" like any other case before it, he stressed. Urging the bench to commence hearings in December itself, Salve took exception that "it is being presumed which way the verdict will go... You have it (hearing) in December".

Salve was appearing for one of the petitioners seeking an early hearing on the petitions challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict, which was stayed by the top court on May 9, 2011. The HC had divided the dispute site between the Nirmohi Akhara, Lord Ram deity and the Sunni Waqf Board, but the SC called the decision strange and surprising.

Referring to a statement by a BJP leader that the matter would be listed and decided in three months, Sibal said that "justice should not only be done but also appear to have been done".

Dave, wondering what the hurry" was, told the bench that the government was keen the Supreme Court heard the appeals early because Ram temple was part of the ruling party's manifesto. He urged the court not to fall into their trap, a point reiterated by Sibal.

He, along with Dhavan, also urging the bench that the matter should be heard by a five or seven-judge constitution bench.

Sibal also raised the issue of paucity of time in preparing the case that involves relying on more than 19,000 documents, a position also supported by Dhavan, who said the hearing would involve making their submissions and also "honestly" responding to the queries from the bench.

The petitioners also said the hearing would take long and may not be completed under Misras tenure, but this argument was shot down by the court. The original suit was finished in 90 days by the Allahabad High Court, why should it take longer here? the bench asked.

After rejecting the submission on postponing the hearing till 2019, including hearing by a constitution bench, the court asked senior counsel CS Vaidyanathan, appearing for deity Ram Lala, to give introduction of the dispute before the court.
The Supreme Court today decided to hear the civil appeals filed by various parties challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute on February 8 next year. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and S A Najeeb also asked the Advocates on Record of appeals to sit together and ensure that all the requisite documents are translated, filed and numbered before the apex court Registry.

The bench took serious note of the submission of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the parties, that the appeals be heard in July 2019 after completion of the next Lok Sabha polls as the atmosphere at present was not conducive. Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, vehemently opposed contentions that the pleadings were not complete and asserted that everything has been complied with and the cases were ripe for hearing.

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After leaving a trail of destruction on the southern coast, Cyclone Ockhi is expected to make landfall in coastal Gujarat today with squally winds and heavy rainfall. Maharashtra, too, is on a state of high alert to deal with the side-effects of the stormy weather. A precautionary holiday has been announced for all schools in the coastal Maharashtra districts of Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, in view of the predictions for the cyclone.

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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure over keeping a donation box at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat here, saying this was a "disrespectful" gesture to the Father of the Nation.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar sought to know from the Rajghat Samadhi Committee, which maintains the memorial, who had installed the donation box and where do the funds collected in it go.

To this, the counsel for Central Public Works Department (CPWD) said it was put up by the Harijan Sevak Sangh, founded by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and the money goes to the organisation.

The bench observed that the charity box should not have been kept at the Mahatma Gandhi's memorial.

"Is this the respect we are giving to the memorial of the Father of the Nation which is visited by the citizens of India as well as those from abroad. It deserves every respect and requires to be properly maintained by all concerned," it said.

The bench directed the petitioner's counsel to personally verify the actual position related to the public amenities and maintenance of Rajghat and inform the Chief Engineer of CPWD, who will ensure its restoration.

It ordered that the Rajghat Samadhi Committee's secretary should ensure that the complaints in this regard are addressed at the earliest.

The court sought a compliance report before the next date of hearing, January 30 next year.

The court on November 24 had directed the Chief Engineer, CPWD to personally inspect the Rajghat Samadhi and all related premises.

It had asked the authorities to place the details of the works which were required to be completed at Rajghat as well as the timelines within which these shall be completed.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that the monument set up in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi was not being properly maintained.

Petitioner Shyam Narayan Chouksey has claimed that the memorial "was not at all being properly and cleanly maintained", and despite being brought to the notice of the Committee and Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), there has been no change in the situation.

In the PIL, Chouksey has submitted the photos of various deficiencies that he had come across during his visit to the monument in 2014 and then again in 2015 and 2016, when he claimed the situation had worsened.

Referring to deficiencies, he has alleged there were betel stains at the entrance, broken floor tiles, rubbish lying all around the monument, the white marble has turned black due to lack of cleaning while the green carpet laid for visitors to walk was damaged.

Two toilets were in very poor condition and unclean and at many places sewage lines are exposed and filled with garbage, becoming "a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects".
Washington: Indian-American California senator Kamala Harris has topped the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine's 2017 list of '50 Leading Global Thinkers' which also features US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.

Besides Harris and Haley, Indian-origin stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj has also made it to the list which recognises a remarkable range of individuals who have found ways to exert enormous influence, often in unexpected ways, on a wide range of issues.

"They are the doers who defined 2017," said Foreign Policy while releasing its annual list of global thinkers, which this year number 50 instead of 100 as was mostly the case in previous years.

Topping the list is Harris, 53, for giving the Democratic Party hope in the era of President Donald Trump, the magazine said.

Harris, the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, is the first-ever Indian-American to be elected to the US Senate.

Seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate, Harris is the only black woman in the Senate.

"Her professional bona fides and two decades as a prosecutor, her commitment to social justice (she has made immigrants' rights and bail reform the focus of her first year in office), and her personal 'firsts' make her appealing to voters still smarting from (Hillary) Clinton's loss and hungry for a charismatic non-white, non-male presidential candidate," the magazine said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is ranked second in the list for trying to rebuild decent democratic leadership in South Korea.

Popular comedian Minhaj, 32, is placed third in the ranking for defining the narrative of a "New Brown America", it said.

Early this year he was the first Indian-American to have been chosen to host the White House Correspondents Dinner.

"The final comedian to be hired by The Daily Show during Jon Stewart's tenure as host, Minhaj has since joined an elite cadre of popular news satirists including Stewart, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver whose joyful embrace of 'fake news' often gets at fundamental truths at which the mainstream media can only gesture," it said.

Former South Carolina governor Haley, 45, the first Indian-American to be a member of any presidential cabinet, figures in the list of global thinkers for trying to preserve America's traditional vision of international affairs, said the magazine.

"The US foreign policy that Haley has spent just over 10 months defending smacks more of traditional Republican (and, arguably, traditional US) policies more closely in line with Ronald Reagan than with the current president," it said.

Among others in the list are presidential candidate for the FARC, the Colombian rebel group that has traded its weapons for party politics, the female director of Afghanistan's foreign-language film contender for the Oscars, the venture capitalist who is using tech companies to bridge the gap between Israel and Palestine, and an Iraqi member of parliament who is demanding her country recognise the genocide of the minority Yazidis.

"This year's list showcases a remarkable range of individuals who have found ways to exert enormous influence, often in unexpected ways, on a wide range of issues from North Korea policy, to the rise of populism, to how we combat fake news, to cementing a new narrative in American culture... to comedy," said Jonathan Tepperman, editor-in-chief of the magazine.

"These amazing people are not only rethinking our world, but also reshaping it. They defined 2017, and we're thrilled by the chance to recognise their accomplishments for good, at least in most cases," he said.

The list also includes Chelsea Manning, ex-Trump aide Stephen Bannon, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
New Delhi: The Centres special envoy on Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, met Hurriyats Abdul Ghani Bhat during his visit to the Valley in the last week of November.

Sources in the state government confirmed to CNN-News18 that the meeting took place in Srinagar on November 27. Another Hurriyat leader was also present during the meet, which lasted for over half an hour, they said

When contacted, Sharma refused to disclose what was discussed. Some things should not be made public in national interest, he said.

Bhat refused to confirm or deny the meeting, but sources close to him said the Hurriyat leadership is not opposed to talks, but the framework in which the talks should be held. Bhatt said his party, the Muslim conference, was principally in favour of dialogue and is open to holding talks on Kashmir with anyone, including Sharma.

The meeting assumes significance as other top Hurriyat leaders - Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik - have turned down the governments invitation for dialogue and have questioned the sincerity of the Narendra Modi governments efforts.

Sharma, who was in the Valley from November 26 to 29, had visited militancy-hit districts in south Kashmir.

The second visit of Dineshwar Sharma focused on meeting youth and students but we have offered a window to some separatist leaders, a government official said. Earlier, Sharma, too, had said he was open to meeting anyone who is willing to hold a dialogue on the Kashmir issue.
A senior Al-Qaeda leader on the Indian subcontinent and the head of the Taliban's "special forces" in southern Helmand have been killed in recent days in Afghanistan, Afghan and US forces said Tuesday.

"Both leaders are responsible for the deaths of many innocent Afghans, and their removal will both disrupt the terrorist operations of their respective organisations and improve overall security of the country," the US command said in a statement.

According to Afghan intelligence services, and a spokesman for US forces in Kabul, "Omar Khetab, number two in the al-Qaeda network for the Indian subcontinent" was killed on Monday.

"He was directly involved in fighting against the Afghan government and foreign troops and had a role in advising in the use of heavy weapons such as rockets, mortars and training for Taliban night attacks," the US command's statement added.

"This operation is a testament to the real growth the Afghan forces have achieved over the past year," said General John Nicholson, commander of US forces and Operation Resolute Support NATO, quoted in the statement.

The US also announced the death of the leader of the "Red Unit" -- the Taliban's "special forces" in Helmand, a southern province where insurgents control ten of its 14 districts.

"Mullah Shah Wali, aka Haji Nasir, commander of the Red Unit in Helmand, was killed on 1 December by a strike, with one of his deputies and three of his men".

According to the spokesman, "Wali and his 'Red Unit' are responsible for planning numerous suicide bombings, IED attacks, and coordinated assaults against civilians, Afghan and coalition forces."

The statement noted: "The Taliban in Helmand province are responsible for poppy cultivation and opium trade that funds their activities."

At the end of November, the Americans began a series of raids against heroin laboratories in Helmand.

US Forces began identifying drug labs to hit after President Donald Trump's strategy announcement in August made it easier for American air power to proactively target the Taliban and its sources of revenue and infrastructure.

The US-Afghan operation comes as around 3,000 additional American troops promised by Trump are deployed to help train and assist beleaguered Afghan security forces who have been struggling to beat back Taliban and Islamic State insurgents.

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Srinagar: Three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, including two Pakistani nationals allegedly involved in the Amarnath attack, were killed in an encounter after the group opened fire on an Army convoy on Monday. An Army soldier was also killed in the gunbattle.

Police said, another militant, who had fled the encounter site was arrested from a maternity hospital in Anantnag he was hiding in.

Apart from the one soldier who was killed, another was left with severe injuries during the attack.

The gunbattle started on Monday afternoon when the militants opened fire on an Army convoy on its way to Srinagar, at Qazigund on Jammu-Srinagar national highway.

The security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the militants. The search operation turned into an encounter with militants which ended at 2 am on Tuesday morning, the police said.

According to a PTI report, the police identified the dead militants as Yawar Basir, who is a local militant, Abu Furqan and Abu Maviya (both foreign terrorists). Basir, hailing from Habiash of Kulgam, joined ranks with Lashkar-e-Taiba this year in February after snatching weapon from a policeman.

Furqan had taken over as the head of Lashkar-e-Taiba in South Kashmir after the death of Abu Ismail, who had led the attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year.

Police said that all the three, killed on Tuesday, were part of the squad that carried out the attack on yatris on July 10.

Eight pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured. Police said the group headed by Furqan, was involved in a series of terror crimes in Anantnag and Kulgam area, which included the Yatra Bus Attack case at Bantingo, few attacks on security forces at Lower Munda on the national highway, attack on police party at bus stand in Anantnag.

Furqan had replaced Ismail in South Kashmir and was responsible for the recent attacks carried by LeT, police said.

Pursuing the leads available at Qazigund encounter, one individual Rashid Ahmed Allai of Hamzapora sangam Bijibehera was arrested from Janglatmandi maternity hospital with a Chinese pistol and live cartridges last night. He was missing since last two days from his house and had joined the Yawar group of LeT.

The police said that he was part of the militant group when they carried out attack on army at Qazigund on Monday but managed to escape from the site when encounter broke.

He had taken shelter at the hospital in Anantnag with the help of one of his associate.

According to the police, he along with his associates were intending to snatch weapon from the policemen by attacking them.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: A three-member panel formed by the Delhi Government to probe the shocking case of a premature newborn being wrongfully declared dead by a private hospital submitted its report on Tuesday.

The preliminary report, submitted to health minister Satyendar Jain, has found Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh guilty of not having followed prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants.

While it will take another seven days for the final report, the panel has found evidence of negligence which includes no ECG being done to confirm whether the infant was dead, the dead and living children were not kept separately, and so on.

The panel which consists of three doctors, a gynecologist, a paediatrician and a hospital administrator, gave its reports after examining records and visiting the hospital.

Jain had said that the government could cancel the license of Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh if found guilty. Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had also hinted a strong action, saying, We value the independence of private hospitals and do not wish to interfere in their functioning. However, there ought to be a legal framework to check open loot and criminal negligence by a few black sheep.

The private hospital had declared new-born twins dead and handed them over to their parents in sealed plastic bags even as one of them was still alive. The parents realised this when they were on their way to perform the last rites. They rushed the baby to another hospital which declared the baby alive.

According to the twins' grandfather Pravin Malik, just as they were on their way to perform the last rites, he noticed there was some movement in the packet in which the kids were handed over to them.

"We were utterly shocked at the hospital's apathy," said Pravin.

Max Healthcare decided to terminate the services of two doctors allegedly involved in the case on December 3. "While the inquiry by the expert group which includes external experts from the IMA is still in process, we have decided to terminate the services of two treating doctors, doctors AP Mehta and Vishal Gupta in the case relating to the twin extreme pre-term babies," Max Healthcare said in a statement.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has commenced final hearing in the long-standing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute, a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of medieval-era structure.

A specially constituted bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will hear a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The high court had then ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acre area at Ayodhya among the parties  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla.

A sect of Muslims, under the banner of Shia Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, had earlier approached the court offering a solution that a mosque could be built in a Muslim-dominated area at a "reasonable distance" from the disputed site in Ayodhya.

However, its intervention was opposed by the All India Sunni Waqf Board which had claimed that judicial adjudication between the two sects had already been done in 1946 by declaring the mosque, which was demolished on December 6, 1992, as one which belongs to the Sunnis.

Recently a group of civil rights activists also moved the apex court seeking intervention in the Ayodhya dispute and urged it to consider the issue saying it is not just a dispute over property but has several other aspects which would have far-reaching effects on the "secular fabric of the country".

In pursuance to the apex court's earlier direction, the Yogi Adityanath government has submitted English translation of exhibits and documents likely to be relied upon, as these were in eight different languages.

A battery of high profile lawyers, including senior advocates K Parasaran and CS Vaidyanathan and advocate Saurabh Shamsheri, will appear for Lord Ram Lalla, the deity, and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will represent the Uttar Pradesh government.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Anoop George Chaudhari, Rajeev Dhavan and Sushil Jain will represent other parties including All India Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, an intervenor in the matter, had attempted to raise the issue of fundamental right of religion of the Hindus under Article 25 of the Constitution.

Many of the original plantiffs and defendants in the matter, including Mohd Hashim, who was the first person to take the matter to the apex court, have died.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Hourt, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had said the land be partitioned equally among three parties  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

Heres a look at how the case has panned out so far:

1949: Idols of Ram Lalla are placed surreptitiously under the central dome of the Babri Mosque

1950: Lawyer Gopal Visharad files first suit in Faizabad civil court for rights to offer prayers to Ram Lalla

1950: Paramhansa Ramachandra Das files a suit for continuation of prayers and keeping idols in the structure

1959: Nirmohi Akhara files third suit, seeking direction to hand over charge of the disputed site.

1961: Sunni Central Waqf Board files fourth suit

1986: District judge orders locks be removed. Site opened for Hindu worshippers

1989: Pending suits are transferred to the High Court

1991: UP government acquires land around the structure for convenience of devotees who attend Ram Lalla darshan

1992: Babri Mosque is demolished by kar sevaks

1993: Government takes over 67 acres of land around the area, seeks apex court opinion on whether a Hindu place of worship existed there before the structure was built

1994: Case goes back to Lucknow bench of HC, suits heard again from 1996

2003: The Allahabad HC orders a survey to find out whether a temple existed on the site. ASI excavations claim features of a 10th century temple

2010: HC rules that the land be divided into three parts 1/3rd going to the Hindu Mahasabha, 1/3rd to Sunni Waqf Board and 1/3rd to Nirmohi Akhara. Mahasabha and Sunni Waqf Board move SC, challenging the HC verdict

2011: Dubbing it as strange, SC stays the Allahabad HC order. None of the parties had demanded partition of the land, it says

2015: VHP announces a nationwide drive to collect stones for building Ram Temple

2016: Subramanian Swamy says he hopes the construction would begin before year-end

March 6, 2017: SC hints at reviving criminal conspiracy charges against 13 BJP and other Right-wing leaders in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case. The conspiracy charges had been dropped by the special trial court in Lucknow on technical grounds

March 21, 2017: CJI Khehar offers to act as mediator to solve the dispute and advises Swamy that negotiation can solve this sensitive issue

April 19: SC restores conspiracy charges against BJP leaders, including LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti

May 31: Special CBI court charges the trio with criminal conspiracy

July 21: After Swamy mentions the matter again for urgent hearing before the SC, Khehar says the court will take an early decision

August 8: Shia Central Waqf Board files 30-page affidavit in court, taking back its claim on the disputed land and offering to settle for a mosque in a nearby Muslim-dominated area

August 11: SC bench headed by CJI-designate Dipak Misra begins hearing the matter
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday supported the idea of having a law to put a ceiling on the lawyers fee, which is a barrier to access to justice and deprives poor litigants of suitable representation in courts.

Citing the astronomical fee being charged by top lawyers, a bench of Justices Adarsh K Goel and Uday U Lalit recalled number of judgments passed by the top court in the past wherein appeals had been made to the lawyers to come to the aid of needy litigants.

While considering the mounting cost of litigation, it was observed that fee charged by some senior advocates are astronomical in character. The corporate sector is willing to retain talent at a high cost. It develops into a culture and it permeates down below, said the bench citing a report by the Law Commission in 1988.

The Court underlined that lawyers must remember their duty under Article 39A of the Constitution that provides for ensuring equal opportunity for access to justice to all.

Backing the Law Commissions view, the bench noted that the Commission had in fact observed that it was the duty of the Parliament to prescribe fee for services rendered by members of the legal profession.

First step should be taken to prescribe floor and ceiling in feesMandate for the Bench and the bar is to provide speedy and inexpensive justice to the victim of justice and to protect their rights. The legal system must continue to serve the victims of injustice, held the Court.

The bench regretted that although the 131st Law Commission report was submitted in 1988, no effective law appears to have enacted to regularize the fee or for providing the public sector services to utmost seedy litigants without any fee or at standardized fee.

It further pointed out that on the asking of the Supreme Court, the Law Commission conducted another study and suggested for a regulatory framework for the lawyers in India, not only to lay down a revised mechanism to deal with situations of unwarranted strikes and misdemanour but also in other areas.

The bench, however, rued that deficiency in the working of the present regulatory mechanism has not been removed by parliamentary intervention.

We hope that the concerned authorities in the Government will take cognizance of the issue of introducing requisite legislative changes for an effective regulatory mechanism to check violation of professional ethics and also to ensure access to legal services which is major component of access to justice mandated under Article 39A of the Constitution, it noted.

The Court was hearing an appeal by a woman, who claimed she was compelled to sign a cheque of Rs 10 lakh by a lawyer although she had already paid the fee as demanded.

The bench observed a serious misconduct on the part of the lawyer, who wanted the money on the ground his share was 16 per cent of the total compensation received by the woman in a motor accident case. After the cheque was dishonoured, the lawyer initiated a cheque bounce case against her and she came to the apex court for quashing it.

The Court said that fees conditional on the success of a case has been repeatedly condemned as unworthy of the legal profession because if an advocate has interest in success of litigation, he may tend to depart from ethics.

The claim of the respondent advocate being against public policy and being an act of professional misconduct, proceedings in the complaint filed by him have to be held to be abuse of the process of law and have to be quashed, held the bench in its final order.
New Delhi: Terming the prospect of Uniform Civil Code difficult to implement, Law Commission Chairman Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan said UCC is not possible and not even an option.

Personal Laws can never be done away with as they have constitutional protection, Justice Chauhan told News18.

The 21st Law Commission is now planning to suggest specific amendments to several personal law legislations, dropping the idea of UCC, which gained momentum during public debate on instant triple talaq. UCC is not possible. We will try to recommend religion-wise amendments in family laws. It would be the piecemeal way to suggest what are the changes required in Hindu law, Muslim law, Christian law, Parsi law, etc. We will target the problems of each religion and deal with them accordingly. We cannot take the whole UCC, as we cannot go outside the constitution, said Justice Chauhan.

The Law Panel chief said the exemptions under the Constitution must be honoured and UCC could disturb the essence of the Constitution. Constitution itself has given so many exemptions to so many people like the tribals, etc. There are exemptions even in Civil Procedure Code and Criminal Procedure Code UCC is not a solution and there cannot be a composite Act. You cannot say forget the Constitution and do away with the sixth schedule. This would make people question their accession to the Indian Union on the understanding that they will be respected, said Justice Chauhan.

When asked if the triple talaq verdict would allow judicial interference in personal laws, the law commission chairman said the personals laws are sacrosanct and cannot be touched by anyone. Personal laws are part of the Constitution under Article 25 and can never be struck down. This is a misapprehension. Even if someone comes up with such a law, which violates the Constitution, it would be struck down, said Justice Chauhan.

In Muslim law, the suggestion that we have received is that the Nikahnama itself should have a condition that instant triple talaq will be done away with like a clause in the contract. This enforcement of the contract will be in place even if the government is not able to bring the proposed law, said the former Supreme Court judge, adding that the Law Commission need not intervene in aspects where the court has already issued a verdict.

The Commission had earlier sought response from the general public on the feasibility and various aspects of UCC. Earlier, we had sought response from people and we got over 50,000 responses. But now, after going through the responses, we have realised that most of them were with regard to triple talaq. Now that matter has been settled by the SC, its of no use to us anymore, said Justice Chauhan.

(Law Commission Chairman Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan)

Justice Chauhan refuted the media reports that draft UCC would be available by early next year. The deadline for the UCC is my own tenure and that is August 30, 2018. It is not a thing that can be prepared in a half-baked manner. If not a composite legislation for everyone, at least specific amendments can be made, he said.

UCC is also not possible because of the customs prevalent in remote parts of India, which are protected by the Constitution. In a particular community in North East, the whole property goes to the younger daughter. Then the son-in-law comes and settles there and he is not only husband of the girl but also becomes the husband of the girls mother. This practice is known as Nokuram and the son-in-law becomes the man in place of father-in-law for all purposes and not only property. Now what do you do with it under UCC? It is protected under the Constitution, said Justice Chauhan.

The commission was asked by the law ministry in June 2016 to examine whether a uniform civil code could be introduced in India now where all religions have separate personal laws.
Mumbai: A defiant Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday vowed he would not budge from the Police Ground in Akola or end his protest till the demands of cultivators of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region get accepted.

The former finance minister, who has had frequent run-ins with the current BJP leadership, was detained on Monday evening while protesting against the state government's "apathy" towards farmers. He was taken to the district police headquarters and later released.

However, the 80-year-old leader refused to leave and spent the night with the farmers. Photos showed him sleeping on a wooden cot in the open ground.

"The district administration held talks with us till late last night but didn't accept our demands. We won't budge from this venue till demands of farmers are met," Sinha told reporters.

He has received support from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. She said she was concerned about the BJP veteran and would send Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi to meet him.

Sinha has also spoken to several local and national leaders about issues related to cultivators. He also talked with Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray over the phone on Tuesday, Thackerays media advisor Harshal Pradhan said.

Sinha said there has been no communication with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over half-a-dozen demands of farmers.

"I feel the attitude of the administration and the government towards farmers woes isn't serious. We are not a thing to be ridiculed, to be made fun of."

The district administration, however, claimed a majority of the demands raised by farmers have been accepted.

Akola Collector Astik Pandey said the authorities concerned have accepted six of the seven demands and requested the agitators to call off the protest.

The demands include compensation to cotton farmers for losses incurred due to pink bollworm infestation, action against companies manufacturing "bogus" biotechnologically modified seeds and 100 per cent payout for crop losses to moong, udid and soyabean farmers. They are also demanding that bank officials and administration execute loan waivers by personally visiting gram panchayats.

The other demands are uninterrupted power supply to agricultural pump sets, removal of "unjust" conditions from the gold mortgage waiver scheme of the government for farmers, and purchase of all farm produce at MSP by NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India).

"Except for the last one (related to MSP), which is a call to be taken by the Central government, we have accepted all six demands and have requested the protesters led by Sinha to call off their stir," Pandey said.

Sinha said the "excuse" about NAFED purchase is not valid as the BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have been procuring farm produce through their own systems. "Why can't the Maharashtra government (led by the BJP) then do it?" the bureaucrat-turned-politician asked.

Sinha, who arrived in Vidarbha three days ago to participate in the Kapus Soyabean Dhan (cotton, soyabean, paddy) Parishad, was detained, along with farmers, by police near the collectorate. Officials said after the detention of Sinha and 150-odd farmers, they were told around 9:30 pm that they were free and can go.

Since they decided to stay put, they were provided food, water, blankets and toilet facilities at the protest venue, Akola SP M Rajesh Kalasagar said.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked if the CBI officers did not bother to even check the nameplate before they tried to raid the house of Orissa High Court judge CR Dash by mistake.

We can understand if a police constable makes such an error. But the raiding team here comprised senior CBI officers. Did they not bother to check even the nameplate outside the house? a bench led by Justice AK Sikri questioned Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

The bench also asked the ASG if the CBI officers had relied only upon the details available on the Orissa High Court website.

Perhaps you committed this mistake because you relied only on the Internet. You did not even realise that the judge you wanted to act against had retired around 7-8 years ago, the court told Mehta, who was appearing for the probe agency.

The CBI had on September 19-night landed at Justice Dash's house in Cuttack for a raid after registering a corruption FIR against retired judge IM Qudussi, who used to reside at the same address seven years ago. On realizing that Qudussi no longer lived in that bungalow, the CBI sleuths had left in a hurry.

Qudussi had been booked along with two others for allegedly conspired to settle a Medical Council of India debarment order against a private medical college.

But the CBI raid had irked the High Court Bar Association, which filed a petition seeking a judicial inquiry, apart from getting an FIR registered against the CBI officers for wrongfully trespassing the judges house and bringing disrepute to Justice Dash.

After the High Court admitted the lawyers plea, the CBI moved the Supreme Court, stating that it wanted to give a closure to the unfortunate incident by unconditionally apologising to Justice Dash and also the HC chief justice.

On Monday, Mehta read out from an affidavit of the CBI, saying the CBI SP has expressed unconditional apology to both the judges.

However, the bench had another question in store. Okay, so you did apologise but have the judges accepted it? Your affidavit is silent on the aspect if Justice Dash and the chief justice accepted your apology, it told the ASG.

Mehta said that the acceptance of apology could not be produced in writing. But you can at least say this on an affidavit that both the judges have accepted the apology. File a proper and better affidavit, making a specific statement on acceptance of apology, replied the Court.

Agreeing, the ASG sought a week to file another affidavit and the bench then adjourned the matter.
The United Nations has tapped an ambassador with universal appeal to spread its message of sustainable and responsible tourism: Hello Kitty.

As one of the most recognizable, lovable and least offensive characters in the world, Hello Kitty is a safe choice for the part.

As "Special Ambassador," the feline character will become the whiskered, bow-tied face of the United Nations World Tourism Organization's "International Year of Sustainable Tourism Development 2017." Part of her role is to educate travelers on how to be a responsible tourist.

This summer, the UNWTO launched a handbook on tourist etiquette entitled "Travel. Enjoy. Respect." reminding travelers how to practise respectful, mindful tourism.

The campaign was developed amid a tourism crisis in Europe, where disgruntled locals in Spain and Italy took to the streets in anti-tourism marches to protest overcrowding and disrespectful tourist behavior.

"Traveling is a gift," says a sweetly voiced Hello Kitty in a promotional video. "When you travel, remember to honor our planet. Respect nature, respect culture, and respect your host."

The video is being broadcast at Narita International Airport in Japan, and will be published across the UN's social media channels as well.
Some of the world's most iconic landmarks including Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and Niagara Falls in Canada will be illuminated in the colors of Finland, to help the country celebrate its centenary anniversary this week.

On December 6, Finland will commemorate the 100th anniversary of its independence from Russia with the help of some international friends around the world.

Taking a page out of the Irish tourism office's playbook, Visit Finland has enlisted 50 venues in 30 countries to light up in the colors of their country's blue and white flag.

On St. Patrick's Day, the world shows its solidarity with Ireland in a friendly gesture that involves emerald green illuminations. Past landmarks have included Rome's Colosseum, the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Wall of China.

In the run up to Finland's Independence Day on Wednesday under the theme "Together," landmarks in Adelaide, Prague, Mexico City, Rome, Dublin and Moscow will light up blue and white.

Ahead of the milestone anniversary, billed as the "most significant commemorative year for this generation of Finns," interest in the country as a tourist destination has risen significantly over the years.

Alongside the explosive tourism growth of neighboring Iceland, Denmark's reputation as a hotbed of trending gastronomy, and Sweden's appeal among design lovers, Finland distinguishes itself as an alternative retreat for nature lovers.

Interest in the Nordic lifestyle in general has also grown thanks to the popularity of hygge, the breakout trend with a Danish name that promotes wintry, cozy living.

Likewise, influential travel brands like Lonely Planet and National Geographic included Finland on their annual "best of" travel lists for 2017.

According to a recent report from the European Travel Commission, Finland is the fourth fastest growing destination in Europe of 2017.

One of its biggest markets? China, which sent a sizable number of tourists to the country this year.

Capitalizing on this trend, the Helsinki Airport tapped Chinese personality Ryan Zhu to undertake a "Truman Show" meets "The Terminal" experiment this fall, in which he lived at the airport for 30 days. The publicity stunt was aimed at promoting the hub as the fastest connection between Asia and Europe.
New Delhi: What started as a walkover now seems to be acquiring the airs of a close competition in Gujarat if you go by the changing nature of opinion polls days before the state goes to the ballot booth. Congress, to even its own surprise, seems to be gaining ground, and the famed war machine of BJP is coming unstuck, they would have you believe.

Pollsters and pundits though seem to forget one small subtext running through BJPs campaign. The understated line gets often drowned out in the cacophony of BJP campaign based on Alauddin Khilji, Hafiz Saeed, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb  apparently all genuine poll issues in 21st century Gujarat. This new line is about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and comparing his past as the state chief minister for 17 years.

Gujaratis are being offered the liberty of choosing between Modi who rode to the high seat in New Delhi based on the brand equity he cultivated as the state CM, and the Modi who has been ruling India for last three years now. The first remains to be a wildly popular figure, here, almost mythical in nature. The second evokes mixed feelings, but sundry grievances apart, the brand of PM Modi who is promising a better tomorrow, has its own takers.

And either way you choose, the BJP gets to laugh its way to the bank. Look closer, you will see this PM 2017 Vs CM 2012 narrative playing out at multiple levels. The Prime Minister it seems is BJP's only bet in the state, and the party is confident.

In Surats textile market, 47-year-old Sanjay Jagnani, originally from Rajasthan, complains about GST. However, he doesnt agree with Rahul Gandhis parody of Gabbar Singh Tax either. Jagnani said, Its a catchy phrase. But Rahul wont come to power, how will he change the GST? Jagnani said it was unfortunate that GST was stuck for 16 years during the Congress rule in New Delhi. It was stuck because of Congress, now Modi has shown courage, he said.

The textile market in Surat was shut for about 20 days to protest against the GST. Jagnani asked if GST was to promote inspector raj: What are they trying to prove by making us file three returns a month? But he was quick to add that there can be no doubt about PM Modis integrity. Modi has been in politics for 50 years. He has experience and wisdom. He is a good leader and was an effective chief minister. Just because we are raising an issue doesnt mean we are against him, he said.

When Modi visited Kutch on November 27 to launch the poll campaign, he talked about his own record as the CM and how he had changed the fortunes of Kutch, turning it into a tourist destination. Reminding the people of the past, he said, in the old days, the government officers preferred not to take up an assignment in Kutch because of the water problem.

Congress did not allow Narmada water to come to Kutch. What if the Narmada waters had come to Kutch 30 years earlier? It would have made such a big difference, he said. The BJP is confident of winning Gujarat with Modi campaigning aggressively. Nobody knows Gujarats districts and its 182 constituencies better than him, said a state BJP leader.

In Surat, Dr Pooja Singh set up Nimaaya Womens Centre for Health with her husband in 2007. During the last 10 years, the fertility clinic has ensured 7000 safe deliveries. Her husband, Dr Prabhakar Singh, remembers the horror of the pneumonic plague of 1994.

Surat was in a pathetic state. My friends who have lived here for three decades are amazed at how things have turned around in the last 20 years. Today, Surat is one of the cleanest cities in India. We believe Modi as PM can change things. It took 20 years for Gujarat to do it, he said.

American politics is replete with instances of governors who went on to become president. Jimmy Carter became US President right after Georgia governorship. Similarly, Bill Clinton won the presidential election after serving as the governor of Arkansas for four terms.

In India, HD Deve Gowda was the first former chief minister who became PM. But Modi, unlike Gowda, sold his governance model to the country in 2014 polls. On one hand, Modi 2017 is selling the dream of 2022, on the other, he is reminding people of Gujarati pride and using history as a weapon.

In Baroda Lok Sabha seat, where Modi had won with a record margin in 2014 before vacating it for Varanasi, Naznee Kanchwala said she was initially unhappy that Modi chose UP over Gujarat, but she later felt its for the larger good.

Fyona Dias, a student of Barodas prestigious MS University, said, We have seen him as a CM. We have seen him work. Why should we bother to find an alternative?

Standing next to her is Abhivyakti, a student of political science, who sees Hardik Patel as a fresh face who is trying to break BJPs hegemony. Patels rallies have been drawing massive crowds, making the BJP anxious about Patidar votes.

On Sunday, 24-year-old leader addressed about 50,000 people in Surat, asking them to teach BJP a lesson. This came after a series of roadshows across constituencies where Patels are a sizeable vote bank.

Its three-and-a-half years since Modi moved to New Delhi, but Gujarat is yet to find a new leader. For most Gujaratis, Modi is synonym of leader.

Explaining this phenomena, political analyst Neerja Chowdhury said, There is unhappiness on the ground against the BJP, but not Narendra Modi. The Congress doesnt have the organization muscle to convert this unhappiness into votes. They dont have the chehra. Even though people may want change, the obstacle in the way of change is the persona and stature of Modi.

And Modi is incomplete without Amit Shah, the man who knows the art of converting the PMs popularity into votes. Shah, who catapulted brand Modi and has a unique relationship with the PM, has been camping in Gujarat for about three months, ensuring that anti-incumbency doesnt hurt the partys prospects.

But such dependence on Modi is completely undermining the autonomy of his successors  Anandiben Patel and Vijay Rupani. This is one of the reasons why Bhikubhai and Rajesh Patel are looking for an alternate in the Congress.

BJP had removed Keshubhai Patel and made Modi the CM. After Modi, it removed Anandiben Patel and installed Vijay Rupani. BJP doesnt care for Patels, said Rajesh Patel, a farmer in Madhapar, Rajkot. Capital of Saurashtra, Rajkot has long been a bastion of Hindutva politics. In 2002, Narendra Modi contested his first election from Rajkot West.

Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, senior journalist and author of a biography on Modi, said, Modis hypnotic effect is waning and he has to recast it. He said for the first time Modi was being questioned. Gujarat 2017 is a much keener battle than 2012 or 2014, Mukhopadhyay added.

Politics is seen best through the lens of time. Modi today is reminding Gujarat of his tenure as the CM, while recounting the benefits of tough decisions such as GST and demonetisation he has taken as the PM. When we look at the past through the lens of present, the results are often surprising.
Egypt's foreign reserves increased to $36.723 billion by end of November, up from $36.703 in October, the Central Bank of Egypt announced on Monday, according to state news agency MENA.

The increase comes despite the CBE having paid $2 billion to the African Export Import Bank in November, Sub-Governor Rami Abulnaga told MENA.

The $2 billion payment is a first instalment of a $3.2 billion loan due to mature in December.

Egypt's foreign net reserves had first hit pre-2011 levels in July, reaching $36.036 billion after a $4.7 billion surge in July alone.

The reserves have been climbing since Egypt signed the $12 billion loan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in November of last year, following the decision to float the pound.

Egypt is expected receive its next IMF loan disbursal in the third week of December.
Lucknow: As the electoral battle for Gujarat heats up, the BJP intends to embarrass soon-to-be-Congress chief Rahul Gandhi by showcasing his partys civic poll loss in his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi.

BJP chief Amit Shah has instructed the partys newly elected mayors from Uttar Pradesh, including the town area and municipality chairperson of Amethi, to make a trip to Gujarat.

Confirming the move, BJP's state general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, The fact that the Congress performed badly in Uttar Pradesh, including Amethi, is proof that citizens of the country stand firmly with the BJP. Congress campaign on issues of GST and development have no takers even in Amethi.

There is a strong presence of people from Uttar Pradesh in Gujarat. Our workers there (in Gujarat) want to welcome the newly elected representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Pathak added.

Elected mayors, including the party's Amethi winner Chandrama Devi and Jayas Nagar Palika chairman Mahesh Pratap will accompany Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to Gujarat. They will campaign in the state for a few days and will also be felicitated at some public meetings, sources said.

Before heading to Gujarat, they will also meet PM Narendra Modi for tea on Tuesday evening.

The Congress has dismissed the BJPs latest election tactic as sign of the saffron partys increasing nervousness.

Our party didnt contest Amethi and Jayas seats. This is because the party didn't want to get into small-level political battles in the region. BJPs claims of the Congress losing Amethi is, therefore, a lie, said Congress MLC Deepak Singh.

The people of Amethi are with the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahulji will win by a margin of at least 4 lakh votes.
Lucknow: To strengthen party base in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections in 2019, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) is trying its best to woo the rebels who abandoned SP and contested the recently concluded municipal corporation elections as independent candidates.

Speaking to ETV, Samajwadi Party Spokesperson, Rajendra Chowdhary said, "There are several party members who have registered victory in the Uttar Pradesh civic elections as as independent candidates. The party is thinking to re-induct these leaders. There are many such candidates who have given clear indication that they want to re-join Samajwadi Party. However, the final call in this regard will be taken by our national president Akhilesh Yadav."

Samajwadi Party managed to bag only 28 municipal councillor seats in state capital Lucknow while 18 rebels, who fought as independent candidates, came with flying colours in 110 seats. If these 18 rebels somehow decide to re-join the SP, it will definitely boost the party's morale. Samajwadi Party wants to approach these candidates before the BJP or any other political party lures them.

SP wants approach the winning municipal chairman, the Nagar Panchayat president and the councillors and to convince them to join the party. Although the final verdict on these rebels is to be made by Akhilesh Yadav, the party trying its best to bring the rebels back into the party fold.

After BJP's stellar performance in the UP Municipal Elections, (which bagged 14 out of 16 Mayor posts), ex-chief minister of UP Akhilesh Yadav blamed EVMs for the debacle and demanded a thorough probe into the alleged EVM malfunctioning.

"BJP has only won 15% seats in Ballot paper areas and 46% in EVM areas," the beleaguered leader tweeted, without citing any data.
News18  Blogs  Opinion

An Open Letter to Rahul Gandhi, the Next Congress President

File photo of former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. (PTI)

Dear Rahul Gandhi,



Your party, the Indian National Congress, respects tradition. Family tradition. Your mother wants you to succeed her as party president. So you shall. You are confident no other Congress worker will contest against you. It is but a formal wait for the declaration of the result. Such is the strength of inner-party democracy.



You will be the fifth Nehru-Gandhi to step into the shoes of party president.



Your forefathers from your grandfathers side were from Kashmir  the Nehrus. Your party website tells me that they had settled in Delhi since the beginning of the 18th century. The website informs that some ancestors of yours worked for the colonial rulers.



Motilal Nehrus grandfather, Lakshmi Narayan, became the first Vakil of the East India Company at the Mughal Court of Delhi. Motilals father, Gangadhar, was a police officer in Delhi in 1857, when it was engulfed by the Mutiny.



The website recalls that when the British troops shelled their way into the town, Gangadhar fled with his wife Jeorani and four children to Agra where he died four years later. Motilal was born in 1861, three months after his fathers death.



Thereafter, the family moved to Allahabad. They took to law, their ancestral profession, so to say. But they also turned nationalists, unlike their immediate ancestors. Motilal was Congress president at two crucial junctures  in 1919 after Jallianwala Bagh and in 1928 when the country was divided over the Dominion Status olive branch of the British.



You never saw Motilal. You never saw Jawaharlal either. You, of course, saw your grandmother Indira Gandhi who was the second person from your family to become Prime Minister and party president. You were born in 1970 and may have the blurred memories of hectic activities at home when you were five years old.



You were in your teens when your father Rajiv succeeded his mother to both posts. The third from your family. After his death in 1991, none from your family presided over the fortunes of the Congress till 1998 when your mother, Sonia, became president. The fourth member.



In all, between these four members, they held the post of Congress president for 44 years. The party, founded in 1885, has a history of over 130 years. But then, statistics dont tell the real story, isnt it?



Lets leave out your great-great-grandfather, Motilal, from the rest of this meandering tale. He headed the party long before Independence. But I am including you in this, even though you are yet to be president. That makes it a happy four-some, comprising two parent-child pairs. Jawaharlal and Indira on the one hand, Rajiv and you on the other. What a twist of irony between the pairs?



In the first case, Kamala, the wife and mother, did not live long and the daughter apprenticed under the father for decades. In the second case, Sonia, the wife and mother, became your mentor after your father died quite young.



Your grandmother learnt politics and the art of governance from her father. Her mother, Kamala, was present till her untimely death in 1936, but the father-daughter bond is what is important. I am told Kamala took part in the freedom movement in her own way. But it was Indiras father who tutored her after she entered her teens. They were rarely together, with him mostly in jail or touring the country when out of it. The education was through his letters to her.



I have read a compilation of those letters written mostly in 1928. You must have read them too, I suppose. The letters shaped Indira. No exaggeration.



Take this for example: If we are to be Indias soldiers we have to respect Indias honour, and that honour is a sacred trust. It is no easy matter to decide what is right and what is not. One little test I shall ask you to apply whenever you are in doubt. Never do anything in secret or anything that you would wish to hide. For the desire to hide anything means that you are afraid, and fear is a bad thing and unworthy of you. Be brave, and all the rest follows.



In history we read of great periods in the life of nations, of great men and women. Do you remember how fascinated you were when you first read the story of Jeanne dArc, and how your ambition was to be something like her. Ordinary men and are not usually heroic. They think of their bread and butter, of their children, of their household worries and the like. But a time comes when a whole people become interested in a great cause. Then history helps even simple, ordinary men and women to become heroes.



The father had clarity of thought when it came to religion and he passed it on to his daughter: What has been this quest of man, and whither does he journey? For thousands of years men have tried to answer these questions. Religion and philosophy and science have all considered them, and given many answers. I shall not trouble you with these answers, for the sufficient reason that I do not know most of them. But, in the main, religion has attempted to give a complete and dogmatic answer, and has often cared little for the mind, but has sought to enforce obedience to its decisions in various ways.



Science gives a doubting and hesitating reply, for it is of the nature of science not to dogmatize, but to experiment and reason and rely on the mind of man. I need hardly tell you that my preferences are all for science and the methods of science.



He shunned orthodoxy and ritualism that makes religion look bad. That is what he told Indira in another letter: In the last letter I told you how the early men were afraid of everything and imagined that every misfortune was caused by angry and jealous gods. They saw these imaginary gods everywhere  in the jungle, in the mountain, in the river, in the clouds.



Their idea of god was not a find and good person but of a very irritable person who was always losing his temper. And as they were afraid of his anger they were always trying to bribe him by giving him something, chiefly food. So religion first came as fear, and anything is done because of fear is bad.



Religion, as you know, tells us many beautiful things. When you grow up you will read about the religions of the world and of the good things and the bad things that have been done in their name. It is interesting to notice here, however, how the idea of religion began. Later, we shall see how it grew. But however much it may have grown, we see even today that people fight and break each others heads in the name of religion. And for many people it is still something to be afraid of.



I will give you some more examples of what Jawaharlal wrote to Indira. They sure were mere words penned on paper, but if reflect on her actions when she grew up and became Prime Minister and party president, one can see how these letters influenced her, both positively and negatively.



On caste, he wrote: The Aryans being very proud of themselves were afraid of getting mixed up with the other inhabitants of India. So they made laws and rules to prevent this mixture, so that Aryans could not marry the others. Long afterwards this developed into the caste system, as it is called today. Now of course it has become perfectly ridiculous. Some people are afraid of touching others or eating with others. Fortunately this getting less and less now.



About hyperbole nationalism, he remarked: In every country people imagine that they are the best and the cleverest and the others are not as good as they are. The Englishman thinks that he and his country are the best; the Frenchman is very proud of France and everything French; the Germans and Italians think no end of their countries; and many Indians imagine that India is in many ways the greatest country in the world. This is all conceit. Everybody wants to think well of himself and his country. But really there is no person who has not got some good in him and some bad.



Here he shares his concern for India: We are of course most concerned with our own country, India. Unhappily it is in a bad way today and most of our people are very poor and miserable. They have no pleasure in their lives. We have to find out how we can make them happier. We have to see what is good in our ways and customs and try to keep it, and whatever is bad we have to throw away. If we find anything good in other countries we should certainly take it.



You have had a difficult childhood. You witnessed the violent deaths of your grandmother and your father. For the last 19 years, you may have been educated and guided by your mother in the ways of politics. As and when you become president, the apprenticeship will end, though not the guidance and advice.



Did you also read the letters of your great-great-grandfather? You would then have realized that the situation in India at the level of the mind-set and customs political and cultural has not changed much since he wrote about religion, nationalism and development all those decades ago. Your family members will have to partly answer why because they were at the helm of affairs for over half the 70 years India has been independent. As and when you become president the questions will be directed at you.



Take your own example. Look at what Jawaharlal wrote to your grandmother about religion. And look at you making it a point of including temple visits as part of your electioneering itinerary. Get the point?



Yours truly,

An Aam Indian
New Delhi: The Samajwadi Party has come out in support of Bahujan Samaj Partys demand that general elections in 2019 be held through secret ballot and not Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs.

The BJP has only won in those places in the urban local body polls where EVMs were used. They lost where voters exercised their franchise using secret ballots, SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said in a press conference in Delhi.

I am not questioning the Election Commission of India but there are others who are part of election procedure on the day of voting. This time again, complaints were made by contestants that people from their family voted for them but that was not counted. Votes have been transferred. Machines have been tampered, Yadav added.

Accusing the ruling party of misinterpreting the results for political gains in poll-bound Gujarat, Yadav claimed that BJP did not do well in seats being held by prominent party leaders.

BJP won 14 mayor seats out of 16 in the recently held local body polls.

But we are forgetting the results at tier 2 and tier 3 levels. The BJP performed very badly in elections of nagar panchayats and palika parishads. Both the bodies cover a vast area and the losses there say a lot about BJPs performance. Yadav said.

In the elections for the post of palika parishad president, BJP won 68 out of 198 seats. In nagar panchayat president elections, BJP won only 100 of 438 seats.

SP also accused the central government of delaying and shortening the Winter Session of the Parliament.

This was deliberately done to avoid any session during the election season. They wanted to avoid any question that would have made them uncomfortable, he said. 
New Delhi: At a time when he is set to take over as the next Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's team goofed up on Twitter by first posting erroneous data on price rise, only to delete it later.

According to news agency ANI, the soon-to-be Congress President tweeted his seventh question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi  Gandhi had promised to ask one question every day in the run up to Gujarat elections  asking him about the rising prices of essential commodities in the country.

The ANI report says, directly blaming PM Modi for the rising prices, Rahul Gandhi highlighted the sharp difference in 2014 prices and the same in 2017. The data chart provided by him said the cost of a gas cylinder was Rs 414 in 2014, while it is Rs 742 in 2017. Instead of saying that this is a 79% rise in prices, the Gandhi scion mentioned it as a 179% growth.

However, this is not the only mistake in the chart and he went on to add the prices of other items. Gandhi said the price of pulses had gone up by 177% instead of 77%, tomatoes by 285% instead of 185%, onions by 200% instead of 100% and milk by 131% instead of 31%.

Screenshot of the deleted tweet as posted by ANI. (Image: ANI)

The Congress leader had upped the already steep prices by an extra 100% for all products.

A few weeks ago, the youth wing of Congress had caused quite a lot of embarrassment apart from providing fresh ammo to the BJP with a tweet on PM Modis tea-selling background.

Congress Yuva Desh magazine, on its Twitter handle, put out a picture of PM Modi in conversation with US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May. In the picture, the PM can be seen asking them if they are aware about the various 'memes' that have been put out by the opposition against him. Theresa May is seen correcting the PM and informing him about the correct pronunciation of 'memes', and also advising him that he is better off 'selling tea'.

This tweet was also deleted but had already caused much damage to the party ahead of the Assembly elections in Modis home state, Gujarat.

Below is the corrected tweet that Rahul Gandhi posted later:
Chennai: The Election Commission on Tuesday cited 'technical' reasons for rejecting actor Vishal Krishna's nomination as an independent candidate for the December 21 RK Nagar bypoll, but later in the day, cancelling its earlier decision, allowed him to contest from the same.

Actor Vishal had a conversation with the Zonal Officers for over two hours and his nomination was finally accepted. Election Commission had earlier said that two of the ten signatures of the actor's proposers were allegedly forged.

Drama unfolded at RK Nagar where actor Vishal staged a dharna and told mediapersons: "Shouldn't youth contest elections? Ask the Election Commission why they rejected my nomination."

Vishal had initially refused to leave the dharna site but later approached the Regional Office to seek explanation.

He also released an audio clip of a conversation with one of the proposer's family, who claimed they were threatened by the OPS camp to claim the signature was forged. The conversation revealed that the family was offered money to say so. But Vishal came out and said that he will not give up.

"Truth and justice won. Election Commission has accepted my nomination. Two proposers had initially claimed their signatures were forged but after investigation, the truth was revealed and proved that the proposers had lied. I don't know who was behind this but everything has been investigated in the right way. I will contest RK Nagar bypoll and meet people. There will be hurdles like this and I am ready to face it," Vishal told reporters.

After much struggle, my nomination for the RK Nagar election is finally accepted....Truth Always Triumphs !!#JusticeServed#DemocracyPrevails Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) December 5, 2017

Earlier in the day, the EC rejected Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar's candidature as well as she had left a few columns blank in the affidavit.

Deepa Jayakumar, said the columns that were left blank were not mandatory and she left the column empty even last time. She added that EC's move is a conspiracy against her. Speaking to CNN-News18, Deepa Jayakumar said: "It is a political vendetta against me. When I went to RK Nagar to file nomination, people were emotional when they saw me. AIADMK is sure that if I contest, their votes will be split....Last time, I was threatened and the then TTV-EPS combine also said they will throw acid on my face and added that they will see to it that my nomination gets rejected."

Deepa is all set to take the legal route. "I will take it up legally tomorrow. There is no other way. EC's explanation is not the real one. I will move the court asking for my application to be reconsidered. It is very much clear who will win the elections. They are afraid of the celebrity status of Vishal and are afraid that my candidature will affect the votes the AIADMK is going to get," Deepa added.
The high-profile attendance of the leaders of Apple and Google at a Chinese conference promoting Beijings vision of a censored internet highlights the dilemma for Western tech companies trying to expand in an increasingly lucrative but restricted market. The event in Wuzhen, a historic canal town outside Shanghai, marked the first time chiefs of two of the worlds biggest tech companies have attended the annual state-run World Internet Conference.

Apple CEO Tim Cook told the gathering as the conference opened Sunday that his company was proud to work with Chinese partners to build a common future in cyberspace.His and Google CEO Sundar Pichais presence along with other business leaders, diplomats and other experts, some analysts say, helped bestow credibility on Beijings preferred version of an internet sharply at odds with Silicon Valleys dedication to unfettered access.

Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed, in remarks to the conference conveyed by an official, that Chinas door to the world will never close, but will only open wider. As in previous years, organizers allowed attendees unrestricted access to the internet, contrary to the official policy under which internet users face extensive monitoring and censorship and are blocked from accessing many overseas sites by the so-called Great Firewall of China. Since Xi came to power in late 2012, he has tightened controls and further stifled free expression, activists say.

Beijings restraints also extend to Western companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook, which have largely been shut out from the market, leaving it to homegrown internet giants like Tencent. Apple has a large production base in China, which is one of its biggest markets, though domestic smartphone makers are catching up. It has been criticized by some app developers for complying with Chinese censorship demands. In July, companies that let people get around the governments internet filters  known as virtual private network providers  said their programs had been removed from Apples app store in China. One such company, ExpressVPN, said Apple was aiding Chinas censorship effort.

Apple said that China began requiring this year that developers of virtual private networks have a government license. The California-based tech giant said it had removed apps in China that do not meet the new regulations. Two Apple spokeswomen couldnt be reached by phone for comment.The problem is that these companies are between a rock and a hard place, said Rogier Creemers, a China researcher at Leiden University who attended the conference. They covet Chinas huge market but if they do make it in, as in Apples case, local law requires things that Western observers generally are uncomfortable with, he said.

Cooks speech drew a big crowd. He said the company supports more than 5 million jobs in China, including 1.8 million software developers who have earned more than 112 billion yuan ($17 billion) building apps available through Apples App Store. Its Apples responsibility to ensure that technology is infused with humanity, he said. He avoided direct mention of any sensitive topics, though he hinted at them by stressing the need for safeguards to keep everyone protected: Privacy. Security. Decency, according to a transcript.

Google shut the Chinese version of its search engine in 2010 over censorship concerns. Pichai has talked about wanting to re-enter China, and he told a panel discussion in Wuzhen that small and mid-sized Chinese businesses use Google services to get their products to other countries, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. Spokespeople for Apple and Google declined to comment.

The tech giants may have chosen to appear at the conference because the current political climate in the United States encourages a pragmatic approach in pursuing business regardless of other concerns, said Jonathan Sullivan, director of the University of Nottinghams China Policy Institute. There has never been a time when an American company is less likely to be called out by the White House for pursuing a business-first approach, said Sullivan.

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China ranks fifth among 38 nations globally in standards of cyber governance, a top state-backed internet think tank said on Monday, calling for a 'democratic' internet governance system to eradicate inequalities it said marginalised developing nations. China has pushed strongly for a unified cyber governance regime, but other countries, business groups and firms have criticized its strict stance. Officials have sought a greater role for China in strengthening global internet governance.

China ranks after the United States, Japan, France and Estonia, the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies said in a report released at China's World Internet Conference in the eastern town of Wuzhen. "We should promote the establishment of a multinational, democratic and transparent global internet governance system," it said. For the third straight year, independent U.S. rights watchdog Freedom House ranked China last in internet freedom this year, however.

China's internet governance initiatives include strict new censorship and surveillance curbs introduced this year that target news outlets, social media and individuals on the net. The Cyberspace Administration of China says the new measures, which include the monitoring of private chat apps and censoring tools to block viewing of overseas websites, are designed to maintain social order and protect socialist values.

"(All countries) should give full play to the Internet to spread positive things like justice, kindness, liveliness and goodness in cyberspace," the report said, without elaborating. China adopted a new cybersecurity measure this year requiring foreign firms to store data in the country and submit to surveillance checks. Business groups say the law is harsher than comparable policies in Europe and the United States.

The report also ranks China as second in global internet development and innovation behind the United States and 23rd in cybersecurity, and gives insight into how China sees its internet development.

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Vienna: Same-sex couples will be allowed to marry in Austria from 2019, the country's supreme court ruled on Tuesday and said a law to the contrary violated the principle of non-discrimination.

The move brings Austria into line with many other European nations including Germany, France, Britain and Spain.

It also comes at a time when stories of sexual harassment under the #MeToo hashtag have flooded social media, sparking a rethink of attitudes towards sexual discrimination.

"Today is a truly historic day," said lawyer Helmut Graupner, who represented the two female plaintiffs in court.

"Austria is the first European country to recognize marriage equality for same-gender couples as a fundamental human right. All the other European states with marriage equality introduced it (just) the political way," he said in a Facebook post.

Austria's constitutional court examined a 2009 law that allows registered partnerships for same-sex couples but prevents them from getting married. It acted at the request of two women who were rejected by two lower authorities.

The distinction between marriage and registered partnership can no longer be upheld without discriminating against same-sex couples, the court said in a statement.

"The resulting discriminatory effect is seen in the fact that ... people living in same-sex partnerships have to disclose their sexual orientation even in situations, in which it is not and must not be relevant, and ... are highly likely to be discriminated against," the court said in its ruling.

The conservative People's Party (OVP), who's leader Sebastian Kurz is expected to be sworn in as chancellor next month, said it will accept the ruling.

The far-right Freedom Party (FPO), Kurz's chosen government coalition partner criticized the ruling.

"Now there is equal treatment for something that's not equal," said Herbert Kickl, FPO General Secretary, in a statement. A marriage between women and men needs protection as only these partnerships can create children, he said.

The OVP and the FPO voted against same-sex marriage in parliament a few months ago.

The court decision comes days after French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a plan to curb violence against women and weeks after Scotland apologised to gay men for historical convictions.

The Homosexual Initiative Vienna (HOSI) welcomed the court's decision. "We are very happy," said HOSI chairman Christian Hoegl. "We want to use the opportunity for a renewed call for a fundamental reform of marriage."

Same-sex marriage is legal in 25 countries. Australia aims to pass a law to this effect early next month after 62 percent of voters favoured marriage equality in a national survey.

In Germany, women and men are allowed to wed to a same sex partner since October. The first country to legalise same-sex marriage was the Netherlands in 2001.
Ankara: The status of Jerusalem is a "red line" for Muslims and could even prompt Turkey to cut ties with Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump mulled whether to recognise the city as the Israeli capital.

Erdogan said Turkey, which currently holds the chairmanship of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), would immediately call a summit meeting of the pan-Islamic group if Trump went ahead with the move.

"Mr Trump! Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims," Erdogan said in a raucous televised speech to his ruling party that was greeted with chants and applause.

Erdogan said that if such a move was made to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, he would summon a summit of the OIC in Istanbul within five to 10 days "and we would set the entire Islamic world in motion".

As for Turkey, Erdogan said Ankara would "follow this struggle to the very last moment with determination and we could even go right up to cutting our diplomatic relations with Israel."

Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel's deadly storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties.

The two sides have since stepped up cooperation in particular in energy but Erdogan, who regards himself a champion of the Palestinian cause, is still often bitterly critical of Israeli policy.

The United States is a strong supporter of a strong relationship between Turkey, the key Muslim member of NATO, and Israel, which is Washington's main ally in the Middle East.

Erdogan's comments came after the White House said Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv, after a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and private phonecalls between world leaders.
Actual production would begin in the third week of December, El Molla told Reuters.

BP decided in November 2015 to fast-track the development of Atoll, estimated to contain 1.5 trillion cubic feet of gas and 31 million barrels of condensates.

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Baghdad: Iraqi federal and Kurdish regional judiciaries are violating the rights of Islamic State suspects with flawed trials, arbitrary detentions under harsh conditions, and broad prosecutions, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

As the Sunni militant group's self-proclaimed caliphate crumbles following defeats in Iraq and Syria, thousands suspected of joining it have been captured, detained, and put on trial.

At least 200 have been sentenced, Human Rights Watch said, and at least 92 executed.

Iraq's government faces the task of exacting justice on Islamic State members while preventing revenge attacks on people associated with the group which could only undermine efforts to create long-term stability.

The New York-based rights group said that an 80-page report it released early on Tuesday "finds serious legal shortcomings that undermine efforts to bring (Islamic State) fighters, members, and affiliates to justice."

A spokesman for Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, which supervises the federal judiciary, declined to comment on the contents of the report ahead of its release.

Issues highlighted by the HRW report:

- It is too easy to accuse someone of belonging to Islamic State and have them detained. Wanted lists or community accusations without evidence can result in the detention of suspects for months even if wrongly accused.

- Detention centres are overcrowded and authorities fail to separate children from adult detainees. Iraqi law states detainees should be brought to a judge within 24 hours of capture but this does not happen.

- Detainees are often subject to torture, not granted access to lawyers, and their families are not informed of their whereabouts. Iraqi authorities say they have investigated these allegations but have not released any findings.

- The reliance of Iraqi and Kurdish courts on counter terrorism laws to prosecute suspects rather than using other laws in the criminal code means crimes are not prioritised by seriousness and victims are not included in the process as suspects are not tried for individual acts of murder, rape, torture or slavery.

- Proving guilt under counter-terrorism laws is easier as a judge only needs proof that a defendant was a member of Islamic State to find them guilty. This means that anyone from cooks and doctors serving under the group to actual fighters is subject to the same sentences which range from life in prison to death.

This stretches Iraq's resources thin as casting such a wide net means the courts would not have enough time or manpower to go through all cases, the report says, and prevents victims from getting personal justice.

HRW said that when it raised concerns over prosecutors not charging suspects with crimes under the criminal code, judicial authorities said there was no need.

"Genocide and terrorism are the same crime, why would we need a separate charge for genocide?" the report quoted one counter-terrorism judge as saying.
Washington: Little evidence against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed compelled the courts to set him free, Pakistan's top diplomat in Washington said on Tuesday, days after the US demanded the immediate re-arrest and prosecution of the Mumbai terror attack mastermind.

Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry was referring to the evidence provided by India against Saeed.

The JuD chief, who carries a bounty of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, walked free on November 24 after the Pakistan government decided against detaining him further in any other case. He was under detention since January this year.

With "that kind of little evidence, it has been very difficult for the courts in Pakistan to keep him behind bars," Chaudhry told a Washington audience.

"What the government did was using some of these other laws like maintenance of public order, and others to keep him behind bars. But the courts are free in Pakistan. They rule regardless of what the government does or does not. They do it in the best interests of justice and therefore they set him free," Chaudhry said in his remarks at the Carnegie Endowment for International Relations.

He was responding to a question on the White House's statement on November 25 in which the US strongly condemned the release of Saeed from house arrest in Pakistan.

Chaudhry said that Pakistan was following the UN Security Council resolution on the matter.

Under the UNSC designation, he said Saeed would not carry arms, raise funds and ravel internationally.

"We have been implementing that regime because Hafiz Saeed was on that list and faithfully," he said.

Chaudhry said the situation in South Asia was not good.

"India and China have an uneasy peace. India and Pakistan are not talking. Afghanistan remains not in a good shape and the security situation has deteriorated by all accounts," he said.

Responding to a question on Indias role in Afghanistan, the Pakistani diplomat said that Islamabad has objections to the use of Afghan soil to create instability in Pakistan.

"We believe that India if it is participating in the development activities of Afghanistan of course fine. But it does not have a military or political role in Afghanistan," he said.

India, he alleged, has "very little interest" in stabilising Afghanistan.
Kathmandu: Nepal's prime minister is confident his party will win a general election being held this month -- because his astrologer told him.

In deeply superstitious Nepal, astrologers hold enormous sway in political circles and the seers have been busy ahead of a general election that could herald change after more than two decades of turbulence in the Himalayan nation.

Leaders regularly consult the stars for guidance on a range of matters from the most auspicious moment to hold elections to the challenge posed by a rival, anything that might give them an edge in this hotly-contested poll.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has been in regular contact with his fortune teller ahead of the historic vote, the final step of a drawn-out peace process which began in 2006 with the close end of bloody civil war.

Deuba was told he would be prime minister seven times -- he is currently on his fourth term -- and boldly claimed his party would win in response to taunts from opposition leader K.P. Oli.

But Deuba's Nepali Congress faces a tough challenge in the polls from Oli's Communist CNP-UML party, which has formed an alliance with the main Maoist party that will be tough to beat.

Deuba's astrologer, Angiras Neupane, said that according to Deuba's birth chart -- calculated on the date, time and location of his birth -- he would serve at least one more term in top office.

But he told AFP that it wouldn't necessarily be the next one.

He predicted that Oli would in fact be the next prime minister but that his coalition would quickly crumble, allowing Deuba to retake the reins.

"There will be instability in the country yet again," Neupane told AFP at his home in a village on the edge of Kathmandu.

That is hardly welcome news in Nepal, which has endured a tumultuous transition from monarchy to democracy.

In the last 27 years, Nepal has had 26 prime ministers, suffered a brutal Maoist insurgency and ousted an unpopular monarchy. There was also a devastating earthquake in 2015.

Political Idol

It is not only in Nepal where politicians are gripped by seers.

In Sri Lanka, former president Mahinda Rajapakse lavished his astrologer with a house, limousine and chauffeur -- until he counselled the strongman to hold the snap election that ended his decade-long hold on power.

Nepal's Deuba has a reputation for being particularly superstitious -- even delaying his move into the prime minister's house at the start of his latest term in June on the advice of his seer.

But politicians from all sides consult the stars.

"It is not mandatory for politicians to visit fortune tellers, but every politician does because they want luck to be on their side for every step that they make in their career," said Raghu Karki, a member of the NC's student wing.

"Even the Marxist politicians believe in astrology."

Other politicians contacted by AFP were reluctant to discuss their luck however.

"All kinds of people visit fortune tellers. Common as well as high profile people visit and take my advice. But they don't want to disclose they've visited an astrologer for fear of being thought of as weak," said fortune teller Ojraj Lohani, who used to advise Deuba.

Lohani also said Deuba's astrological chart indicated he would be prime minister once more.

The answers to Nepal's political future could also lie with a stone idol in remote Dolakha district, 135 kilometres (85 miles) east of Kathmandu.

A statue of Lord Shiva at the small Bhimeshwor Temple is said to sweat when political change is imminent -- and it began to perspire in late September.

"We took this as an indicator of the Left Alliance," said Birajman Shrestha, chairman of the ward where the statue is located, referring to the much-fancied pact between the two communist parties.

The idol has reportedly predicted various upheavals including the end of the rule of the royal Rana dynasty in 1951, a 2001 royal massacre when the crown price killed the king and eight other members of his family in a drunken shooting spree, and the overthrow of the monarchy in 2008.
Islamabad: Former Pakistan military ruler Pervez Musharraf said he was open to forming a political alliance with Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's JuD and the LeT for the general election in 2018, calling them NGOs working for the welfare of the country.

Musharraf's remarks came days after he declared himself the "biggest supporter" of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

"So far, there has be no talks with them but if they want to be part of the alliance, I would welcome them," Musharraf, currently living in self-exile in Dubai, told Aaj News while responding to a question about forming an alliance with Jammat-ud-Dawah chief Saeed.

The 74-year-old former military ruler had last month announced the formation of a grand political alliance after a consultative meeting between representatives of around two dozen political parties.

However, several parties dissociated themselves from Musharrafs Awami Ittehad alliance.

"No one has made as many sacrifices in Kashmir as the LeT, yet the international community called its activities terrorism, but ignored the political situation in Kashmir," he said.

"No matter what other people say, what is happening in Kashmir should not be termed as terrorism. At least we should not call it that. These organisations are NGOs working for the welfare of Pakistan. These are not in favour of Taliban and Al Qaeda, why are we branding them as 'terror groups'?"

India wants to blacklist them as they are dong good work in Kashmir, he said.

Saeed last week unveiled his political ambitions by formally announcing that his JuD will contest the general elections in Pakistan in 2018 under the banner of the Milli Muslim League, which is yet to be registered with the Election Commission.

The banned JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which carried out the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people were killed.

The JuD chief, who carries a bounty of $ 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, walked free on November 24 after the Pakistan government decided against detaining him further in any other case. He was under detention since January this year.

India had expressed outrage over Pakistan's decision to release Saeed, calling it an attempt by Islamabad to mainstream proscribed terrorists and a reflection of its continuing support to non-state actors.

The JuD was declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.
Madrid: Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday withdrew an international arrest warrant for Catalonia's former leader, in self-imposed exile in Belgium after an illegal independence referendum, in a move to bring his case back solely into Spanish jurisdiction.

Carles Puigdemont and four of his cabinet members went to Belgium when Madrid imposed direct rule on the wealthy northeastern region after an October 27 declaration of independence by his local government.

The decision to withdraw the warrant leaves Puigdemont without an international legal stage on which to pursue his independence campaign. He is likely to be detained if he returns to Spain, pending investigation on charges of sedition, rebellion, misuse of public funds, disobedience and breach of trust.

The battle between Madrid and Catalan secessionists has hurt the Spanish economy and prompted thousands of companies to shift their legal headquarters outside of Catalonia, which accounts for a fifth of Spain's economy.

On Tuesday, campaigning began for the December 21 Catalan regional election that Madrid called in an attempt to resolve the crisis by installing an administration in favour of Spanish unity.

PROXY VOTE

However, pro-independence parties view the election as a proxy vote on a split from Spain. Polls show both sides neck and neck on a high turnout.

A Spanish court issued the international arrest warrant for Puigdemont on Nov. 3.

On Monday, a Spanish court declared it would keep Puigdemont's former vice president Oriol Junqueras in custody in Madrid while he is investigated for his role in preparing the independence referendum.

Removing the international warrant takes Belgium's legal system out of Puigdemont's case. There could have been months of legal wrangling if appeals against his extradition were moved through the Belgian courts.

Investigating magistrate Pablo Llarena of the Supreme Court said it was important that just one legal entity oversaw proceedings against the former independence leaders to ensure they get equal treatment.

The Belgian prosecutor said authorities were analysing the development but could not comment further at this stage.

Puigdemont's lawyer Paul Bekaert said legal proceedings in Belgium were now over. Puigdemont would be arrested if he went to Spain, he said.

Puigdemont's party, Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Spanish court said Puigdemont and his cabinet members had shown a willingness to return from Belgium to Spain to take part in the election.

Puigdemont gave a televised address from Belgium at a campaign rally on Monday, telling the central government in Madrid that his party would win the election.

"I'm very sorry I can't be with you now," he said to cheers from members of his pro-independence Junts per Catalunya party, which organised the rally.
Brussels: European Union finance ministers adopted a blacklist of 17 jurisdictions deemed as tax havens on Tuesday, in an unprecedented step to counter worldwide tax avoidance, although they did not agree on financial levies for the listed countries.

To discourage the use of shell structures abroad - which in many cases are legal but may hide illicit activities - the EU in February began screening 92 jurisdictions seen as possible tax havens. The move came in the wake of numerous disclosures of offshore tax avoidance schemes used by companies and wealthy individuals.

EU finance ministers approved a common blacklist on Tuesday made up of American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, South Korea, Macau, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates.

"This list represents substantial progress. Its very existence is an important step forward. But because it is the first EU list, it remains an insufficient response to the scale of tax evasion worldwide," EU tax commissioner Pierre Moscovici said after the meeting.

A second public "grey" list, or "watchlist", of 47 jurisdictions that have committed to changing their tax rules to abide by EU standards on transparency and cooperation was also adopted. It includes Switzerland, Turkey and Hong Kong.

Morocco and Cape Verde were moved from the blacklist to the watchlist at a late hour after making last-minute commitments to tax reforms, officials said.

The lists will be updated regularly.

Blacklisted countries may no longer be used by EU institutions for international financial operations, and transactions involving them could be subject to closer scrutiny.

These penalties may have little effect in persuading the wealthiest tax havens to change course, however.

"Stronger countermeasures would have been preferable," EU Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis told a news conference after the meeting. Some states, like Luxembourg and Malta, opposed stricter sanctions, officials said.

The ministers ruled out imposing a withholding tax on transactions to tax havens as well as other financial sanctions.

Britain had shown reticence over the process, EU officials said. No British overseas territories such as the Cayman Islands or Bermuda, nor the Channel Islands were put on the blacklist, in what was seen as a diplomatic victory for London. They were put on the grey list instead.

Bermuda was at the centre of the most recent large disclosure of offshore financial documents, the Paradise Papers.

Eight Caribbean islands recently hit by hurricanes, including Anguilla and the Bahamas, were given until March to comply with EU standards before a decision is made on their listing.

EU states have not been screened and will not be on the list. The commission said none of the 28 members of the bloc can be classified as a tax haven, as all have agreed to respect EU tax standards.

But anti-poverty and fair tax groups said that if screened against EU criteria, countries like Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Ireland would all be on the EU list.

"The list cannot just comprise third countries but must also contain EU jurisdictions," the German conservative vice-chair of the European Parliament's economic affairs committee, Markus Ferber, said in a statement on Tuesday.

TECH FIRMS, US REFORM

EU ministers also adopted a common position on taxation of tech corporations like Amazon or Facebook, which have been accused of paying too little tax in the EU. Such firms reroute the booking of their profits to low-tax nations where they have headquarters, like Luxembourg and Ireland.

The common text, watered down after pressure from some countries, calls for considering a new corporate taxation system based on the "virtual" presence of a firm in a country. The system would allow for the taxation of online business where the companies have activities and not only where they are headquartered.

The commission is expected to present proposals in the coming months, which could include "temporary measures" like targeted taxes on transactions carried out by digital firms.

Temporary levies could be adopted before a global deal on taxing the digital economy. The EU would prefer tax reforms were coordinated with international partners.

The ministers also agreed on new rules forcing online shopping firms such as Amazon, Google and Alibaba to collect the value-added tax (VAT) on sales on their platforms, to counter possible tax fraud by firms using such platforms.

At the meeting, finance ministers also assessed the impact of reform in the United States that will slash corporate tax from 35 percent to 20 percent.

Ministers planned to discuss "whether all provisions are in line with WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules," the commission's vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters.

The topic was added to the meeting's agenda after the U.S. Senate approved the tax reform on Saturday.

Dombrovskis said EU ministers wanted to look into the "potential effect on trade" of the planned overhaul, echoing concerns raised on Monday by EU officials.
Islamabad: US Defence Secretary James Mattis has asked Pakistan to "redouble" efforts to confront militants operating from its soil as he met the country's top leadership amid Washington's concerns that Islamabad was not doing enough to dismantle terror safe havens.

Mattis held a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi after arriving on his maiden tour to Pakistan to explore ways to effectively eliminate the threat of militancy, days after 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed was released from house arrest.

The US Embassy in Islamabad said in a statement that Mattis told Abbasi to "redouble" efforts to tackle militants operating from Pakistan's territory.

"The secretary reiterated that Pakistan must redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country," Pentagon chief spokesperson Dana W White said after Mattis concluded his inaugural trip to Pakistan.

Mattis also met Minister of Defence Khurram Dastigir Khan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar.

"Mattis recognised Pakistan's sacrifices in the war against terrorism," White said, adding that Mattis emphasised the vital role that Pakistan can play in working with the US and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan that brings stability and security to the region.

Abbasi said Pakistan, in its national interest, would continue to conduct intelligence-based operations all over the country to consolidate the gains achieved in the last four years.

"The prime minister reiterated that there are no safe havens in Pakistan and the entire nation was committed to its resolve on eradicating terrorism once and for all in all its forms and manifestations," according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office in Islamabad.

Abbasi said no other country benefits more from peace and stability in Afghanistan than Pakistan.

He agreed with Mattis that both Pakistan and the US have common stakes in securing peace and security in Afghanistan for the long term stability of the broader region.

He also appreciated the US resolve not to allow the use of Afghan soil against Pakistan.

Recalling the longstanding relationship with the US, he underlined the need for a broad-based engagement to strengthen partnership and enhance cooperation between the two countries. Mattis stated that the "purpose of his visit was to find common grounds in order to create a positive, consistent and long-term relationship with Pakistan," the statement said.

He underscored the importance of continuing and deepening cooperation for the common objective of eliminating terrorism from the region.

Relations between the US and Pakistan plummeted after President Donald Trump announced his new Afghan policy in August and directly blamed Islamabad for supporting the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

"We have heard from Pakistani leaders that they do not support terrorism. So I expect to see that sort of action reflected in their policies," Mattis said ahead of his trip.

CIA director Mike Pompeo had said Pakistan's policy of using terrorists as leverage against India and Afghanistan has not changed.

"Not yet," he said when asked to comment on the issue even as he warned Islamabad that the US will do "everything it can" to ensure that terror safe havens no longer exist in the country.

Pompeo told the Reagan National Defence Forum in California over the weekend that this is the message that Mattis was tasked to deliver to the Pakistani leadership.

The visit of Mattis comes about a week after the White House asked Pakistan to immediately arrest and charge 26/11 mastermind Saeed, in the absence of which it warned Islamabad of repercussions.

JuD chief Saeed, who has an American bounty of $10 million on his head, walked free on November 24 after a court ordered an end to his 10-month detention.

Mattis said he needs to talk to leaders in Pakistan and gain their understanding.

"The first thing I'm going to do is do some listening, like I always do. My goal is to find common ground. I need to go, to sit down and listen to them, start there, start by listening," he said earlier, on his way to Pakistan.

Mattis is the first top American official to visit Pakistan after completion of the first 100 days of the US' new South Asia strategy unveiled by Trump on August 21.
Washington: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to President Donald Trump by allowing his latest travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries to go into full effect even as legal challenges continue in lower courts.

The nine-member court, with two liberal justices dissenting, granted his administration's request to lift two injunctions imposed by lower courts that had partially blocked the ban, which is the third version of a contentious policy that Trump first sought to implement a week after taking office in January.

The high court's action means that the ban will now go fully into effect for people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen seeking to enter the United States. The Republican president has said the travel ban is needed to protect the United States from terrorism by Islamic militants.

In a statement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the Supreme Court's action "a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people." Sessions said the Trump administration was heartened that a clear majority of the justices "allowed the president's lawful proclamation protecting our country's national security to go into full effect."

The ban was challenged in separate lawsuits by the state of Hawaii and the American Civil Liberties Union. Both sets of challengers said the latest ban, like the earlier ones, discriminates against Muslims in violation of the U.S. Constitution and is not permissible under immigration laws.

Trump had promised as a candidate to impose "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." Last week he shared on Twitter anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right British party leader.

"President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret - he has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter," ACLU lawyer Omar Jadwat said.

"It's unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones," Jadwat added.

Lower courts had previously limited the scope of the ban to people without either certain family connections to the United States or formal relationships with U.S.-based entities such as universities and resettlement agencies.

Trump's ban also covers people from North Korea and certain government officials from Venezuela, but the lower courts had already allowed those provisions to go into effect.

The high court said in two similar one-page orders that lower court rulings that partly blocked the latest ban should be put on hold while federal appeals courts in San Francisco and Richmond, Virginia weigh the cases. Both courts are due to hear arguments in those cases this week.

The Supreme Court said the ban will remain in effect regardless of what the appeals courts rule, at least until the justices ultimately decide whether to take up the issue on the merits, which they are highly likely to do. The court's order said the appeals courts should decide the cases "with appropriate dispatch."

"We agree a speedy resolution is needed for the sake of our universities, our businesses and most of all, for people marginalized by this unlawful order," Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the administration's request.

STRONG SIGNAL

Monday's action sent a strong signal that the court is likely to uphold the ban on the merits when the case likely returns to the justices in the coming months.

There are some exceptions to the ban. Certain people from each targeted country can still apply for a visa for tourism, business or education purposes, and any applicant can ask for an individual waiver.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments on the merits of Hawaii's challenge on Wednesday in Seattle. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will arguments on the merits of case spearheaded by the ACLU on Friday in Richmond.

Trump issued his first travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries in January, then issued a revised one in March after the first was blocked by federal courts. The second one expired in September after a long court fight and was replaced with the present version.

The Trump administration said the president put the latest restrictions in place after a worldwide review of the ability of each country in the world to issue reliable passports and share data with the United States.

The administration argues that a president has broad authority to decide who can come into the United States, but detractors say the expanded ban violates a law forbidding the government from discriminating based on nationality when issuing immigrant visas.

The administration has said the ban is not discriminatory and pointed out that many Muslim-majority countries are unaffected by it.
A policeman tries to escape from protesters as members of the Greek Communist labour union try to enter the Greek labour ministry during a demonstration against the governments decision to amend the law on strikes, in Athens. (Image: AFP)
The Campbell County Planning Commission delayed making a decision on special use permits for two different solar energy projects proposed in the locality after a wide-ranging discussion Monday.

After hearing presentations by representatives from Asheville, North Carolina-based Cyprus Creek Renewables and Charlottesville-based Coronal Energy for two separate projects, all of the members of the planning commission wanted to gather more information about other solar farms in Virginia, what specific infrastructure will be installed and how the construction of the proposed solar farms may affect property values before making a decision at its Jan. 22 meeting.

Campbell currently has no existing solar farms.

Cyprus Creek Renewables is proposing to construct a 15-megawatt solar farm on 260 acres of property off of Lynbrook Road, which would provide enough power for approximately 5,400 single-family homes, according to the meeting agenda packet. The company currently is seeking to sign a contract with Appalachian Power to sell the electricity generated from the solar farm to the grid, but it has not been finalized yet.

After hearing a presentation from Cyprus Creek Renewables Zoning Manager Parker Sloan, commissioners peppered him with questions about a variety of topics including the specific logistics of how the electricity would connect to the grid, maintenance of the site and the economic impact.

The commissioners expressed concern Appalachian Power had not yet finalized the agreement, holding up most of the details about the project. In response, Sloan said this situation where localities are voting on whether or not to grant a special use permit without the study being completed is not uncommon.

The stage that were in is very common, and this is standard procedure in every utility market to come before boards like this, Sloan said. Once we go through that study, which we expect to get in the spring, if the cost of the interconnection is not financeable, then the project wouldnt be able to move forward.

Sloan said projects have been halted before due to study results, but he said Cyprus Creek is optimistic about the project being approved.

Under current state law, solar farms generating less than 20 megawatts of electricity are exempt from property taxes. Despite the fact the solar farm itself is not taxable, the county still can tax the land it sits on, according to Community Development Director Paul Harvey.

The county is not going to lose the value of the land, Harvey told the commission. We dont gain much, but we wont lose either.

The property where the solar farm is being proposed is owned by Del. Matt Fariss, R-Rustburg, who informed the commission at Mondays meeting the land proposed for the solar farm currently is being used to raise cattle, which means he is eligible for a tax break on the land. By changing the land use from agricultural to the solar farm, it would be taxed at its full value.

He told the commission he sought out Cyprus Creek Renewables to develop the site.

Twenty-five years from now, my family will still have the land and be able to enjoy the rest of this farm, Fariss said. They can make their mind up then what they want to do with it if Im not around.

The second company, Coronal Energy, is requesting a special use permit to build a 15-megawatt solar farm on 105 acres of land off of Depot Road in Rustburg.

Despite the fact Coronal Energy already has finalized a power purchase agreement with Appalachian Power for 20 years and had much more specific plans available for the project, commissioners wanted to spend more time studying details of the project before approving it.

The commissioners also discussed the possibility of putting requirements in the special use permit that the solar companies remove the solar arrays from the properties if the companies go out of business. Both West and Sloan said company removal of the solar equipment is in the lease agreement with property owners.

This is not going away, Commissioner K. William Kirk said. I dont know if the market can ever become saturated with renewable energy, so I dont think it will go away. Whatever we do and whatever decision is made by this body will set the table for however many years to come for solar farms in our county. Any information we can get will help.

Benny Arthur, who owns the property Coronal Energy plans to build on, spoke in favor of the Coronal Energy project, saying he was impressed with the companys experience developing similar projects.

My family has farmed on this land for generations, Arthur said. I can tell you from picking up rock on this land and thousands of bales of hay theres plenty of solar energy beating down on this land. We started getting inquiries [from solar companies] as early as 2014 because of the proximity to the substation and the way the land lays. We started weeding through all of these companies that were making proposals to us, and we chose this company because they were local out of Charlottesville and their expertise and because they came and worked with us.

Two other residents also commented during the public hearing about the Coronal Energy project, but in strong opposition. Both Ernest Clark and Mike Anderson spoke out against the project because of its effect on the rural landscape of Campbell County.

This destroys our quality of life and our property value, Anderson said. I dont want my three children to grow up around this. Theres nothing you can do to make this not just a hideous, ugly eyesore.

After the commission makes a recommendation next month on whether or not the special use permits should be approved, it will go before the board of supervisors.
The World Bank Group said its executive board approved on Tuesday a $1.15 billion development policy loan for Egypt to support the country's economic reform programs.

The loan is the last in a series of three annual loans totaling $3.15 billion issued from 2015 to 2017, the World Bank said in a statement.

The $1.15 billion loan, which supports Egyptian economic reforms aimed at creating jobs, ensuring energy security, strengthening public finances and enhancing business competitiveness, includes financing contributions of $500 million from the World Bank Group, $500 million from the African Development Bank and $150 million from Britain.

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Advocate Ray Hemington Goba was yesterday sworn in as the countrys substantive head of prosecutions after a tumultuous month, which saw his appointment hang in the balance. Last month, former President Cde Robert Mugabe tried to rescind his appointment.



The Judicial Service Commission, acting on directives from the ex-President, had re-advertised the post. However, last month, the High Court ruled that the rescission was unconstitutional. The ruling culminated in his appointment and subsequent swearing in as Prosecutor-General. In an interview yesterday, Adv Goba said since he was acting PG for some time, he will simply be continuing from where he left off.



I feel honoured and I promise to deliver to expectation. I took the same oath of office last year as acting PG and this one is more of a reminder of the same oath. I have been bound by the same oath since last year and I will continue being bound by the oath. Today, I have been reminded of the responsibilities which I have to carry on my shoulder, said Adv Goba.





Adv Goba attended St Augustines High School from 1973 to 1978 before studying for a Bachelor of Law at the University of Zimbabwe. He also holds a postgraduate degree in Law and Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, a certificate in criminal prosecutions from the United Kingdom, among other qualifications.





He served as a prosecutor for years and rose through the ranks to the position of director of public prosecution. Adv Goba also served as deputy Prosecutor-General for Namibia for over a decade. He practiced as an Advocate in Zimbabwe before being appointed acting PG on July 7, 2016.

Adv Goba replaced former PG Mr Johannes Tomana, who was fired for incompetence and misconduct. A disciplinary tribunal chaired by Retired High Court judge Justice Moses Chinhengo found him guilty of a host of charges and recommended his removal from office. herald
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Cornell University students have long wandered through a nearly 200-year-old tunnel that one nature official describes as "one of the most dangerous places in the entire Finger Lakes region," mainly to get to a popular (but illegal) swimming hole. Now, after two student drownings in seven years, the fight is on to close off the entrance to Ezra's Tunnel with a steel gate, preventing curiosity seekers from entering the dangerous Fall Creek Gorge and the swimming hangout at the bottom of Ithaca's Forest Falls, the New York Times reports. The City Council is set to vote Wednesday on the gate, and it's a proposal backed by local police and fire officials, who've made at least five rescues from the gorge over the past couple of summers. The Cornell Daily Sun says a deal has been struck that would have Cornell pay for the gate, with the City of Ithaca retaining "sole ownership" of it.

Not only are officials worried about drownings, they fear chunks of ceiling may fall as people pass through. Still, per the Daily Sun, hundreds have signed a petition against the gate, with many saying the city's gorges are what makes Ithaca Ithaca, and that if the tunnel entrance is blocked, students will find more dangerous ways into the gorge. Their suggestion: Implement warning signage, a guide to the area, and seasonal restrictions based on water levels. But the mom of a 17-year-old who died there this summer says she wants to ensure no other family suffers tragedy. Even Ithaca's mayor, who says he's conflicted on the gate, concedes the perils. "Unfettered access to the natural world is one of the perks of living in Ithaca," says Svante Myrick. "But this is an attractive nuisancea danger that is too cleverly disguised." (A college student's spelunking trip almost ended in disaster.)
"The President Stole Your Land," outdoor apparel firm Patagonia declared in a message on its website Monday, hours after President Trump confirmed the shrinking of two national monuments in Utah by around 2 million acres. Patagonia says it plans to sue the Trump administration to halt what it says is an "illegal move" that will cause the "largest elimination of protected land in American history," Fortune reports. Patagonia is joining environmental and Native American groups challenging Trump's shrinking of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, which he called the result of "overreach" by the Obama and Clinton administrations. The two massive monuments will be downsized into five smaller ones, with the protected Bears Ears land shrunk by 85%.

"Americans have overwhelmingly spoken out against the Trump administration's unprecedented attempt to shut down our national monuments," Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario said in a statement to Ad Age. "We've fought to protect these places since we were founded and now we'll continue that fight in the courts." Legal challenges to the move will focus on whether the president has the right to reverse his predecessors' creations under the Antiquities Act. Hours after Trump signed the proclamations in Salt Lake City, the Navajo, Ute, Ute Mountain, Hopi, Zuni, and Pueblo tribes filed what they said was a historic federal lawsuit against Trump's "slap in the face," KUTV reports. (A Utah state lawmaker described opponents as "bunny lovers" and "rock lickers.")
Authorities in Germany are trying to find a wild boar that turned the tables on a hunter Sunday, fatally injuring the man after he fired a shot and followed it into a reed bank. Witnesses say the male boar apparently surprised the man as he searched for it, Deutsche Welle reports. The 50-year-old hunter, who was part of a larger hunting party but followed the boar alone, suffered serious injuries to his left thigh and fell into water, authorities say. The man, who lost a lot of blood after the attack, died in a hospital in the town of Greifswald, around 120 miles north of Berlin. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined.

The hunter fired a shot before following the boar into the reeds, but it's not clear whether the animal was injured. The regional hunting association described the death as a "tragic accident" and said it was the first of its kind in the area in decades, NDR reports. The group said boar hunters should wear protective trousers and put protective vests on their dogs. German hunters kill at least 500,000 wild boar every year, but numbers are still rising and authorities have called for more hunting to prevent the spread of swine fever from further east in Europe. (A charging deer killed a French hunter last month.)
Two Utah girls have been found safe nearly three months after they were allegedly kidnapped by their father, who family members feared had betrothed them to a polygamist sect leader. John Coltharp, said to be 33 or 34, was arrested in Sanpete County Friday on suspicion of kidnapping and obstruction of justice, but his daughters, ages 4 and 8, and two sons, ages 6 and 7, remained missing until Monday, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. That's when police raided a compound used by the Knights of the Crystal Blade, a polygamist sect Coltharp founded with Samuel Warren Shaffer after he was excommunicated from the Mormon Church, Coltharp's ex-wife says, per the New York Daily News. She has custody of the kids. Coltharp's sons were removed from the compound while police arrested Shaffer, 34, who told authorities where they could find Coltharp's daughters, along with his own two.

The Iron County Sheriff's Office says the girls were found "dehydrated and cold," per the Spectrum. Two were in a locked trailer about 5 miles from the compound, while two others were hiding in nearby water barrels, authorities say, adding the girls might not have survived the cool night, per CBS News. Coltharp is alleged to have taken his children from their Spring City home in September. His ex-wife was granted custody on Nov. 27, but the search for them intensified when Coltharp was arrested and refused to reveal their location. An attorney for Coltharp's ex-wife says Coltharp previously stated he "would rather see the kids dead than with the police." A relative adds family members feared Coltharp was planning marriages for his daughters as he "said to all of [his] siblings in the past that girls are meant to get married at the age of 12," per the Tribune. (Read more Utah stories.)
As far as Dustin Hoffman is concerned, allegations about him sexually harassing a teen assistant on a movie set in the mid-'80s are a whole lot of nothingbut John Oliver made it into something Monday night. Oliver, host of HBO's Last Week Tonight, was moderating a 20th-anniversary screening of Hoffman's movie Wag the Dog in New York City. The panelwhich included those two, plus director Barry Levinson, producer Jane Rosenthal, and Robert De Nirostuck to what Deadline labels "typical Q&A material" and industry talk for the first half of the 45-minute discussion. But then Oliver noted the sexual misconduct claims were "something we're going to have to talk about because ... it's hanging in the air," per the Washington Post. To which a "defiant" Hoffman replied, "It's hanging in the air? From a few things you've read, you've made an incredible assumption about me."

"You weren't there," Hoffman continued, to which Oliver replied: "I'm glad." The back-and-forth, which more or less took over the rest of the talk, became "increasingly angry," with Hoffman insisting he didn't recall even meeting his accuser, saying he felt ambushed by both Oliver and event organizers, and pointing to his movie Tootsie as evidence of his "incredible respect for women." "There's no point in [an accuser] lying," Oliver told Hoffman, who answered, "Well, there's a point in her not bringing it up for 40 years." Oliver said that broaching the subject wasn't pleasant for him, but that it was necessary. Audience reaction was mixed, with some chastising Oliver, though one spectator yelled: "Thank you for believing women!" BuzzFeed notes post-panel reaction on the internet leaned mostly Team Oliver, though some say he shouldn't have blindsided Hoffman at this type of event. (Read more John Oliver stories.)
Turkey and the Palestinians warned on Tuesday of dire diplomatic repercussions if President Trump goes ahead with a possible recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told parliament that his country's response "could go as far as us cutting diplomatic ties with Israel," reports the AP. A senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the Palestinian leadership could halt contacts with US counterparts in response to such recognition. American officials have said Trump may recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital this week as a way to offset his likely decision to delay his campaign promise of moving the US Embassy. The White House missed a deadline Monday to waive a law requiring the US Embassy be moved to Jerusalem, reports the Guardian; the waiver is required every six months, and Trump signed it in June.

Trump's point man on the Middle East, son-in-law Jared Kushner, later said the president hasn't decided yet what steps to take on Jerusalem. The possibility of such recognition triggered mounting criticism and opposition by Muslim and Arab states. The Arab League was to meet Tuesday, while on Monday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital would constitute "naked aggression." Majdi Khaldi, Abbas' diplomatic adviser, said recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital could destroy Washington's role as mediator between Israelis and Palestinians. Recognition "would mean they decided, on their own, to distance themselves from efforts to make peace and that they will have no credibility or role in this issue," Khaldi told the AP. "We will stop our contacts with them [in the event of recognition] because such a step goes against our existence and against the fate of our cause."

(Read more Jerusalem stories.)
The last time a senior UN official stepped foot in North Korea was in October 2011. That changed Tuesday, with United Nations undersecretary-general for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman's visit to the country. The BBC reports Pyongyang proffered the invitation in September but confirmation of the visit didn't come until last week. Feltman, who is not slated to meet with Kim Jong Un, will meet with foreign minister Ri Yong Ho (who infamously called President Trump a "barking dog") to discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern." That ostensibly includes North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The Wall Street Journal reports the UN Security Council has had no discussion regarding Feltman's visit, but the paper quotes a council diplomat as saying, "The trip is more of a way to try to do some help and to test the waters."

Feltman, the former US ambassador to Lebanon, per Quartz, and the highest ranking American in the UN, made a pit stop in Beijing along the way, "no doubt interested to hear what, if anything, came out of China's latest talks with the North Korean regime," per the BBC. The Guardian reports a UN rep added that Feltman will also "meet with the United Nations country team and members of the diplomatic corps, as well as visit UN project sites"six agencies and 50 UN staffers are present in the country, where they provide food, agricultural, and health aid. His visit concludes Friday, and comes as the US and South Korea are in the midst of "Vigilant Ace." (Read more North Korea stories.)
"The blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran." It's an oath of revenge spoken by the son of Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed Monday, apparently by the Houthi rebels he had until recently supported. It ends the life of a strongman who ruled a countryan act he famously likened to "dancing on the heads of snakes"for 33 years before giving up power in the shadows of the Arab Spring in 2012. The New York Times reports son Ahmed Ali Saleh came out of "enforced seclusion" in the United Arab Emirates to publicly pledge that he would "lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen." More on the younger Saleh, the elder Saleh's death, and what it means for Yemen:

The sides: The elder Saleh had since 2014 backed his former enemies, the Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran and currently hold the capital of Sanaa. In recent days he realigned himself with the Saudi-led forces (who back a Yemeni government based in Aden) trying to push the Houthis out, only to see what Reuters calls a "pro-Saleh uprising" in the capital quickly decimated. The whole thing is viewed by many as a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and the BBC saw Saleh's alliance with the Houthis as "doomed to failit was, after all, between political rivals who had fought no fewer than six wars between 2004 and 2010."

Saleh's death: Per the BBC, "few actually predicted [the alliance] would end in such fateful, dramatic, bloody fashion." While the specifics of his death remain hazy, a video of the Houthis' apparent attack on him is described by NPR's Ruth Sherlock as showing "the body of a man who resembles Ali Abdallah Saleh being lifted onto a pickup truck. The back of his skull is crushed, and there's blood on his shirt."

Per the BBC, "few actually predicted [the alliance] would end in such fateful, dramatic, bloody fashion." While the specifics of his death remain hazy, a video of the Houthis' apparent attack on him is described by NPR's Ruth Sherlock as showing "the body of a man who resembles Ali Abdallah Saleh being lifted onto a pickup truck. The back of his skull is crushed, and there's blood on his shirt." The son: The Times provides a brief primer on how Ahmed Ali Saleh ended up under house arrest in the UAE. He served as Yemen's ambassador to the country until he was confined to his home after the UAE joined the Saudi side two years ago. Reuters observes that with his emergence, he "gives the anti-Houthi movement in Sanaa a potential figurehead." The Washington Post speculates that his son may have played a role in Saleh's changed allegiance, writing that a "thirst for power ... was likely what drove Saleh to turn his back on the Houthis, possibly in the hope that his Abu Dhabi-based son could ultimately return home and take control."

The Times provides a brief primer on how Ahmed Ali Saleh ended up under house arrest in the UAE. He served as Yemen's ambassador to the country until he was confined to his home after the UAE joined the Saudi side two years ago. Reuters observes that with his emergence, he "gives the anti-Houthi movement in Sanaa a potential figurehead." The Washington Post speculates that his son may have played a role in Saleh's changed allegiance, writing that a "thirst for power ... was likely what drove Saleh to turn his back on the Houthis, possibly in the hope that his Abu Dhabi-based son could ultimately return home and take control." The "fundamental awfulness" in Yemen: The Guardian describes the war as "in a state of stalemate," but one with an extreme toll: 10,000 dead since March 2015, another 7 million at risk of starving. And Saleh's death could only worsen things. As one Yemen expert puts it to the Post, "the Saudis must now decide whether to engage in mediation efforts in a climate of zero trust, or to push on with a military campaign that has had few notable successes. ... Saleh was a divisive figure, but he was also the person most likely to be able to broker some kind of settlement."

The Guardian describes the war as "in a state of stalemate," but one with an extreme toll: 10,000 dead since March 2015, another 7 million at risk of starving. And Saleh's death could only worsen things. As one Yemen expert puts it to the Post, "the Saudis must now decide whether to engage in mediation efforts in a climate of zero trust, or to push on with a military campaign that has had few notable successes. ... Saleh was a divisive figure, but he was also the person most likely to be able to broker some kind of settlement." What's next: CNBC speaks with one expert on the Middle East who dubs it "generally bad news for Yemen and probably good news for Iran." He predicts Iran will double down, and that the Houthis, without Saleh, will be more reliant on the country's support. But the move was a gamble for the Houthis, too, as they now may have added another enemy to the mix: those loyal to Saleh. Adds a second expert, "the assassination of Saleh also delegitimizes the Houthi rebellion and it undermines its support base so Houthi rebels could also now grow weaker."

(Read more Yemen stories.)
Former Romanian King Michael I, who was forced to abdicate by the communists in the aftermath of World War II, died on Tuesday. He was 96. Michael, who played a pivotal role in Romania's switch to the Allied cause following a coup in 1944, spent decades in exile working as a chicken farmer and aircraft pilot. He finally got his citizenship back in 1997, eight years after the collapse of communism. Michael's death leaves only two people alive who headed their nations during the warformer King Simeon II of Bulgaria, and the Dalai Lama of Tibet, both of whom were children at the time. In a statement, the Romanian royal house said Michael died in his residence in Aubonne, Switzerland. Michael had been suffering from leukemia and another type of cancer and last year withdrew from public life, handing over his responsibilities to his oldest daughter.

Michael, a great-great grandson to Britain's Queen Victoria, acceded to the throne in 1927 when he was six years old after his father Carol II eloped with his mistress and abdicated. After three years Carol returned to the throne and stayed there until abdicating again in 1940. Michael then reigned for seven years, a time most notably marked by the events of Aug. 23, 1944, when the New York Times reports the then-22-year-old "bravely summoned" the country's pro-Nazi dictator, Ion Antonescu, to the palace and arrested him. Some historians say the move may have trimmed months off the war and spared tens of thousands of lives. After the war, Michael was little more than a figurehead as the Soviets installed a communist-led government and was in 1947 told to sign a pre-typed abdication or else 1,000 soldiers would be executed. The AP has much more on his life.

(Read more obituary stories.)
A fugitive Kentucky lawyer who disappeared six months ago before facing a prison sentence for his central role in a massive Social Security fraud case has been captured in Honduras and will be returned to the US, officials said. Eric Conn was captured by a SWAT team as he came out of a restaurant in the coastal city of La Ceiba, the Honduras public magistrate's office said Monday. The office said the arrest was "the product of arduous intelligence, surveillance, and tailing by the agents," per the AP. Conn's capture was cheered by his former clients and their families, who have struggled to make ends meet while fighting to keep their Social Security disability checks. "That's wonderful," said Donna Dye, whose husband was among Conn's clients in Appalachia. "I never thought they would catch him."

US federal agents spent months tracking Conn, who cut off his electronic monitor and fled in June. The flamboyant attorney had been on home detention while awaiting sentencing, but he disappeared while in Lexington, Kentucky, at the permission of federal authorities to meet with his attorney and prosecutors. Conn pleaded guilty in March to stealing from the federal government and bribing a judge in a more than $500 million Social Security fraud case. His sentencing went on without him last summer, when he was given a 12-year prison termthe maximum possible. Conn represented thousands in successful claims for Social Security benefits. But his empire crumbled when authorities discovered he had been bribing a doctor and judge to approve disability claims based on fake medical evidence.

(Read more fraud stories.)
President Trump spoke to Arab leaders on Tuesday and told them he's about to break with longstanding US policy and recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, reports Reuters. The controversial news comes not from the White House but from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordans King Abdullah, who say they tried unsuccessfully to talk Trump out the decision. They warned that the policy shift, which would mean moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, will not only jeopardize peace talks but unleash violence in the region. Details and developments:

The timing: Trump was expected to announce the decision Wednesday, reports the New York Times. However, he was also expected to sign a waiver delaying the embassy move for six months, given the logistics involved. Moving the embassy would fulfill a campaign promise. Abbas, meanwhile, is reaching out to world leaders including Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis, hoping they can change Trump's mind, per the Jerusalem Post.

The history: No issue in the Mideast is as sensitive as the status of Jerusalem, observes the Guardian. Israel lays claim to all of the city as its "eternal" capital, though the international community does not recognize that sovereignty and the Palestinians want East Jerusalem as capital of a future state. In its own primer, the CBC notes that Jerusalem has sites sacred to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

No issue in the Mideast is as sensitive as the status of Jerusalem, observes the Guardian. Israel lays claim to all of the city as its "eternal" capital, though the international community does not recognize that sovereignty and the Palestinians want East Jerusalem as capital of a future state. In its own primer, the CBC notes that Jerusalem has sites sacred to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Arab backlash: The Washington Post rounds up mounting criticism in the Muslim world. An adviser to Abbas, referring to the latest peace negotiations being led by Jared Kushner, complains that "there is no deal of the century that starts with destroying the essence of a two-state solution. Turkey, meanwhile, warned that it may sever ties with Israel.

The Washington Post rounds up mounting criticism in the Muslim world. An adviser to Abbas, referring to the latest peace negotiations being led by Jared Kushner, complains that "there is no deal of the century that starts with destroying the essence of a two-state solution. Turkey, meanwhile, warned that it may sever ties with Israel. All alone: If the US goes ahead with the plan to move its embassy to Jerusalem, Haaretz notes that it will be the only country there. That wasn't always the case: Jerusalem once hosted 16 embassies, and the newspaper traces the various conflicts that have resulted in the current number being zero.

If the US goes ahead with the plan to move its embassy to Jerusalem, Haaretz notes that it will be the only country there. That wasn't always the case: Jerusalem once hosted 16 embassies, and the newspaper traces the various conflicts that have resulted in the current number being zero. Criticism: An editorial in the Los Angeles Times maintains that the move "is both unnecessary as a sign of this country's support for Israelwhich is rock-solidand needlessly provocative." It will strengthen Trump's alliance with Benjamin Netanyahu, but that will only reduce hopes for peace negotiations. "The only justification for such a provocative step is political: to allow Trump to say that he (sort of) fulfilled a campaign promise. That's not good enough."

An editorial in the Los Angeles Times maintains that the move "is both unnecessary as a sign of this country's support for Israelwhich is rock-solidand needlessly provocative." It will strengthen Trump's alliance with Benjamin Netanyahu, but that will only reduce hopes for peace negotiations. "The only justification for such a provocative step is political: to allow Trump to say that he (sort of) fulfilled a campaign promise. That's not good enough." Encouragement: At Ynetnews, Arsen Ostrovsky argues that the proposed move by Trump is long overdue. "Enough is enough! The United States and the international community must no longer remain hostage to Palestinian threats, extortion and intimidation."

(Read more Jerusalem stories.)
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New Delhi:

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday called off poll rallies of party national president Amit Shah due to Cyclone Ockhi which is expected to make landfall in coastal Gujarat on Tuesday midnight.A A

Shah had to address public meetings in Rajula, Mahuva and Shihor constituencies in the poll-bound state.

On the other hand, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its forecast said, "The severe cyclonic storm Ockhi is now laid centred about 850 km south-southwest of Surat and is likely to cross south Gujarat and adjoining North Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by mid-night of December 5."

Following the IMD prediction, Gujarat Chief Secretary J N Singh on Monday took stock of the administrative preparedness to deal with any eventuality. A
New Delhi:

Your shift ends at 9 PM but its already passed 10:30 PM and you are still in the office, hitting the keyboard, frantically typing a 100-page project sheet while your phone reads three missed calls and 7 messages from your wife/mom.

You are frustrated, thinking about finding a new job because you are not being paid for those extra hours.

This happens with most employees, especially in private sectors in India. It is sheer exploitation.

People either dont know or have a very little knowledge about different Labour Laws that protect their rights as an employee.

Here are the few highly important Labour Laws every Indian must know:

The Factories Act, 1948: The Factories Act, 1948 as amended by the Factories (Amendment) Act, 1987 caters to several issues related to the safety, health, efficiency, and well-being of the people working in factories and docks in India.

The Act specifies working hours of an employee and ensures overtime pay for workers who work extra hours. It also regulate shift timings. As per the law, night shifts should be on a rotational basis.

Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952: Every factory engaged in any industry having 20 or more employees have to provide social security benefits like insurance cover, pension and Provident Fund to its employees.

Employees can use their PF for Retirement, Medical Care, Housing, Family obligation (like marriage expenses) Education of Children, Financing of Insurance Policies.

Equal Remuneration Act, 1976: To prevent gender based discrimination, Ministry of Labour and Employment brought the Equal Remuneration Act in 1976.

Under this act, an employer shall not discriminate with its employees based on their gender in the matters of wages, promotion, training and transfer.

The Act ensures equal pay for the man and a woman employees for the same work done.

The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972: Every organisation housing 10 or more employees shall have to pay gratuity to its workers who have worked for a year or more.

Gratuity, a retirement benefit paid by the employer is your last drawn salary multiplied by the number of years of service.

If any employer denies paying gratuity, he/she will have to face a jail term up to two years.

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016:

A pregnant woman employee is entitled to avail paid maternity leaves in India. In May this year, the Parliamnet passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which grants women working in the organised sector paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, up from 12 weeks earlier.
New Delhi:

Anna Hazare, the face of the 2011 satyagraha movement that took the country by storm, on Tuesday announced a protest against the Modi Government on March 23, next year.



March 23 is observed as the Martyrs' Day.A A



Hazare is reportedly upset over the non-appointment of Lokpal for the last four years. Hazare was addressing a press conference in New Delhi where he accused the BJP-led central government of not being serious about fighting corruption.



He said the recent amendments to the Lokpal Act, which removed a clause that made public servants declaring their assets compulsory, reflected the government's intention in fighting graft.



Over governmentas contention that Lokpal could not be appointed as there was no Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Hazare added and asserted that it could at least appoint the Lokayuktas in the BJP-ruled states.



Hazare said he had written over 30 letters to the NDA government, but received no response, and wondered whether there was any "ego" involved in not responding to his letters, which questioned the non-appointment of Lokpal.



Hazare also attacked the Centre over the plight of farmers in the country and said the government had failed to honour its promise of implementing the Swaminathan Commission report and that the farmers would get 50 percent more money over their investments in cultivation.



"Since 1995, 12 lakh farmers have committed suicide in the country and the governments have shown no sensitivity towards them. There is a huge gap between the prime minister's words and acts," Hazare said.A

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Following senior Congress leader Kapil Sibals arguments in the Supreme Court during the hearing of Ayodhya dispute case on Tuesday, BJP President Amit Shah has asked Rahul Gandhi to clarify his stand on the Ram Mandir issue.

Shah alleged that Sibals bizarre arguments in the Supreme Court showed Congresss double standards on the Ram janmabhumi issue.

Kapil Sibal, a senior lawyer who was also representing the Sunni Waqf Board in the apex court on Tuesday appealed that the court should defer hearing in the Ayodhya dispute case till the next Lok Sabha Elections in 2019.

He argued that the BJP has said the Ram temple will be built before 2019 through legal means... They want to make it part of their election manifesto and the court should not fall into the trap.

Amit Shah, reacting to Sibals arguments, said I appeal to the future Congress presidentplease clear your stand on the issue, adding that On the one hand, temples are being visited ahead of elections. On the other hand, they are trying to delay hearing of the Ram Janmabhoomi case. The Congress has double standards on the issue.

The BJP demands that the case should be heard as soon as possible. The Supreme Court should give a judgment and a grand Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya, Shah said.

The Congress, however, hit back at Shah and Party leader Randeep Surjewala said, his partys official stand has always been clear, that the Ayodhya case will be decided by Supreme Court.

Distancing the party from Sibals arguments in the apex court, Surjewala said, Who he represents in court is Kapil Sibals personal matter. The Congress has nothing to do with it, and asked Arun Jaitley ji represented the accused in Bhopal gas tragedy; does that mean whole of BJP is to be blamed?

The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to hear the civil appeals filed by various parties challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute on February 8 next year.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and SA Najeeb also asked the Advocates on Record of appeals to sit together and ensure that all the requisite documents are translated, filed and numbered before the apex court Registry.

In case of any problem, the counsel were directed to consult the Registry.

The bench took serious note of the submission of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the parties, that the appeals be heard in July 2019 after completion of the next Lok Sabha polls as the atmosphere at present was not conducive.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, vehemently opposed contentions that the pleadings were not complete and asserted that everything has been complied with and the cases were ripe for hearing.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three partiesthe Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the deity, Ram Lalla.

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Raipur:

A CPI-Maoist cadre was gunned down by joint security forces in Chhattisgarhs Sukma district on Tuesday.

Chhattisgarh Police said, Maoist cadre was shot dead during a gun battle which took place between joint security forces and Naxals near Duled village under Chintalnar police station limits.

Police further added, a combing operation was launched by state police and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) in forested area near Duled village, around 500 kilometers from the state capital, Raipur.

A senior CRPF official said, The Maoists opened fire at the joint security forces. Jawans took their position and retaliated.

Also read| Maharashtra: CRPF jawan killed, 2 injured in encounter with Maoists in Gadchirroli



He added, The gun battle between security forces and Naxals lasted for an hour. Body of a Maoist cadre was recovered during search operation launched after the encounter.

Also read| Chhatisgarh: 12 naxals held in Bijapur district



Security forces have intensified combing operations in Maoist bastions across the nation. Naxals are observing Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) week.

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New Delhi:

After devastating lives in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep, the deadly Cyclone Ockhi has now moved towards poll-bound Gujarat.

The Cyclone is now slowly losing its intensity and expected to make a landfall in the Gulf of Khambhat and Surat around midnight.

aIt is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by the night of December 5,a said India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Fishermen in Gujarat and Maharashtra were advised not to venture into sea and the Maharashtra govt has declared a holiday in schools and colleges in four districts.

So far, the deadly Cyclone Ockhi has claimed at least 39 lives while around 139 people were still missing, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

Here are the live updates of Cyclone Ockhi:

#A Cyclone Ockhi is gradually weakening into a depression and may not hit the Gujarat coast near Surat as predicted earlier, the Meteorological Centre said in Ahmedabad tonight. Cyclonic storm Ockhi has already turned into a adeep depressiona and may hit south Gujarat only as a adepressiona late tonight, according to an official statement.

#A I have spoken to Health Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat regarding Cyclone Ockhi , and have assured them that all support will be extended by the Centre, in terms of medicines and medical teams: JP Nadda,Health Minister

#A CycloneOckhi around 350 km south-SW of Surat,it is expected to cross tonight. It is showing sign of decreasing in intensity.Issued heavy rainfall alert in coastal districts only for tonight, wind speed expected to be around 65-70 kmph when cyclone cross: Director, IMD Ahmedabad

#A Every attempt is being made by Coast Guard, Indian Navy & Indian Air Force to get the missing fishermen and to bring them back to safety. I have been quoting the numbers given to me by the state govt: Union Defence Minister Sitharaman

# Cyclone Ockhi today passed the Mumbai coast and much to the relief of the people, it just brought rains and therewas no damage to life or property.

#A We have kept the communication lines open. We are trying to monitor that no water logging takes place and the water supply is in ample amount: Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani in Surat

# Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Surat on December 6 has been postponed. He will now address a rally on December 7 at 1 PM, reports Purab Patel from Gujarat.

#A As IMD informs cyclone OCKHI is 230km West- SouthWest of Mumbai, likely to continue to move North- NorthEastward, weaken gradually and will cross South Gujrat and North Maharashtra coast. No impact on Mumbai City and Suburb. All Roads & Rails traffic are running smoothly, please don't create panic: DMU, MCGM

#A Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected, tweets PM Modi.

Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. a Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

#A The Kerala government today said that 'Operation Synergy,a a joint rescue mission by Navy, Air force, Coast guards and state fisheries department has been launched trace 92 fishermen, still missing in high seas after cyclone Ockhi hit the state coast on November 29 and 30.

#A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday called off poll rallies of party national president Amit Shah due to Cyclone Ockhi. HeA had to address public meetings in Rajula, Mahuva and Shihor constituencies in the poll-bound state.

#A As per the latest forecast released by the Meteorological Centre here, the cyclone is now just 390 kms away from Surat.

The cyclone is approaching Gujarat steadily and now lies centred in the Arabian Sea just 390 kms away from Surat. It is very likely to continue moving north-northwestwards, an official of the MeT centre said.

#A Take a look at the #CycloneOckhi #MumbaiRains update from Skymet weather.

# Light to moderate #rains with one or two heavy spells are likely over #Gujarat, North Maharashtra, and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands: Skymet Weather

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Bengaluru:

Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh will soon be questioning dreaded criminal Tahir Hussain @anoop who was arrested on Sunday by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru Police for illegal possession of a country-made pistol.



SIT suspects he might have supplied a country made pistol to the assailants who murdered Gauri Lankesh.



Speaking to News Nation, Anucheth, Chief Investigation Officer of SIT said, "Tahir has a criminal history. He has been found in possession of illegal weapons. So we will question him."



Acting on a specific tip-off, CCB officials raided a private lodge under Parappana Agrahara Police Station limits and arrested Tahir Hussain on Sunday. Tahir is a resident of Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka and has a criminal history including supplying of arms and extortion.



Tahir has a case registered against him in Maharashtra for supplying arms and is known to have links with the underworld as well.



Satish Kumar, Joint Commissioner CCB said, "Tahir had planned to kidnap a financer in Yelhanka area of Bengaluru but before that, we arrested him and foiled his plan. He is known for supplying country-made pistols."



CCB has registered a case against Tahir under Sections 3 and 25 of Arms Act and taken him into police custody till 16 December for further interrogation.



Gauri Lankesh was shot dead by unknown gunmen outside her house on September 5.

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New Delhi:

A National Security Guard (NSG) commando allegedly committed suicide after shooting at his wife and sister-in-law at the Manesar camp on Tuesday morning.

The women have been immediately admitted to the hospital.

According to the police officials, an NSG commando took an extreme step after attacking his wife and sister-in-law, though the reason behind the incident is still not clear.

In a similar incident on November 28, a 22-year-old woman police had allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her house in Naigaon, Dadar in Central Mumbai.

A

An NSG Commando committed suicide after shooting at his wife and sister-in-law in NSG Camp, Manesar this morning. Women admitted in hospital. The cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained.: ACP Manesar Dharamvir #Gurugram a ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

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Bhubaneswar:

Odisha Police have arrested at least six people after a video of a girl being molested on road in broad day light went viral over the internet.

Six persons were arrested by the Odisha Police on Tuesday. According to the state police, the incident took place on October 4 in Bargarh districts Paikmal town.

On learning about the video, we registered a case and started a manhunt to nab the culprits, a senior police officer of Bargarh district police said.

According to police, the girl was molested by the accused while she was returning home from college along with a male friend.

Also read| Delhi: Youth gropes, molests 32-year-old woman in Connaught Place



The video that went viral on the internet a few weeks back shows, men numbering between six and eight with faces covered molesting a girl. The girl can be heard pleading to the men in Odiya.

In the video, you can see the girl repeatedly requesting her perpetrators to let them go. The accused youths ignoring her plea continued molesting her and assaulted her friend.

Odishas director general of police RP Sharma said, An FIR under relevant Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections and IT laws have been lodged.

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Chennai:

Actor Vishal's nomination has been again rejected by the Election Commission (EC) for RK Nagar byelection, the news agency ANI tweeted.

Earlier, Vishal had expressed his gratitude to the Election Commission after the election authority accepted his nomination paper as an independent candidate for December 21 by-poll on Tuesday evening.

At the very beginning, the nominations of both actor Vishal and late J. Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar for the by-poll were rejected on Tuesday afternoon.

"Both their nominations have been rejected. We will get full details later...it is a quasi judicial process," PTI quoted an official earlier.



Asked about the reason for rejecting the papers, the official said it was 'technical'.



"...there were some flaws in the nomination..it is an order passed by the Returning Officer," he added.



Vishal, who heads the Tamil Film Producers Council and is the general secretary of the Nadigar Sangam (South Indian Artistes Association), said he was told at the last minute that there were 'discrepancies,' in the papers in respect of signatures.

Also Read: AIADMK names Madhusudhanan as candidate for RK Nagar by-poll

#UPDATE Actor Vishal's nomination has been rejected again by the Election Commission in RK Nagar by election #Chennai  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

"Really thankful to the Election Commission for doing the right thing," the news agency ANI quoted the actor while expressing his gratitude to EC.

My nomination is accepted and I am contesting the #RKNagarByPoll : Actor Vishal  ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017

On the other hand, opposing election authorities rejecting her nomination, Deepa alleged it was not done for any valid reasons.

"It is being done wantonly," she added.



As many as 145 nominations were received from aspirants seeking to contest the bypoll.



Currently, scrutiny of nominations are on and an official update on the total number of papers accepted and rejected is expected later.

After much struggle, my nomination for the RK Nagar election is finally accepted....



Truth Always Triumphs !!#JusticeServed#DemocracyPrevails  Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) December 5, 2017

Also Read: RK Nagar bypoll in Tamil Nadu on Dec 21, counting on Dec 24: EC



The last date for withdrawal of candidature is December seven.

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New Delhi:

Security forces gunned down three Lashker-e-Taiba militants, including two Pakistanis in an encounter in South Kashmir, police said on Wednesday.

The militants killed in the encounter were allegedly responsible for carrying out an attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year.

One militant, who had managed to flee from the encounter site, was also arrested by the police from a maternity hospital of Anantnag district of South Kashmir, they said.

The encounter broke on Monday afternoon when the militants opened fire on an Army convoy, on its way to Srinagar, at Qazigund on Jammu-Srinagar national highway. One soldier was killed in the attack while another sustained injuries.

The security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the militants. The search operation turned into an encounter with militants which ended at 2 AM this morning, the police said.

The police identified the dead militants as Yawar Basir, who is a local militant, Abu Furqan and Abu Maviya (both foreign terrorists). Basir, hailing from Habiash of Kulgam, joined ranks with Lashker-e-Taiba this year in February after snatching weapon from a policeman.

Furqan had taken over as the head of Lashker-e-Taiba in South Kashmir after the death of Abu Ismail, who had led the attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year.

Police said that all the three, killed today, were part of the squad that carried out the attack on yatris on July 10. Eight pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured.

Police said the group headed by Furqan, was involved in a series of terror crimes in Anantnag and Kulgam area, which included the Yatra Bus Attack case at Bantingo, few attacks on security forces at Lower Munda on the national highway, attack on police party at bus stand in Anantnag.

Furqan had replaced Ismail in South Kashmir and was responsible for the recent attacks carried by LeT, police said.

Pursuing the leads available at Qazigund encounter, one individual Rashid Ahmed Allai of Hamzapora sangam Bijibehera was arrested from Janglatmandi maternity hospital with a Chinese pistol and live cartridges last night. He was missing since last two days from his house and had joined the Yawar group of LeT.

The police said that he was part of the militant group when they carried out attack on army at Qazigund on Sunday but managed to escape from the site when encounter broke.

He had taken shelter at the hospital in Anantnag with the help of one of his associate. According to the police, he along with his associates were intending to snatch weapon from the policemen by attacking them.

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court today decided to hear the civil appeals filed by various parties challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute on February 8 next year.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and SA Najeeb also asked the Advocates on Record of appeals to sit together and ensure that all the requisite documents are translated, filed and numbered before the apex court Registry.

In case of any problem, the counsel were directed to consult the Registry.

The bench took serious note of the submission of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the parties, that the appeals be heard in July 2019 after completion of the next Lok Sabha polls as the atmosphere at present was not conducive.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, vehemently opposed contentions that the pleadings were not complete and asserted that everything has been complied with and the cases were ripe for hearing.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three partiesthe Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the deity, Ram Lalla.

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New Delhi :

Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha has relaunched a protest against the Maharashtra government for its apathy towards soybean and cotton farmers in the Vidarbha region of the state in Akola police ground.

The former Union minister along with 250 farmers were arrested by Maharashtra Police on Sunday. Since his release, he is camping the at Akola police ground and relaunched a protest against the BJP-led Maharashtra government.

The former union minister and farmers are demanding compensation for damage crops.

Sinha said, We have decided to continue with our protest in the police ground till our demands are met.

Also read: Yashwant Sinha attacks Modi government, calls for 'lokshakti' to check 'rajshakti'



He added that the state government is responsible for the current condition of the farmers. BJP had promised to give 50 per cent and above the minimum support price (MSP) to farmers. On gaining power, the party forgot its promise," Mr Sinha said.

The former union minister said, My protest is not political. I have had no words with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Neither has he reached out to me, nor have I tried to talk to him.

He added that he will not get involved in any party politics. I am fighting for the farmers. I dont want to get diverted from the issue. It is nothing to do with any politics.

Also read: Rajnath Singh terms people not appreciating economy 'anti-India'



West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took on Twitter to support Sinhas fight against BJP-led Maharashtra government for rights of farmers.

After a photo of Sinha sleeping on a wooden cot in the open went viral on social media, Banerjee showed her concern and wrote, I am sending our MP Dinesh Trivedi to meet him. He has our full support.

While, Kejriwal demanded immediate release of the former union minister.

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New Delhi:

While scientists across the globe are gearing up to establish human colonies on Mars, a metal cannonball has recently been spotted on the red planet. The metal object is believed to be a sign of war on the planet and is doing rounds on social sites.

According to scientists the war has led a decade-old civilisation towards end. The civilization which has come to an end a million of years back, indicates towards the existence of aliens or those small life-forms around the cosmos.

UFO hunter Scott C Waring is damn sure about the decade-old war and coming up with new and unique alien theories one after another.

Moreover, UFO detective suggests the cannonballA was sitting on the surface above all the shattered stone structuresA and particles of civilisation are still present in tiny pieces around the ball.

"When our solar system forced microbes it could have been exchanged between Earth, Mars and Venus," Jill Tarter said.

"Thereas always a caveat with Mars that the life we find there might be related to us," Wired quoted Jill.

"Mars is a special case because early in the history of the formation of the planetary system Mars, Earth, Venus, all swapped rocks and therefore they could have swapped microbes within those rocks and if thereas life on Mars we could be related to them or we could be Martians," she added.

Also Read: NASA astronauts have a ball in space with first ever floating Pizza Party at International Space Station

"Itas also worth remarking that Mars does have an atmosphere, though one that is a lot weaker than our own, which doesnat precisely help Waringas case," American space agency NASA reported earlier.

However, still there are not enough proofs or pieces of evidence to establish the fact that aliens used to reside on mysterious planet millions of years back.

However, alien hunters from different parts of the world are working hard to reveal the mystery behind the same.

(Video courtesy: ModernGalaxy)

Lorna Dougan, study chief of Leeds University, said, "This raises questions about the possibility of life on Mars."



"We might expect to find organisms adapted to high pressure similar to those on Earth such as deep-sea bacteria," Dougan stated.

Earlier, UFO's Scott C Waring has left the world astonished after he claimed that aliens had developed moon hundreads of years ago and are still living inside it.

Also Read: Aliens may have already visited earth and other planets in our solar system, claim scientists

According to UFO Sightings Daily, the moon had been made by those small life-forms even before our planet earth was formed.

It's been a long time that scientists are trying hard to communicate with those small lives far beyond our solar system and may share something significant to the world anytime soon.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

A former top Pakistani diplomat has said that because of Indias influence and economic power, countries are unwilling to raise the issue of Kashmir at international level, including the UN.

Masood Khan, former Pakistani Ambassador to the UN, who is now president of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), rued that India had veto on the talks between the two South Asian neighbours.

Khan is currently in Washington for what he described is part of his effort to apprise the international community about the current situation in Kashmir.

India has strategic alliances with certain countries. Because of the lucrative deals that it offers to powerful countries in the West, it has practically imposed a gag order on Kashmir, Khan said on Monday in response to a question at the Atlantic Council, a top American think-tank.

Khan said that because of increasing Indian influence, people here (in Washington DC), in Brussels, in London or other world capitals dont talk about Kashmir because this would have consequences? for these countries, like in terms of economic transactions, and strategic costs.

Responding to questions at the thinly-attended Atlantic Council event, Khan alleged that the UN was not acting on its own resolution because of India.

The United Nations is not acting because of real politics, he said.

ALSO READ | J&K: Three LeT militants allegedly responsible for attack on Amarnath pilgrims gunned down by security forces

The Security Council, first because of cold war dynamics, and now because of number of other factors is not taking cognisance of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which is regrettable because of mandate that is given to the Security Council by the UN charter under chapter six and chapter seven, he said.

Khan argued that the UN should be acting.

It should be proactive. Its because of real politics. It is also because of two other factors, he said.

One was that in the past 30 to 40 years, India and Pakistan have invested a lot of energy and time in bilateral talks. But these bilateral talks or dialogue have proved to be mirage for Kashmiris because it has produced no results, he said, adding that these talks have been non-productive.

Because of these talks, India has acquired two vetoes, he said.

One on the agenda whereby they have in fact reduced the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir to a fraction of their whole agenda. It is one of 10 agenda items, he said.

Secondly, India has veto over the timetable he added.

They will start negotiations when it suites them and when they dont like it they will blame Pakistan for terrorism. And that has just got scuttled the dialogue process, he said.

Khan claimed that there are no terrorist camps in the PoK.

None whatsoever, he said during the interaction. This is in fact a propaganda against the Kashmiris intended to demonise them, he said and claimed that there is no terrorism right now in Kashmir. Neither there is any cross-border activities.

This is not happening, he said.

Right now, India has fenced the Line of Control. There are two layers of the fence. In between there are landmines. There are motion sensors. They also have electronic surveillance, thermal imaging. If any crossing takes place they would be detected, he added.

ALSO READ | Jammu and Kashmir: Security personnel martyred, two terrorists killed in encounter in Qazigund

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Washington:

Facing dark warnings of a historic misstep and widespread unrest, US President Donald Trump delayed a decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there.

The White House said Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv, after a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and private phone calls between world leaders.

The mercurial president has yet to make his final decision, officials said but is expected to stop short of moving the embassy to Jerusalem outright, a central campaign pledge which has been postponed once already by the new administration.

The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go: Its not a matter of if, its a matter of when, said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, who said a declaration on the move would be made in the coming days.

Domestic politics may, however, push Trump toward recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital instead, in a gesture towards conservative voters and donors.

The status of Jerusalem is a key issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both Israelis and Palestinians claiming the city as their capital.

ALSO READ: US Supreme Court allows Trump's travel ban to go into full effect

With Trumps decision looming, leaders from across the Middle East and elsewhere ramped up public warnings against any shift in decades-old US policy.

French President Emmanuel Macron was among those who warned Trump that Jerusalems status must be decided within the framework of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

Amid internal White House disagreements, several US administration officials were unable or unwilling to say with certainty what Trump would decide.

The presidents going to make his decision, his Middle East peace envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said.

Israelis defense minister Avigdor Lieberman urged Trump to grasp a historic opportunity.

But from elsewhere in the region the message was clear: dont do it.

If the status of Jerusalem is changed and another step is taken... that would be a major catastrophe, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.

It would completely destroy the fragile peace process in the region, and lead to new conflicts, new disputes, and new unrest.

ALSO READ: US, South Korea begin largest-ever joint air drill

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Washington:

In a major victory for President Donald Trump, the US Supreme Court has allowed his travel ban to take full effect pending appeal, for people coming from six Muslim-majority countries.

As a result of the Supreme Court's ruling, Trump's travel ban, which restricts travel to the US by people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad without bona fide connections to the US, can take full effect while legal challenges proceed.

The travel ban is the third version of a contentious policy that Trump first sought to implement a week after taking office in January.

Seven of the nine judges lifted restrictions on the travel ban imposed by other courts earlier. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the government's request.

The court gave no reason for its decision but said it expected lower court review of the executive orders to proceed quickly.

"Multiple government agencies have conducted a comprehensive, worldwide review of the information shared by foreign governments that is used to screen aliens seeking entry to the US," US Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in court papers.

Also Read| US court allows partial enforcement of Donald Trumps new version of travel ban

"We are not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the President's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said after the order.

Trump's travel ban was challenged by Hawaii and American Civil Liberties Union in separate lawsuits. They argued that such a travel ban discriminates against Muslims.

"It is difficult to conceive of a more flagrant example of discrimination because of nationality," said Indian American attorney Neal Katyal, who appeared for Hawaii.

The New York Immigration Coalition Executive Director, Steven Choi, said that it is entirely unacceptable and unAmerican to discriminate against people based on race or religion.

"Allowing the full enforcement of the Muslim ban will not make this country safer or greater. Nearly a year after we rallied at JFK in response to the first Muslim ban, we will continue to fight Trump's plan to turn bigotry into policy and resist this latest assault on our liberties just as we have every day since Trump took office," Choi said.

Also Read| US expands travel ban to include North Korea, Venezuela, Chad

Michael S Glassner, executive director of Donald J Trump for President campaign committee, welcomed the decision.

"From June 16, 2015, to this day, President Trump's immigration policies have always been about one thing: keeping Americans safe from people who seek to do us harm and attack our freedoms," he said.

"As promised, the President directed his administration to conduct a thorough and appropriate review of immigration vetting procedures, in place under the previous administration, to ensure that terrorist attacks do not occur on American soil," he added.

"Now that the Supreme Court has ordered the lifting of restrictions on this ban, minimum security standards for entry into the US can be enforced. All Americans should take heart that President Trump is fully committed to Making America Safe Again, and will continue the fight to ensure their safety no matter what," Glassner said.

Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said that it is unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now.

"But this order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones.

Also Read| US: Trumps controversial travel ban on six Muslim countries takes effect

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The top executives of two brand-name national firms come together in what they promise will be an explosive merger, creating a supermarket of services for consumers who would save hugely and have access to the best information in one place.

One is an aggressive, publicity-loving visionary who heads a historic Hartford insurer but favors New York culture. He melds his company with a larger corporation that has thousands of retail locations.

Aetnas Mark T. Bertolini joining forces with CVS?

No, it was the creation of Citigroup 19 years ago. Sandy Weills Travelers Group merged with Citicorp in what was then the largest ever acquisition.

And it failed miserably.

Like Aetna-CVS, it was touted as a match made in heaven, not just strategic, not just financial, but both  plus a whole new way of serving customers under one roof. Like Aetna-CVS, it tested the bounds of antitrust rules.

The cultures clashed. Marketing staffs didnt cross-sell. Clients didnt see the need for investment banking, insurance, brokerage services, commercial lending and retail branches under one red umbrella. Investors sent the shares down nearly 30 percent in 10 years.

The same could easily happen to CVS and Aetna. On Monday, the CEOs failed to give a convincing argument beyond a lot of soaring but ultimately meaningless rhetoric.

We will use our high-touch connectivity to become the front door to health care consumers, said Larry J. Merlo, the CVS chief executive, who started his career as a pharmacist.

Say what? Thanks, Larry, but my doctors office already fills that role.

I stopped into my local CVS after the merger conference call and it felt more like an old-fashioned general store, with candy at the cashier counter and rows of sundries.

Our combined data and analytics will provide a more holistic view of each individual, Bertolini said. Think of the Genius Bar at Apple, this ability to go into the store and get help.

OK, Im starting to catch on. Aetna and CVS both have millions of terabytes of medical records which, when combined, tell them what they need to sell me and whether they even want me as a customer. I definitely see how that helps them  less so, me.

Two questions come to mind: First, why cant they do that now, without merging into one company that threatens to muscle out other players such as doctors, smaller pharmacists and competitors? Aetna contracts with CVSs Caremark for pharmacy benefits management on behalf of its 22 million members. Why cant they increase their joint offerings in a creative way?

We both agreed that a combination was an important enabler, Merlo said.

Owner economics matter here, Bertolini said. How you track matters.

Think about that. What theyre saying is that they can only really drive cost out of the health care system  their stated purpose in the deal  by joining forces in a way that gives them more market power.

Which leads us to the second question: Market power to what end? Remember, as it stands now, the two companies reach an arms-length contract where each one protects its own interests. Thats good for the consumer and now it will be lost.

The patient is sort of caught in this vice, said Robert Lamb, a professor of finance and management at the Stern School of Business at New York University, who studies mergers. The specific arrangement that the two organizations have with each other means that you dont have, one, freedom of choice but two, theyve already made an agreement that there will not be outsiders, there cannot be outsiders.  Thats the problem.

There has to be scrutiny to make sure that consumers actually benefit, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Monday, but such guarantees are tough to lock down.

Merlo made a point that competing health insurers will not be locked out. Thats a factor the U.S. Department of Justice will examine in scrutiny thats likely to lead to approval.

The bigger question is how promises like this from Merlo  Clients through the combined entity will be able to help address the growing cost of treating chronic conditions  will work for the market.

It failed for Citigroup. We are watching.
Fairfield County ranked in the bottom seven counties nationally where the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks average wage changes, with Connecticut ahead of only Alaska for the second quarter of 2017.

Workers in Fairfield County earned just over $1,500 a week on average between April and June, among the higher rates in the nation but off 1.9 percent from the second quarter of 2016, as calculated by BLS. In the Northeast, Fairfield County bested only Somerset and Union counties in New Jersey which both saw average wage declines in excess of 3 percent.
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BROOKFIELD  The first phase of Brookfields new downtown redevelopment project is nearly complete, and town officials are working to secure the money needed to move onto the next phase.

Crews are expected to put the final touches on the $3.5 million first phase of the Brookfield Town Center, which includes new sidewalks, lampposts and other amenities, by Dec. 15.

What we are looking at is a major facelift, said Project Manager Greg Dembowski. There were no sidewalks, there was no curbing, there was no street-side parking, there were no sidewalk lights. And now we have all of that, coming in under budget and on schedule.

Since June, crew from J. Iapaluccio have installed sidewalks, utility poles, parking and other improvements from the intersection of Federal and Station roads south to the Brookfield Funeral Home, north to Agoras Restaurant, west to the edge of the Mobil station and east to the Brookfield Craft Center.

When work wraps up next week, the focus will turn to winning state approval of the design on the second phase, which is already funded, and to applying for state grants for the third and fourth phases.

The second phase will extend sidewalks south on both sides of Federal Road as far as The Hearth Restaurant and will add 26 parallel parking spots, a bike path connecting to the Still River Greenway and two crosswalks identical to the new one near the Brookfield Craft Center.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Monday night to apply for two $2.5 million state grants for phases three and four of the project. The town would promise to match up to 20 percent of the grants under the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program, or LOTCIP.

Dembowski said the promised match will give the town a leg up over other applications, as it did when Brookfield applied for the phase two grant. The Western Connecticut Council of Governments rated Brookfields as the No. 1 project in the council and gave the town $865,000more money than actually applied for.

It showed the towns commitment for the project, not just taking LOTCIP money, but the towns committing its own match, Dembowski said. That really helped in our score.

The selectmen also voted to spend $170,000 to design phase three and another $150,000 to design phase four. The Board of Finance and voters at a Dec. 14 town meeting also must approve the decision to apply for the grant and fund the design.

Phase three would extend the sidewalks from Agora Restaurant to the southern entrance of Newbury Village. One side of the road will have sidewalks for the whole stretch, while the other side will only have sidewalks in a section. A steep gulley and ledge, as well as a narrow right-of-way, would make fully installing sidewalks too expensive, Dembowski said.

Phase four would bring the streetscape from the Hearth Restaurant to an existing sidewalk at the Laurel Hill Apartments. A bike lane would also be added.

Dembowski said it is crucial to continue the streetscape project as part of the effort to bring housing, businesses and people downtown. This will attract young people looking for an affordable place to live close to restaurants and shops, he said.

This is why the streetscape work is the No. 1 priority in the Plan of Conservation and Development, he said.

It gives you a very strong base of people, hopefully young professionals, who want to come in and provide a good labor force, Dembowski said. That, in turn, will attract businesses who want to set up shop in Brookfield.
SHERMAN - The former director of the Jewish Community Center is scheduled for sentencing this week on charges that she bilked the organization of more than $37,000.

Anne Marie Stockmeyer, who served as the JCCs executive director for less than a year, was arrested by State Police in March. She eventually pleaded guilty to several charges including first-degree larceny  a felony that carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence  and four counts of second-degree forgery.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Stockmeyer was hired as the centers executive director in September 2014 and left in July 2015 after other members began noticing financial irregularities.

Court documents show that Stockmeyer used the JCCs Visa card and Staples credit card to charge more than $5,000 on personal items, including more than $500 in airline gift cards and electronic equipment including an Apple iPad Mini. She also wrote herself more than $28,000 in checks, the documents state.

The bookkeeper at the nonprofit community center had left the organization in November 2014, the affidavit said, and Stockmeyer fought against efforts to fill the position. Irregularities came to light when a new bookkeeper was hired in June 2015.

JCC officials told investigators that the organization was nearly ruined by Stockmeyers thefts, which left it short of money to pay bills and operating expenses.

Beth Shafran, president of the organizations board of directors, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Stockmeyer also has an outstanding warrant from Maryland on charges that she stole more than $20,000 from a previous employer, the American Youth Chorus, before taking the job in Connecticut, court documents state.

She is scheduled for sentencing Thursday in Danbury Superior Court.

dperrefort@newstimes.com
NEW FAIRFIELD  The school district has started gathering feedback from the community in its search for a new superintendent.

Last month, the district hired a consulting firm, Cooperative Educational Services, to help find a replacement for Superintendent Alicia Roy, who will step down when her contract expires in June. The new superintendent will start on July 1, 2018.
RIDGEFIELD  The appearance of racist graffiti around town over the last 18 months prompted First Selectman Rudy Marconi to ask the Anti-Defamation League to lead a discussion on diversity for town officials.

Marji Lipshez-Shapiro, senior associate director of the state ADL, said it was the first time in her 27 years with the league that she had been asked to lead a workshop for public officials.

The measure of a community is not that an incident happens; the measure of a community is how you respond, Lipshez-Shapiro told 45 town officials in a meeting at the Leir Retreat Center. You have what it takes. You have the leadership and theres amazing things that can happen if you come together.

Incidents like those in Ridgefield, including the appearance of swastikas in Ballard Park and at Ridgefield High School, can occur anywhere, she said. The important thing is to use such incidents to bring people together to learn empathy for others, she said.

Communities often host such programs for children, Lipshez-Shapiro said, but forget that adults need to discuss diversity, too.

Marconi said the workshop was a response to the general undertone of bias that has recently surfaced in the community. Bringing together town leaders, including school principals, department heads and members of the town boards, can be the first step in addressing the issue, he said.

We need to nip this now and start bringing our community into awareness, Marconi said. Its not just about religion;, its about life and how we all look at one another.

Lipshez-Shapiro began Tuesdays workshop by asking officials to pair up and share their personal experiences with stereotypes, bias or feeling out of place. They then discussed what the ADL calls the pyramid of hate, in which small incidents of bias can grow and fester and eventually have large and even tragic consequences.

Officials ended the workshop by discussing steps individuals and the town can take to increase tolerance and help others learn about diversity.

Many, including Marconi and high school Principal Stacey Gross, said they would share what they learned with others in their staffs.

We want all students to feel safe and secure and you cant learn if you dont feel safe and secure, Gross said We are living in a world where...in the schools, in the town, nationally and internationally, there are more biased and prejudiced comments being made. Sometimes people feel badly about it and dont like it but are unsure of what to do, so we want to give them a variety of tools to be able to support them.

The Anti-Defamation League will also host a diversity- workshop, entitled Names Can Really Hurt Us, with high school students in the coming weeks.

Police Chief John Roche said he also has a similar workshop planned for the department.

This is a great first step and we have many more to take, Marconi said. So, hopefully holding hands we can walk down that road.

aquinn@newstimes.com
HARTFORD  Senate Democrats on Tuesday warned that the Republican budget shaping up in Washington may hit more than 300,000 middle-income Connecticut households with higher taxes, for the benefit of the wealthy and corporations.

Passage of the Republican tax proposals would be disastrous for Connecticut families, said Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven. Most of those households earn about $75,000, which is the median household income in Connecticut, and our residents already pay about $8 billion more in federal taxes than we receive in aggregate on an annual basis. The Republican tax plan would also eliminate many of the itemized deductions that are taken by more than 700,000 tax filers in our state, including those for medical expenses, loans and state and local taxes.
For Emmy Turcotte, mother of Zack and Noah  both patients at Sainte-Justine, whose first Christmas was spent in the hospital  the Tree of Lights has a very special meaning. "Every light on the tree shines for a child. When you look at the lights, you feel the love and encouragement of others. It gives you more hope  hope to get home from the hospital, of course, but also hope for a cure," she explained.

It is for all these families that, starting tonight, the Tree of Lights will sparkle once more. From December 4th to 14th, the tree will light up progressively as donations are received, and will remain fully illuminated until January, supporting the patients and staff at the hospital with twinkling lights and warm thoughts. Thanks to live video, these truly symbolic moments will also be broadcast in the children's hospital rooms, as well as online at thetreeoflights.org.

Plenty of ways to make life brighter

To mark the 10th edition of the Sainte-Justine's Tree of Lights, donors visiting thetreeoflights.org are invited to join the Twinkle Club. When you light up 10 or more lights, MEGATM, part of the Mattel family, will contribute 5 more, up to $40,000.

For a 4th consecutive year, Metro is generously partnering with the campaign and will once again offer clients in its 201 Metro and Metro Plus grocery stores across Quebec the option of making a donation at the checkout. In addition, Brault & Martineau is proud to join the movement this year for the first time, by inviting its clientele to help light the star at the top of the Sainte-Justine's Tree of Lights.

Again this year, members of the public can make a donation by texting the word SAPIN to 45678.



The Tree of Lights illuminates hundreds of lives

To demonstrate the impact that the Tree of Lights has on so many people, the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation asked 4 families and one member of the nursing staff to tell us their stories. Their touching messages have been captured in 5 video clips.

With a goal of lighting 30,000 lights in its first edition, the Tree of Lights, a legendary symbol of the generosity of Quebecers now celebrating its 10th anniversary, aims higher every year and strives to surpass each of its annual objectives. Over the years, the Sainte-Justine's Tree of Lights campaign has raised an exceptional amount of more than $4 million. In addition to supporting the CHU Sainte-Justine's mission of excellence, the funds raised also contribute to the work of the Social Services department, whose mandate is to help families in precarious financial circumstances. Created in 2017, the Metro Sainte-Justine Family Assistance Fund provides significant support to this cause.

About the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation

The CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation's mission is to engage the community and support the CHU Sainte-Justine in its pursuit of excellence and its commitment to providing children and mothers with one of the highest levels of healthcare in the world, now and in the future. fondation-sainte-justine.org/en/

SOURCE CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation

For further information: Genevieve Clement Communications, Genevieve Clement, 514 609-5444, [email protected]

Related Links

www.fondation-sainte-justine.org/fr/


VANCOUVER, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ - eCobalt Solutions Inc. (TSX: ECS; Frankfurt: ECO; OTCQX: ECSIF) ("eCobalt" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will begin trading its shares on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol "ECSIF" effective today, as announced by the OTC Markets Group.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, announced today that eCobalt has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. eCobalt upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB Venture Market. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

eCobalt was sponsored for OTCQX by Scarsdale Equities LLC, a qualified third-party firm responsible for providing guidance on OTCQX requirements and recommending membership.

"We are very pleased to begin trading on OTCQX which will provide us with additional exposure to both institutional and retail U.S. investors," stated Paul Farquharson, President & CEO of eCobalt. He continued, "A recently completed feasibility study on our advanced flagship project, the Idaho Cobalt Project, has laid the path forward for project optimization, near term construction and production of environmentally sound cobalt products produced responsibly in the United States. Cobalt is a critical component in rechargeable batteries utilized in the rapidly growing electric vehicle sector."

About eCobalt Solutions Inc.

eCobalt is committed to providing a unique opportunity for consumers to acquire ethically sourced, environmentally sound, transparently supplied cobalt products, essential for the rapidly growing rechargeable battery and renewable energy sectors, produced responsibly in the United States. The company is dedicated to the principles of environmentally sound mining and refining practices. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries it has interests in base and precious metals and uranium projects in Canada, United States and Mexico. The Company's primary asset, is the 100% owned, fully NEPA permitted Idaho Cobalt Project (ICP). It is the only primary cobalt deposit in the United States. The ICP is comprised of the mine and mill near Salmon, Idaho and the proposed cobalt production facility for refining ICP mine concentrate in Blackfoot, Idaho. The ICP mine site is now fundamentally prepared to commence underground development contingent on successful conclusion of mine financing.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market, and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS, it connects a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. OTC Markets enables investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empowers companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

eCobalt Solutions Inc.

"J. Paul Farquharson"

J. Paul Farquharson

President & CEO

Cautionary Statement on Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements in this news release pertaining to expected financings, filings, uses of proceeds or project completion dates are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Such projections are and will inevitably always be dependent on assumptions about future mineral prices and development costs which will be subject to fluctuation due to global and local economic and industry conditions. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties which may cause results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements is included in filings by the Company with securities regulatory authorities and is available at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Although the Company has disclosed that the Idaho Cobalt Project remains the sole, near term, environmentally permitted, primary cobalt deposit in the United States and offers a unique potential for North American consumers to secure an ethically sourced, environmentally sound supply of battery grade cobalt chemicals, there is no guarantee that the Company will attain commercial production of such cobalt chemicals for use in the rechargeable battery sector. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The statements contained in this news release in regard to eCobalt Solutions Inc. that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including eCobalt Inc.'s beliefs, expectations, hopes or intentions regarding the future. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to eCobalt Solutions Inc. as of such date. It is important to note that actual outcome and the actual results could differ from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties such as technological, legislative, corporate, commodity price and marketplace changes.

SOURCE eCobalt Solutions Inc.

For further information: eCobalt Solutions Inc., 1810 - 999 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2W2, Tel: 604-682-6229 - Email: [email protected] - Web: ecobalt.com

Related Links

http://www.ecobalt.com/


TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - McKesson Canada today announced the acquisition of Well.ca, bringing an offering of online commerce capabilities and a digital experience to McKesson Canada's retail assets, including Rexall Drug Store, and expanding its customer base.

With this acquisition, McKesson Canada's retail operations and Well.ca will be better positioned to service customers through a strengthened portfolio of technology, distribution and innovation.

"Today's customer wants a digital experience," said Domenic Pilla, CEO, McKesson Canada. "Combined with McKesson Canada's distribution network and retail footprint, patients and customers will have convenient access and more choices to achieve their health and wellness goals."

Well.ca is Canada's leading online destination for health, wellness, natural and baby products and has been ranked in the top 5% of customer experience in Canada for the last three consecutive years. Well.ca's focus on the customer aligns with McKesson Canada's approach to patient care through efficiency and coordination across the supply chain.

"Well.ca's "digital-first" approach to retail has continuously pushed the boundaries of the customer experience in Canada," said Rebecca McKillican, CEO, Well.ca. "Together with McKesson Canada, we will be able to establish new business relationships and accelerate our mission to help our customers live healthier and happier lives."

Well.ca and McKesson Canada have been working together since its inception in 2008 and McKesson Canada has become one of Well.ca's most trusted partners. Well.ca will operate as a distinct business within McKesson Canada, while retaining its existing brand and remain headquartered in Guelph, Ontario.

About McKesson Canada

Founded more than 100 years ago, McKesson Canada is dedicated to delivering vital medicines, supplies and information technologies that enable the health care industry to provide patients better, safer care. Our solutions empower pharmacies, manufacturers, hospitals and other health care institutions by enabling them to get closer to the millions of patients they serve every single day, while contributing to the quality and safety of care in Canada.

About Well.ca

Well.ca is a proudly Canadian company that's passionate about our customers, our business, and the products we offer. At Well.ca, we believe that Canadians should never have to compromise on the health, wellness, baby and beauty products that they choose for themselves and their families. With over 40,000 curated products, thousands of peer reviews, and Canada's largest assortment of green and natural brands, we make it easy to make choices you can trust.

SOURCE MCKESSON CANADA

For further information: McKesson Canada Contact: Darius Kuras, 416-427-6510 or [email protected], McKesson Canada, 6355 Viscount Road Mississauga, Ontario L4V 1W2, www.mckesson.ca

Related Links

http://www.mckesson.ca/


Hi-tech Greenhouse Positions Spectrum Cannabis as European Cannabis Leader & Odense as Major European Medical Cannabis Centre

ODENSE, Denmark, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Spectrum Cannabis Denmark ApS (the "Company"), a joint venture between Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy Growth"), the largest cannabis company in the world, and Danish Cannabis ApS ("Danish Cannabis"), a leading European hemp producer, has announced plans to establish a 40,000 m2 production facility in Odense, Denmark. The immediate conversion of 30,000 m2 of existing greenhouse infrastructure could be completed as soon as early 2018, subject to regulatory approvals and licensing, and has the full support of Odense Mayor Peter Rahbk Juel.

"We are pleased that our efforts to create a stable, skilled and safe environment continues to attract global businesses to Odense, which will now share in the prosperity of the largest and most reputable medical cannabis company in the world," said Mayor Juel.

Denmark is an ideal country for greenhouse cannabis production because of the abundant availability of experienced greenhouse producers and labourers. Odense was specifically chosen because of the support of the greenhouse industry that exists in the area.

The Odense facility is expected to employ over 125 staff, including its former orchid growers who will all be offered employment with the Company. Based on current usage rates in Canadian patient groups, production capacity from the state-of-the art greenhouse could serve the needs of approximately 60,000 patients, with a retail production value of over 500 M DKK.

While the Company proceeds through the Lgemiddelstyrelsen licensing process for production, it expects to import Spectrum Cannabis products from Canada, which are currently sold to medical patients in Canada and Germany.

The Spectrum Cannabis products are based on the simple doctor and patient friendly Spectrum system, which classifies products from high THC to balanced THC and CBD products to high CBD-only products. Throughout 2018, the Company intends to introduce its range of products in dried form for inhalation, as well as cannabis oils and Softgel capsules, an offering currently only available through Canopy Growth's subsidiaries, Spectrum Cannabis and Tweed.

"The Danish market is a stable, attractive market for a number of strategic reasons," said Bruce Linton, Chairman and CEO of Canopy Growth. "In Denmark, we see a strong pharmaceutical industry with an equally strong research tradition as well as a skilled labour pool and attractive energy rates. Based on these foundational aspects and with the expertise of our partners at Danish Cannabis, I am confident we will build upon our global success here in Denmark."

The confidence and trust in the medical control system exercised by Lgemiddelstyrelsen and the evolving cannabis laws in Denmark have created a market opportunity that will create jobs for the community of Odense while also improving the health and quality of lives of Danish people suffering from chronic illnesses by providing a safe and consistent supply of high quality medical cannabis products.

Subject to regulatory approvals, a variety of Spectrum Cannabis products will be available throughout 2018, including over ten dried cannabis strains, and ingestible cannabis oils available in liquid and Softgel capsule formats.

Here's to Future Danish Growth.

About Canopy Growth Corporation

Canopy Growth is a world-leading diversified cannabis and hemp company, offering distinct brands and curated cannabis varieties in dried, oil and Softgel capsule forms. From product and process innovation to market execution, Canopy Growth is driven by a passion for leadership and a commitment to building a world-class cannabis company one product, site and country at a time.

Canopy Growth has established partnerships with leading sector names including cannabis icon Snoop Dogg, breeding legends DNA Genetics and Green House seeds, and Fortune 500 alcohol leader Constellation Brands, to name but a few. Canopy Growth operates seven cannabis production sites with over 665,000 square feet of production capacity, including over 500,000 square feet of GMP-certified production space. The Company has operations in seven countries across four continents. The Company is proudly dedicated to educating healthcare practitioners, conducting robust clinical research, and furthering the public's understanding of cannabis, and through its partly owned subsidiary, Canopy Health Innovations, has devoted millions of dollars toward cutting edge, commercializable research and IP development. Through partly owned subsidiary Canopy Rivers Corporation, the Company is providing resources and investment to new market entrants and building a portfolio of stable investments in the sector. From our historic public listing to our continued international expansion, pride in advancing shareholder value through leadership is engrained in all we do at Canopy Growth. For more information visit www.canopygrowth.com

About Spectrum Cannabis

Spectrum is medical cannabis, simplified. Its colour-coded strain classification system is available in Canada with operations underway in the European Union and South America. Spectrum products are available in a range of potencies and formats designed to simplify the dialogue around strength and dosage by categorizing medical cannabis according to THC and CBD levels. Spektrum Cannabis Germany processes cannabis for sale in Germany in a GMP-certified facility and then distributes products to hundreds of German pharmacies. Spectrum Denmark is a partnership between Canopy Growth and Danish Cannabis. Through the partnership, Spectrum Denmark is developing a large-scale greenhouse facility in the city of Odense.

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Canopy Growth Corporation, its subsidiaries, or its affiliates to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include future operational and production capacity, the impact of enhanced infrastructure and production capabilities, and forecasted available product selection. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and Canopy Growth Corporation does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE Canopy Growth Corporation

For further information: Jordan Sinclair, Director of Communications, [email protected], 613-769-4196; Investor Relations: Tyler Burns, [email protected], 855-558-9333 ex 122; Director: Bruce Linton, [email protected]

Related Links

http://canopygrowth.com/


South Sudanese women peace leaders in Canada to address gender-based violence and women's empowerment on final leg of KAIROS' seven-city No Mas II tour

OTTAWA, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Two South Sudanese women peace builders will present to parliamentarians a compelling case for Canadian political and financial support for community-based women's organizations when they visit Ottawa on December 7 for South Sudanese Women Speak Peace - No Mas II at the University of Ottawa. This panel discussion, focused on peace building and an end to gender-based violence, will include Celina Caesar-Chavannes, Liberal MP and Parliamentary Secretary, International Development and Helene Laverdiere, NDP Critic for Foreign Affairs. Co-presented by KAIROS Canada and Development and Peace, this event will conclude KAIROS' No Mas II seven-city tour.

Agnes Wasuk Petia, Coordinator of South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) National Women's Programme (NWP), and Awak Hussein Deng, Youth Coordinator for the SSCC-NWP, will highlight SSCC's work in the context of the armed conflict in their country where women, in addition to being victims and survivors of war, are also protagonists in the struggle for peace. SSCC is a long-standing KAIROS partner.

Celina Caesar-Chavannes and Helene Laverdiere will respond to the Sudanese women's presentations in the context of Canada's new Feminist International Assistance Policy and National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. Prior to this event, they will have met Parliamentarians at a breakfast hosted by the All-Party Women's Parliamentary Caucus and the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association, and participated in a meeting with the South Sudan division of Global Affairs Canada.

WHAT South Sudanese Women Speak Peace - No Mas II



WHEN Thursday, December 7

7:00  9:00 p.m.



WHERE University of Ottawa, Desmarais Building, room 1160, 55 Laurier Avenue East



WHO Agnes Wasuk Petia, Coordinator, SSCC-NWP

Awak Hussein Deng, Youth Coordinator, SSCC-NWP

Jim Davis, Africa Partnerships Coordinator, KAIROS Canada

Jennifer Henry, Executive Director, KAIROS Canada

Elana Wright, Advocacy Officer, Development and Peace-Caritas Canada

They will also highlight the critical role women's grassroots organizations play in international peace building. In addition to offering trauma counselling to those impacted by war, SSCC-NWP offers "neutral forums" that bring warring factions together for prayer and to engage in peace building. The SSCC trains women to work with men and boys on transforming traditional patriarchal roles and norms to prevent gender-based violence in South Sudan.

The No Mas II tour runs from November 24 to December 10. No Mas II, which translates into 'No More', coincides with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign that begins on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and ends on December 10, International Human Rights Day. This tour is organized in collaboration and with the generous support of Development and Peace and its May Peace Be With Her campaign.

In addition to Ottawa, Petia and Denghave visited Toronto (Nov. 24-25), Kitchener-Waterloo (Nov. 26-27), Thunder Bay (Nov. 28-30) Winnipeg (Dec. 1), Regina* (Dec. 2-3), and Montreal (Dec. 4-6).

For the No Mas II tour media release, visit kairoscanada.org/press-release-south-sudan-women-leaders-urge-canada-support-women-peace-builders.

For more details on the No Mas II tour and the itinerary, visit kairoscanada.org/nomas2.

About KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

KAIROS is a faith-based social justice organization of ten Canadian churches and religious organizations. It focuses on Indigenous rights, international human rights and ecological justice. We deliberate on issues of common concern, advocate for social change and join with people of faith and goodwill in action for social transformation. Learn more: www.kairoscanada.org.

About Development and Peace

Development and Peace (The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace) is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis. Development and Peace is a lay movement that works in solidarity with partner organizations in the Global South and organizes education campaigns in Canada. Learn more: devp.org/en

* The No Mas II event in Regina is supported financially by the Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation.

SOURCE KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

For further information: Media Contact: Cheryl McNamara, Media Coordinator, KAIROS Canada, 877-403-8933 x 246, 416-875-0097 (mobile), [email protected]; Jim Davis, Africa Partnerships Coordinator, KAIROS Canada, 877-403-8933 x 243, 416-270-8427 (mobile), [email protected]; Kelly Di Domenico, Communications Officer, Development and Peace, 514-257-8710, x 365, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.kairoscanada.org


SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ -- Today San Miguel de Allende announced the World Happiness Fest which will be held March 16-18, 2018 in Mexico.

After the success of the 2017 summit in Miami, USA, Luis Gallardo, social entrepreneur and founder of the World Happiness Festival, decided to have a positive impact on more than one billion people throughout the world, during the next ten years, with the first steps made in Mexico.

"To realize a world with more happiness and less misery, we must make these scientifically proven tools and techniques available to the greatest number of people possible, throughout the world. Happiness is the first step to creating societies that live in peace, with individuals capable of being the best that they can be," said Gallardo.

The program is supported by the United Nations International Happiness Day set for March 20.

Institutions supporting the project include the Gross National Happiness Center of Bhutan, the Instituto del Bienestar Chile (Chile Wellbeing Institute), research centers such as the University of Berkeley Greater Good Science Center, UMindfulness in the University of Miami, Action for Happiness and the Happy Startup in the U.K. and the United States Happiness Alliance, among many others.

An ecosystem is created beginning with festival organizer be, with different activities planned for coming years such as both individual and corporate training, forums and festivals like the World Happiness Fest and Happiness Fest, as well as activities for individuals and entrepreneurs with a high conscience and ideas to improve the wellbeing of individuals and societies.

The Happiness Academy

In addition to launching the World Happiness Fest in San Miguel de Allende, be will also present the first academy in the world with a focus on the holistic being, incorporating science, technology, cuisine, art, movement, reflection, intention and music as fundamental elements for an integral program that turns around the individual and with learning based on experience.

Joel Hernandez Santiago

US/Canada: +1 347 606 5317

Mexico: +52 1 55 2144 4324

[email protected]

SOURCE be

Related Links

http://www.beit.world


Alex von Kleydorff / Hearst Connecticut Media

General Electric is cutting 80 jobs in Norwalk, its last major office center in southwestern Connecticut, affecting workers in its GE Digital unit that among other goals is attempting to link industrial systems to Internet-based controls.

Last year, GE moved some 500 employees to Norwalk from its former headquarters in Fairfield, after moving 200 senior executives to Boston, where it is now based, also relocating Stamford workers to Norwalk.
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Before running for Connecticut attorney general, those with designs on becoming the next Richard Blumenthal or George Jepsen should perhaps hire a lawyer  other than themselves.

Just ask former Secretary of the State and attorney Susan Bysiewicz who was ruled ineligible for the office in 2010 because she hadnt practiced law for at least 10 years.

Now, a similar litmus test is being applied to Chris Mattei, the former assistant U.S. attorney who is best known for sending ex-Gov. John Rowland back to prison for campaign fraud.

No sooner did the Democrat declare his candidacy Monday for state attorney general than did questions arise about whether the young lawyer is eligible to hold the post, which is the only constitutional office in the state with a specific set of standards. Some asked whether Matteis eight years as a federal prosecutor in Connecticut count toward the requirement.

The eligibility rule is spelled out in a 120-year-old state law that says, The attorney-general shall be an elector of this state, and an attorney-at-law of at least 10 years active practice at the bar of this state. Legal experts say the law is ambiguous at best and subject to conflicting interpretations.

With the federal system we have, you can make the case that federal experience is not (applicable), but I think that is an overly narrow reading, said C. Ian McLachlan, a retired state Supreme Court Justice who ruled against Bysiewicz in 2010. I think it clearly implies litigation experience.

Mattei, who was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 2005 and joined the Bridgeport office of Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder as a trial lawyer in late 2015, said hes confident he meets the qualifications of the job.

Ive been actively litigating cases in courtrooms across Connecticut for more than 10 years, he said. Theres been very little interpretation of that statute. We have not sought any ruling on that.

State Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, who is co-chairman of the Legislatures Judiciary Committee and exploring a run for attorney general said state court experience shouldnt be discounted though he declined to comment specifically about Mattei.

I think state court practice is an incredibly important function of the attorney general and attorney generals office because the attorney generals office has such a wide civil jurisdiction, he said. Every day on the Judiciary Committee, I deal with the day-to-day responsibilities that the attorney general shares, for example, child protection, consumer protection claims.

But Daniel Klau, a Hartford attorney and adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut Law School, said it boils down to the wording of the law versus the State Supreme Court opinion in the Bysiewicz case. In the latter, the majority of the justices concluded that attorney-at-law means an attorney with at least some experience litigating cases in court.

Theres no question (Mattei) has been an active litigator for the bulk, if not all, of those 10 years, Klau said. The way the court construes the statute, hes qualified. Now, I agree a person can make a contrary argument looking at only the language.

Peter Zarella, another retired Supreme Court justice who ruled against Bysiewicz, said its a matter of semantics.

I think theres a difference between the state bar and the bar of this state, he said. It would seem to me that would include the U.S. District Court in Connecticut.

Republican John Shaban, a former state legislator from Redding who is an attorney general candidate, said its no slam dunk case for Mattei.

I think he may have a little bit of difficulty, Shaban said. Ill let a judge figure that out. I dont know if (the law is) an anachronism or if its more relevant than ever.

Former House GOP Leader Larry Cafero, a Norwalk attorney, said its hard to make a case that Mattei is not qualified.

Every big political corruption case youve ever seen has a Chris Mattei type on one side and a William Dow on the other, Cafero said. To say that theyre not qualified is a stretch. When you start excluding federal experience, gosh who are you down to?

McLachlan, the retired justice, said hes surprised the Legislature hasnt modernized the language to make the law clearer.

We thought that the statute would have been amended and maybe it should have been amended, he said.

http://twitter.com/gettinviggy; nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436
NORTH BRANFORD  The South Central Connecticuts Regional Water Authority will hold a hearing Wednesday on a $15 million plan to repair a leaking, aging piping system that brings water from utilitys largest reservoir to a treatment plant, both in town.

The hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the RWA headquarters at 90 Sargent Drive in New Haven. After public comment, the authoritys Representative Policy Board will vote on whether to approve the project.

The tunnel and cast iron pipe system that bring water from Lake Gaillard in North Branford to a treatment plant along Route 80 several miles away has sprung a leak discovered in late October. Sixty percent of the water the RWA brings to customers each day comes from Lake Gaillard, the utilitys biggest reservoir .

We obviously hope the Policy Board will approve these repairs because the work needs to be done, said RWA spokeswoman Kate Powell.

The cast iron pipes that are part of the delivery system are 90 years old and some of them are buried 30 feet deep, Powell said. The leak was discovered after water began bubbling to the surface, she said.

Wednesdays meeting comes one month after the authoritys Board of Directors voted unanimously that emergency repairs were needed, according to minutes of the Nov. 6 meeting.

The board authorized issuing up to $15 million in bonds for what it is referring to as the Great Hill Tunnel and Pipeline Restoration. The board also approved having its management team enter into a no-bid contract with Xylem, a Westchester County, New York, water technology company, for the emergency installation of a temporary bypass system for the Great Hill Tunnel and Pipeline Restoration.

Xylem is one of the few companies in the world that is capable of doing what we want, Powell said. We need to temporarily divert the water out of the existing sytem so that we can repair it.

If the Policy Board, which is made up of 21 members who represent towns the RWA serves or where it owns land , approves the repair project, the bypass could be operational by the first or second week of January, she said. The repairs to the permanent system would take until the end of May 2018, Powell said.

The Regional Water Authority serves customers in Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Hamden, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Seymour, West Haven and Woodbridge. The cost of the project wouldnt begin to hit customers bills until mid-2019 at the earliest, Powell said.

The cost of project would be included in RWAs next filing for a rate increase, which she said will occur late next year. If a rate increase is approved, it would increase the cost of customers bills by about one percent starting in June 2019, Powell said.

Normally, the authority spends about $27 million annually on large capital projects, she said.

I dont know at this point if we would put off some of those projects as a result of this, Powell said. We have a whole matrix that we go through when it comes to planning capital projects.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
HARTFORD  U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said that any sexual harassment complaints involving senators and House members in which taxpayer money was secretly paid out should be disclosed as long as the victim wants them to be made public.

Blumenthal addressed the issue Monday at a press conference at the Legislative Office Building.

If taxpayer funds are used, then yes, I believe these settlements should be made public, Blumenthal said. He added that he also believes that any politician who uses taxpayer funds to pay a settlement should be required to reimburse those funds.

Rep. Jackie Speier of California and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, both Democrats, recently unveiled companion bills in the House and Senate to reform the sexual harassment complaint process on the Hill and boost transparency around the sensitive issue.

It will also require members and staff to go through mandatory sexual harassment training every year, and seek to give victims and whistleblowers more support. In recent weeks a bevy of news stories have been broken about sexual harassment claims involving politicians.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said Monday: Everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace, and those who work for members of Congress are no different. The deck is too often stacked against the victims of office harassment.

Im supporting Senator Gillibrands bill to fix this and make sure we stop protecting bad actors in Congress who have cases of sexual harassment brought against them, Murphy said. No one who has experienced sexual harassment by their boss should have the government ban them from speaking out if they choose to.

Read more at CTNewsJunkie.com.
NEW HAVEN  Four months after it was first requested, the five-member Guaman family will move out of their Whalley Avenue apartment and into a hotel until the exterior of the house where they live is abated of lead paint.

The plan is to temporarily switch residences to a unit at the New Haven Village Suites on Long Wharf that sleeps five and has kitchen facilities.

Superior Court Judge Sheila Ozalis issued the order Monday after she gave the city and the New Haven Legal Assistance Association 20 minutes outside her courtroom to firm up the details of the move that she had requested last week be presented to her that morning.

The child, (Jacob) Guaman, will be removed from the house today, Corporation Counsel John Rose Jr. told Ozalis.

The family will also transport their three sons to New Haven schools on Tuesday, while arrangements will be made with the public school system to pick up the children at their new temporary residence starting Wednesday.

Jacob , 5, who lives with his parents and siblings on the second floor of 1323 Whalley Ave., is suffering from lead poisoning with an elevated blood lead level of 17 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dl).

Jacob, who has always resided at this apartment, had a blood lead level of 36 ug/dl when he was first measured at age 2, seven times greater than the level associated with lifelong adverse health impacts.

Rose said he understands that one of the children living in the first-floor apartment is under six years old, the age at which certain lead removal regulations kick in.

We dont know how big a deal it is to do the work that has to be done on the outside, Rose said, and whether that family would also have to be moved out.

In any event, Rose said they wouldnt have to leave Monday until they get information from a contractor on the extent of the necessary abatement outside and the precautions that have to be put into place.

Im very glad you raised the issue of the family on the first floor because I was thinking of them as well, Ozalis said.

Rose wants some paperwork signed by the parents of Jacob  Walter Guaman and Gloria Montero  to advance an application from landlord Jong Hee Heo, for a forgivable U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development loan to cover the abatement.

An intake form documenting the relocation also had to be signed.

The arrangements with the Village Suites were made by Rafael Ramos, who is with the Livable City Initiative.

Ozalis said the city can apply for a HUD loan itself and it should move on a parallel track with Heo. If the city had to pick up the cost, it would then lien the property at 1323 Whalley Ave.

The judge also wants the contractor to come back with a ruling on what abatement is needed, if any, inside the second-floor apartment, which is a source of dispute between the city and the NHLAA.

There have been some discrepancies about whether the inside abatement has been completed or not. I dont think we are comfortable that it is completed. It certainly isnt as bad as the outside, but we would feel more comfortable that another outside contractor looked at it and said everything is fine now, Shelley White, director of litigation at NHLAA, said.

We will be waiting for the lead abatement plan, White said.

Ozalis originally wanted to make a site visit on Wednesday to the Whalley Avenue apartment, but with the cooperation evidenced by the parties on Monday, she hoped they proceeded along those lines in reaching an agreement on the temporary and permanent injunctions sought by Legal Assistance.

NHLAA claims that the original abatement undertaken in 2008 was inadequate, as was testing by the Health Department in both 2015 and 2016, which lacked abatement plans.

The suit claims the Health Department allegedly did not follow state rules or the citys tougher standards on abatement. It said the property also should have been checked again in 6 months, 12 months, and when and if there is a new lease.

The city has taken the position that it was the landlords responsibility, according to an abatement plan issued in 2008, to make sure the conditions did not deteriorate with lead paint flaking inside. The outside was never tested, but the paint was visibly flaking.

Not all of the Health Department files that Legal Assistance attorney Amy Marx had requested under the Freedom of Information Act had been turned over to her. Also missing was a signed copy of the 2008 abatement plan, which wasnt filed with the city clerk until 2016 when the property owner started looking for it.

Marx estimated that seven to nine more days of testimony are likely on the claims in the suit and its request for policy revisions by the Heath Department to come into compliance with city and state regulations.

The attorney said historically the NHLAA has had disagreements with the city on the displacement of tenants under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Act, which is a state law with rules that incorporate federal standards.

Marx said the rules create floors not ceilings as to what must be provided for tenants.

After the court session, she charged there has been an unnecessary amount of litigation over the years in which the city has not properly complied with relocation assistance, under the law.

She said the disagreement was whether the rules applied to lead cases which cover short-term and long-term replacement housing costs.

Marx said the city, when it agreed with the NHLAA to move the Guamans on Monday, did not concede it was obligated to do so as a matter of course under URA, but only did so because of Ozalis order.

She said she was prepared to argue Monday they are obligated, if it was necessary.

Rose does not comment on cases outside testimony inside the courtroom.
NEW HAVEN  Perkins Eastman just finished phase one of the waterfront Wharf in Washington, D.C.; has been chosen for a major project in San Francisco; and is regularly the designer of major international projects.

And the firm now has been hired through a state grant to develop a strategic plan for the New Long Wharf in the city to advance business growth and complete a big picture plan for the area that will improve the streetscape, offer specific design work along Sargent Drive and landscaping of Long Wharf Park.

City Deputy Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli was the author of the successful $950,000 grant, half of which already was used for infrastructure improvements along Long Wharf Drive, which includes the first two-way cycle track in the state; new parking for the popular food trucks and their patrons; and work scheduled on riprap protection for the park.

The remaining $400,000 will fund the New Long Wharf plan that will cover 400 acres and be worked out with community input over the the next nine months by the Stamford-based firm.

The latest version of New Havens waterfront along its harbor is about 60 years old, going back to former mayor Richard C. Lees era, but it has always played a major part in its history.

This area has been associated with New Havens prosperity as a trading post, as a seaport, a commercial center and, later, an industrial hub, Mayor Toni Harp said at a press conference at the New Haven Village Suites on Long Wharf Drive, which recently was upgraded as a long-term-stay hotel.

Goods were transported by horse-drawn carriage to the harbor and later on the Farmington Canal to sailing ships and then to overseas. The next evolution was the rail connection and then Interstate 95, although that construction cut off New Haven from its waterfront.

The coming phase picks up after the decade-long improvements to the Interstate 91-Interstate 95 interchange.

In this era of climate change and rising sea levels, a lot of emphasis also will be put on coastal resiliency to protect the businesses there and downtown.

Economic Development Administrator Matthew Nemerson said whether or not the city had the resources to hire Perkins Eastman, it has been looking at the problem of sustainability and protecting important assets such as the Metro North rail yard, the oil tank farm, the highway and such businesses as the Maritime Center and Assa Abloy.

Stan Eckstut, a principal in the firm, said his company is known for its pragmatic vision for projects it embraces and in the case of New Haven it wants to leverage what already is underway.

This is probably one of the greatest harbors anywhere. It is not fully realized and taken advantage of. If you go up and down Long Island Sound, there is nothing like it. This is why the city began, Eckstut said.

They are looking forward to completion of the Canal Dock Boathouse on Long Wharf next year and to make the citys harbor even more of a destination for residents and visitors.

He said there is nothing like the Long Wharf district with the confluence of the highway, Union Station, the waterfront and downtown, as well as the mixed-use land and corporate entities located here, such as Long Wharf Theatre, Assa Abloy, the Maritime Center, Ikea and the Food Terminal.

This is what most of the new emerging tech employees of our states are looking to be part of. The great mixed-use environment, all kinds of things are possible and our goal is to keep adding more uses, more activities to a place that is so unique, Eckstut said.

He said workers at Google and similar businesses want to be in a mixed-use area, they want to feel they are connected, they want to feel they are part of history, and to be able to walk and cycle to work.

We see doing more of that, Eckstut said and having attractions that appeal in all seasons He said any development would complement downtown. We see the two together as a unique combination.

Eckstut said right now we dont have any plans. We have lots of experience and what we have learned is no formulas, no prototypes. We really dont know what the answer is today.

He said the future will be determined by what the market favors.

Eckstut said if a residential market naturally evolves, they will strongly consider that, as well.

The principal said the 1.5-mile Wharf at Washington, D.C., which opened two weeks ago, is mixed use and it has a water plan, something that New Haven needs.

He said it is similar to Baltimores Inner Harbor, which focuses on retail, a project that Perkins Eastman has been involved with for decades. They have also done planning for the waterfront in Toronto as background to what could be considered in New Haven.

The goal will be to try to marry land use, development and water planning together with all the public infrastructure, he said.

Eric Fong, another principal in Perkins Eastman, said they will work in parallel with the citys efforts on coastal resiliency and on containing stormwater runoff.

The city already has reached out to the Hill South and the Hill North management teams to get some beginning ideas from neighbors about things they want to see and they heard concerns about traffic, said Jonathan Wharton of the Hill South team.

Fong said the companys architects, real estate and engineering team has also had initial meetings with businesses and agency institutions.

They are not talking about razing any businesses.

(W)e have great opportunity and great bones here. I dont think we want to move any of that. We dont want to be displacing things. ... It is an additive process, not a subtraction process, Nemerson said.
SALT LAKE CITY - President Donald Trump on Monday drastically scaled back two national monuments established in Utah by his Democratic predecessors, the largest reduction of public lands protection in U.S. history.

Trump's move to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by more than 1.1 million acres and more than 800,000 acres, respectively, immediately sparked an outpouring of praise from conservative lawmakers as well as activists' protests outside the White House and in Utah. The changes plunge the Trump administration into uncharted legal territory, as no president has sought to modify monuments established under the 1906 Antiquities Act in more than half a century.

His decision removes about 85 percent of the designation of Bears Ears and nearly 46 percent of that for Grand Staircase-Escalante, land that potentially could now be leased for energy exploration or opened for specific activities such as motorized vehicle use.

Trump told a rally in Salt Lake City that he came to "reverse federal overreach" and took dramatic action "because some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what? They're wrong."

"They don't know your land, and truly, they don't care for your land like you do," he said. "But from now on, that won't matter."

The two proclamations are the first in a series of major changes Trump intends to make to numerous monuments, which range from a forested patch of the Pacific Northwest to a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean off New England.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who has reviewed more than two dozen sites established by Democratic and Republican presidents under an executive order Trump signed in April, said he would release his report on the study Tuesday. Zinke has recommended downsizing Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou and Nevada's Gold Butte national monuments and shifting the way several others are managed, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post. If these revisions are successfully sustained in court, they would redefine the extent to which future presidents could dictate that public lands remain untouched.

Conservatives have long sought to curb a president's unilateral power to safeguard federal lands and waters under the law, a practice that both Democrats and Republicans have pursued since it was enacted under Theodore Roosevelt. The issue has been a particular flash point in the West, where some residents feel the federal government already imposes too many restrictions on development, and others, including tribal officials, feel greater protections of ancient sites are needed.

Even before Trump made the announcement as part of a day trip to the state, National Cattlemen's Beef Association President Craig Uden was hailing the resized designations. While grazing has continued on both monuments, as well as on others, Uden said ranchers could not have greater input into how they are managed.

"We are grateful that today's action will allow ranchers to resume their role as responsible stewards of the land and drivers of rural economies," he said.

Republicans at the president's rally applauded him and his deputies for heeding their concerns. "President Trump listened to us," Utah House Speaker Gregory Hughes (R) said. "We are not a flyover state."

Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) characterized the action as "an opportunity to push a reset button on these areas" and derided as myth "this idea that somehow there will be some wholesale development" on lands removed from the designation. "There is a lot of scaremongering" about future oil derricks and natural gas wells, he said, but "the only thing that smacks of energy is the uranium" that will now become available near Bears Ears and coal near Grand Staircase-Escalante.

A series of protests that opponents began over the weekend, attracting thousands, continued Monday at the Utah Capitol. About 300 demonstrators gathered before Trump arrived and, against the backdrop of the dome and snowy grounds, chanted "Lock him up!"

Conservation advocates and tribal representatives have for months been preparing legal briefs that aim to block the monument changes in federal court.

After Trump signed the two proclamations, the Ute Indian Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Pueblo of Zuni announced they would file suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to challenge the action on Bears Ears. A coalition of eight environmental groups, represented by Earthjustice, sued late in the day over Grand Staircase-Escalante.

"We're going to fight this," Jonathan Nez, Navajo Nation vice president, told reporters Monday.

Douglas Wheeler, a partner at the firm Hogan Lovells who represents the Conservation Lands Foundation, Utah Dine Bikeyah and other groups, said the "watershed" moment on the issue came with the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act. "Congress made very clear, as a matter of law, that they intend to delegate only that which has been expressly delegated in terms of management of federal lands," he said - which would mean a president can establish a monument under the Antiquities Act but not "rescind or substantially reduce" a site.

Yet Todd Gaziano, executive director of the Pacific Legal Foundation, argues that Trump can act unilaterally: "There are many hard or uncertain questions in the law, but this is not one of them," Gaziano said in a statement.

Despite this legal uncertainty, Trump and his deputies have worked to address the concerns raised by Utah politicians such as Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R) and executives in the mining, ranching and oil and gas industries.

Zinke held public events at multiple locations, but the review decision-making process was largely contained to a handful of top staffers at Interior and the White House. Zinke's aides have had only minimal consultations with Bureau of Land Management field office staff members in Utah, according to individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

While both Utah monuments have drawn criticism, they have simultaneously boosted local tourism. Grand Staircase-Escalante also has spurred significant scientific discoveries.

Grand Staircase's Kaiparowits Plateau ranks as one of the most important examples of the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs roamed the area, according to David Polly, president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Nearly half of the plateau falls outside the new boundaries, Polly noted in an interview - including nearly all of the Tropic Shale, a roughly 94 million-year-old swath of rock that the new proclamation identifies as a protected object.

Bears Ears, by contrast, is best known for tens of thousands of relatively intact archaeological sites and petroglyphs within its boundaries. Some date from the ancestral Pueblo era, and many tribal members continue to visit the area regularly to conduct rituals as well as to gather herbs and firewood.

A senior White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the push to change the monument designations was driven by Hatch; Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee; and Zinke.

Hatch has raised the issue of the two Utah sites repeatedly with both the president and his eldest son, not just during the 2016 campaign but also during his visit to the Oval Office on Trump's fifth day in office.

Trump "really likes" Hatch, the White House official said, because he supports his agenda, defends him on TV, praises his children and has a sense of humor. He appreciates his work on the Senate's tax overhaul bill, the aide added, and is hoping the 83-year-old incumbent will run for re-election next year rather than provide an opening for Trump political rival Mitt Romney.

The president, who updated Hatch personally on the process, brought him along on Monday's trip on Air Force One and agreed to meet with leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City at Hatch's request.

Both Trump and Zinke implied Monday that monument designations had impeded public access. "Our public land is for the public to use, not special interests," Zinke said.

But Amy Roberts, executive director of the Outdoor Industry Association, said in an interview that the notion "is flat-out wrong" and that business has thrived in the 20 years since Grand Staircase-Escalante was designated a monument.

"Unfortunately, there's a risk now that those people's livelihoods are going to be threatened as people hear the monument's cut in half and wonder whether it's worth visiting," she said.

San Juan County Commission Chairman Bruce Adams, who opposed the Bears Ears designation, said last week that he hoped the tourism boost his county had experienced in the past year would continue."Whoever's in charge of managing the monument will come up with some places for people to visit, and visit respectfully."

According to two senior administration officials, the question of how to treat existing monuments has not received significant attention in the White House, which has been focused on taxes. White House official Ty Cobb, who served as the president's attorney and once served as chairman of the Grand Canyon Trust, has opposed the reductions.
Nigerians have been thrown into panic following the re-emergence of long queues at fuel stations in parts of the country.The situation, amid rumour of hike in pump price of petrol, sparked fear that the festive season could be marred by scarcity of the product.In Abuja, many motorists who closed from work yesterday were unable to buy fuel, as many stations were shut.At about 8 p.m., there was a long queue at the NNPC retail station along Kubwa Expressway that kept motorists waiting for hours.One buyer, Alabi Ajibola, said: Most fuel stations have closed. I have been on the queue for about two hours. This should not be at this Christmas period.Haruna Bashir, a commercial driver, said his side mirror was destroyed as he jostled to buy fuel. He disclosed that he had visited more than five stations before trying his luck at the NNPC retail station.The shortage, which began in Sokoto at the weekend, worsened yesterday morning as motorists resorted to panic buying.Some filling stations belonging to the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) increased the price of a litre to N150.Queues were longer at NNPC mega stations and others operated by major marketers, as they maintained the official price of N145 but were reluctant to sell to motorists.The scarcity began Saturday evening in Kano, leaving many filing stations owned by independent marketers shut.The few stations opened along Zaria, Zoo, BUK, and Murtala Mohammed Roads had long queues.In Lagos, there were lengthy queues at filling stations on the popular Awolowo Road in Ikoyi and at Airport Road.The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) however insisted that there was no plan to increase the price of petrol, pledging it would avert shortage of the product during and after Yuletide.Independent marketers in Lagos had earlier threatened to withdraw their services beginning December 11 due to alleged breach of bulk purchase agreement with NNPC.The group had accused the corporation of selling fuel to it above the bulk price of N133.28k per litre, an allegation the NNPC denied.The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Ndu Ughamad, said the ex-depot price of N133.38 per litre and pump price of N143/N145 per litre had not changed.He said the corporation had enough fuel to ensure seamless supply and distribution across the country.The corporation urged consumers to disregard rumours of an impending price hike, saying it had the commitment of all downstream stakeholders including petroleum marketers and industry unions to ensuring zero fuel scarcity at the festive period.The NNPC also urged motorists to avoid panic buying or storing petrol in their homes.In Enugu, independent marketers began re-adjusting their pump prices in apparent readiness for a major scarcity.Although all the petrol stations in the state had supplies, prices, especially by the independent marketers, went up to N150/N155 per litre.Major marketers meanwhile continued to sell the product at the official price.Some officials justified the hike, saying since the development had begun in other states, it was only a matter of time before it became the trend.There was no scarcity of petroleum products in Port Harcourt and in other parts of Rivers State.At the time of this report, filling stations in Port Harcourt, Omoku and Mbiama still sold at the official price.Some fuel attendants told The Guardian that there was no scarcity of the product as their stations received supply over the weekend.Residents of Akure had since Sunday worried over rumours of a hike in price from N145 to N160 per litre.Most filling stations were closed yesterday morning, except some major marketers who dispensed the product to customers in long queues.Panic buying however reduced by evening as many stations continued to sell at the official price.A motorist, Muhammad Abu, who spoke with The Guardian along BUK Road in Kano, said the scarcity was artificial and a deliberate attempt to cause hardship.The fuel dealers need to be sanctioned because this things is always happening in December. It is deliberate, he said.The shortage in the city is rearing its head few days to an official visit by President Muhammadu Buhari.IPMAN chairman in Kano, Alhaji Bashir Danmallam, however denied any attempt to sabotage the visit by creating an artificial scarcity. We have never created any scarcity or panic buying for any reason. What is happening is directly from Lagos. As I speak, almost all the depots where we lift products have been shut.Danmallams reaction followed allegation in government quarters that the shortage was precipitated by IPMAN.
In both 2008 and 2012 I warned the world and particularly Africa and the Middle East about the evil of Barack Obama. No-one listened.In 2011 I warned the world about the consequences of removing Muammar Gadaffi for Africa and the Middle East. No-one listened.In 2015 I warned the world and Nigeria about supporting and electing Muhammadu Buhari as President of our country. No-one listened.In 2016 I warned Nigeria and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) about making Ali Modu Sheriff National Chairman of our party. No-one listened.In 2015 I told the world that Donald Trump would win the nomination as flag-bearer for the Republican party and that he would go on to win the American presidential election in 2016. No-one listened.In 2016 I warned Nigeria and the world that Buharis health would present a major challenge for the rest of his tenure. No-one listened.In each of these cases I have been proved right.Now I shall give two more warnings and whether anyone listens to me or not takes absolutely nothing away from me. Mine is to pass on the message and it is left for those that hear it to accept it or not.The first is that if Nigeria makes the mistake of bringing back Buhari in 2019 that will be the end of our country as a viable, cohesive, tolerant, medium-power democratic nation-state where the rule of law, the principle of equality and the most fundamental civil liberties, human rights and basic freedoms for the individual are guaranteed and respected. Worse still she may NEVER recover.The second is that if those of us in the PDP, Nigerias leading opposition party, fail to make the right choices for the Presidential and Vice Presidential ticket of our party for the 2019 election we will not only lose woefully but the country will suffer the consequences of our abysmal error and lack of good judgement for the next 50 to 100 years. In short future generations of our people will suffer for it.Think about that and let it sink in.We should stop listening to what those that believe that they are the gods of Nigeria and those that we consider to be the big and untouchable men in our country say.We should stop sheepishly accepting their self-seeking and self-centred choices, we should stop allowing them to impose their will on our future and our nation and we should stop following them like mesmerised and bewitched zombies.Instead, like the great 19th century poet William Ernest Henley counseled, we must be the master of our soul and the captain of our ship.We must understand and appreciate the importance of the prophetic, seek the face of God, listen to what He says, be guided by His leading and accept only His choices.The result of our consistent subtefuge, ignorance, folly and sheer obstinance over the last 57 years in Nigeria is that our people have suffered immeasurably.We were once the giant of Africa but over the last two years we have been reduced into a weak, impoverished and inconsequential vassal state made up of quislings, cowards and slaves and whose people are bought and sold in distant foreign lands for as little as $200.Consider what is happening to Nigerians in Libya and yet there are no consequences. That is what we have now been reduced to: a nation whose people can be castrated, murdered, enslaved, caged, bought and sold like cattle and whose organs can be removed and harvested for ungodly gain and profit.Nothing can or will change until we get the right leaders. Nothing can or will change until we reject the counsel and leading of the devil and his human agents that hold sway in our country and instead listen to and courageously enforce the counsel of God.The choice is ours.Permit me to conclude this contribution with the following.I watched a video of a press conference that President Nana Akuffo-Addo of Ghana and President Emmanuel Macron of France gave a few days ago and I was not surprised by Akuffo-Addos sheer courage and refreshing eloquence because I have known him for at least 45 years.In his speech, which touched on the issue of African slavery in Libya and the migration problem, he did not just do Ghana proud but the whole of Africa.No other African leader has been able to articulate the issue as cearly and succintly as he did on that occassion and I urge every Nigerian to google the speech on Youtube and listen to him carefully.He brings hope to a continent that is stark, dark, poor, weak, corrupt, cowardly, self-destructive and plagued with tyrants, despots and ignorant and incompetent leaders who delight in shooting down bright young stars, shattering dreams and destroying the future and destiny of their own people.Akuffo-Addo is the exception and his words in that short press conference inspired millions of black people all over the world.This is what happens when you have a brilliant, British public school-educated, Oxford University graduate as your President.In that intervention he was profound, insightful and incisive and I am proud of the fact that we went to the same prep school (Holmewood House in Langton Green, Kent) many years ago.He attended the school a number of years before I did and went on to Lancing College in Sussex and when I finished there I went on to Harrow School in Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex.The only mistake he made was that he went to Oxford and not Cambridge but I guess we can live with that!I am very proud of him and what he is doing for his people in Ghana. Even Emmanuel Macron was clearly surprised and impressed with his foresight, knowledge and understandingSadly in Nigeria we dont have people like this as Presidents and leaders.Those that I am referring to know who they are. These are men who play God and who believe that they must impose their will on our nation and our people until the day that they die.Yet thankfully all hope is not lost. We must not despair because our future and destiny lies in our hands. If we make the right choices I have no doubt that we shall achieve our full potentials and take our rightful place in the comity of nations.I say this because despite all our challenges and mind-bending viscititudes and in spite of our dearth of good quality leadership, we remain a nation of proud and noble souls and great and beautiful people.Nigeria is a lion. She is powerful and resilient. She is enduring, long-suffering, irresistable and irrepressable. She is more than a nation. She is an inexplicabe monuement of irreconcilable contradictions.She comprises of many countries all wrapped up in one awesome mighty mega-nation. She is a life-force. She is both a tangible and an intangible entity all at once. She is a living spirit and a powerful soul.She is the only country on the African continent that has a true identity and whose people yearn for her when outside her shores. Everyone on the continent looks up to Nigeria. She is their heart and their hope.Even if she is restructured or if she breaks up tomorrow and goes under a thousand different names we shall still see ourselves as first and foremost Nigerians. Nothing can take away the strength and essence of a mighty and roaring lion.We are many nations within a nation. We are a mega- nation of believers. We are the pride of Africa, the hope of the black man and the beloved of the Lord.We shall endure, we shall excel and by the grace of the Living God, we shall rise again.By Femi Fani-Kayode
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 ...
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday told military officers that they can only earn the respect of those put under their command because of their intellectual disposition and experience in the field.He based his conviction on his experience during his days a military officer.According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke while decorating the Commander, Guards Brigade, Brig-Gen. Musa Yusuf as Major-General in Abuja.An officer is what he is when he gets into the field. Certainly, there was the need for intellectual officers but then what you do in the field is what earns you respect from those who are under you, the President said.The President commended the Guards Brigade for demonstrating a high-level of discipline and professionalism expected from officers and men of the Nigerian Army.He said it was instructive that the Yusuf displayed a high level of discipline during his two-year stint as Commander.I congratulate the Brigade Commander for his achievements these past two years.I never received any serious report of indiscipline in your formation that is in-charge of my security.I hope you will get a command that will complement your experiences in the political headquarters.I congratulate you very much for making it to this new rank at a very competitive time. I know there are so many Generals but when you go to the records you pick the best and place them at very strategic appointments, he said.The President expressed confidence that Yusuf will bring his experience in the field as a former Guards Brigade Commander to his next posting, as directed by the Defence headquarters.In his remarks, Yusuf while reaffirming his unalloyed loyalty and that of his troops to the President and Commander-in-Chief, thanked President Buhari for the honour of decorating him with his new rank.He conveyed the appreciation of his troops in Keffi, Nasarawa State and those at Gwagwalada, in the Federal Capital Territory to the President for the renovation works in the barracks.In Keffi, this is the first time in the last 25 years that 14 blocks of accommodation for soldiers are being renovated; he said adding that in Gwagwalada, the Chief of Army Staff approved funds for renovation works in the barracks to make it habitable.Born on November 6, 1966, Yusuf had served as a member of Nigerian contingent to UN peacekeeping missions abroad including United Nations Mission in Eritrea-Ethiopia and United Nations Mission in Sudan.He also served in ECOMOG and Operation Harmony in Bakassi, among several other appointments in army units and formations in the country.A graduate of Chemistry from the Nigeria Defence Academy, he holds Masters Degree in Transport Management and additional Masters Degree in Strategic Studies.
The Igwe Omeluenyi 1 of Aguneese, Ezeani III of Nmaku Kingdom in Enugu State, Igwe Cyprian Nevobasi, has nominated the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, for a chieftaincy title.According to a statement by the Deputy Director, Information, State House, Mr. Attah Esa, the presidential spokesman will be conferred with the chieftaincy title as part of the First Grand Ofala to mark the traditional rulers 14 years on the throne, next month.The monarch was said to have presented the nomination letter to Adesina on Tuesday.Esa disclosed that his traditional cabinet chose Adesina because of the good work you have been doing for the country.President Muhammadu Buhari is God-sent to bring change to Nigeria, and you have been supporting him in the assignment, to the admiration of myself and my cabinet members.The Igwe said he looked forward to a positive response from the nominee, noting that his first Ofala festival in 14 years promises to be a grand event.With Igwe Nevobasi during the visit were Hon Usa Igwesi, a former member of the House of Representatives, and Chief Emmanuel Okeke.Adesina thanked the Igwe, his entire kingdom, and members of the delegation, saying: I am simply short of words.
Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, has urged the government to respond to the fresh allegations of police abuse currently trending in the social media.In a press release signed by the Media Manager, Isa Sanusi, Ojigho said, The scale of the reaction to this incident shows that the concerns of the Nigerian people are reaching boiling point.All incidents of violence meted out by this notorious police unit (Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS) must be independently investigated, and those found to be responsible must be prosecuted in fair trials.The #EndSARS hashtag is rightly gaining the attention of the police and Nigerian government and now officials must do more to end these horrendous abuses of power.Amnesty International highlighted such abuses more than a year ago, but these shocking incidents still continue.Restructuring SARS is not enough, the government must take concrete steps to protect Nigerians.It may be recalled that Amnesty International, in a September 2016 report entitled: You have signed your death warrant, showed how the SARS police unit has been systematically torturing detainees as a means of extracting confessions and bribes.The organisation warned that Nigeria has obligations under international and regional human rights law to uphold the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment.The Nigerian government should take all necessary steps to ensure that police officers do not commit human rights violations, it submitted.It added, In August 2015 the police authorities announced that, in a bid to address complaints of human rights violations by SARS officers, it would introduce reforms by splitting the command into two units: Operation and Investigation.Positive developments as a result of the reforms are yet to be seen.
The Campaign for Democracy (CD) has accused the federal government of contributing to the death of Alex Ekwueme, former vice-president.

The Campaign for Democracy (CD) has accused the federal government of contributing to the death of Alex Ekwueme, former vice-president.

Ekwueme died on November 20 in a London hospital.





The federal government had directed that the former vice-president should be flown abroad for treatment and had taken responsibility for his medical expenses.





Speaking on Monday, CD, through Uzor Uzor, its national publicity secretary and chairman, south-east zone, reportedly blamed the federal government for the death of the elder statesman.





According to Vanguard, Uzor said FG should be accountable for Ekwuemes death for abandoning him to his fate.





Uzor was quoted to have said: By the virtue of section 180 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigerian, as amended, his medical bills must be taken care of by the Nigerian government. So, when the former Vice President heard that his bills were not going to be footed by the government, he felt disappointed by a country he labored for and collapsed and died; that was what led to his death.





He died as a result of federal governments abandonment.





So federal government of Nigeria should be blamed for his death. He was a man who had been taking care of himself since he left office, very content and not disturbing successive governments in the country for any benefit.





They should have allowed him to take care of himself like he had been doing over the years both in and outside Nigeria. Why must federal government get involved this time, only to abandon him where they had taken him and allowed him to die there?





Uzor was further quoted as saying the federal government must take full responsibility and blame for the death of Dr Alex Ekwueme, and if they fail to accept full responsibility and blame of the death of the former vice-pesident of Nigeria, at the expiration of 21 day from Monday, CD will mobilize Nigerians and the like minds to protest against the present Nigerian federal government.








It has been ranked among the happiest places in the world despite widespread unrest, political crisis and recession. Now one Nigerian state has a minister in charge of contentment.The commissioner for happiness and couples fulfilment is the brainchild of Rochas Okorocha, governor of the southeastern state of Imo.Okorocha, who was previously widely criticised for using public funds to erect statues of prominent African leaders, on Monday appointed his sister to the post.Ogechi Ololo now takes up the first such portfolio in Nigeria. She previously served as Okorochas deputy chief of staff and special adviser on domestic matters, in charge of Christmas decorations.The governors spokesman, Sam Onwuemeodo, could not provide exact details of Ololos responsibilities when contacted by AFP Tuesday, but said: There is nothing unusual about the appointment.The governor is a man of ideas, always introducing new things to governance.The commissioners job is an innovation that should be copied by other governors, he added. He wants to always make the people happy. Thats why he has created a ministry for that purpose.The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is known for measuring its success by Gross National Happiness rather than Gross Domestic Product.Criteria taken into account include psychological well-being, health, education, vitality in the community and the living standards enjoyed by the population.Okorocha, a leading member in President Muhammadu Buharis All Progressives Congress party, is one of Nigerias best-known but also controversial state governors.He has been accused of appointing family members and cronies to government offices without regard to the states lean finances, including naming his son-in-law as chief of staff.In recent months he has honoured Liberias outgoing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and South Africas Jacob Zuma with statues in the state.Zumas statue was reported to have cost 520 million naira ($1.4 million, 1.2 million euros).Okorocha was criticised for the expense as public sector workers in Imo were owed several months salary.He has also been criticised for spending millions of naira to put up a Christmas tree reputed to be one of the biggest in the world.
Former Ekiti State Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Rotimi Olanbiwonnu, has told an Ado-Ekiti High ...

Former Ekiti State Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Rotimi Olanbiwonnu, has told an Ado-Ekiti High Court that he was framed up for the murder of former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Omolafe Aderiye.





Olanbiwonnu, who testified as a defence witness at the resumed hearing of the case on Monday claimed that he was framed up because he refused to support Governor Ayo Fayoses governorship ambition in the 2014 election.





Omolafe was murdered on 25th September, 2014 at his private motor park located in Ijigbo area of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. Olanbiwonnu is being tried in court with six other persons accused of complicity in the killing.





Other accused persons are another ex-RTEAN chair, Adebayo Aderiye; Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) leader, Adeniyi Adedipe; Sola Durodola, Kayode Ajayi, Oso Farotimi and Sola Adenijo.





The witness revealed that he was taken to the Government House, Ado-Ekiti shortly after he was arrested on 27th July, 2015, ten months after Omolafes murder.





He told the court that the police team that arrested him at about midnight on 27th July, 2015 was led by Fayoses Chief Security Officer (CSO) who took him to the Osuntokun Lodge of the Government House where he was paraded before the governor.





Olanbiwonnu said: When they took me to the Government House, the governor said see yourself now, I asked you to support me the other time but you refused. He asked them to take me away.





From the Government House, they took me away the State Police Headquarters and handed me over to Inspector Felix Whessu who told me that an order came from Abuja that I be taken to the court in the morning.





My police statement was written by Inspector Whessu around 1.00 am and it was completed at about 2.00 am and by 7.00 am, I was brought to the court and they waited till the court officially opened.





Magistrate (Idowu) Ayenimo said I was arrested with Form K and he ordered that I be remanded. Between 25th September, 2014 and the time of my arrest on 27th July, 2015, I was in Ado, there was no investigation.





Also in court to testify was Olanbiwonnus driver and personal assistant, Adeoye Oladele after which the defence closed its case.




The Federal Government has said 250 more Nigerians will be repatriated from Libya on Tuesday (today), bringing the number of the Nigeria...

The Federal Government has said 250 more Nigerians will be repatriated from Libya on Tuesday (today), bringing the number of the Nigerians already repatriated to 3,000.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the returnees would arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, by 7pm.The Charge dAffairs, Nigerian Mission in Libya, Iliya Fachano, said this while addressing members of the #Ourmumudondo coalition, who protested at the ministry on Monday in Abuja, demanding an end to slavery in the north African country.Fachano explained that embassy officials visited the detention camps weekly where illegal migrants, mostly from African countries, were held.He added that those identified as Nigerians were given emergency travel certificates to enable them to return to Nigeria on chartered aircraft financed by the International Organisation for Migration.He said, The IOM informs the mission once Nigerians are identified among the illegal migrants. We then visit the detention camps; register them and give them emergency travel certificates; then, schedule a date for their return.The mission repatriates immigrant Nigerians weekly. Tomorrow (today) being December 5, 2017, 250 Nigerian migrants will arrive in Lagos by 7pm.The diplomat explained that after the immigrants were scheduled for a flight, their names, as listed in the manifest, were sent to Nigeria.He added, They are not only Nigerians there; there are other nationalities like Ghanaians, Gambians; so the Nigerian embassy visits that place to identify its own people.So far, we have registered about 2,000 Nigerians now. The 250 will return tomorrow (Tuesday) because no plane has the capacity to take all the detainees at once; and all the detained people are not only Nigerians.The CDA said the moment the immigrants were brought back to the country, the National Emergency Management Agency would receive and ensure they were resettled.The coalition demanded an emergency meeting of the African Union to discuss human trafficking in Libya which it insisted should not be left to the European Union to address.A member of the coalition, Ariyo Atoye, berated President Muhammadu Buhari for not doing enough to address the root cause of illegal migration which he traced to the economic situation in the country.The protesters, led by musician and activist, Charlie Boy, sealed their mouths with duct tapes and chained their hands to depict the sufferings of many Nigerians and Africans in Libya.
The National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) has described Governor Ayo Fayoses Christmas clothes gifts for 10,000 children in Ekiti State as an attempt to elevate one religion over another.Ekiti State Governor, Chief Ayodele Fayose dressing a two-year-old girl during the flag off of distribution of Christmas/ new year clothing for 20,000 children in Ekiti on Sunday in Ado EkitiNACOMYO described the gesture as unacceptable and a breach of Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), insisting that the section provides that the Government of the Federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as state religion.In a statement by its State Coordinator, Alhaji Tajudeen Olutope Ahmed, NACOMYO said in as much as the group was not aversed to any form of child welfare or development, it was worried that our commonwealth as a state is being used to promote a particular religion and to placate the subscribers of the religion.The statement reads in part: It is on the basis of the above that we hereby call on Governor Fayose to suspend his planned celebration of Christians and Christianity during the forthcoming Yuletide period.In the alternative, if the governor is determined to go ahead with his planned provision of Christmas dresses, he should disclose the budget for the dresses to the public and be ready to expend the same amount during the forthcoming Muslim festival. This is the justice of the matter.In his reaction, the governors Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi said Fayose has been fair to all religions in the state.Adelusi said: the governor has been fair to all religions in the state; he has never for once discriminated against any religion.During Muslim festivals, the governor distributes ram and even goes to the mosque to felicitate with them. Have you heard the Christians complained about it once? I dont see why the Muslims should complain and in any case if there should be a screening of the children given clothes, not all of them will be Christians. Some of them will be Muslims, while some will be Christians because it is free. So, those raising dust over this gesture have no point at all, he said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to vacate the subpoena it issued to c...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to vacate the subpoena it issued to compel former President Goodluck Jonathan to appear as a witness in the ongoing trial of erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the People Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh.According to the anti-graft agency, Metuhs insistence on calling ex-President Jonathan to mount the witness box to give evidence in the corruption case against him, has turned to a stumbling block in the trial. EFCC noted that three attempts by the court bailiff to effect personal service of the witness summon on Jonathan at his Abuja residence proved abortive.It accused the former PDP spokesman of deliberately using his request to have Jonathan in the witness box as an instrument to tie down the hand of the court. Consequently, the prosecuting agency, through its lawyer, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, urged the court to invoke the provision of section 250(2) (b) of the Administration of Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, and dispose off the matter by considering evidence already laid in the trial, as sufficient for the 1st defendant (Metuh) who has so far called eight witness in defence of the charge against him. EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and and his firm, Destra Investment Limited, on a seven-count charge.It alleged that Metuh had before the 2015 Presidential election, received N400million from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, without executing any contract.It said the fund was electronically wired from an account that ONSA operated with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to Metuh, via account no. 0040437573, which his firm operated with Diamond Bank Plc. EFCC maintained that the fund which was released to Metuh and his firm by detained former NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd, was part of about $2.1billion earmarked for the purchase of arms to fight insurgency in the North East. More so, the prosecution which had earlier closed its case after it called eight witnesses that testfied before the court, equally alleged that Metuh was involved in an illicit transaction that involved the exchange of $2million. However, Metuh insisted that the money he got was on the order of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.The PDP chieftain, through witnesses he produced before trial Justice Okon Abang, admitted that fund was duly allocated to his office for media campaigns.To substantiate his claim, Metuh persuaded the court to issue two separate subpoena ad testificanum to compel both Jonathan and Dasuki to testify in his defence, describing the duo as very crucial and vital witnesses in the matter. Whereas the Department of State Service, DSS, on November 3, brought Dasuki before the court to testify as a witness in the trial, ex-President Jonathan had yet to appear before the court owing to the inability of the bailiff to serve a copy of the subpoena on him. At the resumed sitting on Monday, the court bailiff deposed an affidavit of non-service, disclosing that on November 30 when he went to Jonathans house, he was told by a security man that pleaded anonymity, that the former President was out of the country and would return on December 11.Reacting to the development, Metuhs lawyer, Mr. Emeka Etiaba, SAN, alleged that the court bailiff had refused to disclose to the defence team the outcome of his effort to serve the witness summon on ex-President Jonathan. My lord, we are just hearing that the service was not effected for the first time. Going by the tenor of this affidavit of non-service, it would seem to me that the bailiff will be able to serve the subpoena on December 11. When we needed to serve our last witness, Dasuki, the attempt by the bailiff was not seamless or smooth. At that time, there were insinuations that we did not indeed want Dasuki to come and testify in this court but eventually he was served and had since appeared and testified and we are very happy with his evidence.Before this court is yet another issue relating to execution of subpoena on no less a person than former President of this country. This subpoena is one that has generated lots of controversies and threats, not just to the 1st defendant but to myself. The threat goes to the life of not just the 1st defendant, but to myself and our lead counsel, Dr. Ikpeazu. My lord, this will not make us to change our mind as to whether his Excellency should be called to testify as a witness in this matter or not. We will however plead with this court to allow the bailiff to make another attempt on November 11 at serving the subpoena on his Excellency. We are making this application because we will not want to turn the proposed witness into an adversary. We want him to appear as a person that freely subscribed to come as a witness that is willing to testify.Therefore, we shall be asking for an adjournment to enable the bailiff to make another attempt at serving the witness summon on his Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Etiaba submitted. At that juncture, Justice Abang asked if Jonathan was the only witness that Metuh intended to call in defence of the charge against him. The court wants to know from you and for the record, whether Dr. Jonathan is the only witness left to be called for the defendant to close his case.Specifically, are you not calling the 1st defendant himself to testify in this case?, Justice Abang queried. In his response, Etiaba told the court that calling Metuh to personally defend himself would be dependent on Jonathans testimony. If Jonathan does not attend court after he has been served with the subpoena, we will confer with the defendant on the next step to take for his defence. But if the court on its own motion decides otherwise, that will not without prejudice, affect my right to withdraw from further representation of the 1st defendant in his defence.I answer this, knowing that the difference between today and December 11 is only seven days, out of which five are working days, Etiaba added. While supporting the adjournment request, counsel to Metuhs firm, Chief Tochukwu Onwugbufor, SAN, argued that Jonathans evidence would have a fundamental implication on the case of his client. It will have the impact that will determine the direction of the evidence of the 2nd defendant because his evidence, if it covers our grounds, we need not call further evidence. So we urge your lordship to grant an adjournment to enable him testify, Onwugbufor submitted. Ruling on the issue, Justice Abang held that Metuhs failure to take steps to serve the subpoena on Jonathan was to further delay progress in the matter.The court stressed that it has the power to set-aside the witness summon against Jonathan if it was intended to frustrate the trial. The first defendant cannot hold the court to ransom when he has failed to timeously have the process served by substituted service. Justice Abang said there was no guarantee that the bailiff would on November 11 effect personal service of the summon on Jonathan. Neverthless, the Judge said he was minded to in the interest of justice, give Metuh one more chance to serve the subpoena on ex-President Jonathan, saying the decision was to afford the defendant ample opportunity to defend the case against him. The court said Metuh was at liberty to call any other witness, apart from Jonathan, on Tuesday, failing which he would be forclosed as prayed by EFCC. EFCC lawyer had earlier urged the court to compel Metuh to serve the summon on Jonathan via substituted means. He contended that whereas section 123(A) of ACJA made provision for personal service, section 124 allows for posting of such summon at some conspicuous part of the premises or place in which the intended witness resides. Again section 122 of ACJA also makes provision for service by courier. With the available record of attempted service before this court. We submit that due diligence as envisaged by section 124 of ACJA has been exercised by the bailiff thereby justifying having recourse to alternative means. It is our humble submission that any further attempt at service should not be by the previous methods that were tried but failed. This is so as not to hold this court to ransom.Meantime, based on questions from the trial Judge, the EFCC lawyer subsequently made a U-turn and asked the court to rather set-aside the subpoena against Jonathan. The later request by the agency infuriated the defence lawyer who accused Justice Abang of deliberately steering the prosecution to change his position on the issue. The court had on November 1, declined to set-aside the subpoena it issued against Jonathan on October 23 based on Metuhs request.Justice Abang struck out a motion Jonathan filed through his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to challenge the subpoena against him, as lacking in merit. The Judge further refused Jonathans alternative request for Metuh to be ordered to deposit with the court, the sum of N1billion in line with provisions of Section 241(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, before he would mount the witness box.Jonathan had insisted that the N1bn would cover travelling expenses for himself and his security personnel from his home town, Otuoke in Bayelsa State to Abuja, and also for the time that he might spend appearing before the court as President of Nigeria between 2010 to 2015. The ex-President said he got to know about the summon the court issued against him through newspaper publications. He contended that the evidence Metuh is seeking from him would amount to an invasion of his personal right to privacy, and family life as provided for in Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.He told the court that the evidence sought to be obtained from him was likely to expose him to a criminal charge, penalty or forfeiture. Jonathan said the subpoena was vague, applied for and obtained on frivolous ground and in bad faith, saying it was meant to embarrass him as a person.He insisted that Metuh was not a personal aid or his appointee and therefore could not have dealt with the President directly under any circumstance to warrant the invitation of the applicant to testify in the charge. He said there was no nexus between hiim and Metuh and the charge for which the defendants are standing trial. In his bench ruling, Justice Abang said he could not validly exercise jurisdiction to grant any of the former Presidents prayers since the bailiff of the court had yet to serve him with a copy of the subpoena.Dr. Jonathan, with greatest respect to him, cannot rely on Newspaper publications or news item from electronic media to come to conclusion that the subpoena is vague. It is a hersay evidence which is not relevant before this court. His contention about invasion of his right to privacy can only be considered when he is in court and in the witness box. If he is asked a question, the court can determine if it is an invasion of his privacy or not.I am inclined to dismiss the application because it has been argued on its merit, but reluctantly I hereby strike it out, Justice Abang held.
WIFE of former Nigeria President, Patience Jonathan, has re-filed an application seeking to vacate a no debit order placed on her account which has the sum of $15.5 million at Skye Bank Plc by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had on May 8, 2017, ordered the re-filing of the suit through writ rather than originating summons.At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, Justice Idris granted an application by the former first lady seeking an extension of time within which to reply to the EFCCs statement of defence.However the judge fixed January 19, 2018, for the commencement of trial.While ordering the re-filing of the suit, Justice Idris held that it would not be proper for the plaintiff to commence the suit by way of originating summons since issues surrounding the ownership of the money were largely contentious among parties.The judge also noted that oral evidences would be needed to resolve the issue in contention and ordered parties to file their pleas in line with the Federal High Court rules 2009 for trial to commence in the matter.EFCC had argued that the matter was not properly commenced by originating summons on the premise that the facts were in total dispute and as such ought to come by writ.The plaintiff in her response stated that the affidavit evidence showed largely that there were no disputed facts of substance among the parties and that if the court is not sure of this, it should order pleadings so that a full trial can be embarked upon.It is now settled law that originating process is the ideal process to commence a suit where there is no dispute. The issue in contest is on the ownership of the fund in the account of the fourth, fifth and sixth defendants.In respect of this issue, the contention appears divided and facts are in substantial dispute. In the light of the above, it cannot be rightly contended that there are no disputed facts and substance as to the ownership of the said fund, the judge said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has barred former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, from disp...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has barred former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, from displaying their posters and banners at next Saturdays convention.

Ex-governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau and Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, have also been warned against using the event for their presidential campaigns.





Chairman of the partys convention planning committee and Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, told newsmen at the end of the committees meeting in Abuja on Monday, that all campaigns must stop by Friday.





We need to make this announcement to all our party members and well wishers that the convention is going to be for delegates and we are expecting a little less than 3000 delegates. And those delegates have been properly accredited by the accreditation committee.





And for those our party members that are going to come are welcome to Abuja, but they will not be allowed to come to the eagle square and this is because we want to be sure that we are in a position to deliver a credible elective convention.





We are trying to put all these processes in place so that we dont over crowd the venue. I want to urge aspirants to the various positions to please, keep their campaigners away from the convention venue and we believe all campaigns would have stopped by Friday.





I will not expect any aspirant, especially presidential aspirants to bring their campaign posters, campaigners, men or women to the venue because it will not be allowed.





And we want to appeal to all of them campaigning to desist from doing that. For those who want to campaign for future election, possibly the presidential aspirants this convention is not the place to display campaign posters or to display their intentions.




Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked politicians who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to other parties to return.He said there is no other political party in the country apart from the PDP.Atiku spoke in Abuja on Tuesday when he paid a courtesy call on the national leadership of the party at its national secretariat in Abuja.The former Vice-President had resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress about a week ago without joining any other political party.But on Sunday, he announced that he had returned to the PDP, which he left in 2014 with others to form the APC.While leaving the PDP then, he had said that the APC would be his last bus stop, vowing never to return to the former ruling party.Accompanied by his loyalists and praise signers, Atiku who had never hidden his desire to be the President of Nigeria, swallowed his words as he heaped praises on the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the PDP for remaining steadfast.He said he was very grateful to the leadership of the party for granting him the opportunity to visit the party despite the tight schedule of its leaders.He said, I like to thank you very much indeed for this privilege and opportunity granted me to do so, realising that this is a very busy for you.All what I have come to do today is to come and show my face. Many people have read in the media that I have returned home. This is home.Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate you for a wonderful work which you have been doing to redeem the image of this party, to return it, rebrand it and return it to its original form.I want to assure you of my support and cooperation at all times, to make sure that these objectives are achieved by you and subsequently by your successors.
The Nigerian Army has asked the general public to disregard the fake announcement on the social media about recruitment exercise.Recruits undergo training at the headquaters of the Depot of the Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna State in northcentral Nigeria, on October 5, 2017.The Army, in a statement by its spokesman, Brigadier General Sani Usman, early Tuesday morning, warned unsuspected members of the public to be wary of people posting the announcement on social media to deceive them with a view to dupping them.The attention of the Nigerian Army is drawn to the activities of a fraudulent syndicate that has placed fake adverts to deceive unsuspecting members of the public on alleged commissioning into the Nigerian Army.The group specifically used Facebook and other Social Media platforms to entice interested persons and thereafter solicited for token payments into a certain bank account.The public is please requested to disregard such advertisements on the Social Media as the Nigerian Army is not recruiting at this moment.Members of the public are please enjoined to report such fraudulent groups to the nearest security agency or better still, contact the information Nigerian Army Call Centre on 193 using any of the networks, the statement said.
Ginger Zee, ABC's chief meteorologist, has written an inspiring memoir in which she details her depression and her work ethic.

She's talking about all at The Clinton Book Shop, 12 East Main St., Clinton, on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. The event is free and does not require buying "Natural Disaster: I Cover Them. I Am One" (Kingswell, 282 pp, $26.99) but requires securing a ticket.

In the heartfelt book Zee discloses for the first time that 10 days before she started the ABC gig, she checked herself into a mental health hospital.

She had battled depression for years.

Her engaging style never looks for sympathy. Rather, Zee spells out how she felt and why. The scenes about an abusive boyfriend are chilling.

In both cases - lingering depression and a controlling boyfriend -- Zee sought the help she knew she needed.

In a deeply personal memoir, Ginger Zee recounts her battle with depression and how she sought inpatient help before starting a huge job.

The book also does a great job of explaining how hard she worked and for so long to get to where she is. She's self-deprecating, fun and funny.

Here, she's recalling her first on-air gig at WEYI, which covered Flint, Saginaw, Bay City and Midland, Michigan. Zee was thrilled and so eager to get before the camera and use her college degree in meteorology.

As usual, an anchorwoman, who appears absolutely perfect, introduced her.

"Pan to me in my nylon navy suit with the interchangeable collar (pink, since it was my favorite color, of course), far-from-perfect makeup, disheveled hair, and flip-flops. I delivered my first real forecast on a real television station in plastic sandals. Fortunately, the camera stayed mid-calf and above, but still."
A new ice cream shop's controversial logo is forcing management to consider making its cartoon cow mascot "more fun and less sexy," a manager wrote in a Facebook post.

The newly opened Dairy Air Ice Cream Co., located at 521 Bloomfield Ave. in Montclair, began receiving complaints Monday after Amy Tingle, a local business owner in Montclair, wrote an open letter on Facebook to Dairy Air, asking them to reconsider the logo, of a "sexualized" female cartoon cow, and remove it from the storefront, packaging and elsewhere.

"It is offensive and sickening," Tingle wrote. "A hyper-sexualized, obviously female cow with her ass upended and poking through a circle, tail raised up, waiting for what? I'm not sure, but I do know that I am repulsed and offended."

Tingle wrote that the logo is not offensive to just women, but also men "who are trying to raise strong young women in a culture that continuously sexualizes them rather than treating them equally, with dignity and respect.

"Instead of making girls and women feel safe and authentic, we are made to feel - by ads and logos like yours - as if we are things for someone else's sexual use," she continued.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Tingle invited community members to her store, Creativity Caravan (28 S. Fullerton Ave.), Saturday at noon to further discuss the issue. She also said on Facebook that she spoke personally with Anthony Tortoriello, one of the owners of Dairy Air, and while they disagree on the nature of the logo, "he apologized for it and is willing to continue the dialogue together."

Attempts to reach Dairy Air management for comment were unsuccessful, though a manager responded to the complaints on Facebook, saying they planned to tone down the logo.

"We have heard the complaints," Natalie DeRosa, manager of Dairy Air in Montclair, wrote this week. "We take them very seriously and we are acting to change the cow to be more fun and less sexy. Our goal was always fun and not sexy."

Other community members took to Tingle's Facebook post to rail on Dairy Air, which is a play on the French word "derriere," meaning buttocks, and their newly minted logo.

"Totally disgusting and repulsive. Good for you for calling them out on it," Facebook user Tina Tierson wrote.

"Misguided branding that is shocking in this day and age!!," Leslie Billera wrote.

According to Montclair Local, Dairy Air is a liquid nitrogen ice cream shop that consists of a pun-filled menu.

The weekly newpaper said items inlcude: Backside Banana Split, Keister Key Lime and Coconut, Peanut Butt'r Booty, Oprah's Favorite Fanny, Backend Bourbon Blues, Bumm Rush, Sweet Cheeks and Chocolate, Devil's Derriere, Spankin' Strawberry Moon, Mexican Waffle Wedgie and the Muffin-Top Money Maker.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jatmonavageNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook
A 33-year-old Newark man was convicted Monday of fatally shooting a liquor store employee who planned to testify against him for a previous robbery at the Irvington business.

Rick King

Rick King faces life without parole after being convicted of murder, witness tampering, armed robbery, aggravated assault on a police officer and weapons offenses, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. The trial lasted two months.

King walked into Roseway Liquors on the 700 block of Lyons Avenue, forced Amit Patel to the floor and shot him once in the head.

The 28-year-old Edison resident died instantly, authorities said. The shooting took place just after 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2015.

After Patel's death, prosecutors moved to make his pre-trial statements to police officers admissible in court.

Prosecutors said that King had claimed after Patel's death that he no longer had to worry about the murder charge. Law enforcement officers searching King's phone after the shooting found he had looked up information about Patel and the shooting, authorities said.

Prosecutors also said cameras on the streets near the liquor store showed a man wearing the same clothes as King was seen wearing that day entering and fleeing the store around time of the shooting.

King previously robbed the liquor store when Patel, the son of the owner, was working on Halloween in 2013.

King, who has five prior felony convictions, will be sentenced Jan. 19.

"The prosecution would like to commend the jurors for their unwavering focus during this long trial,'' Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Mira Ohm said. "Their verdict brings some measure of justice to the Patel family.''

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
An emotionally disturbed man shot by Jersey City police this afternoon had lunged at officers with a large piece of glass, an official said.

The man, who was also pepper-sprayed, is expected to recover from a gunshot wound to the stomach, city spokeswoman Kimberly Scalcione said.

Police had been called to the Nunda Avenue building, previously described as an adult behavioral facility, around 4:20 p.m. on reports of a man trying to cut himself with a piece of glass, Scalcione said.

Once officers were inside, the man lunged at them with the glass, she said.

The officers tried to subdue the man with pepper spray before shooting him in the abdomen, Scalcione said.

Both the man and the officer who shot him were brought to Jersey City Medical Center, with the officer being treated for shortness of breath and tinnitus, she said.

After the shooting, members of the Jersey City Police Department and Hudson County Prosecutor's Office were on the scene on Nunda Avenue, a one-block street that dead-ends into Lincoln Park. News helicopters hovered overhead.

Official details on the incident were not immediately available from the Prosecutor's Office, which investigates all police shootings.

Aimen Sal, who was working at his car shop near the intersection of Olean and Communipaw avenues, told The Jersey Journal he heard a single gunshot ring out. He looked down the street and saw a police officer come running out of the building.

The man who was shot was taken away by an ambulance and could be seen shirtless with a gauze pad wrapped around his chest in a video Sal shot.

The man appeared to be alert; one witness said he was handcuffed to the stretcher.

While Sal said he was surprised to see dozens of first responders, he said police and firefighters are constantly called to the home.
JERSEY CITY -- A 44-year-old Perth Amboy man being man being arrested in Jersey City on a Family Court warrant Saturday had PCP charges tacked on following a search, officials said.

Tyrone L. Garner, of Harned Street, is charged with possession, possession with intent to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of School 14, located at 153 Union St., the criminal complaint says.

Police said that while arresting Garner, they found he had a bottle containing suspected PCP, and two empty bottles containing suspected PCP residue, the complaint says.

Garner made his first appearance on the charges yesterday in Criminal Justice Reform Court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny.

At the hearing, he was ordered released with conditions of supervision pending trial. But the judge said there was a warrant for his arrest for failing to pay more than $2,000 in child support and he would have to address that before being released.
BAYONNE -- A Jersey City man who extorted nearly $6,000 from a Bayonne woman by threatening to divulge "embarrassing" information about her was arrested when he tried to get more money from her, police said.

On Nov. 30, Bayonne police detectives arrested Isaac D. Martillo, 20, of Jersey City and charged him with two counts of theft by extortion, and criminal attempt of a theft by extortion, Lt. Eric Amato said.

Martillo had contacted the woman and between Nov. 24 and Nov. 29, he threatened to release sensitive information unless she paid him, said police, who declined to describe the nature of the sensitive information.

Ultimately, the victim paid Martillo $5,800, authorities said, but when he attempted to extort an additional amount he was apprehended by Bayonne police detectives.

Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @coreymacc. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- Jury selection began today for the trial of a Jersey City man accused of murdering a good Samaritan who came to a man's aid during an assault in 2015.

Froylan Lopez, 30, of Oak Street, is charged with fatally stabbing 26-year-old Troy Brandon exactly two years ago to the day at the corner of Monticello and Storms avenues, officials said.

Brandon, who suffered wounds to his torso, was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead about 40 minutes later, officials said.

Lopez was arrested the next day after fleeing through a window and descended a fire escape. He was charged with murder and weapons offenses related to a knife, officials said.

The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said at the time that Brandon was coming to the aid of a person who was being attacked when he was stabbed.

When Lopez made his first court appearance on the charges, Hudson County Leo Hernandez noted the strength of the state's case, which he said includes a video recording of Lopez stabbing Brandon.

Hernandez told the judge that Lopez was a flight risk and was not an American citizen. His bail was set at $1 million cash only.

"He was helping the person," Terina Brandon said of her slain brother following the court hearing in December 2015. "From the video we have, he was trying to help a person get up. Why would you think that he was the one that hurt the person?"

Today, the first pool of potential jurors entered the courtroom of Hudson County Superior Court Judge John Young at 10:40 a.m.

Lopez, who is listening on through a Spanish translator, faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of murder.

The case is being handled by Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Lanzot. Lopez is represented by defense attorney Hope Mitchell. The trial is in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story should have identified the victim in the initial assault as a man, not a woman.
The education desert known as Hunterdon County is no more, as Georgian Court University announced plans to open an academic building in Flemington as early as January 2019 as part of a planned redevelopment project.

Georgian Court University President Joseph Marbach and developer Jack Cust, Jr. announced their joint efforts to bring higher education to the only county in New Jersey lacking it during a press conference Tuesday held along with Flemington Mayor Phil Greiner and Freeholder John Lanza.

"It's our pleasure to help come and serve the needs of Hunterdon County," Marbach said Tuesday morning. "Our mission is to serve the underserved; usually this is economically underserved, but Hunterdon and Flemington offer us a great opportunity to serve those who are geographically underserved."

The Lakewood-based Catholic university signed a letter of intent to occupy up to 30,000-square feet of Courthouse Square. The plan includes an academic building, Dean of Admissions Justin Roy said.

Cust expects to break ground on the redevelopment project as soon as it is approved and said he's confident the two phase project will be ready for students in early 2019.

A key vote on the project, that includes several blocks in downtown Flemington and the historic Union Hotel, is expected to happen at the Flemington Borough Council's next meeting on Dec. 11.

The focus of Flemington's satellite campus will be to serve transfer students and non-traditional adult students, and offer more market-driven programs, including data and health specializations, Marbach said. This will include traditional classes, but also hybrid classes with an online component.

The university is in discussions with Hunterdon Medical Center to service needs of the health sciences community, looking to offer courses including population health, as well as expanding nursing education through Raritan Valley Community College.

The university is also exploring a dual admission program with two-year school Raritan Valley, Roy said, allowing students to complete a Bachelor's degree in Flemington in timely fashion at a discounted rate.

"Part of our mission is to provide affordable and accessible education to the residents of central and southern New Jersey," Marbach noted. "We believe this location offers us a great opportunity to expand the Georgian Court footprint."

The university has recently opened Hazlet and Cumberland satellite campuses. It also offers dual admission programs with various community colleges, including Middlesex, Brookdale and Mercer community colleges.

Along with the satellite campus, the 300,000-square-foot downtown project will feature a revitalized Union Hotel with 10 suites, 100 rooms, a restaurant, meeting rooms and a conference hall. It will be anchored by a 45,000-square foot medical and education building at one end and the Hunterdon County Historic Courthouse at the other.

"This college is the leading edge of a project that promises to transform Flemington and move it forward, while retaining its history and the appeal that we all know that it has," said Greiner.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The getaway driver in a planned robbery that led to a fatal shooting of a Ewing man outside his home in October now faces a murder charge and was ordered Tuesday to remain in jail as he awaits trial.

Damonte Smith

Damonte Smith, 20, of Ewing, was originally charged with first-degree robbery along with his co-defendant's Voshon McCray, 20, and Coson Taylor, 19 and , Kyree Hill, 18.

Hill, who is accused of pulling the trigger, had previously been charged with murder. Now Smith faces the same charge as prosecutors revealed Tuesday in court his role in planning the robbery that left Devon Green, 23, dead.

Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor James Scott said Smith was involved in the planning of the robbery, and had assigned roles to others in the group.

"Demonte told (McCray) that they were going to commit a robbery, and McCray was going to be look out," according to documents read aloud in court.

Smith's defense attorney Amber Forester called eight character witnesses in support of his motion for bail in the case. The family members, co-workers and friends said Smith was a responsible, kind-hearted and respectable person.

Several of the witnesses confirmed that Smith drove a white Ford Edge. A similar car was captured on camera leaving the area by a police car that was going towards the scene, accord to Scott.

"This was a planned robbery where a weapon was brought to the scene," Superior Court Judge Ronald Susswein said before ordering Smith held, while acknowledging the support of his family. "This is just a sad moment, I accept that this isn't what you've done in the past, but the risk assessment is about the future."

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook
The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders is seeking to censure one of its members amid a report containing allegations of sexual harassment against Deputy Director John Curley.

The existence of the report was made public after Curley filed a federal lawsuit Friday against his fellow freeholders, county attorney Michael Fitzgerald and county administrator Teri O'Connor.

Curley was temporarily banned from county buildings as a result of the investigation.

The contents of the five-month investigation into the sexual harassment complaint, however, are not public and remain sealed in court. The lawsuit said the investigation, conducted in cooperation with the Office of Professional Standards, started in June 2017 after Curley allegedly made an "off-color comment" at a parade.

"The report contains sensitive and confidential information regarding a sexual harassment investigation," reads a footnote in the suit to have the report sealed.

Curley argues in the suit that he's a "target" and that "many of the statements in the report are false."

He said there are complaints in the report made by Freeholder Serena DiMaso, who is described in the lawsuit as a "political rival." DiMaso, of Holdmel, just won an assembly seat in District 13.

All five members of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders are Republicans. But Curley, who joined the board in 2011, has been openly critical of his fellow freeholders in the past and has even received support from county Democrats at times.

In 2014, for example, Curley was called "inappropriate" by Lillian Burry in a public meeting after he grew frustrated that his resolution supporting stronger state ethics rules was pulled from the agenda without notice.

"We never engage in anything that is a controversy and that is a shame," he said at the time. "Let's hope that our ethics are improved here in Monmouth County."

The testy exchange led to a statement released by Vin Gopal, then the Democratic chairman in Monmouth County, supporting Curley. "We are proud to stand in the name of bipartisanship with Republican Freeholder John Curley," it said.

Often brash and blunt, Curley's most publicized clash with officials came to light during testimony in the George Washington Bridge lane closure criminal trial.

Former Gov. Chris Christie staffer Chris Stark recalled an incident after Hurricane Sandy in which Curley expressed his outrage over what he thought was Christie doing nothing but posing for the cameras.

"Who does that fat (expletive) think he is?" Curley said, according to Stark.

Stark continued in his testimony: "... From what I understood of the conversation, the governor told Mr. Curley: 'Who the (expletive) do you think you are calling me a fat (expletive)? I'm the (expletive) governor of this state. If you're not in Keansburg standing behind me tomorrow at the podium, I will (expletive) destroy you. I will have a robo-call sent out to every Republican in Monmouth County before Election Day telling them not to vote for you."

When contacted by NJ Advance Media after the court hearing, Curley confirmed the account and said he added the word "mother" to his expletive-laced insult he made about the governor.

The sexual harassment report was sent to freeholders on Nov. 26. Two days later, a special meeting was set to be held to vote on a resolution to censor Curley and to reinforce the county's policy on "prohibiting workplace discrimination and harassment."

Curley, who was barred from entering county buildings in Freehold, sought a temporary restraining order to block the meeting from happening. The meeting was canceled but was rescheduled for Friday after court records show Curley withdrew his motion for temporary restraints.

Curley was also granted access to the buildings and his personal aide, his attorney, Angelo Genova, said in a statement sent to the Asbury Park Press. He was not immediately available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Jonathan Testa, an attorney representing the county, said his client is "pleased the court has affirmed the ability of the freeholders to conduct the business of the county and to address the pending time sensitive items."

"To not address and strengthen sexual harassment policies and expectations for all of our employees would be irresponsible, especially at this time," Testa said in a statement.

Curley claims in the lawsuit that the Office of Professional Standards "acted outside of its legal authority" by investigating him.

"As an elected official, plaintiff is not an employee of the county and Fitzgerald and O'Connor are not authorized by statute or regulation to investigate the conduct of an elected Freeholder," the lawsuit said.

Curley, who is up for re-election in 2018, is seeking to assure the report never gets made public and contends he was deprived of due process and his free speech rights were violated.

He wants compensatory and punitive damages, along with attorney fees.

NJ Advance Media reporter Ted Sherman contributed to this report.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Property owners up and down the New Jersey shore have tried many ways to block a protective sand dune project on their land.

They complained about of lost views of the ocean; argued that existing dunes or rock walls they built and maintained on their own offer better protection against storms, and even worried about mosquito-born Zika virus outbreaks in pools of stagnant water behind the sand piles.

None of it has worked so far.

The latest challenge to Republican Gov. Chris Christie's plan to build or widen dunes along most of the state's 127-mile coastline comes from a privately owned beach in Point Pleasant Beach.

Risden's Beach fears the state's real motive is to seize its business and operate it as a public beach.

The state says it has no intention of operating Risden's Beach, but the company's lawyer says the state is claiming the legal right to do so for itself.

"What they are doing is explicitly and unambiguously acquiring the right to operate a public beach," said John Buonocore, a lawyer for Risden's. "If they don't intend to take it, they shouldn't do it."

It court papers filed Monday, the state says its Department of Environmental Protection "has no interest in operating Risden's beach or otherwise depriving Risden's from carrying on its normal for-profit operation" of the beach.

The litigation, filed last month, is the latest in a long line of court challenges to New Jersey's dune program, which began shortly after Superstorm Sandy devastated parts of the shore in 2012. It is being built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Numerous studies have shown that coastal communities that were protected by robust dunes fared much better in Sandy than those that did not.

Buonocore said Risden's, which sells daily and seasonal badges to the public, has offered to legally restrict its use of its land as a beach open to the public.

"But that wasn't good enough for them," he said.

In its condemnation filing against Risden's, the state said nothing in its court papers will or intends to change the beach's status as privately owned land, and specifically gives Risden's the right to operate the beach, maintain it and charge fees to the public for using it.

The court challenge comes as a nearby privately owned beach in the same town, Jenkinson's, has reached a settlement with the state and federal governments that will allow it to avoid having dunes built on its property.

Instead, Buonocore said, Jenkinson's will pay $6 million to install a metal sea wall on its sand near the boardwalk. The agreement was reached over the summer, although a final settlement document has not yet been filed with the court.

Also Tuesday, the state awarded an $18.4 million contract to dredge sand from Little Egg Inlet, and use it to replenish beaches on the southern part of Long Beach Island, which has been the scene of numerous dune condemnation court fights.
Former President Donald Trump is preparing to launch his third campaign for the White House with an announcement Tuesday night. Trump is looking to move on from disappointing midterm defeats and defy history amid signs that his grip on the Republican Party may be waning. The former president had hoped to use the GOP's expected gains in last week's elections as a springboard to win his party's nomination by locking in early support and keeping potential challengers at bay. Instead, Trump now finds himself being blamed for backing a series of losing candidates in last week's midterm elections.
New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) tackles Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
A manager of Charming Charlie, located in the Metro Crossing shopping center, confirmed Monday that the store will be closed.

The manager of the store at 3815 Metro Drive confirmed that the store would be closing but said she was not authorized to provide any additional information. Company officials would not confirm nor deny speculation that the store would close at the end of the month.

We recently commenced a number of measures to stabilize our business in support of a new back-to-basics strategy, Charming Charlie officials said in a prepared statement. We are working closely with our outside advisors to explore a range of alternatives to help ensure the company has adequate sources of financing and the right capital structure to support the business on an ongoing basis.

The Reuters news agency reported last Friday that the fashion jewelry and accessories chain is preparing to file for bankruptcy as early as this month.

The Reuters report noted that the Houston-based retailer, known for its color-coordinated stores and affordable merchandise, has begun the process of shuttering about 100 of its approximately 360 store and plans to close more in bankruptcy.

The Houston Business Journal reported Lana Krauter, who was recently named interim CEO of Charming Charlie, called the new strategy a challenging decision to make but said it was in the best interest of the company, customers, vendors and employees.

By reducing the size and scale of our operations, we have the opportunity to stabilize the business, Krauter said in the release. We also will be better equipped to read and react to trends and what our customers want, which had been the hallmark of our success.

Reuters reported Charming Charlie was founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Charlie Chanaratsopon, and its early success put Chanaratsopon, chief executive officer and majority owner of the company, on the Forbes Americas Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 list. Forbes pegged his net worth at $450 million.
In a format inspired by televisions Shark Tank, five small businesses recently pitched their services to a group of judges, and all came out a winner.

This third-annual event, held at Harrahs Casino and Hotel and hosted by TS Bank, has awarded thousands of dollars to area small businesses grow and create jobs.

Its part of our commitment of reinvesting in the community, said Josh Guttau, CEO of the TS Banking Group.

When small businesses find success in a community, they will tend to stay there and grow from within, he said.

Guttau added hes a big fan of Shark Tank, a show in which businesses seek start-up money from some wealthy judges.

Revela of Omaha was a sponsor of this event which attracted about 150 people.

TS Bank contributed $25,000 of the $27,000 total prize money that five small businesses competed for. They were the finalists from 17 businesses that participated in this event.

The five Iowa and Nebraska businesses were: Appsky Labs, Found Vintage Market, Flyover Design Co., Fyiio and HomeDitty.

Representatives from each pitched their business and its goals for five minutes on a stage to a panel of judges, who then sought more information in a question-and-answer segment lasting about 10 minutes.

The judges were: Andrea Fredrickson, CEO of Revela; Nathan Preheim, co-founder of The Omaha Startup Collaborative; Daniel Koenig, president of the Council Bluffs Chamber; and Allie Esch, associate at Dundee Venture Capitol.

At the end, the judges discussed the presentations privately for 15 minutes and then declared their results. All went home with some money with website design and development firm Appsky Labs of Omaha winning the most, a $10,000 gift.

Im super excited, said Appsky Labs owner Taylor Korensky, after hearing the results.

His company will use the money to expand their Omaha office for retail space, Korensky said.

Im ecstatic, he said.
Two southwest Iowa Head Start attendance centers will close by Christmas because of federal funding cuts, according to West Central Community Action.

West Central operates Head Start centers in 10 area counties. It will close centers in Shenandoah and Clarinda effective Dec. 21, but will operate a classroom at a Clarinda elementary school through a partnership with the Clarinda Community School District, according to Joel Dirks, executive director of West Central. The Clarinda school district will provide transportation to local students who need it, he said.

Were licensed for 20 children, he said.

Thats about the same as the combined enrollment of the current Shenandoah and Clarinda sites, Dirks said.

The funding reduction, which totals $1.3 million for the funding cycle that begins Feb. 1, is based on drops in enrollment at the two centers, as well as centers in Hamburg, Onawa and Denison that did not open this fall because of low numbers, Dirks said.

Were funded for so many slots, and what they did is reduce the amount of slots  and each one of those is worth so many dollars, he said. Were going to contact our parents that are going to be affected and try to help them find services elsewhere.

As a result, about a half-dozen staff were informed Monday that they will be laid off, Dirks said.

We have openings in our organization, and we will encourage everybody to apply for those openings, he said. We plan on keeping all our other centers open.

Jason Szymarek, a new member of the West Central Community Action Policy Council representing Montgomery County, expressed disappointment about the closures and layoffs.

I think its detrimental to the future of our children, Szymarek said. Its a great program. My kids are 3 and 4 years old and they go to school for eight hours a day. They take the bus both ways. Its a great learning experience getting them ready for kindergarten.

After approval by its board and policy council, West Central submitted a plan Nov. 28 on how it will operate on a reduced budget to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regional office in Kansas City, Dirks said. He expects approval in two to three weeks, since West Central met with regional officials when it was working out the plan.

But there is no chance that the lost funds will be restored, he said.
Editors note: This story originally was published on Dec. 11, 2007, in the Omaha World-Herald:

St. John Church on the snow-covered Creighton University campus was full to its 731-person capacity (Dec. 10, 2007) for the funeral of Creighton graduate John V. McDonald of Council Bluffs.

People arriving for the funeral walked the sidewalks with students hustling to classes.

About 20 priests celebrated McDonalds funeral Mass, including McDonalds first cousin, a Jesuit based in Rome.

The Rev. Daniel McDonald delivered a homily in which he singled out three things John McDonald represents: being his brothers keeper, showing the courage to face a tormentor and being alive today with God.

The Rev. McDonald later presented his cousins widow, Kathy, with a silver crucifix presented to the Jesuit community in Rome by Pope Benedict. The Rev. McDonald told her that the Jesuits saw Johns example of fulfilling what the pope said: to take responsibility for the world.

And thats what John did,  said the Rev. Bert Thelen of Creighton University, another Jesuit priest who celebrated the funeral Mass and gave the account.

Thelen said there were so many people at the Mass that the priests had to break up communion hosts in order to have enough for all. The Mass ended with songs including Let There Be Peace on Earth.

John McDonald, 65, was shot near the customer service desk on the third floor of the Von Maur store at the Westroads, where he had been waiting with his wife to have a Christmas gift wrapped. The couple would have left the store after getting that package, his wife said last week.

McDonald got both his bachelors degree in math and his MBA from Creighton.

After a stint in the Air Force, a year with Mutual of Omaha and four years at Texas Instruments in Dallas, he went to work for Northern Natural Gas in Omaha, where he stayed 27 years.

He retired in January 2000.
* Editors Note: The following was written by Maggie Smith of Omaha, a former Von Maur employee who survived the Dec. 5, 2007, deadly shootings.

I heard the phrase, somewhere within the past few days, that, Death walked in from the cold. That phrase is such a profound description of the Von Maur shootings.

December 5, 2007, will forever remain in my mind. Not because of a troubled young man who had given up on life and wanted to become famous. But I shall remember this day, because my life has been altered forever.

I use colors to describe certain characteristics of life. I color love red. I color brokenness and true sorrow white. Forgiveness is the color yellow. And death is gray. When you experience the moment of death, it is a very gray area. It is dark, cold, and chilling. When hiding behind rows of pants in the mens storage area with three other co-workers, this thought  and color  crossed my mind.

We began praying from what seemed like the Tower of Babel. Everyone was praying in his or her own language. We were part of Von Maurs Alterations Department, which was made up of a mixture of different cultures.

A lady ran into the room yelling, There is a man with a gun! Run! I now call her my angel. We jumped up, but there was no place to run in order to get out. Our entry door would lead us right into the line of fire. He was firing down from the third floor close to our area. And there was a body just a few feet away from our door.

We hid. As each gunshot sounded louder and closer to our hiding place, we knew it was only a matter of time before he found us. So I accepted my fate. I began to think, Today will be the day I am going to die.

As I shivered, realizing the inevitable, I pictured my four childrens faces, wishing I could see them one more time. Shots kept ringing out. I stopped praying for God to not allow the shooter to find me. Instead, I began to pray, Lord, when I close my eyes here on earth, let me open my eyes and be with you. Strangely, during this prayer, the shots stopped as abruptly as they had begun.

Fear flooded in, because we didnt know where the shooter was, or if he was hunting us. Within those moments your mind races through your life, sorting the good times from the bad times  like the sifting of wheat; removing the chaff and leaving the wheat that is usable. Bad memories are discarded and the good memories become your clothing for travel to another place beyond here.

Life can get so complicated. There are so many things I do not understand. I do not understand how such a beautiful, up-scale store became a chosen place to express anger. Yet it did, and part of my Von Maur family is gone.

It was hard to understand how I was supposed to say goodbye to my co-workers, when they were taken so quickly. The news media began informing us that funeral services would be held Monday through Wednesday. I began to realize that after that, I would never see their faces again.

Terms like traumatized and being in shock are now engraved in my mind. At any given time, meltdowns are a common part of my day. There are relapses that transport me back to the event where I am once again hiding and shivering. Then my thoughts switch and I begin feeling emotional pain for the loss of the victims.

A friend of mine, who lives in Dallas, phoned me the evening of the shootings, telling me that her worries of my safety ceased when she saw my picture on CNN. She knew I had made it out. I wondered which picture was being shown and when and where it was taken?

My daughter had insisted that I stay with her after the incident. That evening we turned on the television. All channels had breaking news coverage entitled, Mall Massacre. My face was flashed before me on the television all evening in connection with the shooting. I wondered why my face was singled-out. Family and friends began calling from everywhere, saying they had seen me on the news, and that my tear-stained face showed true panic and horror of what had happened.

As I focus on that picture today, which was also in the evening newspaper, I see the store entry doors in the background behind me slightly faded out. I realize that the picture was taken as I took my first breath of air outside the building. At that time, the realization that I was not dead, that I had made it out alive, absorbed every inch of my body.

It seems that the shooter, a person Ive never met, I now know him personally. In my heart I have forgiven him, but I refuse to let evil triumph over good.

Victory will not be given to evil. The victims familys lives have been changed, as have the employees lives. The Omaha community has been changed. And a nation that grieves with us has been changed. The victory is that we have learned to embrace life and loved ones closer, knowing that the next minute could be our last.

As we walk through the aftermath, at whatever pace is needed, happy times will come again. Thus, good has triumphed over evil. I feel an enormous sense of gratitude for the Omaha police who risked their lives for mine, as they searched for the last few people still hiding in the store, and escorted us out to safety.

But most of all, I am grateful and thankful to God who heard my first request, that I would see the faces of my four children again.
The recent warm weather across eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa came to an abrupt end Monday as a strong cold front muscled into the region.

Get ready, said Ryan McPike, a KMTV meteorologist. Brace yourself for the big weather change.

Today and Wednesday in the Council Bluffs-Omaha area will remain breezy, with west-northwest winds gusting as high as 25-30 mph. The highs both days will be in the mid- to upper 30s. Overnight lows will fall to the lower to mid-20s.

Thursday and Friday will be partly sunny with highs in the lower to mid-30s and lows in the upper teens to around 20.

McPike called for a chance of flurries Wednesday and Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Valley, Nebraska, said the weekend in the metro area looks a little better  mostly sunny skies and highs in the upper 30s to mid-40s by Sunday.

McPike said the weather change is a big shock compared to the past couple of mild weeks.

The pattern has flip-flopped on us, he said.

The upcoming forecast according to the weather service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 37. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 18 to 23 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.

Tonight: A chance of flurries after midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 25. West northwest wind 8 to 11 mph.

Wednesday: A chance of flurries after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 37. Northwest wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Wednesday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 32.

Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 32.

Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 36.

Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 20.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 43.
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Enbridge, the pipeline company with terminals in Griffith and Schererville, is funding a model pipeline competition at Purdue University Northwest.

Were proud to once again be partnering with Purdue Northwest on initiatives that benefit their students and the northwest Indiana community," said John Gauderman, Enbridges Great Lakes region director. "What made this experience even more special is that we got to engage students directly to discuss how engineering concepts they learned in class apply to the energy infrastructure that is around us and that we rely on every day."

Purdue's College of Engineering will stage the design contest during the spring semester.

George Nnanna, professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University Northwest, said the competition provides an experiential learning opportunity for our students to design and fabricate a model of a real-world engineering system.

"Integration of this project into our fluid mechanics course allows our students to learn first-hand from practicing engineers from a premier energy company, he said.

Enbridge, a Canadian company that operates several pipelines that run through Northwest Indiana, also funds annual scholarships for engineering students at Purdue University Northwest and also sponsors the annual PNW Enbridge Summer Engineering Camp for area middle school and high school students.
A new study by the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity found that steelmaking overcapacity worldwide hit a record 737 million tons in 2016, "the highest level seen in the history of the steel industry."

That's a problem because surplus steelmaking capacity depresses prices, cuts into profitability, threatens jobs and "jeopardizes the very existence of companies and branches across the world," according to the report.

"Two years of dialogue and meetings resulted in a 52-page report and a set of principles that acknowledges there is global steel overcapacity which is continuing to grow," the United Steelworkers union said in a statement. "For the participants in the Global Forum, this may be viewed as a victory, but for workers in the steel sector in the United States, it is just another sign that political leaders are fiddling while Rome burns."

New steel capacity coming online, particularly in China, has caused significant damage to the U.S. steel industry. The Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity estimates 33 percent of American steelmaking jobs have vanished during the last two decades, and U.S. steel production has plunged by 43 percent from its peak in 1973.

We are grateful and appreciative of the leadership and commitment of the U.S. government to address the global steel overcapacity crisis and the market-distorting government policies and practices that have driven it," said Thomas Gibson, American Iron and Steel Institute president and CEO. "The massive build-up in steel capacity in other countries, which has fueled historic levels of unfairly traded imports into the U.S., is the most critical issue facing the steel industry today."

Gibson said the report issued by the Global Forum "properly focuses on the need for governments to eliminate market-distorting subsidies and other measures that contribute to excess capacity and to ensure a level playing field between private sector steel producers and state-owned enterprises."

Gibson said these and the other policy recommendations presented by the Global Forum will only be meaningful if they are actually implemented by governments.

"Promises alone will not solve the problems facing the global steel industry; concrete actions by governments must follow in short order," he said.

Gibson asked the federal government to take more action against steel imports, which have captured 28 percent of the market share this year.

"Continued aggressive enforcement of the full range of U.S. trade laws, including Section 232 and our antidumping and countervailing duty laws, is critical to ensure that the U.S. industry is not further damaged by unfair trade in steel," Gibson said. "In our view, a trade policy that couples vigorous enforcement with continued international engagement offers the best opportunity for successfully addressing the global overcapacity crisis in steel.

Philip K. Bell, president of Steel Manufacturers Association, said the report confirmed a need to eliminate foreign subsidies that allow for unfair pricing.

"While it is good to see the cooperation between countries and to continue diplomatic efforts to deal with this issue, until the forum identifies specific measures, timetables and targets, the overcapacity problem will persist," Bell said. "This is a first step in a process that I hope becomes more robust over time."
Local superintendents are asking the State Board of Education to vote against a recommendation from the Graduation Pathways Panel when it meets Wednesday.

The 14 members of Indiana's Graduation Pathways Panel held eight meetings from August to November, and made a recommendation to the State Board of Education in November, which will be considered for adoption Wednesday in Indianapolis.

Byron Ernest, chairman of the Graduation Pathways Panel, said he is aware of the concern on the part of educators but he still believes the recommendation contains many valid items.

"The concerns surround the diploma and what it's going to look like," he said Monday.

"What the panel has come up with is good for kids and will move our state forward. It will come down to the implementation. The plan allows for schools to come up with their own pathway and be innovative."

But educators from across Northwest Indiana have been sending letters to members of the State Board of Education and legislators to express their concerns.

River Forest schools Superintendent Steve Disney said they believe the proposals are detrimental and discriminatory toward special education students, English language learners and students of poverty. He said it means graduation rates will drop significantly.

Those who graduate from high school with a general diploma will not be counted in the school's count of graduates. Only students with a Core 40 or honors diploma will be counted. The graduation rate is one of the criteria used to grade schools and districts.

"Although we support some of the concepts, we believe that many of the benchmarks are detrimental to our students' economic futures," he said.

"The recommendation of the panel will result in River Forest High School's graduation rate of approximately 81 percent dropping to 54 percent."

Moreover, he said, it also will lead to "a dramatic increase in ... paperwork and data tracking our guidance counselors will have to perform and an extremely complicated graduation process that many at-risk students and families will have difficulty understanding and getting through."

He said educators would prefer the State Board authorize state education leader Jennifer McCormick to lead a committee that includes high school principals and guidance counselors to modify the pathways recommendation and eliminate what they see as the more drastic measures.

Jane Wycoff, director of the Crown Point-based Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative, said the pathways being proposed do not offer students with a disability a reasonable course to get a diploma.

She said she is referring to students with mild cognitive disabilities, a learning disability or another health impairment who take entry-level jobs in the community, such as a Certified Nursing Assistant, a custodial position or with a fast food restaurant.

NISEC serves about 4,000 students in nine school districts in Lake County.
CROWN POINT  A 48-year-old Chicago man is accused of flashing a phony police badge and a handgun during a parking dispute Sunday in Lake Station.

Reginald Oglesby was charged Monday in Lake Criminal Court with two counts of intimidation, impersonation of a public servant and carrying a handgun without a license.

Oglesby is accused of identifying himself as an off-duty police officer from Dolton, Illinois, during a parking dispute Sunday at TA Truck Stop, 1201 Ripley Street in Lake Station, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Two truck drivers told police Oglesby ordered them to move their semitrailer, and when they refused, he flashed a police badge at them and placed his hand on a holstered gun, the affidavit states.

The truck drivers, suspicious of the gun, called the police.

A New Chicago police officer said Oglesby showed him what appeared to be a police badge and an extremely worn police commission card from the City of Dolton, the affidavit states.

The officer learned from Dolton Police Department Oglesby was not employed by the city, and his badge number was nonexistent, the affidavit states.

Oglesby also was not licensed to carry a gun in Indiana, the affidavit states.

Oglesby was placed under arrest and his vehicle was inventoried, the affidavit states.

The officer found a flashing red-and-blue light affixed to his front windshield, two fake magnetic police antennas and several boxes of ammunition, the affidavit states.

Oglesby posted a $5,000 bond Tuesday, according to court records.

A court hearing has not yet been scheduled, records state.
LANSING  A 19-year-old woman reported missing earlier this month in Lansing was located in Chesterton and did not appear to have developmental disabilities, as originally reported, Lansing police said.

Joslyn Perez was last seen at 11 p.m. Dec. 2 while staying at a relative's house in Lansing, Illinois, Lansing Detective Lt. Steven Roberts said.

On Dec. 11, investigators learned Perez might be in Chesterton, police said. Chesterton police helped locate Perez.

She was in good health and spirits and said she was never in any danger, police said.
A 60-year-old Sauk Village woman died and two people were injured in a crash Monday morning at eastbound Sauk Trail Road and Ill. 394, according to police.

Sandra E. Brooks was pronounced dead at Franciscan Health hospital in Dyer because of the extent of the injuries she suffered in the 9 a.m. crash, according to an Illinois State Police news release.

John Brooks, 31, a front-seat passenger in the 2009 Hyundai Sedan which Sandra Brooks was driving, was transported to Franciscan Health Dyer in critical condition, according to the release.

According to a preliminary investigation, Kimble Irving, 52, of Crete, was driving a 2004 Honda Element northbound on Ill. 394. The 2004 Honda Element reportedly went out of control and struck the middle driver's side of the Hyundai sedan, which was stopped westbound at a red light, at a high rate of speed. The impact pushed the Hyundai into a 2003 Chevrolet SUV and a 1990 Ford truck, which were in the two adjacent westbound lanes, according to police.

Irving was transported to Francisca Health Chicago Heights with non-life threatening injuries. Two children, ages 1 and 3, in the 2003 Chevrolet SUV were not injured, police said.

Westbound lanes were closed until 1:25 p.m. Monday for an investigation.

Police said alcohol and drugs were not contributing factors in the crash.
High winds continued Tuesday across Northwest Indiana, knocking out power for some residents and fueling a brush fire in Gary, officials said.

More than 360 NIPSCO customers were without power as of 11:15 a.m., down from about 600 1.5 hours earlier, according to the utility's outage map. In some cases, the cause was listed as downed trees.

In Gary, firefighters battled a brush fire fueled by high winds Tuesday morning in a marshy area near County Line Road and U.S. 12, said Mark Jones, the department's chief of operations.

A wind advisory for Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper counties was extended until 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

In LaPorte County, a wind advisory issued early Tuesday was scheduled to continue until 5 p.m.

Forecasters warned of wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph, with the strongest in LaPorte County predicted between noon and mid-afternoon.

Conditions also were expected to create a limited fire risk, the weather service said.

Snow could fall Wednesday. The chance was slight in Lake and Porter counties, but the weather service warned of accumulating lake-effect snow in LaPorte County from Wednesday through the weekend.

High temperatures in the mid-30s were expected Wednesday and could drop into the 20s later in the week.
For their dedication to Bishop Noll Institute, Albert J. LaMere and Scott D. Fech were inducted into the schools Hall of Honor.

Both recipients were honored Nov. 9 during the schools annual donor reception and Hall of Honor induction.

LaMere, who was honored in the category of outstanding leadership, has a long and faithful history with Bishop Noll, which was still known as Catholic Central High School when he graduated in 1942.

His wife, Dorothy, was a beloved English literature teacher at the school for many years, and the couples eight children all attended Bishop Noll.

When he served as a state senator in the late 1960s, LaMere was a trailblazer in the effort to support private education.

Al as a leader in his community and as a leader in Catholic schools, has always been a strong believer in Catholic education, Mary Ellen ONeill, Nolls director of advancement, said at the Hall of Honor ceremony.

Als sister, Linda, spoke about how her brother is a gift giver who in 2007 coordinated efforts to place a memorial chapel at Bishop Noll in honor of their deceased brother, the Rev. Joseph LaMere. The chapel is still in the main building next to the media center.

Students could go in, ponder their thoughts, pray and ponder and at times wonder, meditate what God had in store for their lives. You wonder how many of those young lives, because of that chapel, that my brother Al and my brother (Richard) donated, were changed. Only God will know, Linda said.

Of being named to the Hall of Honor, LaMere said he feels close to Bishop Noll because it affected his whole life, from his career to his wife and children. You think about divine intervention and I had so many instances right here at this school so I believe what you are doing here is correct and I thank you for that," he said.

Fech, who was honored in the outstanding alumnus category, graduated from Bishop Noll in 1985 and went on to serve as principal from 2002-2008. He resides in Florida.
VALPARAISO  A small box, filled with wires and lights, a battery and tubes soon will be making its way into outer space.

The box, and the experiment it contains, was designed by Valparaiso High School juniors Merrick Jakelski and Connor Gregg, both 17.

If the experiment confirms what the two hope, it could lead to one of the first preventative treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

For both young men, the fight against Alzheimer's is personal. Both have had close family members battle the disease.

"No one should have to watch a loved one go through this," said Gregg, son of Tammy and Matthew Gregg.

Jakelski and Gregg are working under the direction of Calumet College of St. Joseph professor Sandra Rogers. Rogers' project was chosen nearly two years ago to be part of a Center for the Advancement of Science in Space program.

Jakelski said he joined Rogers' team more than a year ago. Gregg joined about six months ago after several team members graduated or left. The two have been completing the design and module  which will travel to the International Space Station  inside the high school's engineering classroom.

Jakelski said the experiment will look at the effects of microgravity on peptides (proteins in the brain), which, when they begin to break down, have an effect on memory.

Rogers' hypothesis is that microgravity will slow or stop the collapsing of the peptides, thus slowing or stopping the progression of Alzheimer's disease, Jakelski said.

In about two weeks, the two will take the experiment, which measures 10 by 10 by 15 centimeters, to Nanoracks Space Center in Houston for functional testing, Gregg said. Then in February, it will be launched aboard the SpaceX 14, a commercial resupply rocket to the space station. Once powered-up, it will run experiments for 28 days and then be returned about a month after its launch.

The students and their teacher, Tarik El-Naggar, department chairman for engineering technology, will be there for the launch.

Once the module is back in local hands, they will retrieve data and compare it with a sister module that will be running simultaneously, but on earth. The data will be turned over to Rogers, Gregg said.

Both Jakelski and Gregg said they are excited about being able to participate in the project.

"We really enjoy working on it," said Jakelski who will likely attend Purdue University to study electrical engineering or robotics.

Gregg will attend either Georgetown University or the U.S. Military Academy.

"I want to work to make life better for everyone," said Gregg, adding he wants to follow the path of both his teacher, El-Naggar, and businessman Elon Musk.

"If there's a problem, I want to be able to find the solution," Gregg said.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson may be on his way out after displeasing President Donald Trump with his repeated calls for a diplomatic solution to the North Korean crisis.

Tillersons desire to avoid the threat of a preemptive strike on the norths nuclear and missile facilities is sharply at odds with Trumps vow to inflict fire and fury on the north. Tillerson has said his views do not differ from those of the president, but the record shows hes not interested in going along with a hawkish stance.

The conflict between Trump and Tillerson reflects the deep uncertainty among U.S. officials as to why North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un wants to pursue his nuclear program and what to do about it. Trump has called Kim little rocket man but fears an attack on North Korea would trigger a response in which several million people could be killed in days.

In weighing the odds on whether North Korea would fire missiles on the South, Trump would prefer to follow the advice of CIA director Michael Pompeo rather than count on Tillerson to say what he would like to hear. The upshot is that, even if Trump never goes to war against North Korea, he would feel more comfortable with Pompeo as secretary of state. He could then be sure that he was getting the hardest-line advice possible.

Another name sometimes mentioned is that of Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who has made strong statements in the United Nations while Tillerson has remained largely silent.

The impending shakeup, if it actually happens, would bring the United States closer to a war that most Americans would prefer to avoid.

The bickering among high U.S. officials betrays the inherent weakness of the U.S. government in the face of the determined North Korean dictator. The fact is that none of Americas highest officials has come up with a convincing plan to get Kim Jong-un to agree to come to the table for talks.

Adding to the distress of the Trump administration is that nobody seems to know how to counterattack North Korean missiles. The latest model, the Hwasong 15, was proven to be able to hit targets in the United States.

Why has the United States not been able to develop a counter-missile capable of shooting down whatever North Korea is firing? And what was the point of the controversial counter-missile battery known as THAAD if it could not be deployed to fire at North Korean missiles?

Those are difficult questions to which no one in the U.S. government or ruling establishment has definitive answers.

The impression is inescapable that Trump, while he talks tough, still has to believe Chinas President Xi Jinping will exercise the leverage needed to bring Kim Jong-un to his senses. Trump may have formed a warm relationship with Xi beginning with their meeting at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home in April, but he does not seem able to punch a dent in Chinas desire to remain on good terms with North Korea.

Amid all such questions, however, one figure appears to remain secure in his position. Thats Jim Mattis, the retired four-star Marine general, now secretary of defense. Mattis also has said that he would hope for a negotiated solution rather than place the lives of millions of Koreans in both North and South at risk.
Government officials and other community leaders have every right to show public support for convicted felons, through spoken or written word.

Columnists and editorial boards, in turn, have every right to criticize those officials and leaders for acting as apologists to people who have committed crimes against the public.

And in the end, the public has the right to know the identities of the apologists when their letters become a part of the court or other public record.

These are rudimentary concepts of the First Amendment, which includes the freedom of speech most of us begin learning about in grade school.

It also seems to be a difficult concept for some Region attorneys to comprehend.

In recent weeks, Times columnist and Editorial Page Editor Marc Chase has promised to publish the names of any public officials or community leaders who write letters to a U.S. District Court judge seeking leniency for former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich, who is now a convicted felon.

A federal jury convicted Buncich earlier this year of accepting bribes in exchange for steering towing work issued by the sheriff's office. Now he awaits sentencing, and his attorneys are seeking, and according to them receiving, letters of support for Buncich that they say eventually will be entered into the federal court record.

Knowing the deep-seated reputation for political corruption in Northwest Indiana, Chase has promised to publish the names of Buncich supporters, when they become available, as the public has a right to know.

Its not a new practice. Chase also previously wrote a column taking several elected leaders to task for writing letters of support for former Lake County Surveyor George Van Til after Van Til was convicted of essentially stealing from taxpayers.

Buncich's attorney Bryan Truitt has publicly criticized Chase's promise as an attack on his client's fair court proceedings.

Truitt has been joined by Merrillville attorney Geoffrey Giorgi and Lake County Bar Association President Adam Sedia in that criticism.

Region attorneys represented by the Lake County Bar Association should be especially leery of their president taking such stands against the First Amendment and the public's right to know.

"It is the height of hypocrisy for a news outlet to discourage individual citizens from exercising their rights to make their voices heard for fear of being publicly shamed...," Sedia said in a public statement about the matter.

But Sedia couldn't be more wrong.

Neither Chase nor The Times have any power to prevent anyone from exercising their right to support Buncich.

In our democracy, however, columnists and editorial boards have the right  and some would argue a duty  to call out any behavior that contributes to or defends public corruption.

In the end, elected officials must know that their actions  including defending political friends who are convicted felons  will be scrutinized.

No amount of legal grandstanding will stop that.
Record Number of Black Candidates Seeking History During Midterm Elections

While some already are household names like Stacey Abrams in Georgia, Val Demings in Florida, and Anthony Brown in Maryland, others like Natalie James in Arkansas, Will Boyd in Alabama,...

Tell the Supreme Court: We Still Need Affirmative Action

One of the great joys of my life is teaching. Im fortunate to teach classes on social justice at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most respected schools in...
Public holidays, I believe, are meant to promote a sense of nationhood, share observance of a countrys historic landmarks like independence, sacrifices in pivotal wars, lives and roles of citizens, among others.

On every 26th day of January, Uganda celebrates the National Resistance Movement (NRM) liberation day. This was the day in 1986 when the National Resistance Army (NRA) overthrew a government that was allegedly corrupt and practiced significant vote fraud to remain in power.

It was declared a public holiday to celebrate the victory registered by the NRA. Ironically, some of the war heroes that survived bullets succumbed to Aids that was preconceived to be witchcraft at the time.

I dont know whether the president has an advisor on public holidays, but I would like to propose that the World Aids Day should be declared a public holiday because the fight against HIV/Aids is a pivotal war.

HIV/Aids is an armless rebel that respects no man. It doesnt care what tribe, colour, height, size, rank, creed or the name you call God. It doesnt discriminate. We are all vulnerable to it unless we take heed to respective advice.

Uganda is known worldwide for jumpstarting the fight against HIV/Aids in the early 1990s with President Museveni at the forefront. Heroes like Philly Bongole Lutaaya that boldly declared their status faced the razor-cutting stigma, but soldiered on till death.

If we can have a public holiday to celebrate a hero like Archbishop Janan Luwum, I believe it would be fair enough to celebrate citizens like Philly Bongole Lutaaya, DJ Berry, Livingstone Kasozi, Aloysius Joy Matovu, Rev Gideon Bainomugisha and Barbara Kemigisa, among others that have openly declared their HIV status. It takes a lot of guts to share your status especially with the immense stigma that surrounds this pandemic.

The Ministry of Health estimated that by the end of 2015, about 1.46 million people in Uganda would be living with HIV. Politics being a game of numbers, I guess the politicians need to pay attention to these numbers.

Unfortunately, even with ARVs, people are recklessly consuming each other in the act of love without fear of this deadly virus. Many people have never seen what an ARV tablet looks like, let alone the tin.

If we only knew the challenges people living positively with HIV go through taking medication, the side effects, psychological torture and stigma, we wouldnt be living recklessly.

You dont have to be infected to feel the pain of HIV/Aids. It is now 29 years since HIV/Aids claimed my fathers life. With such experience of being an orphan, I wouldnt want to see any other child walk down this path.

Gikwateko public holiday, Mr President!
Nurses under their umbrella body, Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU) have called off their planned strike following a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni who reportedly agreed to fulfill their demands.

The nurses and midwives last week gave government just seven days to give them a 400 per cent salary increment else they laid down their tools - just like the doctors and medical interns had done about a fortnight ago. The nurses had planned to start the strike today, Tuesday at midnight if their demands were not met.

The UNMU leadership led by their general secretary, Paul Henry Bukenya met Museveni at State House Entebbe yesterday and agreed to call off the strike. According to Bukenya, Museveni directed the ministry of Public Service to give them a pay rise.

The nurses and midwives are demanding for 400 per cent pay rise

After the meeting, the Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, the Public Service minister Muruuli Mukasa and the leaders of UNMU addressed a joint-media press conference.

The 400 per cent pay rise will increase the pay of the lowest paid nurse to Shs 2.5 million and Shs 9 million for the highest paid nurse.

The money will include housing, risk, medical, responsibility, transport, transfer, leave, funeral and overtime allowances for each member. According to Bukenya, Museveni advised them to start a Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (Sacco), which he promised to financially support.

Bukenya says the president also promised to increase nurses' lunch allowances.

"Today morning, we had audience from cabinet, we went to Entebbe State House in which we met the president in a cabinet meeting. We presented directly our demands and the president of the republic of Uganda was so concerned about our salaries and he pledged to look into the salaries of nurses and midwives", Bukenya said.

Adding; "And, he stated that the salaries of all scientists are going to be enhanced. And as far as the scheme of service is concerned, he directed Public Service to immediately implement this scheme with effect from [December] 5. He also advised the leadership of Nurses and Midwives Union to start up a Sacco and he pledged to inject in money to help this Sacco to help nurses and midwives support their livelihoods. As far as housing is concerned, he came up with a strategy of building units for nurses and midwives for those who are not housed."



Bukenya explained that they will report to work since government has promised to address their demands.

"I encourage all nurses who have been in this struggle to make sure that government actually listens to them. The midwives of this country, you provide a great service to this country. Therefore we, as members of this union and nurses of this country, we ask everyone to go back on duty as the leadership of the union continues to engage government to fuflfill these promises it has mentioned."



Nurses threatened to strike just days after medical doctors under Uganda Medical Association (UMA) compelled government to accept to increase their salaries following their strike last month.



The strike, which lasted three weeks, was called off after government promised to pay a starting monthly salary of up to Shs 5 million to doctors effective next financial year.
Former Ugandan legislator Winnie Byanyima has been reappointed to lead Oxfam, an international confederation of charitable organizations focused on the alleviation of global poverty.

A statement from Oxfam shows that Byanyima has accepted an offer from Oxfam's board of supervisors to serve a second five-year term.



Byanyima said she was honoured and humbled by the board's confidence in her continuing an "exciting, roller-coaster journey" and felt a sense of duty to "carry on fighting, particularly for the women and girls in the South facing poverty and injustice" with whom Oxfam works.

Winnie Byanyima

"We are thrilled. Winnie is a visionary leader in the fight against inequality and poverty, and an inspiration to our teams and partners around the world. We look forward to continuing to work with her to help create lasting solutions to the injustice of poverty," Oxfam board chairman Juan Alberto Fuentes is quoted in the statement saying.



Byanyima joined Oxfam in 2013 from the United Nations after serving in the Ugandan Parliament for 11 years and in the African Union Commission.



"I have never enjoyed a role as much as I have at Oxfam," she said adding that its staff, partners and volunteers make it a "tough and pragmatic organization impatient with poverty and injustice and willing to tackle root causes."



In the next five years, Byanyima says she is eager to expand and deepen Oxfam's work in advancing women's rights and "tilt the balance" of Oxfam's humanitarian work toward prevention, such as building up people's resilience to the ever increasing and more intense crises.



She said she will push Oxfam to become much more ambitious in its understanding and use of the vast knowledge base of its staff, partners and volunteers around the world, saying "our knowledge is our power to change the world."



Byanyima says she excited about seeing through investments Oxfam is making in new, agile technologies. And she promised to push through her vision to trust the future of Oxfam more in the hands of young people in the South who are "the architects of our economies and our societies of the future.



In her first term, the statement says Byanyima initiated the "One Oxfam" restructure that enables Oxfam to be a more globally balanced organization with a stronger voice in the South, and transforms decision-making so it is happening more directly from Oxfam's country teams.



Byanyima recently moved the Oxfam International HQ to Kenya.

"This is vital to our mission as we must influence change from a position of integrity," she said.
Gulu University is choking on debts worth billions of shillings in unpaid salary arrears to teaching and non-teaching staff.

On Monday, lecturers laid down their tools, declining to administer end of semester one exams over the nonpayment of their extra load allowances - throwing into uncertainty the academic future of over 4,000 students.



Yesterday, Prof Jack Nyeko Pen-Mogi, the acting Gulu University vice chancellor circulated a circular suspending the exams indefinitely. Professor David Kitara Lagoro, the chairperson Gulu University, says the university owes the lecturers Shs 700 million in extra load allowances.



He blames the utter mismanagement of funds disbursed by government to the University for gratuity in the 2013/14 financial year for the mess.

A section of Gulu University

"In 2013/14 full compilation of the list of those who deserve to get gratuity was submitted to government, and as the evidence shows, this money was actually approved by government and was sent to Gulu University about Shs 2.1 billion.

Now what happened when the money came here, is what is hurting every single Gulu university staff who is supposed to benefit from this. The problem is staff who were due to get total gratuity of Shs 25 million, they first ask you to sign for Shs 15 which they dont give you, then later on they ask you to sign for like Shs 10 million and then they give you Shs 2 million. So at the end of the day they tricked some few staff but at the end of the day this came to light", said Lagoro.



The others he says are dissertation and thesis marking allowances, which have accumulated for the last ten years. According to Prof Lagoro, lecturers in Gulu and St. Mary's teaching hospitals are also claiming their honorary allowances.

"These two hospitals have their full-time staff who are doctors, specialists and in the wisdom of the university, they were appointed as honorary lecturers and the other cadres as tutors of the university. Honorary lecturers, we may be looking at about 30 people. They teach students, they demonstrate to the students in hospitals.

They take them to the theatre, they do everything for the sake of the quality of hospitals. Each person is supposed to get about Shs 700,000 in allowances. But the report we have got is that for the last one year, these people have not been paid", Lagoro added.

According to Prof Lagoro, Gulu University has been operating without funds for research for several years, saying each head of department had to improvise for his department. He explains that the most affected staff at the university are part time lecturers as well as those in Kitgum campus.

"The most painful are the part time lecturers. We have colleagues of ours, young people in our community who have made it through thick and thin, they are part time lecturers within the university.

They are paid using this weekend allowances and for the last one year, money has not touched their accounts. The same thing for the Kitgum campus, the money has not been paid. Students collected, parents provided the money but money is not there. The other is the external examiners to look at the overall performance in the department and also give their report about the programmes and conduct of the examinations. Many of our external examiners do their work and are not paid and this has been ongoing for almost three years", he added.



When contacted for comment on the allegations Prof George Openjuru Ladaa, the acting Gulu University vice chancellor said he was held up in a meeting.
Parliament has reconvened after sometime on recess. The break was preceded by that blight of a scuffle that necessitated intervention of specialized security to restore order and defend the sanctity of the legislature which was on the verge of overthrow by a section of unserious MPs.

The resumption of business has seen some serious business concluded like the approval of construction of a brand new international airport at Kabaale in Hoima district. It will serve the prospective oil city.

Back to the unserious MPs: they wish to provoke again. Speaker Rebecca Kadaga who presided over the ill-fated session and her deputy, Jacob Oulanyah, should not be under pressure to explain anything. The duties of their job are well-known and they work under known regulations which can be challenged formally.

Dragging them into small arguments of personal misconduct by individuals is an attempt to blackmail them just because those opposed to constitutional amendments know they will lose any contest any time since they are the minority.

Ugandans have rejected violence and intolerance; thats why they find it meaningless to side with riotous politicians.

They gave their mandate to MPs to do their work, of deliberating in spoken and written language, not to use mic stands and chairs like the so-called kifeesi.

Whats worse and a big joke is to see MPs who started the problem now coming out to play as victims yet they were the offenders. Parliament has existed for long. No extra security has had to be conscripted to restore order in such a way before.

NRM MPs did not respond when opposition initiated the situation, thus making it a one-sided escalation between opposition MPs and security officers. NRM should start taking on rivals head-on when they ask for it.

Like now, the NRM bench should be the one putting to task the opposite bench to explain their antagonistic behavior which led to destruction of government property. A motion should be drafted and tabled which should individually hold all MPs who instigated others and those who acted cruelly to answer for their behavior.

Footage exists showing who did what and when. Identifying culprits is not a problem. We also have transcripts of planning meetings leading up to the spectacle and, therefore, there are enough grounds to pin and expose those responsible.

While there are suggestions that the next time minority bench tries to cause chaos again, the majority bench should take them on man-for-man, NRM is civil organization that increasingly distinguishes itself by taking charge of its membership, inculcating tolerance and discussing issues.

Thats how the party manages to win over supporters time after time and to have its agenda determine parliamentary business. I see critics calling parliament a rubberstamp of NRM.

Why cant that be when the numbers say so in a democracy? Parliament is the crux of democracy and established procedure; thats how business is generated and processed. Everybody joined knowing this; so, no excuses are expected when it comes to fitting in.

I have previously stated that Uganda was headed for trouble if undeveloped members of the younger generation suddenly find themselves with power and clout. Rarely does it end well. Thats why we need senior leaders to stay some more and sow the seed of sobriety in our politics.

NRMs bench has a sizeable number of these  MPs who have served at least three terms  and the opposition also has some. None of them were involved in the chaos, none of them was injured; they maintained their dignity and thats why they are respected in their constituencies and are always voted.

So, I have this feeling that we risk handing over parliament to wrong hands. While age is not the problem, some players have been made to feel special just because they are energetic and have power when they dont deserve it.

Therefore, at every opportunity, they will try to flaunt their presence even without substance. Lets fight such tendencies and I call upon senior legislators to stand up and be counted; guide the rest.

I expect a motion condemning the wrongdoers as an example that we must respect the forums afforded us by democratic and expectant Ugandans.



kirundaf2@yahoo.com



The author is a private assistant to the president on media management.
I have been watching from a distance as things unfolded in Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), some of which have started showing an ugly head.

I opted to watch from the side lines because the party I subscribe to (Peoples Progressive Party) believes in a completely different approach from those of FDC. Therefore, it has been practically impossible for the two parties to cooperate.

Nevertheless, I respect and value the contributions of FDC to the democratization process of Uganda. Recently, FDC went through a party presidential campaign which was climaxed with its 5th national delegates conference to elect its party president. The two frontrunners in the contest tailored their campaign message around two issues.

While eventual winner Patrick Amuriat Oboi (POA) was propagating the defiance approach, General Mugisha Muntus was organisation as an approach. Unfortunately, the two approaches seem to have created sharp divisions in the party which may endanger both the party itself and the opposition in general.

First, I wish to implore that adopting two approaches in any struggle, political or otherwise, is not a contradiction.

And just like ANC did during the fight against apartheid in South Africa, fighting dictatorship and oppression needs more than one approach.

To be precise, while South Africas ANCs military wing was using firearms against the regime, it was at the same time organising the party internally. Yes, I strongly believe that organisation is better, by far, compared to defiance. But since FDC was built in the defiance DNA, both approaches should be applied by the party to consolidate its strength.

Whenever FDC is embroiled in differences, Dr Kizza Besigye, its four-time presidential flag bearer, is always alleged to be warping on the radical side.

To be categorical, I am one of those who wished him yesterday to support another person for the presidency; but it would be naive for any person and FDC as a party to downplay his interest and influence in the affairs of the party, including the latest elections itself and the political affairs of the country.

This fact makes it pertinent for the party leadership to consolidate all their positions and approaches in one master plan that accommodates all members, rather than tearing each other apart, and thinking in terms of a third force.

Further, we should recognise that even strong political parties always have liberals and extremists (the leftists and the rightist).

For example, during last years Brexit debate and campaign, the conservative party in the UK had both those for and against Brexit.

But when the campaign ended, they regrouped to face new challenges together. So, unless we are fighting personal battles, I wouldnt expect something that is not ideological but rather just an approach to derail the bigger objective.

In my view, FDC fairly demonstrated a strong democracy in its internal elections, save for the alleged use of money which was amplified by both candidates and Dr Besigye himself.

This good gesture, however, is under threat of being watered down if the two sides fail to embrace each other. And whereas the winners have an uphill task of gaining the confidence of the vanquished and reconciling the loosing team, the good practice of democracy and the principles of democrats that we always preface demand that we concede even where we think we unfairly lost.

Lastly, I strongly disagree with the notion to the fact that our multi-party dispensation has failed to take shape.

To me, what we are witnessing are raptures of labour pain which we are bound to go through. We just need to appreciate it as leaders, learn from our past experiences but also draw lessons from sister political parties in the Western world, then the rest shall be history.

Finally, all said and done, the ultimate solution to this political quagmire we are in as a country shall not come from one defiant individual or individuals, but it will depend on how organised and institutionalised our political parties shall be.

The author is the spokesperson and vice chairman of the Peoples Progressive Party.
The strike by government prosecutors which has been going on for almost two months now, though merited, is not desirable.

This is the longest period prosecutors anywhere in the world have been on strike. The other prosecutors strike this year in Ghana which was also grounded on pay did not last two weeks. They were sorted out timeously by the government of Ghana to stave a national embarrassment.

The prosecutors strike in Israel in April 2015 lasted 43 days and it was an agitation over political interference in their work. As a country, we cannot be proud of this world record set by our prosecutors. We have actually gained nothing from this prosecutors strike apart from damaging our reputation as a serious nation.

Unfortunately, the courts are making it worse by stopping criminal trials because of the absence of prosecutors. Court is a revered place where everyone, including the state, must submit to its jurisdiction and authority. We all know that when court sits, it waits for no man, be it a government or private lawyer.

Even the presence of an accused person can be dispensed with in a trial if he/she misconducts themselves. It is surprising that the courts have chosen to take leave from duty while the prosecutors are also away from duty.

The Constitutional command that justice shall not be delayed is not subject to dilution by any person or organ of the state including the courts. Therefore, courts should be reminded that they are denying justice when they delay justice to accused persons because of the prosecutors strike.

I must stop here if only to acknowledge the Court of Appeal which is presently hearing criminal appeals and applications in the absence of prosecutors.

This court is holding the stick from the right end since it has not allowed itself to become an extension of other peoples strike. This court should be commended for remaining open for business and observing its cardinal role of granting access to justice to all people for as long as they appear before it.

I, however, cannot say the same about the High court and magistrate courts. They have largely closed their doors to accused persons who have come to them to receive their non-derogable right to be heard in a fair, speedy and public trial guaranteed by the Constitution.

All cases called in the present criminal session at the High court in Kampala did not proceed because of the absence of prosecutors. In one or two cases, the court has proceeded to hear a case where the director of public prosecutions has selectively appointed some police prosecutors to stand in for prosecution.

The Rukungiri magistrates court has also recently handled the Togikwatako case of Dr Kizza Besigye while magistrates courts in Kampala have handled the case of Stanley Ndawula of the Investigator and the Red Pepper editors where, in all the three cases, the DPP has appointed special prosecutors.

So, it appears that only accused persons with cases where government has an interest can be heard at the moment.

This favours some accused persons against others and promotes a new regime of preferential treatment, which is unconstitutional.

In the chief magistrates court of Makindye, I have found that more than 1,874 criminal cases have stalled because of the prosecutors strike. According to the magistrates courts (magisterial areas) instrument 2017, there are 83 magisterial areas with 476 magistrates courts.

Even if we were to average out 500 cases to each magistrates court, this would translate into 23,800 stalled cases and at least 24,000 Ugandans in detention without trial. Adding this number of detainees to our already-crammed prison is a disaster of epic proportions.

My sense is that it is the executive, and not the courts, supposed to sort out the prosecutors strike. The courts must not bear responsibility for the prosecutors strike by adjourning trials because of the executives inaction to resolve the matter.

Criminal courts should not punish accused persons with extended detentions as if it is their fault that the prosecutors are on strike.

An accused person commits no offence when the prosecution arrests him but fails to prosecute him. His/her right to a fair and speedy trial is absolute. It cannot be taken away even in a state of emergency, let alone industrial action by the people supposed to prosecute them. In fact, any trial mounted in violation of this fundamental human right is not a trial at all.

It is a nullity which cannot be sanctioned by the court, however strong the evidence against the accused might be. There is no reason why courts should allow ordinary Ugandans to rot in jail because of the government malfunctions. It is not right, it is not fair.

The author is the managing partner, Muwema & Co. Advocates.
An interesting vacancy has just opened up in the Philippines: the country no longer has a Cobra King after the person holding that title has died. The irony is that Elies Peter Lenturio, also known as the Philippine snake whisperer, met his end through an act of revenge on his pet cobra: he was bitten by the snake and retaliated by cutting its head off and drinking its blood.

It seems that Eliess mistake was ingesting the blood. Cobras are extremely poisonous snakes and people in general would be terror-struck if bitten, not to mention dead without immediate treatment. However, the Cobra King had gotten numerous snake bites over the years and knew how to treat himself. He would not go to the hospital that day, choosing to have a few drinks instead and then head home to sleep it off. It turned out to be his last night on earth: he started foaming at the mouth and going rigid, much to the surprise of his family. Elies was rushed to hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Photo: ABS-CBN

So, how did this ironic demise come about? The snake whisperer from the Sorsogon province kept his pet cobra in the utility box of his motorbike. On that fatal day, Elies opened the container and the snake bit his left hand. The reptile apparently turned hostile and attacked because its tail was pinched in the box. Whatever the reason, Elies got angry, cut off the snakes head and gulped down its blood.

The Cobra Kings family still cant come to grips with his death given the countless number of times hed been able to treat himself. News of his death and especially the reason for it have also come as a great shock to many in the Philippines.

Elies got his Cobra King title because of his exceptional affinity with all sorts of snakes, discovering his talent at the young age of 15. He eventually became a household name, with community members seeking him out to get rid of snakes that had sneaked into their homes.

Photo: Ltshears/Wikimedia Commons

This story is a little hard to believe, considering that cobra blood is widely consumed in countries like China, Malaysia and Thailand, for its health benefits. Weve yet to hear of a fatality caused by drinking poisonous snake blood, as it doesnt contain any of the deadly toxins. Now if he had somehow sucked all the venom out of the snake, that would have definitely made the story plausible, but as it stands, the bite was probably what actually killed him.

Before you ask, we dont know if the Cobra King was killed by a King Cobra.


Steve Bannon

Steve Bannon, Breitbart News chairman and former White House counselor, who is currently in Alabama campaigning for Senatorial candidate Roy Moore, is returning to SirusXMs Patriot channel. He will join Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alexander Marlowe as a regular host on the channel. Breitbart plans to premiere a daily weeknight show on the channel, as well as offer additional weeknight programming. As I have said all along, everything I brought to the Trump campaign came directly from the listeners I spoke with every morning on Breitbart News Daily on SiriusXMs Patriot channel, Bannon said in a statement. From the moment I left the White House, getting back behind the microphone was very important to me.



Charlie Ergen

Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen has stepped down from the role of company CEO to focus on its wireless business. Current president and COO Erik Carlson will now be president and CEO, and will continue to report to Ergen. Those moves are part of a wave of executive team shuffles, which include John Swieringa replacing Carlson in the COO spot, Brian Neylon moving up to executive VP and group president, and Warren Schlichting assuming the executive VP and group president post at Dishs Sling TV. With more than 20 years experience at Dish, Erik brings a complete understanding of the business opportunities both Dish TV and Sling TV possess, Ergen said in a statement. I have every confidence that under Eriks leadership our new organizational structure will deliver value for Dish TV and Sling TV and will aid our entry into wireless. In the last 10 years, Dish has spent over $11 billion to acquire wireless spectrum licenses and related assets, as well as investing upwards of $10 billion in non-controlling stakes of wireless entities.



William Smith

Art in America has named William Smith as its editor. Smith has been serving as interim editor since this summer and before that held senior editorial roles at the publication, which is owned by Peter M. Brants Art Media Holdings, for almost five years. Art in America, which AMH says maintains profitability, gets 80 percent of its sales from readers purchasing annual subscriptions, reflecting passionate reader loyalty. The magazine recently launched a digital version of its Art in America Guide, creating what it says is an additional advertising revenue stream. For more than 100 years, Art in America has been the historic journal of record for arts and culture, said Brant. Under Wills leadership and editorial vision and as a pioneer in the field of digital publishing, Im confident Art in America will continue to connect with current readers, and appeal to a new generation of art lovers.
A Clemency Decision For Cyntoia Brown Could Be A Year Off Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When

As a result of Cyntoia Browns case recently resurfacing, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is now looking into the 29 year olds case.

READ: The Story Of Cyntoia Brown, A Child Sex Slave Imprisoned For Killing Her Abuser, Has Resurfaced

Haslams administration has begun gathering information on Brown but said that a decision to grant her clemency is unlikely to come until next year, according to a report from Nashville Public Radio.

I would be really surprised by the end of the year, he said. I think were just starting to gather the information.

The incident that resulted in Browns incarceration occurred back in 2004 when she was picked up by Nashville, Tennessee, real estate agent Johnny Mitchell Allen. As the Associated Press reports:

He drove her back to his house where his strange behavior frightened her and made her want to escape. When she couldnt sneak away, she said she wanted to nap. He lay down with her but didnt fall asleep. He kept getting up and standing over her. She became more panicked, convinced something was going to happen to her. Finally, she shrugged off his advances and, as he rolled over, she took a gun from her purse and shot him once in the head.

Brown admitted that she shot and killed Allen but did so because she feared he would kill her. However, prosecutors argued that Brown robbed Allen after she killed him, with his pants, wallet, and some guns in her possession when apprehended. Ultimately, she was sentenced to life in prison, only eligible for parole after serving 51 years.

Browns story resurfaced recently because of social media, with everyone from Rihanna to Kim Kardashian sharing Browns story. Kardashian has even recruited her lawyer Shawn Holley to assist in Browns case.

Kim has championed the cause of Cyntoia Brown and asked me to help her get involved in that effort as well, Holley said.

Source: nashvillepublicradio.org
A Florida teen who allegedly set his girlfriends house on fire while she and her parents were inside blamed the incident on a random black guy when confronted by detectives.

READ: Colorado Man Lies About Black Anti-Fascist Stabbing Him Because Of His Neo-Nazi Haircut

Jose Bernardo Rosas Madrigal, a 19-year-old from Polk County, Florida, doused the home in lighter fluid, as well as used lighter fluid to draw a heart on a fence near his girlfriends bedroom window. After Madrigal ignited the familys front yard he drove past the house to see the outcome, according to a report from The Daily Beast. The incident occurred days after the teen took to Google and searched how to burn a brick house down, and threatened to kill his girlfriend over Snapchat.

We were very lucky. We caught it in time before it blew up, James Scott, the father of the girlfriends, said. I thank God because God was on our side. If it would have gone 5 or 10 more minutes, the car would have blew up. My house would have been on fire. He could have killed us.

Madrigal faces three counts of attempted first-degree homicide and one count of first-degree arson. He is also charged with possession of liquor by a person under 21.

A few months back a similar incident occurred in which a Colorado man claimed a black man had stabbed him because of his neo-Nazi haircut. Joshua Witt had told police that he was stabbed by a random black man in the parking lot of a Steak and Shake in Sheridan, Colorado. But then it turned out that Witt was never attacked and he had stabbed himself.

Source: thedailybeast.com
Withdrawing from a free-trade agreement with Canada and Mexico would cause long-term harm to Nebraska farmers and ranchers and put a big dent in the states economy, the Nebraska Farm Bureau said in a new report.

For the first time, the agriculture lobby group looked to put an approximate dollar figure on the value of exports to those countries at the county level and individual farm level.

Four top-producing ag counties  Platte, Cuming, Custer and Holt  are estimated to export more than $30 million each in commodities to Canada and Mexico, exports that could significantly slow without free-trade rules in place. Only two Nebraska counties are estimated at less than $1 million in export value to those nations.

And on the farm level, the value of trade in North America works out to as much as $55,500 per farm in Phelps County, or as little as $5,300 per farm in Dawes County. The figures are estimates, the report said, noting the difficulty of tracing value to the county or farm level because, for example, a bushel of corn might be grown in one place, sold in another and processed in a third.

The report, released Monday, is the industrys latest effort to convince the public, and President Donald Trump, that Trumps threat to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement is a negotiation tactic best not acted on.

While we understand the president wants to get the best trade deal possible, the idea of withdrawing from NAFTA is unfathomable, Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson said. Farm and ranch families are already working through a struggling agriculture economy and the loss of NAFTA would undercut recovery and more importantly cause long-term damage.

The reports author, Nebraska Farm Bureau economist Jay Rempe, said NAFTA provides vital demand for key exports such as beef, pork, soybeans and corn.

Mexico and Canada are Nebraskas two biggest export customers for agricultural goods, together buying about 45 percent of the states total ag exports.

The ag industry is trying to sway Trump, who called NAFTA the worst trade deal ever, citing a loss of manufacturing jobs and a trade deficit  meaning the United States buys more than it sells.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recently characterized the idea of harm from a withdrawal as an empty threat from agriculture.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer stepped to the podium Monday to greet 53 Omaha police recruits on the first day of their training.

Good morning, sir, the men and women said in unison.

I like that. Very good, Schmaderer responded.

He complimented the recruits on being selected for the class but added that the hard work is just beginning.

You have to prove it to us here. Were going to put you to the test. We have to, he said. The first test cannot be out on the street answering a radio call. It has to be here.

The two recruit classes  25 newcomers and 28 veteran officers from 17 other Nebraska agencies  will increase the sworn strength of the department to 865.

If all graduate, that is.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert reiterated Monday her pledge to employ 900 officers in 2019, add a fifth precinct in Elkhorn and redraw the precinct boundaries to better help the city.

You are joining a professional police department dedicated to keeping our citizens safe, she said. You have the opportunity to change lives and to save lives.

Stothert noted that homicides in the city are at a 13-year low and the number of shootings so far this year is the lowest in a decade.

The veteran recruit class is by far the largest in the departments history. The recruits have 200 years of combined policing experience. They will go through a shortened 11-week training program. The newcomers will complete the full 22-week program.

Also part of the basic class are two arson investigators from the Omaha Fire Department. They require certification but will not be sworn officers.

Many of (the veteran officers) have worked in specialized areas themselves, so coming here to the Omaha Police Department is not so much starting over for them as it is a condensed, accelerated training more focused on Omahas policy and procedures, said Lt. Catherine Milone, the academys training commander.

The two classes will be together for some training  firearms, driving and criminal law  but separate during other times, Milone said.

Schmaderer told the new recruits to take advantage of learning with the veterans, an opportunity he said he wished hed had.

This community realizes that law enforcement is a vital part of the community. Thats the beauty of Omaha, Schmaderer said. The department and the community want to be in this together, and we are. Your task is to carry on that tradition for us.
A 35-year-old Alliance woman was killed in a collision between a car and a semitrailer truck on an icy roadway in northwest Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol said Lisa Penaluna was killed in the crash about 12:30 p.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 385, about 11 miles north of Alliance.

The patrol said Penaluna was northbound in a car when she lost control of the vehicle on the highway. Her vehicle struck a southbound semi driven by Gary Chestnut of Kansas, the patrol said. Chestnut suffered minor injuries.

Penaluna and Chestnut were wearing seat belts, the patrol said.

The National Weather Service office in Cheyenne, Wyoming, said the Alliance area received a trace of precipitation on Monday from a winterlike storm.
* * *

The body of Sydney Loofe, who had been missing for more than two weeks, has been found, her family announced on its Facebook page Monday night.

Its with heavy hearts that we share this most recent update with you all. Please continue to pray for Sydney and our entire family, the family wrote above a photo of the smiling 24-year-old. May God grant eternal rest unto thee. We love you Sydney.

The post then linked to a story on the website of the familys local newspaper, the Antelope County News. The brief story says:

In a tragic ending to the search for Sydney Loofe, her parents announced Monday night that the Neligh natives body has been recovered.

Sydney is the daughter of George and Susie Loofe of Neligh and had been missing since Nov. 15. Multiple agencies, including the FBI, had been searching for the missing Lincoln resident.

The FBI, Lincoln police and various county sheriffs offices involved in the search all declined to comment Monday night. Loofes family was not available Monday night to provide further details.

Among the details not available is where Loofes body was found or how authorities were led to her body.

Authorities have announced a 9 a.m. press conference Tuesday at the Lincoln Police Department. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies will attend. The World-Herald will provide live coverage of the press conference on Omaha.com.

Loofes family reported her missing Nov. 16 after she didnt show up for work at Menards. Her last known activity was going on a date the day before with 23-year-old Bailey Boswell, whom she had met online.

Boswell and a roommate, Aubrey Trail, 51, lived in Wilber, and authorities say that is the last place that Sydney was seen. Its also the last place that a cell tower received a ping from her cellphone.

Boswell has confirmed via a social media post that she went on a date with Loofe before Loofe disappeared.

Trail and Boswell are being held in the Saline County Jail as persons of interest while the investigation unfolds. The two were picked up in southwest Missouri.

Last week, Boswell and Trail posted a series of videos online talking about Loofe after police sought the publics help in finding them.

George Loofe, Sydneys father, is the principal of Neligh-Oakdale High School, and his wife, Susie Loofe, is a teacher in the district. Sydney graduated from the high school in 2011.

People in those communities and elsewhere have rallied around the Loofe family, helping with the search and wearing green, the color of missing children, to show their support.

News that Sydney Loofe had been found spread rapidly across social media, which also had been an important tool in keeping people updated on the search and soliciting the publics help.

The familys announcement on the Facebook page quickly garnered thousands of comments or shares.

Praying for your family. Im so sorry for your loss, wrote Rebecca Reiter of Scottsbluff. Such a tragedy and most of us could see our own families are a lot like yours ... meaning this could happen to anyone.

I was hoping and praying, as everyone was, for a better outcome, commented Karen von Glahn of Tampa, Florida. I cant begin to understand why this had to happen nor what you all must have gone and are going through.
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Opalesque Industry Update - The California Public Employees' Retirement System today announced that Wylie Tollette, CalPERS chief operating investment officer (COIO), is leaving the pension fund to return to mutual fund giant Franklin Templeton Investments. Tollette's last day at CalPERS is Friday, January 5, 2018. Matt Flynn, a CalPERS investment director, will become the interim COIO. A search for Tollette's permanent replacement will begin immediately. Tollette joined CalPERS in 2014 from Franklin Templeton Investments, where he had served as senior vice president for Portfolio Analysis and Investment Risk Management. Prior to his 19 years at Franklin Templeton, he held positions at American Savings Bank and KPMG Peat Marwick. "Wylie's tremendous skill, professionalism, and wit will be hard to replace," said Marcie Frost, CalPERS chief executive officer. "The structure, reporting accuracy, and operational efficiency he brought to the Investment Office helped save the fund millions of dollars and worked to ensure the long-term sustainability of the CalPERS fund. We wish him great success as he returns to Franklin Templeton." As COIO, Tollette led the investment performance and risk analytics, investment policy, manager engagement, compliance, business planning, and operations areas of the Investment Office. He was instrumental in launching the Private Equity Accounting and Reporting Solution system, a pioneering proprietary tool that allows CalPERS to comprehensively report carried interest and other fee information from private equity investments. In addition, Tollette helped develop and implement the 2020 Strategic Plan, which guides the Investment Office's efforts to strategically reduce the costs, risks and complexity of the Fund while also increasing transparency. "Wylie has been much more than a colleague to me over the past several years," said Ted Eliopoulos, CalPERS chief investment officer. "He's been a trusted partner, friend, and advisor. His work has greatly strengthened the Investment Office, and helped better focus our investment decision-making process on long-term total fund returns. All of us at CalPERS owe him a deep debt of gratitude for his dedicated and steadfast efforts to make the CalPERS Investment Office better and to serve our members."
A former Clackamas county detective convicted of a 2011 Wilsonville home robbery and money laundering was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison.

A jury in August found Floyd William Marsh, Jr. guilty of taking part in the Oct. 1, 2011 home robbery where a woman was shot with a stun gun, tied up and trapped in a coat closet during a heist that targeted a safe with valuable coins. He was convicted of second-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, first-degree aggravated theft and money laundering.

According to prosecutor Russell S. Amos, Marsh was convicted of burglarizing, robbing and stealing from Arnold Kachlik "out of jealousy, anger and greed.'' He repeatedly used a stun gun against Kachlik's wife, Zdenka Trnkova, who hasn't felt safe in her home since, wrote Amos, a Clackamas County senior deputy district attorney, in his sentencing memo.

Prosecutors had requested a longer sentence of 15 years in prison, while his defense lawyer sought less time.

The robbery went unsolved until 2014 when a longtime friend of Marsh's, Gerald Wiese, was arrested in an unrelated drug possession case.

Wiese, who had met Marsh in a karate training class while Marsh was still employed by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, told authorities that he and Marsh broke into the home of Arnold Kachlik on Oct. 1, 2011, then subdued the man's girlfriend, Zdenka Trnkova.

The intruders made off with a safe that contained an estimated $40,000 worth of silver American Eagle coins, plus other valuables, including coins from the couple's native Czech Republic. Kachlik was away visiting his home country at the time.

Marsh, 60, retired in June 2007 after 25 years with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. At the time, he was a detective in the agency's property crimes unit.

At trial, Amos said Marsh targeted Kachlik's home because the two men had a long-standing feud that started when Marsh worked for the Sheriff's Office and investigated Kachlik at least twice. Neither investigation led to charges.

The robbery wasn't Marsh's first criminal scheme, according to Amos. In 2009 and 2010, according to prosecutors, he began growing marijuana when his construction company began to collapse. With Weise, he delivered the marijuana to California and Illinois. In 2014, he was prosecuted in Chicago for drug trafficking, but the charges were dismissed after evidence was suppressed based on the law enforcement stop, according to court records.

Marsh was returned to Oregon to face trial for the robbery. Weise agreed to testify against March at trial. Marsh was never convicted of drug trafficking, Amos said.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
Portland officials have demanded Uber turn over information about a massive 2016 data breach the company failed to disclose until last month.

The ride-hailing company on Nov. 21 disclosed a 2016 data breach in which hackers accessed files that included information on its drivers and riders. It also admitted it had kept the incursion under wraps for more than a year, rather than alerting affected customers, regulators or law enforcement.

In a letter sent to Uber's CEO on Friday, Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman said Uber had violated the city's code by withholding information on the breach, and he demanded more information on how many Uber drivers and customers had been affected in the city.

Saltzman, who oversees the city's transportation department, suggested the failure to notify the city of the breach might be a violation of city code, which requires companies like Uber to protect personal data and notify the city in the event of a breach.

And although Uber has been in hot water with the city before -- for operating illegally in Portland before it was sanctioned, and later when it was disclosed that it used software at that time to avoid city regulators -- it has maintained that it's abided by the city code since it was amended to legalize Uber's business.

"Uber's past actions in the City of Portland have been severely problematic," Saltzman wrote in the letter to Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber's chief executive. "To learn now that Uber deliberately concealed a massive data breach involving both customer and driver information for a period of over a year adds to the already strained relationship the City has with Uber."

Saltzman demanded that Uber turn over more information about the breach, including the number of drivers and riders affected, its policy on reporting security breaches and assurances that it had not violated any other city regulations or state laws since January 2016, when code legalizing Uber's business model took effect.

An Uber spokesman declined to provide that information to The Oregonian/OregonLive, instead providing a statement: "We take this matter very seriously and we are happy to answer any questions regulators may have. We are committed to changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make, and working hard to re-gain the trust of consumers."

Uber reported to the Oregon Department of Justice that 1,300 Oregon driver's license numbers -- presumably belonging to Uber drivers -- had been accessed in the breach. Uber has contacted drivers directly about the breach and offered a year of credit-monitoring service through the credit bureau Experian.

The Justice Department said it is participating in a multi-state investigation involving the Uber breach.

It's unclear how many Uber riders in Oregon were affected by the breach.

Uber said 57 million users worldwide might have had information exposed, including names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers. It said riders' trip location history, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers or dates of birth don't appear to have been accessed.

Portland already sparred with Uber this year over the company's use of the "Greyball" software to avoid regulators in 2014. The city closed the investigation after finding no wrongdoing since that time.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus
Aquavit Week

Portland's humble celebration of the signature Nordic spirit has expanded to 70 bars across four cities and a spin-off event in Germany. According to event founder Jacob Grier, there are now more than 50 aquavits available in the United States, up from just a handful when Aquavit Week started in 2012 (head to Broder Nord for Portland's largest selection). Portland bars from Bazi Bierbrasserie to La Moule will pair snaps with beers brewed to pair with aquavit.

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When: December 3-9.

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Details: Special events at bars throughout Portland (and Minneapolis, Chicago and Washington D.C.); see aquavitweek.com for more details.

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PDX Feeds Puerto Rico

Ataula founders chef Jose Chesa and Cristina Baez have launched PDX Feeds Puerto Rico, a week of culinary fundraising events benefiting Hurricane Maria relief efforts. An issue near to the family -- Baez hails fro Puerto Rico -- the partners have tapped Rick Gencarelli of Lardo, Gregory Gourdet of Departure, Peter Cho of Han Oak, Tyler Malek of Salt & Straw and a handful of chefs for from Puerto Rico for a citywide series of events to raise funds for the storm-ravaged island through Cosa Nuestra Relief. Events include a tropical bar takeover, a Caribbean brunch, an Asian-Rican night at Han Oak and special drinks and dishes at 20 Portland restaurants.

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When: December 4-10.

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Details: Special drinks, dishes and events at restaurants and bars throughout the city; visit pdxfeedspuertorico.com for more information.

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Stephanie Yao Long

Italian Supper at Stacked

On December 7, Stacked Sandwich Shop chef-owner Gabriel Pascuzzi will host a special dinner inspired by his Italian heritage, including his Calabrian grandfather. For this special dinner, Stacked will close early and offer a family-style supper of crudo, salumi, salad, ricotta cavatelli, herb and olive focaccia and Italian sweets, including a spumoni baked Alaska, all served at a communal table running down the middle of the restaurant.

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When: 7 p.m., Thursday, December 7

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Details: Italian supper costs $75 per person, with wine and cocktails are available a la carte; for reservations, call Stacked at 971-279-2731; 1643 S.E. Third Ave.; for more information, visit stackedsandwichshop.com.

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Husband and wife team Joey and Stacey Gibson's Parellel Food & Drink pop-up will host a holiday feast on Sunday, December 10th with three courses and wine pairings inspired by their favorite holiday dishes (yes, that includes a turducken and sides).

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When: 6 to 9 p.m., December 10

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Details: Tickets cost $60 and are all inclusive visit eatfeastly.com for more information

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The Oregonian/OregonLive

Peking Duck at Departure

Once again, chef Gregory Gourdet will serve Peking Duck feast with plum sauce, candied kumquats, scallions, cucumbers, and rice fried in duck fat as a special throughout the month of December. Act fast: reservations won't last long.

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When: December, 2017

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Details: Tickets cost $106 and each meal serves two-to-four people; call 503-802-5370 to reserve; 525 S.W. Morrison St.

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Dumpling Week returns

That's right, The Oregonian/OregonLive's fourth-annual Dumpling Week, a citywide celebration of the dumpling in all its forms, will return in February, 2018 with specials and promotions throughout the city.

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When: February, 2017

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To apply to take part in Dumpling Week 2018, click here.
Manuel Lopez, the Yucatan-born chef who transformed the Cully neighborhood's Angel Food & Fun into one of Portland's best Mexican restaurants, has left the restaurant over an immigration issue, according to owner Tai Nguyen.

According to Nguyen, who owns the restaurant and adjacent gaming room, Lopez was told he would have to leave the country by "the fifth or sixth" of the month. When or if Lopez will be able to return to Portland is unclear, Nguyen said.

Willamette Week first noted changes at the restaurant after reports of Lopez' departure surfaced on social media.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Lopez -- known to friends as Manny -- says he was surprised by the reaction his departure has caused, says he had hoped to keep discussions of his immigration status private.

"I'm that kind of person that wants to be not seen," he says. "I don't have Facebook. I don't have a cell phone. I don't need any of that."

He says his split with Angel Food & Fun was more complicated than originally described. He said his immigration status was "all in the lawyer's hands" now, but that he was also ready to leave the restaurant for his own reasons, and that he hopes to someday open a place of his own.

"I thought it was just another chef that he quits his job, and moves on," Lopez says. "I didn't know it was a big deal."

Lopez, a longtime former chef at the Pearl District's high-end Bluehour, took over the small Northeast 60th Avenue Mexican restaurant in 2013, installing a menu of Yucatecan specialties, including puffy salbutes, black-bean-stuffed panuchos, tender cochinita pibil and pavo en relleno negro -- a shredded turkey dish with thick slices of sausage-wrapped egg bathing sitting in an ash-black broth.

Over time, some of the more time-intensive dishes, including that relleno negro, took a back seat to the fried tacos and a carne asada burrito that ranked among the city's best. The restaurant became a mainstay on local restaurant guides.

"Hopefully I'll be back someday soon, pick my life back up and move on," Lopez says. "Right now I want to have a personal life. I want to have a private life for me and my family."

-- Michael Russell
An attorney for Oregon's largest school district threatened to sue a substitute teacher if she told a jury how Portland Public Schools failed to investigate complaints that an educator demanded oral sex from her and a classmate when they were students in the 1980s, says a complaint the woman filed Monday.

The complaint is the latest development following an Oregonian/OregonLive investigation into disgraced educator Mitch Whitehurst. That investigation, published in August, exposed a system that helped Whitehurst evade allegations of sexual misconduct for years at the expense of students.

That news story spurred the school board to hire independent investigators to review the matter and to question its relationship with its longtime go-to defender, high-powered law firm Miller Nash Graham & Dunn.

The substitute, who has asked to only go by her first name, Caprice, twice told highly placed district officials about Whitehurst's conduct toward her as a student, telling a district lawyer in 2008 and a principal in 2012. But the district never followed up.

In 2014, when a male colleague complained Whitehurst offensively touched him, a criminal investigation ensued. Whitehurst pleaded guilty to harassment, and the district terminated his employment. The male employee sued the district in 2015, arguing the district for years knew Whitehurst was a danger to employees and students. He asked Caprice to testify, which she agreed to do.

Then, Caprice says, in 2016 she got a call from Miller Nash attorney Naomi Haslitt, who explained the call was on behalf of Jollee Patterson, the district's top in-house lawyer.

Haslitt "was very polite in thanking me for my service to the district, mentioning we were 'like a family' and that I had no obligation to participate in the investigation into Whitehurst's actions," the complaint says.

But Caprice says when she told Haslitt she planned to cooperate, Haslitt's demeanor changed.

"She became threatening, warning me against saying (anything) negative against the district, saying they could sue me," The complaint says. "She then said, 'If you are going to testify against the district, you should get a lawyer.' Then she hung up on me."

Haslitt did not respond to a request for comment. Nor did Patterson, who resigned from her school district job in summer 2016 to take a job at Miller Nash.

School board chair Julia Brim-Edwards, who took office in July, responded to Caprice's complaint Monday on behalf of herself and Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero. "The District will not tolerate any retaliation against those who participate in good faith in the Whitehurst or any other investigation," she wrote.

"Thank you for your email, sharing your experience, and raising your concerns with us. We will treat your email as a formal complaint and investigate the concerns you raised," she wrote.

"Please know that we continue to encourage all persons with information about Mr. Whitehurst and the pending allegations related to his employment with Portland Public Schools to come forward and to share that information with the District's independent investigators."

In the wake of Caprice's 2008 report, the district did not look into her claims, nor did it report them to the state's teacher licensing agency.

But when that agency investigated Whitehurst for criminally touching the male colleague in fall 2014, it uncovered records of Caprice's complaint and interviewed her, her friend and Whitehurst about the allegations.

The agency found Whitehurst had committed sexual misconduct with the two teens and, in January 2016, revoked his teaching license.

Caprice told The Oregonian/OregonLive she felt the district's lawyers wanted to keep her quiet to avoid testimony about how they'd ignored allegations that, when someone finally took them seriously, resulted in Whitehurst losing his teaching license.

"I can't just brush this off and hope things get better," Caprice said. "The only way Portland Public Schools learns is if it is painful for them."

Caprice never did testify because the school board settled its case with the male colleague before trial for $250,000. The board's vote was contentious, with some school board members questioning if a trial was needed to bring out the truth of what happened. The board directed staff to scrutinize district conduct regarding Whitehurst.

Ten months after that request, the district had done nothing to investigate, officials said. Instead, the district had paid more than $11,000 to Miller Nash in a failed effort to keep The Oregonian/OregonLive from obtaining records related to Whitehurst. After the resulting article was published, outraged board members hand-picked a team of independent investigators to look into the matter.

Board member Mike Rosen told The Oregonian/OregonLive he felt attorneys pressured the school board to settle the lawsuit to avoid more information about the district's mishandling of Whitehurst becoming public.

"I don't want to mention names. I think it is enough to say the counsel that what we got from our attorneys  whether they were from inside the district or outside counsel  it was awful," Rosen said in August. "It just makes me realize we need better counsel from the inside and the outside."

Caprice says she's tired of watching the district dodge accountability.

"If I sit and say nothing, they are just going to do it to the next person who wants to speak the truth to the power of Portland Public Schools," she said. "What I want is I don't want lawyers working for Portland Public Schools to be able to shut witnesses down by threatening them. I don't think that's too high of a bar."

Have information about Whitehurst or how Portland Public Schools responds to sexual misconduct complaints? How to contact the school board's independent investigators HERE.

 Bethany Barnes

Got a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email Bethany: bbarnes@oregonian.com
President Donald Trump on Monday announced dramatic changes to national monuments in Utah but offered no clues on what the future may hold for one of Oregon's federally protected areas.

Trump's Utah trip produced the most significant shrinking of national monuments in a generation. Trump called for shrinking the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments  areas created by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton respectively -- by 1.9 million acres.

"Public lands will once again be for public use," Trump said at an appearance alongside elected officials in Utah. "Together we will usher in a bright new future of wonder and wealth."

Trump's executive order and public comments did not include any more information on Cascade-Siskiyou or Nevada's Gold Butte, two monuments which have also been slated for unspecified reductions.

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, the 113,000-acre swath of Southern Oregon where the Klamath, Siskiyou and Cascade mountain ranges converge, made Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's short list this summer for monuments due for reduction.

"Nothing new on non-Utah monuments," Heather Swift, a spokesperson for the department said in an email. She did not respond when asked if there was a timetable for more news on the fate of the Oregon monument.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden decried Trump's move. "The fight must continue to protect our public lands across the country, including the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon, from Trump's and Zinke's erratic and destructive agenda to restrict access to lands that belong to all Americans in order to benefit large corporations and donors," he said.

In a September memo from the Department of Interior obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Zinke recommended shrinking the Southern Oregon area to allow for more logging, improved roads and increased hunting and fishing access.

Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., blasted that argument this fall, noting that there are hundreds of miles of good roads in the monument and hunting and fishing is already legal.

Wyden said Trump's "unprecedented and astonishing decision" was based on "faulty information."

Republicans in Oregon and other western states have argued Obama-era expansions of national monuments occurred without regard to the views of local residents.

Opponents have promised to fight any effort to shrink or modify the monuments with legal action.

Wyden hinted that he would be there for the long haul. "The battle to safeguard Utah's national monuments for all Americans to enjoy will continue in the courtroom," he said.

Dave Willis with Southern Oregon's Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, said the legal fights will pick up steam now. "This administration's public lands policy is to cut, drill, dig, stomp, chomp, road, and erode more than ever  and then pretend you're a Teddy Roosevelt who 'loves the land,'" he said in a statement. "National monuments are precious American gifts of past presidents to future generations."

In Utah, the changes would split the two massive monuments into five smaller ones, a move championed by Utah Republicans and decried by Native American tribes and environmental. According to the Salt Lake City Tribune, several significant tribal areas that were the impetus for the native people's petition to create a Bears Ears monument are not included in the new borders

Utah leaders have said those sacred sites would still be protected, but they opposed what Trump described Monday as a federal land grab.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
Starlight Knitting Society is hosting a meet and greet with designer Andrea Mowry. It's 4-6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. "Join us for a fun & fabulous meet & greet with the briochalicious fade maven herself, Andrea Mowry!" the store writes. "Save the date, there's more deets to come!" Starlight Knitting Society is at 7028 S.E. 52nd Ave. in Portland.

Wool 'N Wares Yarn Shop is having a "bazaar-style trunk show" from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. "We will have local favorites with yarn from @hulahutyarns @lilliputyarn, bags from our lovely ClaShae Bags, vintage buttons from Buttonhole!" the store writes. "Buttons, local honey and beeswax candles, local wooden bowls and boxes and some essential oils. We are super excited and hope to see you for some great holiday shopping with small local companies here at #woolnwaresyarnshop." Wool 'N Wares Yarn Shop is at 21580 Willamette Drive in West Linn.

Knitted Wit is hosting a holiday market from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. "Stop by and shop from some of my favorite makers!!" Knitted Wit writes. "Chicken Coop Botanicals, JaM pdx, and Oleander Earth Works, plus two glass makers!!! Yarn will be out, too! We'll have some holiday themed snacks, of course. Come by and get gifts for all the friends on your list!" Knitted Wit is at 19959 E. Burnside in Portland.

Nitro Knitters is hosting a Tres Chic Jewelry trunk show from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. "She has been creating all year to have a good selection of jewelry, assorted leather accessories, leather scarf cuffs, upcycled wool sweater mittens and snow ladies," the store writes. "These are all one-of-a-kind creations, so come early for the best selection." The store's also running some charity projects. "In addition to collecting knit and crochet hats for Good Neighbor Center in Tigard, we are hosting a toy drive for Ronald McDonald House of Portland," the store writes." They expect 350 families to stay with them this holiday season, and the new, unwrapped toys that are donated help to fill their shelves with holiday surprises for all of their guests to select and receive gifts while they're far from home! We have a list of ideas from them on the blog. Bring your new, unwrapped toys to Nitro Knitters from now until Dec. 14th so we can get them delivered by the deadline." Nitro Knitters is at 10047 S.W. Nimbus Ave. in Beaverton.

The Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival is seeking teachers for the 2018 event. Details below. OFFF 2018 is set for Saturday, Sept. 22, and Sunday, Sept. 23.

Are you a teacher of the fiber arts? Would you like to teach at OFFF in 2018? Here is the link to the request for... Posted by Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival on Wednesday, November 29, 2017

-- Mary Mooney

mmooney@oregonian.com

503-412-7020; @MaryKnitsPDX
The wife of Oregon refuge occupier Jon Ritzheimer is using an online auction site to sell a firearm her husband brought to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, hoping to use the proceeds to cover restitution he and other co-defendants owe for damage to the wildlife sanctuary.

The UnitedGunGroup.com site lists "Jon Ritzheimer's Oregon Refuge Standoff Sig P238'' as a gun Ritzheimer wore during the armed takeover of the federal bird refuge in early 2016.

It is the same website used briefly a year ago by George Zimmerman, who tried to turn a profit on the gun he used to kill Florida teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. Zimmerman, 32, part of a neighborhood watch, was found not guilty in the February 2012 killing of the unarmed 17-year-old African American after saying he acted in self-defense.

The Sig handgun was one of only two firearms not confiscated by the FBI from Ritzheimer, who carried it "while watching the back of Robert LaVoy Finicum during many press conferences,'' the website says.

The gun has been mounted inside a clear collector's case, with a signed copy of the U.S. Constitution and a notarized "certificate of authenticity." It has Finicum's ranch brand laser etched on its top and side, the site says. Finicum was the occupation spokesman who was killed by police after he sped off from a police stop on Jan. 26, 2016, swerved into a snowbank at a police roadblock and emerged from his truck. Police said he was shot when he reached at least twice into his jacket, where he had a loaded handgun.

Ritzheimer was sentenced last week to a year and a day in prison plus another 12 months in a residential re-entry center after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to impede federal employees from carrying out their work at the refuge through intimidation, threats or force. Ritzheimer, convicted of a felony, can't possess or use any firearms.

The sale of the gun would help pay off "all the restitution'' for everyone convicted in the refuge occupation, with any money left over to go to Finicum's family, the site says. The total amount is $98,000 among 15 defendants. Ritzheimer's share is $10,000.

Each person convicted must disclose all assets to the government in a financial disclosure statement 14 days from their sentencing dates.

As part of the negotiated agreements for many of the defendants, the government reserves the right to pursue civil actions "for any profit or enrichment of a defendant'' arising out of the case.

The auction began Sunday and lists the gun's price as $2,100. It seeks bids of $2,200 or up to $12,100 or presents a buy-it-now price of $200,000. As of Monday night, one bid had been placed by the site's owner.

UnitedGunGroup owner Todd Underwood posted a comment on the site Sunday that read, "Lets make this go viral." He issued the first bid Monday morning for $2,100.

During the first of two trials stemming from the refuge takeover, prosecutors presented a dramatic display of the firearms seized from the refuge after the 41-day occupation of the bird sanctuary, including 22 long guns and 12 handguns. In court papers, the government has sought the civil forfeiture of 50 guns and huge caches of ammunition that federal agents either seized from the refuge or from defendants' cars and homes.

Occupation leaders Ammon Bundy and his brother Ryan Bundy and five others were acquitted at trial in October 2016. A second trial this year resulted in mixed verdicts against four others, with two defendants convicted of conspiracy, two convicted of depredation of government property and all four convicted of additional misdemeanor charges including trespass. Eleven others pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy, and four others pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.

Ritzheimer, 34, left his family in Arizona in December 2015 and traveled to Harney County. He appeared on video in Marine Corps camouflage, holding an AR-15 rifle, and sought to recruit other "patriots" and "militiamen" to join him to "take a stand." A military veteran who served in Iraq, he also was in the first convoy of cars that arrived at the refuge on Jan. 2, 2016.

The group was armed and cleared each building before blocking the front gate and positioning armed guards in the watchtower and entrances. Ritzheimer had a military-style AR-15 during the initial takeover and described himself as "triggerman," according to prosecutors.

Although Ritzheimer told U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown at his sentencing last week that he was "extremely sorry for this entire mess,'' he sent out a statement to supporters later saying he's "going to wear this conviction as a badge of honor.''

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
The parents of a 25-year-old passenger run over and killed by the Greyhound bus he had been riding on through southern Oregon filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday.

The lawsuit claims driver Arthur Coley was overworked, irritable and hostile toward passengers during the overnight trip June 29 from Seattle to San Francisco. The suit says Coley had announced to the entire bus that he was so exhausted he might fall asleep and warned passengers not to agitate him.

Several hours later, sometime before 1:30 a.m., Coley drove over passenger Hunter Brown of Seattle while pulling out of a rest stop in Central Point, according to the suit.

The lawsuit does not state a specific dollar amount in damages.

The suit was filed in District Court in Dallas, Texas, the bus company's headquarters. A Greyhound spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday.

Coley has not been criminally charged and has not received any citations for the incident, according to court records. Prosecutors from the Jackson County District Attorneys Office could not be immediately reached Tuesday to see if they had reviewed the case.

The suit states Coley had pulled into the Pilot Travel Center along Interstate 5 at 1 a.m. and told passengers the bus would leave at 1:30 a.m. But instead of waiting the full half hour, Coley began to pull out early and ignored passengers who told him he was leaving other riders behind, according to the suit.

He said, We go on my time, not theirs, and started pulling off, said Charla Aldous, a Texas attorney who is representing Browns estate. And Hunter is running beside the bus, banging on the bus, trying to get on, when he just is run over. Its simply hard to comprehend something like this could happen.

The suit alleges Coley looked out the door at Hunter" before making the fatal turn.

It also says Coley told passengers to stay on the bus instead of trying to treat Brown. Coley called 911, and emergency responders arrived to find Brown dead, according to the suit.

The thing about bus drivers is they owe passengers the highest degree of care. And this guy was far from it, said Jane Paulson, a Portland attorney partnering with Aldous to represent Coleys estate.

Greyhound buses carry 18 million passengers and log over 5.4 billion miles a year, according to the companys statistics.

The suit claims Coley had reason to be tired. He boarded the bus partway through the trip in Portland on June 28 -- after hed already driven 9 hours that day, according to the suit. The suit says he arrived about 90 minutes late to take over bus-driving duties, and the bus departed from Portland about two hours behind schedule.

Browns parents, Paula Becker and Barry Brown, offered this statement in a news release: Our son had a future ahead of him. That future was taken away from him and from us because of the careless actions of the driver and Greyhound.

Read the lawsuit here.

-- Aimee Green
Gov. Kate Brown on Monday again called for state leaders to find a long-term solution for Oregon's budget problems.

During a Q&A session in front of a ballroom full of executives and lobbyists, the Democrat said Oregon has a "structural budget deficit" that she expects will continue for years. This year, lawmakers entered the legislative session with an estimated $1.4 billion budget shortfall, which they eventually managed to close.

Oregon's state government must pass a balanced budget every two years. Problems have arisen because although revenue continues to grow, expenses have outpaced the gains. Brown said she wants to find solutions for future rounds of budget negotiations.

Though she did not specifically call for state lawmakers to pass new or higher taxes, Brown said she hopes to identify policies that will stabilize revenues for "the long haul." Last year, Brown endorsed the ill-fated Measure 97, which would have increased business taxes by an estimated $6 billion each two-year budget cycle. Voters soundly rejected the measure.

"It is time that we quit kicking this can down the road," Brown said at the Oregon Leadership Summit, in Portland. She said she's asked her staff to put together a list with "a handful of options."

Some of those options, Brown said, could include policies aimed at chipping away at the $25 billion public pension deficit. The liability has saddled the state's public employers with ever-increasing pension payments, at the expense of expanding services or hiring more staff.

In her remarks, Brown praised a task force she assembled to examine ways to cut the deficit. She said they came up with "innovative and creative solutions," which were presented to the public in a November report.

The task force's ideas include encouraging public employers to sell assets, spend reserve funds, redirect funds towards pension payments or find other ways to raise money for the retirement system. Whether any of those proposals are politically feasible is uncertain, with the Democrat-dominated Legislature reticent to cut back on public employee benefits. The labor unions that represent those employees are key campaign donors for Brown, the Democratic Party of Oregon and many Democratic legislators.

On Monday, Brown raised the prospect of greater cost sharing by public employees. She noted a bill introduced in the Legislature last year that would have required public employees to contribute to their pensions. It died without a vote, but Brown said that bill "provides the framework" for further discussions. One lawmaker, Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, has said he will introduce legislation aimed at preventing pensioners from spiking retirement benefits by factoring in pay from side jobs.

Brown also highlighted Oregon's strong economy, which has continued to grow and add jobs at a faster rate on average than the rest of the country. Unemployment is low in Oregon and overall economic indicators have generally been on the uptick.

But Brown said she recognizes that the economic boom is not evenly distributed among Oregonians. The state's rural residents are struggling more than its urban ones, she said. Brown said her priorities for rural Oregon include investing in infrastructure projects, residential and workforce housing, internet connectivity and job training. She touted the $5.3 billion transportation package lawmakers approved, which includes considerable infrastructure and public transportation spending in Oregon's rural areas.

"I want to make sure we have communities that thrive throughout Oregon," she said.

Brown and Oregon lawmakers are gearing up for a busy couple of months. There is a special election in January where voters will be asked whether to keep several health care-related taxes the Legislature passed this spring. If voters reject those taxes, lawmakers would have to find a way to make up the lost revenue in order to shore-up the Oregon Health Authority budget. The Legislature meets for a one month session in February.

For her part, Brown said any talks on budget reform will "absolutely" be bipartisan.

"I certainly want to get things going," she said.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

The ranking Democrat of the Senate Finance Committee said Monday that a "full-fledged constitutional crisis" will unfold if President Donald Trump tries to interfere with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential coordination between Trump campaign officials and Russia during the 2016 election.

"I think every member of Congress -- every Democrat, every Republican, House and Senate -- needs to say now that if there is any effort by the president to interfere with the work of Bob Mueller, there's going to be a real constitutional crisis in America," said Sen. Ron Wyden.

The Oregon Democrat said Mueller is "making a case that runs right up to the top of the Trump administration" and that he's "pleased" with the special counsel's work. So far, Mueller has secured indictments of Trump's former campaign manager and a business partner, as well as guilty pleas for lying to FBI agents by a campaign aide and Michael Flynn, the president's former national security adviser.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing. On Monday, he cast the investigation as the "greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. political history" in a tweet.

Wyden said Mueller and his team appear to be probing questionable financial arrangements of Trump associates, which he said is "the single most important key to unlock this inquiry." Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, has been charged with money laundering, among other charges. The charges are not related to Manafort's work for the Trump campaign.

There's no evidence that Mueller's team has found a smoking gun showing collusion or direct evidence of wrongdoing by Trump. However, court records show Flynn and the other official who pleaded guilty, former Trump campaign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, agreed to be cooperating witnesses in exchange for leniency.

While Trump himself has not signaled that he will remove Mueller as special counsel or otherwise directly interfere with the investigation, the president has made statements meant to sow doubt about the impartiality of Mueller and his agents. In particular, Trump has highlighted that several of Mueller's investigators were Hillary Clinton donors and that others allegedly made disparaging remarks about Trump.

Wyden, speaking to reporters at a business summit in Portland, said that Oregonians want officials to get to the bottom of any Trump campaign links to Russia.

"Oregonians understand that this is not fake news," Wyden said.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman
Wednesday 6 December 2017 9:58am



The government has confirmed details of its fees-free scheme for 2018. Photo: Sharron Bennett.

Yesterdays announcement from Government, confirming key details of the fees-free first year initiative, has been welcomed by the University of Otago.



Government agencies will determine the eligibility of individual applicants, and early signs are that the vast majority of Otago first years will be eligible.



We are confident that the vast majority of Otagos first year domestic students  around 3700 students in all  will qualify for fees-free support in 2018, said Deputy Vice-Chancellor, External Engagement, Professor Helen Nicholson.



Along with the students who will benefit from this initiative, we have had relatively little information about how the fees-free scheme will operate in 2018. Crucial details around eligibility are now being confirmed, and we can all move forward to implement the fees-free scheme for 2018.



As part of that process, domestic students who have so far enrolled for their first year of tertiary study at Otago in 2018 will be contacted by the University this week.



For the very high proportion of Otagos first year cohort, who come straight from school to study full-time, fees-free is straight forward. Provided that they meet the relevant citizenship and residency requirements, these students should qualify. Many other Otago first year students are also likely to find that they qualify once they complete the Governments assessment.



We are aware that the fees-free scheme has generated some uncertainty around scholarships. For the vast majority of Otagos entrance scholarship recipients, all that will change is that their scholarship will be used to cover a portion of their Residential College costs, rather than tuition fees, said Professor Nicholson.



We are also aware that there has been considerable speculation about the impact of fees-free support on enrolment levels. At this stage we are not seeing any appreciable change in enrolment demand from our pre-election expectations. We are looking forward to welcoming our commencing cohort of young citizens to Otago next year and Im sure that they will appreciate the fees-free support details announced today, said Professor Nicholson.



For further details on the Governments fees-free initiative, including eligibility criteria and how to have eligibility assessed and confirmed, please refer to:

https://www.feesfree.govt.nz/
Consumers Energy says more than 100,000 customers were affected by power outages due to high winds Tuesday, and crews have been deployed to make repairs.

By 11 a.m. Tuesday, about 65,000 customers were without power, a media release from the company states. Most of the Consumers Energy customers that have lost power live in Northern Michigan.

In Midland County, there were just more than 2,000 outages in Warren, Greendale and Porter townships by 10 a.m., along with scattered outages throughout the city of Midland and the rest of the county, according to the Consumers Energy Outage map. Power was restored to the majority of those customers by 3 p.m.

Midland County Central Dispatch reported power at the intersection of M-20 and Coleman Road was knocked out about 6 a.m., causing the traffic light to stop working. Also, Currie Parkway was closed due to downed wires from 7:12 a.m. until 1:14 p.m.

The Midland Fire Department reports crews have been out responding to reports of downed wires and trees. Firefighters ask residents to use caution and stay away from downed power lines, as well as to remind children to be extra careful while walking to and from school.

Midland Police and the Midland County Sheriff's Office reported scattered downed trees throughout the area, with no areas particularly hard hit.

Consumers Energy is working to restore power to all affected customers by 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.

We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work to restore power quickly and safely today, Guy Packard, Consumers Energys vice president of electric operations, stated in a media release. We encourage the public to be safe and watch for crews working along roads, especially with the possibility of wind gusts today that could cause more outages.

A wind advisory remained in effect until 7 p.m. Tuesday. Wind gusts were predicted to peak at 50 mph in the Saginaw Valley area.
"Follow the money," the source known as Deep Throat told Bob Woodward as he was reporting the Watergate scandal. Today we learn that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is following President Trump's money. Reuters reports:

"U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has asked Deutsche Bank for data on accounts held by President Donald Trump and his family, a person close to the matter said on Tuesday. . .

"Germany's largest bank received a subpoena from Mueller several weeks ago to provide information on certain money and credit transactions, the person said, without giving details, adding key documents had been handed over in the meantime.

"Deutsche Bank, which has loaned the Trump organization hundreds of millions of dollars for real estate ventures, said it would not comment on any of its clients."

This may turn out to be no big deal - perhaps Mueller will find that all Trump's transactions with Deutsche Bank were above-board and free of any funny business, and also that nothing he discovers there will lead to evidence of any other misconduct on Trump's part. But the fact that Mueller is looking at Deutsche Bank means his probe is reaching the very heart of Trump's financial life.

Why is Deutsche Bank so important? After a string of bankruptcies and broken promises, pretty much every other major bank stopped lending Trump money some years ago. The one exception was Deutsche Bank, to which Trump owed $364 million as of the end of last year. By sheer coincidence, Deutsche Bank recently had to pay $670 million in fines for its role in a Russian money laundering plot (though as Bloomberg reports, the bank's internal investigation found no link between Trump and that scheme).

At this point, we don't know exactly what Mueller is looking for in the Deutsche Bank records. Law professor Ryan Goodman suggests that Mueller could be trying to determine if Trump's loans from the bank were guaranteed by Russian interests, which could mean he was indebted to them in ways that could compromise him.

What we do know is that the Russia investigation has led Mueller to Trump's personal finances, which provide a target-rich environment if you suspect financial malfeasance. Trump has a long history of shady dealings - outright scams such as Trump University, refusing to pay vendors who supplied him with goods and services, bankruptcies that allowed him to skate away from huge debts while others were left holding the bag. And he also has deep financial entanglements with alleged Russian oligarchs and mobsters.

This latest news demonstrates that Mueller is proceeding on multiple tracks, all of which could come together in the end:

- There's the question of whether Trump or anyone else committed any financial crimes; former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has already been indicted on that score, and there could be more to come.

- There's the question of whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, for which we already have ample evidence.

- There's the question of whether obstruction of justice took place, for which evidence is growing by the day. In a recent tweet, Trump admitted that he knew then-national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak when he fired him, which means Trump knew Flynn had committed a crime when he asked then-FBI Director James Comey to lay off investigating Flynn. (Trump's lawyer denies he meant the tweet this way, and Trump denies Comey's account of their conservation).

That last one was just one piece of a broad campaign Trump undertook to hinder the Russia investigation in general and the investigation of Flynn in particular, which reportedly included asking top officials in the intelligence community to pressure the FBI to shut it down and pressing Republican senators to end their own investigation. And that's not to mention the fact that Trump said on national television that he fired Comey to shut down the investigation, and told the same thing to the Russian ambassador and foreign minister.

In that tweet about Flynn, Trump closes by saying, "There was nothing to hide!" That has indeed been a consistent line from Trump himself, the White House and the president's defenders: nobody did anything wrong, all the contacts with Russians were just routine, and there's nothing to hide.

But if that's the case, why do so many Trump associates keep getting caught lying about Russia?

- Flynn lied to the FBI about the substance of his conversations with Kislyak.

- Jeff Sessions repeatedly told Congress that neither he nor anyone else on the Trump campaign had any contact with Russians, which we now know was false; not only did Sessions have multiple contacts with Kislyak, he was aware of contacts George Papadopoulos had with Russians.

- Tuesday the New York Times reported that while national security aide K.T. McFarland told Congress she was unaware of the nature of Flynn's dealings with Kislyak, newly released emails show she had detailed knowledge of those dealings, which strongly suggests she lied to Congress.

- Donald Trump Jr., in a statement personally dictated by President Trump, lied to the public about that notorious meeting with a group of Russians offering dirt on Hillary Clinton.

That's a whole lot of people around Trump who are acting like they have something to hide. And nobody has more to hide than the president himself; he didn't withhold his tax returns because he's so modest about how wealthy he is. If Mueller is getting deep into Trump's finances, we may well find out just what he's been working so hard to keep the public from finding out.
NORMAL  Despite public opposition, Normal taxpayers can expect another property tax hike next year.

The Normal City Council unanimously approved on Monday a $13 million property tax levy for 2017, which is expected to trigger a 5.9 percent property tax rate increase.

Officials said the increase is necessary to pay for police and fire employee pensions, but 11 town residents who spoke against the hike during a public hearing before the decision questioned that.

"I think back to my years on the council, and I think every year we used the same excuse," said Parker Lawlis, a former council member who served more than 20 years. "Residents don't want this."

Speakers questioned both why the town isn't using other money to pay for pensions and why the town has spent money on specific projects, including public facilities and incentive agreements.

"You need to start saying 'no.' I think you guys say 'yes' way too much," said Jeff Haab of Normal.

Others questioned the town's return on investment for pension funds, which officials said are managed conservatively to avoid taking big risks with needed public money. The town manages police and fire pension investments, but state officials control other employee pension funds.

"Do some arm-twisting to let these pension funds know we're underperforming and we need to fix it," said Doug Sauer of Normal.

"I read through this to find is there any other way. I could not find a single way," she said. "We're left to make the hard decision ... and take the whipping from our constituents."

Council member Kevin McCarthy asked residents to take their concerns to their state representatives, who could change a requirement that municipalities fund 90 percent of their pension obligations by 2040. Gov. Bruce Rauner previously told The Pantagraph he won't push for that to change.

"We don't get to set the rules. We just have to pay for them," said McCarthy.

Council members said they don't take the increase lightly, in part because they also need to pay it.

"I've heard people say we're raising your taxes, it's our taxes, too," said council member R.C. McBride.

The town has asked employees to take early retirement and plans to make spending cuts as part of its fiscal year 2019 budget, which will start April 1 and will be unveiled in January.

"For those who want to see some things cut, the cuts are coming," said McBride. "They're coming because we have to do that, too."
BLOOMINGTON  Faced with higher than expected remodeling costs, the owners of the Grand Cafe are looking to demolish the 41-year-old building that has housed the legendary downtown Chinese restaurant.

But the restaurant's name will live on, for now, at an East Bloomington location.

Twin City real estate agent Jimmy Mapugay and his wife, Kelly, partnered with Adrian Daluz to purchase the Chinese-American restaurant at 615 N. Main St. in May.

"I did not want the 96-year-old legacy of the Grand Cafe restaurant to go away. That's why I bought it, even though I don't have any restaurant experience," said Mapugay.

After closing the restaurant to make renovations, the trio opened a Grand Cafe express restaurant in the former Sun King restaurant at 2205 E. Oakland Ave.

The plan, Mapugay said at that time, was to give the cooks and staff of the original restaurant a place to work while the renovations were done.

But when the projected renovation costs at the original restaurant reached $600,000, Mapugay said he started considering other options, including demolishing the downtown site.

He is having required environmental testing done so demolition could begin in two or three months, Mapugay said.

A lot of people thought it was a historic site. No, it's not. That building has only been around since 1976.

Mapugay said he knew getting a loan to finance the renovations was going to be an uphill battle because most banks require at least a two-year history in the same trade.

If someone comes to me and says, 'Here's money, go rebuild,' I'll do it, he added. But in the real world nobody will do that for you.

He is also keeping open an option to sell the property.

"I am a Realtor by trade and everything is for sale at the right price, said Mapugay.

To his surprise, lunch business at the East Oakland Avenue location, is very robust, said Mapugay, adding the express restaurant is able to capitalize on its close proximity to State Farm's corporate headquarters and other east-side businesses.

We didn't have any idea how people would accept it. Business is excellent. There is less overhead, he said. The only thing we're missing here is the seating (which is limited to 50 people.) But that's being compensated by the carry-out and online orders and deliveries that we have.

Mapugay and Daluz are Filipino, and they have added their native cuisine to Grand Cafe menu favorites.

The original Grand Cafe was purchased from Ike Chiu, a fourth-generation family member who had operated the restaurant.

The restaurant was started in 1921 in downtown Bloomington by Charlie B. Lum, a Hong Kong native who arrived in Chicago in 1918 and created a menu with Asian dishes that were modified to appeal to area residents. Over the years, the eatery has had several downtown locations.

It would be a shame to let this 1921 icon go down without a fight, said Mapugay. But it looks like it's working out well and I'd like to keep the legacy going for the next 100 years.
iRi NYC, the New York-based footwear brand helmed by 24-year-old designer Janet Yeung, is onto something. Having just launched this summer, iRi has already released its third collection and established itself as fledgling tastemaker with an eye for the future.

The shoesa contemporary mix of heels and sneakersare all classically produced in Italy, but the prices and silhouettes cater to a more modern, metropolitan audience. They're genderless, created with unconventional fabrics like Neoprene, and designed with graphic wavy details (they're signature).

For iRi's third collection, out now, Yeung was inspired by flight and traveling through clouds, which manifested into a tonal color scheme and softer materials. She honed in on "a sense of calmness," and wanted these styles to divert from iRi's aggressively bold brand DNA.

Click through iRi's latest, below, and learn more about the rising brand.





PAPER: What did you see was missing from the footwear industry when you launched iRi?

Janet Yeung: I felt that there were not enough custom developments in the marketmeaning, that generally smaller brands (and quite a lot of bigger brands) buy components off the shelf and decorate the outside of the shoe. We approached it by investing into a custom sneaker sole and custom heel, as we felt this would really help differentiate iRi from the rest of the brands out there. We also wanted to offer a very high level of quality at a contemporary price point, so we decided to make everything in Italy and are fortunate to work with some incredible factories there.

How do you think iRi is filling a void in contemporary fashion?

We offer a really unique piece of footwear that is both high in design and quality, and and offered at a reasonable price point. That's what we thought was missing when we looked at the footwear industry in 2016 before we launched. With iRi you are going to either love it or hate it. There is no in-between. However I would love to be all things to everyone, and I know that this won't be a long lasting model for us. We did a lot of homework before launching and we hope that everything we do has a good dose of optimism, energy and playfulness to it.

Describe your personal point of view and how this perspective informs the designs.

iRi is an homage to my grandmother who raised me. iRi is the name of our town that both me and my grandmother were born in. Because of the story behind iRi, everything becomes personal for me. Each collection begins from my experience or memory with her. Even if things change and shift during the process, it is crucial for for everything to come back to a moment or story between me and my grandmother.

What led to the development of the squiggly heel and wavy sneaker sole?

In the initial design process, we brainstormed shapes that reflect optimism and playfulness and this led to our signature "dancing" heel. This then informed the wavy sneaker sole design. We definitely consider them both very integral to iRi, and hope they'll become our iconic silhouettes.

How does iRi address fashion's gender nonconforming conversation?

When we design, we focus on silhouettes and comfort rather than on gender. This allows us to broaden the way we think, and design our unisex collections. The data so far reveals our customers are fairly even in both genders, which positively shows we are able to reach our customers regardless of their gender.

Who do you consider your customer?

Someone who appreciates new, unique design and has confidence in trying new things. Someone who is an active mobile user who needs to be constantly inspired and experience something new. They most likely live in a city, so comfort is definitely important. It is hard to imagine them not responding to our shoes, which embrace both newness and wearability.

What's the concept behind this current season?

This collection was inspired from the moment of traveling, having not arrived at the new destination. It is the sense of calmness. Previous collections were much more visually stimulating with pops of colors, and this season we focused more on our signature shapes with calmer tones. This allows our sneakers and heels to reach a wider audience, while still holding on to our signatures.

As a young designer, what are some lessons you've learned in building iRi from the ground up?

Really believing in our identity and sticking to it helped in lifting iRi to where it is now. We still have a long way to go, but the significance of remaining who we are as a company and still balancing it with reality is one very important lesson I've learned. For me, success is the continued growth of iRi and being able to offer enriching, positive experiences to our community.
If you've been sleeping on Brisbane's latest export, Mallrat, now is the time to wake up. The recent high school graduate is both manic-pixie and bonafide badass, taking the Australasian pop scene by storm one cherry-flavored folky-funk tune at a time.

Her new video for "Better," the vegan feminist (frankly a beacon for Gen Y) embraces the Australian farmland and her long-time obsession with animals. Donning a range of paisley and gingham Antebellum-esque looks (including some cult Australian brand I.AM.GIA additions), Mallrat looks every inch of the idyllic country queen as she rides ponies and skips through meadows.
A powerhouse in not only the realm of supermodels, but in philanthropic endeavours too, Natalia Vodianova has carved a much deeper mark on the world than solely posing in front of the camera. Born into an impoverished town in Russia, she sold fruit at a local market to support her family. Little did she know, Vodianova would go on to sign a seven-figure contract with Calvin Klein, and marry a member of France's wealthiest luxury fashion dynasties.

She was at Business of Fashion's VOICES conference to support her husband's Model Charter, and announce her co-founded charity app ELBI, where much like Instagram users can donate by liking causes around the world. We sat down to discuss the importance of saying no, safeguarding models and what drives Vodianova's philanthropic work.

PAPER: First off, your custom Jeff Koons outfit for your recent Naked Heart Foundation Fund Fair was beyond. How did that come together?

Natalia Vodianova: Thank you! Well it was Halloween and Jeff art directed the whole event. So, I wanted something that would reflect the theme and I became Jeff Koons' Venus for the night.

[instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba0QAP7B7aE/?hl=en&taken-by=natasupernova expand=1]

Tell me about the Naked Heart Foundation?

It's been a very long and beautiful journey. When I left Russia, I knew I was leaving behind millions of impoverished people in a reality I lived in before becoming successful. Naked Heart is a way to harness all the incredible opportunities I gained from being a part of the industry. I certainly wouldn't have been able to do any of it without the industry. We've raised over $50 million so far.

Where did the work for this start?

We started with something very tangible, building parks and playgrounds for children178 so far, mainly in Russia, but we've built a couple in Peru and in the UK. When we fundraise outside of Russia, we give some proceeds to other organizations too.

What drives your interest in philanthropy?

Inclusivity has always been high on my agenda. My sister Oksana was born with extreme autismshe's 30 now so not a little girl anymore. Because of this we were subjected to violence and abuse growing up in Russia, but now people are much more open to people with disabilities. I'm channeling this pain into making sure this happens less.

Even with all the hardships you faced growing up, you beam with positivity and a fearless ambition to help others. Where do you find this?

My upbringing. I was born into very hard conditions. I work really hard and life still has many challenges. Going on stage to talk is also challenging but in a different way. With what I do I've found there's pressure people may not expect. I'm not surviving just for myself anymore, I'm surviving for the philanthropic mission. When I meet the parents of people we've helped it's so overwhelmingly rewarding.

Related | Halima Aden & Carine Roitfeld on Fearless Diversity in Fashion

Do you ever take a break to unwind?

I do occasionally think I need to take some time to think about myself because maybe then the work would be more effective. It's hard for me to say 'stop, you need to prepare yourself for this' but so far so good.

At BoF VOICES, James Scully, casting director who blew the whistle on the industry, and your husband Antoine Arnault, businessman and son of CEO of LVMH group, discussed their new Model Charter which ensures models' safety within the industry. Do you wish there was something like this in place when you were younger?

I came from one of the toughest neighborhoods in Russia and there is one thing that poverty teaches you: you have to protect your dignity as person and your core values. Whenever I felt these were being affected, even slightly, I would always complain and refuse to comply with general rules, like something as stupid as never allowing my hair or eyebrows to be colored.

To keep something of yourself while everything else is being altered?

Exactly. I had to keep things that were important to me safe. So of course, imagine what happened when someone proposed me sex. It's my dignity and core beliefs that are informed by my impoverished upbringing. You have to stand up and make those decisions, no one can force you to do anything. I've always been tough like this.

[instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BcHek96hsNS/?hl=en&taken-by=natasupernova expand=1]

Any memorable bad experiences when you started modeling?

When I first arrived to Paris I was taken by an agency to this strange club full of very strange men. I did not like it all. The week later, my mother agent took me to another agencyI really didn't want to go, but I felt so at home there and I signed straight away. That agency was VIVA, who I'm still signed with now.

What advice would you give to young models now?

If you're not happy with something you have to change it. Be bold and don't hesitate. But do talk about it because not everybody can know your reality.

For people who want to help and donate but don't have the financial resources, how can they contribute to helping the world?

I've recently co-founded a new charitable app called ELBI. People can donate to or even create a heartfelt campaign on their social media, say for an orphanage in Uganda, and use a link to ELBI where people can then donate through Apple Pay by "liking" the story. We have a "Love Button," which allows you to donate anything as little as a dollar. Imagine turning all your likes on social media into donations for a cause?

Photo via Getty
With sexual misconduct accusations flying left, right and center in the wake of Harvey Weinstein's scandal breaking, companies are under immense pressure from the public to denounce figures they have previously lauded. Conde Nast announced they will no longer work with Terry Richardson, Netflix cut ties with Kevin Spacey and now, after recent allegations of sexual harassment, Vanity Fair has canceled a high profile Art Basel event honoring photographer Bruce Weber.

To celebrate Weber's new book, All-American Volume XVII, Vanity Fair and Genesis organized an intimate dinner in Miami tonight with Cardi B performing. The publication announced they have canceled the event, after model Jason Boyce claimed last week that during a 2014 "casting" at Weber's apartment he forced the young model to rub his own genitals before kissing him and putting his fingers in his mouth. Boyce alleged in a $1 million dollar lawsuit he later suffered from anxiety and depression as a result of the incident, ultimately leaving New York permanently for California.

Related | Ed Westwick Accused of Sexual Assault by Yet Another Woman

The complaint states that Boyce "suffered humiliation, emotional anguish and lost economic opportunities, including the end of his modeling career in New York [...] Mr. Boyce felt intense dread at the thought of a modeling career in an industry where Mr. Weber was considered by many to be a top photographer and primary champion of male models."

It continues, "He was worried that he would continue to run into Mr. Weber throughout his career. He experienced anxiety, depression, and high levels of stress... Upon information and belief, Mr. Weber has engaged in similar conduct with other male models."

This isn't the only time Weber has been embroiled in scandal. His tendency to avoid casting people of color has rightfully caused controversy. Not only did he shoot a Versace campaign where a black toddler was shown in chains, but his preference for white casting was also recently highlighted in his 2018 calendar for V Magazine.

Weber is one of the most celebrated photographers in fashion, considered a go-to by most fashion publications and luxury brands. He recently shot one of Jennifer Lawrence's Vogue covers for the magazine's September issue.

Image via Getty


According to a new report this morning, Apple succeeded today in preventing Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi from registering its 'Mi Pad' tablet computer as an EU trademark because the name was too similar to Apple's 'iPad.'

Reuters is reporting that "The European Union's second-highest court, the General Court, ruled that Mi Pad should not be registered as a trademark because consumers were likely to be confused by the similarity of the signs.

Xiaomi's Mi Pad and Apple's iPad are both tablet computers.

the Court said in a statement that "The dissimilarity between the signs at issue, resulting from the presence of the additional letter 'm' at the beginning of 'Mi Pad,' is not sufficient to offset the high degree of visual and phonetic similarity between the two signs."

Below is a screenshot of the European Xiaomi trademark filing for MI PAD dated April 10, 2014.





The Apple copycat finally gets a legal slap in the face. For years the Apple community have pointed to Xiaomi's blatant copying and mimicking Apple's products. The CEO even went out of his way to hire the designer Philippe Stark who worked on the Steve Jobs yacht to design one of their smartphones.









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The retail arm of Vietnam's biggest information technology company FPT will list its shares on the Ho Chi Minh City stock exchange in the first half of next year, with the plan of using the proceeds over the next three years to open 100 stores officially licensed by Apple, marking a serious push by the U.S. tech group into the communist-led country.

FPT secured the country's first license from Apple in 2012 to set up a store network specializing in Apple products such as iPhone and Macbook under the brand name F.Studio. There are now 10 F.Studio outlets operated by FPT Digital Retail, also known more simply as FPT Retail, in Vietnam. Each of them showcase Apple products, which make up 40% of their in-store offerings. The retailer plans to increase this network tenfold.

The move to increase Apple's presence in Vietnam follows a rise in sales in the country of unauthorized products -- goods that are bought overseas, then sold in Vietnam while avoiding import taxes. A recent local survey showed more than a third of Apple products in Vietnam markets were "unauthorized items", without a guarantee from the company. FPT Retail expects to provide more choice of officially imported items to meet the demand of Apple fans, who often travel overseas to buy the tech group's latest products.

Nguyen Viet Anh, deputy general director of FPT Retail, who has experience working with Apple in Singapore stated that "We believe in the cooperation with Apple to open more Apple authorized outlets, before Apple opens it's wholly-owned [Apple Store] in Vietnam."

Apple iPhones accounted for 7% of the total 14 million smartphones sold in Vietnam last year, ranking third after Samsung Electronics (28%) and Oppo (25%), according to IDC Vietnam.

Currently, there are 15 Apple-authorized stores in Vietnam under the operations of local retailers, including FPT. For more, read the full Nikkei Asian Review report here.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
This month marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Not so long ago I had a long conversation with a friend about gender and the Protestant Reformation. While history is not one-dimensional, there is an argument to be made that the Protestant Reformation set women back by curtailing their spaces and choices. Before the Reformation, a woman could join a convent or a religious order; after the Reformation, the only accepted role for her was that of wife and mother.

And then there are the words of the Reformers themselves:

The word and works of God is quite clear, that women were made either to be wives or prostitutes. Men have broad and large chests, and small narrow hips, and more understanding than women, who have but small and narrow breasts, and broad hips, to the end they should remain at home, sit still, keep house, and bear and bring up children.

Martin Luther did not mince words. The Protestant Reformation saw the closing of convents and the end of womens religious vocation. To be sure, womens role in the Catholic Church was always circumscribed. Women could not be priests, bishops, or the pope. And then there was Malleus Maleficarum, with its warnings about female sexuality and its linking of women and witchcraft. But Catholicism also left the door open to a variety of religious vocations for women. With the Protestant Reformation, this ended.

Protestantism gave women one role and one role onlythat of wife and mother. The Protestant Reformation, then, circumscribed women more fully in the home than women had previously been. Womens purpose was to make babies and keep house.

During the middle ages, numerous female mystics and theologians made an impact in religious faith and practice. Julian of Norwich, an anchoress, is an excellent example, but she is not alone. Hildegard of Bingen, an abbess, wrote theology. Bridget of Sweden wrote an extremely successful book on her revelations and founded a religious order. Mechthild of Magdeburg, Gertrud the Great, and many others wrote books and outlined visions. Catherine of Genoa changed the Catholic conception of purgatory.

With the coming of the Protestant Reformation, religious vocations that had offered women the opportunity to study, contemplate, and write disappeared, replaced by the expectation that all women marry and spend their time in childbearing. The Protestant Reformation circumscribed womens options, leaving them with just onesubmission to an individual man who would be their lord and master.

No longer could a woman become an abbess, gaining some authority over others in her sphere. No longer could a woman eschew marriage and choose instead devotion to religion and learning. Certainly, convents were not perfect. In some cases wealthy women were sent away to take religious orders if her parents did not have enough for a dowry, whether that was their choice or not. The availability of options did not mean that choices were not circumscribed. They were. But with the elimination of options, their choices became only more circumscribed.

In the thirteenth century, Clare of Assisi left her fathers home to join Francis of Assisi, whose preaching had moved her, and take religious orders. Her father attempted to kidnap her and bring her home to marry her to a wealthy suitor, but Clare resisted, telling her father that she would be the bride of Christ and no other. Clare went to the pope to gain permission to create her own religious order. Ultimately, Clares sisters and mother joined her in her order. This female space disappeared with the Protestant Reformation.

I grew up on stories of Susanna Wesley, a Protestant woman who lived in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Susanna bore 19 children. She raised these children in near-poverty, ensuring that each one learned the Bible and held a strict code of morality. Two of her sons, John Wesley and Charles Wesley, went on to found the Methodist church. Susanna was praised for her fecundity, the godly way she raised her children, and the success of her progeny. Did Susanna write books that were read by others or advance theology or Christian practice? No. She raised sons who did that, and that is what made her worthy of praise.

The Protestant Reformation changed the very nature of womens space. It changed the terrain on which women negotiated their role in society. No longer could a woman go to the pope and petition to create her own religious order. No longer could a woman opt to spend her life in contemplation and study rather than domestic labor. No longer could a woman live in a space dominated by other women, rather than in a domestic household in obedience to a father or husband. To be sure, the options women had were never perfectbut they were options.

Interestingly, the Gospel Coalition, a conservative evangelical organization that still publishes articles by Douglas Wilson despite his role in urging for leniency for pedophiles in his church and defending slavery in the antebellum South, has argued that the Protestant Reformation actually expanded womens religious influence:

As monasticism died in Protestant lands, two things happened concurrently: women lost the church office they once occupied as nuns, and they gained spiritual equality with men. Suddenly, there were no ecclesial roles for women (which had often been given to those considered good enough or rich enough). Instead, all Christian women enjoyed the benefits of membership in the priesthood of believers.

Read that paragraph again if you need; it wont start making any more sense than it does on the first read. Believe me, I tried.

The article goes on:

While roles of ecclesial authoritysuch as pastor or elderwere open only to men, the priesthood of all believers created respect for women and opened doors medieval Catholicism had closed. Marie Dentiere and Katharina Zell published theological works based on Scripture. Anna Bullinger and Margarethe Blaurer did crucial poverty relief. Anna Zwingli and Katharina von Zimmern served on a city council.

I could not find anything at all about Anna Zwingli or Katharina von Zimmern serving on any city council. If they did, their tenure must have been extraordinarily brief.

What of these female theologians? In 1539, Marie Dentiere wrote a letter encouraging greater female involvement in the church and arguing that men and women were equally qualified to interpret scripture. The authorities in Protestant Geneva responded by burning all of the copies of her book that they could find and preventing women from publishing anything in the city for the rest of the century. Katharina Zell wrote pamphlets, and faced harsh criticism for doing so; she always made sure to tell her critics that she merely served as her husbands partner, doing his will, and that she did not neglect her home.

Heres whats truly bizarre about this section: it suggests that publishing theological works based on Scripture and doing poverty relief were doors closed during medieval Catholicism. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is widely believed that women published more works, including works of theology, during the medieval period than they did after the Reformation, and nuns did do poverty relief.

Here is one last paragraph from the Gospel Coalition article:

Women also had new relationships with office-bearers based on a revived reverence for the pastoral office. Because these ministers derived their authority from Gods Word, not Rome, women could have a true and genuine respect for pastors as they taught. The Reformation fundamentally changed the relationship between women and the church by opening lay ministry to all women, and by giving them faithful shepherds who cared for their souls in biblical ways. Its a good reminder for us as the church struggles to clarify gender roles today.

Yes, that really is the argument being made herethat women benefited from the Reformation because they could now respect the men who preached to them, unlike before. The point about opening lay ministry to women is somewhat more interesting. It is true that the Reformation ended narrowed the distinction between religious and secular vocations. No longer did one have to choose between the two. However, lay ministry under Protestantism did not offer women the same opportunities that religious vocations had under Catholicism.

There is something else women lost to the Protestant Reformation, toothe Virgin Mary. Under the Reformation, religion became much more masculine. Gone was Mary, the Mother of God, and gone were the female saints, whom women had related to, asked favors of, and drawn strength from for centuries. Compare the stained glass windows and images in a Catholic church with those in an old-style Protestant church and youll see what I mean. We talk about representation. Mary wasnt perfect, but she provided that.

Of course, Im not saying that this is one-dimensional. There were things that were gained during the Protestant Reformationit brought a greater emphasis on literacy, including for girls, so that they could read the Bible. In addition, the Council of Trent, held between 1545 and 1563 in response to the Protestant Reformation, curtailed some of the role and space of nuns and convents. Finally, it is Protestant denominations today that ordains women, a practice still forbidden in Catholicism.

But however we parse it, it is worth thinking about what was lost when the Protestant Reformation closed convents and ended womens religious vocation, and about the ways Catholic women in the medieval period created spaces for themselves in the midst of a patriarchal society.

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Three Activists Sentenced to Prison in Trial "Directed" by Iran's Intelligence Ministry

12/05/17

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Political prisoners Majid Assadi, Payam Shakiba, and Mohammad Banazadeh were sentenced to prison and exile after the Intelligence Ministry pressured the court, a family member of one of the prisoners told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).



Mohammad Banazadeh (L), Majid Assadi (C) and Payam Shakiba



"The lawyers defended their clients in court but the judge found them guilty in the presence of the Intelligence Ministry representative who practically directed the court proceedings," said the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

In a ruling issued on November 27, 2017, Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Banazadeh to 11 years in Evin Prison and two years in exile in the city of Nikshahr, Sistan and Baluchistan Province. Assadi was given a six-year sentence in Evin Prison and two years in exile in Borazjan, Bushehr Province. Shakiba was sentenced to six years in Evin Prison.

The three men were charged with "propaganda against the state" and "assembly and collusion against national security" based on claims made by the Intelligence Ministry, the source told CHRI.

"This is a preliminary sentence," said the source. "The sentences will not stand if the Appeals Court makes a fair judgment because the case is only based on accusations by a representative of the Intelligence Ministry without any evidence and the accused all denied the charges during their interrogation."

The men were arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents in March 2017 and held in solitary confinement in Tehran's Evin Prison for about two months before being transferred to Rajaee Shahr Prison, located 31 miles west of the capital.

Assadi, 35, was first arrested on July 3, 2008, for his peaceful political activities while he was a student at Allameh Tabatabaie University in Tehran. In March 2010, he was sentenced to four years in prison for "assembly and collusion against national security" and was released after serving his sentence from October 2011 to June 2015.

Shakiba, 30, was previously arrested on July 8, 2008, for exposing sexual misconduct against a female student by a senior administrator at the Zanjan University campus, where he was a student at the time.

In March 2010, Shakiba was condemned to a year in prison for "causing public anxiety" and "instigating illegal gatherings against national security" and barred from returning to university for two semesters. Upon appeal, his sentence was reduced to six months in prison, which he served from November 2010 to March 2011.

A veteran political activist, Banazadeh, 63, was arrested by the Intelligence Ministry on November 30, 2009, for his alleged involvement with the banned Mojahedin-e Khalgh Organization (MEK). He was freed in November 2014 after serving a five-year sentence.
The Embassy of the State of Israel in Accra has reiterated its commitment to collaborating with the Government of Ghana through the several programmes and projects of the government to improve agriculture in Ghana.



The Ambassador of the State of Israel to Ghana, Ami Mehl, in a statement, said Israel leads in agricultural technology, saying from the urban individual farmer to large industrial farms, agric technologies are used to address supply, productivity and environmental concerns.



Through this, Israel has for the past 70 years learned to feed itself using drip irrigation, seed hybridisation, and smart cultivation techniques.



From traditional and hi-tech agriculture to greenhouses, irrigation, dairy farming, fish farming and alternative energy, Israels agric technology has it all.



Also, Israels agric technologies allow farmers to produce all year round, hence ensuring a full cycle of productivity in the sector, he said.



Ami Meh explained that Israel pioneered and remains a world leader in drip irrigation, greenhouse farming and some of the most important modern technologies adopted in agriculture today.



Agriculture in Israel is considered a science to yield better results. The farmer pays attention to the full cycle of agricultural production.



This includes land preparation, selecting the right seeds, selecting the right time to plant, engaging in irrigation processes, fertiliser application, food and vegetable cultivation, as well as managing post-harvest loses.



One cannot, therefore, pay attention to only a part of the cycle as it is often the case in Ghana. For good results in the agric sector, Ghanaian farmers must concentrate on the entire agricultural process.



Considering agriculture as the backbone of Ghanas economy, Ghana and Israel should collaborate more closely and share experience and technical know-how.



Israels pre-harvest agricultural technologies ensure that the sector maximises yield while minimising waste, the ambassador added.



Corporation between Ghana and Israel began even before the independence of Ghana, and has increased over the years.



Israel has partnered with the Government of Ghana and other institutions to implement several Israeli agric technologies.



Just this October, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, went on a 10-day working visit to Israel to familiarise himself with some of the Israeli agric technologies.



The visit resulted in Ghana and Israel agreeing in principle to co-operate to train Ghanaian graduates in greenhouse technology.



On regular basis, Israeli agric experts visit Ghana for similar collaborative efforts. In May 2018, there will be an Agritech Fair in Israel, and looks forward to hosting a big delegation from Ghana.



Through Israels MASHAV programmes, the Government of Israel has instituted several programmes for some 50 Ghanaians to benefit from a one-year hands-on training in advance agricultural technology.



On the occasion of the National Farmers Day in Ghana, Ami Meh re-emphasised Israels readiness to share its agric technological know-how with Ghana in the areas of agro-processing, greenhouse and irrigation development.

Source: The Finder









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Japan Motors Trading Company Limited (JMTC), has held a grand ceremony in Accra to launch Foton range of vehicles including the All new Foton Gratour range, Tunland Pickup and Auman truck.



Managing Director of JMTC, Mr. Salem Kalmoni described the event as a milestone in Ghanas Automobile industry as JMTC unveils its strategic partnership with the Foton brand, Chinas largest full-range Truck manufacturer.



He said in looking for a truck of high standard and quality to compliment its Nissan line up the company had to settle on Foton which had been marketed for a decade by its Sister company, Modern Auto Services (MAS).



As other vehicle brands MAS imported were found deficient and led to the closure of the company, Foton stood out as the brand that valued quality and cared to support their products globally as such in January 2017 JMTC took over the full distribution of the Foton range of vehicles he said



Mr. Kalmoni was optimistic that JMTC being the only motor firm with full 3S (Sales, Service, Spareparts) and having branches across the biggest cities in Ghana: Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale, the company is in better position to support the Foton brand.



Present to witness the launch and endorse the partnership between Japan Motors and Foton were: Mr. Chai Zhijing, Chinese Economic Counselor who represented the Chinese Ambassador and Mr. Wan Xujun, Vice President, Foton International.



Mr. Chai Zhijing noted that as Ghana is the 2nd Sub Saharan African country to establish Diplomatic relations with China its not surprising to see Foton haven joined the Kalmoni Group for a decade enjoying good reputation in the country with quality, good performance, good after-sales service and competitive prices.



Foton he touted as one of the leading Chinese Automobile manufacturer providing vehicles globally and as economic corporation between China and Ghana has been inspiring for the past 57 yrs Ghana can be assured of quality trucks from Foton through Japan Motors.



On his part, Mr. Wan Xujun, Vice President, Foton International assured the company will continue to invest in quality after-sales support to ensure customers get value for their money.



He was optimistic the future for Foton is promising as the Group is poised on improving the brand as one of the leading commercial vehicles in China



Making a Foton Products Presentation, Mr. Imad Ghorayeb, Director, Sales and Marketing, JMTC, outlined the Foton range being marketed by JMTC which include: Tractor Heads for the Oil and Gas Industry, Transportation and Logistics; Tipper Trucks for the roads and construction sector; the 1.5,3 and 6 tons trucks for the SMEs and the flagship Tunland 4x4 Pickup both automatic and manual transmission. He also noted the introduction of the Gratour range which include the Mini Cargo trucks, Vans and 8 seater Buses and the AUV Buses ranging from 25-65 seaters.



The night also saw awards presentation jointly done by Mr. Amine Kabbara, General Manager Sales and Marketing, Mr. Chriss Lee, Foton Manager and Mr. Abdul-Rahman Osman, Foton Brand Sales Manager to best performing customers for Heavy Duty, Light Duty and Passenger vehicles which went to Alhaji Adamu of Rabo Ent., DIMD Ghana and Multipro Ghana (Indomine) respectively. DDP Outdoor Ltd was adjudged the best After-Sales and Service customer.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Scores of foreign investors have started arriving in Ghana for a conference being organized by the Ministry of Railways Development to bring government and players in the private sector together to discuss the development of the Eastern railway and Boankra Inland Port projects.



The government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Railways Development, headed by Joe Ghartey, is seeking Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to construct the Eastern railway from Tema through Accra to Kumasi, as well as the Boankra Port project.



The conference, slated for December 6, 2017 and expected to be held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, seeks to encourage the private sector to partner government to undertake the proposed Boankra Inland Port and Eastern Railway Line projects in a Public Private Partnership (PPP), among others.



The conference dubbed, Market Sounding Event also seeks to understand the key considerations of the private sector regarding their potential involvement in the proposed projects and to obtain feedback from potential private sector players.



Speaking to the media over the weekend ahead of the event, Donald B. Kress, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Railnet International, a US company, which is in the country to bid for the Eastern Railway project, lauded the efforts of government in revamping the countrys dormant rail sector.



One reason why we are here is that Ghana wants to build the rail system. They have realized the economic viability of having a solid rail system, he said.



He said the Eastern rail project has the potential of boosting Ghanas economic growth and creating about 17,000 direct and indirect jobs.



Mr Kress, however, urged the government of Ghana to learn from the best practices in the rail sector of North America.



He also appealed to Ghanaians to support governments vision of redeveloping the countrys rail sector.



About the projects



The Eastern Railway Line links Accra to Kumasi with a branch line from Achimota to Tema Port.



The total track length is 330 km, and the gauge is 1,067 mm.



The existing Eastern Railway Line was built in 1923 with narrow gauge standards. It was designed for an axle load limit of 13 tonnes.



Some sections of the railway line have been rendered unusable.



In these affected areas, there must be a complete overhaul of the railway formation in order to give it the requisite capacity to hold new tracks and axle load, if the existing alignment is to be maintained.



The Right of Way (RoW) has been encroached upon by developers and other people. Human resettlement and commercial activities along the rail pose a major threat to the efficient running of the rail system.



Several permanent and temporary structures have developed within the RoW, which may present social challenges to the development of the line in Tema, Achimota, Amasaman, Koforidua and other areas.



In most rural sections, the tracks are overgrown with weeds.



The Boankra Inland Port, strategically located near Kumasi, was initiated in 1990 by GPHA and GSA in order to create an inland extension to the Tema Port. Currently, the Boankra Inland Port has been partially developed with an administration block, access roads and utility connections.



There are plans for further development of the Inland Container Depot (ICD), shippers and freight forwarders offices, warehouses and commercial buildings.



Meanwhile, the sector ministry has set up a call centre with the following phone numbers: 030294840, 0302904855, 0302904841 and 0302904850, for businesses in the country who want to attend the event to register.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has reiterated its caution to the general public not to deposit any money with Menzgold Company Limited, an investment company, because it has not been licensed to do so.



The central bank earlier in the year warned the public not to deposit money with the company and further cautioned the company to desist from taking deposits and stop the payments of dividends but the BoG says Menzgold is still engaged in these activities.



The bank in a statement said it wishes to notify the general public that in spite of the caution to Menzgold Ghana Company Limited to desist from solicitation, receipt of money and payment of dividends to its clients, the company is still engaged in these activities contrary to section 6(1) of the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930).



The general public is hereby informed that Menzgold Company Limited is not licensed by the Bank of Ghana and has no authority to engage in the solicitation, receipt of money and payment of dividends to its client.



Accordingly, the general public is cautioned that anyone who transacts any of the above mentioned business with Menzgold Ghana Company Limited, does so at his/her own risk and Bank of Ghana will not be liable to such clients and depositors in the event of loss.







Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ministry for Railway Development is scheduled to hold a Market Sounding event on 6th December this year, with both local and foreign potential investors who have expressed interest in the rail sector.



The program is aimed at gauging the private sectors interest in partnering with government to undertake the proposed Boankra Inland Port and the Eastern Railway Line projects.



It will also assist in determining the market appetite and preference for specific private sector participation for the proposed projects. The Ministry will also expect feedback from potential private investors.



The New Patriotic Party prior to the 2016 election, promised to revive the struggling railway sector of the country.



The Ministry for Railway Development was thus established to supervise the expansion and improvement of the sector. The Market Sounding program forms part of series of programmes the Ministry is embarking upon to ensure that government delivers on its promise to the railway sector.



According to the Ministry, several investors both local and foreign, have expressed interest in partnering government in their quest to revive the ailing railway sector.



The Chief Executive Officer of Railnet International, an American company, Donald B. Kress, who arrived in Ghana ahead of the Market Sounding program, expressed his readiness to bring the American experience in the railway sector to Ghana.



He was optimistic that, Ghana can turn the fortunes of its transportation sector around if much attention is paid to rail network.



He added that, Ghanaians must support the governments commitment to develop the railway sector because it stands the possibility of providing about 15, 000 direct and indirect jobs to Ghanaians.



The ministry further encouraged more investors to contact them with proposals on the development of the rail sector.



About the Eastern Rail Line



The Eastern Railway Line links Accra to Kumasi with a branch line from Achimota to the Tema Port. The total track length is 330 km, and the gauge is 1,067 mm. The existing Eastern Railway Line was built in 1923, using narrow gauge standards, and was designed for an axle load limit of 13 tonnes.



The Eastern Railway Line currently is virtually non-operational, and the rail tracks are in a deplorable state. The tracks are worn out, the wooden sleepers are rotten, and the track ballast cushions are thin. Beyond Nsawam, the tracks have mostly been removed or stolen.



Some sections of the railway line have been rendered unusable. In these affected areas, there must be a complete overhaul of the railway formation in order to give it the requisite capacity to hold new tracks and the expected axle load, if the existing alignment is to be maintained.



The Right of Way has been encroached by commercial and resettlement activities. Human resettlement and commercial activities along the rail pose a major threat to the safety and efficient running of a rail operation.



Several permanent and temporary structures have developed within the Right of Way which may present social challenges to the development of the line in Tema, Achimota, Amasaman, Koforidua and other areas.



In most rural sections, the tracks are overgrown with weeds.



About the Boankra Inland Port



The Boankra Inland Port, strategically located near Kumasi, was initiated in 1990 by the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority, GPHA, and the Ghana Standards Authority in order to create an inland extension to the Tema Port.



Currently, the Boankra Inland Port, has been partially developed with an administration block, access roads and utility connections. Other plans for the further development of the Inland Port include an Inland Container Depot, port administration, shippers and freight forwarders offices, warehouses and commercial buildings.



The Inland Port will also require the development of customs coordination protocols, customs clearance procedures and controls.

Source: Citi fm









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The 16th occupant of the Golden Stool, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, yesterday performed a key traditional rite to openly demonstrate to the whole world that indeed, Asanteman is mourning.



The Asantehene, who was dressed in the ancient Batakari Kesee, which literally means the biggest smock, fired several gunshots in a thick bush, situated right behind the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.



Dignitaries like President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia and former President John Agyekum Kufuor, were all present when Otumfuo fired the symbolic shots.



Also present at the rich traditional ceremony were the Asantehemaa, Nana Ama Konadu; Lady Julia, wife of the Asantehene; children of Otumfuo and some prominent Asante traditional rulers.



The event marked the fourth day of the funeral rites of the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, who died at the age of 111. Two weeks have been earmarked for her funeral.



Reason For The Shots



The Asantehene, who was holding a nice gun decorated with tiger skin, fired a series of gunshots straight into the forest, amid the chanting of war songs and his name by the huge crowd of mourners.



Sources at the Manhyia Palace disclosed that the firing of the gunshots by the king was to prove to his people that he is a strong and fearless leader, who wouldnt have hesitated in fighting death to rescue the late queen mother (who was his biological mother) if it was possible.



It was also to announce to the world that Asanteman had lost a great queen mother whose 39 years on the stool brought about peace, unity and massive transformation for the Asanteman in particular and Ghana in general.



Otumfuo, who from the look on his face, was sad following the demise of the Asantehemaa, was conducted round several spots in the thick bush as he fired the gunshots.



He started the firing in front of the new Asantehemaa, Nana Ama Konadu, who is also the biological daughter of the late Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II.



On completion of the ceremony, Otumfuo, who was dressed in red cloth (Kobini) was carried in a palanquin, as he majestically danced to Fontomfrom tunes, which kept the charged crowd shouting.



President Akufo-Addo, Dr. Bawumia, ex-President Kufuor and all the dignitaries that were seated on the dais, were even seen standing on their feet as they made hand gestures to give the king more impetus.



Chiefs Fire Gun Shots



Earlier in the day, some selected prominent chiefs from Bantama, Asafo and Asokore-Mampong, just to mention but a few, stormed the thick bush and fired gunshots to show that they were mourning.



The noise from the firing of the gunshots was so deafening that some terrified people even took to their heels to take cover.



The funeral rites of the late Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II will continue with other rich Asante tradition and culture until it finally comes to an end with Muslim prayers at the Central Mosque on December 15, 2017.

Source: Daily Guide









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The video shows two women hugging and kissing one another while dancing together, at what appears to be an engagement party. A number of people can be seen taking pictures and recording them. It was shared widely on social media and generated much discussion.



The majority of the discussion, however, was disapproving, with many accusing the women of engaging in anti-Tanzanian cultural practice.



A member of Tanzanias opposition party shared the clip on his Twitter account and called for action to be taken against the women by the home affairs minister and police.



A local newspaper has reported that police in the north western town of Geita have taken one of the women into custody for questioning for illegal practices.



Homosexuality is a crime in the east African nation, punishable by up to 30 years in jail, with homophobic sentiments still high among people.

Source: sabreakingnews.co.za









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A former Attorney General, Mrs Marietta Brew-Appiah Oppon says she will follow up to ensure that justice is served in the case of the 19-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by her Lebanese boss in Accra last Saturday.



The suspect, Haddad Rabih, is alleged to have forcibly had sex with the victim around 5 p.m on Saturday in the absence of his wife and other occupants of his household.



Rabih is also said have subjected the victim to severe beatings for resisting his sexual demands.



Speaking on the matter, Mrs Brew-Appiah Oppong said: "Very often by the time you become aware of a situation like this, time has elapsed and evidence is lost and it becomes very difficult to follow up on it. That is why we are very keen on following up on this one to make sure the proper investigation and prosecution is done".



Background



Rabih was arrested on Sunday night.



Graphic Onlines Mabel Aku Baneseh reported that four policemen from the East Legon District Police Command arrested him around 11:45 pm on Sunday.



The suspect, Graphic Online gathered forcibly had sex with the victim around 5 pm on Saturday in the absence of his wife and other occupants of his household after subjecting her to severe beatings for resisting his demands.



The incident happened at Airport Hills residential area.



The Commander of the East Legon District Command, Superintendent Cephas Arthur, told Graphic Online that investigations were ongoing.



He said the suspect would be processed for court after investigations.



The Ordeal



Narrating her ordeal to Graphic Online, after seeking medical care, the victim (name withheld), who speaks only Ewe and French, said the suspect beat her up mercilessly after she refused to accede to his demands for the second time.



He slapped her twice on the face, finally overpowered her and dragged her to his bedroom to rape her.



According to the victim who could barely turn her neck, she had been in the employment of the suspect from the month of November but was persistently harassed by him for sex anytime his wife was not at home.



She said last Saturdays event was the fourth time the suspect had raped her in a total of two separate encounters.



Narrating how it happened, she said the suspect directed her to have her bath after his wife, another househelp and his children had left home.



After her shower, the suspect allegedly directed her to his kitchen, which was close to the master bedroom to prepare him coffee.



She obliged after he refused to allow her to dress properly after bathing.



On reaching the kitchen, he locked the door but her attempt to escape was not successful.



The victim said Rabih threw her out of the room after raping her twice. She bled after the act.



Help



The victim said she sought help from some police officers on duty at a nearby house.



The police officers, she noted, apprehended the suspect and took him to the Airport Police Station but on reaching there, a policewoman on duty led the team back to the suspects home.



On reaching the house, the policewoman allegedly took GH350 being her [victim] salary for the month of November 2017, from the suspect and handed it over to her.



The victim said the policewoman stayed on until she had packed her belongings out of the suspects home.



Assistance



A good Samaritan directed the girl and her relatives to report the matter to the East Legon District Police Command a day after the incident.



The Police Command issued her with a medical report on Sunday to undergo medical examination.



Summon



Additional information gathered by Graphic Online indicates that the Airport Divisional Police Command has summoned officers who were on duty on Saturday, December 2, 2017, for an emergency meeting to explain why the victim was not taken through standard protocol.



Victims Father



The victims father ,said he was home around 10 pm on Saturday when a policeman in the company of another woman dropped off the victim.



He said it was after they left that his daughter told him of her ordeal.





Video-

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bia East, Richard Acheampong, has revealed that an embassy in Ghana, is busily lobbying for the legalization of homosexuality.



According to the MP, the said embassy on several occasions, held homosexual consultative meetings at it premises.



Although, the MP, refused to disclose the name of the embassy, The Heralds findings from diplomatic circles, have revealed the Canadian Embassy in Ghana, as the mission secretly pushing the agenda to have homosexuality accepted and legalized in the country.



It has been revealed that, regular meetings are held in that embassy, with heavy attendance of homosexuals, to devise ways and means to safeguard their human rights with respect to anal sex.



This paper, is informed that two years ago, the same Canadian Embassy, held an end of year event on the matter in the embassy and invited some MPs, including the then Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema West Constituency, Irene Naa Torshie Addo, and four others, names withheld, under the guise of discussing human rights issues.



The invited MPs, were said to be visibly angry at the embassys subtle attempts to lobby and use them as conduits to legalize homosexuality in Ghana; something Ghanaians, have overwhelmingly condemned.



The Herald sources at the Canadian Embassy, reveal that the five Ghanaian MPs, were specifically targeted because of their human rights credentials.



Meanwhile, speaking to Accra based Asempa FM, the Bia East MP, Acheampong, added that the embassy as part of its strategy, organises regular meetings for the homosexual community.



This embassy has been inviting regional reps of the gay community in Ghana, to ask them about how they are being treated in the country they have an aim of promoting the gay agenda in the country now, he alleged further.



The NDC MP, claimed that the embassy at one of the meetings with the gay and lesbian community, invited some MPs.



The embassy, he said, was, however, disappointed when none of the MPs invited to the event, spoke in favour of the agenda of legalizing gay marriage in the country.Issues of homosexuality, have become topical after President Akufo-Addos interview with the international news network, Al Jazeera.



Answering questions on Al Jazeera, President Akufo- Addo, stated that homosexuality isnt a big problem in Ghana yet, but when there is a strong demand for change, that might happen.



This is the socio-cultural issue if you likeI dont believe that in Ghana, so far, a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that will say: Change it [the law], lets then have a new paradigm in Ghana.



Juxtaposing Ghanas situation to that of the England the president stated that I grew up in England; I went to school as a young boy in England and I grew up at a time in England when homosexuality was banned there, it was illegal and I lived in the period when British politicians thought it was anathema to think about changing the law and suddenly the activities of individuals, of groups, a certain awareness, a certain development grew and grew and grew stronger and it forced a change in law. I believe those are the same processes that will bring about changes in our situation. He stated.



Many Ghanaians, including the Christian Council of Ghana, have tasked the president to declare Ghanas position, as far as homosexuality is concerned.



Meanwhile, the Bia East Legislator, has threatened to expose the said embassy, if they do not stop advocating for homosexuality.



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Source: theheraldghana.com









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Rain showers and then much colder temperatures are in store for central Pennsylvania this week, according to forecasters.

"Rain showers will sweep across the state Tuesday ahead of a strong cold front. Once the front passes, much cooler air will move into central Pennsylvania for the second half of the week," according to the National Weather Service at State College.

Rain showers are expected to move into the area after 10 a.m. Tuesday, bringing more than a half-inch of precipitation.

High temperatures are expected to drop from the lower-50s on Tuesday, to the lower-40s on Wednesday, and then into the 30s this weekend.

There will be a slight chance of snow showers for the area on Saturday night, according to forecasters.

For Tuesday, there will be a 100 percent chance of rain, with a high near 53. The nighttime low will be around 39, with wind gusts as high as 26 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Sunny, with a high near 43, with wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Low around 29.

THURSDAY: Sunny, with a high near 40. Low around 25.

FRIDAY: Partly sunny, with a high near 38. Low around 25.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny, with a high near 38. Low around 24. There will be a 30 percent chance of snow showers at night.

SUNDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. Low around 25.

For the latest forecasts, visit PennLive's weather page.

You can see live weather updates via the National Weather Service and other Twitter sources below.

Tweet us at @pennlive with photos of inclement weather at your place, incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com.
By E. Fletcher McClellan

Was December 1, 2017 the end of the beginning of the Trump presidency or the beginning of the end?

E. Fletcher McClellan (PennLive file photo)

After a rocky start with Congress in his first ten months, President Trump is on the verge of a major legislative victory that will shape federal social and fiscal policy for a decade or longer.

The downside is that Trump may not be in office long enough to enjoy it.

Last Friday's guilty plea of former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn brings the investigation of Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election into the White House.

First, the good news for Trump.

Though differences need to be resolved with the House in conference committee, the passage of the 500-plus page measure, some of it handwritten on the Senate floor, makes possible the realization of the president's goal of signing a tax cut law by Christmas.

If enacted, the GOP plan will be a game-changer. At least $1.5 trillion of tax cuts will be issued over the next decade. Most families will receive tax reductions in the near future, while permanent tax relief will accrue to corporations, pass-through businesses, and the wealthiest Americans.

Contrary to Republican claims that tax reductions will pay for themselves, the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation ruled that the Senate bill would generate insufficient economic growth, accounting for only one-third of the deficits that would result.

To prevent any further increase of the federal debt, Republicans will try to shrink trillions from entitlement programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. Cuts in the latter will be part of a one-two punch to downsize if not erase Obamacare, the other part being repeal of the mandate for individuals to obtain health insurance.

The tax bill creates pressure to reduce not only the federal domestic budget, but also social spending in high-tax states by eliminating deductions for state and local taxes. Moreover, it promotes other Trump priorities such as support for private and religious schools and development of fossil fuels.

Were it not for the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, we might be hearing about how Trump is taking charge of all three branches of government, adding legislative success to his aggressive use of executive power and the rapid confirmation of his judicial appointments.

Instead, and here comes the bad news, we are now seeing that the special counsel has Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr., and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in his sights.

Contrary to White House spin that Flynn was a minor player, he was a principal advisor to Trump during the 2016 campaign and national security advisor in the first month of the Trump presidency.

According to court documents, Flynn admitted he lied to the FBI about his repeated contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak during the transition.

Apparently with the knowledge of Kushner and senior White House officials, Flynn discussed President Obama's end-of-year sanctions on Russia, including the expulsion of 35 diplomats, for its cyberattacks during the election.

Russia's interest in having US sanctions lifted goes back at least to 2012, when the Magnitsky Act, imposed as punishment for the suspicious death of a Russian tax auditor who uncovered massive fraud, was enacted. Western governments levied more sanctions in 2014 after the Russians occupied Crimea.

Knowing Trump after years of business dealings, including the 2013 Miss Universe pageant that he brought to Moscow, Vladimir Putin cultivated him. Contacts intensified as Trump emerged as the front-runner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

At least nine Trump associates met with Russian officials or go-betweens during the presidential campaign and transition, including Trump Jr., Kushner, recently-indicted Paul Manafort (Trump's campaign chairman for several months in 2016), future Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Flynn.

Ultimately, the investigation will come down to the question made famous during the Watergate scandal: What did the president know and when did he know it?

Did Trump orchestrate contacts with the Russians in order to undermine US foreign policy and win the election? Failing proof of that, did he know enough about the intent of interactions with the Russians to obstruct justice by condoning perjury and firing former FBI Director James Comey?

Fearing that the president may have already incriminated himself in tweets and media interviews, Trump's lawyers made the Nixonesque claim that a president, acting as chief law enforcement officer, cannot commit obstruction.

Good luck with that defense.

The president is staring at two unpalatable options: Attempt to shut down the probe through issuing presidential pardons or firing Mueller, or allow the investigation to pursue members of his family. In other words, provoke an impeachment inquiry sooner or allow the legal process to build evidence for impeachment later.

Trump may well try to stop Mueller and take the risk. It is difficult to believe that Republicans will move against him, especially at the moment of their greatest triumph since the Reagan Revolution of 1981, unless there is overwhelming evidence of corruption.

Left unchecked, Mueller may find overwhelming evidence of corruption.

Regardless of whether the Trump presidency is beginning or ending, it will be consequential.

The passage of the tax bill has the potential to transform American life long after Trump is gone from the political scene.

E. Fletcher McClellan, a professor of political science at Elizabethtown College, is a frequent PennLive Opinion contributor.
Hey ... did you know that President Donald Trump can't be found guilty of obstruction of justice?

Yeah, me neither.

Thank goodness that White House lawyer John Dowd came along to clear that up for us all, and, in the process, to rip a hole in the time-space continuum, dropping us into some parallel universe where we're actually ruled by Mad King Donald, and not a democratically elected executive who's subject to the same set of laws as the rest of us.

In case you missed it, the utterly novel legal interpretation that Dowd provided to Axios and NBC News came in response to Trump's tweeting last weekend that he knew that former national security adviser Michael Flynn had lied to the FBI about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

As The Washington Post reported Tuesday, that was also before ex-FBI Director James Comey alleged that Trump told him to take it easy on Flynn.

Legal experts quite sensibly suggested that if Trump knew Flynn lied to the FBI and then didn't tell the FBI about it, such an admission might increase his exposure to the kind of obstruction of justice that's at the center of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

But not Dowd.

Speaking to Axios and NBC, Dowd theorized that "the president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement under [Article II of the Constitution) and has every right to express his view of any case," The Post reported.

Except there's one problem with that theory.

Okay, two.

One of them is former President Bill Clinton. The other is President Richard Nixon.

During impeachment proceedings in 1999, then-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama argued that Clinton had to be removed from office because he obstructed justice in the course of the investigation into his affair with Monica Lewinsky, Politico reported Monday.

"The facts are disturbing and compelling on the President's intent to obstruct justice," Sessions said at the time, Politico reported, citing remarks in the congressional record.

And, as Politico noted, more than 40 current Congressional Republicans voted for Clinton's removal or impeachment because they believed he'd obstructed justice. They include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

As administration crumbled during the Watergate scandal, Nixon famously claimed that "when the president does it, that means it is not illegal."

Except, of course, that the articles of impeachment lodged against Nixon included allegations of obstruction. Nixon, you'll recall, resigned before he could be impeached.

So how is that Nixon and Clinton could be liable for obstruction and Trump cannot?

The short answer is that Dowd was spitballing as the legal net that Mueller has cast around the president and his associates grows tighter.

"We have a president, not a king," Sam Berger, senior policy adviser at the left-leaning Center for American Progress told The Post on Tuesday "No one is above the law, whether it be Trump or any of his close associates. It's the sort of desperate claim that makes you wonder, 'What exactly are they hiding?'"

Norm Eisen, a former Obama administration ethics official and the co-author of a Brookings Institution report looking at the history of presidential obstruction of justice, told the Post this:

"There's a long line of cases holding that when a government official exercises an otherwise legal authority with corrupt intent, they can be prosecuted for obstruction. It flows from the notion that no person is above the law," he said.

That seems pretty cut and dried.

Dowd's theory, which was first advanced by Harvard law scholar Alan Dershowitz, isn't part of the White House's official legal strategy, Ty Cobb, the lawyer overseeing all things Russia, told The Post.

Dershowitz has argued that Trump can't be charged with obstruction because firing Comey and telling the FBI who - and who not - to investigate is part of the job description.

"Throughout United States history -- from Presidents Adams to Jefferson to Lincoln to Roosevelt to Kennedy to Obama -- presidents have directed (not merely requested) the Justice Department to investigate, prosecute (or not prosecute) specific individuals or categories of individuals," Dershowitz wrote in a June op-Ed for The Washington Examiner.

Dershowitz went on to note that "it is only recently that the tradition of an independent Justice Department and FBI has emerged. But traditions, even salutary ones, cannot form the basis of a criminal charge. It would be far better if our constitution provided for prosecutors who were not part of the executive branch, which is under the direction of the president."

Which is all well and good. But to paraphrase another former Washington official, you make your case with the laws and prosecutors you have, not the laws and prosecutors you wish you had.

An independent Justice Department is far preferable to one directed by a politically motivated executive who might be tempted to overstep his authority to tick names off his personal enemies list.

And that's true no matter who does it - Democrat or Republican.

Our system is reliant on the belief that we're equally accountable in the eyes of the law. And that no one - not even the president of the United States - stands above it.
The Trump administration will allow American journalists, Red Cross employees and other humanitarian workers to apply for exemptions to a ban on travel to North Korea.

The ban will take effect on Sept. 1, 30 days after the regulations are published Wednesday in the Federal Register. A preview of the documents was posted online on Tuesday.

The preview says that in addition to journalists and humanitarian workers, Americans whose travel to North Korea "is otherwise in the national interest'' will be considered for exemptions.


The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries.

This is not a final ruling on the travel ban: Challenges to the policy are winding through the federal courts, and the justices themselves ultimately are expected to rule on its legality.

But the action indicates that the high court might eventually approve the latest version of the ban, announced by President Donald Trump in September. Lower courts have continued to find problems with the policy.

Opponents of this and previous versions of the ban say they show a bias against Muslims. They say that was reinforced most recently by Trump's retweets of anti-Muslim videos.

"President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret. He has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter. It's unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims,'' said Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project. The ACLU is representing some opponents of the ban.

Just two justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, noted their disagreement with court orders allowing the latest policy to take full effect.

The new policy is not expected to cause the chaos that ensued at airports when Trump rolled out his first ban without warning in January.
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2017, file photo, Paul Manafort accompanied by his lawyers, arrives at U.S. Federal Court, in Washington. Prosecutors working for special counsel Robert Mueller say Manafort has been working on an op-ed with a longtime colleague Auassessed to have tiesAu to a Russian intelligence service. Court papers say that Manafort and the colleague sought to publish the op-ed under someone elseAos name and intended it to influence public opinion about his work in Ukraine. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Ted Wheeler, Mayor of Portland, Ore., participates in a news conference during a summit on climate change involving mayors from around the globe Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Chicago. The conference comes after President Trump said the U.S. will pull out of the Paris agreement. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Even if Korean reunification happens now, a declining population both in the South and the North is expected to lead to an overall drop in the population starting in 2034.

There have been expectations that North Korea's young population could solve South Korea's low birthrate following reunification. But the latest study by Choi Joon-wook at the Korea Institute of Public Finance pours cold water on such hopes.

The main reason for the population decline is that North Korea is already suffering from a low birthrate and aging population. As of 2015, North Korea's birthrate stood at 1.94 children by the UN tally. That is far less than the average birthrate of 4.75 in other underdeveloped countries.

"Countries with low per-capita GDP usually have high birthrates, but North Korea is unique by not being part of that trend," the study says.

The development is mainly due to the absurdly extended conscription of young North Korean men, which delays the marrying age, and a large number of North Korean women who work. The birthrate in the North declined much sooner than its economic level would suggest.

The report said South Korea and China saw rising populations in phases of high growth, which resulted in economic expansion. But that is unlikely to happen in North Korea.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks to the media as he arrives for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited European Union headquarters and NATO on Tuesday to assess trans-Atlantic relations and meet with NATO foreign ministers. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Premier Li Keqiang held the second annual dialogue with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Dec 4 in Beijing.

The Premier spoke highly of the development of bilateral ties over the past year and appreciated the positive impact of the annual dialogue of the two government leaders and the annual meeting of foreign ministers, as well as the high-level talks on economic strategy, national security and the rule of law.

Both sides agreed to issue the joint statement on climate change and clean growth, and establish ministerial dialogues concerning those issues, the Premier said.

Premier Li said, as economic globalization develops, China and Canada should ride the tide, maintain mutual respect and equal treatment, and expand win-win cooperation and mutual benefits. China is ready to promote communication and cooperation with Canada and properly handle differences, so as to breed more results under the framework of the Sino-Canadian strategic partnership.

Our economies are highly complementary, making us natural partners in pragmatic cooperation, which will lead to win-win results, Premier Li said.

The Premier said China is willing to expand bilateral trade and investment through making full play of each others comparative advantages and exploring third-party markets with joint efforts.

The two countries also should tap their cooperation potential in fields such as clean technology, aerospace, civilian-use nuclear energy and agricultural technology, Premier Li said.

He also hoped both sides will strengthen people-to-people exchanges through the celebration of the China-Canada Tourism Year, and enhance communication and coordination on international and regional affairs, such as climate change.

Premier Li stressed that China and Canada, as major trading partners in the world and important players in the Asia-Pacific region, share common interests in facilitating liberation in trade and investment.

With deepened opening-up and an optimized business environment, China, as a desired destination for international investment, is willing to further explore development opportunities and share achievements with the world, including Canada,  the Premier said.

Trudeau said China has achieved admirable achievements on economic development and is playing an important role in international affairs.

There are huge potentials for exchange and cooperation between the two countries, the prime minister said. Canada is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with China, enhance economic and trade cooperation, expand nongovernmental exchanges and continue the friendship between the two sides to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results.

Canada supports free trade and has actively participated in the process of globalization. Canada is willing to work closely with China to promote globalization and free trade and contribute to global sustainable development, said Trudeau.

The two sides also exchanged ideas on common international and regional issues.

Before the meeting, Premier Li held a welcome ceremony for Trudeau at the Great Hall of the People.

After the meeting, Premier Li and Trudeau witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation agreements, in several fields, such as education, food safety and energy.
The Liberty Title and Trust Co. building at Broad and Arch would not have been saved and turned into an Aloft Hotel without federal Historic Tax Credits. Read more

Supporters of Unite Here Local 274 have been mobilizing political support to pressure public pension funds not to invest in a New York fund they say is backing the developer of a Center City convention hotel staffed by nonunion workers.

The 2,500-member local, which represents hotel, restaurant, and other workers in Philadelphia, says the Starwood Aloft at Broad and Arch Sts. was built with public subsidies from government economic development programs designed to help poor people, but questions whether the hotel is actually doing so.

But hotel investors says the Aloft employs already employs lower-income workers, most of them African Americans from Philadelphia.

In a five-page summary report to the $50 billion Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System and the $5 billion Philadelphia City Board of Pensions, the union notes that Almanac's Realty Securities Fund VI has committed $200 million in recent years to developer HRI Properties of New Orleans. HRI is the majority owner, along with Dennis Maloomian's Realen Properties of King of Prussia, of the 179-room hotel, in a long-vacant former financial-company tower at Broad and Arch Streets.

The union urges investors to put pressure on Almanac to review what the union calls the risks of funding HRI, at a time when Almanac's Fund VIII is trying to get pension funds to invest millions more with the company.

The Unite Here report notes the Aloft project has collected government funding commitments, including $15 million in federal New Markets Tax Credit financing, which is supposed to go to projects that help improve low-income communities, but has been threatened with defunding by Republicans in Congress after reports it has been used to subsidize luxury projects.

The hotel was also approved for $2 million in matching grants from Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Funding program, City Councilman Mark Squilla (D-1st) noted in a separate letter supporting the unionists and asking investors not to invest more in Almanac. (Update Wednesday:) "The $2 million has not been drawn down," David Smith, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, said Wednesday.

The unionists say the developers were awarded this money targeted to economic-development projects, even though they didn't promise to focus on jobs for low-income workers. They quoted from a letter U.S. Rep. (and city Democratic leader) Bob Brady (D. Pa.) wrote to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin noting that Brady is "deeply troubled" to see federal tax credits targeted to helping poor people used to build a high-end hotel in one of the city's richer neighborhoods without any "agreements" to "ensure a hiring pipeline from low-income neighborhoods."

(Update Tuesday:) In a written statement, HRI and Almanac said the hotel's workforce of 100 "direct and indirect" employees includes 86 percent Philadelphia residents, and also 78 percent African Americans, with 11 "multi-race," 10 "Caucasian," and 2 Hispanic. The companies said they had "partnered" with Philadelphia Works Inc., a nonprofit skill development and placement group, "to identify, recruit and train locals in partnership with HRI Lodging and Marriott International." The statement added that the companies paid "living wages," and added that they expect there will be more workers on site when four vacant store spaces are rented.

In a letter to investors that references the union campaign, sent by Amanac managing partner Matthew W. Kaplan and managing director Josh K. Overbay, the Almanac investors credit their partner HRI with having "redeveloped a chronically vacant, environmentally contaminated, hazardous eyesore into a new, job-creating hotel attached to the Pennsylvania Convention Center," with jobs "created for low-income residents," as the New Markets program requires.

They confirm the more than 100 workers at the hotel aren't represented by a labor union, but add that the hotel was built by contractors employing union labor. (Squilla notes another 100-plus workers were supposed to get jobs at a hotel restaurant that has not materialized.)

What will the pension funds do? While Philadelphia "unfortunately" agreed when it invested with Almanac's Fund VI that it will not "exit the fund early," Philadelphia now "has no plans to approve any additional investment," city finance director Rob Dubow told Squilla's office and United in an Oct. 19 email provided by the union.

(Update Tuesday:) Philadelphia hadn't planned to invest in Almanac's Fund VIII even before it heard from the union, city spokesman Mike Dunn told me. He said the city had actually invested a total of $9.4 million into Fund VI since 2012, and received back $6.9 million so far, valuing what's still invested at $16.2 million, for a total yearly annual return of 16.2 percent, roughly twice the fund's annual total target.

PSERS will consider its own investment in Almanac's Fund VIII at a meeting in Harrisburg on Thursday. PSERS officials weren't immediately available for comment Monday evening.

(An earlier version of this story included a smaller room count based on pre-construction plans for the hotel.)
Starting in January, American, Delta, and Alaska airlines will require passengers with smart luggage to remove the batteries from the bags before boarding planes. The FAA has raised safety concerns about lithium-ion batteries placed in the cargo hold of planes during flights. Read more

Smart bags are the latest innovation in luggage, with features including GPS tracking, electronic locks, and the ability to charge devices such as laptops and phones.

Only trouble is, they soon may not be acceptable to major airlines unless those batteries can be removed.

Just ahead of the holiday season, three airlines announced that starting on Jan. 15, they will no longer accept so-called "smart" bags or smart luggage that does not have removable lithium-ion batteries, due to their potential to overheat and pose a fire risk during flight.

American, Delta and Alaska airlines all announced that smart bags with removable batteries will still be allowed if the battery can be removed at the gate and taken into the cabin. United Airlines said Monday it would announce a policy soon.

Smart bags have grown in popularity, and are expected to be a popular holiday gift. But smart bags with built-in lithium-ion batteries pose a risk in the cargo area at 30,000 feet, airlines say. In the future, only bags with removable batteries will be allowed to fly.

"We just want to make sure that if people are going to buy smart bags, they ask the question: Is the battery removable?" said American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein. "And if it is, it's more than welcome to fly on American."

Bluesmart, a travel technology company with more than 65,000 "smart" suitcases around the world, said it was "saddened" by the changes, which it called a "step back" for travel. The company said it will meet with airlines to make sure its products will be exempt. Bluesmart bags do not have removable batteries, a company spokesman said.

Delta, American, and Alaska said on their websites that if the batteries cannot be removed, the bags will not be allowed on planes.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in July that spare lithium-ion batteries, and portable electronic devices, should be in passengers' carry-on bags and not in checked baggage. If a battery overheats and catches fire, it's easier to detect and extinguish in the cabin.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) defines smart bags as luggage containing a lithium-ion power bank that allows charging of electronic devices, GPS tracking, Bluetooth, radio-frequency identification (RFID) and Wi-Fi capability, electronic baggage tags, and electronic locks.

Some smart bags with a lithium-ion battery, motor, and tracking device allows the bag to self-propel and "follow" the owner, the airline group said. Other bags with a motor can be used as personal transportation devices, as stand-up scooters or sit-on vehicles.

In 2015, Delta and other airlines banned hoverboards over similar battery concerns.

"Many smart bag manufacturers advertise their products as being approved by the Federal Aviation Administration or Transportation Security Administration, which may give customers the false impression that all smart bags are accepted for transport," Delta said on its website. "To date, neither the TSA nor FAA have endorsed a smart bag as approved."

Bluesmart said in a statement that its products meet all Department of Transportation, FAA, and other standards. The latest regulations propose "tighter requirements than the industry regulators," the company said, and vowed to meet with the airlines "to make sure that your Bluesmart will be exempt from such rulings."

With the proliferation of powerful lithium-ion batteries, and cases of smartphones and devices overheating in flight, Delta said that last year it has equipped all aircraft with in-cabin containment bags in the event of a fire on board.

American, which operates 390 daily flights in Philadelphia, said that its flight crews are trained to handle a fire in the cabin. "We have nothing against smart bags," Feinstein said. "We just want to make sure that if someone has to check the bag at any time, that they can remove that battery."
CVS has agreed to buy insurance giant Aetna in a roughly $69 billion deal that will create a first-of-its-kind integration of drug stores, pharmacy-benefit management, and health insurance. Read more

Imagine one of the more than 200 Philadelphia-area CVS stores as the center of your health-care universe.

The local CVS could become a central clearinghouse for patients, where they get help with medical appointments, are guided to lower-cost care, and learn when to avoid the emergency room and how to comply with treatment plans.

That's the vision executives touted Monday during a presentation to Wall Street analyst on CVS's pending $69 billion acquisition of Aetna.

"Think of a Genius Bar at Apple, for example, and this ability to walk in the store and get help," said Aetna chief executive Mark Bertolini, referring to Apple's in-store technical support.

Lawton R. Burns, a professor of health-care management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, doesn't buy it.

"I think it's nonsense," Burns said. "Drug stores have never been the center of the health-care universe. It's always been doctors. Doctors have always been the center of the health-care universe, and they still are."

What's undeniable is that the deal between CVS and Aetna, expected to be done in the second half of 2018, matches the mood of experimentation in health care as all sectors seek ways to keep up with competitors, cut the growth rate in health spending, and improve quality.

The proposed transaction "highlights the dynamic pace of [mergers and acquisitions] in health care that will inevitably continue and involve other nontraditional pairings of various entities," Moody's Investors Service said.

The combination of CVS and Aetna, the Philadelphia region's second-largest commercial insurer, would create a colossus. It would bring together a company of 9,700 stores, including 1,100 with MinuteClinics (a walk-in clinic for basic care), with an insurer that has 22.2 million customers and operations in all 50 states. CVS said 70 percent of the U.S. population lives within three miles of a CVS pharmacy. Together, the companies had $221.4 billion in revenue and $18.5 billion in operating income in the 12 months ending Sept. 30.

Aetna has more employees in Pennsylvania (6,500, including about 1,000 in Blue Bell) than in any other state.

Hal F. Rosenbluth, who co-founded Conshohocken-based Take Care Health Clinics, sold to Walgreen Co. in 2008, called the CVS-Aetna strategy brilliant. "They are beginning to bring together the various components of the health-care ecosystem, which to date have been all very separate," said Rosenbluth, who now runs another health-care start-up, New Ocean Health Solutions.

The deal could be a mixed bag for consumers.

Sometimes it is hard for the elderly to absorb over the phone complex information about their benefits and health, said Paula Wade, a Nashville-based principal analyst at DRG Resources, a health-care information firm.

"An elderly person would just have to drive to the pharmacy, and they could actually have somebody with some knowledge and some access and credentials, a clinician, sit down and tell them what's going on with this or that medication or this beeping on their monitoring device," Wade said.

On the other hand, she said, the vertical integration of the pharmacy, the pharmacy benefits manager, and the provider of the Medicare Part D drug benefits could mean the only one left to stand up for the patient would be the "very, very busy M.D."

To William Aaronson, founding chair of the department of health services administration and policy in Temple University's College of Public Health, the notion that CVS-Aetna would serve as the front door to the health-care system has downsides.

"I don't think the consumer's going to be happy at all, particularly when they find out, 'Oh, I can't go to X hospital where I go when I fall and hurt myself. I have to go to the CVS MinuteClinic and follow their rules,'" he said.

Aaronson had a taste last year when he got a letter from CVS Caremark, the pharmacy benefits manager under his Temple insurance, saying that he had to go to CVS to get his maintenance medications or get them online.

"I wasn't happy with it. I had a great relationship with my Rite Aid pharmacist," he said.
Johnson & Johnson and Bayer AG are responsible for a woman's injuries tied to the blood-thinning drug Xarelto and must pay almost $28 million in damages, jurors concluded in the companies' first loss at a trial over the medicine.

Lynn Hartman said she took Xarelto, sold by J&J's Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit, for more than a year before being hospitalized in 2014 with gastrointestinal bleeding she blamed on the drug. A Philadelphia jury on Tuesday ordered J&J and Bayer, which jointly developed the product, to pay $1.8 million in actual damages and $26 million in punitive damages, one of Hartman's lawyers said after the verdict.

Johnson & Johnson and Bayer won the first three cases to come to trial in federal courts in Louisiana and Mississippi, after juries found the drug was safe and the companies properly warned about Xarelto's bleeding risks. Plaintiffs had pinned their

hopes on winning in state court in Philadelphia, which is known for having plaintiff-friendly juries.

"Xarelto is the worst in class of the new blood thinners," Michael Weinkowitz, a Philadelphia attorney who represents Hartman, said in an emailed statement. "The serious health complications suffered by thousands of patients could have been avoided if physicians were properly instructed about the risks."

J&J and Bayer officials said Tuesday that they'd appeal the jury's finding that Xarelto posed a health risk. Xarelto's labeling "has always warned of bleeding events" and provided information doctors need to make proper "treatment decisions," Sarah

Freeman, a Janssen spokeswoman, said by email.

"Bayer stands behind the safety and efficacy of Xarelto, believes there is no basis in fact or law for the verdict, including the punitive award," Chris Loder, a Bayer spokesman, said in an emailed statement.

The companies still face more than 21,000 patent suits over Xarelto, which has been linked to at least 370 deaths, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports. Patients have said that Xarelto can cause uncontrollable bleeding and that

Bayer and J&J failed to provide an antidote. Some also claim the companies failed to properly warn about the drug's risks.

Bayer and J&J officials counter that Xarelto is safe and that its bleeding risks are fully outlined in the drug's warning label and are well-known by doctors. They also note that FDA officials found the drug to be safe and effective.

The drug is Bayer's top-selling product, generating $3.24 billion in sales (3 billion euros) last year and $2.5 billion (2.3 billion euros) in 2015 for the Leverkusen, Germany-based pharmaceutical company. Xarelto is J&J's third-largest seller,

bringing in $2.29 billion in 2016 as the New Brunswick, New Jersey, company seeks to replace revenue from its Remicade arthritis treatment, which lost patent protection a year ago.

Xarelto belongs to a new class of drugs aimed at replacing Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Coumadin, which has thinned patients' blood since the 1960s. Other new thinners include Pradaxa made by Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, a German company that paid $650 million in 2014 to settle thousands of suits claiming it hid the medicine's bleeding risks.
The Pennsylvania House is set to vote another abortion bill. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Read more

The Pennsylvania Legislature, basically a man cave along the Susquehanna, isn't known for championing women's rights.

That might well be because of its makeup.

It's the manliest (if only in the numerical sense) of legislatures in the Northeastern states.

It's 39th among all states in percentage of women lawmakers (18.6 percent), lower than neighbors Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, according to 2017 data from the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.

It's right down there with Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, and such.

So, no real surprise that even at a time when politics seems to favor women, the Pennsylvania Legislature, run by Republicans, is moving to restrict women's rights.

The House Health Committee Monday evening, on short notice, voted to send a strict anti-abortion bill to the full House for passage.

The bill bans abortions at 20 weeks (current law is 24) and criminalizes physicians performing a second-trimester abortion procedure, "dilation and evacuation," which the bill calls "dismemberment abortions."

The committee vote was 16-10. No Republican voted against it. No Democrat voted for it.

Opponents made a few observations.

Rep. Kevin Boyle (D., Phila.) said it's "striking" there's no exemption for rape, especially given current national attention to sexual assault against women.

There are no exemptions for fetal anomaly or incest, either.

Rep. Pam DeLissio (D., Phila.) said, "We're tying the hands of health-care practitioners."

Unless they're saving the mother's life.

Rep. Mary Jo Daley (D., Montgomery) said, "I'm always just appalled at how easily we make these votes."

Yet, so it goes.

The House easily passed a similar bill last year, 132-65, but the Senate did not take it up. This year is different.

The Senate passed the bill now in question (S.B. 3) back in February by a 32-18 margin. The full House is expected to vote "within the next week," says Health Committee Chairman Rep. Matt Baker (R., Tioga).

It's likely to pass.

This is despite Democratic Gov. Wolf vowing to veto any such legislation. In a statement, Wolf called the bill "the most extreme anti-choice legislation in the country," adding, "Women's health care decisions should be left up to women and their doctors, not politicians in Harrisburg."

A view clearly not shared by the GOP-controlled Legislature.

In fact, said Legislature works hard to pass such measures.

For example, after the Senate acted earlier this year, the House Health Committee, let's just say, upgraded its anti-abortion cred.

Two of its GOP members who voted against passage of last year's bill  Rep. Frank Farry (R., Bucks); Rep. Todd Stephens (R., Montgomery)  "resigned" (or were tossed) from the committee. They were replaced by Rep. Jim Cox (R., Berks) and Rep. John Lawrence (R., Chester), who voted for last year's bill.

This, according to a report from the House Committee on Committees (yes, there is such a thing) in this year's April 5 Legislative Journal.

Coincidental?

I suppose it's possible. But I also suppose the committee wanted to pad anti-abortion votes just in case.

And I suppose GOP leadership wants to give its anti-abortion members a win headed into the 2018 Primary Election season  for most, the only season that counts.

And I suppose two top Republican lawmakers, Sen. Scott Wagner of York County and House Speaker Mike Turzai of Pittsburgh, want polished pro-life badges headed into their primary fight for the GOP nomination for governor.

The immediate question is whether there are enough votes in both chambers to override a Wolf veto. Opponents of the bill say probably not. Baker says "time will tell."

It will indeed. And it will tell whether women, who are standing up in droves to men in power on a range of issues related to women's bodies, look kindly on people in power (or seeking power) when it comes to this issue in 2018 elections.
Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, right, is led into the courtroom by San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, left, and Assistant District Attorney Diana Garciaor, center, for his 2015 arraignment at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco. Garcia Zarate was cleared of Kate Steinles murder last week but convicted on a lesser charge. Read more

To the extent that most Americans know anything about Jose Ines Garcia Zarate  to be honest, most Americans didn't know his name but just that there's some "animal," an undocumented immigrant with a criminal past who fired a gun and killed a bystander named Kathryn "Kate" Steinle walking along the San Francisco waterfront  it is what they were told about him by the future and now current president of the United States.

For Donald Trump, if Garcia Zarate hadn't existed, the 2016 GOP presidential candidate would have invented him  proof of his famous campaign-opening claim that Mexico is sending a steady stream of crooks across America's southern border. Steinle's death occurred in the early weeks of the Trump campaign, and he seized on the incident as he rose to the top of the GOP presidential polls, a warrior against what he called "illegals." He told a July 2015 rally in Iowa that "it turned out I was right. Beautiful Kate in San Francisco was shot by an illegal, who was here five times and they couldn't do anything about it." Trump even mentioned Steinle's killing in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention a year later  making the case, and the existence of "sanctuary cities" that offer certain protections to undocumented immigrants, a cornerstone of his political pitch to "the forgotten Americans."

But there was one fact that Trump never mentioned in the dozens of times he spoke on the campaign trail: Jose Ines Garcia Zarate  like every other human being that enters the American criminal justice system  is innocent until found guilty by a jury of his peers. His trial finally came this fall, 10 months after Trump had already surfed above the froth of the case all the way to the White House. The criminal defenders assigned to Garcia Zarate finally had a chance to tell his side of the story, one that the American voter had not heard  that he'd picked up a paper bag containing the gun (stolen a few days earlier from the car of a U.S. Bureau of Land Management ranger) and it accidentally fired into the concrete sidewalk before ricocheting and fatally striking Steinle. Aided by forensic evidence and video footage, Garcia Zarate's lawyers convinced a San Francisco jury to find their client not guilty of murder, although he was convicted on a much lesser gun possession charge and still faces possible prison time and deportation.

No one disputes that the death of the 32-year-old Steinle was an unspeakable tragedy, and your heart must go out to her loved ones, including her parents, who had mixed feelings, at best, about their daughter's use as a political prop. While evidence that she was intentionally found murdered was lacking, Garcia Zarate's actions were reckless to point that one wonders whether prosecutors could have successfully sought a conviction on a middling charge like criminally negligent homicide, if that had been their focus. No one can be happy about how things turned out.

Still, one can't help but look at this case and declare it a victory, of sorts, for the kind of American criminal justice system that we've long held up as an ideal for other nations to emulate. Here was a man  not even an American citizen  who'd been called "an animal," with the presumption of guilt that came with that, by the president of the United States, cheered on by millions of his followers. Yet Garcia Zarate still  under our cherished system  had the right to an attorney and a fair jury trial, where he cleared his name on the murder charge. The system worked  and we should all celebrate that, even if many people weren't satisfied with the outcome.

Not surprisingly, President Trump didn't recognize that. "A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case!" he tweeted. "No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration." A second tweet called Garcia Zarate's "exoneration is a complete travesty of justice. BUILD THE WALL!" An online mob rallied behind the anger emanating from the White House. By the next morning, Trump's supporters had made #BoycottSanFrancisco a trending topic on Twitter.

The spectacle made me think about the late 1980s, when for a time I covered New York's late governor, Mario Cuomo, up in Albany. There were a lot of high-profile criminal cases at the time, and whenever Cuomo was asked about a controversial verdict he had a stock answer: "The law is the law." At the time, I thought that was a weird and somewhat insipid response. Three decades later, I have newfound appreciation. For Trump, the law is no longer the law. It's whatever outcome serves him, his cronies, or his political agenda.

The verdict in the Steinle case didn't really get that much attention  not surprising, with Trump-Russia bombshells going off every few hours and North Korea, according to the screaming headline across the bottom of CNN, threatening at start a nuclear war any time now  but it's one part of a disturbing pattern of Trump viewing the American justice system as something that can be bent to his whim.

When a prominent and early political supporter of the president  Arizona Sheriff

 faced federal contempt charges for his illegal stops of immigrants, Trump pardoned Arpaio before the case even went to trial, a stunning abuse of presidential power, and seemingly a test of what Trump could expect to get away with as he looks to squelch the probe of possible campaign collusion with Russia and an apparent cover-up.

Since taking office, Trump has taken extraordinary steps to hinder an independent investigation of those allegations. In February, he urged then-FBI director James Comey to let up on the investigation of his since-indicted national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to Comey's public testimony, and Trump fired Comey a short time later, admitting to NBC's Lester Holt that the Russia probe was a factor. The president has also fumed about Attorney Jeff Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the investigation  another norm of a functioning justice system  amid threats to force him out of the job. In an interview last month, Trump called it the "saddest thing" that he apparently can't force the FBI and Justice to investigate his 2016 election rival Hillary Clinton.

When Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to the FBI, a prelude to offering testimony against Trump insiders, the president turned his jihad against justice up to "11" on the dial. He spent much of the weekend on Twitter trashing the FBI, saying its reputation is "in tatters," and criticizing the Justice Department for not prosecuting "Crooked Hillary"  seeking to take down the justice infrastructure in the court of public opinion, at least among his handcore base. And then it got worse  much worse.

On Monday, trying to explain a bizarre Trump tweet (which may or may not have been drafted with outside help) stating that he knew Flynn had lied to the FBI when Trump pressured and then fired Comey, raising the specter of criminal interference, one of Trump's lawyers put forth the argument that a president, by definition, cannot commit obstruction of justice.

In other words, he claimed that Donald Trump is above the law. And this has only raised fears that this is all a prelude to Trump firing the special counsel investigating the Trump-Russia allegations, Robert Mueller  an act that would trigger America's worst constitutional crisis since the Civil War.

You can  and probably should  ask if there's been a point over these last 10-plus months when the Trump presidency veered into authoritarianism, with his threats against press freedom and his contempt for the truth. But there should be no debate over the escalating threats to the administration of justice and what they mean. This is dictator stuff, straight up. Trump's obstruction and obfuscation is bringing American democracy to the edge of a cliff  and things are only going to get harrier before it gets any better.

Congress, which holds the power to impeach a president for obstruction of justice and in fact did so just 18 short years ago, is the only logical hope. But this is a group that's preparing to welcome an accused child molester to Capitol Hill if it will help the GOP enact billionaire tax cuts, so  maybe not so much hope. Indeed, the Roy Moore Senate fiasco feels like another test of how far we can go to erase any remaining democratic norms before Trump puts the final nail in democracy's coffin by killing the Russia probe altogether.

Trump's contempt for justice  for fair trials and the presumption of innocence, for an independent FBI and Justice Department, for the notion that a president shouldn't abuse his pardon powers to reward his cronies, or reach into federal agencies to kill investigations into White House corruption  is something you'd expect to find in a small, backwards banana republic. The question isn't whether the president can commit obstruction of justice. The question now is whether the president will obliterate justice in this country. He's almost there.
Will Smith speaks at the Netflix Films' "Bright" panel at Comic-Con International on Thursday, July 20, 2017, in San Diego Read more

One of Overbrook's Will Smith's latest gigs will have him working with astronauts.

The National Geographic Channel announced Tuesday that the two-time Oscar nominee will host One Strange Rock, a 10-episode documentary series about Earth from filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (mother!, Black Swan) and producer Jane Root (America The Story of Us). It's scheduled for launch in March 2018.

Adding perspective to the series will be eight astronauts and former astronauts, including Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, and Peggy Whitson, who's spent 665 days in space and recently returned from her most recent mission, to the International Space Station.

"I am thrilled to have Will Smith on board to guide our series. His charisma, intelligence and humanity will add greatly to the project, helping welcome viewers into this unique narrative about the mind-blowing wonders that make life on Earth possible," said Aronofsky in a prepared statement.

Smith posted a trailer on his Facebook page, writing, "Working on something a lil different for ya'll with Darren Aronofsky + National Geographic TV. One Strange Rock coming in 2018!!"
Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf announced Monday that the state would implement stricter rules when issuing grants for special events. The change comes after reports that the 2016 DNC Host Committee used its surplus to pay $1 million in bonuses to its staff and some volunteers. Read more

In the wake of six-figure bonuses given to staffers at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Gov. Wolf announced Monday that the state Department of Community and Economic Development will implement new restrictions on grants for such events, including a ban on employee bonuses.

Any organization that receives a "special event" state grant will not be able to award bonuses and can only use the state money as a last resort to pay bills, under the new rules. Any surplus of funds must be returned to the state.

The restrictions follow revelations by the Inquirer and Daily News that the 2016 Democratic National Convention Host Committee used its surplus to pay $1 million in bonuses to its staff and some volunteers. The committee raised $86 million, of which the single biggest check came from taxpayers in the form of a $10 million DCED grant. The bonuses led to an outcry from state Republicans and Wolf  all of whom called for an investigation.

Last month, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued an audit chiding the state for having a "too loosely drafted" grant agreement. If the committee had not received the state grant, it would not have had a surplus with which to award bonuses, he said.

The auditor general determined that the host committee complied with the $10 million state grant agreement but asked that the state strengthen its regulations so organizations cannot spend the state money if they raise enough private money.

Depasquale also referred the case to the IRS, saying it should look at whether bonuses to Kevin Washo and Eliza Rose, who were both board members and paid staff, might have violated regulations that bar any "private shareholder or individual" of a nonprofit from benefiting from its earnings. On Monday, DePasquale said he was "encouraged" by the governor's response to his audit.

"Hopefully today's announcement paves the way for better grant contracts and oversight in all state agencies to ensure taxpayer funds are spent appropriately and that 'claw-back' procedures are included in grant agreements to ensure any leftover funds are returned to state coffers," DePasquale said in a statement.

The host committee was created to raise funds to organize the events surrounding the Democratic National Convention, which ran July 25-28 in Philadelphia. Up until the week before the convention, officials, including host committee chairman Ed Rendell, the onetime mayor and governor, were still raising money and saying they were short on their fundraising goals. It wasn't until September, when the committee filed its financial reports with the Federal Election Commission, that it reported exceeding its fund-raising goal by more than $2 million.

The committee used its surplus to pay the city more than $500,000 for municipal services incurred during the convention, make $1.2 million in grants to local nonprofits, and provide the $1 million in bonuses. The bonuses were paid in November 2016 and recorded in January in the committee's required year-end FEC financial reports.

The bonuses ranged from $500 for interns and volunteers to $310,000 for its executive director, Washo.

Rendell has consistently defended the bonuses, calling them "deferred compensation" for the time some of the staffers worked without getting paid and for receiving what he called low salaries.

Following the news of the bonuses, Wolf said he was "disappointed" in the use of the surplus and asked for the Auditor General's review. Under his order, DCED will include language in grant awards for special events prohibiting the payment of bonuses.

"Repayment of any bonus will trigger repayment of the grant," Wolf's news release said.

The new rules are effective immediately. However, special-event grants are few and far in between. DCED spokesman David Smith said that such grants are approved by the state legislature for large events such as Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia in 2015 and national political conventions.

Under the new rules, any unspent grant money comes back to the state. If, as happened in the case of the DNC Host Committee, the state grant is spent, but privately raised money is left, the private funds must be used to reimburse the state, up to the full amount of the grant.

The state also added new requirements for competitive bidding of contracts on special-events projects that receive state money. To ensure all organizations comply with these guidelines, DCED will "enhance scrutiny" of its audits once a grant is expended by an organization, the governor's office announced.
Dick Thornburgh, a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1967, went on to serve as governor of Pennsylvania and U.S. attorney general. Read more

For those concerned about the pace of change when it comes to issues like legislative redistricting, consider that it was among the topics discussed when delegates from across the commonwealth convened in the Pennsylvania Capitol 50 years ago this month for the first constitutional convention since 1873.

The authorization for the convention in 1967 succeeded only after six previous attempts failed for a number of reasons. Following the defeat of the convention referendum in 1963, several groups such as the Pennsylvania Bar Association committed to rallying public support for the measure. Raymond Shafer, the Republican candidate for governor in 1966, also made the convention a priority during his successful campaign, and followed through with his pledge after winning office.

No doubt one reason reason for the success of referendum was that it was tucked into the middle of a crowded ballot with eight other questions in the spring of 1967. By the time voters got to the convention question, they were likely already in the habit of voting yes and continued for all nine ballot items.

When the delegates gathered that December, they were restricted to considering only issues that had been specified on the ballot question, including legislative redistricting, reducing the size of the General Assembly, and merit selection of appellate judges. This was a disappointment to those who also wanted to consider the adoption of a statewide income tax, but that was eventually enacted in 1971.

After passage of the ballot initiative, each party nominated two candidates from each of the 50 state senatorial districts for election as convention delegates in the fall of 1967, with the top three vote getters being elected to the convention. Among the delegates, there was one former governor (William S. Scranton), two future governors (Dick Thornburgh and Bob Casey), a Pulitzer Prizewinning author (James Michener from Bucks County), a future U.S. attorney (Robert E. J. Curran from Delaware County), and a number of legislative leaders, including future House Speaker Herb Fineman (D., Phila.), and Rep. Robert Butera (R., Montgomery), the Republican Whip. Though a distinguished group tasked with important work, the press and public were generally apathetic.

The delegates were given only 90 days to meet, from Dec. 1 until the end of February. As Thornburgh, Curran, and Butera remembered, this truncated session meant that delegates could not "kick the can down the road." Also, delegates were forced to sit in alphabetical order, leaving limited opportunities for blatant partisanship caucusing.

Despite this altruistic approach, the convention was not free from pitfalls. As the convention's secretary, Michener reportedly used invitations to cocktail parties as a means of dispensing favoritism. Some delegates were disgruntled with their committee assignments. And while the convention was not considered "political," lobbyists still buttonholed delegates for such things as protecting public utilities from the payment of property taxes.

In addition to the 150 elected delegates, state House and Senate leaders were designated ex officio members. As Thornburgh noted, the legislators' presence was decisive when the first proposal came before the full convention to reduce the size of the Legislature and to reform the redistricting process. By relying on regional affiliations and latent partisan sympathies, those legislative leaders were able to rebuff the efforts to reduce the size of the House and Senate, or to remove the legislative leadership from controlling the redistricting process. Ironically, the convention of 1873 increased the size of the Legislature on the grounds it would be much harder for the corporate barons of the time to bribe so many legislators.

As lawyers by trade, Thornburgh, Curran, and Butera all had a professional interest in the judicial reform proposals. Thornburgh in fact introduced the first resolution of the convention to allow for merit selection of all judges and the elimination of justices of the peace, but all that could be passed was a resolution to reduce the length of judicial terms to 10 years. All five proposals eventually approved by the convention were adopted by the electorate in the 1968 general election.

If a constitutional convention were held today, its members would probably still be tasked with reform of legislative redistricting, reducing the size of the legislature, and judicial merit selection. Though officials such as former Gov. Ed Rendell have argued that any such gathering should also review constitutional language on the state income tax and equitable state funding for education.

Governors can be a driving force in encouraging constitutional reforms, but they can't do it without the support of citizens. One would have thought the outcry after the pay raise fiasco of 2005 would have led to more substantive changes in state government but there was at best a muted effort to call for a new constitutional convention then. At the end of the day, it still comes back to the question:

Is the public motivated enough to demand change?

Doug Reichley is a Lehigh County Common Pleas Court judge and was a member of the Pennsylvania House from 2003 to 2011. dgreichley@aol.com
Amanda Geraci is pressed against a wall by a Philadelphia Police officer after she tried to video-record cops responding to a protest. Read more

The City of Philadelphia has agreed to pay $250,000 to two people who claimed that police officers violated their First Amendment rights by blocking them from taking photos of police activity.

The settlements, announced Tuesday, ended years of legal wrangling over civil suits filed on behalf of Amanda Geraci, a local activist, and Richard Fields, formerly a Temple University student. The ACLU of Pennsylvania, which brought the claims for the pair, said it hoped their cases served as a "warning sign" against those who would seek to prevent recordings of cops.

"The best tool for police accountability available today is the smartphone in someone's pocket," Molly Tack-Hooper, an ACLU staff attorney, said in a statement. "We're grateful to our clients for enduring years of litigation to protect this vital First Amendment freedom."

The decision to settle the lawsuits is the latest ripple in a protracted, nationwide legal battle over whether citizens have a constitutional right to record the police  and perhaps the latest example of how that pendulum has largely swung in favor of the public.

City spokesman Mike Dunn said in a statement that the Police Department established a directive in 2012 allowing citizens to record officers on the job in public. He also said the decision to settle the cases from Geraci and Fields "was in the best interests of the city," though he did not elaborate.

The Police Department has earned plaudits in recent years for its handling of large-scale events and demonstrations, and the city recently pledged to expand the use of police body-worn cameras.

Geraci and Fields had filed separate but similar claims for interactions that occurred several years ago.

Geraci, a self-described legal observer and member of a police watchdog group called Up Against the Law, said she had been attempting to take pictures of an officer arresting a protester at the Convention Center in 2012 when another officer pushed her up against a pillar and restrained her.

Fields said that in 2013, while he was a Temple sophomore, an officer damaged his cellphone and charged him with a summary offense because he had been taking pictures of officers breaking up a party near campus. The charges were later withdrawn.

A federal judge initially ruled against Geraci and Fields, but in July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia issued an opinion in their favor.

"Simply put, the First Amendment protects the act of photographing, filming, or otherwise recording police officers conducting their official duties in public," the opinion said, calling such a view "a growing consensus."

The case was then remanded to another judge to determine whether the city should be held liable for the officers' conduct, but the city and the protesters agreed to settle the case before a judge could decide.

The ACLU's statement said the settlement money would be shared by Fields and Geraci, and that some of it would cover attorneys' fees.
A South Jersey school that was abruptly closed in October after a mold infestation will reopen in January when students and staff return from their winter recess, district officials said.

Monroe Township School Superintendent Charles M. Earling notified parents in the Gloucester County district in a letter Thursday that classes will resume at Whitehall Elementary on Jan. 2, 2018. It was unclear when another school, Holly Glen Elementary, also shuttered since October because of mold, would reopen.

Earling did not respond to telephone and email messages Monday seeking comment. He was scheduled to meet with parents Monday evening at 7 p.m. at Williamstown Middle School to discuss plans to reopen Whitehall. The elementary school enrolls students in grades K-4.

In the letter to parents, Earling said the environmental firm TTI, of Moorestown, and AllRisk, a remediation company in Somerdale, which handled testing and remediation for mold and asbestos, would be available to answer questions about work that has been performed at the school. The superintendent also outlined a plan to return furniture and classroom items to Whitehall. Some classes and office spaces will be relocated and lunch times may be changed, he said. A reason for the changes was not given.

The cleanup will not be complete when the school reopens, the superintendent's letter said. "For safety purposes, the main hallway of Whitehall will be sealed off with drywall and plastic sheeting to keep staff, students and visitors out of the area," he said. The cafeteria cannot be used because classroom items will be stored there until remediation is completed, he said. Bag lunches will be served in the gym. Music and art classes will be held in the other half of the gym, while library and art classes will be held in the media center.

The district, which has 6,000 students, initially closed Holly Glen on Oct. 5 after mold was found throughout the building, including on ceiling tiles, flooring, walls, and furniture. A few days later, it closed its remaining five schools for inspection as a precaution.

The mold problem, according to some employees, had existed for years and was not comprehensively addressed despite complaints of excessive moisture and health ailments.

Teachers had complained they were dumping out classroom dehumidifiers once or twice a day because the moisture level was so high and said their concerns were ignored. After one teacher filed a complaint with the state health department, an inspection was ordered, and that led to the district-wide shutdown on Oct. 9

Four of the six district schools were eventually cleared to reopen and students returned on Oct. 18. Whitehall students were temporarily assigned to a section of Williamstown Middle School. Whitehall and Holly Glen have remained closed longer for a more extensive clean-up.

Officials said in October that Holly Glen would likely remain closed for at least three months for replacement of an HVAC system that is blamed for exacerbating mold contamination in the building. The school's fourth graders were assigned to the high school, while students in other grades at the school were placed in Radix Elementary and Oak Knoll Elementary.
A decades-old watering hole near Pennsylvania State University is set to close, according to its owners.

Duke and Monica Gastiger, who run the All-American Rathskeller in State College, wrote on social media this week that the tavern, which has been in business since 1933, along with upstairs Spats Cafe and Speakeasy, will soon close. The building's new owners decided not to renew the lease, they wrote.

Neil and Chuck Herlocher purchased the buildings for $6.5 million over the summer, according to the Centre Daily Times. The Gastigers must be out of the building by February, the newspaper reported. A specific closing date hasn't been announced.

"It has been a great honor operating these two iconic establishments and serving this community and its many truly wonderful patrons and friends," Duke Gastiger said in the post, which said more than 60 employees would be put out of work. "We are grateful for the loyalty that people  including our incredible employees  have shown us over the years. We most regret closing with such short notice, but it was unavoidable given the timeline dictated by the new property owners."

Penn Staters quickly voiced their outrage, starting a hahstag "#savetheskeller" as well as an online petition that's amassed nearly 4,900 signatures.

The Herlocher's Dipping Mustard Facebook page garnered hundreds of one-star ratings and calls to boycott the company on Monday, Onward State reported.

In a statement Monday, the company said it was "steadfast in [its] commitment to preserve the historic nature and location of this landmark building."

The post said the Gastigers hadn't had a lease since 2011 and that "attempts to resolve the issue were unsuccessful."

Sharon Herlocher, the company's marketing director, said she couldn't confirm the new tenant but said the building would stay a bar/restaurant with the same "vibe" as the Skeller. The new tenant is interested in retaining staff, she said.

She said the family respected the establishment's significance to the community.

"People are angry, and we understand that they're angry," she said. "We value what's there, and that's why we bought it."

Duke Gastiger said he was in shock when he learned of the decision not to negotiate a new lease.

"If the Herlochers have an epiphany tomorrow and wanted to work on a new lease tomorrow, we'd jump at that chance," he said.
Phillip Garcia, a Temple graduate student and new judge of election for Ward 21 poses for a photo at the Bell Tower on Temple University's main campus on Monday afternoon, December 4, 2017. Read more

Phillip Garcia showed up on Election Day to vote for Larry Krasner. Then the Manayunk grad student noticed that the space for judge of election was blank.

Which is how the name Phillip Garcia was written in as an election overseer in Philadelphia's Ward 21, Div. 10.

In a tweet that has gone viral on social media, Garcia shared, in a state of disbelief, the lesson learned last week about election math in Philadelphia, particularly when it comes to smaller offices:

One write-in vote can equal victory.

Nobody had filed a petition for the seat or written in the name for a candidate other than Garcia, who is 30 and a nonbinary trans person who uses the pronouns they and them. The tweet included a photo of the winning certificate that they'd received in the mail Friday. It's since been retweeted 17,000 times, and favorited by 58,000 users.

On Monday at Temple University, Garcia sat across from the Bell Tower in the heart of the school, receiving well wishers. A couple stopped to congratulate the Ph.D candidate, having heard the news. With some greeters, Garcia laughed at the luck. Other times Garcia seemed somewhat uneasy that the story had blown up so quickly, or even had happened at all.

"I think I'm still trying to figure  good thing or a bad thing," Garcia said. "It's good that one vote can do something concrete. [Still,] I didn't have to know anything to get it. That's frightening. You don't have to be qualified in any way or know what you're doing."

These one-shot victories aren't unusual at the election-board level. In November, Garcia was one of 71 judges of election to win uncontested. In the last election for that position, in 2013, the total was 55.

Philadelphia has 1,686 voting divisions; each might cover only hundreds of residents. The division where Garcia won is a thin strip, just a little more than seven blocks. Judges of election are expected to work twice a year, with additional days added to the calendar in case of a special election. For each Election Day, the pay is $100.

"Winning the election is the easy part," said City Commissioner Al Schmidt. "Working 14 hours on an Election Day, that's when people have to be serious about it."

Garcia, who is working toward a doctorate in English, is a teaching fellow and editor-at-large for The Rumpus, and goes by @avantgarcia on Twitter, which includes this profile message: "I'm a they & a kid of an immigrant."

Garcia moved to Philly for their graduate program, focusing on educating native Spanish speakers in ESL composition. The Razorback has an Arkansas tattoo on their forearm, but appreciates being able to blend in better in Philly than in Little Rock. Back home, Garcia was actively involved as a community organizer as a fellow at the University of Arkansas' Clinton School of Public Service.

In Philly, Garcia's life has pretty much been consumed by teaching and coursework. The graduate student described being disappointed with Trump's win, and had attended a few protests in the last year, but hadn't engaged deeply with local politics here, until now. Garcia recalls the rhetoric from Trump's presidential campaign, labeling Hispanics drug traffickers and rapists, calling for poll watchers to keep an eye on alleged fraud.

"I was the type of the person he didn't want to vote in the first place with that mode of intimidation," said Garcia, whose father was an undocumented immigrant. "I guess I just feel I've stuck Donald Trump in the eye a little bit."

This might be why Garcia tweeted Saturday that their first official act is to call for the impeachment of the president.

The second pronouncement is that henceforth, every Tuesday in Manayunk is now Taco Tuesday.

The online backlash has distressed Garcia, particularly given that the tweet was tongue in cheek.

"The amount [of hate] I've received over a short period of time  a little intense," the new elected said. "I think what's odd about the reaction is that a lot of people feel more strongly about it than I did when I did it. I didn't think about it."

Garcia cares about sanctuary cities, health care and student debt. But none of that came to mind when Garcia completed the write-in. "I wish I had a strong moral reason to do it."
Hundreds gather inside City Council Chambers December 4, 2017 to rally against a bill introduced by Councilwoman Cindy Bass that would force beer deli owners, many of whom are Asian immigrants or their descendants, to take down protective safety windows in their establishments. Read more

After a nearly daylong hearing attended by more than 200 protesters, a City Council committee Monday approved a measure that would give licensing officials the authority to ban safety glass windows inside beer delis.

City Councilwoman Cindy Bass called it a win for everybody  but beer deli owners and their advocates were not happy.

The initial bill, as introduced by Bass, would prohibit beer delis and other food establishments that sell alcohol from maintaining or erecting barrier windows between food workers and customers. Bass had called the windows an "indignity," saying it felt as if beer deli owners were serving food to customers considered dangerous or in "prison."

After hearing 22 witnesses testify  most in favor of the bill  the seven-member Committee on Public Health and Human Services, chaired by Bass, passed an amended version. The bill now instructs the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections to "promulgate regulations to provide for the use or removal of any physical barrier" in places that serve food and alcohol by no later than Jan. 1, 2021.

The amended bill is expected to go up for a full Council vote Dec. 14.

"What we're asking L&I to do is come up with some regulations," Bass said after the hearing. The issue regarding the barrier window is still "on the table," she said.

Adam Xu, chairman of the Asian American Licensed Beverage Association of Philadelphia, said he found the amendment "very confusing."

He testified passionately that if beer delis were ordered to remove protective windows, other businesses including banks and gas stations may be next.

"We try to be better neighbors," he said of his association, which he said represents 230 beer delis. "If you can come up with a law to give us better protection,  we will probably tear down this bulletproof glass [ourselves]."

More than 200 Asian immigrants or their descendants  beer deli owners and their supporters  attended the hearing to show support for the protective windows.

State law requires businesses selling malt liquor or beer to have tables and chairs sufficient for 30 people and to regularly prepare and sell food.

Bass' bill would require those types of businesses to apply for a large-establishment license instead of a small-establishment license. It would apply to beer delis, but not to takeouts that don't sell alcohol.

David Perri, L&I commissioner, and Thomas Farley, the city's health commissioner, both testified in support of Bass' bill  including the proposed removal of barrier windows. Farley spoke of the need for restaurant workers to be able to help customers quickly  if, for example, a patron were choking.

Perri said businesses that would need to apply for a large-establishment license should be places where a family could go for a meal.

Bass said after the hearing that beer deli owners "need to decide what they want to be. Do you want to be a restaurant or a beer distributor?" Retail beer distribution outlets would be allowed to have the barrier windows, she said.

Chi-Ser Tran, a lawyer whose parents own a North Philly beer deli, called the amended bill "really upsetting" and "not great." "We'll keep fighting and making sure there's communication between both sides," she said.

Others who testified, including African American residents and business owners, said beer delis encourage alcoholism and drug activity. They said they wanted the partitions to come down.

Supreme Dow, founder and executive director of the Black Writers Museum, said a barrier window in a business "is impersonal."

"It says to the community: 'I don't want human contact,'" he said. "Maybe they [beer deli owners] should consider relocating" if they don't want to change, he said.

The Rev. Ed Smith of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church also supported Bass' bill. "The reality is this: If you want to change the nature of the corner, you have to change the nature of the corner store," he said.

One witness, Kevin Kim, 53, of Horsham, sought common ground. In a calm voice, he testified that his parents had owned a grocery in West Philadelphia in the 1970s.

"I am not a supporter of beer delis in inner-city neighborhoods," he said. He told beer delis owners they should "think twice" about selling beer in the morning when "children are on the streets walking to school or going to the bus stop."

But he also said that banning the safety glass used by some business owners is not the solution. Directing his comments at Bass and other Council committee members, he said: "Will you be responsible if a store owner, their employee or customer gets killed?"

City Councilman At-Large David Oh, who is not on the committee, said the amended bill would jeopardize beer deli owners.

"Instead of supporting business owners' discretion to decide what is best for their own establishments," he said in an email, "my colleagues will immediately threaten their safety and freedom if this bill is adopted by City Council."

Editor's note: This story was updated Dec. 11, 2017, to remove the word "plexiglass" to avoid any reference to the trademarked Plexiglas product.
WASHINGTON  The brazen assertion Monday by one of President Trump's lawyers that a president cannot be found guilty of obstruction of justice signaled a controversial defense strategy in the wide-ranging Russia probe, as Trump's political advisers are increasingly concerned about the legal advice he is receiving.

Trump tweeted over the weekend that he knew then-national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador before firing him in February  and before FBI Director James Comey said Trump asked him to be lenient while investigating Flynn. Experts said the president's admission increased his legal exposure to obstruction of justice charges, one of the core crimes under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

But Trump lawyer John Dowd sought to excuse the president's tweet in part by telling Axios and NBC News Monday that the "president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution's Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case."

Dowd declined to elaborate on his theory or explain the emerging legal strategy to the Washington Post.

Inside the White House, some senior officials were baffled that Dowd publicly offered this interpretation of the law, which has been advanced since the summer by constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz in defense of Trump but flatly dismissed by many other legal scholars.

Ty Cobb, a White House lawyer overseeing its handling of the Russia investigation, said Monday that the Dershowitz-Dowd theory was not the president's official legal strategy.

"It's interesting as a technical legal issue, but the president's lawyers intend to present a fact-based defense, not a mere legal defense," Cobb said in an interview with the Post. "That should resolve things, but we all shall see."

Asked whether Trump agrees that a president cannot obstruct justice, Cobb replied, "I never talk about what the president's beliefs are or discuss communications between the president and his lawyers."

Many Washington lawyers and legal scholars disputed Dowd's interpretation, citing several court cases and articles of impeachment  as well as, in the words of one expert, "common sense."

"We have a president, not a king," said Sam Berger, senior policy adviser at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. "No one is above the law, whether it be Trump or any of his close associates. It's the sort of desperate claim that makes you wonder, 'What exactly are they hiding?'"

Berger argued that Dowd's reasoning amounts to a "Hail Mary pass" for the president to escape responsibility. "This response, 'If it's the president, it's not a crime,' has never flown with the American people or our legal system in any context," he said. "Claiming that the president can't obstruct justice flies in the face of both common sense and past precedent."

Some legal scholars, however, support Dowd's claim. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor, said Monday on Fox News Channel that Trump was within his rights when he fired Comey.

"You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate," Dershowitz said. "That's what Thomas Jefferson did, that's what Lincoln did, that's what Roosevelt did. We have precedents that clearly establish that."

Dershowitz was appearing on Fox & Friends, a pro-Trump morning show that the president regularly watches. After his appearance, Trump tweeted, "A must watch: Legal Scholar Alan Dershowitz was just on @foxandfriends talking of what is going on with respect to the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. political history."

Dershowitz wrote a column in June for the Washington Examiner in which he argued that Trump's efforts to stop the FBI probe could not be considered obstruction because he was constitutionally empowered as president to direct the attorney general and the FBI director and tell them whom to prosecute.

Furthermore, he wrote, "the president has the constitutional authority to stop the investigation of any person by simply pardoning that person."

Within Trump's political orbit, concerns have grown in recent weeks about Trump's legal strategy, crafted by Cobb and Dowd, as well as attorney Jay Sekulow, who at key moments has served as the public face of the defense team.

Cobb and Dowd have urged Trump to cooperate fully with Mueller's investigation, providing documents when asked by the special counsel and encouraging White House staffers to comply with requests for interviews.

The two men have sought to assure White House advisers that Trump is not vulnerable to obstruction of justice charges. "They think everything is clean there," said one senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid.

Cobb and Dowd also have been privately assuring the president that the Mueller probe was likely to reach its conclusion by the end of this year, complete with a public exoneration of Trump of any wrongdoing. That timeline seems overly optimistic to some legal experts, considering Mueller last week charged Flynn with lying to the FBI and secured his cooperation in the ongoing investigation.

In Monday's interview, Cobb said that he still believes Mueller's investigation of Trump will reach "an appropriate result" by Christmas or early January.

But some Trump advisers and outside allies  including former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon  have been grumbling for weeks that the president's legal strategy is too compliant with Mueller and not combative enough.

One Republican strategist in frequent contact with senior White House officials said there had been "consternation" among Trump's political advisers in recent days.

"The concern is that every time the president feels a little bit of pain from what Mueller's doing, [his lawyers] give him OxyContin and tell him he'll be fine by the morning," this strategist said metaphorically, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. "Rather than being aggressive lawyers defending the president's prerogative, they're bending over backwards on the theory that Mueller is fair and it'll all be over soon."

These concerns grew over the last 48 hours as Dowd sought to explain the president's tweet about firing Flynn in a succession of media interviews, which had some Trump loyalists grimacing.

Asked to respond to criticisms of the legal team, Cobb said, "There's no question that Bannon is doing the president a great disservice by agitating persistently on this issue. Internally, where people are actually informed, there's no consternation about the decision to cooperate fully with the special counsel, and Mr. Bannon has yet to identify what fights he would pick and how constructive that would be."

Going forward, Cobb said, "I'm not going to litigate every isolated fact that people may testify about or may ask about in the press because that's not fair to the process or to the special counsel or to the witnesses."

The Brookings Institution in October published a 108-page study titled, "Presidential Obstruction of Justice: The case of Donald J. Trump." The authors reviewed the articles of impeachment against presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, and those drafted against judges Harry Claiborne and Samuel Kent. They concluded that "obstruction, conspiracy, and conviction of a federal crime have previously been considered by Congress to be valid reasons to remove a duly elected president from office."

Co-author Norm Eisen, former special assistant for ethics and government reform in the Obama administration and a senior fellow in governance studies at Brookings, said, "There's a long line of cases holding that when a government official exercises an otherwise legal authority with corrupt intent, they can be prosecuted for obstruction. It flows from the notion that no person is above the law."

In 1999, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then a senator from Alabama, argued that Clinton should be removed from office for obstructing justice in the investigation into his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

"The facts are disturbing and compelling on the president's intent to obstruct justice," Sessions said at the time.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is scheduled to meet with President Trump and other Congressional leaders Thursday to discuss a spending plan. Read more

House Republicans were unsettled Tuesday about how to keep the federal government open after Friday, hours after a group of hard-line conservatives threatened to derail the GOP's high-profile tax bill in a bid to change developing plans to avoid a shutdown.

Democrats, meanwhile, have yet to lay out how they intend to approach the coming weeks of negotiations. Because Democratic votes are needed to move any spending bill through the Senate, and likely through the House, they have power to force Republican leaders to accept concessions.

The impasse runs the risk of Congress missing Friday's spending deadline and could complicate the GOP's ongoing talks to implement significant reforms to the nation's tax code.

Senior aides to top congressional leaders and President Trump were set to meet again Tuesday to sort out details of the spending agreement, according to multiple aides familiar with the talks. A final White House meeting between Trump and top leaders isn't scheduled until Thursday, leaving little time to reach a spending agreement.

On Tuesday morning, Republican lawmakers met behind closed doors to discuss how long to extend a stopgap funding measure. House leaders said they will proceed with legislation setting a new deadline for Dec. 22, forcing action on spending before the Christmas holiday. But the conservative House Freedom Caucus  wary that Democratic priorities could get wrapped in a last-minute deal  wants a later deadline.

Asked whether the meeting had produced any clarity on the timing of the stopgap, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas  the powerful chairwoman of an appropriations subcommittee on defense  laughed.

"There's no clarity," she said.

Rep. Dennis A. Ross, R-Fla., a deputy whip, said opinions on the date were "mixed" but that House leaders remained trained on a two-week stopgap.

"We've got our work to get done, and we've got to make sure we support our troops," Ross said. "Whatever strategy works is fine with me."

But other Republicans left the meeting Tuesday morning saying the timing remained unsettled.

"They didn't tell us what they were going to do yet because quite frankly they don't have the will of the conference yet," said Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev.

He expressed disgust with the entire process and said Democrats should be happy because Republicans clearly do not have a majority of the votes needed to proceed on spending legislation on their own.

"Right now if I were them I'd be happy," Amodei said of Democrats.

But there are signs of divisions among Democrats, whose liberal wing wants to force Republicans to use the spending bill to enact permanent legal protections for so-called "dreamers," while moderates are less keen on a holiday season spending fight.

"We'll see what they have," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters late Monday about the GOP's spending plans.

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., on Monday accepted Trump's invitation to meet with him, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a face-to-face encounter that was supposed to happen last week. Democrats backed out of the meeting after Trump tweeted his doubts about reaching a bipartisan deal to keep the government open and settle disputes over policy issues including immigration and health care.

Democrats are pressuring Republicans to resolve the legal status of dreamers, roughly 1.5 million children of undocumented immigrants, after Trump announced plans in September to end an Obama-era program that grants many of them temporary legal status. Coming up with a new plan is a big sticking point for Democrats in spending talks.

Dozens of House Democrats and at least six Democratic senators  five potential 2020 presidential candidates and Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the second-ranking Democratic senator  have said they would vote against any spending bill that doesn't resolve protections for dreamers. But moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Tim Kaine of Virginia, who face reelection next year, said late Monday that they would not join other Democrats in voting against a spending bill due to disagreement on immigration matters.

Privately, Democratic aides say that talks are continuing among senior staff members about spending levels and changes in immigration policy that could win over enough Democrats in both chambers.

In their statement, Schumer and Pelosi said Monday that several other "key priorities here at home" also need to be resolved. The Democratic list includes funding to combat opioid addiction; shore up certain pension plans; pay for major infrastructure projects; replenish the Children's Health Insurance Program and cash-strapped community health centers; and to help states ravaged by recent hurricanes and wildfires. Democrats also called on Republicans to work with them on an immigration plan that would protect dreamers and create new border-security measures.

The leading concern in ongoing discussions is exactly how much more money the federal government plans to spend in the coming years. Talks are focused on raising federal spending levels by $180 billion to $200 billion over the next two years, according to aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing talks. Republicans are pushing for hundreds of billions more for Pentagon spending, but Democrats insist that it must be matched with equal money for nondefense programs.

Despite the impasse, McConnell vowed once again on Tuesday that the Senate would pass the spending bill after the House later this week.

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey and Erica Werner contributed to this article.
Special prosecutor Robert Mueller zeroed in on President Trump's business dealings with Deutsche Bank as his investigation into alleged Russian meddling in U.S. elections widens.

Mueller issued a subpoena to Germany's largest lender several weeks ago, forcing the bank to submit documents on its relationship with Trump and his family, according to a person briefed on the matter, who asked not to be identified because the action has not been announced.

"Deutsche Bank always cooperates with investigating authorities in all countries," the lender said in a statement to Bloomberg Tuesday, declining to provide additional information.

Deutsche Bank for months has rebuffed calls by Democratic lawmakers to provide more transparency over the roughly $300 million Trump owed to the bank for his real estate dealings prior to becoming president. Rep. Maxine Waters of California and other Democrats have asked whether the bank's loans to Trump, made years before he ran for president, were in any way connected to Russia. The bank previously rejected those demands, saying sharing client data would be illegal unless it received a formal request to do so. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Calls and emails to the White House weren't immediately returned before U.S. office hours. Handelsblatt reported the subpoena earlier Tuesday.

Mueller's investigation  which is looking into alleged Russian interference into last year's U.S. election and whether Trump's winning campaign assisted in those efforts  appears to be entering a new phase. Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty Friday to lying to FBI agents, becoming the fourth associate of the president ensnared by Mueller's probe. More significantly, he also is providing details to Mueller about the Trump campaign's approach to Flynn's controversial meeting with a Russian envoy during the presidential transition.

Trump's relationship with Deutsche Bank stretches back some two decades, and the roughly $300 million he owed to the bank represented nearly half of his outstanding debt, according to a July 2016 analysis by Bloomberg. That figure includes a $170 million loan Trump took out to finish a hotel in Washington. He also has two mortgages against his Trump National Doral Miami resort and a loan against his tower in Chicago.

Deutsche Bank management is ready to share information about the lender's dealings with Trump and is hopeful that doing so will help end the series of inquiries from Democrats, an executive at the bank, who asked not to be identified for discussing private deliberations, has previously told Bloomberg News.

News of the Deutsche Bank subpoena may escalate Trump's vitriol toward investigators, which over the past week has included publicly attacking the Justice Department and the FBI, whose reputation he declared to be "in tatters."

In July, Trump said in an interview with the New York Times that if Mueller examined his family's finances beyond any relationship with Russia he'd consider it "a violation." Mueller's investigation had expanded to examine a broad range of transactions involving the president's businesses, including dealings by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, a person familiar with the probe told Bloomberg News after the publication of the Times interview.

Democratic senators, including Dianne Feinstein, suggested after the Flynn plea that Mueller might be building an obstruction of justice case against Trump. But the Deutsche Bank subpoena may indicate that the special prosecutor is still looking at a wide range of data, including the president's financial dealings.

Mueller's team has also been interviewing White House aides in recent weeks, including former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, former spokesman Sean Spicer, and National Security Council chief of staff Keith Kellogg, according to people familiar with the investigation.

As Mueller's investigation unfolds, Trump has gone on the offensive. Over the weekend on Twitter, he attacked the FBI and Mueller's team and defended some of Flynn's actions. In particular, Trump hailed the news that one of Mueller's aides had been removed from his job over the summer for some anti-Trump text messages. On Monday, as he left the White House for a trip to Utah, Trump restated his sympathy for Flynn and his assertion that prosecutors should have pursued action against his general election rival, Hillary Clinton.

Bloomberg contributors: Billy House, Chris Strohm, Ross Larsen, Kathleen Hunter, and Alan Katz.
WASHINGTON  Federal prosecutors asserted Monday that a longtime associate of Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Trump's campaign, has been "assessed to have ties" to Russian intelligence  the first time the special counsel has alleged a Trump official had such contacts.

The statement came as prosecutors working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller withdrew their support for a joint bail deal filed last week that would have released Manafort from home detention and GPS monitoring while he awaits trial on charges including money laundering and fraud.

Manafort, 68, and his longtime deputy, Rick Gates, 45, have both pleaded not guilty to charges filed Oct. 30.

In the four-page filing Monday, prosecutor Andrew Weissman urged the judge to reject the bail deal, arguing that Manafort and a Russian colleague have been secretly ghostwriting an English-language editorial that appeared to defend Manafort's work advising a Russia-friendly political party in Ukraine.

They said Manafort worked on the draft as recently as last week with "a long-time Russian colleague . . . who is currently based in Russia and assessed to have ties to a Russian intelligence service." They indicated they would file further supporting evidence under seal.

The Russian colleague was not identified in court papers. However, Manafort has had a long-standing Russian employee named Konstantin Kilimnik who ran Manafort's office in Kiev during the 10 years he did consulting work there.

Prosecutors said the editorial Manafort was writing violated a court order prohibiting the parties in the case from making public statements outside of court that could influence jurors.

The piece "clearly was undertaken to influence the public's opinion of defendant Manafort," prosecutors wrote, noting there would be no other reason for Manafort and the colleague to have it published under someone else's name.

The allegation is the first time that prosecutors have claimed any former Trump campaign official has had contacts with a Russian tied to that country's intelligence services.

A spokesman for Manafort declined to comment.

Kilimnik has previously denied intelligence ties, telling the Washington Post in a statement in June that he has "no relation to the Russian or any other intelligence service."

He did not respond to an email Monday about the prosecutors' allegation.

Kilimnik attended a Russian military foreign-language university in the late 1980s that experts have said was a training ground for Russian intelligence services. He served as an officer in the Russian military for several years.

Manafort and Kilimnik were in contact during the months that Manafort ran Trump's campaign. They met twice in person, in May 2016 and then again in August 2016, when their dinner conversation at New York's Grand Havana Room included discussion of the presidential campaign, Kilimnik told the Post this June.

For a decade, Manafort and Kilimnik worked with then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was initially considered pro-Western but eventually became allied with Russian interests.

Kilimnik also served as Manafort's liaison to Oleg Deripaska, an aluminum magnate and ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin who employed Manafort as an investment consultant.

According to emails described to the Post, Manafort directed Kilimnik to offer Deripaska "private briefings" about Trump's campaign. A Deripaska spokeswoman has said he was never offered such briefings.

Manafort has previously denied knowingly communicating with Russian intelligence during the campaign. But he told the New York Times in February, "It's not like these people wear badges that say, 'I'm a Russian intelligence officer.' "

Along with being under home detention and GPS monitoring, Manafort has pledged to pay $10 million if he fails to appear in court.

Prosecutors had agreed to a bail deal in which Manafort would have secured his release with four properties worth $11.6 million and a prohibition on foreign travel, as well as a limitation on his travels within the United States.

On Monday, the special counsel asked U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson either to reject the deal, keeping Manafort under home confinement pending further negotiations, or impose additional restrictions, including making the $10 million forfeitable for other breaches of the terms and requiring Manafort to remain under GPS monitoring.

The Washington Post's Tom Hamburger contributed to this article.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., answers a reporters question during a news conference Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Louisville, Ky. The Senate passed the tax bill early Saturday morning with a 51-49 vote. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) Read more

Hi, pals. The Senate passed a tax bill, the president's former national security adviser pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and my (very small) hopes for a slow news cycle over the holiday season have been dashed.

This newsletter covers President Trump and how his policies affect greater Philadelphia. You can sign up here to get it in your inbox, for free, every week. You can send suggestions/complaints/questions my way by email or on Twitter, and if you like this newsletter, please forward it to a friend!

 Aubrey Whelan

Today, lets talk about the tax bill.

Whats at stake

You may not have been awake when the Senate passed a literally handwritten tax bill in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday (your correspondent certainly was not), so let's recap a bit. Most analyses suggest that most Americans who pay income taxes will see some tax cuts in the short term  but many will actually see their taxes increase in the long term. (The New York Times has a fun interactive  "fun" being a relative term  laying this out.) But the overall benefit for low and middle-income households ends up being pretty small, if anything at all, the Tax Policy Center found. And high-income earners make out best, the Wall Street Journal reported. (Democrats, perhaps predictably, do not fare well.)

Then, of course, there's the huge tax breaks for corporations (which may actually backfire on the Senate), the $1.5 trillion increase in the deficit, and the repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates would result in 13 million fewer insured people and a hike in premiums. (Kaiser has a good summary of the healthcare effects of this not-just-a-tax-bill.)

The local angle

Again, parts of this bill were handwritten at 2 a.m. on a Saturday, so analysts are still working some of the effects out. My colleague Jon Tamari wrote a good rundown on the local impact shortly before the bill's passage. Mark Stier, the director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, a statewide think tank, says he's nervous about the repeal of the state and local tax deduction, which he says could make it harder to fund an already cash-strapped state.

Both of Pennsylvania's senators have been quite outspoken on the bill. Bob Casey told me last week he was skeptical (skeptical is probably putting it lightly) of the Republican argument that tax cuts for corporations would translate into higher wages for workers. (An amendment he floated requiring corporations to do so was voted down Friday.)

As the bill worked through the Senate Friday, Pat Toomey got some late-night flack for pushing an exemption to universities' endowment taxes that Democrats said would benefit a conservative college in Michigan and hurt universities here in PA. But at a presser in Philly yesterday, he said he was confident the tax bill would help low and middle-income families and boost the economy.

Whats ahead

There are enormous differences between the Senate and House bills  all of which have to be worked out before a final bill is passed. For example, a controversial provision that would tax tuition reimbursements for grad students  making them pay taxes on what they describe as money they never actually see, and a real concern in this university town  is included in the House bill and missing from the Senate bill. The Senate bill repeals the individual mandate; the House bill does not.

So unless the House decides to just try to pass something, anything and rams the Senate bill through, we're in for a few weeks of furious negotiation before the holiday break.

(Also of note: some of the promises GOP leadership made to get Sens. Susan Collins and Jeff Flake on board last week might not come to fruition. House conservatives are already furious, the Daily Beast reports, that Collins was promised bills that would offset the loss of the individual mandate, and that Flake finagled a pledge to work on a DACA bill.)

What theyre saying

"Republicans] "If we do the right thing for our economy and the people we represent, the people will recognize that when it comes time for elections."  Sen. Pat Toomey talking about the tax bill's effect  Sen. Pat Toomey talking about the tax bill's effect on the 2018 midterms in Philly yesterday "Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama."  are obsessed, obsessed, and they worship at one altar  cutting taxes on the rich.

In other news

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russians during the President Trump's transition. And Robert Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump family's records at Deutsche Bank, the German bank that lent Trump a cool $300 million before he became president, in what could be a new chapter in Mueller's investigation.

Pennsylvania is instituting new restrictions on special events grants after staffers organizing last year's Democratic National Convention made out with six-figure bonuses, my colleague Claudia Vargas reports.

The government is staring down a potential shutdown this week because it's 2017 and of course it is. In short: there's a spending bill deadline coming up, the GOP needs Democratic votes to get it through, and Dems are digging in on DACA, the program that protects young undocumented immigrants who arrived here as children, and which President Trump will shut down in March unless Congress arrives at a fix.

Rep. John Conyers (D.,Mich.), accused of sexual harassment by several staffers, is retiring.

What Im reading

A non-political palate cleanser

Please read my colleague Allison Steele's comprehensive history of scrapple, the objectively superior breakfast meat. (Fight me.)
The Pennsylvania state Capitol building, where the Republican-controlled legislature is pushing a controversial abortion ban bill. Photographer: Paul Taggart/Bloomberg Read more

HARRISBURG  The Republican-controlled Legislature could soon send Gov. Wolf a much-debated bill to roll back abortion rights in Pennsylvania.

A key House committee on Monday passed the legislation, which calls for banning abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy except in medical emergencies. Under current law, a woman cannot have an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy. The proposed measure would also sharply curtail a surgical procedure used in second-trimester abortions, which the bill's supporters refer to as "dismemberment abortions," a term not medically recognized.

A final floor vote in the House could occur as early as next week, and, if approved, would go to Wolf. The chamber passed a similar measure during its last two-year legislative session.

Wolf, a Democrat, has vowed to veto the proposed bill, calling it "the most extreme anti-choice legislation in the country" and "an attack on women."

"I have met with women and medical professionals, and understand how devastating and dangerous this bill would be for patients," Wolf said in a statement Monday. He added: "Put simply, women's health care decisions should be left up to women and their doctors, not politicians in Harrisburg."

Abortion-rights advocates and others, including many Democratic and some moderate Republican legislators, have decried the bill, which has not received a single public hearing featuring testimony from the state's medical community.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society has written several legislators stating its opposition to the bill, and an association representing gynecologists and obstetricians has expressed misgivings.

Among their concerns is that women often receive a critical ultrasound around the 20th week of pregnancy that can detect abnormalities that, in many cases, can be life-threatening to the fetus.

"We should be giving doctors the latitude to be able to have a conversation with a woman and her family about what's in the best interest," said State Rep. Ed Gainey (D., Allegheny), who voted against the measure. "That should not be legislated by any government."

Added State Rep. Pamela DeLissio (D., Montgomery): "When we pass this type of blanket legislation, we are in fact tying the hands of the licensed health care practitioner."

Anti-abortion groups and Republican proponents of the 20-week ban say there have been enough advances in medical science for a fetus to be viable earlier than 24 weeks measured from a woman's last menstrual period  the commonly accepted marker in the medical community.

Rep. Matt Baker (R., Bradford), chairman of the House Health Committee that passed the bill Monday along partisan lines, said he believes the issue had been "properly vetted," warranting a vote in his committee without a public hearing.

Baker said there are a number of medical practitioners who support the bill, including the Christian Medical Doctors and Dentists.

"It's an issue that you are either going to be voting for or against, whether you are going to be pro-life or pro-abortion," Baker said.

In his mind, Baker added, the matter "is a sanctity of life issue."
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn leaves federal court in Washington on Dec. 1. Read more

At first, it was all so simple. The Trump White House said there were "no contacts"  zero, zilch  between Trump's campaign and Russia. But in time this elegant defense encountered a formidable opponent: reality.

And so for a year now, Trump and his advisers, facing mounting evidence of their campaign's entanglement with Russia, have redrawn lines of defense and revised talking points with such daring that it has amounted to a veritable Marshall Plan for the moving of goal posts.

As details of campaign contacts with Russia piled up, Trump and his officials instead said there had been "no collusion." As more evidence came in showing attempts at high-level collusion, the White House retreated to another line of defense: Trump himself didn't collude. "Nothing about the actual facts published to date suggests that the president  colluded with anybody," was White House lawyer Ty Cobb's careful phrasing.

Now, with four Trump campaign officials indicted and two of them, including Trump's former national security adviser, pleading guilty, even that distinction no longer seems safe.

One of Trump's attorneys, Jay Sekulow, just told the New Yorker that it doesn't matter whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, because "there is no crime of collusion." Another Trump attorney, John Dowd, told Axios that technically the president "cannot obstruct justice, because he is the chief law enforcement officer."

A year after the Trump team debuted its "no contacts" defense, the attenuated new White House position amounts to this: Who cares whether Trump colluded with Russia and obstructed justice?

It has been quite a journey. Let's recall some scenic vistas.

Original position: "There was no communication between the campaign and any foreign entity during the campaign."

Revised position: Carter Page traveled to Russia when he was a Trump campaign adviser, but he was only "a low-level volunteer." Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians, but he was only in a "voluntary position." Former campaign manager Paul Manafort was indicted in the Russia probe, but this doesn't count because "he was replaced long before the election."

Original position: Attorney General Jeff Sessions "did not have communications with the Russians."

Revised position: Sessions "did meet one Russian official a couple of times." But Sessions conducted no "improper discussions with Russians."

Revised position 2: Sessions does "not recall any discussions" with Russians "regarding the political campaign." But he does recall that he had no conversations with Russians "concerning any type of interference with any campaign."

Original position: Donald Trump Jr. did not set up meetings with Russians, or if he did he wasn't "representing the campaign in any way, shape or form."

Revised position: The campaign meeting he set up with Russians was about "adoption of Russian children."

Revised position 2: The "adoption" meeting was with a Russian attorney promising Russian government dirt on Hillary Clinton. But Trump Jr. received "no meaningful information."

Original position: President Trump was "not involved" in the false Trump Jr. statement alleging the meeting was about adoption.

Revised position: Trump "weighed in, as any father would."

Original position: When Michael Flynn, incoming national security adviser, called the Russian ambassador during the transition, they "did not discuss anything having to do with" Russia sanctions.

Revised position: Flynn "couldn't be certain that the topic never came up."

Revised position 2: Flynn "inadvertently briefed the vice president-elect and others with incomplete information."

Revised position 3: Flynn "lied to the vice president and the FBI."

Original position: A report that Jared Kushner suggested a secret, secure "communications channel" with Russia was based on "a lot of facts that are not substantiated."

Revised position: Kushner asked the Russian ambassador whether he had a "communications channel" that could be used to relay information from the Kremlin.

Original position: FBI Director James Comey's firing "had zero to do" with Russia investigation.

Revised position: Trump cited "this Russia thing" in firing Comey.

But there is one position on the scandal Trump hasn't changed  his reluctance to accept what the entire intelligence community and his own CIA director do: That Russia meddled in the election.

Position: Election hackers could have been "somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds."

Position: U.S. intelligence agencies were led by "political hacks" and employ "the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction."

Position: Vladimir Putin "said he absolutely did not meddle in our election" and "I really believe that when he tells me that he means it."

That's the exception that proves the rule.

Dana Milbank is a Washington Post columnist. @Milbank
My heart breaks for Michael Paytas' and James Orlando's families. On Nov. 27, Paytas died of accidental drug intoxication at Paley Library. On Dec. 2, Orlando died of an overdose in his off-campus home. Both were students at Temple University. A little more than 10 years ago, I was a student there, too.

I suppose you could say that I'm in a unique position: I graduated from Temple in 2007, and I now work there as an assistant professor of journalism. I also teach a course on addiction reporting and advise a collegiate recovery student group, which is just now getting off the ground. Most importantly though, I'm in recovery, which means that for nearly five years, I haven't had a drink or a drug.

When I first set foot as an undergrad on Temple's campus, it took me less than 12 hours to black out from alcohol and other drugs. Blackouts became part of my weekly and sometimes daily life as a student. At just 18 years old, I'd buy three Hurricane forties from the corner store at Ninth and Diamond. Then I'd head to my dorm, throw them back, and ingest any other drugs I could find.

While I was a student, I was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning three times  twice in Philadelphia and once in New York. I was once punished by the university after one of the resident assistants found me smoking a joint out my dorm window. She gave a deadline by which I had to complete a one-day class on the effects of drug and alcohol at Tuttleman Counseling. On deadline night, I showed up at the resident director's door with my certificate of completion while I was in a blackout. After that, she left me alone.

That was just the beginning of my struggle with drugs and alcohol, which went on for 11 years. Finally, at 29, I entered what I know today as recovery. Had I been a college student during the heroin and fentanyl crisis  the epicenter of which is a short walk from campus  I'm convinced I would not be alive to be the wife, mother, and educator I am today.

Sometimes, I wonder if I'd have entered recovery sooner if Temple provided a better system to flag and support students like me, who were in the throes of addiction. As a faculty member, I see my past self in students every semester, but unfortunately, there's not much dialogue on campus about how we should handle drunk students in the classroom or those who are nodding out. And for those who do enter treatment while in school here, there isn't much support for them when they return.

Temple, as well as other Philadelphia-area colleges, need comprehensive collegiate recovery services. Schools like Rutgers have robust programs that provide students with recovery counselors, daily support group meetings, organized social activities, and recovery housing. The university should also provide faculty, staff, and peers with an online form to flag students with whom they're concerned. I can think of at least three former Temple students who would have benefited from this  Michael Paytas, James Orlando and me.

Jillian Bauer-Reese is an assistant professor of journalism in the Klein College of Communication at Temple University, where she teaches a course called Solutions Journalism: Covering Addiction. jbr@temple.edu @thesmallpicture
Hollis Alvin Daniels is charged with killing Texas Tech University police officer Floyd East Jr. He is expected to face the death penalty. (Photo: Lubbock County SO)

A court record filed last week indicates that prosecutors are now seeking the death penalty against Hollis Alvin Daniels, 19, for the shooting death of a police officer on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

Daniels was arrested on Oct. 9, less than two hours after Officer Floyd East Jr. was shot and killed inside the Texas Tech police station.

The newest document filed by Daniels defense attorney, Dennis Reeves, said, "a) Mr. Daniels has been charged with the offense of Capital Murder. The State is seeking the death penalty. b) This Court has determined that  Mr. Daniels is indigent. c) This Court has appointed the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases to represent Mr. Daniels."

Reeves is with the public defenders office, KLBK TV reports.

A gag order has been issued in the case, meaning members of the news media cannot speak to police or other officials about the case.
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Special counsel Robert Mueller is going after Paul Manafort again after it was revealed that the former Trump campaign manager ghostwrote an op-ed last week with a Russian intelligence operative.

As The Hill pointed out on Monday, Mueller is pressing a federal judge to deny Manaforts recent request to lift his house arrest, saying the op-ed written by Manafort was a clear violation of a court order not to discuss or influence the case.

More from the report:

Prosecutors say Manafort and the colleague  who is assessed to have ties with Russian intelligence  intended to publish the piece under a different name in an attempt to influence public opinion about Manaforts previous work in Ukraine. Even if the ghostwritten op-ed were entirely accurate, fair, and balanced, it would be a violation of this Courts November 8 Order if it had been published, the prosecutors wrote in a court filing.  Manafort and the unidentified colleague, who prosecutors said is based in Russia, began drafting the op-ed as late as late week.

While the op-ed has reportedly not yet been published, court filings allege its still a clear attempt by Manafort to influence public opinion about him and the case.

The editorial clearly was undertaken to influence the publics opinion of defendant Manafort, or else there would be no reason to seek its publication (much less for Manafort and his long-time associate to ghostwrite it in anothers name), the court filing read, according to the Los Angeles Times. It compounds the problem that the proposed piece is not a dispassionate recitation of the facts.

Manafort had recently requested to have his house arrest lifted so he could travel between several of his properties across three states, but the new revelation could put that request in serious jeopardy.

Paul Manafort was already in enough trouble before Mondays news, but his inability to stop working with Russia, even after facing criminal charges, dug his hole even deeper.
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Donald Trump made the mind-boggling decision on Monday to all but dismantle two national monuments in Utah, slashing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by more than 1.1 million acres and more than 800,000 acres, respectively.

As The Washington Post pointed out, Trumps move represents the largest reduction of public lands protection in U.S. history.

Almost instantly, the administration was hit with a lawsuit from outdoor retailer Patagonia, which called Trumps decision on Monday an unprecedented attempt to shut down our national monuments.

In a Twitter post and on the company website, Patagonia took direct aim at Trumps decision, saying its an illegal move and that Trump stole your land.

This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history.

Take Action: https://t.co/biZPxo7PHh#BearsEars pic.twitter.com/OqW9FHPk3Q  Patagonia (@patagonia) December 4, 2017

In a statement, according to AdAge, Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario blasted Trump: Americans have overwhelmingly spoken out against the Trump Administrations unprecedented attempt to shut down our national monuments.

Marcario added: Weve fought to protect these places since we were founded and now well continue that fight in the courts.

According to the Telegraph, five tribes that initially advocated for the monuments will also take legal action against the Trump administration. They include the Navajo, Hopi, Pueblo of Zuni, Ute Mountain and Ute Indians who consider Bears Ears sacred, the reported noted.

Donald Trump spent more than a year on the campaign trail promising his supporters that he would go to Washington, D.C. and drain the swamp, but his move to attack public land protections on Monday is just the latest proof that he never intended on keeping that promise.

Instead, his move today represents nothing but a wet kiss to some of the very same special interest groups that helped elect him president last year. If it stands, it will pave the way for this cherished land to be used for mining, oil drilling, and other pet projects of the energy industry.
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Trump was dealt a body blow as Special Counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed his financial records from Deutsche Bank.

The Wall Street Journal reported:



The subpoena requested documents and data about accounts and other dealings tied to client relationships with Mr. Trump and people close to him, the person said. The bank has lent more than $300 million to entities affiliated with Mr. Trump, according to public disclosures.

Mr. Mueller is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election, including flows of cash tied to Russia and people in Mr. Trumps orbit, in a deepening probe that has led to charges against former advisers to Mr. Trump.

This is a gigantic development because Democrats who are investigating the Russia scandal in Congress were unable to get the records because Republicans have been blocking them:

Mueller's subpoena of Deutsche Bank records records has House Democrats on Intelligence, Financial Services committees recalling they'd been blocked earlier from doing so by Republicans.  Billy House (@HouseInSession) December 5, 2017

Trump has spent nearly three years trying to keep his financial records and tax returns out of public view, but Mueller can get anything that he wants, and the news that he is probing the potential Trump Russia relationship has the potential to not only have the president and others charged with financial crimes but also to destroy the Trump presidency. Trump warned Mueller not to investigate his finances. Robert Mueller is going there, and Trump may be powerless to stop him.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters)  John Conyers, the longest serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives, will announce on Tuesday he does not plan to run for re-election, U.S. media said following accusations of sexual harassment against the Michigan Democrat.

Conyers lawyer, in a tweet, dismissed the reports. The lawmaker is expected to make comments at 10:15 a.m (1515 GMT) on a local radio program.

The New York Times, citing a relative, said Conyers would announce his retirement on the radio show. Other local media also reported the plans, citing sources close to Conyers.

He is not resigning. He is going to retire, Conyers great-nephew Ian Conyers, a Michigan state senator, told the Times, adding that he planned to run for the seat in Congress himself.

But Conyers lawyer, Arnold Reed, wrote on Twitter: I have not spoken to Ian Conyers and no one is aware of the congressmans plans except he and I and his wife.

The House Ethics Committee last week opened an investigation into Conyers, 88, after he said his office had resolved a harassment case of a former staffer with a payment but no admission of guilt.

Conyers has denied the allegations of sexual misconduct.

Congress has been reviewing policies on how to handle sexual harassment complaints after a string of cases involving prominent figures in the U.S. media, Hollywood and politics.

Women have accused Conyers, along with other U.S. lawmakers and political candidates, including Democratic U.S. Senator Al Franken and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, of sexual misconduct.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and other top U.S. Democratic House lawmakers, along with Republican U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, have called on Conyers to resign immediately.

However, so far, no major U.S. politician has stepped down amid sexual harassment or misconduct even as a string of high-profile American media personalities have been fired over similar accusations.

Conyers, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus who was first elected to the House in 1964, stepped down last month as the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee amid the allegations.

Several former employees have publicly accused the lawmaker of a range of misdeeds, including inappropriate touching, sexual invitations and showing up for a meeting with one woman in his underwear.

Twelve other women who said they had worked for Conyers defended him in a statement last month, saying that they did not see him behave inappropriately.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Steve Orlofsky)
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A new Quinnipiac University Poll suggests that a Democratic wave is building in 2018, as voters overwhelmingly want Democrats in control of Congress.

There are two key parts to the Quinnipiac University Poll. Voters arent buying what Republicans are selling on tax cuts, In a separate question, voters say 61  34 percent that the tax plan favors the rich at the expense of the middle class. The plan will increase their taxes, 41 percent of voters say, while 20 percent say the plan will reduce their taxes and 32 percent say the plan will not have much impact on their taxes.

Trump and the GOP are failing to convince anyone that their tax bill is a plan that is targeted toward the middle-class. People understand what the plan is, and they are very clear on who will benefit from it.

This is part of the reason why voters want Democrats in control of Congress, American voters say 50  36 percent, including 44  36 percent among independent voters that they would like the Democrats to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. Voters also say 51  37 percent, including 45  38 percent among independent voters, that they would like Democrats to win control of the U.S. Senate in 2018.

Republicans told themselves that tax cuts for the wealthy would save their Congressional majority. They were selling themselves a lie. The tax cut bill is going to destroy their majority, not save it.
MANSOURA, Egypt  A prison-themed restaurant in Egypt? It might seem distasteful in a country where thousands of people, mostly Islamists but also secular pro-democracy activists, are languishing in jail on what right groups say are trumped-up charges.

Yet, the restaurant in the coastal city of Mansoura called "Food Crime" is doing good business because of its novelty, according to patrons. Props like handcuffs, inmate number plaques, a prisoners' cage and even an electric chair are served up as welcome selfie-fodder.

"It's a catchy idea and I did not want to do something that is traditional," said the restaurant's owner, Waleed Naeem, 37. "Our prices are competitive  our most expensive sandwich on the menu is just 15 pounds (84 U.S. cents)."

Naeem is irked by anyone who tries to link the restaurant's theme to the large-scale crackdown on dissent since the military ousted an Islamist president in 2013.

"The people of Mansoura really like this restaurant and think it's a great idea. But others are making a huge deal out of this on social media," said Naeem, who has refused to give media interviews to news outlets that want him to speak about what his eatery symbolizes.

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"My restaurant is not political," said Naeem, who maintains that the idea of Food Crime was inspired by similar establishments in South Korea, China and Italy. "I don't think it has anything to do with real prisons and those inside them."

The restaurant's unusual decor attracts many in Mansoura, like Yasmeen Khouly.

"The idea is crazy, but it's all about trying something new and seeing what's out there, she said after eating there with a friend.

"Obviously seeing handcuffs and an electric chair is strange."

Engineer Ahmed Atef, however, said the environment reminded him of his days in the army, and "the prisons I used to see when I served."

The motif has even drawn in policemen like Amr El Gohary, who said he was impressed by features of the "amazing decor," like the handcuffs and a metal cage that allowed him to engage in some role reversal.

"Obviously it made me love this place. The experience of eating in the cage was interesting because being a policeman, I'm the one who puts people in handcuffs and prisons."
125 Livewas the place to be on Oct. 14 to see Jane Fonda, Madonna, Indiana Jones and Don Johnson snacking on Totino's Pizza Rolls, playing Space Invaders and grooving to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" out on the dance floor.

No, it wasn't a gathering of stars at a swank Hollywood party. It was Back to the '80s, a benefit for 125 Live, and the 150 people who attended the event definitely did their '80s fashion research and put looks together that were bodacious, righteous and totally bitchin'.

About $6,000 was raised for 125 Live during the evening event, which included music and dancing, a silent auction, and both trivia and costume contests.

The sights and sounds of the '80s were brought to life in part by the work of Back to the '80s committee member Heather Holmes. She created a PowerPoint presentation that was displayed on two large screens near the dance floor. It showed the personalities, movies and musical bands that became '80s era icons.

Holmes had fun putting her costume together and teased her hair for the night. Thinking about her favorite memory from the '80s, she said, "Dragging down Main Street in a small town in North Dakota, windows down, listening to John Cougar on the radio."

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Attendee Amanda Ruggerisaid she was channeling both Madonna and Cindy Lauper in her costume choice for the evening. Ruggeri attended the event to support the work of 125 Live, and because she likes to dance and dress up.

"I loved all the music from the '80s," she said. "Michael Jackson was a favorite."

Jay Koski, who attended with his wife, Jen PB columnist and Back to the '80s coordinator  dressed as Judd Nelson's character, John Bender, in the 1985 movie "The Breakfast Club."

"It's a great movie from the era; I've seen it too many times," he said.

Jay sat down to play a few games of Space Invaders with his friend, Neil Freetly.

Neil and his wife, Missie,looked forward to getting out on the dance floor, particularly if the DJ played a Bon Jovi classic.

Attendee Rebecca Roe, who said she was dressed as the "quintessential '80s night clubber," modeled her look after the Barbie dolls she played with as a young girl.

Roe attended with her friend, Brian Jump, who said he liked the '80s because there were so many good movies  "Back to the Future," "Porky's" and "Revenge of the Nerds"  released during the era.

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Sheryl Barlowcame dressed as a punk rocker.

"I'm living out my alter ego tonight," she said.

Barlow added she was hoping to dance to her '80s favorites, AC/DC and David Lee Roth's "Hot for Teacher."

"I watched MTV for hours in those days," she said.

Attendee Russ Schoesslerdressed as Indiana Jones, one of his favorite '80s movie characters.

"I had most of the costume, just had to buy the fedora and whip," he said.

Schoessler attended with friend Petra Casey, who dressed as Madonna during her "Like a Virgin" days.

"I love '80s music," she said. "Brings me back to my college days."

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Casey said her favorite memory from the '80s was getting up early to go stand in line for Billy Joel concert tickets.

Two awards were presented in the costume contest, one for best male costume and one for best female costume. Shawn Fagan, with his costume "Short Shorts," won for best male costume, and Julie Galaty, clad in electric blue spandex and leg warmers, won for her portrayal of Jane Fonda during the aerobics craze of the '80s.

"I've had this in my closet since the '80s," she said. "I could have dressed everyone here out of my closet."
A Rochester man has been released from custody, a month after he was arrested on felony drug charges for the third time this year.

Antonio Desean Howard, 36, was charged after his Nov. 6 arrest with one count each of fifth-degree drug sale and sale of synthetic cannabinoid , both felonies; no proof of insurance, a gross misdemeanor, and fleeing a peace officer on foot and driving after revocation, both misdemeanors.

Unconditional bond was set at $75,000; it was posted today, court records show. Howard is due back in court Dec. 19.

Howard was spotted driving Nov. 6 in the 1800 block of Eight and a half Street Southeast, the report says, when he turned left without using his signal.

Howard couldn't provide a driver's license or proof of insurance, and allegedly admitted his driving privileges were revoked. The officer could smell marijuana, the complaint says.

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Howard said he didn't have insurance because he'd just bought the car the day before, the report says, but he'd been stopped in the same car Oct. 4 and issued citations for no proof of insurance, driving after revocation, displaying tabs of another vehicle and expired registration.

He was then stopped a week later and issued another citation for driving after revocation.

When the officer said he was going to search the vehicle, based on the smell of marijuana, Howard allegedly admitted there was marijuana in a backpack in the back seat.

The officer found 45 grams of marijuana and 273 grams  more than a half-pound  of synthetic cannabinoids in the backpack, court documents say.

Just as the officer was about to handcuff Howard, he allegedly pulled away from the officer's grasp and ran south on 15th Avenue Southeast. The officer chased Howard for about 2 1/2 blocks before catching him.

Court records show Howard has three criminal cases pending in Olmsted County District Court, including two more counts of sale of synthetic cannabinoid, and fifth-degree controlled substance crime for possession of more than 42.5 grams of marijuana.

He also has 12 prior convictions in Olmsted County for no proof of insurance  not counting the two citations in October.
PRESTON  A Preston man was sentenced last week to nearly 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Danny Eugene Zuehlke, 38, was charged in July 2016 with two identical counts; he entered an Alford plea of guilty in March. With an Alford plea, the defendant maintains his innocence but acknowledges the evidence would be sufficient to convict him.

Fillmore County District Court Judge Matthew Opat sentenced Zuehlke to 119 months in prison, with credit for 169 days already served. The other charge was dismissed at sentencing.

The investigation began in June 2016, when the victim told her mother that, on multiple occasions, Zuehlke had touched her genitals under her clothing, the complaint says.

Another child also came forward to accuse Zuehlke of touching her genitals, the court documents say.

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The first victim didn't say anything because Zuehlke "has major anger issues" so she was scared, the report says.

Zuehlke denied touching either child but admitted he has a lot of rage and used to get "black-out drunk."

He posted $5,000 conditional bond in August 2016, then appeared in court three more times, including his plea hearing in March.

Zuehlke missed a hearing June 6, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

On June 22, Mankato police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Hanover Street to arrest Zuehlke on the outstanding felony arrest warrant issued by Fillmore County.

When officers arrived, Zuehlke allegedly stole a police car and fled the scene, the report says, which led to a high-speed pursuit by Mankato police, the Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota State Patrol and the Waseca County Sheriff's Office.

The chase ended in rural Waldorf when police used stop strips to deflate the tires on the car. Zuehlke tried to run away but was arrested shortly after.

The status of that case is unclear.
RED WING  On Monday, the city of Red Wing likely will have the second reading  and possibly the final passage  of a new ordinance concerning how to handle disorderly conduct, particularly at the city's public meetings.

The updated ordinance , said proponents, allows the city to enforce order at public meetings. Opponents said it could violate citizens' right to free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The issue has been raised after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled the disorderly conduct ordinance of Little Falls concerning council meetings was unconstitutional. Because that ordinance, similar to many across the state, is based on state code that was struck down, cities are looking for ways to deal with people disrupting public meetings.

"I don't think it's fair that people that are good honest citizens and they're coming up voicing their concerns, and somebody is sitting in the back and they're heckling them and trying to take over the entire meeting and there's no way to stop them," said council member Dean Hove. "I've seen it happen several times. I want every citizen who wants to say their peace, say their peace."

Hove was part of the 4-3 majority vote on the first reading of the updated ordinance that will "authorize law enforcement officers to remove, arrest and/or criminally charge citizens who engage in disorderly conduct or violate the rules of order at meetings of the city council and of other public bodies of the city."

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The city council passed the first reading of the ordinance at its Nov. 27 meeting. The ordinance would not become official unless a second reading is approved.

Amber Eisenschenk, staff attorney with the League of Minnesota Cities, said Red Wing's amended ordinance might be the first of its kind in the state after the Supreme Court decision in the Little Falls case.

"it's definitely something cities are talking about: How can we regulate decorum without violating people's first amendment rights?" Eisenschenk said.

In fact, at the Minnesota city attorney's meeting scheduled for February, the topic is part of the continuing education curriculum and has been a topic on their message boards, she said.

Council member Evan Brown said in the wake of the Little Falls case, he thinks the city should wait for the state Legislature to rewrite the state ordinance on how to handle disorderly conduct at meetings rather than strike out on its own.

"I haven't found any other cities in the state of Minnesota that are doing this, so I'm questioning again, why are we doing it?" he asked.

Brown argued the city's ordinance already prohibits individuals from disrupting the order of a meeting. "So why do we need an ordinance?"

City attorney Amy Mace said the ordinance in Red Wing does not give police an adequate basis for removing someone from a public meeting or charging them.

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"Typically, there is a criminal penalty for disorderly conduct," she said. "Police officers often like to know when they are asked to remove someone or if they are going to cite someone, that there's a law they can base that on."

Police Chief Roger Pohlman agreed, adding asking officers to remove someone from a meeting with a use of force can be problematic if that request is not backed up by law.

"My concern is my officers," Pohlman said.

For example, if a person were to go limp in front of officers to resist an order of removal, using force to remove that person is not supportable under the existing ordinance.

"This one," he said, referring to the updated ordinance, "clearly identifies that our actions are lawful under criminal code."

Eisenschenk said while she is unfamiliar with the language of the Red Wing ordinance, she would not be surprised if it is the first of many such ordinances.

"While they may be one of the first, it wouldn't surprise me if more (cities) followed suit," she said. "I don't think city attorneys have the perfect answers yet."

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Like everyone else, I have puzzled over why General Michael Flynn apparently lied to the FBI when he had no reason to do so. We may never know the answer to that question, but here are a few possibly unrelated pieces of the puzzle:

1) Via InstaPundit, Michael Ledeen speculates about what drove Flynns guilty plea:

While working with General Michael Flynn on The Field of Fight, I interviewed many of his former colleagues in order to better understand my co-author. Virtually all of them described a man who cared deeply about the truth and presented it in circumstances that were certainly not favorable to him. These people portrayed General Flynn as a compulsive truth-teller. So why has he now confessed to making false statements to the FBI?

***

It doesnt make sense. I dont believe Flynn intentionally misled the FBI, or anyone else, about his unquestionably licit conversations with the Russian ambassador. I think the guilty plea tells us more about the Mueller investigation, and about the politicization of justice more generally, than it does about presumed malefactions by the retired general. I think that Gen. Flynn admitted guilt in order to stop the pain for himself and his family.

***

It is notable that Mueller and company have apparently dropped their investigation of Gen. Flynns son, and the plea agreement will dramatically reduce the familys legal expenses.

I believe Flynn has said that he has spent $1 million on lawyers, and felt compelled to plead guilty to something lest he be ruined financially.

2) Then we have this from Glenn Reynolds:

SO THE FBI SUPERVISOR WHO WAS TEXTING ABOUT HOW MUCH HE HATED TRUMP is the one who interviewed Mike Flynn. A supervisory special agent who is now under scrutiny after being removed from Robert Muellers Special Counsels Office for alleged bias against President Trump also oversaw the bureaus interviews of embattled former National Security advisor Michael Flynn, this reporter has learned. Flynn recently pled guilty to one-count of lying to the FBI last week. . . . Strzok was removed from his role in the Special Counsels Office after it was discovered he had made disparaging comments about President Trump in text messages between him and his alleged lover FBI attorney Lisa Page, according to the New York Times and Washington Post, which first reported the stories. Strzok is also under investigation by the Department of Justice Inspector General for his role in Hillary Clintons email server and the ongoing investigation into Russias election meddling. On Saturday, the House Intelligence Committees Chairman Devin Nunes chided the Justice Department and the FBI for not disclosing why Strzok had been removed from the Special Counsel three months ago, according to a statement given by the Chairman. This stinks to high heaven. But wait, theres more involving shady FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe [Ed.: McCabe is a Democratic Party activist masquerading as a law enforcement officer]: According to another source, with direct knowledge of the Jan. 24 interview, McCabe had contacted Flynn by phone directly at the White House. White House officials had spent the earlier part of the week with the FBI overseeing training and security measures associated with their new roles so it was no surprise to Flynn that McCabe had called, the source said. McCabe told Flynn some agents were heading over (to the White House) but Flynn thought it was part of the routine work the FBI had been doing and said they would be cleared at the gate, the source said. It wasnt until after they were already in (Flynns) office that he realized he was being formally interviewed. He didnt have an attorney with him, they added. Comey was lecturing us about the FBIs professionalism and integrity just today. Pathetic. This looks like a sleazy, deliberate trap.

There is no doubt that under the leadership of Robert Mueller and James Comey, the FBI became a sleazy, partisan operation. A thorough house-cleaning is needed, although it will come too late to do Michael Flynn any good.

3) I would like to see the transcript of the interview of Michael Flynn by Democratic Party activist Peter Strzok and his colleague that gave rise to Flynns guilty plea. What, exactly, did Strzok ask Flynn, and how, exactly, did Flynn respond? Is there actually any clear-cut falsehood in the transcript? I wonder.

Maybe Flynn really did try to mislead the FBI, for reasons that seem inexplicable. Or maybe he was an innocent man, crushed by the overwhelming power and financial resources of the Democratic Party, represented here by the FBI and Robert Mueller and his team of activists. If I could see the transcript of his interrogation, I would tell you which of those scenarios I think is closer to the truth.

PAUL ADDS: Andy McCarthy suggested a reason why Flynn might have lied about interactions with the Russian ambassador even though they didnt break the law. He wrote:

Even though Flynns interactions with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak did not amount to Trump-campaign collusion in Russias perfidy, they did show that the Trump transition was dabbling in foreign relations with the Putin regime (among other foreign governments) and was attempting to undermine the policy of the incumbent Obama administration  at least on the U.N. resolution condemning Israel. . . . [W]e have only one president at a time. It is unseemly for an incoming administration to undermine the sitting president. If revealed, such behavior would be politically damaging enough. Here, that damage of Trump-transition interference with President Obamas foreign relations would have been magnified by Russia involvement, given that Democrats were accusing Trump of colluding with Putin to throw the election. This made any conversation about the sanctions between Flynn and Kislyak look terrible, no matter how innocent they were and no matter how normal for a transition period.

To be clear, Im not saying that Flynn was thinking this or, for that matter, that he lied. And I agree with John (and Glenn Reynolds) that Peter Strzoks role as the interviewer of Flynn during the FBI investigation stinks. Like John, I would like to see a transcript of the interview.

I also wonder why the FBI questioned Flynn about his interactions with the Russian ambassador  interactions that were legal and normal in a transition period. I have long thought that it was an attempt to set Flynn up. That suspicion deepens given the new information about the role of Andrew McCabe and Peter Strzok in the proceedings.

Being set up does not, of course, excuse lying  if Flynn lied. But the FBIs apparent eagerness to entrap Flynn makes me want to see what, exactly Strzok asked Flynn, and how, exactly, Flynn responded.
New York Times readers are outraged. . . Well yeah, I suppose I can quit right here, call it a day and start in on cocktails early. Outrage is the perpetual state of being for Times readers. Anyway, Times readers are outraged at the profile that ran recently of a white nationalist because it normalized him, instead of being just another op-ed denunciation of a Trump voter. As the Times notes in a follow up addition to the online version of the article, This article has drawn significant feedback, most of it sharply critical. Indeed.

Well yesterday it appears another white nationalist snuck into the Times op-ed page itself, with an article that contained this provocation:

All too often, tribalism based on race, religion, sexual identity and place of birth has replaced inclusive nationalism, in which you can be proud of your tribe and still embrace the larger American community.

And who was this egregious offender against the foundations of leftist identity politics who dares to normalize nationalism?

An old fellow named Bill Clinton.

Looks like Bubba is back to his old fondness for three-ways, er, . . . I mean, triangulation. Doesnt he know that youre not allowed to say things like this, or express pride in the larger American community?

My theory is that as the walls are starting to close in around Bubba for his long-ago misdeeds, hes getting ready to become a Republican. Either that or Hillary is finally about to divorce him. The left already disliked Clinton for his neoliberalism (some other time Ill walk through this peculiar tic of the academic left), hes got no place else to go.
John Roche, who served as an aide to President Johnson, once described Johnsons reaction when a Democratic Senator on the Foreign Relations Committee (Roche withheld the name, and I wont speculate) broke with LBJ on the war in Vietnam. According to Roche, Johnson said something close to this:

Its my own fault. Some years ago, the good people of ______, in their wisdom, elected the village idiot to the Senate. [As Senate Majority Leader] I had to find a spot for him. I couldnt put him on a committee that deals with things that make a difference in peoples lives. But he liked to talk about foreign countries. So I put him on the Foreign Relations Committee where he could make lots of fancy speeches without doing any harm. Its my own fault.

I dont know whether President Trump is as shrewd as LBJ, but I have wondered whether similar thinking caused him to put Jared Kushner in charge of the Middle East peace process. Kushner is married to Trumps daughter and he put in loyal service during the presidential campaign. So Trump had to give him an important sounding portfolio. Why not the peace process, that hardy perennial of futility.

(Trump also assigned Kushner to head the the White House Office of American Innovation which is supposed to fix the government. To me, thats the domestic equivalent of bringing peace to the Middle East.)

Kushners cluelessness about the Middle East was on display yesterday at the Brookings Institution. He said: If were going to try to create more stability in the region as a whole, you have to solve this issue [between Israel and the Palestinians].

At Power Line, weve been combating this bit of conventional wisdom for 15 years. We may finally be at the point that Kushners utterance is too shopworn to constitute conventional wisdom. I was hoping only John Kerry still believes it.

What are the main barriers to stability in the Middle East? One, surely, is the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites. Another, related to the first, is Iranian aggression and ambition.

Neither barrier has anything to do with the dispute between Palestinians and Israelis. Can Kushner possibly believe that the creation of a Palestinian state would heal sectarian strife among Muslims or cause Iran to give up its imperial design or its quest for nuclear weapons?

Apparently so. He told the Brookings audience that these issues can best be addressed after the distraction of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute is resolved. This is either snake oil salesmanship or naivety in the extreme.

The Israeli-Palestinian dispute isnt distracting many other than Kushner and think tank denizens. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and every other player in the Middle East are focused exclusively on their national interests, not those of the Palestinians.

Moreover, as Joel Pollak points out at Breitbart, Kushners claim that we have to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian issue before the U.S. can improve regional stability is at odds with President Trumps approach (seemingly successful so far) of forging alliances among regional states and helping Israel forge better relationships with them, outside of any framework for addressing the Palestinian question.

As Lyndon Johnson would say, the disconnect is Trumps own fault.

Economics and demographics no doubt contribute to instability in the Middle East. Creating a Palestinian state wont alter the economics or demographics of the region as a whole.

The existence of horrible regimes in Middle Eastern states is a big contributor to instability. Creating a Palestinian state wont cause regime change. In all likelihood, it will just bring into existence another state with a horrible regime  this one on Israels doorstep.

Why did Kushner articulate his shallow thoughts on the Middle East at the Brookings Institution? Maybe because this is one of the few remaining outposts that subscribes to them. Maybe because he desires approval from left.

Approval was limited. According to the Washington Post, Haim Saban who runs the forum Kushner addressed, mocked him and his team, to the delight of the assembled leftists:

[Your] team has in it an entrepreneurial real estate lawyer, a bankruptcy lawyer  I dont know how youve lasted eight months in this lineup. . . . Its impressive that its still going. Theres not a Mideast macher [big shot] in this group. How do you operate with, with all due respect, a bunch of Orthodox Jews who have no idea about anything? What are you guys doing? Seriously, I dont understand this.

I dont understand either, but for different reasons.

Saban is, if anything, even more clueless than Kushner. He seems to think the problem with Kushners effort is the absence of a Mideast macher from the team. But the machers have been at this for decades. They have accomplished next to nothing.

It isnt the absence of Dennis Ross that makes Kushners mission an exercise in futility. But Dennis Ross might be very comfortable with Kushners dated thinking. John Kerry too.
An 18-year-old Dearborn man was fatally shot Friday night in southwest Detroit after a car accident in Dearborn resulted in a road rage incident.

Fatih Almasaky was killed after a road rage shooting near Vernor and Woodmere in southwest Detroit.

According to police, Almasaky was involved in a traffic incident in Dearborn and the two drivers continued into Detroit. When Almasaky reportedly pulled over to the curb, the other driver fired multiple shots at him. He was taken to a hospital, but later died.

The male suspect fled the scene in a dark blue Chevrolet Impala and still is on the loose.

Detroit police are investigating and hope to find video footage of the shooting from cameras at nearby businesses. No details have been released about the suspect.

A GoFundMe page was set up for Almasakys family, but donations no longer are being accepted after the campaign exceeded its $5,000 goal. The teen will be buried at Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit.

Almasaky moved to the United States a few years ago, according to family, and worked at a local store, sending money back to his family in Yemen.

He was described by friends and family as a very respectful, kind and hard-working man.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Tasked with developing a vision for the school district, about 125 stakeholders, mostly parents, students and educators, turned out for a second strategic planning meeting at the C.J. Davenport Elementary School.

Full-day kindergarten dominated the conversation Monday. While it has been a topic in the district for several years, it was never implemented due to budget constraints.

One man said full-day kindergarten is the first place to start to prepare kids for the 21st and 22nd centuries.

We need to look at that. I am hoping thats something in the forefront of our plan, he told the administrators.

Other themes included increasing student achievement, building reconfiguration, social and emotional learning, school and bus safety and financial constraints.

The strategic plan is a five-year plan that will help the district form a budget that aligns with district goals.

We have a chance to be proactive to change at this moment, Superintendent Kim Gruccio said.

The strategic planning process is being facilitated by the New Jersey School Boards Association. Representatives from NJSBA were at the meeting to help guide participants.

The attendees were again split into smaller groups to brainstorm ideas on what would make Egg Harbor Township a School that Succeeds.

The common themes were sectioned into broad goal areas, which NJSBA field service representative Mary Ann Friedman said will be fleshed out at the next meeting into specific objectives.

Before they grouped off, Gruccio played a few videos showing what future workplaces and classrooms could look like.

The question tonight is: Are our students ready to live and work in a world with that technology? Gruccio said. Where do we want to be in the future? That video helps us think about where we have to be.

Assistant Superintendent Stephen Santilli encouraged the groups to think about Future Ready Schools.

You have a huge challenge in front of you to be able to create this strategic plan but in doing so being able to think about things you dont even know about yet, he said. The challenge isnt about thinking about 21st century, but 22nd century preparation.

Meeting attendees represented a variety of community members.

Shavonna Perez is a parent with a student in middle school. She recently moved to the area from California and hadnt had a great experience so far with the school district. Perez decided to come to the strategic planning meeting after being asked by others in the community.

I think its good. I feel if they implement whatever these are, well get somewhere, Perez said. It definitely begins with the parents and teachers working together and not leaving it to technology to be the buffer in between.

Alder Avenue Middle School Principal Joe Marinelli said he came to the meeting to have a voice in the districts planning going forward.

Think about it. You work here. Why wouldnt you want to have a voice? said Marinelli, of Linwood.

One group was comprised almost totally of students in the district.

Since were in high school, and theyre talking about bettering the school, hearing the point of view of a student would be helpful, said Reet Patel, 17.

Enmanuel Pena, 16, said he decided to come because he sees problems in the district that need to be fixed.

Since were students, we know how everything works, said Bhakti Marfatia, 18.

The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Fernwood Avenue Middle School cafeteria.
ATLANTIC CITY  Claire Bustos and Sabrina Singh found themselves bonding by a couple of drawings at the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University on Tuesday evening.

The two students were discussing high school sports: Bustos, who is now a freshman at Temple University, rowed for Oakcrest High School, and Singh rows as a junior at Egg Harbor Township High School.

Besides crew, the two have something else in common. They both have pieces of art from this past years Teen Arts Festival that will be traveling across the state for others to see.

The 2017-18 New Jersey State Teen Arts Touring Visual Arts Exhibit is on view through Dec. 28 at the Arts Garage. It will travel around New Jersey until the 2018 festival in April.

The exhibit includes 45 pieces selected from among thousands created by talented teen artists across the state. Each of the 15 participating counties nominated four pieces to be part of the touring exhibit.

Of those pieces, four students from Atlantic County were featured, including Bustos and Singh, along with Rebekah Betar, of Cedar Creek High School, and Ava Keuhner, of Ocean City High School.

Since 1969, Atlantic County holds a Teen Arts Festival every May. Works are then selected and go on to the state festival, which tours across New Jersey.

It says a lot about their talent and it says a lot to the efforts they put into their own work, said Kimberly Brown, cultural and heritage administrator for Atlantic County.

About 700 pieces from Atlantic County were submitted, with only the four being selected to tour the state.

I was completely honored, said Bustos, of Mays Landing. I did not expect it at all but when I found out I thought, Wow, that is awesome.

Bustos piece was from an art assignment at Oakcrest where she put together multiple magazine clippings as a collage and then recreated it with pastel.

Initially Bustos wanted to be an artist, but wanted to make sure she had a plan if it didnt work out. Shes now studying advertising with an art direction track in Philadelphia.

She said having the honor of the touring exhibit on her resume helps her in the field shes studying.

It definitely helps. You need the art skills in advertising and a creative skill set is necessary, so this kind of broadens that opportunity to just be out there and really be unique, Bustos said.

Sabrina Singhs art came from a day in art class when her teacher brought an old bicycle into the classroom. The students were asked to maneuver the bike and draw it, but Singh had her reservations to go in front of students to move the bike.

I was shy to walk up and move it so I just looked at it and took what I thought was a weird spot of the bike and interesting looking, said Singh, of Egg Harbor Township.

She decided to draw the bikes tire, with the front tire twisted perpendicularly to keep it up.

Singh said that its overwhelming to think about all the eyes that will be on her piece of art. She added that while shes very grateful for the honor, she thinks people who were unable to check out this years festival should make it a point to see the 2018 show, which will feature not only drawings and paintings but performance art, poetry and more.

I think you should check it out. Honestly, I didnt think I would win and but I just saw such amazing art there, Singh said.

The 2018 Atlantic County Teen Arts Festival is scheduled for April 27 in the Hammonton Art District.
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TRENTON  A statewide investigation into child pornography distribution has led to charges against 79 men, state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced Friday.

They include three men from Atlantic County, one from Cape May County and five from Cumberland County, including three brothers.

The nine-month investigation, named Operation Safety Net, was a multiple-agency initiative led by the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that targeted sex offenders using the internet and social media.

Porrino said in a statement arrests were made in every county in New Jersey. The arrests included 10 hands-on offenders, directly involved with soliciting, photographing or transporting victims. Two of the men, one from California and one from Indiana, allegedly engaged in interstate human trafficking and solicitation for sex with children.

Those arrested range in age from 17 to 75.

Defendants charged with amassing and/or distributing large collections of child pornography include a Trenton police officer, an Ocean County piano teacher and three brothers in Millville who allegedly had nearly 5,000 files of child pornography.

We charged 10 men with hands-on predatory conduct against children, including attempted interstate trafficking of children for sex, sexual assault, luring, sending obscene images to a child, or manufacturing child pornography, Porrino said. These cases highlight the fact that viewing child pornography is part of a continuum of deviant behavior that often leads to or drives other sex crimes.

Authorities said George Castillo, 36, of California, and Joseph Donohew, 26 of Indiana, solicited or offered money to undercover State Police detectives. Castillo faces several federal charges, including transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and production of child pornography, and charges in New Jersey, including conspiracy to commit child trafficking. Donohew faces attempted child-molestation charges, Porrino said.

An Atlantic County man was charged with being a hands-on offender. Brandon Morris, 24, of Hammonton, was charged with manufacturing child pornography, endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct, conveying obscene materials to a child and possession of child pornography. He is accused of engaging underage girls in FaceTime conversations, instructing them to perform sexual acts on themselves and recording them.

Morris was arrested Oct. 27, Porrino said.

On July 21, Gov. Chris Christie signed a law that will impose stricter penalties on those possessing and distributing mass quantities of child pornography. It will take effect Feb. 1. The new law expands the definition of child pornography to include child erotica.

Under the new law, the three brothers from Millville and a man from Ocean County would be considered super-possessors, but they cannot be charged under the harsher penalties because they were charged before the new law goes into effect.

Millville brothers Kody Knotts, 22, Alexander Knotts, 27, and Kyle Knotts, 23, had a combined total of nearly 5,000 files of suspected child pornography, Porrino said. The Knottses were charged with third-degree possession of child pornography.

Pasquale Charles Albano, 75, of Point Pleasant, Ocean County, had more than 1,000 files of suspected child pornography, Porrino said. Albano was also charged with third-degree possession of child pornography.

Eight other people in The Press coverage area were charged in Operation Safety Net, according to Porrinos statement.

In Atlantic County, Anthony Gerace, 43, of Egg Harbor Township, was charged with distribution of child pornography. Antonio Baang, 26, of Galloway Township, was charged with possession of child pornography.

In Cape May County, Robert King, 63, of North Wildwood, was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

In Cumberland County, John Parsons, 50, of Vineland, was charged with possession of child pornography. Julio Garcia, 29, of Bridgeton, was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

In Ocean County, piano teacher Bryan San Andreas, 37, of Toms River, was charged with possession of child pornography. Joseph Maruca, 26, of Berkeley Township, was charged with possession of child pornography. Eric MacAfee, 41, of Seaside Heights, was charged with possession of child pornography.

Operation Safety Net used two new tools in its investigation: a State Police electronics detection dog, Mega, who was used to locate hidden or disguised media storage devices, and the Division of Criminal Justices new cyber forensics van, Porrino said.

According to Porrino, the ICAC Task Force investigated numerous cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and began proactive investigations by monitoring file-sharing networks, identifying the IP address of individuals sharing pornography files and undercover chat investigations on social media.Contact: 609-272-7286 LCarroll@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPress_LC
TRENTON  One state senator is warning the governor-elect the effect legalizing marijuana could have on the states homeless population.

State Sen. Joe Pennacchio, R-26, urged Gov.-elect Phil Murphy and legislators to consider the impact legalizing the drug could have on the homeless, citing trends in other states that have already legalized the drug.

Now that weed is legal in Colorado, homeless people are arriving in droves, while longtime residents are fleeing to other states, Pennacchio said in a statement Tuesday. Governor (John) Hickenlooper implored the Colorado Legislature to use marijuana tax dollars to build new housing for the homeless  money that was supposed to pay for law enforcement, healthcare, and treatment. Governor-elect Murphy: dont be surprised if youre forced to do the same thing in New Jersey. That revenue you are counting on to pay for your agenda will soon disappear.

The number of homeless people in New Jersey has gone down 4.6 percent since 2016, according to a study by Monarch Housing Associates.

Homeless centers in Colorado reported an increase in people needing shelter, with homeless residents saying they moved to buy legal marijuana or find a job in the industry, Pennacchio said in the statement.

Homelessness is down statewide, but it is not a stretch of the imagination to think that those in New York City will take a quick train ride to New Jersey for legal marijuana, Pennacchio said. Who will pay for all of the housing and government subsidies these people will need if and when they decide to stay here permanently? Taxpayers cant afford it.

Pennacchio also stated a rise in crime and increase in traffic fatalities in Colorado as reasons not to rush enacting legislation.
Stating that no university is above the norms of the University Grants Commission, the HC found Priya lacking the required teaching experience to be considered for the post of associate professor.
BROOKLYN PARK, Minnesota, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 4C Medical Technologies, Inc. (4C Medical), a developer of minimally invasive technologies for structural heart disease, today announced that its medical device for mitral regurgitation (MR) was presented at the Technology Parade at the International Conference for Innovations in Cardiovascular Systems (ICI) held December 3-5, 2017 in Tel Aviv, Israel. 4C Medical was one of the few companies invited to highlight its innovation among Key Opinion Leaders and investors.

4C Medical is developing the first MR treatment that preserves the native mitral valve and left ventricle using a supra-annular, atrial-only fixation technology. The novel design eliminates issues associated with current transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) technologies  which rely on placement and fixation in the native mitral annulus and left ventricle  such as obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract, impaired function of the left ventricle and device embolization.

Philippe Genereux, MD presented "A Novel Transcatheter MR Technology System (4C valve)" in which he explained how the 4C valve may extend TMVR therapy to patients who would be ineligible for alternative TMVR procedures. Dr. Genereux is Co-Director of the Structural Heart Program at the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute of Morristown Medical Center (Morristown, NJ) and a practicing Interventional Cardiologist at Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal (Montreal, Canada).

"Delivered transseptally, the 4C valve will provide a treatment option for a broad MR patient population  including patients that can be treated by other TMVR devices, patients that cannot be treated by other TMVR devices, and even patients with previously failed mitral repair," said Dr. Genereux. "Because the device is placed and anchored entirely in the left atrium, it does not rely on or interact with the dynamic and irregular anatomy of the mitral annulus and left ventricle. 4C Medical's technology will answer a real unmet clinical need."

"We are honored that the ICI organizers invited 4C Medical to present our novel TMVR technology," said Robert Thatcher, CEO of 4C Medical. "We will carry this momentum forward as we complete bench and pre-clinical testing in preparation for the early feasibility study. Because fewer patients will be excluded from our study as compared to other TMVR device trials, we anticipate quicker enrollment."

About 4C Medical Technologies, Inc.

4C Medical is a medical device company developing minimally invasive technologies for structural heart disease, focusing initially on mitral regurgitation (MR) therapy and, in the future, on tricuspid regurgitation therapy. The company's transcatheter mitral valve device is the first MR treatment with supra-annular positioning and atrial-only fixation. It preserves the native mitral valve and left ventricle  eliminating known issues associated with other transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) technologies which rely on placement and fixation in the native mitral annulus and left ventricle  and will expand the patient population eligible for TMVR therapy.

Media Contacts

Robert Thatcher

Chief Executive Officer

(612) 600-8951

rthatcher@4CMed.com

Jim Flaherty

Chief Financial Officer

(612) 599-0650

jflaherty@4CMed.com

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Related Links

http://www.4CMed.com



SOURCE 4C Medical Technologies, Inc.
New funding to accelerate sales, product development to meet demand for connected planning platform

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Anaplan, a leading platform provider driving a new age of connected planning, today announced a $60 million Series F funding round. Premji Invest led the round along with Salesforce Ventures, Top Tier Capital Partners, and other existing investors.1 This latest round brings the total capital raised by Anaplan to $300 million; the current round now values the company at $1.4 billion.

Anaplan, which was recently included on Deloitte's 2017 Technology Fast 500 list of fastest-growing companies in North America, plans to use the funds to scale the sales and customer success organizations, including partner enablement activities, to meet the growing worldwide demand for the Anaplan connected planning platform. This includes expanding internationally, focusing on key lines of business, and growing the development team to accelerate product evolution and innovation.

"Companies around the world are using Anaplan to connect data, people, and plans," said Sandesh Patnam, Partner, Premji Invest. "We're excited to lead another investment round because we've seen how the Anaplan platform facilitates better decision-making across organizations."

"As we continue to scale, we are excited to have this additional support from our investors," said Frank Calderoni, President and CEO of Anaplan. "This funding is going to help accelerate our ability to explore new opportunities, grow our partner and customer community, and develop new technologies that will continue to build upon our world-class connected planning platform."

Over the past year, Anaplan was recognized as a Leader in the 2017 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Sales Performance Management2 and the 2017 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Strategic Corporate Performance Management3. The company also announced strong momentum across multiple lines of business and expanded its footprint globally to accommodate growth.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Anaplan

Anaplan is driving a new age of connected planning. Large and fast-growing organizations use Anaplan's cloud platform in every business function to make better-informed plans and decisions and drive faster, more effective planning processes. Anaplan also provides support, training, and planning transformation advisory services. Anaplan is a privately held company based in San Francisco with 18 offices and over 150 expert partners worldwide. To learn more, visit anaplan.com.

1Other existing investors participating in Anaplan's Series F round include Baillie Gifford, Granite Ventures, Industry Ventures, and Meritech Capital.

2Gartner Magic Quadrant for Sales Performance Management, Melissa A. Hilbert, Tad Travis, 28 March 2017

3Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Strategic Corporate Performance Management, Christopher Iervolino, John Van Decker, 29 June 2017.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/482892/Anaplan_Logo.jpg

Related Links

https://www.anaplan.com



SOURCE Anaplan
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Agartala, Nov 30 : A BJP party member was shot dead by unidentified miscreants in Tripura's Gomati district on Wednesday night, hours after Chief Election Commissioner A.K. Joti ended his two-day visit to the Left-ruled state to review poll preparedness and directed improvement in the law and order situation in order to hold state elections.

"Some unidentified miscreants shot dead Gourhari Molsom, 42, at Killa on Wednesday night. Police is investigating the incident," a police official said.

A police team on Thursday recovered the body and sent it to Gomati district hospital for post-mortem.

Inspector General (Law and Order) K.V. Sreejesh said a forensic team visited the spot and a dog squad has been pressed into service to trace the criminals.

He said no one has been arrested so far in connection with the killing.

State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice president Rampada Jamatia who visited the spot and met the family members of the slain person, has demanded severe punishment for those behind the killing.

BJP spokesman Mrinal Kanti Debnath alleged that "goons" of the Communist Party of India-Marxist were involved in the killing while the Left party has strongly rejected the accusation.

The Election Commission headed by CEC Joti during its two-day visit on Tuesday-Wednesday to Tripura asked state officials to ensure conducive law and order situation for holding of assembly elections, due in February.
Kolkata, Nov 30 : Claiming there is no democracy in Bengal under the Trinamool Congress, BJP leader Mukul Roy on Thursday alleged that 'police raj' is going on in the state where several youth have been "falsely implicated" in narcotics cases for opposing the ruling party.

"Thousands of youths have been arrested in false charges in Bengal and given narcotic cases because they were not with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party.

"The only job of the police here is to arrest the activists of BJP. A police raj is going on in Bengal," Roy said.

"I challenge the Chief Minister to take appropriate action against the officers concerned if they are found guilty of charging people with false cases. And if the arrested people are found involved in narcotic cases, I will quit politics," he claimed.
Nairobi, Dec 3 : Extraction of material resources - biomass, fossil fuels and non-metallic minerals - globally could reach 88.6 billion tonnes this year, or three times that used in 1970, the International Resource Panel said on Sunday. Its report also contained an interesting case study of New Delhi's pollution mitigation strategies.

Since material resource use is likely to then more than double by 2050 on current trends, the global economy must embrace resource efficiency to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the report said.

With 19 million premature deaths estimated each year due to environmental and infrastructure-related risk factors linked to natural resource use, the report suggests that better and more efficient extraction and use of natural resources could be one of the most effective and cost-effective ways to reduce environmental impacts, including pollution.

Assessing Global Resource Use was released at the Science-Policy-Business Forum, a preliminary event to the UN Environment Assembly, which runs from December 4-6 at UN Environment headquarters here.

The assembly unites over 2,000 heads of state, ministers, business leaders, UN officials and civil society representatives to tackle the global menace of pollution.

The International Resource Panel is a group of eminent scientists specialising in resource management issues established by UN Environment in 2007.

It was asked by the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly to make available information on the state, trends and outlook of sustainable consumption and production.

The case study on the Indian capital demonstrates how a bundle of strategies that take a systems approach can deliver basic services to about seven million additional people while consuming less than five per cent of the total amount of cement and electricity used in the city today.

Such strategies would also avoid over 22 per cent of greenhouse gas and air pollution (PM2.5) emissions and prevent more than 2,500 premature deaths from dirty cooking fuel use alone.

Based on data from over 600 Chinese cities, the special feature demonstrates how circular economy policies combined with urban planning that promotes the exchange of materials and energy across different industry and infrastructure sectors could contribute an additional 15 to 36 per cent towards national greenhouse gas mitigation.

"The amount of natural resources used is closely linked to the amount of final waste and emissions generated through their use," International Resource Panel co-chairs Janez Potocnik and Izabella Teixeira said in a joint statement.

"Effective pollution control must also look to minimize raw material use, thereby decreasing final waste and emissions."

Everyone on earth is affected by pollution, according to the Executive Director's report titled "Towards a Pollution-Free Planet", which the UN Environment Assembly is using as the basis for laying out new action areas.

Over a dozen resolutions are on the table at the assembly, including new approaches to tackle air pollution, which is the single biggest environmental killer, claiming 6.5 million lives each year.

The report focuses on material resources. Subsequent reports, including one slated for 2019, will assess the footprints of all natural resources like materials, land, water and greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the report, growing material use is driven by expanding populations, consumption trends in mainly developed economies and the transformation of developing economies.

Demand for resources has shifted from renewable to non-renewable resources, reflecting the global trend away from traditional towards modern technologies, and from agriculture-based economies to urban and industrial economies.

It says this creates new waste flows - thereby increasing emissions and pollution. For example, data show that the steep increases in demand for ores, like iron, have contributed to sharp rises in greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, aquatic eco-toxicity and emissions of smog-forming substances.

Efficiency in the way resources are extracted and manufactured by industry, used and re-used by people, and recycled and disposed of by all are essential for a sustainable and pollution free planet, the report adds.

(Vishal Gulati is in Nairobi at the invitation of United Nations Environment to cover its third annual session. He can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
New Delhi, Dec 4 : With agriculture being one of the major pillars of India-Israel cooperation, Gil Haskel, the head of MASHAV - Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation - is visiting India for the launch of the three-year action plan for the Indo-Israeli Agricultural Project (IIAP).

Haskel is paying an official visit to New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai from December 4-7.

He will meet with senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare and MEA and also inaugurate a Centre of Excellence for flowers in Thally, Tamil Nadu. Haskel will award two $10,000 grants to MASHAV Alumni to continue their projects in women empowerment and farmer empowerment in India, a press release from the Israeli Embassy said.

Israel Ambassador Daniel Carmon said, "The IIAP is MASHAV's biggest project outside of Israel, and it holds a significant portion of our bilateral relations. The success story of our agricultural cooperation is second to none, and it is only the beginning. We hope to see the same achievements in the fields of water, innovation and academia."
Srinagar, Dec 4 : Two militants and a soldier were killed and another soldier injured in a gunfight that erupted on Monday between the security forces and militants holed up in a house in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, officials said.

Two terrorists were killed and a soldier killed in the gunfight, said Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia.

According to a police official, the gunfight broke out when militants fired at an army patrol on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Qazigund area of Kulgam, injuring two soldiers.

After the attack, the militants, said to be two in number, entered a private house which was surrounded immediately by the security forces.

"When the militants were challenged, they fired at the security forces, triggering a gunfight which continued for nearly four hours. Two militants have been killed, but the body of only one, who was a local, has been recovered," police said.

The house in which the militants were hiding was fully destroyed during the gunfight.

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar highway remained suspended because of the gunfight. Train service between the Kashmir Valley and Bannihal town in Jammu region was also disrupted.

Meanwhile, Internet services were also suspended in south Kashmir immediately after the gunfight started.
Washington, Dec 5 : The US Labor Department on Monday signalled that it would scrap a Barack Obama-era legislation that bans employers from pooling workers' tip.

In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Labor Department said workplaces "would have the freedom to allow sharing of tips among more employees", Xinhua news agency reported.

"The proposal would help decrease wage disparities between tipped and non-tipped workers -- an option that is currently restricted by a rule promulgated in 2011 that has been challenged in a number of courts," the Labor Department was quoted as saying.

The Labor Department noted that "back of the house" employees, such as cooks and dish washers, contribute to the overall customer experience, but may receive less compensation than their traditionally tipped co-workers.

Tip regulations are included in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, according to the 2011 adjustment, employers were not allowed to pool tips among all employees.

Restaurant advocate groups have been fighting against the tip pooling ban, which they said adds to pay disparity between different restaurant employees, while some worker advocates worry there may not be enough oversight to ensure that employers redistribute the tip fairly.

The notice would be available for public comment for 30 days starting from Tuesday.

Tipping has been a tradition in the US service industry for about a century, where small amount of money is customarily, though not mandatorily, given to waiters, taxi drivers, among others.

There has been increasing discussion in the US media on whether the culture should be observed.

Some argue that in effect tipping does not necessarily improve the standard of service, and service establishments may take advantage of the culture to pay employees less.
Washington, Dec 5 : The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed the third version of the Trump administration's travel ban to take effect, impacting citizens of eight countries from entering the US.

The ruling lifted restrictions imposed by lower courts on the travel ban, which bars all citizens of Syria, Iran, Chad, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as well as certain officials from Venezuela from entering the US.

"In light of its decision to consider the case on an expedited basis, we expect that the Court of Appeals will render its decision with appropriate dispatch," Xinhua news agency quoted the Supreme Court ruling as saying.

The travel ban, released in September, was the third version by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration said the ban was needed to ensure national security, while critics said it was a form of religious discrimination as most of the countries impacted by the ban are Muslim majorities.
Paris, Dec 5 : Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, named the first-ever Panda born in the country Yuan Meng at a ceremony at a zoo in central France on Monday.

Joined by Chinese officials, Brigitte Macron, who is also the new panda's godmother, announced that the four-month-old cub's name, Xinhua news agency reported.

Born on August 4, the baby panda had been called as "Mini Yuan Zi," referring to his father Yuan Zi, who arrived with his female partner Huan Huan in central France's Beauval zoo in January 2012.

"Yuan Meng is the energetic and vigorous fruit of the Franco-Chinese friendship," said Macron.

"Yuan Meng and his parents are the illustration of a dialogue that has always been fruitful between our two countries who, for centuries, have got along and understood each other," she added.

The panda baby, who will return home to China at the age of three, can be seen by visitors at the zoo from January 13.

On August 4, Huan Huan gave birth to twin cubs, the first panda babies born in France. She took care of the first cub immediately after its birth, but abandoned the first after the second cub was born, a common practice among pandas.

In the wild, female pandas raise only one cub, the "strongest", the one that has the most chances of survival.

There are about 2,000 pandas in the world. They are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Havana, Dec 5 : Cuban President Raul Castro on Monday paid tribute to former president and his brother, Fidel Castro, exactly one year after his ashes were placed at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba.

During the solemn tribute, which began at 7.00 a.m. local time, Raul Castro placed a white rose at the grey rock that keeps Fidel's ashes in the cemetery, located about 900 kilometres southeast of Havana, Xinhua news agency reported.

Also at Castro's resting place a wreath was placed on behalf of the people of Cuba.

The Cuban president also paid tribute to the national hero Jose Marti, whose tomb lies next to Castro's.

He also paid respects to Carlos Manuel de Cespedes and Mariana Grajales, independence leaders, whose remains are also placed in the central heritage area of the cemetery.

After the ceremony, thousands of people started a pilgrimage from the Antonio Maceo Revolution Square in Santiago's city centre to the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, to honour the revolutionary leader who died on November 25, 2016 in Havana.

On Sunday night, thousands gathered at Santiago's Heredia theater for a political-cultural gala remembrance of Fidel, as Cubans warmly called him.

For several days, Cubans have evoked the life and work of Fidel Castro and the ceremonies carried out a year ago during the procession funeral that moved his ashes from Havana to Santiago de Cuba.
Washington, Dec 5 : President Donald Trump has ordered the largest reduction in public protected lands in the history of the US, cutting more than 9,200 sq.km from two national monuments in Utah, a measure condemned by ecologists and Native Americans.

On a visit to Salt Lake City on Monday, Trump ordered Bears Ears, designated by his predecessor Barack Obama, to be reduced in size from some 1.3 million acres to about 220,000 of federally protected land, reports Efe news.

The President also decreed that Grand Staircase-Escalante, which was designated a national monument by former President Bill Clinton's administration, to be cut from 1.9 million acres to just over 1 million acres.

Trump slammed those who were of the opinion "that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington.

"Guess what? They're wrong," he said, addressing an audience at the Utah State Capitol.

Trump said that his "historic" move was designed to reverse overstepping by the federal government and restore the rights to land in Utah to its citizens.

National monuments - which are federally protected lands - may be created by presidents without the approval of Congress, according to the 1906 Antiquities Act, although national parks require congressional approval.

Trump said that his predecessors in the White House "abused" that law to place ever more land and water under federal control, and he claimed that doing so took from local residents the ability to decide how best to use those territories.

The White House aim is to open up lands that heretofore were protected to facilitate public use of their roadways and pastures, as well as "healthy hunting and fishing", Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told reporters.

Grand Staircase-Escalante has coal deposits but Zinke denied that the decision to reduce its size had anything to do with mineral exploitation interests, adding that Bears Ears has no known oil or gas deposits.

The move sparked vehement criticism by various environmental defence organisations.

In addition, five Indian tribes who pressured to gain federal protection for Bears Ears - the Hopi, the Navajo Nation, the Ute Mountain Tribe, the Pueblo and the Ute Indian Tribe - are suing the Trump administration.

Navajo Nation vice president Jonathan Nez told MSNBC that Trump had overstepped his authority by reducing Bears Ears, saying "It's a sad day in Indian country and it was a sad day for Americans" and adding that "the Navajo Nation is going to take action and we are going to say 'No' to this overstepping (of) boundaries".
Srinagar, Dec 5 : Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Tuesday that three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in a gunfight that took place in Kulgam district the day before.

"The victims comprised two LeT Pakistani militants identified as Furqan and Maviya and a local terrorist, Yawar who belonged to Qazigund area.

"Another local militant identified as Rashid Alia who had managed to escape with an injury on his hand, was arrested in Anantnag town where he had gone for treatment," the police said.

The gunfight started after militants attacked an Army patrol on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

After attacking the patrol, the militants entered a house in Bonigam village which was surrounded by the security forces.

A soldier was also killed during the encounter.

With the local LeT militant's killing, the LeT's Abu Ismail group who had carried out the attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims on July 10, has been wiped out,the police added.

Seven pilgrims were killed and 15 injured when the militants attacked a Yatra bus on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.
Washington, Dec 5 : iPhone maker Apple has agreed to pay Ireland $15.46 billion in back taxes by early 2018.

According to Wall Street Journal, Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said on Monday that both sides agreed to the terms of an escrow fund for the money.

The European Union in 2016 launched a fresh crackdown over taxes paid by tech giant Apple.

The EU said it planned to refer Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to recover the money in back taxes from Apple.

According to the EU, the tax deal allowed Apple to pay almost nothing in tax on its European profits between 2003 and 2014.

It concluded that the US firm's Irish tax benefits were illegal, enabling the firm to pay a corporate tax rate of no more than one per cent.

Ireland had claimed that EU regulators were interfering with national sovereignty.

Not just Apple, Amazon was also ordered to repay $293 million in back taxes after the European Commission said it had been given an unfair tax deal in Luxembourg.

Amazon denied it owed any back tax, saying it did "not receive any special treatment from Luxembourg".
Mumbai, Dec 5 : Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor, who passed away at a city hospital here a day ago, will be cremated on Tuesday amid rains and cold as Cyclone Ockhi lashes the city's shores.

The last rites of the 79-year-old actor will take place at the Santacruz Hindu Crematorium at 12 noon.

The veteran matinee star breathed his last at 5.20 p.m. at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Monday after a period of hospitalisation.

It was one of those rare winter evenings in Mumbai when it started pouring after sunset, perhaps a mere coincidence, that Indian cinema lost one of its iconic stars, the youngest son of Prithvi Raj Kapoor, a name inseparable from Indian theatre and founder of Prithvi Theatre.

Large numbers of Bollywood personalities visited Kapoor's Prithvi House to pay their respects to the late actor, a member of the Kapoor dynasty that has dominated the Hindi film industry for decades.

Around 8 p.m., a white car stopped at the house and megastar Amitabh Bachchan stepped out along with son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Big B appeared deeply emotional losing one of his most frequent co-stars of the 70s. The two shared great on-screen equation as his brother in "Deewar", besides "Roti Kapada Aur Makaan", "Kabhi Kabhie", "Trishul", "Namak Halaal" and "Silsila" among others.

The Bachchans joined the late actor's son Kunal Kapoor and nephews Rishi, Randhir and Rajiv Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor who was shooting in Delhi for his upcoming film 'Rajma Chawal' cancelled his work and flew back to Mumbai.

They were followed by actress Kajol and then Rani Mukherjee who came along with choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant.

Slowly, rest of the members of Kapoor family started coming in. They included Sashi Kapoor's sister-in-law and widow of late Raj Kapoor, Krishna Raj Kapoor along with her grandchildren including Ranbir Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan along with Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor with mother Babita Kapoor.

Other family members -- Reema Kapoor, Shweta Nanda Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Neetu Singh were joined by Sanjay Kapoor, who also visited the late actor's house.

Many associates of Kapoor family gathered at the main entrance of Prithvi Theatre. They lit candles to pay their condolences before the photograph of the ever charming superstar of Indian cinema.

Sashi Kapoor, who won several national film awards, was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2011. He received the Dadasahed Phalke award in 2015.

Simi Garewal, one of the co-stars of the late actor, who appeared in a number of British and American films, tweeted: " I am deeply saddened by the passing away of my co-star Shashi Kapoor. The last of that generation of Kapoors gone. A gentleman and friend gone. An era gone.. All that remains are his films...and precious memories. RIP Shashiji."

Together they appeared in films like "Siddhartha", "Kabhi Kabhie".

Kamal Haasan tweeted: "Thank you Shashi Kapoor sahab. For what you did for Indian Theatre and Cinema. Thank you the Kapoor family for carrying the service forward. Tearful Salute to a man who loved the arts. Condolences to many fans like me. His family included."
Canberra, Dec 5 : The Australian government on Tuesday announced a package of legal reforms against foreign interference in order to counter espionage, counter-intelligence and political donations.

The proposal follows the controversy over the influence exerted by China and donations to local politicians by Chinese agents, as well as the investigations in the US over the possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections there, reports Efe news.

"Foreign powers are making unprecedented and increasingly sophisticated attempts to influence the political process, both here and abroad," Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull told reporters.

The bill seeks to create a new foreign influence transparency scheme which will require a person or entity participating in Australian politics on behalf of a foreign power, to register.

"Both elements are required. The ties to the foreign player and the advocacy," Turnbull said, who was accompanied by Attorney-General George Brandis and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann.

If links with foreign actors or interests are not disclosed to the authorities, the person or entity may be punished for criminal offences, he added.

The definitions of espionage and treason are also expected to be revised and a series of foreign interference offences added to the criminal code.

"If you act covertly on behalf of a foreign actor, in a way that harms Australia's national security, to influence the political process, or a government decision, that conduct will be criminalised," said Brandis.

Cormann said the government will present the bill on a foreign donations ban in the Senate later this week.

The finance minister said that only Australian firms and organisations should be able to influence the country's elections through political donations.

He added that it does not prevent charitable organisations from receiving and using foreign donations for non-political activities in Australia.

Cormann also said these organisations can engage in the country's political activities, as long as their funds are raised from Australians.
New Delhi, Dec 5 : The adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) platforms will dominate enterprise IT strategies in 2018, along with smart object storage, analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI), a new report said on Tuesday.

According to Hitachi Vantara, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd, IoT solutions will deliver valuable insight to support digital transformation in almost every industry and market sector.

IT must work closely with the operations side of the business to focus on specific business needs and define the scope of an IoT project.

"Building IoT solutions that provide real value can be difficult without the right underlying architecture and a deep understanding of the business to properly simulate and digitalise operational entities and processes," Hubert Yoshida, Chief Technology Officer, Hitachi, said in a statement.

According to Hitachi Vantara, enterprises started their digital transformation this year but the first problem that they ran into was the ability to access their data.

Data is often locked in isolated islands that make it costly to extract and use. These islands were built for purpose and not to be shared and many contain data that is duplicated, obsolete or no longer used because of changes in business process or ownership, the report said.

"Data scientists tell us that 80 per cent of the work involved in gaining analytical insight from data is the tedious work of acquiring and preparing the data," added Russell Skingsley, Chief Technology Officer, Asia Pacific.

"The concept of a data lake is alluring, but you can't just pour your data into one system, unless that data is properly cleansed, formatted and indexed or tagged with metadata so that the data lake is content aware. Otherwise you end up with a data swamp," he added.

Next year will see a growth in analytics and AI across the board as companies see real returns on their investments.

"AI became mainstream with consumer products like Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri, and Hitachi believes that it is the collaboration of AI and humans that will bring real benefits to society," said Skingsley.

Video content analytics will be a "third eye" for greater insight, productivity and efficiency in a number of domains beyond public safety.

The year 2018 will see new challenges in data governance which will require organisations to implement new frameworks.

The biggest challenge will come from the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will give residents in the European Union more control over their personal data.

The increasing numbers of passwords required by today's consumers will also support the shift towards biometric authentication in 2018, the report said.
New Delhi, Dec 5 : India reached 51/2 in their second innings after bowling out Sri Lanka for 373 in their first essay till lunch on the fourth day of the third and final Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here on Tuesday.

Pacer Ishant Sharma removed Dinesh Chandimal at his Test career-best score of 164 as the Sri Lankans fell short of India's first innings total by 163 runs.

In India's second essay, Murali Vijay (9) and Ajinkya Rahane (10) were dismissed before lunch, while Shikhar Dhawan (15 not out) and Cheteshwar Pujara (17 not out) were at the crease, with India taking an overall lead of 214 runs.

Earlier, resuming the day at 356/9, visiting captain Chandimal hit three fours before guiding a bouncer from pacer Ishant to Dhawan at third-man in the sixth over of the day. He hit 21 fours and a six. Lakshan Sandakan was unbeaten on zero.

India's second innings got off to a poor start as Vijay edged Lakmal in the third over to wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella.

Incoming batsman Rahane (10) struggled during his brief 37-ball stay as he continued his poor run in the series. Thanks to DRS, he survived twice.

Seamer Suranga Lakmal had got the umpire's favour in a LBW appeal against Rahane but the latter sought DRS, which showed that the ball had missed the leg stump in the fifth over.

Then, off-spinner Dilruwan Perera too thought his LBW appeal was a success against the Mumbai right-hander but the DRS saved him in the ninth over.

However, Rahane couldn't make it count as he was caught by Sandakan at long-on off tweaker Dilruan.

In between, the controversial issue of air pollution flared up again in the match, with visiting seamer Lakmal going off the ground after vomiting. The Sri Lankans came out fielding wearing anti-pollution masks.

Lakmal had bowled only three overs when he was seen vomiting on the field, prompting the physio to run to the field. After consultation, the pacer went off the ground. However, he returned to bowl four overs later.

Brief scores: India: 536/7d and 51/2 (Cheteshwar Pujara 17 batting, Shikhar Dhawan 15 batting; Suranga Lakmal 1/19) vs Sri Lanka: 373 (Dinesh Chandimal 164, Angelo Mathews 111; Ravichandran Ashwin 3/90, Ishant Sharma 3/98, Mohammed Shami 2/85).
Srinagar, Dec 5 : National Conference leaders paid tributes to the party founder and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah, popularly known as Sher-e-Kashmir or Lion of Kashmir, on his 112th birth anniversary on Tuesday.

Scores of supporters joined former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and other senior party leaders in offering prayers and floral tributes to the late leader.

Sheikh Abdullah, born on December 5, 1905, is regarded as one of the most charismatic Kashmiri leaders remembered for his role to liberate the state from the autocratic rule of the Maharajas.

He is also remembered for the revolutionary land reforms he initiated to end absentee landlordship.

The decision to grant proprietary rights to the peasants was the first such decision after the country's independence in 1947 to empower the under privileged peasants.

He died on September 8, 1982, and is buried on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar's Hazratbal area.

Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary is observed as a public holiday in the state.
Chandigarh, Dec 5 : The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday stayed trial court proceedings in the case of teenager Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death in a train in Haryana's Faridabad district in June.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Mahesh Grover and Raj Shekhar Attri issued notice of motion to the Haryana government and the Central Bureau of Investigation on the plea by Junaid's family for a stay on the trial and a CBI probe.

Junaid, 16, was fatally stabbed following an argument over seats in a train, triggering nationwide outrage. The trial in the case was going on in a Faridabad court.

Junaid's father Jalaluddin challenged a November 27 order of a single judge of the High Court, who dismissed the plea for a CBI probe by saying there was no evidence to show that the Haryana Police probe was flawed.

Jalaluddin had filed the petition on October 26.

After Eid shopping in Delhi on June 22, Junaid and his cousin brothers Hasim Moin and Shakir Moin had boarded the EMU train moving from Ghaziabad to Mathura. The accused, along with around a dozen other persons, boarded the train at Okhla and ordered Junaid and his brothers to vacate their seats.

When they refused, the accused brutally beat up the three and stabbed them and dumped them at Asaoti railway station in Palwal district. The police made five arrests in the case.
New Delhi, Dec 5 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the 14 recently-elected mayors from the state.

Modi said that "people's participation" has an important role in the "transformation of cities" in Uttar Pradesh, as he congratulated the mayors at his residence here.

Expressing his gratitude to the people of the state for their support to the party in the local body election, he said both Central and state governments are determined to raise the people's standard of living and extend facilities to the last man.

Modi urged the party workers to always remain committed to fulfilling the expectations of people.

The meeting was also attended by state Bharatiya Janata Party chief Mahendra Nath Pandey.

Later, Adityanath also handed over a cheque of Rs 5 crore to Modi from his Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund towards the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, for the cyclone Ockhi-affected people in Lakshadweep and other states.

Of the 16 municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh that went to polls late in November, BJP candidates won the mayoral seats in 14, including in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Moradabad, Kanpur and Allahabad.
Berlin, Dec 5 : The German government has been accused of breaking its own rules on removing Afghan asylum seekers with a decision to deport a 26-year-old who fears he will be killed if returned, a media report said on Tuesday.

The man is due to be flown out of Germany on Wednesday to a country he has not set foot in since he was five years old, the Guardian said in the report.

The case has focused attention on Germany's acceleration of deportations, which have doubled over the past year. In all, 78 people are due to be deported on Wednesday.

Amnesty has accused Germany and other European countries of breaking international law by returning asylum seekers to Afghanistan at a time when civilian casualties in the country are at their highest.

The deportation is part of a controversial policy in which male Afghan asylum seekers can be returned if they have been convicted of crimes or are considered to be "dangerous" suspects. They can also be sent back if they refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities to clarify their identities.

The man, whose asylum application has been rejected and who has lived in Bayreuth, Bavaria, since 2011, told the Guardian that he was stressed at the prospect of leaving.

"I left and went to Iran then and it was when they tried to deport me and send me back to Afghanistan that I fled for Germany.

"I am afraid because I think someone will kill me in Afghanistan. My father was part of the group who fought against the Taliban."

The Bavarian ministry that deals with immigration refused to comment, saying it could not give detailed information about deportations before they take place.
: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 5, 2017. Modi came to Xiamen ... Image Source: Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng/IANS

XIAMEN, Sept. 5, 2017 - Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 5, 2017. Modi came to Xiamen to attend the ... Image Source: Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng/IANS

Beijing, Dec 5 : India and China on Tuesday agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and investment, and to seek opportunities to promote Chinese investments in the Indian economy.

The two countries also exchanged views on policies and measures to address the challenges for attaining sustainable growth, and held in-depth discussions on sharing experiences and best practices in the areas of electric mobility, clean energy, higher education and Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

The issues came up for discussion during the third edition of the DRC-NITI Aayog Dialogue between India's NITI Aayog and China's Development Research Council, held in Beijing.

The meeting was co-chaired by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar and DRC President Li Wei.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed that amid global uncertainty and weak global growth, "the two large and rapidly growing developing countries had a major stake in the path that the global economy is likely to take in coming years".

"The DRC-NITI Dialogue provides an important platform for both sides to discuss key macro-economic issues impacting both countries and areas of mutual interest.

"The third dialogue enabled an in-depth interaction between the two delegations on the world economic prospects, India-China economic cooperation and practices for sustainable growth," said a statement from the NITI Aayog.

"The importance of pursuing balanced and sustainable bilateral trade was noted and opportunities for promoting Chinese investments in the Indian economy were highlighted," it added.

The two sides also agreed that the fourth NITI Aayog-DRC Dialogue will be held in India next year.
Lucknow, Dec 5 : Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has adopted the village of "Khajanchi", a child born in a queue outside a bank soon after demonetisation, a party spokesman said on Tuesday.

According to Rajendra Chowdhary, chief spokesman of the state unit of the party, the party will now develop Anantpurwa village of the child in Kanpur rural as a "Samajwadi Vikas Gaon".

All modern facilities would be brought to the village by the party, Chowdhary said.

The child was born on December 2, 2016, in a queue outside a bank in Jheenjhak, where his mother had gone to get the new currency notes, in the aftermath of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to trash Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

The ordeal of the mother was hyped by the then ruling Samajwadi Party as an "example of the troubles people have been put through due to demonetisation".

Named "Khajanchi" (treasurer), the child's family was given a house under the Lohia Awas Scheme by the then state government.
New Delhi, Dec 5 : London Mayor Sadiq Khan, on a visit to Delhi on a "severe" smoggy day, on Tuesday launched a global network to find solutions to improve worsening air quality in cities worldwide.

Bengaluru Mayor R. Sampath Raj will co-chair with Khan the newly formed 'Air Quality Network' under the C40 network to tackle rising air pollution.

The decision to work together on the issue of air pollution was announced at a meeting held by Mayors here on Tuesday.

C40 is a network of major cities like London, Paris, Los Angeles and Copenhagen working together to reduce greenhouse emissions and creating models that other cities and governments can adopt.

With support from the network of cities, London will set up a trial $1 million worth street-by-street air monitoring system to analyse pollution in over 1,000 areas in London including in schools, hospitals, construction sites and busy roads, the statement said.

All the members will have access to the learnings from the Air Quality Network.

"The results from London's new air quality sensor monitoring trial will be used to target policies, engaging citizens in cleaning up London's air, and will be shared with Bengaluru and other cities in the C40 Air Quality Network," it stated.

"Air pollution is a global problem that harms the lives of millions of people and only by working together will we help beat this international health crisis."

Khan said he was "proud to announce that London and Bengaluru will be leading a new air quality partnership. We hope to work with key cities across the world and in India, including Delhi."

Khan is on a six-day trip to India and Pakistan in a bid to improve London's trade relations with the two countries. He arrived in Mumbai on Sunday.

Khan on Tuesday visited Maharaja Agrasain Public School in Delhi where he met students studying air pollution. He also visited "the incredible Akshardham temple" that he called "sister" to Neasden temple - one of London's hidden jewels.

"Thank you to London's Hindu community for the huge contribution you make to our city," he tweeted, posting a video of his visit.
Ghaziabad, Dec 5 : Actor Gajendra Chauhan on Tuesday termed his controversy-filled stint as the chairman of Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune as his "biggest contribution to the film industry".

"When I joined this institute on January 1, 2016, it was almost non-functional. The student batch of 2007-8 for three years diploma course were awaiting for their certificates despite remaining in the institutes for eight years. No admission were conducted in 2014-15 session. The 49 students could complete their diploma in 2016 after I joined and cleared the stagnation," he said at a meet the press programme here.

Chauhan, whose appointment was bitterly opposed by the students, said he had invited top academicians to the institute, improved syllabus, created a choice based credit system and upgraded three years diploma course in to Masters degree in all 6 streams - acting, direction, editing, graphics, cinematography and post-production editing.

"In the earlier period, the students were unable to understand cinema in total. They could study cinema in parts, I think this was my most important contribution to students in this field.." he said.

He also he had cleared the construction of two new studios, which would enable funds to flow from their rental for shootings.

About the controversy over his appointment, Chauhan said it was political since the chairman's posting is a political appointment.

Paying tribute to Shashi Kapoor, who had passed away on Monday, Chauhan said that once he was advised by the veteran actor to maintain good behavior so that work could continue and said he was still following the instructions which helped him "survive in this tough world".

On the "Padmavati" controversy, he said its director Sanjay Leela Bhansali should keep his options open and improve in the areas where there are objections. "If I had been the producer, I would have contacted the royal family first with the script," he said.
Kolkata, Dec 5 : The principal of a city school, where a four-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by two teachers last week, was on Tuesday summoned to Kolkata Police headquarters, a senior police officer said.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the teachers' community to take more responsibility to avoid such incidents.

"Sharmila Nath, the Principal of the G.D. Birla school, has been summoned today by Kolkata Police's women grievance cell. She is being interrogated in relation with the sexual assault case," Joint commissioner of Kolkata Police, Crime, Vishal Garg, told IANS.

A police complaint was lodged against the principal by the victim's father demanding her arrest on Sunday for allegedly trying to cover up the issue of sexual assault and indirectly supporting the accused instead of taking action against them.

Referring to the incident, Banerjee said: "Teachers community must take more responsibility to isolate people who are involved in such incidents. We will take stand against them who committed such acts and nothing will be compromised."

The case was taken up by the special committee formed on Monday to look into the allegations of negligence and false representation on part of the high-profile G.D. Birla Centre for Education.

On the other hand, the agitation by the guardians of students on the issue of student security continued during the day even as the school authorities and the representatives of guardians' forum held a meeting inside the school.

The Chief Minister said guardians have all the right to protest against the incident, but all must ensure that classes resume. "The ICSE Board should also intervene," she said, adding that some people are trying to fish in troubled waters.

She criticised the "attempt to politicise the incident" and not allowing the school to resume normal operations.

The agitation spilled onto the other south Kolkata schools as several guardians gathered on the streets demanding installation of CCTV cameras in the entire school premises.

"The schools are increasing the annual fees every year by leaps and bounds. We are accepting all that but they must ensure our childrens' security. CCTV camera have be installed in all the schools," an agitating guardian demanded.

Massive agitation by the guardians took place in another south Kolkata-based institution, M.P. Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School, over the allegation of another case of sexual abuse on a nursery student almost three months ago, leading to the arrest of a staff member of the school.

Last Thursday, the four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by two PT teachers inside a school washroom. Both the accused have been arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and sent to police custody till December 15.

The school authorities issued a notice on Sunday stating that all the junior as well as senior classes would remain indefinitely closed. The notice also said that the school has removed the two arrested physical training teachers from duty.
New Delhi, Dec 5 : Lingerie vending machines will be launched at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here in February next year.

Radhika Goenka, heiress to the Welspun Group, took the first step and started her own line of women's innerwear -- Lingerie Shop in Mumbai. And now she is getting it to Delhi.

"We have just launched our first vending machine at VAMA Departmental Store on Peddar Road, Mumbai, and are planning to launch the next one at the Delhi international airport by February 2018," Goenka told IANS.

The vending machine will offer bras and underwears from the first all-black collection Be Mine.

"There is a stereotype attached with buying lingerie in public or even talking about it for that matter. The vending machine has been launched to change that perception...

"The Lingerie Shop vending machine is a small step towards revolutionising the Indian lingerie industry with intelligent innovation," Goenka added.
Indian players look at the giant screen as they wait for third umpire's decision on Day 4 of the third test match between India and Sri Lanka at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi on ... Image Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS

Indian captain Virat Kohli and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha on Day 4 of the third test match between India and Sri Lanka at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi on Dec 5, 2017. Image Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS

New Delhi, Dec 5 : India reduced Sri Lanka to 31/3 at stumps after setting a target of 410 runs on the fourth day of the third and final Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Tuesday.

Dhananjay De Silva (13) and Angelo Mathews (0) were at the crease when the umpires called it a day, with Sri Lanka 379 behind the target.

Chasing a massive 410, Sri Lanka got off to a bad start as openers Sadeera Samarawickrama (5) and Dimuth Karunaratne (13) failed to provide the start.

Samarawickrama was the first to go when pacer Mohammed Shami fired a perfectly pitched bouncer and it touched the gloves before landing in slips to Ajinkya Rahane.

Karunaratne was sent packing after few overs by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

Now with the scorecard reading 31/2 and conditions at Kotla worsening due to poor visibility, it was difficult to bat. Jadeja made full use of this situation and dismissed nightwatchman Suranga Lakmal two balls later.

Sri Lanka now have a Herculean task to salvage a draw from this position while India need only seven wickets to seal the series 2-0.

In the morning session, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 373 in their first innings, conceding a lead of 163 runs to India.

Resuming the penultimate day at 356/9, skipper Dinesh Chandimal was dismissed at his Test career-best score of 164. He hit 21 fours and a six.

Thereafter, India came in to bat but lost Murali Vijay (9) and Ajinkya Rahane (10) cheaply to reach 51/2 at lunch break and take an overall lead of 214 runs.

In between, the issue of air pollution flared up again in the match, with Lakmal going off the ground after vomiting. The Sri Lankans came out fielding wearing anti-pollution masks.

Lakmal bowled only three overs when he was seen vomiting on the field, prompting the physio to run to the field. He returned to bowl four overs later.

Resuming the second session at 51/2, Dhawan (67) and Pujara (49) added 55 runs to the score before Pujara was caught at slips by Angelo Mathews off Dhananjaya de Silva. Pujara's 66-ball innings was laced with five boundaries.

The fall of Pujara brought in skipper Virat Kohli (50), who along with Dhawan and later Rohit Sharma (50 not out) got to their respective half centuries before declaring at 246/5.
Washington, Dec 5 : The US Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the US by residents of eight countries, including six Muslim-majority countries, while legal challenges will proceed in lower courts.

Issued in September, the third version of the travel ban placed varying levels of restrictions on nationals from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen.

In unsigned orders on Monday that did not disclose the Supreme Court's reasoning, the justices lifted the injunctions which had been issued by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland, the New York Times reported.

The decision, supported by seven of the nine justices, was a major victory for US President Donald Trump after his two previous versions of the travel ban were blocked or narrowed in lower courts earlier this year.

Under the executive action, an exception would be made for travellers with "bona fide" links inside the US such as documented business purposes or close family relationships.

The ruling did not mean that the apex court accepted the ban as constitutional but that it found persuasive the Trump administration's argument that an emergency injunction against the ban was unnecessary.

The high court is expected to weigh the ban on its merits -- and to rule whether it violates constitutional protections against discrimination -- in the coming months.

The restrictions vary in their details but in most cases citizens of the countries will be unable to emigrate to the US permanently and many will be barred from working, studying or vacationing here.

Iran, for example, will still be able to send its citizens on student exchanges though such visitors will be subject to enhanced screening. Somalis will no longer be allowed to emigrate to the US but may visit with extra screening.

The Supreme Court's orders effectively overturned a compromise in place since June when it said that travellers with connections to the US could continue to travel here notwithstanding restrictions in an earlier version of the ban.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions hailed the ruling as "a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people", despite the advice of terrorism scholars who say that security justifications for the ban were misleading.

A spokesman for the White House, Hogan Gidley, said: "We are not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision." He called it "lawful and essential to protecting our homeland".

The progressive Centre for Constitutional Rights decried the ruling.

The Trump administration has denied that the ban is discriminatory along religious lines.

The President's first ban, issued in January, was chaotically rolled out and quickly blocked by a series of lower court rulings.

The second attempt, a more streamlined version of the first, was also blocked by the lower courts but eventually allowed to come into effect in a limited form.

Lawyers challenging the administration's successive travel bans have argued that each iteration of the restrictions suffered from the same discriminatory intent, evolving from Trump's pledge as a Presidential candidate to enforce a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the US.

The San Francisco-based ninth US circuit court of appeals and the fourth US circuit court of appeals in Richmond, Virginia, will be holding arguments on the legality of the ban this week.

Following the Supreme Court ruling, lawyers involved in the current challenges to Trump's ban vowed to continue fighting.
New Delhi, Dec 5 : Having acceded to the United Nations' convention on international transport of goods, India will ship its first consignment to Russia or Turkey via Iran on January 15, cutting down the transport cost and time by half.

"There is a lot of hope in the industry that this will be quite a game changer as far as Indian exports are concerned particularly to Russia and Central Asia," Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) Commissioner Sandeep Kumar told media here on Tuesday.

He added that the move would also help in operationalising the International North-South Transport Corridor, which has been languishing for years.

India acceded to the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) convention -- the global customs transit system for moving goods across international borders -- on June 15 this year. The convention would formally come into effect for India -- six months after the date of accession -- on December 16.

"Maybe around January 15 or 16 -- given cooperation from some trading intermediaries and logistics partners -- we will actually be able to use this convention to export goods to Russia or Turkey via Iran," the CBEC Commissioner (Customs and Export Promotion) said.

Kumar added that as per a dry-run conducted as a proof of concept, exporters would save around 50 per cent in terms of cost of transport as well as in terms of time.

With TIR, goods crossing international frontiers would be exempted from any duties or guarantees with all customs checks done at the origin and the destination instead of each frontier. The agreement would also ensure that trusting administrations would accept each other's control systems so they don't have to repeatedly examine the goods.

The CBEC Commissioner said the idea was, in fact, born from a summit level meeting between India and Russia where the possibility of an International North-South Transport Corridor was discussed.

"The idea was that instead of sending goods around the Cape of Good Hope, Europe and up there in the north, can you export them through Iran and other Central Asian countries via the Caspian Sea to Russia."

Kumar said the challenge was crossing three or four international borders.

"We thought if things could get better at international borders in terms of documentation and processes, then this route would make tremendous amount of economic sense.

"With TIR, you can actually cross international borders without having to file declarations that are required under the national law of each country, and you don't have to give bank guarantees as you cross different frontiers," Kumar said.

FICCI Secretary General Sanjaya Baru expressed hope that the convention would not only boost India's trade relations on the western front, but also on the eastern front with Bangladesh and other nations.

FICCI has been appointed by the CBEC as the National Guaranteeing Association for the operation of TIR system in India.
Kuwait, Dec 5 : The 38th annual summit of the Gulf Arab heads of state will convene here on Tuesday and Wednesday, officials said, despite an ongoing dispute between some members of the group.

A rift between the Gulf Cooperation Council members Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on one side, and Qatar on the other has put this year's annual meeting in doubt, Al Arabiya reported.

The crisis, which began in June, revolves around allegations by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt that Qatar supports terrorism, a charge Doha denies. Qatar says the four countries were trying to force Doha to fall in line with their own foreign policy views.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met his Gulf Arab counterparts on Monday ahead of the summit, one of the highest official encounters since some of them cut diplomatic, trade and travel links with Doha.

Al-Thani said that Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani would attend the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting, despite the dispute within the group.
Madrid, Dec 5 : A Spanish Supreme Court judge on Tuesday withdrew an international arrest warrant for ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and several of his Cabinet members.

Puigdemont and four other politicians have been in Belgium since the Spanish government triggered Article 155 of the Constitution, reeling back Catalonia's independence and dissolving the regional Parliament and government in response to a unilateral declaration of independence.

Despite the move, the judge said Puigdemont, Antoni Comin, Lluis Puig, Meritxell Serret and Clara Ponsati still faced possible charges for sedition and rebellion, the BBC reported.

Spanish Supreme Court judge Pablo Llareno announced the warrant's withdrawal, citing the willingness the Catalan leaders had shown to return ahead of fresh regional elections being held on December 21.

He said its removal would allow Spain full control over the investigation.

A Belgian judge was previously expected to rule whether to extradite the ministers on December 14. The five were fighting the move, saying they could not be guaranteed a fair trial on their return.

On Monday, six Catalan former ministers being held in a prison near Madrid were released from prison on bail. But two others, including former Catalan Vice President Orial Junqueras, were remanded in custody.

Campaigning has now officially started ahead of the new vote organised by Spanish authorities in an attempt to try and resolve the Catalonia crisis.

Puigdemont labelled the election as a choice between "nation or submission" while speaking on a video link from Belgium to a rally in Barcelona on Monday night.

He said voters must chose "between Catalan institutions or dark characters in Madrid".
New Delhi, Dec 5 : The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday said that Cyclone Ockhi was not expected to have high impact in Gujarat which is geared "for the worst sitation" caused by the landfall of the disaster hitting the state's coastal areas in Surat city on Tuesday midnight.

"The cyclone is not expected to have high impact in Gujarat's coastal areas. There is possibility of moderate to heavy rain tonight (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) morning with wind speed around 50-70 km/hour," a Home Ministry official said.

Gujarat state authorities, however, have taken several precationary measures against the backdrop of the cyclone leaving a trail of destruction in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Schools have been ordered to remain closed in the region till Wednesday. The Coast Guard has called back around 13,000 fishing boats that ventured into the seas on Monday evening.

"The state is fully prepared for the worst situation, if it arises. Right now the Ockhi cyclone is 390 km from Surat and is predicted to hit the city around midnight," Gujarat's Principal Secretary, Revenue, Pankaj Kumar told reporters in Gandhinagar.

The official said the wind velocity was expected to reach around 60 to 70 km, or even "up to even 80 km per hour in the coastal areas of Surat and Valsad".

Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and one of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been stationed at Surat and other coastal areas.

The authorities have also halted works at some 510 construction sites. The administration is preparing to erect small towers for uninterrupted cellular services.

When Ockhi hits the state, it is expected that sea waves could reach heights of up to two meters.
Geneva, Dec 5 : The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday that an act of genocide against Rohingya Muslims by state forces in Myanmar cannot be ruled out.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein was speaking at a Human Rights Council session in Geneva where he listed alleged abuses against the Rohingyas, including "killing by random firing of bullets, use of grenades, shooting at close range, stabbings, beatings to death and the burning of houses with families inside", the BBC reported.

More than 600,000 Rohingyas have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape Myanmar's military crackdown in late August in response to multiple attacks on government posts by Rohingya rebels.

Zeid said no Rohingya should be sent back unless there was sustained human rights monitoring on the ground.

He condemned the Myanmar authorities for not allowing the UN access to Rakhine and highlighted that due to the lack of transparency, observers were unable to properly gauge the severity of the situation.

"Considering the decades of statelessness as well as systematic and systemic discrimination against the Rohingyas, policies of segregation, exclusion and marginalization; long-standing patterns of violations and abuses (...) given all of this, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?" said Zeid.

"There are credible indications that these violent campaigns have targeted Rohingyas because they are Rohingyas -- on an ethnic or religious basis, and possibly on both grounds," he added.

Myanmar's ambassador to the rights council Htin Lynn denied atrocities had taken place and said his government and Bangladesh were working to ensure the return of displaced people.

"There will be no camps," he told the emergency session. Htin Lynn added that UN agencies would be involved but stopped short of guaranteeing the immediate, unimpeded access to Myanmar for UN investigators.

Zeid said the most recent brutal crackdown was the latest example of the discrimination that the community has faced for decades.

"The Rohingya community (...) has endured a progressive intensification of discrimination over the past 55 years -- and more in the last five years than in the previous 50 all together," he said.

He added that incitement to hatred and violence against the community is widespread and that there has been no reaction from the authorities to prevent it.

He noted that as the Rohingya are mostly undocumented, they cannot vote or form political parties, they cannot attend schools and they have no access to medical treatment.

Until now, UN officials, including Zeid, have described the violence in northern Rakhine state as "textbook ethnic cleansing".

According to reports, the escape route for Rohingyas has become even more dangerous than usual due to reports of the Army placing landmines on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border possibly to prevent refugees from returning.

Zeid thus warned that no repatriations can be organised to Myanmar from Bangladesh as long as the conditions of repression and systematic discrimination persist.
Kolkata, Dec 5 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday extended "full support" to former Union minister Yashwant Sinha in his fight for farmers' cause.

She also expressed her concern about the BJP veteran, who was detained by Maharashtra Police.

"I am concerned about @YashwantSinha Ji former union finance minister in jail," Banerjee tweeted.

"I am sending our MP Dinesh Trivedi to meet him. @YashwantSinha is fighting for the cause of farmers. He has our full support."

Sinha was detained for holding a demonstration in Maharashtra's Akola for the rights of farmers.
Beirut, Dec 5 : Lebanons Prime Minister Saad Hariri officially announced on Tuesday withdrawing his resignation in a statement he read after the cabinet concluded its session held in Baabda Palace and chaired by President Michel Aoun.

Prime Minister Hariri read the final statement which stressed that Lebanon sticks to the dissociation policy and Taef Accord, the state-run Al Manaar reported.

"The government has unanimously approved a statement pledging compliance with a policy of dissociation, the president's oath of office in terms of dissociating the country from regional conflicts and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries," he added.

Hariri had announced last week that he was going to officially withdraw his resignation sometime this week if "positive circumstances" continue.

Lebanese officials say Saudi Arabia coerced Hariri, a long-time ally of Saudi Arabia, into resigning and held him there against his will until an intervention by France led to his return to Lebanon last week, however, Saudi Arabia denies the charge.
Manila, Dec 5 : The Philippines on Tuesday threatened to pull out of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) if its war against drugs that has left thousands of people dead is investigated.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque previewed elements of a speech he is due to deliver at the ICC headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Efe news reported.

"My statement is we agreed to be a member of the ICC because of the principle of complementarity that the court will only exercise jurisdiction if our courts are unwilling or unable to exercise jurisdiction on any crime cognizable by the International Criminal Court," Roque said at a press conference.

"And to violate the principle of complementarity would be to violate the very basis of our consent to be bound by the Rome Statute. And if this will happen, then there may be a possibility that the Philippines may withdraw from the Rome Statute of the ICC," he added.

In April, a Filipino lawyer filed a lawsuit against President Rodrigo Duterte before the ICC, charging him with mass murder during the anti-drugs crackdown that began after he took office on June 30, 2016.

The lawyer asked the criminal court to sentence Duterte and 11 other officials, including the Secretary of Justice Vitaliano Aguirre II and Director General of the Philippine National Police Ronald dela Rosa to life in prison.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in Duterte's war on drugs, at least half of whom died during police operations against suspected drug users and dealers.
Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi, Dec 5 : As rescue operations in the wake of Ockhi cyclone entered the sixth day on Tuesday, 14 more fishermen from Kerala were rescued, officials said.

While search and rescue operations by the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and others are based off the Kochi coast, these fishermen were found near the Lakshadweep Islands.

Church officials in Thiruvananthapuram claimed 108 fishermen were still unaccounted for.

Many Kerala fishermen were reported to be stuck in Lakshadweep and Gujarat after the cyclone.

After facing flak for failing to gauge the seriousness of an India Meteorological Department weather report of November 29 and delaying rescue operations, the Kerala government was set to unveil a special rehabilitation package for the affected men.

According to informed sources, the ministers for fisheries, revenue and tourism departments -- who supervised the rescue operations -- will present a detailed package at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Officials of Latin Archdiocese here told the media that 108 fishermen remained untraced.

Kerala Additional Director General of Police B. Sandhya told the media that as per confirmed reports from Maharashtra, a good number of Kerala fishermen were currently putting up in that state.

They went out to sea on big fishing boats and will return after taking weather reports into consideration, he said.

"Arrangements have been made to give them financial assistance," said Sandhya.

Communist Party of India-Marxist Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan visited the affected coastal hamlets in Kerala and assured the affected communities that their grievances would be addressed.

In Delhi, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala along with state party leaders called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who assured that the Centre will be very considerate in deciding on a relief package.

"We urged for a compassionate approach rather than one that strictly goes by the rules. We were promised that things will be done with an open mind," said Chennithala.
Thiruvananthapuram, December 05 : CPI leader and revenue minister E Chandrasekharan reportedly came under fire in the CPI state council that met here on Tuesday over alleged lapses in coordination of rescue and relief efforts in the wake of the havoc wreaked by cyclone ockhi.

The council meet reportedly witnessed harsh criticism of the revenue department over alleged laxity in undertaking and coordinating rescue and relief efforts after the cyclone lashed the Kerala coast, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake especially in the southern part of the state.

At the state council meet, a few leaders of the CPI reportedly voiced the opinion that if there were lapses in coordination of relief efforts, the role played by the revenue department, if any, in it should be looked into.

Mr. Chandrasekharan is reported to have assured them that an enquiry will be conducted to ascertain if there was any laxity on the part of the revenue department and that stringent action will be initiated against errant officials.

The state government has drawn severe flak for its alleged laxity in promptly and effectively carrying out rescue and relief operations in the wake of the cyclone, especially in coastal areas.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and ministers Kadakampally Surendran and Mercykutty Amma - who are entrusted with coordinating the efforts to rescue fishers stranded at sea - faced the wrath of the fishing community when they visited the affected areas at Vizhinjam the other day.

Angry at the perceived failure of the state government to effectively coordinate rescue operations to bring the stranded fishers ashore, the fishing community vent their ire by blocking the chief ministers vehicle.

Mr. Vijayan had to beat a hasty retreat without meeting the relatives of fishermen missing at sea or visiting the relief camps at Vizhinjam.
Ankara, Dec 5 : Turkey on Tuesday joined a growing chorus of key Washington allies in warning US President Donald Trump about the perils of recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, describing it as a "fatal mistake" that would spark fresh conflict in the Middle East.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that a reported plan for such recognition, in whole or in part, would be a "red line for Turkey" and could lead to Ankara cutting diplomatic ties with Israel, CNN reported.

"As the temporary president of the Islamic Cooperation Organisation, we will follow this issue very closely," Erdogan said at his party's weekly meeting in the Turkish capital.

In a series of tweets earlier on Tuesday, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin described the reported plan as "a fatal mistake ... such a move would undermine all peace efforts and trigger new tensions and conflicts".

The announcement, expected this week, would fulfil a Trump campaign promise -- one made by previous US Presidents. It was later set aside due to regional concerns and Jerusalem's contested status between Israelis and Palestinians, both of which claim the holy city as their capital.

Saudi Arabia also expressed its concern over Trump mulling the imminent relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and formal recognition of the city as Israel's capital.

The kingdom reiterated its support for the Palestinian people in asserting their legitimate rights and in establishing an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The US "step, if taken, will be in contradiction of the principle of not affecting final status negotiations and contradicts international resolutions that emphasize the historical and firm rights of the Palestinian people regarding Jerusalem", the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Any announcement prior to a final settlement would have a detrimental impact on the peace process and would heighten tensions in the region," Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US, had earlier said.

In a phone call with Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed similar thoughts.

Macron said that the status of Jerusalem should be resolved through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, "and particularly those relating to the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as their capital," the statement said.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and the EU warned of "dangerous repercussions".

Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned it would be "a dangerous measure that would have repercussions".

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged world leaders to intervene, saying "such a US decision would destroy the peace process".
New Delhi, Dec 5 : Ahead of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expected visit to India early next year, Israeli Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon on Tuesday said that the two countries share a deep and longstanding relationship.

"We are talking about a very deep relationship between governments, between people. It is a longstanding partnership," Carmon said while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to launch of India-Israel Agricultural Project Action Plan for the years 2018 to 2020 by Mashav, Israel's agency for international development cooperation.

"We have just celebrated 25 years of diplomatic relations and we are looking at the next 25, next 50 years, next 75 years in which these two countries are doing things together for the benefit of all of us."

Carmon said that Netanyahu's visit will be in reciprocation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel in July this year, the first ever prime ministerial visit from India to that country.

Earlier, addressing the gathering here, the Ambassador said that the agreement for the new agricultural action plan was signed during Modi's visit.

He said that the India-Israel relationship was unique in terms of international development cooperation.

"We are sharing our knowhow with our friends in India," he stated.

Gill Haskel, head of Mashav, said that there are 20 functional centres of excellence in the field of agriculture across India set up with Israeli assistance.

Stating that Mashav's work in India was executed by Israelis, he said that this served as a bridge between people of the two countries.

"We spend 4.5 per cent of our GDP on research and development and we are shring our expertise in agriculture and agri-technology," Gaskel said, adding this percolates right down to the farmers.

According to a Powerpoint presentation made at the event, in all 26 centres of excellence were set up across nine states in India in the first two phases of the action plan while in the next phase, seven more states will be covered.
Islamabad, Dec 5 : Pakistan's anti-drug minister said on Tuesday that the country is facing threats of narcotics and the government will tackle the drug menace with an iron hand.

Minister for Narcotics Control Salahuddin Tirmizi said that the country's anti-drug agency was rendering extraordinary endeavours to counter drug trafficking at both national and international level.

The minister lauded Anti-Narcotics Force's (ANF's) achievements and its role as a specialized force in combating trafficking of illicit drugs at national, regional and global level, Xinhua news agency reported.

ANF Director General Major General Musarrat Nawaz Malik said at the ceremony that a total of 135.064 tons of drugs, valuing 3.95 billion rupees ($37 million), have been burnt in major cities of Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi this year.

Malik said so far this year the ANF has arrested 1,204 people involved in drug trafficking. The drugs include opium, morphine, heroin, hashish, cocaine and amphetamine.

He said out of the 786 cases, 753 cases met conviction, making 96 per cent of successful conviction rate.

This year the ANF has frozen drug-related assets worth 933.42 million rupees ($8.86 million), the anti-drug chief added.
Guwahati, Dec 5 : Union Minister of State for Tourism K.J. Alphons on Tuesday assured that he will take up at proper level the issue of northeastern states being kept as Level II destinations by many countries.

He also said that he would look into the issue of having direct flights from foreign countries to northeastern states to boost the tourism in this part of the country.

Alphons said this while speaking at the 6th International Tourism Mart, being held in Guwahati this year. The two-day travel mart, which got underway at a luxury hotel in the city on Tuesday, was inaugurated by Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi.

The Union Minister, while appreciating the tourism potential of the northeastern states, also appealed the state governments to market the tourism potentials of the region jointly and said that the diversity of the region is uncommon to any other part of the world.

"I am going to take up the issue that many countries like Japan had kept northeastern states of India in Level II category destinations. I am assuring you today that this obstacles would be removed at the earliest," said the Minister.

"I am also going to take up with the Ministry of Civil Aviation the issue of having direct flights to northeastern states from foreign countries. In last one year, our government has many new airports across the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has special interest for the northeast," he said.

It may be mentioned here that Assam Tourism Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had just returned to the state from Japan after holding a road show, told the Union Minister that Japan has kept Assam and other northeastern states as Level II destinations, which has made it difficult for the tour operators to market the tourism potentials of the region.

Sarma also raised the issue of northeast having lack of direct flights from foreign countries and said that the government of India needs to make it aviation policy flexible so that northeastern states can have direct air connectivity with foreign countries, particularly with its neighbouring countries.

The 6th International Tourism Mart Is expected to put the spotlight on India's "Act East Policy", blossoming ties with ASEAN and the larger East Asia region, home to the world's rapidly growing economies and India's emerging tourism markets.
New Delhi, Dec 5 : The Defence Ministry is likely to take a decision on capping the educational expenses paid to the children of ex-servicemen in line with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, informed sources said on Tuesday.

Amid demands not to go ahead with the decision, a letter dated September 13, issued by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, capped the fee for tuition and hostel at Rs 10,000 per month, as per the recommendations.

The sources said the ministry was "apprised of the matter", indicating that a decision on the issue could be taken soon.

On Tuesday, Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging her not to cap the total expenditure towards tuition fee and hostel charge at Rs 10,000.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and former army chief and Minister of State for External Affairs General V.K. Singh have also urged the minister to review the move.

The scheme for government bearing the cost of education of ex-servicemen's children was announced in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 1971 - two days after the Pakistani forces surrendered in Dhaka after the India-Pakistan war that led to liberation of Bangladesh.

Chandrasekhar in his letter to the minister said capping the fund "goes against the very principal by which this scheme was implemented".
New Delhi, Dec 5 : Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said there is a need to conserve water, incentivise agro-processing and promoting balanced use of fertilizers in order to ensure higher agriculture productivity, which would, in turn, increase income of farmers.

He added that in order to achieve the goal of doubling the farmers' income by 2022, there was need for better storage and marketing facilities for the farmers' produce so that they get better prices.

Jaitley's remarks came at his first pre-Budget consultative meeting with the representatives of different agriculture groups here.

During the meeting, many suggestions were received including incentivising mechanised farming and micro-irrigation, subsidising machines for crop residue management and tackling the stubble burning problem especially in northwest India.

There were also suggestions to give more focus on dairy, fruit and vegetable items "which have potential to grow three-four times and thereby can help in achieving the goal of doubling of the farmers' income by 2022", a statement from the Finance Ministry said.

The representatives also suggested focusing on vegetables especially TOP -- tomato, onion and potato -- as there is maximum volatility in their prices.

Another suggestion included to give more thrust to warehouses, cold storages at the local level and give boost to agro-processing facilities in order to optimally manage the increased production of agriculture produce, especially of perishable items.

It was also suggested to have an Integrated Transport System so that farmers can take their produce to the far-off market places where they can get better prices for their produce and in turn, help in containing their prices.

The representatives of the different agriculture groups also suggested a shift to "Farmers' Policy" instead of the "Food Policy", which is being pursued since decades.

"Other suggestions included to create a small group of five-six experts who can monitor the agriculture production data of different crops and global market conditions on monthly basis and do advance planning, rather than the government reacting suddenly to an adverse situation," the statement said.

"To ensure the delivery of remunerative prices to farmers, the Price Deficiency Payment Mechanism must be implemented immediately for those crops where procurement cannot be ensured.

"Other suggestions included that the Centre should declare an 'Agriculture Debt Relief Package' for the entire country which is used with matching contributions from the state governments," it added.

It was also suggested that on the lines of other subsidies, food and fertilizers subsidy should also be given through Direct Benefit Transfer mechanism to avoid pilferage.

The stakeholders suggested that 'one shoe fits all' policy may not be suitable and differentiated and flexible policies for different agro ecologies -- based on available land and water resources, population and dependency on agriculture -- should be promoted to accelerate growth of the agriculture sector.
London, Dec 5 : Chinese telecom giant Huawei's sub-brand Honor on Tuesday launched its flagship Honor 7X smartphone which gives full-screen viewing experience at Rs 12,999 for the 32GB variant and Rs 15,999 for the 64 GB variant.

The 4GB Honor 7X will be available for purchase from December 7, noon onwards, in India via flash sales exclusively on Amazon.

"The Honor 7X is the leading choice for users who want to enjoy rich functionality with the benefits of a bezel-less phone, while on a limited budget," George Zhao, Global President, Honor, told reporters here while launching the device.

"Additionally, Honor is immensely proud of the quality control it undertakes in producing every phone. Honor 7X was dropped over 4,800 times in the lab during testing so users can be assured that better value for money doesn't compromise our high-end quality," Zhao added.

He also said the company wants Honor to be the most favourite phone for young people.

"Honor wants to redefine global smartphone brand. We want to be among the top five global companies in the smartphone segment in three years and in top three in five years," Zhao said.

"The company also wants to become the top smartphone brand in India, Turkey, Asia-Pacific and Middle East."

The phone will come in three colours -- black, blue and shining gold.

The Honor 7X is the first smartphone to feature Honor "FullView Display", a 5.93 inch edge-to-edge, bezel-less screen design that provides good display quality and achieves a high screen-to-body ratio, meaning that users can enjoy striking images on a sleek, compact phone which comfortably fits into the palm.

In addition, the bezel-less screen and dual-lens (16MP + 2MP) rear camera with large aperture and fast focusing means DSLR-level photo quality and shooting experience is at selfie lovers' fingertips.

With the "Phase Detection Auto Focus" (PDAF) technology and the latest algorithms, the device enables focusing in as fast as 0.18 seconds.

The Honor 7X is powered by an Octal-core Kirin 659 processor at 2.36GHz and is equipped with 4GB RAM and EMUI5.1, ensuring superb performance when multi-tasking and gaming.

It runs Android 7.0 Nougat OS and charges using the older micro USB connector.

A microSD card of up to 256 GB can be used to increase data storage. The phone houses 3,340mAh battery with "Ultra Power Saving Mode".

Launched in India in 2014, Honor started manufacturing in the country from 2016 in partnership with the leading global electronics manufacturer Flex Telecom at a facility in Chennai.

(Aparajita Gupta is in London at Honor's invitation and can be contacted at aparajita.g@ians.in)
New Delhi, Dec 5 : After a court in Pakistan set free Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Israeli Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon on Tuesday emphasised on the need to bring perpetrators of terrorism to book.

"Bringing the perpetrators of terrorism to justice is a very basic ingredient of fighting terrorism," Carmon said while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

"As you all know, one of the main instruments of fighting terrorism with the unity and joint effort of all those who, on one hand are victims of terrorism but also have decided to join hands in confronting it, he said.

Saeed, who heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) terror outfit, and who carries a $10 million US bounty for his role in terrorist activities, was let go last month by Pakistani authorities in Lahore after a court refused to extend his house arrest citing lack of evidence. He had been under house arrest since January 30.

Over 160 people were killed and over 300 were injured a when terrorists of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba launched a series of attacks on India's commercial capital in November 2008.

Among those killed were Israeli citizens Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, when the terrorists attacked the Chabad House in Mumbai.

"As I said before, bringing the perpetrators of terrorism is definitely part of fighting terrorism and we are into it together," Carmon said.

"Much of the world has been suffering from terrorism and we should and we will fight it together."
New Delhi, Dec 5 : The Congress on Tuesday condenmed the detention of former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha by police in BJP-led Maharashtra while terming the state government's loan waiver "a cruel joke" on the lakhs of farmers there.

"Even as 35 farmers commit suicide daily in the country, the BJP-ruled Maharashtra government has played a cruel joke on the lakhs of farmers of the state.

"The fascist shades of the BJP have come to the fore yesterday (Monday) in Maharashtra, where senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha was detained by the Maharashtra Police in Akola, along with 250 farmers," said former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan.

"Their only crime was that they were protesting against the insensitive policies of the BJP government, which have severely affected the cotton farmers of Vidarbha," he added.

"We strongly condemn such actions by the state government, who in its hunger of power, is playing with the rights of the farmers."

Sinhav has said his protest was purely for the rights of farmers and there was no political meaning to it.
Gandhinagar, Dec 5 : Even as programmes of several political leaders were cancelled in Gujarat in view of cyclone "Ockhi", Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to go ahead with his three-day visit to poll-bound state starting Wednesday.

Earlier, prediction of Ockhi hitting the shores of Surat and elsewhere in Gujarat by Tuesday midnight led to cancellation of public meetings by various political parties, including the three-day visit of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national President Amit Shah, who was in the state, also cancelled his rest of the programmes.

But Modi's schedule, it was announced, would stand as declared but for a minor change that he would visit Surat on Thursday instead of Wednesday.

The Prime Minister will arrive in the state on Wednesday and at around 9.30 a.m, he will address a public meeting in Dhandhuka.

After that he will head for the tribal areas where he has a programme scheduled in Dahod at 12 noon and thereafter in Netrang at 2.00 p.m.

On Thursday, the visit to Surat will be adjusted in-between his previously announced visits to Bhabhar, Kalol, Himatnagar and Vatva. He will start the day by addressing a public meeting at Bhabhar at 11.00 a.m.

Thereafter, Modi will visit Kalol in Gandhinagar district at 12:30 p.m. In Himmatnagar, he addresses a public meeting at 2:30 p.m and will be in Ahmedabad to address a gathering in Vatva region at 4.00 p.m.

On Friday, Narendra Modi will visit Lunawada at 9:30 in the morning and address a public meeting. After that, he will go to Bodeli at around 11.00 a.m. He will visit the milk capital Anand and address a gathering at 12 noon. His last public meeting of the day will be at Mehsana, the Patidar bastion, at 3.00 p.m.

Earlier, visits of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiytanath, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje Scindia, BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Congress leader Raj Babbar, among others, were cancelled in the wake of announcement regarding the cyclone.
Ramallah, Dec 5 : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received on Tuesday a telephone call from US President Donald Trump, who told him of his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

President Abbas warned of the dangers of such a decision on the peace process, security and stability in the region and the world, Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rdineh said in an official statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The President reaffirms our firm position that no Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative," said Abu Rdineh.

He added that the president will continue his contacts with world leaders to prevent such unacceptable action.

Trump was intending to make an official decision on Wednesday to decide on moving the US embassy to Jerusalem or recognizing the city as the capital of Israel.

Reports said earlier on Tuesday that the White House announced that Trump postponed his decision on Jerusalem to Monday next week.

However, Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Abbas' Fatah Party, called for three days of rage and anger in the Palestinian territories, starting from Wednesday against any decision that will be taken on Jerusalem.
Ahmedabad, Dec 5 : The Congress on Tuesday hit back at BJP President Amit Shah over Ayodhya issue in the apex court, saying if a party is sought to be blamed for a lawyer representing a side in a case, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should be dismissed for having appeared for Dow Chemicals in the Bhopal gas tragedy case.

"If a lawyer from a political party represents any party (in a case) can attract blame for his party, then will Arun Jaitley be dismissed from the government and also from the party?" Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters here.

He was responding toAmit Shah's latching on to lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal's plea for deferring hearing the Ramjanambhoomi dispute case till after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and asking party Vice President Rahul Gandhi to clear the Congress stand on the Ram temple issue.

Surjewala said Congress' stand on Ayodhya issue has always been clear. "The Ayodhya case will be decided by Supreme Court," he said, adding "BJP is playing the role of Manthara (a character from Ramayana known for negative influence)."

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for raking up "irrelevant issues", the Congress spokesperson asked them instead to give an account of their 22-year rule in poll-bound Gujarat on the issue jobs, farmers' distress, problems of youth and reservation for Patidars.

Modi is reverting to "Mughal Raj", "Aurangzeb", "Tughlaq", Pakistan, Afghanistan, China to divert attention from real issues, Surjewala alleged.
New Delhi, Dec 5 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the city government and civic agencies to apprise it about the programmes they have undertaken or intend to take on spreading of education about menstrual hygiene to adolescent girls here in schools.

The court, while hearing a PIL seeking direction to provide access and education about menstrual hygiene to adolescent girls and free sanitary pads, also sought to know budgetary allocation for the purpose by the Central and Delhi governments.

It also asked civic agencies to inform it about the status of separate toilets for girls and boys in government and aided schools under their jurisdiction.

The court's direction came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a practicing advocates Setu Niket and Esha Mazumdar who contended that considering the increasing number of girl child dropouts from school, there was a need of a mechanism to educate school children on menstrual hygiene and providing free and compulsory sanitary pads under the Right to Education Act, 2009.

It is imperative that children of the age group of 10-14 years are sensitised about menstrual hygiene and every possible effort to help the girl child in continuing her education be made by the government, Mazumdar added.

During the hearing, the Central government told the court that without any demand, it has granted Rs 27 lakh to the Delhi government for the year 2017-18 for procurement of sanitary napkins.

The court asked Delhi government to examine the need of civic bodies to provide the funds for the purpose.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) said that in schools "the sanitary napkin is provided to needy in an emergency situation from Boy's Fund at present".

"No funds in this regard have been allocated by the Delhi government to the municipalities so far," adding it has already written a letter to director of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (Universalization of Elementary Education Mission) to provide funds.

The PIL sought formulating a National Level Policy to establish a mechanism to provide education, sensitization and ensure availability of menstrual hygiene products to adolescent girls.

The court now posted the matter for January 23.
New Delhi, Dec 6 : Terming it a scam, the Congress on Tuesday asked whether Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will order an impartial judicial probe into the 22 lakh "ghost accounts" as claimed by his government, out of 89 lakh beneficiaries meant for farm loan waiver.

"The Maharashtra Chief Minister and his government has claimed that about 22 lakh accounts meant for farm loan waiver (out of 89 lakh beneficiaries) are fake, bogus and are ghost accounts.

"The much-hyped farm loan waiver scheme announced by the Maharashtra government in June this year was expected to benefit 89 lakh farmers across the state," said former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, noting an amount of Rs 34,022 crores was to be disbursed to the debt ridden farmers by October 31.

"The implementation of the scheme has come as a rude shock for the small and marginal farmers of the state. BJP's deception can be gauged by the mere fact that banks (both public sector and co-operative) who were supposed to waive off the loans, were found to have inflated the number of farm loan accounts by about 22 lakhs.

"These 22 lakh beneficiaries are now termed as 'ghost accounts' by senior officials of the State Bank of India, as per media reports," he added.

Chavan also said several media reports indicate that that now the actual budget for farm loan waiver has been reduced by Rs 10,200 crore to Rs 24,000 crore.

He said he had written to the Reserve Bank of India Governor, citing several instances which gave specific examples of such 'ghost accounts', but not received any reply.

"It is quite possible that there may be a problem in the state government's online application process and not in the bank data. There are also issues about the uniqueness of Aadhar numbers, where several beneficiaries have said to have the same Aadhar number," he added.

Chavan also asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "who continuously makes tall promises of doubling the farm income of farmers in his Gujarat rallies", order a probe into the matter.
Mumbai, Dec 6 : Credit ratings agency ICRA on Tuesday said that healthy passenger load factors, along with a decline in competitive intensity is expected to aid the Indian aviation industry to reduce its losses in FY2018.

As per a research note by ICRA, healthy passenger load factors supported by a decline in competitive intensity due to moderation in capacity addition and suspension of operations of three regional airlines has augured well for the industry profitability.

"This coupled with a gradual improvement in the core growth drivers like economic environment, tourism demand and regulatory support and a strong demand during the peak season is expected to support the industry profitability during H2 FY2018," the research note said.

According to Kinjal Shah, Assistant Vice President & Co-Head, Corporate Sector Ratings, ICRA, the aggregate net loss of the industry (which does not includes Vistara and AirAsia India) is expected to reduce to "Rs 50 million to Rs 1 billion in FY2018 from Rs 10 billion in the previous year".

"It has to be noted that the loss is primarily on account of losses of Air India, while all other major airlines are expected to report profits during the year," he said.
New Delhi, Dec 6 : Ten ships continue to be deployed for search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi, the Indian Navy said on Tuesday.

So far, Indian Naval Ships have so far saved 148 lives since the search and rescue operations started, and provided lifesaving material assistance to 174 fishermen at sea, it said.

Even as the cyclone rapidly weakened and moved farther away from the Kavaratti island of Lakshadweep and Minicoy, the Southern Naval Command (SNC) continued search and rescue operations for the sixth day on Tuesday, a statement said.

Ten naval ships, including frontline ships from Western Naval Command including INS Chennai, Kolkata and Trikand as well as four types of aircraft, including long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8I, Dornier, and SeaKing and Chetak helicopters continue to be deployed over an extended search and rescue area of 250 nautical miles west of the Lakshwadeep islands and 400 nautical miles off Kerala coast.

Based on request received from local administration of Lakshadweep islands, Disaster Relief material was disembarked at Minicoy by INS Shardul, at Kavaratti by INS Chennai, at Kalpeni by INS Sharda and at Bitra by INS Trikand with assistance also provided by naval SeaKing helicopters. In addition, technical and diving teams of INS Shardul disembarked at Minicoy island to render assistance in salvage, repair and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.

A technical team, capable of undertaking electrical and mechanical repairs deployed at Bitra Island by INS Trikand has already repaired and reconstructed four badly damaged fishing vessels and made them seaworthy.

INS Kabra, presently involved in search and rescue operations off Kollam, will embark local fishermen on December 6 at Kollam Port for carrying out guided search operations, based on specific inputs provided by these fishermen. Similarly, INS Kalpeni will also embark local fishermen from Kochi in an effort to further boost the ongoing rescue efforts. Both ships will embark fishermen in the morning and disembark them in the evening on completion of the guided search.

In addition, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material has been provided to all Lakshwadeep islands and all efforts are bring back normalcy to them "most expeditiously".

"Relentless efforts are on by all other ships at the disposal of Indian Navy to provide relief and support to the last person needing it, either at sea or at the Lakshadweep islands," Indian Navy said in its statement.

According to the Home Ministry, a total of 39 people from Tamil Nadu and Kerala have been killed and 167 are still missing after Cyclone Ockhi hit both the states on December 30.
New Delhi, Dec 6 : In a significant diplomatic development after the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Doklam region of Bhutan earlier this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India for the Russia-India-China Foreign Ministers' trilateral meeting here next week.

The External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Wang, along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would attend the meeting on December 11 to be hosted by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

"The meeting is expected to review global and regional issues of mutual interests well as discuss trilateral exchanges and activities.

Indian and Chinese troops were in a face-to-face situation near the Sikkim sector of the international border after the Chinese People's Liberation Army tried to build a road in Doklam in mid-June.

While India and Bhutan said that it violated the status quo along the India-Bhutan-China international trijunction, Beijing claimed that it was China's territory.

New Delhi and Beijing eventually agreed to pull back their troops towards the end of August ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China for the G20 Summit.
New Delhi, Dec 6 : In a significant boost to New Delhi's Act East Policy, India and Japan set up the Act East Forum on Tuesday as agreed during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to India this year for the annual bilateral meeting.

"In pursuance of the memorandum of cooperation to establish the India-Japan Act East Forum signed on September 14 during the visit of Prime Minister Abe to India, Ministry of External Affairs and Embassy of Japan held the first joint meeting of the Forum on December 5," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu co-chaired the meeting.

"The Act East Forum aims to provide a platform for India-Japan collaboration under the rubric of India's Act East Policy and Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy," the statement said.

"The Forum will identify specific projects for economic modernisation of India's Northeast region including those pertaining to connectivity, developmental infrastructure, industrial linkages as well as people-to-people contacts through tourism, culture and sports-related activities."

According to a joint statement issued following the bilateral summit in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Abe appreciated the cooperation between Japan and northeastern India, ranging from key infrastructure projects such as road connectivity, electricity, water supply and sewage, to social and environmental sustainability such as afforestation and community empowerment, as well as people-to-people exchanges, including inviting youth from the Northeast to Japan.

"We agreed to work in a much more focused and substantive way in the Northeast," Jaishankar said after the summit.

"To that end, we agreed on an India-Japan Act East Forum which will essentially explore the possibilities of involving Japan in northeastern infrastructure," Jaishankar said.

He said that development of infrastructure in the northeastern region would help India open out much more to Myanmar, Bangladesh and beyond.

"So it would in a practical way it really give legs to our Act East Policy," the Foreign Secretary said.

He said that though Japan has been assisting northeastern India in road infrastructure, the intent this time was to take it to a much higher level.

Apart from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Japanese Embassy, Tuesday's meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Home Affairs and the northeastern states from the Indian side, and Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan External Trade Organisation, Japan Foundation and Japan National Tourism Organization from the Japanese side.

The Look East Policy enunciated in the early 1990s for India's enhanced engagements with Southeast Asia for boosting economic ties, was turned into the Act Policy after the present NDA government assumed power giving a strategic dimension to it.
Zulu Midwife Racha Tahani Lawler Pure love. A wonderful empowering experience from beginning to end.

Announcing the Grand Opening Celebration for Crimson Fig Midwifery Center in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles.

Racha Tahani Lawler is a locally-beloved, forth generation midwife focusing on closing the disparities in birth outcomes for women of color. She trained at Maternidad La Luz and has attended well over 1000 births. She serves the full spectrum of LA families ranging from at-risk youth to public figures like the Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Khan-Cullers and Emmy Winning Actor, Sterling Brown.

Regardless of their background, all receive the same level of incredible care. Actor Sterling Brown describes his two childbirth experiences with Racha as, Pure Love. A wonderfully empowering experience from beginning to end.

Racha is a true community midwife. In 2011 she opened The Community Birth Center, which offered a full range of womens health services on a sliding scale, as well as a home-base for countless midwives in training. She has been recognized dozens of times for her dedication to black womens health and womens health in general, including the Midwife of the Year award in 2013, and the prestigious Lillian Mobley Community Service Award in 2015.

In early 2017, Racha closed The Community Birth Center to train in the historical midwifery practices of her ancestors in South Africa. She immersed herself in the teachings of the Zulu nation and on August 14th, 2017 was officially recognized by the South African government as a Traditional Healer, Sangoma and Umbelethisi/Midwife. Racha was also initiated into the Zulu nation.

Racha has returned to Los Angeles with a new fire. She now blends the powerful ancestral practices of the Zulu into her ongoing impeccable professional midwifery practice. She has recently opened Crimson Fig to combine both elements of her heritage, Southern American and South African. She is committed to providing excellent care regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or gender. And she remains a vocal advocate for improving birth outcomes in the underserved black community.

Crimson Fig enthusiastically invites all who are interested in this consequential work to join Racha and her beautiful community as they celebrate the Grand Opening of Crimson Fig, Sunday, December 10th, at the new location: 2654 La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034. She hopes you will join her to celebrate/ukugbubha in Southern American and South African tradition with live DJs, local vendors, and natural product giveaways. All are encouraged to attend and spread the good vibes and good news.

Crimson Fig provides midwifery services to anyone regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status. It is the premier black-owned midwifery service in Los Angeles. Racha Tahani Lawler is a certified midwife and was recently recognized as a Traditional Healer and Midwife by the South African government.
Given the speed with which they implemented the system and made production possible, they have proven their commitment to being our business partner, not just a vendor.

Aon National Flood Services (NFS), a division of Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. and the top administrator for insurance carriers participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, and Insuresoft, a leading transaction-processing solution provider for insurance carriers, today announced the successful implementation of the Diamond System. This partnership further enhances Aon NFS ability to deliver an industry-leading experience for flood insurance agents selling EZ Flood Standard and EZ Flood Preferred policies in California, Florida, Texas, North Carolina and Indiana. The initial deployment will be followed by the addition of more than forty states, as well as a conversion from their current systems to Diamond.

In todays ever-changing flood insurance environment, insurance agents and insureds are looking for options that may fall beyond standard government-issued coverage. With the implementation of Diamond, Aon NFS will be able to more efficiently and effectively provide comprehensive solutions to address a wide range of coverage needs. Diamond will enhance operational productivity throughout the organization by standardizing policy administration and billing management processes on a cohesive technology platform. Aon NFS will also realize increased speed-to-market and business agility, by leveraging secure, cloud hosting on Diamond from Microsoft Azure.

This initial implementation of Diamond to our EZ Flood Standard and EZ Flood Preferred lines of business has been a huge milestone for us, said Marc Boone, Sr. IT Director at Aon. Given the speed with which they implemented the system and made production possible, they have proven their commitment to being our business partner, not just a vendor.

We congratulate Aon NFS on the successful completion of the Diamond System; they have been great to work with throughout the implementation. Our teams worked closely together to roll out multiple products in five states in just over four months, said Terry Brown, President of Insuresoft. We are deeply committed to Aon NFSs mission to provide exceptional private flood insurance products, and are pleased to have helped them build a feature-rich and scalable foundation for future business growth.

About Aon National Flood Services

As a leading flood insurance vendor, we take pride in knowing that flood insurance is essential to helping rebuild lives devastated by flood. Our 750 colleagues across the US are focused on building valued partnerships with the industrys largest Write-Your-Own (WYO) carriers, educating insurance agents and property owners through the complexities of flood insurance, and providing innovative, private flood insurance solutions through NFS Edge.

For more information, please visit http://www.nationalfloodservices.com.

About Insuresoft

Insuresoft is a Microsoft Gold Certified software developer serving the property/casualty insurance industry. Insuresoft offers a fully integrated policy, billing, and claims-processing platform. Insuresoft Diamond Enterprise Insurance Platform is in production in nearly 30 insurance companies and MGAs across all 50 states, processing $3B in personal- and commercial-lines premiums annually. The platform is scalable, configurable, and cost-effective. Insuresoft is privately held, for more information, visit http://www.insuresoft.com, email sales@insuresoft.com, or call 866-299-1314.
TradeGecko makes managing inventory for Amazon Australia sellers effortless With TradeGeckos integration into Amazon.com.au, sellers dont need to struggle managing inventory with manual spreadsheets or expensive enterprise software.

The integration connects back-end supply chain operations with front-end store management seamlessly. With the launch of this integration, TradeGecko consolidates business operations, inventory, order and channel management on one platform, thereby offering a competitive advantage to Amazon merchants by spending less time managing their operations and more time maximising their sales.

Amazon.com.au has been one of the most closely followed stories in the Australian retail space and promises to offer an exceptional online shopping experience to Australian shoppers. Merchants can look forward to leveraging the millions of Australian shoppers expected to buy regularly from Amazon.com.au.

With TradeGeckos integration into Amazon.com.au, sellers dont need to struggle managing inventory with manual spreadsheets or expensive enterprise software. Were delighted to be able to help TradeGecko customers add this new channel to their business, without having to add-on operational overhead. Now thats game-changing. said Cameron Priest, CEO of TradeGecko.

The integration pulls new order and sales data from Amazon into TradeGecko so that sellers get real-time sales insights and can quickly ship orders to their customers. The integration also pushes up-to-date stock levels and price updates from TradeGecko to Amazon, helping sellers integrate their sales channels and ensuring they dont oversell their stock; an issue that costs retailers over $1.75 trillion a year, as reported by NBC News. This way, sellers can scale their business with Amazon.com.au without adding operational load to their business.

Merchants who are already selling online with Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento, or selling wholesale, can easily integrate their existing operations into Amazon.com.au with TradeGecko. TradeGecko also integrates with other essential services for sellers, including accounting integrations with Xero and Quickbooks Online, shipping, payments, as well as proprietary solutions such as a mobile sales app and a private B2B marketplace.

The new Amazon Marketplace integration is available FREE for all TradeGecko customers. Visit our website for additional information and access to the Amazon integration.

About TradeGecko

Founded in 2012, TradeGecko is a cloud-based inventory and order management platform for SMEs, serving B2B wholesalers, distributors and eCommerce businesses. TradeGecko has a global customer base in over 90 countries serviced from their offices in Singapore, Canada and the Philippines. For more information, please visit http://www.tradegecko.com

Follow @TradeGecko on Twitter and find us on Facebook, and LinkedIn.
When patients choose a small cohesive group offering a diverse range of talent and skill sets, the patient gets the benefit of the entire team, not just one doctor, notes Reddy. This certainly has a significant impact on outcomes in the delivery of health care and the management of patients.

Dr. Gurunath Reddy is a passionate advocate for the concept of collaborative care.

He has been working tirelessly, through his affiliation with various associations, including the Harris County Medical Society, to educate other physicians on this and other issues which might lead to improved outcomes for every patient.

25 years ago, Reddy founded Digestive and Liver Disease Consultants around this very model. The practices core operating philosophy is simple: medicine is a team endeavor, and physicians should strive to be interdependent rather than independent.

This collaborative care model has allowed the practice to pursue a course of evidence-based medicine while providing a ready source of robust peer review for each doctor involved. Physicians in a group can discuss and review difficult case scenarios while working on quality diagnostic algorithms.

The practice of medicine now advances at a rapid rate. Multiple databases publish 30,000 new articles every month. It is impossible for any single physician to keep up. Specialization has become the only defense in an increasingly complex industry, a fact which means specialists must work together if theyre going to achieve a complete picture of patient health.

When patients choose a small cohesive group offering a diverse range of talent and skill sets, the patient gets the benefit of the entire team, not just one doctor, notes Reddy. This certainly has a significant impact on outcomes in the delivery of health care and the management of patients.

Digestive and Liver Disease Consultants has won multiple awards, both for the individual physicians practicing there, and for the practice itself. The groups high success rate when dealing with digestive and liver conditions speaks to the success of the team-based model.

Meanwhile, Reddy himself continues to help patients who need help from other disciplines by spreading the word about the benefits of this kind of care. Ill keep on it till collaborative care is the rule, rather than the exception. Im too passionate about the well-being of patients throughout Harris and Montgomery County and beyond to do anything less.

ABOUT DR. GURUNATH REDDY

Dr. Gurunath Reddy, MD, FACP, FACG, FASGE, AGAF is widely recognized for his endoscopic experience, clinical acumen, and his teaching. He has spearheaded policy and quality improvement efforts throughout the industry. He has been recognized as one of Houstons top doctors by H Texas Magazine from 2006-2017, and by Houstonian Magazine from 2013-2017. The Consumers Research Council named him one of Americas Top Doctors in 2006.

Reddy has served as Chair of Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement, Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Continuing Medical Education, Endoscopy, and Medical Staff By Laws. The Houston Northwest Medical Center elected him as Chief of Staff, as did Northeast Medical Center Memorial Hermann North East. He also served on the boards of both hospitals. He is one of the founding board members of Kingwood Medical Center (HCA). HE served on the Board of the Texas Gulf Coast Gastrointestinal Society and Advisory Board of the Southeast Chapter of the American Liver Foundation. He served as President of the Harris County Medical Society(HCMS). He served on the Board of Medical Legislation and as President of Houston Academy of Medicine.

ABOUT DIGESTIVE AND LIVER DISEASE CONSULTANTS, PA

Digestive and Liver Disease Consultants, PA has been providing gastrointestinal and liver care to patients in Harris and Montgomery Counties since 1988. It is home to an award-winning and highly acclaimed group of board-certified gastroenterologists with a combined 60 years of experience in their field. For more information visit http://www.txgidocs.com.
Florida Beauty Problems New Microfocused Beauty + Wellness Blog We love helping our Sunshine State sisters discover the best beauty products and spas while finding the most inspiring pros and pundits...in every Florida city, one post at a time.

Florida Beauty Problems is a new beauty + wellness blog for women residing in - and traveling to - Florida. Smart, newsy and uber-researched content is hyper-focused on Sunshine State beauty services and solutions for solving sun and weather-induced beauty, health and fashion issues  think heat, humidity, horrifying-winged pests  for a readers skin, hair and body. Relying on Floridas top pundits and pros as sources, recent posts include a shelfie profile of Miami entrepreneur Renee Frigo Graeff, TRUHair's Chelsea Scott, in Clearwater, Naples wellness doctor Linell King, M.D., Art Basel Miamis Beauty Best Bets and The University of Floridas top mosquito expert.

Florida Beauty Problems content chief is Dana Wood, contributor to the Wall Street Journals Off Duty pages and the New York Posts Alexa luxury magazine. Following her college days at New York Citys prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology, Dana held executive beauty director editorial positions at Brides, W and Cookie magazines. Publicist Diana Biederman is publisher and co-contributor. They met in 1993 when one of Dianas plastic surgeon PR clients was doing the first chemical peels; Danas resulting story in W launched this youthifying treatment for women worldwide. After residing in NYC for nearly 25 years before moving to Florida within a year of each other, Dana now calls St. Petersburg home and Diana resides in Naples.

The concept for Florida Beauty Problems surfaced during a long-overdue ladies lunch in Sarasota, with both bemoaning how Florida's sizzling heat and sopping humidity were, after just a few months, taking quite the toll on their polished city-girl looks. In NYC, they had access to top beauty pros at a moments notice. But it's not just that: the wimpy skin, hair and makeup products in their beauty arsenals were no match for the challenges facing Floridas females. They also needed a replacement squad of beauty pros to keep them looking good, and new super-strength products too.

Since launching in 2017, Florida Beauty Problems has amassed thousands of loyal readers looking for expert advice and insider-y information on Floridas best beauty service providers and effective products at all price levels that make looking pretty in Florida a frequent challenge. As Diana notes, We love helping our Sunshine State sisters discover the best beauty tips and treatments while finding the most inspiring pros and pundits...in every Florida city, one post at a time.
Center for Hospice Care (CHC), has joined the Newmans Own Foundation $500K Holiday Challenge. The challenge has a grand prize of $150,000 for the organization that raises the most funds. All of the funds raised by Center for Hospice Care will go toward supporting end-of-life care and programs for veterans in the eight counties that CHC serves.

CHC has kept its 37-year promise to the community that no one eligible for hospice care would be turned away due to an inability to pay. Currently, one in four deaths in the United States is that of a veteran, and CHC strives to ensure that every veteran under their care feels a strong sense of gratitude and respect for their service. The funds raised during the Newmans Own Challenge will support veterans in various ways, including the Veterans Memorial on CHCs Mishawaka campus, pinning ceremonies, and arrangement of funeral services.

Donations to this challenge, which runs through January 3, 2018, can be made at crowdrise.com/Hospice-Foundation.

About Center for Hospice Care and the Hospice Foundation

Established in 1978, Center for Hospice Care is an independent, community-based, not-for-profit organization, improving the quality of living through hospice, home health, grief counseling, and community education. With offices in South Bend, Plymouth, Elkhart and Mishawaka, CHC serves Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, St. Joseph and Starke counties in Northern Indiana.

The Hospice Foundation is committed to supporting the work of CHC through community outreach and education, fundraising activities and other special events. The Foundation helps CHC keep its 37-year promise that no one eligible for hospice services will be turned away, regardless of their ability to pay.
The Best Email Design Hunt 2017 Best Email Design Hunt 2017 is one-of-a-kind contest to appreciate the efforts put into email designing, although you get to see many for web design contests.

EmailMonks, one of the largest Email Template Production Company is pleased to announce, The Best Email Design Hunt 2017, a contest to acknowledge the creative brilliance behind awesome emails with prizes worth $10,000 including a trophy, cash prizes, and delightful freebies for the winners.

Email industry is sure to experience revolutionary trends in the times to come and this contest is an initiative to recognize the innovative efforts to design breakthrough emails. The launch of this contest could not have come at a better time looking at the exciting email trends showcased in email inbox.

Email designers/developers, marketers or campaign managers associated with a beautiful email produced in 2017 will be able to participate in this email design contest. Entries will be accepted till 10th January 2018, 11:59 PM, Eastern Time.

While web design contests are organized quite frequently, there are hardly any contests to appreciate the efforts put into email designing. We are absolutely thrilled to sound off this one-of-a-kind contest to the entire email marketing fraternity and contribute our bit to the vast world that lies therein by providing a platform to showcase their innovation. said Jaymin Bhuptani, Director, EmailMonks, Moreover, we feel honored to have esteemed partners like Email on Acid, Campaign Monitor, Emma, and Really Good Emails on board with us. It will serve as a great source of encouragement to all the skilled as well as seasoned email designers out there, he added.

The contest will be judged by industry stalwarts enlisted below:



John Thies, CEO  Email on Acid

Kim Stiglitz Courvoisier, Director, Content Marketing & Social Media  Campaign Monitor

Logan Baird, Design Services Lead  Emma

Matthew Smith, Founder  Really Good Emails

Jaymin Bhuptani, Director  EmailMonks.

To know more about the prizes, eligibility criteria, and contest guidelines, go to contest.emailmonks.com.

In case of any contest-related questions, get in touch with the contest team at contest(at)emailmonks(dot)com.

About EmailMonks

EmailMonks is the Largest Template Production Company, designing & coding highly visual responsive emails, newsletters and landing pages. Having served more than 4000 customers worldwide and created 40,000+ email templates for various clients, their valued customer base includes Disney, National Geographic, Oracle, DHL, and many more.

Known for their best-in-class customer experience, the Monks ensure that they work 24/5 without any barriers to time zones. With the fastest in the industry Turn Around Time of 8 hours and strict NDA terms that they adhere to, they make it easy for brands to trust and do business with them without any hassle. EmailMonks work with Direct Brands, ESPs and Agencies.

To know more, visit the website: http://www.emailmonks.com
As experts, we have keen insight into the modernization of financial technology in todays economy, one we recognize that Core10 is incredibly well positioned to leverage, - Joe Maxwell, Managing Partner of FINTOP Capital.

Core10, Inc. (Core10), a 100%-U.S.-based software development company that creates financial technology solutions, has closed a $3.5 million funding round led by FINTOP Capital. Also participating are the West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust and a host of West Virginia-based angel investors.

A pioneer of the hereshoreTM movement, Core10 is an innovative software development company dedicated to building tomorrows financial infrastructure at a value while restoring local communities. With offices in Nashville, TN and Huntington, WV, Core10 aims to create 250 additional technology jobs by the end of 2020, with the majority of those jobs located in West Virginia, a state that is embracing the transition to the digital economy.

Core10s expertise in bank technology integrations positions the company as a key stakeholder and strategic partner for banks, credit unions, and leading fintechs who focus on connecting financial data and applications across various institutions and platforms.

As experts, we have keen insight into the modernization of financial technology in todays economy, one we recognize that Core10 is incredibly well positioned to leverage, said Joe Maxwell, Managing Partner of FINTOP Capital. Their commitment to hereshoring helps better protect the integrity of our financial data and intellectual property. As a native of West Virginia, I embrace the much-needed conversion of resource-based economies into knowledge economies.

Were able to offer deep fintech expertise at a value, while keeping all development onshore, said Jeff Martin, CEO of Core10. Increasingly, financial institutions and fintechs are hesitant and sometimes not permitted to send financial data overseas. Our solutions offer them peace of mind in terms of both security and capital expenditure.

Im thrilled to see this investment Core10 and their partners are making in West Virginia, Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said. West Virginia has the hardest workers youll find and Im glad Core10 recognizes that. I will continue to work with companies like Core10 and others to ensure every West Virginian has a job they can be proud of.

Core10 will leverage the series A funding to expand sales efforts nationwide and recruit software development talent in Nashville as well as southeastern Ohio, eastern Kentucky, and West Virginia for permanent positions.

About Core10

Core10 is a 100%-U.S.-based software development company that creates financial technology solutions for the banking, healthcare, insurance, and retail verticals, among others. With offices in Huntington, WV and Nashville, TN, Core10s dedicated talent provides world-class outsourced technology expertise at a value without any of the headaches associated with offshoring. By hereshoring fintech software development, Core10 will both build the financial future and help the communities in Americas heartland thrive. To learn more about Core10, visit http://www.core10.io.

About FINTOP Capital

FINTOP Capital, managed by seasoned financial technology operators, seeks B2B service-enabled SaaS and software companies in the fintech space, and brings real world understanding, networks, experience, and capital to grow those companies. Target companies have a proven product in the market, real revenues, and are helmed by veterans of the industries they're looking to shape. To learn more about FINTOP Capital, visit http://www.fintopcapital.com.
The Red Arrow Diner is proud to announce that its Chief Operating Officer, Amanda Wihby, was named Restaurant Employee of the Year during the 2017 Stars of the Industry Awards presented by the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association (NHLRA).

According to the NHLRA, the awards recognize individuals who have achieved significant success and growth in their establishments; who have supported the industry and its concerns on national, state or local levels; who have provided opportunities for growth for their personnel; who set the standard for customer service; and who embody the spirit of hospitality.

I am excited and humbled to accept this wonderful honor, Ms. Wihby said in response to the accolade. The daily challenges of the hospitality industry are truly motivating and Ive come to embrace the unexpected. We have amazing ownership, employees and customers that make this position extremely rewarding.

Prior to joining Red Arrow Diner in 2010, Amanda worked as the Marketing and Office Manager for a commercial real estate company and also owned and operated her own catering business. She has spent ten years in the hospitality industry. Amanda graduated magna cum laude from Southern New Hampshire University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and a minor in Psychology as well as History. In her spare time, Amanda loves to cook, travel and spend time with her beloved family; her husband of nine years, Michael, as well as her two daughters, Lyla (age 2) and Olivia (11 months).

ABOUT THE RED ARROW DINER

A privately-held company based in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Red Arrow Diner operates restaurants in Concord, Manchester, Milford and Londonderry, New Hampshire, United States. Each Red Arrow Diner location is a 24-hour diner and serves over 500,000 breakfasts annually. The Red Arrow Diner has been featured on various nationally-broadcasted television and radio shows, including the Food Networks Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and SiriusXM political channels Patriot (125) and Progress (127). Additionally, Red Arrow is an active community supporter with countless volunteer hours, pro bono promotions, and financial donations. For information about the Red Arrow Diner, visit http://www.redarrowdiner.com.
Larry Long, Director of Engineering Larry has a proven track record for developing tech professionals, increasing collaboration cross-functionally, and overseeing and implementing organization, especially in in high-pressure situations, said Ralph Wasner, Chief Technology Officer for FNTS.

Larry Long has joined First National Technology Solutions (FNTS) as Director of Engineering. With more than 20 years of industry experience, he brings a track record of reliable automation and technology expertise to the Engineering Team. As part of his responsibilities for oversight of the team, he also will work to develop each engineer and assist in implementing best practices. Long also serves as the primary liaison for engineering across all customer organizations at FNTS.

Long will mentor each engineer in day-to-day operations, communications and in providing technical solutions. As a manager of teams of more than 25 people in past roles, and as an experienced lecturer who has provided training classes on Linux and general internet-based topics, he has a strong background in technical leadership and possesses a wealth of knowledge in infrastructure management, specifically in Linux and Unix environments.

Larry has a proven track record for developing tech professionals, increasing collaboration cross-functionally, and overseeing and implementing organization, especially in in high-pressure situations, said Ralph Wasner, Chief Technology Officer for FNTS. His expertise in trouble-shooting, developing automation and improving efficiencies for enterprise IT management will be an asset to the Engineering Team.

Longs past experience includes operating in a large-scale environment of more than 8,000 Linux systems and 5,000-plus Windows systems in a 24/7/365 setting. Hes assisted organizations in achieving PCI and HIPPA compliance, is well-versed in writing technical documentation and processes and has functioned as a Change Control Manager. His previous career experience includes technology operations and systems engineering roles with 3CInteractive and Motorola.

For more information on FNTS, visit http://www.fnts.com or follow us @FirstNatTechSol.

About FNTS: With over 20 years in the managed IT services industry, First National Technology Solutions (FNTS) is a leading provider of flexible, customized hosted and remote managed services. Specializing in best of breed cloud technology and data center services, FNTS is dedicated to quality personal service, guaranteed uptime, and custom-built solutions that fit individual enterprises today, and align with their future strategic growth plans.

Built on stability and fueled by innovation, FNTS partners with the worlds most respected technology companies including VMware, EMC, IBM and Microsoft. For more information about FNTS, visit http://www.fnts.com or follow us @FirstNatTechSol.

Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, FNTS is a wholly owned subsidiary of one of the Midwests largest privately held financial holding companies, First National of Nebraska. First National of Nebraska has grown into the largest privately owned banking company in the United States. First National and its affiliates have $20 billion in assets and 5,000 employee associates. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas.
The vendor-managed inventory solution that is being developed by the Merkata team is an invaluable platform supporting the collaboration between merchants, suppliers and distributors, said Alexey Garyunov, co-founder and Managing Partner of FinSight Ventures.

FinSight Ventures leads investment round in Merkata Smart POS, which focuses on small retail business solutions optimizing supply chain and in-store inventory processes.

Merkata was founded in 2015 in Ekaterinburg, Russia and initially focused on retail tech-enabled regulatory compliance for smaller merchants in the local market. For two years, the company successfully developed its offering into a complete solution and platform that can help merchants automate the entire workflow of their store and integrate with their suppliers. Merkata Smart POS automates several key processes for retailers, including procurement, sales tracking and monitoring, and regulatory compliance with recent regulation for the retail industry. Additionally, the company provides a tech platform for suppliers and merchants to manage and replenish inventory.

Microsoft awarded Merkatas solution an Application Developer of the Year prize for its region in a recent worldwide partner conference. The company is part of the Skolkovo Innovation Center in Moscow, and earlier this year, it completed a financing round with Sverdlovsk Region Innovation Fund.

The vendor-managed inventory solution that is being developed by the Merkata team is an invaluable platform supporting the collaboration between merchants, suppliers and distributors, said Alexey Garyunov, co-founder and Managing Partner of FinSight Ventures. It is becoming a standard that will transform traditional smaller retailers and increase financial and operational transparency for these local businesses. Merkata POS makes it possible to increase group buying power for small businesses and suppliers as well as build a virtual next-generation retail chain with more efficient processes, document-flow and supply chain. Capitalizing on this opportunity and strategy are key reasons for our interest in investing in this funding round.

Alexander Prokhorov, co-founder and Managing Partner of FinSight Ventures, says, We see attractive investment opportunities in Eastern Europe and other emerging markets, where many sectors are experiencing high growth and digital transformation. These developments are unfolding in this region as they are in developed economies but often at faster speeds and with valuations and deal terms that are more reasonable than in developed markets.

Yury Kushpel, CEO and co-founder of Merkata, said, The main objective for Merkata is to enable small businesses and suppliers with technology solutions that help improve their key operating metrics, including availability of goods on store shelves, which directly impact sales and reduces excess inventory levels throughout the entire supply chain. This sales data coupled with automatic procurement can allow small merchants to achieve the high level of efficiencies that were previously possible only for large chains.

The funding will help the company expand its client support, sales and marketing efforts. Anton Elikov, co-founder and Merkatas Head of Business Development said: Quality of service for our customers is the foundation of our business. All of our business processes are focused on reducing retail supply-chain friction. Our smart cloud-based POS solution creates real value for merchants and employees by bringing invaluable time-saving tools to the business. We are proud of the variety of partners we have, which includes banks, manufacturers, franchisees, distributors and retail chains.

The terms of the round were not announced, but the founders remain majority owners of the business. Mr. Garyunov added, We studied various POS-focused start-ups in the local region and believe that Merkata has a very strong and experienced team utilizing the right strategy. They have a clear vision and understanding of the industry and its trends. Importantly, Merkata addresses specific supply-chain issues in bringing valuable economic benefits to both the merchant and the supplier. We see similar opportunities in other markets and believe Merkata has strong potential for international expansion. Consumer goods operate in similar ways in many markets and have similar pain points.

About Merkata Smart POS

Merkata was founded in 2015 by Yury Kushpel, Anton Elikov, Andrey Dolinin, Alexander Fydorov and Roman Moiseenko. All founders have extensive backgrounds in retail and supply-chain process automation. They have experience managing large projects in the development and implementation of EDI (electronic data interchange) and front office systems that are being used throughout Russia. Merkata is a technology solution that offers compliance with recent regulations in Russia driving adoption of cloud-based POS systems, business management systems and full POS solutions, including remote and on-site client support.

For press contacts: Anton Elikov aelikov(at)merkata(dot)ru +7 922-1409058

About FinSight Ventures (http://www.FinSightvc.com)

FinSight is a global venture capital firm focused on FinTech and enterprise IT. This focus includes companies addressing solutions in the banking, finance, insurance and payments sectors, along with enterprise software companies driving digital transformation in and around these segments. FinSight works with innovative and ambitious FinTech and enterprise software start-ups that are driving or capitalizing on changes in these sectors. FinSight's team, experience and extensive financial service partnership networks allow the firm to significantly help entrepreneurs in FinTech sectors. Find out more about FinSight on its website and follow the firm on Twitter here.

For press contacts: Alexander Prokhorov ap(at)finsightvc(dot)com
Corina Tracy, Chief Operating Officer of Compassus "What would they do right now if they didnt have hospice care?"

Business of Healthcare, an interview series hosted by Matthew Hanis, spoke with industry experts Corina Tracy, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Compassus, and Blake Marggraff, founder and chief executive officer of Epharmix, on the importance of end-of-life conversations in its latest interview titled The Conversation: Predicting Hospice.

Hospice care, although proven to reduce suffering and costs for patients at the end of life, is often only initiated in the last seven days of life although the benefit extends to the last six months of life. In the interview, Hanis asks, Why do clinicians delay the conversations leading to earlier initiation?

The biggest barrier to end-of-life care is being more mainstream, Tracy says. She adds that for physicians and other providers, Its a high-risk conversationyoure not sure how the patients going to respond.

Tracy, who began her career as a hospice nurse and has served patients at end-of-life for more than 25 years, emphasizes how hospice care improves the quality of life for patients and their families. I learned very quickly hospice makes things so much better. I often would leave somebodys house and think to myself, What would they do right now if they didnt have hospice care?

Marggraff, whose Epharmix platform has been proven in clinical trials to engage even the most complex patients for more than a year, argues predictive analytics and advanced engagement methods could help with earlier transitions to hospice.

I take an evidence-based approach to product development. It doesnt feel safe to innovate in the face of lots of risk, and unlike pharmaceuticals and medical devices, a lot of technology out there hasnt been shown to really drive value, reports Marggraff. Epharmix helps make the decision to transition a little bit more comfortable.

His firm helps thousands of individuals self-report their health status to their physician or health system on a daily or weekly basis. The results are proven savings, happier patients and more productive care managers. The company is exploring incorporating end-of-life care and hospice into the platform.

To view the full interview, please visit BOHSeries.com.

About Compassus

Compassus is a nationwide network of community-based post-acute care services focused on hospice, palliative and home health care. The Nashville, Tennessee-based company was founded in 2006, but its roots in hospice reach back to 1979. Today, the company operates more than 96 hospice, palliative and home health programs with 151 locations in 31 states across the U.S. The mission of Compassus is to honor life and offer hope to individuals facing serious or terminal illness by supporting them with a common culture focused on three core values: Compassion, Integrity, and Excellence. Compassus employs more than 4,500 colleagues who provide a range of home health, hospice and palliative services and other resources to benefit patients and families. Our primary goals are to provide the highest quality post-acute care in every community in which we operate, and to be both the provider and employer of choice. For more information please visit compassus.com, follow the company on Facebook or call (877) 377-1607.

About Epharmix

Epharmix is the leader in evidence-based remote patient monitoring that accelerates the communication process between care managers and their high and rising-risk patients. Automated SMS text and phone-based messages specific to a patients medical condition, are sent to the patients own device including smartphone, pay-as-you-go phones and land lines. Epharmix collects key patient biometrics and self-reported data to provide actionable alerts to care teams for timely outreach to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations or exacerbations. See how we help providers succeed in value-based care at http://www.epharmix.com or try a self-guided demo at try.epharmix.com.

About Business of Healthcare

BOH is an interview series serving the top decision makers across healthcare. Each episode brings together healthcare executives and innovation thought leaders to explore proven solutions to healthcares most complex problems. An editorially-independent and non-partisan media service, each BOH episode advances healthcare Mission and Margin. Published interviews are free to access at http://www.BOHSeries.com.

Media Contacts

Carol Fite Lynn

Director of Communications

Compassus

(615) 480-0335

Carol.Lynn(at)compassus(dot)com

Jason Roche, MPH

Growth Engineer

Epharmix

(314) 272-2586

jason(at)epharmix(dot)com

Kristin ONeil

Media Relations

Business of Healthcare

(636) 537-5454

insight(at)BOHSeries(dot)com
Over 450 attendees flew in from all over the nation to cheer on the winners. Were proud to acknowledge the stellar achievements of those in the insurance industry and give them the recognition they so richly deserve. We can't wait to do it all over again," said Chris Davis, Event Director.

Despite a difficult year for the industry in which Hurricanes Harvey and Irma battered areas of the US and caused losses of an estimated $50 billion, the insurance community still rallied together on November 29 as a host of winners were crowned at the very first Insurance Business Awards America.

Awards in 22 categories were also handed out, highlighting a vast array of benchmark industry achievements from the past year.

Over 450 attendees flew in from all over the nation to cheer on the winners, who were carefully selected by an expert judging panel following nominations from the readers of Insurance Business. The event was organized by Key Media, the publishers of Insurance Business, and hosted by TV personality Alfonso Ribeiro. It was held in support of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation.

Among those taking home a trophy were industry giants AIG (The Kemperlesnik Award For Corporate Social Responsibility), Aon (Insurance Industry Employer Of Choice  More Than 100 Employees) and Zurich North America (The Aon Benfield Award For Philanthropy And Community Service).

Other winners included Alan J. Kaufman of H.W. Kaufman Group (Lifetime Achievement Award), Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (Network/Alliance of the Year  Membership of More than 100 Agencies), Lockton Companies (Retail Agency of the Year) and Rusty Reid of Higginbotham (Agency CEO of the Year).

I take great pride in receiving this award, said Reid, but it really goes to our 900 employee shareholders. A part of our strategy is to be the best place for employees to work, best advocate for our clients, and most importantly best community partner.

There couldnt be a better line-up of winners and finalists, said Chris Davis, Event Director. Were proud to acknowledge the stellar achievements of those in the insurance industry and give them the recognition they so richly deserve. Were already looking ahead to the second Insurance Business Awards America and we cant wait to do it all over again!

A full list of winners can be seen on insurancebusinessawards.com.
KRCL attorneys selected as Top Lawyers The fact that our attorneys were recognized in 12 areas of law shows the breadth of our Houston attorneys legal acumen. We always aim to provide comprehensive, skilled legal counsel to clients that will help them through every and any hurdle their business might face.

Nineteen attorneys from the Houston office of Kane Russell Coleman Logan have been named Top Lawyers by Houstonia magazine for their remarkable achievements in the practice of law.

Kane Russell Coleman Logan attorneys on the 2017 Top Lawyers list include David Bond (Energy and Natural Resources), Logan Burke (Civil Trial), Ryan Cantu (Insurance), Tom Ciarlone, Jr. (Oil and Gas), Demetri Economou (Commercial Litigation), Danny Guerra (Aviation, Admiralty, Maritime and Transportation), AJ Johnson (Labor and Employment), Chip Morris (Intellectual Property Rights), Angela Offerman (Banking and Financial), Chris Pappas (Civil Trial), Mike Ridulfo (Bankruptcy and Workout), Kevin Riley (Civil Trial), Marcy Rothman (Aviation, Admiralty, Maritime and Transportation), Brad Rutledge (Construction), Andrew Sarne (Civil Trial), Forrest Smith (Banking and Financial), Amy Dunn Taylor (Arbitration and Mediation), David Thrasher (Construction), and Melody Wang (Banking and Financial).

The fact that our attorneys were recognized in 12 areas of law shows the breadth of our Houston attorneys legal acumen. We always aim to provide comprehensive, skilled legal counsel to clients that will help them through every and any hurdle their business might face. Its an honor to have this effort recognized by our fellow lawyers here in Houston, said Marcy Rothman, managing director of the firms Houston office.

The Top Lawyers list is compiled based on a peer-voting process conducted among Houston-area attorneys. The Houstonia magazine editorial staff then reviews the ballots for final approval and adjustments after verification with the Texas Bar Association. The 2017 Top Lawyers list is published in the magazines December issue.

Kane Russell Coleman Logan is a full-service law firm with offices in Dallas and Houston. Formed in 1992 with five lawyers, today KRCL is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with more than 80 attorneys employed by the firm. The Firm provides professional services for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to medium-sized public and private companies to entrepreneurs. KRCL handles transactional, litigation and bankruptcy matters in Texas and throughout the country.
A Belize Vacation is a Christmas Gift the entire family can enjoy They truly are gifts that keep on giving

Still looking for that ideal Christmas present? For a gift of environmentally friendly luxury, sumptuous dining, extreme pampering, and healthy activities, The Lodge at Chaa Creeks public relations officer suggests that their 2017 Belize Vacation Gift Cards may be just the thing.

The Lodge at Chaa Creeks 2017 Christmas Gift Cards make shopping for the ultimate Christmas gift a breeze, and, more importantly, they send a message that you deeply care about someone and share a desire to protect the environment and support small villages and communities in tourism destinations like Belize, Denise Duran said.

With once-in-a-lifetime experiences and fond memories theyll have forever, youre also giving those you care about a gift that will keep on giving for the rest of their lives, she added.

And more good news, Ms Duran said, is that a Chaa Creek Belize Vacation Gift Card neednt cost more than many other presents.

Compared to jewellery, fine watches and other more conventional Christmas presents, a Chaa Creek Vacation Gift Card is surprisingly affordable, and the experience is priceless, she said.

Chaa Creek Belize Vacation Gift Cards can be tailored to fit the recipient or recipients, and are suitable for all ages, interests and levels of fitness.

We had couples giving them to each other, grandparents giving them to grandchildren, children to parents and grandparents, best friends wishing to share something special...the list is as extensive as the vacations we offer.

Thats another attraction of our Belize Vacation Christmas Presents  they are gifts that can be shared, so in a very real sense youre giving a part of yourself along with a very special acknowledgement of your relationship, Ms Duran explained.

Chaa Creeks Belize Vacation Christmas Gift Cards are available for stays and vacations ranging from overnight to three, five or weeklong all-inclusive Belize vacation packages, Ms Duran explained, allowing people to pick from the popular Belizean eco-resorts extensive selection of vacation packages, tours and expeditions.

By selecting now, people can be better assured of booking the dates they want, which is important if they are meant to coincide with specific events, dates, or the givers own plans to join them.

Then again, some people prefer to give them with open-ended dates to allow the recipients to choose when they wish to enjoy their gifts. However, to allow for considerations such as high season availability, contacting us as soon as possible is still the best option, she explained.

The most popular gift options, she said, are from Chaa Creeks extensive menu of all-inclusive Belize vacation packages.

Our all-inclusive packages are without a doubt the most affordable, carefree way to enjoy a complete Belize holiday. With everything from accommodations, all meals, activities and access to all amenities within our 400-acre private nature reserve, as well as transfers and even staff gratuities covered for one set price, there are no hidden charges or credit card surprises when people return home. From the moment we pick guests up at Belizes international airport to dropping them back, with a complimentary stop at the Belize Zoo while inbound or outbound, they are completely looked after,  Ms Duran said.

Known throughout the travel industry as Belizes Destination Within a Destination, The Lodge at Chaa Creek is one of the countrys oldest and most highly awarded eco-resorts. Onsite amenities include the Mariposa restaurant and Jungle Lounge featuring farm-to-table dining sourced from their traditional Maya organic farm and seafood from Belizes Caribbean seacoast, an infinity pool, the full service Hilltop Spa, Belize Natural History museum, live butterfly breeding facility and more.

Activities include horseback and guided and self-guided nature and birding walks along miles of well-maintained trails crisscrossing a 400-acre private nature reserve containing some 70 ancient Maya archaeological sites. Canoeing and tubing down the Macal River are popular, and river excursions and jungle safaris are offered, Ms Duran said.

For those wishing to go further afield, Chaa Creek is also Belizes preeminent DMC, or destination management company, offering a wide range of cultural tours and expeditions including Rainforest to Reef options that, along with partner resorts along the Belize Great Barrier Reef, cayes and seacoast, allow visitors to combine a true jungle lodge vacation with a Caribbean beach holiday, she added.

This year were also offering high-end luxury packages that, for instance, include a stay at our luxurious Ix Chel Rainforest Villas before embarking on a cruise aboard a fully crewed and serviced 50 catamaran along the reef, atolls and islands of Belizes Caribbean coast, Ms Duran said.

A Chaa Creek Belize Vacation Christmas present will appeal to almost anyone. Were a family owned and operated business with a large Belizean staff offering friendly, personalised service. And the fact that weve been here so long and have developed an extensive infrastructure and nationwide network of colleagues means that our Belize vacation packages are both comprehensive and surprisingly affordable.

Another advantage is that youre also giving something special to the land and people of Belize. With ten percent of all room revenue going directly into environmental and community assistance projects under of Chaa Creek Cares initiative, your gift extends far and wide, Ms Duran said.

Chaa Creek Belize Vacation Christmas Gifts come with personalised cards that may be delivered traditionally, or emailed as personalised e-cards, and will include invitations for the recipient to contact Chaa Creek directly to learn more and advise the vacation planning teams of any special requests, and Ms Duran encouraged people to contact their travel agents, or the jungle lodges vacation planning teams directly to learn more.

Its been said that when people look back over their lives, they tend to value the experiences theyve had more than the material goods they acquired. Time spent with loved ones, or surrounded by natural beauty, sharing experiences or learning new things becomes more valuable over time, and these are just some of the things that make our Belize Christmas Vacation Gifts so ideal. They truly are gifts that keep on giving, Ms Duran said.

The Lodge at Chaa Creek is a multi-award winning eco resort set within a 400-acre private nature reserve along the banks of the Macal River in Belize. It was recognised by National Geographic with first place honours at the 2017 World Legacy Awards held in Berlin.

ENDS
Crowley personnel pictured (left to right): Conrad Kuiken, manager, marine operations; Captain Tod Doane and his wife; Captain Tom Gately; and Mike Golonka, vice president, government services. The significant number of vessels with long tenures without an environmental incident is a credit to the dedicated men and women who serve as crews and shore-side personnel.

The Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) has honored 106 Crowley-owned or -operated vessels with Certificates of Environmental Achievement. The awards recognize the company for operating vessels without any environmental incidents, displaying a commitment to respecting and protecting the environment on oceans and inland waterways.

The 106 vessels represent a combined sum of 1,068 years of service without experiencing an environmental incident, which includes reportable spills or port citations. Among them, 42 vessels have served at least 10 years without an incident.

The significant number of vessels with long tenures without an environmental incident is a credit to the dedicated men and women who serve as crews and shore-side personnel. At Crowley, we always put safety atop our core values, and that includes a commitment to being environmental stewards where we work, said Crowley Vice President Mike Golonka, government services, who was among recipients at the CSA awards ceremony Nov. 8. We are grateful and appreciative of awards from CSA, and share their support for environmental protection."

Safe and environmentally responsible operations is a culture fully embraced by the maritime industry as a whole and as evidenced by the performances of the award recipients, said Kathy Metcalf, president of CSA.

The awards are open to all owners and operators of vessels that operate on oceans or inland waterways.

Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company of the 125-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family and employee-owned company. The company provides marine solutions, energy and logistics services in domestic and international markets by means of six operating lines of business: Puerto Rico liner services, international liner services, logistics services, petroleum services, marine services and technical services. Offered within these operating lines of business are: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response through its 50 percent ownership in Ardent Global; vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture through its Jensen Maritime subsidiary; government services, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may be found at crowley.com.

Crowley vessels honored by the CSA are below with their business unit, listed by name with continuous years without incident:

CROWLEY GLOBAL SHIP MANAGEMENT

EMPIRE STATE 7

EVERGREEN STATE 6

GOLDEN STATE 7

NATIONAL GLORY 9

OCEAN CHARGER 2

OCEAN CRESCENT 2

OCEAN FREEDOM 5

OCEAN GIANT 3

OCEAN GLOBE 2

OCEAN GRAND 2

PELICAN STATE 7

SUNSHINE STATE 7

TEXAS 2

CROWLEY GOVERNMENT SERVICES

CAPE WASHINGTON 2

SS CURTISS 18

SS WRIGHT 12

USNS EFFECTIVE 2

USNS IMPECCABLE 2

USNS INVINCIBLE 2

USNS LOYAL 2

USNS VICTORIOUS 2

CROWLEY PETROLEUM SERVICES

ATB ACHIEVEMENT/650-8 7

ATB COASTAL RELIANCE/550-4 4

ATB COMMITMENT/650-6 3

ATB COURAGE/650-5 9

ATB GULF RELIANCE/650-2 10

ATB INNOVATION/650-9 4

ATB INTEGRITY/650-4 9

ATB LEGACY/750-1 6

ATB LEGEND/750-2 5

ATB LIBERTY/750-3 4

ATB OCEAN RELIANCE/550-3 9

ATB PACIFIC RELIANCE/650-1 11

ATB PRIDE/650-7 4

ATB RESOLVE/650-3 99

9

ATB SEA RELIANCE/550-1 15

ATB SOUND RELIANCE/550-2 15

ATB VISION/650-10 3

FLORIDA 4

PENNSYLVANIA 5

CROWLEY MARINE SERVICES

ARCTIC HAWK 14

MV ADMIRAL 5

MV AKU 17

MV AVIK 4

MV BELAYA KUROPATKA 2

MV CHIEF 18

MV GOLIAH 10

MV GUARD 12

MV GUARDIAN 17

MV GUARDSMAN 9

MV GUIDE 18

MV HUNTER 4

MV KAVIK RIVER 47

MV KUPARUK RIVER 47

MV LEADER 6

MV MASTER 19

MV NACHIK 8

MV NAVIGATOR 3

MV OCEAN 3

MV OCEAN SKY 4

MV OCEAN SUN 4

MV OCEAN WAVE 5

MV OCEAN WIND 4

MV PROTECTOR 6

MV PT. THOMPSON 20

MV RAMPART 17

MV RESPONSE 3

MV SAG RIVER 42

MV SCOUT 18

MV SEA PRINCE 13

MV SESOK 8

MV SIKU 4

MV TIOGA 19

MV TOOLIK RIVER 17

MV VALOR 10

MV VETEREN 17

MV VIGILANT 17

SEA VOYAGER 3

STALWART 4

TANERLIQ 18

TUG ALERT 17

TUG ATTENTIVE 4

TUG AWARE 7

TUG BULWARK 17

TUG ENDURANCE 2

TUG GUARDSMAN 9

TUG NANUQ 18

VALDEZ STAR 26

CROWLEY PUERTO RICO SERVICES

MV DEFENDER 17

MV ENSIGN 17

MV EXPLORER 17

MV MONITOR 17

MV PATRIARCH 17

MV SENTINEL 4

MV SENTRY 17

TUG ADVENTURER 4

TUG RANGER 17

MARINE TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT

CHARLESTON EXPRESS 19

HORIZON ENTERPRISE 2

HORIZON PACIFIC 2

HORIZON RELIANCE 2

HORIZON SPIRIT 2

PHILADELPHIA EXPRESS 19

ST LOUIS EXPRESS 19

WASHINGTON EXPRESS 5

YORKTOWN EXPRESS 16
DATABASICS Time + Expense https://www.data-basics.com We are excited to be the frontrunners showing the world how time and expense reporting are not just two everyday work tasks, but so much more." DATABASICS CTO/VP Marcel Syriani

DATABASICS CTO/VP Marcel Syriani is featured on the November 2017 edition of CFO Tech Outlook Magazine.

We are excited to be the frontrunners showing the world how time and expense reporting are not just two everyday work tasks, but so much more. We automate two important systems by opening the communication between an organizations business systems, creating full transparency, and streamlining the processes impacting each departments bottom line, said Syriani.

Also featured in the magazine are the Top 10 Business Expense Management Solution Providers. DATABASICS was named one of these Top 10 providers.

The article features details on DATABASICS company culture, including their focus on customer service and on providing the right technology for the right customer.

We offer an all-in-one employee reporting platform that combines critical business systems into one powerful, automated solution, said Syriani.

Read the magazine online at https://www.cfotechoutlook.com/magazines/November/Business_Expense_Management/.

About DATABASICS:

DATABASICS provides cloud-based, next generation Expense Reporting, Timesheet Management, and Invoice Processing automation with guaranteed, award-winning 24/7 customer support. Specializing in meeting the most rigorous requirements, DATABASICS offers the highest level of service to its customers around the world. DATABASICS is relied upon by leading organizations representing the major sectors of the global economy including: financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, research, retail, engineering, nonprofits/NGOs, technology, federal contractors, and more.

DATABASICS is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. For more information, please visit http://www.data-basics.com or email info(at)data-basics(dot)com.

About CFO Tech Outlook

CFO Tech Outlook Magazine helps organizations to identify the risks faced in businesses and comes up with the latest technology insights that influence the business prospects of corporate houses serving across various industries. The board members of CFO Tech Outlook Magazine, including technology leaders and experts, have decided the Top 10 Business Expense Management Solution Providers - 2017 and shortlisted the best vendors and consultants. For more info, visit http://www.cfotechoutlook.com.
Were excited about this partnership, which will help transform Michigans 9.9 million residents into passionate supporters of their libraries.

Demco Software today announced it has partnered with the Library of Michigan to boost reader engagement and reading program enrollment with Wandoo Reader. More than just a summer reading management tool, Wandoo Reader enhances learning with a powerful, game-like experience.

With Wandoo Reader, Michigans 651 library branches will:



Launch year-round reading programs in no time thanks to the softwares easy-to-use backend.

Collect data through extensive reporting that offers insight into user engagement.

Increase program participation by promoting library activities in event feeds.

Wandoo Reader offers families a streamlined registration and management portal, which collects each family members reading logs and challenges on one central account. A themed, game-like experience keeps readers of all ages and levels coming back for more. Compatibility with smartphones and tablets mean reading can happen anywhere.

Michiganders visited libraries over 46 million times in 2016 alone! That number is substantial, but Im confident it will increase after our branches introduce Wandoo Readers engaging challenges, shared Cathy Lancaster, Youth Services Coordinator for the Library of Michigan.

With Wandoo Reader, our goal is to inspire patrons to continue reading all year long, even after the summer ends, said Ravi Singh, Executive Director of Demco Software. Were excited about this partnership, which will help transform Michigans 9.9 million residents into passionate supporters of their libraries.

To learn more about helping busy families overcome reading challenges with Wandoo Reader, please call 866.434.5098 or email softwaresales(at)demco(dot)com.

About Demco Software

Libraries that prioritize community engagement make their strategic goals a reality with Demco Software. Demco Software unites Evanced Solutions software, Boopsie (now Demco DiscoverMobile) apps and new tools like Demco DiscoverLocal to provide the next level of innovative solutions for libraries. Partner with Demco Software to increase your librarys relevance and discoverability through deeper community engagement, streamlined program management and increased mobility.

Learn more by visiting demcosoftware.com or by calling 866.434.5098.
We are so thankful to IDScan.net for their donation. Their technology will allow us to have a more concise, organized list of families, making our jobs easier. -Elizabeth Cedeno, Assistant Coordinator Toys for Tots

IDScan.net, the leading provider of ID scanning solutions, has donated their VeriScan software to a Toys for Tots program in Florida for the holiday season. For 70 years, Toys for Tots, a Marine Corps Reserves and Marine Corps Leagues non-profit program, has provided needy children with toys for Christmas.

We are pleased to offer our solutions to charities who are doing meaningful work in their communities, like Toys for Tots, said Denis Petrov, the CEO of IDScan.net. The same ease of use and sophisticated features that our corporate and governmental clients enjoy are valuable to non-profit organizations as well. Were happy that we can play a small role in bringing smiles to the faces of children in need this holiday season.

The donated technology is IDScan.nets visitor management software, VeriScan, which validates ID cards, capturing the information and auto-populating it into a database. This function streamlines operations and quickly and easily captures important information in one location. VeriScan also allows for the creation of reports and logs, which is useful for organizations like Toys for Tots.

We are so thankful to IDScan.net for their donation, said Elizabeth Cedeno of Toys for Tots in Brevard County, Florida. Their technology will allow us to have a more concise, organized list of families, making our jobs easier and cutting down on human error.

Cedeno said before they had IDScan.nets technology, Toys for Tots wrote parents information by hand, entering it into a computer database afterwards. Now, the ID scanning capability has allowed them to scan the drivers licenses of parents and quickly enter their information into a database, permitting them to process over 300 parents alone on the first day of use. Cedeno says using the software allows Toys for Tots to quickly search for a parents name when they package toys for children.

Last year, Toys for Tots processed over 2,000 families, about 10,000 children, and over 40,000 toys in Brevard County alone.

We hope to be as fortunate this year as we were last year, said Cedeno. Our Marine Corps League, Detachment 918, based in Barefoot Bay, has been at this for over 22 years, and it is so important that were able to provide a little comfort and joy to the children in Brevard County during the holidays.

IDScan.net regularly donates its ID scanning solutions to worthy causes. Recently, in the after-math of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, IDScan.net offered their solution for free to those involved in the response efforts, including first responders, shelters, aid organizations, and volunteer groups.

About IDScan.net

IDScan.net provides businesses with the highest quality ID scanning solutions to quickly and easily capture and verify an individuals information. Within a second and with 100% accuracy, our technology can tell your front line staff everything they need to know about the person standing in front of them. Trusted by top brands like IBM and Shell our suite of customizable solutions is being deployed by leaders across industries from gaming and hospitality to retail and finance. As the first company to market with mobile ID scanning capabilities, IDScan.net is still pioneering cutting-edge technologies that anticipate the rapidly evolving needs of tomorrow. For more information, visit IDScan.net.
As the cannabis industry matures, there is a need for businesses to become very strategic in growing their brand nationally and internationally, while also achieving operational efficiency and increasing profitability. As legalization becomes a global trend, hundreds, if not thousands of businesses will be going through significant growth to maintain a competitive edge, preparing for mergers and acquisitions, and planning exit strategies. Also, many investors are interested in entering the cannabis space now, and there will be more once cannabis is federally legal, creating a need for businesses with the expertise to research and vet companies. TCMS Global, which stands for Turnkey Cannabis Management Solutions, is prepared to meet these needs.

Larisa Bolivar, of Bolivar Consulting, and Noel Billingsley of Zeni Consulting are the managing partners. Together they leverage their successful history in high growth startups, cannabis and finance to lead TCMS Global. Ms. Bolivar has over 16 years experience in the cannabis space, leading in multiple capacities and is a recognized industry pioneer in Colorado. She has owned and operated a dispensary and is a partner in a recreational cultivation, Grow Green Group LLC, based out of Pueblo, CO. Throughout her career, she has helped win licenses in competitive states, written standard operating and other company policies and procedures across multiple highly regulated markets, assisted companies in becoming more efficient and profitable, has successfully helped business get organized and prepared for mergers and acquisitions, provide organizational development support, and also has worked with startups in three emerging industries in multiple capacities, including a billion-dollar valuated clean technology startup, GridPoint, which was acquired in 2015 by TFC Utilities. Ms. Bolivar is Executive Director and Chairwoman of the Cannabis Consumers Coalition, is on the Board of Directors of Colorado NORML, has published articles in respected publications such as the Denver Post, published the Cannabis Consumers Coalition: 2017 Report on Cannabis Consumer Demographics and Consumption Habits that was mentioned by Forbes, Entrepreneur and Investing News, and has spoken on a variety of cannabis business and advocacy topics around the globe.

Mr. Billingsley brings a wealth of experience in the formation and development of high performing organizations and teams, and has experience in detailed financial analysis, opportunity, and market risk assessment. He was a key player at The Victory Bank, a FDIC insured commercial bank which launched in 2008. He helped the bank grow $10MM in start-up capital to over $200MM over an 8-year period. Over that time, he helped provide businesses with access to $500MM in debt financing which directly funded the growth of hundreds of businesses in South Eastern Pennsylvania. Prior to that he was a licensed financial advisor for PNC Investments whereby he led a private banking program in the Philadelphia market. He is also the founder of Keystone Medical Cannabis, a pre-launch Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis cultivation company.

Once federally legal, the cannabis industry is going to become like any other industry in terms of how business is conducted and how organizations are operated. It seemed appropriate to partner up with someone like Noel to build a team to address the needs of this new mult-billion-dollar industry, and the businesses supporting them, says Larisa Bolivar. Noel Billingsley adds, I met Larisa when she consulted on the Keystone Medical Cannabis project, saw a need in banking and financial consulting and pursued that. After discussing our different skillsets, and working on additional projects together, it made sense to combine our expertise into a full-service business development and management consulting company.

TCMS Global has assembled a team of industry superstars in their fields who have won multiple licenses in competitive states, have experience working in multiple highly regulated industries. Their fast-growing team has decades of combined cannabis, including experience in corporate settings, bringing a level of professionalism and expertise necessary to help lift the cannabis industry to the next level by providing clients with a full suite of services that will enable them to grow their business to achieve maximum efficiency and profitability, realize a successful exit strategy, find investors, or expand their brand into multiple territories. An example of TCMS Globals menu of business development, management and advisory services include:

License Application Project Management

License Application Technical Writing

Business Plans

Pitch Decks

Federal, State a& Local Regulatory Review

Market Competition Analysis

Marketing, Sales, Sales, Branding & Distribution

Strategic Development

Financial Strategy

Organizational Development

Asset Management

Packaging & Labeling

Standard Operating Procedures

Compliance Audits

Security Planning

Security Audits

Production Capacity and Efficiency

Products and Product Licensing

Research and Development Capabilities

Investor Due Diligence

Management and Staff Suitability

Facilities and Site Assessment

Business development support extends beyond application writing, day-to-day management, setting and achieving operational goals, and developing financial strategies. With an extensive pool of investors with existing cannabis portfolios, and investors interested in adding cannabis to their portfolios, TCMS Global will also be vetting and match-making clients and investors. TCMS Global can provide cannabis businesses and entrepreneurs with the business development, management tools and support, financial strategies to facilitate operational success. For more information, visit http://www.tcmsglobal.com.
Connor Multimedia Worldwide LLC, a new multimedia company based in New Jersey, today announced the official launch of its first title, LumiNation Magazine (http://www.luminationmag.com), an online medium dedicated to providing multimedia content that celebrates all of Life as Church.

The magazine was created to provide people with a more evolved and provocative media portal where they may enjoy non-divisive content that inspires, motivates, entertains and provokes thought. Its mission is to celebrate the beauty, truth and bounty of this grand journey we all call life, while also talking about important topics of our times in a way others arent always talking about them. The featured sections are Sensuality, Freedom, People, Adventure, Creativity, Beauty and Romance.

The multimedia content already being curated and planned by our growing editorial team of contributors and writers in the United States and around the world is pure, meaning without agenda - political, religious, causal or guided by advertisers, said Kelly A. Connor, founder and chief operating officer of Connor Multimedia and editor-in-chief at LumiNation Magazine. That said, we welcome advertisers whose product or services aligns with our mission, taking a win-win approach to every aspect of what we do at this new magazine.

One of the imperatives of this medium is to communicate information and opinions in a thoughtful, truthful, respectful way that provokes understanding, delivers productive dialogue, educates and entertains, verses fostering fear or division. Core values of this new brand are honesty, accessibility, compassion, vitality and respect. The targeted demographic is everyone aged 17 to infinity.

In the age of fake news and misleading - sometimes downright lying - headlines, LumiNation is committed to being at the forefront of a new trend in media  what I call evolved media, added Connor. It is our intention to be forthright and provocative in such a way as to earn peoples trust and respect.

The tagline of the magazine was literally a result of Divine inspiration. While Connor worked with a small, trusted group of advisors to conceptualize the portals name and brand, she grappled with a tagline that felt right. One morning, during prayer, as she was waking, one of the Archangels told her the tagline was to be Life as Church. Knowing that church is a loaded word for many people, she was apprehensive at first about using it. However, she asked for understanding and discerned the true meaning of the tagline: this magazine was to be an uplifting celebration of all of Life as sacred, sensual and exciting, filled with adventure and infinite possibilities. A place of reverence and love for life, blessed by God. Your life is your Church, they said. The tagline fit.

LumiNation is currently cultivating a more expansive list of contributors and writers who will create columns, articles, vlogs, audio podcasts and photography, as well as other creative content and educational resources, for the mediums audience. Similar to HuffingtonPost at its inception, contributors will benefit from editorial oversight and publicity, with added value over time as the portal grows and revenue increases. The long-term goals are to provide both visibility and pay-per-click value to contributors, visibility and or sales opportunities to advertisers, and profit for the portal. This or something better.

About Connor Multimedia Worldwide

Based in the United States, Connor Multimedia Worldwide LLC is a multimedia company dedicated to providing products, information, and services that inspire, motivate, educate and heal. For more information on LumiNation Magazine, visit http://www.luminationmag.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kelly Connor

Editor-in-Chief

LumiNation Magazine

Connor Multimedia Worldwide LLC

press@connormultimedia.com
LaunchBio, Inc., a national nonprofit dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs with knowledge, capital and talent across the nations leading life science hubs, today announced Larger Than Life Science, a monthly event open to everyone interested in building a strong support network for North Carolinas life science and healthcare innovators. The event will be held in the atrium level of the newly renovated Chesterfield Building in downtown Durham, NC, from 4-7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month, starting January 4, 2018.

Larger Than Life Science will offer multiple featured programs during each gathering, so participants can choose from a selection of practical workshops, industry partnering sessions, networking, meetings with investors, panel discussions, office hours, and some fun activities. The monthly programs will draw on LaunchBios network of national resources, as well as partnerships with local entrepreneurial support organizations. Larger Than Life Science will serve up refreshments from local breweries, and introduce companies and organizations that are contributing to make our community a great place to live and work.

We hope that everyone who comes to Larger Than Life Science  entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, techies, pharma partners, executives in transition, service providers, support organizations and the simply curious  will leave with some new friends and the fuel for their next big breakthrough, said Joan Siefert Rose, LaunchBio CEO. We chose the name to show that were thinking big about including a broad range of people to support our life science and healthcare innovators. We want to create the environment for surprising, unconventional conversations.

Rose said that The Chesterfield Building, at 701 W. Main Street in Durham, offers a unique setting for the monthly gatherings. The building was the factory where Liggett & Myers manufactured Chesterfield cigarettes for more than 50 years, she said. Now the landmark building has been completely renovated to create a research and development hub, including the BioLabs North Carolina co-working space, our partner organization. What better place to show the transformation of our regions economy, and demonstrate the dynamism and creativity of our workforce.

Larger Than Life Science is sponsored by Hutchison PLLC; Michael Best; and CSC Leasing, Inc. The events are free and open to the public. Event partners include BioLabs North Carolina, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, NC Biosciences (NCBIO), Digital Health Impact + Transformation (DHIT), MEDIC-NC, and the American Underground.

For more information about Larger Than Life Science, visit http://www.launchbio.org/durham.

About LaunchBio, Inc.

LaunchBio is a nonprofit organization that identifies, counsels, and supports high-growth, high-impact life science and biotechnology companies. Its mission is to build an ecosystem of innovation for the benefit of human health and well-being. http://www.launchbio.org

About BioLabs North Carolina

BioLabs are the premier co-working spaces for life science startups- unique places where you can test, develop and grow your game-changing ideas. Our goal is to change how scientific entrepreneurs do business by building an ecosystem that empowers bioinnovators to grow quickly, while maximizing capital efficiency. http://www.biolabs.io

About Larger Than Life Science sponsors

Premier Sponsors:

Hutchison PLLC is a boutique law firm that embraces the entrepreneurial spirit and steers technology and life sciences entrepreneurs to success through all stages of their companys life. Hutchison partners with entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial-minded organizations to enable business solutions that make the law work for them, and advises angel investors and venture capital firms to support their investment selections to maximize their potential for success. http://www.hutchlaw.com

Michael Best is a full service firm with more than 250 lawyers who provide its clients with exceptional legal service and business acumen that has defined the firm for generations. With a nationally recognized IP practice with more than 140 lawyers and IP professionals  including more than 25 patent engineers, scientists, and registered agents, as well as 30 administrators  Michael Best provides a full range of legal services related to all aspects of IP. The firms professionals practice on the national and global stages in trademark, patent, and copyright law, including prosecution, portfolio management, enforcement, clearance, defense, and litigation. In addition, the firms FDA practice works with our life science and medical device IP professionals in guiding all size companies through the FDA regulatory process. http://www.michaelbest.com

Innovation Sponsor:

CSC Leasing, a 30-year leader in equipment financing, maintains a successful track record working with start-up and emerging life sciences organizations, providing low cost capital for equipment acquisitions, including IT, lab, and manufacturing or production assets. We cover the needs of clients across the country with innovative and competitive leasing programs, which are flexible and tailored to meet a range of unique requirements  always with a focus on the long-term relationship. http://www.cscleasing.com
Camille Renshaw "Brokers+Engineers is the first technology platform created specifically for trading NNN property, from origination to close"

Brokers+Engineers (B+E) launched today at the ICSC New York Deal Making Show, revolutionizing the commercial real estate field by offering the first tech-driven brokerage firm and trading platform for net lease real estate (NNN).

Brokers+Engineers is the first technology platform created specifically for trading NNN property, from origination to close, said CEO and co-founder Camille Renshaw. B+E will maintain the largest NNN data set in the industry, with technology products that will leverage this data to provide a new standard of advisory to brokerage clients.

The first tech product we will launch offers predictive pricing, followed by a second product which will provide 1031 advisory to exchangers, leveraging artificial intelligence, said President and co-founder Scott Scurich. All of this will be delivered through a transformative technology platform that allows us to help virtually anyone intelligently trade net lease.

Brokers+Engineers currently has offices in New York and Tampa, with a San Francisco office to open shortly. The NNN real estate market within the US is estimated to have a total market value of $6.5T that consists of more than 1.3M properties, with greater than $55B in average annual sales volume. Less than 1% of the NNN market trades annually for roughly 11,000 transactions with an average sales price of $5.5M, and 55% of those transactions utilize brokers. NNN property values are unique in that the pricing is not driven strictly by the underlying real estate but also by the lease terms and a single tenants credit rating.

Until now, the tech industry has failed to transform NNN because it overlooked the fact that senior people and their relationships are crucial to our transactions, said Renshaw. At B+E, our people are empowered by data analytics, artificial intelligence and innovative engineering, but senior people still drive all the deals.

Camille Renshaw was most recently Head of Sales for Ten-X, a Google Capital company. Ten-X is a leading online marketplace for commercial real estate and owns products such as Auction.com. Prior to Ten-X, she founded the Stan Johnson Companys New York office where she led their sales team as its top producer for five years. Before this, she was Director of the US Capital Markets division of Colliers International and a Top 40 Worldwide Producer. Renshaw originally entered commercial real estate as an owner, after founding Dyzco Technologies and successfully selling it to American Financial Services Corp, Inc.

Scott Scurich was most recently a Managing Director at Ten-X, heading up its Net Lease division. Prior to Ten-X, he was the senior partner in Renshaws team at the Stan Johnson Company. While at the Stan Johnson Company, he was a top national producer of retail NNN assets as well as one of the firms leaders in 1031 exchange advisory. Prior to Stan Johnson Company, Scurich worked in the Capital Markets Group for Cushman & Wakefield in Atlanta, covering an eight-state territory where he closed an excess of $1.5B in transaction volume.

For more information, go to: http://www.benetlease.com

# # #

Press Release Contact:

John Vita

John Steven Vita Communications

John.vita@jsvcom.com

847/853-8283
Lucas Group Were committed to building meaningful relationships both within our office walls and outside in the community.

The Houston branch for Lucas Group, the leader in North American executive search, has been named to the Houston Chronicles Top Workplaces list for 2017.

The Houston Chronicle surveyed 84,000 Houston-area employees to determine the 2017 Top Workplaces rankings; Lucas Group placed first among recruiting firms on the list and thirteenth overall.

Making the Top Workplaces list means a company cares deeply about the people who in turn care for its customers, says Al Lewis, the Business Editor for the Houston Chronicle. Top Workplaces is a celebration of companies that not only recognize this, but are constantly seeking ways to keep their employees empowered and engaged.

Lucas Groups Houston office epitomizes this commitment to employee empowerment and engagement. The 60+ employees are a diverse, multi-generational and multicultural team committed to helping develop, support and celebrate each others success.

The Houston branch is a tight-knit community outside the office, too, joining together to cheer on the Astros and volunteer in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The Houston economy has seen its fair share of ups and downs recently, and coupled with the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, its been a challenging year for this city, said Bob Prather, Houston, General Manager Accounting & Finance. In the face of these challenges, I am proud of and amazed by the resiliency of our Lucas Group team and how they have truly come together. Were committed to building meaningful relationships both within our office walls and outside in the community.

Earlier this year, Lucas Group celebrated the Houston office with the Together, We Own Houston campaign. The campaign was an opportunity for Lucas Group to share its appreciation for 40+ years of strong customer relationships with thousands of Houston-area companies and job seekers. The campaign also demonstrated Lucas Group's continued confidence in the city's dynamic business environment.

It is a great honor for us to be recognized as a top workplace, said Prather. We are optimistic about the citys continued growth. All of us are proud to call Houston home.

Lucas Group specializes in Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Manufacturing, Military Transition and Sales & Marketing recruitment. Taking pride in the professional growth and career advancement of its associates, Lucas Group provides clear career path trajectories together with the industrys most sophisticated onboarding.

About Lucas Group

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA with 15 regional offices, Lucas Group is North America's premier executive search firm. Since 1970, Lucas Group's culture and methodologies have driven superior results. Lucas Group utilizes a unique combination of sophisticated technology, rigorous research, deep industry knowledge, ongoing associate training, and broad national reach to deliver real value for clients and candidates. To learn more, please visit Lucas Group at http://www.lucasgroup.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Sales & Orders shares our commitment to helping merchants maximize success, and were excited to provide a powerful new selling tool to our customers in time for this holiday selling season.

Sales & Orders, Premier Google Partner and creator of Management Software for Google Shopping, announced today it has partnered with leading ecommerce platform provider BigCommerce to launch Google Shopping by Sales & Orders, a native Product Feed Tool designed to help BigCommerce store owners effectively leverage the full capabilities Google Shopping.

The just-released Google Shopping app, which is fully integrated into BigCommerce and Google Merchant Center, is free-of-charge to all BigCommerce store owners and allows businesses to easily generate an approved product feed for use in Google Shopping campaigns in a matter of minutes, greatly streamlining product feed creation process by automating complex manual tasks.

Thousands of BigCommerce merchants use Google Shopping to generate awareness, acquire new customers and drive revenue growth, said Kevin McKeand, Vice President of Strategic Partner Management for BigCommerce. Sales & Orders shares our commitment to helping merchants maximize success, and were excited to provide a powerful new selling tool to our customers in time for this holiday selling season.

App users will also gain access to exclusive feed editing and optimization tools as well as the opportunity to enable a paid Google Shopping Auto-Pilot feature which will automate the creation and management of pure, product SKU-structured (the deepest level of granularity possible) Shopping campaigns without needing to leave the BigCommerce control panel.

Officially founded in 2014 by Co-Founders Gregg Hanan and Bryan Natter, today Sales & Orders is the leading, unified platform for retailers and marketers to create, manage, analyze, and optimize their Google Shopping campaigns. The specialized Customer Success team also offers premium managed services for Google Shopping campaign management, Expanded Text Ads, Remarketing, Product Feed management, and Bing Shopping management.

All of us here are beyond excited to be able to make a serious change in the lives of BigCommerce retailers looking to sell on Google Shopping, says Sales & Orders President Gregg Hanan. Were stripping away the complex barriers to entry, making it super easy for retailers to get an approved product feed in Merchant Center, and were not charging a single penny for feed creation. For us its all about helping the retailers themselves. They deserve a better chance to succeed and grow their businesses and Google Shopping is one of the best ways to do just that. What was once quite complicated will now be merely a few clicks away. Since the very beginning, Bryan and I have been obsessed with providing a truly affordable solution for retailers to squeeze every last little bit out of their marketing. Our mission then and today is defined by that obsession.

Google Shopping by Sales & Orders will be accessible right from within the BigCommerce control panel. Once the Feed-Only version of the app is launched, a store owner will be prompted to connect to their Google Merchant Center Account and the feed creation will be fully automated. The app will use existing product information from the store itself to populate the numerous, required fields in standard product feeds for use in Google Shopping. Additional features at launch include:



Feed Dashboard: General feed statistics and a way to perform one-click feed syncs with Merchant Center

Diagnostics: Provides feed and product error reporting with options to filter based on certain criteria and export

Excel-ready error reports



Add/Remove: Allows users to manually adjust a feed by adding or removing specific products and includes filtering

options.



Category Mapping: En masse capabilities for mapping products/groups of products to their respective Google

Product Categories



Source Mapping: For retailers who have custom fields in their store and need to map them to unique feed attributes

required by Merchant Center

Google Shopping Auto-Pilot will be available as a premium upgrade option for only $20/month. A store owner need only connect to their AdWords account, apply 2 basic campaign settings, and the rest is fully automated:

Campaigns: (2) Google Shopping campaigns, Primary and Catch-All, will be created by Sales & Orders in AdWords

Management: Weekly automated bid updates are performed using our profitability-driven Bid Suggestion Engine

Reporting: Top-level performance stats for your Google Shopping campaigns are reported right within your own

Dashboard

BigCommerce retailers will also have the opportunity to access the full suite of tools available in Management Software for Google Shopping or upgrade to fully-managed services with the Sales & Orders team of Customer Success Specialists.

About Sales & Orders

Based in Bethpage, New York, Sales & Orders Management Software for Google Shopping is one of the only platforms dedicated solely to helping retailers and marketers create, manage, and optimize Google Shopping campaigns. Recognized as a Premier Google Partner, Sales & Orders also provides managed services for retailers including Shopping ads management, Remarketing, and Product Data Feeds.

About BigCommerce

BigCommerce is the worlds leading cloud ecommerce platform for established and rapidly-growing businesses. Combining enterprise functionality, an open architecture and app ecosystem, and market-leading performance, BigCommerce enables businesses to scale to tens of millions in online sales at a fraction of the cost and complexity of on-premise software. BigCommerce customers include 50,000+ SMBs, 2,000+ mid-market businesses selling more than $1 million per year, 25 Fortune 1000 companies, 25 Internet Retailer 1000 businesses, and leading brands and retailers representing a wide range of B2B and B2C categories. For more information, visit http://www.bigcommerce.com.

For more information contact:

Anthony Capetola | Marketing Manager | (516) 680-2796 | pr(at)salesandorders(dot)com
Gilbane Building Company Awarded New Reynoldsburg Community Center YMCA Project

Gilbane Building Company has been selected by the city of Reynoldsburg to provide construction management at-risk services for the new Reynoldsburg Community Center YMCA.

The 56,000 SF, two-story facility will be built on 10 acres and will include administrative offices, community rooms, fitness center, gymnasium and indoor and outdoor aquatic center. This Community Center YMCA is a true partnership between the City of Reynoldsburg and the YMCA of Central Ohio and will provide the Reynoldsburg community with the resources it needs to grow and flourish.

The new Reynoldsburg Community Center YMCA is a great complement to our portfolio of recreation facilities and sporting venues in Ohio, said Brett Meyer, Vice President at Gilbane Building Company. Even more importantly, Gilbane has created a culture of caring, integrity, dedication to excellence and community involvement, and the YMCAs culture aligns extremely well with ours. We look forward to building upon these values and continuing to develop our relationship with their team.

According to Bill Sampson, City of Reynoldsburg Service Director, Gilbanes experience, relationships and personal commitments impressed the interview team, consisting of city administrators, council members and representatives from the YMCA. The team was confident Gilbane would provide the best quality product and experience for the community.

The city of Reynoldsburg, YMCA and project team celebrated the official groundbreaking on September 28th. The project is set to open in late 2019.

About Gilbane Building Company

Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services  from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build and facility management services  for clients across various markets. Founded in 1873 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has 48 office locations around the world. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com. Gilbane has been providing construction management services in Ohio since 1959.
At Reflexis, we craft our technology roadmap to meet the retail challenges of the future

Reflexis Systems, Inc., the leading provider of real-time store operations and workforce management solutions, announces its new Intelligent Forms retail solution. Reflexis created Intelligent Forms to provide retailers with a simplified process for handling the plethora of forms that stores have to send to various corporate departments. Intelligent Forms modernizes the design, distribution, escalation, and completion of digital forms, driving a proactive and responsive process throughout the organization.

With Reflexis Intelligent Forms, stores have increased visibility into the status of submitted forms, eliminating emails and follow-up phone calls to check on form status. It also ensures, through intelligent architecture, that corporate personnel do not have to re-key data from forms into other systems. Retailers can also define who is involved in the form approval process, who can recall and withdraw forms, and who should be reviewing forms. The solution can be used on mobile devices, giving store managers and associates immediate access to the application, and is readily available for cloud deployment.

At Reflexis, we craft our technology roadmap to meet the retail challenges of the future, said Sundar Ranganathan, Chief Technology Officer at Reflexis Systems. Simplifying work at stores is an essential goal that our customers will have to continue addressing as retail changes over the coming years. Weve developed an application that does just that, giving them the tools they need to streamline store operations and exceed customer expectations.

About Reflexis Systems, Inc.

The Reflexis cloud-based Real-Time Store Operations Platform helps retailers simplify store operations, improve line of sight for field managers, and streamline corporate processes. Reflexis store execution, labor operations, mobility, and analytics solutions enable retailers to unleash the power of store associates, giving them more opportunities for customer engagement, providing customers with a more consistent brand experience.

Since 2001, Reflexis has helped more than 250 of the worlds best retailers improve store-level execution and drive quantifiable business value and significant ROI.

Reflexis Systems, Inc. is privately held and headquartered in Dedham, Massachusetts and has offices in Atlanta, London, Dusseldorf, and Pune (India), with additional sales presence across Europe and Latin America. For more information, visit http://www.reflexisinc.com. Follow Reflexis on: LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Google+ | Instagram | Blog
Our company applauds Terrapin Technologies for showing its commitment to their clients by meeting SOC 2 Type II standards for data security. - William Holman, Assure Professional Audit & Accounting Partner.

Terrapin Technologies, a data, software and consulting services provider for the financial services industry, has successfully completed a Service Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type II examination, performed by Assure Professional - a leading cybersecurity, assurance and compliance solutions provider. Terrapin Technologies broker-dealer data management system is SOC 2 Type II compliant, by the standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Our company applauds Terrapin Technologies for showing its commitment to their clients by meeting SOC 2 Type II standards for data security, said William Holman, Assure Professional Audit & Accounting Partner.

Created for entities operating in the booming technology and cloud computing sector, SOC 2 Type II compliance has become the gold standard in data security compliance. In pursuit of this industry-leading certification, organizations undergo a rigorous analysis that can include the five Trust Services Principles (TSP): security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.

SOC 2 Type II compliance is determined by tests and reports conducted by an independent auditor, on the structure and operational soundness of a service organizations controls, over a period of six months to a year. The review is specific to IT and data center service providers. The audit accounts for the system of the data center, and the suitability of its design of controls, as reported by the company. The audit also includes verification of an auditors opinion on the operating effectiveness of the controls.

Terrapin Technologies successfully performed the SOC 2 Type II audit against security and availability, proving they are taking appropriate measures to assure its systems are protected against unauthorized access. The comprehensive report examines multiple controls over the security and availability of its hosting services.

Assure Professional has been a great partner for Terrapin Technologies, said Kristefor Lysne, owner and president of Terrapin Technologies. Their level of service is exceptional, as is their expertise in SOC compliance."

Recognized as a leading technology solutions provider in the financial services industry, Terrapin Technologies provides data, software, and consulting solutions for leading broker-dealers nationwide. Specializing in areas of data aggregation, reporting, compensation and more, Terrapin Technologies offers a complete data hub with enterprise-wide services.

About Assure Professional

Assure Professional, a leading cybersecurity, assurance and compliance solutions provider, specializes in providing due diligence, private equity, and accounting services as well as compliance related engagement programs including, SOC 1 (formerly SSAE 16) Audits, SOC 2 + HITRUST Audits, SOC Readiness Assessments, SOC for Cybersecurity, SOC for Vendor Supply Chain, ISO 27001 Assessments and HIPAA/HITECH Assessments. The firms leadership team has nearly 70 years of combined business management, operations and related information technology (IT) experience. Headquartered in De Pere, Wisconsin, Assure Professional has implemented business and technology best practices for companies across a variety of industries in US states, as well as Canada, South America, and several European countries. Visit http://www.assureprofessional.com. Assure Professional Social: Facebook, Twitter @assurepro, LinkedIn.

About Terrapin Technologies

Terrapin Technologies is a premier provider of data, software, and consulting solutions for leading broker-dealers in the financial services industry. Using Pandia - an industry compliant, integrated, modular-based SaaS solution - Terrapin Technologies delivers a complete data hub with enterprise-wide services including: data aggregation, reporting, compensation, compliance and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Terrapin Technologies has developed and implemented innovative programs for top companies nationwide for more than 25 years. Visit http://www.terrapintech.com. Terrapin Technologies Social: Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn.

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The technology partnership with VT iDirect allows SES Networks to provide the best possible experience and service flexibility for our partners and customers, John-Paul Hemingway, Executive Vice President of Product, Marketing and Strategy for SES Networks.

Customers of SESs geostationary (GEO) High Throughput Satellite (HTS) services will have greater flexibility and control of their capacity following the deployment of the iDirect Velocity ground infrastructure, developed by VT iDirect, a global leader in IP based satellite communications, SES announced today.

The iDirect Velocity infrastructure will be deployed across three HTS systems -- SES-12, SES-14 and SES-15 -- enabling SES Networks to host and provide modular and scalable solutions for its partners and customers, initially for SES Maritime+ services, and then as a multi-application service platform for the fixed and mobility markets.

SES is deploying the iDirect Velocity infrastructure across HTS gateway locations around the globe, allowing SES Networks to offer fully managed end-to-end services, or to delegate control of capacity and other key parameters to customers who, in turn, can do the same for their own customers. The SES Networks Global Services teams across numerous Network Operations Centres (NOCs) and our partners will have unprecedented insight into global bandwidth resources and maximum flexibility for resource allocation.

SES HTS satellites will first leverage iDirect Velocity-based services with leading maritime customers and others using traffic-intensive data applications in the Americas region. Upcoming HTS systems will expand SES Networks mobility and other data connectivity services in the Asia-Pacific region, including rapidly growing markets such as India and Indonesia, and will support existing VSAT services in the Americas and the North Atlantic Region.

The iDirect Velocity platform was designed to address the unique infrastructure needs of HTS networks, and optimised to enable the delivery of tiered managed services that are needed for customers over such a data-heavy network. This will enable SES to provide high bandwidth allocation and increased flexibility to its customers with variable pricing options. Customers will be able to utilise assets across the entire SES fleet and use contracted capacity no matter where their needs may be around the world.

The technology partnership with VT iDirect allows SES Networks to provide the best possible experience and service flexibility for our partners and customers, said John-Paul Hemingway, Executive Vice President of Product, Marketing and Strategy for SES Networks. A mobility customer that has 500Mbps over our fleet now has the ability to seamlessly use that capacity anywhere around the world. It is a great step forward in providing the best experience possible for our customers.

iDirect Velocity is the leading HTS platform in the market today and provides a seamless high-throughput, high-quality experience over a spot-beam satellite architecture, said David Harrower, Senior Vice President Global Sales, VT iDirect. SES Networks customers can support multiple types of business models and markets from a single platform, increasing their revenue potential and profitability.

For further information please contact:

Markus Payer

Corporate Communications

Tel. +352 710 725 500

Markus.Payer(at)ses(dot)com

About SES

SES is the world-leading satellite operator and the first to deliver a differentiated and scalable GEO-MEO offering worldwide, with more than 50 satellites in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and 12 in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). SES focuses on value-added, end-to-end solutions in two key business units: SES Video and SES Networks. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and institutions. SESs portfolio includes ASTRA, O3b and MX1, a leading media service provider that offers a full suite of innovative digital video and media services. SES is listed on the Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange (ticker: SESG). Further information available at: http://www.ses.com

About VT iDirect

VT iDirect, a subsidiary of VT Systems, is a global leader in IP-based satellite communications providing technology and solutions that enable our partners worldwide to optimize their networks, differentiate their services and profitably expand their businesses. For more than 20 years, the VT iDirect organization has focused on meeting the economic and technology challenges across the satellite industry. Today, the product portfolio, branded under the name iDirect, sets new standards in performance and efficiency, making it possible to deliver voice, video and data connectivity anywhere in the world. VT iDirect is the worlds largest TDMA enterprise VSAT manufacturer and is the leader in key industries including mobility, military/government and cellular backhaul. In 2007, iDirect Government was formed to better serve the U.S. government and defense communities. For more information please visit http://www.iDirect.net.
BlueCloud

HealthCarePoint (HCP), a Texas-based healthcare and clinical research networking-technology company founded by patient survivors unveiled their Connector Service Provider business model at this years CNS Summit Conference in Boca Raton.

The CNS Summit is a platform for change and a community passionate about shaping the future, with a focus on collaboration, innovation, and technology. The mission is to have a positive impact on the success of clinical development programs. The conference brought together many key opinion leaders from big pharma, technology and neurological medical research. Speakers and panels discussed a wide variety of topics that impacted healthcare and clinical research from how to successfully utilize big data, how to efficiently reach FDA approval, and how synthesizing patient needs with industry goals can result in an improved system.

During the Summit, the founder and president Al Pacino of the BlueCloud stated during his live presentation, The system is broken, we all know thatbut today we will show you new technology, business model and a modern healthcare and clinical research system that is solving many of the challenges we have today within the disconnected healthcare and clinical research ecosystem. Bringing action to the forefront, Al Pacino talked about a specific BlueCloud technology that addresses the modernization of healthcare and clinical research system.

The Connector Service Provider (CSP) business model has already been proven successful in the transportation and hospitality industry. CSP involves connecting providers with consumers. Airbnb and Lyft are businesses that have successfully developed themselves using this innovative strategy. When a provider, such a Lyft driver who owns and operates a vehicle, can connect with (consumer) passenger for the purposes of transportation using advanced tracking technology, this is a CSP in action. When a property owner (provider) connects to a (consumer) renter, this is also CSP in action. Providing a service using connective technology is fast becoming a way of the future.

The volume and complexity of genetic, phenotypic, and environmental data we have is overwhelming. Society is unwilling to fund the ever-growing cost of developing innovative medicines and patients can't wait for BioPharma companies to develop new medicines, Jeff Kasher, President of Patients Cant Wait explained, BlueCloud technology enables frictionless sharing of data across the drug development and healthcare ecosystem which drives faster, more cost-efficient development of innovative medicines for patients.

In healthcare and clinical research, this type of model is a proven solution to modernizing the system. Providers like healthcare professionals, research sites, healthcare sites, technology companies, standards and patient networks are empowered to connect and work with consumers like pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, clinical research organizations, Government agencies, and insurance companies. The current system is broken. It is inefficient, redundant, bureaucratic, and does not provide transparency due to industry operating in silos. The BlueCloud CSP model embraces modern technologies that allows for streamlining and increased processing of just in time information in the healthcare and clinical research system.

The future of healthcare technology involves a common element of collaboration and connectivity. By organizing providers and consumers in a collaborative system will greatly benefit their ability to share and access information in a real-time. We can challenge the status quo by increasing transparency, problem-solving efforts and eliminating redundancy. The solutions are here and BlueCloud is ready to fulfill its mission, to leave no patient behind.

About BlueCloud by HealthCarePoint

BlueClouds are preferred destinations for healthcare and clinical research professionals, employers and stakeholder organizations. Nominated as one of the top innovations in the industry, BlueCloud is the first independent (real-time / single sign-on) global Professional Network. A global collaborative network connecting healthcare professionals and organizations in a secure, private system. Comprised of various networks which include education, standards, technology, healthcare professionals, research sites, healthcare sites, schools and patients to organize, centralize, and share verifiable information for managerial and compliance activities. Available in over 162 countries and used by over 1.3 Million healthcare professionals from Sponsors, CROs, research sites, hospitals, universities, and thousands of healthcare and clinical research stakeholders, Saving the industry millions of dollars by eliminating redundancies, expediting study start up as well as ensuring quality, transparency and compliance with the united mission of leaving no patient behind.
As a rapidly growing international organization, with a large concentration of real estate assets in the U.S. market, the person we chose to fill the role of CEO for America was very important, said Scott Picken, co-founder and CEO of Wealth Migrate. We could not be more pleased of the caliber of

Wealth Migrate, (KPMG Global Fintech Top 50), a global online real estate company, today announced it has appointed a seasoned technology executive as its new U.S. country manager, as the firm continues to expand its global footprint in response to growing demand from investors.

Amid rapid international growth, Wealth Migrate has named Nir Golan as the new CEO of U.S. operations. With decades of experience advising Fortune-500 executives on corporate strategy and international business issues, Golan has earned a track record of leading cross-functional global teams to success.

A seasoned technology executive, Golan co-founded NY-based technology company Peeractive, which develops groundbreaking ecommerce technology. Golan additionally spent over a decade at Ernst & Young where he led an international team of over 60 business consultants. His leadership and business acumen helped countless global organizations grow and thrive.

As a rapidly growing international organization, with a large concentration of real estate assets in the U.S. market, the person we chose to fill the role of CEO for America was very important, said Scott Picken, co-founder and CEO of Wealth Migrate. We could not be more pleased of the caliber of leader we found in Nir Golan. He is not only a long-time successful real estate investor, but has grown and advised countless international businesses. As we look to a future of rapid expansion and growth, I am confident he will not only help grow our U.S. office but will add value across all of our global operations.

Golan joins as Wealth Migrate continues their rapid expansion, internationally with the opening of two new global offices in the U.K. and the U.A.E. The new locations add the companys current operations in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China, the U.S., Australia and South Africa.

Golan will be based in Wealth Migrates New York offices.

As an active real estate investor, I am a firm believer in real estate as an asset class to build and preserve generational wealth, Golan said. I am thrilled to join Wealth Migrate and help the company continue to break down global barriers and revolutionize real estate investing through cutting-edge technology, enabling all global citizens to build wealth.

Wealth Migrate continues to expand as part of a strategy to meet increasing demand from its community of global investors for recession-resistant real estate assets while continuing to build relationships with best-in-class proven real estate operators.

Wealth Migrates latest appointment follows a series of notable accomplishments, including:



Ranking 42 on KPMGs 2016 Global FinTech list

Ranking in top three for FinTech Africa awards

Conducting over $380m in real estate deals

Having over $100m in assets under management in the U.S.A alone

Securing over $10m+ in seed capital invested

Having 300% revenue growth YOY for last three years

Having 11,220 members from 107 countries signed up on the platform & growing at 63.9% per month

Having investors from 46 countries around the world and growing at 16% per month

In October 2016, the firm was the first global real estate platform to be integrated on blockchain thereby reducing friction costs and increasing trust and transparency. This year, the focus has been on dramatically streamlining the user experience with the help of investor feedback thus enabling the long-term vision of making investing as simple as a swipe of a finger and from as little as $1.

About Wealth Migrate

Wealth Migrate is a leading international real estate investment marketplace that offers global investors direct access to exclusive real estate investment opportunities in premier markets around the world, including the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Investors benefit from the extensive experience of the Wealth Migrate executive team, which has collectively invested more than $1.4 billion for clients in international real estate transactions over the last three decades. For more information, please visit http://www.wealthmigrate.com.
We are thrilled to launch the Volterra Energy brand today and look forward to growing this branch of our business as we continue to look for opportunities in deregulated markets."

Volterra Energy Holdings (VEH), the Houston-based parent company for a family of retail electricity brands, today announced the launch of a new brand, Volterra Energy. The company will offer competitive electricity packages with a unique philanthropic approach.

For each customer that signs up, Volterra Energy makes a contribution to a nonprofit partnering with the company. Currently, Volterra Energy has relationships and affinity relationships with 10 nonprofit organizations, including: Bos Place, Laurels Army Foundation, Kids Meals, Champions Kids Camp, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, Comp-U-Dopt, Northwest Assistance Ministries, Sunshine Kids, Child Advocates of Fort Bend, and CRY America. New charities are added to Volterra Energys donation list on an ongoing basis driven by customer recommendations.

We are thrilled to launch the Volterra Energy brand today and look forward to growing this branch of our business as we continue to look for opportunities in deregulated markets, said Volterra Energy Chief Executive Officer Neville Ravji. Giving back to the community has always been important to us. So, launching a brand that focuses on this aspect of our business philosophy only seems natural and is the right thing to do, said Ravji.

Volterra Energy offers residential and commercial plans, as well as tailored affinity programs. Plans are tailored to the customer and competitive in price.

Many in our community are suffering, said Ravji. Our job is not done. It is our mission to grow this brand and increase our profits and customer count so we can further reach those in need.

The company celebrated the Volterra Energy brand launch by bringing together charity and business partners for a special launch event late November. Hank Moore, corporate strategist and author of Pulitzer Prize-nominated book Non-Profit Legends, provided remarks at the event and saluted Volterra Energy for its philanthropic efforts.

The launch of the Volterra Energy brand is an exciting milestone for the company and community, said corporate strategist Hank Moore. I applaud Volterra Energy for taking an active role in giving back and look forward to witnessing the companys local impact.

The VEH portfolio includes Volterra Energy, Discount Power, and Power Express, all of which are retail electricity providers (REPs) that offer tailored electricity packages to customers across Texas.

About Volterra Energy

Volterra Energy is a retail electric provider based in Houston, Texas. The team at Volterra Energy is comprised of industry experts, with a focus on providing great service and competitive rates while making a positive difference in the community. For each customer that signs up, Volterra Energy makes a contribution to one of the companys charity partners per the customers choice. Volterra Energy is committed to providing electricity with a heart to customers in the Texas market. To learn more about Volterra Energy, visit http://www.volterraenergy.com

About Volterra Energy Holdings

Volterra Energy Holdings LLC (VEH) is the parent company to multiple retail electricity brands. In a short period of just over three years, the companys brands have become leading brands in key market segments in Texas, including the South Asian market and other affinity markets. They serve both residential and commercial customers across the state. The brands specialize in identification of and focus on micro and macro market segments through unique marketing methods. The company serves over 100,000 customers amounting to more than 200,000 Residential Customer Equivalents in the state of Texas and has plans to launch its services in other states in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.volterraenergyholdings.com.
SGF Atlanta, formerly Georgia Reproductive Specialists Many people wait to see a fertility specialist thinking it will happen on their own. What most people dont realize is that early intervention is key.

SGF Atlanta recently earned the top spot and was named Best Self Atlanta Magazines Best Fertility Specialist Practice, as voted on by their reader community. SGF Atlanta offers patients individualized care and advanced, innovative, high quality fertility treatment in a nurturing and supportive environment. Each physician is highly trained and brings equal parts clinical expertise and human compassion to their role in helping to build families. Drs. McCarthy-Keith, Namnoum, and Perloe and are among the most accomplished in the field of reproductive medicine, showing a demonstrated commitment to advancing science, education, and advocacy.

Other honorable accolades in 2017 include Desiree McCarthy-Keith, M.D., MPH, who was named a top fertility specialist by Atlanta Parent Magazine.

I am honored to receive this recognition and feel very proud that I get to help make peoples dreams of a family come true. I feel privileged to work at a practice that strives for innovation and advanced fertility solutions, but always stands behind their promise of doing what is best for the patient, comments Dr. McCarthy-Keith.

In addition, Dr. Mark Perloe, founder of Georgia Reproductive Specialists in 2000 and recent recipient of the 2017 Ricardo Azziz PCOS Challenge Advocacy Leadership Award, was voted top Reproductive Endocrinologist in Georgia by HealthTap, a global health practice that provides immediate access to top doctors via video, text, or audio. This award recognizes Dr. Perloe for providing education and resources to engaged users on the app and represents the highest distinction for his area of expertise.

When youre not getting pregnant, a lot of questions can arise. Many people wait to see a fertility specialist thinking it will happen on their own. What most people dont realize is that early intervention is key. By educating people about infertility and the different treatment options that are now available, it is my hope that we will be able to help more people build their families, says Perloe.

SGF Atlanta was formed this past July when Georgia Reproductive Specialists and Shady Grove Fertility announced their merger. By combining the successful clinical, scientific, and operational approaches under the brand "SGF Atlanta," the merger offered an exceptional opportunity to provide enhanced fertility services and unique financial programs, such as SGFs signature Shared Risk 100% Refund Program for IVF and Donor Egg, to more patients in Atlanta and surrounding areas.

About SGF Atlanta

SGF Atlanta, formerly Georgia Reproductive Specialists (GRS), is part of the Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) international network of state-of-the-art infertility care and IVF centers, offering patients individualized care, innovative financial options, and pregnancy rates among the highest in the United States. SGF Atlanta offers a full range of reproductive medicine and fertility treatments, including diagnostic testing and treatment options from simple drug therapy and surgical procedures to assisted reproductive technologies (ART), for both men and women. The board certified physicians of SGF Atlanta offer more than 100 years of combined experience in reproductive medicine and infertility treatment and are experts in female and male reproductive disorders. The staff of over 40 includes skilled and experienced clinical and technical professionals, embryologists, counselors, and administrators who care for patients in Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, and Atlanta, GA. In addition, the renowned clinical laboratory staff of scientists is credited with developing cutting-edge techniques used by infertility specialists around the world. The SGF Atlanta on-site diagnostic laboratory is fully accredited and features the most advanced technology used in in vitro fertilization, thorough semen and hormone analysis, sperm preparation, and the assisted reproductive technologies. A personalized medical team, led by a board certified reproductive endocrinologist, ensures that patients receive the highest possible medical care, specialized support programs, educational resources, and financial management options. For more information about SGF Atlanta or to schedule an appointment with an SGF Atlanta physician, call 404-843-2229 or visit IVF.com. For more information about Shady Grove Fertility, call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
Providers and health systems are able to review patient-reported outcomes measures.

Trainer Rx, a leader in musculoskeletal mhealth solutions, has announced the creation of a pilot program with One Call Care Management, the nations leading provider of workers compensation care management services. The pilot program, which focuses on improving employees recovery time from injuries or surgery using a home-based platform, was recently announced at the National Workers Compensation Meeting in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, December 5-7.

By pairing One Calls nationwide outcomes-based outpatient therapy network with Trainer Rxs platform, One Call and Trainer Rx are able to deliver an improved experience for workers compensation patients. The Trainer Rx programs, designed as patient journeys, provide access to content while optimizing care coordination and outcome management.

As a physical therapist dedicated to injured worker rehabilitation, I have found that individuals who fully participate in their home exercise program achieve better outcomes than those who do not, said Michelle Despres, One Calls Vice President and National Product Leader. Both One Call and Trainer Rx seek to provide innovative and technology driven tools to support injured workers and physical therapists while driving quality evidence-based care.

Market Statistics and Opioid Management:



The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the U.S. account for over 600,000 injuries and illnesses each year (34 percent of all lost workdays reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).(1)

OSHA estimates, on average, that managing workers compensation patients with musculoskeletal disorders generates direct costs of $20 billion a year and up to five times that much for indirect costs.(2)

Two studies from the independent Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) show 75 percent of injured workers are prescribed opioids but dont receive opioid management services [urine testing drug testing, psychological and psychiatric evaluation, and physical therapy and exercises]. They also found that 55-85 percent of injured workers who missed seven days or more of work received at least one opioid prescription.(3)

A Washington State study found that pain medication was prescribed to approximately 32 percent of patients in stronger potencies and larger doses for musculoskeletal injuries. Studies have shown opioids have a higher medical cost than physical therapy and limited impact in treating injuries.(4)

Non-pharmacologic therapy and non-opioid pharmacologic therapy are preferred for chronic pain,  according to the CDC.(5)

Considering the direct impact of skillfully managing workers compensation patients, it is important to ensure appropriate options are provided at the right time to support the goal of returning to work.

Anyone who suffers from a debilitating injury deserves positive outcomes, said Michael Oberlander, M.D., CMO and Co-founder of Trainer Rx. Treating injured workers can be a complex process. Our partnership with One Call allows patients unlimited access to Trainer Rxs research-developed pathways that take them from injury to full recovery. With Trainer Rx, there is a much greater likelihood that patients will stick with the rehabilitation program and achieve better results.

Trainer Rx will be part of the One Call exhibit at the National Workers Compensation Meeting in Las Vegas. Booth #3101.

ABOUT ONE CALL

One Call is the nations leading provider of specialized solutions to the workers compensation industry and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. One Calls solutions enable more efficient and cost-effective claims resolution with a focus on the injured workers needs across the continuum of care. For more information, visit http://www.onecallcm.com or follow One Call on Twitter @onecallcm.

ABOUT TRAINER RX

Outcomes Focused. Evidenced Based. Consumer-Centric. Since 2014, Trainer Rx has excelled as a leading innovator in musculoskeletal mhealth solutions. The platform is designed to aid in the prevention and recovery of orthopaedic injury and surgery. Patients have completed more than 500,000 rehab sessions, enabling providers and health systems to review patient-reported outcomes measures and risk manage patients to recovery. The combination of in-clinic and home-based rehabilitation content and educational material improves education of injury and treatment options. The completely customizable platform optimizes cost-efficient, high quality, and accessible healthcare.

Patients on average use Trainer Rx for 91 days [26 sessions]. The product boasts an 87% Net Promoter Score. Visit http://www.trainerrx.com.

REFERENCES:

1. http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=UNIFIED_AGENDA&p_id=4481

2. https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=UNIFIED_AGENDA&p_id=4481

3. Thumula, V. and Wang, D., Interstate Variations in Use of Narcotics (2nd ed.) and Longer-Term Use of Opioids (2nd ed.),

4. Dembe A, Wickizer T, Sieck C, et al. Opioid use and dosing in the workers compensation setting. A comparative review and new data from Ohio. Am J Ind Med 2012;55(4):31324.

5. http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2016/3/16/CDCFinalOpioidGuidelines/
REMs agility and low-power design expertise make them an ideal partner for the FDXcelerator program

Reduced Energy Microsystems (REM) announced today that it has joined GLOBALFOUNDRIES FDXcelerator Partner Program, and will be making RISC-V CPU IP available for GFs 22FDX process. Based around the open source RISC-V ISA, REMs IP will offer a low-power core to be integrated into future SoCs to be used across a range of verticals.

GFs technology and support have made them a terrific partner, and we look forward to making RISC-V IP available to GF customers, said REM CEO William Koven. We have benefitted greatly from both the 22FDX and RISC-V ecosystems and we believe we can push both forward with this offering. The market is ready for a new architecture that is not beholden to any one company, and we are excited to play a role in bringing about this paradigm shift.

As members of the RISC-V Foundation, we are excited to see more RISC-V IP offerings made available on our processes, said Alain Mutricy, senior vice president of Product Management at GF. REMs agility and low-power design expertise make them an ideal partner for the FDXcelerator program, and we believe our customers will greatly benefit from this offering.

GF's FDXcelerator Program brings together select partners to integrate their products or services into validated, plug-and-play design solutions, giving customers access to a broad set of quality offerings specific to 22FDX technology. The program's open framework enables members to minimize development time and cost while simultaneously leveraging the inherent power and performance advantages of FDX technology.

About Reduced Energy Microsystems

Reduced Energy Microsystems is combining hardware and software to bring real intelligence to everyday devices. REMs proprietary circuit, architecture, and software technologies enable a quantum leap in local AI performance and energy-efficiency while providing a full vision platform. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA and backed by industry-leading investors including Y Combinator and Draper Associates. To learn more, please visit http://www.remicro.com

About GLOBALFOUNDRIES

GLOBALFOUNDRIES is a leading full-service semiconductor foundry providing a unique combination of design, development, and fabrication services to some of the worlds most inspired technology companies. With a global manufacturing footprint spanning three continents, GLOBALFOUNDRIES makes possible the technologies and systems that transform industries and give customers the power to shape their markets. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit http://www.globalfoundries.com.
Image obtained using MUSE technology shows breast tissue with nerve coursing over and through a layer of intact fat cells. MUSE is important because it quickly provides images from fresh tissue without exhausting the sample

A microscope using ultraviolet light to illuminate samples enables pathologists to assess high-resolution images of biopsies and other fresh tissue samples for disease within minutes, without requiring the time-consuming preparation of conventional slides or destroying the tissue.

This approach holds promise for improving the speed and efficiency of patient care and medical research nationwide, a study published today in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering has found.

The technology, known as microscopy with UV surface excitation, or MUSE, uses ultraviolet light at wavelengths below the 300 nanometer range to penetrate the surface of tissue samples by only a few microns (about the same thickness of tissue slices on traditional microscope slides.) The phenomenon was originally described by Stavros Demos, a co-author who is now at the University of Rochester, and use of the technology has been further developed by physicians and researchers at UC Davis.

Samples that have been stained with eosin or other standard dyes to highlight important features such as nuclei, cytoplasm and extracellular components produce signals from the UV excitation that are bright enough to be detected by conventional color cameras using sub-second exposure times. The process allows for rapid imaging of large areas and immediate interpretation.

MUSE eliminates any need for conventional tissue processing with formalin fixation, paraffin embedding or thin-sectioning, said Richard Levenson, professor and vice chair for strategic technologies in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UC Davis and senior author of the study.

It doesnt require lasers, confocal, multiphoton or optical coherence tomography instrumentation, and the simple technology makes it well suited for deployment wherever biopsies are obtained and evaluated," he said.

MUSEs ability to quickly gather high-resolution images without consuming the tissue is an especially important feature.

It has become increasingly important to submit relevant portion of often tiny tissue samples for DNA and other molecular functional tests, he said. Making sure that the submitted material actually contains tumor in sufficient quantity is not always easy and sometimes just preparing conventional microscope slices can consume most of or even all of small specimens. MUSE is important because it quickly provides images from fresh tissue without exhausting the sample.

The ability to obtain instant, high-resolution, full-color images for histology, pathology or toxicology studies is also useful for basic scientists who want to assess tissue samples from experimental animal models at the laboratory bench. The technology is being commercialized by MUSE Microscopy Inc.

This work was partially supported by UC Davis Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine start-up funds, a UC Davis Science Translation and Innovative Research grant and an unrestricted gift from Agilent Technologies. This work was performed in part under the auspices of the US Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
Aloha Construction receives Better Business Bureau's 2017 coveted Torch Award We work hard and its humbling when people notice it

Receiving a Torch Award from the Better Business Bureau is an honor to select businesses. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Torch Award honors businesses that have been Doing It Right  Ethically. Aloha Construction, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has received a 2017 Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.

Companies receiving the Torch Award have distinguished themselves as businesses that operate in an ethical manner, says Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois. "They know the importance of their customers, employees, community members and other stakeholders to their business success. This is at the heart of why the BBB conducts the Torch Award program. We want to encourage businesses to do their best because it benefits everyone."

Local roofers and siding contractors Aloha Construction, Inc. won the 2017 Torch Award For Marketplace Ethics for their charitable work in the field and their forward thinking company culture. A panel of 15 independent judges highlighted their partnership with Omni Youth services which includes their all-expense paid Christmas shopping spree for children in need, their work sending a child with Congenital Heart Disease and 12 of his friends to their first Bulls Game, their efforts with the Bloomington, Illinois Boys and Girls Club, and their generous internal employee incentive programs as only a few of the reasons Aloha Construction, Inc. received the award.

The award was presented at a luncheon ceremony on Thursday, November 16th at the Chicago Marriott O'Hare.

We are proud to win this prestigious award, says David Farbaky, President & CEO of Aloha Construction, Inc. While we dont set out to do any of these deeds to receive acknowledgement, it feels good to be recognized. We work hard and its humbling when people notice it. The Torch Award is another way we can show our customers the dedication we have to them.

Aloha Construction has been open for decades offering Illinois consumers the best in roofing, siding replacement, and gutters. Our desire is to stay focused on what we do best; provide outstanding products and unsurpassed customer service, said Farbaky.

For more information, stay tuned to Aloha Constructions website.

ABOUT ALOHA CONSTRUCTION, INC.

Aloha Construction, Inc. is a family-owned company of bonded and insured General Contractors providing services for all of Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. They proudly assist those in Lake, McHenry, Cook, and DuPage counties via their Lake Zurich location and in the McClean, Peoria, Washington, Tazewell, and Champaign Counties via their Bloomington office.

With over 20,000 completed projects in Gurnee, Grayslake, Round Lake, Lake Villa, Mundelein, Lake Zurich, Round Lake Beach, Vernon Hills, Libertyville, Lindenhurst, Palatine, Wauconda, Hoffman Estates, Bloomington, Normal, Peoria, Washington, Pekin, Morton, and Mahomet; theyve got the Midwest covered.

To learn more about Aloha Construction, please visit their new website alohaconstructioninc.net. Call 847 540 7711 for a free expert roof inspection.

Being roofers who finance, Aloha Construction, Inc. is fully licensed and insured and offers a 10 year craftsmanship warranty.
Periodontist in New York, NY, Dr. Alexander Volchonok, Becomes a Fellow of the ICOI

Dr. Alexander Volchonok recently became a Fellow of the prestigious International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI), the largest dental implant association in the world. Dr. Volchonok is currently an active member of the ICOI and recently attended the ICOI World Congress XXXV. A periodontist in New York, NY and Norwalk, CT, and owner of AVPeriodontics, Dr. Volchonok specializes in dental implants and periodontal care.

The International Congress of Oral Implantologists is a prestigious organization of dental professionals offering levels of memberships based on candidates professional accomplishments. The ICOI Fellowship requires that candidates be active members of the ICOI, provide 20 successfully completed cases of dental implants, at least 100 hours of documented continuing education courses, and a letter of recommendation from a current Fellow, Master, or Diplomate of the ICOI. All levels of the ICOI are voluntary programs and provide members with both recognition from an esteemed organization and high-quality continuing education on treatments related to dental implants.

Dr. Volchonok received his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, graduating with Honors at the top of his class. Throughout his education, he was a distinguished recipient of over 10 clinical awards in implant dentistry, periodontics, and prosthodontics. He attended Columbia University for post-graduate training where he received a Certificate in Periodontics and a Masters of Science. He has since become a member and Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. This year, Dr. Volchonok was awarded one of Connecticut Magazines Connecticuts 2017 Top Dentists for the second year in a row, and set apart as a young periodontist for the Annual Meeting Scholarship of the American Academy of Periodontology.

Dr. Volchonok is currently a practicing periodontist in New York, NY as well as Norwalk, CT, and is dedicated to offering patients modern, convenient, and high-quality care at his practice. Patients wishing to receive dental implants or periodontal care can schedule an appointment at AVPeriodontics by calling 929-293-0200 or by visiting http://www.avperio.com.

About the Doctor

AVPeriodontics is a modern periodontal practice offering leading care to patients in New York, NY and Norwalk, CT. Dr. Alexander Volchonok is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantology, director and co-founder of the NYC Interdisciplinary Study Club and has lectured both nationally and internationally on various periodontal and dental implant related topics. Dr. Volchonok is dedicated to pioneering the latest minimally invasive techniques to periodontics and implant dentistry and takes a collaborative approach to patient care. To learn more about Dr. Volchonok, the services he offers, or his practice, AVPeriodontics, visit his website at http://www.avperio.com or call his practice at 929-293-0200 to schedule a personalized consultation.
Son of a Saint Sponsor Award 2017 From the commencement of the interviews through their entire time with us, the young men of Son of a Saint were great examples of the benefits of an organization such as Son of a Saint.

Son of a Saint Organization, a New Orleans based charity, recognized Republic Business Credit during its Fifth Annual Gala as one of the Sponsors of the Year.

Son of a Saints mission is to support boys through mentorship, education, recreation, camaraderie, cultural enrichment, emotional support and help to fill the void for dozens of fatherless young men in New Orleans.

New Orleans headquartered Republic Business Credit has been a long supporter of Son of a Saint. Republic has sponsored activities with the organization as well as programs such as paid internships during the summer of 2017 for three young men from the Son of a Saint organization. The internship included interviews and full work experience for the mentees.

From the commencement of the interviews through their entire time with us, the young men of Son of a Saint were great examples of the benefits of an organization such as Son of a Saint, said Stewart Chesters, Chief Executive Officer of Republic. They interviewed strongly, had a great work ethic and I personally loved their desire to learn and interact. They were all not only excellent advocates of the organization, but were also for themselves, as very professional young men.

It energized our whole team having the boys work with us, while providing them with the insight into working in the financial services industry, said Danika Louis, Portfolio Manager of Republic. Our whole team enjoyed having them onboard and this strengthened our resolve to continue to support the work and objectives of Sonny Lee and his team at Son of the Saint.

The level of sponsorship weve received throughout 2017 has been next-level, and that support has elevated our program to new heights, said Bivian Sonny Lee III, Founder and President of Son of a Saint. Were proud to present our 2017 Sponsor of the Year Award to Republic Business Credit, and to acknowledge its generosity, loyalty and unwavering commitment to champion our mission and help our boys. Were deeply grateful.

BACKGROUND

About Son of a Saint

Son of a Saint launched in 2011 to address the burgeoning problem of fatherless boys in the New Orleans area. Under the direction of Bivian Sonny Lee, the 501(c)(3) organization is dedicated to its mission of enhancing the lives young males through mentorship, emotional support, development of life skills, exposure to constructive experiences and formation of positive, lasting peer-to-peer relationships. For more information or to get involved, click here.

About Republic Business Credit

Republic Business Credit provides flexible working capital solutions to help rapidly growing businesses, start-ups, and companies in turnaround or recoverable distressed situations. Winner of the 2015 Emerging Growth Company of the Year award from the Louisiana Chapter of the Association of Corporate Growth, the Republic Business Credit team has the expertise necessary to meet the nuanced financial needs of companies across a wide variety of industries. It provides factoring and asset-based facilities, including ABL, receivables purchase lines of credit, inventory, equipment, and purchase order lines. Since its founding in 2011, Republic Business Credit has provided over $2.5 billion in fast, flexible working capital.

The company is led by Stewart Chesters, a British transplant to New Orleans who has managed commercial finance companies on both sides of the Atlantic and Robert Meyers, a new business leader in the Midwest and West Coast Regions.

Republic provides paid internships as part of its commitment to being a fair wage employer.
HALO Names Adam Weisman Chief Operating Officer Promotional Product and Recognition Solutions Leader Hires New COO with Extensive Business Leadership Experience

Sterling, Illinois - HALO Branded Solutions, an industry leader in promotional product and recognition solutions, announced today that Adam Weisman has joined the company as Chief Operating Officer. Weisman comes to HALO with extensive business and operational leadership roles in blue chip companies including DuPont and General Electric as well as mid-cap companies such as Cabot Microelectronics.

According to Marc Simon, CEO of HALO, "Our growth has, in large part, been a result of providing industry-leading operational excellence and cutting edge technology to our valued account executives and clients. Adam's broad experience in operations and technology will allow us to further enhance our offerings to these important stakeholders."

Weisman noted, "After meeting the leadership team it was clear to me that HALO's culture is unique in business. HALO's focus on service, the aggressive pursuit of excellence, and the deep concern for every individual in the organization is refreshing. I look forward to the opportunity HALO provides."

For more, visit halo.com.

About HALO

HALO Branded Solutions, with operational headquarters in Sterling, Illinois, and HALO Recognition, based in Long Island City, New York, are industry-leading providers of branded merchandise and global recognition solutions. With a national salesforce, HALO creates growth by offering innovative client solutions, priced competitively and supported by world-class operations and customer service.
Analytics software company Applied Predictive Technologies (APT) today announced that Progressive Insurance has signed an agreement to license its Test & Learn software. Progressive joins many leading organizations across industries including insurance, financial services, telecommunications, retail and more in using APTs software suite to measure the impact of new ideas. Progressive will continue using Test & Learn to evaluate key initiatives in areas across the business.

Using Test & Learn, Progressive has not only enhanced agent partnerships but also harnessed APTs software to facilitate knowledge documentation and sharing learnings across teams, helping to further establish a culture of testing new ideas.

We are excited that an innovative, industry-leading player like Progressive has chosen to license Test & Learn to drive faster insights and enhanced performance, said John Howard, Senior Vice President at APT. We look forward to continuing to help Progressive make data-driven decisions.

About Progressive

The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies makes it easy to understand, buy and use auto insurance. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach it whenever, wherever and however it's most convenient  online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, on a mobile device or in-person with a local agent.

Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes. Home insurance is underwritten by select carriers, including American Strategic Insurance Corp. and subsidiaries (ASI), our majority owned subsidiaries.

Progressive is the fourth largest auto insurer in the country; a leading seller of motorcycle and commercial auto insurance; and through ASI, one of the top 20 homeowners carriers.

Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price, Snapshot, and Service Centers.

About APT

APT, a Mastercard Company, is a leading analytics software company that enables organizations to rapidly and precisely measure cause-and-effect relationships between business initiatives and outcomes to generate economic value. Our intuitive and proprietary Test & Learn software utilizes sophisticated algorithms to analyze large amounts of data, enabling business leaders to conduct experiments and allowing them to make optimal decisions and implement business initiatives at scale. APT also offers products that support decision-making for specific business needs, including transaction analysis, space planning, promotion design, category management and location selection. Visit http://www.predictivetechnologies.com to learn more.
Space Centre Storage offers a wide range of solutions for families, condo owners, and students. We hear from our clients that they have had to store their bikes and other valuables in a caged storage space in the buildings parking garage, where the items can easily be seen. Therefore, secure storage at our facility is very important.

Recent studies have shown that Kelowna is starting to grow up, quite literally. Now the most populated city outside of BCs Southern Coast, the Okanagan city has seen a high demand for all forms of housing, especially in the multi-family housing sector. A high number of high-rise condominiums and apartment buildings are being erected throughout the city as well as at the UBC Okanagan University campus. While this high-density development is good news for more affordable living spaces in the city, it is also causing an increased demand for storage in Kelowna. And the increase in demand for storage is only expected to rise as more baby boomers retire and families and students look for more affordable housing in Kelowna.

One business in town meeting the demand is Space Centre Storage. The largest public storage facility in the Okanagan, Space Centre Storage has seen increased occupation and demand for residential storage units at its 380,000 square-foot personal and commercial facility in Kelowna, so it has come up with a solution.

Space Centre Storage is in the process of transforming some its larger storage lockers into 100-150 smaller, secure self storage units to meet the needs of condo owners as well as students who need temporary storage, says Yvonne Rogers, Space Centre Storage operations manager. The lockers are expected to open in the spring of 2018.

Our research has shown that people are looking for just the right amount of space for summer or winter items because there is no room to place these items in their condo or rental units, says Rogers. We are also in close proximity to the university where there is a lot of multi-family housing, and we are trying to meet that need for temporary storage solutions and summer storage. A lot of the students there are international students and go home in the summer and they need a place to keep their household items.

In conversation with their clients, Space Centre Storage has also found that when people look to rent or buy a condo, in-home storage tends to be an afterthought.

Usually when looking at a condo or apartment, customers look for a great kitchen or living space, but they dont consider the available storage space until after theyve moved in and then they find they dont have enough, says Rogers.

Another issue that has arisen with some multi-family apartments/condos is the provision of less secure storage space.

We hear from our clients that they have had to store their bikes and other valuables in a caged storage space in the buildings parking garage, where the items can easily be seen. Therefore, secure storage at our facility is very important, says Rogers.

Space Centre Storage not only offers a safe and secure self-storage facility that offers a variety of sized units at an affordable price, those who live in multi-housing units who own extra vehicles, recreational vehicles, boat and/or trailers also have an option for storage at Space Centre Storages new 157-unit outdoor RV and boat storage facility, which is located at 3150 Sexsmith Rd.

The new paved lots, which are now at 75 per cent capacity, offer secure parking spaces for those who live in condos or homes and do not have a big enough garage or driveway to leave their RVs or boats.

What were finding is that its a totally different market. We tend to see people downsizing from their house to a condo, and wondering what they are going to do with their motorhome or boat. That is something that not all condos owners have is secure parking, says Rogers. We also help snowbirds who are heading south in the winter with their summer RV storage needs, and the opposite with those permanent residents who are looking for RV storage during the winter months.

About Space Centre Storage:

Space Centre Storage in Kelowna has 30 years of experience in the storage industry. Residential storage services include self storage in a variety of units, the MI-BOX portable storage containers, moving supplies, mailboxes, and outdoor boat and RV storage at its two facilities. Space Centre Storage also offers commercial self storage, lease space, mini-warehousing, forklift services and loading docks for business customers.

For more information, please contact:

Yvonne Rogers

Operations Manager

Space Centre Storage

3530 Alcan Rd., Kelowna, BC

info[at]spacecentrestorage[dot]com

250-765-4125

http://www.spacecentrestorage.com
Attorney Richard Pullano Mentors Young Lawyers It is important that we share our experiences with the next generation of lawyers, both good and bad, so that they are in the best position to have a positive impact on the profession - Attorney Richard Pullano

Personal injury attorney Richard L. Pullano, founder of Pullano Law Offices in Chicago, shared his professional knowledge with local young attorneys at a Lawyer to Lawyer mentoring orientation program held Nov. 14.

The John Marshall Law School runs the program, which pairs up a mentor and mentee for as much as six hours of professional responsibility Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits. The program is approved by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.

It is important that we share our experiences with the next generation of lawyers, both good and bad, so that they are in the best position to have a positive impact on the profession, Pullano said.

Recently Pullano took a large leadership role when he was installed as the president of the North Suburban Bar Association (NSBA) for 2017-2018. As president, he is in charge of a professional organization that provides networking opportunities, CLE courses, referral services, and community outreach programs.

As a mentor, Pullano can draw upon 35 years of experience practicing law in the Chicago area. In 1982, he earned his Juris Doctor from DePaul University and was admitted into the Illinois State Bar Association. He immediately went to work as a prosecutor in the Cook County States Attorneys office. In 1987, he changed course and became an attorney for people seeking compensation for personal injuries. He has secured many millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients over the years.

Pullano plans to use his experience as an attorney and position of leadership with the NSBA to set a professional example for young attorneys to follow.

About Pullano Law Offices:

Pullano Law Offices is a personal injury law firm located on East Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago. The firm is dedicated to helping those who have been injured seek full justice. The attorneys at Pullano Law Offices are prepared to meet with clients any time and place, and they know how to get the best results. The law firm has obtained millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for clients and has become known for an uncompromising approach and a relentless work ethic.

Attorney Richard L. Pullano and the team at Pullano Law Offices concentrate their practice in helping victims of personal injury. This includes cases involving, but not limited to: trucking liability, aviation liability, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, construction negligence, and product liability. To learn more about the firm, call 312-551-1100 for a free consultation or fill out our online contact form at http://www.pullanolaw.com/.
Daniel L. Hood, MD Medical Director, CompuNet Clinical Labs and Miami Valley Hospital

Monoclonal Gammopathies (MG) are characterized by chromosomal aberration of B-cells or plasma cells resulting in benign or malignant proliferation of the affected clone. The product of such clone, a monoclonal protein, is an essential laboratory marker for the detection, identification and classification of MG and aid in diagnosing the associated conditions.

Currently there is no one test sensitive and specific enough to detect all Monoclonal Gammopathies. In some cases, multiple tests, including serum free light chain analysis, are required to uncover all plasma cell dyscrasias present in the patient.

Two electrophoresis techniques commonly used in clinical laboratory for typing MGs are Immunofixation and Immunotyping. During Immunofixation, samples are separated on a gel using zone electrophoresis and separation products are overlaid with specific antisera for detection. On capillary systems, MG can be characterized by mixing sample with Ig-specific antibodies followed by separation in an electrical field and observing resulting patterns for specific reduction of monoclonal peaks.

In this webinar, which is sponsored by Sebia, the speaker will discuss strategies for detecting Monoclonal Gammopathies. Participants will learn the principles of Immunotyping and Immunofixation, as well as review Immunotyping and Immunofixation results.

Dr. Daniel L. Hood, the Medical Director at CompuNet Clinical Labs and Miami Valley Hospital, will be the speaker for this event.

Hood attended The Ohio State University and received a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and immunology before graduating from Wright State University School of Medicine with his doctorate. Since 1997, he has been medical director of the clinical labs at Miami Valley Hospital and the CCL lab. During his career he has been on the boards of Miami Valley Hospital, Premier Health hospital system, Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services, Ohio Society of Pathologists, and The Joint Restoration Foundation as well as serving as system pathology chair for Premier Health hospital system.

LabRoots will host the webinar December 5, 2017, beginning at 10:00 a.m. PST, 1:00 p.m. EST. to learn more about this event, discover the continuing education credits offered, or to register for free, click here.

About Sebia

Sebia is the worlds leading provider of clinical protein electrophoresis equipment and reagents, a technology used for in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) testing. Its systems analyze proteins in order to screen and monitor various diseases and conditions; primarily oncology (Multiple Myeloma), metabolic disorders such as Diabetes , Hemoglobinopathies, and rare pathologies.

About LabRoots

LabRoots is the leading scientific social networking website, which provides daily scientific trending news, as well as produces educational virtual events and webinars, on the latest discoveries and advancements in science. Contributing to the advancement of science through content sharing capabilities, LabRoots is a powerful advocate in amplifying global networks and communities. Founded in 2008, LabRoots emphasizes digital innovation in scientific collaboration and learning, and is a primary source for current scientific news, webinars, virtual conferences, and more. LabRoots has grown into the worlds largest series of virtual events within the Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics community.
Rhonda Carano in the vineyard 2017 The trademark of Ferrari-Carano is our people, our vineyards and the positive family team spirit we all share.

Rhonda Carano, co-founder of Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery alongside her late husband Don Carano, assumes the position of Senior Executive Officer and Manager for the Ferrari-Carano family of brands. Don Carano passed away on October 3, 2017.

Like Don Carano, Rhonda Carano is a second-generation Italian-American and a native of Reno, Nevada. The Caranos first fell in love with Sonoma Wine Country in the late 1970s, on trips from Reno to source wines for their hotel/casino, the Eldorado Resort Casino. Since Ferrari-Carano is the shared vision of Don and Rhonda Carano, where they co-managed the company since its inception in 1981, the transition to Rhondas new role will be seamless.

As a team, Don and I shared a dream, Rhonda Carano says. His insight and visionary approach in the wine industry back in the early 1980s--particularly his love for acquiring special vineyard sites--is the backbone of Ferrari-Caranos philosophy of creating memorable wines from vine to bottle.

Rhonda Carano drives Ferrari-Caranos growth strategies and is dedicated to maintaining the Ferrari-Carano brands best-of-class positions. She brings to the role 40 years of experience in business management, marketing, advertising and creative design at Eldorado Resorts Inc.; Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery; Lazy Creek Vineyards; Seasons of the Vineyard Tasting Bar and Boutique; Vintners Inn and John Ash & Co. Restaurant.

She says, Words cannot express my personal sadness, but I, with the talented team of individuals we have, will continue to honor Dons memory through our dedication to quality and consistency without compromise. The trademark of Ferrari-Carano is our people, our vineyards and the positive family team spirit we all share.

Ferrari-Carano marked its 35th Anniversary in 2017, releasing their first nationally-distributed rose, the 2016 Dry Sangiovese Rose, to national acclaim. Vintners Inn, Ferrari-Caranos 4-Diamond boutique resort property in nearby Santa Rosa, opened River Vine Cafe, a new, onsite breakfast/lunch restaurant and event space. Additional openings are slated for 2018 at Vintners Inn, including the opening of all-new deluxe guest rooms and suites, and a full-service, 5,000-square-foot spa. In January 2018, Ferrari-Carano will release the 25th Anniversary Siena, the Sangiovese-based red wine blend.

For press inquiries, high resolution images, or interview requests, contact Chelsea Kurnick at 213-985-1011 ext 5 or chelsea(at)mccuecommunications(dot)com. For more information about Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, please visit http://www.Ferrari-Carano.com.

About Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery

Founded initially as a small wine farm in 1981 by hospitality-industry pioneers Don and Rhonda Carano, the Ferrari-Carano family of brands now comprises the very best in hospitality, wine and food experiences in Californias North Bay region. The portfolio comprises destination wineries in Sonoma (Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery) and Mendocino (Lazy Creek Vineyards) counties; three wine production facilities; 24 certified-sustainable estate-owned vineyards spanning more than 1,900 acres across three counties; the 44-room Vintners Inn and John Ash & Co. Restaurant; and Seasons of the Vineyard Tasting Bar & Boutique in Healdsburg. Ferrari-Carano is one of the regions leaders, setting the bar for the highest standard in hospitality, wine quality and sustainability.
As more architects, contractors and building owners in North America become familiar with the Trespa brand, locating our office to the renowned Empire State Building underscores our companys longevity and association with exceptional architecture

To further enhance its relationships with the architecture community, Trespa North America is relocating its New York City headquarters from the SOHO neighborhood to the Empire State Building, to be near the major design firms located in Midtown Manhattan. Starting January 1, 2018, customers can schedule a visit to the new office to view all the product decors and pick-up product samples. The office address is: 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4610, New York, NY 10118. Customers can schedule a visit by calling: (800) 487-3772.

As more architects, contractors and building owners in North America become familiar with the Trespa brand, locating our office to the renowned Empire State Building underscores our companys longevity and association with exceptional architecture, says Michael Provenza, commercial vice president, North America, for Trespa. Relocation of our North American headquarters to this most iconic building is a very exciting move in the evolution and growth of our organization.

About Trespa

Since its founding in 1960, Trespa has worked closely with architects, designers, installers, distributors, raw material suppliers and end users globally. Trespas focus is on product development, combining quality-manufacturing technologies with intelligent solutions for architectural and scientific surface applications. With unique insights into key market challenges, trends and demands, Trespa passionately delivers innovative, aesthetically pleasing and high performance solutions for a wide range of needs. http://www.trespa.com
Dom & Tom is the best place to work because of its people and environment. I've been working here for many years, and I never am upset to come into an office where everyone is fun and silly while at the same time being extremely smart, driven, and focused.

Crains New York Business has identified Dom & Tom as one of New York Citys Best Places to Work. With only 100 businesses included on the 2017 list, Dom & Tom is proud to join the ranks of other businesses hailing from a range of industries, including accounting, advertising, construction, engineering, finance, law and real estate. While tech companies represent about one-third of this years Best Places entries, the roster of winners mirrors the citys diverse economic landscape.

Dedicate to identifying and recognizing New York Citys best employers, the survey and recognition program is in its 10th year of publication. To be eligible for the Crains ranking, businesses must employ 25 or more workers within the five boroughs. To assemble the data, Best Companies, the independent research firm that manages the surveys and results for Crains dispatched surveys to more than 23,000 city employees. Each worker answered a confidential 86-question survey, and the scores were combined with results from a separate 78-question survey completed by employers. The questions focused on everything from working conditions to internal communications. Results from the employee survey made up 75% of the total score; the answers from employers constituted 25%.

Dom & Tom is the best place to work because of its people and environment. I've been working here for many years, and I never am upset to come into an office where everyone is fun and silly while at the same time being extremely smart, driven, and focused, said Anthony Sgueglia, Associate Director of Web Development.

For its first year on the list, Dom & Tom landed at the 74th spot amongst other companies including the winner for the 2nd year in a row, Transwestern, a full-service commercial real estate firm, our friends at mParticle, a customer data platform, and DoSomething.org, a global non-profit organization. Hailing from diverse fields these organizations share a commitment to making their workplaces welcoming, stimulating and fun for their employees through programs and initiatives that support, inspire and empower them.

Were encouraged to communicate with different people, travel to new places, and connect with every aspect of the team. I particularly enjoy splitting my time between the NYC & Chicago offices, two different cities but it always feels like home, said Jenn Dahl, Product Designer on the support she feels at Dom & Tom.

A luncheon honoring the top 100 companies was held on Friday, Dec. 1st, 2017 where Dom & Tom was presented with their award. Also included at the event was a special recognition for the Crains Best Idea contest where Dom & Tom was named as a finalist for their presentation of their best initiative with a co-worker focus. The goal was to share best ideas with the business community to inspire other companies that often grapple with sensitive and pressing issues.

Dom & Toms Do Good. Be Good. Award initiative was a finalist in the contest and recognized for its supportive, caring, and fun way for employees to reach out to one another. The Do Good. Be Good. award was started as a version of an employee of the month recognition and aimed to recognize the hard work and dedication an employee puts forth. Each month two employees get to nominate another two employees for the award. The two winners are announced at the company-wide monthly town hall meeting and receive a silly and fun trophy which the winner gets to keep for a month. In addition to the trophy a $100 donation to the winners charity of choice is given from the company in the winning employees' name.

"I really appreciate that the company supports initiatives that my colleagues are interested in starting such as the Do. Good. Be Good. Committee, Social Committee, Caesar's Bootcamp and more," said Andreana Occes, Office Manager.

All companies on the Crains 2017 Best Places to Work list are tied together by a common value - they spare no effort to create a supportive, collegial and empowering workplace. Dom & Tom is no exception and proudly offers generous health benefits, a flexible work from home policy, an unlimited vacation policy, and an abundance of non-work special events to allow the employees to bond and feel the camaraderie.

With their forward-thinking and inclusive nature, Dom & Tom will continue to offer a supportive and exciting company culture for not only their New York headquarters but their expanding offices in Chicago and Los Angeles.

About Dom & Tom

Dom & Tom is an end-to-end digital product development agency focused on emerging technologies. From startups to enterprise solutions the apps they produce for their clients support their strategic initiatives first and foremost through open collaboration, forward-thinking user experience, engaging design, and cross-platform development for both web and mobile. Dom & Tom has launched 400+ web projects and 120 native mobile applications with teams located in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit http://www.domandtom.com.

About Crains New York Business

For more than 25 years, Crains New York Business has been the award-winning news source for New Yorks business leaders, telling the story of the New York economy, while serving as a voice and advocate for the citys business community. Reporting through the prism of business, Crains helps its readers stay on top of the inner workings of New Yorks economic and political ecosystem, uncover new business opportunities and connect with the broader New York business community.

About Best Companies Group

Best Companies Group (BCG) is dedicated to establishing Best Places to Work, Best Companies and Best Employers programs to identify and recognize workplaces that nurture a superior level of employee satisfaction and engagement. BCG researches the dynamics and characteristics of employers in numerous geographic regions and industries, both nationally and internationally, and then produces annual Best lists of the organizations that are leading the way in defining the employee experience of the 21st century.

For more information, contact:

Dom & Tom

Alice Fountain

(323) 510-2696

alice(at)domandtom.com
DJI Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian

The DJI Phantom 4 series of drones is a hugely popular line of aircraft from the drone giant, and the DJI Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian stands at the pinnacle of it. This week Drone-World.com begins selling their first DJI Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian Kits, including a Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian Falcon Kit, and both the P4Pro Obsidian Executive Kit Version 2.0 and original P4Pro Obsidian Executive Kit. In addition, drone lovers can buy the P4Pro Obsidian drone on its own, and customize with Drone World accessories, which are currently 25% off. From Phantom 4 Obsidian black carbon fiber propellers to Obsidian battery banks to the ever-useful sunshade hood, these premium kits accentuate the best characteristics of the Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian color vis-a-vis all of the phenomenal accessories.

See the new Obsidian Drone here: DJI Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian

The most elite of the new kits is the P4Pro Obsidian Falcon Kit, which offers the best in range and reliability with the help of FireBridge 2 technology. In essence, weve taken the best of both worlds and meshed them together: the sleek look of the P4Pro Obsidian and the Falcon edition upgrade kit all in one awesome package, described Stephen McKenna, President and Founder of Drone World. He continued, saying The end result is an upgraded drone that takes advantage of the strongest remote technology to fly stronger, and is filled with invaluable accessories like the L-series lens filters, the wheeled hard case, and the THOR supercharging station.

2017 has been a year marked by new colors for DJI drones, with the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum debuting right on the heels of the P4Pro Obsidian. Both of these aircraft follow in the footsteps of the Inspire 2 and original Mavic Pro -- the pair of which illustrated a departure from the classic white coloration and a movement towards darker color combinations. Also new in a black color is the DJI Goggles RE (racing edition). All of these new items can be found at drone-world.com.

From first-time buyers to long-time Drone World customers, everyone can benefit from learning more about the difference and similarities between the Phantom 4 Pro and P4Pro Obsidian. We break down all of them in this comparison article.

CHRISTMAS SALE: dont forget to see Drone Worlds Holiday sales here:

Drone World Holiday Sale

About Drone World:

Drone-World.com is the Webs preferred destination for consumer and professional unmanned aerial drones, drone kits, and drone accessories. Drone-World.com combines superior customer service and know-how with over 5 years of drone experience and 10 years of web sales and service. They specialize in custom DJI Phantom & Mavic bundle kits, including the highly popular DJI Phantom 4 Pro/+ Executive & Falcon Edition kits featured in RotorDrone Magazine as well as commercial use Inspire 2 kits, Osmo kits and the newly released DJI Phantom 4 Pro kit and the DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ (Plus) bundle.

For more information contact:

(888) 901-3108

sales(at)drone-world.com
These awards reflect Elite Pacific Properties strong commitment to the Big Island real estate market.

It was a great week for Elite Pacific Properties agents Romy Jacobson and Wailana Herbst. Romy Jacobson was named Salesperson of the Year by West Hawaii Board of Realtors on Friday, December 1, 2017. Wailana Herbst was named Realtor of the Year by East Hawaii Board of Realtors on Saturday, December 2, 2017. These awards reflect Elite Pacific Properties strong commitment to the Big Island real estate market.

Romy Jacobson was born and raised in California, graduating from UCLA. Relocating to Hawaii in 1993, she began her real estate career as a landlord and investor. Romy and her husband Erik serve clients from Kamuela to Kona, specializing in in the Kohala Coast resorts. As a licensed real estate salesperson, she is an active member of the West Hawaii Association of REALTORS and is a graduate of the Hawaii Association of Realtors Leadership Academy. The Salesperson of the Year award by West Hawaii Board of Realtors is a reflection of Jacobsons outstanding track record and dedication to the West Hawaii community.

Wailana Herbst is third generation Big Island born Realtor. Growing up in the family real estate business, Wailana has gained valuable experience in a multitude of transactions. Attending University of Hawaii at Hilo, she earned a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and then immediately activated her license and became a full-time agent. Throughout her career, Wailana has been actively involved in her local and state REALTOR associations and graduated from the Hawaii Association of Realtors Leadership Academy in 2010. In 2014, she moved to North Kohala, expanding her service area to include the entire east coast of the Big Island and shortly thereafter became a resident of the North Kohala community when she married her longtime friend and partner who grew up in Kapaau. Wailana is more than deserving of The Realtor of the Year award by East Hawaii Board of Realtors.

About Elite Pacific Properties:

Locally owned and operated, Elite Pacific Properties was founded in 2005 by Stephen Cipres and Paul Mayer. The company has close to 200 professional agents in nine offices on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island, along with a 50 person support staff. As a full-service real estate firm focused on luxury residential property sales, multi-unit projects/developer sales, vacation rentals and property management, Elite is a member of Whos Who In Luxury Real Estate, an exclusive organization of the top luxury brokers in the world. The firm has also appeared on Inc. Magazines Inc. 5000 list for the past five years, as well as Pacific Business News Fastest 50 company list for the past four years. For more information, visit ElitePacific.com.
Halifax Health, Adams, Robins & Morton, HKS Architects and honored guests joined together to officially break ground on the Halifax Crossing Hospital located in Deltona, Florida. "We had an excellent experience working with [Robins & Morton] on our France Tower expansion in 2008 ... We know they will exceed our expectations once again on this project, Jacob Nagib, Director of Engineering, Design and Construction at Halifax Health, said.

Halifax Health, Adams, Robins & Morton, HKS Architects and honored guests joined together to officially break ground on the Halifax Crossing Hospital located in Deltona, Florida.

The new 196,000-square-foot addition will expand the current freestanding emergency department. The hospital will include 96 patient beds as well a surgery center, operating suites, and a comprehensive imaging center with MRI, CT, X-ray, mammogram and ultrasound. The hospitals design will reflect a Lean approach to provide improved operational efficiencies.

After completing the competitive process, we look forward to working with Robins & Morton once again on the Halifax Crossing project. We had an excellent experience working with them on our France Tower expansion in 2008  during that project the Robins & Morton team showed their healthcare expertise, commitment to Halifax Health, and excellent budget control. We know they will exceed our expectations once again on this project, Jacob Nagib, Director of Engineering, Design and Construction at Halifax Health, said.

The expansion and renovation is scheduled to be completed in December 2019.

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About Robins & Morton

Founded in 1946, Robins & Morton is a privately held construction firm that consistently ranks among the 100 largest U.S. contractors in Engineering News-Record Magazine. The company has also been named one of the best mid-sized companies to work for in America because of its worker-friendly and family-friendly practices. Robins & Morton is based in Birmingham, Alabama, with offices in Dallas, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; Orlando and Miami Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information, visit http://www.robinsmorton.com.
Shrub Oak is being set up as a center of excellence, where we will use our expertise to discover each students interests, abilities and strengths

Shrub Oak International School (Shrub Oak)  a new, world-class special education boarding and day school that will serve an international population of young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)  today announced that it is now accepting students for the next school year, which will begin in September 2018. The Westchester County schools mission is to advance autism education by providing the fields most innovative evidence-based academic and therapeutic approaches as it helps students prepare for a purposeful, independent future.

Our central guiding theme is that, with an integrated mix of the right transition-focused experiences, interventions and learning curricula, every student can succeed on the path toward a fulfilling future, when educators are attuned to the individuals unique abilities, interests and goals, said Dianne Zager, Shrub Oaks Dean of Education. Shrub Oak is being set up as a center of excellence, where we will use our expertise to discover each students interests, abilities and strengths; then we will employ best practices and resources in a state-of-the-art, immersive learning environment to ensure that when a student graduates, it is into a world of possibility.

Earlier this month, the school announced its founding by a trio of renowned visionaries, including:



Gil Tippy, Psy.D., Co-Director and Head of Clinical services is a world-leading expert in developmental approaches to intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He has over 30 years of experience as a teacher and psychologist and is a founder of the renowned Rebecca School in New York City. He is a co-author, with Dr. Stanley Greenspan, of the renowned book Respecting Autism, which defines the highly successful use of developmental, individual difference, relationship-based principles (DIR)/FloortimeTM, a groundbreaking approach incorporated into Shrub Oaks curriculum.

Dianne Zager, Ph.D., Co-Director and Dean of Education is recognized globally as a pioneer in autism education. She has consulted with school districts across the U.S. to develop autism educational programs and founded one of the nations first college support programs for students with autism. She has served as president of the International Council for Exceptional Childrens Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities, and has over 30 years experience directing graduate and post-graduate programs to train school personnel in autism. Dr. Zager has done extensive work in the transition of students with autism to adulthood and employment. She was founding editor of Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, one of the most widely read autism journals in the nation.

Wendy Eklund, MBA, Dean of Student Life has extensive experience designing student-life experiences that provide engaging, enriching opportunities for students. As assistant director for residence life at Sarah Lawrence College, Wendy administered all the housing logistics, identified ways to improve student experiences and engagement in the residences, and oversaw the resident advisors and hall directors.

Shrub Oak sits on the 127 acres of bucolic, hilltop grounds of a retrofitted former-seminary in Westchester County, New York. The campus will integrate nature, agriculture and cutting-edge technology to provide students with a sensory experience that is unmatched by any special education boarding school in the world. The building will include a modern gym, a restaurant-quality kitchen and dining facility, modern common rooms for socializing, state-of-the art classrooms, a well-appointed student hub, and well-designed dormitories. The space will also feature an indoor pool, equestrian stable, an open space for robotic development and learning, specialized art studios, theater, exercise gym, with numerous career training spaces and services. Its working farm includes livestock and crops set against a backdrop of open fields and wooded trails. A state-of-the-art, 24/7 security system will be incorporated into all areas of the building and grounds.

The school will ultimately have an enrollment of 391 residents and day students, aged 14 to 30+ years old. Each students program will maximize therapeutic and learning opportunities, not only in the classroom but also in the dining hall; on the fields and trails; and in the residential areas as well as the neighboring community.

Shrub Oaks goal is to ensure that all students achieve goals to lead successful fulfilling lives. . This includes employment and the ability to live as independently as possible upon graduation. In order to do so, each student will have an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, teachers and student-life professionals who will collaborate closely to construct and implement custom programs.

Based on completely individualized educational programming, which focuses on each students unique needs, seamlessly integrating therapies and educational programs, curriculum will range from rigorous academic preparation for college to learned skills for independent living and future employment. The areas of emphasis for student program include executive functioning, social interaction, cooperative work, organization, time management, and task completionall seamlessly interwoven throughout day and evening activities.

About Shrub Oak International School

Shrub Oak International School is a world-class, private, special education boarding and day school preparing students for independent adult life and employment. Serving the sophisticated needs of an international co-ed population of young adults on the Autism Spectrum, the schools innovative relationship-based program is grounded in evidence-based principles that build on each students specific needs and interests. Shrub Oaks modern, technology-infused facility is set on 127 acres of farmland where students can learn everyday living skills in a natural environment.
The timing is right for a highly accessible and intuitive discovery and analytics product like ASDL 4.0 to support digital transformation across all data-intensive industries.

Cambridge Semantics, the leading provider of a universal semantic layer for big data management and connected data analytics solutions, today announced Steve Dischinger as its Vice President of Business Development and Alliances.

Dischinger brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the company, including business development, sales, channels, alliances, OEM technology licensing, SaaS, PaaS and cloud computing. Nearly 15 years of his career was dedicated to business development for IBM Software Group (SWG) for emerging internet technologies and early customer adoption. Following that he spent over 10 years building a partner ecosystem for TIBCO Software, a global provider of integration and analytics software. Dischinger most recently served as vice president of alliances at Apcera, a container management platform provider which was acquired by Ericsson.

Dischinger will focus on accelerating Cambridge Semantics go-to-market initiatives and partner relationships to expand the adoption of Anzo Smart Data Lake (ASDL) 4.0, the companys flagship platform product that builds a semantic layer at scale on all enterprise data. He will work closely with technology partners and global systems integrators to further Anzo SDL 4.0 deployments in sectors such as life sciences, financial services, healthcare, transportation and energy.

Steve understands that companies today require an ecosystem of trusted partners to maximize their opportunities for growth, said Alok Prasad, president of Cambridge Semantics. He will work to expand upon our current relationships and drive new partner opportunities.

Cambridge Semantics offers the only enterprise-scale, knowledge graph based on open standards, and the data analytics market is going to be disrupted in a very positive way by this technology, Dischinger said. The timing is right for a highly accessible and intuitive discovery and analytics product like ASDL 4.0 to support digital transformation across all data-intensive industries.

Dischinger received an MBA from Duke Universitys Fuqua School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

About Cambridge Semantics

Cambridge Semantics Inc., The Smart Data Company, is a big data management and enterprise analytics software company that offers a universal semantic layer to connect and bring meaning to all enterprise data. Its software, the Anzo Smart Data Lake, allows IT departments and their business users to semantically link, analyze and manage diverse data whether internal or external, structured or unstructured, with speed, at big data scale and at the fraction of the implementation costs of using traditional approaches.

Cambridge Semantics is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

For more information visit http://www.cambridgesemantics.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter: @CamSemantics.

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McLeod Software new headquarters building The company has an outstanding reputation of being a great place to work and is positioning itself for exponential future growth, said Mayor Frank Brocato, City of Hoover.

McLeod Software has purchased a 140,000-square foot office building in Hoover for its new corporate headquarters. The company plans to move into the new facility in early summer 2018 at the completion of a major remodeling project at 100 Meadow Brook Corporate Park.

This building will allow the rapidly growing company to consolidate its two current office locations in the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area. It also sets the stage for the companys continued growth.

One of the most rewarding opportunities McLeod Software offers our region is new jobs being transplanted from other states, said Derrick M. Murphy, Hoover City Council, Place 5- Chairman, Commerce & Development.

McLeod Software has experienced an average growth rate of 20% over each of the last six years and expects continued growth that should lead to the company doubling in size again over the next 5 years. McLeod Software has been ranked as one of Birminghams top two largest software development companies for 4 years in a row by the Birmingham Business Journal.

McLeod Software has seen tremendous growth in the Birmingham-Hoover metro area over the past 30 years and we are excited to see it further entrench itself in a location that is primed for continued success, said Alan Reeves, Project Manager at the Birmingham Business Alliance. We are thrilled it calls the Birmingham-Hoover region home and we look forward to continuing to work with the company in the future.

McLeods transition to Shelby County is a very exciting one. They are a company that stays on the cutting edge of technology with their R&D and evolving offerings for their customers, and they are at a critical growth point. Moving forward and providing them the support that they need for that growth should and will be a concerted effort among community partners like the Department of Commerce, the Birmingham Business Alliance, the City of Hoover, and 58 INC. We are here to support them in any way we can, said Yvonne Murray, Managing Director, 58 INC.

McLeod Software was established in Birmingham over 30 years ago. With nearly 900 customers in the U.S. and Canada, the company is the leading provider of complete enterprise management software solutions for the transportation industry.

Hoover is proud to have McLeod Softwares corporate headquarters in our city, said Mayor Frank Brocato, City of Hoover. The company has an outstanding reputation of being a great place to work and is positioning itself for exponential future growth. Having McLeod Software located in Hoover will continue to strengthen the city of Hoover as one of the leading technology cities in Alabama.

Colliers International assisted McLeod Software in the transaction.

About McLeod Software

Transportation companies that work with McLeod Software find the best ways to improve customer service levels and operating ratios, attract and retain the best drivers, and drive automation to destroy inefficiency. McLeod Software is the leading provider of transportation dispatch, accounting, operations and brokerage management software, and document management systems. Specifically developed for the transportation industry, McLeod Software's advanced management solutions and services enable trucking companies and brokerage firms to increase their efficiencies while reducing costs. Visit us at http://www.McLeodSoftware.com.
The Business School Alliance for Health Management is an international consortium of leading MBA programs with a health sector focus. UNC Kenan-Flagler is its newest member.

The University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School has become the newest member of the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM), an international consortium of leading MBA programs with a health sector focus.

Our board is pleased to welcome UNC Kenan-Flagler as the 17th member of an organization that has crystallized into a strong, collaborative network of business schools focused on promoting scholarship and innovation in the health sector, said Kevin A. Schulman, BAHMs board president and a professor of medicine and business administration at Duke University.

Formed in 2010, BAHM supports business school health management programs and their faculty, students and graduates in educating the next generation of leaders and advancing thought leadership in the field. BAHM initiatives include annual student case competitions, educational webinars, research collaborations, and Health Management Policy and Innovation (HMPI), an online journal focused on U.S. and global health sector challenges from a business perspective.

Our goal is to improve outcomes, access and value in the business of health care by conducting influential research and providing comprehensive education for future leaders working in this arena, said Brad Staats, leader of the Business of Health Care Initiative and associate professor of operations at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

Solving some of todays biggest health-care challenges is the focus of the Business of Health Care Initiative at UNC Kenan-Flagler. To address the complex and technical issues surrounding the business of health care, the school is bringing together people from across the University  including its top-ranked schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and business  to leverage their diverse and deep expertise to collaborate on research and education.

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About the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School

Consistently ranked one of the world's best business schools, UNC Kenan-Flagler is known for its collaborative culture that stems from its core values: excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork. Professors excel at both teaching and research, and demonstrate unparalleled dedication to students. Graduates are effective, principled leaders who have the technical and managerial skills to deliver results in the global business environment. UNC Kenan-Flagler offers a rich portfolio of programs and extraordinary, real-life learning experiences: Undergraduate Business, full-time MBA, Executive MBA Programs (Evening, Weekend and global OneMBA), online MBA@UNC, UNC-Tsinghua Dual-Degree EMBA, Master of Accounting, PhD, Executive Development, and UNC Business Essentials programs. It is home to the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery is thrilled to introduce female plastic surgeon Dr. Tiffany Ballard to their Michigan practice. Her fellowship training in surgical and nonsurgical facial and body rejuvenation provides the Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery practice with the most comprehensive and state-of-the-art services and techniques available in plastic surgery and aesthetics. Dr. Ballard's exceptional training background offers patients a superb opportunity to receive the latest nonsurgical or surgical techniques available today.

Dr. Ballard specializes in:

-Facelift

-Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty

-Fat Grafting to the Face

-Abdominoplasty

-Liposuction

-Body Contouring

-Breast Augmentation

-Breast Reduction

-Breast Lift

-Labiaplasty

-FTM Top Surgery

-MTF Breast Augmentation

-Facial Feminization

-Scar revision

-Laceration repair

-Silhouette InstaLift

-Neuromodulator treatment including Botox and Dysport

-Fillers utilizing a cannula for injections

Dr. Ballard's Educational Accomplishments

Dr. Ballard, originally from northeastern Indiana, graduated as valedictorian from her high school. She then attended DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, on a full-tuition scholarship and was the first in her family to graduate college. At DePauw, she majored in biochemistry, was inducted into the top national college honor society Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated summa cum laude. Dr. Ballard then attended the prestigious Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, TN. Ranking amongst the top of her class, she was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the top national medical school honors society. She completed her plastic surgery residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, considered one of the nations top integrated plastic surgery training programs. While at Michigan, Dr. Ballard distinguished herself through grant awards from the Plastic Surgery Foundation, American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons, and the University of Michigan Medical School. Following residency, she sought additional specialized training through a post-graduate cosmetic surgery fellowship at the respected Few Institute for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in Chicago, IL. She has published more than twenty peer-reviewed manuscripts relating to every area of plastic surgery and has presented her plastic surgery research nationally and internationally.

Dr. Ballard is married to retina surgeon Dr. Rajesh C. Rao, and they welcomed their daughter in March 2017. She loves her new role as a mother and is happy with the added depth it provides to her relationship with patients. She understands the importance of balancing self, family, and career and uses this perspective to develop a unique treatment plan for her patients that matches their goals and lifestyle while providing them with natural-looking, outstanding results. Outside of work, she enjoys time with family and friends, exploring restaurants in Ann Arbor, and cheering on the Michigan Wolverines.

Dr. Ballards Philosophy on Plastic Surgery

Dr. Ballard takes time with each male or female patient to learn their unique expectations, objectives, and challenges. She then offers him or her a customized treatment plan that is designed to assist them in meeting their goals including nonsurgical facial rejuvenation with neuromodulators, fillers, or the increasingly popular Silhouette InstaLift, or surgical treatments including facelifts and cosmetic breast and abdominal surgery.

Dr. Ballard shares, It is an honor to be a plastic surgeon and for patients to place their trust in me to help them achieve their vision. I aim to provide each patient with the utmost attention to detail and safety and offer them the range of potential surgical and non-surgical options to address their individual needs and goals. A successful procedure results in natural-appearing outcomes and a satisfied patient.

CALL FOR A CONSULTATION WITH DR. BALLARD

Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery in Ann Arbor and Jackson, MI, invites you to request a consultation with Dr. Tiffany Ballard today. We are available to answer any questions or concerns that you may have. Complete the online form or call the Jackson office at (517) 789-9800 or the Ann Arbor office at (734) 913-5100. We look forward to hearing from you and wish you a pleasant day!
Mercy Ships volunteer Surgeon Dr. Glenn Strauss poses with Pierre, the 30,000th surgery patient onboard the Africa Mercy since deployment in 2007. Mercy Ships, credit: Saul Loubassa ...Ive been privileged to train 47 ophthalmic surgeons who will provide tens of thousands more safe cataract surgeries in Africa and around the world,

This International Volunteer Day marks two incredible milestones onboard the floating hospital ship the Africa Mercy, currently docked in Cameroon. Volunteer ophthalmic surgeon from Tyler, Texas Dr. Glenn Strauss performed the 30,000th surgery on the ship -- ten years after performing the very first surgery onboard the Africa Mercy in 2007. Mercy Ships, founded in 1978, has worked tirelessly to combat the global surgery crisis of 5 billion people without access to safe surgery.

I could never have imagined when I did that first operation on the AFM in 2007, that now, 10 years later, Id be doing the 30,000th case. Not only that, but Ive been privileged to train 47 ophthalmic surgeons who will provide tens of thousands more safe cataract surgeries in Africa and around the world, said Strauss.

Dr. Strauss main goal has been to train ophthalmic surgeons as well as to provide the surgeries himself. He teaches the revolutionary MSICS cataract technique (manual small-incision cataract surgery) which is a low-cost, small-incision form of extracapsular cataract extraction and is more easily multiplied in developing world settings.

These milestones are the epitome of what Mercy Ships strives to do, and Dr. Strauss is truly the image of our volunteers, all of whom are dedicated and caring individuals who change lives every day, thousands of times over, commented Don Stephens, President and Founder of Mercy Ships.

Since deployment 10 years ago, the Africa Mercy has docked in nine African countries for a total of 12 field services. The surgical specialties offered in the ships state-of-the-art operating theaters include maxillofacial, plastic reconstructive, women's health  including obstetric fistula, pediatric orthopaedics, general, and ophthalmic (adult and pediatric).

In addition to providing surgeries, the volunteers on the Mercy Ship also provided medical capacity building training courses attended by more than 7,800 African healthcare professionals. By providing training for the healthcare professionals, Mercy Ships surgeons help to ensure that partner healthcare providers will be better equipped to care for their country and provide safer surgeries in Africa after the ship leaves.

ABOUT MERCY SHIPS:

Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free, world-class healthcare services, capacity building and sustainable development to those with little access in the developing world. Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 70 countries providing services valued at more than $1.3 billion, treating more than 2.56 million direct beneficiaries. The Africa Mercy is crewed by 400 volunteers from up to 40 nations, an average of 1000 each year. Professionals including surgeons, dentists, nurses, healthcare trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort. With offices in 16 nations, Mercy Ships seeks to transform individuals and serve nations one at a time. For more information click on http://www.mercyships.org

For More Information Contact:

For USA: Pauline Rick

US Public Relations Coordinator

Mercy Ships

Office Tel: (903) 939-7000

Mob: (972) 922-5442

Email: us.media(at)mercyships.org

For Intl: Diane Rickard

International Media Manager

Mercy Ships

Diane.rickard(at)mercyships.org

http://www.mercyships.org

Hi-res photos and general Mercy Ships B-Roll video footage are available upon request.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY:

International Volunteer Day (IVD) mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on 5 December. It is viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector.

http://www.un.org/en/events/volunteerday/
Isagenix Co-Founder and Executive Vice President Kathy Coover Kathys passionate and inspiring leadership has had an enormous impact not only on Isagenix and our Associates but also on our industry. - Travis Ogden

Isagenix International, a global health and wellness company providing nutrition and lifestyle solutions, is pleased to announce that Co-Founder and Executive Vice President Kathy Coover has been named one of The Most Influential Women in Direct Selling by Direct Selling News (DSN). The magazine selected 20 women, including Coover, based on their executive leadership roles in companies published on the Global 100 list and private companies that have grown considerably over the past few years.

Im honored to be among the women receiving this prestigious recognition, Coover said. Its incredibly gratifying to be part of such an amazing community of leaders who excel in our industry and who care deeply about the success of women working in direct sales around the world.

Coover has more than 25 years of experience in the direct selling industry, including being a top income earner in three separate direct sales companies, where she generated millions in income. She co-founded Isagenix with her husband, Jim, in 2002 and currently co-owns the company with Jim and their son, Erik. In the past 15 years, the family-owned business has had more than $5 billion in cumulative global sales and has expanded into 15 markets across the world. It recently marked its 11th consecutive year on the Inc. 5000 list.

Isagenix President and Chief Operating Officer Travis Ogden was thrilled Coover is being honored for her influence and achievements.

Kathys passionate and inspiring leadership has had an enormous impact not only on Isagenix and our Associates but also on our industry, he said. Shes a terrific role model for the many women whove embraced direct selling as a way to make an impact on their families, friends, and communities.

As part of its recognition for top female executives in direct selling, DSN is featuring Coover in the December issue, where she shares her expertise on navigating the millennial-driven world.

According to the latest research by the Direct Selling Association, a record 20.5 million people were involved in direct selling in the United States last year, a 1.5 percent increase over the previous year. Most of those 20.5 million people were women: 74 percent were female and 26 percent were male.

To learn more about Isagenix, visit our newsroom at Isagenix.com, like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Isagenix, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @Isagenix.

About Isagenix International

Established in 2002, Isagenix provides systems for weight loss, energy, performance, healthy aging, and wealth creation. With more than 550,000 customers worldwide and more than 100 life-changing products, packs, and systems globally, the company is committed to producing Solutions to Transform Lives. In 2017, Isagenix surpassed $5 billion in cumulative global sales through an independent network of associates in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Colombia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Isagenix is a privately owned company with headquarters in Gilbert, Arizona. For more information, visit Isagenix.com.
Embattled Republican Senate candidate from Alabama Roy Moore is being accused of anti-Semitism after implying that business mogul and liberal fundraiser George Soros, who is Jewish, is going to hell.

"He's still going to the same place that people who don't recognize God and morality and accept his salvation are going," Moore said Tuesday. "And that's not a good place."

Moore made the comments about Soros while speaking with radio host Bryan Fischer on his local Alabama show, The Ordinary People Society.

Conservative news source The Reagan Battalion tweeted that Moore's statements about Soros were "straight-up anti-Semitism."

Moore also said that Soros's "agenda is sexual in nature" and is "not American culture."

Moore's comments came on the heels of a Breitbart News report alleging that Soros is trying to register felons in Alabama to vote against Moore. While Alabama did recently pass a law allowing felons to vote, there is no evidence to back up Moore's and Breitbart's claims.
LONDON  DUP leader Arlene Foster will not meet with Theresa May on Tuesday, meaning the stalemate over the Irish border after Brexit will continue.

The party's Westminster leader, Nigel Dodds, will instead meet the government chief whip Julian Smith in an attempt to sort an agreement over Northern Ireland's status once the UK leaves the European Union.

The prime minister will also speak to Foster and Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill on the phone to discuss Brexit plans, a Downing Street spokesperson told Business Insider.

A source told the Telegraph that the DUP did not "think it would be productive for Arlene to be there today," as there was still so much work to be done to achieve a deal.

The source said: "Arlene will come in when they are close to agreeing something. There is such a level of work to be done at the moment  it is not at a stage where Arlene would be involved as leader."

This puts the prime minister's planned trip to Brussels on Wednesday in doubt. May wanted to meet with EU officials in order to reach "sufficient progress" over the Irish border, citizens' rights and the financial settlement before a crucial summit next week.

EU heads of state will meet at the European Council to decide whether "sufficient progress" has been made in phase one of Brexit talks in order to allow negotiations to begin on trade.

If "sufficient progress" isn't met, Brexit negotiations will be delayed even further, not allowing discussions about transition or trade to start, and throwing the whole process into disrepute.

Davidson says the government should not divide the country

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has called for the whole of the UK to have regulatory alignment with the EU if that is what is needed to continue a "frictionless" Irish border.

Davidson also rejected any idea that an area of the UK should have a different deal to another part, after reports on Monday suggested that Northern Ireland would be allowed to have closer regulatory alignment with Ireland and the EU than the rest of the UK.

In a statement, she said: "No government of the Conservative and Unionist party should countenance any deal that compromises the political, economic or constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.

"All sides agree there should be no return to the borders of the past between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Similarly, jeopardising the UKs own internal market is in no-ones interest.

"If regulatory alignment in a number of specific areas is the requirement for a frictionless border, then the prime minister should conclude this must be on a UK-wide basis."
LONDON  Steve Rotheram has suggested that Liverpool and other northern city regions should be able to stay closely-wedded to EU markets after Brexit if the UK government goes ahead with plans for "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and the EU.

Speaking to Business Insider on Tuesday, the Metro Mayor for the Liverpool City Region said there will be a strong case for cities like Liverpool and Manchester to opt out from aspects of a hard Brexit if Northern Ireland is allowed to mirror EU trade and customs arrangements after exit day in March, 2019.

"If you think about Liverpool City Region and Manchester City Region and our functional economic geography, we have a bigger population GDP-GVA than Scotland," former Labour MP Rotheram said.

He added: "Myself and Andy have Ben Houchen (Mayor of Tees Valley) all met with David Davis and said that if Scotland has got the opportunity to speak directly to the Brexit secretary then the northern cities should too."

Both Rotheram and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham have called on northern city regions to be given more say in Brexit negotiations between Britain and the EU.

"Theres a committee with the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands but no permanent seat for the English regions," Burnham said last month.

Brexit

Rotherham's comments come as London mayor Sadiq Khan also called for an "urgent" meeting with Davis to secure special access to the single market for London.

"Im meeting David Davis shortly and will raise the issue of Londons access to the single market and customs union as a matter of urgency," Khan told the Evening Standard.

He added: "I

In a text currently being worked on by negotiators, the UK is prepared to agree that there'll be "regulatory alignment" on market and customs rules between both sides of the Irish border, according to reports on Monday.

In practice, this concession would have major implications for Northern Ireland, as it would require it to stay as close as possible to EU rules in order to maintain seamless, free movement of goods and people across the border.

Khan, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones have all called on Theresa May to let their own regions retain aspects of single market and customs union membership.

"If one part of UK can retain regulatory alignment with EU and effectively stay in the single market (which is the right solution for Northern Ireland) there is surely no good practical reason why others cant," Sturgeon said in a tweet.

Speaking to BI at a meet-up of UK and US mayors in central London, Rotheram added that Brexit "terrifies" him.

"Brexit itself terrifies me. A hard Brexit strikes fear into my very core," he said.
A Republican lawmaker says he doesn't think his party correctly labeled its tax bill.

Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina told reporters this week that the Republican bill, named the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was in essence a corporate tax reform bill with some personal tax cut veneer to make it go down easier.

"Fundamentally the bill has been mislabeled," Sanford said, according to The Washington Post's Erica Werner. "From a truth-in-advertising standpoint it would have been a lot simpler if we just acknowledged reality on this bill, which is it's fundamentally a corporate tax reduction and restructuring bill, period."

A study by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that of the nearly $1.5 trillion in tax cuts in the House-passed version of the bill, roughly $400 billion in cuts would go to individuals and $1.1 trillion would go toward the business side.

While the Senate bill distributes the tax cuts more evenly, businesses still get more of the cuts.

"You can argue the merits or demerits of doing that and what it will mean in terms of economic expansion and growth, but fundamentally if you look at the bulk of the bill, about two-thirds of it is tied to the business side," Sanford said, adding that the individual tax cuts were not "the core of what the bill is."

Other Republicans have also derided the personal side of the bill. Sen. Bob Corker, the only Republican to vote against the bill in the Senate, said he would like to take the individual tax changes it proposed "directly to the incinerator." Larry Kudlow, a conservative economist and former Trump economic adviser, took issue with changes to the personal side in an interview with Politico, saying the legislation was "not a true tax reform bill."

Sanford suggested Republicans portrayed the bill as being centered on broader tax reform partly because of President Donald Trump and his background.

"There's a degree of political sensitivity given, I think, the president's net worth and business involvements and of being labeled as what might be best for him," Sanford said.
One home will feature a large floating terrace next to its living room, while the other eight will have roof decks.

Each 1,216-square-foot, two-story villa will feature a living room, kitchen, parking space, and three bedrooms including a master suite with a walk-in closet.

The original design featured a white facade, but the architects later changed it to brown. Pieces of each home were fabricated off-site, and they were assembled on-site.

The villas will be partially powered by solar energy. Four shared solar arrays will sit in the backyards.

Olthuis calls these homes "amphibious," meaning they touch both the land and the water. Their concrete foundations are buoyed to cables that attach to the ocean floor. If sea levels rise, so do the homes  similar to boats.

Waterstudio is known for its floating structures, which it has exclusively built for over a decade. In November, the firm debuted this design for a solar-powered floating home that will go on sale next summer.

In Dubai, Waterstudio expects to also complete 33 villas on floating islands by the end of 2018, Olthuis said.

Olthuis believes that as cities begin to seriously grapple with the effects of climate change, floating neighborhoods will become more mainstream.
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This brings the number of deceased students to 8 since the beginning of 2017.

A first-year General Arts student of the school, Fodjour Furgerson Livingstone, died at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) on Saturday (December 2, 2017).

READ ALSO: 2 Kumasi Academy students die in mysterious circumstances

His death came after he was initially admitted to the Tafo Government hospital when he complained of fever.

The family of the 17-year old student has accused school authorities of negligence. According to the bereaved family, the authorities prioritised the activities to mark the schools 60th anniversary over giving proper care to students who fell sick.

According to the family, the deceased contracted the disease when he voluntarily took a colleague with a suspected case of meningitis to the hospital. He is believed to have died from meningitis.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive of Asokore Mampong, Alhaji Alidu Seidu, has said that the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research will present a report on the cause of deaths on Wednesday.

Four students died earlier this year, whilst three died just last week, prompting parents to raise concern about the safety of their wards in the school.

Some parents have reported to the school, demanding to take their wards home over the mysterious deaths.

READ ALSO: 3 more Kumasi Academy students confirmed dead Tuesday morning

Police officers have been deployed to the Kumasi Academy to maintain order after parents trooped to the school to pick up their wards.

The angry parents were not allowed to enter the school causing them to force their way through. Those who were successful have taken their children away.

The atmosphere is tense as parents are still trooping in to take their children away.
The young man had been on a westbound Jubilee line train with his friends between West Ham and North Greenwich on 21 October to attend an event when the attack ensued.

READ MORE: Man spends 30 years building secret shelter in a forest to escape end of the world

According to news.sky.com, the two attackers approached the victim on the train he was on board and one of them pulled the victim from his seat into a headlock and strangled him, while the second man snatched the his phone and verbally abused him amidst threats of stabbing him.

Sensing danger, the gay man quickly apologized for being gay and the assailants let him off the hook.

Confirming the incident, the British Transport Police warmed in a statement that "Hate crime will not be tolerated by the British Transport Police.

READ ALSO: Police arrest man who stole 120 TV sets from several hotels within 4 months

"We believe everyone has the right to travel safely.

"We won't tolerate behaviour where someone is targeted because they are perceived to be different, or made to feel uncomfortable on their journey."
The 29-year-old Akimbo Obwebwe allegedly fed sedatives to the one of the zoos most attractive animals and then subjected it to a repeated sexual activity while it was asleep.

However, in one of his bestial acts, popularly called Big George, the animal woke up unexpectedly and raised alarm as Akimbo Obwebwe attempted performing blowjob on him, according to worldnewsdailyreport.com.

San Diego Zoo spokesman, Adam Simmons told newsmen that Although Mr. Obwebwe claims the sexual relationship was consensual, video footage clearly shows he attempted to sedate the animal,

Mr. Simmons added that Akimbo Obwebwes conduct was clearly inappropriate, reckless and dangerous for the animal as well, saying Any sexual activity between animals and employees is strictly prohibited by San Diego Zoo policy.

Meanwhile, the San Diego Zoo administrator, Janette Fitzgerald acknowledged that Akimbo Obwebwes action may have been born out of hopelessness.

READ ALSO: Woman with 2 vaginas goes to court to fight for right to marry two men

She admitted in an interview with reporters that, Some employees had voiced concerns that Mr. Obwebwe had recently become uneasily friendly with the animals since his divorce, but I could not expect it was this bad.

I am not aware of Gabonese cultural practices but it might also be a cultural thing, Janette Fitzgerald added.
Worlddailynewsreport.com reported that Joyce Seymour has argued that she and other people who are born with the condition, be it male or female should be granted the liberty to satisfy their emotional, physical and religious needs.

READ MORE: Gay man strangled by two assailants until he apologized for being one

The lawsuit Seymour has filed is intended to fight for people suffering from genital anomalies such as Diphallia or penile duplication and Uterus didelphys, the condition of having two separate uteruses, to be given that special freedom to marry more than one spouse.

She explained to reporters that I am born with a double set of genitals that clearly entitles me to share my life and be united under God with two men of my liking.

I have never been sexually fulfilled by one man alone. My body is biologically suited for threesomes and there is no reason I should be ashamed of that fact.

Seymour further asked If the federal government has legalized interracial marriages and same-sex marriages, why not polygamous marriages?

Her lawyer, Allan Dulles says it is a total violation of his clients rights religious freedom to decriminalise polygamy.

Meanwhile, a polygamist activist, Frederique Chapelle told reporters that legalization of polygamy is long overdue.

READ ALSO: Man spends 30 years building secret shelter in a forest to escape end of the world

Now that weve defined that love and devotion and family isnt driven by gender alone, why should it be limited to just two individuals? The most natural advance next for marriage lies in legalized polygamy, Chapelle said.

Mr. Chapelle explained that We polyamorists are grateful to our LGBT brothers and sisters for blazing the marriage equality trail.
Punch News disclosed in a report that the victim, now deceased was burnt alive at his residence by the youngsters. A member of his family also thought him responsible for the death of her husband.

It was a planned attack against 57-year-old Nwaiwu who until his demise was the Head Teacher of Obolo Primary School, Ehime Mbano. Three suspects believed to have been involved in the offensive have been arrested by the police according to reports.

ALSO READ: Mob lynches 2 men for okada theft in Lagos

Andrew Enwerem, the state Police Public Relations Officer confirmed the incident while stating that an investigation into the matter has commenced.

We have arrested three suspects, including the President General of the community, Mr. Nnanna Okonkwo, in connection with the incident and thorough investigations are in progress," he mentioned in a statement.

Will there ever be an end to jungle justice in Nigeria?

The subject of jungle justice is a common one in Nigeria. It has gone unchecked for a long period and appears to be have lost its control switch. Some of the people killed in a mob determined punishment were discovered to have been innocent.

Such situation, quite disturbing suggests a lack of trust in the judicial system of the country. The Aluu 4 Killing is a sad example of the exuberance of street mobs. The victims, Chiadika Biringa, Lloyd Toku Mike, Tekena Elkanah and Ugonna Obuzor, all close friends and undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, were falsely accused of theft which resulted in their murder by members of the Aluu community located in Ikwerre Local Government.

The incident which occurred in October 2012, received widespread condemnation all over Nigeria and across the rest of the world.
Countless times, the cobra king was bitten by different kinds of snakes, but he never sought medical attention at the hospital. He is noted for treating himself at home.

This time round, it is surprising how a single bite by his own cobra could end his life.

According to odditycentral.com, Elies Peter put the poisonous snake in his utility box of his motorbike. Strangely, when he attempted to open the box the cobra became unfriendly and bit his left hand.

It is not clear what could have angered the reptile, but suspicion is rife that the snakes tail was probably pinched inside the box and it became hostile as a result.

The cobra king then got infuriated, slaughtered the snake and drunk the blood.

Later, he became ill and some unusual foam was seen emanating from his mouth. He was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The budget was presented about three weeks ago.

However, the Minority in Parliament abstained from voting to approve the budget.

In a final debate before the approval, the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu questioned why the president has named some programmes after himself in the budget statement.

Iddrisu said also questioned why the president moved the free SHS Program from the education ministry to the Presidency.

However, the Education Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh argued that it is a normal practice.

Despite Iddrisus claims and questions, the Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said the 2018 budget holds the key to the progress of the nation. He accused the Minority of engaging in pedestrian arguments.
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 5/12

Electronic toll collection available nationwide in late 2019





















The Ministry of Transport has plans to provide electronic toll collection (ETC) service at all toll stations nationwide in late 2019.

The ministry on November 29 held a meeting to review the installation of ETC systems at toll stations located on National Highway 1A and a section of Ho Chi Minh Highway passing through the Central Highlands.

According to ETC system provider VETC, up to 22 of 24 toll stations on these two routes have signed contracts with the company to install the systems. It is in talks with the two remaining stations  Can Tho-Phung Hiep in Can Tho City and Cam Thinh in Khanh Hoa Province.

To date, the ETC systems have been operational at 13 stations. VETC has also finished installation work at six stations and is setting up ETC systems at three others.

The company has also supplied E-tag cards for 270,000 automobile owners.

In addition to VETC, Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) will launch the service at nine other toll stations. The bank has submitted the feasibility study to the Ministry of Transport for approval.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The has urged the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam to draw up specific roadmaps to ensure that ETC service will be available at all toll stations on National Highway 1A and the section of Ho Chi Minh Highway passing through the Central Highlands in late 2018 and stations nationwide in late 2019.

The minister also asked the Department of Science and Technology to study other toll collection technologies that shall be used for expressways in the future.

The Ministry of Transport earlier had plans to finish installing ETC systems at 28 toll stations on National Highway 1A and Ho Chi Minh Roads Central Highlands section in June 30.

However, it failed to meet the schedule due to protracted negotiations between providers of ETC systems and build-operate-transfer (BOT) road builders.

Some BOT road investors have not finalized contract terms over fees charged by ETC system providers. They said there should be more providers so that they can have more choices.

According to the Ministry of Transport, ETC will help save VND3.4 trillion (US$150 million) a year, including VND700 million to VND1 billion in paper ticket cost, if all toll stations on National Highway 1A and Ho Chi Minh Roads Central Highlands section use ETC service.

In order to pay a fee through an ETC system, automobile owners will be issued an E-tag card based on Onboard Unit (OBU) equipment installed on their vehicles, along with a toll payment account.

When the vehicle passes through a toll collection lane, the system will activate a camera to photograph the vehicles number plate while reading the card. The vehicle owners account will be deducted, and a text message will be sent to their mobile phones.

If drivers do not use the system or their accounts do not have enough balance, they will have to pay in cash as in the traditional toll collection way.

Ministry targets US$5 billion from sale of Sabeco stake

The State will sell more than 343 million shares in Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) at VND320,000 each, fetching an estimated VND110 trillion, or nearly US$5 billion.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade, after several delays, on November 29 announced the starting price of VND320,000 per share, quite high compared to market prices, at a roadshow in HCMC. This price is equivalent to the closing price of Sabeco shares (coded SAB) on the Hochiminh Stock Exchange (HOSE) on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, the Government has permitted the sale of State-held shares equivalent to 53.59% of Sabecos chartered capital, thus reducing the State stake in the brewery from 89.59% to 36%. The remaining shares are sufficient for the State to have veto rights at Sabeco.

According to Truong Thanh Hoai, director of the ministrys Heavy Industries Department, foreign investors showed keen interest in Sabeco at the roadshows in Singapore and London owing to the brewerys high profitability. There is no chance that the brewery brand would disappear following foreign acquisitions of huge volumes of shares since the State still has a 36% stake with veto power.

The share sale will not be divided into stages but be made all at once, depending on the markets absorption.

Local investors are not confined to a certain volume out of 343 million shares on offer, whereas the foreign ownership cap is 49%. Given the SAB shares that foreign investors are holding, the room left for foreign investors in Sabeco is 38.59%, equivalent to around 247 million shares.

At the share auction on December 18, investors can bid either in local or foreign currencies, or in the form of guarantee.

New FDI approvals in Binh Duong up 127%

New foreign direct investment (FDI) approvals in the southern province of Binh Duong in January-November have picked up a staggering 127% year-on-year to over US$2.5 billion, beating the full-year target by 79%.

Nguyen Thanh Truc, director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, gave the statistics at a meeting with Taiwanese enterprises on November 29.

According to Truc, the province approved 178 new projects in the period with total pledged capital of US$1.3 billion. In addition, investors of 111 operational projects injected an additional US$965 million to expand their operations, plus US$247 million worth of share sales and stake transfers to foreign investors.

The provinces attraction of FDI capital has turned more effective owing to the improving investment environment, Truc said.

Priority areas of the province such as electricity, electronics, mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and services have continued to attract the attention of foreign investors, Truc added.

Binh Duong has so far licensed 3,027 FDI projects with total registered capital of US$28.28 billion from 64 countries and territories. Compared to other localities in terms of pledged FDI capital, the province ranks second, just behind HCMC.

Regarding Taiwanese investment in Binh Duong, Truc said that Taiwan had invested in 772 projects worth a combined US$5.8 billion, making it the largest foreign investor in the province.

However, some Taiwanese enterprises at the meeting complained about a number of difficulties they have encountered, such as tax payment, residence permit, visa and payment of social insurance for laborers.

Hanoi reports 8.5 percent rise in industrial production in Nov

Hanois industrial production index showed an 8.5 percent rise year-on-year in November, according to the citys statistics office.

The office attributed the increase to production gaining speed for the year-end holiday season in such industries as confectionery, beer, ceramic bathroom fixtures and wood furniture.

Total retail and services revenues in the month were estimated at 52 trillion VND (2.28 billion USD), up 2.1 percent on Octobers figure.

Export activities by Hanoi-based enterprises earned 1 billion USD in November, up 2.9 percent on month. Meanwhile, imports surpassed 2.4 billion USD, increasing 7.6 percent from October but dropping 2.9 percent from one year ago.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November in Hanoi was equal to just 99.83 percent of the previous months figure, with prices for food catering services, food and grains dropping slightly.

During the month, the capital city welcomed 390,000 foreign visitors, an 11.4 percent increase from October and up 40.1 percent from the same period last year. Domestic visitors to the city numbered 867,000. In all, the tourism sector reported revenues of 5.7 trillion VND (250 million USD).

Proptech to alter real estate industry

After financial technology (fintech), which changed the way the financial sector worked, now, property technology (proptech) is expected to effect a change in the real estate industry.

Proptech has emerged in the world after nearly a decade and has started to grab attention in Vietnam.

A report by real estate and investment services firm, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), showed that 4.8 billion USD, out of 7.8 billion USD worth of funding, was poured into Asia Pacific proptech start-ups between 2013 and 2017.

Asia Pacific was leading the investment into proptech start-ups, with a great deal of potential, according to JLL. With its young population, rapid urbanisation and popularity of mobile phones, all the conditions are in place for this new sector to grow, JLLs report said.

According to Nguyen Quoc Anh, deputy director of Dai Viet Group, which owns property information website batdongsan.com.vn, proptech would help minimise risks for both buyers and sellers.

Proptech is defined as technology applied to real estate information, transaction and management to digitalise services and products, so as to improve real estate processes and solve modern challenges.

Proptech would help property developers and real estate businesses to make changes and adapt to a new generation of customers via the internet, build brands and direct their products to the right targeted buyers, Quoc Anh said. He said that applying the technology would also promote sales efficiently.

With proptech, customers could search for products to meet their demands, compare prices and choose the best financial solutions to minimise risks. In addition, all transaction procedures would be conducted online, Quoc Anh said.

Besides Dai Viet Group, other firms in Vietnam also invested in proptech or hastened the application of proptech in their real estate business, such as Holomia  a startup offering virtual reality in marketing for real estate projects and Homedy  a website which helps search project information and compare projects.

Recently, a number of developers such as Vingroup, Sun Group and BIM Group made use of virtual reality and augmented reality to provide customers with real-life experiences of their projects.

According to the Vietnam Association of Real Estate Brokers, the development of proptech was an indispensable trend, but it was important to improve the awareness of both buyers and firms in applying proptech to fuel a boom in Vietnam.

Nguyen Thanh Hung, chairman of the Vietnam e-Commerce Association, said at a recent online forum that proptech would also help promote the transparency of the real estate market because it made access to real estate information much easier.

According to Pham Van Hung, from property developer CenGroup, technology such as big data, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and the Internet of Things was being applied in the real estate industry of Vietnam, catching up with the global trend.

Vietnam Airlines and Agribank sign co-operation agreement

National carrier Vietnam Airlines and Agribank have signed a co-operation agreement to promote the sale of each others products and services in the future.

Accordingly, Vietnam Airlines will provide airfreight services with special incentives for officials and employees of Agribank.

The bank, meanwhile, is committed to providing a variety of financial services to Vietnam Airlines, such as deposits in term, payment of airfare and credit co-operation.

The two sides will strengthen co-ordination to conduct regular customer care programmes. At the same time, they also agreed to share experiences and document information to reach co-operation efficiency.

Vietnam Airlines has inked many co-operation agreements with large companies such as FPT Corporation, Vietnam Post Corporation and Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation.

Vietjet offers promotional tickets on routes to Thailand

Jubilantly welcome new routes to Thailand, Vietjet gives a series of golden days from November 30 to December 2, offering 15,000 tickets priced only from zero Vietnam dong within the golden hours from 12:00 to 14:00 on websitewww.vietjetair.com.

The promotional tickets are applied on the following international routes: Ho Chi Minh City  Phuket/ Chiang Mai (Thailand) and Dalat/ Hai Phong  Bangkok (Thailand) with the flight time being from November 30, 2017 to March 24, 2018. Except for the travel period for Ho Chi Minh City  Chiang Mai route runs from December 12, Ho Chi Minh City  Phuket route from December 15 and Da Lat  Bangkok route from December 18, 2017.

Opening new routes from December this year, Vietjet will operate six international routes connecting Thailand and Vietnam, offer more traveling and trading opportunities between these cities. Recently, Thai Vietjet also has officially received new Air Operator Certificate (AOC) which is in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT).

With high-quality services, diverse ticket classes, special low-fare tickets, Vietjet offers its passengers flying experiences on new aircrafts, comfy seats, delicious hot meals, beautiful and friendly flight attendants and other interesting added-on services.

HCM City needs faster economic growth to hit annual target

Ho Chi Minh City needs to speed up December growth to achieve its economic growth target of 8.25 percent, heard a review meeting on November 30.

We had to reduce the growth target from 8.4 percent to 8.25 percent because of inaccurate computation at the beginning of the year, Vo Van Hoan, head of the Peoples Committee Office, told the meeting held to review socio-economic development in the first 11 months.

Hoan pointed out that the general growth index had risen sharply, and higher than last year, but the economy needed to accelerate to achieve the target.

Revenue collection has been only 88.34 percent of the target and related authorities must work hard to fulfil the full-year plan.

Pham Thanh Kien, director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said the city should focus on its four key industries in the final month.

Shopping malls, supermarkets and convenience stores have increased significantly, while e-commerce has grown 31 percent.

The city should focus on e-commerce besides traditional businesses.

He said software exports had seen very high growth this year with revenues reaching 1.5 billion USD in the year-to-date compared to 1 billion USD for full-year 2016.

Su Ngoc Anh, director of the Department of Planning and Investment, said the citys revenues had grown by 12.6 percent to 307.3 trillion VND (13.5 billion USD), or 88.34 percent of the full-year target.

FDI has doubled to nearly 5.57 billion USD.

Services and retail sales grew by 11.5 percent and industrial output by 7.9 percent.

The citys four key industries -- engineering and automation; electronics; chemicals, rubber, plastics; and food processing -- continued to perform strongly, expanding markets, investing in technology and improving quality and competitiveness, and growing at over 12.9 percent.

This year, 37,596 new companies with a combined registered capital of 778.5 trillion VND (34.6 billion USD) have been licensed, three times the number in the same period last year.

Job creation, vocational training and support for poor people have been carried out efficiently to ensure social welfare.

The number of jobs created rose marginally to 298,225 or 106.5 percent of the full-year target.

Exports were worth around 32 billion USD, an increase of 16.1 percent.

Exports to Singapore grew by 69.7 percent, to Myanmar by 75.1 percent, to India by 33.7 percent, to Malaysia by 24.1 percent, to Thailand by 25.8 percent, to China by 21 percent, and to the Republic of Korea by 22.2 percent but shipments to the Philippines, Indonesia, Italy, Germany, and the UK shrank.

Exports of rubber, vegetables, computers and electronics, and vehicles grew by 18  55 percent.

Imports were worth 38.9 billion USD, an increase of 13.5 percent.

Imports from China, India, the Philippines and Cambodia soared, with raw materials, equipment, electronic accessories and metals being the main imported items.

Authorities have paid close attention to the environment, flooding and traffic as well as price stability, Hoan added.

Customs revenue to surpass target

The budget revenue of the General Department of Customs (GDC) surpassed VND261.1 trillion (US$11.5 billion), or 91.6 per cent of the 2017 target as of November 28.

The information was released on Thursday during a press conference held by the GDC. Budget collection for the whole year is targeted to touch VND285 trillion. Collections of the export-import, special consumption and environmental protection taxes reached VND101.7 trillion, while those of the value-added tax reached VND183.3 trillion.

November budget revenue is estimated to reach VND25 trillion.

According to Luu Manh Tuong, director of the Import-Export Tax Department, budget revenue in December every year tends to surge as enterprises usually boost the import of goods before the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year). The department expects this months revenue to reach VND26 trillion.

GDC forecasts that budget collection for the whole year will likely surpass the annual target of VND285 trillion, to total VND295 trillion.

From now until the end of the year, the department will instruct local customs departments to tighten the collection and disbursement of the State budget and tackle difficulties in tax policies in a timely manner, GDC said.

The GDC will also increase the implementation of post-customs clearance and inter-sectoral co-operation to prevent and detect trade fraud.

In turn, the local departments must propose measures to prevent losses and increase management by price consultation and price and tax code assessment.

The high revenue was also attributed to the effective instruction of the Party, National Assembly and Government and provinces implementation of plans to achieve annual national socio-economic development goals.

HCM City gets Italy-Viet Nam Textile Technology Centre

The Italy-Viet Nam Textile Technology Centre was set up at the HCM City University of Technology on November 29 to support training and research in textile technology.

It is an Italian-funded joint project between the university and the Italian Trade Agency with technical support from the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers and the International Polytechnic for Industrial and Economic Development.

Prof Dr Vu Dinh Thanh, rector of the university, said the centre is equipped with Italian machinery and equipment, while Vietnamese lecturers and engineers have been trained by Italian experts.

The centre would be a reliable place for training and supplying manpower for Vietnamese and Italian textile-garment businesses, he said.

With the Italy-Vietnam Textile Technology Centre, Vietnamese textile-garment enterprises will be able access advanced technology and interact with professors and researchers from Italian universities.

Nguyen Phuong Dong, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade, said the garment and textile sector has developed strongly with exports topping US$21.4 billion in the first 10 months of the year, a year-on-year increase of 9 per cent.

But the sector faces challenges like a reliance on imported materials and a lack of qualified designers and workers who can handle technology, he said.

With active support from a global leading in the garment and textile sector, the centre would help train skilled human resources and improve design capacity, boosting the countrys textile-garment industry and making it globally competitive, he said.

Paolo Lemma, chief representative of the ITA in Viet Nam, said: Viet Nam is a promising market with many opportunities for Italian enterprises in textile and apparel, leather and footwear, tanning, agriculture, and infrastructure.

Viet Nam has advantages in terms of human resources, economic conditions and an open market, and the two sides can help each other.

I believe that if the two countries enterprises strengthen their information exchange and co-operation, bilateral trade will increase steadily.

Italy is now the 18th biggest export market for Viet Nam.

Sacombanks shareholders dont want listing transferred to HNX

Shareholders of the Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Sacombank) disagreed with the banks decision to transfer its listing to the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX) under new code SCM.

After collecting shareholders opinions on the amendments, Sacombank on Wednesday released the result, which showed 83.36 per cent of the banks shareholders disagreed with the change.

Previously, in October, Sacombank, which is currently listed on the HCM Stock Exchange as STB, sought shareholders approval to transfer its listing to the HNX under new code SCM.

According to the proposal, Sacombank will cancel its registration of STB at the Viet Nam Securities Depository Centre (VSD), delist from the southern bourse, re-register SCM at VSD and finally list SCM on HNX.

This came as a surprise to investors because the code STB has been associated with Sacombank for the past 11 years.

Sacombank was the first bank to launch its IPO at the initial price of VND200,000 (US$8.8) per share in 1996 and also the first to list on the national bourse in July 2006.

In 2012, STB was included on the VN30, which consists of the largest stocks by market capitalisation. However, in 2015-16, Sacombank struggled with a huge stockpile of bad debts.

Duong Cong Minh, who became chairman of Sacombank on June 30, 2017, has been speeding up efforts to resolve bad debts. In the first nine months of this year, Sacombank announced it handled bad debts worth VND2 trillion and posted pre-tax profit of more than VND1 trillion, doubling its VND585 billion target for the full year.

STB shares yesterday closed at VND13,200, up against VND12,600 in the previous session.

Ministry details Grab apps losses ahead of tax inspection

The Ministry of Finance has released a detailed report on Grab Vietnams consistent annual losses since it began operating in the country, despite the ride-hailing apps mushrooming popularity among local commuters.

During the fourth session of the lawmaking National Assembly which wrapped up last week, a delegate demanded that the finance ministry explain why Grab Vietnam, with a total registered capital of only VND20 billion (US$881,057), has accumulated VND938 billion (US$41.32 million) in losses after three years of operating in the country.

The ministry has responded to the question with the release of a document on November 29 detailing the companys financial situation.

Grab made its Vietnam debut in 2014, launching in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Since then, the Malaysia-based company has adjusted its registered capital five times, totaling VND20 billion as of March 2017, according to the finance ministry.

In 2014, Grab Vietnam logged losses of VND51.6 billion (US$2.27 million). The company managed to take that number to VND441.8 billion (US$19.46 million) and VND444.7 billion (US$19.59 million) in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

The finance ministry attributed the steep losses to massive marketing expenses and service prices set deliberately low to undercut conventional taxi operators.

Grab Vietnam, financed by its parent company in Malaysia, has borrowed $50 million from Grab Malaysia with zero interest, the finance ministry said, citing Grab Vietnams financial statement.

The Vietnamese ministry underlined that Grab Vietnam is considered a business with high operational risk, thus categorized as needing special tax oversight.

The finance ministry said it will cooperate with the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and relevant agencies to review the companys borrowing and crack down on tax evasion or trade fraud, if any.

Grab Vietnams Ho Chi Minh City headquarters are in District 10. According to the districts tax division, the company paid more than VND142 billion (US$6.26 million) in taxes between January 1 and November 24, 2017.

Last week, the General Department of Taxation requested that local tax departments countrywide focus their 2018 tax inspections on special businesses, such as Grab, Uber, online shopping platforms, and multilevel marketing companies.

Danang Hotel Association to provide training to scale up low-rated hotels

The Danang Hotel Association is starting a training and assistance programme in December to guide one- and two-star hotel members on transforming their business to attract a more lucrative clientele, in a bid to ensure Danang maintains her reputation as a quality destination.

In an interview in Singapore, Nguyen Duc Quynh, deputy chairman of the Steering Committee of the Danang Hotel Association cum deputy general director of Furama Resort Danang said, The biggest issue we have in Danang is the large supply of one- and two-star hotels.

There are 25,570 hotel rooms in Danang, 40% of which are in one-and two-star hotels. These hotels tend to attract lower-end tourists who may bring with them certain social issues that will ultimately influence Danangs reputation as a holiday destination. Da Nang needs to be a destination for quality tourists.

As a solution, deputy chairman Quynh recommends that one- and two-star hotels convert into long-stay properties that are suitable for business travellers and domestic family groups on holidays.

He explained, Following the APEC meetings in Danang on November 4-11, trade and foreign investment will pick up in Da Nang, which will result in more foreigners coming in for business projects. They will need a place to stay and one- and two-star hotels could provide that by scaling up their facilities and changing their business structure.

Going after the long-stay market will also help alleviate these hotels poor business during the winter season, he said.

The association will provide guidance on business transformation and training on critical knowledge such as revenue management.

When asked where the association will get its funding for these activities, Quynh said, They will come from membership fees and sponsorship from businesses that have an interest in our members, for example hotel booking technology companies that hope to introduce their solutions to these one- and two-star hotels.

VIS divestment brings dual benefits for Thai Hung

Thai Hung Trading JSCs offer to buy an additional 5.35 per cent stake in Vietnam-Italy Steel JSC (VIS) right after selling 20 per cent of this steel company to Kyoei Steel Ltd. is considered a wise move aiming to retain Thai Hungs controlling right in VIS, while simultaneously receiving technology support from Japanese partners.

In early November, Thai Hungs offer to buy a 5.35 per cent stake in VIS right after handing over 20 per cent to Kyoei Steel surprised enterprises. However, this move will bring more benefits for Thai Hung.

The first is to receive technology support as Kyoei Steel is known as the leading steel manufacturer in Japan with the chartered capital of $166.5 billion. Besides, Kyoei currently has two steel manufacturing plants in Vietnam, namely Vina Kyoei Steel JSC in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Kyoei Steel Vietnam JSC in Ninh Binh.

Previously, at the ceremony to announce its strategic shareholders, the VIS board of directors expressed their desire to receive technology support from Kyoei Steel to upgrade the existing manufacturing capacity and improve business results.

The second is the controlling rights. Before handing over 20 per cent to Kyoei Steel, Thai Hung held a controlling stake in VIS with 65.66 per cent stake (which promptly decreased to 45.66 per cent after the sale). However, in case the offer to buy an additional 5.35 per cent is approved, Thai Hung will retain its controlling rights with a 51.01 per cent holding as well as its role as the parent company of VIS.

Remaining the parent company of VIS is important to Thai Hung because Thai Hung would retain the right to add VIS business results to its consolidated financial report.

Needless to say, Thai Hung has an advantage to recover its controlling right because, with the exception of Kyoei Steel, no investor can overcome Thai Hungs existing holding of 45.66 per cent to seize a controlling shareholding.

Along with the two above benefits, Thai Hung also acquired profit from the sale of the VIS stake to the Japanese partner because in September 2016, Thai Hung completed the purchase of 12.8 million VIS shares at the price of VND13,500 ($0.59) apiece and then bought an additional 12 million shares in July 2017 at the price of VND15,000 ($0.66). Selling 20 per cent to Kyoei at the price of VND25,597 ($0.99) apiece brought significant profit.

Regarding VIS, after Thai Hungs acquisition, VIS saw positive increases in its business results. Notably, in 2016, VIS reported a net revenue of VND3.7 trillion ($162.8 million) and a pre-tax profit of VND75 billion ($3.3 million), signifying on-year increases of 21 per cent in revenue and a 100 per cent in pre-tax profit. In 2017, the company targets making VND6.2 trillion ($272.9 million) in revenue and VND102.6 billion ($4.5 million) in pre-tax profit.

Thai Hung is well-known for its large-scale M&A deals. Besides, it is a major material supplier as well as the largest steel distributor of northern factories like VIS, Posco, Pomina, and Tisco.

Two billion dollar projects in Haiphong calling for investment

The two projects are a railroad construction to Haiphong International Port and a professional industrial park for Japanese companies.

The length of the railroad construction to Haiphong International Port is 57 kilometres and its width is 1.4 metres. The project would run under the formats of public-private-partnership (PPP) and build-operate-transfer (BOT) formats.

The total investment of the project is estimated at $1.6 billion, part of which will be financed from Japanese official development assistance (ODA) loans. It is expected to be implemented in until 2030 to construct 16.56 kilometres of railway, 26.9 kilometres of bridges, and seven new railway stations.

The main line, which is 35.7 kilometres long, starts at the new Hung Vuong Railway Station (equivalent to Km95+215 of the Hanoi-Haiphong railway route), goes through Dinh Vu Industrial Zone (IZ) (now known as Deep C IZ), crosses Nam Trieu Seaport, and arrives at Haiphong International Port in Cat Hai Island.

The secondary line, which is 7.78 kilometres long, starts at South Dinh Vu Railway Station (equivalent to Km23+940) and will run parallel with the main line until Km26+337, then turn left towards Dinh Vu Seaport and arrive at Deep C IZ.

After launching, it is estimated to transport 30 million tonnes of cargo per year by 2020 and 95 million tonnes per year by 2030.

The second project to call for foreign investment is the professional industrial park for Japanese companies in the north, located on an area of 300-400 hectares in Dinh Vu-Cat Hai Economic Zone.

Earlier, the Haiphong Peoples Committee announced the general master plan of Dinh Vu-Cat Hai Economic Zone (EZ) until 2025. Accordingly, the zone, which has a total area of about 22,540 hectares, will become a multi-sector economic zone of the North Central Coast and the whole country, in order to become an international logistics seaport.

Samsung elevates 29 Vietnamese vendors to tier-1 supply chain

Samsung completed the consultation programme for 12 enterprises in 2017 and has achieved the target of 29 Vietnamese businesses becoming Tier-1 vendors by the end of the year.

During the two days of November 29-30, 2017, the Board of Directors of Samsung Vietnam paid a visit, worked, and surveyed six businesses, including three in the north and three in the south, which have joined the consultation programme for vendors under the guidance of Samsung South Koreas experts.

The list of these vendors consists of Manutronics Vietnam JSC (Bac Ninh), Tien Thanh JSC (Bac Ninh), Bac Viet Technology JSC (Bac Ninh), Nhat Minh Company (Binh Duong), Minh Man Manufacturing Trading & Printing Labels Co., Ltd. (Ho Chi Minh City), and Vinavit Corp. (Ho Chi Minh City).

South Korean experts have spent two weeks surveying and evaluating each enterprise, and then directly consulted and worked with the Vietnamese vendors in the next 10 weeks in order to improve manufacturing procedures and satisfy Samsungs standards in supplying products and accessories for the corporations plants in Vietnam.

With great efforts to seek and connect Vietnamese vendors, the number of Samsungs tier-1 Vietnamese vendors has increased dramatically from four businesses in 2014 to 29 at the moment.

Working towards the target of having 50 Tier-1 vendors by 2020, while creating support for the development of the Vietnamese supporting industries, Samsung has collaborated with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to expand the business consultation programme by establishing an advisory board in order to build and implement the programme on a larger scale.

According to Shim Won Hwan, president of Samsung Electronics Vietnam Complex, The business consultation programme, which has been carried out by Samsung since 2015, has helped 26 Vietnamese enterprises attain many achievements in the process of business reforms and enhance competitiveness. We believe that this consultation model, with the co-operation from MoIT, will create a widespread effect. This is the motivation for us to persevere in our efforts to accompany the development of the Vietnamese supporting industries.

Vietnam ranks 8th in tourist arrivals to Korea

With a rapidly increasing inflow of tourists in 2017, Vietnam now ranks 8th in terms of arrivals to Korea, moving up two places since last year.

As of November 19, Korea welcomed more than 300,000 Vietnamese tourists, signifying an annual rise of 29.9 per cent even without December. The number of Vietnamese tourist arrivals is expected to reach 330,000 in 2017, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) in Vietnam.

MICE tourism (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) also achieved healthy performance. As of November 30, there were over 55,000 MICE tourist arrivals travelling from Vietnam to Korea, up 61.7 per cent against the same period last year.

More tourism products by local agencies have been launched to cater to Vietnamese tourists visiting Korea. Tour agencies like Fiditour, Vietravel, Transviet Travel, TST Tourist, and Saigontourist have rolled out new Korean winter tours to serve the rising demand. KTO works in collaboration with these agencies to develop 15 Korean winter tour products in the price range of VND14-16 million ($617-705).

2017 is a successful year for Vietnam and Korean tourism. With rapid growth and the 8th ranking, Vietnam presents huge opportunities for the Korean tourism sector, Jung Chang Wook, director of KTO in Vietnam, said.

He noted that KTO will continue its efforts to develop new and unique products for the Vietnamese market like Hallyu tourism and Korean beauty tourism. The organisation has hosted over 20 seminars to promote Korean tourism in Vietnam, including MICE and medical tours.

In the upcoming time, Korea will issue attractive programmes to lure in Vietnamese tourists during the 2018 Winter Olympics, which is scheduled to take place from February 9 to 25, 2018 in Pyeongchang county. In particular, Vietnamese visitors have been granted visa-free entry through Yangyang International Airport until April 2018.

VCIC to provide support worth US$75,000 to ideas on smart agriculture



The Vietnam Climate Innovation Centre (VCIC) will provide support worth US$75,000 to ideas and solutions in smart agriculture at the Vietnam International Exhibition on Machineries & Technologies of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (Growtech 2017), being held in Hanoi from November 30 to December 2.

Co-organised by the ministries of Science and Technology, Industry and Trade, and Agriculture and Rural Development, Growtech 2017 is the first event of its kind in Vietnam.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Pham Duc Nghiem, deputy head of the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation Development, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said that the event is not only a chance for professionals and businessmen to exchange new technology products but will also serve as a bridge to help farmers to gain better access to high-tech products.

Growtech 2017 has attracted more than 60 companies from countries with developed agricultural sectors, such as Israel, the UK, China, Japan, South Korea, Italia, India and New Zealand, to showcase their latest equipment and technologies.

During the expo, a number of agro technologies and pieces of equipment were introduced, such as hydroponics, urban farming, irrigation solutions, greenhouses, rice planting machines and a sowing robot that received significant attention.

Under the framework of the expo, two more conferences will be held to discuss the commercialisation of technology in the agricultural sector of Vietnam and strategies to develop the processing and preservation of agricultural products.

Taiwanese Group eyes Dong Nai food investment

Taiwans Want Want Group is planning to invest in a $160-million rice cake factory in southern Dong Nai province.

The Groups CEO Lee Yu Sheng recently held a meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial Peoples Committee to determine its investment policies in the food industry.

The factorys estimated investment in the first phase is about $60 million and then $100 million in the second phase.

Want Want is a multi-disciplinary corporation founded in 1962. It began to produce food and beverages then expanded into other areas such as real estate, hotels, agriculture, medical, insurance, and media.

According to provincial figures, Taiwan ranks second out of more than 40 countries and territories investing in Dong Nai, with 1,457 valid FDI projects worth more than $27 billion.

In the first eleven months of this year, Dong Nai attracted 73 FDI new projects worth $586.1 million while 78 existing projects increased their investment, by $330.5 million. Projects include the $60 million Powerknit Vietnam Co. project from the British Virgin Islands, the $80 million in additional capital for the Pou Sung Vietnam project, the $55 million Pou Phong Vietnam Co. project from the British Virgin Islands, and the $24 million Phu Lam Plastic Industry JSC project from Taiwan.

The provincial Department of Planning and Investment estimates the province will attract FDI worth $1.5 billion in 2017.

According to provincial authorities, Dong Nai has advantages in climate, with enterprises investing in the province never at risk of suspending operations due to natural disasters. Its industrial zones have good infrastructure, so the cost of building a factory is cheap and transportation is convenient.

More FDI companies and groups have come to Dong Nai in recent times to determine policies and procedures when investing in the province in the fields of industry, agriculture, and the environment. According to Mr. Olaf Muller, Managing Director of the Eggersmann Equipment Manufacturing Group from Germany, the group is looking to invest in Dong Nai in the field of industrial and waste treatment, with the most modern technology in the world. Dong Nai has a very favorable location for investment because of its large land area, favorable climate, and transportation links.

Many investors from South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Finland, the US, and France have come to the province with a desire to invest or expand their investment.

Bosch adds $67 million to Vietnamese plant



Bosch plans to further strengthen its presence in Vietnam with an additional EUR58 million ($67 million) investment in its gasoline systems facility in the southern province of Dong Nai.



With this investment, we are able to meet the rising demand for continuously variable transmission pushbelts from automakers across the Asia-Pacific and North America, said Peter Tyroller, member of the Bosch board of management responsible for the Asia-Pacific region.



The additional investment will be used to extend production capacity and construct a new production building within the plant premises. With this investment, the company will have invested a total of EUR321 million ($372 million) in the plant.



We are also on the way to turn the plant into a smart factory and started implementing Industry 4.0 solutions, said Martin Hayes, president of Bosch Southeast Asia.



The plant started operations in April 2008, producing continuously variable transmission (CVT) pushbelts for automobiles for the global market. By March 2017, the plant reached a significant milestone by producing its 20 millionth CVT pushbelt.



Bosch has become one of the largest European investors in Vietnam, operating in all four areas: research and development (R&D), manufacturing, sales, and services. Hayes said that, The establishment of Bosch Vietnam as an organisation ten years ago was an important step for our success story here in the ASEAN.



Celebrating its 10th anniversary in the country, Bosch continues seeing great potential in the market.



With a population of almost 96 million, a rising middle-income class, high internet penetration, and a growing tech-savvy consumer base, Vietnam has become one of the key growth drivers of Bosch in Southeast Asia, added Hayes.



After a fruitful decade, Bosch aims to continue making a difference in the country with its products and solutions as a top employer and by strengthening the local industry.



Cathay Pacific aircraft to offer Wi-Fi



Cathay Pacific has said it will offer high-speed Wi-Fi on its Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft from mid-2018.



It said it plans to offer the service in response to growing demand for in-flight connectivity. It already offers broadband services on its Airbus A350-900 aircraft.



The carriers chief customer and commercial officer, Paul Loo, said: we have been listening to our customers who have told us that staying connected in-flight is important to them.



We envisage that by 2020 all of our wide-bodied aircraft will have in-flight connectivity. This will open up a wealth of opportunities for us to provide more innovative experiences for our customers.



Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon will be the first major carrier in Asia to adopt Gogos 2Ku satellite-based broadband in-flight connectivity technology on their Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft.



It will allow passengers to check e-mails, browse the web, access social networks and shop online.



Minh Anh Group builds garment factory



Minh Anh Group held a groundbreaking ceremony for its garment factory in Quang Son Commune, Do Luong District, central Nghe An Province, on Tuesday.



The project is built on an area of 6ha with total investment of VND150 billion (US$6.7 million). The project is expected to be completed and put into operation in the second quarter next year.



After completion, the factory will produce and process some 60 million products per year for the domestic market and exports, and create jobs for 5,000-6,000 workers.



Nguyen Dinh Sinh, director of Minh Anh-Do Luong Joint Stock Company, said the company would accelerate construction to create jobs, generate income for employees and produce branded products for the domestic market and exports.



Speaking at the ceremony, Ngoc Kim Nam, chairman of the district Peoples Committee, said he hoped the group would focus on speeding up construction and ensuring quality, in addition to continuing to invest in other projects in Do Luong, generating jobs and income for the districts people and contributing to development.






The vice president was speaking at the official opening of the 2017 Innovation Week organised by the Kofi Annan-India Centre of Excellence in Accra.

He indicated that over 70 percent of the countrys population do not have bank accounts.

The governments move is, therefore, to reverse the trend.

Small business owners and traders have often outlined a number of reasons for shunning banks.

Many say that this is due to the cumbersome procedures involved in opening accounts and the high interest rates charged on loans.
This is because it has not been licensed to take deposits.

The central bank earlier in the year cautioned the company to stop taking deposits and also stop making payments of dividends. The BoG also cautioned the public no to deposit money with Menzgold.

However, BoG says Menzgold is still engaged in these activities.

The bank in a statement said it wishes to notify the general public that in spite of the caution to Menzgold Ghana Company Limited to desist from solicitation, receipt of money and payment of dividends to its clients, the company is still engaged in these activities contrary to section 6(1) of the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930).

The general public is hereby informed that Menzgold Company Limited is not licensed by the Bank of Ghana and has no authority to engage in the solicitation, receipt of money and payment of dividends to its client.
The Electronic Communications (Rules of Procedure of the Electronic Communications Tribunal) Regulations 2016, LI 2235 states in Regulation 9 headed Effect of an Appeal that:

READ ALSO: NCA shuts down Okay FM and Hello FM

(1) An appeal shall not operate as a stay of execution in respect of the decision or order appealed against except where the tribunal otherwise determines.

(2) Despite sub-regulation (1), an appellant may reply to the Tribunal by motion on notice for a stay of execution of the decision or order that the appellant has appealed against.

(3) A decision or order that is the subject of an appeal shall be stayed when an application under sub-regulation (2) is pending.

(4) The Authority shall stay the execution of a decision or an order where

a. the Tribunal makes an order under sub-regulation (2) to that effect, or

b. an application under sub-regulation (2) is pending.

It was based on this that the Tribunal adjourned the hearing at the request of the NCA. It is instructive to note that, the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) is a voluntary association which is representing just 9 out of the 131 stations the NCA sanctioned in September.

READ ALSO: Ursula Owusu reduces hefty fines imposed on radio stations

The stay of execution thus applies to the nine appellants whose authorisations would have been revoked after a deadline. The sanctions as imposed on the rest of the stations still hold until the NCA announces otherwise.

The nine radio stations being represented by GIBA will have a stay of execution until the substantive case is heard.

They are Mascott Multi-Service Limited (Atlantis Radio 87.9FM), Supermax Media Company (Max 102.9FM, Kalvice Company Limited (Kaleawo 107.3FM), Network Broadcasting Limited (Radio Gold 90.5FM), Progress Multimedia Limited (Radio Hogbe 106.5FM), Digital Broadcasting Systems Company Limited (Vision 90.9FM), Singwado Broadcasting Company (Radio Silver 92.3FM), Trickie FM Limited (Trickie 99.5FM) and Gary Express Service Limited (Beach 105.5FM).
Local airline, Starbow, has dismissed scores of its workers.

READ ALSO: Government bans guilty OMCs

A letter signed by the CEO of the company James Eric Antwi said the contracts of some workers have been terminated effective November 30, 2017.

We write to serve you this days notice of termination of your employment contract effective November 30, 2017.

In accordance with the termination clause of the existing agreement between you and the company, the company is formally exercising its right to the said agreement.

The letter also asked the dismissed workers to submit all their IDs and other company assets in their possession to the administration.

The reason for the dismissal is not known. Industry insiders have said that it could be due to the recent incident involving one of the companys aircrafts or operational challenges facing the airline.

It is also unclear how many workers have been dismissed, however, sources say top management, flight and grounds staff have all been affected.

Starbow is one of the two domestic airline companies operating in Ghana.
In fact, at certain times, the media arrives at the scene of an emergency before state emergency response teams such as the Ghana National Fire Service, National Disaster Management organization (NADMO), Ghana Police service and others arrive.

This is not to belittle the efforts of our state agencies but to stress the need for improved rapid response. The mention of improved rapid response brings to bear the numerous challenges state emergency teams face including unavailability of resources, limited staff and the usual it was difficult locating the scene or the directions were scanty or we couldnt identify the blue kiosk when we got to the junction.

With the much-anticipated digital address system being rolled out, I believe these excuses will be history.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has recorded death of more than 1,000 journalists and media personnel over the past 10 years. Eventhough most of these incidences were recorded at war zones, otherswere accidental and recorded at non-war/violent zones.

Injury rate is also high and its important that as media practitioners, we commit to the adherence of safety procedures in covering high-risk assignments because most of these accidents are avoidable.

It was disappointing to see media personnel covering the recent gas explosion at Accras Atomic Junction which claimed 7 lives and injured 132 people with no protective gear. Some cameramen, reporters and drivers of media houses were seen at the scene in open toe slippers, chino shorts and t-shirts among others.

Others were in long and short sleeve shirts, bathroom slippers and sportswear. On the contrary, officers from the Ghana National Fire Service and other state emergency agencies were dressed in their protective gear. As part of international best practices, scene commanders must prevent people without safety gears from entering condoned areas even if authorized by virtue of their position to enter.

Unfortunately, so many people especially journalists were seen within the condoned areas with no safety gears. In other countries, Safety Commanders provide temporal protective gears to journalists on accident and emergency scenes to facilitate their work because of the hazards inherent in accident reportage but this is nonexistent in Ghana. It is therefore critical that as media practitioners, we are concerned about our safety and take personal efforts to promote it.

I asked a journalist why he was reporting with open toe slippers and no protective gear less than an hour after the recent gas explosion in Ghanas capital city; Accra and his answer was that, he was at home and had to rush to the scene. Irrespective of our desire to serve the public and the competing spirit with which we break news and update our viewers and listeners, safety must be our priority.

Research has proven that managements commitment to safety is a key factor in determining the safety behavior of staff. Therefore, what measures have management of media firms put in place to protect staff during coverage of accident/emergencies? Are safety boots, safety helmets and other protective gears available for media staff especially those assigned to accident and emergency scenes? Do media owners invest in the training and retraining of staff on accident reporting?

Going forward, it must be acknowledged that emergencies are inevitable and I suggest the following 3 basic but important steps to protect media staff especially on-field staff who are assigned to accident and emergency zones;

We must be mindful of the need to prevent accidents in our quest to report on other accidents. Our families and friends need us in full strength and good health.

The writer is a media practitioner and currently the Head of Shared Services at Global Media Alliance.

By: Timothy Karikari
The campaign aims to strip corruption of its socially-accepted status and aspirational appeal by getting Ghana to see it in the same light as rape, murder and armed robbery.

Speaking about the campaign, Rev Quayson, the deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ noted that Its so unfortunate, but the fact is, corruption has now become a norm in Ghana. People freely talk about their corrupt intentions and are rather cheered by their friends and described as sharp or smart. The Commission is committed to changing this.

The campaign actually started a week ago with an anonymously leaked video of a certain Teacher Bismark admonishing his primary school students to chop Ghanas money when they are older. It was revealed at the end of the video that it was staged and prompted viewers to consider what their lifestyles are teaching children. The video went viral, with many Ghanaians sharing their anger at the thought of such a thing happening. This was all planned.

At the launch, Jerry Sam, Project Director at Penplusbytes urged Ghanaians to channel all rage and anger into fighting corruption by taking the anti-corruption pledge and sharing the message with their family and friends. Anyone can take the pledge at www.Ghanasaysno.org.

Shedding some more light on the campaign, Benjamin Anyan Creative Director of Now Available Africa, the advertising agency that executed the campaign said We built this idea on a strong insight that; at the heart corruption is selfishness and a desire to live comfortably and present an image of success at all cost. So we crafted a campaign that attacked that image attained corruptly. If all of Ghana saw and treated corruption like rape,murder and the worst social vices, then people in the position to be corrupt will think more carefully and be less willing to resort to corrupt means to fuel a lifestyle. We have very compelling TV, radio and social media ads to help drive home the message. Look out for them.

Another interesting feature of the campaign is how it gives everyone the chance to anonymously report any act of corruption through the whistleblower function of the campaign website.
In an interview with Kumasi-based Nhyira FM, the minister said: This is not malaria and people are saying.it is likely to be Ebola.

How the Minister arrived at this conclusion is not readily known since health professionals say they are still conducting investigations into the shocking deaths at the institution.

READ ALSO: Former Attorney General vows to seek justice for woman raped by Lebanese

At least, 3 students of Kumasi Academy are reported to have died within one week.

This brings 7, the number of student deaths this year alone. Most parents whose children are in the school are worried over the alarming incident.

The Minister of Education will meet the Directors of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) over this alarming development on Tuesday (December 5, 2017).
The accident happened at around 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) near the station of Meerbusch-Osterath, state rail operator Deutsche Bahn said.

It gave a toll of 20 people injured "according to initial information".

There was no immediate reason given for the crash.

"DB (Deutsche Bahn), the relevant authorities and the rescue services are working at the scene to provide urgent assistance to those affected and to clarify the situation," the rail operator said.

The regional express train carrying passengers is run by the privately-owned British operator National Express, while the cargo train is operated by DB Cargo, it added.

On its Twitter feed, the Meerbusch fire department said it believed the National Express train had around 150 passengers on board at the time of the incident.

"According to our latest information five people were hurt, none of them have life threatening injuries," it said.

It tweeted a picture showing the train's moderately damaged first carriage, while the other blue-and-white carriages appeared unaffected.

The train was still standing upright on the tracks.

"Given the circumstances the situation is relatively calm. The firefighters are in contact with people on the train," the fire department added.

In another tweet, it said access to the train had been hampered by ruptured contact wires but that this was being resolved.
Speaking before a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on abuses against the Rohingya, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein condemned "widespread, systematic and shockingly brutal" attacks, as well as decades of discrimination and persecution.

An army-led crackdown has forced some 620,000 people to flee from northern Rakhine state and across the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh in recent months, leaving hundreds of villages burned to the ground.

But Zeid condemned policies that have left the minority wallowing in statelessness for decades, along with dehumanising discrimination and segregation.

He described horrific violence and abuse, including allegations of "killing by random firing of bullets, use of grenades, shooting at close range, stabbings, beatings to death and the burning of houses with families inside".

He also pointed to "serious bodily or mental harm inflicted on Rohingyas, including children", including torture and rape, forced displacement and the "systematic destruction of villages".

"Given all of this, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?" Zeid asked the 47-member council.

He called on the UN General Assembly to launch a new "impartial and independent mechanism", to work alongside a fact-finding mission already dispatched by his office.

In March the rights council approved the fact-finding mission to investigate alleged crimes by security forces, particularly in Rakhine.
A year ago, CVS Health's $69 billion acquisition of Aetna would've probably skated past regulatory proceedings. But things have changed under the Trump administration, and investors don't look particularly confident that the mega-deal will be approved.

This uncertainty around the deal  the biggest to be announced in 2017  is being reflected by Aetna's stock, which is trading near $184 a share, roughly 10% below the $207-a-share offer made by CVS.

This discount serves as a handy gauge of sentiment around the deal  if investors think approval is likely, they will trade Aetna's shares near the proposed deal price  and its depth at present time doesn't paint the most promising picture.

In the minds of investors, the deal's sticking point is Makan Delrahim, the US Department of Justice's new antitrust chief. In his short time on the job, he's been less receptive to so-called "vertical" mergers, which involve the combination of two companies that hold different places in the same supply chain.

Case in point: Delrahim's recent handling of AT&T's attempted acquisition of Time Warner. While it may appear to be a textbook vertical deal, the Justice Department has sued to block it, calling the deal anti-competitive and warning against higher monthly television bills for customers.

Still, the Trump administration's resistance of the deal must be taken with a grain of salt, considering the president's past criticisms of CNN, which is owned by Time Warner. Trump was expressing displeasure around the merger as far back as 2016, when he said in a speech that it was "too much concentration of power in the hands of too few."

So the question now becomes: will Delharim, and by extension the Trump administration, be as tough on future vertical mergers as they've been on the AT&T/Time Warner deal? Are they leading a new crusade against this type of deal, or was that a specific case driven by a personal agenda?

One large deciding factor could be the effect the proposed CVS/Aetna merger has on drug prices. If the two firms are able to combine to lower middleman expenses, that might allow the deal to survive the regulatory gauntlet.
A secret investigation was launched to go undercover and found out the story behind Nigeria's heart-breaking baby trade which is running alongside fake clinics and "miracle" doctors.

The hidden baby trade is a scam which exploits both couples looking for children and young single girls who are pregnant but cannot get abortions because they are illegal. Single mothers are often stigmatized and shamed by the society.

A pair of journalists pretending to be a childless couple visit a variety of unnamed clinics where bogus doctors attend to them and falsely diagnose them as both being infertile. In one case they are even told they can not conceive children with the man having low sperm count and a medical condition normally associated with women.

But the worst part comes later when they go to orphanages and clinics that act as brokers for illegal baby sales, where naive and desperate young mothers are convinced to hand over their newborn children for cash.

Various orphanages are not exempt from the baby trade as they pose as a front for organizations for baby selling. At one of the orphanages they were quick to offer a "fast-track" adoption to buy a newborn baby within weeks. The price was $4,000 for a girl and $5,000 for a boy.

Why are couples and young girls falling victim?

Childless couples are seen to be taking this route and making this secret baby trade boom because they are desperate to avoid the public scrutiny and stigma of legal adoption.

Also, women who remain childless generally face prejudice where they can even be accused of witchcraft. This pushes women to try to achieve pregnancy by any means as legal adoption is not an option.

This pressures them to turn to "miracle" doctors who inject women with hormones to make their bellies swell and makes them appear to be pregnant. After 9 months the doctors send them to selected hospitals in Port Harcourt where a fake Cesarean scar is made and a child that is not theirs is presented to them.

In most cases, the parents are unaware that the child is not biologically theirs.

What are the government doing about it?

Despite the authorities attempting to crackdown on these phantom clinics and their fake doctors, these miracle clinics are still populating discreet suburbs of Port Harcourt, Aba, and Imo State.

It is said to be one of the fastest-growing areas of organized crime in the country.
In Nigeria, a country ranked at 187th out of 191 by the World Health Organization it isn't uncommon to go through streets all over the country to find them littered with various health clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and surgeries.

As the government's health care system is so underfunded and overstretched, private medical outfits seek to fill the gaps and help provide an alternative choice.

But despite the presence of these many medical organizations, the health care system is nothing to write home about and most of these medical organizations are a cover for uncertified doctors who pass themselves off as qualified to diagnose and treat patients.

Who are the victims of quack doctors?

The investigation delved deep into the underworld of quack medical services and showed that most of the patients to these quack doctors are poor or ignorant of what they are getting themselves into.

Although some private health providers are legitimate there are also a lot more that are not. They pass themselves off as doctors in order to exploit the ignorance and desperation of the poor and vulnerable people.

In a survey carried out in Nigeria in 2014, it was found that more than 50 percent of the population had received 'treatment' from the quacks at one time or another for very serious diseases such as typhoid and malaria.

What are the authorities doing to solve the problem?

In October this year, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) publicly called upon the Senate to pass a "Medical Anti-Quackery Bill".
As the US and South Korean militaries worked together on the largest-ever version of their annual air-power exercise on the Korean Peninsula, China did something that suggests it would consider backing up North Korea in the event of war.

On Monday, the same day the exercise started, a spokesman for China's air force said it had staged exercises along "routes and areas it has never flown before" with surveillance aircraft over the Yellow and East seas near the Korean Peninsula, according to the South China Morning Post.

While China needs to exercise its constantly expanding and modernizing military, this exercise most likely had another purpose.

"The timing of this high-profile announcement by the PLA is also a warning to Washington and Seoul not to provoke Pyongyang any further," Li Jie, a military expert based in Beijing, told the Post, using the abbreviation for the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

With a record 24 US stealth aircraft in South Korea for the Vigilant Ace exercises, China's move sends a clear message.

The US and South Korea have up to 260 aircraft training to take out important North Korean targets in a realistic simulation of an air war.

While China agrees with the US that Pyongyang's nuclear-weapons progress is dangerous, it fundamentally disagrees on the preservation of the North Korean state.

China, North Korea's main trading partner, could effectively defund Pyongyang and bring about the collapse of the government, as the US has encouraged. But China's national interest lies in keeping North Korea as a buffer state to prevent the US from staging troops on its borders.

In the Korean War of the 1950s, North Koreans backed by China fought US-backed South Koreans in a brutal war that is technically ongoing because it ended in a cease-fire rather than a peace treaty.
Visitors to Patagonia's website are being greeted with a stark message: "The President Stole Your Land."

The lifestyle clothing company has launched a scathing attack on the Trump administration's decision to drastically reduce the size of two national monuments, and says it plans to sue over what it describes as an "illegal move."

On Monday, it was announced that the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah is being decreased by 85%  the largest-ever reduction of a national monument. The Grand Staircase National Monument is also being reduced.

Trump has framed the move as a response to government overreach: "I have come to Utah to take a very historic action: to reverse federal overreach and restore the rights of this land to your citizens," he said.

But some environmental campaigners and brands have reacted with fury. "Americans have overwhelmingly spoken out against the Trump Administration's unprecedented attempt to shut down our national monuments," Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario said in a statement obtained by Ad Age, signaling the company intends to sue.

"We've fought to protect these places since we were founded and now we'll continue that fight in the courts."

Patagonia has previously been vocal in its support for protecting public land, and is now calling on customers to support advocacy groups including Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, Alaska Wilderness League, and Wild Salmon Center.

"Removing protections for these wild places to open them up for development will not make us energy independent, and history shows that when states control these lands, they are sold to the highest bidder," it says. "This is not a chance we are willing to take."

Outdoor brand REI has also updated its website to condemn the decision, writing:
CNN's Poppy Harlow clashed with a spokeswoman for Roy Moore who repeatedly attempted to use Harlow's pregnancy to make a point about abortion.

In a lengthy interview on CNN on Tuesday, Jane Porter refused to answer multiple questions about whether she believed accusations that the Republican US Senate candidate from Alabama had a history of predatory behavior toward teenage girls.

Instead, Moore's spokeswoman deflected by promoting Moore's support of the Second Amendment and his opposition to abortion rights, both of which have been central tenets of his campaign.

"If you care about child abuse, you should be talking about the fact that Judge Roy Moore stands for protection not only of our Second Amendment rights so we can protect ourselves against predators but for the rights of babies like your 8-month baby that you're carrying right now," Porter said. "Doug Jones says you can take the life of that baby, and we should pay for it."

"Let's leave my child out of this," Harlow replied.

The interview grew contentious as Harlow continued to press Porter over whether she believed Moore's accusers.

"I have respect for you for coming on this show, for taking the time, but I want to make it very clear so everyone understands: You believe that all eight of these women, that CNN has vetted their stories, are lying. That these are, in your words, fake allegations," Harlow said. "Yes or no: Do you believe them?"

"May I respond? Eight of the people are nonaccusers, that did not accuse Judge Moore of sexual misconduct," Porter said before criticizing several of Moore's accusers by name.

Porter said Moore was being "harassed" by accusations, and she sought to discredit one accuser's call for Moore to testify about the accusations before the Senate Judiciary Committee, pointing out that Sen. Al Franken sits on the committee (though Porter said she did not have "any opinion" on accusations the Minnesota Democrat had harassed women until he admitted to the behavior last month).

Porter also criticized journalists over coverage of the Alabama race and gave media outlets advice.

She dubbed the media writ large the "lynch-mob media," accused The Washington Post of having an "agenda," and said journalists' job was "not just to take an Academy Award performance at face value."

"There's a reason why people have the phrase 'fake news,'" Porter said.

.@PoppyHarlowCNN : Do you b... @ CNN Politics

Over the past several days, Republicans have lined up to support Moore despite backlash over allegations of sexual misconduct.
President Trump could be forced to testify on allegations that he sexually harassed more than a dozen women as part of a defamation lawsuit filed by one of his accusers, if his lawyers fail to get the case dismissed.

Trump's legal team is arguing for a dismissal on Tuesday at a hearing in a New York state Supreme Court.

The suit was filed by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on "The Apprentice," who claimed last year that Trump "very aggressively" kissed her, groped her breasts, and began "thrusting" his genitals at her in a 2007 meeting at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Her claim is that Trump damaged her reputation when he called her a liar.The hearing comes amid a torrent of scrutiny around sexual misconduct by powerful men in the US following bombshell revelations regarding years of alleged sexual abuse by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The allegations cost Weinstein his job and, subsequently, women have come forward with a variety of allegations against high-profile journalists, lawmakers, and executives.

Trump's lawyers are expected to argue that the suit against him should be thrown out or delayed until after his term on the grounds that a sitting president can't be sued in state court. Part of their reasoning is that a trial could distract Trump from his official business as president.The experience of another US president  Bill Clinton  shows that this argument may not hold up. Clinton's experience also shows how, if Trump lies under oath, he could be impeached.

Clinton v. Jones

"The precedent is not on Trump's side," says Susan Low Bloch, a professor at Georgetown University's law school and an expert in constitutional law.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1997, in Clinton v. Jones, that sitting presidents are not in fact immune from civil-law litigation over something that happened before they took office. The ruling specifically pertained to federal lawsuits. Trump's lawyers say this case is different because it was filed in a state court.

Trump's legal team is also expected to argue on Tuesday that the president's statements referring to his accusers as "liars" amounted to political speech and should therefore be protected from legal action.

"All of the statements occurred on political forums  a campaign website, on Mr. Trumps Twitter account, in a presidential debate, and at campaign rallies  where the listeners expect to hear public debate, taken as political opinion rather than a defamatory statement," Trump's lawyers wrote in a court filing last month.

This argument could be tough to win, unless Trump's defense can prove that Zervos is a limited public figure, Bloch said.

Zervos' lawyer, Gloria Allred, said Trump should have to defend what he said in court. Allred has also subpoenaed his campaign for all documents related to the many women who have accused him of sexual harassment.

"We believe that President Trump should be accountable for his statements," she said in July. "No one enjoys a license to defame based on power, wealth or privilege."

Zervos was one of 13 women who accused Trump last year of unwanted physical contact over a period spanning more than 30 years. Trump has denied Zervos' claims, saying he "vaguely" remembers her and that he never met her at a hotel. He later called Zervos and his other accusers "liars" during several campaign appearances and on Twitter. Zervos, through Allred, declined an interview. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Lying about Lewinsky

If the court decides the suit can move forward, Trump will likely be deposed, meaning he will have to give sworn statements concerning the allegations against him.

Former US President Bill Clinton faced a similar situation as a sitting president when he was sued by Paula Jones, who had accused him of sexual harassment when he was the governor of Arkansas. As part of that suit, Clinton gave a sworn deposition in 1998 in which he denied a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Clinton later admitted to the affair, after Lewinsky provided grand-jury testimony on her relationship with the president and produced evidence: a dress stained with semen matching Clinton's DNA.

Kenneth Starr, an independent counsel at the time, concluded that Clinton committed perjury  an impeachable offense  when he denied the affair with Lewinsky. Starr submitted his findings to the US House of Representatives, which voted to impeach Clinton. But the Senate later acquitted him of all charges, and he remained in office.

Like Clinton, Trump could face impeachment if he lied under oath. In that case, it would ultimately be up to Congress to decide whether he was telling the truth.

Trump faces a litany of sexual-harassment allegations

More than a dozen women came forward before the presidential election last year accusing Trump of unwanted sexual advances.

Among them was Jessica Leeds, who said Trump groped her on a flight in the 1980s. She said he grabbed her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt. "He was like an octopus," she told The New York Times. "His hands were everywhere."

Kristin Anderson said Trump slipped his hand up her skirt and touched her vagina through her underwear at a New York City nightclub in the early 1990s. Jill Harth said Trump pushed her against a wall, put his hand up her skirt, and tried to kiss her at a dinner in the early 1990s.Mindy McGillivray said Trump grabbed her buttocks in 2003 when she was 23 years old and working at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's oceanfront resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Natasha Stoynoff said she was interviewing Trump in 2005, one year after his marriage to Melania, when he allegedly forced himself on her. "Within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat," she wrote last year in People magazine.

Also in 2005, then 22-year-old Rachel Crooks said she introduced herself to Trump outside an elevator in Trump Tower in Manhattan and that he kissed her on the mouth.

These women and others all came forward following the release of an "Access Hollywood" videotape in which Trump bragged about being able to grab women "by the pussy." Trump later downplayed the remarks as "locker-room talk" and denied all the allegations of sexual harassment. The New York Times reported this week that Trump has since suggested to lawmakers that it is not him on the tape, citing people who are close to the president or aware of his private conversations.

Totally phoney

Polls close, but can you be... @ Donald J. Trump

100% fabricated and made-up... @ Donald J. Trump

Can't believe these totally... @ Donald J. Trump

Trump also threatened to sue all his accusers.

"Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign  total fabrication," Trump said at a campaign rally in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in October 2016. "The events never happened. Never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over."

Trump hasn't yet filed any suits against his accusers, but he still publicly maintains his innocence.

When asked about the Zervos subpoena in October, which demands all campaign communication regarding Trump's accusers, Trump called it "fake news."

"All I can say is it's totally fake news, just fake," he said. "It's fake. It's made-up stuff, and it's disgraceful what happens, but that happens in the world of politics."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later reaffirmed that the Trump administrations official position is that all of Trumps accusers are lying.

Trump accuser says the truth will come out

McGillivray, one of the women who said she was groped by Trump, says it's the president who is lying.

She told Business Insider that she was terrified to talk publicly about the incident in 2003 when she says Trump grabbed her buttocks.

"I was a nervous wreck," McGillivray said. "But I felt like this was a time to be courageous. The guy's a liar and I wanted people to know that."

McGillivray told her story to the Palm Beach Post in October, and said she subsequently became the target of a barrage of death threats online. She and her daughter fled their home in Florida for three weeks to escape the national attention.

Regardless of what happens with Zervos' suit, McGillivray said she's confident that Americans will ultimately find out the truth about the sexual-harassment allegations against Trump.
President Donald Trump has told the Palestinian Authority's president, Mahmoud Abbas, that he plans to relocate the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday, citing Palestinian officials, a move that would break with decades of US policy and could ignite opposition across the region.

A Palestinian spokesman said Abbas had told Trump the move would have "dangerous consequences" for the region, according to CNBC.

The New York Times, citing US officials, reported that the embassy would not relocate for at least six months because of logistical reasons, but it also said Trump was expected to announce on Wednesday that he would recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Numerous US allies had advised the president against recognizing Jerusalem as the capital, according to CNN.

One of Abbas' aides said on Tuesday that if Trump were to go forward with the recognition, the Palestinian Authority would cut off all ties with the United States, according to Haaretz. Another senior PA official, Nabil Shaath, made grim predictions about the apparent future of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations if Trump followed through.

"The mother of all the deals dies here on the rocks in Jerusalem if he says tomorrow that the US recognizes a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," Shaath said.

The Gaza Strip-based Palestinian group Hamas, which Israel and the US consider a terrorist organization, called for Palestinians to rise up in response to the "conspiracy."

Moving the embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv has been one of Trump's longtime campaign promises. It is a position Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed, saying the move would not endanger the peace negotiations.

"It will correct a historic injustice by advancing the [peace process] and shattering a Palestinian fantasy that Jerusalem isn't Israel's capital," Netanyahu said in May.
President Donald Trump's legal defense team is adopting a bold new strategy as the Russia investigation reaches a boiling point: arguing that a sitting president can't obstruct justice.

The president "cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer" under Article II of the Constitution "and has every right to express his view of any case," Trump's lawyer John Dowd told the news website Axios.

The comment seems to confirm previous reports that Trump's legal team was working over the summer to convince the special counsel Robert Mueller that Trump can't be found guilty of obstruction because he has the constitutional authority to fire whomever he wants.

The question of whether Trump tried to impede an ongoing FBI investigation reemerged on Saturday when he tweeted a potentially incriminating claim. The day before, his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Russia's ambassador.

"I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI," Trump said. "He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!"

Dowd told Axios that the claim that the tweet was an admission of obstruction was "ignorant and arrogant."

But if Trump knew Flynn was in the FBI's crosshairs when, one day after Flynn resigned, Trump asked the FBI Director James Comey, whom he later fired, to consider dropping the bureau's investigation into Flynn, that could dramatically bolster the obstruction case federal prosecutors are building.

A CNN report published Monday said the White House counsel, Don McGahn, told Trump he thought Flynn had not been truthful with either Vice President Mike Pence or the FBI, bolstering the possibility that Trump was aware Flynn had misled the bureau when he asked Comey to drop the investigation.

But McGahn did not explicitly tell Trump that Flynn had committed a crime or that he was under criminal investigation, according to the report.

Trump can tweet anything he wants  but firing is an action

Jeff Cramer, a former federal prosecutor, said Dowd's argument held some water because the question of whether the president can be charged with obstructing justice is not "settled law" and that "you can't be prosecuted for saying things."

"But firing the FBI director is an action," Cramer said. "Trump can tweet anything he wants  that's not against the law. But when he fires the FBI director, now it's starting to take shape."

Trump abruptly fired Comey in May, three months after asking him if he could see his way "clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go," Comey said in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee in June. Before his firing, Comey was leading the FBI's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election and whether any of Trump's associates colluded with Moscow.

"He is a good guy," Trump said, according to Comey's testimony. "I hope you can let this go."

Comey said he gave no indication he would do so.

Days after firing Comey, Trump told NBC's Lester Holt that "the Russia thing" was on his mind when he dismissed him.

Robert Costello, a former deputy chief of the criminal division in the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, said Monday that he thought Dowd's argument held merit.

"Suppose the president makes a statement about the economy and various stocks go way up," Costello said. "Can the president then be accused of manipulating the stock price and violating securities laws? No. He's entitled to do what he's doing."

But other experts pushed back on that assertion, arguing that Dowd was avoiding the crux of the obstruction case.

Jens David Ohlin, the vice dean at Cornell Law School who's an expert in criminal law, said Dowd was making an "absurd argument that reeks of royal absolutism."

Dowd's argument "basically boils down to the maxim that Trump is the law," Ohlin said. "That's just not true. Even the president has to follow the law."

"Recent historical precedent contradicts [Dowd's] view as well," he added, pointing to the impeachment process against former President Richard Nixon over, among other things, obstruction of justice.

Claire Finkelstein, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, echoed that point and emphasized that it was important to look at the entire timeline of events surrounding Comey's firing.

"It doesn't matter that Trump had the power to fire the FBI director," she said. "He can't fire Comey when the intent behind it is to cover up" his or his associates' "possible misdeeds."

The idea that collusion could be legal is absurd

The president's legal team has also echoed a claim that began earlier this year in right-wing media circles: that collusion is not a crime.

"For something to be a crime, there has to be a statute that you claim is being violated," Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow recently told The New Yorker. "There is not a statute that refers to criminal collusion. There is no crime of collusion."

Andy Wright, a professor of constitutional law at Savannah Law School, said in a previous interview that if Americans agreed to assist illegal Russian influence operations, "it could create a conspiracy, which is a federal crime."

Additionally, Wright said, American citizens colluding to illegally affect an election "could constitute aiding and abetting that foreign power's criminal campaign finance violation."

Ultimately, questions about whether the Trump campaign's encouragement of Russia's cyberattacks constituted a form of collusion revolve around whether Trump and his associates incorporated Moscow's meddling into their overall campaign strategy, according to Robert Bauer, a former White House counsel.

That includes whether "specific plans" were made to build messaging around hacked emails and WikiLeaks' release of them  and whether the campaign made a conscious decision not to denounce the Russians so that the meddling would continue.

"Was the message intended for Russia discussed during preparations for the presidential debate, which would explain Mr. Trump's special care in refusing to assign direct blame for the hacking to the government or to reject any assistance from the hackers?" Bauer, now a partner at the law firm Perkins Coie, wrote earlier this year.

The idea that collusion is legal, moreover, is "absurd," said Mark Kramer, the program director for the Project on Cold War Studies at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

He said that the form that collusion would have taken  hacking, a clandestine transfer of funds, conspiracy  would on their own be serious crimes.

More broadly, Wright said, the notion that it would be above water for an American presidential candidate to leverage a foreign adversary to subvert an election "would really signal the death of outrage."

And those repeating the talking point are also ignoring the possibility that the candidate would then be beholden to that foreign government  and irrevocably compromised.
After watching an F-22 Raptor twist and turn last week during an impressive demonstration at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, we asked the 1st Fighter Wing's commander if he's worried about Russia's new Su-57 stealth fighter.

"It's always good to be chased," Col. Jason Hinds, commander of the 1st Fighter Wing, told Business Insider. "When people are trying to beat you, you know you got an impressive airplane."

Russia has touted its new Su-57 as superior to the US's F-22 Raptor, but the Su-57 is still undergoing testing and has yet to be mass-produced.

While many have called into question its stealth capabilities, Moscow claims the Su-57 is a fifth-generation fighter and that it hopes to turn it into a sixth-generation fighter.

"I don't know what they're trying to call it," Hinds said. "I can tell you that anytime you're going into combat, you got to be concerned about whatever the adversary brings, whether it's a fourth-gen airplane or a fifth-gen plane  you got to be ready for both."

Hinds said what's most important for the "entire operational kill chain" is their own training and the maintenance of the plane and its weapons.

"You really can't be focused on the adversary  you got to be focused on yourself," Hinds said.

"You'll train on the adversaries, you'll train against everything you need to be ready for  and we got to be ready for all of it."

While analysts have criticized some of the Su-57's capabilities, many have also maintained that the Su-57 is highly maneuverable  perhaps even more so than the F-22.
A judge is forcing Starbucks to keep 77 Teavana stores open in a ruling that has chilling implications for the retail industry, the New York Post reports.

Starbucks said in July that it planned to close all 379 stores in its tea-shop chain, which are primarily in shopping malls, by the end of the year, citing operating losses and declines in foot traffic.

But Simon Property Group, which operates malls around the country, sued Starbucks to keep it locked into its leases for the 77 Teavana stores in its malls.

Simon had argued that the closure of Teavana stores could trigger additional store closures in its malls at a time when shopping centers are under pressure from falling foot traffic and widespread retail bankruptcies.

The mall owner said it would be hit much harder financially by the closures than Starbucks would be if it were forced to keep its stores open until their leases expired.

An Indiana judge agreed, and now Starbucks will be forced to keep running the 77 Teavana stores, according to the Post.

The Post described industry experts as saying the decision has chilling implications for other retailers planning to close stores.

It has been a record year for store closures, with retailers shutting down more than 5,000 stores so far and putting more pressure on mall operators to fill vacancies.
In the wake of allegations from five women alleging sexual misconduct, venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar announced on Tuesday that he was taking a leave of absence from his business interests.

Pishevar will be stepping away for the time being from his investment firm, Sherpa Capital, his role on the board at Virgin Hyperloop One where he is a cofounder and co-executive chairman, and the boards of his portfolio companies.

The move comes after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Pishevar in a report published by Bloomberg

STATEMENT OF SHERVIN PISHEVAR

As many of you may have seen in recent news coverage, I filed a lawsuit last month against what I believe to be potential perpetrators of a smear campaign against me. As that legal action progresses, it is my priority to ensure that the Sherpa Capital family is not adversely affected.

Therefore, I have decided to take an immediate leave of absence from my duties at Sherpa Capital and Virgin Hyperloop One, as well as my portfolio company board responsibilities, so that I can pursue the prosecution of my lawsuit, where I am confident I will be vindicated. Through the discovery process, I hope to unearth who fabricated the fraudulent London "police report," and who is responsible for spreading false rumors about me.

This was a decision I came to and proposed on my own accord. It is not one I took lightly and it was a difficult decision that was guided by Sherpa Capitals abiding belief in service and putting others before ourselves.
The Polytechnic students in November took to the streets to protest the increment in their tuition fees.

The protesting students' shouted they won't pay N30,000 while their placards suggest the tuition fee now ranges between N72,000 and N89,7000 as one of the placards reads "say no to N89,700, N72,000, N85,200''

One of the protesting students, Damola Ahmed, who spoke with newsmen complained about exploitative increment of school fees.

He said, "It is pitiable that the management of the school has degenerated into telling lies that there is no increment. They are claiming it is a policy, an alien policy that says the same amount you paid in your first year is what you will pay in the following year.

It is not done anywhere because there are certain logistical payments that you pay in your first year that must not return in your second year as such that policy cannot stand."

Saraki wades in

Coming to the students' rescue, Saraki took to his Facebook account to condemn what he described as the management's intent to deliberate attempt to confuse and mislead Kwara state government.

ALSO READ:

Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed has reacted to the polytechnic tuition increment ordering the management of Kwara State Polytechnic to reduce its current fees by N5000.00.
Not every celebrity who attains fame and wealth gives for a charity cause, however, we have a few of them who still do that. So we bring to you five celebrities who give regularly to charity.

1. Tonto Dikeh

Tonto Dikeh is the most well-known celebrity who gives a lot to charity publicly. The beautiful actress is never shy to associate herself with the needy. Through her foundation, The Tonto Dikeh Foundation, she has given out to a lot of the less privileged, visit orphanages where she has not just donated but spent quality time with these children.

The latest of her charity works was her recent visit to the Persons living with disability in the Karanmajiji Disable Colony in Abuja to celebrate the United Nations International World Disability Day. In the course of the visit, she shared gifts with the inhabitants of the colony and also spent time having fun with them.

2. Davido

We all know that giving out to charity doesn't really mean setting up a foundation or associating with one because that's how Davido comes into this list. The music star is known for giving out to charitable courses. On social media, Davido gives money out to students who need to pay their school fees. He might be sometimes controversial but he has a heart of gold.

3. Empress Njamah

Empress Njamah's love for charity is really huge because of her nationwide charity events and projects. Her foundation caters to the needs of Nigerian children in different states. Empress has hosted over two thousand kids at several charity programmes, with high-cost souvenirs, clothes, foodstuff, toiletries, mosquito nets, among others.

ALSO READ:Davido flaunts uncompleted house being built for little boy

4. Waje

Waje is another celebrity who has a major interest in giving out to charity. Waje is known to be a member of a number of charitable organisations where she has devoted her time to help with the aim of those organisations. Waje launched her foundation 'Safe House' in 2012 which she used in helping children get computer education and facilities to women.

5. Flavour
Graphic images provided by Linda Ikeji's Blog (LIB) showed different sites littered with the bodies of community members. According to reports, the incident was a response to an earlier attack that took place on November 20, 2017.

The recent massacre which took place yesterday, December, 4, 2017, in the Lawaru and Dong communities saw people, mostly men butchered. It was a sharp contrast to a previous offensive that saw the killing of infants who had machete wounds on their heads.

Surviving members of the community where the last killing took place were seen counting their losses. Their sullen eyes bore tales of their sorrow.

The year 2017, has seen a number of cases of violent attacks by Fulani herdsmen who often get caught up in territorial battles even in eastern and western states. So far, they have posed as a national security challenge due to their brutal murder of people.
Erika Hurt, 26, who was photographed last year unconscious in the driver's seat of a car with a needle in her hand and her 10-month-old child in the backseat, posted on Facebook that she's been sober for one year.

As you all know, I overdosed in my car at a parking lot.. Yes, with my precious baby boy inside the car with me.. but what you may not know is, that overdose happened one year ago TODAY! Ive decided to repost the picture simply because it displays exactly what heroin addiction is. Also because I do not want to ever forget where the road of addiction has taken me, she said.

The photo shows three images. One is the photo of her near-fatal overdose a year ago, which went viral after it was released to the public by police, a move they say was motivated by a desire to bring light to the problems of addiction in her town. They exposed my addiction to the whole world, she told NBC News. I thought it was terrible.

But today she reposted that photo triumphantly. The other two photos alongside show her smiling, vibrant, a healthy today, alone and with her little boy.

Little did I know that day, my life was about to change, drastically. Today, I am able to focus on the good that came from that picture. Today, I am a mother to my son, again. Today, I am able to be grateful to actually have solid proof where addiction will only lead you, and today I am able to say that I am ONE YEAR SOBER! she continued.

The opioid crisis is at the forefront of the publics minds right now as President Trump took steps to declare the opioid crisis a public health emergency on Thursday, according to the New York Times. No part of our societynot young or old, rich or poor, urban or ruralhas been spared this plague of drug addiction and this horrible, horrible situation thats taken place with opioids, Trump said.

According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. (Opioids consist of prescription opioids and heroin.) Six out of 10 drug overdose deaths involve an opioid. And the problem has risen sharply over the last 15 years. The number of overdose deaths attributed to opioids has quadrupled since 1999.
According to the NNPC's spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu, Baru has flown back to Nigeria to address a "matter of urgent national importance".

According to Ughamadu, before leaving London, Baru had assured Nigerians that there was no need to panic as there's enough fuel to go around for the festive period.

He said, "For the umpteenth time, I wish to call on all Nigerians to stop panic buying. We have said times without number that NNPC has sufficient products to cater for the needs of all consumers."

Ughamadu's statement read, "Earlier yesterday, NNPC informed Nigerians that there was no plan whatsoever to increase the prices of petroleum products both at the ex-depot level and pump price ahead of the forthcoming yuletide.

"The NNPC in a release said that the ex-depot petrol price of N133.38 per litre and the pump price of N143/N145 per litre have not changed noting that the Corporation has enough stock of fuel to ensure seamless supply and distribution of products across the country.

"While assuring that the Corporation has the full commitment of all downstream stakeholders including petroleum marketers and industry unions to cooperate in achieving zero fuel scarcity this season and beyond, the NNPC enjoined motorists and other users of petroleum products to disregard trending rumours of an impending fuel price hike as reported in some news platforms.

"The Corporation also noted that its downstream subsidiary companies namely the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and NNPC Retail Limited are fully geared up to ensure that motorists enjoy uninterrupted access to petrol throughout the nation during the yuletide period and beyond."
During an interactive session with members of the Nigerian community in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire on Tuesday, November 28, 2017, the president said the previous administration had left a mess for his government to clean up.

According to him, the economy he inherited from his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, was terrible enough for him to consider running away from the country.

He said, "When I came, what I found out was terrible. It was absolutely terrible. We are lucky in Nigeria that we have been able to survive 2016.

"Honestly, I told some people close to me that I was thinking of which country to run to if things got out of hand.

"Between 1999 and 2014, I have said it several times in Nigeria, Nigeria had never got so much revenue like it did at that time. But then, when we came, the price of oil went down to $28 per barrel from an average of $100 per barrel at the production rate of 2.1 million barrel per day. So, multiply 2.1 million by $100, that is what Nigeria was getting from 1999 to 2014.

"But when we came, the price came down to $28. I went to Central Bank (of Nigeria) to look for money and they said there was no money, only debts.

"And the infrastructure - roads, rail, power - that you have been talking about, nothing was absolutely done. So, really, God hears the prayers of His servants and the last three raining seasons were good. We were very lucky I would have absconded.

"I mean how could we have faced Nigerians and tell them this is what you have been earning from 2.1 million barrels per day from 1999-2014 multiplied by $100. In fact, it even went up to $143; and then came down to about $70-$80.

"But when we came, it fell to $28, then to $37 and then oscillating between $30 and $50. So it was amazing but God came with His help."
Please don't laugh out loud. It's no joke.

This week, Okorocha swore in 28 new commissionersand 27 Transition Committee Chairmen for the 27 local government councils in the State.

Among the newly sworn-in commissioners was the Governors sister, Mrs. Ogechi Ololo (nee Okorocha) who was appointed Imo State Commissioner for Happiness and Couples Fulfillment.

You are the privileged group that has the opportunity to make names for yourselves. I want to remind all of you that this appointment is not business as usual. We shall not tolerate any sharp practice or corruption of any type. Neither shall we accept indolence or laziness. You have been called to duty to help us to achieve our vision in the Rescue Mission Project, Okorocha read out to his new appointees.

Nepotism writ large

Before her elevation to head the ministry for Happiness and Couples Fulfilment, Ogechi Okorocha was the Governors Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Adviser on Domestic Matters.

What exactly will a Commissioner for 'Happiness and Couples Fulfilment be doing? What in Gods name is that crap? Whats her job description?

Will Mrs. Ololo ensure that couples across Imo are having the right kind of sex in the right proportion? Will she make sure that couples remember their partners birthdays and recommend what type of gifts to buy at anniversaries? Will she recommend what will be on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner times?

Is Madam Ololos ministry going to be giving families a stipend weekly to keep them happy and fulfilled?

ALSO READ: 7 times Governor has baffled Nigerians

Governor Okorochas new commissioner is ample proof that governance has become a huge joke in Nigeria. Aside its nepotistic leaning, creating a ministry just for a member of his family underlines the Governors shallow mindset on governance and his elevation of comedy into a governance form.

Waste of taxpayer resources

Ololos ministry is a complete waste of tax payer funds and the office should be scrapped with immediate effect. The Governor should find other avenues to appease members of his family.

Governance and government should be serious business whose overall goal should be delivering service to the greater number of people for the greater good of the people.

By most accounts from Imo, Okorocha has delivered pathetic governance. Hes chosen instead to rule by documentaries, billboards,statuesand endless gibberish.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, December 5, 2017, Misau said by creation, SARS was supposed to be under the Force Criminal and Investigation Department (CID) and not under Operations.

The lawmaker called on the Senate to investigate the allegation of human rights abuse on Nigerians by SARS personnel.

His words: "According to the police act and regulations, the force criminal and investigation and intelligence (Force CID), is the highest investigating arm of the Nigerian police. And for effective and efficient administration, the department is divided into 14 sections for which the Special Ant-robbery Squad (SARS) is one of them.

SARS is supposed to be a section in each state command criminal investigation department with sole responsibility of handling armed robbery cases and answerable to the state commissioner of Police.

I have in the last few months received several petitions from my constituency against SARS. The complains vary from extra-judicial killings, brutality, torture, arrest for bribe and other menacing conduct by the men of the unit.

Most of the tweets with #EndSARS reported several cases of harassment, and arbitrary arrest of Nigerian youths labelling them .

ALSO READ: Nigeria has a SARS problem that needs to go away

The complains have ranged from how officers waylaid citizens at ATM points to how they often threaten to kill knowing they will get away with it. There are specific cases of how SARS officers allegedly murder citizens for declining to pay bribes.

It is dangerous for us to have a unit of the police force act as if it is above the law. We must now make a major decision to end SARS until a unit built around the rule of law and human rights observance is created by the police.

Im aware that in 2015, the then IGP, Solomon Arase had due to incessant reports of abuses by the squad split SARS into two units with a view to checking its human rights abuses. This was done to ensure that officers dont make arrest and investigate the same case. However, the abuses have continued.

The Police High Command had earlier said that it has no intention to scrap the squad and contrary to claims. Rather than to take note of complains by the general public, and proceed to investigate and take actions against these human rights abuses, they only make matters worse by calling these campaigners criminals.

I urge this Senate to mandate the committee the ad hoc committee on security to investigate the allegations of human rights abuse by SARS.

"SARS is used to intimidate opponents and sometimes politicians. Sometimes you find that the Federal SARS going to state and arrest people without making reference to the Commissioner of Police, they bring them to Abuja and detain them.

Mr President if we don't put SARS where it belongs, then were all in trouble. We have to do something about SARS. SARS, shouldn't be under the operations department, it is supposed to be under investigation," he said.

In his remarks, Senate President Bukola Saraki referred the matter to the ad-hoc committee set up to look at the security infrastructure in the country.

We have already set up an ad-hoc committee to look at the security infrastructure in the country and I think its appropriate that we send these recommendations to them for further consideration, Saraki said.
According to a report by TheCable, the two countries have sealed the MoU for the return of $321 million traced to former Nigerian military ruler, Late General Sani Abacha.

The attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, has reportedly signed on behalf of Nigeria in Washington DC, US, on Monday afternoon, December 4, 2017 at the headquarters of the World Bank Group.

The money, it was also reported, is expected to be expended on social protection programme in Nigeria, when returned, while Civil Society Organisations involved in the negotiation are expected to monitor the use of the funds.

Late General Sani Abacha

The late General Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from November 1993 till his sudden death in June 1998. He had been accused of stashing billions of Dollars in different parts of the world, which include Switzerland.
In a ruling, Judge Pablo Llarena decided to withdraw the warrant as the five "appear to have shown their intention to return to Spain" to take part in regional elections on December 21.

But Llarena, who is in charge of the case, has retained the Spanish arrest warrant, which means they will be detained upon arrival in the country, court sources said.

The judge said the European warrant would complicate the overall probe into the region's leaders.

Some of them are still in Spain -- either in jail or out on bail -- and are facing charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

He said Belgium could reject some of the reasons for the warrant, meaning it could agree to the extradition of Puigdemont and the four others -- but with restrictions, and only for certain offences.

This in turn would stop Spain from investigating the restricted offences, thereby creating inequalities with those already held in Spain who would be probed on the full charges, Llarena argued.

It is unclear what charges would have posed a problem, but there has been controversy in Spain over the offence of rebellion, which carries up to 30 years in jail and has been criticised as "disproportionate" by some critics in the legal world.

Electioneering

The unexpected decision comes a day after Puigdemont and his four colleagues attended an extradition hearing in Brussels, with the Belgian judge due to give a decision on December 14.

Jaume Alonso Cuevillas, one of Puigdemont's lawyers, told Catalonia's TV3 channel he was pleasantly surprised.

"This means yesterday's hearing went much better than we thought," he said.

"It pushed Spain's judicial authorities to withdraw the European warrant to avoid getting a slap from Belgian judicial authorities."

The decision also comes after the Catalan election campaign kicked off, with Puigdemont speaking to supporters in Catalonia on Monday night via video link.

The Madrid authorities "want to raise as many difficulties as possible so we can't campaign on an equal footing with the other candidates," he told a party rally in Barcelona.

Madrid called the new elections after the independence declaration on October 27, while dismissing Catalonia's government and suspending the region's autonomy. It hopes the polls will restore normality to the region.

Twelve of the 13 members of the sacked Catalan government are standing in the election, with Puigdemont and his deputy Oriol Junqueras -- who is still in jail -- competing to head the separatist camp.

In the last regional election in 2015, separatist parties captured 47.8 percent of the vote, giving them an absolute majority of 72 seats in the 135-seat Catalan regional parliament.

A house divided

jpegMpeg4-1280x720A poll published Monday by the central government's Sociological Research Centre (CIS) predicted the three pro-independence parties would get 44.4 percent of the vote and 66 to 67 seats this time -- just short of the absolute majority of 68.

The three parties firmly opposed to independence would get 44.3 percent and gain 59 to 60 seats, the poll suggested.

While the separatists are united against what they say is "repression" from Madrid, they are divided over the future of their region, which itself is deeply split over independence.
The EU has struggled for over a year to finalise the blacklist, with smaller, low-tax EU nations such as Ireland, Malta and Luxembourg worried about scaring off multinationals.

Britain fought particularly hard against the list, afraid that its crown dependencies, including Jersey and the Virgin Islands, would be singled out.

Other jurisdictions are understood to have been given leeway after suffering severe damage during hurricanes in the Caribbean earlier this year.

European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said officials from member states were negotiating from an initial list of 29 countries, with divisions still strong over the weekend on who will make the final version.

"Since Thursday, we have entered a phase of intense political and diplomatic activity," Moscovici told reporters on Monday.

"And I do see a risk that some countries whose names were quoted in the many tax scandals over the last five years may not be listed. That would be strange," he warned.

Enforcement problem

Enforcement is the biggest problem, with EU countries split over whether blacklisted countries should be subjected to financial sanctions or if the list is shaming enough itself.

Several states, including France, support tough measures against the listed tax havens such as exclusion from EU and World Bank funding, though the debate is still open.

Other countries are reluctant to draw up common sanctions, believing that responsibility is better left to member states.

An existing list of tax havens compiled by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) currently includes only Trinidad and Tobago.

By contrast, the EU originally screened a total of 92 jurisdictions and once the list is compiled it is expected to be continuously updated.

In a blow to activists, states that charge no corporate tax are not automatically considered at risk of breaching EU tax criteria.

However, the criteria do single out countries that facilitate the creation of shell companies and other structures that could aid tax avoidance.

Countries in the EU's firing line have been given an opportunity to stay off the list if they provide a political commitment and a detailed plan to comply.

All countries, which initially included the US, were given until Tuesday's meeting of the EU's 28 finance ministers to provide feedback and possible measures to satisfy EU demands.

Officials said the EU ministers would likely create a so-called grey list comprising of countries with severe tax evasion issues, but who have made commitments to change their ways.
The Paradise Papers leak last month gave a new impetus to the plan, making public some of the intricate ways the world's rich evade tax using offshore havens.

The EU has struggled for over a year to finalise the blacklist, with smaller, low-tax EU nations such as Ireland, Malta and Luxembourg worried about scaring off multinationals.

Britain fought particularly hard against the list, afraid that its crown dependencies, including Jersey and the Virgin Islands, would be singled out.

On the list going into the talks were also Barbados, Cape Verde, Grenada, Macao, Marshall Islands, Palau, Saint Lucia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, according to a draft seen by AFP.

Other jurisdictions are understood to have been given leeway after suffering severe damage during hurricanes in the Caribbean earlier this year.

EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said this was less than the 20 countries he had hoped for but would be a "initial victory" if confirmed.

Senior officials from member states have whittled down an initial draft of 29 countries, with divisions still strong in recent days on who will make the final version.

Moscovici said the EU ministers would also approve a so-called grey list of about 60 countries comprising of jurisdictions with severe tax evasion issues, but who have made commitments to change their ways.

"I invite the member states to not be naive and keep pressure on the third countries to stay on course," he said as he arrived for the talks in Brussels.

Enforcement problem

Enforcement is the biggest problem, with EU countries split over whether blacklisted countries should be subjected to financial sanctions or if the list is shaming enough itself.

Several states, including France, support tough measures against the listed tax havens such as exclusion from EU and World Bank funding, though the debate is still open.

Other countries are reluctant to draw up common sanctions, believing that responsibility is better left to member states.

"To be on a blacklist is in itself bad enough and of course there will be consequences for these countries," Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna said.

An existing list of tax havens compiled by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) currently includes only Trinidad and Tobago.

The EU originally screened a total of 92 jurisdictions and once the list is compiled it is expected to be continuously updated.

In a blow to activists, states that charge no corporate tax are not automatically considered at risk of breaching EU tax criteria.

However, the criteria do single out countries that facilitate the creation of shell companies and other structures that could aid tax avoidance.

Countries in the EU's firing line have been given an opportunity to stay off the list if they provide a political commitment and a detailed plan to comply.

All countries, which initially included the US, were given until Tuesday's meeting of the EU's 28 finance ministers to provide feedback and possible measures to satisfy EU demands.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko condemned pressure on the media, but showed sympathy on Facebook for a reaction by society to the Russia-friendly TV station.

A pro-Russia separatist movement sprang up in the east of the former Soviet republic in reaction to the 2013-14 Euromaidan uprising, in which protesters demanded Ukraine minimise ties to Russia and orient itself toward the West.

Since then, Russia has annexed the region of Crimea from Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels have been fighting a years-long war in the eastern provinces of the country.

Broadcasting at NewsONE wasnt interrupted due to Mondays blockade.

The protest had begun in the late morning after the TV station showed a demonstration by supporters of former Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who has called for the removal of Poroshenko from office.

Russia-connected former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in February 2014, clearing the way for Poroshenkos pro-Western regime.

The demonstrators outside NewsONE, said Mondays demonstration was elicited by comments from the broadcasters owner, who had called the toppling of Yanukovychs government a coup.

Activists in Ukraine have taken measures to hinder pro-Russia media in the country, including using violence against the newspaper Vesti.

In April 2015, pro-Russia journalist Oles Buzina was shot in front of his house.
If his centre-left SPD joins another governing alliance with Merkel's conservatives or allows her to run a minority government, "it won't be business as usual" in Berlin, vowed Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament.

Schulz said he had been encouraged by European "sister parties" and some leaders, including Macron, to join Merkel's fourth government and help promote European reforms.

"The phone conversations I've had so far ... and the exchange of mails and text messages have been unanimous," he told a Berlin press conference.

The core message, he said, was that Germany should adopt "a progressive, a more social, a more dynamic policy on Europe".

"We take their message very seriously," said Schulz, a vocal critic of Berlin's tough austerity stance during the eurozone crisis when creditors demanded tough reforms from crisis-hit economies in return for international bailouts.

Macron has pushed for sweeping reforms, including a common eurozone finance minister and budget -- an idea that has received a lukewarm response from Merkel's conservatives who fear it could cost the top EU economy dearly.

Schulz lost to Merkel in September 24 elections and initially vowed to take his party into opposition but has now emerged as the man who could hold her political fate in his hands.

After Merkel's exploratory talks to form an alliance with two smaller parties collapsed, her conservatives are hoping for a continuation of their previous "grand coalition" with the SPD for the next four years.

Schulz has asked his divided party to back him in open-ended discussions on whether the two parties should team up again, and on what terms, to avoid new elections.

Sunday's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported that Macron and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had encouraged Schulz to extend the four-year-old alliance, currently a caretaker government, and shift Berlin's policy on Europe.
Feltman arrived in a UN-flagged car at Beijing's international airport in the morning before North Korea's Air Koryo flight took off for Pyongyang in the early afternoon.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise -- manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation".

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said.

Feltman, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs, arrived in China on Monday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

He met with a Chinese vice foreign minister while in Beijing.

China, which is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has called on the United States to freeze military drills and North Korea to halt weapons tests to calm tensions.

Once in the North, Feltman will discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern" with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether Feltman will meet with the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-Un.

Missile progress

It will be Feltman's first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago.

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula five days ago when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target -- key technological hurdles for Pyongyang.

A Cathay Pacific crew flying from San Francisco to Hong Kong said they spotted what they believed was the missile, with one airline official saying the crew described seeing it "blow up and fall apart".

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility.

US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit-for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy".

'Moth flying into fire'

North Korean state media has hit back with a flurry of its own colourful insults, calling Trump a "dotard", a "frightened dog" and a "gangster."

In a new editorial on Tuesday, North Korean state media blasted the joint US-South Korean drills as going "beyond the danger line" adding the two allies were like "a group of tiger moths flying into fire only to perish in it."

As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this year's war games involve simulated precision attacks on the North's military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources.

Over the weekend Trump's National Security Adviser HR McMaster told a security forum that the potential for war with the North "is increasing every day."

But some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital -- only around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people.

Tokyo's parliament on Monday slammed the North's weapons programme as an "imminent threat". Last week's missile landed in Japan's economic waters.
The future of the six-nation GCC -- formed 36 years ago to bring together energy-rich Sunni Arab Gulf states -- appeared to be hanging in the balance as Kuwait prepared to host the gathering.

This year's meeting comes with Saudi Arabia and its allies engaged in a bitter dispute with fellow GCC member Qatar, in the worst crisis ever to hit the council.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani accepted an invitation to the summit but with only hours before talks were due to begin it was unclear whether the rulers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain would also attend.

Those three Gulf states, together with Egypt, cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the gas-rich emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival.

Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi-led bloc of aiming to incite a change of regime in Doha.

Kuwait has been leading mediation efforts within the GCC to resolve the crisis, but so far with little success.

Casting further doubt on the group's future, the UAE said Tuesday it was forming a new military and economic committee with Saudi Arabia separate from the GCC.

The committee "will coordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields," according to a decree issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Founded in 1981, the GCC is a political and economic union grouping Qatar with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman and Kuwait.

GCC future in doubt

Dominated by Riyadh, it has been a regional counterweight to Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia's Shiite rival across the Gulf.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar attended round-table talks ahead of the gathering, in their first such encounter since the diplomatic crisis erupted in June.

Oman Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yussef bin Alawi sat between them at the meeting which the foreign ministers of the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait also attended.

After cutting off all ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a land, sea and air blockade of the emirate and issued a list of 13 demands to have it lifted.

Bahrain in October called for Qatar's membership of the GCC to be suspended until it accepted the demands.

Experts warn that the crisis could lead to the demise of the once-powerful GCC.

"The justifications for the existence of the GCC bloc amidst the continued crisis are no longer present like before," said Sami al-Faraj, head of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies.

"As long as our enemy has changed from Iran to Qatar, the GCC will not continue."

The failure of the GCC members to solidify long-delayed plans for economic unity may also threaten its future.

The Gulf states have approved a customs union, a common market, a single currency and a single central bank, but most of these have yet to be implemented.

Speaking at Monday's meeting, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah stressed the determination of member states to preserve the GCC.
The five-station line is 75km shorter than the existing railway, which takes a circuitous route to the north via Uchkuduk.

Uzbekistan Railways (UTY) says construction began simultaneously at both ends of the line in December 2016.

In the first phase of operation the line will be used exclusively by freight trains and initially diesel traction will be used pending the completion of electrification.
Russian businessman Ismailov charged with murder

MOSCOW, December 5 (RAPSI)  Russian tycoon Telman Ismailov has been charged in absentia with murder and illegal arms trafficking, the Investigative Committees press service reports Tuesday.

Ismailov has been earlier arrested in absentia and put on the international wanted list. His brother Vagif Ismailov is also wanted for multiple murder.

According investigators, Ismailov organized the murder of businessman Vladimir Savkin and founder of Lublino-Motors auto service centre Yury Brylev in May 2016. Another tycoons brother Rafik Ismailov and one more man Mekhman Kerimov were allegedly involved in the double homicide; they were placed in detention. Kerimov, an alleged killer, has pleaded guilty.

The businessman could face life imprisonment if convicted.

Telman Ismailov, who controls AST Group, is one of Russias richest men. In 2009, he clashed with law enforcement authorities over the Cherkizovsky outdoor market, which evolved from a mere flea market into an industrial-scale distribution hub for Chinese imports during the oil boom. The market was closed after sanitary authorities found major violations.

In March, the Moscow Commercial Court declared Ismailov bankrupt. Later, the Tenth Commercial Court of Appeals upheld this ruling.
Moscow imam asks court to overturn his sentence for justifying terrorism

MOSCOW, December 5 (RAPSI)  Moscow imam Makhmud Velitov, convicted of justifying terrorism, has filed an appeal with the Supreme Courts Presidium seeking to overturn the sentence, his lawyer Dagir Khasavov told RAPSI on Tuesday.

Presidium of the Supreme Court has a chance to amend the injustice before the appeal's review in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Khasavov said.

On August 1, the Supreme Court upheld a 3-year prison sentence given to Velitov.

On September 23, 2013, Velitov, being a council chair and imam of a religious organization, made a public speech justifying activity of one of Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami terrorist organizations members during a prayer in a Moscow mosque, according to the Investigative Committee. This organization has been banned by Russias Supreme Court.

According to the forensic examination, the imams speech contained a set of psychological and linguistic features of justifying terrorist activities.

Defense insisted that Velitov had performed a religious ritual allowed by canons of Islam regarding a deceased Muslim.

Hizb ut-Tahrir (the Party of Islamic Liberation), founded in Jerusalem in 1953, is prohibited in several Arab and Central Asian countries. Russia's Supreme Court banned the group from operating on the territory of the country in 2003, describing it as a terrorist organization.

Hizb ut-Tahrir members are regularly arrested by the police across Russia, mainly in big cities in central Russia, the Volga region and Siberia. Also, there are many supporters in Crimea, which rejoined Russia in the spring of 2014.
State Duma committee backs bill on prison terms for terrorist propaganda

Context FSB asked to check Telegram messenger for terrorist propaganda

MOSCOW, December 5 (RAPSI)  The State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation during its meeting on Tuesday supported a proposal to introduce prison terms of up to 7 years for terrorist propaganda.

Amendments are recommended to be issued during the second reading of a bill on life sentence for recruiting terrorists.

According to the initiative, terrorist propaganda, or distribution of materials and information aimed to promote ideology and attractiveness of terrorism, would be punishable by fines ranging from 300,000 to 1 million rubles, or imprisonment from 5 to 7 years.

The State Duma passed the bill toughening punishment for recruiting terrorists up to life sentence in the first reading on November 16. The draft law is aimed to tighten control over peoples involvement in financing and organizing terrorist and extremist activities.

Over 1,000 people around the world are being recruited to terrorist groups every day. Terrorist recruiters receive a reward for new members, an explanatory note to the document reads.

The bill stipulates the sentence of up to life in prison for terrorist attacks, training for carrying out terrorist activities, organization and membership of a terrorist group, hostage taking, terrorist hijacking as well as recruitment, inducement to terrorism and financing of terrorist activity.

Currently, terrorist recruitment is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Russian Ministry of Justice labels nine media outlets as foreign agents

MOSCOW, December 5 (RAPSI)  Russias Ministry of Justice has designated nine media outlets, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) as foreign agents, the Ministrys website reads on Tuesday.

According to the press-service of the Ministry, other media included in the list are Current Time TV, Tatar-Bashkir service of RFE/RL and several projects of Radio Liberty including Factograf, Sibir.Realii, IdeLRealia, Kavkaz.Realii, and Krym.Realii.

Earlier, the Ministry has forwarded warnings of possible labeling as foreign agents to these outlets.

On December 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Ministry of Justice to maintain registry of foreign media designated as foreign agents.

On November 25, the President signed a bill on foreign agent label for foreign media into law.

Decisions regarding registration of media as foreign agents are to be made by the Ministry of Justice. The document is also to establish regulations such as what markers are going to be used for this kind of media or whether there is a need for a special registry in this case.

In November, the U.S. Ministry of Justice ordered Russia Today TV channel to register as a foreign agent. The channel implemented the requirement on November 10. Head of RT Margarita Simonyan said that it was a forced choice between registration and a criminal case. The President called this situation an attack on freedom of speech and members of the State Duma initiated preparation of symmetrical response measures.

The Russian law adopted in November 2012 requires that all NGOs engaged in political activity and receiving foreign funding register as foreign agents.

Under the amendments to the law, which were adopted this year, political activity is linked to such fields as state-building, securing Russias sovereignty and territorial integrity, enforcement of law, order and security, national defense, foreign policy, political system integrity, social and economic and national development of the country, regulation of rights and freedoms of man and citizen.

NGOs which are engaged in organization and holding of public events, including meetings, manifestations, demonstrations, discussions and performances would be deemed to be involved in political activity.

Moreover, those NGOs which are involved in work aimed at achieving certain results during elections or referendum, vote monitoring practices, establishment of election commissions or support of political parties would also be put on the list of those organizations which are engaged in political activity.
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The Philippines launches probe after Sanofi reveals WHO-approved dengvaxia - a dengue vaccine - aggravates symptoms in some cases.

The delay by the health ministry in approving the sale of the first-ever dengue vaccine developed by French pharmaceutical major Sanofi Pasteur might seem like another case of red tape, but the health crisis unfolding in the Philippines shows that India might have narrowly avoided a disaster.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had approved Sanofis dengue vaccine dengvaxia in April last year; the Philippines became the first nation to widely distribute it, after fast-tracking the approval process.

Several other countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil have approved its sales.

On Monday, however, the Philippines launched an investigation after suspending the dengue vaccine last week, reported The Wall Street Journal.

The suspension came after the drug manufacturer said new evidence showed the vaccine could worsen dengue symptoms in some cases.

More than 730,000 people, mostly children aged about nine or more, were given the vaccine in the Philippines.

This had led to a crisis in the country, with Philippiness presidential spokesman Harry Roque saying Manila vowed to leave no stone unturned in making accountable those responsible for this shameless public health scam.

The resistance from the health ministry in India came despite dengue cases rising to 0.14 million in 2017 (provisional data till November 26) from 0.12 million in 2016, according to the data from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.

There have been 221 deaths in India from dengue in 2017, against 245 the previous year.

This vaccine has been pending with us for two years. We do not plan to approve it till we are satisfied, irrespective of what other drug regulators do, said G N Singh, drug controller general of India (DCGI).

The company had sought a clinical trial waiver. We need to evaluate such requests. But, we will not approve any vaccine without being satisfied with the quality and efficacy.

A person can be infected with dengue as many as four times due to the existence of different strains. Subsequent infections are often more severe.

Sanofi said last week new data found the vaccine was effective for people who had already had dengue, but for those who hadnt, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination.

The company said it had asked regulators to change the vaccine label to recommend not taking the vaccine if people had not been previously infected.

The rising menace of the dengue has led domestic vaccine maker Serum Institute of India to plan launching a dengue vaccine in three to four years, besides a biologic drug for dengue in the next couple of years.

Dengvaxia was the first of its kind, targeting a mosquito-borne disease that afflicts some of the worlds poorest countries.

Dengue infects about 390 million people a year globally, 96 million of whom require treatment, according to the WHO.

Of those, about half a million are admitted to hospitals, and 2.5 per cent of all cases are lethal.

The virus causes a severe flu-like illness marked by painful joints and extreme fatigue.

Photograph: Robert Pratta/Reuters
It's seen as a signal that he wants to engage with India Inc at a time when the economy has started looking up.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will for the first time attend an annual general meeting (AGM) of a leading business chamber, possibly sending out a signal that he wants to engage with India Inc at a time when the economy has started looking up.

In a first for him as prime minister, Modi is slated to deliver the inaugural address at the AGM of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) on December 13, before flying to Gujarat to cast his vote on December 14.

While it has been an established trend for PMs (including Rajiv Gandhi, Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh) to inaugurate AGMs of business chambers and also interact with corporate bigwigs on various platforms, Modi had kept himself at a distance from India Inc, especially the lobby groups.

The only other business chamber meet that Modi addressed as PM was at the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in December 2015, when he had stressed the goal of financial inclusion of the National Democratic Alliance government.

Ficci, the 90-year-old business chamber, will announce its new president at the end of the two-day AGM in New Delhi on December 13 and 14.

According to sources, Rashesh Shah, chairman and chief executive officer of the Edelweiss group, a diversified financial services conglomerate, will replace Pankaj Patel as Ficci president.

Currently, Shah is senior vice-president, while Malvinder Mohan Singh is vice-president at Ficci.

Ficci did not comment.

Modi has been seen as closely associated with the promotion of entrepreneurship ever since he took over as PM in May 2014.

Whether its the Startup India event in the capital attracting marquee investors and entrepreneurs from India as well as overseas around two years ago, or the recent Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Hyderabad, with Ivanka Trump leading the US delegation, the PMs focus has been clearly on new businesses, especially with a tech focus.

Events around signature schemes such as Make in India, however, have been treated differently, with top CEOs queuing up to listen to the PM.

Also, Modi has met the chief executives of multinationals, from Microsoft to Facebook, Google to Apple, more freely, both in India and abroad.

A source pointed out that a departure in the PMs approach was noticed at an event in New Delhi in August.

Champions of Change, organised by the NITI Aayog at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi, saw an auditorium filled with hundreds of CEOs, mostly young ones. Even business chambers are believed to have sent their representatives in big numbers to that event.

After demonetisation and the roll-out of the goods and services tax (GST) in quick succession, the government may have wanted to send out a signal that it was not against businesses, another source said.

At the Ficci AGM, four state finance ministers - Amit Mitra (West Bengal), Sushil Kumar Modi (Bihar), Haseeb Drabu (Jammu and Kashmir), and Thomas Isaac (Kerala) - who were at the centre of GST roll-out, are expected to address a session, too.

Even before Modi decided to mingle with India Inc, BJP president Amit Shah had made a beginning.

In September, Shah turned the partys attention to the business community by engaging with the national executive of Ficci.

Shah had then asked the association to reinvent itself in a new economy, while asking industry to invest.

Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
The expansion into smaller towns is coming at a time when the online retail space has not only seen consolidation but is actually looking to collaborate with physical stores. Abhineet Kumar reports.

In the September quarter, Kishore Biyani-led Future Retail opened its hypermarket Big Bazaar at Hajipur in Bihar, Puri in Odisha, and Raigarh in Chhattisgarh, taking the presence of its flagship stores to 130 cities across 26 states.

Big Bazaar has also signed up properties for new stores in the remaining three states -- Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.

A clear sign organised retailers are not only reaching tier-II and tier-III towns but beyond is that Biyani has announced plans to have 10,000 small-format neighbourhood stores across the nation in the next five years, up from 700 now.

In FY18 itself, he plans to take the number of small-format Easyday stores to 1,100.

"We will open stores within 2 km of every consuming Indian," Biyani said, unleashing his Retail 3.0 plans that aims to make the Future Group Asia's largest integrated consumer business, with $1 trillion in revenues, by 2047.

The retail giant also has a consumer and logistics business, which not only supports its retail empire, but also caters to outside businesses.

Biyani isn't the only one who is penetrating deeper into India.

According to real estate consultant JLL India, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Digital has established its presence in more than 100 cities and plans to expand further.

Swedish fashion retailer H&M is planning to expand its presence in cities, including Coimbatore, Indore and Amritsar.

Tata group-owned Trent's value fashion brand Zudio has launched stores in tier-II and -III cities.

Walmart is planning a fulfilment centre (cash and carry with focus on fast-moving consumer goods and staples) in Lucknow.

Online eyewear retailer Lenskart has raised capital to enhance its supply chain and expand the reach of its products across tier-II and -III cities.

And, Amazon India has opened fulfilment centres in cities, including Coimbatore and Jaipur.

"Retailers are looking actively beyond these metro cities to explore the opportunity offered by a large consumer base hungry for experiential retail," said JLL in its report with CII on emerging retail destinations.

"What adds to the attraction of these smaller cities, which are future centres of retail growth in the country, is availability of land at cheaper prices, lower rentals, new high street formats and a younger generation of retailers now willing to experiment with new leasing formats," said the report.

The expansion into smaller towns is coming at a time when the online retail space has not only seen consolidation but is actually looking to collaborate with physical stores.

Amazon India has collaborated with the K Raheja Group-owned Shoppers Stop, and Flipkart, too, is exploring such an opportunity.

Future Retail's expansion plans are also dependent on leveraging digital technology with Google and Facebook, besides online retailing plans.

"As the dust for e-commerce is settling, physical retailers are getting aggressive on their expansion plan to convert unorganised into organised in tier-II and -III cities," said Nitin Gupta, transactions partner at EY.

"For these towns, large-format stores are not sustainable, that is why there is rapid expansion for mid- and small-format stores. These stores are also coming up in tier-I towns as retailers optimise formats for each cluster considering high rentals," he said.

Photograph: Arihant Daga/Unsplash.
If something stands out in the one year since Jayalalithaas passing, it would be her famed leadership qualities and her ability to reach out to the party and the people above the second line, and also the state administration, to the exclusion of all the rest.

Only Indira Gandhi had achieved it all in her time, and no other leader, possibly excepting Prime Modi Modi, could hold a candle to that, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Image: Preparations in full swing at the memorial of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on the Marina in Chennai for her first death anniversary, which will be observed across Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/PTI Photo.

Jayalalithaa Jayaram has been dead for one full year. As events and developments of the past year have shown, the memories of Amma have become as faded and jaded as she was controversial when around and in control.

It is sad but true that Jaya led a party not designed to have a commanding second-line since inception with the result the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has been left both clueless and rudderless to levels that the succession battle now is etched in the institutional inadequacies that she had nurtured in her time.

Before Jayalalithaa, political mentor and party founder M G Ramachandran, even while encouraging her to a leadership role, was always afraid of her as much as he might have adored her grit, determination and charisma at a very personal level.

Whatever lessons that Jayalalithaa had learnt from MGR when alive and after death, she came to enforce in the party, more so after her historic and uncomplicated election as chief minister in the 1991 elections held under the shadow of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.

With a difference, however, when compared to MGR. Both exuded charisma, but Jayas greater grit found full and easy flow in the circumstances attending on her election as chief minister.

She misread DMKs full rout in 1991 and committed unmitigated mistakes, compounded by unmasked arrogance and an equal amount of ignorance masquerading as political intelligence of the highest order.

In the party affairs, however, she successfully and successively sidelined all second-line leaders from the MGR era and more, with the result that her over-dependence on the over-ambitious family members of her equally determined and even more cunning live-in aide, V K Sasikala Natarajan, became complete even by the time the party and Jaya lost elections 1996 so very completely.

The rest, as they say, is recent history.

Today, the AIADMK is a house still divided, despite the initiatives of the ruling BJP at the Centre to divide the second line first, and re-unite them later, and the Election Commission too sending the competing Sasikala leadership and group to the dog house, at least for now.

The weaker the camp under jailed Sasikala and identified outside with her nephew and deputy T T V Dinakaran becomes, greater are the chances of the inherent strains in the ruling EPS-OPS faction, going by the official name and symbol of the AIADMK, coming out in the open.

The dice, however, is loaded in favour of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who has proved to be more astute in handling the BJP-ruled Centre on the one hand and neutralising the OPS group within, leaving the likes of EC to deal with the Sasi-Dinakaran camp, again for now at the very least.

Palaniswami, or EPS as he is known, does not exude the MGR-Jaya kind of charisma, but from closer observation of the latter and possibly Sasikala, too, he has acquired their combined trait for bossism within the party and possibly within the government even while wearing a picture of eternal innocence all over the face and body for the rest of the world to see -- and hopefully believe.

It is not without reason, either.

The way Jaya had reduced Tamil Nadus most popular political party of all times to the levels of her kitchen cabinet comprising almost exclusively of the Sasikala family until one stage, things could not have been anything better.

If, however, the AIADMK still remains a political entity worthy of discussion, it owes to two other factors -- both external.

One, closer to Jayas death, the rival DMKs supremo Muthuvel Karunanidhi too fell irrecoverably bed-ridden owing mainly to old age problems.

Two, in the BJP, the AIADMK as a party may have found a saviour in the end, though in between there can be no denying the ruling party at the Centre was stirring the confused AIADMK.

But for the BJPs perceived and perceptible interest and intervention, whichever way one looked at it, the AIADMK cadres can thank Prime Minister Modi and BJP boss Amit Shah, for the post-Jaya party still retaining some shape to remember her on her first death anniversary.

Like the proverbial acts of god, these two separate developments have kept the AIADMK going, till today.

Yet, there is no ignoring the BJPs continual and continuing schemes for the AIADMK.

Nor can one deny the relatively better popularity of DMKs M K Stalin when it came to a leader who could make a difference to the states fate and future, if there is anyone around.

But, then, the temptation for Stalin to err is as much as obsession to win and opportunity to succeed.

For now, the Madras high court has ruled that pending the findings of the Justice Arumugasami commission of inquiry into Jayas death, the official date of her death remains unaltered, and the state government could observe her death anniversary on December 5.

Both identifiable though not abrasive factions within the official AIADMK, and also the rival Sasi-Dinakaran group, could be expected to observe Jayas first anniversary with relative pomp than that the occasion might otherwise demand.

But, then, every time Sasikalas name or that of Dinakaran or any of their kin appears in the news in relation to the affairs of the AIADMK, or relating to all the pending court cases and possible tax raids in the future, the thought of their owing and owing it all only because Jayalalithaa wanted it that way -- rather than not being able to prevent it all from happening -- could not escape such fading memories about her own self and her legacy.

And every time the EPS-OPS led party and their affairs come into focus, including reports about past tax raids and future possibilities, be it fiscal or political, similar thoughts about Jayas contribution to the same, and their continual sidelining by her even before elections 2016, only months before her long hospitalisation and ultimate death too, cannot but come back to ones mind.

If above all this, something stands out, it would be Jayas famed leadership qualities and her abilities to reach out to the party and the people above the second line, and also the state administration whenever in power, to the exclusion of all the rest, jointly and severally.

Only Indira Gandhi had achieved it all in her time, and no other leader, possibly excepting PM Modi, could hold a candle to that.

Today, when someone recalls Indira Gandhis legacy, no one mentions the Bangladesh war victory or Pokhran I, but only about the Emergency and Sanjay Gandhis parallel administration, both of which have put all Congressmen on the defensive all the time, since.

From today on, likewise, whenever and wherever Jayas legacy becomes a discussion point, it could become debatable, too. Rather than her grit and determination, her electoral charisma and proven administrative prowess, only her dictatorial tendencies and her insatiable need to lean only on the kind of worthies that she has left behind, would come back to mind -- for now and possibly ever.

N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and political analyst, is director, Observer Research Foundation, Chennai chapter.
India on Tuesday successfully test-fired Akash its supersonic surface-to-air missile with indigenous radio frequency seeker from a test range in Odisha, officials said.

The state-of-the-art indigenous missile targeting an UAV Banshee, was fired from the launch complex-III of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near Balasore on Tuesday afternoon.

The radars, telemetry and electro-optical systems along the coast have tracked and monitored all the health parameters of the missile, an official statement said.

The supersonic missile is the first surface-to-air missile with indigenous seeker to be test fired and is being inducted into the army as short range surface to air missile.

With the successful test firing, India has achieved the capability of making any type of surface to air missile, defence sources said.

Akash has a strike range of about 25 km and carries a 55-kg fragmentation warhead that is triggered by proximity fuse.

It is an all-weather area air defence weapon system for defending vulnerable areas against medium range air targets penetrating from low, medium and high altitudes.

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Akash missile system has the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles as well as ballistic missiles.

The system is designed to neutralise multiple aerial targets attacking from several directions simultaneously. The system is autonomous and its operation is fully automated. There is flexibility in deployment, they said.

It uses state-of-the-art integral ram jet rocket propulsion system and the onboard digital autopilot ensures stability and control. Electro-pneumatic servo actuation system controls cruciform wings for agile response and thermal batteries provide onboard power supply.

The radio proximity fuse has advanced signal processing features. Together with the pre-fragmented warhead and safety arming mechanism, a high kill probability of manoeuvring targets is assured.

The launch operations were witnessed by Director General (Missiles) of DRDO and Scientific Adviser to the defence minister G Satheesh Reddy and other senior officials of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

Reddy congratulated all the DRDO scientists and the armed forces for the successful test firing of Akash, the statement said.
IMAGE: Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam pays his tributes to 'Amma' at her mausoleum in Chennai. Photograph: @OfficeOfOPS/Twitter

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's late supremo J Jayalalithaa was on Tuesday remembered on her first death anniversary with party veterans K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam leading workers in paying tributes to 'Amma' at her mausoleum in Chennai.

Clad in black shirts, AIADMK coordinator Pannneerselvam and co-coordinator Palaniswami led a silent march of party functionaries including ministers, MPs and MLAs from Anna Salai to late Jayalalithaa's burial site at Marina beach, and paid floral tributes at the bedecked mausoleum.

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami and his deputy Panneerselvam, placed a wreath at the memorial, where Jayalalithaa was laid to rest in December 2016.

The two senior leaders stood with folded hands for sometime and then bowed down to pay their respects.

IMAGE: Clad in black shirts, O Pannneerselvam and Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami at the Jaya Memorial at Marina beach. Photograph: @OfficeOfOPS/Twitter

Chants by supporters hailing Jayalalithaa filled the air even as some functionaries were seen getting emotional.

AIADMK functionaries led by the two veterans also paid tributes at the memorial of party founder, the late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran.

Later, the party workers led by Panneerselvam took an oath to mark the day.

In the oath read out by Panneerselvam and repeated by others including Palaniswami, the AIADMK workers vowed to ensure that the 'golden rule' of 'Amma' continued by their hardwork.

Jayalalithaa is fondly addressed by her supporters as Amma, meaning mother in Tamil.

They recalled the "relentless hardwork of Amma" in making AIADMK a successful people's movement and each one of them vowed to be a true party worker walking in the footsteps of the late leader to ensure the party's growth.

They also recollected Jayalalithaa's popular statement of "makkalukkaga naan, makkalukkagave naan" (I am for the people, I am because of people), and vowed to continue working in that direction.

Panneerselvam started reading the oath by describing Jayalalithaa as AIADMK's "permanent General Secretary," a refrain often used by the party leaders when she was in charge of its affairs.

IMAGE: Party workers take an oath to mark the death anniversary of their beloved leader. Photograph: @OfficeOfOPS/Twitter

The unified AIADMK, formed following the merger of then factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam in August this year, has since done away with the powerful General Secretary post, making Panneerselvam the coordinator and Palaniswami co-coordinator.

The partymen on Tuesday also vowed to "protect" AIADMK and strive to work towards its future successes.

Later, they observed a two-minute silence in respect of the late leader.

Jayalalithaa's mausoleum saw a steady stream of visitors today, with scores of public paying tearful tributes to the late Chief Minister on her first death anniversary.

Jaya Plus, a news channel part of the Jaya TV network managed by the family of deposed and jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, ran shows on Jayalalithaa's various pro-people initiatives as chief minister of the state.

A popular leader, Jayalalithaa breathed her last on December 5, 2016.

She was admitted to a corporate hospital in Chennai on September 22 with complaints of fever and dehydration and underwent medical treatment for about 75 days before her demise.

IMAGE: AIADMK members pay tributes to former chief minister J Jayalalithaa on her first death anniversary in Coimbatore. Photograph: PTI Photo

Her death later triggered a split in the party in February this year when Panneerselvam, then Chief Minister, revolted against Sasikala, now serving a jail term in connection with an assets case in Bengaluru, alleging he was forced to make way for her to the state's top post.

Palaniswami was subsequently made chief minister but he later revolted against then deputy chief of the party, TTV Dinakaran, with a section of ministers led by the former sidelining him.

The factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam later merged on August 22.

A party general council in September sacked Sasikala as its chief.

In a major boost, the unified AIADMK was recently awarded the party's popular 'Two Leaves' symbol also.

In Puducherry, AIADMK workers, including a good chunk of women took out a procession from near the statue of Annadurai to the beach road there to pay homage at the portrait of Jayalalithaa on the occasion.
The Congress scion will step into his mother Sonia Gandhis shoes as the party president next week.

IMAGE: Rahul Gandhi is the sixth from the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty to become Congress president, continuing a chain beginning with Motilal Nehru. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

In January 2013, Rahul Gandhi was named Congress vice president when his mother told him the night before that power is like poison.

Five years after that emotional acceptance speech in Jaipur, Rahul Gandhi is ready to pick up that poison chalice. With no other claimants to the post, he will step into his mother Sonia Gandhis shoes as Congress president next week.

Shehzada, princeling and Pappu, the Gandhi scion, who saw his grandmother and father being assassinated, has been called many a derogatory name through the years as he appeared to shy away from the responsibility of leading the Congress.

The young bespectacled boy who clung to his father Rajiv Gandhis waist as his grandmother Indira Gandhis body was consigned to flames is now 47.

There has been no getting away from the spotlight since for the man poised to take over as president of the party, the sixth from the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty to do so, continuing a chain beginning with Motilal Nehru.

The easy elevation is unsurprising, given the tacit understanding within the party that the mantle must pass from Gandhi to Gandhi.

Politics may or may not have been his calling but it was certainly in his blood. So, as he moved from a home education to Delhi Universitys St Stephens College and then to Harvard and Rollins College in Florida and Trinity College, Cambridge, the final goal was always clear.

He also joined the Monitor Group, a consulting group in London, where he worked for three years. But it had to be back home, to a political role carved out for him, after that.

Often dismissed for practising the politics of fits and starts, Rahul Gandhi became an MP in 2004 when he won the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

He has taken a surprisingly long time to learn the ropes, coming across as earnest and well meaning but also uncertain and disinterested.

He took up emotive issues like the agrarian crisis in Vidarbha, did the unusual by staying the night at a Dalit home in Uttar Pradesh with then British foreign secretary David Milliband, but squandered much of the goodwill by seeming to lose interest and disappearing from view.

In 2015, for instance, he took a 56-day sabbatical. And there are also two annual sojourns timed around his June birthday and New Years Eve.

He may no longer have that luxury.

His first litmus test is only days away with elections in Gujarat on December 9 and 14. The results for both the polls in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will be out on December 18.

IMAGE: Armed with a refurbished social media team mostly managed by his hand-picked people, Rahul is trying to shed his reticence and appear more accessible. Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters

Top Congress leaders say Rahul Gandhis leadership of the party would be established if he delivers a victory in Gujarat or at least substantially improves the Congress tally.

Gandhis past electoral record has not been too good. Since he became Congress vice president in 2013, the party has lost power in state after state and is left with only Punjab, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

But Rahul Gandhi looks more confident than he has for a while, having worked on his image and outreach.

Armed with a refurbished social media team mostly managed by his hand-picked people, he is trying to shed his reticence and appear more accessible.

Hes now more relaxed and confident, targets Modi regularly with snappy one liners (Gabbar Singh Tax, for instance), takes selfies with people and has improved his

Twitter following to 4.71 million.

In a dose perhaps of some realpolitik, Rahul Gandhi is also openly declaring his Hindu credentials.

I am a Lord Shiva worshipper, he said recently to counter the Bharatiya Janata Partys efforts to win the Hindu vote.

He has been visiting temples routinely -- and does not necessarily visit mosques at the same time.

In doing so, he seems to be correcting the Congresss pro-minority image.

IMAGE: Rahul Gandhi accompanied by his mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Vadra file his nomination papers back in 2004 when he made his political debut. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters

Rahul Gandhi has also been speaking out on his life outside the spotlight.

I believe in destiny, he said when asked why he is not getting married.

He recently also revealed that he is a black belt in the Japanese martial art form Aikido.

It may have made a difference.

Of late, the BJP seems to be taking Rahul Gandhi more seriously, often fielding a host of ministers to counter the Congress charge against demonetisation and GST.

Congress leaders say he has come of age and cite his address at the University of California, Berkley, where he boldly took questions, even on dynastic politics.

There was the Rahul Gandhi who walked into the Press Club of India and tore off an ordinance by the then Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government headed by Manmohan Singh to overturn an apex court order barring convicted MPs from contesting elections.

And then there is this one readying to be president of the grand old party. Maybe not so impetuous or naive, but reasoned and rational.

The normally taciturn Manmohan Singh on Monday called Rahul Gandhi the darling of the Congress after he filed his nomination.

It is now up to Rahul Gandhi to prove he is indeed one.
We all know that elephants are very useful animals. They are used to transport people, they are often poached for their tusks  made of precious ivory.

However, in Assam, the police took the unusual route of using elephants to evict hundreds of people living illegally in a protected forest area in the countrys remote north-east.

Elephants were called in to the 30-square-mile Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary to tear down almost 100 houses, which have been constructed illegally. According to a 2014 forestry department survey, about 6,000 people built homes inside the wildlife sanctuary at 24 locations. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters

Local people hurled rocks at police who used bulldozers and the elephants in a show of force in Amchang wildlife sanctuary in Assam. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters

Increased encroachment on elephant habitat has been driving growing numbers of human-elephant encounters, which often end badly for the wild animals. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters

This is not the first time that authorities have used elephants for demolition. Authorities used elephants in 2016, when they removed 300 encroaching houses from the Kaziranga National Park rhino sanctuary. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters

However, some environmentalists oppose the use of the animals to demolish structures, arguing it runs counter to their natural instincts and can cause them serious injury. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters

Women cry after police demolished their huts which forest officials claimed were illegally built at the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary. Those living inside the sanctuaries argue they should be given alternative houses before their existing homes are demolished. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters
Congressmen are watching carefully how Rahul positions himself and manages the grand old party, reports Aditi Phadnis.

With no other challenger in sight and Shehzad Poonawala, the Congressman who was thought to represent some unidentified interest withdrawing the gauntlet, there is hardly any doubt that on December 11 or 12 Rahul Gandhi will become the new president of the Congress.

There are anxieties, fears and hopes.

What role will Sonia Gandhi play now? asked a former chief minister.

For many, the end of one era and the beginning of another would not be the smooth transition they were hoping for.

Congress units in several states -- Karnataka, for instance -- set great store by Sonia who listened to our voice with patience and understanding. Here, Rahul is a relatively unknown entity. If the Congress loses Karnataka, where elections are due next year, it would have lost the only major state where it is in power, other than Punjab.

If the outgoing Congress president represents one pole of power in the party, another is represented by Priyanka Vadra.

Congressmen said a difference of opinion between the brother and sister was clear during the Uttar Pradesh elections and the line on the Samajwadi Party.

While Priyanka initially disapproved of the alliance that forced her to share the platform with the likes of Jaya Bachchan, it was Rahul who was talked into it, some say, quite easily.

Priyanka then confined herself to her traditional role of campaigning only in the family constituencies of Amethi and Rae Bareli.

But even she knows she has to secure (her son) Rehans future, said a Congressman.

As president, Rahul is already placing his team in place, but without pain to the old guard.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ashok Gehlot and Meira Kumar are expected to play a senior advisory role.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and former finance minister P Chidambaram are also expected to be advisors.

Top Congress sources said the public faces -- the general secretaries -- were likely to be newer and younger: Milind Deora (ex-MP, Mumbai), Meenakshi Natarajan (ex-MP, Mandsaur), Jitendra Singh (Alwar).

Others who would be a key part of Team Rahul include Sushmita Dev (making the feisty MP the Mahila Congress chief helped revive the staid frontal organisation), Randeep Surjewala, Ajay Maken, Madhusudan Mistry, Manish Tewari, K Raju and R P N Singh.

Actress Ramya, who is now in-charge of the partys social media cell, is also thought to have made a significant difference.

But the key would be the recasting of the Congress Working Committee, the partys main ideological core, which has elected and nominated members.

This body would formulate the party line. This is the delicate balance.

If the CWC becomes more powerful than the party president, it could lead to a rebellion. If the party president overrules the CWC, the Congress would revert to being a person-oriented party. There is no indication yet what the composition of the CWC is going to be.

As vice-president, Rahul has indicated that he is buddies with his counterparts in other friendly parties.

He tweeted that he and Tejaswi Yadav had lunch at Delhis Khan Market. He is in close touch with the Trinamool Congress, and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference has offered heartfelt congratulations at his elevation.

But it is clear that the path of the Congresss revival is going to be through cooperation with regional parties. How Gandhi manages the relationship with other parties could be a test of his mettle as president.

Gandhi will also have to tread carefully around leaders like Amarinder Singh, chief minister of Punjab.

The line of succession to Singh is not clear -- Navjot Sidhu, the new entrant to the Congress, is as visible as Manpreet Badal, estranged member of the Badal family.

Congressmen are watching carefully how Rahul positions himself and whom he has around him.

But one thing is clear to them: An era is over and another is beginning.

IMAGE: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by senior party leaders, arrives at the AICC office in New Delhi on Monday to file his nomination papers for the post of party president on Monday, December 4. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo
A defiant Bharatiya Janata Party veteran leader Yashwant Sinha, who was detained in Akola on Monday while leading a protest by farmers, vowed not to move out of the place where he spent the night till demands of cultivators of Maharashtras Vidarbha region are accepted.

The former Union minister, who has had frequent run-inswith the current BJP leadership, was detained on Monday evening while protesting against the state governments apathy towards the farmers of Vidarbha. He was taken to the district police headquarters and later released.

However, the 80-year-old leader refused to leave and sat on a dharna at the police ground, where he spent the night. He said he will not budge from the venue till all demands raised by farmers are met.

The district administration held talks with us till late last night but didnt accept our demands. We wont budge from this venue till demands of farmers are met, Sinha told reporters.

The former Union finance minister said the government does not appear serious about solving problems being faced by agriculturists.

I feel the attitude of the administration and the government towards farmers woes isnt serious. We are not a thing to be ridiculed, to be made fun of.

Sinha said he spoke to several local and national leaders about issues related to cultivators.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackerays media advisor Harshal Pradhan said that Thackeray and Sinha spoke on the phone on Tuesday and discussed farmers issues.

Sinha said there has been no communication with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over half-a-dozen demands of farmers.

There were reports that Sinha had a telephonic conversation with Nationalist Congress Party chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

The district administration, however, claimed a majority of the demands raised by farmers have been accepted.

Akola Collector Astik Pandey said the authorities concerned have accepted six of the seven demands and requested the agitators to call off the protest.

The demands include compensation to cotton farmers for losses incurred due to pink bollworm infestation, action against companies manufacturing bogus biotechnologically modified seeds and 100 per cent payout for crop losses to moong, udid and soyabean farmers. They are also demanding that bank officials and administration execute loan waivers by personally visiting gram panchayats.

The other demands are uninterrupted power supply to agricultural pump sets, removal of unjust conditions from the gold mortgage waiver scheme of the government for farmers, and purchase of all farm produce at MSP by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India.

Except for the last one (related to MSP), which is a call to be taken by the Central government, we have accepted all six demands and have requested the protesters led by Sinha to call off their stir, Pandey said.

Sinha said the excuse about NAFED purchase is not valid as the BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have been procuring farm produce through their own systems.

Why cant the Maharashtra government (led by the BJP) then do it? the bureaucrat-turned-politician asked.

Sinha, who arrived in Vidarbha three days ago to participate in the Kapus Soyabean Dhan (cotton, soyabean, paddy) Parishad, was detained, along with farmers, by police near the collectorate.

Officials said after the detention of Sinha and 150-odd farmers on Monday, they were told around 9:30 pm that they were free and can go.

Since they decided to stay put, they were provided food, water, blankets and toilet facilities at the protest venue, Akola SP M Rajesh Kalasagar said.

Addressing farmers at Kapus Soyabean Dhan Parishad organised by Shetkari Jagar Manch on Sunday, Sinha had accused the BJP of reneging on promises made to farmers.

Before coming to power, the BJP had promised to give 50 per cent over and above the minimum support price (MSP). But after coming to power, the party forgot the promise.

Just as Indian soldiers carried out surgical strikes across border, farmers will also carry out a surgical strike against the government to get justice, Sinha had said.
Kamala Harris -- California's Indian-American Senator -- has topped Foreign Policy magazine's 2017 list of '50 Leading Global Thinkers'.

'They are the doers who defined 2017,' Foreign Policy said.

Harris topped the list for giving the Democratic Party hope in the era of President Donald Trump, the magazine explained.

Kamala Harris could well be US President in 2020.

These badass moments show us why.

Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

'Is Kamala Harris now the 2020 election favourite to take on Trump?'

'Kamala Harris is starting to make the right moves for 2020'

'Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand will lead Democrats to 2020 victory'

'How California could jolt the 2020 presidential race'

These are just a glimpse of the headlines that have popped up across publications like Politico, Newsweek, Huffington Post and The Hill in recent months.

Kamala Harris is the first Indian-American Senator in the United States -- and only the second black woman elected to the US Senate.

For the Democrats, she ticks a lot of boxes for the big race in 2020.

Even the electoral timing in her home state seems to be moving in her favour.

A few weeks ago, California lawmakers sent a bill to Governor Jerry Brown moving up the state's 2020 primaries by three months to March.

Noting Harris's rising stature 'thanks to her high-profile opposition to the White House during Congressional hearings,' Newsweek noted that the vote to change the primary dates gave Harris 'another boost in a presumptive bid for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 election.'

Moving California's primary to the beginning of March, 'right after Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina on the calendar,' CNN explained, puts 'California's contest on Super Tuesday -- turning the date into a massive delegate haul that could effectively seal the Democratic presidential nomination.'

'Harris,' Newsweek added, 'as the most recognizable current probable nominee from California, may stand to benefit most.'

As the buzz around 'Kamala for 2020' grows, we look back at five times she was the kind of badass the world now needs.

Photograph: Kimberly White/Getty Images

When she was California's 'top cop'

In 2010 Kamala Harris became the first woman, the first Indian-American and the first African-American to become California's attorney general, the top law enforcement office of America's most populous state.

Photograph: Jana Asenbrennerova/Reuters

When she fought for marriage equality. And won.

As California's attorney general, Harris (pictured above at the San Francisco Pride Parade) refused to enforce Proposition 8, a voter-passed initiative that banned same-sex marriage in her state.

'I declined to defend Proposition 8 because it violates the Constitution,' Harris said when the Prop 8 case came before the Supreme Court of the United States in 2013.

'The time has come for this right to be afforded to every citizen.'

In 2015, Harris even called out Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia who was against the ruling legalising same-sex marriages, for singling out her state as an outlier.

'Justice Scalia has caused many people to question the dignity of the court when he makes statements such as the statements he's made in connection with this case,' she said.

Photograph: Aaron P Bernstein/Getty Images

When she became a US Senator

No stranger to breaking barriers, she became the first Indian American elected to the US Senate and only the second black woman to do so -- with a landslide victory.

She told CQ Roll Call, 'My mother had a saying: "You may be the first to do many things, make sure you aren't the last." We need to work to ensure the leaders reflect the people they are supposed to represent, and until we achieve that full representation, I think we should understand we are falling short of the ideals of this country.'

When #ShePersisted

In June, two white male Senators manterrupted Harris to prevent her from finishing her questions to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which impacts the ongoing investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

The Cut noted that Harris is the only woman of colour on the committee and no other Senator was similarly interrupted or chastised.

It reminded the world of the #ShePersisted campaign that spontaneously unfolded earlier this year after another female US Senator was interrupted by a male colleague who said, 'She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.'

The exchange led to a viral video of her stare down and a letter from her team titled, 'They told me to be courteous'

'I will not be silenced,' she wrote. 'We will not be silenced... Not when the faith and integrity of our democracy is at stake.'

Video: Courtesy C-Span

When she made the US attorney general 'nervous'

Harris's tough prosecutorial background was once again evident in her questioning of US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on June 13 at the Senate hearing on Russia and the Trump campaign.

When Sessions kept trying to stall and draw out his responses in the time-bound questioning and Harris would not let up the pressure, he finally said, 'I'm not able to be rushed this fast. It makes me nervous.'

She was once again interrupted -- the second manterruption in a week -- for her tough questioning, enraging many people.

Harris, the SF Gate wrote, is 'a fast-rising star increasingly adept at taking on, with a sly grin and without so much as a flinch, the old white male loutishness of Trump's toxic regime. And it's something to behold.'

Amid calls for Harris to run for President -- remember Obama was a one term US Senator when he ran for President and won -- SF Gate added, 'As a young, whip-smart, mixed-race female from the most populous, progressive and economically powerful state in the union, Kamala is nothing short of Trump's worst nightmare.'
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Turkey: Academics on Trial for Signing Petition

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 5 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Turkey: Academics on Trial for Signing Petition, 5 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2651ef4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The decision to prosecute scores of academics for signing a January 2016 petition criticizing the Turkish government's actions in southeastern Turkey seriously violates the right to free speech and academic freedom, Human Rights Watch said today. The charges are also a misuse of terrorism laws.

The trials of academics start on December 5, 2017, and will continue over the following months. At least 146 academics from public and private universities in Istanbul will face individual and separate trial hearings for "spreading terrorist propaganda" on behalf of the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). New cases are expected to be opened against signatories of the petition.

"Nearly two years after signing a petition that calls for peace, academics are now standing trial for spreading terrorist propaganda." said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "There is nothing in the petition to justify such an absurd charge and putting the academics on trial shows the Turkish government's eagerness to set the criminal justice system against those who disagree with it."

The identical accusations against each academic are outlined in a 17-page indictment, but each proceeding is to be separate and the prosecutor has not opted to indict all the academics in one process. The indictment claims that in signing the petition the academics were responding to a December 2015 call reported in Kurdish media by a senior commander from the PKK calling on "democrats and intellectuals" to support self-governance. There is no evidence of a link between the petition and an order from the armed group. The hearings for the academics are scheduled in some cases at 10 or 15-minute intervals in at least seven heavy penal courts.

The petition, initially signed by 1,128 academics calling themselves Academics for Peace and then by more than 1,000 more, declared "We will not be party to this crime." The petition condemned the Turkish government's security operations against the PKK youth movement in cities of southeast Turkey because of the disastrous impact of the operations on the Kurdish civilian population. The petition, made public at an Istanbul news conference on January 11, 2016, also called for a resumption of peace talks with the PKK.

In response, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly criticized the academics in at least five speeches - terming them vile, equal to terrorists, base, and dark - and demanding sanctions against them.

Four of the signatories were detained and prosecuted in 2016 after they held a second news conference. An Istanbul court sent the four to pretrial detention on March 15, 2016, pending the completion of a criminal investigation. They were charged with spreading terrorist propaganda, which carries a sentence of between one and five years. The Istanbul court released them at their first hearing on April 22, 2016, and said it would seek permission from the justice minister to try the four for "insulting state institutions" (Turkish Penal Code article 301) and postponed the case.

In mid-August 2017, the justice minister permitted the prosecution to continue under article 301, for which the penalty is six months to two years in prison. The fact that the four now face charges not of "spreading terrorist propaganda" but of "insulting state institutions" calls into the question the basis of the trials on terrorism charges that begin on December 5.

To date 380 academics who signed the declaration have been dismissed from their universities and barred from public service by state of emergency decrees, and another 83 have been dismissed without being barred.

"Academic freedom in Turkey is hanging by a thread," Williamson said. "Academics should be free to teach and research without facing trumped up charges or dismissal for their peaceful expression."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Mauritania: New 'Apostasy' Draft Law

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 5 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Mauritania: New 'Apostasy' Draft Law, 5 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a26526d4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Mauritanian deputies should reject a new draft law that would make the death penalty mandatory for the crime of "insulting" or "mocking" God, the Quran, or the Prophet Muhammad, Human Rights Watch said today.

On November 16, 2017, President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's cabinet approved the draft legislation, which would eliminate the possibility under the current law of substituting a prison term for the death penalty if the offender promptly repents.

"Instead of decriminalizing apostasy, as the international treaties they signed would warrant, Mauritanian authorities are hurtling in the opposite direction, closing off alternatives to execution," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

The cabinet's move came a week after an appeals court sentenced Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir, a blogger convicted of apostasy, to a prison term. The court accepted his repentance as a basis for voiding the death penalty that another court had imposed on him for posting an article denouncing the use of religion to justify discrimination in Mauritania. The case attracted international attention, with some leading Islamists figures and political parties in Mauritania calling for the blogger's execution.

Mauritania's current penal code, in article 306, imposes the death penalty for apostasy but allows for a lighter penalty if the defendant repents.

If the National Assembly passes the draft law, the death penalty will be mandatory, without the possibility of reducing the punishment, for any Muslim who mocks or insults God, the Quran, Muhammad, the angels, or prophets. It would still allow people to escape the death penalty for renouncing the Islamic faith or professing belief in it while secretly disbelieving, provided that the offender repented under specified conditions.

The timing of the introduction of this draft law is clearly related to the verdict handed down in the blogger's appeals hearing, Human Rights Watch said. A lower court sentenced Mkhaitir to death for apostasy in December 2014 for his article, in which he criticized fellow Mauritanians for citing incidents from the life of the Prophet Muhammad to legitimize caste discrimination in Mauritania. Mkhaitir belongs to the so-called "forgerons," which is viewed as a lower caste. An appeals court upheld the death sentence.

But on January 31, 2017, the Supreme Court sent the case back for a new trial. On November 8, 2017, the Court of Appeals in Nouadhibou reduced Mkhaitir's punishment to two years of prison and a fine. The prosecutor general immediately challenged the appeals court ruling before the Supreme Court.

The lowered sentence should have led to Mkhaitir's release, since he had been in preventive detention for nearly four years. But in the days since the ruling, one of the defense lawyers, Fatimata M'Baye, has been unable to locate her client. A presidential adviser reportedly stated that Mkhaitir had not been freed and would remain detained until the Supreme Court's review. His whereabouts are unknown.

Mauritania's new draft law on apostasy and the failure of authorities to immediately release and void charges against Mkhaitir for his peaceful expression violate international law guarantees protecting free speech, such as those enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Mauritania has been a party since 2004.

In its general comment number 34, the United Nations Human Rights Committee-the body of independent experts that monitors governments' compliance with the ICCPR-makes clear that "prohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the Covenant," unless they constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence.

Both UN and African human rights standards on the right to life encourage countries to move toward abolition of the death penalty and in countries that retain it, make clear that it should be limited to the most serious crimes and may be imposed only after a fair trial. The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights has stated that: "In those States which have not yet abolished the death penalty it is vital that it is used for only the most serious crimes - understood to be crimes involving intentional killing."

"Instead of introducing laws to toughen punishment for apostasy, Mauritania should be clarifying the legal status and whereabouts of Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir, who should never have spent a single day in prison for his writings," Whitson said.

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Yemen: Ali Abdullah Saleh Leaves Behind Grim Legacy

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 5 December 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Yemen: Ali Abdullah Saleh Leaves Behind Grim Legacy, 5 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2652ba4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The killing of former longtime Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, on December 4, 2017, underlines the need for governments to support the new United Nations expert panel to investigate abuses by all sides to Yemen's war, Human Rights Watch said today. Saleh, implicated in numerous abuses during his 33-year-long rule of Yemen and during the current conflict, was reportedly killed by Houthi forces while trying to leave the capital, Sanaa.

The Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen was created by the UN Human Rights Council in September to investigate and identify those responsible for abuses in Yemen's armed conflict. The United States, United Kingdom, and other UN member countries should press the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi armed group to cooperate with the UN inquiry.

"Saleh's death is a grim reminder of the consequences of granting immunity to those linked to grave abuses since countless Yemeni victims and their families should have been able to confront him in court for his alleged crimes," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The US, UK, and others should fully support the UN expert panel and pursue the justice Yemenis deserve."

Tensions between forces loyal to Saleh and the Houthis had been increasing over the past few months, with armed clashes breaking out on December 1 in Sanaa. On December 4, Houthi-affiliated media reported that Houthi forces had killed Saleh. Videos purportedly showing Houthi forces putting Saleh's body, with a head wound, into a truck circulated on social media. Close associates of Saleh later confirmed he had been killed that day. The circumstances of his death remain unclear.

During the recent fighting in Sanaa, dozens of people, including civilians, were killed, and hundreds wounded. Ambulances and medical teams were not able to reach the wounded and medical teams were reportedly attacked, according to the UN. An International Committee of the Red Cross medical warehouse was struck during fighting, the organization's regional director said on Twitter. Humanitarian agencies repeatedly called on all sides - including the coalition, which had reportedly carried out airstrikes against Houthi forces during the fighting - to allow civilians safe passage.

Civilians in Sanaa had already been suffering from a lack of essential supplies, like food, fuel, and medicine, following the coalition's decision to block the entry of goods through ports under Houthi control on November 6.

Saleh leaves a deeply troubling legacy. Although officially deposed from power during the Arab Uprisings in 2012, Saleh stayed in Yemen and acted as a political spoiler throughout the country's aborted transitional process. In September 2014, the Houthi armed group took over Sanaa. Despite having waged a six-year, intermittent civil war against the Houthis in the north, Saleh aligned himself with the rebel group in the fight against President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Saudi-led coalition.

The allied Houthi-Saleh forces committed numerous violations of the laws of war, some most likely war crimes. Human Rights Watch documented that Houthi-Saleh forces laid antipersonnel landmines throughout the country and killed and wounded civilians and prevented their return home. The Houthi-Saleh forces indiscriminately shelled densely populated areas like the cities of Taizz and Aden, forcibly disappeared and abused scores of individuals in areas under their control and blocked and impeded the distribution of aid.

Saleh left office in February 2012 under a flawed transfer pact brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council and backed in most aspects by the UN Security Council, the US, and European Union member countries. The accord promised Saleh immunity in exchange for leaving office. Yemen's parliament fulfilled the promise, passing a law granting blanket immunity from prosecution to Saleh and his aides for any action during his 33-year rule.

Shortly before Saleh left office, Human Rights Watch confirmed the deaths of 270 protesters and bystanders during attacks by government security forces and gangs on largely peaceful demonstrations against his rule, most in Sanaa. Dozens more civilians were killed in 2011 in apparently indiscriminate attacks by government security forces on densely populated areas in Taizz during clashes with armed opposition fighters. Human Rights Watch also documented a broad pattern of international human rights and laws-of-war violations by government security forces while Saleh was in power, including apparent indiscriminate shelling in the 2004-2010 civil wars against the Houthis and the use of unnecessary and lethal force since 2007 to quash a separatist movement in the south.

On December 4, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights named Kamel Jendoubi, Charles Garraway, and Melissa Parke to the UN expert panel. In announcing the appointments, the high commissioner said: "For three years, the people of Yemen have been subjected to death, destruction and despair. It is essential that those who have inflicted such violations and abuses are held to account."

"It's critical for the panel to be able to do its job so that the thousands of Yemenis who have suffered can find a measure of redress," Whitson said. "Saleh's death adds one more incident to the UN expert panel's very long caseload."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe's legacy

Publisher Amnesty International Author Deprose Muchena Publication Date 4 December 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe's legacy, 4 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2654614.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Robert Mugabe's resignation as President of Zimbabwe brings the curtain down on a political career which saw early successes ultimately wiped out by a litany of human rights abuses.

President Mugabe started well in his early years as leader of Zimbabwe following the transition from British colonial rule. He oversaw heavy investment in Zimbabwe's social services. Areas including health and education saw dramatic improvements, with the country still enjoying one of the highest literacy rates in Africa. The results of this significant investment in education are there for everyone to see.

However, President Mugabe later undermined his own legacy.

During his 37 years in power, he presided over the brutal repression of political opponents, established a culture of impunity for himself and his cronies, and his government implemented a series of policies that have had disastrous consequences for his people.

A dangerous precedent

As a leader of the resistance to the white minority government of what was then known as Rhodesia, Mugabe began his political life fighting against injustice.

Imprisoned and later exiled for his political activities, he was one of more than 900 prisoners of conscience adopted in Zimbabwe by Amnesty International between 1965 and 1979.

Becoming Prime Minister following independence in 1980 on a wave of popular support, he called for reconciliation and portrayed himself as a champion of the "victims of imperialism." These sentiments proved to be short lived.

Within two years of assuming power, his ZANU government was responding to the activities of their rivals with increasing severity.

Political opponents, mainly supporters of Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe Africa People's Union (ZAPU) were routinely held in detention without trial. Allegations of deaths in detention as well as torture and other ill-treatment were widespread.

By the end of 1982, Amnesty International was receiving reports of human rights violations and abuses by state security agents in Matabeleland. Anyone suspected of sympathising with Mugabe's political opponents was targeted.

The military crackdown across Matabeleland and Midlands provinces that ensued in the following years was bloody and brutal. Known as Gukurahundi - a Shona word for "the early rains that washes the chaff before the spring rains" - it claimed the lives of more than 20,000 people.

With nobody held accountable for the killings, a dangerous precedent of impunity was set early on in Mugabe's reign. It was one he went on to exploit time and again.

Crackdown on political opposition

After assuming the elevated position of Executive President in 1987, Mugabe further cemented his power following the election of that year.

Throughout his presidency, general elections were characterised by spikes of serious human rights violations and abuses by state security agents and ZANU-PF activists. Opposition supporters suffered torture, harassment, intimidation and even death.

In 2008, the perceived aberration of Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) first round election victory was quickly changed, forcing Tsvangirai to withdraw from the runoff.

A wave of violence unleashed by the army against those suspected of voting MDC ensured that Mugabe won by a comfortable margin after the second round of votes were counted.

In all, more than 300 people were killed. Thousands more were injured or subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. Amnesty International's calls for the crimes to be investigated went unheeded.

Whenever Mugabe felt under pressure he defaulted to condoning human rights violations, publicly defending the actions of his officials and allowing a culture of impunity to thrive.

Such repression was not limited to elections.

An increasing reliance on security services to suppress dissenting voices both within and outside his party became a hallmark of Mugabe's rule.

Human rights defenders, journalists, those with dissenting views and opposition party activists were locked up on politically motivated charges or under draconian laws. Some were forcibly disappeared or tortured. Others were killed.

Roll back on economic, social and cultural rights

Much early progress made on economic, social and cultural rights was wiped out by a series of disastrous government policy decisions.

Carried out in 2005, Operation Murambatsvina - a Shona word for "drive out trash" - was one of the most devastating forced evictions in Zimbabwean history.

The United Nations estimated that 700,000 people had their homes or livelihoods, or both, destroyed. Those driven out were plunged deeper into poverty and continue to live without access to healthcare, education and other basic services.

Reforms aimed at redressing the unequal land distribution resulting from 90 years of colonial rule proved equally catastrophic.

Between 2000 and 2001, an estimated 70,000 black farm workers were assaulted by state sponsored militia and forced to abandon their homes. The programme also provided a pretext for violent targeting of farm workers and white farmers who had supported the opposition.

While land reform was clearly needed and resulted in some legitimate large-scale redistribution, it was also used as a system of patronage. It rewarded Mugabe's supporters with land while denying it to those considered supporters of opposition parties.

Escaping repression and a shrinking economy, three million Zimbabweans have left the country since 2000.

Sexual and reproductive rights denied

Mugabe's uncompromising opposition to LGBTI rights saw security forces carry out numerous raids and arrests targeting LGBTI activists, though none were convicted.

Across Zimbabwe, studies show that rates of adolescent pregnancy and HIV are increasing because of declining rates of knowledge related to sexual and reproductive health. Recent Amnesty International research highlighted that a lack of education, combined with cost barriers and stigma, are leaving young women and girls more vulnerable to unwanted pregnancy and maternal death.

Looking to the future

Mugabe's departure offers Zimbabwe an opportunity to make a break from its past.

"However the way forward for Zimbabwe lies in renouncing impunity, addressing the human rights violations of the past, ensuring reparations for the victims and respecting the rule of law. The next generation of leaders must commit to upholding the Constitution and live up to Zimbabwe's international and regional human rights obligations."

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Do the Numbers Lie? Mistrust and Military Lockdown after Honduras' Disputed Poll

Publisher International Crisis Group (ICG) Author Sofia Martinez Fernandez Publication Date 4 December 2017 Cite as International Crisis Group (ICG), Do the Numbers Lie? Mistrust and Military Lockdown after Honduras' Disputed Poll, 4 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2655ca4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

With massive protests, armed clashes and a government-declared state of emergency, Honduras is in social and political chaos after the 26 November general elections. In this Q&A, Crisis Group's Northern Triangle Analyst Sofia Martinez explains what has sparked the crisis and its potential effect on armed violence.

What is happening in Honduras?

Honduras has entered a political crisis that is turning increasingly violent following the disputed results of the 26 November general elections. In a climate of deep mistrust between the two contenders - President Juan Orlando Hernandez, from the conservative National Party, and Salvador Nasralla, left-wing opposition contender and TV personality - the final count concluded a week after the poll, with President Hernandez emerging victorious. However, initial results in the early hours of Monday 27 November, when over half the votes had been counted, showed the opposition on course for victory with Nasralla claiming a 5 per cent lead. After three further days of vote counting, interrupted by a five-hour outage of the computerised voting system, the Supreme Electoral Court announced that President Hernandez had taken the lead.

The sudden switch in the presidential race has elicited disbelief and fury in opposition circles. Nasralla's Alliance party, which insists the entire electoral process has been compromised, refused to participate as an observer in the count of the last remaining votes. The opposition is demanding a more extensive recount, and has until Wednesday to lodge formal complaints against the election.

Opposition anger has ignited across the country, leading to blocking of roads, running clashes in major cities between protesters and security forces throughout last week, as well as more peaceful displays of outrage, such as the large marches last Sunday and a cacerolazo (pot-banging protest). Incidents of looting and attacks on businesses during the protests suggest the political crisis has been affected by Honduras' exceptionally high levels of criminal violence. Its homicide rate, at 59 murders per 100,000 habitants each year, makes it one of the world's most lethal countries.

On Friday 30 November the government declared a state of emergency and a curfew in an effort to contain the unrest, which has claimed at least three lives according to local media. The army has been granted special permission to detain anyone suspected of insurrection.

Why have electoral authorities taken so long to process the results?

The president of the Supreme Electoral Court is a member of the ruling National Party and a close ally of President Hernandez, inviting public speculation as to the latter's influence over the drawn-out count. "Are we going to give them the power? In exchange for what?", said one of Hernandez's allies in a WhatsApp audio message sent to his supporters the day after the elections. The opposition's accusations are based on a series of circumstances that they consider to be evidence of fraud: the electoral institution took nine hours to provide the first official results; the swing in favour of President Hernandez started on Wednesday 29 after the electronic counting system stopped working; and there was a 20 per cent lower voter turnout in the country's northern regions as compared to various southern regions, President Hernandez's heartland.

Although the Supreme Electoral Court will itself need to prove that its handling of the poll has been clean, doubts over the probity of the electoral process reflect broader concerns as to the increasing power of the executive branch. Described by Tegucigalpa diplomats as "a political fox", President Hernandez's strategy over the last four years has been to accumulate power across state institutions, including electoral and judicial. His greatest feat in this respect was to quash the constitutional ban on re-election. Paradoxically, former President Manuel Zelaya was ousted in 2009 after trying to hold a referendum on the very same issue.

What has sparked this level of public outrage?

The fraud allegations have rekindled old political hostilities from the June 2009 coup d'etat, when the army seized former President Zelaya while still in his pyjamas and sped him into exile. Since then, Honduras "has been on standby for eight years", explains a veteran journalist. One side of the political divide is represented by President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who is close to the Honduran military and the economic elites; the other is former President Zelaya, the brain of the opposition Alliance, who aspires to become a special presidential adviser to the political novice Nasralla. Hernandez has crafted an impressive public image over his term in office, promoting the country's economic growth and reduced murder rate. Opposition supporters, on the other hand, refer to Honduras as "Juan Orlando's dictatorship", and denounce militarised public security, rampant corruption and systematic human rights abuses.

Court cases pointing to high-level corruption and crime have undermined the already scant public trust in national government and institutions. In testimony in March 2017, an extradited drug lord in the U.S. claimed there were connections between President Hernandez, former President Porfirio Lobo - both from the National Party - and drug trafficking groups. Both politicians have strenuously denied the accusations and neither has been charged. A multimillion-dollar embezzlement scandal in the social security system exposed ties to the 2013 presidential campaign of President Hernandez, who admitted it unwittingly took money from companies linked to the racket, but said that neither he nor the party was aware of the source of the funding. The scandal sparked huge protests, coinciding with the 2015 anti-corruption rallies in Guatemala.

Over 66 per cent of Hondurans fall beneath the poverty line. The breach between the economic hardship of most Hondurans and scandals of illicit enrichment allegedly involving the political establishment have intensified public disaffection. According to recent surveys from Latinobarometro and the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), only 34 per cent of Hondurans support democracy and trust elections. In the case of support for democracy, Latinobarometro finds that Honduras has the lowest rate of all Latin American countries surveyed.

Could the risk of political instability affect criminal violence in Honduras?

The spike of criminal violence following the 2009 coup, after which Honduras became the primary landing zone for drug flights from South America and underwent a rapid growth in the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs, is a bad omen. Honduras' criminal economy has recently been undergoing a change in power and personnel. New drug trafficking forces are allegedly taking over from the most prominent groups - the Atlantic Cartel and The Cachiros - after these were weakened by extradition of several leaders. Gang presence, recruitment and violence in urban areas are matters of huge concern: "we are on the way to ending up like El Salvador", says one Honduran academic. The toll of death and fear turned the country's second city, San Pedro Sula into "murder capital of the world", with 169 murders for every 100,000 inhabitants in 2012. According to UNHCR data, there were 174,000 victims of forced displacement between 2004 and 2014, and 8,100 asylum seekers in 2016 alone.

Regardless of who wins, what are the most pressing challenges for the incoming Honduran administration?

If President Hernandez gets re-elected, as now seems likely, his opponents would find it hard to forgive him victory in a poll they regard as irrevocably rigged. In the face of street protests and threats to his legitimacy, he may well enhance the coercive approach to security matters that he has already displayed in creating a hybrid police-army force, toughening judicial sentences, and promoting military-oriented education programs. Should opposition candidate Nasralla eventually triumph, his administration would suffer a very different flaw. The political divide between him - a self-proclaimed centre-right candidate - and former President Zelaya, a left-wing, anti-U.S. figurehead who is close ally of the Venezuelan government, would probably spill over into government. According to one academic in Tegucigalpa: "the only thing this opposition alliance has in common is the motto 'fuera JOH' [in Spanish "go away JOH", the acronym for President Hernandez]".

Whatever the outcome, this crisis has magnified the importance of three issues on the in-tray of the new Honduran government. An urgent political reform will be needed to address the causes of this particular crisis, including legalisation of re-election and guarantees of independence for electoral institutions. Worsening public mistrust in the country's institutions will require more robust anti-corruption efforts, with support from a strengthened Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH), an advisory mission assisting Honduran prosecutors run by the Organization of American States (OAS). In terms of security, police reform should seek to build a system of law enforcement that reduces impunity, works to prevent rather than solely combat criminal violence, and leads to the eventual de-militarisation of public security.

How can the international community mitigate the effects of the current crisis?

The U.S. already provides major political and security support to Honduras, and President Hernandez has prioritised good bilateral relations during his term in office. "[Honduras] is the spoiled child of the U.S. in Central America", states a Tegucigalpa-based diplomat. This good relationship was on show in the recent postponement on 6 November of the termination of Temporary Protected Status for 57,000 Hondurans living in the U.S., the same day the Department of Homeland Security announced the status would not be renewed for Nicaraguans. A close ally of President Hernandez and a big donor, the U.S. would be inclined to overlook claims of wrongdoing in the electoral process, but would be loath to see an escalating political crisis causing disruptions to the Honduran economy and security conditions, with the risk these entail of larger migrant flows to the U.S.

Electoral observers from the European Union and OAS should extend their in-country presence as much as possible, first in order to make sure the remaining 5 per cent of votes are processed to the satisfaction of electoral authorities, the opposition and the wider public; and second, to provide assurances that the same flaws in electoral management do not affect a repeat poll if that is deemed to be the best solution to the crisis. These missions remain the only credible mediators in the country given the questionable independence of the Supreme Electoral Court. The holiday season may well bring a fragile respite to Honduras. But by January 2018, the country will be far from the international spotlight, and at risk of sustained and violent political disputes.

This text was updated on 4 December 2017 to correct the original version that incorrectly stated there were "an average of 108 homicides in 2012". There were actually 169 murders for every 100,000 inhabitants in 2012.
Title Response of the Government of the United Kingdom to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to the United Kingdom Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus from 9 to 11 February 2017

Publication Date 5 December 2017

Citation / Document Symbol CPT/Inf (2017) 38

Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Response of the Government of the United Kingdom to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to the United Kingdom Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus from 9 to 11 February 2017, 5 December 2017, CPT/Inf (2017) 38, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a265ab84.html [accessed 17 November 2022]
Iraq: Telling Stories of Female Success

Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Publication Date 5 December 2017 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Iraq: Telling Stories of Female Success, 5 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a267e734.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

A 29-year-old Iraqi Kurdish journalist is using her IWPR training to challenge conservative attitudes by telling inspirational stories of female success.

Avan Jaff joined Baladuna Tariquna (Our Country, Our Path) in May 2017, a project working with Iraqi social media activists to generate factual, responsible content and counter extremist and violent media.

"IWPR showed me a vision of peace and coexistence," she said. "They helped me to break the pattern of violence, and opened my eyes to see the successful stories."

Jaff said that her IWPR training, which is ongoing, had helped her identify a target audience, tell stories and advocate for her own ideas. This was in itself a way to bring social change, she continued.

"When a woman stands on her feet, she does not only give hope to other women, but to her community and her country," Jaff said.

Jaff uses her Facebook page to highlight stories about women who have not only achieved success in the business or creative world, but also made a contribution to society.

She recently published a piece about Nian Aziz, the first and only fashion designer in Iraq who makes clothes for people with dwarfism. After Jaff posted the story, several local media outlets asked her for Aziz's contacts.

Other stories have included include one about a woman who created a successful mobile phone app, and another who pursued a career as an artist.

Other media platforms have also showed interest in her endeavor. Earlier this year she was invited to give a TEDx talk at a conference dedicated to successful women.

"Normally I talk about the success stories and self-agency of others, people of any colour, any ethic or gender or religion backgrounds. But today I will be speaking about myself as a success story," Jaff told the event.

Jaff, who lives in Erbil and is a senior reporter at Zhin women's magazine, said that many people now contact her on a daily basis to alert her to success stories for her project.

"Nowadays, when I visit a public place such as a restaurant, people come forward and tell me that they know a successful girl or woman and they would like me to meet her," she said.

Although she has met with some hostility, Jaff said that she was not discouraged. Breaking taboos around female participation in public life was hard, but she argued this was essential for peace and coexistence efforts, as well as to rebuild Iraq's economy.

Jaff's father was an opposition politician during the Saddam era, and she said that she had a relatively liberal upbringing. Many fathers, brothers and husbands were also supportive of their female family member's efforts to strive for success, she continued.

Self-belief and resilience have been key to her own success, Jaff said, adding, "Ever since I started working as journalist and publishing stories about self-agency, I have never felt tired and never doubted that this was not the right work for me."

And although she acknowledged that many obstacles remained for women and girls in Iraq, she said, "I will break down those barriers."

Copyright notice:  Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Afghan Hindus and Sikhs Still Struggling

Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Publication Date 30 November 2017 Reference ARR 582 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Afghan Hindus and Sikhs Still Struggling, 30 November 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a267f954.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The tiny Hindu and Sikh community in the northern Afghan province of Baghlan say that growing discrimination is making their life increasingly hard.

Only a handful of families remain from a community that once played an important role as merchants and entrepreneurs, and who lived in Afghanistan in relative harmony for hundreds of years.

During the civil war that followed the collapse of the pro-Soviet regime in 1992, many Hindus and Sikhs sought refuge in other countries, India in particular. For those who remained, life got worse under the Taleban regime when their freedom to practice their religion was hugely restricted.

"The Taleban era was one of the most challenging periods for us, because all our religious ceremonies were prohibited, it was hard for us to even leave our houses," said Baghlan resident Shirjan Singh, 55. "But after the Taleban government fell, and with the rise of the current government, we breathed a sigh of relief and returned to our normal lives."

The Afghan constitution guarantees their religious rights as full citizens of the country, with Article Two stating, "The sacred religion of Islam is the religion of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Followers of other faiths shall be free within the bounds of law in the exercise and performance of their religious rituals."

But many in the Hindu and Sikh community says that these principles are not being honoured. Shirjan Singh said that as well as frequent harassment, his fellow Sikhs lacked a proper place to worship. Funeral rites remain a major issue. Hindus and Sikhs cremate their dead, which often caused friction with their Muslim neighbours, especially as the community had no dedicated place to perform their ceremonies.

"[My family] have been living here in Baghlan province for the last 40 years, and up to the present day we have suffered a lot," said Ahmad, a 45-year-old representative of the Sikh community. "If we look back to the Taleban era, life became so difficult for so many people that they escaped and fled the country. With the establishment of [former president Hamid] Karzai's government, we felt more comfortable, particularly when we were officially recognised as citizens of this country once again. But once again, some of our fellow citizens don't treat us as Afghan citizens, and most people insult and humiliate us."

"Baghlan is a small province where all ethnicities [should] live like brothers with one other," agreed local pharmacy owner Sardar Singh. "We have been living here for many years but the majority of the people still harass us, treating us like foreigners who don't belong.

Another local man, Ram Singh, said that around ten Sikh families were currently living in Baghlan province, down from 60 when the community was at its height.

He said that as there was no provision for their burial rites anywhere in Baghlan province, the community was often forced to cremate their dead in residential areas, leading to conflict with their Muslim neighbours.

"Our request from the government and the public is that they should treat us just like all other citizens, and stop ridiculing and humiliating us. We urge the government to prepare a suitable place of worship for us, as well as to provide education for our children."

This is another problem; Hindu and Sikh children face persistent discrimination at school and as a result are often denied access to education.

"I am really keen on going to school and studying, but people harassed me on the way to school so I couldn't go anymore," said ten-year-old Samad Singh. "I want people to consider us as citizens of this country and stop harassing us and allow us to study and live."

Previous attempts to highlight their conditions have not led to any substantial gains for the community. In November 2012, Hindus and Sikhs held protests outside the presidential palace in Kabul over discrimination. The government promised to build a dedicated town with a proper crematorium, but this has yet to materialise.

Baghlan governor Abdulhai Nyamati said that the government was ready to address any challenges the communities faced in their daily lives, but declined to comment on the provision of a specific place for the cremation of their dead.

He also played down the extent of the problem, adding, "Hindus and Sikhs have the same rights as the other ethnicities and religions here, and there is no discrimination against them. The government provides proper residential and other services in any area they want."

Security forces in Baghlan provinces have also pledged themselves to afford Hindus and Sikhs the same protection as any other Afghan citizens.

"We do our duty and treat people equally," said Zabiullah Shuja, head of the Baghlan police media department. "Hindus and Sikhs living in Baghlan province just like other ethnicities and we will defend their rights if they face any trouble."

Abrar Sarwary, a professor at the faculty of law and political science at Hakim Sanai University, said ignorance was the main reason for the prejudice the community was experiencing.

The first step the government should take, he continued, was to ensure that Hindus had their own places of worship and the facilities for cremation.

"Hindus and Sikhs are citizens of Afghanistan and must have the same rights as everyone else; in law, no ethnic or religious group has supremacy," he said. "The biggest problem is the lack of awareness of the rights of the Hindus and Sikh people legally have in this country."

This report was produced under IWPR's Supporting Investigative Reporting in Local Media and Strengthening Civil Society across Afghanistan initiative, funded by the British Embassy Kabul.

Copyright notice:  Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Tajikistan: "Mistakes", but prisoner of conscience remains jailed

Publisher Forum 18 Author Mushfig Bayram Publication Date 5 December 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Tajikistan: "Mistakes", but prisoner of conscience remains jailed, 5 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a26a6c54.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Despite "mistakes" in the verdict jailing Jehovah's Witness conscientious objector Daniil Islamov for six months, the Supreme Court failed to overturn it. Jailed Protestant Pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov has chosen not to appeal further. Police and secret police raided a Protestant church's worship and fined a church member.
Armenia and EU Sign New Partnership Agreement

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Armen Grigoryan Publication Date 4 December 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 156 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Armenia and EU Sign New Partnership Agreement, 4 December 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 156, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a26b39a4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

Armenia and the European Union signed a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) at the fifth Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels, on November 24 (Armradio.am, Eeas.europa.eu, November 24). CEPA, which took nearly two years of consultations and negotiations to come to fruition, replaces the Association Agreement that Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan failed to sign in 2013, changing his mind overnight after a visit to Moscow and meeting Russia's President Vladimir Putin. CEPA's principal difference from the abandoned Association Agreement is the absence of free-trade arrangements, which would not be compatible with Armenia's commitments to the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

The most likely and desirable short-term outcomes of CEPA include the possibility to start a visa liberalization dialogue, which may lead to visa-free travel for Armenian citizens in 1.5-2 years, and beginning of negotiations on the Common Aviation Area Agreement, which may ultimately open the Armenian market to European low-cost airlines. Longer-term benefits include the possibility of governance and economic reforms for which the EU offers additional financial aid and know-how support. While a full implementation of CEPA would mean a profound systemic change in the South Caucasus country, experts such as Hrant Kostanyan from the Brussels-based Center for European Policy Studies note that its implementation, which would eventually undermine the oligarchic power structure, will depend on the Armenian authorities' political will (1in.am, November 29).

Armenian policymakers boasted that they finally managed to achieve their preferred policy of "and-and" (as opposed to "either-or") concerning European and Russian integration projects; yet there is a strong disproportion in favor of the direction toward the EEU, which make trade arrangements with third parties essentially impossible (EU Observer, November 24; Arminfo.info, November 27). Armenian officials used to hold the EU responsible for the failure in 2013 to sign the Association Agreement, as if the reason hinged on the impossibility to sign the Association Agreement and to join the EEU at the same time (see EDM, March 25, 2015). Indeed, the government's representatives again praised the "and-and" policy during a discussion at the National Assembly (Armenian parliament), on November 27. Opposition legislators and other participants of the hearings representing civil society objected to the government's strategy, pointing at the economic disadvantages for Armenia of EEU membership. In contrast, the pro-government Republican Party's representatives used another familiar argument: that the "either-or" approach resulted in territorial losses for Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, so the refusal to join the EEU or attempting to leave now would have dire consequences for Armenia. A representative of a watchdog organization, the Union of Informed Citizens, noted in response that such judgment was fallacious (Azatutyun.am, November 27).

The recurrent argument about the danger of refusing participation in Russia-led projects suggests that even Armenian officials who ritually proclaim loyalty to the "strategic partnership" with Russia understand the real nature of bilateral relations. The director of the Yerevan-based Regional Studies Center, Richard Giragosian, declared, "For Russia's approach toward Armenia, there has been a heavy reliance on instruments of hard power, exploiting Armenian military insecurity over the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan and manipulating the country's economic insecurity. The Karabakh conflict remains the simplest instrument for leverage over both Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Armenia as a willing recipient of Russian security promises and cheaper weapons, and Moscow now as the number one arms provider for Azerbaijan." In turn, Russian soft power is not attractive, he suggested (New Eastern Europe, December 1).

To date, official Moscow-based and Russian analysts have not openly confronted Armenia's decision to sign CEPA, although until the Brussels summit it remained not fully clear whether the signing would take place or not. In that context, particularly President Sargsyan's snap visit to Vladimir Putin, on November 15 (Kremlin.ru, November 15), caused fears that the September 2013 overnight decision not to sign the EU Association Agreement could be repeated.

Russian television's reaction has been quite characteristic, and contradictory to the official assurances about Moscow not interfering in Armenia's relations with the EU. On November 19, Zvezda TV, the channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense, claimed that Armenia was going to associate itself with the EU, just like Ukraine, and, like in Ukraine, "supporters of fascism are declared heroes [in Armenia]." The latter statement referred to last year's unveiling of a statue of the leader of the resistance to the Bolshevik takeover of the first Republic of Armenia (see EDM, June 20, 2016). The Zvezda TV anchor, furthermore, compared the ruling Republican Party of Armenia to the Nazis. After official complaints from Yerevan, Zvezda TV's president sent a letter of apology to the Armenian ambassador in Russia (Razm.info, November 21). The apologies were not mentioned in any Russian TV programs. The anchor's defamatory statements were cut from the video available on Zvezda's website. The above-discussed video still mentions at the start that Armenia-EU relations will be one of the discussed topics on the program, and a reference to this topic also appears at the conclusion; but the actual Armenia-EU segment was removed completely from the middle (Tvzvezda.ru, November 19). Nonetheless, the cut footage is available on other sources, such as YouTube (YouTube, November 20). After the CEPA signing ceremony, larger Russian TV channels also took on the topic in news reports and daily talk shows. Collectively, this coverage strongly resembled the Russian media's message on Ukraine in recent years, mixing threats and insults with speculation about a larger anti-Russian conspiracy led by the United States. Such coverage could be an attempt to consolidate Putin's electoral support before the presidential elections scheduled for March 2018 by sustaining the enemy narrative. Yet, it worries the Armenian public and may contribute to undermining the local perception of Russia's benevolence.

Meanwhile, the temporary exemption from the EEU's custom duties, negotiated by Armenia before joining the bloc, is about to expire. So another sharp consumer price increase is expected in January. Furthermore, smaller Armenian importers are expected to become uncompetitive. They may be forced to end direct imports from non-EEU member countries and to rely on re-exports from Russia or Kazakhstan (Armtimes.com, November 30). Diversifying the economy is thus becoming more vital.

While CEPA may be beneficial in the longer term, such an outcome depends on whether the Armenian government will be ready to implement structural reforms, which could now receive additional support from Brussels. Alternatively, the unwillingness to further disappoint Moscow and, more generally, the wish not to allow any risk to regime stability in Yerevan may result in an evasive approach to reforms with a lack of implementation.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Russia Prepares for More Extreme Confrontations With United States

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Pavel K. Baev Publication Date 4 December 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 156 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russia Prepares for More Extreme Confrontations With United States, 4 December 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 156, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a26b4794.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

Whatever friendly feelings United States President Donald Trump might personally hold toward Moscow, the anti-Russian policy of his administration is even bolder than the course set in the last year of Barack Obama's presidency. This conclusion was articulated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who expressed his dismay about the wave of "Russophobic hysteria" that, he said, had swept Washington (Russiancouncil.ru, November 30). Lavrov had shared that opinion before Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor in Trump's administration, pleaded guilty of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about his contacts with Russian officials and opted to cooperate with the investigation of special counsel Robert Moeller. This investigation is now expected to produce more evidence of Russia's interference in the US presidential elections (Gazeta.ru, November 30). Stricter implementation of the law on sanctions is certain to follow, and Moscow is bracing for more punishment and preparing responses.

The Russian economy can be maintained at its just-above-zero growth trajectory only if Moscow's agreement with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on production cuts is sustained, thus supporting the oil price on its current plateau (Forbes.ru, November 30). Greater worries in the business elite pertain to the personal sanctions aimed at oligarchs with close ties to the Kremlin, which allegedly are being investigated by US financial intelligence with alarming prejudice (Rosbalt, November 30). Huge fortunes evacuated to Western "havens" by carefully hidden channels are in danger, and even family members enjoying the "good life" in Monaco or Miami could feel the squeeze (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, November 28). It is well known in Russian business-political circles that the US State Department under Trump has not been particularly active in preparing new sanctions, so the news about the possible departure of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson brings more worries (RBC, December 1). Some experts suggest that in this turbulent situation, Moscow could benefit from keeping a low profile and refraining from proactive moves on the international arena (Kommersant, December 1).

These cautious recommendations to wait out the political storms in Washington stand in sharp contrast with the escalation of the official rhetoric on preparation for a "big war" (Novaya Gazeta, November 29). The tone was set by President Vladimir Putin, who held a series of meetings with the top brass and then demanded from big business greater readiness for a rapid expansion of defense-related production (Newsru.com, November 28). In real terms, no return to the Soviet-style mobilization economy is planned or indeed possible (RBC, November 28). The embarrassing failure of the space launch from the new Vostochny Cosmodrome reminded yet again about the degradation of Russia's military industry (Kommersant, November 29). Significant resources, nevertheless, are invested in building a top-heavy system of state command and control in a large-scale emergency (New Times, November 27).

The smoldering and malignantly mutating conflict in Donbas remains the most probable epicenter of such emergency. Moscow has invested much effort in cultivating fatigue in the West with the deadlocked Minsk process (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, November 29). The firm statement from Kurt Volker, US Special Representative for Ukraine negotiations, regarding the non-negotiable proposition on restoration of Ukrainian control over all occupied territories came, therefore, as an irksome reminder to Moscow that its dirty little war was not forgotten in Washington (RBC, November 28). The armed squabbles resulting in a military coup in the Luhansk quasi-republic revealed Moscow's inability to enforce any resemblance of order in the separatist enclaves (Novaya Gazeta, November 24).

It is in the Middle East that Russia tries to amass assets usable for bargaining with the US and thus discouraging the introduction of really hard-hitting sanctions. Putin's plan for declaring victory and managing the talks between opposition groups of various persuasions in favor of the Bashar al-Assad regime was postponed (see EDM, November 27, 29), so airstrikes with long-range Tu-22M3 bombers were resumed (RIA Novosti, December 1). Israel, meanwhile, is delivering its own airstrikes on the Hezbollah bases near Damascus, disregarding the deal on "de-escalation zones"; and the Russian foreign ministry no longer bothers to issue protestations (Newsru.com, December 2). It looks instead for opportunities to claim a key role in the management of the violent strife in Libya without any costly entanglement (Kommersant, December 2). The draft agreement with Egypt on access to its air bases could be used for making an occasional air raid targeting some Libyan groupings, which would hardly make any difference in the chaotic conflict but would demonstrate Russia's capacity for projecting power (RBC, November 30).

This capacity is strikingly lacking in the most demanding and dangerous of conflict situations, which is driven by the North Korean nuclear and missile programs (see EDM, November 30). Russian experts are fully aware that Pyongyang's proclaimed defensive goals can camouflage aggressive plans, which could produce a direct security threat to highly exposed Vladivostok (Carnegie.ru, November 30). Russian leadership cannot figure out how to interpret Trump's "we will handle it" statement, and Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Security Council, sticks to the point that a military solution is unacceptable (RIA Novosti, December 1). The real point, however, is that the Kremlin would apparently love nothing better than to see US pressure on North Korea, supported and reinforced by China, fail (Russiancouncil.ru, November 29). Moscow is ready to accept the de-facto nuclear status of its obstinate totalitarian neighbour, but is upset about the cooperation between the United States and China, which leaves it marginalized in the big East Asian game.

Putin seemingly cannot quite grasp the nuances of decision-making in Beijing and may not fully understand the complexity of Middle Eastern intrigues, but what he knows expertly and sees as the main driver of politics is corruption. He thought that in the course of last year's US presidential campaign he finally managed to connect with American political corruption, but that breakthrough has inflicted massive damage to Russia's international status and keeps backfiring. He cannot admit any wrongdoing or, even worse, mistakes, and can neither shelter his courtiers from escalating punishment nor give them compensation for the growing damage. The signalling to Washington of the readiness to be useful in managing high-resonance conflicts is by and large ignored, and the subtle hints about making troubles are interpreted as threats. Putin can neither control nor counter the deterioration of relations with the US, and this makes anti-Americanism a less useful tool in domestic politics.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Decision TB7-01837 (Jurisprudential Guide, in private), Heard at Refugee Appeals Division, Toronto, Ontario

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 8 May 2017 Citation / Document Symbol TB7-01837 Cite as Decision TB7-01837 (Jurisprudential Guide, in private), Heard at Refugee Appeals Division, Toronto, Ontario, TB7-01837, Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 8 May 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/cases,IRBC,5a26b4814.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Comments Jurisprudential Guide: Whether the treatment experienced by Ahmadis from Pakistan amounted to persecution and whether state protection and an internal flight alternative are available. Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Table of Contents:

Policy note for identification of TB&-01837 as a RAD Jurisprudential Guide

Full text of Decision TB7-01837 - Jurisprudential Guide

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ("the Act") requires the Immigration and Refugee Board ("IRB") to "deal with all proceedings before it as informally and quickly as the circumstances and the considerations of fairness and natural justice permit."Footnote 1 Ensuring the fair and efficient determination of refugee claims before the Refugee Protection Division ("RPD") and appeals before the Refugee Appeal Division ("RAD") is of great importance to the Board. The fair and efficient treatment of claims and appeals is essential to the IRB dealing with a significant backlog in the refugee determination continuum. The issuance of Jurisprudential Guides is meant to facilitate decision-making in both Divisions in a manner that meets the twin requirements of fairness and efficiency, enabling the IRB to discharge its statutory obligation set out above.

As indicated in the IRB's Policy on the Use of Jurisprudential Guides (Policy 2003-01, as amended on December 1, 2016) ("the Policy"), RPD and RAD members are expected to apply Jurisprudential Guides in cases with similar facts or provide reasoned justifications for not doing so.

Decision TB7-01837 provides a detailed, clear, and sound analysis of state protection and internal flight alternative for Ahmadi claims from Pakistan. The application of this Jurisprudential Guide in cases with similar facts will result in a consistent, fair, and efficient treatment of this issue by both the RPD and the RAD.

Therefore, on July 18, 2017 pursuant to section 159(1)(h) of the Act, and after consultation with the Deputy Chairpersons of the RPD and RAD, the Chairperson of the IRB identified the following RAD decision as a Jurisprudential Guide:

TB7-01837

Scope: Whether the treatment experienced by Ahmadis from Pakistan amounted to persecution and whether state protection and an internal flight alternative are available.

Decision TB7-01837 thoroughly analyzes the determinative issues that arise when considering whether the state-sanctioned restrictions faced by Ahmadis in Pakistan amount to a denial of freedom of religion that constitutes persecution. In TB7-01837 the RAD provides a reasoned explanation as to why there is an absence of both state protection and a viable internal flight alternative for Ahmadi claimants from Pakistan.

This Jurisprudential Guide guides RPD members (including members dealing with Legacy claims), in appropriate circumstances, to adopt the RAD's approach to the analysis of state protection and internal flight alternative, or to explain why it is not applicable. It is intended to assist RPD members in narrowing the issues to be determined in hearings and will promote fairness, consistency, and efficiency in writing reasons.

This Jurisprudential Guide also guides RAD members, in appropriate circumstances, to adopt this approach to the analysis of state protection and internal flight alternative, or to explain why it is not applicable. It is intended to assist RAD members in narrowing the issues to be determined on appeals and will promote fairness, consistency, and efficiency in writing reasons.

The key determination in this Jurisprudential Guide is a determination of mixed law and fact. In order to ensure this Jurisprudential Guide remains relevant and useful to the work of the RPD and RAD, the Research Directorate of the IRB is required to monitor and report to the RAD Deputy Chairperson any developments in the country of origin information that could have an impact on the factual foundation that underlies this Jurisprudential Guide.

Footnotes Footnote 1 S.162(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Source: http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/Eng/BoaCom/references/pol/notes/Pages/NoteTB7-01837.aspx

Private Proceeding

Reasons and Decision

Person(s) who is(are) the subject of the appeal:

XXXX XXXX

Appeal considered / heard at:

Toronto, Ontario

Date of decision:

May 8, 2017

Panel:

Edward Bosveld

Counsel for the person(s) who is(are) the subject of the appeal:

Elyse Korman

Designated Representative(s):

N/A

Counsel for the Minister:

N/A

Reasons for Decision

[1] XXXX XXXX (the Appellant), a citizen of Pakistan, appeals a decision of the Refugee Protection Division ( RPD ) denying her claim for refugee protection. She has submitted no new evidence in support of her appeal. The Appellant asks the Refugee Appeal Division ( RAD ) to set aside the negative determination of the RPD and either find her to be a Convention refugee or refer the matter back to the RPD for redetermination.

Determination

[2] Pursuant to section 111(1)(b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ( IRPA ), the RAD sets aside the determination of the RPD and substitutes its determination that the Appellant is a Convention refugee. This appeal is allowed.

Background

[3] The Appellant alleged before the RPD that she is a devout member of the Ahmadi religious minority in Pakistan, and that she fears persecution in her country of origin because of her faith.

[4] The Appellant's application for refugee protection was heard on November 3, 2016. By a decision of December 20, 2016, the RPD rejected the claim. The panel accepted the Appellant's national identity as a citizen of Pakistan and her religious identity as an Ahmadi. However, it cited a number of credibility concerns, found that the Appellant had no particular profile as an Ahmadi, and concluded that she also lacks subjective fear. The RPD acknowledged the existence of laws targeting the Ahmadi minority but found that "this does not necessarily give good grounds for fearing persecution. If that were the case every Ahmadi would be a refugee."Footnote 1

[5] The Appellant submits that the RPD erred in finding that she can freely practice her religion in Pakistan, in making unsustainable credibility findings, in concluding that she lacks subjective fear or an objective basis for such fear, and in failing to conduct an analysis under section 97 of the IRPA . She also points out that the same RPD member has previously rendered very similar decisions which were overturned by the RAD in strongly-worded decisions.

Analysis

The Role of the RAD

[6] While the IRPA sets out grounds for appeal as well as possible remedies, it does not specify the standard by which the RAD is to review the decision of the lower tribunal.

[7] The Appellant makes no specific submissions on the standard of review to be applied here.

[8] The RAD is a creature of statute and so is the appeal before it; its role and jurisdiction are best determined by looking at the legislative provisions creating the RAD and the appeal.Footnote 2 Such an appeal

(i) is directed at the decision of the RPD , (ii) unless new evidence is accepted, is to be entertained on the basis of the record as it was constituted at the time of the RPD 's decision, and (iii) is to be concerned solely with the errors of law, of fact or of mixed fact and law that, according to the appellant, the RPD made. This is the statutory configuration of an appeal before the RAD .Footnote 3

[9] According to the Federal Court of Appeal, the RAD is to carefully consider the RPD 's decision and then carry out its own analysis of the record to determine whether, as submitted by the Appellant, the RPD erred. It is then to provide a final determination, either confirming the RPD 's decision or setting it aside and substituting the RAD 's own determination of the refugee claim. If the RAD cannot provide such a final determination without hearing the oral evidence already presented to the RPD , the matter can be referred back to the RPD .Footnote 4

[10] The RAD will review the RPD 's decision on a standard of correctness, showing deference only where the RPD had a meaningful advantage in making a finding. Even where the RAD is to show deference to findings of the RPD , those findings must still be the result of a comprehensible reasoning process. The RAD must be able to read the RPD 's decision and understand how the RPD 's conclusions were reached.

The RPD 's Findings

[11] The Appellant argues that the RPD made various errors in rejecting her claim.

Credibility findings

[12] The RPD found credibility to be a key issue, and considered the Appellant's evidence about being harassed at school when she was a child. The RPD member questioned the Appellant at some length about the proportion of Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis in her elementary classes or those of her children. The RPD cited objective evidence that non-Ahmadi children were not allowed in area schools while the Appellant was in school, and concluded that the Appellant's evidence was not trustworthy. The RPD also found that it "stretches the imagination that in every class for each of her children's school years that all classes were half non-Ahmadi who harassed each of her children in each of their respective school years."Footnote 5

[13] The Appellant submits on appeal that she never said half her classmates were non-Ahmadi; rather, she testified that in 1974, the Ahmadi-majority city of XXXX was declared open to non-Ahmadis, many of whom subsequently moved into the city. She argues that the only reference she made about the number of non-Ahmadi students was with respect to her son's class during his last year of school.

[14] While the RPD has a meaningful advantage over the RAD in assessing the credibility of oral testimony, the RPD 's findings must nevertheless be based on the evidence. The RAD has reviewed the audio recording of the RPD hearing as well as the transcript provided by the Appellant. There is nothing in the evidence to indicate that the Appellant testified about half of her classmates being non-Ahmadi; when pressed by the RPD member, she estimated that about half of her son's classmates were non-Ahmadi in his last year of school.Footnote 6 The RPD 's credibility finding here is not supported by the evidence and is therefore wrong.

[15] The RPD also considered the Appellant's testimony about one of her sons, a XXXX and XXXX, and found it "not credible that [he] would be able to restrict his movements to seldom going out and only at night."Footnote 7 With respect, this is not a matter of credibility but rather a finding of implausibility, to which the RAD owes no deference. In any event, this finding too is based on misconstrued evidence. In fact, the Appellant testified that her son did not go out at night, though the transcript indicates that the RPD member may have misunderstood this:

Appellant: The situation in XXXX is pretty bad because the mullahs they take out processions against Ahmadis. They come and chant slogans against Ahmadis. The situation is not very safe in XXXX. So therefore, my son avoids going during the night.

RPD Member: Going out during the night?

Appellant: Yes.

RPD Member: How can he go out during the night when he is XXXX?

Appellant: He XXXX during the day but the danger is people coming from outside XXXX, so he avoids going out when it is dark.Footnote 8

[16] The RPD 's implausibility finding here is based on a misapprehension of the evidence and is therefore wrong.

[17] The Appellant alleged in her Basis of Claim ( BOC ) narrative that she feared being charged under Pakistan's blasphemy laws. The RPD found, however, that "at no point during the hearing did the claimant volunteer such fear."Footnote 9 In fact, the Appellant was asked by her counsel, "What could happen if the wrong person were to find out that you are Ahmadi?" The Appellant replied, "Anything could happen if such person would come to know about it and they can falsely put allegations of blasphemy on us."Footnote 10 The RPD 's analysis here is again not based on the evidence.

[18] The RPD identified credibility as a "key issue in this claim," and "found much of the claimant's testimony to be implausible, giving rise to enough reason to rebut the presumption of truthfulness on her part."Footnote 11 However, the credibility findings are simply wrong, and the RPD has not provided any explanation of why it found much of the testimony to be implausible.

Subjective Fear

[19] The RPD noted that the Appellant left Pakistan on more than one occasion to live with relatives in India, which is not a signatory to the refugee Convention. The RPD faulted the Appellant for failing to make inquiries about remaining in India. Further, she did not attempt to come to Canada until after two of her sons had arrived and been granted refugee status. The RPD found the Appellant to be lacking in subjective fear: she did not attempt to stay in India, she repeatedly returned to Pakistan, and when she arrived in Canada, she delayed in making a refugee claim for some months. Her explanation for the delay was that she did not want to jeopardize the visa application of her daughter-in-law's mother, who also sought to flee Pakistan. The RPD considered this an attempt to "manipulate the system" in Canada,Footnote 12 and further concluded that the Appellant was engaged in a "blatant abuse of the refugee protection system and must be dealt with under immigration law and not refugee law."Footnote 13

[20] The Appellant submits that delay in departure is not usually determinative of a claim for refugee protection. Where that claim is based on a number of persecutory acts that take place over a long period of time, delay in departure is not a reasonable basis to doubt subjective fear. The Appellant explained to the RPD that she does not have status in India, nor does she have rights to status through her parents; in addition, her husband and children were in Pakistan. After her husband died in 1988, she struggled to raise four sons alone, and had no choice but to wait for them to establish themselves abroad so that they could bring her to safety. Her five visa applications illustrate her determination to leave Pakistan, and her delay in claiming in Canada was reasonable as she did not want to jeopardize the ability of her daughter-in-law's mother to flee Pakistan.

[21] In the RAD 's view, the RPD was required to consider the cumulative and escalating nature of the feared persecution when assessing the Appellant's subjective fear. The Appellant experienced discriminatory and persecutory incidents throughout her life in Pakistan; she notes in her BOC narrative that the situation deteriorated over the years, especially after large-scale attacks on Ahmadis in 2010. One son left in 2008, and another in 2012. The Appellant applied for visas in XXXX 2013, XXXX 2014, XXXX 2014, and XXXX 2015, before finally receiving a visa in XXXX of 2016.Footnote 14 In Ibrahimov, the Federal Court wrote,

when a claim is based on a number of discriminatory or harassing incidents which culminate in an event which forces a person to leave his country, then the issue of delay cannot be used as a significant factor to doubt that person's subjective fear of persecution. Cumulative acts which may amount to persecution will take time to occur. If a person's claim is actually based on several incidents which occur over time, the cumulative effects of which may amount to persecution, then looking to the beginning of such discriminatory or harassing treatment and comparing that to the date on which a person leaves the country to justify rejection of the claim on the basis of delay, undermines the very idea of cumulative persecution.Footnote 15

[22] It was therefore an error for the RPD to fault the Appellant for failing to remain in India  where she has no status, has no right to status, and which is not signatory to the refugee Convention  or for returning to Pakistan, or for failing to leave Pakistan at an earlier date.

[23] The RPD also erred in rejecting the Appellant's explanation for her delay in claiming. The Appellant had considerable difficulty in obtaining a Canadian visa; she was concerned that, if she immediately made a refugee claim, this would prevent another family member from obtaining a visa. While the RPD clearly disapproved of what it viewed as a manipulation of Canada's asylum system, this does not change the fact that the Appellant was in status in Canada and that there was no risk to her in waiting a few months to claim. Conversely, she believed that there was a risk to another Ahmadi woman if the Appellant were to promptly file a refugee claim. While the RPD may have disapproved of the Appellant's motives, her actions here simply do not indicate a lack of subjective fear.

[24] The RPD erred when it found the Appellant to be lacking in subjective fear.

Objective Basis and Religious Persecution

[25] In the RAD 's view, the key issue in the Appellant's refugee claim was her risk of persecution as an Ahmadi. The RPD 's analysis of this issue is puzzling and problematic.

[26] The RPD noted the Appellant's testimony that "she would like to discuss openly or preach her Ahmadi religion but only discussed her religion with people she trusts, otherwise she hides her religion." The panel correctly observed that "any person wishing to manifest their faith openly should be able to do so," but then inexplicably concluded that "there is nothing in this claimant's evidence that would persuade this panel that the claimant had any desire to proselytise or hold religious conversations with non-Ahmadis."Footnote 16 The RAD simply cannot understand this analysis, which appears to be internally inconsistent: if the Appellant testified that she would like to openly preach her religion, how could the RPD find no evidence of any desire to proselytise or hold religious conversations?

[27] The RPD considered the Appellant's evidence that she stopped attending the main mosque in 2010 after two violent attacks on Ahmadi places of worship. It noted that her prayers were interfered with by abusive anti-Ahmadi messages broadcast over loudspeakers from the Sunni mosque. As discussed above, it was aware of her testimony that she wished to openly discuss her faith but could not. The RPD referred to objective evidence that religious minorities in Pakistan, including minorities, are "subject to societal abuses, discrimination and/or persecution at the hands of extremists and/or the authorities." It also observed that "Ahmadi Muslims continue to be victimized, with the May 2014 murder of a Canadian-American Ahmadi conducting humanitarian work and the recent mob attack on an Ahmadi home serving as a graphic reminder of their vulnerability."Footnote 17 Despite all of this evidence, it somehow concluded that there is not a serious possibility that the Appellant will be persecuted for a Convention ground.

[28] The UNHCR Handbook states, with respect to religion, that:

71. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Human Rights Covenant proclaim the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which right includes the freedom of a person to change his religion and his freedom to manifest it in public or private, in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

72. Persecution for "reasons of religion" may assume various forms, e.g. prohibition of membership of a religious community, of worship in private or in public, of religious instruction, or serious measures of discrimination imposed on persons because they practise their religion or belong to a particular religious community.Footnote 18

[29] The Handbook also speaks to the difference between discrimination and persecution:

It is only in certain circumstances that discrimination will amount to persecution. This would be so if measures of discrimination lead to consequences of a substantially prejudicial nature for the person concerned, e.g. serious restrictions on his right to earn his livelihood, his right to practise his religion, or his access to normally available educational facilities.Footnote 19

[30] In Rajudeen, the Federal Court of Appeal adopted this definition of religious persecution: "To harass or afflict with repeated acts of cruelty or annoyance; to afflict persistently, to afflict or punish because of particular opinions or adherence to a particular creed or mode of worship."Footnote 20

[31] Having accepted that the Appellant is Ahmadi, the RPD was obligated to consider whether the treatment of Ahmadis in Pakistan, including the Appellant, constitutes persecution on the basis of religion.

[32] There is important evidence in the record with respect to Ahmadis which was not discussed by the RPD . The constitution of Pakistan was amended in 1974 to declare Ahmadis as "non-Muslim;" ten years later, the criminal code was amended to make it a crime for Ahmadis to refer to themselves as Muslims or to practice or propagate their faith as Muslims. When applying for an identification card or passport, all Pakistanis must sign an oath rejecting the founder of the Ahmadi religion and declaring that Ahmadis are non-Muslims. Ahmadis have faced prosecution under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, and the mere accusation of blasphemy leads to mob attacks and lynchings. Ahmadis have been arrested for reading the Quran and for using Quranic verses on rings and wedding cards. Ahmadis face severe societal discrimination, and societal attitudes have become increasingly hostile in the past decade. Some anti-Ahmadi groups have organized rallies where they described the killing of Ahmadis as a religious obligation. There have been numerous acts of violence against Ahmadis and the police have a poor track record of providing protection.

[33] Ahmadis are marginalized and excluded from the political system because, in order to register as a voter, they are required to sign a declaration about the finality of the prophet Muhammad, with which they cannot agree. Students applying for university must, if identifying themselves as Muslim, sign a similar declaration, which excludes Ahmadis. University teachers have called for the killing of Ahmadis, and students who objected to this were expelled. The Pakistani government proactively victimizes Ahmadis socially, economically, and educationally, to the point where livelihoods become difficult.Footnote 21

[34] In this case, as in previous decisions, the RPD wrongly applied a too-narrow definition of persecution. The RPD focused on physical violence, and appeared to conclude that the Appellant will not be harmed or killed because of her religion. However, the RPD did not undertake a serious analysis of whether the restrictions faced by Ahmadis, including the Appellant, amount to a denial of the fundamental right to freedom of religion.

[35] Freedom of religion includes the right to manifest one's religion in practice, including in public, a freedom not enjoyed by Ahmadis in Pakistan. They face measures which lead to consequences of a substantially prejudicial nature, including the prohibition against describing themselves as Muslims, difficulty in applying for documents and for entrance to educational institutions, interference in mosque attendance and prayer, and a prohibition on proselytizing. Even if Ahmadis faced no threat of physical harm  and the evidence indicates that there is indeed such danger  there is considerable evidence to support the argument that they experience religious persecution.

[36] The RAD finds that the Appellant faces serious restrictions on the practice of her religion. She need not establish that she will be physically harmed. The evidence shows that she may not describe herself a Muslim; that she must deny her faith  choosing to either be Muslim or Ahmadi, but not both - to obtain documents or gain admission to government institutions; that she wishes to speak publicly of her faith, but is prohibited from doing so; that her prayers are deliberately interfered with by hate-spewing loudspeakers; that she could not attend a particular mosque because of the threat of violence; and that she risks prosecution under the blasphemy laws.

[37] The RPD stated that "the mere existence of laws targeting a specific religious group in this case Ahmadi does not necessarily give good grounds for fearing persecution. If that were the case every Ahmadi would be a refugee."Footnote 22 While the mere existence of persecutory laws may not be enough to establish a refugee claim, the RPD is required to look beyond the existence of those laws and to consider whether and how they are implemented, and what other measures and practices may impact on a refugee claimant's freedom of religion.

[38] It is not for the RPD , or the RAD , to determine whether "every Ahmadi would be a refugee," though it is not uncommon for an entire group to be considered at risk of persecution in a particular country due to their profile, whether that be for reasons of sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion. However, in considering claims such as that of the Appellant, the RPD is obligated to correctly apply the definition of religious persecution to the evidence, and to avoid restricting that definition to physical harm.

[39] Having considered the evidence, the RAD finds that the Appellant faces a serious possibility of persecution on account of her Ahmadi religion. As the state is one of the leading agents of persecution, the Appellant cannot expect adequate state protection. As the persecutory laws, measures, and practices exist in all areas of Pakistan, the Appellant cannot avail herself of a viable internal flight alternative.

Conclusion

[40] Pursuant to section 111(1)(b) of the IRPA , the RAD sets aside the determination of the RPD and substitutes its determination that the Appellant is a Convention refugee. This appeal is allowed.

Signed:

Edward Bosveld

Date:

May 8, 2017
Central African Republic: UN chief condemns killing of 'blue helmet' in country's east

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 4 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Central African Republic: UN chief condemns killing of 'blue helmet' in country's east, 4 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a26b73e4.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the killing today of a Mauritanian peacekeeper and the wounding of three others of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) by anti-Balaka militia in Bria in the country' s east.

According to a statement issued by a UN spokesperson, the attack occurred at a checkpoint staffed by MINUSCA peacekeepers near an internally displaced persons site in the town.

This brings to 14 the number of peacekeepers killed in targeted attacks in the Central African Republic since January 2017.

"The Secretary-General offers his deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of the victim and to the Government of Mauritania. He wishes a swift recovery to the injured," said the statement.

Through the statement, Mr. Guterres recalled that attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime. He urged the Central African authorities to swiftly investigate this incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

"The Secretary-General reiterates the determination of MINUSCA to protect civilians and contribute to the stabilization of the Central African Republic," the statement said, adding that the UN chief urged all parties to cease violence and work together to bring peace and stability to the country.

Clashes between the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, which are mostly Christian, plunged the country of 4.5 million people into civil conflict in 2013.
Iraq: Ambiguity over legal age of marriage could devastate childhoods, warn UN officials

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 4 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Iraq: Ambiguity over legal age of marriage could devastate childhoods, warn UN officials, 4 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a26b7964.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Voicing concern over proposed amendments to laws governing marriage in Iraq - in particular the ambiguity over the legal age of marriage - senior United Nations officials called on the country to ensure adequate protection for children across Iraq.

"It is a matter of concern that these draft amendments are silent on the minimum age of consent to marriage and do not apply to all components of Iraqi society," said Representatives of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, and for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, in a statement, the Iraqi Council of Representative's approval in principle of the draft law - that does not explicitly set the minimum age of marriage to 18-years for both women and men - represents a significant step back from commitments to prevent and address sexual violence.

The two UN senior officials also raised fears of increase in divisions within the country at a time when Iraq is recovering from the conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or Da'esh).

They also cautioned that the proposed amendments could lead to possible breaches of Iraq's legally binding commitments under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

"My Office was repeatedly assured by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the Speaker of the Council of Representatives Salim al-Jabouri that the fulfilment of each of the pillars of the Joint Communique are essential to Iraq's post-Da'esh reconstruction," Ms. Patten stated.

A key pillar of the Joint Communique (signed by the Iraqi Foreign Minister with the UN, formally committing to prevent and address conflict-related sexual violence) is to 'support legislative and policy reform to strengthen protection from and service response to sexual violence crimes.

Noting that the boys and girls of Iraq, already victims of grave violations resulting from years of conflict with Da'esh, are now "at risk of being deprived of their childhood," Ms. Gamba called on the Government to "take all necessary actions to protect every child by preventing the adoption of policies that can harm children already exposed to armed conflict."
UN voices support for Somali Government's efforts at first-ever security conference in Mogadishu

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 4 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN voices support for Somali Government's efforts at first-ever security conference in Mogadishu, 4 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a26b8184.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

At Somalia's first-ever security conference, hosted by the country's Federal President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed "Farmaajo" in the capital, Mogadishu, participants agreed to speed up security sector reform and develop a plan to transfer primary responsibility for the country's security from the United Nations-backed African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to its own security forces.

"Security is our greatest requirement if this country is to realize its full potential," President Farmaajo said in his keynote address. "As a Government, we are absolutely determined to win the war against al-Shabaab and (Islamic State) with the full support of our international partners. Without security and counter-terrorism, there cannot be a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Somalia to which we all aspire."

The conference was jointly convened with the UN and the African Union (AU) and featured the participation of Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, the presidents of Somalia's five federal member states, cabinet ministers and a host of ambassadors and other senior representatives of the international community. The top UN official attending was the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Michael Keating.

In his remarks, Mr. Keatinig voiced support for the Federal Government's commitment to pursue a comprehensive approach to security in the country.

"Defeating al-Shabaab cannot be done exclusively by military means," he said. "Rule of law and policing are essential, stabilization activities [in recaptured areas] are essential. Countering and preventing violent extremism are also essential as well as addressing and solving the many conflicts around the country on which al-Shabaab and other extremists thrive."

The conference was organized as a follow-up to last May's London Conference on Somalia, which endorsed a landmark political agreement on a new national security architecture reached by federal and state leaders earlier this year and formally adopted a security pact for the country.

A communique issued at the end of the meeting identified three priority areas that require immediate action by Somali authorities with the support of the international community. These include the implementation of the approved national security architecture, the urgent development of a realistic, conditions-based transition plan to enable Somali security forces to take over primary responsibility from AMISOM for protecting the people and Government of Somalia, and continued international support to build the capacity of the country's security forces and institutions.

Security has been a major issue for the east African country, which has suffered a range of violent attacks linked to extremists. In mid-October, hundreds of civilians were killed and injured in a massive car bomb blast outside the entrance to a hotel in Mogadishu's K5 junction, which is home to government offices, hotels and restaurants.

Senior Somali Government officials and leading representatives of the international community will reconvene on Tuesday for a so-called Somalia Partnership Forum that will address the pressing humanitarian and development issues facing the country.
Paramount that civilians are protected in Yemen, underscores UN

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 4 December 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Paramount that civilians are protected in Yemen, underscores UN, 4 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a26b8844.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Voicing concern over the dramatic escalation in fighting in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and surrounding areas, that have reportedly killed about one hundred people and injured many more, the United Nations called on the parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure that civilians are not harmed.

"It is paramount that civilians are protected, that the wounded are afforded safe access to medical care, and that all sides facilitate life-saving humanitarian access," Stephane Dujarric, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told reporters Monday at a regular press briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York.

"We remind all parties to the conflict that deliberate attacks against civilians and against civilian and medical infrastructure are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes."

At the briefing, the UN spokesperson also said that relief workers in the city are not able to reach those in desperate need of help due to the sheer scale of violence and that there have been reports that ambulances have been attacked.

Renewing the Organization's call on warring parties for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sana'a, he added: "We cannot overemphasize that there is no military solution to the Yemen conflict. [We] stand ready to facilitate a negotiated political settlement that is inclusive, fair and sustainable."

Earlier today, Jamie McGoldrick, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, highlighted the severity of the crisis and called for an urgent humanitarian pause to allow civilians to seek assistance, aid workers to reach them, and for the wounded to be evacuated.

I call on all parties to the conflict to urgently enable a humanitarian pause on Tuesday, 5 December, between 10.00 AM and 16.00 PM to allow civilians to leave their homes and seek assistance and protection Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen

"The streets of Sana'a have become battlegrounds and people are trapped in their homes, unable to move out in search of safety and medical care and to access basic supplies such as food, fuel and safe water," he said in a statement.

"I call on all parties to the conflict to urgently enable a humanitarian pause on Tuesday, 5 December, between 10.00 AM and 16.00 PM to allow civilians to leave their homes and seek assistance and protection," he added.

Mr. McGoldrick also urged UN Member States with leverage on the parties to the conflict to step up their engagement "for the sake of the protection of the civilian population."

Further in the statement, the senior UN relief official also stressed that deliberate attacks against civilians, humanitarians and health-care personnel, as well as against civilian and medical infrastructure, are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes.

UN rights chief appoints experts to investigate violations and abuses in Yemen

In related news, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Monday appointed members to the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen, established by the Human Rights Council in September this year, to monitor and report on the situation in the war-torn country.

In the resolution, the Geneva-based Human Rights Council -the highest intergovernmental forum on human rights within the UN system - requested the experts to carry out a "comprehensive examination of all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights and other appropriate and applicable fields of international law committed by all parties to the conflict [] and to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations and abuses and, where possible, to identify those responsible."

The members appointed Monday are Kamel Jendoubi (Tunisia), who will serve as chairperson, Charles Garraway (United Kingdom) and Melissa Parke (Australia).

"The group's creation is an important step toward accountability and ending impunity for the serious violations of human rights committed by all sides in Yemen amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the country, and ensuring justice and remedy for the victims," said the UN rights chief, in a news release announcing the appointments.

According to the release, the experts will submit a comprehensive written report to the High Commissioner by September 2018.
Table of contents

Policy note for identification of MB6-01059/60 as a RAD Jurisprudential Guide

Full text of Decision MB6-01059/60 - Jurisprudential Guide

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ("the Act") requires the Immigration and Refugee Board ("IRB") to "deal with all proceedings before it as informally and quickly as the circumstances and the considerations of fairness and natural justice permit."Footnote 1 Ensuring the fair and efficient determination of refugee claims before the Refugee Protection Division ("RPD") and appeals before the Refugee Appeal Division ("RAD") is of great importance to the Board. The fair and efficient treatment of claims and appeals is essential to the IRB dealing with a significant backlog in the refugee determination continuum. The issuance of Jurisprudential Guides is meant to facilitate decision-making in both Divisions in a manner that meets the twin requirements of fairness and efficiency, enabling the IRB to discharge its statutory obligation set out above.

As indicated in the IRB's Policy on the Use of Jurisprudential Guides (Policy 2003-01, as amended on December 1, 2016) ("the Policy"), RPD and RAD members are expected to apply Jurisprudential Guides in cases with similar facts or provide reasoned justifications for not doing so.

Decision MB6-01059/60 provides a detailed, clear, and sound analysis of internal flight alternative in India for claimants from Punjab. The application of this Jurisprudential Guide in cases with similar facts will result in a consistent, fair, and efficient treatment of this issue by both the RPD and the RAD.

Therefore, on July 18, 2017 pursuant to section 159(1)(h) of the Act, and after consultation with the Deputy Chairpersons of the RPD and RAD, the Chairperson of the IRB identified the following RAD decision as a Jurisprudential Guide:

Decision MB6-01059/60 thoroughly analyzes the determinative issues that arise when considering an Internal Flight Alternative (IFA) for a claim from Punjab.

This Jurisprudential Guide guides RPD members (including members dealing with Legacy claims), in appropriate circumstances, to conduct more focused hearings by proceeding directly to an analysis of IFA within India without necessarily having to first decide the credibility of a claimant's allegations of persecution. If the RAD approach is not adopted the RPD member must explain why it is not applicable. The adoption of the RAD approach will, in appropriate circumstances, promote fairness, consistency and efficiency in conducting hearings and writing reasons.

This Jurisprudential Guide also guides RAD members, in appropriate circumstances, to issue more focused reasons by adopting the IFA analysis in MB6-01059/60 when dealing with appeals where allegations of persecution in Punjab and an IFA in India are at issue, or to explain why it is not applicable. The adoption of this approach will, in appropriate circumstances, promote fairness, consistency, efficiency in writing reasons.

The key determination in this Jurisprudential Guide is a determination of mixed law and fact. In order to ensure this Jurisprudential Guide remains relevant and useful to the work of the RPD and RAD, the Research Directorate of the IRB is required to monitor and report to the RAD Deputy Chairperson any developments in the country of origin information that could have an impact on the factual foundation that underlies this Jurisprudential Guide.

Source: http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/Eng/BoaCom/references/pol/notes/Pages/NoteMB6-01059-60.aspx

Private Proceeding

Reasons and Decision

Person(s) who is(are) the subject of the appeal:

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

XXXX XXXX

Appeal considered / heard at:

Montreal, Quebec

Date of decision:

February 6, 2017

Panel:

Me Patricia O'Connor

Counsel for the person(s) who is(are) the subject of the appeal:

Maria Esposito

Designated representative:

N/A

Counsel for the Minister:

N/A

Reasons and Decision

I. Introduction

[1] XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX (the Appellants), citizens of India, appeal a decision of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) rendered on February 1, 2016, denying their claim for refugee protection.

[2] The Appellants do not request to submit new evidence in support of their appeal nor do they request a hearing before the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD).

[3] The Appellants request that the RAD set aside the determination of the RPD and find that they are Convention refugees pursuant to section 96 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

II. Determination

[4] Pursuant to ss. 111(1)(a) of the IRPA, the RAD confirms the determination of the RPD, namely that XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX are neither Convention refugees pursuant to s. 96 of the IRPA nor persons in need of protection pursuant to s. 97 of the IRPA.

[5] The appeal is dismissed.

III. Background

a. Basis of claim

[6] According to the Basis of Claim (BOC) form, the Appellants are a married couple who hail from the district of XXXX, Punjab, India.

[7] The Appellants own both a farmhouse and a home in the village. On occasion, they have allowed friends and people connected to their friends to stay at their farmhouse, in their absence.

[8] On XXXX XXXX, 2014, some people were staying at the Appellants' farmhouse in their absence when it was raided by the police. The people managed to escape during the raid but left behind a black bag containing weapons and ammunition which was found by the police. Later, the police apprehended the male Appellant at his home in the village. He was brought to the police station where he was detained, tortured and accused of helping militants. He was released on XXXX XXXX, 2014, following the payment of a bribe. The police told the male Appellant that he must collaborate with them by obtaining further information about the militants.

[9] Following his release, the male Appellant sought medical treatment for 7 days. Once he returned home, the police subjected him to ongoing harassment and searched his home.

[10] On XXXX XXXX, 2014, four men presented at the Appellants' village home demanding to retrieve the black bag. Upon learning that the police were in possession of the black bag, the men beat the male Appellant and demanded that he recover the bag or pay them a substantial amount of money.

[11] On XXXX XXXX, 2014, two of the men returned to the Appellants' home to retrieve the black bag but fled once the police arrived. Once again, the male Appellant was detained and his village home was raided. He was released on condition that he remain in the vicinity, report to the police on a monthly basis and pay a bribe.

[12] Following his release, the male Appellant was hospitalized for one week. Once he returned home, he was subjected to police surveillance. On XXXX XXXX, 2014, the male Appellant went to stay with his cousin in XXXX, Uttar Pradesh.

[13] On XXXX XXXX, 2015, the police raided the Appellants' home. They detained the female Appellant who was tortured and subjected to sexual assault. The female Appellant was released on XXXX XXXX XXXX 2015, upon payment of a bribe and both of the Appellants' passports were seized. She then joined her husband in XXXX.

[14] The Appellants' cousin contacted an agent to make the necessary arrangements for them to leave Canada. The agent retrieved the Appellants' passports which were held by the police, after paying a bribe.

[15] As per the instruction of the agent, the Appellants relocated to XXXX on XXXX XXXX, 2015. They remained in XXXX until the agent facilitated their departure to Canada on XXXX XXXX, 2015.

b. The RPD decision

[16] On February 1, 2016, the RPD rejected the Appellants' refugee claim, concluding that they are neither Convention refugees nor persons in need of protection. The RPD concluded that the Appellants' evidence lacked credibility based on omissions, vague and changeable testimony and implausibilities. Moreover, the RPD accorded no probative weight to documentary evidence submitted by the Appellants.

[17] In the alternative, the RPD held that even if it had found the Appellants' evidence to be credible, they can avail themselves of an Internal Flight Alternative (IFA) in Delhi or Mumbai.

c. Grounds of Appeal

[18] The Appellants submits the following issues on appeal:Footnote 1

Did the RPD err in the assessment of the Appellants' credibility?

Is the finding that there is no objective fear supported by the evidence?

Did the RPD err by not proceeding with an analysis of State protection?

Did the RPD err in finding that the Appellants have an IFA in Delhi or Mumbai?

[19] I consider that the determinative issue on Appeal is whether the Appellants benefit from an IFA. As such, it is unnecessary to assess whether the RPD erred with respect to the other issues raised by the Appellant.Footnote 2

IV. Scope of the RAD Appeal

[20] The IRPA sets out grounds for appeal and possible remedies. However, it does not specify the standard by which the RAD is to review the decision of the RPD.

[21] The Appellants submit that the RAD has authority to intervene in the present appeal based on a reasonableness standard of review.Footnote 3

[22] In cases which raise no issue with respect to the credibility of oral evidence, the Federal Court of Appeal in HuruglicaFootnote 4 held that the role of the RAD is to intervene when the RPD is wrong in law, in fact or in mixed fact and law. In such cases, the RAD is to apply the correctness standard of review.Footnote 5 Gauthier, J. states as follows:

"[A]fter carefully considering the RPD decision, the RAD carries out its own analysis of the record to determine whether, as submitted by the Appellant, the RPD erred. Having done this, the RAD is to provide a final determination, either by confirming the RPD decision or setting it aside and substituting its own determination of the merits of the refugee claim. It is only when the RAD is of the opinion that it cannot provide such a final determination without hearing the oral evidence presented to the RPD that the matter can be referred back to the RPD for redetermination."Footnote 6

[23] As noted above, I consider that the availability of an IFA is the determinative issue. In this case, the IFA analysis does not raise any issue with respect to the credibility of oral evidence so I will apply the correctness standard of review in the present appeal.

V. Analysis

[24] After conducting my own analysis of the record, I find that the RPD did not err in concluding that an IFA is available to the Appellants' in Delhi or Mumbai. Given the existence of an IFA, the Appellants are not refugees or persons in need of protection.

[25] I turn now to explain my reasons for reaching this conclusion.

The IFA test

[26] It is settled law that the onus is on the Applicant to demonstrate that it is unreasonable to seek refuge in a different part of their country before resorting to international protection.Footnote 7

[27] This assessment is based on a two prong test. First, the RPD must be satisfied on a balance of probabilities that there is no serious possibility of the Applicant being persecuted in the part of the country to which it finds that the IFA exists. Secondly, the conditions in that part of the country must be such that it would not be unreasonable in all the circumstances, for the Applicant to seek refuge there.Footnote 8

First prong of the test: No serious possibility of persecution in the part of the country in which an IFA exists

[28] At the RPD hearing, the Appellants' argued that they cannot benefit from an IFA in Delhi or Mumbai because the Punjab police will kill them upon their return to India. They submit that this threat extends throughout India, given the existence of a tenant verification system requiring landlords to register their tenants at the nearest police station. If they relocate to a different part of India, the landlord will ask for their identification to be verified and during this process the police will "find out where [they] are" and will "send the information to the other police."Footnote 9

[29] After examining the evidence, the RPD held on a balance of probabilities that there is no serious possibility of the Appellants being persecuted if they return to India and relocate to Delhi or Mumbai.

[30] In reaching this conclusion, the RPD considered the following:

While the Appellants maintain that the Punjab police will kill them upon their return to India, they have not established that the police in Punjab would pursue them to Mumbai or Delhi;

Police in Punjab have the ability and authority to track suspects who move to other states. However, this occurs only in extreme cases. The Appellants' evidence is that the police in Punjab released the male Appellant from custody on two occasions. Each time, he was expected to gather information about militants with whom he was imputed to be involved. There is no evidence to suggest that the male Appellant is the primary target of an investigation by the Punjab police.

When the female Appellant was arrested, the Punjab police seized the passports belonging to both Appellants. When the agent later paid a bribe to the police, the passports were released. In such circumstances, the police were reasonably aware that the Appellants were planning to leave but there is no evidence that they did anything to intervene.

After fleeing their home, the Appellants lived with a relative in XXXX XXXX for three months and then spent six months living in XXXX while waiting for the agent to make arrangements for their departure to Canada. During this period, there is no evidence to suggest that the police made efforts outside of Punjab to locate them or that they had an interest in pursuing them to another State.

There is also no indication that the Appellants have a profile warranting the Punjab police to obtain interstate cooperation.

The Appellants state that the tenant registry system in India requires house owners to submit tenant information to local police. However, source information points to the fact that records are checked and cross-checked only in cases of serious crimes. This does not correspond to the Appellants' situation because there is no evidence that they have been formally charged with serious crimes, there is no indication that a First Information Report (FIR) was made, and there is no evidence that police in Punjab informed Federal authorities about their suspected militant involvement.

The Appellants obtained visas to Canada using their own valid passports in a transparent manner. They left India without any problem.

The Appellants have provided no evidence to suggest that their names appear on a wanted list or that they are suspected of serious crimes. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that the police in Delhi or Mumbai would contact the police in Punjab. As such, the Appellants have not proven that the tenant verification system will place them at risk.

Although the Appellants provided evidence pointing to the fact that Punjab is experiencing an increased level of unrest, the evidence does not establish that individuals from Punjab face increased scrutiny when they relocate to other States in India.

The Appellants were asked if the militants pose a risk to them if they relocate to Mumbai or Delhi. The male Appellant stated that he did not know. Counsel representing the Appellants pleaded that the militants could locate the Appellants as they have land and children in Punjab. The RPD found this submission speculative as it did not form part of the evidence.

[31] On appeal, it is submitted that the RPD erred in assessing the viability of the IFA. It is argued that since the agent of persecution is the police in India which has executive authority, it stands to follow that an Internal Flight Alternative is non-existent for the Appellants in India.Footnote 10

[32] Having reviewed the record and listened to the audio recording of the RPD hearing, I conclude that this submission has no merit.

India does not have a National police force

[33] I begin my analysis by noting that contrary to the Appellants' submissions, India does not have a National police force. Rather, information gleaned from the Home Office of the UK Border Agency points to the fact that each State in India has a separate police force which is unconnected.Footnote 11

The tenant registration system in India does not result in a serious possibility of persecution for the Appellants

[34] The Appellants' have provided cogent documentary evidence establishing that landlords are under the obligation to register tenants in India.Footnote 12 This practice usually consists of landlords registering their tenants at the nearest police station where the police keep records about tenant information.Footnote 13 This process is considered mandatory in some cities including Delhi and Mumbai even though a lot of landlords do not register their tenants and compliance with the tenant registration process varies from State to State.Footnote 14

[35] As such, I agree that the Appellants will be subject to a police verification process if they lease a dwelling in Delhi or Mumbai.

[36] However, my review of the documentary evidence also leads to the conclusion that in the present case, the tenant verification process will not lead the police in Delhi or Mumbai to communicate or cross-check information with the police in Punjab. More specifically, a review of the documentary evidence reveals that there is minimal inter-state police communication in India except for cases of major crime. I make this statement based on the following:

Information gleaned from sources in a Response to Information Request (RIR) addressing the situation of Sikhs outside the State of Punjab and their ability to relocate, Footnote 15 reveals that Sikhs do not generally face difficulties relocating to other areas of India. In order for the Punjab police to track suspects who move to other States in India, they must have the cooperation of the police in the other State. Police would likely only collaborate and track someone in extreme cases. Footnote 16

reveals that Sikhs do not generally face difficulties relocating to other areas of India. In order for the Punjab police to track suspects who move to other States in India, they must have the cooperation of the police in the other State. Police would likely only collaborate and track someone in extreme cases. I note that another RIR specifically examines the level of communication between police officers across India, Footnote 17 revealing that there is no central police database at the local police station. It is considered to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to locate an individual as a result of a security check, unless there is a match between a local police station and the subject of a security check. Footnote 18

revealing that there is no central police database at the local police station. It is considered to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to locate an individual as a result of a security check, unless there is a match between a local police station and the subject of a security check. Another RIR dated May 13, 2013, addresses the issue of police communication and collaboration between stations, Footnote 19 noting that there is collaboration between the police in Punjab and Delhi to find persons of interest. Footnote 20 More specifically, police communicate with each other across different cities or States to find criminal suspects, witnesses of crimes and potential threats to national security. Footnote 21

noting that there is collaboration between the police in Punjab and Delhi to find persons of interest. More specifically, police communicate with each other across different cities or States to find criminal suspects, witnesses of crimes and potential threats to national security. Information from the Home Office of the UK Border AgencyFootnote 22 states that "India still lacks a nationwide crime database, leaving State police stations as virtually unconnected islands."

[37] A more recent RIR dated May 10, 2016, provides updated information as to whether police across India can locate individuals as a result of registration requirements for employment, housing, education, security checks and surveillance technology.Footnote 23 This RIR post-dates the RPD hearing in the present case. Therefore, the Appellant was given the opportunity to present submissions with respect to the information found in the document.

[38] On January 19, 2017, the Appellants' counsel submitted that the information contained in the RIR is simply an opinion expressed by the people who were contacted by the Research Directorate. This is not conclusive information on which to base a refugee claim and should be given low probative value. It is also argued that the Appellants' are suspected of terrorist involvement. According to the RIR, there is inter-state communication between police in India for cases involving serious crime.

[39] I note that information gleaned from the May 10, 2016 RIR reveals that in India, "there is little inter-state police communication except for cases of major crimes like smuggling, terrorism, and some high profile organised crime."Footnote 24 Moreover, it is mentioned that "police stations across India are virtually unconnected islands in the case of crime and criminal tracking. There is no system of effective data storage [] sharing and accessing data and there is no single system by which a police unit can talk to another directly."Footnote 25 Moreover, programs aimed at linking databases have been stalled for years in India. Some information is shared on the Zonal Integrated Police Network (ZIPNET) however ZIPNET is focused on information related to heinous cases, most wanted criminals, missing and found children, unidentified dead bodies or persons found; and stolen, unclaimed vehicles.Footnote 26

[40] It is plain to see that the documentary evidence points to the fact that the police in Delhi or Mumbai would not contact the Punjab police in the course of the tenant registration process.

[41] I also consider that the Appellants' profile is not of sufficient gravity to lead the police in Punjab to want to pursue the Appellants across State lines in Delhi or Mumbai. To reiterate, documentary evidence points to the fact that the current practice in India is only to track down individuals across State lines in the most extreme of cases.Footnote 27 This type of exceptional situation does not correspond to the Appellants' profile since there is no indication that the Appellants' are a serious threat or involved in serious crimes or perceived to be involved in serious crimes to the extent that they would be pursued anywhere in India.

[42] All things considered, the Appellants' have failed to demonstrate on a balance of probabilities that they face a serious possibility of being persecuted in Delhi or Mumbai notwithstanding the existence of the tenant registration process in India.

Second prong of the IFA test: Is it objectively unreasonable or unduly harsh for the Appellants' to seek refuge in the region of Delhi or Mumbai?

[43] Next, the RPD considered the second prong of the IFA test and concluded that the Appellants failed to prove on a balance of probabilities that it is objectively unreasonable or unduly harsh for them to seek refuge in the region of Delhi or Mumbai, having regard to all the circumstances of the case.

[44] The Appellants' did not articulate any submissions to challenge this finding.

[45] I begin my analysis by noting that case law sets out a very high threshold when determining whether the proposed IFA is unreasonable or unduly harsh. In Thirunavukkarasu,Footnote 28 the Federal Court of Appeal states the following:

"[If] there is a safe haven for claimants in their own country, where they would be free of persecution, they are expected to avail themselves of it unless they can show that it is objectively unreasonable for them to do so."

[46] In the present file, the Appellants' evidence is that they are a married Sikh couple. Upon questioning at the hearing, they did not identify any particular problems relocating to Delhi or Mumbai other than their past experience with the police.

[47] Objectively speaking, I note that information gleaned from the May 13, 2013 RIR indicates that almost every major Indian city has a large and strong Sikh community.Footnote 29 Sikhs throughout India face little discrimination. Several sources cited in the May 13, 2013 RIR reveal that Sikh minorities living in States outside Punjab have access to housing, employment, health care, education and have the freedom to practice their religion. Moreover, they do not face difficulties when they relocate to other areas of India.Footnote 30

[48] In sum, I have considered the personal situation of the Appellants' and the documentary evidence including the country conditions that prevail for Sikhs who relocate in India. My analysis of the evidence leads me to conclude that the Appellants' have failed to prove on a balance of probabilities that it would be unreasonable or result in undue hardship if they seek refuge in the proposed IFA.

VI. Remedies

[49] In conclusion, I have independently analyzed the record, listened to the audio recording, considered the Appellants' arguments and reviewed the RPD decision. On the whole, I find that the RPD did not err in reaching the conclusion that the Appellants' benefit from an IFA. Simply put, I find on a balance of probabilities there is no serious possibility of persecution or harm if the Appellants' moves to Delhi or Mumbai. Moreover, the Appellants' did not demonstrate that it would be objectively unreasonable or unduly harsh for them to relocate to Delhi or Mumbai. This finding is determinative of the appeal.

[50] For all these reasons, I confirm the decision of the RPD in accordance with ss. 111(1)(a) of the IRPA, namely that XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX are neither Convention refugees nor persons in need of protection.

[51] The appeal is dismissed.

Signed:

Me Patricia O'Connor

Date:

February 6, 2017
Decision TB6-11632 (Jurisprudential Guide, in private) Heard at Refugee Appeals Division, Toronto, Ontario

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 30 November 2016 Citation / Document Symbol TB6-11632 Cite as Decision TB6-11632 (Jurisprudential Guide, in private) Heard at Refugee Appeals Division, Toronto, Ontario, TB6-11632, Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 30 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/cases,IRBC,5a26dd124.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Comments Jurisprudential Guide: Analysis of whether a person wanted by the authorities can exit China via an airport using a genuine passport. Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Table of Contents:

Policy note for identification of TB6-11632 as a RAD Jurisprudential Guide

Full text of Decision TB6-11632 - Jurisprudential Guide

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ("the Act") requires the Immigration and Refugee Board ("IRB") to "deal with all proceedings before it as informally and quickly as the circumstances and the considerations of fairness and natural justice permit."Footnote 1 Ensuring the fair and efficient determination of refugee claims before the Refugee Protection Division ("RPD") and appeals before the Refugee Appeal Division ("RAD") is of great importance to the Board. The fair and efficient treatment of claims and appeals is essential to the IRB dealing with a significant backlog in the refugee determination continuum. The issuance of Jurisprudential Guides is meant to facilitate decision-making in both Divisions in a manner that meets the twin requirements of fairness and efficiency, enabling the IRB to discharge its statutory obligation set out above. As indicated in the IRB's Policy on the Use of Jurisprudential Guides (Policy 2003-01, as amended on December 1, 2016) ("the Policy"), RPD and RAD members are expected to apply Jurisprudential Guides in cases with similar facts or provide reasoned justifications for not doing so. Decision TB6-11632 provides a detailed, clear, and sound analysis of Chinese exit control procedures and the ability for those being sought by the authorities to exit China via an airport using a genuine passport. The application of this Jurisprudential Guide in cases with similar facts will result in a consistent, fair, and efficient treatment of this issue by both the RPD and the RAD. Therefore, on July 18, 2017 pursuant to section 159(1)(h) of the Act, and after consultation with the Deputy Chairpersons of the RPD and RAD, the Chairperson of the IRB identified the following RAD decision as a Jurisprudential Guide: TB6-11632

Scope: Analysis of whether a person wanted by the authorities can exit China via an airport using a genuine passport. Decision TB6-11632 thoroughly analyzes the efficacy of the Chinese national computer network known as the Golden Shield Project, as well as the efficacy of other procedures in controlling exits from airports in China. The analysis at paragraphs 12-22 and 25-34 forms the basis of this Jurisprudential Guide and is relevant when considering a claimant's allegations regarding their ability to exit China from an airport using a genuine passport. Given that China is consistently a top intake country the current Jurisprudential Guide should find wide application within the RPD and RAD. This Jurisprudential Guide guides RPD members (including members dealing with Legacy claims), in appropriate circumstances, to adopt the RAD's approach on these issues or to explain why it is not applicable. Chinese claims are frequently complex and lengthy. The adoption of the RAD approach on exit from China by air, in appropriate circumstances, will promote fairness, consistency, and efficiency in conducting hearings and writing reasons. This Jurisprudential Guide also guides RAD members, in appropriate circumstances, to adopt this approach on these issues or to explain why it is not applicable. The adoption of this approach on exit from China by air, in appropriate circumstances, will promote fairness, consistency, and efficiency in writing reasons. The key determination in this Jurisprudential Guide is one of fact that may be applicable to a large number of claims, in that it is a determination in relation to an aspect of the Chinese government's public security infrastructure and how it operates. In order to ensure this Jurisprudential Guide remains relevant and useful to the work of the RPD and RAD, the Research Directorate of the IRB is required to monitor and report to the RAD Deputy Chairperson any developments in the country of origin information that could have an impact on the factual foundation that underlies this Jurisprudential Guide. Footnotes Footnote 1 S.162(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Source: http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/Eng/BoaCom/references/pol/notes/Pages/NoteTB6-11632.aspx

Private Proceeding

Reasons and Decision

Person(s) who is(are) the subject of the appeal:

XXXX XXXX

Appeal considered / heard at:

Toronto, Ontario

Date of decision:

November 30, 2016

Panel:

Leonard Favreau

Counsel for the person(s) who is(are) the subject of the appeal:

Elyse Korman, Barrister and Solicitor

Designated Representative(s):

N/A

Counsel for the Minister:

N/A

Reasons for Decision

[1] XXXX XXXX (the "Appellant") is a citizen of China. He appeals a decision of the Refugee Protection Division ( RPD ) denying his claim for refugee protection. He has not submitted new evidence in support of his appeal. He asks that the Refugee Appeal Division ( RAD ) set aside the decision of the RPD and substitute its own decision that he is a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection or, in the alternative, refer his claim back to the RPD for redetermination.

Determination

[2] Pursuant to subsection 111(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ( IRPA ), the RAD confirms the determination of the RPD and dismisses the appeal.

Background

[3] The Appellant alleged before the RPD that he came to Canada in XXXX 2014 on a work visa. He returned to China in XXXX 2014. He fears persecution in China because the Public Security Bureau ( PSB ) learned that he had brought a copy of the book, Zhuan Falun, from Canada into China for his mother-in-law who is a Falun Gong practitioner. The Appellant went into hiding, and the PSB returned to his home on several occasions demanding that he surrender. Fearing for his safety, the Appellant left China and came to Canada with the help of a smuggler. Shortly after his arrival in Canada, he initiated his claim for refugee protection. Since arriving in Canada, the Appellant learned that his mother-in-law was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of XXXX years because of her illegal Falun Gong practice.

[4] The Appellant's application for refugee protection was heard July 20, 2016. In a decision of August 2, 2016, the RPD rejected the Appellant's claim, finding that the Appellant was not credible.

[5] The Appellant submits that the RPD erred in its assessment of his credibility.

Role of the RAD

[6] The RAD finds that the Federal Court of Appeal's decision, in Huruglica,Footnote 1 provides the RAD with guidance in relation to the appropriate standard that must be applied by a specialized tribunal, such as the RAD , to decisions of a first-level administrative tribunal.

[7] The RAD concludes from its statutory analysis that, with respect to findings of fact (and mixed fact and law), the RAD is to review RPD decisions applying the correctness standard. Thus, after carefully considering the RPD 's decision, the RAD carries out its own analysis of the record to determine whether, as submitted by the Appellant, the RPD erred.

Analysis of the Merits of the Appeal

Credibility

[8] The Appellant submits that, although the RPD made several adverse credibility findings, he is only contesting the RPD 's findings with respect to his exit from China and the assessment of the summons that was tendered in support of his claim. He argues that these findings were determinative of his claim for refugee protection.

Exit from China

[9] The RPD drew an adverse credibility finding based on the Appellant's ability to travel out of China using a passport in his own name, given that he has alleged that the PSB were actively pursuing him to arrest him for bringing Falun Gong material into China. The RPD found that, despite his allegations that he used a smuggler, it was not plausible that he was able to bypass all of the security measures in place.

[10] The Appellant submits that the RPD 's finding was premised on the speculative assumption that his smuggler did not have the means to ensure his unobstructed passage out of China. He argues that the RPD failed to appreciate that the whole purpose of hiring a smuggler is to accomplish what he could not do on his own. He further argues that the RPD 's findings that there is corruption and bribery in China belies its conclusion that his story is implausible.

[11] He argues that he paid a significant sum to the smuggler and given that the smuggler's entire enterprise is based on spiriting individuals out of China, it is reasonable to assume that he had the means of either avoiding detection or ensuring the consent of the necessary airport officials.

[12] The RAD is not persuaded by the Appellant's argument in this regard. The RAD finds, after its own assessment of the evidence, that it agrees with the RPD that the Appellant could not have left China using his genuine passport given his allegations that the PSB wanted to arrest him.

[13] The documentary evidence reveals that the Chinese government has a national computer network known as the Golden Shield Project,Footnote 2and the PSB has access to a national policing database, which includes information about criminal fugitives and information on passports and exit and entry. The Golden Shield incorporated extensive tracking and control mechanisms including facial recognition surveillance technology.

[14] The RAD also notes, from its own review and assessment of the evidence, that the Exit and Entry Administration Law of China, which came into force on 1 July 2013, states that Chinese citizens who exit or enter China shall submit their exit/entry documents such as passports or other travel documents to the exit/entry border inspection authorities for examination, go through the prescribed formalities, and may exit or enter upon examination and approval.

[15] According to the evidence in the National Documentation Package ( NDP ) in the record, a Canadian Embassy official states that upon departure, a person may be requested to produce their passport four times in the airport. The embassy official also indicated that the passport is scanned at two of these times: at the airline check-in counter and at the immigration departure counter. The source mentioned that the passenger's airline ticket is scanned when entering the "secure transit area" and at the airline boarding gate. Footnote 3

[16] Furthermore, in correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of Air Canada who works in the area of airline facilitation indicated that upon check-in, the person's passport is scanned  the machine-readable zone (MRZ) of the passport contains the advanced passenger information ( API ), which is gathered by the airline. Passengers leaving China must pass through exit immigration control points where passengers are seen by Chinese immigration agents prior to approaching the boarding gate.

[17] In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an assistant director responsible for aviation security and facilitation at the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ) indicated that, to the best of the source's knowledge, the departure procedure at airports in China seems to involve three steps: 1) check-in; 2) immigration; and 3) security and that, at all three locations, passengers are required to show their passports. Usually, at check-in, the Advanced Passenger Information System ( APIS ) info is input, manually or through by scanning; at immigration by physical inspection, and at security checkpoint by matching passport info with boarding card for verification, either using barcode readers on the boarding pass or just a visual check (with a stamp on the boarding pass). Footnote 4

[18] The documentary evidence also states that Chinese citizens are not allowed to exit China if they are suspects or defendants in criminal cases. The same article states that:

If a foreigner or a Chinese citizen must be prevented from leaving China at a border control station, the people's court accepting the case shall report up the hierarchy to the High People's Court, and a written notification of preventing person from departing through entry-exit port shall be issued by the Highest People's Court, and work with the public security organ of the corresponding level for handle control formalities. If the control port is not within the same province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the central government, the public security organ in the relevant province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the central government shall be contacted for the handle control formalities. Under emergency situations, if necessary, may first have the border control prevent departure and complete control formalities later.Footnote 5

[19] The panel also notes that the documentation states that security officials have access to the Public Security Bureau of China's online database of citizens who have been convicted of crimes or are wanted by the authorities (also known as Policenet or the Golden Shield).Footnote 6 In particular, the RAD notes that the system has been used to track down Falun Gong practitioners. The Chinese economist writing in Open Magazine affirms that Cisco's Policenet has been helping the [Chinese Communist Party]'s public security organs to ferret out political dissidents and Falun Gong practitioners for years (17 Feb. 2010).Footnote 7

Information Sharing by Public Security Officials

In 10 February 2014 correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Executive Director of the Dui Hua Foundation affirmed that airport security officials have access to the Public Security Bureau of China's online database of citizens who have been convicted of crimes or are wanted by the authorities [also known as Policenet or the Golden Shield]. Similarly, the representative of the Laogai Research Foundation stated that reports on "experiences of activists who have been detained while trying to board an international flight provide clear evidence that airport officials are connected to Policenet" (26 Feb. 2014). A colleague of Cao Shunli, who was also prevented from travelling to Geneva for the human rights training in September 2013, later publicized her own experience at the airport in Guangdong ( HRIC 11 Oct. 2013). According to the Laogai research Foundation, the colleague indicates that when her passport was swiped by airport authorities,

Scanning equipment immediately made noises alerting airport officials that she was wanted by police. She was subsequently detained in the Guangdong Baiyun Airport and told that Shanghai police would not let her leave. She was then transported from Guangdong to Shanghai for detention and questioning. This woman's experience provides concrete evidence of airport officials coordinating with police departments in tracking and detaining a political dissident. (26 Feb. 2014)Footnote 8

Security and Exit Control Procedures

The representative of the Laogai Research Foundation wrote that the Chinese government checks the passports of citizens attempting to leave the country in order to ensure that they are suitable for foreign travel. Customs officials stamp the passports of citizens approved for foreign travel. Public security officials often confiscate passports held by individuals deemed unsuitable for foreign travel. (23 Feb. 2014).Footnote 9

[20] An undated article on the website of the Ministry of Public Security, entitled: "Deepening the Implementation of the 'Golden Shield' Project" states that all police units nationwide have access to eight public security databases, including the "National Basic Population Information Database" (China n.d.). Also accessible through the databases is information on household registration [hukou], border exit and entry, road traffic, and criminal investigations.Footnote 10

[21] In addition, the representative of the Laogai Research Foundation stated that the Golden Shield incorporates extensive tracking and control mechanisms such as real-name online registration requirements, GPS monitoring, and facial recognition surveillance technology in a multi-pronged approach to identify potentially disruptive individuals. Policenet, a component of the Golden Shield, stores a wealth of information on Chinese citizens and connects the various agencies and levels of command within the public security apparatus. This integrated system enables Chinese public security forces to effectively target and neutralize political dissidents.Footnote 11

[22] The Appellant has alleged he left China from the Beijing Airport. According the NDP , facial recognition technology is in place at the Beijing Airport. A 2009 article by China Daily indicates that, as of September 2009, Beijing Capital International Airport has used facial recognition systems to "stop people from pretending to be airport staff and sneaking into restricted areas". Similarly, the Canadian embassy official indicated that Beijing international airport has a facial recognition system "used by airport staff passing between the secure transit and public sections of the terminal" [w]hen passengers [pass] through [the] immigration counter, they [are] photographed by a mini-camera to record each passenger's face. Facial recognition technology is applied to the images; however, it is unclear as to the total scope of the database against which the images are assessed. Footnote 12

[23] The RAD notes that the Appellant's allegation was that the smuggler arranged for his safe passage because he had "already bribed customs". The RAD also notes that the Appellant also testified that he presented his passport for inspection four different times. The RAD also finds that the Appellant's evidence of the smuggler's actions was vague and lacking detail. The RAD finds that the Appellant's evidence that the smuggler bribed customs does not account for the additional levels of security screening that the Appellant was subjected to including check-in, immigration and security. The RAD notes that the Appellant had no knowledge that officials other than "customs" were bribed. The RAD finds it is reasonable to expect that an individual who is trying to avoid arrest and detention by leaving the country would want to know what services the smuggler he was engaging was able to provide and what steps would be taken to ensure his safe passage from China. The RAD finds it makes little sense that the Appellant would simply put his life in the hands of an unknown smuggler without receiving detailed information on the plan that was to be undertaken to exit the country. The RAD finds that the lack of detail regarding the actions of the smuggler provided by the Appellant undermines his allegations that he was assisted by a smuggler.

[24] In addition, his explanation that the smuggler bribed customs also does not account for the additional level of screening conducted by the airline at the gate. Furthermore, the RAD notes that the Appellant's explanation does not account for how he was able to by-pass the covert facial recognition system. The RAD finds that his explanation that he was able to by-pass all the security measures in place because the smuggler was able to bribe "customs" is not credible.

[25] The Appellant relies on recent Federal Court decisions in Sun,Footnote 13 Ren,Footnote 14 YaoFootnote 15 and YangFootnote 16 to support his argument that the RPD 's finding is unreasonable.

[26] The RAD finds that the facts in SunFootnote 17 and RenFootnote 18 can be distinguished from the facts in the present case in that there is insufficient evidence in the present case which establishes that the "smuggler" bribed individuals at each of the security layers in place. The RAD also finds that suggestion, as set out in Ren,Footnote 19 that bribing "one person with a computer would be sufficient" to allow the Appellant to exit China without difficulty, is not applicable in the circumstances of this case.

[27] The RAD finds that the suggestion implies that one bribe could facilitate the removal of police interest in the Appellant from the Golden Shield computer system. The RAD notes that the Appellant alleges that the smuggler accompanied him throughout his travel from China to Toronto. If the smuggler was able to bribe an official to alter computerized records of the police interest in the Appellant, the RAD finds it makes little sense that the smuggler would place himself at risk by accompanying the Appellant through the airport and onto the aircraft when there was no need. Furthermore, the Appellant's allegation that the police have continued to look for him in China since his arrival in Canada undermines the argument that his name would somehow be removed from the system.

[28] In addition, the RAD finds that evidence reveals that the Golden Shield system is an extensive security apparatus that is far-reaching and encompassing. The RAD finds that, given the importance of this system to Chinese authorities in monitoring its citizens, it is reasonable to expect that the use of the apparatus is also monitored and that there are redundant systems in place to prevent the system from being compromised by a single individual.

[29] The RAD also finds that the facts in YangFootnote 20 can be distinguished from the facts in the present case. The RAD notes that, in Yang,Footnote 21 the tribunal did not address the Applicant's specific evidence that the customs officer did not scan her passport or type anything into the computer but merely stamped the passport. The Court held that, if believed, the tribunal had the responsibility to explain why it believed that the applicant still could not have exited China safely. If not believed, the tribunal had the responsibility to explain why that evidence was not credible.

[30] In the present case, the RAD notes that the Appellant's evidence with regard to how he was able to exit was scant. The RAD has found his explanation of how the smuggler by-passed all of the security measures in place was not credible.

[31] The RAD finds that, while the Federal Court, in Yao,Footnote 22 found that it was possible for a wanted person to exit China safely using the services of a smuggler, there are a number of Federal Court decisions which support the RAD 's finding in this regard. In particular, the RAD notes the Refugee Appeal Division's decision of X (Re), 2015 CanLII 72857 ( CA IRB ), addressing similar circumstances:

API [advance passenger information] requirements which have been in effect for years, in conjunction with the highly effective Golden Shield program, makes it, on a balance of probabilities, unlikely a wanted person could depart China from an international airport using a passport with his own name, date of birth, and photograph in it. The likelihood of bribing so many people as would be involved in a person's departure is miniscule. From the person selling the ticket, to the check in counter, to the security checkpoint, the customs and immigration people onto the person who checks the Boarding pass, all of these people may be randomly in place and make it nearly impossible for anyone to know who to bribe at what point. It is simply implausible that a wanted man will escape China on his own legitimate documents.Footnote 23

[32] This finding is also supported by Federal Court decisions (Zeng, Su, and Cao),Footnote 24 in which the Federal Court has supported findings that traveling unimpeded through Chinese exit controls is inconsistent with being wanted by Chinese authorities. The RAD finds that the objective evidence concerning the Golden Shield and other border controls in place in China is compelling and convincing. While it might be possible for a smuggler to bypass some of the security controls, the RAD finds that, based on the evidence in the record, it is highly unlikely that the Appellant could have bypassed all of the security controls in place.

[33] While there is documentary evidence that indicates that corruption exists within the police in China and that authorities in China do not always apply regulations evenly, the RAD finds that the preponderance of the documentary evidence does state that authorities at borders conduct thorough screenings. The panel has considered that documentary evidence states that the Chinese authorities issue travel documents much more easily than a few years ago. However, it is noted that certain individuals are still excluded, including those who have been convicted or who are being monitored by the police. As well, in March 2008, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China ( CAAC ), China's aviation regulator, reportedly introduced new security regulations. The regulations prohibit "easy boarding" services, which had previously allowed passengers to obtain faster security checks and priority boarding. According to a March 27, 2008 article by the Chinese Xinhua News Service, the CAAC has also requested that all international airlines provide "accurate", "complete" and "timely" information on passengers and airline staff to the Chinese border authorities. According to the Appellant, he left China using his own name with his own passport. This information would have been provided to Chinese authorities by the airline which he traveled on. The requested information includes name, nationality, gender, date of birth and passport number and expiration date. According to the June 2008 Travel Information Manual ( TIM ) published by the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ), immigration officials in China are now carrying out "stronger" document verifications.Footnote 25

[34] The RAD notes that a passport must be shown multiple times at the exiting airport when traveling internationally, including the initial check-in with the airline. The RAD finds it highly improbable that the smuggler would have prior knowledge of whom to bribe in order to facilitate safe travel through each checkpoint. The RAD finds that, in light of the Appellant's allegation that he was wanted by Chinese authorities and in light of the evidence of the vigorous pursuit of the PSB , it is reasonable to expect that the local authorities would have entered his information into the database to further their efforts to apprehend him.

[35] The RAD finds that the RPD is entitled to make reasonable findings based on implausibility, common sense and rationality, and it may reject evidence if it is not consistent with the probabilities affecting the case as a whole.Footnote 26 Where the RPD finds a lack of credibility based on inferences concerning the plausibility of evidence, there must be a basis in the evidence to support such inferences.Footnote 27 In this case, there is an evidential foundation for the RPD 's findings.

[36] After its own review and assessment of the evidence, the RAD agrees with the RPD 's findings and does not find it credible or plausible that the Appellant was able to leave China using his genuine passport. The RAD finds that the Appellant's ability to exit China undermines his allegation that he was wanted by the PSB .

Summons

[37] The Appellant tendered a notice of summoning which indicates on its face that he was summoned to report to the Public Security Team Office of the Public Security Bureau of XXXX County for an interrogation regarding that he would "bring Falun Gong books to China". The RPD found, on the basis of the prevalence and availability of fraudulent documents in China,Footnote 28 the documentary evidence cited and the credibility findings, that there was reason to doubt the genuineness of the summons and, as such, gave the notice of summoning little probative value in corroborating the Appellant's allegations that he is wanted by the PSB .

[38] The RPD noted that country documentary evidence indicates that, if a summonsed person does not respond to a summons, a coercive summons or arrest warrant will be issued by the PSB . There was no evidence before the panel to indicate that such a document was received by the Appellant's family when the PSB visited their home on subsequent dates after the date that the Appellant was summoned to the Public Security Bureau of XXXX County. The RPD also noted that XXXX County is under the administration of XXXX city, which is a prefecture of Shangxi where the PSB would likely carry out the requirements of the law. The RPD further noted that, given the Appellant has alleged that the PSB issued a summons, it is indicative that the PSB does document their actions.

[39] The Appellant submits that the RPD erred in rejecting the summons on the basis that there was no additional coercive summons or arrest warrant issued after he failed to submit himself to authorities. He argues that this finding is not supported by the evidence. The sole document relied upon by the RPD was a Response to Information Request, dated November 30, 2012, which was part of the October 31, 2014 National Documentation Package. He argues that there have been four new NDP s published since then, and the document relied upon by the RPD has long been removed from the National Documentation Package. Regardless, he argues that the document relied upon by the RPD does not state that a coercive summons will always be issued in such circumstances, nor does it state that it will often be used. Rather, it only states that it can be used in such circumstances.

[40] He submits that the document relied upon by the RPD also states that authorities often ignore procedures and there is great variability with the Chinese law enforcement when it comes to the issuance of summonses. In addition, he argues that there are other documents from the October 31, 2014 NDP which support this argument. The Appellant also argues that it was an error to reject the summons on the basis of the prevalence of fraudulent documents in China.

[41] The RAD is not persuaded by the Appellant's argument in this regard. The Appellant's argument is largely premised on an assumption that the RPD was referring to a document in the October 31, 2014 version of the NDP . The RAD notes that the version of NDP in the record is the May 31, 2016 version and that is what the RPD cited. The RAD does find, however, that the RPD did cite the wrong item number in its Reasons. The RPD incorrectly cited item 9.8 of the NDP when addressing the use of coercive summonses rather than the correct item 9.3. The RAD finds that this was nothing more than an unfortunate typographical error.

[42] Regardless, after its own review and assessment of the evidence, the RAD finds that there is reason to doubt the genuineness of the summons tendered. The RAD notes that the summons tendered by the Appellant indicates on its face that it was issued under the authority of Article 82 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China (CPLPRC),which required the Appellant to appear for interrogation.Footnote 29 The RAD notes that the objective evidenceFootnote 30 confirms that a coercive summons can be issued in cases of non-compliance. The RAD notes, however, that the Appellant has not tendered a coercive summons. The RAD finds that, given that the objective evidence makes it clear that Chinese authorities view adherents of Falun Gong as members of a cultFootnote 31 and in light of the objective evidence regarding the vigorous efforts the authorities undertake to pursue members of Falun Gong, and the Appellant's allegations of the arrest of co-practitioners and ongoing visits to his family home as well as the allegation that the PSB informed the Appellant's and his wife's employers, it is reasonable to expect that a coercive summons would have been issued when the Appellant failed to report for the interview.

[43] The RAD finds that the absence of a compulsory summons when it is reasonable to expect that the Appellant would have been issued such a summons undermines the genuineness of the summons he did tender.

[44] Furthermore, the RAD notes that the documentary evidence states that summonses can be oral or written and can be issued only after a case has been filed for investigation and when suspects or defendants are not subject to certain conditions, such as preparing to commit or committing a crime, being found in possession of criminal evidence, or of tampering with evidence, refusing to identify oneself, or being suspected of committing crimes in different places.Footnote 32

[45] The RAD notes that the documentary evidence states that coercive summonses and arrest warrants are instruments that can be used by the PSB .Footnote 33 The RAD finds it is reasonable to expect that, given the allegations of the PSB 's vigorous efforts to arrest the Appellant, the PSB would employ the use of these coercive instruments to carry out their intention to arrest the Appellant rather than employ the use of an investigative instrument. The RAD notes that the Appellant has alleged that, when the PSB first attended his home, they issued an oral summons and only issued a written summons when he failed to appear for the oral summons. The RAD finds that this allegation of the Appellant suggests that the PSB were willing to use the tools available to them in order to apprehend him and to follow the rule of law to secure his apprehension.

[46] The RAD finds that it is reasonable in light of the Appellant's allegations to expect that a coercive summons would have been issued for him. The RAD further finds that, given his family notified him when the summons was issued for him, it is reasonable to expect they would have informed him if a coercive summons was issued for him.

[47] More importantly, the RAD notes that the summons tendered by the Appellant is inconsistent with the documentary evidence in the record. The RAD notes that the summons indicates that it was issued pursuant to Article 82 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the PRC. The RAD notes, however, that article of that law deals with the citizen's powers of arrest and detention. There is no reference to Falun Gong, the illegal importation of banned goods or to the issuance of summonses in the article named on the summons. The RAD finds that this significant discrepancy undermines the genuineness of the summons.

[48] On the basis of the foregoing analysis and the totality of adverse credibility findings, including the Appellant's ability to exit China without difficulty, the RAD finds that the summons tendered by the Appellant is not a genuine document. The RAD further finds that tendering a fraudulent document in support of his claim undermines the Appellant's general credibility.

Uncontested Credibility Findings

[49] The RAD notes that the RPD drew adverse credibility findings based on discrepancies between the Appellant's oral testimony and the allegations made in this Basis of Claim narrative. In particular, the RPD found material inconsistencies in the Appellant's allegations of when and by whom he was asked to bring the text, Zhuan Falun, from Canada to China and when and how he learned that the PSB were searching for him. The RAD finds that these credibility findings further undermine the Appellant's allegation that he is being pursued by the PSB because he brought a banned copy of the Falun Gong text, Zhuan Falun, to China for his mother-in-law.

Summary

[50] The RAD finds, on the basis of the totality of the adverse credibility findings, that the Appellant's allegation that he is being pursued by the PSB in China because he brought a banned copy of the Falun Gong text, Zhuan Falun, to China is not credible.

Conclusion

[51] On the basis of the totality of the evidence and the cumulative findings and negative inferences noted above, the RAD agrees with the RPD and finds that the Appellant has not satisfied his burden of establishing a serious possibility that he would be persecuted or that, on a balance of probabilities, he would be personally subjected to a risk to his life, or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment, or a danger of torture by any authority in the People's Republic of China.

[52] Pursuant to subsection 111(1)(a) of the IRPA , the RAD confirms the decision of the RPD and dismisses the appeal.

Signed:

Leonard Favreau

Date:

November 30, 2016
Decision TB4-05778 (Jurisprudential Guide, in private), Heard at Refugee Appeals Division, Toronto, Ontario

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 27 June 2016 Cite as Decision TB4-05778 (Jurisprudential Guide, in private), Heard at Refugee Appeals Division, Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 27 June 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/cases,IRBC,5a26e1d04.html [accessed 17 November 2022] Comments Whether a claimant/appellant who is a citizen of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) is deemed to be a citizen of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Table of Contents:

Policy note for identification of TB4-05778 as a RAD Jurisprudential Guide

Full text of Decision TB4-05778 - Jurisprudential Guide

December 2, 2016

On December 2, 2016, pursuant to section 159(1)(h) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and in accordance with the Policy on the Use of Jurisprudential Guides (Policy 2003-01, as amended on December 1, 2016), following consultation with the Deputy Chairpersons of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) and the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD), the Chairperson of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada identified the following decision of the RAD as a Jurisprudential Guide:

Decision TB4-05778, June 27th, 2016.

Scope: Whether a claimant/appellant who is a citizen of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is deemed to be a citizen of the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

This decision concluded that the claimant/appellant who is a citizen of North Korea is deemed to be a citizen of South Korea. As such, pursuant to section 111(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the RPD decision was confirmed, the appeal was dismissed and the claimant/appellant was found to be neither a Convention refugee nor a person in need of protection.

This decision was identified as a Jurisprudential Guide because it offers a sound analysis of the legal and factual issues underlining the important question of the status of North Korean Nationals in South Korea  a question for which updated evidence was provided to the RAD after the Federal Court issued its decision in Kim v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2010 FC 720.

As set out in the Policy on the Use of Jurisprudential Guides (Policy 2003-01, as amended on December 1, 2016), RPD and RAD decision-makers are expected to apply Jurisprudential Guide Decision TB4-05778 in cases with similar facts or provide reasoned justifications for not doing so.

Mario Dion

Chairperson

Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

(December 2, 2016)

Source: http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/Eng/BoaCom/references/pol/notes/Pages/NoteTB4-05778.aspx

IN PRIVATE

Redetermination of the Appeal

Reasons and decision

Person(s) who is(are) the subject of the appeal: XXXX XXXX XXXX

Date(s) of hearing:

Appeal considered at: Toronto, Ontario

Date of decision: June 27, 2016

Panel: Edward Bosveld

Counsel for the person(s) who is(are)the subject of the appeal: Adrienne C. Smith, Barrister and Solicitor

Designated Representative(s): XXXX XXXX XXXX

Counsel for the Minister: N/A

Reasons and decision

I. Introduction

[1] XXXX XXXX (the Appellant), a citizen of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), appeals a decision of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) denying her claim for refugee protection. She has submitted new evidence in support of her appeal. The Appellant asks the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) to set aside the determination of the RPD and to either find her to be a Convention refugee or refer the matter back to the RPD for redetermination.

[2] The Appellant is a minor. The RPD appointed a designated representative to protect the interests of the Appellant and to explain the process to her; that designation continues to apply for the purposes of this appeal.Footnote 1 The RAD is also cognisant of the Chairperson's Guideline with respect to child refugee claimants.Footnote 2

II. Determinative Issue

[3] This appeal is based on what the Appellant characterizes as "the narrow issue that needs to be decided whether South Korea should also be a country of reference in the appeal and whether the Appellant would have an automatic right to South Korean citizenship."Footnote 3 Having reviewed the RPD's record, the RPD's decision, and the appeal record, the RAD agrees that this is the determinative issue, though it will simplify the question to ask whether the Appellant is, or could choose to become, a citizen of South Korea.

III. Determination

[4] For reasons set out below, the RAD finds that the Appellant is indeed a citizen of South Korea, and therefore does not require Canada's protection. Pursuant to Section 111(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), the RAD confirms the decision of the RPD that the Appellant is neither a Convention refugee nor a person in need of protection. This appeal is dismissed.

IV. Background

[5] The Appellant was born in XXXX in North Korea. She is XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The Appellant arrived in Canada from China in February of 2013, and claimed refugee protection the following month.

[6] The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (the Minister) intervened in the Appellant's claim before the RPD,Footnote 4 taking the position that the Appellant had not established her identity, and that if the Appellant was born in North Korea, she is automatically a citizen of the Republic of Korea (South Korea.) The Minister submitted that the Appellant had not established a well-founded fear of persecution in South Korea, and further argued that she had not rebutted the presumption of adequate state protection in that country. Finally, the Minister also submitted that the Appellant's evidence suffered from a variety of credibility problems.

[7] The Appellant's application for refugee protection was heard on May 21, August 14, September 6, October 29, and November 26 of 2013. By a decision of May 29, 2014, the RPD found that the Appellant is neither a Convention refugee nor a person in need of protection. The panel accepted the Appellant's identity as a national of North Korea, and found her to be "a very credible witness."Footnote 5 However, the RPD also concluded that the Appellant is deemed to be a citizen of South Korea, and found that she had not rebutted the presumption of adequate state protection in that country. It also determined that the harm she fears in South Korea amounts to discrimination and is not persecutory.

[8] The Appellant appealed to the RAD on June 23, 2014. In a decision dated December 21, 2014 (the first RAD decision), the RAD confirmed the RPD's finding that the Appellant is a citizen of South Korea. The RAD then concluded it had no jurisdiction to determine the appeal, as section 110(2)(d.1) of the IRPA did not allow appeals to the RAD by citizens of countries designated under subsection 109.1(1), of which South Korea was one.

[9] The Appellant sought leave of the Federal Court to commence an application for judicial review of the first RAD decision; leave was granted on June 10, 2015. On September 4, 2015 the Court, on consent of both parties to the application, granted the judicial review and quashed the first RAD decision. While the Court did not provide reasons for its order, the RAD notes that on July 23, 2015 the Court held in another matter that "paragraph 110(2)(d.1) of the IRPA is inconsistent with subsection 15(1) of the Charter and has no force and effect."Footnote 6

[10] The matter was returned to the RAD. By a decision of November 12, 2015 (the second RAD decision), a differently constituted panel of the RAD confirmed the RPD's findings that the Appellant is deemed a citizen of South Korea, that she faces discrimination but not persecution there, and that she had not rebutted the presumption of adequate state protection in that country.

[11] On November 30, 2016, the Appellant made an application to re-open her RAD appeal. She argued that she had intended to submit further evidence, and make additional submissions to the RAD, but that the second RAD decision was rendered before she could do so. In a decision of February 3, 2016 (the third RAD decision), the RAD allowed the application and re-opened the appeal. The Appellant was given an opportunity to "file an application for any new evidence and submissions in regard to this matter,"Footnote 7 which was then assigned to the present RAD panel for determination.

V. Application Under Rule 29

[12] On March 17, 2016, the Appellant made an application under Rule 29 and Rule 37 of the RAD Rules, asking the RAD to accept various supporting documents as well as a new Memorandum of Fact and Law.Footnote 8 The Minister has not responded to this Application.

[13] Rule 29(4) requires the RAD to consider "any relevant factors," and sets out some specific factors to be considered: the relevance and probative value of the documents, whether they bring new evidence to the appeal, and whether the documents could reasonably have been provided earlier, as required by the Rules.

[14] The RAD finds that the proposed new evidence and submissions are relevant to the determinative issues here. Further, this file has a lengthy history, including one RPD decision, three RAD decisions, and one Federal Court decision. The Appellant's circumstances are extraordinary: she is a minor XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, is assisted by a Designated Representative, and has been represented by a number of different counsel. She did in fact ask the RAD to allow her to adduce this evidence prior to the second RAD decision. For these reasons, the RAD grants the Appellant's Rule 29 application and accepts the late submission of the Appellant's new Memorandum and her proposed new evidence, which will be considered for admissibility pursuant to section 110(4) of the IRPA.

VI. The Appellant's Position

[15] The Appellant submits that the RPD made incorrect findings about whether South Korean citizenship is automatic for North Koreans, and failed to adhere to the principle of stare decisis in refusing to follow case law that found such citizenship is not automatic.Footnote 9

VII. Admissibility of Evidence Submitted on Appeal

[16] Section 110(4) of the IRPA provides that the Appellant may present only evidence that arose after the rejection of her claim or that was not reasonably available, or that she could not reasonably have been expectedFootnote 10 in the circumstances to have presented, at the time of the rejection.

[17] It is for the Appellant to make full and detailed submissions in her Memorandum about how any proposed new evidence meets the requirements of section 110(4) and how that evidence relates to the Appellant.Footnote 11

A. Application of Section 110(4)

[18] Section 110(4) establishes a disjunctive test.Footnote 12 The RAD must first consider whether the proposed new evidence arose after the rejection of the refugee claim. If it did, the evidence meets the requirements of the section. If it did not, the RAD must consider whether the evidence was reasonably available for presentation to the RPD prior to the rejection of the claim. If it was not reasonably available at that time, it meets the requirements of section 110(4). If the evidence did not arise after the rejection, and it was reasonably available, the RAD must consider whether the Appellant could reasonably have been expected, in her circumstances, to have presented the evidence to the RPD prior to the rejection of her claim. If she could not have been expected to do so, the evidence meets the requirements of the section.

[19] If the evidence did not arise after the rejection of the claim, was reasonably available, and could reasonably have been expected, in the circumstances, to be presented to the RPD prior to the rejection of the claim, the evidence does not meet the test in section 110(4). The RAD does not have discretion to admit such evidence.Footnote 13

[20] As the RAD understands it, section 110(4) provides the Appellant with an opportunity to present evidence that could not have been submitted to the RPD  either because the evidence did not exist at the time of the RPD proceeding, or because it did exist but was unavailable, or because it did exist and was available, but the Appellant could not have been expected to present it to the RPD.

[21] In considering whether the evidence arose after the rejection of the claim, the RAD will not restrict its analysis to the date on the proposed new evidence. In the RAD's view, a document's "newness" cannot be tested solely by the date of its creation; what is important is the event or circumstance sought to be proved by the evidence.Footnote 14 Old evidence remains old evidence, even if it is placed in a new document with a recent date.

B. Assessment of Evidence that Meets the Requirements of Section 110(4)

[22] Where a document meets the test in section 110(4), as discussed above, the RAD will conduct a further assessment of that evidence. While section 110(4) provides the RAD with factors to consider in assessing a document's "newness," these factors alone cannot determine the admissibility of new evidence in an appeal. To put it simply, if a document is lacking in credibility, or is irrelevant, it would make little sense to admit such document even if it meets the test in section 110(4).

[23] In Singh,Footnote 15the Federal Court of Appeal held that there is no valid reason the RAD cannot apply the criteria set out in RazaFootnote 16 to the assessment of new evidence. While Raza predates the introduction of section 110(4) of the IRPA, it is based on the nearly identical wording of section 113(a). In that case, the Court of Appeal held that new evidence should be considered for its credibility, relevance, newness, and materiality, in addition to any express statutory provisions.Footnote 17 In Singh, the Court found that the criteria from Raza are necessarily implied in the wording of section 110(4).Footnote 18

[24] Where evidence meets the test in section 110(4), the RAD will go on to assess it for credibility. While this is a factor set out in Raza, there are also other reasons to apply it. Section 171(a.3) of the IRPA allows the RAD to receive and base a decision on evidence that is adduced in the proceedings and considered "credible or trustworthy in the circumstances." This provision makes it clear that, in addition to the factors in section 110(4), the RAD must consider the credibility or trustworthiness of proposed new evidence.

[25] Relevance is a basic condition for the admissibility of any piece of evidence.Footnote 19 RAD Rule (3)(3)(g)(iii) requires the Appellant's Memorandum to include full and detailed submissions about how any proposed new evidence "relates to the Appellant." It would be highly inefficient for the RAD to admit irrelevant evidence, and contrary to section 162(2) of the IRPA, which requires all divisions of the IRB to "deal with all proceedings before it as informally and quickly as the circumstances and the considerations of fairness and natural justice permit."

[26] In addition to credibility and relevance, the factors in Raza include "newness" and "materiality." Newness is implicitly incorporated into section 110(4) and does not require additional analysis. The Federal Court of Appeal has also found materiality to be redundant, as it is also found in section110 (6) of the IRPA, which describes when the RAD may hold an oral hearing.Footnote 20

[27] For these reasons, the RAD will apply the following factors to considering the Appellant's proposed new evidence. It will first consider whether the evidence passes the test in section 110(4). If not, the RAD has no discretion to admit the evidence. If the evidence meets the requirements of section 110(4), the RAD will assess its credibility and relevance in order to determine whether it is admissible.

[28] The Appellant asks the RAD to admit the following evidence in this appeal:

(a) A March 9, 2016 affidavit of XXXX XXXX, the Appellant's Case Worker with the XXXX XXXX XXXX (XXXX) of Toronto; Footnote 21

(b) An article, undated but apparently published in a 2012 or 2013 edition of the International Journal of Refugee Law, by Professor Andrew Wolman, entitled "North Korean Asylum Seekers and Dual Nationality;" Footnote 22

(c) A copy of South Korea's North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act, last amended January 21, 2014; Footnote 23

(d) An article, undated but apparently originating in 2015, published in the Yonsei Law Journal, entitled "The Law and Politics of Citizenship in Divided Korea;" Footnote 24

(e) A letter, dated March 11, 2016, from Professor XXXX XXXX with respect to citizenship procedures in South Korea; Footnote 25

(f) A March 11, 2016 affidavit of XXXX XXXX, the Appellant's Designated Representative; Footnote 26 and,

and, (g) A letter, dated January 25, 2016, from Ms. XXXX XXXX to Ms. XXXX.Footnote 27

[29] The RAD will consider each piece of evidence below. First, however, it must address the Appellant's argument in support of many of the proposed new documents. She submits that:

[W]here there is uncertainty in the evidence at the RPD level on a determinative issue in the appeal, and where the new evidences [sic] resolves the contradiction, the RAD should allow a claimant to respond to these evidentiary deficiencies on appeal.Footnote 28

[30] With respect, this suggested approach is supported by neither statute nor jurisprudence. As discussed above, section 110(4) sets out a clear test for the admissibility of new evidence. The Court has held that the RAD does not have discretion to admit evidence that does not pass this test. The Appellant appears to be splitting her case. She presented some evidence to the RPD; after finding that this did not lead to the acceptance of her refugee claim, she obtained further evidence and now seeks to rely upon it. It is a well-established judicial principle that evidence and issues must be introduced exhaustively and dealt with at first instance.Footnote 29 The Federal Court of Appeal has held that section 110(4) does not provide an opportunity for the Appellant to complete a deficient record submitted to the RPD; rather, it allows for the correction of errors of fact, errors in law, or mixed errors of fact and law.Footnote 30 For this reason, the RAD cannot accept the Appellant's argument that the RAD must allow her to respond to "evidentiary deficiencies" upon appeal.

[31] Document (a) is an affidavit from the Appellant's XXXX worker, in which the affiant sets out the history of the Appellant's refugee claim and appeals. Although it is dated after the rejection of the Appellant's refugee claim, the evidence therein is not new at all. While the recounting of the Appellant's refugee claim proceedings is helpful background, this information is already contained in the record. The affiant does state that "the Appellant does not have any desire to live in South Korea," and the Appellant argues that this "gives the current mindset of the Appellant."Footnote 31 The RPD was aware of the Appellant's reluctance to live in Korea;Footnote 32 there is no evidence before the RAD to show that this mindset has changed. The information in document (a) did not arise after the rejection of the Appellant's refugee claim; in fact, it is already in the record and it cannot be considered as new evidence in this appeal.

[32] Document (b) is an article which was apparently published in either 2012 or 2013.Footnote 33 The Appellant submits that the article is relevant and probative, and serves to clarify confusion about the laws of South Korea. However, the RAD finds that the document does not meet the test in section 110(4). It did not arise after the rejection of the Appellant's refugee claim in May of 2014. The Appellant has not established that it was not reasonably available to her prior to that rejection. If indeed there was confusion during the RPD hearing on the subject of citizenship, as the Appellant argues,Footnote 34 then she could reasonably have been expected to have presented this document to the RPD.Footnote 35 The RAD notes that the Appellant's refugee hearing began in May of 2013; the last sitting took place in November of that year, and a decision was rendered by the RPD in May of 2014. The Appellant had between six months and a year to provide this article to the RPD to dispel the confusion which she claims was apparent during her hearings. Even if this document is relevant and probative, as the Appellant claims, it must meet the test in section 110(4). Document (b) does not meet that test and the RAD has no discretion to admit it.

[33] Document (c) is a copy of the North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act. Although there is no date on the document, it appears that it was last amended on January 21, 2014, well before the rejection of the Appellant's refugee claim. The Appellant makes no submissions on how this document meets the test in section 110(4), and does not argue that it was not available for submission to the RPD. In fact, the RAD notes that an earlier version of this legislation appears in the RPD's record.Footnote 36 This document is not admissible as new evidence. It did not arise after the rejection of the Appellant's refugee claim, the Appellant has not established that it was not reasonably available to her, and as this Act was at issue during the refugee hearing, the Appellant could reasonably have been expected, in her circumstances, to provide this to the RPD.

[34] Document (d) is an undated article from the Yonsei Law Journal, entitled "The Law and Politics of Citizenship in Divided Korea." A footnote indicates that the article was presented at a conference in February of 2015. The Appellant's Rule 29 application does not refer to this document, and her Memorandum lists other proposed new evidence but does not include this document or make any submissions on it.Footnote 37 The Appellant has not provided full and detailed submissions, as required by the Rules, about how this document meets the requirements of section 110(4) and how it relates to her, and for this reason document (d) cannot be admitted as new evidence.

[35] Even if this document could pass the test in section 110(4), the Appellant has not explained its relevance, or otherwise relied upon it in her submissions. The RAD has reviewed the article, and has some difficulty in understanding how it supports the Appellant's position. For example, the author writes:

In short, that North Koreans are deemed nationals of the Republic of Korea alone does not preclude the recognition of North Korean escapees as refugees. However, what if a North Korean does not want to be treated as a national of the Republic of Korea? Can we impose the nationality of the Republic of Korea upon that person against his/her wishes and despite his/her lack of actual links with South Korea? Unfortunately, North Koreans face increasing difficulty with asylum applications in other countries because they have a country that recognizes them as its citizens even if they do not want to be treated as such. North Korean asylum seekers are often seen as opportunistic migrants who can, but do not try to, settle in the Republic of Korea, where they are entitled to citizenship."Footnote 38

[36] Without the benefit of submissions from the Appellant, the RAD cannot ascertain how this document meets the requirements of section 110(4) or how it relates to the Appellant. However, even if it would admit this document, the RAD would find that it supports the conclusion that North Koreans are in fact deemed nationals of South Korea  whether they desire this or not.

[37] Document (e) is a letter, dated March 11, 2016, from a South Korean professor and former bureaucrat "who dealt with processing procedures for North Korean refugees coming to South Korea." This document is dated after the rejection of the Appellant's refugee claim; however, its contents are not new at all. The author appears to be writing of his historical experience as a South Korean official of some sort; he provides no time frame and it is not clear whether this experience was recent or in the distant past. The RAD finds that the Appellant has not established that this evidence arose after the rejection of her refugee claim. Was this evidence reasonably available for presentation to the RPD? In her Application, the Appellant submits that:

[G]iven the confusion in the evidence before RPD, which was acknowledged by the Member, the Appellant sought a new opinion on citizenship acquisition procedures in South Korea for North Koreans. This expert was found after the Appellant's RPD decision and gives clarification to the confusion in the evidence at the RPD level.Footnote 39

This opinion is relevant and probative for the issues under appeal since the procedures for granting citizenship are the determinative issue in the appeal.Footnote 40

[38] If indeed there was confusion at the RPD on this central issue, the Appellant could reasonably have been expected to present this evidence to the RPD to bring clarity. The Appellant has provided no explanation for the fact that this letter was produced in March of 2016, when the RPD hearing took place in 2013 and the decision was rendered in mid-2014. The Appellant has not indicated when she sought this opinion, or explained why it was not obtained in 2013 or 2014. As the RAD has already discussed, section 110(4) does not provide an Appellant with the opportunity to correct a deficient record before the RPD.

[39] The Appellant has not established that the evidence in document (e) arose after the rejection of her refugee claim, or that it was not reasonably available to her prior to that time, or that she could not have been reasonably expected to present this evidence to the RPD. This document is not admissible. Even if this document was admissible here, however, the RAD would give it little weight. The Appellant did not disclose the information provided to the author whose opinion was sought, or reveal the questions he was asked to answer. The author provides vague information about his work as a "bureaucrat with the Korean Republic," and does not give a position, title, or department. It is significant that he also does not indicate when he filled such a position, or for how long, or why he left it. Even if this document would meet the test in section 110(4), it has little probative value.

[40] The document in (f) is an affidavit from Ms. XXXX, sworn March 11, 2016. She explains how she visited the South Korean consulate on XXXX XXXX, 2016, and questioned an official there about "citizenship acquisition procedures." The affidavit sets out Ms. XXXX's summary of the official's answer. The Appellant argues that this document is "relevant and probative for the issues under appeal;"Footnote 41 in her view, "this interview with the Consulate happened after the Appellant's RPD claim and thus meets the requirements under section 110(4)(a)."Footnote 42

[41] The RAD finds, however, that the evidence upon which the Appellant seeks to rely here is not that the Designated Representative visited the consulate, but rather the citizenship information provided by the consular official. This information is simply not new. The Appellant does not take the position that South Korean citizenship laws or procedures have changed since the rejection of her refugee claim; rather, she simply attempts to present old evidence with a new date. The RAD finds that the evidence in Ms. XXXX's affidavit did not arise after the rejection of the Appellant's refugee claim. The Appellant has not explained why this was not reasonably available at an earlier date. She was represented by the same Designated Representative through six sittings of her refugee hearing in 2013; her claim was not rejected until one year after the first sitting, and six months after the last sitting. Why did she not seek this information from consular officials before or during her RPD hearing? If the RPD panel displayed confusion on the issue of citizenship, as the Appellant argues on appeal, the Appellant could reasonably have been expected, in such circumstances, to obtain and present this evidence prior to the rejection of her refugee claim. Document (f) is not admissible as new evidence here.

[42] Document (g) is a letter, dated January 25, 2016, from Ms. XXXX to Ms. XXXX. In the document, Ms. XXXX confirms the Appellant's lack of North Korean identity documents. This is not new evidence. In fact, the RPD acknowledged the "absence of documents," and noted the "difficulties in assessing documents from North Korea."Footnote 43 The evidence in the January 25, 2016 letter did not arise after the rejection of the Appellant's refugee claim, and in fact is already in the record. Document (g) is not admissible here.

[43] For these reasons, none of the Appellant's proposed new evidence is admissible in this appeal.

VIII. The Role of the RAD

[44] While the IRPA sets out grounds for appeal as well as possible remedies, it does not specify the standard by which the RAD is to review the decision of the lower tribunal.

[45] The Appellant submits that the RAD should conduct its own independent assessment of the evidence in the case under appeal and arrive at its own opinion whether she is a Convention refugee or person in need of protection.

[46] It is settled law that the RAD is not to review decisions of the RPD in the manner of a judicial review.Footnote 44

[47] The RAD is a creature of statute and so is the appeal before it; its role and jurisdiction are best determined by looking at the legislative provisions creating the RAD and the appeal.Footnote 45 Such an appeal

(i) is directed at the decision of the RPD, (ii) unless new evidence is accepted, is to be entertained on the basis of the record as it was constituted at the time of the RPD's decision, and (iii) is to be concerned solely with the errors of law, of fact or of mixed fact and law that, according to the appellant, the RPD made. This is the statutory configuration of an appeal before the RAD.Footnote 46

[48] According to the Federal Court of Appeal, the RAD is to carefully consider the RPD's decision and then carry out its own analysis of the record to determine whether, as submitted by the Appellant, the RPD erred. It is then to provide a final determination, either confirming the RPD's decision or setting it aside and substituting the RAD's own determination of the refugee claim. If the RAD cannot provide such a final determination without hearing the oral evidence already presented to the RPD, the matter can be referred back to the RPD.Footnote 47

[49] With respect to findings of fact and of mixed fact and law, the RAD is to review the RPD's decision applying a standard of correctness.Footnote 48 When applying that standard, the RAD will not show deference to the RPD's reasoning process; it will rather undertake its own analysis of the question. The analysis will bring the RAD to decide whether it agrees with the determination of the RPD; if not, the RAD will substitute its own view and provide the correct answer.Footnote 49

[50] The RAD may show deference to findings of the RPD where the lower tribunal was in an advantageous position to reach such conclusions. Here the RAD will defer to the RPD's finding that the Appellant was a very credible witness, as the RPD saw, heard, and questioned the Appellant and was therefore in a better position to make a credibility determination than is the RAD. However, no deference is warranted with respect to the findings which are challenged by the Appellant here. The issue in this appeal  whether the Appellant is or could choose to become a citizen of South Korea  must be determined on the basis of objective evidence. The RPD has no advantage over the RAD in considering that evidence.

[51] The RAD will apply a standard of correctness to its consideration of the RPD's decision: it will conduct its own review of the evidence and undertake its own analysis of the question. If this does not lead the RAD to the same conclusion as the RPD, the RPD's finding is wrong.

IX. The Appellant's Status in South Korea

[52] The Appellant argues that the RPD erred in finding that she is, or could choose to become, a citizen of South Korea. While the RPD made other findings, such as with respect to state protection in South Korea, the Appellant does not challenge these on appeal.

[53] In Williams, the Federal Court of Appeal set out the principles to be considered when a refugee claimant has more than one potential country of reference. The Court held that where citizenship is within the control of the claimant, and where acquisition of such citizenship is a mere formality, the claimant must show a well-founded fear of persecution against that country. If there is no room for the state in question to refuse status, then the claimant is expected to seek the protection of that state unless she can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution there.Footnote 50

[54] In its recent TretsetsangFootnote 51decision, the Court of Appeal held that the control test set out in Williams remains applicable for determining a claimant's country of nationality.Footnote 52 The Court held further that a refugee claimant who alleges an impediment to exercising her right of citizenship in a particular country must establish both the existence of a significant impediment and that she has made reasonable, but unsuccessful, efforts to overcome such an impediment.Footnote 53

[55] In the Appellant's submission, discretion exists in the granting of South Korean citizenship. She reminds the RAD that the tribunal is to consider the level of control that the refugee claimant has over the citizenship application process: there must be a degree of certainty.Footnote 54 In her submission, objective evidence indicates that South Korean authorities have some discretion in the granting of citizenship to those born in North Korea. Given that South Korean officials will undertake an investigation into the identity and history of the Appellant, there is no certainty that she will be approved for citizenship.

[56] The Appellant also argues that, in Kim,Footnote 55 the Federal Court found that South Korean citizenship is not automatic for nationals of North Korea. As she reads that decision, the Court concluded that citizenship in South Korea was by no means automatic, as North Koreans must establish "will and desire" to live in South Korea, and as persons who have lived in a third country for an extended period of time are not eligible for citizenship. In the Appellant's submission, the Kim case continues to be the leading authority on the issue of Korean citizenship. She objects to the RPD's departure from Kim, and challenges the RPD's reliance on a RAD decision from July of 2013. She submits that the RPD erred in failing to follow the principle of stare decisis; the lower tribunal was bound by the Court, as is the RAD. Given that there is "considerable debate"Footnote 56 at the previous RPD and RAD proceedings on how to interpret the laws of South Korea, she argues that this appeal too must follow the decision of the Court.

[57] The RAD has considered the Appellant's submissions on appeal, as well as all of the material in the RPD's record. That record is voluminous, and contains numerous documents and thorough submissions from the Appellant's representatives and from the Minister. While the RAD has carefully reviewed all of the evidence and submissions, it will not make specific reference to each document in the record.

A. South Korean Legislation

[58] There are three pieces of South Korean legislation which are relevant to this appeal. The Constitution of the Republic of Korea (the Constitution) is important because it defines the territory of South Korea as "the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands," thereby including all of North Korea in its scope. The Constitution also provides that "nationality in the Republic of Korea shall be prescribed by Act."Footnote 57

[59] The Nationality Act sets out "the requirements to become a national of the Republic of Korea."Footnote 58 It provides that an individual is a national of South Korea if that person's father or mother is a national of the Republic of Korea at the time of the person's birth. It also holds that a person is a national if born in the Republic of Korea where both parents are unknown or have no nationality.Footnote 59

[60] The Act on the Protection and Settlement Support of Residents Escaping from North Korea (the Protection Act) serves to provide protection and support to North Korean residents escaping from North Korea and "desiring protection from the Republic of Korea." The purpose of the Protection Act is to assist such North Koreans "to adapt themselves to, and settle down in, all spheres of their lives, including political, economic, social and cultural spheres."Footnote 60 The Protection Act does not discuss the granting or recognition of nationality; however, it does provide that certain individuals may be ineligible for protection: international criminal offenders, offenders of serious non-political crimes, "suspects of disguised escape", and those who have for a "considerable period" earned their living in another country.Footnote 61 The Protection Act goes on to describe various forms of "protection," including settlement support, recognition of academic qualifications, social adaptation training, employment assistance, financial support, medical care, and more. It also sets out circumstances in which protection may be suspended or terminated, such as when the person involved is sentenced to imprisonment, intentionally provides false information to the authorities, or attempts to return to North Korea.Footnote 62

B. Interpretation of South Korean Legislation

[61] In June of 2008, the IRB's Research Directorate published a Response to Information Request (the RIR) on the issue of South Korean citizenship for individuals born in North Korea.Footnote 63 The paper considered South Korean legislation and information gathered in an interview with an official at South Korea's Ottawa Embassy. The RIR found that North Koreans "are not automatically accepted as South Korean citizens. [they] must demonstrate that they possess the 'will and desire' to live in (South) Korea." It also commented that some North Koreans are ineligible for South Korean citizenship, including international criminals and those who have lived in a third country for a long period of time.Footnote 64

[62] According to objective evidence relied upon by the Appellant before the RPD, this RIR "made a significant impact on positive decisions" for North Korean asylum seekers in Canada.Footnote 65 It also made an impact at the Federal Court. In the Kim decision of June 30, 2010, Justice Hughes relied heavily upon the RIR in concluding that it was unclear whether North Koreans would automatically be given South Korean citizenship.Footnote 66 The Court cited the "will and desire" phrase from the RIR and found that there was no certainty to the outcome of the citizenship application process in South Korea.

[63] In October of 2010, the Refugee Review Tribunal of Australia also addressed this issue. It considered the South Korean legislation discussed above. It noted that authorities in the United States "interpret DPRK and ROK legislation to mean that DPRK citizens have the nationality of both countries."Footnote 67 It reviewed the Canadian RIR, and various expert reports. The Tribunal ultimately concluded that "a North Korean has South Korean citizenship by operation of South Korean law."Footnote 68 It found that the Canadian RIR "conflated 2 issues  citizenship/nationality on the one hand, and eligibility for the APSSR [Protection Act] assistance package ('protection') on the other."Footnote 69

[64] In KK and ors, the Upper Tribunal of the United Kingdom's Immigration and Asylum Chamber considered the appeals of three individuals from North Korea, each of whom had been denied refugee protection in the U.K. because they were found to have citizenship in South Korea.Footnote 70 The Tribunal also considered the conclusion contained in the Canadian RIR: "that North Koreans are not automatically accepted as South Korean citizens: they must demonstrate that they possess the 'will and desire' to live in South Korea."Footnote 71 It did not accept this position, instead concluding that a citizen of North Korea, born in that country, has also been a citizen of South Korea since birth. It nevertheless allowed the appeals, as the Appellants had been outside of the Koreas for more than ten years, and under South Korean law were thus presumed to have obtained citizenship elsewhere.

[65] In a decision of July 31, 2013, this panel of the RAD considered an appeal by the Minister against a decision of the RPD which granted refugee protection to two nationals of North Korea.Footnote 72 The Minister submitted new evidence from South Korean officials, who confirmed that North Korean-born individuals are deemed nationals of South Korea.Footnote 73 The RAD considered the Kim decision of the Federal Court, as well as the British and Australian tribunal decisions. It concluded that the RIR erroneously linked protection under the Protection Act with citizenship under the Nationality Act. Having considered the evidence, including the recent evidence from South Korean officials, the RAD concluded that the Appellants were citizens of South Korea.

[66] The RIR in question was subsequently removed from the IRB's National Documentation Package. A later RIR reported that "citizens of North Korea are recognized as citizens of the Republic of Korea in the Constitution" and that if the individual is not a North Korean infiltrator or agent, "it is certain that ROK citizenship will be granted."Footnote 74

[67] In support of his intervention at the RPD, the Minister submitted an expert report addressing the subject of South Korean nationality law. The report, dated in December of 2013, was written by Professor Andrew Wolman, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of International Area Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. The author's research has focused on the role of national human rights institutions in Asia and on refugee and migration law issues in the Korean peninsula. In order to answer questions posed to him by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, he consulted a number of sources, including government officials, lawyers, and professors.Footnote 75

[68] Professor Wolman gave the opinion that North Korean nationals are, from birth, automatically citizens of South Korea.Footnote 76 He stated that:

The conclusion that DPRK nationals are automatically ROK citizens is accepted by ROK government officials and the vast majority of both foreign and domestic legal scholars. I would consider it now to be settled law within the ROK.

The professor explained three exceptions: naturalized North Koreans of a non-Korean ethnicity, North Korean nationals who have voluntarily taken on the nationality of a third country, and North Korean nationals who can trace their Korean lineage only through maternal descent prior to June 14, 1998.

[69] The RAD notes that the Appellant has not argued that she falls into any of these exceptional categories.

C. The Kim Decision and Stare Decisis

[70] The Appellant argues on appeal that both the RPD and the RAD continue to be bound by the decision of the Federal Court in Kim. In her submission, the Court found that South Korean citizenship is not automatic for nationals of North Korea. As there has been no change in the jurisprudence, the IRB is bound by that finding. The RPD erred, in her submission, by failing to follow the principle of stare decisis, which requires the tribunal to adhere to decisions from a higher-level court. She argues that there was "considerable debate" in the previous RPD and RAD proceedings about how to interpret the laws of Korea and whether or not South Korean officials have discretion to grant citizenship. In view of this uncertainty, she submits, the RAD must follow the decision of the Federal Court in order to provide consistency and predictability in law.

[71] The RAD cannot accept the Appellant's argument that there has been considerable debate or inconsistency with respect to this issue. In 2013, the RAD found the RIR to be flawed, and concluded that North Korean nationals are deemed citizens of South Korea. In 2014, the RPD followed this reasoning and found the Appellant to be a citizen of South Korea. The first RAD decision in this appeal confirmed this finding, as did the second. The debate occurred because the Appellant, as is her right, vigorously challenged this consistent position. There is little basis for the Appellant's argument that the RAD must follow Kim in order to provide consistency. In fact, following Kim would do the opposite and create an inconsistency.

[72] The difficulty here, of course, is that the RPD and the RAD have been consistent in not following Kim, at least since the accuracy of the RIR was impugned. The RAD finds that it is not bound by the decision of the Court in Kim because the RAD now has updated and more accurate information on the issue of nationality. Further, the RAD is a specialized tribunal, and the interpretation of the IRB's Response to Information Requests is certainly part of its expertise.

[73] The Kim decision relied heavily upon the RIR, discussed above.Footnote 77 That document reported that citizenship in South Korea is not automatic for North Koreans, and that South Korean officials have the discretion to refuse citizenship if the applicant is found to lack the "will and desire" to live in South Korea. In its 2013 decision on this subject, the RAD found that the RIR incorrectly linked protection under the Protection Act to citizenship under the Nationality Act.Footnote 78 For the following reasons, the RAD again reaches that determination.

[74] A plain reading of South Korean legislation leads the RAD to conclude the following. First, South Korea's constitution defines that country's territory as including the entire Korean peninsula. Second, South Korean's Nationality Act provides that an individual is a national of South Korea if that person's father or mother is a national of the Republic of Korea at the time of the person's birth. Read together, these provisions make it clear that an individual born in North Korea to a national of North Korean is deemed a citizen of South Korea as well. Third, the Protection Act does not grant or deny citizenship; it clearly considers "protection" as settlement assistance.

[75] The RIR reported that a North Korean must have the "will and desire" to live in South Korea and that the granting of citizenship is therefore discretionary. This interpretation is simply not supported by the legislation. The RAD notes that the Protection Act applies to those "desiring protection";Footnote 79 there is no equivalent language in the Nationality Act, or anything to suggest that "will and desire" can influence the recognition of citizenship. A plain reading of the legislation leads the RAD to conclude that someone without "will and desire" might indeed be denied the benefits bestowed by the Protection Act  but not that such a person would be denied citizenship. The RAD notes here that the "exclusions" from citizenship considered in the RIR are in fact exclusions from protection, set out in the Protection Act.

[76] This view is supported by information provided by the South Korean government itself. In correspondence of May 22, 2013, the First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Ottawa provided a paper which "represents the position of the government of the Republic of Korea."Footnote 80 That document states that:

According to the Constitution and other domestic laws of the Republic of Korea, North Korean-born persons are deemed nationals of the Republic of Korea. Therefore, there is no separate procedure needed for Korean-born persons to obtain the nationality of Republic of Korea after entering the Republic of Korea. In other words, if it is confirmed that he/she is a North Korean defector, no separate process is needed to endow the person with South Korean nationality.Footnote 81

[77] The South Korean government's response also makes a distinction between nationality and protection. The document refers to North Koreans who have made an application for asylum overseas:

[T]here are no issues with entering South Korea. However, benefits (settlement support fund; rental housing; support for education, medical services, etc.) that assist North Korean defectors under the "Act on the Protection and Settlement Support of Residents Escaping from North Korea" could be suspended.Footnote 82

[78] Having considered this evidence, the RAD again finds that the RIR was factually incorrect when it linked "will and desire" to citizenship. The RAD reaches the same conclusion as did the Australian tribunal: the RIR conflated the issue of protection, which in this case refers to settlement assistance, with the concept of citizenship. This mistake led to a further error  the conclusion that South Korean officials have discretion to refuse citizenship to North Koreans.

[79] The Appellant insisted before the RPD that protection and citizenship were linked, and she maintains that position on appeal:

The Protection Act is the Korean legislation that forms the legal authority for the granting of status to North Korean detractors (sic). The Protection Act sets out a list of groups that the Korean government will refuse to grant citizenship to in Article 9(1).Footnote 83

With the greatest of respect, this argument is simply not supported by the Protection Act, which deals with assistance and protection but not citizenship, or by the official position of the South Korean government.

[80] It is not possible for the RAD to determine how the Court's decision would have been different had the RIR not been in evidence, or had the Court known that the RIR was flawed. However, it is clear that the Court relied heavily upon the RIR and the "will and desire" test cited therein. Beyond that, the Court's only reference to objective evidence relates to a 2007 article in a law journal and to a UNHCR report.

[81] The law article stated that "the possibility of obtaining ROK citizenship under the South Korean Constitution and the Nationality Act (ROK) should not preclude DPRK defectors from protection under international refugee law."Footnote 84 This opinion does not, of course, establish that North Koreans are not considered to be South Korean nationals.

[82] The Court suggested that the UNHCR "expressed doubts as to whether all North Koreans, particularly those who have transited through China would automatically receive South Korean citizenship." However, nothing in the quote that follows indicates that citizenship is discretionary; in fact, the UNHCR is quoted as saying that "the clause excludes most North Koreans from international protection because South Korea extends citizenship to all North Koreans, in effect giving them dual nationality."Footnote 85

[83] As the Kim decision is based in large part on evidence that has, in retrospect, been found to be flawed, it would be inappropriate for the RAD or the RPD to follow that decision with respect to the factual issue of citizenship in South Korea for nationals of North Korea.

D. The Appellant's Citizenship

[84] The RPD believed the Appellant when she claimed to be a national of North Korea, born to parents who were nationals of North Korea. The RAD defers to these findings, as the lower tribunal had an advantage in assessing the Appellant's credibility.

[85] The Appellant is deemed by South Korean law to be a citizen of South Korea, as she was born in the Korean peninsula to nationals of North Korea. The South Korean government has provided its official position with respect to the issue of citizenship: "North Korean-born persons are deemed nationals of the Republic of Korea."Footnote 86 An expert in matters of refugee and migration law matters in the Korean peninsula has provided his opinion that North Korean nationals are, from birth, automatically citizens of South Korea and that this position is settled law, accepted by government officials and the vast majority of both foreign and domestic legal scholars.Footnote 87

[86] The RAD acknowledges that the Appellant has provided numerous documents and opinions which suggest that the granting of citizenship is discretionary. The RAD finds, however, that such opinion evidence cannot overcome the provisions of South Korean legislation, the official written position of the government which is charged with implementing those provisions, and the opinion of a qualified expert that this position is generally accepted.

[87] There remain two issues raised by the Appellant. First, she reminds the RAD that she will be subjected by South Korean officials to an investigation and screening process. She points to the official statement of the South Korean government, which explains that "in the case of North Korean defectors, given that they are confirmed to be North Korean defectors after going through the investigation of the authorities concerned, they become citizens of the Republic of Korea without further procedures."Footnote 88 This, she argues, indicates that there no certainty that she will be approved for citizenship.

[88] In the unique geopolitical circumstances of the Korean peninsula, it is not surprising that the South Korean authorities desire to thoroughly screen each individual coming from North Korea. There have been cases of North Korean agents claiming to be defectors and refugees, and of agents posing as defectors in order to assassinate a true defector. Situations such as these have increased the pressure on South Korean authorities to ensure that the intentions of North Koreans seeking to access citizenship are bona fide. There are also concerns that defectors and refugees may actually be ethnic Koreans from outside the Korean peninsula.Footnote 89 The fact that the Appellant will be subject to investigation and screening does not make the granting of citizenship discretionary. If she is found to be a North Korean national, she is deemed to be a citizen of South Korea.

[89] The RAD recognizes that the Appellant is a minor and has few or no identity documents. However, she was able to credibly establish her identity before the RPD, and the RAD sees no reason why she should have difficulty in doing this before South Korean officials, who are undoubtedly more expert in assessing North Korean identity than is the IRB.Footnote 90 The fact that South Korean officials will investigate the Appellant's nationality does not mean that they have discretion to deny her citizenship: if she is found to be a North Korean, she is deemed a citizen, according to South Korean legislation and the government's interpretation and application of that legislation.

[90] Second, the RAD notes the Appellant's clear evidence that she does not want to live in South Korea. She argues that South Korean nationality laws require that she express a will and desire to live in that country prior to granting citizenship.Footnote 91 The RAD disagrees. There is no such condition in the Nationality Act, and it appears that the Appellant's will and desire is relevant only to whether she qualifies for assistance under the Protection Act. However, even if the Appellant's lack of will and desire is a relevant consideration for South Korean officials, the RAD cannot accept that this places citizenship outside of the Appellant's control. If the only reason that she cannot have her citizenship endowed is that she simply does not want it, then the granting of citizenship remains within her control and not at the discretion of the South Korean authorities. The "control" test set out in Williams acknowledges that the unwillingness of a refugee claimant to take steps required to gain state protection is fatal to her claim, unless that unwillingness results from the very fear of persecution itself.Footnote 92 While she has argued that the Protection Act creates impediments to citizenship, the RAD has found that this is not the case, and concludes that the Appellant has not established that there are significant impediments to her exercise of citizenship, as considered in Tretsetsang.

X. Conclusion

[91] The RAD finds that the Appellant is deemed to be a national of South Korea by that country's legislation and government. She does not need to apply for that citizenship, though South Korean officials will verify her country of origin before recognizing her nationality. The evidence before the RAD establishes that once she has been determined to be a national of North Korea, she will automatically be deemed a citizen of South Korea.

[92] The Appellant does not challenge the RPD's finding that she lacks a well-founded fear of persecution in South Korea or that adequate state protection is available to her there. The RAD is guided by the UNHCR Handbook:

[A]n applicant's well-founded fear of persecution must be in relation to the country of his nationality. As long as he has no fear in relation to the country of his nationality, he can be expected to avail himself of that country's protection. He is not in need of international protection and is therefore not a refugee.Footnote 93

[93] The RAD is sympathetic to the situation of the Appellant  a minor XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, who has found some stability and happiness in Canada. However, the RAD has no jurisdiction to determine this appeal on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. As the Appellant has not established that she has a well-founded fear of persecution in South Korea, she is not entitled to Canada's surrogate protection.

[94] Pursuant to section 111(1)(a) of the IRPA, the RAD confirms the decision of the RPD that the Appellant is neither a Convention refugee nor a person in need of protection. This appeal is dismissed.

Signed: Edward Bosveld

Date: June 27, 2016
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HARTFORD  Consolidating the states 12 community colleges will cut roughly 190 jobs and ultimately  officials hope  save $28 million, a cost analysis released by the system president on Monday shows.

Not consolidating, warned Mark Ojakian, who oversees the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, could result in a doubling of tuition at the two-year colleges within five years.

We cant raise tuition that much, we would lose students, Ojakian said, making a financial case for his Students First plan with reporters in advance of a meeting Wednesday of the finance committee of the Board of Regents for Higher Education.

Ojakian predicted it will ultimately be approved by the full board on Dec. 14, with or without the blessing of faculty.

For two years, I have been talking about the need for change, Ojakian said. I have not seen from anybody another proposal.

Ojakian wants to keep all existing community college campuses  including Norwalk, Housatonic in Bridgeport, and Gateway in New Haven open  but make them branches of a single joint Connecticut Community College, with a single accreditation.

The plan, Ojakian argued, is needed both to provide the systems 53,000 students with better services and address the states dire financial condition.

More Information Crunching the numbers With consolidation Projected annual tuition increases2.5% New college deficit by 2022$13M Without consolidation Deficit in five years$62M See More Collapse

Faculty like Lois Aime, Norwalk Community College Senate president and chairwoman of the Community College Governance Assembly, remain unconvinced.

Norwalk Community Colleges Senate voted 30-0 last month to object to the plan. In addition, Aime said Capital Community College, Three Rivers, Gateway in New Haven and Tunxis have also voted thumbs down.

It is still smoke and mirrors, Aime said, after reviewing the five-year cost projections for the plan issued on Monday. We again have no specifics on the elimination of positions. What positions exactly?

Erika Steiner, chief financial officer for the system, said the position cuts would include no faculty or staff who directly deal with students such as counselors or advisers. Instead, the 6 percent cut in payroll would come from campus administration, facilities, finance, human resources, marketing and Information Technology departments.

In many cases, positions eliminated on the campus level would be consolidated into systemwide positions.

Each campus will still have a go-to person for academics and finance and staffing based on campus size.

That would appear to Aime to satisfy individual accreditation requirements.

Ojakian said it would not. He added even the accrediting body  the New England Association of Schools and Colleges  has questioned the long-term financial solvency of the states two-year colleges on site visits.

Even with the consolidation, and projected annual tuition increases of 2.5 percent, officials estimate the new state community college would be $13 million in the red by 2022. Without consolidation, Steiner projects a deficit of $62 million five years out.

The plan also anticipates flat funding from the state even though it has sustained cuts over the past several years and flat enrollment.

Ojakian said he believes the new model could lead to an increase in enrollment if better services increases student retention.

I think this is the most responsible step to take at this point in time, Ojakian said. This is the best path forward. I want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to cut costs and increase revenue that comes in.

Experts anticipated the consolidation, if approved by the board, would take two years to complete.
WINSTED  William Foster III grew up a voracious reader, and like many young people, ended up being drawn to comics as a child.

I started reading comic books because I liked the characters  I liked Superman, I liked Batman, I liked the idea that they fought for justice and the disenfranchised, that there was always some resolution to be found if we worked together, said Foster. And comic books are related to who we are, and what we have done.

He shared that love with students at Northwestern Connecticut Community College last week, as he discussed the history of African-Americans in the United States, and how it has been reflected through comic books over the decades as part of a wide-ranging presentation.

Foster, now a professor of English at Naugatuck Valley Community College, collects and archives examples of the portrayal of African-Americans in comics, in addition to other work, and has written two books on the subject: Looking for a Face Like Mine and Dreaming of a Face Like Ours.

He said that comic books in the late 1800s and early 1900s featured racial stereotypes, and as he looked back while growing up in the 1960s, struck him as an inaccurate portrayal of his life and the people he knew as a young person in Philadelphia.

When he was growing up, there was little black representation in comic books, he said  no black people in Archie comics, in Metropolis.

He provided examples through the decades  a brief portrayal of Red Mask in 1939, comics on Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis, and, as African-Americans began to make their way into comics on a more regular basis, Lois Lane transformed into a black woman and giving a blood transfusion to an African-American policeman in 1967.

This latter episode was an example of tokenism, but was a natural representation of the nature of societal change.

This was obviously a story about tokenism, yeah? But we all have to start some place. If were going through stages, everyone goes through them  tokenism, (patronizing people), said Foster. Im not mad  I have an appreciation (that) we have to go through stages to get to the point where were going to be real and genuine with each other.

Foster also discussed how each generation processes history  his experience was not that of his parents, and the same is true for he and his children.

When his church would take a trip, they would cook up a storm, which would confuse him as a child  eventually, he realized it was a reflection of the days where they could not stop to eat, because no restaurant would serve them.

They had shoeboxes, just like they probably had when they came up from the South. And the food was just amazing  I was like, why would I ever want to go to a restaurant? And I learned a valuable historical lesson at the same time, said Foster. Im trying to give my students a sense of the same thing  the world is not (always) like what you see now.

Such things are natural, he said  parents try to better circumstances for their children, removing them from what they dealt with growing up.

Foster touched on a series of subjects Thursday, including standards for censorship in television and his efforts to collect comic books, and also took questions from the audience during his remarks. The event was hosted by the NCCC Diversity Committee and the NCCC Cultural Committee.
NORTH CANAAN  State Representative Brian Ohler (R- North Canaan) has been named 2017 Legislator of the Year by the Connecticut State Firefighters Association, according to a release issued Monday.

The freshman legislator was honored Nov. 30 at the annual legislative meeting, hosted by the Connecticut State Firefighters Association in Wethersfield.

This award recognizes Rep. Ohlers efforts to ensure that Connecticuts Regional Fire Training Schools received adequate annual operating budgets, and that the Connecticut Firefighters Cancer Fund was also retained.

Leon Collins, Legislative Representative for the Connecticut State Firefighters Association, had high praise for Ohler.

We greatly appreciate Rep. Ohlers efforts during the past year, he said. His work, with Rep. Pat Boyd, to organize the bipartisan Fire/EMS Caucus at the Capitol was just what the Fire Service needed; during a most challenging legislative session. Additionally, Rep. Ohler worked through the summer to help restore funding to the operating budgets of our Regional Fire Schools after some of those schools had to cut classes or close their doors. Again, we would like to thank Rep. Ohler on behalf of the over 26,000 volunteer and career firefighters that our organization represents.

I am particularly grateful with this honor from the CT State Firefighters Association. Ensuring that these funds were secured seemed, at times, to be a herculean effort, Ohler said in a statement. Minority Leader Rep. Themis Klarides and Rep. Melissa Ziobron, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee guided these initiatives throughout this years long and arduous budget session and I am so very grateful for their responsiveness.

Working with Rep. Pat Boyd, D-Brooklyn, as co-chairs of the newly formed Fire/EMS Caucus will inevitably offer a truly bipartisan approach to any new legislation pertaining to the fire service, he said. As of last week, our fire school funding was again targeted by Gov. Malloy. Now is not the time to sit idly by, as our work is never over.

The Connecticut State Firefighters Association has 26,625 members representing most than 80 perrcent of the firefighters in each of Connecticuts eight counties. Approximately, 22,225 of their members are volunteers and the remaining 4400 members are career firefighters.
The state Department of Public Health has fined three Connecticut nursing homes for violations that injured residents or jeopardized their safety.

Birmingham Health Center in Derby was fined $330 after a resident, who is monitored with a WanderGuard ankle sensor, left the facility. A DPH investigation found that the resident had been on a medical absence and returned to the facility on July 19. On return, staff failed to place the WanderGuard ankle sensor on the residents leg. On July 20, the resident, who suffers from vascular dementia and atrial fibrillation, was reported missing at 1:25 a.m. The resident was found down the street and returned to the facility at 1:38 a.m.

Officials at the facility did not respond to a request for comment.

Autumn Lake Healthcare at New Britain was fined $3,000 after staff incorrectly used a ventilator machine on a resident.

On Feb. 2, 2017, a resident with chronic respiratory failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complained of shortness of breath and was put on a trilogy machine, a type of non-invasive ventilator, after other interventions failed to help, according to DPH. The resident was placed on the machine but continued to complain of shortness of breath and subsequently was taken to a hospital for observation and returned to the facility the next day, according to the citation.

An April 3 DPH investigation found the trilogy machines cuff pressurean indicator that helps ensure the ventilator is working properly had been titrated incorrectly and staff had not been trained in how to use the device.

A registered nurse, who documented using the machine, admitted not knowing how to use the machine and never touched it, according to the citation. The RN told investigators that a licensed practical nurse titrated the cuff pressure. But when questioned by DPH, the LPN didnt recall the incident and did not know how to use the machine.

The investigation also found incomplete documentation and a failure to assess the resident in accordance with policy, according to DPH.

As a result of the incident, DPH ordered and received an immediate action plan from the facility that says it will not admit any residents who require use of a trilogy machine. Also, all licensed staff and respiratory therapists will be taught how to use the machine and other non-invasive ventilators, the citation states.

Officials at the facility did not return a call seeking comment.

Avalon Health Care Center at StoneRidge in Mystic was fined $1,530 after a resident was injured on two separate occasions during wheelchair transfers.

On Sept. 14, 2016, the resident, who was a known risk for skin breakdown, suffered a skin tear on the left leg when the leg hit a wheelchair leg rest as the resident was being transferred in a bathroom. On Nov. 5, 2016, the resident was taken to an emergency department and needed 13 sutures after suffering a 7-centimenter-long leg laceration after hitting a leg on a wheelchair leg rest, according to DPH.

In the second incident, a nurses aide received disciplinary action for folding up the leg rests, rather than removing them in accordance with facility policy.

Officials at the facility did not return a call seeking comment.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (c-hit.org).
Key West, FL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/05/2017 --Life's special events are meant to be special and remembered for a lifetime. It is not only the people who make it special but often the settings play a great role in turning the event from just being a regular affair to something extraordinary. If anyone is looking forward to celebrating one such special event in their life, then they can easily consider a boat cruise in The Key West and The Keys. There is this cruise in the Key West that is rightfully more than just being a pleasure cruise. The Key West Cocktail Cruise has been redefining the ways parties are launched in the Key West and The Keys. It is one of the best cruises around that serves as the perfect setting for hosting bachelor and bachelorette parties, corporate parties or a gala wedding. Whatever the occasion, if anyone has the reason to celebrate, then Key West Cocktail Cruise is the venue for hosting the event.



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A cult classic gets the BFI treatment on Blu-ray  When The Wind Blows.

Its an animation from 1986 from Raymond Briggs, based around Jim and Hilda Bloggs (Sir John Mills and Dame Peggy Ashcroft), a middle-aged couple, who believe that the British government is in control as they prepare for nuclear war.

When the countdown begins they follow the governments Protect and Survive guidelines, painting their windows white, building a fortress of doors and pillows and stockpiling a modest amount of food and drink to see them through. It obviously doesnt go well.

The new release, with theme track by David Bowie and an original soundtrack by Roger Waters, features an audio commentary, a feature-length documentary about the films director Jimmy T Murakami, an interview with Raymond Briggs plus The Wind and the Bomb (the making-of When the Wind Blows), Protect and Survive (the public information film about how to survive in the event of a nuclear attack), an isolated music and effects track and an illustrated booklet.

You can pre-order it now ahead of the January 2018 release. It is priced at 19.99.

Find out more at the Amazon website
Opposition commune councilors in southern Cambodias Kep province are facing increasing pressure from local authorities to defect to the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP), they said Tuesday, including through 24-hour surveillance and restrictions on their freedom of movement.



Nun Dara, the head of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in Kep, told RFAs Khmer Service that since Cambodias Supreme Court ruled on Nov. 16 that the CNRP be dissolved for its part in an alleged plot to topple the government, police officers and unidentified men have repeatedly harassed him and other local opposition officials who have refused to join the CPP.



It has become routine now that we are under surveillance all the time, he said.



When two or three of us meet, we are closely watched. We are now restricted from our political life. We have been persecuted badly and we have been treated as traitors since our party was dissolved.



Nun Dara said that some of his fellow CNRP officials have confined themselves to their homes, while others have joined the more than half of CNRP lawmakersincluding deputy presidents Mu Sochua and Eng Chhay Eang and a number of party activistswho have fled Cambodia fearing retaliation by the CPP following electoral gains by the opposition in Junes commune ballot.



Our movement is badly restricted, and only our officials who have fled to foreign countries can enjoy their freedom of speech, he said.



Even when I am at a cafe, I am monitored.



The Kep CNRP chief claimed that none of the elected opposition officials in his province have defected to the CPP and that, by refusing to do so, they had become the focus of an intensifying campaign by the ruling party.



Nun Dara said that he and the other CNRP officials in Kep are concerned for their safety and urged local authorities to end their intimidation and threats.



Luon Savath, an award-winning rights activist known as the multimedia monk, echoed Nun Daras concerns about harassment of the opposition by security personnel, who he said were being used as a tool by the ruling party.



He said police and local officials have been deployed across much of the country to monitor CNRP members who have refused to join the CPP after the opposition was dissolved.



It is very bad that police officers, who are supposed to be neutral, abuse their power by persecuting the opposition and serving the ruling party, he said.



Members of the Buddhist monastic community who are known to be sympathetic to the CNRP have also faced harassment, Luon Savath added.



Attempts by RFA to contact Kep province police chief Ing Samol and Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak for comment on the reports of abuse went unanswered Tuesday.



CNRP officials in other provinces have also reported harassment by local authorities demanding that they defect to the CPP.



Immediately following last months decision to dissolve the CNRP, Prime Minister Hun Sen posted a video clip to his Facebook account urging opposition lawmakers and officials to take advantage of a very rare opportunity  to join the CPP, and threatening them with legal action if they refused.



The prime minister had set Nov. 26 as the date of a third and final ultimatum by which members of the opposition were to have switched party affiliation in order to keep the jobs for which they had been elected in June.



Last week, CNRP officials told RFA that out of a total of 5,007 opposition members elected to commune posts earlier this year, around 200 have now joined the CPP in order to keep their jobs, while pro-government media put the figure at a number about 10 times higher.



Dam villagers



Also on Tuesday, villagers from Sre Kor commune, in Stung Treng provinces Sesan district, told RFA they no longer have local officials who will help represent their interests in a compensation dispute over the Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam project, now that the CNRP commune chief and two commune councilors have been removed from their positions following the dissolution of the party.



A July 15 shutdown of floodgates on the U.S. $781 million project located on Mekong River tributaries in Stung Treng has sent water levels rising in Sre Kor and nearby Kbal Romeas commune following government appeals to residents to relocate to other areas.



Hundreds of residents have already accepted compensation plans offered to them by the government and project managers to move, but nearly 150 families remain, saying they do not want to abandon their ancestors tombs or the place they have called home for generations.



On Tuesday, Sre Kor villager Sean Rith said that most residents feel the decision to remove the three CNRP officials and replace them with CPP members was unreasonable, and called for their reinstatement.



Sre Kor commune chief Seak Mekong said he can longer assist his constituents and called the decision to remove him from office an insult to those who elected him in the June commune vote.



Replacing him was illegal according to Cambodias constitution, he added, saying his mandate is to serve as commune chief for five years.



The move goes against the will of the people and its utterly improper to remove elected commune officials arbitrarily, he said.



Villagers who are affected by the dam project rely so heavily on our help to advocate for their rights and concerns, but they are now helpless. For the sake of the nation, I wish to call on Hun Sen to reconsider his actions so that no one gets hurt.



As a result of ongoing floodgate tests at Sesan 2, water levels in Sre Kor are expected eventually to rise to about 220 feet (67 meters). A local bridge connecting Sre Kor to main roads, along with a few roads in Kbal Romeas where the dam is located, are now flooded, villagers told RFA in earlier reports.



Sorn Chey, the executive director of the Cambodia-based Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, said it remains to be seen how effective the new commune chiefs and councilors who are handpicked to replace elected CNRP officials will work to help address local concerns.



We will see how the officials from the ruling party can help address the issues in the community which have existed for a very long time, he said.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Disgruntled veterans of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are shown in an earlier protest in Beijing, Feb. 22, 2017.

Authorities in the Chinese capital have detained and beaten a group of People's Liberation Army (PLA) veterans after they petitioned the central government over a lack of pension and other retirement benefits.

Several dozen veterans had traveled to Beijing from the southwestern province of Sichuan on Nov. 29 to petition the complaints office of the State Council, they told RFA.

But they were detained there by police and officials from Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu and sent to the Jiujingzhuang detention center, a veteran who asked not to be identified said on Tuesday.

"A group of us went from some of the suburbs of Chengdu, to fight for our rights in Beijing," the veteran said. "We were [beaten up] by unidentified security guards in Jiujingzhuang."

"If I'm frank, these security guards in Jiujingzhuang did it at the request of the Beijing police; they beat anyone who doesn't totally comply with their orders," he said.

The veteran said he is still being held at the "holding center" pending discussions with local officials and detention center guards.

"They seriously injured two of us, and another four or five were also beaten [but less severely]," he said.

The most seriously injured, Zhang Qiwu, is currently receiving medical treatment in the You'anmen Hospital in Beijing, and is currently awaiting surgery for internal bleeding and a broken ankle.

A second veteran told RFA that the beatings took place on their arrival at Jiujingzhuang, where detained petitioners typically await an escort back to their hometowns, where they face further surveillance, beatings or detention in "study centers."

He said detainees from other parts of China had also been attacked by Jiujingzhuang security guards.

"It wasn't just the Sichuanese who were attacked; there were some from Hubei as well," he said. "We are trying to get some kind of redress for those who were injured."

Video footage of sent to RFA included an audio recording of one veteran of China's brief border war with Vietnam calling a Beijing police station to enquire about the beatings.

"We haven't broken the law: why would you use violence on us?" the veteran can be heard asking, to which the police officer replies: "Are you sure about that?"

"We presented our demands in a reasonable and lawful manner, so what have we done wrong?" the veteran says. "Is it legal to get auxiliary police officers to beat up veterans?"



Just another persecutor?

Chinese President Xi Jinping called in October for a new agency to protect the rights of People's Liberation Army (PLA) veterans, thousands of whom have staged mass protests in Beijing since last year over a lack of pensions and other promised benefits.

But veterans said they are waiting to see if the agency will act as their protector, or as just another persecutor.

PLA veterans have been identified by the leadership as one of the most politically sensitive groups in China.

In October 2016, thousands of demobilized PLA personnel converged on Beijing from across China, staging a vocal protest outside the headquarters of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission (CMC), which Xi chairs.

Singing "In Unity is Our Strength" and other Chinese military choruses, the veterans, some of whom had fought in in the Korean War (1950-1953), wore their old uniforms and stood peacefully, calling for pensions, healthcare and other demobilization benefits they said were promised but not delivered.

Any bid to organize has since triggered nationwide security alerts via the "stability maintenance" system, which targets peaceful protesters, petitioners and critics of the government.

The veterans are calling on the authorities to abide by promises made to them before they signed up to fight in China's short border war with Vietnam in 1979.

Clause 3 of the Military Pensions Priority Regulations requires governments to ensure that the standard of living and social situation of demobilized PLA soldiers doesn't fall below the national average.

Other veterans are citing official document No. 75 issued by China's cabinet, the State Council, in 1978 promising to find jobs for demobilized military personnel.

Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
A political activist in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing took to the streets on Tuesday to deliver soap-box-style public orations praising the concept of universal human rights, a concept that has been rejected by the ruling Chinese Communist Party as a Western liberal import unsuited to China.



Han Liang, who has previously run afoul of the authorities for trying to stand as an independent candidate in elections to his district-level People's Congress, stood outside the Aoti shopping mall in downtown Chongqing, dressed in pro-human rights slogans and armed with a public address system.



He said his action was in honor of World Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, but that he expects to be under virtual house arrest under the watchful eye of China's state security police by then.



"I think I will very likely lose my freedom very soon," Han said. "Usually I go out and do this in honor of Human Rights Day, but they are always there to detain me, so I'm getting in early this year."



"I found a location to do this today, and my speechifying was quite a success," he said. "I said 'Compatriots! Are you aware that Dec. 10 is the 69th World Human Rights Day, which was set up by the United Nations in 1948?



Han said he also informed passersby that "the People's Republic of China never took part, although the [1911] Republic of China [now based in Taiwan] does take part."



He informed local people out shopping that their human rights include the right to exist, the right to an education, and the right to freedom of expression, among other things, Han said.



"I told them that human rights was a higher principle than national sovereignty, and that a lot of people in China have never heard of human rights," he said.



"But once you have human rights, you have everything," Han told the crowd. "Without human rights, we lose everything."



Large crowd listens



Han said nobody is taught about human rights in China's current education system.



"I told them that we can't blame the government; that they're too busy with their power struggles from morning until night," Han said. "Human rights don't even cross their minds, but they detain us if we start talking about it."



Han, who is in his seventies, said his speech drew a large crowd.



"A lot of people were there listening, and there were no police to be seen," he said.



Human Rights Day falls on Dec. 10 every year, and was established to mark the adoption of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.



It is frequently used as a focal point and key anniversary for political and human rights activists in China, and activists are frequently placed under surveillance or house arrest ahead of the date.



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Wealthy North Koreans protected in the past by their ties to ruling party officials are falling under new scrutiny over reported lawbreaking, with local authorities now ordered to conduct investigations into their assets and activities, sources say.



The order, originating with national leader Kim Jong Un and sent out to provincial officials for implementation, has already netted one well-known and influential figure in North Hamgyong province, a local source told RFAs Korean Service.



A head of the Northern Ethnic Chinese Committee from Chongjin city in North Hamgyong was recently taken to the State Security Department for questioning in secret, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



He is under investigation for having affairs with women including a police officers wife, the source said.



The committee head, whose name was not provided by RFAs source, had previously imported four shipping containers of goods from China each month, and had won special treatment from North Koreas military by bringing in badly needed supplies, including munitions and spare parts for military vehicles.



The Central Committee had overlooked his unlawful acts because he was dealing in munitions, the source said.



But Kim Jong Uns directive not to ignore activity by the rich that breaks the law and disturbs public order was delivered at the Northern Ethnic Chinese Committee directors meeting held on Dec. 1, he said.



Angered by reports



Kim had likely been angered by reading State Security Department reports on North Koreas domestic situation, a second source told RFA, speaking from Yanggang province.



He then ordered the State Security Department to look into the amounts of assets held by the rich, and into their illegal activities, he said.



Other influential figures now drawing police attention include the family of 26-year-old Hyesan city businesswoman Cho Chun Shim, who had contributed thousands of dollars of relief aid to Yanggang residents affected by severe flooding of the Tumen River last year, the source said.



Her father, brothers, and husband dominate the guesthouse business and sex trade in Hyesan, and there have been rumors that they have arranged for free sexual services for powerful local executives, he said.



Kim Jong Un has now stepped forward to root out unlawful activities by the rich, but I dont know if he will be able to succeed, the source said, adding, The wealthy North Koreans who control the countrys economy have strong ties to influential officials.



It may not be so easy to uncover their illegal acts.



Reported by Sunghui Moon. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Rohingya refugees from Myanmar sit in their shelter in the Kutupalong refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district, Dec. 4, 2017.

The United Nations Human Rights Council strongly condemned Myanmar at a special session on Tuesday for the very likely commission of crimes against humanity by state security forces assisted by non-state actors in the countrys troubled Rakhine state.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, urged the Geneva-based Council to recommend that the U.N. General Assembly establish a new mechanism for assisting with criminal investigations of perpetrators of violence against Rohingya Muslims.

The Myanmar military stands accused of committing atrocities against the Rohingya Muslims in northern Rakhine state during two recent crackdowns targeting the persecuted ethnic group that began last August and in October 2016.

Zeid, who told the Council in September that the brutal campaign against Rohingya Muslims in northern Rakhine state appeared to be a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, said that credible reports indicated widespread, systematic, and brutal attacks against the Rohingya by Myanmar security forces with witnesses in different locations giving consistent accounts of the atrocities.

During the session, he cited systematic discrimination against Rohingya, policies of segregation, and recent allegations of killings, stabbings, beatings to death, burnings of houses with families inside, rape and sexual abuse, forced displacement, and the systematic destruction of villages, homes, and livelihoods.

Given this, Zeid asked the 47-member body how anyone could rule out that elements of genocide might be present.

The U.N., United States, and other entities have already said that the crackdown, which has forced an estimated 626,000 Rohingya and other minority ethnic groups to flee northern Rakhine, amounts to ethnic cleansing.

The resolution during the session, requested by Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, received 33 votes in favor, nine abstentions, two absences, and three opposed, including China.

China has proposed a three-phase solution to address the crisis, involving ending the violence and restoring stability and order to the region, repatriating refugees, and developing long-term solutions to poverty in Rakhine state as a root cause of the conflict.

Bangladeshs Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed Shahriar Alam said his country remains very concerned that Myanmar has not conducted a credible national investigation into alleged human rights violations.

Htin Lynn, Myanmars permanent representative to the U.N. in Geneva, said that although Myanmar is ready to increase cooperation with the U.N. to support national efforts to improve the situation in Rakhine state, it is first necessary to focus on repatriating the refugees, according to a statement issued Tuesday by Zeids office (OHCHR).

Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement on Nov. 23 for Rohingya living in camps to voluntarily return to northern Rakhine  a process that Myanmar has said will get under way within two months.

Htin Lynn said the returnees would be housed in temporary places  but not camps  until arrangements are made to relocate them to their places of origin.

During the session, the U.S.called on Myanmar to grant access to the fact-finding mission and unhindered humanitarian access to the region, adding that nothing could justify the campaign against the Rohingya in Rakhine, which it said was premeditated. It also called for the reform of Myanmars 1982 Citizenship Law which prevents the Rohingya from becoming citizens though many have lived in the country for generations.

In March, the Council created a three-person independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged human rights violations by the Myanmar military and security forces in the northern part of Rakhine.

Myanmar disassociated itself from the call for the urgent dispatch of a fact-finding mission, and the government refused to grant entry visas to commission members.

Instead, the Council dispatched three teams to Bangladesh to conduct interviews with Rohingya and other groups in sprawling refugee camps around Coxs Bazar and elsewhere in southeastern Bangladesh.

In denial

The government and army have denied allegations of mistreatment of the Rohingya during the crackdown, and an investigation by the military in November denied allegations of atrocities against Rohingya, and said it had abided by laws and did not use excessive force during the crackdown

Rights groups welcomed the resolution and called for perpetrators of the violence to be held accountable for their actions.

To date, there has been no accountability for the serious human rights violations committed by the Myanmar security forces, some of which constitute crimes against humanity, Amnesty International said in an oral statement to the Human Rights Council. The Myanmar authorities continue to downplay the seriousness of the reports, while refusing to cooperate with the fact-finding mission created by this Council.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said the Human Rights Council had sent a strong message to the Myanmar government that the world will not turn away from the Rohingya crisis.

The U.N. resolution makes clear that the international community retains a watchful eye over the plight of the Rohingya and demands action, said Laila Matar, senior U.N. advocate at Human Rights Watch, in a printed statement.

But it needs to ensure that its rhetoric is matched by its will to prevent further mistreatment, forced returns, and assaults to the human rights and dignity of the Rohingya, she said.

Those responsible for atrocities should be identified, sanctioned, and held to account, Matar said. The international community has made clear that it does not accept the denial of both the military and civilian leadership, whose attempts to whitewash these crimes undermine any chance of durable rights or reconciliation.

In November, the U.N. Security Council failed to pass a resolution condemning the violence in Myanmars northern Rakhine and instead issued a statement after acquiescing to strong objections by China.

Instead, it issued a presidential statement calling on the Myanmar government to end the use of excessive military force and intercommunal violence that has devastated Rohingya communities during the military crackdowns.
Vietnam will audit several construction projects under a government-endorsed development scheme in the coming year, an official said Tuesday, after protests over a tollbooth collecting fees for one such project led to its suspension amid questions over transparency.



General State Auditor Ho Duc Phoc said the investigation would include such large scale projects under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme as the Viet Tri Ba Vi Bridge connecting Vinh Phu and Phu Tho provinces, the upgrading of Highway 18 linking Quang Ninh and Bac Ninh provinces, and the Deo Ca Road Tunnel between Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces.



Also on Tuesday, at a meeting with voters in Can Tho municipality, National Assembly chairman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan admitted that many BOT projects have mistakes, but maintained that the policy of promoting BOT investment is an effective way to attract capital for infrastructure development.



Under the BOT model, investors transfer infrastructure projects to the state after building and operating them for a certain amount of time.



The shift in official tone towards BOT projects followed an order by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday to temporarily close the Cai Lay tollbooth in Tien Giang province following weekend protests by drivers who say its location is unfair and that the fees it collects are too high.



Phuc ordered the month-long suspension following an urgent meeting to address public anger over the tollbooth with the Ministry of Transportation and the chairman of the People's Committee of Tien Giang, saying the stations operations required further review.



The tollbooth collects fees from drivers to earn back the cost of building a 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) route bypassing Cai Lay city along National Highway 1 under the BOT scheme.



Drivers have expressed their opposition to the tollbooth since it opened in August by paying the fees in either extremely small or large denominations, and causing the booth to open its gates repeatedly to alleviate traffic that had built up while operators attempted to make change.



Other sources told RFA that anger over the tollbooth stemmed in part from a lack of consultation with the public before it was approved and the projects lack of transparency.



Tollbooth proposals



According to official media, Mondays meeting produced three options that the government will consider to resolve the tollbooth situation.



In one scenario, the toll station would remain where it is on National Highway 1, but authorities would work to reinforce drivers understanding of the situation, as well as to improve the tolls, although it was not immediately clear whether the tolls would be reduced.



The second option would involve authorities moving the tollbooth to the bypass and negotiating with investors, as doing so would change the timeframe for revenue collection.



A third suggestion could see two separate tollbooths set upone on the highway and one on the bypassto collect different tolls.



In late August, fees at the tollbooth were reduced from 35,000-180,000 dong (U.S. $1.54-7.92) to 25,000-140,000 dong (U.S. $1.10-6.10), but the decrease did little to appease drivers, and protests led to a three-month suspension of operations that ended on Nov. 30.



But drivers continued to resist through the weekendin some cases getting into confrontations with toll operators and requiring cranes to remove their vehiclescausing the station to open its gates as many as 20 times a day to free up traffic, and prompting Phucs decision to shut it down.



After the decision was announced, drivers poured onto National Highway 1 on Monday evening to celebrate, with car horns blaring.



However, the Ministry of Public Security has called on local police to investigate and gather information about anyone inciting public disorder at BOT tollbooths, including Cai Lay station.



Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Emily Peyman. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Intrusions by Vietnamese fishermen into ocean areas claimed by other countries have climbed dramatically during the last five years, with thousands of fishermen arrested and held by neighboring states, according to a Vietnamese government report.



Covering the period 2011 to 2016, the report released on Tuesday by the Standing Committee of Vietnams National Assembly to assembly delegates detailed more than 1,000 separate cases in which nearly 14,000 Vietnamese nationals had been seized.



Areas in which their boats had been captured included the national waters of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and several Pacific Island nations, the report said.



At the same time, illegal fishing by Chinese vessels in Vietnamese waters is also on the rise, Vietnams General Department of Fisheries announced on Dec. 5.



In 2015, Chinese boats observed fishing in waters claimed by Vietnam numbered around 5,200, while last year the number climbed to more than 15,000, the Department said.



On Nov. 29, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte released five Vietnamese fishermen detained two months earlier for suspected poaching, as he assured Hanoi that bilateral ties were very strong despite frequent territorial disputes in the South China Sea.



The fishermen were arrested in September off Cape Bolinao in the northern Philippines.



Duterte apologized while bidding the fishermen farewell during a ceremonial send-off as they left the Philippines to return to Vietnam.



In November last year, Duterte also freed 17 Vietnamese fishermen who had spent two months in detention after Coast Guard officials took them into custody on charges of poaching in Philippine waters.



The Philippines and Vietnam are among six nations that have territorial claims in the South China Sea. The others are Brunei, China, Malaysia, and Taiwan.



Fishermen from claimant nations have often been arrested for straying too close to each others shores, fueling tensions and complicating the territorial conflict.



Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Emily Peyman. Written in English by Richard Finney.
After two years of defending a controversial law that froze base rates for Virginias two largest electric utilities as a hedge against carbon regulation, Dominion Energy officials said Monday that its time to transition away from the 2015 rate freeze, which also prevented state regulators from ordering refunds to customers.

The State Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities, has found that the 2015 law has allowed Dominion and Appalachian Power to pocket millions that they would have otherwise had to return to ratepayers.

In September, the SCC said Dominion, which serves 67 percent of the states electric customers, would owe ratepayers between $133 million and nearly $176 million for 2015 and 2016 if rate reviews were in place.

Under any regulatory construct, there will be years with excess earnings due to favorable weather, the absence of severe storms, economic growth and business efficiencies, said Mark Webb, the companys chief legal officer and senior vice president for corporate affairs, in remarks Monday to the General Assemblys Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

Webb said, The General Assembly may wish to consider a reinvestment model, where in years when there are such excess earnings, they are reinvested in modernizing and transforming the electricity grid.

The SCC told the General Assembly commission Monday that a typical Dominion customer has seen bills go up nearly 30 percent over the past decade, largely the result of rate-adjustment clauses, or riders, which are extra charges tacked onto bills to pay for new power plants, transmission projects and other costs.

Webb said the State Air Pollution Control Boards approval last month of a draft cap-and-trade regulation limiting carbon emissions from power plants, that now heads out for public comment, provides the clarity necessary to move away from the rate freeze. Large industrial consumers had attacked the rate freeze as unconstitutional, but the Virginia Supreme Court upheld it in September.

Now, the utility wants a system in which the SCC resumes rate reviews, but the company gets credit for investments in renewable energy and what it sees as urgently needed upgrades. They would be to better gird the grid against storms, prepare for the intermittency of increased wind and solar generation and the two-way flows of distributed generation sources  such as residential rooftop solar  and implement technologies that better identify and isolate outages, among other upgrades.

What we envision is a construct where you would go back to reviews and, basically, if weve invested in solar and grid modernization in ways that might be eligible for a rider, if during a given time period the SCC determines that we had sufficient earnings or overearnings, then instead of going into a rider, those would be absorbed in base rates, Webb said.

The statement was a big shift in an election year during which Dominions earnings and influence in state government roiled the political landscape.

More than 60 candidates for the House of Delegates signed a pledge refusing money from the energy giant, and 13 of them won seats. Sen. J. Chapman Petersen, D-Fairfax City, who waged a lonely battle to repeal the rate freeze last session, has already filed a similar bill for the coming session, with two Republican senators signing on as co-sponsors.

Dominion has seen the writing on the wall in terms of public opinion on the rate freeze, said Carmen Bingham, a project coordinator at the Virginia Poverty Law Center and a former chief of staff to Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville.

The law center, which published a report earlier this year called The Myth of Virginias Rate Utopia, enlisted two former Virginia attorneys general to join the legal fight against the rate freeze before the Supreme Court.

Bingham, who was at Mondays meeting, said low-income people already pay a disproportionate part of their income in utility bills.

Basically, what we see coming is theyre going to figure out a way to not return that money to consumers, she said.

Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, predicted the legislature would take a cautious approach to the Dominion proposal.

I dont think were going to be moving in that direction at a rapid pace, said Norment, longtime chairman of the legislative commission. I dont think theres any preordained outcome.

Norment said he was a little perplexed about the proposal to plow excess earnings into modernizing the utility grid. I think theyre already reinvesting, unless Im missing something, he said after the meeting.

Legislators also would take a keen interest in any savings to investor-owned utilities from federal tax reforms, now moving quickly through Congress.

The SCC estimated savings of $165 million a year for Dominion Energy and $80 million a year for Appalachian Power Co. if Congress were to lower the corporate income tax rate from 35 to 20 percent.

Kim Pate, director of utility accounting and finance, said that tax rate savings arising from base rate earnings would remain with shareholders during the base rate freeze.

However, Norment said that that may be something the (legislative) commission or the SCC is going to look at to determine what is a fair return on investment.

Normally, tax savings would be considered in reviewing a utilitys rates.

I would think it would be an integral part of a rate case, he said.

Dominion officials said it is too soon to say what savings might accrue to utilities from reducing the federal corporate income tax rate, or what offsetting costs they could absorb because of other changes in the tax code.

Appalachian Power, the states No. 2 electric utility, reserved comment on the Dominion proposal until after it sees the details.

Its a new concept that well have to take a look at and evaluate it as far as will it work for Appalachian Power, company spokesman John E. Shepelwich said Monday.

Under the current law, Appalachian Power would emerge from the freeze on rate reviews two years before Dominion. Its first biennial rate review will occur in 2020, based on costs and revenues in 2018 and 2019.
A computer scientist at Fort Lee charged last spring with a hate crime in a bizarre attack on a young black woman who was yanked from her vehicle by the ankles has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Judge Lynn S. Brice of Chesterfield County Circuit Court found Matthew R. Ellis, 27, not guilty by reason of insanity after reviewing reports from two mental health professionals  including one for the prosecution  who concluded Ellis was insane at the time of the May 3 incident in Chester.

The evidence supporting the insanity defense was overwhelming in my view, said Todd Ritter, Ellis attorney.

Ritter noted that the expert appointed to evaluate Ellis for the defense, clinical psychologist Dr. Evan S. Nelson, along with the expert hired by the prosecution, clinical psychologist Dr. Robert G. Gibby Jr., concurred that Ellis was insane.

The reports indicated that Mr. Ellis was suffering from bipolar disorder, and this was a manic episode with psychotic features, Ellis said.

According to the judges order, Ellis was committed to the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services for evaluation to determine whether he may be released with or without conditions or requires continued confinement. Ritter said Ellis will be sent to Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County.

A hearing was set for Jan. 29 to determine whether Ellis should be released.

Early in the case, Ritter disclosed in court filings that Ellis was paranoid and delusional and that his family had implored him to seek psychiatric help just days before the assault on the motorist.

When Ritter first met his client in jail, Ellis claimed Ritter was an imposter lawyer sent to further the conspiracy and injustice the defendant believes is being perpetrated against him, Ritter said in court papers.

According to a prepared summary of evidence by Chesterfield prosecutor Geoff Easton, Ellis, who lived in Chester, pulled alongside the womans car at the traffic light on Rivers Bend Boulevard at state Route 10 and began yelling obscenities at her through the open window of his vehicle.

In an attempt to get away, the victim drove onto eastbound Route 10 and Ellis followed her, and when she slowed due to traffic, Ellis rear-ended her vehicle. Ellis then got out, walked to the drivers-side door of the womans car and yelled that he was going to kill her.

Moments later he opened the womans door, grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her out. At that point several other motorists stopped their vehicles and three men approached Ellis and tried restraining him.

The men were able to subdue him to the point that the victim was able to escape and run to a nearby office building. But Ellis managed to free himself and ran to the office building, where he tried to break down the door while yelling he was going to get her.

The three men caught up with Ellis and restrained him after he ran around the side of the building, holding him until police arrived. He spat on two Chesterfield officers as he was being placed under arrest.

After initially refusing to answer any questions and keeping his eyes closed, Ellis began making obscene racial comments about the victim. He stated he intended to kill the woman and again used a racial slur to describe her.

Ellis replied yes when one of the officers asked if wanted to hurt the woman because of her race.

He was extremely agitated and vocal during the entire encounter, Easton said.

Ellis was charged with a hate-crime assault of the woman, two counts of assaulting a law-enforcement officer, statutory burglary and reckless driving. He was acquitted of all charges as a result of the judges finding of not guilty by reason of insanity.

I was pleased by the outcome and glad to see that Mr. Ellis will now be getting the help he needs, Ritter said. In fact, there was intervention early on (after the arrest) so my client has been on proper medication for some time, and he is not remotely the same agitated and paranoid person I met shortly after his arrest.

I was fortunate to have met Mr. Ellis very soon after the incident, and I also heard promptly from his family and numerous co-workers and friends, so it quickly became apparent that this was a mental health breakdown, and that he was not some violent racist, Ritter added. The victim must have been utterly terrified, and I can assure you Mr. Ellis would have never wanted to be the source of that fright and pain for anyone.

The victim in the case could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Ellis received high praise from his employer, co-workers and others who vouched for his character, integrity and work ethic in letters submitted to Chesterfield General District Court last year related to a drunken-driving incident for which he was convicted in March 2016.

He was taking Brazilian jiujitsu classes to get in shape and receiving treatment from The Meridian Group in Chesterfield to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and panic attacks, according to letters in his court file related to the earlier incident.

Ellis served as the database administrator for the U.S. Army Food Management Information System at Fort Lee, a division of the Armys Communications Electronics Command.
Attorneys representing Dr. John E. Gibbs III on Monday concluded their defense of the former Sheltering Arms physician with testimony they contend bolsters their case that Gibbs girlfriend, Zulma L. Pabon, was mentally unstable and either committed suicide or was killed by someone other than Gibbs after she disappeared 3 years ago.

On the sixth day of the murder trial, Chesterfield police Lt. Jason Seamster testified he was contacted on June 13, 2014  six days after Pabon disappeared  by Angela Grier, who like several of Pabons friends and co-workers, sought to help investigators find out what happened to her.

Reading from notes he made of his conversation with Grier, Seamster said Grier advised that Pabon had told her in confidence on June 6, 2014  the last day Pabon was seen alive  that she used to be a cutter about 10 years ago. Grier said Pabon began to cry and advised she had become mentally unstable, and recently had cut herself again in the crease of her leg near her pelvic area.

Pabon also told Grier that no one knows this, and that Gibbs had caught her cutting herself and yelled for her to stop.

Towards the end of the conversation with Angela, Zulma made the statement, Im mentally unstable, and she told Angela that she had thought about her relationship with Mauriek and she was going to tell him at the gym that night that she was ending it, Seamster testified, reading from his notes.

Pabon was referring to Mauriek Goode, a former trainer at Golds Gym at Westchester Commons, with whom Pabon had initiated a relationship in the weeks before she disappeared as she made arrangements to leave Gibbs.

Goode testified last week about his budding relationship with Pabon, 26, who Goode said told him that she could no longer live with Gibbs, 39, and was frightened for her life.

Seamster was one of the officers assigned in 2014 to investigate Pabons disappearance, and under cross-examination Monday, he testified that Gibbs never called him about any concerns he may have had about Pabon being mentally unstable or harming herself.

He never reached out to me, Seamster said.

The defense also called as witnesses Bessie Bartee and Connie Winston, sisters who worked with Gibbs at Sheltering Arms-South and had gotten to know Pabon. About a week before she disappeared, Pabon told them that she was leaving her position as a licensed practical nurse at Commonwealth Fertility and Womens Health at St. Francis Medical Center for a new job.

The defense says Pabons final work day coincided with the last time she was seen alive, and that she had scheduled an interview for the following Monday  the day she was reported missing  at an assisted living center in Brandermill  which a detective confirmed in testimony last week.

Bartee also testified that she became aware, through Gibbs, that Pabon had been drinking too much. But under cross-examination, Bartee said Pabon showed no signs of having a substance-abuse problem.

Bartee and Winston agreed with prosecutor Erin Barrs description of Pabon in cross-examination that Pabon was a doting mother to her then-4-year-old son, Joseph, and appeared happy, positive and had a bubbly personality.

The sisters also testified that Gibbs was a conscientious physician so dedicated to his patients that he once walked from his home to the hospital after a snow storm because the roads were apparently impassable.

Kilmira Laytham, a younger sister of Gibbs who lives in North Carolina, provided testimony in a defense bid to rebut prosecution evidence related to the unscheduled 10-day road trip Gibbs took to the West Coast beginning the day after police found Pabons car June 16 abandoned in a Chesterfield trailer park, and of unusual purchases he made of large quantities of crystal drain cleaner and muriatic acid from three home improvement stores in Williamsburg, and in Winterville and Greensville, N.C., in late June and early July.

Laytham testified that Gibbs just really loves to travel, especially by driving, and he had a shopping habit of buying things in bulk but would often return items he decided later he didnt need. Gibbs returned much of the drain cleaner and muriatic acid.

As for his trip out west, Laytham said, I remember him saying there were police everywhere and reporters everywhere after Pabons car was found, so he took the kids on a trip to get away from it all.

Prosecutors have earlier said that Gibbs took the trip without telling his father or Laytham. But Laytham testified that she couldnt remember if she was surprised upon learning of Gibbs road trip.

Under cross-examination by Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Larry Hogan, Laytham testified that she couldnt recall when she first found out that Pabon was missing. But she noted that Gibbs didnt say anything about Pabons disappearance after driving to her familys home on June 8, 2014, the day after Pabon disappeared.

When was the first time he told you that Zulma was missing? Hogan asked.

I cant recall him ever saying that, Laytham replied.

Laytham said she recalled her brother telling her that he had observed a change in Pabons behavior before she disappeared, and about one occasion in which she urinated and defecated on herself after coming home drunk. But Laytham said she never observed any such behavior herself and Pabon wasnt suicidal to my knowledge.

Now that both the prosecution and defense have wrapped up their cases, jurors are scheduled to hear closing arguments when the trial resumes Wednesday. Jurors will get Tuesday off due to a prior legal commitment by defense attorney Craig Cooley.

Chesterfield Circuit Judge David E. Johnson has decided to wait until Wednesday to rule on a defense motion, made Friday, to strike the prosecutions evidence in the case. Both sides made additional arguments on the motion Monday after the jury was sent home for the day.
The Richmond School Board approved a facilities plan Monday that was months in the making. The plan was the highlight of the boards last meeting of the year, but not the only news to come from the five-hour long event.

Heres what else the board discussed:

Transparency

After the hiring of a consultant triggered backlash from the community, members of the Richmond School Board are hoping to make the process more transparent.

First District board member Liz Doerr introduced changes to school policy that would require a consulting candidate to disclose if they are under local, state or federal investigation. The changes would also annualize the amount the consultant would be paid if they are hired on a month to month basis.

Doerr's proposal comes after the division hired Dallas Dance, the former Baltimore County school superintendent, who served as a consultant from July 1 through Aug. 31 and made $25,000. His appointment was not subject to School Board approval given his month-to-month salary.

Dance is under state investigation in Maryland for his relationship with a company that did business with the Baltimore County school division while he was superintendent, according to The Baltimore Sun. The 36-year-old Richmond native stepped down as superintendent in April.

The board is expected to take action on the proposed policy changes early next year.

***

Education Compact

Three dozen people have applied so far to participate in the Education Compact, Mayor Levar M. Stoney's signature schools initiative.

Appointments to the compact, a joint effort from city council and the school board, will be made at a January school board meeting. The deadline has been extended to Dec. 15.

The applications to date are fairly equally distributed across the citys nine districts. The 4th District has the most applicants to date with 10.

The mayor will also appoint members of the compact, which is expected to craft a funding plan for the facilities plan the board approved Monday.

***

Dropout rate

The board approved the application for a Virginia Department of Education Title IV grant.

The grant, worth more than $400,000, would help improve career awareness and reduce the divisions dropout rate, according to the proposal.

The program would provide professional development, college tours to middle school students and the expansion of a partnership with CodeVA to help exposure to computer science, among other activities.

***

CodeRVA

Second District representative Scott Barlow is driving an effort to increase by five the number of students attend a new regional magnet school.

The division currently has 15 spots at CodeRVA, a computer science-focused high school in Richmond that serves 13 area localities. The board approved the same number again for next year with hopes of getting five more students in the school if the budget allows because school districts pay for students to attend the school.

Students at CodeRVA work to graduate high school with associates degrees and have the opportunity to work paid internships during their schooling. Barlow represents Richmond on the schools board.

***

Laura Bush Foundation

Richmond led the nation in library grant awards from the Laura Bush Foundation this year, receiving $54,000 to help division libraries.

The division received nine grants from the former First Ladys foundation. Librarians from across the division whose schools received the funds were on hand as the foundation presented to the school board.

The nine schools: Blackwell Elementary School, Miles Jones Elementary School, Chimborazo Elementary School, Albert Hill Middle School, Elkhardt-Thompson Middle School, George Wythe High School, Franklin Military Academy, Richmond Community High School and Thomas Jefferson High School.

***

Meet and greet

The board is scheduled to hold a public meet and greet with incoming RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras next Monday.

The event is slated to take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Claude Perkins Living and Learning Center at Virginia Union University. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  Christopher Cantwell was granted bond Monday evening in Albemarle County Circuit Court after being indicted the same day on two charges of illegal use of a chemical agent.

The charges stem from a torch-lit march on the University of Virginia Grounds, where white supremacists shouted, You will not replace us and Jews will not replace us. Members of the group clashed with a small group of students standing at the base of the Thomas Jefferson statue in front of the Rotunda with signs reading Black Lives Matter.

Cantwell, 36, is accused of using a can of pepper spray during the chaos against a group of counter-protesters.

On Nov. 9, in Albemarle General District Court, a judge certified one of three charges against Cantwell regarding the illegal use of a gas. On Monday morning, a grand jury indicted Cantwell on that charge and also directly indicted him on a second charge of illegal use of gas.

At the Monday evening bond hearing, Cantwells attorney, Elmer Woodard, told the court that his client is not a flight risk or a danger to the community because he voluntarily turned himself in to police after he learned there were warrants out for his arrest.

Asking for a bond of $10,000, Woodard said the entire case against Cantwell is based on false statements and perjury.

In response, Albemarle Commonwealths Attorney Robert Tracci opposed bond and said that Cantwell is a risk to public safety, particularly because of violent comments he has made. While speech is not criminalized, Tracci said Cantwells comments make it apparent he is prepared for violence.

Cantwell is well known in the white nationalist and other pro-white movements, but he came into the public spotlight this summer when he appeared in a Vice News documentary that profiled him and his cohorts during and after the August rallies in Charlottesville.

At a previous bond hearing in August, Tracci presented some of the comments Cantwell made in the documentary, which included claims that white nationalist groups had shown restraint during the failed Unite the Right rally, that Heather Heyers killing was justified and that more people are going to die before we are done here.

Woodard disagreed and said it was not fair to Cantwell that his risk to the public be measured by his words.

He has a right to say whatever he wants as long as its his opinion, Woodard said.

In the end, Judge Cheryl Higgins granted Cantwell a $25,000 bond and required that he wear an electronic monitoring device. He is not allowed to leave the Virginia and cannot possess any firearms.

He will not be released until he finds a court-approved residence in Virginia. Woodard suggested that Cantwell live in Woodards motor home, but Higgins did not approve that plan.

Woodard, who told the judge he hadnt really thought about where Cantwell would stay if released from the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, said he would try to find a suitable housing situation and let the court know.
Last Monday was the deadline to register to vote in Alabamas special Senate election, a contest thats tightened due to dramatic revelations about the Republican candidate. To all Alabamans who intend to vote next week: I hope you registered before the deadline. But theres no good reason you should have had to register 15 days before you vote. Thats nonsense. So is the oppressive and expensive method we use to register voters in Alabama and most of the rest of the country.

We should scrap our current voter registration process and start over. But before we can do that, we need to replace conservative lawmakers, who use the myth of voter fraud to intentionally disenfranchise voters, with candidates like Democrat Doug Jones who pledge to fight voter suppression. Winning in Alabama and in 2018 will require greater participation among younger, non-white, and lower-income Americans  many of whom are not registered to vote. To eliminate voter registration, we must first invest in voter registration. Quite a pickle.

Most major democracies in the world dont put the onus of registering to vote on their citizens. Neither did the U.S. initially. The introduction of voter registration in the 19th century was driven by the desire to disenfranchise. In big cities up north, voter registration sidelined the working poor and immigrants. Down south, voter registration was brutally effective at keeping African-Americans from voting. When Alabama first rolled out voter registration, the enrollment period was limited to the month of May, which for poor farmers was planting season, an incredibly busy time. In Louisiana, periodic registration reduced the black electorate by 90 percent by 1898.

We know onerous registration obligations reduce voter participation; when New York and Ohio imposed registration in counties in the 1960s and 1970s, voter participation dipped. And the 11 states that currently allow same day registration and voting see higher turnout rates. The opposite is also true: Investing in voter registration increases voter participation rates. For proof, we need look no further than the historic turnout we saw in Virginia last month. Sure, the surge in turnout was charged with anti-Trump animus, but it was built on Virginias commitment to voter registration over the past four years. The Virginia model for increasing turnout through registration is instructive for progressives (and all fans of voter participation) looking to 2018 and beyond.

Lets start with felon restoration of rights. Terry McAuliffe has restored the rights of 168,000 ex-felons since taking office  the most of any governor in U.S. history. Virginia was one of four states that impose lifetime disenfranchisement for all felony convictions, even nonviolent offenses. Florida is another. The potential in the Sunshine State is tremendous; there are 1.6 million nonviolent ex-felons currently disenfranchised and each of the past two presidential elections and governors races have been decided by less than 120,000 votes. If the Voting Restoration Amendment can garner enough signatures it will be on the ballot in Florida next year and should be a major point of focus for progressive resources.

Virginia has effectively invested in technology to increase voter registration. The Department of Elections is staffed with a technically savvy team that has overseen the registration of 1 million new voters online. Of the 38 states with online voter registration, progressives should focus on states like Arizona, with favorable demographics but lagging registration and participation rates. After Virginia digitized the process of registering to vote at the Department of Motor Vehicles, voter registration rates doubled  which mirrors the positive impact seen in other states that have made similar administrative reforms. But best of all administrative reforms is automatic voter registration (AVR). Oregon implemented automatic voter registration and saw the largest turnout surge of any state in the country from 2012 to 2016. AVR can be passed via ballot initiative in several states including Michigan, Florida, and Ohio  but progressives need to get moving to get it on the 2018 ballot. The good news: AVR is already on the 2018 ballot in Nevada, one of the least-registered battleground states.

The overhaul of our current voter registration system should be on the bucket list of any progressive serious about increasing American voter participation. In 2018, we need to notch wins down-ballot and pass pro-voting ballot initiatives; then in 2020, vote out a president whose fraudulent voter fraud commission is designed to manipulate our flawed registration scheme. Those wins will require increased voting from the non-white, the non-rich, and the non-old.

Before they can vote, they need to get registered.
Now taxes are behavior modification tools?

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Dr. Walter Lawrences position in his letter, Tell legislators to increase cigarette tax, that increased taxes will have a positive impact on our health raises a most important question: How, in the name of our Founding Fathers, did taxes become a means for controlling the behavior of the populace?

Taxes are meant to fund the necessary functions of our government, not for molding its constituents into puppets who follow the well-intended directives of our elected officials.

We should eliminate all taxes in favor of a flat tax on the federal, state, and local level. Can you imagine the savings we would enjoy as the various and complex tax programs and agencies were dismantled?

On second thought, that makes entirely too much sense. It will never happen.

Ernest A. Mooney Jr.

Richmond.

Whats up with all

the lying and hate?

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Our president continues to comment on things before knowing all the facts. While I expect that from children or young adults, I certainly dont expect that from our leaders. I feel like we are in the Twilight Zone, with continued lying, misrepresentations, etc., coming from all the news sources, politicians (nothing usual there!) and the White House.

And the public is now getting used to being able to let the hate out, and it is acceptable. This is a very dangerous time for our republic right now, and I sincerely hope we, as a society, try not to go down the very bad road of hate and bigotry and jumping to conclusions without thinking about what is really happening. I have never seen such hate and vitriol to the point where I am afraid of starting any dialogue with anybody.

Bobby Silver.

Richmond.

Why is Brat supporting

this bad tax bill?

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

On Nov. 16, Rep. Dave Brat voted for the Tax Cut and Jobs Act bill.

In 2015, Brat wrote: Continuing down this path of rampant federal spending and debt expansion is not an option. It will push us ever closer to fiscal crisis. Getting our spending under control and working to balance our budget must begin now.

In 2017, he stated: Economic growth will lead to higher revenue to the government over the long haul to help pay the bills.

It is hypocritical that Brat voted for a tax bill that is projected to add $1.7 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Tax Policy Center projects $1.4 trillion and the Penn Wharton Budget Model projects between $1.4 and $1.6 trillion over the same period. The tax cuts are widely viewed as enriching the already rich at the expense of the middle class and the poor.

Brats statement about economic growth paying the bills is pure snake oil. As an economist, he knows that to be the case. The concept of trickle-down economics did not work for President Reagan or President Bush. The outcome was increased deficits. Since the economy is booming, the government should be trying to reduce the national debt, similar to what occurred during the Clinton presidency.

As for the Job Acts section of the bill? Who is that for: Unemployment is at a level not seen since 2001. There are plenty of Help Wanted signs in Chesterfield County.

Although I was glad to see Eric Cantor defeated, Brat has been no better at supporting his constituents over partisan politics. Virginia is now considered a purple state. I hope that it becomes a closer shade to blue in 2018 with District 7 changing colors.

John Byrne.

Bon Air.

Were done with waiting

for health and safety

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Im glad to see people taking climate action seriously when it comes to Virginia moving forward with pollution regulation, and to provide some context as to why Gov. Terry McAuliffe chose to use executive action instead of going through the General Assembly.

There have been at least three attempts to allow Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Yet each year, the bill has been left in committee. McAuliffe has been left empty-handed in the face of concerned citizens, and Virginia communities and families have been left in the dark about the crucial decision to move forward on curbing harmful pollution.

The concern many of us feel is more founded than ever as we watch the Trump administration roll back hard-earned environmental regulations, and despite the wave election in Virginia, the House and Senate may not have sufficient votes to approve of Virginia joining RGGI.

If we learned anything from the election though, its that citizens are done waiting and are ready to move forward on important issues like our health and safety. As someone who is not only a lifelong Virginia citizen but also a college student studying environmental science, Ive dedicated my life to understanding why these regulations are necessary and Im not alone in welcoming them with open arms. Its been impossible to ignore the dangerous changes to our landscape and new challenges we have to face due to the effects of pollution.

We have dealt with these problems for long enough. We must take action against harmful pollution and move forward with these crucial regulations.

Cassandra Johnson.
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Yes, theres a chance for flakes in the forecast later this week, but its no guarantee that central Virginia will be snowed under.

Theres no doubt that temperatures will be trending down, and that opens up the possibility for occasional snow showers between Friday and Saturday night.

Light accumulations?

Certainly possible.

Big storm?

Not so fast.

With a few days of fine-tuning left to do, we may see this already-mediocre setup fizzle out or miss Richmond to the east.

No matter what does (or doesnt) fall, expect to give the heater an extended workout.

Were not talking about record cold, but the approaching chill will have some staying power.

It could take at least a few weeks before we have another shot at a high in the 60s.

Make the most of Tuesday if you prefer warm weather.

Weather to turn wintry

The jet stream is about to turn more wavy around the Northern Hemisphere, which will rearrange the tracks of highs and lows and the pattern of warm and cold air.

By the end of the week, the path of the upper-level wind will arc far to the north across Alaska and western Canada, swoop south through the Plains, and curve back north along the Eastern Seaboard.

That will make things more interesting than the flat, west-to-east jet stream flow of late.

An upper-level trough will be parked over the eastern half of the country, which will keep things colder than average here for at least a week and probably longer.

For the most part, that means 30s and 40s for highs and 20s for lows in Richmond.

Meanwhile, the western U.S. will enjoy unseasonably warm temperatures underneath an upper ridge.

Here at ground level, the leading edge of that pattern shuffle is a cold front that will bring us some rain from late Tuesday into early Wednesday as it sweeps east over the region.

But cold air wont hit us all at once in dramatic fashion  each day will get steadily cooler between Wednesday and Sunday.

Thursday will feature dry weather and the sort of chilly high temperatures in the 40s weve already had a few times over the past month.

While the cold and dry air steadily overtakes the Eastern Seaboard, that cold front will stall out just off the coastline and sprawl from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Atlantic.

That offshore boundary between warm and cold air will breed a weak low pressure system that could brush eastern Virginia with some precipitation on Friday.

There is still quite a bit of uncertainty in the forecast because of the fuzzy when and where details of the coastal low.

Its showers could come in the form of rain or snow, or both, depending on the timing of the system and how entrenched the cold air is over central Virginia.

The temperatures aloft shouldnt be in the right configuration for any sleet or freezing rain.

The most realistic scenarios involve relatively small amounts of snow in a narrow stripe across the Piedmont or coastal plain of Virginia  maybe enough for a coating but very likely less than what we saw in the January snowstorm.

Some scenarios keep all of the precipitation to our east, however.

The picture should hopefully be much clearer by Wednesday morning.

The second opportunity for light snow could come with a fast-moving clipper system that will swoop across the Midwest and Northeast on Saturday or Saturday night.

Those systems are tough to pin down several days out and rarely bring big snow totals east of the mountains, but thats another way flakes could appear.

More importantly, that clipper will be the leading edge of a reinforcing shot of cold air.

The weekend could end with the coldest air so far this season, with a high only in the upper 30s on Sunday despite sunshine.

The chilly 40s and 30s will persist across the next workweek, possibly with another clipper system or two along the way.

Forecast confidence

High probability: lingering cold weather from the end of this week through the middle of the month.

Medium probability: some measurable but modest snowfall on Friday or Saturday, or both days.

Low probability: a heavy, disruptive snowstorm this weekend.
A Roanoke federal judge sentenced a North Carolina woman Tuesday for a tax violation related to reselling cosmetics returned to the TV and web retail giant QVC.

Charon Ray, 47, was married to a man with whom QVC contracted in Greenboro, North Carolina, for disposal of returned cosmetics, court papers said. David Crowley allowed Ray to pick from the returned items during a weekly visit to his warehouse and she sold them online for more than $1 million, court papers said.

Ray, of High Point, North Carolina, split the proceeds of the returned cosmetics sales with Crowley, a principal at Southern Logistics and Environment, court papers said. The arrangement ran for eight years starting in 2005 and continued after they divorced, prosecutors said.

Ray sold both to retail consumers and to at least 23 distributors who in turn sold the goods to their customers, using such channels as eBay, court papers said.

The potential reach of Rays fraud and deception is widespread, as it is impossible to determine the number of customers who purchased the illicit returned cosmetic products online from Ray or one of Rays distributors, court papers said.

Calling Rays business unregulated, prosecutors did not charge her with selling cosmetics meant to be destroyed. Ray pleaded guilty to a single charge of filing a false tax return. Prosecutors said she failed to report at least $1.6 million in income from 2009 to 2013 and pay $455,109 in related income taxes. As a condition of her plea agreement, she paid back taxes and must pay a $40,000 fine.

U.S. Judge Michael Urbanski sentenced her to nine months of home confinement. She was also put on probation for three years.

Crowley is scheduled to plead guilty to a false tax return charge Dec. 19, prosecutors said.

A distributor of Rays, Christina Dyer, pleaded guilty in 2015 to filing a false tax return that failed to disclose her cosmetics sales. A judge sentenced Dyer, who lived in Vinton at the time, to two years probation and fined her $3,000.

QVC sells home, fashion and beauty products, along with jewelry and electronics, via television, the web and mobile devices. The company in West Chester, Pennsylvania, reported earnings of $166 million on sales of $2 billion during the three-month period that ended Sept. 30.
RADFORD  Police have launched an investigation into an incident involving whats being called a rogue fraternity and a pledges allegations that he was forced to drink large amounts of alcohol, given dances by strippers and branded after he passed out.

The warrant, dated Nov. 29 and filed by the city police department, seeks the computers and cellphone records of one former and six current Radford University students and DNA swabs on a piece of furniture at a residence located at 1205 Downey Street in Radford.

The warrant comes as part of an investigation into the potential charge of hazing and aggravated malicious wounding  a felony in Virginia with a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

According to the warrant, the Sept. 14 party under investigation was thrown by members of Pi Kappa Phi  a former fraternity at RU that is not recognized by its national chapter and was dismissed from campus in June of 2016 for substantiated violations of the Standards of Student Conduct, including hazing.

We sent them a cease and desist letter at one point, said national chapter spokesman Todd Shelton. They are not Pi Kappa Phi. Thats a registered trademark and we will look into what we can do legally to get the situation rectified.

In July of last year, four members of the fraternity pleaded guilty to hazing in General District Court stemming from a similar incident during which then-members made pledges do push-ups on bottle caps, and other painful and humiliating initiation rituals.

The universitys Office of Student Standards and Conduct found that 19 students had violated standards of conduct as part of that incident. Sanctions against those students included suspensions for up to a year, deferred suspensions, educational penalties and community service.

The warrant filed Nov. 29 details the victims account of the Sept. 14 incident involving other members of the now unrecognized frat:

On Oct. 17, the victim reported to police he was invited to the house on Downey Street on Sept. 14 to attend a pledging event for Pi Kappa Phi.

The victim told police he and 15 other pledges in attendance at the September party were instructed by fraternity members to drink eight handles of vodka collectively within five minutes.

Soon after, the victim said the pledges were taken inside the residence where their cellphones were taken and they were introduced to strippers, who gave them lap dances.

The victim told police he remembers being lightly whipped by one of the strippers before losing consciousness.

When he woke up on a couch in the residences basement the next morning, the victim said he was wearing only his boxer shorts and socks.

He told police he noticed some discomfort on his left buttock that felt like hard skin. Once the victim returned to his dorm room, he realized his injury required medical attention.

Police said the wound observed on the victim is about 3.35 inches long, 1.5 inches wide, and about a half inch deep and the medical expertise of physicians and doctors is sufficient to determine a likely cause of the wound.

The victims physician told police the wound was likely caused from a heat source, according to the warrant.

Some fraternities use branding devices to burn insignia into their members in order to symbolize membership or association, Radford police Det. E.G. McClanahan wrote in the warrant. Devices such as these, similar to furniture, are unlikely to be discarded and will contain the DNA of those individuals  it has been used on.

The names of the former student and the five current students are included in the warrant. The Roanoke Times is not publishing the names because the men had not been charged as of Tuesday evening.

None of the men responded to a message seeking comment on the police investigation as of Tuesday evening.

This alleged activity is abjectly reprehensible and not reflective of our university, RU spokesman Joe Carpenter said of the Sept. 14 party described in the warrant. The university has been and will continue to cooperate with the police in their investigation. As facts are established, any Radford students found in violation of the Standards of Student Conduct will be held accountable.
When Doug Jackson first read Dar Williams book about the communities shes visited as a traveling musician, it felt familiar.

It reminded Jackson of the place he now calls home. He moved to Roanoke 12 years ago in pursuit of a masters degree from Hollins University and decided to stay after falling in love with the city.

Everywhere through it, it just felt like Roanoke, he said. Theres a chapter on waterfronts, theres a chapter on local foods, theres a chapter on arts and culture. And I feel like weve got lots of great people in the community building from those foundations.

So Jackson decided to start a book club style conversation series called Finding Roanoke that would use Williams book What I Found in a Thousand Towns as a catalyst for conversation about community-building in Roanoke.

Its not about just about this book, Jackson said. Its about taking this as a launching point to celebrate all the good things and cool things that are happening.

That Jackson would create such an initiative is not terribly surprising. Hes the founder of BOOK CITY Roanoke, a website meant to promote the citys literary assets, and works for the Department of Housing and Community Development.

Jackson said hes been excited to see and meet others equally passionate about books and community.

You dont know how many people are as nerdy as you are, he said with a laugh.

The series included eight meetings, each focused on a topic discussed in Williams book: created spaces, waterfronts, the outdoors, history, arts and culture, local food, partnerships, and conscious bridgers. Each meeting has been held at a different location relevant to the topic and featured local movers and shakers as speakers.

The series culminates with a sold-out dinner this coming Monday at 16 West Marketplace where Williams will perform and have a conversation with local author Beth Macy. The theme of the evening is positive proximity, a common thread throughout Williams book.

In an interview, the author described it as a state of being where living side by side with people is seen as a beneficial thing. Theres a critical mass of feeling in the air, that people understand that being in a town means getting out of your house and being involved in something, and that theres a certain baseline of trust. There are a lot of people who are very different than you, but thats helpful ... Its something we might not feel if we never went outside.

Jackson said hes expecting more than 100 people at the dinner.

We will practice positive proximity, he said, joking about the size of the crowd.

Jackson said he believes the people in a community have the power to shape it. He wants Roanoke to be a city of readers. Starting this conversation series was a small step toward that.

Whats even more important is a community of possible-ists, people who think yeah, what I do makes a difference and we can make a difference, he said.

Jackson said he didnt have specific expectations for the conversation series, but he hoped people would make new connections and perhaps feel more encouraged to start projects.

Though Finding Roanoke participants found the book easily applicable to their city, Roanoke was not one of the places Williams highlighted.

Its crazy that I didnt, because Roanoke was almost one of the cities that I studied, she said, citing its attention to history, the art museum, active local media, a compact downtown and people who love their city as characteristics that align with the topics explored in her book.

The people who say I was planning to come here for a year, and stayed for 20. Ive met so many people who said they came to Roanoke for a short time and never left, Williams said. That says something for a city.

She did, however, feature Blacksburg. Williams said its an example of a college town that works, because Blacksburg and Virginia Tech have a harmonious relationship.

On Monday night a group of about 20 people gathered in the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Green Room for the last meeting before the dinner. The conversation focused on conscious bridgers, the people who make connections to address community needs, utilizing the talents of those around them.

Carilion Clinics Dr. Robert L.A. Keeley Healing Arts Program, the library systems Star City Reads program and the orchestras music therapy program were discussed as examples.

Representatives from Carilion and Roanoke Public Libraries explained how they put their programs into effect and the importance partnership played in each.

Ginger Perkins chimed in to say Roanoke is a place where, when you have an idea, its not difficult to get it off the ground. People are always willing to help. Perkins started a local chapter of Mothers and More, and she has also been involved with Happy Healthy Cooks and House of Bread.

Finding Roanoke combines books, community and Dar Williams  all things Perkins enjoys, which prompted her to get involved. Perkins said shes been a fan of Williams for more than 20 years. She first saw the musician perform in a church in Burlington, Vermont, when Williams was still relatively unknown.

Dale Quinn, of Franklin County, has attended every meeting. Though he doesnt live in Roanoke, he said the principle of positive proximity is applicable to any community.

Quinn said Finding Roanoke has given him hope that a sense of community can bind people together.

Erin Greenawald recently moved from New York back to her hometown of Roanoke. Most of her friends from high school have since moved away, so when Greenawald returned she thought a book club would be a good way to find community.

Growing up, Greenawald said, she couldnt wait to get out of Roanoke, dreaming of life in a big city. But her perspective on the Star City has changed, especially since learning of initiatives discussed in the conversation series that highlight the dedication and collaboration among Roanokes citizens.

All these conversations, she said, I feel like Ive just learned a thousand new things about Roanoke.

Staff writer Tad Dickens contributed to this report.
After two years of defending a controversial law that froze base rates for Virginias two largest electric utilities as a hedge against carbon regulation, Dominion Energy officials now say that its time to transition away from the 2015 rate freeze, which also prevented state regulators from ordering refunds to customers.

The State Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities, has found that the 2015 law has allowed Dominion and Appalachian Power Co. to pocket millions they would have otherwise had to return to ratepayers. In September, the SCC said Dominion, which serves 67 percent of the states electric customers, would owe ratepayers between $133 million and nearly $176 million for 2015 and 2016 if rate reviews were in place.

Under any regulatory construct there will be years with excess earnings due to favorable weather, the absence of severe storms, economic growth and business efficiencies, said Mark Webb, the companys chief legal officer and senior vice president for corporate affairs, in remarks to the General Assemblys Commission on Electric Utility Regulation on Monday.

Webb said the General Assembly may wish to consider a reinvestment model, where in years when there are such excess earnings, they are reinvested in modernizing and transforming the electricity grid.

The SCC told the General Assembly commission Monday that a typical Dominion customer has seen bills go up nearly 30 percent over the past decade, largely the result of rate-adjustment clauses, or riders, which are extra charges tacked onto bills to pay for new power plants, transmission projects and other costs.

Webb said the State Air Pollution Control Boards approval last month of a draft cap-and-trade regulation limiting carbon emissions from power plants, that now heads out for public comment, provides the clarity necessary to move away from the rate freeze. Large industrial consumers had attacked the rate freeze as unconstitutional, but the Virginia Supreme Court upheld it in September.

Now, the utility wants a system in which the SCC resumes rate reviews, but the company gets credit for investments in renewable energy and what it sees as urgently needed upgrades to better gird the grid against storms, prepare for the intermittency of increased wind and solar generation and the two-way flows of distributed generation sources, such as residential rooftop solar, and implement technologies that better identify and isolate outages, among other upgrades.

What we envision is a construct where you would go back to reviews and, basically, if weve invested in solar and grid modernization in ways that might be eligible for a rider, if during a given time period the SCC determines that we had sufficient earnings or overearnings, then instead of going into a rider, those would be absorbed in base rates, Webb said.

The statement was big shift in an election year during which Dominions earnings and influence in state government roiled the political landscape. More than 60 candidates for the House of Delegates signed a pledge refusing money from the energy giant, and 13 of them won seats. Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, who waged a lonely battle to repeal the rate freeze last session, has already filed a similar bill for the coming session, with two Republican senators signing on as co-sponsors.

Dominion has seen the writing on the wall in terms of public opinion on the rate freeze, said Carmen Bingham, a project coordinator at the Virginia Poverty Law Center and a former chief of staff to Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville. The law center, which a published a report earlier this year called The Myth of Virginias Rate Utopia, enlisted two former Virginia attorneys general to join the legal fight against the rate freeze before the Supreme Court.

Bingham, who was at the Monday meeting, said low-income people already pay a disproportionate part of their income in utility bills.

Basically what we see coming is theyre going to figure out a way to not return that money to consumers, she said.

Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment, R-James City, predicted the legislature would take a cautious approach to the Dominion proposal.

I dont think were going to be moving in that direction at a rapid pace, said Norment, longtime chairman of the legislative commission. I dont think theres any preordained outcome.

Norment said he was a little perplexed about the proposal to plow excess earnings into modernizing the utility grid.

I think theyre already reinvesting, unless Im missing something, he said after the meeting.

Legislators also would take a keen interest in any savings to investor-owned utilities from federal tax reforms, now moving quickly through Congress.

The State Corporation Commission estimated savings of $165 million a year for Dominion Energy and $80 million a year for Appalachian Power if Congress were to lower the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent.

Kim Pate, director of utility accounting and finance, said that tax rate savings arising from base rate earnings would remain with shareholders during the base rate freeze.

However, Norment said that may be something the [legislative] commission or the SCC is going to look at to determine what is a fair return on investment.

Normally, tax savings would be considered in reviewing a utilitys rates.

I would think it would be an integral part of a rate case, he said.

Dominion officials said it is too soon to say what savings might accrue to utilities from reducing the federal corporate income tax rate, or what offsetting costs they could absorb because of other changes in the tax code.

Appalachian Power, the states second largest electric utility and the dominant provider in Southwest Virginia, reserved comment on the Dominion proposal until after it sees the details.

Its a new concept that well have to take a look at and evaluate it as far as will it work for Appalachian Power, company spokesman John Shepelwich said Monday.

Under the current law, Appalachian Power would emerge from the freeze on rate reviews two years before Dominion. Its first biennial rate review will occur in 2020, based on costs and revenues in 2018 and 2019.

However, Appalachian supports investment in new technologies to modernize and protect the electric grid, Shepelwich said.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  A captain in the Charlottesville Police Department is disputing the accuracy of quotes and assertions in a recently released report that was highly critical of how local and state officials managed a series of white nationalist rallies in the city this year.

In an email to City Manager Maurice Jones, which was forwarded to the Charlottesville City Council on Monday and then disseminated by Councilor Bob Fenwick, Capt. Victor Mitchell said he thinks the report was more of an investigation rather than a review to figure out how to improve and better prepare for potentially violent protests.

Alleging that Tim Heaphy, the former federal prosecutor the city hired to conduct the review, used a blitz attack in interviews with him, Mitchell said he thinks Heaphy came into this with a preconceived outcome and directed the review to meet that end.

In his email to the city manager, Mitchell attached an eight-page document that challenged the accuracy of about a dozen sections in the 220-page report that Heaphys law firm, Hunton & Williams, completed through a contract with the city. In his own report, Mitchell says multiple times that he thinks Heaphy disregarded or dismissed various statements he made to his team of investigators.

The city is expected to pay $350,000 for Heaphys report using funds from a $9 million surplus from the last fiscal year. The cost of the report, according to the contract signed in August, was initially capped at $100,000.

After interviews with Mr. Heaphy it was apparent to me and others that this was nothing more than a witch hunt, Mitchell said in his email to Jones. The only question was how many witches was he hunting.

I have quite a different take on the review than some people, Fenwick said in an email that included Mitchells message to Jones. Ive been saying this was not a review but a preordained, political whitewash. This was a litigator presenting one side.

Mitchell said that all city personnel should have been given a so-called Garrity warning, an administrative advertisement of their civil rights, before being interrogated about possible misconduct.

All statements should have been protected from release. If this were truly a review, the proper thing to have done would have been to give those interviewed an opportunity to put their thoughts together and given written responses, Mitchell said in his email to Jones. The point of a review is accuracy and not trying to trip people up by blitzing them with one question after another.

In his report, Heaphy asserted myriad missteps and failures by local and state authorities, including allegations that Police Chief Al Thomas directed his subordinates to not intervene in the violent street fighting during the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally so police could declare an unlawful assembly and cancel the event. Thomas has disputed that claim.

In a news conference Friday, Heaphy said he does not think that action would amount to misconduct, calling it instead a misguided decision.

Heaphy presented the findings of his months-long review to the City Council on Monday night.

The council then opened a public comment session. Some speakers shouted at the mayor, others at the police posted in the room.

One speaker said the whole council should resign. Jones was expected to present an action plan at the end of the meeting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cllr David Roche

IF youre planning to gobble down a turkey this Christmas then take heed of council advice to stop you falling fowl of a festive food mishap.

People are being warned to make sure they think about hygiene or feathers may fly if diners get a stomach bug.

Rotherham Borough Council has issued a few top tips to ensure a brilliant bird banquet.

The council, highlighting advice from the Food Standards Agency, said:

Take a number of bags when shopping so that raw and ready-to-eat foods can be kept separate reducing the risk of cross-contamination;

Make sure you read the guidance so you know how long to defrost the bird;

Dont wash a raw turkey as it splashes germs onto your hands, clothes, worktops and utensils;

Make sure you know the exact cooking time for the turkey;

Once cooked, make sure the bird is steaming hot throughout and that there is no pink meat when you cut into the thickest part where meat juices should run clear;

Turkey leftovers can be used to make a new meal which can then be frozen, but it must only be reheated once.

Cllr David Roche, Rotherham Councils cabinet member for adult social care and health, urged people to be careful so they dont end up with an unpleasant bout of sickness.

He said: For many of us, it wouldnt be Christmas without turkey. However, cooking for a crowd can be a lot of pressure, from having to think about various defrosting and cooking times, to ensuring that all the food is stored safely.

Raw and undercooked turkey can cause food poisoning and have serious consequences especially for children, people already in ill-health and older people.

This is why Rotherham Council is supporting the Food Standards Agency in helping you to cook your festive bird with confidence this Christmas.

Dr Kevin Hargin, head of foodborne disease control at the Food Standards Agency, urged people to follow the organisations advice on how to stay safe.

He said: Every year, there are an estimated one million cases of food poisoning in the UK.

The easiest way to protect your family this Christmas is to ensure you store and cook food safely.

We have put together the Lets Talk Turkey guide which offers tips around chilling, cleaning, cooking and avoiding cross-contamination, while also explaining some of the science behind our advice.

The safety advice also applies when cooking other birds such as chicken, goose or pheasant.

Christmas food safety information is available at www.food.gov.uk/letstalkturkey or @foodgov #LetsTalkTurkey on Twitter.
De Beers Venetia Mine, in South Africa, is set to shift from open pit mining in 2023 to steady-state underground production in 2026.

Construction of the underground project started in 2013.

The project is on track and on target to start delivering a little bit sooner than we initially anticipated, the Zoutpansberger quoted the head of Venetia Underground Project (VUP), Christoff Kuhn as saying.

However, De Beers had initially noted that underground operations would begin production in 2021, yielding approximately 96 million carats during the life of the mine.

The project forms part of a $2 billion investment by De Beers into Venetia and would expand the life of the mine by at least 20 years from 2023 until 2045.

The underground mine would have two shafts and the decline system would reach a depth of 1,000 meters when completed.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




Rio Tinto has appointed Simon Thompson as chairman. Thompson, who joined the Rio Tinto board as a non-executive director in 2014, will become chairman on 5 March 2018. Rio Tinto Chairman, Jan du Plessis will step down as chairman and from the Rio Tinto board on the same date after serving almost nine years as chairman, says a press note from the Group.

Thompson has over 20 years experience working across five continents in the mining and metals industry. From 1995 to 2007, he worked for the Anglo American group, holding a number of senior positions, including executive director of Anglo American plc, chief executive of the Base Metals Division, chairman of the Exploration Division, chairman of Tarmac and many more senior positions during his career.

Simon Thompson said,  I look forward to leading the board as we work with J-S and his team to ensure that Rio Tinto continues to deliver superior returns for its shareholders by maintaining its capital discipline and value-over-volume approach.

Rio Tinto chairman Jan du Plessis said "I am really pleased to be succeeded by Simon, especially given how closely we have worked together since he joined the board some three years ago. I wish him the very best. I am handing over the baton at a time when the business is in great shape and Rio Tinto has the strongest balance sheet in the sector.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




The South African (SA) government may sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian diamond industry leaders for setting up of a state-of-the-art diamond polishing factory in Surat, according to a report in TOI.

Invited by the SA government, a delegation of Indian diamond industry leaders led by Kirti Shah was in Johannesburg last week to discuss possibilities of direct supply of rough diamonds to Indian merchants and unit owners at concessional rates.

According to the report, the SA government also plans to set-up a diamond factory in Surat employing 3000 workers, where people from SA will be trained in diamond cutting and polishing.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Firestone Diamonds said it has formulated a revised mine plan to better cater for the current lower-than-expected diamond sale results.

This, it said, would ensure the company mine sustainably should the lower average diamond values being achieved persist.

The weaker than expected diamond market together with our lower than anticipated recovery of higher value diamonds has put pressure on our cash reserves and meant that we have had to raise additional equity and restructure our debt in order to be able to adopt a revised mining plan which seeks to maximise cash flow in the shorter term while we address the issues affecting value recovered, said company chief executive Stuart Brown.

We believe the Liqhobong Mine remains a quality asset with the potential to deliver attractive returns as the diamond market recovers and the production footprint becomes more representative over the medium term and potential efficiencies are further improved.

Firestone said it was raising 18.5 million ($25 million) through the issue of new ordinary shares at an issue price of 10 pence per share to fund on-going operations at the Liqhobong Diamond Mine, in Lesotho.

It also reached an agreement with its lender, ABSA Bank, to defer capital repayments under the ABSA Debt Facility for a period of 18 months from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2019 and extend the final maturity date by 30 months to December 2023.

This was, however, conditionally upon completion of the fundraising and approval of both commercial and political risk insurance by the Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




The Fourth Mediterranean Gemmological and Jewellery Conference (MGJC) will take place in Budva, Montenegro, May 18-20, 2018, MarketDirect Business Communications Ltd. reported.The event is organized by CGL-GRS Canada and IGL Greece and supported by IIDGR-De Beers (United Kingdom), Octonus (Finland), MAGI (Italy/Finland), MSU Gem Center(Russia), Gemewizard (Israel), Gemetrix (Australia) and NAJA (USA). The conference has become renowned for its special format, offering frontal lectures, practical workshops and round table discussions. Among the speakers will be Dr. Thomas Hainschwang (GGTL Laboratories), Dr. Philip Martineau (De Beers) and Roman Serov (Octonus).The 2018 conference is held under the header "Diamonds and Gems in 21st Century".Dr. Thomas Hainschwang of GGTL laboratories of Lichtenstein), is a leading researcher of treated and synthetic diamonds. He will speak about "Colour origin of untreated and treated natural and synthetic diamonds."Roman Serov - of Octonus, a Finnish instrument developer - who is also affiliated to the Gemmological Center of Moscow University (MSU), will explain "The impact of fluorescence on diamond appearance." Dr. Philip Martineau, Senior Manager at De Beers Physics, United Kingdom, will update the conference participants on "CVD synthetic diamonds and their detection."Jewellers, gemmologists, appraisers, dealers and other conference participants will receive hands-on instruction and gain new knowledge at workshops on the identification diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires.Menahem Sevdermish and Guy Borenstein of Gemewizard, Israel, will hold a workshop on "New ruby, sapphire, emerald, and fancy coloured diamonds grading" and explain how to determine their quality and value.Branko Deljanin, principal of CGL-GRS Swiss Canadian Gemlab of Vancouver, Canada, will guide participants through his workshop on 'The identification of treated synthetic diamonds and treated natural diamonds, loose and mounted." Branko will have synthetic melee diamonds and larger synthetic diamonds on site.Alberto Scarani and Mikko Astrom, of M&A Gemological Instruments (MAGI), will give a workshop on "Advanced Diamond Instruments." They will demonstrate VIS, FTIR, EXA and PL advanced spectrometers for the detection of synthetic diamonds.Moderated by Conference and Proceedings Editor John Chapman (Gemetrix), a Round Table with six international experts will discuss "The marketing of synthetic diamonds and synthetic gems in 21st century" and answer questions from other delegates.Conference Founder and Chair Branko Deljanin said: "The success of earlier MGJ conferences - 2015 (Greece), 2016 (Spain) and 2017 (Italy) - proves that, different from many other business and appraising conferences and a few highly scientific conferences, we have created a unique 'tech-trade' platform where gemmologists, appraisers and gemstone professionals can meet, learn about and discuss current identification issues and problems and be offered solutions and training, by using standard and affordable gemmological instruments and by accessing those services they need."Thanks to Montenegro's central location in Europe and the Mediterranean, many participants are expected from Western Europe, other Mediterranean countries, also from Russia and Turkey, and even the USA.Tours will be offered to allow participants to enjoy the region's unique landscape and history, including of neighbouring Croatia.For registration (use special discount coupon 'MSU10OFF"), accommodation, conference tours and further details please visit the website www.gemconference.com
A Canadian national, who conspired with and aided Russia's spy agency the FSB, has pleaded guilty in a massive hack of Yahoo in 2014, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

Karim Baratov, 22, pleaded guilty to charges returned by a grand jury in the Northern District of California in February 2017.

Baratov and three other defendants, including two officers of the Russian Federal Security Service or FSB, were charged with computer hacking and other criminal offenses in connection with a conspiracy to access Yahoo's network that exposed as many as 500 million accounts.

Baratov is the only arrest to come out of the Yahoo hack as the other three individuals live in Russia, which will not extraditing them to the United States.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Dana Boente of the National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Brian Stretch for the Northern District of California and Executive Assistant Director Paul Abbate of the FBI's Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch.

According to prosecutors, FSB officers Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin directed the hack and contracted Baratov.

As per his plea agreement, Baratov's role in the charged conspiracy was to hack webmail accounts of individuals of interest to the FSB and send those accounts' passwords to Dokuchaev in exchange for money. As alleged in the Indictment, other three compromised Yahoo's network and gained the ability to access Yahoo accounts. When they desired access to individual webmail accounts at a number of other internet service providers, such as Google and Yandex (based in Russia), Dokuchaev tasked Baratov to compromise those accounts.

The agency noted that Baratov not only admitted to his hacking activities on behalf of his co-conspirators in the FSB, but also to hacking more than 11,000 webmail accounts in total on behalf of the FSB conspirators and other customers from in or around 2010 until his March 2017 arrest by Canadian authorities.

According to his testimony, Baratov advertised his services on Russian-language websites. He admitted that he generally spearphished his victims, sending them emails from accounts he established to appear to belong to the webmail provider at which the victim's account was hosted.

As part of the plea agreement, in addition to any prison sentence, Baratov agreed to pay restitution to his victims and to pay a fine up to $2,250,000 or at $250,000 per count, with any assets he has remaining after satisfying a restitution award.

Baratov waived extradition from Canada and is being detained in California without bail.

Baratov's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20, 2018, before the Honorable Vincent Chhabria, U.S. District Court Judge, in San Francisco.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
CVS Health Corp. (CVS) announced Monday morning that it has agreed to acquire Aetna Inc. (AET) for approximately $69 billion cash and stock deal.

CVS Health gapped open lower Monday and declined during the second half of the morning. Shares finished with a loss of 3.43 at $71.69 on the highest volume of the year. The stock fell to nearly a 1-week low.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Lowell Hawthorne, the Jamaican-born founder of Golden Krust, fatally shot himself on Saturday, the police said. He was 57.

The fast-food magnate, who used the flavors of his native Jamaica to build an empire in the United States, was found dead around 5:10 p.m. inside a company factory in the Bronx in New York City. Investigators recovered a handgun and a note, but its contents were not revealed.

"Our hearts are broken, and we are struggling to process our grief over this tremendous loss. Lowell was a visionary, entrepreneur, community champion, and above all a committed father, family man, friend and man of faith," the Golden Krust company said in a statement on Sunday.

The Bronx-based company said funeral arrangements would be announced at a later date.

Hawthorne, with inspiration from his baker father, and support from siblings, opened the first Golden Krust in the Bronx in 1989. For 28 years, he was the president and chief executive of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill.

Golden Krust now grew into the largest Caribbean-food chain in America with more than 120 stores in New York and beyond.

Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, and Andrew Holness, the prime minister of Jamaica, offered condolences on Twitter.

No one in his family, friends or employees could offer any explanation for why he might have killed himself.

In a Facebook post on November 28, Hawthorne wrote, "I was always in search of the next honest means to make a dollar. Like many transplanted Caribbean nationals, I struggled to work and raise a family. I can only thank God for everything I have achieved....if my story here can inspire others to rise up and give it a go, then I would have succeeded in doing something meaningful."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Two prominent Republicans say a victory for sex scandal tainted party candidate Roy Moore in Alabama Senate Special election is not good for neither the party nor the country.

Former GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) spoke against Moore just hours after President Donald Trump fully endorsed the Republican candidate, who is accused of preying on teenagers.

Romney said on Twitter Monday that Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. "Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity," according to him.

Flake came in support of Mitt Romney's view about the controversial former Alabama Supreme Court judge. "A Roy Moore victory is no victory for the GOP and the nation," the retiring senator from Arizona tweeted.

According to Flake,who is a frequent critic of Trump, the President has made a big mistake by supporting Moore.

He already pledged support for Moore's rival candidate, the Democratic nominee Doug Jones, whom Trump called a "Liberal Puppet" of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and senior Senator Chuck Schumer.

Five women have accused Moore of making romantic or sexual advances on them when they were teenagers, in the 1970s. But, he denied the allegations.

Last month, the president had said he doubted the stories presented by Moore's accusers and questioned why things said to have happened 40 years ago were emerging now, just weeks before the election.

The White House said the President spoke with Moore from Air Force One about the state of the race in Alabama and to offer his endorsement. "The President would much rather have someone in the Senate who supported his agenda as opposed to someone who did not," Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters en route Washington, D.C.

Following Trump's endorsement, Politico reported quoting a senior official with the Republican National Committee that it would reinvest in Alabama race.

Trump has an election campaign rally planned later this week in Florida, it quoted his Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah as saying.

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Political News
(Agencia CMA Latam) - The PSDB, a political party that is set to leave the Brazilian government coalition, is set to decide Wednesday if it will support President Michel Temer and vote for the pension reform bill.

The president of the PSDB, Alberto Goldman, will meet Wednesday morning in Brasilia with the party's national executive committee and lawmakers to discuss the support for the pension reform.

Goldman has said that the party must agree on a position regarding the reform. He supports the bill, which would increase the minimum retirement age in Brazil to 62 years for women, and 65 years for men.

"The pension reform is essential for the country to reduce existing inequalities and privileges in the social security system," he said at the end of November.

The governor of Sao Paulo state, Geraldo Alckmin, a PSDB pre-candidate for the 2018 presidential elections, also advocates in favor of the reform, despite trying to distance himself from Temer.

"I've always defended a reform in the pension system," he said recently, adding, however, that he was against PSDB's alliance with Temer.

On Monday, in an interview with the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, the Brazilian Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles dismissed Alckmin as a potential candidate representing the current administration in the 2018 presidential election.

The statement was criticized mainly by Rodrigo Maia, the speaker of the House of the Representatives. He said that the comment was inappropriate since the government is trying to garner support for the pension reform.

According to Maia, "without the PSDB, we do not have any conditions to vote for the pension reform, so if you are working to exclude the PSDB, you are working against the pension reform."

by Agencia CMA Latam

For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

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BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah for sidelining veterans like L.K. Advani, Murli Manohan Joshi and Yashwant Sinha.

The actor-turned-politician criticized Modi and Shah -- without naming them -- for not responding to queries being raised in the national interest by Sinha, Arun Shourie and he (Shatrughan Sinha) himself.

He referred to estranged Maharashtra Congress leader Shahzad Poonawala's rant against Rahul Gandhi who is set to be declared the new Congress President and how Bharatiya Janata Party leaders used the remarks to target the Congress.

"Poonawala vented his 'Shahzaada frustration' in what was clearly an 'internal matter' of their party. But maybe due to wrong briefing, or due to anger and confusion, some of our own people and leaders have jumped in to shed crocodile tears for him on RaGa's (Rahul Gandhi) elevation," Sinha said in a series of tweets.

"On the other hand our own 'one man show and two man army' (a clear reference to Modi and Shah) have been giving unbecoming treatment to some of our most deserving and senior leaders like respected Advaniji, Murli Manohar Joshiji and most deserving Kirti Azad.

"And why is the leadership not responding to queries being raised in the national interest time and again by learned and intellectual leaders like Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and yours truly Shatrughana Sinha?

"What is right for Peter should be right for Paul too!" he said.

Sinha's remarks came after Modi congratulated the Congress for the "Aurangzeb Raj" as the Gandhi scion filed his nomination papers for the party's chief post on Monday.

Advani and Joshi, both founding members of the BJP, were made members of the party's Margdarshak Mandal after Modi came to power in May 2014, virtually signalling the end of their active political life.

Sinha and Shourie - both former Union ministers - have been vocal against the policies of the Modi government, especially demonetisation and the GST.
NEW DELHI (AP)  Shashi Kapoor, a leading Bollywood actor and producer from the 1970s and '80s, has died after a long illness. He was 79.

A family member, Randhir Kapoor, said he passed away Monday at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, where he was being treated for a kidney ailment.

Kapoor acted in more than 100 Hindi films and was also a key theater personality. He appeared as well in British and American movies produced by Merchant Ivory productions, run by Ismail Merchant and James Ivory.

His English-language movies included "The Householder'" in 1963, "Shakespeare Wallah" in 1965, "Bombay Talkie" in 1970 and "Heat and Dust," in which he co-starred with his wife, British actress Jennifer Kendal, in 1982.

Some of his popular Bollywood films were "Deewar (Wall)," "Kabhie Kabhie (Sometimes)," ''Namak Hala (Loyal Servant)" and "Kaala Pathar (Black Rock)." He co-starred with Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan in each.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Kapoor's versatility could be seen in his movies as well as in the theater, which he promoted with great passion. "His brilliant acting will be remembered for generations to come," he said.

Kapoor was a member of a family dynasty in the Bollywood film industry. He was the youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, a veteran of Bollywood and the theater.

Shashi Kapoor began acting at age 4 in plays produced and directed by his father. He started in films as a child actor in the late 1940s. He made his debut as a leading actor in movies in 1961.

The Press Trust of India news agency said Kapoor will be cremated on Tuesday.

He is survived by two sons and a daughter. His wife Kendal died in 1984.
Photo: LAST CHAMBER MEETING OF THE YEAR: Tuala Pat Leota (President Samoa Chamber of Commerce), Lina Visinia-Iamafana (A.P.T.C. Learning and Work Skills Facilitator), Pat Vella (A.P.T.C. Country Manager), Siaana Ioane (Ministry for Revenue A.C.E.O. Taxpayer Services) and Lemauga Hobart Vaai (C.E.O. Samoa Chamber of Commerce).

Samoa Chamber of Commerce held its last members meeting of the year last Tuesday.

The meeting was by Australia Pacific Technical-College (A.P.T.C.) at the Visions Restaurant.

The meeting was chaired by Samoa Chamber of Commerce President, Tuala Pat Leota, who provided an update on upcoming Chamber activities.

One of the much anticipated events for the Chamber is the launch of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, a forum for young entrepreneurs and business owners, this Friday, 8 December 2017.

The Ministry for Revenue Community Compliance Division was invited to attend and present on the Samoa Tax Reforms.

Epi Leo Tuimauga and her team discussed the new business license fees and tax rates. She also presented on Samoa e-tax; an easy online service for customers to use to file and make e-payments.

A.P.T.Cs Learning and Work Skills Facilitator, Lina Visinia-Iamafana, gave a special presentation on the importance of integrating employability skills into vocational training programmes.

She said an S.Q.A survey of T.V.E.T. and Training Graduates and local employers reported that many of these graduates lacked employability skills such as good work ethics, communications and soft skills.

In an effort to address this, A.P.T.C. adopted a new framework which outlines three sets of skills needed in order to perform well in any job; Technical skills, Core Skills and Language, Literacy and Numeracy Skills.

Lina noted that this framework has been implemented into all of their trainings and they also have a Working Skills program which specifically focuses on basic computing skills, job search skills and business skills.

A.P.T.C. ensures that all of its students are equipped with up to date technology, hands on experience and teaching staff who remain current, this is to improve the quality and standard of students who graduate into the workforce. The feedback A.P.T.C. has received thus far has been positive.

The Samoa Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc. as the National Private Sector Organisation (N.P.S.O.) is funded by the Pacific Leadership Program (P.L.P.).
It was a night that both men and women who participated in a rehabilitation programme will remember.

Facilitated by the Samoa Victim Support Group (S.V.S.G.), sixty-two male and female offenders referred from the Family Courts were presented with certificates after completing various counselling programmes.

Families and friends of the graduates gathered at the Congregational Christian Church youth hall at Sogi on Thursday to witness the milestone achievements.

Family Court Judge, Talasa Atoaga Saaga gave a fitting keynote address for the invited guests, families and supporters of S.V.S.G.

I congratulate the whole class for making it to the end.

Records say that in 1983 up until now, in cases that have been reported to the court, only 50 have appeared again before the Court, of which about two percent have reoffended.

Judge Talasa also acknowledged the hard work of the six facilitators who helped in the rehabilitation programme.

Nanai Leatunuu spoke on behalf of the graduates.

I thank the Heavenly Father for making this a memorable night for all of us. Each and every one of us has achieved our own goals.

I hope the programme that we have been through for three to six months has renewed ourselves not to reoffend again.

For S.V.S.G., their reward was realising that their work contributes to the enjoyment of safer family environments for our people.

Special Awards:

 Most genuine - Puipuifatu Peni Mareko;

 Most reliable - Leitulua Ropati Malaefono;

 Eldest participant/patron of the program - Pastor Tautaua Sootua;

 Most improved - Lose Simi;

 Outstanding male - Parron Wright;

 Outstanding female - Aitoa Letelemaana

 Most cooperative - Malo Austin Kalevu Faafiu.

The graduation ceremony is the fifth of its kind held for men and women referred to the S.V.S.G.
One life lost is one too many. And if reports are true that a young father, who had returned home to start rental business has died from dengue fever, we have every reason to be alarmed.

Which makes the concerns expressed by Member of Parliament, Olo Fiti Vaai, on the front page of yesterdays Samoa Observer extremely valid. Well get to that in a moment.

The truth is that when it comes to matters of life and death, there is no room for complacency. Not when people are dying around us.

Now from what weve been told, Fiaalii Mariner was admitted for dengue fever and while he might have had other health complications as a contributing factor, the cause of death has been identified as dengue fever.

This is obviously not a good time for Fiaaliis family. We pray for peace and comfort for his wife, Alei, their children and loved ones as they come to terms with their unexpected loss.

But his death should serve as a reminder about the seriousness of dengue fever and why we should do everything possible to protect ourselves, people close to us and this community.

While we dont have the figures, we know the number of dengue fever cases at the hospital has been climbing for the past few weeks. And whether Fiaalii is the first dengue fever-related death is another matter altogether.

It is also why the concerns expressed by Olo Fiti about the governments handling of the dengue fever outbreak are valid and should be taken seriously.

Yesterday, Olo said he was alarmed by the number of dengue fever patients at the Motootua Hospital  especially young children. He also questioned why many schools remain opened when from his research; he found that many children had contracted the virus from other students at school.

Dengue Fever is a serious virus and I am furious about the lack of a full force campaign to eliminate the mosquitoes breeding sites, he said.

My visit to the hospital was a clear indication about the seriousness of the problem and from speaking to the nurses and health workers, it became clear that most of the children hospitalised were affected from the schools.

Why are the schools are still open then when the government knows this is a source of the problem? They should have shut down the schools already while the government deals with this predicament head on?

Olo has a point. Many schools remain opened when the students are hardly doing anything productive apart from singing. Why drag the term to justify the school fees when students could be sent home for their safety and that of the general public?

The arrival of the wet and rainy season hasnt helped.

Getting back to Olo, he said he was not happy with how things have been handled by the Ministry of Health.

Dengue fever will take lives of our children if we dont act immediately, he said. The Cabinet should have been informed of how critical the situation is currently. I visited the hospital and it was unbelievable how over crowded the pediatric ward is with the number of sick children.

I was told some of them were sent home because the hospital cannot take any more patients.

Olo said members of the public need to understand the dangers of dengue fever and it is up to the government to drive home that message.

To be fair to the Health authorities, they had issued a warning about the outbreak of dengue fever last month. At the time, the Director General of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri, emphasized the importance of source reduction as the main weapon of prevention.

At the time, he called for proper disposal of solid waste, cleaning of domestic water storage containers and applying of appropriate insecticides to water storage outdoor containers. He also stressed the need for people to sleep in mosquito nets, wear long-sleeved clothes, apply insecticide-treated materials, use of mosquito coils and other ways of protecting yourself.

But he made a mistake.

The main reason we are releasing this information is not to panic our people, but to advise and inform our people there is a dengue outbreak around, he said at the time.

This is rather silly.

How can you not panic when there is clearly an outbreak? If the problem had reached outbreak proportion, then obviously there is reason for people to panic.

An outbreak after all does not just happen. And sometimes panicking is justified when it comes to matters of saving lives. All it means is that awareness is heightened where everyone needs to get the message and do what they need to do protect themselves and their loved ones.

Today, we know so many people are suffering from dengue fever. And we hope Fiaaliis death becomes the catalyst for a stronger campaign to ensure no one else will experience the sadness of losing a loved one to dengue fever  especially this close to Christmas and the New Year.

That said, we remind once more that we all have a part to play. Here are some other prevention tools from the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) to help you protect your families:

 preventing mosquitoes from accessing egg-laying habitats by environmental management and modification;

 disposing of solid waste properly and removing artificial man-made habitats;

 covering, emptying and cleaning of domestic water storage containers on a weekly basis;

 applying appropriate insecticides to water storage outdoor containers;

 using of personal household protection such as window screens, long-sleeved clothes, insecticide treated materials, coils and vaporizers;

 improving community participation and mobilization for sustained vector control;

 applying insecticides as space spraying during outbreaks as one of the emergency vector-control measures;

 active monitoring and surveillance of vectors should be carried out to determine effectiveness of control interventions.

 Careful clinical detection and management of dengue patients can significantly reduce mortality rates from severe dengue

Take care and stay safe Samoa, God bless!
Thirty-two students have successfully completed their Chinese language course at the National University of Samoa (N.U.S.).

They were presented with monetary envelopes from the Chinese Embassy at the Aoa Conference Room yesterday afternoon.

During the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Samoa, Wang Xuefeng congratulated them.

I am so happy to see that there are more and more Chinese-speaking Samoan friends, partly as a result of this Chinese learning programme, he said.

Sometimes when I attend some functions, I am pleasantly surprised to meet several Samoan young people who just talk with me in fluent Chinese.

I heard some students during their introductions saying they want to have Chinese boyfriends and girlfriends and this shows that you speak quite good Chinese and that I can understand.

So I want to congratulate you all for all the hard work and studies in learning the Chinese language.

The friendship between our two people began more than 100 years ago.

Many Samoan friends have blood connections with China and so that is one of the most important reasons for the good relationship between the two countries.

Up until now, the Chinese Government has selected seven lecturers to teach Chinese language in the National University of Samoa.

The success of this Chinese class is a good example of the cooperation between the N.U.S. and the Chinese Embassy.

Vice Chancellor of N.U.S. Professor Fiu Asofou Soo acknowledged the support of the Chinese Ambassador and the Chinese government.

Two years ago, the previous ambassador gave $2,000 at most to the students who learned Chinese language at N.U.S, he said.

At that time, there was no prize giving ceremony, it was just the money which was called the refund.

In 2016, the Chinese Embassy in Samoa changed the name refund into the Chinese Government Encouragement Prize and the amount of money increases term by term.

This semester the prize money totals $3,800 and Ambassador Wang Xuefeng pays more attention to education. He gives a speech at every prize giving ceremony and encourages students to learn more about the Chinese language and culture.
The Samoa Meteorology Office would not confirm reports about a tornado at Alafua yesterday.

Emau Toluono, a weather forecaster with the Meteorology Office, told the Samoa Observer there was no recorded tornado in Samoa at all.

The Met Office was contacted last night following a social media post where a family asked the Met Office if there had been a tornado.

According to the family, the incident destroyed our house at Alafua with iron roofing flying all over the place.

The family posted photos on Facebook of the house with iron roofing strewn across the lawn.

The family also asked for public assistance if anyone else was affected.

According to Mr. Toluono, the only weather pattern was strong winds.

I think the only logical explanation is that at Alafua, the strong winds that blew went straight to the mountains and when they came back, it could have been in a circular move that was stronger than before, he said.

I am certain that there was no tornado recorded in any of our systems, its just strong winds.

Also we did not get any official complaint directed to our office or any inquiry about a so-called tornado.
Santa Claus has arrived early this year for five families who featured in the Samoa Observers, Village Voice.

A Good Samaritan who wanted to remain anonymous, donated approximately $2,000 worth of food supplies and toiletry items for the families.

When the Samoa Observer team visited the families to present them with the goods, tears of joy and gratefulness were aplenty.

The five families who received help included Fale Fale of Toamua-Uta, Sauileone Faataumaoe of Toamua-uta, Ana Vaiolo of Faleasiu, Faaoloaga Satuala of Nofoalii and Akenese Ieremia of Nuu Fou.

Akenese Ieremia was featured in last weeks Village Voice.

The mother of 10 from Nuu-fou admitted she was desperate for assistance.

Her eldest son, who is married with two kids, is the only income earner for their family, while five of her kids are still under seven years old.

Life here with us is really hard because I have to feed my children and support them, but then I dont have a job to earn money to support all of them, she said.

The only person who is providing for our family is my eldest son who is currently working at one of the companies and thats basically it.

We are struggling so badly in terms of food, money and clothing for my children here so that is why I really need a job to support my family.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, the anonymous donor said he read the story and he just wanted to help.

Words cannot express how excited and grateful I am for this donation from this Good Samaritan, said Akenese.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to whoever donated these food items for me and my family; I am overwhelmed by this donation.

Thank you for everything and may the good Lord continue to bless whoever donated these Christmas presents for my family.

Mr. Faaoloaga Satuala and Ofe Satuala were out of words when they saw the Village Voice team again at their house.

I am grateful and thankful at the same time for remembering us, this means a lot to me and my family.
The Chief Executive Officer of Samoa Airways, Seiuli Alvin Tuala, has re-directed questions about the cost of leasing the aircraft to Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.

He did this when the Samoa Observer followed up an email with questions submitted last week on reports the Airline is paying US$500,000 (T$1.25 million) a fortnight to lease the B767-300 from Icelandic Air.

When Seiuli was contacted, he did not wish to comment. He said it would be best to ask the Prime Minister.

This contradicted what the Prime Minister told the Samoa Observer last week when he was asked about the same issue.

To get the exact amount down to the cents, direct your questions to the C.E.O. of Samoa Airways, Tuilaepa said last Thursday. That shouldnt be hard to do.

Tuilaepa then asked why the Samoa Observer was interested in the cost of the lease.

Your questions appear to be looking for trouble, he said.

However if you ask, then do a follow up question, what is the usual amount of such leases, that is how you do it. But dont just ask about our lease.

The Samoa Observer had sent questions to Seiuli and the Airlines Marketing Manager, Dwayne Bentley, last week Thursday.

A printed copy of the questions was also dropped off at the Samoa Airways office. It reads:

Talofa Seiuli,

Trust youre well. My name is Ilia from the Samoa Observer. I write to ask a couple of questions.

Ive been told that the airline is paying US$500,000 to lease the aircraft a fortnight.

Is this true? If it is, can the airline sustain this in the long run?

What are you projections in terms of profits and losses?

Also in relation to the Iceland crew, how long will they be here for? And who is paying for them to be here in terms of accommodation and other allowances to provide training? How much?

From the first few weeks of operations, how have the numbers been in terms of passengers on flights?

Anything else you would like to add?

On Saturday morning, the Samoa Observer contacted Dwayne Bentley requesting for an interview. He said he was not available.

Yesterday, the Ministry of the Cabinet and Prime Ministers Press Secretary cancelled this weeks media session with the P.M.

The P.M. is away on official travel for the 3rd Korea-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Seoul (Korea) from 4-7th of December, the Press Secretary said.

He is scheduled to be back on the weekend.
At the age of 14, Michivanne Michael Ng Lam is already making his family proud.

Michivanne was announced the dux of Marist Primary School last week Thursday during the schools prize giving ceremony.

He is the son of Vaoiva Michael Ng Lam and Michael Ng Lam and he hails from the villages of Lano, Papauta and Moamoa.

I am very happy to be the Dux of Marist Primary School as I have worked hard throughout this year, the young lad said.

All I have ever wanted is to make my last name Ng Lam popular and to be known to everyone and I achieved that goal.

Michivanne scored the highest marks in maths, social science, basic science, art and computing studies.

He aspires to be an I.T. person when he grows up.

Michivanne now has a choice of attending Samoa College or St Josephs College. However he said, he would decide once the entry examination results for Samoa College were released.

I also want to thank my parents and my family for their ending support which one day I will repay them.
It is that time of the year when the spirit of giving highlights humanity at its best.

This was noted at the main office of the Samoa Victim Support Group (S.V.S.G.) when the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (M.C.I.L.), Pulotu Lyndon Chu Ling, and staff visited, bearing gifts.

They included bulk food supplies, miscellaneous toiletry supplies and a cheque of $1,000.

During this year, S.V.S.G. has been working with M.C.I.L. on rolling out workplace awareness workshops on domestic workers and the legal responsibilities of their employers, as part of the Nofotane Project being implemented with U.N. Women Fund for Gender Equality.

In addition, Pulotu has been a regular visitor at the Campus of Hope in his capacity as an Elder for the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, as the church has been assisting with the childrens welfare needs.
Love knows no barrier, whether be it age, race, colour or creed, if its meant to be it will be.

After two years of courting, 62-year-old Bruce Mckenzie and 56-year-old Jacquie Ellis will soon seal the bond of two souls saying I do in agreement to love as one soul until death.

And what better way and place for the couple to express their affection then in beautiful Samoa.

Dear Tourist met the couple from Karangahake, New Zealand, at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel yesterday waiting to bid our shores goodbye.

Samoa was just an escape from the busy work life and a perfect relaxation destination for Jacquie, but for Bruce, it was the perfect time and atmosphere to pop the question.

Jacquie made the decision that she wanted to come here, so I said OK we will go, Bruce said.

I did not know about the marriage proposal, Jacquie added.

I dont know did you? Jacquie asked Bruce if he had planned it all along.

Well it was on the back of my mind, this is a good place to do it, while youre on a holiday and youre relaxing so I thought it was the good time, Bruce said.

It came as a surprise to me, Jacquie said.

It was a daytime proposal at Paradise Resort and I was excited, she added with a smile. The end result of this trip is that we will be getting married, Bruce added nodding.

Not only is Samoa a perfect place to relax, for Jacquie it was a special place that she had dearly missed 38 years ago.

I was here 38 years ago when I was 19 years old. I spent three weeks here. I had to save up really hard in my first job so I could get here. And when I went back I told myself that I have to come back, she said.

My aunt and uncle worked here at the Bank of New Zealand which I believe dont exist anymore. So they were here and I came here and fell in love with the place.

Somethings were better than I thought and somethings were quite the same, but the people, when I actually left, I was literally crying on the plane back home.

Jacquies beauty in the eyes of Bruce, being a first time traveler to Samoa, is how he views our island.

The beaches are beautiful, theres a lot of green and its really beautiful, he said.

Its been an amazing experience. I have travelled to a few parts of the world, but I love this country, love the weather, its nice and hot.

Everybody here is so friendly and so helpful. Even downtown, everybody smiles and it is a genuine friendly atmosphere, its really nice.

When comparing Samoa to the past 38 years, Jacquie says: Tanoa Tusitala today is miles better than what I remember it being. It was lot less developed in those days. Today its just beautiful, there are a lot of flowers and theres green everywhere and way better.

And being an artist herself, she sure knows what beauty is when she describes Samoas scenery.

Our idea of a holiday is this. When you go to a country, you want to be able to experience the culture and the life in that country, Bruce said.

The food is fresh, gorgeous food; local food is just so good, Jacquie said.

We have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Its like when you come here, its a different universe. Its just so relaxing and wonderful to be here.

The couple arrived last week Thursday and apart from an amazing holiday filled with love and laughter, the couple has one thing to say.

We think Samoa has the potential to develop its tourism industry, like having road signs. The other day we were lucky to reach our destination after a local directed us.

At times we would be lucky to make it even if we get lost while driving.

Nonetheless, Samoa has definitely captivated the hearts of two souls and they have already made plans to return next year.

But its a perfect place, it is very low key, and its enjoyable, theres no hustle, Bruce said.

All good things must come to an end, especially for a tropical getaway.

As soon as we get back and its work the next day. I have three arts classes tomorrow (today) and Bruce also has to go to work.

So we will save up again and visit Samoa next year.

But before they return, pop the champagne because come 2018, Jacquie is changing her last name.
There are two things people visit a country for; its either for a holiday or for a business trip. The latter is the sole purpose of Michael Risos visit to Samoa.

He was sipping on a chilled niu at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel yesterday when Dear Tourist met the gentleman from Melbourne, Australia.

Michael is in Samoa with a team of I.T. professionals from Fiji to upgrade the WIFI system at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel.

I run a company called Global Network Technologies (G.N.T.) and we are the Asia/Pacific distributor for among other things, G.N.T. Now G.N.T. makes internet gateways for hotels, resorts, airports, shopping malls etc., he said.

Im working with a company called Kastel Technologies from Fiji and we are rolling out all the Tanoa Group of Hotels. So the Tanoa Tusitala is the last hotel were converting to the new improved WIFI system were providing. Weve done five in Fiji, one in New Zealand, one in Tonga and this is the last one.

So that is primarily the purpose of our visit, so we converted the Tanoa Tusitala into a new WIFI system that is more modern, more effective, more controlled and less headache for both the staff and the hotel guest.

Now, they just get the Wi-Fi, enter their name, room number and the plan they want and it also has facilities to manage conferences and whatever.

Michael said hotel guests nowadays preferred a holiday destination and accommodation with efficient and more modern WIFI system.

For me and am not alone here, if I go on a holiday, I need to be able to do business, Ill pay for it if I have too, I have to have internet. Most tourists want to check their emails, Facebook, but I want to be able to do a presentation to potential customers.

And what a lot of bigger hotels dont realise is that they can make $30,000 in one day. For example, if a guest likes the facilities and WIFI is good for their annual sales conference kick off, he could book one room with five days of conference facilities.

Michael is married and has two sons, a 13-year old and 22-year old young man. Because his work takes him to almost all parts of the world and it was his first time to Samoa, he had this to say about our beautiful paradise.

Samoa is very beautiful. Everybody is very lovely, friendly and very nice. The weather is great as long as theres sunshine every day.

I have been in Samoa since Thursday last week and I leave tomorrow (today). I did some sightseeing on Sunday. Came across a lovely waterfall, beach and theres lovely green scenery everywhere.

Samoa from what I have seen from sightseeing, theres a lot thats untouched. Theres a lot more nature and that is good, I just wish more countries were less developed and touched, the world does not need more population. Its a lovely place, very green and very hot too.

I havent tasted local food because I dont know what local food is and I dont see it in the menu here and we went to an Italian restaurant and that is so far, weve been eating at the hotel, Michael added.

He said theres a possibility that this trip could be the start of many more in the future.

I am adding a lot of Pacific countries next year in my sales strategy and picking up customers in Cook Islands, American Samoa and possibly Vanuatu etc.

I could be coming back here once or twice every year and this is the first hotel were picking up and I want the airport.

Michael said the Tui Samoa cable was also an advantage to not only Samoa, but the whole of the Pacific as well.

Samoa is going through some development and improvement. And with the sub marine cable coming, that is going to make a lot of difference and what a lot of Pacific Islands are discovering now is that the hotels are not just competing with each other, if a guest goes to any hotel in the Pacific and the WIFI for instance is not good enough to do business, they wont come back.

Weve improved the system from heading coupons at the front desk to a more efficient system with less trouble.

We exist to make life easier and faster for business people, guests and hotels, so all parties can benefit.

Like any other father, Michael looks forward to reuniting with his family this Christmas.

But as a businessman, January 1st, 2018, is a coin toss between Bangkok and Fiji and it all depends on whats put forth on the table.

Asked whether he would choose Samoa as a holiday destination, he said: I would come back here. My family and I are tropical island holiday people, so whether its Thailand, Philippines, Pacific Islands, we want a beach, we want to swim and we want to scuba dive.
Californias stem cell agency has granted more than $8.7 million to San Diego scientists for research on cancer and other diseases. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine made these and other grants totaling more than $16 million at its meeting last week.

The two biggest local grants went to Dan Kaufman, M.D., and Catriona Jamieson, M.D., of UC San Diego, both for ways to treat acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

Kaufman was awarded $5.15 million to make natural killer immune cells from embryonic stem cells, for use in helping patients who arent responding to treatment.

Jamieson received $2.7 million to target cancer stem cells in AML. Cancer stem cells share many characteristics with normal stem cells, and are the hardest to eradicate of all malignant cells.

The grants belong to CIRMs translation stage program, which is for research that is advanced enough to be translated into treatments. CIRM was awarded $3 billion in state bond money in 2004 when California voters passed Proposition 71.

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CIRMs board also approved 14 earlier-stage discovery inception grants totaling more than $3 million, including four for San Diego research. These are:

$303,894 to Human BioMolecular Research Institute to study eradicating pancreatic cancer stem cells

$232,200 to UCSD for a disease model of macular degeneration, to be used in discovering drug therapies.

$193,500 to UCSD for developing tissue precursors for regenerative therapy.

$150,000 to Zenobia Therapeutics for a new way to identify potential new drugs for Parkinsons disease.

 What to look for, and what to be wary of, when considering a stem cell clinical trial.

Since 2004, more than $2.4 billion has been awarded out of $3 billion in state bond money allocated to CIRM. This includes more than $500 million going to San Diego projects. UCSD has been awarded more than $200 million, the most of any San Diego County CIRM grantee.

San Diegos largest corporate CIRM recipient is ViaCyte, which is testing a stem cell-based therapy for type 1 diabetes, has been awarded more than $71 million.

CIRMs funding is expected to run out in roughly two years, depending on the rate of future grants. The agency is considering what to do, which could include asking the public for more funds, or tapping corporate partners or wealthy philanthropists, or some combination of those options.

If no funding is available, the agency will have to wind down its operations and cease to exist.

GSK, UCSD team on blood cancers

Cancer stem cells target of new grant to UCSD scientists

Abandoned blood cancer drug resurrected by San Diego startup

ViaCyte tries again with potential diabetes cure

Californias stem cell agency backers consider bond financing

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020
The National Academy of Sciences is firing back at Stanford University professor Mark Z. Jacobson, who recently filed a $10 million lawsuit against the organization and a fellow scientist.

Jacobson authored a paper two years ago claiming that the U.S. power grid could run entirely on renewable energy sources by 2050

A year later, a team led by Christopher Clack challenged Jacobsons paper, saying his study committed a host of mistakes

Jacobson stunned many in the scientific community by suing Clack and the academy, which published both papers

Attorneys for the academy say Jacobson is trying to muzzle speech and want the case thrown out of court

Jacobson says he just wants to set the factual record straight

Here are the details:

The debate about the feasibility of the U.S. economy running exclusively clean-energy sources has gotten heated  and, in a move that has attracted attention in the scientific community, litigious.

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Attorneys for the National Academy of Sciences late last week urged a Washington D.C. judge to throw out a $10 million lawsuit filed by Stanford University professor Mark Z. Jacobson against the academy and a scientist who was the lead author of a paper that challenged a study Jacobson published two years ago.

The lawyers said Jacobson is trying to silence those who disagree with him and his suit amounts to little more than an unvarnished attempt to muzzle speech and end-run the First Amendment.

In a brief telephone interview Monday, Jacobson told the Union-Tribune he filed the lawsuit to correct the record about a paper he and his team wrote in 2015 asserting the U.S. power system could run solely on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar by 2050.

They claim this is an issue of science and not of fact, and thats where we disagree, Jacobson said. This is not a scientific debate. Its a factual debate.

In addition to the $10 million, Jacobson wants the National Academy to retract the paper, whose lead author is Christopher Clack, a mathematician who is the chief executive of the grid modeling firm Vibrant Clean Energy.

Clack is also a defendant in the lawsuit and his attorneys joined the academy in calling on the judge to throw the case out of court.

Jacobson claims the paper by Clack and 20 other scientists amounted to defamation but Clacks attorneys said Jacobson is pursuing costly litigation to stifle debate on an important issue of public interest and to prevent his scientific theories from being fully scrutinized and evaluated.

The back and forth has been the buzz of the scientists and researchers, especially in the clean energy sphere.

Jacobson has become a hero to some environmental activists, who have used his 2015 study as proof that shifting the entire power sector to sources like solar and wind will be less a question of practicality than political will.

But the Clack study reviewed the work and concluded Jacobson and his team relied on invalid modeling tools and made implausible and inadequately supported assumptions.

Both papers were published and peer-reviewed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the worlds most cited scientific journals, whose editor-in-chief is Inder M. Verma, a noted professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla.

Jacobson strenuously objected to the Clack papers findings and the dispute seemed restricted to academia.

But that all changed last month, when it was reported that Jacobson had filed his lawsuit against the academy and Clack.

Using the courts to adjudicate these debates among experts about the best ways to achieve climate goals is really a chilling and threatening approach, said Danny Cullenward, a research associate with the Carnegie Institution for Science and an energy economist at the think tank Near Zero. It also creates the possibility of people working in this field worrying about whether somebody will be coming after them if they say something too controversial.

Cullenward said the lawsuit also bothers him because it was filed against Clack, who is not a tenured professor or employed by a major research institute. Clack runs a small energy consultancy in Colorado.

That means Dr. Clack is personally responsible for hiring a lawyer and paying for that, Cullenward said. And thats where the chilling effect comes in. Even if you win in court, that can set you back many thousands of dollars.

The case is also hitting close to home in California, the nations leader in clean energy.

Cullenward, is a lecturer at Stanford and wrote an op-ed in the Stanford Daily last week with the headline, Suing an academic critic isnt only wrong, its also unjust.

One of the co-authors of the Clack paper is David Victor, a professor of international relations and co-director of the Laboratory on International Law and Regulation at UC San Diego.

Victor was not named in the lawsuit but told Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik last month, Even when Im talking with other scientists in an on-the-record setting, I find myself being careful about what I say because theres the threat of legal action out there.

Verma of the Salk Institute is in China this week on a business trip and a media representative from the academy said it would not comment on the Jacobson case.

But in July, Verma sent a letter to Jacobson and Clack.

There is clearly a scientific disagreement about how to address these issues, and the scientific community will have to make their assessments of the articles, Vermas letter said.

He concluded by saying the academy will not continue to referee this situation and considers this matter closed.

But that letter was written before Jacobson filed his lawsuit.

While Clack and his co-authors criticized Jacobsons work, Jacobson has accused the Clack article of making errors of its own.

Jacobson said Clack and his team mixed up maximum values with average values in one table and claimed Jacobsons paper made a modeling error in regards to hydro power. Jacobson denies any modeling error in his hydro power numbers.

I just want to be clear we absolutely deny this is any issue related to the science of the article, their criticisms of our assumptions or our responses to them, Jacobson said. Its a clear issue of correcting factually inaccurate information that was not only published but we requested to be corrected before publication. And these were issues of fact, they werent issues of scientific debate.

But are the courts the proper venue to take the disagreement?

Jacobson said hed prefer not to comment on that, given the pending lawsuit.

Cullenward said he had never heard of a similar case.

I think the quicker its dismissed, the better it is for the scientific enterprise, said Cullenward, who is also a lawyer. But that is not a question for the scientists. Its now a question for the courts. I dont think we should be here.

Jacobson has come under fire for filing the case but some have defended him.

Jacobsons lawsuit is about correcting the factual scientific record  its about ensuring that the process and rules that govern science are protected, said environmental geologist Stacy Clark in the Huffington Post.

Lawyers for the academy and Clack want the presiding judge, Elizabeth Carroll Wingo at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to dismiss the case, saying it qualifies under what is called the Anti-SLAPP Act which involves speaking out on issues considered to be of the public interest.

The next court date is scheduled for Dec. 29.

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rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski

ALSO

Stanford professor sues critics of his 100% renewable article
The best deal in town for local market TV is no more.

San Diego-based Telletopia, which was giving select locals totally free streaming TV access to broadcast networks, shut down operations Friday, founder Gary Koerper confirmed to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Koerper said the service was shuttered due to financing problems. He left room for Telletopias return should the company secure outside funding of around $1 million. As it stands, the streaming TV service is no longer available to customers and the companys website has gone offline.

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Im still taking to investors, he said Tuesday. If they bite, (I) will bring back the service.

Founded in 2013, Telletopia was the brainchild of Koerper, a Comcast and Qualcomm alum, and ecoATM co-founder Michael Librizzi. The pair sunk more than $500,000 of their own money over the years into the business, with the original aim of selling a streaming skinny bundle consisting of just local-market stations.

They initially structured the company as a not-for-profit and hoped to convince the Federal Communications Commission to adjust retransmission rules so online video distributors  not just cable companies  could negotiate licensing deals with broadcasters.

When it became clear that the FCC wasnt going to step in, Koerper switched gears. He turned Telletopia into whats called a master antenna television service, or MATV for short. With that status, he could legally work with owners of multi-family units to retransmit antenna signals within their buildings without needing the consent of broadcasters.

Thus, the new Telletopia offered building tenants at a handful of downtown high-rises  CityFront Terrace, Park Laurel, The Grande North and The Grande South  free streaming access to local broadcast networks. Users could tune into live feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, KUSI and KPBS at no charge by way of an Apple TV or a web browser. Telletopia also tried to up-sell the same residents on a cloud DVR for $10 a month.

But, by this point, Koerper was essentially operating and funding Telletopia on his own as a hobby project while working full-time for a Carlsbad robotics company. Add to that the recent emergence of streaming skinny bundles, some with local network channels, and Koerpers passion project was no longer viable.

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jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin
Activists say that a trailer parked next to closed restrooms at Wells Park in El Cajon is being used by police to intimidate people in the 18-acre park.

But city officials say that is untrue, and the portable trailer-office is not even open.

The temporary structure is part of the citys three-phase Wells Park Master Plan passed by the City Council in May. It is supposed to open sometime this week for use by recreation staff, officials say.

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Assistant City Manager Graham Mitchell said that a permanent office space will eventually be built at the park to replace the trailer. In it, city employees, including a park ranger, will be able to have a dedicated space to manage park operations.

The structure will also allow recreation staff to offer programs. Mitchell said police officers patrolling the park will have a place inside the building as well.

Local activist Mark Lane said homeless people in the area told him El Cajon police are using the temporary trailer as a mobile booking station.

Police Chief Jeff Davis said that the trailer at 1153 E. Madison Ave., has not been used by public safety officials  or anyone. The trailer, brought into the citys largest park on Nov. 29, sits empty and locked.

Lane has appeared before the City Council on behalf of the homeless and he and a group of other organized activists helped spearhead a public food serving event last month at the park.

The groups event was done in defiance of the citys temporary ban on mass food serving on city property. The city said it will not allowing food sharing in parks in light of the hepatitis A outbreak across the county.

Lane said that city is trying to intimidate the homeless by placing the trailer near where some of the food serving has occurred.

Some homeless people that I spoke with said police brought it in, and on the first day, the police were in it, Lane said. I asked one of them, Are you sure its police? And he said I was down there when they brought it in  police were pushing it over.

Even if (police presence) is not its main function, its there to intimidate the homeless, Lane said.

Wells Park was built in 1953 and is heavily used. It is in the middle of the most population-dense residential housing, according to Frank Carson, recreation services manager.

Carson has estimated that 10,000 to 12,000 people use the park every month. Wells Park has lighted ball fields and exercise areas, two kids playgrounds, a gated dog park and a large parking lot.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of East County also operate a main clubhouse on the east side of the park and a teen center on the west side of the park.

Other parts of the citys long-term plans for the park include new bathrooms and a splash pad and playground.

Wells Park hasnt received renovation in many years and it deserves to be a jewel in the center of the city, Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the city is aware of the homeless food sharing issue and that it works closely with organizations in the community who help with food security needs of those in need.

To say that we dont care about homeless is infuriating, Mitchell said. We are working with our partners in the community to figure out long-term solutions.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
As the son of successful entrepreneurs, 13-year-old Kenan Pala was born with a head for creative problem-solving. Fortunately for San Diegos homeless community, his head has been focused for the past few years on making their lives better.

Pala is the founder of Kids 4 Community, a youth-focused volunteer organization that meets regularly to provide meal service and assemble hygiene kits, care packages and, this month, Christmas stockings for the needy. In May, he was one of 10 youth volunteers in America to receive the 2017 Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

K.P. is an amazing kid, said Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services in Escondido. I joke that hes going to take over the world someday. Its a good thing hes on the side of good.

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Kenan, an 8th-grader at Francis Parker School in San Diego, is the eldest son of Serhat Pala and Zeynep Ilgaz, who immigrated from their native Turkey in 1998. The couple earned their MBAs together at San Diego State University, then Serhat started several entrepreneurial businesses before he and his wife co-founded Confirm Biosciences in Scripps Ranch in 2008. Ilgaz said giving back to their adopted country has always been a priority for her family.

Were your typical immigrant story. We came here with no money, got our degrees together and then worked hard like anybody else, she said. We got a lot of help along the way, especially from the San Diego community, and always felt like if there was a way we could give back, we would do that, and our children would do the same.

Since he was in kindergarten, Kenan said hes been volunteering alongside his parents serving dinners to the homeless at local shelters.

Its been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, he said. Seeing those people at the shelters made me really grateful for the great life I have. It was also a call to action for me to volunteer more and help these people get out of their situation.

Kenan Pala, 13, of Rancho Bernardo sorts through Christmas stocking-stuffer donations at a Kids 4 Community event on Dec. 3 in Scripps Ranch. (Nancee E. Lewis / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Kenan and his brother Arden, a third-grader, set aside 10 percent of their weekly allowance for charity. His parents do the same with their salaries, and they donate 5 percent of their company sales to SDSU and other schools.

But it was an experience on a day trip last year that spurred Kenan to dramatically ramp up his homeless outreach. That day, he saw a large crowd trying to rescue a seal pup on the beach. But on his car ride home, he saw people walking by a homeless man, ignoring his pleas for help.

I sat in the car thinking about why a sick baby seal was surrounded by concerned citizens while a hungry homeless man was receiving no help, he said.

With his parents help, he started Kids 4 Community and has since enlisted the help of friends, family and his classmates at Francis Parker. On campus last year, he led a drive that collected 6,000 boxes of cereal for local soup kitchens. The students assembled 4,000 empty cereal boxes on the schools gymnasium floor, a feat that set the Guinness World Record as the largest cardboard box mosaic.

Kevin Dunn, director of community engagement at Francis Parker School, said Kenan is a natural leader and an articulate speaker whos always front and center at the events he organizes.

The students all respect him and look to him as an expert in the field, Dunn said. This school does a great job of developing young leaders, but they get it from their parents and Kenans mom and dad are great role models.

Kenan said his family keeps a calendar by the dinner table to keep track of the events they plan, and he and his parents use multiple computers to plan logistics, secure donations for supplies and do outreach for volunteers.

Using social media to plan events, they gather 200 to 300 volunteers every month or two at the Confirm Biosciences offices to pack items for the needy. Over the past year, theyve raised more than $5,000 in cash donations, assembled more than 5,000 hygiene kits, sent 2,500 care packages to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and Mexico, made more than 3,000 brown-bag lunches for local homeless shelters and adopted more than 100 families to help with basic needs.

This past Sunday , several hundred volunteers filled 2,000 stockings with donated toys and personal items for families assisted by Interfaith Community Services. Kenan also leads a group of volunteers who serve dinners at Interfaiths homeless shelter, Haven House.

Hes very down to earth and enjoys getting to interact with people directly, said Anglea with Interfaith. I think he appreciates the opportunity to help people face to face, not just provide a warm meal, but also a friendly smile. Hes just a remarkable young man.

In November, Anglea presented Kenan with one of the North County Philanthropy Councils Volunteer of the Year awards.

When hes not doing charity work, Kenan said he enjoys running triathlons and playing guitar. Hes also the founder of an entrepreneurship club at his school. After high school, he said hed like to attend Stanford University and start his own company where he can use his profits to one day end homelessness and other social problems.

It may seem an unrealistic goal but Dunn, at Francis Parker School, said the sky could be the limit for Kenan.

If he doesnt become a humanitarian, hell dedicate a lot of his life and his companys proceeds to those causes, Dunn said. Hes going to have a lot of doors open up for him and will stay centered and honor the values his family has instilled in him.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
On Christmas Day 1900, a birding tradition was launched that has become an important international citizen science effort to monitor wild bird populations.

The annual Christmas Bird Count was the idea of ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, an early leader in the young Audubon Society.

That first count involved 27 volunteers who covered 25 locations from Toronto, Canada, to California and 90 species of birds were recorded.

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This year, between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, more than 70,000 bird lovers will conduct counts in more than 2,500 locations in North, Central and South America and islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Last year, there were over 56 million birds, and 2,600 species recorded.

Counts are conducted in designated 15-mile circles, and San Diego birders can join in the count at six locations beginning with the San Diego Circle on Dec. 16.

Additional counts will be conducted in Anza-Borrego on Dec. 17; Lake Henshaw, Dec. 18; Salton Sea, Dec. 19; Oceanside, Dec. 23; Rancho Santa Fe, Dec. 28; and Escondido, Dec. 30.

Each count is conducted within a 24-hour period and volunteers are assigned to spread out within the established 15-mile circle, following defined routes and counting every bird they see or hear during the day.

The count is not a species tally. All birds are counted and this provides scientists with an indication of the total number of birds in the circle.

Beginning birders are welcome and often paired with a group that includes more experienced birders.

Volunteers who live within one of the designated count circles can even stay home and report on the number of birds that visited feeders during the day.

All counters must be registered to participate in the event, by contacting circle leaders prior to the census.

For additional details and contact information of circle leaders, visit sandiegoaudubon.org, and click on the Birding tab.

Essay contest

Young hunters are invited to participate in an essay contest that could earn the winner a lifetime California hunting license.

Sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Wildlife Officers Foundation, the contest theme is, Passing on the Tradition.

Youngsters under 18 can submit essays of 500 words or less on how hunting has influenced or affected their lives. To be eligible, participants must have a junior hunting license or a hunter education certificate.

Youth hunters learn invaluable lessons about safety, ethics and conservation when they team with their mentors, said CDFW Hunter Education Program Administrator Capt. Robert Pelzman. This years essay topic promises to provide plenty of heartfelt examples of how their varied experiences in the field have had a beneficial impact on their individual lives.

The California Wildlife Officers Foundation will recognize the grand-prize winner with a lifetime California hunting license valued at more than $600. Second- and third-place winners will also be selected and prize packages will be awarded.

Entries should be submitted via email to Lt. John Nores at john.nores@wildlife.ca.gov. Deadline for submission is 5 p.m. Dec. 15.

Essay entries must also contain the applicants name, date of birth, address, telephone number and email address.

Entries will be reviewed by CDFW representatives and wildlife officers.

The grand prize winner will be honored at the International Sportsmens Exposition in Sacramento on Jan. 20.

Sierra trout

Conditions could change at any time in the Eastern Sierra, but for now, winter anglers are finding epic conditions on the Upper Owens River and the East Walker River out of Bridgeport Reservoir.

The Eastern High Sierra general trout season closed Nov. 15, but portions of the Owens River, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Hot Creek, and East and West Walker rivers are now open to trout fishing under special winter regulations.

Until winter storms bring heavy snow and limited access, anglers can enjoy some spectacular fishing. The most spectacular right now is on the short section of East Walker River known as the Miracle Mile, where river flows are at ideal levels and both rainbows and browns are eagerly biting.

Sierra Drifters guide TwoBugDoug Dolan said the excellent conditions are the result of last winters abundant snowpack.

The East Walker is exceptional right now and we have not seen fish like this in many years due to low flows and drought, he said.

The Upper Owens has also been kicking out some larger migratory rainbows that have moved upstream from Crowley Lake to spawn.

Flows on the Middle Owens east of Bishop have started to drop, allowing drift boat anglers good access. Look for the bite there to pick up as conditions continue to improve.

Winter fishing in the Eastern Sierra is a unique experience with lots of open water and some monster fish. Special techniques are required and winter trout hunters should be well prepared for rapidly changing and severe weather.

Email ernie@packtrain.com or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.
Once more it's been proven that we all love nothing more than some Christmas cheer in the form of The Toy Show, with an unbelievable 1.3 million people tuning in on Friday night, making it the most watched show on Irish television this year to date.

Folks watched all around the world too, with The Little Mermaid themed show getting viewers from 110 countries on the night, from Germany to Fiji, Russia to New Zealand, and Mongolia to the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean. The show was also streamed in Mali where, no doubt, the Defence Forces personnel, serving alongside Sgt Graham Burke on a peacekeeping mission, watched as he was reunited with his family live on the show.

The Burke familys reunification also went viral with more than 1 million views across RTE's social media platforms. This years show was lauded on social media with #LateLateToyShow trending number one worldwide on Twitter on Friday night and trending in Ireland across the weekend.

It was watched by an average audience of 1.2 million live on the night, a 72 per cent share of the audience watching television at the time. A further 107,000 viewers watched their recording of the show on Saturday and 42,000 viewers did the same on Sunday.

The audience peaked at 1.34 million viewers and the show had a reach of 1,732,500 viewers who tuned in for a minute or more of the broadcast. Nine out of ten children watching television on the night were tuned into The Late Late Toy Show.

Over the week, 2,219,900 people tuned into The Late Late Toy Show and behind the scenes documentary The Late Late Toy Show Unwrapped, cementing the shows place as the Irish television event of the year.

Host Ryan Tubridy said, "It never ceases to amaze me how many people hold The Late Late Toy Show so dear. The fact that so many people let us become part of their world over the weekend is really heartening and the reaction I have been getting from people since the show has been overwhelming.

"I want to thank the stars of our show, the children, from little Tadhg letting me drag him around the studio floor to that very special moment when the Burke family was reunited. The team, led by producer Nigel Power, put together something truly memorable and Im delighted to see that viewers embraced it."

Late Late Toy Show producer Nigel Power said, "With this years Toy Show we wanted to have lots of fun but also reflect the Ireland we are living in today. We had children from all sorts of backgrounds and abilities and they all did a brilliant job on the night. The show was months in the planning and I want to thank everyone who worked so hard both behind and in front of the camera to make it such a special night."

If you still haven't got your Toy Show fix for the year, take a look at our behind-the-scenes video on the set below, or if you missed it, check out some of the highlights here as well as our live blog from the night.
Jose Luis Rodriguez spent only about a year and a half working at San Diego Countys Lincoln Acres branch library, but his memory has endured for 10 years more and may never yet fade away.

Jose was one of two people killed in three shootings within 40 minutes in Chula Vista and San Diego on Nov. 23, 2007, the night before his 18th birthday. The assailant was never found, and no motive for the shooting ever was established.

This past Saturday (Dec. 2), the library awarded the Jose Luis Rodriguez Scholarship to help a graduating senior from Sweetwater High School pursue the college education that Jose, a student worker at the branch, never was able to complete.

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County Supervisor Greg Cox presented the $500 scholarship to Alison Morales, who hopes to attend UC Riverside and major in psychology. The scholarship was presented at the branchs 10th annual Celebration of Life.

Jose, who graduated from Sweetwater in 1996, was attending San Diego City College when he was killed. He worked part-time at the small branch in Lincoln Acres, a small community of just 227 acres between National City and Chula Vista.

At the library, Jose was known for the time he spent with children: storytelling and crafts, leading games and tutoring. So fittingly, Saturdays event includes several activities for little ones, including face painting, balloon animals, crafts and pictures with Santa Claus.

I think Jose would have liked for us to do something like this, said branch manager Jose Ocadiz, who supervised the student worker. He was all about education, about family, about community.

He was a bright young man with a bright future ahead of him.

The childrens area of the library was named the Jose Luis Rodriguez Family Discovery Center and is decorated with a mosaic in his honor, depicting a boy walking hand-in-hand with his sister.

With a recipient selected by a committee, the scholarship is paid for from a portion of used book sales and other donations to Friends of the Library. Applicants write essays on what motivates them to go to college.

Fourteen scholarships have been awarded since 2009.

The first two recipients, Janet Nava and Mayra Bernachi, both graduated from UC Santa Barbara and are now social workers.

Yolanda Salomon, now attending Biola University in La Miranda, expects to graduate next year with a degree in nursing.

Jose Luis believed libraries can enrich people and change their lives for the better, and the scholarships we have given in his name have helped local students pursue their academic goals and dreams, Cox said.
Cookie mania is a real thing. Last year, more than 250 million Americans consumed ready-to-eat cookies, according to the U.S. Census and National Consumer Survey. There could be no better month to host a day devoted to cookies than December, as the holidays bring forth a plethora of exciting and delicious varieties.

On Dec. 4, America celebrates National Cookie Day with deals both local and nationwide. For example, the chain Whole Foods will be offering 50% off their cookie bar to celebrate the holiday.

The word cookie derives from the Dutch work koekie, which aptly means little cake. The little treats first made their appearance on American soil in the 17th century, with early varieties including gingerbread and macaroon. The rest is sweet, crumbly history.

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While the chocolate chip cookie holds first place in most American hearts, local bakers, shops, and restaurants are offering up a mouthwatering array of flavors to tempt the tummy.

The Cravory

With the new release of its December flavors, the cookie shop has National Cookie Day on lockdown. Try the Candy Cane, a chocolate cookie with white chocolate chips and candy cane pieces; the Pumpkin Pecan Latte, a pumpkin spice cookie with coffee truffles and roasted pecans; or the Holiday Pebbles, a white chocolate cookie with Fruity Pebbles, white chocolate chips, and holiday sprinkles. Other flavors on the menu include the Poppin Eggnog, the Banana Nutella, and Gingerbread.

Midway: 3960 W. Point Loma Blvd., Suite G, Midway. 619.795.9077; Carlsbad: 2675 Gateway Road, Suite 103, 442.325.1737, thecravory.com

The Cravory will also partner with You & Yours Distillery and Belching Beaver Brewing for holiday pairings. Just order the specialty cocktail or beer any one of the participating locales and enjoy a free Cravory cookie. Craft brew fans can head to Ocean Beach and Oceanside Belching Beaver locations from Dec. 4-10 for pairings of the Me So Honey blonde with the Nutella Banana cookie or the Beaver Milk Stout with Pumpkin Pecan Latte cookie. Cocktail fans can enjoy pairings at You & Yours Distillery from Dec. 6-10 including the Texas Ranger cocktail (made with vodka, pecan orgeat, and lemon) with the Pumpkin Pecan Latte cookie and the Purple Leaf Clover cocktail (made with gin, Concord grape, lemon and egg white) with the Holiday Pebbles cookie.

Belching Beaver: 4836 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach, 619.223.3116; 1334 Rocky Point Dr., Oceanside, 760.732.1415, belchingbeaver.com

You & Yours Distillery: 1495 G St., East Village, 619.955.8755, youandyours.com

Herb & Eatery

From the skilled hands of Executive Pastry Chef Adrian Mendoza come six incredible holiday cookies for only $2 each. Flavors include Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Sea Salt Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Cranberry Rosemary ,Rocky Road Bars, Lime Sugar Cookies, Cookies and Spiced Ginger Molasses.

2210 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy, 619.794.2790, herbandeatery.com

The Crack Shack

After a dose of fried chicken, keep the splurge going with a house-made cookie, baked fresh daily. Flavors include birthday cake, salted chocolate chip, blue cornmeal, cookies n cream, and lemon coconut.

Little Italy: 2266 Kettner Blvd., 619.795.3299; Encinitas: 407 Encinitas Blvd., 760.230.2968, crackshack.com

Juniper & Ivy

For a dive into the truly decadent, try the Fois Gras cookie. The indulgent play on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich consists of a miso cookie stuffed with fois gras and Concord grape jam. This aint your mamas PB&J.

2228 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy, 619.269.9036, juniperandivy.com

Rancho Bernardo Inn

Be amazed at the life-size gingerbread house in the lobby, created by Pastry Chef Margaret Carvallo, made with a whopping 4,000 pounds of ingredients, including 1 ton of powdered sugar, 750 lbs. of granulated sugar, 750 lbs. of cake flour, and 2,160 eggs. While there, dont miss one of the chefs salted caramel marshmallow cookies with a hot coffee or toddy for a perfect National Cookie Day celebration.

17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr., Rancho Bernardo, 855.574.5356, ranchobernardoinn.com
December performing arts performances Rodgers & Hammersteins Cinderella, Into the Woods and The Great Russian Nutcracker.

12.1: Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends: New Worlds



Murray  the actor and sometime North County resident  will read from American classics and sing standards, alongside German cellist Vogler and others. (So we got that going for us. Which is nice.)

California Center for the Arts, Escondido: 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, 800.988.4253, artcenter.org

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12.1-3: Rodgers & Hammersteins Cinderella



That slipper is around here somewhere: The new-ish musical-stage version of the fairy-tale favorite waltzes into town again.

San Diego Civic Theatre: 1100 Third Ave., downtown, 619.570.1100, broadwaysd.com

12.1-12.17: Into the Woods



The young, ambitious company takes on the Stephen Sondheim-composed riff on fairy tales  born at the Old Globe 31 years ago.

Sapphire Theatre Co. at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center: 930 Tenth Ave., downtown,619.384-4781, sapphiretheatrecompany.com

12.1-24: Miracle on 34th Street: A Live Musical Radio Play

The beloved story of a department-store Santa who might be the real deal gets the musical treatment once more in this encore of last years SDMT success.

San Diego Musical Theatre at the Horton Grand: 444 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp, 858.560.5740, sdmt.org

12.1-24: A Christmas Carol



Scrooge keeps on doing his penny-pinching thing  at least until those ghosts show up  in Cygnets rich Victorian revival.

Cygnet Theatre: 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town, 619.337.1525, cygnettheatre.com

12.1-30: Festival of Christmas



Lambs keeps it yuletide-y with A Fargo Christmas, a play thats brand-new to the long-running Festival tradition.

Lambs Players Theatre: 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado, 619.437.6000, lambsplayers.org

12.8-10: Dickens Unscripted



The Christmas Carol author gets the improv treatment in this freewheeling, full-length piece from L.A.s Impro Theatre.

North Coast Rep: 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach, 858.481.1055, northcoastrep.org

12.14-24: An American Christmas



The holidays will be grand at the Grant once again as Lambs Players rolls out its sumptuous feast-and-theater ode to Christmas circa 1917.

Lambs Players Theatre at the U.S. Grant Hotel: 326 Broadway, downtown, 619.437.6000, lambsplayers.org

12.16: Jane Lynch: A Swingin Little Christmas



The star of TV (Glee) and stage (Annie on Broadway) serves up favorite Christmas songs and stories with a twist of wit.

California Center for the Arts, Escondido: 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, 800.988.4253, artcenter.org

12.21: The Great Russian Nutcracker



The Russian companys sprawling production of the Tchaikovsky favorite will put more than 100 artists onstage  not to mention towering puppets and a live Christmas tree.

Moscow Ballet at the Jacobs Music Center: 750 B St., downtown, 619.235.0804, nutcracker.com

12.21-23: The Nutcracker



Members of the San Diego Childrens Choir will accompany the ballet in this full-scale production of the holiday classic.

San Diego Ballet at UC San Diego: Mandeville Center, 9500 Gilman Dr., 619.294.7378, sandiegoballet.org

12.26-31: Motown the Musical



This is one jukebox musical thats bursting with tunes  some 60 of them altogether, encompassing decades of Motown hits.

San Diego Civic Theatre: 1100 Third Ave., downtown, 619.570.1100, broadwaysd.com
A growing wildfire in Santa Clarita has burned 5,000 acres, forcing thousands to flee their homes and schools as an enormous cloud of smoke rose over the area.

Authorities ordered evacuations of 1,300 homes in the Westridge area as well as schools on Valencia Boulevard in Stevenson Ranch. Students at West Ranch High School and Rancho Pico Junior High were being evacuated to College of the Canyons. As of 4 p.m., the Rye fire was 5% contained, Los Angeles County fire officials said.

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Traffic is jammed in the area, the city said. Parents are being asked to go to College of the Canyons and not try and go to the schools. Oak Hills Elementary parents have been asked to pick up their kids from the school immediately.

When Stacy Reardon learned that the flames of the Rye fire were nearing her 4-year-old daughters school in Santa Clarita, she jumped in her car and raced there.

But when the usual one-hour drive from her work in Sherman Oaks turned into a 2 hour drive with flames nearing 10 feet of her car, she started to panic.

I was crying all day, Reardon said.

As she drove up Rye Canyon Road toward Santa Clarita Valley International Charter School, gray smoke filled the air. She drove slowly due to poor visibility.

As she neared the school, she told a police officer who had blocked the road that she needed to pick up her daughter.

He let me go through but told me drive slow because of all the smoke, she said.

People watch a fire retardant drop from Poe Parkway in Stevenson Ranch. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times )

About one minute away from the school, Reardon said the flames were so intense that her car began to overheat. Ten feet away, the shoulder of road was engulfed in flames.

She parked her car and walked inside the school, shaking.

The school supervisor saw me crying and told me my daughter was fine. But I felt bad because she was one of the only kids left, Reardon said. I was so thankful the teachers stayed with her. They were texting me and telling me she was safe.

Finally reunited with her daughter, Rowan Reardon, she breathed a sigh of relief. As she followed the news of the wildfire raging through Ventura, the last thing she expected was that a similar situation would erupt in Santa Clarita.

The Valencia Travel Village motor home park near Highway 126 was also evacuated as flames moved west, according to Sgt. Wayne Waterman of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriffs Station.

Jane Welborne and her husband had spent the last two weeks on the road in their RV, exploring the Pacific Ocean coastline in Oregon and California.

The Montana couple had planned to sleep in Castaic on Tuesday, and maybe Wednesday, too, before heading south to San Diego.

Instead, they arrived at the Valencia Travel Village three hours after officials had ordered its evacuation.

The property was all but empty. The swimming pool was coated in debris. Rows of firetrucks blocked the back half of the property. Ash rained down on rows of empty RVs.

We may end up going to San Diego sooner than we thought, Welborne said, brushing ash off her jacket. This air is nasty.

After briefly consulting with an employee in a golf cart, Welbornes husband turned around in the parking lot, and the couple headed back out.

But Tim Armstrong drove right in, parking his Mini Cruiser next to his RV. When hed left at 8:30 a.m., the sky was blue. Eight hours later, it was hazy gray, and raining ash.

When Armstrong heard the news about the evacuations, he called the propertys front desk. His Chihuahua mix, Brody, was still inside his RV, and he was worried the park would burn down with Brody inside.

An employee with a key to Armstrongs RV had scooped up the pup and kept him with the staff for the afternoon, Armstrong said.

Armstrong and Brody moved to Castaic from Orlando, Fla., in July, and have lived at the travel village since then. More than 100 people live at the property permanently and would be financially devastated if it were destroyed, Armstrong said.

Even as residents returned to the park, Armstrong considering finding a hotel, because the power was out and the air was so smoky.

Whats important is that I have him, Armstrong said, picking Brody up. This is insured  he patted his RV  and everything else is saved in the cloud.

The blaze erupted about 9:30 a.m. at Rye Canyon Loop, authorities said.

It grew to 200 acres by 10:50 a.m., and had zero containment, said Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Joey Marron.

Strong wind gusts of up to 60 mph fanned fire. By early afternoon 1,000 acres had been charred.

The fast-moving flames forced closure of the 5 Freeway at Highway 126 on Tuesday morning.

Thousands of tractor trailer trucks and automobiles idled in bumper-to-bumper gridlock on the freeway, the primary link between Los Angeles and Californias Central Valley.

By 2 p.m. the freeway was reopened in both directions.

Power outages have been reported throughout the Santa Clarita Valley, according to officials.

Evacuation centers have been set up at Valencia High School at 27801 Dickason Drive, and at City of Santa Clarity Activities Center at 20880 Center Pointe Parkway.

Firefighters were also dealing with major fires in Sylmar and Ventura, where more than 150 structures were lost.

Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

5:55 p.m.: This article was updated with a new amount of acreage burned.

2:15 p.m.: This article was updated with a revised estimate of the acreage burned, the reopening of the 5 Freeway and evacuation details.

This article was originally published at 11:25 a.m.
Two third grade girls have raised enough money to send two World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit war memorials.

After viewing a heart-tugging video about Honor Flight  the national nonprofit created to take aging war veterans on all-expense-paid visits to our nations capital  Grace Miller and classmate Madison Stine both decided to donate money they had earned to the cause.

Stacey Halboth, the librarian at R. Roger Rowe Elementary in Rancho Santa Fe, suggested the girls ask others to contribute  so they did.

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Grace started with $50 and Madison began with $10. Before long, by asking friends, relatives, neighbors and classmates for matching funds in honor of a veteran they knew, the girls had built the fund to $2,295.

Graces parents and her five aunts and uncles were so impressed, they decided to forgo giving presents to nieces and nephews this year. Instead, they took that money and matched the sum, creating a total of $4,590.

Dave Smith, co-founder of the Honor Flight San Diego, says the cost for its two annual trips is $220,000 each, or $2,200 to $2,500 per veteran. The trip had to be canceled last spring due to lack of funds. Time is of the essence, Smith notes, because WWII vets are passing away or becoming too ill to travel.

On Thursday, Grace and Madison and their classmates got a surprise thank-you visit from Honor Flight and veteran Walter Valentine, 92, who told them how much it meant to him to see the WWII memorial.

I have so many veterans call me after each trip, says Smith. Many of these veterans have been unable to talk about their wartime experiences, suffering in silence for years. They are finally able to put things to rest, he adds.

I just want every single veteran to go, says Madison.

San Diegan Megan Carolin, 30, got her chance to win big on this Las Vegas production shot from an episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire airing Dec. 5, 2017. (Ronda Churchill - Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and TV Distribution )

Money matters: Who wants to be a millionaire? Who doesnt? Megan Carolin, 30, who lives in San Carlos, gets her shot tomorrow on the episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire airing at 2 p.m. on Fox.

Carolin, who works at a kids clothing store in Fashion Valley, is mum, but she must have done well. She is recording the show and has invited friends and neighbors to a viewing party at her house Tuesday evening. And, yes, Champagne is on her shopping list.

In this photo from Opening Day of the Del Mar races in 2011, former Bachelor show contestant Tenley Molzahn gets into the spirit by donning a chapeau. (Charlie Neuman / SDUT )

Book look: Remember bachelorette Tenley Molzahn, the runner-up when Jake Pavelka was ABCs Bachelor in 2010? She also appeared in Bachelor in Paradise and Bachelor Pad before settling in San Diego while dating local Bachelorette contestant Kiptyn Locke.

Molzahn will join her aunt, author Linda Atwell, for a book reading at Upstart Crow in Seaport Village at 6 p.m. on Dec. 7. She wrote a beautiful and raw memoir about raising my cousin Lindsey who is special needs, Tenley posted on Facebook. Molzahn says she wants people to know about that piece of her family.

diane.bell@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1518

Twitter: @dianebellSD

Facebook: dianebell.news
Dear Billy Bush:

We forgive you. Sort of.

Sincerely, Womankind

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In a gift from Better Late Than Never Heaven, former TV host Billy Bush has written a remarkable take down of President Donald Trump and his latest attempts to separate himself from the vulgar comments he made about women during a taping of Access Hollywood in 2005.

Yes, Donald Trump, You Said That is the headline of Bushs Op-Ed piece, which the New York Times published on Sunday.

And by that, Bush means the Grab em by the (expletive) boast that Trump made while he and Bush were hanging out before the show and chummily bonding over how to treat women like blow-up dolls.

Shortly after the tape was made public last fall, Bush was dismissed by NBC and Trump won the presidential election.

Since then, Billy Bush has apparently done a lot of much-needed soul-searching. So when recent news reports indicated that Trump was floating the idea that the tape could have been doctored, Bush blasted back with a thoughtful, thought-provoking piece that will make you very angry and very grateful at the same time.

You will be angry because Trump showed such incredible disrespect and disregard for women  for humanity, really  and he was elected anyway.

You will be angry because Trump is now in a position to throw his enthusiastic, Twitter-addled support behind Alabamas Roy Moore, the Republican Senate candidate who has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward teenage girls more than 30 years ago. Even Ivanka is ticked about that.

And your hypocrisy meter will go berserk when you are reminded that the heathens of Hollywood and the media have dealt with their harassers by firing them, while the men and women of Washington have dealt with harassing politicians by doing pretty much nothing.

But what will surely send you around the bend is Bushs admission that he just recently sat down and read an article from October of 2016 featuring the first-hand accounts from women who had been groped and/or forcibly kissed by Donald Trump.

It is infuriating that Bush didnt seem to have any problem with Trumps foul remarks until he was fired over them. But at least hes dealing with them now. Boy, is he ever.

To these women, Bush says, I will never know the fear you felt or the frustration of being summarily dismissed and called a liar, but I do know a lot about the anguish of being inexorably linked to Donald Trump. You have my respect and admiration. You are culture warriors at the forefront of necessary change.

This is why we should be grateful for the awakening of Billy Bush.

As galling as it is to be reminded that the humiliating and frightening experiences of the women who came forward last year didnt make a difference, it is important that they not be forgotten about now. And as Bushs experience reminds us, it is essential that men join in this national moment of remembering and reckoning.

In 2005, Bush was in his first year as the co-host of NBCs Access Hollywood and Trump was the star of The Apprentice, one of the networks hit shows. Like everyone else at NBC, Bush had to cater to the bigger, more powerful star.

And like the many women who have found themselves up against bigger, more powerful men, Bush paid the price.

Here is what men need to know. A man who harasses and abuses women is not a good person. Unless you are his equal or his superior, he will probably find a way to harass or abuse you. He will leave his mark. Thats who he is.

Just because a harasser cant grab you by the (expletive) doesnt mean he cant hit you where it hurts. He will take a piece of your soul, and there is no recovering from that.

Twitter: @karla_peterson

karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com
A dozen activists, including several dreamers, blocked an intersection in downtown San Diego on Monday for about a half hour at the end of the work day.

Standing in the middle of Broadway and Front Street, they called on Sen. Dianne Feinstein to vote no on a spending bill that would keep the government from shutting down after Friday unless that bill also includes legislation that would protect unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

Organized by Dulce Garcia, an immigration attorney and recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, the group marched from the Federal Building shortly before 4:30 p.m. Police facilitated redirecting traffic while the activists chanted and held up signs.

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My father is somebody! He deserves dignity and respect! they yelled, led by Garcia.

One sign read, Dear Santa, all we want for Christmas is a clean DREAM Act.

The DREAM Act would give unauthorized immigrants who arrived as children a pathway to citizenship. Dreamers and their advocates have pushed for a clean DREAM Act, meaning that the bill wouldnt contain any compromises with members of Congress who want to tie it to additional immigration measures.

DACA recipients have until March for Congress to pass legislation protecting them from deportation before the program officially ends.

They worry that some Democrats would trade protections for them for higher border or interior enforcement that could affect their parents.

One bystander yelled at the group to go back to Russia and to Mexico. Other passersby cheered and honked while some complained about being inconvenienced by the traffic jam the protest created.

A second group protesting the tax bill outside the Federal Building joined the dreamers. Together, the group of about 50 held the intersection for a short time before returning to the sidewalk for several speeches.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

Follow me on Facebook for live updates about immigration news

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter
Democrat Myrtle Cole was re-elected San Diego City Council President on Monday by an 8-1 vote after receiving strong endorsements from several local labor leaders.

Republican Councilman Scott Sherman cast the only no vote after raising concerns that Cole plans to change who chairs certain key council committees.

Cole, a Democrat, was criticized last year by labor leaders and others in the citys Democratic establishment for letting Republicans control too many committees.

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She selected Sherman to lead the councils Smart Growth and Land Use Committee, Republican Lorie Zapf to lead Economic Development, Republican Chris Cate to lead Public Safety and Republican Mark Kersey to lead Infrastructure.

Critics said the appointments didnt appropriately reflect the Democrats 5-4 council majority.

When questioned by Sherman during Mondays hearing, Cole declined to say whether she would keep those committee leaders in place or make changes when she hands out new assignments for 2018 on Dec. 13.

After being re-elected, she thanked her supporters, especially the labor leaders.

All my union brothers and sisters, were going to do more for working families, Cole said. We have a very busy year ahead of us

Cole said she would focus on solving the citys homelessness crisis and shortage of affordable housing.

Councilwoman Barbara Bry, a Democrat, said she was impressed by Coles leadership since taking over the post one year ago.

You have led us with integrity and always with the best interests of the entire city in mind, Bry said.

Keith Maddox, representing the San Diego Imperial Counties Labor Council, said Cole will help strengthen San Diegos economy.

We need to drive economic development and sustain middle class jobs while affording economic opportunity to every community in San Diego, Maddox said.

The council presidency is a pivotal post that sets the councils agenda and makes assignments to committees and chairmanships. It was created as a counterbalance when San Diego switched to a strong mayor form of government a decade ago.

Cole, 68, became the first black woman to serve on the City Council in 2013 and then became the first black woman to be council president.

She is up for re-election to a final council term next year. Her council district includes much of southeastern San Diego.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
Authorities have released the name of a 35-year-old man killed over the weekend in a solo motorcycle wreck on a rural road near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Craig Reuter of Vista was riding to the west on state Route 94 near Emery Road in Potrero shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday when he lost control of his two-wheeler, sending it crashing into a guardrail, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office.

Reuter, who was wearing a helmet, died at the scene of the accident, despite efforts by a bystander and paramedics to revive him with CPR.

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karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
The Riverside County coroners office has identified remains found last week in a shallow grave as a 37-year-old San Diego woman whose ex-husband is accused of killing her, authorities said.

Julia Jacobsen, a retired Army captain, disappeared along with her dog, Boogie, over Labor Day weekend.

Jacobsen and the remains of a dog were found Friday in a grave south of Interstate 10 near Box Canyon Road east of Indio. On Tuesday, the coroners office made a positive identification.

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Police said information provided by Jacobs ex-husband, Dale Ware, led searchers to the remote area. Ware has been charged with murder in his ex-wifes death.

Jacobsen was last seen in Ontario on Sept. 2. Officials believe she was killed Sept. 3 in San Bernardino County, according to a felony complaint filed against Ware.

Her SUV was found abandoned with the keys inside it on Sept. 7 in North Park, not far from her home.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
Federal agents seized a small pleasure craft crowded with 15 Mexican nationals off the coast of Point Loma Friday evening and arrested the driver of the boat on suspicion of smuggling.

Authorities announced Monday that a U.S. Customs and Border Protection crew on patrol in a plane spotted the 23-foot cuddy cabin boat  called the Pressure Valve  off the coast, about four miles south of Point Loma, and guided the crew of a 39-foot interceptor vessel known as a Midnight Express to it.

With a helicopter providing an overhead spotlight, agents aboard the Midnight Express arrived and stopped the Pressure Valve. The federal agents saw immediately that the boat was overloaded with people and contacted a nearby U.S. Coast Guard vessel.

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Crew members from a Coast Guard cutter transported the 15 people aboard the vessel to the dock at the Ballast Point.

U.S. Border Patrol agents took the 15 people to the San Ysidro port of entry, where they were turned over to Customs and Border Protection officers.

Among the 15 people were eight men, one 15-year-old boy and six women, including one who was pregnant. All were determined to be Mexican nationals without legal status to enter the U.S. None required immediate medical attention, and all appeared to be in good health.

Agents identified the suspected driver of the vessel, who will face federal charges related to the smuggling attempt, authorities said.

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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
A man was stabbed four times in the back and slashed on his hand in a homeless encampment in Logan Heights Tuesday morning, police said.

The victim was taken to the hospital with wounds not considered life threatening after the 8:15 a.m. attack in an alley behind Logan Avenue near Sigsbee Street, said San Diego police Lt. Charles Lara.

Lara said a friend of the victim found the injured man on a sidewalk with stab wounds. It was not known what lead to the attack.

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The suspect was described as white, about 5 feet 10 and 150 pounds, clean shaven with long brown straggly hair. He was last seen wearing a red shirt and blue jeans.

Police detained several people who were possible witnesses to get statements from them, but not arrests were made, said police Sgt. Tom Sullivan.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
The San Diego police officer who shot a fleeing driver that he feared was going to run him down in a Kearny Mesa parking lot last week is a three-year veteran of the department, an official said Monday.

San Diego police Lt. Mike Holden identified the officer as Officer Jarrel Davis.

Holden said that, shortly after midnight Wednesday, police found two men drinking alcohol while sitting in a stolen Acura in the parking lot of the Kearny Mesa Recreation Center.

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As officers tried to arrest the driver, he backed up the car toward Davis, who feared he was going to be hit, Holden said. David fired off one round, striking the driver in the arm.

The driver sped off in the Acura, but crashed into a parked car on Marlesta Drive about a mile away.

The driver, identified by police as 21-year-old Jason Santana, tried to run, but officers quickly caught and arrested him. Holden said Santana had a loaded gun in his pants pocket.

Santanas 25-year-old passenger was picked up on a parole violation.

Santana pleaded not guilty Friday to 11 charges, including assault on a peace officer and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

He faces up to nine years, eight months in custody if convicted of all charges and allegations, according to the District Attorneys office.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
A Scripps Institution of Oceanography graduate student making her second trip to Antarctica will lead ecotourists in taking phytoplankton samples from fjords in one of the most pristine environments on Earth.

Allison Lee, a biological oceanographer, is scheduled to leave Tuesday for Argentina, where shell board the MS Hebridean Sky, a 296-foot cruise ship that will explore the Palmer Peninsula region.

Lee will deliver scientific lectures and turn the ecotourists into citizen scientists who will draw phytoplankton from the waters of the Southern Ocean. Phytoplankton fuel krill and represent an indispensable link in the marine ecosystem, providing food for many creatures, including whales, seals and penguins.

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I used to think of Antarctica as being flat and barren, said Lee. But it has amazing mountain ranges, glaciers and valleys covered with snow.

The ships ecotour will begin this month and last into early January, meaning that Lee will be away from La Jolla during Christmas.

But Ill be in one of the most wintry-looking places you can imagine, Lee said Monday as she prepared to leave the Scripps campus at UC San Diego.

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Twitter: @grobbins

gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com
The Supreme Court gave President Trump a significant victory Monday, ruling he may put his full travel ban into effect while legal appeals are being weighed in lower courts.

The decision, with only two dissents, strongly suggests the justices believe the current version of Trumps broad travel ban does not exceed his powers under the immigration laws and does not reflect unconstitutional religious discrimination against Muslims.

The justices issued an unsigned order Monday granting the administrations request for a stay that would block lower-court decisions that prevented full enforcement of the ban. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor said they would deny the request but did not spell out their reasons.

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The court did not issue an opinion with the order, but usually the justices do not intervene in pending cases unless they believe the lower courts have gone wrong.

The decision vindicates a rather bold procedural move by the Justice Department and Trumps solicitor general, Noel Francisco.

In a statement, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions called the courts decision a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people.

The Constitution gives the president the responsibility and power to protect this country from all threats foreign and domestic, and this order remains vital to accomplishing those goals, he said.

Two weeks ago, the solicitor general filed an emergency plea with the high court urging the justices to bypass two lower courts that were weighing legal challenges to the third version of Trumps travel order, which was issued on Sept. 24.

The third version of the travel ban blocks visitors and immigrants from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and North Korea. The addition of North Korea is mostly symbolic, since the government did not expect to see visitors arriving from that country. It also limits travel for some officials from Venezuela.

Administration officials described the Sept. 24 order as measured and reasonable. No existing visas will be revoked, and people currently allowed to travel to the U.S. for other reasons will not affected, they said. The court was advised the countries were put on the watch list only after the administration concluded they lacked the identity management systems that would permit U.S. officials to spot would-be travelers who presented a heightened risk.

By contrast, civil libertarians and immigrants rights advocates portrayed the third travel order as more of the same: an unwarranted ban that targeted Muslims. They said U.S. officials had ample authority to deny entry to foreigners who posed a security risk. They also pointed out the administration has had nearly a year to improve and tighten its vetting procedures.

In recent weeks, the third order had gone into partial effect based on a middle-course position the Supreme Court set out in late June. Then, ruling on an earlier version of the travel order, the justices said the administration could refuse entry for visitors and immigrants from several Muslim nations, but not to families, travelers and others who had a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with person or entity in the United States.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in California, and a federal judge in Maryland adopted that standard and applied it to Trumps latest order. They agreed the ban could go into effect in part, but not against those who had close personal or professional ties to a person or an entity in the United States. The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Va., and the 9th Circuit are scheduled to hear arguments this week on whether Trumps latest order discriminated based on nationality in violation of a 1965 law. The appeals courts are also considering claims that the ban reflected unconstitutional bias against Muslims.

Trumps lawyers were not satisfied with that partial win in the appeals courts. They filed an emergency appeal on Nov. 20 contending that allowing the ban to go into only partial effect will cause ongoing irreparable harm to the government and the public. They predicted the court would eventually uphold the order so the justices should permit the order to go into full effect without further delay.

Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and the state of Hawaii filed lengthy responses urging the court to maintain the status quo while the legal claims are heard and decided.

Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLUs Immigrants Rights Project, said its unfortunate that the full ban can move forward now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims. We will be arguing Friday in the 4th Circuit that the ban should ultimately be struck down.

david.savage@latimes.com

Twitter: DavidGSavage

UPDATES:

3:45 p.m.: This article was updated with reaction from Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and others and to add additional background.

The article was first published at 1:40 p.m.
A judge has ruled against a new taxing authority designed to spruce up local streets and sidewalks in La Jolla, finding that the City of San Diego failed to show the district would provide special benefits distinct from those already provided as part of general municipal services.

The Nov. 30 ruling by San Diego Superior Court Judge Randa Trapp essentially sets aside the new La Jolla Maintenance Assessment District, through which the city had planned collect more than $500,000 in tax revenue in 2018, according to court records.

The money was supposed to pay for services including trash collection, litter pickup, power-washing sidewalks and landscape maintenance in the area covered by the special district.

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Some La Jolla property owners sued the city late last year, arguing that the special tax district was unconstitutional because it funded some services that the City Charter already requires the city to provide to the general public.

Trapp wrote that the city had not shown that the special benefits were over and above the general benefits conferred by the general facilities of the city. As such, it has not shown it imposed the assessment only for the special benefits.

City officials did not respond to requests for comment Monday afternoon.

Some 56 percent of voters approved the creation of the La Jolla maintenance assessment district last November, imposing extra taxes to pay for the additional maintenance.

Maria Severson, an attorney with the San Diego-based law firm Aguirre & Severson LLP, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of La Jolla property owners, said voters indicated when they approved the special tax district that they wanted the city to provide more general maintenance.

But the district would have amounted to double taxation for regular maintenance services the city was already supposed to provide, Severson said. And that is not allowed under the state constitution.

Its unconstitutional to tax people again for what theyre already taking for general services, Severson said by telephone on Monday. While some may have wanted (the district), the record before the court showed there was insufficient basis to do it.

Severson said the ruling was a huge win for her clients. She said it could also send an important message to the city that it must be careful to make sure maintenance assessment districts do not fund charter-mandated duties under the guise of special benefits.

Phyllis Pfeiffer, a board member for Enhance La Jolla, a nonprofit that was the driving force behind the special tax district, said in an email Monday that her group just heard about the courts decision and will be carefully reading the ruling and considering all options.

Lincoln Foster, a commercial property owner in La Jolla who was one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said in a telephone call Monday that he was pleased with the ruling.

Foster said he wanted capital improvements and more general maintenance services in La Jolla, too, but he has already paid taxes for them, and he did not want to pay for them twice through the special tax assessment.

Theyre going back to citizens who have been denied the services theyve paid for and assess them a second time to do the citys job for it, Foster said. Thats just obscene.

Foster noted that a court had thwarted another maintenance assessment district in Golden Hill on similar grounds in 2012. In that case, the California Court of Appeal upheld a Superior Court ruling that the city had failed to adequately separate the special benefits for the tax district from the general benefits to the public, invalidating the assessments.

This years tax bill for at least one of Fosters properties showed a line item for the La Jolla maintenance assessment district, Foster said. He planned to pay the bill as required and would hope to get a refund at some point in the future.

The city has more than 60 maintenance districts.

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morgan.cook@sduniontribune.com
Its a safe bet that most Californians know nothing about the California rule, but even though it is not a part of any state law, the rule has had consequences far greater than most state laws. It holds that public employee pension benefits for years not yet worked can never be reduced. Now, finally, the California Supreme Court is going to give the rule the scrutiny it deserves  and Gov. Jerry Brown has joined two state appellate courts in urging this interpretation be shelved. Good.

The rule has its roots in a 1955 California Supreme Court ruling in the Allen v. City of Long Beach case, in which an amendment to Long Beachs charter that sharply increased employee pension contributions and which made other major pension changes was thrown out on the grounds that it violated the citys contractual obligations to employees. Chief Justice Phil S. Gibsons ruling said pensions could be modified so long as they remained reasonable if it were necessary to maintain the integrity and successful operation of a pension system. But he also created whats become known as the California rule when he wrote that changes in a pension plan which result in disadvantage to employees should be accompanied by comparable new advantages  without offering evidence that this reflected the Legislatures intent.

Citing this and other court rulings, unions challenged provisions of Californias 2012 pension reform measure blocking pension spiking with late-career maneuvering and ending employees ability to pay up front to receive additional years of service credit in calculating retirement benefits. But in a twist few expected, appellate courts both held that not only were the reforms legal, Allen v. City of Long Beach had been interpreted wrongly for decades. While a public employee does have a vested right to a pension, Associate Justice James Richman wrote, that right is only to a reasonable pension  not an immutable entitlement to the most optimal formula of calculating the pension.

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Browns legal aides filed a 14,000-word brief backing up this view  while providing the absolutely relevant context that the integrity of the states pension systems were at risk because of hundreds of billions of dollars in unfunded liabilities. Both the California Public Employees Retirement System and the California State Teachers Retirement System have only about two-thirds of the assets needed to cover the benefits they must provide. As a result, CalPERS has been forced to steadily increase what it charges local governments to administer their pension programs  to the wails of many of the governments, which say theyre being forced to drop many basic services. Meanwhile, 70 percent of the cost of the Legislatures 2014 bailout of CalSTRS must be borne by local school districts, with rates going up each year until 2020-21  hammering districts which have relatively little fiscal flexibility.

If these government agencies conclude theyd rather offer less generous pensions going forward than close fire stations, parks and libraries and/or have mass layoffs, they should be able to do so  meeting the reasonable pension standard while taking better care of their residents needs.

But if the California rule is upheld by the states high court, watch out. The deep fiscal crises seen at the local level of California government during the Great Recession will come to seem minor. A study released in October by Stanfords Institute for Economy Policy Research Nation forecast that total government spending on pensions in California will more than double from this year to 2030, going from $8.5 billion to $17.3 billion in 2029-30, increasing much faster than expected gains in revenues. Local governments which already spend 20 percent of their budgets on retirees will look back on 2017 as the good old days.

The pension tsunami has come ashore. Before long, this tsunami will create a massive wave of red ink, changing life in the Golden State as we know it. A rule never enacted by any Legislature should not tie the hands of officials struggling to address this looming fiscal disaster.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion
A wildfire in Southern California that broke out over night  burning more than 50,000 acres and displacing as many as 27,000 residents in Ventura County by the time the sun rose Tuesday morning and prompting a mid-morning state of emergency declaration from Gov. Jerry Brown  caught Californians off guard along the West Coast where the fire season typically ends in September.

Here are the latest tallies: As of Tuesday morning, the fire was 0  yes, zero  percent contained, had burned 50,000 acres and had drawn as many as 1,000 firefighters to battle its flames. There appeared to be no reported fatalities early on, according to the Los Angeles Times and the Ventura County Fire Department.

Editors note: This story will be updated as new information is available. Follow other updates at the Los Angeles Times.

Images on social media showed just how fast and intense the wildfire was before dawn Tuesday morning.

The numbers reveal just how big a threat this fire is posing to populated areas in Southern California.

Whats it looking like for firefighters?

In a tweet, the Los Angeles Times shared an image of the latest size of the map and the areas affected by its perimeter including the city of Ventura which has a population of more than 100,000 residents.

How many people have been displaced?

At least 27,000 people in Ventura, Santa Paula and Ojai areas have been under mandatory evacuation orders since 4 a.m., the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Some 7,000 homes from Santa Paula to Ventura were evacuated.

How many structures have burned?

The Thomas Fire has burned at least 150 structures, including a large apartment complex and a psychiatric facility called Vista Del Mar Hospital, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Marcus Yam, a photographer with the Times, captured video of a fully engulfed home in Ventura.

How many were without electricity?

As many as 180,000 Southern California Edison customers in Ventura County and some 83,000 in Santa Barbara County lost power at some point Monday night, the company reported.

By Tuesday afternoon, Edison had restored power to most customers except for 15,000 that were still without power in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, according to its 11 a.m. update.

Have deaths or injuries been reported?

No deaths have been reported as a result of the Thomas Fire, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. One dog was found dead but no human fatalities have been reported.

One firefighter suffered bumps and bruises from a vehicle accident in Ventura County, the AP reported.

What is the cause of the wildfire?

The fire started Monday evening somewhere near California State Highway 150 and later grew toward Santa Paula in an area about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported. The cause of the fire was unknown on Tuesday morning, but officials were far more focused on halting the blaze than on finding its cause.

What the fire look like from above:

Have some thoughts to share?

Join me in a conversation: Shoot me a private email with your thoughts or ideas on a different approach to this story. As always, you can also send us a tweet.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez

Read The Conversation on Flipboard.

UPDATES:

5:00 p.m.: This article was updated with the latest figures on the Thomas Fire in Ventura County.

This article was originally published at 11:00 a.m.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that President Donald Trumps travel ban can go into full effect, restricting entry into the United States for foreign nationals from eight countries  including six whose population is mostly Muslim.

The decision, supported by seven of the nine justices, was a major victory for Trump and his administration after two previous versions of the travel ban were blocked or narrowed in lower courts earlier this year. Lower courts will continue to consider legal challenges to the executive order, but for now, the president has gotten his way.

Heres what happens next:

What does this mean?

The Supreme Courts decision Monday means that the U.S. government can legally block some foreign nationals from gaining visas or enter the United States.

Who is affected by this travel ban?

The Supreme Court acted Monday on a presidential proclamation submitted by White House lawyers in September. The latest iteration of the travel ban affects nationals from previously named countries like Iran, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Somalia, as well as Chad, Venezuela and North Korea, which were recently added.

Based on that proclamation, the ban applies to foreign nationals in the following ways:

North Korea and Syria: Blocked issuance of all U.S. visas.

Blocked issuance of all U.S. visas. Iran: Blocked issuance of nearly all U.S. visas except for students and exchange visitors.

Blocked issuance of nearly all U.S. visas except for students and exchange visitors. Venezuela: Blocked issuance of visas for government officials (and their immediate relatives) on business or tourist travel into the U.S.

Blocked issuance of visas for government officials (and their immediate relatives) on business or tourist travel into the U.S. Chad, Libya and Yemen: No new U.S. visas will be awarded, and business and tourist visas have been suspended.

No new U.S. visas will be awarded, and business and tourist visas have been suspended. Somalia: Entry to the U.S. is suspended; visa holders will be subject to extra scrutiny.

How and why did the Supreme Court rule this way?

The Supreme Court acted Monday on a request from White House lawyers to lift restrictions on the order, but it did not give any reasons why it did so, The Washington Post reported. Instead, the Supreme Court urged lower courts to move quickly on their cases challenging previous versions of the travel ban.

In this case, the White House argued that the September order was different because it applied to countries that were not Muslim majority countries  the root of major arguments against the travel ban.

Is this an permanent order?

No, the travel ban is only allowed to be carried out while pending legal challenges play out. The ban could be affected by future rulings.

What legal challenges remain?

The Trump administration is appealing two decisions in federal appeals courts. The two cases could be heard as early as this week, CNN reported.

One legal challenge in Maryland argues that a nationality-based travel ban against eight nations consisting of over 150 million people is unprecedented and that the travel ban was borne out of Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric during the campaign.

Another legal challenge in Hawaii argues that the travel ban plainly discriminates based on nationality and therefore violates federal laws.

White House lawyers argue that the president has the full discretion to enforce immigration laws.

How did Trump react?

Trump had not yet offered a reaction to the decision, but the White House said in a statement that it was not surprised by the decision.

The proclamation is lawful and essential to protecting our homeland. We look forward to presenting a fuller defense of the proclamation as the pending cases work their way through the courts.

The travel ban caused an uproar in the past, so how did people respond this time?

The Supreme Courts decision drew a lot of reactions Monday. Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin, one of the original challengers of the travel ban, said he looked forward to a speedy resolution.

Reaction to the ruling was overwhelmingly critical on social media, but some were cautious about reading too much into the ruling and wondered how the courts would rule next. Others saw it as a strong sign that Trump eventually would prevail. Others were deeply disappointed.

Have some thoughts to share?

Join me in a conversation: Shoot me a private email with your thoughts or ideas on a different approach to this story. As always, you can also send us a tweet.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez

Read The Conversation on Flipboard.
What youre hearing is the sound of San Diegans in an uproar over the latest surprise menu offering from Taco Bell.

From the Irvine-based fast-food chain that brought you the beefy Fritos burrito and Kit Kat Kit Kat chocoladillas comes the California loaded fries burrito.

Behold!

(Courtesy photo, Taco Bell)

With San Diego widely recognized as the birthplace of the California burrito, we knew we just had to bring this urgent news to your attention. Heres the 411.

The loaded fries burrito is being tested out in Charleston, West Virginia, until late December. The recipe Taco Bell is using for its spin on a real California burrito is seasoned beef, fries, nacho cheese sauce, guacamole, sour cream and tomatoes.

The stores there will also have supreme and chipotle options, with both dropping guacamole and the chipotle option adding a creamy chipotle sauce.

(Courtesy photo, Taco Bell)

Each will be sold for $1.99 or in a $5 box including the burrito, a Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco, a crunchy taco and a medium drink.

While well reserve judgment on how such a bold attempt at our beloved local fare will taste, we will point out how hilarious it is that many individuals and news organization across the country hearing about the new menu item dont seem to know that California burritos already exist.

Taco Bell taking the idea of serving french fries and puttin a spin on it, said one Chicago-area news anchor.

Fox News described the new item as a french fry-stuffed burrito as if a California burrito is just a carne asada burrito contaminated by fries and not a recipe combination melded so beautifully together it could make the greatest chemists in history shed a tear.

And while Californians may feel left out, or even insulted, with the testing period taking place in West Virginia, theyll be interested to know that San Diegos own Mark Hoppus, of Blink-182 fame, was on top of this idea all the way back in October. He raised the age-old Del Taco vs. Taco Bell debate on Twitter, and pointed out the decision we all face when we want Taco Bell AND fries.

Taco Bell tweeted back teasing the possibility of a french fry-filled future.

Perhaps Taco Bell  if it decides the test period is a success  will recognize San Diego royalty wants fries from Taco Bell and send them our way. Until then, it may just be one more point of contention.

Lets take a look at what folks around San Diego are saying for now.

What do you think? Would you like to try it?

Send a tweet to @sdutideas and we may add it to this page.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblin
Birmingham, AL -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/05/2017 -- Alabama Medicare Plans, the senior insurance supplement advisory practice of Steve Adlman, chooses Sheets and Associates to upgrade his website and improve search engine rankings to better serve the Alabama senior community.



Alabama Medicare Plans offers personalized service to Alabama seniors, either in their Birmingham office, or in the homes of their clients. For people turning 65, navigating the confusing choices of supplemental coverages can be a daunting task, especially with new laws and options available. Seniors are seeking good value for their money, and to keep their out-of-pocket costs for doctor and hospital services low, fixed and stable.



The decisions to make when going on Medicare are very important, and choosing the wrong Medicare Health Plan could end up costing seniors a lot of money for Medicare-approved services, and may limit their ability to see the doctors and hospitals to which they want to go.



Adlman has been providing personalized Medicare supplement advice to seniors in Birmingham, Alabama, and the surrounding regions for over 30 years.



"When Alabama seniors search for '#alabamamedicareplans' or 'Alabama Medicare advice' we want them to find AlabamaMedicarePlans.com," says Adlman. "I don't want seniors to have to wonder what plan is best for them, or to call an insurance company's 1-800 number when they have a question, I want them to call me because I believe in personal service."



Baltimore small business marketing agency Sheets and Associates specializes in Search Engine Optimization, multi-media production, online and offline communication strategies, social media marketing, reputation management/marketing, and modern web design.



For more info about Sheets and Associates, email info@SheetsAndAssociates.com or call 410-692-5550.



For an enlightening interview or consultation with Steve Adlman, call 205-616-9787, email info@AlabamaMedicarePlans.com, or visit AlabamaMedicarePlans.com.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/05/2017 -- Driven by a small number of players, the global market for hepatitis E diagnostic tests exhibits a highly competitive landscape, finds a new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). With a share of nearly 31%, Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy led the global market in 2015 and was distantly followed by Mikrogen. Competitive pricing strategy among the leading players is expected to intensify the rivalry within the market in the forthcoming years.



According to the research report, the global hepatitis E diagnostic tests market stood at US$43.7 mn in 2015. Expanding at a CAGR of 3.80% during the period from 2016 to 2024, the opportunity in this market is likely to increase to US$60.4 mn by the end of the forecast period. Being the primary test for the detection of hepatitis E, the kits used for ELISA HEV IgM tests have been the most valued diagnostic kits in this market in the recent past and will continue to be so due to the same reason.



Read Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hepatitis-e-diagnostic-tests-market.html



Hepatitis E Hyperendemicity in Asian Economies to Ensure Dominance of Asia Pacific Region



The research report has also analyzed the worldwide market for hepatitis E diagnostic tests on the basis of geography. According to the study, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East and Africa have surfaced as the main regional markets for hepatitis E diagnostic tests across the world.



Due to the hyperendemicity of hepatitis E in various Asian economies, such as Nepal, Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Kazakhstan, and Thailand, Asia Pacific has surfaced as the leading regional market for hepatitis E diagnostic tests and is expected to remain so over the forecast period. The Asia Pacific market for hepatitis E diagnostic tests is likely to acquire more than 48% of the overall market by 2024.



Besides, the Middle East and Africa is also projected to witness a significant rise in the market for the hepatitis E diagnostic tests over the next few years due to the increasing prevalence of hepatitis E in various countries in this region, such as Kenya, Morocco, Uganda, and Nigeria, owing to lack of safe drinking water and poor sanitation facilities.



Growing Prevalence of Hepatitis E to Boost Demand



"The growth of the global market for hepatitis E is directly proportional to the prevalence of hepatitis E across the world," says the author of this study. As per the WHO, nearly 20 million people suffer from HEV infections every year, worldwide, among which around 3.3 million are symptomatic cases.



With the increasing scarcity of potable water and the lack of sanitation, the cases of hepatitis E infection is likely to increase considerably over the forthcoming years and will result in a substantial rise in the need for hepatitis E diagnostic test in the near future, states the research report.



Rising Incidence of Asymptomatic Diseases to Hamper Market's Growth



Although the worldwide market for hepatitis E diagnostic tests currently looks teeming with opportunity, it may face a severe challenge over the years to come from the rising incidence of asymptomatic diseases, which are difficult to diagnose. The low level of awareness among consumers is also expected to emerge as a restraining factor for the growth of this market in the long run, notes the study.



Request Sample Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=16859
Dealing with dyslexia

Finding the right help for children with reading disabilities

Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? I see a red bird looking at me. Turning the brightly colored pages of a classic childrens picture book, a young boy reads aloud the simple narration. But he isnt actually reading the words; hes just reciting the sing-song sentences from memory. When asked to read a particular word on the page, the ruse becomes evident. He cant decode the letters d-u-c-k that form the word. On an intellectual level, the young man is just fine, above average even. But when it comes to understanding written language, the circuitry in his brain is wired differently. And in a society where reading is almost as essential as breathing, that is a very big deal.

An assessment of how every school district in S.C. is testing for dyslexia and providing resources is underway by psychology professor Scott Decker.

Its estimated that 6 percent to 10 percent of K-12 students  some say as many as 20 percent  struggle with reading disorders of some kind. Dyslexia, a learning difficulty with reading or interpreting words, letters and symbols, became a federal definition of disability in 1970, though the term was rarely used back then. In the past decade a grassroots dyslexia movement has gained momentum across the country, led by parents who are frustrated with what they perceive to be the ineffectiveness or unresponsiveness of school systems.

Theres been this philosophy that if you just put books in front of kids, they will naturally read, says Scott Decker, an associate professor of psychology at the University of South Carolina's College of Arts and Sciences and director of the school psychology program. That happens for some kids. It clearly will not happen for a kid with dyslexia.

For much of his academic career, Decker has conducted research aimed at learning more about the neurological underpinnings of dyslexia. He has also devoted considerable time to fine tuning tests that can determine whether a child has a reading disorder or is simply on a delayed trajectory. His work has become familiar to parent networks; many across South Carolina and beyond (including parents interviewed for this article) have brought their children to Deckers university lab for assessment and to participate in his dyslexia research.

Earlier this year, Decker received a large grant from the S.C. Department of Educations Office of Special Education Services to evaluate over the next three years how well each of the states 103 school districts is identifying and helping students with dyslexia.

Because there hasnt been a lot of guidance, everyone has been crafting their own policies  its like the Wild West, says Decker. Weve heard that some school districts are doing a great job, but others are probably not performing at high levels.

The stakes are huge for children with dyslexia. They tend to drop out of school in higher numbers than students who dont have the reading disorder. They can also thrive  in K-12, college and beyond  if they can get special instruction geared for their challenges with reading.

Every solution comes with a cost, Decker says: Parents of children with dyslexia have enormous stakes to think through  private school tuition at schools that specialize in reading disabilities; the sacrifice of time and income to do homeschooling; or working with a public school system that might or might not be responsive to their needs.

I felt dumb 

When I repeated first grade and then got pulled out of regular class because I couldnt read, I felt dumb, I felt stupid, says Jen Hammon, a physical therapist and mother of four. I was put in a special ed class for several years, and I got really good at putting together puzzles of the United States.

Hammon, the daughter of Cuban immigrants, later thought that her struggle with reading was because she had learned to speak Spanish before English. But it became apparent that she had dyslexia. Through grit and determination, she began to turn the corner in ninth grade. I somehow decided I wanted more for myself, she says. I found my way of doing things, finished in the top 10 percent of my high school class and didnt realize at the time that I was probably working three times as hard as anyone else to get through.

When two of the Hammon's four children were identified as dyslexic, memories of her own struggles came flooding back. She found herself putting her son Seth through the same repetitive reading exercises she had endured  with the same dismal results.

Seth and his younger sister, Ella, now attend Sandhills School in Columbia, established in 1970 to serve students with dyslexia.

Ive dedicated my life to dyslexia, says Sandhills headmaster Anne Vickers, who was a public school resource teacher in Charleston for 11 years. Two of my younger brothers are severely dyslexic  one of them, when he couldnt read in the first grade in 1962, was put in the corner and called mentally retarded.

Even in this day and age, children with dyslexia are still called slow  Hes a slow learner, or Shes mentally challenged. And its just the opposite. Our children (with dyslexia) are very bright and very capable and college bound.

Paige Rekers didnt know where to turn when the small private school attended by her son, Gabe, told her they werent equipped to help with his reading disability. She learned about Tutor Eau Claire, an afterschool program established by Carolina biology professor Bert Ely and his wife, Tracey, that offers resources for reading success. Rekers took a two-week training program there in alternative reading instruction designed for children with dyslexia and began homeschooling Gabe. So far, so good, she says.

We wanted to take ownership of our childs education and thought homeschooling would be the best fit for him, she says. While homeschooling, in general, isnt easy, homeschooling a child with learning differences presents its own challenges. It takes time for their working memory to improve through multisensory learning and repetition.

A matter of policy

Not long after they were married, Tim and Kim McDonough had a conversation about children, dyslexia and education that turned out to be prescient. Tim McDonough had struggled in school because of his dyslexia and never got the help he needed. He was fearful of having children, not wanting them to endure what he had.

I told him, I promise you, I will make sure our kids dont experience what you did,  Kim McDonough says. I never realized how hard that promise would be to keep.

The McDonoughs, who live near Winston-Salem, N.C., have three children, including 10-year-old twins Gracyn and Gabe. Both have dyslexia, but it took dogged persistence to get their school to even acknowledge their deficiencies and have them tested. Everybody knew it and saw it. Clearly, the system is not set up to deal with deficiency, says McDonough, noting that its the same school where her husband struggled 35 years ago.

That frustration has turned the McDonoughs into fierce advocates for their children and for other parents struggling

with the same issues. It also points to decisions made at the national level that affect local school policies.

When the number of children with learning disorders reached an alarming level 20 years ago, policymakers feared that public school systems would be bankrupted by the financial demands of providing specialized education to so many. In response, federal guidelines changed in 2004, leading public schools to move away from learning disorder assessments in favor of performance-based evaluation.

In that scenario, children who have trouble learning to read are given additional interventions, which, depending on the school system, might last for weeks or months. But parents complain that this approach can put children in a hopeless holding pattern.

I think its a valid concern that kids, not just with dyslexia, per se, but with any learning disability, can be receiving additional intervention  but its not always a good intervention, an intervention targeted for their needs, says Kathleen Marshall, a veteran special education professor in Carolina's College of Education. And Ive heard of kids sitting there for a year, not receiving the appropriate help. If that were my kid, Id be furious.

So I think anything that Scott (Decker) is doing relative to seeing what is happening to those kids who have reading disabilities is very important and can really help us address those needs.

One fundamental issue is that schools in South Carolina and many other states have focused on whole-word reading and reading for enjoyment, rather than the fundamental phonic decoding. For a child with dyslexia, decoding the words is the challenge, Marshall says. That is the disconnect in the last 30 years at least.

As part of a statewide team, Marshall has helped write a dyslexia instruction module for S.C. elementary school teachers. General education teachers in South Carolina are also required to take a three-credit-hour course in how to teach children with reading disabilities.

But if dyslexia is going to be separated from the special education realm, can you expect a general education teacher not only to teach what the majority of the kids need but also to provide the more individualized support that these kids with reading disabilities need in the context of the general ed classroom? she says. Its impossible for them to do that.

Turning the page

Real solutions to the dyslexia dilemma will require public educators across the state to address basic questions, then commit to implementing systemic solutions, says Decker.

What are reasonable models to use? How should we be identifying these kids and at what age? And once we identify them, what kinds of remedial services should they be getting? he says. Those are kind of tough questions to address, and we cant promise the moon because schools just dont have the resources to provide the same level of services as specialized private schools.

Decker is moving forward with his assessment of how S.C. school districts are dealing with dyslexia with a goal of making best practices recommendations to the state Department of Education. This fall, he organized a conference with S.C. school psychologists to discuss their policies regarding dyslexia, and hes also working to organize a consortium of scholars across the university to bring their collective expertise to bear on dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Eventually, he envisions creating a large afterschool program with Carolina undergraduates trained in reading intervention, enlarging the efforts of grassroots programs such as Tutor Eau Claire.

Ultimately, its going to take research and a network of partnerships to make progress, he says. No one has stopped to say, OK, lets do a little research first to find out whats working,  Decker says. Lets look at how we can implement different models in the confines and financial restrictions of a typical elementary school in South Carolina, and then lets start putting this stuff into action.

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[ABUJA, NIGERIA] Academies of sciences, in most part of the world, are regarded as reservoirs of intelligence in contributing evidence-based advisory role to policy formulation and implementation.

In Africa, rather, the academies are seen as a collection of old and retired university professors who have outlived their usefulness in educational institutions, with little to offer and thus their contributions are never sought during policy formulations or implementation. That is the feeling I got while attending the 40th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Academy of Science last month (14 November) in Abuja, Nigeria.

The academies are seen as a collection of old and retired university professors who have outlived their usefulness in educational institutions. Alex Abutu

Scientists and researchers from various academies of sciences in Africa at a plenary session concurred that the contributions of the academies to policy formulation and implementation remained at near zero and need to change.

Although some of the scientists blamed governments for non-patronage, others indicated that the academies have not been able to align their programmes to key government activities.

Ralph Mills-Tettey, a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, says that one reason for the neglect is that research by fellows of the academies are no longer addressing or tailored to solve societal challenges.

For Turner Isoun, a fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Science and former minister of science and technology for Nigeria, research cannot be done without funding so academies must put pressure on governments. Governments across the continent [does not listen] when it comes to research funding and we must put pressure on them, Isoun said.

It is, therefore, high time the academies came out of their cocoon to make society feel their impact, according Uche Amazigo, retired director of the WHO African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control.

Amazigo urged the academies to seek strategic ways of engaging the private sector in their dealing so as to attract funding rather than relying mainly on western donors.

My take is that as the academies think of repositioning themselves to attract government attention, it is important that they focus their research and development activities on solving everyday societal challenges, which African governments spend so much money in acquiring temporary solutions from abroad.



This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
OMAHA, Neb. - Ava Miller never gave up on her lost cat, Charlie.

Ever since he went missing two years ago, the now-10-year-old Omaha girl regularly asked her mom, Where do you think Charlie is? and Are we still looking for him?

Last week Ava got an early Christmas present when she and the orange tabby were reunited.

A Bellevue woman had found Charlie.

She melted, her mom said of Ava.

Courtney Miller, Avas mom, said Charlies adventure started in fall 2015 when he slipped away as someone walked out the door of the familys home near 50th and Q Streets.

The family searched for him, put food outside to lure him back and told their neighbors to keep their eyes open.

But days and weeks went by, and there was still no sign of Charlie, a cat known for his affectionate nature and loud meow.

Ava was heartbroken, her mom said, and never stopped asking about him.

After a year had passed, Miller finally had to tell Ava that Charlie probably wouldnt be coming back.

Then Miller got a call last week from Stephany Koelzer.

A few days before Thanksgiving, Koelzer said she heard a cat meowing loudly in the alley behind her home in Bellevue near 25th Street and Chandler Road, about 4 miles from the Miller home.

Koelzer stepped outside and saw an orange tabby cat.

The cat walked up to her and looked well-groomed, well-fed and healthy. Koelzer, who has cats of her own, said it seemed clear the cat probably was someones pet.

She let the cat into the family garage and set out food and water. But she left the garage door open so the cat could get out and head back home.

But for five nights in a row the cat showed up in the backyard, meowing loudly. So she called the Nebraska Humane Society. Her family also posted information about the cat on the Lost Pets of Omaha Area Facebook page.

The Humane Society sent an animal control officer to see whether the can was microchipped.

It turned out the cat had a chip, which had Millers name and number.

Koelzer called Miller and told her shed found her wayward cat.

Miller drove to Koelzers house with Ava, telling the girl only that she had a big surprise for her.

Avas mom captured the tearful reunion on camera. In the video, Ava puts her hands to her face and drops to her knees, overwhelmed with joy.

Charlie walks to her and Ava scratches him under his chin, then she scoops the cat into her arms and hugs him.

Ava is ecstatic having Charlie back home, her mom said, and loves cuddling with him once again.

Miller figures someone probably found Charlie after he got loose, thought he was a stray and kept him as a pet.

Pam Wiese, spokeswoman for the Nebraska Humane Society, said thats most likely what happened. Wiese said its not the first time a cat has been reunited with the owner after being lost for a couple of years, but it is uncommon. She said Charlies reunion shows the importance of getting pets microchipped.

Miller said shes thankful to Koelzer for calling the Humane Society and is so happy for Ava.

Its just all a blessing, she said.
China's homegrown large passenger plane C919 takes off from Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, East China, Nov 10, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The C919, China's first home-developed large passenger plane, gained another 55 orders on Tuesday from ICBC Leasing Co Ltd, China's largest aircraft leasing company by assets, lifting its total orders to 785.

Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd, the manufacturer of the C919, signed an agreement with ICBC Leasing in Beijing. So far, C919 has netted orders from 27 Chinese and overseas customers.

Back in 2011, ICBC Leasing, a subsidiary of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, ordered 45 C919 aircraft. The latest deal makes the leasing company the single largest C919 customer with an order of 100 planes.

As of October, ICBC Leasing managed total capital worth 300 billion yuan ($45 billion) and 555 aircraft, in addition to a large number of shipping assets and large-scale equipment.

In November, the C919 passenger jet completed its first long-haul flight from Shanghai to Xi'an, Shaanxi province, and it will now start a series of test flights at the testing base in Yanliang, Shaanxi province.

Last week, the second C919 test aircraft completed its first taxiing test at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and it is expected to conduct its debut flight by the end of the year.

Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and columnist at Carnoc.com, one of China's largest civil aviation web portals, said the C919's entry to the market won't occur very soon. It is expected to go into operation between 2020 and 2022.
The National Traditional Orchestra of Heilongjiang Opera and Dance Drama Theater performs Chinese folk music at the closing ceremony of the China-Denmark Tourism Year in Copenhagen on Tuesday. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A wrap-up event on Tuesday at the Royal Danish Theatre's Old Stage in Copenhagen marked the end of the China-Denmark Tourism Year, an initiative that has helped boost the number of annual visits between the countries to more than 300,000 people.

Li Jinzao, director of the China National Tourism Administration, attended the celebration, along with Deng Ying, China's ambassador to Denmark, Frederik, the nation's crown prince, and Brian Mikkelsen, Denmark's minister of industry business and financial affairs.

In addition, 1,300 guests from both countries, including representatives from tourism administrations and the business community, were in attendance.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Li said: "This year's effort has brought very pragmatic benefits and laid a solid foundation for further exchange and collaboration between the two countries."

As a result of the success, Li said Beijing Capital Airlines will launch a direct flight between Beijing and Copenhagen in March.

"Tourism is not only a cultural exchange activity but also an industry," Li said. "It connects people with destination countries and helps the development of local economic growth, job creation, and improves local peoples livelihoods."

Deng lauded the participation of the Danish royal family and said Prince Frederik had been an active patron.

Frederik said the China-Denmark Tourism Year had created a great platform for meetings and exchanges at all levels; including political discussions, business engagements, and cultural exchanges.

"It is through traveling that we encounter new people and culture," he said. "It is while traveling that we exchange thoughts and ideas with strangers, and it is through traveling that we get a better understanding of each other, both the differences and similarities."

As a token of the strength of bilateral relations, President Xi Jinping has earmarked two giant pandas for Copenhagen Zoo. The Danish prime minister visited the pair in Chengdu, Sichuan province,in May.

Frederik noted that the groundbreaking ceremony for their future home at Copenhagen Zoo took place a few weeks ago, and said they are likely to arrive in Denmark next year.

The special year was launched in February after an agreement between President Xi and Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen was reached in March 2016.

The initiative was the first of its kind between China and a Nordic country and is likely to provide a blueprint for the China-EU Tourism Year, which is set for next year.

Antti Peltomaki, the EUs deputy director general for internal market industry entrepreneurship and SMEs, welcomed the imminent start of that special year, which the EU will launch in Venice in January along with the China National Tourism Administration.

"Our ambition is that the China-EU Tourism Year will bring many opportunities for citizens from both the EU and China," Peltomaki said.

Zhang Yangfei contributed to the story
Seven Princess ships will head north. In addition, 76% of all voyages visit Glacier Bay National Park. Plus, more than 23 cruise-tours are offered.

'In 1969, Princess Italia was our first ship to bring 525 passengers to Alaska. In 2019, we will mark another milestone by bringing Royal Princess, our largest ship ever deployed to this region, with more than 3,500 guests,' Princess president Jan Swartz said.

The line's 'Voyage of the Glaciers' sailings between Vancouver, BC, and Whittier feature two glacier-viewing experiences on every voyage, with visits to the UNESCO-listed Glacier Bay National Park plus either Hubbard Glacier or College Fjord. These seven-day cruises are offered aboard Royal Princess and Golden Princess (departing Saturdays) and Coral Princess and Island Princess (departing Wednesdays). Every northbound 'Voyage of the Glaciers' itinerary on Island Princess includes Icy Strait Point.

The Inside Passage is featured on seven-, 10- and 12-day round-trips from Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. From Seattle, Ruby Princess departs on Saturdays and sails to Glacier Bay. Star Princess departs on Sundays and visits Tracy Arm Fjord. All Inside Passage voyages from Seattle offer 'More Ashore' late-night stays in Juneau.

The 10-day round-trips are available on Grand Princess from San Francisco, while the three 12-day cruises from Los Angeles operate on Royal Princess, Ruby Princess and Star Princess.

Plus, round-trips from Vancouver include four seven-day Inside Passage sailings on Coral Princess, Island Princess and Golden Princess, two four-day 'Alaska Samplers' on Golden Princess and one five-day 'Alaska Sampler' on Island Princess.

More than 23 cruise-tours allow travelers to combine a seven-day 'Voyage of the Glaciers' cruise with three to eight nights on land with stays at Princess Wilderness Lodges, exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service, plus visits to Alaska's top two attractionsGlacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park. Travelers have the option to purchase a pre-paid meal package for the land portion.

2019 cruises and cruise-tours go on sale Dec. 14 (Captain's Circle members can book the day before). Residents of North America, Asia and Australia can take advantage of a 50% reduced deposit. The offer expires April 30.
The classification contract for the nine vessels, the worlds largest LNG-fuelled containerships, was signed by the two shipyards that will be building the ships  China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) shipyards Jiangnan Changxing Shipbuilding (Hudong Zhonghua) and Shanghai Jiangnan Changxing Heavy Industry (SWS).

Present to witness the contract signing were Hudong-Zhonghua president Chen Jun and SWS chairman.Wang Qi together with Bureau Veritas, senior vp Marine & Offshore, North Asia and China Claude Maillot.



In opening the ceremony, CMA CGM unit CMA Ships evp Ludovic Gerard emphasised the strength of the relationship between CMA CGM and Bureau Veritas.



"Bureau Veritas is delighted and honoured to be classing these ships and we are looking forward to working with Hudong-Zhonghua and SWS through this project and we thank both them and CMA CGM for trusting Bureau Veritas with this important project," said Maillot.
We expect some potential in suezmax and aframax tankers and in the containers we can see as well that it remains quite low but there remains some potential on the feeder side and also some positive developments on the bulkers, he said.

In addition, Sterri highlighted the fact that DNV GL believes the cruise, ferry and ro-ro segments remain strong at this point.

In terms of newbuilding contracting 256 vessels were contracted in 2016, while this year has been slightly better with 254 vessels contracted year-to-date. However this still pales in comparison to almost 2,000 vessels a year contracted in 2005 to 2007 or so, Sterri acknowledged.

In China the most important segment for the class society in 2017 has been bulkers, tankers, container vessels and gas tankers he noted. This is a reasonable representation of larger market trends, with DNV GL-classed vessels comprising a market-leading 20% of the global classed fleet.

Turning to the maritime industry in China, Sterri said: There is a big transition in the industry, there is no doubt about that, we all feel it every day, he remarked. However Sterri also noted that China is adapting this new reality, with a stated aim of wanting to go into higher-end vessels.

This works well with DNV GL because we also have the competence in these areas, he pointed out.

However while ship building activity has slowed down in China, the Asian giants shipowners are coming up in the world, ranking just behind the Greeks and Japanese owners in contracting new ships. I believe China is just starting and soon we will see China taking over these positions, he said.

Chinas fleet will continue growing and there will be greater diversification in ship types, Sterri believed.

In summary basically 2017 has seen a slight improvement in ordering and further progress in 2018/19 is expected, he concluded.
The two companies have signed agreement under which Total will deliver around 300,000 tonnes of LNG annually starting from 2020.

Total will provide a tailor made solution to CMA CGM and said it was already considering chartering an LNG bunkering vessel on a long term basis to deliver fuel to both the container line and other shipping companies in Europe.

CMA CGMs decision to adopt LNG propulsion for its new build container ships sends a strong signal to the maritime world. said Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and ceo of Total. The wider use of LNG as a fuel is an important component of Totals LNG strategy, and we are delighted to support CMA CGM as it implements this ambitious project. This agreement highlights our involvement in developing dedicated supply chains for this new fuel.

The move by CMA CGM to opt to fuel some of the largest containerships ever built with LNG is seen as a game changer for the nascent LNG bunkering sector.

LNG is the fuel of the future for shipping, commented Rodolphe Saade, chairman and ceo of CMA CGM. With this groundbreaking decision by the CMA CGM Group, the entire maritime industry will benefit from the new supply chains that will be created.
Chinese deals signed as UK province widens trade scope

Northern Ireland, once an industrial powerhouse, wants closer ties with China to safeguard against economic uncertainty as the United Kingdom prepares to exit from the European Union.

On Saturday, more than 100 provincial and municipal leaders from China gathered in Belfast for the third UK-China Regional Leaders Meeting, a gathering created during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK in October 2015, at the start of the "golden era" of relations between China and Britain.

"Brexit has prompted us to more actively engage with new markets further afield, and China is a key focus," said Tim Losty, director of the Beijing bureau of Northern Ireland's executive office.

A choir of children from Northern Ireland schools sing Chinese songs in Belfast's Parliament Buildings to welcome Chinese provincial and municipal leaders. Provided to China Daily

"Up until the last few years, we have looked to the UK and Europe and North America as our primary markets. Now, we have a government office in Beijing, we have a Chinese consulate here, some of our businesses have achieved success in China. China is less far away," Losty said.

Decision-makers from the provinces of Hubei, Liaoning, Jilin, and from the cities of Shanghai, Shenyang, Dalian and Benxi were all in Northern Ireland for the gathering. Shenyang and Belfast became sister cities last year, while Derry and Dalian linked up this year.

Following the meeting, agreements were signed in areas including trade, investment, education and research.

Northern Ireland has experienced considerable economic decline since its most prosperous time during the age of shipbuilding, symbolized by Titanic, which launched in 1912 and tragically sank on its maiden voyage.

But in recent years, it has experienced a structural shift, thanks to newly emerging technology sectors and agrifood security, which Northern Ireland academics and companies showcased during the meeting.

Zhou Jianping, a director-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, said he sees potential for tremendous collaboration and experience-sharing between Northern Ireland and Northeast China, which are both developing new economies to replace declining manufacturing industries.

"I suggest that, with this meeting as a good start, both sides should enhance communication and experience-sharing between old industrial cities from both countries, promoting overall and multifield cooperation," said Zhou. The meeting followed October's 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which established future strategic directions.

'Strong drive'

The National Congress proclaimed that China is entering a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, under which it will further open up its economy, promote cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and favor extensive consultation, joint efforts and shared benefits.

Wang Shuying, China's consulate general in Belfast, said the fact that China has entered a new era brings "a new strong drive to the China-UK 'golden era'," and more opportunities for collaboration with Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland's big push to strengthen its ties with China started in 2012 when Liu Yandong, who is now vice-premier, visited Belfast and opened the Confucius Institute at Ulster University.

In 2014, the Northern Ireland executive office opened a branch in Beijing. So far, 12 Northern Ireland companies have established offices in China, and four Chinese companies have invested in Northern Ireland through acquisition during the past two years.

China accounts for 1.3 percent of all exports from Northern Ireland, which is worth around $135 million a year. The main exports are animal hides used to make leather, electronic control devices and power-generating equipment.

cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily 12/05/2017 page11)
Britons can now sip on craft beer brewed in China, following an import deal between Edinburgh-based online drinks platform Flavourly and Beijing brewer Panda Brew.

The deal is believed to involve the largest ever amount of Chinese craft beer imported into the United Kingdom, with 10,000 bottles of Panda Brew made available to British drinkers.

China is the largest beer market in the world. In 2015, Chinese drinkers guzzled 54 billion liters  more than double that of the United States, the second-biggest market, according to the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

With an expanding base of younger, more affluent drinkers in China, a taste for premium craft beers has developed, alongside the popularity of mass-produced lagers. The number of small, independent breweries in the country jumped from around 50 in 2015 to 150 last year.

Panda Brew was founded in 2013 and its range of craft beers is now sold in 60 cities across China. Six varieties are now available for next-day delivery in the UK through Flavourly, which is an online platform that sells and distributes imported craft beers and gins.

"Panda Brew is China's leading craft brewer and we were very keen to import their beers, and continue to offer our customers something very new," said David Moore, Flavourly's chief executive.

He added: "And there is, of course, a strong connection to Edinburgh. The city's zoo is home to the famous giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang, and the Panda Brew team also has links here."

Several Panda Brew beers have ingredients that give them a Chinese twist, including red honey, kuding tea, and ginger.

The beers range in price from 2.95 pounds ($3.95) to 4.50 pounds for a 330 milliliter bottle. The varieties differ in alcohol content, from a golden ale that is 5 percent alcohol, to a stout that is 10 percent.

Moore said the deal will pave the way for Scottish brewers to export to China.

"China is a massive market, and offers huge potential for Scottish brewers," Moore said. "Having a reciprocal import deal, where all parties mutually benefit, is a brilliant step forward for beer lovers in the UK and in China. We are very keen to promote this two-way relationship with brewers and distributors in China."

Earlier this year, Scottish craft brewer Innis & Gunn announced a deal with Chinese beer importer Dxcel International to distribute its beer brands in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

UK beer exports to China have rocketed since President Xi Jinping and former prime minister David Cameron enjoyed a pint of ale at a country pub during Xi's state visit in 2015.

The following year, beer exports to China increased by 500 percent, and Britain began exporting barley to China for the first time after the two countries signed a 100-million-pound deal involving 750,000 tons of the grain being supplied during a five-year period. Barley is used in the brewing process.
Press Release

December 4, 2017 De Lima is 'Global Thinker' awardee for 2nd consecutive year WASHINGTON, D. C. - Senator Leila M. de Lima is named for the 2nd consecutive year as one of the Leading Global Thinkers for 2017 by the influential Foreign Policy magazine for openly defying President Duterte and his brutal war on drugs and paying the price with her freedom. De Lima, who is as the first prominent political prisoner under the Duterte administration, will be honoured in a simple reception gala tonight to be held at the Mead Center for American Theater here under the Leading Global reThinkers of 2017. "From the beginning, (Senator) de Lima knew how dangerous her unfettered criticism of her country's leader might prove," Benjamin Soloway, an associate editor of Foreign Policy, wrote. "But de Lima has refused to shut up. The government is trying to 'totally silence dissent and cultivate a culture of double standard of justice, where those allied with the president and his family are accorded impunity,'" he added. "Now, de Lima fears that Duterte could go even further to silence her. Today she refuses all prison rations, eating only food brought by visitors. While she fears for her safety, she is convinced that the international community's scrutiny of Duterte's rule is helping keep her alive," he narrated. De Lima joins the list of this year's Leading Global reThinkers of 2017. Early this year, she was also recognized by Time Magazine as one of 100 Most Influential People, one of the Icons, by Amnesty International as one of the notable Women Human Rights Defenders in 2017, and more recently by Liberal International as "Prize for Freedom" Awardee for 2018, among others. This year's Leading Global reThinkers include South Korea President Moon Jae-in, United Kingdom Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbin, French President Emmanuel Macron, US Senator Kamala Haris, artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Halley, among others. This year's list of Leading Global reThinkers can be accessible at https://gt.foreignpolicy.com/2017/profile/leila-de-lima?326f6e76d9= Every year, Foreign Policy said it selects a distinguished roster of people who have made an important impact on fields such as politics, diplomacy, science, and the arts. This year, it added, the magazine acknowledges its honorees as Global reThinkers -- individuals from around the world whose actions are disrupting the status quo and impacting countless lives. Last year, the Foreign Policy magazine also named De Lima on its prestigious list of Leading Global Thinkers for her vocal opposition to the unabated spate of extrajudicial and summary killings in the country. She was honoured "for standing up to an extremist leader" as one of the 13 Global Thinkers in the "Challengers" category under the 100 leading global thinkers for 2016. The Foreign Policy had cited how De Lima has bravely refused to be silenced by the blatant and incessant attacks by President Duterte's allies as she stood her ground and vowed for her innocence against trumped-up charges against her. Among the extraordinary ranks of FP's 100 Leading Global Thinkers include former US State Department Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
Press Release

December 5, 2017 ANGARA LAUDS PRRD'S MOVE TO NOMINATE FORMER SEN. MIRIAM FOR HIGHEST CIVIL SERVICE AWARD Senator Sonny Angara welcomed the President's nomination of the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago for conferment of the Quezon Service Cross, the highest civilian award in the Philippines. "We are glad to receive here in the Senate the formal nomination of President Duterte to bestow our beloved Senator Miriam the Quezon Service Cross. We are also thankful that the President acted favourably on the request of Sen. Grace and this representation for her nomination. The late Senator Miriam deserves no less than the President's official endorsement for the nation's recognition of her exemplary contribution as a public servant," Angara said. It can be recalled that Angara filed the resolution seeking to bestow the Quezon Service Cross on the late senator last September 26, two days before Santiago's first death anniversary. The resolution highlighted the laws Santiago authored, and her achievements as Presiding Judge of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, Immigration Commissioner, and Agrarian Reform Secretary. In a recent letter to Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, President Duterte requested Congress to approve the posthumous conferment of the award to the late Senator Santiago, stating "she used her considerable talents for the service of the people and our nation while exhibiting remarkable passion, courage and integrity. She inspired generations of Filipinos to aspire for excellence and remain steadfast against any challenge and adversity." The president also stressed that the late legislator was "an agent of positive and meaningful change in the country" for having "authored and sponsored laws that strengthened our fiscal position, promoted reproductive health, preserved the environment, safeguarded our women, enshrined human rights, enhanced our education system, gave greater access to information communications technology, protected against cybercrime, and asserted Philippine sovereignty." Created in 1946, the Quezon Service Cross is awarded to a person "for exemplary service to the nation in memory of the late President Manuel L. Quezon." Both houses of Congress must approve the nomination of the late Senator Santiago for the award, which has only been given to five people since its creation. The past recipients of the awards are former Interior Sec. Jesse Robredo (November 2012), former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. (August 2004), former President Ramon Magsaysay (July 1957), former President Emilio Aguinaldo (June 1956) and former President Carlos Romulo (April 1951). In his resolution, Angara said Santiago "exceeded the qualifications" set for a Quezon Service Cross recipient, of having served "in such a manner and such a degree as to add great prestige to the Republic, or as to contribute to the lasting benefit of its people."
Press Release

December 5, 2017 Sen. Bam calls on stakeholders, leaders to unite for education reform After the passage of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, Sen. Bam Aquino called on different education stakeholders and leaders to unite and work together for education reform to give more Filipino students a chance at a better future. "Now that we've passed our major reform, giving more Filipinos access to a college education through the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, we must move to strengthen the quality of education in the country," said Sen. Bam during his speech at the 2017 Philippine Education Summit. At the event, various stakeholders including the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Deveopment Authority (TESDA) presented their accomplishments over the past year, the challenges that lay ahead and their plans to improve access to quality education in the Philippines. "Let's work together to ensure that there is a seamless transition from student to employee or entrepreneur through strong academic-industry linkages," added Sen. Bam. During his time as chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress, Sen. Bam worked with stakeholders in the crafting of reforms that can give more Filipinos access to quality education. While his chairmanship was a short one, Sen. Bam spearheaded the passage of one of the most important education reforms in the country -Republic Act 10931 or Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which he pushed in the Senate as principal sponsor and co-author. The law provides free education to students in state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges and TESDA-run vocational schools. Aside from tuition fees, the government will shoulder miscellaneous and all other mandatory fees. Scholarship grants will be made available to students of both public and private college and universities. It also provides a new and improved student loan program, where students can apply for financing for other education expenses. In addition, students taking post-graduate studies can avail of the new and improved student loan program and scholarships under the law. During his speech, Sen. Bam has given his commitment to ensure that the law will be funded and implemented properly to ensure that "every Filipino has access to quality education and better opportunities to make a living."
Press Release

December 5, 2017 De Lima elated over 2nd 'Leading Global Thinker' recognition WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has expressed elation over the latest conferment by the prestigious US-based Foreign Policy magazine as one of the Leading Global Thinkers of 2017 for two consecutive years. In her acceptance message read during the reception gala at the Mead Center for American Theater here, De Lima vowed to fight off all attempts to intimidate her as she continues to face all trumped-up illegal drug trading charges filed against her. "No high concrete walls, barbed wires or caged environment can silence me. I remain free in spirit, and unbroken. I'm not giving up on my causes for truth, justice and human rights," she said. De Lima's brief message was read by Jonathan Tepperman, editor in chief of the Washington-based Foreign Policy magazine, as he announced her inclusion on the list of its 50 Leading Global Thinkers of 2017. Tepperman expressed concern over what he referred as ludicrous charges the Duterte administration has filed against De Lima just two months after receiving the same award last year. It may be recalled that in 2016, the Foreign Policy magazine included De Lima on its list of 100 Leading Global Thinkers for her vocal and staunch opposition to the spate of extrajudicial and summary killings in the Philippines. She was honored "for standing up to an extremist leader" as one of the 13 Global Thinkers in the "Challengers" category under the 100 Leading Global Thinkers for 2016. De Lima, who marks her 284th day in unjust detention at the time of the awarding, noted the latest accolade given to her by an international media organization reminds her to keep up her fight despite the growing repression and isolation against her. "President Duterte and his minions have not stopped demonizing, slut shaming and persecuting me. State-sponsored extrajudicial killings, fake news and lies continue unabated," she said. "As no succor from pliant courts is forthcoming, with our democratic institutions under attack, an opposition that is decimated and dissents crushed, I'm prepared for the long haul," she added. In a different statement issued from the Philippine National Policy - Custodial Center, Camp Crame, Quezon City, De Lima said she is profoundly honored by the Foreign Policy's recognition of her as one of the leading Global Thinkers for two consecutive years. "I thank them for their continued faith in me for two consecutive years. This latest accolade further bolsters my courage and strengthens my resolve to continue standing up for my principles and causes despite the unprecedented magnitude of harassments against me by the Duterte regime," she said. The Senator from Bicol said she offers the FP recognition to her fellow Filipinos and people of goodwill around the world who continue to fight for truth, justice and democracy. De Lima was also recognized by Time Magazine as one of 100 Most Influential People, one of the Icons, for 2017, and by Amnesty International as one of the notable Women Human Rights Defenders in 2017, and more recently, by Liberal International with the Prize for Freedom award, among others. Those included on this year's Foreign Policy's Leading Global Thinkers of 2017 are individuals from around the world whose actions are disrupting the status quo and impacting countless lives.
Press Release

December 5, 2017 Legarda on 24 Hours of Reality: Authorities Must Embrace Climate Adaptation As If Their Lives Depended On It "All government agencies and local government units must embrace climate change adaptation as if their own lives depended on it," said Senator Loren Legarda today, during her feature interview on the "24 Hours of Reality: Be the Voice of Reality" program organized by The Climate Reality Project--the organization founded and led by global climate advocate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committees on Finance, Climate Change, and Foreign Relations; UNISDR Global Champion for Resilience; and UNFCCC Adaptation Champion, is among the climate change experts and advocates from various countries all over the world featured in the 24-hour, star-studded global broadcast to discuss the climate crisis and call for action. During the Philippine Hour, which aired on December 5, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (PHT) and focused on the theme of climate justice, Legarda emphasized the need for adaptation, especially for a highly vulnerable country like the Philippines, in order to protect Filipinos whose lives are constantly in danger because of climate change impacts. "In the Philippines, we have institutionalized adaptation in our policies and budget. As Chair of Finance and Climate Change committees in the Senate, I have included special and general provisions in our General Appropriations Act that mandate our government agencies to implement projects and programs that will make our communities more resilient to climate change impacts," Legarda explained. "Never has it happened before that our annual budget actually operationalizes and explains the necessary adaptation measures that the government departments and agencies should implement," she added. Among the adaptation measures Legarda cited are the installation of rainwater collectors in communities, homes and buildings; establishment of early warning systems interpreted in the vernacular; propagation of mangroves as effective natural buffers from storm surges; and the retrofitting of public and private infrastructure to adapt to extreme weather events, among others. Legarda also mentioned that she had encouraged the Armed Forced of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), as first responders and frontliners in times of disasters, to make their camps more resilient. She also said that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Act and the Climate Change Act are landmark laws hailed by the United Nations as two of the best laws in the world, but would be merely ink on paper if not operationalized. Legarda also said that she had been encouraging Filipinos to "carbon fast" or to lead a low carbon lifestyle. She said that the Philippines, despite having a negligible amount of carbon footprint compared to other countries, must still pursue climate change mitigation. "I have been encouraging Filipinos to carbon fast. To walk when possible, to take a bike, to turn off the lights, to shut off the aircon, to pull the plugs when not needed--simple, basic ways to conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions. This call to carbon fast started during Holy Week years ago, but it is something that we should adopt as a lifestyle. We encourage mitigation because we pursue mitigation as a function of adaptation," she stressed. Legarda emphasized that the way forward for sustainable development in the Philippines is to proceed with the transition to a low carbon economy, especially since the country has a renewable energy law. She noted that the transition to a low carbon economy would not hinder our country's growth. She said that our growth would become more sustainable if we utilize renewable energy and pursue low carbon innovations and investments. "Hastening our transition to renewable energy would provide so much opportunities for all Filipinos. For a tropical country like ours, access to the sun and wind is free. Back in 2008, it seemed impossible to implement renewable energy, but now, we have seen installations increase, with hundreds of megawatts of solar and wind in excess of the targets back then," she said. "The painful transition from using fossil fuel to renewable energy is a great challenge, but it is one that we should encourage in order to have a cleaner, safer, and more livable country for us and the future generations," Legarda concluded.
Press Release

December 5, 2017 STATEMENT OF PARTIDO LIBERAL PRESIDENT SEN. FRANCIS PANGILINAN ON DENGUE VACCINE ISSUE Let us first listen to independent health experts before we judge. If lawyers have their own individual interpretations of the law, the same is true of the medical community, which will have different opinions on this health issue. Of course Sanofi will say that the vaccine is safe. The same will be for former and current health officials who endorse the said vaccine. Those who oppose will also present their contrary arguments. It is better to listen and get information from the World Health Organization and other countries that approved the use of this vaccine. This would be the ten countries of Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Guatemala and Peru. Did their citizens experience adverse effects from the vaccine? Was the vaccine also questioned in their countries? Are they holding their officials accountable? It would be better to know more about the issue and get independent expert opinions before we judge the program. After we've gathered the long and short of the issue, and concluded that some fell short, then we hold into account those who were negligent and failed to conduct due diligence.
Press Release

December 5, 2017 Villanueva's service charge bill passes on second reading The Senate on Tuesday passed on second reading Senate Bill No. 1299 or "An Act Providing that 100% of the Service Charge Collected in Hotels and Other Establishments Be Distributed to All Covered Employees and for Other Purposes" under Committee Report No. 189 amending Article 96 of the Labor Code of the Philippines. "We are elated that the Senate passed on second reading our proposed measure after hurdling and finishing both the period of interpellation and amendments this afternoon. We hope to pass this bill before we end our session on December 13. The enactment of this measure will be the perfect Christmas gift to our hotel and restaurant workers," said Senator Joel Villanueva, chairperson of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development. During the interpellation, Sen. Franklin Drilon raised the concern on whether contractual and agency-hired workers will also be covered in the proposed measure. Villanueva, principal author and sponsor of the bill, said that all workers whether regular, contractual, or agency-hired will be entitled to 100% service charge as long as the said workers are the ones who directly deliver the service to their customers. "This proposed measure seeks to address the injustice brought upon our hardworking workers in the service industry who provide the actual service, but rarely get their proper share in collection," Villanueva stressed. Villanueva then cited a data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) showing that from 2014-2017, 621 out of 212,641 inspected establishments nationwide violated labor provisions on service charge after failing to show proof that they distributed their collected service charge to their employees. The senator, moreover, underscored the need to legislate the proposal into law to give hotel and restaurant workers what is rightfully theirs for providing quality service to their customers, and that the proposal will benefit both the workers and employers. Further, Villanueva expressed gratitude to his colleagues for swiftly acting on the passage of the bill. "We would like to take this opportunity to thank my esteemed colleagues for all of your insights, opinions and proposals that were given today, as well as during yesterday's session. Ikinagagalak po natin ang inyong pakikilahok sa pagpapatibay at pagpapaganda ng panukalang batas na ito," Villanueva said. "Nawa'y maisabatas po natin ito sa lalong madaling panahon upang maging mas masaya ang Pasko ng ating mga kababayan, at maging mas masagana ang pagpasok ng kanilang bagong taon," Villanueva concluded.
Twitter / @EmeryvillePD

Two people were shot and injured Monday night in the parking lot of a Target in Emeryville, officials said.

The shooting occurred around 6 p.m. at the Target at 1555 40th Street in Emeryville.
The extreme conditions propelling a massive blaze in Ventura County eerily resemble those of the destructive Tubbs Fire that devastated Sonoma and Napa counties in early October, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection official said Tuesday.

Ventura Countys Thomas Fire started Monday night and grew exponentially to nearly 50,000 acres, resulting in evacuation of at least 27,000 people. The fire was zero percent contained Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Twenty-two suspects were charged Monday in connection with a Santa Clara County fraud ring that duped insurance companies into paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims for fake car accidents, prosecutors said.

The ring, which included 19 Santa Clara County residents, defrauded insurance companies of $235,948 in payouts for numerous bogus car crashes between 2013 and 2015, according to the Santa Clara County district attorneys office.

The cost of fraud affects everyone of us because the cost is passed down to consumers through higher insurance premiums, said Charlotte Chang, a deputy district attorney. Thats why we feel these are very important cases. Were all paying for the cost of fraud.

The ring was uncovered in an investigation by the Silicon Valley Auto Insurance Task Force, after an investigator with an insurance company noticed some suspicious accident reports, Chang said.

Some of the cars and the same two San Jose auto body shops  Espinosa Body Shop and Auto Parts USA  were used repeatedly in the scams, Chang said.

The ringleaders in the fraud operation were identified as Angel Topete of the San Martin area and Pedro Ozuna Calderon of the San Jose area, Chang said. The other suspects were their family, friends, friends of friends and associates. Chang said this is typical of such rings.

They coordinated false reports that often alleged that a car hit parked multiple vehicles, then they called the insurance company to report the same incident, time, and date, even though the accident never took place, Chang said.

She said some cars were damaged intentionally to collect on the fraudulent claims.

Gerardo Ivan Espinosa Martinez, owner of Espinosa Body Shop, is being charged in this ring, and is also being prosecuted as the ringleader in a separate fraud scam that involved 15 false claims, officials said.

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The majority of suspects will be arraigned this week, each facing multiple fraud-related charges, Chang said.

In the past two years, the Santa Clara County district attorneys office has prosecuted 82 suspects involved in four different organized fraud rings.

Sophie Haigney is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophieHaigney
In the early hours of Oct. 9, as massive wildfires licked across the North Bay area, Sonoma County officials decided against sending a mass text alert to residents cell phones.

That decision may have proved fatal to some victims caught in the firestorms path without time to evacuate. But how the county  and the state  could have better alerted people to the impending danger remains in question. At a legislative hearing in Sacramento Monday, officials agreed that resiliency and redundancy were lacking in local emergency communication systems across the state.

What they couldnt decide during the three-hour session, a joint hearing of the Committee of Emergency Management and the Committee on Communications and Conveyance, was how to improve them.

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As The Chronicle reported in the wake of the Wine Country fires, California emergency managers use a patchwork of warning systems, and some do not even have a way to send text alerts during a disaster. There is little oversight by the state. The decision of whether, and when, to send an emergency message is made by local officials. Creating a cohesive statewide set of criteria for emergency warnings is one option, but geography and population differences create hurdles.

We dont have a statewide standard for this like we do for 911 or for Amber Alerts, said state Sen. Mark McGuire, D-Healdsburg, who represents many of the areas hit by Octobers fires. Maybe we should.

Officials from Yuba, Mendocino, Napa and Lake counties presented information Monday on how their residents were notified of the fast-moving disaster that left 44 dead and destroyed nearly 9,000 homes and commercial buildings. No one from Sonoma County, where the emergency alert systems shortcomings first drew attention to the issue, attended the hearing. A second session is planned for Dec. 14.

We arent going to reach 100 percent of the people 100 percent of the time, said James Gabbert, chair of the State Emergency Communications Committee. The problem is there hasnt been much discussion on it at all. Thats a very significant problem.

Legislators are hoping to determine what changes are needed and how much those would cost, particularly given that the states annual fire season is growing longer and more destructive.

A federally administered warning system called the Wireless Emergency Alert is used in roughly one-third of counties in the United States. It can send a mass Amber Alert-type text message and warning signal to large numbers of cell phones during an emergency.

Local officials say they try to be cautious with the system, though, because it can cover too wide an area. Hitting every available cell phone in a county  rather than just those in a targeted evacuation zone  could cause unnecessary panic, a reason Sonoma County officials cited for not using it in October.

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Maribel Marin, president of 211 California, an emergency response association, said the system can also snarl efforts to reach residents because emergencies do not always follow county lines. She said more state efforts to create an overarching communication system could be helpful.

You cant have communication lines that only serve the county because disasters dont stay within those boundaries, and people are evacuating in all directions, Marin said. If they left Butte and now are in Yuba or Sutter counties, they are not able to get the information they need. Infrastructure is going to allow responders to make sure the public gets the information they need.

Citywide alert systems, like AlertSF, which pings San Franciscans phones with warnings for things like tsunamis and flooding, wouldnt work in rural areas lacking the necessary infrastructure. More antiquated communication methods  including broadcasts to battery-powered radios  are more reliable, but fewer people own the technology. Insulating cell towers to keep them operational in the case of fire and flood is unlikely to happen because of the cost to the private sector.

Creating statewide guidelines for handling emergency situations could be a starting point, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governors Office of Emergency Services.

All disasters are local, Ghilarducci said. This is where people are being impacted. Local government should be the place to issue alerts and warnings. ... But we are at a point, from my view, that we need to implement standardized processes that really guide all of the users into a standardized practice with specific standards that they need to meet. That can be done administratively or legislatively.

He added, The challenge with that is, while there is a broad set of ways to push information out to the public, there is no one way with best standards.

At the end of the day, said Assemblyman Devon Mathis, R-Visalia (Tulare County), people need to be able to put their head down on their pillow at night and know that if something is to happen, there is something to alert them.

What is the best way to communicate that original emergency? he said. The real question is, when the fire burns or the flood wipes out cell towers, if the lines go down, how do you notify people when every second counts? What does that look like? Thats something bigger we have to develop over the year.

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn
The governors of California and New York and governor-elect of New Jersey joined forces Monday to attack GOP plans to do away with the state and local tax deduction  calling it a possibly illegal or unconstitutional transfer of wealth from predominantly Democratic states, which tend to have higher income taxes, to predominantly Republican states, which generally have lower or no state income tax.

This bill will divide the blue states from the red, the Democrats from the Republicans. It is evil in the extreme, Gov. Jerry Brown said in a call with reporters.

In the conference call, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said any lawmakers who voted for the bill would be voting against the interest of their constituents, period. The call also included New Jerseys governor-elect, Democrat Phil Murphy, who said the deduction has been part of the tax code since the income tax became legal in 1913.

What they didnt say is that the biggest losers would be state governments themselves. If this provision passes, theres no question, its going to make it very hard to raise state and local taxes, says Jamie Court, president of the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog.

State and local governments have been able to sell tax increases by pointing out that they are deductible on federal returns. If you are in the 33 percent bracket, the deduction hypothetically knocks a third off the tax.

In reality, many people, even in California, get little to no benefit from the state and local tax deduction for one of three reasons. Either they dont itemize deductions; they are subject to the alternative minimum tax, which doesnt allow for state and local tax deductions, including property tax; or they are subject to the Pease phase-out of itemized deductions, which starts whittling away itemized deductions when taxable income hits $330,000 (married) or $266,700 (single).

Both the House and Senate GOP tax plans would do away with the deduction for state and local income and sales taxes entirely, but would allow itemizers to deduct up to $10,000 in property taxes per year.

The House-passed version would also eliminate the AMT. The Senate version passed Friday would preserve the AMT but raise the exemption amount so fewer people would be subject to it. Both versions would eliminate the Pease limitation.

If either of those versions passed, some people who cant take the property-tax deduction today because they are in AMT could deduct up to $10,000, assuming they have enough other itemized deductions to continue itemizing. Some subject to the Pease deduction might be able to deduct a little more.

In San Francisco, Chief Economist Ted Egan estimates that the average property tax bill is around $7,600 a year for single-family homes and $9,500 for condos, because condos are generally newer and assessed at market value more recently.

For those who are getting the full benefit of the state and local deduction, losing it will certainly hurt. It will also hurt governments that rely on those tax revenues if citizens resist future tax increases  or even call for tax cuts when they see their next federal income tax return.

California has much to lose because it relies heavily on the income tax. It has the nations highest state income tax rate, 13.3 percent. And the income tax generates 32.2 percent of all state and local tax collections, the fourth highest of any state.

By comparison, the property tax generates only 25.4 percent of all state and local tax collections in California, mainly because Proposition 13 limits increases. By this measure, it ranks only 38th among the states.

Property tax revenues go mainly to counties, cities and school districts. Allowing a partial property tax deduction would take some of the sting out. But local governments could still have a harder time getting voters to approve local property tax increases. Parcel taxes require a two-thirds majority. Others require a two-thirds majority if the tax is dedicated to a specific use or a simple majority if it goes into the general fund. If the GOP proposal passed, you could see more of the latter type.

I think local governments hands are really tied. Most cities dont have a lot of local sales tax, said Chris Hoene, executive director of the California Budget and Policy Center. If the property tax deduction is limited, I think you will see them look more toward transaction taxes and fees.

At the state level, Democrats can pass tax increases with a supermajority, which they have barely in the Senate and should have in the Assembly after Tuesdays vote to fill a vacancy. Even so, If this holds  the elimination entirely of the income tax deduction and the partial elimination of the property tax deduction  Im sure there will be pressure on us around the state income tax, which is a key part of our budget, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D- San Francisco.

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We are not going to let Donald Trump dictate Californias approach to our budget, Wiener said. But we are going to have to do a lot of thinking and analysis about how to respond in a way that supports our residents while also keeping our government intact.

Even though San Francisco, as a city with high income and property taxes, would be hurt by the elimination of the state and local tax deduction, if you look at the package as a whole, the impact is not so clear-cut.

Egan has been trying to do that, and hasnt come up with a conclusion just yet. But he points out that the distributional impacts of the tax plan, according to the Tax Policy Center and other sources, favor wealthier areas, which ours is. He added that some of the proposed changes could help businesses in the area, which would also help people to the extent that it increases salaries and job opportunities.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KathPender

Paying their share

Here are the 10 states with the highest percentage of state and local tax revenue from income taxes.*
The House version of the Republicans tax reform legislation would cause financial hardship for colleges and the students who attend them, while the Senates plan would be only slightly less damaging, higher-education officials and advocates said as lawmakers moved toward drafting a final bill.

The House bill would threaten UCs ability to carry out its research, education, health care and public service missions, University of California President Janet Napolitano told the states congressional delegation of 41 Democrats and 14 Republicans in a recent letter. No Democrats have voted for either version.

Graduate students, including hundreds from UC Berkeley, rallied on campuses nationwide on Wednesday to protest a House proposal to tax tuition waivers. Those include price breaks that universities often grant to attract doctoral students, mainly in the sciences, allowing them to pursue research while working as teaching or lab assistants. Also taxed would be the deep tuition discounts that go to the children of many university employees.

The House version of the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul bill would enact $65 billion in cuts and rollbacks to higher education tax provisions over 10 years, including repealing students ability to deduct interest on their student loans.

The House Ways and Means Committee, whose chairman, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, sponsored the bill, issued a statement saying the legislation would strengthen education savings tools.

Graduate students, like all Americans, will be taxed at lower, simpler rates based on the compensation they receive  not based on the maze of costly deductions and exclusions Americans must navigate today, the statement said.

The Senate did not include those changes when it approved its version of the tax bill early Saturday. However, like the House bill, it includes two items that universities strongly oppose:

 A near-doubling in the standard deduction, to $12,000 for single filers and $24,000 for married couples filing jointly. That is expected to reduce the number of people who itemize deductions, which in turn could reduce charitable donations that many campuses depend on.

 A tax on private universities endowments, which the schools tap to help needy students pay for school.

In the House version, colleges with endowments of at least $250,000 per student would have to pay the tax, while the Senates bill would tax those with endowments of at least $500,000 per student. The House bill would affect 63 colleges, while the Senate version would apply to 28 schools.

It is hard to see how students would be better off if Congress taxed the funds to be spent on financial aid, Douglas Warner, a Yale University trustee and former investment banker, wrote Friday in Politico. It is difficult to see how the country would gain from taxing funds that would otherwise be spent on research that spurs innovation and job creation.

As for reducing the incentive for donors to give money to schools and other charities, universities and their advocates say the result could be higher tuition.

Raising the standard deduction could make college more expensive and undermine the financial stability of higher education institutions, Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, said in a statement.

UC, the nations largest public research university, says it depends on charitable donations and the tax incentives that promote them.

Any reduction in charitable giving could be devastating to the university, which increasingly depends on non-state funding, according to an analysis that UC produced in response to the tax proposals.

UC tuition and fees have more than tripled since 2002, to $13,887 a year, not including room, board and books.

A Senate GOP spokesman did not return requests for comment.

Conferees from the Senate and House are expected to meet this week to reconcile the differences between the two bills. Whatever emerges must pass both houses before being sent to President Trump for his signature.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
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Forty years ago, former President Richard Nixon famously told interviewer David Frost, when asked whether a president can order an illegal act in the nations best interests, Well, when the president does it, that means it is not illegal.

President Trumps personal lawyer, John Dowd, didnt go quite that far Monday in talking to NBC News about whether Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey could be considered obstruction of justice, as an attempt to derail the investigation of Russian involvement in last years presidential election. But he came close.

The president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under the Constitution, Dowd said, adding that Trump has every right to express his view of any case.

Dowd didnt specify a case, but seemed to be referring to Trumps tweet last week in which he said one reason he had fired his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was that Flynn lied to the FBI about his Russian contacts, something Flynn has now admitted in his guilty plea to criminal charges.

The tweet, which Dowd claimed to have drafted, could bolster a case for obstruction of justice by showing Trump knew Flynn had broken the law when he allegedly asked Comey to end his investigation of his adviser.

In arguing Monday that Trump was immune from such charges, Dowd relied on Article II of the Constitution, which grants the president executive power over federal agencies, including law enforcement, and charges him with the obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

But there appears to be little support among legal analysts for the view that a president who corruptly interferes with an investigation of his administration would be immune from charges of obstructing justice.

That would mean that if the police were corrupt, you could never investigate the chief of police, said Hadar Aviram, a professor of constitutional law at UC Hastings in San Francisco. The law enforcement system is not the private police of the president. It belongs to all of us.

Commentators noted that the congressional impeachment charges against both Nixon and President Bill Clinton included obstruction of justice, Nixon for trying to shut down an FBI investigation of Watergate and other administration misdeeds, and Clinton for allegedly trying to conceal his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Its true that the president is head of the executive branch and has the lawful power to terminate employees of the executive branch, said Lisa Kern Griffin, a Duke University law professor. But if he does it with the corrupt intent to impede an investigation, he commits obstruction.

And more than one analyst likened Dowds claim of presidential immunity to Nixons much-derided remarks to Frost in May 1977, nearly three years after he resigned in the face of virtually certain impeachment and removal from office.

Its a claim the country rejected when Nixon made it, and the country should reject it now, said David Sklansky, a Stanford criminal law professor. No one should be above the law and no one should be free to obstruct justice, including the president.

Dowd didnt specify the limits of the presidential immunity he was asserting. Obstruction of justice can be criminally prosecuted, with a sentence of up to five years in prison under federal law. As Nixons and Clintons cases illustrate, it has also been considered one of the high crimes and misdemeanors that are grounds for congressional impeachment.

Several analysts said a presidents exposure to prosecution was a matter of timing.

A sitting president cannot be prosecuted while in office, but that does not mean that an ex-president is immune from prosecution once he leaves office, said Michael McConnell, a Stanford law professor and former federal appeals court judge. The Constitution implies that distinction, he said, by prescribing impeachment for presidential lawbreaking.

Another reason to protect a president from prosecution while in office is to avoid interfering with the presidents work as the nations leader, said Jesse Choper, a UC Berkeley law professor and former Supreme Court law clerk.

A good argument can be made that (those protections) disappear when hes left office, Choper said.

Most commentators agreed that no such restrictions would apply to the powers of Congress to determine grounds for impeaching a president.

You could impeach someone for dereliction of duty, said Griffin, the Duke law professor. She said the constitutionally specified grounds of high crimes and misdemeanors were intended as a safety valve for a corrupt and dangerous president, not just as a parallel to criminal proceedings.

Allegations that Trump obstructed justice center on his firing of Comey on May 9, followed two days later by the presidents statement to a television interviewer that he had been thinking about the Russia thing at the time of the dismissal.

Comey testified to Congress in June that Trump had fired him because of the investigation into possible Russian collusion with Trumps campaign, and that Trump had told him to leave Flynn out of the investigation.

Not all legal analysts agree that the Comey firing, and the latest revelations about Flynn, could constitute obstruction of justice.

You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional right to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate, Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor and constitutional scholar, told Fox News Channel on Monday. For obstruction of justice by the president, you need clearly illegal acts, Dershowitz said.

A different assessment came from Robert Weisberg, a Stanford law professor and, along with Sklansky, a co-director of the law schools Criminal Justice Center.

In a sense, the president is the chief prosecutor, and prosecutors can be allowed discretion not to prosecute, Weisberg said. But that doesnt mean, he said, that they can exercise that discretion with a corrupt intent.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @egelko
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VENTURA, Ventura County  Hundreds of evacuees gathered at the Ventura County Fairgrounds Tuesday after fleeing a wildfire that pushed into residential and commercial neighborhoods the night before.

Many fled their homes after getting an emergency alert at 11:21 p.m. advising of a fast-moving brush fire that started in the foothills near Santa Paula and was dubbed the Thomas Fire.

Judy Terry, 69, was ready for bed when she got the alert as well as a phone call from her landlord telling her to leave. She got dressed, grabbed her dog, Sweetie, and then corralled neighbors into her car.

All I had time to do was get up, get dressed and leave and help others, she said.

The drive to the fairgrounds was difficult, with smoke and power outages making it hard to see.

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She spent the night on a Red Cross cot in the livestock center of the fairgrounds, with her Maltese-poodle mix pup by her side.

More than 600 people took refuge at fairgrounds through the night and into the day Tuesday, said Fred Mariscal, Red Cross regional communications manager.

This is what we do, he said. Our biggest problem is just getting people here.

In what is normally the William Clark livestock center, a hall usually reserved for animals, there was a sea of green cots covered with white Red Cross blankets. Volunteers handed out breakfast burritos, bottled water and bananas.

Outside, Christy Harris tended to her horse, Gentleman Johnnie Walker, in the stalls opened up to evacuees with livestock. She had had two additional horses in the stalls.

Harris had been at a horse training clinic in Escondido (San Diego County) Monday night when she started getting messages about the fire that broke out at 6:30 p.m. near Thomas Aquinas College and, fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, spread rapidly through the night. She rushed to the ranch in Ojai, near Ventura, where she keeps her horses and fled as the fire bore down on them.

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It looked like the gates of hell, she said.

She arrived at the fairgrounds about 5 a.m. Tuesday. Another 25 horses were still at the ranch and had not been evacuated, she said. It was unclear whether they were safe.

Terry said that while her home had been spared, power was out and she had no idea how long shed be at the fairgrounds.

Were stuck here until they tell us we can go, she said.

Jill Tucker and Steve Rubenstein are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com and srubenstein@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @jilltucker and @steverubesf
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The remnants of a small shrine initially erected by a self-proclaimed alt-right group and dedicated to Kate Steinle remained on a wooden bench Monday at the foot of Pier 14, just days after the Steinle family asked San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to have anything connecting her death to politics to be removed.

The alt-right group claimed in a Facebook post that it set up the memorial shortly after a San Francisco jury acquitted a 45-year-old homeless and undocumented immigrant on murder and manslaughter charges stemming from the killing of Steinle.

The 32-year-old San Francisco resident was walking with her father on Pier 14 on July 1, 2015 when a bullet fired from a stolen gun by Jose Ines Garcia Zarate ricocheted off the concrete ground, and hit her. Steinle died after collapsing in her fathers arms.

While the San Francisco Superior Court jury acquitted Garcia Zarrate on Thursday of murder and manslaughter charges, the panel found him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The memorial set up in the wake of the verdict was initially adorned with photos of Steinle captioned She had dreams too, fifty candles, and handwritten notes that read, Build the wall, echoing President Trumps call for a wall on the border with Mexico.

But just three days later, the notes, candles and flags were gone. All that was left behind were three photos of Steinle, dozens of glow sticks tied with black ribbons to the bench and two withering bouquets of flowers.

A family representative placed a request with the mayor for the bench to remain as a simple memorial in recognition of Kate and her spirit, according to a spokeswoman from the Mayors office.

The city Department of Public Works removed any symbols and notes that politicized Steinles death.

Since the verdict, plans for a vigil and justice for Kate Steinle demonstrations have been organized throughout the country, including San Francisco, Portland and Utah in the coming weeks.

Jake Hanft, 28, of San Francisco, who was walking by the memorial Monday morning said he was disappointed by the reaction of people on both sides of the political aisle following the verdict.

Im a liberal guy and Im still disappointed by the verdict, but I dont think that should be cause for widespread protests, Hanft said. I think its insensitive to the family. Im not sure if thats what they wouldve wanted.

In an exclusive interview with The Chronicle, Steinles father, Jim, said he and his family just want to get this over and moved on with our lives, and think about Kate on our terms.

Nothings been on our terms. Its been on everyone elses terms, Jim Steinle said. We never had a second of anger  not a moment.

In reaction to the verdict, he said, Justice was rendered, but it was not served.

Gisa Bok, 39, of St. Petersburg, Fla., was taking a stroll on the Embarcadero Monday morning before her flight back home when she stumbled upon the memorial.

Shes beautiful, her partner muttered softly, as the two gazed at the photos of Steinle.

Bok had read about the case in newspaper reports.

I think its very hurtful for the family, Bok said of the memorial. Its very disrespectful for the family especially if they have been asking for it to be taken down.

Steinles death set off a national debate over immigration and was used throughout President Trumps campaign for the White House as a call for a wall. Garcia Zarate is a homeless and undocumented Mexican immigrant who had been deported from the United States five times and was awaiting a sixth deportation.

Shortly after the verdict, Trump tweeted that the verdict was disgraceful and a complete travesty of justice.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
There are many questions following the shocking acquittal of a homeless undocumented immigrant on murder and manslaughter charges in the killing of Kate Steinle.

One of them? Where the heck was District Attorney George Gascon? He wasnt at the Hall of Justice when the verdict was announced, didnt issue a statement and was mum on social media. Had he gone into hiding to lick his wounds after the outcome, which was disastrous for his office?

No. He was at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles accepting an award from the Southern California Leadership Network on the occasion of the civic groups 30th anniversary. He was already at the venue when a staffer told him via cell phone of the jurys stunning decision.

The first thing that came to mind wasnt that we lost the case, Gascon said in an interview Monday. It was how horrendous this is for the Steinle family and what they must be going through.

The case, which became a major component of Donald Trumps presidential campaign, centered on the July 1, 2015, slaying of Steinle as she walked on Pier 14 with her father. The fact that an undocumented immigrant, Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, killed her wasnt in doubt, but the defense contention that the slaying was accidental swayed the jury.

Gascon, the citys former police chief who has never tried a case himself, said he still believes he had evidence to prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt, despite many observers saying its obvious he overcharged the case.

He said its hard to buy the defenses theory that the gun just went off accidentally, but that the jury has already spoken.

Its too early to tell if Gascons massive loss in the Steinle case will affect his political career.

Despite speculation he was on Gov. Jerry Browns short-list for Attorney General after Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate, Gascon said he will not seek that office in November and will instead support Xavier Becerra, whom Brown appointed to the job. Gascon said he does plan to run for re-election as district attorney in 2019.

Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, called the Steinle verdict a terrifically unfortunate career moment for Gascon, especially if he seeks higher office statewide.

What everyone will remember is hes the one who lost the case  thatll be the tagline, she said.

Maggie Muir, a political consultant who ran Gascons 2011 campaign for district attorney, said it was a mistake for him to remain so quiet after a nationally watched case.

When youre a political official, you need to come out and take responsibility for the verdict, she said. The buck stops with you, and you have to be able to defend that, and he chose not to.

She said incumbents usually fare well in San Francisco, but the major loss in the Steinle case could give potential challengers to Gascon a big boost.

It certainly gives them a credible issue to run on, she said.

Gascon must surely be hoping his career doesnt follow the trajectory of one of his predecessors, Joe Freitas Jr. He was the district attorney who stunned the nation by losing another famous case: the 1979 trial of former Supervisor Dan White in the slayings of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

White was found not guilty of first-degree murder and instead convicted on two counts of voluntary manslaughter. Freitas ran for re-election and lost. He never won another campaign.

School strike? Those underpaid San Francisco public school teachers Ive been telling you so much about have until Wednesday to cast their votes on whether to approve the tentative contract agreement struck last month between their union leaders and the school district.

But passage isnt a slam dunk. Many teachers are organizing their colleagues to vote no and, frankly, its hard to blame them.

A recent Chronicle analysis found that in 2015-16, 775 school districts around California reported salary data to the state. San Franciscos average teacher pay, $67,540, ranked it No. 478, alongside Chico, Salinas and Vacaville.

Leaders of the United Educators of San Francisco want their members to approve a contract giving them an 11 percent raise over three years plus a one-time 2 percent bonus. Theyre working on a parcel tax for the June ballot that would levy an extra $298 per parcel. That adds up to $50 million annually, 75 percent of which would go to teacher salaries.

(The union is asking teachers to help collect signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot, which one teacher rightfully described as walking around with the alms bowl.)

The district and union agreed the teachers would get at least another 2 percent raise and 1 percent bonus if the parcel tax passes. Lita Blanc, president of the union, said passage would mean enough money for teachers to actually get an additional 4 to 5 percent raise.

Some teachers think the deal isnt good enough, considering the deep hole theyre already in. Theyre fed up with what they view as weak union leadership and have held organizing meetings to push for a no vote, created a Facebook page and set up a Twitter account with the handle @UESFsaysNo.

Greg McGarry, an English teacher at Mission High, is one of those no votes.

This is a crisis, and it will continue to severely harm San Francisco and some of our most vulnerable students, families and educators unless we fight now for a fair wage, McGarry said.

If McGarrys side wins, union leadership would have to go back to the negotiating table and start over. Blanc said that means no immediate raises and no guarantee teachers would get anything better than the current offer.

There are some people who think it falls far short of what is necessary, and I dont actually disagree, she said. We know its not enough, but its a good step forward.

Foreshadowing: Its still hard to believe Donald Trump is our president, but theres a movie some say predicted his rise to power.

The 1957 flick A Face in the Crowd, directed by Elia Kazan, seems to foreshadow the star of The Apprentice becoming the leader of the free world. It stars Andy Griffith as Larry Lonesome Rhodes, who is discovered in jail by a radio host and suddenly soars to fame and political power.

Rhodes is a racist womanizer who captivates the public by saying things everybodys thinking but wont dare utter out loud.

Theyre mine, I own them, they think like I do, Rhodes says at one point of his adoring public. Only theyre more stupid than I am, so I got to think for them.

Gee, sound familiar?

The Jewish Film Institute is hosting a screening of the movie at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Roxie Theater followed by a panel discussion featuring Supervisor Hillary Ronen, filmmaker Rick Goldsmith and yours truly. The discussion will be moderated by Stuart Schuffman, a.k.a. Broke-Ass Stuart.

Tickets are available at www.jfi.org/predicting-trump. Hope to see you there!

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
The second season of Shut Eye is available today on Hulu, starring Jeffrey Donovan as a former magician who now works as a psychic, but is actually a con artist. KaDee Strickland plays his wife.

The catch of the day is the National Geographic Channels docuseries, Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist, premiering at 9 p.m. The three-part series, whose second and third parts air Dec. 13 and 20, is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and looks at the life and work of the primatologist 32 years after she was murdered in her remote cabin. The film includes interviews with Sir David Attenborough and Fosseys former research assistant, Wayne McGuire, who was convicted in absentia of her murder. McGuire has always maintained his innocence and the Nat Geo series has access to evidence that supports his position. I would have loved to get an advance look at this for a review, but Ill be watching along with everyone else.
The panicked reaction of his own lawyer speaks to the seriousness of President Trumps admission that he knew Michael Flynn had committed a crime  namely, lying to federal agents  when he tried to talk FBI Director James Comey into letting Flynn go.

Trump said on Twitter Saturday that he had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI, indicating knowledge of the former national security advisers criminal culpability and strengthening the case that the president committed the crime of obstruction of justice by asking Comey to drop the matter.

That is, unless one believes Trump lawyer John Dowds two-pronged defense, a classic of Trumpian surrealism proposing that: (1) Trump is not Trump, and (2) a crime is not a crime.

Dowd made the first argument by telling NBC News that he, not Trump, composed the tweet in question. This doesnt just ask us to believe that Dowd is a phenomenally bad lawyer. It also suggests that any or all of Trumps Twitter account, by far his favorite means of official communication, can be breezily disavowed as not written or seen by the president and therefore having nothing to do with him.

Beyond being posted on Trumps account, which actually bears the handle @realDonaldTrump, the tweet has his stylistic trademarks, from an off-hours time stamp to a gratuitous exclamation mark. Moreover, Trump has a rich history of disowning his statements whenever its convenient. Former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush reaffirmed Trumps recorded boasts of sexual assault in a New York Times op-ed Sunday following reports that Trump privately denied the comments he once acknowledged. Long before he entered presidential politics, Trump was known for conducting phone interviews with reporters using suspicious pseudonyms to pose as his own shill.

Dowds second and even more clearly false and pernicious defense, which the presidents lawyer articulated to Axios, is that the president, by virtue of his position as the nations top law enforcement official, cannot obstruct justice.

It is true that, at least so far, the country has been just fortunate enough to avoid settling constitutional questions surrounding the prospect of a criminal prosecution of a sitting president. And the most likely means of removal of a president from office remain not prosecution but impeachment, which is as much a political process as a legal one.

However, the articles of impeachment against both Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon (who resigned before he was impeached) prominently featured obstruction charges. More important, the idea that the president cant be guilty of obstruction would effectively place him above the law, which is antithetical to the nations founding ideas and legal precedents. As with Trumps many other counterfactual claims, his ardent assertion of unchecked power is not enough to make it so.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee plans to introduce two pieces of legislation Tuesday aimed at creating three new emergency Navigation Centers  residential shelters that offer services to the citys homeless population.

The bills follow a commitment Lee made last month to bring 1,000 people off the streets this winter, and theyre being introduced in parallel with a separate plan to open a 25-bed facility catering specifically to homeless women and pregnant women.

One proposed resolution would allow the city to lease a roughly 31,000-square-foot parcel at 125 Bayshore Blvd. in the citys Visitacion Valley neighborhood that would hold between 100 and 125 beds.

The shelter is intended to be a temporary one, with an initial six-month lease giving way to five one-year renewal options through September 2023. The annual rent for the parcel would come to $489,000, with 3 percent increases each year. The city is hoping to open that center by February.

Lees second measure would allow the city to begin formal negotiations with the California Department of Transportation for two more temporary Navigation Center sites. One, at Fifth and Bryant streets, would house 80 beds. The other, at 13th and Division streets, would house about 100 beds. Lee announced the city would seek to turn those locations into emergency Navigation Centers last month, and both are expected to be opened by next spring.

Separately, the city is closing in on the creation of a permanent Navigation Center for women and expectant mothers living on the street. The facility would be located at the former Jelani House, a now-closed residential treatment program for women and mothers facing substance abuse issues.

Supervisor Jane Kim worked with the citys Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to secure the site for women and pregnant women.

Its been a long-term goal for her to get a womens-only shelter in her district, said Ivy Lee, a legislative aide for Kim.

Jeff Kositsky, director of the citys homelessness department, said he was very excited about the mayors challenge to get 1,000 people off the street. Along with other city departments were actively looking at a variety of locations for a host of different kinds of programs.

He declined, however, to comment on any negotiations currently in progress.

Currently, San Francisco has two Navigation Centers in the Mission, one in Dogpatch, one in the Civic Center and one at San Francisco General Hospital.

 Dominic Fracassa

Emergency money: San Francisco likely will dip into its reserve fund to pay for a state program that helps elderly and disabled people, which this year left the city with an $8.8 million tab.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

That money would come from a $10 million reserve meant to cope with unanticipated budget shortfalls. Lee has asked the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee to release about $9.6 million of it on Thursday.

At a time when priorities are shifting at the federal and state levels, it is critical that cities practice fiscal restraint to help mitigate any unexpected funding cuts, the mayor wrote in a statement. He praised the city for hoarding money during a time of prosperity.

The bulk of the reserve funds would go to In-Home Support Services, a state program that provides attendants for a booming population of elderly people, allowing them to live independently instead of in nursing homes.

It hit turbulence this year when Gov. Jerry Brown shifted much of the burden back to counties. San Francisco had set aside more than $11 million to prepare for its increased share of the costs, which shot up to about $20 million.

Another $686,000 in reserves would compensate for federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cuts to HIV and AIDS prevention programs.

And $73,000 would pay for 142 applications to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. Lee waived the fees for people eligible to renew their DACA benefits after President Trump upended the program in September.

 Rachel Swan

Dominic Fracassa and Rachel Swan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: cityinsider@sfchronicle.com, dfracassa@sfchronicle.com, rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfcityinsider, @dominicfracassa, @rachelswan
A four-car crash shut down two westbound lanes on the Bay Bridge Tuesday, causing traffic delays at the start of the afternoon commute, officials said.

The crash was reported about 2 p.m. on the west side of the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel, said Officer Vu Williams of the California Highway Patrol.
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Those 20th-century, alarm clock-esque red Muni Metro signs are being phased out.

New mezzanine and station platform signs are currently being "tested for functionality," San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesperson Paul Rose confirmed last week. Photos of the signs have circulated on Reddit and social media.

Sharp-eyed commuters may have already noticed more of the colorful signs around underground Muni platforms. Rose said all the new signs should be up and functional by the middle of 2018, and they will be replacing the current signs in all Muni stations.

The color displays have been in the works for quite some time. According to a Bay City News report, they first were first unveiled in 2012 and were scheduled to be installed in 2014. They also come in a few different visual configurations, as a contemporaneous post on the public transit blog Muni Diaries detailed. Here's an explanation of one of them:

SFMTA at one point had a webpage that allowed people to give feedback on the layout of the new signs, but that page has been deactivated.

The contractor responsible for the signs is Blocka Construction Inc. The Fremont-based firm was awarded the $24 million contract in 2013, as part of a larger information systems contract, according to the Examiner.

Asked why there was a delay, Rose said that Muni has been working to "appropriately integrate the software with the automatic control system."

The new signage will also come with updated audio announcements, Rose added. No word yet of what Muni's new voice will sound like, but you could soon be saying goodbye to the harsh, computerized bark that now narrates your evening commute.
This story first appeared on the Daily Californian. The names of several students in this article have been changed to protect their identities. They requested to remain anonymous for fear of their financial security.

You may have thought marriage had become obsolete among millennials, but Bohemianism has gotten expensive at UC Berkeley. In some cases, students have found that their marital status is a matter of tens of thousands of dollars.

Baela Tinsley, an out-of-state campus senior, first considered getting married because it would help him get in-state tuition. While he found that he was able to meet most of the conditions for California residency through relatively straightforward procedures (such as registering to vote in the state and getting a California driver's license), his residency hinged on his financial status as a dependent. Undergraduates under the age of 24 can establish financial independence through various difficult and life-changing mechanisms, including joining the army, becoming emancipated from their parents, having a child and getting married.

"(Marriage is) like getting a green card for California tuition," said UC Berkeley sophomore Emily.

But marrying for citizenship requires proving the marriage's legitimacy through an exhaustive immigration process. By contrast, campus senior Alice, who also got married to receive in-state tuition, said she simply presented the residency office with the appropriate documentation, and her residency status was updated within a week.

"It all went much, much smoother than I ever could have expected of financial aid offices at UC Berkeley," Tinsley said of his own experience.

The only unexpected outcome was overwhelmingly positive for Tinsley and Alice  they both found that the financial benefits of marriage extended far beyond the waiver of the annual $28,014 out-of-state fee. While they used to pay approximately $20,000 and $40,000 per year after financial aid, respectively, UC Berkeley now covers the full cost of their tuition, and they both receive money from the school for housing expenses.

Financial independence means the ability to pay for school is judged on a student's personal income as opposed to that of his or her parents, meaning marriage has the potential to save money for almost any undergraduate, whether they be in-state students at public universities or enrolled at the most expensive private colleges. And while it is impossible to know whether Tinsley's and Alice's experiences are part of a larger trend, these marriages are not unique to UC Berkeley.

ALSO READ: The best places for Bay Area expats who want to live like kings

Campus spokesperson Janet Gilmore said in an email that she believes these marriages are "relatively rare." She added that the registrar's office has not noticed a significant uptick of cases in which marriage was a criteria used to gain California residency over the past five years.

Gilmore declined to discuss the school's policy toward these marriages, and the consequences of being "found out" are unclear. She said the school has no way of determining if residency is the sole motive behind a marriage, and while one student claimed that punishments could range from a fine to prison, no one with whom I spoke had ever heard of such a case. UC Berkeley School of Law professor Angela Onwuachi-Willig said in an email that to her knowledge, marrying for financial aid is not illegal and is "no different" from marrying for wealth.

"Marriage is always a legal and economic contract, whether people recognize it or not," said Leti Volpp, another law professor at UC Berkeley, in an email.

However, these students emphasized the need to be discreet about their marriages because of potential repercussions from the school. Jade, a campus senior who is considering getting married, said a financial aid officer attempted to dissuade her potential bride. The rest of the students said they had expressly avoided the financial aid office throughout the process.

Besides official discouragement, some faced skepticism from friends and family. All the students discussed initial resistance from their parents, and Tinsley said that after he posted a Facebook status about his marriage, he received a worried text from his grandmother.

"I explained the situation to her  that now I'm getting free tuition. She responded with 'That's no reason to get married,' " Tinsley said. "I don't think she understood what this means for the rest of my life, so I ended up telling her I was just pulling her leg."

ALSO READ: Artists are fleeing the Bay Area. Here's where they're going.

And while unconventional, these marriages were not performed without caution. The students stressed the importance of finding the "right person"  someone they trusted enough to bind themselves to legally and financially. Although none of them are romantically involved with their spouses, they all married good friends, and they ironically discouraged marrying a romantic partner "for financial reasons," as Jade said.

Besides perks such as reduced car insurance and occasional awkward explanations on first dates, Tinsley and Alice noted that their day-to-day lives had changed very little, excepting their financial situations.

Though some of the students felt they had pulled the process off with relative ease, they all emphasized that their marriages came out of financial necessity. Jade is on a full scholarship that may not cover her final semester; Emily is from a low-income family but lost her financial aid after she took a gap year; and Alice had planned on leaving school because of financial constraints and returning when she turned 24.

"I don't think people really understand that me being able to go to school hangs on this," Emily said. "This was not just a fun thing that I wanted to do."

From some of the students' perspectives, this phenomenon is a loophole in the "broken" higher education system. Alice said figuring out how to pay for college has become a perverse "game" for many students, and Emily said she wished there were more dialogue about why some feel they must get married in order to afford UC Berkeley.

And though the future of these marriages is hard to predict, the students suggested that they would only increase with tuition.

Contact Frances Fitzgerald at ffitzgerald@dailycal.org.
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California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said his office will review disturbing allegations of mistreatment by immigrant detainees at Richmonds West County jail.

The review will encompass conditions inside immigrant detention centers across the state and specifically examine the troubling claims by immigrants at the East Bay detention facility, Becerra said.

Becerra acknowledged the probe in a letter Friday to Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, who had asked for investigations into the jail by both state and federal authorities, after The Chronicle reported that female immigrant detainees said they were being denied access to bathrooms, sufficient health care and the educational material given to inmates who are U.S. citizens.

Women told The Chronicle they were forced to urinate and defecate in their clothes or plastic bags in their cells. Some said the jails medical staff were not properly treating their alarming health problems. One woman begged to be deported rather than stay in the facility.

After the story was published, the detainees said conditions worsened for those who had spoken out. The women said guards withheld soap and shampoo and did not allow them to brush their teeth after meals.

Contra Costa County sheriffs officials, who operate the jail, strongly disputed allegations of mistreatment. In a statement Monday, Sheriff David Livingston said such complaints as excessive lockdown time or improper use of biohazard bags are extremely rare among the jails 1,600 inmates and detainees.

Now Playing: Californias Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued the Trump Administration on Wednesday to halt the construction of the border wall. The suit alleges the federal government is overstepping its authority by waiving multiple environmental reviews and Video: KTVU

The fact that some ICE detainees have made such allegations demands a full and thorough investigation, which is well under way, Livingston said. We routinely pass stringent state and federal jail inspections and are committed to running safe, secure and constitutionally compliant detention facilities.

The county has a $6 million annual contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to run the federal detention center at the Richmond jail, which houses male and female ICE detainees.

Internal affairs investigators with the sheriffs office have conducted more than 100 interviews with inmates and staff, reviewed surveillance video and inspected evidence and jail quarters, said Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the department.

The sheriffs office has been in close communication and cooperating with Becerras staff, who toured the facilities Nov. 16 and will again soon, Lee said. The sheriffs office has asked Becerras staff to review the departments internal investigation once its finalized next week.

The California Department of Justice is required to submit a comprehensive report of its findings to the state lawmakers by March 2019, Becerra said in the letter.

You have my assurance that DOJ is committed to a vigorous and independent exercise of the oversight responsibility the Legislature entrusted to DOJ, Becerra wrote to DeSaulnier.

Becerra said his office wouldnt comment on its work until the review is complete.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
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Anheuser-Busch InBev, one of the biggest beer companies in the world, is not regarded too kindly by craft brewers.

That's perhaps why the company opted to get creative when they issued a cease and desist to a small brewery in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Minnesota brewery, called Modist Brewing Company, had been selling a double IPA called "Dilly Dilly"  a knock on the recent Bud Light campaign wherein medieval monarchs toast while uttering (the copyrighted phrase) "dilly dilly" in unison.

AB InBev kept in theme with their message to Modist; rather than sending a traditional letter utilizing the force of their arsenal of lawyers, AB InBev sent a single, but very effective town crier to deliver the news.

That moment when Bud Light sends you a cease and desist for your #dillydilly release... via a scroll... written in olde... Posted by Modist Brewing Company on Friday, December 1, 2017

"We are duly flattered by your loyal tribute, however, Dilly Dilly is the motto of our realm and so we humbly ask that you keep this to a limited-edition, one-time-only run," the crier shouted as he read text from a scroll. "Disobedience shall be met with additional scrolls, then a formal warning, and finally, a private tour of the Pit of Misery. Please send a raven, letter or electronic mail to let us know that you agree to this request."

Modist's lawyer, Jeff O'Brien, told the local Star Tribune that he thought AB InBev handled what might have been an ugly situation in a "funny way."

"There's so many brewery names and beer names out there, and we try to resolve it short of suing each other," he said. "They did it in a funny way and protected their mark. I thought it was a really cool way of handling it."

Plus, for their troubles, AB InBev gifted the brewery two tickets for the next Super Bowl, which takes place in Minneapolis this February.

According to the Takeout, Modist has already changed the name of the beer to Coat Tails, but has hung the scroll on the wall.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.


Writing The Angel of History began with anger, says author Rabih Alameddine. An unidentified anger that suddenly sprouted for a period a few years ago.

Early on in Alameddines fourth novel, recently released in paperback, the protagonist, a gay poet in San Francisco named Jacob, explodes with a furious tirade in the middle of a restaurant. After a much younger gay writer commiserates Joan Didions loss of loved ones, Jacob lashes out  he had lost five close friends and a husband in a matter of months during the AIDS epidemic, a dark period that the young writer seemed positively ignorant about.

The scene was semi-autobiographical for Alameddine, who also endured the AIDS crisis in San Francisco. At a restaurant with two friends, Alameddine had an outburst about the videos from the It Gets Better campaign aimed at LGBTQ youth.

I couldnt understand what the hell was going on, Alameddine says of this stormy period. Along with the anger, I started seeing friends who had died 20 years ago, just glimpses.

Eventually, after traveling to Lebanon to work with Syrian refugees, he realized the source of his rage.

I began to understand a lot of my anger was directed at what wed forgotten, Alameddine says. Not just what the world had forgotten, but what I had forgotten.

After the country ignored the horrors of the AIDS epidemic  much like the world now recoils from the reality of the global refugee crisis  Alameddine himself had to abandon his own memories of death and loss simply to cope and continue.

And then all of a sudden they were coming back whether I wanted to (remember) or not, he says.

This is the chief theme of Alameddines novel, the balance between memory and forgetting, each respectively personified in the book by Satan and Death. Like Alameddine, Jacob is tormented by the revisitation of the memories of his past.

Taking place over a single night, the book shuffles primarily between three forms: Jacobs journal entries; his time spent waiting in a clinic to see a psychiatrist while fending off hallucinations of Satan; and a series of interviews conducted by Satan, or the angel of history. In an effort to force Jacob to remember his painful past, Satan meets with Death, the gatekeeper to eternal memory loss, along with a collection of other religious saints that have helped Jacob throughout his life.

This dance, as Alameddine calls it, between Satan and Death, between remembering and forgetting, is a reflection of America, where forgetting is a national pastime. Take any subject in the news, Alameddine says, from gun violence to Americas involvements in the Middle East, and it has a strand of recent history that we fail to remember or choose to ignore.

Its not that we should wallow, Alameddine says. Moving on is a good thing. But at the same time, our ability to just dismiss the past is just fascinating. Weve become a society that does not know its history at all.

In writing The Angel of History, Alameddine bore no illusions that it would correct our collective memory or recognition of, say, the carnage of Americas international conflicts or of the AIDS epidemic. To build ones art as an agent of change, he says, is like trying to destroy a mountain by rubbing it with a silk scarf. Nor was writing about the excavated recollections of grief therapeutic  if anything it was the opposite.

But not doing it, Alameddine says, not writing, is in some way a crime.

Brandon Yu is a Bay Area freelance writer.

Book events

Rabih Alameddine: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6. Free. San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St, S.F. https://sfpl.org/

Charif Shanahan and Sam Sax, two award-winning poets, read from their new works. Tuesday, Dec. 5. Free. Green Apple Books on the Park. 1231 9th Ave, S.F. www.greenapplebooks.com

Rita Dove, former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, reads from her work at UC Berkeleys Lunch Poems series. 12:10 p.m. Thursday, Dec.7. Free. Morrison Library, UC Berkeley. http://lunchpoems.berkeley.edu/
Soup to your door

Campbell Soup Co. is testing an online service that will deliver soups to customers doors, part of an effort to shake off a sales slump and update its business model. The 148-year-old company will start testing the program next month, shipping out premium soups that consumers can heat up at home. In a separate effort, Campbell is developing crafted soup with local ingredients that are sold in glass containers, a nod to the growing popularity of mason jars. Campbell is under some pressure as shoppers gravitate to fresh food; its shares have fallen about 20 percent this year.

New grocery partnership

Instacart will partner with Krogers QFC to start a home delivery service at stores in the Pacific Northwest. The San Francisco delivery company, which has a partnership with Whole Foods, has faced concerns after Amazon, which has its own delivery network, bought the high-end grocer. QFC said couriers could deliver groceries from most Portland, Ore., and Seattle area stores as fast as two hours after an order.

Number of the day

$50 billion

Thats how much Xiaomi Corp. , the Chinese smartphone maker, is seeking in valuation as it talks with investment banks about a possible initial public offering. Xiaomi would be the biggest technology company to go public since Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. raised a record-breaking $25 billion at a $231.4 billion market value in 2014. Xiaomi, founded in 2010, last raised money in 2014 at a $46 billion valuation.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicle
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The restaurant known for its larger-than-life menus and questionable taste in interior design is gifting lucky customers with free slices of cheesecake Wednesday.

Cheesecake Factory is giving away an eye-popping 10,000 cheesecake slices on what it's calling the "Day of 10,000 Slices."

The promo is not without some limitations, of course. The free slices of cheesecake are only being included with Cheesecake Factory orders via delivery service DoorDash.

READ ALSO: The Cheesecake Factory has embraced being 'one of the most horrible-looking places around'

Now Playing: If youve eaten at the Cheesecake Factory with a group of friends and split the bill, you may want to check your receipt. Veuer's Natasha Abellard (@NatashaAbellard) has the story. Video: Buzz 60

Customers who know and use the promo code ("10000SLICES") with DoorDash that day will find themselves with a sliver of cream cheese goodness.

The Cheesecake Factory could certainly use a bit of good PR these days, after the chain was recently accused of recommending high tips on its bills. A lawsuit was filed against the company in August that suggested that when bills were split amongst a group, the suggested tip amounts remained the same on each receipt despite the smaller bill amount.

If you're looking to get your own free slice of cheesecake, keep in mind the promo won't work for takeout or dining-in  it's solidly a delivery-only promo. The restaurant chain is also offering free delivery for the week, no promo code needed.

To check to see if Cheesecake Factory delivers in your area, head over to thecheesecakefactory.com/delivery.
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Taco Bell, tread carefully.

The fast food brand is taking aim at its fast food competitors, and in its ambition to rule the fast food roost, the brand is taking on the sacred California burrito.

Taco Bell is currently testing out three burritos stuffed with french fries, including one deemed the "California Loaded Fries Burrito," Foodbeast reported.

ALSO READ: In-N-Out likely expanding to a new state that wants it badly

How close does this version of the California burrito come to the real thing? The San Diego-born burrito generally comes with carne asada meat, fries, cheese, guacamole and salsa fresca.

In Taco Bell's version, the very necessary fries and guacamole are in there, but with a switch to "seasoned beef," nacho cheese sauce, sour cream and tomatoes.

Now Playing: A tweet responding to the bands bassists said the chains lack of fries might change soon. Video: Food & Wine

The other fry-laden burritos are variations of the California burrito. In the Chipotle version, it boasts the same Cali ingredients and a creamy chipotle sauce rather than guac. The Supreme eschews the guacamole and the chipotle sauce, choosing to go a bit plainer than the others. The burritos currently retail for $1.99 each, or as part of a $5 box of food.

Taco Bell low-key tested out "nacho fries" at select locations this year and hinted at the release of the item earlier this year over social media.

ALSO READ: SodaStream's new item turns sparkling water into wine

So it seems to follow that the brand would try to roll those fries into as many items as it could, trying to capitalize on the fame of the California burritos. It also seems to be just a step away from the potatoes Taco Bell is already folding into its burritos. (They've also tested a more questionable burrito with spicy Pop Rocks, dubbed the "Firecracker Burrito.")

Despite the California burrito being named after the state, Taco Bell has instead decided to test the burrito elsewhere, namely Charleston, W.Va. until late December. Looks like Californians will just have to deal with the real thing until Taco Bell unrolls their version to a nearby location.
WASHINGTON  Lobbing new criticism at the special counsels Russia investigation, President Trump said Monday he feels very badly for former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who last week pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about reaching out to the Russians on the presidents behalf.

I think its a shame, Trump said of Flynns situation, adding that its very unfair and that Flynn had led a very strong life.

Trump tried to contrast Flynns treatment with that of his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton, who he said lied many times to the FBI and nothing happened.

Flynn lied and they destroyed his life, Trump said.

The FBI didnt conclude that Clinton lied to agents, however. Former FBI Director James Comey testified last year that agents found Clinton to be truthful in her interview, telling a House committee, We have no basis to conclude she lied to the FBI.

Flynn is cooperating with special counsel Robert Muellers investigation.

As Trump sought to minimize Flynns misdeeds, the Kremlin on Monday insisted that Flynns conversations with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. had not influenced President Vladimir Putins response to sanctions imposed by Trumps predecessor.

Flynn was forced to resign in February following reports that Obama administration officials had informed Trumps team that Flynn had discussed sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, a fact at odds with the public assertions of Vice President Mike Pence. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday it was absurd to suggest that the phone conversation could have influenced Putins decision, and added that such requests couldnt have been passed on to him.

Trump unleashed a string of tweets over the weekend in which he criticized the FBI and raised questions about the federal investigation into Russian election meddling and possible ties to his campaign. In one of his messages, Trump again denied that he directed Comey to stop investigating Flynn.

Trump questioned the direction of the federal law enforcement agency and wrote that after Comey, whom Trump fired in May, the FBIs reputation is in Tatters  worst in History! He vowed to bring it back to greatness.

Ken Thomas is an Associated Press writer.
1 Budget talks: Congress top two Democrats have accepted a White House invitation for a face-to-face meeting with President Trump on Thursday in hopes of resolving issues blocking a spending deal and averting a government shutdown. A temporary government spending bill enacted in September expires at midnight Friday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said they hope Trump will go into the meeting with an open mind, rather than dismissing the possibility of a deal ahead of time. Both Democrats abruptly backed out of a planned meeting last week after Trump attacked them on Twitter.

2 Ex-lawmaker sentenced: Former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown was sentenced Monday in Jacksonville, Fla., to five years in prison, followed by three years of probation, for fraud and other charges related to a purported charity for poor students that she used as a personal slush fund. The 71-year-old was ordered to turn herself in no earlier than Jan. 8. Brown, a Democrat, served a district that included Jacksonville during her nearly 25-year career. She was convicted by a federal jury in May on 18 of 22 charges against her, which included fraud, lying on her tax returns and on her congressional disclosures.
WASHINGTON  While facing several felony charges, Donald Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been working on an op-ed essay with a longtime colleague assessed to have ties to a Russian intelligence service, according to court papers filed Monday by prosecutors working for special counsel Robert Mueller.

Prosecutors say Manafort and the colleague sought to publish the op-ed under someone elses name and intended it to influence public opinion about his work in Ukraine. The op-ed was being drafted as late as last week, with Manafort currently under house arrest. Prosecutors did not name the colleague but noted the person is based in Russia.
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California has broken its promise to millions of schoolchildren with an education system that is failing to teach students to read or write, advocates charged Tuesday in a lawsuit seeking a statewide right of access to literacy.

The suit was filed on behalf of current and former elementary school students and their families in two districts in Los Angeles and Stockton, and a charter school in Los Angeles County. The lead plaintiff is a 7-year-old second-grader who cant spell words like need and help, lawyers said.

They said students in one charter school class couldnt read their social studies lesson and had to listen to an audio version. Some Stockton students start crying when asked to read out loud in class, the lawsuit said. And one student said his brother didnt learn to read until he was held in juvenile hall at age 16.

Statewide, the picture is equally grim, the suit said: Among the nations largest school districts, California has 11 of the 26 lowest-performing districts in literacy and basic education.

California is dragging down the nation, said attorney Mark Rosenbaum of the nonprofit Public Counsel, which filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court along with the San Francisco law firm of Morrison & Foerster.

In response, the state Department of Education, a defendant in the suit, said California has one of the most ambitious programs in the nation to serve low-income students.

The state spends more than $10 billion a year on programs for English learners, students from low-income families and foster youths, said the department, headed by Superintendent Tom Torlakson. It said it will provide further support next year to 228 school districts, including those of the three schools in the suit.

The California Constitution guarantees students the right to a public school education. But in another suit, a state appeals court in San Francisco ruled last year that the Constitution does not give students the right to an education at any particular level of quality. The court refused to order an increase in school funding levels that are among the nations lowest. The state Supreme Court denied review of an appeal by the plaintiffs  who included the California Teachers Association and the state PTA  on a 4-3 vote.

Rosenbaum said the new suit is different.

That case was about seeking a certain quantum of money, he said. Were about seeking a quantum of education, so that all children learn how to read.

Specifically, the suit accused state education officials of ignoring a 2012 report by experts they had brought in to assess literacy in the schools.

The report found an urgent need to address the language and literacy development of Californias underserved populations, particularly minorities and the poor, and called for new approaches to reading instruction, early screening and remedial help. It also recommended steps to create a welcoming environment for parents who speak a language other than English at home.

None of those recommendations has been implemented, and students in California continue to suffer from illiteracy, the suit said. It seeks court orders requiring appropriate literacy instruction at all grade levels along with periodic screening of students to detect problems.

California, with more than 6 million public school students, plunged from the top to the bottom of national rankings in both school spending and test scores after passage of the Proposition 13 property tax cut in 1978. But Rosenbaum argued that improving student literacy would cost less than the current system.

Once we have a system of literacy instruction, he said, you dont have to repeat kids (in their grade levels), suspensions and expulsions will go way down, and you will not have teacher turnover and staff instability.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
LOS ANGELES  Standing at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Foothill Boulevard, Bryant Lum, 56, watched as an entire hillside burned, flames whipping as they approached close to a dozen homes on Santa Lucia Court, just off Victoria Avenue.

Just on the other side, along Santa Susana Court, stood his home.



"I thought we were going to be safe," he said.



Lum, who has lived in the Hidden Valley neighborhood for 15 years, said he, his wife and children were ordered to evacuate around 11 p.m.
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This story appeared on KQED.

If you fear shark attacks, you're not alone. Even though accidents involving toasters kill more people each year, there's something unnerving about the thought of being in the water with a predator.

On Friday, November 24, a man spear fishing in Monterey Bay was attacked by a shark  probably a white shark. He's expected to be OK. Each time a reported shark attack appears in the news, though, it can stoke panic.

Take some comfort, then, in the knowledge that your risk of a shark attack is low, almost unbelievably low. What's more, the risk of shark attack has been in long-term decline. (We still advise due caution when in the water.)

According to a study out of Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station, shark attack risk on the California coast has dropped by more than 91 percent since 1950.

The study, published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, weighted the number of reported attacks in the last 60 years in the state against the number of people using the ocean for swimming, diving, surfing and other sports. While the number of statewide attacks has remained relatively steady (about one per year on average in the '50s to one-to-two per year now) the number of people in the ocean has ballooned.

"So right now your chances to have a shark interaction is much lower than it was in the '50s," says Francesco Ferretti, a shark researcher who studies the human impact on ocean health.

VIDEO: Here's why California is getting more sharks

Now Playing: Scientists believe that shark populations are increasing in Californias bays. Video: Travel & Leisure

The best hypothesis for explaining this pattern, Ferretti says, is the amazing recovery of pinnipeds  seals, sea lions, elephant seals  in California. These animals were basically hunted to extinction at the beginning of the last century, exploited for fur and fat. Their recovery began in the mid-20th century. "Now they are skyrocketing in many places around California," Ferretti says.

Ferretti and co-researchers suspect that since seals tend to live in large groups in predictable areas  such as the Farallon Islands or Ano Nuevo, north of Monterey Bay, white sharks know where to go to get a meal. It's possible they're not spending as much time roaming up and down the coastline as they once did.

As predators, sharks play key roles in ocean ecosystems.

"The sharks are kind of the police of the ocean," says Ferretti. "They keep in balance things that [would] get out of control."

The presence of top predators helps ensure stability and balance in fish stocks.

For example, it's suspected that on the East Coast, killing sharks contributed to the collapse of a scallop fishery in North Carolina, because sharks kept the rays  which eat scallops  in check.

ALSO READ: Remains of ancient sea cow unearthed on California island

Ferretti's data is practical too. He says learning about the ecology and movement of sharks can do much more to decrease the risk of shark attack than culling sharks.

Risk of shark attacks is highest, he says, in the months of October and November in Northern California. For surfers, for example, risk can be reduced 25-fold by surfing in March instead, and by more than 1,600-fold by surfing in Southern California, between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Increased knowledge helps people protect themselves, settle disputes

The best gift for lawyer Xu Xianghui on Constitution Day, which fell on Dec 4, is that the legal awareness of his villagers has been improving.

He was named legal consultant in Xuri village, Guangdong province, in 2009, and since then has helped villagers settle disputes and taught them how to use the law to protect themselves.

"The first law I taught them was the Constitution, as I wanted them to know their basic rights and obligations granted by the law," he said. "Now, villagers do not fight against each other in conflicts like they did 17 years ago."

He shared his experiences with national top legislator Zhang Dejiang, as well as officials from other authorities, students and legal professionals during a seminar on Monday.

He highlighted the importance of popularizing laws in grassroots governance, adding that legal consultants like him have participated in resolving more than 53,000 disputes since 2014.

Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, noted the Constitution is the country's fundamental law, saying its popularization is a basic but a long-term project for fulfilling the rule of law.

Three students (a primary student, a middle school student and a college student) were also invited to share their understanding about the Constitution at the seminar. All of them mentioned their better understanding of the key status of the Constitution and related legal structures.

"Previously, judicial experts were often invited to such seminars, but this time, it's unusual but good to see grassroots representatives, including students and lawyers, play a major role," said Ma Huaide, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law.

"After all, the aim of our popularizing the law is to help people enhance their legal awareness and apply their legal knowledge in their work and life," he added.

Guo Jie, a judge from Fujian province, went to a primary school on Monday to teach students how to use the law to stay safe from sexual assault, drugs and campus dangers.

"Talking face-to-face is necessary, as it makes the laws easier for children to understand," she added.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/05/2017 page4)
In ordinary times, the question motivating the 12 short plays in TheatreFirsts Participants might not sound like a theme around which you could organize a single evening of theater: Where have we been, what are we doing, and where do we go now? In other words: write a short play about anything that has ever existed or might yet exist?

But the company posed the question to its playwrights, all of whom are local or have strong local ties, specifically in the wake of the 2016 presidential election  i.e., in extraordinary times. Its surely no coincidence, then, that almost all of these dozen writers  chroniclers and interrogators, satirists and confessors  alighted on power and its abuse as the prism through which to filter our bonkers current moment. If the quality of the 12 plays varies, the compendium that opened Sunday, Dec. 3, at Berkeleys Live Oak Theater nonetheless charts an informative map of the many battlefronts at which we humans in 2017 are jockeying for control of our own destinies.
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Villagers of Ringaskiddy, County Cork, Ireland, say air pollution from a factory that produces the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra are affecting the menfolk.

"One whiff and you're stiff," local bartender Debbie O'Grady told the Sunday Times.

If it's not the fumes emanating from Pfizer's plant, then it's the water that is getting the men's Irish up, some believe.

"I think that Viagra must have got into the water supply," Fiona Toomey, 37, told the paper. Toomey used to work at the Pfizer factory.

"I'm convinced that's what happened at the very beginning before they were so closely regulated," she said.

It's not only human males who are aroused. Toomey says that dogs "walk around in a state of sexual excitement."

The joke in Ringaskiddy is that while Viagra will soon be available over the counter in the UK, the town has had it for free for years.

Pfizer said a statement that there was no truth to what it calls "an amusing myth."

Now Playing: ts a real pick me up - but a coffee with a viagra-like ingredient is now being recalled. Buzz60's Nathan Rousseau Smith has the full story. Video: Buzz 60

"Our manufacturing processes have always been highly sophisticated as well as highly regulated," a Pfizer spokeswoman told the Times.

But the towspeople insist that living in Ringaskiddy is an uplifting experience, drug company denials notwithstanding.

"It's amazing the number of people who come to this village, perhaps out of curiosity, and then never leave," says Debbie O'Grady's mother, Sadie. "They settle down here. As they say, there's something in the air  not that we need it, of course. But for some fellas with problems in that department, it can be a blessing."
KUWAIT CITY  A planned two-day summit of Gulf Arab countries fell apart within hours of starting Tuesday over the ongoing boycott of Qatar, underscoring the difficulty of ending the crisis and suggesting that unifying the bloc of U.S. allies is slipping further from reach.

Even before Kuwaits 88-year-old emir began the summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Arab Emirates announced it formed a new partnership with Saudi Arabia to coordinate all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields, the basic goal of the GCC.

Abu Dhabi and Riyadh already enjoy close ties and previously signed a similar agreement last year, suggesting the latest announcement was meant to scuttle any possible reconciliation in Kuwait City. It also highlighted the inherent weakness of the six-nation GCC already exposed by the months-long dispute between half of its members and Qatar.

The GCC has been successful at, in essence, boring things that do not make it to public consciousness  hence successes in areas of economic harmonization, said David Roberts, an assistant professor at Kings College London. But whenever an issue is controversial, political or actually important, the organization typically fails.

The GCC, composed of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, was formed in 1981, in part as a counterbalance to Shiite power Iran. Its no stranger to disputes among its members, especially during the mid-1990s.

In the time since, the group had grown more clubby, buoyed by rising oil and energy prices. It made visa-free travel arrangements among its members and pushed toward greater economic cooperation.

But a drop in oil prices, the 2011 Arab Spring and its aftermath, and other political maneuvers led to the Qatar diplomatic crisis.

The dispute began in June, following what Qatar described as a hack of its state-run news agency and the circulation of incendiary comments attributed to its ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. Soon after, GCC members Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE closed off their airspace and seaports to Qatar, as well as the small peninsular nations sole land border with Saudi Arabia.

The boycott initially riled Doha, but Qatar soon replaced food products with those flown in from Turkey and Iran.

The boycotting nations allege Qatar funds extremist groups and has too-cozy ties to Iran. Qatar has long denied funding extremists.

Jon Gambrell is an Associated Press writer.
BEIRUT  Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri revoked his resignation Tuesday following a consensus deal reached with rival political parties, marking an end to one of the most bizarre interludes in Lebanese politics.

The announcement came at the end of the first Cabinet meeting to be held since Lebanon was thrown into a political crisis following Hariris stunning move a month ago.

Hariri announced his resignation in a Nov. 4 televised broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing the Iranian-backed Hezbollahs meddling in regional affairs as a main reason for stepping down. The nature of the announcement raised suspicions that it was orchestrated by Saudi Arabia, his main backer, and that he was being held against his will, prompting calls for his release from top Lebanese officials.

The move thrust Lebanon to the forefront of the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and shattered the national unity government that Hariri headed.

Following French diplomacy that facilitated Hariris departure from Saudi Arabia to Paris for a brief visit, he returned to Lebanon on Nov. 21 and put the resignation on hold to allow for consultations.

The Lebanese have rallied around Hariri in what became an embarrassment for Saudi Arabia.

Tuesdays Cabinet meeting endorsed a statement that calls on rival Lebanese groups to distance themselves from regional conflicts and the internal affairs of Arab countries.

The Lebanese government, through all its political components, disassociates itself from any conflicts or wars, as well as the internal affairs of Arab countries to protect Lebanons political and economic relations with its Arab brothers, Hariri said.

He then said he had rescinded his resignation.

It is not clear what, if anything, the agreement entails beyond a supposed commitment to tone down inflammatory rhetoric toward regional states from all sides.

Hariri has complained about the Shiite militant Hezbollah groups meddling in regional affairs, including the affairs of Gulf countries  a reference to Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is fighting Shiite rebels supported by Iran.

Hezbollah has also sent thousands of fighters to Syria to shore up President Bashar Assads forces.

Zeina Karam is an Associated Press writer.
1 Kremlin reprisal: Russian lawmakers have drafted new regulations that would bar U.S. media named foreign agents from accessing the parliaments lower house in retaliation for the withdrawal of a Russian state-funded television stations credentials in the U.S. A State Duma committee proposed Monday that the house vote on the measure Wednesday. A committee governing Capitol Hill access for broadcast journalists has withdrawn credentials for Russias RT television. Moscow denounced the move and passed a law allowing the government to designate any international media outlet as foreign agents.

2 Jordan bombing: A state security court convicted four Syrians on Monday of helping Islamic State militants carry out a 2016 car bomb attack that led to the closure of the Syrian-Jordanian border. The court sentenced one defendant to death and three to life in prison. The cross-border suicide attack, which originated in June 2016 near the Rukban camp for displaced Syrians on the Syrian-Jordanian frontier, killed seven Jordanian border guards. In response, Jordan sealed the border, barring the entry of virtually all Syrians who were fleeing from fighting and were amassing on the border.
SWEIMEH, Jordan  A day after Houthi rebels in Yemen killed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his son was reported Tuesday to have emerged from enforced seclusion in the United Arab Emirates and to have vowed to avenge his fathers death.

The son, Ahmed Ali Saleh, once a powerful military commander, made the pledge as warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition bombed Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, news reports said, striking targets including the presidential palace.

The level of fighting on the streets of the city seemed to be lower than in preceding days, after Ali Abdullah Saleh switched his allegiance from the Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels holding the capital to the Saudi-led forces seeking to expel them.

The move cost him his life, as Houthis turned their fury on him for what they considered a betrayal. Although the precise sequence of events surrounding Salehs death remained unclear, a video broadcast by the rebels showed his body dumped in the back of a pickup truck.

His son, quoted by the state-run Al Ekhbariya television station in Saudi Arabia, said, I will lead the battle until the last Houthi is thrown out of Yemen.

The blood of my father will be hell ringing in the ears of Iran, he added. There was no immediate confirmation of the TV report.

Ahmed Ali Saleh had military training in the United States and once led Yemens Republican Guard. He later became his countrys ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. In a separate statement delivered to Reuters, the news agency reported, the son also vowed to confront the enemies of the homeland and humanity, who are trying to obliterate its identity and its gains and to humiliate Yemen and Yemenis.

But when the Emirates joined with the Saudis two years ago in attacking the Houthis, he was placed under house arrest. His apparent emergence Tuesday suggested to some analysts that he was being positioned to take over from his father as a focus of opposition to the Houthis.

The death of Ali Abdullah Saleh ended the tumultuous career of a wily strongman who combined charisma, duplicity and brute force to remain a giant in the politics of his impoverished country for decades.

Mass protests in 2011, during the Arab Spring, forced him to step down as president, but he confounded those who thought he might retire quietly by returning to the country to rally his followers and forge an improbable alignment with the Houthis, before breaking with them just days before his death.

His killing signaled a turning point in the countrys war by shattering the alliance between his loyalists and the Houthis, who had taken over the capital, prompting a punishing bombing campaign by Saudi Arabia and its allies.

Renewed fighting in Sanaa could worsen the humanitarian crisis.

Seven million Yemenis  nearly a third of the population  are at risk of starving, the United Nations says.

Shuaib Almosawa and Alan Cowell are New York Times writers.
MOSCOW  Hundreds of protesters chanting Kiev, rise up! blocked Ukrainian police as they tried to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday. He later escaped with help from supporters and led them on a march toward parliament, where they planned to call for President Petro Poroshenko to resign.

The detention of Saakashvili, now an anticorruption crusader in his adopted home and arguably the countrys most popular opposition politician, has raised fears that Ukraine could be facing its most acute political crisis since the 2014 revolution. Ukrainian prosecutors accuse him of colluding with Ukrainian businessmen who have ties to Russian intelligence as part of an effort to topple the president.

Saakashvili poses a threat to Poroshenko, who appointed him as governor of Ukraines Odessa region before the two had a falling-out. Saakashvili resigned in 2016, complaining that his efforts to root out corruption were being obstructed by officials.

When the SBU, Ukraines Security Service, went to detain Saakashvili at his home in Kiev on Tuesday, he climbed onto the roof and reportedly threatened to jump off. SBU officers went after him, detained him and led him to a waiting van.

Several hundred supporters surrounded the van, refusing to let it drive off. Footage from the scene showed protesters picking up cobblestones and construction rubble to build barricades. One protester climbed atop the van and waved the Ukrainian flag.

After Saakashvili escaped, he told his supporters that he would lay down his life for the freedom of Ukraine and called on them to follow him to the Supreme Rada, or parliament. He also called on Ukrainians to rally on Maidan, Kievs main square, the epicenter of protests in 2013 and 2014, to demand Poroshenkos resignation.

Footage showed Saakashvili with the yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag around his neck marching in central Kiev, surrounded by crowds.

I will leave here only with the Ukrainian people, only as a winner, the former Georgian president told supporters outside the Supreme Rada late Tuesday afternoon. Call your family and neighbors, let them all come here. Lets all stand together.

Saakashvili was Georgias president for nearly a decade before he was prevented from running again by term limits. He left the country in 2013.

Poroshenko revoked Saakashvilis Ukrainian citizenship in July. Saakashvili forced his way across Ukraines border with Poland earlier this year, with help from protesters.

The Security Service says Saakashvili is facing a criminal investigation for assisting members of criminal organizations or hiding their criminal activities.

Nataliya Vasilyeva is an Associated Press writer.
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New Zealand commodity prices slipped further in November, with dairy prices leading the pack lower although the softening was across the board.

The ANZ Commodity Price index slipped 0.9 percent to 291.9 in November and was up 6 percent in the year. In New Zealand dollar terms, the index was at 223.3, up 1.5 percent in the month and 12 percent in the year as the New Zealand dollar continued to fall against major trading partners.

The kiwi dollar has come under significant pressure due to political uncertainty after the change in government. The trade-weighted index was recently at 72.39 and was down 2.1 percent last month.

"All up, the cyclical top is in for New Zealands export values, with dairy prices under more pressure," ANZ Bank New Zealand agri economist Con Williams said. "Supply considerations will continue to hold sway, but solid demand in most markets and sectors should provide some durability. Combined with a lower NZD this is helping buffer local exporter returns."

Nine of 17 subcomponents fell and only five rose in the latest month, so the softening was broad-based, Williams said.

Dairy prices fell, with whole milk powder prices down 6.2 percent in the month and skim milk powder falling 6 percent. Williams said New Zealand production of whole milk powder had exceeded expectations and buyers are taking a "wait and see" approach as inventories build up in China, with skim milk powder hit by improvements in European milk supply and expectations the intervention scheme will be changed to a tendering process, which provides no defined price floor.

"The pressure on SMP has been depressing prices for other protein products too, such as casein and caseinates," Williams said. "In particular demand from the US and Mexico appears to have softened for casein."

Meat prices held up, with lamb down just 0.5 percent, better than its usual seasonal fall and venison remaining at record highs. Seafood prices were flat.

Horticulture prices lifted 3.9 percent in the month, with kiwifruit bolstered by lower local supply and softer European production.

Forestry continued to gain, with wood pulp prices up 13 percent in the month on strong Chinese demand, low inventories and supply disruptions for other major suppliers. Log export prices were up 0.9 percent. Aluminium prices fell 1.5 percent as forced Chinese smelter production cuts came into effect.

(BusinessDesk)

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Australian-owned New Zealand Steel has asked the High Court for a judicial review of the decision by the former Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs not to impose countervailing duties on imports of galvanised steel coil from China.

That decision was made in July this year, following an investigation by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment which found that Chinese subsidies on galvanised steel coil imports were too small to have injured the domestic industry. The local market is dominated by NZ Steel, which cried foul about the Chinese government help last year.

This morning, a defended interlocutory hearing between Bluescope-owned NZ Steel and the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs was held in Wellington High Court. The hearing was in chambers, meaning media and the public were excluded.

An MBIE spokesperson confirmed that NZ Steel lodged an application for a judicial review of the former minister's decision in September, but said that as the matter is currently before the courts, MBIE is unable to comment any further. NZ Steel did not respond to a request for comment.

MBIE's final report on NZ Steel's first complaint found Chinese imports were undercutting NZ Steel prices, but that it couldn't be blamed on government support for Chinese manufacturers, which was minimal at most.

In October, MBIE made public the fact that it was taking a fresh look at claims Chinese steel imports are being dumped in the local market after NZ Steel again complained it is being unfairly undercut by Asian rivals. Then-Commerce Minister Jacqui Dean signed off on the investigations on Aug. 15, a week before the parliament was dissolved for the general election, and the public notice was issued on Aug. 24.

In the latest case, MBIE said it was satisfied the complainant had provided enough evidence that reinforcing steel bar and coil (rebar) from China and Malaysia is being dumped in New Zealand, and that it is doing material injury to the local industry, along with sufficient evidence about rebar subsidisation from China.

Those investigations must be completed within 180 days and should be wrapped up around March 3, 2018. After its investigation, MBIE will make a recommendation to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Kris Faafoi, who then makes a final determination on the investigation, including whether to impose duties.

(BusinessDesk)

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Eleven alleged drug dealers have been arrested and indicted in connection with a crack-cocaine distribution network that operated from the South Beach Houses, authorities announced.

Several of the defendants are alleged gang members who illegally resided in the New York City Housing Authority property, according to a news release issued by District Attorney Michael E. McMahon on Tuesday.

At least three drug overdoses being investigated under the Overdose Response Initiative were linked to suspects in this investigation, the news release said.

The seven-month investigation began in April.

Dubbed "Stem the Tide," the probe targeted the upper hierarchy of the alleged drug distribution network within the South Beach Houses.

Throughout the course of the sting operation, detectives seized about 77 grams of crack cocaine netted from undercover buys within the network, which grossed about $10,000 weekly in drug sales, authorities said.

Detectives last Wednesday executed search warrants at 14 locations in and around the South Beach Houses in connection with the arrests and indictments of suspects.

"For years, this crew of alleged drug dealers peddled dangerous narcotics from the South Beach Houses, terrorizing the community at large and exacerbating the drug epidemic on Staten Island," said McMahon in the release. "While past efforts by law enforcement have yielded results to this problem, these arrests and indictments represent the most significant actions taken to stem the tide of drugs flowing from this area."

According to the news release, the defendants indicted and arraigned Wednesday were Brandon Whiten, Tyrone Jones, Nashon Hopkins, Shakee Davis, Lori Gallo, Christopher Howard, Rydell Latta, Tysean Moore, John Kendrick, Muhammad Spencer and Darnell Trotman.

The defendants face charges that include criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Whiten, Howard, Moore and Hopkins had prior arrests on drug charges and are believed to have ties to the Bloods gang, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

The long-term investigation was conducted by NYPD Narcotics Borough Staten Island, the District Attorney's Office, and the New York City Department of Investigation.
Vincent Caputo | vcaputo@siadvance.com

A number of acclaimed television actors, alongside Theater of War Productions, march on Staten Island on December 10 to strike back at gun violence. Frankie Faison (The Wire), Glenn Davis (24, The Unit) and Chinasa Ogbuagu (Law & Order, Nurse Jackie) and New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams join forces to take the fight to this crisis. Scroll down to read more on what's happening.

Don't Edit

Vincent Caputo | vcaputo@siadvance.com

FIT FOR FIGHT

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Of course you realize, this means war...

The New York City troupe Theater of War is unique in how it gets you to talk about our modern struggles. It uses a winning combination of classic theater and famous actors to bring attention to the major issues affecting us daily, including everything from veteran care to drug abuse.

This time, Theater of War heads to Port Richmond High School to strike back at an issue that is slowly  and sadly  becoming more and more normal: gun violence.

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Photo by Monika Graff

THE BATTLEPLAN

On Sunday, Dec. 10, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Port Richmond High School, join the community for a dramatic reading of "Hercules in Staten Island", a modified version of the Greek tragedy "The Madness of Hercules", a play about "an unspeakable act of violence" which, one can only assume, is only slightly worse than ordering Hawaiian pizza for a party.

While you may think you're there only for a performance, this event is much more than just that. It's the preface to an open forum on the impact of gun violence on the individual and the greater Staten Island community, designed to promote healthy dialogue to deepen community bonds and encourage positive action to prevent more of it.

The event is part of Communities United for Respect and Trust/Take Care New Yorks 14th annual anti-bias/anti-violence summit, and the reading also falls on International Human Rights Day, Dec. 10.

Don't Edit

Vincent Caputo | vcaputo@siadvance.com

MEET THE TROOPS

The dramatic reading will feature acclaimed actors Frankie Faison (The Wire), Glenn Davis (24, The Unit), and Chinasa Ogbuagu (Law and Order, Nurse Jackie). The reading also features one of New York's own City Council Members; Jumaane Williams. The reading was transcribed and directed Bryan Doerries, who is the Artistic Director for Theater of War Productions and New York City's Public Artist in Residence (or PAIR, if you're a fan of acronyms). He and Theater of War Productions will be combining theater and public discourse that address critical public health and social issues to all five boroughs. All events are free and will take place in more than 60 venues across New York City.

Don't Edit

(Staten Island Advance/ Victoria Priola)

Click here to register for attendance and get ready to take part in something to bring Staten Island that much closer. And with that, I leave you with a short interview with Bryan Doerries about what ancient Greek plays can teach us about our modern world. At ease, soldiers!

Don't Edit

Don't Edit
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rep. Daniel Donovan was one of only 13 Republicans to vote "no" on the GOP tax bill passed in the House of Representatives last month, and dozens rallied in front of his office Tuesday morning to encourage him to continue to oppose the bill.

The key differences between the two versions will now head to a conference committee before a reconciled version of the bill will head to the president's desk.

In an op-ed piece in the Advance, Donovan outlined his oppositions to the House version of the GOP tax bill, which passed by a vote of 227 to 205.

Among the initial reasons listed for his opposition are: the bill places an unfair burden on New Yorkers by ending the state and local income tax deduction; it caps the mortgage interest deduction for loans that are below the median home price in his district, and it caps the property tax deduction at $10,000.

The rally was organized by NY-11 for Health Care, an advocacy group made up of various organizations, and dozens showed up -- holding a variety of signs and chanting, "Kill the tax bill!"

Representatives from the various groups were on hand to discuss how the proposed GOP tax bill would negatively impact the community.

Rosemarie Ruggero, of Eldercare Advocacy, shared how the proposed bill would negatively affect the ability to care for the elderly.

"A 20 percent tax rate for billionaire corporations at the expense of cutting Medicare and Medicaid is short-sighted and egregious," said Ruggero. "It will not meet the health care needs of the tsunami of present-day baby boomers who will be our frail elderly in 10 years."

Sam Cocozza, vice president of the Communications Workers of America Local 1102, discussed how the bill would adversely affect union workers and middle class families.

"Across the board, members of my union and middle class families will be hurt by this plan," said Cocozza. "Whether by the loss of the medical expense deduction, new taxes proposed on education benefits, the inability to deduct interest of student loans, the loss of state and local tax deduction or forced budget cuts to Medicare and other critical programs."

Among the Staten Island-based groups in attendance were: Move Forward Staten Island; Project Hospitality; Staten Island Family Health Coalition; Staten Island for Change/Organizing for Action; Staten Island Peace Action, and Staten Island Women Who March.
"An ethnographic study of Saratoga's Beekman Street Arts District, interviewing gallery owners, businesspeople and artists," is how anthropology major Geoffrey Greene '18 describes his senior research project. Earlier at Skidmore, he served as a Tang Museum gallery monitor and helped with its children's education programs including the "super-fun" Family Saturday art workshops. With that academic and work background, he was a natural to become the inaugural holder of the Tang's new Meg Reitman Jacobs '63 Internship.



Geoffrey Greene '18 creates a Family

Saturday board game inspired by the

Tang installation Get to the Other Side. Geoffrey Greene '18 creates a FamilySaturday board game inspired by theTang installation Get to the Other Side.

Among his tasks in the intensive, yearlong experience is helping to write, edit, and choose images for a handout for the upcoming exhibition This Place, a four-college show of recent photography exploring Israel and the West Bank. Greene says his anthropology major-and no doubt his study abroad in Hanoi and Saigon-helped fuel and shape his interest in "how to handle photos with people in them, and the controversial and sensitive aspects of the conflict presented in the show." During its run, he's sure to be involved in planning the Tang's related events and discussions. Even after graduation, he'll be developing and implementing public programs at the museum, as the Jacobs Internship continues through the summer.



A math major with an interest in art during her own Skidmore days, Meg Jacobs says, "If I were a student now, the first place I'd want to spend my time would be at the Tang, and if I had the credentials, I sure would want an internship." That's why her husband, Howard, surprised her for her 75th birthday by endowing the student internship in her name. She says, "I was thrilled. It's such a pleasure to help someone else have that privilege" of a professional experience as an undergrad.



She says, "Working at the Tang, an intern has the opportunity to be an integral part of interactions between executive staff, faculty, curators and artists, learning about everything from budgets to show selection. It's an extraordinary way for any student to learn the inner workings of a museum." And the Tang's Dayton Director Ian Berry and his staff, she adds, always "structure the student program so that these young people get the most out of their internships."



Meg Reitman Jacobs '63 and husband Howard



Meg Reitman Jacobs '63 and husband Howard

Jacobs is a longtime alumna volunteer, and she and Howard earlier endowed a scholarship fund. (Her Skidmore roots are expansive, with cousins graduating in the Skidmore classes of 1948, '50 and '63, sister Kit in '72, daughter Kristy in '91 and a niece in '93.) The Jacobs Internship was unveiled during last fall's meeting of the national Tang Advisory Council, on which she serves.



While Greene expects his internship duties to embrace work in the Tang's college and public programming division next semester, his resume is long and wide enough for any assignment: while a student at his science high school, he engaged in two New York City museum internships. "The one at Brooklyn Museum (not far from home) was an apprenticelike program, where I gave tours to kids in the summer. I loved that learning and teaching," he says. "The other was at the Museum of Arts and Design, a contemporary museum kind of similar to the Tang."



Jacobs too has been involved in art and design throughout her life. After Skidmore, working as a computer programmer for New Jersey Bell and then raising her family, she took local art courses including at the New York School of Interior Design. She worked in corporate design, earned a master's in interior design from Pratt Institute and was a professional in that field ever after.



She recalls that when Skidmore's Tang was being planned, "it was such an exciting time, knowing that Skidmore would finally have its own museum" as an interdisciplinary campus crossroads and a complement to the art department's Schick Art Gallery. Jacobs says, "The Tang has exceeded all expectations. It exhibits really interesting shows and involves students from many and varied classes."



Variety is a spice of Greene's life too. Also active in music, he says, "I love contemporary art, because it can lead to and incorporate any topic in any field!" He hopes to use the Jacobs Internship "to leave a legacy at the Tang that will help its programs and visitors even after I've graduated."




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The ACT's top prosecutor will receive a pay rise just short of what the territory's Supreme Court judges take home after a ruling by the remuneration tribunal.

ACT Director of Public Prosecution Jon White's base salary will rise by $8653 to $440,843, $167 short of what ACT Supreme Court judges are paid, after his office raised concerns that he had been "financially disadvantaged" by recent pay rises to those on the bench.

ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Jon White. He will get a pay rise after a ruling from the ACT Remuneration Tribunal. Credit:Graham Tidy

In a submission to the tribunal, ACT DPP director of corporate services Emma Flukes wrote that the pay disparity risked "reflecting poorly on the status of the role".

"The issues around how the ACT values the role of the Director of Public Prosecutions in terms of the perception of senior criminal lawyers both within the ACT and other jurisdictions. If the remuneration does not keep pace, it runs the risk of reflecting poorly on the status of the role and could lead external observer to the conclusion the ACT does not value the position as key member of the judicial arm of government in the same way as other states and territories do," she wrote.
ABC Radio Canberra is losing its now most experienced presenter, with respected announcer Genevieve Jacobs being made redundant by the broadcaster - against her wishes.

A "very sad" Ms Jacobs, 50, made the shock announcement that she would be leaving the ABC during her Mornings program on Wednesday.

ABC Radio Canberra announcer Genevieve Jacobs leaving ABC headquarters in Wakefield Avenue, Dickson on Wednesday after announcing on-air the ABC no longer required her services. Credit:Karleen Minney

She made it clear it had not been her decision to leave the position, saying ABC management had told her her "services were no longer required on air".

Her last shift will be December 15. She will be replaced in 2018 by current Drive presenter Adam Shirley.
Peter and the Wolf. National Capital Orchestra conducted by Leonard Weiss. Saturday, December 9, 3pm. Albert Hall. nco.org.au.

Leonard Weiss says the final National Capital Orchestra concert for 2017 will feature a piece he played with another ensemble at the start of the year.

Leonard Weiss. Credit:William Hall

"Peter and the Wolf is probably Prokofiev's most well-known piece - amazingly, he wrote the entire thing in two days," Weiss says. The composer came up with the music, story and text after being commissioned to write a musical symphony for children by the Central Children's Theatre in Moscow in order to introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra.

Actor Charles Hudson, who performed the piece with Weiss and members of the Canberra Youth Orchestra earlier in 2017 at the High Court of Australia, will once again tell the story of young Peter who goes out one day with various creatures including a cat, a duck and a bird, and encounters a wolf.
A tasty traditional meat pie with real chunks of beef wrapped in golden pastry, that secret ingredient (see below) and cooked to perfection. A clear winner, and definitely worth the drive. Tim's Tip: Bring the Esky and take some home with you. Score: 25.5/30 [Each pie was rated out of 10 for pastry, filling and value for money. Full details on judging are outlined in the video above]. Bakehouse Delights, East Nowra (7/100 Kallendar St, East Nowra)

John Reminis of East Nowra Bakery says a great pie shouldn't need sauce. Credit:Ryan Kerlin Despite being hidden in a little-known shopping centre, each morning when the doors of this bakehouse are opened, you have to jostle for positions with fellow pie connoisseurs just to get to the counter. This your classic old-school meat pie with pastry to die for. "The secret to a good pie is good meat, and good seasoning," explains John ''Remmo'' Reminis, owner and award-winning pastry chef, who also believes "a good pie should be tasty by itself and not need sauce". Off the tourist track, but definitely worth the diversion. Tim's Tip: The bakery is surrounded by a concrete car park, which is not the most enticing space to appreciate Remmo's pies. Enjoy the pie in your car instead (don't drip the sauce) while continuing your road trip. Alternatively drive to the picturesque nearby Culburra Beach but if you do, beware of the seagulls which have also developed a taste for these bakehouse delights.

Score: 25/30 Braidwood Bakery (99 Wallace St, Braidwood) Braidwood bakery's John Woodman shares the secrets of his pies with Tim the Yowie Man. Credit:Kirilly Bush Located about half way to the coast, Braidwood has long been the most popular spot for a pie fix heading up or down the Clyde. Although there are a number of pie peddlers in town, this bakery is by far the busiest and depending on which way you're travelling, you'll be savouring one of these pies all the way to the beach or back to Canberra. Owner John Woodman reckons "the best two ingredients you can ever put into a pie are local ingredients and love". Woodman loves his bakery's chunky beef pie so much that claims he sinks his teeth into one "for lunch every day".

Tim's Tip: The bakery can get a bit hectic, especially in peak holiday season, so tuck into this tasty tableland's pie at the town's leafy Ryrie Park (next to the swimming pool), where there's also plenty of space for the kids to run around. Score: 24.5/30 The secret to a winning pie Ok, back to that secret ingredient.

"We actually add a hint of chocolate to the beef," reveals East Lynne Store pastry chef Jamie Rawson. "It just sweetens it up that little bit", adds Rawson, who falls short of adding exactly what sort of chocolate it is and in what quantities. "Some secrets have to remain with the chef," says Rawson who has developed such a taste for his own pies that he admits to "scoffing the odd pie or two every day". "Just don't tell the boss," he laughs. I'm sure Dean and Sharon Wilkins who own the roadside bakery/fuel stop wouldn't mind Rawson sneaking the odd prize-winning pie.

"This win is fantastic for our business, it's good to put the shop on the map," say the jubilant pair who bought the business in 2013. "We should pay tribute to the previous owners who passed on the pie recipe to us," say the Wilkins, "but at the end of the day it comes down to the chef and his individual flair." Chocolate who'd have thought? BEST OF THE REST Hayden's Pies, Ulladulla (2/166 Princes Hwy, Ulladulla)

A favourite with local surfers, Hayden's of Ulladulla. Credit:Katie Rivers Photography A cult surf hangout with a loyal following. While their roadside location beside the busy Princes Highway near the top of a hill in Ulladulla isn't as alluring as others, it's the pie that counts. "Some surfers have even been known to knock back one of our family-sized pies after a big morning hanging ten," says one Hayden's insider. Tim's Tip: If you can't get to the coast, you can still get your fix of Hayden's pies at various outlets in Canberra, including the Spence Grocer. Southern Pies, Kangaroo Valley (1/146 Moss Vale Rd, Kangaroo Valley)

Kangaroo Valley is known for its historic suspension bridge, and also its pies. Credit:Dave Moore The quaint hamlet of Kangaroo Valley is an irresistible magnet for day-trippers in search of a country village experience. In between the antique shops dotted along its heritage main street are a number of bakeries that dish up tasty traditional meat pies, including my pick, Southern Pies. If you've had a big night (and hopefully not driving), their ''hangover pie''  a bloody mary in pie form, with vodka and chilli  is to die for. Tim's Tip: Eat inside cafe-style, al fresco on the footpath or picnic under the famous Hampden Bridge. Old Store at Barrengarry (2167 Moss Vale Rd, Barrengarry) Do the pies at the Barrengarry Store live up to their bold claim of being world's best? Credit:Dave Moore

Set among fields grazed by cows so fat you'd think they'd been feasting on nothing but a feedlot of pies, while their claim as the ''world's best pie'' is a tad ambitious, it is a meal in itself. Earlier this year Richard Wilkins of The Today Show fame was snapped on camera chowing down on one of these hearty pies while en route to the celebrity wedding of Channel Nine presenters Peter Stefanovic and Sylvia Jeffreys. They are made fresh every day, and apparently without any colourings or flavourings. Tim's Tip: Park right outside the front door of this quaint 1880 wooden cottage and chomp into your pie while enjoying the stunning rural views from its veranda. Heritage Bakery, Milton (197 Princes Hwy, Milton)

Heritage Bakery, Milton. Credit:Kirilly Bush Taking pride of place in the centre of this village, just inland from Mollymook, is a two-storey landmark building, which for many years housed the popular Packett Restaurant. They bake a mean loaf of bread but it's their fabled meat pie with quality chunks of beef that keeps the tills ringing here. Tim's Tip: Soak up the sun on the wrap-around veranda. Oh, and beware of the ghost rumoured to haunt upstairs. The Famous Robertson Pie Shop (4400 Illawarra Highway, Robertson)
There aren't many men who can claim to have literally built Canberra from the ground up, but 78-year-old bricklayer Dante Gaspari can.

From the Maltese Embassy in O'Malley to Narrabundah College and a bevy of backyard pizza ovens for friends in the inner south, Dante's bricklaying skills are responsible for some of the capital's most significant and treasured brick structures.

Dante had built more than 50 homes in Canberra over the past 57 years. Credit:Jamila Toderas

But after 64 years as a bricklayer - the past 57 years in Canberra - the time has come for Dante to turn off the mixer, put down the trowel and head into retirement.

"I'm going fishing," he said.
Work has begun on a new oncology centre, with hopes it will cut waiting times for cancer patients and save Canberrans from travelling interstate for treatment.

The Canberra Specialist Medical Centre at University of Canberra is due to open next year, increasing the availability of radiation and medical oncology, haematology and diagnostic services.

Icon Group CEO Mark Middleton and University of Canberra vice-chancellor prfessor Deep Saini. Photo: Dion Georgopoulos Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

The three-level building will feature two radiation therapy bunkers for linear accelerators, the latest in radiation therapy technology delivering pinpoint accuracy in treating solid tumours.

The centre will also be equipped with a 15-chair day oncology unit delivering chemotherapy and treatment for blood disorders.
The father of AFL superstar Dustin Martin is taking his fight against his deportation from Australia to the Federal Court.

Shane Martin's bid to overturn the decision of Immigration Minister Peter Dutton will be heard in the court in Sydney on Tuesday.

Dustin Martin and his father Shane.

Shane Martin, who had lived in Australia since he was 20, was deported to New Zealand last year because of his links to the Rebels motorcycle club, missing his son's Brownlow Medal win and grand final triump as the Tigers claimed their first flag since 1980.

In September, the federal government pushed through a new law that prevented Shane Martin from returning to Australia.
Australias largest solar and battery power plant is slated to be built in NSW early next year.

Maoneng Australia and Decmil had signed a memorandum of understanding to construct a 250-megawatt direct-current solar photovoltaic power plant and planned to start building as soon as April or May, Maoneng vice-president Qiao Han said on Tuesday.

Once built, Sunraysia will be more than double the size of the current largest solar plant, a 102-megawatt generation facility at Nyngan in NSW. It will take the mantle of the largest operating solar project in the southern hemisphere from Nygnan once operational.

The construction contract is valued at about $275 million.

The solar farm will be about 17 kilometres from Balranald in NSW and 140 kilometres south-east of Mildura in Victoria. It will generate at least 530,000-megawatt hours of electricity annually, powering homes in both states.
Chinese Energy Reserve and Chemical Group (CERCG) has withdrawn its $430 million takeover offer for AWE, sending shares in the oil and gas junior down more than 16 per cent.

Last month, the Chinese state-owned company made an unsolicited, non-binding takeover proposal for AWE at 71 a share, a 30 per cent premium on its 54 trading price at the time.

CERCG has withdrawn its offer before AWEs board was able to finish its assessment of the proposal. Credit:AP

While AWE did not reject the offer, its board said at the time "its initial reaction is that the indicative proposal is not sufficiently attractive to provide access to due diligence".

Now CERCG has withdrawn its offer before AWEs board was able to finish its assessment of the proposal.
Governments must "resist the quest for unnecessary power" over companies and individuals, BHP chief executive officer Andrew Mackenzie has declared, in a philosophical speech where he urged the East and West to work more closely together.

"The security and prosperity of economies, communities and countries demands that East and West work together freely and innovatively, with respect for all who contribute to shared progress.

BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie. Credit:Wayne Taylor

"We have to mesh the best of our cultures together to drive globalisation forward. Right now there is a perception in the West that too few have benefited from globalisation and too many have been left behind," he said.

In a speech to the Melbourne Mining Club, which marked the 100th luncheon of the organisation, BHP's top executive said that the perception in the West that too few people had benefited from globalisation had left the West distracted, while creating opportunities for China and the East.
James Hall was perched at his "home theatre personal computer" two Thursdays ago, repeatedly hitting the refresh button on Amazon's Australian site in anticipation of its "soft" launch.

As a frequent customer of Amazon's US site and self-described techie, he was disappointed to find he wasn't one of the "small number of customers" chosen to participate in Amazon's "internal testing phase" starting at 2pm that day.

He woke early the next day to check if the tech giant's Australian offshoot had become available to the public overnight.

Alas for Mr Hall, the site didn't officially go live until Tuesday morning.
As expected, the citizenship declarations of federal parliamentarians reveal further cases of uncertainty. One example are those members, including Josh Wilson, Justine Keay and Katy Gallagher, who sought to renounce their foreign citizenship before the 2016 federal election, but only received notice this had taken effect after the election concluded. As a result, they were dual citizens when they stood for office.

The legal question is whether each took "reasonable steps" to renounce their foreign citizenship before nominating for office. The High Court has not stated how early a person must seek to renounce their foreign citizenship. Nevertheless, it is difficult to see the court disqualifying a person because the bureaucracy of another country has taken months to process an application form. There is a low risk of these members offending section 44.

Other cases present a higher likelihood of disqualification. However, it is not possible to determine this merely from the declarations. Very often, the answer depends on foreign citizenship law. These rules can be fiendishly complex, may need translation into English and can be subject to dispute in their own nation. This can make compliance with section 44 extraordinarily difficult.

Another complication is that Parliament's declaration process is flawed and incomplete. Much of this stems from the declaration form. It fails to request sufficient information to determine if a person is a dual citizen.
Instead, she began work in a Bedzin factory producing uniforms for the German army. With an influx of Jews fleeing large Nazi-occupied Polish towns, the Germans pronounced the formation of a ghetto, styled "the Jewish Quarter", in July 1942.

On September 9, 1939, five days after the Nazis entered Bedzin, local Volksdeutsche  ethnic Germans  burned the Great Synagogue, destroying about 50 surrounding homes inhabited mostly by Jews, and killed 60 Jews. These events put paid to Kitia's plans to study at an institute of languages in Paris.

Henrietta Szpigelman was born on March 1, 1922 into a traditional Jewish family in Bedzin, a Polish town with a population that was predominantly Jewish. Kitia, as she became known, was 17 years old at the outbreak of World War II.

Kitia Altman, an articulate, elegant, accomplished and astute woman with an indomitable spirit who was one of the most powerful voices of Holocaust survival in Australia and beyond, has died in Melbourne aged 95.

In the factory, Kitia became friends with a woman named Cesia and the bond between the two young women became unshakeable, their mutual support contributing in no small measure to their survival during the Holocaust.

They worked under Alfred Rossner, the German manager of the factory, who was directly responsible to the SS. Rossner's compassion, kindness and humane treatment of the Jews under his control enabled him to protect many of them. He also went out of his way to orchestrate repeated opportunities for escape for Kitia, her cousin Aron Ehrlich and others. Kitia did not seize the opportunity to go into hiding with a non-Jewish woman, Genia Pajak, insisting that her niece, Tamara (Marusia) Cyngler, should do so instead. Four months after the final liquidation of the ghetto, in August 1943, Rossner was arrested by the Gestapo and was hanged the following month for aiding and protecting Jews.

In 1985 Kitia nominated Pajak to be honoured as a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, the Jerusalem-based Holocaust remembrance centre. Ten years later, she nominated Rossner. Both their names are commemorated on the Mount of Remembrance.

In June 1944 Kitia and Cesia were transported to the Annaberg labour camp in Germany where Kitia worked in the laundry. From there they were taken to Auschwitz and were tattooed with identity numbers one digit apart  A25440 and A25441  and experienced the real horror of dehumanisation.

In November 1944 she and Cesia were transported to the Ravensbruck concentration camp in northern Germany, which was exclusively for women and which Kitia later described as sheer hell. It was freezing cold, there was little food and prisoners worked outdoors in a quarry. The guards were brutal.
Shashi Kapoor, one of India's best-known actors, who appeared in more than 100 films in the 1970s and '80s alone, has died in Mumbai. He was 79.

India's president, Ram Nath Kovind, announced the death on Twitter. Kapoor was the romantic lead in numerous Bollywood movies. He was part of a family of actors, directors and producers that included his older brothers Raj, who died in 1988, and Shammi, who died in 2011.

Greta Scacchi as Olivia with Shashi Kapoor as the charming Prince of the State, The Nawab, in Heat And Dust, 1983. Credit:Fairfax Media

Kapoor appeared in British and American films as well as Hindi ones, including several by the Merchant Ivory production house. Among his better-known English-language films were The Deceivers (1988), a thriller in which he acted alongside Pierce Brosnan, and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987), a comic drama directed by Stephen Frears whose cast included Claire Bloom.

Among his scores of film credits, Kapoor caused a particular stir with Satyam Shivam Sundaram: Love Sublime, a 1978 movie directed by his brother Raj in which he did something that had been banned in Hindi films for years: shared an on-screen kiss (several, actually) with his female co-star, Zeenat Aman.
As a young boy in Western Australia John Hamilton anticipated a life of adventure and service as an officer in the Royal Australian Navy. It was not to be. He found them, instead, as a distinguished reporter and author in a newspaper career lasting more than 50 years.

John Charles Matthew Hamilton was born in Petersfield, Hampshire on December 16, 1940, the son of an RAF fighter pilot who migrated to Perth in 1948.

John Hamilton.

At the age of 13 John was selected for the Royal Australian Naval College at Flinders, but after two years as a cadet midshipman he returned to Perth and completed his schooling at Christ Church Grammar School.

At 18 he became a cadet journalist at the West Australian and at 21 was sent to Kalgoorlie as goldfields correspondent for the newspaper. An exceptional career lay ahead.
While there were some hard-hit regional areas across Victoria, most Melburnians were left feeling decidedly underwhelmed by the super storm.

The real storm now seems to be about how this was all managed. When it comes to warnings, the authorities and media are damned if they do, damned if they don't. Personally, I'm in the "better to be safe than sorry" camp. None of us like unwarranted media hype, but it seems there was a real possibility of danger here that we fortunately avoided.

Regardless, what has been fascinating to observe is how businesses across Melbourne responded to the threats, and what the impact will be long after the drizzle has dried.

The stories cover the full spectrum from safety-comes-first through to she'll-be-right. I know there are many employees and employers that didn't have a choice and there were jobs that had to be done. What I'm focused on are the back-office roles that could be done remotely, and how they were managed.
With the state election having been held on the 26th November, and the result as yet known, there have been calls for the introduction of electronic voting to speed up the result. Would this be good for democracy, or is it a matter of technology in search of a problem to fix?

In the United States, electronic voting has been used for some time. However, US Homeland Security recently revealed the 2016 presidential election saw voting systems in 21 states attacked by Russian hackers. It doesn't give one much reason to want to change.

Electronic voting in the United States. Credit:Ty Wright

Most of the calls for electronic voting come from either media commentators, or people involved in the technology sector. For the media, the time taken to get a result has no doubt been an anti-climax. It doesn't fit neatly into the media cycle, which has increasingly been built around instant gratification.

Given government generally gives so little gratification anyway, I am puzzled why anyone would feel that instant results would be more gratifying than enjoying the wait. In fact, government still functions while we wait, thanks to the rules around transitional government.
If there's any concern from the US Foreign Press Centre about US President Donald Trump's travel ban's impact on international journalists, its director Benjamin Weber isn't showing it.

The Supreme Court's full enforcement of the ban happened as Weber was briefing foreign journalists in Washington, including myself, on a global reporting tour, about its work and support for international media.

US President Donald Trump speaking to the media. Credit:Pool

The travel restrictions vary in their details, but in most cases, citizens of six Muslim-majority countries  Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen  plus North Korea, will be unable to work, study or holiday here.

Most will face additional screening, and many will be banned from emigrating.
A prominent anti-wind farm group has been stripped of its status as a tax-deductible charity status in a potentially landmark legal decision that could affect treatment of other groups claiming to promote health.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal in Adelaide affirmed a decision by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), first issued in December 2014, to remove the Waubra Foundation's registration as a "health promotion charity".

International health bodies, including Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council, have examined wind farms for possible health effects for years, finding little evidence. Credit:Chris Ratcliffe

The foundation, set up in 2010, has been active in seeking to raise concern about purported health effects of infrasound or low frequency noise produced by industrial sources, particularly wind farms.

A range of international health bodies, including Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council, have investigated the effects of wind farms on human health and found little evidence of such links.
The Senate has voted to refer ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher to the High Court over her dual British citizenship.

Labor's manager of opposition business in the Senate asked to be referred on Wednesday, saying she believed she had taken all reasonable steps to renounce British citizenship by descent from her father but delays in processing her case by the UK Home Office meant she was a dual citizen at the time of nomination for the 2016 election.

Documents provided to the Senate this week showed she was "at the date of her nomination for the 2016 election, a British citizen by descent" and that her moves to renounce in April 2016 took until August 16 to be completed by UK officials.

Senator Gallagher, the former ACT chief minister, told the Senate on Wednesday she would stand aside from her responsibilities on Labor's frontbench until her case was resolved by the High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns.
A secret letter to former trade minister Andrew Robb reveals that his consulting deal with a company closely linked to the Chinese government contains terms so vague and ill-defined he gets paid $880,000 a year even if he does nothing. Former NSW Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy, who examined the terms of the leaked letter from Chinese firm Landbridge to Mr Robb, said that "on the face of it, he is required not to do anything and still get a whacking great fee".

The news comes as the Turnbull government moves to establish a new public register for people who seek to influence the Australian political process on behalf of foreign interests. The new register is designed to ensure that, if a person is advocating on behalf of a foreign power, it is declared.

Ye Cheng, of Landbridge, and then trade minister Andrew Robb in 2015. Credit:Glenn Campbell

The policy has arisen largely due to concerns about undeclared Chinese efforts to influence Australia.

But Mr Robb, who quit as a minister in Malcolm Turnbull's government before the last election, denied working on behalf of Beijing, and defended his contract with Landbridge, saying he was not doing business in Australia, so could not be captured by the new legislation.
At first blush, a ban on foreign political donations should make it more difficult for the major parties to raise funds. But the financial impact of the Turnbull government's crackdown on overseas influence remains far from clear, with some lawyers claiming it may even be unconstitutional.

While academic analysis of foreign donations made in previous elections suggests the proposed changes could cost Labor and the Coalition millions, party insiders say it will not make a significant difference to their coffers, given the vast majority of donations come from domestic sources.

A breakdown of donations over six previous federal elections by University of Melbourne Associate Professor Joo-Cheong Tham suggests foreign entities account for well under 10 per cent of total donations.

In the 2013 election, the latest disclosures available, donations from foreign addresses came to $5.1 million, or 6.1 per cent of total revenue, according to the analysis.
The Turnbull government's sweeping crackdown on foreign interference in Australian politics has prompted a furious response by former trade minister Andrew Robb, who has accused his ex-colleagues of helping paint him as "treasonous".

The laws would likely criminalise the type of activity recently carried out by Labor senator Sam Dastyari, the government has suggested, by making it an offence to covertly influence Australian political or governmental processes.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and then trade envoy Andrew Robb in Beijing in April 2016 with Landbridge head Ye Cheng. Three months later, Mr Robb was on Landbridge's payroll. Credit:Landbridge

"Unlawful foreign interference" would carry penalties of up to 20 years' jail if done to damage Australian democracy, including harming national security, interfering in elections or covertly meddling in political or government processes.

People and organisations who seek to lobby on behalf of foreign powers would have to publicly register so that Australians know they are pushing the agendas of overseas interests.
Labor frontbencher Tony Burke has predicted a "very large" round of referrals to the High Court over the worsening dual citizenship fiasco, with up to 13 MPs at risk of becoming fresh casualties.

While Mr Burke promised to refer embattled Labor MP David Feeney if he can't stump up the relevant documents, Attorney-General George Brandis said all opposition MPs in doubt must face the court to preserve the integrity of Parliament.

The fresh doubts raised following the finalisation of the Parliament's citizenship disclosure process on Tuesday could lead to a series of byelections in early 2018, including Mr Feeney's electorate of Batman, which could fall to the Greens.

Labor has remained largely unscathed in the citizenship fiasco, but the cases of lower house MPs Josh Wilson, Justine Keay, Anne Aly and Susan Lamb are now under intense scrutiny. Each Labor MP appears to have tried to renounce their citizenship prior to the 2016 election, but failed to receive confirmation until after the close of nominations.
David Feeney's cavalier approach to politics and process may be about to end his career and Labor's hold on one of its historically safest seats.

Just 18 months after Liberal preferences allowed Feeney to defend his seat of Batman by a whisker from the rampaging Greens, Labor faces the unwelcome possibility of a byelection in a seat he won in July 2016 with just over 51 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

David Feeney could lose his career. Credit:Chris Hopkins

It would come in the wake of Victorian Labor's thrashing at the hands of the Greens in the Northcote byelection, the state seat that takes in a good part of Feeney's federal electorate.

Pollsters, Labor strategists and journalists were stunned by the 11 per cent swing against Labor, a swing boosted by the Liberals' decision not to run a candidate in the Northcote race.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was careful to stress that "these reforms are not about any one country [and] foreign interference is a global issue".

That's absolutely right but as foreign policy experts point out, China is far and away the biggest concern for Australia. Indeed Mr Turnbull in the same breath noted Australia had "recently seen disturbing reports about Chinese influence", referring to recent Fairfax Media stories.

But far from upsetting the Chinese, they will likely accept this as a belated closing of loopholes. Indeed as some experts say, it might even clarify the relationship in ways that allow it to move forward with mutual respect.

China's centrality to this is, as the Lowy Institute's director of international security Euan Graham described it, "the 800-pound panda that is clear to everyone involved in the process".
In many ways, Sophia Hadjipanteli is like any other regular model - she's beautiful, fashionable in that avant garde way and she knows which angles work best on her. But click through almost any Instagram post and you'll notice she's also in possession of a fantastically big, bold unibrow, stretching from one corner of her forehead to another.

As any woman who is has undergone puberty will tell you, this is a brave move. But Sophia, who is also a marketing student at the University of Maryland, is used to her unconventionality, telling fashion website Man Repeller that, while partial to the odd tweeze, she's proud not to pluck; thanks, in large part, to her mother.

"My mom's brows are insane, but they're also really shaped. She over-tweezed her brows when she was young and regretted it. Hers came back, but even still, she encouraged me to leave mine alone," she says.

"Before a school dance, I remember having a tweezer in hand as my mom randomly opened the door. I said I wasn't doing anything, that I was "just plucking my nose hairs." She didn't believe me. I told her I didn't like my brows, and she took me to get them threaded  but I've never gotten them waxed."
I didn't want to write about Milo. Like many people who watched his rise via "alt-right" news site Breitbart with dismay, and the recent diminishing of his star power with some relief, I hoped that if we all just collectively ignored him, he would go away  starved of the outrage that seems to be his main source of fuel.

But did Milo Yiannopoulos, Nazi sympathiser, misogynist, fake news generator, inciter of violence, international has-been, go away? No. He came here. He went on TV. He spoke in federal parliament. He held events that made the news. And in the news reports, he was described in flattering terms like "controversial alt-right commentator" and "provocateur" while those who tried to protest his appearances were damned as violent troublemakers.

So we didn't speak out, because we didn't want to give him oxygen. But he got oxygen anyway  from his powerful, conservative pals who had platforms to give.

That's the problem with the "free speech" establishment. Make no mistake, they are the establishment, only they've successfully convinced a solid section of the population that they are oppressed "outsiders" whose freedom to be "controversial" is being curtailed.
Australia's year 4 students have made significant improvements in their reading skills and have leapfrogged several countries in the latest international testing, but students with the lowest literacy levels still have not made any gains, new results show.

The latest results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), released on Tuesday, show that Australia was one of 18 countries to improve its reading levels. In 2011, Australia was ranked 27 out of 45 countries but is now in the 21st spot out of 50 countries.

Australia's reading levels have improved significantly in the latest international literacy tests. Credit:Michael Clayton-Jones

Australia's average reading score of 544 points was significantly higher than the scores of 24 other countries, including France and Belgium, as well as New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Malta, which tested in English.

But its average score was lower than the average scores for 13 other countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland, Northern Ireland and England (which all tested in English), as well as other top-performing countries including the Russian Federation, Finland and Poland.
Consumer health groups across Australia have called for a total ban on all pelvic mesh devices after the death of a Canadian mesh campaigner, and despite the objections of Australia's medical device regulator.

In a joint media release on Tuesday the chief executives of groups in five states and the ACT said the Therapeutic Goods Administration had "unfinished business" after it announced a targeted ban of prolapse mesh and some incontinence sling devices on November 28, but stopped short of a total pelvic mesh ban.

Mother of two Christina Lynn Brajcic, 42, who campaigned on behalf of mesh-injured women around the world until her death last week. She kept in contact with Australian mesh-injured women via Facebook.

The TGA announced a ban on all prolapse mesh devices that are transvaginal  meaning surgery through the vagina rather than the abdomen  and a group of problematic sling devices, but said there was good evidence supporting "gold standard" midurethral mesh sling devices to treat urinary incontinence.

Consumer health groups argue the catastrophic injuries suffered by some women using the "gold standard" mesh sling devices was not outweighed by benefits experienced by the majority.
The rules are simple. It doesn't matter whether you're a public patient or a health fund member, if you're a patient in a public hospital, treatment should be delivered based on clinical need not insurance status.

But the latest figures in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Private Health Insurance Use in Australian Hospitals report tell a very different, and worrying, story.

Public patients, for some elective operations such as a cataract extraction, are waiting four times longer than privately insured patients in public hospitals  113 days compared to 29 days.
On September 23, 2007, Matt Leveson had no way of knowing it was the last night of his life.

The bubbly 20-year-old was at the ARQ nightclub in inner Sydney with his 44-year-old boyfriend Michael Atkins, who he had been dating for about a year.

The club was their regular haunt, but the normal night took an unusual turn when the pair, who usually stayed out until 5am, left early after a disagreement.

A friend sent Matt a message asking where he was. Matt said he was on his way home, because his boyfriend was "having a f---en cry" and wouldn't let him stay at the club.
Seven protesters have been arrested after clashing with police and fans of controversial British commentator Milo Yiannopoulos at his secret Sydney event.

The protesters were later charged with offences including breach of the peace, assault police, hinder police, affray and failing to comply, a police spokeswoman said.

The function venue Le Montage in Lilyfield was heavily guarded with mounted police, officers on bicycles, riot squad, marine police and police vans barricading the event after several arrests were made at his Victorian event on Monday night.

The venue wasn't revealed until an hour before the event was scheduled to start and the surrounding streets were all closed off in the hours leading up to his scheduled speech.
A man who allegedly trafficked his Indian wife and their two-month-old daughter from Sydney to India has appeared in court, facing charges of human trafficking, general dishonesty and document forgery.

It is alleged Pardeep Lohan, from Lidcombe, used threats, coercion and deception to force his wife and Australian-born child to travel to India in March this year.

The 27-year-old was first targeted by detectives from the Australian Federal Police Human Trafficking Team in May.

It followed a referral to the AFP from non-government organisation Anti-Slavery Australia.
An alleged multimillion-dollar hydroponic cannabis growing syndicate was using false identities to rent more than a dozen properties in a bid to continue growing their crops undetected, police say.

Heavily-armed police conducted dawn raids on at least 16 properties across Sydney's west and north-west on Tuesday morning after a three-month investigation into the alleged syndicate.

At least four properties at Carlingford, including one next to a school, and other homes in Greystanes, Smithfield, Eastwood, Parramatta, Beecroft, Concord West, Dundas Valley, Eastwood, North Epping, Dulwich Hill, Rydalmere and Bankstown were also targeted by Strike Force Kilkee.

The strike force, run by the Drug and Firearms Squad, was set up in September to investigate the alleged syndicate.
"Beachwatch's general advice is to avoid swimming during and for one day following rainfall at ocean beaches."

"Rainfall is the major driver of pollution to recreational waters, generating stormwater runoff," the spokeswoman told the Herald.

Coogee Beach was one of the worst affected for water pollution due to recent rains. Credit:Janie Barrett

Recent heavy rainfall has resulted in the threat of bacterial contamination at Sydney beaches, said a spokeswoman for the NSW government's monitoring service, Beachwatch.

Sydneysiders have been warned against visiting several beaches due to dangerous surf conditions and possible water pollution.

Bronte and Coogee beaches are reportedly the worst affected. Warnings for possible water pollution were also released for multiple beaches, including Bondi, Little Bay, and Clovelly in the east, North Curl Curl, Freshwater, and Shelly (Manly) in the north, and Boat Harbour, North and South Cronulla, and Oak Park in the south.

The most obvious signs of stormwater pollution are water discolouration as well as debris in the water and on the tide line.

Swimming sites in Sydney Harbour, including Woolwich Baths, Tambourine Bay, and Rose Bay Beach, have also received pollution warnings. Beachwatch said to wait up to three days after rainfall before swimming in the harbour.

While Sydneysiders were originally warned of heavy rainfall over the rest of the week, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jordan Notara said to expect light showers on Wednesday, clearing up towards the weekend.

"The conditions that we have been seeing have been dependent on whether that trough is positioned and the forecast for heavy rainfall was based on the prediction that the trough would stay close to the coastline," he said.
During his first year at the prison, Mr Gage voluntarily spent 90 minutes locked in the punishment cells, also known as solitary confinement. There was no running water, ventilation, sewerage or natural light. There was only a toilet tub, water container and fibre mat for sleeping. "They were two cells under the building in the basement with nothing in them. I spent 90 minutes in there voluntarily one day and that was 90 minutes I'll never get back  it felt like days in there," Mr Gage said. "There was an odour, it was damp and you could hear your own brain ticking over." The punishment cells were housed underneath A-Wing, which was also known as the Hanging Wing.

It was on the roof of A-Wing where John Andrew Stuart, convicted murderer over the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing, protested his innocence in November 1977. Convicted Whiskey Au Go Go murderer John Andrew Stuart spelt 'innocent' by knocking out bricks. Credit:Fairfax Media There was no love lost between Mr Gage and Stuart. During his first nine months as a guard at Boggo Road, Stuart threw a tub full of sewage over Mr Gage - he received "a kicking" for his efforts. He was crazy," Mr Gage said when describing Stuart. "He used to lean over and say, 'Ill be ready for another kicking tomorrow'.

Stuart also developed a habit of swallowing "wire crosses", which were two screws tied together to form a cross, during his murder trial in 1973. He swallowed a total of 11 wire crosses that year in order to prevent himself from having to attend court and face the murder charges. The habit led to the convicted murderer undergoing several operations to remove the crosses, which left him with scars. He also failed escape court and was sentenced to life imprisonment. In addition, Stuart's "party trick" was to smash a full bottle of beer over the head of anyone who didn't agree with him. Once the victim was unconscious on the floor, Stuart would "lay into them" according to Mr Gage. Speaking of escapes, sheets were used by one prisoner to create a makeshift rope, which was used to abseil down a cell block in the late 1980s.

Stuart wasn't the only troublesome prisoner Mr Gage encountered, having witnessed several bold escapes during his time. Mr Gage played a key role in recapturing the prisoners who got out in the largest mass escape in Queensland history, known as the Fun Run, in 1989. As the two main gates opened to let a vehicle in, inmates rushed through the gap. Six prisoners managed to escape. Mr Gage pursued one of the escapees who had commandeered a nearby taxi, but there was one flaw in the great escape - the prisoner had forgotten how to drive. He was soon cornered in a cul-de-sac and returned to his cell by Mr Gage. The escape was called the Fun Run because as the prisoners ran down the road away from the main gates, they could be heard laughing at their success.

Meanwhile, the most daring escape ever witnessed by Mr Gage was the hijacking of a garbage truck in 1991, which was then used as a battering ram by prisoners to smash their way out. The break-out group consisted of four inmates and was led by Harold McSweeney, who was later shot dead in an attempt to escape custody near the Brisbane courts complex. The garbage truck four prisoners hijacked and used to smash their way out. Having spent more than a decade at Boggo Road Gaol, Mr Gage was also able to end years of speculation around a historic prison myth. It was thought Johnny Cash may have played a secret show at the prison and there have been claims by former prison staff that these claims were in fact true.
A Supreme Court jury has been warned to dismiss sympathy and public opinion in deciding whether a man who admitted giving his father drug-laced Coca-Cola 12 days before the 88-year-old died helped him commit suicide.

Over four days in Brisbane, eight women and four men heard allegations against Peter John Nixon, 59, who has pleaded not guilty to aiding the suicide of his father, John Stephen Nixon.

Peter John Nixon is seen leaving the Supreme Court in Brisbane.

On Tuesday morning, Justice Ann Lyons summed up the cases argued by the Crown and Mr Nixons defence, before asking the jury to decide.

She said jurors had two critical issues to consider: the defendants intent when he gave his father the drink and whether that drink caused or substantially contributed to Mr Nixons father's death.
Brisbane socialite Maureen Boyce's family broke down in tears when they learnt the man they knew was responsible for her violent murder received the justice he deserved - life in jail.

For more than two weeks, intimate details of their private lives had been aired in court, after Thomas Chris Lang pleaded not guilty to killing the 68-year-old as she slept in her bed in October 2015.

Thomas Lang has been found guilty of murdering Maureen Boyce.

The New Zealand-based doctor claimed the former model had become so distressed on the night she died that she had committed suicide.

But the Brisbane Supreme Court jury didn't buy that story.
A teen has died and four others have been injured in a horror crash in central Queensland, while another man was also killed after his car hit a tree west of Brisbane.

Emergency services were called to Moranbah, about 200 kilometres south-west of Mackay, to a vehicle rollover on Moranbah Access Road about 4.20am.

A teenager has died and four others were hospitalised after a rollover at Moranbah. Credit:7 News Mackay - Twitter

The 17-year-old male driver was killed in the crash, police confirmed.

An 11-year-old girl with serious head, leg and chest injuries and a teenage female with head, abdominal and shoulder injuries were both airlifted to Townsville Hospital.
Queensland dam engineers were concerned before the 2011 floods that they could suffer a "major embarrassment" if they released water and then dire rainfall predictions didn't eventuate, a Sydney court has heard.

A class-action suit is under way in the NSW Supreme Court on behalf of more than 6000 flood victims almost seven years after the disaster.

Wivenhoe Dam in Queensland. Credit:Dean Saffron

At the core of the case is whether flood engineers breached the Wivenhoe Dam manual and acted negligently in not taking into account rainfall predictions before major releases became necessary in mid-January 2011.

On Tuesday, the court heard dam engineer John Tibaldi raised the risk of unnecessary water releases in an email written in early December 2010.
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Mr Tiernan said votes had to be scrutinised for formality, counted, preferences distributed and checks conducted. "Each ballot paper is reviewed multiple times under this system - whereas before people could just vote one and the count was much quicker and simpler," he said. Seats like Maiwar - where Greens candidate Michael Berkman was ahead of Labor's Ali King by just 71 votes - and the Logan-based seat of Macalister were neck-and-neck, although independent Hetty Johnston has conceded in the latter. Mr Tiernan said the tight race meant the ECQ would wait for the outstanding votes to be returned before distributing preferences because they could make the difference to the final result. University of Queensland Law School Professor Graeme Orr said internet voting was not sufficiently trustworthy.

University of Queensland Law School Professor Graeme Orr said the wait for the final result could be attributed to the Act allowing up to 10 days for postal votes and the fact absentee votes had to be transferred around the state. And there were an unusual number of seats in this election that had three or even four-cornered contests. "For example Maiwar - we know it's a clear loss to LNP, but will Labor come third and elect a Green or vice versa?" Professor Orr said. Professor Orr said it was usual to not know the exact number of seats a party had for up to a fortnight and, in 2015, there was also the threat of litigation hanging over the seat of Ferny Grove. But he said if the Premier had not boxed herself in with her "no deals" rhetoric, she could have attempted to publicly secure Noosa independent Sandy Bolton's pledge of confidence and supply by now as a buffer if Labor did not reach 47 seats.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has pledged not to do any deals to form minority government, so the wait continues for Labor to officially secure 47 seats. Credit:AAP Image/ Dan Peled Professor Orr said Queensland could mandate postal votes must be received by close of polling, as in the UK. "But that rule was for a smaller island, when the post was several times a day," he said. UQ lecturer Chris Salisbury said there was a record number of candidates in the 2017 election - 15 more than the previous highest number in 1998 when One Nation featured highly, and four more seats. Dr Salisbury agreed compulsory preferential voting could have also contributed

"This combined with a significant decline in primary vote for major parties ... means minor and independent candidates gained more votes and made for tight three or four-way contests in several seats," he said. "This kept more candidates in the running to at least finish high enough to make distributing preferences to leading candidates a complicated matter, and a higher percentage than normal of the vote needed to be counted before this became clearer in many cases." Dr Salisbury said people may need to get used to waiting several weeks for the new government to be sworn-in, particularly if major parties' primary vote share continued to fall and minor parties maintained support. More than 87 per cent of the vote has now been counted. What about electronic voting?

Mr Tiernan said electronic voting had only been trialled in a limited way in some states. "The ECQ is continually looking to evolve but there are a number of important matters that would need to be addressed like online security and also regulations would have to change," he said. Professor Orr said internet voting was not sufficiently trustworthy. "That leaves electronic kiosk voting, which would simplify absentee votes," he said. But that would mean Queensland would still have to wait on postal votes in close seats, he said.

"We could reduce the time for postal votes to arrive, say, to five working days," Professor Orr said. "A catch-22 given the post is not as regular as in the past." Dr Salisbury said there seemed to be a strong case for electronic voting, although many experts had warned against the pitfalls. "But if we can implement 'drive through' voting... then you'd like to think we could organise electronic casting of votes - making once there's reliable NBN service to all electorates," he said. Asked on November 26 if Queensland should move to electronic voting to deliver a faster result, Ms Palaszczuk said it was a matter for the ECQ and "if that's what the public is interested in".
Don't go swimming at Melbourne's beaches today  it could make you sick.

That's the message from the authorities, who are urging people to steer well clear of every Port Phillip beach as the bacteria-filled runoff from the weekend's storms pours into the bay.

Indeed it may not be safe to swim tomorrow or right through the weekend.

The Environment Protection Authority is doing water-quality testing on Tuesday, which will determine how bad things are in the bay and how long people should avoid the water.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne has been found to have ignored, dismissed or covered up allegations of appalling child abuse by seven of its priests in a bid to protect the church's reputation and avoid scandal.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse delivered a withering assessment of the Archdiocese's handling of clerical abuse, with much of its opprobrium reserved for former Archbishop Frank Little who died in 2008.

"We are satisfied that the evidence in the case study showed a prevailing culture of secrecy within the Archdiocese, led by Archbishop Little," the royal commission found.
Melburnians have been most likely to work as professionals, tradies, managers, salespeople and in administration since the turn of the century  but who we work for has changed.

More than a decade ago, Melbourne decoupled from the corporate giants once synonymous with this city and its employment market diversified, says urban economist Terry Rawnsley.

So despite big corporates shedding hundreds of thousands of jobs over the past few years, Melbourne has continued to grow.

The city's GDP grew by 2.8 per cent to reach a record $324.9 billion last financial year, fuelled by nation-leading population growth.
A Perth church has defended its decision to host a controversial supporter of "gay conversion therapy" in a public seminar about same-sex attraction planned for Saturday evening.

Perth City Church of Christ is hosting an event with James Parker, billed as a presentation on his experience as a "gay activist to husband and father through Jesus Christ".

Former gay man James Parker. Credit:Facebook

Mr Parker, a former gay man, is now married with children and a speaker promoted through Parousia Media, an organisation which "strives to bring the message of faith and formation to Catholics and individuals across Australia".

Mr Parker is set to deliver his presentation on Saturday evening at Perth City Church of Christ, and the event was promoted through Facebook.
He grew up in the Pilbara and his father was heavily involved with the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. He finished school and took up an apprenticeship, and slowly moved up the ranks to work into a senior role. He was the direct supervisor of around 14 to 15 people for a WA mining contractor, enjoyed the challenge of his job, was well-respected by his employees and was seen as a serious problem-solver with a lot of potential to continue moving up the ranks. But for nearly nine months now, Nathan has been on stress leave from the Wheatstone LNG gas plant site with severe anxiety, depression and insomnia. When Nathan explains how he got to the point of relying on anti-depressants to get through the day, the struggle to get out of bed every morning and his inability to get work, his situation sounds familiar.

We heard stories of guys who would not take their anti-depressants or hiding them, because they were worried they could be caught with them. When he started in October 2015 on a two weeks on, two weeks off roster, Nathan said it was "great, fantastic". He said he had gotten all his training done, and he was hand-picked to go to a site early to oversee phase five of the operation. Aside from a couple of bumps along the way - "Just a couple of run ins, not very nice stuff" - Nathan was well-liked and was working well with his team. But one day, he said something popped up in his inbox that he immediately realised wasn't meant for him. "I was accidentally CC'd into an email that contained three sensitive documents," he said.

"I shouldn't have been CC'd in, and I was worried about what to do. IT told me I should report it, as it would supposedly get me into a lot of trouble if I didn't." Nathan reported the incident as a grievance, and sent it to his IRM & Document Control officials as a possible breach of the company's IRM policy. The few who had been privy to the incident, Nathan says, told him he had done the right thing. The window seat fear is real for WA FIFO workers. But it wasn't long before Nathan was hauled into a coordinator's office to talk about the "anonymous" report.

And, Nathan says, sitting in the corner of the room was the man who he believed had accidentally sent the email. "The colleague happened to be in the office too. There was only three people on my team and I'd been CC'd into the email, so I knew they were going to know it was me," he said. "They asked me if I'd made the IT report, and I said no, and he just goes [in an aggressive tone] 'don't fucking lie to me, I know.' So I said 'yeah, I did report you mate'," "I was called a f--king dog c--t, and I thought he was going to jump the table and come after me. "I copped it for 10 minutes from him, but eventually it just got too much and I got up and walked out."

It wasn't the first or the last time Nathan had sat back as a supervisor or management official hurled abuse at him, but it was the first time Nathan decided he wasn't going to sit back and take it. Nathan lodged a complaint with his company's employee relations professional about the incident, but said the process didn't get him very far. "My shift coordinator [name retracted]... was very helpful and supportive... [but] I feel it [was] unprofessional to be reprimanded for following company policy." He said he struggled to prove what had happened due to the seniority of his supervisor, and he alleges despite making a written complaint and speaking with the professional in person, the "investigation" into the incident was concluded to be "a heated incident between parties" and nothing more. Nathan contends he wasn't heated - just scared.

In a statement submitted to the AMWU, Nathan explained how he had been feeling: "I [felt] very nervous around [name retracted], and other team members had also mentioned that he had a short fuse," he said. "I normally looked forward to going to site for each trip, but this time around, not so much." Ultimately, Nathan says he continued his private battle with the coordinator - and there was even what he describes as a "depressing" running joke with one of his team members. "We used to say, if it wasn't him it was me. If it wasn't me, it was him. There was always something to have a go at us about. It was mentally exhausting, and I'm not an idiot. I do my job and I know how to do it well.

"I've lost a lot of faith in their policies  it seems like they talk the talk but don't walk the walk. "It was soon after I reported the IT breach that [I think] people started to treat me differently. "People would not invite me out for drinks, I started to feel alienated and that people were giving me the cold shoulder. "If I approached a group of people talking they would stop and disband. [Name redacted] told me that [name redacted] had told him that I had 'dobbed' him in for the IT breach. This... made me anxious." He told his superiors about his perceived exclusion and isolation, and he was told he needed to "build relationships" in order to improve his time on site.

As his depression, feelings of isolation and constant job anxiety took hold, Nathan confesses his work performance suffered. He said he had become reclusive and snappy, and according to a company disciplinary write-up provided by Nathan himself, swearing at the same supervisor who had had a crack at him previously. The isolation got worse. One of the outcomes of the 2015 inquiry was an understanding FIFO workers were more at risk of developing mental health issues than the general public. His partner bore the brunt of his issues when he was on his off-swing, and after receiving a formal performance improvement plan from his employer, Nathan was at breaking point.

He went to the on-site Aspen Medical Centre about his depression and anxiety in March this year. This was after months of not sleeping, constant anxiety and an inability to sleep. Only then did he go for help. He was pulled off two days into a swing citing a medical evacuation for "stress leave" and he was sent home from site. "My low point would have to be... when I was sent from site by medical [personnel] for stress, which had culminated from the bullying," he said. He attempted to stay on in a Perth role in order to pay his bills but after some time on stress leave, Nathan officially quit.

One of his reasons was to pursue a workers compensation claim for "psychological injury". In Nathan's opinion, there is no question his mental health suffered as a result of the bullying and exclusion. He has since made complaints to the Fairwork Commission and the Australian Metal Workers Union about his treatment, and subsequent breakdown. He argues the bullying and isolation triggered his mental health issues, and he isn't the only fly-in, fly-out worker to contend the same thing. "I've lost all confidence in my abilities. I'm on a high dose of depression medications, and I used to wake up five to six times a night for months and months so I was on Stillnox. I used to break down to my partner and tell her I just needed one night's sleep. The stress and anxiety wasn't letting me sleep," he said. "The situation is deteriorating. People don't come up here to be treated like that."

Nathan says there is a fear ingrained in fly-in, fly-out workers to talk about their mental health issues, and he was no different. "They talked to me like I was rubbish. One of his comments that stuck with me was 'I have serious concerns about your ability to do the job, and I've lost all faith in our HR hiring process if they hired you to do this'," he said. "When the guys causing you problems are the ones you're supposed to go to for help, you don't know what to do." Despite crumbling after months and months of alleged sustained bullying and harassment, Nathan hadn't told people he was struggling until it got to be too much. Nathan was tough enough, until he wasn't.

Perth Airport is filled with hundreds of fly in and fly out miners heading to various miners in Western Australia on any given day. Credit:Jacky Ghossein JGZ The window-seat fear Overwhelmingly, the response to FIFO workers who speak up about problems they're experiencing at work and how it's impacting their mental health isn't a positive one. Australian Miners Workers Union state secretary Steve McCartney said it wasn't hard to see why workers refused to report their problems if they were having trouble. "We've heard plenty of anecdotal evidence that people who have been found to be complaining consistently to management go missing," he said.

"If they've complained about anxiety, not sleeping, or needing a day off due to anxiety or stress, they'll go missing. They'll be told they're no longer required on the job and sent home." Despite extensive employee-based assistance programs, frameworks, studies, and statistics - there is still a fear that shadows those who engage with company services. It's the fear they could find on a plane the minute they suggest something could be off about their own mental health - or as it's known in the industry, "the window seat". On Nathan's site, employee assistance programs were an option. "All employees are given free and confidential access to our independent Employee Assistance Program for support and management of mental health concerns," a statement from the company said.

"Chevron is fully committed to providing an inclusive work environment which is free from unlawful discrimination and has a strong safety culture and zero tolerance towards inappropriate behaviour at work. This commitment is reflected in all Chevron policies and training." But when he contends the bullying he endured was aimed at him from different levels of management, it is not hard to guess why he didn't feel comfortable going through an employee assistance program for help. "I'll give you a scenario," Mr McCartney said. "You're on a four and one roster. You're on site for a week and you're feeling bad. You go talk to your mental health advisor, or you go talk to your EAP so you can ask for time off. How do you do that anonymously?" 'Bullying on site is rife' says Steve McCartney, AMWU state secretary. Credit:Fairfax Media

The nature of 'going missing' "We had a survey and guys wrote, without a question even being asked, in the comments section about how there was an absolute concern of "going missing" after reporting an issue with their mental health," Mr McCartney said. "We heard stories of guys who would not take their anti-depressants or hide them, because they were worried they could be caught with them. "When they make a decision to come forward, they fear they're going to lose the one thing they have left - their job." Nathan's employer, Chevron, detailed its approach to bullying, harassment and mental health.

"Chevron does not tolerate bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace. All allegations of workplace bullying and harassment are taken seriously and investigated by Chevron," a spokesperson said. "Chevron places the highest priority on the health and safety of our workforce and we have a range of measures in place to protect employee wellbeing, including fitness for duty processes, an employee assistance program, supervisor training and mental health resilience training." The company was unable to comment on Nathan's allegations, due to its policy regarding employee privacy. 'They brush their hands of you' While Chevron has often led the way when it comes to its own mental health policy, the mining giant still falls victim to a number of problems outlined by the Education and Health Standing Committee's 2015 report.

Across the industry there is no enforced minimum standard requirement to ensure companies do everything they can to support their workers through mental health issues - which only helps to reinforce the "window seat" fear. Often, individual companies must engage third party providers to perform their liable duty. For example there is no enforced code regarding mental health evacuations. Worksafe WA said while it worked with companies to ensure workplace safety and health, they did not have any oversight of mental health evacuations on mine sites. "Such cases in our jurisdiction are only rarely reported to us. If a case was in our jurisdiction and a complaint was made, we could make enquiries about whether there was a safe system of work."

And when asked if any action had ever been taken against companies who failed to complete a correct mental health evacuation - by either forcing employees off site without a correct doctor evaluation, failing to facilitate a return-to-work plan or without sending them home without supervision while being apparently "vulnerable" - Worksafe said to their knowledge, they had never "taken enforcement action in such a case". In a nutshell, this means companies have the ability to send employees off site with little to no supervision from an industry regulator. The 2015 report itself said: Loading "The Committee notes concerns from unions and individuals that mental health evacuations have sometimes been used as a means to remove a worker from site, and then prevent their return. This was not an area the Committee was able to investigate in any depth," it said.
WA Police have issued a warning after online vigilantes wrongly targeted a Perth family they thought was responsible for abusing a dog.

The online abuse kicked off last week when two young girls posted a video of themselves hitting a dog in the face with a rubber thong to social media.

It was determined that it would not be in the dog's best interest to remove it from its home at this stage.

People attempted to track down the two girls and their families in the video and one Facebook user posted what the thought was the information of one of the girls in the video.

However, police have revealed the address did not belong to the girl in the video.
Vienna: Same-sex couples will be allowed to marry in Austria from 2019 after the country's supreme court ruled that a law to the contrary violated the principle of non-discrimination.

The move brings Austria into line with many other European nations including Germany, France, Britain and Spain.

It also comes at a time when stories of sexual harassment under the #MeToo hashtag have flooded social media, sparking a rethink of attitudes towards sexual discrimination.

"Today is a truly historic day," said lawyer Helmut Graupner, who represented the two female plaintiffs in court.
Special prosecutor Robert Mueller zeroed in on President Donald Trump's business dealings with Deutsche Bank as his investigation into alleged Russian meddling in US elections widens.

Mueller has issued a subpoena to Germany's largest lender, forcing the bank to submit documents on its client relationship with Trump and his family, said a person briefed on the matter, who asked not to be identified because the action has not been announced.

"Deutsche Bank always cooperates with investigating authorities in all countries," the lender said in a statement to Bloomberg, declining to provide additional information.

Deutsche Bank for months has rebuffed calls by Democratic legislators to provide more transparency over the roughly $US300 million Trump owed to the bank for his real estate dealings prior to becoming president. Some Democrats have asked whether the bank's loans to Trump, made years before he ran for president, were in any way connected to Russia.
Moscow: As president of Georgia, he survived a disastrous war with Russia. As a regional governor in Ukraine committed to fighting corruption, he clashed with just about everybody, including his estranged former ally, Ukraine's president, Petro O. Poroshenko.

On Tuesday Mikhail Saakashvili, a onetime darling of the West, took his high-wire political career to bizarre new heights when he climbed onto the roof of his five-storey apartment building in the center of Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, with law enforcement officers in hot pursuit. As a crowd of hundreds of supporters gathered below, he shouted insults at Ukraine's leaders and, according to several local news outlets, threatened to jump if security agents tried to grab him.

Dragged from the roof after denouncing Poroshenko as a traitor and a thief, the former Georgian leader was detained but then freed by his supporters, who, amid raucous scenes on the street, blocked a security service van before it could take Saakashvili to a Kiev detention centre and allowed him to escape.

With a Ukrainian flag draped across his shoulders and a pair of handcuffs still attached to one of his wrists, Saakashvili then led hundreds of supporters in a march across Kiev toward Parliament. Speaking through a bullhorn, he called for "peaceful protests" to remove Poroshenko from office, just as protests had toppled the former president, Viktor F. Yanukovych, in February 2014.
A little foreknowledge, plus about $US50, and my daughter would have lived to see 13.

The amount keeps me awake. Many of us spend more each month at Starbucks. Not pocket change, it's not enough to change your life. Or so I thought.

A kid at home with an unsecured medication might just as well be left with a loaded gun.

Like every parent, I'd received a dumpster full of child-rearing warnings. The warnings started with pregnancy. They continue to the present day. Why then is my daughter not in her room texting friends, but in the cemetery? It was the warning never given.

To begin near the end, one morning last May while I was showering, my wife burst into the bathroom. Our daughter, then 12, wouldn't wake up.
London: The attack on Manchester Arena in May that killed 22 people could have been stopped, an independent review of British police and intelligence services has found.

MI5 missed two clues that 22-year-old Salman Abedi was planning an attack and a "data-washing exercise" identified the attacker as meriting further investigation. MI5 had planned to discuss his case but the meeting was scheduled for nine days after the attack took place.

The review also confirmed that the leader of the London Bridge and Borough Market attack had been identified as wanting to attack the UK, and was under investigation at the time of the June attack.

He was the main target of a police operation which had been suspended twice because of a lack of resources, and had resumed just before the terror attack.
A group of Israelis on the walls of Tower of David compound in Jerusalem. Credit:AP The backlash from other Middle East nations mounted on Tuesday. Speaking to the Turkish parliament, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said American recognition of Jerusalem would be a "red line" for Muslims, possibly forcing Turkey to cut diplomatic ties with Israel that were recently renewed after a six-year hiatus. Palestinian hold a poster of US President Donald Trump during a protest in Bethlehem, West Bank. Credit:AP Senior White House officials described Trump's decision as the fulfillment of a key campaign promise that has broad bipartisan support in Congress. They emphasised that the move will not fundamentally change other aspects of US policy. For example, they said, Trump remains supportive of a two-state solution, if that's what the parties agree to, and the administration is maintaining the status quo on Jerusalem's holy sites.

The officials said Trump is simply recognising the reality that Jerusalem has historically been Israel's capital and that most of the nation's government - including the prime minister's office, the Supreme Court and the legislature - is based there. A city of significance to Christians, Muslims and Jews. Israeli border police officers stand near the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City. Credit:AP "For a long time, the US position held ambiguity or a lack of acknowledgment in hopes of advancing the process of peace," said one senior administration official, who along with two others spoke on the condition of anonymity at a briefing for reporters at the White House on Tuesday. "It might have been reasonable under certain circumstances and times. Certainly, it's been tried. But . . . it seems clear now that the physical location of the American embassy is not material to a peace deal." Another US official said after the briefing that while Trump will reiterate his commitment to the peace process during his speech, the White House recognises that "some parties" might react negatively. US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Credit:AP

"We are still working on our plan, which is not yet ready," said this official, who was not authorised to speak on the record. "We have time to get it right and see how people feel after this news is processed over the next period of time." No other countries have their embassies in Jerusalem, with a long-standing international consensus that the city's status should be decided in a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians. President Donald Trump receives a Book of Psalms from Shmuel Rabinovitch during a visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem in May. Credit:New York Times Palestinian factions jointly announced three "days of rage," beginning Wednesday, to protest the potential US Embassy move and recognition of Jerusalem. In a statement, they called on supporters around the world to gather in city centres and at Israeli embassies and consulates to voice their anger. In a statement late Tuesday, the US Consulate in Jerusalem urged American citizens in Israel to avoid large crowds or areas where security had been increased, and ordered its staff members and their families to avoid Jerusalem's Old City and the West Bank except for "essential" business.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem, which contains most of the important holy sites for Jews, Muslims and Christians, after the 1967 war with Arab powers. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, while many Israelis and some in the United States consider the city sector to be already and irrevocably under Israeli administration. Some of Trump's prominent Jewish backers appear to hold that view, although he has said he wants to honour Palestinian sovereignty through a mutual settlement. US officials did not identify any prospective location for the new embassy, and said it will take years to plan and build to meet security concerns for the roughly 1000 diplomats currently headquartered in Tel Aviv. But the officials emphasised that the move will not prejudice Palestinians' claims to East Jerusalem, strongly implying that only sites on the western side of the pre-1967 Green Line will be considered. "This doesn't speak to final-status issues," a third administration official said, referring to the thorniest disputes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - those that are assumed to be in limbo until completion of a final peace settlement. The officials said the decision was made with the support of Trump's envoys seeking a long-elusive peace deal, an assertion meant to counter warnings that the change would unleash fresh Arab violence. They offered no specifics to support the claim that the move would not spoil the peace initiative headed by presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner. The aides said, however, that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other State Department officials were closely involved in the deliberations.

The White House said a call was also scheduled with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A spokesman for his office declined to comment. Other advocates of recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital have pointed to Russia as an example. Moscow declared West Jerusalem to be the Israeli capital earlier this year, and the announcement produced no wave of violence or diplomatic backlash. The US position is more charged, however, because of Washington's historic role as a peace broker. Jordan's King Abdullah II said the move would undermine US efforts to resume the peace process, according to news reports. Loading
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten  The House of Parliament will sit in a Central Committee meeting on Tuesday, December 5, 2017. USM Board members will be present for the first agenda point.

The continuation of the urgent Central Committee meeting which was adjourned on November 28, 2017 is scheduled for 10.00 hrs in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda points are:

Discussion with USM Board members to discuss their feedback on the motives for the closure of this esteemed establishment (IS/142/2017-2018 dated November 22, 2017)

(This meeting was requested by MP T.E. Heyliger, MP F.A. Meyers, MP S.M. Bijlani, MP P.F.M. Geerlings, MP S.A. Wescot-Williams, MP C.M.M. Connor, MP T.E. Leonard and MP C.E. Brownbill) Advice regarding changes to the composition of certain Permanent and Ad hoc Committees of Parliament

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.com and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten.
California Politicians who enacted a "Sanctuary State" misjudged the public mood

The shooting that would elect the next US President occurred on Pier 14, San Francisco

The Kate Steinle case was always about more than just the Kate Steinle case.

The 32-year-old was shot in the back while walking with her father along San Francisco's Pier 14. She collapsed and died in her father's arms. It was July 1, 2015.

The bullet came from a gun stolen four days earlier from a federal ranger's official vehicle, where it had been left unsecured and loaded. But the story wasn't about carelessness.

The gun was fired by a man who was living on the street, but the story wasn't about homelessness. And it wasn't about gun violence.

The story was about illegal immigration and sanctuary cities, because of what had happened two weeks earlier.

Donald J. Trump announced on June 16, 2015, that he was running for president.

Illegal immigration was not a central part of Trump's announcement speech in New York. His brief remarks about Mexico "not sending their best" people, and characterizing some of the immigrants as criminals and rapists, received intense news coverage, but most of the speech was about trade.

Then Kate Steinle was shot to death.

The revelation that the suspect arrested for firing the bullet that killed Steinle was a Mexican citizen who had been deported five times already, and who would have been deported a sixth time if not for San Francisco's sanctuary policy protecting him from being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon release from a local jail, changed American politics.

Trump seized on the story and pounded the message that the nation needed a wall on its southern border. On Aug. 31 he gave a major policy address in Phoenix to outline what he called "one of the greatest challenges facing our country today, illegal immigration."

Breitbart Kate Steinle and Juan Francisco Zarate

Trump told the crowd, "Today, on a very complicated and very difficult subject, you will get the truth. The fundamental problem with the immigration system in our country is that it serves the needs of wealthy donors, political activists and powerful, powerful politicians. Let me tell you who it does not serve. It does not serve you, the American people."

As Trump rose in the polls, no other candidate in the race co-opted the issue and ran with it, which, if it doesn't confirm Trump's assessment of "the fundamental problem," certainly doesn't contradict it.

Now he's president of the United States, and that's probably why.

rest: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/01/the-kate-steinle-tragedy-changed-history/
InfiNet Wireless provides critical connection for Colombian town to apprehend and convict criminals quicker than ever

The entire town is now monitored 24/7

Valletta, Malta. 25 July 2017: InfiNet Wireless, the global leader in fixed broadband wireless connectivity, has deployed a cost-effective solution to improve surveillance of Bojaca, Colombia using the latest CCTV technologies, enabling the local law enforcement agencies to present solid evidence in court in order to convict criminals.

Bojaca, a municipality and town of the Western Savanna Province and located 40 km from the capital Bogota, had started to fight against rising crime in the area, and had failed to tackle this social issue due to its unreliable existing network of closed circuit security cameras which operated on a legacy fibre optic network. The Bojaca government approached InfiNets partner in Colombia, Maicrotel, a leading communication solutions integrator providing turn-key video monitoring solutions for the police force, to advise on the best technological platform for tackling crime.

Despite Bojaca town being a busy tourist spot in Colombia, we previously had terrible experience with our old fibre optic infrastructure, making it expensive to deploy and impossible to move cameras to other parts of the town, said Juan Carlos Gaitain, Bojaca Mayor. Maicrotels design and installation, along with InfiNets local support in Colombia, has allowed the law enforcement agencies to extend the area they are able to monitor efficiently, and the entire town of Bojaca is now monitored 24/7, causing criminals to be caught quicker than ever before.

Maicrotel and InfiNet deployed an entirely wireless network which could carry IP cameras  some fixed and some pan tilt zoom (PTZ)  initially in six important sites of Bojaca. The high-performing InfiMan 22 Point-to-Multipoint solution was ultimately deployed in four central sites, while the InfiLINK 22 LITE Point-to-Point solution was selected in the two sites that were out of the base station coverage, as the InfiLINK operates in both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight conditions.

The InfiNet solution deployed not only prevents crime and allows the police to catch criminals more quickly, it also helps to accurately identify offenders, including those committing drug offences nearby schools and posing a serious risk to children and local communities.

The town of Bojaca needed a solution that was both flexible in terms of geographical coverage, and cost-effective without compromising reliability, said Carlos de la Madrid, LATAM Director at InfiNet Wireless. The Bojaca police now have all eyes on the CCTV in the town, and have installed cameras in remote and isolated places where little else exists except for the crossroads, allowing the local police to monitor all vehicles leaving and entering the town.

The local support and solution provided by InfiNet Wireless, along with Maicrotels design and installation, has allowed the Bojaca government to improve surveillance in the knowledge that it has put in place a reliable and scalable wireless infrastructure that supports all its needs for voice, data and video transmissions across the town.
AAI Worldwide Logistics Goes Live on Ramco ERP across 7 operating units

Posted by Publisher ERP, Software

Paranaque, Philippines / Chennai, India  July 25, 2017  Philippines based logistics and freight-forwarding giant AAI Worldwide Logistics Inc. today announced that it has completed first phase of implementing Ramco Systems ERP solution for Logistics. In Phase I of the go-live, AAI has implemented group-wide centralized systems to digitize Financial Management and Supply Chain Management functions. In addition, complete Project Cargo modules are live at AAI +PEERS Inc., a member of the Project Cargo Network (PCN) organization specializing in transportation and handling of Over Dimensional Cargo (ODC) used for engineering, procurement and construction companies across the island.

Ramco ERP for logistics service providers is being implemented across all of AAIs freight-forwarding & warehousing operations, including those of its new Express Courier unit, Black Arrow Express, thereby consolidating operations for Finance, Project Cargo, and end-to-end Supply Chain Management across seven AAI operating units in the Philippines.

Rico Brizuela, Chairman, AAI Group of Companies, said, This is a major leap in our digital journey to become The Philippines number one logistics company. As more companies abandon disparate manually operated systems for paperless processes, Ramcos user-friendly technology will enable us to stay ahead of the curve in the fast-changing logistics industry.

Arnold Brizuela, President, AAI Worldwide Logistics Inc., said, The implementation of Ramcos comprehensive suite has brought in complete visibility to AAIs overall business, thus allowing us to make timely and informed decisions, to support our planned business growth. Standardization of operations across organization, has built a great foundation for the subsequent phases of the implementation. We strongly believe that Ramcos innovative solution will help us sustain our Groups growth in the region and beyond.

Allan Brizuela, President, Black Arrow Express, said, With technological growth significantly influencing the courier industry, adapting newer technology to be at the forefront of innovation is the need of the hour. With Ramco as our technology partner, we have achieved considerable visibility across processes. Thanks to Ramco for going the extra mile with hands-on workshops.

Virender Aggarwal, CEO, Ramco Systems, said, The role of back-end technological infrastructure in businesses should not be underestimated in this increasingly Uberised, service-on-demand logistics industry. Our ability to address the Logistics service provider segment with a comprehensive offering coupled with Mobility, Command Centre, HUB, optimization engine and chatbots, is helping us win customer trust. The go-live at AAI marks a significant milestone in Ramcos success in the Philippines as a market.

Ramco Logistics Software is an integrated Cloud-based platform for Third Party Logistics, Freight Forwarders, and Parcel / Courier service providers seeking a high-performance logistics software. Ramco offers an Integrated end-to-end solution that can link every stage of a logistics chain and bring all the functionalities under a single technology platform. The solution is flexible, scalable, cognitive, and ready to adapt to change. These features is helping the Ramco solution attract customers, worldwide.
Duo Security Raises $70 Million, Earning Valuation of More than $1 Billion

ANN ARBOR, MI  (Marketwired)  10/18/17  , one of the fastest growing information security and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies in the world, today announced it has raised $70 million in additional financing led by Meritech Capital Partners and Lead Edge Capital. The Series D round also included new investors, Geodesic Capital and Index Ventures, as well as existing investors Redpoint Ventures and True Ventures. A new strategic partner, Workday, also participated in the round. Duo now ranks among the worlds most valuable private SaaS companies with total funding of $119 million, and a company post-money valuation of $1.17 billion.

Alongside this financial milestone, Duo is also pleased to announce it has exceeded 10,000 customers and protects more than 300 million logins worldwide every month. Additionally, Duo welcomes Lorrie Norrington, Operating Partner for Lead Edge Capital, former eBay President and former Board Member for McAfee, to the Board of Directors and Rob Ward, Co-founder of Meritech, as Board observer.

Duo helps defend organizations against breaches by making security easy and effective. Anchored by its flagship two-factor authentication (2FA) app, Duos Trusted Access product suite verifies the identity of users and the health of their devices before granting them access to data and applications  helping prevent breaches and account takeover.

Cybersecurity has become the biggest geopolitical problem of our time. We are at a point where every organization in every industry is challenged with the overwhelming cost and complexity of securing a modern workforce, said Dug Song, Chief Executive Officer, Duo Security. Duo pioneered cloud-delivered security by making user access easy, effective, and trustworthy. With this investment, we will continue to innovate solutions to the worlds most fundamental security problems, expand our global reach, and accelerate our leadership position in the industry.

In a world with innumerable security products that are difficult to implement, use and maintain, Duo stands alone as a vendor beloved by its customers and end users, said Rob Ward, Managing Director at Meritech Capital Partners. As a result, Duo has established itself as the leader in cloud-based trusted access and we are delighted to support their rapid growth.

Duos momentum is underlined by more than doubling its annual recurring revenue (ARR) for the past four years. The company also:

, including Etsy, Facebook, K-Swiss, Paramount Pictures, Random House, Yelp, Zillow and more.

, today with over 500 team members globally.

Duo represents one of the most exciting opportunities in the security market today. Through its product excellence, market leadership and outstanding team, Duo has demonstrated best in class financial and operating performance, commented Lorrie Norrington, Operating Partner for Lead Edge Capital. Lead Edge is thrilled to continue to support Duo through the next phase of its growth and I am delighted to join the Board of Directors.

Alongside this largest round of funding to date, Microsoft recently announced integration of Duos 2FA product into their Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) platform.

Duo also continues to drive innovation in security with Duo Beyond, the first major commercial implementation of Googles BeyondCorp framework that drastically improves and simplifies the security management of how people and their devices access critical corporate applications. Duo gives administrators visibility into all end user devices including personal Macs, PCs and mobile devices  all without agents. Some recent product enhancements include:

Duo now extends secure single sign-on (SSO) capabilities for all its paid product editions.

With Trusted Endpoints, Duo customers can now establish policies to allow only trusted laptops, desktops and mobile devices to access critical work applications such as Workday, Salesforce, source code repository or an engineering VPN  all without installing any agents.

Duo has expanded its Trusted Access vision to healthcare, offering Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances (EPCS) compliant remote identity (ID) proofing and strong authentication. This helps hospitals fight against prescription drug fraud and comply with regulations easily.

For more information, please visit

Duo helps defend organizations against breaches through its easy and effective cloud-based Trusted Access product suite. The company verifies the identity of users, and the health of their devices, before granting them access to applications. Duos balance of security and usability has led them to be an enduring and trusted partner to thousands of customers world-wide, including Dresser-Rand, Etsy, Facebook, K-Swiss, Random House, Etsy, Yelp, Zillow, Paramount Pictures, and more.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company maintains offices in Austin, Texas; San Mateo, California; and London, and is backed by Benchmark, Geodesic Capital, Google Ventures, Index Ventures, Lead Edge Capital, Meritech Capital Partners, Radar Partners, Redpoint Ventures, True Ventures, and Workday. Visit duo.com to find out more.

Meredith Corley & Jordan Fylonenko

Duo Security
Openwave Mobility Wins Three Industry Innovation Awards

Openwave Mobility Recognized for Outstanding Excellence and Innovation Across the Board  3 Awards in the Past 3 Months

REDWOOD CITY, Calif  October 18 2017  Openwave Mobility, a software innovator enabling operators to manage and monetize mobile traffic, was recently awarded three major industry accolades recognizing the companys innovation and excellence in products, solutions and marketing. The company was voted a winner at Telecom Asia Readers Choice & Innovation Awards for video traffic management. It also won a prestigious Network Transformation Award at the NFV World Congress, and finally it won the title 2017 Mobility Tech Zone Product of the Year for Subscriber Data Management.

Openwave Mobilitys Video Traffic Manager is now Video Platform Innovation of the Year as determined in the 10th annual Telecom Asia Readers Choice & Innovation Awards 2017. All the more remarkable since Openwave Mobility won this award from a shortlist that included industry giants such as Huawei and ZTE. Currently over 70 percent of network traffic is encrypted, creating a crucial challenge for mobile operators to manage traffic that is invisible and maintain video QoE, thereby avoiding churn. Openwave Mobilitys Video Traffic Manager enables the intelligent virtualized optimization of web and video content to ensure the most efficient use of RAN and network resources, maximizing network capacity while optimizing end-user experience across multiple screens.

At the NFV World Congress in The Hague, Openwave Mobility won the Network Transformation Award for Marketing Excellence, honoring its landmark NFV Playbook for Best Marketing Campaign. The Openwave Mobility Video Traffic Manager was also shortlisted for Best New VNF Application in these awards. The awards, determined by an impressive panel of nine independent leading industry analysts, recognize achievement, celebrate innovation, and inspire determination for future progress.

And thirdly, Openwave Mobilitys Smart Identity Manager (SmartIDM) solution was named 2017 Mobility Tech Zone Product of the Year by TMCs Mobility Tech Zone portal. The Mobility Tech Zone Product of the Year Award honors development of technologies geared toward the evolution of todays cutting-edge wireless networks.

Innovation is in our DNA, said John Giere, President and CEO of Openwave Mobility. Our persistent, committed and aggressive R&D strategy has led to continually disruptive and successful solutions for our customers. I am delighted that our dedication and agility in cloud-based deployments is now recognized throughout the industry.

Giere continued: Its especially rewarding that some of these accolades are awarded by our industry peers, while others are determined by leading industry luminaries. That speaks to our broad appeal and unquestionable relevance to mobile operators. Operators today face significant challenges from exponential growth of encrypted traffic to competitive cost pressures. Our focus is to deliver solutions that ease these burdens. Thats why innovation is key. We are honored and humbled by this recognition.
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The chances of Juncker's proposal finding success are slim, for the simple reason that all member states must approve it. In Austria, the ESM is anchored in the constitution. And even Macron, the self-appointed EU reformer, is unenthused by the idea. France is the largest contributor to the ESM after Germany, yet according to Juncker's plan, Paris in the future would no longer have a say in how it is used.

There is, though, a rival idea to Juncker's and one that stands a much better chance. ESM head Klaus Regling, along with a handful of Eurozone finance ministers, want to expand the bailout fund into a kind of European Monetary Fund with broad powers for budget supervision and crisis management - an idea first proposed by former German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble. The idea would be for the ESM to have a budget available to aid countries that are not officially in a bailout program but which need help to weather external shocks. One potential candidate, for example, could be Ireland, should its economy suffer drastically as a result of Brexit.

Juncker would also like to create a mechanism to deal with such cases, but with the Commission pulling the strings. He would like to see a so-called stabilization function in the EU budget with funding in the hundreds of billions of euros. It's not clear where that money might come from, but just as in the case of the ESM, the battle lines are drawn: Should it be the Commission or the member states who decide how the money is distributed?

Juncker, though, has yet another idea that could cost a lot of money. He would like to see countries that do carry out reforms be rewarded financially. And his package contains several more elements that might provoke ire, such as the proposal for a common deposit guarantee for EU banks. Germany has long opposed such a thing, and its joined by a number of other member states. These governments don't want to see their banks set aside capital only for it to be used to protect customers of foreign banks from the loss of their deposits.

Raising Hackles

Juncker is also seeking to avail of dozens of billions of euros in the ESM as a kind of nest egg for future bank bailouts. Experts describe this as a backstop, with the money being made available for bailing out struggling financial institutions that have not amassed enough of their own capital. Here, the Commission president is acting upon the wishes of the member states.

However, another of Juncker's plans is raising hackles. He wants to use a Eurozone-wide figure to determine whether the Stability Pact is being adhered to. That would mean that individual countries would no longer have to keep new borrowing below 3 percent of GDP, but the common currency are as a whole, which has long been the case.

The Commission denies that it wants to weaken the Stability and Growth Pact. According to information obtained by DER SPIEGEL, however, Monetary Affairs Commissioner Moscovici has long been pushing for a greater used of aggregate figures for the whole of the Eurozone.

This idea would essentially be a blank check for countries unwilling to keep a handle on their deficits. The more some countries met their own obligations and achieve surpluses, the more debt others would be able to accrue. "That would undermine the Stability Pact," warns Markus Ferber, financial expert with the Bavarian Christian Social Union. "The issue is not that the Eurozone is not keeping to its debt targets, but that individual countries are not." The European Commission is also proposing to no longer use the fiscal compact. Instead the focus should be on countries reducing their public debt.

Juncker's preference would be that the Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner would also take over the presidency of the Eurogroup. However, it's highly unlikely that the irritated finance ministers are going to allow an EU commissioner tell them what to do.

As such, critical voices are not just to be found in the member states' finance ministries. Guntram Wolff, head of Bruegel, the influential Brussels-based think tank, is also unimpressed by the proposal to merge the Economic and Monetary Affairs portfolio with the Eurogroup presidency.

That would "unduly mix the roles of the Commission and the Council," he wrote in a Bruegel policy brief. And Wolff has major issues with the reform plans. "Juncker's proposal would over-emphasize the Commission when fiscal policy making is national."

Dealing with Asymmetric Shocks

Yet, Schauble's plans for the expansion of the ESM into a kind of European Monetary Fund with its own budget is also criticized in the brief, which was published last Friday. The former German finance minister "neglects the fact that national fiscal policy matters for the euro area," Wolff writes.
Algiers (Algeria), Dec 05, 2017 (SPS) - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, stressed today at a press conference held in the headquarters of the Saharawi embassy in Algeria, that the Fifth Summit of Partnership between the African Union and the European Union, which took place last week in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, "demonstrated to Morocco and France that the Saharawi State is a irreversible reality "and, that the SADR is an" African State that cannot be ignored ".

"Yes, the SADR was at the Fifth Euro-African Summit despite pressures against the host country," Ould Salek said before deciding that "there was no possibility of holding the Summit without the Saharawi Republic, as it is the will of the Saharawi people and the African decision "

The head of Saharawi diplomacy added that the participation of the SADR along with the Kingdom of Morocco, in an event of this magnitude, gave a historic dimension to the Summit and confirmed to the world and the Europeans that cooperation and peace go through the respect of international legality and equality among peoples.

"The fact that President Brahim Gali, Mohamed VI, Macron and Rajoy, were at the same table, addressing resolutions and recommendations on issues that affect both continents, is a victory and a recognition of the Saharawi Republic," said Mohamed Salem Ould Salek.

Along the same lines, the Saharawi diplomat reiterated that the participation of the SADR in the Summit constitutes a victory for Africa, which demonstrated that its Union "only accepts equality in relations and shared interests".

He also clarified that "it is a victory for the EU because it has distanced itself from the opinions of France that supports occupation and aggression", therefore, Europe has to follow the spirit of the Summit of Abidjan and play a constructive role in the settlement of the conflict in Western Sahara.

"The large part of the European delegations expressed their satisfaction with the participation of the SADR", concludes Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the SADR. SPS

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Stockholm, Dec 05, 2017 (SPS) - Swedish MPs urged their government to seize the seized the opportunity of their mandate as member of the UN Security Council to speed up the decolonization of Western Sahara and allow the Sahrawi people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence. They also called to stop the planned plundering of the countrys natural resources, in violation of all relevant European and international resolutions.

The Swedish press published a letter signed by four Swedish MPs from different political persuasions urging the government to use its mandate as a member of the UN Security Council to accelerate the decolonization of Western Sahara and allow the Saharawi people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

As for the difficult living conditions in the Sahrawi refugee camps, the MPs stressed that international humanitarian aids, on which these refugees depend, were decreasing each year due to global migration flows and famine in the Horn of Africa.

The continuation of Sweden's humanitarian assistance to the Sahrawi people is "an important signal," stressed the MPs, who called on their government to intensify its efforts during its mandate (2017-2018) to allow Western Sahara be free and independent.

Besides, Swedish MPs have expressed concern over human rights violations in the occupied Saharawi territories, and denounced the fact that MINURSO was the only UN mission in the world without a mandate to monitor human rights.SPS

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STAMFORD  Workers at the Hilton Stamford Monday voted overwhelmingly to unionize, making it one of the few hotels in the area to form a collective bargaining unit.

The employees joined Local 217 of UNITE HERE, a union representing about 3,000 hotel and food-service workers in the state. Other hotels in Greenwich, New Haven and Hartford are unionized, but the Hilton is the first in Stamford, workers said.

By a vote of 110-5, the 125 housekeepers, bellmen, cooks, dishwashers, servers and other workers at the Hilton on First Stamford Place voted to join Local 217.

The win would have been even more decisive but a few of the ballots were challenged, organizers said.

There is a lot of excitement, a lot of relief. People are very, very happy, said Lupe Martinez, a banquet server from Stamford. For me, this is a dream come true. We are feeling more united than ever, but this is only the beginning. We want a fair contract so we are going to fight really hard for that.

Workers have said they wanted to organize because of low wages, inconsistent hours, high health-insurance costs, disrespect and unreasonable work expectations. Housekeepers at the 484-room Hilton, for example, said they cleaned an average 35 rooms in an eight-hour shift, sometimes more, and often worked while clocked out in order to make the quota.

Dominique Jean-Pierre, a bellman at the hotel for 15 years, said it has been difficult to support his family on $11.95 an hour. He started the job in 2004 at $7.25 an hour, Jean-Pierre said.

I am very happy, he said. It has been so long that we have been treated like slaves. Every year I get good reviews but the money never goes up. The housekeepers have had it very hard. They give some of the women 39 or 40 rooms to clean and they say, Oh, they are Haitian; they can do it. Thank God we got a victory today.

Hotel employees have said that the Hiltons management company, Atrium Hospitality of Georgia, was bringing in contract workers to reduce staff hours. Employees said there have been weeks when their hours were cut so severely that their paychecks couldnt cover the $230 charge for family health insurance. For those weeks, they not only didnt get paid, they had to pay the company, employees said.

During a meeting with hotel workers Friday, Atrium Hospitalitys vice president of human relations, Jacinta Carter, said her company has managed the Hilton Stamford for two years and in that time there were decisions made that were not in the best interests of our employees, but there was no need for a union to intervene.

Workers obviously disagreed. So did a number of city and state elected officials who have supported the union effort in the last few weeks.

City Rep. Anabel Figueroa, D-8, who works in the health-care industry and belongs to a union, said she attended meetings with hotel managers on behalf of the workers because some of them are her constituents and she thinks their lives will be better for joining Local 217.

Sadly, unions have been disappearing, Figueroa said. Its time for them to come back. People are treated without respect, their benefits are taken away. Why do these companies wait until people organize before they take care of their employees? If I were a manager, I would take this as a wake-up call.

Hotel employees felt they had to organize, said newly elected city Rep. Jeffrey Stella, D-9, who supported the effort at the Hilton.

Conditions should not have gotten to the point that the employees felt they had no other recourse than to reach out to elected officials, said Stella, a former New York City detective who moved to Stamford eight years ago.

He said he often notices the signs posted at Stamfords borders that publicize its slogan, The City That Works.

I have to believe it also means doing the right thing by your workers, Stella said. These hotel employees have to support a family on $12 a hour and theyre expected to clean 35 rooms a day. Its borderline slave labor. Many of us relate to them  they could be our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents. This is the 21st century but it feels like the early 1900s.

Another just-elected city representative, Nina Sherwood of District 8, said she was struck by the actions of Atrium Hospitality, the company Hilton hired to manage the hotel.

Obviously they are trying to cut corners, and the workers are the first thing they try to marginalize, Sherwood said. They are not willing to do anything for their workers if it affects their bottom line.

Ines Saftic, who just began her first term on the Board of Representatives from District 2, was among the elected officials who met with hotel managers to speak for the workers. She thinks the union will make a world of difference for people, Saftic said.

Wages will be more livable, people will feel more secure, theyll have somebody to negotiate on their part, theyll have schedules that dont change all the time, Saftic said. Things have been really hard on people.

Hotel workers decided in mid-November to hold a vote on whether to join Local 217 of UNITE HERE. Organizers said Hilton and Atrium Hospitality hired a union-avoidance company from California, Cruz & Associates, to help dissuade workers from approving it.

Cruz & Associates is the same company President Donald Trumps company has hired to block organized labor at his hotels, including last year at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, where workers voted for a union after learning they earned $3 an hour less than their counterparts at other hotels there.

UNITE HERE, which is organizing hospitality-industry employees in the United States and Canada, formed in 2004 with the merger of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees - UNITE  and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union - HERE. It represents about 300,000 workers in North America, according to its website.

acarella@stamfordadvocate.com
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HARTFORD  Policy failures in Hartford  and what they see as a threat to progressive values in the wake of the presidential election  have prompted primarily Democratic women to form a new advocacy group.

PoliticaCT, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization aimed at getting women more involved in public policy such as fighting for pay equity and elective office, announced its formation Monday afternoon.

During a news conference at the State Capitol, PoliticaCT members said the event culminated a six-month process to recruit Connecticuts next generation of female leaders to mentor and run state-level elections.

Board members led by co-founders Jamie Mills, a lawyer, and state Sen. Beth Bye, warned that while women make up more than half the state population, they represent less than 30 percent of the 187 General Assembly seats, down from earlier in the decade.

PoliticaCT was conceived after the shock of the November 2016 elections, and our realization that we are witnessing any and all progress toward gender equality be stalled, and in fact, put into reverse, Mills told reporters.

And we are reminded on a daily basis of the pervasiveness of sexually hostile and abusive behaviors directed at women, and the failures of so many of our institutions and people in power to hold anyone accountable, Mills said.

Issue advocacy and the recruitment of progressive women are the main goals of the organization, which on Monday night held a $250-per-person fundraising event at the home of state Attorney General George Jepsen in West Hartford.

The event featured an appearance by Celinda Lake, a nationally known political strategist who was involved in the recent Virginia election.

Lake warned that Connecticut used to rank eighth in the nation for women in elective office. Now its ranked 19th.

Reproductive rights and paid family and medical leave are among the main issues the group will seek to work on in recruiting members.

Board members include Sen. Marilyn Moore, D-Bridgeport, former East Haven Mayor April Capone, state Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, D-Fairfield, Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, and Lori Pelletier, president of the state AFL-CIO. Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman is an honorary board member.

Im more worried about us slipping back, said Wyman, who recently announced she would not seek the Democratic gubernatorial nomination next year. What I see now is people are finally getting engaged because of this last national election.

Its about electing people who will support policies in terms of economic fairness, gender fairness; who can support policies like paid family and medical leave, Bye said. Its about electing women  but its really about advancing policies like a womens right to choose, unequivocal. Protection from sexual assault from harassment. Gun safety.

Bye said she was frustrated in particular during this years legislative session by the failure of paid family and medical leave.

It was the third year of trying to pass this policy, Bye said. There were people who said they were in favor of it, but we could not get it to a vote.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
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Thanksgiving weekend marked the beginning of the holiday season and the rush to buy fresh Christmas trees. Those shopping at big box stores may have experienced sticker shock due to a national shortage of trees. But here in Connecticut, cut-your-own tree farms have not felt the shortage; they say prices as well as inventory are as good as ever.

The shortage is really only affecting lots that get trees from giant production farms in places like North Carolina, Maine and Oregon. The reason Connecticut farmers have been immune to the national shortage has a lot to do with the size of their farms, according to John Cimochowski, president of the Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers Association.

The root of the problem goes back to the economic downturn of 2007-2010.

"In 2007, we were at the beginning of our recession and tree sales were down, prices were down, farmers didn't have the space in their fields to replant because they weren't harvesting as many," National Christmas Tree Association spokesman Doug Hundley told Hearst Newspapers.

Now, those trees from about 10 years ago are at the right age to sell, and there just aren't enough to go around.

While national production farms around the country harvest hundreds of thousands of trees, the largest Connecticut tree farms harvest about 25,000, so inventory is small enough to maintain. Also, Connecticut tree farms mainly supply the state with trees and do not have to produce trees to sell wholesale around the country, Cimochowski said. There are about 460 Christmas tree growers in Connecticut.

Stew Leonard's

Jones Family Farm in Shelton and Maple Row Farm in Easton both raised their prices on cut-your-own trees by one or two dollars as they do each year, but said it has nothing to do with the shortage. Paproski's Family Tree Farm in Newtown didn't raise prices at all.

The cost of picking out and cutting your own tree ranges from $70 to $73 at these farms while the price of fresh pre-cut trees ranges based on the size.

Stew Leonard's is a bit of an anomaly because it's a neither a big box store nor a family farm. Stew's said it has been able to keep prices steady this year, and Bill Allen, the Norwalk store's Christmas Shoppe Manager, said the shortage has not affected inventory. Stew's receives daily shipments of trees from Quebec, Canada.

The tree shortage has not brought down local tree sales, and may actually be motivating people to go out and buy. Steven Paproski, owner of Paproski's Family Tree Farm said he was busier than ever on the day after Thanksgiving this year.

"I was stunned," he said. "I wasn't ready. I didn't have enough netting and had to borrow. I guess people are getting earlier all time."

Cimochowsk said one of the possible reasons people have gone out in droves to buy trees this November is because they see the news of the national shortage and fear the trees will run out.

Buying a tree the day after Thanksgiving is not unique to 2017. In the last ten years, Black Friday sales have grown two to three times at Maple Row Farm, said owner Scott Edwards. At Stew Leonard's, 2017's Thanksgiving weekend sales were on par with years past, according to Allen.

Stew Leonard's

Jones Family Farm has been opening the week of Thanksgiving since 1947 when they sold just 12 trees, said Farm Manager Thomas Harbinson. Over the years, families have created traditions of cutting their own trees at the farm, Harbison said.

"Heading out to explore and taking in the views and fresh air, taking a healthy walk...it's really an experience unlike any other."

Harbison said his customers come in early for different reasons; some families want to get the tree while college students are home for Thanksgiving break. He said some military personnel come in early so they can set up their trees before being deployed.

And even with Thanksgiving falling a bit early in the month this year, Harbison said a fresh cut tree with proper watering should last all the way through Christmas.
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STAMFORD  New York State police continue to say that their investigation into the untimely death of Stamford real estate attorney Matthew Klein has not turned up any evidence of foul play.

Senior Investigator Matthew Manza said he was unsure when the investigation into the 62-year-old Stamford attorneys death would wrap up.

We are making sure we do a thorough investigation, he said Tuesday afternoon. Manza said nothing at this point has come to investigators attention to make them think anything criminal happened to Klein.

His body was discovered on Saturday shortly after 7 p.m. in the driveway of a Pound Ridge, N.Y. home, less than four miles from Kleins home.

Asked whether Kleins car was in the driveway of the home or he had driven to the Pound Ridge address, Manza cut off the line of questioning.

I wont comment on anything not in the press release, he said.

Sources with knowledge of the investigation told The Advocate on Tuesday that Kleins body showed some signs of injury when it was found, but it wad unclear whether those injuries had anything to do with his death.

A press release says the cause and manner of his death will be determined by the autopsy.

Klein was a longtime real estate attorney in Stamford, having worked for several firms through the years. He was married to Dr. Debra Adler-Klein, a noted infectious disease specialist in residency at Stamford Hospital and the two lived in North Stamford.

Klein was most recently working for Benanti & Associates on Bedford Street in Stamford. For the past year Klein served as a member of Temple Beth Els Board of Trustees.

State police are asking anyone with information to call investigators at 914-769-2600.
Conservative MP James Bezan apologizes for threesome quipOTTAWAConservative MP James Bezan quipped about a threesome during a spring photo op with a Liberal MP and another individual, a remark he conceded Monday was flippant and inappropriate.Liberal MP Sherry Romanado surprised the Commons Monday afternoon when she accused Bezan of making comments about her that were inappropriate, humiliating and sexual in nature.These comments have caused me great stress, and have negatively affected my work environment, Romanado (Longueuil  Charles-LeMoyne) said.Her statement came mere hours after Bezan himself had stood in the Commons to offer apologies for an inappropriate and insensitive comment.I have nothing but the greatest respect for this member, for this institution, and I sincerely apologize, he said.It was only later in the day, after Romanados statement, that Bezan provided more details about the incident that apparently was behind the Commons statements.
A Fremont man was sentenced to more than a year in prison for a drug-related offense by Judge John Samson Monday morning in Dodge County District Court.

Nathan D. Peterson, 39, was sentenced to spend the next 20 months in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services for being in possession of a controlled substance  methamphetamine, a Class IV felony.

In addition to the prison sentence, Peterson is required to be under one year of post-release supervision, Dodge County Deputy Attorney Marti Sleister said following sentencing.

Peterson still has an active Dodge County case open and will appear in Dodge County Court Tuesday for arraignment regarding delivering methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a local park. Peterson is being defended by attorney Dan Reeker during the new proceedings.

Sleister said the prosecution will attempt to have the sentencing decision run consecutively with the Mondays, and that the defense in all likelihood will move to have the sentences run concurrently, or together. Ultimately, that will be at the discretion of the judge handling the case, Sleister added.

Peterson was arrested April 4 when two deputies with the Dodge County Sheriffs Office conducted a routine traffic stop at 1:11 a.m. at the intersections of Prospect and Broad streets, court records show.

Contact was made with Peterson, who was driving the vehicle and holding a large stack of money in his right hand. A database check revealed that Petersons license was expired and suspended through the state of Nebraska with subsequent offenses.

Peterson was placed under arrest, and a K-9 unit arrived shortly after and indicated narcotics were inside of the vehicle. A search yielded the discovery of a white liquid butane bottle with a white, crystallized substance on the end of it, court records show. The substance tested positive as being methamphetamine.

Under the Good Time Law of Nebraska, Peterson could be eligible for release in approximately one year on his current sentencing.
Recently released information shows that students encompassing the Fremont Public Schools District in grades kindergarten through eighth are making positive strides in the classroom.

During the fall, winter and spring, students in these grades complete online Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) testing to look at learning progression throughout a school year. Fall results  given instantly following examination  provides student baseline data, winter testing serves as an educational checkpoint and spring MAP testing yields the final learning growth outcome, said Kate Heineman, executive director of teaching and learning for the FPS District.

In the fall we get the baseline data for that year, we take it again in January and that is our checkpoint, which shows us how much growth we have made from fall to then, Heineman said Monday morning during an interview with the Tribune. We think about what instructional adjustments we can make to help our students grow further. What things are they missing that we thought they had  those kinds of things. Based off of that we can adjust our instruction to meet their needs.

MAP results are used to indicate individual student growth and positive age-level growth as a whole for each grade completing testing.

We take a look at it on the individual student level, and teachers have access to it (data) and can look at their classroom as a whole, she said. (They look at) What as a teacher do I need to adjust? Grade levels can take a look at inside a building as a whole. What do we need to look at and really focus on as a grade level? Buildings can also take a look across all grade levels and see if there are any trends happening.

Students completing MAP testing are tested on reading and math comprehension, and for the first time during the 2017-2018 school year, tested on science. Also new this school year is high school freshman completing MAP testing, Heineman said.

MAP testing is taken nationally and data is compiled by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). According to information on the NWEA webpage, the norm baseline of where student comprehension should be is determined by anonymous assessment data pulled from the results of more than 10.2 million students nationwide.

Final MAP testing results from April of last school year revealed that FPS District Students were performing well in comparison to students in school districts all across the United States.

In terms of reading comprehension, nearly every FPS elementary school, Johnson Crossing Academic Center and Fremont Middle School tested at a rate better than the 50th percentile. Viewing a graph illustrating results, Heineman said:

All of our schools are growing at a rate greater than the 50th percent, she said. Our kids are making huge growth gains, with the exception of Washington (elementary), and they were at the 46 percent mark  thats how close they were.

In mathematics, all FPS District schools participating in the testing reached higher-than the 50th percentile mark nationally.

Heineman said that MAP testing provides a great look at exactly how students are growing personally, and as a class, throughout the course of the school year.

This is an exact representation of what is going on in the district, she said. NeSA (Nebraska state assessment testing) does not adjust, it is specific to a standard at a particular grade level. It will not adjust up or down to see where a student is at  thats not its purpose. The purpose of MAP is to find out exactly where students are at, and to find out how much they have grown in a given year.

The district is thrilled at the overall map results from the 2016-2017 school year, she added.

Teachers and students are all to be commended for the hard work that they put in each and every day to make that happen, Heineman said.
A 35-year-old Alliance woman died Monday in a car-semitrailer truck crash on an icy roadway in northwest Nebraskas Panhandle.

The Nebraska State Patrol said Lisa Penaluna was killed in the crash around 12:30 p.m. on U.S. Highway 385 about 11 miles north of Alliance.

The patrol said Penaluna was northbound in a car when she lost control of the vehicle on the icy highway. Her vehicle struck a southbound semi driven by Gary Chestnut of Kansas, who suffered minor injuries, the patrol said.

Penaluna and Chestnut were wearing seat belts, the patrol said.

The National Weather Service office in Cheyenne, Wyoming, reported that the Alliance area received a trace of precipitation Monday from a winter-like storm that mainly pushed through the Dakotas.
Prosecutors charged a former Nebraska State Penitentiary employee Friday with a felony, accusing her of sending an unauthorized letter to an inmate in October, according to court documents.

Aleasha Gutierrez, 27, of Lincoln, would face up to two years in prison if she's convicted of unlawful communication to a prisoner.

In an affidavit for her arrest, a Nebraska Department of Correctional Services investigator said Gutierrez began talking with the prisoner after he saw her crying at the prison one day and asked her about her personal life.

She wrote the letter to the inmate in mid-October, shortly before the inmate was paroled, the affidavit said.

Gutierrez had not been arrested as of Monday afternoon, but was wanted on a warrant.

She was hired in May as a corporal and fired by the department Oct. 23, spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith said.
By Michael Boyd, jr. STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD While Ste. Genevieve County residents voted no to Amendment 3, the rest of the Show-Me State said yes to legalize marijuana, passing the measure on Tuesday (Nov. 8), according to unofficial results from the 2022 midterm elections. Missouri now is one of the 21 states, along with Washington,
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Residents living in and around the Fremont area can learn about their risk for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and other chronic, serious conditions with screenings by Life Line Screening.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 1440 E. Military Ave. in Fremont will host this community event.

Screenings can check for: The level of plaque buildup in your arteries, related to risk for heart disease, stroke and overall vascular health; HDL and LDL Cholesterol levels; Diabetes risk; bone density as a risk for possible osteoporosis; kidney and thyroid function, and more.

Screenings are accessible for wheelchairs and those with trouble walking. Free parking also is available.

Pre-registration is required. Call 1-877-237-1287 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com.
LOS ANGELES  Pizza Hut on Tuesday began offering beer delivery in a downtown Phoenix restaurant as part of a larger test aimed at setting the chain apart from stronger rivals such as Domino's Pizza Inc.

Pizza Hut's beer delivery menu in Phoenix includes six-packs of Budweiser, Bud Light, Shock Top and Kilt Lifter, a local brew.

It plans to add wine deliveries in January and to expand its beer and wine delivery test to other markets in 2018, one of several steps aimed at reviving lackluster sales.

More than 1,700 Pizza Hut restaurants, more than a quarter of total U.S. units, already have liquor licenses, the company said.

Rival Papa John's International sells beer and wine at a handful of locations in the western United States and at locations in Latin America, China and Russia. A spokesman said it would consider testing beer delivery in the future.

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse has been delivering six-packs of craft beers in select California markets since August.

DoorDash, which works with BJ's and scores of other restaurants, has been offering alcohol delivery in select cities since 2016.

Pizza Hut's delivery drivers will be at least 21 years old and trained in local alcohol laws. They will verify that customers are old enough to legally consume alcohol and have the authority to cancel an alcohol delivery order, the company said.

Pizza Hut reported flat U.S. same-store sales in the latest quarter, when Domino's Pizza's domestic units reported a rise of 8.4 percent. Domino's does not offer alcohol delivery.

Pizza Hut parent Yum Brands Inc. has been working to turn around sales at the chain. Its investments include adding a loyalty program, beefing up technology and rolling out delivery boxes designed to keep pizzas hotter.
An industry group that sued to block the issuance of dealer licenses to electric car maker Tesla in Missouri lost its legal battle on appeal Tuesday.

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, reversed a lower courts decision that held the Palo Alto, Calif.-based electric car makers direct-to-consumer business model did not comply with state law because Tesla is not a franchisee.

In 2015, the Missouri Auto Dealers Association sued the Missouri Department of Revenue, alleging that the way Tesla sells vehicles violates state law. The following year, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Green ruled that Tesla is not a franchisee and its motor vehicle dealer licenses should not be renewed by the Missouri Department of Revenue.

After that ruling, Tesla briefly closed its University City and Kansas City stores but reopened them within days with court approval to operate during the appeals process.

The appellate court ruled Tuesday that MADA, a Jefferson City-based trade group that represents new-car and new-truck dealers, lacked standing to sue, reversed the trial courts judgment and dismissed the petition. Tesla has faced opposition in other states for its direct-to-customer business model.

The decision today is a victory for Missouri consumers who want the choice to learn about and purchase their Tesla in their home state, Tesla said in a statement. We have been serving customers in Missouri for almost five years and have contributed to the state economy and jobs for Missourians  something that will now continue.

MADA had argued that if its standing was not recognized, a system of checks and balances does not exist to challenge the revenue departments issuance of licenses.

However, the appellate panel ruled the tenor of MADAs challenge was that of competitor seeking to avoid competition rather than defenders of a larger public interest.

Until such time as the Legislature expands its present judicial oversight restrictions relating to the Departments licensing decisions, it is the forum of the political process  where the plaintiffs have historically shown political muscle  to which the content of the licensing arguments of this lawsuit against the Department must be evaluated, Chief Judge Mark Pfeiffer wrote in the ruling. Judges James Edward Welsh and Gary D. Witt concurred.

MADA said it will continue to explore the legal avenues available to support its position.

We believe that todays Appeals Court decision does not hold the government accountable, but rather enables a system where the Department of Revenue can arbitrarily issue a license to anybody for any reason, without an appropriate and necessary mechanism for Missouri taxpayers to challenge those decisions, MADA Executive Director Doug Smith said in a statement.
Before Dana Kiley was born 38 years ago, her parents didnt know she had a cleft lip and palate. Kiley would go on to have 18 surgeries to correct the birth defect.

Today, babies with cleft lips or palates are usually diagnosed by ultrasound during pregnancy, and most will need just three surgeries. Kiley, as coordinator of the cleft lip/palate and craniofacial team at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur, guides families through the streamlined treatment process and shows them what they can expect for their children when they grow up.

Its nice for them to see me, somebody who knows what theyre going through, Kiley said.

If the lips and roof of the mouth do not fully form in early pregnancy, the baby develops a cleft or gap that can range in severity. A cleft lip on one or both sides of the mouth can stretch to the nose and include a split through the upper gum line and, in rare cases, the cheek. Some children also have a cleft palate, a separation in the roof of the mouth that makes it difficult to eat and talk.

Cleft lips and palates are one of the most common birth defects, thought to affect 1 in 600 to 1 in 1,000 births. There were 77 children born with cleft lips and/or palates in Missouri last year, according to the state Health Department.

In most cases, the cause of the condition is unknown, although certain risk factors, including smoking during pregnancy and diabetes in the mother, have been identified. Some drugs used to treat epilepsy and acne, when taken during pregnancy, are also possible risk factors.

The first problem for babies with cleft lips or cleft palates is eating. The babies cant generate adequate suction for a bottle or breastfeeding and typically need a specialized bottle that allows parents to squeeze milk or formula into their mouths.

Most of the babies will develop chronic ear infections and require tubes to drain fluid from their ears. They usually receive speech therapy, and most will need orthodontic care. Their medical team also includes mental health specialists if the children are teased or bullied over their appearance.

Its harder for cleft kids. The first thing you notice about anybody is their face, Kiley said.

Kiley was working as an intake coordinator at a childrens home 14 years ago when she heard about the opening on the craniofacial team at Mercy. There she discovered she would be working with the surgeon who performed all of her procedures from birth, Dr. Jeffrey Marsh, and the same nurse practitioner, DeAnn Wilson.

Now, a three-surgery treatment regimen is standard for most babies with clefts. A lip repair surgery is performed at 3 months as an outpatient procedure to put the lip back together, restore muscle and help balance the nose. Surgeons close the roof of the mouth around age 1 in a more complicated surgery. When the children are 8 to 10 years old, they typically need a bone graft procedure to close the gap in their gums.

Some children need additional surgeries on their noses, lips or jaws. Steven Broombaugh, 17, had his fifth and final surgery Sept. 18 to bring his upper jaw forward and his lower jaw backward, closing a 15-millimeter underbite. Steven was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, meaning the separation occurred on both sides of his mouth.

At a recent event hosted by Mercy, the De Soto High School student spoke to families before a screening of the movie Wonder about a boy born with a craniofacial deformity. Steven told the crowd he was bullied as a sophomore in high school, but he got through it with help from his friends and family.

As long as you accept yourself, youll live life to the fullest, he said.

Dr. Earl Gage, a plastic surgeon, leads the cleft lip/palate and craniofacial team at Mercy, taking over for his mentor Marsh, who retired in 2015. Gage said he performs happy surgeries because he works with healthy children who have positive outcomes.

You fix something that is not quite right in a kid and positively affect their life going forward, he said.
ARNOLD  An Arnold police officer was shot inside a police SUV Tuesday afternoon by a handcuffed burglary suspect just yards from the police station where he was taking the suspect to be booked, authorities said.

The officer was identified as Ryan OConnor, 44.

He was shot in the back of the neck or head, and his injuries were life-threatening, said Jefferson County Sheriffs Capt. Gary Higginbotham. Officials said Wednesday that he was in critical but stable condition.

"Officer OConnor has a long road to recovery, and his condition could change by the hour," officials said in an email update on the shooting.

Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak had described OConnors injuries as very, very serious and very critical on Tuesday.

The suspect, identified by police as Chad Klahs, 29, of Arnold, shot himself in the head after shooting the officer, Higginbotham said. Klahs was also taken to a hospital, where he pronounced dead at 2:40 p.m., Marshak said.

Police said OConnor and Klahs were both shot with a .40-caliber handgun believed to have been taken in a burglary shortly before the shooting.

Klahs was being transported by OConnor after he was arrested in a burglary at a home not far from the police station, police said. That burglary was reported at 12:46 p.m.

A gun was taken in that burglary, Higginbotham said. After that burglary but before he was arrested, its believed Klahs broke into a vehicle at an auto body shop and stole another gun.

It appears officers didnt know that when they arrested Klahs. Officers took one gun from him before handcuffing him and putting him in the back of the SUV, Higginbotham said. Apparently Klahs was able to access the second concealed gun and shoot the officer before shooting himself, Higginbotham said.

Officers inside the station, at 2101 Jeffco Boulevard, saw OConnors SUV approach a sally port, where suspects are brought inside, on a camera. But when OConnor didnt come inside, officers went out and found his SUV crashed into a fuel tank. Both OConnor and the burglary suspect were seriously wounded inside.

Highways were closed so the officer could be rushed to a hospital.

OConnor and Klahs were taken to St. Anthonys Medical Center in South County.

Higginbotham said that after the report of the home burglary, officers from his department were called at 12:58 p.m. about shots being fired in nearby woods. Police suspect those incidents were related. At 1:35 p.m., they were called to report of an officer shot at the Arnold police department.

Backyard intruder

Matthew Saller, who lives in a subdivision near the police department, said he called police Tuesday afternoon after he found a man in his backyard just a few feet from his back door.

Saller said he believes he startled the man when he confronted him and ordered him to leave. He said the man stumbled and then fell over a lawn chair. When the man moved to his neighbors yard, Saller told him to leave that yard, too.

My main concern was to get him as far away as I can as peacefully as I can, he said.

He watched as the man then left the neighbors yard and headed toward woods between the homes and Jeffco Boulevard. Saller called police, who he said arrived within seconds.

Not long after that, Saller said, he heard at least one gunshot in the distance.

Shown a photo of Klahs, Saller identified him as the man he who had been in his yard. He said Klahs never threatened him or showed a weapon and that nothing was taken from his yard. But he said the intruder did seem agitated.

He looked like a guy that was shaky or in trouble, Saller said. He wasnt all there, thats the way Ill put it.

Sallers subdivision is between the police department and the gas station where Klahs was taken into custody.

The days events left Saller stunned. Ive lived on this street for 20 years and Ive never seen anything bad happen here, he said.

He said his heart went out to OConnors family.

A law enforcement family

OConnor is the son of former Maryland Heights Police Chief Tom OConnor. The younger OConnor had been with Arnold about three years and had previously worked in St. Louis County and Ferguson, police said.

He is married and the father of four children, friends said.

Officer OConnor was a dedicated and faithful member of the Ferguson Police Department for several years and during the civil unrest of 2014, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III said. Officer OConnor and his family are in the thoughts and prayers of our community tonight.

A GoFundMe account was set up Tuesday night to accept donations for OConnor and his family. By early Wednesday afternoon, the account was at $13,000. Donations can also be made to BackStoppers Inc. or in person at Fortune Bank, 3494 Jeffco Boulevard in Arnold.

Officials warned that other donations people might hear about are not sanctioned by the family or Arnold Police.

BackStoppers, a local organization that raises money for first responders injured or killed in the line of duty, tweeted that they had made a $5,000 donation to OConnor.

Late Tuesday, the Arnold Police Department posted about the officer on its Facebook page. Against all odds our officer has fought through the horrific incidents that occurred earlier today and remains in stable condition, it said. Please continue to hold him, his family, and the men and women of this department in your thoughts and prayers.

Klahs, meanwhile, was well-known to Arnold police before the shooting, Higginbotham said.

Klahs has several convictions stretching back to at least 2009 when he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years in prison for burglary charges in Jefferson County.

In 2013 he was given 120 days of shock time and probation for drug and receiving stolen property charges in Jefferson County. He had also pleaded guilty to those charges.

His probation was revoked in 2014 and he was ordered jailed again.

It is unclear when he was most recently released from custody.

A distraught force

Jefferson County sheriffs deputies spent hours investigating at the scene where the crashed SUV was surrounded by police tape. Investigators talked to officers who were at the station when OConnor was shot and were piecing a timeline of the events together.

Theyre so distraught we cant even get information out of them, which I completely understand, Higginbotham said.

The county departments officers were handling calls in Arnold on Tuesday evening.

Sheriff Marshak said Arnold police have asked his department to conduct the shooting investigation as well as the related internal affairs investigation.

The shooting Tuesday bears close resemblance to the Aug. 8, 2000, murder of St. Louis police Officer Robert Stanze, who was shot and killed by a man in custody with a hidden weapon.

The man, Harold Richardson, had a .45-caliber pistol hidden at the small of his back. Richardson was handcuffed with his hands behind his back, but managed to shoot from the back of a police car and hit Stanze, who was standing beside the vehicle. The bullet found an opening in the officers bulletproof vest.

Richardson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2001.

Two officers shot in 2016

Two other Arnold police officers were shot in the line of duty in November 2016.

Officers Jason Gorenstein and John Palme were hit in the face by shotgun pellets while on a domestic disturbance call at Jeffco Estates in the 2100 block of Plaza Drive. Their injuries were not life-threatening, and they were treated and released.

Police said Noel Christner Kuebler Jr. popped out from behind a bush and began shooting at the officers. The two officers were hit and another managed to hide behind a vehicle.

Kuebler faces three counts of first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of felony resisting arrest.
ST. LOUIS  A robber, his intended targets and a bystander were all injured in a shootout just after noon Sunday, police said.

All four were said to be stable at hospitals after the shootout, but their medical conditions were not available.

It started when a man and woman, 23 and 37, walked out of Euclid Market at 2318 Euclid Avenue about 12:15 p.m. Sunday. That's when two robbers armed with handguns tried to rob them, police said.

The male victim pulled out his own gun and exchanged shots with the robbers, police said. Both robbery victims were hit, as was a 24-year-old bystander inside the market, police said. It's not clear who fired the shot that injured her.

The robbers ran off. But a 17-year-old with a gunshot wound later showed up at a hospital, and police believe he was one of the robbers. He was taken into custody, police said.

The shootout was in the Kingsway East neighborhood.
Fourth-grader Claire Robinett loves her school, Central Elementary in Ferguson, and doesnt want to see it become an empty building.

I love Central. Centrals a landmark, the 9-year-old said.

So on Monday, she collected 138 signatures on a petition asking the grown-ups who run her school district to keep it open for good.

No one has decided to close Claires school, or any school, yet. But the Ferguson-Florissant School District, which has lost a couple thousand students in the past decade, is looking at potentially closing, redistricting and restructuring schools to spend less money on maintaining buildings that were meant to hold many more students. Currently there are roughly 5,000 more seats than K-12 students in the district.

Theres an imbalance of usage of our facilities, said Superintendent Joseph Davis at the first public forum for the redistricting process on Monday night at McCluer South-Berkeley High School. Were not being as fiscally efficient as we need to be.

The district will hold more community forums and collect public feedback in the coming months, Davis said at Mondays meeting. In January, the district will also collect demographic and school building data, including how fit each school building is to be a modern and technology-ready learning center.

The school board will eventually decide on a 10-year master plan in July, to implement for the next school year. That plan could include a new grade structure for school buildings, new daily school schedules, closed schools and plans for repurposing closed schools.

Davis said he has already been looking at potential ways to improve learning and make Ferguson-Florissant a forward-looking district. Davis said McCluer North High School will soon be the first in the district and among the first in the region to offer International Baccalaureate courses.

I know when you start talking about closing schools, the panic button gets hit and people get anxious, School Board President Rob Chabot said at Mondays meeting. We understand that. But we also look at it that this is going to create an opportunity for us to create a school district like no other in St. Louis County.
At a university with thousands of students, it can be difficult to find your place. But a dance group inspired in part by Indian Hindi cinema has become a family of sorts for some St. Louis University students.

The co-ed group is called SLU Shakti, a word that means power in Hindi, and it attracts students with ties to the cultural roots of the dance style and some without.

The dances are in the style of the high-energy group performances popularized by Bollywood, the romance-heavy Indian cinema industry.

Co-captain Rishabh Kodia said the team works to shed light on important issues on what we face in life and what others face in life.

A lot of that expression comes through costumes, dynamic choreography and emotive facial movements, in addition to music.

The team doesnt just dance to Bollywood music, but also to pop songs, such as Childish Gambinos rhythm and blues and hip-hop hit Stay Woke and American chart toppers from the 1990s and 2000s.

Thats the fusion part, members say. Team leaders say Shakti showcases traditional styles while adding finesse to their routines with current themes.

Were seeing more variety these days (and) moving away from love stories, said co-captain Suraj Marwaha.

Shakti competes with other teams in the Desi Dance Network, which is devoted to showcasing South Asian dance, music and other performance arts in the United States by bridging the gap between South Asian culture and American influence.

Bollywood is largely associated with colorful, elaborate films that tell love stories through song and dance.

But in an eight-minute routine planned for competition season, Shakti dancers move from playful contemporary styles to classical Indian styles such as Bhangra.

Other dance styles include Raas, a north Indian folk dance; Omkara, a classical Indian dance; and Giddha, a dance usually performed by women,

Giddha hasnt been done in the circuit, Marwaha said.

The attempt at something that hasnt been done speaks to the teams willingness to try new things.

Shakti, founded in 2011, competes with about 90 other Bollywood teams from around the country in their dance circuit. Since its founding, the team has won a number of competitions.

Captains say the team does not compete against Washington Universitys Indian performance group called Chaahat.

The SLU dance group also performs on campus.

Everyone around knows us, said first-year team member Alexander Mutholam, a freshman.

Shakti isnt the only dance group on campus, Mutholam said, pointing to hip-hop, K-pop and Filipino Student Association dance groups. But Shakti captains say its popularity is clear from the 120 or so people who tried out for the 24-member team.

Members say they value the groups geographic, ethnic and racial diversity.

Another co-captain, Emma Hupp of Indiana, has been on the team for two years. She is among several non-Indian members.

But for many of the students, the team is an extension of traditions that have been part of their lives since long before they attended a Catholic university.

Kajal Thakkar, a second-year member, said she started classical Indian dancing at age 5. She said the dances the team practices have been a part of her life for years.

On a practice night in November, the team opens rehearsal with stretches inside a mirrored room at the schools gym.

During lulls, teammates stop to socialize.

Weve just become a family, Kodia said.
ACLU of Nebraska filed a lawsuit Monday on behalf of death row inmates that claims the ballot initiative that stopped the state Legislatures 2015 repeal was illegal.

The complaint is an attempt to stop any executions, or even steps toward an execution, of the men on Nebraskas death row.

Sandoval told the Journal Star last week he intends to fight the execution. At that time, he had no ongoing legal actions or appeals in federal or state courts.

My reaction to the notice (of lethal injection drugs) was not a surprise. I've been expecting it for a year now," Sandoval said. "I intend to fight with the help of my attorneys -- Amy Miller and company.

The ACLU confirmed Sunday that Miller, its legal director, has been in contact with Sandoval, who was notified Nov. 9 of the states intention to execute him with four specified lethal injection drugs. The organization is preparing to announce the scope of its representation of Sandoval early this week, it said.

The four drugs in combination that would be used in Sandovals execution, if it takes place, have never been used to execute a person.

The complaint charged the ballot initiative violated the Nebraska Constitutions separation of powers. It said Gov. Pete Ricketts was the driving force behind the 2016 referendum, exploiting government staff, resources and his own elected position to raise money for the ballot initiative and to persuade voters to support it.

In Nebraska, our state Constitution ... establishes a strong tradition with a clear separation of powers, ACLU Executive Director Danielle Conrad said Sunday. The governor cant have it both ways and serve both as a member of the executive and legislative branches.

The petition drive got underway in 2015 and the sponsoring group, Nebraskans for the Death Penalty, gathered 167,000 signatures, enough to stop the repeal from being in effect until a vote in November 2016.

The Legislature had voted to repeal Nebraskas death penalty with a bill (LB268) that passed on a 32-15 vote. Ricketts vetoed the bill and then the Legislature voted to override the veto on a 30-19 vote that cut across party lines.

Shortly after that, Nebraskans for the Death Penalty was formed and raised just over $913,000, a third of it contributed by Ricketts and his father Joe Ricketts.

The governors actions pose important legal questions with grave consequences, Conrad said.

She said the end result of those actions was the restoration of a broken death penalty that is racially biased, risks execution of innocent people and raises constitutional concerns about the Eighth Amendments prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments.

Ricketts' office responded in a statement issued Sunday evening.

The Governor's Office holds itself to a high standard and follows state law regarding the use of taxpayer resources," said Taylor Gage, the governor's spokesman. "This liberal advocacy group has repeatedly worked to overturn the clear voice of the Nebraska people on the issue of capital punishment and waste taxpayer dollars with frivolous litigation. The administration remains committed to protecting public safety and creating a safe environment for our Corrections officers."

The ACLU lawsuit  filed on behalf of death row inmates against Ricketts, Treasurer Don Stenberg, founders of Nebraskans for the Death Penalty, Attorney General Doug Peterson, the Department of Correctional Services and Director Scott Frakes  asked the court to immediately stop all preparations for executing Sandoval and the other 10 men on death row.

Peterson plans to ask the Nebraska Supreme Court for a death warrant after 60 days following the notification of drugs that would be used.

That ACLU complaint said that as the governor, Ricketts power over the repeal bill ended when the Legislature overrode his veto.

It claimed the subsequent ballot initiative should not stand, as it was the result of repeated, extensive and illegal abuses of the governors power. The states constitution reserves ballot initiatives as a legislative power for the people to use as a check on the legislature, and it further prohibits anyone in one branch of government from exercising powers over another branch, the ACLU said.

Ricketts encouraged or ordered members of the executive branch and his allies in the Legislature and local governments to work for the referendum campaign or to express public support for it, the complaint said.

For example, Stenberg was simultaneously a leader of the campaign in the first few months, serving as co-chairman with Sen. Beau McCoy, the ACLU charged. In the middle of the campaign, Ricketts rewarded Jessica Flanagain, the campaign manager and coordinator, with a publicly paid position in the government as special adviser to the governor for external affairs, with a salary of $130,000, the complaint alleges.

The lawsuit also noted that Nebraskans for the Death Penalty made an error that invalidated the referendum by failing to submit sworn statements from its sponsors, as required by law to assure the sponsors names arent fraudulent and assure transparency in the working of ballot campaigns.

Previous litigation more narrowly alleged the referendum petition was not legally sufficient because a list of sponsors filed with the petition did not include the name of Ricketts, who it claimed engaged in activities that established that he was a sponsor of the referendum. The district court dismissed the complaint. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding Ricketts alleged financial or other support of the referendum did not make him a person sponsoring the petition.
WASHINGTON  The United States Senate is rushing toward a potential moment neither side seems happy about. Comments this week by Missouris two senators bear that out.

Now that President Donald Trump has endorsed Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race, and the Republican National Committee has announced it would come in with financial aid, senators are bracing for an ethical or even constitutional fight over Moores fitness to serve in the Senate should he be elected next week in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The embattled former Alabama Supreme Court justice has been accused of sexual impropriety by at least eight women, including contact with a 14-year-old girl nearly four decades ago, when Moore was in his early 30s.

Moore has denied the accusations, which have included corroborative evidence, including from people the women talked to at the time. The Alabama Republican has accused the national media of targeting his campaign. Trump  who himself was accused of sexual misconduct during the 2016 campaign  added another layer of complexity to the story earlier this week with his tweet endorsement.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and other members of the GOP Senate leadership have tried to keep their distance, and McConnell said Tuesday the Senate could not refuse to seat Moore based on a 1969 Supreme Court decision. But McConnell said a Senate Ethics Investigation would likely commence if Moore defeats Democrat Doug Jones in a state Trump won in a landslide.

The RNCs entrance into the race on Moores behalf is partially reminiscent of the last pariah Senate candidate among national Republicans: then-Rep. Todd Akin in 2012. Other Republicans distanced themselves from Akin in '12, although  as now  national Republicans came to Akins financial aid late in the campaign, then under the auspices of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. But Akin, who had been abandoned by fellow Republicans after comments about legitimate rape, lost in a landslide to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

McCaskill said Tuesday that if Moore beats Jones we will have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

But she said it would be a head scratcher if Alabama elected a senator who clearly has had serious issues in his life as it relates to the 14-year-old.

She added: I just choose to pray that this is not a problem that we have to deal with.

Blunt has argued that the choice is ultimately up to voters, but hinted this week he would have trouble seeing how the Senate could ultimately prevent Moore from serving.

Blunt said the last time the Senate used its Constitutional power to unseat a senator came in 1862, when the Senate expelled Missouri Sens. Waldo P. Johnson and Trusten Polk for joining the Confederate Army. They were the last of a spate of senators who were either from Confederate states or sympathized with them who were either expelled, withdrew or did not show up to take office after the beginning of the Civil War.

Blunt, who earlier this fall withdrew from an Alabama fundraiser for Moore, told KMOX radio host Mark Reardon Monday that he was wary of other senators deciding who should represent a state in the Senate. He was asked if Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who has been accused of groping women or kissing them without their permission before he was a senator, should resign.

I think beginning to call on senators to resign or beginning to think that the Senate has the right to decide who should be here based on their entire life history is pretty dangerous territory, Blunt said.
ST. LOUIS  Eight candidates remain in the running for the citys next police chief a little more than a week before the finalists will meet the public at a town hall.

Three of the remaining applicants come from within the police department, Richard Frank, the citys personnel director, said Monday at a meeting with the Citizen Advisory Committee. The other five are from across the country, including Chicago, Dallas and Baltimore, he said.

The committee selected the eight candidates from a list of 10, more than half of whom were nonwhite, Frank said. One of the eight candidates is a woman, he said.

The candidates will be evaluated based on a management assessment test and interviews with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the committee, Frank said. Theyll be given the online exam Dec. 13 and will be interviewed the next day.

By Dec. 14, the personnel department will finalize the candidates scores and select up to six finalists, who will then appear at a two-hour town hall meeting that starts at 6 p.m. at the St. Louis University School of Law downtown, Frank said.

The candidates will undergo final interviews a day later with Director of Public Safety Jimmie Edwards and Mayor Lyda Krewsons office. Edwards appoints the police chief, but Krewson is planning to have some say in the final decision, mayoral spokesman Koran Addo has said.

For the first time since the city took local control of the department from the state in 2013, the chief can come from outside the department. State law forbade the department from hiring a chief from outside its own ranks during the more than 150 years the state had control of the department.

Lawrence OToole has been serving as the interim police chief since former Police Chief Sam Dotson retired on Krewsons first day in office in April. OToole has said he wants the job permanently.

The list of 10 given to the citizens committee were chosen by the International Association of Chiefs of Police from the top 13 of 42 people who applied for the job by the application deadline in October.

The city hired the association of police chiefs as a consultant to conduct the citys first-ever national search. The group solicited applicants from a number of minority law enforcement executive organizations, Frank said.
St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green followed court orders Tuesday and turned over her signed copy of a $64 million stadium financing agreement, ending a contentious 24 hours in which Blues owners accused her of being in contempt of court.

The Blues filed a motion in St. Louis Circuit Court Tuesday morning saying Green violated Judge Joan Moriartys order from Nov. 27 to sign the agreement. On Monday, Green announced she had signed the agreement per the order, but was withholding it until she had time to appeal.

Late Tuesday afternoon, after a last-minute hearing in front of Moriarty that ended without a ruling, Greens spokesman Tyson Pruitt said she had delivered the signed document.

The Comptroller does not comply with this finance agreement voluntarily, Pruitt said in an email. As she has stated, this financing agreement is not in the best interest of city taxpayers; it draws upon the citys general fund for repayment and may harm the citys credit.

A Blues spokesman said attorneys withdrew the contempt of court motion against Green after receiving the documents Tuesday.

As written, Moriartys order didnt explicitly say Green had to distribute a signed copy of the document, only that Green had to sign it within five days, a deadline that passed Monday. But the Blues said it amounted to not signing the agreement if Greens actions continue to prevent it from going into effect.

The Blues had requested Green be fined $1,000 for every day she refused to hand over the financing agreement, but that issue has been resolved without any fines assessed.

A brief hearing on the motion was held Tuesday in St. Louis Circuit Court, as well as discussion of a motion by Greens attorney, Elkin Kistner, asking Moriarty to change her order because it was fatally injected with legal error. Moriarty did not immediately issue a ruling.

In her order filed Nov. 27, Moriarty said nothing in the city charter gives the comptroller the discretion to refuse to countersign the financing agreement based on her belief that the expenditure is imprudent. Greens attorneys read it differently, arguing language charging Green with protecting the citys credit applies in this instance.

Kistner told the judge the signed financing agreement was locked in the desk of a deputy comptroller. Kistner said case law led him to advise Green not to voluntarily turn over the signed document, because such voluntary actions could affect her right to appeal.

Kistner said he discovered this legal conundrum Sunday and informed the Blues attorneys of his intentions then.

So we are, candidly, taking up the courts time on short notice because of this concern, Kistner said.

The question remains whether Greens signature effectively enacts or executes the details of the agreement, which include securing bonds to pay for the project. Blues attorney JoAnn Sandifer said the plaintiffs would not yet weigh in on that question.

The Board of Aldermen narrowly approved the agreement in February, but Green refused to sign the document because she said it would hurt the citys credit rating. The Blues owners, Kiel Center Partners, filed suit in August, alleging that Green was required by law to sign it.

A separate lawsuit over public financing of Scottrade Center renovations is scheduled for trial Monday next week. The lawsuit by 20th Ward Alderman Cara Spencer and two other city residents alleges the agreement is an unconstitutional giveaway of public funds for private benefit, while the Blues argue such public-private partnerships are legally acceptable for economic development.
We know that President Donald Trump and his campaign either colluded with the Russian effort to undermine U.S. democracy or tried mightily to do so. We know that Trump has apparently obstructed justice to try to halt investigation into what happened. What we dont know is whether Congress, in the end, will do its sworn duty to protect the Constitution.

We also dont know what else special counsel Robert Mueller might have discovered, especially about the Trump familys international financial dealings. Or what Mueller might be learning from Trumps former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI and is cooperating with investigators. Or how far Trump, who is increasingly frantic, might yet go to squash the Mueller probe.

It is true that there is no federal statute against collusion. But a specific law is not necessary for citizens and their representatives in Congress to make a judgment: Is it acceptable for a presidential candidate and officials of his campaign to encourage an adversarial foreign powers efforts to meddle in the U.S. election process  and then seek to reward that foreign power by easing sanctions? Yes or no?

Im no fan of conspiracy theories, which usually fall apart under scrutiny; and Im not interested in carrying water for the Democratic Party, which should have been able to beat Trump, who was manifestly unqualified and unfit, no matter what the Russians did. But what we have learned thus far is truly shocking.

Last July, Trump issued a public plea: I will tell you this, Russia: If youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. He was referring to deleted material from the private email server Hillary Clinton used when she was secretary of state. Previously, according to U.S. intelligence officials, state-sponsored Russian hackers had obtained thousands of private emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, and the material was being released in a manner clearly intended to damage the Clinton campaign.

We now know that in June, three of the most important figures in the Trump campaign  Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr.; his son-in-law, Jared Kushner; and his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort  had eagerly met with a Kremlin-tied lawyer who promised to share damaging information the Russian government had on Clinton. We also know that in April, another go-between had promised Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos thousands of emails containing dirt on Clinton.

Did anyone report these shady approaches to the FBI? No.

We know that in the last days of the campaign, Russian cyberwarriors targeted the social media accounts of potential Trump voters in key states. We dont yet know how they aimed their propaganda so accurately.

We have learned, however, that after the election, the Trump transition team actively undermined sanctions that President Obama had imposed on Russia for its election interference. Flynn discussed relaxing the sanctions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak  then lied about it to the FBI. Transition adviser K.T. McFarland wrote in an email that the sanctions would make it harder for Trump to improve relations with Russia, which has just thrown the U.S.A. election to him. The White House says McFarland meant only that Democrats would claim Russia had thrown the election to Trump.

And we know that members of the Trump campaigns inner circle consistently failed to disclose their meetings with Russian officials and emissaries. There is a pattern of behavior here. It may or may not be illegal, but it is certainly shocking and unacceptable.

As for obstruction of justice, Trump tweeted Saturday that I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. This indicates the president knew Flynn had committed a crime before meeting with FBI director James Comey and, according to Comey, instructing him to drop the Flynn investigation. Trump later fired Comey, telling NBCs Lester Holt that the reason was the Russia probe. Trump has reportedly hectored other administration officials and members of Congress to stop investigating the Russia connection.

One of Trumps lawyers, John Dowd, claimed that he, not Trump, authored that incriminating tweet. He later argued to Axios Mike Allen that the president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under the Constitution.

With Flynn now cooperating, Muellers investigation enters a new phase. But lets not lose sight of the big picture. Ask yourself a common-sense question: If nothing wrong happened with Russia during the campaign, why is Trump so desperate to cover it up?

Eugene Robinson

Copyright The Washington Post
04 December 2017

US Changes Policy on Cluster Bombs

Clings to the indiscriminate weapon

Thoummy Silamphan, a cluster munition survivor, Laos

The United States is ending a long-standing policy where it committed not to use certain types of cluster munitions from 1 January 2019. The Department of Defense signed a policy memo on 30 November 2017, indefinitely delaying the implementation of the US ban on certain types of cluster munitions.

This reversal of policy is shocking and goes against the global treaty trend to eliminate cluster munitions. Only a small number of states use cluster munitions at the moment, and this includes Bashar al-Assads regime in Syria. Is this who the U.S. wants to align with? Why retain the option to use such notoriously failure-prone cluster munitions that kill and injure far more civilians than combatants? said Amelie Chayer, Acting Director of the Cluster Munition Coalition.

The Cluster Munition Coalition urges the United States to reinstate the 2008 policy and accede to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions without further delay.

For more on this, see:

Human Rights Watch: US Embraces Cluster Munitions, Reverses Course on Internationally Banned, Reviled Weapons

The Washington Post: The Trump administration cancels a plan to curtail the use of cluster bombs
Warwick School's headmaster, Gus Lock, left, and Dr Deneal Smith who will replace him in September.

WARWICK School has announced who its new headmaster will be.

Dr Deneal Smith is currently Under Master (Senior Deputy Head) at Westminster School.

He will take over from Gus Lock in September next year.

Mr Lock himself will be moving to The Haberdashers Askes Boys School in Elstree, London - where he was a pupil - after five years at Warwick.

Dr Deneal grew up in Blackpool and graduated from St Johns College, Cambridge, emerging with a first class degree in mathematics and astrophysics, and a PhD in Observational Astronomy.

He began his teaching career at Winchester College before becoming head of sixth form and then director of studies at Magdalen College School, Oxford.

The school said in a statement: "Throughout the selection process, he performed superbly and demonstrated a very strong pastoral instinct, excellent leadership and strategic thinking, a love of teaching and learning and warm emotional intelligence."

Mr Lock returns to his old school to replace the retiring Peter Hamilton.
Dr Itzhak Gerberg is spending two days in the city, at the invitation of the deputy mayor and Holy Trinity Church.

Itzhak, who has been in the role for a year, and in New Zealand for seven months, says its his first time visiting the city.

Its an amazing place, with very positive vibes. Theres a good combination of industry, culture, and the landscape  Id like to come back with my wife and kids.

During his visit hes met with different companies to explore trading opportunities, particularly in the field of technology.

Hes also keen to see an Israeli cultural exhibition brought over to the Tauranga Art Gallery, as well as more Kiwi students studying in Israel.

This year in particular, the number of tourists visiting Israel from New Zealand, and vice-versa, has increased drastically. I think our relationship is good, because were both small, democratic countries with similar values.

Deputy Mayor Kelvin Clout, who recently visited Israel with his wife, says its been a pleasure to show the ambassador around, including giving him a tour of the citys popular tidal stairs.

Its been a great chance to show off Tauranga and what we have to offer, as well as strengthen our international ties.
This Friday, a milestone meeting between Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the members of Labours Maori caucus will take place at Te Papaiouru Marae, Ohinemutu.

There, Waiariki MP Tamati Coffey will unveil his Kahui Koeke, an advisory council of selected kaumatua ready to support and advise him on his new political journey.

Serving the people of the Waiariki is a big job, says Tamati. Having such wise heads around me, will allow me to make decisions collectively and hear the various issues affecting Waiariki iwi.

Open to the public, the day will start with a powhiri for Jacinda Ardern and the Maori caucus at 12.30pm.

In her first public appearance in Rotorua since being elected, Jacindas address will thank local voters for their support and outline her vision for a better, fairer New Zealand.

Tamatis premiere advisory council consists of Dr Kihi Ngatai, Tauranga Moana; Rereamanu Wihapi, Tapuika, Ngati Moko, Waitaha, Tuhorangi ki Tai; Hemana Eruera, Ngati Awa; Ron Tahi, Ngai Tuhoe; Robert Edwards, Te Whakatohea and Dr Keneti Te Whainga Kennedy, Te Arawa.

The kaumatua will enjoy light refreshments with the guests, before getting the opportunity to individually present to the Labour delegates on the issues of their iwi throughout the afternoon.

The day will then conclude with a site visit to the Wai Ariki development, for a turning of the sod as a sign of new beginnings.

With lawyer and political thinker, Annette Sykes, included in the line-up of presenters, Tamati says he is looking forward to having his council come together for the first time to korero, and to being challenged by the presentations involved.

To have our Prime Minister speak for the first time in her new role at Tamatekapua, the Parliament of Te Arawa, is significant. To follow this by offering Waiariki kaumatua the ears of our Maori caucus for the entire afternoon is momentous. To be able to host them all, as our peoples newly-elected Waiariki MP is an honour.

Labours Maori Caucus comes as a result of the recent election delivering an unprecedented 13 Maori MPs into parliament through Labour, the highest level of Maori representation in New Zealand politics.

Maori overwhelmingly voted for Labour to be their voice and we pledge to start as we mean to go on, by listening in hui such as this, says Tamati.
Ross Bishops had a building project at every school hes been to and the building theme is going to continue into his retirement.

The start of his retirement was marked at the Tauranga Adventist School this week, with a helicopter ride and a mad hatters tea party involving all the students.

The helicopter ride was his first and a bit of a surprise for Ross and his wife Lynley. They were lured to Classic Flyers for morning tea, but Ross began to suspect there was something afoot. Then they were having a look at a helicopter

The flight took them over the school grounds beside Moffat Road, where the student body spelled out a big THANKS for his 27 years as principal.

They were all lying in the grass the first time the helicopter flew over, then they all jumped up waving.

Ross and Lynley returned to earth and the school to find themselves guests of honour and judges at a Mad Hatters Tea Party, followed by lunch and a water slide down the bank.

Ive never been in a helicopter before, says Ross afterwards. It was really nice.

Ross has been headmaster at the Bethlehem school for 27 years, starting in 1989 when it was a two classroom affair beside the highway.

It outgrew its location under Rosss leadership; three classrooms, then four using the garage.

When they began talking about relocating the school they were approached out of the blue by a buyer followed by an offer on the current land which, conveniently, is right next door to the site of the Tauranga Adventist church. God had plans for the school, says Ross.

The new five classroom school opened for the school year in 2008 and now has a roll of 125 students.

Ross finishes as headmaster next Wednesday, but the building theme will continue. Hes got a house to renovate, and a recent trip to Switzerland has inspired the construction of a Swiss-themed narrow gauge model railway.

I enjoy rail travel. We did Europe by rail two years back.

Rail travel is one of his passions, and was reflected in the icing train on the cake he cut after the Mad Hatters Tea Party.
In todays weather forecast, it should be a mainly fine day, with some morning and evening cloud, light winds and afternoon sea breezes.

Its a one-clothing layer day today with a high of 24 and an overnight low of 16 degrees.

Low tide is at 9.30am and high tide is at 3.40pm. Sea temperature is 20 degrees. Theres a 1.4m swell with king tides expected over the next few days. Sunset tonight is at 8.21pm.

If youre going fishing today the best fish bite time is between 2.30pm and 4.30pm.

This day in NZ history in 1905 special votes were cast in the general election.

For the first time in New Zealands electoral history, registered voters who were away from their electorate on polling day were able to cast a special absentee vote at any polling booth in the country.

In world history on this day in 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Santo Domingo in search of gold.

In 1877 Thomas A. Edison made the first sound recording when he recited Mary had a Little Lamb into his phonograph machine.

In 1906 Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge flew a powered, man-carrying kite that carried him 168 feet in the air for seven minutes at Baddeck, Nova Scotia.

In 1922 Benito Mussolini threatened Italian newspapers with censorship if they kept reporting false information.

In 1967 Adrian Kantrowitz performed the first human heart transplant in the US. In 2006 NASA revealed photographs from Mars Global Surveyor that suggest the presence of water on the red planet.

Our quote for today is from CS Lewis who said "True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less."

To get involved in events and activities please check out our Whats On page.

Have a great day!
A car hitting a power pole and sparking a scrub fire is one of two crashes Western Bay of Plenty Police are investigating.

Another crash involved a motorcyclist and van on Rangiuru Road.

The second of the two crashes  the car hitting a power pole  was called into police at 4.22pm and was on Wilson Road North.

A police spokesperson says the driver of the car sustained moderate injuries in the crash.

The crash resulted in nearby scrub and the vehicle catching on fire.

The fire was quickly extinguished before it had a chance to spread too far.

There was disruption to traffic, which was managed by contractors, says a police spokesperson.

The lines company was advised, a tow truck was called for the vehicle, and the driver was reported to have moderate injuries.

The driver of the car was pulled to safety by members of the public that came across the accident.

Prior to this crash, police were also alerted to another involving a motorcyclist and a van on Rangiuru Road.

The crash happened at about 4.15pm. No major injury injuries were reported and no cars were blocking the road.

Minor injuries were received by the motorbike rider, including a sore shoulder and skin lacerations.
Twenty-three-year-old Rafael Pulido, a Biology student in his final year at Malaga University, discovered his hobby when he was playing on his grandmother's patio in his home town of Priego de Cordoba. His blog where he advertises his unique skills has already generated interest, but he hopes to open a proper shop in the future where he can sell his products.

His line of work is known as terrariophilia and consists of making small living works of art, ecosystems in themselves, such as miniature forests and woodland, where the light, rain and temperature are directly controlled by the latest technology, which could even be the mobile phone of the customer.

It's a hobby which has led to more than that. Since I was little I have always been interested in looking after aquariums, which I taught myself how to do through Internet forums, most of them from the United States, he said. Although it is not a very popular hobby here, in other European countries, such as Germany and the United Kingdom, there are big events to celebrate terrariophilia. Despite being so young, Pulido has ten years of experience under his belt and has been doing this professionally for four years. His next goal is to have a professional platform where he can sell his terrariums, as he has already gained clients through his blog, through creating a company which specialises in the design and creation of these installations.

Demand for the products is increasing and very few companies in Spain specialise in them

Among his clientele, which mostly consists of people with high purchasing power who want to decorate their homes, are spaces like hotels, medical centres, offices and zoos. I can make miniature habitats of any environment, humidity and temperature, from deserts for reptiles or rainforests to waterfalls and aquatic homes for reptiles and fish, he added.

Clinging to trunks and rocks

The biologist has already created over 30 terrariums. For one of his first projects, he constructed a column of 90 centimetres built out of small tropical orchids of five centimetres each. The plants grow clinging to trunks and rocks. On top of that, the terrarium has its own camouflaged weather station which measures humidity and temperature and is connected to the home automation system, so the customer can control it from their phone and switch on the rain when necessary. This is the largest project that he has completed so far.

Currently, he is working on another project for a customer: a tropical terrarium containing plants, a large water feature, which is home to small fish, and a waterfall.

It is a self-regulating micro ecosystem in itself; in time it will become almost completely self-sufficient, with automatic lighting, watering and heating, he explained. In his eyes, he has started something that can lead on to much more; every day there is more demand and there are very few companies which specialise in terrariums on a national level. In Malaga, Pulido is yet to find someone with the same business. In the future, a second line of business will be selling the materials and accessories to amateurs who want to construct their own miniature forests.
National Police say they have broken up a gang of muggers who had been targeting tourists drinking in nightclubs in Puerto Banus over the summer. Officers say that the gang had been stealing luxury watches from people in the clubs and that 320,000 euros worth had been reported missing. The gang is also believed to be behind thefts from local jewellery shops.

Police have been investigating the possible gang members for months and finally succeeded in identifying eight men, all French and Belgian nationals and aged between 23 and 34.

Four of the eight were held in a recent raid carried out by police and arrest warrants were issued for the other four. Four watches were also recovered, including two Rolexes.
Getting around the Costa del Sol on Wednesday was made harder not only by the rain but also by a part-stoppage of the area's taxis.

Worst affected was Malaga city, where around half of drivers stopped work as part of nationwide protests against, what they say, is unfair competition from new minicab companies like Uber and Cabify.

Drivers and their union say that these new-generation firms, where passengers arrange a lift via mobile phone apps, cause unfair competition by offering much lower fares. They also claim that some new drivers flout the rules by touting for business in the streets, which only taxi drivers are allowed to do.

In Malaga it was only at the airport that there was anything like normal service. Elsewhere, at key points, taxi ranks were quiet and passengers left to wait. The first heavy rain in months added to the demand. Telephone operators for the taxi drivers said that at times thirty people were on hold waiting to get through.

At Malaga's main Maria Zambrano station, passengers arriving had to wait a long time. I've come from Cordoba for an interview at the PTA technology park and I don't know if I'm going to make it in time, explained Elena Varo, who had been waiting for fifteen minutes. Soon afterwards a taxi drew up and she went on her way.

Mass rally in Madrid

While half the fleet of taxis stayed at home, some 200 drivers from the area headed to Madrid to take part in a large demonstration near the national parliament in protest at the increase in activity of the start-up transport companies like Uber and Cabify (which in Spain are described as VTCs - vehiculo de transporte con conductor).

Central government attempts to limit the amount of VTC licences to one per every 30 taxis and appease the taxi sector have been overturned recently by the Supreme Court. However, the government has said it will keep its promise to taxi drivers to insist that there is a register of all VTC activity, to check they are following the rules, and ban new VTC licences being resold within two years of issue.

Taxi drivers, who typically pay a lot more for licences than VTC drivers on the secondary market, want to go further by, for example, insisting that VTC journeys need to be booked two hours in advance and that drivers meet the same licensing requirements as taxis.

An indefinite taxi strike from this Tuesday is being discussed.
FAYETTE  A Cresco man has been ticketed for allegedly Snapchatting while driving in a Monday afternoon three-vehicle crash that sent four people to the hospital.

Fayette County sherriffs deputies said 18-year-old Logan P. Johnson was using Snapchat on his cell phone and looked up to discover the vehicles in front of him had stopped while one of the other drivers was waiting to make a left turn on Highway 150 north of town around 3:50 p.m.

Johnsons 2005 Ford F-150 pickup struck a 2104 Jeep Cherokee driven by Paul Spies Jr. of West Union, and the Jeep then collided with a 2013 Chrysler 200 driven by 67-year-old Barbara Corbin of Wadena, deputies said.

The Jeep then entered the east ditch where it rolled once.

All three drivers and Spies passenger, Callie Ann Tope, 25 of West Union, were transported to Palmer Hospital in West Union for minor injuries, according to the sheriffs office.

Johnson was cited for use of an electronic device while driving.

Fayette County deputies were assisted by the Iowa Department of Natural Rescources, Fayette Ambulance, Fayette Fire Department, and Tri-State Ambulance.
Tazewell County emergency responders may soon find it easier and quicker to locate hard-to-find, hidden or poorly lighted driveways for households with disabled and at-risk senior citizens. The Tazewell County TRIAD is taking applications for reflective address signs that will be provided and installed free of charge for 250 eligible households. Many Tazewell County households do not have easy and well identified access to driveways and many do not have any type of addressing visible on the home. This makes it very difficult for emergency responders to locate many households in an emergency when seconds count! The funding for these signs was secured through grant funding from Virginia TRIAD and the Virginia Office of the Attorney General.

Tazewell County TRIAD is a cooperative effort of law enforcement agencies (police/fire/sheriff), senior citizens, and senior organizations, focused on reducing crimes against our most vulnerable citizens: our seniors. Tazewell County Sheriffs Deputy, Patricia Belcher, currently serves as Chairperson of Tazewell County TRIAD. Deputy Belcher has worked tirelessly to invite and secure additional Tazewell County organizations and law enforcement representation for TRIAD and has also been successful in helping TRIAD better serve Tazewell County senior citizens. Examples of TRIAD programs for Tazewell County seniors include sponsorship of the annual TRIAD Senior Safety Day in October and the reflective address road sign project.

Applications for the road signs will be available at Clinch Valley Community Action, across from the N. Tazewell Post Office, online at www.clinchvalleycaa.org and by email at swhite@clinchvalleycaa.org. Completed applications can be dropped off at Clinch Valley Community Action or mailed to CVCA, P.O. Box 188, N. Tazewell, VA, 24630-0188. Approve applicants will be notified following an eligibility review. TRIAD will be working with area first responders, scout troops, church groups, and other area organizations to install the signs at eligible addresses. Anyone with questions about the reflective address signs or Tazewell County TRIAD can contact Susan White at 276-988-5583 or Patricia Belcher at 276-988-5966.
Last week, as I walked into my office at the library, I was met with one of the happiest sights: a large manila envelope, addressed to me with Photographs: Do Not Bend written in bold letters across the front. By now, most of you know that envelopes such as this one bring me a great deal of joy. I know that when I look inside I will be met with a treasure from our local history.

I had been expecting this particular package. A few weeks ago, Janie Dillard Whaley called the library and shared her familys story, which is closely intertwined with the history of Smyth County. Janie now lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but wanted to make sure that the knowledge and photographs she had could be shared with the rest of the community.

Janie was born and raised in Marion, the daughter of Olin Stephen Dillard and Cleo DeBord Dillard. She grew up in a neighborhood called the Staley Rhea Addition, which sat in the area near Park Boulevard. Her mother, Cleo, died on June 6, 1942, when Janie was just 10 years old. She was the daughter of Daniel Wesley DeBord and Minnie Jane Lovern. Janie sent several pictures of her mother as a young school teacher at the Pendletons Chapel School. Her mother taught in the mid-1920s and when Janie was born she decided to stay home with her daughter.

Janie graduated from Marion Senior High School in 1948 and served as the editor of the yearbook, during her senior year. After graduation, she attended Marion College. She recalled moving onto the campus of Marion College with her good friend, Peggy Lou Ford. Upon graduating from Marion College, Janie went on to Meredith College in Raleigh. From there, she enrolled at the Medical College of Virginia, completing her Medical Technology training in August 1953. While at MCV, she met her husband, John Whaley, who was completing a residency in Internal Medicine. They were married in October 1953. They made their home in Tarboro, North Carolina, where John started his medical practice and where they raised their three children. They remained in Tarboro until 1998.

In a recent conversation with Janie, I asked her to tell me more about her grandfather, Sheriff Sam Dillard. He was well known in Smyth County, thanks to his many years of service as sheriff, holding that office from Jan. 1, 1920, until Dec. 31, 1947. He passed away on March 14, 1948.

According to his death certificate, he was born on Feb. 6, 1879, in Washington County, Virginia, to Nathan Dillard and Rebecca Fulton. He married Nannie Snider and had three sons: Olin (Janies father), Frank (who worked at the Marion Post Office for many years), and Ted (who married Louise Burke).

Sheriff Dillard was most well-known for his efforts to bring down the moonshine stills that operated within the hollows and mountains of our county. One of these moonshine busts was detailed the Nov. 17, 1921, issue of the Marion News. The headline reads, Three Big Stills are Taken Near Saltville. Three large moonshine distillery outfits and more than 1,000 gallons of mash were captured Monday by a posse led by Sheriff Sam Dillard, of Marion, and Sheriff John M. Litton, of Abingdon, in a raid staged west of Saltville, in the mountains. The raid was one of the most successful ever made by officers in this section of the State.

Two of the still furnaces found, bore signs of having been recently made. The officers said that the section of country in which they penetrated, seemed to be almost taken over by the moonshiners.

Sherwood Anderson often wrote about Sheriff Dillard and noted that his voice resonated through the hills as he went in search of the illegal moonshining operations. Many of these writings may be found in Andersons book, The Buck Fever Papers.

Janie offered some unique insights into her grandfathers character. She recalled often going to the Dillard home for meals. Her grandmother, Nannie, always had a white tablecloth on the large dining room table, with a bowl of rhubarb applesauce placed at one end. Her grandfather had a commanding presence, always sitting at the head of the dinner table. Not far from him, there would be a family pet a dog named Pawney, who would anxiously await a treat from Sheriff Dillard. After he had enjoyed the majority of his cup of coffee, he would pour just a bit of coffee onto a saucer and place it on the floor for his beloved companion, Pawney. Janie said that her grandmother, Nannie, always had a look of displeasure on her face with this offering of coffee from the dinner table. An interesting side-note to this story: Sheriff Dillard always had a dog named Pawney. When one dog would die, he would get another dog to carry on the name.

These are the kinds of details we should seek to preserve about our own families. We dont want to become so busy telling the major life stories that we forget about the subtle details of daily life. The day-to-day events reflect the true character of an individual. These are the things we want our children and grandchildren to know about their ancestors. These are the stories I most enjoy hearing about my grandparents and other individuals who have made Smyth County their home.

Thanks to Janie Whaley for recognizing that her family story was an important part of our local history and for choosing to share it with others. The details she shared give us all a better understanding of what we should be recording in our own family histories. Its not all about names, dates and places. If you have a story or photograph that you would like to share, I may be reached at mwlinford@yahoo.com or by phone at 685-6589.
The Associated Press

by Geoff Herbert | gherbert@syracuse.com

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John Oliver grills Dustin Hoffman

John Oliver grilled Dustin Hoffman over sexual misconduct allegations during a Q&A for a 20th anniversary screening of "Wag the Dog," according to reports. Attendees say the "Last Week Tonight" host HBO host said Hoffman's apology statement "pisses me off" and asked him to comment further. Hoffman, accused of sexually harassing a 17-year-old assistant on the set of "Death of a Salesman" in 1985, pointed to his role of a man dressed as a woman in "Tootsie." "How could I have made that movie if I didn't have incredible respect for women?" Hoffman said.

>> Read more at the Daily Mail

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Tarantino 'Star Trek' movie

Quentin Tarantino has an idea for a "Star Trek" movie and has pitched it to J.J. Abrams, according to Deadline. The filmmaker previously praised the original TV series in 2015 and is rumored to be open to directing the next movie, which would follow 2016's "Star Trek Beyond." Tarantino also said he plans to retire soon, with his upcoming ninth movie about the Charles Manson murders set for release in 2019. Could "Star Trek Unchained" (or "Star Trek: Kill Bill Shatner") be his 10th and final film?

>> Read more at NY Daily News.

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Blake Lively injured

"The Rhythm Section" has suspended production after Blake Lively suffered an injury on the set of the upcoming movie. The 30-year-old actress reportedly hurt her hand while filming an action sequence in Dublin, Ireland, a day after photos showed her on location with a pixie haircut (or wig) and baggy clothes. Lively stars opposite Jude Law as Stephanie Patrick, who is seeking revenge against those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family. It's unclear when filming will resume or if the 2018 release date will be delayed.

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Blake Lively was injured on the set of 'The Rhythm Section' & production has been temporarily suspended. https://t.co/6roBx8koUL pic.twitter.com/irEGildtVF  Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) December 4, 2017

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Chris Pratt sings duet with Chris Stapleton

"Guardians of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt guest co-hosted "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Monday night and unveiled another teaser for "Jurassic World 2" -- the full-length trailer will be released Thursday. He also had fun interviewing Chris Stapleton and even performed a duet with the country star, covering "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and attempting the "Dirty Dancing" hold.

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Billy Bush talks Trump, Access Hollywood tape

Billy Bush appeared on "The Late Show" to talk about his recent op-ed where he criticized President Donald Trump for allegedly claiming the "Access Hollywood" tape was faked. Bush confirmed it was real and said he was embarrassed that he laughed at some of Trump's comments initially. "If I had thought there was a man detailing a sexual assault strategy to me, I would have called the FBI, not just reported it to my executive producer," Bush told Stephen Colbert. Bush ended up being fired from NBC and the "Today" show, while Trump -- who admitted the tape was real and dismissed it as "locker room talk" in an apology last year -- has not seen a similar fallout. Bush told Colbert he believes the women who have accused Trump of sexual assault.

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More Buzz

Alec Baldwin working on new talk show for ABC ( SYR

'Stranger Things' stars Charlie Heaton, Natalia Dyer officially dating ( E!

Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis walk first red carpet as married couple ( DM

'Usual Suspects' production halted by Spacey allegations in '95 ( DN

Jimmy Fallon sings 'Robert Mueller's Comin' to Town' as Bruce ( RS

DJ Tiesto announces he's engaged to girlfriend ( BB

Zendaya, Selena Gomez slay at British Fashion Awards ( ET

Police release video of Randy Travis' naked DWI arrest in 2012 ( SYR

'The Big Bang Theory' star Melissa Rauch welcomes baby girl ( E!

Report: ABC News bans Brian Ross from covering Trump ( DM

Franz Ferdinand releases 'Always Ascending' music video ( RS

DJ Paul Oakenfold releasing novel, soundtrack about career ( BB

Ed Sheeran beats 'Despacto' for most-streamed song of 2017 ( E!

Irish people upset by 'SNL' skit about Aer Lingus, potatoes ( DM

AM Buzz is a weekday morning feature on syracuse.com where we'll post the latest in viral videos, trending topics, celebrity gossip and entertainment news.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A 20-year-old Syracuse woman died one month after she was shot in the face on the city's South Side, police Sgt. Richard Helterline said Monday night.

Jamia Singleton was shot shortly before 11 p.m. Oct. 29 in the 100 block of Glenwood Avenue, police said.

She was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where she underwent emergency surgery.

Singleton, who remained in the hospital since the shooting, died Nov. 28, city police announced in a news release Monday night.

The 19-year-old Syracuse man accused of shooting Singleton remains in jail without bail Monday night.

Jheezmearr Thompson

Jheezzmearr J. Thompson was charged Nov. 3 with first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies. He is accused of shooting Singleton once with a handgun and severely injuring her.

The Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office completed an autopsy to determine Singleton's cause of death and if her death is directly related to her being shot, Helterline said.

"At this time, the results of the autopsy are not available," he said. "Detectives are continuing their investigation as they await the results and will coordinate with the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office when the results are available."

For now, Thompson remains in jail on the assault and weapons charges.

Syracuse police ask anyone with information about the shooting to call the Criminal Investigations Division at (315) 442-5222 or use the "SPD Tips" app.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Police are searching for a man who punched a Byrne Dairy worker Tuesday during a robbery in Syracuse.

A man walked into the Byrne Dairy at 1519 W. Genesee St. shortly before noon and demanded money, said Sgt. Richard Helterline, a Syracuse Police Department spokesman. The suspect claimed he was armed, but did not brandish a weapon, he said.

The man punched one employee, Helterline said. The suspect then ran away from the store with a small amount of money, he said.

Police described the suspect as a Hispanic man in his 30s. He was wearing a red bandana that covered part of his face, a dark-colored hooded jacket, dark jeans, black sneakers and white gloves, police said.

The employee who was punched suffered a minor injury, Helterline said.

Police asked anyone with information about the robbery to call (315) 442-5222 or submit tips anonymously through the SPD Tips app.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The teachers' aide who admitted to taking lewd photos of an All Saints Elementary student and sexually abusing two other children was sentenced to 60 years in prison today.

Emily Oberst faced 360 years in federal prison for 12 counts of conspiracy and child exploitation. Her boyfriend Jason Kopp was sentenced to 235 years in prison last year.

Emily Oberst

When allegations of the couple's crimes surfaced in spring 2016, it "rocked" the school community "to its core," Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher said.

Oberst was a teachers' aide at the school. Investigators found nude photos of a student, taken in the school's bathroom, on her cell phone.

Fletcher discussed the "profound effect" Oberst's actions had on the entire school community -- particularly parents, whose trust Oberst violated.

She said the investigation "unfairly" came to be known as the All Saints case in the media.

But the couple's conduct extended far beyond the parochial schools' grounds, Fletcher said.

In fact, the bulk of the accusations against Oberst and Kopp involved two children not affiliated with the school. Their victims included a newborn baby on the night she was brought home from the hospital.

"Simply put, Emily Oberst's crimes here are horrific and inexplicable," Fletcher said.

She and defense lawyer Kimberly Zimmer negotiated the 60-year sentence, which was approved by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Glenn Suddaby.

Fletcher said she considered the more than 150 child porn cases she's prosecuted in the last 15 years, and tried to arrive at a fair and consistent plea deal.

Suddaby said he felt 60 years was an appropriate length considering the seriousness of crime, and Oberst's lack of prior criminal history.

He detailed her crimes against three young children, in court, calling her actions the "sexual exploitation of extremely young and vulnerable children."

He described how text messages between Oberst and Kopp showed her willingness -- even eagerness -- to engage in sexually illicit behavior with Kopp, a man she'd met online just months before the conduct began.

He said Oberst was under "little if any pressure" and not once did she express concern for the children. He said she even suggested victimizing additional children after the first.

Zimmer, Oberst's lawyer, submitted a memorandum detailing Oberst's struggles over her 24 years, but the judge noted that Oberst had a good upbringing in a good home.

"Nothing in the defendant's background can explain her behavior," he said.

Zimmer said that Oberst accepts responsibility for the crimes.

"There's not a lot to say here. ... All around this is a tragedy," Zimmer said.

When given the chance to speak, Oberst declined to say anything.

Fletcher said she was surprised Oberst did not apologize, but aside from "I"m sorry," Fletcher said she wasn't sure what Oberst could say in light of what she's done.

In addition to 60 years in prison, Oberst was sentenced to lifetime supervised release. The judge and prosecutor said the details of her supervision would have to be worked out at the time, given changes in technology and the nature of her crimes.

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Mayor Stephanie Miner will host a town hall meeting tonight to discuss the GOP's federal tax plan, which she said will hurt local residents. The event begins at 6 p.m. in the Common Council chambers at City Hall, 233 E. Washington St.

Miner, a Democrat, said the event will enable community members to tell elected officials how the proposed tax code changes will affect them. The mayor invited Syracuse's state and federal representatives, members of the city council and county legislature, the city auditor, the county comptroller and the county executive to attend.

In response to the tax plan, Miner has said that she is considering running in 2018 against U.S. Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, who voted in favor of the House version. Katko accused her of using tonight's City Hall session to launch a political campaign.

Members of Congress are working to reconcile separate versions of the tax plan passed by the House and Senate. They are expected to fashion a unified bill by the end of the year.

"Members of our community are outraged by this proposed tax legislation and with good reason," Miner said in a news release Friday. "It will have detrimental impacts on students, downtown development, and property taxpayers. It cuts taxes for billionaires, raises taxes on working class families, and increases the deficit."

Katko has said he voted for the GOP plan because it will benefit most taxpayers in Central New York and help businesses across the state thrive under a lower corporate tax rate.
Update: The county Legislature approved the bike trail by a vote of 14-2.

Syracuse, N.Y, -- A Syracuse University professor has urged Onondaga County to delay a vote today to build a bike trail on polluted land along Onondaga Lake until the site can be more fully tested for two highly toxic compounds.



Biology and neuroscience professor Kate Lewis said she and other local researchers are studying the toxic effects of two chemicals that, she said, are hundreds of times more toxic than DDT.



"Our findings are very concerning and could have important implications for human health," she wrote in a letter to county legislators late Monday. "I think that it would be very rash to permit a trail across Murphy's island when the potential consequences to human health are still unclear and could be very detrimental."

The county Legislature is scheduled to vote at 1 p.m. today on building the 1-mile, $1.5-million trail extension on Murphy's Island, next to Destiny USA.

Studies have found that Murphy's Island site is highly polluted with benzene, PCBs and other chemicals from industrial waste. County Environment Director Travis Glazier has said the state would likely approve the county's plan to build a trail and restrict walkers and bikers from the rest of the site. That's what the county has done with the trail extension on the west side of the lake.

Glazier said today he had not seen Lewis's letter and could not directly comment on it.

Legislator Michael Plochocki, R-Marcellus, who chairs the Environmental Protection Committee, said the letter Monday night from Lewis was "late-breaking information" that was being reviewed by legislators.

"I'm looking into it as well as other legislators are," Plochocki said. "I can't say how it will affect the vote."

Lewis said she has been studying two chemicals, called PTE and PXE, that were found at various points in Onondaga Lake. The rare and highly toxic chemicals are believed to be byproducts of plants that extracted oil from coal in Solvay beginning in the late 1800s, said John Hassett, a chemistry professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry who has also researched the chemicals. Hassett said they were considered "mystery chemicals" when they were first found in the lake.



Effects of the chemicals are being studied at SU, ESF and Upstate Medical University, particularly in how they might cause epilepsy in embryos. Lewis said zebra fish embryos exposed to the chemicals have more seizures than embryos who were not exposed. Similar findings have been found in mice, she said.

Until recently, she said, PXE and PTE were not even tested for because they were relatively unknown. Lewis said the Syracuse team is among the first to study the chemicals on animals.

"It's very hard to assess what the risk would be for humans from this, but I would be concerned that there is risk," she said. "There are many compounds out there that have not been studied. It makes me wonder how many other chemicals that are just as toxic but we don't know about them because nobody has looked at them."

The Murphy's Island trail would connect to the end of the Onondaga Creek Creekwalk behind Destiny USA, and eventually to the Loop-the-Lake trail. The county is waiting for the state to finish plans for a possible re-design of Route 370 before deciding how to connect the Murphy's Island trail directly to the trail head at Onondaga Lake Park, Glazier said.

The Onondaga Nation has also opposed the Murphy's Island trail, saying the land is too polluted and should be cleaned up first.

Contact Glenn Coin: Email | Twitter | Google + | (315) 470-3251
The civil war in Yemen escalated Monday, as graphic photos and videos surfaced confirming the death of its former president in the capital, Sanaa. Since 2015, Yemen has been involved in war, as the Houthi rebel movement fought the government and current President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, creating a humanitarian catastrophe.

The news of Ali Abdullah Saleh's death comes three days after a press conference he led, in which he appeared to switch sides during the war. In his press conference Saturday, Saleh reported he was ending his alliance with the Houthi to "turn the page" on relations with a Saudi coalition fighting the rebels.

Here are five things to know about the recent history of Yemen and the impact of war on the country.

Humanitarian impact

Since the start of the war almost three years ago, Yemen is reported to have 80 percent of its population in need of emergency health care. The war has resulted in a destruction of civilian infrastructure, a hunger crisis and the world's largest cholera outbreak.

Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the attacks need to end, and the violence could not come at a worse time.

"Fighting is restricting the movement of people and life-saving services within Sanaa city. Ambulances and medical teams cannot access the injured and people cannot go outside and buy food and other necessities."

The death toll continues to rise as the crisis continues, and children fall victim to malnutrition. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported in Nov. that 17 million people were "food insecure."

Before the blockade, that is partially lifted, and the ongoing fighting in Sanaa we had over 380,000 severely acute malnourished children in #Yemen. This child is from Hodeidah and being treated with support from @UNICEF_Yemen. The war erodes all efforts. Stop the war now! #Yemen pic.twitter.com/LUmabYcVez  Mohammed Al-Asaadi (@alasaadim) December 3, 2017

Future of the war?

There has been conflicting views on whether or not the war with escalate with the death of Saleh. Although removed from power in 2012, Saleh maintained a large political presence, originally with his now-enemies, the Houthi.

Peter Oborne, former political commentator for The Daily Telegraph, believes the crisis will be much harder to end now.

"The Yemen War may now escalate as the death of Ali Abdullah Saleh opens the way to a new wave of recrimination and revenge.

"It's not hard to see the Saudi air attacks intensifying and Iran getting sucked in much more deeply as a result.

"Abdullah Ali Saleh has been the dominant presence in Yemeni politics for 40 years. This cunning old fox has been a force for stability. I hope and pray that I am wrong, now that he is dead I fear that a fresh hell beckons for the Yemen."

Miriam Eps of the security consultant Le Beck International, speaking to Bloomberg, felt that Saleh's replacement will ultimately determine the outcome of the war.

"In the short term, his death is likely to increase violence in Sanaa as Saleh forces will be looking to retaliate and the Houthis might attempt to retake areas of the capital lost in recent days," she said. Ultimately, the dissolution of the Houthis' alliance with Saleh undermines their military might and their negotiating position, she said.

"Saleh's death, therefore, is a major blow because it removes a key influencer, but the real question is how the Houthis intend to move forward," she said. "Continued conflict is certainly an option, and they could turn to Iran for increased support, but they may also realize that the dissolution of their alliance means they have to negotiate."

Following the announcement of his death, the United Nations called for immediate halt to the fighting.

United States involvement

The United States has assisted Saudi Arabia in its fight against Yemen, despite recent pushback in the House. U.S. involvement has been seen as controversial, as the Saudis have alleged relations with al-Qaida, the Muslim militant group that carried out the 9/11 attacks.

"This is a pivotal point in Yemen's civil war," said Katherine Zimmerman, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. "It's an opportunity for the U.S. to shape the outcome.

"We should do what we can to continue the split, to fracture the Houthi movement further."

Travel ban

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump's travel ban on six Muslim-majority countries to go into effect. This includes Yemen.

Because of the fighting, thousands of citizens are in urgent need of protection.

Arab Spring

Saleh, 75, had served as president of Yemen until 2012, when he stepped down amidst the Arab Spring uprisings. Saleh joins three other men forcibly removed from the position to late meet a terrible fate.

Zine el- Abidine Ben Ali, Egypt, was forced into exile. Moammar Gadhafi, Libya, was killed in civil war. Hosni Mubarak, Egypt, faced years in prision and was recently released.

Another dictator from the Arab spring's countries has died.... Now New Yemen without Ali Abdullah Saleh, and hope Without Houthis as well. #Yemen for the Yemenis. #__  Asaad Hanna (@AsaadHannaa) December 4, 2017

"The promise of the Arab Spring gave way to political nightmares in almost all of the countries where there were calls for political change. And in Yemen, one of the worst of those nightmares continues." https://t.co/QdBzNGClvs  Clare Foran (@ckmarie) December 4, 2017
Democrat Fred Hubbell said Monday the state should partner with the private sector to add at least 50 to 75 in-patient mental health beds in Iowa, part of a plan he released to change the way mental health services are provided in the state.

Hubbell, one of seven Democrats running for his party's nomination for governor, released a four-page plan Monday, a day ahead of a forum on the topic in Des Moines.

Hubbell also said he would reverse last year's move to turn management of the state's Medicaid program over to private management and institute a review to determine "the most cost-efficient program that provides the necessary services." All of the Democrats running for governor have criticized the change.

Hubbell, who recently toured the state to talk about mental health issues, said it is a topic that comes up wherever he goes and the state must do better.

"Iowans are paying a high human cost and also high financial costs because of the inadequacies of our mental health system," he said. Hubbell blamed "fiscal mismanagement" under former Gov. Terry Branstad and Gov. Kim Reynolds, as well as the decision to close state-run mental health institutions.

Hubbell cited a study saying Iowa is last in the nation in the number of state-run mental health beds. And his plan called for "at least 50-75 high-intensity mental health beds for in-patient treatment in a public/private partnership."

There were no other details provided.

Iowa Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven has defended the state's approach and said the focus on in-patient mental health beds is shortsighted.

Reynolds also has questioned how Democrats will be able to pay for a Medicaid program that goes back under the state's management.

Part of Hubbell's plan also dealt with the shortage of behavioral health providers. He said the state should put more effort into programs like loan forgiveness to lure professionals to the state.

The plan also would more closely coordinate services for mental health and addiction; "empower" local communities to determine their own needs and provide a range of services; encourage more utilization of tele-psychiatric services; create a mental health program for children and provide more help to law enforcement to deal with the opioid problem and incarceration diversion programs.

In response to Hubbell's plan, the Reynolds campaign responded that 150,000 more Iowans are getting mental health coverage than in 2011, when she became lieutenant governor. Also, the campaign said the number of inpatient psychiatric beds have increased since 2016 and so have investments to try to entice behavioral health professionals to the state.

"There's more to do, which is why we are focused on concrete solutions and progress to help Iowans in every corner of the state," said Pat Garrett, a spokesman for the Reynolds campaign.
WASHINGTON - The brazen assertion Monday by one of President Donald Trump's lawyers that a president cannot be found guilty of obstruction of justice signaled a controversial defense strategy in the wide-ranging Russia probe, as Trump's political advisers are increasingly concerned about the legal advice he is receiving.

Trump tweeted over the weekend that he knew then-national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador before firing him in February - and before FBI Director James Comey said Trump asked him to be lenient while investigating Flynn. Experts said the president's admission increased his legal exposure to obstruction of justice charges, one of the core crimes under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

But Trump lawyer John Dowd sought to excuse the president's tweet in part by telling Axios and NBC News Monday that the "president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution's Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case."

Dowd declined to elaborate on his theory or explain the emerging legal strategy to The Washington Post.

Inside the White House, some senior officials were baffled that Dowd publicly offered this interpretation of the law, which has been advanced since the summer by constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz in defense of Trump but flatly dismissed by many other legal scholars.

Ty Cobb, a White House lawyer overseeing its handling of the Russia investigation, said Monday that the Dershowitz-Dowd theory was not the president's official legal strategy.

"It's interesting as a technical legal issue, but the president's lawyers intend to present a fact-based defense, not a mere legal defense," Cobb said in an interview with The Post. "That should resolve things, but we all shall see."

Asked whether Trump agrees that a president cannot obstruct justice, Cobb replied, "I never talk about what the president's beliefs are or discuss communications between the president and his lawyers."

Many Washington lawyers and legal scholars refuted Dowd's interpretation, citing several court cases and articles of impeachment - as well as, in the words of one expert, "common sense."

"We have a president, not a king," said Sam Berger, senior policy adviser at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. "No one is above the law, whether it be Trump or any of his close associates. It's the sort of desperate claim that makes you wonder, 'What exactly are they hiding?'"

Berger argued that Dowd's reasoning amounts to a "Hail Mary pass" for the president to escape responsibility. "This response, 'If it's the president, it's not a crime,' has never flown with the American people or our legal system in any context," he said. "Claiming that the president can't obstruct justice flies in the face of both common sense and past precedent."

Some legal scholars, however, support Dowd's claim. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor, said Monday on Fox News Channel that Trump was within his rights when he fired Comey.

"You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate," Dershowitz said. "That's what Thomas Jefferson did, that's what Lincoln did, that's what Roosevelt did. We have precedents that clearly establish that."

Dershowitz was appearing on "Fox & Friends," a pro-Trump morning show that the president regularly watches. After his appearance, Trump tweeted, "A must watch: Legal Scholar Alan Dershowitz was just on @foxandfriends talking of what is going on with respect to the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. political history."

Dershowitz wrote a column in June for The Washington Examiner in which he argued that Trump's efforts to stop the FBI probe could not be considered obstruction because he was constitutionally empowered as president to direct the attorney general and the FBI director and tell them whom to prosecute.

Furthermore, he wrote, "the president has the constitutional authority to stop the investigation of any person by simply pardoning that person."

Within Trump's political orbit, concerns have grown in recent weeks about Trump's legal strategy, crafted by Cobb and Dowd, as well as attorney Jay Sekulow, who at key moments has served as the public face of the defense team.

Cobb and Dowd have urged Trump to cooperate fully with Mueller's investigation, providing documents when asked by the special counsel and encouraging White House staffers to comply with requests for interviews.

The two men have sought to assure White House advisers that Trump is not vulnerable to obstruction of justice charges. "They think everything is clean there," said one senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid.

Cobb and Dowd also have been privately assuring the president that the Mueller probe was likely to reach its conclusion by the end of this year, complete with a public exoneration of Trump of any wrongdoing. That timeline seems overly optimistic to some legal experts, considering Mueller last week charged Flynn with lying to the FBI and secured his cooperation in the ongoing investigation.

In Monday's interview, Cobb said that he still believes Mueller's investigation of Trump will reach "an appropriate result" by Christmas or early January.

But some Trump advisers and outside allies - including former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon - have been grumbling for weeks that the president's legal strategy is too compliant with Mueller and not combative enough.

One Republican strategist in frequent contact with senior White House officials said there had been "consternation" among Trump's political advisers in recent days.

"The concern is that every time the president feels a little bit of pain from what Mueller's doing, [his lawyers] give him OxyCotin and tell him he'll be fine by the morning," this strategist said metaphorically, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. "Rather than being aggressive lawyers defending the president's prerogative, they're bending over backwards on the theory that Mueller is fair and it'll all be over soon."

These concerns grew over the past 48 hours as Dowd sought to explain the president's tweet about firing Flynn in a succession of media interviews, which had some Trump loyalists grimacing.

Asked to respond to criticisms of the legal team, Cobb said, "There's no question that Bannon is doing the president a great disservice by agitating persistently on this issue. Internally, where people are actually informed, there's no consternation about the decision to cooperate fully with the special counsel, and Mr. Bannon has yet to identify what fights he would pick and how constructive that would be."

Going forward, Cobb said, "I'm not going to litigate every isolated fact that people may testify about or may ask about in the press because that's not fair to the process or to the special counsel or to the witnesses."

The Brookings Institution in October published a 108-page study titled, "Presidential Obstruction of Justice: The case of Donald J. Trump." The authors reviewed the articles of impeachment against presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, and those drafted against judges Harry Claiborne and Samuel Kent. They concluded that "obstruction, conspiracy, and conviction of a federal crime have previously been considered by Congress to be valid reasons to remove a duly elected president from office."

Co-author Norm Eisen, former special assistant for ethics and government reform in the Obama administration and a senior fellow in governance studies at Brookings, said, "There's a long line of cases holding that when a government official exercises an otherwise legal authority with corrupt intent, they can be prosecuted for obstruction. It flows from the notion that no person is above the law."

In 1999, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then a senator from Alabama, argued that Clinton should be removed from office for obstructing justice in the investigation into his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

"The facts are disturbing and compelling on the president's intent to obstruct justice," Sessions said at the time.
Oneonta, N.Y. -- Underground fraternities like the one where a freshman was found unconscious before dying from a combination of drugs and alcohol have been a longtime problem for the upstate New York college town, police said Tuesday.

Oneonta Police Chief Douglas Brenner said Daniel William Michaels, 18, of Dix Hills in Suffolk County, died of cardiac arrest after being brought to a local hospital in a private vehicle early Saturday. Michaels was found unconscious on a couch in the off-campus home of Alpha Pi, a frat that's not recognized by the State University of New York at Oneonta, Brenner said.

Someone called 911. But while officers were responding, Michaels was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Michaels died from cardiac arrest brought on by a combination of drugs and alcohol, the police chief said.

The Daily Star of Oneonta reported that Williams was a new pledge who was studying business economics at the school, about 135 miles northwest of New York City.

"We offer the condolences of the SUNY Oneonta community to Daniel's parents and family," college President Nancy Kleniewski said in a statement emailed to students Saturday. "We are all one community, and the death of a student is painful to us all."

An autopsy revealed a small amount of alcohol was found in his system, according to the Otsego County coroner. The amount of drugs detected won't be available until a full toxicology report is completed.

LI teen found unconscious on couch dies of a heart attack caused by combination of drugs and alcohol says @OneontaPD chief. 18yo Daniel Michaels of Dix Hills was a freshman at @SUNY_Oneonta studying business economics.https://t.co/6OTqlgs4NL  Darius Radzius (@DariusRadzius) December 5, 2017

No one has been charged. The investigation was continuing Tuesday, police said.

Williams was found in an apartment in a rental home where two other frat members live, Brenner said. He said underground frats not recognized by a college have been a problem in Oneonta, home to the 6,000-student state school, and Hartwick College, a private school with an enrollment of 1,400.

"They're hard to track because they don't report to anybody," Brenner told The Associated Press. "We've had a long history of unrecognized fraternities that cause problems. They tend to come and to go."

WNBC-TV in New York reported that family members said the teen's twin brother, Justin, was killed when a tree fell on him at a day camp when he was 4 years old.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has issued a subpoena to Deutsche Bank for information on accounts held by President Donald Trump and his family, according to a new report.

A "person close to the matter" told Reuters Tuesday that Mueller asked Germany's largest bank several weeks ago to provide information on certain and credit transactions by Trump and family members. A German publication reported the same info earlier Tuesday.

"Deutsche Bank always cooperates with investigating authorities in all countries," the lender said in a statement to Bloomberg on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, the bank, which has loaned the Trump organization millions of dollars for real estate ventures, previously rejected requests from U.S. House Democrats for details of Trump's finances over concerns of Russian ties. Bloomberg says Deutsche Bank cited privacy laws, but said it could share client data if it received a formal request to do so.

Trump owed as much as $300 million to Deutsche Bank over deals prior to his election. Bloomberg says that outstanding debt, reported in July, included a $170 million loan for finishing a hotel in Washington, D.C.

Mueller is investigating possible Russian interference into last year's presidential election. Russia has denied meddling repeatedly and Trump has denied all allegations of collusion.

Last week, Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents. Flynn, who is cooperating with Mueller's investigation, was fired after a month on the job amid scrutiny about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.

The White House has not yet commented on Mueller's subpoena of Deutsche Bank.
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Sanofi announced last week that its dengue vaccine that was given to 730,000 children in the Philippines may pose health risks. The French drug company said that the vaccine may worsen the potentially fatal disease in those who were not previously infected.

First-Ever Approved Vaccine For Mosquito-Borne Dengue

The vaccine, Dengvaxia, is the first-ever approved vaccine for dengue. It can provide protection against all four strains of dengue. Earlier recommendations said that healthy individuals between 9 and 45 years old could be given the shot in 3 doses to be administered six months apart.

Sanofi, however, revealed last week that findings of a new long-term study suggest that while the vaccine worked with people who had a prior infection, it posed risk for those who had not.

Those who were not previously infected by the virus, more cases of severe disease may happen following vaccination once infected. The drug company said that it would ask health authorities to update information provided about the vaccine.

"Analysis confirmed that Dengvaxia provides persistent protective benefit against dengue fever in those who had prior infection. For those not previously infected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection," Sanofi said in a statement.

In a press conference held on Monday, Sanofi medical director Ruby Dizon said that there had been no reported deaths linked to the dengue vaccine in the Philippines. Nonetheless, he assured that the company continues its monitoring efforts and is working with the Department of Health.

Dengue Fever

More than 400 million people worldwide get infected by dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease. The World Health Organization said that the illness is one of the leading causes of serious illness and deaths among children in some Latin American and Asian countries.

The Philippine's DOH purchased PhP 3.5 billion or about $69 million worth of vials in early 2016. More than 700,000 Filipino youths have reportedly been vaccinated under the mass immunization program of the government. DOH said that of those who were inoculated, 70,000 are now at risk of more severe types of dengue about two years following their vaccination.

The South Asian country has launched an investigation and the public immunization program was halted on Friday. Authorities have already ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the drug maker. Legislators are also set to investigate DOH's purchase of the dengue vaccine.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who are popularly known as the Winklevoss twins, are now more than $1 billion richer as their venture on cryptocurrency Bitcoin has profited from the $11 million investment they made six years ago.

Last week, the digital currency hit $11,395 to continue its drastic rise in value over the past few days. While it is not known how much exactly is the Winklevoss Twins net worth in BTC, reports are expecting about a billion-dollar worth of Bitcoins.

Early Backers of the Cryptocurrency Trading Platform

The Winklevoss Twins are among the first backers of Bitcoin, purchasing $11 million worth of bitcoins in 2011, which amounted to about 1 percent of the total amount of BTC in circulation at that time. Since then, the cryptocurrency has seen a slow but steady rise in value. Last week, it reached an all-time high, making millionaires out of its early backers in the process.

However, the Winklevoss Twins are considered to be the first high-profile investors to reach a billion-dollar net worth of Bitcoin.

Interestingly, the venture capitalists pointed out that they have not sold a single bitcoin yet, with Cameron Winklevoss stating that the two of them are in for the long haul. On the other hand, Tyler Winklevoss said in an interview in 2016 that Bitcoin is a "better version of gold."

Bitcoin Financial Issues

Despite the rising popularity of Bitcoin trading not only among technologists, investors, and the masses, there are financial experts who are dismissing its real value -- claiming that it is a fraud. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve has also issued a warning, pointing out that Bitcoin may have financial stability issues.

"While these digital currencies may not pose major concerns at their current levels of use, more serious financial stability issues may result if they achieve wide-scale usage," Fed chief Randal Quarles said,

However, it seems Bitcoin's immense popularity is slowly gaining traction among private entities and financial regulators. On Monday, the US derivatives regulator has allowed CME Group and the CBOE Global Markets to list Bitcoin futures.

Winklevoss Twins vs. Facebook

So, where did the $11 million bitcoin investment come from? In 2008, the Winklevoss Twins received a $65 million payout from Facebook as settlement for the lawsuit filed against the social media giant. In the case, the twins alleged that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg took from their idea of a social network platform, which they developed while studying at Harvard University.

After years of trial, court ruling came to a settlement decision with Facebook handing out $65 million to the Winklevoss twins.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Eastern Iowa Democratic activists are so confident that Iowa 1st District Rep. Rod Blum wont show up at their town hall meeting Saturday that theyre planning to have a cardboard cutout of the Republican congressman stand in to hear their grievances.

A new poll shows that a majority of 1st District voters polled oppose Blums vote for tax reform legislation.

The poll, conducted for NotOnePenny.org by the Democratic-leaning polling firm Public Policy Polling and posted on social media by former Hillary Clinton aide Jesse Ferguson, found that 54 percent of those polled in the 1st District opposed the House-passed plan while 44 percent approved.

That legislation, which critics say would erode health coverage and raise taxes on many working families, would be one topic of discussion at the Progress Iowa event.

Run Away Rod Blum keeps ducking town halls and dodging responsibility, said Matt Sinovic of Progress Iowa. The votes of the two-term congressman to take away health coverage and raise taxes on his hardworking constituents are out of step with Iowa values.

Blum, a Dubuque businessman, hasnt had a town hall meeting since May when he conducted four question-and-answer sessions around the district that drew about 4,000 people.

Blum spokesman John Ferland said the congressman was happy to accommodate earlier requests for town hall meetings, but many didnt think they were very productive or respectful of others in attendance who actually wanted a dialogue.

He said Blum plans no town halls for the rest of the year and will not participate in or provide official comment in the future on coordinated political media stunts.
BUFFALO CENTER  A man accused of firing a gun outside a Buffalo Center bar and threatening patrons with a knife and brass knuckles has accepted a plea bargain and will serve seven days in jail.

The Winnebago County Attorney's Office agreed to drop a felony charge of intimidation with a dangerous weapon against Cody Ronald Adams, 25, Buffalo Center.

Buffalo Center man accused of firing gun, swinging knife outside bar BUFFALO CENTER  A man accused of firing a gun outside a Buffalo Center bar last month faces

In exchange Adams pleaded guilty to one count of carrying weapons and one count of assault. Both are misdemeanors.

Police were dispatched about 2:15 a.m. April 5 to a report of a suicidal man firing a gun outside Oranges Bar, 309 Fifth Ave. S.W.

Adams allegedly told Buffalo Center police he fired a shot into the air from a handgun loaded with self-defense ammunition.

A .40-caliber Smith and Wesson was found in his truck, according to court documents.

Adams also was accused of threatening patrons with a knife and brass knuckles weapons in the bar parking lot.

One victim had two small cuts on his hand, court documents state.

Adams was sentenced last week to 365 days in jail with all but seven days suspended on the carrying weapons charge and two days in jail on the assault charge. The sentences are to be served concurrently.

Adams was ordered to pay fines of $625 and $65 and was put on probation for two years. Victim restitution will be determined at a later date.
New Orleans prosecutors don't care if John Floyd stays free. Yet on Monday they nonetheless asked a federal appeals court to reinstate his conviction for a 1980 slashing in the French Quarter.

Floyd left the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in June after 36 years behind bars for the 1980 killing of a Times-Picayune proofreader.

U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance overturned his conviction, finding that his trial was marred by missing evidence and a dubious confession. Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's office agreed to his release from prison pending the outcome of its appeal of Vance's ruling.

Since then, Floyd has lived inside a donated Winnebago Adventurer on a farm near Lafayette.

Floyd put on a suit Monday and sat in the ornate main courtroom of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hear arguments on whether he can continue his peaceful life.

The DA's Office says Vance overstepped her bounds as a federal judge when she tossed out Floyds state conviction, which the Louisiana Supreme Court had upheld.

If prosecutors win, Floyd could land back in Angola.

The three judges on the panel did not issue a ruling Monday, but they subjected prosecutors to pointed questions.

Judge Rhesa Barksdale seemed perplexed about why the DAs Office is fighting tooth and nail to restore Floyds conviction.

How could prosecutors argue that Floyds innocence has not been established, Barksdale said, in light of your concession in your reply brief that Mr. Floyd should not be in prison?

The state just simply isnt comfortable with the precedent that the district court opinion establishes, Assistant District Attorney Mithun Kamath said.

Prosecutors expressed concern that Vance's opinion, declaring Floyd "factually innocent" of the crime, could provoke an avalanche of appeals in federal courts.

In her ruling, Vance pointed out that Floyd was originally arrested on suspicion of two fatal stabbings of gay men in November 1980. A state judge convicted him of one, the killing of Times-Picayune employee William Hines, but acquitted him of the other.

Police believed the murders happened when the victims invited the killer up to their rooms for sex. Floyd confessed to both killings, although his attorneys suggest he was coerced into giving the statements.

Vance said Floyds defense attorney was denied crucial fingerprint test results from both crime scenes, as well as a statement from one of Hines friends that he preferred African-American lovers. Floyd is white.

Judge Stephen Higginson said the lead detective on the case believed that Hines drank whiskey with his killer. Prints were lifted from a whiskey glass, but they didnt match Floyd's.

+6 Angola inmate John Floyd set free after 36 years pending appeal on overturned murder conviction Until Thursday, the last time John Floyd enjoyed freedom was about 5 p.m. on a chilly Monday in January 1981.

The governments got in its possession (evidence) that the drinks could be someone elses, but not his, Higginson said.

Kamath said the presence of someone elses prints at the crime scene on Gov. Nicholls Street did not rule out Floyd as the killer. Those could have been placed at any point prior to the crime, he said.

For Higginson, however, the fingerprints were the biggest issue in the case. He seemed to suggest that if they were crucial exculpatory evidence, then Vance had the right to step in to free Floyd.

Floyds attorney with the Innocence Project New Orleans, Richard Davis, said there was a clear distinction between an absence of fingerprint evidence altogether and the presence of someone elses prints at the crime scene.

Davis also pointed out that former NOPD Homicide Detective John Dillmann never mentioned in his police reports a statement from Hines' friend John Clegg about Hines preferring black men.

Floyds lawyers tracked Clegg down in 2008 and collected a statement about his interactions with Dillman, who testified at Floyd's trial that Hines' "sexual preference was not to any one race."

What Mr. Clegg stated in 2008 is not necessarily inconsistent with what was reported by Detective Dillman, Kamath said.

Prosecutors said in one court filing that Hines could have decided to have one drunken fling with a white man.

Davis said after the hearing that if the appeals court overturns Vance's ruling, he believes his client would have to go back to prison. Prosecutors in the past offered Floyd his freedom in exchange for a guilty plea to a manslaughter charge, but they would not be obliged to do so again.

Floyd, who cant leave his farm in Carencro for more than 18 hours at a time, expressed faith in his future.

I think everything went well, he said. Im anxious to get all this over with and get on with my life.
GARNER | A 17-year-old pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to first-degree robbery for an incident that occurred at a party in rural Hancock County in late July.

Isaiah Zion Lewis, who is currently being held at the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center in Eldora, admitted that he pointed a gun at someone, with the intent to rob him.

According to court records, Lewis and Kyren-Ray Daniel Valentine, 19, attended a party in rural Hancock County on July 31. Lewis tapped a victim on the shoulder with a AR15 rifle, and told him and another person to empty their pockets.

Judge Rustin Davenport questioned Lewis Tuesday morning about the events that occurred July 31. He specifically asked about whether Lewis intended to use the gun to rob the victims.

Lewis stated at the Hancock County Courthouse that he did possess a firearm on that day, and threatened to use it if the victims didn't comply.

"I was telling them, 'Give me what's in your pockets,'" he said in court.

First-degree robbery is a Class B felony in Iowa. Davenport discussed Lewis' possible sentence with former Hancock County Attorney David Solheim, current Hancock County Attorney Norman Blake and Barbara Jo Westphal, Lewis' attorney.

Under Iowa law, the maximum sentence for an adult convicted of first-degree robbery is 25 years. There also is a mandatory minimum for 17-and-a-half years.

Davenport stated, however, that because Lewis is a juvenile, that the mandatory minimum should possibly be waived.

Lewis' sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. in the Hancock County Courthouse.
Three Canberra men are on trial in the ACT Supreme Court this week accused of trying to launch an attack on a sex offender.

At the opening of the trial on Tuesday, the court heard one of the men had a video on his phone of the sex offender molesting an underage girl.

The man allegedly told police he went to the house to bang on the door, show the offender the video and educate him.

One man said they only wanted to turn him in to authorities, the court heard.

But prosecutors contend the men committed a crime and went there armed with a knife and the intent to break in and cause the man harm.
A Canberra magistrate voiced concerns a woman and two of her sons, accused of killing the family matriarch in Red Hill, had not been committed to stand trial five months after the three were charged and put behind bars.

Lawyers for artist Melissa Beowulf, 60, and her sons Bjorn Toren Beowulf, 29, and Thorsten Beowulf, 31, who wanted the case to move forward, clashed with prosecutors who asked for more time in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Artist Melissa Beowulf, 60, has pleaded not guilty to murdering her elderly mother in law in Red Hill. Credit:Facebook

Police said they launched an investigation after they were called to the home of Katherine Helene Panin, 81, following a report a woman had fallen down stairs and died on October 12 in 2015.

Officers searched two Canberra properties and three vehicles last June.
The father of AFL and Richmond superstar Dustin Martin could be one step closer to returning to Australia after Immigration Minister Peter Dutton conceded a legal error was made in the decision to deport him.

The case of Shane Martin, who was deported to New Zealand last year because of his links to the Rebels motorcycle club, was mentioned in the Federal Court in Sydney on Tuesday.

Justice John Griffiths was told Mr Dutton had agreed the decision should be quashed.

"You are not going to do much better than that," he quipped to Mr Martin's barrister James Forsaith when he stood up to make a submission.
The royal commission into financial services is unlikely to involve an extended parade of victims publicly recounting their bad experiences, leading experts believe.

Given the wide scope and short timeframe of the inquiry to be led by former High Court judge Kenneth Hayne, key issues he will face is what types of misconduct to focus on, and how many victims are given the opportunity to tell their stories.

Former High Court judge Kenneth Hayne will head the banking royal commission. Credit:John Woudstra

Professor of law at UNSW, Dimity Kingsford Smith, said Kenneth Hayne's track record suggested he had a traditional or "black letter" approach to the law, and an interest in law and economics.

Unlike the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, the Hayne royal commission was unlikely to involve very large numbers of people telling their story, she said.
NSW Labor has committed to extending its paid domestic violence leave policy to 10 days in response to pressure from union delegates at its party conference earlier this year.

Opposition Leader Luke Foley will on Wednesday announce NSW Labor will extend domestic violence leave entitlements if it wins the 2019 election.

Luke Foley will on Wednesday announce NSW Labor will extend domestic violence leave entitlements if it wins the 2019 election. Credit:Christopher Pearce

This would entitle every worker in every NSW workplace to take 10 days' (non-accumulative) paid domestic violence leave each year.

The announcement follows Federal Labor Leader Bill Shorten's decision to extend to 10 days his previous commitment to five days of paid leave.
Senator Katy Gallagher, the highly regarded former ACT chief minister, has only herself to blame for the attacks on her integrity that will be made by Coalition MPs following her involvement in the citizenship fiasco.

Senator Gallagher, in a move that was strongly at odds with her well-founded reputation as a straight shooter, chose not to disclose she had held, and then renounced, UK citizenship up until May 2, 2016 in an address to the Senate in September.

The Senator, who on her own admission was a dual citizen when she entered the upper house to fill a casual vacancy in March 2015, did not renounce her UK citizenship until the lead up to last year's double dissolution election.

Because UK authorities took four months to process the documents, as opposed to the few days they took to determine former Senator, Jacqui Lambie, was a dual national, senator Gallagher was still a UK citizen when the nation went to the polls.
At that time, Jacobson, whose salary is $119,849, was granted an additional $26,000 to be paid in intervals through March 31, 2018 or whenever a new administrator is hired, whichever comes first.

But Mayor Eric Bookmeyer, in a memo to the council, said Jacobson has taken on what Bookmeyer called "significant unanticipated responsibilities and pressures" since he became interim administrator.

He is recommending Jacobson be paid an additional $26,000 in the same intervals as the original arrangements.

In his memo, Bookmeyer cited Jacobson's work on "intricate personnel issues" and the downtown redevelopment project.

Jacobson was also a key participant in last week's bid-off between G8 Development and Gatehouse Mason City LLC on their proposals to build a downtown hotel. On Jacobson's recommendation, the City Council approved the G8 proposal.

In other business, the council will also be asked to appoint Deputy Fire Chief Doug Janssen as interim fire chief and raise his salary from $90,625 to $94,625, retroactive to Nov. 20, for the period he serves as interim chief.

The council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Mason City Room of the public library.
Morning people blast into the day at an ungodly hour to enthusiastically get the worm with a smug look on their face. I was on my way to the supermarket to get ingredients for breakfast (which would have effectively turned out to be lunch) late one Saturday morning when I saw the familiar, smiling face of an early-riser I knew.

They asked me what I'd gotten up to so far today and when I sheepishly replied "nothing" they began a monologue on their own weekend trajectory so far: an hour at the gym, a breakfast involving chia seeds, volunteer time at a food bank, and finishing up a university assignment.

Dear morning people, waking up earlier doesn't make you a better person. Credit:Shutterstock

In our culture the myth that waking up early is the key to a moral, productive life runs deep. Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle wrote, "Rising before daylight is to be commended; it is a healthy habit."

United States' "founding father" Benjamin Franklin coined the irritating rhyme: "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise".
Remember the Turnbull government's plans to drug test people on the dole? While you and I are diverted by all the political game-playing in this week's last session of parliament for the year, the government is hoping to slip these and other mean-spirited cuts in social security through the Senate  probably after some deal with the Xenophon-less Xenophones.

You can blame it on my Salvo upbringing  whose influence on my values seems to get stronger the older I become  but I have nothing but contempt for comfortably-off people who try to solve their problems by picking on the down-and-out.

Illustration: Simon Letch Credit:Simon Letch

If Australians can't do better than that, what hope is there for us?

The expected savings (which may or may not eventuate) of $478 million over four years are minor in a budget of almost $2 trillion over the same period.
The Age covered his Melbourne appearance because it caused such violent unrest, and is publishing this editorial because ridicule, not rioting, is the best way to counter absurd and vicious views.

The Melbourne event sparked grotesque violence when supporters and opponents clashed outside the venue at which he delivered his usual risible tirade against women, Indigenous people, Muslims and journalists who have actually earned respect  rather than infamy for provocation and self-promotion that is needy to the point of pathological. He sits on stage, laughably sporting sunglasses, on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Milo Yiannopoulos, a young British journalist whose extreme, irrational views and ego-laden speaking performances excite and incite neo-Nazis and misogynists, is a ridiculous fraud. He claims to be a libertarian, but is merely a public bully and fool intent on depriving others of their cultural and social liberties. He has reportedly suggested that it is fine for adults to have sex with children.

He's not a political commentator, he's a joke. A feeble, second-rate joke. He righteously cloaks himself in the lightweight, disingenuous assertion that he's all about free speech. No, he's all about hate speech. Authentic libertarians stress that rights come with responsibilities. This appears not to have registered with Yiannopoulos, 33, who also spoke in a meeting room at Federal Parliament to a small group, including a number from One Nation, at the witless invitation of libertarian senator David Leyonhjelm, who debased his own currency by promoting someone who spouts such vile views.

Yiannopoulos claims domestic violence, the leading preventable cause of illness and death for Australian women aged 15 to 45, is not a "gendered problem", and that men are victims as often as women. He decries feminism  which is strange, as feminism is about liberty and equity, values he would like to think he shares. He was sacked by Breitbart News  an extreme propaganda US website that fans the social and economic disillusion behind the election of Donald Trump  after he was widely perceived to have suggested it is acceptable for older men to have sex with teenage boys.

Many felt he should not have been granted a visa. That would merely have martyred him; better to let him come here and demonstrate what a pathetic joke he is. Australia cherishes free speech, and has robust laws to protect it. We also have laws that give those who feel they have been defamed or are the victims of hate speech the means to strike back.

Yiannopoulos is a self-proclaimed troll  someone who uses outrageous claims, racist slurs and vilification to provoke a response. His speaking visit is called the Troll Academy Tour. Those who are supporting him on stage in the role of master of ceremonies might think they are standing up for free speech, but they are merely gormless twits being used by a stupid narcissist. They themselves are being trolled, but fail to see the irony.

While it is understandable that people wish to protest against his tour, they are unwittingly doing his bidding if they turn up to events and get into altercations with his angry acolytes.
Fair Trading agreed to analyse these complaints for Fairfax Media and found 28 per cent (292 of 1052 over three years) refer to vehicle damage, including where customers acknowledge they caused the damage but dispute the cost claimed for the repair. However, Darling Point medical professionals Dr Peter and Tammy Keller deny they did any damage, yet "suddenly we had an invoice for close to $5000." The Kellers hired a Europcar van for just one day, June 25, to move some patient beds to a new practice. Fairfax Media has seen pictures time stamped just minutes after their card was debited for the hire, showing extensive damage on pick up. Yet they have been fighting with Europcar for four months over the $990 excess  they had bought the rental company's liability waiver cover to cap it at this level  and a potential default listing on their credit file. If Europcar gets away with even just half, they are still laughing all the way. Tammy Keller, unhappy customer

"We managed to cancel our card in time, yet a week after cancellation, Europcar managed to take the excess money out manually It is the bank after all the proof we had, who refunded the money," Tammy Keller says. But Europcar disputes the Kellers' version of events and says an employee witnessed them causing additional damage by hitting a pole. A spokesman says: "Europcar has fully investigated Mr Keller's complaint and rejects the claim that the damage was pre-existing." "All customer complaints are fully investigated and in this case we are confident the correct decision has been made." The Kellers, on the other hand, feel they have been played. "If Europcar gets away with even just half [of what they charge], they are still laughing all the way," Keller says.

Europcar, via a debt collection agency, is now threatening to add legal fees to the Kellers' not insignificant bill. Existing damage But it does not seem to make a difference if the bill is smaller. Eliza Rozeboom, also from Sydney, hired a car in Tasmania in June but found herself out of pocket $233 in August. Like the Kellers, she said the vehicle already had extensive damage. "It wasn't until almost one month later that Europcar emailed me to advise me that damage had been done to the car," Rozeboom says. "I was shocked, because when I handed the car back I did a thorough check and did not see any damage whatsoever. In the initial email they sent me they did not indicate what the damage was."

Eventually Rozeboom discovered it was for a 0.5-millimetre windscreen chip and, also like the Kellers, tried to stop the $231 debit by cancelling her credit card, but Europcar was able to take the money regardless. Now, though, a debt collection agency has "started harassing me via text message, email and telephone" for an amount that has escalated to $258. So for an unpaid $27. Rozeboom is not the only customer to report mismatched invoices for repair and debits either  some suggesting overcharging for repairs. Melbourne's Mark Fermor went to the Gold Coast for a day in August. A month later he received a demand for $182 to pay for a missing aerial and was promptly debited $302. "The two values also make no sense. This is a $25 aerial with a [quoted] cost of replacement of $182 which is crazy, yet they charge $302?" he says.

Meanwhile, in investigating the reason for $283 in repair charges a month after a July trip to Hobart [it was for what looked like a car door ding], full-time student Jordyn Woolley was somehow sent a quote from the panel beater for repairs. He alleges he called that firm weeks later and an employee said the car had still not been repaired. To Fairfax Europcar said: "Most vehicles are repaired to ensure vehicles are of high quality for future customers." "Minor repairs may not be repaired until a later time, but if following repair the actual cost is below the original assessed estimate the difference is refunded to the customer." The bills get far bigger than Woolley's though. The Gold Coast's Beryl Reilly wrote on her pre-inspection form that the opportunity to inspect the vehicle had been denied because of poor light, rain and "your representative at the counter not allowing us to sight the vehicle", on arrival at Auckland International Airport in April. But soon afterwards Reilly was charged $1400 for "pre-existing chips mainly". Luckily, she bought standalone rental insurance from another company, which covered the cost in full.

Less fortunate was Laurien Kennedy, who hired from Brisbane Airport in November and bought no insurance of any kind. She was billed $4180 for massive hail damage when she claims there was no storm, and the car was undercover for 24 of the 27 hours she had it. Europcar is not responding to her requests for weather evidence. "No one from Europcar did a vehicle inspection on pick up or drop off, even when I asked them if they would like to do a check on return," she says. Other hire car companies Europcar is not the only hire firm to face such accusations. At the same time as it lost the Federal Court case, Hertz agreed to refund a reported $395,000 to customers where there were falsified damages or repair discounts not passed on. Hertz, however, has a slightly better average rating than Europcar's 1.34 stars (out of five) on productreview.com: 1.54 (from 513 reviews). Budget (1.6 stars from 315 reviews), Thrifty (1.64 stars from 481 reviews) and Avis (1.82 stars from 278 reviews) score a smidgen higher again.

Far better though are Apex Car Rentals and East Coast Car Rentals with 3.39 and 4.63 stars respectively, the latter out of thousands of reviews. Loading And app-driven options GoGet (3.18 stars) and Car Next Door (4.46) are highly rated too. Before driving away in a hire car always Buy domestic travel insurance, standalone excess reduction insurance or check carefully if credit card insurance covers you. Fairfax Media found no evidence of different treatment when you have these insurances versus the car rental company's own excess reduction, which is far more expensive.

Inspect thoroughly, preferably in the presence of a sales assistant, before you leave the hire car yard. Note all pre-existing damage, no matter how minor, on documentation.

Photograph everything, making sure there are time stamps. Do it again at the end. If possible, get the sales assistant in the photos too.

Victoria's Consumer Action Law Centre says people should be willing to challenge contract terms they think are unfair. On vehicle return, the ACCC suggests asking for a written statement saying the car was undamaged.
I am 34 years old and was born in southern Bhutan. My family were part of the Nepali-speaking Bhutanese community, known as Lhotshampas. My father was a businessman and we had a farm.

Perceiving the Nepalese culture and language as a threat to the unity of Bhutan, in the 1980s the government decreed that all citizens wear Bhutan national dress and speak the national language. My father took part in demonstrations against the new laws and advocated for human rights and democracy. Often the army came to our house to try to arrest him, so he left the country. One night seven months later, in 1991, my mother, grandfather, sisters, brother and I walked across the border to India. I was nine.

Three generations of the Chhetri family in their home in Marayong in Sydney, with the five adults paying the mortgage. From left are Goma Khadka Chhetri, Sharon Chhetri (older daughter), Suman Chhetri, Shayana Chhetri (younger daughter), Nakul Chhetri and Dibyasori Chhetri. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

I spent 19 years in a refugee camp in Nepal. Initially there wasn't enough food, we walked 20 minutes to get water from the river, and everyday people were dying of malaria, cholera or typhoid. More than 100,000 Lhotshampas left Bhutan in the 1990s, and most went to refugee camps in Nepal.

The resettlement process started in 2008. My wife, Goma, and I came with my sister to Australia in 2010. My parents, brother and grandfather, who died a year after he arrived, joined us six months later.
The NSW Coroner has delivered an open finding into the death of Matthew Leveson.

Mr Leveson, 20, was last seen in the early hours of September 23, 2007, when he left an inner Sydney nightclub with his boyfriend Michael Atkins.

Mr Atkins, 54, continued to claim as recently as last year that his former lover was alive and could be living in Thailand.

However, he then led police to Matthew's skeletal remains in an unmarked grave in the Royal National Park in May 2017.
A total of 33 complaints were made to the Crime and Corruption Commission during the first half of 2017, accusing 15 senior Gold Coast police officers of corruption and misconduct.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the CCC said the accusations included senior police bullying and intimidating other officers to "achieve 'aspirational' performance targets".

The allegations where supporting evidence was found by the CCC have been referred to QPS Commissioner Ian Stewart to investigate further. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Those officers who supported such harassment were then given "preferential treatment in recruitment processes and career development opportunities".

Regarding the complaints surrounding recruitment, the CCC has separately taken action against a senior Gold Coast officer and the matters have been taken before the Court.
The day local retailers have long been dreading is finally upon us, but the launch of Amazon's full scale retail assault on Australia is only one piece of the puzzle. Aussies can't sign up for the Amazon Prime customer VIP program until next year, meaning for now deliveries still take days rather than hours.

The online retail behemoth still remains tight-lipped as to exactly when its famed service will arrive in Australia and what it will deliver.

Australians are clearly keen to get onboard, with 43 per cent of people intending to shop on Amazon in the near future, according to market research group Honeycomb Strategy. Almost half of Australians under the age of 40 already prefer to shop at Amazon rather than local retailers, and that's before you add Amazon Prime to the bargain.

In America, a $US99 ($129.50) Amazon Prime annual subscription offers free two-day shipping on millions of eligible products, helping secure custom loyalty in a cut-throat market. In some cities Amazon Prime Now even offers two-hour express delivery on thousands of items.
Amazon has officially launched its Australian online store, offering everything from pyjamas to power tools, and from video games to vinyl records. While there are some good deals to be had, however, the selection is far from comprehensive.

It should come as no surprise that the Amazon store's offering isn't as robust here as it is elsewhere. You have products stocked and sold by Amazon itself, and then you have items stocked by other "Marketplace" sellers. The result in many categories is a handful of big brands at competitive prices from Amazon, and then a pretty strange collection of other stuff, often at no discount compared to other retailers.

For example if you look at shoes, there's a decent selection of Crocs, New Balance and Blundstones offered by Amazon. IFL Store has a wide range of Vans. But if you want Nike shoes, there is a total of one option, sold by GunyahOz Trading, which doesn't specify what size it is.

Other categories fare better. For example the Baby section has a big collection from the adorable kids brand Skip Hop, and they're all cheaper than you'd find at Toys R Us or Baby Bunting. There's also a banner ad on the Amazon homepage and app promoting a deal on Huggies: a "one-month supply" for $65 (this is 216 newborn nappies, but the count goes down as the nappies get bigger). This is cheaper than you'd find at Woolies, which offers boxes with a little less than half the number of nappies for $33.
A council in Melbourne's west has been forced to apologise after a blunder in which graffiti removal contractors tore down artwork created by a team of artists with disabilities - and commissioned by the council.

More than 40 people spent hundreds of hours installing the Disability Pride paste-up on the Telstra Exchange building in Footscray, an artwork commissioned by Maribyrnong Council as part of recent One Night in Footscray celebrations.

Artist Larissa MacFarlane with the artwork that was later removed by the council.

The project was led by Larissa MacFarlane, an accomplished visual artist with an acquired brain injury, who is renowned for her paste-up art. The work was also intended to celebrate International Day of People with Disability, held on Sunday.

MacFarlane was devastated to find it had been completely obliterated barely a week after it went up.
FLOYD | Iowa State Patrol has released the identity of the man who died Monday after a vehicle rollover ejected the driver on Avenue of the Saints near Floyd.

Tanner Patrick Walker, 21, of Postville was ejected from his vehicle during the accident and was killed.

According to troopers, Walker was driving a 1996 Ford Explorer and travelling northbound on Highway 18 at Waterbury Road.

Walker drifted off of the road about 4:30 a.m. for unknown reasons, lost control of the vehicle and rolled into the median.

Floyd Fire Department and Floyd County Sheriffs Department assisted at the scene.

 Courtney Fiorini
A new international safety tool is set to give the state's 20 most dangerous country roads - including sections of the Princes Highway, Geelong Ring Road and Bass Highway - a rating from one to five.

In the wake of calls for more transparency about conditions on country roads, where motorists are four times more likely to die than on city roads, a new digital dashboard has been unveiled that will track progress on road upgrades, pothole repairs and report on local accidents.

VicRoads' chief executive John Merritt said the new tool, which would later be rolled out across all arterial roads, would give Victorians "unprecedented transparency" on the quality of the road network, assisting both policymakers and road users.

The announcement follows 11 months of consultation with 700 stakeholders and 30 councils from across the state, with findings outlined in a new VicRoads report released on Tuesday.
Detectives are hot on the trail of a lonely thief who broke into a Melbourne adult shop and stole an expensive sex doll.

Wearing a balaclava and pair of stockings as a disguise, the light-fingered crook is thought to have used a fire hydrant to break into the Sexyland outlet on South Road in Moorabbin at about 6am on Sunday.

Dorothy the sex doll, which was stolen from a Moorabbin adult shop.

He had earlier deployed bolt cutters to get through a fence.

Faced with an Aladdin's Cave of booty, the randy robber's lustful gaze fell on to 'Dorothy', a life-sized fantasy figurine with "ultra realistic feeling skin" and titanium alloy skeleton.
Victoria has reluctantly signed up to the federal government's Gonski 2.0 school funding deal  but only for one year under an interim agreement.

The stoush between the state and federal governments looks set to intensify after Victorian Education Minister James Merlino accused Malcolm Turnbull of making "extraordinary threats" to withhold funding to state, independent and Catholic schools.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham says "The Andrews Labor Government is showing contempt for students and taxpayers". Credit:Mick Tsikas

"We were not prepared to put funding for our schools and students at risk for 2018," he said.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham hit back, accusing the Andrews government of "showing contempt" for students.
Rio Tinto will next year seek board approval to develop an "intelligent" iron ore mine at a cost of $2.2 billion.

It will fully incorporate technologies such as robotics and driverless trains and trucks on a single site, the company's head of iron ore said on Monday.

Rio Tinto plans to use robotics and driverless trains at a new 'intelligent'mine planned for the Pilbara. Credit:Louie Douvis

A feasibility study was under way to demonstrate the economics behind developing the Koodaideri mine in the Pilbara region, said iron ore chief executive Chris Salisbury.

Rio Tinto extracts more than 300 million tonnes of ore annually in Australia, making it the world's second-biggest iron ore miner after Brazilian giant Vale.
Wuzhen: Chinese terrorism authorities are monitoring social media accounts in Australia that they say are linked to Islamic "terrorism".

Researchers have been tracking and analysing the Twitter accounts of what they call "East Turkistan Islamic" terrorists.

Former foreign minister Bob Carr delivering a speech on the social impact of the internet at sideline event of 4th World Internet Conference in Wuhzen China. Credit:Sanghee Liu

Australia appeared with 34 such Twitter accounts on a global map of hotspots shown at the World Internet Conference in China by anti-terrorism official Mei Jianming.

Mei said the Twitter study showed "terrorist" supporters were "collaborating with other anti-Chinese forces" online.
The controversial Adani coal mine project in Queensland will not be funded by Chinese banks, the Chinese embassy has confirmed, with former foreign minister Bob Carr and prominent opponent of the mine Geoff Cousins claiming partial credit.

Chinese company China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) had been in discussions with Adani about financing the project in a $1 billion deal.

Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr claims partial credit for stopping Chinese finance for Adani. Credit:Daniel Munoz

But Mr Carr, director of the Australia China Relations Institute, on Tuesday claimed credit for scuttling the Chinese finance deal after a three-week campaign against the "dirty coal mine", during which he told Chinese government and finance sector figures the project was unpopular among the Australian people.

Mr Carr and Mr Cousins were both told by the Chinese embassy on Tuesday that China would not fund Adani.
FLOYD | One person died Monday after a vehicle rollover ejected the driver on Avenue of the Saints near Floyd.

According to Iowa State Patrol, a 1996 Ford Explorer was travelling northbound on Highway 18 at Waterbury Road. The driver drifted off of the road at about 4:30 a.m. for unknown reasons, lost control of the vehicle and rolled into the median.

The driver, who has not been named, was ejected from the vehicle.

The accident remains under investigation.

Floyd Fire Department and Floyd County Sheriffs Department assisted at the scene.
CLEAR LAKE | More than 200 people dove into the icy waters of Clear Lake Sunday afternoon to support two local charities during the annual Polar Bear Club.

The event  in its 20th year  raised about $10,500, before expenses, for the area chapters of Toys for Tots and the Make-A-Wish of North Iowa.

Were excited about it, said Alice Hanley, an accounts manager at Alpha Media Radio Stations of Mason City, which hosts the event with sponsors annually.

This years Polar Bear Club, which is held during the annual Christmas by the Lake, brought in less money and fewer dippers than the past two years, despite a warmer air temperature.

Its still money that was not there before for the kids, she said.

In 2016, the event raised $13,000 with more than 300 individuals participating, and in 2015, the event brought in $12,000 with about 200 participants.

Hanley said Alpha Media Radio Stations very, very much appreciates the assistance provided by the local fire department, police department and emergency medical technicians as well as other volunteers during the event.

Its great to have all the help, she said.

Proceeds from The Polar Bear Club will be divided between Toys for Tots and the Make-A-Wish of North Iowa.
Blinn College students, faculty, and staff have come together to provide meals for those in need this holiday season.

For the second consecutive year, the Office of Student Leadership and Activities (SLA) at the Blinn College-Bryan Campus sparked a widespread donation effort involving various campus programs. In just two weeks, SLA collected 570 pounds of nonperishable food items to donate to the Brazos Valley Food Bank in Bryan.

This is a great opportunity for Blinn College students to directly impact their community, Student Activities Coordinator Lane King said. Our student organizations continuously volunteer their time and resources to make this college and community a better place.

The Office of Student Leadership and Activities at Blinn provides opportunities for students to nurture their personal growth and development outside of the academic environment. SLA oversees more than 80 student organizations encompassing a wide range of interests designed to promote individual growth, social responsibility, and leadership development. SLA coordinates major campus events with student organizations and campus departments and programs.

Blinns Radiologic Technology and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) programs were among the largest contributors to this years food drive. Collectively, the two programs donated 485 pounds of nonperishable food items to the cause.

Donating food items is such a simple task yet makes such a great impact on the community, Radiologic Technology Instructor Warren Parker said. I challenged my students to give what they could, and they rose to the occasion in a big way.

This is the second year for the EMS Program to partner with SLA for its holiday collection effort. The program also hosts its own food drive each semester to help feed hungry families year-round.

It is really important to give back to the community that we serve, EMS Instructor Kimberly Decker said. As EMS students, they understand the importance of public service and are always eager to help those in need in any way they can.

Blinns commitment to serving the community has not gone unnoticed. Last year, the College was named to the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest accolade an educational institution can receive from the federal government for its commitment to community, service learning and civic engagement.

In 2015, Blinn was recertified with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teachings Carnegie Classification, which places Blinn among the nations top 5 percent of colleges and universities in terms of documented public service. The Carnegie Classification, reassigned every five years, is the leading framework for recognizing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education for the past five decades.

Blinns Service Learning Program, which combines community service with classroom instruction and student club activities, focuses on critical, reflective thinking, and civic responsibility to engage students. Blinns Service Learning activities include the Dental Hygiene Programs annual Give Kids a Smile event in Bryan, which provides exams, X-rays, cleanings, sealants and oral health education to local children without access to regular dental care; EMS, vocational nursing and associate degree nursing students volunteering at local clinics and hospitals; natural science students volunteering at local animal shelters; agricultural students working with Texas Parks and Wildlife and 4-H organizations; and social sciences students volunteering at local Democratic and Republican headquarters.

Registration for Blinns Winter Minimester, which runs Dec. 15-22 and Jan. 3-10, is available through Dec. 14, and registration for the Spring semester is open through Monday, Jan. 15. College officials encourage early registration for convenient scheduling and placement in high-demand courses.

For enrollment or financial aid information, visit www.blinn.edu.
College Station police on Tuesday were looking for a man who robbed someone at gunpoint at a convenience store.

Police said officers responded to an accident just before 4 a.m. Tuesday in which a vehicle had crashed into Franky's Exxon at 2801 Texas Avenue.

Officers said the driver crashed the vehicle after being robbed and attempting to get away.

Police said the man told officers he was at the convenience store for a drug transaction when a man approached him the parking lot, pointed a gun at him and demanded his wallet.

The man left in an unknown direction in a white or gray sedan, police said. He was wearing a black hoodie, gray pants and an orange beanie.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 764-3600.
Speculation about how long Donald Trump will last as president has been rampant since spring. By summer it was quite clear that: a) Trump was not going to grow up in office; and b) the best staffing in the world would not be able to make him even a mediocre president. Yes, constitutional checks and balances are still working, but that is cold comfort when so many officials and analysts are talking so casually about war with North Korea.

The past week seemed to spark anew frenzied cries that the president is seriously unwell and therefore something must be done. His reported conviction that it wasn't him on the "Access Hollywood" tape, in which he is recorded making crass comments about women, bordered on the delusional. The plea deal with former national security adviser Michael Flynn reminded everyone of the legal threats that have been tapping, as of special counsel Robert Mueller gently rapping, rapping at Trump's chamber door. The Senate passed a garbagetax bill as Trump's Gallup poll numbers plummeted. The White House's orchestrated leaks about Rex Tillerson's departure, clearly designed to shame him into stepping down, seemed redundant since by now nothing can shame Tillerson more than the job he has done as secretary of state.

So it is no surprise that some hope the Mueller investigation will bring Trump down, or that the president will eat himself into a coronary. It is certainly possible that these things will happen. As someone who has vehemently opposed Trump for years, however, I hope they do not.

It's not that I believe the Mueller investigation to be a fruitless endeavor. In a little over six months, the special counsel has managed to indict Trump's former campaign manager and reach a plea deal with Trump's first national security adviser. The more malfeasance Mueller and his team exposes, the better. He has done a far better job of draining the swamp than the president of the United States.

Still, if Trump is forced out by constitutional-but-unprecedented means, I fear the repercussions. Consider the 25th Amendment. As Ezra Klein observes - in a Vox article making the case for impeachment, no less - removing Trump this way would lead to all kinds of blowback:

"Imagine that Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet did compel Trump to undergo psychiatric evaluation. And imagine the psychiatrist did return a diagnosis of some kind, be it early-stage dementia or narcissistic personality disorder ... The vote is taken, and Trump is removed from office.

"To many of Trump's supporters - and perhaps many of his opponents - this would look like nothing less than a coup; the swamp swallowing the man who sought to drain it. Imagine the Breitbart headlines, the Fox News chyrons. And would they truly be wrong?"

Of course, this also undercuts Klein's argument for a lower threshold for impeachment. If Trump was removed from office that way, the political blowback would probably be the same. Regardless, in contrast to the 25th Amendment, impeaching and removing Trump from office remains a true hypothetical. In this polarized age, the only way Trump would be removed from office is if Democrats win 67 seats in the Senate. That won't happen anytime soon.

For Trump to lose properly, it has to be at the ballot box. Trump has to run for reelection and be repudiated by American voters. He has to lose the popular vote again, get trounced in the electoral college, and see his party pay the consequences of backing the most ignorant, illiberal president in modern American history.

Jacob T. Levy knows a lot about constitutional democracy, and over at the Niskanen Center's blog he makes a powerful case of the need for a political over a legal solution to Trump's failures as a leader:

"Law aims at certainty, the definitive and correct protection of those who hold rights against those who would violate or undermine them. Politics offers no such certainties. Even at its best it is a domain of contestable judgments that never stop being contested. There is no final settlement; there is always another election. Liberals worry about majoritarianism, and think law can, as politics cannot, protect individuals and minorities from it. We imagine that constitutional settlements can tame politics, confining it within the boundaries of law, ensuring that it complies with justice and respects rights. But they can't. . . .

"The current administration shows why the defense of freedom and of the liberal society can't be an exclusively legal concern. Rules can be manipulated and danced around by the powerful. Legal proceedings are much slower than changes in political circumstances. And executive power is in its nature somewhat lawless. John Locke described executive prerogative as necessary in any system that separated the executive and legislative powers, and defined it as the "power to act according to discretion, for the public good, without the prescription of the law, and sometimes even against it.". . .

"If the independent executive cannot be successfully bound by law, then there is nothing else for it but politics. ... [W]e need to understand the defense of the liberal society as a political project, one that is dependent on political resources from motivations for popular mobilization to organizational capacity to institutional counterbalances. ... The liberal order of free and open commerce, of religious liberty and freedom of speech and the press, and of rule-of-law constraints on state arbitrariness and violence requires strong political foundations; while law is a crucial part of that order, it can't pull itself up by its own bootstraps. The liberal society needs an electorate, and elected officials, who are willing and able to stand up for it."

The absolute best way for Trump and Trumpism to be repudiated is through democratic and not merely legal means. If Doug Jones defeats Roy Moore in Alabama despite a presidential endorsement, that represents a blow to Trump in the same way he was humiliated by the Virginia state elections last month. If the GOP loses badly in the midterms despite a healthy economy, that is an even bigger repudiation. And if Trump loses bigly in his quest for reelection in 2020, such a resounding defeat might shock the GOP into repudiating white identity politics.

Electing Trump once was a fluke involving a fractured GOP, an unpopular Democrat nominee, and the Democrats having won the previous two terms. Electing Trump twice would be national suicide. If the United States has any chance at regaining its bearings as the greatest constitutional democracy in the world, the populist in chief must be revealed as genuinely unpopular. And it has to happen at the ballot box.

- Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

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Toronto, ON, Dec. 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sockeye salmon populations in the Fraser River and an Arctic migratory caribou herd (Dolphin and Union) are among the species assessed as at risk by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife (COSEWIC) today. While these assessments are meant to be the first step in a federal process for the protection and recovery of these species, the process is hindered by missed legal deadlines, under-resourcing and failure to act on some of the committees assessments.

Megan Leslie, CEO and president of WWF-Canada, says:

While the recovery of the peregrine falcon, noted by COSEWIC, is to be celebrated, todays assessments overall show that wildlife loss continues to be a grave issue in Canada. Both the re-assessment of the Dolphin and Union caribou herd to Endangered, and the at-risk assessment of 15 sockeye salmon groups, make it clear that with migratory species, the old single-species conservation approach isnt feasible. This is more relevant now than ever before, given the state of wildlife loss in Canada. Our research showed that half of Canadas monitored vertebrate species are in decline, and even at-risk species are suffering losses  at an increasing rate.

An at-risk designation should at least guarantee a timely recovery plan. It doesnt. Improving the implementation of SARA, by meeting legal timelines and fully funding SARA-related programs (including COSEWIC activities), is an essential first step.

But as a society we need to take an even broader and bolder approach to conservation, especially as the climate changes. We need new and stronger ways to stop further wildlife loss. Decision-making must take conservation into account. And measures to reverse wildlife decline will only be effective, and long-lasting, if they deliver both ecological and community benefits.

Paul Crowley, VP of Arctic conservation at WWF-Canada, says:

The reassessment of the Dolphin and Union caribou herd from Special Concern to Endangered is a call to action for Canada. The main threats to this declining herd are human disturbances  primarily ice-breaking through their migratory corridor in the Northwest Passage, and climate change, which alters the reliability of their migratory route and their ability to access food. Badly timed ice-breaking, in particular, will destroy critical caribou habitat. Unless its an emergency, we simply cant have icebreakers going through the migratory routes these endangered caribou rely on.

Elizabeth Hendriks, VP of freshwater conservation at WWF-Canada, says:

Fourteen years ago, a single group of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River was assessed as Endangered. The federal government failed to act. In the meantime, stresses on their habitat increased. Todays assessment of 14 new sockeye salmon groups as at-risk demonstrates that inaction can harm a species  and threaten a commercial fishery  in little more than a decade.

Sigrid Kuehnemund, VP of ocean conservation at WWF-Canada, says:

As with many marine mammals in Canadas oceans, human activity presents the biggest danger to grey whales. Threats to the Pacific Coast Feeding Group of grey whales include entanglements in fishing gear, underwater noise and human disturbance. Future recovery plans must address these threats, as well as ensuring sufficient food availability as climate change affects prey availability in the Pacific Ocean.

Species assessed or re-assessed as at-risk include:

Dolphin and Union caribou  the herd in Nunavut and Northwest Territories assessed as Endangered.

Sockeye salmon  five groups assessed as Special Concern, two groups assessed as Threatened, eight groups assessed as Endangered (including one that had been previously assessed as Endangered in 2003), all in the Fraser River, B.C.

Grey whale  two Pacific groups assessed as Endangered.

Northern saw-whet owl brooksi subspecies from Haida Gwaii reassessed as Threatened.

subspecies from Haida Gwaii reassessed as Threatened. Find the full list here.

For more information on species decline in Canada, please see Living Planet Report Canada: http://www.wwf.ca/newsroom/reports/lprc.cfm

About World Wildlife Fund Canada

World Wildlife Fund Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more information, visit wwf.ca.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/07bc21d8-b497-4eb1-ab64-c28ced602859
Grand Island school board members met for a Monday evening retreat to review its progress on implementing second order change in the school district, while also examining other perennial issues including how to raise student achievement, school finance that promises less state aid to GIPS in the near future and providing enough building space to accommodate a growing enrollment and new methods of learning.

The retreat took place at the Hotel Grand Conference Center.

Robin Dexter, GIPS associate superintendent, reviewed the hallmarks of second order change that typically result in a fundamental shift in thinking about student achievement, as well as new instructional methods that must be used to boost student achievement.

Dexter said one characteristic of second order change is that it upsets the status quo and makes everyone so uncomfortable that it usually meets resistance by at least some staff members, as well as people in the community. She said that often times, people see the paradigm as coming from the top down.

Dexter admitted that even she will sometimes wonder why she and others are working on a particular goal, but she also pointed out that when she goes back and studies input that the district gathered from community, staff and parents, she realizes the district is attempting to do exactly what the people said they want.

Such input typically is gathered from a portion of the community, staff and parents. But now that the school district is moving toward actual implementation, the entire community, as well as all staff members and parents are now aware of the fundamental changes the district is trying to make.

The foremost example of fundamental change is implementing an Academies of Grand Island Senior High system at the high school. That transition will begin with a Freshman Academy going into effect during the 2018-19 school year.

The following year, all students at Grand Island Senior High will become part of an academy.

Thee new academies will include the Academy of Education, Law & Environment; Academy of Engineering and Technology; Academy of Business and Communication; and Academy of Medical Sciences. They will join the existing Academy of Technical Sciences that is located at the Career Pathways Institute-Adams Street Campus.

However, the fundamental shift also includes non-negotiable changes that include creating professional learning communities for teaching staff, creating standards-based planning and curriculum, and using data rounds to improve student learning.

One measure of academic achievement are student scores on the statewide NeSA tests in English language arts, math and science. The Nebraska Department of Education published this past Friday for students in grades 3 through 8 in English language arts and in math, as well as for grades 5 and 8 in science.

Josh McDowell, GIPS chief academic officers, said the scores were not as high as desired by students, parents, GIPS staff and the community.

He said 38 percent of GIPS students were proficient in English language arts compared to 51 percent of students in Nebraska; 61 percent of GIPS students were proficient in math compared to 72 percent of students in Nebraska and 53 percent of GIPS students were proficient in science compared to 70 percent of students in Nebraska.

McDowell said those scores were disappointing, but not surprising because teachers and administrators already knew how GIPS students had performed on MAP or Measurement of Academic Progress assessments earlier in the school year.

McDowell said one way to raise student achievement is to ensure that GIPS curriculum is fully aligned with state standards. For example, he said that third-grade number sense in 10 of 13 Grand Island students were well below the state average.

He said state standards for third-grade number sense is putting a greater emphasis on students understanding fractions. Consequently, GIPS math curriculum must do more to teach third-graders about fractions.

Another way to raise achievement is to match (test score) numbers with names and faces of individual students in the classroom, McDowell said. Teachers have a greater sense of urgency when they look at individual students in their classroom who may need a different instructional approach to do better on academic tests.

Toni Palmer, GIPS chief leadership and development officer, said the district also is using data rounds to raise academic achievement.

She said that system means she and building principals establish indicators to measure school improvement, collect data to see if the school is improving and use data to change classroom instruction to help students master curriculum standards. Palmer said GIPS central administrations accountability piece includes giving principals and teachers both the resources and training they need to make positive classroom changes.

Virgil Harden, GIPS director of finance, told board members the district is facing lean budgetary times, with said LB409 adjusting the TEEOSA formula so that GIPS got $1.6 million less in state aid last year. That decrease was partially masked by increasing enrollment. But he said that year, GIPS had a 25-student decrease in so-called total formula students. As a result, there will be no cushion when LB409 again lowers state aid for the district.

McDowell said implementation of the Academies of Grand Island Senior High will require anywhere from 6.5 to 16.5 more GISH staff members. McDowell said some staff additions are needed to properly implement the academies, while other teachers are needed to address long-time needs that would exist even if the GISH curriculum remained completely unchanged.

For example, the board has long been concerned that up to 300 GISH students are in study hall when they would rather be taking an elective class. McDowell said hiring six to seven more teachers for electives would address that issue.

The number of births in Hall County and Grand Island indicate the long-term trend is for rising kindergarten enrollments through the year 2020. GISH may have a small freshman class next year, but it appears as though the next two years will see larger ninth-grade classes.

When it comes to building needs, board members quickly decided that additional building space to expand preschool enrollment is competing with remodeling needs at Senior High for the academy system. Harden said the district can easily accommodate $4 million in building projects and up to $6 million in projects. Anything greater than $6 million would require a bond issue. Potential GISH renovations for the academy system could be as much as $8 million, although that also could be done in phases.
Grand Islanders will be able to get their first look at the city of Grand Islands One and Six Year Street Improvement Plan at the Regional Planning Commission meeting Wednesday night.

The commission will hold a public hearing, and consider taking action, on the plan. Public Works Director John Collins said the plan is state-mandated with the one year projects being ones the city plans to do immediately, while the six year projects are ones the city has planned for the future.

The street improvement projects scheduled for 2018 include the Highway 281 project underway by the Nebraska Department of Roads, the Stolley Park Road reconfiguration, work on the Sycamore Street underpass, improvements to 13th Street from North Road to Diers Avenue, and improvements to Old Potash Highway.

These projects are critical to keep traffic moving through the city, Collins said. On 13th Street, we are redoing the intersection with North Road. Based on projections, we need to do that with all of the intersections along North Road to keep things moving. That one came to the top of the list primarily due to the new 911 center and fire station being relocated there.

The 13th Street project would also include improvements to drainage and enhanced pedestrian access with sidewalk and drainage additions.

Collins said the city has looked at making improvements to the Sycamore Street underpass for about six years. According to information provided to the Independent along with Wednesdays meeting agenda, the bridge deck and abutment would be replaced, abutment walls would be patched and sealed, drainage would be added and pumps would be reconstructed.

The construction is expected to begin in 2018 and be completed some time in 2019.

Collins said the city has looked at improving Old Potash Highway since 2012 and that it rose to the top of the citys list of projects so it could get funded this year. The work would include widening and reconfiguring Old Potash Highway, and making signal and geometric improvements to the north and south of the project corridor.

In terms of prioritizing the one-year street improvement projects, Collins said the city goes through a number of steps in the planning process.

One is we look at the numbers of what is going on because of traffic and collisions, he said. Another is input from the public where we get complaints that we are having problems in the city. The others we will go out into the community and see.

Projects listed in the six-year street improvement plan include improvements to the Highway 281 street lighting from Stolley Park Road to the Highway 2 interchange, improvements to the Five Points intersection, Highway 30 realignment and Highway 2 resurfacing.

Collins said the One and Six Year Road Improvement Plan will go before the Regional Planning Commission for its approval Wednesday night and will go before the Grand Island City Council next week.

In other action, the Regional Planning Commission will:

- Hold a public hearing on, and consider approving a request from Niedfelt Property Management to rezone part of lot one and all of lot two Meadow Lane Seventh Subdivision from LLR Large Lot Residential to B-2 General Business Zone for an area located between Highway 34 and Goldenrod Drive and west of Shady Bend Road.

- Hold a public hearing on, and consider approving a redevelopment plan request from Take Flight Investments, LLC., to redevelop the three-story building into retail and apartment space at the former Connie Swanson Photography Studio building at 209 W. Third St. The redevelopment would include one one-bedroom apartment on the second floor and one two-plus bedroom apartment on the third floor.

The Regional Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall.
Helsinki, Finland, Singapore, Dec. 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cloudstreet, the Network Slicing Company, a Nokia incubated spin-off, and a clutch of partner innovators including Orange, NTT, Nokia, Sigma and Cerillion, are pleased to unveil a telecom technology first  delivering sponsored data and seamless mobile Quality-of-Experience (QoE) for shoppers on-the-go. To be showcased at TM Forum Live! Asia as a part of the Catalyst Projects Interconnecting Business with Sponsored Data, the solution creates a true end-to-end (E2E) solution, allowing large retail locations to close the loop between shoppers, brands and a flawless mobile user experience. Allowing multiple carrier networks to be sliced, and served to buyers following a B2B2X model, malls can, for the first time, connect shoppers with the brands they love via sponsored mobile data and a comprehensive, carrier-aware billing platform.

Launched at this years TM Forum Asia! In Singapore December 5th7th, the Proof-of-Concept (PoC) provides a business model blueprint for a novel approach to supporting the mobile customer experience, powered by a network and "Application-Aware" exchange that allows all parties in the value chain to play.

Malls are a great test case for this initiative, said Mika Skarp, CTO & Founder of Cloudstreet. They generally have excellent cellular coverage that is designed to serve a large number of visitors. And because cellular basestations have a robust fiber backhaul, connection speeds are significantly faster and come at a much-reduced cost compared to a typical backhaul used in mall WiFi networks. Built around the concept of B2B2X enabled by Vertical Network Slicing, this becomes a perfect use case for high-value, sponsored data services precisely at the point of sale. Most importantly, however, the service would be like no WiFi user experience weve seen, requiring zero user intervention and dramatically improved performance. As such were looking at a true win-win-win scenario.

Developed in concert with the Catalyst Project and its partners as an exchange, the solution provides a single interface for all mall applications to request mall-based slices. Allowing users to be connected to the cellular network of their choice, the sliced mall network concept provides the ability of physical retail space owners to buy and sell capacity on a 4G LTE network in a similar way to WiFi network connectivity, but at a much lower cost. From an economic perspective, buying capacity from a single source involving multiple carriers makes it much easier for the mall to deploy and manage a service that is just as free as WiFi, but with a vastly better user experience.

Mobile carriers, mall owners and retail brands are invited to meet Cloudstreet and other participating innovators at the TM Forum Live!, Asia December 5th-7th In Singapore.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a32c7a7f-716a-4c6b-96bd-2c3008c4a5e9
The body of Sydney Loofe, who has been missing for more than two weeks, has been found, the familys Facebook page reports.

The family reposted a story from their local newspaper, the Antelope County News. The story said:

In a tragic ending to the search for Sydney Loofe, her parents announced Monday night that the Neligh natives body has been recovered.

Sydney is the daughter of George and Susie Loofe of Neligh and has been missing since Nov. 15 and last seen in the Wilber area. Multiple agencies, including the FBI, had been searching for the missing 24-year-old.

No other details are available at this time.

Loofes family was not available Monday night for further details.

Loofe was last seen Nov. 15 in Wilber, Nebraska, which was also the last place that her phone pinged a cell tower.

Loofe is from Lincoln and her family reported her missing Nov. 16 after she didnt show up for work at Menards. Her last known activity was going on a date with 23-year-old Bailey Boswell, whom she had met online.

Boswell has confirmed via a social media post that she went on a date with Loofe before Loofe disappeared.

Boswell and Aubrey Trail, 51, were being held in the Saline County Jail as persons of interest in the case. The pair are from Wilber but were picked up by authorities in the Branson area of Missouri.

Last week, Boswell and Trail posted a series of online videos talking about Loofe after police sought the publics help in locating them. George Loofe, Sydneys father, is a principal at Neligh-Oakdale High School, and his wife, Susie Loofe, is a teacher in the district. Sydney graduated from the high school in 2011.
A Rift in the Earth: Art, Memory, and the Fight for a Vietnam War Memorial

By James Reston Jr.

Arcade. 304 pp. $24.99

---

Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial has been so successful that one almost forgets the ugly storms of racism and misogyny with which opponents of the design fought the young architect more than 35 years ago. The contest over the memorial, which ultimately triumphed with the public, has become a convenient metaphor for healing whenever Vietnam is discussed. And Lin's success has reinforced a popular but shopworn narrative about the lonely artist with a vision fighting and prevailing over philistinism. But it's also a trope, a reflexive rhetorical off-ramp whenever the conversation about Vietnam, and the still-treacherous cultural fault lines exposed by our wars in Southeast Asia, becomes too uncomfortable. At the end of Ken Burns' Vietnam War television documentary, the director made the obligatory reference to Lin's masterpiece. Of course he did. The memorial is now connected to the war rather like "bless you" is connected to sneezing.

James Reston Jr.'s "A Rift in the Earth: Art, Memory, and the Fight for a Vietnam War Memorial" recounts the bitter debate over Lin's design and the contest between Lin and Frederick Hart, who was commissioned to make the memorial more appealing to traditionalists with the addition of a bronze statue known as "Three Soldiers." Lin's 1981 plan for a reticent form, in which the names of the fallen were inscribed on reflective stone panels set into a V-shaped wall, was misunderstood and mischaracterized by some veterans who felt their sacrifice should be honored with a more conventional memorial. Opportunistic political figures exploited the veterans' grievance, vilified Lin in vile, racist terms, and called for scrapping her design, which had won first place in an open, anonymous and professionally administered public contest. In the end, supporters of Hart and traditionalism prevailed over good taste, and Hart's statue has permanently disfigured the memorial since it was installed in 1984.

This transpired during the early years of the Reagan administration, which was morning in America for demagogues such as Interior Secretary James Watt (who resigned after referring to the members of a departmental panel as "a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple"). Watt threw himself into the middle of the controversy, backing what would have been a ridiculous "compromise": Lin's memorial walls would frame Hart's statue, with a giant flagpole on the ground above the apex. In the end, a better but still bad solution was found. Hart, who had placed third in the initial competition, got his chance to muck up Lin's design, but the statue was placed on the periphery of the memorial, as if his three realistically rendered soldiers were encountering Lin's "rift in the earth" like an enemy squadron emerging from the forest.

Reston retells the story dramatically, dredging up material that many of the players in this drama might wish to remain forgotten. Lin's design emerged from classwork at Yale, and an early iteration included a series of large stone slabs, toppled over on one another like a line of dominoes terminating at the intersection of the two walls. Classroom critique led to the elimination of that rather clumsy element, which was, perhaps, a metaphor for the war and the "domino theory" that compelled U.S. engagement and escalation. But the professor who led Lin's class "would resent her ingratitude for all he and his class had done for her." During the contentious political process of getting the memorial approved, Lin emerges as admirably tough but sometimes her own worst enemy.

But Lin was young and new to the ways of Washington. Her sins were minor compared with the machinations and ugliness of Hart. A fast-rising artist who had been commissioned at a young age to design the tympanum over the central doors of the National Cathedral, Hart was working in a long, historical tradition of realistic representation. At a time when most of the rest of the art world considered that kind of work retardataire, Hart had built a solid reputation, good connections and formidable champions, and he was a favorite of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund founder, Jan Scruggs, even before the decision to hold an open contest was made. Hart may well have felt cheated when he lost to Lin, and he certainly conducted himself like a sore loser.

"Lin's memorial is intentionally not meaningful," he said, calling it "elitist." That word in aesthetic debates is simply mudslinging. But Hart was slinging with gusto. "People say you can bring what you want to Lin's memorial. But I call that brown bag aesthetics. I mean you better bring something because there ain't nothing being served."

His allies were even more despicable. Tom Carhart, a lawyer, veteran and author, said the memorial should bear the inscription "designed by a gook." Ross Perot, who had contributed generously to the funding of the memorial, called her an "egg roll." The novelist Mark Helprin, in a letter to Hart, called Lin "that little fluffball" and said that Hart's statue had "pulled her chestnuts out of the fire and gave meaning to her otherwise cynical gravestone." The National Review deemed Lin's work "Orwellian glop."

Lin was forced to compromise, and the memorial has been weaker ever since, and will be further weakened if plans to build a superfluous high-tech visitor's center nearby proceed. Reston has no comment on that, which is unfortunate, given how destructive the new building will be to the Mall and the memorial. Still, much of Lin's vision was finally realized, a small miracle given the forces arrayed against it. When it opened, no senior member of the Reagan administration attended. When Hart's statue was installed a few years later, the president himself came and addressed the crowd. Lin received $20,000 for winning the competition; Hart demanded $330,000 for his statue.

Reston's own view of all this isn't entirely clear. He is evenhanded in laying out the history of the debate, but he also positions himself as an outsider to what he deems an insider's art discourse. He opens one chapter with what seems a snide slap at professional design review, including the respected and venerable Fine Arts Commission: "The art world was not about to lie down and accept a political invasion into its sacrosanct dominion. What did politicians and veterans know about high art anyway?" About the placement of the memorial, always a contentious decision, he writes: "The guardians of Washington's public spaces were stingy in ceding ground in central Washington." Indeed, they are. The creation of open space on the Mall, essential to the symbolism of modern Washington, cost too much pain and expense to clutter it up anytime someone proposes a new monument or memorial.

The book concludes with an extended "Author's Reflection" in which Reston tells the gripping and tragic story of a friend's death in Vietnam. The emotional power of this pendant chapter gives the book a strange hybrid character, as if it were two books in one. But it also serves as an elliptical take on the ugliness of the memorial debate. Reston concludes with a conversation he had with a prominent Vietnamese professor and former government official. The author asks why the Vietnamese today don't resent the Americans more, because they fought only to get the Americans out. "Our patriotism is like a lump of charcoal," he writes, paraphrasing his interlocutor: "If you light it, it burns very hot. ... But when it is over, it is over, and we focus on peace and development and rebuilding."

Not the Americans. We keep fighting, including bitter wars over aesthetics that are, in the end, merely proxies for the same old thing: Do white men run the world and write its history? Or can a rift in the earth open up new possibilities?
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Linkedin Edward Broughton (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 15:47 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c2d8d0 3 Opinion BPJS-Kesehatan,BPJS,#BPJSKesehatan,big-data,digital-technology Free

Cardholders of the universal health coverage scheme can now enjoy the benefits of the smartphone app as described in a BPJS advertorial in this newspaper on Nov. 17. This shows another way that the BPJS Kesehatan, the provider of the National Health Insurance  Healthy Indonesia (JKN-KIS) program, is harnessing technology to create a better national health system to serve all Indonesians. Let us hope this is just the beginning.

Big data is the engine that drives some of the most successful global companies of this era  Google, Facebook and Amazon are the standard-bearers. These companies have found ways of refining the mountains of information they can access to make valuable products, such as search engines and targeted advertising that they sell for vast profits.

On the other hand, BPJS-K aims to improve the lives of Indonesians through better health care, rather than make profits. But they share with the big data companies access to a huge volume of information that they can refine to not only improve Indonesians health but also provide a global public good of high quality research to advance medical science.

By the end of 2019, BPJS will have the largest health care administrative data base in the world. Potentially covering more than a quarter of a billion people, for those who seek the health services from JKN, the data base will have basic demographic information of patients, their medical complaint, diagnostic tests performed, treatments provided and possibly some health outcome information. These data can be used in three main ways to improve health and the health care system.

One way is to use the data as a diagnostic tool for the health of Indonesians collectively. The burden of disease from specific conditions, both in costs to BPJS-K and the impact it places directly on patients and their families, can be ranked so resources for prevention and mitigation measures can be assigned in proportion to the impact it has on society.

Another way is to feedback the information to hospitals, community health centers (Puskesmas) and other provider facilities so that they can benchmark their performance against local, regional and national standards. There is ample evidence that feeding back such information to health care providers can by itself markedly change provider behavior. Sometimes, a doctor may only need to find out she is ordering five times as many x-rays as the national average for patients with the same diagnosis for her to question why this is the case and change her pattern of ordering x-rays if necessary.

A third way is to allow access to these data to researchers so they can use it to answer the burning questions on health, from the patient level all the way to the national system level. This is happening to a certain extent already. A study funded by USAID examined the quality performance of hospitals that have been assessed by the Hospital Accreditation Commission (KARS) compared to hospitals that undertook both assessment by KARS and the Joint Commission International Accreditation.

Data made available by BPJS, where patients are not identified to protect confidentiality, can therefore help answer countless important questions that can help make the Indonesian health system more effective and efficient. For patient-level research, one can easily envisage a time when the JKN-KIS app could expand to allow patients report their own health status on their smartphones to give real-time health outcome data. This would help their health care provider manage the condition while also allowing this information to be used in clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of therapies.

BPJS-K has a massive job to provide health care financial coverage for all Indonesians. It cannot be expected to improve the health care system as well. The Health Ministrys Directorate of Accreditation and Quality is charged with this responsibility and BPJS-K should collaborate with them to use their health data for this purpose.

Overlying this use of big data is the need for openness. BPJS-K has operated with a budget deficit since it began and transparency with the health system performance and cost information would allow the public and politicians to see where the money is going; and if the cause of the deficits is management or inadequate funding.

Insightful analysis of the wealth of data should troubleshoot the problems to allow us all to work together to find evidence-based solutions. This is happening but there is much opportunity for it happen more. Indonesia has the tools and the will to help create a truly great health system for all its citizens. We look forward to watching it happen.

***

The writer is Director of Research and Evaluation for the USAID ASSIST Project and Principal Investigator for the Hospital Accreditation Process Impact Evaluation (HAPIE) Study conducted in nine hospitals in Indonesia.

---------------

We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to academia@jakpost.com.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Rome  Tue, December 5, 2017 14:17 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c298cf 2 Lifestyle Gucci,lifestyle,tax-evasion Free

Italian fashion giant Gucci on Monday said police raided its offices over suspected tax evasion, confirming a report in the Italian press.

The Milan public prosecutor suspects the fashion house of declaring several years worth of Italian sales in Switzerland, thereby saving around 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in domestic tax, La Stampa daily said.

The investigation is reportedly based on information from a former senior Gucci employee who has since left the company, which is part of French luxury group Kering.

La Stampa said financial police had spent at least three days searching Gucci's new, ultra-modern Milan headquarters and also other offices.

Read also: Italian fashion house Gucci to go fur-free in 2018

"With respect to an article concerning an audit by the local tax police conducted at Gucci'ls offices in Florence and Milan published in an Italian newspaper today, Gucci confirms that it is providing its full cooperation to the respective authorities and is confident about the correctness and transparency of its operations," Gucci said in a statement.

Four years ago, fellow Italian fashion behemoth Prada had to pay 470 million euros to the Italian taxman after it declared a decade's worth of home revenue abroad.

The Italian tax dragnet has since extended to tech giants -- 318 millions euros of Italian revenue for Apple and 306 million for Google while investigations are also under way regarding Amazon and Facebook.

Gucci has turned in a strong recent performance with third quarter organic growth of 49.4 percent on 1.5 billion euros of sales.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 14:44 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c2b083 1 Lifestyle Barbie,batik,local-products,doll,toys,Mattel Free

Mattel is set to launch an Indonesian version of its iconic Barbie toy, with the famous doll wearing the country's signature batik clothing.

As reported by kompas.com, the announcement came on Monday during 25th anniversary celebrations of Mattel Indonesia, which is a branch of the company's headquarters based in California, United States.

At the event in Cikarang, West Java, a Barbie clad in batik was gifted to Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto.

Read also: First hijab-wearing Barbie to honor US fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad

The doll was dressed in pink-and-purple batik with signature motifs of parang (tongue of fire) and megamendung (blue-and-white cloud). The outfit was completed with a scarf and accessories that included shoes, earrings and a golden-colored necklace.

"Today, the batik Barbie was launched, which shows that Mattel is geared toward the branding of local Indonesian products," Airlangga said at the Mattel Indonesia factory in Cikarang, West Java, on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

It is not yet known when the Barbie in batik will be available in stores or what motif the doll will wear. According to Mattel, the company is set to explore further development before officially launching the product in the market. (liz/kes)
DENVER, Dec. 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NanoSphere Health Sciences Inc. (CSE:NSHS) (NanoSphere) (formerly Corazon Gold Corp.) is pleased to announce a name change and listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the CSE), effective today. NanoSpheres shares will commence trading tomorrow, December 5, 2017, under the symbol NSHS.



NanoSphere has also satisfied the escrow release conditions for its previously announced $5.9 million subscription receipt financing (see news release dated November 29, 2017). The resulting conversion of the subscription receipts and subscription receipt finder warrants issued under the financing will result in the release of $5,762,370 in net proceeds to NanoSphere after payment of finder fees, and the issuance of 11,811,370 common shares and 6,190,235 share purchase warrants (including 284,550 finder warrants) exercisable at $0.75 until December 4, 2019, subject to acceleration as described in the news release of November 29, 2017.

NanoSpheres CSE listing and the completion of the $5.9 million escrow release marks one of what will be many milestones for NanoSphere on its road to revolutionizing not only the way Cannabis is administered, but other substances as well, commented David Sutton, President of NanoSphere.

NanoSphere is commercializing its disruptive, next-generation nanoparticle delivery system platforms for cannabis under the brand Evolve Formulas. Evolve has already launched its acclaimed NanoSerum product for the recreational and medical cannabis markets in Colorado. NanoSerum is the first clinically-tested transdermal cannabis product to relieve pain in minutes.

The award-winning Evolve is now available in 70 accounts throughout Colorado. NanoSphere expects to rapidly partner with manufacturers and operators in several states to license our technology and bring the Evolve brand to new markets throughout the United States, and to build on that success by further introducing new product applications. Each product application will deliver a unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile of cannabinoid activity and therapeutic applications.

Robert Sutton, Chairman and CEO of the Company, adds Evolve Formulas is going strong, and we are excited to continue the momentum and are very pleased to have made such significant progress.

NanoSphere further reports, on behalf of Mr. Robert Sutton, that on closing of the Companys business combination (the Combination) with NanoSphere Health Sciences, LLC (see news release dated November 29, 2017), Mr. Sutton acquired control without ownership over 31,353,760 common shares (Shares) of the Company which were acquired by Preferred Holdings, LLC pursuant to the Combinations share exchange. Mr. Suttons holding (control or ownership) of issued Shares increased from nil% to 32.6% of the issued Shares (calculated after conversion of the above-noted subscription receipts). Immediately before the acquisition, Mr. Sutton held no issued Shares. Immediately after the acquisition, Mr. Sutton held 31,353,760 Shares or 32.6% of the issued Shares (calculated after conversion of the above-noted subscription receipts). Preferred Holdings, LLC paid a deemed value of $15,670,880 in the form of 1,210,517 Class A membership units of NanoSphere Health Sciences, LLC which were tendered to the Combinations share exchange. Preferred Holdings, LLC acquired the securities for investment purposes. In the future, Mr. Sutton and Preferred Holdings, LLC may acquire additional securities of the Company or dispose such securities through the market or otherwise subject to a number of factors, including but not limited to general market and economic conditions, alternative investment and business opportunities, portfolio and liquidity considerations, and other circumstances.

About NanoSphere

NanoSphere Health Sciences LLC, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of the Company, is a biotechnology firm specializing in the creation of the NanoSphere Delivery System, a revolutionary platform using nanotechnology in the biodelivery of supplements, nutraceuticals and over-the-counter medications for the cannabis, pharmaceutical and animal health industries, and beyond. The patent-pending NanoSphere Delivery System represents one of the most important developments for advancing the non-invasive and user-friendly delivery of biological agents in over 25 years. For more information on NanoSphere, please visit http://www.nanospherehealth.com .

On behalf of the Board

David Sutton, President and COO

720.520.4283

dsutton@nanospherehealth.com

PR Contact:

Kate Wells, Chief Marketing Officer

NanoSphere Health Sciences, LLC

Direct: 720-528-4437

Mobile: 303-324-7358

E-mail: kwells@nanospherehealth.com

Investor Contact:

Victor Goncalves, Executive Vice President

Mobile: 204-997-5517

E-mail: vgoncalves@corazonau.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statement Caution

This news release includes forward looking statements that are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward looking statements, including without limitation any statements concerning the Company's intentions, plans, estimates, expectations or beliefs regarding the future. Although the Company believes that any forward looking statements in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such forward looking statements will prove to be accurate. The Company cautions readers that all forward looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are based on assumptions none of which can be assured, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward looking statements. Readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Any forward looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in the forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia  Tue, December 5, 2017 16:41 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c2f530 2 Lifestyle Sydney,New-Year-Eve-celebrations,New-Years-Eve,Fireworks,gay-marriage,LGBT Free

A rainbow waterfall of fireworks will cascade off the Sydney Harbour Bridge on New Year's Eve as Australia heralds a new era of gay marriage, officials said on Tuesday.

A same-sex marriage bill is being debated in Australia's House of Representatives and is expected to comfortably pass before Christmas after the upper house Senate last week overwhelmingly voted in its favour.

It followed Australians emphatically endorsing gay marriage in a recent nationwide postal vote.

Sydney is known as the gay capital of Australia and next year also marks the 40th anniversary of its iconic Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

"This (rainbow waterfall) is a fabulous way to see out 2017 -- the year that four out of five Sydneysiders said a resounding 'yes' to marriage equality," Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks -- which take 15 months of planning and cost an estimated Aus$7 million (US$5 million) -- are billed as Australia's largest public event.

Read also: Australia MP proposes to gay partner in parliament

More than one million spectators pack the harbor front to watch the spectacle and a further one billion people tune in on television.

The Foti family have been the brains behind the world-renowned visual extravaganza for two decades.

"The challenge this year was to create never-before-seen displays," said Fortunato Foti.

"This waterfall effect is a first for the bridge and we've chosen the rainbow colours that work best for fireworks: red, yellow, green, blue, purple and silver."

There will also be a tribute marking the 50th anniversary of the Sydney-San Francisco sister city relationship.

More than eight tonnes of fireworks will go off on the night, one tonne more than last year, with 30,000 showering comets and 13,000 shells lighting up the skies.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Banten  Tue, December 5, 2017 11:21 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c1fd1b 1 National bali,civil-society,media Free

The Bali Civil Society and Media Forum began its annual meeting in Banten on Tuesday. The meeting, initially scheduled in Bali, was moved because of the Mount Agung eruption.

The two-day forum focuses on the question of whether democracy brings justice, security and welfare.

Civil society and media leaders from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and ambassadors from Denmark and the Netherlands are among the speakers in the forum, organized by the Institute for Peace and Democracy and the Indonesian Press Council.

Does democracy deliver? The answer is yes," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in her opening remarks.

Indonesia has for years championed democracy. Former foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda once cited the oft quoted remark that democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others."

A similar theme is set for the Bali Forum for Democracy, an annual gathering of leaders set to open this year on Thursday in Banten. (End)
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Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara  Tue, December 5, 2017 16:26 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c2e6f0 1 National illegal-fishing,maritime-affairs-and-fisheries-ministry,Kupang,East-Nusa-Tenggara Free

Personnel of a sea surveillance team from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministrys Kupang office in East Nusa Tenggara have arrested 15 fishermen from China, Myanmar and Vietnam who were caught illegally fishing in Indonesian waters.

The men were taken into custody along with their vessel, Yu Fuan Yu 381, which sailed from China by using the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste flag and documents. They were arrested while sailing into Indonesias exclusive economic zone (ZEE), which borders with Timor Leste.

The vessel [] has been held at Tenau fishing port in Alak district, Kupang, since Friday evening, the offices fisheries and maritime resources monitoring head Mubarak said on Monday.

Authorities had towed the vessel to Tenau Port for further investigation.

The 15 fishermen are part of a 21-member crew, six of whom are from Indonesia. Nine of the foreign fishermen are from China, three are Vietnamese, while the other three are from Myanmar, Mubarak said.

He added that the vessel had sailed without the proper documents.

Their documents state that they are from Timor Leste, he said.

Indonesian Fisherman Association secretary Wham Nurdin said the arrest was made on Thursday evening.

The Yu Fuan Fu 381 is known to have been operating around Dili, Timor Leste.

It is one of three foreign vessels often stealing [fish] in Indonesian waters, he said. (kmt/ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 16:38 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c2f313 1 City TGUPP,city-budget Free

The Jakarta administration is ready to accept if the Home Ministry does not approve the controversial Rp 28.5 billion (US$1.9 million) allocation for the governors team in the draft 2018 city budget, Jakarta Deputy Governor Sanidaga Uno said on Tuesday.

Sandiaga said the draft budget was sufficient for 73 people in the Governor's Team for Development Acceleration (TGUPP), an inflated number from 15 people with a Rp 2.3 billion budget currently.

We dont want to speculate. Lets wait out the process. We have to give space and respect to the ministry to review the draft, Sandiaga said, as quoted by tempo.co. The City Council approved the draft budget on Nov. 30 and it was submitted to the Home Ministry for review.

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said on Monday it was possible to allocate funds for special staff, but if such personnel numbered more than 15, the funds should be taken from other budget posts.

Former governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama reportedly used the governors operational funds to pay his expert staffers.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga received a combination of Rp 4.5 billion of the operational funds. (wnd)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5 2017

Wheelchair-bound Dwi Ariyani cried tears of happiness when she heard the verdict of the South Jakarta District Court read out on Monday, holding hope that it would serve a greater purpose for the disabled persons community in the country.

The court ruled in favor of her civil lawsuit against United Arab Emirates airliner Etihad Airways after she was kicked off an aircraft last year.

Presiding judge Ferry Agustina Budi Utami declared the carrier guilty of discriminatory conduct.

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Linkedin Wimar Witoelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5 2017

The first time I went to Bangkok in 1970, my fellow student activists from Bandung and I watched a movie at Siam Square. We were astonished when the half-empty hall went dark and projected a photo of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, accompanied by a stately anthem.

Everybody stood up and paid their respect in silence; so did we.

Coming from a country where we had joined in overthrowing a political order, the experience was awe-inspiring. Even in his heyday, founding president Sukarno never commanded such respect. Fear and caution, yes, but people giggled behind his back and thought of other things at formal occasions.

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Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara  Tue, December 5, 2017 19:15 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c379bb 1 National pilot,Lion-Air,BNN,East-Nusa-Tenggara,Kupang,police,drug-abuse,drugs Free

A joint team comprising personnel of the East Nusa Tenggara chapter of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and Kupang Polices narcotics division arrested a Lion Air pilot for alleged drug use on Monday.

The pilot, identified only as Mahesa, was arrested while holding a party at which drugs were allegedly taken at Hotel T-More in Kupang city.

The Lion Air pilot with flight number JT 924 was caught [allegedly] using drugs in Room 205 of Hotel T-More, with evidence comprising a package of crystal methamphetamine weighing 0.3 grams, a bong and its glass pipe, two gas lighters and four plastic straws, said BNN East Nusa Tenggara head Muhammad Sidik to journalists on Tuesday.

He added that the Lion Air pilot was later taken to the Kupang Police office for a urine test. He reportedly tested positive to using crystal meth.

The arrest was made during a string of operations jointly conducted by the BNN East Nusa Tenggara and the Kupang Police in several night clubs and hotels across the city.

Mahesa was scheduled to operate a Lion Air flight on Tuesday but was replaced by another pilot as he had to undergo questioning at the Kupang Police office on Tuesday afternoon. (vla/ebf)

Evidence: The police confiscate a bong, lighters and plastic straws during the arrest of a Lion Air pilot in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday. (Courtesy of the Kupang Police/File)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 22:09 1807 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c3bb26 1 City fighting,Tangerang,wedding,party Free

A man has died after a fight at a wedding party in Tangerang, Banten police said on Monday.

Tangerang Police chief, Sr. Comr. Harry Kurniawan said that three suspects had been arrested after the fight in Rawa Rotan village, Neglasari district, on Sunday night left the 38-year-old victim, identified as Amang, dead.

Amang reportedly came to the wedding party to enjoy a single organ music show.

Tempo.co reported that Amang was seen drinking alcoholic beverages he brought to the venue.

Around 10.30 p.m. the bride's family stopped the show because it was already late at night. Amang, still wanted to dance and requested that the show go on. His request was denied.

Becoming upset, Amang went home only to return to the venue carrying two knives. "He wanted to fight the bride's family," Harry said. "Several people who were still at the venue started beating Amang. The knives he brought were used to stab him."

Bleeding severely, Amang was rushed to a nearby hospital but died on the way. The police arrested three people who were allegedly involved in the brawl. (gis)

Topics : fighting Tangerang wedding party
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 20:17 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c38e37 1 City violence,robbery,grandmother Free

A man identified as Ali Mahmud, 23, reportedly robbed his own grandmother on Tuesday morning in Bekasi, West Java and beat her in the head and face with bricks.

East Bekasi police head Comr. Parjana said the alleged perpetrator pretended to be a guest and knocked on the door of his grandmother's house. When the door was opened, Ali reportedly struck the womans head with bricks.

He took Rp 3 million [US$210] and 10 grams of gold jewelry, Parjana said, as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

The grandmothers maid, Nurhasanih, 30, found her and asked for help from the neighbors to take her to the hospital.

Currently, the police are still trying to catch Ali who fled to outside the city.

The police's criminal unit head First Insp. Yusron said the grandmother was recovering even though she was still wounded.

We have deployed our officers to capture the [alleged] perpetrator. We encourage him to surrender, Yusron said.

As evidence, the police seized a long piece of cloth, one brick and four brickbats used to beat the victim. If found guilty, Ali could face a maximum of nine years' imprisonment, the police said. (wnd)

Topics : violence robbery grandmother
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 06:49 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c135cb 1 Business Mattel,Barbie,anniversary,exports Free

Toy maker PT Mattel Indonesia produces about 2 million toys, including Barbie dolls, a week with total exports worth US$150 million.

The products of its factory in Cikarang, West Java, account for about 60 percent of the global market, said Mattel Indonesia vice president and general manager Roy Tendean on Monday during the celebration of the companys anniversary.

Mattel Indonesia, a subsidiary of Long Angeles based Mattel Inc., celebrated its 25 years of operation in Indonesia on Monday.

He said that the company, which produces Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels, Thomas & Friends, etc., planned to set up a link-and-match program with five vocational schools (SMK) in West Java.

We want to contribute to human-resources development as education is the responsibility of educational institutions, the business community and the government, said Roy.

The five SMK involved in the program are SMK 1 Cikarang Pusat, SMK 1 Cikarang Barat, SMK 1 Cikarang Selatan, SMK Kerawang and SMK Mitra Industri Cibitung.

The link-and-match program is to ensure that students receive balanced teaching materials between the theory and real working experience at a company, he added, during the event attended by Industry Minister Airlangga Hartanto and the Mattel Inc. chief supply chain officer and executive vice president, Peter Gibbons. (jlm)

Topics : Mattel Barbie anniversary exports
December 5, 2017 - Aker Solutions won key work to help Statoil develop the Johan Castberg field, the largest oil discovery in the Norwegian Barents Sea.

The company will supply the subsea production system and design the topside of the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, which will be the largest-ever of its kind offshore Norway. The total value of the work is about NOK 4 billion and will be booked in the fourth-quarter orders.

Aker Solutions has been directly involved in the Johan Castberg development since its earliest phases, providing concept studies and front-end engineering design that have helped drive down costs and make the Arctic project even more viable.

"Our early involvement and strong collaboration with Statoil have helped halve the development costs, enabling this strategically important project to move forward," said Aker Solutions Chief Executive Officer Luis Araujo. "The field is critical in further developing northern Norway as an oil and gas region."

Subsea System

The subsea production system will consist of 30 wells with vertical subsea trees, wellheads, control systems, 10 templates and manifolds, two satellite structures and tooling. The system was ordered by Statoil as part of a framework agreement awarded today.

Work on the system will start this month and involve facilities in Norway, the UK, India, Malaysia and Brazil. Initial deliveries are scheduled for the second quarter of 2019 with final delivery in the first half of 2023.

Topside Design

The FPSO agreement covers engineering, procurement and management assistance for the detailed design of the Johan Castberg topside. The order comes after Statoil exercised an option in a 2013 engineering contract for Johan Castberg.

The work has already started and will be carried out by Aker Solutions in Norway and India. The detailed design is set to be completed in 2019.

"We are able to generate significant project synergies by building on our work from the early stages of the development and playing on our combined strengths in both subsea and floating installations to optimize the overall solution," said Araujo.

ENDS

Note to Media:

We invite the press to attend the contract signing from 13:00-14:00 CET today at Aker Solutions' headquarters, Oksenyveien 8, Fornebu, Norway. Aker Solutions Chief Executive Officer Luis Araujo will participate with Executive Vice President Margareth vrum of Statoil.

Media Contacts:

Bunny Nooryani, tel: +47 67 59 42 71, mob: +47 480 27 575, e-mail: bunny.nooryani@akersolutions.com

Stina Kildedal-Johannessen, tel: +47 55 22 28 00, mob: +47 934 12 301, e-mail: stina.kildedal-johannessen@akersolutions.com

Investor Contact:

Fredrik Berge, tel: +47 22 94 62 19, mob: +47 450 32 090, e-mail: fredrik.berge@akersolutions.com

Aker Solutions is a global provider of products, systems and services to the oil and gas industry. Its engineering, design and technology bring discoveries into production and maximize recovery. The company employs approximately 14,000 people in about 20 countries. Go to http://akersolutions.com for more information on our business, people and values.

This press release may include forward-looking information or statements and is subject to our disclaimer, see http://akersolutions.com

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
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Linkedin Francesco Fontemaggi (AFP) Washington, United States  Tue, December 5, 2017 09:00 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c17696 2 World Middle-East,Jerusalem,Israel,DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump,White-House,Jared-Kushner Free

US President Donald Trump was warned Monday he could spark unrest across the Middle East and smother any hopes of peace if he presses ahead this week with recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

With Trump's decision apparently looming, leaders from across the Middle East ramped up public warnings against any shift in decades-old US policy.

But amid internal White House disagreements and warnings from the region of a "major catastrophe," several US administration officials were unable or unwilling to say what Trump would decide.

The US leader is up against a deadline to decide whether to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, an important campaign pledge that helped shore up the support of conservative voters and donors.

Officials say that move is unlikely to be taken outright, but domestic politics may push Trump toward recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital instead.

"The president's going to make his decision," his Middle East peace envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Israeli's defense minister Avigdor Lieberman urged Trump to grasp a "historic opportunity."

Most of the international community, including the United States, does not formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, insisting the issue can only be resolved through final status negotiations.

"If the status of Jerusalem is changed and another step is taken... that would be a major catastrophe," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.

"It would completely destroy the fragile peace process in the region, and lead to new conflicts, new disputes and new unrest."

- 'Threat' to stability -

All foreign embassies are located in Tel Aviv with consular representation in Jerusalem, and Trump is theoretically due Monday to decide whether to sign a legal waiver delaying by six months plans to move the US embassy from the Holy City -- as successive administrations have done at regular intervals for more than two decades.

"The president has always said it is a matter of when, not if. The president is still considering options," a State Department official said when asked about a possible embassy move.

Trump has repeatedly missed similar deadlines for other issues, but he is expected to begrudgingly sign the waiver for a second time at some point this week.

According to diplomats and observers, however, he may also make a speech on Wednesday announcing his support for Israel's claim on Jerusalem as its capital.

The Arab League said it was closely following the matter, with leader Abul Gheit warning any such move would pose a threat "to the stability of the Middle East and the whole world."

"It will not serve peace or stability, instead it will nourish fanaticism and violence," he said on Sunday, noting that the League was closely following the issue and would coordinate a joint position with Palestinian and Arab leaders if Trump took the step.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also warned that any change to the status of Jerusalem would have "grave consequences", in a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday.

It was crucial, he said, "to preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and refrain from any decision that aims to change that status," the official Petra news agency reported.

- A move in waiting -

In 1995, the US Congress passed the so-called Jerusalem Embassy Act recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and stating that the US embassy should be moved there.

But an inbuilt waiver, which allows the president to temporarily postpone the move on grounds of "national security", has been repeatedly invoked by successive US presidents, from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush and Barack Obama, meaning the law has never taken effect.

Israel seized the largely-Arab eastern sector of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, claims both halves of the city to be its "eternal and undivided capital."

But the Palestinians want the eastern sector as capital of their promised state and fiercely oppose any Israeli attempt to extend sovereignty there.

Several peace plans have come unstuck over debates on whether, and how, to divide sovereignty or oversee the sites holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims.

- 'Looking at the facts' -

Palestinian leaders have been lobbying regional leaders to oppose any shift in US policy and the armed Islamist movement Hamas has threatened to launch a new "intifada."

Saeb Erakat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, warned that a change in the US stance on Jerusalem would spell disaster, and would amount to an own goal for US peace efforts in the region.

He said in a statement that Washington would "be disqualifying itself to play any role in any initiative towards achieving a just and lasting peace."

Trump has said he wants to relaunch frozen peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in search of the "ultimate deal". (**)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 18:47 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c36e66 1 City Thousand-Islands-regency,North-Jakarta,inundation Free

Thousand Islands and North Jakarta were inundated by rising sea levels on Tuesday.

Cleaning workers under the authority of the Public Facility Maintenance Agency (PPSU) in Penjaringan, North Jakarta tried to hold off the seawater using sandbags as residential areas became inundated.

Penjaringan sub-district head Depika Romadi said sea levels had increased due to the rainy season while the construction of the sea-dike was yet to be completed.

The sea-dike is still under construction, leaving a gap of 50 meters, so seawater can inundate the area, Romadi said, as quoted by kompas.com. Reportedly, the flood waters reached 90 centimeters but recede to 10 centimeters.

OK OCE Mart in Muara Angke, Penjaringan was also inundated. The mart coordinator Sugiyanto said the mart had not been impacted by seawater flooding since it was officially opened in June.

We tried to use sandbags to keep the water out [of the mart], Sugiyanto said.

Besides OK OCE mart, water also inundated the parking lot of Muara Angke low-cost apartment, the local firefighters station and the police office.

In Thousand Islands regency, at least three islands were inundated following a tidal surge on Tuesday morning. Untung Jawa, Tidung and Lancang islands were inundated by some 20 to 50 centimeters of water.

It is rare that [the islands] become inundated, said Tidung Island resident, Anwar. (wnd)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 13:56 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c26960 1 Business Pelita-Samudera-Shipping,listing,IDX Free

Shipping firm PT Pelita Samudera Shipping (PSSI) listed on Tuesday its shares on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) after obtaining Rp 135.8 billion (US$10 million) from an initial public offering (IPO).

PSSI president director Alex Iriawan Ibarat said 60 percent of the IPO proceeds would be used to purchase new ships, 20 percent would be used for capital expenditure and the remaining 20 percent would be used to pay debts.

He said his company would invest US$8 million in tugboats, barges, a floating loading facility and the expansion of its mother vessel and tanker ships in the first quarter of 2018.

In addition to its coal shipping business, PSSI also planned to diversify its freight business and transport palm oil, he added.

PSSI currently owns 33 ships that have operated for eight to nine years. (sha/bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 17:58 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c3479b 4 National Bahrun-Naim,JAD,terrorism,Tito-Karnavian,Islamic-State,terrorist-group Free

The National Police has been unable confirm the death of Indonesian militant Bahrun Naim, believed to be fighting in Syria, amid social media posts reporting his demise.

It is believed that news of Bahruns death was spread on social media by members of terrorist networks in Indonesia or abroad, said National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian.

Bahrun reportedly died in Abu Hammam, Syria, on Nov. 30, during a fight against the Syrian army.

Police must prioritize [news] from accurate, official sources, such as from Interpol personnel that have access [to Syria], Tito said on Tuesday as reported by tempo.co.

The National Polices antiterrorism squad Densus 88 has also been unable to confirm the accuracy of the reports.

He could be dead, or not; it could be a trick, to stop our pursuit [of Bahrun], Tito added.

Bahrun was among dozens of Indonesians believed to have left the country for Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) movement.

The National Police believe the tech savvy militant to be the leader of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a terrorist network that had been involved in recruiting hard-line fighters across the country.

Bahrun was also suspected of being the mastermind of a terrorist attack that hit Jakarta in January last year, which killed eight people, including four perpetrators. (vla/rin)
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Linkedin Alex Pigman (AFP) Brussels, Belgium  Tue, December 5, 2017 11:00 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c1cdc0 2 World EU,Portugal,Ronaldo,Centeno,Mario-Centeno,finance-minister,Eurogroup,Eurozone Free

Portuguese Finance Minister Mario Centeno was elected as the new head of the Eurogroup on Monday, with the key job of pushing through much-needed reforms across the single currency bloc.

The little-known economist and former central banker will replace outgoing Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem in January, and beat out his counterparts from Luxembourg, Slovakia and Latvia to win one of Europe's most coveted jobs.

"It was obviously a fair race and a very democratic one," the Harvard educated Centeno told a news conference after the vote. "It's an honour because of the relevance of this group ... the importance of the job."

Centeno was long the favourite for the post and his victory came after two rounds of voting at a closed door session of the 19 Eurogroup ministers in Brussels. The winning candidate had to secure 10 votes to win.

His nomination marks a big turnaround for Portugal since the worst of the debt crisis in which Lisbon was bailed out and forced to push through painful reforms to save its economy.

It is also vindication for southern Europeans who often bristled at Dijsselbloem, who last year drew their fury with a quip that implied bailed out countries spent their money on "drinks and women".

- Eurogroup 'Ronaldo' -

Unknown to the Portuguese when he entered government, Centeno is now a heavyweight in the cabinet of Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who came to power on the promise to "turn the page" from the austerity policies.

Affable, Centeno is credited for restoring some of the purchasing power lost by the Portuguese during the crisis and its 2011 bailout, without resorting to overspending.

The careful balancing act spurred former German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble to dub him "the Cristiano Ronaldo of the Ecofin", the meeting place of EU's finance and economy ministers.

Though part-time, the job is one of the most strategic in the European Union, tasked with guiding economic policy in the face of clashing opinions and resistance, most notably by austerity-pushing Germany.

The eurozone is currently in an economic recovery, but Centeno will fast come to the front lines in case of problems, with the Eurogroup chief tasked with spearheading negotiations for bailouts and rescues.

Centeno was widely expected to take the prize, having won the early support of Spain as well as European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, a former Eurogroup chief as Luxembourg's minister.

"I know how demanding and challenging this position can be, and I know you have all the qualities for the task ahead," Juncker said in a letter to Centeno after the win.

Also running was Slovakia's Peter Kazimir, a strong backer of Germany's austerity-heavy approach and in a surprise, Latvia's chess-playing 36-year-old finance minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola.

Their bids came after the EU's eastern member states were painfully overlooked in favour of France and the Netherlands to be the new hosts for EU agencies forced to leave London after Brexit.

Luxembourg's Pierre Gramegna, a veteran diplomat, was seen as a compromise choice if no clear victor emerged after several rounds of voting.

Elected for two and a half years, the head of the Eurogroup chairs the monthly meetings of finance ministers of the 19 countries that use the euro, with the main responsibility of coordinating the often clashing economic policies and priorities of its members.

The job's holder is considered one of the EU's "five presidents" along with European Commission head Juncker and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi.

The role was especially crucial during the tumultuous years of the eurozone debt crisis and Greek bailout negotiations, when the bloc's ministers faced the daunting task of saving the euro currency from near collapse.

The first order of business for the incoming chief will be shepherding through reforms of the eurozone, which the ministers will discuss over dinner on Monday.

The reform push is part of wider efforts, spurred by French President Emmanuel Macron, to pursue deeper integration after Britain's vote last year to leave the bloc.

Greece's third bailout will also quickly come on to the agenda, with Athens expecting debt relief from its eurozone partners next year, a move powerful Germany believes is not necessary. (**)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 15:04 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c2bbda 1 City robbery,West-Jakarta Free

Two robbers have stolen a safety box containing Rp 500 million (US$35,000) in cash on Sunday from a house in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said on Monday that the two perpetrators made their move when the homeowners were at a nearby church for Sunday service.

"The family left for the church at 9 a.m. The perpetrators thought that the house was empty, so they entered the house. As it turned out, a relative and a child were still in the house," Argo said as quoted by kompas.com.

The robbers pointed a gun at them and forced them into a room, where they were locked up.

"The robbers took a safety box that could be carried by hand. According to information from the victim, it contained foreign banknotes amounting to Rp 500 million," he said.

Argo added that the police were still questioning witnesses and hunting for leads on the suspects. (fac)
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Linkedin Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura, Papua  Tue, December 5, 2017 17:45 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c3313a 1 National Russia,military,military-exercise,TNI,Papua,Biak Free

Two Russian Ilyushin-76 strategic airlifters carrying 81 military personnel arrived at Frans Kaisiepo Airport in Biak regency, Papua on Monday and early Tuesday for navigation exercises as well as sightseeing in Indonesias easternmost province.

Manuhua Biak Airport spokesperson First Lieutenant Putukade Wempy said the military personnel would be in Biak from Dec. 4 to 9.

"They will only stay in Biak. They won't go anywhere else, he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Besides the two planes that have already arrived, Wempy said they expected two Tupelov TU-95 bomber planes. When they arrived, there would be a total of 110 Russian military personnel in Biak.

Manuhua Biak Air commander Col. Fajar Adriyanto told reporters that the arrival of the planes was part of a collaboration between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and its Russian counterpart that included choosing Biak as the exercise location.

"The planes fly directly from Russia for 12 hours, and this will be the first time they have flown near the equator," said Fajar. "They usually fly in temperatures of minus 37 degrees, now they will fly in plus 37 degrees. So it will really be a 100% change."

The Russian planes are not equipped with radar, ammunition, or cameras as the navigation exercises would only consist of checking the accuracy of long-distance flying over the seas, he said.

"The exercises have no other purpose. Their arrival will also promote Biak as a tourist destination, Fajar added (kmt/rin)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 14:01 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c27934 1 Business national-payment-gateway,social-assistance-funds,transfer,zero-tariff Free

With the establishment of the National Payment Gateway (GPN) program, Bank Indonesia is set to cut transaction fees for social transfers.

BI Governor Agus Martowardojo said on Monday that social transfers, such as for subsidies, charged a normal rate of Rp 6,500 (48 US cents) per transaction.

"As the social transfers will be cashless, there will be a lot of bank transactions in the future. The transfers will be free of charge. We will use the cross subsidy system," he said during the GPN launching at Bank Indonesia in Jakarta.

He added that, to deliver subsidies like rice and fertilizers, the government paid transfer costs at between Rp 9,000 and Rp 13,000 per person.

Read also: Bank Indonesia launches national payment gateway

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that, next year, the government budget would be Rp 2.22 quadrillion, with one third of the budget set to be allocated for social assistance through bank transfers.

"The banks do not have to charge me and the money could be used for more people who need the subsidy," she said. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (AFP) Washington, United States  Tue, December 5, 2017 07:30 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c135fd 2 World DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump,Supreme-Court,travel-ban,travelers,Muslim Free

The US Supreme Court said Monday that the government could fully enforce a revised ban on travelers from six mainly Muslim countries pending appeal, backing President Donald Trump in the year-long battle over the controversial measure.

The court stayed October rulings from two lower courts that had blocked implementation of the ban on visitors from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen while legal challenges to it continued.

The third version of Trump's travel ban, unveiled in September, drew immediate challenges in federal appeals courts in Richmond, Virginia and San Francisco, California.

Plaintiffs argued that the measure targets Muslims in violation of the US Constitution and did not advance security goals as the government claimed.

The challengers convinced the lower courts to put implementation on hold while they and government lawyers fight out the legality of the policy.

But the Trump administration, which says the ban is crucial to protect US national security and deter terror attacks, secured strong support from the Supreme Court in a 7-2 vote to let the government move ahead while the appeals continue.

"We are not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the President's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism," the White House said.

"The proclamation is lawful and essential to protecting our homeland. We look forward to presenting a fuller defense of the proclamation as the pending cases work their way through the courts," it added.

The justices said they expect the lower appeals courts to expedite their decisions, leaving open the possibility that the policy could return to the Supreme Court in yet another legal challenge to the White House.

The San Francisco court will hear the case on Wednesday and the Richmond court on Friday.

- Open-ended ban -

The ban also covers people from North Korea and a selection of senior officials from Venezuela, but its main focus is travelers from the six mainly Muslim countries.

Trump has battled to implement a travel ban since just after he became president on January 20, after having repeatedly promised during last year's election campaign to ban all Muslims from entering the Untied States.

Those promises have undermined the administration's argument in a series of court challenges that its policy is not Muslim-focused but rather based on security needs.

The initial ban was to be for 90 days, ostensibly to give the US and the targeted countries time to implement tougher and more thorough vetting procedures for visitors.

After rolling court battles, the 90 day ban was finally allowed in June. Meanwhile, vetting for US-bound travelers from every country has intensified.

But when the six-country ban expired in September, the administration sought to replace it with an open-ended ban, with Chad added to the list while Sudan was removed, and North Korea and Venezuela appended as well.

Immigration and civil rights activists maintain it still essentially targets Muslims, which would violate the US Constitution's guarantees of religious rights.

When Trump last week retweeted three video clips from an extremist British group that vilified Muslims, his critics said it supported the idea that his immigration policies were anti-Muslim.

"President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret -- he has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter," said Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants' Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.

"It's unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones." (**)
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan, North Sumatra  Tue, December 5, 2017 20:08 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c38ccf 1 National Medan,North-Sumatra,floods,heavy-rains,landslides,BMKG Free

Heavy downpours in North Sumatra in the past few days have caused landslides and flooding that have claimed at least two lives.

Two children died in floods in Medan Maimon district, Medan city, on Sunday, local authorities said. The victims M. Noval, 4, and M. Ikhsan, 7, were reportedly washed away when floods hit their homes in the city.

The floodwater also inundated roads in Medan and caused traffic congestion, including in front of North Sumatra Police headquarters on Jl. Sisingamangaraja.

Landslides were also reported in Adiantkoting village, North Tapanuli regency, on Monday following days of heavy rain. The landslides blocked the road connecting Tarutung to Sibolga regency.

One resident, Udin, said he had to stay overnight in his car as he could not pass the road because of the landslides.

I waited for more than nine hours stuck in Adiantkoting village, said the Sibolga resident, who wished to travel to Medan.

The head of Medan Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Edison Kurniawan said the rain was expected to last for several more days.

There is still the potential for heavy rains in the next few days so people need to be alert for floods, landslides and heavy seas around North Sumatra, he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. (vla/rin)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pretium Resources Inc. (TSX:PVG) (NYSE:PVG) (Pretivm or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on its regional grass-roots exploration program on the Bowser Claim Group east of the Brucejack Mine. An extensive regional exploration campaign was initiated in 2015 to identify mineralized zones on the 1,250-square-kilometer, wholly-owned property similar to the Valley of the Kings and Eskay Creek deposits. A final data analysis is underway to refine high-priority targets for drilling in Spring 2018.



The comprehensive regional exploration program has included the collection of over 11,000 samples, regional mapping, prospecting, airborne geophysics, ground geophysics, hyperspectral mapping, and data compilation. To date, the program has resulted in the identification of three distinct areas that have the potential to host epithermal mineralization.

Several gold and silver epithermal targets have been identified in the American Creek Zone located approximately 25 kilometers southeast of the Brucejack Mine. The American Creek valley is dominated by kilometer-scale north-south structures and localized east-west stockworks, which host elevated gold values of up to 62.5 grams of gold per tonne in rocks of the Lower Hazelton Group, Unuk River Formation, the same formation that hosts the Brucejack Mine. Geophysical conductors identified in the American Creek Zone are supported by coincident pathfinder minerals and trace elements associated with epithermal mineralization.

The Koopa Zone, located approximately 30 kilometers east-southeast of the Brucejack Mine, is dominated by intensely quartz-sericite pyrite altered Salmon River Formation volcanics and Quock Formation sediments of the Upper Hazelton Group. As no previous work had been completed at this zone, 2017 efforts focused on prospecting and mapping, with ground geophysical surveys undertaken to assist with interpretations at depth and in areas with limited exposure. Prospective precious and base metal grab samples have been collected across the zone returning results as high as 5.28 grams of gold per tonne, 1,460 grams of silver per tonne, 9% lead and 25% zinc with geochemical signatures similar to intrusion-related epithermal gold deposits.

Approximately 15 kilometers east of the Brucejack Mine, numerous high-grade gold boulders have been sampled at the Boulder Zone, with grades as high as 19.25 grams of gold per tonne. Ground geophysics have been conducted over the area to find the source of the boulders. Alteration, geochemistry and Upper Hazelton Group rocks in the area do indicate the boulders are potentially VMS related.

As results continue to be received, review and analysis of the extensive regional database continues with the expectation that additional high- priority areas will be identified.

Kenneth C. McNaughton, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., Chief Exploration Officer, Pretium Resources Inc. is the Qualified Person (QP) responsible for the 2017 regional grassroots exploration program.

About Pretivm

Pretivm is ramping-up gold production at the high-grade underground Brucejack Mine in northern British Columbia.

For further information contact:

Joseph Ovsenek Troy Shultz President & CEO Manager, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

Pretium Resources Inc.

Suite 2300, Four Bentall Centre, 1055 Dunsmuir Street

PO Box 49334 Vancouver, BC V7X 1L4

(604) 558-1784

invest@pretivm.com

(SEDAR filings: Pretium Resources Inc.)

Forward-Looking Statements

This News Release contains forward-looking information and forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Statements contained herein that are not based on historical or current fact, including without limitation statements containing the words anticipates, believes, may, continues, estimates, expects, and will and words of similar import, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking information may include, but is not limited to, information with respect to our planned exploration and development activities, the accuracy of our mineral resource estimates; capital and operating cost estimates; production and processing estimates; the results, the adequacy of Pretivm's financial resources, the estimation of mineral reserves and resources including the 2016 Valley of the Kings Mineral Resource estimate and the Brucejack Mineral Reserve estimate, realization of mineral reserve and resource estimates and timing of development of Pretivm's Brucejack Mine, costs and timing of future exploration, results of future exploration and drilling, production and processing estimates, capital and operating cost estimates, timelines and similar statements relating to the economic viability of the Brucejack Mine, timing and receipt of approvals, consents and permits under applicable legislation, Pretivm's executive compensation approach and practice, and statements regarding USD cash flows and the recurrence of foreign currency translation adjustments. Wherever possible, words such as plans, expects, projects, assumes, budget, strategy, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, anticipates, believes, intends, targets and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative forms of any of these terms and similar expressions, have been used to identify forward-looking statements and information. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking information to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the property is developed. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, those risks identified in Pretivm's Annual Information Form dated March 30, 2017 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and in the United States on Form 40-F through EDGAR at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking information is based on the expectations and opinions of Pretivm's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise. We do not assume any obligation to update forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither the TSX nor the NYSE has approved or disapproved of the information contained herein.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan, North Sumatra  Tue, December 5, 2017 22:02 1807 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c3b90e 1 National North-Sumatra,TanjungBalai,drug-abuse,police,drugs Free

Two officers from the South Nias Police and the Tanjung Balai Police have been arrested by personnel of the North Sumatra Polices narcotics division for alleged possession of 15 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.

The two officers have been identified only as Adj. Comr. BS, the chief of the Lolowau Police, part of the South Nias Police, and Chief Brig. YMS, a member of the Tanjung Balai Police.

Apart from arresting the two police officers, the narcotics division personnel also apprehended four civilians, one of whom was shot and killed. The officers said they shot Mohamad Dani Sitorus, alias Dani alias Koro, because he resisted arrest on Jl. Deli Tua, Medan, on Sunday. The three other civilians have been named as Riawan, alias Atong, Boby and Joni.

North Sumatra Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Rina Sari Ginting confirmed the arrest of the officers on Tuesday, but said their role in the drug network was still being investigated.

"The results of the investigation will be presented on Wednesday at the North Sumatra Police headquarters," she said. (kmt/ebf)
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Linkedin Philippe Rater (AFP) United Nations, United States  Tue, December 5, 2017 10:00 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c1a6cd 2 World UN,United-Nations,North-Korea,ballistic-missiles,Pyongyang,kim-jong-un,South-Korea Free

The United Nations has dispatched an envoy to North Korea for a rare visit aimed at defusing tensions over Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile launch, as the US and South Korea began joint military exercises condemned by Kim Jong-Un's regime.

The unusual visit by Jeffrey Feltman, which begins Tuesday and runs to Friday, comes less than a week after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile believed capable of reaching the United States.

On Monday, the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise -- maneuvers slammed by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation."

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said.

Pyongyang sent tensions soaring on the Korean Peninsula five days ago when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target -- key technological hurdles for Pyongyang.

A Cathay Pacific crew spotted what was "suspected to be the re-entry" of the missile as they flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong, the airline said.

In a separate message to staff, Cathay general manager Mark Hoey said the crew described seeing the missile "blow up and fall apart," The South China Morning Post reported.

- UN envoy to break logjam? -

The isolated and impoverished North has staged six increasingly powerful atomic tests since 2006 -- most recently in September -- which have rattled Washington and its key regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang faces tough international sanctions as a result of its unwillingness to surrender its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Ahead of his visit to Pyongyang, Feltman -- the UN under-secretary-general for political affairs -- was in Beijing on Monday. China is Pyongyang's sole diplomatic and military ally.

Once in the North, Feltman will discuss "issues of mutual interest and concern" with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether Feltman will meet with Kim.

It will be Feltman's first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago, and the first by a UN under-secretary-general in more than seven years.

The UN envoy is planning to see foreign diplomats and UN workers in the North on humanitarian missions, Dujarric said.

- 'Begging for nuclear war'? -

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility.

US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit-for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy."

Over the weekend, Pyongyang countered that Washington was "begging for nuclear war" as the North blasted the joint US-South Korean drills.

As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this year's war games involve simulated precision attacks on the North's military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources.

As tensions surged, US Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential Republican and foreign policy hawk, warned that the US was moving closer to "preemptive war" with the North.

"If there's an underground nuclear test (by the North), then you need to get ready for a very serious response by the United States," Graham told the CBS show "Face the Nation."

His remarks echoed those of Trump's National Security Adviser HR McMaster, who told a security forum on Saturday that the potential for war with the North "is increasing every day."

- Risks of war -

The North has boasted that the Hwasong 15 ICBM tested on Wednesday is capable of delivering a "super-large" nuclear warhead anywhere in the US mainland.

Analysts agree the latest test showed a big improvement in potential range, but say it was likely achieved using a dummy warhead that would have been quite light.

They say a missile carrying a much heavier nuclear warhead would struggle to travel as far.

They are also skeptical that Pyongyang has mastered the sophisticated technology required to protect such a warhead from the extreme temperatures and stresses encountered as the missile hurtles back to Earth.

- China's role -

The latest launch, which saw the missile drop into Japan's economic waters, was condemned Monday by Tokyo's parliament, which slammed the North's weapons program as an "imminent threat."

China's foreign ministry meanwhile warned Monday that the situation on the Korean peninsula remained "highly sensitive" and called on all sides to "do more things to ease the tension and avoid provoking each other."

The tensions have fueled concerns of another conflict, more than six decades after the 1950-53 Korean War that left much of the peninsula in ruins.

But even some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital -- only around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people. (**)
Chairman of the board of Amnesty International Indonesia (right) Todung Mulya Lubis hands over of a slice of tumpeng (a cone-shaped serving of yellow rice accompanied by assorted side dishes) to Sidarto Danusubroto, a member of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) during a press briefing on the launch of the groups new office and the release of the 2018 Human Rights Outlook at its office in Jakarta on Monday. To mark the opening of the new office, a series of activities will be held in five cities  Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Solo and Makassar  from Dec. 7 to Dec. 10.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)(right) Todung Mulya Lubis hands over of a slice of tumpeng (a cone-shaped serving of yellow rice accompanied by assorted side dishes) to Sidarto Danusubroto, a member of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) during a press briefing on the launch of the groups new office and the release of the 2018 Human Rights Outlook at its office in Jakarta on Monday. To mark the opening of the new office, a series of activities will be held in five cities  Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Solo and Makassar  from Dec. 7 to Dec. 10.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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Linkedin Goh Sui Noi (The Straits Times/ANN) Singapore  Tue, December 5, 2017 17:58 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c3483a 2 World #singapore,#China,#XiJinPing,#awards Free

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been named The Straits Times' Asian of the Year, the first time that a newsmaker has won the award twice.

Xi, 64, was chosen by a panel of editors for "having been a crucial source of stability at a time of great uncertainty for the region and the world".

The award is given out every December in recognition of an Asian or Asians who have made a significant impact to their societies or the wider region over the past 12 months.

This year, the newspaper is also paying a special tribute to veteran Singapore diplomat Tommy Koh, a stout defender of a rules-based international order.

The editors noted that in a year of disruption and change, marked by a power transfer in the United States with the election of a new president, China's President has been a picture of calm and sobriety. He also offered a vision that went beyond his country of 1.38 billion people to encompass Asia and the world.

Xi, the editors added, demonstrated leadership throughout the year - from his stout defence of free trade and endorsement of efforts to combat climate change, to articulating a vision for a connected world in hosting the inaugural Belt and Road Summit.

He also succeeded in consolidating and enhancing his power at the Chinese Communist Party's 19th national congress. The meeting takes place once every five years.

This year, China also declared its intentions to start negotiations with Asean on a Code of Conduct to manage disputes in the contested South China Sea, and brokered an agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar on how to deal with the 600,000 Rohingya who had fled harsh treatment in Myanmar to Bangladesh in recent months.

In selecting Xi for the award, the editors hoped "he will be able to draw on the wisdom of China's rich civilisation and long history to present the world with a China that while pursuing self interest, does so with patience, empathy, generosity and, above all, respect for the rule of law and fair play in international relations".

"If he succeeds in achieving half of what he speaks about, Asia, and the world, will be transformed, and for the better. The China Dream could well be an Asia Dream," they said.

Warren Fernandez, Editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings' English/Malay/Tamil Media Group and Editor of The Straits Times, who chaired the panel that deliberated on the award, said: "President Xi has stood out this year for the impact he has made both at home and abroad. At a time of great disruption in the world, he has projected good sense and calm. He has helped steer the world forward in its push for globalisation and trade, as well as supporting efforts to tackle climate change and foster closer regional ties in Asia."

Xi first won the award in 2013, together with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. New leaders of their countries then, they were acknowledged for the promise they held out for the rest of Asia.

The inaugural award, in 2012, went to then Myanmar President Thein Sein and the 2014 award went to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was given the 2015 award posthumously.

Last year, a group of technological and business leaders won the award for their path-breaking initiatives that unleashed changes in the communities around Asia and the world.

This year, Koh receives a special tribute "for the way he has brought the best of humanity to his country, even as he took the best of Singapore to the world", said the editors.

The veteran diplomat "has stood up for a rules-based order in a chaotic world", displaying a tireless readiness to work towards compromise in the most difficult diplomatic situations, they said.

Koh, who turned 80 last month, is also a champion of the arts, the environment and civic engagement. He has not been short of accolades at home and abroad and in October received Indonesia's inaugural Mochtar Kusumaatmadja award, which acknowledges prominent academics and practitioners who have contributed significantly in international law.

But on the occasion of his 80th birthday, The Straits Times editors found "it is befitting to pay special tribute to him for his outstanding lifetime contributions to Singapore, Asia and the world".

2017 has been a year of major disruption and change, as events from previous years continued to play out. A major changing of the guard in the American presidency left many nations feeling cut loose from their traditional strategic moorings. The leading capitalist nation that once stood as a beacon for free trade and globalization turned inwards with an America First policy.

Throughout the world, wracked also by seismic changes in technology and the way we live and work, the crucial underpinnings of international society, and the cherished stability this has engendered, seemed to be under severe stress and strain.

Xi Jinping, Chinas President, and principal custodian of the worlds second-largest economy and military power, has emerged as a crucial source of stability in a time of great uncertainty.

He has been a picture of calm common sense, refined sobriety and steely determination, as well as an architect of a vision that soars beyond his nation of 1.3 billion people to encompass the Asian region and the wider world.

In January, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Xi made a landmark speech defending free trade and warning against protectionism. The very next day, in Geneva, he stoutly endorsed the Paris Climate Change Accord, with the stirring idea that mankind has only one homeland. His summit meeting with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in April set the stage for a mature relationship between the superpowers.

The Belt and Road Initiative laid out his vision for a connected world, much of it underwritten by Chinese capital.

In October, his success at consolidating and enhancing his power, evidenced in the conclusions of the 19th Party Congress in October, makes plain his role in contributing to stability and progress at home as well as abroad.

The following month, China reiterated that it would like to negotiate a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

The recent success in brokering an agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar on the complicated question of the Muslim Rohingya bespeaks the influence China wields under his stewardship.

If he succeeds in achieving half of what he speaks about, Asia, and the world, will be transformed, and for the better.

Few Asian leaders have placed such a stamp on the nation, neighbourhood or beyond, as Mr Xi has done this year. The editors of The Straits Times are unanimous in naming him the papers Asian of the Year 2017.

In all this, Xi has outlined a vision not just for his nation, but all Asia. It is a vision that, while grounded in domestic self-interest, can perhaps, with due care and consideration, be also used to benefit all in Asia and beyond.

The editors of The Straits Times, in selecting Xi for this award, do so with the hope that he will be able to draw on the wisdom of Chinas rich civilisation and long history to present the world with a China that, while pursuing its self-interest, does so with patience, empathy, generosity and, above all, respect for the rule of law and fair play in international relations.

It is this that has prevented major conflicts since the end of World War II.

On the contrary, a mercantilist, aggressive and self-centred China would not only do injury to the rich tapestry of its heritage, but possibly, also hold back its future promise of Asia, and the wider world.

The Asian of the Year Award, hence, is as much a recognition of the distance covered by Xi thus far, as also the promise of taller peaks that remain to be ascended.

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This article appeared on The Straits Times newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 08:33 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c163eb 1 National Yap-Thiam-Hien-Foundation,Eric-Stover,terrorism,human-rights,war-on-terror Free

The Yap Thiam Hien Foundation invited human rights professor Eric Stover of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law to its third human rights lecture at the Jakarta City Hall, Monday evening.

The event, opened by the foundations chairman, Todung Mulya Lubis, and attended by Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno, was titled Taking the Gloves Off: the US, torture, and the War on Terror.

Terror has been everywhere and threatening our security, he said, adding that to counter terrorism, human rights must be upheld. In other words, torture should not be employed at any stage.

Eric Stover gave a lecture in front of college students and various invitees about how torture was employed to extract information from prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Abu Ghraib, Iraq. The detainees were mostly detained without trial during attempts by the US to fight terrorism.

First held in 2015, the public lecture has raised issues of human rights relevant to the country for three consecutive years.

The Yap Thiam Hien Foundation is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to upholding human rights through the participation of the civil society. (nmn/ebf)
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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, December 6 2017

The Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) to Egypt in Cairo is urging Jakarta to suspend any state-led initiatives to send students to study in the country, which is currently in a state of emergency waging a war on terrorists.

Speaking with reporters in Jakarta, the Foreign Ministrys director for protection of citizens overseas, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, revealed that the Cairo mission had urged the government to coordinate with relevant government institutions to temporarily stop the flow of Indonesian students to Egypt, citing conditions that are not conducive for study.

Whats clear is that now security in Egypt has been increasingly tighter in recent times, so the KBRI has asked us [to stop students from departing for the country], Iqbal said on Tuesday.

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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 07:50 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c14c6a 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,helicopter,Transportation,jakarta Free

Air charter operator Whitesky Aviation has launched a program named Wonderful Joy Flight that tours around the city of Jakarta using Helicopter City Transport (helicity) at an affordable price.

The program is available from Dec. 5 until Jan. 5 in which passengers will be taken to fly above Pulo Mas, Tanjung Priok, Ancol, Old Town, Senayan and Semanggi.

Helicity will serve Jakarta and other supporting areas such as Thousand Islands, Banten and Bandung. These routes have been set by the Transportation Ministry, said Whitesky Aviation CEO Denon Prawiraatmadja.

To enjoy this ride, one needs to pay Rp 7 million (US$518.70) for a 15-minute trip. Currently the service is only available in Jakarta and nearby areas.

The helicopter can reach a certain location in 15 minutes like from Cengkareng to Semanggi, BSD to Sudirman or other places, Denond added.

Additionally, Whitesky Aviation has signed the Wonderful Indonesia or Pesona Indonesia co-branding deal with the Tourism Ministry.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya suggested for the company to market its service in Bali, Jakarta and Riau Islands since the buying power in these places are quite high.

Arief also told the company to partner up with other firms and come up with affordable tour packages.

For example is diving at Bawah Island in Riau Islands, sign a partnership with travel operator to create affordable tour packages to go there, he explained.

The helicity service currently has four helicopters consists of one Airbus 130, one Bell 429 and two Bell 505.

Up to 254 Helispots are available in Jakarta and West Java. Whitesky Aviation also reveals plans to have 30 helicopters in the next five years. (kes)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 11:06 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c1daa0 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Batik-Air,labuan-bajo,jakarta Free

Lion Air Groups Batik Air is set to open a new route from Jakarta to Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara on Dec. 15.

The route will serve one direct flight every day and use narrow body airplanes such as Boeing 737-800 or Airbus 320.

The Jakarta  Labuan Bajo route aims for three markets: Tourism, business and family trip, told Lion Air Group president director Edward Sirait.

For this route, 40 percent will be for family trip, 30 percent for business trip and the rest 30 percent is for tourism, added Edward.

Next year, Lion Air Group is set to add four more airplanes for Batik Air, two Airbus planes for Wings Air and eight Boeing airplanes. (kes)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 10:02 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c1b43e 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Melbourne,tourism-promotion Free

The Tourism Ministry is going to host Business Gathering event on Dec. 14-15 in Melbourne, Australia.

The ministry has invited travel agents, tour operators and media to take part in this event.

The distance between Australia and Indonesia is not that far and Australians are very interested in destinations in Indonesia. Moreover, 90 percent of them have their own holiday schedule and high buying power for holiday tour packages, said the ministry's deputy minister for overseas promotion I Gde Pitana.

Our target is to inform the Australian people that Bali is safe now; the eruption has come down. The distance between Mount Agung to Denpasar is 65 kilometers. Bali Promotion is back. If nothing gets in the way, the 15 million target can be achieved, Pitana added.

During the gathering, the ministry will conduct a presentation about destinations in Indonesia and entertain visitors with traditional dance performance and souvenirs.

Melbourne is chosen because its the best business and shopping center in Australia, told the ministry's deputy assistant for Asia-Pacific tourism promotion, Vinsensius Jemadu.

The number of tourism visits from Australian tourists is the four highest in Indonesia.

This year, the ministry is aiming to welcome 1,816,000 tourists from Australia, an increase by 29 percent from last years target, which was 1.4 million people. (kes)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 13:05 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c24724 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Sail-Sabang,local-food Free

Sail Sabang 2017s Kuah Beulangong Festival managed to make thousands of visitors fell in love with kuah beulangong traditional dish.

A total of 18 groups presented their own version of the dish at the festival.

Each group cooked one beulangong [cauldron]; around 10,000 visitors came to taste the dish, told the events organizer Wan Windi Lestari.

Kuah beulangong is a traditional dish from Aceh that uses beef, lamb or buffalo meat as the main ingredient. The meat is then mixed with jackfruit and seasoned with coconuts, chili, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander, candlenut, galangal and other spices to create a curry-like dish.

This dish is usually served during kenduri (a ritual of blessing or remembrance). (kes)
Mississauga, Ontario, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Starkey Canada, a division of Starkey Hearing Technologies, one of the worlds leading hearing technology companies, will open its brand-new, relocated and redesigned Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario on Dec. 11. The state-of-the-art building, known as the Starkey Market Development Centre (MDC), will be home to 65 staff members, an in-house hearing clinic, and an innovation center for customers, scientists, researchers, press, and visitors and other guests.

The MDC will offer Starkey Hearing Technologies latest, most advanced iQ hearing aid line based on the companys research in virtual reality, advanced neuroscience and signal processing, as well as other hearing technologies and hearing health services. The new customer-centric facility will also provide focused areas for customer meetings, education, training, collaboration, sales, service and support.

Designed by Perkins+Will with a fresh new look to represent the Starkey brand and global values, the building is environmentally friendly and carbon footprint-conscious. Perkins+Will utilized an array of sustainable design strategies including abundant daylight to minimize energy usage and support wellness, and low VOC paints and other products to improve indoor air quality.

The Starkey MDC is a flexible, dynamic environment that allows us to present products and services in a way that will enhance day-to-day interactions with our customers, said Jason Toone, Starkey Canada manager of national sales. By reflecting the talent and abilities of our team, the MDC supports Starkeys mission of putting innovation into action every day.

About Starkey Hearing Technologies

Starkey Hearing Technologies is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded in 1967, the company is recognized for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. The company develops, manufactures and distributes hearing aids via three distinct brands  Audibel, NuEar and its original brand, Starkey. Starkey Hearing Technologies currently employs more than 5,000 people and operates 22 facilities and conducts business in more than 100 markets worldwide. For more information, visit www.starkey.com.

For more information about Starkey Canada, please visit www.starkeycanada.ca.

###

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7fe77029-e116-4877-b9b8-4c0e454e667d
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, December 5, 2017 17:06 1808 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2c308e1 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,West-Lombok,tourist-village Free

West Lombok is currently developing 14 tourist villages based on sustainable tourism development approach.

According to West Lombok Tourism Agency head Ispan Junaidi, these villages have a lot of things to offer, such as Senggigi Tourist Village that is known for its beach, or Banyumulek Village that is famous for its pottery. Theres also Narmada Village that boasts a bathing place that can make people stay young.

There are three aspects in sustainable tourism development: Encouraging peoples awareness for environmental conservation, improving the human capital and economic aspects, told Ispan.

He mentioned Sesaot Tourist Village as an example, which has been developed as a tourist village since 2015. "The locals have been taking creative approaches in developing their village to become tourists-friendly."

Their creativity have resulted in a positive impact to the village, such as the declining rate of illegal logging in the village that is located next to a protected forest area and creation of new jobs.

People of Sesaot is getting more environmentally conscious. Additionally, this tourist village can absorb 177 labors, Ispan said.

The village currently welcomes around 400 to 500 tourists and can generate up to Rp 200 million (US$14,800) of financial transaction in a month.

West Lombok is also developing a regional regulation (Perda) on sustainable tourism development, which will make West Lombok the first regency in Indonesia to have this kind of regulation.

This Perda will be the only one in Indonesia. We are planning to complete it in 2017; it will be passed soon, said Ispan. (kes)
If youre ever in Abu Dhabi, I encourage you to visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi - a most beautiful and interesting art and civilization museum.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi was inaugurated last month as part of a 30-year agreement between the city of Abu Dhabi and the French government. The new museum is an architectural masterpiece by designer, Jean Nouvel, and includes a growing collection of ancient archaeological finds, paintings, and both historical and contemporary installations. Hundreds of pieces represent ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, ancient Chinese dynasties, the Renaissance, the Impressionists and the Modernists. My grandchildren, Jude and Truman, loved the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and were interested to see every piece of work. In fact, we saw many, many visitors enjoying their visit to this marvelous museum.

We had a wonderful stay in the United Arab Emirates - it's truly a vacation destination for adults and children alike. There is so much history, culture and modern development in the UAE - if you haven't been there, I hope these last three blogs inspire you to add it to your list of places to visit. Enjoy these photos.
LAS VEGAS, NV, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freedom Leaf, Inc. (OTCQB: FRLF), The Marijuana Legalization Company, a group of diversified, international, vertically-integrated Cannabis/Hemp businesses and Media companies, announced that it has entered into a purchase agreement for organically grown hemp that will allow it to legally extract Industrial Hemp in the State of Nevada under NV SB396 and the 2014 US Farm Bill.

Leafceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned division of FRLF has entered into an initial purchase agreement with hemp producer Harris Farms, Ltd, of Pahrump, NV to fully extract the broad spectrum of phytocannabinoids (CBD), terpenes and other valuable byproducts from 600 pounds of nurtured Hemp flower that has been grown under the NV Department of Agricultures Industrial Hemp Pilot project.

Freedom Leaf CEO and co-founder, Clifford J. Perry, explained, Leafceuticals is also applying for its own license that will allow it to process hemp from other states approved under the 2014 US Farm Bill which are currently major producers of industrial Hemp. Freedom Leaf is the exclusive global NuAxon distributor for the cannabis and hemp industry. Leafceuticals will be using the NuAxon Supercritical CO2 extraction equipment that was demonstrated to over fifty perspective purchasers at the recent MJBIZCON Expo in Las Vegas.

The success of this joint venture is expected to produce significant income for 2018 and enable Freedom Leaf, Inc. to build out a multi million dollar facility in conjunction with Reliable Steel. The company is proud to announce it will be working with Tim Puetz, the founder of Reliable Steel, Inc., builders and fabricators of some of Las Vegass most famous hotels, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, designed by the world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, and landmark attractions like the Big Shot atop the Stratosphere Hotel and the NY NY Roller coaster. Mr Puetz has been an innovator in product research and development for a host of Fortune 500 companies.

Hempology, Freedom Leafs exclusively branded product line, is now vertically integrated from seed to consumer, processing not only CBD but also a full spectrum of whole-hemp extracts for the entourage-effect. Freedom Leaf will also be producing specific Rare Cannabinoids that it will cultivate in its own green houses, Green Market Europe in Elche, Spain, and next year in Freedom Leafs own grow facilities in Nevada, built in partnership with Reliable Steel.

Freedom Leafs wholly-owned media companies, including Freedom Leaf publications, online and in print, remain a major part of its branding, marketing and deal flow development programs.

LaMarihuana.com, the worlds leading Spanish language website, and Marihuana-Medicinal.com, the worlds leading Spanish language medical cannabis site will play a major role in marketing the companys products to the more than half-a-billion Spanish speaking potential customers as medical marijuana is recognized around the world, and the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Freedom Leaf also remains committed to the highest standards of Product Quality, Corporate Governance and Consumer Equitability.

MEDIA: BRANDING

FreedomLeaf.com/ Mag & Online

MarijuanaNews.com

LaMarijuana.com



About Freedom Leaf



Freedom Leaf, Inc., The Marijuana Legalization Company, is a fully reporting and audited, publicly traded company trading under the symbol (OTCQB: FRLF). Freedom Leaf, Inc. is a leading go-to resource in the cannabis, medical marijuana, and industrial hemp industry. It is involved in mergers and acquisitions and business consulting in the marijuana industry, including incubation/acceleration and spin offs of new marijuana/hemp related companies.



Freedom Leaf, Inc.'s flagship publication is Freedom Leaf Magazine, "The Good News in Marijuana Reform." The company produces a portfolio of news, print and digital multi-media verticals, websites, blogs and web advertising, for the ever-changing emerging cannabis, medical marijuana and industrial hemp industry.



Freedom Leaf, Inc. does not handle, grow, sell, or dispense marijuana. All of our European activities are in full compliance with relevant EU laws.



Corporate Website and Investor Relations www.FreedomLeafInc.com



Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements, including any financial projections above, generally can be identified by phrases such as Freedom Leaf, Inc. or its management "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "foresees," "forecasts," "estimates" "projections" or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements herein that describe the Company's business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include the uncertainty regarding viability and market acceptance of the Company's products and services, changes in relationships with third parties, and other factors described in the Company's most recent periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K dated June 30, 2017 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.






In January earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled Donald Trump's first travel ban unconstitutional before approving a second reduced ban in June.

The current ban on six Muslim majority countries is the third version that Trump has passed since taking office. The countries effected include Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

Republicans are arguing such a ban is in the interest of national security.

Seven of the nine justices have decided in favour of lifting injunctions imposed by lower courts on the policy. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor denied the request to allow the latest ban to go into effect.

This will be seen as a major victory for Trump who is now able to impose one of his key electoral promises.

The ban still faces legal challenges from lower courts but the constitutional backing from the Supreme Court, the US judicial branchs highest level, gives the ban a heightened sense of legality.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement:

"The proclamation is lawful and essential to protecting our homeland. We look forward to presenting a fuller defense of the proclamation as the pending cases work their way through the courts.

Omar Jadwat, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project pointed out the anti-islamic manifestations the ban implies:

"President Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret - he has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter.

"It's unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims.

"We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones. We will be arguing Friday in the Fourth Circuit that the ban should ultimately be struck down."
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Kyoto and Santa Clara, Calif., Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ROHM has recently announced the availability of dual-input boost-buck charging ICs that support 1 to 4 battery cells for notebook PCs, smartphones, and power banks that utilize the latest charging technologies such as wireless and USB Power Delivery (USBPD).

The BD99954GW/MUV generates a charging voltage from 3.07 to 19.2V for 1 to 4 cells through boost-buck control for USBPD. In addition, the industrys first dual-input charging system automatically switches charging operation without an MCU using an original built-in charging adapter function. And support is provided for both USBPD and USB BC 1.2. This facilitates configuration of dual-mode systems capable of simultaneous charging via USBPD, wirelessly, or from an AC adapter.

A growing number of portable devices, including notebook PCs, are adopting the USB Type-C PD standard that can charge up to 100W, providing a common charging platform. At the same time wireless charging is gaining traction, increasing the demand to support both charging methods. However, in order to deliver a wide power supply range required by USBPD, a boost function must be added to the system to charge 2-cell (~8.4V) batteries from conventional 5V chargers. Also, enabling two different charging methods to operate at the same time requires mounting charge ICs along with peripheral components as well as an MCU to control charge switching, presenting a significant barrier to introduction.

In response, combining its USBPD IC with proprietary semiconductor technologies allowed ROHM to meet these needs and develop dual-input charging ICs that support both USBPD and wireless protocols in a single package.

The BD99954GW

Availability: Now

Pricing: $3.14 /unit (1,000 pcs)

The BD99954MUV

Availability: Now (Sample), January 2018 (OEM Quantities)

The BD99954MWV-EVK-101

Availability: Now

Pricing: $175 /unit (1 pcs)



Key Features

The BD99954GW and BD99954MWV provide the following 2 features that make it easy to configure a wireless charging environment

1. Facilitates configuration of the industrys first simultaneous dual-mode charging system

To support the 2 predominant charging methods for the latest portable devices, ROHM developed the industrys first 2-input charging system. A built-in charging adapter discrimination function enables automatic switching between modes without an MCU. This eliminates the need to mount and adjust external peripheral components such as transistors and resistors typically necessary for each charging system (for charge path switching and backflow prevention), significantly reducing both mounting area and design load.

2. Supports the latest USBPD standards through boost-buck control

Step-up/down control makes it possible to generate the charging voltages necessary for USBPD operation (5V to 20V). For example, when charging a 2-cell battery (~8.4V), boost-buck control enables step-down operation from 20V to 8.4V as well as step-up from 5V to 8.4V.

In addition, compliance with the popular USB BC1.2 and USBPD standards provides support for both conventional USB and the newest USB PD charging protocols.

Evaluation Board

Evaluation Board P/N: BD99954MWV-EVK-101

Support Page: http://www.rohm.com/web/global/support/battery-charger



Applications

 Notebook PCs  Tablets PCs  Smartphones

 Portable Batteries  Wireless Audio  <100W Portable Battery-Equipped Devices

About ROHM Semiconductor

ROHM Semiconductor is an industry leader in system LSI, discrete components and module products, utilizing the latest in semiconductor technology. ROHM's proprietary production system, which includes some of the most advanced automation technology, is a major factor in keeping it at the forefront of the electronic component manufacturing industry. In addition to its development of electronic components, ROHM has also developed its own production system so that it can focus on specific aspects of customized product development. ROHM employs highly skilled engineers with expertise in all aspects of design, development and production. This allows ROHM the flexibility to take on a wide range of applications and projects and the capability to serve valuable clients in the automotive, telecommunication and computer sectors, as well as consumer OEMs.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eaf33516-7222-4a66-8ca8-29697d16a6ac

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/94f13901-7ac4-4700-9da4-4d3ad2909a12

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/85e0f5bb-df18-4dff-9b9f-ba91bc0fac48
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MIAMI, FL, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



Amazonas Florestal, Ltd. (www.azflusa.com) (OTC: PINK: AZFL), a natural resources company dedicated to innovative, sustainable forest management, Industrial CBD Hemp and the certification and sales of carbon credits, today announced that the companys wholly-owned subsidiary Amazon Hemp is moving forward with plans to plant additional acreage in Colorado beginning April 2018, and has identified 2 new properties to add to the 2 presently secured. The Company has also hired personnel to complete the formulation of its retail product line of oils that it expects to launch during the first quarter of 2018.

The Company also announced that it entered into a 3a10 process with 303 Farms, its contractors in Colorado, through Northbridge Financial that was approved on November 22, 2017, for a total of $ 291k. These payments complete the company's financial responsibilities in Colorado for 2017.

The Company also announced launching of a new subsidiary, Amazon Labs, and that it has entered into an MOU with Luis Fernandez naming him agent for New Business Development. Mr Fernandez, former director for LATAM BDS, has through an illustrious career been proven effective to raise funding for new business developments and will be collaborating with Company Management to structure a $4 Million investment that the company expects to raise for the completion of Amazon Labs in Colorado beginning the first quarter of 2018.

The Company also announced that it is moving forward with its Carbon Offset project on its properties on Northern Brazil. This week company contractor Edson Braga signed an agreement through which the company will begin geo-referencing the first 10,400 hectares that it owns in Borba, Amazonas. The GEO process forms part of completing the new SYSCAR requirements imposed by the Brazilian Federal Government through its environmental agency IBAMA. This step will move the company one step closer to priming these properties for a REDD + project through a UN initiative that could represent substantial revenues for the company by the last quarter of 2018.

Ricardo Cortez, Company Chairman for Amazonas Florestal, Ltd., said, "We are very pleased to announce this progress on all fronts of our present business directions. Our shareholders will be pleased to know also that management remains dedicated and focused entirely on the fulfillment of these projects that should finally come into fruition during the next three quarters.

Juan C. Ubieto, Investor Relations Officer of Amazonas Florestal Ltd., commented, "Our staff, both in Miami and Colorado, are very happy with the manner in which the Hemp business is developing in Colorado as with the general acceptance that our target accounts have demonstrated thus far on both our CBD products as with the wood products being offered out of northern Brazil. We have a team going to Manaus next month that will also set the groundwork to renew our carbon studies once the geo-referencing of the properties have been completed. These will determine how many carbon credits will be available to market from company controlled lands on 20 and 25 year projects.

About Amazonas Florestal Ltd.

Amazonas Florestal Ltd. is a natural resources company dedicated to innovative, sustainable management of large tracts of land in the rainforests of Amazonas, Brazil, that include the certification and sale of carbon credits and the growth, harvesting, research and development of Industrial Hemp and related products in the U.S.

Headquartered in Miami, FL, Amazonas's goal is to become a leader in sustainable forest management and preservation, creating revenue while protecting the biodiversity of the rainforest ecosystem and enhancing the lives of the people who live in it. Through a strategy of selective harvesting, certification and sale of carbon, biomass and biofuel production, and conservation incentives, Amazonas Florestal Ltd. intends to help protect one of the world's greatest natural resources and show how its preservation can be a profitable activity. Visit the Company at: www.azflusa.com .

Forward Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements in this release regarding Amazonas Florestal Ltd. are made pursuant to the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.




CINCINNATI, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ohio National Financial Services is pleased to announce Anthony W. Dunn, CPA, CMA, CPCU, will become chief financial officer on Jan. 1, 2018. Dunn succeeds Arthur J. Roberts, CPA, CLU, FLMI, who will retire at the end of the year.



Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c3f6de46-4653-4f47-91c6-3532dd8b7c2e

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6fa2c96b-85bb-42ee-9add-fa07daed12e1

Dunn will continue to execute the organizations financial strategy in the final year of a five-year corporate growth plan and will lead the financial strategy development for the companys next plan.

This move comes as part of a comprehensive succession planning process we have put in place to position the company for the future, said Gary T. Doc Huffman, Ohio Nationals chairman, president and chief executive officer. Tonys background in financial strategy, operations and audit oversight and his strong history of leadership position him well to oversee our enterprise financial operations. He has made significant contributions to the ongoing transformation of our internal auditing function.

Dunn joined Ohio National in 2015 as vice president, audit services, and in 2016, was promoted to senior vice president, audit services. He is currently responsible for leading the internal audit services team.

Prior to joining Ohio National, Dunn was vice president, financial planning and analysis for The Cincinnati Insurance Company and its subsidiaries. He received his bachelors degree from Miami University.

Roberts will assist with the transition prior to his Dec. 31, 2017, retirement. Roberts joined the company in 1994 and has served as vice president, financial reporting and senior vice president, controller and treasurer. He has led Ohio Nationals strategic financial operations for the past decade after becoming senior vice president and chief financial officer in 2008.

During his tenure, Roberts disciplined financial management contributed to Ohio Nationals growth and success, which included:

Growing statutory surplus 30 percent to more than $1 billion and GAAP equity by 65 percent to more than $2.3 billion through his leadership in capital solutions.

Advancing Ohio Nationals financial operations including oversight of rating agency relationships and the financial analysis of the companys Latin American operations.

Growing assets under management from $25 billion in 2008 to more than $41 billion today.

Arts contributions have helped the company navigate some tough headwinds, said Huffman. We are pleased to have Tony on board to take the reins and help develop our companys next strategic plan. We believe he is the right person to take the financial foundations laid before him and continue to build Ohio Nationals financial strength, he said.

Tracing its corporate origins to 1909, Ohio National markets a variety of insurance and financial products through more than 50,000 representatives in 49 states (all except New York), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and through affiliated operations in South America. Additional subsidiaries operate in New York and Connecticut. As of December 31, 2016, its affiliated companies have $41.8 billion total assets under management. Products are issued by The Ohio National Life Insurance Company and Ohio National Life Assurance Corporation. Ohio National is proud to be named a Top Workplace in Cincinnati for eight consecutive years by Enquirer Media (June 2010-2017) and employs more than 1,300 associates. Please visit ohionational.com for more information and for the latest company updates, connect with Ohio National on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Lisa Doxsee, APR

513.794.6418 office

513.218.5519 mobile
Vice President Boakai (L) and Senator George Manneh Weah

My take is that the Supreme Court of Liberia may have to ask the NEC: why did it refuse to turn over public records from the October 10 elections in its (NEC) possession to justify how it (NEC) apportioned votes for the candidates?



The Court may not even rule on rerun or runoff election. The Court most likely will order the NEC to turn over ALL records from the October 10 elections asked for by LP/UP.



Legal scholars refer to the LP/UP appeal to the Supreme Court as either a "Mandamus"--a judicial writ/remedy issued in the form of an order/command against an inferior court; the NEC. Or still, a "Certiorari"--a writ or order by which a superior court reviews a decision by a lower court or tribunal...in this case, the NEC decision not to turn over records from the October 10 elections.



Now, if the Supreme Court agrees with the NEC that it was right not to turn over records from the October 10 elections, then the Court will ask or give LP/UP time to submit to the Court their own evidence to support their claims of fraud and vote-rigging by the NEC.



Timing is everything for Ellen and those crying about having this mess sorted out for the transfer of power on January 18, 2018. The Constitution trumps everything and this constitutional process will prevail as the chain of succession will take over: President--Vice President--House Speaker--Senate Pro Temp and so forth. There will NOT be any Interim Government for crying out loud.



This is not your everyday "criminal case" of the burden of proof rests with the complainant. NEC is supposed to be a "neutral referee" in the elections, but it is not. Thus, the Supreme Court of Liberia must and should force the NEC to turn over ALL the public records from the October 10 elections. It is such evidence (the records) that will determine the basis for a rerun or runoff by the Court.



After NEC turns over such records, if LP/UP are proven right, then it is back to the Court to say whether there must be rerun or runoff elections. Mind you, we could be in 2018 by then...Ellen and Boakai are by then former president and former vice president. Conditions will be imposed on the NEC to clean up its act. We could be talking about 60 days, 90 days or 180 days/6 months.



As the elections impasse continues, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf leaves Liberia this Friday for another PR trip to America with the CLINTONS as in Bill and Hilary in Arkansas. But the CLINTONS can't save Ellen from the war crimes and corruption prosecutions hanging over her head as soon as she leaves office in about 50 days from now.



Ellen's other political nemesis, American Prosecutor Allan White is waiting in the wings for Ellen, and Mr. White has tightened the noose around Ellen's neck with the folks at the State Department. All of Ellen's "friends" are out, gone with Hilary and Obama.



Interestingly, billionaire President Donald Trump takes no bribes from no one, not even from Ellen's hired K Street Lobbyists. Time is running out on Ellen, and not even the US Ambassador in Monrovia will help Ellen avoid the prosecutions that await her.



Again, the road to the Liberian presidency passes through Washington, DC, and by extension through the European Union, ECOWAS and the African Union, according my confidential sources here in Washington, the most powerful city in the world. Weah has diminished his chances by embracing The Charles Taylor Factor. You have been warned.





About the Author: Jerry Wehtee Wion, Journalist and Political Commentator, Washington, DC, USA

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Our teacher Karl Marx was right when he postulated that it is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but on the contrary mens social existence is that which determines their consciousness. He further taught us that the existence of a social reality which will lead to mans progressive consciousness (a consciousness that enables men to develop art, science, culture, religion or philosophy) is dependent on how the socioeconomic system of a society develops its productive forces and organizes its means of production.



For men to develop arts, science, culture, religion or philosophy, they must have food to eat, clothes to wear, and house to live in. Food, clothes and housings are produced by someone, somehow. And the availability of these essential elements upon which society, civilization and culture are built is determined by the viability of the socioeconomic system which is responsible for developing the productive forces.



Liberia, my country, has a horrible social existence and it is due to the fact that consciousness as a commodity is in low supply; thus vast majority of the masses of Liberians parade the corridors of the society without any iota of progressive consciousness. Statistics have not only indicated that, but also personal life experience and observation can corroborate such claim. This is largely due to the fact that many Liberians lack access to basic essentials such as food, shelter, and clothing. As a result, other aspects of social development in this West African third world nation remain not only stagnated, but also producing the manpower to develop Liberian arts, science, culture, religion, or philosophy has been challenging and problematic. Obviously, this challenge is meted against us because of the decadence of our socioeconomic system, which has not being organized to improve our productive forces since the formation of this space in 1822 and the attainment of its so-called political independence on July 26, 1847.

When a socioeconomic system organizes a societys productive forces to benefit a privileged few and deprive the majority of the people, one does not need to be good at rocket science to discern that such society will have men and women whose social existence cannot permit them to develop the level of consciousness which can be utilized to advance civilization, culture and society on an industrial scale. Tell me which society ever in the history of mankind has advanced by mortgaging its land (the commanding height of its means of production) to monopoly capitals (predominantly foreign owned) that give back little in taxes and rents to government and paltry wages as reward for labor.



The people, in their horrific social existence, think that to resolve quantity of contradictions created by this wretched economic structure, it only requires changing those who preside over the socioeconomic system which has failed to develop the productive forces needed to engender social transformation and egalitarianism. Sadly, they think it is appropriate to leave the socioeconomic structure in place for another breed of people to occupy. As Ghanaians would say: Na the same old taxi oo, but na just new driver.



The capitalist bourgeoisies did not think that way when thought to shatter Feudalism to give birth to capitalism. In their quest to deal with the objective social reality created by such fouled social system that promoted land tenure in exchange for cheap labor and service, the capitalist bourgeoisies opted to efface the entire Feudal social system, and not a reform within the system. After the capitalist bourgeoisies victory over the Feudal lords, barons, and knights, a social system that espouses the private ownership of the means of productive was put in place.



It is important to state, however, that the apologists of capitalism intimated that this system would have deliver economic prosperity to the people, reduce inequality, and provide liberty and fraternity. Unfortunately, since the roll out of this system, economic genocide of colonialism was ignited in countries of the Third world in order for this system to flourish in Europe and America. Although slavery ended, African people have suffered the brunt and burst of this system, as their natural resources have been sold at a cheap cost to feed the industries in Europe and America.

So until Liberians can realize that there is an urgent need to overthrow this orthodox capitalist socioeconomic system, vast majority of them will continue to be victims of economic deprivation and inevitable poverty. Unit they can rise up to the occasion to fight for their liberation, they will continue to not only exist as exploited and oppressed masses but also as playthings living at the mercy of their oppressors (the agents of capitalism).



Until they can realize that the way in which their countrys productive forces are organize cannot enable the mobilization of enormous capital to independently fund capital intensive projects which will provide the necessary elements to improve other aspects of social development, they will continue to look to the Bretton Woods Institutions, controlled by imperialist nations for funding to build roads, hospitals, schools, and electric dams. Thus their countrys internal, external, and popular sovereignties will be placed in the hands of foreign interest. And the adverse effect is that the political leadership is more loyal to these institutions as opposed to the people in whose hands popular power rests. Conversely, this is why for us, we were not shaken nor taken aback when the American Embassy, in wanton disregard to our democratic institutions, issued a statement contrary to our Supreme Courts opinion to place a prohibition on the runoff election until the complaint of the Liberty Party and Unity Party can be looked into by the National Elections Commission.



The Liberian people must consider going the way of the left side of the political spectrum in order to attain collective actualization. Unlike this present socioeconomic system which has robbed them of the rights to full humanization, Socialism espoused to under the framework of democracy will place them at the centerfold of development in the 2lst century. Instead of being used as expendable cannon fodders, they will be subjects of their existence. Socialism, within the context of going outside the trappings of the Soviet Unions mishaps, will take into consideration the African culture and norms of economic activities and organize the countrys productive forces in other to resolve the quantity of contradiction created by the prevailing economic order. With this, our peoples social existence will breed a progressive consciousness upon which they can build a wholesome functioning society, civilization, and culture by all and for all.



How we intend to organize our productive forces for the benefit of the suffering people of Liberia instead of grooming the political and economic interests of foreign monopoly capitals and the indigenous bourgeoisie political class will be outlined in our next edition!



About the Author: The author is a student of Political Science at the University of Liberia.

What is your take? Please post your comments below:


SAN DIEGO, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ziyen Inc., a Scottish-American software and energy company, appoints Greg Simpson as Head of Business Development for Ziyen UKs new branch office in Aberdeen Scotland.

Greg is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive internal and external sales and marketing operational plan with a goal to increase revenues and profits.

Greg has over 5 years experience working with a leading UK e-procurement company, assisting to develop and sell their business intelligence services and he already has a proven track record in setting up external Business Development teams, having developed a successful remote sales operation in the business district in London.

Greg graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2011 with a 1st Class Hons Degree covering a combination of Physiology and Psychology.

Greg is joined by Cameron Murray in the Business Development team with the appointment of Ron Caithness as the Ziyen UK General Manager to oversee operations.

Greg Simpson said,

Setting up the Aberdeen office provides the ideal platform to develop the software division of the company, Ziyen Intelligence. We will be working closely with our chosen development partner to deliver our Ziyen IQ APP to market in early 2018, whilst enhancing our existing procurement portals in the meantime. The development of these products is crucial to our growth strategy and will help deliver value to our shareholders.

Founded in 2016 in San Diego, California by Scot, Alastair Caithness, Ziyen Inc. operates two divisions, Ziyen Intelligence and Ziyen Energy. Ziyen Inc. has just been qualified by the SEC for our second round of funding at a share price of $1.50, and is targeting an IPO in 2018.

Alastair Caithness, CEO, said:

We see enormous potential for our service offering in the UK, particularly around new technology. The Aberdeen office gives us fantastic platform for growth, both in Scotland and Internationally. Having worked with Greg and Cameron in the past, I know we have brought on board two exceptionally focused individuals who we feel at Ziyen will drive the software business forward to make it a big success. Bringing Ron Caithness out of retirement is also a master stroke on my behalf, as he is not only my dad but the smartest businessman I know.

About Ziyen Inc.

Founded in 2016, Ziyen Inc. is a Scottish-American company developing cutting edge procurement software to provide clients with industry specific government and private contracts via procurement portals. In 2017, Ziyen diversified, instating the Ziyen Energy Division, with intent to produce oil in the U.S. with advanced extraction methods and technology implemented and guided by career experts in the oil and gas industry. In June 2017, Ziyen acquired the mineral rights to its first oil field in Indiana, and now has two assets. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently qualified Ziyen Inc. in November 2017 for our second round of funding, with a pre-IPO share price of $1.50. More information may be found in its Offering Circular filed with the SEC, or on their website www.ziyen.com

About Granite PR



Founded in 2008, Aberdeen-based Granite PR offers the full spectrum of PR services with an emphasis on the energy, technology, hospitality, food and drink, professional services and healthcare sectors. The company has developed strong links in domestic and overseas markets, particularly the US and Scandinavia, and these have been enhanced by Granite PRs Gateway series of business events which encourage trade between key locations. For more information visit www.granitepr.co.uk

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements related to anticipated commencement of commercial production, targeted pricing, performance goals, and statements that otherwise relate to future periods are forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are described in more detail in the Company's periodic reports filed with the SEC- specifically the most recent reports which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made and based on information available to the company on the date of this press release. Ziyen Inc. assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release.

Contact:

Brett Jackson

Managing Director

Granite PR

info@granitepr.co.uk


Vice President Boakai (L) and Senator George Manneh Weah

Transition is the active vocabulary of Liberians in the politically cycle, as a result, the word has become a threadbare cliche due to overuse and sometimes deliberate misuse. It is almost eight decades since our country made such democratic milestone. Whether it will happen in this year is something to be seen, as the outcome of the process has been contested, thus leaving many to wonder whether the legal process will conclude in time for the runoff to be held.



Analysts are saying if this scene in our democratic process occurred, it indicates how firm our democratic is being rooted, and how our institutions of governance are becoming solid, stressing that the nation is gradually living up to the true essence of democratic norms. However, it is important to emphasize that democratic rights without the economic independence of the people is completely meaningless. It is a truism that the latter entrench the former and it is its lifeblood. The two have to be complementary in order for the former to flourish and blossom.



Legal Stalemate

Whether this is anything to go by remains to be seen in the coming days, as four political parties have contended that the October polls were mired with systemic fraud and rampant irregularities that undermined the will of the Liberian people and compromised the outcome of the process. On the other hand, the National elections Commission has come in sharp defense of its imploding credentials. The NEC has consistently maintained that the elections were free, fair, and transparent.

The parties contending the authenticity of the result sought to use the legal means to channel their grievances. Initially, the National Elections Commission was lethargic to hear the case, as NEC decided to conduct the second round of the polls even though the Liberty Party filled a case before it. It took the nations Supreme Court told NEC to rescind on its arrogance and mandated it to hear the case of the contending parties.



When the dust finally settled and the National Elections Commission decided to listen to the case, before the start of it all, the incompetent Chairman of the National Election Commission in Jerome Korkoryah took to the airwaves in a facade of a response to render verdict on the case before trial. This singular but monumental faux pas compromises the fairness of the outcome of the matter and thus renders the hearing compromised, as it was to end up in the favor of the National Elections Commission.



As it stands, the Supreme Court is the last point for the matter to be settled. The contending parties, after the board of commissioners of the National Elections Commission upheld the ruling of the hearing officer, filed an appeal to the Supreme Court so the matter can be adjudicated. All eyes are on the Supreme Court to provide an impartial opinion on the issue, as the credibility of the polls hang in the balance.





President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Highlights of the Tenure of EJS

Africas first elected female leader in Ellen Johnson-Sirleafs tenure is gradually winding down, the election to get her successor has been littered with pre and post-election anomalies, ranging from poor management of the election by the National Elections Commission to systemic fraud.



On the morning of January 16, 2006, Liberians were full of exhilaration as some monitored from the wireless the inauguration of a lady whose life was committed to the struggle for total inclusion. Like all people coming from a fratricidal civil insurrection, our people were hopeful that the new government will dawn on them a vista of opportunities, deliver basic social services, place a dent in poverty, and roll out policy prescriptions geared at transforming their livelihood for the better.



For the most part of her regime, the aid darling in President Sirleaf was successful at mobilizing the international community behind the cause of the homeland. Many thought the unprecedented goodwill showered on Liberia by the International community would have been used to engage in capital expenditure initiatives so as to open the country, diversify the economy, and put the country on an irreversible path of development.



After eleven years at the helm of leadership, little has been done to improve the quality of life of our people in the rural areas and the urban Bantustans. The standard of living of our people is at an appalling low ebb, while access to basic social services remains a hallucination for dreamland. The happiness on the faces of the people when President Sirleaf took over has metamorphosed into grimaces. The literate and illiterate poles of our populations are in a constant state of winding about the hardship and the level of systemic poverty in the homeland.



A country with approximately 4.5 million people, far lesser than the population of Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, Abidjan, etc., with copious natural resources, massive marine existence, colossal ecological reserve and arable land, yet our people have been bruised by poverty on a wholesale. Yet the rate of infant mortality is on the increase. Yet the ratio of medical doctor to n patient is at 1 doctor: 15,000 patience, far exceeding the ceiling of the world Health organization.



Our country lags behind at the lowest ebb of social indicator of global comparison; it is positioned at 177 out of 188 counties and territories. Inequality is not only pernicious but also pervasive, and it is eating our population. Our country has a gini coefficient 0.32, signaling a huge disparity in the distribution of wealth. The average Liberians are terminally poor, while rogue elements continue to run amok with ill-gotten wealth.

On top of this, according to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, economic growth experienced a sharp decline from 8.7% in FY 2012/2013 to less than 1% in 2014, while the fiscal deficit stood at 8.4 percent of GDP in 2015. The total revenue slump from 23.5 percent in GDP in 2014 to 20.5 percent in 2016. The slump in the prices of Liberias chief export products in iron ore and rubber, compounded by the negative balance of payment and the whooping exchange rates, are all attendant consequences of the great decline on a wholesale.



Wailing Odyssey

Wailing odyssey is an apt description of the recurring constraints confronting the homeland, bartered on all sides, the Liberians dream is essentially a facade. The founding ethos of the land has been deserted, as each group sees patriotism as an anathema. It is now clear that the nation lags behind because elements in the political class are preoccupied with effortlessly acquiring wealth in a frenzy.

A tentrepreneur like rogue Jenny Bernard-Sirleaf owns supermarket chains and amasses millions while our people rummage dumpsites, take to crime, and indulge in unspeakable activities to obtain a livelihood. While elements in the first family has embarked on a great resource rush never before seen in the history of modern civilization, the nation bleeds on all fronts.



Scheming to rise to stardom in the political class with its handmaid of dishonesty sums up the modus operandi of the ideological degenerates that call the shots in the polity of this republic. To them either the masses are cannon fodder that should be bamboozled in order to attain political clout and amass wealth or they should always fall victim to the ploy of pillage and plunder.



The book No Longer at Ease is instructive about the unfolding reality in the homeland. Thus, the insatiable penchant for material possession is not the result of the diagnosis of the Liberian nightmare, but the symptom of a rancid putridity that backpedals the nation backwards. Liberians are corrupt through and through is now a threadbare cliche, as the social misfits that engage in the enterprise are the ones who are the leading figures in the polity.



In all of this the society has degenerated to the level where the African tradition of care is considered anachronism by economic parasites; the village community custom of sharing is repudiated as a primordial African lifestyle, while the idea of caring for the collective is airbrushed as a facilitation of laziness.



In order to cover the thieving enterprise with a veneer of deceit, the organized religion tell the people that the cause of poverty is God, and they justify this statement by echoing a phrase they attribute to Jesus about the poor, stressing that Christ intimated that the poor I leave here with you. Instead of the earthly misconduct of parasites in officialdom be the reason for the grinding poverty of the people, spiritual pretext is used to justify the malfeasance of the elites, because some establishment churches benefit from the looting enterprise.



A suffering people lurk in the manly affliction now turn to a supernatural deity to solve the creation of an elite with voracious appetite that plunges the nation into economic neurosis. Like all people living in unspeakable terror of corruption, they run amok in religious fundamentalism to seek remedy to a problem that can be resolved by patriotism. In the center of it all, quack prelates start to exploit them anew.

What is your take? Please post your comments below:


CANTON, Ohio, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Patriot Software, LLC has partnered with AmTrust North America, Inc., to offer Pay As You Owe (PAYO) workers compensation insurance.



AmTrust is a Fortune 500 company and one of the top workers comp insurance providers for small businesses in the U.S. Customers of Patriot Software Payroll can use AmTrust PAYO to automatically calculate their workers compensation premiums based on their actual employee payrolls. This saves employers from making large annual or semi-annual payments.

Through the partnership, AmTrust workers comp is integrated with Patriots payroll offerings. Customers with an AmTrust workers' comp policy assign classification codes to their employees and run payrolls as normal. Patriot seamlessly sends the payroll information to AmTrust, who then calculates the premiums. Customers receive an email notification from AmTrust with a breakdown of the premium by state and classification code. AmTrust will debit the premium from the customers bank account.

We are excited to offer a Pay As You Owe workers comp option to our payroll customers, through AmTrust, says Annie Hambach, Director of Training and Development. When payroll and workers comp are integrated, business owners enjoy accurate premium calculations and easier budgeting, making smaller payments spread over the year.

To sign up for workers compensation coverage from AmTrust, Patriot customers can request a quote from AmTrust inside the software. Once a workers comp insurance policy has been established, Patriot will begin transmitting their payroll information to AmTrust.

Patriot Software, located in Canton, Ohio, provides award-winning online payroll and accounting software for small businesses. For information on all of Patriots products servicing the United States, contact Patriot Software, LLC at 877-968-7147, or visit www.patriotsoftware.com.
Nasa just spotted a planet that they didnt think could exist. The world, known as Wasp-18b, is wrapped in a stratosphere full of carbon monoxide and with no water at all. That suggests that it might have formed in an entirely different way from the gas giants we have known before.

The composition of Wasp-18b defies all expectations, said Kyle Sheppard of Nasas Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, lead author of the paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. We dont know of any other extra solar planet where carbon monoxide so completely dominates the upper atmosphere.

On Earth, the stratosphere keeps us safe from dangerous rays from the Sun. Ozone absorbs UV, which means that much of the otherwise harmful radiation is kept out and doesnt land on us. Other planets tend to have a different molecule like titanium oxide, which is used for a variety of different purposes on Earth.

Nasa scientists examined the surface of the planet by looking at the light that comes to us from it, which is found 325 lightyears away. From that light they can work out the spectral fingerprints of the makeup of the planet  looking out for signatures that could suggest the planet has water or other important molecules.

But they didnt find any water on the planet, even after repeated looks at it from the Hubble space telescope. The fingerprints they got back didnt match any of the materials they expected to see there  and challenge their current understanding of how planets can form.

The only consistent explanation for the data is an overabundance of carbon monoxide and very little water vapour in the atmosphere of WASP-18b, in addition to the presence of a stratosphere, said Nikku Madhusudhan a co-author of the study from the University of Cambridge. This rare combination of factors opens a new window into our understanding of physicochemical processes in exoplanetary atmospheres.

Scientists now hope that they can find out yet more about WASP-18b and other planets like it. If they can understand more about the make-up of the strange world, then it might change their understanding of how gas giants can form.

The Independent
Title: Lies of the Land  A Brief History of Political Dishonesty; Author: Adam Macqueen; Publisher: Atlantic Books: Pages: 352; Price: Rs 599

Oxymorons, or pairs of contradictory concepts  say, accurate estimate, virtual reality or even happily married  were a literary device for a satirical or poignant representation of human lifes paradoxes. Unfortunately, they seem to have become a regular feature of our present condition: be it affordable housing, business ethics, or political honesty. And the last happens to be particularly incongruous  and lethal.

For while most of these oxymoronic situations concern us on a personal basis, the consequences of less-than-truthful politicians, their manipulations, and their cover-ups can be much greater in scope, as this book on some celebrated cases of political dishonesty over the last six decades or so brings out.

For these leaders and their actions can  and did  wreck lives and economies, endanger security and peace, and create a grave trust-deficit between the rulers and the ruled, which can imperil democracy.

While most of us remember the intelligence that led to the second Iraq War, the Brexit campaign slogans, the promise of Rs 15 lakh in every Indians account, and so on till the phenomenon hit a entire new high with Donald Trump elected US President.

Those a little older will remember Bill Clintons travails and those older still will recall Watergate or the Profumo-Keeler scandal. And journalist-cum-author Adam Macqueen brings out many of them here in vivid colour and context, though his focus is limited to Britain and the US.

It is not that all politicians are liars, he says, holding that old joke, How do you know when a politician is lying? Answer: Their lips are moving is 90 per cent nonsense wrapped around a hard kernel of truth.

While there are many politicians who live upright lives and use their power for benefit of people, Macqueen, a long-time correspondent of the fortnightly British satirical and current affairs news magazine Private Eye, holds there are many reasons why we believe otherwise and think the worst of the class.

In a sparkling and incisive introduction on the reasons for political dishonesty, he puts some blame on the extraordinary polarisation of contemporary politics where the centre ground for independent positions has been largely abandoned and a campaign of extreme vilification launched.

And then there is a great political benefit  as sure as night follows day, the louder you shout about your opponents lies, the less obliged you feel to tell the truth yourself.

Macqueen, who starts with the story of how the news of Winston Churchills first stroke was concealed  with the connivance of leading press barons  and governance carried out in his name, breaks his accounts into nine parts, which include those dealing with sexual peccadilloes, financial scandals, political gambles  including Watergate  political spin, and broken or misleading assurances.

Though in giving the background, course and consequences of these cases of dishonesty and making an incisive summation, he is also frequently wittily caustic.

Dealing with the Clinton-Lewinsky case and the titillating Starr Commission report, Macqueen concludes that sex in the Oval Office sounds quite fun, but compared to other activities that have been conducted there over the years, its also pretty harmless.

Though about scandals, the book is also informative, especially on the genesis of the 1956 Suez Crisis, British politician Enoch Powells anti-immigrant River of Blood speech in 1968, what the Watergate issue showed about Richard Nixons psyche and politics  and how it has a certain resonance with the Oval Offices present incumbent  the Wests roller-coaster relationship with Libyas Gaddafi and how Tony Blair did not actually lie about Iraqs WMDs.

Brexit, as expected, gets an entire section to itself, but it also includes how anti-EU sentiment was stoked over the years, right from the case of the banana classification rules. Trump also figures in all his unbelievable behaviour.

But it is not only a book about politicians and how they got punished for their transgressions, and about the dawning of the post-truth era; Macqueen also provides some tips on how people can deal with the malaise.

Now, we need a companion volume on the cases elsewhere, particularly our own country.
Pakistani music artists Shafqat Amanat Ali and Salman Ahmad on Monday condoled the sudden demise of veteran actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor, remembering how he believed in peace and harmony among neighbours.

Shashi Kapoor  who earned the epithets of the charming man and the brave producer  died at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai at age 79 after a period of hospitalisation.

At a loss for words as veteran actor Shashi Kapoor passes away. Spent countless hours watching movies of this legendary and charming actor while growing up. Rest in peace, sir, Ali tweeted.

The younger brother of late Raj and Shammi Kapoor, who were both actors par excellence, Shashi Kapoor started his tryst with acting at the age of four, with plays directed and produced by his father Prithviraj Kapoor.

The Kapoor dynasty has a house in Peshawar, Pakistan. It was constructed between 1918 and 1922 by Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, the father of Prithviraj Kapoor, the first member of the family to enter the film industry. The Kapoors shifted to India after the 1947 partition.

Pakistani sufi rock band Junoons frontman Ahmad also posted: A very kind man and a great actor. I met Shashi Kapoor in Karachi on the set of the film Jinnah. He was co-starring with Christopher Lee. Shashi always believed in peace and harmony among neighbours. Free at last. (RIP)

Shashi Kapoor started acting in films as a child in the late 1940s. His best known performances as child artist were in Aag (1948) and Awaara (1951), where he played the younger version of the character played by his elder brother Raj.

He made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 film Dharmputra, and went on to appear in more than 150 Hindi films.

Shashi Kapoor, whose nuanced acts in memorable films like Deewar, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Trishul and Kabhi Kabhie captivated Hindi film buffs, was married to English theatre actress Jennifer Kendal. He had three children  Kunal, Karan and Sanjana Kapoor.

READ ALSO: Shashi Kapoor, the suave gentleman of the 80s: His hit films
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Santa is coming to visit good boys and girls this week when Florida East Coast (FEC) Railways eighth annual Christmas Train comes to town on Saturday, December 9th.

The FEC Christmas Train is run in coordination with the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation and travels from Jacksonville to Miami along FEC Railways 351-mile mainline track.

Along the way, Santa Claus will be spreading holiday cheer from the decorated, historic FEC passenger cars. US Marine Corps service members will be at each stop along the route to greet Santa and his FEC elves. Santa will de-board at each stop so children can tell him what theyd like for Christmas. It is a beloved tradition among FEC employees, their families, customers, suppliers and the communities in which they serve.

"We are proud to be able to once again work alongside the Marine Corps and the Toys for Tots Foundation to contribute to those in need during the holiday season," said Jim Hertwig, FEC President and CEO.

"Since we started the program seven years ago, we have donated close to 300,000 toys for distribution throughout the community, and it only continues to grow, he continued.

The FEC Christmas Train is a 501c3, so anyone who would like to make a donation to the organization can receive a tax deduction. All donations will go toward children and teens in need in the local community.

Santa and his merry train will make eight stops at the railroad crossings listed below for approximately 20 minutes, during which strict safety procedures will be in place for the security and enjoyment of everyone in attendance:

City RR Crossing Location Times (approximate) Jacksonville Mussel Acres Road  West 7:10 AM St. Augustine San Sebastian View  East 8:10 AM New Smyrna Beach Canal Street  East 10:05 AM Cocoa Dixon Boulevard  West 11:45 AM Fort Pierce Orange Avenue  West 1:30 PM West Palm Beach 36th Street  East 3:00 PM Fort Lauderdale SW 17th Street  West 4:25 PM Miami NE 87th Street  West 5:15 PM

About Florida East Coast Railway



The Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway is a 351-mile freight rail system located along the east coast of Florida. It is the exclusive rail provider for PortMiami, Port Everglades, and Port of Palm Beach. FEC Railway connects to the national railway system in Jacksonville, Fla., to move cargo originating or terminating there. Based in Jacksonville, Fla., FEC Railway provides end-to-end intermodal and carload solutions to customers who demand cost-effective and premium quality.
Condolences and tributes poured in for veteran actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor who died at a hospital here on Monday, with celebrities like his Siddhartha co-star Simi Garewal terming it the end of an era, while his Kalyug co-star Raj Babbar, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, filmmakers Karan Johar and Hansal Mehta paid tribute to the most charming actor ever who would forever remain in their memories.

Shashi Kapoor died at Kokilaben Hospital here at age 79 after a period of hospitalisation.

Heres what some of the Bollywood celebrities tweeted:

Simi Garewal: Am deeply saddened by the passing away of my co-star ShashiKapoor. The last of that generation of Kapoors gone. A gentleman and friend gone. An era gone.. All that remains are his filmsand precious memories. RIP Shashiji.

Raj Babbar: Deeply saddened by the demise of the legend Shashi Kapoorji. Shall always miss your charm and your greatness. You will live in our hearts for all times to come.

Hansal Mehta: RIP Shashi Kapoor. The charming man, the brave producer, the lovely actor and my neighbour is no more.

Aamir Khan: Shashi uncle was not only a great star and a passionate filmmaker but also a wonderful human being. His work has always given Indian audiences great joy. His consideration to Indian theater was huge, Prithvi theatre is the favourite venues for both performers and audience alike. His passing away is a sad day for all of us. My condolences to Sanjana, Kunal, Karan and everyone in the family. May his soul rest in peace.

Lata Mangeshkar: I am extremely sad about Shashi Kapoors demise. He was very nice human being. RIP.

Sanjay Dutt: His contribution to this industry will be remembered. May his soul rest in peace. Shashi Kapoor ji you will be missed always.

Karan Johar: RIP Shashi Kapoorthe most charming and enigmatic actor evera gentleman movie star! His legacy in film and theatre is exceptional. Thoughts and prayers with the family. His work will always live on.

Ajay Devgn: You wont be forgotten. Rest in peace #ShashiKapoor ji.

Ehsaan Noorani: RIP Shashi Kapoor. A gentleman and a visionary. Was lucky to have interacted with you during the shoot for Vijeytain our memories forever!

Ritesh Sidhwani: Sad to hear about the passing away of our most charismatic handsome and finest actor Shashi Kapoor. Sir you will always remain in our hearts.

Jaaved Jaaferi: One of my favourites passed away today. A handsome charming gentleman who entertained us for 40 plus years. His endearing smile will be embedded in my memories. RIP Shashi Kapoor

Arjun Rampal: So sad to hear the passing of the most charming Shashi Kapoorji, really saddened by this news. Pray for his soul to find peace. Thank him for the amazing memories he gave us all. Condolences to the Kapoor family.

Mohit Marwah: My favourite Shashi Kapoor rests in peace today. Will be remembered always.

Vivek Agnihotri: Artistes like Shashi Kapoor never die. As an actor you brought charm, as a producer you brought renaissance and as a visionary you founded Prithvi, an institution that will keep nurturing artistic talent. Your body of work will keep shining.

Renuka Shahane: Khilte hain gul yahan khilke bichhadne ko. Sad at the passing of the most charming, understated legend Shashi Kapoor sahab. Huge loss for our theatre and film industry. RIP Shashi sahab. They dont make them like you anymore.

Bipasha Basu: RIP Sir. You will be deeply missed by all. Shashi Kapoor.

Rahul Bose: Thank you for your body of work both as an actor and as a producer. Rest in peace, Sir.

READ ALSO: Shashi Kapoor, the suave gentleman of the 80s: His hit films
Hundreds of experts, including scientists and environmentalists, gathered here over building resilience to tackle climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region have evolved a consensus.

At a time when climate change is posing a serious threat to socio-economic aspects and environment in the region, this agreement holds the key to unlock policy and research-based intervention.

Resilience can only be built with good science and knowledge is the basis for resilience, Sir Partha Das Gupta of the University of Cambridge said during the deliberations at an international conference here.

More than 400 experts from 26 countries are attending the event.

Gupta said factoring multiple economic externalities was critical to build resilience. Integrated and inclusive measures should be the way forward. This includes factoring in all forms of capital  natural, social and religious.

Resilience could mean different things to different people. But regardless of these variations in understanding, learning from past disasters, designing local solutions and transferring knowledge would be necessary to enhance community resilience in any situation, said Rene Van Berkel of the UN Industrial Development Organisations.

Yanfen Wang of the Chinese Academy of Science said the focus should be on preparedness and not just recovery. This preparation means building capacities of government institutions and local civic bodies.

Hans Hurni of University of Bern, Switzerland, called for a plurality of ideas, perspectives and thoughts for building resilience to tackle climate change.

Our lives are increasingly integrated and this means policies and institutions cannot remain in silos, said Arjumand Nizami of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation.

Stefan Schneiderbauer of Eurac Research said: We have to act very soon. Actions on the ground, supported by policy, in the region at various levels is important to integrate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in sustainable development goals to save life and livelihood of vulnerable people in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.

Experts also spoke in one voice on the importance of protecting womens rights to own property, cultivating talent in the younger generation and collaboration with multiple agencies.

David Molden, Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, said: Only through this encompassing approach can resilience building be effective and durable.

The Hindu Kush Himalayan sources 10 major river systems in Asia that provide water, ecosystem services and livelihood to more than 210 million people. The region holds and distributes water for more than 1.3 billion people living in the downstream river basins.

Mountain communities in the region have a long history dealing with natural hazards like floods and landslides but climate change is increasing weather-related events, making these disasters more challenging to maintaining livelihood.

Ang Tshering Sherpa of Climate Alliance of Himalyan Communities said scientific research needed to be integrated with local and indigenous knowledge.

At a panel discussion, scientists said people living in the region faced an existential dilemma. Its glaciers were shrinking and the region was seeing increasing floods and droughts while springs and major sources of water were drying up.
In an interesting revelation, it has come to notice that before Partition, when the proposal to bifurcate undivided Punjab was being discussed, only two Muslim members were there in the then 170-member state Assembly.

These two members who favoured division of Punjab between Indian and Pakistan were part of the Muslim League (All India Muslim League), the political group that led the movement calling for a separate Muslim nation to be created at the time of the partition of India in 1947.

Even more, at that time there were four Christian members in the Punjab Assembly and all four of them voted for staying in Pakistan.

The above revelations are part of the records of undivided Punjab Assembly which were unavailable in India till now.

But following the initiative of the Punjab finance minister, Manpreet Singh Badal, 43 volumes of the Punjab Assembly Debates (13 February 1937 to 19 March 1947) were on Tuesday handed over to the Speaker of state Assembly, Rana KP Singh.

Badal said as only one copy of these debates were available with the Punjab Assembly in Pakistan, contacts in the neighbouring country were used to get a photocopy of these documents which give a peep into the happenings in the then state Assembly which debated bifurcation of Punjab.

From the contents of these debates, its clear that only two of 170-members in the then Punjab Assembly favored division of Punjab. The demand for division of India into two nations may have come from nawabs (Muslim rulers of princely states) in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, it was ultimately Punjab which got divided despite a majority against it. Punjab was divided, not India despite most Punjab leaders being against it , the minister said after handing over the copies of the documents to the Speaker.

The Speaker also said these records represent the emotions of the people which were under wraps These documents have enriched Punjab Assembly. It will be great help in understanding the leaders of undivided Punjab, Singh said.

These reports are in English as it was the only language used for recording the happenings in the Assembly, Badal further said.
A day after senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha was detained and released by Maharashtra police, Sinha said that he will continue to support Vidarbha farmers and their cause.

Sinha along with 250 farmers was detained on Monday by Akola police under Section 68 of Bombay Police Act, said Akola district Superintendent of Police Rakesh Kalasagar.

However, Sinha said that he will not budge till their demands were met.

The former finance minister and hundreds of farmers were agitating outside the Maharashtras Akola district collectors office, demanding better prices for crops and for cases to be filed against a few Bt cotton companies.

Sinha met the District Collector from Mumbai in the District office to discuss demands concerning farmers plight but did not receive a satisfactory answer from the authorities and decided to protest outside police headquarters, where they were detained, said media reports.

We are trying to convince Mr Sinha that the government is sensitive towards farmers issues. We have told him that if he wishes, he is free to leave, district collector Asit Kumar Pandey.

Contrarian views

The BJP leader in the past has questioned Modi-led BJP governments implementation of economic reforms. Sinha had criticised the implementation of Goods and Tax Services by the government saying that, GST could have been a Good and Simple Tax but the people in power made it a Bad and Complicated Tax. It is the governments duty to remove anomalies in GST implementation.

Earlier Sinha had said, Jaitely as the Finance Minister did not apply his brain when he prepared and implemented the GST. This is evident the way he has been tinkering it time and again. Even today some changes have been made. But any patchwork will not work. GST needs an overhaul.

Sinha had asked Modi to set up a high-level committee headed by economist Vijay Kelkar to study GST and suggest remedial measures.

Earlier, Sinha rubbished Modis claim that demonetisation and GST were successful, saying both exercises had actually failed.

Notebandi and GST failed as their objectives were not fulfilled. None of the black money has returned to the banks after Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes were scrapped in November last year, Sinha had said.

Sinha had also said that he would have opposed it tooth and nail had he been the Finance Minister.

Sinha has also voiced opinions on the party policies of polarising voters on issues like the Ram temple or Article 370 of the Constitution will not work on a country-wide basis.

(With agency inputs)
A day before the 25th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, the Supreme Court is likely to begin final hearing in the Ayodhya dispute from Tuesday, officials said.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will be hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Hourt, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had said the land be partitioned equally among three parties  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

A sect of Muslims, under the banner of Shia Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, had earlier approached the court offering a solution that a mosque could be built in a Muslim-dominated area at a reasonable distance from the disputed site in Ayodhya.

However, its intervention was opposed by the All India Sunni Waqf Board which had claimed that judicial adjudication between the two sects had already been done in 1946 by declaring the mosque, which was demolished on 6 December, 1992, as one which belongs to the Sunnis.

Recently a group of civil rights activists also moved the apex court seeking intervention in the Ayodhya dispute and urged it to consider the issue saying it is not just a dispute over property but has several other aspects which would have far-reaching effects on the secular fabric of the country.
For all the contrived drama ~ 89 nomination papers bearing a single name, seeking the blessings of party elders, insistence on due process etc ~ Rahul Gandhis impending shedding of his vice is really not news. The election, selection or nomination of the sixth member of the clan to head the Congress party was a mere formality for he had been deemed the crown prince these past few years. Nor does the dynasty factor have too much traction, it is standard practice: the Scindia family has a foot in each camp, in Odisha the torch passed from father to son, in UP there was some turbulence when Akhilesh replaced Mulayam Singh, the process is underway with Lalus tribe in Bihar. The short point being that inner-party democracy is not a strong point in Indian politics. Even the election of the BJP president is by pre-arranged consensus ~ as per Nagpurs diktat the critics would point out.

In normal course the choice of a party president is an in-house affair, what makes Rahuls rather different is the reaction from across the BJP board with Mr Narendra Modi leading the charge. If Rahul was as inconsequential a push-over as the BJP projects, why such a shindy over his elevation? The BJPs tirade adds weight to the theory that Rahuls electioneering and apparent popularity in Gujarat has rattled the saffron party: and even if he does not win Gandhinagar he is galvanising the Congress to make a fight of it in 2019 when the practice of governance by sloganeering will be up for public audit. The depths to which some BJP leaders have sunk to slam Rahul and the family does betray an inferiority complex.

Now that he has accepted the baton from mummy, Rahul will have a lot to prove. Shedding the image of a reluctant politician is one task, displaying the maturity expected of a national leader will require abandoning some puerile practices, and leading the fight from the front benches of the Lok Sabha would be among other expectations. There is also speculation over who will comprise his core team, will sycophantic loyalists be eased out? And what about chipping away at the image (no doubt magnified by the BJP) that the Congress is overly slanted toward the minorities ~ he seems to have begun addressing that problem in Gujarat.

The track record, alas for Rahul, is far from encouraging. He will have to work harder to revive the once-formidable Congress organisation. And allow leaders to grow in the states and the Centre. All this is a tall order for a person born with the proverbial silver spoon in the mouth. Yet inheritance can be an asset ~ Rahul came in for much praise in the party on Monday, will he step up to the plate?
The Akali Dal is threatening to severe its alliance with the BJP unless the decision to rename Delhis Dyal Singh College as Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya is reversed.

The decision to change the name of this well known college was taken a few weeks ago by the college governing body headed by BJP man Amitabh Sinha. The Akalis have been on the warpath ever since because they see the renaming as an insult to the Sikh community and an attempt to obliterate the legacy of one of its most prominent philanthropists, Dyal Singh Majithia.

Not only has the Akali Dal formally protested, objections have come from the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee as well as the Delhi SGPC. It looks like the BJP has stirred up a hornets nest and has a serious problem on its hands.

Akali sources said Sikhs will take to the streets in protest demonstrations unless the decision is reversed. They point out that even the Pakistan government has retained the name of the original Dyal Singh College in Lahore instead of being driven by religious fundamentalist sentiment.

The Akalis believe that Sinha came up with the idea of changing the college name to Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya in a bid to curry favour with the RSS. What he ignored was the strong sentiments of the Sikh community. Dyal Singh Majithia was a foremost Punjabi philanthropist who set up not only the college but Punjab National Bank, The Tribune newspaper and a chain of leading schools in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.

Interestingly, although the decision has been taken, the name has not been changed formally. Is the BJP having second thoughts?

Hindutva face

UPs saffron-robed chief minister Yogi Adityanath is in demand not only among Hindus in India but also in Mauritius. While it is well known that Adityanath flew to Mauritius early last month to attend the regional Pravasi Diwas function in that country as chief guest, not many know that he went on a special request from the Mauritian government.

It seems that the Mauritian authorities specifically requested the Indian government to send Adityanath on popular demand from the Indian community in the island state.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj was supposed to be the chief guest at the function. But she graciously stepped aside for the UP CM and sent him a special invitation to fly to Mauritius.

Increasingly, Adityanath is being sent around all over as a Hindutva emissary. In recent weeks, he has toured Kerala and Gujarat as well as Mauritius. At least, it keeps him busy and away from UP where the BJPs graph seems to be falling because of poor governance. The UP civic polls should serve as a wake-up call for the BJP which has performed below expectations after a thumping victory in the assembly elections earlier this year.

CM on the mat

When Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was summoned to Gujarat recently by BJP chief Amit Shah, it was assumed that he was being invited to campaign in the ongoing state polls.

According to BJP circles, the real reason was something completely different. He had been summoned to answer searching questions on the media investigation into the death of special CBI court judge Justice Brijmohan Loya who was hearing the Sohrabuddin encounter case.

The judge had passed strictures against Amit Shah during the hearing. The magazine investigation into his death raised questions about the manner of his demise which suggested foul play.

Shah, say BJP sources, was upset that Fadnavis seemed unaware that the journalist who wrote the story was traipsing around Nagpur where the judge died, asking uncomfortable questions.

The Modi-Shah duo never let anything escape their attention and they expect their chief ministers to be well informed about all happenings in their state. Obviously, Fadnavis lacks the kind of intelligence network that the Modi-Shah duo demand.

This was Shahs grievance. Why didnt Fadnavis know what was happening under his nose? Not only is he CM of Maharashtra, Nagpur happens to be his home turf.

BJP circles say that Fadnavis was pulled up by Shah for not being a more hands-on CM. They say the BJP boss felt Fadnavis should have given him a heads up that a media investigation was on into Justice Loyas death.

The story generated an unwelcome controversy for the BJP in the middle of a tough election campaign in Gujarat.

Gujarat challenge

Local leaders of the BJP in Gujarat are upset at the manner in which party persons from other states, particularly Delhi, are being promoted in the ongoing campaign.

It seems that local leaders have been debarred from using the swanky new party office constructed in Gandhinagar. It is called Shree Kamalam and is fitted with state of the art gizmos and gadgets.

Shree Kamalam has been reserved for BJP leaders from other states. The local leadership has been virtually banished to one corner of Ahmedabad where a media centre has been set up. All media persons who want to meet state BJP workers have to travel there to get the local flavor and opinion.

BJP circles say that one of the reasons for the below expectation attendance at Modis first rallies in Gujarat this week was the disgruntlement of the local leadership. They simply didnt put in the effort to bring crowds to Modis rallies.

Amit Shah blew a fuse and pulled up local leaders for their lack of enthusiasm. His anger had a salutary effect because Modis subsequent rallies have been better attended.

The question now worrying the top leadership is whether local workers will show the drive and energy required to bring voters to the polling booths on voting day. This is Amit Shahs big challenge.
It is a telling comment on the contradictions of our development experience that in some of the most developed countries as well as developing countries recording the highest levels of economic growth, very high levels of depression have been recorded and particularly among adolescents and youth. It is often said by adults that most of their efforts at economic betterment are aimed at improving prospects of their children but if adolescents and youth are leading an increasingly depressed, insecure or uncertain life then questions need to be raised about where society is headed. According to a recent issue of the Economist, the number of American children and teenagers admitted to childrens hospitals for reporting suicidal thoughts has more than doubled over the last decade. The suicide rate in the 15-19 years age group increased by 31 per cent for boys and more than doubled for girls between 2007 and 2015. Suicide has become the second leading cause of death amongst college youth in USA.

According to the national survey on drug use and health in the USA, in 2015 an estimated 3 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 (12.5 per cent of the age group) had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. Californias biggest school district, Los Angeles Unified tallied 255 incidents of suicide openness, self-harm and suicide attempts between 2010 and 2011, but in 2014 this jumped to 5,000. More than 30, 000 students reported prolonged feelings of hopelessness and sadness. 9.1 per cent of middle students and 8.4 per cent of high school students in the district actually attempted suicide.

The American College Health Association surveyed 100,000 college students at 53 American campuses and found that 84 per cent of them feel unable to cope, 79 per cent are exhausted, 60 per cent feel very sad and more than half are experiencing overwhelming anxiety.

Another significant aspect of these trends is that girls are becoming much more vulnerable to depression compared to boys. According to the department of health and human services, the rate for depression among girls was more than double that of boys (19.5 per cent of girls, 5.8 per cent of boys).

In the context of UK, the Independent reported (27 February 2016) that rates of depression and anxiety among teenagers had increased by 70 per cent in the past 25 years. The number of children and young people turning up at hospitals with a psychiatric condition has more than doubled since 2009 and in the past three years, hospital admissions for teenagers with eating disorders have also almost doubled. In a 2016 study 93 per cent of teachers reported seeing increased rates of mental illness among children and teenagers, and 90 per cent said the issues were getting more serious.

A study titled Mental Health among Youth in Sweden by Mona Sommer (Nordic Center for Welfare and Social Issues) has compiled a lot of available data. The number of girls (15-19 years) who were treated in hospitals for depression increased eight times within 25 years. In a study of over a thousand Swedish young people in school years 7 and 8, 21 per cent of girls and 16 per cent of boys reported that they had harmed themselves more than five times in the past six months. Between 1991 and 2014 the sales of anti- depressants in Sweden increased by 13690 per cent for girls aged 15 to 19, while that for boys increased by 6710 per cent.

Very worrying depression rates have also been reported from several developing countries. On 6 April 2017, the WHO released a report titled Mental Health Status of Adolescents in South East Asia- Evidence for Action. This report covers 10 countries in the region including India. Adolescents in this report are defined as children and youth included in the 10-19 age groups. These constitute 18.8 per cent of the population of these 10 countries, and number 362 million. Those in the 13-17 age group number 181 million, comprising about 9.4 per cent of the population.

In these 10 countries, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the 15-19 age group. The suicide rate per 100,000 population in this age-group varies from 3.6 in Indonesia to 25.8 in Nepal and 35.5 in India (the highest amongst the 10 countries). The percentage of adolescents that reported attempted suicides at least once in the past year ranged from 3.9 per cent in Indonesia to 13.3 per cent in Thailand, while the average for all countries was 6.4 per cent. The percentage of students who reported feeling lonely most of the times or always in the past 12 months was 8.4. Alcohol use at this tender age was as high as 23 per cent in Thailand and Bhutan.

In this study overall depression rate was found to be very high for India. Even though the data for India in this report covers only a section of students for whom details were available, nevertheless it indicates disturbing trends. As many as 25 per cent of students were found to be suffering from depression as defined in the study. Eight per cent suffered from anxiety and 10 per cent said that they have no close friends.

As evidence about the seriousness of youth depression has accumulated from all over the world, several studies have tried to identify causes and possible remedial actions. However, several of these studies tend to focus on only one or two of the more obvious aspects of a many sided and deeply rooted problem.

A number of studies have highlighted aspects related to social media. While some studies mentioned overuse of social media, others quote stressed teenagers as saying that it is a strain to be always available for social media. A very large number of adolescents complain about bullying on social media and receiving insulting as well as intimidating messages. In this context a study by Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University is often mentioned.

Using data collected between 2010 and 2015 for more than 500, 000 adolescents in the USA, this study found that adolescents who spent three hours or more a day on smart phones or other electronic devices were 34 per cent more likely to suffer at least one suicide-related outcome, including feeling hopeless or seriously considering suicide compared to adolescents who use such devices two hours a day or less. Among adolescents who use electronic devices five or more hours a day, 48 per cent had at least one suicide-related outcome.

Other studies have quoted teenagers who said that their school or college studies and extracurricular activities imposed a lot of burden on them. Their perception of the exaggerated ambitions of their parents as well as their own ambitions influenced by competitive environs often raised education-related stress to levels with which they could not cope. Students took up courses on the basis of ambition rather than genuine interest and youths took up jobs on this basis so that at a tender age work became a cause of stress, not joy.

Another factor cited is the significant erosion of the family support system which affects many adolescents and youth. In many families, both parents may have very busy work schedules. On the one hand, they may not have the quality time needed by their children while on the other, the inclination and ability of parents to handle complex stresses of the youth are open to question. Hence the bond of trust which gives adolescents the confidence to share their stresses does not develop. Adolescents of present generation feel lonelier than their predecessors.

Early initiation of sexual activities before physical and emotional maturity has been reached has also been mentioned in some studies as a factor behind this problem. This has been found to have particularly strong impact on girls.

These various factors have been emphasised in different studies which have recommended remedial action based on their identification of a particular factor. In addition, increasing access to mental health services for adolescents is emphasised time and again not only in the context of developing countries but even in those developed countries where access is amongst the highest in the world.

While all these recommendations have their importance in specific contexts these by themselves cannot provide the way out of the existing gloom. Looking in isolation at one or two factors may lead to missing the wood for the trees. The real solutions can emerge only if the problem as well as solutions are related to a much wider context.

The wider social context has to be seen at two levels. On the one hand, as explained above, a lot of avoidable pressures have built up very rapidly. On the other hand, societys base of an ethics-based value system has been allowed to erode rapidly. It was this ethical value system which provided stability and guidance to choose between right and wrong, an ability which could be passed from parents to children and from teachers to students.

In the changed circumstances many adults feel that they do not have the moral capacity to fulfill the role of mentor and guide while the young themselves suffer from the absence of value-based guidance at a time they need this most. The great vacuum created by erosion of ethical value systems sometimes gets hidden behind the glitter of attractive-looking technological changes, but the reality is that the collapse of the value system creates such serious problems that no technological change can solve.

So remedial action is needed at two levels. Firstly, needless and avoidable pressures should be re-examined so that what is not necessary but at the same time is harmful can be discarded. Secondly, the greatest attention should be given to creating a strong, ethics-based value system in our society. This involves basic changes in the social system.

The writers are freelance journalists with a special interest in social and development issues.
It appears that educational institutions in India have been plagued by the perquisites of the Nehruvian state that guaranteed an endless flow of taxpayers money without any accountability in terms of quality of teaching and research. But the yardstick of efficiency, productivity and utilisation of resources, the mushroom expansion of the education system has broken down completely . Insensitive to the changing context of contemporary life and unresponsive to the changes of today and tomorrow, higher education may be referred to as an immobile colossus. It is so absorbed in trying to preserve its structural form that it does now have the time to consider its own larger objectives.

Further, due to the absence of a single machinery to look after the planning of higher education and centre-state relations on the basis of cooperative federalism in higher education, there is no viable alternative. A vicious cycle of mediocrity has come to prevail which puts the entire education system beyond redemption.

It may be politically expedient to increase the number of colleges and universities in order to make them accessible to all. This expansion would not have marred education had it been accompanied by sincere measures of consolidation and standardisation, as also by a perspective plan of linking universities with production units for ensuring growth targets.

When the Centre unveiled its New Education Policy, beneficiaries of higher education were sceptical about the prospect of privatisation. However, the subject remained a debating topic until cuts in government grants began to take effect.

Many states started encouraging privatisation of higher learning, particularly professional education, and several universities were inclined to generate funds through distance education. vocational courses. Higher fees were introduced for these centres and the hitherto astonishingly low fees for general education were also increased. But it was observed that such

initiatives were actually cosmetic attempts to cope with reality, indeed the fact that the

system itself had become dysfunctional.

Students of the higher education centres form a rather privileged group on whom the state spends a lot and expects a suitable return. Opening the doors of higher education to students who are not serious, while the masses remain illiterate, is a luxury the state can ill afford. The only justification for state funding of higher education can be the promotion of excellence in societys pursuit of knowledge. Enough facilities are available for those who want to make it to the higher levels of learning.

Correspondence courses, open universities and online learning show the way.

More often than not, higher education delays the days of fruitful endeavour for the average learner. Like Eliza Doolittle in Bernard Shaws Pygmalion, who was transformed from a self-sufficient flower girl to a useless society lady, these young men actually become less self-reliant as a result of their wasteful study. Also, the unwarranted expansion bestows a false sense of righteousness on the political, bureaucratic and educational leadership, preventing them from shouldering the responsibility of discharging their duty.

There is a popular misconception that students are the beneficiaries of higher education. A nation like ours, which stipulates no higher education for its President, for its ministers, and for its chief of industry, is able to get all the clerks it needs without waiting for them to be graduates and postgraduates. Considering that there is so little available for elementary education, is it fair to demand subsidised higher education even if there is no economic or professional need for it?

Because of the unplanned growth of higher education, there is a shortage of qualified people in certain disciplines particularly in the frontier areas of knowledge and technology. The system is thus unable to fulfil its primary objective of providing manpower to a knowledge-intensive economy. The Kothari Commission pointed out that the average standard of higher education has been falling and that rapid expansion has resulted in the lowering of quality. If the CAG reports are any indication, there is little doubt that the major problem of our university education system is its unplanned growth. The shameful performance of our postgraduates in NET etc raises questions about the credibility of degrees awarded by our highest institutions of learning.

Restructuring the University Grants Commission, autonomy for major institutes, emphasis on outcome-based learning, and formation of a national testing agency might be radical steps towards enhancing quality without putting a sizeable burden on the government exchequer. While about 6 per cent of the GDP is allocated to the education sector almost on a regular basis to lend an impetus to quality education, a revised system of fund allocation would be welcome to improve Indias prospects as a nation that is keen on building its human capital. With an eye on world-class infrastructure, some premier institutes could have been supported in addition to the previous allocations.

Higher education suffers from a massive faculty crunch, and it is certain that hiring quality teachers for world class universities will prove a challenge before the HRD ministry. It is encouraging to aim at excellence, but unlike the proliferation of business schools, a world class institute cannot be established in haste. A high-level committee of the HRD ministry has criticised the chaotic expansion in higher education and has suggested the formation of a single apex body instead of other regulatory bodies like UGC, AICTE and MCI. It has also recommended that the government should interfere less in academic and administrative matters.

Unfortunately, the Centre is yet to venture in the right direction. The government must wake up to the failure of its Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and midday meal schemes and learn from its mistakes prior to venturing towards upgradation of world class universities. Envisaging world class universities without aproper vision would be delusory; it is like asking for the moon. Let us hope that the most ennobling legacy that our Prime Minister can bequeath to the country is pursuit of excellence in higher education, lest we should forget that Modis vibrant Gujarat had registered a consistent decline in most of the learning indicators a decade ago, often falling below the national average in both literacy and numbers.

The writer is former Associate Professor, Dept. of English, Gurudas College, Kolkata
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets his EU and NATO counterparts in Brussels today to shore up ties, with allies insisting he still plays a key role despite doubts over his future.

Tillerson will hold talks over lunch with European Union foreign ministers and the blocs diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, before a two-day NATO meeting set to focus on North Koreas missile programme and concerns over perceived hostility from Russia.

But his visit comes against a difficult backdrop  a rift with President Donald Trump has led to reports he could be replaced within weeks, calling into question his authority to speak for Washington.

And there are major differences between Washington and Europe on a number of key policy areas, notably the Iran nuclear deal which Trump has vehemently condemned but which Brussels is desperate to preserve.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday it was vital international powers worked together to tackle the North Korean crisis, after Pyongyang tested a long-range missile it said could hit anywhere in the continental United States.

Last weeks launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile showed that all allied nations could be within range, Stoltenberg said yesterday.

The whole world needs to apply maximum pressure on North Korea in order to achieve a peacefully negotiated solution.

He said the 29-member alliance had been clear and consistent in its condemnation of Pyongyangs weapons programme, which has seen the reclusive state carry out a series of ballistic missile and nuclear tests in defiance of international sanctions.

The EU has been ramping up economic sanctions on the North in a bid to force it to the negotiating table  but with no success so far.

But if the US and EU can present a unified front on North Korea, the deal with Iran to end the Islamic republics nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions is more problematic.

Trump has slammed the historic 2015 accord, agreed after years of painstaking talks between Iran and the United States, Britain, France, China, Germany and Russia, as a bad deal and threatened to pull America out.

European powers are keen to maintain the deal and Mogherini last month travelled to Washington to lobby US lawmakers not to withdraw from the agreement.

Preserving the nuclear deal with Iran and its full implementation is a key security priority for Europe, Mogherini said on Friday.

Tillersons Brussels visit comes at the start of a European tour taking in Paris and Vienna for the 57-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Anonymous White House leaks have suggested Tillerson could be out of a job within weeks and even while denying this on Friday, President Donald Trump reminded him: I call the final shots.

Yesterday Stoltenberg gave his backing to Tillersons efforts in tackling the North Korean crisis  an issue where Trump has publicly criticised his top diplomat, saying he was wasting his time pursuing contacts with Pyongyang.

Secretary Tillerson has played a key role, both in sending the message of deterrence, the unity and the resolve of the whole alliance, but also when it comes to the need for continuing to work for a peaceful solution, Stoltenberg said.

Tillerson has dismissed as laughable reports that Trumps closest aides want him to resign, but rumours will inevitably dog him when he sits down with his European peers.
A senior United Nations envoy arrived at Beijings airport today on his way to North Korea for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyangs intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

The unusual trip by Jeffrey Feltman, which runs to Friday, comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

AFP journalists saw Feltman arrive in a UN-flagged car at the Chinese capitals international airport in the morning.

North Koreas Air Koryo airline has a 0455 GMT flight to Pyongyang today.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise  manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an all-out provocation.

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seouls air force said.

Feltman arrived in China yesterday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

China is Pyongyangs sole major diplomatic and military ally, and its main trade partner.

Once in the North, Feltman will discuss issues of mutual interest and concern with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether Feltman will meet with the reclusive states leader Kim Jong-Un.

It will be Feltmans first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago, and the first by a UN under- secretary-general in more than seven years.

The UN envoy is also planning to see foreign diplomats and UN workers in the North on humanitarian missions, Dujarric said.

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula five days ago when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earths atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target  key technological hurdles for Pyongyang.

A Cathay Pacific crew spotted what was suspected to be the re-entry of the missile as they flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong, the airline said.

In a separate message to staff, Cathay general manager Mark Hoey said the crew described seeing the missile blow up and fall apart, The South China Morning Post reported.

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility.

US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit- for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him Little Rocket Man and a sick puppy.

North Korean state media has hit back with a flurry of its own colourful insults, calling Trump a dotard, a frightened dog and a gangster.

Over the weekend, Pyongyang countered that Washington was begging for nuclear war as the North blasted the joint US- South Korean drills.

As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this years war games involve simulated precision attacks on the Norths military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources.

As tensions surged, US Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential Republican and foreign policy hawk, warned that the US was moving closer to preemptive war if the North continued its nuclear tests.

His remarks echoed those of Trumps National Security Adviser HR McMaster, who told a security forum on Saturday that the potential for war with the North is increasing every day.

But some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital  only around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people.

Tokyos parliament yesterday slammed the Norths weapons programme as an imminent threat. Last weeks missile landed in Japans economic waters.

Chinas foreign ministry warned that the situation on the Korean peninsula remained highly sensitive and called on all sides to do more things to ease the tension and avoid provoking each other.

The North has boasted that the Hwasong 15 ICBM tested on Wednesday is capable of delivering a super-large nuclear warhead anywhere in the US mainland.

While analysts agree the latest test showed a big improvement in potential range, they say the North may not have yet mastered all the technology required to successfully hit the US with a nuclear warhead.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Cloudy with snow showers mainly during the morning. High 31F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 80%..

Tonight

Some clouds. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low around 20F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
The Centre asked a London court on Monday to extradite tycoon Vijay Mallya to face fraud charges of palming off losses from his failing Kingfisher Airlines onto a state-owned bank.

Mallya denies any wrongdoing, and a court document showed his lawyers planned to argue that the case against him was politically motivated and aimed at quelling public anger in India over the accumulation of bad debts by state lenders.

Mallya, 61, has had business interests ranging from aviation to liquor. He is also the co-owner of the Formula One motor racing team Force India.

Long-haired and bearded, Mallya arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court wearing a dark blue pin-striped suit and gold-rimmed dark glasses.

He was mobbed by a large crowd of Indian reporters on arrival, and again later when the building was briefly evacuated because of a fire alarm and he had to step outside.

The case against Mallya centres on a series of loans Kingfisher obtained from Indian banks, and in particular from state-owned IDBI. Indian banks want to recover a total of about $1.4 billion that the Indian authorities say Kingfisher owes.

Mark Summers, a British lawyer acting for India, told the court at the start of a two-week extradition hearing that it was entitled to conclude that he never intended to repay money borrowed by Kingfisher from IDBI in 2009.

His company was in intensive care... it was heading in only one direction, Summers said. As it went down, it was going to sustain huge losses.

Summers said Mallya faced a choice: to take those losses on himself and his lavish lifestyle, or to palm them off.

The cost of failure could either be borne honestly by the defendant or they could be passed on banks, in particular a state-owned bank, he said.

Summers said the airline had offered the security of its brand name, a further large injection of equity and a commitment to start repaying the capital debt in 2011 when it forecast it would become profitable.

But Summers said these were deliberately misleading or overstated. The loans had been taken out under false pretensions which were supported by valueless securities, he told the court and were then not spent how the bank had been told.

Part was used to clear money owed to other banks, to service a corporate jet used by Mallya, his family and friends, and for cash for Mallya himself, Summers said.

Some was also spent freeing up credit for Kingfisher at another bank. Ultimately that money ended up in the defendants motor racing team, Summers told the court.

Despite giving IDBI personal guarantees for the loans, the lawyer said Mallya had been squirrelling money away to keep it from the bank including 40 million dollars he received as part of a deal agreed with Diageo Plc.

Mallyas defence team were due to respond orally later in the hearing.

His lawyers argued that the extradition request should be rejected because of a lack of evidence, the abusive origins of the case, the impossibility of a fair trial in India and detention conditions there being incompatible with British human rights laws.

It is a case which has been driven in India not by evidential enquiry, but by a populist and misguided sentiment that the sheer size of the losses involved in the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd (KFA) must be indicative of some criminality somewhere, the document said.

That sentiment has been stoked in India by politicians of every stripe, all of whom stand only to gain from the demonisation of KFAs former senior executives, the bankers who lent to it, andcruciallythe man who is now presented as the embodiment of all the ills of capitalism in contemporary India, Dr Mallya.

The judge will have to decide whether there is a prima facie case against Mallya and whether the alleged crimes would be offences in Britain as well as India.

The judge, Englands Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot, will have to decide whether there is a prima facie case against Mallya and whether the alleged crimes would be offences in Britain as well as India.

The hearing is due to conclude next week.

Reuters
Placements at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore has began on a healthy note. The summer placements at the premier management school witnessed enhanced participation and higher recruitment by both regular as well as new recruiters across sectors, according to its spokesperson.

The placements for the 2017-19 batch of the two-year Post Graduate Programme (PGP) at the institute held between October 29 and November 1. All the 401 eligible PGP students were recruited by more than 130 companies within the three recruitment slots, including for roles like strategy consulting, analytics, investment banking, capital markets, corporate finance, commercial banking, sales and marketing, business leadership, product management, operations, category management, IT consulting and general management.

There were 90 offers made in the domain of strategy consulting, 21 in business analytics, 27 in investments and capital markets domain, 38 leadership track or general management track offers, 51 offers in marketing and sales, and 54 in e-commerce and technology field. The slight downturn that we had observed in the final placements of the batch of 2017, just eight months ago, has been corrected by a major resurge in hiring interest across all sectors for the IIMB summer placements, said Ganesh Prabhu, chairperson, career development services, IIM Bangalore.

Offers came from across a spectrum of firms including, Accenture Strategy, A.T. Kearney, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company Analytics, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Citibank, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, the Reserve Bank of India, the Aditya Birla Group, Vedanta, Mahindra & Mahindra.

On the other hand, Bengaluru-based Jain University is not seeing much mass hiring in its Bachelors of Technology course. Only services companies such as Capgemini, SLK Software and HashedIn Technologies visited the campus for hiring. The number of companies hiring have increased which is helping us in placing students. Companies are focusing now for skill-based hiring, i.e., earlier any student could apply but now only students who have done extra professional courses are eligible to apply. Since the companies want to hire the right candidate they have shifted full-time hiring strategy towards internship hiring. First, the student has to work in a company for three to six months and based on their performance he/she gets a pre-placement offer, said Vishal Arora, chief managercorporate relations, student career advisory and placement support team, Jain University and Jain College, Bengaluru.

Barring the IITs and IIMs, the other tier II and tier III colleges may have a tough placement season this year. Not many companies are willing to come to the campuses of tier II and tier III colleges. A few engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu are on the verge of shutting down their IT and Computer Science departments due to low demand. The golden era of IT services hiring is gone and even in the manufacturing segment many mechanical engineers, even from the IITs will find it tough to get a job. Even if they land in a campus placement the offer salary is expected to be in the range of Rs 5-6 lakhs for a beginner in manufacturing firms, said Kris Lakshmikanth, founder of recruitment firm Head Hunters India Limited.

In case of commerce and management segment, though many previous recruiting companies have made a come back their hiring numbers have, however, reduced. The IT and ITES companies are shying away to come to our campus as they are yet to get their manpower hiring numbers and are seeing less attrition rates compared to previous years. We have seen that KPMG, Ernst and Young, State Street Generale, Northern Trust, etc have hired good number of management students from our university. We have also observed an increase of about 20-30 per cent in the CTC being offered when compared to the previous year. However, they have been very choosy about whom to hire. They want only the right fit and for this they are compulsorily asking students to take online test and a psychometric test, added Arora.
News about people being caught while trying to smuggle gold items at different international airports across the country is very common these days. In fact, some reports suggest that gold smuggling shot up by nearly 250 per cent in the last six months. The smugglers figure out innovative ways of smuggling the yellow metal every single time, to evade the import duty on gold. What makes gold smuggling attractive is the lower price of gold abroad, especially in the Middle East. If import duty on gold is reduced by the government, it will make gold import cheaper and will also help in keeping a check on the rising gold prices in the country. These observations were made by O. Asher, Managing Director-India Operation of Malabar Gold and Diamonds, one of the largest gold and diamond retailer in the country.

Interestingly, as per market and media reports India's gold imports may exceed 700 tonnes in this financial year, while exports can reach upto $43 billion in the same period. India which is the world's second largest jewellery market in the world after China may see a reduction in the cases of gold smuggling. We are trying to urge the government to bring down the import duty on gold so that it would lead to a reduction of gold smuggling. I feel that the government is seriously considering a reduction in the import duty on gold, Asher told THE WEEK.

As per the World Gold Council (WGC), India's gold demand had declined by 24 per cent in the July-September quarter due to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Anti-Money Laundering legislation (AML) on jewellery retail transactions. In order to boost the demand for gold, Indian jewellers are demanding a reduction of import duty on gold imports from the current 10 per cent to say 4-5 per cent.

Whenever there is a new measure brought in by the government they are bound to face initial glitches. Once they are resolved, the whole system becomes streamlined. When demonetisation was announced we had seen some challenging times because people were not having cash to buy gold. Now all that has changed. Things are back on track and there has been a healthy demand. Recently, I was in Malaysia and they have GST system that is doing very well in that country. I feel it will do well in India too. Gold is like an international currency and one of the best investment options where a consumer can invest. I feel that gold is something that is very close to Indian tradition and will always remain in demand no matter what comes, be it demonetisation or GST, added Asher.

Meanwhile, the government is also trying to make all the gold products that are sold in India under the Hallmark regulations from January 2018. We strongly believe in such a move as it will raise the quality of gold items sold across India. Though there are many unorganised players in the country it will become mandatory for them to sell only Hallmark gold items. We have been following it since the early 2000 and all the items across our stores are Hallmark items, remarked Asher.

Malabar Gold and Diamonds, which started its business in 1993, is aggressively trying to woo its customers by different offers. Recently, in Bengaluru it handed over 5 kilograms of gold to Jackulin Carolin, a homemaker from Mangalore, who had won a lucky draw. The gold was presented by Bollywood actress, Tamannaah Bhatia, who is also the brand Ambassador of the company.
December 21 is a big day for both the Dravidian majors in Tamil Nadu, where coincidences at times decide on the political happenings. It will be a crucial day for the DMK as a special CBI court in Delhi is expected to pronounce its verdict in one of the biggest scams in Indiathe 2G spectrum case.

The voters in RK Nagar will be at the polling booths to elect their new MLA when the verdict is pronounced around 10.30 am. Political observers feel that the judgement might alter the voting pattern given the fact that the corruption tag on the opposition party has still not vanished even after it lost three elections2011, 2014 and 2016.

The notorious spectrum allocation case involves DMK's former telecom minister A. Raja and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi. Both Raja and Kanimozhi are currently out on bail. Both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have filed two separate cases and the final arguments in the case were concluded on April 26 this year. The CBI in its charge sheet had claimed that Raja was biased in allocating 2G spectrum licences to the telecom companies, causing a loss of over Rs 36,000 crore to the exchequer.

Apart from this, the CBI had in its charge sheet traced the money trail to prove that the DMK received kickbacks for allocating air waves. It said that Rs 200 crore was transferred from DB group to Kalaignar TV, owned by the DMK, as kickbacks in turn for allocation of the spectrum air waves.

The ED had filed a separate case alleging money laundering and conspiracy among Raja, Kanimozhi, Kalaignar TV MD Sarath Reddy and Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal.

Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar arrives to file her nomination papers in Chennai | PTI

"I am not a judge. Let us wait for the judgement on December 21. I have faith in judiciary," said Raja. Kanimozhi, too, said she would wait till the judgment was out. The case was heard by special CBI court judge O.P. Saini and the verdict is all set to be pronounced on December 21, a crucial date which will see DMK's working president M.K. Stalin's organisational capacity as the party leader.

RK Nagar is considered the bastion of AIADMK and the party has won at least a dozen times from this constituency. In 2015, after being acquitted in a wealth case, Jayalalithaa chose to contest here as it would surely give her a big victory. However, in the 2016 elections, Jayalalithaa, despite being the most charismatic leader in the state, managed to win with a margin of only 39,500 votes.

In April this year, when the constituency went for bypolls after the death of Jayalalithaa, T.T.V. Dhinakaran was more confident of winning the constituency as the official faction of the AIADMK was with him. Madhusoodhanan, a leader from the Panneerselvam faction, who hails from the same constituency and had won from there twice, was trailing even in the campaign.

This time, Madhusoodhanan is the candidate of the united AIADMK and the party has also got its two-leaves symbol. The DMK has fielded Maruthu Ganesh, who had contested in April, too. However, there are at least 145 candidates in the fray including big names like Dhinakaran, Madhusoodhanan, Marudhu ganesh, actor Vishal and Jayalalithaa's nephew Deepa Jayakumar.

While Vishal's nomination has witnessed oppositions from within the film fraternity, Deepa has filed the nominations, say sources, just for the sake of it. Dhinakaran is unlikely to get back the hat symbol from the Election Commission. The symbol was allotted to him by the same ECI in April and had worked well for him then.

The contest, as of now, is between the two-leaves and and the rising sun. While the election heat is high in North Chennai, all eyes are on the CBI court and its expected judgement on 2G scam case.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday will commence the final hearings in the long-standing Ayodhya dispute.

The first hearing is set a day before the 25th anniversary of the demolition of medieval-era mosque, Babri Masjid.

According to reports, the top court will be hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The stakeholders in the case had moved the apex court after the Allahabad HC directed the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla to settle for a three-way division of the disputed site.

The Babri Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528.

The Hindus, however, claim that a Ram temple that originally stood there was demolished to construct the mosque. Citing this, Hindu zealots demolished the mosque on December 06, 1992, triggering communal riots in various parts of the country.

Meanwhile, today, a Delhi court will deliver its verdict in connection with the terrorist attack on the makeshift Ram Temple in Ayodhya in 2005.
Last year, on a visit to India, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had come down harshly on Pakistan for blocking transit of cargo from India to Afghanistan via the Wagah border. He'd said that when two nations decide to connect, they will find alternatives. If the land route is blocked, there is the air and sea.

Earlier this year, the first air cargo from Kabul arrived in New Delhi, carrying Afghan exports coveted in India, largely, asafoetida. A complementary return flight took a huge consignment of pharmaceuticals and other Indian exports to the Afghan markets.

The flights are operational, though there is not yet a set periodicity to them. But opening the air route was a message to Pakistan, and actually also to expansionist China, whose aggressive Belt Road Initiative is underway. Some weeks ago, India sent its first consignment of wheat for Afghanistan through the new Shhid Behesti Port, or the Chabahar port in Iran. Ghani's statement had been validated.

But while the air corridor was rustled up within months, with some hectic parleying on both sides, the Chabahar port was not an overnight creation. It has been in the making for several years, and has gone through its share of plans-in-the-cold-storage. The Chabahar port in Iran was first thought of sometime in the early 2000s, under the prime ministership of Atal Behari Vajpayee. The Chabahar agreement with Iran was a potential future link for India to the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and, of course, Afghanistan, which itself is a land-locked country and thus, portless.

The subsequent change of government in India, and then Iran getting into the back books of the US while India was forging a civil nuclear agreement with the US, put Chabahar on the slow track, and it was only in 2015 that the pace picked up again. There was a new geopolitical order in place. In May, an important trilateral treaty agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan put in place a vision for the expansion of the Chabahar port programme, a project in which India has invested heavily. On December 3, as the first phase of the port project was opened, there was also a second ministerial level meeting between the three countries to discuss the implementation of the Trilateral Agreement on Establishment of International Transport and Transit Corridor, where the ministers agreed that Chabahar was a hub for regional economic connectivity. They agreed that an integrated connectivity infrastructure, including ports, roads and rail networks would open up greater opportunities for regional market access and contribute towards the economic integration and benefit of the three countries and the region.''

At the time when Chabahar was first thought of, the Chinese BRI had not taken shape. But now that it has, and the controversial China Pakistan Economic Corridor (which Pakistan calls a game changer for its economy) is being worked on, Chabahar assumes even greater significance. Chabahar is around 70 kilometres away from Gwadar port in Pakistan, where the CPEC will terminate.

Chabahar region is Iran's only oceanic port, and it consists of two ports, Shahid Behesti and Shahid Kalantri. India and Iran both have aspirations of being regional players, and the port offers this opportunity. With the right railway and road connections, it can be an entry way to Europe through linages with the Trans Siberian Railway. It also provides several Central Asian countries trade routes through the North South Transport Corridor. Chabahar also provides India easy access to its air base in Tajikistan.

For India, connectivity with Afghansitan is of prime importance, given the hostile neighbour sandwiched in between. Chabahar is 800 km closer to Afghanistan that Karachi is. India's multi billion dollar investment plans for the project include developing the main port, as well as connectivity through the Chabahar Zahedan railway which could be extended to Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan and even Uzbekistan. There are even long term plans, on Iran's side, on a canal connecting the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf.
Today, individual freedom is under unprecedented attack. It has gone beyond what it was like during the Emergency. The most dangerous manifestation of such attacks is physical elimination or assassination. Gauri is a victim of such an assault. She paid with her life for speaking the truth. The killings of Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and now Gauri, is made to believe, was a coincidence. But no, there is a definite pattern to it, said Siddharth Varadarajan, founder-editor of The Wire, during the launch of Gauri Memorial Trust in Bengaluru on Monday.

Three months after journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh was gunned down by unidentified men near her house in Bengaluru, her friends launched a trust in her memory.

Dubbing the recent Padmavati controversy, Varadarajan noted that violent protests and the language of the fringe elements only go to show that it has the official sanction of those in power.

This is one of the many forms of pressure tactics to silence the voices. The gag orders of the courts on day-to-day reporting of the proceedings with reference to two casesCBI special court in Mumbai (Sohrabuddin fake encounter case) and Allahabad High Court in UP (against UP CM Yogi Adityanath) is again a classic case of curbing freedom of speech. Misuse of defamation law to clamp down media houses which I call slap suits and misuse of cyber laws to silence critics and free speech on social media, mob rule on academic campuses are all dangerous developments. However, the biggest threat to free speech is the self censorship by media which is on the rise. There is an atmosphere of fear and all people who believe in free speech should come together through this new trust, and also exploit the social media to break the embargo of silence, said Varadarajan.

Civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad questioned the silence of the majority over the killings of activists and 59 witnesses in Vyapam case and hoped that the Trust would fight brute majoritarianism. Karnataka's Datta Peeta is the Ayodhya of the south and as co-petitioner in the case (under Komu Souharda Vedike), I demand the Karnataka government to accept and implement the expert committee report on the Datta Peeta, as promised to the Supreme Court. The trust should fight the communal agenda, she said and questioned the wisdom of the Centre in batting for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya when the onion and potatoes have touched Rs 80 per kilo.

Decades of people's movement brought about MNREGA, RTI, Land Acquisition Act and Forests Act to help the poor and the marginalised. But all these have been rolled back by the far right government, alleged Setalvad, who also urged the gathering to support Jignesh Mevani, (who, Gauri considered as her son), in his electoral battle in Vadgam, Gujarat.

The 14-member Gauri Memorial Trust, comprising freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy, author Devanuru Mahadeva, Setalvad, Varadarajan, academician Rahmat Tarikere, activist K. Neela and former Naxalite Noor Shridhar, hopes to relaunch the tabloid Gauri Lankesh Patrike and form an organisation to foster ethical journalism and give voice to the marginalised sections of the society.

The tabloid will have no advertisements as it would compromise the editorial policy. This way we can continue the legacy of Lankesh (Gauri's father). It will be a collective responsibility of all the people who believe in equality and justice, said Gauri's friend Doddipalya Narasimhamurthy, adding that the Trust would also train journalists and institute awards for journalists.

Doreswamy, who will chair the trust, expressed anguish over the power money wields in today's world. We have to evolve a value-based society and shun money. Our newspaper believes in that transformation. To run an ethical newspaper, we need funds and if we get at least 5,000 subscribers to begin with, we can launch the publication within two months.

Expressing their outrage over the Karnataka government's failure to bring Gauri's killers to book, the members of the trust have called for a protest march to the chief minister's house on Tuesday.

Social activist A.K. Subbaiah said, Though we are clueless as to who killed Gauri, we know who celebrated her death. The BJP and Sangh Parivar, which are holding rallies to protest the killings of their workers, did not hold a rally demanding justice for Gauri. Most killings the Sangh Parivar is protesting against is of a rowdy killing a rowdy. I believe Gauri was killed by the same clan that killed Gandhi. But if the state government is maintaining silence on the issue, we must understand there is greater power protecting the culprits.
Two months after an international kidney racket was busted at Mumbai airport, the police are now in the process of tracking down three other donors who were made to travel all the way to Cairo in Egypt to sell their kidneys for around Rs 5 lakh.

So far, Sahar police officials have identified two donors who hail from Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. After recording their statements and making them undergo medical tests, a 2,000-page long chargesheet was recently filed before the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

Speaking to THE WEEK, Anil Kumbhare, deputy commissioner of police (Zone VIII) said the mastermind, Suresh Prajapati, who was running the kidney racket, was arrested in Ahmedabad, where he also runs Shiksha Consultancy, a visa and passport processing agency. He was using his agency as a cover to run this international kidney racket. In fact, he was also previously involved in a kidney racket in 2016 where 52 kidney transplants were conducted using the Hyderabad to Colombo route. He had been arrested and let out on bail only because the chargesheet was not filed on time. His accomplice also managed to get a bail and then they switched to the Mumbai to Cairo route and continued with the illegal kidney transplants, said Kumbhare.

Prajaptis accomplice Urchinthala Nizamuddin was arrested in Mumbai airport on September 2 after his regular visits to Egpyt raised questions among immigration officials. After being interrogated, Nizamuddin confessed that recipients were made to cough up anywhere between Rs 22 lakh to Rs 40 lakh for getting a donor and undergoing a kidney transplant in Cairos Nile Badrawi hospital. The five recipients who have been identified include a car dealer from Mumbai, a businessman from Kashmir and the daughter of the mayor from Phagwara city in Punjab.

The chargesheet includes five donors and five recipients. Initially, we had filed a case of human trafficking, but subsequently we found that they were illegally conducting kidney transplants following which the Human Organs Transplantation Act (HOTA) was added, said Kumbhare.

So far, we have been able to track down only two donors as most of them are labourer who have migrated to other places but are originally from villages in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and other south Indian states. We have got the medical evidence as well of these two donors. What these donors have in common is that they were victims as their poor socioeconomic background was used against them. The problem is now with the recipients as they are either in ICU or isolation. Once their condition is stable, we will also call them to JJ Hospital in Mumbai for their medical examination and for recording their statements, said Kumbhare. Prajapati managed to get bail recently only due to a technical point as he was first charged with human trafficking, he said, adding Mumbai police officials have requested for the cancellation of his bail.

We filed the chargesheet because one of the accused in jail, Nizamuddin, is completing the period of 90 days. So, before that, it had to be done. We have also taken permission from the court for further investigations, explained Kumbhare.

Police officials are also awaiting the return of another Indian citizen, Madhu Kumar, who is currently in Cairo and was responsible for making logistic arrangements for the stay of donors and recipients in Cairo to hospital visits.
After ordering the withdrawal of FIRs against first time stone-pelters, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday sanctioned jobs for several youth who lost their eyesight due to pellets and a gas agency for Insha Mushtaq Lone, who became the face of pellet horror during the uprising triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani and two of his associates on July 8 last year.

The appointment letters were handed over to the youth at Mehbooba's official residence at Gupkar Road in Srinagar.

Insha's father, Mushtaq Lone, told THE WEEK that the chief minister told him that government has sanctioned a gas agency for his daughter.

Lone was appointed as a driver by the government soon after Insha was blinded by the pellets inside her home at Sedow in Pulwama.

Her pellet peppered face became the symbol of pellet horror in Kashmir that evoked massive condemnation for the government and sympathy for the pellet victims on the social media.

She was operated at a Srinagar hospital but due to extensive damage to her optic nerves and retina, she couldn't regain her eyesight. She was also treated in AIIMS in Delhi but the damage to her eyes was beyond repair.

''Mehbooba Ji had promised me in Delhi that she would arrange something for Insha so that she is not dependent on anybody,'' Lone said. ''Today, she told me that a gas agency has been sanctioned for her and the documents would be handed over to me in Jammu soon.''

Jobs to pellet blinds is another step that the PDP-BJP government has taken to assuage anger among the public. The PDP is trying hard to win back the trust of the people in Kashmir especially in south Kashmir where the party draws most of its strength.
People gathered in large numbers on Tuesday to pay homage and tribute to their 'Amma' at Jaya memorial in Marina Beach on her first death anniversary.

They paid floral tributes to former Tamil Nadu chief minister, who passed away after a prolonged disease last year.

Chief Minister K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O.Panneerselvam, cabinet colleagues and party members took out a procession. They were all clad black shirt and white dhoti.

They also observed two minute silence after pledging to stay united and protect the party.

One of the followers, who had come to pay tribute to the former CM, had his body painted with the flag of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

The entire state of Tamil Nadu came to a standstill after AIADMK supremo Jaya died of cardiac arrest on December 5, 2016.

The political emptiness that her death created is felt even today by her party members and followers.

AIADMK national spokesperson Apsara Reddy, who was present at the memorial, said that nobody can replace Amma.

"The political developments in the state after Amma's demise have been very sad. Nobody can replace Amma," said Reddy.

"Jayalalitha gave a transgender woman as me the position of a national spokesperson. I am the first ever transgender national spokesperson in India which is a huge fact," added Apsara.
US President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was collaborating on an op-ed while out on bail last month with a Russian who has ties to the Russian intelligence service, Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Muller's team said.



In a new filing on December 4, Mueller's investigators said Manafort was working on the editorial in English on November 30 and that it related to his political work for Ukraine, which factored into his money-laundering and foreign lobbying criminal charges, reports the media.



The filing asked for the court to revisit a bail agreement Mueller's office and Manafort's lawyers made jointly last week.



The court had not yet approved a change to his $10 million unsecured bail and house arrest.



"Even if the ghostwritten op-ed were entirely accurate, fair, and balanced, it would be a violation of this Court's November 8 Order if it had been published," prosecutors wrote.



Read more: Two ex-Trump aides head to US court on charges in Russia probe



"The editorial clearly was undertaken to influence the public's opinion of defendant Manafort, or else there would be no reason to seek its publication (much less for Manafort and his long-time associate to ghostwrite it in another's name)."



Manafort has pleaded not guilty to the charges, the media reported. The bail agreement the lawyers appeared to have reached would have freed him from house arrest and GPS monitoring while asking him to post more than $11 million in real estate as collateral.



Prosecutors have argued since his arrest on October 30 that Manafort is a flight risk.



The judge in the case ordered in early November for Manafort, his lawyers and the prosecutors to "refrain from making statements to the media or in public settings that pose a substantial likelihood of material prejudice to this case".



The prosecutors have also asked the court to submit details about Manafort's Russian contact and the op-ed under seal, so they would remain confidential. The judge has a status conference scheduled in the case for December 11.
The US Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to President Donald Trump by allowing his latest travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries to go into full effect even as legal challenges continue in lower courts.

The nine-member court, with two liberal justices dissenting, granted his administrations request to lift two injunctions imposed by lower courts that had partially blocked the ban, which is the third version of a contentious policy that Trump first sought to implement a week after taking office in January.

The top courts action means that the ban will now go fully into effect for people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen seeking to enter the United States. The Republican president has said the travel ban is needed to protect the United States from terrorism by Islamic militants.

In a statement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the Supreme Courts action a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people. Sessions said the Trump administration was heartened that a clear majority of the justices allowed the presidents lawful proclamation protecting our countrys national security to go into full effect.

The ban was challenged in separate lawsuits by the state of Hawaii and the American Civil Liberties Union. Both sets of challengers said the latest ban, like the earlier ones, discriminates against Muslims in violation of the US Constitution and is not permissible under immigration laws.

Trump had promised as a candidate to impose a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. Last week he shared on Twitter anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right British party leader.

President Trumps anti-Muslim prejudice is no secrethe has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter, ACLU lawyer Omar Jadwat said.

Its unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now, but this order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones, Jadwat added.

Lower courts had previously limited the scope of the ban to people without either certain family connections to the United States or formal relationships with US-based entities such as universities and resettlement agencies.

Trumps ban also covers people from North Korea and certain government officials from Venezuela, but the lower courts had already allowed those provisions to go into effect.

The high court said in two similar one-page orders that lower court rulings that partly blocked the latest ban should be put on hold while federal appeals courts in San Francisco and Richmond, Virginia weigh the cases. Both courts are due to hear arguments in those cases this week.

The Supreme Court said the ban will remain in effect regardless of what the appeals courts rule, at least until the justices ultimately decide whether to take up the issue on the merits, which they are highly likely to do. The courts order said the appeals courts should decide the cases with appropriate dispatch.

We agree a speedy resolution is needed for the sake of our universities, our businesses and most of all, for people marginalized by this unlawful order, Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the administrations request.

Strong signal

Mondays action sent a strong signal that the court is likely to uphold the ban on the merits when the case likely returns to the justices in the coming months.

There are some exceptions to the ban. Certain people from each targeted country can still apply for a visa for tourism, business or education purposes, and any applicant can ask for an individual waiver.

The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments on the merits of Hawaiis challenge on Wednesday in Seattle. The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals will arguments on the merits of case spearheaded by the ACLU on Friday in Richmond.

Trump issued his first travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries in January, then issued a revised one in March after the first was blocked by federal courts. The second one expired in September after a long court fight and was replaced with the present version.

The Trump administration said the president put the latest restrictions in place after a worldwide review of the ability of each country in the world to issue reliable passports and share data with the United States.

The administration argues that a president has broad authority to decide who can come into the United States, but detractors say the expanded ban violates a law forbidding the government from discriminating based on nationality when issuing immigrant visas.

The administration has said the ban is not discriminatory and pointed out that many Muslim-majority countries are unaffected by it.
US President Donald Trump is expected to announce, later this week, that Washington will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Though it is not evident that the US embassy will be shifted there formally. The likelihood of such an announcement has angered the Arab world in general. Though, it will be received warmly in Israel  which is maintaining prudent diplomatic silence on the matter. France is the latest nation to caution the US against making a hasty announcement that would jeopardize the already fragile Israel-Palestine peace process.



For President Trump, this announcement would be part of a campaign pledge to his domestic support-base and the powerful pro-Israeli lobby in the USA. This announcement would also be a major departure from current US policy on the contentious issue.

The US Congress had passed an act in 1995 mandating that the US embassy be moved to Jerusalem. The then US President Bill Clinton had used executive authority to delay this move. Every six months, the US President has to sign a waiver to delay the move and maintain the status quo, wherein Tel Aviv is home to all embassies. This waiver was to be signed by December 4, failing which it would expire and the White House has allowed this to lapse. Hence, technically as per US law, the US embassy will have to be re-located to Jerusalem.

However Arab leaders led by the King of Jordan and the Palestine leadership have denounced this possible announcement and warned of dire consequences in the extended Muslim world. The city of Jerusalem has an ancient past that goes back to the B.C period and is revered by all the three major Semitic religions  Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Palestine claims east Jerusalem as its capital, though Israel has been in illegal occupation of that part of the city since the 1967 war.

Most capitals have chosen Tel Aviv as the location for their embassies. Tel Aviv is a commercial capital of Israel. Given the complex and tangled nature of the Palestine issue and Israels illegal occupation of east Jerusalem since the 1967 war, the symbolism of the capital has acquired a political sensitivity of acute nature. Among the worlds better-known historical cities, Jerusalem has a distinctive chronology as far as the Semitic faiths are concerned. Chronologically Judaism is the oldest religion that accords the city a special status followed by Christianity and in the 7th century, by Islam.

In the modern political framework, both Israel and Palestine claim the city but the international community, by and large has encouraged a final political settlement between Israel and Palestine, after which the status of Jerusalem could be determined.

The Trump penchant to rock the boat and make a formal announcement will lead to considerable disappointment and anger in the Arab/Muslim world and even Saudi Arabia, a staunch US ally has voiced its concern. Some constituencies in Palestine and Jordan have warned of violence and radical groups using this announcement to embark upon acts of terror against the USA. Politically, given the global consensus on the Palestine issue  that Israel is in illegal occupation of East Jerusalem  a US determination that its embassy will be re-located to the contested holy city will alter Washingtons position as the only effective honest-broker in the regional peace process.

India has been a supporter of the Palestine cause going back to the khilafat movement and Mahatma Gandhi in the early part of the last century. In the post 1947 period, Delhi was an active supporter of the Palestine cause and on occasion was seen as being even more committed to the cause than many Arab nations. Israel was kept below the diplomatic radar by India and this was despite the fact that the Jewish community found shelter in modern Kerala almost two thousand years ago.

Post the Cold War, the then PM Narasimha Rao took the decision to establish diplomatic relations with Israel formally and a more balanced approach to the west Asian region was evolved. While Delhi had in the past supported the Palestine position on East Jerusalem as their capital. PM Narendra Modi in his July 2017 visit has de-linked the contentious 'Jerusalem as capital' issue from the Indian position.

When asked about the Indian stance on the capital by an Israeli newspaper during his July visit, Modi clarified : India supports all efforts to find an acceptable solution to all the pending issues, including Jerusalem. I assume the question refers to our embassy in Tel Aviv. We will take a decision on that after both sides have come to an agreement on Jerusalem.

That agreement appears elusive as of now and if President Trump, who has his plate full with North Korea, Yemen and a potential impeachment exigency still decides to go ahead and make the announcement, an already troubled region would become even more discordant. And the US hand on the tiller would not be as acceptable as it was in the past.

Unhappy augury on the eve of Christmas. Jerusalem alas will be sullen.



Bhaskar is director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi



Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the publication
Before a 25-year-old girls personal choices became a national story, there lived a family on the banks of Vembanadu Lake in a picturesque village called T.V. Puram in Keralas Kottayam district. Akhila, who now calls herself Hadiya, grew up here under the care of her ex-serviceman father, K.M. Asokan, and her mother, Ponnamma, a housewife. Asokan was an atheist and Ponnamma, a staunch believer. Akhila grew up amidst constant clashes of religiosity and atheism.

Her friends and teachers remember Akhila as a quiet and reserved girl. In 2010, she went to study homoeopathy at Sivaraj Homoeopathic Medical College in Salem, Tamil Nadu. There were four other students from Kerala in her class and one of them was a Muslim. Akhila got close to the Muslim girl, Jaseena, and her sister, who also studied in the same college. They were from Malappuram, the only Muslim-majority district in Kerala.

Having brought up by her father in a rigid secular framework, Akhila was surprised by the religiosity of the two sisters, said one of her aunts. She wanted to know more about Islam, and the two sisters gave her books on Islam. They also introduced her to their father, Parayil Aboobacker, who has studied his religion quite well.

Being a proud secularist and a supporter of the Communist Party of India, Asokan was happy to hear about his daughters interest in Islam. Aboobacker said he had warned Asokan about how Akhila was changing. But he was very casual about it, he said. Akhila stopped talking to Aboobacker after he asked her to learn more about her own religion first. But her interest in Islam grew steadily and she even got an affidavit prepared saying that she was willingly converting to Islam.

She even wanted her parents to convert. She said she would commit suicide if they refused, said her aunt. Her mother fainted on hearing this. Even Asokan was shocked. Akhila soon left home and sought Jaseenas help to go to Mangalore to meet members of some Islamist groups.

She knew nothing about those people, said Aboobacker. So I promised to help her and took her to two conversion centres approved by the government. But they turned down her request as they needed the approval of her parents. Aboobacker and Akhila then approached Sathya Sarani, a religious education centre in Malappuram, run by the Popular Front of India (PFI), the latest avatar of the banned National Development Front. But Sathya Sarani, too, did not take her in.

Woes of virtue: Many people blame Asokans secularist ideals for his troubles | Rijo Joseph

I put her in a bus to her college and shared the details with her parents, said Aboobacker. But from the bus she called up Sathya Sarani and this time they took her in. Nobody knew where she was and I was under suspicion, he said. Aboobacker had to spend several days in police custody until Akhila appeared before the Kerala High Court after Asokan filed a writ of habeas corpus. Aboobacker said Akhila later apologised to him. But, by then, I had become the villain of the story, he said.

Akhila appeared before the court on January 19, 2016, along with A.S. Zainaba, president of the National Womens Front, an organisation closely associated with the PFI. After she told the court about her intention to convert to Islam, she was allowed to attend a course on Islam at Sathya Sarani and to stay with Zainaba. As a true Muslim, it is my duty to help anyone who approaches me to know more about Islam, said Zainaba.

Once the course at Sathya Sarani was over, Zainaba took Akhila, who had by then assumed the name Hadiya, to her home. She was so simple, but her convictions were strong, said Zainaba. When asked what must have attracted her to Islam, she said Hadiya found her Muslim friends to be more composed and confident than others during critical situations like examinations. She may have realised that they drew their strength from the faith, she said.

During this time, Hadiya was constantly in touch with Asokan whom she calls achai. Zainaba called Asokan a nice human being who loved his daughter more than anything else. Hadiya had great respect for her father, she said.

Zainaba said Hadiya went back to college, but could not continue her studies because of the hostile reception she got from her friends and teachers. Hence we started looking for a groom for her and placed an advertisement in a marriage portal called Way to Nikah.

When Hadiya shared the news with Asokan, he got angry. It was the time when reports started appearing about young Muslim couplessome of them recent convertsleaving for Syria to join Islamic State. Asokan filed another habeas corpus petition alleging that there was a move to take his daughter out of India. Although the court initially sent Hadiya to a hostel, she was later allowed to go with Zainaba.

Hadiya then got a proposal for marriage from Shafin Jahan, a native of Kollam district, who was then working in Oman. I really liked her at the first sight. She was the girl of my dreams, Shafin told THE WEEK. When asked what attracted him the most, he said Hadiya had too many qualities to pick one. On being pressed more, he said, Hadiya has a mind of her own. I also liked her simplicity and her concern for others.

Shafin and Hadiya got married at Zainabas house on December 19 in the presence of his sister. Shafins parents did not attend the marriage. The same day, the court passed an order asking Hadiya to complete her internship and agreed to Asokans offer to pay for the expenses. Two days later, the couple appeared before the court and announced their marriage. Unhappy about the marriage, which was solemnised while the case was being considered, the court sent Hadiya to the hostel again, and barred Shafin from having any contact with her. The court observed that not even an indication of the marriage was given by Hadiyas lawyer on the 19th although the marriage was solemnised on the same day. On May 24, 2017, the court nullified the marriage and gave Hadiyas custody to her father. The court observed that the marriage was performed to circumvent its jurisdiction and the locus standi of the parents. But Shafin said that was not the case.

Our marriage was a proper arranged marriage. Allegations about extremist links are part of a larger conspiracy, said Shafin. He said he was part of the Campus Front, the students wing of the PFI, and that he ran the Facebook page of the PFIs political arm, the SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India). But what is illegal about being part of a registered political party, he asked.

According to him, the separation has only deepened his love for Hadiya. Actually, we fell in love during this separation. I firmly believe that we will be together soon, he told THE WEEK before leaving for Delhi for the hearing in the Supreme Court. The court on November 27 allowed Hadiya to go to her college in Salem and complete her internship. It will take up the issue again next month.

Major political parties in Kerala barring the BJP kept mum on the issue, keeping in mind the minority vote bank. The SDPI, with its aggressive posturing on behalf of Hadiya and Shafin, has gained the most from the controversy. It is absolutely wrong to call this love jihad as Hadiya had converted long before she met Shafin. Hadiya has strong convictions and a mind of her own, said Nasaruddeen Elamaram, state president of the PFI. He said Hadiyas conversion was part of a worldwide trend of more and more people embracing Islam. Hadiya was initially very critical of Islam as she thought it was anti-woman and orthodox. But she changed her mind as she learnt more about it, said Elamaram.

For six months, Hadiya had been staying with her parents against her wishes. While human rights activists criticised Asokan, people in his village have been largely sympathetic to him. Asokan had no problem with Akhilas conversion. But he could not accept her decision to marry someone with extremist connections, said Samji T.V. Puram, a writer.

A leader of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), an organisation of the Ezhava community to which Asokan belongs, blamed his secularist principles for his ordeal. He used to ridicule Hindu customs and would even say that all temples must be demolished to build factories. He never participated in community activities. But now Asokan has changed, his friends say. A leader of the Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a political party closely associated with the SNDP, and a BJP ally, said the CPI ditched Asokan as it did not want to upset the minority vote bank. Being all alone, Asokan came to us seeking help, he said.

Some of Asokans family members said his atheist principles caused all the trouble. My brother used to ridicule everything religious. He used to get upset whenever his wife took Akhila to temples. Akhila grew up in the middle of all that, said Asokans sister.

Aboobacker also found fault with Asokans principles. It is the duty of the parents to inculcate in their children their own culture and traditions. Asokan failed to do that, he said. I feel bad that a very personal case has been blown out of proportion and is hurting our secular fabric. I am a practising Muslim. But I have no qualms in saying that those who are trying to politicise Islam are harming both Islam and India.
EZULWINI  Its only four days before the Old Mutual Choral Music finals, and fans of the genre have faith in their local choirs.



This was evident when the three choirs which will be representing the country during the finals made a sum of E30 000 in a space of 20 minutes.



This was during the send-off concert held last Sunday at the Happy Valley Hotel.

The choirs representing Swaziland are, His Majesty Correctional Services and Royal Swaziland Police Choir. They will all be competing under the large category section, while Manzini Cathedral Choir will be in the standard section.



Attending the event were over 100 choral music lovers who all wanted to see if the choirs were indeed ready to compete at the Old Mutual Stage. Over 20 choirs from the Southern Africa region are expected to compete on December 9-10, in Johannesburg, South Africa.



The concert was organised by the Swaziland National Choral Music Association (SNCMA) and its purpose was to raise funds for the three choirs. SNCMA had the hope of raising at least E45 000 on the night.

The choirs needs range from rehearsals, transport and accommodation funds for their stay in Johannesburg.



They are expected to leave the country on Thursday which is two days before the competition.

Before calling music lovers to forward their pledges, the three choirs each had the opportunity of entertaining their fans with their music.



All three choirs made sure that they give their best on stage delivering what was described as one of their best performances yet.

As the choirs were singing, Sithembiso Sthesh Dlamini who was the programme director motivated the fans to assist in contributing anything they had towards making the choirs trip a success.
MOTSHANE  Distribution of farm inputs was delayed as farmers turned violent at Motshane RDA yesterday.



The violence started when a group of farmers, who spent the night at the gate, demanded that they be given first preference during the distribution.



The farmers, from the five constituencies that are serviced by Motshane RDA, decided to sleep at the gate after it turned out that there were no distributions on Sunday as they were made to believe. The constituencies include Lobamba, Hhukwini, Motshane, Nkhaba and Maphalaleni.



Those who were found with blankets said they did not spend the night at the gate for fun, but it was as a result of transport shortage in their areas such as Sigangeni, Bhikini, Maphalaleni and Dlangeni.



We spent the night here because we were worried that we might miss the opportunity if we returned home last night (Sunday). The sole reason we spent the night here was because we wanted to get our ration and leave early today, said some elderly found at the gate.

In a bid to harmonise the situation, the Members of Parliament (MPs), and Bucopho present, held an impromptu meeting with those who were in charge of the distribution. The MPs present at the distribution were Menzi Dlamini, Phesheya Hlatshwayo, Saladin Magagula and Mabulala Maseko.



The resolution taken during the meeting was that the distribution should be done according to the order of registration and payments.

This was after an argument that lasted for about two hours outside the gate, where the farmers surrounded the truck that was carrying the fertilizer. Police officers were also present to monitor the situation.






Thousands of Huthi supporters rallied in Sanaa on Tuesday as the rebels cemented their grip on the Yemeni capital after killing their former ally ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Following Saleh\s death at the hands of Huthi fighters Monday, fears had mounted of an uptick in the violence that has devastated the Arab world\s poorest country over the past few years.

A night of heavy air strikes followed in Sanaa as well as skirmishes between the Huthis and Saleh\s supporters in southern districts that had been loyal to the slain strongman.

But there was no repetition of the fierce fighting that had rocked the capital for the five previous nights.

A least 234 people have been killed and 400 wounded in those clashes, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday.

New checkpoints manned by rebels sprung up across Sanaa as their leaders hailed their control of the capital, rallying supporters and pledging that backers of Saleh were safe.

Huthi supporters massed in their thousands near the capital\s international airport, shouting "Sanaa is free and the state still stands!" and "Yemenis are one!" as rebel chiefs struck a conciliatory tone, declaring they were "ensuring the safety" of members of Saleh\s General People\s Congress party.

But the GPC slammed the rebels as "militias of treason and backstabbing" in an obituary for one of their top leaders.

Tarek Saleh, a nephew of the ex-president and commander in his troops, died after sustaining a shrapnel wound during the Sanaa clashes, the GPC announced Tuesday.

Reports of widespread arrests of suspected Saleh supporters in the army and the rebel government also spread. They were confirmed by GPC vice president and Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Bin Daghr, although not the Huthis.

 Rebels target \collaborators\ 

Saleh al-Sammad, head of the Huthi\s political council, said Monday he had ordered the security forces to "take steps against the saboteurs and all those who collaborated with them".

Former strongman Saleh retained the loyalty of some of the best equipped units of the army after being forced to step down as president in 2012.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for three decades, had joined forces with the Huthis in 2014 when they took control of large parts of the country, including Sanaa.

But that alliance unravelled over the past week as Saleh reached out to the Saudi-led coalition that has waged an air campaign against the Huthis since March 2015.

The coalition stepped up its bombardment of the capital overnight, carrying out at least seven strikes on the rebel-held presidential palace, witnesses said.

There was no word of any casualties.

Yemen\s war has left thousands dead, led to one of the world\s worst humanitarian crises and deepened tensions between arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, who both took a firm stand on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia called for a Yemen free of "militias supported by Iran" in its first official statement since Saleh\s death.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meanwhile warned that "the people of Yemen will make their aggressors regret their actions", in reference to the Saudi-led coalition.

 UN urges \humanitarian pause\ 

The commander of Iran\s elite Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Ali Jafari, said Saleh was killed because he had been trying to overthrow the Huthis.

"The traitor Saudis are seeking to create insecurity in the region under orders from the United States and working alongside Israel We witnessed their attempt to launch a coup against (the Huthis), which was strangled at birth," Jafari said.

Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit condemned Saleh\s killing, saying that the "way it was done reveals to everyone the criminal nature" of the Huthis.

The United Nations Security Council called on all sides in Yemen to "de-escalate" and return to UN-led talks aimed at securing a ceasefire.

Japanese ambassador Koro Bessho, the council\s president, said after a closed-door meeting on Yemen that the 15-member body was deeply concerned about the sharp escalation in violence as well as "the dire and deteriorating" humanitarian situation in the country.

UN officials called for a "humanitarian pause" for the delivery of aid to people trapped in Sanaa.

"Our ability to get to people over the last five days has been impeded because of the air strikes, because of the fighting, and our life-saving support activities were blocked," said UN humanitarian coordinator Jamie McGoldrick.

Saleh was forced to step down in 2012, after his forces waged a bloody crackdown on peaceful Arab Spring-inspired protests calling for his ouster.

The 75-year-old had survived civil war, rebellion in the north, an Al-Qaeda insurgency in the south and a June 2011 bomb attack on his palace that wounded him badly.

The Huthis announced his death on television, and a video provided by the rebels showed what appeared to be a dead Saleh with a severe head injury, his body wrapped in a blanket.

A military source said the Huthis had stopped a four-car convoy in which Saleh had been travelling about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Sanaa and shot him and two other officials.

The body of Saleh was said to still be in Huthi possession, leaving the question of whether there will be a funeral for one of the region\s most powerful politicians hanging.

SOURCE: AFP
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North Greenbush

ShopRite is opening its first store in Rensselaer County on Sunday - the first tenant in a shopping center called Van Rensselaer Square.

The 55,000-square-foot store includes a bakery, an extensive produce section, an array of natural and organic products, seafood and meat departments, a deli and a floral department. It will employ 175 people.

It is the first ShopRite with a refrigeration system that uses carbon dioxide as a coolant. LED lighting is used throughout the store and in the location's parking lot.

"Sustainability is really important to our associates and customers," said vice president of operations Tom Urtz. "They take great pride in it."

The store will also offer the company's ShopRite from Home service, which allows customers to order online and pick up their groceries at the location.

The company announced its plans to build the North Greenbush store last February, and the store is ShopRite's fifth location in the Capital Region. The company also has locations in Albany, Bethlehem, Colonie and Niskayuna. The North Greenbush location will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday to Saturday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

ShopRite had hoped to add a store in Saratoga County, but a plan to build it on property currently owned by the Shenendehowa school district was rejected after voters tossed out a proposal to sell the property to a private developer.

The company runs 34 stores in New York and New Jersey.

miszler@timesunion.com  518-454-5018  @madisoniszler
New York

Peter Martins, the longtime leader of New York City Ballet has been removed from teaching his weekly class at the School of American Ballet while the two organizations jointly investigate an accusation of sexual harassment against him.

The accusation against Martins, 71, was made in an anonymous letter, both organizations confirmed Monday. Martins is artistic director and chairman of the faculty of the ballet school. He has led City Ballet, the company founded by famed choreographer George Balanchine, since the 1980s. The ballet performs each summer at the Saratoga Peforming Arts Center.

"The safety and well-being of our students is our absolute priority," the school said in a statement, adding that it "recently received an anonymous letter making general, nonspecific allegations of sexual harassment in the past by Peter Martins at both New York City Ballet and the school."

"We, together with New York City Ballet, promptly engaged an independent law firm that specializes in such matters to conduct a thorough investigation, despite the anonymous nature of the letter and the lack of specifics," the statement continued. "Thus far, the investigation has not substantiated the allegations in the letter or discovered any reason to be concerned about student safety."

City Ballet issued a similar statement, which said, in part, "the ongoing inquiry has not substantiated the allegations."

Reached by telephone Monday, Martins said in response to the accusations, "The company has already addressed it." Asked if he had anything to add, he said, "At this point, no."

The two organizations have retained a lawyer, Barbara Hoey, to conduct the investigation. Hoey, chairwoman of Kelley Drye's labor and employment practice group, declined to comment.

As part of the investigation, Martins is believed to have discussed romantic relationships he has had with female dancers, according to a former official at City Ballet with knowledge of the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Rob Daniels, a spokesman for City Ballet, said since 2010 it "has had a policy precluding a reporting relationship between a supervisor and subordinate where a romantic relationship exists."

In recent interviews, two former City Ballet dancers and three former students at the school described a culture in which Martins was known for sleeping with dancers, some of whom received better roles because of their personal relationships with him.

The world of ballet is a fuzzy area, those involved say, in which people are regularly touching one another through choreography and instruction. An artistic leader like Martins looms large as a producer who decides which ballets are performed; as a casting director who determines which dancers land the best parts; and as a father figure who designates dancers for promotion.

Balanchine, who was known as Mr. B, wielded tremendous power over the lives of the dancers in his company. He famously discouraged female dancers from marriage and from having children; he insisted that their boyfriends leave them at the stage door and that each dancer wear a different perfume so that he could easily identify them.

In a 2012 article on Balanchine in Psychology Tomorrow, Wilhelmina Frankfurt, a former City Ballet dancer, said: "The only way that Peter rivaled Mr. B. was as a Casanova. However, where Mr. B. was charm incarnate, Peter was a basher."

In 1992, Martins was charged with third-degree assault against his wife, Darci Kistler, then a principal dancer in the company. Kistler told police her arms and legs had been cut and bruised. The charge was dropped.

In 2011, Martins was arrested on New Year's Day and charged with driving while intoxicated.

In 1983, Martins became co-ballet master in chief with Jerome Robbins, taking over that role entirely in 1990.
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THE VOICE: "LIVE TOP 10 ELIMINATIONS"

NBC, 8 p.m.

Seven artists will be revealed as safe by America's votes. The bottom three artists will then compete for the Instant Save, and two will be eliminated.

STAR OF THE MONTH MARATHON: LANA TURNER

TCM, 8 p.m.

Lana Turner is best known for her scandalous personal life, but the actress had assets  in every sense of the word. TCM is screening Turner's films every Tuesday in December, beginning this week with "They Won't Forget," the mystery flick that earned her the nickname "the Sweater Girl" for the way her cardigan hugged her, uh, curves.

WILL & GRACE: "A GAY OLDE CHRISTMAS"

NBC, 9 p.m.

For its holiday episode, the sitcom turns back the clock ... to 1912. "We tell our version of the Scrooge story," Debra Messing says. And it's Will (Eric McCormack)  not sarcastic Karen (Megan Mullally)  who's the iconic "Christmas Carol" miser! Messing assumes the role of his Jewish immigrant wife, Mullally is an Irish mother facing eviction from her apartment, and Sean Hayes brings laughs as her friend trying to stop that from happening. "The episode is making a statement about where we've all come from and where we are now," Messing says. "It's a love letter to America and a reminder of our roots."

BROOKLYN NINE-NINE: "99"

Fox, 9:30 p.m.

In the comedy's 99th episode, the borough's finest miss their return flight from LA, but Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) needs to get home. Road trip, anyone?

SUPERSTORE: "CHRISTMAS EVE"

NBC, 9:30 p.m.

Newly single Cloud 9 employee Amy (America Ferrera) struggles to not get too grinchy when she finds herself stuck at work on Dec. 24.

KEVIN (PROBABLY) SAVES THE WORLD: "CHRYSALIS"

ABC, 10 p.m.

Kevin (Jason Ritter) is forced to choose between completing his mission, which involves helping a talented artist find the courage to believe in himself, and attending the opening night of Reese's (Chloe East) play. Yvette (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) makes a startling discovery about Dave (Will Sasso), and Amy (Joanna Garcia Swisher) prepares to go out on her first date since her husband died.

STRIPPED

Bravo, 10 p.m.

New series! In each episode, a household is stripped of all material possessions to force the family members on a journey of self-discovery to determine what they really need. In the premiere episode, designer-obsessed fashion-stylist Ali and her frugal accountant husband Justin embark on the 21-day challenge to clear their house of distractions, so they can focus on each other.

THE HUNT FOR THE ZODIAC KILLER: "THE SECRET FBI FILES"

History, 10 p.m.

The hunt goes into high gear as the FBI releases secret files on the mysterious Zodiac Killer, and a handwriting analyst connects the Zodiac's letters to a taunting letter mailed 3,000 miles away  in Albany. The code team has a massive breakthrough on the Z-340.

CHICAGO MED: "TRUST YOUR GUT"

NBC, 10 p.m.

When Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) receives financial complaints from the hospital board, she is forced to implement new guidelines that cause headaches for the doctors. Dr. Rhodes (Colin Donnell) and Ava (Norma Kuhling) continue to compete in the operating room, while Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt) and Dr. Reese (Rachel DiPillo) are surprised when they treat a man who has a peculiar theory about his sickness.

DAMNATION: "DEN OF LOST SOULS"

USA Network, 10 p.m.

A carnival comes to a small town in this Depression-era drama. Estranged brothers Seth (Killian Scott) and Creeley (Logan Marshall-Green) check out the newcomers, but it's a friend from their past who takes them on a roller-coaster ride

Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide.  TV Guide 2017
ALBANY  Starting Monday, anytime police encounter a school-age child on the job in Albany, they're sending the school district a simple note: "Handle Johnny with care."

(Or Susie, or Andrew, or Alexis  you get it).

That's because far too often, the children police encounter have been exposed to trauma  their house burned down, their dad was arrested, their mother overdosed, their friend was shot, their parents beat each other up, and sometimes, they are beaten or molested. All of these things impact a child's behavior, and school officials are hoping that if they find out early enough they can mitigate or even prevent behavior from worsening down the road.

"These are things our police can't avoid," said Albany Police Chief Robert Sears, who noted his officers encounter dozens of traumatized kids each week. "We have to respond to them, and often there's a child there who's witnessed it all. Before Monday, we dealt with it and that's where it ended for us. But that's no longer good enough."

For the first time ever, the Albany Police Department will notify the city school district within 24 hours of encountering a child at a traumatic event. This notification will include a name and any other identifying information, but leave out potentially stigmatizing information related to the trauma itself.

Once the district gets it, they will send word to teachers, guidance counselors and other staff the child might encounter during the day to keep a lookout for any abnormal behavior, or simply reach out and let the child know they are there if they need to talk.

"One of the things we know about students who've experienced trauma is that they may have difficulties with paying attention, with learning, with behavior," said Liz Gialanella, a school psychologist for the district. "So this would help us look at their behavior through a different frame. And then we would look to establish a relationship with those students so if they need counseling, they know where to get it  but even if they don't, at least they know."

The new police-district relationship is called "Handle with Care" and is a model used to address childhood trauma elsewhere in the nation, including schools in California, Michigan, Virginia and Washington state.

It was first piloted in 2013 at an elementary school in Charleston, West Virginia, an urban area that had been plagued by drug and violent crime. Anytime police encountered a child at the scene of a traumatic event  a meth lab explosion, a shooting in the neighborhood, a drug raid at the home  they would send the school a confidential email or fax with the simple instruction: "Handle Johnny with care."

Mayor Kathy Sheehan, at a news conference to announce the partnership last Thursday, recalled a shooting several years ago that occurred in a city park in broad daylight. When she arrived there the next day to meet with residents, she encountered a 10-year-old girl who told her she had seen the man get shot.

"In that moment, I felt so powerless as mayor because I thought, what is it we can do for her?" she recalled. "I immediately said, have you told anyone? A relative? A teacher? To be able to communicate this information to the people a child is going to be in contact with for hours and hours each day is so critical."

The program is part of a growing awareness among schools nationwide, especially those in poverty-ridden areas, that traumatized children don't learn and behave the same as other children.

And there are no shortage of traumatized children.

In New York, nearly one-third of children have experienced at least one traumatic event, known in research circles as an adverse childhood experience (ACE), according to a 2016 national survey of children's health conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. That's compared to one-quarter of children nationwide.

In 2016, the Schenectady City School District began training its educators in trauma sensitivity, and noticed a 50 percent drop in disciplinary referrals and incidents over the next year.

A trauma-trained educator may decide that instead of suspending a student who acts out in class, they could refer them to the school psychologist, who may be able to get to the root of what caused that student to act out in the first place. A grieving child who misses a test may be able to take it again in a few weeks, instead of getting a failing grade.

"It could be as simple as getting them an extra breakfast in the morning  just kind of meeting some of their basic needs," said Gialanella. "Things like that, keeping the classroom routine consistent, and so on, can help our kids feel safe."
The man accused of starting a fire that damaged over 30 buildings in Cohoes last week won't appear in court Tuesday.

John A. Gomes, 51, of Cohoes was charged with felony reckless endangerment and misdemeanor arson. His case has been waived to Albany County Court to be presented to a grand jury, according to multiple reports.
QUEENSBURY  A dispute over free condoms at a senior center highlighted the idea that AIDS can no longer be considered a young persons disease.

On Tuesday, the Glens Falls Post-Star reported that Queensbury senior center director Kathryn Cramer was under fire from the centers board president, former cardiologist David Schwenker, after she put out bowls of free condoms and educational materials at the centers bathrooms.

Cramer told the paper she had been struck by the risk of HIV and AIDS among seniors in the area. She could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Schwenker, president of the centers board, told the paper he took issue with Cramer putting the condoms out without board authorization and was worried that providing seniors with condoms creates difficult discussions. He also questioned state statistics on the spread of HIV among seniors. He, too, did not return a message Tuesday.

Overall, the number of people in New York State living with HIV or AIDS and the number of new diagnoses fell to record lows in 2016. But half the population living with HIV/AIDS is older than 50, and in the greater Capital Region recent data is showing a higher level of several worrisome factors among seniors with HIV/AIDS.

This increase is, in part, very good news: People who were previously infected are living longer thanks to medical advances, according to Jim Tesoriero, an epidemiologist at the state Department of Healths AIDS Institute.

In the 17-county region that includes the Capital Region, 56 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS were 50 or older in 2015, he said.

But older patients make up a large percentage of new diagnoses, as well. In 2015, the most recent year available, 30 percent of new HIV/AIDs patients in the Albany region were over 50 years old, according to state data. The state average is closer to 20 percent of new patients, Tesoriero said.

Tesoriero pointed out another concerning factor: In 2015, 45 percent of the seniors diagnosed were diagnosed with HIV and AIDS concurrently. That means they were infectious and showed symptoms for some time before seeking treatment. The statewide average for those who received a concurrent diagnosis was just 19 percent.

Tesoriero noted that because the raw number of people diagnosed each year is so small, its hard to draw clear trends on whether the epidemic is increasing or decreasing among seniors. In 2015, 20 seniors in the 17-county region contracted HIV/AIDS.

Johanne Morne, director of the state Department of Healths AIDS Institute, said the state in 2010 mandated that primary care providers provide HIV testing to all patients 13 to 64 years old. Last year, they recognized the need for more seniors to be tested and removed the upper age limit.

Morne supported the idea of providing condoms and educational materials at places like senior centers because seniors may be unfamiliar with the risks of unprotected sex and HIV.

What better place to offer this? she said. Its a place that they already identify as supportive.

Decisions like Kramers to promote safe sexual behavior can help combat any further spread of HIV among seniors, said Dr. Darrell Wheeler, the vice provost for public engagement and the dean of the School of Social Welfare at the state University at Albany.

Wheeler said the approach was no different than providing seniors with information about diabetes or cardiovascular health.

National data backs up the idea that seniors need that information. A 2010 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior found that about 6 percent of seniors used condoms during sex. And multiple surveys at both the state and national level have shown skyrocketing levels of sexually transmitted infections among seniors.

Its about healthy maturing, Wheeler said. We make it too much about sex only.  This is about healthy aging.

As for the disagreement in Queensbury, Kramers actions seem to have found reception among her clients.

The Post Star reported that out of the 1,000 condoms she collected for the center, 750 of them were gone in 10 months.
Albany

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his Democratic counterparts in California and New Jersey are exploring the option of going to court to fight the Republican tax overhaul plan  specifically, the GOP's desire to end or greatly reduce the federal deduction for state and local taxes.

This is double taxation and Im not even sure its legal, and were going to find out whether it is, Cuomo said during a telephone conference with California Gov. Jerry Brown and New Jersey governor-elect Phil Murphy.

The measure has passed the House and Senate in different forms, which must now be put through the process known as reconciliation to arrive at an identical version that can be sent to President Donald Trump's desk.

If the measure is signed into law, Cuomo said, "the next day we are going to start the (effort to) repeal and replace the divisive tax act."

We tear up all the floorboards, going to the fullest extent of the law to the highest levels and challenge this," Murphy said. Im betting there are some holes and flaws in this.

The massive tax overhaul, which the U.S. Senate approved along party lines around 2 a.m. Saturday, was completed in such haste that there were handwritten amendments scrawled in the margins of the 479-page bill.

Some Democrats complained that the notes, which would presumably be part of the new federal tax law, werent even legible.

Cuomo and Brown had spoken together about the tax plan in an earlier phone conference. New Jerseys current governor, Chris Christie, is a Republican and Trump supporter whose term runs out at the end of December.

Under the tax plan approved by the Senate, the federal income tax deductibility of state and local taxes would be capped: Deductions of property taxes would be capped at $10,000 annually, while mortgage interest on homes would be capped at valuation of $500,000.

While that change won't have much impact in many states, New York, California and New Jersey are among those states that have a relatively higher proportion of residents living in very expensive homes.

In our states, many people pay over $10,000 in property taxes, and those people are out of luck, said Cuomo.

Murphy added that approximately a quarter of the homeowners in New Jersey pay more than $10,000 in annual property taxes.

Cuomo predicted that if the tax plan goes through, the $1.4 trillion addition to the federal deficit it would create would cause Congress to look at cutting social programs for the poor like Medicaid.

Step one is tax cuts for the rich; step two is drive up the debt, drive up the deficit and then come and say, Ooo, we have a $1.5 trillion debt!

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed those sentiments Monday.

''The bill will cause one of the greatest transfers of wealth to Corporate America and the already wealthy, while working America picks up the tab," Schumer said in a statement. ''Millions of middle-class families will pay higher taxes under the Republican plan in only a few short years. Because the bill is unpaid for, the deficit will skyrocket.''

Schumer said he welcomed an invite from Trump to the White House on Thursday to discuss legislation to fund the government in the face of a Friday deadline to avert a shutdown. Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rebuffed a similar invite last week after Trump assailed them in a Tweet that closed by saying, ''I don't see a deal.''

''We hope the President will go into this meeting with an open mind, rather than deciding that an agreement can't be reached beforehand as he did before the first meeting,'' Schumer said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU Dan Freedman contributed from Washington, D.C.
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Albany

A vice president of the Public Employees Federation has been banned from running for re-election next year, effectively pushing her out of office for the next three years after her current term expires at the end of July.

The decision to ban Nikki Brate, one of three PEF vice presidents, came during a union executive board meeting Dec. 1.

Noting that the vote was 54-44 in a secret ballot, Brate said shes planning to appeal the ruling to the Service Employees International Union, one of PEFs two umbrella unions. The other is the American Federation of Teachers. She said shes also considering seeking a court injunction against the ban.

The internal unrest comes amid ongoing tensions between Brate and other PEF vice presidents and its leader, President Wayne Spence.

It was an emotionally charged e-board meeting, Brate said.

PEF officials couldnt be reached on Tuesday. But Brate said the suspension stemmed from an ethics charge which related to her saying she wanted to de-fund the position of a staffer that Spence brought on board when he was elected in 2015.

PEF holds its leadership elections every three years each March with the terms beginning in August.

If Brates suspension is upheld, it means she would lose her vice presidents position and couldnt run again until 2021.

PEF has two other vice presidents, Peter Banks and Adreina Adams, and a secretary-treasurer, Kevin Hintz.

Banks and Spence also have clashed.

Brate and Spence ran on the same slate in 2015 when they unseated former President Susan Kent and then-Secretary-Treasurer Carlos Garcia. But not long after that election Spence and Brate had a falling out and have been battling ever since.

Spence eventually removed Brate from her position as a political action committee chairwoman. She was also told she wasnt needed in day-to-day operations and sent back to her state job at the Department of Financial Services.

Brate wasnt the first person banned from seeking office by the unions executive board, which has more than 100 independently elected officers.

Kent and Garcia in 2016 were banned from union activities for four and five years respectively after the executive board found them to be in dereliction of duy. That stemmed from a 2015 incident in which they allegedly stalled efforts to uncover thousands of dollars of improper purchases with a union bank card by Deborah J. Lee, who had been the leader of a PEF council in Rockland County.

Like Brate, Kent and Garcia are effectively banned from running in the 2018 election as well.

That prompted Spences opponents to say he was trying to push through an elimination game, of banning potential challengers in next years elections.

The union members are supposed to have the right to determine who they want to lead them, said Brate.

The second-largest state workers union behind CSEA, PEF represents about 53,000 white collar employees in the technical and professional fields. That includes numerous employees in various agencies who help carry out state programs and enforce regulations.

Kent and Garcia in March sued the union in federal court alleging that the quasi-judicial executive board and PEF officials violated their own procedural rules when they were banned.

They allege that the charges werent brought within specified time limits and werent presented with exhibits ahead of the hearing.

Maureen Kellman, a PEF trustee from Nassau County, and Kenneth Johnson, a former PEF council leader who lives in Bergen County, N.J., were also named as complainants in that case.

Earlier this fall, some PEF members had questioned Spences $11,520 stipend from SIEU -- payment he gets for serving as a PEF representative to that unions executive board.

Noting that stipend has been in place prior to Spences tenure, PEF spokeswoman Jane Briggs said the executive board earlier in December voted overwhelmingly to allow Spence to keep getting the stipend.

The latest flap is nothing new, noted Howard A. Shafer, a former PEF president who led the union in the early 1990s. He said even then there were contentious battles over leadership. And like today, many of the fights centered on issues like meal vouchers and expenses for union dinners, convention travel and other perks that had a way of escalating out of control.

"Everybody wants to challenge the president," Shafer said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
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ALBANY - Megan Cunningham was Edward "Ted" Mero's roommate. Shelby Countermine was a woman he paid for sex.

A prosecutor told jurors Monday the former city water employee killed both women nearly 20 months apart in murders shrouded in mystery. Their lifeless bodies were found beyond recognition  Cunningham in a house fire, Countermine in a remote spot in Coeymans.

"These murders were committed in secret," Assistant District Attorney Steven Sharp told jurors in opening statements in Mero's murder trial before Judge Peter Lynch in Albany County Court.

"And the bodies of Megan and Shelby were disposed of in such a way as to keep them secret."

The 6-foot-8, 400-pound Mero, clad in a sweater vest, sat beside his attorney, Cheryl Coleman, as Sharp painted the portrait of a monster.

"Two young women forever linked by a common killer," Sharp said. "That killer, ladies and gentlemen, is sitting just a few feet away from all of you  the defendant, Edward Mero."

Coleman told jurors she does not know what happened to cause the death of the women, but she said neither do prosecutors. She suggested a boyfriend of Countermine's was a pimp and said some people thought he killed her.

Investigators charged Mero in Cunningham's killing on Jan. 27, 2013 only after linking him to the disappearance of Countermine on Dec. 3, 2014.

Prosecutors allege that weeks before the fire Mero told a fellow water department employee he could commit a murder and get away with it - and that he would burn the body because police wouldn't get any evidence.

The employee, Larry Halbritter, was among the first witnesses to testify Monday.

"It was the perfect crime," Sharp said of the Cunningham killing. "He moved out. And then he moved on."

The prosecutor said Countermine was last seen getting into the defendant's car. She was considered missing.

Sharp said no one knew the cruel reality that Shelby's body was "hidden in a place that was never meant to be found."

On May 14, 2015, a jogger on a remote jogging path in Coeymans discovered Countermine's body after noticing an odor. A medical examiner found she died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Months before Countermine vanished, the defendant had been working in the area where the body was discovered, Sharp said.

The prosecutor explained the sequence of events behind both women's deaths as follows:

On Jan. 27, 2013, Cunningham signed a lease on a new apartment where she and Mero, who were not romantically involved, would live. A third roommate had already moved out because their existing lease was expiring. Mero, Cunningham and Cunningham's best friend were celebrating the pending move with dinner and wine and pot. Mero later went to his room, Cunningham fell asleep and the friend left.

Mero told police he became stressed out over the prospect of moving. He said he left the house, returned, put an intoxicated Cunningham to bed, then left again and slept in his car in his parents' driveway.

The fire was ruled accidental.

In May 2014, Mero contacted Countermine, 24, through backpage.com. Countermine, of Schenectady, who was addicted to heroin and selling her body to support her habit, agreed to meet up. Mero paid her for 20 minutes of oral sex.

That fall, Mero and Countermine had more such "dates." Mero later offered to pay Countermine $500 for several hours of her time. She was excited to make more money and told friends about the arrangement.

On the morning of Dec. 3, 2014, Mero drove to Schenectady and picked up Countermine in his car for their meet-up. Typically, Countermine, who did not have a cell phone, would use a john's cell phone to let a friend know she was safe. That morning, the friend became concerned when she did not hear from Countermine. The friend, who had Mero's number, texted the defendant but could not reach him.

Coutermine's father, who spoke to his daughter daily, also could not reach her. The father got Mero's number from his daughter's friend and contacted the defendant. Mero told the father he picked up Countermine, took her to his parents' house and then got mad and kicked her out because he saw she did drugs.

Countermine was considered a missing person until the day her body was discovered.

When police reinvestigated the disappearance of Cunningham, they saw what they already knew: That she died of severe thermal burns in what fire officials classified was an accidental fire at her home at 12 Arcadia Ave. on Jan. 27, 2013.

But Cunningham's autopsy revealed there was no soot in her airway. A toxicology report showed her carbon monoxide level below 10 percent because she made no attempt to leave the room during the fire. These were signs Cunningham was already not breathing when the fire started. In addition, a woman who lived across the street from Mero and Cunningham heard a screaming argument between a man and woman which suddenly stopped.

Coleman later said the evidence does not mean Cunningham did not die accidently. She noted the fire is still considered an accident by fire officials.

Mero faces the possibility of 50 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.
TROY  The Italian Community Centers Fifth Avenue building that once was a candidate to be City Hall will become the new site of Rensselaer Countys Troy Area Senior Services Center.

County Executive Kathleen M. Jimino announced the county will buy the building with its ample onsite 108-spot parking lot at 1450 Fifth Avenue for $685,000 and relocate the senior center from its downtown location in the former Masonic Temple at 19 Third St.

This is an excellent opportunity to move our senior services programming to a more suitable and efficient location that addresses our significant need for off-street parking for those seniors seeking the services we provide, Jimino said.

The three-story Third Street building has the services center operation scattered throughout three floors reached by steep staircases and an elevator, making it hard for seniors to easily access activities.

Additionally, the layout of the ICC will allow for the majority of our programming to be provided on the first floor, the county executive said.

Troy City Council President Carmella Mantello proposed Monday that the county consider sharing the ICC building with the city. Mantello said she would like to see City Hall operations relocated there from the fifth floor of the Hedley Building at 433 River St. The city pays $330,000 to rent the space for City Hall, which has 75 employees. Mantello addressed her request to Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin, the county executive-elect.

I dont believe theres room for both in the building, Jimino said, adding that the senior center would take up nearly all the space.

The relocation to the ICC site, Jimino said, should help attract more senior citizens to the center. As downtown Troy has seen more people living and working around the current senior center, the county has seen participation in its programs drop because of difficulties in finding parking.

The purchase of the ICC is to go before the County Legislature for approval. At the same time, the county legislators will be asked to approve the sale of the present center at 19 Third St. for $575,000 to developer David Bryce. New office space is expected to be created when Bryce takes over the property.

Jimino said the county will transfer all of its current senior programs to the new location. She said the county also intends to work with the ICC organization to continue bocci leagues at the Fifth Avenue location. The county also would like to maintain the weekly soup kitchen that began at St. Marys Church on Third Street, then relocated to ICC when the church closed.

The county expects to complete the purchase of the ICC building in early 2018.
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ALBANY  A publicly funded campaign for New York City Council, launched by a longtime staffer for Brooklyn state Sen. Marty Golden, spent $13,000 on a business in which Golden has a substantial financial interest.

The longtime top staffer, John Quaglione, received more than $200,000 in taxpayer dollars from New York City's generous campaign matching funds system. In a campaign for an open southern Brooklyn seat, the Republican lost his race in November to Democrat Justin Brannan.

Golden is the former owner of Bay Ridge Manor, a catering hall in southern Brooklyn. Golden sold the business to his brother after he was elected to the Senate in 2002, but remains the landlord and continues to collect a management fee.

Golden's 2016 financial disclosure form shows that he earned between $145,000 and $270,000 in income connected to Bay Ridge Manor, including at least $100,000 in rental payments.

While Golden has spent huge amounts of his own campaign money on the business, almost none of that has come from publicly funded campaigns. Under the New York City system, small-dollar private donations are matched six-to-one with public dollars.

The Senate Republican conference of which Golden is a part has consistently opposed a statewide campaign finance system, arguing that it's a waste of money.

Campaign finance records show that Quaglione spent about $5,700 on a primary event, $4,000 on a volunteer rally and $3,300 on a fundraiser at Bay Ridge Manor. In an email, John Orlando, Quaglione's campaign manager, explained the choice of venue.

"Local business, local workers, protecting jobs, and not a bar  it was a more suitable venue to appropriately serve larger groups of people," Orlando said.

A total of $797,000 in campaign dollars  mostly from Golden's own account  have gone to Bay Ridge Manor, according to campaign finance records. That includes about $22,000 from Golden's campaign itself so far this year.

Golden already has Democrats vying to take him on in his own 2018 election campaign: journalist Ross Barkan and attorney Andrew Gounardes.
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ALBANY  University at Albany on Monday issued a statement on the arrests of an employee and a student who were among four men apprehended over the weekend in Albany County in a social media sting targeting child sex predators.

The sting was conducted by the State Police Computer Crimes Unit, Colonie police and the FBI. All four men were charged with attempted rape.

Mark S. Schmidt, 68, of Albany is a photographer for UAlbany, where he has worked for 30 years. Daniel P. Meyer, who is 20, is from Baldwin on Long Island and a student at UAlbany.

The university said it was not aware of any connection between Schmidt's work on campus and the allegations against him.

"Upon learning of these serious allegations, the university initiated immediate and appropriate action under campus policy, the relevant collective bargaining agreement and the student code of conduct," the statement said.

UAlbany also said it did not know of information suggesting that the allegations against Schmidt and Meyer are related.

The statement encouraged any member of the UAlbany community who is concerned about past interactions with Schmidt or Meyer to contact the university's Office of Equity and Compliance.

The four men were apprehended Saturday at a predetermined location in Colonie looking to have sex with a child, Sheriff Craig Apple said.

Also arrested were Russell D. Blair, 32, of West Sand Lake, and Edward T. Neville, 57, of Pennsylvania.

Schmidt was also charged with attempted criminal sexual act, Blair with patronizing a person for prostitution and Neville with attempted promotion of obscene sexual performance by a child and attempted criminal sexual act.
Two Tipperary schools are in the top 20 fee paying colleges in the country for sending students to third level education.

According to figures in today's Irish Independent, Cistercian College, Roscrea, had a 100 per cent record in the numbers going to third level.

A total of 31 students sat the Leaving Cert, with 100 per cent going on to further education.

The majority of the students, eight went to UCD, with six attending Galway-Mayo IT.

Just two years ago the college faced closure but a rallying cry from past-pupils raised enough money to keep it open.

Rockwell College in Cashel comes in at number 14 on the fee paying list, with 88 students sitting the Leaving Cert and 100 per cent going to third level.

The majority of students, 22, later attended UCD, with 10 going to Cork IT.

Also in the top 50 list is Glenstal Abbey in Murroe on the Tipperary / Limerick border, with 45 students sitting the Leaving Cert and 75 per cent of them heading to college.

There was an almost equal split between Dublin universities, with eight going to TCD and seven attending UCD.

Not surprisingly, Roscrea and Rockwell topped the feeder schools in Tipperary, with St Joseph's College, Borrisoleigh in third, with 39 students sitting the Leaving Cert and all attending college.

Being so close to Limerick, the majority, 10, went to UL, while eight students went to Limerick IT.

The full list of Tipperary schools, including numbers who sat the Leaving Cert and the percentage who went on to third level, is:

Cistercian College, Roscrea . . . . 31 students, 100 per cent

Rockwell College, Cashel . . . . 88 students, 100 per cent

St Joseph's, Borrisoleigh . . . . 39 students, 100 per cent

Presentation Secondary, Thurles . . . . 90 students, 100 per cent

Scoil Mhuire, Newport . . . . 69 students, 100 per cent

St Mary's Secondary, Nenagh . . . . 83 students, 95per cent

Scoil Mhuire, Carrick-on-Suir . . . . 62 students, 94 per cent

CBS, Scoil na mBraithre, Nenagh . . . . 80 students, 93 per cent

Vocational School, Borrisokane . . . . 83 students, 90 per cent

The Abbey School CBS, Tipperary . . . . 68 students, 90 per cent

Ursuline Secondary, Thurles . . . . 135 students, 84 per cent

Loreto Secondary, Clonmel . . . . 81, 84 per cent

Community College, Roscrea . . . . 99 students, 79 per cent

St Joseph's College, Newport . . . . 14 students, 79 per cent

CBS Ard Scoil, Clonmel . . . . 143, 77 per cent

Clochar na Toirbhirte, Clonmel . . . . 76 students, 76 per cent

Cashel Community School . . . . 140 students, 74 per cent

St Anne's School, Convent of Mercy, Tipperary . . . . 57 students, 72 per cent

Scoil Ruain, Killenaule . . . . 54 students, 70 per cent

CBS Thurles . . . . 112 students, 72 per cent

St Ailbe's School, Tipperary . . . . 40 students, 68 per cent

Central Technical Institute, Clonmel . . . . 27 students, 67 per cent

Scoil na mBraithre, Carrick-on-Suir . . . . 41 students, 66 per cent

Our Lady's Secondary, Templemore . . . . 87 students, 61 per cent

Colaiste Dun Iascaigh, Cahir . . . . 100 students, 59 per cent

Vocational School, Nenagh . . . . 50 students, 56 per cent

Clochar na Toirbhirte, Ballingarry . . . . 40 students, 55 per cent

Vocational School, Thurles . . . . 19 students, 47 per cent

Comeragh College, Carrick-on-Suir . . . . 55 students, 45 per cent

Patrician / Presentation Secondary School, Fethard . . . . 25 students, 36 per cent
HARRISBURG  There are a few signs of progress, a week into the three-week period established by the state Supreme Court for lawmakers to prod
[December 05, 2017] Stacking Up: A Snapshot of Canada's Developer Tech Talent

New research unlocks understanding of developers, a critically important sector of the Canadian innovation economy



TORONTO, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Canadian software developers are key contributors to our country's technology-driven economy. Yet, Canada has not had an accurate picture of its software developer talentuntil now. In an extensive new report, the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship (BII+E) at Ryerson University has partnered with Stack Overflow, the world's largest software developer online community, to better understand this influential group that forms the technical backbone of organizations, large and small, throughout the country. The report, released today and entitled Stacking Up: A Snapshot of Canada's Developer Talent, suggests that Canada has one of the largest populations and highest concentrations of developer talent globally. Toronto's developer community also emerges as one of the biggest and fastest growing within Canada and around the world. "We know that Canada's tech sector is a driver of innovation and economic growth" said Sean Mullin, Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship Executive Director. "Yet the lack of data at the developer level has prevented a complete understanding the range and depth of this increasingly important sectorupon which thousands of Canadian businesses rely." Stacking Up complements and supplements Statistics Canada data by drawing from the 2017 Stack Overflow Annual Developer Survey of over 50,000 developers worldwide, as well as traffic to Stack Overflow's website. The survey provides insights into education level, salary, scope of work, as well as other key employment, demographic and geographic distribution information. It allows readers to better understand the Canadian developer landscape, including how they work, how to recruit them and how they compare to developers around the world. "As the online resource where developers go to learn, share their knowledge and find jobs, we're seeing tremendous growth in companies trying to attract deveopers, especially across North America," said Michael Dillon, Country Lead, Stack Overflow. "Developers are the backbone of a growing tech economy. We're pleased to partner with the Brookfield Institute to shed light onto an important segment of the tech sector and to help employers as they compete for top developer talent."



Report Key Findings: Canadians accounted for 4.4 per cent of developers in the 2017 Annual Developer Survey, making Canada the fifth most represented country in terms of developer talent globally.







the fifth most represented country in terms of developer talent globally. Toronto represented over 32 percent of Canada's developer talent pool, according to Stack Overflow web traffic data. Montreal and Vancouver ranked second and third, respectively, and collectively accounted for nearly 30 percent of Canadian developers.





represented over 32 percent of developer talent pool, according to Stack Overflow web traffic data. and ranked second and third, respectively, and collectively accounted for nearly 30 percent of Canadian developers. Internationally, Toronto ranked 13th among all cities in terms of number of developers and 5th in terms of the growth of its developer community over the past year, based on Stack Overflow web traffic data.





ranked 13th among all cities in terms of number of developers and 5th in terms of the growth of its developer community over the past year, based on Stack Overflow web traffic data. Developers are highly educated and command a much higher salary than the rest of the Canadian labour market. A median of C$70,000 was reported in the 2017 survey, compared to C$45,280 in 2016 for the Canadian labour market as a whole.





was reported in the 2017 survey, compared to in 2016 for the Canadian labour market as a whole. Developers work across the economy. While 40 percent of Canadian survey respondents were in the software and internet or web services industries, the majority work outside these industries, for example, in finance, media and healthcare.





95 percent of professional developers in Canada have received at least some college or university education, according to the 2017 survey.





have received at least some college or university education, according to the 2017 survey. Less than 10 percent of Canadian developers are female. However, we may be seeing a positive trend, with the ratio of male to female developers decreasing from roughly 17-to-1 in the 2015 survey to roughly 10-to-1 in the 2017 survey.





The industry lacks diversity. The vast majority (83 percent) of Canadian developers surveyed identified as white, or of European descent. Also included as part of the report is a data visualization map, which allows viewers to explore the report's key findings. Stacking Up builds upon the insights revealed in the Brookfield Institute's previously released report, The State of Canada's Tech Sector, 2016, which used an expanded definition of Canada's tech sector to shed light on its growing reach and economic impact. Sean Mullin added, "For decades, business leaders and policymakers have relied on traditional labour market information sources that can fail to accurately capture specific technical skills that are critical to success in an information economy." Stack Overflow's Developer Survey is an annual, voluntary, English-language survey. In 2017, 51,392 developers were surveyed worldwide, of which 2,223 were from Canada. The Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship (BII+E) is a new, independent and nonpartisan institute, housed within Ryerson University, that is dedicated to making Canada the best country in the world to be an innovator or an entrepreneur. BII+E supports this mission in three ways: insightful research and analysis; testing, piloting and prototyping projects; which informs BII+E's leadership and advocacy on behalf of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country. For more information, visit brookfieldinstitute.ca. Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse, and inclusive, the university is home to more than 41,500 students, including 2,400 master's and PhD students, 3,200 faculty and staff, and nearly 170,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past five years. For more information, visit ryerson.ca.

SOURCE Ryerson University

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[December 04, 2017]

CABLExpress Respect Layer One, not sexy, just smart

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CABLExpress, a worldwide structured cabling solutions provider, will offer an exclusive look at how to best Respect Layer One during the Gartner IT Infrastructure Operations Management & Data Center Conference, December 4-7, at The Venetian in Las Vegas. CABLExpress is located in booth #314.

To Respect Layer One is to ensure that layer one cabling infrastructure provides the quality and performance necessary to make a company's technology investments worthwhile. For example, you wouldn't drive a Lamborghini on a bumpy gravel road, and you shouldn't buy sub-standard cabling to serve large-scale networking equipment. It's imperative for companies to protect the investments they make in technology.

"The technology solutions that we provide can help lower operating costs, reduce installation time and save physical space," said Lisa Ross, vice president and general manager of CABLExpress." "We know our customers' end goal is to strengthen their business processes through technology, so we always strive to ensure our solutions will protect and improve the functionality of their critical processes."

For 36 years CABLExpress has made a difference in serving large-scale networking equipment with its innovative cabling solutions that ensure networks operate at optimum speeds and performance levels. The company has technology experts that provide, deliver, and understand not just on their own extensive product offering, but also latest trends and industry standards. CABLExpress products lead the market in quality and performance. The company is consistently manufacturing cables, modules, and enclosures that exceed industry specifications.

Meet the CABLExpress technology experts:

Dave Fredricks is a data center infrastructure architect with more than 20 years of experience in fiber optic and structured cabling solutions. He's authored a half-dozen white papers on structured cabling, his latest, "Meeting 40/100G Ethernet and 32GFC, 128 GFCp Light Budgets with a Structured Cabling Design." His "Race to 400G Ethernet Part 4" blog post is due out later this month.







Josh Taylor, director of product management, has more than 20 years of experience and has authored a half-dozen white papers on Spine and Leaf, including his latest, "Spine-and-Leaf Architecture and Your Cabling." He has also produced 50+ Respect Layer One videos.

Rick Dallmann, senior data center infrastructure architect, has more than 20 years of experience in the design and implementation of fiber optic cabling and structured cabling solutions. He recently published the whitepaper, "Multi-Path System Offers a New, Standards-Based Fiber Optic Cabling Migration."

Rob Jordan is a data center infrastructure architect for CABLExpress. He has more than 20 years of experience in the fiber optic cabling industry. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. One of his latest blog offering examined, "What's New in the World of Telecommunications Standards: Fibre Channel, IEEE 802, and TIA."

"We want to be an extension of your company's IT team," said Fredricks. "We'll work directly with you to tailor solutions that are ideal for your specific circumstances and we'll take your needs and insight into account to help drive and inspire our innovative product solutions."

"Through our partnerships, our technology solutions, and business value, our customers realize the benefits associated with Respect Layer One - and the difference the CABLExpress experience can make for their organization," said Renee Duffy, vice president of marketing, for CABLExpress.

We encourage you to schedule a risk-free consultation with one of our technology solution experts by visiting CABLExpress.

About CABLExpress: CABLExpress, a division of CXtec, has manufactured high-performance cabling and data center infrastructure products and structured cabling solutions for more than three decades. The CABLExpress Skinny-Trunk Solution is a high-density, fiber optic product line that helps organizations maximize business value and prepare their layer one infrastructures for future generations of upgrades. For more information, visit www.cablexpress.com.

For more information, contact:

Pat Spadafore, CABLExpress

[email protected]

315-883-3874

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cablexpress-respect-layer-one-not-sexy-just-smart-300566078.html

SOURCE CABLExpress
[December 04, 2017] Keurig Green Mountain Loses Bid to Dismiss Monopoly Suit Over K-Cups

A federal court has rejected a request by Keurig Green Mountain to dismiss multiple lawsuits charging that it has unfairly monopolized the market for single-serve "K-Cups" used in its popular coffee brewing machines. "We're very pleased that the court is allowing our clients-who seek to represent a class of direct purchasers-to pursue their claims seeking fair prices and consumer choice," said Kellie Lerner of Robins Kaplan LLP, which represents plaintiffs that purchased K-Cups directly from Keurig Green Mountain. "These are bedrock principles of a competitive marketplace." The proposed class represented by Robins Kaplan alleges that Keurig Green Mountain has taken active and unlawful steps to preserve its monopoly in the multibillion-dollar K-Cup market. Its complaint charges Keurig Green Mountain with buying up potential competitors, leaning on retailers to restrict access to competitive products, and creating a new brewer-the Keurig 2.0-that will not brew coffee from K-Cup-like cartridges made by unlicensed third parties. In fiscal year 2015, Keurig Gren Mountain netted $3.645 billion in sales from its beverage pods, the most notable of which were single-serve K-Cups.



The court's decision keeps alive the majority of the claims Keurig Green Mountain sought to dismiss across multiple lawsuits. In addition to the direct purchasers represented by Robins Kaplan, other plaintiffs charging Keurig Green Mountain with unlawful monopolistic conduct include a proposed class of indirect purchasers, such as individuals who purchased K-Cups from retailers, and makers of competing cartridges. Bernard Persky and Meegan Hollywood of Robins Kaplan also represent the plaintiffs.

The multi-district litigation is In re: Keurig Green Mountain Single-Serve Coffee Antitrust Litigation. It is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York before Judge Vernon S. Broderick. Judge Broderick heard oral arguments on Keurig Green Mountain's motion to dismiss on July 9, 2015. About Robins Kaplan LLP Robins Kaplan is among the nation's premier trial law firms, with more than 220 lawyers located in Bismarck, N.D.; Boston; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Naples, Fla; New York; Silicon Valley; and Sioux Falls, S.D. The firm litigates, mediates, and arbitrates high-stakes, complex disputes, repeatedly earning national recognition. Firm clients include-as both plaintiffs and defendants-numerous Fortune 500 corporations, emerging markets companies, entrepreneurs, and individuals. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171204006190/en/

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[December 05, 2017] Cyber Security Firm Integrity360 Acquires Specialist UK Security Provider

DUBLIN, Ireland, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyber security firm Integrity360 today announced the acquisition of UK IT security specialist Metadigm for an undisclosed sum, expanding the firm's presence in the UK. Adding to its current services portfolio, Integrity360 will extend the reach for its managed security and cyber security services in the UK market. The acquisition will deliver enhanced industry knowledge and expertise to customers. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/615292/Eoin_Goulding_and_Jason_Simper.jpg )

One of the first cyber security companies in the UK, Metadigm, has been operating for more than 20 years and has an expected 2017 turnover of 3m. Integrity360 currently operates in the UK through its London and Birmingham offices. The firm reported year on year growth of 53 per cent in 2016 with an increase of 13 million in annual turnover from 24.5 million to 37.5 million. Integrity360 plans to significantly increase its penetration of the UK market, driven by a twin stategy of both organic growth and acquisitions. Ireland's largest cyber security provider, the firm employs 175 people at its HQ in Sandyford, Dublin.



Eoin Goulding, CEO, Integrity360, "It's fantastic to be integrating Metadigm's expertise into our overall business, reinforcing our growth strategy and introducing a further skill set for our clients in Ireland. I am delighted to announce the acquisition." He continued: "Metadigm has a strong reputation in the UK and we look forward to welcoming them to our team. The people and skill sets at Integrity360 are fundamental to the cyber security services that we deliver internationally."

Jason Simper, Director, Metadigm said: "This is a great opportunity for us to be part of a leading cyber security organisation, positioning the UK team to offer enhanced IT security services with greater reach. We are very excited about the move to Integrity360." Integrity360 works with more than 300 companies in Ireland and internationally, across key sectors, providing managed cyber security; incident handling; cyber risk and assurance; cyber security integration and penetration testing services, in order to secure clients' information, networks and infrastructure. Founded in 2005, Integrity360 is 12 years in business. About Integrity360 Integrity360 is Ireland's largest Cyber Security company, founded in 2005 with offices in Ireland, the UK and the USA. The firm is trusted by more than 300 customers across sectors including telecoms, finance, e-commerce, education, healthcare, retail and semi-state bodies. Integrity360 security consultants hold the highest level of accreditation and certifications. The firm is ISO 9001 certified for Quality Management and ISO 27001 certified for Information Security Management. Our mission is to be the trusted leading global security partner, offering a 360 world class security service; providing 'peace of mind' to our enterprise clients and partners. http://www.integrity360.com Please visit www.integrity360.com for further information.

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[December 05, 2017] ESET unites with Microsoft and law enforcement agencies to disrupt Gamarue botnets

TORONTO, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Security researchers at ESET, in collaboration with Microsoft and law enforcement agencies  the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Interpol, Europol, and other stakeholders in cybersecurity  have today taken down a major botnet operation known as Gamarue (detected by ESET as Win32/TrojanDownloader.Wauchos), which has been infecting victims since 2011. A coordinated take-down started on November 29th, 2017 and as a result of this joint effort, law enforcement agencies across the globe were able to make an arrest and obstruct activity of the malware family responsible for infecting more than 1.1 million systems per day. ESET and Microsoft researchers shared technical analysis, statistical information, and known command control (C&C) servers' domains to help disrupt the malicious activity of the group. ESET also shared its historical knowledge of Gamarue, gained from the continual monitoring of the malware and its impact on users over the past few years. What is Gamarue? Created by cybercriminals in September 2011, and sold as a crime-kit on the Dark Web in underground forums, the purpose of the Gamarue family was to steal credentials and to download and install additional malware onto users' systems. This malware family is a customizable bot, which allows the owner to create and use custom plugins. One such plugin allows the cybercriminal to steal content entered by users in web forms while another enables criminals to connect back and control compromised systms.



Its popularity has resulted in a number of independent Gamarue botnets in the wild. In fact, ESET found that its samples have been distributed across the globe through social media, instant messaging, removable media, spam, and exploit kits. How did ESET and Microsoft researchers gather intelligence?

Using ESET Threat Intelligence service, ESET researchers were able to build a bot that could communicate with the threat's C&C server. Consequently, ESET and Microsoft were able to closely track Gamarue's botnets for the past year and a half, identifying their C&C servers for takedown and monitoring what was installed on victims' systems. The two companies have since compiled a list of all of the domains used by the cybercriminals as C&C servers. "In the past, Wauchos has been the most detected malware family amongst ESET users, so when we were approached by Microsoft to take part in a joint disruption effort against it, to better protect our users and the general public at large, it was a no-brainer to agree," said Jean-Ian Boutin, Senior Malware Researcher at ESET. "This particular threat has been around for several years now and it is constantly reinventing itself  which can make it hard to monitor. But by using ESET Threat Intelligence and by working collaboratively with Microsoft researchers, we have been able to keep track of changes in the malware's behavior and consequently provide actionable data which has proven invaluable in these takedown efforts." What should users do if they suspect their systems have been compromised? Cybercriminals have traditionally used Gamarue to target home users to steal credentials from websites through its form grabber plugin. However, ESET researchers have recently seen the malware being used to install various spam bots onto compromised machines in a so-called pay-per-install scheme. ESET is advising users that fear their Windows system might be compromised to download and use the ESET Online Scanner, which will remove any threats, including Gamarue, found on the system. To learn about more complex way to protect your devices from botnets, please visit ESET's dedicated site. About ESET For 30 years, ESET has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint and mobile security, to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET's high-performing, easy-to-use products give consumers and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real-time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D centers worldwide, ESET becomes the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single "in-the-wild" malware without interruption since 2003. For more information visit www.eset.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. SOURCE ESET

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[December 05, 2017] New Multiplatform Luxury Lifestyle Publication To Launch In Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leslie Frisbee, a longtime Las Vegas journalist and editor, announces the establishment of CLASS, a Las Vegas-based multiplatform luxury lifestyle publication with a focus on branded content, philanthropy and ultra-exclusive events. Backed by Richard Haddrill, a well-respected gaming executive who currently serves as Executive Vice Chairman of Scientific Games, Inc., CLASS marries luxury and living well with community and environmental betterment embodied in five pillars: compassion, living consciously, authenticity, service and solutions. Frisbee, who previously served as editor of Luxury Las Vegas and director of content for Niche Publishing Group for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, will serve as CLASS' editor in chief. She has assembled a highly experienced team of journalists, writers, photographers, videographers, designers and consultants with a wealth of knowledge in all sectors of the luxury market, including fashion, jewelry, fine dining, wine and spirits, upscale travel, high-end real estate and other luxury goods and services. Founding team members include award-winning celebrity journalist Marsala Rypka; managing editor Carla Zvosec; multimedia journalist Buford Davis; and award-winning designer Lindsay Rholfsen. CLASS will be the first luxury endeavor to offer multiple media platforms synergized to enhance its messaging for readers and advertisers. These include print, digital, personalized video, proprietary ecommerce, special luxury events and social media outreach. Six annual print issues are planned with the first launching in January 2018. The first issue will feature a tribute to a Las Vegas icon in a bold cover and multi-page feature created by world-renowned, London-based artist Nuno da osta. The magazine, exquisitely designed and proportioned in a special size befitting its unique nature, will be mailed to high-income households throughout Southern Nevada and selectively distributed at luxury hotels, restaurants, retailers and other targeted destinations and venues throughout Las Vegas.



"'Luxury with a purpose' is our mantra and is foundational to our focus," said Frisbee. "Interviews and features of celebrities, influencers, tastemakers and leaders will include individuals as well as corporations and organizations using their high-profile positions and platforms to do good in the world. Our content, designed to be entertaining and informative, will also be inspiring to incite and motivate others to action. Our team is local. We have all worked as Las Vegas journalists and are vested in our community to make it #VegasStrong." "Many leading luxury brands have long partnered with social and environmental causes to advance a better world," said Frisbee. "We plan to illuminate these brands on both a global and local level to showcase the art of living well while living consciously."

In addition to creating this multi-media platform, TheCLASSProject Initiative has been established as a philanthropic arm designed specifically to promote the platforms of featured philanthropists and nonprofit organizations. TheCLASSProject aims to align influencers and celebrities with causes they support to create engaging, entertaining and informative digital shorts. Select and targeted charities and nonprofits will be granted the opportunity to use these sponsored videos on their websites and social media platforms. "I am excited to be part of the team at CLASS and TheCLASSProject as I truly believe that successful people with a passion can affect change much faster and more effectively than centralized social programs," said Haddrill, who will act as CLASS' Advisory Chairman. "Leslie and I share that passion, and together, we hope to inspire many others through The Class Project." About CLASS and TheCLASSProject Initiative

CLASS is a Las Vegas-based multiplatform luxury lifestyle publication with a focus on branded content, philanthropy and ultra-exclusive events. CLASS marries luxury and living well with community and environmental betterment via its business model based on five pillars  compassion, living consciously, authenticity, service and solutions. In addition to its print publication, other CLASS platforms include digital and video, email, social media and special events. TheCLASSProject Initiative, the philanthropic arm of CLASS, is a digital and social media campaign designed specifically to promote the platforms of philanthropists and charitable organizations. TheCLASSProject aims to align influencers and celebrities with causes they support to create engaging, entertaining and informative digital shorts. About Leslie Frisbee

With more than 20 years of experience in print, digital, TV and social media, Leslie Frisbee is a respected, award-winning journalist, editor and tastemaker specializing in the luxury lifestyle market. Frisbee's astute eye for detail and design, along with her ability to generate unique and compelling editorial, makes her one of the industry's most sought-after luxury ambassadors. Most recently, Frisbee served as the editor in chief of Luxury Las Vegas magazine. She is 2017 Style Ambassador for House of Diffa in conjunction with the Las Vegas Fashion Council and named one of Hakkasan Group's 2017 Woman on Top. About Richard Haddrill

Richard Haddrill is Executive Vice Chairman of Scientific Games, Inc., a global leader in gaming technology, and Chairman of CEC, a leader in restorative justice. He was previously CEO of three successful publicly traded technology companies  Bally Technologies, Manhattan Associates and Powerhouse Technologies  and has served on the Board of Directors of nine companies. He is active in various charitable endeavors including The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and Boys Scouts. Richard recently founded a family office which has invested in and advised a variety of private companies, including socially responsible for-profit companies in the areas of drug and alcohol rehabilitation, restorative justice and environmental affordable housing. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-multiplatform-luxury-lifestyle-publication-to-launch-in-las-vegas-300566074.html SOURCE TheCLASSProject

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[December 05, 2017] Global Marine Big Data Market: Rising Global Trade to Fuel Growth Opportunities - Transparency Market Research

ALBANY, New York, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Considering big data analytics in the marine sector is an upcoming technology, the global marine big data market is poised to witness a highly competitive environment. As the market is at a booming phase, Transparency Market Research (TMR) forecasts strong growth for in a new study. "In order to emerge at fore, a majority of the market players are focusing on product differentiation," said a lead TMR analyst. "In consequence of the same, companies are in keen on adding innovative functions to the products they offer," he added. Besides this, the market players are keen on strategic collaborations through partnerships. This would help companies operating in the global marine big data market strengthen their foothold. TMR has identified Intertrust Technologies Corporation, Splunk, Inc., Teradata, BigOceanData, Datameer Inc., among others as some of the leading companies operating in the global marine big data market. Impacted by strategies adopted by the key market players and various other factors, the global marine big data market is forecast to expand at a robust 21.5% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. At this pace, the market's valuation will reach US$3,240.5 mn by the end of 2025. Based on component, service segment held larger share in the global marine big data market as compared to software packages as the former offers better affordability. Regionally, Asia Pacific held lead in the global marine big data market as the region boasts the presence of large shipping corporations in South Korea, China, Singapore, and Japan. Request to view Sample Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=35177 Technological Advancements in Marine Sector Push Demand for Marine Big Data Shipping is highly regulated and responsible nearly 3% of carbon emissions reported globally. Considering the high dependence of global trade, the shipping industry accounts for a significantly large share of the commercial demand. In the coming years, the industry is likely to navigate through various twists and turns and bear effects of climate change, upcoming regulations, technological advancements, and energy shortages. Also several technological developments are on card for the marine sectors on account of the advent of proliferation of the sensor technology. Against this backdrop, experts are of the opinion that the marine sector is likely to develop at a rapid pace in the coming years. This will in turn create lucrative prospects for the global marine big data market's growth. Ship intelligence will emerge as a driving future shaping lucrative prospects for the industry. A staggering volume of data is generated on a daily basis in marine sector. Furthermore, this data is generated from diverse sources and in diverse formats. Big data has therefore emerged as a key solution as it hlps discovering correlations between various measurable or unmeasurable criteria. Results thus obtained enables determination of hidden trends and patterns.



Request a Custom Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=35177 Information Provided by Marine Big Data Considered Indispensable for Marine Sector

Marine big data provides forecasts regarding unforeseen hazards be it regarding climate or ecology and helps in decision-making. In addition, marine big data also provides valuable temporal and spatial information, besides data on water attributes such as density, salinity, temperature, and velocity. All these factors will help in growth of the global marine big data market in the coming years. As future of ship intelligence traverses beyond ultra-monitoring and nanotech, the market will welcome a fresh burst of opportunities. Experts are of opinion that in the coming years, bridges will focus on analyzing high level data to efficiently manage navigation and propulsions. This review is based on a TMR report, titled "Marine Big Data Market (Component - Software (Data Analytics, Data Collection Data Discovery & Visualization, and Data Management), Services (Consulting, System Integration and Operation, and Maintenance); Application - Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas, Fishery, Whale Watching, Marine Protected Area, Dredging, Harbor, and Offshore Construction; Data Source - Environmental, Oceanographic, Geological Data, and Economic) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2017 - 2025." Browse Press Release at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/marine-big-data-market.htm The report segments the global marine big data market as: Marine Big Data Market Analysis, by Component Software Data Analytics Data Collection Data Discovery and Visualization Data Management

Services Consulting System Integration Operation and Maintenance

Marine Big Data Market Analysis, by Application Renewable Energy

Oil and Gas

Fishery

Whale Watching

Marine Protected Area

Marine Traffic

Dredging

Harbor

Offshore Construction

Others Marine Big Data Market Analysis, by Data Source Environmental

Oceanographic

Geological Data

Economic

Others Marine Big Data Market Analysis, by Region North America The U.S. Canada Rest of North America

Europe Germany France The U.K. Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific Japan China India Australia Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle-East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA

& South America Brazil Rest of South America

Popular Research Reports by TMR: Smart Grid Data Analytics Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/smart-grid-data-analytics.html Smart Agriculture Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/smart-agriculture-market.html About Us Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. Contact



Transparency Market Research

State Tower,

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Suite 700,

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United States

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: [email protected]



Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Research Blog: http://www.editiontruth.com/



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[December 05, 2017] Uptick Newswire "Stock Day" Interviews Kevin Cornell on AmbiCom's Computer Technology

Phoenix, AZ, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uptick Newswire is the sole producer of the Uptick Network Stock Day Podcast keeping investors and shareholders up-to-date on company news and bringing transparency to the micro-cap sector of the market. The host of Stock Day, CEO and founder Everett Jolly, recently interviewed a new CEO and a brand new company on the podcast to shed light on the computer technology industry.

Everett Jolly had welcomed on Kevin Cornell, the CEO of AmbiCom Holdings, Inc. (OTCPink:ABHI, the Company), who had discussed the background of the company and elaborated on how AmbiComs product can make a difference on any PC or server. Mr. Cornell discussed AmbiComs patented product Veloxum, which optimizes physical and virtual operating system achieving greater performance and capacity with Active Continuous Optimization (ACO). Continuing the interview, Mr. Jolly brought up the matter of how big this market is and Mr. Cornell answered on the world-wide need for computer technology and the revenue within that market. Furthermore, Mr. Jolly had received a few emails regarding AmbiCom and asked Mr. Cornell when he will be bringing his fillings current with the new auditor and when the stop sign will be taken off of the ticker symbol. CEO Kevin Cornell replies to the question with, Were working on it right now. The goal is to get it done in the next couple of months. Weve got the auditor engaged and weve brought in an outside company who specializes in that as well. Were working as hard and as fast as we can to get current with all of our fillings. In the next month or two you should see that stop sign come down. To listen to the full interview please click here or the following link: https://upticknewswire.com/featured-interview-ceo-kevin-cornell-of-ambicom-holdings-inc-otcpink-abhi



About AmbiCom Holdings, Inc.

AmbiCom Holdings Inc., headquarters in Santa Cruz, California, searches out, acquires and/or invests in unique technologies that have the potential for wide adoption in large markets. AmbiCom looks for mature management teams that have a history of successfully converting new concepts in to products.

Of interest are high margin products that have the ability to enhance users experience while generating positive return on investment. We are acutely aware of our responsibility to the investors that have placed their trust in our abilities to effectively manage the assets of AmbiCom on their behalf. For further information, visit www.ambicom.com.

About Uptick Newswire and the Stock Day Podcast

Uptick Newswire is a private company reaching out to the masses keeping investors and shareholders up to date on company news and bringing transparency to the undervalued, undersold, micro-cap stocks of the market and is the sole producer of the Uptick Network Stock Day Podcast. The Uptick Network Stock Day Podcast is an extension of Uptick Newswire and has recently launched the Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix Arizona with its new host Kathryn Donnelly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU5SVLp4org

Follow us and keep an eye on Uptick's YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook for additional radio and video shows produced by Uptick! https://upticknewswire.com/ Safe Harbor:

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to several risks, assumptions, and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. We undertake no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statements. Source: Uptick Newswire Contact: Uptick Newswire LLC Everett Jolly, CEO/Founder 602-441-3474 10000 N. 31st Avenue C307 Phoenix, AZ 85051 [email protected] www.upticknewswire.com

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[December 05, 2017] Kata Containers Project Launches to Build Secure Container Infrastructure

The OpenStack Foundation today announces a new open source project, Kata Containers, which aims to unite the security advantages of virtual machines (VMs) with the speed and manageability of container technologies. The project is designed to be hardware agnostic and compatible with the Open Container Initiative (OCI) specification, as well as the container runtime interface (CRI) for Kubernetes. Kata Containers offers the ability to run container management tools directly on bare metal without sacrificing workload isolation. When compared to running containers on virtualized infrastructure (which is the standard practice today), benefits include increased performance, faster boot time and cost efficiencies. Intel (News - Alert) is contributing Intel Clear Containers technology, and Hyper is contributing runV technology to initiate the project. In addition to contributions from Intel and Hyper, the following companies are supporting the project at launch: 99cloud, AWcloud, Canonical, China Mobile, City Network, CoreOS, Dell (News - Alert)/EMC, EasyStack, Fiberhome, Google, Huawei, JD.com, Mirantis, NetApp, Red Hat, SUSE, Tencent, Ucloud, UnitedStack and ZTE. JD.com, China's largest eCommerce platform by revenue, currently offers a container service powered by runV, the technology from Hyper.sh that will form the basis for Kata Containers. The service exposes an easy-to-use, Docker-like workflow, so developers who know Docker are able to jump in and deploy apps immediately. "With virtualized containers, the basis for Kata Containers technology, we are able to provide a container service for our customers to deploy applications in a simple, fast, secure and cost-effective manner," said Lijing Guo, general manager of JD Cloud Product Management at JD.com. "Development speed is 3x to traditional IaaS, but with 50 percent cost reduction. We look forward to seeing a community form around this technology to drive it forward." The Kata Containers project will initially comprise six components, including the Agent, Runtime, Proxy, Shim, Kernel and packaging of QEMU 2.9. It is designed to be architecture agnostic, run on multiple hypervisors and be compatible with the OCI specification for Docker containers and CRI for Kubernetes. By combining two of the most well-integrated virtualized container open source code bases and moving the project to open governance, the Kata Containers community will focus on attracting contributors, supporting diverse hardware architectures and driving technology adoption. Contributors can expect to work upstream across multiple infrastructure and container orchestration communities, including Kubernetes, Docker, OCI, CRI, CNI, QEMU, KVM, HyperV and OpenStack. Called Kata Containers, the new project suggests the Greek word, ?atap?ste?a ("ka-ta-PI-stev-ma") that translates as "trust something to someone." The word Kata in Japanese also means a detailed choreographed pattern of movements performed by individuals. Kata Containers at the OpenStack Foundation Kata Containers is a container infrastructure project managed by OpenStack Foundation, the home of open infrastructure. While OpenStack users may benefit from the new technology, Kata Containers is an independent project with its own technical governance and contributor base. The Kata Containers community expects to collaborate and target all popular infrastructure providers and container orchestration frameworks in addition to OpenStack-powered clouds. The OpenStack Foundation provides access to a diverse, global community of 82,000+ members across 187 countries, with the ability to leverage shared administrative and scalable resources, including community management, event management, and dev/test infrastructure. About Kata Containers Kata Containers is a new open source project that delivers the speed and performance of Linux containers with the workload isolation of virtual machines. It is designed to be architecture agnostic and compatible with OCI images, as well as the container runtime interface (CRI) for Kubernetes. Kata Containers is hosted on Github under the Apache 2 license and managed by the OpenStack Foundation. Get involved at www.katacontainers.io. Supporting Quotes "Containerization is an inevitable trend and we are very excited to see the OpenStack Foundation is making great efforts to launch the Kata Containers project. 99Cloud has been working in Kolla and OpenStack containerization for a long time, along with that we deployed the first Kolla production case and cloud OS based on Ocata & Pike release accordingly. In the future, we will leverage our experience and resources to contribute into this new project."

-Kai Li, co-founder and vce president, 99Cloud Inc.



"Kata Containers technology has the potential to help enterprise customers build a more secure container infrastructure while bringing new energy and inspiration into the infrastructure software development community. As an open source software startup, AWcloud will support the Kata Containers project to help our enterprise customers build more secure container infrastructure."

-Hua Li, CTO, AWcloud "The Kata Containers Project is an exciting addition to the OpenStack Foundation family of projects. Lighter, faster, more secure VMs technology fits perfectly into the OpenStack Foundation family and aligns well with Canonical's data center efficiency initiatives. Like Clear Containers and Hyper.sh previously, Kata Container users will find their hypervisor and guests well supported on Ubuntu."

-Dustin Kirkland, vice president, Product, Canonical

"It's China Mobile's (News - Alert) honor to join the Kata Containers project and project launch. It's very well aligned with China Mobile's Cloud Computing product. Kata Containers is a good complement for OpenStack. China Mobile has built IaaS product software stack based on OpenStack, and has a strong R&D team now, and we want to make a bigger investment in containers in the future. We think Kata Containers is a good choice for us."

-Junwei Liu, assistant general manager of Cloud Computing Department, Suzhou R&D Center, China Mobile "Cloud infrastructure is rapidly evolving, and City Network is committed to offering the most innovative services to our financial services customers while also meeting industry regulations and business constraints. Technologies like virtualized containers that can offer workload isolation are compelling, and we support the Kata Containers community as we push the envelope with new innovative services for regulatory sensitive industries."

-Johan Christenson, CEO, City Network "CoreOS has long seen the power of combining containers and virtualization for a fast and secure deployment option for anything from highly secured workloads to untrusted workloads. With the rapid adoption of Kubernetes to assist with orchestration, the new Kata Containers Project is well-timed to showcase the combination of virtualization and containers to more users, and eventually as the technology matures, the enterprise."

-Reza Shafii, vice president of product, CoreOS "OpenStack and Kubernetes are core cloud technologies. However, there are gaps to be filled, including security, isolation and support for optimized, lightweight images in runtime. Ease of integration between OpenStack and Kubernetes for multi-tenant support and access to the same set of network and storage resources is another gap. Kata Containers was born to fill these gaps. With memberships in the OpenStack Foundation, CNCF and OCI, EasyStack pledges to provide technical expertise and resources to support the Kata Containers project and provide these technologies in our customer environment."

-Guohui Liu, co-founder and CTO of EasyStack "Secure pods are an important direction for Kubernetes that allow multiple security boundaries within one node. With this approach already running on GCP, Kata Containers are an exciting addition as they enable secure pods, which provide lightweight security isolation and safe multi-tenancy."

-Eric Brewer, vice president, infrastructure, Google Cloud "The Kata Containers brings a new level of value and functionality to running containers in production environments, and we're pleased to contribute. Secure container management technology that's light, fast and agile can answer many of the challenges faced by both large telecom operators and enterprise users."

-Xiaoli Jiang, general manager, Cloud Open Source Development Team, Huawei (News - Alert) "Hyper is proud and excited to contribute runV, our virtualized container runtime technology, as the foundation of the new Kata Containers project. Hyper's vision from the start has always been to combine the best of virtualization and containerization, in delivering the security of VMs with the speed of containers. We see Kata Containers, as a potential basis for new on-demand container-native services spanning public/private cloud, serverless, and edge computing use cases and look forward to working with the community."

-James Kulina, COO, Hyper "Intel is proud to be a part of a project that expands on the vision of security and efficiency established with Clear Containers. Kata Containers combines the security and isolation advantages of existing virtual machines (VMs) with the deployment speed of containers. The project's runtime and tools look to standardize this approach and help make it easier to realize these benefits across stacks and platforms."

-Imad Sousou, vice president and general manager, Open Source Technology Center, Intel "The OpenStack Foundation knows how to build and grow communities for open infrastructure, and I'm excited to see the organization growing to support the new Kata project, enabling secure container infrastructure."

-Boris Renski, co-founder and CMO, Mirantis "NetApp is among the earliest and most active contributors to OpenStack and a variety of container projects, including Kubernetes and Docker. As customers rely increasingly on their data as a vital asset, these initiatives address the need for persistent storage and reliable security. We're committed to advancing common standards that make container solutions more secure and even easier to deploy and use. The Kata Containers approach is particularly impressive in how it takes on the formidable challenge of secure tenant isolation along container boundaries in multi-tenant CaaS environments."

-Mark Bregman, senior vice president and CTO, NetApp "It is great to see open source communities combine efforts and work together as with Kata Containers, and aligning with standards like OCI and key container projects like Kubernetes are important starting points for Kata. Container technologies are having a significant impact on the industry and adding hardware isolation as an option when using containers has the potential to bring a new class of workloads to container platforms including Red Hat OpenShift, furthering that industry impact."

-Chris Wright, vice president and CTO, Red Hat "SUSE is committed to delivering the benefits of secure enterprise-grade technology to its customers. Kata will be an important piece of the puzzle, unlocking the full potential of enterprise cloud models through greater security and innovative multi-tenant possibilities."

-Thomas Di Giacomo, CTO, SUSE "Containers technology offers huge potential benefits to operators of cloud infrastructure at scale, but practical considerations of security and performance result in compromises. As scale operators of infrastructure powered by OpenStack and other technologies, we're excited to support the Kata Containers project, as it offers a novel approach to solving the challenges of containers at scale."

-Carlos Luo, cloud general manager of government affairs, Tencent "Kata Containers naturally inherits the technical advantages of both VMs and containers, solving several pain points which bother us a lot. Kata Container is an exciting technology and UCloud developers contributed code and ideas to the upstream community of what has become the Kata Containers project. UCloud has also deployed the technology in production environments, for example, on CaaS, Cloud DB (UDB) and SDN products. UCloud will continue developing and deploying the technology to provide better products to cloud users."

-Mojiong Qiu, director, UCloud Connect With the Kata Containers Community Freenode IRC: #kata-dev

Slack: KataContainers

Website: katacontainers.io

Twitter (News - Alert): @KataContainers

Facebook: KataContainers Meet the Kata Containers Team at KubeCon This Week Dec 6-8 : Kata Containers booth #S57 in the Sponsor Showcase

: Kata Containers booth #S57 in the Sponsor Showcase Dec 6 : Kata Containers featured in Intel's keynote presentation, 9:50-9:55am, Exhibit Hall 3

: Kata Containers featured in Intel's keynote presentation, 9:50-9:55am, Exhibit Hall 3 Dec 6 : Kata Containers breakout session, 2:00-2:35pm in Ballroom B

: Kata Containers breakout session, 2:00-2:35pm in Ballroom B Dec 8 : Community on-boarding Meetup over lunch, 12:30-2:30pm, at Native Bar & Kitchen (5-minute walk from the Austin Convention Center) For those not at KubeCon, the community will host Kata Containers Community On-boarding Webinars. The first is on December 18 at 5:00pm PST. Register at: https://zoom.us/j/546473686. The second is on December 19 at 8:30am PST. Register at https://zoom.us/j/169673807. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005634/en/

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[December 05, 2017] First Contemporary Art Purchased with Bitcoin in the US

NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- American artist Mark Flood's painting was the first art piece to be purchased with Bitcoin in the US. When it sold last week in New York for 12.3 BTC (equivalent to $100,000). The White Company, a purveyor of fine art and luxury goods which specializes in working with clients in the cryptocurrency space sold the piece. "Select a Victim", the 2013 painting by Mr. Flood was offered privately to a Canadian citizen who wishes to remain anonymous. Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, rose significantly in 2017, to over $10,000 per BTC this year. Elizabeth White, CEO of The White Company said, "We have tremendous demand for art and luxury goods from buyers who have recently come into significant cryptocurrency wealth. They want to purchase tangible items with their newfound wealth and are finding it troublesome." While there is an increase in merchants accepting payments in cryptocurrency, the adoption n the luxury goods world is virtually non-existent. The White Company is the first and only US fine art and luxury goods dealer that accepts payment by cryptocurrency.



"One of the main advantages of Bitcoin is anonymity," continued White, "and we highly respect the privacy of our clients, even communicating with them through secure methods such as Signal and Telegram if they wish. We work with anyone in the world, and are able to offer same day delivery of any confirmed purchase in New York City or their choice of shipping worldwide. Our buyers enjoy the comfort of full anonymity throughout the purchase process, that our combination of cryptocurrency payments and private communication channels provide." Bitcoin gained popularity due to its ability to send payments without revealing the identity of the sender or receiver. Unfortunately, when trying to convert BTC into USD, holders of Bitcoin must reveal their identities to the exchange. However, by being able to pay directly for things in Cryptocurrency privacy is fully reassured.

The White Company is currently offering other art pieces by Mark Flood, Peter Beard, Michael Dweck as well as other luxury items, watches and even high end automobiles. White says "If there is anything a client wants to purchase with Bitcoin, we will be able to get it for them. Just yesterday we had a client wanting a suite at the Super Bowl and we made that happen for them." About: The White Company was started for clients who hold wealth in cryptocurrencies to purchase luxury goods without giving up their desire for anonymity. With experience, knowledge, and connections, the team at The White Company brings together the world of fine art, watches, luxury automobiles and more to their client's fingertips. Media contact:

Elizabeth White

[email protected]

212-651-3922 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-contemporary-art-purchased-with-bitcoin-in-the-us-300566641.html SOURCE The White Company

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[December 05, 2017] Top 200 UK Law Firm Stone King Selects iManage for its Document and Email Management

CHICAGO, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iManage, the company dedicated to transforming how professionals work, today announced that Stone King  a full practice law firm specializing in the education and charity sectors and one of the UKs top 200 law firms  has selected iManage for its document and email management system to deliver the industrys leading Work Product Management capabilities to its professionals, all in the iManage Cloud.

The firm, which has long taken a progressive, forward-thinking approach to IT, saw an investment in iManage Cloud as a way to ensure it had a world-class document and email management system that aligned with the firms cloud-first IT strategy. Previously, the firm had been using a matter management system that had limitations around managing emails and sharing documents. Having efficient systems for managing emails and documents and for securely sharing our documents with clients is extremely important for our people, so having the appropriate core IT systems in place is critical, said Tim Roche, Head of IT, Stone King. We chose iManage because it would integrate seamlessly with our existing email system and other productivity tools, meaning that we can share content internally and with clients in a quick, easy and secure way. Furthermore, we are moving away from paper-based processes and with the firm adopting a more agile way of working across its UK offices, having Manage will underpin our aims in these areas.



With iManage Cloud, Stone King will receive access to iManage Work for document and email management and iManage Share for fast and secure sharing of files. Additionally, iManage Mobility will provide the firm anytime, anywhere access to critical files from any device. iManage partner Phoenix Business Solutions is assisting Stone King with its implementation with plans to roll out the solution across the entire firm in early 2018. Busy legal professionals deal with hundreds of emails, documents and attachments every day, said Geoff Hornsby, General Manager, EMEA, iManage. Leading firms are looking for solutions that fully organize both documents and client communications by client and matter to streamline processes that make their lives easier.

Follow iManage via:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/imanageinc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iManageinc/

Blog: https://imanage.com/blog/

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/imanage

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/imanage About iManage

iManage transforms how professionals in legal, accounting and financial services get work done by combining the power of artificial intelligence with market leading document and email management. iManage automates routine cognitive tasks, provides powerful insights and streamlines how professionals work, while maintaining the highest level of security and governance over critical client and corporate data. Over one million professionals at over 3,000 organizations in over 65 countries  including more than 2,000 law firms and 500 corporate legal departments  rely on iManage to deliver great client work. Press Contact Information:

Manjul Gupta

Head of Corporate Communications

iManage

Phone: 669-777-3430

[email protected]

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[December 05, 2017] AIG Names Tom Bolt as Chief Underwriting Officer, General Insurance

American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) today announced that Tom Bolt will join the company as Chief Underwriting Officer, General Insurance. He will be responsible for developing a global framework for underwriting standards, authority and structure that is aligned with AIG's overall risk appetite. Mr. Bolt will report to Peter Zaffino, Chief Executive Officer, General Insurance, as a member of the General Insurance Executive Leadership Team. He is expected to join the company in January 2018. "I am very pleased to welcome Tom to AIG," said Mr. Zaffino. "He is an exceptionally talented leader with deep industry expertise and a proven track record of delivering outstanding financial and operational performance. Tom will bring strong discipline to our underwriting and pricing decisions and will play a key role in building AIG's data and analytical capabilities to empower our underwriters. I look forward to working with Tom to drive General Insurance's underwriting strategy and position it for profitable growth." Mr. Bolt said: "I am excited to be joining AIG at such a pivotal time in its history. I look forward to working with Peter and the General Insurance Executive Leadership Team to define consistent, global underwriting standards that achieve a well-balanced portfolio and deliver strong and sustainable financial performance." Mr. Bolt has over 30 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance industry. He joins AIG from Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, where he was serving as President and CEO of the U.K. and Southern Europe, and as a member of Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Ltd.'s Board of Directors. Prior to that, Mr. Bolt was Director of Performance Management at Lloyd's of London and Managing Director of Marlborough Managing Agency at Lloyd's. Before joining Lloyd's, he spent 25 years at Berkshire Hathaway in a variety of senior executive roles. ### Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-lookin statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only AIG's belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside AIG's control. It is possible that actual results will differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results contemplated by these statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ, possibly materially, from those in the forward-looking statements are discussed throughout AIG's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.



American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a leading global insurance organization. Founded in 1919, today AIG member companies provide a wide range of property casualty insurance, life insurance, retirement products, and other financial services to customers in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. These diverse offerings include products and services that help businesses and individuals protect their assets, manage risks and provide for retirement security. AIG common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aig.com | YouTube (News - Alert): www.youtube.com/aig | Twitter (News - Alert): @AIGinsurance www.twitter.com/AIGinsurance | LinkedIn (News - Alert): www.linkedin.com/company/aig. These references with additional information about AIG have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release.

AIG is the marketing name for the worldwide property-casualty, life and retirement, and general insurance operations of American International Group, Inc. For additional information, please visit our website at www.aig.com. All products and services are written or provided by subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. Products or services may not be available in all countries, and coverage is subject to actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. Certain property-casualty coverages may be provided by a surplus lines insurer. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds, and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005815/en/

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[December 05, 2017] One Call Appoints Fred Pensotti as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

One Call, the nation's leading provider of specialized services that add value across the continuum of workers' compensation care, today announced the appointment of Fred Pensotti as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective January 4, 2018. "I am pleased to welcome Fred to the leadership team at One Call," said Dale Wolf, One Call's president and CEO. "Fred's diverse financial management and leadership history will help us as we continue on our mission to deliver the best workers' compensation outcomes in the industry. Fred brings various perspectives and experiences driving improved operational performance for the businesses he has served while consistently enhancing shareholder value." Pensotti brings more than 20 years of executive financial management experience to One Call. He has a background with both publicly-held and privateequity-owned business in various industries. Most recently he served as EVP and Chief Financial Officer for Radial, Inc. (formerly eBay (News - Alert) Enterprise). Prior to Radial, Pensotti was the CFO for Interline Brands. He has also held various leadership roles including Treasurer, SVP Finance and Corporate Controller, and CFO of various business units at Sabre (News - Alert) Corporation, as well as a variety of financial positions of increasing responsibility at American Airlines.



Pensotti, a licensed CPA and CFA, earned his MBA from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management and holds a BBA in finance and international business from the University of Texas at Austin. About One Call

One Call is the nation's leading provider of specialized solutions to the workers' compensation industry and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. One Call's solutions enable faster, more efficient, more cost-effective claims resolution with a focus on injured workers' needs across the continuum of care. For more information, visit www.onecallcm.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005820/en/

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[December 05, 2017] SSPR's Heather Kelly named one of PR News' Top Women in PR for 2017

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SSPR LLC, a digital PR agency, is proud to announce the company's CEO, Heather Kelly, has been named one of PR News' Top Women in PR for 2017. The award recognizes women who have made bold advancements in managing client crises, developing brand messaging, building brand reputations and crafting content for digital platforms. Heather Kelly started her PR career in the days of pitching the media via fax. She has since transformed SSPR into an innovative team of motivated professionals who live and breathe her creative vision. She takes an integrated approach to providing holistic PR services, forging new pathways to help clients reach their objectives and pivoting in response to changes in specific industries and the media landscape. In terms of company culture, Kelly encourages her team to maintain a healthy and fulfilling work-life balance. Through flexible work hours, volunteer time off and company-led philanthropy events, team members are happier and ultimately strive for more in their oles at SSPR. The company also recently launched a Conscious Capitalism program, offering SSPR's expertise to a local nonprofit aligned with the team's core values.



On the recognition as a Top Woman in PR, Kelly noted, "A leader is only as good as her team. I'm thankful to have a team that shares my vision, and I'm honored to be recognized with such an outstanding group of women leaders." Employee Amy Dardinger shared, "I'm thrilled to see Heather honored for her incredible commitment to improving the public relations industry. As a boss, she challenges us to be reflective and to learn from our achievements and mistakes alike. I'm grateful to have an openminded and proactive CEO who encourages my growth, both professionally and personally." Heather Kelly and the SSPR team are available to discuss your public relations needs, including media relations, social media and social media advertising. For more information, go to www.sspr.com.

About SSPR

SSPR LLC is an agile, innovative public relations agency that specializes in media relations and executing media and social media strategy for businesses ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies. The company has offices across the U.S., emphasizing strong workplace culture and inclusion. SSPR's business goal is to, "work with clients we love, organizations we believe in and projects where making something great together can happen." Recognized by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the Stars of PR Awards and Business Insider, SSPR pushes the boundaries of conventional public relations. Contact:

Amy Dardinger

847-415-9321

[email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ssprs-heather-kelly-named-one-of-pr-news-top-women-in-pr-for-2017-300566260.html SOURCE SSPR LLC

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[December 05, 2017] Io-Tahoe Accepted into Forbes Technology Council

NEW YORK and LONDON, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ -- Io-Tahoe LLC, a pioneer in machine learning-driven smart data discovery solutions that span data lakes and relational databases, today announced it has been accepted into the Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Io-Tahoe's Chief Data Scientist, Dr. Winnie Cheng, joins other Forbes Technology Council members, who are hand-selected to become part of a curated network of successful peers and get access to a variety of exclusive benefits and resources, including the opportunity to submit thought leadership articles and short tips on industry-related topics for publishing on Forbes.com. Forbes Councils combine an innovative, high-touch approach to community management perfected by the team behind Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) with the extensive resources and global reach of Forbes. As a result, Forbes Council members get access to the people, benefits and expertise they need to grow their businesses  and a dedicated member concierge who acts as an extension of their own team, providing personalized one-on-one support. "There is one inarguable certainty across virtually every size and type of business in the world  that data continues to grow exponentially, while becoming ever more complex to manage. Likewise, data management continues to evolve. What could previously be managed manually, must be managed via a vast IT network today. And yet, for most, the data and sophisticated networks that support it have grown to the point where efficient and effective management is nearly impossible. Of course, that's exactly where Io-Tahoe comes in  providing businesses and IT professionals with the ability to regain control and unlock valuable data insights," said Dr. Cheng. "I am delighted to be a member of the Forbes Technology Council and look forward to the opportunity it presents to work with like-minded thought leaders and innovators in their respective areas, to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible." Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, said, "We are honored to welcome Io-Tahoe's Winnie Cheng into the community. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to curate successful professionals from every industry, creating a vetted, social capital-driven network that helps every member make an even greater impact on the business world."



Tweet this: [email protected] Accepted into @Forbes Technology Council https://io-tahoe.com/press-room/ #DataDiscovery #DataLakes #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #AI About Forbes Councils

Forbes partnered with the founders of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) to launch Forbes Councils, invitation-only communities for world-class business professionals in a variety of industries. Members, who are hand-selected by each Council's community team, receive personalized introductions to each other based on their specific needs and gain access to a wide range of business benefits and services, including best-in-class concierge teams, personalized connections, peer-to-peer learning, a business services marketplace, and the opportunity to share thought leadership content on Forbes.com. For more information about Forbes Technology Council, visit https://forbestechcouncil.com/. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com.

About Io-Tahoe

Io-Tahoe is a smart data discovery product which enables organizations to discover data in lakes and relational data instances, helping enterprises trace data elements across their systems in spite of outdated metadata definitions. The product utilizes machine learning algorithms to dramatically increase the accuracy, intelligence and speed of learning of complex data elements and data relationships throughout the entire business environment. Our product has been custom-built by a team with a deep understanding of data challenges, giving us first-hand insight and appreciation into our customers' diverse and complex data needs. Our solutions are particularly valuable to businesses with large numbers of customers and diverse data sets, such as those in the financial services, utilities, retail, transportation, insurance, healthcare and manufacturing industries. For further information, please visit: https://io-tahoe.com/. Follow Io-Tahoe on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/iotahoe

Follow Io-Tahoe on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9194521/ About Dr. Winnie Cheng, Chief Data Scientist, Io-Tahoe

A results-driven leader in data science with over $60 million in positive business impacts at world renowned leaders such as IBM Watson and JP Morgan, Dr. Winnie Cheng currently serves as Chief Data Scientist for Io-Tahoe. As such, Dr. Cheng plays a key role in helping to drive product innovation, as well as helping to ensure that Io-Tahoe continues to lead in its ability to extract meaning and interpret data. Her expertise is in areas such as large scale distributed systems, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Dr. Cheng was co-founder and CTO of a fintech machine learning company Flowcast and held Chief and Senior Data Scientist positions at Bankrate, Inc., J.P. Morgan, American Express, and IBM, as well as senior engineering roles at Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. Dr. Cheng serves as an advisor to Hatcher+, Fundnel Ltd., and ADSKOM, and serves as a mentor to Shoo-in Career. Dr. Cheng holds a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, and a Masters in Science (MS) from Stanford University in Engineering. Io-Tahoe LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centrica plc. PR contact:

Nicole Gorman

Io-Tahoe

[email protected]

M: 508-397-0131 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/io-tahoe-accepted-into-forbes-technology-council-300566777.html SOURCE Io-Tahoe

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[December 05, 2017] PlumChoice Business Services Expands Managed IT Services to Support Business-Critical Applications

PlumChoice, Inc., the leading provider of white-label technical services for cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) companies, announced that its managed services business, PlumChoice Business Services, is experiencing significant momentum resulting from small-to-medium-sized businesses' (SMBs) increasing adoption of cloud solutions. Spurred by the growing SMB demand, especially for Microsoft (News - Alert) cloud solutions, PlumChoice Business Services has grown its monthly recurring revenues by more than 20 percent since January 2017. Additionally, nearly 100 percent of its clients have adopted cloud technologies, compared to about 70 percent as of December of 2016. As more SMBs require cloud-based solutions to fuel their growth, PlumChoice managed IT services will offer companies strategic counsel as they migrate to the cloud for backup, disaster recovery, and productivity. The company provides strategic consulting and business-critical support, from application adoption and migration to ongoing use and maintenance, thereby easing cloud migration concerns and providing SMB business leaders with IT peace of mind. "We've spent the past four years building and refining our expertise around Microsoft cloud-based technologies, and are now in a great position to capitalize on the incresed SMB demand for managed cloud services involving backup, disaster recovery and security," said Alexander Straffin, director of managed services for PlumChoice. "Managing IT resources has become more complicated than ever for SMBs, with the cloud landscape constantly changing and increased security threats looming. We've assembled an incredible team of engineers who have the experience and knowledge to help SMBs leverage technology to grow their business."



PlumChoice Business Services now offers a strengthened suite of IT management, risk assessment and support services, available 24/7, backed by a team based in Boston, MA. Targeted companies who would benefit the most from these managed IT services include companies from 20 - 250 employees, which rely heavily on technology but may not have the required IT resources available to manage it. PlumChoice Business Services will proactively manage all aspects of an SMB's IT infrastructure, enabling them to quickly adopt new technology while allowing business users to focus on their core responsibilities.

PlumChoice Business Services has also launched a newly-designed website to further support the business. "PlumChoice technicians truly do things differently," said Elaine Baker of Kowal Associates, a telemanagement consulting firm. "Instead of simply resolving the issue at hand with a temporary fix, I am given options that will enhance functionality. PlumChoice is constantly looking out for my company's best interest." About PlumChoice:

PlumChoice helps cloud solution providers and distributors, communications service providers, and IoT service providers and manufacturers deploy and sell support services that drive product adoption, resulting in greater market penetration. We work on behalf of major brands to help end users install, configure, integrate, troubleshoot and use brands' products and software. In turn, PlumChoice's partners experience greater customer satisfaction and lifetime value, lower overhead, increased profitability, and quicker time to market. For information about PlumChoice, please visit www.plumchoice.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005824/en/

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[December 05, 2017] National Geographic Releases Fan-Generated Music Video for Seven-Time Grammy Award-Winning Lady Antebellum's "Army," along with Musicians On Call and iHeartMedia

National Geographic (@NatGeoChannel), along with Musicians On Call (@musiciansoncall) and iHeartMedia are today releasing a music video for multiplatinum trio Lady Antebellum's sentimental song "Army" off their No. 1-selling and Grammy-nominated album "Heart Break" (Capitol Records Nashville). The network joined forces with the band to find out who is in YOUR army to produce the video with footage provided by fans on social media. Link to downloadable video: https://wdrv.it/087ed5888

Link to YouTube (News - Alert) video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N28E1fzCxyc&t=1s Using the hashtag #MyArmyContest and tagging @NatGeoChannel on social media, fans submitted photos and videos of their personal heroes for the chance to be featured in the music video, which can be found at http://natgeotv.com/MyArmyContest. The partnership to create the music video, which began in October, honors veterans and their families and supports troops' long-term well-being on their long road home. The #MyArmyContest and #LongRoadHome campaigns coincide with the network's global miniseries event The Long Road Home, which focuses on the amazing courage of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division ambushed in Iraq in 2004 and also the brave families on the homefront. In addition to the #MyArmyContest, National Geographic also launched the #LongRoadHome social activation campaign. For every use of #LongRoadHome across Facebook, Twitter (News - Alert) and Instagram, National Geographic will donate $1 to Musicians On Call, which brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of veterans in health care facilities, for a total up to $75,000 to support its Bedside Performance Programs. Fans can also purchase The Long Road Home soundtrack on iTunes, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Musicians On Call. "Musicians On Call is proud to partner with National Geographic and Lady Antebellum to bring live music to the besides of veteran patients," said Pete Griffin, Musicians On Call President. "To date, our volunteer musicians have performed for over 47,000 veterans and their families at 16 veterans facilities, and with their support we deliver the healing power of music to even more."



Episode six of The Long Road Home, titled "A City Called Heaven," airing on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 10/9c on National Geographic, focuses on Pfc. Tomas Young (Noel Fisher), a heroic 24-year-old soldier who joined the Army just a few days after Sept. 11. In the course of battle, before he can ever fire his weapon, Young is struck by an enemy bullet and severely wounded. About "The Long Road Home"

No soldier fights alone. Based on the New York Times best-selling book by internationally acclaimed journalist Martha Raddatz, The Long Road Home tells the story of "Black Sunday," when a small platoon of soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division was ferociously ambushed in Sadr City, Baghdad, in April 2004. Eight Americans would make the ultimate sacrifice that day, and more than 65 would be seriously wounded. The eight-part global miniseries event airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on National Geographic and offers viewers a gripping and intimate look at the toll war takes on soldiers and their families. The adrenaline-fueled and deeply emotional journey follows the action on two fronts: the chaotic and terror-filled streets of Sadr City and the homefront at Fort Hood, where family members desperately await news of their loved ones. The Long Road Home ensemble cast includes Michael Kelly (News - Alert), Jason Ritter, Kate Bosworth, Sarah Wayne Callies, Noel Fisher and Jeremy Sisto. About Lady Antebellum The current two-time Grammy-nominated trio Lady Antebellum brings an empowering call of independence found in the title track of "Heart Break" that serves as their latest single and was written by Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Jesse Frasure and Nicolle Galyon. "Heart Break" provides "a bedrock for the entire record" (Paste) as "Scott takes satisfaction in feminine independence" (NPR (News - Alert)) with "a touch of darkness and a clever play on words" (Rolling Stone). The Grammy- and CMA-nominated album follows more than 18 million units, nine No. 1 hits and countless other honors including seven Grammys, Billboard Music Awards, People's Choice Awards and Teen Choice Awards. For more information, visit www.ladyantebellum.com. About Musicians On Call Musicians On Call was founded in 1999 with the mission of bringing live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in health care facilities ranging from children's hospitals to adult facilities, Veterans Affairs hospitals and hospices. To date, its volunteers have played for more than 600,000 patients, families and caregivers across the country. By delivering live, in-room performances to patients undergoing treatment or unable to leave their beds, MOC adds a dose of joy to life in a health care facility. MOC supporters over the years include Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Antebellum, Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, Reba, Gavin DeGraw, Darius Rucker, Pharrell, Amos Lee, Nick Jonas, Rachel Platten and many more. For more information, visit www.musiciansoncall.org. About National Geographic Partners LLC National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 128 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers  and reaching over 730 million people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google (News - Alert)+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005849/en/

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[December 05, 2017]

Monsanto and Boundless Collaborate for Open Source GIS Contributions

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boundless, the leader in open GIS for the enterprise, and Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON), a global modern agriculture company, today announced their collaboration on the contribution of open source geospatial code back to the Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) community.



Among the contributions is an OAuth Plugin that was donated to enable modern authorization of users within the Quantum GIS (QGIS) open source desktop project. This contribution enables the users of the most widely used open source desktop GIS software to utilize user-based authentication to determine what data on the system the user can access. The code only covers the authentication process and does not share any company information or data from Monsanto or any of its customers.

This contribution marks part of a larger open source initiative Monsanto is undertaking. Modern open source technologies, like those stewarded by Boundless, enable us to scale our enterprise to support and handle more geospatial information than we would have ever been able to support with proprietary GIS technologies, said Dr. Martin Mendez-Costabel, Geospatial Big Data Engineering and Strategy Lead at Monsanto. We are proud to be able to give back to the community, allowing for other organizations to realize the power of the open source geospatial platform.

This code has allowed the company to have a smoother authentication system and allows employees easier access to the data they need while in the field.

It is encouraging to see one of the largest agricultural firms breaking from traditional software approaches and adopting our technology platfrm, said Andy Dearing, CEO of Boundless. The rapid acceleration in capabilities of the open source geospatial technology stack has greatly benefited from advancements like what Monsanto is contributing today. We are only going to continue to see a rise in adoption and success of open source geospatial implementations.







To explore Monsantos specific contributions, check out the following repositories:

For more information about how Monsanto has adopted the open source geospatial technology platform in their enterprise, see the recent webinar here.

Helpful Links

About Monsanto Company

Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and key crops - such as corn, soybeans, and cotton - that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the worlds biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter at twitter.com/MonsantoCo.

About Boundless

Boundless is the leader in commercially supported open GIS (geographic information systems). Unlike proprietary solutions, Boundless opens the world of geospatial data to any user. The experts at Boundless reduce the cost and time of deploying and managing geospatial software with a scalable, open GIS platform  including Exchange, Server, Desktop and Connect  and a powerful ecosystem of geospatial knowledge, tools and resources. Learn more at boundlessgeo.com. Join the GIS community at https://connect.boundlessgeo.com/. Follow Boundless @boundlessgeo.



Media Contacts

Tanya Carlsson

Kulesa Faul for Boundless

707-529-6139

[email protected]

Meghan McCormick

Monsanto Company

(314) 694-3665

[email protected]
[December 05, 2017] World Media & Technology Announces Corporate Name Change to World Technology Corp. to Reflect Commitment to Life Sensing Technology

MIAMI, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- World Media & Technology Corp. (OTC:WCOR) (the Company), a leading developer of wearable devices embedded with Life Sensing Technology and dedicated to improving wellness worldwide, announced approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) of the Company's corporate action request changing its name to World Technology Corp. FINRA also approved a change of its ticker symbol to "WCOR" with an effective date at the open of the market on December 4, 2017.

This name change is intended to re-position ourselves as a leader in Life Sensing Technology, which is embedded in Helo devices that are being worn around the world, enabling us to collect important data and thereby bringing health and wellness benefits to wearers globally, said the Company's CEO, Sean McVeigh. McVeigh continued, The timing of our name change is ideal as we prepare for CES 2018 in January where we will present our Life Sensing Technology currently in development, including our continuous, non-invasive blood sugar trend monitoring, transdermal alcohol sensing and pulse oximetry. Our technology enables us to continuously capture actionable data worldwide, which will provide unique and far reaching insights into ability to exercise, effects of alcohol consumption as well as cardiac, respiratory and other conditions. We are particularly excited about these health and wellness programs as the statistical information we'll be able to gather emphasizes the value of our technology. At CES, we also plan to highlight some of the most impressive third party apps which will be available for immediate use on our existing Helo LX model, as well as our Helo LX+ (which will have more sensors) and LX Pro models which will be unveiled at the show. Going forward, all of our LX models will have clinical grade components and the extended LX range will enable us to deliver a device sutable for each market segment, with our Helo LX and LX+ providing wearer wellness data for 2018 and the LX Pro specifically designed for the healthcare use.



Finally, with our new corporate strategy and focus on proprietary technology with a product that has the ability to improve the well-being and lifestyle of our wearers worldwide, we expect to launch our new company website at www.worldcorp.com shortly, which will allow our visitors to have an informative experience and better understand the significant benefits of World Technologys technology and broad product portfolio, concluded McVeigh. About World Technology Corp.

We are a technology, design and data company. Our Life Sensing Technology is embedded into innovative, connected, wearable devices that we design and we are a Big Data global provider that has developed software capable of aggregating our wearer data into actionable data. Our database contains extensive multi-ethnic, biometric and vital signs data, which not only informs our in-house development, but is also available on an anonymized basis to corporate partners and third-party app developers. We continuously gather data from our wearers in an effort to build a leading database which may enable our partners to determine new insights and identify new trends generated from our wearer data. For further information, see www.worldmediatech.com

Forward Looking Statement

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this press release are forward-looking statements and involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about the Company and the industry in which the Company operates, but involve a number of unknown risks and uncertainties, Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the OTC Markets. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained herein and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The Piacente Group, Inc

Address 1: 1270 Broadway, Suite 508

Address 2: New York, NY 10001

Phone: (212) 481-2050

Email: [email protected]

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[December 05, 2017] Capital One and Clarity Money Announce Data Sharing Agreement

MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) today announced an agreement with Clarity Money allowing Capital One customers to more securely import their financial data to Clarity Money without sharing login credentials. The agreement allows Capital One customers to benefit from Clarity Money's personal financial management tools powered by the latest innovations in machine learning, data science, and artificial intelligence. The agreement with Clarity Money utilizes Capital One's application-programming interface (API) enabling customers to directly connect their Capital One account data with Clarity Money's services. Aligned with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently released principles for protecting consumer-authorized financial data sharing, Capital One's API provides transparency and helps consumers share their financial data with trusted third parties in a way that is within the consumer's control. "We know that many of our customers rely on financial tools, and they want companies to have access to the account information necessary to power these tools. The agreement with Clarity Money helps achieve that goal in a way that is secure, transparent and under the customer's control," said Becky Heironimus, Vice President of Enterprise Digital Products and Data Connections at Capital One. "We look forward to building on this relationship to offer users new ways to share their data and importantly, to continue enhancing the customer experience." "At Clarity Money, we're committed to acting as a true financial advocate for our users, equipping them with the tools to better manage their finances," said Colin Kennedy, Chief Revenue Officer at Clarity Money. "This agreement with Capital One allows our mutual customers to share their data in a simplified and more secure manner, better enabling them to focus on what's important - etting the most out of their money."



Through the direct data-sharing API partnership, mutual customers of the two companies will benefit from access to accurate and stable data, and increased transparency and control over how, when and with whom they choose to share their Capital One financial data. Shared customers will be empowered to better manage daily bank reconciliation activities and cash flow  and ultimately make smarter decisions fueled by a more comprehensive and accurate feed of financial data. Capital One's Customer Transactions API leverages oAuth capabilities to provide Clarity Money with tokenized authorization to access account information upon a customer's request, without requiring customers to directly enter their login credentials with a third party. The integration gives Capital One customers more control over the financial data they choose to share.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $239.1 billion in deposits and $361.4 billion in total assets as of September 30, 2017. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has branches located primarily in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index. Capital One launched its Customer Transactions Application Programming Interface (API) in 2017, providing its customers with the ability to more safely and securely share their transaction data with participating third party organizations that they trust. As of December 2017, Capital One has executed contracts for its Customer Transactions API with Intuit Inc., Abacus, Clarity Money, Expensify, and Xero. Visit the Capital One newsroom for more Capital One news. About Clarity Money

Clarity Money is a personal finance mobile app that acts as your financial champion. Ushering in a new era of mobile personal finance management apps, Clarity Money uses artificial intelligence and data science to help consumers make smarter financial decisions and get the most from their money. The revolutionary features allow users to cancel and lower bills, get a better credit card, get their credit score and create a savings account, all from within the app, and all at the push of a button. Launched in 2017 by venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur Adam Dell, Clarity Money is backed by leading investors, including Citi Ventures, RRE Ventures, Soros Capital, and Bessemer Venture Partners. To learn more about Clarity Money, click here. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/capital-one-and-clarity-money-announce-data-sharing-agreement-300566468.html SOURCE Capital One Financial Corporation

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[December 05, 2017] DigitalEra Named Cylance Cybersecurity Partner of the Year

DigitalEra, a premier IT security technology provider in South Florida, announced today that it has received the coveted "Cybersecurity Partner of the Year" Award from Cylance Inc. The award, which covers North America, specifically recognizes DigitalEra for its security strength and prowess in the cybersecurity community. Cylance (News - Alert) has recently gained recognition as the company that revolutionized traditional antivirus with AI-powered prevention that blocks both every day and today's most advanced cyberthreats. "DigitalEra stands out as a prime example of an agent of change," said Didi Dayton, VP of Worldwide Channels for Cylance. "They're helping customers transform their security risk posture to defend against the constantly changing threat landscape with solutions that work to stop new threats like Ransomware, leveraging Cylance product and services offerings. We look forward to more great strides with Digitalera in preventing cyberattacks and cybercrime in the region." Cylance's Artificial Intelligence-driven Technology Unlocks the Code Cylance's breakthrough product, CylancePROTECT, has been shown by third-party testing agencies to be dramatically more effective at preventing both advanced persistent threats and everyday malware from executing on network endpoints. At the heart of CylancePROTECT is a transformational detection and blocking system based on artificial intelligence, a radically different technological approach to cybersecurity. Cylance eliminates the need for traditional antivirus software, anti-exploit products, whitelisting solutions and host-based intrusion detection and prevention systems.



DigitalEra to Clients: Cylance a Groundbreaking Endpoint Solution. "We are truly honored by this award," said Patrick Dyer, President and CEO of DigitalEra Group. "Cylance's solutions are groundbreaking in the global cybersecurity landscape. They've rapidly moved to the top of the Gartner (News - Alert) Magic quadrant for Endpoint Protection platforms amidst some of the most highly recognizable security brands. We're thrilled to partner with Cylance in delivering this powerful solution to our clients, and pleased to be recognized for our partnership." DigitalEra is currently providing risk assessments and demo-tours on how CylancePROTECT works.

Cylance: The Stakes Have Never Been Higher. Cybercrime is a serious threat to industry, government, education and healthcare institutions. Organizations all over the globe have been subject to an increasing number of cyberattacks at the endpoint, crippling operations and resulting in millions of dollars in destroyed networks, lost revenues, ransom, and worse. "Our mission at Cylance is to protect every endpoint on the planet," said Dayton. "Forward-thinking, trusted cybersecurity partners like DigitalEra and their robust network of clients and security are essential to meeting that goal." About DigitalEra and Cylance: DigitalEra is a leading solution provider of network and cybersecurity products and services, serving major business, education and governmental agencies throughout the US. In addition to access to the most sophisticated and effective security products, DigitalEra provides expert guidance on use as well as ongoing security counsel and insights that help their clients prevent security breaches and mitigate threats. For more information, visit: www.digitaleragroup.com Cylance is the only company to offer a preventive cybersecurity solution that stops over 99.9% of advanced threats and malware at the most vulnerable point: the endpoint. Applying a revolutionary artificial intelligence approach, CylancePROTECT, analyzes the DNA of code prior to its execution to find and prevent threats others can't, while using a fraction of the system resources associated with anti-virus and detect and respond solutions deployed in enterprises today. For more information, visit: www.cylance.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005075/en/

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Montana's state auditor on Monday released an advisory memo saying agreements for treatment and payment made between patients and primary care providers without involving insurance are allowed and not regulated by his office.

Direct primary care plans have been advocated for before in Montana, including in a bill passed in the last legislative session and vetoed by Gov. Steve Bullock. They involve a patient paying a monthly fee, similar to a membership, to a provider in exchange for care.

In a press release, state Auditor Matt Rosendale said his memo would help expand health care options but also said people should still have insurance coverage for major or unexpected health care expenses. He called direct primary care a "good alternative for many people seeking routine or basic health care treatment."

Montanans should have as many options on the table as possible to meet their health care needs as they see fit, Rosendale said. Direct primary care is yet another way for consumers to access routine, preventative, or preliminary health care.

Rosendale, a Republican, said there are already some direct primary care providers operating in Montana, but the advisory memo makes things more clear for physicians who want to establish those care practices.

In his release, Rosendale included comments from Carol Bridges, a doctor with CostCare Direct in Missoula, which will transition to a direct primary care model Jan. 1.

CostCare will use a monthly membership mode, Bridges wrote, saying that arrangement would save money and make providers more accessible.

In his veto of a direct primary care bill this year, Bullock wrote the plans "offer little or no added value to most consumers" and "charge fees for treatments already covered by a consumer's health insurance, such as preventative care that insurance covers at no out-of-pocket cost to the consumer."

Direct primary care "is bad for Montanans, because it allows providers to charge unnecessary fees for services already covered by insurance and fails to deliver the administrative savings it promises."

The bill Bullock, a Democrat, vetoed also was "touted as cutting insurance-related administrative expenses," the governor wrote, but did not prevent providers from selling plans to patients while accepting insurance from others, meaning the provider would still have the same insurance-related overhead "but receives another income stream at the consumer's expense."

In 2015, when Rosendale was a state senator, he also carried legislation to allow direct primary care that was vetoed by Bullock. In that veto, Bullock wrote almost exactly the same objections as he did in 2017.
[December 05, 2017] Rite Aid Teams Up with Dr. Jennifer Caudle to Remind People to Get Vaccinated During National Influenza Vaccination Week

In an effort to encourage people to get a flu shot to protect themselves from the flu this holiday season, Rite Aid is teaming up with Dr. Jennifer Caudle, a nationally renowned health expert and practicing family physician, during National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW). Created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2005, NIVW is a national observance that was established to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination, as well as fostering greater use of flu vaccine after the holiday season into January. Last week, the CDC reported that flu season is off to an early start and could peak over the holidays if flu activity continues to increase at its current weekly pace. Dr. Caudle and Rite Aid certified immunizing pharmacist Chris Altman will host a special flu-focused Facebook (News - Alert) Live event on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. ET to answer questions about the flu, address common misconceptions and provide helpful tips on how to stay healthy throughout flu season. To learn more about the event and set a reminder, visit www.facebook.com/riteaid. "Vaccination is the single best way to protect yourself against the flu," says Dr. Caudle. "Rite Aid pharmacists undergo special training and are professionally certified to administer immunizations and with thousands of locations across the country, Rite Aid pharmacies are a convenient and professional setting for flu shots. That's why I'm partnering with Rite Aid and reminding people to get vaccinated as soon as possible." As one of the most accessible healthcare providers, Rite Aid's 11,000 certified immunizing pharmacists are a valuable resource in helping people fight the flu, which te CDC estimates will infect one in five Americans this year. Rite Aid pharmacists are specially trained in immunizations and are able to make vaccine recommendations based on an individuals' specific health needs.



"Our pharmacists are on the frontlines of healthcare in the communities they serve, and when it comes to fighting the flu, as certified immunizers, they can be a patient's first line of defense," says Jocelyn Konrad, Rite Aid executive vice president of pharmacy. "And because flu activity typically peaks between December and March according to the CDC, National Influenza Vaccination Week is the perfect time to remind people there's still time to get vaccinated and protect themselves as well as their family this flu season." The CDC recommends that most healthy Americans, six months or older, including pregnant women, get vaccinated. Since it takes about two weeks from the date of your shot for your body to develop its full defense against the flu, waiting until there is an outbreak may be too late.

Seasonal flu shots are available at Rite Aid locations across the country. This year Rite Aid is offering three types of flu vaccines: a quadrivalent flu vaccine, which offers protection against four strains of the flu, the standard trivalent vaccine, and FLUAD, a trivalent vaccine with adjuvant, an ingredient that helps create a stronger immune response to vaccination, which is approved for people 65 and older. Flu shots are covered by most insurance plans, including Medicare Part B and are available during pharmacy hours; no appointment is necessary. To locate the nearest Rite Aid pharmacy, visit www.riteaid.com or call 1-800-RITE-AID. Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation's leading drugstore chains fiscal 2017 annual revenues of $32.8 billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through the company's website at www.riteaid.com. Dr. Jennifer Caudle is a board-certified Family Medicine physician and Associate Professor in the department of Family Medicine at Rowan University-School of Osteopathic Medicine. She is a regular on-air health expert for local and national news networks. She has appeared on CNN, The Dr. Oz Show, FOX News, CBS Philly 3 News, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, PBS and many others. Her health articles have been published in The Daily Beast, CNN.com, DoctorOz.com, abcNEWS.com and she has been quoted by USA Today, Huff Post, Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, Yahoo and many other media outlets. In 1999, Dr. Caudle earned the title of Miss Iowa and competed in the 1999 Miss America Pageant. Her website is: http://www.jennifercaudle.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171205005969/en/

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[December 05, 2017] Covault Launches User-Friendly App and Identity Platform to Securely Store, Share and Verify Digital Identities and Documents

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Covault, a digital identity and security leader, announced today its official product launch for a new mobile app aimed at simplifying the process of storing, sharing and verifying online identities. Covault's ground-breaking solution uses key encryption linked to the user's biometric signature on their device, enabling the user to digitally protect their sensitive information from being accessed without their authorization. The Covault app can be found via www.covault.com. The service is targeted to both consumers and businesses. For consumers it means that only they control the key that digitally protects their sensitive information with their biometric. With this, consumers can now privately share their personal documents and even include a time constraint. For businesses it means being able to leverage Covault for bank level Know Your Customer service, enabling them to verify customer identities while offering a cost effective, more secure and seamless on-boarding experience. Louie Gasparini, CEO of Covault commented, "Storing and sharing your personal data, and proving your identity on-line isn't always secure, as the recent hacks have shown. Based on Private Key Technology, Covault encrypts your data on your phone, accessible via your unique biometric signature, offering an easy to use and highly secure way to store, share, and control IDs, passwords, and other personal information including financial, health, tax, insurance, and legal in a secure digital safety deposit box." Gasparini collaborated with BBVA's fintech-focused and Silicon Valley-based New Digital Business (NDB) unit, where Covault was incubated. Every Covault user gets a free verified identity account, offering an efficient and safe way to access and register for services that require higher assurance levels of identity verification. Teppo Paavola, Chief Development Officer and General Manager of NDB at BBVA, said, "Our goal at BBVA is to support banking disruptors that are identifying new solutions to unforeseen problems and challenges. Covault embodies just that, offering a service to safeguard our identity and personal electronic property. Led by one of the pioneers of online banking and featuring strong authentication, Covault is well poised to help you manage your personal security data in a secure and efficient digital identity account," he added.



The features, level of security, and identity verification offered by Covault are like no other in the market today. Phone biometric access allows you to share documents safely, and control how long the recipient can access them. With Covault your device and your biometric signature are your credentials, so there are no passwords or security questions that easily can be stolen to allow access. In addition, you can use your Covault Verified Identity to access services such as notarizing your documents online with Notarycam.com. Covault is built on Private Key and AES 256 Encryption and offers automatic document ingestion via camera or web upload, instant document and identity verification, multifactor authentication & password-less login. Enterprise partners will be able to leverage Covault for bank-level Know Your Customer service, enabling them to verify customer identities while offering a more secure and seamless onboarding experience. Customers will be able to install the app onto their smartphone and then load up their personal data ensuring faster and more secure verification when needed.

About Covault Covault is a secure identity management innovator providing a secure way to store, share and verify identities and documents online for consumers and businesses. Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, the company offers the world's first digital account for your identity and a mobile app that can electronically store and share sensitive, personal documents and data, behind industry-leading encryption. Covault issues identity account holders with a verified unique ID tied to a biometric  thumb or face, to securely access and share documents. Covault is an independent fintech leader incubated in BBVA's New Digital Businesses group in San Francisco, California, the innovation arm and global business unit of multinational bank BBVA bbva.com. For more information on Covault visit, www.covault.com. About BBVA BBVA [NYSE: BBVA] is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a solid position in Spain, it is the largest financial institution in Mexico and has a leading franchise in South America. BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc. is a Sunbelt -based bank holding company and its primary subsidiary, BBVA Compass, ranks among the top 25 commercial banks in the United States. Its diversified business is focused on high-growth markets and it relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies the best practices. The Group is present in the main sustainability indexes. BBVA's NDB unit, including its U.S. operations, invests in, partners with, incubates and acquires disruptive financial technology firms as part of BBVA's focus on delivering innovation in the banking sector. From its offices in Madrid, San Francisco, Hong Kong and London, NDB is actively searching for leading, innovative businesses to shape the future of the sector. Through NDB, BBVA has acquired Simple (U.S.), Holvi (Finland) and Openpay (Mexico) and owns a substantial stake in Atom (UK). It has incubated a number of fintech start-ups including, Azlo, Covault, Denizen, Muno, and Trust-u. BBVA also invests in fintech through its venture capital arm, Propel Venture Partners. Editor's Note: BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/covault-launches-user-friendly-app-and-identity-platform-to-securely-store-share-and-verify-digital-identities-and-documents-300566741.html SOURCE BBVA

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Coolfire Solutions' Ronin Platform to Aid New U.S. Security Efforts

Coolfire Solutions has been selected as part of a multi-million dollar contract to deliver its Ronin Platform to a Central Asian customer in support of United States Department of Defense policies. This contract supports missions in border security, combatting terrorist threats and disrupting the narcotics trade.

The Ronin Platform is a lightweight system that integrates real-time data from IoT and sensors into an application engine capable of creating situational awareness for the individual and providing a common operational picture for teams. Ronin is capable of working in some of the toughest conditions imaginable with any network includng both tactical and commercial radio systems.







"Ronin provides reliable, cost-effective situational awareness to demanding military and security customers," said Coolfire Solutions Chief Executive Officer Don Sharp (News - Alert). "Coolfire understands the U.S. Government's challenging economic climate, and we are pleased to have been selected to supply these critical, highly reliable systems to support efforts in these regions."

Coolfire Solutions is the creator of the Ronin Platform, a real-time situational awareness delivery platform, built to integrate data from any source and transform it into actionable intelligence. Ronin was originally developed for the U.S. Military, but is now being widely adopted by industry leaders to minimize system gaps and improve operational efficiency. For more information, visit https://www.coolfiresolutions.com.

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[December 05, 2017] Zilliant Partners with Integrated Commercial Excellence (ICE) to Deliver Artificial Intelligence

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Zilliant, a leading AI-driven SaaS platform for maximizing the lifetime value of B2B customer relationships, today announced a strategic partnership with Integrated Commercial Excellence (ICE), a consultancy firm headquartered in The Netherlands. "ICE is committed to helping B2B organizations achieve commercial excellence through improvement of their sales and marketing organization and processes," said ICE Founder and Director Phil Coady. "We continue to see large B2B organizations struggle with data-driven decision making. This is most apparent in the areas of margin management and pricing. Zilliant is a natural extension of how ICE supports large B2B businesses in this area." Zilliant and ICE will work together with clients whose transactional data reveals that hidden pockets of profit and revene exist in their organizations and can be recaptured. The two companies will work with EMEA-based B2B companies to maximize company strengths and use artificial intelligence as a competitive advantage.



"ICE has deep experience in sales and marketing change management," said Zilliant Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales Greg Howe. "Paired with the company's expertise in the B2B automotive, chemicals and coatings vertical industries, the partnership stands to drive tremendous value to our shared clients." Representatives from ICE and Zilliant will be presenting at these upcoming events:

"Optimize Customer Lifetime Value" Copperberg City Meeting, December 12, 2017 , Stockholm, Sweden

, "Maximising Your Business and Customer Potential" Webinar, December 7, 2017 ICE previously sponsored a change management session at Zilliant MindShare Europe on September 19, 2017. About Zilliant Zilliant offers the only AI-based SaaS platform enabling B2B companies to grow share and profits while maximizing customer lifetime value. The company's advanced intelligence is delivered seamlessly through the Zilliant IQ platform, which is integrated within existing field sales workflows, CRM applications and ecommerce channels, to inform pricing and sales decisions and increase the value of every B2B customer interaction. Learn more about how Zilliant helps maximize the lifetime value of B2B customer relationships at www.zilliant.com. About Integrated Commercial Excellence (ICE) ICE helps B2B organizations connect the dots by delivering sustainable sales and marketing performance improvement in B2B organizations. By identifying what works best in an organization and building on those strengths, we develop practical approaches to improve commercial performance through the integration of people and processes. More information at http://www.commercialexcellence.co. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zilliant-partners-with-integrated-commercial-excellence-ice-to-deliver-artificial-intelligence-300566896.html SOURCE Zilliant

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[December 05, 2017] LECTRA: Evolution of fashion professions at heart of Lectra's 8th education congress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Evolution of fashion professions at heart of Lectra's 8th education congress Lectra brings together partnership schools and industry experts to discuss how changing professions in fashion are impacting training programs Paris, December 5, 2017 - Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials, recently welcomed partners from the world of education to the company's Bordeaux-Cestas campus for its eighth education congress. The event was dedicated to the mega trends shaping the fashion industry and impacting professions from design to production.





Over fifty representatives from among the most important fashion schools in Germany, Canada, China, USA, France, Hong Kong, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Sweden, participated in this biannual meeting between industry experts and teaching professionals.





Fashion professions are evolving as companies make their first steps towards Industry 4.0, adopting 3D and rationalizing the lifecycle management for their collections thanks to PLM. Lectra's congress enabled schools to discuss the developing role of designers and patternmakers, and the new elements to be integrated into training programs.





Lectra illustrated future changes through presentations on design, patternmaking, 3D prototyping, and PLM.





"It is fundamental to bring innovation experts in the industry together with fashion schools, because students will drive the evolution of this industry," stated Pascal Denizart, Managing Director of the Centre europeen des textiles innovants (CETI).





Working with schools to design courses which meet the needs of fashion companies has always been at the heart of Lectra's education program. During the event, the company presented collaborative experiences between partner schools and fashion brands, such as the competitions organised by Lectra with Missoni, Balenciaga, and Armani in Italy, as well as Peacebird in China an JC Penney in the United States.









In the United Kingdom, Lectra collaborated with COS (H&M group) and the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) for a competition centred on the design of a collection with zero waste.







"The process was totally digital, from design to the creation of a virtual prototype in 3D. Our students learnt to optimize each stage of the process. By leveraging the use of Kaledo, Modaris and Diamino, the collaborative work between AUB, COS and Lectra is exactly the type of project that enormously motivates our students. Live briefs developed with leading fashion brands and Lectra offer excellent opportunities which directly inform industry currency and student employability," explained Penny Norman, a lecturer at AUB.





The event also shone the spotlight on China and its major role in the evolution of the fashion industry. Li Min, Vice-Dean of the fashion and design faculty at Donghua university in Shanghai spoke of the event, organized by Lectra, which brought together major Chinese companies, experts, and representatives from the biggest schools in China.





"Exchanges on the impact of the Made in China 2025 plan on the fashion industry can better prepare students for tomorrow's professions, where digital and automation will occupy a far more central position than today," testified Li Min.





 The fashion industry is evolving so fast that sharing insights and best practices with experts and other fashion schools has become vital to ensure we offer the best learning experience and technology tools to our students , said Dr. Trevor J. Little, Professor of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management in the College of Textiles at NC State University.





"Lectra's eighth education congress confirms the company's commitment to our partner schools. We shared our analysis of the market, the digitalization of the eco-system, and how Industry 4.0 principles can be applied to the fashion industry. We also discussed mass customization and the role of PLM. While these are key subjects for our customers, many schools are only now approaching them. We are preparing tomorrow, today: Lectra is supporting our customers, and schools to play an essential role," concludes Celine Choussy Bedouet, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lectra. About Lectra Lectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions (software, automated cutting equipment, and associated services) specifically designed for industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles, and composite materials to manufacture their products. It serves major world markets: fashion and apparel, automotive, and furniture as well as a broad array of other industries. Lectra's solutions, specific to each market, enable customers to automate and optimize product design, development, and manufacturing. With more than 1,600 employees, Lectra has developed privileged relationships with prestigious customers in more than 100 countries, contributing to their operational excellence. Lectra registered revenues of $288 million in 2016 and is listed on Euronext. For more information, please visit www.lectra.com Contact - Lectra Headquarters / Press Dept.: Nathalie Fournier-Christol

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 64 42 37 - Fax: +33 (0)1 53 64 43 40  Diamino, Kadelo and Modaris are registered trademarks of Lectra. Attachments: //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6abe38dd-ee2f-409a-9a83-e13788284bf0

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[December 05, 2017] ScaleFT Announces General Availability of its Zero Trust Access Fabric

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ScaleFT, the Zero Trust security company, today announced general availability of its Access Fabric, the globally-distributed real-time authorization engine backing its Zero Trust Access Management platform. Inspired by Googles BeyondCorp, which allows employees and contractors to work securely from any location across the globe without the use of a VPN, the ScaleFT Zero Trust Access Management platform protects sensitive company resources through an application layer authentication and authorization model that factors in dynamic user and device conditions. Managing access to a companys server and web application resources through Layer 7 controls, ScaleFT is the first company to make the core components of BeyondCorp consumable as a service.

Weve witnessed the emergence of BeyondCorp as an industry-wide movement, with more and more companies wishing to achieve the same positive security and productivity outcomes as Google, said Jason Luce, CEO and co-Founder of ScaleFT. Few companies have the time, resources, and expert personnel as Google to successfully implement such a complex system themselves, which is what weve done for our customers. Our mission is to make BeyondCorp a reality by breaking the architecture down into more consumable pieces that can be quickly adopted by any size organization. With the GA release of the ScaleFT Access Fabric, any company can start incorporating dynamic Zero Trust workflows for their internal resources with just a few clicks. ScaleFT first introduced Zero Trust principles to the market with its Server Access product in 2016, which eliminates the use of static credentials entirely for Linux and Windows servers through a client certificate-backed PKI architecture. Now running in production at a number of companies including Rackspace, Coursera, Quid, Jungle Disk, Zenoss, and more, ScaleFT Server Access has fundamentally changed how companies deal with privileged access, significantly lowering the attack surface of insider threats. With the releas of the Access Fabric as the backing architecture for its Web Access product, ScaleFT now extends its capabilities to protecting internal applications such as GitHub Enterprise and the Atlassian suite with a Zero Trust architecture.



The combination of Server Access and Web Access is the full realization of a BeyondCorp architecture, which can now be consumed as a service from ScaleFT. If a company like ScaleFT can help get us there, were 100% on the BeyondCorp model, said Ryan Seekely, Director of Infrastructure and Security at Quid, Inc. We wont be able to do it ourselves and I was very grateful to be able to see a company like ScaleFT come along and solve a lot of the hard parts. "For many years security has been seen as a blocker. As something that costs money and slows business down. Security is relegated to being an afterthought, or ends up being left out entirely. The result? The increasingly massive number of breaches we have recently seen," said Head of Information Security at CloudFlare and ScaleFT advisor, Marc Rogers. With the advent of future-thinking architectures like BeyondCorp, security is finally able to work in harmony with business needs. This approach enables business processes to safely go faster, rather than slowing them down. Companies like ScaleFT can help arm businesses with the tools needed to embrace these new business-first security architectures.

ScaleFT offers a 30-day free trial of its Zero Trust Access Management platform, integrating out of the box with an enterprises choice of identity governance solutions, including Okta, G Suite, Active Directory, and more. To get started, sign up at: http://get.scaleft.com/free-trial. For a live demo of the ScaleFT platform, the company is hosting a webinar on Wed. Dec 13th at 9 AM PST. To reserve a seat, register here. Also find ScaleFT at KubeCon in Austin, TX this week. The company is hosting a Meetup in conjunction with the Cloud Austin Meetup group, Thursday Dec 7th at 5 PM. Ivan Dwyer of ScaleFT will be giving a presentation about adhering to policies the way Google did with BeyondCorp, along with Bret Piatt, CEO of Jungle Disk, who will be giving a talk about AI/ML in a security context. Register for the Meetup here. About ScaleFT

ScaleFT provides a BeyondCorp-inspired Zero Trust security platform that makes smarter access decisions in real time, eliminating the need for corporate VPNs. Founded by startup veterans from The Apache Software Foundation, Cloudkick, Iron.io, JBoss, MongoDB and Rackspace, the company is venture-backed with offices in San Francisco and Austin. Learn more at: www.scaleft.com or follow us on Twitter @ScaleFT. Editorial Contact

Lonn Johnston

[email protected]

+1.650.219.7764

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[December 05, 2017] BlackEnterprise.com Announces Website Relaunch

NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Enterprise, the premier business and financial resource for African Americans, today unveiled a completely new and improved website, BlackEnterprise.com. The redesign sets the destination apart as being the most comprehensive source of online information for African American professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. BlackEnterprise.com provides original, interactive content pertaining to small business, wealth building, and careers, and it includes expert contributors. The site's new layout offers better usability, intuitive navigation, and enhanced search capabilities for all of BE's signature lists, including a current and historical archive of the BE 100s, the top-grossing black-owned businesses in the nation, the Top 50 Best Companies for Diversity, The Most Powerful Women in Business, Power in the Boardroom, and more. "The site upgrades, which will feature both enhanced content and a redesigned format, will provide a better overall user experience and will enhance the company's already well-established position as a leading voice for African Americans," says Shelly Jones Jennings, V.P. of Digital of Black Enterprise. BlackEnterprise.com will also feature a multimedia library with unlimited, free-of-charge video acess to Black Enterprise's television programs, Our World with Black Enterprise and Women of Power TV, as well as access to Black Enterprise magazine's historic issues and behind-the-scenes content from Black Enterprise signature events; Women of Power Summit, Entrepreneurs Summit, Black Men XCEL Summit, and TechConneXt Summit.



"Black Enterprise is the country's most recognized media brand for the African American business community," says Earl "Butch" Graves Jr., president and CEO of Black Enterprise. "With the relaunch of BlackEnterprise.com, we can leverage the phenomenal power of the Black Enterprise brand across all mediumsprint, online, and television. Our distinctive, award-winning content is now available to consumers wherever and whenever they want it." BlackEnterprise.com averages half a million monthly visitors and continues to grow. In the coming months, BlackEnterprise.com will be further optimized to support even more online advertising opportunities.

Originally launched as BE Online in 1996, the site fosters business development and networking opportunities for individuals and corporations seeking information pertaining to African Americans, or seeking to do business with African Americans. Experience the new BlackEnterprise.com by visiting www.blackenterprise.com. Black Enterprise, your ultimate source to build Wealth for Life, is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Since 1970, BE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. Every month, Black Enterprise magazine provides 6 million readers with information on entrepreneurship, careers, and financial management. A multimedia company, BE also produces television programming, business and lifestyle events, Web content, and digital media. Visit www.blackenterprise.com for more information. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blackenterprisecom-announces-website-relaunch-300566940.html SOURCE BLACK ENTERPRISE

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[December 05, 2017] Michael Baker International Expands Federal Markets Practice for Continued Service of United States Government Agencies

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Baker International, a global leader in engineering, planning and consulting services, today announces the expansion of the firm's Federal Markets practice group. The strategic effort adds key personnel and realigns expertise to help Michael Baker more effectively and efficiently serve existing clients and manage growth opportunities in the key federal business market. Michael Baker International has supported the U.S. Government for more than 70 years in various critical capacities, both domestically and internationally. The firm's Federal Markets group provides world-class engineering solutions to help meet complex challenges in support of the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. "The U.S. Government has long been a key client partner for Michael Baker International, and the new team members we added bring specialized relationships and expertise that allow us to continue delivering innovative solutions across multiple market areas," said Frank Terak, Senior Vice President, Federal Markets at Michael Baker International. "The growth of Michael Baker's Federal Markets practice group demonstrates how 'We Make a Difference' by aligning the right team to meet our clients' needs and aspirations." Mr. Terak oversees the Federal Markets group that is based in Michael Baker's Moon Township, Pa., office with support from team members in the firm's Alexandria, Va., and Virginia Beach, Va., offices. As part of the expansion, Michael Baker announces the following personnel changes: Frank Terak Promoted to Senior Vice President, Federal Markets

Frank Terak will have direct oversight and management of Michael Baker's Federal Markets practice group, driving the direction and focus of all business initiatives. Mr. Terak and his team will work closely with counterparts throughout the Michael Baker organization in the development, evaluation and targeting of new clients and opportunities. During his 30-year tenure with Michael Baker, Mr. Terak has enjoyed success as the National Market Lead for the U.S. Army/United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Market segment of the Department of Defense, where he was responsible for sales and marketing, strategy development and tactical action plan implementation nationwide. Jeff Sparrow Promoted to National Market Lead for Federal Civilian Clients

Based in the firm's Alexandria, Va., office, Jeff Sparrow, P.E., CFM, will shift his focus to serve the Federal Markets practice group by identifying new opportunities with Federal Civilian clients, developing new client relationships, leading or assisting offices with capture planning, proposal development, and team development with partners. Mr. Sparrow has more than 27 years of experience working with federal, state and local clients. He previously served as Michael Baker's National Market Lead for both FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. Bill Shiderly Promoted to National Market Lead for the U.S. Army and USACE

Bill Shiderly, P.E., will implement and manage the strategic growth and success for Michael Baker among the U.S. Army, USACE and related clients. Additionally, he will work to coordinate activities with Michael Baker's other Federal and Department of Defense National Market Leads to grow the firm's overall Federal and Defense Market Programs. Based in Michael Baker's Moon Township, Pa., office, Mr. Shiderly brings more than 20 years of experience working with USACE in design-build delivery, program management, planning and design, and project management. John Alberghini Joins the Firm as the National Market Lead for the U.S. Navy

Based in the firm's Virginia Beach, Va., office, John Alberghini, P.E., will serve as the firm's U.S. Navy subject matter expert working with client service teams, local offices and practice leaders in developing both tactical plans and strategic positioning for key opportunities. Mr. Alberghini brings more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience working in the U.S. Navy's Civil Engineer Corps and eight years of federal market business development experience in private industry as a senior U.S. Navy market lead. About Michael Baker International

Michael Baker International is a leading global provider of engineering and consulting services, which include planning, architectural, environmental, construction, program management, and full life-cycle support services as well as information technology and communications services and solutions. The company provides its comprehensive range of services and solutions in support of U.S. federal, state, and municipal governments, foreign allied governments, and a wide range of commercial clients. Michael Baker International has more than 6,000 employees in more than 90 locations across the U.S. and internationally. To learn more visit www.mbakerintl.com.







Contact: Justin Falce

[email protected]

(866) 293-4609

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/michael-baker-international-expands-federal-markets-practice-for-continued-service-of-united-states-government-agencies-300566950.html SOURCE Michael Baker International

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[December 05, 2017] U.S. Increasingly Popular Destination for Europeans, as Prices Drop

MIAMI, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- United States jumps to second most popular country for European travelers, from ninth place in 2016

jumps to second most popular country for European travelers, from ninth place in 2016 Four U.S. cities make the Top 25 Most Trending Travel Destinations for Europeans in 2018

Flight prices between Europe and San Francisco are down by 19%, Los Angeles by 17%, Miami by 12%, and New York by 11% The United States has jumped up to the second most popular country for European travelers to visit in 2018, from ninth place last year, according to new data from the 2017 'European Traveler Insights Report'. eDreams ODIGEO, Europe's largest online travel company whose brands include popular travel booking website edreams.net and the metasearch engine liligo.com, has released the report based on the company's extensive flight passenger data to share insight into traveler trends. Predictions for holiday hot spots in 2018 The U.S. is ranked the second most popular ountry to visit in 2018 by European travelers, up from ninth spot the year prior. The French, Germans, Brits, Spanish and Italians make up the top five nations planning to visit the U.S. in 2018.



Four U.S. cities make the list of Top 25 Most Trending Travel Destinations for Europeans in 2018. San Francisco (flight passenger arrivals up 158%) nabs the spot as the world's second most popular place to visit next year for European travelers, based on bookings made so far in 2017 for 2018. Miami (up 99%) comes in at 13th place, followed by Los Angeles (up 93%) in 14th place and New York (up 76%) in 22nd place. New low-cost flight options driving down the price of flights to and from the U.S.

It appears this jump in demand could be due to the price of flights between Europe and several U.S. cities dropping between 2016 and 2017. Prices between Europe and San Francisco are down by 19%, Los Angeles by 17%, Miami by 12% and New York by 11%. Since 2012, 15 long-haul, low-cost airlines have launched[1] around the world, providing stiff price competition to more established long-haul carriers, and driving prices down across the board. U.S. travelers choosing to fly to U.S. cities, as Las Vegas tops list as most popular destination for 2017 Looking at 2017 so far, Las Vegas tops the list as most popular city for Americans to visit for a second year in a row, based on flight passenger volume. Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Los Angeles come next in the list, with London - the only European city in the top 10 destinations - securing spot number five. Meanwhile, 2018 booking patterns for American travelers so far reveal that the U.S. tops the list as the most popular country, followed by Mexico, The United Kingdom and France. For the full press release including the lists of top destinations visit: https://www.edreamsodigeo.com/uncategorized/2017/12/u-s-increasingly-popular-destination-europeans-prices-drop/

[1] The Centre for Aviation, June 2017 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-increasingly-popular-destination-for-europeans-as-prices-drop-300566952.html SOURCE eDreams ODIGEO

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[December 05, 2017]

Infosys Foundation USA to Host Free Computer Science Training for Over 800 Public School Teachers in Summer 2018

PALO ALTO, California, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Inspired by the success of past funding initiatives to train thousands of public school teachers, Infosys Foundation USA will host the Pathfinders Summer Institute 2018, a national convening for K-12 teacher education in Computer Science and Making.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/610722/Infosys_Logo.jpg )



#InfyPathfinders will be an intensive week of professional development to be held at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) from July 15-20, 2018. Over 800 teachers from across the United States will convene on the IUB campus for high-quality, hands-on training for K-12 grade level Computer Science (CS) and Maker education.

Interested teachers and school administrators can find out more and register their interest at: infy.com/Pathfinders

"An inspired teacher will be one of the most influential guides for children to discover their own unique paths. And a teacher will influence hundreds, if not thousands, of children over the course of her or his teaching career," said Kaustav Mitra, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation USA. "We are honored to host the Pathfinders Summer Institute to both celebrate teachers and to get them the resources they need to be even more effective in helping students navigate this world."

"As Indiana's flagship public university, we embrace the challenge of employing our resources to inspire life-long learning and excellence in teaching" said Laurie Burns McRobbie, First Lady, Indiana University. "We are delighted to offer the IUB campus as a venue for Infosys Foundation USA's inaugural Pathfinders Summer Institute, which will enable over 800 teachers to benefit from superior professional development in Computer Science and Maker education. The teachers will gain valuable insights and tools that they can take back to classrooms in both Indiana and across the nation."

All tuition, travel, accommodation and food expenses for teacher participants ill be paid. Funds from Infosys Foundation USA will be matched by school districts and by individual donations through education crowdfunding leader DonorsChoose.org in order to make it possible for teachers to attend the Pathfinders Summer Institute at no cost.







"We're deeply grateful to work with Infosys Foundation USA for the third consecutive year to help teachers gain the necessary skills to deliver a 21st century education to their students," said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org. "It's been inspiring to see a community of citizen donors come alongside the Foundation to support these bold teachers, and Computer Science and Maker education across the nation."

Participating curricular partners include ATLAS Institute, Beauty and Joy of Computing, Bootstrap, Code/Interactive, Exploring Computer Science, KCI Computer Science Crash Course, KISS Institute for Practical Robotics, Mobile CS Principles, Nextech, Project GUTS CS in Science, Stanford Logic Group, Tapestry Workshop, and UTeach CS Principles. In addition to teachers, school counselors will also attend to receive training from NCWIT's Counselors for Computing (C4C) program on how to better support all students in exploring CS education and careers.

"High-quality professional development is something all teachers need, along with the opportunity to build community across regions, curricula and subject areas," said Emmanuel Schanzer, Bootstrap Program Director. "Bootstrap is delighted to offer training on several of our curricula at the Pathfinders Summer Institute - especially our new Data Science module, which offers rigorous data analysis in an introductory programming module that can be integrated into multiple subject areas. We invite CS, Statistics, Business and Social Studies teachers who want to use real data and lightweight programming to join us in Bloomington."

Formal applications for Infosys Foundation USA Pathfinders Summer Institute 2018 will open in January 2018. All K-12 public school teachers are welcome to apply. Special consideration will be given to high-needs schools, teachers from under-represented communities, those new to teaching CS and Making, and districts demonstrating significant commitment to these subjects.

About Infosys Foundation USA

Infosys Foundation USA is focused on bridging the digital divide in America by supporting high-quality Computer Science education and coding skills with a particular focus on underrepresented communities. It aims to give children and young adults the skills they need to become creators, not just consumers, of technology. In pursuit of this mission, the Foundation has partnered with internationally acclaimed non-profits and institutions like Code.org, Computer Science Teachers Association, DonorsChoose.org, and the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. In addition, Infosys Foundation USA committed a million dollars to the Infy Maker Awards to inspire makers across the U.S. to demonstrate creative excellence in making projects with genuine impact. Learn more at http://www.infosys.org/usa/, follow on Twitter @InfyFoundation or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/InfosysFoundationUSA

2017 Infosys Foundation USA

SOURCE Infosys
A 33-year-old woman with a Butte address died in a single-vehicle rollover Monday night on Interstate 90 near Deer Lodge.

A 35-year-old Missoula man was also injured in the crash. He was taken by helicopter to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula.

The wreck occurred around 7:10 p.m. near Deer Lodge, when a westbound Chevrolet drifted into the median, said Montana Highway Patrol Capt. Gary Becker. The driver over-corrected, causing the vehicle to roll. The man and woman were both ejected.

It's unclear whether the man or the woman was driving the pickup, Becker said.

The woman was declared dead at the Deer Lodge Medical Center, he said.

The pickup is registered to a resident of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, Becker said.

Police did not release the names of the victims, pending notification of family.

The crash is under investigation, police said.
[December 05, 2017] GDPR Readiness with Profisee

ATLANTA, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will have a global impact when it goes into effect on 25 May, 2018. According to several data management analysts, by the end of 2018, more than 50 percent of companies affected by GDPR will not be in full compliance with its requirements. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a binding regulation created by the European Commission. The regulation is replacing current European Union data protection directives and diverse national laws. By 25th of May 2018, the affected businesses will have to meet several new requirements in relation to how they collect and use the personal data of EU citizens - whether or not the company itself is European. The GDPR is being introduced in order to strengthen the citizens' right to data protection and - in the longer run - to simplify the processes around this data for the organizations. "The GDPR will affect organizations globally and the impact will be huge. Therefore, whether or not you're a European company, the time to prepare to meet the regulatio needs to begin now," states Len Finkle, Profisee CEO.



"On our site, you'll find critical information you need to know about the GDPR," states Jeff Wilson, CMO. "With the threats of hefty fines, and the fear of ensuing bad press, the business case for compliance using a data management strategy is shifting to a higher priority for many companies." The most efficient way of underpinning a successful GDPR strategy is to implement a data management solution and to create a single view of your customeroften called the "Golden Record".

Golden customer records within Profisee provide a solid foundation for dealing with the four pillars of GDPR. Only with a comprehensive understanding of what data you have and where you store it, followed by consolidation into a single view, can you address the requirements of each pillar. Profisee recommends organizations act now to ensure they are in compliance when the regulation goes into effect. Visit the site for more detailed GDPR materials you can download and share. About Profisee Profisee is a leading modern data management technology company that makes it easy and affordable for any size organization to ensure a trusted data foundation, for every user across your enterprise. Our unique, Profisee Advantage pricing approach includes every user, data record, domain, and data source. Our customers deploy on any application and/or device, and the Platform is delivered on-premises, in the cloud, or via hybrid model. As a Microsoft Gold ISV Partner with a strong heritage of Microsoft Master Data Services expertise, Profisee provides a wide breadth of leadership from master data management, business intelligence and enterprise software firms. Profisee's proven Total Cost of Ownership model is allowing our customers to more quickly innovate and accelerate their digital transformation. For more information about Profisee's solutions, please visit https://profisee.com or follow us on Twitter @ProfiseeMDM. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gdpr-readiness-with-profisee-300567002.html SOURCE Profisee

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[December 05, 2017] DadeSystems Forms Strategic Relationship with Payments Leader Transactis

NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DadeSystems, a leading provider of integrated receivables solutions, announced it has signed an agreement with Transactis, a leading provider of electronic billing and payment solutions. This agreement brings DadeSystems' advanced AR solutions to Transactis' clients, which include Fortune 1000 corporations, major technology businesses and 12 of the top 25 banks in the U.S. In addition, DadeSystems will now offer Transactis' advanced payments technology, BillerIQ, to their clients. "The needs of the dynamic payments industry continue to evolve with new products consistently entering the market," said Transactis' CEO Joe Proto. "Our relationship with DadeSystems allows us to offer our clients their advanced invoice matching and payment re-association cloud-based solution so businesses can capture payment and remittance information in a straight thru process." "Transactis is well positioned as the leader in the electronic billing and payments space. We are excited to bring our technology to Transactis' world-class clients and to also offer their solution, BillerIQ, to our growing customer base," stated Bill Zayas, CEO of DadeSystems. About DadeSystems Headquartered in iami, Florida, DadeSystems automates the invoice-to-cash application process to increase efficiency and accelerate cash flow. DadeSystems serves multiple industries including distribution, food and beverage, manufacturing, financial, transportation, wholesale, property management, healthcare, retail, travel and agriculture. DadePay AR Automation, part of a SaaS suite of fully integrated products, automatically captures all incoming payments, including cash, checks, ACH, EFT, and credit cards. Using patented technologies and machine learning, payments are automatically matched to open invoices and update the companies' ERP systems. All checks received are electronically transmitted to the bank for immediate deposit. The DadePay product suite also includes an ePayment customer portal and Mobile AR application. The DadePay ePayment customer portal, allows companies to send notifications and alert customers when payments are due. DadePay portal payments accommodate both ACH and credit card and are 100% matched to corresponding invoices. DadePay Mobile allows sales and delivery drivers to capture images of checks and remittances and electronically transmit them to AR Automation for immediate processing. The entire product suite is part of a single enterprise solution.



About Transactis Transactis transforms traditional paper billing and payment processing by enabling businesses of all sizes to replace paper bills, statements, invoices, payments and documents with efficient and cost effective digital alternatives. Transactis goes to market exclusively with resellersfinancial institutions, technology companies, printers and business process outsourcersto provide their customers with secure, configurable, white-label, industry-leading SaaS solutions. More than a technology provider to resellers, Transactis is a full-service business partner, delivering a broad and deep suite of sales, marketing, technical and operational support, empowering resellers to more successfully serve their clients. Transactis meets the strictest regulatory and compliance requirements including HIPAA, SSAE 16, PCI Level 1, and SOC 2. Transactis has received the Inc. 500 Award, Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Award, AlwaysOn OnFinance Top 100 Award, Red Herring Top 100 Award, PYMNTS Innovation Award, PayStream Advisors Innovative Technology Award, and has been named a 'Cool Vendor' by Gartner. Transactis' investors include ff Venture Capital, MacAndrews & Forbes, Metamorphic Ventures, Safeguard Scientifics, StarVest Partners, Capital One, Fifth Third Bank, PNC, TD Bank and Wells Fargo. For more information, please visit transactis.com or follow us on Twitter @TransactisUS.

DadeSystems Contact:

Tom Berdan / DadeSystems

855-418-2786 x705/ [email protected] Transactis Contact:

Laura Mitchell / Transactis

347.844.6742 / [email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dadesystems-forms-strategic-relationship-with-payments-leader-transactis-300567017.html SOURCE Transactis

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[December 05, 2017] Green Mountain Grills Announces Server Mode Is Now Available

TYLER, Texas, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Mountain Grills is happy to reveal the "Server Mode" application--which lets users adjust the heat of their grill via smartphone--is now ready for download on Android and iOS devices. This incredible technology links up with the WiFi control board on all Green Mountain Grill devices. "Server Mode" is completely free and gives unprecedented access to Green Mountain Grills' cookers. Once the unit is fired up, users can unleash the capabilities of the application by making temperature adjustments from their mobile device. Use "Server Mode" to enjoy your life while still grilling foods that require frequent adjustmentsand attention to detail. Whenever a competent adult is near the grill, Green Mountain Grill owners can work on other activities while keeping tabs on their smoker temperature throughout the day. "Server Mode" is the perfect way to grill smarter and eat better!



Green Mountain Grills' powerful app can do more than just change the temperature. "Server Mode" users will be able to set up alerts and even utilize recipe profiles that will guide you to the desired outcome, every time. This is done by punching in time and temperature specifications that the app transmits to the unit, which then returns critical information back to the user. Green Mountain Grills features a variety of profiles on its website and continues to publish more all the time. Soon the company will the ability to socially share these profiles. Green Mountain Grill units coupled with WiFi and Server Mode technology start at just $379. Find your local dealer by visiting GreenMountainGrills.com.

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/green-mountain-grills-announces-server-mode-is-now-available-300567051.html SOURCE Green Mountain Grills

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[December 05, 2017] Bank of the West Wealth Management Hosts Silicon Valley Millennial Event as part of BNP Paribas Wealth Management 2017 Global NextGen Experience Series

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of the West Wealth Management Group's Family Wealth Advisors hosted the Silicon Valley segment of the BNP Paribas' 2017 Global NextGen Experience program for ultra-high-net-worth Millennials. The four day event brought together the next generation of clients with some of the world's largest tech companies centered on three key themes: entrepreneurship, multi-generational family wealth and investing with purpose. "Bank of the West was thrilled to host the NextGen Experience's final program this year in the global epicenter of entrepreneurship and technological development," said Pierre Ramadier, Head of Wealth Management at Bank of the West. "Through the global reach of our parent company, BNP Paribas, and our local presence in Silicon Valley, we were able to offer international clients a hands-on look at the startup process and the financial decisions involved in innovative business growth and multi-generational family wealth." Attendees explored the lifecycle of an entrepreneur through a live pitch session, panel discussions and tours of a number of technology companies across the region. Attendees served as judges during a pitch session, voting on the best start-up idea among participants. The full program was recorded by a graphical note-taker, who provided attendees with takeaway materials in a unique format. Attendees also saw presentations by guest speakers like Ben Bingham, author of "Making Money Matter," and sessions with local family offices and foundations. For more information on the NextGen Experience and materials related to the program, visit: Bank of the West Blog here.

Video recap of Next Gen Silicon Valley here.

BNP Paribas Wealth Management website here. About BNP Paribas Wealth Management

BNP Paribas Wealth Management is a leading global private bank and #1 Private Bank in the Eurozone. Present in three hubs in Europe, Asia and the US, over 6,600 professionals provide a private investor clientele with solutions for optimizing and managing their assets. The bank has 358 billion worth of assets under management (as at 30 September 2017) and was elected "Best Private Bank for Entrepreneurs" in 2016 and 2017. BNP Paribas Wealth Management leverages all of the Group's capabilities to help entrepreneurs build a bridge between professional and personal projects at each step of development of their company.

https://wealthmanagement.bnpparibas/en/who-we-serve/entrepreneurs.html About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 74 countries, with more than 192,000 employees, including more than 146,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main activities: Domestic Markets and International Financial Services (whose retail-banking networks and financial services are covered by Retail Banking & Services) and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors. The Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the European leader in consumer lending. BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail-banking model in Mediterranean countries, in Turkey, in Eastern Europe and a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Institutional Banking and International Financial Services activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. About Bank of the West Wealth Management

Bank of the West Wealth Management provides wealth planning, investment management*, personal banking, philanthropy, and trust and fiduciary services. The group is part of BNP Paribas' global wealth management business of more than 6,600 professionals present in three hubs in Europe, Asia and the U.S. with more than $12.9 billion** in assets under management in the United States and 358 billion ($414.7 billion) in assets under management globally as of September 30, 2017. About Bank of the West

Bank of the West is a financial services company headquartered in San Francisco with $89.8 billion in assets as of September 30, 2017. Founded in 1874, Bank of the West provides a wide range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services through more than 600 branches and offices in 23 states and digital channels. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, a leading bank in Europe, which has a presence in 74 countries with more than 192,000 employees. To learn more about Bank of the West, visit About Us via BankoftheWest.com. Deposit and loan products offered by Bank of the West, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.  2017 Bank of the West. Doing business in South Dakota as Bank of the West California. Connect with us Facebook

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Blog *Securities and variable annuities are offered through BancWest Investment Services, a registered broker/dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC, and SEC Registered Investment Adviser. Financial Advisors are Registered Representatives of BancWest Investment Services. Fixed annuities/insurance products are offered through BancWest Insurance Agency in California, (License #0C52321) and through BancWest Investment Services, Inc. in all other states where it is licensed to do business. This is not an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where we are not authorized to do business. Bank of the West and its various affiliates and subsidiaries are not tax or legal advisors. BancWest Investment Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of the West. Bank of the West is a wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas. **Assets under management refers to assets under administration, management, advisement, and on deposit, including assets with our affiliate BancWest Investment Services ("BancWest") as of September 30, 2017. Deposit and loan products offered by Bank of the West, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. In South Dakota, Bank of the West operates under the name Bank of the West California. Bank of the West Wealth Management offers products and services through Bank of the West and its various affiliates and subsidiaries.

Investment and Insurance products:







NOT FDIC INSURED NOT BANK GUARANTEED MAY LOSE VALUE NOT A DEPOSIT NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bank-of-the-west-wealth-management-hosts-silicon-valley-millennial-event-as-part-of-bnp-paribas-wealth-management-2017-global-nextgen-experience-series-300567101.html SOURCE Bank of the West Wealth Management

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[December 05, 2017] ARK Becomes France's First Cryptocurrency SCIC

LONS-LE-SAUNIER, France, Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ARK Ecosystem is now incorporated in France as a cooperative society (SCIC), registered under n833 439 300, with a structure matching our open source blockchain organization. It is the first of its kind in the crypto world, and one of the first blockchain projects to incorporate in the European Union. SCIC is the French acronym for "General Interest Co-operatives". It is a new private, common interest co-operative which allows anyone  employees, users, volunteers, public bodies, companies, associations to act together in a legal framework to govern an entity. All SCIC members are shareholders and will belong to one of the statutory categories: Founders, Advisers, or Employees. The vote principle is 1 shareholder = 1 vote. The ARK crew, being initial shareholders, will choose the executive board of the legal entity, which permits ARK to continue the current board structure. A long process ARK decided on the SCIC after working with their legal team and evaluating different options for creating a legal entity. After deciding that incorporating through the Swiss Foundation  a popular option for blockchain projects  was not the best choice for ARK, the team turned to France. There, they found the SCIC incorporation process. According to the team, that option had almost everything they had been looking for in terms of incorporation. As an SCIC, ARK will be able to structure corporate governance based on a board of directors and input from the ARK community. Additionally, SCIC incorporation allows ARK to establish a well-defined structure withut legal ambiguities related to capital gains and taxation.



Through its SCIC status, the ARK board of directors  except for founders and employees  can name additional shareholders. These new shareholders can also be appointed to the supervisory board, as provided for in the charter. The charter may be amended as often as necessary. In French Law, the SCIC format also allows public institutions to become shareholders if seen fit by the board.

As a common interest benefit company, an SCIC must keep at least 52.5 percent of the company's profits as legal reserves. In the case of Ark, there is no plan to do any distribution of profits to shareholders. Therefore, it will hold 100 percent of any profits for use in development, marketing, and operations. An exciting road ahead This establishment of ARK's SCIC in France is not only the first of its kind, but it will also bolster the credibility of cryptocurrency in France, the European Union, and the rest of the world. The prospect of ARK and its SCIC formation has attracted the interest and enthusiasm of some regulatory institutions. During this process, ARK was invited by the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF)the French regulatory body for financial markets  and the Banque de France (National Bank of France) to present the ARK Project and explain the conditions of the ARK TEC. The discussion was in-depth and encouraging. Conversing with the AMF on how to best comply with French laws resulted in a positive two-way conversation with the French government. The team at ARK is proud to play a part in France becoming a crypto-friendly environment and proud to be the leaders in this huge step forward in cryptocurrency adoption. And now that the SCIC is finalized, the team will be able to expand and advance the ARK blockchain technology, which will provide more opportunities for all. Website: http://ark.io

Blog: https://blog.ark.io

Team: https://ark.io/team Media Contact

Contact Name: Travis Walker

Email: [email protected] ARK Ecosystem is the source of this content. Virtual currency is not legal tender, is not backed by the government, and accounts and value balances are not subject to consumer protections. This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest. Related Links ARK Ecosystem Bitcoin PR Buzz View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ark-becomes-frances-first-cryptocurrency-scic-300566995.html SOURCE ARK Ecosystem

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[December 05, 2017] Loblaw expands its Click & Collect service to Atlantic provinces, opens 200th location in Canada

Atlanticsuperstore.ca the first to provide full online grocery service in Atlantic Canada BRAMPTON, ON, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Loblaw Companies Limited (TSX: L, "Loblaw") today announced the expansion of its popular Click & Collect service into Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, opening its 200th location in Canada. The first of its kind in the Atlantic, customers can shop for all of their groceries online, then schedule a convenient time at their local Atlantic Superstore to pick up their order without ever having to leave their car. "We are dedicated to making our customers' lives easier and more convenient. Our online shopping allows them to order fresh and pantry items from their home, their work or wherever they are, and pick them up at a time that best fits with their schedule," said Jeremy Pee, Senior Vice President, eCommerce, Loblaw Digital. "This service has been extremely successful in other markets. As we bring it to our Atlantic Superstore customers, we've made our pick-up times faster and ensured our product offering reflects all the local favourites and best-selling brands our customers expect." Beginning today, the online grocery shopping service is available at seven Atlantic Superstore locations in the Halifax area. Customers in New Brunswick will have access to the new service through select stores starting December 12. The company plans to continue to roll out the service to other Atlantic markets throughout 2018.



Shopping online at www.atlanticsuperstore.ca, customers can browse and add all their favourite products to their grocery cart, including a local assortment. Once their list is finalized, customers can pick up their order in as little as two hours. Each order is prepared by a dedicated personal shopper who will select the freshest items possible and make sure everything in the customer's order is exactly how they want it, keeping the customer's personal preferences in mind. Staff at Atlantic Superstore will deliver the customers' groceries directly to their cars upon arrival. Loblaw is expanding its online grocery platform in the Atlantic region following its success elsewhere in the country and a growing demand from consumers. The service was first rolled out in the Toronto area at the end of 2014, and has grown to become the largest network of Click & Collect locations, with more than 200 pickup sites across Canada expected by the end of 2017.

To begin their online grocery shopping experience or to get more information about the new service, customers are invited to visit www.atlanticsuperstore.ca. About Loblaw Companies Limited Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's food and pharmacy leader and the nation's largest retailer. With nearly 2,500 corporate, franchised and Associate-owned locations, Loblaw and its franchisees and Associates employ nearly 200,000 full- and part-time employees. The company has a growing digital business, including Click & Collect supermarket orders picked up at stores, and online service or sales related to Loblaw's pharmacy, beauty, apparel and lifestyle offers. Loblaw's purpose  Live Life Well  is a commitment to the needs of all Canadians, including customers who make one billion transactions in the company's stores annually. The company offers convenient locations, the wellness services of food and drug stores, many of the nation's most-trusted brands, two of Canada's favourite loyalty programs, and a keen sense of corporate social responsibility. SOURCE Loblaw Companies Limited

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By Trend





The fact that Irans trade relations are turning to Asia more and more comes with well-established reasons, according to a former member of parliament.

The reasons have to be found in the partners with which we consider working, Iraj Nadimi, currently a top adviser to the head of Management and Planning Organization, told Trend December 4, adding, The fact is that European countries have not been quick enough in reestablishing ties with Iran.

Iran and Europe used to cherish hopes of trade reunion as they brought the landmark Iran nuclear deal (aka Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)) into force in 2016. However, major companies and banks in Europe still fear US punishments for engaging Iran.

Under such circumstances, China has started financing billions of dollars worth of projects in Iran, making deep inroads into the economy and leaving Europe behind.

State-owned investment arm CITIC Group recently established a $10 billion credit line and China Development Bank is considering $15 billion more.

Iranian officials say the deals are part of Beijings $124 billion Belt and Road initiative, which aims to build new infrastructure - from highways and railways to ports and power plants - between China and Europe to pave the way for an expansion of trade.

South Korea has also proved a willing investor, with Seouls Eximbank signing an 8 billion euros credit line for projects in Iran in August, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Nadimi noted that the inertia in Europe against making bonds with Iran is probably a remnant of the days of sanctions.

With Europeans, it is so that they face more problems compared to China or Korea for starting projects with Iran, he said.
By Trend





The Turkish Air Force attacked the positions of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorists in northern Iraq, the Turkish General Staff said in a message on December 5.

According to the message, air operations are held in Asos region in northern Iraq.

During the operations 36 PKK strongholds were destroyed.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for more than 30 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.
How former gang members, experts say KC can keep youth away from crime KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Monday's announcement of the arrest of three alleged gang members, who may be involved in more than 10 homicides, shined a light on the issue of gangs in the metro.

Local law enforcement works with community leaders to curb Kansas City gangland activity that many believe is one of the main motivators of the recent uptick in deadly violence. Checkit:
"Jackson County legislators on Monday approved a $3.44 million contract with Radmacher Brothers Excavation of Pleasant Hill to build a 6.4-mile section of the new trail on old Rock Island tracks from Jefferson Street in Lees Summit north to Brickyard Road west of Unity Village. Itll be a lot like the Little Blue Trace Trail  10 feet wide, mostly small gravel but concrete in places, with mile markers and occasional trailheads with parking and restrooms. Construction could start within weeks."

Behind the scenes, politicos have debated the merits of this projects but in the end the cyclist portion of the plan pushed forward to an easy victory whilst the passenger rail proposition remains vaporware for the moment . . .Read more:Deets:Developing . . .
KICK-ASS KANSAS CITY INSIDERS CELEBRATE A DEPUTY CHIEF RETIREMENT SPREE AMID THE ONGOING KCPD TOP COP TRANSITION!!!

Hey TKC, check out the three retirements of KCPD Deputy Chiefs.





The lady that would be chief was promoted by Fmr. Chief Corwin and the other two are products of Chief Forte. Very interesting timing of their departures.





Cool story about one of the current retirees . . .





Current Chief Rick Smith was a Major at Center Zone and formerly a subordinate of the retiring DC in question. Chief Smith, was looking out for his troops at the time and was serving as a Maj. when he asked the DC about a matter that may have ended in unnecessary discipline for the officers (bad Commanders often let issues drag on to put stress on the divisions).





When asked by Maj. Smith about the status of the issue, the DC told his subordinate, then Major Rick Smith, that such information was above his (Maj. Smith's) pay grade.





One of the first things Chief Smith did when he took office was to call in the DC (now SMITH's subordinate) and ask him if the issue involving the Center Zone Cops was still above his pay grade! Needless to say, Smith had a few conversations with the DC before his departure. . .

Right now, here a bit of important behind the scenes info highlighted by denizens of our blog community as local law enforcement undergoes a changing of the guard . . .Moreover . . .Here's the word that's much spicier and with more perspective than just a newsletter listing with just a few minor edits to keep things interesting and legal . . .Developing . . .
TKC reality check: Amid hype surrounding the rise of the Kansas City creative-class and so many development schemes there's a dangerous dismissal of deadly crime newbie targeting denizens of urban core neighborhoods. This latest local murder speaks to a deadly culture clash in the midst of rampant gentrification and real estate gamesmanship.

TKC REAL TALK: DESPITE THE SCHEMES OF DEVELOPERS: IS IT SUICIDE FOR WHITE GUYS TO WALK AROUND AT NIGHT IN THE MAIN STREET CORRIDOR???

Still, as we noted, young dudes have been misled about the dangers of this part of town because real concern about crime in Kansas City is contrary to so much development speculation that powers the local discourse.









The Midtown Kansas City murder of Zachary Pearce proves to be a tragic holiday season homicide but it's just one of many acts of violence in this embattled section of Kansas City.More than a couple of TKC readers have been robbed and assaulted in this part of town and the pattern is the same: White dudes who think they'll be okay walking through this neighborhood at night. Don't get TKC motives twisted, this post is penned as both a question and a word of warning for some of our friends whom we would like to keep safe.Over the past few years, crime along this swath of land has spiked as violent teen flash mobs are all grown up, have been pushed away from The Plaza and desperate hobos stalk this stretch of land.Real talk . . . When the sun goes down, other than a few bars and The Starbucks . . . Night life alongis a sketchy proposition.Still and in fairness, the rents in surrounding neighborhoods are cheap and this neighborhood has proven to be a vibrant place for young people attending the Kansas City Art Institute & UMKC - As long as they aren't unfortunate in stumbling upon some of the more dangerous denizens of this part of town.Brief aside, women usually know better than to take this kind of risk and,, the news doesn't really care when minorities kill one another . . .Check the links . . .You decide . . .
Grandview community to hold funeral service for murdered homeless woman A murdered homeless will finally be laid to rest. Fredrick Scott has been charged with her murder and has also been charged in the deaths of two other people. Police also believed he is connected to multiple murders along Indian Creek Trail.

There's not much evidence that anybody really cared about this lady whilst she camped out behind a church but now her death is the focus of holiday season political debate and faith community guilt. Read more:
Tensions between the two countries , Greece and Turkey, have been going on for years but their cooperation has also been extensive enabling tourism to benefit significantly and reach very high levels lately

Nine Turkish nationals, eight men and one woman, all ethnic Kurds, arrested by Greek police in Athens last week on terrorism-related charges were on Monday remanded in custody.

The nine were arrested after a major police operation in the Athens districts of Neos Kosmos and Kallithea and are alleged members of the militant Turkish party Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C), which is classed as a terrorist group in the EU, US and Turkey. According to the charges against them, they were planning an attack on Turkish President Recep Tayyip during his visit to Greece on December 6-7.

They were charged with forming and joining a terrorist group, acquisition and possession of explosive materials and bombs as an act of terrorism, illegal possession of hand-guns, ammunition and explosives as an act of terrorism, forgery and use of fake public documents, resisting arrest, illegal weapons possession (for knives that were confiscated) and illegal possession of fire crackers and smoke canisters.

They reportedly submitted written statements to the investigating magistrate, denying the actions they are accused of, and underlining that "solidarity with those struggling for their rights and freedom is not terrorism."

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Lfdder License: CC-BY-SA

Source: ANA-MPA
Greek Americans have always been a very active business community in the United States reinforcing the historic ties between the two nations and certainly boosting tourist inflows over the years

The improving economic climate in Greece is the focus of a two-day conference organized by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in Athens.

Politicians, entrepreneurs and diplomats are participating in the conference that as President of the Chamber Simos Anastasopoulos said it has become an important yearly event in the Greek calendar.

Keynote speakers include Greece's main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Deputy PM Yiannis Dragasakis, US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt and Greek and American entrepreneurs and investors.

Speaking to Greek Reporters Babis Petrakis, Anastasopoulos noted that participants will discuss prospects for the Greek economy and in particular ways to further improve the business environment in order to attract investments.

Greece has become a champion of investment. However, investments up to now aimed at balancing out the fiscal imbalances in the Greek economy, he pointed out.

The imbalances were corrected but this was done at the expense of the real economy, he continued.

Anastasopoulos underlined that what is required now is to proceed with structural reforms that are necessary to improve the business climate.

These structural reforms have no financial impact. We need to speed up the administration of justice and the granting of permits and create a tax system that is stable and permanent.

These reforms are absolutely necessary for the improvement of the business environment in Greece.

Anastasopoulos send a message to the Greeks of the Diaspora saying that Greece today presents a big opportunity for investment.

There is a growing consensus in Greece on what needs to be done to attract investment and improve conditions for entrepreneurship.

We expect an improving environment for 2018 and therefore the smart investor will grab the opportunity Greece s offering today, Anastasopoulos stressed.

The American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce has a a corporate membership currently of some 1.000 companies operating in Greece, that includes American companies doing business in Greece and major Greek enterprises doing business in or with the U.S.

It encourages and facilitates trade, investment and professional partnerships from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Rennett Stowe License: CC-BY-SA

Source: greekreporter.com
Iran and Hungary have signed an agreement on support for investment between the two countries and a joint venture contract in the field of agriculture,a media report said.



Economy Ministers of Iran and Hungary Masoud Karbasian and Mihaly Varga signed the agreement on Monday, reported Irna.



Meanwhile, a joint venture contract and investment in the field of agriculture and agro-industry was signed between Hungarian LAC Holding and Iranian Nika Basir Payam.



Karbasian said that these agreements will help investment atmosphere between the two countries and given the Hungarian membership in European Union, it will reduce risk of investment.
UAE and Saudi Arabia have launched an economic and military partnership in a move that will bring the Gulfs largest economies closer together on a wide range of areas including defence, political institutions and the economy.



The announcement came hours before the GCC was to hold its first summit since Riyadh and Abu Dhabi imposed a regional embargo on neighbouring Qatar, over its support for extremist organisations and its ties with Iran, thus triggering the oil-rich Gulfs worst crisis in decades.



Sheikh Khalifa bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE president, said in a statement that a joint co-operation committee would be established to co-ordinate in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields.



News of the Presidential decree formalising the arrangement came on the eve of the summit in Kuwait, which was attended largely by ministers from the member countries, rather than heads of state, as usual, reported The National.



From the UAE side, it will be chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.



A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said the Chairman of the Committee would decide on the appointment of its members from representatives of a number of federal and local government bodies and sectors in the country, it stated.



According to the resolution, the committee will co-ordinate between the two countries in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields, as well as others, in the interest of the two countries, said The National report.



The creation of the alliance, and the scope of its remit, is a further sign of the ever closer ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, it added.
Iran needs Iran's help to develop gas infrastructures, Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister for gas affairs Hamid Younis was quoted as saying in a media report.



Iraq has vast programs to develop gas infrastructures like creating gas distribution networks for industrial, housing complexes and gas-fuelled vehicles, Younis was quoted in the Irna report.



He said that Iran has valuable experiences in the sector of gas and Iraq needs their help to fulfil its goals in this concern.



Younis said that Iraq is to use Iranian contractor's experiences both in the fields of investment and in the sector of joint venture projects to develop gas industry.



Mutual cooperation between the two countries will continue under signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) last year, Younis said.



Iran and Iraq Petroleum Ministers Bijan Zangeneh and Jabbar al-Luaibi signed two MoUs on cooperation in March 2017.



Gas export to Iraq has been started recently and 7 to 15 million cu ms gas is exported to Iraq daily.
SALT LAKE CITY  President Donald Trump earlier this year ordered U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to conduct an unprecedented review of 27 monuments established by former presidents over more than two decades on lands and waters revered for their natural beauty and historical significance.

Trump announced Monday that he will shrink two Utah monuments, but he has not revealed his decision on the others yet. He launched the review after calling the land protections by Democratic former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton federal overreach.

Zinke recommended reducing four large monuments in the U.S. West and modifying rules at six others, according to a memo leaked this fall. He also has said he's recommending the creation of three new monuments.

He didn't suggest eliminating any monuments, despite urging by some Republicans in Utah and elsewhere.

Monuments to be downsized

Trump said he will shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments spanning millions of acres in Utah in line with Zinke's recommendation.

Zinke also advised trimming Gold Butte in Nevada and Cascade Siskiyou in Oregon, but the president didn't announce a final decision on those monuments Monday.

No downsizing, but rule changes

Zinke proposed more access for people and industry and other changes at six monuments:

 Katahdin Woods and Waters, Maine: Allow trees to be cut on parts of the monument and ensure that "traditional uses" like snowmobiling and hunting are taken into account in a management plan.

 Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, Maine: Allow commercial fishing in the first marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

 Pacific Remote Islands, Pacific Ocean: Allow commercial fishing within the marine monument that covers nearly 87,000 square miles (225,330 square kilometers) near Hawaii.

 Rose Atoll, Pacific Ocean: Allow commercial fishing in the 13,500-square-mile (34,965-square-kilometer) marine monument around the Rose Atoll in American Samoa, a U.S territory.

 Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, New Mexico: Conduct assessment of border-safety risks, prioritize public access and request congressional authority to give tribes co-management.

 Rio Grande Del Norte, New Mexico:  Prioritize public access, request congressional authority to give tribes co-management, and get more funding to protect cultural and historical objects.

Staying intact

During his travels to visit some of the monuments under review, Zinke said these six monuments would remain untouched: Upper Missouri River Breaks in Montana; Sand to Snow in California; Grand Canyon-Parashant in Arizona; Craters of the Moon in Idaho; Hanford Reach in Washington; and Canyons of the Ancients in Colorado.

Zinke has been silent on the other 11 monuments under review, from Giant Sequoia in California to the Marianas Trench southwest of Guam, but they are presumed to remain intact.

New monuments

Zinke also recommended Trump create three monuments, including one in his home state of Montana:

 Badger-Two Medicine in an area within the Lewis and Clark National Forest in northwest Montana.

 Medgar Evers' home in Jackson, Mississippi, where the first field secretary for the NAACP was assassinated on June 12, 1963. Evers organized boycotts over segregation during the civil rights movement.

 Camp Nelson near Nicholasville, Kentucky, which was established in 1863 as a 700-bed Union Army hospital, supply depot and recruiting center for African-American troops in the state.
AccorHotels, a leading travel and lifestyle group, has signed a management agreement with leading Dubai-based master eveloper Nakheel for the expansion of its renowned luxury brand, Raffles Hotels & Resorts.

As per the deal, the duo will open Palm360, a two-tower development on the world famous Palm Jumeirah comprising the Raffles The Palm Dubai Hotel and Raffles Residences Palm360.

The management agreement was inked by Nakheel chairman Ali Rashid Lootah and AccorHotels chairman and CEO Sebastien Bazin on the sidelines of the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes (France).

Set to open in 2021, the Palm 360 will be the first beachside resort for Raffles in Dubai and the tallest structure on Palm Jumeirah, said a statement from Nakheel.



At almost 260-m-high, Palm 360 will offer unobstructed views of Palm Jumeirah, the spectacular Arabian Gulf coastline and Dubai skyline. Its centrepiece will be a 155-m-long sky pool, connecting the towers 170 m above the ground, from where guests can also enjoy stunning, uninterrupted views from a unique vantage point, it stated.



The hotel component will offer 125 hotel rooms and suites, whilst the 359 branded residences  including 16 branded penthouses that will each have their own private infinity pool, gym and cinema  will be available for purchase.



Residence owners will be able to enjoy Raffles legendary services, including concierge, private transportation and in-residence dining. They will also enjoy global VVIP status through an exclusive Ownership Benefits Program, said the Dubai developer in the statement.



The hotel and residential complex will feature a host of high-end dining outlets, including two rooftop restaurants commanding sweeping views and a waterside restaurant in a spectacular poolside and beachside setting.



A speciality restaurant will provide a venue for lavish culinary presentations throughout the day and a specially-designed lobby lounge will serve top-flight fare in luxurious surroundings, it stated.



Following the signing, Lootah said: "We are committed to playing a key role in realising the Dubai governments vision by continuing to deliver unique, landmark projects that reinforce the emirates position as a world-class destination for living, business, leisure and tourism."



"Palm Jumeirah has quickly evolved into one of the most sought-after addresses in the world, offering the ultimate in luxury living and leisure," he noted.



"Palm 360 will further enhance the islands global appeal, which already attracts millions of visitors each year. We are delighted to partner with AccorHotels for this awe-inspiring development that will take our rapidly-growing hospitality portfolio to new heights, and become the luxury destination of choice for discerning travellers the world over," he added.



Located on Palm Jumeirahs 11-km crescent Boardwalk, Palm 360 is close to upcoming attractions such as The Palm Promenade, The Pointe and Nakheel Mall, with Dubais key business and leisure hubs within easy reach.



The luxury property will offer guests a distinct resort feel with direct private beach access, a specialised private beach club along with thoughtful, personal and discreet service synonymous with the Raffles brand.



Palm 360 joins 16 other hotels that form part of Nakheels $1.3-billion hospitality expansion programme that is set to deliver close to 6,000 rooms and hotel apartments across Dubai. The first two hotels, at Dragon Mart and Ibn Battuta Mall, opened last year, with the rest under construction or development.



Bazin said this announcement in collaboration with Nakheel marks the much-anticipated expansion of one of the most illustrious luxury brands of Accor.



"The development of Raffles The Palm Dubai Hotel and Raffles Residences Palm 360 not only cements our luxury portfolio on a landmark leisure destination but also demonstrates our dedication to developing the most distinct hospitality concepts," he stated.



Bazin pointed out that Raffles was a brand synonymous with legendary levels of service combined with enchanting design and amenities.



"These qualities have made the Raffles brand successful as Raffles Dubai celebrates 10 years since opening its doors and welcoming its very first guests. Meanwhile Raffles Singapore, will reopen this summer after an extensive refurbishment to celebrate its 130th anniversary," he noted.



"Drawing on this timeless essence and history, we are confident that Raffles The Palm Dubai will also become a remarkable addition to the Raffles collection and a must-visit property in global travel," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
ON THE MOVE: SageTrader Grabs Weingarten as CEO; JPM Nabs Rossi

San Francisco based broker-dealer SageTrader appointed Dan Weingarten as CEO of SageTrader, LLC, the operating subsidiary of Sage Brokerage Holdings, LLC. He will also become a member of Sage Brokerage Holdings, LLC, Board of Managers. This appointment will be become effective after Mr. Weingartens satisfaction of certain obligations to his current employer, ITG. As a Managing Director at ITG, he was responsible for sales and business development for their U.S. sell side business, a position he held since 2010. Before ITG, Weingarten was co-head of sales and strategy at Penson Worldwide. Additionally, during this time he was President of Penson Execution Services, a startup broker-dealer built to expand execution services, including the creation of an Alternative Trading System. He started his career on an institutional agency desk at TD Ameritrade and has had sales and business development roles at the Island ECN, Credit Suisse, and NYFIX Millennium.

If you have a new job or promotion to report, let me know at jdantona@marketsmedia.com

Cowen announced that, pursuant to the Companys established succession plan, its Board of Directors appointed Jeffrey Solomon as the Companys next Chief Executive Officer, effective December 27, 2017. Solomon is currently Cowens President. Peter Cohen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cowen since 2009 and founder of its predecessor firm, Ramius Capital, will remain the Companys Chairman.

Tradesignal announced that Hammaad Uteem has joined the company as a Senior Sales Manager. He is based in the London office and is responsible for developing global accounts. Prior to joining Tradesignal, he spent several years as Senior Sales Manager at the London-based financial software company Updata, where he started his career in 2001. He has accumulated over 10 years of experience at Updata and successfully supported numerous large corporate accounts across EMEA & APAC regions like Credit Suisse, EDF, ENGIE Global Markets, JP Morgan and Merrill Lynch.

Kx, a division of First Derivatives plc, has added Richard Kiel as its new Global Head of Forex Solutions. Kiel will be responsible for growing Kxs Forex Platforms business including Trading, Aggregation, Price Distribution, Smart Order Routing, and Pre- and Post- Trade Data Analytics and Reporting. He joins from UBS Asset Management where he was Head of Global Risk Solutions, responsible for Risk Advisory while overseeing the firms proprietary multi-asset Global Risk System including fundamental research and model construction, product development, client service and operations. Prior to UBS, he was Global Head of Post Trade Services at Thomson Reuters where he was a Director of Reuters Transaction Services Ltd. Kiel also has over 10 years sell-side experience primarily focused on real-time data and analytics at JPMorgan, Salomon Brothers and Merrill Lynch. He will report to Pat Brazel, Kx Chief Commercial Officer.

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Montana is an aging state. Approximately 25 percent of our workforce is 55 years old or older. Assuming most retire in the next 10 years, we stand to lose 126,000 people from our workforce of 505,000. A further challenge is that Montanas high school graduation numbers are not expected to rebound to 2006 levels until 2023.

Montanas economy is strong with low unemployment rates, strong growth, and increasing demand for new employees with a postsecondary credential. All of this underscores the importance of increasing the number of high school students who go on to college or apprenticeship programs and ensuring they are successful.

We know if Montana high school graduates go on to graduate from a Montana college or university there is higher than a 75 percent chance they will be employed in the state after graduation.

In 2013, Governor Steve Bullock and Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian announced the creation of Complete College Montana in conjunction with the national Complete College America (CCA) effort. Over the past four years, the Montana University System has made dramatic progress regarding creating systemwide buy-in to a concerted effort around student success.

Success in math is key

MSU President Waded Cruzado said it best: Not every student who fails at math will abandon college, but almost every student who leaves college has failed at math. Over the past three years, the faculty of the MUS have engaged in two efforts to address student success with math.

The first effort was the creation of math pathways ensuring that students were receiving the most appropriate math for their degree path. This began with the realization that college algebra and calculus were not the best options for all students. The faculty created a statistics-based contemporary math option for Liberal Arts and non-science based majors.

The second effort has been to restructure how we as a system approach remedial math for students who fall below a cut line on college entrance examinations. Data analysis showed that students who were placed in one or more remedial math courses had less than a ten percent chance of ever completing a degree.

The MUS faculty devised a co-requisite approach whereby students were enrolled directly into their first college level math course and given the support on the side to be successful. Three institutions piloted this approach (MSU Billings, MSU, and Helena College) and the results were dramatic. In some cases, the students placed into the corequisite sections outperformed those who were deemed college ready.

Momentum within Montana University System

On Oct. 25, 2017, the MUS hosted a Complete College Montana Summit on the campus of the University of Montana. Over 150 faculty and staff attended from all of Montanas public institutions of higher education and six of the States seven tribal colleges. In addition, representatives from K-12 education were present. The Summit was supported by Complete College America and CCAs President, Tom Sugar, spoke at the event.

The Summit created a new level of system-wide momentum around student success. Since the Summit, all of the MUS institutions have committed to implementing and scaling a broad suite of student success initiatives all focused on ensuring our college students are retained and complete their certificates and degrees on-time thus saving time and money.

On Friday, Dec. 1, the Montana University System was recognized in New Orleans at the national Complete College America Summit as one of the leading states in the nation to have garnered support from all of its public colleges and universities to focus on CCAs student success momentum strategies.

John E. Cech is deputy commissioner of higher education for the Montana University System and a Complete College America Fellow.
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, Dec 4

The district police have arrested two smugglers involved in sale of illegal liquor. As many as 800 bottles of smuggled liquor of different brands have been recovered from their possession.

SSP Alka Meena said a team of the Badali Ala Singh police station, during checking of vehicles, stopped a car (PB-10BT-2974). During its search, cops found 800 bottles of liquor meant for sale only in Chandigarh.

The police arrested its occupants, identified as Kulwinder Singh and Rinku Singh, both residents of Sherpur in Sangrur district, the SSP said.

The SSP said during preliminary investigation, they admitted that they were involved in the sale of smuggled liquor.
Yogendra Yadav

Yogendra Yadav

CAN the BJP be defeated in Gujarat? Can the PM lose this critical election in his home state? Can the national political narrative undergo a sudden change?

I would have dismissed this speculation a couple of months ago. The BJP is not just a ruling party in Gujarat. It is as well entrenched in the state as the Left Front used to be in West Bengal. The BJP has not lost a single election here since its stunning victory in the Lok Sabha elections of 1991. It has managed to maintain a solid lead of about 10 percentage points over the Congress in the five Assembly elections since. The BJPs dominance is not limited to winning elections: it has established total control over Gujarat society  from industry and trade to cooperatives, media and intellectuals. Its rival, the Congress, in contrast, has appeared the most listless opposition imaginable.

So, I was somewhat inattentive to news from Gujarat. One more BJP victory, and that too when the PM was from Gujarat, was a foregone conclusion. When an early survey by the CSDS team in August projected a massive lead for the BJP, it looked unassailable. As in the case of the Left Front, during its heydays in West Bengal, its victory was no news. By the same logic, its defeat would be an earthquake. But then, earthquakes dont happen every day.

It is not that all was very well in Gujarat. Everyone knows that the famous Gujarat model was a lot of hype about some real, but modest, achievements. Gujarat was, and continues to be, a middle performing state on social indicators like education and health. This model has done particularly little for the farmers. The state had witnessed very powerful farmer protests, even when Mr Modi was the CM. After Mr Modis ascent to Delhi, things clearly worsened in Gujarat. Meanwhile, rural distress intensified. The government failed to provide adequate relief, or even fully acknowledge, two consecutive droughts. For the past year, Gujarat has been in turmoil.

Anywhere else, this would have meant electoral defeat for the ruling party. But Gujarat was different, or so I thought. It is not enough for people to be resentful, disillusioned and even angry with the government for the BJP to lose elections. The Congress party of Gujarat looked like the perfect opposition that the BJP could have asked for: without any vision, strategy or a credible leader. I used to say to anyone who brought news of BJPs impending defeat from Gujarat: Dont tell me that people are unhappy. Tell me, are they so angry that they would vote anyone to defeat the BJP? Would they vote even the Congress?

Now I think they might. It seems the unthinkable might happen, just as it did for the Left Front. The most likely outcome of the coming elections in Gujarat is a clear defeat for the BJP and, consequently, a clear victory for the Congress.

Let me hasten to add that this conclusion is not based on my subjective assessment or political preference. I draw my inferences from some of the surveys in the public domain, mainly a series of three tracker polls by Lokniti-CSDS team for ABP News. All three surveys have a decent and representative (randomly drawn) sample of about 3,500 respondents from 50 constituencies spread all over the state. I use this data, not just because I trust its record of capturing vote shares reasonably accurately (with the exception of the recent Uttar Pradesh elections), but also because this survey has made public all its findings in a fairly transparent way. (I was involved in the founding of the Lokniti-CSDS survey team, but have had no association with it for the past four years.)

The first round of this tracker poll, conducted in the first half of August, found the BJP enjoying a whopping 30 percentage points lead over the Congress. The report changed dramatically in the second round held in October, when the CSDS team reported that the BJPs lead had come down to just 6 percentage points. Was it an erratic reading or a trend? The question has been answered by the latest round held in the last week of November. The third round reports that the lead is down to nil now as both parties are tied at 43 per cent vote share each. To be fair, the CSDS team does not predict a BJP defeat. In fact, it projects 91-99 seats for the BJP, if elections were held last week. What would happen on the polling day? The survey does not answer it.

This trend suggests a clear defeat for the BJP. A clear and consistent trend like this is usually not reversed in the last week of elections. Usually, it gets intensified. So, from zero lead, the BJP is likely to move a negative lead. In a strange two-party contest, a four-point lead or more would be enough to give a clear victory to the Congress. We must also note that pre-poll surveys tend to over-estimate the ruling party. So, we could be looking at a bigger margin than we can project at this stage.

This headline projection is corroborated by many other findings of this survey. The approval ratings of the Gujarat Government have fallen consistently and have now crossed the danger line. Voters who wanted to give this government another chance are now outnumbered by those who dont. Personality does not seem to be a key factor this time. The popularity ratings of the CM are pretty low, though he is still ahead of all his rivals. Even the PMs ratings and those of his government have dropped, though he continues to be the most popular leader. Distractions like Hardik Patels CDs or communal issues have not had any salience. What this survey also brings out is the real issue of this election: its all about economy. The voters are concerned about unemployment and price rise, a euphemism for lack of purchasing power.

Its not just this survey. Credible ground reports from Gujarat reinforce this conclusion. BJP election rallies, including those of the PM himself, are drawing very poor crowds. At the same time, those of Hardik Patels are drawing big crowds. Farmers anger in the wake of the latest crash of groundnut and cotton prices is palpable, as is the sense of betrayal felt by Gujarati businessmen.

Can something still change? Mr Modis rallies do not seem to be re-creating the whole magic. What about rigging? I am not among those who floated the EVM conspiracy theory during Punjab and UP elections. In any case, VVPAT machines and random-matching of the slips with machine count should take care of that.

yogendra.yadav@gmail.com
Washington, December 5

Indian-American California senator Kamala Harris has topped the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine's 2017 list of '50 Leading Global Thinkers', which also features US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.

Besides Harris and Haley, Indian-origin stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj has also made it to the list, which recognises a remarkable range of individuals who have found ways to exert enormous influence, often in unexpected ways, on a wide range of issues.

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"They are the doers who defined 2017," said Foreign Policy while releasing its annual list of global thinkers, which this year number 50 instead of 100 as was mostly the case in previous years.

Topping the list is Harris, 53, for giving the Democratic Party hope in the era of President Donald Trump, the magazine said.

Harris, the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, is the first-ever Indian-American to be elected to the US Senate.

Seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate, Harris is the only black woman in the Senate.

Her professional bona fides and two decades as a prosecutor, her commitment to social justice (she has made immigrants' rights and bail reform the focus of her first year in office), and her personal 'firsts' make her appealing to voters still smarting from (Hillary) Clinton's loss and hungry for a charismatic non-white, non-male presidential candidate, the magazine said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is ranked second in the list for trying to rebuild decent democratic leadership in South Korea.

Popular comedian Minhaj, 32, is placed third in the ranking for defining the narrative of a "New Brown America", it said.

Early this year, he was the first Indian-American to have been chosen to host the White House Correspondents Dinner.

The final comedian to be hired by The Daily Show during Jon Stewart's tenure as host, Minhaj has since joined an elite cadre of popular news satirists  including Stewart, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver  whose joyful embrace of 'fake news' often gets at fundamental truths at which the mainstream media can only gesture, it said.

Former South Carolina governor Haley, 45, the first Indian-American to be a member of any presidential cabinet, figures in the list of global thinkers for trying to preserve America's traditional vision of international affairs, said the magazine.

The US foreign policy that Haley has spent just over 10 months defending smacks more of traditional Republican (and, arguably, traditional US) policies more closely in line with Ronald Reagan than with the current president, it said.

Among others in the list are presidential candidate for the FARC, the Colombian rebel group that has traded its weapons for party politics, the female director of Afghanistan's foreign-language film contender for the Oscars, the venture capitalist who is using tech companies to bridge the gap between Israel and Palestine, and an Iraqi member of parliament who is demanding her country recognise the genocide of the minority Yazidis.

This years list showcases a remarkable range of individuals who have found ways to exert enormous influence, often in unexpected ways, on a wide range of issues  from North Korea policy, to the rise of populism, to how we combat fake news, to cementing a new narrative in American culture... to comedy, said Jonathan Tepperman, editor-in-chief of the magazine.

These amazing people are not only rethinking our world, but also reshaping it. They defined 2017, and were thrilled by the chance to recognise their accomplishments  for good, at least in most cases, he said.

The list also includes Chelsea Manning, ex-Trump aide Stephen Bannon, and French President Emmanuel Macron. PTI
Srinagar, December 5

Three Lashker-e-Taiba militants, including two Pakistanis, allegedly responsible for carrying out an attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year, were killed in an encounter in south Kashmir, police said on Tuesday.

One militant, who had managed to flee from the encounter site, was also arrested by the police from a maternity hospital of Anantnag district, they said.

The encounter broke out on Monday afternoon when the militants opened fire on an Army convoy, on its way to Srinagar, at Qazigund on Jammu-Srinagar national highway. One soldier was killed in the attack while another sustained injuries.

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The security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt for the militants. The search operation turned into an encounter with militants which ended at 2 on Tuesday morning, the police said.

The police identified the dead militants as Yawar Basir, who is a local militant; Abu Furqan and Abu Maviya (both foreign terrorists). Basir, hailing from Habiash of Kulgam, joined ranks with Lashker-e-Taiba this year in February after snatching weapon from a policeman.

Furqan had taken over as the head of Lashker-e-Taiba in south Kashmir after the death of Abu Ismail, who had led the attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July this year.

Police said all three killed were part of the squad that carried out the attack on yatris on July 10. Eight pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured.

Police said the group headed by Furqan, was involved in a series of terror crimes in Anantnag and Kulgam area, which included the yatra bus attack case at Bantingo, a few attacks on security forces at Lower Munda on the national highway, and attack on police party at bus stand in Anantnag.

Furqan had replaced Ismail in south Kashmir and was responsible for the recent attacks carried by LeT, police said.

Pursuing the leads available at the Qazigund encounter, one individual Rashid Ahmed Allai of Hamzapora Sangam Bijibehera was arrested from Janglatmandi maternity hospital with a Chinese pistol and cartridges on Monday night. He was missing for the past two days from his house and had joined the Yawar group of LeT.

The police said he was part of the militant group when they carried out attack on army at Qazigund on Monday but managed to escape from the site when the encounter broke out.

He had taken shelter at the hospital in Anantnag with the help of one of his associates.

According to the police, he, along with his associates, was intending to snatch weapon from the policemen by attacking them. PTI
Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 5

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has urged the Centre to help her in the release of political prisoners whose health is deteriorating in prisons and also shift Kashmiri inmates from Tihar Jail to J&K prisons to help make the atmosphere tension-free in the state.

Official sources said upset over the recent incident of thrashing of Kashmiri inmates, including Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddins son Shahid Yousuf, in Tihar Jail by personnel of the Tamil Nadu Police, the Chief Minister had urged the Union Home Ministry to shift all inmates to Jammu and Kashmir prisons.

At a police function in Kathua last week, Mehbooba publicly denounced the incident as unacceptable and described it as bad publicity for the Indian values of honouring the dignity of prisoners. She had spoken to Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba about the incident and expressed her serious concern.

Sources said Mehbooba was worried about the fallout of the continued arrest of the political leaders whose health was deteriorating in jails. She has communicated to the MHA that steps should be taken to release them as the Centre had done in case of stone throwers. She recently ordered withdrawal of 744 cases against 4,327 stone throwers to make them part of normal life in Kashmir.

Mehbooba has also championed the cause of fair and dignified rehabilitation of former stone throwers.

Sources said the communication was on between the Centre and the state government in this regard.

Many groups, including separatists and the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Nationalist Party chief Ghulam Hassan Mir, have already demanded that the political prisoners should be set free to build upon the atmosphere of reconciliation which is currently underway in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mehbooba gives job letters to pellet victims

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday distributed appointment letters among a group of victims who lost their eyesight due to pellet injuries during law-and-order situations in the Valley last year. A government spokesman said this was in continuation of her earlier measures taken for the rehabilitation of the victims of violence during the unrest of last year. The PDP said rehabilitation of victims of unrest had been a deep concern for the Chief Minister and providing resource and support to the most affected persons was her desire. TNS
Samaan LateefTribune News Service

Srinagar, December 4

The state is likely to face a shutdown of healthcare services as doctors are gearing up for a strike against the repeated incidents of humiliation by civil officers.

The Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK), an amalgam of various associations of doctors of J&K, wrote to Health Minister Bali Baghat today, seeking a public apology and suspension of Syed Katari, Zainapora SDM.

Doctors across the state responded to the DAK call to wear black bands today and tomorrow. The association has called for a pen-down strike and protest from 10 am to 12 noon on Wednesday, barring emergencies and intensive care units.

If the action is not taken in 72 hours, the government will be responsible for the consequences, reads the letter. from DAK president Dr Suhail Naik. The association has sought strong disciplinary action against Syed Katari, Zainapora SDM, in Shopian district for publicly humiliating a senior surgeon for not wearing an apron.

Humiliating doctors has become a norm, reads the letter. The association members have asked the government to realise that doctors are working in difficult conditions at the cost of their social and family life.On Saturday, Katari visited the community health centre at Zainapora. He allegedly used foul, unofficial and unparliamentary language for Dr Intikhab Alam, a senior surgeon.

The heating system in hospitals is not adequate. Under such circumstances, medical staff is forced to wear extra clothes in winter, the doctor says in the letter, criticising Katari for directing the surgeon to wear an apron over the jacket. Doctors said Alam was coming out of the operation theatre after completing a surgery when the incident took place.

The video of the SDM scolding the doctor has also gone viral on social media.

Katari used foul language
Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Danna (Zero Line), Uri, Dec 5

The gate at the fence places our village in no mans land. Beyond it lies freedom and a different world altogether, says Fayaz Ahmad Dar (42) of Sahoora, a village situated on a ridge on Zero Line in the strategic Hajipir sector of Uri.

Sahoora village is located 10 km from Uri town and up above in forests on the left side of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road. The Hajipir nullah serves as the only geographical barrier that separates the hamlet from PoK.

Just like Hathlanga, Sallikote, Tullawari and Churunda villages of Uri, which are located on Zero Line, Sahoora has been completely left out beyond the barbed fence demarcating the LoC.

The overlooking Pakistani posts, falling in the Sajiwad area of PoK atop a mountain ridge across the Hajipir nullah, serve as a constant reminder to the villagers of the lurking danger. Before the 2003 ceasefire agreement, these Pakistani posts that also overlook the strategic Rustum post on this side had engaged in heavy mortar shelling on villages in Uri.

I was washing utensils outside my house one day when I heard a loud bang. I rushed to the basement, thinking Pakistan had started shelling, says Zahida, a resident of Dhana village, while pointing towards Pakistani posts visible from the spot. Zahida lost her mother-in-law and father-in-law to shelling by Pakistan in June 2000.

Between the two tiers of the fence crossing these villages, swathes of agriculture and horticulture land have been mined by the security forces to prevent infiltration, which has picked up in the Uri region the 2016 Uri attack. This year, five infiltration bids have been foiled by the Army in the Uri sector.

The gate opens at 6 am and closes in the evening. If we want to move out to the market in Uri, we have first to seek permission from the sentry, says Fayaz, who lost his leg in a mine blast in February 2006. One of the fence lines bisects his compound too. His mother and aunt were also injured in a mine blast, but like majority of such victims, no compensation has been paid to them.

I lost my father, mother and brother to shelling by Pakistan in June 2000. I was also injured and doctors had to amputate my left leg. Its been 17 years but I have not been compensated so far, rues Nasreen, 23, of Danna village in the Hajipir sector.

Of the 150 persons living in Sahoora, six have been disabled in mine blasts. In the neighbouring Dulanga village, there are over 10 such victims.

A majority of children are school dropouts. Villagers whose agriculture land has come under the fence complain that despite surveys and assurances by the officials and politicians, no compensation has been paid to them.

A police officer says recently, a man from Uri crossed over to Pakistan. He said police and other security agencies maintain a record of Sahoora, Silikote, Hathlunga and Tullawari and every movement in these villages is closely monitored.

Migration in 1990s

Like other 40 villages in Uri tehsil, Sahoora was once a bustling village, where majority of people engaged in farming and took care of their walnut orchards. But as the militancy erupted in the Kashmir valley and hostilities between India and Pakistan broke out on borders in the early 1990s, almost everyone from the village migrated to Pakistan. As per the police records, 200 families of Sahoora village crossed over to the other side in the Bagh district of PoK, leaving just 13 families behind. As per the 2011 Census, Sahoora today comprises 21 families.

This side of the fence

Village Population Literacy rate (in %)

Male Female

Sahoora 150 74.47 51.35

Salli Kote 194 91.25 80.43

Hathlanga 539 66.52 42.97

Churunda 1,169 62.7 25

Tullawari 476 80.84 55.21
Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, December 5

One more body of a local militant was retrieved late Monday night from the debris of the encounter site in the Qazigund area of Anantnag district, taking the number of ultras killed in the gunfight to three. One soldier was killed in the encounter.

The slain militants have been identified as Yawar Bashir Wani of Hablish, Kulgam, and two Pakistani nationals Furqan and Abu Maviya.

Inspector General of Police Munir Khan has said that two out of three slain militants were involved in the attack on Amarnath yatris on July 10. Yawar Bashir and Abu Maviya were physically involved in the attack on Amarnath yatris, the IGP said, adding that Abu Ismail, the mastermind of the attack, was neutralised on September 14.

The encounter was triggered by an attack by militants on an Army convoy. Clashes had also erupted during the encounter, wherein two civilians were left injured.

The IGP said one of the four militants, who carried out the yatra attack, is still at large. His name is Shakoor Dar, a local. Hopefully, he will be neutralised soon, Munir said.

Terming the operation in Qazigund well coordinated, the IGP said a fourth accomplice of the militants was arrested along with arms and ammunition.

A police spokesperson, giving details, said that an accomplice of the militants who got injured during the attack had managed to flee and reach a hospital in Anantnag town.

He was followed based on tip-offs and was held from the Maternity and Children Hospital in the Sherbagh area of Anantnag, the spokesperson said. He identified the fourth militant as Rashid Allie of Bijbehara in Anantnag.

A Chinese pistol and live ammunition was recovered from him. He had been missing from his home since the last two days and had joined the LeT ranks, the spokesperson said.

The body of the local militant Yawar Bashir was handed over to his kin on Tuesday morning following which thousands of people turned up for the funeral prayers held in his native village.

After the funeral prayers, clashes erupted in several areas around the militants village and near the site of the encounter along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.

Traffic on the national highway had to be diverted for a few hours due to the clashes. Train services on the Srinagar-Banihal stretch remained suspended today.

One yatra attacker still at large
Gauri Chhabra

Need for businesses to expand their wings in multiple countries is an offshoot of globalisation. This has led to the creation of a flat world where people need to cross barriers and have transactions with their counterparts across nations. To do that we require translators who have fluency in multiple languages. Translation can be a rewarding career, either as a full-time vocation or as a supplement to your writing jobs.

As a translator, your main role is to translate texts from one language to the desired language without any difference in its interpretation for the reader. Translators who are able to impress their readers with simplicity and retain originality of the text are considered successful.

Machine challenge

However, translators in the 21st century find themselves in a difficult position. While there is a steadily growing demand for translation as a result of increasing global trade and communication generally, it is hard for a professional translator to meet this demand. Machine translation is also catching up fast. So, translators need to add that extra potion of value to catch up with machine translation with respect to speed.

Getting in

Today youngsters are opting to learn Spanish, French, German and Italian, to name some of the popular languages, for full-time careers. Arabic, Persian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and Russian, are some other popular languages for those looking for a career in this field.

In order to establish yourself as a translator you should have fluency and command over at least two languages and have a flair for writing. To get admission in good university and colleges, graduation is a must. For good translation, one has to get into the soul of the content. It is also recommended to see the translation work of seniors and experts.

There are forking pathways to learn foreign languages. Whereas several students start learning a foreign language in their school, numerous others opt the course after Plus II and go for graduation courses that are offered by various institutes, colleges and universities.

In order to pursue a bachelors degree in any foreign language, you should have cleared the higher secondary school certificate or Plus II from a recognised board. The duration of the bachelors course is mostly three years.

You may step into a masters degree in the relevant stream. Usually the duration of the course is two years. You can also go in for a PhD.

Those interested in higher education in foreign languages can opt for post-graduation and PhD being offered at select universities in India.

After completing a diploma or degree course, you can start of as a junior translator or can go for the higher studies in the respective languages provided by various universities/institutions. Like for Japanese, there is a language proficiency test conducted by Mombusho Scholars Association and Alliance Francaise is the centre for conducting various teste in French like the TEF (required by Canadian High Commission), the TCF, DELF/DALF test and diploma delivered by the French Ministry of Education.

Skill set

To get into this profession, you should possess fairly good knowledge of the language and have good research and communication skills. In case of a foreign language, it is an added advantage if you know about the history, economy and the political system of that nation. Besides, it is also necessary to have public-speaking skills, analytical skills and be computer savvy.

Career scape Author

If your love for imagination and writing is as strong as your love of languages then you could consider being an author/writer/novelist. And the best part is that to be an author you need not wait to finish a certain degree/diploma etc. You can just let your imagination run wild (or your research skills if you prefer non-fiction) and begin writing your book anytime. In fact you can even write your book while pursuing another career. Obviously a degree and exposure to other people's works will have a great impact but there is no start date to when you can begin writing!

Speech writing

Speech writing is an unconventional career option that you could consider if you are inclined. You may find place in political parties where it is very important to make the right impression on the public.

Editing

If you can spot a spelling/punctuation/grammatical error easily, proofreading is probably the option for you. Similar to content writing you can begin freelance proofreading and editing assignments while pursuing an undergraduate course itself. If you are good proofreading assignments pay well.

So, get ready for the most promising careers of today and tomorrow...

Course cursor

After Plus II

Bachelor of Arts (Translation and Interpretation)

Bachelors in Journalism & Media

BS Communication

BA Honors (Interpreting and Translation BA Honours).

Bachelor of Language and Linguistics

Institute Watch

Max Mueller Bhavan for German, New Delhi

Alliance Francaise for French

Calcutta University (CU) Arabic, Persian and French

Jadavpur University (JU)

The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture- Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish

The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL), Hyderabad- German, Roman, Russian,

Delhi University- Arabic, French, German, Hispanic, Italian, Japanese, Persian, Russian,

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)- Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian

English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad

Foreign colleges/ institute

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona provides BA Honors.

Middlesex University, London

Western Sydney University, Sydney

Singapore University of Social Science, Singapore.

After graduation

M.A (Translation and Interpretation)

MRes in Translating Cultures

M.A. Translation

Interpreting MA

MSc (Interpreting and Translating)

Masters in Innovative Technologies in Translation: Italian

Research Literary Translation, M.A.

M.A. Linguistics

Colleges in India

Cochin University of Science and Technology

Dravidian University, Andhra Pradesh

Gujarat Vidyapith, Gujarat

Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla

Foreign colleges/ institutes

University of Westminster, London offers MA in Interpretation and Translator

The University of Edinburgh, UK

London Metropolitan University, UK

University of Surrey, UK

School of Management and Languages, Edinburgh, UK

Diploma
Our Correspondent

Jagraon, December 4

Saint Mahapragya School organised a space education camp Planetarium on the school premises here today.

Students displayed handmade space objects during the camp and were given information about our solar system and how it works.

Students of Class I and II were told about space, earth and environment through Discovery of Skies. Students of Class III, IV, and V inspected the sun with the help of a telescope. Students of Class VI to XII were given detailed information about our solar system. They were told about the things required to stay at the moon.

The programme was organised by the Ludhiana Space Company. School Director Vishal Jain applauded the science teachers of the school for organising this camp.
Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 5

Diplomatic sources have confirmed to The Tribune that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Abu Dhabi on a two-day tour in February (11 and 12) for a summit event.

His maiden visit to Abu Dhabi in August 2015 was the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister in more than three decades.

Ahead of Modis visit, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have announced plans to expand its consular footprint in India.

The UAE Embassy has also launched a user-friendly mobile app to facilitate travel and people-to-people ties between the two strategic partners.

Announcing the launch, UAE envoy to India Dr Ahmed Albanna informed that it provides services such as Twajudi (aimed at helping nationals return in case of emergency), loss of passport, newborn return documents as well as answer queries on hassle-free travel.

Under the present circumstances, if people from Chandigarh, Chennai and Hyderabad want a visa to the UAE, they have to travel to either Delhi, Mumbai or Kerala. So to prevent hardship for the people, we are soon going to open our consular and visa centres in these cities, said the envoy.

The envoy also announced that the countrys sovereign wealth fund of 75 billion dollars will be invested in key areas such as infrastructure and hospitality in India over the next decade, with a billion dollars invested in the past two months.

Asked about the release of proscribed terrorist Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan, the envoy said his country stands shoulder to shoulder with India on counter-terrorism.

We denounce terrorism and extremism and we work very closely with India and many different countries in the world, to counterattack all those organisations that have been listed either by the UN or by some other countries or by own countries as terrorist organisations, Albanna said.

Amid the ongoing summit meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Kuwait, with camps divided between Saudi-UAE on one side and Qatar on the other, terrorism is a key tool being used to corner the latter.

We hope Qatar will realise its mistake and come on the right track, said Dr Albanna.

In signs of a fractured GCC, Saudi and UAE have now entered into a military alliance outside of the groupings ambit with increased worries for the region that sends in foreign remittances through some seven million Indian workers and professionals employed there.
Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 5

The BJP is deploying all hands on deck  from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mayors of municipal corporations  in Gujarat, leaving nothing to chance. A new opinion poll has predicted neck-and-neck for the BJP and chief rival Congress in Gujarat and saffron managers are pitching all they have in the last stage of campaigning in the state.

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Apart from using the tried and tested arsenal, comprising star campaigner PM Modi, top union ministers, firebrand chief ministers and Hindutva brand ambassadors, the BJP is now also dispatching its newly-elected 14 mayors of Uttar Pradesh to Gujarat to spread the good word about the party.

Promising the upcoming elections as the most interesting in decades, the CSDS-Lokniti opinion poll has predicted an equal vote share of 43% for both the parties (the BJP and the Congress) in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly. The survey predicted between 91 and 99 for the BJP and 78 and 86 for the Congress, showing upsurge for the latter.

While several observers attribute the rise in Congress fortunes to its new-found Hindutva pitch, it remains to be seen whether the vote-share gain will translate into winning seats for the party. However, erosion in the BJPs existing seats has the capacity to dent its image, putting a question mark on economic reforms undertaken by the party-led Centre.

BJP leaders who debunk the new opinion poll cite previous surveys conducted by other agencies which predicted the party "much ahead of the Congress" with a vote share ranging between 48% and 52%.

While BJP leaders claim to be more than comfortably placed in the upcoming elections, those involved with assimilating ground inputs for internal surveys say as on date the party is winning between 105 and 122 seats. It is not the question of winning but achieving the target of 150 seats befitting the status of its two top leaders  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, they say.
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai/ Gandhinagar, December 5

Gujarat prepared for "for the worst" and Mumbai faced heavy rainfall, as Cyclone Ockhi made its way along the western coast on Tuesday.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall near Surat by Tuesday midnight, officials said.

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The authorities have closed schools in the region till Wednesday. The Coast Guard has called back around 13,000 fishing boats that ventured into the seas on Monday evening.

However, some 700 boats from Dwarka and around 300 in other places were still out at sea. "We are hopeful of navigating them back with the help of the Coast Guard," Pankaj Kumar, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, told reporters here.

"The state is fully prepared for the worst situation, if it arises. Right now the Ockhi cyclone is 390 km from Surat and is predicted to hit the city around midnight," he said.

The official said the wind velocity was expected to reach around 60 to 70 km, or even "up to even 80 km per hour in the coastal areas of Surat and Valsad".

Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and one of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been stationed at Surat and other coastal areas.

The authorities have also halted works at some 510 construction sites. The administration is preparing to erect small towers for uninterrupted cellular services.

When Ockhi hits the state, it is expected that sea waves could reach heights of up to two meters.

Mumbai shuts down

Mumbai hit the panic buttons on Tuesday as Cyclone Ockhi, which wreaked havoc in southern India, stood poised to hit the Western coast.



With parts of Mumbai and neighbouring regions receiving heavy rainfall since Monday evening, the Maharashtra government ordered schools and colleges to remain closed while the Disaster Management Cell of the state government went into full alert. Most people chose to stay indoors and attendance in offices were reported to be thin. According to the Indian Met Department, the cyclone is expected to hit coastal Gujarat and Maharashtra later tonight.



Heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms caused flooding in several low-lying areas of Mumbai this morning itself. Security forces were kept on stand-by to evacuate people from coastal areas in case water levels rose, officials said.



Maharashtra Government asked people to stay away from beaches in the coastal areas of Sindhudurg, Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Palghar districts. Fishermen along the coast had returned to the shores from Sunday itself. According to officials here, fishermen from the southern states too have sought refuge in coastal Maharashtra.



The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that heavy rainfall would be accompanied by squally wind with speeds reaching 70 km per hour in the next 24 hours.



The private Skymet Weather station said Cyclone Ockhi was showing signs of weakening from a severe cyclone to a cyclone. It is expected to weaken further before making landfall at Surat, according to the station. With IANS
Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 5

It was a meeting between fellow Nobel laureates and old friends as former US President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi last Friday, a day after he met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Obama, who was on a world tour to China, India and France, spoke at a leadership event in New Delhi, addressed a town hall meeting and also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The meeting on December 1 in a five-star hotel in the capital with the Tibetan spiritual leader lasted for 45 minutes.

According to Kasur Tempa Tsering, senior co-ordinator in the Dalai Lamas office, compassion and altruism were at the centre of the discussions on promoting peace in today's world torn by strife and violence.

A photograph of the fellow laureates was tweeted from the official handle of the Dalai Lama.

Asked about the meeting, His Holiness replied, It was very good, I think we are really two old trusted friends. I mentioned to him that now time has come for us to promote the sense of oneness among seven billion human beings. It is sad to see there are so many differences among people.

According to Tsering, His Holiness told Obama, You are not only a former US president but you are a Nobel laureate, you are young and you can do a lot. We should fulfil our aspiration for world peace.

The peace laureates discussed a future of the world they envisioned with the Dalai Lama stressing upon action beyond words.

His Holiness also expressed that there have been a couple of meetings of the Nobel Peace laureates but there was very less action and more of words on paper. He said that laureates should meet to affect changes for the immediate future, said Tsering.

In response, Barack Obama agreed that for the world to change, mindsets of younger generation must change to do whatever they can, according to the Tibetan official.

The two discussed Tibetan culture and heritage that needs to be preserved.

Officially retired from political roles of the Tibetan government in exile in 2011, the Dalai Lama remains a major cause of mistrust for the Chinese leadership.

The United States promotes a middle-way policy for the Central Tibetan Administration, as emphasised by the Dalai Lama too, instead of advocating an independent Tibet.

In his eight years as President, Obama hosted the Dalai Lama four times in the White House much to the anger of China. The two first met in 2005 when Obama was a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 5

In a new twist in the vexed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, the Sunni Central Wakf Board on Tuesday told the Supreme Court to put off the hearing until 2019 Lok Sabha elections, saying its verdict will have serious repercussions outside.

Every day the case is heard it will have repercussions outside. This case will decide the future polity of India, Sibal told a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, pointing out that Ram Temple was a part of the BJPs election manifesto.

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Sibals submissions were contested by senior counsel Harish Salve, representing the idol, who said: Whatever repercussions happen outside the court its not the court's concern. As far the court is concerned this is just a case like any other case before it. Salve wondered how anybody could presume that way the verdict would go.

The Bench  also comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S Abdul Nazeer  rejected Sibals demand terming it non-serious. What kind of submission is it? it commented.

The top court was hearing cross-appeals challenging the Allahabad High Courts September 30, 2010, verdict dividing the 2.7-acre disputed land at the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site equally between Ram Lalla, Nirmohi Akhara and Sunni Wakf Board. All three chose to challenge the order before the top court. Besides, there are certain others also before it.

Hearing the case on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya, the top court witnesses heated exchange of arguments by senior lawyers for contesting parties who repeatedly interrupted each other.

Sibal was supported by senior counsel Rajiv Dhavan and Dushyant Dave  representing two other Muslim parties to the case  who said the court should not get into the trap. Today there is peace in the country. Let it continue, Dave said.

They said there were more than 90,000 documents to go through and they needed time to prepare their case.

This case certainly cant be finished during your tenure, My Lord, Dhavan told CJI Misra, who is due to retire on October 2, 2018.

Why the hurry? repeatedly asked Sibal pointing out that the case was fixed for hearing after seven years on the request of senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh Government, took strong exception to Sibals submissions, saying Swamys case had been de-tagged. Swamy  who was present in the court  chose to remain silent.

Senior counsel representing Ram Lalla, CS Vaidyanathan and K Parasaran too objected to Sibals submissions.

Sibal, Dhavan and Dave requested the court to refer the matter to a seven-judge Constitution Bench, saying the 1994 ruling by a five-judge Constitution Bench in the Ayodhya land acquisition case that mosque was not central to Islamic faith needed reconsideration.

They also pointed out that pleadings were not complete as many of the documents had not been filed by the parties and in such a situation the court should not go ahead with the hearing.

We are bound by the five-judge Constitution Bench verdict, the CJI said, rejecting their plea to send the matter to a seven-judge Bench.

As the Bench wanted the parties to make their opening statements, Sibal, Dhavan and Dave said they did not want to attend the proceedings. What kind of proceeding is it? We have been in the court for 40-50 yearsUnless the pleadings are complete, how can you proceed with the case? Sibal asked. But they did not leave the court.

The Bench turned down their plea to hear the Ayodhya case after July 15, 2019, and fixed February 8 for commencement of final hearing. It asked the parties to file all necessary documents before that.

But the Bench gave liberty to its Registry to list the Ayodhya case before February 8 before the CJI on the administrative side if it felt documents were incomplete.

Hindus believe that Lord Ram was born in Ayodhya. During Mughal emperor Babars rule, a mosque was constructed at the place in 1528 after destroying the temples existing there.

The RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and BJP have been running a campaign for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. On December 6, 1992, kar sevaks of right-wing Hindu organisations demolished the disputed structure. Many BJP leaders, including LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi, are facing a criminal case in connection with the demolition.

But the civil dispute over 2.7 acres is a separate one that has been on since 1961 when the Sunni Wakf Board took the matter to court.

The Shia Central Wakf Board, Uttar Pradesh has claimed the demolished mosque was a Shia Wakf as Mir Baqi who got Babri Mosque constructed was a Shia Muslim. It also supported construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site where a makeshift temple exits at present, saying a Masjid could be built in a Muslim area. It repeated its stand again before the Bench on Tuesday.
Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 5

With time, political affiliations in Punjab have changed, but perhaps governance hasnt. The Congress and the Akali Dal were coalition partners in the Punjab Provincial Assembly governed by the Unionist Party in 1946-47. Seven decades later, the two are political opponents.

The state of finances and schools in the 175 constituencies  from Attock (now in Pakistan) to Gurgaon (Haryana)  were just the same as present.

It may only be in 2009 that the Punjab Government had passed an order, saying that the minimum education qualification of clerks to be recruited by the government should be graduation. However, in 1940, 225 clerks recruited for the higher and district judiciary by the then government headed by Sir Sikandar Hyat Khan were all graduates.

Facts like these have been revealed in 43 volumes of documents  transcripts of all debates that took place in the Provincial Assembly between 1935 and 1947 brought from across the border (Punjab Assembly in Lahore). The transcripts were handed over to the Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP today.

The men behind arranging this valuable slice of history from Lahore, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and IAS officer RK Kaushik will also be giving copies of these volumes to the Haryana Vidhan Sabha and Panjab University.

Interestingly, after the Pakistan Government officially declined to hand over copies of these documents to Manpreet, an ardent student of British Indian history, he and Kaushik then sought the help of friends in Pakistan to unofficially get copies of the transcripts.

A small part of the 66-km journey between Lahore and Amritsar was also made on mules! As Manpreet waited anxiously, these volumes cleared the customs on both sides and finally landed here. With these volumes now being a property of the Vidhan Sabha, Punjab gets important documents related to its pre-independence history, which will be an important source of information for research by historians, said Manpreet.

Row over martyrs hanging

An interesting debate in these transcripts, dates back to March 24, 1931, when Sir Mohan Lal of the Congress asked a question from the then Governor Sir Geffory Montmorency regarding the execution of Bhagat Singh. The reply was given by a Home member, Sir Alexander Craig, who admitted that Bhagat Singh was executed at night before the time assigned for his execution and how his body was taken away in a truck guarded by the Army to Ganda Singh Wala village. These documents also reveal a rather limited role of the Muslim League in the Provincial Assembly. The Muslim League had just two members between 1937 and 1946. But in the second Assembly that assumed office in 1946, it had 55 members.
London, December 5

YouTube will hire 10,000 people to monitor and control violent extremism on the popular video streaming platform, along with curbing content that endangers children.

In an interview to The Daily Telegraph, Susan Wojcicki, Chief Executive of the Google-owned video-sharing site, said on Monday that "bad actors are exploiting" YouTube to "mislead, manipulate, harass or even harm".

"We will continue the growth of our teams, with the goal of bringing the total number of people across Google working to address content that might violate our policies to over 10,000 in 2018," Wojcicki was quoted as saying.

YouTube along with Facebook, Google and Twitter have come under scrutiny over the availability of terrorist material and propaganda on their platforms.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has also asked social media platforms to remove terror content after a series of terror-related attacks this year in the country.

"The tech companies have made significant progress on this issue, but we need to go further and faster to reduce the time it takes to reduce terrorist content online," May said in October.

YouTube last month announced it will remove content on the platform that attempts to pass as being "friendly for kids".

"While some of these videos may be suitable for adults, others are completely unacceptable, so we are working to remove them from YouTube," Johanna Wright, Vice President of Product Management, YouTube, wrote in a blog post.

The Google-owned company will apply machine learning technology and automated tools in order to discover potentially exploitive content.

YouTube has terminated 50 channels and removed thousands of videos as also advertisements from 5,00,000 exploitive videos under the current set of guidelines.

The company will also continue to work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to report potentially illegal behaviour to law enforcement, said Wright.

Meanwhile, YouTube Kids has announced new measures for parents if they find children watching inappropriate videos at home even by mistake.

With over 800 million learning video views per day, YouTube Kids is now live in 37 countries.  IANS.
Dehradun, December 5

Emphasising on the importance of medical profession Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said there was no better service than the service of mankind.

Medicine is a noble profession and always remember when you serve patients, you are serving the entire humanity, said Naidu in his convocation speech at the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT) at Jolly Grant (Rishikesh).

He also said the goal of education was not employment alone, Education widens our horizon, broadens our outlook and is also responsible for imbibing values, he said.

Uttarakhand Governor Dr KK Paul said universities should become centres of knowledge and research, A total of 400 students were awarded degrees by the Vice-President. Earlier, on his arrival at the Jolly Grant airport, the Vice-President was warmly received by Chief Minister TS Rawat, the Governor and senior officials of the state.  TNS
DECATUR  The Decatur City Council hopes it sent a message to state lawmakers Monday night, approving a 2018 budget that runs a $3.2 million deficit: Their actions in passing a state budget will have serious consequences locally.

The council voted 5-2 to approve the $67.9 million spending plan, with more discussions expected to occur in the coming months about ways to generate new revenue or make cuts to city services.

I think its more about sending a strong message that we need to make some serious changes, and some of those changes are going to be hard, Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said after Mondays meeting.

On top of a local continued decline in sales tax revenue and lagging economic activity, the city is one of many across the state that are in an uproar over parts of the state budget approved in July. Lawmakers OK'd a 10 percent reduction in local governments' share of the state income tax and allowed the state to collect a 2 percent fee to manage local sales taxes. For Decatur, that means a loss of $1.4 million from last year.

The Illinois Municipal League has been lobbying for at least some of the funds to return to local municipalities, and Moore Wolfe said a deficit budget would allow them to go to their lawmakers and show them the ramifications of the lost revenue.

Every month were looking at what we cannot cover, and were going to be more present about going back to our lawmakers and going, Look, this is hurting us. Here are what your citizens are saying because all of a sudden were going to have to cut this or that, Moore Wolfe said.

Other parts of the city's deficit include estimated back pay owed to Decatur police, who have worked without a union contract for more than a year as negotiations for a new contract have been ongoing, and a combination of declining revenue and increased costs for services.

The budget calls for a property tax levy of $13.87 million, which is nearly flat from the 2017 levy. The council is set to vote on the levy Dec. 18.

The vote comes days after Moody's Investors Services downgraded the city's credit rating from A1 to A2 with a "negative outlook" for improvement. Factors that went into the determination included the city's limited cash reserves, high debt, ongoing financial pressures and high pension costs, Moody's said Friday.

If the General Assembly reverses course in Springfield during the spring session, then the citys budget forecast would be a bit better, City Manager Tim Gleason said. Instead of cutting services or raising fees or taxes at the start of next year, Gleason said the deficit budget allows the city to see whether state lawmakers will come through for the municipalities.

Weve taken a wait-and-see versus a knee-jerk reaction to something that may not occur, he said, adding the other parts of the deficit could be covered through options such as tapping into the citys cash reserves.

One benefit a deficit budget offers, as opposed to a balanced budget, Moore Wolfe said, is that it would allow services to make their case to the council about why they deserve city dollars.

It says to these organizations, 'A) Show us why we should be supporting you, B) Look at some other funding opportunities because the city cannot continue the way that were going, she said

The council spent nearly an hour discussing the budget, with Councilman Bill Faber asking for a delay to the vote to find out what a balanced budget would entail.

In other words, what sacrifices must be made to get to a balanced budget situation? said Faber, who along with Councilman David Horn voted against the deficit budget. I think our citizens would like to know the answers to that before we spend their money and commit to a deficit budget.

But Moore Wolfe and other members of the council echoed the idea that the budget is not etched in stone, and that it is inevitable that further discussions will occur about finding new revenue and making significant cuts.

The council rejected a motion by Horn to table the vote, as well as three resolutions he brought up that he said would help get them closer to a balanced budget, like increasing fees on items such as video gaming terminals.

Tensions grew as the budget discussions pushed past the 40 minute mark, and at one point Councilwoman Dana Ray grew visibly frustrated with Faber after he claimed that there has not been enough discussion by the council about the budget or ways to find new revenues or make more cuts.

We started talking about budgets in October, she said. If we started having budget discussions in October, then why wait until December to start bringing up some ideas. We had a study session ... Things can be brought at the study sessions, and honestly it comes across as grandstanding when you wait until the last minute to bring up issues.

If we really, truly want to have a dialogue, then lets have a dialogue and bring up information ahead of time, instead of waiting until we come to this meeting with the cameras on to bring up issues.
Tokyo, December 5

Dozens of Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday made a pilgrimage to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which neighbours China and South Korea see as a symbol of Tokyos militaristic past.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refrained from sending an offering, as he had done in the past, a shrine official told AFP.

There were no ministers among the group, according an official in the upper house of parliament.

In total, 61 MPs--mainly from Abes conservative Liberal Democratic Party--attended the war shrine and 76 sent a representative, he said.

The shrine honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II.

Beijing and Seoul view it as a symbol of Tokyos past aggression.

The site has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japans colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century.

In October, Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine but did not visit, a move seen as an effort to minimise protests from neighbours over the issue.

The group postponed their annual autumn visit to Tuesday as they were busy with campaigns for a general election in October.

I made a prayer hoping that no one else will be enshrined given the tensions in North Korea, said Hidehisa Otsuji, former upper house member and president of the group.

The visits come amid rising tensions over North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes as Pyongyang last week test-fired another ballistic missile that splashed down in the Sea of Japan.

Abe visited in December 2013 to mark his first year in power, a move that sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul and earned a diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States, which said it was disappointed by the action.

But he has since refrained from going and sent ritual offerings instead.

Abe and other nationalists say Yasukuni is merely a place to remember fallen soldiers, and compare it with Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.

Tokyo is also seeking warmer ties with Beijing and Seoul, key countries in dealing with the unpredictable North Korean regime. AFP
Kathamandu, December 5

Nepal on Tuesday closed its border with India for 72 hours at more than 22 different entry points for the second round of parliamentary and provincial elections slated for December 7.

The first phase of the election in the land-locked Nepal was held on November 26.

The decision was made by the government to seal the border after holding meetings of security officials of both the countries.

The second phase of the elections is taking place in 45 districts on Thursday.

Following the governments move to seal the border a large number of people travelling to India from Nepal and vice versa have been stranded in the Kakarbhitta border point.

Those carrying Nepali citizenship and identity cards are only allowed to enter Nepal, police officer Tanka Bhattarai, of Kakadbhitta of eastern Nepal, said.

The border is open for those traveling to India, Bhattarai added.

Residents of Bhadrapur, Nepals eastern border with Bihar state, are facing difficulties due to the decision to seal the border, the officer said.

Similarly, entry points along the Nepal-India border in Kailali district have been sealed for 72 hours in view of the elections. The Indo-Nepal border will open on Thursday evening.

Silent period has started ahead of elections from today when candidates are restricted to conduct any type of election campaign.

The Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department have been deployed at the polling booth sites to maintain peaceful environment during the elections so that the voters could cast votes without any fear.

The elections are being seen as the final step in Nepals transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives.

While many hope Nepals first state elections will hasten regional development, others fear they will spark a fresh wave of violence.

In 2015, when Nepal adopted a new Constitution that split it into seven states, dozens of people were killed in ethnic clashes over territory and rights.

Following the adoption of the new Constitution in 2015, the ethnic Madhesi group, mostly of Indian-origin, protested for months, saying they were not getting enough territory in one of the states and were also facing discrimination.

Violent clashes not only left more than 50 people dead, but also left the country with severe shortages of fuel and medicine because protesters blocked the borders with India.

The protesters finally agreed to the elections after some amendments were made to the Constitution.

The polls are taking place under a new Constitution passed by lawmakers in September 2015 as part of a peace process that began with the end of a decade-long civil war.

The polls are a major step toward implementing the new Constitution.  PTI
Lahore, December 5

A social activist has gone missing from Pakistan's Lahore city following a discussion session on the topic of extremism in context of a recent sit-in staged by religious parties in Faizabad and state's subsequent capitulation to it.

According to Pakistan Today, social activist Raza Mahmood attended a discussion session on extremism in context of recent protests in Faizabad and is reported to be missing since then.

Mahmood is associated with Low-Key Lokai, that brings people together for dialogues and debates on issues critical for building a peaceful society.

He is also a convener of Aghaz-i-Dosti, a friendship initiative to bring Indian and Pakistani students closer.

Raza's brother Hamid Nasir has submitted an application to Naseerabad police for an FIR but the case has not been registered yet.

Activist Raza Khan has gone missing from his house in Lahore. He helps manage progressive space Low-key Lokai and is the convener of Aghaz-e-Dosti an initiative to bring Indian and Pakistani students closer. His brother filed app but Police has [not] registered FIR as of yet, Political activist and lawyer Mohammed Jibran Nasir wrote on his Facebook page.

Our friend Raza Khan, a peace activist is missing since yesterday. We last met him Saturday evening for an open discussion on Extremism specifically focusing on the dharna, at Low-key Lokai. It was a frank, open but also a heated discussion. A peace lover but also a critical thinker, Raza is truly a special person, a friend of Atiqa Shahid said on Facebook. ANI
Washington, December 5

The US Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to President Donald Trump by allowing his latest travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries to go into full effect even as legal challenges continue in lower courts.

The nine-member court, with two liberal justices dissenting, granted his administrations request to lift two injunctions imposed by lower courts that had partially blocked the ban, which is the third version of a contentious policy that Trump first sought to implement a week after taking office in January.

The decision means that the ban will now go fully into effect for people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen seeking to enter the United States. The Republican President has said the travel ban is needed to protect the United States from terrorism by Islamic militants.

The ban was challenged in separate lawsuits by the state of Hawaii and the American Civil Liberties Union. Both sets of challengers said the latest ban, like the earlier ones, discriminates against Muslims in violation of the US Constitution and is not permissible under immigration laws.

Trump had promised as a candidate to impose a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. Last week he shared on Twitter anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right British party leader. President Trumps anti-Muslim prejudice is no secret as he has repeatedly confirmed it, including just last week on Twitter, ACLU lawyer Omar Jadwat said.  Reuters

Attorney General hails decision

The Supreme Court's action is a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people and a clear majority of the justices allowed the Presidents lawful proclamation protecting our countrys national security to go into full effect.  Jeff Sessions, Attorney General

We will continue to stand for freedom

This order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones. We will be arguing in the Fourth Circuit that the ban should ultimately be struck down.  Omar Jadwat, director of aclus immigrants rights project
Brussels, December 5

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets his EU and NATO counterparts in Brussels on Tuesday to shore up ties, with allies insisting he still plays a key role despite doubts over his future.

Tillerson will hold talks over lunch with European Union foreign ministers and the blocs diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, before a two-day NATO meeting set to focus on North Koreas missile programme and concerns over perceived hostility from Russia.

But his visit comes against a difficult backdrop--a rift with President Donald Trump has led to reports he could be replaced within weeks, calling into question his authority to speak for Washington.

And there are major differences between Washington and Europe on a number of key policy areas, notably the Iran nuclear deal which Trump has vehemently condemned but which Brussels is desperate to preserve.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday it was vital international powers worked together to tackle the North Korean crisis, after Pyongyang tested a long-range missile it said could hit anywhere in the continental United States.

Last weeks launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile showed that all allied nations could be within range, Stoltenberg said on Monday.

The whole world needs to apply maximum pressure on North Korea in order to achieve a peacefully negotiated solution. He said the 29-member alliance had been clear and consistent in its condemnation of Pyongyangs weapons programme, which has seen the reclusive state carry out a series of ballistic missile and nuclear tests in defiance of international sanctions.

The EU has been ramping up economic sanctions on the North in a bid to force it to the negotiating table--but with no success so far.

But if the US and EU can present a unified front on North Korea, the deal with Iran to end the Islamic republics nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions is more problematic.

Trump has slammed the historic 2015 accord, agreed after years of painstaking talks between Iran and the United States, Britain, France, China, Germany and Russia, as a bad deal and threatened to pull America out.

European powers are keen to maintain the deal and Mogherini last month travelled to Washington to lobby US lawmakers not to withdraw from the agreement.

Preserving the nuclear deal with Iran and its full implementation is a key security priority for Europe, Mogherini said on Friday.

Tillersons Brussels visit comes at the start of a European tour taking in Paris and Vienna for the 57-member Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Anonymous White House leaks have suggested Tillerson could be out of a job within weeks and even while denying this on Friday, President Donald Trump reminded him: I call the final shots.

On Monday, Stoltenberg gave his backing to Tillersons efforts in tackling the North Korean crisis--an issue where Trump has publicly criticised his top diplomat, saying he was wasting his time pursuing contacts with Pyongyang.

Secretary Tillerson has played a key role, both in sending the message of deterrence, the unity and the resolve of the whole alliance, but also when it comes to the need for continuing to work for a peaceful solution, Stoltenberg said.

Tillerson has dismissed as laughable reports that Trumps closest aides want him to resign, but rumours will inevitably dog him when he sits down with his European peers. AFP
Beijing, December 5

A senior United Nations official arrived in North Korea today for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyangs nuclear weapons programme.

Jeffrey Feltmans visit, the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010, comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

Feltman shook hands with a North Korean foreign ministry official after flying into Pyongyang from Beijing on the Norths Air Koryo.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise - manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an all-out provocation.

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seouls air force said. Feltman, the UNs under secretary general for political affairs, arrived in China on Monday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

He met with a Chinese vice foreign minister while there.

China, which is Pyongyangs sole major diplomatic and military ally, has called on the United States to freeze military drills and North Korea to halt weapons tests to calm tensions.

In the North, Feltman will discuss issues of mutual interest and concern with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether the envoy will meet the reclusive states leader Kim Jong-Un.

The first step, that North Korea agreed to have (Feltman) visit, is a positive sign, Wang Dong, an international studies professor at Peking University, said.  AFP
Beijing, December 5

A senior United Nations envoy arrived at Beijing's airport on Tuesday on his way to North Korea for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

The unusual trip by Jeffrey Feltman, which runs to Friday, comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

AFP journalists saw Feltman arrive in a UN-flagged car at the Chinese capital's international airport in the morning.

North Korea's Air Koryo airline has a 0455 GMT flight to Pyongyang today.

His trip comes a day after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise - manoeuvres slammed by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation".

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill involves 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops, Seoul's air force said.

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Feltman arrived in China yesterday as Beijing is one of the few transit points to North Korea in the world.

China is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, and its main trade partner.

Once in the North, Feltman will discuss issues of mutual interest and concern with officials, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding he was unable to say whether Feltman will meet with the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-Un.

It will be Feltmans first visit to North Korea since he took office five years ago, and the first by a UN under-secretary-general in more than seven years.

The UN envoy is also planning to see foreign diplomats and UN workers in the North on humanitarian missions, Dujarric said.

The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan.

Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula five days ago when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new ICBM, which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range.

Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target - key technological hurdles for Pyongyang.

A Cathay Pacific crew spotted what was suspected to be the re-entry of the missile as they flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong, the airline said.

In a separate message to staff, Cathay general manager Mark Hoey said the crew described seeing the missile blow up and fall apart, The South China Morning Post reported.

In recent years, Pyongyang has accelerated its drive to bring together nuclear and missile technology capable of threatening the US, which it accuses of hostility.

US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit- for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him Little Rocket Man and a sick puppy.

North Korean state media has hit back with a flurry of its own colourful insults, calling Trump a dotard, a frightened dog and a gangster.

Over the weekend, Pyongyang countered that Washington was "begging for nuclear war" as the North blasted the joint US- South Korean drills.

As well as featuring the latest generation of stealth fighters, this years war games involve simulated precision attacks on the Norths military installations, including its missile launch sites and artillery units, Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed Seoul sources.

As tensions surged, US Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential Republican and foreign policy hawk, warned that the US was moving closer to preemptive war if the North continued its nuclear tests.

His remarks echoed those of Trumps National Security Adviser HR McMaster, who told a security forum on Saturday that the potential for war with the North is increasing every day.

But some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital-only around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the heavily-fortified border and home to 10 million people.

Tokyos parliament yesterday slammed the Norths weapons programme as an imminent threat. Last weeks missile landed in Japans economic waters.

Chinas foreign ministry warned that the situation on the Korean peninsula remained highly sensitive and called on all sides to do more things to ease the tension and avoid provoking each other.

The North has boasted that the Hwasong 15 ICBM tested on Wednesday is capable of delivering a super-large nuclear warhead anywhere in the US mainland.

While analysts agree the latest test showed a big improvement in potential range, they say the North may not have yet mastered all the technology required to successfully hit the US with a nuclear warhead. AFP
Washington, December 5

The Supreme Court has allowed the third version of President Donald Trumps executive order to ban residents of eight countries, including six Muslim-majority nations, from travelling to the US while legal challenges against it continue, media reports said.

Issued in September, the third edition of the travel ban placed varying levels of restrictions on foreign nationals from the eight countries: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen, reports CNN.

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This is the first time justices have allowed any edition of the ban to go forward in its entirety.

In unsigned orderd on Monday that did not disclose the Supreme Court's reasoning, the justices lifted the injunctions, which had been issued by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland.

The court's orders mean that the administration can fully enforce its new restrictions on travel from the eight nations, reports The New York Times.

The restrictions vary in their details, but in most cases, citizens of the countries will be unable to emigrate to the US permanently and many will be barred from working, studying or vacationing here.

Iran, for example, will still be able to send its citizens on student exchanges, though such visitors will be subject to enhanced screening.

Somalis will no longer be allowed to emigrate to the US, but may visit with extra screening.

The Supreme Court's orders effectively overturned a compromise in place since June, when it said that travellers with connections to the US could continue to travel here notwithstanding restrictions in an earlier version of the ban.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the order "a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people".

A spokesman for the White House, Hogan Gidley, said: "We are not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision," calling it "lawful and essential to protecting our homeland".

Meanwhile, challenges against the travel ban will continue this week on both coasts, reports CNN.

In the Hawaii case, a district court judge blocked the ban from going into effect except as it pertains to Venezuela and North Korea.

But a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals partially lifted that order.

The appeals court allowed the ban to go into effect except for foreign nationals who have "bona fide" relationships with people or entities in the US. The language of the order was adopted from a Supreme Court order pertaining to an earlier version of the ban.

Neal Katyal, representing Hawaii, had urged the justices to leave the lower court's ruling, that echoed the justices' own words from the previous case, intact.

In a separate challenge out of Maryland brought by, among others, the International Refugee Assistance Project, US District Court Judge Theodore D. Chuang issued a similar order also partially enjoining the ban in a case that is now pending before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Both cases are scheduled to be heard before the appeals courts on Wednesday and Friday.

--IANS
Some Oklahomans are not happy with the income tax overhaul narrowly approved by the U.S. Senate last Friday night.

How many and how angry may be clearer after a 1 p.m. Saturday rally at the state Capitol.

Oklahoma Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford were lambasted on Twitter for voting in favor of the GOP-backed bill. Lankford, especially, became the target of stinging and sometimes profane criticism, most of which appeared to come from actual people living in Oklahoma and not bots or professional trolls.

But social media is considered a particularly unreliable barometer of public opinion, which makes Saturdays planned rally all the more interesting. Early indications are that a couple of thousand may attend, but no one really knows what to expect.

The event is sponsored by a coalition of organizations led by Indivisible Oklahoma, an affiliate of the loosely connected Indivisible movement that originated in late 2016 as a reaction to the election of President Donald Trump.

Dozens of local Indivisible chapters have joined in, as have several labor organizations and left-leaning groups of various stripes ranging from the Federation of Democratic Women to the Oklahoma City and Green Country chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America.

The Indivisible group opposes key aspects of the final tax reform package being formulated in conference committee, believing it will ultimately hurt most Americans through higher national debt and reduced programs and services while providing little if any tax relief.

Indivisible Oklahomas founder, Beverly Tuberville of Lawton, says she has tried to avoid the factionalism of party politics and stay focused on Trump and his administrations policies.

A whole slew of candidates contacted us who want to speak (Saturday), but we told them this isnt a campaign event, Tuberville said. We said, If you want to bring your cards and pass them out, fine, but we want this to be about this tax bill.

Tuberville said she regularly voted Republican until last year, when Trump began tightening his grip on the GOP presidential nomination.

Then I got pretty upset when I started digging into policy, she said.

Tuberville grew up in Lawton, left for a career in pharmaceutical sales and returned a few years ago to be closer to her family. She said she has never been politically active or even very aware until the past year.

Assertions by Lankford and Inhofe that the tax cuts, by largely favoring corporations and high earners, will produce jobs and boost the economy dont fit her own experience.

Anything that comes from the tax cuts, the corporations will pass off to shareholders instead of workers, Tuberville said. I know this. I worked in the corporate world.

Tuberville seemed about as skeptical of Democrats as she is of the current Republican regime  which is why, she said, that it is important for the public to pay attention and be engaged.

Its time to speak up, she said.
9 p.m. A severe thunderstorm watch has been canceled for counties in eastern Oklahoma.

A cold front has left the area, though forecasters warn of lingering showers across far southeast Oklahoma. This activity will shift southeast by midnight, with breezy and chilly conditions the rest of the night, according to the National Weather Service.

5:13 p.m. A severe thunderstorm warning for Sequoyah County has been extended until 6 p.m.

Update, 4:29 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Haskell, McIntosh, Muskogee and Sequoyah counties until 5:15 p.m. Monday.

Latimer and Pittsburg counties also are under a severe thunderstorm warning until 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Update, 3:48 p.m.: Much of eastern Oklahoma is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m.

The watch includes Adair, Delaware, Mcintosh, Muskogee, Ottawa and Pittsburg counties, but does not include the Tulsa metro.

Storms are expected in advance of an approaching cold front, forecasters said.

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman has far eastern Oklahoma in the "slight" category for severe storms, and Tulsa in the "marginal" category.

A previous version of this story appears below.

Meteorologists forecast limited risks for weather hazards Monday in northeast Oklahoma, including fire danger, thunderstorms and significant winds.

A limited risk of thunderstorms is forecast to onset Monday afternoon after a cold front begins moving through the region. The primary area predicted to be affected is southeast of Interstate 44, according to the National Weather Service.

Chances for thunderstorms will increase through the afternoon before peaking Monday evening. Up to a half inch of rain is predicted for the most eastern, southeastern parts of the state.

The risks of significant wind will contribute to the limited risk of fire weather. The primary affected area is expected to be along and west of U.S. 75. The warmer temperatures and dry vegetation also contribute to that risk.

The risks of significant winds will be ongoing throughout Monday in east Oklahoma.

Temperatures are expected to drop significantly as the cold front moves through. Monday's temperatures will reach up to 75 degrees Monday before falling to overnight lows in the mid 30s, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet.

Tuesday and Wednesday's temperatures are expected to reach into the low 50s and fall into overnight lows at or below freezing. Thursday and Friday's temperatures are expected to reach into the high 40s and also fall into overnight lows at or below freezing.
A Locust Grove man was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Cherokee County shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Billy Fleck, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene after being pinned in the wreckage of a 2001 Dodge Durango that had run off Oklahoma 82 and hit a tree about 11 miles north of Tahlequah, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.

His passenger, Eric Cook, 31, also of Locust Grove, was treated for his injuries at Northeastern Health System in Tahlequah and was released, troopers said.

Both men were wearing seat belts, the OHP reported.
Mike Bausch said he has been plenty happy with STG Pizzeria & Gelateria the past three years in the Blue Dome District downtown, but he always had an itch to do something more with it. The problem was the cozy space did not allow for much more than a limited line of authentic, Italian-style pizzas.

I always wanted to expand and do a bar, said Bausch, who, with brother Jim, also owns Andolinis Pizzeria locations in Tulsa, Owasso, Broken Arrow and Jenks. When a yoga studio next door closed, that gave us the opportunity, and we took it.

Changes with the additional space, which includes a long bar with a handsome wood barback, have included a much expanded menu and a new name: Andolinis Sliced.

Andolinis Sliced offers five styles of pizza that have been termed Andolinis style, Napoletana, Roman square, New York City and Brooklyn. As the name suggests, each day a total of 10 pizzas from those styles are available by the slice, typically costing $4 to $5 each.

Thats the route we took during a recent weeknight visit when the restaurant was slammed by a crowd dining prior to a concert at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, located a block away.

We landed a table in front of a long wall banquette in the new bar area and decided on an appetizer of fried artichokes ($8) and two slices from the Roman square lineup,  affirmissimo ($5) and vegetarian maximus ($4.75).

The Roman is the newest style in the Adolinis family. It features a crust that takes up to five days to ferment, opposed to the normal two days, and results in an airy dough with a crusty bottom.

The Romans have been doing this pizza since the 70s, Mike Bausch said during an interview before the restaurant opened. Jim and I traveled to Italy and studied the process in Rome. It can be as arcane as pepperoni and mozzarella or something like potato and broccoli.

Jim Bausch said he and the kitchen staff used up a good amount of dough before perfecting the process.

This can be tricky stuff, but its worth the extra effort, he said.

Our slices were large. Along with the appetizer, they made a full dinner for us.

We went heavy on the meats with the affirmissimo. It included pepperoni, sopressata (Italian dry salami), ham, pancetta (Italian bacon) and sausage. It proved to be a delicious balance of flavors.

The vegetarian maximus, obviously, was meatless. It was topped with mozzarella cheese, shredded potato, mushrooms, black olives, onions, cherry tomatoes, basil, salt and garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil. It also was satisfying and filling.

The eight, plump fried artichokes were a treat. Some were too large to down in one bite, and they tended to fall apart when I tried to slice them in half with a knife, but that was a small matter. They were covered in a little seasoned flour and panko crumbs, which gave the breading an interesting texture.

Some nice ladies at a nearby table also offered us their leftover garlic knots. They were doughy and tasty when dipped in a tomatoey marinara sauce.

A lunch special, offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday, includes any two slices of pizza and a drink for $10. Half-price appetizers are offered from 2-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Its a good idea to leave room for dessert because Andolinis Sliced still offers a beautiful selection of smooth gelato in a variety of flavors.

The beverage list includes a nice lineup of Italian and domestic wines, as well as Italian and domestic craft beers. Our barkeep, Ryan, made a couple of killer cocktails from all fresh ingredients and came by the table later to make sure they met our expectations.

The new dining area has an art deco vibe, plus a large American flag over the bar and Italian flags hanging from the ceiling. The room seats 35 to 40 and can be reserved for private functions.

The former STG side is worth a look, too. Mike Bausch filled one wall with a variety of old boom boxes, cassette players and stereo receivers, arranged in the shape of Italy. Brilliant.
Residents of the Armenian-populated village of Tzghaltbila, in Georgias Samtskhe-Javakheti Region, have petitioned the Georgian General Prosecutors Office to investigate the conduct of Father Anatoly Ivanyuk, whos been serving the local Catholic community for the past 27 years.

Local Armenians have written that the clergyman is suspected of improper sexual conduct with male minors. Another complaint raised is that Father Ivanyuk has desecrated a picture in the village church.

Hetq has written about Father Ivanyuk before and his alleged sexual proclivities.

The 2015 Hetq article Vatican to Investigate Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Catholic Priest in Javakhk Armenian Village includes testimony by several village boys that the clergyman molested them.

Dispatches sent to the Prosecutors Office allege that ten boys have been molested by Father Ivanyuk over the years.

The sixty Tzghaltbila residents have signed a separate letter about the Mother of God picture in the church that went missing five years and was later returned with the precious adornments missing and replete with color disparities.

Residents want a panel of art experts to be convened that will be able to verify whether the new painting is in fact a copy of the original or not.

Victor Hovhannisyan, a native of the village and a member of The Painters Union of Armenia, has also signed the letter.

Ive raised the matter since 2012. I written to the Catholic Center in Gyumri and raised the issue on the internet. The Vatican is also aware of the problem. I think that the Catholic Center in Gyumri is convinced of the new painting being a fraud and that they believe remaining silent is the best way to cover it up, Hovhannisyan told Hetq.

The grievances raised by Tzghaltbila residents are being investigated and officials from the Georgian Prosecutors Office have visited the village.
Rohingya refugee Ara, 16, and her 11 month old daughter, Taslima, pictured in Balong Khali refugee camp in Bangladesh.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

GENEVA  Donor governments on Tuesday pledged an initial US$857 million to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to fund operations destined to help some 67 million displaced or stateless people worldwide in 2018.

The pledges, made at an annual meeting in Geneva, amount to around 11 per cent of UNHCRs total 2018 funding needs of over US$7.5 billion. This years pledges are considerably higher than those made at end 2016, when US$701 million was pledged.

While todays pledges do not cover all of next years funding needs, they can be seen as a useful indication of the anticipated funding levels and of overall support, allowing the organization to plan and continue operations that provide life-saving assistance and protection, without interruption. These include operations in some of the biggest emergencies around the world such as those in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

While this figure represents the highest level of funds committed by States at this pledging conference, the gap between the funds received and the needs of refugees and other displaced people continues to grow, in a context of new crises and worsening displacement running at record levels.

A year of no peace and much war is about to end, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Refugee crises grow. Refugee needs grow as well. He stated that UNHCR is often asked what these figures mean and what the impact of funding gaps is. It means that UNHCR has to prioritize, sometimes mercilessly, he explained. This can mean some (refugees) will be left to fend for themselves during the harsh winter months and others wont get the assistance they need to reintegrate upon return.

UNHCRs work globally is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental institutions and, increasingly, from individuals, corporations and foundations. High Commissioner Grandi particularly thanked the countries and communities hosting refugees. In terms of space, in terms of resources, in terms of the socio-economic and political cost of hosting refugees, they are some of the largest donors in support of refugees.

For 2018, UNHCR appeals to donors to sustain and increase support, through flexible and early contributions that avoid uncertainty and enable it to channel funds where the needs are greatest.

For more information contact:
Google has said it will not have a "trolley dilemma," a major ethical problem AI will bring.

Google said in an interview with the Asia-Pacific press conference held in Tokyo, Japan on Monday.

The trolley dilemma is a major thought experiment in the field of ethics as a question of whether or not an AI algorithm should have a direct impact on human life, what to judge based on, and whether such an algorithm can be left to the algorithm.

For example, if you are a driver on a broken train, you are in a situation where you decide whether you can manipulate the line transformer and make a choice to sacrifice one worker on another line to save the five workers working on the track.

Jeff Dean, Google Senior Fellow, commented on the trolley dilemma: "I do not code that artificial intelligence is coded and two people are on the left and three people on the right make the right use." Purpose. "

"Autonomous driving cars have more advantages than people driving," he said. "Like humans, artificial intelligence can see more in the middle without letters. Ultimately better results than people. "

Google has also vigorously rejected the notion that artificial intelligence can be biased. "Artificial intelligence is causing problems in many areas," said Jeff Dean. "Google is also paying attention to making sure that artificial intelligence is well represented in the training data."

"For example, it is not appropriate to use data collected in the United States in Pakistan," he added.

"It is not necessary to eliminate all biases," he added. "It is necessary to bias cancer cells in tests that detect cancer in a human body."

It has a positive prospect that new jobs will be created about the point that artificial intelligence robs people's jobs.

"Automating some jobs through automation is not a new phenomenon," Jeff Dean said. "Technology has evolved over two decades, replacing human labor." "Technology has created interesting jobs for the time being," he predicted. "Artificial intelligence and machine learning will create jobs that I do not think are possible."

"The fear of artificial intelligence is a horrible fear of the future," he said. "There is nothing worrying about the current system."

Meanwhile, at the press conference, a variety of announcements were made about products that Google has combined with AI. Isaac Rwynolds, Product Manager for Google Pixel Camera, "Artificial Intelligence and Hardware," Linne Ha, Google Research Program Manager, "Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing," and Pravir Gupta, Google Assistant Team Engineer The chief executive announced 'Google Assistant'.

In addition, examples of various applications through artificial intelligence machine capabilities were also disclosed. Kaz sato Google cloud platform developer is Cloud Machine Run, Lily Peng Google Product Manager is' Machine Learning and Medicine ', Victor Anton Dr. Victoria University of Wellington' Machine Learning and Environment Protection 'in the United States.
December 5 2017

A disused Glenrothes paper mill has been earmarked for as many as 850 homes following submission of a proposal of application notice by Advance Construction.The 58-hectare site could be given over to a mix of retail, leisure, office and industrial usage with outline plans also calling for a care home to be built on the brownfield plot and a new park linking to the town centre.Colin Lavety, planning director for Barton Willmore, said: The former Tullis Russell Paper Mill site is an important landmark historically for the town of Glenrothes. Plans to regenerate the area by delivering much needed housing together with new jobs will be a major transformation of the community over the next few years. We are delighted to be playing a part in helping give the area a new lease of life and make it an exciting place to live, work, play and visit.An informal drop-in event for the project will be staged on 7 and 8 December from 13:00 to 20:00 at Rothes Halls to discuss the evolving plans.
The relations among Japan, China, and the United States of America are becoming increasingly important in the whole East Asia region's future and the whole world's, as well. Being the world's most economically powerful countries and the strategic powers in East Asia, their relationships are the foundation of international stability. However, despite the advantages, these relationships might also become the major source of strategic conflict.

The Japan-China-U.S. trilateral ties have been the most important and complicated alliance in the history. The U.S.-Japan relationship has been enhanced in the recent years (i.e., trade conflict has been largely neutralized due to Japan's stagnant economy and political/military cooperation has been strengthened) while the U.S.-China relationship has had a continued strategic competition and dissimilarity of values that cause friction in the relationship on a range of issues (i.e., trade disputes, human rights, cybersecurity, and the South China Sea). On the other hand, the Sino-Japanese relations are still colored by historical conflicts and animosity (i.e. wars, Nanking incident, and territorial disputes especially over the Diaoyu Islands) despite significant benefits that economic cooperation has brought.

Over the years, how have recent trends and developments affected and influenced each leg of the triangle and their economic relations?

THE U.S.-JAPAN ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP

The Japan-U.S. relations can be traced back to the late 18th and 19th centuries during the era of imperialism when wars had taken over Japan. And not until the late 20th century and onwards that the United States of America and Japan developed a firm and very active alliance in political, military, and especially in economic relationships.

The United States considers Japan as one of its best and closest allies and partners. Japan, on the other hand, is one of the pro-American countries in the world. With 85%, 72%, 69%, 66%, 68%, 72%, and 57% (2011-2017) of the Japanese people with a favorable opinion of the United States  according to the Pew Research Center's Global Indicators Database. Consequently, according to a survey done by Gallup, Inc., 81% (2013) of the Americans are in favor of Japan.

Nevertheless, Japan and the U.S. are two economic major power that accounts for over 30% of the world's domestic product, international trade, and international investment. An economic clout that makes the two countries powerful actors in the world economy  as economic conditions have a significant impact on the rest of the world (i.e., can influence economic conditions in other countries).

The U.S.-Japan economic relationships are mutually advantageous because they are strongly and highly integrated through trade in goods and services and closely connected via capital flows. It is very important to note that Japan remains to be a major source of the U.S. national debt financing, and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future. Japan, also, is a significant source of the foreign private portfolio and direct investment in the U.S.  and vice versa.

However, due to the rise of China and other countries' economic powers, the significance of the economic relations of Japan and the U.S. diminished. Some other reasons for this trend to happen are: because of China taking over Japan as the largest source of foreign financing for the U.S. national debt, and the mediocre performance of the Japanese economy for the last two decades which has been exaggerated by national disasters and accidents.

But despite the friction, the U.S. and Japanese leaders seem to have made a deliberate effort to drastically resolve the conflicts that somehow hindered a prosperous economic relationship between the two countries. This paved the way to stabilize bilateral relationship and focus more the attention on certain issues, such as national security.

But as many have argued, the friendlier the environment, the more serious problems requiring more attention are masked. More specifically, the issue of the free trade agreement called the "Trans-Pacific Partnership" (TPP) from which America has recently withdrawn.

THE U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIPS

Since 1949, the relationship between the U.S. and China has been a very "complex mix of intensifying diplomacy, international growing rivalry, and increasingly intertwined economies."

After a series of events and conflicts, the Shanghai Communique  that sets the stage for improved U.S.-China relations by allowing the U.S. to discuss difficult issues, particularly about Taiwan  was signed by President Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong in February 1972. However, the improved relationship between the two countries made slow progress.

In 1979, China was granted a full diplomatic recognition by U.S. president Jimmy Carter, while also acknowledging China's One China principle. In April of the same year, the Taiwan Relations Act was approved by the Congress that allowed continued commercial and cultural relations between the U.S. and Taiwan  requiring Washington to provide Taipei with defensive arms without officially violating the One China policy.

In July 1982, in the Reagan era, the "Six Assurances" to Taiwan including pledges that acknowledge the Taiwan Relations Act, was issued by the administration. In August, a third joint communique to normalize relations between the U.S. and the China was signed. Reagan's administration then continued to work to improve the Washington-Beijing relations.

Normalized trade relations were then achieved when U.S. president Bill Clinton signed the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000 in October that granted Beijing the permanent trade relations with the U.S. In the next year (2001), China had the opportunity to join the World Trade Organization surpassing Mexico as U.S.' second-biggest trade partner.

From 2001-2011, China became the world's second-largest economy, surpassing Japan. Alarmed by China's growing clout, the U.S. under Obama's administration, announced the agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with the aim to counter China's economic growth. This led to rising trade tensions from 2012-2017 heightened by issues which include - U.S. indicting Chinese nationals (hackers) who were suspected to be behind the major online breach of the Office of Personnel Management and data theft of the 22 million current and former federal employees and U.S. warning over the South China Sea opposing any further militarization.
RACINE COUNTY  State and local contracts bringing Foxconn to Racine County have been signed. Now the work begins, and many want to ensure local minorities are among those benefiting.

Embedded in the development agreement is a Good Faith Hiring and Contracting Efforts clause, which states: Developer agrees to exercise good faith in striving to hire, retain and contract, whenever reasonably possible, with qualified individuals and businesses residing and/or based in the County as well as veterans and minority-owned businesses.

County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said with Foxconns arrival, the clauses inclusion was important because so many local entities have worked together to make the project a reality.

It is vitally important Racine County residents receive precedence in terms of hiring practices, Delagrave said. I can tell you, we are all in this together  city, county and all the municipalities. It is upon us to make sure we give those in particular who are really seeking employment that opportunity.

Racine Mayor Cory Mason said Foxconn will present the area with many advantages, and unemployment must be addressed. We have an opportunity to target high unemployment areas, Mason said. It will provide more opportunities across the board.

Program targets disadvantaged workers

Minority hiring is a critical part of easing unemployment in Racine County, and the county has come up with a plan to combat the issue, Delagrave said.

The county is implementing a new program called Uplift 900, which looks at the key drivers influencing discrepancies between the employment of people of color and others, and helps remove those barriers, according to Racine County Human Services Director Hope Otto.

We recognize the additional barriers that people of color experience and that is part of the strategy of Uplift 900, Otto said. The program will have a grassroots focus, going into the community, linking existing organizations and county programs together to help address barriers to employment in disadvantaged individuals, Otto said.

Delagrave said: We identified that if we employ 900 people from the City of Racine with sustainable family-supporting jobs, the citys rate will drop to the states employment rate ... We are looking at producing 900 jobs to 900 people who are under-served through our support program.

Using the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey, which considers the past five years, 10,000 people in the City of Racine have some college education but no degree, and 8,000 residents have no high school diploma or GED diploma.

Using these two data points combined, roughly 1 in 4 City of Racine residents has an educational barrier that drives unemployment, said Travis Richardson, data manager for Racine County Human Services.

The program, which is in its implementation process, will launch sometime in the first quarter of next year, Otto said.

Our goal is to specifically focus on those who are actively looking for employment or have a lot of significant barriers, including people of color, single-parent households and those working making $10 an hour, Delagrave said. There are all kinds of different things we are focusing on.

Melvin Hargrove, a local pastor and former Racine Unified School Board president, believes Delagrave is sincere about helping minority workers. I wholeheartedly believe they are moving in a good-faith effort to be inclusive ... we are having a conversation on the front end as opposed to the back end.

Construction jobs at Foxconn discussed

Al Gardner, a community activist, said he is unfamiliar with the specifics of the Uplift 900 program, but believes a proposed 20/20/20 policy, which focuses on employing minorities and women-owned businesses for Foxconn construction jobs, would help the city and county achieve its goal to employ 900 people.

The 20/20/20 proposal asks for 20 percent of the total construction cost to to go to minorities and women-owned business enterprises, 20 percent of the total work hours to be performed by minorities and female workers and 20 percent of total work hours performed by apprentices to be completed by minorities and women, Gardner said.

If they were really sincere about looking at minority contractors and minority workers on the $10 billion construction site, they would pass the 20/20/20 policy weve been pushing, Gardner said.

Hargrove believes the Foxconn clause may ultimately come up short. Where the problem comes in for me, especially as a pastor in the African-American community, is who is defining good faith?  Hargrove said. To what detail are they really looking for minorities who will be competent?

Ola Baiyewu, program director of First Choice Pre-Apprenticeship program, which teaches Racine residents  many without high school diplomas  skills in the building and construction trades, said the Foxconn good-faith clause does not provide much of an impact for minority workers.

At the end of the day, the contractor is going to come to them and say we made good faith effort and we couldnt find people to fill these positions, Baiyewu said. You cannot keep a group of people as a permanent underclass. When you do, you wont have a thriving or flourishing community  you wont.

Delagrave believes the 20/20/20 policy for Foxconn construction jobs would hinder the hiring process, particular in an area with a smaller population. This is an unprecedented project, 12 times bigger than the Milwaukee Bucks (arena) project was, Delagrave said. Our labor pool is smaller. I am not going to put Racine County citizens in a position to fail in the employment process.

Mason believes that Foxconns arrival will provide an opportunity for many in the area, but agrees that providing jobs to disadvantaged workers is a priority.

Clearly there is no issue that is more important in the City of Racine than rebuilding the middle class with good, family-sustaining jobs, Mason said. We have an amazing opportunity in front of us ... we need everybody to make this work.


MGM Grand Executive Pastry Chef Florent Cheveau will represent the United States in the 2018 Cacao Barry World Chocolate Masters Competition in Paris, France. Cheveau earned the title of National Chocolate Master at the USA National Selection qualifying rounds and will compete as a global finalist in the prestigious international chocolate competition next year.

World Chocolate Masters is sponsored by Cacao Barry, the leading brand of high-quality French chocolate and cocoa products, and attracts top chocolate industry attendees and professionals from around the world.

Cheveau competed in the national qualifying selection, April 28-29 in Chicago. The intense showdown challenged chefs from across the country to complete three pastry assignments, showcasing their creativity, determination, speed and skill.

Years of on-the-job training and the opportunity to represent the United States at the World competition drove me on the path to triumph at the USA National Selection, said Cheveau. Competing among incredible talent in Chicago was an honor, and the experience is my inspiration as I prepare intensively for Paris.

At the 2018 finals in Paris, Cheveau will face-off against more than 20 national finalists from around the world. Only one will be named World Chocolate Master. If Cheveau is victorious, it will be the first time the United States has taken the title.

MGM Grand Vice President of Food and Beverage Jason Shkorupa, said, Chef Cheveaus dedication to creating imaginative, high-quality pastry items has impressed guests at MGM Grand since he joined our team in 2015. From the desserts served in our food and beverage outlets to the intricate showpieces presented at large-scale events, his talent shines through every item he touches. We are proud that the world will get to witness his skill first-hand and wish him the best on his journey to the international finals.

The United States qualifier, which took place at The Chicago Chocolate Academy, challenged contestants to tell a cohesive story in both flavor and aesthetics by creating a chocolate showpiece, fresh pastry and to-go snack item based around the theme Futropolis  visualizing the future through chocolate. Submissions were evaluated based on taste, texture and creativity.

Cheveaus winning showpiece was an artistic representation of how construction and industrialization can encroach on natural environments. The vibrant sculpture depicted robotic bright blue hummingbirds drawing nectar from man-made red flowers growing along steel wires. His fresh pastry was a chocolate tart with candied peanuts, orange compote and Grand Marnier Chantilly mascarpone served inside a tube. For the snack-to-go item, Cheveau designed an innovative to-go container complete with a magnetic can to house his praline, lemon, hazelnut and chocolate traveling cake.
Photo source: YouTube

The male cub was the first ever born in France where its mother has been on loan from China since 2012, as part of Beijing's "panda diplomacy".

The 64-year-old French first lady cooed over the infant bear at Beauval Zoo and then watched as China's junior foreign minister unveiled his name as Yuan Meng, which means "making a dream come true" in Chinese.

President Emmanuel Macron's wife has kept out of the spotlight since his victory in May, assisting with major state visits and foreign trips but avoiding speaking engagements or interviews.

Faced with a hostile online petition and damaging headlines, Macron dropped plans in August to create an official First Lady status for Brigitte which would have given her a formal legal role.

Making her first speech on Monday, Brigitte said France had been "proud and happy" to host the pandas from China and that the cub was a symbol of the historic ties between the countries.

"Through him, we have a responsibility to work on building Franco-Chinese friendship," Brigitte said in a message addressed to her Chinese counterpart and fellow "godmother" Peng Liyuan, who was meant to attend the ceremony but was absent.

'VERY TOUCHED'

Speaking to AFP afterwards, Brigitte said she was "very touched that I've been given this duty towards China". "It's also a great responsibility," she added.

Panda reproduction, in captivity or in the wild, is notoriously difficult because the female panda goes into heat only once a year for about 48 hours.

But the number of pandas worldwide has rebounded since the black-and-white bear was declared an endangered species in the 1980s, thanks to efforts to protect it and its habitat.

China has dispatched its national treasure to only about a dozen countries, using the animal as a symbol of close relations.

A female and male mate arrived in Beauval in 2012 after high-level negotiations between Paris and Beijing, but Yuan Meng was born through artificial insemination.

Monday's ceremony was carried live on French rolling news channels, reflecting the high level of interest in both Brigitte Macron and her "godbear".

The Macrons met at a Catholic school in their hometown of Amiens in northeast France, where Emmanuel was a pupil and Brigitte a married mother of three who ran the school's drama club. They married in 2007.
British Prime Minister Theresa May (left) shakes hands with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker prior to a Brexit negotiation meeting at the European Commission in Brussels. (JOHN THYS/AFP)

BRUSSELS: Britain and the EU failed to strike a Brexit divorce deal after a dispute over the Irish border scuppered talks in Brussels on Monday (Dec 4), but said they were confident they would reach an accord later this week.

British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker appeared to have reached a breakthrough agreement to ease Dublin's concerns about future frontier arrangements.

But fierce opposition from Northern Irish unionists who prop up May's minority Conservative government felled the deal at the last hurdle, in a development that Ireland's premier called "surprising and disappointing".

The EU says Britain must make sufficient progress on key divorce issues - Ireland, Britain's financial bill for leaving the bloc, and the rights of EU nationals in Britain - to allow the opening of trade and transition talks at a summit on Dec 15.

"Despite our best efforts ... it was not possible to reach a complete agreement today," Juncker said at a joint news conference with May, adding that she was a "tough negotiator."

"This is not a failure ... I am very confident that we will reach an agreement in the course of this week," added the former Luxembourg premier.

May said differences remained on a "couple of issues". "But we will reconvene before the end of the week, and I am also confident we will conclude this positively," May said.

Britain had been ready to keep the EU customs and single market rules for Northern Ireland in order to meet Dublin's insistence that Brexit should not bring back a "hard border" and threaten a peace process that ended decades of sectarian tensions, sources said.

'SURPRISED AND DISAPPOINTED'

EU President Donald Tusk - who had earlier described Monday as the "absolute deadline" for a deal - said that "it is now getting very tight but agreement at December (summit) is still possible."

Tusk, the former Polish premier who chairs EU summits, said he had been ready to present draft guidelines on Tuesday to start trade talks "but UK and Commission asked for more time."

Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party - which has held the balance of power in the British parliament since May's disastrous showing in elections earlier this year - rejected the deal despite a desperate telephone call from May, they added.

"We will not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom," DUP leader Arlene Foster said in a statement.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he felt let down, having been asked by the EU chiefs whether he accepted a deal, only to hear later it had fallen through.

"I am surprised and disappointed that the British government now appears not to be in a position to conclude what was agreed earlier today," Varadkar said at a press conference in Dublin.

"I accept that the Prime Minister (Theresa May) has asked for more time, and I know that she faces many challenges, and I acknowledge that she is negotiating in good faith," he added.

In a sign of the tensions within the United Kingdom caused by Brexit, the leaders of Scotland and Wales together with the mayor of London all called for similar deals to the one being considered for Northern Ireland.

EXIT BILL, CITIZENS RIGHTS

May, Brexit minister David Davis and the prime minister's Brexit adviser Olly Robbins attended the "working lunch" with Juncker, the EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and Juncker's chief of staff Martin Selmayr.

The EU has demanded "sufficient progress" from Britain on the exit bill, citizens rights and Ireland in order to move on to talks on a post-Brexit transition period of up to two years, and on a future relationship including a trade deal.

Failure to do so this month could make the EU "rethink" whether an overall Brexit withdrawal deal is possible at all, Tusk has warned.

After months of stalemate, London and Brussels have effectively reached a deal on the divorce settlement, reported to be 45 billion to 55 billion (US$51 to US$63 billion), and previously the most contentious issue.

Despite anger from Brexit supporters, they appear to have reached a compromise, with London increasing its offer but Brussels offering enough wiggle room for the British government to be able to present its own, lower figures to the public.

A deal is also close on the rights of more than three million Europeans living in Britain, though there is still disagreement over whether they would be protected by the European Court of Justice - a red line for Brexit supporters in Britain.
Hapro holds various golden land plots in Hanoi

According to information published on the Government Portal, the government has approved Hapros equitisation plan. Accordingly, Hapro will put 75.9 million shares or 34.51 per cent stake on sale at its initial public offering (IPO) at the initial price of VND12,800 ($0.56) apiece, and offer 143 million shares, or 65 per cent, to strategic investors. The remaining 0.49 per cent will be handed to employees.

Hapro is on Hanois list of equitisation in the period of 2016-2020. The company currently has a charter capital of VND2.2 trillion ($96.84 million), equaling 220 million shares.

Ealier on March 7, 2017, the Hanoi Peoples Committee issued Decision No.1558/QD-UBND on criteria for selecting Hapros strategic investors.

According to this decision, strategic investors should satisfy the following conditions: they should have an owners equity of over VND2 trillion ($88.04 million) in the most recently audited financial report by an independent auditing company, no bad debts, a debt/equity ratio less than three in their 2015 audited financial statement, and they should also have positive after-tax profit in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Besides, the investors must obey the law and be able to prove that they have the amount of money or assets with a value at least equal to the value of stakes registered to purchase. Particularly, they must deposit 30 per cent in advance and have a bank guarantee for the remaining 70 per cent they register to buy at the initial offering price of Hapro.

Bidders will have to buy after winning the auction and if they refuse to buy after all, their deposit will not be refunded.

The investor should be experienced in commercial operations. Priority will be given to those with experience in import-export, domestic retail, and those who have an established retail system or are holding stakes in such enterprises.

Strategic investors must commit to taking over all the rights and obligations of the corporation at the moment of valuation. Meanwhile, strategic investors are also responsible for the workforce in this state-owned corporation in accordance with the law after undertaking equitisation.

Hapros selling point lies in the fact that it is the operator of a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores and it also holds controlling interest in numerous subsidiaries, which have plenty of huge real estates.

One of the attractive real estates owned by Hapro is the nine-story shopping mall and office building in Le Duan Street. The construction covers an area of 1,624 square metres, however, it has been delayed for months due to financial obstacles and failing to get approval from local authorities to increase the buildings height beyond what was previously approved. Another real estate project is in Cat Linh Street, which currently serves as Hapros headquarters.

In addition, a range of Hapro subsidiaries hold further valuable land parcels, like Hapro Holdings, which owns eight real estate projects in Vietnam, or Long Bien Trade Investment JSC with its 11 office buildings, and Trang Thi Trade & Service Company with 42 land plots for leasing.

When Hapro previously divested from some of its subsidiaries, the stake sale attracted a lot of attention from investors.
The decree will make sure less buyers get their fingers burnt

Among the big projects to be launched is An Khanh New City Developments sale of its first phase this quarter. The mega $2 billion project is developed by South Koreas Posco E&C and Vietnams Vinaconex, located in Hanois Hoai Duc district, along the Thang Long Boulevard.

Scheduled for completion in 2013, the city is expected to supply 6,440 apartments, equivalent to 392,319 square metres of accommodation, enough for 30,000 people.

Even though Hoa Phat Group, the investor in a more than 1,000 apartment Mandarin Garden in Cau Giay districts Tran Duy Hung road, refused to release its launching time, real estate experts predicted the project would be soon launched.

At the beginning of this month the CT7D, located in Le Van Luong street and invested by Nam Cuong Group and the FLC Landmark Tower of FLC Group will also be launched, with a total of 200 units and prices ranging from VND23 million ($1,200) to VND28 million ($1,470) per square metre.

In Gia Lam district, over the Red River, the second lot of Rung Co Residentials belonging to the Eco Park is also being launched, with around 1,500 apartment units.

In addition, Victoria Van Phu, Star City, Diamond Tower and Song Da City View will also add apartments to the mix.

Real estate consultant CBRE Vietnam expected that there would be 3,000 units in Hanoi launched this quarter, compared to 1,950 units in the third quarter. There were more than 4,600 units launched in the second quarter.

This decline, according to CBRE Vietnam, could be due to the Decree 71, effective on August 8, 2010 providing guidance on the Housing Law, which caps the proportion of units sold via capital contribution contracts at 20 per cent with the remaining 80 per cent sold on transaction floors.

This decree, CBRE Vietnam said, had put a pressure on developers with low financial capabilities and enhanced market transparency.

However, CBRE Vietnam executive director Richard Leech said new project launches would continue trending towards more affordable options.

With the opening and improvement of major infrastructure routes, the capitals western and southern districts are attracting new residents with easier access for commuting into the core urban districts, Leech said.

He said that the Decree 71 was expected to benefit the market by enhancing transparency, placing pressures on developers with low financial capabilities, lessening the threat of price bubbles and limiting speculative forces.

Tran Nhu Trung, Savills Vietnam associate director, said the Decree 71 had showed off its advantages to clearly regulate five types of mobilising capital investment. However, Trung said the procedures to implement Decree 71 were still complicated and wasted customers time and energy.

The more simple it [decree] regulates, the more it is practical in the real life, Trung said.
Citi supporting Vietnam in connecting the global dots Vietnam is considered by US group Citi as an attractive market. Ramachandran A.S., Citi country officer, talked to VIRs Linh Le about the groups efforts to utilise its global experience in the Southeast Asian nation, and its priorities moving forward.

Radisson Hotel Group spearheading hospitality growth in Asia-Pacific With travel restrictions easing, air traffic increasing, and leisure and business travel bookings on the rise, Radisson Hotel Group is optimistic about the outlook for the hospitality industry in Asia-Pacific.

Secrets of the most special securities company in Vietnam Techcom Securities (TCBS) leadership, with cutting-edge vision and execution muscle, has changed the course of the company over the last nine years since Nguyen Xuan Minh became chairman of the Board of Directors. VIRs Tuan Khanh sat together with Minh and talked about his path, vision, and success story.

Promoting gender equality & enhancing women's economic empowerment Vietnarn's national strategy on gender equality for the 2021-2030 period sets a target that by 2025, 60 per cent of state management ageneies and local governments at all levels will have female key leaders.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered the temporary postponement of fee collection at the Cai Lay Build-Operation-Transfer (BOT) toll station in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang for one to two months at a meeting held yesterday in Ha Noi.- VNA/VNS Photo Nam Thai

The meeting was held between the PM and leaders of the Ministry of Transport (MoT) and relevant ministries, agencies and authorities of Tien Giang Province following drivers recent protest against the toll booths high fees and inappropriate location.

PM Phuc said fee collection at the toll will be suspended so relevant ministries and agencies have time to solve the ongoing problems at the booth.

He affirmed that the policy to build transport infrastructure using the BOT model was appropriate and needed to be continued to build a modern transport infrastructure system.

The PM asked ministries and agencies to review the fee levels and location of BOT toll booths to ensure the interests of citizens while contributing to promoting BOT projects and to not let any economic issue turn into social disorder.

He also instructed the transport ministry to review the investment mechanism for BOT projects and promote the application of automatic fee collection.

After the Government decides the final plan for the Cai Lay toll booth, it will be publicly announced, according to the PM.

He said decisions had been taken in line with laws and procedures that failed to meet reality and peoples needs, urging authorities to listen and fix the problems.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said the Cai Lay bypass was one among 88 transport routes built under the BOT model. These projects were built following Party and Government resolutions on mobilising social resources to modernise transport infrastructure.

Inspectors from the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Sate Audit had already inspected and audited the project and inspectors from the transport ministry are inspecting the project following guidance from the PM, The said. Any violations detected after inspection will be strictly punished, he said.

Drivers used small currency notes to buy tickets at the toll as a protest against the high fees after the booth reopened last Thursday after fee collection had been halted for three months, causing traffic jams for hours.

By yesterday afternoon, nearly 100 hours since fee collection was resumed, the toll booth had to open its gates freely for vehicles to pass through due to the protests.

Although it started collecting fees from August 1, the toll station was temporarily suspended from operation from August 14 because of strong opposition from drivers.

They complained about the high fees, from VN35,000 ($1.5) to VN180,000 ($7.8) and the toll stations inappropriate location.

The booth is on National Highway No 1, however, it collects fees for a 12-km bypass of Cai Lay Town while some drivers only travel on the highway, not the bypass.

Vice Chairman of the Peoples Committee of Tien Giang Province, Pham Anh Tuan, told VnExpress online newspaper yesterday that the province took some responsibility for the incident at the toll booth.

The province previously had proposed investment in the Cai Lay bypass from the State budget but then it was invested under BOT due to limited State fund, he said. No one could foresee such an incident and the province should take part of the responsibility for this, he said.

Experts recommend booth removal

To alleviate the dispute over Cai Lay BOT toll station, comprehensive solutions are needed that focus on relocating the booths, experts have suggested.

Economist Vu inh Anh told Thanh nien (Young People) newspaper that the problems stem from the inappropriate location of Cai Lay toll station.

The adjustment of fees, which has been attempted by the transport ministry and investors to address the issue, is not a workable solution. Because of the toll booths inappropriate location, they have to move it, Anh said.

Agreeing with the idea, National Assembly (NA) deputy Tran Quang Chieu told Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper that it was possible to move Cai Lay toll station to the bypass.

Since drivers have already paid for the road maintenance fund annually, the Government has to allocate VN300 billion (US$13 million) to refund the investment to improve the quality of a 26.4-km section of National Highway No 1, he added.

On the 12-km bypass of Cai Lay Town, he recommended that the MoT, Tien Giang Province Peoples Committee and investors collaborate to consider alternatives, including prolonging the payback period and restricting time frames for heavy vehicles to travel on National Highway No 1.

Additionally, according to Anh, to guarantee the rights of investors, the project financial blueprint has to be re-calculated based on the new location, traffic influx and payback period. Therefore, it is essential to change most contract contents.
Vingroup will need to assist in handing over Song Da water project-phase II to Vinaconex

Vinaconex JSC (Vinaconex) today officially announced the plan to divest its entire 25.5-million shareholding in Viwasupco through an auction. As the result, Sinh Thai LLC bought 17.3 million shares and REE 8.2 million shares at the price of VND39,904 ($1.76) apiece. After the purchase, Sinh Thai LLC and REE increased their holdings in Viwasupco to 50.4 and 34.7 per cent, respectively.

According to the commitments in the sales contract, REE and Sinh Thai LLC will have to support Viwasupcos handing over Song Da water project-phase II to Vinaconex.

Previously, Viwasupco completed the construction and put Song Da water project-phase I into operation with a capacity of 300,000 cubic metres per day. The second phase is expected to increase this to 600,000 cubic metres per day.

This is not the first time that Vinaconex has attempted to divest from Viwasupco. Previously, in October 2016, Vinaconex planned to put its entire holding in Viwasupco on sale. However, the divestment was not implemented and no specific information about the deal had been published to date.

Established in 1977, REE is a publicly-traded diversified business group operating in the primary fields of mechanical and electrical engineering services (M&E), manufacturing, assembling and sales of Reetech air-conditioner systems, real estate development and management, and power and water utility infrastructure construction. At present, the largest automotive group from Singapore, Jardine Cycle & Carriage Limited Company (JC&C), owns 22.87 per cent stake (63.7 million shares) at REE.

Sinh Thai LLC joined the Song Da water project by acquiring 43.06 per cent stake in Viwasupco from Singaporean Acuatico Pte., Ltd. The purchase was completed in March 2016.

Viwasupco is the Vinaconex subsidiary posting the best business results. However, it became infamous after the Song Da water pipe broke 21 times in seven years, impacting households across Hanoi.
PlexCorps sold securities called PlexCoin to investors in the US and elsewhere.

The SEC's Cyber Unit filed charges against and froze the assets of Dominic Lacroix, a Canadian with a history of securities law violations, and his company PlexCorps in an initial coin offering fraud.

Using Facebook, the company sold securities called PlexCoin - that its website billed as "the next cryptocurrency" - to investors in the US and elsewhere, raising US$15 million since August, and promising a return of 1,354 per cent within 29 days, the SEC said in a statement.

These were the first charges filed by the unit the SEC created in September to focus on fraudulent initial coin offerings of digital currency and other crimes.

"This first Cyber Unit case hits all of the characteristics of a full-fledged cyber scam and is exactly the kind of misconduct the unit will be pursuing," the unit's chief Robert Cohen said in a statement. "We acted quickly to protect retail investors from this initial coin offering's false promises."

The SEC won an emergency court order to freeze the assets of PlexCorps, Lacroix, 35, and his partner Sabrina Paradis-Royer, 26, accusing them of trading in unregistered securities.

PlexCorps promotional materials claimed the company's executives could not be identified for security and privacy reasons when in reality this was because Lacroix had already been pursued by Canadian authorities for securities law violations, the agency said.

The SEC's move comes amid mounting interest in digital currencies, with the most well-established, bitcoin, seeing its value soar this year to dizzying heights, attracting both investor interest and skepticism.

The US Commodities Futures Trading Commission, which regulates trade in derivatives, last week cleared the way for mainstream exchanges, including the CME Group and Cboe Futures Exchange, to offer contracts for futures of the virtual currency.

Cboe was the first out of the gate Monday, announcing it would launch bitcoin futures trading beginning on Sunday. CME plans to allow trading in bitcoin futures later this month.
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VNA's fleet consists of some of the latest, most modern aircrafts over the world

A constantly evolving fleet

At the time of establishment in 1995, there were only 25 planes in VNAs aircraft fleet. With small scale, almost exclusively containing narrow-body planes from the Soviet Union, there were only 25 international flights to 19 cities and capitals. Domestic flights connected 15 cities and provinces.

In order to maintain their market-leading position, VNA has implemented significant developments in the past 22 years. By November 2017, VNA expanded the size of fleet to 93 planes (from 38 ones in 2005) with two types of wide-body planes, a Boeing 787 and Airbus 350, to maintain market-leading services and the nations prestige.

VNA always chooses the most modern planes to innovate its aircraft fleet, enhance performance, expand its flight network, and improve service quality. Since April 2003, despite the multitude of economic difficulties facing Vietnam, VNA was one of the few regional airlines to purchase and use the first Boeing 777 of the 777-200ER line.

The operation of the Boeing 777 fleet has gone along with important milestones in middle, far, and cross-continent strategic flights development, including direct flights to Europe, connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Paris (France) in 2003, to Russia (2004), Germany (2005), and the UK (2011).

In 2015, VNA officially became the first airline in the Asia-Pacific to purchase and use the most modern aircrafts, the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. After two years, VNA is evaluated as one of the most successful airlines in utilising these plane types, relying almost exclusively on Vietnamese pilots, flight attendants, and technical staff.

Flying ahead of competition

Up to date, VNAs fleet has carried out over 1.6 million safe flights with a total distance of nearly one billion kilometres, equivalent to more than 20,000 journeys around the Earth. The corporations flight network has risen to 90 destinations, including 38 domestic and 52 international ones.

VNA is a rare airline that has never suffered financial loss during its 22 years of operation, although many airlines over the world have seen big fluctuations. In the past few years, VNAs financial indicators have exceeded company targets by a significant margin, especially after equitisation.

In 2016, the corporations consolidated profit was $114.3 million, including $74.74 million from the parent company. The impressive business performance during the first nine months of 2017 resulted in a consolidated profit of over $101 million, exceeding the annual target by 40 per cent.

In early December, VNA will serve the 200 millionth guest.

This is the clearest evidence to confirm that VNA has completed the tasks of a national airline with flying colours, linking the countrys provinces through domestic flights and Vietnam with the world through international flights, while maintaining rigorous safety standards on its fleet.

In the previous month, VNA was awarded the prestigious CAPA Asia-Pacific Airline of the Year award by the Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (CAPA). This award was given to the most notable airline with the heaviest impacts to the development of regional aviation, confirming the first-ranking position of VNA and becoming standards for the general aviation sector.

Despite competitive pressure in the domestic market, VNA has emerged as a successful and fast-growing airline. VNAs dual brand strategy, along with Jetstar Pacific and diversified international strategic relations, has raised its position, significantly contributing to the successful equitisation and high profit, said Peter Harbison, president of CAPA.
Within filly years the United States grew from a relatively small republic centering on the Atlantic seaboard to a continental power. The process of territorial growth was started by Jefferson. The purchase of Louisiana almost doubled the original area of the United States. The process was furthered by the occupation of West Florida and by the acquisition of Florida in 1819.

In the meantime the boundary between Canada and the United States was Fixed at the 49th parallel, thus settling the question of the northern limits of the Louisiana Purchase. The Maine boundary was satisfactorily adjusted in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 from that year the United States held a clear title to all the land from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the western boundary of the Louisiana Purchase.

The process of expansion continued Americans had moved into Texas in considerable numbers. They rapidly developed resentments against Mexican control. In a swift war, marked by the tragic loss of the Alamo and the brilliant victory at San Jacinto, the Texans won their independence. The Republic of Texas was beset by dangers. It asked for union with the United States. Alter prolonged debate Congress annexed the republic as the stale of Texas in 1845.

In the meantime. Americans had pushed into Oregon. The agreement with Great Britain provided for joint occupation, but the Americans clamored for undisputed possession. The government asserted our claims to the whole of Oregon, northward to the Russian Treaty line of 54 40. In a spirit of compromise, the government negotiated a new boundary line. The 49th parallel which was the boundary east of the Rocky Mountains was extended to the Pacific with the exception of Vancouver Island, all of which was ceded to Great Britain.

Then the dispute with Mexico resulted in war and new acquisitions. The annexation of Texas was recognized by Mexico. The Mexican Cession was subsequently divided into California, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, with portions being assigned to Wyoming and Colorado One last addition to the continental area of the United States was made in 1853 the Gadsden Purchase was negotiated in order to secure control of the Gila valley which provided a convenient route for a railroad to the Pacific

Thus the unsure republic of 1783 had become the continental nation of 1853.

Growth of the United States (1776-1853)

1776: Original Thirteen States & 1783-1802: Western Cessions  888,811 square miles

1803: Louisiana Purchase  827,192 sq.mi.

1810-1819: Florida (and other areas from Spain)  72,003 sq. mi.

1845: Texas  390,144 sq.mi.

1846: Oregon Country  285,580 sq.mi.

1848: Mexican Cession  529,017 sq.mi.

1853: Gadsden Purchase  29,640 sq.mi.

Related post:

 Historical Maps of the United States and North America

 U.S. of America before Louisiana purchase


A new exhibition in Paris of the pioneering designer reveals a standard todays industry would struggle to follow



Natalia Vodianova wearing an original Fortuny gown at the The Met Ball in 2009

Getty

I am not often ashamed of fashion and the eternal search for the new that my profession involves. But looking at the artistic, timeless and magical clothes designed by Mariano Fortuny a century ago, left me, as a fashion editor, filled with shame and chagrin.

How is it possible that the Spanish-born Fortuny, emerging in Venice after the First World War, could have designed clothes in liquid colours and painterly surfaces that I, or any woman, could wear today?

A chocolate-toned silk-velvet coat embossed with caramel-coloured gold thread and a gold silk-satin lining, by Mariano Fortuny from c. 1920

Collection Palais Galliera  Stephane Piera / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

Detail of the sleeve

Collection Palais Galliera  Stephane Piera / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

Even though model and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova wore a Jeff Koons balloon dress at the recent Fabulous Fund Fair in New York, which her Naked Heart Foundation co-hosted with amfAR, she proved the eternal fashion reality of Fortuny when, in 2009, she wore an original Fortuny Delphos dress in a waterfall of red pleats at the Met Ball and a cascade of sky-blue Fortuny at the British Fashion Awards later that year.

Natalia Vodianova wearing Fortuny at the British Fashion Awards 2009

Getty

Those dresses are not on show at Fortuny, A Spaniard in Venice at the Palais Galliera in Paris. But pleats are everywhere, falling straight but shivering and quivering with light as they surf the shape of the female form.

The "Delphos" dress by Mariano Fortuny, c. 1919-1920, displays his renowned pleating technique, here in gold-embossed silk taffeta. The buttons are made from glass, and the belt from mixed-fabrics

Collection Palais Galliera  L. Degraces et P. Ladet / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

And yes, you could wear every single outfit today  I had my eye on a velour top and skirt  without looking dressed for a costume party. This is because the shape is made by the body, rather than by stuffing the human form into a pre-ordained silhouette.

Front view of the "Delphos" dress

Collection Palais Galliera  L. Degraces et P. Ladet / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

Mariano Fortuny is the couturier who broke down frontiers the most. He revolutionised fashion by freeing the female body yet at the same time was inspired by the ancient Grecian periods, says museum director Olivier Saillard about his last major show before he leaves his post in January 2018. What a way to go!

A short-sleeved "Delphos" dress from 1940 by Mariano Fortuny, made from pleated mercerised-cotton toile, with silk cord and glass-pearl button detailing

Collection Palais Galliera  Francoise Cochennec / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

This Fortuny exhibition is old school, meaning not entirely didactic, but informative. And that is because, as well as showing the garments, it offers a close up of the extraordinary fabrics, many with treatments whose secret formula the designer and his wife Henriette Negrin took to the grave.

A display of fabric samples from 1912 by Mariano Fortuny (1871-1949), including his signature richly embellished and sumptuous silk velvets

Collection Palais Galliera  L. Degraces et P. Ladet / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

For my next visit I shall take a magnifying glass to marvel again at the silk velvet, with the greenery-yallery colours of the period or in midnight blue with flat golden leaves and undulating bunches of grapes.

Almost every piece on display, offered over the years by upper-crust ladies as a donation to the museums rich reserves, has details of the original owner. These were artistic women with a penchant for beauty rather than mere high society. My top and skirt were worn by the daughter of Elaine Greffuhle, later the Duchess of Gramont, who was said to be the model for Prousts character, the Duchess of Guermantes, in A la recherche du temps perdu. The Duchess glorious wardrobe was brought to life in a previous Saillard exhibition at the museum in 2016, La Mode Retrouvee: Les robes tresors de la comtesse Greffulhe.

With the passing of time, it is difficult to know to what extent the wealthy and artistic clients collaborated with Fortuny, asking that the Cerulean blue of a Grecian gown might be faded to the shade of a rain-washed sky; or deepened to an azure Mediterranean mid-day. A display of silken skeins allowed the client to choose their preferred pigment.

Although the exhibition provides information about how velvet was treated and the flat silk pleated, this can never speak for the relationship between creator and wearer. Some influence may have come from the client, yet it seems more likely that Fortuny, like painters of the Aesthetic Movement of the late 19th century, had a penchant for secondary colours and for mixes of natures green and princely gold.

The "Eleanora" dress, c. 1912, by Mariano Fortuny, made from gold-embossed silk velvet, silk pleated taffeta, silk-velvet cord and glass-pearl beads (see detail below)

Collection Palais Galliera  Stephane Piera / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

Detail of the "Eleanora" dress, showing glass pearl bead detailing

Collection Palais Galliera  Stephane Piera / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

Here is a description by Marcel Proust from 1919, from A lombre des jeunes filles en fleurs (the second volume of A la recherche du temps perdu):

An artist in Venice, Fortuny, has found the secrets of marvellous fabrics ... and for several years women have been walking around in them  but especially wearing at home  in outfits as magnificent as the Venetian patricians with their oriental designs.

Detail of the "Orfeus" gown by Mariano Fortuny, made in 1910-1911 from silk gauze imprinted with gold thread

Collection Palais Galliera  Stephane Piera / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

The main story that emerges from the Galliera show  and the reason why I felt humbled by its beauty  is the quality, industry and sheer beauty of Fortunys work.

I realised the obvious influence of Ancient Greece, but there were many questions. Were the colours I was looking at  olive green and a grey blue  faded by time? Or was this how the leaves of Spains olive trees were linked in Fortunys minds eye to the still, stale water around Venice? Above all, what did it mean to this artist to create timeless clothing, when the essence of fashion is change?

I looked at the many nuggets of information: the letters to clients; the photographs taken for a designer who was smart enough to demand copyright for his clothing inventions There were also images of his shops in Paris and London.

What a thrill it was to discover that the London address at 28 Maddox Street was just three doors away from the Conde Nast International office where my team is based! I imagined walking into this boutique, filled with colour, to stroke the velvets and let the silken pleats slide through my fingers. I daydreamed about slipping back in time to 1909, when the glamorously crazy Marchesa Casati wore the Delphos gown, which propelled Fortuny to fashion fame.

A Fortuny-inspired gown from the Valentino Spring/Summer 2016 Haute Couture collection

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The exhibition ends with touches of the present that reverberate back to Fortunys work: a film including Natalia Vodianova in her vintage gown; the Fortuny-inspired collection at Valentino in 2016  all Grecian headpieces and a mermaid length of dress. One colourful Pleats Please vision from Issey Miyake  no stranger to my wardrobe  proved the infinity of fashion as drapes and folds.

An Issey Miyake dress (right) shows the lasting influence of Fortuny's revolutionary pleating techniques

Collection Palais Galliera  Stephane Piera / Galliera / Roger-Viollet

I did a second tour of the Galliera exhibition, thinking of my own clothes collection. I am convinced that what I might have bought from Fortuny then, would be just as wearable and desirable today. A true fashion miracle.

Fortuny, a Spaniard in Venice (Fortuny, un Espagnol a Venise), is at the Palais Galliera until January 7th, 2018. This exhibition closes the Palais Gallieras Spanish Season, which opened with Balenciaga, Working in Black (Balenciaga, loeuvre au noir) at the Musee Bourdelle, and Spanish Costumes: Darkness and Light at the Maison de Victor Hugo.
Costa Meets Department of Health and NHS England Officials in London

The Minister for Health, Care and Justice, Neil F. Costa, travelled to London for a series of official meetings with NHS officials from Manchester and London. Mr Costa was accompanied by the Medical Director of the Gibraltar Health Authority, Dr Daniel Cassaglia.

The engagement follows the partnerships established between the Gibraltar Government, the Department of Health in the United Kingdom and Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital Trust.

The visit included meetings with John Wareing, Director of Strategy, Manchester University Hospital NHS Trust; Paul MacNaught, Director of EU & International Health, Department for Health; Natasha Kocsis, Policy Officer, Department of Health; Karen Denton, UK & International Resource Manager of Guys & St Thomas Hospital, Neil Wright, Deputy Commercial Director of Guys & St Thomas Hospital, and Alexander Williams and Chris Theaker, NHS England.

Dr Cassaglia, Medical Director explained: This series of meetings enabled us to examine areas where the GHA can work together with the NHS for mutual cooperation in education, training and clinical support. We also looked at areas where existing levels of collaboration can be expanded.

Minister Costa added: We intend to develop strong links with the UK Department of Health, NHS England and different NHS Trusts to explore commonalities and gain from their experience and knowledge. I am confident that the GHA, and ultimately, the users of our local health services, stand to benefit from our closer ties with the NHS. This will provide valuable insight from which we can learn in our continued drive to improve the quality of health and care services we deliver to the people of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar Port Authority Attends the 6th Mediterranean Bunker Fuel Conference

The Gibraltar Port Authority recently attended the 6th Mediterranean Bunker Fuel conference in Athens. This conference brought together over 150 of the region's leading bunker fuel suppliers, traders, brokers, refiners, ship operators, owners, and other marine fuel industry organizations to discuss the changing landscape of the Mediterranean heading towards 2020.

John Ghio, Deputy Captain of the Port (Acting) took part in one of the key panel discussions with other regional representatives focusing on topics such as Flag state fuel verification programmes, storage developments, sulphur waste management and how development plans were progressing in different ports in the Mediterranean.

Manuel Tirado, CEO and Captain of the Port (Acting) commented that he was delighted that John Ghio had been asked to take part in such a high profile event, representing the Port of Gibraltar - this underlined Gibraltar Port's status as one of the key hubs in the European / global bunkering industry and provided an excellent platform to continue raising the Port of Gibraltar's profile.

Manuel Tirado, CEO and Captain of the Port (Acting) also attended the conference and took the opportunity to visit the head offices of two of the Ports main bunker operators in Athens to discuss current and future development opportunities in the Port.
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

After Robert Knepper was accused of sexually assaulting stylist Susan Bertram on the set of 1992s Gas, Food, Lodging, four more women have now accused the actor of assault. Between 1983 and 2013, the women all say that Knepper allegedly cornered them alone in a room, and grabbed their crotches or forcibly kissed them. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Knepper denied each allegation: We have come to a time where hard-earned careers are being lost on the basis of accusations. I need to reiterate that these accusations against me are false. We have lost the presumption of innocence; we have lost due process; and we have lost the ability to review evidence  allowing the media to become both judge and jury, he wrote. Until I can sit down and have a dialogue with my accusers, managed not by the press but by an impartial mediator, I have nothing further to say on this matter. My wife, family and close friends, know me and my true nature and I am grateful for their love and support.

Two women  Robin Saex Garbose and a woman who declined to be identified  allege that Knepper cornered them when they were working as production assistants in the 1980s. Garbose was a casting assistant for a 1983 theater production of June Moon. When Knepper came in to audition, Garbose said he allegedly cornered her in an office and kissed her. In 1989, a woman who declined to be identified was working on a production at San Diegos La Jolla Playhouse. She was asked to help Knepper move into his apartment, and he allegedly cornered her, kissed her, and grabbed her crotch. I was really smashed against the wall, she told THR. It was shocking. His tongue was down my throat. You dont know what to do. It was just so stunning. It was shocking, really. I had met this person maybe five minutes before.

Emma Julia Jacobs was working on the set of Planet of the Apes when Knepper allegedly followed her up to her hotel room and tried to have sex with her. As she tried to fight him off, she said, he forced her to perform oral sex on him, and then held her down and masturbated on her. Writer-director Christy Oldham says she spoke to Knepper during the reception after a screening, when he asked if she wanted to continue the conversation over a meal. There, she said, he was sexually aggressive and pushed her against a wall. His face [was] mere inches from mine, she wrote in her diary at the time. I pushed him off of me and walked back to the Egyptian. What a fucking loser.
Photo: koreanhulk/Instagram

For those of you who are obsessed with muscles, Koreans, and Lindsay Lohan, your day has arrived! Recently the bodybuilding blog Liftn compiled a bunch of Instagram photos (and added one very curiously Photoshopped lead image) of Lindsay Lohan with a very buff Korean man with the headline: Lindsay Lohan Is Dating a Massive Korean Billionaire Arm Wrestling Bodybuilder. Naturally, we lost our minds, and since then have tried to determine how much of this headline is actually verifiable. (Turns out, very little!) After some research, all we can confidently say is that a very strong Korean man named Je-yong Ha hangs out a lot with Scary Movie 5 star Lindsay Lohan. They have done things that look suspiciously couple-y, like partying in Mykonos until daybreak and doing face masks, prompting much of the Korean media to speculate whether they were together back in late October. We know you have questions, and we sort of have answers, so lets get this going.

Wait, so who is he?

Heres what we can glean. His name is Je-yong Ha, his Instagram handle is Korean Hulk, and we know more about his lifting stats than his actual biography. On Facebook, he says he lives in Russia. According to an arm-wrestling video from the Korean Armwrestling Federation posted about a month ago, hes 29 years old, ranked ninth in the country, and shaped like a teapot. He weighs 110 kg (242.5 pounds), stands 165 cm (five-foot-four), with biceps 56 cm (22 inches) in girth.

So how did he start hanging out with Lindsay Lohan?

From his Instagram, it seems like they met in Mykonos. Lohans own account puts her in Greece, starting in late June, where she spent most of the summer. She makes her first appearance on the Korean Hulks Instagram on August 11, apparently in Mykonos, the party island. But his Facebook photos tend to be a little more bedroom eyes. Here they are apparently in Dubai:

Then, there are a spate of videos and photos of them driving at night singing Russian songs, clubbing, and dining out, with the last one on October 21. Theres also a curious Instagram story apparently taken after a late night out where they encounter a child beggar on the street. In a long caption, Je-yong describes that he initially wanted to give money to the child, but that Lohan told him not to. When he gave the money he had in his wallet to the girl, Lohan snatched it out of the her hands, ostensibly because by giving money to the kid, they would be supporting a system in which children are used as beggars on the street.

Oh, thats uncomfortable! Wait, so are they dating?

According to Vanity Fair, a source close to Lohan told the writer, Lol they are 100% not dating at all. Theyre just friends. Korean media were suspicious of the idea that the two were dating back in October, pointing out that while Lohan has made multiple appearances on his Instagram, he never made it onto hers. Also, to be fair and balanced, Je-yong never says that theyre dating.

All right, so tell me more about this Korean He-Man. Is he famous?

Not really. Korea doesnt really have a reality-TV-industrial complex in the way that the U.S. does, so there isnt really a way for someone with his set of skills and thirst level to flourish. Instead, hes relegated to the variety-show circuit appearing on shows such as Star King, where hes treated like a one-off curiosity, sort of like a strongman on The Gong Show. Hes about on the same level of celebrity as the Tree Man who went viral earlier this May for being tall and hot.

What does he do then?

Well, he competes in his arm-wrestling competitions, and sometimes also powerlifting ones. He won a bench-pressing competition in Korea this October where he lifted 200 kg, easily besting his competitors. (He says his personal best is 260 kg.) Other than that, he shills for a company called Mate M Box, which is basically a private karaoke room set up like a recording studio, where you can sing into a mic with headphones on like you were the next Insooni. He does promotional events at their various locations where a bystander will try to arm wrestle him. If they beat him, they get a little under $1,000. (If they can survive five seconds, they get a box of black-raspberry juice.) You might think thats a weird brand collaboration, but in Korea anyone can sell anything.

Well, is he rich?

You golddigger! We cant say that hes a billionaire, but hes very much into the conspicuous consumption of the nouveau riche. He eats truffle pizzas, pasta heaping with caviar, poses with Bugattis, and buys Gauguin paintings. The Korean newspaper Dong-a Ilbo reports he may have a shady past under other online personas (Power Brother and Diesel Mania being two of them) where he attempts to appear more famous and richer than he actually is.

Oh no! So he might just be using Lindsay Lohans fame to get famous himself?

Everyone wins!
Wolverine, whom you wont see, per se. Photo: Marvel

Marvel prides itself on being a cross-platform brand. The company has told its stories through comics, movies, television, video games  and now, podcasts. The Disney subsidiary just announced that its partnering with digital audio provider Stitcher for a ten-episode scripted podcast called Wolverine: The Long Night. Written by comics scribe Benjamin Percy (Green Arrow), the story will follow two law-enforcement agents (Ato Essandoh and Celia Keenan-Bolger) as they investigate a series of murders in a small Alaskan town alongside a local deputy (Andrew Keenan-Bolger). The prime suspect? Well, thatd be grumpy ol Wolverine, who will be voiced by The Hobbits Richard Armitage.

The series will also include veteran character actors Scott Adsit, Bob Balaban, and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Percy says the series will resemble nonfiction true-crime podcasts like Serial and S-Town, as well as True Detective, but that its also likely to draw upon plot elements from the title characters long comic-book and film history. Debuting in spring 2018, The Long Night is a first for the ever-expanding superhero business, and itll be interesting to see whether competing companies  especially blood rival DC  start drafting their own scripted podcasts. Theres a long tradition of genre storytelling being put into the theater of the mind (just tune in to any number of BBC Radio Doctor Who tales, for example), so perhaps it was only a matter of time before spandex went auditory.
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Abusers protect abusers, Terry Crews tweeted Tuesday afternoon. After the actor sued WME agent Adam Venit for sexual assault, Crews is now opening up about a smear campaign against him. According to Crewss tweet, Dylan Howard, the chief content officer of American Media Inc. who just today was accused of sexual misconduct, threatened him with a false story involving a prostitute the day after Crews appeared on Good Morning America to detail Venits alleged sexual. According to a new Associated Press report, Howard openly described his sexual partners in the newsroom, discussed female employees sex lives and forced women to watch or listen to pornographic material. Crewss latest accusation shows the depth of Hollywoods culture of harassment and abuse.
Crews. Photo: Paula Lobo/ABC

Terry Crews has taken further legal action against the Hollywood agent he says groped him. TMZ reports that Crews is suing WME agent Adam Venit for sexual assault stemming from an incident at an industry party last year where Venit allegedly grabbed Crewss genitals more than once without his consent. Crews reported the incident to the LAPD last month. In his lawsuit, Crews describes Venits alleged behavior that night as akin to a rabid dog, sticking his tongue in and out of his mouth provocatively. Crews claims that Adam Sandler, a client of Venits whom Crews notified of the incident at the party, checked on Crews after he left; Crews told Sandler he was surprised he got molested at age 48.

The suit notes that Crews also called his own agent at WME the following day to report the alleged assault, and that Venit later called Crews to apologize, saying he was just not himself that night. Crews says he also met with WMEs chairman Ari Emanuel, who apologized for Venits misconduct and told Crews that Venit did not have the power to blackball him as Crews had feared. Following Crewss tweets in October revealing the alleged incident, Venit took a leave of absence from the company, though he went back to work at WME late last month. Someone got a pass, Crews said of Venits return.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture and YouTube

Playboi Carti, Magnolia

Playboi Cartis chaotic, sloppy Magnolia is very much a product of 2017  a weightless jam that sounds like it was made in one take with a Casio keyboard and some sort of dollar store flute. Its joyful, not that deep, and the kind of thing you can listen to literally six million times before you get tired of it (I did not try to listen to it six million times but that seems like the ceiling). Its hard to tell if itll stand the test of time, but thats not really the point. Listen to it because it sounds great right now. Sam Hockley-Smith

On his best album yet, Tyler, the Creator bares his soul. Hes never alone, but hes the loneliest man alive. Two-parter 911/Mr. Lonely is the most crowded song on the album  Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, Steve Lacey, and Anna of the North all show up  but theyre no remedy for Tylers severe isolation. For years, Tyler (deservedly) got a bad rap for being raps newest menace. Older and with a better handle on his mental state, he explains its all been a front: I say the loudest in the room is prolly the loneliest one in the room (thats me) / Attention seeker, public speaker. He doesnt have to dial 911; the cry for help can be heard loud and clear. Dee Lockett

Theres a certain buoyancy in Futures voice thats irrepressible. Even at his grimiest and darkest moments, the point never comes where despair becomes a word that suits him. Hes a survivor, and he knows it; his confidence in his capacity to maintain his poise never wavers. Charisma attracts (what would it be if it didnt?) but it had been some time for the Atlanta legend since hed been more than attractive, meaning active, inviting. The R&B Future that shone through on Pluto and Honest seemed to be locked down forever, buried under an impenetrable mass of legal wrangling, justified resentment, and lean-induced numbness. Then HNDRXX came, an album so resplendent in sound and tone that even regret and loss were charged with colorful heat. Solo may or may not be the best track on the album  theres lots of brilliant competition  but its likely the most representative. Calm, affectionate, luxurious, and endowed with the effortless profound delivery of a master, the song is a reminder that, even in the midst of punishing ordeals, delight can still take precedence over disappointment. Mask Off was the bigger hit, but Solo and its album are the real highlight for Future this year. Frank Guan

It should come as no surprise that Sampha has written the years most devastating ballad. His stunning debut album Process mourned the loss of his mother to cancer two years ago, and Piano remains its purest elegy. Its a good-bye letter to both Samphas childhood in London and to his mother, who was the only one who predicted and financially supported  she purchased the family piano heard on this song  his musical genius. In the companion film for the album, Sampha revealed he played Piano at her funeral. I cant think of a braver act in music this year than choosing to make such a private memorial public, so that even those who never knew her can honor her legacy for years to come. DL

Age defines so much. As a teen, you think thats all youll ever amount to. Spoiler: The self-doubt only doubles in your 20s. Maybe 2017 breakout star SZA will feel stuck in her 50-somethings when she gets there, but, for now, the 27-year-old is fixated on being a 20-something. The final song on her debut album, Ctrl, is an acoustic meditation on this specific decade of life where youre expected to start finding your way, despite anyone whos lived through it knowing you seldom do. Every decision, no matter how big or small, seems to carry a mammoth weight of failure and disappointment with it  Prayin the 20 somethings dont kill me, she sings, mirroring Frank Oceans best Blonde vocals  alleviated by brief moments of living selfishly. Such moments might stink of entitlement or laziness to generations who forgot the damage these years do to the psyche, but SZAs wise enough to know theyre what it takes to make it out of your 20s alive. DL

The implicit promise of Kelela was always clear: she would explore what would happen if someone dedicated themselves wholly to experimental R&B, and its what shes done. But what is most surprising about LMK, a breezy song about attraction at first sight, and the standout from the dusky Take Me Apart, is how it internalized so much of that experimentation. On it, she and producer Jam City wield empty space like a weapon, her voice weaving between his crystalline synth pings. It sounds like an idealized version of 90s R&B, which is to say it sounds like the future without making a whole thing out of it. SHS

Melodrama will be remembered as a great excavating of the young heart at a time when it was most splintered. To make it whole again, you have to pick up the pieces and fit them a new way. Thats Supercut  a misshapen puzzle whose beauty is greater for its flaws. Lorde found love, lost it, but will never forget it. Its naive to think only of the good times in a relationship, but love is fickle and being 19  the age Lorde was when she wrote this album  affords fantasy. Supercut doesnt try to sell lies, just the memory of Lordes truth. Its a joy to hear her hold onto it. DL

Having enemies is pretty much mandatory by now. Even if youre not looking for conflict with anyone, someone out theres looking for conflict with you. It doesnt matter what youve done or didnt do. People are going to hate your guts, and the only thing you can do is decide whether to ignore them or confront them. If the latter is the case, Bodak Yellow has been the go-to song on what to do next. The beat paces back and forth like a panther, and Cardis lyrics drip with refined, acidulous scorn: theres absolutely nothing that her foe does that she doesnt do better. Money? She has more. Work? She does more. Your boyfriend? Her boy toy. This song is for anyone who likes rap but dislikes certain other people, but its especially for women who dislike certain other women. Whoever loses, Cardi wins  her, and Christian Louboutin, whose scarlet-bottomed stiletto heels have, thanks to Cardis Bodak chorus, seen a spike in sales every bit as sharp as the heels themselves. FG

FEAR is basically Kendrick Lamars thesis statement: A nearly eight-minute exploration of his entire career, family, and the paranoia that comes with being a famous person who cant ever get comfortable with the fickle nature of fame. Its a brilliant slow burner that succeeds on the back of Kendricks remarkable writing ability. The song is panoramic, but personal. This is very much a song about Kendrick Lamars life. Its not my life and its not your life, but he succeeds because hes able to make his world  a world that most of us will never come close to experiencing  into something relatable. Weve all been paranoid. Weve all been scared. And weve all been unsure about how everything is supposed to play out. It takes a rare talent to internalize these complex ideas and then spit them back so vividly. The weirdest part? Kendricks frustration on FEAR is palpable, but its also comforting. Just knowing hes out there, putting songs like this together is inspiring. SHS

XO Tour Llif3 did a hell of a lot in three minutes. For one thing, it made people want to listen to it all over again. At the time of writing, the songs been streamed nearly 148 million times on SoundCloud, where it was first released: thats 843 years worth of Llif3 even before you count the millions of streams from Spotify and all the rest. This song marks the point where streaming stopped being one avenue of distribution and started being the only way to make waves. Not coincidentally, it also marks the point where rap music swallowed rock music whole. There are no guitars on TM88s woozy, drippy, doom-laden instrumental, but the tone in Uzis lyrics is pitch-perfect pop-punk; from now on, the only way to make rock music that youth listeners would flock to in the millions (and whats rock music without millions of enthusiastic youth?) would be to make rap music. You could fuse 808 Mafia with Blink-182 and leave nothing behind; think Dashboard Confessional, but on the white dashboard of a red Phantom. (The XO of the title nods to the Weeknd, whose original brand of drug-inflected, disastrous-romance music is a clear influence on the focus of the song, though Uzis taking drugs to numb the pain of a breakup rather than sustain an otherwise unsustainable bond.)

But the reason this song is the song of the year is because of the death angle. Even if you dont think 2017 was the year of the dead, youd be hard-pressed not to admit that theres something very spectral about it. Theres a sense that anything can happen because nothing is real. Its as if the universe were a room with a high view and the room  not just anyone in it, but the entire room  had jumped out the window. If you are your friends and all your friends are dead, what does that make you? Things have yet to hit the bottom, but theres no longer any way one can arrest the fall: Thats what 2017 has been, and thats what XO Tour Llif3 sounds like. Its music for the afterlife. FG
Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

One of the hottest developing projects in Hollywood was the David O. Russell-produced TV series with no title that had been snatched up with a two-season, 16-episode commitment from Amazon. Julianne Moore, Robert De Niro, and Michael Shannon were set to star, but with the Weinstein Company attached as producer, the highly anticipated property was swallowed up by the scandal of Harvey Weinsteins alleged decades of sexual assault. We support Amazons decision and in light of recent news and out of respect for all those affected we have decided together that it is best to not move forward with this show, Russell, Moore, and De Niro said in a joint statement following the decision to abandon the series. Now, TWC is fielding a multimillion dollar lawsuit from EMJAG Productions  which had developed the series with Russell from the start  and is seeking to recoup damages, claiming that the studio negligently committed to the series knowing the pending allegations could endanger their business ventures. The complaint reads in part:

TWC had lured Plaintiffs into a trap. Unknown to Plaintiffs, TWCs former co-chairman, Harvey Weinstein, had engaged in multiple acts of sexual misconduct. This misconduct  which TWC knew very well, but concealed from the Plaintiffs  was effectively a ticking time bomb. In October 2017, the time bomb exploded with the revelation of Weinsteins sordid history of sex abuse. The Project was one of its casualties, as Amazon, seeking to distance itself from Weinstein, withdrew from the Project. TWC then withheld the compensation that it had promised to pay to Plaintiffs.

The company, along with individuals Scott Lambert and Alexandra Milchan (a husband-and-wife producing team), are seeking damages well in excess of $2,000,000 for lost compensation from things including backend profits, credits, relocation costs (the couple moved to New York for production), per-episode compensation (Deadline reports that they were both slated to make $50,000 for each), and a $250,000 development fee. During the time of the negotiations and at the time that they entered into the Contract, they had no knowledge of Weinsteins history of sexual misconduct, the complaint says of Lambert and Milchan. Had they known of his sordid history, they would not have entered into the Contract, as it would have exposed TWCs appearance of reputability to be a sham.
RACINE  A Caledonia man, charged with allegedly killing a father and daughter while driving drunk last year, pleaded no contest to the charges in court on Monday.

Levi G. Ruohonen, 26, of the 4500 block of Valley Road, appeared at the Law Enforcement Center for a plea hearing Monday morning. Multiple media agencies were in attendance, reflecting the high level of attention the case has received throughout the area.

As part of a plea agreement with the District Attorneys Office, Ruohonen pleaded no contest to two felony counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle while having a prior intoxicant-related conviction or revocation.

Two charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration while having a prior intoxicant-related conviction or revocation were dismissed as part of the agreement.

During his appearance, Ruohonen appeared solemn and quiet. Members of Ruohonens family were at the hearing to support him. It did not appear any family members of the victims of the crash were at the plea hearing.

Ruohonen originally had pleaded not guilty last December to two counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle with a prior conviction and a third charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing injury, for injuries a third victim suffered in the crash. But on Monday, Ruohonen changed his plea, opting to bypass a jury trial.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Ruohonen was immediately taken into custody, having been out of prison on a $50,000 cash bond. He did not look back at family and friends before being taken into custody.

Each of the charges to which Ruohonen pleaded no contest carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 23 at the Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.

Horrific crash scene

The fatal crash occurred on Nov. 25, 2016. At about 4:45 p.m. that day, near the intersection of 4 Mile and Short roads in Caledonia, police say Ruohonen crashed his large four-door pickup truck into the back of a car driven by Kevin M. Dalley, 39. Dalleys daughter Emily, 9, and another daughter, 6, were both in the car at the time.

Both Kevin and Emily were killed in the crash. The 6-year-old girl was injured but survived.

The Daileys were just feet from their home when the crash occurred. The impact reportedly was so powerful that an officer reported he was unable to discern where the truck ended and the sedan started.
The Fair Work Commission will conduct a hearing in early February to decide if the national construction and maritime unions can merge, giving the federal government little time to block the new super union.

Fair Work Commission deputy president Val Gostencnik has released correspondence that says he proposes to schedule the matter for hearing on February 2 just days before the Senate resumes next year.

Michele O'Neil, the national secretary of the Textile Clothing & Footwear Union. Credit:Claire Grigaut

Members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) have voted in favour of amalgamating into a super union with about 144,000 members.

The new union will be made up of four divisions: mining, maritime, construction and manufacturing. The manufacturing division will include the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFU), a third party to the amalgamation.
Yusuke Mitsumoto had a hunch: what if you paid people instantly for their used goods over the internet, with no guarantee that they would hand them over?

The 36-year-old e-commerce entrepreneur launched an app in June to test the idea. It worked better than he imagined; after 16 hours, he was stunned to discover he was on the hook for 360 million yen ($4.2 million) and shut the service down. A day later, truckloads of clothes and electronics gadgets started to arrive, with his startup's employees forming a bucket line to move packages into his company's tiny office in Tokyo.

Yusuke Mitsumoto's 'social experiment' has paid off. Credit:Bloomberg

All told, less than 1 in 10 second-hand-goods sellers didn't deliver as promised. That was good enough for Mitsumoto, who relaunched the service, called Cash, in August as a new way to gather inventory for an online flea market.

Total daily purchases are capped at 10 million yen, and are limited to smartphones, luxury handbags, watches, clothing and other specific items from a list of several thousand. Customers take a photo and are given a non-negotiable offer. Prices are set automatically based on data gleaned from other second-hand marketplaces and Cash makes money by reselling the goods.
George Miller was the best big brother Joye Miller could ask for.

He was always looking out for her, the Central High School senior said, and making sure she was doing all right at home or at school. They would joke around, goof off, and he was the life of any family get-together.

Now those holidays and family celebrations are much quieter. Joye lost her brother two years ago when he was shot and killed by former friend and classmate Deshawn Randall, who received a life sentence in 2016 for the slaying.

Her world turned upside down.

Joye took her anger, grief and loss out on herself, skipping school and class, and battling with her teachers and her peers. But her teachers in the AVID program, which enrolls underrepresented students at the two La Crosse high schools who are interested in pursuing a four-year college degree, were patient with the grieving teen and never gave up on her.

As she worked through her grief, Joye turned things around and pushed forward. Using the memory of her brother to motivate her, Joye said she dedicated herself to pursuing her goals and dreams, something she knew George would want for her.

He (George) didnt get to graduate, she said. My mom needs to see her kids graduate and succeed.

Because of her perseverance, hard work and grit, she is this years La Crosse Tribune Extra Effort Award winner for Central High School. One of her AVID teachers, Ellen Koelbl, described Joye as fierce with great personal strength.

Its fun watching her interact with others in class, Koelbl said. She truly throws herself in whatever she is learning and passionate about  be it an AP Calculus discussion of limits or derivatives or analyzing a characters motivations in her College Prep English class. She feels and does things with great emotion.

Joye came with her family to La Crosse after being born in Mobile, Ala., and living in Chicago until the seventh grade. Her stepfather had friends in La Crosse, and the family decided to move to the community to give the kids a better life than they could get in the Windy City.

Joye said she enjoyed how different La Crosse was from the big city and said she quickly made friends in her new home. But no friend was as close to her as her big brother George.

The two had talked the night before George was killed, and he promised his sister that they would chat over FaceTime the next morning. But that never happened as Joye woke up not to her brothers voice, but the shock as she learned her brother had been shot and killed.

I didnt think it was real, she said. I ran over to the scene, but they wouldnt let me through. He was my best friend. I felt like my world had ended.

In her grief, Joye said she had a lot of anger. She was angry at her teachers, angry at people in the community, even angry at her friends.

She started skipping school and classes. Her grades dipped and she struggled academically. Her teachers noticed and reached out to her, but she resisted.

They didnt give up. They wanted her to get through it, Joye said, offering counseling and other services if Joye needed them.

She continued to resist, but they wore her down. She also connected with friends and family who knew George. Talking with them helped, she said, and they became like older brothers to her.

Being in the AVID program also helped. Joye signed up for AVID when she was in eighth grade and said she knew she always wanted to go to college.

The AVID classes and techniques helped her study and learn the skills she needed to succeed in school. The rigors of the program kept her from slacking and the teachers kept pushing her to excel.

Koebl said she became a student leader at Central  someone others, including her little brother and freshman Jaborious Norwood, look up to. Joye doesnt mince words with them, Koelbl said, and shes often straightforward with her observations.

Some days shes a character  with a great sense of humor making the day a little brighter for others, her teacher said. Theres also a very sweet and empathetic side to her, which at times exposes her vulnerability. These traits will be valuable in her future as a nurse and advocate for her patients.

After graduation, Joye said she hopes to attend Viterbo University, Winona State University or another university known for its nursing program. Her grandmother Elmira Welch was a teacher and a certified nursing assistant, like her mom Valerie Thomas, and both women have been role models for her.

She wants me to succeed so bad, Joye said. You know how grandparents are.
Political activity such as Labor senator Sam Dastyari's infamous pro-China speech after receiving money from a Beijing-linked businessman would become a crime under new laws to curb foreign interference, the Turnbull government has indicated.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull unveiled the much-anticipated laws, which will create a new offence of covertly or maliciously influencing a political process or government decision in a way that harms Australia's national interest.

The laws will also ban foreign political donations to activists such as GetUp! as well as political parties themselves.

And they will create a public registry for individuals or organisations that aim to influence the Australian political process on behalf of foreign interests, similar to the existing registry for political lobbyists. It will become a crime for any person or group that lobbies for foreign interests to not sign up.
The second meeting of National Contact Points (NCPs) for Capacity Building in the Americas and the Caribbean region (AMS) was held from 21 to 23 November 2017 in Montevideo, Uruguay. The NCPs meeting aims at deepening and updating the participants' knowledge of the WCO Capacity Building programmes and initiatives, including enhancing the awareness of the NCPs on their role, and ways of contributing to the work of the WCO Secretariat and the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) in the Capacity Building domain.

This meeting served to further strengthen the network of the NCPs in the region, to clarify roles of the ROCB and the NCPs, and to strengthen cooperation between Members, the ROCB and the WCO.

During the meeting, the WCO led discussions relating to the WCO capacity building model including updates since the first meeting. The ROCB reported on its activities, challenges and proposals while the NCPs shared their national plans covering both capacity building and training activities. Participants further shared expertise and provided feedback to the ROCB and WCO on ways to improve the capacity building needs assessment process and communication.

The meeting was officially closed by the Director General of Uruguay Customs Mr. Enrique Canon who is also the Chair of the WCO Council. He stressed the importance of such regional meetings and pointed out that the increase in the number of Latin American customs officials who have been elected to perform functions in the WCO represents a vote of confidence and is a product of modernization efforts of the Customs of the region.

Information on this event is available in Spanish at: https://www.aduanas.gub.uy/innovaportal/v/17897/6/innova.front/culmino-exitosamente-el-segundo-encuentro-de-referentes-de-la-orfc.html
Following the evaluation of the delivery of tailor-made track of the Mercator Programme for Palestine in July 2017, an updated MERCATOR Implementation Plan for 2017-2020 was developed for Palestine. The updated MERCATOR Implementation Plan for Palestine includes a road map to deliver on the broader organizational and technical development plans with specific capacities building supports related to the technical provisions of the TFA. These included Risk management (Article 7.4); Authorized Operator (Article 7.7); Post Clearance Audit (Article 7.5); Establishment and Publication of Average Release Times (Article 7.6) and Border Agency Cooperation (Article 8.1, 8.2) and Single Window (Article 10.4).

In line with the MECATOR Implementation Plan for Palestine, the WCO undertook a PCA diagnostic mission in the framework of the HMRC-WCO-UNCTAD TFA Capacity Building Programme with the financial support of the United Kingdom through Her Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC). This PCA diagnostic mission for Palestine was conducted from 26 -30 November 2017 in Ramallah, Palestine. The objective of the mission was to identify specific capacity support requirements for implementing effective PCA function that is conducive to the unique Customs operational environment of Palestine.

The mission started with presentations from the WCO experts on the WCO Concept of PCA, PCA Policy Development, PCA Audit Phases and Human Resource Management for PCA. The Director for PCA in Palestine presented on the processes followed by PCA in Palestine, including organizational/divisional processes, audit plan and its performances, IT support, links to Risk Management and other key divisions within the Palestinian Customs. The diagnostics included discussions with Directors from other divisions within Palestinian Customs, including IT, legal, Risk Management, Customs Police, Valuations, Classification and Origin. During the mission, a visit was made to Ramallah Regional Office to observe and understand the clearance processes and links to the PCA activities, risk management and other enforcement and compliance activities.

In concluding the mission, discussions were held with external stakeholders at Customs Headquarters in Ramallah. Attendance included representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, Customs broker and big importers in Palestine. The discussions surrounded the role of PCA regarding trade facilitation and compliance improvement, traders understanding, expectations and frustrations in the Palestinian Customs clearance processes. Considering the lack of border facilities in Palestine, PCA work takes place largely on traders premises and this mission is considered as a critical milestone in building and developing results oriented support for effective Post Clearance Audit in Palestine. The Administration was very pleased to receive WCO expertise in the area of PCA and is looking forward to the Diagnostic mission report and appreciates the ongoing support provided by the WCO in other areas identified in the MERCATOR Implementation Plan for Palestine.
A Regional Workshop for the Americas and Caribbean Region on AEO / MRA was hosted by Costa Rica Customs from 27 November to 1 December 2017 in San Jose, Costa Rica. The Workshop was officiated by the Director General of Costa Rica Customs Mr. Wilson Cespedes where 40 participants from 22 countries attended with financial support from the Korea Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF).

The workshop was a first of its kind, and provided a dynamic discussion on different aspects of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programmes and Mutual Recognition Arrangements / Agreements (MRAs). The workshop started with the basics, namely: what is required in an AEO programme, ensuring there is a robust programme, and what are the next steps to achieve an MRA, among others. A day was set aside for mock MRA negotiations between the participants. The aim was to provide an opportunity to all participants to obtain expertise in a practical aspect of what an MRA negotiation would be like. In addition, a visit to a Costa Rican AEO company was conducted as another mock exercise of a joint validation. New WCO tools such as the AEO and MRA Packages were also presented.

The participants actively participated in all the discussions and exercises and presented the next steps for their administration following the lessons learned from the workshop.

The region boasts seventeen (17) operational AEO programmes to-date, four (4) programmes being developed, nineteen (19) MRAs signed with fifteen (15) additional MRAs being negotiated. Additionally, three (3) multilateral MRAs are being negotiated within the region; Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru), ANDEAN Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru) and Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama).
Cucos Mexican Fusion, which opened in mid-May in the former Restaurant Muramoto location on King Street, has closed after never really catching on.

Lazaro De Vicente Claudio, who owned the business with his brother, Mysael, said he's not sure why the location didn't work out. They closed it Nov. 27.

"It was a lot of things. We're still (trying to) figure (it) out," he said.

The restaurant never got its website up, but a temporary website still shows "now open." Meanwhile, all the tables have been moved out.

Unlike other Mexican restaurants the brothers run, the King Street spot blended Mexican recipes with Japanese ones. It continued to offer sushi like its predecessor, Muramoto.

Currently, the brothers, who are from Puebla, Mexico, also own restaurants in Beloit, Waunakee and Waupun. The Beloit one is called Fiesta Cancun, while the other two are Cuco's. They closed a Verona Cuco's earlier this year.

A Madison Cuco's on Buckeye Road is now called Q-Cos and has a different owner.

De Vicente Claudio isn't sure what will happen to the King Street location and has yet to work out plans with the building's landlord.
State Street eaters looking to sip on a beer with their Crunchwrap Supreme are in luck after the Madison City Council approved a liquor license Tuesday for Taco Bell.

Council members voted to allow a Taco Bell Cantina, which is expected to open this month, to sell wine and beer at 534 State St. But the approval did not come without concerns being raised about the quantity of liquor licenses in the Downtown and the problems it creates.

I have no issue with this application or this applicant, said Ald. Paul Skidmore, 9th District. Its the location and the situation surrounding it, the alcohol-fueled problems.

While the Taco Bell Cantina  which has a different decor than regular Taco Bells, is located in urban business districts and serves alcohol  will cook up burritos and tacos into the early morning hours, beer and wine sales will stop at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Pat Eulberg, a Taco Bell representative, said he believes the company has done enough to address safety concerns by installing 17 security cameras and scanners for identification cards, as well as training employees.

Eulberg said the State Street location will become the ninth Taco Bell Cantina in the United States.

Mayor Paul Soglin, a staunch opponent to more establishments selling alcohol on State Street, was out of town for the meeting. But he expressed his concerns to the City Council in a memo.

We have more than enough liquor outlets in our city, Soglin wrote. If we are concerned about public safety, if we are concerned about mounting law enforcement costs, issuing a license that brings no public value, but great public liability does not make sense.

Some members said they want the broader policy conversation about alcohol Downtown, but saw no issues with Taco Bells application.

Also on Tuesday, the council confirmed Kwasi Obeng, who works for Chicagos Office of Inspector General, to fill the new City Council chief of staff position with a five-year contract.

Obeng will assist the 20 council members in program development and policy responsibilities and oversee the councils three current staff members. Even before his Jan. 8 start date, Obeng had his salary bumped up by $2,000 to $107,000 after receiving a counter offer from his current employer, according to a memo from council President Marsha Rummel.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Dec. 04, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 04, 2017 | 07:32 PM | PADUCAH, KY

A man who lives in a local halfway house has been arrested for burglary.



According to Paducah Police, a woman called after she arrived at her parents' home on Kentucky Avenue and saw a man standing on the screened-in porch. The man reportedly fled the scene, but police say the woman gave a description of him and his clothing.



Police found and detained 54-year-old Nathan L. Moore about five blocks away.



Police say Moore had a digital camera that was taken from the home, and he also had a pry bar, rubber glove and multi-tool.



The homeowner provided video surveillance that showed Moore breaking into the home. He was arrested for 2nd degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. Moore was taken to McCracken County Jail.



Moore is originally from Lexington, but currently lives at Paducah Community Services on Clarence Gaines Street. Police say he has numerous arrests on his record, and has been in prison several times for burglary, robbery, receiving stolen property and drug offenses.



Police say Moore had signed out of the halfway house earlier today for a scheduled doctors' appointment.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 05, 2017 | 06:37 AM | PADUCAH, KY

Police are seeking the publics help in identifying a man suspected of stealing merchandise from a local store.

According to the Paducah Police Department, on Nov. 9, a man took merchandise from Kohls on Hinkleville Road valued at over $1,200 and left the store without paying for it. Police say the man may be associated with a maroon van, driven by another man.

Anyone with information about the mens identities is asked to call the Paducah Police Department at 270/444-8550 or Crime Stoppers at 443-TELL.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Dec. 05, 2017 | BENTON, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 05, 2017 | 09:25 AM | BENTON, KY

Zachary D. Brien has announced his candidacy for Marshall County Attorney.



Brien currently serves as Benton City Attorney, and says in a press release that during his career he has advised local government, litigated criminal cases, and represented families in guardianship cases to protect seniors. Brien has also advocated in court for abused and neglected children.



Brien is the chairman of the Kentucky Lake Chamber of Commerce, and launched a young professionals program to engage members of the community. He says that if elected he will take a proactive approach to deal with the growing problems the county faces.



Here is the full announcement from Brien:



It is time for the people of Marshall County to choose their own County Attorney. It has been 24 years since the citizens of our great county even had a choice. In 2018, I want to be your choice. I am officially announcing my candidacy for Marshall County Attorney. The support I have received has been overwhelming, and the message is clear: it is time for a new approach.



Our children and families need a dedicated servant to confront child abuse and neglect head-on. Our law enforcement officers need a strong advocate in the Courthouse. Our elected officials need no-nonsense legal advice that they can rely on with confidence, and they need to hear it from someone they trust to put personal politics aside. I am the man for this job.



If elected, I will be a full time, proactive County Attorney. I will be a strong voice in the community to get ahead of the growing problems we face, rather than merely responding to those problems after the fact. I will not only prosecute those who offend the law, I will use the excellent office staff and abundant resources to work to prevent drug use, child abuse, and crime before they happen.



I have the skills and experience to be effective as County Attorney. In my legal career and as Benton City Attorney, I have dealt with every single area of the law that the County Attorneys office sees, and more. I have advised local government on the best course of action to take on a wide variety of issues. I have successfully litigated a multitude of criminal cases. I have represented families in guardianship cases to protect seniors who could no longer protect themselves. I have advocated in Court for children who were neglected and abused.



My qualifications are not limited to the practice of law. As the Chairman of the Kentucky Lake Chamber of Commerce, I launched a young professionals program to engage more members of the community, and I will take that same type of initiative to actively create solutions to the issues in our County, instead of waiting until problems walk through the Courthouse doors.



I hope you will join me in bringing needed change to Marshall County. It is time for a new approach to this office. I want to be more than the Attorney for the County, I want to be the Attorney for the people of the County. I am asking for your vote for Marshall County Attorney.




By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 04, 2017 | 10:25 PM | MAYFIELD, KY

Two men were arrested on drug and other charges Sunday in Mayfield.

The Mayfield Police Department said officers responded to a suspicious vehicle near Power Truss at 15th and Housman in Mayfield. The vehicle was found and approached by officers.

The passenger in the vehicle, 37-year-old William Britt Coles of Mayfield, had a warrant for his arrest out of Hickman, Kentucky. Upon further investigation, Coles was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

The driver of the vehicle, 37-year-old Phillip Wayne Nelson of Wingo, was found to be in possession of a substantial amount of methamphetamine, along with scales, several clear baggies, and cash that was consistent with trafficking the illegal substance.

Both subjects were arrested, and taken to the Graves County Jail. Nelson is charged with trafficking meth and possession of drug paraphernalia. Coles is charged with possession of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also served a bench warrant for failing to appear.
Gov. Scott Walkers administration has finalized a rule that would require able-bodied adult recipients of food stamps to be screened and possibly tested for drugs.

The move is the latest step in the ongoing battle over whether such testing is legal under federal law.

Walker has framed the issue as addressing the states worker shortage and as a continuation of the states landmark welfare reform efforts begun in the 1990s under Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson.

Employers have jobs available, but they need skilled workers who can pass a drug test, Walker said in a statement. This rule change means people battling substance use disorders will be able to get the help they need to get healthy, and get back into the workforce.

Walker and the Legislature included the requirement in the 2015-17 budget and the state preemptively sued the federal government in 2015 for the right to implement the new program.

A federal judge tossed out that lawsuit last fall because the state hadnt implemented the plan yet, so it wasnt ready to be litigated. The state argued President Barack Obamas administration had advised that federal law doesnt allow food stamp recipients to be drug-tested, but that another section of federal law allows such testing.

President Donald Trumps administration has indicated, throughout the administration, interest in working with states to provide flexibility, Wisconsin Department of Health Services spokeswoman Julie Lund said. But there hasnt been a direct communication from the Trump administration green-lighting the program.

The rule requires able-bodied adults receiving food stamps to fill out a questionnaire and, based on the answers, requires a drug test. Those who test positive for drugs must undergo treatment.

Under the plan, childless FoodShare participants who fail a drug test would be eligible for state-funded rehabilitation treatment if they dont have any other way to pay for it.

The state estimates out of 66,200 individuals who would fill out the questionnaire, 2,000 would be required to take a drug test. Of that amount, 220 are expected to test positive for drugs and require treatment.

Lund said the questionnaire will be similar to a 10-question Drug Abuse Screening Test used by treatment clinics that asks about illegal drug-related behavior over the past 12 months.

The Legislature has up to 120 days to review the administrative rule, after which it will be published and take effect sometime next spring.

Walker has already implemented worker training requirements for FoodShare program participants. Since April 2015, able-bodied adults ages 18-49 have been required to participate in a worker training program or work at least 80 hours per month to maintain eligibility for Foodshare. Some 20,000 participants have gone through the program, Walkers office said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The festive season always draws out new stagings of JM Barrie's classic never-ageing hero, with adaptations ranging from the downright spectacular to the innovatively devised. The Action to the Word production goes for something of a different tack, however, with a company of seven actor-musicians recreating the story of Peter Pan in the more intimate confines of the Pleasance Theatre, replete with rock-infused renditions of classic pop tracks.

There's a lot of magic in the low key, and largely faithful production. Capturing the essence and the jovial nature of Barrie's original play, The Lost Boy Peter Pan teases out the familial themes and, crucially, decides never to talk down to what is largely a young audience. One of the more interesting additions is the embellishment of James Hook's character, portraying him as a sad, lonely man simply in need of affection. Before the show's inevitable conclusion, we almost sympathise with him over Peter Pan.

The piece ends up as a perfectly serviceable pantomime alternative, the cast hopping in and out of roles, jumping from angry pirates to outspoken Lost Boys with ease. The anarchy is deftly overseen by director Alexandra Spencer-Jones, all under the fairy-light coated canopy courtesy of lighting designer Sarah Hazelgrove.

It helps that the ensemble are all a talented bunch  Toby Falla's Peter, when not leaping and bounding across the auditorium, delivers some impressive drum solos, while Thomas Parrish has some great physical transformations backed up by a belter of a voice. Every cast member can handle at least two instruments, carefully woven into their characterisation  Georgie Parker's flautist fairy Tinkerbell brings necessary mischief to proceedings.

The show's faults lie in its structure, and Spencer-Jones' vibrant first act gives way to a floundering second after a rather abrupt interval. Trimming the show, removing some unnecessary set pieces (Welsh mermaids, unfortunately, never feel like they push the story forwards), may give it that extra joie-de-vivre. The inclusion of Peter's origin story, while an interesting prologue, also seems ill-drawn and is rushed through, compared to some of the later plot beats.

The integration of music (ranging from fun., Harry Styles, or ELO, with a smattering of The Beatles) sometimes suits the plot, and the well-choreographed fight between Pan and Hook has all the right energy and punch courtesy of its electric-guitar backing track. On other occasions, particularly when energy is lower, it just feels that bit too anachronistic, almost like Glee-does-Finding Neverland.

But there's still a sense of enchantment here, as rough-and-ready as it appears. Introducing young spectators to ensemble theatre, showing them how to create a world within a black box space, is a tricky feat to pull off, and Action to the Word have crafted a wonderful experience for first time viewers.

The Lost Boy Peter Pan runs at the Pleasance Theatre until 7 January 2018.
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They came in their millions. As the 19th century drew to a close, America opened its doors. Immigrants from across Europe and beyond arrived in the States seeking a fresh start. Israel Zangwill's 1908 drama, not seen on these shores for 70 years, contrasts the utopian optimism of multiculturalism with the latent tensions lying in wait. There is, it implies, no such thing as a whole new world.

Max Elton's revival, at a moment when an isolationist president is tightening borders and stoking xenophobia, offers it as both a shot of idealism and a dose of reality. Born in Britain to Russian parents, Zangwill wasn't the first to use the phrase 'melting pot', but his play did much to popularise it. "America is God's crucible", beams the newly-arrived Russian Jew David Quixano (Steffan Cennydd), "The great melting pot where the nations of Europe are melting and reforming".

A talented musician, David is composing a new American symphony  symbolically unfinished  to express the pain that immigrants left behind and their hope for the future. A radical new sound that impresses the legendary German conductor Herr Pappelmeister (Hayward B Morse), it uses orchestral harmonies to express David's belief in "the fusion of all races" on American soil.

This was, don't forget, a moment when the nations of Europe were turning against one another, as empires strained to hold off their ends. America promised a fresh start, free from history, but Zangwill stresses that people bring their pasts with them. His America is many things to many people. David and his Yiddish-speaking grandmother might have fled the persecution of the pogroms, but others, the aristocratic Baron Revendal (Peter Marinker) for example, made the journey to be free of problems they blame on the Jewish population. His daughter Vera (Whoopie van Raam) offers a way forward. A revolutionary on the run, she overcomes an anti-semitic upbringing to support and even love David.

In fact, America has anti-semites of its own, including Pappelmeister's patron, Quincy Davenport (Alexander Gatehouse makes a charming snake). Whether out of jealousy over Vera  healthy, American competition  or his own ingrained anti-semitism, he bans the orchestra from playing the symphony. It's telling that an old pogrom injury prevents David from playing the violin for his living.

Staged in a room walled with burnished mirrors, as if people's judgement are clouded, Elton's production plays out on a carpet of stars-and-stripes bleeding into one another; an image that's both optimistic and ominous at the same time.

That's more than can be said for Zangwill's play and, for all its historical intrigue, there are good reasons why it's gone unproduced so long. It's surprisingly modern in its thinking and its symbolism, but its action is flatly predictable and, so, melodramatic. The tensions of a nation are squished into the living room dramas of a single social set.

Admirable though its rediscovery is, Elton's shoestring staging doesn't make a case for reviving it beyond sprinkling a little historical context on present-tense politics. His cast are likeable and spritely, but their performances all lack psychological detail and constraints strip out any aspirations towards authenticity. Zangwill's play, as rooted in its time as it is relevant to our own, needs it.

The Melting Pot runs at the Finborough Theatre until 19 December.
Gov. Scott Walker is seeking nearly $7 million for advertising to attract workers to Wisconsin. It's seems like he wants workers for Foxconn, the Taiwanese technology firm that received nearly $3 billion in subsidies to build a factory in Wisconsin. With a shortage of workers in the state, it's clear many of the workers at Foxconn will need to come from out of Wisconsin.
. 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 women of Central Lutheran Church, located on the corner of Huff and Wabasha in Winona, are hosting a Christmas Bake Sale and free will donation lunch from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Dec. 9, in Grace Hall. Christmas cookies like rosettes, krumkake, sandbakkels and other holiday baked goods, fresh lefse, cutlery and gently used costume jewelry will be available for purchase. Proceeds will go toward missions and church projects. Coffee, tea, soup, egg salad or ham salad sandwiches, and coffee cake will be provided for a freewill donation. Proceeds will support the Winona Volunteer Services food shelf.
The Buffalo County Economic Development Committee re-activated a revolving-loan-fund to help promote growth and new jobs.

The county has an estimated $375,000 in an account that was set-up with seed money from a government community development block grant administered by the State of Wisconsin.

A new loan committee was named to oversee the fund, a panel that was still evolving in scope and membership.

Jim Ziegeweid of the town of Glencoe was named to the revolving-loan-fund committee and elected chairman. He was a former county board supervisor.

Stephanie McCarthy Wondercheck was elected committee vice chair. Jenny Schaffner, Larry Jost, Steve Nelson and possibly others will be serving on the loan committee.

The economic development committee agreed to rules that gave the chair of the loan fund committee a seat on the development panel.

The loan fund has only one account on the books, a loan with a $7,500 balance owed, according to county officials.

The community development and loan fund committees recently had a joint meeting to go over organizational structure, goals, roles and responsibilities.

The loan committee also had its first meeting to review program manuals, loan applications and other related documents.

The group also was working on developing a marketing plan.
Winona

55 alternate side parking tickets were issued over the weekend.

Friday

10:26 a.m.  Walmart reported a man using a phony travelers check to pay for an Xbox.

11:33 p.m.  Kendra Rose Wagner, 19, Austin, was cited for under 21 drinking and driving after being stopped near Broadway and Wagner streets for having a suspended object in her windshield with a blood alcohol of .04.

Saturday

12:00 a.m.  A 16-year-old Winona boy was cited for under 21 drinking and driving, not having a Minnesota drivers license and open container after being stopped near Fifth and Washington streets for having a rear facing light on in the car. His blood alcohol was .03.

1:01 a.m.  Neal Christ Smallz, 18, Mound, was cited for underage consumption after being stopped near Sanborn and Center streets.

1:11 a.m.  Lauren Ashley Borgstrom, 20, Champlin; Elly Alene Martin, 18, Lindstrom, David K. Munson, 19, Chicago, Ill.; and Sylvia Mae Vannieuwenhoven, 19, Green Bay, Wis., were all cited for underage consumption after being stopped for not using headlights while driving near King and Center streets.

2:35 a.m.  Charges of fourth-degree drunken driving were referred against Mitchel Dwayne Meeker, 22, Chatfield, after being stopped on Fifth Street for not using headlights. His blood alcohol was .14.

7:37 a.m.  A woman reported a decorated, 4-foot tall Christmas tree missing from a yard on the 400 block of Lafeyette Street.

12:35 p.m.  A man on the 100 block of Glen Mary Road reported that he had done compromising acts at the request of someone online and was now being blackmailed, but hadnt lost money.

4:11 p.m.  A man reported his Christmas lights had been cut on the 500 block of Sioux Street.

4:30 p.m.  Samantha Jo Sterbenz, 46, Winona, was cited for theft by shoplifting at Fleet Farm.

7:06 p.m.  Walmart reported a man taking a $10 backpack out of the store.

Sunday

12:50 a.m.  Charges of fourth-degree drunken driving were referred against Eric Rodriguez Corral, 24, Eagan, after being stopped near Sarnia and Walnut streets for speeding. His blood alcohol was .10.

3:22 p.m.  A woman reported that a wallet was missing from a car on the 1250 block of West Third Street.

8:31 p.m.  Charges of malicious punishment of a child, domestic abuse causing fear and domestic abuse causing harm were referred against Paul Anthony Clark Jr., 27, Winona, on the 450 block of Sioux Street.

Winona County

Friday

12:49 p.m.  A CO2 powered gun was taken from a students car after someone saw it in the vehicle and told Lewiston High School, who called the the authorities and the students parents.

Saturday

2:24 p.m.  A shed fire which was a total loss was reported by a Nodine man on County Road 12. Pickwick, Nodine and Dakota fire stations reported.

6:08 p.m.  Meredith Rose Bowar, 18, Brookefield, Wis., and Rilee Victoria Millis, 19, Sparta, Wis., were both cited for possession of a small amount of marijuana in a motor vehicle and possession of paraphernalia after their vehicle was stopped near Hwy. 61 and County Road 3 for a broken tail light and the car smelled of marijuana.

Sunday

2:13 a.m.  Charges of fourth-degree drunken driving were referred against Ryan Thomas Walchak, 33, Winona, after being stopped for a broken tail light and a light facing the rear. His blood alcohol was .10.

8:27 p.m.  Charges of driving while under the influence of a controlled substance will be referred against Roberto Vazquez, 19, Farmington, along with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of over 1.4 grams of marijuana after he was stopped for poor driving on Interstate 90 outside of Dakota. A 17-year-old passenger from Faribault is being referred for two counts of fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance.

When their vehicle was searched for smelling strongly of marijuana, deputies found 53 grams of marijuana, 36 grams of marijuana wax and 7 grams of suspected cocaine between two back packs and the glove compartment, separated into smaller packages.
Two people identified by law enforcement as "persons of interest" in Sydney Loofe's disappearance remained in custody Friday, now at the Saline County jail in their hometown of Wilber.
Cooks from around the Midwest entered into the 12th annual Midwest Cream Cheese Competition Saturday, surrounded by other holiday events in downtown Beaver Dam.

There were 40 entries, and Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce president Phil Fritsche was pleased with the response from both those who competed and those who attended.

Its fantastic to be doing an event like this for 12 years, and that certainly would not be possible without the support of Kraft Heinz Company, Fritsche said. Tying this in with all the others things going on downtown was also a really good fit, and brought out a lot of people to join in the fun.

This is the second year that the event was held at The Watermark, 209 S. Center St., which also hosted the holiday parade after-party.

Cooks brought their entries to The Watermark from noon to 1 p.m. Judging was completed in three categories in three different time slots, including best new cream cheese recipe at 1 p.m., greatest cream cheese dip at 2 p.m. and ultimate cheesecake at 3 p.m.

Fritsche was happy with the entries  both for creativity and overall deliciousness.

The awards presentation began at 4:45 p.m. Prizes included cash ($200 for first, $100 for second and $50 for third), a years supply of Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese (two bars a week) and a tour of the Beaver Dam Kraft Foods plant (the largest producer of cream cheese in the United States). Corporate support comes from Kraft Heinz and Alliant Energy. Local Kraft plant employees served as judges and helpers, and ensured the contest ran smoothly from start to finish.

This years judges were:

Best New Cream Cheese Recipe  Teresa Haumchild and Seth Rehbaum of Kraft Heinz, along with Chris Connaughty, Karen Gibbs and Ken Thomas.

Greatest Cream Cheese Dip Recipe  Linda Fetter and Kelly Townsend of Kraft Heinz, along with Mark Born, Bev Beal-Loeck and Mary Fitzgerald.

Ultimate Cheesecake Recipe  Dave Wallace and Lisa Wiegel of Kraft Heinz, along with Becky Glewen, Frank Ferree and Jeff Kitchen.

Fritsche believes that pairing the cream cheese event with others helped make it a big success. Competitors in the past came from as far away as Milwaukee, Baraboo, Wisconsin Dells and Madison. This year the farthest came from Minnesota.

We like to see that because this is a great, fun event for everyone involved, Fritsche said.

Recipe samples were available after each judging session and were also available after the parade at The Watermark.
Scrutiny of budget cuts hampered as meeting told it is art not science with no voluminous books of detail

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Dec 5th, 2017

An attempt to scrutinise proposed council budget cuts hit a hurdle yesterday when councillors were told there wasnt much more detail to provide for many parts of the proposals  at least not in public.

The Homes and Environment Scrutiny Committee had previously requested detail on 24 items listed in this information document on the cuts before Councillors, a request itself that had caused confusion when made as it was clarified extra information was the request rather than 24 reports.

Wrexham Council Leader Mark Pritchard attended the meeting and opened with a now usual presentation stating we did not come into local politics to cut services but this is the arena we are in because of austerity.

The meeting was unusual, it was listed online as being a special and possibly first meeting ever with councillors looking to scrutinise specific budget cut proposals publicly in this manner.

The council leader offered thanks to lead members and officers who had changed their diaries to make the meeting happen, but asked if more planning could be made in future noting they are usually booked up three months in advance.

Again repeating a previous invite, Cllr Pritchard said: All lead members are open to ideas, so put your ideas on the table and we are willing to listen.

The councils finance officer effectively backed that invite after detailing the budget process with much detail and clarity, noting that due to legalities of producing a balanced budget any suggestions to remove items by scrutiny committees it would be preferred that a replacement cut (or revenue generator) should be suggested.

The finance officer also spent time clearing up a 2m gap between the proposed cuts in the budget consultation and figures made public, with some speculating there could be a further 2m of cuts yet to be announced. It was also pointed out there were many known unknowns lurking, including changes to the Welsh Government Budget, the final settlement figures, and even the shake out of the UK Government budget itself yet to get full and final figures attributed.

Sat alone in the public gallery we were the only outside observers when Cllr Alun Edwards looked forward to a prompt meeting, little did we know it would be three and a half hours before we saw daylight, with the meeting itself carrying on for hours more.

Cllr Edwards said: I do not want this to be like other meetings, there is no point going around in circles. Lets not fart about, if we say we cant cut this lets put forward an alternative. Lets not go back and too for an hour and a half.

That idea was swiftly derailed with two issues coming to a head early on.

Firstly the information asked for did not seem to be available, with equality impact assessments not accessible by some councillors.

Cllr Carrie Harper voiced her disappointment that despite the clear recommendations from the last committee there is no extra information provided. The request was for further detail on each of the items on this PDF table, a document that has been in the public domain for several weeks.

No further per-item information was given out, however there were more lead members and officers at the meeting ready to answer questions than we have seen at any recent meeting.

Cllr Harper enquired why no further detail was given in the report before them, or even as a Part 2 element to the meeting.

Meetings are taken into Part 2 where the public gallery is cleared and a secret debate can take place, with freedom to discuss sensitive material  for example, jobs or commercial matters that should not be public.

It was revealed the usual secret pre-meeting meeting had taken place with the committee who had decided to change from the advertised agenda to look to split the debate into a Part 1 public meeting then save commercially or personally sensitive questions to a Part 2 secret session.

As a result the councillors went through the list in the PDF document asking questions on each, usually in order, with a second set of questions prepared for the Part 2 session.

Cllr Jenkins was not in attendance, but almost managed to scupper those plans unknowingly, by sending his apologies alongside some emailed questions. One of which was read out and referred to possible job cuts with a precise figure, with Cllr Pritchard quickly jumping in to ensure no more Part 2 content was made public.

Cllr Barrie Warburton was unimpressed with the tabling of questions via email and non-attendance, enquiring what was the point of attending if that was possible  with the council leader helpfully pointing out those who attend get to vote as well as taking part in the wider debate.

With the process nailed down the questions started to flow, with Cllr Harper kicking off asking for clarity on

which parks were due to be affected by proposed cuts, and requesting for a per-park break down of the impacts.

Cllr Bithell answered that he had seen various Friends of groups being concerned at the impacts, but offered to put peoples mind at rest stating a the proposals were introduction of a new service model. He acknowledged it may involve reduction in staffing, and opening hours could change. The plans were outlined as a new delivery model that is more focused, more efficient and would deliver better value.

In between various interjections Cllr Harper asked four times for a per-park break down of the impacts, with Cllr Bithell replying: What more information do you want? No decisions have been made. If we proceed I will be happy to share the information

Wrexham Councils Head of Environment and Planning Lawrence Isted spoke to make a general point over the principle of cuts than the specifics of cuts, saying the cuts process started 3-4 years ago with the writing of a long list that was colour coded green amber and red. Red was described as positivity difficult where the options would have negative implications regardless, Nothing on this list does not cause some harm as there is an impact. It is relative harm we are talking about.

The battle went on with Cllr Harper again asking: Are you happy to circulate the information per park? I am trying to scrutinise, to scrutinise we need the detail. It is a difficult position to scrutinise without the information.

Mr Isted replied saying: We do not have the full picture as we have not worked up the full plans and proposals. It would be abortive work if 3-4 options are deleted. I was trying to get across the general principle.

At this point Cllr Pritchard took the lead, stating: The difficulty we have, and it will be the ongoing theme this morning, we dont have the information, as we have not made a political decision.

You wanted as much information as we can give you, we can only give you what you have at this time.

It is my opinion, but I think you have asked for these meetings a little early. You have them blocked through December and I will be at them and will be saying the same thing. I am happy to give you the information we have today. We are in a little bit of a, we cant go forward until we decide what we are going to take forward.

At that Cllr Pritchard held his hands up as if to indicate there was not much more he could do on that point.

Cllr Mike Morris agreed that the process of scrutiny needed looking at, but pointed out: It is hard to understand and the public might think the same, some work must have been done to say put a value of it saving 100,000.

Instead of fudging about, someone must have worked out how this could save 100k in some shape or form, perhaps value worked out in various scenarios. How has the 100k been worked up?

Unfortunately Wrexham.com cant tell you, but councillors might know as both the council officer and council leader pointed out they would be happy to answer  but under Part 2 conditions  and therefore that question was left there.

Further questions followed that pattern, with Cllr Graham Rogers angrily asking if there had been discussions with unions and that he would be unhappy to have a serious debate unless that had happened. Again the answer was from Cllr Pritchard: You are right. I did say this early on, this is the theme but if you want a frank and open discussion go into Part 2.

Cllr Bithell did placate Cllr Rogers, noting that unions have been consulted but again stressed no decisions had been made.

The next item discussed was bins, an exchange we have plucked out into its very own article that you can read here.

Questions on domestic waste were followed by questions on trade waste, with Cllr Dana Davies asking about optimum pricing to avoid schools going elsewhere after proposed Council price increases.

In answer she was told the 50% rise figure in the document was not precise and subject to change and was a guide. Cllr Bithell added: We are going to maximise as much as we can, it is not about penalise people, if schools with to go external that is a matter for them but our prices will be competitive.

Mr Isted explained that the cuts were a matter of art not science adding the figures quoted were felt to be achievable with a fair wind, and there was information around risk assessments in terms of how achievable a cut was but said he did not want to give the impression there is voluminous books of information, it is judgement.

It appeared some members of the committee were unimpressed, expecting to see the detail on how savings / cuts with attributed values had been calculated.

Cllr Davies enquired if consultation had taken place with those living by country parks, as charging for parking could mean people would park nearby on residential streets rather than pay. The reply was the recent county wide consultation counted towards that, but Cllr Bithell did add that as with any parking changes there would be a statutory consultation process if that was introduced.

Charging for second green bin collections are on the proposal document, triggering a round of questions. Cllr Davies pointed out that could push people to using black bins more, which could cost the Council more in various ways including raising cost via the PFI waste deal that is in place.

Cllr Bithell disagreed saying the PFI deal was in mind, and if people did not wish to pay for a second bin they could take their waste in person to the various skip sites run by the Council.

Mr Isted also offered that there could be a hidden benefit, as it might encourage more people to compost.

Some of the questions asked illustrated the lack of detail on offer, with a question on the cut of a full time employee and impact on the size on the department being answered with a maths problem of Well, it would be about 250 people minus, er, one.

Debate on revenue changes over leasing of vehicles, and other options presumably took place in Part 2, despite being raised and unanswered in public.

Those councillors and staff who get free parking perks could have to pay for parking under the budget proposals, with a typo spotted in the document before the meeting  4 a week parking planned rather than 4 a month. Cllr Davies raised a question of equality, with councillors being asked to pay 1 for parking with disabled members of the public looking at a 1.50 charge.

The parking debate raised the question on how possible charges at country parks would be enforced, with the meeting told the normal council enforcement officers would be used. Cllr Morris appeared sceptical on this plan, pointing out that in the sticks it was rare to see an enforcement officer, in his view the easy pickings of town carparks being preferred.

Cllr Warburton offered a rare piece of positivity on the plans, with allotment users he speaks with apparently pleased with the proposals as they get support from the council as part of the service.

Cllr Warburton was less pleased with the plans to transfer bowling greens, looking for reassurance that even if they were not taken up by community councils or clubs that they would not be closed. If they are not taken over I would not want to see them go, no one would build them again.

Lead Member for Environment and Transport, Cllr David A Bithell likened the situation to community centres, saying it was the reality, take them over, use them or lose them but adding the ongoing mantra of no decisions have been made at this stage.

Overview questions were asked over the planned changes in shared public protection services, with it revealed that a regional service was due to be explored that could include some or all north wales councils if they were open to the idea.

With the list nearly complete a comfort break was called around 1:15pm.

The lack of information, or the inability to hold direct conversations in public, appeared to be holding back the debate  so three and a half hours after the meeting began the meeting was restarted with the usual Part 2 notice read out, with reference to employment discussions being in private outweighing the public interest in it being public.

Therefore we cant report on any more of the debate, if questions were answered satisfactory in the end, if required information was provided, or what recommendations were formed.
The 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper released on November 23 by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls government is another indication of global crisis and uncertainty, severe geo-political tensions and the escalating drive to war in Asia and other parts of the world. It is the first comprehensive official document on Australian foreign policy since 2003.

As a middle-order imperialist power, Australia has always relied on a more powerful allyfirst Britain, then after 1941 the United Statesto prosecute its economic and strategic interests. However, the relative decline of the US and the economic rise of China are undermining the post-World War II framework in which Washington was the primary power.

While the white paper is written in bland official language, it nevertheless reflects the rising anxieties in ruling circles over the breakdown of the post-war order and the emergence of a more competitive and contested world. While the US had been the dominant power in the region since World War II, today China is challenging Americas position.

The document warns: Navigating the decade ahead will be hard because, as Chinas power grows, our region is changing in ways without precedent in Australias modern history. The fundamental dilemma confronting Australian capitalismhow to balance between the US, its long-term strategic ally, and China, now its largest trading partnerhas reached a turning point.

The mantra repeated by successive governments over the past decadeAustralia does not have to choose between the US and Chinahas been shelved. The document insists that Australian interests depend on maintaining US global dominance, stating: International challenges can only be tackled effectively when the worlds wealthiest, most innovative and most powerful country is engaged in solving them.

The limited ability of Canberra to manoeuvre between Washington and Beijing was underscored by the 2010 ousting of Labor Party Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. It amounted to an internal coup by a handful of powerbrokers, later revealed by WikiLeaks to be protected sources of the US embassy. Rudds crime, as far as the US was concerned, was to argue for a compromise with China when the Obama administration was ratcheting up a confrontation under its pivot to Asia.

The white paper backs the expansion of subsequent military ties with the US, and Australias closer and closer integration into the Pentagons war plans against China. This includes opening up northern Australian bases to American Marines, warships and military aircraft. Our alliance with the United States is central to Australias security and sits at the core of our strategic and defence planning, the paper states.

While the document declares that the government is committed to strong and constructive ties with China and a comprehensive strategic partnership with Beijing, its pro-US stance is unmistakable. The paper echoes the belligerent stance taken by the Trump administration toward North Korea, warning that a North Korean attack on the US would also trigger Australias commitments under our ANZUS alliance. In other words, Australia automatically would be involved in any US-led war against North Koreaa conflict that could lead to war with China.

The paper also backs Washingtons aggressive intervention into the territorial disputes in the South China Sea between China and its neighbours, under the bogus banner of freedom of navigation. Australia, it declares, is particularly concerned by the unprecedented pace and scale of Chinas activities and opposes the use of disputed features and artificial structures in the South China Sea for military purposes. Canberra has supported the Pentagons provocative freedom of navigation operations, in which US warships have directly intruded into Chinese claimed-waters, threatening a military clash.

Chinas response to the white paper has been relatively muted. However, on the South China Sea, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Kang declared that it was Chinas hope that Australia will stop issuing these irresponsible remarks, especially when ASEAN [Association of South East Asian Nations] countries have reached consensus.

Analyst Michael Wesley, from the Australian National University, told the Australian that the white papers language on China was more robust but was wound back. Despite an escalating media witch-hunt over the past year against Chinese influence in Australian politics, the document does not name China when it expresses concern about foreign interference.

It states that the government is concerned about growing attempts by foreign governments or their proxies to exert inappropriate influence on and to undermine Australias sovereign institutions and decision-making. Given the current furore over Chinese agents of influence in Australia, the white papers meaning is clear.

Canberra nevertheless has two significant fears about US foreign policy. The first is that Washington could pull back from the Asia Pacific, leaving Australia and other allies to fend for themselves. As the white paper states, the government recognises greater debate and uncertainty in the US about the costs of its involvement, but argues that US engagement is in Washingtons own interests.

The government is boosting its military ties and diplomatic support for Washington, in part to ensure continued US involvement in Asia. At the same time, it is developing relations with countries throughout the region, in particular Japan and India. While the establishment of the so-called quadthe US, Japan, Australia and Indiais an element of Americas anti-China strategy, it is also a means for Australia to become less reliant on the US, should Washington pull back. For similar reasons, the document calls for a more robust Australian intervention in the South West Pacific, which Canberra traditionally has regarded as its sphere of influence.

That said, the Trump administration has been ramping up its economic and strategic challenges to China throughout the Indo-Pacific, not retreating into American isolationism. Trumps aggressive trade war policies are the second major concern in Canberra. Already Trump has pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), significantly impacting on the economic interests of allies such as Japan and Australia. Without mentioning Trump, the paper states that Australia will work with other TPP partners to try to salvage elements of the deal.

The white paper devotes an entire section to defending and supporting an open global economy as essential for Australian trade and economic interests. Again without a reference to Trump, it warns about the dangers of rising protectionism. At the same time, the paper states that while China is Australias top trading partner, the US is still of systemic importance to the global economy. Australia remains heavily dependent on US investment and the American financial system.

The Australian s editor-at-large and pompous pundit Paul Kelly criticises the white paper, saying it is based on a grand paradoxit warns that Australia faces the most unprecedented risks in its modern history, but then proposes a series of conventional, constructive but orthodox solutions. However, in the course of the lengthy discourse that follows, Kelly has nothing to offer by way of an alternative.

The unstated fear in ruling circles is that the rising geo-political tensions through Asia and the world, the escalation of trade war measures, and the increasingly aggressive provocations and military threats, above all by the US, are leading to a catastrophic war involving the major nuclear powers. The pro-US thrust of the white paper underlines what is already evident: if US imperialism launches a war, Australia is totally committed and automatically will be involved.
Mark Mazower: What You Did Not Tell. A Russian Past and the Journey Home, Other Press: New York 2017.

With all its wars, genocides and revolutions, the 20th century has motivated a flood of autobiographies and family memoirs. Many of them are written by ordinary people, whose families were in one way or another involved in major political developments and who now seek to come to grips with this complex history, which is seldom talked about and even more rarely explained.

Mark Mazower, professor of history at Columbia University, has made an important contribution to the growing literature of this field with a book on his familys history. The publication of What You Did Not Tell was timed for the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution and quite appropriately so: most of the ground covered in his book, which traces the biographies of Mazowers grandfather and father, in one way or another relates to the fate of the Russian Revolution.

Mark Mazower is widely regarded as one of the foremost historians of European history and authored important studies of the Nazi occupation of Europe and Greek 20th century history. To uncover the story of his own family, he studied not only the family archives but also did extensive research in archives in New York City, Europe, and Russia.

Amid a flood of publications that mostly seek to defame and slander the revolution, Mazowers book stands out as one of the few serious and engaging works. His familys history reflects almost the entire range of political tendencies on the left in the Russian Empire and is thus representative of the experiences of a whole layer of Russian Jewish intellectuals in the 20th century.

While Mazower has little sympathy for the October Revolution and the Bolshevik government, he largely refrains from vulgar attacks on the revolution that are now all too common among his fellow professors at elite universities. What You Did Not Tell is distinguished by a remarkable objectivity and sobriety in the description of complex historical events and a warm affection that the author feels for its protagonists.

At the center of the story is the life of his grandfather, Max, whom Mazower never met personally and whose political life in the Russian Empire remained a secret to him until very recently.

Max (or Mordecai) Mazower was born in Grodno in 1873 and formed part of the same generation as Lenin, Feliks Dzerzhinsky, Julius Martov and other formidable leaders of the Russian revolutionary movement. As a young man, he joined the Jewish social democratic labor movement, the Bund, which was initially based in Vilna (now the capital of Lithuania) and split from the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks at the 1903 Party Congress.

Max was an important regional party worker, first in Vilna, and then in particular during the 1905 revolution in odz. The 1905 revolution found the Bund at the zenith of its power with over 24,000 members in the Russian Empire. It was in the defense against the anti-Semitic pogroms that the Bund, which formed many self-defense units, built up much of its prestige among the Eastern European working masses.

The chapter on this period in his grandfathers life is one of the most interesting in the book. Mazower details the insurrection of Jewish and Christian workers against the Tsar, illustrating it with numerous press reports. The uprising was finally crushed in blood, leaving between 1,000 and 2,000 people dead and hundreds wounded.

As is now the fashion among a whole layer of academics, Mark Mazower idealizes the Bund, presenting it as a more democratic and, at least temporarily, more influential movement than Lenins Bolsheviks. While it is true that the Bund outnumbered both the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks in the early 1900s, and made important contributions to the struggle against anti-Semitic onslaughts on the Jewish population and its cultural education, Mazower fails to provide a more in-depth account of the political differences that arose among the major social democratic leaders of that period.

Opposed to the Zionist project of settling in Palestine, the Bund advocated national cultural autonomy for Jews in the Russian Empire and later in inter-war Poland, rejecting the orthodox Marxist approach to the national problem, and claiming for itself the prerogative to work among Jewish workers. This perspective, which was strongly influenced by the theorists of the Austro-Marxian revisionists, was opposed not only by Lenin, but also by Plekhanov (who famously called the Bundists Zionists that are sea-sick), as well as Rosa Luxemburg, Leo Jogiches and Leon Trotsky.

The Bund focused on defending and conquering political and economic rights for the Jewish population at home in Eastern Europe, and was a principal protagonist of the revival of Yiddish culture in the first three decades of the 20th century. Like the Mensheviks, the Bund expected the next stage of the Russian Revolution to be a bourgeois-democratic one and therefore opposed the seizure of power led by the Bolsheviks in October 1917 and the establishment of a workers state as premature. Nevertheless, sections of the Bund in Soviet Russia eventually joined the Bolshevik Party. In Poland, the Polish Labor Bund maintained a highly ambiguous attitude toward the Soviet state.

We may assume that it is not only the strength but also the weaknesses of the Bunds political program and profile that appear attractive to Mazower and lead him to not deal with the Marxists criticism at any length. He notes, rather approvingly, in commenting on his grandfathers writings from 1905:

The movements socialist credentials are on vivid display in his words but the target is carefully chosen: neither capitalism in general nor the bosses, but the imperial regime and the indiscriminate violence of those defending it. Socialism here means the emancipation of society in general, and the freedom for young children to have their innocence back and to be able to play in the streets without alarm  It is not a sectarian message, and it emphasizes, in particular, the necessity for cooperation between Jewish and Christian organizations that was such a striking feature of the odz events. (48)

The history of the Bund, which no doubt includes many fascinating and heroic chapters, eventually found a tragic end. The Nazi murder of European Jewry basically destroyed its social base, the Eastern European Jewish proletariat, while many of the leading Bundists were murdered by Stalin in the Great Terror.

By that time, Max Mazower had already established a new life in North London where he had fled in 1909 after the defeat of the first Russian revolution. Like many of the political and Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe settling in Western Europe, Max Mazower became involved in business. Over the years, he managed to build up a middle-class existence for his family, even though it was one that at times was very tenuous.

Mark Mazower introduces us to many more figures from his familys history, virtually all of whom were, at least in his grandfathers generation, highly political and active on the left. He deals with the fate of his grandfathers siblings: Semyon, the youngest brother, remained in Soviet Russia, where he and his family suffered through the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II which took both the life of Semyon himself and his youngest son, Ilya. The other brother remained in Vilna. He and his family were murdered in the Holocaust.

Through Mazowers grandmothers family, we are introduced to yet another layer of revolutionaries. Many of them were Bolsheviks, but left the party either before or after the October Revolution. Several of them later fell victim to the purges under Stalin.

The number of political and intellectual figures that crossed the paths of Mark Mazowers ancestors and maintained more or less close relations with them, is dazzling. They include the German intellectual Walter Benjamin; the Polish Bundist Shmuel Zygelbojm, who formed part of the Polish government-in-exile in London and committed suicide in 1943 to protest the Allies inactivity in the face of the Nazi destruction of Polish Jewry; the Russian-American anarchist Emma Goldman, and many more.

Mark Mazowers father, whom he describes with great respect and affection, thus grew up in an intellectually and politically highly stimulating milieu. Not yet a teenager, he became politicized through the Spanish Civil War, and was briefly infatuated with Communism before becoming an active member of the British Labour Party. He later studied at Oxford after completing two years of service in the British Army.

In a combination of historical irony and family tragedy, his half-brother Andre, several years his senior and estranged from the family, would later settle in Spain, support the fascist Franco regime, and author several viciously anti-Semitic tracts.

Under conditions of the post-World War II boom, and after the experience of the rise of Stalinism and fascism, Mazowers father settled down in London, providing the best possible circumstances for his sons to grow up in. Politically, he remains Labourite and anti-Zionist. Mazower certainly describes this turn to private life and to domesticity, after decades of political struggles in the family, with a hint of idealization.

Whatever the flaws of Mazowers book, it provides a fascinating insight into how the history of the Russian revolutionary movement shaped entire generations and especially a layer of intellectuals who would eventually turn away from any active involvement in the socialist movement. This reviewer hopes that What You Did Not Tell will find many readers and that some of them will be motivated to delve more deeply into the rich and complex history of the Russian revolutionary movement.
The Executive Committee of the Congressional Radio & Television Correspondents Galleries voted unanimously last week to revoke the US Capitol credentials of RT America. The committee claimed that the move was in response to RT America being forced to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

In a letter to T&R Productions LLC, the production company behind RT America, the committee of journalists stated, The rules of the Galleries state clearly that news credentials may not be issued to any applicant employed by any foreign government or representative thereof. Upon its registration as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), RT Network became ineligible to hold news credentials.

Press credentials for Capitol Hill entitle reporters to greater access to members of Congress than the general public. This includes entry into the Speakers lobby, the press galleries of the House and Senate Floors, and other areas. The pretext given by the executive committee is more than dubious, given that openly state-run media, like the BBC, the Japanese NHK and others have access to Capitol Hill when they seek it. The issue, of course, is that RT has ties to the Russian state, which is regarded as a major enemy by the US ruling elite.

The Executive Committee of the Congressional Radio & Television Correspondents Galleries is not a congressional committee, but supposedly represents an independent press, the fourth estate. With its decision, the Capitol Hill journalists have joined the executive and legislative branches in tearing up the First Amendment.

According to its website, the committee that decided to revoke RTs credentials is a conglomeration of journalists responsible for regulating the Capitol Hill news rooms (Galleries) for media who cover the House and Senate. The organization is tasked with determining who qualifies for Gallery credentials, and works to keep broadcasters informed of Congress activities.

The organizations executive committee, which signed last weeks decision, consists of representatives from broadcasting networks such as C-SPAN, CBS and ABC. The Sinclair Broadcast Group, which currently has a seat on the executive committee as well, is known for promoting heavily conservative content, and has been involved in controversies surrounding its politically motivated program decisions. In April, the group hired Boris Epshteyn, a senior adviser for Donald Trumps presidential campaign, as chief political analyst.

Officials for RT America and in Russia responded to the decision angrily. RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan denounced the committees decision, calling out the self-righteous defenders of freedom of speech who claimed that FARA registration places no restrictions whatsoever on RTs ability to perform its journalistic activities in the US.

On Thursday, RT said it earlier received assurance that registration under FARA would not affect its operations. RT quoted U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as saying on Tuesday, FARA does not police the content of information disseminated, does not limit the publication of information or advocacy materials and does not restrict an organizations ability to operate.

The response in Moscow has mirrored the actions taken by the committee and taken by Congress in the past. Last month, President Vladimir Putin signed legislation allowing the Russian Justice Ministry to force news agencies to register as foreign agents, lest they face fines or a ban on their activities.

On Friday, Russian lawmakers announced their intention to ban all U.S. media from entering either houses of the Russian Parliament. The lawmakers have acknowledged that the move is in retaliation to RT being banned from Capitol Hill.

The Russian news agency Interfax said the ban would affect at least 21 US-based news outlets. This includes radio networks such as Radio Free Europe and Voice of America, and news outlets such as Bloomberg News, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, CBS, and NBC.

Olga Savastyanova, head of the committee that manages access to the Duma, told reporters that under proposed new rules, journalists from all US media outlets will be prohibited from visiting the State Duma.

The reason is the decision to strip Russia Today of its accreditation, Savastyanova added. She also stated that the case related to the inadmissibility of the encroachment on democratic values, free speech and the right to receive impartial information.

Since October, when RT America was first asked to register as a foreign agent, the news agency has served as the primary scapegoat in the McCarthyite anti-Russian campaign facilitated by the Democratic Party and US intelligence agencies. For months, RT has been labeled as a propaganda network for the Kremlin that has sown divisions among American citizens.

The move to strip RT America of its credentials is antidemocratic and the direct result of the campaign to silence alternative news sources in the United States. Labeling RT America, a media outlet that often promotes material critical of the US, as a foreign agent only serves to discredit anyone who is critical of the US government.

The retaliatory actions taken by the Russian Parliament are just as dangerous a threat to democratic rights. Labeling news agencies as foreign agents sets a dangerous precedent for critical voices, especially left-wing and antiwar media. Amid a deepening social crisis, the ruling classes continue to attack democratic rights, including the principles of freedom of speech and the press.
More than six weeks after the tragic death of Jacoby Hennings, the 21-year-old who died at Fords Woodhaven Stamping plant, autoworkers anger continues to simmer at the grueling working conditions that led to his death.

Hennings was a temporary part-time (TPT) worker at two plants in the Detroit area. According to the official account, Hennings took his own life on October 20 following a tense interaction with plant management and local UAW representatives. The latter called the police on the young man. However, many questions remain about the exact sequence of events, and the UAW has refused to release any details of their discussions with Hennings immediately preceding his death.

Among rank-and-file autoworkers there has been broad sympathy for Hennings, whose tragic death has exposed the dreadful exploitation TPTs experience. Workers have shared WSWS Autoworker Newsletter articles on Hennings widely on Facebook. At Fords Chicago Assembly Plant reporters for the Newsletter encountered many workers who were familiar with the Hennings case and who were eager to discuss the conditions facing TPTs.

TPTs pretty much have no rights, said one worker with four years at the Chicago Ford plant. They definitely got shafted in this last contract.

He said TPTs still have to pay union dues, which is crazy. They basically cant miss a day. They dont have any vacation, so they cant call off. If they do miss a day, theyre in fear of losing their job.

The TPT that works on my job, in almost two years hes never called off. He was sick with the flu for two days, and almost lost his job. I mean, when you have the flu, sometimes you just cant physically perform anything.

The worker said that the UAW was even now assisting management in forcing speed-ups on the line, saying, Yesterday they just bumped the quota up to 700 cars a shift. Theyre laying threats on us about being way behind schedule. And the union keeps agreeing to these line speed increases. Weve already got people getting in trouble over not being able to do their jobs, and youre going to keep making it faster and faster. How are they supposed to do their jobs?

Chicago Assembly makes the popular Explorer SUV, with new models costing from $35,000 to over $50,000. Sales of the vehicle jumped nearly 25 percent in November.

The worker said he had started out as a long-term supplemental (LTS) employee, which among TPTs are one of several tiers earning less pay and reduced benefits. Long-term temporary help. How does that go into the same sentence?

Ive been here since 2013, so Ive seen a lot crap. Same with the whole Lear thing, what happened with eliminating the tiers. They just moved the lower-paid workers further away, out to Portage [Indiana].

The worker noted that TPTs schedule makes it difficult to find additional work needed to supplement their income. TPTs work Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays. They dont work three consecutive days in a row, but those four days are basically consumed, so they cant even get another part-time job. It doesnt make sense to me.

When asked about the growth of social inequality in US society more broadly, in particular the recently passed congressional tax cut bill, the worker responded, Im against stuff like [the tax cuts], because its like they take money away from teachers.

Teachers are making nothing, but theyve got to buy a bunch of stuff just to teach and do their jobs. Its pretty vicious. But the whole 1 percent keeps getting tax breaks. The more money you got, the less you pay. It has to stop somewhere, because it cant keep on going the same route.

One 20-year-old TPT worker who spoke to the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter sympathized with Hennings' plight, and mentioned that he himself had previously held down two jobs but couldn't keep up.

Another two TPT workers said they had been at the plant for nearly a year each, and knew several others who had been kept temporary for two years. Two years, and still only able to work three days a week.

We cant get sick, one said. If we get sick, we have to kiss ass with the union rep to save our job. We pay union dues, but they dont do anything for usbut take out money!

If they [UAW] had did the right thing, said another worker with several years at the plant, we wouldnt have this situation where this young man killed himself.

I see it all the time on the UAW Facebook page. These workers are living in limbo. They have family emergencies, but they are scared to take off. This is their livelihood. Theyre scared to take off a day. Not only thatany day they walk in here they could be told, We dont need you.

He remarked on the ongoing investigation into the illegal diversion of money by the Detroit auto companies from joint union-management training programs into the pockets of UAW officials.

The bribes the UAW tookthat could be used for more money towards us members, towards fixing the plant, more funding towards our education. In our 2015 contract, our union didnt do anything to put up a fight for us. Management tells the UAW what to do and they say, Okay!

A worker with five years at the plant said TPTs have to face the uncertainty that any day the company could say, We dont need you.

The worker rejected the nationalism continuously pushed by the UAW, noting that although Ford had announced it would not build a plant planned for Mexico, the TPTs face pretty much the same conditions here anyway, so its not like they did anything hugely different. Everybodys trying to feed their families. I drive a foreign car, so I have to park all the way in the far parking lot. But, he noted, all these American cars are built with foreign parts, so it doesnt really matter. He added, and now most foreign cars are built in the United States. So why are you telling me dont buy a foreign car? At the end of the day Ill buy what I want, cause theyre not really trying to help me.
Survivors and families of around 50 victims of the Grenfell Tower fire have threatened to withdraw support from the governments inquiry.

They are demanding, via a petition, that Prime Minister Theresa May appoint a panelwith decision-making powersto work alongside the judge of the inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick.

The petition is backed by the Grenfell United group representing many survivors and families. It calls on May to exercise her powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 to appoint additional panel members with decision making power to sit alongside Chair in Grenfell Tower Inquiry: to ensure those affected have confidence in & are willing to fully participate in the Inquiry.

It adds, To secure trust in an establishment we feel has been distant & unresponsive, & to avoid a collapse of confidence in the Inquirys ability to discover the truth, it is fundamental that;

1. The Inquiry is not led by a judge alone. Panel members must be appointed with relevant background, expertise, experience, & a real understanding of the issues facing those affected.

2. Legal representatives of bereaved families see all evidence from the start & are allowed to question witnesses at the hearings.

The petition represents the first major independent challenge to the governments plans to carry out a cover-up of the events that led to the deaths of at least 71 people.

The inquiry is wholly controlled by the government. Moore-Bick is the only person empowered to say or do anything, but even he has no legal powers to prosecute anyone. His essential role is to report back to the prime minister with the findings and recommendations of the inquiry, with the government deciding what is done.

The BBC reported that the families want to add people to the panel who have the breadth and experience of the big social issues that led to the tragedy.

The survivors are demanding that the legal representatives of the families have access to all evidence presented from the outset, and be allowed to question witnesses at their discretion. This is in opposition to the present highly restricted remit of the inquiry, with all questions having to be submitted to Moore-Bick a week in advance. It is then Moore-Bicks decision alone whether the witnesses will even be asked these questions.

The stand taken by survivors follows the move by Moore-Bick last month to appoint three assessors to assist him. The assessors have no power to refer evidence back to the prime minister and no other decision-making powers.

All three, Joe Montgomery, Joyce Redfearn and Professor David Nethercot, are longstanding pillars of the establishment. They were chosen after Moore-Bick ruled out submissions to appoint a local resident to act as an assessor to the inquiryon the basis that this would undermine his impartialitywhen he opened it in September.

The petition was set up by Adel Chaoui, who lost four relatives in the fire; his cousin Farah Hamdan; her husband Omar Belkadi; and two of their daughters, eight-year-old Malak and six-month-old Leena.

Chaoui told the Guardian , [I]ts hard to have faith in a process initiated by an establishment thats been distant, detached and unresponsive to our concerns and an inquiry led by a judge who is far removed from the realities of our lives. To build trust and to discover the truth, we need diverse panel members to share decision-making power with Sir Martin Moore-Bick.

Commenting on the restrictions placed on the legal representatives of the families and local community, Chaoui said, Not committing to giving our legal representatives the ability to question witnesses on the day is not a picture of a balanced, impartial or fair process.

Sky News cited comments from Chaoui that the demand for an impartial panel to be set up is not about ethnicity. Its nothing to do with whether youre black, white, Arab, whateverit is to do with experiences At the same time, we are up against these industry bodies that are spending millions of pounds on legal resources that we are never going to get anywhere near.

Sky News reported, Chaoui warned that unless the format is changed, he and others were unlikely to attend the inquiry, which is due to begin hearing evidence in the new year.

Karim Mussilhy, who lost an uncle, Hesham Rahman, in the fire, said the petition is the first time we [survivors and families] have come together to issue a statement. We want to be listened to. At the moment we feel we are being ignored again, just like before and after the fire.

He added, We have launched the petition because were losing faith in the public inquiry. We want it to give us answers and help to heal the trauma we have experienced, but at the moment our concerns are being belittled and ignored, which is causing more upset and anxiety.

Another relative, Sandra Ruizwho lost her 12-year-old niece, Jessica Urbano, in the firetold the Guardian, Unless the prime minister takes urgent action to increase confidence in the process, the inquiry risks perpetuating the gross sense of injustice we feel and becoming a whitewash.

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) encourages the Grenfell families in their struggle to expose the undemocratic nature of the inquiry.

According to Mussilhy, May has told Grenfell families that she is now considering appointing a panel to the inquiry, after first ruling it out. However, the sort of fudge that can be expected was indicated by a government spokesman, who said, We would like to assure all those affected by the tragedy that legal representatives of core participants will receive all relevant evidence, be able to offer opening and closing statements at hearings and will be able to suggest lines of questioning for witnesses.

In other words, Moore-Bick will still determine which suggestions from core participants regarding questions are taken up, and he and no one else will have the right to pose them.

The SEP has insisted from the outset that Moore-Bicks inquiry was intended as a whitewash. This has been the case in every other inquiry into events in which the state was responsible for a mass loss of life. The demands now placed by the survivors show that this is understood, and that they are determined to make sure that the governments schemes are defeated and justice is served on the guilty.

The SEP established the Grenfell Fire Forum as a democratic forum for Grenfell survivors and local residents to discuss these vital issues. The next meeting of the Forum will be held on Saturday, December 9 at 2 p.m. at the Maxilla Social Club in North Kensington.

See the Facebook page event for more details.

Those who wish to sign the petition by the Grenfell families and survivors can do so here.
A full week after the Honduran general elections were held on Sunday, November 26, the countrys electoral tribunal (TSE) has announced that the current president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, has been re-elected.

The ham-fisted electoral fraud, marked by the protracted delay in the vote count, a sudden shift in the electoral results and other inconsistencies, has fueled widespread indignation. This latest vote fraud follows the US-backed military coup in 2009 and a 2015 Supreme Court ruling, also supported by Washington, approving Hernandezs unconstitutional run for re-election.

After initial results showed the Opposition Alliance against Dictatorship candidate, Salvador Nasralla, with a consistent five-point leadeven with 71.4 percent of the voting centers computeda 36-hour suspension of the vote count, and a subsequent system shut-down in the TSE building, the results shifted dramatically to eventually give Hernandez a victory of 42.98 percent against 41.39 percent, supposedly including 99.96 percent of voting centers.

Even one of the TSE magistrates, Marco Ramiro Lobo, declared last Sunday, Everything has to be checked, the system failed for 10 hours and damaged one of the servers, everything has to be investigated and the company that was hired needs to be questioned.

Moreover, the day before the vote, the Economist reported on a two-hour-long audio of a National Party training session for representatives in the polling stations, in which the participants get instructed on Plan B: five methods to rig the election, including permitting multiple votes, spoiling ballots and tally sheets favorable to the opposition, and most importantly, inscribing themselves as representatives of smaller parties.

Once the results began to shift in favor of Hernandez on Wednesday, the popular distrust and anger seething beneath the surface began to overflow. Marches, roadblocks and other protests against the ongoing electoral fraud have taken place across the entire country, with tens of thousands marching peacefully last Sunday in the largest cities of San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.

On Friday, the government imposed a state of emergency and a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for 10 days, granting special powers to the military to arrest protesters, even during the day. Over 600 people have already been detained.

While the repression is expected to escalate after yesterdays announcement of the final results, on Sunday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced that preliminary reports indicate that 11 people have already been killed in demonstrations. According to the Honduran press, more than 40 have been injured, many of them shot by the security forces.

One of the most egregious killings was that of 19-year-old Kimberly Dayana, whose sister described her death Saturday as follows: Some military police officials came out of the bushes firing erratically and killed her with a shot to the head. In Pedregal, a Tegucigalpa suburb, a video shows military personnel shooting live rounds at protesters, leaving six injured, including a minor.

In response, Nasralla and Manuel Zelaya, the ex-president overthrown in 2009 and now a leader of the Alliance, have split their week between offering reassurances to US imperialism, the Honduran military and the business elite, and trying to keep the social anger channeled behind their electoral aims.

Last week, in a demonstration of complete subservience to Washington and Wall Street, Nasralla promised to deepen military ties and judicial cooperation with the Trump administration. Moreover, in an interview by the Chilean La Tercera, Nasralla, who studied in Chile between 1970 and 1976, was asked whether he admired any regional leaders. He answered: Since I had the opportunity to be in Chile right when Mr. Pinochet came in, I saw the situation of the country, it was bad and I saw how economists in his government rescued the country economically turning it into a Latin American power.

These extraordinary statementsevidence of the undemocratic basis of neocolonial rule in the country regardless of which bourgeois faction is in powerare a of piece with Nasrallas delight that business associations congratulated him on his initial apparent victory and his appeals to the military to save the Honduran people from the violence of the electoral tribunal.

At the same time, the Alliance coalition has been calling for protests, and Zelayas LIBRE party even called to set up a paro or roadblocks across the country for the rest of the week. They are calling for either another round of elections or a special scrutiny of the 5,174 tally sheets computed after the results started shifting.

For their part, the TSE, the corporate press, and the Trump administration, which favors continuation of Hernandezs rule, have been putting the pieces together to impose the official results and legitimize a massive crackdown against the protests.

Despite the millions of dollars spent to prepare these efforts, however, the regime is facing serious problems. This includes the fact that most of the military and police forces come from the rural and urban poor. An initial reflection of this was seen yesterday, when a group of the US-funded and SWAT-trained special forces, Los Cobras, declared themselves on strike, refusing to obey orders to carry out repression. We are part of the people and cant kill our own people, we have family, said a spokesperson for those in rebellion.

As part of the efforts to back the re-election of Hernandez, according to a document obtained by Reuters Monday, the Trump administration has certified that Honduras has fulfilled human rights and anti-corruption requirements to receive its share of the $655 million in US funds as part of the Obama-era Alliance for Prosperity plan. The program is aimed at further militarizing the region and preventing migrants from escaping the violence and extreme poverty gripping the Northern Triangle, which also includes El Salvador and Guatemala.

John Kelly, who was promoted from secretary of Homeland Security to become Trumps chief of staff, is now in charge of overseeing the implementation of what constitutes a tightening of the control of Washington, and particularly the US military, over Honduran and regional politics.

In a 2015 interview, General Kelly, then head of the US Southern Command, shed some light on his approach. The only functioning institutions that exist today are the militaries, he stated, boasting that he had the power to call upon any president to step down.

In Honduras, the last two years have seen a massive drop in foreign direct investment, exports and capital formation, paired with a jump in unemployment, inequality and multidimensional poverty, calculated at 74.3 percent by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC).

Moreover, the Hernandez administration has imposed draconian IMF austerity diktats since 2014 that have gravely eroded the thin social provisions to the 18 percent of Honduran workers that benefit from the pensions and healthcare offered by the Social Security Institute (IHSS). At the same time, Honduran dollar bonds have turned into some of the most profitable for Wall Street.

As a result of the state of continuous war and the legacy of US-backed military dictatorships and counterinsurgency operations in Central America during the 1970s and 1980sbased primarily in Hondurastoday, both the US and Honduran military brass occupy leading political and executive positions in their respective financial and corporate elites. This has been reflected in the fact the two axes of the anti-immigrant Alliance for Prosperity plan are a buildup of security forces and measures to open their economies to more investment, as Kelly himself announced earlier this year.

After the three decades of military dictatorships and US client regimes, under the Liberal or National parties, Honduras and other war-torn Central American countries underwent a democratic transition in the 1990s, during which a veneer of civilian rule and miserable increases in social spending was placed on the still-dominant, US-backed military apparatuses.

A particularly pernicious expression of the essential continuity of the old regimes has been in the form of death squads composed largely of state forces, whose killings of activists and local leaders have spiked in recent years.

During the second half of the Liberal government of Manuel Zelaya, the civilian trappings assumed characteristics that Washington and the Honduran oligarchy considered unacceptable, particularly in the form of deals to get cheap oil from the Chavez government in Venezuela. Thus, Zelaya was removed in a 2009 military coup supported by the Obama administration, which installed a military-led regime initially under the Liberal Roberto Micheletti and then under the National Party President Porfirio Lobo.

Today, most of the support behind the Opposition Alliance is based on two illusions: that a removal of Hernandez will lead to a strengthening of democratic institutions, including a curtailment of corruption, and that a Nasralla administration will bring back the minor initiatives in terms of social assistance and contributory programs that were seen during the second half of Zelayas presidency.

However, to slow down the austerity measures demanded by the US and international bondholdersnot to speak of expanding social programswould require a frontal challenge to the fundamental interests and repressive apparatus of the Honduran oligarchy and its imperialist bosses in Washington and Wall Street.

Neither Zelaya, Nasralla nor any section of the countrys neocolonial bourgeoisie intends to or is capable of pursuing this necessary road to lift the desperate economic and social conditions of the Honduran masses.

The working class in Honduras needs to organize independently of all parties and the trade-unions that not only serve the ruling elite and imperialism, but were set up by its agencies, including the AFL-CIO and the CIA. However, it cannot confront such forces alone, especially since they have grown even more belligerent as warnings of financial bubbles mount, social opposition grows and tensions between major powers worsen.

Honduran workers, leading all the oppressed layers behind them, can only advance their interests by uniting with their class brothers who face the same corporate and financial elites in the United States, the rest of Latin America and internationally, in a common struggle against the source of economic inequality, war, corruption and dictatorship: the capitalist system.
The decision by the Metropolitan Opera in New York City to suspend James Levine, its longtime musical director (1976-2016), from any further conducting engagements is the latest victory for the New York Times and the champions of the new repression.

The sexual misconduct campaign in the US is metastasizing and in its reactionary sweep and recklessness borrowing elements from the McCarthyite purges of the 1950s, the New England witch trials of the 1690s and even the Inquisition of the late Middle Ages.

The Times is leading the gutter press in actively soliciting allegations, claims or rumors about alleged sexual misdeeds and heresiesheterosexual and homosexual alikecommitted by prominent individuals. The newspaper has devoted considerable resources to tracking down such stories for the purposes of blackening a given personalitys name and eviscerating him or her. The allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, it is now obvious, merely served as a prelude and a pretext.

Four individuals have accused Levine of impropriety in incidents that happened from 30 to nearly 50 years ago. That unproven allegations about sexual interactions, which might have happened decades, or even a half-century ago, should be used to destroy Levine is nothing less than horrifying. The life work of a musician who has played a central role in the history of Americas most important opera house is being buried beneath an avalanche of muck dredged up and reported in lurid detail by the Times. Should we all stand and shout Bravo for yellow journalism of this sort?

It is not evident, based on the Times account, that the three alleged incidents in the state of Michigan involved criminal behavior at all. Two individuals were 17 at the time, and the third was 20. The age of consent in the state is 16. The alleged victim in Illinois was 16 when the incident occurred, below the states age of consent, 17.

Even if it were argued that the latter episode might have involved illegal activity, Levine has not been charged with any crime. The statute of limitations, which after all exists for a reason, has long since passed. And were Levine charged, he would be entitled to be presumed innocent until convicted by a court of law.

In any case, none of the incidents appear to have anything to do with Levines tenure at the Metropolitan Opera, so it is unclear why the operas board is investigating these events, let alone why it has suspended Levine.

The New York Times reports that Peter Gelb, the general manager of the opera house, dismissed rumors circulating online that the Met had reached settlements in the past with the families of abused victims as untrue. Gelb stated, Since Ive been at the Met there has not been a single instance of somebody coming forward to make a complaint, ever, about Levine in recent Met history.

The Metropolitans action is a cowardly capitulation to the hysteria incited by the filthy New York Times, whose demented publisher and editors are sniffing the bed sheets of the nation in search of sexual malefactors. As it publishes new denunciations each day, the newspaper calls on the public to keep it supplied with reports of sexual heresy.

The Times is appealing to the most backward, antidemocratic elements, as is revealed by the content and tone of many of the comments posted in response to its reports.

In a manner that has not been seen in modern American history, individuals are being compelled to answer for their entire sexual history. From the initial lurid accounts of the alleged predations engaged in by Weinstein, the operation has now gone on to encompass inquiries into whom Levine, now 74 years old, may have masturbated with when he was 25.

The various media outlets are clearly selecting major figures who they believe may be vulnerable to attack and working backward, so to speak, operating on the basis that someone is bound to have either real or imagined grievances against the targeted individual.

Given the fact that until recently homosexuals were forced in many cases to conceal their sexual orientation and lead double lives, and that this, in fact, remains the situation for prominent gay people in various fields today, the particular vulnerability of homosexual performers and celebrities is obvious. The venomous attack on and disappearing of Kevin Spacey was not accidental. The theater, film and arts are being especially targeted, with an unmistakable whiff of the Nazi assault on degenerate art.

Moreover, NBCs Matt Lauer was pilloried in the media for his alleged womanizing. Efforts to ban extramarital and premarital sex may not be beyond the realm of possibility. Back to the good old days! And women would suffer the most from such a social reversion.

Levine is simply collateral damage in this larger campaign. In an unprecedented and utterly ruthless manner, one or the most significant, gifted figures in American and international music is being systematically, publicly humiliated and ruined.

In the 1890s, Irish writer Oscar Wilde was destroyed by the exposure of his homosexual encounters with young male prostitutes. Wilde was sentenced to two years hard labor and the conditions in prison contributed to his early death. In his sentencing statement, Sir Alfred Wills, the judge, asserted that You, Wilde, have been the center of a circle of extensive corruption of the most hideous kind among young men, and described the sentence as totally inadequate for a case such as this. When Wilde attempted to speak, as the trial transcript reads, And I? May I say nothing, my Lord? he was drowned out by cries of Shame!

One friend of Wilde commented that the great playwright was guilty of only a chronological error, that is, he was damned for what would not, in a more enlightened time, have been either condemned or viewed as immoral or criminal acts. Decades were to pass before the crucifixion of Wilde by the pillars of official morality came to be viewed with shame and profound regret. What is now happening to Spacey, Levine, Geoffrey Rush and others before our very eyes is essentially no different. They have run afoul of the would-be guardians of public morality at the wrong moment.

While it is at this foul business, perhaps the Times should raise concerns as well about Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci, arrested in 1476 for practicing wickedness with a 17-year-old apprentice. Leonardo faced the possibility of burning at the stake. One can only imagine how the Times would have dealt with rumors circulating in Florence about Michelangelos relations with the model for his David. Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini engaged in sexual relations with young working class men. Bourgeois Italy and the Catholic Church violently denounced him. Why not write these and other sexual deviants out of the respectable artistic canon? It is beyond disgraceful, and testifies to its political bankruptcy, that the global pseudo-left (International Socialist Organization, International Viewpoint, etc.) goes along with and, in fact, cheers on this sinister moral crusade.

There will be many other victims as this drive escalates, and most of them will be unknown and unable to fight back. The Times, Washington Post and the rest are legitimizing the reactivation of vice squads in search of violations of decency. Homes will be invaded and bedrooms entered, and cell phones and computers turned into omnipresent surveillance mechanisms, enabling the authorities to follow who is having sex with whom, in real time.

The fear of exposure creates a mood of terror, which is the aim of the operation: to intimidate, to clamp down on opposition and dissent, to shut people up.

All of this opens up new avenues for moral and political blackmail. Obey the interrogators or else!

The Times is offering itself up here as the authoritative, intrusive moral bedrock of American society in these troubling days of fake news and Russian propaganda.

Having repudiated the social reforms of the New Deal and the Great Society periods, the political establishment seems bent on repudiating the sexual revolution as well.

Who can be certain of escaping the relentless inquisitors? Scores are being settled, some personal and some political. The Gods are athirst. No doubt, Levine has picked up enemies in the course of his lengthy career. He has held on to his post at the Met longer than some would like. He has no shortage of rivals who would like to see him gone.

In the case of Lauer, his tough questioning of Hillary Clinton during last years election campaign made him many enemies in the hierarchy of the Democratic Party. More shocking revelations are to come. Even New York Times columnistsnot to mention the warriors of identity politicsnow applauding the witch-hunt may at some point be called to account for long-past and secret transgressions.

This wretched effort is connected to a political agenda, and to real repression. This is the Democratic Party, above all. Seeking to divert attention from the social devastation, the looting of the national Treasury through tax reform and the danger of horrific world war, the Times, Post and the others seek to whip up a frenzy about sexual predators.

The World Socialist Web Site unequivocally condemns this reactionary campaign.
The recently released plan by the Federal Communications Commission to abolish net neutrality has evoked mass opposition across the US and around the world. Internet technology experts, online access advocates and the general public are justifiably outraged by the blatant attack by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and his corporate backers on an open and free Internet.

Since the announcement on November 21, more than a half-million messages have been submitted to the FCC opposing Pais proposal that would give the telecom Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Comcast/Xfinity, Charter Communications/Spectrum, AT&T and Verizon control over the flow of online content.

The basic concept of net neutrality is that all information on the Internet must be treated equally. The formal adoption of net neutrality under the Open Internet Order of June 2015 established a limited regulatory framework that blocked ISPs from restricting or amplifying different types and sources of Internet content based on their commercial interests.

After the election of Donald Trump and the appointment of Pai as FCC Chairman, the ISPs went on the offensive to overturn the Obama-era rules. Pai wasted no time in presenting an initial repeal draft in April and the new final draft is expected to be adopted with a 3-2 majority vote at the FCCs December 14 meeting.

As explained by numerous Internet experts, the FCCs deregulation plan opens the door to abusive practices by the owners of the technology infrastructure that connects hundreds of millions of wired and wireless computing devices to the Internet. Among these are blocking the IP addresses of websites and/or individual users, selectively throttling or slowing down the performance of Internet connections, and the creation of Internet fast lanes that require payment for preferred service levels.

The overturning of the net neutrality principles that have governed the Internet and the Web for decades marks a new stage in the drive by the US government and major corporations to censor online content. It comes together with the censorship of oppositional news and left-wing websites launched by Google and Facebook last spring under the guise of stemming fake news and unproven Russian interference in American politics.

The exposure of the fundamentally anti-democratic character of the FCC plan is critical to an understanding of the significance of the measures being implemented. In a speech on Tuesday evening, FCC Chairman Pai implicitly acknowledged this fact when he attacked those who took to social media to point out that corporate control of the Internet is authoritarian, threatening and dangerous. He accused anyone making these warnings of promoting fearmongering and hysteria.

However, an examination of the text of the FCC plan reveals that these characterizations are fully appropriate. With the support of both Democrats and Republicans, the broadband Internet monopolies are taking the steps necessary to promote and reinforce news coverage, commentary and other digital content that has been vetted by the state and corporate media organizations. They will also be used to delegitimize and close off access to information about the struggles of the working class and the revolutionary socialist political ideas on the World Socialist Web Site.

What is in the FCC plan?

Under the Orwellian title Restoring Internet Freedom, the 210-page FCC plan unambiguously abolishes net neutrality. The basic terms of the Declaratory Ruling, Report and Order, are that the telecom monopolies will no longer be considered communications utilities or common carriers under the Title II regulatory framework going back to the 1930s. Instead, the FCC plan reclassifies the ISPs as Title I information services.

These changes to the ISPs regulatory status and legal definition are highly significant. Under Title I requirements, the FCC will place oversight of the ISPs under the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission, which has little or no ability to halt abusive, deceptive or unfair practices before they occur. The plan will abolish the requirements of Internet Conduct Standard rules with the argument that it is unlikely that the ISPs will engage in conduct that harms Internet openness.

At the core of the FCC proposal is the bogus claim that the 2015 net neutrality rules represented a departure from the policies of the previous 20 years embodied in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The FCC document falsely states it is returning to a policy that debuted at the dawn of the commercial Internet, during the Clinton Administration, when an overwhelming bipartisan consensus made it national policy to preserve a digital free market

In reality, the 2015 Title II regulatory framework formalized de facto net neutrality that had been the governing principle of the Internet since the 1990s. The FCCs promotion of a digital free market has nothing to do with protecting public access to information; it is an unabashed promotion of the corporate interests of the ISPs that have grown to dominate the commercial Internet infrastructure over the past two decades.

Behind the reclassification of ISPs from utilities to services is the claim that net neutrality regulation has stifled innovation. The plan document contains numerous references to market studies and capital expenditure surveys that show how the 2015 regulations have depressed the expansion of the broadband infrastructure and discouraged investment.

A review of the referenced documents and their sources, however, shows that the foundations and think tanks have ties to the telecom industry and sections of academia hostile to government regulation in general. For example, one of the reports, titled Broadband Internet Investment Slowed by $5.6 Billion Since Open Internet Order was published by the Free State Foundation, an organization with the stated goal of reducing overly burdensome taxes, and protecting individual and economic liberty, including property rights.

Additionally, alternative studies that document ISP investment has not stalled since the 2015 Open Internet rules have been excluded from the FCC document. For example, a report published by the online access group Freepress.net shows that total investment by all publicly traded ISPs is up by more than $7 billion since the FCC adopted net neutrality.

Broadband monopolies

The FCCs deregulation plan is rooted in fundamental processes of capitalist economics, principally the trends of media convergence and monopolization. Since the opening up of the Internet to business activityespecially after the commercial application of browsing on the World Wide Web in 1993, these trends became evident and have developed at an accelerating rate.

In the late 1990s, the Wall Street dot-com frenzy initiated a swallowing up of the home-grown and independent Internet service providers of the early days of the Web. Enormous sums were invested during these years with the expectation that dial-up Internet access companies such as AOL, AT&T Worldnet and Compuserve would yield significant returns. However, much of the industry remained regionalized with thousands of smaller providers competing for customers who used standard telephone lines and a modem to connect to the Internet.

After the collapse of the dot-com bubble, the number of independent ISPs began a precipitous decline. The crash of share values coincided with the development and expansion of broadband Internet services. Broadband is considered high-speed Internet access that is always on and is many times faster than dial-up.

The broadband industry began with the wired cable and telephone-based digital subscriber lines (DSL) and rapidly came to dominate the ISP landscape. It was then that several big regional ISPsfirst based on the infrastructure of 1970s-era cable TV providers and the even older copper-wire telephone industryemerged as the primary sources of consumer and corporate access to the Internet.

A scramble ensued in the first decade of the new century to consolidate the broadband Internet market into the small number of very large national corporations that dominate today. According to published statistics, just four companiesComcast/Xfinity, Charter/Spectrum, AT&T and Verizonhave more than 75 percent of the 95 million fixed broadband subscribers in the US. In the case of the cable broadband segment, Comcast and Charter have more than 80 percent of the market and, especially when it comes to the fastest service levels, consumers have only one provider choice.

Alongside of this consolidation, the wireless broadband industrybased upon the cellular telephone technologies of the 1990s and 2000sunderwent a similar process of acquisition and consolidation leading to a handful of major corporations that dominate that market. The mobile broadband market is dominated by four companiesVerizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprintwho serve 98 percent of the subscribers. Under this regime of corporate monopoly, it is an absurdity for the FCC to talk about an open Internet and market freedom.

Throughout this process, the ISPs enjoyed bipartisan support from the legislative and executive branches of local, state and federal governments to facilitate their emergence as monopolies. The Federal Communications Commission itself expresses this fact.

Bipartisan support for telecoms

The FCC is a revolving door for representatives of the telecommunications industry. Chairman Ajit Pai is a former associate general counsel at Verizon. In 2011, Pai was nominated for a Republican position on the FCC by President Barack Obama at the recommendation of then Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell. He was confirmed unanimously by the US Senate on May 14, 2012 for a four-year term.

Three of the four other members of the FCC were nominated by Obama during his second term in office and unanimously confirmed by the US Senate. The lone Trump nominee, Brendan Carrwho worked previously as a legal adviser to Ajit Paiwas also unanimously confirmed by the US Senate on August 3, 2017.

The battle within the FCC over net neutrality has more to do with competitive business conflicts between rival groups of giant technology and media corporations than it does with any adherence to what the public understands as a free and open Internet. The adoption of Open Internet rules by the FCC in 2015 was the product of a battle between the so-called edge providersAlphabet (Google and YouTube), Amazon, Netflix and Facebookagainst the ISP monopolies.

Following the successful acquisition of NBC-Universal by Comcast in 2011, it became apparent that the ISPs had plans to facilitate their own Internet content at the expense of the edge providers and other competitors. So, the search, social media and video streaming businesses leveraged their political influence in Congress and the White House to get net neutrality adopted as a competitive block against theISPs.

Now, under conditions of deep political crisis and intensifying class conflict, there is a growing consensus within the ruling establishment that the Internet must be purged of oppositional, left-wing, socialist and anti-capitalist ideas, with the ending of net neutrality being yet another major step toward the implementation of Internet censorship.
The United States Supreme Court handed Donald Trump a major political victory yesterday by ordering the administrations immigration and travel ban to take effect immediately. The orders reverse lower court decisions halting implementation of the revised ban, which bars citizens of Somalia, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Syria, North Korea and many Venezuelans from traveling to the US. The ban will now stay in effect pending litigation at the Fourth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals.

The practical results of the Supreme Courts orders are devastating. An estimated one hundred million people are now barred from traveling or immigrating to the United States. An untold number of immigrants will die stranded in their crisis-ridden or war-torn countries, unable to acquire visas to fly to the US by plane. Many more will drown in the Mediterranean attempting to cross to Europe. Refugee women will be raped and sexually assaulted on the dangerous, thousand-mile trek they will now be forced to make. Thousands more will be denied the right to vacation, study, work, or join their families in the US.

The court voted 7-2 in favor of implementing the ban, including Obama nominee Elena Kagan, Clinton nominee Stephen Breyer, and all five justices nominated by Republican presidents. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor voted against.

Kagan and Breyers votes expose the Democratic Partys fundamental support for Trumps most reactionary policies. One should not forget that in July Kagan and Sotomayor were part of the unanimous Supreme Court ruling to allow portions of the travel ban to take effect, exposing the true nature of the Democratic party and its fundamental bipartisan agreement on anti-immigrant legislation.

The Democrats have yielded as Trump passes massive tax cuts for the rich, eviscerates environmental and work safety regulations, surreptitiously builds up US troop levels in Africa and the Middle East, plots to eliminate net neutrality, and deports thousands of immigrants at schools, hospitals and courthouses across America.

While carrying out no real opposition to these policies, the Democrats exhaust their political capital denouncing Trump as Putins agent as part of a campaign that will only intensify xenophobic sentiment and lay the basis for war with Russia.

The order now in effectTrumps third travel banis even more expansive than the prior two. After its first January order was subject to widespread lawsuits on the grounds that it blatantly discriminated against Muslims, the Trump administration redrafted the order in March, removing permanent residents from the ban and removing Iraq from the original list of seven countries subject to it.

In June, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld Trumps second, revised travel ban, ruling only that the ban cannot apply to those with close family or work connections to the United States.

Yesterdays order eliminates even that limitation, since it is based on a challenge to the third Trump travel ban, implemented in September. The third ban expanded the list of countries to include Chad, Venezuela and North Korea. The third ban, now in effect, is permanent, unlike the previous two temporary versions.

The ban is part of a larger move to give legal cover to the anti-Muslim and xenophobic sentiments that were the basis of Trumps campaign. In 2016, Trump promised to impose a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

The administration is seeking to whip up nationalism and xenophobia as part of its preparations for nuclear war with North Korea, China, Iran and Russia, against the backdrop of declining living standards and life expectancy in the American working class.

The extreme right responded with elation to yesterdays decision. Stephen Bannons Breitbart News ran the Supreme Courts order as its main headline last night, quoting Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who called the order a substantial victory.

The Constitution gives the President the responsibility and power to protect this country from all threats foreign and domestic, Sessions added, and this order remains vital to accomplishing those goals. The Nazi Daily Stormer called the order good news and a signal to the world that the American people are fed up with all the subhuman garbage thats been coming in.

The ten months since the Trump administration attempted to implement its first travel ban bear important lessons for workers and youth looking to oppose Trumps policies.

In January, when Trump announced his ban, widespread protests involving tens of thousands of people broke out at airports and other points of entry across the United States, as immigration agents refused entry to hundreds of immigrants and legal permanent residents. These protests came one week after Trumps inauguration, which saw the largest demonstrations in US history.

At the time, numerous Democrats, including Charles Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders, appeared at protests and mouthed denunciations of Trumps xenophobic policies. Aside from the fact that these Democratic figures uncritically supported President Barack Obama when he deported 2.7 million people during his presidency, their verbal opposition to Trump has now been revealed as a total sham. Pelosi and Schumer have promised to work with Trump to secure added border security while the deportations and travel bans continue unabated. With hardly a peep from leading Democrats, Trumps ban is now in effect.
Canada

Halifax Shipyard workers vote 99 percent in favor of strike

Unionized workers at the Halifax Shipyard, operated by Irving Shipbuilding, gave an overwhelming strike mandate at a well-attended meeting Sunday. The agreement between the shipyard and Unifor Marine Workers Local 1 expires at the end of the month. The workers are currently building Arctic and offshore patrol vessels.

Formal talks began two months ago. Unifor and the shipyard owners are currently in the process of scheduling talks with a conciliator. The main issues in dispute appear to be work breaks, seniority and paid sick time. Management says it wants to combine the morning break and lunch periods, by paying workers for the extra 10 minutes at lunch.

A Unifor spokesman accused management of presenting 33 pages of major concessions including the elimination of most safety provisions. The union said it was asking for four additional sick days per year to take into account unexpected situations.

In 2010, Irving won the contract to build between six and eight of the Arctic and offshore patrol vessels for $2.3 billion. The company is the prime supplier for the combat portion of the Canadian governments national shipbuilding strategy. In addition to the patrol vessels it holds contracts to build 15 warships with a price tag of $26 billion.

Rather than seeking to unify workers, Unifor has stirred up a filthy nationalist campaign, denouncing management for hiring 27 ironworkers from Lithuania and Romania under the governments Atlantic Immigration Pilot Project, claiming the jobs should have gone to Canadians.

Newfoundland workplace death probe flawed

In dismissing charges against the employer, a judge in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) characterized the investigation into the 2015 death of a construction worker as inadequate in the failure to gather evidence to bring a conviction.

Twenty-year-old CJ Curtis died of injuries sustained while working on a Southern Construction job site that led to four health and safety charges against the company. Judge James Walsh dismissed the charges in September of this year leading to a review that is currently underway into a number of problems named in his ruling. These include a delay of over eight hours before photographs were taken, and for health and safety officials to arrive at the scene. In addition he cited the RCMP for failing to secure the accident site, which prevented the collection of necessary evidence.

A recent CBC investigation has determined that only five employers have faced jail sentences in 251 workplace fatalities in the last decade in Canada, with a maximum term of 120 days in jail. All 11 that took place in Newfoundland resulted in fines averaging $70,000 but no imprisonment. NL government officials have said that further review is needed to determine what led to the dismissal of charges in this case.

Latin America

Mexican airline pilots stage brief walkout over firing of colleague

A group of nearly 60 pilots for Aeromexico Connect, a regional affiliate of international airline Aeromexico, struck for a few hours November 28. The pilots walked out to protest the firing of a colleague, who had been obliged to fly with a tumor in his neck. Connect fired him, claiming that he had a history of poor performance. About 40 flights were canceled or delayed.

The strike was not authorized or supported by the Aviator Pilots Syndical Association (ASPA), who intervened quickly to order the pilots back to work. An ASPA spokesman said that there would be an investigation to determine if the sacking was unjustified. He also said that there would be no sanctions against the pilots who struck.

On November 30, however, Aeromexico fired Jose Fernandez Aguirre, an ASPA official who had 15 years with the airline, saying that he had not gotten the backing of the ASPA executive committee. Aeromexico later emailed personnel, saying that it would act against whoever organized this illegal strike, who furthermore would suffer significant and forceful sanctions by way of regulatory authority.

Since then, three members of the ASPA executive committee who had participated in the strike have resigned, and they may face expulsion from the union. Another official was put on leave pending the investigation, which has a deadline of December 15. ASPA also announced that it would take strong measures toward seven pilots who were identified as responsible for the walkout.

Workers in Oaxaca, Mexico hold protests over pay, conditions

Workers from several sectors in the Mexican city of Oaxaca took protest actions last week over pay and working conditions. The protests have taken the form of strikes, marches and blockades.

Academic workers at the University of Oaxaca went on strike, complaining of nonpayment of retirement funds, reimbursement for expenses to some workers and payment of grants.

Meanwhile, some 40 security personnel struck the Oaxaca International Airport, demanding payment of the last months wages. Five of the workers have been fired so far, and the strikers are pleading with authorities to intervene.

At the Doctor Aurelio Valdivieso Civil Hospital, doctors and nurses who began an indefinite strike on November 22 began blocking streets leading to the facility on November 28. They also blocked the entrance to another hospital in the area. Their demands included adequate equipment, uniforms, supplies and medications.

On December 1, the hospital workers union announced that it had called off the strike after getting promises of a new PET scan device to replace one that had ceased to function, and X-ray equipment by December 30, as well as a revision of the distribution of medicines. The issue of uniforms and shoes has not been addressed; the union said that it would appeal to the government.

Strike by Peruvian copper miners continues

A strike at three mines owned by Southern Copper in Peru that began November 21 entered its 10th day on November 30 following failed talks between the Unified Workers Syndicate (SUT) and management over wage and benefit issues.

The unions demands include a larger share of profits and better medical benefits. Another issue is the rehiring of dismissed workers. The workers struck over these and other issues last April, but returned to work after failing to get agreements.

Southern Copper claims that the walkout has not made a dent in production and, citing the declaration by the Labor Ministry of the strikes illegality, has threatened to fire striking workers.

One-day strike by Argentine public health workers against privatization

Doctors and other health professionals for 80 Buenos Aires public hospitals, as well as municipal hospitals and health clinics, held a 24-hour strike on December 1. The mobilization was called by CICOP, the Buenos Aires health professionals union.

Talks with representatives of the provincial government of Maria Eugenia Vidal, an ally of right-wing president Mario Macri, have reached an impasse. CICOPs demands included a salary raise, reopening of parity talks, an increase in the health care budget and the reclassification of temporary contract workers to permanent status. In addition, CICOP is calling on the Vidal administration to comply with agreements already signed in 2017.

CICOP also opposes reforms pushed by Vidal, such as the Universal Health Coverage (CUS), which the union says is an attempt to privatize health care by defunding day by dayincreasing the insecurity of the most vulnerable section of society.

CICOP claimed high adherence to the strike and protest, which took place in front of the National Health Ministry Obelisk. Further protest actions are being planned.

One-day warning strike by Chilean childcare workers to demand better pay, conditions

Workers for Integra, Chiles national preschool program, held a one-day warning strike on December 1. The striking workers, who care for children from three months to five years of age, are members of SINATI (National Integra Foundation Workers Syndicate) and National Syndicates Nos. 1 and 2.

A SINATI press release said that the goal of the mobilization was to pressure the government and the Parliament so that the resources that are given by means of the budget allocation consider the improvement of the salary and labor conditions of Integra, thus assuring the quality of early education in Chile.

The unions added that they would not rule out continuing the strike if the authorities did not respond to their concerns.

Trinidad and Tobago: offshore oil workers protest conditions

Workers for offshore labor supply contractor JSL International in Trinidad and Tobago marched to the firms entrance on December 1 to hold a protest. Holding picket signs and chanting, the workers denounced JSL for unfair treatment, refusal to pay for compensation to injured workers and noncompliance with their contract with the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU).

OWTU president Ancel Roget attended the protest and referred to a worker who said that he had to wait for two days before being taken ashore after he was injured. He alleged that the worker had yet to be compensated and properly treated.

A JSL spokesperson accused the union of using unwarranted and baseless means and ways of restitution, and said that the company would use the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Court to bring complaints against employees.

Jamaican bauxite workers protest nonpayment of job security, pay, benefits

About 40 temporary workers at the JISCO Alpart bauxite/aluminum plant in Nain, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica walked out and held a protest over the companys announcement that it will not pay customary Christmas bonuses this year. Recent years have seen the cutting of the annual bonus payment throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Other issues figured in the protest, including the low base pay rate, the lack of safety gear and the fact that they have been working without contracts since February. Uncertainty over vacation leave, sick leave and health insurance are other outstanding complaints.

Following a meeting with Union of Clerical, Administrative and Supervisory Employees officials, the workers agreed to go back to work, and to meet again to discuss the issues.

The United States

Planned layoff of 200 workers at Brooklyn hospital

Hospital workers were warned of layoffs beginning December 15 at Maimonides Medical Center in the Borough Park area of Brooklyn in New York City. About 200 of the 6,500 workers there, members of SEIU (Service Employees International Union) 1199 and the New York State Nurses Association, could be affected, including nurses, clerical staff, radiology technicians, phlebotomists, chemists, patient transporters and others.

The Maimonides administration stated, Maimonideslike hospitals across the region and countryis working through the reality of our industrys economics: flat or declining government reimbursement rates coupled with rising costs... Maimonides lost $14.2 million on operations in the first three quarters of this year.

Maureen Piccione, a Chemistry Lab worker for 30 years, told laborpress.org, Were short-staffed, were overworked and underpaid. Were forced to do overtime and I dont see how they can lay people off. Yet the Medical Center says it is working to grow its physicians network and increase patient volume.

Union leaders chief complaint is that management did not include them in budget-cutting decisions. The union has offered other measures for the hospital to cut costs, including freezing hiring and overtime hours, as well as calling for employees earning more than $150,000 to temporarily reduce their pay.

New York Citys Health and Hospital Corporation has reduced monthly hiring by 25 percent at 25 hospitals. This is as a result of a reduction of state funding due to federal cuts already underway during the Obama Administration.

Unpaid work scheme exposed in Oklahoma

An investigative report has exposed how an Oklahoma judge used a work rehab camp to force convicts to perform unpaid labor. The program, named Southern Oklahoma Addiction Recovery (SOAR), sent convicts to work at a Coca Cola bottling plant and other businesses as an alternative to serving prison time. In fact many of those forced to work in the program had not been convicted, making the scheme a possible violation of the 13th Amendments ban on slavery and involuntary servitude.

SOAR currently houses 45 men who work at the bottling plant as well as a carwash (owned by a SOAR board member), a Bed Bath & Beyond store and several other businesses. Instead of paying the men, the companies reimburse SOAR, thus avoiding payroll and workers compensation taxes.

While in the program, men were forced to sign up for food stamps, then turn over their cards to SOAR. Every few weeks SOAR officials would force the men to use the cards to buy food for the entire group. Men were also required to attend church services twice a week.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - One local group is looking to help children and their families this holiday season.

The International Rescue Committee works to resettle and support refugee families in Tallahassee and around Florida. Since 2015, over 250 refugees have relocated to Tallahassee, including over 100 children, teens and young people.

Through an upcoming toy/supply drive, the committee is aiming to gather worthwhile items for those in need this holiday season.

The holiday drive runs Tuesday, December 5th  Thursday, December 14th, with a holiday party happening that evening at 6p.m. at Township, 619 S. Woodward Drive.

For more information, including specific locations to drop off donations, call (850) 544-6222.

MOBILE USERS: Download our WTXL news app on your Apple and Android devices for the latest from South Georgia and North Florida. Also, download our WTXL Weather Now app for Apple and Android devices to get the latest local weather wherever you go.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for additional local news and hourly updates.

Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - A traffic stop by the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit led to a man being arrested who has several murder convictions in the U.S. and Jamaica.

According to Major Prurince Dice, ADDU agents made a traffic stop in November that led to the arrest of a man who gave the name Michael Walker.

Agents said they stopped Walker's vehicle at the Liberty Express Way and Blaylock for an illegal window tint on the black BMW he was in.

When agents made contact with Walker, they determined there was probable cause to search the vehicle and Walker ran away.

After a chase, Walker was caught by agents and brought back to the scene. ADDU officer then began searching the BMW again.

During the search, agents found about 11 pounds of marijuana that were tightly wrapped in foam and plastic in transmission fluid inside a large bucket in the trunk. They also found a firearm.

After the search and during further investigation, agents determined Michael Walker was a fake name and that he had multiple aliases, making it difficult to identify him.

When Walker was taken to the jail for booking, officers said he had so many different names that he told staff to pick one.

After weeks of follow-up, ADDU was contacted by ICE agents and other federal agencies who said the man arrested under Michael Walker was under federal investigation and to put a hold on him.

Agents discovered Walker has been convicted of multiple murders in the United States and Jamaica and that he may be tied to other murder investigations.

Law enforcement in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. also told agents Walker may have also stolen his brother's identity.

This case is still ongoing and the ADDU will be holding a press conference with more details on this case on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Copyright 2017 WALB. All rights reserved.

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Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - Legislation is once again being filed at the state capitol to make texting while driving a primary traffic offense in Florida.

Traveling the state to warn high school students about the dangers of driving while distracted.

Under current Florida state law, texting while driving is a secondary traffic offense, meaning a motorist can only be cited if they are stopped for another reason, such as speeding.

Demetrius Branca's 19-year-old son, Anthony, was killed just over three years ago when the motorcycle he was driving was run over by a van whose driver was not paying attention to the road.

Branca regularly travels across Florida, warning the state's youngest drivers about the dangers of using their cell phone while behind the wheel. Branca was at John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee Monday.

He says, nearly all of today's teens have cell phones as a part of their daily lives, and with no law stopping them from texting while driving, many don't see the problem until it is too late.

"It's really common sense," said Branca. "I think that once people recognize the dangers of distracted driving, there is no hesitation about what's the right thing to do. That's to put your phone down. Hopefully, the Florida legislature this year will pass a bill that's not a toothless, weak excuse for a bill."

Florida is one of only five states where texting and driving is not a primary violation.

This year's legislation has passed one of four senate committee stops ahead of the 2018 session which begins in January.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Tallahassee Police Department will host a safety and sobriety checkpoint in Tallahassee on Friday.

The checkpoint will run Friday from 11:30 p.m. until 3 a.m. and will be in the 2500 block of West Tennessee Street.

DUI checkpoints are used to detect drivers too impaired to operate a motor vehicle, vehicles with faulty equipment, and drivers operating a vehicle without a valid license.

Police said the checkpoint will be well-marked by signage and have marked patrol vehicles and uniformed officers. They said the operation is designed to have a minimal impact on traffic flow and to save lives.

MOBILE USERS: Download our WTXL news app on your Apple and Android devices for the latest from South Georgia and North Florida. Also, download our WTXL Weather Now app for Apple and Android devices to get the latest local weather wherever you go.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for additional local news and hourly updates.

Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
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Washington, DC - Communities in Mexico are still grappling with the impact of two powerful earthquakes that struck just weeks apart in September. The quakesa magnitude 8.2 in the southern state of Chiapas and a magnitude 7.1 that occurred 100 miles outside Mexico Citycaused widespread damage, deaths and injuries.

In the crises immediate aftermath, Mexican Red Cross teams mobilized for search and rescue effortshelping to locate and care for survivors trapped under the rubble. Working around the clock, highly-skilled volunteers provided first aid on the scene, transported the injured to hospitals, and evacuated people from damaged buildings.

Thus far, the American Red Cross has contributed $3.55 million to support earthquake relief efforts in Mexico. These funds are helping the Mexican Red Cross meet peoples urgent needs such as food, water, and shelter. Red Cross teams have been providing lifesaving aid since the earthquakes struck and continue to do so. This aid includes the provision medical assistance, temporary shelter, psychosocial support, kitchen sets, personal hygiene items, household clean-up kits, cots, food rations, and blankets5,000 tons of relief items so far. The American Red Cross is continuing to work with the Mexican Red Cross to support longer-term recovery activities with the additional funds raised.

On top of financial assistance, the American Red Cross deployed a disaster specialist, Paul Rebman, to Mexico in the quakes aftermath. Below, Paul answers a few questions about his time there:

Can you tell us about your role in Mexico?

Paul: People and corporations in the United States donated generously to help families impacted by these earthquakes. I deployed to Mexico to help make decisions about how to effectively allocate the financial gifts we received. I traveled to 12 communities in Puebla, Oaxaca, and Morelos alongside the Mexican Red Cross, to best understand the needs.

What did you see when you arrived in these communities?

These earthquakes had a huge impact: More than 40,000 houses were damaged or destroyed in Mexico and even some factories collapsed. But when I entered neighborhoods, what I really noticed was how active families were. In every community, I saw people clearing debris and rubble, plastering walls, repainting, and trying to repair their houses. People in Mexico need help to rebuild, but theyre putting in serious sweat equity themselves, too.

What is the Red Cross doing to help those people?

Red Cross teams are distributing aid thats tailored to communities specific needs. So in addition to basicslike cots, kitchen kits, food, and hygiene itemsteams are giving people in mountainous areas winter jackets and boots as the cold settles in. And in Chiapaswhere bicycles are the primary form of transportationthe Red Cross distributed bicycles to help people cope with their losses. American Red Cross has helped fund the distribution of relief supplies, including the transportation of goods to hard-to-reach communities.

You traveled mostly by car. What was that like?

I was struck by the countrys natural landscape, including the mountains and active volcanoes. It was beautiful, but was a reminder of the challenges in reaching all those hit by the earthquakes.

Many of the communities affected by the earthquakes are really remote and mountainous, so traveling there demonstrated to me the logistical challenges we faced. As we got further from the main highway, there were a lot of damaged roads and evidence of landslides. This damage means that shops are unable to stock their shelves because of the broken supply chain.

These sound like really remote communities.

They are. But because of the Mexican Red Crosss unbelievable volunteer network, teams are able to get there. Im sure no other organization has been able to help some of these remote communities post-quake. The fact that someone even showed up to listenand then to provide families with relief items like tarps, blankets, kits, cotsmeant that residents felt seen. They felt visible. Thats not always the case in such remote places.

Did you meet anyone whose story stuck with you?

One Mexican Red Cross volunteer led me through her town all dayto help me speak to people whose homes were damaged. It was clear that she was well-known in the community: people kept giving her big hugs and expressing gratitude to her. At end of day, she pointed out her house, which had completely collapsed during one of the quakes. Instead of worrying about herself, she had been helping her neighbors, every single day, on behalf of the Red Cross. Shes one of 7,000+ Mexican Red Cross volunteers involved in the response effort.

What needs still remain?

Everyone was grateful for Red Cross assistanceespecially the food rations and shelter materials (like tarps and cots). But while theyre grateful, theyre also wondering about what the next step is. Many people lost their jobs when the sugar factories collapsed and the supply chain was interrupted. Others are trying to figure out how theyll rebuild their homes or replace the household or business items they lost. American Red Cross funding is helpingincluding the purchase of 20,000 cots and 10,000 kitchen kitsand is still planning with the Mexican Red Cross to support the next steps. Theres always more to be done.

How did people at home react when you told them you were deploying to Mexico?

The earthquakes struck at a very busy time in the United States: just as Americans were reeling from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Mariaso this disaster was really off peoples radar. More than 400 people died and over 7,000 injured in Mexico, but there was general unawareness of the disaster when I told people I was deploying.

Whats the best thing you packed for your trip?

A Red Cross hat and some comfortable shoes. We did a lot of walking in the sun!

Anything else you want Americans to know about the Mexican earthquakes?

Families need help, but its important to recognize that people are responding themselves, too. Theyre taking it upon themselves to start rebuilding and getting lives in order. Theres a lot of work to be done, but theres also optimism for the future.
Living Section

Washington, DC - After responding to a string of historic disasters, the American Red Cross is appealing to the public to Give Something That Means Something this holiday season. Beginning on Giving Tuesday, November 28, and throughout the Holiday Giving Season, donors can help bring hope and relief to children, families and communities that need it most with their holiday shopping.

Beginning in late August, the Red Cross embarked on providing wide-ranging relief efforts in response to three historic back-to-back hurricanesHarvey, Irma, and Mariafollowed closely by the deadliest week of wildfires in California history. In response to these disasters, the Red Cross provided more food to those affected than in the past four years  combined.

The need for Red Cross services is constant, and the organizations Holiday Giving Campaign offers donors the opportunity to honor someone special with a unique gift. Gifts can help families who have lost everything after a disaster, support military heroes and veterans facing emergencies, and save childrens lives around the world.

This has been an historic year for natural disasters and the Red Cross has been there to help families whove lost everything, says American Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern. It is such a wonderful feeling for both the gift-giver and the receiver to give and receive something that truly means something.

How You Can Give Back

Through the Holiday Giving Campaign, people can give gifts that uniquely give back to people in the community while supporting the organizations mission. Individuals can choose from three essential giving opportunities:

1. Gifts that help disaster victims. For example, a donation of $25 can provide blanketsas well as warmth and a sense of securityfor five people staying in an emergency shelter. A $30 gift can provide hot meals for three people following a disaster while a $50 donation can supply a full day of emergency shelter with urgently needed essentials, including three meals, two blankets, a cot, snacks and personal hygiene supplies for someone impacted by disaster.

2. Gifts that help our troops. For example, a $145 contribution can show our heroes and veterans that we care by providing military hospital kits to 20 service members.

3. Gifts that help internationally. For example, a financial contribution of $100 can educate families and vaccinate 100 children against measlesa $500 gift can vaccinate an entire village.

To give with meaning, visit redcross.org/gift. Choose from the diverse assortment of gifts, and make a tax-deductible donation online or, call 1-800 RED CROSS to support the corresponding Red Cross services. Then, send a card to the loved one, colleague, or co-worker being honored by your donation.

The Red Cross also encourages eligible individuals to give with meaning this holiday season by donating blood or platelets. Blood and platelet donations tend to decline from Thanksgiving to New Years Day as people become busy with holiday-related activities and travel, but patients dont get a holiday from needing blood. Generous blood and platelet donations can help ensure lifesaving blood products reach those who need them including accident victims, heart surgery patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. Make an appointment today by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Whether you give time, blood, or moneyyour generous gift will help people who face tremendous need, says McGovern. Thank you for considering donating to the Red Cross during this special time of year.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - This evening, at about 7:38 p.m. Yuma Police Officers responded to the area of 17th Place and Avenue B for an Armed Robbery.

The initial investigation revealed a male subject and a female subject approached the victim and demanded his cellular telephone while brandishing a knife. The suspects left the area eastbound on 17th Place.

The first suspect is described as a Hispanic male about 20 to 25 years old, 57 tall and weighing about 145 pounds with long hair. The second suspect is described as a Hispanic female about 20 to 25 years old, about 57 tall with a heavy build and long hair.

No injuries were reported.

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.
After overhauling indirect taxes, the Modi government has set sight on country's Direct Tax law. A task force for redrafting the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961, was recently set up by the government to bring it in tune with the current economic needs and realities.

The task force, which will submit its report to the government within six months, would draft direct tax laws in line with tax laws prevalent in other countries, incorporating international best practices, and keeping in mind the economic needs of the country.

In an interview to Zee Media Digital, Chetan Chandak, Head of Tax research, H&R Block India shares his view on Direct Taxes, its impact and implications of overhauling it.

What are Direct Taxes?

These are such taxes which the assessee pays directly to the government. This liability cannot be transferred to any other taxpayer. It is directly imposed by the tax authority.

Please elaborate the tax structure on various types of Direct Taxes.

There are the different types of direct taxes in the country Income tax, wealth tax, corporate tax, capital gain tax.

Personal income tax: This is a tax levied on individual taxpayers who earns income under any of the five heads of income i.e. salary, house property, business/profession, capital gains or other sources. Tax is required to be paid on the gross income minus the exemptions and deductions allowed under the IT Act. This tax is differentiated from the tax paid on income earned by businesses and companies of which the individuals are a part of. E.g. in an incorporated firm owners will pay taxes on firms income and separately on their income on salary and dividends.

Corporate tax: This tax is levied on business income earned by companies, be it Indian or foreign one. Companies whose income either comes from India or is deemed to arise in India have to pay this tax in India. Corporate tax is charged on companys incomes from all the sources which includes business profits, royalties, technical services fees, gains arising from the sale of assets based in India or income earned as interest.

Wealth tax: Wealth tax was a tax levied on the wealth of the assessee be it individual, HUF, Company. It was levied on the net value of the property owned by the taxpayer after deducting the related liabilities. The logic behind imposition of wealth tax was essentially taxing the super-rich who were capable of making higher contribution to the taxes. Wealth tax was payable @1 percent on wealth of over Rs 30 lakh p. a. and it was not dependent on the income generated by property. Certain assets viz. shares, securities, mutual funds and bank deposits, business inventory were generally exempt from wealth tax. However, wealth tax has been abolished w.e.f. April 1, 2016 for wealth held as on March 31, 2016.

Capital gains tax: When you sell your investments or assets, you generate income and such income is chargeable to tax called capital gains tax. You can calculate capital gains by subtracting the purchase value from the sale value of the asset sold. Based on the time period for which the asset is held, this tax is classified as short term or long term. For capital gains to be considered long term, the holding period should be 36 months. However, in case of immovable property and foreign shares, the holding period needs to be only 24 months for the income to be considered as long term capital gain.

Income Tax Slab Rates for Assessment Year 2017-18

How do they impact you?

Taxes are expenses in addition to the other expenses that we undergo. Our real income always reduces because of taxes and hence any increase in the tax rates are bound to impacts us. Although there is a scope for tax planning / saving in direct taxes, you cannot do so in indirect taxes.



Should the government overhaul the 50 year old direct taxes or will it be a better idea to fine-tuning the existing law?

The direct tax laws are pretty old. Although the government makes various amendments in the tax laws every year, they need a complete overhaul because the socio-economic structure of the nation has changed drastically in the last 50 years. Continuous addition, subtraction and modification of laws have made them complicated for common civilians. Their simplification is the key to ensure full compliance of laws.

However, any attempt to overhaul the direct tax laws must focus on reduction of tax burden, widening of tax base, ensuring accountability of tax officers, minimizing human intervention and enabling digitisation of processes as much as possible.



Given that the government has just rolled out GST, how will the overhaul in Direct Taxes impact the country's taxation system?

There have been talks about the introduction of direct tax code and with the implementation of GST, the expectation for DTC are ripe again. DTC aims at not simplifying the financial lives of Indians but even reduce their tax outgo.

However, several lessons can be learnt from GST. Designing GST and its implementation were herculean tasks and therefore certain hiccups occurred during the process. Undoubtedly, introduction of GST has been a revolutionary step but various issues related to it post implementation still need to be resolved.

So, to eliminate such a scenario with direct taxes, proper planning needs to be done and the changes need to be implemented in a phased manner. However, such issues are less likely with direct taxes as the central body governing it (CBDT) is much more experienced and mature than GSTN.

Several of its processes are already digital and tax rates are also uniform across the nation while distribution of taxes is complicated in case of indirect tax laws as various states have their own tax laws governing some of the indirect taxes. So, overhauling direct tax laws will be a comparatively easier task for the government.
Mumbai: Kangana Ranaut calls a spade a spade and doesnt fear speaking her mind. She has always expressed her take on issues that matter but there were reports suggesting that she refused to sign a petition seeking Deepika Padukones safety from fringe groups after she received death threats for being a part of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati. But why did Kangana refuse to sign the petition? Heres the answer.

When Bollywoodlife contacted the Queen star, she opened up on the issue and clarified her stance.

She said, I was filming Manikarnika in Jodhpur when I got a call from dear friend Anushka Sharma to sign the petition written by Ms Shabana Azmi. I explained to her that Deepika Padukone has all my support but I am a bit wary of Shabana Azmis investment in left wing Vs right wing politics. I have my own set of ideas and opinions about the current situation in our country. I am on the fence about many things and being a part of a feminist movement called Deepika bachao led by someone who character assassinated me when I was bullied by influential men, seems to be one of them. Anushka understood but I am glad they reached out to me, like I said Deepika has all my support I am an individual perfectly capable of supporting who I like without anyones support.

For the uninitiated, Deepika Padukone and Sanjay Leela Bhansali have been in the middle of a massive controversy for making a film based on one of the most significant chapters of Indian history. Deepika, who essays Rani Padmavati, a brave Rajput Queen has been paired with Shahid Kapoor, who essays Maharawal Ratan Singh, a Rajput warrior known for his valour.

However, there were rumours suggesting that the film had a dream sequence between Deepika and Ranveer Singh (who plays Alauddin Khilji  a tyrant Sultan who ruled Delhi) in the film. This led to massive protests  the sets of the film were vandalised and a rangoli inspired by the films poster created by an artist at a mall in Gujarat was destroyed a few weeks back.

Massive protests erupted across the country and several Rajput organisations demanded a ban on the films release. Even the Royals expressed displeasure over the films release.

Moreover, the film ran into trouble with the Central Board of Film Certification and the fate of the film now hangs on a tightrope. The film which was slated to release on December 1, is now indefinitely deferred.

Interestingly, Kangana too is essaying a historical character. She is playing Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. The film also stars Deepikas former boyfriend Nihar Pandya as Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II.

Unfortunately, Kangana has always been in news for all wrong reasons. She has been fighting a lone battle against industry heavyweight Hrithik Roshan without any support from anyone in the film fraternity. And hence, her decision not to support Shabana Azmi is quite understandable.
New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar's next year is jam-packed with 'Gold', 'Padman' and '2.0' keeping his kitty full. The National Award winning actor had announced yet another project titled 'Mogul' in the month of March this year.

'Mogul', a biopic on the life of music tycoon Gulshan Kumar was scheduled to hit the screens next year and Akki even shared its first look poster on social media early this year. However, the latest buzz around this film right now is that Akshay has reportedly quit the venture.

My association with Him began with my very first film. He was The Emperor Of Music! Now know His story... #Mogul, The Gulshan Kumar story! A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) on Mar 14, 2017 at 9:02pm PDT

Yes! According to Pinkvilla.com, the actor owing to creative differences with the makers has decided to part ways with the project. The news has been originally attributed to a leading tabloid.

A source told the tabloid, "Akshay has come concerns over the script that director Subhash Kapoor has greenlit. He requested a few things be rewritten. But, Subhash was adamant. Hence, Akshay thought it was best if he opted out."

However, the actor is yet to discuss the matter with the producers. No official announcement has been made either by the makers or by the actor as yet.
She became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu six times and dominated the state politics for even longer. But one year ago, J Jayalalithaa breathed her last following a cardiac arrest in a hospital in Chennai.

Anyone even slightly aware of Indian polity must be acquainted with the frenzy around the AIADMK leader, whose demise compelled even her arch rival Karunanidhis DMK to display a banner at her memorial site saying, Where will our commander go in search for a rival like you?

More visuals from Jaya Memorial on former Chief Minister #Jayalalithaa's first death anniversary #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/9JecmYF9FO December 5, 2017

A year later, theres no love lost for Jayalalithaa as scores of people converged at her memorial to mark her first death anniversary. In one of the pictures, a man could be seen painted in the colours of AIADMK.

There was heavy security deployed at the memorial site at Marina beach in Chennai.

Jayalalithaas death had triggered a lot of controversy. While some claimed that the death was of natural cause, many alleged foulplay.

The Tamil Nadu government had later constituted a probe panel headed by Madras High Courts retired judge Justice A Arumugaswamy to probe the circumstances and the situation leading to hospitalisation of Jayalalithaa.
NEW DELHI: The election battle for the Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar (RK Nagar) bypoll took a couple of twists on Tuesday. The nominations of Deepa Jayakumar and actor Vishal were rejected by the returning officer, news agency ANI has reported. This means they will not be able to compete in the battle, which has been a centrepiece in the factional battle within the AIADMK.

Deepa Jayakumar, the estranged niece of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, had hoped to launch her political career on the back of this election. Her nomination had reportedly been rejected as it was incomplete.

The nomination papers she had filed in May however, had been accepted.

The Returning Officer also rejected the nomination papers filed by actor Vishal. He had announced that he would fight the election as an independent, hopes that now stand dashed.

Vishal has been a prominent voice in the Tamil film industry who has been vocal against corruption within the various organisations that represent film professionals. He had said he was taking the political plunge because he was fed up of politicians, a charge similar to the pitch being made by Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan.

The RK Nagar seat was won by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in the 2016 election and has been lying vacant since her death in December 2016. The bypoll was initially scheduled to be held in May. But, it had been cancelled by the Election Commission after it found instances of large scale cash distribution and other corrupt practices.

The rejected nominations of Deepa and Vishal means the battle in RK Nagar will remain a three-cornered contest. The main contestants in this round will be E Madhusudhanan of the AIADMK, TTV Dhinakaran of the AIADMK's splinter group, and DMK's E Maruthaganesh.

Last time the contest was announced, Madhusudhanan had been the candidate of the rebel AIADMK camp led by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS), and Dhinakaran had been named the candidate of the AIADMK faction led by VK Sasikala and with Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) has Chief Minister.

Much has changed since then. EPS and OPS factions have come together and defeated Dhinakaran in the fight for the AIADMK's iconic 'two leaves' symbol.
New Delhi: Fair trade regulator CCI has given its nod to the intra-group transfer of shares of Indus Towers to Vodafone India's shareholders from the telecom operator.

According to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the 12 equity shareholders of Vodafone India had jointly submitted a notice to the regulator for seeking approval.

The proposed combination is an intra-group transfer of 42 percent shares of Indus Towers from the telecom operator to the Vodafone India shareholders, in proportion to their shareholding in the firm, as per the notice.

Shareholders of Vodafone India are Al-Amin Investments, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius), CCII (Mauritius) Inc, Euro Pacific Securities, Vodafone Telecommunications (India), Mobilvest and Prime Metals.

The others are Trans Crystal, Omega Telecom Holdings, Telecom Investments India, Jaykay Finholding (India) and Usha Martin Telematics.
London: Vijay Mallya's defence on Tuesday dismissed as "zero" the Indian government's extradition case against him, saying it has no credible case to show that the tycoon's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines' borrowings were fraudulent or that he had no intention to pay back the loans.

The 61-year-old liquor baron, wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering allegedly amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores, was in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court for his defence, headed by barrister Clare Montgomery.

She opened her arguments by stating that there was no evidence to support the case of fraud and repeatedly used the words "nonsense" and "nonsensical" in reference to the fraud claims laid out by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government.

Dismissing the government of India's case as "clutching at straws", the defence said the arguments laid out were "financially incoherent" and that there had been no "concealment" and nothing to suggest Mallya was being "intentionally fraudulent".

Montgomery claimed that the evidence presented by the CPS, on the opening day of his extradition trial yesterday, amounted to "zero", which she said was a "critical failing on the part of government of India".

She claimed that the government does not have a credible case to support the argument that the borrowing by Mallya was fraudulent and he had no intention to pay back the loans he sought because his profit projections for loss-making Kingfisher Airlines were unreliable.

"The reality is that the profitability of an airline depends on economic factors, which are largely cyclical and largely out of the control of the airline itself," she said.

The defence is due to depose its first witness, aviation expert Dr Humphreys, who is expected to further support this assertion.

Indicating that it would be plausible to conclude that any loan default was the result of "business failure", she presented internal company assessments and bank documents to prove that all numbers related to the struggling airline were known to the bankers and there was "no attempt to mislead by over-valuing the worth of the brand".

"It is simply economically and legally impossible to palm losses on to banks or by borrowing," she added as she went about addressing what she termed as the "three-legged structure laid out by CPS" in its case for fraud against Mallya.

The defence admitted there had been a massive falling out between the banks and Kingfisher Airlines by 2012-13, when the banks were allegedly leaking information that they were not going to support the business at a critical point for the airline trying to avoid being grounded.

Montgomery claimed that the opening up of India's aviation sector to foreign investors around that time was a "belated decision" by the Indian government and ended up benefiting Kingfisher?s main competitor Jet Airways, which secured a tie-up with Emirates.

All Mallya tried to do during that period of "bitterly fought litigation" in the Indian courts was not borne out of "deliberate dishonesty" but instead a "desire to fight his own corner", it was claimed.

The defence's opening arguments rested on countering the Indian government's assertion that Mallya is a fraudster who was out to make "gains for himself and cause a loss for banks".

It claimed that in fact the "reality" was that at the end of the sequence of events, the tycoon ended up with a massive personal liability and had "lost control of the jewel in his corporate crown - the UB Group".

The defence has also indicated that in due course it will establish that there "has been political interference" with the prosecution process in a way that is "improper".

The prosecution yesterday had laid out what it termed as "three chapters of dishonesty" by the former Kingfisher Airlines boss the first being misrepresentations to various banks to acquire loans, then how he misused the money and finally his conduct after the banks recalled the loans.

"Instead of acting as an honest person and doing what he could to meet his obligations, he sets about erecting lines of defence," CPS barrister Mark Summers had said.

The charge of money laundering, for which Mallya had been re-arrested in October, is being focussed on by the CPS less at this stage.

Summers told the court that the Indian government says there are reasons why a court can conclude that the bank loans at the centre of the fraud case were ones the "defendant (Mallya) never intended to repay".

While Kingfisher Airlines and the airline industry were in "intensive care", Mallya chose to palm off the losses to banks, in particular state-owned banks.

The opening day's proceedings were concluded with an assertion by the CPS that it had "shown by virtue of evidence a prima facie case" against Mallya and the hearing should now?move to the next phase of any "bars to extradition".

The next phase is when factors such as prison conditions in India are likely to take centre-stage.

The CPS had earlier admitted that there may have been "irregularities" in the internal processes of the banks sanctioning some of those loans but that would be a question?to be dealt with at a later stage in India.

"The focus of our case will be on his (Mallya's) conduct and how he misled the bank and misused the proceeds," Summers said, as he presented a detailed chronology of events with specific focus on a loan sought by Kingfisher Airlines from IDBI bank in November 2009.

His erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines allegedly owes several Indian banks around Rs 9,000 crores.

Mallya, who was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant in April this year, has been out on bail on a bond worth 650,000 pounds.

His trial is scheduled to end on December 14, with Wednesday and Friday marked as non-sitting days.

A timeframe for a judgement in the case, being presided over by Judge Emma Louise Arbuthnot, will be determined only at the end of the trial and once the closing arguments have been made.

The tycoon has been on self-imposed exile in the UK since he left India on March 2, 2016.

If the judge rules in favour of extradition at the end of the trial, the UK home secretary must order Mallya's extradition within two months.

However, the case can go through a series of appeals in higher UK courts before arriving at a conclusion.
London: The extradition trial of Vijay Mallya, wanted in India on charges of Rs 9,000 crores fraud and money laundering, began at a UK court here, with the prosecution asserting that the embattled liquor baron had a "case of fraud" to answer.

The trial, however, was briefly halted as the courtroom had to be evacuated due to a fire alarm. The 61-year-old tycoon and others waited outside the Westminster magistrates court during the fire drill.

The trial began with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, presenting its opening arguments in the case which focused on loans totalling around Rs 2,000 crores sought by the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines from a consortium of Indian banks.

It concluded the opening day's proceedings by asserting that they had "shown by virtue of evidence a prima facie case" against Mallya and the hearing should now move to the next phase of whether there were any "bars to extradition".

The CPS detailed "three chapters of dishonesty" by the former Kingfisher Airlines boss the first being misrepresentations to various banks to acquire the loans, then how he misused the money and finally his conduct after the banks recalled the loans.

"Instead of acting as an honest person and doing what he could to meet his obligations, he sets about erecting lines of defence," said CPS barrister Mark Summers.

The Indian government says the reasons why a court can conclude, that these were loans that the "defendant (Mallya) never intended to repay" and that the company and airline industry were in "intensive care" and heading only in one direction, Summers said.

Instead of absorbing those losses, which would "impinge on his lifestyle", Mallya chose to palm it off to banks, in particular state-owned banks. Several internal emails, the government claims, disclose the reality of the position which was misrepresented to the banks, he said.

The judge noted that businessmen in this position would be "hopeful that things will turn around", but the CPS said this was not the case with Kingfisher Airlines.

It went on to add that loans acquired in the name of rescuing the struggling airline were in fact used to pay off other debts, including paying the rent on a corporate jet "owned by Kingfisher but operated for the defendant's (Mallya) own benefit".

The CPS presented an email written by Mallya in December 2009 justifying the use of loans to "achieve round robins", confirming that he was open to using money received from banks for Kingfisher Airlines to repay other banks to settle overdue bills and charges.

This was "expressly prohibited" as part of the agreed terms of the loans provided to the then struggling airline.

He also failed in his obligations as a "personal guarantor" of the loans by failing to use 40 million dollars received from Diageo from the sale of sales in United Spirits Limited to repay some of the debt.

"Instead of honouring his obligations, he squirrelled away the 40 million dollars in trusts for his children," Summers said.

Mallya claimed later that those personal guarantees were secured by the banks under duress, a move the CPS highlighted was not the actions of an honest person.

The judge responded with a chuckle by saying it was "quite inventive though".

The CPS admitted that there may have been "irregularities" in the internal processes of the banks sanctioning some of those loans but that would be a question to be dealt with at a later stage in India.

"The focus of our case will be on his (Mallya's) conduct and how he misled the bank and misused the proceeds," said CPS barrister Mark Summers. He then went on to lay out a detailed chronology of events, with specific focus on a loan sought by Kingfisher Airlines from IDBI bank in November 2009.

The loan sought amounted initially to Rs 950 crores but was later reduced to Rs 750 crores, after it had received Rs 200 crores from UCO bank.

Meanwhile, Mallya was also sanctioned a loan of Rs 150 crores from IDBI in advance of the larger loan sought from the state-owned bank to meet "critical obligations to overseas vendors".

The CPS gave details of how much of this money landed in Mallya's Formula One motor racing team Force India, something the defence has characterised as "legitimate advertising expenses" as the team's cars carried Kingfisher advertisements.

These pertained to the money laundering charges levelled against Mallya, which the CPS said was not a "desperately important issue" for the judge to decide on, with fraud remaining central to the case.

"There is clearly no money laundering case," Mallya said in response to this assertion by the CPS at the end of the hearing.

The CPS noted that in all the loans sought, "loss-making" Kingfisher Airlines had relied on nearly the same set of security pledges, which included the UB Group's reputation, Kingfisher's own "brand value", a promised infusion of equity funds and a projected return to profit by the airline by February 2011.

"The airline had claimed that it had put proactive measures in place to improve performance," the CPS noted.

However, it was also a time when according to an industry analysis, the state of the airline industry was described as "grim" and as being in "intensive care".

"It was not a scenario in which a state bank would have entertained such loan requests," the CPS added.

Court was told that loans acquired in the name of rescuing Kingfisher Airlines were in fact used to pay off other debts, including paying the rent on a corporate jet "owned by Kingfisher but operated for the defendant's (Mallya) own benefit".

The CPS presented an email written by Mallya in December 2009 justifying the use of loans to "achieve round robins", confirming that he was open to using money received from banks for Kingfisher Airlines to repay other banks to settle overdue bills and charges.

This was "expressly prohibited" as part of the agreed terms of the loans provided to the then struggling airline, it said.

The first day of the trial is expected to be taken up entirely by the CPS setting out the Indian government's prima facie case against Mallya, a fact that was not welcomed by his defence team.

Mallya's barrister, Clare Montgomery, told the judge that she had hoped to set out the defence's opening arguments on the first day as well.

But the CPS said it will "not be rushed" as it lays out the complete chronology of events.

Meanwhile, Mallya watched the proceedings from behind a glass-windowed dock.

His defence team tried to get the judge to allow him to sit outside the dock near his defence team to access some of the complicated paperwork being relied upon, but the judge denied that request saying all defendants are expected to sit in the dock.

However,?the judge has directed that a table be provided to Mallya for easier access to his paperwork.

Earlier, Mallya looked relaxed when he entered the court to stand trial on charges of fraud and money laundering related to his erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines owing several Indian banks around Rs 9,000 crores.

"These (allegations against me) are false, fabricated and baseless," Mallya told reporters outside the court ahead of the hearing.

A four-member CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) team from India had also arrived at the court ahead of the trial, one of whom nodded when asked if they were "confident" about their case.

Mallya, who has been out on bail since Scotland Yard executed an extradition warrant in April this year, will be in the dock for the duration of the trial ? scheduled to end on December 14.

A judgement in the case, being presided over by Judge Emma Louise Arbuthnot, is unlikely until early next year.

The CPS will need to demonstrate a prima facie case by producing evidence to show that the criminal charges against Mallya are justified and that he should be extradited to face the Indian courts.

Prison conditions in India are expected to be at the forefront during the hearing, with the Indian government providing assurances of protection of Mallya's human rights.

The tycoon?has been on self-imposed exile in the UK since he left India on March 2, 2016.

While on strict bail conditions, which include providing a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds, surrender of his passport and a ban on possessing any travel documents, the former Rajya Sabha member has been based at his Hertfordshire estate Ladywalk in the village of Tewin, nearly 50-km from London.

The CPS had presented "supplemental" charges of money laundering to previous charges of fraud against the businessman at an earlier hearing in October.

The judge had agreed to effectively re-open a fresh case so that all charges can be heard concurrently in court.

If the judge rules in favour of extradition at the end of the trial, the UK?home secretary must order Mallya's extradition within two months.

However, the case can go through a series of appeals in higher UK courts before arriving at a conclusion.

Judge Arbuthnot and her colleague, Rebecca Crane, at Westminster Magistrates' Court have recently rejected two other long-pending extradition requests from India.
New Delhi: Central trade unions on Tuesday pitched for tax exemption on income of up to Rs 5 lakh, minimum monthly wage of Rs 18,000 and Rs 3,000 minimum pension for workers in a pre-budget consultation with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Representatives of the trade unions, including Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Hind Mazdoor Sabha, took up their 12-point charter of demands with Jaitley in the meeting that lasted for more than hour.

"We demanded that budget should provide for income tax exemption limit of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 18,000 minimum monthly wages and Rs 3,000 minimum monthly pension for retired workers," Hind Mazdoor Sabha General Secretary Harbhajan Singh Sidhu told reporters after the meeting.

Currently, the income tax exemption limit for individual taxpayers is Rs 2.5 lakh, while the minimum EPF pension is Rs 1,000.

Asked about any assurance given by the minister, Sidhu said, "Finance Minister has not given us any assurance. But he listened to our demands as per our 12-point charter of demands."

Jaitley said the government is fully committed to safeguarding the interests of the workers, especially those working in the MSME and unorganised sector, according to a Finance Ministry statement.

Jaitley said the workers are entitled to minimum wages prescribed by law and asked all the concerned industries to strictly comply with the same without fail.

Sidhu further said the unions asked the minister to stop privatisation of public sector undertakings and disinvestment in state-run companies.

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh Vice-President K Lakshma Reddy told reporters that the minister also discussed labour reforms and assured them that the draft codes on industrial relations and wages will be revised in view of objections raised by the trade unions.

Jaitley also heads a ministerial panel which is looking into various labour issues, including labour reforms. The panel has not met since August 2015.

In their memorandum, the unions pointed out that the finance minister had listened to their views while preparing the budget for 2017-18, but none of their suggestions were addressed in final document presented by him in Parliament.

The unions said the government should encourage labour intensive industries.

They also cautioned the government that the decision of encouraging private players in defence production will have a detrimental effect not only on PSU employees and their families but also the security and sovereignty of the nation in the long run.

They said the government spent crores of rupees on demonetisation which could not give the desired results like checking terrorism and reducing black money.

Similarly, they said the Goods and Services Tax was introduced without proper home work.

The whole GST structure need serious review and the government should provide some relief in the budget, they added.

Unions also demanded bringing in a national employment policy and implementing social security coverage for unorganised workers.
New Delhi: The results of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) assistant recruitment prelims 2017 have been declared.

Candidates can check the results on the official website - rbi.org.in.

Those who have been shortlisted will have to appear for the main online examination that will be conducted on December 20.

The exams are being held to fill a total of 623 posts.

As per the official website, "Separate admission letters for main examination should be downloaded from RBI website. The time of main examination and venue of examinations will be indicated in the admission letters."

"The link for downloading admission letters, information handout for main examination, an instruction to PWD candidates/joint undertaking/declaration form for PWD candidates using scribe, will shortly be made available in RBI website," it adds.
AHMEDABAD: Cyclone Ockhi on Tuesday moved closer to the southern coast near Surat in Gujarat and is expected to make a landfall in the state around midnight.

The cyclone is approaching Gujarat steadily and now lies centred in the Arabian Sea and is very likely to continue moving north-northwestwards.

As per the latest bulletin of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone is expected to hit the coastline near Surat by Tuesday night.

"It is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by the night of December 5," said the latest IMD bulletin.

The IMD further said:

- Heavy rain over south Gujarat region, north Konkan and north Madhya Maharashtra. Squally winds speed reaching 5060 gusting to 70 kmph along & off north Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts and 4050 gusting to 60 kmph around Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

- Strong surface winds speed reaching 2535 kmph gusting to 45 kmph likely over parts of south Gujarat region, interior parts of north Konkan and north Madhya Maharashtra.

- Heavy to very heavy rain very likely at isolated places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

- Sea conditions are very likely to be rough to very rough along and off north Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts and around Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also issued warning for south Gujarat and north Maharashtra coasts, saying, "Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea along and off South Gujarat and north Maharashtra coasts during next 24 hours."

The cyclonic storm OCKHI over eastcentral Arabian Sea moved further north-northeastwards with a speed of 21 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred at 1130 hrs IST of 05th Dec, 2017 over eastcentral Arabian Sea.  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) December 5, 2017

Latitude 18.5 N and Longitude 71.0 E, about 350 km south-southwest of Surat and 200 km west-southwest of Mumbai.  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) December 5, 2017

It is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards, weaken gradually and cross south Gujarat and adjoining north Maharashtra coasts near Surat as a deep depression by tonight, the 5th December 2017.#CycloneOckhi  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) December 5, 2017

South Gujarat and north Maharashtra coasts: Fishermen are advised not to venture into the Sea along & off South Gujarat and north Maharashtra coasts during next 24 hours.#CycloneOckhi  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) December 5, 2017

Sea condition: Sea condition would be rough to very rough along & off north #Maharashtra and South #Gujarat coasts during next 24 hours.#CycloneOckhi  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) December 5, 2017

Damage Expected over south #Gujarat (Valsad, Surat, Navsari, Bharuch, Dang, Tapi, Amreli, Gir- Somnath, Bhavnagar districts), Daman, Diu, and Dadra, Nagar Haveli and north Konkan Districts of #Maharashtra (Palghar, Thane, Raigarh, and Greater Mumbai)#CycloneOckhi  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) December 5, 2017

The cyclonic storm OCKHI over eastcentral Arabian Sea moved further north-northeastwards with a speed of 17 kmph during past 6 hours and weakened into a Deep Depression and lay centred at 1430 hrs IST of 05th December, 2017 over eastcentral Arabian Sea.#CycloneOckhi December 5, 2017

#CyloneOckhi Location:Latitude 19.0 N and Longitude 71.3 E, about 290 km south-southwest of Surat and 160 km west of Mumbai  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) December 5, 2017

Meanwhile, according to principal secretary in the state revenue department, Pankaj Kumar, at least nine districts have received light showers or drizzle since Tuesday morning.

Dharmarpur town of southern Gujarat received a maximum rainfall of 25 mm, he said.

The other districts experiencing a wet spell are Botad, Arvalli, Chhotaudepur, Dahod, Mahisagar, Sabarkantha, Navsari and Rajkot.

Gujarat state authorities have taken several precautionary measures against the backdrop of the cyclone leaving a trail of destruction in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.



Schools have been ordered to remain closed in the region till Wednesday. The Coast Guard has called back around 13,000 fishing boats that ventured into the seas on Monday evening.

(With PTI inputs)
Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his three-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat starting Wednesday.

He will hold three rallies on December 06 in Dhandhuka, Dahod and Netrang.

However, due to cyclone Ockhi, the PM will visit Surat on Thursday instead of Wednesday.



On Thursday, the visit to Surat will be adjusted in-between PM Modi's previously announced visits to Bhabhar, Kalol, Himatnagar and Vatva. He will start the day by addressing a public meeting at Bhabhar at 11.00 am, IANS reported.



Thereafter, he will visit Kalol in Gandhinagar district at 12:30 pm. In Himmatnagar, he addresses a public meeting at 2:30 pm and will be in Ahmedabad to address a gathering in Vatva region at 4.00 pm.



On Friday, PM Modi will visit Lunawada at 9:30 in the morning and address a public meeting. After that, he will go to Bodeli at around 11.00 am. He will visit the milk capital Anand and address a gathering at 12 noon. His last public meeting of the day will be at Mehsana, the Patidar bastion, at 3.00 pm.



(With IANS inputs)
New Delhi/Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was set to address an election rally in Gujarat's Surat on Wednesday has been postponed in view of cyclone Ochki, party leaders said.



"The Prime Minister's rally in Limbayat assembly has been postponed in view of the cyclone Ochki," a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told IANS.



Modi was set to address the public rally at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.



The rally of Modi can be again rescheduled on December 7, the party leader said.



Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister appealed the BJP workers to focus on helping people across the state.



"With Cyclone Ockhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to BJP Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens," Modi said in a tweet.



He also said that he was monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to the cyclone.



"Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to Cyclone Ockhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected," he said in another tweet.



Beside Modi's rally, a public meeting of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari in Surat on Wednesday have also been postponed.



Followng the bad weather in several parts of the state, BJP President Amit Shah too had to cancel his several public meetings in Rajula town of Amreli and Mahuva and Shihor of Bhavnagar district.



While Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi held a poll rally in Anjar but his three rallies in Morbi, Dhrangadhra and Surendranagar were cancelled due to the impending cyclone.



Cyclone Ochki has claimed lives of 39 people from the state of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Over 167 people are still missing after the cyclone hit both the states on November 30.


NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh government has scrapped the public holiday to mark the death anniversary of BR Ambedkar on December 6, news agency ANI has reported.

This is a rollback of the order issued by the previous Samajwadi Party government under Akhilesh Yadav on Ambedkar's birth anniversary in 2015. A circular to this effect was forwarded to all government departments on Tuesday.

The decision by the Yogi Adityanath government comes at a time when the BJP has seen to be making overtures to the Dalit community, by invoking Ambedkar's name in different political contexts.

He had strongly hinted at this action on April 14, Ambedkar Jayanti. Addressing a meeting after paying his respects to Ambedkar, Adityanath had said instead of having holidays on the birth and death anniversaries of personalities, schools would be kept open and children would be taught about the personalities. The move had received appreciation from some political parties.

UP CM says there will be no holiday in schools on birth anniversaries of great personalities, instead children would be taught about them. pic.twitter.com/HfpDIIJjap  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 14, 2017

Soon after taking charge earlier this year, the Adityanath government had scrapped 15 public holidays that had been announced to mark the birth or death anniversaries of famous personalities, and a handful of other events. These included the birth anniversaries of former Prime Ministers Chandrashekar and Charan Singh; former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur; Parshuram Jayanti; Maharana Pratap Jayanti, Maharaja Agarsen Jayanti, Maharaja Valmiki Jayanti; Vishwa Karma Puja, Chhath Puja; the urs of Moinuddin Chisti and Jamat-ul-Alvida (the last Friday of Ramzan) among others.

The rationale behind the move had been Adityanath's concern over the shrinking academic session, which he noted had come down to a mere 120 days in a year from the earlier 220 days.
NEW DELHI: Even before the final decision is declared, banners have been put up outside the Congress headquarters in Delhi congratulated Rahul Gandhi for taking over the reigns of the party.

The 46-year-old filed his nomination as president of the Congress Party to succeed his mother in the role. He is likely to emerge as the lone candidate in the fray and decks have been cleared for his election as the Congress president. His mother Sonia Gandhi has held the post for 19 years in a row now.

No one else filed papers till Sunday, according to Mullapally Ramachandran, the chairman of the party's Central Election Authority.

Sonia and former prime minister Manmohan Singh are among the proposers for the candidature of Rahul Gandhi for the party chief's post.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 11, and the poll, if necessary, will be held on December 16 and the counting will take place on December 19.

The elevation comes with a fair share of drama as the Opposition has voiced their lack of confidence in Rahul`s ability to hold them together, the way his mother did.Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury recently said that Gandhi scion cannot replace his mother, Sonia who was "the glue" that held the Opposition together.

The party itself witnessed a much publicised discord recently, when Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the party`s presidential elections were rigged. Nevertheless, various state units of the party have already expressed their support for Rahul`s elevation.

The process of nomination started on Friday, and today is the last date for filing nominations.Rahul, who became Congress Vice-President in January 2013, will succeed his mother, who is the longest-serving chief of the party, having been at the helm from 1998.
NEW DELHI: A political war of words has broken out over the statements that Congress leader Kapil Sibal made in the Supreme Court as part of the hearing on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case. The BJP has demanded that the Congress clarify what Sibal meant when he asked the court to conduct its hearing after the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Sibal was in the apex court as the lawyer for the Sunni Waqf Board. He urged to court to take up the 25-year-old matter up only after July 2019. The rationale, he said on behalf of his clients, was that the case was being used to polarise the electorate with an eye on the polls.

The Supreme Court had declined this plea and set the final hearing for February 8, 2018.

However, this plea blew up in partisan politicking.

"Today, a surprising stand was taken in the Supreme Court by Congress leader and Sunni Waqf Board lawyer Kapil Sibal ji. He said the hearing should be deferred till after 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Congress should clear its stand on this," said BJP president Amit Shah, at a press conference in poll-bound Gujarat.

He also took a shot at Congress chief-in-waiting Rahul Gandhi, who has been facing allegations of 'soft Hindutva' to appeal to voters in the coming Gujarat Assembly elections. "Rahul ji is visiting temples in Gujarat but on the other hand Kapil Sibal is being used to delay Ram janmbhoomi case. Rahul ji should tell us what his view on this is," Shah said.

The Congress responded by washing its hands of what Sibal said in court. "Who he represents in court is Kapil Sibal's personal matter. Congress has nothing to do with it," said party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

"Arun Jaitley ji was lawyer in Bhopal gas tragedy. Does that mean the whole of BJP is to be blamed?" he counterattacked.

"Congress's stand has always been clear, that Ayodhya case will be decided by the Supreme Court," he added.
Ahmedabad: The Congress on Tuesday hit back at BJP president Amit Shah over Ayodhya issue in the apex court, saying if a party is sought to be blamed for a lawyer representing a side in a case, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should be dismissed for having appeared for Dow Chemicals in the Bhopal gas tragedy case.



"If a lawyer from a political party represents any party (in a case) can attract blame for his party, then will Arun Jaitley be dismissed from the government and also from the party?" Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters here.



He was responding toAmit Shah's latching on to lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal's plea for deferring hearing the Ramjanambhoomi dispute case till after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and asking party Vice President Rahul Gandhi to clear the Congress stand on the Ram temple issue.



Surjewala said Congress' stand on Ayodhya issue has always been clear. "The Ayodhya case will be decided by Supreme Court," he said, adding "BJP is playing the role of Manthara (a character from Ramayana known for negative influence)."



Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for raking up "irrelevant issues", the Congress spokesperson asked them instead to give an account of their 22-year rule in poll-bound Gujarat on the issue jobs, farmers' distress, problems of youth and reservation for Patidars.



Modi is reverting to "Mughal Raj", "Aurangzeb", "Tughlaq", Pakistan, Afghanistan, China to divert attention from real issues, Surjewala alleged.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates the Delhi airport, on Monday asked IndiGo Airlines not to "teach" it how to run it, as the Delhi High Court reserved its order on a plea of the low-cost carrier against shifting a part of its operations to a new terminal.

Justice AK Chawla, after hearing the arguments of IndiGo, DIAL and the Central government, reserved the order on IndiGo`s pleas.



IndiGo, India's biggest airline by market share, had approached the court challenging DIAL`s decision to partially shift its operations from Terminal 1 (T1) to newly opened Terminal 2 (T2) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.



The DIAL had asked three airlines operating from T1 to shift one-third of their flights to T2 to enable it to expand the terminal to meet growing passenger numbers.



Defending its decision, DIAL said T1 has already exceeded its capacity and if airline operations are not shifted partially, it would lead to overcrowding of the airport.



"Don't teach me how to operate my airport," senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for DIAL said while opposing IndiGo's plea.



He said safety and security of passenger was the primary responsibility of DIAL and in case of a fire or a terror threat, an overcrowded airport would have serious consequences for which DIAL alone would be answerable, not the airlines.



IndiGo contended before the court that shifting partially from T1 to T2 would result in confusion and cause inconvenience to passengers. By this decision, IndiGo will be spread over three terminals as it operates international flights from Terminal 3.



Seeking to quash DIAL`s decision, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for IndiGo, said the decision would strain its operations and proposed an alternative solution of giving the entire T1 exclusively to it, and shifting the other two carriers to another T2.



The DIAL had directed IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir to relocate their operations in "parts" and split their operations by shifting flights to and from some sectors, namely Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, to T2 with effect from January 4, 2018.



It had also said that the capacity of the three airlines` flights to and from the three sectors would amount to around eight million persons per annum and shifting those to T2 would considerably reduce the burden on T1.


New Delhi: The Defence Ministry is likely to take a decision on capping the educational expenses paid to the children of ex-servicemen in line with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, informed sources said on Tuesday.



Amid demands not to go ahead with the decision, a letter dated September 13, issued by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, capped the fee for tuition and hostel at Rs 10,000 per month, as per the recommendations.



The sources said the ministry was "apprised of the matter", indicating that a decision on the issue could be taken soon.



On Tuesday, Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging her not to cap the total expenditure towards tuition fee and hostel charge at Rs 10,000.



Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and former army chief and Minister of State for External Affairs General V.K. Singh have also urged the minister to review the move.



The scheme for government bearing the cost of education of ex-servicemen`s children was announced in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 1971 - two days after the Pakistani forces surrendered in Dhaka after the India-Pakistan war that led to liberation of Bangladesh.



Chandrasekhar in his letter to the minister said capping the fund "goes against the very principal by which this scheme was implemented".


Kathamandu: Nepal on Tuesday closed its border with India for 72 hours at more than 22 different entry points for the second round of parliamentary and provincial elections slated for December 7.

The first phase of the election in the land-locked Nepal was held on November 26.

The decision was made by the government to seal the border after holding meetings of security officials of both the countries.

The second phase of the elections is taking place in 45 districts on Thursday.

Following the government's move to seal the border a large number of people travelling to India from Nepal and vice versa have been stranded in the Kakarbhitta border point.

"Those carrying Nepali citizenship and identity cards are only allowed to enter Nepal," police officer Tanka Bhattarai, of Kakadbhitta of eastern Nepal, said.

"The border is open for those traveling to India," Bhattarai added.

Residents of Bhadrapur, Nepal's eastern border with Bihar state, are facing difficulties due to the decision to seal the border, the officer said.

Similarly, entry points along the Nepal-India border in Kailali district have been sealed for 72 hours in view of the elections. The Indo-Nepal border will open on Thursday evening.

Silent period has started ahead of elections from today when candidates are restricted to conduct any type of election campaign.

The Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department have been deployed at the polling booth sites to maintain peaceful environment during the elections so that the voters could cast votes without any fear.

The elections are being seen as the final step in Nepal's transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives.

While many hope Nepal's first state elections will hasten regional development, others fear they will spark a fresh wave of violence.

In 2015, when Nepal adopted a new Constitution that split it into seven states, dozens of people were killed in ethnic clashes over territory and rights.

Following the adoption of the new Constitution in 2015, the ethnic Madhesi group, mostly of Indian-origin, protested for months, saying they were not getting enough territory in one of the states and were also facing discrimination.

Violent clashes not only left more than 50 people dead, but also left the country with severe shortages of fuel and medicine because protesters blocked the borders with India.

The protesters finally agreed to the elections after some amendments were made to the Constitution.

The polls are taking place under a new Constitution passed by lawmakers in September 2015 as part of a peace process that began with the end of a decade-long civil war.

The polls are a major step toward implementing the new Constitution.
PATNA: At a time when there have been talks of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi being a "janeu-dhari Hindu" (one who wears the sacred thread), Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has criticised the party of "veering towards extremism".

"These trends show the party is veering towards extremism in its quest for votes. This is something it has always accused the BJP of," he said.

Speaking up against the use of the term "janeu-dhari", Nitish said that the sacred thread was a mark of "caste-based inequality. He recalled how socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan had refused to wear the thread and had also asked his followers to discard it.

"By proudly flaunting janeu, the party has unwittingly alienated a large section of the society which has been at the receiving end of the rigid caste hierarchy," Kumar alleged.

The Congress had earlier claimed that Rahul was a "janeu-dhari Hindu" after a row erupted over the alleged listing of his name in the register for non-Hinuds at the Somnath temple in Gujarat.

He also said that the deliberate sidelining of top leaders like Ahmed Patel also shows that people in lower rungs of the Congress can never be elevated to top positions

"The person to be elected for the top position in the Congress is predetermined. People may aspire to get a place in the lower rungs but can never assume the leadership of the party," he said.
New Delhi: A National Security Guard (NSG) commando reportedly committed suicide after shooting at his wife and sister-in-law in Manesar on Tuesday morning.

ACP (Manesar) Dharamvir confirmed that the NSG commando - identified as Jitender Singh Yadav (34) shot his wife Guddan (31) and sister-in-law Khushboo (19) before taking his own life. While Jitender died on the spot, the two women have been admitted to a hospital.

Neighbours have reportedly said that Jitender and his wife quarrelled regularly and may have had an altercation late Monday night leading to the shooting. Initial investigations reveal a Heckler & Koch MP5 9mm sub-machine gun was used to fire the shots.
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Airlines (SIA) has dismissed media reports, which claimed that the pilots of its Singapore-Mumbai flight tried to land at a wrong airport.

The airline's statement comes after a section of media reported that flight SQ422 on Monday mistakenly made an approach to land at Mumbai's Juhu airport instead of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

The Airbus A350, with 259 passengers and crew members, was scheduled to land at the Chhatrapati Shivaji airport. But adhering to standard operating procedures, the pilots aborted the landing at about 1,000 feet due to poor visibility, Singapore media quoted the SIA statement.

Mumbai's air traffic control then vectored the flight for a subsequent approach and the flight landed 'uneventfully' at Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus.

Juhu airport has a shorter airstrip and is used for handling helicopters and small aircraft. Landing on a wrong runway could have resulted in an overrun.
NEW DELHI: In his series of questions to the Prime Minister, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government at the Centre is only going to serve the rich.

"Rising prices has made life difficult. Is this government only going to serve the rich, (Jumlo ki bewfaai maar gayi, notebandi ki lutai maar gayi, GST saari kamai maar gayi, baki kuch bacha to mahengai maar gayi. Badhte daamo se jeena dushwar, bas ameero ki hogi bhajpa sarkar)," he tweeted.

22   #__



-7 :



    

    

GST    

    -

  



    

     ? pic.twitter.com/FMg4Pm4z2s  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 5, 2017

In his sixth question on Monday, Rahul had brought Modi in the dock over the seventh pay commission and its implementation. Saatve vetan aayog mein Rs 18, 000 maasik hone ke bawajood fixed aur contract pagaar Rs 5,500 aur Rs 10, 000 kyun? (Despite 7th pay commission recommendations suggesting Rs 18,000 per month as minimum pay, why is the pay for fixed and contract workers at Rs 5,500 and Rs 10,000?) he wrote on Twitter.

He had also tweeted a video of an elderly lady speaking about the poor pay scale of teachers.

Rahul has been posting questions on his Twitter account seeking answers from the Prime Minister in the run-up to Gujarat assembly elections.

The first phase of assembly elections in Gujarat will be held on December 9, the second phase on December 14. The counting of votes will take place on December 18, along with that of Himachal Pradesh elections results.
NEW DELHI: Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor breathed his last on Monday in Mumbai at the age of 79. Tributes poured in from all quarters for the actor who is remembered as the ultimate "charm house" of Bollywood.

His demise was a news not just in India but abroad too. A video clip of one of the tributes to the actor played on BBC has gone viral on social media.

The clip shows that while paying respect to the late actor, the channel played the footage of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor. The channel faced backlash on social media with users seeking an apology for the mistake:

Hang on @bbcnews Shashi Kapoor has died not Amitabh Bachan or Rishi Kapoor, who you've weirdly used to illustrate the story. pic.twitter.com/48jo6DGjU6  Media Diversified (@WritersofColour) December 4, 2017

Shocking to note @BBC insults a veteran actor Shashi Kapoor by showing clips of @SrBachchan & @chintskap whilst reporting his death today!!!@BBC must apologize!!! Clearly they have no clue.



RIP Shashi Kapoor ___ pic.twitter.com/XMT4QJCy53  GABBAR (@Gabbar_food) December 4, 2017

Did BBC News at 10 cover the Shashi Kapoor story but just showed footage of Amitabh Bhachan and Rishi Kapoor? I'm no Bollywood expert but that's what it looked like to me. My sister thought Amitabh had died as well!? _  Trishna Bharadia (@TrishnaBharadia) December 4, 2017

@paulroyall I hope you now have a photograph of the real Shashi Kapoor? Poor man can't even rest in peace because the BBC credited another 'brown person ' with his work. #NotTheSame  Graeme (@Lurganexile) December 4, 2017

@BBCNews Too bad BBC News at 10 you broadcasted the news of Shashi Kapoors demise with film snippets of Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan in it, two completely wrong and totally alive actors. Correct film, Kabhi Kabhi, but wrong actors aired. Very stupid and rude indeed!  Dee Akther (@DeeAkther) December 4, 2017

State of the BBC news researchers now! __ shocking error ... RIP Shashi Kapoor __  Neil Sheane-Smith (@NeilSheane) December 4, 2017

I'm really annoyed about the BBC Shashi Kapoor thing. DOES ANYONE GIVE A DAMN? If you do, please tweet the editor @paulroyall  Aasmah Mir (@AasmahMir) December 4, 2017

Accepting the mistake, Editor - BBC Paul Royall apologised for the error. "#BBCNewsTen is very sorry wrong images were used to mark the death of Shashi Kapoor. Not our usual standards and I apologise for any upset," he tweeted on Tuesday.

#BBCNewsTen is very sorry wrong images were used to mark the death of Shashi Kapoor. Not our usual standards and I apologise for any upset.  Paul Royall (@paulroyall) December 4, 2017

On Monday, a national news channel in India also committed a faux pas by tweeting Shashi Tharoor instead of Shashi Kapoor. "We're getting condolence calls in the office. Reports of my demise are, if not exaggerated, at least premature. #ShashiKapoor," Tharoor had tweeted on Monday.

The actor-producer took his last breath at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai at 5:20 am on December4.

He made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 film "Dharmputra" and went on to appear in more than 116 films during the '70s and until the mid '80s.

Among his memorable films were "Deewar", "Kabhie Kabhie", "Namak Halal" and "Kaala Pathar".

He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2011 and received cinema's prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2015.
Washington: iPhone maker Apple has agreed to pay Ireland $15.46 billion in back taxes by early 2018.

According to Wall Street Journal, Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said on Monday that both sides agreed to the terms of an escrow fund for the money.

The European Union in 2016 launched a fresh crackdown over taxes paid by tech giant Apple.

The EU said it planned to refer Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to recover the money in back taxes from Apple.

According to the EU, the tax deal allowed Apple to pay almost nothing in tax on its European profits between 2003 and 2014.

It concluded that the US firm`s Irish tax benefits were illegal, enabling the firm to pay a corporate tax rate of no more than one per cent.

Ireland had claimed that EU regulators were interfering with national sovereignty.

Not just Apple, Amazon was also ordered to repay $293 million in back taxes after the European Commission said it had been given an unfair tax deal in Luxembourg.

Amazon denied it owed any back tax, saying it did "not receive any special treatment from Luxembourg".
LONDON: ArcelorMittal`s bid to buy Italian steel major Ilva may have hit serious snags, but the European Union`s steel sector is set to benefit in the short term whether or not there is a deal.

Italy`s Puglia and Taranto regions last week lodged a court appeal against the Italian governments approval of ArcelorMittal`s environmental plan for its takeover of Ilva. If successful, it could scupper the deal and lead to the temporary shutdown of Europe`s largest steel plant.

Meanwhile, EU antitrust authorities have opened a full inquiry which is likely to see ArcelorMittal`s junior bid partner, Italian steel processor Marcegaglia, exit the deal to buy Ilva.

But a rally in European steel prices, which have soared by some 75 percent since the start of last year, is unlikely to be derailed by either outcome, steel industry participants told Reuters following the recent developments.

"It doesn`t change anything to have Marcegaglia out of the consortium," Tomasso Sandrini, chief executive of steel service centre S.Polo Lamiere, told Reuters.

With Marcegaglia holding just a 6 percent share in the partnership, it would have had a negligible influence on EU steel prices as it would in any case have been unable to co-ordinate its sales strategy with ArcelorMittal-Ilva, he said.

EU antitrust authorities in November upgraded their investigation into whether the proposed purchase of Ilva by the consortium led by ArcelorMittal, the world`s biggest steelmaker, will lead to steel price hikes.

A few weeks later, the Puglia and Taranto regions filed an appeal against the takeover that counter-intuitively put the EU steel sector in a win-win situation in the short term, investment bank Jefferies says.

"If the appeal is successful, Ilva may be at least temporarily shut down, removing 6 percent of Euro flat steel production and likely driving spot prices higher," it said.

On the other hand, a successful takeover of Ilva would improve the pricing power of EU steelmakers in the longer term by reducing the number of sellers in the market.

ArcelorMittal`s proposed takeover of Ilva comes as steel majors Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp look to combine their European assets, meaning anti-trust authorities have to proceed with particular caution as regards the deals.

Already, ArcelorMittal has approached Italian steelmaker Arvedi, among others, about buying its mills in Piombino, Italy, an Arvedi spokesman told Reuters.

The Piombino mills make 800,000 tonnes per year of galvanised steel, used in the autos, white goods and construction sectors

Market concentration in the EU galvanised steel is of particular concern to authorities investigating the Ilva deal, sources say, with Marcegaglia a big player alongside ArcelorMittal and Ilva.

Berenberg said earlier this year that Ilvas privatisation alone will see EU steel prices rise by 10-20 euro per tonne, while that of Tata-Thyssenkrupp will boost prices further still.

ArcelorMittal reached a 1.8-billion-euro ($2.1 billion) deal to buy Ilva in June, and plans to invest another 2.4 billion euros cleaning up and modernising a plant which has been dogged by charges of corruption and environmental crime for years.

In 2012, Italian authorities ruled emissions of dust and cancer-causing chemicals from the plant had caused deaths, tumours and respiratory disease. About half the plant`s annual 11 million tonne capacity was eventually mothballed.
Washington: US imports of goods and services rose to the highest on record in October, widening the trade gap to its highest level in nine months, according to government data released Tuesday.

The trade deficit for the month was pushed by rising oil prices, as well as record imports from China ahead of the holiday shopping season, the Commerce Department said in its monthly report.

Boosted by a weaker US dollar, the October trade gap rose 8.6 percent compared to September, to $48.7 billion, the highest since January, surpassing analyst expectations for an increase of only 5.6 percent.

Imports rose 1.6 percent over September to $244.6 billion, seasonally adjusted, the highest since the Commerce Department began publishing the statistic in 1992.

Exports were unchanged at $195.9 billion, but services exports were also the highest on record at $65.6 billion.

The mounting trade deficit comes the administration of President Donald Trump enters the latter stages of fraught negotiations with Mexico and Canada to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Trump took office on a nationalist economic agenda, pledging to bring down the trade deficit by canceling or renegotiating trade pacts and aggressively policing the export practices of major trading partners.

It was the second straight month in which the US trade gap widened, driven in part by goods imported from China of $48.2 billion, an all-time high, bringing the US trade deficit with that country to $31.9 billion.

Exports to China, meanwhile, were the highest in almost four years, at $13 billion.

Imports of goods also increased from Mexico to $28.7 billion and from the European Union to $39.4 billion. Exports of goods to Mexico rose $22.1 billion for the month, a three-year high.

Imports of mobile phones rose $300 million as did transportation services.

Average prices for imported crude oil also hit a two-year high at $47.26 a barrel, moving the value of crude imports up by $1.5 billion.
SRINAGAR: Three terrorists, trying to loot a bank in Jammu and Kashmir, were pelted with stones by local residents on Monday.

The incident took place in Tral's Noorpora area.

Terrorist Zakir Musa, along with two associates, entered the bank with the objective of looting the bank. The locals raised a hue and cry about the incident and forced the terrorists to retreat.

Retaliating to the episode, the terrorists fired gunshots and escaped from the spot.

Terrorists entered the J&K bank branch in Tral's Noorpora & they obviously wanted to loot public money. Compliments to the people (locals) as they resisted very bravely. People made the terrorists retreat, said Munir Khan, IGP Kashmir.

There was anti-terrorist reaction from locals who not only raised hue and cry but also pelted stones upon them. In retaliation to the pelting, terrorists fired gunshots and escaped from the spot, he added.

As per initial investigation and CCTV footage Zakir Musa and two of his associates were involved in looting Rs. 97 thousand of public money. FIR lodged, investigation underway: J&K Police on yesterday's bank robbery at J&K bank in Tral's Noorpora
Jaipur: It is up to the "neighbouring country" how it treats terrorist organisations but India will continue to raise the matter, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said today reacting to former Pakistan president Parvez Musharraf's statement on a poll alliance with Hafiz Saeed.

Rawat also asserted that there will be no let up in the operations against militants in Kashmir.

"Operations in Kashmir are going on continuously and we are trying to bring an improvement in the situation in the Valley. Such operations will go on," Rawat told reporters at the sidelines of a ceremony at Suratgarh military station.

The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have eliminated over 200 militants this year, the highest number since 2010.

Reacting tn Musharraf's statement welcoming an alliance with terrorist Hafiz Saeed for the 2018 general election in Pakistan, Rawat said that it was for the neighbouring country to decide how it deals with terrorist organisations.

"If they want to come into the system then why not the terrorist organisations which are present this (Indian) side participate and be part of the electoral process. How the neighbouring country deals with terrorist organisations is their matter but we will keep raising this," Rawat said.

We do not want that such organisations are promoted, he added.

While rejecting that there was a threat from China, the Army chief said that there existed a mechanism to deal with matters that arose out of differences regarding border perception.

"We keep on the dialogues and discussions. Our boundary perceptions are different and tensions and ups and downs happen, but we have a mechanism to deal with such matters," he said.

The Army chief also said that cadre review for Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) will enhance their promotion prospects and other facilities.

The government had cut the educational expenses of children of martyrs and capped it at Rs 10,000 per month and the matter will be discussed with the Centre, he said.

Rawat was at the Suratgarh military station to present the President's Standard to three regiments.

The Army chief presented the Standard to?87 Armoured regiment, 47 Armoured regiment and 10 Armoured regiment after a mounted parade attended by southwestern Army commander Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson, Lieutenant General P C Thimmaya, general officer commanding of Chetak corps, and other officers.

The chief hosts of the event were the colonels of the three Armoured regiments, Major General Vinod Sharma, Major General SS Mahal and Major General Kulpreet Singh, according to defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Manish Ojha.

A formation of T-72 main battle tanks, the mainstay of Indian Armoured Corps, displaying the might of the Army was commanded by Brigadier Praveen Chabbra, commander of the Sand Viper brigade with regiment contingent commanded by respective commanding officers.

The honour was bestowed upon the three Armoured regiments in due recognition of the dedicated and meritorious service rendered by them since raising, more than three decades back.
Srinagar: Members of terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba, that attacked Amarnath pilgrims earlier this year, has been wiped out by the Indian army in yesterday's encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Qazigund, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said today.

The group comprising a total of three terrorists was neutralized in the encounter that broke out yesterday. While bodies of two of them were recovered yesterday, a third terrorist, namely Yawar's body was recovered from the site today.

Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid informed via Twitter, that a fourth terrorist was also caught alive.

"Body of third terrorist Yawar a local was also recovered from encounter site & 4th terrorist caught alive in injured condition. Well done boys," Vaid wrote on Twitter, and continued in a successive tweet, "With the elimination of Abu Ismail earlier & now these three Abu Mavia , Furkan & Yawar group that attacked Amarnath Yatries is wiped out."

In July, at least seven pilgrims were killed while several were injured in a terror attack, while they were on their way back from Amarnath Temple.

Yawar was part of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). His two prime associates who were also involved in the Qazigund attack, were arrested in Anantnag by police and security force.

Arms and ammunition were seized from the arrested terrorists.

Investigation is underway.

A Security personnel also lost his life in the encounter, while another suffered injuries.
Twitter went abuzz on Monday when a video of three hijab-clad women in Kerala dancing to popular number 'Jimikki Kammal' went viral. While some said the women had dis-respected Islam, many others countered saying it was for a noble cause.

The women seen dancing in the video were reportedly trying to spread AIDS-related awareness as part of AIDS Day celebrations in Malappuram.

#WATCH: Three girls dance in a flash mob in Kerala's Malappuram (4.12.17) pic.twitter.com/niyNtIGXn5  ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2017

That they were wearing hijab and dancing in public infuriated many.

There's no disgrace in dancing, but when an act is done for cheap popularity, there will be some people opposing it too.

Criticism is integrated in showbiz  Shameela (@shaikhshameela) December 4, 2017

Support for the women, however, was aplenty as well. They largely agreed that there is no harm in dancing for a noble cause and for the betterment of human lives.

People should become religious when it comes to girls. Religion is same for all.

One should do some introspection before abusing these girls.  Shakeel_Hamid (@ShakeelSpeaks) December 4, 2017

They can dance...its their life....they can do whatever they want to do....live and let live...life is too short for all these December 4, 2017

More and more girls should come forward and celebrate the openness which India as a country bestows as a right to its citizens. India.Kerala should become the best example for liberated, yet decent women working for the best interests of the society promoting openness.  Renju (@renjusd) December 4, 2017

The video itself has gone viral with hundreds of shares and a large number of reactions - in support or otherwise - on social media.

Earlier this year, it was reported that AIDS-related deaths in the country fell 58 per cent between 2005 and 2016. However, the country still is third in list of nations with number of HIV patients - after South Africa and Nigeria. Health experts and social activists have repeatedly advocated that awareness can go a long way in further reducing HIV incidents.
Kolkata: Another case of sexual assault of a three-year-old child in a Behala-based Kolkata has emerged. The prime accused in the case  a non-teaching staff  was arrested by the police on Monday.

The incident emerged days after reports of a four-year-old girl being sexually assaulted in a high-profile school on Thursday.

The victims mother has been complaining about the issue against two school employees for a while. The child was reportedly abused twice - in July and in August. But the school failed to take any action. She later spoke to the media, highlighting the issue.

On Monday morning, the minor's parents, along with several others, started protesting outside the school campus. Following the schools refusal to respond, the protests intensified.

The school later suspended one of the non-teaching employees, but no took action against another alleged assaulter, who is now reportedly missing.

Enraged by this, parents blocked the road on James Long Sarani. The police later lathicharged on protesting parents.

Meanwhile, parents from the other Kolkata school took out a massive rally on Monday.

The school principal called for a meeting with parents on Tuesday amid the presence of police and the media. Two physical education teachers have been arrested for the assault of the minor.
London: Chinese telecom giant Huawei`s sub-brand Honor on Tuesday launched its flagship Honor 7X smartphone which gives full-screen viewing experience at Rs 12,999 for the 32GB variant and Rs 15,999 for the 64 GB variant.

The 4GB Honor 7X will be available for purchase from December 7, noon onwards, in India via flash sales exclusively on Amazon.

"The Honor 7X is the leading choice for users who want to enjoy rich functionality with the benefits of a bezel-less phone, while on a limited budget," George Zhao, Global President, Honor, told reporters here while launching the device.

"Additionally, Honor is immensely proud of the quality control it undertakes in producing every phone. Honor 7X was dropped over 4,800 times in the lab during testing so users can be assured that better value for money doesn`t compromise our high-end quality," Zhao added.

He also said the company wants Honor to be the most favourite phone for young people.

"Honor wants to redefine global smartphone brand. We want to be among the top five global companies in the smartphone segment in three years and in top three in five years," Zhao said.

"The company also wants to become the top smartphone brand in India, Turkey, Asia-Pacific and Middle East."

The phone will come in three colours -- black, blue and shining gold.

The Honor 7X is the first smartphone to feature Honor "FullView Display", a 5.93 inch edge-to-edge, bezel-less screen design that provides good display quality and achieves a high screen-to-body ratio, meaning that users can enjoy striking images on a sleek, compact phone which comfortably fits into the palm.

In addition, the bezel-less screen and dual-lens (16MP + 2MP) rear camera with large aperture and fast focusing means DSLR-level photo quality and shooting experience is at selfie lovers` fingertips.

With the "Phase Detection Auto Focus" (PDAF) technology and the latest algorithms, the device enables focusing in as fast as 0.18 seconds.

The Honor 7X is powered by an Octal-core Kirin 659 processor at 2.36GHz and is equipped with 4GB RAM and EMUI5.1, ensuring superb performance when multi-tasking and gaming.

It runs Android 7.0 Nougat OS and charges using the older micro USB connector.

A microSD card of up to 256 GB can be used to increase data storage. The phone houses 3,340mAh battery with "Ultra Power Saving Mode".

Launched in India in 2014, Honor started manufacturing in the country from 2016 in partnership with the leading global electronics manufacturer Flex Telecom at a facility in Chennai.
MUMBAI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha was detained on Monday in Maharashtra's Akola village. He was later released

The senior party member was leading a farmers' march in Akola, when he was stopped by the local cops.

Sinha, who's party is in power in the state, as protesting against the state governments alleged apathy towards farmers in the states Vidarbha region.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has not commented on the issue so far.

Later, Janata Dal (United) leader, wrote on twitter, Worrying that senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has been arrested in Akola, Maharashtra, on orders of a BJP government, for the crime of protesting against the admins apathy towards cotton and soybean farmers in Vidarbha.
Thane: The Navi Mumbai police has arrested 11 persons, including a woman, in connection with the alleged robbery at Juinagar branch of Bank of Baroda, in which the accused had allegedly entered by digging a tunnel and decamped with valuables worth Rs 3.43 crore by breaking open 30 lockers, a top police official said.

While eight of the accused were arrested from Mumbai, two others were held from Panchla in West Bengal and Allahabad. A jeweller, whom the accused sold the stolen valuables, was arrested from Malegaon in Nashik.

Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale said in a press conference that the police have so far recovered stolen valuables worth Rs 1.51 crore, which include gold jewellery weighing 5.5 kg, silver jewellery of 412 grams and cash worth Rs 12.19 lakh. Four cars collectively worth Rs 24 lakh were also seized from them.

"It was between November 10 and 13, the accused drilled an underground tunnel and sneaked into the strongroom of the bank and decamped with the valuables by breaking open the lockers," he said.

Following the incident, the police had formed ten teams to nab the accused.

The accused identified as Shravan Krishna Hegde (24), Momim Amin Khan (24), Aanjan alias Ranjan Ananat Mohanti (43), Hajid Ali Sabdar Ali Mirza Baig alias Abbu alias Langda (45), Sahnajbi Moiddin Shaikh (33) and Kamelsh Varma (35), were arrested from Mumbai on different days.

Jumman Ali Abdul Samad Shaikh (40) and Mehrunnisa Shadab Sayyad alias Soniya (45), who is Hajid Ali's sister, were also arrested from the metropolis, Nagrale said.

Besides, the police arrested Moiddin Abdul Sirajmiya Shaikh (34) from Panchla in West Bengal; jeweller Rajendra Wagh (52) from Malegaon in Nashik and Shubham Nishad (20) from Allahabad railway station.

Police are on the lookout for four more persons involved in the crime.

"There are a number of cases registered against the five arrested accused- Ali Mirza Baig, Hegde, Momin Khan, Mohanti, Moiddin Shaikh with different police stations, including Palghar, Mumbai, Pune, Dhule, Nagpur, Amravati, Silvassa, Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara. The offences are related to house break-in, theft, robbery, dacoity, attempt to dacoity, among others," Nagrale said.

According to police, Gona Bachchan Prasad alias Bhavansingh from Daulatpura from Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, who had taken the neighbouring grocery shop on rent from where the tunnel was dug into the bank, had died on August 4 in Udaipur, even before the heist was carried out by the gang members.

"The gang members had made use of China-made walkie talkie, hammer machine, drilling machine, grinder, cutting machines, screw drivers, hexa blades and other instruments to dig the tunnel and enter the strong room," he said.

The police are presently examining possibility of slapping the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against those arrested, police said.

Further investigation is on.
Agartala: Alleging deterioration of law and order and attacks on its activists, the BJP on Tuesday demanded President's Rule in Tripura ahead of Assembly elections due in February 2018.



"Many BJP supporters and members have been killed and attacked by CPI-M cadres. Many of our party offices have been destroyed by CPI-M cadres," BJP state chief Biplab Kumar Deb said during a protest outside the West Kotowali police station here.



"In every incident police either remain inactive or file light charges against the attackers. The BJP demands President's Rule in Tripura so that Assembly elections are held peacefully and in a free and fair manner.



"If the Left Front remains in power, there will be more killings before the polls."



Bharatiya Janata Party activists also surrounded 56 of Tripura's 76 police stations on Tuesday.



The BJP alleged that the Left Front government had "completely failed to maintain law and order situation".



Inspector General of Police KV Sreejesh said BJP's "Thana Gherao" programme was peaceful. "We arrested a large number of BJP picketers. However, they will be released," Sreejesh told IANS.



Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders strongly criticised the BJP. "People will subvert all the conspiracies of the BJP," CPI-M leader Narayan Kar told the media.


Washington DC: A famous quote reads- 'Brothers are as close as hands and feet' and it seems like Prince Harry believes in it in real life too.

From big brother to best friend and now best man, Prince William is all geared up to be the best man for Harry's royal wedding to Meghan Markle in May 2018, according to E! Online.

According to sources, the betrothed royal has already asked William to be his best man when Harry and Meghan tie the knot at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle this May.

The source said, "Harry has several close guy friends, but there's no way he would ask anyone but William to take on the top job."

As of now, there is no confirmation on whether the Duke of Cambridge has said yes to his brother's kind offer.

The source adds that Kate Middleton will not have a role in the nuptials.

Traditionally, there isn't a 'best man' at a royal wedding. Instead grooms have 'supporters'.

However, Prince William broke with tradition and had Harry be his best man when he married Middleton in 2011.

Kate's sister Pippa Middleton served as maid of honor.

Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle will get married at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel in May next year.
New Delhi: The legendary superstar of Hindi cinema, Shashi Kapoor left us all teary-eyed on Monday evening (December 4, 2017). The dashing megastar ruled the silver screens for more than four decades and his charisma continues to enchant many aspiring young actors.

Shashi Kapoor battled a prolonged illness and breathed his last in Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He was 79. Randhir Kapoor, son of veteran actor Raj Kapoor told PTI, "Yes he has passed away. He had kidney problem for several years. He was on dialysis for several years.

The noted actor's last rights were performed at Mumbai's Santacruz Crematorium on Tuesday. Several senior actors and other Bollywood celebrities were seen paying their last respects to the mortal remains of the classic actor.

From Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Bunty Walia to Ranbir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Shakti Kapoor, Salim Khan, Satish Shah among others reached the crematorium.

Shashi Kapoor was cremated with state honours around noon at the electric crematorium.The actor-producer's body was taken to the crematorium from his Juhu home in an ambulance at 11.45 am. There was an ocean of fans gathered around just to catch the last glimpse of the legend amid heavy rains in the city.

His three children -- sons Kunal and Karan and daughter Sanjna -- were there as were other members of the Kapoor family and scores of film personalities to say their goodbyes to the actor who straddled the worlds of commercial and art house cinema.

About a dozen policemen draped the actor's body in tricolour, which was later removed for the rituals. There were three rounds of fire to honour the late actor, who had spent more than four decades in Hindi cinema. This was followed by a minute's silence.

The Kapoor senior featured in as many as 148 films in his illustrious career. The legendary star's death has left a void in Indian cinema which none can fill.
New Delhi: Indian television's one of the most popular faces Shweta Tiwari got all emotional and shared a heartfelt note on son Reyansh's first birthday. The gorgeous Shweta tied the knot with actor Abhinav Kohli on July 13, 2013, and were blessed with a son on November 27, 2016.

Shweta took to her Instagram handle and shared that she celebrated her son's first birthday at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra. She wrote: Happy One year to my whole soul, my son, my happiness, to you Reyansh. (I know I'm excruciatingly late but where we celebrated his birthday didn't have a constant flow of network)

Reyansh, my life felt absolutely idyllic and complete until you came along. Because it was only after you that I realised how much I craved you and how much my life craved you. I've always found it amusing how such a small baby can fill out such enormous places in a family's household. You've become our life Reyansh.

And somebody who's filled out such a gigantic void in my heart only deserves a huge void filled in his. Every second person I know/see/hear of has the desire to travel the world, but my baby, that'll never be your wish, because I've decided on each birthday I'll take you to a new place, city or country so you can count the number of places you've visited through your age. I figured this way your currently fragile mind will have so many more dreams and moreover unique dreams to want to pursue, because my sweetheart your mom has travelling covered.

That's why I celebrated your first birthday in Vaishnodevi, because what better place to Commence than the shrine of Maa, a blessing that'll protect you throughout your marvellous life.

I love you so much my angel.

The actress has a daughter named Palak from her previous marriage to Raja Chaudhary.

Isn't the post extremely adorable?
Mumbai: Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaas destination wedding in Goa was a starry event attended by some of the big names in the television industry. Krushna Abhishek and Sunil Grover too had attended their colleagues marriage ceremony but Kapil Sharma was conspicuous by his absence.

Kapils absence made people wonder why he did so.

Latest buzz suggests that Kapil chose to give dear friend Bhartis wedding ceremony a miss to avoid Krushna and Sunil. Krushna has often been pitted against Kapil as his arch rival while Sunil had quit The Kapil Sharma Show after the fight on flight.

Kapil has since then been in massive trouble. His health deteriorated and he had to call off his TV shoot quite a few times. This landed him in more trouble and soon he and the channel broadcasting TKSS mutually decided to take the show off air.

Interestingly, Bharti had recently talked about her plans to do a show with Kapil after returning from her honeymoon in Europe. But one cant stop wondering why Kapil didnt turn up given the fact that his second film Firangi released on December 1 and Bhartis wedding was held two days later.

Though Kapil and Krushna are believed to be rivals on screen, they share a great equation in real life.

Bharti had spoken about their off screen friendship during an interview with DNA a few days back.

She said, Just because they did different shows, people say they are rivals. But I know the inside story. Nobody writes about the times we meet and party. I never had a problem working with either of them. I have always had fun. I wish all the three of us do a show together  tehelka mach chayega.
New Delhi: From bank accounts to mobile numbers to a host of financial services like PPF, NSC, KVP the mandatory linking of Aadhaar is fast approaching.

Check out the deadline for linking Aadhaar with these services and also know how to do it.

Bank Account

The current deadline for the banks to link customers' accounts to their Aadhaar is December 31, 2017.

The Bank Aadhaar Kendras are being set up with a view to make the Aadhaar verification process of bank accounts convenient for people and also to have more Aadhaar centres across the country that can cater to enrolment and updation requirements of people.

You can also link your bank account with Aadhaar via Internet or mobile banking facilities.

PAN

The deadline for linking PAN with biometric identifier Aadhaar is December 31. In order to link PAN and Aadhaar cards, tax payers have to first register on the Income tax e-Filing portal. Once they have done so, they are to follow the steps outlined by the I-T department. Know how to link your PAN Card with Aadhaar Card.



PPF, NSC, KVP, Post Office

The government has made biometric identification Aadhaar mandatory for all post office deposits, PPF, the National Savings Certificate scheme and Kisan Vikas Patra.

Existing depositors have been given time till December 31, 2017 to provide the 12-digit unique identification number.

You can go to the UIDAI website and look for Aadhaar Enrolment. Check out this website and know how to link Aadhaar with Post Office.



Social Schemes

The deadline for obtaining Aadhaar for availing government schemes has been extended to December 31.

As many as 135 schemes (of 35 ministries) including the free cooking gas (LPG) to poor women, kerosene and fertiliser subsidy, targeted public distribution system (PDS) and MGNREGA have been covered.

Mobile SIM

The deadline for linking Aadhaar with the mobile SIM card is February 6, 2018.

The government has initiated a series of measures, including allowing re-verification at subscribers' doorstep and One Time Password (OTP) based authentication of existing users.

Telecom operators have been directed to offer facility for re-verification at the subscribers' doorstep for convenience of those with disablity, illness or old age.

Operators have been asked to put in place an online mechanism (through website, and other means) for people to request for such service.

It has also enabled Aadhaar OTP (One time password) based authentication for re-verification of the existing mobile users. Telecom service providers have been instructed to initiate a scheme to use OTP based re-verification of mobile subscribers using SMS or IVRS or on their mobile app.

Mutual Fund

As per government notification, all mutual fund folios must be linked with Aadhaar number before 31st Dec 2017, failing which the folios will be frozen.

MF investors can either visit individual AMCs (Asset Management Companies) or RTAs (registrar and transfer agents) for updating their Aadhaar. Subsequently many mutual fund and financial advisory houses have launched online KYC for their investors. Check with your MF investment platform for better guidance.
New Delhi: A detailed map of clouds in the universe around us has suggested that high-velocity clouds of gas moving at speeds of hundreds of kilometres per second cover at least 13 percent of the sky.

The map covers the entire sky and shows curious clouds of neutral hydrogen gas that are moving at a different speed to the normal rotation of the Milky Way.

"These gas clouds are moving towards or away from us at speeds of up to a few hundred kilometres per second," said the creator of the map Tobias Westmeier of the University of Western Australia, node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research.

The map was compiled by capturing an image of the sky and masking out gas that is moving at the same pace as the Milky Way in order to show the location of gas travelling at a different speed.

As a result, the most sensitive and highest-resolution all-sky map of high-velocity clouds ever was created.

"Starting to see all that structure within these high-velocity clouds is very exciting," Westmeier said.

"It's something that wasn't really visible in the past, and it could provide new clues about the origin of these clouds and the physical conditions within them," he added.

The research used data from a survey known as HI4PI, a study of the entire sky released late last year.

The survey combined observations from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's Parkes Observatory in Australia and the Effelsberg 100m Radio Telescope operated by the Max-Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany.

Astronomers had proposed several hypotheses about where high-velocity clouds come from.

"We know for certain the origin of one of the long trails of gas, known as the Magellanic Stream, because it seems to be connected to the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds," he said.

"But all the rest, the origin is unknown."

Until about a decade ago, even the distances to high-velocity clouds had been a mystery, Westmeier said.

"We now know that the clouds are very close to the Milky Way, within about 30,000 light years of the disc," he said.

"That means it's likely to either be gas that is falling into the Milky Way or outflows from the Milky Way itself," Westmeier said.

The map will be freely available to astronomers around the world, helping them to learn more about high-velocity clouds and the universe.

The map was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

(With IANS inputs)
Washington: Indian-American California senator Kamala Harris has topped the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine's 2017 list of '50 Leading Global Thinkers' which also features US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.

Besides Harris and Haley, Indian-origin stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj has also made it to the list which recognises a remarkable range of individuals who have found ways to exert enormous influence, often in unexpected ways, on a wide range of issues.

"They are the doers who defined 2017," said Foreign Policy while releasing its annual list of global thinkers, which this year number 50 instead of 100 as was mostly the case in previous years.

Topping the list is Harris, 53, for giving the Democratic Party hope in the era of President Donald Trump, the magazine said.

Harris, the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, is the first-ever Indian-American to be elected to the US Senate.

Seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate, Harris is the only black woman in the Senate.

"Her professional bona fides and two decades as a prosecutor, her commitment to social justice (she has made immigrants' rights and bail reform the focus of her first year in office), and her personal 'firsts' make her appealing to voters still smarting from (Hillary) Clinton's loss and hungry for a charismatic non-white, non-male presidential candidate," the magazine said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is ranked second in the list for trying to rebuild decent democratic leadership in South Korea.

Popular comedian Minhaj, 32, is placed third in the ranking for defining the narrative of a "New Brown America", it said.

Early this year he was the first Indian-American to have been chosen to host the White House Correspondents Dinner.

"The final comedian to be hired by The Daily Show during Jon Stewart's tenure as host, Minhaj has since joined an elite cadre of popular news satirists ? including Stewart, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver ? whose joyful embrace of 'fake news' often gets at fundamental truths at which the mainstream media can only gesture," it said.

Former South Carolina governor Haley, 45, the first Indian-American to be a member of any presidential cabinet, figures in the list of global thinkers for trying to preserve America's traditional vision of international affairs, said the magazine.

"The US foreign policy that Haley has spent just over 10 months defending smacks more of traditional Republican (and, arguably, traditional US) policies more closely in line with Ronald Reagan than with the current president," it said.

Among others in the list are presidential candidate for the FARC, the Colombian rebel group that has traded its weapons for party politics, the female director of Afghanistan's foreign-language film contender for the Oscars, the venture capitalist who is using tech companies to bridge the gap between Israel and Palestine, and an Iraqi member of parliament who is demanding her country recognise the genocide of the minority Yazidis.

"This year's list showcases a remarkable range of individuals who have found ways to exert enormous influence, often in unexpected ways, on a wide range of issues ? from North Korea policy, to the rise of populism, to how we combat fake news, to cementing a new narrative in American culture... to comedy," said Jonathan Tepperman, editor-in-chief of the magazine.

"These amazing people are not only rethinking our world, but also reshaping it. They defined 2017, and we're thrilled by the chance to recognise their accomplishments ? for good, at least in most cases," he said.

The list also includes Chelsea Manning, ex-Trump aide Stephen Bannon, and French President Emmanuel Macron
Brussels: The EU`s diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said Tuesday that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved "through negotiations", as US President Donald Trump mulls recognising the city as the capital of Israel.

"A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states, so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled," Mogherini said after talks in Brussels with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Trump on Monday delayed a decision on the highly contentious issue -- a crucial question in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- after public warnings from allies and private phonecalls between world leaders.

The EU, which supports a two-state solution to the conflict, has warned against doing anything that would jeopardise peace prospects.

"The European Union supports the resumption of a meaningful peace process towards a two state solution," Mogherini said.

"We believe that any action that would undermine this effort must absolutely be avoided."

International leaders have warned Trump that he risks outraging Muslims and jeopardising Middle East peace efforts if he goes ahead with a proposal to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there.

Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital and previous peace plans have stumbled over debates on whether, and how, to divide sovereignty or oversee holy sites.
Colombo: Former Sri Lankan leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, who leads a rival faction of the ruling SLFP, has blamed his successor President Maithripala Sirisena for the breakdown of unity talks between the two sides.

The two factions of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have held talks to try and unite to face local council elections, now likely to be held in mid-February.

"The efforts failed because they (the Sirisena faction) did not want to leave the government. We cannot agree to any alliance with the UNP," Rajapaksa said yesterday, addressing a political rally of his new party - Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) - in the central hill town of Badulla.

The SLPP is the brainchild of his powerful brother Basil, who was the economic development minister during Rajapaksa's 10-year presidency.

Rajapaksa has been reluctant to publicly associate with SLPP until yesterday.

Rajapaksa backers in the SLPP want the Sirisena-led SLFP to leave the current unity government with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United Natinal Party (UNP).

The UNP and SLFP formed the unity government in 2015 after Rajapaksa lost to Sirisena in the presidential election.

Rajapaksa, who had sacked Sirisena from the party after he emerged as the common opposition challenger, had passed on the SLFP leadership to the incumbent president following his stunning victory.


Pakistan was left 'stunned' at a recent high-level meeting over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), after China informed it that it has decided to stop funding three road projects that are part of the much-touted corridor, a leading Pakistani daily has reported.

The Dawn newspaper has reported that China said it was stopping the funding to wait for new procedural guidelines to be released by Beijing. Pakistani officials were told at the same sitting that the Chinese leadership is disturbed by news reports over corruption in CPEC projects, and that this was among the reasons China had decided to stop the funding.

China's revelation came at the Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held on November 20. Pakistani officials had gone into the meeting expecting to finalise the funding the funding for the projects, but were instead given a shock, the report said.

"Pakistan was informed in the meeting that 'new guidelines' will be issued from Beijing under which new modus operandi for release of the funds will be described," the Dawn report read.

When the meetings took place, most attention had been focussed on Pakistan's refusal to allow trade in renminbi, the formal name for the Chinese currency, at the Gwadar Port. That refusal had come on the heels of Pakistan's thumbs down to Chinese funding for a dam project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Whether China's decision to stop funding for the three road projects was retribution is anyone's guess.

The larger point of concern for the Pakistanis however is that changes to procedure could mean other CPEC projects are affected as well.

CPEC has been sold to the Pakistani people as a magic wand solution to developomental problems. It has been rationalised as a close cooperation between 'all-weather friends'. However, this narrative of Chinese altruism and mutual benefit has come under increasing strain.

The three road projects had been part of the Pakistan federal government's own development plan. They had been brought under the CPEC umbrella only in December 2016. The funding for the three projects had been approved at the 6th JCC meeting held at the end of December last year, pending procedural formalities.

While two of the projects were local connectivity projects, one is 136-km the final part of the Karakarom Highway (KKH) from Raikot to Thakot. Before, CPEC, the Karakoram Highway had for decades been the crown jewel of the Pakistan-China axis. China had lost patience and completed the Pakistani portion of the road after a number of delays and failures from the Pakistani agencies.
Washington: In a major triumph for US President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court has backed his controversial travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries, asserting that its immediate enforcement can go into full effect pending appeal.

The travel ban is the third version of a contentious policy that Trump first sought to implement a week after taking office in January.

As a result of the yesterday's ruling by the Supreme Court's, Trump's travel ban, which restricts travel to the US by people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad without bona fide connections to America, can take full effect while legal challenges proceed.

Seven of the nine judges lifted restrictions on the travel ban imposed by other courts earlier. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the government's request.

The court gave no reason for its decision but said it expected lower court review of the executive orders to proceed quickly.

"Multiple government agencies have conducted a comprehensive, worldwide review of the information shared by foreign governments that is used to screen aliens seeking entry to the US," US Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in court papers.

"We are not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the President's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said after the order.

Trump's travel ban was challenged by Hawaii and American Civil Liberties Union in separate lawsuits. They argued that such a ban discriminated against Muslims.

"It is difficult to conceive of a more flagrant example of discrimination because of nationality," said Indian- American attorney Neal Katyal, who appeared for Hawaii.

New York Immigration Coalition Executive Director Steven Choi said it was entirely unacceptable and un-American to discriminate against people based on race or religion.

"Allowing the full enforcement of the Muslim ban will not make this country safer or greater. Nearly a year after we rallied at JFK in response to the first Muslim ban, we will continue to fight Trump's plan to turn bigotry into policy and resist this latest assault on our liberties just as we have every day since Trump took office," Choi said.

Michael S Glassner, executive director of Donald J Trump for President campaign committee, welcomed the decision.

"From June 16, 2015 to this day, President Trump's immigration policies have always been about one thing: keeping Americans safe from people who seek to do us harm and attack our freedoms," he said.

"As promised, the President directed his administration to conduct a thorough and appropriate review of immigration vetting procedures, in place under the previous administration, to ensure that terrorist attacks do not occur on American soil," he said.

"Now that the Supreme Court has ordered the lifting of restrictions on this ban, minimum security standards for entry into the US can be enforced," he added.

All Americans should take heart that President Trump is fully committed to Making America Safe Again, and will continue the fight to ensure their safety no matter what, Glassner said.

Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said that it was unfortunate that the full ban can move forward for now.

"This order does not address the merits of our claims. We continue to stand for freedom, equality, and for those who are unfairly being separated from their loved ones. We will be arguing Friday in the Fourth Circuit that the ban should ultimately be struck down," Jadwat said.
Washington: President Donald Trump faced down warnings of widespread Middle East unrest and untold damage to the peace process on Tuesday, telling anxious Arab leaders he still intends to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Amid a frantic round of telephone diplomacy, Trump told Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah that the deeply controversial move was coming, but crucially did not give a timeframe.

Trump "informed the president (Abbas) on his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," the Palestinian leader's office said in a statement that was echoed in Amman.

Trump must this week decide whether to sign a waiver keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv or fulfill a campaign promise and move it to Jerusalem -- de facto recognizing Israel's claim on the disputed city.

Such a move would please Trump's conservative and evangelical donors and voter base.

US officials said he will hold off on moving the embassy right away, but may issue a statement reiterating his intent and even go as far as recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

That could upend a decades-old western policy -- observed by both Republican and Democratic presidents -- that stated Jerusalem's status can only be decided by negotiation.

The White House argues that such a move would not prejudge final talks and would represent the reality that west Jerusalem is and will continue to be part of Israel under any settlement.

Still, it risks extinguishing Trump's efforts to broker Middle East peace and igniting the flames of conflict in a region already reeling from crises in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Qatar.

"Mr Trump! Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims," Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a raucous televised speech, echoing alarm expressed by Palestinian and Arab leaders.

In his address, Erdogan warned that any move to back Israel's claim to the city would mobilize "the entire Islamic world" and even prompt Ankara to sever its recently-renewed diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.

The armed Islamist Hamas movement has threatened to launch a new "intifada" or uprising.

Most of the international community, including the United States, does not formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, insisting the issue can only be resolved in final status negotiations.

Following talks in Brussels with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, top EU diplomat Federica Mogherini warned that any move which risked undermining efforts to jumpstart moribund peace talks "must absolutely be avoided."

"A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states, so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled," she said.

In Cairo, Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit warned it would be viewed as an act of "clear aggression" against the Arab and Muslim world.

Saudi Arabia also expressed "grave and deep concern" about the impact it would have on both the conflict and peace efforts, while the Palestinians said it would shatter any illusion about Trump's ability to fairly mediate in any talks.

"That totally destroys any chance that he will play a role as an honest broker," said Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

In Israel, however, hardline Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman hailed the moment as a "historic opportunity" for Trump, expressing hope he would see the US embassy in Jerusalem "next week or next month".

The US Congress has already made its aim clear in the so-called Jerusalem Embassy Act, which was passed in 1995 and which stated that the city "should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel" and that the US embassy should be moved there.

But an inbuilt waiver, which allows the president to temporarily postpone the move on grounds of "national security," has been repeatedly invoked by successive US presidents, meaning the law has never taken effect.

Israel seized the largely-Arab eastern sector of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, claiming both sides of the city as its "eternal and undivided capital."

But the Palestinians want the eastern sector as capital of their future state and fiercely oppose any Israeli attempt to extend sovereignty there.

Several peace plans have unravelled over the issue of how to divide sovereignty or oversee sites in the city that are holy for Christians, Jews and Muslims.
Frankfurt: US special prosecutor Robert Mueller has subpoenaed German lender Deutsche Bank for information on Donald Trump's dealings, according to media reports on Tuesday.

Investigators -- who are probing whether Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow to swing last year's US presidential election -- presented Germany's biggest bank with a demand for information about Trump and members of his family, Bloomberg News and German business daily Handelsblatt reported, citing anonymous sources.

The subpoena arrived "a few weeks ago," according to the German paper, which added that the most important files relevant to the request have already been sent to Mueller's team.

Investigators were looking for "information about specific financial and credit transactions with the Trump family," Handelsblatt reported.

A Deutsche Bank spokesman declined to comment on the reports when contacted by AFP.

An internal investigation at Deutsche "found no suspicious connections between Trump and Russia so far," Handelsblatt added.

Trump has a history of dealings with Deutsche Bank during his career as a New York property mogul, and his businesses owed it around $300 million in July 2016 according to a Bloomberg analysis.

Meanwhile, the president's wife Melania, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner are all customers of Deutsche's wealth management arm, according to Handelsblatt.

In a separate case, Deutsche was fined almost $630 million by US and British authorities over money laundering earlier this year, after moving USD 10 billion illegally out of Russia using a so-called "mirror trading" scheme.

Executives at the lender, which has weathered a series of scandals and swingeing fines in recent years, were reportedly only too keen to hand over what information they have on Trump and remove a political target from their own backs, the newspaper added.

The Republican leader's opponents in the US have called on Deutsche to provide more information on the relationship.

But the bank has so far refused to meet the demands, saying releasing any data would be illegal.

Mueller's probe into Trump has intensified in recent months, with a flurry of charges in late October against former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort, his deputy Richard Gates and campaign official George Papadopoulos.

Last week, Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to investigators, a relatively minor charge stoking speculation he had agreed to testify against others.
GENEVA: Myanmar told the United Nations on Tuesday that it was finalising terms for a joint working group with Bangladesh that will launch the process of safe and voluntary return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees within about two months.

Htin Lynn, Myanmar`s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told a special session of the Human Rights Council that his government was ready to work with all international partners to ensure the "voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation" and resettlement of the displaced - whom he did not refer to as Rohingya.

"There will be no camps," he added.
BRUSSELS: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attempted to strike an upbeat tone Tuesday as he embarked on his first foreign trip since the White House called his future into question.

Tillerson arrived in Brussels for talks with EU and NATO leaders trailed by reports that President Donald Trump is frustrated with his performance and plans to sack him.

Before he began his official program in Brussels, Tillerson met US diplomats serving in the city to reassure them about his much-criticised efforts to renew US policy.

He admitted that work to recruit new senior talent to the State Department to deliver Trump`s agenda had been slow, but he insisted his reform agenda was picking up speed.

And, while he has not yet completed any of his main policy priorities, from developing a working relationship with Russia to facing down North Korea, he said progress has been made.

"While we don`t have any wins on the board yet, I can tell you we`re in a much better position to advance America`s interests around the world than we were 10 months ago," he told staff and their families at the US embassy in Brussels.

He lavished praise on the "acting" senior officials who have stepped up to run US diplomacy as Trump`s administration struggles to find staff for key positions.

"The State Department is not missing a beat," he said, referring to his efforts to reform his own department with a view to cutting its budget by up to a third.

This process is entering its final phase and he said there would be some "quick wins" before the end of the year so that staff will see "where this is going".

Last week long-standing tensions between Trump and his chief envoy exploded into the open with a string of leaks from the White House suggesting his job is on the line.

Both Trump and Tillerson dismissed the reports but admitted they have had differences over policy -- and the president insisted in a tweet that "I call a the shots".

The apparent rift undermined Tillerson just as he embarked on an intense diplomatic journey to Europe to reassure allies and apply pressure to adversaries like Russia.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. During 2017 the Development Foundation of Armenia (DFA) contributed to attracting 15 million USD investments, as well as signing export agreements worth 5.9 billion AMD, DFA Director Armen Avak Avakian told reporters, reports Armenpress.

This year we have recorded very good results During the year 23 times more output was provided against any 1 USD spent for boosting export, he said.

The DFA Director stated that the Foundation has undergone three global changes this year which also changed the structures activity nature. In 2017 three global changes were made in the Development Foundation of Armenia: the DFA mandate changed from general development foundation to a structure directed for business, he said.

The next change is that the tourism development component has been removed from the Foundations functions, and instead of that the list of the DFA services has been supplemented by a project platform and back-up service. We receive orders for investment projects from the government, package them, distribute and find a funding, he said, adding that the Foundation has also undergone structural changes.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, on December 4 received newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Romania Sergey Minasyan in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Mother See told Armenpress.

During the meeting, His Holiness congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment, and wished him successful work for the benefit of strengthening the friendly relations and cooperation between Armenia and Romania.

His Holiness referred to the close Armenian-Romanian ties that have been formed since the early Middle Ages, as well as the important role of the Armenian community in the political, economic, and cultural life of Romania, noting that thanks to their praiseworthy contributions, Romanian-Armenians today enjoy the respect of the authorities of the country.

During the meeting, Ambassador Minasyan expressed gratitude to the Catholicos of All Armenians for the blessing and best wishes, assuring that he would make every effort to strengthen the Armenian-Romanian relations. In his mission, the newly appointed Ambassador highlighted the cooperation with the Armenian Diocese of Romania and national institutions.

They also spoke about the warm relations of the Armenian Apostolic and Romanian Orthodox Churches.

The meeting was attended by His Eminence Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Director of the External Relations and Protocol Department of the Mother See.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Haykaz Baghmanyan has been relieved from duties, defense minister Vigen Sargsyan told a press conference December 5.

General Baghmanyan has filed for discharge as urged by me. These decisions are made by the President. The reason of the urge was failure to implement work agreements, which is incompatible with further joint service, Sargsyan said.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. The Republic of Artsakh appreciates Irans balanced and mostly neutral policy on the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, Artsakh foreign minister Masis Mayilyan said in an interview with an Iranian reporter which has been published in the Iranian Shargh daily, as well as in several Iranian news agencies, Armenpress reports.

Artsakh is one of our neighbors with which we have about 135km long common border. Perhaps many Iranians are unaware that we have such a neighbor since it is invisible on the map. In general, I would like to know your policy regarding Iran, the Iranian reporter asked.

Minister Mayilyan said the Artsakh Republic is interested in having functioning borders and friendly relations with all neighbor countries, including Iran. Its important to state that in the first half of 1992 Iran acted as a mediator in the conflict settlement which speaks about the fact that Iran is interested in ensuring peace in the region. Another evidence of this is that today official Tehran expresses readiness to again conduct a mediation mission in the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement process. Its worth mentioning that Iran is the only country in the region that has common border with all the three conflicting sides  the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Artsakh and Azerbaijan.

Artsakh borders three states: Armenia in the west, Azerbaijan in the east and Iran in the south. The borders with Armenia are open, moreover, the only way to connect with the outside world is provided via Armenia. The border with Azerbaijan can be more likely called a battlefield. Despite our two peoples friendly attitude towards each other, the border between Artsakh and Iran remains closed which is abnormal, the Artsakh FM said, expressing confidence that it is also in the interests of Iran to maintain the common border. I think this is also in accordance with the interests of other concerned actors in the region.

The interview also touched upon the 2016 April war. Asked whether Russia changed its policy during the April war for the benefit of Baku, the Artsakh minister said: I dont think that the Russian policy has changed. Russia, the United States and France are OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and have agreed approaches on ensuring peace in the region.

As for the April war, I want to state that Russia during those days played more active role on ceasing the military operations by the consent of the remaining two Co-Chair countries which is linked with the fact that among the three Co-Chair countries only Russia has the respective set of tools to have an influence on the sides during the military operations. Thats why, its not accidental that on April 5 by Russias mediation the sides reached an oral agreement to cease the military operations and restore the ceasefire regime established by the May 12, 1992 agreement, he said.

The reporter asked whether the foreign minister affirms the participation of Turkish forces in the April war as there are reports proving also this. Masis Mayilyan said in response that its a fact that Turkey is Azerbaijans ally and they closely cooperate in military and military-technical fields. Its also not a secret that numerous Turkish military advisors serve in the Azerbaijani army long ago, and the Azerbaijani officers staff undergoes training mainly in Turkey. Thus, its not ruled out that Turkey played a certain role during the April war, the Artsakh FM said.




YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Supporters of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, who served as Governor of Odessa, Ukraine, have forcefully released his from a law enforcement van. Saakashvili was placed in the van as law enforcement personnel were trying to re-locate him elsewhere, RIA Novosti reports from Kiev.

The former president was arrested by Ukrainian police in the morning, but security personnel failed to transport him until now.

Initially the crowd of supporters climbed on the van, broke the rear door, and then forcefully released Saakashvili.

Saakashvili called on his supporters to go to Maidan and continue the peaceful protest.

He also said he is heading to the parliament to demand the impeachment of Ukraines president.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned US President Donald Trump that if Washington were to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, the Turkish-Israeli relations might be severed, Milliyet reports.

Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims. All of this can lead to the suspension of our relations with Israel. We once again call on the US to refrain from such step. You cant do such thing. In case of such an action, we will convene a summit of the Islamic Cooperation Organization within 5-10 days in Istanbul, where we will launch a worldwide movement of the Islamic World, Erdogan said.

US media reports say Donald Trump is expected to declare Jerusalem as Israels capital on December 6 during a planned speech.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Estonia will sign a protocol on implementing the readmission agreement with the European Union, reports Armenpress.

The Armenian Parliament is discussing the agreement on signing a protocol ensuring the readmission agreement between the Armenian and Estonian governments.

Gagik Yeganyan  head of the state agency for migration at the ministry of territorial administration and development, recalled that Armenia and the EU in 2013 signed the agreement on readmission of persons living without permission. It was planned that Armenia could signed protocols ensuring the implementation of this agreement with all the EU member states. Currently we are holding talks on this issue with dozens of countries. We have already signed a similar protocol with France, Estonia is the second country with which we will sign a protocol ensuring the implementation of the readmission agreement, he said.

Gagik Yeganyan noted that the readmission process is very important for Armenia taking into account the agreements to launch dialogue on liberalization of visas with the EU. According to Yeganyan, without effective use of the readmission tool its not realistic to expect that the EU will liberalize visas for Armenia.
YEREVAN, 5 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 5 December, USD exchange rate up by 0.32 drams to 484.66 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.33 drams to 574.52 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.04 drams to 8.26 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.23 drams to 650.75 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 18.82 drams to 19843.13 drams. Silver price down by 1.23 drams to 254.46 drams. Platinum price down by 83.89 drams to 14460.26 drams.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU opens a new page in Armenian-European agenda, Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov announced.

Reaffirming the idea that has been voiced several times  the axes of these relations are the issues of Armenias consistent democratization, I find it necessary to note that it can accelerate institutional changes in our country, ARMENPRESS reports Sharmazanov saying.

He also noted that by signing this agreement Armenia can assume the role of a bridge between the EU and the EAEU, as well as Iran and the EU.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan attended the official opening of Yes Armenia project for young experts. The project is a unique opportunity for young specialists to participate in the process of the development of the country bringing new breath and vigor to the sphere of civil service.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia, congratulating the partners from the EU and the staff of the Strategic Initiatives Center on the occasion of the official opening of their joint project Yes Armenia, the PM Noted, Its inspiring that as a result of this project 20 Armenian young talented people from Armenia and Diaspora are involved in the state administration sphere. You have passed through a complicated selection process and have been chosen from among over 300 applicants. I wish you success. I am hopeful you will justify our expectations and you will derive everything you wanted from the project.

According to the Head of the Executive, Yes Armenia project is another good example of cooperation between Armenia and the EU. It encompasses a number of important points  involvement of the youth in public administration, involvement of young and talented Diaspora cadres, consolidation of efforts by the state and its international partner in the spheres of mutual interest. As a result of Yes Armenia project 20 young people, 12 from Armenia and 8 from the Diaspora, From the USA to China, will be employed by ministries and other state bodies during the upcoming one year, Karen Karapetyan said.
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C.AdamMale.com, the gay male division of retail giant AdamAndEve.com, is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in December.

Launched as a website in November 1997, AdamMale took off in December of that year when its first marketing offer went out via United States Post.

We didnt start with a full catalog at first. We mailed eight-page flyers and the response was overwhelming, says AdamMale spokesperson Bobby Stone. At first, we were only mailing names from the Adam & Eve file (our sister company), but we quickly realized there was a huge demand for gay material.

At the time, gay male products were quite controversial and not readily available for consumers. AdamMale grew rapidly and achieved over $1 million in sales by the end of its first year in operation.

From 2000 to 2006, AdamMale was voted Best Adult Novelty Site in the Cybersocket Web Awards, and boasts numerous awards and nominations in the adult field.

To celebrate 20 years of successful operation, AdamMale will be offering 50 percent off (almost) any item and free shipping in the United States throughout its anniversary month of December. Use code TWENTY at checkout.

For more information, visit AdamMale.com.

Image above from the AdamMale video "Toys" on YouTube.com.
NEW YORK CITYThings were looking up in 2015. Gay people were getting their rights officially recognized, online sites which made most of their money off of pirated content were beginning to go legit ... and New York City lost its battle in the New York Appeals Division, First Department (despite its name, actually a lower level court) to zone adult video stores, adult cabarets and movie theaters out of existence. Yay!

But the "city that never sleeps" once again refused to catch some ZZZs, and appealed the Appeals Division's decision on the stores and cabaretsfor some reason, the theaters were left outto the state's highest court, the New York Court of Appeals, which reversed the lower court's decision this past Juneand the fight was back on!

"The New York Court of Appeals reversed the lower two courts' decisions and held against us," explained Erica Dubno, the attorney representing about 25 adult video stores affected by the law, "and they upheld the constitutionality of the 2001 amendments to the New York City zoning resolution, which completely eliminates the 60/40 rule as to cabarets and clubs, and it virtually eviscerates the 60/40 rule in relation to video stores."

Back in 1995, the "60/40 rule" was supposed to be the Big Apple's "solution" to all of those adult stores that lined 42nd Street and some of the avenues in the Times Square area. It set up a system where if a video store had more than 40 percent of its floor space or more than 40 percent of its stock devoted to adult, it was considered an "adult business" and would be forced to close unless it reduced its floor space or stock to less than 40 percent levels. Many of the stores did this fairly creatively, by bringing in novelties like miniature models of the Statue of Liberty and other tourist-y novelties, as well as mainstream DVDs of cartoons or westerns or, really, anything they could get fairly cheaply until the new items brought the store's mainstream content above the 60 percent mark.

Oddly enough, city inspectors noticed this ploy, and in 2001, the city passed a series of amendments to the adult zoning ordinanceand they were doozies! The 60/40 rule remained in place, but the city added eight other factors to "distinguish" adult stores from non-adult.

"The eight factors are, if you have a viewing booth, then even if you have less than 40 percent stock or floor space devoted to adult, you're still considered an adult establishment and your place is a sham," Dubno explained. "Now, in determining what is adult stock, the courts have historically looked to printed or visual media. They are talking about DVDs, magazines, VHS tapes and books. Toys were not part of the definition of printed or visual media. The city has, as part of its 2001 resolution, added packaging to be part of the mix of the determination under the 60/40 ratio. So if you have lingerie, the lingerie itself does not count as adult stock one way or the other. However, if the lingerie's packaging has a picture of a woman wearing the lingerie and you can see her butt cheeks or the part of her breast immediately below the top of the areola, then that would be considered adult, and the packaging could conceivable fall within it.

"If you differentiate how you rent your material, if your adult is available for rental or sale and your non-adult is just available for sale, then it's a sham and you can be called an adult establishment," she continued. "If a customer has to pass through an area with adult material to access non-adult material, then you're non-adult and considered a sham. If you have a greater variety of adult titles than non-adult titles, then all of your non-adult is considered a sham. We had a client years ago who had a store up in the Bronx, and he had a very large selection of cartoon DVDs, and it was a Popeye cartoon, and he had like 5,000 copies of the exact same non-adult film. Maybe there was a demand for it, but what they were saying was, he didn't have a variety of non-adult. He basically had one title. He had some other stuff, but what they were saying was, if you've got a thousand copies of the same non-adult film, that that in and of itself is a sham. There are a lot of arguments against that. If that one non-adult thing that you have lots of happens to be a Bible, or a really popular movie like Titanic, then what they're doing is censoring your expression because it's saying that you cannot have a greater variety of adult titles than non-adult titles, and that to me is pure censorship. And when they are dictating the type of titles and the variety of titles that you can have in your establishment, that is censorship, and so that was one of the factors.

"Another factor is, if you have a cash register, you are not allowed to have somebody pay for non-adult material at a cash register where there's any adult material nearby," she continued. "So if you happen to have a selection of adult magazines on the counter right next to the register, and that's your only counter in the store, you're automatically considered an adult establishment because according to this zoning amendment, anyone who wants to pay for something non-adult cannot be forced to pay for it at a counter than also has adult material. There's also a rule that says you are not allowed to exclude minors from the entire store. You have to allow minors into any portion of the non-adult area. So if you have a section of non-adult material, you have to allow minors in. Now that's a problem because while an X-rated video may be considered adult under the zoning, maybe there's a marital aid that might be extremely suggestive or explicit that is perfectly fine under the zoning law, but that you might not want kids to see. You might also have some other items there that you don't necessarily want kids in there to see, but the rule is that you cannot exclude minors from any non-adult area. That could be extremely difficult logistically, and that, to me, is one of the most problematic ones. A couple of more: You can't have your signage have a disproportionate focus on the adult as opposed to the non-adult material. Another is not just your signage but what you actually have in your window. You're not allowed to have a greater proportion of adult in your window than non-adult."

But even if the store can deal with all that, there's an unofficial "ninth factor" to contend with.

"Now, the last one, a ninth factor, is that the Commissioner of the Buildings Department can, in his or her discretion, come up with any other grounds which he or she believe makes the non-adult material to be basically a sham," Dubno said. "This is the one we've jumped up and down about and said, 'You can't be serious !?! You're just going to give them unbridled discretion? So that's where we stand with that."

Well, not quite. The city realized that the adult store owners weren't going to quit their fight for their right to exist, and even after the Court of Appeals reversed the stores' previous wins, they agreed to stay certain portions of the 2001 law for 30 days while Dubno filed an application for a rehearing with the Court of Appeals, as well as a stay of its decisionand the city continued to abide by its self-imposed stay even after the Court of Appeals turned both applications down.

Dubno's next step was to seek a federal restraining order to prevent the 2001 regs from going into effect, and so on July 5, she hand-delivered a stay application to the United States Supreme Court. Now, each justice of the high court is given responsibility to handle applications of this sort for a particular section of the country, and as it turned out, the justice considering Dubno's federal stay application was famous liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Sadly, Ginsburg turned it downbut she didn't preclude Dubno from filing a petition for certiorari with the full Supreme Courtan action that Dubno expects to take within the next week.

"The city has agreed to stay enforcement of the proceedings as to existing video stores while we seek review in the Supreme Court," Dubno reported. "However, the only factors that they're fully agreed to stay enforcement of are the no-booth requirement and they're not going to go after them on the age requirement, the excluding minors thing. But technically, establishments are required to abide by all of the other provisions. Existing stores have to comply with all the factors except for the booth requirement, the age requirement, and they've also agreed not to enforce the one that says the Commissioner can come up with whatever rules he or she wants. They are fully authorized to enforce the law against new places. We entered into an agreement with the city but we could not agree as to any new businesses coming in; they are required to comply with the 2001 resolution."

Of course, video stores aren't the only ones contesting the city's zoning laws; there are also the city's strip clubs and adult nightclubs, which have a different set of problems. However, Dubno said she's been working closely with the attorney representing the clubs, Ed Rudofsky, and she expects that Rudofsky will be filing his own cert petition on behalf of the clubs, which in any case will have to be done before the court-mandated December 11 deadline.
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?

Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.

Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
(Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Karen Pence will travel to Texas tomorrow, December 6, to continue their efforts in assisting those affected by this year's devastating hurricane season.Upon arrival to Corpus Christi, the two will participate in a meet-and-greet with first responders who are part of the Hurricane Harvey recovery effort. Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Pence will then travel to Rockport, Texas to meet with a family whose home was destroyed in the hurricane, and tour the home's remains. They will also see the family's new Manufactured Housing Unit, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will serve as the family's temporary residence until they can move into a new, rebuilt home.Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Pence will also visit a local elementary school, touring classrooms and speaking with faculty and students about the hurricane. The two women will conclude their day in Texas with a stop at a local food bank to meet with volunteers and help sort boxes of donations."The effects of the hurricane season are still being felt throughout southern portions of the United States and in Puerto Rico, and residents still need our help," said First Lady Melania Trump. "While I am heartened by the strength and resilience of those impacted by the storms, I will continue doing all that I can to lend a voice and shine a spotlight on those who need assistance to rebuild and start new family traditions. As Christmas and the New Year approach, I encourage people to lend their time volunteering or providing financial support to those still reeling from the hurricanes.""Our hearts are encouraged by the people of Texas and their continued enthusiasm to help each other pick up the pieces and rebuild after Hurricane Harvey," said Mrs. Karen Pence. "I am looking forward to the opportunity to accompany the First Lady in Texas and to visit with families and their children in the communities most impacted by the storm. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the people of Texas."White House 
"He's a liar," says Debbie Wesson Gibson of Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican nominee for U.S. Senate who has been accused by five women of pursuing them when they were teenagers. Moore denies knowing Gibson, but she says that Moore dated her when she was 17 and that he kissed her (with her consent). She has produced a scrapbook that features Moore's distinctive handwriting and says, "Happy graduation Debbie. I wanted to give you this card myself. I know that you'll be a success in anything you do. Roy."

From The Washington Post:

On a page titled "remembrances," she had listed her graduation gifts line by line, including "$10, card" from "Roy S. Moore," and a check mark indicating she had sent a thank-you card.

On a page titled "the best times," she had written: "Wednesday night, 3-4-81. Roy S. Moore and I went out for the first time. We went out to eat at Catfish Cabin in Albertville. I had a great time." She had underlined "great" twice.

The scrapbook also contained a photo of Gibson as a high school senior, and when she saw it, she said, she thought to herself, "That's the age I was when I dated Roy Moore, because my braces were off."
Multiple White House sources have told reporters that the Trump administration has been negotiating with Erik Prince (founder of the war-crimes plagued mercenary firm Blackwater; brother to pyramid-scheme billionaire/Education Secretary Betsy Devos) and ex-CIA operative John R. Maguire to assemble a private army of deniable, off-the-books spy/mercenaries who could target Trump's "deep state" political enemies in the USA, and kidnap and render similar figures overseas.

Prince denied the report and threatened to sue The Intercept for publishing it. Mercenaries who had worked for Prince at Blackwater confirmed the story to Jeremy Scahill (one of the foremost experts on Blackwater) and Matthew Cole, whose in-depth story is a must-read.

According to the story, US intelligence chiefs were not briefed on Trump's plan. Also said to be involved in the plan is Oliver North, a disgraced perjuring war criminal implicated in Reagan's Iran-Contra terrorism-funding project.



"[Maguire] said there were people inside the CIA who joined in the previous eight years [under Obama] and inside the government and they were failing to give the president the intelligence he needed," said a person who was pitched by Maguire and other Amyntor personnel. To support his claim, Maguire told at least two people that National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, in coordination with a top official at the National Security Agency, authorized surveillance of Steven Bannon and Trump family members, including Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Adding to these unsubstantiated claims, Maguire told the potential donors he also had evidence H.R. McMaster used a burner phone to send information gathered through the surveillance to a facility in Cyprus owned by George Soros. Amyntor employees took potential donors to a suite in the Trump Hotel in Washington, which they claimed was set up to conduct "secure communications." Some White House staff and Trump campaign supporters came to refer to the suite as "the tinfoil room," according to one person who visited the suite. This account was confirmed by another source to whom the room was described. "John [Maguire] was certain that the deep state was going to kick the president out of office within a year," said a person who discussed it with Maguire. "These guys said they were protecting the president." Maguire and others at Amyntor have boasted that they have already sent intelligence reports to Pompeo.

Trump White House Weighing Plans for Private Spies to Counter "Deep State" Enemies [Matthew Cole and Jeremy Scahill/The Intercept]





(Image: Trump's Hair; Gage Skidmore, CC-BY-SA)
Dutch doctor Philip Nitschke of Exit International has created the Sarco, a controversial "suicide machine" that allows people an easy exit.

AlterNet reports:

The Sarco is a technological marvel, resembling some kind of futuristic sleeping chamber, that aids in voluntary assisted dying. Australian doctor Philip Nitschke, whom Newsweek identifies as the "Elon Musk of assisted suicide," unveiled the new apparatus earlier this week, just days after lawmakers in the state of Victoria voted to legalize euthanasia. The device simplifies what Nitschke dubs "rational suicides," ensuring that the process is painless and easyan optimal way to go.

The machine includes a base topped by a translucent chamber perfectly proportioned to comfortably fit a human which. After settling in the pod, the user will push a button and the chamber will start to "fill up with liquid nitrogen to bring the oxygen level down to about 5 percent." Around the minute mark, the user will become unconscious, experiencing almost no pain, according to the Newsweek report. (The doctor describes the changes as akin to "an airplane cabin depressurizing.") After death comes, which is fairly swift, the chamber can be used as a coffin. The base, just fyi, is reusable.

the Sarco "was designed so that it can be 3D printed and assembled in any location" and that blueprints "will be free, made open-source, and placed on the Internet." While accessibility is a major selling point, there is one hurdle would-be users will need to clear: a "mental questionnaire" that's available online. Once a client has established mental health, they're given a 4-digit code that opens the capsule door, the first in a series of steps to "a peaceful deathin just a few minutes."
Is The Korean Hulk Dating Lindsay Lohan?

Trending News: These Pics Of 'Korean Hulk' And Lindsay Lohan Have People Talking

Long Story Short

There's a bodybuilder who calls himself 'Korean Hulk' who has been spending a mighty amount of time with Lindsay Lohan, at least according to his Instagram.

Long Story

There's a super buff guy who flies around in private jets, sips on gold flake cappuccinos and chows down on caviar pasta and his name is not Dan Bilzerian. Je-Yong Ha, a.k.a. the Korean Hulk has popped up on American sites and it's not because he's got quads the size of tree trunks.

The gossipers over at Vanity Fair wondered aloud if the rich bodybuilder is seeing former child star Lindsay Lohan.

I know what you're thinking 'cause we're thinking it too. How the hell could they make such an absurd and other-worldly connection? Because there's, err, proof.

Korean Hulk's Instagram appears to have a bunch of pics of him hanging out with Lohan.

Always gooda @lindsaylohan A post shared by Je-yong Ha (@koreanhulk) on Oct 21, 2017 at 8:21pm PDT

Beautiful day !!! @lindsaylohan A post shared by Je-yong Ha (@koreanhulk) on Oct 10, 2017 at 10:14pm PDT

When asked by VF if they were dating, a source close to Lohan laughed it off saying:" Lol they are 100% not dating at all. Theyre just friends.

I don't know for sure, but I'm calling BS on this 'source.' Just look at those photos. The guy for sure photoshopped himself in. The third image in this one is a video of Lohan, which clearly cuts him out.

Crazy nightaaa @lindsaylohan More beautiful than ur day !!! A post shared by Je-yong Ha (@koreanhulk) on Aug 25, 2017 at 7:01am PDT



Suspect? I say yes. I'm gonna go right ahead and call this one out as fake news.

Of course, this isn't the first Dan Bilzerian-like character we've seen. Nor is it the only hulk. There was that Italian playboy, Gianluca Vacchi. And who could forget about the Iranian Hulk, Sajad Gharibi?

What a time to be alive.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Has the Korean Hulk ever really met Lohan?

Drop This Fact

Lindsay Lohan recently asked Kendrick Lamar to dm her, which raised a lot of questions.
This photo shows Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper shaking hands at the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, in September 2013. Fourteen months after this handshake, Harper reportedly told Putin to get out of Ukraine. Photo from Getty Images.

Canadians have a reputation abroad for being friendly people, but not everybody sees it that way.

Canada is currently embroiled in tough trade negotiations with the U.S. and Mexico over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). U.S. President Donald Trump has already commented that Canada is being very difficult in the multilateral talks. The three countries appear far from a new agreement after five rounds of negotiations.

Despite the fact that Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has called the U.S. proposals extreme, it may not be all doom and gloom for those in favour of the deal in Canada.

Dont worry about Canada, Trump reportedly said in a leaked phone call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in late January. Canada is no problem.

While the reported leak may have provided a glimmer of hope for those who are pro-NAFTA in Canada, it also may have raised a few eyebrows in Mexico, which has been targeted by Trump for more than a year now. After all, Trump has said recently the U.S. would consider a trade deal with Canada that excludes Mexico.

Recently, former Mexican president Vicente Fox issued a stark warning to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In an interview with CTV News, Fox cautioned Trudeau not to be Judas and betray Mexico by signing an exclusive trade deal between Canada and the U.S.

I warn Trudeau, and I warn Canada, you will not make it (better without Mexico), Fox told CTV.

The quote provides a tiny glimpse of the potential Mexican mindset towards Canada if Trudeau decides to sign a deal with the U.S. that excludes Mexico. According to Fox, the move would not be wise for Canada. It may also sour relations between the two countries, which has always been cordial.

Here are some countries that have not had the most friendly relations with Canada in recent years.

FILE PHOTO: People hold a giant Russian national flag during a festive concert marking the second anniversary of Russias annexation of the Crimea region, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

Russia

Relations between Russia and Canada have deteriorated in recent years due to the Russian annexation of Crimea and military intervention in Ukraine, which occurred after the 2013 mass protests in Kiev.

Story continues

Canada has a considerable Ukrainian population, and has long opposed Russian interference in Ukraine.

A spokesman for former prime minister Stephen Harper says before a G20 summit in November 2014, Russian President Vladmir Putin approached Harper and extended his hand. I guess Ill shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine, Harper reportedly told Putin.

In October 2017, the so-called Magnitsky Act became law, which allows the Canadian government to impose bans and sanctions on foreign officials for corruption and human rights violations. The law is named after a Russian lawyer who was killed in a Moscow prison after he accused Russian officials of tax fraud.

The Russian Embassy responded to the legislation by saying Canada committed an irrational act that has caused irreparable damage to the Canada-Russia relationship. Before it became law, Russia vowed such a move will not be left without an adequate response.

Flag of Iran (Getty Images)

Iran

Under Harpers direction, Canada closed its embassy in Tehran and expelled diplomats from Ottawa in September 2012.

We have terminated our diplomatic presence there precisely because we are concerned by the behaviour and the capacity for increasingly bad behaviour of the government of Iran, Harper said at the time, the National Post reported. The reality is our influence and that of our partners on Iran is minimal.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman slammed the Canadian government as racist and referred to the decision as hostile behaviour.

The move ended diplomatic relations between the two countries until Canadian officials under Trudeau visited Tehran in May for the first time since 2012. An unnamed source told CBC News the move was a sign that Canada is committed to re-engaging with the Iranians, who are consistently at political odds with allies such as Israel and the U.S.

Canada also played a key role in the 1979-80 Iranian hostage crisis by sheltering six U.S. officials and helping them secretly flee Iran.

The North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su

North Korea

Canada has a long history of grievances with North Korea, dating back to hostilities that reached its boiling point when Canadians fought in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. An armistice ended the violence, but Canada did not recognize the North Korean government until 2000, 51 years after recognizing South Korea.

In 2010, Canada imposed tight restrictions against North Koreans in response to aggressive actions. In October of that year, Canada introduced a controlled engagement policy that would limit diplomacy between Ottawa and Pyongyang.

Lawrence Cannon, the foreign affairs minister at the time, announced Canada was taking a principled stand against those who recklessly commit acts of aggression in violation of international law.

Ottawa has been in line with much of the international community in a bid spearheaded by the U.S. to punish North Korea for their rocket tests and nuclear program that threatens U.S. allies South Korea and Japan.

In August, there was a glimmer of hope in the relationship between the two countries when Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim was released from imprisonment in North Korea after spending two years in detention. A top Canadian security official travelled to North Korea to help secure the release.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL  AUGUST 05: The Brazil flag is raised during a performance at the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 5, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Brazil

Canada and Brazil have been at odds over trade issues. In February, Brazil filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Canadas $372.5-million loan to Montreal-based Bombardier, an aerospace competitor to Sao Paulo-based Embraer.

If Brazil wins the complaint, they could have the right to slap tariffs against Canada.

Disagreements are a natural part of human relations, Marcelo Ramos Araujo, the head of the economic affairs section at Canadas Brazilian embassy, told the Globe and Mail.

But this most recent trade dispute between Canada and Brazil could escalate like it has in the past.

Canada has previously threatened to impose hefty trade sanctions against Brazil over low-interest loans given to Embraer. Canada lost a WTO complaint over low-interest loans in 2001, which is similar to what happened to Brazil, after the organization determined trade rules were being violated.

Both countries have filed trade complaints against the other. Canada has invested billions of dollars in their homegrown aerospace company, which employs thousands of workers.

Philippines flag (Gabriel Mistral/Getty Images)

Philippines

Canadas government describes its relationship with the Philippines as strong and friendly, but theres been a spat over human rights allegations in recent weeks.

In November, Prime Minister Trudeau claimed to have a frank conversation with Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, who told reporters he was angered by a foreigner, without mentioning Trudeau by name.

I said I will not explain. It is a personal and official insult, Duterte said.





Human rights activists have been speaking out against Dutertes war against alleged drug dealers and users, which is reported to have killed least 7,000 people. Many of the reported executions have taken place without due process, critics say.

Trudeau insisted the conversation was cordial and the president was receptive. The prime minister also publicly admitted that Canada does not have a perfect record on human rights, citing the past treatment of First Nations.

More than 600,000 people with Filipino ancestry reside in Canada, according to 2011 census data.

An Afghan National Army (ANA) officer holds an Afghanistan flag during a training exercise at the Kabul Military Training Centre in Afghanistan October 7, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Afghanistan

After 24 Canadians were killed by Al Qaeda terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, then prime minister Jean Chretien pledged Canadas complete support in combating terrorism, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia.

In the following month, Canada participated in the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, where the terror group was believed to be, sheltered by the ruling Taliban.

Canadian special forces took part initially, who were then followed by around 1,200 infantry troops months later, the Canadian Encyclopedia details. Canadians engaged with Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters while also supporting humanitarian efforts and the new government in Afghanistan.

Canadas government says diplomatic relations were restored in 2002 after the fall of the Taliban, who had controlled the country. Since then, former prime minister Harper visited Afghanistan three times (2006, 2007 and 2011) and the Afghan president came to Canada in 2006.

Canada has pledged to spend $557 million on development assistance and supporting troops in Afghanistan through 2017, the federal government confirms.
A Sri Lankan family who spent five years in Canada was deported Sunday despite appeals to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale to issue a reprieve.

Their flight took off from Montreal's Trudeau airport Sunday evening.

Before leaving their home in Parc-Extension, Robert Lawrence, the father of the family, said they were all very sad, but still love Canada despite their deportation.

"What can you do? We have to all obey the rules and regulations," Lawrence told CBC News.

"We enjoyed the last five years of our lives in Canada. Good lives."

The family was applying for permanent residence in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. After review, their application was rejected.

He said members of his church in Outremont came to see them Sunday morning and they all cried together.

Lawrence worked for the United Nations in Sri Lanka's Eastern province during the civil war which ended in the defeat of the separatist Tamil Tigers by the Sri Lankan majority Sinhalese government.

In 2012, he left the country in hopes of protecting his family from any backlash for the work he did during that time.

'Makes no sense'

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada would not comment on the family's case but said, "a decision to remove someone from Canada is not taken lightly."

"Canada is committed to ensuring that people being removed from Canada are not sent to a country where they would be in danger or at risk of persecution," spokesperson Scott Bardsley said.

NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice said deporting a family that had integrated into Quebec society over the years "makes no sense."

Lawrence's family includes his wife, three daughters, son, daughter-in-law and four-month-old grandchild.
Jose O. Padron, the patriarch of Padron Cigars has passed away overnight. He was 91 years old.

Jose Orlando Padron was born on June 10, 1926, in the Pinar del Rio region of Cuba. His family had been in the tobacco business since his grandfather Damaso Padron settled in Cuba after emigrating from the Canary Islands. When Fidel Castro came to power and the Cuban tobacco industry was nationalized, Padron emigrated to the United States.

In the U.S., a friend gifted Padron with a small hammer which enabled him to get a carpentry job. From that job, he earned enough money to start his own cigar business in 1964. That hammer today is a symbol of the Padron brand.

Originally, Padron rolled cigars in Miami. After a visit to Nicaragua, he started using that countrys tobacco in his cigars. Eventually, in order to meet demand, he would move his operation to Nicaragua and found Tabacos Cubanica. The factory burned down during the Nicaraguan Civil War in 1978. While it would eventually be rebuilt, Padron would ultimately need to seek out a new factory across the border in Honduras. In 1985, when the Nicaraguan Embargo was enacted by President Reagan, he would move his Central American operation to Honduras. It would not be until 1990 when the Embargo was lifted that Tabacos Cubanica would re-open.

Over the years, Padron turned over many of the day-to-day operations to his son Jorge. Recently Padron penned his memoirs in the book Memorable Moments in my Life

Padron is the second icon in the cigar industry to pass away this year at Age 91. Earlier this year, Avo Uvezian passed away just two days after turning 91.

The Padron family would issue the following statement:
The 2016 IPCPR Trade Show was quite a busy one for Casa Fernandez as the company launched several new brands. One new brand was Aganorsa Leaf TABSA. This is a brand that is named for two key entities in the conglomeration owned by Eduardo Fernandez. Aganorsa is the name of Fernandezs farms that grow the signature Nicaraguan tobacco (Aganorsa) that are used in Casa Fernandezs blends. TABSA is an acronym for Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A., one of three factories owned by Casa Fernandez. When the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA brand was introduced, one of the blends was the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Connecticut. The name indicates the blend utilizes a Connecticut Shade wrapper. It got a lot of attention because it is a wrapper that Casa Fernandez is not known to work with. The other blend was a Nicaraguan puro  simply called the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA. Today, we take a closer look at the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA in the Dharma No. 3 (Toro) size.

The origins of Casa Fernandez trace back to the late Pedro Martin. It was in 1978 when Martin founded Tabacalera Tropical, which included a portfolio of cigar brands. In 2002, Martin sold Tabacalera Tropical to Eduardo Fernandez. Tabacalera Tropical was integrated into Fernandezs Aganorsa farming operation and was rebranded Casa Fernandez. Over the years, Casa Fernandez has moved his production operations into his own factories: TABSA (in Esteli, Nicaragua), Casa Fernandez Miami (in Miami, Florida), and most recently, SABSA (short for Sabor Aganorsa SA located in Jalapa). Over the years, the operations of these factories (headed by Paul Palmer Fernandez, Eduardos son Max, and Master Blender Arsenio Ramos) have not only produced brands for Casa Fernandez, but many other companies.

Without further ado, lets break down the Casa Fernandez Aganosa TABSA Dharma No. 3 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

As mentioned, the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA uses 100% Nicaraguan tobaccos. Specific details of the tobacco components have not been disclosed.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Country of Origin: Nicaragua (TABSA)

Vitolas Available

The Aganorsa Leaf TABSA is available in four sizes  each contained in 15-count boxes.

Bodhi No. 1: 5 1/4 x 50

Aficion No. 2: 6 1/2 x 48

Dharma No. 3: 6 x 52

Sunyata No. 4: 6 x 60

Perhaps the most interesting part about this cigar is the Buddhist themes used on the three of the four vitolas. These names include:

Bodhi: The understanding possessed by a Buddha regarding the true nature of things.

Dharma: Refers to cosmic law and order.

Sunyata: Refers to Buddhist teachings around Empty Awareness.

The fourth name Aficion does not seem to have a direct Buddhist reference, but is a Spanish term for hobby.

Appearance

The Nicaraguan wrapper of the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 had a medium to dark color. Upon closer examination, some darker mottling can be seen on the surface. There was some light oil on the wrapper. While there were some thin visible veins, the wrapper still had a slightly bumpy feel to it. Most of the wrapper seams are well hidden.

The bands on the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA has a glossy black color with gold trim. The center of the band has a gold circular field with gold dotted trim. On that field is a black and white image of an arm holding some tobacco leaves. The left side of the band has the text AGANORSA LEAF while the right side has the text TABSA  both in white font. The far right has a small black circular field that almost looks like a band fastener. On that field is the text AL In white font.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

I commenced the cigar experience of the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 with a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of chocolate, natural tobacco, and a slight cedar note. Overall, I considered this to be an excellent pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to light up the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Flavor Profile

Right out of the gate, the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 delivered a mix of natural tobacco, musty earth, red pepper, along with a classic twang. I usually will define a twang as a cross between natural tobacco, pepper, and citrus. During the very early stages, I found the musty earth and twang notes to be more prominent. There was additional red pepper and natural tobacco in the background. At the same time, there was also a layer of red pepper on the retro-hale.

As the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 moved through the first third, the natural tobacco notes increased and the musty earth notes diminished into the background. The increase in natural tobacco also produced a little more sweetness. At the same time, there was almost a hickory-like component to these flavors. Later in the second third, the red pepper notes started to increase.

The last third saw the natural tobacco notes remain primary. There was still a mix of sweetness and hickory with the natural tobacco. By this point, the red pepper was a close secondary note. By now the musty earth and twang was not much of a factor. The is the way the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

When it came to its burn, the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 performed quite well. The cigar had no problem maintaining a straight burn path. It also took a relatively few amount of touch-ups to keep the burn line safe. The resulting ash wasnt overly firm and was prone to some minor flaking. The ash had a classic salt and pepper color. Meanwhile the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

I found the draw of the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 to also score nicely. This was a draw that had a pleasant touch of resistance to it. At the same time, I found the Dharma No. 3 delivered an abundant layer of smoke throughout the cigar experience.

Strength and Body

The Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 started out with medium strength and medium body. There was a minimal increase in strength along the way. As for the body, I found the depth of the flavors of the Dharma No. 3 increased more significantly. As a result, by the second half, the Dharma No. 3 was in the medium to full-bodied range.

In terms of strength versus body with the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No.3, I found the body to have the edge throughout the smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

Right out of the gate, the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 tasted different than anything I have had out of TABSA before. While normally I dont like a lot of sweetness on a cigar, I still found this cigar needed some sweetness during those early stages where the twang and musty earth notes were more prominent. However, as the cigar progressed that sweetness did develop and this cigar became much more enjoyable. While I always say its best to smoke a cigar undistracted, with the case of the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3, Ill emphasize this point. This is a cigar I would recommend to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast, but its certainly one I wouldnt discourage a novice from smoking.

At $7.00 per cigar, the Aganorsa Leaf TABSA Dharma No. 3 is a great value. There was certainly enough to keep one interested in this cigar. As a result, this is a cigar Id recommend picking up and buying multiples for your humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Musty Earth, Red Pepper, Hickory, Twang Note

Burn: Excellent

Draw: Excellent

Complexity: Medium Plus

Strength: Medium

Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)

Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Buy Multiples

Score: 89

References

News: Casa Fernandez Introduces Aganorsa Leaf TABSA at 2016 IPCPR

Price: $7.00

Source: Purchased

Brand Reference: Casa Fernandez

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
TUESDAY, Dec. 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Communities with strong smoke-free workplace laws have lower lung cancer rates than those with no smoke-free laws, researchers report.

The new study was conducted in Kentucky, which has one of the highest lung cancer rates in the United States.

University of Kentucky researchers examined 20 years of data on new lung cancer cases among state residents aged 50 and older. The investigators then looked to see whether those with lung cancer lived in communities with strong, moderate or weak smoke-free laws.

The lung cancer rate was 8 percent lower in communities with strong smoke-free workplace laws than in communities without smoke-free laws, the findings showed. There were no differences in lung cancer rates between communities with moderate or weak smoking laws and those with no such laws.

"Kentucky has one of the highest adult cigarette smoking rates and the highest rate of new lung cancer cases in the nation," said study author Ellen Hahn, a professor in the university's college of nursing.

"Only one-third of Kentuckians are protected by strong smoke-free workplace laws," she said in a university news release.

Previous studies have shown that strong smoke-free laws reduce rates of heart attack, stroke, asthma and emphysema. It was not known if communities with strong smoke-free laws have fewer cases of new lung cancer, the researchers noted.

Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are major causes of lung cancer.

"Local government can play a critical role in preventing lung cancer," Hahn said. "Elected officials can ensure that all workers and the public are protected from secondhand smoke by passing strong smoke-free laws with few or no exceptions."

The study was published online Nov. 28 in the journal Cancer.

More information

The American Cancer Society offers a guide to quitting smoking.
Moscow has erected another roadblock to freedom of expression. New Russian legislation now allows the Ministry of Justice to label media outlets as foreign agents and monitor or block certain internet activity in Russia.Freedom of expression  including speech and media which a government may find inconvenient, said Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert, is a universal human rights obligation Russia has pledged to uphold.

The United States has previously highlighted the threat posed by Russias Foreign Agents Law, which has been used to justify a constant stream of raids, harassment, and legal proceedings that effectively obstruct non-governmental organizations from doing their work. Expanding the Foreign Agents Law to include media outlets opens the door to onerous requirements that could further stifle freedom of speech and editorial independence in Russia.

The law, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin allows Moscow to force foreign media to brand news they provide to Russians as the work of foreign agents and to disclose their funding sources.

The legislation was rushed through Russias parliament in two weeks after the United States required Russian state broadcaster RT to register its U.S.-based affiliate company as a foreign agent.

Spokesperson Nauert rejected any comparison between the U.S. and Russian laws, saying the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act does not police the content of information disseminated, does not limit the publication of information or advocacy materials, and does not restrict an organizations ability to operate.

John Lansing, the chief executive officer of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, said in a statement that Russian media, including RT and Sputnik, are free to operate in the United States and can be, and are, carried by U.S. cable television outlets and FM radio stations. However, U.S international media, including VOA and RFE/RL, are banned from television and radio in Russia.

The United States urges the Russian government not to use the foreign agents legislation to further restrict the operation of media outlets or freedom of expression in Russia.
Gone are the days when the Taliban, citing religious objections to opiates, banned the growing of poppies. Now up to 85 percent of the worlds opium production occurs in areas under Taliban influence, leading to the Taliban and other non-State armed groups annually lining their pockets and financing nefarious activities with hundreds of millions of dollars from the illegal drug trade.

But the United States and its Afghan partners have the Talibans narcotics networks squarely in their sights. In November, the allies began targeted strikes on Taliban drug labs, including airstrikes by U.S. forces that are part of the expanded legal authorities given to the U.S. military under President Donald Trumps new strategy for Afghanistan, announced in August.

At a recent press briefing, General John Nicholson, Commander of Resolute Support and U.S. forces Afghanistan, said the new authorities are a demonstration of the will of the United States to take the fight to the enemy in all its dimensions:

Specifically, in striking northern Helmand and the drug enterprises there, were hitting the Taliban where it hurts, which is their finances.

General Nicholson said the strikes occur only after numerous hours of surveillance, not only to pinpoint the specific objective, but to minimize collateral damage. He also made clear that the U.S. and Afghan forces are not targeting the farmers who grow the poppies. The farmers are often compelled to do so by the Taliban as a payment of debt or form of coerced servitude. Instead, the targets are the labs where poppies are processed  into opium, morphine and eventually into heroin.

General Nicholson said the level of trust between the United States and Afghanistan has never been higher:

And its because of this that were able to conduct these kinds of joint operations, and were able to do these operations with the full support, and indeed, leadership of the Afghan government.

General Nicholson said the U.S. and Afghanistan will continue to apply military pressure on the enemy, and that the international communitys increased diplomatic and economic pressure is having an effect on the external enablers of the insurgency. Credible elections in Afghanistan will add crucial social pressure. Theseare the things that will mean that the Taliban cannot win, said General Nicholson. Our message to [them] isits time to lay down your arms and enter into a reconciliation process.
The sight of the Al-Sukkari district in Aleppo is enough to reduce anyone to tears. In the most devastated area of one of the worlds oldest cities, more than six years of conflict have turned buildings that were once filled with life into skeletal structures of wire hung with remains of cement.

Refugees return to the war-torn city of Aleppo, Syria. Natalia Sancha (EL PAIS)

Its been a year since government forces entered this vibrant urban sprawl and expelled around 2,000 rebels and jihadists who had dug beneath the streets to bomb their opponents. Now there are signs of life emerging from the mounds of rubble: for example, a colorful line of washing on a balcony, indicating that at least one family of refugees has come home.

We have spent five years living in a school. But this month they told us we had to leave, says Nahla Jataba, 38, a mother of seven children whose family has returned along with one other to a building in the district that housed 15 families in 2010. We havent heard anything from our neighbors. Some went to Turkey and others to Damascus.

With almost five million inhabitants, Aleppo was one of Syrias most densely populated cities until the war triggered an exodus of one million people. Recently around 332,000 have returned to what remains of their homes.

Nahla has asked her brother for a loan of 1,600  two years salary in Syria  to pay for her apartment to be returned to its former state. New off-white bricks contrast with the pockmarked walls of the neighboring dwellings, whose exposed living rooms and bathrooms make them look like dolls houses. Her childrens old school can be seen from the balcony, though it is now little more than dust, like 40% of schools across Syria.

A public bus serves the families who have returned to the Khalidiya district of Homs. Natalia Sancha

After so many years of war, government troops have won back around 70% of the country  an area home to some 78% of Syrians. They control all the big cities such as Damascus, Homs and Aleppo. Only Raqqa eludes them. The human cost of the war has been between 320,000 and 470,000 lives  a third of these people being civilians. The economic cost is more than 200 billion, with 27% of Syrian homes destroyed, according to World Bank estimates for the period up to the end of 2016. Accompanied by a government official, EL PAIS has traveled to Damascus, Aleppo and Homs to witness the first attempts to return to normality.

Reconstruction is evident in the roads connecting the cities. Public spaces and cultural heritage sites are high on the agenda. But the 10% of the six million internally displaced people in Syria who have decided to return to their homes are having to foot the bill for the reconstruction of their apartments. Another five million refugees are living in neighboring countries and in Europe. Today, there are 18 million people in Syria, compared to 23 million at the start of the war.

A minefield

The priority was to clear the neighborhoods of mines and explosives, then clear the streets of rubble. Now we are starting to recover basic services, says Lama Keyali, from the Aleppo authorities press department.

In practical terms we are talking about six years of relentless work to clear 14.9 million tons of rubble left by the war in what was Syrias economic hub. Never mind that the state coffers have been emptied by the direct cost of the conflict as well as the indirect bill  Syrias two main sources of income, the production of crude oil and agriculture have fallen by 93% and 40% respectively.

In Aleppos city hall they are drawing up a reconstruction plan that still has no price tag. The most war-torn region after Raqqa, Aleppos destruction varies from street to street.

Solidarity

Several blocks away from Al Sukkari, Ahmad Halar, 58, enters a building that looks on the verge of collapse. Armed with a flashlight, he reaches the third floor by stairs that appear to be suspended in mid-air. He came to this building after abandoning his home in the Kurdish quarter of Sheij Masoud on June 15, 2014. The Kurdish militias said that if we wanted to stay, one of my sons should join their ranks, he says. I have seven children  well, six, because one died fighting in Al Bab.

Another three of his sons fought with the Syrian army, he tells us from the living room of his makeshift home. The youngest lies wrapped in blankets on a mattress in front of the TV, recovering from a leg wound. The family lives on 65 a month, a sum that is eked out of his daughter-in-laws widows pension and the money Halar makes from filling barrels of oil in a factory. They cant afford the 50 it would cost to rent an unfurnished apartment so they have decided to inhabit this ruined building instead. Luckily, they have been shown solidarity from the buildings owner, who doesnt ask for rent from a stranger who turned up one day with a door to seal up his new home.

Brides preparing for their wedding at at the Alestora beauty salon in Homs. Natalia Sancha

Most of the construction workers and cement lorries can be seen in the public spaces. Approximately 70% of Aleppos medieval souk was destroyed in the conflict. But this week a number of shopkeepers have reopened their premises and the market is once again alive with trade. Among the traders is Abd al-Rahman Shisman, 41, a third-generation producer of the famous Aleppo soap. With the Aleppo factories destroyed, we now produce in Afrin [a Kurdish town in the north], he explains. In the absence of warplanes or shells flying overhead, the locals have come in droves to visit the old quarter, picking their way around the treacherous potholes. In the distance, cranes can be seen swinging over Aleppos Great Mosque while, closer to hand, improvised stalls are being set up in small alleys.

The highway between Damascus and Aleppo smells of recently laid tarmac. There is no evidence of the destruction of 10 months ago. Commuter towns such as Al-Safirah are once again jammed with cars, trucks laden with goods, Russian tanks and vans filled with families squeezed in alongside their worldly possessions.

In Homs, evidence of human suffering is everywhere. The Khalidiya neighborhood is the worst affected, with one building after another bombed out of existence for as far as the eye can see. A handful of friendly soldiers greet bus and taxi drivers who sporadically enter this apocalyptic scene. Various bus routes have been reestablished for the 25 families that have returned to live here.

Coming home

Three women escorted by an adolescent appear out of nowhere. Its the first time in six years that the Badous family has ventured out to see what remains of their home. Prepared for the worst by years of war, the moment of truth produces neither cries or tears. The women simply put their hands to their mouths or hold their heads. Look where the curtains have ended up, says one while picking an old lighter from the ground. Ooff. Theres nothing left, says another. With bowed heads, they retreat to their rented apartment, which they now realize will be home for some time to come.

Several dealers at the Zoco Al-Medina covered market in Aleppo have recently reopened their stores. Natalia Sancha

Walls that formerly separated buildings have been torn down to allow soldiers to come and go while snipers clearly used the ruins for cover. A painting of a country house has survived on a wall of what appears to be a living room. On the floor, pieces of clothing and belongings are scattered, evidence of a life. Theres a jasmine tree two meters high thriving among trash in the patio, oblivious to the catastrophic events going on around it.

Weddings and deaths

At midday, the sound of Kalashnikovs comes from the Ferdus cemetery in the center of Homs. The cemetery was meant to be a park but the war changed its role. It is home to hundreds of graves, many containing the corpses of young soldiers, such as Shadi, who was buried by here by his wife and family.

Six years of war in figures N. S. Hundreds of thousands of people, a third of them civilians, have died in the six-year Syrian conflict. Around 320,000, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and 470,000 according to the World Bank. Half of the 23 million Syrians that lived in the country in 2011 have had to flee their homes. Six million remained within Syria while five million sought refuge in neighboring countries and Europe. The conflict has emptied the countryside of inhabitants. The urban population has gone from 56% of the total in 2011 to 72% in 2016. Some 600,000 internally displaced persons have returned to their homes in 2017, half of them to the province of Aleppo. The World Bank estimates the war has cost the country 200,000 million. The two main sources of income have taken a significant blow: the production of crude oil and gas has dropped by 93% and agriculture by 40%. Around 27% of urban homes have been totally or partially destroyed while 50% of medical centers and 43% of schools have been reduced to rubble.

Shadi died on the Hama front, a reminder that while three-quarters of the country are trying to rebuild their lives, the other quarter are still embroiled in the conflict. The graves are dated from 2012 to 2017. Some of the headstones have fallen due to the many terrorist attacks that have rocked the city.

The fighters  rebels, jihadists and government troops  account for 60% of the dead. While the government in Damascus celebrates imminent victory, regions such as Idlib, Deir Ezzor, the fringes of Damascus and Hama are still at war.

But these pockets of conflict dont deter the rest of the country from making every effort to start afresh. Of the 30 districts in Homs, 15 have been affected or destroyed by the war, says Reem Baakbaki, one of the architects at the town hall involved in their rebuilding. As in Aleppo, the authorities have still not come up with a figure to cover costs. One street lamp can be seen between cement piles and tangles of metal. A year ago, a number of shopkeepers opened their premises here and asked the authorities for electricity and water.

As evening falls, shots can be heard. But far from being the shots of war, they are part of a wedding celebration. Sara, 22 is marrying, Mohamed, 30, a soldier who has been given four days leave for the occasion from the Abu Kamal front in the south east, the last ISIS stronghold in Syria. Sara gets ready at the Alestora beauty salon where the activity is nothing short of manic. Brides nervously seek their mislaid false eyelashes, and have their nails done and their hair frozen with hairspray.

As in Aleppo, the reconstruction of the souk in Homs is progressing apace. We have rebuilt 165 of the 380 stores since 2014, says Bahaa Khuzan, who manages the reconstruction project financed by the UN.

And then there was light

Meanwhile in Damascus, where 4.5 million lived before the war, they are celebrating the return of electricity. Weve had power for nearly a month, says a euphoric Elias in the Christian neighborhood of Bab Tuma.

Damascus has not suffered in the same way as other Syrian cities. It is practically intact, though its inhabitants are inevitably scarred by the war, particularly the one million refugees from war-torn areas outside the city. On the city fringes, however, 76 rebel mortars have killed 33 people and injured 154 others in the last 10 days. Dozens of civilians have also been killed here by Russian and Syrian warplanes dropping bombs.

So while normal life begins to return to the main cities and refugees slowly make their way back to their old homes, the conflict continues to take its toll. The outskirts of Damascus are a no-go area for journalists. In districts such as Jubar, Meliha, Darayya and Yarmouk Camp, which EL PAIS has covered in recent years, barely 25% of the population remains and so far no one has ventured in to assess the extent of the damage.

The Lebanese effect N. S. (Damascus) The infernal traffic returns to the streets of the capital where people appear to have adopted a kind of seize the day mentality similar to that which pervaded post-war Lebanon. People want to get back to living, so no one is bothered about being careful with money, says Muna, a French-language student in Damascus. Bars, cafes and restaurants are mushrooming, many without licenses. This Lebanese effect has even extended to an obsession with appearance. Now the Syrian capital has become a mecca for cosmetic surgery, with patients splashing out on a nose job or breast implants. Getting married is another serious trend in Syria among young people facing an unemployment rate of 78%. The wedding cost 350, without counting the house, of course, says Mohamed, 30, who is marrying Sara, 22. Brides hire wedding dresses at a cost of between 15 and 30 and the wedding banquet has been reduced to drinks and a snack. The population may be grieving but these couples have decided to start a new life. And if that means debts, then theyll deal with them when and if the time comes.

English version by Heather Galloway.
File image of Lahcen Ikasrrien, arrested in 2014 and found guilty of sending combatants to Syria. Alvaro Garcia

Four people believed to belong to the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) have been arrested in Spain, according to Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido.

The arrests came as part of a joint operation between the Spanish National Police and the Moroccan General Directorate of Security against jihadist terrorism. According to the minister, two suspects were arrested in Figueres (Girona), one in Parla (Madrid) and another in Tangiers in Morocco.

Moment of the arrest of two men in the Catalan town of Figueres in a joint Spanish-Moroccan anti-terrorist operation

In a press release, the police reported that the suspect detained in Morocco is considered a dangerous and well-known member of ISIS who created over 300 social media profiles to spread jihadist ideology. The two arrested in Figueres are direct students of the former and allegedly hacked social media accounts of unsuspecting people to publish violent and graphic material.

According to the police, the suspect arrested in Parla posed a real risk to Spanish national security and was already in an advanced process of radicalization, recruiting accomplices to plan an attack.

The operation took place with the support of the Guipuzcoa and Barcelona intelligence squads, Europol and the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance of Morocco (DGST).

English version by Melissa Kitson.
The ERC campaign rally on Monday night in Vic. Alberto Estevez (EFE)

The strangest campaign race in Catalonias modern democratic history kicked off on Monday night  one featuring jailed candidates, extremely motivated voters, and polls that show a technical tie between separatists and those who want to remain with Spain.

A voter intention survey conducted by the government research agency CIS suggests a record turnout on December 21: 84.6% of respondents said they will go vote without a doubt. Prior to the last Catalan elections of September 2015, the same survey had predicted a turnout of 68.6%, which was ultimately a much higher 77.4%. If this trend persists, turnout on December 21 could well shatter all existing records in Spains democratic history.

Separatist parties together would fall one or two seats short of an absolute majority

We are expecting record voting figures. We believe that a majority of new voters will support pro-Constitution options, said a source in the campaign team for the Catalan branch of the Popular Party (PP), in reference to parties that do not support the unconstitutional secession bid in the region.

The survey also suggests falling support for separatist parties, which would lose five seats in the 135-seat Catalan parliament. Meanwhile, the anti-secession party Ciudadanos could get the most votes, although unionists combined forces would still fall short of an absolute majority. This creates a very complicated post-election scenario for both camps.

Jailed candidates

Earlier on Monday, a Supreme Court judge had decided to leave two secessionist leaders in pre-trial custody in a criminal investigation into rebellion and sedition over the illegal independence drive. One of these individuals, Oriol Junqueras, is the top candidate for Catalan Republican Left (ERC), and will remain in prison throughout the campaign. Junqueras was the deputy premier of Catalonia until Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sacked the entire regional government under Article 155 of the Constitution, which he invoked to restore the law in the breakaway region.

Oriol Junqueras, the jailed leader of ERC. AFP

This creates an unprecedented situation that all parties, including unionist ones, seem unhappy about. Campaign managers for non-separatist groups noted that it is difficult to debate when your rival is in jail.

Meanwhile, former premier Carles Puigdemont remains in Brussels, where he fled to avoid legal action over his unconstitutional push for unilateral independence. On Tuesday, Spains Supreme Court cancelled European arrest warrants for Puigdemont and four ex- government officials who traveled to Belgium with him.

Getting out the vote

Separatists are hoping to get people out to vote like never before to protest the activation of Article 155. Sympathizers can choose between ERC, the far-left CUP or Junts per Catalunya, a new pro-independence platform headed by Carles Puigdemont.

Unionist parties are beginning to see results after working hard to mobilize non-separatist Catalans

And unionist parties are beginning to see results after working hard to mobilize non-separatist Catalans, who have traditionally been far less motivated to participate in the public sphere than secessionists. In October and November, large crowds marched on the streets of Barcelona to protest the independence drive, and polls suggest that this newfound motivation will also extend to the voting booths.

The CIS survey released on Monday shows that Ciudadanos could attract the most votes (22.5%) on December 21, an unthinkable scenario just a year ago, when separatists appeared to have no rivals at the polls. The Catalan Socialists (PSC) have also jumped in terms of voter intention, while the Catalan PP is losing ground. The survey shows that 45.8% of people who voted for the PPs Xavier Garcia Albiol in 2015 would now vote for Ciudadanos Ines Arrimadas.

Together, the PP, PSC and Ciudadanos would represent 59 to 60 seats in the regional parliament, still far from the 68 required for an absolute majority.

Ines Arrimadas, leader of the Catalan branch of Ciudadanos, might attract the most votes on December 21. Massimiliano Minocri (EL PAIS)

But the separatist parties together would also fall one or two seats short of this majority, putting Catalunya en Comu-Podem, the Catalan branch of Podemos, in the role of kingmaker. The latters position on independence has been somewhat ambiguous, although the official party line is that it opposes unilateral independence but supports a negotiated referendum.

City vs countryside

The CIS poll also shows that rural Catalonia will continue to vote overwhelmingly for separatist parties, while city dwellers are less inclined to do so. The former are over-represented in the Catalan parliament, yet secessionist parties could still lose their parliamentary majority on December 21, after having already lost the popular vote in 2015, when their combined forces made up less than 50% of total votes.

This possibility is enhanced by the fact that, unlike in 2015, separatist parties have been unable to come together in a joint platform. The CIS poll shows 28.1% support for Puigdemont as the new Catalan premier, compared with 16.6% for Junqueras.

Junqueras party kicked off the campaign with a Monday rally that introduced its new approach: instead of pursuing unilateral independence like before, ERC now supports a bilateral negotiation that will enable Catalonia to achieve independence. To this end, it hopes to get European institutions involved in these hypothetical talks.

English version by Susana Urra.
Protest outside Estremera prison in Madrid. Francisco Seco (AP)

The beginning of the Catalan campaign race, which has only just got underway, has coincided with a judicial ruling to keep four leading figures of the independence process in pre-trial custody; three of them are also candidates for the December 21 vote.

Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena has released six of the former ministers of the Catalan government of Carles Puigdemont on the basis that there was no indication they would either destroy evidence, repeat their offenses, or flee from justice. But pre-trial custody was maintained for former Catalan deputy premier Oriol Junqueras, former interior minister Joaquim Forn and the two activists Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, known in Spain as the two Jordis.

It is important to respect the different speeds and the autonomy of politics and the judiciary

Of course, besides being respected and complied with, the ruling also allows room for disagreement. But those who insult the Spanish courts by denying that they are independent lack any legitimacy.

In the cases of the pro-independence figures now set to remain in pre-trial custody, the judge ruled that while there was no risk of destruction of evidence, there was a flight risk, although this has now diminished. However, he gave little weight to promises made by the four prisoners that they would act legally from now on, given their leading role in the management of the Catalan independence process, their involvement in the organization of civil unrest, and their responsibility in the siege  classified as violent  on September 20 outside the Catalan department of economic affairs in Barcelona.

Well-intentioned critics will recognize the comprehensive nature of the writ, which is neither improvised nor automatic. The spelling out of the individual involvement of each of the participants is also clear to see, while the comprehensive construction of the case dispels any inkling of judicial small-mindedness.

Even so, it will be necessary to further detail the accusation of violence  whether its consequences were personal or material, and whether intimidation was also involved. And it will be necessary to act accordingly if, as the judge himself accepts, there is evidence that gradually it is being confirmed that the change of spirit [toward respect for the law on the part of the prisoners] is true and real.

An ever-growing number of citizens now realize they are the victims of the independence process

It is important to respect the different speeds and the autonomy of politics and the judiciary, even when a ruling of this type can involuntarily complicate the electoral campaign: it complicates it, but doesnt damage it. The protagonists knew what they were doing, and they could have avoided these consequences. And it would be worse if such serious alleged crimes were left unaddressed just to suit the calendar.

The campaign is beginning with other highly relevant figures. One of these is the fact that the independence process has seen jobs destroyed in Catalonia while the rest of the country has created net employment. This is grave news that the former government that proclaimed the so-called independent republic must be held accountable for.

At the same time, according to a poll published by the Spanish government research institute CIS, this painful state of affairs is pushing up voting intention figures and suggesting possibilities of victory for parties that want to recover the political, economic and social normalcy lost in the drive toward secession. The independence movement wants to talk about prisons, promote victimhood and ignore the damage it has done. But it seems that an ever-growing number of citizens now realize they are the victims of the independence process, and feel the urgent need to end it.

English version by George Mills.
Lot occupied by drug users in Puente de Vallecas. Kike Para

Drugs have made a comeback in Puente de Vallecas. As local authorities tear down squatter homes in the nearby shantytown of Canada Real Galiana, drug dealers are being pushed into the inner city, say police sources. A few weeks ago, the neighborhood association La Cacerolada warned that Puente de Vallecas is being invaded by drug users as they move into empty apartments in residential buildings. Some neighbors are being threatened. Others are protesting. To date, the local government has shut down just nine of the new drug dens.

They gestured to one neighbor that they would slit her throat

Puente de Vallecas resident Angela

A local explains: The other day I saw one injecting himself in the neck. I was in a spot where children pass when they return from school.

When city and regional authorities began to shut down the illegal homes in the Canada Real Galiana settlement, the hot spot for drug dealing moved to the city, and with it violence and insecurity. On Monday, a 50-year-old man was knifed to death in a fight with another individual inside the shantytown.

But the neighbors are fighting back. They have been protesting for weeks, bringing thousands of people to the street to demand the government shut down the 50-plus drug dens, increase the police presence on the streets and install surveillance cameras. Most of the homes occupied by drug dealers are foreclosed apartments that now belong to banks or investment funds, and were empty prior to the squatters arrival.

Public transportation makes it easy to buy drugs One of the factors that has led to a rise in drug dealing and consumption in Puente de Vallecas is the ease of public transportation. Before, anyone wishing to get to Canada Real had to take a car. There was no public transit network going there, and even taxi drivers refused to drive to Canada. But to get to Puente de Vallecas, one need only take Line 1 on the Metro (the closest stations are Nueva Numancia and Puente de Vallecas) or the train to Madrid-Entrevias.

If the owner does not file a complaint, there is no crime of illegal appropriation, and proving that it is a drug sales point is even more difficult, says Jorge Nacorino, president of the Puente de Vallecas Neighborhood Association. The city of Madrid announced in November that it would implement a plan to improve security and reduce drug dealing and consumption in the area.

But meanwhile, drug addicts continue to walk the streets and hang about in abandoned lots. On one lot on Convenio Street, the ground is littered with bits of plastic, charred wood, toys, old clothes and other junk. Last week, the lot went up in flames after drug users lit a bonfire. There are a lot of dry leaves around. At least the temperature has dropped, otherwise imagine what could have happened. There is a gas station right next door, says a neighbor as she walks amid the debris.

The town cleaning services cant get access to clean up these spaces because most of them are on private property. We have told the owners so that they can clean up the rubbish, explain town hall sources.

Irene, Angela, Marisa and Lucia (not their real names) are part of a neighborhood group that watches to make sure the drug dens shut down by local authorities are not reopened. They feel threatened and carry pepper sprays and whistles to use in case of an attack. They gestured to one neighbor that they would slit her throat, says Angela. The group also takes down prostitution flyers that pimps slip under car windshield wipers. But despite their efforts, the group says that some of the drug dens closed on November 24 have been occupied again.

Fights between drug dealers and addicts are also frequent, worsening the communitys sense of insecurity and fear: The other night, through my window, I saw two men threatening each other with knives, says Angela.

Locals leave lights on

Many owners are scared that drug dealers will occupy their homes if they are left empty. So when they go on holidays, they ask their neighbors to go into their house and turn on the television and lights. Some people put on light timers and ask their family to open and close the blinds every now and again, says Lucia.

If the owner does not file a complaint, there is no crime of illegal appropriation

President of the Puente de Vallecas Neighborhood Association Jorge Nacorino

Lucia rents out an apartment but says rental prices have dropped as a result of the rise in crime: They leave little marks on the shutters to see if they have been opened and closed, they ring the doorbell to see if anyone answers, and hand out fliers advertising to buy homes, to see which places are empty, she adds.

The drop in security has also forced many businesses to close. Now you only find pubs, and at night the streets are filled with prostitutes, says a group of locals on Monte Igueldo Avenue.

The four women say that while they may be scared, they are not going to give up. They want their community to go back to what it used to be: a place where residents can walk the streets without feeling scared, and where children can grow up safe from harm, and from drugs.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
The Junts per Catalunya political rally on Monday. Manu Fernandez (AP)

In a surprise move that comes just as the campaign for regional elections in Catalonia is getting underway, Spains Supreme Court on Tuesday withdrew European arrest warrants for sacked Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont and four ministers of his ousted government who fled to Belgium after the Catalan parliament unilaterally declared independence in October.

However, Puigdemont and the four ministers  Antonio Comin, Lluis Puig, Meritxell Serret and Clara Ponsati  still face Spanish arrest warrants and would be arrested on their return to Spain, according to court sources.

The decision comes amid concerns that the involvement of the Belgian judicial system could hamper attempts by the Spanish courts to try Puigdemont and the four ministers for rebellion, the most serious crime for which they are being investigated, and one which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years.

The latest Supreme Court decision comes a day after it decided to release six Catalan politicians from pre-trial custody

The Spanish crime of rebellion does not have an exact equivalent in Belgium, a fact which could have seen Belgian authorities handing over the sacked politicians to Spanish authorities on charges such as misuse of public funds, but not on charges of rebellion. This in turn would have prevented the Spanish courts from trying Puigdemont and the former ministers for the crime.

In his ruling on the matter of the European arrest warrants, Supreme Court justice Pablo Llarena said that maintaining them could restrict actions against the politicians  something that would also create a paradoxical situation in which the Catalan independence figures in Belgium would be in a better position than those who remained in Spain.

In the same vein, the judge also noted that rebellion is a collective crime and that those being investigated may have acted in concert. For this reason, the investigation has to be carried out in a unified manner to avoid legal confusion and differing treatment for the various suspects.

The latest Supreme Court decision comes a day after it decided to release six Catalan politicians from pre-trial custody but to keep the two most prominent ones behind bars.

The decision comes amid concerns the involvement of the Belgian judicial system could hamper attempts to try Puigdemont for rebellion

Former deputy premier Oriol Junqueras, of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), and his ex-minister for interior affairs Joaquim Forn will remain in detention after Llarena determined that there is a risk that both would go back to committing the same crimes if released.

The heads of two prominent pro-independence associations are also being kept in custody while an investigation into rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds is underway in connection with the illegal independence drive.

Puigdemont and the four former ministers currently in Belgium had been scheduled to appear before a Belgian judge on December 14 in a hearing to decide on whether European arrest warrants would be executed.

English version by George Mills.
Iran's telecommunications minister says that his ministry wants to customize Internet filtering based on users occupation, age, and other factors.

The attorney general's office has conditionally agreed with this plan, Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi announced on December 4.

Without providing any details, he said his ministry had reviewed suggestions made by the attorney general and prepared appropriate technical responses. He expressed hope that the office would give its final approval for the implementation of the plan.

It seems that custom filtering is an effort by President Hassan Rouhanis government to ease Internet censorship.

Internet access is heavily restricted in Iran, since its use became widespread more than fifteen years ago. In addition to pornographic and undesirable news and political websites, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are also blocked for Iranian users.

Social media were widely used in the anti-government protests of 2009 against the re-election of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

Iran is one of the highest users of internet in the world. In 2015, 70% of Iranians regularly used the internet, ranking 16 globally.

For a state that engages in elaborate efforts, including vast bureaucracies, arrests and detentions in order to control information, this poses a constant danger. The advent of smart phones has made the situation even more problematic for the state.

By law, the working group for the determination of criminal content, which consists of several ministers and presided over by the attorney general, is responsible for Internet filtering. However, many websites and applications are blocked at the behest of the attorney general's office, which is under the control of the conservative judiciary.

The attorney general's office ordered the filtering of the voice-messaging feature from the popular messaging app Telegram in April due to purported risks for national security. Telegram has more than 40 million users in Iran.

In 2014, Iran expanded the so-called smart filtering of the Internet in order to censor undesirable content on websites without blocking them completely. Its application on Instagram has had 83 percent success, according to a former minister of telecommunications.

Despite the regimes efforts to censor the Internet, Iranian users routinely get around the restrictions by using anti-filtering programs or virtual private networks.
The chairman of the influential Guardian Council and speaker of the Assembly of Experts, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, says sedition has not yet been rooted out of Iran and a number of neo-hypocrites are attempting to keep it alive.

Jannati was referring to the controversial presidential election in 2009 followed by months of bloody unrest in major cities, including the capital, Tehran. The uprising against the re-election of Mahmud Ahmadinejad was labeled sedition by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He also used the word monafeqin or hypocrites, a term exclusively used by the ruling systems officials for describing the dissident group the Peoples Mojahedin Organization (MKO).

Ironically, one of Jannatis sons, Hossein, was a member of the MKO and was killed in a street clash by Iranian security forces in 1981.

The so-called leaders of sedition -- former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi; his wife, Zahra Rahnavard; and former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi, who challenged Ahmadinejad in 2009 -- have been under house arrest since 2011.

Citing Jannatis speech in the city of Bushehr, southern Iran, the IRGC-run news agency Tasnim reported, Sedition or the protests against the official result of 2009 presidential election was not focused on the election itself; it was designed to subvert the ruling system.

The sedition was designed by the Americans and executed by forces inside Iran, who wrongly imagined they were capable of bringing down the system through a Velvet Revolution, as the Zionist regime [Israel] did in Georgia by spending $10 million.

A number of conservatives close to the supreme leader have apparently tried to stretch the label of sedition to the present time, so that they can exert more pressure on their opponents.

Jannati has also cautioned against enemies infiltrating Irans cyberspace, insisting, The Islamic ethics, hijab, and chastity have been overshadowed [by infiltrators action] in Irans cyberspace.
For a second day in a row, hundreds of students at several major Iranian universities continued their protests against political suppression, gender discrimination, and higher tuition.

The protests started on Monday at Tehran University, Beheshti, Kharazmi, and Allameh Tabatabaei Universities in the capital and expanded to several other institutions on Tuesday.

They were hundreds of students protesting in each university.

Since 2009 protests against the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential election, hundreds of politically active students have been harassed and arrested by security forces. Their publications have been systematically banned or censored, and some of the students have been even suspended or discharged from the university.

During his election campaign, President Hassan Rouhani had criticized the increasing pressure on students and promised to improve the situation. Students say the president has not fulfilled his promise yet.

On Monday, Students at Tehran university criticized the government for what they call a monetization of universities and capitalization of social life and demanded free education. They accused the ministry of science of conducting business and chanted the loans have made us slaves of the banks.

Public universities are generally tuition free but students who are admitted to night courses should pay for their education. The tuition for such courses have increased significantly in recent years. In addition to that, universities have started to charge even other students for various reasons, including dropped courses.

On Tuesday, at Qom university, 120 km south of Tehran, students protested gender segregation at a ceremony commemorating the Students Day and walked out of the venue chanting students die, but do not accept discrimination.

Iranian government has designated December 7 as Students Day to commemorate the death of three students who were killed in 1953 protesting a visit by the then U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon to Tehran. However, students use the occasion to stage anti-government rallies.
At least 150 students eligible to start Masters and Doctoral programs have been barred from carrying on their studies at universities, daily Jameeye Farda (Tomorrows Society) reported on Thursday, November 30.

Citing an informed source at the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, the daily said, In the new educational year, between 150 to 200 students, after passing the tests for Masters and PhDs degrees, have been listed as starred students and barred from entering the universities.

Starred students is a term coined immediately after Mahmoud Ahmadinejads first presidential term (2005).

It refers to students who are deemed politically unreliable or undesirable by one or more of the Islamic Republics numerous intelligence apparatuses.

An asterisk or star is added next to their name to separate them from others. Probably Iran is the only place where having a star(s) next to a name does not mean a positive distinction.

However, during the controversial 2009 presidential election, the incumbent, Ahmadinejad denied the existence of such a categorization.

Immediately after the denial, scores of starred students gathered to prove that they were indeed banned from continuing their education because of their religion, political views or students rights activities.

At least three of the students at the gathering were later detained and placed behind bars.

The question of starred students repeatedly appeared during Hassan Rouhanis presidential campaigns. At a rally in 2013, Rouhani emphatically promised to address the problem when the human rights commission of an influential students association declared that more than 1000 starred students had been barred from continuing their education in eight years of Ahmadinejads presidency.

Nevertheless, a year through Rouhanis first term as president, Amnesty International (AI) described the students situation in Iran as grave.

Hundreds of students are deprived of further education while many of them are behind bars, AI said in a report.

The question of starred students was raised at several meetings with Rouhani. In one of the gatherings, a student lamented, the heads of our universitiesare merely reactionaries who have reemerged in modern suits and kill you softly.

Two days prior to the publication of Jameeye Fardas report, Rouhani had insisted on television, We cannot confine the universities into a specific political view---Students must step in and participate in political and social debates. They should have more room to maneuver. In the current situation, we should not let students to be divided over political issues.

However, according to a number of students rights activists, several starred students have recently been allowed to carry on their education after signing a written commitment.

The text of the commitment has not yet been revealed.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.5

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Azerbaijan and Bulgaria are not only friends, but also strategic partners, Azerbaijans ambassador to Bulgaria Nargiz Gurbanova told Bloomberg TV.

This was reflected in the joint declaration on strategic partnership signed in 2015, said the envoy, adding that this document opens up new opportunities to develop cooperation not only in the sphere of energy, but also other spheres.

Energy has always been an important component of our cooperation. In 2020, first volumes of Azerbaijani gas will be delivered to Bulgaria. This will be a very important step to provide for one third of Bulgarias demand for gas, said Gurbanova.

It should be noted that Bulgarias Bulgargaz has a long-term contract for 25 years with Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR for supply of 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from Shah Deniz 2, which is one third of Bulgarias domestic consumption.

Further, the envoy pointed out that Bulgaria is an important partner of Azerbaijan among other EU members to reach the EU markets.

For Bulgaria, Azerbaijan is a gateway to the Central Asian market, added the ambassador.

Further, Gurbanova noted that transport is one of the important areas of cooperation between the two countries.

Talking about the opening of direct flights between Baku and Sofia by Azerbaijani "Buta Airways", which is planned for January 2018, the envoy said that this will cause a significant increase in passenger traffic in both directions.

Gurbanova added that at first, the airline planned to have flights once a week, but passenger flow will allow to increase the number of flights in the near future.

She pointed out that Bulgaria is also an important transit point for passengers from Azerbaijan.

The ambassador noted 16,000 Azerbaijan tourists visited Bulgaria and about 1,300 Bulgarian tourists visited Azerbaijan in 2016.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Japan started simplified process of issuing visas for Azerbaijani citizens December 1, Ambassador of Japan to Azerbaijan Teruyuki Katore said at an event in Baku on the occasion of the birthday of the Emperor of Japan.

The 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Japan is celebrated this year, the ambassador said.

For the past 25 years, relations between the two countries have developed steadily, he noted.

The dialogue between the governments of Azerbaijan and Japan, cooperation in energy projects, relations between private sectors of the two countries within joint economic committee have also been developing, the diplomat said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

EY Azerbaijan sponsored the Azerbaijan Business Case Competition (ABCC), which was held at the Hilton Baku Hotel on 3 December 2017.

This year, 26 teams from 5 universities participated in the competition: ADA University, Baku Engineering University, Azerbaijan State Economic University, Academy of Azerbaijan State Customs Committee, and Baku Higher Oil School. Only 16 teams out of 26 made it to the semi-final stage, and just four teams qualified for the final.

The four finalists were required to develop solutions for cases. Evaluations were based on their critical business thinking, financial analysis, marketing strategy, and presentation skills, including their preparation for the Q&A stage.

The team from Baku Engineering University (Huseyn Mammadov, Jafar Jafarov, Lala Rustamli and Gazanfar Karimli) won the competition and were awarded 6,000 AZN.

Turgay Teymurov, EY Assurance Partner, was in the final jury at the ABCC and shared: This competition is a big business event among the students, and a huge investment in nurturing the future business leaders of Azerbaijan. I would like to congratulate the winning team and wish them every success in their future endeavors.

About ABCC

The Azerbaijan Business Case Competition is an annual contest where student teams from Azerbaijans top universities participate. It has been held since 2002 and celebrated its 15th anniversary this year. Volunteers of the MBA Enterprise Corps decided to launch this project due to the limited popularity of business case analysis in Azerbaijan. Since 2006, the right to hold this competition has been granted to the US-Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association (AAA). Over 1,000 very talented students have so far participated in this project.

The US-Educated AAA is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in October 2003 that unites alumni of the State Department educational exchange programs, Azerbaijan State Program alumni, and self-funded students who have studied in Azerbaijan.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and economies around the world. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In doing so, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients, and for our communities.

EY works together with companies across the CIS and assists them in realizing their business goals. 5,000 professionals work at 20 CIS offices (in Baku, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Togliatti, Vladivostok, Almaty, Astana, Bishkek, Kyiv, Tashkent, Tbilisi, Minsk, and other locations).

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

EY in Azerbaijan

EY made a major commitment to the development of Azerbaijan and the region by opening the office in Baku 23 years ago. Today, in addition to being the leading audit and consulting firm in Azerbaijan, we are the leading professional services firm in the region. As a result of our experience and competence, we have been able to assist both domestic and international companies as well as state-owned entities to develop and manage the challenges of the international economy.

There are currently more than 200 people working in our Baku office that serve our clients in Azerbaijan. EYs strength in the Caspian Region and the firms commitment of resources are important to the entities operating in the region. It means that as we grow, EY will continue to demonstrate a tradition of hiring and training local professionals to be leaders in our practice.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

The cooperation level between businessmen of Azerbaijan and Lithuania has increased over the last 6 years, said Azerbaijani ambassador to Lithuania Hasan Mammadzadeh in an interview with the Lithuanian newspaper Lietuvos zinios.

The ambassador noted that along with other list of products, Azeri wine appeared on the shelves of Lithuanian shops.

"The number of Azerbaijani students in Lithuania has also significantly increased. When I first arrived to Lithuania nearly20-30 of my compatriots studied here. During the last 4 years the number of Azerbaijani students in Lithuania was on average 200 people a year. Totally 1000 Azerbaijani students graduated from higher educational institutions of Lithuania in 6 years," Mammadzadeh said.

Among the actively developing sectors between countries, the ambassador also stressed tourism.

"More and more Azerbaijani tourists fly to Lithuania, especially in Druskininkai and Birstonas. In turn, citizens of Lithuania often go to international events in Azerbaijan. "

Among other facts, Mammadzade also noted that the Azerbaijani embassy sought to contribute to the strengthening of the relations between the two countries as much as possible.

"We held many cultural events, marking many important historical anniversaries of Lithuania and Azerbaijan," the ambassador said.

In conclusion, the Ambassador noted the importance of the fact that Lithuanians who visited Azerbaijan always warmly remember the country, talking about the hospitality, beauty and pleasant climate of the Azerbaijan. This, according to the ambassador, was also influenced in turn by international events, such as Eurovision, held in Azerbaijan, as well as demonstration of the country's beauty on such well-known channels as CNN and Euronews.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.4

Trend:

The OSCE is expected to monitor the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on Dec.6, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said in a message Dec. 5.

The monitoring will be held under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative along the line of contact near Kurapatkino village in Azerbaijans Khijavand district, according to the message.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held bySimon Tiller and Ognjen Jovic field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, .

On the Azerbaijani territories occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring will be held by Mikhail Olaru and Ghenadie Petrica , who are field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has congratulated King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn.

On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my sincerest congratulations to you and through you to all the people of your country on the occasion of the national holiday of the Kingdom of Thailand, President Aliyev said in his congratulatory letter.

On this remarkable day, I wish you the best of health, happiness, and the friendly people of Thailand lasting peace and prosperity, the president said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

Prior to the fifth summit of the heads of the Caspian states to be held in Kazakhstan, it is necessary to exert maximum efforts to reach a consensus on all issues, which remain open, related to the status of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said.

Mammadyarov made the remarks at a meeting of the Caspian littoral states' foreign ministers in Moscow on Dec. 5, the Foreign Ministry told Trend.

Addressing the meeting, Mammadyarov noted that over the past period, the participants in the negotiation process have done a great deal of work on the draft Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, and the decisions and the agreements reached during the five-sided meetings at the highest level contributed significantly to the rapprochement of the positions of all the Caspian states.

They gave a powerful impetus to the negotiating process as a whole and are of historical importance for the further strengthening of good-neighborly relations, fruitful cooperation and keeping stability in the Caspian region, he said.

"All the Caspian countries agree that it is necessary to make every effort to reach consensus on all open issues before the fifth summit of the heads of the Caspian states, which is planned to be held in Kazakhstan. We believe that consensus can be achieved taking into account the generally recognized world practice and norms of international maritime law ", Mammadyarov said.

He further noted that the efforts made should serve to consolidate the result of many years of work on the draft convention and create a comprehensive legal basis for interaction and cooperation of the states in the Caspian. This fundamental legal document is designed to lay a solid foundation for the future architecture of relations in the Caspian and will contribute to further strengthening of stability and security in the Caspian region.

Mammadyarov said that counteracting terrorism, transnational organized crime, illegal circulation of arms, narcotic drugs and human trafficking requires consolidation of efforts of all Caspian states against challenges and threats to international and regional stability and security.

"The Azerbaijani side is sure that all issues of the Caspian Sea Legal Status should be resolved in the spirit of respect for the sovereign rights of the Caspian states and mutually beneficial partnership, as well as through building confidence between the parties, particularly in matters of regional stability, security, economic and scientific research activities in the Caspian " Mammadyarov said.

"Confidence measures must include, among other things, ensuring equal security conditions for all the Caspian states, and we are confident that strengthening stability in the Caspian Sea must be based on taking into account the interests of all parties and not compromising each other's security, respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence of the Caspian states and non-interference in each other's internal affairs," the minister said.



Mammadarov noted that the early signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea will serve to take more effective measures aimed at further cooperation on the conservation of the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea, including cooperation of the Caspian states in various fields.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications of the Republic of Turkey Ahmet Arslan.

The successful development of Azerbaijan-Turkey bilateral relations in all areas, including in IT field was hailed at the meeting.

President Ilham Aliyev noted the importance of Turkish Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ahmet Arslan's participation in the 23rd BakuTel 2017 exhibition. He emphasized that the exhibition has been held for more than 20 years, praising the Turkish companies' participation in each edition of the event.

Pointing to the achievements in the field of transport, the head of state underlined the significance of the two countries' joint activities in communications, information technology areas, particularly within the TASIM project.

President Ilham Aliyev recalled the opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month, saying that this event once again demonstrated that all the initiatives of Azerbaijan and Turkey yield good results.

The head of state also hailed good opportunities for joint activities in the field of communications between the two countries.

Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications of the Republic of Turkey Ahmet Arslan underlined the importance of the fact that over 190 companies from more than 20 countries attend the 23rd BakuTel 2017 exhibition and congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on the excellent organization of the event.

Praising the successful work being carried out in Azerbaijan in the field of information technology under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Minister Ahmet Arslan expressed his confidence that joint regional cooperation will continue developing on this front in the years to come.

The Turkish minister emphasized the fruitful cooperation between relevant bodies of the two countries.
Details added 12:28

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

Prior to the fifth summit of the heads of the Caspian states to be held in Kazakhstan, it is necessary to exert maximum efforts to reach a consensus on all issues, which remain open, related to the status of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said.

Mammadyarov made the remarks at a meeting of the Caspian littoral states' foreign ministers in Moscow on Dec. 5, the Foreign Ministry told Trend.

Addressing the meeting, Mammadyarov noted that over the past period, the participants in the negotiation process have done a great deal of work on the draft Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, and the decisions and the agreements reached during the five-sided meetings at the highest level contributed significantly to the rapprochement of the positions of all the Caspian states.

They gave a powerful impetus to the negotiating process as a whole and are of historical importance for the further strengthening of good-neighborly relations, fruitful cooperation and keeping stability in the Caspian region, he said.

"All the Caspian countries agree that it is necessary to make every effort to reach consensus on all open issues before the fifth summit of the heads of the Caspian states, which is planned to be held in Kazakhstan. We believe that consensus can be achieved taking into account the generally recognized world practice and norms of international maritime law ", Mammadyarov said.

He further noted that the efforts made should serve to consolidate the result of many years of work on the draft convention and create a comprehensive legal basis for interaction and cooperation of the states in the Caspian. This fundamental legal document is designed to lay a solid foundation for the future architecture of relations in the Caspian and will contribute to further strengthening of stability and security in the Caspian region.

Mammadyarov said that counteracting terrorism, transnational organized crime, illegal circulation of arms, narcotic drugs and human trafficking requires consolidation of efforts of all Caspian states against challenges and threats to international and regional stability and security.

"The Azerbaijani side is sure that all issues of the Caspian Sea Legal Status should be resolved in the spirit of respect for the sovereign rights of the Caspian states and mutually beneficial partnership, as well as through building confidence between the parties, particularly in matters of regional stability, security, economic and scientific research activities in the Caspian " Mammadyarov said.

"Confidence measures must include, among other things, ensuring equal security conditions for all the Caspian states, and we are confident that strengthening stability in the Caspian Sea must be based on taking into account the interests of all parties and not compromising each other's security, respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence of the Caspian states and non-interference in each other's internal affairs," the minister said.



Mammadarov noted that the early signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea will serve to take more effective measures aimed at further cooperation on the conservation of the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea, including cooperation of the Caspian states in various fields.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

The 10th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Turkey High-Level Military Dialogue has begun its work in Baku on December 5, the press service of Azerbaijans Defense Ministry reported.

At first the participants of the meeting visited the Alley of Honors, paid tribute and laid a wreath at the tomb of national leader Heydar Aliyev. The participants also paid tribute and laid flowers at the grave of the prominent ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva.

Having visited Alley of Martyrs, the delegations paid tribute and commemorated Azerbaijani heroes, who gave their lives for the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, laid wreaths at the Eternal Flame monument.

In the Alley of Martyrs, the delegations also laid a wreath at the monument erected in honor of the Turkish soldiers killed in 1918.

Then a plenary session of the delegations in an expanded format was held. Co-chairs from both sides delivered welcoming speeches and briefings on the state of regional security environment were presented.

The meeting continued its work within the working groups.

Current state and prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey in the military, military-technical spheres and in the field of military medicine, military education, defense industry and other spheres, as well as the strengthening of friendly relations between the Armed Forces of the two countries and the main areas for accomplishing the forthcoming tasks will be discussed during the meeting, that will last until December 7.

During the discussions within the framework of the military dialogue, the work that has been done this year and the action plan for 2018 will be reviewed.

The co-chairman of the meeting from the Azerbaijani side is deputy minister of defense for personnel, Lieutenant General Karim Valiyev, and from the Turkish side  chief of the Main Directorate for Plans and Principles of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Yavuz Turkgenci.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has embarked on a working visit to Vienna, Austria, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend.

Mammadyarov will meet with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs and the Armenian FM.

The minister will also attend the 24th OSCE Ministerial Council where he will deliver a speech and hold a number of bilateral meetings.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 28

Trend:

Azerbaijan has been elected as a full-fledged member of the International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM) as the organization held its 42nd World Congress in New Delhi, India.

Chief of the Central Medical Department of the Ministry of Defense Natig Aliyeazerbaijanv was appointed as head of Azerbaijan's mission to the International Committee of Military Medicine.

The Azerbaijani delegation met with their counterparts from Turkey and the United Kingdom to discuss the issues of mutual interest on the sidelines of the Congress,.

The International Committee of Military Medicine was established in 1921 in the Kingdom of Belgium with an aim to fully safeguard the principles of the Geneva Conventions and ensure the exchange of scientific information on military medicine.

The main function of the ICMM, which includes 112 member states, is to encourage the exchange of technological and scientific experiences in the field of military medicine
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

The rector of UNEC, professor Adalat Muradov participated in the Eurasian Economic Prospects the V International Eurasian Economic Forum held in St. Petersburg, the Russian Federation.

The plenary meeting on Eurasian humanitarian cooperation: the Education, science and culture had been organized within the framework of the forum. The event focused on the establishment of the Institute of Scientific Reference Index on CIS space and exchanged the views on deepening the mutual relations in the education and the scientific areas among the universities.

The chairman of the Executive Committee of the Eurasian Association of Universities, professor Alexander Vladimirovich Sidorovich drawing the attention to the activities of UNEC, stated that he was following the success of this university with goodwill. Professor, pointing out that the rating of UNEC has been growing rapidly in the region and in the world, stated that the development strategy of the university had been accurately defined and noted the importance of studying this experience. The famous economist scientists of Russia who had attended the event highly appreciated the activity of the Russian Economics School of UNEC and expressed their satisfaction with continuing their pedagogical activities here.

The rector A. Muradov visited the St. Petersburg State Economic University within the framework of the forum, as well. The rector of the university, professor Igor Anatolevich Maximtsev said that he closely followed the achievements of UNEC and noted that the reform experience of UNEC was a model of success. He said that, he considered the innovations applied at UNEC as the progressive steps in the higher education area. Getting acquainted with the library of St. Petersburg State University of Economics A. Muradov noted that recently for the first time in Azerbaijan the modern library operating 24 hours, 7 days a day would be introduced for using by the students at UNEC. The professor I.A.Maximtsev noted that he was planning to visit Baku for getting acquainted with the newly created library, and in general, for learning the UNEC experience. In the meeting the agreement was reached on the double diploma program.

The next meeting of the UNEC rector was with the editor-in-chief of Eurasian International Scientific-Analytical Journal The Problems of the Modern Economy, N.F.Gazizullin. The editor-in-chief pointed out that the UNEC brand had been quickly recognized in the international arena and stressed the necessity of sharing this experience with the scientific and educational community of the world. He said that the special edition of the journal The Problems of the Modern Economy would be dedicated to UNEC.

In the meetings were highlighted the innovations applied for transferring the UNEC into the scientific research university. Being open to the public and the activities of UNEC experts with their quick and prompt predictions for the economic processes of the country and region was highly appreciated.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

Azercell Telecom LLC has provided its support to students in next project. Thus, the company supported Azerbaijan Business Case Competition (ABCC) organized by the US-educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association. The final round of the competition took place on December, 3 at Hilton Hotel.

Azerbaijan Business Case Competition is the traditional contest among teams composed of undergraduate students from leading universities in the country. This year 26 teams from 5 universities, namely ADA University, Baku Engineering University, Azerbaijan State University of Economics, State Customs Committee Academy and Baku Higher Oil School joined the competition and only 16 teams managed to be selected for the semi-finals, with 4 teams further qualifying for the final round.

All participating teams attended training courses on business analysis, presentation skills and other topics for six weeks. In addition, teams had preliminary presentations before the final round.

Teams presented their projects before the judges representing local and international companies in semi-finals while 4 qualifying teams demonstrated their analysis of the case to win the first place.

The finalists were awarded 10,000 manats in total (the 1st place winner 6,000 manats, the 2nd place winner 3,000 manats and the 3rd place winner 1,000 manats).

During the competition, students attempt to solve cases of Harvard Business School based on real-life business problems companies have faced, by applying their knowledge in finance, marketing, accounting, technology and management and present their analysis to the panel of judges composed of the representatives of leading businesses in Azerbaijan.

For more information, please contact [email protected]

The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With 48% share of Azerbaijans mobile telecom market Azercells network covers 80% of the territory (excluding 20% of the occupied territories) and 99.8% of population of the country.

Currently, 4.5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, Metro coverage, 24/7 call centre service, 7 day/week Front Office service, M2M services, one-stop-shopping approach Azercell Express offices, Online Customer Care and Social Media Customer Care services, Mobile Customer Care office, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc.

Azercell deployed first 4G  LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile network quality surveys of Global Wireless Solutions company and international systems specialized in wireless coverage mapping such as Opensignal and Testmy.net, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

As part of a new Data Journalism Course that will run from December, 2017 to May, 2018 with the support of the United States Embassy in Baku, 30 journalists from Azerbaijans online, broadcast, and print media outlets attended a workshop on Data Visualization.

The workshop will be led by Rob McNeil and William Allen, experts from the University of Oxford's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), and organized by the Eurasia Partnership Foundation and the EU-funded MOBILAZE project, which is implemented in Azerbaijan by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

Data journalism is not a new concept any more. Established media outlets often have a dedicated data team, and professional journalists use data on a daily basis to tell better supported stories to their audiences. In order to promote data literacy among the Azerbaijans mass media practitioners, the Data Journalism Course will cover such topics as: the role of data in the newsroom, the skills necessary for data journalists, ways to find and clean relevant data, approaches to analyzing data to identify compelling stories, and clear presentation of data.

The Course led by international and local experts will provide an overview of best international practices and equip participants with practical skills to successfully use data in their journalistic work.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 5

By Diana Aliyeva  Trend:

All owners of agricultural land in Uzbekistan will be registered, said Deputy Chairman of the State Statistics Committee Agzam Ikramov, speaking at the meeting of the international press club in Tashkent.

Currently, the number of farms in the country amounts to 4.5 million.

Ikramov said that such registration is to be held in a test mode in the Kibray district of the Tashkent region. The experience of a number of countries is being studied in this direction.

The State Statistics Committee is expected to have more data with the complete transition of business entities of Uzbekistan, the number of which reaches 500,000, to an electronic reporting form. In this regard, it is planned to equip the committee with modern servers, for which $ 4 million has been allocated in 2018-2020.

The State Statistics Committee, taking into account international recommendations, approved 30 improved statistical methods in 2017-2019.

In the period 2017-2021, the transition from the National System of Accounts-1993 to the National System of Accounts-2008 will be carried out.
European Union finance ministers adopted on Tuesday a blacklist of tax havens which includes 17 extra-EU jurisdictions seen as not cooperative on tax matters, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said, Reuters reports.

American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, South Korea, Macau, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates are the countries listed, officials said.

Le Maire said that other 47 jurisdictions are included in a public gray list of countries that are currently not compliant with EU standards but have committed to change their tax rules.

Following multiple disclosures of offshore tax avoidance schemes by companies and wealthy individuals, EU states launched a process in February to list tax havens in a bid to discourage setting up shell structures abroad which are themselves in many cases legal but could hide illicit activities.

Blacklisted countries could lose access to EU funds. Other possible countermeasures will be decided in coming weeks, Le Maire said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 28

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

It is necessary to make room for private insurance companies in Azerbaijans mandatory health insurance market, Andrei Tretyak, head of Social Protection Unit of Expertise France (French international technical expertise agency), told Trend.

He said that the issue of attracting private insurance companies to the process of introducing mandatory health insurance arose during the preparation of the pilot project.

"An option based on the experience of some countries, when a state only creates a system, and the system is managed by private insurance companies, was considered," Tretyak noted. "However, except for Anglo-Saxon countries, this system is not so widespread, and we also warned Azerbaijan about certain danger of using this system, since the goal of private insurance companies is to insure a category of people least subject to risk and make profit. So, not all countries are ready to apply this approach."

The expert added that various methods of attracting insurance companies to mandatory health insurance system are applied in different countries.

"For example, in France, costs for healthcare are covered by up to 70 percent in average at the expense of mandatory health insurance," Tretyak said. "For example, a doctors consultation costs 23 euros. An insured person pays this amount, and gets back a little more than 16 euros. If a person wants a 100 percent reimbursement, or if the service costs 23 euros, but a doctor renders this service for 50 euros, the difference between the 70 percent of healthcare costs refunded by the mandatory health insurance system and the tariff for the service or its real cost is covered by private insurance companies."

Tretyak said that this system is called supplementary insurance. He noted that such a system can be used in Azerbaijan as well.

"This will allow covering additional costs within the mandatory health insurance system," said Tretyak. "At the same time, interaction between a state and supplementary insurance system covering various remaining costs is very important. The state will ensure coverage of the basic package of services, and private insurance companies may cover the costs of various additional services."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Nigar Guliyeva  Trend:

Agreements worth $3.5 billion are planned to be signed following the Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable, Minister for Investments and Development Zhenis Kassymbek told reporters before the forum Dec.5.

"Today we plan to sign 12-13 various agreements, contracts, memoranda worth $ 3.5 billion, which cover different branches, inclduing the mining and metallurgical complex, agriculture, transport and logistics," the minister said.

He said that more than 100 international companies participate in the forum. Today, a $ 800 million contract will be signed for the project on the agro-industrial complex, which will be the largest investment agreement of this forum. Also, there will be signed a final contract for the construction of the Big Almaty Ring Road.

"There are also a lot of agreements in the agricultural sphere between regions and foreign companies, Including Iranian, Turkish companies and many others. There are also a number of Chinese industrial projects that will also be agreed," the minister said.

The minister said that, in general, $10 billion were attracted to the Kazakh economy in the first half of 2017. Until the end of the year, it is planned to maintain these indicators. With amendments to the legislation on attracting investments and opening a new national investment company Kazakh Invest, it is planned to increase the volume of investments next year.

Kasymbek noted that this year the growth rate of investments can be 8 -10 percent.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

The 12th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Iran intergovernmental commission for economic, trade and humanitarian cooperation will be held in Irans Astara city in late December, the Azerbaijani Economy Ministry said in a message Dec. 5.

This issue was discussed within the meeting between Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzadeh.

The sides also discussed the acceleration of construction work at a joint pharmaceutical plant, the foundation of which was laid in Azerbaijans Pirallahi Industrial Park in 2017.

Meanwhile, the specialists of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Health will visit Tabriz in December.

Mustafayev also proposed to hold the first meeting of the joint technical commission on the Khudaferin-Giz Galasi agreement in Irans Khudaferin city in December.

In turn, Jahangirzadeh stressed the interest of Iranian entrepreneurs in making investments in Azerbaijan's industry sector. The ambassador also proposed to set up the Azerbaijani-Iranian Chamber of Commerce.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan with Iran amounted to $200.9 million in January-October 2017, which is 28.4 percent more than in the same period of 2016.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Kazakhstan has signed twelve agreements and cooperation documents with foreign companies worth $3.2 billion within Kazakhstan Global Investment roundtable (KGIR), the Ministry of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan said in a message.

In particular, the Minister of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan Zhenis Kasymbek and the General Representative of the "Alsim Alarko - Makoil - SK - Kororin Expressway" consortium Hakan Aitekin signed the Protocol on the results of negotiations on the implementation of "The Great Almaty Ring Road" project.

Kazakhstan has also signed a memorandum of understanding on the public-private partnership project on the creation of the Nur zholy automobile checkpoint on the section of the Western Europe-Western China highway.

Kazakh Invest has signed a memorandum of understanding on the "Production of technical gases for the needs of Pavlodar oil chemistry plant and Atyrau oil refinery" with the Air Liquide international company, a memorandum of understanding on the "Construction of a plant for the production of high-quality lime" with Carmeuse company, as well as a memorandum of understanding on production of soda ash with the Turkish "Yildirim Holding".
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Nigar Guliyeva - Trend:

The introduction of 'open skies' regime at the Almaty airport is being discussed in Kazakhstan, said Timur Duysengaliev, deputy chairman of the board of directors of the Kazakh Tourism JSC.

"We are currently negotiating with the government of Kazakhstan to open 'open skies' regime at the Almaty airport. Speaking about the development of tourism in Kazakhstan, we must first of all understand that there are so-called growth points that will serve as the anchor points - the starting point for traveling to Kazakhstan, "Duisengaliyev said at a press conference Dec.5.

He noted that at present in Kazakhstan there are "in fact, two starting points" - Almaty and Astana .The "open sky" regime was applied at the time of the international specialized exhibition EXPO-2017 in the capital of Kazakhstan. This experience, according to experts, was positive.

Duysengaliev said that currently there is a question regarding great competition for the national carrier in case the 'open skies' regime applied.

He explained that at the moment, Kazakh Tourism is working on the issue of cooperation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the aim of researching and analyzing the prospects of the Kazakhstan air transport communication until 2030.

"For Kazakhstan, as a very large country with a significant transit potential, it is very important to learn how to make the republic accessible in terms of air traffic, to forecast potential flows that will allow us to get a certain share of the "pie" , that is, the world tourism. And in this regard, in principle, we agreed that IATA will prepare this analytical review for Kazakh Tourism, which will allow us to build a long-term policy in terms of developing air communication, " Duysengaliev said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Kazakhstan envisaged a plan in case of deviation from the OPEC agreement on reduction of oil output, said the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Kanat Bozumbayev on the sidelines of the first Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable, devoted to the issues of investments in the economy of the country.

"All the countries, involved in the OPEC agreement, accepted the extension of the agreement until the end of 2018. The countries will keep the oil production at the level provided in the previous agreement. It is difficult for us and the fact that weve extended the agreement is a big compromise to preserve the market price of oil," said Bozumbaev.

He added that according to experts, without extension of the OPEC agreement, the price on black gold in the world market would decrease again.

"The price of $62-$63 is good for us, it gives confidence not only to oil companies, but also to investors who invest in oil fields. Therefore, we supported this deal," the minister said.

Bozumbaev also noted that Kazakhstan had discussed the necessary conditions in case of exceeding the prescribed level of oil production.

"We understand that if we have difficulties in implementing the agreement, we can always discuss it with our partners," the minister said.

At the same time, he stressed that the deviation from the agreement will not be considered as a violation of the treaty, since the conditions will be negotiated with the partner countries.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Nigar Guliyeva  Trend:

Tashkent hosts a workshop on renewable energy (RE) policy development jointly organized by the Government of Uzbekistan and the World Bank Group (WBG) in partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The two day event is attended by around 80 representatives of ministries and state agencies, state energy companies, international organizations, expert and academic circles concerned.

The event is aimed at supporting the Governments efforts in introduction of RE in the country through discussion of best practices in development of RE strategy, policy, regulations, institutional measures, modern technologies, and project preparation and implementation adopted around the world, including cases of the Latin American, African and South Asian states. The event also contributes to discussion on development of RE roadmap in Uzbekistan to assist the Government in implementation of the Action Program on Renewable Energy Development for 2017-2021 adopted in May 2017, and also to promote private sector investments in renewable energy development.

Why RE development is important for Uzbekistan? Firstly, it will ensure the countrys energy security, by helping diversify the energy mix and improve the long-term reliability of supply. Secondly, it is more economically efficient as it reduces the use of natural gas and coal for power production, which have a high opportunity cost. Thirdly, introduction of RE also represents new business opportunities as it creates an industry with new jobs. Fourthly, there are environmental and health benefits related to RE as it reduces fossil fuel combustion detrimental for environment and human health. Last but not least, it would help the countrys commitment to address the climate change challenges, says Sameer Shukla, Practice Manager of World Banks Energy and Extractives Global Practice.

The Government has identified introduction of RE among other priorities under the Strategy of Actions on the Five Priority Areas of Development of Uzbekistan for 2017-2021. The World Bank Group supports the efforts of the Government to increase renewables share in power production from 12.7% in 2016 to 19.7% by 2025. For example, in 2015 development of a Wind Atlas of Uzbekistan and pre-feasibility studies for wind project sites were supported under a World Bank-financed project. The Atlas proves that the country possesses significant wind resources that are suitable for development of commercially feasible large-scale wind power farms in selected regions of the country.

In Uzbekistan, the World Bank currently supports the implementation of 16 projects, which are worth of around US$2 billion. Those projects cover such priority areas as agriculture and water resources management, energy, transport, healthcare, education, urban development, water supply and sanitation.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR exported 1.41 million tons of oil via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline in January-November 2017 as compared to 1.14 million tons in the same period of 2016, SOCAR told Trend Dec. 5.

The company exported 164,620 tons of oil from the Russian port of Novorossiysk in November 2017 as compared to 159,710 tons in the same period of 2016.

SOCAR exported 1.22 million tons of oil via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline in 2016 as compared to 1.27 million tons in 2015.

SOCAR exports the oil produced at its own fields, as well as the oil from joint ventures and operation companies working at Azerbaijans onshore fields, through Russias Novorossiysk port.

Oil is delivered to the port via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline operated by SOCAR.

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

Today Azerbaijan is turning into a regional transit center both in logistics and information exchange, Azerbaijani Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade said.

Guluzade made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 23rd Azerbaijan International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition and Conference (Bakutel 2017) in Baku Dec. 5.

The minister said that today the work is underway to create a transit regional information highway in Azerbaijan.

"Negotiations and meetings held within the exhibition-conference will contribute to the further development of the ICT sector, the minister said. This event has been held for 23 years in a row. It is an important event that unites the people involved in the ICT sector."

Bakutel exhibition-conference is the venue where leading business leaders and specialists meet, he said. During this event, important decisions are made regarding the further development of the ICT sector.

Moreover, Bakutel is the place for the presentation of the latest modern ICT solutions, the minister said. New start-up projects will be demonstrated at the exhibition. The exhibition is also a good platform for exchange of experience."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Huseyn valiyev -Trend:

Iran is interested to cooperate with Azerbaijan in different spheres of economy, including information communication technologies (ICT) section, Mohammad Javad Azeri Jahromi, Iran's Minister for ICT, told journalists in Baku on the sidelines of the XXIII Azerbaijan International Exhibition and Conference "Telecommunications and Information Technologies" -- Bakutel 2017.

The minister said that there are several directions of cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan and interaction in transit of internet traffic from south of Iran to Azerbaijan onward in the northern direction -- to Russia -- represent one of them.

"In accordance with the memorandum, the two countries cooperate in the field of cyber security, as well as in postal service and e-government. The postal operators of the two countries inked relevant agreements and set up transit of postal deliveries. The ongoing construction of railway communication between the two countries will also give impetus to the development of ties. In general we are interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan in different fields," the minister said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Huseyn Valiyev  Trend:

The visitors of the 23rd Azerbaijan International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition and Conference (Bakutel 2017) will be able to receive e-signatures free of charge, the Information and Computing Center of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies told Trend.

The 23rd Azerbaijan International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition and Conference (Bakutel 2017) is being held at the Baku Expo Center Dec. 5-8.

The certificates for e-signatures are raffled off on a competitive basis in the "Electronic government" pavilion.

It is necessary to pass registration at the information booth and answer six questions about "e-government" and e-services to participate in the contest.

The visitors can receive a certificate for e-signature free of charge after answering the questions correctly.

E-signature simplifies the access of citizens to electronic services of state institutions that are available on the Electronic Government Portal. One can order the e-signature via www.e-imza.az website.

Currently, for Azerbaijani citizens the cost of e-signatures issued for three years is 18 manats. Moreover, individuals and legal entities engaged in entrepreneurial activities can get e-signatures for 36 manats and 72 manats, respectively, while employees of state institutions can get them for 58 manats.

(1.7001 AZN = $1 on Dec. 5)
Details added (first version posted on 16:17)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

The implementation of the Transnational Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM) project will improve Internet quality and ensure economic development not only in the countries participating in this project, but throughout Eurasia, Azerbaijani Transport, Communications and High Technologies Minister Ramin Guluzade said during the second high-level meeting on the TASIM project on Dec.5.

The minister said that in recent years a number of successful regional infrastructure projects have been carried out with participation of neighboring countries.

I would especially like to note the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway project, which is an important component of the East-West Corridor, Guluzade said. As a result of the projects implementation, the period for delivery of goods from China to Europe decreased by 2-3 times. In addition, a bridge over the Samur River is being built. The bridge is a part of the International North-South Transport Corridor. We believe that all these projects, as well as the TASIM project, along with their impact on trade, tourism and economic development, will help bring together different countries and achieve their sustainable growth.

The minister also talked about the work carried out for the last year regarding the TASIM project and forthcoming tasks.

Talking about the work done in 2017, it is worth noting meetings with the embassies of Russia, China, Turkey and Kazakhstan in April to accelerate the negotiations on the project, the minister noted. In September, a regular meeting of the working group was held in Almaty city. During the year, we held meetings in various formats, where the TASIM project was discussed, and I am glad that there are no serious disagreements regarding the project among the participating countries.

The TASIM construction project envisages the creation of a major transit link from Frankfurt to Hong Kong. Russia (Rostelecom), Kazakhstan (KazTransCom), Turkey (TurkTelecom) and China (China Telecom) are also involved in TASIM project. Azerbaijan is represented in the project by AzInTelecom LLC.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

Trend:

On December 5, 2017, Azerfon LLC (Nar) has announced the appointment of Dr. Gunnar Pahnke as a new CEO of the company.

Prior to his appointment as a Chief Executive at Azerfon, Mr. Pahnke worked as a Chief Strategy, Marketing & Customer Experience Officer (ad interim) at Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI). He has over 20 years of industry experience in fixed and mobile telecommunications, Internet and Media/TV. Mr. Pahnke gained his rich experience across diverse markets including Germany, France, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Middle East. He has a deep knowledge of development, implementation of strategy, and entrepreneurial ventures. Mr. Pahnke is an internationally respected analytics expert.

It is worthwhile to note that his predecessor Dr. Klaus Mueller left the company to pursue new career opportunities. Under his leadership, Azerfon grew in revenue terms, identified number of new ventures and saw significant improvements in organizational efficiency.

Azerfon is a team of talented professionals. I am proud of the team and the results we achieved during my tenure as CEO. I am confident that the company will reach new heights under Gunnar Pahnkes leadership, said Klaus Mueller with regard to the new appointment.

The newly appointed CEO, Mr. Pahnke stated: Firstly, Id like to express my gratitude to Dr. Mueller. Secondly, Id like to confirm that we will not deviate from our strategy of best prices, a leading user friendly service and a commitment to continuously improve the quality and sustainability of our offering to customers.

Azerfon commenced its operations on March 21, 2007, under the Nar Mobile brand name, and within a short period became one of the leading companies in the telecommunications sector of Azerbaijan. The Nar brand name was later selected as a symbol resembling the cohesion of the rich cultural and historical heritage of Azerbaijan with the modern life. Nar was the first company in the country to introduce 3G technology and has provided its customers with broad 4G network coverage. With more than 2 million customers and a network of more than 6,000 base stations, covering 93% of the countrys territory, Nar provides its customers with high quality services at the best price.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Parsian Hamrah Lotus Co., as a Full Mobile Virtual Network Operator(MVNO), intends to hold an intl tender to fulfill its telecommunication system requirements, including Mobile Core, Mobile B/OSS and Wifi Calling.

The company invites all internal and foreign companies active in this segment to submit the following items:

1- Full company name and details

2- List of competencies in above mentioned technologies and related proposal documentation

3- A resume copy of successful implementations

Please submit the abovementioned information no later than Dec. 15, 2017to the following postal address or email [email protected].

Address: Unit #8, 7th Floor, Ario Tower, Entrance A, North Falamak St., Eyvanak East, Shahrake Gharb, Tehran, Iran.

Postal Code: 1466693413
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Nigar Guliyeva  Trend:

A single 30-day tourist visa has been introduced in Uzbekistan, and its cost has been reduced by 30 percent, the State Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan said in a message on Dec.5.

Earlier the tourist visa was issued for seven or 15 days.

"Receiving a tourist visa for a short period, in case of delayed return flight from the country for any reason, foreign citizens faced the problem of extending the validity of visas," the ministry said.

These changes are stipulated by the relevant decree of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev adopted on Dec.4. In accordance with the document, the cost of visa was decreased from $60 to $40 for individual foreign tourists is reduced.

The resolution provides for a halving of the lower threshold (from ten to five people) for the registration of a group tourist visa.

"Until recently, the requirements for the presence of at least ten tourists for registration of a group tourist visa caused difficulties, since in most cases, groups are formed from close relatives or relatives, usually consisting of five people or more," the State Committee explained.

The president in early December 2016 signed a decree providing for the abolition of visas for tourists from 27 countries of the world who enter Uzbekistan for a period of not more than 30 days. However, a month later the head of state postponed the period for the abolition of visas to Jan.1, 2021.

The number of visas issued to foreign tourists to visit Uzbekistan in the first half of 2017 increased by 12 percent compared to the same period in 2016, to 51,179.

Currently, Uzbekistan is carrying out a large-scale campaign to attract foreign tourists. In October, Uzbekistan reduced the time for issuing visas for tourists from Turkey to three working days. Turkish citizens were allowed to get 30-day visas without presentation of tourist vouchers and invitations from Uzbek organizations.

Earlier, the same simplified procedure was introduced for citizens of Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, France, Switzerland and Japan. From January 1, 2018, Poland will be included in this list.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Nigar Guliyeva - Trend:

Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signed 20 documents and more than 40 export contracts following the talks between Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Afghan President Ashraf Gani on Dec.5, the Uzbek leader's press service reported. Ghani arrived in the country on Dec.4.

The two leaders firstly met in narrow format, and later were joined by the delegations. The sides mulled topical issues of cooperation between the two countries, and had an exchange of views on regional and international issues, in particular, combating terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking, and strengthening security in Central Asia.

After the talks, the presidents of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signed a Joint Statement.

The delegations of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan also signed 20 documents aimed at further strengthening cooperation in the political, trade-economic, investment, transport-communication, scientific, educational and other spheres.

The sides particularly signed documents on the establishment of a joint commission on security issues, provision of legal assistance in civil, family and criminal cases, the construction of the Surkhan-Puli Khumri transmission line, the Mazari-Sharif-Shibirgan-Maymana-Herat railway, the interaction in the field of cargo transportation and customs .

Furthermore, more than 40 export contracts were signed for a total amount of over $ 500 million within the framework of the visit.
Tehran, Iran, December 2

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Free economic zones in Iran have gradually changed in nature to grow into unfavorable hubs of imports with no real contribution to production and exports.

The problem is due mainly to obstacles that have grounded production in Iran, such as banking issues which hinder the transfer of money for exported goods or imported intermediary products, Sahand Rabiee, a factory owner told Trend December 2.

"Our machines are outdated. When we decide to renew them, there is the need for payment. We would have been able to import the latest technologies from leading countries, but banking transaction are restricted for Iran. So it becomes costly," Rabiee said.

The banking problems are a remnant of previous sanctions on Iran. The sanctions were removed in 2016 following the Iran nuclear deal, but major world banks are afraid of approaching Iran for fear of US punishment. Also, Irans connection to SWIFT remains problematic.

On December 1, Ali Akbar Karimi, deputy chairman of the Economic Commission of the Parliament, told the state TV that free zones in Iran are now rather a place to import foreign products rather than to make and export home-made products.

This is while, according to Karimi, the reason behind the creation of free zones was to encourage production by giving tax discounts and legal exemptions to production and exports.

The operation of free zones in the country is also problematic in terms of smuggled goods. Hossein Shahroudi, secretary of the Economic Commission, recently said free zones are responsible for the smuggling of worth $40 billion goods into Iran.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Irans agriculture ministry has banned sugar import till the end of the current fiscal year (March 2018) due to surplus supply.

Iranian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ali Akbar Mehrfard told reporters that Iran has imported high volume of sugar during the second half of the last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2017) as well as first six months of the current fiscal year.

Given the high amount of the stored strategic product as well as high sugar production in the country, it seems that Iran does not need to import sugar in the coming months.

However, he added that Iran may temporary lift ban by the end of current fiscal year, to meet the sugar demand for summer.

Iranians consume around 2.2 million tons of sugar per year, meanwhile the country's annual sugar production is around 1.5 million tons.

According to the Islamic Republics Customs Administration data, Iran has imported 708,000 tons of sugar, worth $356.4 million during the first seven months of current fiscal year (March 20-Oct. 22).

The imports indicate a rise by 73.46 percent in terms of volume and 32.52 percent in terms of value year-on-year.

Iranian government imposes ban on rice and sugar imports in various periods to support domestic producers.

In June 2016 the decision by Iranian government to ban importing sugar into the country led some chocolate manufacturers to halt production due to lack of the principal ingredients.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

A home-made missile-launching warship has joined Iranian armys naval fleet in the Caspian Sea Dec. 5.

The warship dubbed "Separ(shield), was launched in Irans northern port of Anzali, during a ceremony attended by the countrys defense minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatam, the state-run IRINN TV reported.

Separ is an Iranian-made Kaman/Sina class missile boat that is equipped with 4 C802 SSM anti-ship missiles, 1 Fajr-27 76 mm dual-purpose gun and one 40 mm anti-aircraft gun.

By launching Separ, the number of Irans compat vessels in Caspian sea increased to six.

Last week, Iranian Armys Navy Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said that adding Separ warship to flotilla of the Iranian Navy in the Caspian symbolizes authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran at sea.

In addition to Separ, a combat vessel overhauled by Iranian experts is scheduled to join the fleet as well.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Irans president Hassan Rouhani said that Muslims must choose moderation path and cooperate with each other.

The Iranian president made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the 31st International Islamic Unity Conference that started in Tehran Dec. 5 morning, the State-run IRINN TV reported.

He further said that if Iran did not interact with friend countries in the region, now Iraqs Mosul, and Syrias Aleppo and Bokmal cities would not be free.

Rouhani added that the region and the world owe those who fought terrorists in Syria and Iraq, as they fought for regional security and stability.

The Iranian president also said that terrorism is not a threat only to the region, but to the entire world, including the US and Europe.

He noted that the Muslims must continue attempts against terrorism until eradicating all its elements in the region.

Over 520 dignitaries, ministers, scholars, and university professors have attended at the 31st International Islamic Unity Conference.

The aim of the three-day summit is to lay the ground for unity and solidarity in the Islamic World in order to achieve proximity among their scientific and cultural viewpoints in terms of Islamic jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence, Islamic theology, and interpretation.

Another objective of the Conference is to examine the Muslims issues, provide appropriate solutions to them, and take a joint stance against them.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Azer Ahmadbayli  Trend:

While the US is contemplating how to stop the political expansion of Iran in the Middle East through new harsh measures, and Europe is waiting hesitantly for granting funds under the safeguard of Iranian Government, China demonstrates a clear example of the so-called soft power by investing billions in Iran's economy and opening new industrial enterprises there.

As Reuters reported on November 30 with reference to Iranian state news agency IRNA, the China Development Bank signed a memorandum of understanding for $15 billion with Iranian side.

The bank itself declined to comment, in line with many foreign investors and banks, including from China, who were reluctant to discuss their activities in Iran. The websites of banks and companies often carry little or no information on their Iran operations.

Isnt it the famous Deng Xiaopings principle, implemented in real life, who said in his time: Observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and never claim leadership.

Iran will never agree to provide state guarantees for foreign investments. On the contrary, Irans policy is to fasten as much of foreign business to itself as possible, so that if sanctions are imposed, it will be backed by an army of angry business companies putting pressure on their governments with demands not to join in on the sanctions.

Meanwhile, China has a unique approach to the whole situation.

During the period of international sanctions, when Iranian market stayed untapped particularly in terms of foreign investments, China has become the top trade partner of the Islamic Republic.

Its share of Iran's global trade expanded from 20 percent in 2010 to 31 percent in 2016, CRS INSIGHT notes.

Trade turnover between Iran and China made $30.4 billion in ten months of 2017, which rose by 22 percent compared to the same period of 2016, the latest data from the Chinese Customs Administration says.

China's exports to Iran in the mentioned period made $14.937 billion, 15 percent more year-on-year, while its imports from Iran amounted to $15.462 billion worth of goods, a 29 percent rise.

What is the reason behind Chinas strong presence in the Iranian market? How the large scaled cooperation between Iran and China would impact the Islamic Republic?

Iran is utterly interested in fueling its economy here and now, without any delay, whereas China has such an opportunity and is ready to make it happen. To some extent, Iran still remains an untapped market with a number of unoccupied niches, and China has every possible goods Iran could need - from solar panels to prayer rugs. Chinese technologies are not considered as good as the Western ones, but, once introduced, they will transform the ground for the development of Iranian economy in a Chinese manner. After ten years of the Chinese presence there will be almost no need in western technologies.

For China to have a close trade partner and hence a loyal political power in the very center of the Middle East  a region that has traditionally been under the US influence and protection - is a real prize.

Is China beware of possible sanctions? It seems that it doesnt. If new sanctions are imposed they are unlikely to be more powerful than the previous ones. China managed to trade with Iran at harder times and will do it again.

Iran, for its part, in addition to Chinas multibillion investments and technologies, keeps holding good political leverage in its confrontation with Washington, as China is a member of UN Security Council.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared an amnesty on the occasion of the birth anniversaries of Prophet Muhammad and the Shiite muslims sixth Imam, Imam Jafar Sadeq.

Khamenei agreed to pardon or reduce the sentences of 1,007 inmates convicted by various Iranian courts on Dec. 5, the leader's official website said.



The head of Iran's judiciary Sadiq Amoli Larijani appealed to the Supreme Leader with a letter in which he asked for pardon and reduced sentences of some convicts of military, civil and revolutionary courts.



The supreme leader signed the decree. Iran's Constitution grants him the right to pardon or reduce the sentences of convicts upon the recommendation of the judiciary chief.

Amnesties and reduced prison terms are granted mainly on occasions of religious and national festivals in Iran.
The US Supreme Court has ruled President Donald Trump's travel ban on six mainly Muslim countries can go into full effect, pending legal challenges, BBC reports.

The decision is a boost for Mr Trump's policy against travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

The ruling covers the third version of the directive that the president has issued since taking office.

Seven of the nine justices lifted injunctions on Monday imposed by lower courts against the policy.

Only liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor would have allowed the president's order to remain blocked.

What happens next?

Federal appeals courts in San Francisco, California, and Richmond, Virginia, will hear arguments this week on whether the latest iteration of the policy is lawful.

The Supreme Court noted it expects those courts to reach decisions "with appropriate dispatch".

The case will eventually end up back in the Supreme Court.

Monday's decision suggests America's top judicial body may ultimately rule in favour of the administration, say legal analysts.

David Levine, a University of California Hastings law school professor, told the Associated Press news agency: "It suggests that from their understanding, the government is more likely to prevail on the merits than we might have thought."

What's the reaction?

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said the White House was "not surprised" by the Supreme Court's decision.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the ruling "a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people".
Police conducted dawn raids across Germany on Tuesday as part of investigations into violent clashes between anti-capitalist protesters and officers in the port of Hamburg at the Group of 20 leaders summit in July.

Hamburg police said officers were searching properties of the anti-capitalist group known as the Black Bloc in several federal states, Reuters reports.

Scuffles between police and some anti-capitalist militants, in particular the Black Bloc, so named because its members wear black hoods and masks, marred the G20 summit, hosted by Chancellor Angela Merkel. Some militants hurled stones, bottles and fireworks.

Der Spiegel Online reported that the raids involved some 20 properties in seven states, including Hamburg, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wuerttemberg and that officers had seized data and communications equipment.

Further details on the raids will be given at a news conference on Tuesday morning. It was unclear if any arrests had been made.
Theresa May is under pressure to get an agreement from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on the status of the Irish border when the UK leaves the EU, BBC reports.

The prime minister pulled out of a deal with Brussels that would have kick-started trade talks after meeting fierce resistance from the DUP.

The party said it would not accept a deal which saw Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK.

Mrs May is due to update ministers at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.

Former Brexit minister David Jones described Monday as a "very difficult day" and said the prime minister now had "a lot of talking to do" with DUP leader Arlene Foster.

He believed the DUP had been spoken to beforehand about what was being proposed, but that the precise wording had not been explained and the Northern Ireland party "clearly thought twice".

Mr Jones, one of the Eurosceptic MPs on the Conservative benches, said he too was not happy with the key phrase the DUP objected to in the draft agreement, which apparently guaranteed "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The prime minister needs the support of the DUP, which is Northern Ireland's largest party and has 10 MPs at Westminster, because she does not have a majority to win votes in the House of Commons.

Former top Foreign Office official Lord Ricketts said the row was "damaging" for Mrs May, adding that it was "pretty extraordinary that this wasn't all stitched up with the DUP beforehand".

"We're used to prime ministers going to Brussels and having a row with the EU and coming back without an agreement, but to go to agree with the EU and then have a row on your own side is inconvenient," he said.
The Spanish supreme court has withdrawn a European arrest warrant for the ousted president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, CNN reports.

Puigdemont fled to Belgium after the failure of his attempt to secure independence for the autonomous Spanish region following a referendum on October 1.The referendum had been ruled illegal.

Judge Pablo Llarena also withdrew warrants for the arrest of four other Catalan politicians who fled Spain with Puigdemont: Antoni Comin, Lluis Puig, Meritxell Serret and Clara Ponsati.

On the face of it, the decision appears to allow Puigdemont to return to Spain without fear of arrest. Campaigning began Tuesday in Catalonia for fresh regional elections on December 21.

On Monday, a Belgian court said it would rule on December 14 whether to extradite Puigdemont whilst a court in Spain decided to keep the former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras and three other senior Catalan politicians in jail on charges of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds.
A 69-year-old Jacksonville man is facing a weapons charge after an investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies into a plan to carry out a mass shooting at an area Islamic center, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said Monday.

Bernandino Gawala Bolatete is charged with knowingly receiving and possessing a silencer not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, according the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Williams said detectives learned of the threat in late October and started to build a case against Bolatete.

A criminal complaint was filed Friday outlining the investigation into Bolatete. According to the complaint, an undercover detective with the Sheriffs Office was asked if he could help obtain a firearm silencer Nov. 27.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Some 19 tons of toys imported from China to Turkey were confiscated during a special operation conducted by Istanbul police, Turkish media reported on Dec.5.



During the tests in the laboratory, heavy metals were revealed in material of toys, while a number of toys were painted with paint designed for coloring leather products. Also, toys imported from China did not have quality certificates.



All imported toys revealed during the operation will be destroyed.



In 2015, about 10 tons of toys were imported from China to Turkey, the market value of which was estimated at 3 million liras. The toys were made from materials containing carcinogenic substances and heavy metals.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The sixth session of the Islamic Conference of the Health Ministers of the Member-States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on December 6-7, 2017, OIC told Trend.

"The plan for the development of the healthcare sector of the OIC member-states will be discussed and the issues related to vaccination against various diseases will be considered during the conference, the OIC said.

A healthcare exhibition will be held as part of the event.

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The Turkish Armed Forces rescued four Iranian border guards who were attacked by militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist organization on the Turkish-Iranian border in Turkeys Igdir province, the Turkish media reported Dec. 5.

Reportedly, the wounded Iranian border guards were taken to the hospital. One of them died in the clinic.

Other details of the incident have not been reported.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for more than 30 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey and Jordan will discuss bilateral relations during the visit of Jordans King Abdullah II to Ankara scheduled for Dec. 6, the Turkish media reported Dec. 5.

During the visit, Abdullah II will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discuss the development of military, economic and political relations between the two countries.

The sides also intend to discuss the issue concerning Palestine, the status of Jerusalem and aspects of the settlement of the Syrian crisis.

Turkey has been moving military equipment to its border with Syria since June 21. Military equipment is being deployed in Turkeys south-central Kilis province, which borders Syrian territories controlled by YPG and PYD groups.

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The Turkish Air Force attacked the positions of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorists in northern Iraq, the Turkish General Staff said in a message Dec. 5.

According to the message, air operations are held in Asos region in northern Iraq.

During the operations 36 PKK strongholds were destroyed.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for more than 30 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey can break off diplomatic relations with Israel in case the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Turkish media reported on Dec.5.



Erdogan noted that the United States should understand that Jerusalem is a red line for all Muslims.

Earlier, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the US intends to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

During the presidential campaign, Trump promised to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In January, it was reported that the sides started negotiations on this issue.



Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital after the end of the War of Independence in 1949. In 1967, after the Six Day War, it seized East Jerusalem and united it with the West, but the UN did not recognize this. Embassies of countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel are located mainly in Tel Aviv, Herzliya and Ramat Gan.

--

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
KYODO NEWS - Dec 5, 2017 - 12:07 | All

A nonpartisan group of lawmakers visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday, which has long been a source of friction between Japan and its neighboring countries that suffered from its wartime militarism.

Around 60 lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties included Masahisa Sato, a senior vice foreign minister, visited the shrine to the nation's war dead in Tokyo. The group visits Yasukuni on multiple occasions every year, including Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

"We paid a visit wishing nobody else would ever be enshrined here," said Hidehisa Otsuji, a former vice president of the House of Councillors who heads the group.

WWII war criminals are among those enshrined at Yasukuni. Visits by prime ministers and other high-ranking government officials draw fierce criticism from China, South Korea and other countries in Asia.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent ritual offerings, rather than visiting himself, on the war anniversary and during the shrine's spring and autumn festivals this year.

The group did not visit the shrine during the autumn festival in October as it overlapped with the campaign period for the general election. Instead, Otsuji, a veteran lawmaker of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, paid a visit alone.
Trace elements of lithium in drinking water can slow death rates from Alzheimer's disease, Brock University research has found.

Rates of diabetes and obesity, which are important risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, also decrease if there is a particular amount of lithium in the water, says the study, published recently in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Postdoctoral fellow Val Fajardo and Rebecca MacPherson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences, collected statistics on various lithium levels in drinking water in 234 counties across Texas.

Lithium is a water-soluble alkali metal found in igneous rocks and mineral springs. It is commonly used to treat bipolar and other mood disorders, but at much higher doses than what occurs naturally in drinking water.

The research team, which included Associate Professor of Health Sciences Paul LeBlanc, compared lithium levels naturally found in tap water with Alzheimer's disease mortality rates, along with the incidence of obesity and diabetes, in the Texas counties.

"We found counties that had above the median level of lithium in tap water (40 micrograms per litre) experienced less increases in Alzheimer's disease mortality over time, whereas counties below that median level had even higher increases in Alzheimer's deaths over time," says Fajardo.

The frequency of obesity and Type 2 diabetes also went down when the drinking water contained similar lithium levels, the researchers found.

Fajardo says he and his team focused on Texas because data on lithium levels were "freely available."

Previous studies have demonstrated lithium's ability to protect against Alzheimer's disease, obesity and diabetes.

"However, we are one of the first groups to show that lithium's potential protective effect against Alzheimer's disease, obesity and diabetes may translate to the population setting through very low levels of lithium in tap water," says Fajardo.

The Brock research comes on the heels of an August study from the University of Copenhagen linking high lithium levels in drinking water to decreases in dementia rates.

But Fajardo warns it's too early to start advising authorities to add lithium to drinking water.

"There's so much more research we have to do before policy-makers look at the evidence and say, OK, let's start supplementing tap water with lithium just like we do in some municipalities with fluoride to prevent tooth decay," he says.

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The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or graduate school search.

While a small college can offer more personalized attention, a large university has its advantages.

Universities with a large undergraduate enrollment typically offer a wider range of degree programs, more clubs and expansive alumni networks, to name just a few perks.

[See the 10 universities with the biggest endowments.]

Among the 1,275 ranked institutions that submitted these data to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average undergraduate enrollment for fall 2016 was 6,265. The average among the 10 schools with the highest undergrad enrollment was more than seven times higher: 44,748.

The 10 schools with the most undergraduate students are all National Universities -- institutions that offer a range of undergraduate majors plus master's and doctoral programs. Nine of these schools are public institutions, with the exception being Liberty University in Virginia. The majority of these schools enroll more than 40,000 undergraduates.

At the top of the list is the University of Central Florida with 55,776 students in fall 2016 -- which is nearly a 12 percent increase compared with the school's enrollment five years earlier.

[Explore the 10 top public National Universities.]

Texas A&M University--College Station and Liberty University, which has a large online undergraduate enrollment, followed in the second and third spots, respectively.

At the other end of the spectrum is Marlboro College, a private liberal arts school in Vermont, which enrolled the fewest undergraduates in fall 2016: 196 students.

Story continues

Below is a list of the 10 ranked National Universities with the highest undergraduate student enrollment in fall 2016. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.

Don't see your school on the list? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find enrollment data, complete rankings and much more. Sign up for the U.S. News Extra Help: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.

U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2017 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The enrollment data above are correct as of Dec. 5, 2017.

Farran Powell is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering paying for college and graduate school. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at fpowell@usnews.com.
A great option for buy-and-hold investors.

Utility stocks are some of the most stable investments around. For starters, energy is a necessity like food and water. Additionally, electric utilities don't really have much competition thanks to their geographic dominance and a highly regulated industry that prevents new entrants. Equally compelling is that the regular revenue stream from customers generates a regular income stream of dividends to shareholders. If you're looking for an investment to hold for decades, then utility stocks are a great option. Keep in mind some utilities are smaller and less reliable, with very modest dividends, and that the best investments in this sector have big scale as well as big yield. Here are seven utility stocks to consider.

Southern Co. (NYSE: SO)

Southern Co. is one of the largest utilities in the U.S., serving 19 states through various subsidiaries. While its oldest core holdings including Alabama Power and Georgia Power are electric utilities, the firm's Southern Company Gas operates a massive natural gas distribution business from Maryland to Florida and its Southern Telecom is a play on fiber optics in the Southeast. SO stock offers scale and stability, and is a consistent dividend payer that has mailed checks to shareholders since 1982. On top of that, Southern Co. has raised dividend payouts at least once each year since 2001 even as it has continued to expand aggressively into other businesses and geographies.

Dividend yield: 4.5 percent

Duke Energy (DUK)

Duke Energy is another massive utility serving the South, with operations across North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. After a 2012 merger with Progress Energy, the firm became the largest electric utility in the nation based on the number of customers. Duke raised its dividend in November, pushing the yield to 4 percent. The electric company has asked regulators in North Carolina to approve a rate increase on more than 1 million customers, in part because of increased costs associated with the cleanup of coal byproducts. Duke has to either find a better way to clean up its coal plants or invest heavily in cleaner power generation, but its size and scale make it a safe long-term income bet.

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Dividend yield: 4 percent

Exelon Corp. (EXC)

Exelon is another utility that, like Southern Co., has expanded significantly via acquisitions. It operates electric utilities in six markets through companies like Maryland's BGE and New Jersey's Atlantic City Electric and has a diverse portfolio of power generation facilities. Exelon stock has been pretty flat in the last few years as spending on acquisitions and new power plants has held back the bottom line. But that investment may ultimately be a great long-term catalyst for the company. And besides, it has paid dividends to shareholders consistently and will continue to do so at a decent yield going forward.

Dividend yield: 3.1 percent

Dominion Energy (D)

Dominion generates electricity mainly in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. It also distributes natural gas across a wide swath of the West from Utah to Wyoming after its recent acquisition of Questar Corp. last year. The impressive size of Dominion as a $50 billion utility, as well as its range across subsectors and geography, ensure stability. But one recent headline that should pique investor interest is a recent contract to provide renewable energy to a Facebook (FB) data center in Virginia. Sure, Facebook is getting a favorable rate structure here, but that kind of willingness to meet big corporations where they live is a strong sign that Dominion is not doing things the old way.

Dividend yield: 3.7 percent

American Electric Power (AEP)

American Electric Power has simply been on a tear in the last five years, with shares modestly outperforming the Standard & Poor's 500 index since November 2012 even as dividends have surged 31 percent during the same period. The result is a very nice 3.2 percent yield -- almost a full percentage point higher than 10-year U.S. Treasurys -- on top of tremendous share appreciation. AEP consistently reinvests its profit into long-term growth. On the horizon is a roughly $18.2 billion upgrade to distribution and transmission facilities to boost margins and efficiency by as much as 7 percent over the next three years. In an industry where growth isn't easy, AEP has shown it knows how to expand through moves like this.

Dividend yield: 3.2 percent

Consolidated Edison (ED)

ConEd, as it is known to the some 10 million customers it serves around New York City, is a textbook dividend investment. It yields more than 3 percent, paid distributions to shareholders for more than a century and increased dividends at least once annually for 43 consecutive years. What more do you need to know? Utility stocks in general are safe bets because of their virtual monopolies within certain geographies, but ConEd stands out because it is the major player for the all-important region around the Big Apple. Particularly with demographic trends showing a trend toward urban living versus rural population growth, this makes ED stock a rock-solid dividend play.

Dividend yield: 3.1 percent

NextEra Energy (NEE)

While NextEra Energy has the smallest yield of the group, it boasts the largest market capitalization of these seven utility stocks. Coming in at more than $73 billion in value, this company is among the 80 largest on the entire U.S. stock market and on par with Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) and Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST). The downside is NextEra serves much of Florida hit by hurricanes and had to spend an estimated $1.5 billion on repairs thanks to Harvey, and Irma will cost NextEra an estimated $1.3 billion. However, NEE stock is proposing $4 in surcharges per customer next year to offset the expenses, and if that holds true than the electric utility should bounce back nicely in the next 12 months.

Dividend yield: 2.5 percent

Jeff Reeves is currently executive editor of InvestorPlace.com. He is a stock analyst and financial commentator with almost two decades of newsroom and markets experience, contributing to The Wall Street Journal network, USA Today, CNBC, TheStreet.com, Fox Business Channel and US News. Follow him on Twitter @JeffReevesIP.
Historically, December is the best month for stocks as the S&P 500 has offered 1.54% on average with 50 years of positive returns since 1950, as per moneychimp.com. Every year, traditional investors pin their hopes on the Santa Clause rally. This time, the Christmas month is likely to be merrier for the market on strong hopes of tax reform and upbeat consumer sentiment.

However, there could be one glitch in the end-of-season rally, in the form of the third Fed rate hike. This may cause the market to stagnate. Though investors seem to have digested the move by now, a certain selloff is likely post hike.

Plus, renewed tensions with North Korea related to nuke war is another dampener. Given this, investors must be interested in finding out all possible ETFs to win over the unseen or cash in on some inevitable euphoria. For them, below we have highlighted a few ETFs.

SPDR S&P Bank ETF KBE

Hopes of deregulation in the upcoming Fed chairmanship of Powell and a likely rising rate environment amid monetary policy tightening, financial stocks and ETFs like KBE should perform well in December.

US Tax Reform TAXR

The month of November witnessed considerable progress on tax reform with movement from both Senate and House. While House Republicans approved the tax plan in a 227-205 vote, Senate leaders convinced likely opponents with a host of deals to resolve their concerns at the end of the month. The fund TAXR gained about 4.1% in the last one month (as of Nov 29, 2017) and is likely to score higher this month too as the U.S. Senate passed a tax bill in early December (read: ETF Stories of November: All About Retail, OPEC and Tax Cuts).

Amplify Online Retail ETF IBUY

We are in the midst of the holiday season. The holiday season make up about 20 to 40% of annual sales for many retailers. Already, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have seen a splurge in buying. Adobe predicts that this will be the first-ever holiday season to break $100 billion in online sales. This makes IBUY an intriguing pick.

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iShares PHLX Semiconductor ETF SOXX

By now, the monster rally of bitcoin is known to all. Lately, the cryptocurrency breached the $11,000 mark. Now, mining of cryptocurrencies needs the usage of semiconductors. A hardware known as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) has been designed exclusively for mining bitcoin. This where semiconductor ETFs like SOXX can gain traction (read: Here's Why Semiconductor ETFs Could Continue Their Rally).

iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF ITA

North Korea recently cautioned that a "reckless" combined military drill by the United States and South Korea may result in a nuclear war. This very comment kept the broader market at check at early December. However, this rhetoric could boost aerospace and defense ETFs like ITA. In addition, Trumps new defense strategy for Afghanistan, rise of cyber security threats as well as sporadic attacks on European nations continued to boost U.S. Defense stocks (read: Trump Policies and North Korea Aid Aerospace & Defense ETFs).

iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol Global ETF ACWV

Thanks to geopolitical tensions, investors should a keep a low volatile global ETF like ACWV in their portfolios for safety.

Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF IVOG

While large companies are normally known for stability and the smaller ones for growth, mid-caps offer the best of both the worlds, allowing growth and stability in portfolios simultaneously. These middle-of-road securities are arguably safer options and have the potential to move higher in turbulent times, especially if geopolitical issues crawl into the picture. Since the U.S. economy is on the right track but global economy may waver due to North Korea-related tensions, this mid-cap growth ETF should be a good pick.

iShares India 50 ETF INDY

The Indian economy is back on track as it has emerged from the short-term adverse impact of the goods and services tax and remaining after-effects of demonetization (effected a year ago). The economy grew 6.3% in the July-September period, in line with market estimates, but higher than the three-year low growth of 5.7% scored in the April-June quarter. Investors who want to dip their toes in this new-found optimism, may play this fund.

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Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, testifying in 2015. Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi / NLJ [/caption] If a baker's religious beliefs lead him to refuse to make a wedding cake for a gay couple, what about the florist who feels the same and refuses to create a wedding arrangement? Or the makeup artist? The jeweler? The invitation designer? Those hypotheticals flew across the bench as the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday grappled with how to enforce anti-discrimination laws while protecting First Amendment speech and religion rights.After arguments that lasted nearly 30 minutes past the usual hour, the justices appeared stymied over whether and how to draw a line that would protect those First Amendment rights without upending longtime court decisions holding that businesses that open their doors to the general public must not reject customers because of who they are."What is the line?" Justice Stephen Breyer asked Kristen Waggoner of Alliance Defending Freedom, counsel to Colorado baker Jack Phillips in the case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. "We want some kind of distinction that won't undermine every civil rights law including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, including everybody who has been discriminated against in very basic things of life, food, design of furniture, homes and buildings."Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, violated Colorado's public accommodations law when he refused, for religious reasons, to make a custom wedding cake for Charlie Craig and David Mullins.Supported by the Trump administration's Justice Department as a friend-of-the-court, Phillips claimed the Colorado law compels him to speak in violation of his speech rights and to "participate" in a ceremony that violates his free exercise of religion right. The state law, similar to laws in 22 states, says businesses cannot discriminate on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or ancestry.By the end of the arguments, the justices seemed closely divided, with those on the left deeply skeptical of the Phillips's speech claim, and those on the right more sympathetic to his religion claim.Here are a few highlights from what may become the term's biggest decision.Noel Francisco makes his SG debut. Solicitor General Noel Francisco, supporting the baker's compelled speech claim, argued that the case raised "an important issue for a small group of people" and could be decided narrowly. But Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg pushed back, asking, "How narrow is it?" She reminded him of the hypotheticals involving florists, makeup artists, invitation designers and others, and she added, "I don't see a line that can be drawn here." Francisco compared his opponents' arguments to requiring an African-American sculptor to create a cross to be used in a Ku Klux Klan service.Sotomayor asks: First Amendment protection for food? If any justice made clear her thinking about the baker's arguments, it was Justice Sonia Sotomayor. "When have we ever given [First Amendment] protection to food?" Sotomayor asked Kristen Waggoner. "The primary purpose of a food of any kind is to be eaten. How is this your client's expression?" she asked. Not all cakes would be "speech," replied Waggoner, but in the context of a custom-designed wedding cake, it is. A pre-made cake, she added, is already in the stream of commerce and Phillips will sell it to anyone.Can a line be drawn, and if so, how? In drawing a line as to what expression is protected, Waggoner suggested the court ask: Is there speech, is something being communicated, or is the individual objecting to the message or the person? Francisco said the court should ask: Is it predominantly art or predominantly utilitarian? David Cole, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties and counsel to the gay couple, said the court should do what it always does when expressive conduct is at issue: ask what is the state's interest in regulating the conduct? Drawing a line, as Francisco does, between race and sexual orientation, Cole argued, confines gays and lesbians to second-class citizenship.Kennedy's in the middle. All eyes were on Justice Anthony Kennedy, a strong First Amendment speech advocate and defender of the dignity and liberty of LGBT individuals. Not surprisingly, he gave both sides hope and anxiety. On the speech claim, Kennedy told Francisco that all of the hypotheticals showing how far-reaching a decision for the baker could be was "a problem for you" and could result in boycotts. He chided Francisco for saying that a baker could put a sign in his window saying no custom wedding cakes for gay weddings and called that an affront to their dignity. And on the religion claim, Kennedy told Colorado Solicitor General Frederick Yarger: "It seems the state has been neither tolerant nor respectful of the baker's religious beliefs."Alito notes the "very odd" timing of the dispute2012. Justice Samuel Alito Jr. told Yarger during one exchange: "This is very odd. This took place in 2012" when same-sex marriage was not legal in Colorado. "So if Craig and Mullins had gone to a state office and said we want a marriage license, they would not have been accommodated. If they said: Well, we want you to recognize our Massachusetts marriage, the state would say: 'No, we won't accommodate that.' Well, we want a civil union. 'Well, we won't accommodate that either.' And yet when he goes to this bake shop and he says 'I want a wedding cake,' and the baker says, no, I won't do it, in part because same-sex marriage was not allowed in Colorado at the time, he's created a grave wrong." Pull up a chair. Outside. If there were any question about which case this term has the highest profile, the public audience line that began forming for these arguments on Saturday answered it. Public seats and bar member seats were filled as were more than 100 reserved seats for journalists. A respectable demonstration between supporters and opponents of the baker took place in front of the court building. All of this contributed to heightened anticipation inside before the arguments began.The argument transcript in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission is posted below: [falcon-embed src="embed_1"] Read more:U.S. Justice Department, Divided Internally, Backed Colorado Baker Over Gay CoupleJustices Hear Competing Voices in Wedding Cake Discrimination CaseThis SCOTUS Brief Is Good Enough to Eat. But Will Justices Bite?In Wedding Cake Case, ABA Says DOJ's Stance Undermines Anti-Discrimination LawsTrump's DOJ Backs Colorado Baker Who Refused Service to Gay Couple
Kevin O'Leary and Mark Cuban are both known for their outspoken personalities , and they don't always see eye-to-eye as investors on ABC's " Shark Tank ." Even on Sunday night's holiday cheer-themed episode, the two found something to clash over: a product called the Christmas Tree Hugger . The product, which wraps around the bottom of fake Christmas trees to make the plastic base look like a real tree trunk, was created by Ryan Kenny. He came on "Shark Tank" seeking $100,000 in exchange for 20 percent equity in his company.After seeing Kenny's product, O'Leary had some tough advice to give."I don't want to offer you any encouragement," O'Leary says. "I want to tell you to take this behind the barn and shoot it, so that it leaves time for you to do something else. This product is a dog."O'Leary TweetBut Cuban sharply disagreed. "Ignore him," Cuban tells Kenny, even calling O'Leary an idiot. His rationale? If Kenny is making money on the product, why quit?According to Kenny, "We've been doing this for a year and a half, and so far, our sales are $50,000."Cuban was also impressed with the entrepreneur's initiative  some of those sales were due to him cold-calling major retailers, Kenny explains on the show. "I took the approach of cold calls, because if you go through their online applications and things like that, I feel like a lot of that stuff just gets glazed over," Kenny tells CNBC Make It. "I basically just resorted to finding contacts on LinkedIn and cross-checking it with companies' corporate address locations, and going through reception until I could get a voice on the other line." Then he'd give the retail buyers his elevator pitch and hope they liked it. A call to QVC landed his product on the air , says Kenny. "At 1:00 a.m., [I] managed to sell 1,000 of them in five minutes," Kenny says on "Shark Tank." The product is listed on QVC for $20.50.The strategy also landed him on shelves at supermarket chain Kroger."I made a cold call right away to Kroger," Kenny says. "That order was for 130 stores, and they ordered over 1,500 units.""What a great example to set, that is awesome man," Cuban tells Kenny. But only 40 percent of the units sold at Kroger, and Kenny admits the chain isn't planning to re-order the product. That was enough evidence for O'Leary to be out . "The market has spoken, it doesn't care about this product," O'Leary says, advising Kenny to drop the business. While Cuban couldn't see potential for scaling the company and declined to invest, he disagreed with O'Leary, and supported Kenny's hustle."Here's the reality. You picked up the phone, you called QVC, you sold $20,000 worth," Cuban says. "You picked up the phone, you walked into Kroger, and you sold your product. That's why you're in the right spot, and he's an idiot," says Cuban, pointing at O'Leary.O'Leary  irritated at Cuban's encouragement  interrupted by saying, "he made hundreds of dollars!" as a critique of the tight margins on making and selling Christmas Tree Hugger.Then, it only got more heated."Kevin. Somebody spends some time, develops a product, takes the initiative, sells them, in this case $20,000 worth!" Cuban rebutts.O'Leary wasn't moved. "Mark. Why can't you say just once, this is a dog!" O'Leary says.Turning to Kenny, Cuban says, "You're making good money! He's an idiot."To mark his own point, O'Leary demonstrated a dog howl. "My Christmas gift to you is the truth," O'Leary says.Despite the two sharks' squabbling, Kenny left without a deal. But that isn't necessarily all bad news.Kenny, who still has his day job as an art director in advertising, says his phone has been buzzing with sales. He tells CNBC Make It that his side hustle has seen a boost, and he didn't have to give away any equity: "It is kind of nice to see such a big increase in sales already and not have to worry about splitting the pie." Don't miss: This $1 billion company was once rejected on 'Shark Tank'here's how the founder proved everyone wrong Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on FacebookDisclaimer: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank." Kevin O'Leary and Mark Cuban are both known for their outspoken personalities , and they don't always see eye-to-eye as investors on ABC's " Shark Tank ." Even on Sunday night's holiday cheer-themed episode, the two found something to clash over: a product called the Christmas Tree Hugger . The product, which wraps around the bottom of fake Christmas trees to make the plastic base look like a real tree trunk, was created by Ryan Kenny. He came on "Shark Tank" seeking $100,000 in exchange for 20 percent equity in his company. After seeing Kenny's product, O'Leary had some tough advice to give. "I don't want to offer you any encouragement," O'Leary says. "I want to tell you to take this behind the barn and shoot it, so that it leaves time for you to do something else. This product is a dog." O'Leary Tweet But Cuban sharply disagreed. "Ignore him," Cuban tells Kenny, even calling O'Leary an idiot. His rationale? If Kenny is making money on the product, why quit? According to Kenny, "We've been doing this for a year and a half, and so far, our sales are $50,000." Cuban was also impressed with the entrepreneur's initiative  some of those sales were due to him cold-calling major retailers, Kenny explains on the show. "I took the approach of cold calls, because if you go through their online applications and things like that, I feel like a lot of that stuff just gets glazed over," Kenny tells CNBC Make It. "I basically just resorted to finding contacts on LinkedIn and cross-checking it with companies' corporate address locations, and going through reception until I could get a voice on the other line." Then he'd give the retail buyers his elevator pitch and hope they liked it. A call to QVC landed his product on the air , says Kenny. "At 1:00 a.m., [I] managed to sell 1,000 of them in five minutes," Kenny says on "Shark Tank." The product is listed on QVC for $20.50. The strategy also landed him on shelves at supermarket chain Kroger. "I made a cold call right away to Kroger," Kenny says. "That order was for 130 stores, and they ordered over 1,500 units." "What a great example to set, that is awesome man," Cuban tells Kenny. But only 40 percent of the units sold at Kroger, and Kenny admits the chain isn't planning to re-order the product. That was enough evidence for O'Leary to be out . "The market has spoken, it doesn't care about this product," O'Leary says, advising Kenny to drop the business. While Cuban couldn't see potential for scaling the company and declined to invest, he disagreed with O'Leary, and supported Kenny's hustle. "Here's the reality. You picked up the phone, you called QVC, you sold $20,000 worth," Cuban says. "You picked up the phone, you walked into Kroger, and you sold your product. That's why you're in the right spot, and he's an idiot," says Cuban, pointing at O'Leary. O'Leary  irritated at Cuban's encouragement  interrupted by saying, "he made hundreds of dollars!" as a critique of the tight margins on making and selling Christmas Tree Hugger. Then, it only got more heated. "Kevin. Somebody spends some time, develops a product, takes the initiative, sells them, in this case $20,000 worth!" Cuban rebutts. O'Leary wasn't moved. "Mark. Why can't you say just once, this is a dog!" O'Leary says. Turning to Kenny, Cuban says, "You're making good money! He's an idiot." To mark his own point, O'Leary demonstrated a dog howl. "My Christmas gift to you is the truth," O'Leary says. Despite the two sharks' squabbling, Kenny left without a deal. But that isn't necessarily all bad news. Kenny, who still has his day job as an art director in advertising, says his phone has been buzzing with sales. He tells CNBC Make It that his side hustle has seen a boost, and he didn't have to give away any equity: "It is kind of nice to see such a big increase in sales already and not have to worry about splitting the pie." Don't miss: This $1 billion company was once rejected on 'Shark Tank'here's how the founder proved everyone wrong Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook Disclaimer: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank."



More From CNBC


President Donald Trump said Monday that he sympathizes with Michael Flynn, his former National Security Adviser who on Friday pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI regarding an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

I feel badly for Gen. Flynn. I feel very badly, Trump said Monday. Hes led a very strong life, and I feel very badly about it. I will say this. Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI and nothing happened to her. Flynn lied, and it destroyed his life, and I think its a shame.

White House Special Counsel Robert Muellers office announced Friday that Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his Dec. 2016 conversation with Russias then-ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. Flynn has since agreed to cooperate with the Special Counsels ongoing investigation into Russias election meddling. (Prosecutors also said Flynn was guilty of making false statements when he filed documents pertaining to the Foreign Agent Registration Act, though he does not face charges over that matter.)

Trump responded to Flynns guilty plea Saturday, tweeting that he had fired Flynn because Flynn had lied to both Vice President Mike Pence and the FBI regarding his contact with Kislyak. The tweet made headlines, as the White House previously said Flynn had been fired solely because he lied to Pence, not because he lied to the FBI.

Some legal experts argue that Trump openly acknowledging that he was aware Flynn lied to the FBI when he fired Flynn could constitute obstruction of justice, as Comey previously said Trump asked him to halt investigations into Flynn.

I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017

Trump on Sunday denied that he had ever asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn, calling the allegation just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!

I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017

Former FBI Director James Comey told Congress last year that Clinton did not lie to the FBI regarding her private email server and the use of classified information. We have no basis to conclude she lied to the FBI, Comey told then-Congressman Jason Chaffetz in July 2016, according to video from the hearing.
By Maytaal Angel and Massimiliano Di Giorgio

LONDON (Reuters) - ArcelorMittal's bid to buy Italian steel major Ilva may have hit serious snags, but the European Union's steel sector is set to benefit in the short term whether or not there is a deal.

Italy's Puglia and Taranto regions last week lodged a court appeal against ArcelorMittal's takeover of Ilva which, if successful, could scupper the deal and lead to the temporary shutdown of Europe's largest steel plant.

Meanwhile, EU antitrust authorities have opened a full inquiry which is likely to see ArcelorMittal's junior bid partner, Italian steel processor Marcegaglia, exit the deal to buy Ilva.

But a rally in European steel prices, which have soared by some 75 percent since the start of last year, is unlikely to be derailed by either outcome, steel industry participants told Reuters following the recent developments.

"It doesn't change anything to have Marcegaglia out of the consortium," Tomasso Sandrini, chief executive of steel service centre S.Polo Lamiere, told Reuters.

With Marcegaglia holding just a 6 percent share in the partnership, it would have had a negligible influence on EU steel prices as it would in any case have been unable to co-ordinate its sales strategy with ArcelorMittal-Ilva, he said.

EU antitrust authorities in November upgraded their investigation into whether the proposed purchase of Ilva by the consortium led by ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steelmaker, will lead to steel price hikes.

A few weeks later, the Puglia and Taranto regions filed an appeal against the takeover that counter-intuitively put the EU steel sector in a win-win situation in the short term, investment bank Jefferies says.

"If the appeal is successful, Ilva may be at least temporarily shut down, removing 6 percent of Euro flat steel production and likely driving spot prices higher," it said.

On the other hand, a successful takeover of Ilva would improve the pricing power of EU steelmakers in the longer term by reducing the number of sellers in the market.

Story continues

ArcelorMittal's proposed takeover of Ilva comes as steel majors Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp look to combine their European assets, meaning anti-trust authorities have to proceed with particular caution as regards the deals.

Already, ArcelorMittal has approached Italian steelmaker Arvedi, among others, about buying its mills in Piombino, Italy, an Arvedi spokesman told Reuters.

The Piombino mills make 800,000 tonnes per year of galvanised steel, used in the autos, white goods and construction sectors

Market concentration in the EU galvanised steel is of particular concern to authorities investigating the Ilva deal, sources say, with Marcegaglia a big player alongside ArcelorMittal and Ilva.

Berenberg said earlier this year that Ilvas privatisation alone will see EU steel prices rise by 10-20 euro per tonne, while that of Tata-Thyssenkrupp will boost prices further still.

ArcelorMittal reached a 1.8-billion-euro (1.5 billion) deal to buy Ilva in June, and plans to invest another 2.4 billion euros cleaning up and modernising a plant which has been dogged by charges of corruption and environmental crime for years.

In 2012, Italian authorities ruled emissions of dust and cancer-causing chemicals from the plant had caused deaths, tumours and respiratory disease. About half the plant's annual 11 million tonne capacity was eventually mothballed.

(Additional reporting Foo Yun Chee and Francesco Guarascio; editing by Alexander Smith)
By Jonathan Barrett and Tom Westbrook

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator said on Monday it would investigate whether U.S. online giants Facebook and Alphabet Inc's Google have disrupted the news media market to the detriment of publishers and consumers.

Like their rivals globally, Australia's traditional media companies have been squeezed by online rivals, as advertising dollars have followed eyeballs to digital distributors such as Google, Facebook and Netflix Inc.

The government ordered the probe as part of wider media reforms, amid growing concern for the future of journalism and the quality of news following years of declining profits and newsroom job cuts and the rise of fake news.

"We will examine whether platforms are exercising market power in commercial dealings to the detriment of consumers, media content creators and advertisers," Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement.

The inquiry also would study how Facebook and Google operated to "fully understand their influence in Australia", he added.

A Google spokesman said, "We look forward to engaging with this process as relevant."

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The idea for an ACCC investigation was hatched during media reform negotiations in parliament earlier this year, which resulted in a relaxation of ownership laws to allow the country's big players to boost their market share to better compete against online disruptors.

Independent media analyst Peter Cox told Reuters it was unclear what measures the competition regulator could recommend to the government even if it found the country's media sector was increasingly anti-competitive.

"You could see this as a stepping stone towards another type of reform, such as tax," said Cox.

Jurisdictions around the world, including the European Union, are grappling with how to tax technology giants with global operations.

Currently corporate taxes are paid where firms have a physical presence, which allows digital multinationals to book most of their profits where they have set up headquarters as opposed to where they make their money.

The Australian probe will have power to demand information from businesses and hold hearings. It is due to make its final report in 18 months.

(Reporting by Jonathan Barrett and Tom Westbrook; Editing by Stephen Coates and Christopher Cushing)
Barack Obama is here for women, plain and simple.

Over the weekend in Paris, the former president spoke to a group of leaders in media, finance, and academics known as Les Napoleons, and it was there that he said its time more women step into positions of power. According to the Huffington Post, he said doing so is important because men seem to be having some problems these days.

While Obama reportedly didnt specifically call out any men, the Huffington Post suggests his comments were in response to the men across various fields who have recently been accused of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace.

Not to generalize, but women seem to have a better capacity than men do, partly because of their socialization, he said.

In addition, Obama commented on President Donald Trumps administration and his views on climate change, calling it a temporary absence of American leadership in reference to the United Statess removal from the Paris climate accord.

Last week, Obama paid a visit to the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India, where they also discussed Trumps politics.
FILE PHOTO: A copy of bitcoin standing on PC motherboard is seen in this illustration picture, October 26, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

By Jemima Kelly

LONDON (Reuters) - Bitcoin dipped back under $11,000 on Monday, coming off a record high just shy of $11,800 it hit on Sunday after a surge from less than $1,000 at the start of the year.

The cryptocurrency, which trades 24 hours a day and seven days a week, climbed as high as $11,799.99 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange at around 2100 GMT on Sunday.

It was not clear what caused the move higher over the weekend other than new investors joining the upstart market, with so-called wallet-providers reporting record numbers of sign-ups over the past week.

Analysts said Friday's announcement by the main U.S. derivatives regulator that it would allow CME Group Inc and CBOE Global Markets to list bitcoin futures contracts had turned sentiment positive after a choppy week.

"The price rises are triggered by continued media interest driven by the expectation of futures trading on CME," Charles Hayter, founder of data analysis website Cryptocompare, said.

By 1310 GMT on Monday, bitcoin had slipped back to around $10,919, down 2 percent on the day but still up more than 100 percent over the past three weeks. Sunday's high marked a 1,121 percent increase since the start of the year.

Think Markets analyst Naeem Aslam said reports Britain wants to increase regulation of bitcoin and other digital currencies by expanding the reach of European Union anti-money-laundering rules that force traders to disclose their identities and report suspicious activity, had knocked bitcoin off its highs.

But others said greater regulatory scrutiny would help.

"If anything, regulation will only increase bitcoin's rate of growth as regulation lends credibility and engenders trust," Nicholas Gregory, CEO of London-based cryptocurrency firm CommerceBlock, said.

Sunday's record high for bitcoin came as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the launch of the "petro", which he said would be a cryptocurrency backed by oil reserves, to shore up a collapsed economy.

Opposition leaders said the digital currency would need congressional approval and some cast doubt on whether it would ever see the light of day in the midst of turmoil.

(Reporting by Jemima Kelly; editing by Alexander Smith)
It was roughly 30 F outside in Durham, North Carolina, on a recent day in late November, but Rahdi Fakhourys 1650-square-foot house was so warm he left a window open a bit. The heater he was using? Two bitcoin mining machines and two Ethereum mining machines.

Fakhoury, 38, is part of a contingent of people who say mining bitcoins at home can be profitable and provide them free heat. As the bitcoin price skyrocketed and hit $11,000 last Wednesday, he woke up in a heated room and found his machines made $60, or 0.0026 bitcoin, while costing just $6 in electricity in a day, according to calculations on whattomine.com.

Like gold, the quantity of bitcoins is finite. Out of a planned supply cap of 21 million bitcoins, 16.7 million have been mined as of November 2017.

Profits and heat from home mining

In this digital gold rush, miners no longer need to travel to California or use shovels to dig into the ground. People like Fakhoury can just put printer-shaped ASIC mining machines in their garages or basements and plug them in; codes running on the machines create new bitcoins by solving complex mathematical computations, which also generates a great deal of heat. (Its like how your laptop sometimes overheats, but much more so.)

The worlds largest manufacturer of bitcoin mining equipment is Bitmain, based in China. Fakhoury now runs two Bitmain S9 bitcoin mining machines in a five-foot-tall box in his basement, and he plans to add one more when it gets colder. Each machine consumes about 1400 Watts per hour, similar to an average space heater. The average electricity cost in his town is 0.06 per kWh, and last month his electric bill was about $450. Its $250 more than when he used a heater, but he says the expense has been offset by the proceeds from his mining. (Bitcoin miners are rewarded with a small amount of bitcoin every time they mine a block of transactions.)

I havent paid for heat for three years, Fakhoury says. I would suggest people put half of their bitcoin investment into mining and half into purchasing the coins. That way you hedge yourself in both directions.

Story continues

In 2015, when he first started mining, he initially spent $1,200 on machines. He says it wasnt profitable yet for him since the price of bitcoin was only around $300. As the price has risen, so have his proceeds. Besides bitcoins, he now also runs graphics cards to mine ether, the token of the Ethereum network, which runs on its own blockchain. Ether is another red-hot cryptocurrency  its value is up more than 5,000% this year.

Home mining is not for everyone

Rahdi Fakhoury runs bitcoin mining machines in the basement to heat his house in North Carolina. (Rahdi Fakhoury)

Despite free heat and potential profit, mining bitcoins at home is not for everyone.

For one thing, its a difficult process to set up. Noise is also a big issue  the whirring machines bother Fakhourys wife, even though the former building worker has added a filter to the box that holds the machines. (Just watch the above video; theyre extremely loud.) In summer days, it could cost too much to cool them down, so he stops running them when its hotter than 90 F.

And buying the machines, which cost more than $1,000, can be tricky. Bitmain, the leading seller, only accepts bitcoin cash (BCH), a derivative of bitcoin. It takes months to receive your machine, due to recent high demand. If you want it sooner, the equipment is also available on eBay, where its marked up by thousands of dollars.

Those who dont want to mine at home may opt for remote mining, which means they pay a fee for a hosting company to cover maintenance and electricity costs. They can also choose cloud mining by purchasing their own fraction of the mining power of hardware that is owned by a cloud mining services provider. Genesis Mining, for example, runs large-scale mining farms in Iceland and sells mining power through contracts.

Aaron Duell, an IT worker from Allegany, New York, says he did the math and believes mining at home brings him more profit and control than the other options. He just spent $1,700 on his second bitcoin mining machine, which he expects to receive from China in late January. Along with his current machine, which makes about $800 a month in a good month, he plans to use both to heat his garage this winter.

As an investor in the stock market, Duell found the idea of mining fascinating. You cant just create your [stock] shares, he says, whereas mining, you buy the machine and the machine can create more bitcoins for you.

For these home miners, its not just the houses that have been heated up, but also their confidence in the future of the cryptocurrency  despite assertions from some big-name doubters that bitcoin is a bubble set to burst.

Were actually in very early days of bitcoins, Fakhoury says. I have faith in its long-term value.



Krystal Hu is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Share your story about bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies to krystalhu@oath.com

Read more on bitcoin:

Mark Cuban: Bitcoin is more of a collectible than a currency

Meet some people getting rich from bitcoin

The 11 biggest names in cryptocurrency right now

Bitcoin is becoming the new gold
Hello, readers! This is Sy.

On Sunday, CVS and Aetna announced what would be one of the largest health care deals of all time. The retail pharmacy giant agreed to buy the health insurerone of the biggest in America with more than $63 billion in 2016 revenuesin a deal valued at $69 billion. And, if approved by the companies boards and federal regulators, the corporate marriage has the potential transform the way the health industry does business and how millions of Americans receive their medical care.

Consolidation is certainly nothing new in the U.S. health care sector. Traditional pharmaceutical giants regularly scoop up leaner, meaner biotechs to insource drug innovation; hospital chains join forces to grapple with shifting reimbursement models. But, within the insurance industry, recent attempts to integrate horizontallysuch as Anthems bid for fellow insurer Cigna and Aetnas proposed deal for rival Humanahave faced roadblocks over antitrust concerns. Both those proposed M&As died following regulatory pushback.

Those failures may be, in part, what helped prompt a different kind of consolidation strategy for CVS and Aetna. Unlike going horizontal within their own industries, a deal with each other would present a more diversified consolidated company that moves vertically through the health care supply chain and could provide consumers with a new kind of health care experience, the firms top executives argue. CVS pharmacies and in-store MinuteClinics would gain access to Aetnas millions of plan holders, including its giant footprint in the employer health coverage market; Aetna customers would be able to walk into a local CVS pharmacy to discuss primary care treatment options and get their prescription drugs without having to trudge through the various middlemen that pepper Americas fragmented medical system. Consider: CVS is also one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in the country through its Caremark arm, so insurance coverage, filling prescriptions, and treating chronic health conditions like diabetes could all be housed under one company.

Story continues

[I]ts really the perfect time to bring these two companies together, to create a new health care platform that can be easier to use and less expensive for consumers, and really create a new front door to health care in our country, CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo told CNBC on Monday. Aetna chief Mark Bertolini added that there would be about 10,000 of these new front doors created by the merger thanks to CVS ubiquitous pharmacies and clinics. (My Fortune colleague Phil Wahba has a great piece on what CVS stores could look like if the Aetna deal goes through.)

One broader result of the deal may be an even larger push for cross-sector mergersespecially with the specter of Amazon reportedly vying for a foothold in the pharmacy business. Leerink Partners analyst Dr. Ana Gupte has argued that a successful CVS-Aetna M&A could spur Wal-Mart to pursue a deal with insurer Humana, with which the retail titan has a long-standing relationship.

But the critical question will be whether such deals will ultimately prove fruitful for patients. Merlo and Bertolini say the cost-savings and efficiencies will clearly cut costs for consumers. Critics, though, point out that driving customers to fewer and fewer options across the gamut of health services could prove risky for them in the long run.

Read on for the days other news.

DIGITAL HEALTH

A prescription video game for treating ADHD. A clinical trial of children with ADHD suggests that prescribing them with special, tailor-made video games could help control the behavioral condition. In fact, the company, Akili, is planning to file its digital treatment for Food and Drug Administration approval in what would be a first-of-its-kind clearance. (Reuters)

INDICATIONS

Sanofis dengue vaccine is in the hot seat. Sanofis landmark dengue vaccine is under fire following reports from the company that the product could actually worsen the condition in people who have never had it in the first place (although effective in in preventing those who have already been infected from contracting another strain later on). The Phillipines has suspended a mass immunization campaign of Dengvaxia and launched an investigation into it, while Sanofi has said it will cooperate with probes into the vaccine. (Wall Street Journal)

THE BIG PICTURE

States and families are getting anxious about the Childrens Health Insurance Program. The Senate passed a sweeping tax reform billwith many implications for U.S. health care, since it would gut Obamacares insurance mandatelast week. But Congress appears no closer to reauthorizing the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which covers the medical needs of nine million children in low- to middle-income families, prompting rebukes from state health officials and families covered by the program as funding threatens to dry out in many regions by years end.

REQUIRED READING

Bitcoin Futures Could Trigger a Lehman-Style Collapse, Billionaire Warns, by Jeff John Roberts

Chinas Trade-First Policy, by Adam Lashinsky

Uber Is Joining a Global Public Transport Association, by Reuters

Sheryl Sandberg: Todays Sexual Harassment Moment Is Not Enough, by Natasha Bach

Produced by Sy Mukherjee @the_sy_guy sayak.mukherjee@fortune.com

Find past coverage. Sign up for other Fortune newsletters.
What is Bitcoin?

How to Buy Bitcoin in U.S?

Bitcoin Trading

Where can I Use Bitcoin in U.S?

Bitcoin ATMs in the U.S.

Conclusion

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the first decentralized digital currency created by Satoshi Nakamoto in a bid to remove the centralized issues that face fiat money.

Digital currencies such as Bitcoin exist in the virtual world of the web and not in physical form and sit away from the control of governments and central banks.

Bitcoins software was released in 2009 following the global financial crisis and is considered revolutionary. Its blockchain technology taking the tech world by storm.

Bitcoins are created through a process called mining. Bitcoins decentralized public distributed ledger (the blockchain) records each and every transaction. Miners verify these transactions on the blockchain and are then rewarded with Bitcoins. The verification is required because the ledger is not located in one centralized location but on each and every computer within the Bitcoin network.

In the interest of shifting away from an ownership structure, the verification process is an independent one. Each verification leads to the inclusion of accepted transactions that are entered into a block that links to the blockchain. The block holds all of the information on transactions for that particular period of time.

While miners look to earn Bitcoin from mining, the Bitcoin world has evolved into a major investment asset class, with Bitcoin exchanges, ATMs, and even face-to-face transactions now the norm in the Bitcoin world.

With the liquid Bitcoin exchanges in place, Bitcoin holders are able to buy and sell Bitcoin in exchange for other currencies, including fiat money, or exchange Bitcoin for products and services.

How to Buy Bitcoin in U.S?

There are a number of ways to buy Bitcoin in the U.S, the most common method being via a Bitcoin exchange while the other main method being via cryptocurrencies brokers. Most exchanges have developed mobile phone apps to make it easier for those looking to buy and sell Bitcoin. There are many exchanges and it could be difficult to differentiate the exchanges in terms of reliability, fees execution, etc.

Story continues

One of the top leading and reliable Bitcoin exchanges is CEX.IO, the exchange has a low trading fee of just 0.2% and allows customers to buy Bitcoins with credit cards, bank transfers, SEPA transfers, cash or AstroPay. Credit card purchases are immediate. Below is a complete guide to by Bitcoin via CEX.IO in 4 easy steps.

Step 1  Open a Digital Wallet

A digital wallet is where you hold your cryptocurrencies and interacts others via the blockchain technology. There are many providers of digital wallets, however, it is important to make a deep research before you decide which one is the best for you. Currently, the most popular digital wallets provider is Blockchain.info.

Step 2  Register & Open an Account

Once you enter CEX.IO website, register and open an account that can provide you with their service.

CEX.IO Login

Step 3  Receive the 2FA Code

This is the authentication code as well as your password when you access CEX.IO. The code will be generated by an application and will be delivered to you by SMS.

CEX.IO F2A Code

Step 4  Purchase Bitcoin

Now you can easily purchase Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Note that you can always buy fractions of Bitcoin and CEX.IO allows you to choose fixed amounts with your own currency.

CEX.IO  Buy Bitcoin

Choose the payment option that is most convenient for you.

CEX.IO Payment

In order to complete the purchase, the broker will ask you to verify your identity with documents and various details.

CEX.IO Verification

Apart from CEX.IO, there are other Bitcoin exchanges that provide their services in the US:

Coinbase: Supports 32 countries with more than 10m customers served. U.S customers can buy using credit and debit cards, with fees of 3.99% for purchases. Alternatively, for lower fees, U.S customers can use a connected bank account, the fees being just 1.49%. The connected account method delivers coins after 5-days, whilst purchasing by credit/debit card is immediate.

Coinmama: For purchases of under $150, there is no requirement to verify identity, though there is a transaction fee of around 6% for customers buying Bitcoins with credit or debit cards, which is very high.

GDAX: Considered to be one of the larger U.S Bitcoin exchanges and customers can transfer funds via bank transfer, SEPA or bank wire. The exchange is also considered competitive from a fee perspective.

Bitstamp: They make buying and selling easy, requiring those looking to buy Bitcoin to simply create an account, make a fiat currency deposit via SEPA wire transfer or other deposit method and then simply purchase Bitcoins once the funds have reached the newly created account. Credit card purchases are also permitted, though fees are on the higher side (8%) on small transactions. Trading fees are also considered low at between 0.1% and 0.25%, depending upon trading volumes.

Bitcoin Trading

While trading Bitcoin via exchange might be a complicated process for some, other methods to buy and sell Bitcoin are much easier and faster. As with any asset class that has value, trading will be ever present and with Bitcoin, trading has certainly evolved over the years.

Trading platforms have made it a lucrative business for the more experienced trader, who is able to stomach the volatility that has been seen in Bitcoin prices in recent years. As demand for Bitcoin has grown, so have the number of Bitcoin exchanges that provide the necessary platforms for traders to buy and sell Bitcoin on an intraday basis.

Traders will be investing with their own source of funds and as a result, are particularly interested in what Bitcoin exchanges have to offer.

Low fees, security and the shortest possible time for funds to be received in the event of a sale or for Bitcoins to be sent in the event of a purchase are of particular importance. Liquidity on the exchange and security are other important considerations.

As always, Bitcoin exchanges have evolved their product offerings. Traders are now able to trade in Bitcoin CFDs with various brokers, buying long or short positions and even leverage on margin, some exchanges offering as much as 20x leverage.

On the plus side, the increasing number of exchanges has led to reduced fees for traders, with spreads between bid and offer prices particularly narrow when compared with other asset classes. This is in spite of the riskiness of the asset class and the volatility that persists.

Where can I Use Bitcoin in U.S?

Unsurprisingly, with Bitcoins growth in the U.S, buying goods or services in the U.S is also particularly popular. More and more merchants are beginning to accept Bitcoin including real estate agents.

SpendBitcoins gives those looking for merchants or service providers who accept Bitcoin across the U.S and beyond.

Another interesting platform that exists in the U.S and a handful of other countries including Japan, China, India and Spain is Purse.io. Here, shoppers can shop for any item available on Amazon using Buy Now and save 5%, or purchase goods from Purse.ios purse merchants and use Bitcoin at checkout. There is also a Name Your Discount method, where Bitcoin holders buy Amazon gift cards from earners using Bitcoin, with discounts of between 10-33% on purchase prices on offer. Here Bitcoin holders can propose a discount for an item and wait for an earner to accept the discount in exchange for Bitcoins.

The market is ever evolving and some are ahead of others. The U.S looks to be an integral part of the Bitcoin revolution.

Suggested Articles

Bitcoin ATMs in the U.S.

Unlike the traditional bank ATMs that allow people to directly access the banking system for banking services, including the withdrawal and deposit of fiat money, Bitcoin ATMs have been established to facilitate the buying and selling of Bitcoins.

Bitcoin ATMs are linked to the internet as opposed to a banks centralized system and provide the buyers and sellers with the anonymity that Bitcoin prides itself on.

Such transactions accompanied by complete anonymity come at a price, however, with transaction fees significantly higher than Bitcoin exchanges that require additional information when purchasing above a relatively small investment size.

There are a total of 1,172 Bitcoin ATMs in the U.S, with the largest concentration of ATMs being in California (205), Florida (122), Georgia (105) and New York (118).

Not all Bitcoin ATMs are dual functioning, with a large proportion only offering the platform for buying Bitcoins, though some also allow Bitcoin holders to sell.

There are a number of different ATM types designed by different companies, but the process of buying a Bitcoin is similar and alike across the different models. A simple verification process, including the provision of Bitcoin address details, is required after which cash can be inserted and Bitcoins are released to the buyers Bitcoin wallet.

As mentioned, the fees are significantly higher than on exchanges and limits are also on the lower side. On a global basis, the average purchase fee is 8.54% (based on 1,126 ATMs that support the purchase of Bitcoins) and the average redemption fee is 7.03% (Based on 410 ATMs that support the sale of Bitcoins)

In the U.S, the buying fees are more competitive than the global average at around 6%, while the fees for the sale of Bitcoins range from between 5-10%, more aligned with the global average.

To find the nearest Bitcoin ATM, Coin ATM Radar is a good website to search for the nearest Bitcoin ATM. For many, the distances will certainly too great to travel in order to buy or sell Bitcoin, which would leave buying and selling via an exchange or on sites such as LocalBitcoin.

Conclusion

The U.S Bitcoin market has certainly evolved and is considered to be one of the more advanced in the world. The number of Bitcoin exchanges and merchants accepting Bitcoin is impressive and we will expect the Bitcoin market to continue to evolve as Bitcoin becomes more widely accepted as an alternative to fiat currencies.

From a cost perspective, trading and transaction fees are more competitive and the banks acceptance of Bitcoin exchanges has facilitated the growth of exchanges in the U.S, though questions remain on when regulators will begin to take a close look at the exchanges and the anonymity associated with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:
ConocoPhillips COP has finalized the terms of payment by the Republic of Ecuador under a February 2017 International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) arbitration award. The payment will be made to the companys wholly-owned subsidiary  Burlington.



Per the agreement, ConocoPhillips will receive a total of $337 million from Ecuador. On Dec 1, 2017, the company recovered $75 million from Ecuador, while the remaining $262 million will be paid by April 2018.



The settlement amount consists of a compensation of $42 million to Ecuador for decisions on its counterclaims, of which Burlington is allowed an extra $24 million through a third-party contribution.



In December 2012, the ICSID Tribunal ruled that Ecuador illegally seized the company's considerable oil investments in Blocks 7 and 21, in breach of the U.S.-Ecuador bilateral investment treaty.



In February 2016, the tribunal issued a reward on damages. In August 2017, the ICSID Annulment Committee lifted the stay of enforcement, permitting ConocoPhillips to begin enforcing the award.



About ConocoPhillips



ConocoPhillips is a major global exploration and production (E&P) company with operations and activities in 21 countries. The company is involved in exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas worldwide.



The bulk of acres that ConocoPhillips holds in the Eagle Ford shale and Permian basin are rich in oil. We also appreciate the companys initiative to divest non-core assets. Proceeds from the sale can be utilized in the prospective Eagle Ford shale and Permian Basin. The proceeds will also help the upstream company lower debt that has accumulated owing to the persistent slump in oil for more than three years. However, the companys rising debt load is a concern.



Price Performance



Shares of the company have gained 16.4% compared with the industrys rally of 12.5% in the last three months.

Story continues









Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks



ConocoPhillips currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Other prospective players in the energy sector include Holly Energy Partners, LP HEP, SunCoke Energy Inc SXC and Northern Oil and Gas Inc NOG. All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Holly Energy Partners, owner and operator of refined product pipelines and terminals, delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 57.14% in the preceding quarter.



SunCoke Energy produces metallurgical coke in the United States. The company delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 113.52% in the last four quarters.



Northern Oil and Gas, based in Minnetonka, MN, is an independent energy company. The company delivered an average earnings surprise of 175.00% in the last four quarters.



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Zacks Investment Research
The GOP's tax bill is excellent for the stock market, but perhaps not as good for U.S. workers, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Monday. Stocks were sharply higher Monday after Senate Republicans passed their tax bill early Saturday , moving President Donald Trump and the GOP closer to overhauling the U.S. tax system. The House approved its bill last month. During the bill's creation, a criticism of the proposal was that it massively benefited corporations and the wealthy while having mixed results for others. When asked, Cramer agreed Monday that the bill is for people who have capital. "I said on Friday that it may not be good for the workers, but boy is it good for the stock market," he said on " Squawk on the Street ." "It's funny because the president tweets about the stock market and then delivers a bill that's good for the stock market," Cramer added. President Donald Trump praised the Senate for passing "tremendous tax reform. On Monday, Trump said on Twitter that the passage could be "big day for the Stock Market - and YOU!" @realDonaldTrump: With the great vote on Cutting Taxes, this could be a big day for the Stock Market - and YOU!Regarding the market's rise Monday, Cramer said, "There was a belief that nothing could happen and that the Senate would fail." "A lot of analysts are going to be stuck raising numbers," the host of CNBC's " Mad Money " added. "I say stuck because there were so many people who felt 2018, the market looked expensive. I know the people that think that will come up with a new reason why you shouldn't buy." Cramer also mentioned that if people were "not from one of these states that didn't vote for President Trump, I would be so happy right now." He was referring to an item in the Senate bill that would eliminate federal deductions for state and local taxes. Tax analysts say the move could harm high-tax blue states. The Senate and House must now reconcile their versions of the legislation, and Republicans hope a deal will be achieved by Christmas. Reuters contributed to this report. The GOP's tax bill is excellent for the stock market, but perhaps not as good for U.S. workers, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Monday. Stocks were sharply higher Monday after Senate Republicans passed their tax bill early Saturday , moving President Donald Trump and the GOP closer to overhauling the U.S. tax system. The House approved its bill last month. During the bill's creation, a criticism of the proposal was that it massively benefited corporations and the wealthy while having mixed results for others. When asked, Cramer agreed Monday that the bill is for people who have capital. "I said on Friday that it may not be good for the workers, but boy is it good for the stock market," he said on " Squawk on the Street ." "It's funny because the president tweets about the stock market and then delivers a bill that's good for the stock market," Cramer added. President Donald Trump praised the Senate for passing "tremendous tax reform. On Monday, Trump said on Twitter that the passage could be "big day for the Stock Market - and YOU!" @realDonaldTrump: With the great vote on Cutting Taxes, this could be a big day for the Stock Market - and YOU! Regarding the market's rise Monday, Cramer said, "There was a belief that nothing could happen and that the Senate would fail." "A lot of analysts are going to be stuck raising numbers," the host of CNBC's " Mad Money " added. "I say stuck because there were so many people who felt 2018, the market looked expensive. I know the people that think that will come up with a new reason why you shouldn't buy." Cramer also mentioned that if people were "not from one of these states that didn't vote for President Trump, I would be so happy right now." He was referring to an item in the Senate bill that would eliminate federal deductions for state and local taxes. Tax analysts say the move could harm high-tax blue states. The Senate and House must now reconcile their versions of the legislation, and Republicans hope a deal will be achieved by Christmas.  Reuters contributed to this report.



More From CNBC


Crude mixed in Asia

Investing.com - Crude prices pointed mixed in Asia on Tuesday with US industry inventory estimates ahead.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange crude futures for January delivery inched up 0.02% to $57.46 a barrel, while on London's Intercontinental Exchange, Brent was last quoted at $62.46 a barrel.

Later Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute will release its estimates of crude and refined product stocks followed by official data from the Energy Information Administration on Wednesday.

Initial estimates show analysts expect a 3.507 million drop in crude supplies, a 548,000 barrel build in distillates and a 1.145 million barrel gain in gasoline supplies.

Overnight, oil prices settled lower on Monday as traders appeared to take profit on the recent rally which followed last weeks decision by Opec and some non-Opec producers to extend output curbs.

Crude oil made a subdued start to the week amid profit taking on the back of the recent rally to more than two-year highs as traders shifted attention to US crude output, which remained close to record highs.

U.S. output rose in September to 9.5 million barrels per day (bpd), the highest monthly output since 2015, the EIA said last week.

Sentiment on oil prices, however, remained bullish amid expectations that rebalancing in markets will continue after OPEC and some non-OPEC producers who met on Thursday in Vienna, Austria, said they would continue to cut supply by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) until the end of 2018.

Data on Friday showed the recent uptick in US oil rigs continued, as rig counts rose by 2 to 179, the highest since September, Baker Hughes said.

Despite fears over rising U.S. output recent data showed traders increase their bullish bets on oil as net longs rose 39,500 to 651,100, the highest since April, according to the CFTC Commitments of Traders (COT) report.

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Donald Trump's tweet implying the President knew his National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, had lied to the FBI when he fired him, was actually crafted by his lawyer, sources close to the administration have reportedly said.

"I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies," the tweet, sent from the US President's account, said.

"It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!"

I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017

The tweet was actually written by John Dowd, the President's chief lawyer, sources told The Washington Post.

By citing lying to the FBI as a reason for firing Mr Flynn, the tweet suggests Mr Trump knew at the time Mr Flynn had done something to break the law.

Lying to the FBI is a crime - one which Mr Flynn acknowledged last Friday by pleading guilty and agreeing to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View.

If Mr Dowd wrote the tweet, it could put some distance between Mr Trump himself and the tweet's content.

Mr Flynn left the White House in February, only acknowledging he had given an incomplete account to Vice President Mike Pence about his conversation with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kisylak.

Soon after Mr Trump forced Mr Flynn out, he asked then-FBI Director James Comey to end the bureau's investigation into the matter, saying he hoped he could "let this go," according to Mr Comey.

When Mr Comey refused, Mr Trump fired him.

Story continues

Walter Shaub, the former director of the US Office of Government Ethics, said Mr Trump's tweet could amount to obstruction of justice.

Mr Trump turned to Twitter again later on Saturday night, railing about why Mr Flynn was prosecuted but Hillary Clinton was not for her alleged misdeeds.

So General Flynn lies to the FBI and his life is destroyed, while Crooked Hillary Clinton, on that now famous FBI holiday interrogation with no swearing in and no recording, lies many times...and nothing happens to her? Rigged system, or just a double standard?

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017

Many people in our Country are asking what the Justice Department is going to do about the fact that totally Crooked Hillary, AFTER receiving a subpoena from the United States Congress, deleted and acid washed 33,000 Emails? No justice!

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017

He tweeted: "So General Flynn lies to the FBI and his life is destroyed, while Crooked Hillary Clinton, on that now famous FBI holiday 'interrogation' with no swearing in and no recording, lies many times... and nothing happens to her? Rigged system, or just a double standard?"

He then added: "Many people in our Country are asking what the 'Justice' Department is going to do about the fact that totally Crooked Hillary, AFTER receiving a subpoena from the United States Congress, deleted and 'acid washed' 33,000 Emails? No justice!"

Mr Comey has said Ms Clinton did not lie to the FBI during her voluntary interview in July 2016, which was not recorded because she was not in custody.

I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2017

In another tweet on Sunday morning, Mr Trump said: "I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!"
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump on Monday defended his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, by invoking his 2016 election opponent, Hillary Clinton.

I feel very badly for Gen. Flynn, Trump told reporters before leaving for a trip to Utah, saying that Flynns life has been ruined.

Trump then pivoted to Clinton, apparently referring to the FBIs investigation into her use of a private email server.

Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI, and nothing happened to her. Flynn lied, and it destroyed his life, and I think its a shame, Trump said, before again claiming that Clinton lied many times, [and] nothing happened to her. Flynn lied, and its like, it ruined his life. Its very unfair.

The president this morning says 'I feel badly for General Flynn.' #MorningJoe pic.twitter.com/tBp5aXWhBj  Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) December 4, 2017

Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday for lying to the FBI in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into possible collusion between Trumps campaign and Russia, becoming the first former administration official to face charges in the probe.

Trump and the White House have long claimed that the investigations into the campaign have nothing to do with Trump himself. Flynns indictment, however, makes it increasingly difficult for the president to distance himself.

Flynn stepped down in February, saying that he had misled the transition team, including then Vice President-elect Mike Pence, about the extent of his contacts with Russian officials, which included discussing sanctions and the creation of a backchannel with the Kremlin.

Trump and his lawyer, John Dowd, now claim that the president already knew about Flynn lying to the FBI, renewing questions of whether Trump obstructed justice in the investigation.

Story continues

In May, Trump told NBCs Lester Holt that he fired then-FBI Director James Comey with this Russia thing in mind. The following month, Comey testified before the Senate that Trump had requested that Comey put an end to the agencys investigation into Flynn.

In an interview with Axios published Monday, Dowd brought out a new defense: Trump isnt guilty of obstructing justice because he is the president.

The President cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitutions Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case, Dowd said.

Clarification: Language has been amended to reflect that Flynn himself stated that his resignation was due to misleading the transition team prior to taking office.

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
By Peter Kenny, chief market strategist for Global Markets Advisory Group and owner of KennysCommentary.com

Themes:

US tax-cut bill passes the Senate, heads to reconciliation

CFPB, under Mulvaney, freezes hiring as staff and policy await re-ordering

An expected passage of the tax-cut legislation will likely lead to a surge in investment, hiring and ultimately productivity

Now that the eventual passage of the tax reform legislation is ultimately heading to President Trumps desk, US equity markets are likely to take a breather from their torrid rise

Trump nominates Goodfriend for FOMC

CVS is buying Aetna for $65.5 billion, remaking the sector  Bloomberg

Last weeks release of economic data and corporate earning results provided yet more ballast for U.S. equity markets and our historic rally. However, though economic data and corporate results remain remarkably supportive, there remains a degree of risk aversion present in equity markets just below the surface of our rather tranquil and methodical melt-up. This was clearly evidenced by the sharp pull back in the Dow Industrials (^DJI) and simultaneous surge in the volatility fear index (^VIX) that emerged due to an erroneous report filed by ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross that seemed to indicate, at least initially, that Trump directed former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to contact Russian officials during the 2016 Presidential campaign.

The erroneous news report hit the tape at 11:05 a.m. Friday. The volatility index ripped 27.9% higher in minutes as the Dow Industrials tumbled 350 points. After the selloff, there was a sense that there may be issues with the report itself because it seemed to take the Trump collusion narrative well beyond what was expected to be even possible at this stage of the inquiry. Hours later, a tweet from a CNN reporter pointed out the Brian Rosss story was not included in the official ABC News story, which provided support for the sense that the report may not have been entirely accurate. Several hours later ABC News issued a correction. The Dow Industrials ultimately managed a modest loss of 40.76 points, or 0.17%, on the session while the volatility index reverted back to 11.32, which is where it was trading before the news hit the tape. Brian Ross was suspended without pay for four weeks.

Story continues

One might interpret the healthy recovery in equity prices as an indication that reason, economic fundamentals and earnings rule the day and that would not be entirely incorrect  until it isnt. Friday gave investors a glimpse into what an unexpected variable can do to markets. Clearly the Mueller investigation represents a potential risk to equity market trends, but so also do the brewing hostilities between North Korea and the United States, a potential failure in the NAFTA talks and a variety of other themes  largely not economic data or earnings related.

Econ data on deck

As far as last weeks economic data is concerned, new home sales were well above consensus expectations for the month of October, coming in at 685k versus Bloomberg consensus of 620k and Septembers revised reading of 645k. Though a bit weaker than expected, the Dallas Fed Mfg. Survey was in line with other Fed manufacturing readings for the month, which reflected a modest tick lower. The Productivity Index reading was 15.1, while the General Activity Index was 19.4. In a bit of good news for potential home buyers, the FHFA House Price Index for September was a weaker than expected 0.3% versus Bloomberg consensus of 0.6%. No question, Septembers slip in pricing momentum led, in part, to the acceleration in home sales prices we saw in October. Not unexpectedly, home prices continue to rise. September was no exception. The S&P Corelogic Case-Shiller HPI was 0.5% in September. GDP for Q3 was revised upward to 3.3% from the initial reading of 3.0%. Corporate profits lurched higher to 10.0% from the prior reading of 7.4% in Q3 as well. Weekly jobless claims (238k), personal incomes and outlays (0.4%), and the PMI Manufacturing Index (53.9) were all in-line with consensus expectations.

Today, factory order data for October came in down 0.1%, which was not as bad as expected. On Tuesday, we receive the ISM Non-Manufacturing Index. Consensus is calling for 59.0 for the month of November, which would be in-line with Octobers 60.1. On Wednesday, we receive the ADP Employment Report, which has increasingly become less directly correlated with the Employment Situation Report due out on Friday morning. The monthly job report from the BLS is expected to reflect a gain of 185k jobs in November while the official unemployment rate is expected to remain at 4.1%.

My call in last weeks note for a pause in crude oils trade higher materialize in spite of OPEC and non-OPEC producers agreeing in Vienna to an a extension of oil production cuts through the end of 2018. Crude for January delivery closed out the week at $58.29/bbl. on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Commentary by Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research

Though one day does not make a trend, this bull market could be initiating a sub-surface rotation out of the high-flying, market-leading tech sector (XLK) and into other cyclical sectors, such as financials (XLF) and industrials (XLI), as well as the more-defensive consumer staples (XLY) and health care (XLV) groups. CFRA continues to focus on the longer-term bullish bias for stocks, while acknowledging that pullbacks can occur at any time and that a self-righting digestion of gains is long overdue. Yet bull markets dont die of old age, they die of fright and are most afraid of recession. We continue to monitor economic indicators that do not imply an impending recession, and we think a potential dip represents a reason to buy not bail. We see real GDP rising 2.9% in 2018 versus 2.3% anticipated for 2017 and continue to project a double-digit gain in EPS in the year ahead.

-

WTI Crude Oil (Nymex) (CL=F) $57.48/bbl

Gold (Comex) (CL=F) $1,277.30/t. oz.

10-year Treasury Note yield (CBOE) (^TNX) 2.385%

Volatility S&P 500 (^VIX) 10.33

-

Economic Calendar:

Tuesday

8:30 AM International Trade

9:45 AM PMI Services Index

10:00 AM ISM Non-Mfg. Index

Wednesday

7:00 AM MBA Mortgage Applications

8:15 AM ADP Employment Report

8:30 AM Productivity and Costs

10:30 AM EIA Petroleum Status Report

Thursday

7:30 AM Challenger Job-Cut Report

8:30 AM Weekly Jobless Claims

9:45 AM Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index

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3:00 PM Consumer Credit

William Dudley, 8:30 AM

Friday

8:30 AM Employment Report

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European markets closed higher Monday afternoon as investors digested news that the U.S. Senate narrowly passed a major tax bill over the weekend. The pan-European Stoxx 600 (STOXX: .STOXX) ended the day's trading up 0.91 percent, with major bourses and all sectors bar technology in positive territory. The construction and material sector led the gains, up nearly 1.6 percent, followed by the autos and chemicals sectors. Europe's auto stocks, which have a large exposure to the U.S., rose 1.56 percent Monday afternoon after the U.S. Senate passed a tax package delivering significant fiscal stimulus.Looking at individual stocks, Switzerland-based fintech firm Temenos (Swiss Exchange: TEM.N-CH) led the Stoxx 600, followed by U.K. media company Daily Mail (London Stock Exchange: DMGT-GB) and Italian eyewear firm Luxottica (Milan Stock Exchange: LUX-IT). Denmark's largest insurance firm Tryg (Copenhagen Stock Exchange: TRYG-DK) said it had agreed to buy unlisted competitor Alka Forsikring for $1.31 billion on Monday. The company said it was looking to bolster its presence in the property and casualty insurance markets. Tryg's shares closed over 3 percent higher.Meanwhile, Dialog Semiconductor (XETRA: DLG-DE) slumped to the bottom of the benchmark Monday, with its shares ending the day's trading over 24 percent lower. The German microchip maker said its top customer Apple could soon opt to build its own power-management chips instead. However, Dialog Semiconductor said it should not lose its Apple power chip business in 2018. Brexit deadlock In Europe, the U.K. and the European Union have as yet failed to agree on the terms of Brexit , as announced in a press briefing held by U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels, Belgium. But, both politicians were positive on negotiations, with Juncker saying that he felt that sufficient progress could be made ahead of a broader EU summit later this month. Britain and the EU have reportedly agreed to avoid a hard border between the U.K. country of Northern Ireland, and its neighbor  the separate EU member state of the Republic of Ireland, for whom the U.K. is a major trading partner. Stateside, U.S. markets were buoyant with the Dow 230 points higher, boosted by the Senate narrowly passing a Republican bill to overhaul the country's tax system over the weekend. But, the GOP still needs to overcome obstacles in order for the Senate and the House to craft a joint bill, with Republicans hoping a deal will be achieved by Christmas. CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report



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By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp urged Massachusetts' top court on Tuesday to block the state's attorney general from obtaining records to investigate whether the company for decades concealed its knowledge of the role fossil fuels have on climate change. A lawyer for Exxon told justices on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that his arguments were focused only on whether Attorney General Maura Healey had jurisdiction to seek records to probe whether the oil company misled consumers and investors. "We are not asking this court to weigh in on the causes of climate change," Justin Anderson, Exxon's lawyer, said. But Anderson said Healey was improperly trying to establish jurisdiction in part based on more than 300 Exxon-branded gas stations in Massachusetts operated by franchisees to justify probing the Texas-based company's actions elsewhere. "They can only be held to account here for what they've done here," Anderson said. Richard Johnston, Healey's chief legal counsel, countered that Exxon had control over the franchisees' marketing and conducted advertising on their behalf. "We should be able to find out whether they knew about impact of fossil fuels on global warming so they should have said more in those advertisements," Johnston said. He urged the court to allow Healey to carry on her probe into whether Exxon failed to disclose what it knew to consumers and investors and engaged in a campaign to sow doubts about the science of climate change. Healey, a Democrat, and New York Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sought records following news reports in 2015 how Exxon's own scientists determined that reducing fossil fuel combustion was needed to mitigate the impact of climate change. Those reports by InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times were based on documents from the 1970s and 1980s. Exxon contends that the documents were not inconsistent with its public positions. After Healey issued a demand for documents in April 2016, Exxon filed a lawsuit challenging the records request and another case in federal court challenging her and Schneiderman's investigations. Tuesday's hearing came after Exxon appealed a lower-court judge's January ruling denying its request to avoid handing over the documents. While the six justices gave no indication how they would rule, some expressed skepticism that the 300 stations could not create jurisdiction, even if consumers bought gas from a franchisee. "They believe they're buying Exxon gas," Justice Elspeth Cypher said. "The citizens of this state believe that's what they're buying." (This version of the story has been refiled to add dropped word "of" in 3rd paragraph, removes extra "if" in seventh paragraph) (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; editing by Peter Cooney and Marguerita Choy)
The Twenty-First Century Fox Studios logo is seen in Los Angeles, California U.S. November 6, 2017. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

(Reuters) - Twenty-First Century Fox (FOXA.O), the media company controlled by the Murdoch family, favours selling some assets to Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) as it is a better strategic fit and presents fewer regulatory hurdles, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The company is in talks with Disney and Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) to combine certain assets with the potential buyers, and the Murdoch family aims to make a decision by the end of the year, according to Bloomberg.

Reuters had reported last month that apart from Disney, both Comcast and Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) had also expressed interest in acquiring a significant part of Fox's assets.

The Fox assets that buyers have expressed interest in include Fox's movie and TV production studios, cable networks FX and National Geographic, and international assets such as the Star network in India, and the European pay TV provider Sky Plc (SKYB.L).

Fox declined to comment, while Disney and Comcast were not immediately available to comment.

(Reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday the Senate passage of the tax bill on schedule proves the overhaul can be done this year. Senate Republicans narrowly passed their plan early Saturday , moving the GOP and President Donald Trump a set closer cutting rates for businesses and individuals. "It happened on the timeline we said it would, McCarthy said in an interview with CNBC's " Squawk Box ." The Senate and House must now reconcile their versions of the legislation. The House passed its bill last month. "There are differences in this bill, but there are not that great of differences," McCarthy said. "We can work and have it done this year." "I'd like to do it faster," McCarthy added. McCarthy said he credits Trump and Senate GOP leadership for passage. The president "put a lot of time and effort in," the California Republican said. Trump praised the Senate for passing "tremendous tax reform" and said, "people are going to be very, very happy." On Monday, Trump said on Twitter the passage could be "big day for the Stock Market - and YOU!" @realDonaldTrump: With the great vote on Cutting Taxes, this could be a big day for the Stock Market - and YOU! On changes to individual income tax brackets in the Senate and House versions, McCarthy said, "I think we can work that out. ... I would actually like to see the rates go even lower, if possible." The House bill proposes four tax brackets while the Senate would keep seven. "I don't think anybody should be punished for being successful," he added. "I worry about deficit, but you're not going to get out of this problem until you grow the economy."  Reuters contributed to this report.



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Shutterstock.com [/caption] While CVS Health and Aetna Inc. arent direct competitors, federal regulators are still likely to take a close look at the companies planned merger, corporate lawyers said. The retail pharmacy giant announced Sunday that it had agreed to purchase Aetna, one of the countrys largest health insurers, for about $69 billion. Because CVS of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and Aetna Inc., of Hartford, Connecticut, do not operate in exactly the same industry, the formers planned takeover of the latter is a so-called vertical merger, which traditionally have fared better under Washington, D.C.s scrutiny, the lawyers said. A recent event may belie that trend, though: Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice sued AT&T to block its merger with Time Warnerthe first time in at least 40 years that the agency has attempted to block a vertical merger. The governments complaint alleges that AT&T would hinder its rivals by forcing them to pay more per year to distribute Time Warner content. Vertical transactions are generally considered to raise less antitrust concerns than horizontal ones, deals where the merging parties actually compete against each other, but vertical transactions can raise significant antitrust concerns so the combination will likely prompt regulatory concern, said Andre Barlow, an antitrust lawyer at Washingtons Doyle, Barlow & Mazard. Chief among those reasons, Barlow said, is the sheer size of the consolidation within the health care industry, one of the most important to the U.S. economy. Aetna serves an estimated 44.6 million subscribers, according to the company. CVS Health has 9,700 retail pharmacies and more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics. It is one of the largest pharmacy benefits managers with nearly 90 million plan members, as well as a senior pharmacy care business serving more than 1 million patients per year, and a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Its logical to anticipate [close scrutiny] based on the size and importance of the industry as it relates to the U.S. economy and well-being, said Shannon Zollo, corporate partner at Boston-based law firm Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton. At this point it is unclear whether the DOJ or U.S. Federal Trade Commission will review the deal. The DOJ has experience reviewing health insurance mergers like Aetnas failed acquisition of Humana Inc. earlier this year. The FTC, meanwhile, has reviewed deals involving retail pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers such as CVSs acquisition of Caremark Corp. in 2006. Regulators at each agency will likely decide among themselves which one will take on this case, Barlow said. All things being equal, Zollo added, the parties likely would prefer to interact with the FTC over the DOJ, which tends to be more political. Regardless of which agency reviews the deal, the corporate attorneys said, its main inquiry will be the effect the transaction has on competition. This analysis, Zollo said, is informed by a number of factors, including how many players are left in the field after the deal is completed; the effect on existing customer and vendor relationships and the massive amount of integration required to consummate the deal. Although the companies generally play in different spaces, Zollo said, there is some level of business overlap, namely in the area of Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, a factor the government would consider in its evaluation. In the end, the agency may accept the deal, reject it or require modifications. The [evaluation of] the vertical [merger] will provide the most interesting issues because when the government is analyzing this transaction, its going to want to understand how [the deal] is going to impact health care going forward, Barlow said. CVS Health was advised on legal matters by Shearman & Sterling, Dechert, and McDermott Will & Emery. Davis Polk & Wardwell is acting as Aetna's legal adviser, according to a joint news release by the companies.
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Meek Mill. Photo: Shutterstock.com [/caption] The attorneys representing embattled hip hop star Meek Mill have said in court filings that there was a federal investigation into the conduct of Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley, who last sentenced the rapper to prison time for violating his probation. In a supplemental motion filed Monday seeking to have Brinkley recuse from the case, attorneys for Meek Mill, whose real name is Robert Williams, said the FBI has investigated the judge in connection with her conduct in Williams' case, and that defense counsel had been aware of the probe since 2016. The filing also said that now that Brinkley is aware of the investigation she needs to recuse from Williams' case. "The existence of a federal investigation involving Judge Brinkley's conduct regarding Mr. Williams, combined with Judge Brinkley's awareness of that investigation raises further doubts as to her ability to preside impartially, and thus is an additional factor supporting recusal," the motion, filed by Brian McMonagle of McMonagle, Perri, McHugh & Mischak, said. Williams' case sparked a storm of media attention after Brinkley sentenced him to up to four years in prison, despite the fact that neither the prosecutors nor probation officer involved were seeking any jail time. After Brinkley handed down the sentence, one of Williams' attorneys told several media outlets that the FBI was looking into the judge's conduct in connection with Williams' case, but Monday's filing marks the first court document referencing the alleged investigation. A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said she could neither confirm nor deny that any investigation is underway. McMonagle did not return a call for comment, and a spokesman for Philadelphia's First Judicial District declined to comment. Williams, who has been on probation since 2008, was arrested twice this year, and Brinkley said she imposed the sentence because he had repeatedly flaunted the court. Although the sentence came as a surprise since neither the prosecutor, nor Williams probation officer, had asked for prison time, the bigger surprise came the next day, when New York attorney Joe Tacopina, one of the rappers lawyers, made statements to the press that Brinkley had imposed the harsh sentence because she was enamored with Williams and had acted inappropriately in handling the case. The most eye-catching allegations that Tacopina made were that Brinkley told Williams he should switch managers, from the New York-based Roc Nation back to his previous manager, Philadelphia-based Charlie Mack. Tacopina also said Brinkley had asked Williams to record a version of the Boyz II Men song On Bended Knee that included a specific reference to her in the song. Those allegations were made a part of the official record Nov. 14 when McMonagle, who previously represented Bill Cosby, filed a motion asking Brinkley to recuse. The sentence that Brinkley handed down not only caught the attention of the national media, it has also sparked some debate about criminal justice reform. Numerous Philadelphia-based attorneys who spoke with The Legal in the wake of the sentencing, however, said they were skeptical that the FBI would be interested in Brinkley. Lawyers also took issue with the tactic of an attorney broadcasting dissatisfaction with a judge in the national spotlight. The supplemental recusal motion mentioning the FBI's alleged investigation came a few days after Brinkley denied Williams' request for bail.
ERRONEOUS FLYNN REPORT DISCUSSED: After we shared an ABC News report on Michael Flynn last week that was later deemed incorrect, the co-hosts react and discuss.

ERRONEOUS FLYNN REPORT DISCUSSED: After we shared an ABC News report on Michael Flynn last week that was later deemed incorrect, the co-hosts react and discuss. pic.twitter.com/E7LtDS0zL4  The View (@TheView) December 4, 2017

Meghan McCain did not share in co-host Joy Behars joy over Michael Flynns guilty plea when the news broke during The View on Friday.

McCain looked visibly uncomfortable when Behar erupted with unbridled enthusiasm after reading Brian Ross of ABCs false report saying Flynn was prepared to testify that President Donald Trump had directed him to make contact with Russia during his candidacy.

Late Friday, Ross informed viewers on World News Tonight that Trump asked Flynn to contact Russians during the transition after the election, not before as was originally reported. Ross was suspended for four weeks without pay for the error, and he and the network apologized for the mistake.

But that didnt stop McCain from chastising her co-hosts on Monday.

McCain, a conservative who has criticized Trump in the past, reprimanded her co-hosts for spreading fake news with her on the panel.

I went to a Christmas party over the weekend; its no secret, most of my friends are in conservative media, [and] I feel a lot like Im an astronaut from another planet to come here to try to explain both worlds to each other  thats how different I feel on this show sometimes, McCain said. And I will say that fake news, and what we did on Friday, thats what I was accused of being a part of.

This complaint eventually spurred Behar to ask, Do you believe that Brian Ross deliberately did that and put it out as fake news?

I dont believe it was deliberate, McCain responded. But I think it was fake news.

Republican co-host Ana Navarro weighed in on the conversation after the hosts discussed the definition of fake news.

We got to be very careful and very thoughtful about the difference between fake news, real news [and] real journalism, she said. To me, fake news is when you make up a story about the Clintons running a sex ring out of the basement of a pizza shop that does not have a basement. Or when you make up a horrible conspiracy story and never even regret it or apologize for it about the death of Seth Rich.

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Here, Brian Ross made a mistake, the network took action, hes accepted the action, everyone has apologized and everyone is admitting its a mistake because there was no intent, she added. Fake news is a catch phrase that Donald Trump is trying to use against real news that is inconvenient for him and we got to be really careful about that.

To watch the entire discussion, check out the video above.

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA / ACCESSWIRE / December 5, 2017 / Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ("MTS") (MKY.F) (MBT) is the first mobile operator in Russia to launch an integrated IoT platform on national scale. Our IoT platform provides an integrated solution to manage objects embedded with network connectivity and pro-actively monitor IoT-enabled equipment performance. The platform has an open API (application programming interface) and supports various data networks. Accordingly, our clients' existing equipment and IT systems can be directly connected with up-to-date sensors, cameras, robots, and programs. The objects connecting to the platform can be managed from a single center, regardless of their location, which will be of substantial benefit to many of our clients in Russia who have operations in the areas that are traditionally difficult to reach.

MTS is the first mobile operator in Russia to create an IoT platform of this scale. Having pioneered the Machine-to-Machine communications in Russia with the introduction of the first M2M tariff, we are confident that this new offering will be in strong demand by the market.

Developing our own IoT platform is another step in the MTS strategy to be the go-to provider in helping business customers adapt quickly and efficiently to the fast-changing requirements of the digital economy, reduce their costs and bring their operations to a new level. For government customers, our IoT platform can become a driver for development of smart cities, smart grids, and intelligent transportation.

In addition to being the largest telecom company in Russia, MTS has consistently been the clear leader in the Russian IoT market by number of connected devices. In the coming years, we will strengthen our presence in the IoT segment through open source platforms, cloud applications and the introduction of the Internet of things at any scale - from small stores to large factories, cities, and federal networks.

Our IoT architecture can support equipment across a variety of industries including manufacturing, energy and diversified service companies. The platform is also applicable for integrated IoT solutions for agriculture, logistics, commercial real estate and other businesses. Our equipment monitoring system allows our clients to anticipate wear-and-tear as well as potential malfunctions before the deterioration reaches a critical stage. Notifications can be sent via the client's computer system, but also by SMS and e-mail. This will substantially reduce cost of maintenance and prevent losses related to equipment failure.

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The platform also includes an integrated and comprehensive "Smart Metering" solution, replacing an earlier system using telematics-enabled M2M SIM cards. MTS is a pioneer among Russian telecom operators to launch this service. One of the real business cases is the implementation of Smart Metering from MTS for a vegetable storage. Our solution allows our client to control the temperature and moisture level in the boxes where the vegetables are stored. As a result, the customer is confident in the storage conditions and the percentage of spoilage has decreased.

Cybersecurity is always at the core of all our technological innovation. Connected to secure communication channels, our IoT sensors and controllers can send data to a fully protected MTS cloud, where they are processed in real time and then sent to secure cloud storage. Equipment monitoring and reports generation can be done in a web user interface or in standard programs by connecting them to the MTS IoT platform using API procedure. MTS IoT platform uses secure SSL and HTTPS encryption protocols, as well as a network antivirus and a cyber threat protection center.

MTS in the IoT Market

MTS is the leader in the IoT market in Russia in terms of the number of telematics SIM cards, according to AC&M research in 2016. MTS is also the first telecommunications company in Russia that regularly promotes the IoT-based product portfolio in the national scale. In 2009, MTS offered its customers the first telematics solution for vehicle monitoring. In 2011, we launched "M2M Manager" solution, which allows any device in real time to configure and monitor the MTS network, the work of various M2M-equipment. In 2016 and 2017, MTS tested NB-IoT and LPWAN technologies and deployed the IPv6 architecture on the network, which allows an almost unlimited number of devices to be connected to the Internet.

For further information, please contact in Moscow:

Joshua B. Tulgan

Director, Department of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC

Tel: +7 495 223 2025

E-mail: ir@mts.ru

Learn more about MTS. Visit the official blog of the Investor Relations Department at www.mtsgsm.com/blog/.

About Mobile TeleSystems PJSC

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ("MTS") (NYSE: MBT; MOEX: MTSS), the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, provides a range of mobile and fixed-line communications services. We serve over 100 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Belarus, and about 9 million customers of fixed-line services, including fixed voice, broadband internet, and pay-TV. To keep pace with evolving customer demand, MTS is redefining what telecommunications services are by offering innovative products beyond its core network-related businesses in various tech segments, including Big Data, financial and banking services, internet of things, OTT, cloud computing, systems integration, and e-commerce. We leverage our market-leading retail network as a platform for customer services and sales of devices and accessories. For more information, please visit: www.mtsgsm.com.

Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of MTS, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "will," "could," "may" or "might," and the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not undertake or intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. We refer you to the documents MTS files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the Company's most recent Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned "Risk Factors" that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the severity and duration of current economic and financial conditions, including volatility in interest and exchange rates, commodity and equity prices and the value of financial assets; the impact of Russian, U.S. and other foreign government programs to restore liquidity and stimulate national and global economies, our ability to maintain our current credit rating and the impact on our funding costs and competitive position if we do not do so, strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions and our success in integrating acquired businesses, potential fluctuations in quarterly results, our competitive environment, dependence on new service development and tariff structures, rapid technological and market change, acquisition strategy, risks associated with telecommunications infrastructure, governmental regulation of the telecommunications industries and other risks associated with operating in Russia and the CIS, volatility of stock price, financial risk management and future growth subject to risks.

SOURCE: Mobile TeleSystems PJSC
China's stock market is having a banner year, and Asia expert Stephen Roach sees reasons for investors to be optimistic  but not without a caveat. If the right steps aren't taken, he warns, a stock market shock could come from outside its borders. "There's just been a progression in the advances that North Korea has made in terms of nuclear weapons capability and in missile delivery capability. And now, we're at a really dangerous point," the Yale University senior fellow said Monday on CNBC's " Trading Nation ." Roach, who spent five years as chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, has been arguing that China's economy is in the early stages of a " long-heralded structural transformation ." He's been closely following China's evolution into a services and consumer-oriented economy. "My base case for the fundamentals of the Asian economy remain constructive," said Roach, who visits China five to six times a year. "China is in a period of addressing a lot of its structural challenges." The Hang Seng (Hong Kong Stock Exchange: .HSI) stock index has surged more than 32 percent this year. There have been concerns that China's economy has been overheating, and too much speculation is baked into its stock market. Roach doesn't share those concerns but says it's vital for North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions for China's growth story to continue. "This is a potentially destabilizing threat with a very aggressive leadership that seems absolutely fixed on developing a capability and a presence in a nuclear club," he said. Roach believes sanctions are necessary , and China could set up the most effective ones. "China is North Korea's largest trading partner," he said. "There's no question that China has leverage." China provides key items such as fuel and food to North Korea, which has been dealing with serious shortages. "It's just a question of whether or not they have the willingness to use it or whether or not we have the ability to put pressure on them to use that leverage," Roach said.



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New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman took aim at the integrity of the FCCs rule-making proceeding to roll back many of its current net neutrality rules, pointing to evidence that many of the public comments filed come from stolen identities or are fake.

He also called on the FCC to delay a planned Dec. 14 vote on chairman Ajit Pais proposal to roll back many of the existing rules, which currently ban internet providers from blocking or throttling traffic, or from selling fast lanes so content providers can reach consumers more quickly.

They just have to stop this vote, Schneiderman said at a press conference. They cannot conduct a legitimate vote if you have a record that is in shambles.

He said that his offices own review of the public filings showed that about 1 million comments may have used names that were in fact stolen identities.

Schneiderman, who called the process deeply corrupted, was joined by commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who opposes Pais proposal.

She urged the FCC to halt the vote until we can get to the bottom of what happened to those stolen identities and the quality of our public record. Rosenworcel also cited reports that almost a half of a million comments came from Russian email addresses.

The FCC received almost 23 million comments since last spring, when Pai first made it clear that he would review the FCCs framework for its net neutrality rules.

But questions were raised soon after that about the source and quality of the comments being submitted. Broadband for America, which has advocated for rolling back regulations, financed a study that showed that almost 8 million comments appeared to be generated by temporary and disposable email domains linked to fakeemailgenerator.com. Virtually all opposed repealing the regulatory underpinning for the FCCs net neutrality rules.

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Schneiderman said that his call for a halt to the vote was not a dispute on the merits of whether the rules should be repealed or kept in place, as there have been doubts about the authenticity of comments coming from both sides of the debate. But Schneiderman said that they approached Pais staff nine times to obtain records, yet it was only on Monday morning that the FCCs office of inspector general offered to assist.

Schneiderman said his office is seeking FCC logs to show the origin of the comments.

A spokesperson for the FCC had no immediate comment on Schneidermans remarks.

When Pai made his proposal public last month, an FCC official said that the vast majority of the comments were from form letters, and that 7.5 million of the responses were exactly the same and came from 45,000 unique names and addresses.

Related stories

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Barack Obama may have a solution to fixing the country's biggest problems... and that starts with a hiring process.

Obama spoke at an event in Paris over the weekend and answered a few questions on climate change, leadership and the future of the United States.

SEE ALSO: MSNBC trolls Donald Trump with Obama 'Merry Christmas' montage

He was invited to an event organized by a group of professionals called the "Les Napoleons," where he talked about the state of the United States and the role we play on addressing the country's issues. He also discussed Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement - a commitment implemented by the Obama Administration to fight against climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But Obama took the time to bring up another issue close to his heart.

The former president believed more women should be in power to make political decisions, stating "because men seem to be having some problems these days," according to AFP.

It comes from the ongoing sexual assault allegations across Hollywood, politics, and around the world. The two-term president feels optimistic about leadership in the future and it starts with more inclusion in the workplace.

"Not to generalize but women seem to have a better capacity [for leadership] than men do, partly because of their socialization," he told the crowd.

Obama ended the speech on a positive note, stating the country will fight against climate change and it starts with a solid foundation.
MANILA (Reuters) - PLDT Inc, one of only two wireless carriers in the Philippines, said on Monday its digital applications unit could bring in a Chinese partner and even PLDT itself is open to tying up with a mainland firm.

The comments by PLDT Chairman Manuel Pangilinan come as a shakeup looms for the Philippine telecoms industry amid a rising Chinese presence.

Pangilinan said a Chinese company was likely to come in as a strategic partner for PLDT unit Voyager Innovations, which builds technology platforms and products for financial services and digital commerce.

"Voyager is in the process of looking for strategic partners and it's possible that we may have a Chinese partner," Pangilinan told reporters, declining to specify the nature of the planned partnership or a timeframe.

President Rodrigo Duterte has welcomed Chinese entities to be the Philippines' third telecoms operator, following through on a threat he made last year to PLDT and Globe Telecom Inc, the nation's two dominant telecoms groups, to shape up or face competition, amid complaints about their services.

The Chinese are slowly elbowing their way into Philippines' telecoms and communications industry. Ant Financial Services Group, an affiliate of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma's Alibaba Group, has recently invested in Globe's Mynt, a rival of PLDT's Voyager. [nFWN1LE0U0]

And broadband services provider Philippine Telegraph & Telephone Corp is in talks to partner with Chinese companies to challenge PLDT and Globe, a move which could be a game changer in the local market. [nL3N1NR3WI]

Asked to comment on a new competitor backed up by Chinese investors possibly emerging soon in the local telecoms industry, Pangilinan said he was also open to getting a Chinese partner for the entire PLDT group.

"We welcome any third, fourth, fifth player," Pangilinan said, speaking on the sidelines of a gathering of business executives.

"I think (partnering with Chinese companies) is a rather novel idea. I think it's something we should consider at the PLDT level," he said.

(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
The 1992 presidential race was once summed up in a pointed phrase: Its the economy, stupid.

Today, as headlines are dominated by stories about sexual harassment and sexual assault at work, a similar phrase comes to mind: Its the power, stupid.

At 48 years old, Im lucky that Ive never been sexually harassed or assaulted by anyone I worked for. The fact that this could be considered lucky is a problem in itself, but based on the numbers, I am lucky. Ive only ever worked for men, and all of my bosses have been not just respectful, but deeply supportive.

Still, like almost every woman  and some men  I know, I have experienced sexual harassment in the form of unwanted sexual advances in the course of doing my job. A hand on my leg under the table at a meeting. Married men  all decades older than I  offering career advice and then suggesting that they could share it with me alone late at night. The conference where a man I declined leaving a dinner with came to my hotel room late at night and banged on my door until I called security.

I didnt work for any of these men. But in every single one of these situations, they had more power than I did. Thats not a coincidence. Its why they felt free to cross that line.

As Ive become more senior and gained more power, these moments have occurred less and less frequently. But they still happen every so often, even in my current job  but only ever with men who, in that moment, feel that they have more power than I do. Thats why Im absolutely convinced that its the power, stupid.

This is a critical moment for anyone who faces unwanted sexual advances at work. Sexual harassment has been tolerated for far too long in the halls of government and companies large and small. For the first time in my professional life, it feels like people are finally prepared to hold perpetrators responsible. Im cheering  both as my current self and as that younger self who jumped up to bolt the lock on a hotel room door.

But cheering is not enough. And while this is no doubt a watershed moment in empowering victims to speak up, sharing stories  which takes immense courage by itself  is also not enough. We need systemic, lasting changes that deter bad behavior and protect everyone, from professionals climbing the corporate ladder to workers in low-paid positions who often have little power. We need to end the abuse of power imbalances due to gender  and race and ethnicity, too. We must not lose this opportunity.

Too many workplaces lack clear policies about how to handle accusations of sexual harassment. Theres no question that this can be complicated and challenging to address. Some investigations come down to one persons word against anothers. There are consensual workplace relationships that make others uncomfortable or turn ugly, or harassment that doesnt involve sex but does involve sexism. And because companies do not have access to tools like criminal forensics or search warrants, they depend on law enforcement to do its part  which doesnt always happen. Consider the hundreds of thousands of rape kits that remain untouched and untested in police stations across America  sending the message that if you hurt someone sexually, theres a good chance youll get away with it.

Every workplace should start with clear principles, then institute policies to support them. First, develop workplace training that sets the standard for respectful behavior at work, so people understand right from the start whats expected of them. Second, treat all claims  and the people who voice them  with seriousness, urgency, and respect. Third, create an investigation process that protects employees from stigma or retaliation. Fourth, follow a process that is fairly and consistently applied in every case, both for victims and those accused. Fifth, take swift and decisive action when wrongdoing has occurred. And sixth, make it clear that all employees have a role to play in keeping workplaces safe  and that enablers and failed gatekeepers are complicit when they stay silent or look the other way.

It is my hope that as more employers put thoughtful, effective policies into place  and as more is done to punish the perpetrators  more people will come forward without fear. For too long, too many people have believed that theres no point in reporting harassment  that nothing will happen, or worse, that it will negatively impact their career. And on the other side, some people are scared that their reputations will be ruined unfairly. Having a consistent and fair process that applies to everyone helps protect against both scenarios and restores a degree of faith in the system.

Most of all, it is my hope that this moment will lead to a stronger, more equitable workplace culture that treats women with more respect and affords them more opportunities.

We have to be vigilant to make sure this happens. I have already heard the rumblings of a backlash: This is why you shouldnt hire women. Actually, this is why you should.

And you shouldnt just hire women  you should mentor, advise, and promote them. Four years ago, I wrote in Lean In that 64 percent of senior male managers were afraid to be alone with a female colleague, in part because of fears of being accused of sexual harassment. The problem with this is that mentoring almost always occurs in one-on-one settings. One of the most gratifying responses I got from Lean In was when senior men acknowledged that they had been giving fewer opportunities to women, often without really thinking about it. I got call after call where CEOs and some of the most senior men in many industries told me, I never really thought about it before  but you are right that I take men on the trip and to the dinner rather than women and that is unfair.

The percentage of men who will be afraid to be alone with a female colleague has to be sky high right now. Doing right by women in the workplace does not just mean treating them with respect. It also means not isolating or ignoring them  and making access equal. Whether that means you take all your direct reports out to dinner or none of them, the key is to give men and women equal opportunities to succeed. This is a critical moment to remind ourselves how important this is. So much good is happening to fix workplaces right now. Lets make sure it does not have the unintended consequence of holding women back.

Ultimately, the thing that will bring the most to change our culture is the one Ive been writing and talking about for a long time: having more women with more power.

The world has always been run by men, and it still is today. Only thirteen countries and 6 percent of Fortune 500 companies are run by women. Just 13 percent of police officers are women, and only a few hundred are police chiefs. And less than 20 percent of the U.S. Congress is female.

These numbers reveal a power structure that has marginalized women and others for far too long. We need to see more women in these roles  and more people of color, LGBT individuals, and members of religious minorities and underrepresented groups of all kinds. We are seeing what happens when power is held nearly exclusively by men. It gives rise to an environment in which, at its worst, women are treated as bodies to be leered at or grabbed, rather than peers entitled to equal respect.

It wouldnt solve all the problems we face if more women were in power  although I believe we could get quite a lot of good done. But one things for certain: many fewer people would be groped and worse while trying to do their jobs. And that would be a major step in the right direction.
When Senate Republicans passed their tax reform package early Saturday morning, after hours of debate, some major donors  some of whose contributions were hinging on this passage  may have been just as happy as the lawmakers.

In the weeks leading up to the vote on tax reform, some GOP members of Congress were not exactly quiet about the financial repercussions they might face if they failed to pass something.

My donors are basically saying, Get it done or dont ever call me again, Rep. Chris Collins told The Hill last month. Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly said that if the GOP doesnt pass the bill, contributions will stop. (Grahams spokesperson said Saturday this quote was taken grossly out of context, but did not clarify further).

Q: What happens if GOP isn't able to pass tax reform?



Graham: "The party fractures, most incumbents in 2018 will get a severe primary challenge, a lot of them will probably lose, the base will fracture, the financial contributions will stop, other than that it'll be fine!"  Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) November 9, 2017

In the hours before the bill passed, Doug Deason, a Texas financier and major Republican donor, said he agreed with Grahams assessment.

Its just disappointing when you help put people in office and they dont do anything, he said in an interview with Fortune Friday evening. Deason had been open about the fact that he was withholding his checkbook from incumbent Republican Senators unless they passed tax reform, with the exception of Ted Cruz.  If they get this done especially if it has the repeal mandate on [the Affordable Care Act] then yeah well be very supportive of incumbent senators. 

Deason said he had been much more involved in talks about the healthcare bill than he had been about tax reform. But he said he had met with Texas Sen. John Cornyn and his tax team over the past month, and Cornyn had expressed confidence the Senate would pass a bill.

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At the end of the day it doesnt really matter what the Senate passes, they just need to pass something and get it to conference committee, said Deason, explaining that he wanted the two chambers to convene.

In the day leading up to the vote, however, some Senators were a bit more cautious about expressing the pressure from donors.

I think some of our members have expressed concern about that, South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, who is not up for reelection in 2018, said on Friday. But honestly the big issue is just the confidence of the American people. The American public wants us to get something done.

We really do care about whether or not the American people have confidence in what weve done, Rounds continued. And its one thing to have donors to say look Im mad because I disagree with you because this is important. Those donors really feel strongly about the future of America as well.

But if polls are any indication, the American public doesnt seem to be on board. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Nov. 29, 49 percent of those aware of the bill opposed it. And the final version was not released until several hours before the actual vote.

Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, he lone Republican holdout on the bill, had decided against running for reelection. When asked on Friday about donor pressure other Senators were facing, Corker demurred.

I have no idea, he said. I have not had any conversation with funders lately.
[caption id="attachment_3757" align="aligncenter" width="558"]

Paul Manafort leaves the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after a status conference on November 2, 2017.

Paul Manafort leaves the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after a status conference on November 2, 2017.

Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM.[/caption] Government lawyers told a federal judge Monday that Paul Manafort violated a gag order she issued last month. In a filing Monday, lawyers for the special counsel's office wrote Manafort has, as late as Nov. 30, been ghost-writing an op-ed with an unnamed Russian colleague "regarding his political work for Ukraine." The colleague, the lawyers said, is "assessed to have ties to a Russian intelligence service." U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued an order Nov. 8 barring the parties and counsel in the case from making public statements that could affect Manafort's trial. The op-ed was never published, but government lawyers wrote the violation shows Manafort is untrustworthy. While the government previously agreed to bail conditions Manafort's lawyers, Kevin Downing and Thomas Zehnle proposed last month, that position has changed."Because Manafort has now taken actions that reflect an intention to violate or circumvent the Courts existing Orders, at a time one would expect particularly scrupulous adherence, the government submits that the proposed bail package is insufficient reasonably to assure his appearance as required."Manafort pleaded not guilty last month to several charges including money laundering and failure to report foreign lobbying. Jackson has already scolded Downing for making statements to the media outside the courthouse.The filing said that Berman Jackson should impose additional measures on Manafort than were mentioned in his proposal, including GPS monitoring and a "fully secured bond." The government noted that the largest of the assets in Manafort's proposed package, his Bridgehampton property, is already subject to forfeiture in his indictment. "Because bail is substantially about trust  in particular, whether the Court can trust that a defendant will abide by the combination of conditions designed to assure his appearance as required   and because the newly discovered facts cast doubt on Manaforts willingness to comply with this Courts Orders, Manaforts proposed bail package does not provide the reasonable assurance required by the Bail Reform Act," they wrote.
trader

Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Stocks closed mixed on Monday, with the Dow hitting a new record, after a whirlwind weekend in which the Senate narrowly passed its Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the early hours of Saturday morning. The bill proposes to cut the corporate rate to 20% while changing individual tax brackets and significantly undercutting portions of the Affordable Care Act.

The news injected some much-welcomed volatility into markets. Tech stocks took a beating, while other sectors  like finance  soared.

Heres the scoreboard:

Dow : 24,290.05 (+0.24%)

S&P 500 : 2,639.44 (-0.11%)

Nasdaq : 6,775.37 (-1.05%)

US 10-year : 2.36% (-1.96%)

Oil: $57.45 (-1.56%)

In other news:

CVS is buying Aetna for $69 billion in a deal that could radically reshape the American healthcare system as we know it. The deal creates a new type of company that combines a health insurer, a retail pharmacy, and a company that negotiates prescription drug prices with drugmakers called a pharmacy benefits manager. It's the biggest merger to happen in the US in 2017.

The Winklevoss twins became the first confirmed bitcoin billionaires as the cryptocurrency crossed $11,500 for the first time on record.

CBOE Global Markets, the Chicago-based options and derivatives exchange, announced Monday it'll offer trading of its bitcoin futures product on December 11. The exchange, as well its cross-town rival CME Group, both received clearance from the US Commodity Futures Commission last week to launch bitcoin futures, which would allow investors to bet on the future price of the red-hot digital currency.

Story continues

Broadcom is laying the foundation for a hostile takeover of competing chipmaker Qualcomm.

NOW WATCH: One type of ETF is taking over the market

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How the tax bill just made it significantly more dangerous to be a woman in America

Much like everything else Congress is doing these days, the new tax bill makes it more dangerous to be a woman in so many obvious ways that its going to be hard to take any single representative or senator that voted for it seriously the next time they pretend to care about women. Last week, both the House of Representatives and Senate passed their versions of a tax reform bill, which means that this week, the two chambers of Congress are putting their heads together and working out the details to merge the two bills. Theyll then pass it on over to Donald Trump, who is essentially salivating for any real legislation to sign.

Republicans, especially party leaders like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, are clamoring to get something done before the holidays so they can point to something they actually completed  anything, really  and further legitimize Trumps presidency. This is precisely why both bills are being rushed through Congress. On Friday night, for example, the Senate got a nearly 500-page draft of the bill with handwritten notes in it to vote on, passing it at a shady 2 a.m. Saturday morning, with very little likelihood that anyone had read through it all. This, friends, is not normal.

The Republican tax plan is a big step closer to success. The sweeping overhaul passed the Senate Budget Committee Tuesday on a party-line vote. That vote followed another Capitol Hill visit from the president. https://t.co/fgpLoqSihE pic.twitter.com/9WyRStbn53  CBS News (@CBSNews) November 29, 2017

What is normal, sadly, is the very routine way the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act chips away at womens rights and livelihoods. Youd think this would get less infuriating with time, but it doesnt. Since theyre still working it all out, theres time to call your representatives and shut this thing down. Here are just a few of the ways the tax bill hurts women, though really, when you factor in the gender wage gap and the fact that most families hovering at and around the poverty line are run by women, literally every single rule hurts women.

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1. The tax credits mean nothing to regular people.

Helpful @washingtonpost Analysis | Here are 7 differences Republicans must resolve between their tax bills https://t.co/UbNtqatbf0, including this on #ChildTaxCredit boost (spoiler: low-income families left out!) pic.twitter.com/LcySPcWIpb  Meredith Dodson (@dodsonadvocate) December 4, 2017

There are tax cuts across all income levels in both bills that are being reconciled this week, however, most of the cuts benefit millionaires and billionaires. The cuts that could potentially help the middle class are so small that they wont really matter  and they all expire somewhere between 2019 and 2026 anyway.

Take the Child Tax Credit (CTC), for example. The money that people can get deducted just for having a kid and keeping it alive will theoretically increase, but even this benefits wealthier people. While hashing things out this weekend, GOP leaders, like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, had the chance to fight for an even larger child tax credit  by just one teeny tiny percent  so that more people would benefit from it, but instead they voted for a smaller CTC increase so that corporations could keep the proposed 20 percent tax rate, even if it means helping out families with children.

FACT: Under the Republican plan, a single mother making minimum wage with two kids would get only a $75 tax credit. Meanwhile, a family making $500k with two kids would get a $4,000 tax credit. #TaxDebate  Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) November 29, 2017

According to the left-leaning Center for American Progress:

 Compared with current law, a single mother with two children earning just $14,500 per year [which is equivalent to a minimum wage job] would see a $75 increase if the bill were enacted, while a married couple with two children earning $500,000 per year would get a $4,000 increase.

Also, any cuts for actual humans expires by 2026, although tax cuts for corporations will remain permanent, so its nothing to get excited about.

2. The bill repeals a vital part of the Affordable Care Act.

If senators repeal critical parts of the #ACA in their tax plan, insurance will become less affordable  with average premiums expected to rise by 10%.



Stop this bill and make the call: https://t.co/lyIN17dwmw pic.twitter.com/VwyroWslOW  Planned Parenthood (@PPact) November 30, 2017

Both the House and Senate tax bill guts the individual mandate part of the ACA, which means that people wont be forced, via a tax penalty, to get health insurance. This means that millions of people will likely leave the health insurance market, thus driving premiums up. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that premiums will rise 10 percent every year. Doing the math, any kind of CTC or personal exemption in the new law wouldnt necessarily be enough for single women or low-income families to actually to cover the rise in a monthly insurance premium. Its like saving $50 by not going out one Friday and then your landlord emails that theyre raising your rent by $300 a month.

The CBO also agrees that low-income families would hurt the most under this plan, since they likely have part-time jobs or unstable work that doesnt guarantee them employer-backed health insurance, leaving them to pay out of pocket.

3. It lets religious groups who hate birth control play in politics.

This is actually one of the scariest things about the House version of the bill, and it could change once they have to reconcile it with the Senate bill. But the fact that representatives were totally fine with getting rid of the Johnson Amendment shows just how powerful conservative lobbies are in Congress. (Trump campaigned on repealing it, BTW, so he might have some say in whether this gets reconciled or not.)

As it stands, a religious organization is totally exempt from paying taxes. In return for this financial gift, they cant endorse political parties or policies. In the House version of the tax bill, these groups could push their conservative, often anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ rights, anti-womens health care agendas by endorsing candidates  and still not pay any taxes at all.

4. Programs women use will eventually suffer.

Sen Manchin: The tax bill was not what I was told, I dont think leadership ever had any intention of making this a bipartisan bill https://t.co/3pDKSHBH1I  The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) December 4, 2017

By giving huge corporations a huge tax cut, Congress will increase the national deficit by $1.7 trillion, which is already supposed to be totally out of bounds by procedural rules. Giving corporations this tax cut is so important to the GOP that they will do it at any cost  its why cuts for families and certain tax credits are so small. They have to make up that trillion dollars somehow. They could eventually do this by putting other social programs, like Medicaid, social security, even food benefit programs are on the proverbial chopping block.

In addition to the possible cuts to these programs, both tax bills float the idea of getting rid of local and state deductions, which means people can no longer write off the money they pay locally on their federal tax returns, thus lowering the incentive to keep up on those bills in the first place. That means that public schools, which run on state and local taxes, and other social services wont be securely funded if the bill passes.

5. Its a total fake out for parental leave.

This tax bill will affect the lives of everyone. Your parents. Your grandparents. Children. And its is being rewritten in secret, on the same day they want to bring it to a vote. This is no way to govern.  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) December 1, 2017

There is a tax credit that employers can take if they give parental leave to employees. According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, The proposal would offer small tax credits to employers who voluntarily offer paid family and medical leave to certain employees, but it would do nothing to put paid leave within reach for the millions of working people who have not won the boss lottery.'

Only 13 percent of workers actually have the ability to take parental leave  people working lower income gigs or part-time work wont benefit from this at all. The credit also expires in 2019, which means its a fleeting little clause put in the bill to make people think the GOP has the best interests of women and families at heart.

This tax bill is messed up on so many levels, but the way it targets women, especially women with kids or in lower income brackets, is particularly offensive.
Chris Bishop June 2015 Image 3

Microsoft

The NIPS conference has become the AI hiring event of the year

Big tech firms like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft send armies of people to try to find machine learning experts to join their ranks

Salaries on offer often run into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.





The global war for artificial intelligence (AI) talent is raging, with tech giants fighting it out to hire the brightest minds in the field and use them to take their platforms into unchartered waters.

Finding the top people isn't easy. There's currently a shortage of people with the skills and experience needed to make breakthroughs in machine learning, a field of computer science that gives machines the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed. Fortunately, many of the top minds in the field are going to be concentrated in one place this week when they descend on a conference in Long Beach, California, called NIPS, which stands for neural information processing systems.

Google, Microsoft, DeepMind, Facebook, Intel, Nvidia, Amazon, Apple, and Open AI (Elon Musk's AI research lab) will all be at NIPS presenting their latest research and looking to hire people from rival firms, as well as PhD students fresh out of universities like Stanford, MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial.

"The NIPS conference that is once a year in December is unofficially the hiring event of the year," a Microsoft Research spokesperson told Business Insider last week. "So Microsoft is one of the companies that will be there representing the UK and looking to find those researchers that not only are the worlds best but also fit with our values. We've got quite a stake in this."

Tweet Embed:

https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/937805827674660864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

#NIPS2017 is well underway. For careers info @DeepMindAI or just to say hey head to our stand #researchcareers #techjobs #careers https://t.co/QUHiXAeKjj

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In some respects, AI specialists are quickly becoming the new investment bankers. Multibillion tech companies are willing to pay big annual salaries  often in excess of 100,000 and sometimes up to 1 million  to people that know how to programme machines to learn, according to Nick Bostrom, a philosopher at the University of Oxford. He told a select committee on artificial intelligence in October that many of these people are still in their mid-twenties.

Chris Bishop, head of Microsoft Research in Cambridge, told Business Insider that he will be on the lookout for potential recruits at the NIPS conference this week. Microsoft is one of the biggest sponsors at the event and he'll be manning Microsoft's Research stand, among other things.

"What we're seeing is this tremendous growth in demand for talent and right now that's being led by the big tech companies, including Microsoft, who are focusing on artificial intelligence and machine learning," said Bishop. "We're seeing market forces at play, we're seeing a lot of very smart young people choosing to go into this field but it takes time."

In a few years time it won't just be big tech companies that want to hire machine learning and AI talent, according to Bishop.

Tweet Embed:

https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/937708307623456768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I'm pretty sure @DeepMindAI has rented out half of the Hyatt Regency. The number of t-shirts and/or recognizable faces is incredible. #NIPS2017

"As machine learning becomes ever more pervasive we'll see many different sectors  finance, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, across the whole spectrum  looking for talent in this space," he said. "So I think the [talent shortage[ phenomenon we're seeing will be with us for some number of years. It's very hard to predict of course but I don't see it changing dramatically any time soon."

But the near term AI developments over the next decade or two won't lead to the sci-fi AI scenarios painted in Hollywood movies, where machines with human level intelligence (or even superintelligence) roam around our planet of their own accord, according to Bishop.

Tweet Embed:

https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/936447512965029894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Facebook papers and activities at NIPS. https://t.co/p8mPgiSWjs

"Artificial intelligence in the true sense is an aspirational goal for the future which will be underpinned by machine learning but in the short term  in the next decade or two at least  there will be many practical applications of machine learning that I wouldn't really call true intelligence but of huge practical value," he said.

"So we need to upskill people as the nature of the way software gets created is changing. Not for all software but for much of it."

NOW WATCH: The Navy has its own Area 51  and its right in the middle of the Bahamas

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A cache of emails from President Donald Trump's transition team has raised questions about Michael Flynn acting as a "rogue" agent, with one national security advisor quoted in an email saying Russia "has just thrown U.S.A. election to him," according to a report in The New York Times . The Times story suggests former national security advisor Michael Flynn acted with the knowledge of other senior members of the Trump team. In a series of electronic communications, Flynn kept key transition figures in the loop before and after conversations he had with a Russian diplomat, the publication reported. In one email sent on Dec. 29, K.T. McFarland addressed Trump advisor Tom Bossert, about President Barack Obama 's decision to impose sanctions on Russia for election interference. At the time, McFarland was transition advisor; she later became deputy national security advisor under Michael Flynn."If there is a tit-for-tat escalation, Trump will have difficulty improving relations with Russia, which has just thrown U.S.A. election to him," she wrote.However, the report also stated that it was unclear whether McFarland meant "thrown" literally. A White House lawyer told the Times that McFarland was not saying she believed the election had been thrown. The attorney said she only meant that that was what Democrats were saying at the time.Trump was scheduled to have a call at 5 p.m. that day with McFarland shortly after the email was sent, but it is not clear whether that meeting actually happened, the Times wrote.Bossert forwarded the exchange to six other White House staffers. The Times said they included Reince Priebus, the appointee to become chief of staff, senior advisor Stephen Bannon and Sean Spicer, who would become press secretary. Bossert also forwarded the exchange to Flynn. The same day that McFarland sent the email, Flynn called McFarland to discuss what he should communicate to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about the sanctions . That conversation was first disclosed in court papers filed by special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday, and sheds new light on Flynn's surreptitious dealings with the Russian ambassador. Those allegations ultimately led to his resignation only 24 days into his White House tenure, and appeared to be known among the president's inner circle.Flynn on Friday pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and said he would be cooperating with the investigation into contacts between the president's top aides and Russia, including possible collusion. "It would have been political malpractice not to discuss sanctions," the president's lawyer Ty Cobb told the Times. "The presidential transition guide specifically encourages contact with and outreach to foreign dignitaries."Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that he believes McFarland "needs to come in" and testify about the email exchange to the special counsel and congressional investigators.Warner is the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is leading an investigation into ties between Trump and the Kremlin. That probe is independent of the special counsel's office.The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said that she would push for her committee to interview McFarland as well.Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said on NBC's "Meet The Press" that "the Democratic side, I can assure you, will" request an interview with McFarland.Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with the Russian government and called the accusations a "witch hunt."I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the vice president and the FBI. He has plead guilty to those lies. It is a shame, because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!McFarland is now the White House's nominee to become ambassador to Singapore. She told Congress in a hearing that she believes Russia interfered in the election, an assessment shared by the intelligence community.The Times' full report can be found on its website. A cache of emails from President Donald Trump's transition team has raised questions about Michael Flynn acting as a "rogue" agent, with one national security advisor quoted in an email saying Russia "has just thrown U.S.A. election to him," according to a report in The New York Times . The Times story suggests former national security advisor Michael Flynn acted with the knowledge of other senior members of the Trump team. In a series of electronic communications, Flynn kept key transition figures in the loop before and after conversations he had with a Russian diplomat, the publication reported. In one email sent on Dec. 29, K.T. McFarland addressed Trump advisor Tom Bossert, about President Barack Obama 's decision to impose sanctions on Russia for election interference. At the time, McFarland was transition advisor; she later became deputy national security advisor under Michael Flynn. "If there is a tit-for-tat escalation, Trump will have difficulty improving relations with Russia, which has just thrown U.S.A. election to him," she wrote. However, the report also stated that it was unclear whether McFarland meant "thrown" literally. A White House lawyer told the Times that McFarland was not saying she believed the election had been thrown. The attorney said she only meant that that was what Democrats were saying at the time. Trump was scheduled to have a call at 5 p.m. that day with McFarland shortly after the email was sent, but it is not clear whether that meeting actually happened, the Times wrote. Bossert forwarded the exchange to six other White House staffers. The Times said they included Reince Priebus, the appointee to become chief of staff, senior advisor Stephen Bannon and Sean Spicer, who would become press secretary. Bossert also forwarded the exchange to Flynn. The same day that McFarland sent the email, Flynn called McFarland to discuss what he should communicate to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about the sanctions . That conversation was first disclosed in court papers filed by special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday, and sheds new light on Flynn's surreptitious dealings with the Russian ambassador. Those allegations ultimately led to his resignation only 24 days into his White House tenure, and appeared to be known among the president's inner circle. Flynn on Friday pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and said he would be cooperating with the investigation into contacts between the president's top aides and Russia, including possible collusion. "It would have been political malpractice not to discuss sanctions," the president's lawyer Ty Cobb told the Times. "The presidential transition guide specifically encourages contact with and outreach to foreign dignitaries." Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that he believes McFarland "needs to come in" and testify about the email exchange to the special counsel and congressional investigators. Warner is the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is leading an investigation into ties between Trump and the Kremlin. That probe is independent of the special counsel's office. The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said that she would push for her committee to interview McFarland as well. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said on NBC's "Meet The Press" that "the Democratic side, I can assure you, will" request an interview with McFarland. Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with the Russian government and called the accusations a "witch hunt." I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the vice president and the FBI. He has plead guilty to those lies. It is a shame, because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide! McFarland is now the White House's nominee to become ambassador to Singapore. She told Congress in a hearing that she believes Russia interfered in the election, an assessment shared by the intelligence community. The Times' full report can be found on its website.



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The passage of Donald Trump's tax-cut plans through the Senate over the weekend helped boost the dollar. (AFP Photo/MANDEL NGAN)

Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump denied Sunday having asked then FBI director James Comey to stop investigating ex-national security advisor Michael Flynn, as the Russia meddling probe darkened what would otherwise have been a victorious week for the Republican president.

Trump appeared to be backtracking furiously from a tweet Saturday that deepened suspicions that he engaged in obstruction of justice -- an impeachable offense -- in the Russia scandal haunting his presidency.

In that Twitter post, Trump said he had fired Flynn in February for lying not just to the vice president but also to Comey's FBI, which was probing Flynn over his pre-inauguration contacts with the Russian ambassador about US sanctions imposed by Barack Obama against Russia for interfering in the US election.

Comey has testified under oath to lawmakers that a day after firing Flynn, Trump asked him to drop the Flynn probe.

If Comey is to be believed, the Saturday tweet suggests Trump asked the FBI to lay off someone in his administration that Trump now acknowledges he knew had committed a felony -- lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

But on Sunday, Trump insisted, "I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!"

Trump fired Comey in May and has said he did so with the Russia probe in mind.

Representative Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence committee, said Sunday suspicions of obstruction of justice by Trump are growing.

Schiff argued that if the evidence shows that Trump knew about and directed Flynn's Russia contacts, and then asked Comey to drop the matter after his lies to the FBI came to light, "Then you get the case of obstruction of justice."

"I think that's the significance of this context in which the president was intervening," he said on ABC's This Week.

Senator Diane Feinstein told NBC: "I think what we are beginning to see is a case of obstruction of justice."

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"Clearly he is making progress," Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, said of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

And in the wake of Trump's seemingly self-incriminating Twitter post on Saturday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a said he had advice for him.

"You tweet and comment regarding ongoing criminal investigations at your own peril. I'd be careful if I were you, Mr. President. I'd watch it," Graham told CBS.

In an ominous turn for the president, Flynn on Friday pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and pledged to cooperate with Mueller.

White House officials told The New York Times that in his tweet Saturday Trump was only referencing Flynn's guilty plea for lying to the FBI about his conversations with then Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Trump's personal lawyer John Dowd told ABC News that he had drafted the tweet and had done so in a "sloppy" manner.

- What the president knew, and when -

Mueller's focus goes beyond possible collusion with Russia to business dealings and whether Trump himself tried to thwart the investigation.

Trump also expressed anger Sunday over word that a senior FBI counterintelligence official, Peter Strzok, was removed from the Russia investigation over the summer for sending text messages critical of Trump.

Strzok had also worked on the probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.

"ANTI-TRUMP FBI AGENT LED CLINTON EMAIL PROBE" Now it all starts to make sense!" Trump wrote.

As he left for a day trip to New York on Saturday, Trump again insisted his team had not plotted with Moscow to sway the election in his favor over Clinton, who won the popular vote but lost the all-important electoral college count.

"What has been shown is no collusion. There's been absolutely no collusion. So we're very happy," Trump said.

Comey himself seemed to be addressing the latest developments in an Instagram message: "To paraphrase the Buddha -- Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun; the moon; and the truth."

- Tax win overshadowed -

The explosive new developments in the Russia probe have overshadowed a major legislative win for Trump: the Senate's passage of the most significant US tax overhaul in 31 years.

Both the Senate and House versions lower the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent, and include more modest tax cuts aimed at individuals across all income levels.

Democrats argue that the plan is too expensive and will accommodate only the rich, and that it could ultimately impact cherished US entitlement programs like Medicare.

The Senate bill was, just 24 hours earlier, on the brink of collapse when a handful of Republican deficit hawks balked at the plan's $1.5 trillion price tag for 10 years.

Trump hopes to sign a final bill before Christmas. That would be a much-needed victory for the president, who has delivered on hardly any of his major legislative promises, including repealing the health care law known as Obamacare.

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Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Monday he "feels badly" for his former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty last week to lying to the FBI, and lamented that his former rival Hillary Clinton "lied many times" and nothing happened.

Trump's comments to reporters were the latest in a series of outbursts over the FBI's sprawling Russia probe after Flynn's guilty plea on Friday and his admission he is cooperating with investigators.

"I feel badly for general Flynn. I feel very badly," Trump said before heading off on a trip to Utah. "He's led a very strong life, and I feel badly about it."

"I will say this -- Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI. Nothing. Flynn lied, and they destroyed his life. I think it's a shame," he said, calling Flynn's treatment "unfair."

Flynn, Trump's first national security advisor, has pledged to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into whether members of Trump's team colluded with covert Russian efforts to sway the 2016 US election in the Republican's favor.

As part of the deal, the retired three-star general pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Russia's ambassador to Washington during the presidential transition.

Trump lashed out at the FBI over the weekend, accusing it of bias in favor of Clinton during its election-year probe of the former secretary of state's use of a private server for classified email. The FBI declined to bring charges in that case.
By Alexandra Ulmer and Deisy Buitrago CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday gained more powers over the OPEC member's oil contracts, as a deepening purge looks set to strengthen the leftist leader's control of the key energy sector amid a debilitating recession. A months-long crackdown on alleged graft in Venezuela's oil industry has led to the arrest of some 65 former executives, including two prominent officials who used to lead both the oil ministry and state oil company PDVSA. Corruption has long plagued Venezuela, home to the world's biggest crude reserves, but the socialist government usually said "smear campaigns" were behind accusations of widespread graft. Maduro has recently changed his tack, blaming "thieves" and "traitors" for the country's imploding economy. PDVSA's new boss, former housing minister Major General Manuel Quevedo, said on Sunday that all oil service contracts and executive positions would be reviewed by Maduro as of Monday. "There aren't going to be any more contracts backed by the board to keep pillaging, as has happened in some instances," said Quevedo during a visit to the ailing Paraguana Refining Center. Further details were not immediately available. PDVSA did not respond to a request for information. ART, WINE, GOLD CHESS SET The most recent high-profile sweep saw Diego Salazar, a relative of former oil czar Rafael Ramirez, detained on Friday on charges of helping launder some around 1.35 billion euros to Andorra. During his Sunday television program, Maduro flashed a painting by Venezuelan painter Armando Reveron and pictures of luxury goods, including bottles from an alleged 300,000 euro wine cellar, he said belonged to Salazar. "Thieves!" said Maduro, banging his fist on the table, during the near five-hour broadcast. "All your assets must be expropriated," he added, stressing that the money should go to state coffers. Reuters was not able to confirm Maduro's accusations or contact a representative for Salazar. His detention has spurred speculation that authorities are after Ramirez, who was the powerful head of PDVSA and the oil ministry for a decade before Maduro demoted him as an envoy to the United Nations in 2014. A protracted rivalry between Maduro and Ramirez has increased in recent weeks, insiders say, especially after Ramirez wrote online opinion articles criticizing Maduro's handling of Venezuela's economy. Maduro fired Ramirez last week and summoned him back to Caracas, according to people familiar with the clash. When asked by Reuters on Whatsapp whether Ramirez was being investigated, chief state prosecutor Tarek Saab on Sunday replied: "We're investigating everyone without exceptions." (Writing by Alexandra UlmerEditing by Sandra Maler)
Today in a press conference, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman elaborated on his office's efforts to investigate the FCC's flood of fake anti-net neutrality comments while calling for a delay of the agency's vital net neutrality vote until the source of the fraudulent comments is identified. Schneiderman joined a group of 27 senators who are also calling for a delay on the December 14 vote that is widely expected to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules.

Schneiderman was joined onstage by Democratic FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, an Obama-era appointee who was reappointed by the Trump administration.

"[It is] incumbent upon the FCC and all of my colleagues to stand back, figure out what's in this record before us and get to the bottom of these stolen identities," said Rosenworcel. Schneiderman added that the feedback system was "corrupted"  a fact that he accuses the FCC of being well aware of.

According to Schneiderman, the net neutrality feedback process generated more than 23 million total comments, marking an unprecedented level of participation. His office suspects that as many as a million of those comments are linked to stolen identities, including a 13-year-old who never submitted a comment, a recently deceased woman and the office of the Attorney General's own assistant press secretary. He called on government officials in other states with residents that appear to have "likely victims" to get involved, including California, Missouri, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Schneiderman cited reports that that half a million of the comments appear to have been filed from Russian email addresses, a fact that net neutrality advocates likely hope will stoke further public interest in the often dry proceedings of the communications regulatory body. Further, Schneiderman notes that 50,000 consumer complaints are missing from the FCC record.

The New York Attorney General's office has been working on getting to the bottom of the fake FCC net neutrality comment controversy for months. Last month, Schneiderman criticized the FCC for its failure to cooperate in his office's ongoing investigation into the fake comments, which it began in June, making repeated contacts to the FCC over the subsequent five months . Last week, Schneiderman set up a website that allows New Yorkers to report if their name and identifying info was misused to make a fraudulent net neutrality feedback comment appear legitimate. Last month, a data set analyzing the FCC's net neutrality comments between April and October of this year revealed that more than a million anti-net neutrality comments that flooded the FCC's system appear to have been sown by spambots, while as many as 99 percent of the legitimate comments were voicing their support of net neutrality.

"There's no way with this set of corrupted records...[we can] have a vote based on what the American people really think," Schneiderman said.
Afghan officials say they have killed dozens of Al-Qaeda officials during operations in eastern and southern Afghanistan, including senior leader Omar Khetab.

The National Directorate of Security said in a statement on December 5 that some 80 members of the extremist Islamic group had been killed and 27 others arrested in the joint operations with NATO-led coalition forces.

It did not give a date for when the operations were carried out.

The Afghan intelligence agency added that its forces also destroyed five Al-Qaeda bases in southern Zabul Province and the eastern Ghazni and Paktia provinces.

The statement said Khetab -- who was also known as Omar Mansoor -- was the second-most powerful leader of the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent group, which has vowed to establish an Islamic caliphate by overthrowing the governments in Pakistan, India, Burma, and Bangladesh.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis held counterterrorism talks with Pakistani officials in Islamabad on December 4. His visit follows warnings by senior U.S. military and intelligence officials that Islamabad has yet to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on its soil in line with President Donald Trumps Afghanistan and South Asia strategy. Islamabad, however, seems keen on attributing Washingtons warning as a sign of its frustration and the difference of perception between the two capitals on Afghanistan.

Speaking to RFE/RL Radio Mashaal, leading analyst and author Ahmed Rashid discusses the challenges ahead and potential sanctions the U.S. government may impose on Pakistan.

RFE/RL: Is it really a perception issue or has Pakistan not fulfilled Trumps request to wipe out the alleged terrorists safe havens?

Ahmed Rashid: Definitely, there is growing tension between Pakistan and the United States. All NATO allies have been pushing Islamabad to curb the presence and role of the Haqqani network and Taliban leadership in Pakistan. The impatience is growing. The Trump administration has already given December as a deadline for Pakistan to do something. I think the expectation now is to wait and see if there will be penalties imposed on Pakistan.

RFE/RL: The Pakistani military say there are no militant hideouts in Pakistan. Do you believe that?

Rashid: Well, if you look at what happened recently in Pakistan when fundamentalist groups protested in Islamabad while blackmailing and threatening the government, there is no shortage of extremists in Pakistan itself, which has still not cleared out. As far as the Haqqani network is concerned, there is a lot of logistical support from these extremist groups given to Haqqanis inside Pakistan. A lot of the logistics this terror network uses in Afghanistan are coming from this part of the world. So, I do believe the Afghan Taliban are still very active in Pakistan. They get a lot of their recruits, support, and help from the Pakistani side of the border, not necessarily from the government side but from their Pakistani sympathizers and supporters.

RFE/RL: What are Pakistans options? In the past, Pakistani officials have confessed having influence on the Taliban leader. Can and will they help bring the group to negotiations for peace talks?

Rashid: It all depends on the intentions of the Pakistani military. The army runs the foreign policy. At the moment, we see no indication that the military is going to change track. In fact, if you look at the fundamentalists recent demonstration in Islamabad, the military has allowed them while forcing the government to settle some amount for those going home. The agreement that the government is forced to sign with the extremist protesters is a very dangerous agreement because it sets a precedent for the future. It is all in favor of the extremists.

RFE/RL: Keeping this scenario in mind, do you think the Pakistani Army will stop running foreign policy and meddling in the countrys politics anytime soon?

Rashid: No. That is not happening at all. I think they have the most predominant, powerful, and effective role in politics at the moment.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- City National Bank is partnering once again with Barnes & Noble this holiday season for a multi-state book drive that will celebrate the joy of reading and benefit area schools in California, Nevada, New York, and Nashville, Tennessee. This is the 10th consecutive year that City National and Barnes & Noble have partnered in its holiday book drive.



This holiday program is part of the worlds largest booksellers annual Holiday Book Drive, which runs from November 1 through January 1. To participate in the book drive, holiday shoppers can purchase a book at select Barnes & Noble stores and donate it as part of this holiday program. People can also drop off a new book to any City National branch as well as go online at www.readingisthewayup.org and donate money for the purchase of new books.

City Nationals Reading is The way up literacy program will match each book donated between December 1 and January 1, up to $100,000 and the books will be distributed to area schools in the banks growing footprint early next year.

We are very proud of the strong and lasting partnership weve developed with Barnes and Noble over the past 10 years, said Carolyn Rodriguez, vice president and program administrator for City National Bank. We look forward to teaming up with Barnes & Noble each year for what has become a holiday tradition for both of our companies. Over the past 10 years our combined resources have provided schools in multiple states with more than a half million new books along with other educational resources. Helping children develop a love of reading is one of the best gifts we can give them, especially during this time of year.

Sixteen Barnes & Noble book stores in California, Nevada, New York, and Nashville, Tennessee, are participating in this years holiday book drive. The stores include:

California

Barnes & Noble, Encinitas (1040 North El Camino Real)

Barnes & Noble, Los Angeles (189 The Grove Drive)

Barnes & Noble, Long Beach (7651 Carson Street)

Barnes & Noble, Corte Madera (313 Town Center)

Barnes & Noble, Mira Mesa (10775 Westview Parkway)

Barnes & Noble, Newport Beach (401 Newport Center Drive, #A215)

Barnes & Noble, Point Loma (Bookstar, 3150 Rosecrans Place)

Barnes & Noble, Riverside (3485 Tyler Street)

Barnes & Noble, San Diego (7610 Hazard Center Drive)

Barnes & Noble, San Jose (3600 Stevens Creek Blvd.)

Barnes & Noble, Santee (9938 Mission Gorge Road)

Nevada

Barnes & Noble, Reno (5555 S. Virginia Street)

Barnes & Noble, Las Vegas (8915 West Charleston Blvd.)

Barnes & Noble, Las Vegas (2191 N. Rainbow Blvd.)

New York

Barnes & Noble, New York City (555 5th Avenue)

Tennessee

Barnes & Noble, Brentwood (1701 Mallory Lane)

About Reading is The way up

Originally established to help improve the education of Californias future leaders, City National in April 2002 launched the multi-faceted Reading is The way up initiative to restock the states school library system. The program has since been expanded to include all areas where the bank has a presence. Since its inception, the award-winning program has:

Donated more than 500,000 books to California, Nevada, New York, Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia school libraries.

Awarded over $1.4 million to teachers at elementary, middle and high schools for creative literacy projects.

Received the 2005 Presidents Volunteer Service Award, the 2005 Corporate Philanthropy Award from the Los Angeles Public Library, the 2006 Corporate Award from the Getty House Foundation, the Hugh OBrien Youth Leadership Corporate Citizen Award, and honored as the 2007 Corporate Visionary Partner by the Wonder of Reading.

Received the 2013 Innovations Reading Prize Award presented by the National Book Foundation.

Received the 2013 Outstanding Corporation of the Year Award presented by the Clark County School District-Community Partnership Program in Las Vegas, NV.

Received the 2013 Angel Light Foundation Award for excellence in community service and educational outreach presented by the Angel Light Academy in Orange County, CA.

The Reading is the Way Up Fund is a 501(c)(3) administered by the California Community Foundation. For more information, visit www.readingisthewayup.org.

About City National

With $48.7 billion in assets, City National Bank provides banking, investment and trust services through 73 offices, including 18 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville, Atlanta and Minneapolis. In addition, the company and its investment affiliates manage or administer $62.2 billion in client investment assets.

City National is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), one of North Americas leading diversified financial services companies. RBC serves more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the United States and 35 other countries.

For more information about City National, visit the companys website at cnb.com.

Media Contact:

Paul C. Stowell, City National Bank, 213.673.7602

Paul.stowell@cnb.com
Chicago, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- John R. Agar, DDS, MA, FACP, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award by the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) at the Annual Awards & Presidents Dinner during the 47th Annual Session of the ACP held in San Francisco from Nov. 1-4, 2017.

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual with the characteristics of a true humanitarian and outstanding service to the ACP. Dr. Agar received this years award for his continued dedication to helping people using his expertise as a prosthodontist. One example of his service is an annual trip he takes to Alaska where he helps craft dentures for native people, something he has done for over 20 years.

This award has special meaning and reminds me of the many individuals that I have worked with that embrace the mission of prosthodontists, said Dr. Agar. We all work for the advancement of our specialty and for dentistry in general. This award recognizes the accomplishment of all of us working together through the ACP.

A past president and Fellow, Dr. Agar has been a member of the ACP for over 30 years. He is also a past president of the American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics and the American Board of Prosthodontics.

Dr. Agar is retired from the U.S. Army, where he served as a clinician, educator, consultant and commander. Currently, he is a professor in the University of Connecticut Health Center School of Dentistrys Department of Reconstructive Services. He previously served as Director of Graduate Prosthodontics at the University of Connecticut.

About Prosthodontists

A prosthodontist is a specialized dentist who focuses on the restoration and replacement of missing teeth and correcting other oral or facial issues. With their advanced training, prosthodontists are able to help patients with things like implants, dentures and veneers, all the way to a full mouth and jaw reconstruction.

About the ACP

The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) is the only ADA recognized organization for the specialty of prosthodontics, and is the only prosthodontic organization whose membership is based solely on education credentials. Founded in 1970, ACP is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing patient care, advancing the art and science of prosthodontics, promoting the specialty of prosthodontics to the public and other dentists and healthcare professionals, ensuring the quality of prosthodontic education and providing professional services to its membership. For more information, consumers can visit GoToAPro.org and dental professionals can visit Prosthodontics.org.

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Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3cf59ce9-485c-4ee4-98ef-ef277e5cd7cf
TingF wrote:

Would appreciate if you can provide suggestion on my case.



I am a 27 yr old Chinese Female.

GMAT 710Q50 V35 IR7



Here are some details about my profile.



Full time work experience



2 years marketing experience in a healthcare MNCFortune 500

3 years digital marketing & digital media operation experience in a start-up team of a Top digital healthcare company in China

- Founder & Chief Editor of a digital media on nutrition and well-being800k+followers, awarded the best nutrition We-media in China;

- Plan digital marketing campaigns to both HCP and patients, mainly on healthcare and public health industrywith Top Tier healthcare MNCs and NGO partnerswas promoted to Senior Consultant.





Academics



Undergraduate

- Bachelor degree in Chinamajor in BioscienceGPA 87% (Top 2%)



Postgraduate

- Master degree in UKTop 10 UK Universitymajor in Nutrition and Public Health with a horrible GPAso many C and a little Beven got D at first Mark.

A-DistinctionB-MeritC-PassD-fail



Maybe the reason to Low GPA was that I was not adapting to the study and life in UK at a relative young age19. Unfortunately, I cant mention this reason in my application as I am thinking about US&EU MBA programs.





Extra-Curricular



- Chief Organizer of a fund raising activity for orphansgot first prize of Activity Competition at university level

- Volunteer in Oxfam Charity Organization in UK

- Volunteer for blind school and NGOs in China

- National Public NutritionistSenior

- Accomplished several Coursera courses





I know my postgraduate GPA is horrible and will be harmful to my application, but I am quite interested in technology & innovationmy Dream schools are



- UC Berkeley Haas

not sure to apply for R2 2018 Aug Intake, or R3 after retaking GMATas the average GMAT in Haas is 725. But R3 is quite risky especially for international applicants.

- INSEAD

plan to apply for R1 2019 Jan Intake, as I prefer a summer intern



I am also considering

- CEIBSplan to apply for R2 2018 Aug Intake

- HKUSTplan to apply for R2 2018 Aug Intake



I am also thinking about retaking GMAT in Feb 2018trying to get a better score to offset the low postgraduate GPA, for the INSEAD & Haas application. would it help?



Would appreciate any advice about school selection and application strategy, thank you!



mbaMission Senior Admissions Consultant

Chicago Booth Alum, over 70 5-star reviews on GMAT Club

Sign up for a free 30-minute consultation at https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/

Read our Insider's Guides to the top b-schools: http://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders



Kate RichardsonmbaMission Senior Admissions ConsultantChicago Booth Alum, over 70 5-star reviews on GMAT ClubSign up for a free 30-minute consultation at https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/Read our Insider's Guides to the top b-schools: http://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders Signature Read More

Hi TingF,Thanks for reaching out.I see several strengths in your profile especially your work experience and experience studying abroad. I like the nutrition-focused niche within healthcare, that's interesting. Your GMAT is strong too (especially the quant!) but could still make it challenging at Haas and INSEAD. Especially in combination with the low GPA (you should write an optional essay on that, and I think it's OK to talk about how you've grown / matured since then).Yes, a higher GMAT would help, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk of waiting til R3. That round is really tough, especially for international applicants. At that point, you may as well just take the time to improve your GMAT and wait til R1 next year.Best of luck!Kate_________________
jeromemorrow wrote:

Hi @jeromemorrow, thanks for reaching out. My comments are below.

GPA:

GMAT:

a higher score is always better- but this score is high enough to put your hat in the ring if you really don't want to retake- plus you are about out of time for R2 testing anyway

W/E:

Activities outside of work:

1. For the four years post-graduation, I competed in a sport where I was ranked top 100 in the world (Olympic sport with little to no $$ it you aren't top 5-10).

2. My spouse and I are very active in an urban mentoring program and ended up fostering a child for two years that was part of that program. this is something you don't see often-

bringing out your motivation for doing this along with what you learned from the experience could make your application more memorable

3. In addition to mentoring, I coached a youth club for the same sport as above. Extremely successful.

Post-MBA:

I'd say go for it on your list but also add a few more in target area as that is important too. and if you want to have scholarship options, go ahead and add some safety schools to list.

As long as you are also looking at Consortium why not also look at some places where you might also get some significant funding- UNC, Georgetown come to mind.

[color=#2e3192]Keep in mind that a strong application- especially to H/S/W takes some time for both self reflection and knowledge building in what the school offers that appeals to you. So if you can go deeper in your research on fewer schools that may serve you well. It can also help to have a consultant working with you to gain more targeted insight about resonates for schools on your list. We'd be glad to help you think through this more- a free consult is [https://stratusadmissionscounseling.com/admissions/business-school-admissions-consulting-gmat-club-visitor/ Without knowing which dream/reach programs you have the connections to- hard to say where you will present strongest- but I think you could present well at Kellogg, Ross, possibly Wharton. I think H/S is a stretch for most- but again a well prepared essay will stand out so I encourage you to not "phone it in" but really take the time to do a good job on the applications you submit. Yale's question about the biggest commitment you have ever made seems like it would be interesting to mention your commitment to foster child- that is really exceptional for a young adult early in their life to take that on. Best wishes to you!/color]

Hispanic Male applying R2 this cycle3.3 in Anthropology from Top 10 US university (non-HYP)710 (47Q/40V/8IR/6AWA) Only took GMAT once. Hesitant to take again because while I consistently scored a higher composite, I had splits of 43-44Q/46-47V.8 years at matriculation with all of my W/E in sales & trading. Currently work in portfolio finance at an elite hedge fund with top name recognition.Investment bankingDream: GSB (applying for Bonini Fellowship), Wharton, HBSReach: Booth, KelloggApplying via Consortium to: Ross, Haas, TuckFWIW, I completed my undergrad at one of the Dream/Reach schools (not H). Spouse is an alum of one of the Consortium schools. I have no decided whether or not I will apply to each of the Dream/Reach schools and I am looking for some insight there. I have a somewhat interesting background and compelling story. Both myself and my spouse are URM.Any critiques are welcome!
The holiday party can be a highlight of a small company's year  or an event everyone would rather forget. When there are problems, which can land a small business in legal trouble, they often start with people having too much alcohol.

A business owner can lessen the chance of trouble by keeping an event low-key, holding it during the day and/or limiting how much people can drink.

A company is legally responsible in most states if party guests, whether they're employees, customers or their dates, are hurt in or cause alcohol-related accidents. It doesn't have to be a traffic accident  if someone falls and is hurt at the party or on the way home, the boss can be liable. There's also the possibility that someone who's had too much to drink can say or do something offensive, sexually harassing or even violent. Again, it's going to be the boss's problem.

Human resources professionals say owners and managers need to set the tone for the party, reminding employees that while the event is intended to be a celebration, it is a work-related affair and that everyone is expected to behave accordingly. And, in the case of sexual harassment or violence, there will be disciplinary consequences. Owners and managers need to act as chaperones, making sure no one's drinking or behavior gets out of hand.

HR consultant Crystal Barnett fields more inquiries around this time of the year from small businesses needing guidance about making their parties trouble-free.

"They're asking for ideas about what other clients do," says Barnett, who's with the Atlanta office of HR provider Insperity.

Barnett is seeing companies move away from big blowout parties, preferring more intimate get-togethers or sit-down meals in a restaurant. And owners recognize that during the holidays, family time is what matters to many staffers, so their parties are being held in the afternoon. Both trends have the benefit of being safer for everyone.

"It cuts down on drinking," Barnett says.

Some companies that have afternoon parties, or that take the staff out for lunch, give employees an added bonus of the rest of the day off, Barnett says.

Companies that want to limit alcohol have several options. Some decide to make their parties alcohol-free. Others hire professional bartenders and give staffers tickets that can be exchanged for drinks. To be most effective, tickets should have employees' names or other identifying information on them, and staffers should have to show an ID card. That will prevent people from giving tickets to one another.

Another option is a cash bar, Barnett says. People tend to drink less when it's on their own tab. And there should be a cutoff time after which alcohol won't be served, so people have a chance to metabolize the alcohol in their systems before they leave.

Owners may want to have car services available in case someone has had too much and needs help getting home.

While owners and managers can put their staffers on notice that they're expected to behave, they don't have as much power over spouses, partners and clients. All the more reason to keep an eye on everyone's behavior.

Attorneys and HR providers recommend that owners be sure they have adequate insurance coverage before hosting a party. That can include property and casualty insurance and also employment practices liability insurance, which is intended to cover sexual harassment, discrimination and other problems that can arise at an event. If the party is being held off-site, an owner should make sure that location also has insurance.

And, if something does happen, a boss needs to be upfront about any bad behavior, accidents or misunderstandings, and not try to sweep it under the rug.
DECATUR  Work to finally remove enormous piles of debris from the former Aaction Equipment building is underway  almost three years after fire destroyed the 1060 E. Grand Ave. structure.

Heres what to know about the massive project:

WHATS BEING DONE

Crews are removing piles of bricks, pipes and other debris from the site, which takes up nearly an entire block along North Illinois Street between East Grand Avenue and East Locust Street. The rubble, which is believed to contain asbestos, has been sitting there since January 2015, when fire gutted the warehouse. Firefighters from across the region were called in to battle the blaze, which could be seen for miles as it lit up the night sky.

WHY THE DELAY

The building eventually collapsed but was never cleaned up. "It's just literally become a landfill," neighbor Charity Doyle, told the Herald & Review in September. The case has been tied up in a protracted legal battle between the city and those who control the property. The owner died and the building was not insured. Click here to read more about the case.

WHO IS DOING THE WORK

The city has partnered with Operating Engineers Local 965 in Springfield for the removal. The city at first said the project would cost $300,000, but officials now estimate it will be lower because of the partnership. They're not sure how long it will take.

On Monday, a crane and other equipment was brought in as the area was sprayed with a hose. The union is using the cleanup to offer training opportunities for members.

HISTORY OF THE BUILDING

The three-story warehouse starting in the 1890s housed Faries Manufacturing, makers of kitchen cabinets, mirrors, bird cages and stands. The business sold the building to Sol Tick & Co. in 1955 and moved to Elkhart, Indiana. The restaurant equipment company was housed there since the 1970s.
DECATUR  A jury will meet today to decide whether Myles McGonigle drove recklessly when he struck a pedestrian in Decatur and left him with serious injuries.

The evidence stage of McGonigles trial lasted all day Monday in Macon County Circuit Court, where he had pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated reckless driving causing great bodily harm. The jury will begin deliberations today.

On Monday, jurors were told McGonigle, 51, a cosmetology instructor from Lovington, was working evenings and had been driving to get dinner when his van hit pedestrian Anthony Johnson as he crossed U.S. 36 at East Prairie Avenue on the city's east side the evening of Nov. 17, 2015.

Johnson, 49, suffered a fractured skull and pelvis among other major injuries. He told jurors hed been in a coma for a week and had needed extensive facial reconstruction surgery to rebuild his skull using metal plates. Multiple other surgeries had been required to repair additional injuries to his body.

Macon County Assistant States Attorney Regan Radtke produced witnesses who both said McGonigle had been driving too fast and driving badly, weaving in and out of traffic.

The prosecution noted that hospital tests showed Johnson had traces of cocaine and cannabis in his system. He said he had used the drugs the weekend before the accident, which happened on a Tuesday, and he was sober at the time he was hit.

The defense, led by attorneys Todd Ringel and Douglas B. Johnson, made much of an Illinois State Police expert who was going to present evidence for the prosecution but in the end was not called. He had reported that for drug use to show up it would have to be have been used up to 36 hours prior to any test, a narrower window than Johnson admitted to.

More prosecution problems came when Decatur police patrol officer Karl Macomb, who had investigated the accident, didn't recognize McGonigle, sitting at the defense table, or pronounce his name correctly.

The prosecution did introduce Macon County Jail booking records to identify McGonigle from his arrest at the time, and a motion by the defense for a directed verdict for acquittal based on the non-identification was rejected by Judge Jeffrey Geisler.

Testifying in his defense, McGonigle denied he was driving recklessly and said he had a green light when he headed into the intersection doing about 35 mph.

Its not the best lit place in the world, and he was just there, he said of Johnson, who he claimed stepped right out in front of him as he tried to swerve the van clear but couldnt avoid the collision.
DECATUR  City officials gathered Monday to raise the Illinois Bicentennial Flag, joining communities across the state that took part in the ceremony at the same time.

The banner was raised by two members of the Macon County Honor Guard and will be flown under the Illinois flag for the next year.

Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe read a proclamation from Gov. Bruce Rauner.

By the numbers

1818

Year Illinois was admitted to the United States, becoming the 21st state. Its recorded history began in 1673 when missionary Jacques Marquette and fur trader Louis Jolliet became the first Europeans to lay eyes on it. The signature of President James Monroe made it the 21st state on Dec. 3, 1818.

4

Presidents who have called Illinois home: Abraham Lincoln (1861-65), Ulysses S. Grant (1869-77), Ronald Reagan (1981-89) and Barack Obama (2009-2017).

15 million

Amount, in dollars, for renovation of Illinois Executive mansion. As part of the Illinois Bicentennial celebration, first lady Diana Rauner will unveil the newly renovated Illinois Executive Mansion, which is undergoing a renovation that is being funded entirely by private donors.

What to expect

The bicentennial celebration across the state will include the #Illinoisproud awards. It is an effort to give at least one $5,000 award to a project in every county. Applications will be accepted in May 2018.

A new beer will be available that is brewed in honor of Illinois called 1818. Hand of Fate Brewing Co. of Petersburg, Illinois, won a craft brewing competition at the 2017 Illinois State Fair and the honor to make the official bicentennial beer.
One product to protect all your devices, without slowing them down.

A man from Ann Arbor, Michigan faces up to 10 years in prison for hacking into Washtenaw County government systems in an attempt to get a friend released early.

A statement issued Friday by the Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of Michigan reveals that 27-year-old Konrads Voits pleaded guilty to damaging a protected computer in an effort to gain authorized access to inmate records and modify the release date of a friend, who remains unnamed in the report.

An investigation into the case, which began in early 2017, revealed that Voits executed a classic phishing scheme but went as far as to call Washtenaw County employees to try to trick them into downloading malware by accessing certain resources.

Court records say Voits then exploited the infected computers to access and alter the electronic records of at least one inmate in an effort to get that inmate released early.

Washtenaw County spent thousands of dollars and numerous extra work hours responding to and investigating the breach, resulting in a loss of at least $235,488, according to the press release.

Voits is facing a 10-year prison stretch under federal law and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation was led by the FBIs Cyber Task Force in partnership with the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office and the Michigan State Police. Voits is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5, 2018 Port Huron. He will remain in custody until then.
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Tashkent, Dec 5 (IBNS): Bilateral ties between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan are deepening with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani arriving in capital Tashkent on an official visit between Dec 4 and Dec 6.

He visited Uzbekistan on the invitation of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is attaching the priority on deepening ties with neighboring countries.

Ashraf Ghani is leading a senior government delegation which included national security advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar, foreign minister Salahudin Rabbani, finance minister Eklil Hakimi, chief of staff Abdul Salaam Rahimi, minister of labor, social affairs, martyrs and disabled Faizullah Zaki, special representative of the President in Central Asian Affairs Mohammad Shakir Kargar among others.

For the past year, Mirziyoyev has taken tremendous efforts to foster open, transparent and pragmatic interaction with leaders of Central Asian countries which have created a completely new atmosphere of cooperation in the region and contributed to intra-regional confidence building, officials said.

Mirziyoyev advocates strong support for the efforts of the Afghan people and the international community to establish enduring peace in Afghanistan.

In his speech at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, Mirziyoyev stressed that the only way to peace in Afghanistan is a direct dialogue, without preconditions, between the central government and the main domestic political forces.

Negotiations should take place with the predominant role of the Afghans themselves on the territory of the country itself and under the auspices of the United Nations.

Uzbekistans special attention to further develop relations with Afghanistan is also supported by the fact that in May 2017, the Uzbekistan President has established a new post  a Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan.

Besides at the initiative of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a "roadmap" was approved for further development of multifaceted cooperation between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

The Uzbek-Afghan intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements, including "On Trade and Economic Cooperation", "On International Transport Routes", "On Cooperation in the Field of Transit and Transport" serve as a reliable foundation for this work.

The principled position of Uzbekistan in fostering long-term and mutually beneficial relations with Afghanistan serves the consistent development of bilateral cooperation in the interests of the two countries.
Reza Zarrab, who pleaded guilty to charges of helping the Iranian Regime to evade US sanctions, said that he secured his release from Turkey in February 2014 after being arrested for helping the Iranian Regime to evade UN sanctions.

However he did not say who the payments were made to or how large they were and as yet the Turkish government has not responded.

Zarrab, 34, is testifying against Mehmet Hakan Atilla, an executive at Turkeys state-owned Halkbank, who is on trial for his role in the scheme to launder $1 bn through US banks to Iran in direct violation of US sanctions.

Atilla, 47, denied the charges against him and his lawyers claim that Zarrab is lying. Zarrabs lawyer, Robert Anello, insists that his client recognises the importance of telling the truth.

Halkbank said that all of its transactions complied with national and international regulations.

Working on behalf of the Iranian Regime

It is important to note that while Zarrab has confessed to the crime and Atilla is on trial, the real criminal here is the Iranian Regime. The leading mullahs in the Regime are the ones who instructed and authorised this major money laundering scheme; it is not something that two individuals would think to complete on their own, given the incredible risks involved.

Zarrab worked with Halkbank for the Iranian Regime since before his arrest in Turkey and until his arrest in the United States in March 2016. He said that Atilla had continued to participate in the Iranian Regimes sanctions evasion scheme long after the Turkish investigation was dropped.

The case

The US prosecutors have charged nine defendants in the case of the sanctions evasion scheme, but only Zarrab and Atilla have been arrested by US authorities. The other seven, including several high-ranking Turkish officials, remain at large.

Zarrabs testimony implicated several top Turkish politicians, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan claimed that his political opponents were behind both the current US case and the 2013 Turkish case and recently called on the US to drop the case.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the US was attempting to undermine Turkeys economy. It is believed that Turkey will seize Zarrabs assets.
In Yemen, where the Regime supports the terrorist Houthi militias in their fight against the internationally recognised government, over 85% of the land has been retaken from the terrorists by the Saudi-backed coalition. Another ballistic missile, fired at Saudi Arabia by the Houthis, was shot down on Thursday.

The European Parliament also called on Iran to halt its support for the Houthis, condemning the recent missile attacks targeting Saudi interests, while a United Nations sanctions monitors report indicates that the missiles are actually of Iranian origin.

In response, Iran is orchestrating deadly clashes between the Houthis and forces loyal to the ousted president Ali Abdullah Salah and smuggling weapons to the Houthis through countries like Oman because they cant engage directly via traditional means or launch their own missiles against the Saudis without risking direct war.

In Syria, where Iran supports the Bashar Assad dictatorship, there are signs that the Civil War may soon come to an end after seven years. Even though Assad remains in power (for now), this is still not good news for the Regime which needs turmoil outside its borders to take power via proxy groups and distract from domestic strife.

It has also been reported by Human Rights Watch that the Iranian Regime has been recruiting child soldiers- including Afghan refugees- to fight in Syria, which is a clear violation of the UN charter on childrens rights and a war crime.

In response, the Iranian Regime ordered its state-run media to run a story about a 13-year-old boy in the Syrian border city of Abu Kamal who describes himself as a defender of the shrine terminology used by the regime to describe foot-soldiers in recruitment for the battles in Syria and Iraq- and explains why he wanted to fight in Syria. Considering the very real risk of admitting to the use of child soldiers, why would the Regime go down this route if they were achieving victories in Syria?

Bizarrely, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went against the Regimes official story of being in Syria purely to defend Islamic shrines and fight ISIS by announcing that Iran would not be withdrawing from Syria.

In Lebanon, where Iran supports the Hezbollah terrorists, the Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is putting pressure on the terrorist group by resigning.

In Iraq, where Iran supports the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMUs), the Regime cannot justify the use of proxy forces as ISIS is being evicted, which is why French President Emmanuel Macron called on Iraq to dismantle the PMUs.

Shiite Crescent

It is no secret that the Iranian Regime has been meddling in the Middle East, determined to escalate tensions and leave a path of destruction, but why?

Well, the Regime dreams of a Shiite Crescent stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean which will allow them to easily transport weapons, troops, and money to its terrorist proxies, especially the Lebanese Hezbollah.

This is why Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has long called for the eviction of the Iranian Regime from the Middle East, especially Syria and Iraq. Now it appears that the rest of the world is waking up to this.

Human Rights Activist Heshmat Alavi wrote on Al Arabiya: Wreaking endless havoc in Yemen and creating obstacles one after another in the Syria talks are Irans agenda. In response, a strong and united international effort is needed to confront Tehrans ambitions and deter it back once and for all.
In a televised address on Monday, Hadi said that the Yemeni Army, which surrounds the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, would support all efforts to eradicate the Houthis.

He also said that he intended to establish a new Yemen dedicated to pluralism, democracy and freedom but that he needed the peoples help.

He said: Yemen is passing through a decisive turning point that needs our unity and steadfastness in the face of these sectarian militias. Lets put our hands together to end this nightmare.

Assassination

Saleh was assassinated by the Houthis on Monday, just two days after he broke ranks with them over severe disagreements. Houthi gunmen overran his home and the 75-year-old fled towards the village of Sanhan. On the way his convoy was stopped and he was shot dead, along with Arif Al-Zouka, secretary-general of the former presidents General Peoples Congress party, and Al-Zoukas deputy Yasir Al-Awadi.

A gruesome video of the assassination was posted on social media.

Rajeh Badi, a representative for the Hadi government, called this a sad day for Yemen and said that this should be a turning point against the Iran-backed Houthis.

He said: [This is] yet another crime added to the bloody record of the Iran-backed Houthi militias. The gravity of the inhumane murder of Saleh should move all Yemenis to stand behind the legitimate government against the coup militias who have brought only chaos and destruction to Yemen, to the Yemeni people, and whose aim is to implement a sectarian Iranian agenda in the region.

He continued: The act is further proof that these militias adopt an ideology of exclusion. We call upon the Yemeni people to join ranks with the legitimate government and against the evil terrorists.

Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri, a Saudi political analyst and international relations scholar said that Salehs death was sad news but should unite all Yemenis against the Houthis and Iran.

He said: It is very clear now that this is a fight between Arabs and Persians. All Arabs and Muslims will unite against the machinations of Iran. This will turn out to be the death-knell for Iran.

He said that Saleh had made a mistake when he worked with the Houthis.

He said: He thought he could share power with them. He should have known better. The Iranians never share power. They want everything for themselves or else they kill  which is what happened with Saleh.

Saudi writer Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg, said that assassination was a favourite tactic of pro-Iranian groups like the Houthi militias, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Bashar Assad regime in Syria.

Saleh ruled Yemen for over 30 years through tenuous alliances but was replaced by his deputy, Hadi, in 2012. As a result, he joined with the Iran-backed Houthis to stage a coup against Hadis internationally recognized government.

On Saturday, he broke with the Houthis and offered talks with the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis.

.
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3 Anti-government protesters gather around barricades in protest during a government imposed dawn-to-dusk curfew in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Dec. 3, 2017. Opposition leaders called for a mass march against the purported election fraud on Sunday and for the presidential election to be held again after the country erupted in deadly protests over the delayed vote count.
Over the past few weeks, Pakistan, Nepal and Myanmar have cancelled three major projects planned by Chinese companies.

The three projects, worth nearly $20 billion, all involved or were related to hydroelectricity -- the production of electricity by water power.

The cancellations come as a blow to Chinas trade-linking project, the One Belt, One Road initiative.

Pakistan noted difficult financing terms by China as its reason for canceling the $14 billion Diamer-Bhasha Dam project.

Nepals deputy prime minister blamed financial issues with a Chinese company for his countrys decision to cancel a $2.5 billion contract for a hydroelectricity project.

And Myanmar announced last month that it is no longer interested in big hydroelectric power projects. The announcement came three years after Myanmar stopped a $3.6 billion Chinese-supported dam project.

The decisions by Chinas neighbors could mean a serious loss of prestige for the One Belt, One Road initiative. The effort involves plans to build power stations, roads and other infrastructure around the world.

A number of local political and economic reasons were partly responsible for the cancellations. But observers say there is a growing recognition among poorer countries that large infrastructure projects come at a very high price.

Asked about the decisions by Pakistan and Nepal, the Chinese foreign ministry said it knew nothing about them.

I am not aware of this information, a foreign ministry spokesman told reporters. He added that China and Nepal have a strong relationship and cooperate in many areas.

Muzammil Hussain is chairman of Pakistans Water and Power Development Authority. He reportedly told a parliamentary committee that the Chinese company planning the project had demanded difficult financing rules. Those rules were said to include requiring the new dam and a dam that was already built be used as security for a loan. Hussain added the Chinese demands were against Pakistans interests.

Himanshu Thakkar works at the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, an Indian-based non-government organization. He noted that Pakistans biggest ally is China and the Pakistanis would not do this project without the Chinese.

Indeed, the two countries describe their relationship as iron brothers.

The Pakistanis really want financing for this project, noted Zorawar Daulet Singh of the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi. Singh said he does not take Pakistan officials statement at face value. The Pakistani government had asked the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for money to finance the project, but was refused, he said.

He explained the Chinese do not want to do the project because of protests from India. The project was to have been built in Kashmir, an area claimed by both India and Pakistan. China does not want to get involved in the dispute.

Singh said that China wants to forget about this project until the government can get both sides to come to an agreement.

By making the price high, China has tried to give Pakistan a reason to end the project and save it from embarrassment, he explained.

The Budhi Gandaki hydropower project in Nepal would have involved a Chinese company, the Gejuwa Group. Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa said the agreement with the company was filled with problems and cancelled in a cabinet meeting. Thapa also said the agreement had been signed illegally and haphazardly.

The cancellation came just before an election.

Yubaraj Ghimire is an expert on Nepali politics. He says Nepals coalition government asked the Chinese company to build the dam project. The coalition had representatives of the Maoist Party and the Nepali Congress.

"There were questions raised about the transparency. You know, he said, it was quite a controversial deal. That was six months ago. Then, a parliamentary committee proposed that the deal be cancelled, but nothing happened, he added.

One of Nepals political leaders and a possible prime minister has even said he would cancel the decision if he comes to power.

Some observers say there is also some rethinking in China about possibly canceling projects that offer a poor return on investments.

China has come a long way with its initiative since it tried to sell projects to neighbors like Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. It is now looking at a large part of Europe and the Americas as possible markets.

China is also interested in exporting its hydroelectricity related machines and construction services. But it is taking a different position in the case of projects in neighboring countries which have political problems. It is looking instead at markets like Latin America and Africa.

By the way, the same company, Gezhouba Water and Power (Group) Co Ltd. won the contracts, which were later rejected by Pakistan, Nepal and Myanmar.

I am not sure we can blame the company for this. Thakkar said. They are more (due to) investment and political considerations.

The recent cancellations also show a growing understanding among governments that the cost of electricity produced in hydropower projects is a lot more than those coming from solar and wind power, Thakkar said.

In the case of Myanmar, the countrys Construction Minister told Reuters last month that big hydropower projects are no longer an important way to solve power shortages. The official said Myanmar is looking to smaller dams as a possible answer.

Im Susan Shand.

And I'm Jonathan Evans.

Anjana Pasricha reported this story for VOA News. Susan Shand adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

initiative  n. a program that is supposed to solve a problem.

prestige  n. the respect and admiration that someone or something gets for being successful or important

infrastructure  n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly

face value  n. the apparent value or importance of something

embarrassment  n. something that causes you to look or feel foolish

haphazardly  adv. having no plan, order, or direction

transparent  adj. able to be seen through, honest and open

controversy  n. strong disagreement about something among a large group of people

construction  n. the process or act of building something
Varian Medical Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, sells, and services medical devices and software products for treating cancer and other medical conditions worldwide. It operates through Oncology Systems and Proton Solutions segments. The Oncology Systems segment offers hardware and software products for treating cancer with radiotherapy, fixed field intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy, artificial intelligence based adaptive radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, as well as quality assurance equipment. Its products include linear accelerators, brachytherapy afterloaders, treatment accessories, and quality assurance software; and information management, treatment planning, image processing, clinical knowledge exchange, patient care management, decision-making support, and practice management software. This segment serves university research and community hospitals, private and governmental institutions, healthcare agencies, physicians' offices, medical oncology practices, radiotherapy centers, and cancer care clinics. The Proton Solutions segment designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and services products and systems for delivering proton therapy for the treatment of cancer. The company has a strategic agreement with McKesson Corp. to supply treatment delivery systems and planning, services, and radiotherapy information system solutions to its U.S. Oncology Network and Vantage Oncology affiliated sites of care; and a strategic partnership with Siemens AG to represent Siemens diagnostic imaging products to radiation oncology clinics in the United States and other select markets. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. was formerly known as Varian Associates, Inc. and changed its name to Varian Medical Systems, Inc. in April 1999. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
Morgan Stanley is the 6th largest financial institution in the US. The company is ranked 61st on the Forbes Fortune 500 list and is the 39th largest bank in the world. A financial holding company, Morgan Stanley provides a full range of financial services to clients around the world.

Morgan Stanley was formed in 1935 as a result of the Glass-Steagall Act. Glass-Steagall separated commercial and investment banking in a way that forced the then-largest bank J.P. Morgan & Co to split into two groups. J.P. Morgan & Co. chose to retain the commercial side of the business while partners Henry S. Morga, grandson of J.P., and Harold Stanley took the investment end. In its first year, Morgan Stanley did 24% of the IPO business and maintains a lions share of the market to this day.

The original company existed and grew through acquisitions until 1987 when it merged with Dean Witter Discover & Co. The new Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Discover & Co existed for 14 years until 2001 when the name was shortened back to Morgan Stanley.

The bank is credited in part with both beginning and ending the financial crisis of 2007/2008. The Process Driven Trading unit lost $300 million in one day due to a short-squeeze that popped the bubble in the housing market. After teetering on the brink of failure Morgan Stanley agreed to become a bank holding company regulated by the Federal Reserve, a key factor in the original decision to split from parent J.P. Morgan & Co. Ironically when given the chance, present-day J.P. Morgan refused to buy Morgan Stanley but that was for the better.

Today, Morgan Stanley operates through three segments via offices in 41 countries and employs more than 75,000 people. Revenue in 2021 topped $49 billion and total assets topped $1.15 trillion.

The operating segments are Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. The Institutional Securities segment is by far the largest and most profitable. It offers a range of services and products for businesses, institutions, and entities that include capital raising, strategic advisory, underwriting, advice on M&A, restructuring, and real estate. The Wealth Management segment provides brokerage and investment advisory services for individuals and employers. The services include brokerage, financial planning, company stock-plan administration, insurance, mortgage loans, lines of credit, and retirement planning. The Investment Management segment provides investment products to a range of institutions, organizations, corporations, and governments.
The following companies are subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson: 3Dintegrated ApS, ALZA Corporation, AMO (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Beijing Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Guangzhou Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., AMO ASIA LIMITED, AMO Asia Limited (Korea Branch), AMO Asia Limited Taiwan Branch (Hong Kong), AMO Australia Pty Limited, AMO Australia Pty Limited (New Zealand Branch), AMO Canada Company, AMO Denmark ApS, AMO Development LLC, AMO France, AMO Germany GmbH, AMO Groningen B.V., AMO International Holdings Unlimited Company, AMO Ireland, AMO Ireland Ireland Branch, AMO Italy SRL, AMO Japan K.K., AMO Manufacturing USA LLC, AMO Netherlands BV, AMO Nominee Holdings LLC, AMO Norway AS, AMO Puerto Rico Manufacturing Inc., AMO Sales and Service Inc., AMO Singapore Pte. Ltd., AMO Spain Holdings LLC, AMO Switzerland GmbH, AMO U.K. Holdings LLC, AMO United Kingdom Ltd., AMO Uppsala AB, AUB Holdings LLC, Abott Medical Optics, Acclarent Inc., Actelion Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc., Actelion Treasury Unlimited Company, Akros Medical Inc., Albany Street LLC, Alios BioPharma, Alza Land Management Inc., Anakuria Therapeutics Inc., Animas Diabetes Care LLC, Animas LLC, Animas Technologies LLC, AorTx Inc., Apsis, Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, Atrionix Inc., Auris Health, Auris Health Inc., Backsvalan 2 Aktiebolag, Backsvalan 6 Handelsbolag, Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co. Ltd., BeneVir BioPharm Inc., Berna Rhein B.V., BioMedical Enterprises Inc., Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd., Biosense Webster Inc., Branch of Johnson & Johnson LLC (RU) in Kazakhstan, C Consumer Products Denmark ApS, CSATS Inc., Calibra Medical LLC, Campus-Foyer Apotheke GmbH, Carlo Erba OTC S.r.l., Centocor Biologics LLC, Centocor Research & Development Inc., Cerenovus Inc., ChromaGenics B.V., Ci:Labo Customer Marketing Co. Ltd., Ci:Labo USA Inc., Ci:z Holdings, Ci:z. Labo Co. Ltd., Cilag AG, Cilag GmbH International, Cilag Holding AG, Cilag Holding Treasury Unlimited Company, Cilag-Biotech S.L., CoTherix Inc., Coherex Medical Inc., ColBar LifeScience Ltd., Company Store.com Inc., Conor MedSystems, Cordis International Corporation, Cordis de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Corimmun GmbH, DePuy Hellas SA, DePuy International Limited, DePuy Ireland Unlimited Company, DePuy Mexico S.A. de C.V., DePuy Mitek LLC, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., DePuy Products Inc., DePuy Spine LLC, DePuy Synthes Gorgan Limited, DePuy Synthes Inc., DePuy Synthes Institute LLC, DePuy Synthes Leto SARL, DePuy Synthes Products Inc., DePuy Synthes Sales Inc., Debs-Vogue Corporation (Proprietary) Limited, Dutch Holding LLC, ECL7 LLC, EES Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EES S.A. de C.V., EIT Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Europe) GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC, Ethicon Inc., Ethicon LLC, Ethicon PR Holdings Unlimited Company, Ethicon Sarl, Ethicon US LLC, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology Sarl, Ethnor (Proprietary) Limited, Ethnor Farmaceutica S.A., Ethnor del Istmo S.A., FMS Future Medical System SA, Finsbury (Development) Limited, Finsbury (Instruments) Limited, Finsbury Medical Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics International Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics Limited, GH Biotech Holdings Limited, GMED Healthcare BV, GMED Healthcare BV (Branch), Global Investment Participation B.V., Guangzhou Bioseal Biotech Co. Ltd., Hansen Medical Deutschland GmbH, Hansen Medical Inc., Hansen Medical International Inc., Hansen Medical UK Limited, Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Hickory Merger Sub Inc., I.D. Acquisition Corp., Innomedic Gesellschaft fur innovative Medizintechnik und Informatik mbH, Innovative Surgical Solutions LLC, J & J Company West Africa Limited, J&J Pension Trustees Limited, J-C Health Care Ltd., J.C. General Services BV, JJ Surgical Vision Spain S.L., JJC Acquisition Company B.V., JJHC LLC, JJSV Belgium BV, JJSV Manufacturing Malaysia SDN. BHD., JJSV Norden AB, JJSV Produtos Oticos Ltda., JNJ Global Business Services s.r.o., JNJ Holding EMEA B.V., JNJ International Investment LLC, JOM Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Holding) Limited, Janssen BioPharma LLC, Janssen Biologics (Ireland) Limited, Janssen Biologics B.V., Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Cilag C.A., Janssen Cilag Farmaceutica S.A., Janssen Cilag S.p.A., Janssen Cilag SPA, Janssen Development Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Janssen Egypt LLC, Janssen Farmaceutica Portugal Lda, Janssen Global Services LLC, Janssen Holding GmbH, Janssen Inc., Janssen Irish Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Korea Ltd., Janssen Oncology Inc., Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceutica (Proprietary) Limited, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Pharmaceutica S.A., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceutical Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Japan Branch, Janssen Products LP, Janssen R&D Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC, Janssen Supply Group LLC, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Vaccines Branch of Cilag GmbH International, Janssen Vaccines Corp., Janssen-Cilag, Janssen-Cilag (New Zealand) Limited, Janssen-Cilag A/S, Janssen-Cilag AG, Janssen-Cilag AS, Janssen-Cilag Aktiebolag, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Lda., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda., Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen-Cilag Kft., Janssen-Cilag Kft. Branch Office, Janssen-Cilag Limited, Janssen-Cilag Manufacturing LLC, Janssen-Cilag NV, Janssen-Cilag OY, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, Janssen-Cilag Pharmaceutical S.A.C.I., Janssen-Cilag Polska Sp. z o.o., Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd (Branch), Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag s.r.o., Janssen-Pharma S.L., Jevco Holding Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson (Angola) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E., Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Kenya) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (DHCC Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (JAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. Service Center (DAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Mozambique) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (New Zealand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Thailand) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Trinidad) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Vietnam) Co. Ltd, Johnson & Johnson - Societa' Per Azioni, Johnson & Johnson AB, Johnson & Johnson AB Eesti filiaal (Branch), Johnson & Johnson AG, Johnson & Johnson AG (Zuchwil Branch), Johnson & Johnson Belgium Finance Company BV, Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria EOOD, Johnson & Johnson China Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Thailand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer B.V., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Care Switzerland Branch of Janssen-Cilag AG, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Holdings France, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Dominican Republic Branch), Johnson & Johnson Consumer NV, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Del Paraguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson Dominicana S.A.S., Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation Inc., Johnson & Johnson European Treasury Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH (Branch Office), Johnson & Johnson Gateway LLC, Johnson & Johnson Gesellschaft m.b.H., Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Guatemala S.A., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Commercial and Industrial S.A., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Consumer Products Commercial Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Hemisferica S.A., Johnson & Johnson Holding GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Inc., Johnson & Johnson Industrial Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited, Johnson & Johnson International, Johnson & Johnson International (Belgian Branch) (European Logistics Center), Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Branch), Johnson & Johnson International Financial Services Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson K.K., Johnson & Johnson Kft., Johnson & Johnson Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Korea Selling & Distribution LLC, Johnson & Johnson LLC, Johnson & Johnson Lda, Johnson & Johnson Limited, Johnson & Johnson Limited (Sri Lanka Branch), Johnson & Johnson Luxembourg Finance Company Sarl, Johnson & Johnson Management Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical (China) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Proprietary) Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Suzhou) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical B.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group - Latin America L.L.C., Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical NV, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical S.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.C.S., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical SAS, Johnson & Johnson Medical Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Ankara Branch), Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Izmir Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East - Scientific Office, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ - LLC (Lebanese Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Ghana Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Kenya Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC Branch (TSO) (Saudi Arabia Branch), Johnson & Johnson Morocco Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson NCB (Belgian Branch), Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pakistan (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Panama S.A., Johnson & Johnson Personal Care (Chile) S.A., Johnson & Johnson Poland Sp. z o.o., Johnson & Johnson Poland sp. z o.o. oddzial w Warszawie "Consumer", Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd. Korea Branch, Johnson & Johnson Pty. Limited, Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L., Johnson & Johnson S.A., Johnson & Johnson S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson S.E. Inc., Johnson & Johnson S.E. d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson SDN. BHD., Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision India Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, Johnson & Johnson Ukraine LLC, Johnson & Johnson Urban Renewal Associates, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson de Argentina S.A.C. e. I., Johnson & Johnson de Chile Limitada, Johnson & Johnson de Chile S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Colombia S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson de Uruguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Venezuela S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Ecuador S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Peru S.A., Johnson & Johnson do Brasil Industria E Comercio de Produtos Para Saude Ltda., Johnson & Johnson for Export and Import LLC, Johnson & Johnson s.r.o., Johnson Y Johnson de Costa Rica S.A., Johnson and Johnson (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson and Johnson Sihhi Malzeme Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, LTL Management LLC, La Concha Land Investment Corporation, Latam International Investment Company Unlimited Company, Legal Entity Name, MDS Co. Ltd., McNEIL MMP LLC, McNeil AB, McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., McNeil Denmark ApS, McNeil Healthcare (Ireland) Limited, McNeil Healthcare (UK) Limited, McNeil Healthcare LLC, McNeil Iberica S.L.U., McNeil LA LLC, McNeil Nutritionals LLC, McNeil Panama LLC, McNeil Products Limited, McNeil Sweden AB, Medical Device Business Services Inc., Medical Devices & Diagnostics Global Services LLC, Medical Devices International LLC, Medos International Sarl, Medos International Sarl succursale de Neuchatel (Branch), Medos Sarl, MegaDyne Medical Products Inc., Menlo Care De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Mentor B.V., Mentor Deutschland GmbH, Mentor Medical Systems B.V., Mentor Partnership Holding Company I LLC, Mentor Texas GP LLC, Mentor Texas L.P., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Micrus Endovascular LLC, Middlesex Assurance Company Limited, Momenta Ireland Limited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata UG (haftungsbeschrankt), Netherlands Holding Company, NeuWave Medical Inc., Neuravi Limited, Novira Therapeutics, Novira Therapeutics LLC, NuVera Medical Inc., OBTECH Medical Sarl, OGX Beauty Limited, OMJ Holding GmbH, OMJ Ireland Unlimited Company, OMJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., Obtech Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals NV, Ortho Biologics LLC, Ortho Biotech Holding LLC, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC, Orthospin Ltd., Orthotaxy, PT Integrated Healthcare Indonesia, PT. Johnson & Johnson Indonesia, Patriot Pharmaceuticals LLC, Peninsula Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pharmadirect Ltd., Pharmedica Laboratories (Proprietary) Limited, Princeton Laboratories Inc., Productos de Cuidado Personal y de La Salud de Bolivia S.R.L., Proleader S.A., Pulsar Vascular Inc., Regency Urban Renewal Associates, RespiVert Ltd., RoC International, Royalty A&M LLC, Rutan Realty LLC, SYNTHES Medical Immobilien GmbH, Scios LLC, Sedona Singapore International Pte. Ltd., Sedona Thai International Co. Ltd., Serhum S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Elsker For Mother & Baby Co. Ltd, Shanghai Elsker Mother & Baby Co. Ltd Minghang Branch, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sightbox LLC, Sodiac ESV, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Company, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Partnership, SterilMed, SterilMed Inc., Surgical Process Institute Deutschland GmbH, Synthes Costa Rica S.C.R. Limitada, Synthes GmbH, Synthes Holding AG, Synthes Holding Limited, Synthes Inc., Synthes Medical Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading LLC, Synthes Produktions GmbH, Synthes Proprietary Limited, Synthes S.M.P. S. de R.L. de C.V., Synthes Tuttlingen GmbH, Synthes USA LLC, Synthes USA Products LLC, TARIS Biomedical, TARIS Biomedical LLC, TearScience Inc., The Anspach Effort LLC, The Vision Care Institute LLC, Tibotec LLC, Torax Medical Inc., UAB "Johnson & Johnson", UAB Johnson & Johnson Eesti Filiaal (Estonian Branch), Vania Expansion, Verb Surgical, Verb Surgical Inc., Vision Care Finance Unlimited Company, Vogue International, Vogue International LLC, Vogue International Trading Inc., WH4110 Development Company L.L.C., XO1, XO1 Limited, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Beijing Branch Office, Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Shanghai Branch Office, Zarbee's Inc., and Zarbee's Naturals.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Barclays: Adler Toy Holding Sarl, Aequor Investments Limited, Alymere Investments Limited, Alynore Investments Limited Partnership, Analog Analytics, Analog Analytics Inc, Analytical Trade Holdings LLC, Analytical Trade Investments LLC, Analytical Trade UK Limited, Archstone Equity Holdings Inc, Ardencroft Investments Limited, B D & B Investments Limited, B.P.B. (Holdings) Limited, BB Client Nominees Limited, BBAIL SAS, BCAP LLC, BIFML PTC Limited, BMBF (No.24) Limited, BMI (No.9) Limited, BNC Brazil Consultoria Empresarial Ltda, BNRI ENG 2013 Limited Partnership, BNRI ENG 2014 Limited Partnership, BNRI ENG GP LLP, BNRI England 2010 Limited Partnership, BNRI England 2011 Limited Partnership, BNRI England 2012 Limited Partnership, BNRI Limehouse No.1 Sarl, BNRI PIA Scot GP Limited, BNRI Scots GP LLP, BPB Holdings SA, BVP Galvani Global S.A.U., Barafor Limited, Barclay Leasing Limited, Barclaycard Funding PLC, Barclaycard International Payments Limited, Barclays (Barley) Limited, Barclays Aldersgate Investments Limited, Barclays Alzin Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Asia Limited, Barclays Asset Management Limited, Barclays BR Investments S.a r.l., Barclays BWA Inc., Barclays Bank (Suisse) S.A., Barclays Bank Delaware, Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Barclays Bank Ireland Public Limited Company, Barclays Bank Mexico S.A., Barclays Bank PLC, Barclays Bank UK PLC, Barclays Bayard Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Bedivere Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Bordang Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Brasil Assessoria Financeira Ltda., Barclays CCP Funding LLC, Barclays Cantal Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Capital (Cayman) Limited, Barclays Capital Asia Holdings Limited, Barclays Capital Asia Limited, Barclays Capital Canada Inc., Barclays Capital Casa de Bolsa S.A. de C.V., Barclays Capital Derivatives Funding LLC, Barclays Capital Effekten GmbH, Barclays Capital Energy Inc., Barclays Capital Equities Trading GP, Barclays Capital Finance Limited, Barclays Capital Futures (Singapore) Private Limited, Barclays Capital Holdings (Singapore) Private Limited, Barclays Capital Holdings Inc., Barclays Capital Inc., Barclays Capital Japan Securities Holdings Limited, Barclays Capital Luxembourg S.a r.l., Barclays Capital Mauritius Limited, Barclays Capital Nominees (No.2) Limited, Barclays Capital Nominees (No.3) Limited, Barclays Capital Nominees Limited, Barclays Capital Principal Investments Limited, Barclays Capital Real Estate Finance Inc., Barclays Capital Real Estate Holdings Inc., Barclays Capital Real Estate Inc., Barclays Capital Securities Client Nominee Limited, Barclays Capital Securities Limited, Barclays Capital Securities Mauritius Limited, Barclays Capital Trading Luxembourg S.a r.l., Barclays Claudas Investments Partnership, Barclays Claudas Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Commercial Mortgage Securities LLC, Barclays Converted Investments (No.2) Limited, Barclays Corporation Limited, Barclays Direct Investing Nominees Limited, Barclays Directors Limited, Barclays Dryrock Funding LLC, Barclays Electronic Commerce Holdings Inc., Barclays Equity Holdings Limited, Barclays Equity Index Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Europe Client Nominees Designated Activity Company, Barclays Europe Firm Nominees Designated Activity Company, Barclays Europe Nominees Designated Activity Company, Barclays Executive Schemes Trustees Limited, Barclays Financial LLC, Barclays Financial Planning Nominee Company Limited, Barclays Funds Investments Limited, Barclays Funds and Advisory Japan Limited, Barclays Global Service Centre Private Limited, Barclays Global Shareplans Nominee Limited, Barclays Group Holdings Limited, Barclays Group Operations Limited, Barclays Group US Inc., Barclays Index Finance Trust, Barclays Industrial Development Limited, Barclays Industrial Investments Limited, Barclays Insurance Guernsey PCC Limited, Barclays Insurance Services Company Limited, Barclays Insurance U.S. Inc., Barclays International Luxembourg Dollar Holdings S.a r.l., Barclays Investment Management Limited, Barclays Investment Solutions Limited, Barclays Investments & Loans (India) Limited, Barclays Korea GP Limited, Barclays Lamorak Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Leasing (No.9) Limited, Barclays Leto Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Long Island Limited, Barclays Luxembourg EUR Holdings S.a r.l, Barclays Luxembourg Finance S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg GBP Holdings S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg Global Funding S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg Holdings SSC B, Barclays Marlist Limited, Barclays Mauritius Overseas Holdings Limited, Barclays Mercantile Business Finance Limited, Barclays Merchant Bank (Singapore) Ltd., Barclays Nominees (George Yard) Limited, Barclays Nominees (Guernsey) Limited, Barclays Nominees (Jersey) Limited, Barclays Nominees (Manx) Limited, Barclays Oversight Management Inc., Barclays Payment Solutions Inc., Barclays Pelleas Investments Limited Partnership, Barclays Pelleas Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Pension Funds Trustees Limited, Barclays Principal Investments Limited, Barclays Private Asset Management (Monaco) S.A.M, Barclays Private Bank, Barclays Private Clients International Limited, Barclays Receivables LLC, Barclays SAMS Limited, Barclays Securities (India) Private Limited, Barclays Securities Japan Limited, Barclays Security Trustee Limited, Barclays Services (Japan) Limited, Barclays Services Corporation, Barclays Services Jersey Limited, Barclays Services LLC, Barclays Services Limited, Barclays Shea Limited, Barclays Singapore Global Shareplans Nominee Limited, Barclays Switzerland Services SA, Barclays Tenedora De Immuebles SL., Barclays Term Funding Limited Liability Partnership, Barclays UK Investments Limited, Barclays US CCP Funding LLC, Barclays US Funding LLC, Barclays US GPF Inc., Barclays US Investments Inc., Barclays US LLC, Barclays Unquoted Investments Limited, Barclays Unquoted Property Investments Limited, Barclays Wealth Management Jersey Limited, Barclays Wealth Nominees Limited, Barclays Wealth Services Limited, Barclays Wealth Trustees (India) Private Limited, Barclayshare Nominees Limited, Barclaytrust Channel Islands Limited, Barcosec Limited, Barsec Nominees Limited, Blossom Finance General Partnership, Branchcall Computers (Pvt) Limited, Braven Investments No.1 Limited, CP Flower Guaranteeco (UK) Limited, CP Newco 1 Limited, CP Newco2 Limited, CP Newco3 Limited, CP Propco 1 Limited, CP Propco 2 Limited, CP Topco Limited, CPIA Canada Holdings, CPIA England 2008 Limited Partnership, CPIA England 2009 Limited Partnership, CPIA England No.2 Limited Partnership, CPIA Investments No.1 Limited, CPIA Investments No.2 Limited, CRE Diversified Holdings LLC, CREW Tahoe Holdings LLC, CREW Tahoe LLC, Calthorpe Investments Limited, Capton Investments Limited, Carnegie Holdings Limited, Central Platte Valley Management LLC, Chapelcrest Investments Limited, Charles Schwab Europe, Claudas Investments Limited, Claudas Investments Two Limited, Clydesdale Financial Services Limited, Cobalt Investments Limited, Compania Regional del Sur S.A., Compania Sudamerica S.A., Condor No.1 Limited Partnership, Cornwall Homes Loans Limited, Crescent Crown Land Holding SPV LLC, Crescent Legacy LLC, Crescent Plaza Residential L.P., Crescent Plaza Residential LLC, Crescent Plaza Residential LP LLC, Crescent Real Estate Member LLC, Crescent Resort Development LLC, Crescent TRS Holdings LLC, Crescent Tower Residences GP LLC, Crescent Tower Residences L.P., Curve Investments GP, DBL Texas Holdings LLC, DMW Realty Limited, Desert Mountain Development LLC, Desert Mountain Properties Limited Partnership, Develop Training Group Limited, Dorset Home Loans Limited, Durlacher Nominees Limited, EWRD Summit LLC, Eagle Financial and Leasing Services (UK) Limited, East West Resort Development V L.P. L.L.L.P., East West Resort Development VII LLC, Equity Limited Partnership, Equity Value Investments No.1 Limited, Equity Value Investments No.2 Limited, Erimon Home Loans Ireland Limited, Expobank, FIRSTPLUS Financial Group Limited, Finpart Nominees Limited, First Assurance, Foltus Investments Limited, Full House Holdings Limited, Gallen Investments Limited, Global Dynasty Natural Resource Private, Globe Nominees Limited, Gracechurch Services Corporation, Grays Station LLC, Grupo Financiero Barclays Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hawkins Funding Limited, Heraldglen Limited, Holding Stuttgarter Strae GmbH, Hurley Investments No.1 Limited, Imalivest Mineral Resources LP, Investors In Infrastructure Limited, J.V. Estates Limited, JV Assets Limited, Kirsche Investments Limited, LTDL Holdings LLC, La Torretta Beverages LLC, La Torretta Hospitality LLC, La Torretta Operations LLC, Lagalla Investments LLC, Leonis Investments LLP, Liability Partnership, Long Island Assets Limited, Long Island Holding A LLC, Long Island Holding B Limited, MK Opportunities GP Ltd, MK Opportunities LP, MVWP Investors LLC, Maloney Investments Limited, Marbury Holdings LLC, Menlo Investments Limited, Mercantile Credit Company Limited, Mercantile Leasing Company (No.132) Limited, Meridian (SPV-AMC) Corporation, Mintaka Investments No. 4 Limited, Mira Vista Development LLC, Mira Vista Golf Club L.C., Mountainside Partners LLC, Murray House Investment Management Limited, Naxos Investments Limited, Nile Bank, North Colonnade Investments Limited, Northstar Mountain Properties LLC, Northstar Trailside Townhomes LLC, Northstar Village Townhomes LLC, Northwharf Investments Limited, Northwharf Nominees Limited, OGP Leasing Limited, Oakes Millers Ltd, Ownership Trustee Limited, PIA England No.2 Limited Partnership, Palomino Limited, Pecan Aggregator LP, Pelleas Investments Limited, Pelleas Investments Two Limited, Pippin Island Investments Limited, Preferred Liquidity LLC, Preferred Liquidity Limited Partnership, Procella Investments LLC, Procella Investments No.1 LLC, Procella Investments No.2 LLC, Procella Investments No.3 LLC, Protium Finance I LLC, Protium Master Grantor Trust, Protium Master Mortgage LP, Protium REO I LP, R.C. Grieg Nominees Limited, RVH Limited, RVT CLO Investments LLP, Razzoli Investments Limited, Real Estate Participation Management Limited, Real Estate Participation Services Limited, Relative Value Holdings LLC, Relative Value Investments UK Limited, Relative Value Trading Limited, Roder Investments No. 1 Limited, Roder Investments No. 2 Limited, Ruthenium Investments Limited, SPM GP Limited, Securitized Asset Backed Receivables LLC, Servicios Barclays S.A. de C.V., Societe Civile Immobiliere 31 Avenue de la Costa, Solution Personal Finance Limited, Southern Peaks Mining LP, Standard Life Aberdeen, Surety Trust Limited, Surrey Funding Corporation, Sussex Purchasing Corporation, Sutton Funding LLC, Swan Lane Investments Limited, TPLL LLC, TPProperty LLC, Tahoe Club Company LLC, Tahoe Club Employee Company, The Logic Group Enterprises Limited, The Logic Group Holdings Limited, Third Energy Holdings Limited, US Real Estate Holdings No. 2 Limited, US Real Estate Holdings No.1 Limited, US Real Estate Holdings No.3 Limited, US Secured Investments LLC, Union Center LLC, United Counties Bank, Verain Investments LLC, Walbrook Group Ltd, Wedd Jefferson (Nominees) Limited, Wessex Investments Limited, Westferry Investments Limited, Wilmington Riverfront Receivables LLC, Woolwich Homes Limited, Woolwich Plan Managers Limited, Woolwich Qualifying Employee Share, Woolwich Surveying Services Limited, Woori BC Pegasus Securitization Specialty Co. Limited, and Zeban Nominees Limited.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began a visit to China focused on trade yesterday with a stop at a Chinese social media giant where he talked up the advantages of travel to his homeland.

Accompanied by four Cabinet ministers, Trudeau also met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People.

Its rare to have such a close, intimate relationship where we have mutual exchanges of visits along with such dialogues, Li told Trudeau in remarks at the start of their meeting. China-Canada relations are indeed headed toward a golden stage.

Trudeau responded that the opportunities for deepening ties between the countries economies and people are tremendous.

Canada is deeply interested in further engagement and trade across the Pacific and I know were going to continue to have wonderful and fruitful discussions now and in the future as well, Trudeau said.

The two leaders oversaw the signing of three documents related to trade in food products, energy cooperation and education, though no details were provided.

Trudeau is to meet with President Xi Jinping today.

At Sina, owner of the popular Twitter-like Weibo microblogging service, Trudeau took part in a panel discussion that touched on Canadian tourism draws, as well as the nations beer and wine, according to Chinese and Canadian reports.

Next year marks the China-Canada year of tourism and Canada is hoping to double the number of Chinese tourist arrivals.

China and Canada are also in exploratory talks on a framework for a trade agreement, although reports say Ottawa has been pushing for provisions on the environment, governance, labor and gender issues.

Beijing generally seeks to avoid references that might highlight the one-party authoritarian states human rights record.

China has positioned itself as a leading advocate of free trade, particularly since President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a pan-Pacific trade deal. Yet foreign businesses often complain that China closes many key areas to foreign investment, and Xi is known to favor a centralized economic model with special support for state-owned industries.

Canada has remained part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. During recent talks in Danang, Vietnam, Trudeau lobbied for strong provisions for environmental protection, labor rights, and gender issues, and the name of the initiative was altered to be the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

China largely imports wood and agricultural products, ore, fuels and seafood from Canada, while Canada imports machinery, furniture and sporting goods and textiles from China. The trade imbalance has narrowed, but China still ran a surplus of about USD17 billion with Canada during the first half of this year, according to the Canadian government. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP
CVS Health Corp. will buy Aetna Inc. for about USD67.5 billion, creating a health-care giant that will have a hand in everything from insurance to the corner drugstore.

CVS will pay $207 a share for Aetna, with $145 a share in cash and the rest in stock, the companies said in a statement Sunday. Thats a 29 percent premium to Aetnas share price on Oct. 25, the day before the companies were reported to be in talks.

The deal is among the biggest health-care mergers of the past decade, combining the largest U.S. drugstore chain with the third-biggest health insurer. CVS also manages drug-benefits plans for employers and insurers, a business that could help steer some of Aetnas 22 million customers into CVS drugstores when they fill a prescription. The deal will give Aetnas insurance plans a closer on-the-ground tie to where customers get care.

Including CVSs assumption of Aetnas debt, the deal will be valued at $77 billion, the companies said in the statement. Its expected to close in the second half of 2018, the companies said.

In a joint interview, CVS Chief Executive Officer Larry Merlo and Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said combining the companies would help CVS expand a variety of retail medical services, from vision care to nutrition advice to audiology, making basic care more convenient and less costly for consumers. Aetna will be operated as a separate business unit, and any new services will be designed to appeal broadly to customers of other insurance companies as well, the executives said.

The immediate financial benefits of the deal are projected to be relatively modest. The companies said they expect $750 million in synergies, and profit improvements in the low-to-mid single digits the second full year after the merger is completed. The companies are betting on longer-term profit from reshaping how their customers get care, by creating what the executives are calling 10,000 new front doors for the health-care system at CVSs stores and clinics.

Think of these stores as a hub of a new way of accessing health-care services across America, Merlo said in the joint interview. Were bringing health care to where people live and work.

The deal will be financed with a mix of cash and debt. Barclays Plc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp. have committed to provide $49 billion of financing, the companies said.

CVS and Aetna are joining hands as the health sector is looking over the horizon at Amazon.com Inc., and how the Internet retailer could shake up the business of buying, distributing and selling drugs and medical products if it gets into health care. The retail industry has been battered by the online giant. Amazon hasnt revealed its plans.

One of the problems with the health-care system is its so fragmented and theres so little coordination, said Steve Kraus, who invests in health firms at Bessemer Venture Partners. A better vertically integrated, less-siloed system is a good thing in my mind.

Merlo, the chief executive of CVS, disputed the idea that the deal was a defensive move against Amazons possible entry into the pharmacy business.

This transaction is really about growth, it is about expansion, it is not about contraction, Merlo said.

The deal could also set off a new round of takeovers as CVS and Aetnas competitors look at the reshaped landscape. On Nov. 30, Express Scripts Holding Co.s top executive said the company would be open to a deal at the right price, though wasnt actively looking for one.

We dont need to sell to be very successful in the future, but we are always open to others who may all of sudden conclude they want what we have, Express Scripts CEO Tim Wentworth said in an interview. He also mentioned the possibility of partnering with Amazon on an online-pharmacy arrangement. Zachary Tracer, Robert Langreth, Bloomberg
British Prime Minister Theresa May will make a diplomatic blitz to Brussels early today [Macau time] to meet top European Union officials and try to reach a much-needed breakthrough in the negotiations on Britains exit.

May is to meet with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Council President Donald Tusk, and hopes to make what the EU calls sufficient progress on the questions of Britains leaving bill, Irish border conditions and the rights of citizens in each others territories.

That progress is needed, the EU says, before the sides can move the negotiations on to the next important stage about future trade relations, including trade, next week.

The Irish border issue in particular has stood out as a sticking point, with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney telling Irish broadcaster RTE that we dont yet have agreement on a full text.

A British official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, said overnight there were plenty of discussions still to go and instead of an initial Monday deadline for a breakthrough, the official called the talks now an important staging post.

The EUs top Brexit officials will also be huddling among themselves looking how to get more concessions from Britain, specifically on citizens rights and the Irish border.

Britain is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019 yet the progress on its exit and the terms of new relations have been painfully slow.

The 27 other member states need to declare there is enough progress on the three divorce issues during their Dec. 14-15 summit before the talks can start including future relations, something which is paramount for hard-pressed Britain.

Yet May is still fraught with difficulties. Juncker first meets with Brexit experts from the European Parliament, which will eventually have to endorse any departure deal.

And Manfred Weber, the chief of the EPP Christian Democrats group in the EU parliament, said his group still saw plenty of hurdles.

Weber said in a tweet that even if the issue of the outstanding bill had made major progress, we are much more concerned about the fact that negotiations are stalled on the protection of EU citizens rights & on the Irish case.

Coveney held out hope, though. We are not quite yet where we need to be, but it is possible to do that today, he said. Raf Casert, Brussels, AP
A small beach town in the South of Vietnam, around 125 kilometers southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, is facing a rapid expansion in local development as it gears up to become a major hotel and resort destination, aided by the presence of a potential casino.

Known as the Ho Tram Strip, the area has already seen the sale of three development sites with further three developments currently under construction. Besides the announced projects, others are still in initial planning stages or on hold.

The interest from developers derives from the sites future casino, The Grand Ho Tram Casino, which will become a catalyst for the towns economy if it receives a gaming license allowing local residents to gamble.

According to a Savills Vietnam study, the number of hotel rooms could grow by nearly 40 percent year-on-year in 2018, due to the new developments, and by an additional 17 percent in 2019.

The CEO of developer Sanctuary Residential Resort is confident that the hospitality industry in the town is on the verge of a boom.

Ho Tram Strip will take off, there is absolutely no doubt about it, said CEO John Manning. With its proximity to the population and wealth of Ho Chi Minh City, it will not be long before youre driving down the strip and it will all be hotels and resorts.

Nguyen Nam Son, chairman of another local resort developer, Tanzanite, said, We think that if local gaming is allowed, then Ho Tram will grow even faster. In Macau, after the large casinos were allowed in 2004, apartment prices went up five to 10 times in the decade after.

A small international airport only five minutes from Ho Tram has also been approved by the local government, which will make the town more accessible to both foreign visitors and Vietnamese holidaymakers living in other parts of the country.

Vietnams government is only beginning to experiment with the idea of permitting locals to gamble in domestic casinos  an initiative that could reclaim as much as USD800 million per year in tax revenues that currently go to casinos in neighboring Cambodia.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines pledged to continually assist Filipino migrant workers in the MSAR, along with the bureaus substantial increase in its budget for 2018, which amounts to PHP1 billion from PHP400 million last year.

The pledge was in line with the countrys president Rodrigo Dutertes directives, which prioritize the concerns of migrant workers by improving their welfare and their access to the countrys agencies and services.

The DFA has also been working with the Philippines Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in a bid to develop its coordination in responding to Filipinos request for assistance.

DFA secretary Alan Peter Cayetano reiterated that the increase in its budget would allow the bureau to assist these migrant workers legal cases. Cayetano also noted that the work also lies in creating dialogues with the governments of regions with significant numbers of Filipino workers.

Upon the directives of the president, if a [legal] case is set to start, we can immediately use the [legal assistance] fund [but] it doesnt mean to say that were going to be able to cover everywhere, said Cayetano, who was speaking on the sidelines of Sundays Christmas party organized by the Philippine Consulate General of the SAR (PCG).

There are things were working out on a diplomatic level, the official continued.

Cayetano recently vowed to launch new initiatives in the Philippines and abroad so as to improve the delivery of consular and other services.

Speaking to the press, the secretary said that technology would play a significant role in these initiatives, revealing that the bureau is developing a specific app that migrant workers will be able to use to renew their passports.

He admitted that the renewal of passports has been a challenge as the backlog is large and the data, including fingerprints and biometrics, has not been converted to electronic files.

In Macaus PCG, only 22 personnel are available to serve some 32,000 Filipinos in the region.

When questioned about whether there are plans to increase the numbers, the secretary implied that it is being considered, along with its budget.

We have identified areas where there are many Filipinos [who need consular] services, he said.

The official also said that it is working on a proposal for the creation of an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Cluster, which would include the DFA, DOLE and other government agencies to ensure better coordination in matters involving migrant workers and their families.

According to him, the OFW Cluster that he proposes will not only improve coordination but will serve as a command center to integrate services among different departments to deliver assistance to the families of migrant workers.

There is a lack of program and coordination of how to help their families integrate into businesses or investment, the official explained.

If were only just dependent on our OFWs, our economy wont grow that much; their families will not go up the economic ladder.

Manila and Beijing are set to hold South China Sea talks early next year, and Cayetano vowed that the country would fight for the national interests of the Philipines.

He noted that Dutertes directives aim to produce warmer ties which will lead to more cooperation, more stability and more development.

We are isolating the problems or issues we have with China and bolstering the relationship in other aspects, and having said that, we assure the people that we will fight for the national interest in both cases, the secretary said.

The annual Christmas party of the consulate, which was held at St. Joseph the Worker Church, featured performances, games and raffle draws.

Commenting on the event, Labor attache Vivian Tornea said, this is a chance where the Filipino community gets together. They have made their preparations to share talents and resources so they can give joy to their compatriots in Macau.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The flu season is just getting underway in North America, but if Australia's experience with influenza is any guide, we're in for a miserable winter.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned Wednesday that the United States could experience a "relatively severe influenza season." If so, it would extend a run of bad luck that began in 2014, when the available flu vaccines proved to be a poor match for the most common viruses in circulation.

In the land down under, where the 2017 flu season is now a wrap, public health officials reported record-high rates of flu, as well as above-average numbers of hospitalizations and deaths. The most common flu strain there was the influenza A virus known as H3N2, and the vaccine given to Australians had an effectiveness of only 10 percent, according to preliminary estimates.

The vaccine now being administered to Americans uses the same formulation. Even worse, nearly three-quarters of the 1,544 laboratory-confirmed cases of flu seen in the U.S. since Oct. 1 were of the H3N2 variety, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last flu season's vaccines were found to be 34 percent effective against H3N2 in the U.S., leading to widespread misery. The situation in Australia suggests this flu season could be even worse.

That's not a reason for Americans to skip the flu shot this year, Fauci said. Even a vaccine with limited effectiveness will protect some people from getting the flu. And many of those who do get it will have a shorter course of illness, he said.

But a string of bad flu seasons is a reason for the world's scientific establishment to step up efforts to develop a universal flu vaccine, Fauci wrote Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Between 2005 and 2014, flu vaccines averted 40,000 deaths in the United States alone.

"Yet, we can do better," Fauci wrote, along with his Australian counterpart and two World Health Organization officials.

Universal flu vaccines could make the yearly flu shot - not to mention the yearly guessing game about which viral strains to match - a thing of the past. While still in development, the candidate vaccines would train the human immune system to recognize components of the virus that are common to all influenza strains and don't change from year to year as they crisscross the globe.

"As we prepare for a potentially severe influenza season, we must consider whether our current vaccines can be improved," Fauci and his coauthors wrote.

The high prevalence of influenza A viruses in recent years is a particular problem for the current generation of vaccines, Fauci and his colleagues wrote. A pair of studies published this year have turned up strong evidence that when vaccine makers use eggs as a medium for the propagation of viruses - the dominant production method, and one that has changed little in decades - mutations are introduced that reduce the vaccine's effectiveness.

In Australia this past flu season, the problem did not appear to be a mismatch between the flu strains that were circulating and those that the available vaccine protected against, Fauci said. Instead, it seemed to be the mutant proteins introduced as the vaccines were being produced in eggs.

"The very process of how we make the vaccine creates an unanticipated, almost accidental mismatch, which is what happened in Australia this year," Fauci said in an interview.

The production of universal vaccines entails no such risk. The viral pieces used in these vaccines are not living organisms but genetically engineered proteins that can be grown and propagated in bacteria, making the use of eggs unnecessary.

The most advanced universal flu vaccine candidate is only in the earliest stages of human clinical trials, and others are still being tested in animals. They could be several flu seasons off, but Fauci said he has "made this a high priority" in a budget that the Trump administration has targeted for 21 percent budget cut.

2017 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: University of Western Sydney

One in seven Aussie mums (16 per cent) will experience the debilitating symptoms of peri-natal and post-natal depression.

While research into its cause continues, Western Sydney researchers have found evidence that infants of mothers with post-natal depression (PND) are less communicative than peers of non-depressed mothers.

Other research has shown that babies of mums who suffered with PND were more likely to show poor cognitive function, less school readiness, poor reasoning skills and a lack of problem solving skills.

After being awarded a South West Sydney Research Seed Grant, Dr Christa Lam-Cassettari, a post-doctoral researcher with the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development at Western Sydney University, (and her collaborators at UNSW and Karitane), conducted a pilot study that investigated the effect of maternal depression on the communication of children.

Dr Lam-Cassettari said there is evidence that some of the long term effects of PND were that it adversely affected emotion regulation in infants, predisposed pre-teens to depression, and resulted in externalised behavioural issues in pre-teens and adolescents.

"But there is little understanding of how PND affects speech and language development in early childhood," she said.

"What we know is that PND hinders bonding and interaction between mothers and their newborns, depriving those children of the opportunity to communicate.

"What our research found was that mothers with post-natal depression tend to communicate infrequently with their infants, in a monotonal manner and in a low pitch.

"As a group these mothers also spoke less to their young infants overall and didn't engage in the same amount of interactive communication such as speaking in a sing-song tone, playing games and singing  all of which have been shown to have significant benefits on an infant's cognitive development and their language acquisition skills."

This research study was aimed at understanding how psychosocial factors influence early speech and language development The study tested differences in the quality and quantity of speech of mothers to their pre-speech infants (aged 4-6 months) in two western Sydney groups, one group with PND mothers and a control group of non-depressed mothers.

Dr Lam-Cassettari she her research findings indicated that infant language development flourished when there was positive reinforcement between mother and child.

"We know from previous research that until 14 months of age, babies actually preferred to listen to infant directed speech (IDS) over adult directed speech," she said.

"IDS has been found to aid language development, facilitate word recognition through exaggerated vowel sounds and pronunciation, and facilitate good speech discrimination."

"This study was intended to provide a foundation for examining the longer-term effects of post-natal depression on infant language and provide a direct opportunity to perform further studies that will bridge current gaps in clinical practice."

Dr Lam-Cassettari said she was hoping to look at more longitudinal effects by taking vocabulary measures of infants at 12 months in a new group of infants with PND mums and non PND mums.

It is important to note that PND is involuntary, and it is a serious condition that should be treated by a medical professional.
(HealthDay)Being pregnant during a heat wave may be more than uncomfortable: New research suggests it can shave dollars off your child's potential income.

The study of over 12 million Americans found that the more often fetuses or infants were exposed to days topping 90 degrees, the less they earned as adults.

Experts said the findings offer a new factor to consider in debates over climate change: More sweltering days could mean less money in people's pockets.

Past research has hinted that extreme heat during pregnancy, or the first year of life, can have harmful effectsincluding higher risks of low birth weight and infant mortality.

Now, the new study suggests there could be lasting effects. However, the researchers did not prove that heat waves cause someone's earning potential to plummet.

Still, that's "completely new," said Alan Barreca, an associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved with the study.

"We know temperature affects health in many ways," he said. "But we haven't had an understanding of whether the effects of temperature in early life can persist into adulthood."

Barreca noted that the effects were seen at pretty extreme temperatures for the United States. When the average temperature for a given day is 90 degrees, that means the high for the day was probably around 100 degrees.

Right now, Barreca said, those sweltering conditions are infrequent in the United States.

"The average American sees one day like that per year," he said.

But with climate change, he stressed, such days will become increasingly common.

Plus, in many parts of the world, people are already enduring searing heatwithout the comforts of air-conditioning, said study co-author Maya Rossin-Slater.

Why would there be a connection between early-life heat and adulthood income?

It's not clear, said Rossin-Slater, an assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. But she speculated on some possible explanations.

Fetuses and infants are more sensitive to extreme temperatures because their nervous systems and temperature-regulating systems are not fully developed, she said. So if heat waves affect their brain development, for example, that could have wide-ranging implications later in lifeincluding job prospects.

Barreca agreed that the reasons for the findings are uncertain. But he said the study makes a convincing case that heat waves trigger some chain of events that ultimately affect adults' income.

"It's clear that temperature is the first domino," he said, "and income is the third. It's not clear what that second domino is."

The findings were based on census data for over 12 million Americans born between 1969 and 1977. That data contained information on each person's date and place of birth, race, sex and earnings history.

The researchers used daily weather recordings to see how often people were exposed to steamy conditions in the womb or during the first year of life.

It turned out there was a correlation between early-life heat waves and people's incomes at age 30. For each day the average temperature stood at 90 degrees or more, annual income dipped by an average of $30, Rossin-Slater said.

For any one person, she noted, that earnings decline is not a big deal. But across a large population, those lost dollars add up.

The findings also do not rule out the possibility that there could be more people with lower incomes living in the hottest regions of the country.

But, Rossin-Slater said, her team controlled for that by comparing two people of the same sex and race, born in the same county, on the same daybut in different years.

If person A was exposed to a heat wave in early life, but person B wasn't, person A tended to earn less.

There was, however, a bright spot in the findings: The phenomenon did not exist in counties with high rates of household air-conditioning.

"That suggests air-conditioning is one way to potentially mitigate this," Rossin-Slater said.

If you're pregnant during a heat wave, Barreca said, it's best to stay inside with the AC working.

But he cautioned against the notion that air-conditioning is a magic bullet. "People with lower incomes, who still lack access to it, will be the most vulnerable," he said.

The findings were published Dec. 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

More information: Adam Isen et al. Relationship between season of birth, temperature exposure, and later life wellbeing, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). Adam Isen et al. Relationship between season of birth, temperature exposure, and later life wellbeing,(2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1702436114 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on extreme heat. Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Copyright  2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Environmental activists are campaigning against the use of antibiotics in agriculture, a major source of bacterial resistance

The UN warned Tuesday of a ticking time bomb of drug-resistant germs brewing in the natural environment, aided by humans dumping antibiotics and chemicals into the water and soil.

If this continues, people will be at an ever-higher risk of contracting diseases which are incurable by existing antibiotics from swimming in the sea or other seemingly innocuous activities, a report said.

"Around the world, discharge from municipal, agricultural and industrial waste in the environment means it is common to find antibiotic concentrations in many rivers, sediments and soils," the study found.

"It is steadily driving the evolution of resistant bacteria," it said. "A drug that once protected our health is now in danger of very quietly destroying it."

The report, "Frontiers 2017", was released at the UN Environment Assembly, the highest-level gathering on matters concerning the environment.

Health watchdogs are already deeply worried about the dwindling armoury of weapons against germs.

A report in 2014 warned that drug-resistant infections might kill 10 million people a year by 2050, making it the leading cause of death, over heart disease and cancer.

Bacteria acquire drug resistance partly by exposure to antibiotics.

To survive the drug onslaught, bacteria can transfer, even between different species, genes that confer immunity. They can pass these genes on to future generations, or DNA can mutate spontaneously.

Post-antibiotic era

Strong enough doses of antibiotics will kill disease-causing bacteria before they have a chance to mutate.

But antibiotics are generally overprescribed, often at incorrect doses, which means the germs are not killed but instead given an evolutionary boost to survive future exposure to the same drug.

"We may enter what people are calling a post-antibiotic era, so we go back to the pre-1940s when simple infection... will become very difficulty, if not impossible" to treat, Will Gaze of the University of Exeter, who co-authored the new report, told AFP.

The investigation highlighted a largely unknown and poorly researched contributor to the drug-resistance problem: environmental pollution.

Today, 70 percent to 80 percent of all antibiotics that humans take, or give to farm animals to bulk them up and keep them healthy, find their way into the environment, partly through wastewater and manure deposits.

"So the majority of those hundreds of thousands of tonnes of antibiotics produced every year end up in the environment," Gaze said.

Humans and animals also excrete germs, both resistant and non-resistant, into water and the soil, where they mingle with the antibiotic detritus and naturally occurring bacteria.

Add to this mix antibacterial products such as disinfectants and heavy metals that are toxic to germs, and ideal conditions are created for bacteria to develop drug-resistance in places where humans will come in contact with them.

"If we go into river systems, we see really big increases in resistance downstream (from) wastewater treatment plants... and associated with certain types of land use, so grazing land for example," Gaze said.

"If you go into coastal waters where... you might be heavily exposed to the environment, we know that we can measure quite high numbers of resistant bacteria in there."

'We need to invest more'

One study showed that people were exposed to a drug-resistant E.coli bacteria in recreational waters off the British coast, despite "high levels of investment" in the treatment of wastewater.

In much of the effluent, drug concentrations are too low to kill bacteria, but "may be sufficient to induce antimicrobial resistance," the report said.

Delegates urged more research into the newly exposed origin of drug-immune germs.

"Antimicrobial resistance is an issue that has long been on the agenda... it is indeed one of the biggest threats to health," Norway's environment minister Vidar Helgesen said.

"When we see emerging evidence that tackling pollution is key to solving the antimicrobial resistance crisis, we need to invest more in getting more knowledge about that."

Gaze agreed that more research was needed to quantify the risk.

"There's no single smoking-gun study that says: 'This is the amount of infection caused by the environment'. But if you start piecing it together, it looks like it's significant," he said.

"It's like smoking: It took 50 years for the actual causal evidence to emerge after everyone knew that it was bad for your health."

 2017 AFP
Credit: University of Glasgow

A ground-breaking new pancreatic cancer trial, which aims to match patients with more targeted and effective treatment for their tumours, is to begin in Scotland.

Run by Precision-Panc, a research programme and clinical trials project led by the University of Glasgow and majority-funded by Cancer Research UK, the trial will bring a precision medicine approach to pancreatic cancer treatment for the first time in the UK.

Pancreatic cancer is the 5th most common cause of cancer death in the UK with a 5-year survival rate of less than 7 percent. Around 9,600 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer per year in the UK and around 8,800 people die.

Precision-Panc has been given approval by the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board to begin initial recruitment of patients to the Precision-Panc Master Protocol at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The Master Protocol will serve as the entry point to Precision-Panc and is the first step for patients to be recruited before enrolling onto a suitable clinical trial.

As part of the protocol, each patient will undergo tumour biopsy to obtain material that will then be used for molecular profiling at the Glasgow Precision Oncology Laboratory within the University of Glasgow. The results may then be used to help match patients to the most appropriate currently available clinical trial.

This ability to link clinical data with the patient's unique molecular profiling data will enable rapid new discoveries, and enhance delivery of precision medicine to current and future patients.

The team at Glasgow Royal Infirmary have spent the last year modifying the patient pathway and developing endoscopic biopsy techniques so that patients can provide samples for the Precision-Panc study as part of their routine diagnostic care  making it easier for patients to be able to enter these studies without additional tests.

Simultaneously, the first of three planned PRIMUS (Pancreatic Cancer Individualized Multi-arm Umbrella Study) clinical trials has also opened for recruitment at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. Glasgow is the first site to receive this approval. Additional sites across the UK and Northern Ireland are currently in set up and are expected to receive approval in early 2018.

Professor Andrew Biankin, Chief Investigator of this project and Regius Chair of Surgery and Director of the University of Glasgow Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, said: "This is an extraordinary opportunity to transform the therapeutic options and treatment pathway for pancreatic cancer patients. It is one of the first projects in the UK to bring genetic sequencing into the clinic in order to direct the care of pancreatic cancer patients."

The overall aim of Precision-Panc is to make precision medicine a reality for more people with pancreatic cancer through building up knowledge that will ultimately allow clinicians to match patients with the most suitable treatment or clinical trial for them. The project aims to facilitate drug development, and ultimately new drug approval, allowing access and improving survival in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Three clinical trials, funded in part by Cancer Research UK, are planned which will recruit a total of 658 pancreatic cancer patients under the Precision-Panc umbrella, with scope to add more trials in the future. Each clinical trial will test new drugs and combinations of drugs tailored to match specific patients.

Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of clinical research, said: "This is the first step towards exciting advancements in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

"We're thrilled to be turning the latest research discoveries into effective treatments and delivering them to patients. We hope that by increasing treatment options for this hard to treat disease, we can find the right approach for individual patients and give them the best chance of beating their cancer."

Anna Jewell, Director of Operations at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: "It's incredibly exciting to see the first stages of this game-changing effort to change the future for people with pancreatic cancer. The clinical trial in Glasgow will provide a much-needed new treatment option for eligible patients with a disease, which sadly has so few treatments available, and we would encourage patients to ask their doctor or consultant if they think this trial would be suitable for them."
Credit: University of Michigan

Suicide is a serious mental health issue among college students, especially Latinos who may struggle with belonging to their ethnic group.

A new University of Michigan study found that when Latinos did not have a strong ethnic identityhow a person looks at himself in a racial groupand felt lonely, they were more likely to consider ending their lives.

"For Latinos, feeling pride about their ethnicity might keep some from feeling lonely or depressed, which are associated with greater risk of suicide attempts," said Edward Chang, U-M professor of psychology and social work.

In a study published in Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Chang and colleagues examined how ethnic identity and hopeless/loneliness predicted suicide risk. About 160 Latino college studentsincluding 115 womenresponded to survey questions.

To assess ethnic identity, the students rated how they felt about statements such as "I have a strong sense of belonging to my own ethnic group," "I am active in organizations or social groups that include mostly members of my own ethnic group," and "I have a clear sense of my ethnic background and what it means for me."

Respondents also rated their feelings of loneliness and thoughts/behaviors about suicide. The risk of suicidal behavior was high for Latinos who believed their future was hopeless as a member of their ethnic group, the study showed.

The research also indicated that Latinos who interacted with other ethnic groups reported fewer suicidal behaviors, which supports previous studies about dialoguing with diverse groups fosters better social adjustment and academic performance.

Loneliness also contributed to suicidal behavior.

"These findings suggest that for Latino students, feeling socially isolated from others is reliably associated with greater risk of suicide," said Chang, the study's lead author.

To help distressed Latino students, it's important to learn if they feel insecure about their ethnic identity or lack positive interactions with non-Hispanics, he said.

More information: Edward C. Chang et al. Ethnic Identity and Loneliness in Predicting Suicide Risk in Latino College Students, Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences (2017). Edward C. Chang et al. Ethnic Identity and Loneliness in Predicting Suicide Risk in Latino College Students,(2017). DOI: 10.1177/0739986317738028
Abandoned life jackets of refugees on a beach in Kos, Greece. Credit: University of Bristol

The majority of migrant deaths are unrecorded, according to a new report which calls for 'significant improvements' to be made in order to capture the true number of deaths which occur during migration worldwide.

The report, the second part of Fatal Journeys Volume 3: Improving data on missing migrants from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and co-edited by University of Bristol academic Ann Singleton, comes just days after the US pulled out of the United Nations' global compact on migration.

This move is seen to present a further challenge to the global policy community in making progress towards achieving the UN's sustainable development goals, in particular target 10.7 to 'facilitate orderly, safe, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies'.

The report also follows a series of deadly incidents in seas and on land, including in the Mediterranean and at the border of Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar.

More than 500,000 people have fled their homes in Myanmar, with thousands attempting to reach Bangladesh by boat across the Andaman Sea.

While official figures show 233 people died trying to cross the border between 1 January 2014 and 8 October 2017, researchers believe the number could be significantly higher. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) predict up to 2,000 migrants may have died in the Bay of Bengal alone between 2012 and 2016.

The Mediterranean crossings, which have claimed the lives of 15,000 migrants since it hit the headlines in October 2013, are just one example of the many migration routes that see numerous fatalities each year.

While the dangerous journeys of migrants travelling across the Mediterranean Sea en route to Europe have been widely reported, there is little public or policy awareness of the risks migrants encounter before they reach the coast of Turkey.

Overall, the report found that the deaths of migrant women and children are underrepresented in the available data. Basic information such as the sex or the age of the migrant who is reported dead or missing is often lacking.

Ann Singleton, Senior Research Fellow in School for Policy Studies at the University of Bristol, said: "The report on global regions makes it evident that the number of migrants who die across the world continues to be vastly under-reported. In many remote regions of the world, bodies may never be found, and many migrants may never be identified. Each nameless death represents a family missing a loved one.

"Accurate data on the number of missing migrants is vital to building a true picture of the problem, to create strong, evidence-based policies to save lives and to improve identification of missing migrants.

"The many challenges specific to each region mean that data on migrant deaths may never be complete, however significant improvements could be made across the world. There are many potential sources of data and approaches that could be taken. The challenge is not simply a lack of data, but the unwillingness of some authorities to collect them, as well as deficiencies in resources and know-how."

Comprehensive data on migrant fatalities will remain a challenge without more commitment of resources from local, national and international authorities the researchers conclude.

Fatal Journeys 3 makes five key recommendations based on the innovative methodologies discussed in part one, and the regional comparisons made in part two of the report:

1. Make better use of administrative data

Local, national and regional authorities should collect and publish data on migrant deaths and disappearances. These authorities should standardize collection procedures and methodologies so that the data might be more easily compared.

2. Promote survey-based data collection

In areas where few official data exist, survey-based data collection should include collecting eyewitness testimonies from migrants who have witnessed the deaths of their peers.

3. Explore new technologies

New and emerging data collection techniques and sources, such as big data, can improve the quality and coverage of data on missing migrants.

4. Work with civil society and families

The needs of families of missing migrants should be considered at all stages of data collection and processing of deceased migrants. Families and civil society groups can provide key information to aid the identification of migrants who have died or gone missing.

5. Improve data sharing

One of the most achievable ways to improved data on missing migrants worldwide is to improve communication between actors working on the issue. Data on missing migrants are often scattered and fragmented, and data sharing should be promoted wherever possible, (according to ethical and relevant confidentiality standards), in order to maximize accuracy.
By PTI: Gurgaon, Dec 5 (PTI) An NSG commando allegedly committed suicide after shooting his wife and sister-in-law at their flat in the forces Manesar camp today.

The deceased, Jitendra Yadav, was a native of Uttar Pradesh. He was an ASI of Border Security Force, police said.

"He was on deputation for five years in the National Security Guard (NSG) and was deployed at Manesar camp from the last couple of years," a senior police officer said.

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The police had received information about the shoot out at flat number 42 of NSG camp.

"The police team found all the three family members lying on the floor. It appears that Jitendra shot his wife Gudan and sister-in-law Khusboo over a quarrel, and then shot himself on his temple with an automatic service pistol," the police officer said.

Gunjan and Khusboo were rushed to a hospital and are stated to be out of danger, he said.

The incident is being investigated, police added. PTI CORR SRY

--- ENDS ---
Credit: University of Cincinnati

Adolescents who feel their parents rarely express interest in their emotional well-being are far more likely to consider suicide than youths who see their parents as involved, US researchers said Tuesday.

The findings by the University of Cincinnati come as the suicide rate among teenagers rises in the United States, adding to concern among parents, educators and health experts.

In the past month alone, a 10-year-old girl in Colorado and a 13-year-old in California hanged themselves. Their parents say bullying at school contributed to the girls' deaths.

"Parents ask us all the time, 'What can we do?'" said Keith King, who coordinates the University of Cincinnati's health promotion and education doctoral program.

"Kids need to know that someone's got their back, and unfortunately, many of them do not. That's a major problem."

King and his colleague, Rebecca Vidourek, based their findings on a 2012 national survey of people 12 and older that revealed a significant link between parental behaviors and thoughts of suicide among adolescents.

They found that those most affected by parenting behaviors were 12- and 13-year-olds.

Children in this age group who said their parents rarely or never told them they were proud of them were nearly five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, said the researchers.

They were also nearly seven times more likely to formulate a suicide plan and about seven times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers.

An unusually high risk of suicide was also seen in 12- and 13-year-olds whose parents rarely or never told them they did a good job or helped them with their homework.

Among older teens, aged 16 and 17, those who said their parents rarely or never said they were proud of them were three times more likely to have suicidal thoughtsalmost four times more likely to make a suicide plan and attempt suicidethan peers whose parents sometimes or often expressed pride in their children.

'Positively connected'

Researchers acknowledged that the survey was based on youths' perceptions of their parents behavior, and that some parents may disagree with how their children responded.

"Youth perceptions are extremely important to suicidal ideation and attempts," King told AFP in an email.

"Sometimes parents think they are involved, but from the perspective of the adolescent, they are not."

Some ways for parents to protect against suicide include "direct communication and direct interactions that are authoritative in nature between the parent(s) and the adolescent," he added.

Teens may also be more likely to try drugs or risky sexual behavior if parents are not adequately engaged, King said.

"A key is to ensure that children feel positively connected to their parents and family," said Vidourek, who serves as co-director of the Center for Prevention Science, along with King.

The study did not delve into completion of suicide by teenagers, but whether they harbored suicidal thoughts, made plans or had attempted to take their own lives.

A report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year found that the suicide rate among teen girls doubled from 2007 to 2015, and rose 30 percent among boys.

About 5,900 youths between the ages of 10 and 24 committed suicide in the United States in 2015, according to government figures.

Experts say a range of factors contribute to suicide risk, including depression and mental health, negative influences on social media, bullying, financial struggles and exposure to violence.

King said certain basic parental behaviors may help.

"You can tell them you're proud of them, that they did a good job, get involved with them and help them with their homework," said King.

The research was presented at this year's American Public Health Association conference in Atlanta.

 2017 AFP
Using the worlds most comprehensive epilepsy patient EEG dataset collected from electrodes inside patients skulls, Professor David Grayden, Head of the Universitys Department of Biomedical Engineering, said the technology has the ability to adapt to individual patients needs. Credit: Pixabay

The idea of personalised seizure prediction for epilepsy is closer to becoming a reality thanks to new research published today by the University of Melbourne and IBM Research-Australia.

Using the power of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, researchers have used a mobile, brain-inspired processor to analyse brain signals from retrospective patient data recorded under the skull, successfully predicting an average of 69 per cent of seizures across all patients.

A third of epilepsy patients worldwide currently living with unpredictable seizures that are not adequately controlled through medication or otherwise. Professor Mark Cook, Director of the University's Graeme Clark Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Director of Neurology at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne said this research could dramatically improve the lives of 250,000 Australians and 65 million people worldwide.

"Epilepsy is a neurologic condition that can be incredibly debilitating," said Professor Cook.

"It prevents some patients from doing simple activities such as getting a driver's license or swimming.

"This technology has the potential to improve millions of lives and reduce the physical, emotional, and financial costs of one of the world's most common, yet intractable chronic disorders."

Using the world's most comprehensive epilepsy patient EEG dataset collected from electrodes inside patients' skulls, Professor David Grayden, Head of the University's Department of Biomedical Engineering, said the technology has the ability to adapt to individual patient's needs.

"By collecting data from inside the patient's skull and combining this with deep learning and AI, we're able to develop a system that can self-train, based on learning the brain states and signs that pre-empt seizures unique to an individual," said Professor Grayden.

"Our algorithm also allows for instantaneous and easy adjustment, giving patients the flexibility to control how sensitive and in advance the warning is."

While previous epilepsy prediction research has only been possible on high powered computers, Dr Stefan Harrer, IBM Research-Australia's Brain-Inspired Computing Manager, said that by using IBM's brain-inspired computing chip, there is the potential to create a wearable, real-time patient warning system.

"By deploying the technology on a computing chip that is the size of a postage stamp and runs on the same power use of a hearing aid, we're able to simulate how such systems could one day operate in real life," Dr Harrer said.

"The hope is that one day this research could help inform the development of assistive technologies that could not only warn people with epilepsy of imminent seizures, but constantly adapt to how their brains change over time."

Professor Cook said developing a reliable means of predicting epileptic seizures for individual patients was an incredibly complex area of research.

"This is in large part due to how epilepsy manifests itself uniquely in each patient, as well as individual long-term changes in brain signals," said Professor Cook.

"While we still need to continue to build on this research before we can confidently say that we can identify any seizure before it occurs, these results have proven incredibly promising."
Recently published research from The University of Southern Denmark and the Danish Cancer Society shows a connection between one of the most common medications for hypertension and skin cancer. Danish researchers set their sights on anti-hypertensive medicine containing hydrochlorothiazide in relation to an increased risk for skin cancer. The researchers have previously demonstrated that the medicine, which is one of the most commonly used drugs worldwide, can increase the risk of lip cancer.

In a new study, the researchers have identified another clear connection between the use of hypertension medicine and the chance of developing skin cancer. More specifically, this refers to drugs containing hydrochlorothiazide and squamous cell carcinoma.

Surprisingly high risk

The researchers have also looked at other commonly used hypertension medicines, but none of them increased the risk of skin cancer.

"We knew that hydrochlorothiazide made the skin more vulnerable to damage from the sun's UV rays, but what is new and also surprising is that long-term use of this blood pressure medicine leads to such a significant increase in the risk of skin cancer," says Anton Pottegard, Associate Professor, Ph.D., from the University of Southern Denmark.

The study, which is based on about 80,000 Danish cases of skin cancer, shows that the risk of developing skin cancer is up to seven times greater for users of medicine containing hydrochlorothiazide.

Risk of impairment

There are several types of skin cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma, with which the blood pressure medicine is now associated, can be easily treated and has a very low mortality rate.

A video of the study made by Anton Pottegaard, University of Southern Denmark on use of hydrochlorothiazide use and risk of skin cancer -- published December 2017 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Credit: Anton Pottegaard and Marie Helmer Svendsen , University of Southern Denmark

"However, both lip and skin cancer are typically treated with an operation that is associated with a certain risk of impairment as well as a small but real risk that skin cancer of the squamous cell type spreads," says Anton Pottegard.

Hydrochlorothiazide is one of the most commonly used medicines to reduce blood pressure both in the U.S., where over 10 million people use the drug annually, and in Western Europe. The side effects therefore affect many people, and the researchers have calculated that about 10 percent of all Danish cases of squamous cell carcinoma may be caused by hydrochlorothiazide.

"You should not interrupt your treatment without first consulting your doctor. However, if you use hydrochlorothiazide at present, it may be a good idea to talk to your doctor to see if it is possible to choose a different medicine," says Anton Pottegard.

As part of the project, the Danish researchers partnered with Dr. Armand B. Cognetta Jr., Chief Division of Dermatology, Florida State University, who is the head of one of the largest treatment centres for skin cancer in the US. Dr. Cognetta has extensive experience in diagnosing and treating skin cancer patients in Florida, and he has noted that hydrochlorothiazide is suspiciously prevalent among his patients, particularly among so-called "catastrophic patients," who can have several hundred skin cancers each. He welcomes the new results.

"We have seen and followed many patients with different skin cancers where the only risk factor apart from exposure to sunlight seems to be hydrochlorothiazide. The combination of living and residing in sunny Florida while taking hydrochlorothiazide seems to be very serious and even life-threatening for some patients. Even though we knew that hydrochlorothiazide made you sensitive to the sun, the connection between this medicine and skin cancer has remained elusive. The study carried out by Pottegard and his colleagues will have great impact on skin cancer prevention and public health worldwide," he explains.

What now?

The researchers continue to work on studies that can shed additional light on the connection between hydrochlorothiazide and skin cancer. Furthermore, they have entered into a dialogue with relevant medical companies as well as the Danish Medicines Agency regarding their findings.

"The risk of skin cancer must, of course, be weighed against the fact that hydrochlorothiazide is an effective and otherwise safe treatment for most patients. Nevertheless, our results should lead to a reconsideration of the use of hydrochlorothiazide. Hopefully, with this study, we can contribute towards ensuring safer treatment of high blood pressure in the future," says Anton Pottegard.
Credit: University of Sydney

Groundbreaking technology patented by University of Sydney researchers will be used in the new National Cervical Screening Program to be implemented in Australia from 1 December 2017.

Based on new evidence and better technology, the National Cervical Screening Program is changing by replacing the traditional pap smear with a new test which detects human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, in effort to improve early detection. While the current Pap test can detect abnormal cell changes, the new Cervical Screening Test will detect HPV infection that can cause the abnormal cell changes prior to the development of cancer. Persistent HPV infection is the cause of almost all cervical cancers. However, this usually takes a long time to develop, often more than 10 years.

The procedure for collecting the sample for HPV testing is the same as the procedure for having a Pap smear  a healthcare provider will still take a small sample of cells from the woman's cervix, and the sample will be sent to a pathology laboratory for testing.

The technology to detect HPV was originally invented by University of Sydney researcher Professor Brian Morris, and Dr Brian Nightingale when in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, who together hold the world's first patent for the HPV technology lodged with the patent office in 1987. The University of Sydney patenting process in the US, Europe, Japan and Australia was funded by Roche Diagnostics.

"It is now well-established that high-risk HPV types are the cause of 99.9 per cent of cervical cancers," said Professor Morris, a molecular biology researcher from Sydney Medical School's Bosch Institute and School of Medical Sciences.

"Testing for HPV is more accurate than pap smears and will save more women from getting cervical cancer. The pap smear was invented over 70 years ago, so the change is welcome.

"The Australian Government has recognised the superiority of HPV testing, so from 1 December we will switch to HPV testing for primary cervical screening of women in Australia.

"After three decades of hard work, I am very pleased that these changes are happening.

"The next step to further improve cervical screening is to make these tests more readily available to women, especially those who live in remote areas, are too busy, or who for religious or other reasons are averse to traditional sample collection, via a home-collection kit.

"We're currently working on making available a test where women can collect their own sample at home and mail to a lab for testing. Their nominated doctor would then be informed of the result and tell them if they need to attend for further examination.

"Being a molecular test that involves DNA (which is quite stable), the test lends itself to self-sampling at home by means of a tampon or other device. This will potentially improve uptake of cervical screening tests and prevent further cancers."

The technology used in the HPV testing is called 'the polymerase chain reaction' (PCR). At the time of Morris and Nightingale's invention, PCR had been developed to test for mutations in beta-globin that cause the genetic blood disease Thalassemia. The researcher's test was the first use of PCR for viral detection, specifically for detection of cancer-causing strains of human papillomavirus (HPV).

Human Papilloma Virus fast facts:

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common infection in females and males.

Many people will have HPV at some time in their lives and never know it.

There are more than 100 different types of HPV that can affect different parts of the body. HPV types 16 and 18 are those most commonly associated with cervical cancer. But over 10 other cancer-causing HPV types will be detected by the new test. Genital HPV is spread by genital skin to genital skin contact.

Most HPV infections clear up by themselves without causing any problems. Persistent genital HPV infections can cause cervical abnormalities, which, if they continue over a long period (usually more than 10 years), can lead to cervical cancer.

It is important to remember that most women who have HPV clear the virus and do not go on to develop cervical abnormalities or cervical cancer.
Credit: King's College London

A compound found in seaweed could protect human skin from the damaging impact of the sun without causing harm to marine ecosystems.

The use of sunscreens is advocated to prevent sun damage, but most formulations contain synthetic UV radiation filters that can make their way in to water systems. Many of these are not ecocompatible and may harm fragile marine life including coral, fish and microorganisms.

Scientists at King's College London extracted a mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA), known as palythine, from seaweed to test its ability to protect against UV radiation in human skin cells. MAAs are natural compounds produced in organisms that live in sunlight-rich, shallow-water environments.

Using human skin cells in a lab, researchers showed that even at very low concentrations MAA could effectively absorb harmful rays from the sun and protect the cells against UVR induced damage. They also showed that palythine is a powerful antioxidant that could offer skin protection against oxidative stress, linked to cellular damage and photoageing.

The paper, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, represents a breakthrough that could help move towards the development of an ecocompatible, non-toxic, natural sunscreen that protects human skin without negative environmental effects. Further research is required in order to prove that the compound has the same properties outside of the lab environment.

The European Chemicals Agency and The Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP), part of the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP), have expressed concern about the eco-toxic effects of eight out of the 16 commonly used sunscreen filters in Europe.

Lead author, Dr Karl Lawrence from St John's Institute of Dermatology at King's said: "MAAs, in addition to their environmental benefits, appear to be multifunctional photoprotective compounds. They work through the direct absorption of UVR photons, much like the synthetic filters. They also act as potent antioxidants, which is an important property as exposure to solar radiation induces high levels of oxidative stress and this is something not seen in synthetic filters."

Professor Antony Young, senior author of the paper and member of the EEAP, said: "There are significant concerns that conventional sun protection products are having a negative impact on the environment. Our data show that, with further research and development, marine derived sunscreens may be a possible solution that could have a significant positive impact on the health of our marine habitats and wildlife, whilst still providing the essential sun protection that human skin requires to guard against damage that causes diseases such as skin cancer."

More information: K. P. Lawrence et al, Molecular photoprotection of human keratinocytes in vitro by the naturally occurring mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA) palythine, British Journal of Dermatology (2017). Journal information: British Journal of Dermatology K. P. Lawrence et al, Molecular photoprotection of human keratinocytes in vitro by the naturally occurring mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA) palythine,(2017). DOI: 10.1111/bjd.16125
The university that employed a controversial herpes vaccine researcher has told the federal government it learned last summer of the possibility of his illegal experimentation on human subjects. But Southern Illinois University did not publicly disclose the tip or its findings about researcher William Halford's misconduct for months, according to a memo obtained by Kaiser Health News.

Last week, Kaiser Health News reported that Halford conducted an experiment in which he vaccinated patients in U.S. hotel rooms in 2013 without any safety oversight and in violation of U.S. laws, according to patients and emails they provided to KHN to support their allegations.

They told KHN those injections occurred three years before Halford tested a herpes vaccine he created on human subjects in a house in St. Kitts in 2016, again without routine safety oversight. Halford died of cancer at the end of June.

While the university has refused to respond to questions about the 2013 injections, an Oct. 16 memo to the federal government obtained by KHN under open-records law shows that SIU learned of such possible activity at the end of July. According to the memo, Rational Vaccines, the company that Halford co-founded, and another SIU professor disclosed that "human subjects research might have occurred prior to the ... clinical trial in St. Kitts."

SIU reported in the memo to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration that its institutional review board, or IRB, found Halford's activities to be a "serious noncompliance" and said it recommended the university conduct a "confidential" investigation to determine if he committed any other misconduct.

"Dr. Halford willfully and intentionally engaged in human subjects research without the approval and oversight of the IRB, in violation of IRB policies and in violation of applicable law and regulation," SIU wrote in the memo.

Previously, the university had said it was not responsible for Halford's St. Kitts trial because he conducted it independently through Rational Vaccines.

Before releasing the memo to KHN, the university blacked out some of the details. It's unclear whether the "serious noncompliance" involved the 2013 injections or some other unauthorized human subject research.

"This is a very serious matter for the university," said Robert Klitzman, a doctor and director of the master's program in bioethics at Columbia University in New York.

Klitzman said the Office for Human Research Protections, or OHRP, the HHS division that oversees compliance with rules on human trials, could halt all of the university's research as a result of the finding. The National Institutes of Health could also freeze its funding to SIU, he added, even though Halford's research was not federally funded.

OHRP and the FDA said they have policies of not discussing potential or ongoing investigations. SIU did not respond to questions.

Several participants from both trials told KHN they have asked SIU for help. They said Tuesday that they felt the university should be informing them of its investigation into unauthorized experiments and its findings.

"Halford tested his vaccine on humans using SIU's facilities and resources," said one Colorado woman who has tried to talk to the university about her experience in the St. Kitts trial. "They (SIU) deny knowing anything about it. SIU hasn't been very forthcoming."

Klitzman said the university did have a responsibility to the participants who were injected with Halford's vaccine. Two of them - including the Colorado woman - have filed so-called adverse event complaints with the FDA, saying that Halford's vaccine may have caused side effects.

"Ethically, the university should contact the participants to let them know that some participants have developed adverse events," he said.

2017 Kaiser Health News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Preliminary examination of documents submitted by actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and others named in Panama Papers has been completed. They will be questioned by ED before the end of this year.

By India Today Web Desk, Virendrasingh Ghunawat: All corporate entities and individuals, including Bollywood stars like the Bachchans and Ajay Devgn, named in the Panama Papers Leak (PPL) will be questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by the end of this year, according to senior officials.

A deadline has been set by the ED to complete the investigation in all 46 Panama Papers cases. As of now, about 20-25 entities/ individuals have been summoned by the directorate.

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"Statements have been recorded in some cases. Those left will be summoned and interrogated this month itself. And in a few cases, prosecution has begun", said a senior ED official.

Preliminary examination of documents submitted by the actors named in the Panama Papers has been completed.

The actors had earlier submitted documents of their financial dealings with the agency. To get further clarity, some actors will be summoned under Section 37 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). With regard to some entities that skipped ED summons, the directorate said, "If this continues, the agency would go ahead and take action".

Earlier, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said that a total of 424 names and 256 groups were under investigation in Panama Papers cases under 13 Director General of Income Tax (DGIT) jurisdictions across the country.

At the All India Zonal Office Conference held at New Delhi last month, a decision was taken to complete the Panama Papers probe by this year end.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley clarified that no person will be prosecuted until thorough investigation is done by the designated agencies.

Once investigation into Panama Papers is complete, probe into Paradise Papers will begin. The Multi-Agency Group, a task force created for Paradise Papers' probe, is awaiting an Reserve Bank of India list. "RBI needs to give us the final list of entities/persons who have violated the banking rules", the official said.

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Republicans stand for same-sex marriage rights

Pallone says US State Department should not hesitate to speak about Azerbaijani aggression

Aliyev refuses to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh and threatens Armenia with new aggression

Greek minister doesn't get off plane to meet head of Libya's presidential council

Sergey Lavrov to visit Yerevan

Lebanese parliament fails to elect president of country

Kremlin on Zelenskyy's proposal to hold 'public' talks

National Assembly Speaker: Armenia is extremely interested in establishing strategic relations with Georgia

Canada provides additional military aid to Ukraine

Representatives of defense agencies of CSTO countries discuss crisis response issues

Armenian Defense Minister and American General discuss defense cooperation

Tehran accuses Israel and West of trying to organize civil war in Iran

Oppositionist: No guarantees that war with Azerbaijan can be avoided

Issue of biometric passports to Armenian citizens is temporarily suspended

Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement to be signed till end of year? Pashinyan's associate voices conditions

Erdogan says Russia and US agreed to refrain from using nuclear weapons

Azerbaijani oppositionist complains of torture by police

Kyaram Sloyan and Andranik Zohrabyan posthumously bestowed 'Hero of Artsakh' title

UN Secretary General Guterres welcomes parties' agreement on renewal of food deal

Eurasian Development Bank: Armenia is the leader among EEU countries in terms of economic growth

Greece promises to continue military support to Ukraine

Number of appeals from Azerbaijan to ECHR is growing

Pashinyan: The wheel of processes related to confiscation of illegal property is spinning

Fire hits Baghdad airport

North Korea fires ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan

Istanbul agrees to extend 'grain initiative' for another 120 days

'Hayastan' Fund to build 6 residential houses in Nerkin Khndzoresk village

Vocal as Russophobic propaganda: Azerbaijani singer sings about 'disgusting peacekeepers'

Biden congratulates Republicans on winning majority in House of Representatives

14 freight cars derailed in Kazakhstan, train traffic suspended

Newspaper: Ruben Vardanyan does not hurry to make changes in composition of Karabakh government

Russia attacks Ukraine with missiles in morning: Explosions heard in Dnieper, air defense works in Kyiv region

U.S. National Security Council: It is clear that the party ultimately responsible for this tragic incident is Russia

Gold prices decline

Russian Trade Representative to Armenia: Situation at Upper Lars checkpoint is not related to geopolitical issues

Trade Representative of Russia: Trade turnover with Armenia sets new record

Copper falls in price

Gas explodes in Fatih district of Istanbul, 10 people injured

Oil prices go down

Meteorite that fell in Britain contains key information about how oceans and life formed on Earth

Gamer drinks 12 energy drinks in ten minutes and ends up in hospital

Sweden to provide Ukraine with new military aid worth $287 million

Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania meet conditions for joining Schengen zone

Oil prices may reach $120 a barrel and stay at this level for 2 years

Zelenskyy receives 'signals' that Putin wants direct talks

Security Service of Ukraine puts Ramzan Kadyrov on wanted list

Unidentified men open fire at market in Izeh city in southwestern Iran

Karen Donfried tries to explain State Department's decision to exempt Azerbaijan from 907th Amendment

Philip Reeker says U.S. administration representatives have no access to Nagorno-Karabakh

Rimac Nevera sets speed record for production electric cars

Reeker: Pace and depth of current talks between Yerevan and Baku demonstrate potential to resolve conflict

FBI director considers TikTok threat to US National Security

Bob Menendez says Ukraine supplies Azerbaijan with phosphorus bombs it used in Karabakh

Delegation headed by Speaker of Armenian Parliament is in Tbilisi

Austin: U.S. intends to continue supplying weapons and aid to Ukraine during winter

Armenian politician charged with abuse of office, money laundering

Karen Donfried says Armenia and Azerbaijan have historic opportunity to establish lasting peace

Bob Menendez: How can the U.S. justify security assistance to the Baku regime?

Azerbaijan fires at residents of Sarushen village of Artsakh

Head of Portugal's Finance Ministry: EU countries must work faster on energy intervention

Kuwait executes 7 prisoners

Czech Republic plans to train up to 4,000 Ukrainian servicemen next year

Ukraine once again asks US for powerful drones

Belarusian border guards shoot down drone intruding into airspace from Ukraine

Armenian Deputy PM: Regional electricity export opportunities significantly increased

Greek authorities temporarily ban export of firewood from country

Azerbaijan protests to France in connection with Senate resolution

Blinken calls on Aliyev to observe ceasefire and limit provocations

Pashinyan: We're advancing rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinyan: Armenia invites Azerbaijan to sign framework agreement on peace

Pashinyan: Most of the arable land of 4 villages in Tavush Province is occupied by Azerbaijanis

Armenian Prime Minister: Let the opposition loudly reject Russia's proposals

Pashinyan: 2023 budget growth in social protection compared to 2018 is 56%

Inflation in UK up to 41-year high of 11.1% in October

Pashinyan: We don't want to provoke war between CSTO and Azerbaijan

Pashinyan's explanation: How should we fight inflation?

Pashinyan: Armenia submitted its proposals for peace treaty to Azerbaijan, we are waiting for a response

Pashinyan: Army budget 2023 more than doubled compared to 2018

CNN: CIA director visits Kyiv

Macron urges Iran to calm down and respect the French

IRGC forces detain Mossad spy in southern Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister expresses dissatisfaction with number of 'unrealistic comments' by Azerbaijani officials

Parliament Vice-Speaker: Armenian military-industrial complex able to establish serial production of military products

Armen Grigoryan receives Major General Daniel Lasica

Poland says Ukrainian missile could be cause of explosion

Ivanka Trump says she will not participate in her father's presidential campaign

KGB of Belarus states about 'threat of intervention' from Baltic States, Ukraine, and Poland

Belarus says AFU blew up bridges in direction of Gomel and Mozyr

22-year-old soldier dies in accident with army truck in Armenia

Indonesian president hands over G20 presidency to India

Azerbaijani Ombudswoman's distorted perception of reality: French Senate Resolution 'will undermine peace in the region'

Nikol Pashinyan holds telephone conversation with Irakli Garibashvili

Four explosions blow up in sky over Belgorod

NATO Secretary General to hold meeting of alliance on incident in Poland

Finnish Foreign Ministry: Many in NATO believe that Turkey has created an awkward situation for the alliance

Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem receives group of wounded participants of 44-day Karabakh war

AP: Drone with explosives attacks oil tanker off the coast of Oman

LPR announces attack by AFU from Popasna to Kharkiv Oblast

Toyota reveals next-generation Toyota Prius hybrid

Central Bank head: State Budget deficit in Armenia to grow to 3.1% of GDP in 2023
By PTI: (Eds: Incorporating Max Healthcare reax)

New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) A panel formed by the Delhi government to look into the case of a premature baby wrongly declared dead has found the hospital guilty of not following prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants.

The three-member panel today submitted its preliminary report to Delhis Heath minister Satyender Jain after scrutinising hospital records and meeting staff members concerned, a Delhi government source said.

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"The panel in its report found the hospital guilty of not having followed prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants," the source told PTI.

According to the report, no ECG tracings were done to check if the child was alive. The body was handed over without written instructions.

The Max Healthcare, meanwhile responded to the Delhi government panels preliminary report, saying, "We would like to thoroughly review the final report when we receive it before commenting. In the meantime, we are fully cooperating with all relevant authorities on this issue."

As part of its initial action, the Max Healthcare yesterday decided to terminate the services of two doctors allegedly involved in the case.

The action against the doctors was taken on the basis of initial discussions with the expert group and as a reflection of the commitment to higher standards of care, the hospital said in a statement yesterday.

The hospital had ordered an inquiry into the case on December 1.

The case pertains to the birth of twins (a boy and a girl) on November 30. The parents alleged the babies were declared dead by the Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh but they later found the boy was alive.

The Delhi health minister had on December 2 said if the hospital was found guilty of medical negligence in its probe, its licence could be cancelled.

The parents had earlier said they were told by the hospital that both the babies were stillborn. The infants were handed over to them in a polythene bag, they said.

Just before their last rites, the family discovered that the baby boy was breathing, the police said.

"We rushed the baby to a nearby nursing home in Pitampura, where he is on life support," the father had said. PTI BUN/PLB KND BDS KJ

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We are stronger after April [2016], and we continue to create various deterrent mechanisms to prevent the unleashing of a new aggression by Azerbaijan.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR), Masis Mayilian, noted the aforesaid in an interview with Iranian political analyst and journalist Salar Seifeddine.

To ensure the military security of our country, we continue carrying out active work all along the defense line, he said, in particular. During the four-day war in April 2016, Azerbaijan had chosen several directions for attack. And the Artsakh Defense Army proved that it is capable of stopping the attacks of Azerbaijan and ensuring the reliable protection of the country.

And to the observation, according to which there are reports that confirm Turkish armed forces participation during the war in April 2016, the NKR FM responded as follows: It is a fact that Turkey is an ally of Azerbaijan and that they are closely cooperating in the military and the technico-military domains, and they very often also conduct joint military exercisesincluding in the territory of Nakhichevan.

It is no secret that numerous military advisors from Turkey have long been serving in the Azerbaijani army, and the Azerbaijani officer staff is trained primarily in Turkey.

So it is not rule out that Turkey has played a certain part also during the war in April [2016].
There are those that have suffered from the Karabakh conflict from all three parties to the conflict, and refugees and internally displaced persons are also among this group.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR), Masis Mayilian, stated the above-said in an interview with Iranian political analyst and journalist Salar Seifeddine.

In Mayilians words, according to the last Soviet Union census that was conducted in 1989, a total of 390,000whereas according to some sources, about half a millionArmenians used to live in Azerbaijan, and close to 40,000 Azerbaijanis used to reside in Artsakh.

All these people suffered because of Azerbaijans policy, especially [because] of the war Azerbaijan unleashed against Artsakh, he added.

When asked whether Karabakh would accept the Azerbaijanis who formerly lived in Artsakh and wished to return, the FM responded as follows, in particular: The rights of all refugees and displaced persons need to be respected.

The Artsakh FM noted, however, that the problem is the absence of legal and political conditions for exercising the right of return of such Armenians and the Azerbaijanis.

The issue of refugees is one of the key issues of the settlement process, added Masis Mayilian. [But] for a comprehensive solution to this problem, first, it is indispensable to recognize the independent status of Artsakh.
YEREVAN.  Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian on Wednesday will travel to Vienna to attend the 24th meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council, to be held on Thursday and Friday.

Within the framework of this event, Armenias FM will also meet separately with his associates from several countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

On Wednesday, Minister Nalbandian will meet with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. A talk between the FMs of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov, is also scheduled on the same day.

And on Saturday, Edward Nalbandian will hold a consultationin Viennawith the heads of Armenias diplomatic missions in European countries and at international organizations located in Europe.
I do not believe that there has been any change in Russias position during the war in April [2016].

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR), Masis Mayilian, said the aforementioned in an interview with Iranian political analyst and journalist Salar Seifeddine.

When asked whether Russia changed its policy in favor of Azerbaijan during the April 2016 war, Mayilian responded as follows, in particular: I do not think there was any change in Russias position. Russia, the United States, and France are OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, and [therefore] they have agreed approaches on ensuring peace in this region.

[But] solely Russia from the three co-chair countries has a corresponding mechanism for having an effect on the parties during military actions.

And reflecting on the Karabakh peace talks, the NKR FM said as follows, in particular: The three parties to the conflict consider the matters of territories, Artsakhs status, refugees, security, and deblockage () of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia to be key for a settlement [of this conflict].

Artsakh is recognized by the OSCE as a conflict party (). This is of great importance.

However, since 1997, we can say the peace process proceeds in a distorted format, without direct participation by Artsakh, [and] which negatively affects the productiveness of the settlement process.

Now, there is no negotiation process in the classical sense, as it was before 1997.

And the war that Azerbaijan unleashed in April 2016, [and] which was a great blow also to the peace process, has further distanced the prospects for reaching a final solution to the conflict.

At present, the main task is maintaining peace and stability in the region; and the efforts by the mediators are mainly aimed at this.
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The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU opens a new page in Armenian-European agenda, Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov announced on Tuesday.

Reaffirming the idea that has been voiced several times  the axes of these relations are the issues of Armenias consistent democratization, I find it necessary to note that it can accelerate institutional changes in our country, Sharmazanov said.

He also noted that by signing this agreement Armenia can assume the role of a bridge between the EU and the EAEU, as well as Iran and the EU.

At the same time, he also stressed the importance of the recent CSTO session in Minsk, as Armenia once again confirmed its desire to deepen relations within the framework of this Organization.

"The CSTO, both as a political organization and as a security tool, has no alternative," concluded Sharmazanov.
The philanthropist, writer, and artist Charles E. Merrill Jr., who facilitated the gift to endow Merrill College, died last week in southern Poland, where he had a home in the city of Nowy Sacz. He was 97.

Prior to the gift, which came to UC Santa Cruz through Merrills family foundation, Merrill College, founded in 1968, was known, simply, as College Four. The gift that made Merrill College possible came to UC Santa Cruz during the 19681969 academic year through Charles Merrills family foundation.

The year of the colleges foundation, Merrill was chairman of the Charles E. Merrill Trust, named for his father, Charles E. Merrill Sr., one of the founders of the brokerage firm Merrill Lynch. The trust donated $650,000 in partnership funds toward the construction of the fourth college.

During a 2003 visit to UC Santa Cruz, Merrill, a former headmaster of the Commonwealth School in Boston, said he supported the college because it was one of the reasons why the campus is an attractive alternative to impersonal, large anthill style universities.

UC Santa Cruzs colleges were intimate places that had themes and personalities of their own, and were not just the unit where people park their shoes, he noted. Merrill also described Merrill College as a force for hope, for faith. You have the sense of people believing in where they are and what theyre doing, in what is really a very cynical time.

Merrill also said funding the college was the most appealing and rewarding of the trusts projects.

Most of Merrills original buildings were finished in 1970, though the Crown-Merrill Apartments were added 16 years later.

Merrill College is known for its interdisciplinary focus. The colleges theme is Cultural Identities and Global Consciousness. Students, in their core course, take a close look at societies of the world and their efforts to preserve their cultural identities. Students also explore social change, and study nationalism, globalization, and imperialism.

A recent story in the Associated Press mentioned Merrills strong connections to the literary world in Poland, which was among the countries he visited during his years of extensive traveling in eastern and central Europe.

He was friends with some of Polands most celebrated authors, including the Nobel laureate Czeslaw Milosz, who died in 2004.

Polands government honored Merrill with the Officers Cross of the Order of Merit in 2002.

The Associated Press also mentioned Merrills devotion to education. He founded schools and worked to help underprivileged children in the U.S., Poland, and Czech Republic.
Oh honey, why would you do this ?



[defending Benedict Cumberbatch after he caused outrage for using the term "colored actors" instead of "actors of color"] When you look at what he was actually saying, it's clear that he's a huge supporter of black performers. To attack him for a term, as opposed to what he was actually saying, I think is very disingenuous and is indicative of the age we live in where people are looking for soundbites as opposed to substance

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Nah, cmon! You cant be that dim. He knows exactly what Benedict meant!  Also, stay classy, USA, France, and UK for boycotting the ceremony because oh, no! Some of us actually want to live in a world without nuclear weapons. Man, I miss Obama!

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I don't remember exactly what Churchmusic was saying, but I see what David was saying here. As someone else said, using wrong language (and then changing it when someone corrects you) but with the proper intent should mean something.



Now , what, producing that Nina Simone biopic with Saldana and that makeup? nnnn no

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he's been a loser for a while now

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his talent/beauty/etc.

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The nobel peace prize is a farce. And the Norwegians can take that shit and shove it up their ass until it it bleeds.



FUCK YOU NORWAY.



Edited at 2017-12-05 10:57 pm (UTC)

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tell it!

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du verden

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du ogsa ;*

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david was not robbed of a nom for selma to get 8 comments in ontd posts smh.

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apparently he's on our shitlist now?

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i mean idk what responsibility he had for the biopic mess but the racism comment is like.. if we're gonna start writing off black actors and actors of color for being piqued to respond in a middling way to incidents like that a discriminatory industry that doesn't deal well with otherwise, like if we're expecting them to call shit out constantly instead of having careers and making a difference in it... like on a personal level sure but it seems generally unfair to me.

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Hydrophone in a champagne glass. Credit: Kyle Spratt

The classic sparkling wine that has rung in countless new years with a bang may have more to its bubbles. Champagne is notable for its iconic cork popping, but the bubble acoustics also play a key role in determining how expensive that bottle should be.

Investigators Kyle S. Spratt, Kevin M. Lee and Preston S. Wilson, from the Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas at Austin, will be presenting their research the acoustical measurements of champagne bubbles during the 174th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, held Dec. 4-8, 2017, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

"The point of the project is to study the sounds that champagne bubbles make, and to see what we can infer about the bubbles from the sounds that they make," said Spratt. "Bubbles are very resonant. They basically ring like bells, and the frequency of that ringing depends in part on the size of the bubbles. There is a well-known notion that the quality of a sparkling wine is correlated to the size of its bubbles, and we are investigating whether the bubble size distribution of a sparkling wine can be obtained from simple acoustical measurements."

The team typically investigates the properties of bubbles and how they relate to underwater acoustics using a hydrophone, a piezoelectric transducer-based device that records underwater sound. They thought a similar technique might apply to the investigation of wine bubbles.

"When we came across the idea that bubbles play an important role in the quality of a sparkling wine, our first instinct was to drop a hydrophone into a glass and see what kind of sound we can hear," said Spratt.

Gathering data proved to be difficult due to the properties of the wine and its bubble mechanisms. "The process of taking measurements in a carbonated beverage was more challenging than we expected, mainly because bubbles form on the hydrophone itself and that can greatly affect the data that is collected," said Spratt. To prevent from altering the properties of the champagne bubbles, researchers resorted to using a very small hydrophone.

The champagne flute design is not just to look arbitrarily fancy, having a great deal of effect on bubble formation. "A wine glass is also a resonant object, so another challenge for us was to make sure that the characteristics of the glass itself weren't biasing our measurements in some way," said Spratt.

However, attempting to take measurements in other containers, especially Styrofoam, left little to be desired. "It turns out the bubble formation process on Styrofoam is completely different than on glass," he said. "So, if you ever have to resort to drinking champagne out of a Styrofoam cup, the bubbles will be quite different."

The applications of this work could prove useful for aiding in the quality assurance testing of sparkling wines and other carbonated beverages. Using the acoustic properties of the bubbles as an indicator for wine quality could prevent errors in commercial manufacturing or packaging that may not be detectable by taste alone.

"The direct application would be as a simple tool that could be used to monitor the bubble size distribution in sparkling wines," Spratt said.

More information: Abstract: 2pPA1: "Champagne bubble acoustics," by Kyle S. Spratt, Kevin M. Lee and Preston S. Wilson, Tuesday Dec. 5, 2017 in Balcony L in the New Orleans Marriott. asa2017fall.abstractcentral.com/s/u/KWLSmDbRs-4
Joseph Banovetz, Beatrise Berzina and Robbyn Anand, left to right, set up a prototype device to test separation performance in blood plasma. They're using a fluorescence microscope to follow two tracers, shown in red and green on the monitor. Credit: Christopher Gannon

About the time Robbyn Anand began studying concentration and separation technologies for her doctoral research, her older brother David was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure.

An autoimmune condition had attacked his kidneys. He would have to depend on dialysis to clear waste from his blood. He's 37 now and uses at-home equipment, but the size and weight of the machinery still impacts his life.

"How do I help with that situation?" Anand asked herself during her doctoral studies at the University of Texas at Austin from 2004 to 2010.

Potential answers were right there in a Texas chemistry lab. Anand, who has been an assistant professor of chemistry at Iowa State University since 2015, was investigating how electric fields within the tiny channels of microfluidic devices could be used to concentrate and separate charged particles.

One application she studied used the technology to remove salt from seawater.

That led to another question: "I wonder if there's a way to use this desalination technology to help my brother?"

Electrochemistry for desalination

A 2013 paper co-authored by Anand (the lead author is Richard Crooks, professor and Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry at Texas) describes that desalination technology:

As little as 3 volts are applied to a chip made from glass and plastic. The chip contains tiny channels just the width of a human hair. Seawater goes in the main channel and flows to an electrode at a two-way junction. An electric field creates an ion depletion zone that directs salt one way and freshwater flows the other way.

A Texas news release at the time likened the process to a troll at the foot of a bridge who blocks salt from going across.

The technology looks promising because it requires little energy, there's no filter or membrane to clog and the capital costs are small.

Well, what happens during dialysis?

Machines take blood from a person, remove salt, waste and water, then return clean blood.

Could there be a way to use this electrochemically mediated desalination process to do that? Could that create technology that doesn't require huge and heavy reservoirs of dialysis fluid? Could that lead to wearable, battery-powered dialysis devices?

Another project helped Anand explore the technology's effectiveness in a biological application.

Manipulating biological cells

After graduate school, Anand moved on to postdoctoral research at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she continued developing hybrid electrochemical-microfluidic technology  this time to isolate cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream.

Those studies helped develop strategies for using wireless bipolar electrodes to manipulate biological cells.

Anand's work with circulating tumor cells continues at Iowa State. Her research group has also worked to develop related technology for a dialysis device.

So far, Anand says the researchers have demonstrated the technology can remove excess fluid from blood without losing significant blood proteins.

But, she said, three primary challenges remain:

The electric field is strong enough to damage blood cells, so researchers are looking for ways to keep cells away from it.

The process needs to be scaled up to produce 1 milliliter of fluid from blood per minute. But the answer isn't simply building larger devices, because that can cause fluid eddies and flow instability.

One of the materials in the device isn't approved for medical use by the Food and Drug Administration. So other, already-approved materials need to be tested.

The Iowa State team working with Anand on those challenges includes Baskar Ganapathysubramanian, an associate professor of mechanical engineering; Beatrise Berzina, Joseph Banovetz and Sungu Kim, doctoral students; and Benjamin Rayborn, an undergraduate student. Also collaborating with the researchers is Jacob Alexander, a physician at McFarland Clinic in Ames who specializes in kidney diseases.

The research is currently supported by Anand's startup funds from Iowa State.

She's hoping the researchers can develop technology that will enable a wearable, artificial kidney. Anand said they aim to keep it from being too complex or too expensive so it could be commercially relevant and available.

She knows there are challenges ahead. But she's motivated to advance the project.

"This is a pretty hot field and funding is competitive," Anand said. "But, for this particular project, my goal is to help my brother and to find out what we can uniquely contribute to this field."
Map of the Liangzhu city and hydraulic system, Lower Yangtze River, China Credit: PNAS

(Phys.org)A team of researchers from several institutions in China has uncovered one of the largest water management projects in the ancient world in what is now a part of the eastern coast of modern China. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their finding and compares it to other ancient water management systems.

Over 5000 years ago, people living in the Yangtze River Delta apparently grew weary of the flooding that periodically destroyed their crops. They embarked on what became one of the largest water management projects in the ancient world, moving earth and piling it in desired ways to change over 10,000 hectares of landscape to suit their needs. The researchers at the site have been working for four years uncovering the large hydraulic system that was built to support Liangzhu Ancient City.

The researchers report that laborers spent years digging up dirt to make canals, piled it to make dams, and even installed a system of gates to control movement of the water. The result was a system able to prevent normal flooding and to irrigate crops during dry times with rainwater saved in large reservoirs. They also dug canals to allow small boats to carry people and materials around the area. The researchers estimate that it took approximately 3000 people working for eight years just to build one of the larger dams, and in the process, they moved approximately 10 million cubic feet of earth.

(A) Well-preserved 'sand bags', with the knots still clearly visible, the grass plants used are Triarrhena lutarioriparia. (B) A small proportion of rice remains discovered from the storage pit excavated at eastern Mojiaoshan, depth of the boxes around 10 cm. Credit: PNAS

Prior research has dated Liangzhu Ancient City to approximately 5,300 to 4,300 years ago, which would make the water engineering effort one of the oldest in the world. The newer research work demonstrates that use of such technology began in China earlier than had been thought. And it occurred in a relatively isolated locationthe water system was not part of empire building; it was constructed to service the needs of a single city. Sadly, prior evidence has also revealed that their efforts were not sufficient to prevent the entire area from being massively flooded approximately 4,200 years ago, leaving behind a meter-thick layer of claythe devastation was so great the city never recovered, and those that survived migrated to other areas.

(A) Structure of the Meirendi bank with wooden planks still standing upright. (B) The Bianjiashan pier, wooden stakes still were preserved, forming a T shape. Credit: PNAS

More information: Bin Liu et al. Earliest hydraulic enterprise in China, 5,100 years ago, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1710516114 Abstract

Here we present one of the world's oldest examples of large-scale and formalized water management, in the case of the Liangzhu culture of the Yangtze Delta, dated at 5,3004,300 years cal B.P. The Liangzhu culture represented a peak of early cultural and social development predating the historically recorded Chinese dynasties; hence, this study reveals more about the ancient origins of hydraulic engineering as a core element of social, political, and economic developments. Archaeological surveys and excavations can now portray the impressive extent and structure of dams, levees, ditches, and other landscape-transforming features, supporting the ancient city of Liangzhu, with an estimated size of about 300 ha. The results indicate an enormous collective undertaking, with unprecedented evidence for understanding how the city, economy, and society of Liangzhu functioned and developed at such a large scale. Concurrent with the evidence of technological achievements and economic success, a unique relationship between ritual order and social power is seen in the renowned jade objects in Liangzhu elite burials, thus expanding our view beyond the practicalities of water management and rice farming. Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

 2017 Phys.org
Ember research. Credit: Oregon State University

As the West tallies the damages from the 2017 wildfire season, researchers at Oregon State University are trying to learn more about how embers form and about the blaze-starting potential they carry.

Preliminary findings indicate the diameter of the branches that are burning is the biggest single factor behind which ones will form embers the most quickly and how much energy they'll pack.

"Increased population in the wildland-urban interface means increased risk to life and property from wildland fires," said Tyler Hudson, a graduate student in the College of Engineering. "Spot fires started by embers lofted ahead of the main fire front are difficult to predict and can jump defensible space around structures."

Research shows smaller-diameter branches are better at producing embers, also known as firebrands.

"Embers are wildfires' most challenging mode of causing spread," said David Blunck, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. "By understanding how embers form and travel through the air, scientists can more accurately predict how fire will spread. We have a multiscale approach that involves burning samples in a laboratory setting, larger burns - burning 10-foot-tall trees - and then working with the U.S. Forest Service to participate in prescribed burns."

In his lab, Blunck's research group controls multiple parameters which can influence generation rates: fire intensity, crosswind velocity, species of tree, diameter of the sample, fuel condition (natural vs. processed), and moisture content of the fuel.

"Fire intensity had little effect on the time needed for ember generation," Hudson said. "And natural samples and dowels with similar diameters can have quite different ember generation times."

Using samples of Douglas fir, western juniper, ponderosa pine and white oak with diameters of 2 and 6 millimeters, the researchers determined that 2-millimeter samples generated embers roughly five times as fast as 6-millimeter samples.

This trend can be explained by the observation that the bending stress is proportional to 1 divided by the cube of the diameter - thus, the larger the diameter, the smaller amount of bending stress and a lesser likelihood of breakage, and ember creation. Moreover, smaller diameters have less fuel that needs to be burned.

In the field, researchers can track embers' energy "from the time they leave the tree until they get to their destination," Hudson said, using techniques ranging from infrared videography to measuring scorch marks on squares of fire-resistant fabric placed on the ground at varying distances from the fire.

Blunck, Hudson and fellow mechanical engineering graduate student Mick Carter presented their preliminary findings in April at the 10th edition of the biennial U.S. National Combustion Meeting in College Park, Maryland.

In August, Blunck was among a group of collaborators receiving a $500,000 grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology "for the development of a computer model that will define patterns for firebrand distribution during wildland-urban interface fires and their likelihood of igniting nearby structures."

This past fire season in Oregon, roughly 2,000 fires combined to burn more than a half-million acres - that's about 1,000 square miles, an area the size of Rhode Island.

One of the most devastating of those blazes was the Eagle Creek fire in the Columbia River Gorge, which scorched nearly 50,000 acres and threatened the historic Multnomah Falls Lodge - and provided a terrifying illustration of what embers can do.

"The fire jumped the river and started burning in Washington because of embers," Blunck said. "We estimate that the fire jumped 2 miles across the river."
In a statement sent to AFP, Airbnb said it made nearly 90 percent of its payments in France via bank transfer

The French government has summoned the managers of Airbnb to demand answers over a payment system suspected of facilitating tax avoidance.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin said he had become aware of the "possibility" of (fiscal) "optimisation or even complicity in laundering" offered by Airbnb and had called the company's bosses to a meeting next week.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire will also attend the meeting about the prepaid Payoneer card, which homeowners can use to receive payments for their rentalswithout the money transiting through their bank accounts.

Darmanin said he asked tax authorities to look into the system and check whether payments received on the cards were being declared for tax purposes.

France Info radio revealed last week that Airbnb was offering owners the option of being paid by Payoneer instead of by bank transfer.

Payoneer, based in New York, is a financial services company with a European subsidiary in Gibraltar.

Several online retailers, including Amazon, accept Payoneer cards as a payment option.

In a statement sent to AFP, Airbnb said it made nearly 90 percent of its payments in France via bank transfer.

 2017 AFP
Central bearded dragon. Credit: Professor Arthur Georges

One of Australia's iconic lizard species is hiding a secret - female central bearded dragon embryos temporarily grow the lizard equivalent of a penis during development.

Researchers at The University of Queensland, the University of Canberra and CSIRO made the discovery while investigating what happens to the body and genitalia of male dragons that reverse their sex at high temperature treatment.

UQ School of Biological Sciences researcher Dr Vera Weisbecker said while the researchers expected to see some differences in the development of the male dragons' genitalia, it was their female counterparts who caused a stir.

"The study has provided the first detailed developmental timeline in dragon embryos of genetically female and sex-reversed (genetically male) female dragons at normal and high temperatures," Dr Weisbecker said.

"Our team incubated 265 bearded dragon eggs at two temperatures - either at 28 or 36 degrees Celsius, the latter of which causes genetically male dragons to reverse their sex.

"The way these females grew hemipenes, the equivalent of a mammalian penis, was decidedly weird."

Dr Weisbecker's Honours student Sarah Whiteley said the results of the study were big surprise.

Another central bearded dragon. Credit: Professor Arthur Georges

"I noticed that female embryos first grew a pair of hemipenes, just like male embryos, and only lost them closer to hatching," said Ms Whiteley.

"Either temperature-dependent sex determination, or sex chromosomes, usually determined the development of genitalia in snakes and lizards.

"While sex determination is a major switch in individual development, we know little about the differences between the two developmental modes.

"Understanding these might give us some insights into the evolution of our own, genetically determined sexes."

Dr Weisbecker said the findings served as a timely reminder of how little science understood about the evolution of genitalia in vertebrates, including humans.

"One of the biggest barriers for broader understanding is that there is scant knowledge on the female genitalia of reptiles, compared to a relatively large body of literature on male genital development and diversity," she said.

Dr Weisbecker said the study highlighted the resilience of the body and genitalia of central bearded dragons to extreme incubation temperatures.

"Hot temperatures produce nearly all-female clutches so that increasing temperatures during climate change still represent a potential threat to the species," she said.

The study was published in EvoDevo (doi: 0.1186/s13227-017-0087-5).

More information: Sarah L. Whiteley et al, Sex determination mode does not affect body or genital development of the central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps), EvoDevo (2017). DOI: 10.1186/s13227-017-0087-5
Imagine all 30,557 words of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" being written simultaneously by tens of thousands of people.

To maintain the elegance of the prose, there is a necessary interplay between words. Each line has to coordinate with the next to keep the overall meaning of the play intact.

For some of the most advanced computer programmers, that imaginary scenario is close to reality. Only instead of writing "Hamlet," they're writing software for self-driving cars, updating smartphones, and securing banking systems.

"I think about it like trying to build a complete building on sand, without having any strong foundation. Things are constantly shifting," said Denys Poshyvanyk. "It's language on top of language."

The way humans use language informs how we process information and the same goes for computers, Poshyvanyk says. Just like human speech, computer languageor source codehas its own syntax and semantics.

Poshyvanyk, an associate professor in William & Mary's Department of Computer Science, has been working to bridge that human-to-computer language gap for the better part of the past decade. He and a team of nine W&M students are researching the ways code can mirror human communication.

"What we're doing is taking some of the techniques which have been very successful in the area of natural language processing, information retrieval and machine learning and adopting them in the field of software development," Poshyvanyk said.

From Poshyvanyk's lab in McGlothlin-Street Hall, Ph.D. student Kevin Moran has been exploring what he calls the "holy grail of software engineering"direct translation between source code and human language. His aim is to translate between people reporting cellphone glitches and the source code responsible for the glitch. It turns out getting humans and computers talking is no small task.

"If I had to pick one word to sum up the whole field of computer science, it would be abstraction," Moran said. "As a computer scientist, you are trying to get a computer to do what you want. The way you interact with source code is an abstraction of the way you would normally communicate in natural language."

In September, Moran and Poshyvanyk presented their research at the International Conference on Software Maintenance and Evolution in Shanghai. The paper was one of 12 co-authored by the duo in the past two years, a level of productivity that has been a hallmark of Poshyvanyk's career.

Over the past decade as a researcher, Poshyvanyk has published 107 refereed conference papers, including 89 co-authored with William & Mary students. He has also published 25 journal papers, 20 of them co-authored with W&M students.

"I believe that having a truly synergistic and collaborative environment is very prolific," Poshyvanyk said. "When students feel they are part of a successful team, that encourages a lot of creativity."

Students say Poshyvanyk's focus on teamwork has taught them accountability and fostered a collaborative lab environment, where they can have pride in what they produce.

"You have this sense of ownership over the work," said Marty White, a 2017 Ph.D. graduate of the department and senior lead scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton. White has co-authored five papers with Poshyvanyk. "Yes, it's a frenetic pace, but you don't even really think about it. It's like one of those things, if you want something done, give it to a busy person."

Even with a high volume of research projects, students say the majority of their ideas are left on the cutting room floor.

"At any given time, we have a backlog of 20 projects we want to be doing," Moran said. "As a result, only the best ideas make it to the research stage."

Some of that research has recently garnered international acclaim. For the past two years, Poshyvanyk was recognized for the Most Influential Paper at the International Conference on Program Comprehension. The awards are given 10 years after a paper is published. Poshyvanyk's 2007 paper introduced the idea of creating a search engine for source code.

"The idea we had was to create a Google for developers," Poshyvanyk said. "We wanted to develop an engine that would index your source code. You would be able to write a natural language query without any restrictions and simply search your code base."

The paper led software developers to explore entirely new ways of searching source code, Poshyvanyk said. Hundreds of papers have followed on the topic and several companies created their own Google-like code search engines.

Poshyvanyk's more recent work has also gained recognition. In November, he won the Automated Software Engineering Distinguished Paper Award for a paper he co-authored with his current Ph.D. student Christopher Vendome, former Ph.D. student Mario Linares Vasquez and three Italian collaborators.

Their paper evaluated metrics to test how well programmers understand the code they are tasked with reading. They found that readable pieces of code do not have a direct correlation with understanding. While programmers are all writing in the same language, the meaning of text hinges on the author.

"The abstractions you create while writing your program make it hard for me to easily jump in and read what you wrote," said Poshyvanyk. "Sometimes for me to understand how one piece of source code is used, I have to look through an entire library written by other people."
Robert Curbeam is vice president and deputy of the space systems division at Raytheon Co. A retired U.S. Navy captain and former NASA astronaut, Curbeam shares the record for most spacewalks - four - by one astronaut during a single space shuttle mission.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Curbeam is the son of a factory-worker father and chemistry-teacher mother. He inherited his mother's knack for science. As a child, Curbeam would head to the end of his block and look south at dusk in hopes of catching a glimpse of Skylab, the U.S. space station that orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979.

To this day, he's not sure whether he ever saw it zoom overhead, but the spacecraft design leaps of the Apollo era and the development of the so-called "teen series" of fighter jets like the F-14 Tomcat sparked Curbeam's passion for aerospace engineering.

"With my mom's influence, I had a love of science really, really early," Curbeam said. "I was always interested in knowing how things worked."

In 1980, Curbeam entered the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., intending to become a Marine. A three-day trip underwater aboard the USS Benjamin Franklin ballistic missile submarine made him consider a career in subs. But a day before an interview, he chose to go with his childhood love of aviation.

"I just sat there and said, 'I've always just loved airplanes,' " Curbeam said. "This is always what I wanted to do."

After graduating from the Naval Academy with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, Curbeam began naval flight officer training, got his wings, and then flew F-14 fighter jets off the USS Forrestal aircraft carrier on deployments to the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas and Arctic and Indian oceans.

He attended the Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as Top Gun, and later went to test-pilot school, graduating in 1991. He also got a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

Curbeam was project officer for the F-14 air-to-ground weapons separation program, which performed flight tests to ensure that the laser-guided bombs, practice munitions and forward-looking infrared system were compatible with the aircraft and safe to use.

"That was probably the most professionally satisfying job of my career," he said. "They had a motto in strike ordnance - 'What are you doing for the fleet today?' - and I felt like every day, I was doing good work to help the fleet perform its mission."

A 1991 field trip to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston changed Curbeam's career trajectory. There, he met NASA astronaut Kathy Thornton, who briefed the Navy test pilots on her time in space. Curbeam was most intrigued by the amount of technical work done by the astronauts.

"The more she talked, the more convinced I was that I wanted to be like her," he said.

He applied to be an astronaut in 1993 and got the phone call from NASA on Dec. 7, 1994.

Curbeam would go on to log more than 901 hours in space - including 45 hours on spacewalks - as part of three space shuttle missions.

But on his first spacewalk, a connector to a hose he was supposed to hook from a cooling system on the International Space Station to the U.S. lab began to leak, spraying toxic ammonia everywhere, including on him. Curbeam described the experience as "moving a hose in a blizzard."

His training from naval aviation kicked in, and he was able to stay calm, communicate with the ground crew, stop the leak and get decontaminated so he could get back to the spacecraft.

"The ability to take a situation that has gone either wrong or has gone badly ... and calmly and coolly address it and succeed in that endeavor to mitigate the risk is real, real important," Curbeam said.

Upon retiring from NASA and the Navy in 2007, Curbeam joined the private sector, fulfilling a longtime goal of entering the business world. After spending 3 { years at risk-management firm Ares Corp., he was approached by Raytheon and became vice president of mission assurance in 2011. Two years ago, he moved to El Segundo, Calif., to join the company's space systems division.

One of the main projects he oversees is the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, also known as VIIRS, which is an instrument that monitors global weather patterns and has been launched on two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites. Curbeam also leads the division's civil and international business.

"At the end of the day, it's about building systems that work on time, first time, every time," he said.

2017 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
LLNL geochemist Peter Weber collects salmon otoliths in Battle Creek in the northern Central Valley. Credit: Fred Feyrer/California Department of Water Resources

The most treacherous journey of any salmon's life is from its natal river to the ocean when it is still a juvenile, usually when they are only a few months old. For endangered salmon, this early journey is a matter of life and death for the whole population.

In a new study from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) , University of California, Davis , the NOAA Fisheries Service and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), researchers trace this journey in the bones of endangered adult Chinook salmon that return from the ocean to spawn and renew the cycle. The surprising finding was that in their youth, on average, half of these successful adult salmon had wandered beyond their natal reach of the Sacramento River to feed and grow before making their way to the ocean. Many of these salmon used unexpected rivers along the way.

The research appears in the journal, Biological Conservation .

"To date, most actions to conserve winter-run Chinook have focused on restoring and protecting habitats within the mainstem Sacramento River," said Corey Phillis, a scientist with MWD and lead author of the new study. "But our work shows that winter runs use a diversity of habitats not previously appreciated and presents new conservation opportunities."

The endangered species in this study is California's Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the winter run is particularly important among California's salmon runs because the fish exhibit a life-history strategy found nowhere else on the West Coast. These Chinook salmon are unique in that they spawn during the summer months when air temperatures are their warmest.

As a result, winter-run Chinook salmon need rivers that run cold through the summer, protecting their incubating eggs from the hot summer weather. Therefore, winter-run Chinook salmon historically spawned in rivers and creeks fed by cold water springs, such as the Little Sacramento, McCloud and Pit rivers and Battle Creek. The construction of Shasta and Keswick dams cut off access to these rivers, causing the near extinction of the winter-run Chinook salmon populations.

Many state and federal agencies are charged with working to restore and protect critical habitat for the survival of this unique part of California's natural heritage. "This helps inform our efforts by giving us a clearer picture of the areas these fish are using throughout their migration," said Rachel Johnson, a research fisheries biologist at NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Fisheries Science Center and co-author of the report. "The tools we developed offer new insights into the lives of these fish that may be an important link to their survival strategies."

The researchers took advantage of California's diverse geology to find a tracer for the salmon migration to the sea. They used natural differences in strontium isotopes released from weathering rocks to develop a map of river strontium-87 signatures called an "isoscape." The researchers used the abundance of strontium-87 in the bones of the salmon as a tracer to track where the salmon went as juveniles as they migrated to the ocean.

"What rounds out this story is that fish have a special set of ear bonescalled otolithsthat grow like pearls. When the fish are young, they lay down a distinct layer every day. With modern technology, we can cut open the ear bone and read the strontium history of each fish," said Peter Weber, LLNL geochemist and senior author on the study. "That strontium history is the key to deciphering their journey to the sea. We can link specific strontium-87 abundances to specific rivers in the California Central Valley. It's a lovely use of California's geologic past to protect present biology."

The team used laser ablation mass spectrometry to measure the abundance of strontium-87 in two- to three-week increments from the salmon ear bones. "The laser allows us to remove a tiny sample smaller than a hair's width from the otolith rings," said Anna Sturrock, fish ecologist at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. "This tiny sample is then heated to temperatures hotter than the sun to break it down into individual ions, which are separated and counted."

By comparing the ear bone strontium-87 abundances with the Central Valley strontium-87 isoscape  effectively a chemical map - the team re-traced the juvenile outmigration of hundreds of California's endangered Chinook salmon to the rivers they visited in their youth when they were making their treacherous journey to the ocean.

The researchers knew that the winter-run salmon were using unexpected rivers when they saw the distinct strontium signature of the American River in the ear bones of many of these salmon. The American River watershed includes ancient volcanic rocks rich in strontium-87. "The conclusion was unmistakable because the American River's high strontium-87 abundance is so distinctive," Weber said. "We knew those fish couldn't have been in any other river in the Central Valley."

In total, the researchers found evidence that the winter-run juvenile salmon were using some combination of Battle, Deer, Mill and Antelope creeks in the northern Central Valley, as well as the Feather and American rivers further south, and the Delta at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Anecdotal evidence of winter-run juveniles using non-natal streams has been documented, but biologists did not know the importance of these areas. "We had observed winter-run sized fish in these rivers and creeks and now have reason to think that this may be an essential stop-off for this endangered fish," said Jim Smith, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expert on winter run in the Red Bluff office.

Ultimately, the researchers say that their work provides new information about the species' life cycle that could help cStarSonserve these endangered fish.

Weber said: "Perhaps a little unpredictability is part of survival."

More information: Corey C. Phillis et al. Endangered winter-run Chinook salmon rely on diverse rearing habitats in a highly altered landscape, Biological Conservation (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2017.10.023 Journal information: Biological Conservation
In his new book, "The Comparative Method of Language Acquisition Research" (University of Chicago Press), Associate Professor of Linguistics Clifton Pye introduces a revolutionary method for crosslinguistic research.

He argues that while we now have sophisticated techniques for studying how children learn their first language, researchers have neglected the problem of fitting the results from individual languages into a coherent picture of how children acquire language in general. He notes that we can't use acquisition results from one language to predict how children acquire other languages.

Investigators collect language-acquisition data from different languages, but they typically report these results separately for each language. In rare cases, they compare results from the acquisition of other languages with the acquisition of Englishthe language that has been studied more intensively than any other. Pye claims that the investigation of English has become the standard for all language-acquisition research and creates a lens that distorts research on other languages.

He says that the unit of comparison problem is the critical difficulty in crosslinguistic research on language acquisition.

"You can't compare how children acquire different languages unless you compare how they acquire the same linguistic features," Pye said.

Although researchers would like to think that different languages use pronouns in the same way, this assumption can't be maintained when languages like Madurese have two pronouns, Fijian has 135 pronouns and the Mayan language Mam does not have any pronouns.

Pye solves the unit of comparison problem by borrowing a method from historical linguistics: "Historical linguistics over the past 250 years has developed what's called the comparative method of doing linguistics. Historical linguistics is unique because it's the only branch of linguistics that really focuses on comparing data from different languages in order to build a history of a family of languages.

"So I used that technique and applied it to data on how children acquire languages."

Historically related languages share a common ancestor and retain many common features. Researchers can use these common features as units of comparison for their investigation of language acquisition in different languages.

"Slowly you put together the picture within each of these branches to come at how the differences within those languages affect children's language development," Pye says. "I had to demonstrate this notion, because it's not a notion that researchers are familiar with. We're trained to look at how children acquire a single language, not really to compare across languages."

Pye began studying the Mayan language K'iche' when he lived in a Guatemalan village as a graduate student. Subsequently, he branched out into studying the acquisition of nine other Mayan languages, including Ch'ol and Mam.

Pye notes, "it's taken me some time to appreciate the structural differences between K'iche' and English."

"One of the main differences is that there is a lot more morphology of verbs in K'iche' than there is in English, so children simply have much more to work with than they do in English. There are lot more things to keep track of when you are speaking K'iche' than when you are speaking English."

Pye says that, traditionally, one of the things that language-acquisition researchers have studied is the proportion of nouns and verbs children use.

"The claim is that children latch onto nouns more easily because the meaning is easier for children to navigate than the meanings of verbs," Pye said. "What I discovered is that one of the advantages of looking at Mayan languages is that the verb category is divided between transitive and intransitive verbs.

"Intransitive verbs are verbs with just a subject like 'run' and 'walk,' and transitive verbs are verbs that take subjects and objects like 'put' or 'I broke the pencil.' And what I found was that not only do you find in these Mayan languages that in some cases children are using more verbs than nouns, but in Mam the children use more intransitive verbs than transitive, and in Ch'ol children use more transitive verbs than intransitive verbs. That's the opposite of Mam, and both are the opposite of the patterns seen for children acquiring European languages."

Pye's book demonstrates how the comparative method can be used to understand the interactions among vocabulary, grammar and morphology in the acquisition of three Mayan languages: Ch'ol, Mam and K'iche'. The method, he said, can be applied to any family of languages.

In his blurb, David Ingram, professor of speech and hearing science at Arizona State University, writes, "No one has tackled language acquisition and reached a depth of understanding in an entire language family as Pye has. ... his comparative method has the promise to provide a model for future research in a much wider range of language families. Nothing comparable to this book is likely to come along anytime soon, if at all."

Pye hopes investigators using the comparative method will be able to document more of the world's languages before children stop learning them.

"We don't have data on how children acquire most of the world's languages," he said. "And with many of the planet's 7,000 languages dying every year, there is an urgency to document their unique linguistic qualities.

"Often, the act of recording children speaking an endangered language shows parents the significance of their cultural heritage."
Credit: Colorado State University

Six major hurricanes that engulfed the Atlantic Basin in 2017 were a devastating reminder of the vulnerability of coastal communities, where more than half the U.S. population resides.

What if there was a better way to forecast and communicate these storms' damaging economic impacts, before they happen?

Colorado State University civil engineers have developed an innovative new approach to assessing the resiliency of coastal communities to hurricanes. They've created a "multi-hazard hurricane impact level model," which estimates economic damages to be caused by storms, before they happen.

The impact model is detailed in a recent paper in Palgrave Communications, authored by Hussam Mahmoud, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Stephanie Pilkington, a graduate student in civil engineering, who designed and validated the model.

"Our model forecasts storms more in terms of impacts," Mahmoud explained. Forecasters typically communicate about approaching storms by categorizing sustained wind speeds on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Wind speed, however, is not usually the main cause of death and destruction from hurricanes, the researchers say. The worst impacts are usually caused by flooding, precipitation and storm surge, combined with geography of landfall, population density, and quality of infrastructure. The researchers wanted to come up with a more accurate way to talk about impacts. Their goal is to provide communication about a tropical storm's expected economic damage, rather than only the meteorological intensity of the storm, Pilkington said.

Neural networks

Mahmoud and Pilkington's impact model uses artificial neural networks and machine learning to "teach" a computer program how to predict a pending storm's damage, by dollar figure. The neural network, which is like an artificial human brain that gets smarter the more data it is fed, is powered by detailed historical data from several storms. These include Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Arthur in 2014.

Mahmoud and Pilkington used this historical data to train neural networks to connect actual storm characteristics to actual known outcomes from those storms. To feed their model, they used publicly available data from federal agencies. Their model uses inputs including estimated landfall, population affected, maximum wind speed, maximum storm surge, and total precipitation.

Then, they tested the model in real time during actual storms, including most recently Hurricane Harvey, which hit the Gulf Coast around Houston, Texas, in August.

Improvements have not kept pace

The researchers also used their model to analyze whether physical and policy improvements such as seawalls, the National Flood Insurance Program, and updated building codes have mitigated the impacts of powerful storms. In short, they haven't, the researchers say.

According to their data, coastal communities in Florida or Texas are about as economically vulnerable, or even worse off, to hurricane devastation as they were 100 years ago. That's a sobering reality the engineers hope their work can shed light on.

The number of people living in coastal communities has increased exponentially in 100 years, and with it, infrastructure and highways. "Improved building codes and other changes have not been enough to keep up with the sheer volume of wealth, infrastructure and people in those areas," Pilkington said.

Pilkington, whose interests intersect in meteorology and civil engineering, wants the model to make a real difference in people's lives. "My ultimate goal is to have it be used by someone  whether the National Weather Service or elsewhere," she said. "We should be communicating to the public in terms of impact instead of intensity."

Mahmoud and Pilkington are continuing to advance their model with better data, providing an even more accurate picture for hurricanes going forward. They also plan to use it to predict effects of climate change.

More information: Stephanie Pilkington et al. Spatial and temporal variations in resilience to tropical cyclones along the United States coastline as determined by the multi-hazard hurricane impact level model, Palgrave Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1057/s41599-017-0016-1
New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station researchers studied part of the Oyster River watershed system  the river network  to see how much nitrogen it removed. They used a new generation of high-technology sensors placed directly into streams and rivers to measure nitrate concentrations continuously under different flow conditions. Credit: Dan Bolster/UNH

Freshwater streams and rivers naturally clean up some forms of pollution originating from urban and agricultural areas, but increased storm intensity reduces this ability, which underscores the need to improve the management of nonpoint sources of pollution and storm water management, according to new research published in Water Resources Research, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

The research findings advance efforts to further understand the ability of streams and rivers to clean watershed pollution and determine how to best manage nonpoint nitrogen inputs associated with human activity. Scientists used a new generation of high-technology sensors placed directly into streams and rivers to measure nitrate concentrations continuously under different flow conditions. These sensors are transforming the understanding of water quality and how to improve its management.

"Worldwide, people have doubled the amount of nitrogen entering the environment over the last century. Much of this nitrogen is not exported through rivers to coastal areas, despite the fact that many coastal areas have been greatly impaired by nitrogen. A big question remains as to where all that human-introduced nitrogen goes. This work looks at part of the Oyster River watershed systemthe river networkto see how much can be removed by it," said Wilfred Wollheim, a professor of natural resources and the environment at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station and lead author of the study.

Nonpoint source pollution generally results from land runoff, atmospheric deposition, fertilizers, septic systems and/or hydrologic modification from ever expanding road networks. Nonpoint source pollution comes from many diffuse sources such as agricultural land, construction sites, faulty septic systems and residential areas. It is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural elements and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters.

The Oyster River watershed, which connects to the Great Bay Estuary in New Hampshire. Credit: AcrossTheAtlantic

Specifically, the researchers found:

Urban and agricultural areas contribute much higher nutrient inputs to streams and rivers than forests, especially during storms. Freshwater ecosystems are able to clean some of this higher nutrient input before it gets to coastal areas. The ability of freshwaters to clean up nutrient pollution goes down rapidly with larger storms. Thus, as storminess increases, more nitrate will transfer to coastal areas. Improvements need to be made in nonpoint nutrient management on land by reducing inputs while taking into account different storm intensity or by increased storm water management. This is especially true if climate extremes continue to worsen.

"The Great Bay Estuary is considered nitrogen-impaired in part due to nonpoint nitrogen sources from its watersheds. The problem would be even worse if it were not for the fact that streams and rivers clean up some of that nitrogen pollution before it gets to the bay. It is important to protect streams and rivers so they can continue to provide this important ecosystem service," Wollheim said.

"But climate scientists predict that storminess will increase in the future, associated with climate change, which means less retention by rivers. Therefore, it becomes even more important to reduce the original nitrogen sources, which enter the watershed in fertilizer, human waste and through atmospheric pollution. We need to think about whether we need to fertilize our lawn as much, make sure our septic systems are maintained and support legislation to help reduce nutrient inputs, especially as more people move to the region" he said.

Going forward, researchers plan to investigate the contribution of reservoirs to river network nitrogen removal. Wollheim explained that if dams are removed and their reservoirs are drained, nitrogen fluxes to the estuary also may increase. It is important to isolate the effects of reservoirs from natural streams, rivers, ponds and lakes.

More information: W. M. Wollheim et al. Aquatic Nitrate Retention at River Network Scales across Flow Conditions Determined Using Nested In Situ Sensors, Water Resources Research (2017). DOI: 10.1002/2017WR020644 Journal information: Water Resources Research

This story is republished courtesy of AGU Blogs (http://blogs.agu.org), a community of Earth and space science blogs, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here.
Some universities are more likely than others to experience student activism like the "I, Too, Am Harvard" campaign in 2014, a new study finds.

That student-led campaign at Harvard publicized the hurtful experiences routinely faced on campus by students from marginalized populations, meaning gender and ethnic minorities.

A new study led by a researcher from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, found that students are more likely to initiate social justice campaigns like the one at Harvard at large, selective, public universities where there are fewer students receiving financial aid.

The study is one of the first to take an empirical look at the institutional characteristics of universities in an effort to understand the current spike in student-led activism.

"Interestingly, our quantitative analysis found that numerical student diversityin terms of gender and racewas not sufficient to make students feel they attend school on an inclusive campus," said Dominique Baker, lead author on the research and assistant professor of higher education at SMU's Simmons School of Education and Human Development.

"Our study found that more selective institutions, larger institutions, and institutions with fewer students receiving the Federal Pell Grant had greater odds of students adopting social justice campaigns to heighten awareness of their plight," Baker said.

The federal government awards Pell grants to undergraduate students who need financial assistance for college.

Eradicating student protests isn't the goal of the new research study, Baker said. Universities are seeing one of the largest jumps in student activism since the 1960s, so the goal is to provide data-based empirical research to help universities improve the campus environment for minority students.

"We are more concerned with what leads to protest and collective actionand which environments are conducive to it," Baker said. "This research project helps us understand the kinds of contexts in which students may feel compelled and able to act. That may help us think about the ways in which we can best support our students and create more inclusive spaces."

Co-author of the study is Richard Blissett, an assistant professor in Seton Hall University's department of education. The researchers reported their findings in The Journal of Higher Education in the article "Beyond the Incident: Institutional Predictors of Student Collective Action."

Students across the country are fighting for inclusion and justice

The issue is a growing one. Recently, more than 70 U.S. universities have faced questions about how to address student protest demands regarding a variety of social injustices, such as police brutality, racism, and gender disparity, among others, the authors say.

At least 40 U.S. universities have had some sort of "I, Too, Am" campaign.

Studies from decades past that looked at student activism found that social movements and student protests during the 1960s and 1970s took place at more cosmopolitan and prestigious universities on both coasts, as well as some major public universities in between and some progressive liberal arts colleges.

With their new study, Baker and Blissett wanted to see if that holds true now. They looked at whether certain types of U.S. institutions were more likely to see student activism than others.

Numerical diversity is not enough for students to feel a campus is inclusive

The "I, Too, Am Harvard" movement began as a student play and evolved into a photo campaign. For the play and photos, 63 Harvard students held up dry-erase boards on which they wrote examples of racist things that had been said to them, as well as things they would like to say to their peers in response. The photos were published on Tumblr, then went viral on the social news website BuzzFeed. Ultimately that sparked many similarly named movements on other U.S. campuses.

For their study, Baker and Blissett analyzed 1,845 institutions, including those with publicized "I, Too, Am" campaigns. They linked the information with five-years of institution-level data from the U.S. Department of Education on all four-year public and not-for-profit universities.

The researchers also collected various measures of student diversity at each university, including gender and undergraduate racial identity, as well as Pell Grant recipients to capture low-income backgrounds.

They investigated whether the current state of diversity, or recent changes to it, could predict where an "I, Too, Am" campaign would appear. They found no consistent evidence that racial diversity was predictive of a campaign, suggesting diversity alone may not be enough to address student dissatisfaction, the authors said.

"Colleges focusing solely on the number of marginalized students may miss other characteristics of the institutions that could be associated with student mobilization or discontent," Baker said.

Institutions without campaigns may also have inclusion issues

The researchers found that the 40 institutions with social movements were generally more selective in their admission policies, more socially prestigious, and primarily in the Mideast.

This prompted the researchers to pose the question, "What social resources are required for people to be able to protest in the first place?" Baker said. "This could explain why some institutions have campaigns and some do not. We are continuing in our work to investigate some of these types of questions."

The results have important implications, said co-author Blissett, suggesting that student expressions of dissatisfaction with institutional racism may not be, as some theories describe, "idiosyncratic overflows of emotion," but instead a function of the institutional environment.

"We are adding to a growing base of literature that suggests that thinking beyond diversity as reflected in enrollment numbers may be important for institutions that want to ensure that their minority students can thrive, and feel safe and at home on campus," he said.

That said, just because an institution hasn't had a student-led campaign does not necessarily mean that the institution doesn't have social justice problems related to gender and race.

The research findings can help campus leadership see student protests as a key source of political information. The findings suggest that the higher education community can seek ways to create supportive spaces that make campuses feel more inclusive so students are less likely to feel compelled to protest the environment, Baker said.

"We're not saying that the presence of racial and ethnic minorities or women is not important," she said. "Our main conclusion from this research is that a focus on forms of diversity and inclusion beyond only enrollment numbers may also be important. Institutions may want to think more holistically about the challenges that these students are facing on their campuses."

More information: Dominique J. Baker et al, Beyond the Incident: Institutional Predictors of Student Collective Action, The Journal of Higher Education (2017). DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2017.1368815
For years, parents and policymakers have looked to test scores to gauge the effectiveness of school districts and teachers. New research from Stanford Graduate School of Education Professor Sean Reardon provides a different measure: students' academic progress over a period of years.

Reardon examined test scores for students in third through eighth grade at 11,000 school districts across the country. Third-grade test scores, he found  whether they were higher or lower than the national average  did not correlate to students' academic growth through elementary and middle school. In fact, growth rates in many low-income districts outpaced those where students enjoyed greater access to learning opportunities in early childhood.

"There are many relatively high-poverty school districts where students appear to be learning at a faster rate than kids in other, less poor districts," said Reardon, who holds an endowed professorship in Poverty and Inequality in Education. "Poverty clearly does not determine the quality of a school system."

The findings were released in a working paper on Dec. 5 and drawn from the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA), a massive online collection of roughly 300 million math and reading test scores from every public school district in the United States during 2009-15.

Average third-grade test scores in a school district, Reardon noted, reflect the extent of learning opportunities available in early childhood and early elementary grades  opportunities that are strongly related to a district's socioeconomic resources (families' incomes and parents' education levels). But Reardon found that the average rates of academic growth between third and eighth grade bore very little relationship to third-grade scores and early childhood advantages.

"There's a widespread belief that schools exacerbate inequality, that schools are worse in poor communities and better in rich ones," said Reardon, who led the development of SEDA and devised the statistical methods used to compare test results from state to state. "It's true that there's a lot of inequality among students when they start school. But these data suggest that at least in some systems, schools are equalizing forces  that it's possible for schools in disadvantaged communities to be forces for equity."

Intriguing patterns

Not unexpectedly, third-grade test scores were highest in many suburban school districts around metropolitan areas (particularly in the northeast and on the California coast), and low in much of the Deep South and the rural West. But growth rates were more varied. Many districts had low third-grade test scores but above-average growth rates. Others had above-average test scores but very low growth rates.

Even in large, urban districts where third graders tested well below the national average, Reardon and his colleagues found substantial academic gains between third and eighth grade. In Chicago, for example, students advanced on average the equivalent of six years of learning in only five years.

"Chicago students start out with low test scores in third grade, but their growth rate is much higher than the national average  20 percent higher," said Reardon. "That is true for all racial and ethnic groups in the district."

Community impact

Reardon speculated that the findings could help promote more equitable demographics among communities by revealing above-average learning opportunities in a lower-income area.

"To the extent that information about school quality influences middle-class families' decisions about where to live, data on growth rates might provide very different signals," he said. "You might find parents ranking communities differently if they weren't relying on average test scores, which are highly correlated with socioeconomic background."

Meanwhile, he noted, the findings can help researchers identify districts that are outperforming expectations and explore what these school systems have done to produce such remarkable results.

"There are many places where learning rates are much higher than you might predict on the basis of families' economic resources," he said. "We have to learn what those places are doing and build on those lessons."

Reardon's working paper and data can be downloaded free from SEDA, along with maps, graphs and other explanatory materials.
Another tiger poses for a camera trap in Sumatra. Credit: Matthew Luskin

A research expedition tracked endangered tigers through the Sumatran jungles for a year and found tigers are clinging to survival in low density populations. Their findings have renewed fears about the possible extinction of the elusive predators.

Tigers on the neighboring islands of Java, Bali, and Singapore went extinct in the 20th century, prompting new anti-poaching efforts to prevent the same fate for the subspecies on Sumatra. Those efforts have largely been successful. The density of tigers has increased over last two decades and their numbers are twice as high in unlogged forests, the study found. But the study also found that well-protected forests are disappearing and are increasingly fragmented: Of the habitat tigers rely on in Sumatra, 17 percent was deforested between 2000 to 2012 alone, erasing any gains to the tigers' chance of survival, the study authors wrote. Habitat destruction for oil palm plantations was a leading culprit of deforestation.

"Our results are a mixed bag," said lead author Matthew Luskin, who conducted the research for his graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and is now a research fellow with the Smithsonian Institution and based at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. "The loss of key habitat is causing significant conservation challenges for Sumatraand in particular for this critically endangered species."

The study was published December 5th in the journal Nature Communications and was funded by the National Geographic Society.

Obtaining information on rare, stealthy predators is not easy, especially in jungles. The researchers spent a year trekking through remote Sumatran forests, mounting hundreds of cameras that take pictures and video whenever an animal passes. Individual tigers are identified by their unique pattern of stripes, allowing the researchers to track their movement.

With data from the cameras, the scientists calculated a Sumatran tiger's home range to be roughly 150 square miles, about the three times the size of San Francisco. This is much larger than tiger home ranges in other regions like India and indicates they need larger parks to survive.

Sumatran tiger as captured on a camera trap. Credit: Matthew Luskin

The study found that tiger densities are 47 percent higher in primary versus degraded (logged) forests and that extensive clearing of pristine lowland forest has disproportionately reduced tiger numbers. This is no surprise: Between 1990 and 2010, Sumatra lost 37 percent of its primary forest. As a result, tiger subpopulations also became significantly more fragmented, greatly increasing their threat of extinction in each individual forest and as a species. ?

The research team combined their results and with data from other scientists and estimated the number of tigers in each remaining forest in Sumatra. They found that there are now only two habitats large enough to host more than 30 breeding females, an indicator of viable tiger populations over the long term.

"The erosion of large wilderness areas pushes Sumatran tigers one step closer to extinction," Luskin said. "We hope this serves as a wakeup call."

Co-author Mathias Tobler of San Diego Zoo Global added: "Safeguarding the remaining expanses of primary forests is now absolutely critical to ensuring tigers can persist indefinitely on Sumatra."

The most famous of these expanses is Gunung Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra, where organizations like the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation work to prevent deforestation and poaching.

"Largescale reforestation is unlikely," Tobler said. "If we are going to save Sumatran tigers in the wild, the time to act is now."

More information: Matthew Scott Luskin et al, Sumatran tiger survival threatened by deforestation despite increasing densities in parks, Nature Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01656-4 Journal information: Nature Communications
As a hotel that was created to provide its guests with a modern and chic experience, implementing mobile access technology made complete sense to us as it represents one of the most popular and in demand service trends within hospitality today, said Wayne Taranto, director of hotels & suites at the SKYE Hotel Suites Parramatta. Yet as a new technology, we wanted to make sure that we could rely on vendors with a reputation for excellence, reliability and the ability to ensure total guest satisfaction, which is precisely what we have found in working with both ASSA ABLOY Hospitality and Intelity.

Designed to streamline the check-in experience by allowing guests to sidestep front desk lines to receive a guestroom key, ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access operates using Seos technology to provide a service that is as secure as it is convenient. At the SKYE Hotel Suites Parramatta, the solution works by generating an encrypted digital key that is transmitted to guest smart devices and safely stored in a key vault on Intelitys guest-facing mobile app. When presented to the appropriate door lock, the app then transmits digital key information via Bluetooth and over a secure communication channel, ensuring only authorized users are able to gain access.

Hotels all over the world are seeing that mobile guest engagement is one of the most solid ways to build customer loyalty, and they are eager to deploy the latest mobile tools to help with that dynamic interaction, said Intelity CEO and President David Adelson. Through our integration partnership with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, Intelity is equipping the SKYE Hotel Suites with all the components needed to enable the mobile guest journey, including Mobile Check-in and Mobile Key. With Intelitys MiKEY mobile app, SKYE Hotel Suites guests can bypass the front desk, go straight to their rooms and use their smartphones to unlock the hotels Bluetooth-enabled ASSA ABLOY Hospitality door lock. This joint technology is adding considerable value to travelers and its providing the hotel with a direct communication link to guests. The SKYE Hotel Suites is among the first properties in Australia to go live with MiKEY, and with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality as our valued partner, we anticipate many more installations to come in the future.
Photo of Airbnb logo: REUTERS/Yuya Shino

Airbnb has questioned Singapores current framework for home sharing, in response to two men being charged on Tuesday (5 December) for renting out their condominium units for short-term stay via the home sharing platform.

Terence Tan En Wei, 35, and Yao Song Liang, 34, are accused of renting out four different units at Dleedon Condominium via Airbnb without obtaining the relevant approval  the first such case in Singapore.

In an email statement to Yahoo News Singapore, an Airbnb spokesman said, The current framework for home sharing in Singapore doesnt reflect how Singaporeans travel or use their homes today (and) also stands in contrast with Singapores commitment to innovation.

In February this year, Parliament passed a new law to ban home owners from renting out their properties on a short-term basis unless they obtain permission from the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Under the same law, the rental period for a private residential property must be at least three consecutive months.

Airbnb said it drove $324 million of economic activity in Singapore in 2016. The platform is helping Singaporeans earn extra income, with local hosts having earned over $70 million in the past year, or an average $4,700 per host, it added.

According to Airbnb, its research shows 40 per cent of hosts in Singapore say they rely on the extra income they earn through the platform to make ends meet while 15 per cent say the additional income has helped them avoid eviction or foreclosure.

There are 8,700 listings in Singapore and the Airbnb community has hosted more than 330,000 travelers over the past year.

The spokesman said, We have collaborated with authorities around the world, developing clear and sensible frameworks that allow home sharing to thrive, while addressing each citys unique challenges and concerns.

We remain strongly committed to doing the same here in Singapore, working alongside the government to find a way forward for home sharing, both to Singapores immediate and long-term benefit.
A senior Al-Qaeda leader on the Indian subcontinent and the head of the Taliban's "special forces" in southern Helmand have been killed in recent days in Afghanistan, Afghan and US forces said Tuesday. "Both leaders are responsible for the deaths of many innocent Afghans, and their removal will both disrupt the terrorist operations of their respective organisations and improve overall security of the country," the US command said in a statement. According to Afghan intelligence services, and a spokesman for US forces in Kabul, "Omar Khetab, number two in the al-Qaeda network for the Indian subcontinent" was killed on Monday. "He was directly involved in fighting against the Afghan government and foreign troops and had a role in advising in the use of heavy weapons such as rockets, mortars and training for Taliban night attacks," the US command's statement added. "This operation is a testament to the real growth the Afghan forces have achieved over the past year," said General John Nicholson, commander of US forces and Operation Resolute Support NATO, quoted in the statement. The US also announced the death of the leader of the "Red Unit" -- the Taliban's "special forces" in Helmand, a southern province where insurgents control ten of its 14 districts. "Mullah Shah Wali, aka Haji Nasir, commander of the Red Unit in Helmand, was killed on 1 December by a strike, with one of his deputies and three of his men". According to the spokesman, "Wali and his 'Red Unit' are responsible for planning numerous suicide bombings, IED attacks, and coordinated assaults against civilians, Afghan and coalition forces." The statement noted: "The Taliban in Helmand province are responsible for poppy cultivation and opium trade that funds their activities." At the end of November, the Americans began a series of raids against heroin laboratories in Helmand. US Forces began identifying drug labs to hit after President Donald Trump's strategy announcement in August made it easier for American air power to proactively target the Taliban and its sources of revenue and infrastructure. The US-Afghan operation comes as around 3,000 additional American troops promised by Trump are deployed to help train and assist beleaguered Afghan security forces who have been struggling to beat back Taliban and Islamic State insurgents.
Relatives and friends of the 44 crew members of the missing at sea ARA San Juan submarine march outside an Argentine naval base in Mar del Plata, Argentina December 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jose Scalzo (Reuters)

By Hugh Bronstein

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina and other South American countries are likely to maintain or increase their submarine programs despite the scrutiny that has followed the fatal loss of an Argentine sub in South Atlantic waters last month, defense specialists said.

The disappearance of the ARA San Juan with 44 crew members aboard has put pressure on Argentine President Mauricio Macri to consider boosting spending for the military, including the country's two remaining submarines. Military spending sharply decreased after the end of Argentina's dictatorship in 1983.

"Macri has to take strong steps to rebuild the military after three decades of hyper-low defense spending. Submarines will be a fundamental instrument in that framework," Fabian Calle, a geopolitics professor at Universidad Austral and Universidad Catolica in Buenos Aires, said on Tuesday.

The government declines to comment about the plans it has for its submarines until the investigation into the Jan Juan disaster is complete.

Argentina spends about 1 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, less than its neighbors Chile, Brazil and Peru. [nL1N1NQ1NM]

Peru has six subs, Chile four and Brazil plans to increase its five-vessel fleet by four over the next few years. Ecuador and Venezuela each have two and Colombia has four.

"Submarines are an excellent strategic weapon to use in inter-state conflicts. Thankfully, in our region we have optimal relations with our neighbors. But that can change," Calle said.

Subs are used to patrol sovereign maritime areas and can transform themselves "into a lethal and surprising threat to a potential adversary," the Chilean navy says on its website.

Argentina learned a harsh lesson of submarines' military value during the 1982 Falklands War, when a British sub sank the ARA General Belgrano cruiser. It was the only major ship Argentina lost in the war over the disputed Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas.

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If anything, Argentina's commitment to submarines is likely to grow in the years ahead, said Omar Lamrani, an analyst with Texas-based geopolitical consultancy Stratfor.

"Since the military budget was cut after the Falklands War, Argentina realized that modernizing and putting money into its submarines can be a very cost effective way of staying ready for any conflict, however unlikely, without having to break its budget by buying much bigger surface vessels," Lamrani said.

However, there have been questions since the San Juan went missing on Nov. 15 over the resources Argentina has devoted to its submarine fleet. Relatives of San Juan crew members have said they suspect training and maintenance was inadequate.

The Argentine navy says water likely entered the San Juan's snorkel, causing a battery short circuit and explosion. This scenario could point to deficiencies in the upkeep of the vessel, which will be examined as part of what Macri promises will be an unflinching investigation.

Macri has said the sub was in perfect working order when it embarked on its last patrol mission.

'UNDERDOG' WEAPON

Siemon Wezeman, an analyst with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said plans to modernize military equipment in Argentina had been repeatedly delayed, canceled or scaled down due to lack of funds.

But tight budgets boost the argument in favor of submarines, Wezeman said.

"If a war comes along, a small investment in submarines can give your enemy a very big headache," he said, calling the vessels "an extremely useful weapon for the underdog in a naval war".

Another reason to keep subs on line is that if a country gives them up it is slow and costly to start again from zero, he said.

"They're the only ship that's meant to sink. So they need a whole different, highly specialized type of training that can only be kept up through practice," Wezeman added.

(Reporting by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Frances Kerry)
Czech presidential candidate Jiri Drahos is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Prague, Czech Republic, December 4, 2017. Picture taken December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Milan Kammermayer (Reuters)

By Robert Muller

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic should stay close to the European Union's core and talk of holding a referendum on leaving the bloc is dangerous, presidential candidate Jiri Drahos said in an interview.

Polls show that Drahos, 68, is the main challenger to incumbent Milos Zeman, who has fostered ties with Russia and China while sympathising with far-right and far-left groups and criticising the EU, mainly over its migration policy.

The country held parliamentary elections in October and it will choose a president in January.

"If we want to decide something then we should be at the table where such decisions are taken. I would very much like to see the Czech Republic at the table where Europe's future is decided," Drahos told Reuters.

Although Czech presidents have limited powers, their role is crucial in situations like the forming of a new government. Presidents can also sway public opinion and influence foreign policy, though the government exerts daily control.

Zeman says he is an EU-federalist. He has criticised the EU's Russia sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea and has also said he favours a referendum on leaving the EU, though he said he would vote to stay in it.

Drahos, a chemist by training, who has led the Czech Academy of Sciences, said both EU and NATO membership are vital his country.

"To play with the (expression) 'referendum on leaving the European Union' is very hazardous," he said.

Czechs are the least enthusiastic nation when it comes to the EU in the wake of Zeman's five year presidency and a decade under Vaclav Klaus. A Eurobarometer poll in October showed that only 29 percent of Czechs saw EU membership as a "good thing".

Drahos said people should be more aware of the EU's benefits but should criticize where appropriate.

"LET'S DO TRADE"

He rejected Zeman's warm stance toward Russia and China and said Czech foreign policy should be more self-confident.

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"Let's do trade, but let's do it in a self-confident way. We are a small country but that does not mean that we have to cringe," he said.

A November poll commissioned by news website www.seznam.cz news website showed Zeman, 73, as the most likely winner of the first round on Jan. 12-13 ahead of Drahos. But it predicted a dead heat in any run-off vote to be held Jan 26-27.

The next president will most likely need to cooperate with a government chaired by billionaire Andrej Babis whose ANO party won the October election and is building a minority cabinet.

Zeman, who backs Babis, plans to appoint Babis's cabinet on Dec. 13. Babis will face an uncertain confidence vote but may be in office for months with Zeman's consent even if he loses.

Initial votes in the new parliament showed cooperation among ANO, Communists and the SPD party which campaigned with anti-EU, anti-immigrant and anti-Islam agenda.

Drahos said that if elected, he would be watching for any attempts to sway the country away from standard democratic path.

"I would be a professional, but I would be on guard, because a government leaning on undemocratic parties creates a concern at least that our democracy could be in danger," he said.

(Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Jan Lopatka and Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
By Marc Frank

HAVANA (Reuters) - The Trump administration has named career diplomat Philip Goldberg to head the all-but-abandoned U.S. embassy in Havana, according to three sources familiar with the matter, at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Cuba.

Goldberg has lengthy experience in a number of countries, and was described by a U.S. congressional aide on Monday as "career and the best of the best".

But his appointment may ruffle feathers in Havana. He was expelled from Cuba's socialist ally Bolivia in 2008 for what President Evo Morales claimed was fomenting social unrest.

The appointment has not been publicly announced.

If approved by Cuba, Goldberg will arrive at a low moment in bilateral relations.

The embassy was reopened for the first time since 1961 last year, as part of a fragile detente by former Democratic U.S. president Barack Obama.

But the administration of Republican President Donald Trump has returned to Cold War characterisations of the Cuban government and imposed new restrictions on doing business in Cuba and travel.

It has charged Cuba with responsibility for health problems affecting some two dozen diplomats or their family members, which it has termed attacks. Cuba denies the charges.

The U.S. embassy has been reduced to a skeleton staff and has suspended almost all visa processing after the Trump administration in October pulled 60 percent of embassy personnel and ordered a similar reduction at the Cuban embassy in Washington, expelling 15 diplomats.

The position is not an ambassador role and does not need to be approved by the U.S. Congress. There has been no ambassador since the embassy re-opened, after the Republican-controlled Senate opposed Obama's pick.

Instead, Goldberg will take over from Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who left in June, as Charge d'Affaires.

Goldberg's other previous posts include the chief of mission in Kosovo. Most recently he has been the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines.

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"Appointing Ambassador Goldberg to head the U.S. Embassy in Cuba is rather provocative since he was expelled from Bolivia," American University professor of government William LeoGrande, a Cuba expert, said.

"But Ambassador Goldberg is a Foreign Service professional and will ably represent the policies of Trump's administration. Time will tell if he has been instructed to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor ... or carry out a more hostile policy," he said.

The embassy was closed in 1961 when the United States broke diplomatic relations. The countries maintained lower level interests sections in each other's capitals from 1977 to 2016, under the auspices of Switzerland.

(Reporting by Marc Frank in Havana; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Steve Holland in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri will attend talks in Paris Friday on the crisis triggered by his recent resignation announcement to be attended by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, France said Tuesday. "The aim is to support the political process (in Lebanon) at a crucial moment," the French foreign ministry said, minutes after Hariri announced he had rescinded his resignation. "It will send a message both to the various parties in Lebanon and to countries in the region," the ministry added. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- will be represented at the meeting, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt. French officials said the goal was to shore up Lebanese institutions, by strengthening the army and supporting Hariri's economic programme, with a view to encouraging foreign investment in the country. Hariri announced he was stepping down on November 4 in a surprise televised address from Saudi Arabia that sent tremors through Lebanon, long a proxy battleground for regional powers. His resignation was seen as part of an intensifying power struggle between the Saudi kingdom -- which had long backed Hariri -- and its regional rival Iran, which backs the armed organisation Hezbollah. After announcing he was bowing out Hariri, who accused Hezbollah of destabilising Lebanon, remained in Riyadh, sparking speculation that he was being held hostage by the Saudis. French President Emmanuel Macron intervened to try defuse the crisis, inviting Hariri to Paris for talks, after which he returned to Beirut to a hero's welcome. Two weeks later, following consultations with the various political groups in Lebanon, Hariri announced Tuesday he was withdrawing his resignation.
By Toby Sterling and Eric Auchard AMSTERDAM/LONDON (Reuters) - One of Eastern Europe's most prolific cyber criminals has been arrested in a joint operation involving Belarus, Germany and the United States that aimed to dismantle a vast computer network used to carry out financial scams, officials said on Tuesday. National police in Belarus, working with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, said they had arrested an unnamed citizen of Belarus on suspicion of selling malicious software who they described as administrator of the Andromeda network. Andromeda can be described as a "botnet", or group of computers that have been infected with viruses to allow hackers to control them remotely without the knowledge of their owners, enabling them to install crime tools to mount further attacks. The arrested individual is suspected of being a ringleader of the criminal network surrounding Andromeda, a collection of online tools for other criminals to mount malware or phishing attacks and other online scams, a Europol spokesman said. "Andromeda was one of the oldest malwares on the market," said Jan Op Gen Oorths a spokesman for Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency. The police operation, which involved help from Microsoft, was significant both for the number of infected computers and because Andromeda had been used over a number of years to distribute new viruses. The shutdown of the Andromeda botnet, announced on Monday, was engineered by a taskforce coordinated by Europol which included several European law enforcement agencies, the FBI, the German Federal Office for Information Security and agencies from Australia, Belarus, Canada, Montenegro, Singapore and Taiwan. Information about the operation has been gradually released by Europol, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Belarus's Investigative Committee over the past two days. No further arrests have been reported. CYBER CRIME MASTERMIND The Belarus Ministry of Internal Affairs in Minsk said the arrested man was born in 1983 and a resident of Gomel region. Cyber security firm Recorded Future said they have "a high degree of certainty" that the arrested 33-year-old Belarussian is "Ar3s", a prominent hacker in the Russian speaking cybercrime underground since 2004, who the firm has identified as the creator of the Andromeda botnet, among other hacking tools. Reuters was unable to reach Ar3s or confirm the identity of the alleged hacker and therefore is not naming him. However, a colleague at the telecoms company where the individual is employed confirmed to Reuters said that he had been arrested. The colleague provided no further details. Authorities in Belarus declined to name the alleged hacker. Europol declined to comment. The FBI was not immediately available to comment. Officers had seized equipment from the hacker's offices in Gomel, the second city in Belarus, and he was cooperating with the investigation, the country's Investigative Committee said. Belarus authorities said the man charged other cyber criminals $500 for each copy of Andromeda he sold to mount online attacks, and $10 for subsequent software updates. Microsoft said the Andromeda crime kit charged $150 for a keylogger to copy keystrokes to steal user names and passwords. And for $250, it offered modules to steal data from forms submitted by web browsers, or the capacity to spy on victims using remote control software from German firm Teamviewer. Recorded Future said members of online criminal forums where the hacker Ar3s was known to be active have been complaining he was last seen online around November 20. German authorities, working with Microsoft, had taken control of the bulk of the network, so that information sent from infected computers was rerouted to safe police servers instead, a process known as "sinkholing." Information was sent to the sinkhole from more than 2 million unique internet addresses in the first 48 hours after the operation began on Nov. 29, Europol said. Owners of infected computers are unlikely to even know or take action. More than 55 percent of computers found to be infected in a previous operation a year ago are still infected, Europol said. (Additional reporting by Andrei Makhovsky in Minsk; Jamillah Knowles in London and Mark Hosenball in Washington D.C.; Editing by Keith Weir)
Saad al-Hariri who suspended his decision to resign as prime minister talks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon November 22, 2017. REUTERS/Aziz Taher (Reuters)

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri rescinded his resignation on Tuesday, drawing a line under a month-long crisis triggered when he announced from Riyadh that he was stepping down and remained outside Lebanon for weeks.

His coalition government, which includes the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, reaffirmed a state policy of staying out of conflicts in Arab states. Hariri's Saudi allies accuse Hezbollah of waging war across the Middle East as agents of Iran.

Hariri's shock resignation had thrust Lebanon to the forefront of the regional quarrel between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which has been played out on battlefields in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Lebanese officials said Saudi Arabia had coerced Hariri, a long-time Saudi ally, into resigning and put him under effective house arrest until an intervention by France led to his return to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and Hariri have denied this.

President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, refused to accept his resignation while he remained abroad.

Saudi concern over the influence wielded by Shi'ite Muslim Iran and Hezbollah in other Arab states had been widely seen as the root cause of the crisis, which raised fears for Lebanon's economic and political stability.

The Lebanese policy of "dissociation" was declared in 2012 to keep the deeply divided state out of regional conflicts such as the civil war in neighbouring Syria. Despite the policy, Hezbollah is heavily involved there, sending thousands of fighters to help President Bashar al-Assad.

In its first meeting since Hariri's resignation, the cabinet on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to the policy.

"All (the government's) political components decide to dissociate themselves from all conflicts, disputes, wars or the internal affairs of brother Arab countries, in order to preserve Lebanon's economic and political relations," Hariri said.

PARIS MEETING

Lebanon, where Sunni Muslim, Shi'ite, Christian and Druze groups fought a civil war from 1975-1990, has a governing system designed to share power among sectarian groups.

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Hariri, a wealthy Sunni businessman with long ties to the kingdom, had denounced Iran during his resignation speech and said he was outside Lebanon because he feared for his family's safety. His father, an ex-prime minister, was assassinated in 2005.

In a speech during the cabinet session, Hariri warned that the tensions in the region could easily drag Lebanon down a dangerous route, and the issues which had led to the crisis could be ignored.

"Developments in the region suggest a new wave of conflict ... Perhaps the conflict is nearing the end, and Lebanon cannot be plunged into chaos on the finish line.

"If we are rejecting interference by any state in Lebanese affairs, it cannot be that we accept that any Lebanese side interferes in the affairs of Arab states," Hariri said, an apparent reference to Hezbollah.

"We have to address this issue, and take a decision announcing our disassociation, in words and deeds," he said.

Hariri's resignation was accompanied by a sharp escalation in Saudi statements targeting the Lebanese state, with Riyadh at one point accusing the Beirut government of declaring war against it. Western governments, including the United States, stressed their support for Hariri and Lebanon.

Hariri will be in Paris on Friday for a meeting of the International Lebanon Support Group, a body that includes the five members of the U.N. Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

The meeting, to be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron, aims in part to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and Iran to desist from interference in Lebanon, diplomats said.

(Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Ellen Francis in Beirut, John Irish in Paris; editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Lizbeth Diaz and Gustavo Palencia

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Hondurans spilled into the streets of the capital on Monday night, banging pots and pans and joining rebel police in defiance of a curfew imposed after a presidential election that was heavily criticized by the Organization of American States.

Some police officers abandoned their posts and joined carnival-like demonstrations that erupted across the city hours after night fell and the curfew was supposed to have begun.

A statement issued in the name of the National Police said the officers were upset with the government over a political crisis that was not their responsibility.

"Our people are sovereign," said a member of the elite Cobra riot police, reading the statement. "We cannot confront and repress their rights."

Authorities finished counting votes on Monday after a week of increasingly widespread criticism about the Nov. 26 election, with Organization of American States (OAS) lending credence to opposition claims the government manipulated the results to ensure a win.

"The tight margin, along with the irregularities, errors and systematic problems that have surrounded this election, does not allow the mission to be certain about the results," said former Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga, heading the OAS election observation mission in the Central American country.

Electoral authorities said President Juan Orlando Hernandez won 42.98 percent of the vote, compared with opposition challenger Salvador Nasralla's 41.39 percent, based on 99.96 percent of ballot boxes tallied.

However, authorities refrained from declaring a winner, with Nasralla's center-left opposition Alliance demanding a wide recount of nearly a third of votes, a request backed by the OAS and European Union election observers.

Lending more support to that view, a leader of rebellious Cobra riot police told reporters the country wanted a vote-by-vote recount to clarify the results, and called on the armed forces to come out in support of the police protest.

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The Alliance, which claims that results sheets from ballot boxes were altered, is expected to formally contest the results.

President Hernandez, who has been praised by the United States for his crackdown on street gangs, also refrained from calling himself the winner on Monday, despite claiming victory several times since the election.

"I make a call for peace, for brotherhood, for sanity, for national unity," he told reporters.

In a striking sign of support for Hernandez, 49, the U.S. State Department cleared the way for Honduras to receive millions of dollars in U.S. aid two days after the election, certifying that the government has been fighting corruption and upholding human rights, a document seen by Reuters showed.

POLICE UNIT DISOBEYS

The government was struggling to contain the fallout from the chaos on Monday evening.

Even former TV star Nasralla joined a crowd of boisterous supporters, jumping up and down in a tan suit while flashing peace signs and joining a chant of "the dictatorship will fall," a video posted on Twitter showed.

The additional powers granted to the army and police including the nighttime curfew from Friday were intended to stem the protests and have led to more than a thousand arrests. Up to 12 people have been killed in the protests or during the curfew.

Tens of thousands peacefully took to the streets on Sunday in a show of force for the opposition.

The police revolt began when more than 200 members of the Cobras refused to carry on battling protesters, saying it was tantamount to taking sides. Nasralla has repeatedly called on the security forces to ignore orders.

"We are rebelling," said one of the policemen, who covered his face in a ski mask and declined to give his name. "We call on all the police nationally to act with their conscience."

They soon had the support of other units, with reports that their protests had spread to other cities.

The police also said they were angry about the death of two colleagues shot while they were enforcing the curfew on Sunday night, an attack a spokesman said was unrelated to the election protests.

Two civilian protesters were killed in the capital overnight, their relatives said, although authorities did not confirm the deaths.

The OAS called for peaceful protests, said politicians must not incite violence and that security forces must respect human rights.

Last week, at least three people were killed as soldiers broke up protesters' blockades. One police source and local reports said five more had been shot dead in the north of the country on Friday. The deaths have not been confirmed by authorities.

'STOLEN'

Early last week, Nasralla, a 64-year-old former sportscaster and game show host, appeared set for an upset victory, gaining a five-point lead with more than half of the ballots tallied.

The counting process suddenly halted for more than a day and began leaning in favor of Hernandez after resuming.

Opposition leaders on Monday showed a sample of their own records of polling that did not match with the tribunal's.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the United States of backing vote fraud in Honduras, while the U.S. embassy on Monday called for a "transparent, impartial, and opportune election result."

Honduras struggles with violent drug gangs, one of world's highest murder rates and endemic poverty, driving a tide of its people to migrate to the United States.

(Additional reporting by Adriana Barrera and Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City; Writing by Michael O'Boyle and Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Andrew Hay and Mary Milliken)
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Tuesday that he had withdrawn his resignation, a month after his shock announcement that he was quitting sparked political upheaval. The announcement brought some respite to Lebanon, which had been gripped by fears of new political and economic instability in a country riven by deep divisions and caught up in regional rivalries. Minutes after Hariri's announcement, Paris said the Lebanese premier would attend talks Friday in France on the situation in Lebanon, which US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will also attend. "The council of ministers thanks the prime minister for rescinding his resignation," Hariri said, reading from a cabinet statement issued after its first meeting since his return two weeks ago. Hariri announced he was stepping down on November 4 in a televised address from Saudi Arabia, a move widely seen as part of the boiling tensions between the Saudi kingdom -- a long-time Hariri backer -- and its regional rival Iran. In his resignation, Hariri lambasted Tehran and its Lebanese ally, the powerful armed movement Hezbollah, for destabilising his country and the Middle East. He later said he would consider coming back as premier if Hezbollah stopped intervening in regional conflicts, including the wars in Syria and Yemen. In recent days, consultations across the political spectrum have sought to find a compromise between the Saudi-backed camp led by Hariri, and Hezbollah's Iran-backed bloc. On Tuesday, Lebanon's cabinet, which includes both blocs, reaffirmed its official policy of "disassociation", or remaining neutral in regional conflicts. - 'Disassociation' - "The Lebanese government, in all its political components, has committed to distance itself from all conflicts, wars, and internal affairs of Arab states," according to the cabinet statement read out by Hariri. This "disassociation" is intended to "preserve Lebanon's political and economic relations with its Arab brothers", the statement added. The policy had already been adopted by Hariri's cabinet, formed in 2016 after a settlement across political divides that saw Michel Aoun appointed president and the creation of a government including Hezbollah deputies. Hezbollah has been accused of violating the policy, however, by fighting in neighbouring Syria to support the Damascus regime as well as by dispatching military commanders to Iraq and allegedly backing Shiite rebels in Yemen. "A reaffirmation of Lebanese 'disassociation', notwithstanding its manifest hypocrisy and the impossibility of it being translated concretely, makes it possible to save face and win a little time," said Karim Bitar, an expert at the Paris-based Institute of International and Strategic Affairs. During the cabinet meeting, according to a statement obtained by AFP, Hariri expressed the hope for "a new chance to defend the country together". "We see how the region is boiling and we must be aware that any misstep could bring the country to a dangerous precipice," he told his cabinet. Lebanon has been buffeted by regional instability in recent years, particularly by the war in neighbouring Syria which has sent more than one million refugees into its tiny neighbour, seeking safety. The conflict in Syria has also deepened existing tensions, with Hariri's bloc backing the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad while Hezbollah's fighters battled alongside the regime's troops. Hariri's resignation raised fears that Lebanon could be plunged into chaos, and provoked widespread speculation about whether Riyadh had forced him to step down. He delivered his resignation announcement from Saudi Arabia and spent the next two weeks there amid rumours that Riyadh was holding him "hostage". He denied those claims, and after top-level French intervention returned to Beirut where he announced he had "paused" his resignation to hold consultations across the political spectrum. France's foreign ministry said Friday's meeting was intended to "support the political process (in Lebanon) at a crucial moment".
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday told human rights groups criticising his deadly anti-drug war to "go to hell" after ordering police back to the frontlines of the crackdown. Duterte had removed the police less than two months ago in response to rising opposition to the campaign. But his spokesman said he was now reinstating them because drug crimes had risen in their absence. The president dismissed criticism over the thousands of people killed in the drug war as he said the Philippines had turned into a "narco-state". "You can go to hell, all of you!" Duterte said in a speech, referring to human rights groups, Catholic bishops and priests who had urged an end to the killings. "I do not want Filipinos to be turned into fools during my time. You can do that at any other time but not during my time, during my watch." Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte signed an order Tuesday reinstating the police to the drug war because there had been a "public clamour" for their return. "There has been a notable resurgence in illegal drug activities and crimes committed," Roque said as he read the order. Duterte, 72, was elected last year on a promise to eradicate drugs from society by launching an unprecedented campaign in which up to 100,000 people would die. Since he took office, police have reported killing about 4,000 people in the crackdown. Another 2,290 have been murdered in drug-related crimes, while thousands of other deaths remain unsolved, according to government data. Many Filipinos continue to support the crackdown and believe Duterte is making society safer. But in October he announced that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would replace the police in the drug war following mounting public opposition, including rare street protests, that were triggered by officers allegedly murdering three teenagers. Duterte said later he had removed police from the drug war "in deference" to critics, including rights campaigners, Catholic bishops and the European Union. However Duterte also repeatedly said he believed the anti-drug agency, with only about 2,000 officers, would not be able to effectively prosecute the crackdown. The police force has about 165,000 officers. The October suspension was the second time Duterte had hauled police off the drug war. In January he did the same after it was revealed that officers involved in the anti-drug campaign murdered a South Korean businessmen inside national police headquarters. Duterte said at the time the police force was "corrupt to the core". But he reinstated the police in March without making major reforms to address the graft issue.
FILE PHOTO: Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo speaks during a joint news conference with Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the ruling party Law and Justice, at the party headquarters in Warsaw, Poland November 14, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel (Reuters)

By Pawel Sobczak and Lidia Kelly

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party may replace Prime Minister Beata Szydlo next week with her government's finance chief, Mateusz Morawiecki, to prepare for a series of elections in coming years, political sources said.

Since the eurosceptic PiS won power two years ago, Szydlo, 54, has overseen sweeping changes to state institutions in Poland, which critics in the European Union and Washington say have undermined democracy and the rule of law.

Despite the criticism, her conservative government is one of the most popular in Poland since the 1989 collapse of communism, largely due to low unemployment, increases in public spending and a focus on traditional Catholic values in public life.

Senior PiS officials have said, however, that a change was needed to prepare the party - led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland's paramount politician - for a string of elections in the next three years. Local elections will be held in 2018, parliamentary in 2019 and presidential in 2020.

"It's been obvious for a long time that there was no internal communication in the government and individual ministers were often following their own agenda," said one high-ranked official.

PiS spokeswoman Beata Mazurek declined to say when a reshuffle could take place and whether Szydlo would be removed. But she told journalists it is not a "secret" that Morawiecki has been a candidate.

"We are talking about goals for the future," Mazurek said. "It is not about something 'new', but about what tasks are ahead of us and they are related to the economy - and Deputy Prime Minister Morawiecki is responsible for the economy."

Morawiecki, 49, an ex-banker who is also a deputy prime minister, is broadly considered as "anointed" by Kaczynski, while Szydlo lacks the full trust of the party's chairman, analysts said.

As finance minister, Morawiecki has overseen a rise in value-added tax collection of more than 20 percent so far this year, helping fund the government's popular child-subsidy programme, cheaper medicine for the elderly, and a cut in the retirement age.

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He has also pledged billions of euros worth of investment in the economy - a mix of EU funds, and public and private investment.

But public investment has faltered and has been slowly recovering only this year, still below expectations. Private investment has been sluggish, with companies worrying about tax burdens and changing legal frameworks as factors keeping them from pumping money into their businesses.

The prime minister and Morawiecki have fought for control over the largest state-owned companies. The conflict became public this year during the selection process for the chief executive of PZU, central Europe's biggest insurance company.

After weeks of media speculation over a possible government reshuffle, Szydlo wrote on Twitter late on Monday that "no matter what happens, Poland is most important", fuelling talk she might lose her job.

"At the beginning of next week, there will most likely be changes in the government," a high-ranking PiS source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Everything points to Mateusz Morawiecki becoming the new prime minister."

Three other PiS and government sources confirmed the information, with a government official saying that "the final decision has not yet been made".

Market reaction has been muted with analysts saying Morawiecki would likely maintain the government's economic policy.

"Whoever were to become the prime minister, I do not expect significant changes in economic policy. It is more a matter of whether the new government exhibits a more or a less confrontational attitude towards the EU," said Piotr Bielski, a head analyst at bank BZ WBK.

(Additional reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, Pawel Florkiewicz, Marcig Goettig and Bartosz Chmielewski; Editing by Justyna Pawlak and Angus MacSwan/Mark Heinrich)
Spain has withdrawn a European arrest warrant for Catalonia's sacked leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his former ministers, who fled to Belgium after the regional parliament declared unilateral independence, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. In a statement, the court said Judge Pablo Llarena, in charge of the case, decided to withdraw the warrant as the five have said they want to come back to Spain to participate in regional elections on December 21. He however maintains the Spanish arrest warrant and they would be detained upon arrival in the country, court sources said. Llarena also argued that the European warrant would complicate the overall probe into Catalan leaders, some of whom are still in Spain -- in jail or released on bail as authorities probe them on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds. He said Belgium could reject some of the reasons behind the warrant, which could affect and possibly reduce the charges brought against Puigdemont and the four others, and create inequalities with those back in Spain who would be probed on the full charges. The unexpected decision comes just a day after Puigdemont and his four former ministers attended an extradition hearing in Brussels. A judge had been due to give a decision on December 14. It also comes as the official campaign for Catalan elections kicked off, with Puigdemont speaking to supporters in Catalonia on Monday night via video link. Madrid called the new elections after the independence declaration on October 27, while dismissing Catalonia's government and suspending the region's autonomy. It hopes the polls will restore normality to the region.
Turkey has detained 17 suspects in an investigation into a Turkish-Iranian gold trader who was once a close ally of the government but is now testifying against officials as a star witness in a high profile US case, sate media said on Tuesday. Reza Zarrab is giving evidence in a New York trial over alleged subversion of US economic sanctions against Iran that has implicated former Turkish ministers and even President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan has rubbished the accusations and on Tuesday said that the case was a "plot" aimed at hurting Turkey. Zarrab, 34, was arrested by US authorities in March 2016 on suspicion of taking part in the alleged sanctions-busting scam but is now cooperating with the authorities in an apparent plea bargain. Ankara has reacted with fury to the switch by Zarrab -- once seen as the golden boy of the Turkish business world with a pop star wife -- seizing his assets and opening an investigation against him on accusations of "espionage". A total of 17 people have now been detained as part of this investigation, with three picked up initially and 14 more in a later sweep, the Anadolu news agency reported. The three detained initially are accused of sending documents to the US regarding the case and links to the group of Fethullah Gulen who Ankara accuses of masterminding the July 15, 2016 failed coup. Gulen denies the charges. - 'Plot against Turkey' - Turkish officials have repeatedly argued that the US case is a bid by Gulen to besmirch Erdogan and Turkey, following a corruption scandal in late 2013 that had also seen Zarrab arrested. "The case is not a plot against America, it's a plot against Turkey," Erdogan told supporters in a speech on Tuesday. "The case has nothing to do with law, justice or trade, it's an acrobatic spectacle," he added. The case risks further straining relations between Erdogan and US President Donald Trump already damaged by rows over the Syria conflict and US prosecution of Turkish presidential bodyguards. Erdogan repeatedly raised the issue in meetings with Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama while former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, once part of Zarrab's defence team, held a secret meeting with the Turkish leader in February. - 'Erdogan warned by MIT' - But the case has also become a hot political issue inside Turkey, with the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu seizing on it to back up his claims of corruption at the heart of the Turkish elite. Kilicdaroglu said on Tuesday that Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) had in April 2013 warned Erdogan that Zarrab was breaking US law and this could damage Turkey. "I ask Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The actions of this fraudster, the bribes to ministers, all this was given to you" by the MIT, he said. "And what did you do? You closed the dossier". Kilicdaroglu called on Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to open a parliamentary commission of enquiry into the matter as it was not right "a Turkish corruption case should be judged in the United States". Since Zarrab became a witness, deputy chief executive of Turkish lender Halkbank Mehmet Hakan Atilla is now the lone defendant in the dock accused of violating sanctions, bribery and money laundering. Zarrab has admitted to bribing former Turkish economy minister Zafer Caglayan and being involved in the multi-billion-dollar gold-for-oil scheme. On Thursday he told the court he was informed that in 2012, then prime minister Erdogan and then treasury minister Ali Babacan had given "instructions" for two other Turkish public banks to take part in the scheme.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament of his ruling AK Party during a meeting at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, November 28, 2017. Kayhan Ozer/Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS (Reuters)

ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey could go as far as breaking off diplomatic ties with Israel if the United States formally recognises Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a move he said would be a "red line" for Muslims.

U.S. officials have said Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital, a step that would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital, a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

"I am saddened by the reports that the U.S. is getting ready to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital," Erdogan said.

"Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims. It is a violation of international law to take a decision supporting Israel while Palestinian society's wounds are still bleeding," he told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling AK Party.

"...this can go as far as severing Turkey's ties with Israel. I am warning the United States not to take such a step which will deepen the problems in the region."

Israeli government spokesmen had no immediate reaction, but Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a senior partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus coalition government, brushed off Erdogan's comments.

"There will always be those who criticize, but at the end of the day it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogan's sympathy," he said.

(Reporting by Ercan Gurses, Daren Butler and Ezki Erkoyun in Turkey and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - United Nations envoy Jeffrey Feltman, a former high-level U.S. State Department official, is not carrying any message from the U.S. government while visiting North Korea for talks on behalf of the world body, the State Department said on Tuesday.

Feltman is currently the U.N. undersecretary-general for political affairs. Previously he served as U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs.

"We're certainly aware of his travels under the auspices of his role with the United Nations to North Korea," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. "He's not travelling on behalf of the U.S. government and he's not travelling -I want to make this clear - with any kind of message from the U.S. government."

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by David Alexander; Editing by Lisa Lambert)
Santa Cruz Atomic Peace Limited Edition Holiday 17 Collection

In an alternatively-themed offering for the Holiday season, Santa Cruz have just released a new limited edition clothing capsule featuring a homage to Jim Phillips original graphic for OG Santa Cruz Skateboards pro Jeff Kendall. Originally inspired by the omnipresent threat of all-out global nuclear conflict that hung like a cloud over 80s America, Phillips original artwork references an 80s interpretation of Atomic Apocalypse with Tron-inspired colours and a partly demolished White House, complete with an ironic peace sign.

This Holiday 17 collection (celebrates is probably the wrong word) brings back this classic from Santa Cruz Skateboards immense archive of Jim Phillips graphics to nod towards the sad reality of the return of the threat of nuclear conflict in 2017 given current sabre-rattling in both the States and North Korea.








Eight years since the service was cancelled, the train connection between the Austrian capital and the eastern Slovak city is to resume.

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One pair of trains will connect Vienna with the Slovak city of Kosice from December 8, the Sme daily wrote.

Eight years ago, the InterCity trains on this route were cancelled, allegedly due to the renovation of the Vienna-based train station Sudbahnhof (Southern Station). However, the connection was not re-opened even after the completion of the work.

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Recently, the Slovak state railway company, Zeleznicna Spolocnost Slovensko (ZSSK), has announced renewed train service, with the journey lasting six hours and with a 20-minute technical break in Bratislava.

Experts vary in opinions

ZSSK is sure the line has good prospects, but experts are not unified in their opinion.

I perceive this specific case as a not very fortunate fawning over the laziness of passengers, whose real goal is marketing support for the unsubsidised segment of IC trains and the further 'defocusing' of their economics, which is not very clear anyway, former head of railway department at the Transport Ministry, Jiri Kubacek, who cooperates with the opposition OLaNO party, told Sme.

In practice, one train will leave Kosice in the morning, to arrive to Vienna in the afternoon. Leaving from the Austrian capital later in the afternoon, it will arrive to Kosice in the evening. As for financing, it will start in Kosice and arrive to Bratislava as an IC train the state does not pay for. In Bratislava it will change into a regional express already subsidised by the state. This change  absolutely formal  enables the state company to write off some items, to adapt expenses on maintenance or cleaning, Sme reported.

Currently, Vienna has just one direct connection with Slovakia, a regional train to Bratislava. With this new service, other Slovak cities will receive a new connection, like Trencin, Zilina, Liptovsky Mikulas, and Poprad. Experts addressed by Sme could not agree, however, on who could use this new service the most  whether Bratislavans or people outside the Slovak capital.
By the time the opposition tries to recall Interior Minister Robert Kalinak through a no-confidence vote, his ministry will organise a posh, overpriced celebration of Slovakia joining the Schengen Area.

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A spectacular show worth about 120,000 is being organised by the Interior Ministry for December 20 and 21, to mark the 10th anniversary of Slovakia becoming part of the Schengen Area. The rental of the rooms in the Slovak National Theatre (SND) alone will cost 30,000.

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The huge amount  which may not even be final  is close to the one paid by the Foreign Ministry for an overpriced programme presenting the logo of Slovakias presidency of the Council of European Union. This developed into a scandal when it turned out that apart from the 156,000 published, some more items outside the contract were paid by the ministry, which also tried to keep details secret, the Sme daily reported.

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The Evka agency that organised the disputed gala-evening was chosen in a non-transparent manner.

What are the snags of the Schengen anniversary?

The Schengen anniversary seems to have hit some similar snags: the Interior Ministry chose the Akran agency to organise the event, which allegedly won out of three bidders. But the two others have not been specified, nor their offers. The ministry claims it evaluated the price and the proposals were the criteria for selection, which were then assessed by a committee.

The agency is meant to prepare the stage, direct and arrange for the entire course of the evening planned for December 20 and 21 in the new SND building and its vicinity.

A recording of the event will be broadcast by the public-service RTVS. People engaged in the preparations of Slovakia's Schengen entry in 2007 will be awarded, Sme wrote. Akran has already cooperated with RTVS several times, on regular as well as special (Christmas) events.

The specific programme is not yet known, the Interior Ministry told the daily.
The new regional governors took over their positions on December 4.

L-R: The new and the outgoing regional governors of Banska Bystrica, Jan Lunter and Marian Kotleba, respectively. (Source: SITA)

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Jan Lunter officially assumed his post of the Banska Bystrica Regions governor on December 4, and took an oath along with 49 regional councillors. His predecessor, chair of the far-right Peoples Party  Our Slovakia (LSNS), Marian Kotleba, became an ordinary regional councillor, the Pravda daily wrote.

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The council at its session in Rimavska Sobota did not discuss the new deputy regional chair, but the management of the regional road administration company instead. It also seemed that Kotleba was sticking to his position and is reluctant to give it up: he summoned the meeting of the regional council at the last possible moment  and for a district town, Rimavska Sobota.

Banska Bystrica regional meeting resembled police maneuvres

The December 4 meeting was organised under what seemed like a police operation. The meeting room was filled with citizens, including Kotlebas supporters. Local TV journalists had problems getting into the room. Only after Kotleba himself arrived and ordered the security guards to let the TV crew in was the situation solved.

Security guards at the regional administration take-over in Rimavksa Sobota - invited by Marian Kotleba of LSNS. (Source: SITA)

The replacement of Kotleba is good news for all Slovakia, political analyst Michal Horsky commented for Pravda. The fact that Kotleba summoned the session for the last possible date and moved it from Banska Bystrica to Rimavska Sobota indicates he wanted to stay in position as long as possible  even a few extra hours were precious to him.

The meeting was opened by Rimavska Sobota Mayor Jozef Simko, who had openly supported Kotleba as governor. Simko told the new Banska Bystrica regional governor that if he fails to support the development of the entire region and not all 650,000 of the locals can feel it, he himself will be an open critic of the new regional administration.

Lunters plans as governor

The first move will be to meet those working here today, Lunter said about the incumbent regional representatives, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Well hold personal talks to establish the degree to which these people have empathy towards our policies, goals and plans.

The new Banska Bystrica Regions governor would like to create more job opportunities by making use of regional goods and agricultural land as well as putting farming products in a retail chain. In addition, Lunter wants to create a social economy with an eye towards tackling long-term unemployment in the southern parts of the region.

Lunter said he changed his mind and his son Ondrej will not be among the deputy governors.

A big problem was caused by Kotleba, who installed an ex-MP for LSNS and his close friend Milan Suja of Detva in the post of CEO of the regional road administration company.

Other new governors also took over the remaining seven regions of Slovakia.
From St Nicholas day until Epiphany, Bojnice Castle will be covered in Christmas decorations, including handmade pictures by children.

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More information about travelling in Slovakia

Please see our Please see our Spectacular Slovakia travel guide

The holiday season will start at Bojnice Castle on December 6, with an event presenting St Nicholas (Svaty Mikulas), and continue with Christmas at the Castle (Vianoce na Zamku) until Epiphany (January 6), which usually marks the end of the Yuletide season.

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By the end of the year, our ancestors started to prepare for Advent and Christmas, promo-manager of the Slovak National Museum-Museum Bojnice, Petra Gordikova, told the TASR newswire. Farming and breeding work gradually ended, wood for winter was prepared, and households, as well as relations, were cleaned. The processing of feathers and spinning sessions also took place.

Christmas used to be spent in the spirit of traditions and old customs, and its arrival was connected with the holidays of St Barbara (December 4) and St Lucia (December 13).

Right before Christmas, households were filled with the scent of spices and housewives started baking sweet wafers and honey cakes, Gordikova also said.

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Bojnice Castle will demonstrate some traditional preparations for Christmas. The touring space will be seasonally decorated and there will be short themed scenes. Several dozen Christmas trees will be installed in the museum, including folding ones with handmade decorations, Gordikova summed up.
The two countries want to develop mutual cooperation.

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The system of client centres in Slovakia has caught the attention of Cuba, said State Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Denisa Sakova. She met with the Cuban Ambassador to Slovakia, Yamila Sonia Pita Monter, on December 5 at the premises of the client centre in Bratislava.

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She commented on the developing bilateral relations between the two countries which is also confirmed by the mutual visits at top levels as well as professional, the TASR newswire reported.

The Cuban ambassador said that her country is interested in cooperation with Slovakia in public administration of which Slovakia has rich experience.

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To launch the collaboration, the ambassador met with public administration representatives in late November, to discuss client centres in particular, as reported by TASR.

Monter was especially interested in the so-called ESO (Effective, Reliable and Open Public Administration) reform. More than 50 client centres have been opened since 2014, out of a planned 79. Apart from district capitals, they can be found in other places as far as 50 kilometres away from the district capitals.

The most recent one was opened in Zilina.

The Cuban ambassador was also interested in the transformation of the regions arrangement and their transition to autonomy. Currently, the reforms are being adopted in two provinces in Cuba, TASR reported.
Producers object saying that their goods passed internal tests and comply with the due legislation.

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The Association of Consumers in the Slovak Republic have been testing Spis Frankfurters / Spisske Parky from nine Slovak producers in accredited laboratories of the State Veterinary and Food Institute in Bratislava, the Sme daily wrote on December 5. None of them passed the tests.

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The content (composed of pure muscle protein, fat, soy, salts, and colouring agents), the quality of the sheep-intestine casing, the product declaration on the packaging, and the sensory quality were tested. All of the producers failed, their traditional products rated poorly, or insufficient. The producers include Tauris, Billa, Maros, Berto, Cimbalak, Tesco, Baron, Fine Life and Mecom, the head of the Association of Consumers in Slovakia, Milos Lauko, reported.

What are Spis frankfurters and how have they changed?

This regional delicacy comes from the eastern-Slovak region of Spis (Cips in Latin, Zips in German) and has been produced here historically, according to a specific recipe. It has also been included among the European Unions labels of registered speciality, meaning such a product gets EU protection granted to its name whenever producers anywhere in the EU want to make and sell the products under these names. They must observe the exact conditions of production, however, including the recipe, packaging techniques, technological procedures, etc. Providing the producer sticks to the conditions, they can use the label TSG for the product. Spisske parky received its TSG (traditional speciality guaranteed) certificate in 2011.

During communism, they were made from lean pork and beef. Today's standards are more lenient, Sme wrote, but they still describe the precise composition: Spis frankfurters must contain 21.2 percent beef with a maximum of 10 percent fat, 21 percent pork with a maximum of 10 percent fat, 38 percent pork with a maximum fat content of 50 percent and 12 percent pork skin.

This provides 80.2 percent meat, without skins, Lauko said, as quoted by Sme. That is the reason why the price is much higher than for usual frankfurters which do not contain that much meat.

The test results have been evaluated by the Association of Consumers in Slovakia as the worst in its 15-year history.

Six frankfurters did not have a sufficient amount of pure muscle (i.e. lean flesh), but if the acceptable deviation is included, the limit standard values were registered with the Billa frankfurters, Lauko noted. The remaining five producers (Cimbalak, Fine Life, Baron, Mecom and Tesco) lie and bypass the standards and deceive consumers and either include not enough, or poor-quality meat.

Other problems include too much fat, the use of banned soya, bacon, starch syrup, as well other materials. Spisske parky also include, despite the composition stated on packaging and despite the original recipe, artificial colouring, including cochineal extract, or crimson lake, marked as E 120.

Producers refute accusations

The results of the consumer tests do not sound trustworthy at least in one respect: our company does not use the colour E120, known as crimson lake, at all, chair of the board of GR Tauris Group Vladimir Sevcik said, as quoted by the daily. Thus, we are very interested in the methodology of the survey as the published results do not correspond with our qualitative process and may be harming us.

Milos Lauko insists that if the composition stated on the package is different to that measured in the laboratory, then this points to deceit. He adds that some producers  Maros, Tauris and Fine Life  admit on their labels that they do not stick to the standard, in the amount of pork used. The only issue where all products passed was the mutton intestine used as edible casing.

Mecom, Tauris and Berto refute the criticism and argue that their frankfurters passed internal tests, the daily wrote. They accuse the Association of Consumers in Slovakia of publishing incorrect information and explain that the occurrence of crimson lake (E 120) in the frankfurters is due to cross-contamination caused by micro-organisms present in raw food, on instruments and dirty surfaces that can get into prepared or washed ingredients, or on clean surfaces.

The producers accuse the testing experts of a lack of legislative knowledge of the food industry and also of using differing terminology. Some producers question the tests, others have already made corrections and still others claim they do not violate the rules.

The Union of Meat Processors (ZSM) does not have objections to consumer tests and offering the resulting information to consumers but it is aware of the importance of the data reported. Its representatives stress that when interpreted wrongly, deceptive information can damage the good reputation of a producer. ZSM found several incongruities in the consumer tests of the Spisske parky, while also missing the precise methodology used and sufficient communication with producers.

The State announced that its representatives will test the Frankfurters independently and if they fail the state tests, some producers may be forced to change their product's name. Some other TSG products will be tested, too, Sme wrote.
Allergan plc, a pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and commercializes branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical, and regenerative medicine products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: US Specialized Therapeutics, US General Medicine, and International. It offers a portfolio of products in various therapeutic areas, including medical aesthetics and dermatology, eye care, neuroscience, urology, gastrointestinal, women's health, and anti-infective therapeutic products. The company also offers breast implants and tissue expanders; and RM-131 (relamorelin), a peptide ghrelin agonist for the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis. In addition, it develops medical and cosmetic treatments; therapies for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and other liver diseases; inhibitor for the treatment of psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders; atopic dermatitis drug candidate; peri-ocular rings for extended drug delivery and reducing elevated intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients; and treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Further, the company develops RST-001, a novel gene therapy for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa; small molecule therapeutics for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases; topical medicines for fat reduction; and delivery system and botulinum toxin-based prescription products. It has collaboration, option, and license agreement with Lyndra, Inc.; and strategic alliance and option agreement with Editas Medicine, Inc. Allergan plc also has licensing agreements with Assembly Biosciences, Inc.; MedImmune; and Heptares Therapeutics, Ltd. The company was formerly known as Actavis plc and changed its name to Allergan plc in June 2015. Allergan plc was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
Vietnam Airlines and Thailands Bangkok Airways on Monday entered a code-share agreement to give passengers convenient and seamless access to destinations in both countries.

Passengers flying with Vietnam Airlines from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok are now able to continue boarding a Bangkok Airways flight to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi and Chiang Rai.

Flyers only need to complete booking and check-in once with Vietnam Airlines to be able to travel with the Thai carrier.

The code-sharing also brings passengers more choices of visiting both countries, with the launch of nonstop services connecting Bangkok with three Vietnamese cities, Da Nang, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Bangkok-Da Nang route is operated by Bangkok Airways with one daily flight, whereas Vietnam Airlines offers six daily services each on the Bangkok-Ho Chi Minh and Bangkok-Hanoi routes.

This code-share agreement allows Bangkok Airways passengers a convenient and seamless access to more destinations in Vietnam, Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, president of Bangkok Airways, remarked when the agreement was announced in October.

Likewise, Vietnam Airlines passengers are able to travel to well-known destinations in Thailand through our network.

Flight routes between Thailand and Vietnam are one of the most dynamic in air networks in Southeast Asia, with the number of available seats rising 30 percent from 2016 to 2017.
Editors note: Tuoi Tre News talked to Dr. William Fowlds, a wildlife veterinarian and project coordinator of the Wilderness Foundation Africa, which works to rescue poached rhinos and give them back their lives.

According to the Wilderness Foundation Africa, if the current poaching rate continues, itis possible that this year will see more rhinos killed than born. If this trend goes on then it is also possible that by 2025 African rhinos in the wild will have become extinct.

The bloody images of rhinos that have been poached for their horns have touched people, as most of them eventually died.

However, among the poached rhinos, some have been lucky enough to survive with the help of rescue teams and wildlife veterinarians in South Africa.

Dr. Fowlds was attending a seminar titled Conservation & Business: Creating a Legac hosted by the Wilderness Foundation Africain Ho Chi Minh City on November 29, when he agreed to sit down for an interview with Tuoi Tre News.

Can you tell us how long you have worked together with the rescue team? And how many rhinos have you rescued?

2010 was the first year that I saw a rhino which had been poached and dehorned. It was a terrible, haunting image.

In 2011, we rescued our first rhinos. Since then, our team has rescued 14 rhinos in total. However, from what I know, South African conservation organizations who rescue rhinos that have survived poaching incidents have saved about 100 rhinos already  an encouraging number, but still not enough. The number of rhinos that have been killed by poachers in the last 10 years is around 7,245.

According to the Department of Environmental Affairs in South Africa, the number of poached rhinos in 2016 was 1,054.

What are the most important factors in poached rhinos being rescued and recovered?

There are three things that I think are the foundation of rescuing a dehorned rhino.

First is the condition of its head and facial injuries. Second is the damage done to the internal organs and the rest of the body. And last is how early the rescue team is informed.

Sometimes we are only informed after two or three days. Each hour is valuable in rescuing rhinos injured by poaching.

Hope, a six-year-old female rhino poached and having her horn brutally hacked off in May 2015 in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, is seen in this file photo by David Yarrow.

Can you describe the procedure of rescuing a rhino?

On detection, it will take us from one to three hours to drive to the crime scene. On the way we will communicate and coordinate with other divisions. Because this is a crime scene, we will also need police and cold scent tracking dogs to help chase the poachers. The crime scene has to be protected for the investigation.

In the case that a rhino is still alive, the rescue team and veterinarians first have to help the rhino to stand up. If it cant stand up, it is a bad sign, as there is most likely internal organ damage and the chances of survival are really slim.

After that, we will proceed with medical treatment and try to get samples to determine the condition of external and internal injuries. We will then give the rhino antibiotics and painkillers. The following day, we will continue treating the rhino.

We dont take them back to the rescue and rehabilitation center immediately as it can agitate the patient [injured rhino] and he/she could possibly die. However, we will place a tracking device on the injured rhinos, assign security guards and make sure that the rhino is not poached again after it returns to the wild.

What is the cost of treating one injured rhino?

We need at least US$20,000 for each treatment. A more difficult case would require up to $50,000 to rescue just one rhino. You also need to take post-treatment into account, which could continue for years.

The rescue team will need at least two to three people, one anesthetist, one surgeon, and one nurse. In addition, there is also a support team of 10-20 people to lift and rotate the rhinos.

How do you feel when you witness a rhino dying despite your teams efforts?

Life and death are inevitable in life. However, the unreasonable, nonsensical and horrific death, to me, is painful and we sometimes can only cry and do nothing.

Every rhino killed from poaching is a waste of a beautiful creature of nature and the continued trend of poaching makes me feel hopeless. We see the importance of finding help from Vietnam in order to stop the killing of rhinos for their horn.

With advances in wildlife veterinary care, why is rescuing a rhino still a big challenge?

When we were still in school, we were never taught the technical skills to treat the type of serious injuries we are seeing these days.

Now when we work with injured rhinos, everything the team is doing is to try to meet the practical requirements of care for the rhino.

When we first started treating poached rhinos in 2011, we didnt have any documentation or research about the anatomy of rhinos heads, skeletons, and circulation systems. We basically learnt as we went.

Dr. William Fowlds (left) talks to an attendee at an event in Ho Chi Minh City on December 29, 2017. Photo: Hong Van/Tuoi Tre News

Do you have anything to say to our readers and the Vietnamese people during this visit?

I see your homeland as a beautiful country with kind-hearted and friendly people. I even sat on the back of a motorbike in Hanoi when I visited Vietnam a few years ago!

Regarding rhinos, I think there are more effective and different ways than looking to the rhino horn to cure diseases. I believe if the Vietnamese people knew the effort and cost involved in the criminal rhino horn trade, they would understand that we could invest these costs in positive things like medicine and education. I believe that they will make the right choice.

Dr. William Fowlds is an internationally acclaimed wildlife veterinarian and rhino care specialist from South Africa. He has been involved in different programs to connect veterinary college students around the word to help them understand more about the diversity of life in Africa. Currently he is the project coordinator of Wilderness Foundation Africa. The rhino poaching crisis in South Africa is driven by the demand for rhino horn consumption in Asia, including Vietnam, and is an ongoing matter of concern. There are approximately 4,800 black rhinos and 20,000 white rhinos left in the world that are the targets of the poaching crisis; 70 percent of these rhinos live in South Africa.

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Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City will gather feedback from citizens on the establishment of two new pedestrian streets in the backpacker area.

During a meeting on urban management on Monday, the municipal Peoples Committee called for the early collection of opinions from local residents regarding turning De Tham and Do Quang Dau into pedestrian-only streets.

A detailed report will be then submitted to the citys Party Committee for approval.

It is expected that the two walking streets will be open during next years Lunar New Year holiday, which falls in mid-February.

De Tham and Do Quang Dau Streets are located in the backpacker area of District 1.

The two roads intersect Bui Vien Street, which officially became a weekend pedestrian street on August 20.

The promenade stretches 850 meters from the intersection of Bui Vien with Tran Hung Dao-Nguyen Thai Hoc Streets, to Cong Quynh Street, which is open from 7:00 pm to 2:00 am on Saturday and Sunday.

Bui Vien is the second pedestrian-only promenade to open in Ho Chi Minh City, following Nguyen Hue Walking Street, which debuted in April 2015.

During the meeting, leaders of district-level administrations were urged to establish specific plans on the use and management of local sidewalks.

Meanwhile, the municipal Department of Police was asked to work with relevant agencies to open a police command center in District 1, following a directive from the citys Party Committee.

The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee also tasked the municipal Department of Tourism with issuing regular updates regarding visitor safety on local news and other media outlets in order to keep citizens and visitors fully informed.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

Society

-- A total of 597 cyberattacks hit websites in Vietnam in November, the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT) under the Ministry of Information and Commutations reported.

-- A driver of the Thanh Buoi Passenger Bus Line was fined by police in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on Monday after being caught on camera driving in the wrong lane along the Bao Loc Pass.

-- Nearly 27,000 houses in the south-central province of Binh Dinh have been inundated while hundreds of hectares of crops damaged by flooding.

-- The number of murder cases in the central city of Da Nang has increased by six and sexual abuse on children by four compared to last year, according to the legal department of the municipal Peoples Council.

-- The toll station of a BOT (build-operate-transfer) project in Cai Lay Town, located in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, will be shut down for one month following a decision of the prime minister on Monday. Drivers and local media had condemned the tollgates mislocation.

-- The Peoples Committee in the southern province of Dong Nai and relevant agencies are planning on the relocation of residents to prepare for the construction of Long Thanh International Airport, located in the namesake district.

-- Experts suggested that Vietnam should change its strategy for maritime management at a conference in Hanoi on Monday morning.

Business

-- About 1,000 bonsai trees of varied species will be on view in an exhibition organized at the Phuc Tho District Stadium in Hanoi from December 6 to 19.

Lifestyle

-- Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are set to collect feedback from local residents on the establishment of pedestrian streets on De Tham and Do Quang Dau Streets in the backpacker area in District 1. The two footpaths are expected to be opened during next years Lunar New Year holiday.

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The order was given after an urgent meeting between government leaders, the administration of Tien Giang Province, where the toll station is located, the Ministry of Transport, and other relevant ministries to address the concerns of drivers and the press.

After listening to reports from all parties, the prime minister concluded that there would be a temporary closure of the Cai Lay toll station for one month to review the situation, Mai Tien Dung, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper the same day.

Employees leave the Cai Lay toll station in Tien Giang Province after receiving orders from the prime minister to stop collecting fees for one month, December 4, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A notorious tollgate

The Cai Lay toll station belongs to a BOT (build-operate-transfer) project developer responsible for the construction of a 12km detour around Tien Giangs Cai Lay Town, along with the 'upgrade' of a 26.5km section of National Highway 1 which runs through the town.

The developer was believed to intentionally 'upgrade' the section, upon a nod from the current minister of transport, so it could place a tollgate to forcefully charge drivers, no matter what way they would choose to travel

The detour cost over VND1 trillion (US$44.05 million) while the upgrade was carried out at a cost of VND300 billion ($13.22 million).

BOT is a project-financing framework in which the developer receives a concession from the private or public sector to finance, design, construct and operate a facility for a certain period, during which time it must raise finances for, and is entitled to retain all revenues generated by, the project.

At the end of the agreed concession period, the facility is transferred back to public administrations.

The Cai Lay toll station at night from above. Clip: Tuoi Tre

The tollgate in Cai Lay has come under fire since it first began operating in August, with motorists citing exorbitant rates and its mislocation as the cause of their discontent.

The toll station, drivers argue, should have been located on the newly-built detour instead of on National Highway 1 before it splits into two separate routes. They added that they already paid road fees for using the national highway each year.

The stations current location forces all drivers to pay the toll, whether they opt to continue on the national highway through Cai Lay or decide to take the detour around the town.

After two weeks of continuous protests from commuters densely covered by local media, the station was forced to enter a temporary shutdown on August 15, with the Ministry of Transport later announcing that the facility would not be relocated.

Instead, the toll rates were lowered by approximately 30 percent, with only local residents exempt from paying the fee.

Vehicles build up at the Cai Lay toll station as drivers use small change to pay their fee. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Renewed anger

However, after the toll station reopened last Thursday following a three-and-a-half-month hiatus, the opposition resumed, this time much more fervently.

Only hours after the tollgates reopening, it was forced to stop collecting fees again as drivers began paying their fees in the smallest denomination banknotes possible as a means of protest, leading to heavy traffic congestion in the area.

The station would then reopen as soon as traffic was cleared, but then be forced to shut down again once vehicles built up again due to further protests. It was a cycle that repeated dozens of times between Thursday and Monday, with neither side willing to concede.

Policemen are mobilized to the Cai Lay toll station to maintain order. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Experts have also weighed in on the problem, siding with drivers in demanding that the BOT tollgate be relocated on to the detour the project primarily relates to.

Theres no other option than to relocate the toll station in order to appease the public, said Tran Quang Chieu, a member of the Finance Committee of Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly.

It must be made clear that drivers have no obligation to pay the toll for using the 26.5km section of National Highway 1, as the costs to have it repaired should have been paid for by their annual contribution to the national road maintenance fund, Chieu said.

Therefore, Chieu explained, the state should be responsible for paying the project developer the VND300 billion that it spent repairing the section, instead of allowing the company to place the toll station on National Highway 1 to make a quicker return on investment.

An infographic illustrating the location of the Cai Lay toll station and its new location proposed by Tuoi Tre. Graphic: Tuoi Tre

Hoang Van Huong, a law professor at the Judicial Academy in Ho Chi Minh City, said that he has been following the developments at Cai Lay, and that the Ministry of Transport is in the wrong for allowing the tollgate to be positioned outside of the detour.

The people are right to protest. The root of the problem lies in the misplacement of the tollgate, which means it wont be resolved until it is relocated, Huong said.

Huong suggested lengthening the concession period for the developer to earn enough payback on their investment after relocation, while banning large vehicles on National Highway 1 during rush hours to ensure the detour serves its designated function  to reduce traffic pressure on the highway.

The man behind the storm

PM Phuc chaired Mondays urgent meeting following Tuoi Tres cover story published the same day, sayingMinister of Transport Nguyen Van The is to blame for the current situation at the tollgate.

Minister The assumed office in October after being reassigned from his post as the Party chief of southern Soc Trang Province.

Thes role in the development of the Cai Lay project goes way back to 2013, when he was the deputy minister of transport.

Nguyen Van The, Vietnamese Minister of Transport. Photo: Tuoi Tre

According to investigations by Tuoi Tre, The signed three simultaneous dispatches on October 28, 2013 addressed to the Tien Giang administration, its Peoples Council and National Assembly delegation respectively, concerning the location of the Cai Lay toll station.

In the urgent dispatches, The asked for all three bodies unanimous approval to locate the tollgate on National Highway 1, putting the provincial authorities in a no-win situation with no other choice than to agree to the proposal.

At the time, the province was badly in need of a detour to solve chronic traffic congestion on the national highway that passes through Cai Lay Town, Nguyen Van Hung, former director of Tien Giangs Department of Transport said, explaining the provinces decision to agree to the transport ministrys proposal.

We honestly couldnt have imagined the situation would develop into something so complicated.

An urgent dispatch signed by Nguyen Van The (inset), then-Deputy Minister of Transport, addressed to the administration of Tien Giang Province concerning the location of the Cai Lay toll station. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Shortly after the bodies agreement to the plan, Minister The signed a decision on December 19, 2013 to officially approve the BOT project, which included placing the tollgate on the highway.

However, as Tuoi Tre discovered, the initial listing of items to be developed by the BOT project issued on September 19  three months prior to its approval  made no mention of an upgrade to the 26.5km section of National Highway 1.

Up until the time the investment plan was ratified in principle by the central government on November 11, 2013, there had been no sign of such an upgrade in the project description.

The highway upgrade apparently only appeared in the final decision, signed by The, to approve the project, as well as in his aforementioned dispatches to Tien Giang authorities.

According to The, inspectors from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Transport as well as government auditors had initiated an assessment of the project as per orders from the prime minister, the governments online portal reported on Monday.

The minister pledged to impose strict disciplinary actions on anyone found to be in violation with regard to the BOT project, including himself, the site wrote.

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The driver, 39-year-old Nguyen Viet Hoang, and representatives of Thanh Buoi Bus Company, which owns the sleeper bus, were summoned to the police station on Monday to complete paperwork for the fine.

According to Cu Tuan Nghia, deputy traffic police chief of Lam Dong Province, where the incident happened, Hoang were identified as the one behind the wheel of a Thanh Buoi sleeper bus in a clip uploaded to social media early this month.

In the half-a-minute-long footage shot with the GoPro camera of a motorcyclist moving in the opposite direction, the sleeper bus could be seen overtaking a long truck at high speed while taking a narrow bend on the Bao Loc mountain pass in Lam Dong, located in the Central Highlands.

The mountain pass is a part of National Highway 20 that connects Ho Chi Minh City with Lam Dong.

The pass runs 10 kilometers at an elevation of 1,500 meters above sea level.

Overtaking is not allowed on that section of the pass, Nghia said, and the sleeper bus driver violated another traffic law by not turning on its blinkers during the dangerous maneuver.

The bus barely missed hitting the motorcyclist, as it occupied almost the entire opposite lane during the attempt on November 29.

The footage of a Thanh Buoi sleeper bus overtaking a truck on the Bao Loc mountain pass filmed with the GoPro camera of a motorcyclist, November 29, 2017.

The driver admitted to his violations at the police station and accepted a disciplinary action of one month of unpaid suspension from his job imposed by the company.

Lam Dong police officers have requested that the sleeper bus in question be brought in for determining its speed while traveling on the mountain pass.

According to current regulations, sleeper buses taking the pass are not permitted to travel faster than 40 kilometers per hour, Nghia explained.

A probe is pending into whether Hoang violated the speed limit before an official fine is issued, he said.

Thanh Buoi is a transport company that operates shuttle buses between Ho Chi Minh City and Lam Dongs Da Lat City, and between the southern hub and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

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A Vietnamese man has saved a dogs life by resuscitating it after catching sight of the animal floating in the water while fishing in Ben Tre Province in southern Vietnam late last month.

After Hoang Minh, 20, brought the dog ashore on November 28, he assessed based on the dogs body temperature that it must have only drowned moments beforehand.

Minh applied manual first aid to the canine for seven minutes in an effort to revive it.

The treatment involved drying the puppy, removing foreign objects from its mouth, turning it upside down, and repeatedly rubbing the abdominal region to clear its lungs of water.

Hoang Minh is seen in this photo take from his Facebook page.

After this he utilized the top half of a plastic bottle as a resuscitator, upon which signs of life from the soaked dog emerged.

Eventually the puppy was able to rise to its feet, giving off feeble sounds and shivering with cold.

Social media channels in Vietnam have echoed praises for Minh's responsiveness, tenacity and kindness toward the animal.

After taking the puppy from the water, I was very confused and just did what I did without thinking, he said frankly.

I didn't actually know the proper paramedic procedure.

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Following the final episode of Struggle Street tomorrow night SBS screens a special discussing the issues raised in the series, hosted by SBS World News presenter, Janice Petersen.

On Friday Marc Fennell hosts Growing Up Tough: Beyond Struggle Street looking at how poverty and hardship impacts on younger members of the community.

Marshall Heald, SBS Director of Television and Online Content Director, said, Weve already had an incredible response to the first three episodes of Struggle Street. Weve heard from a number of individuals and businesses who are all eager to help and make a difference to these peoples lives. Thats the power of a program like Struggle Street. The bigger question now is how we, as Australians, can make a real change and eradicate poverty in our own back yard. SBS is producing these additional programs to further drive the conversation, look at possible solutions and give the policy makers something to really think about.

Over the past two weeks, observational documentary series Struggle Street, has been highlighting some of the issues facing Australias most disadvantaged communities.

Viewers have been shocked to discover the level of poverty facing 2.99 million Australians, including single mother Norma who faced homelessness after being evicted from her home and Michael, who faces a number of housing, financial and family issues.

This week, over the final three episodes, viewers will be introduced to Michelle and her daughter Jessica, who represent Australias growing number of carers who live below the poverty line and Sue, who like many other women aged 55+, is facing homelessness. They will also meet Indigenous man, Josh, who has recently left prison and is unable to find a home or job, due to his lack of identification.

In order to delve deeper into the complex issues and further ignite national debate to help Australians better understand the realities of social and economic hardship, SBS has commissioned two additional programs on SBS and SBS VICELAND.

Struggle Street: The Conversation will be hosted by SBS World News presenter, Janice Petersen, and follows the final episode of Struggle Street on SBS. The discussion program will include a range of prominent guests who will discuss the issues covered in the series and try and look at possible solutions.

The guests include Cassandra Goldie, CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service, John Hewson, economist and former leader of the federal Liberal Party, Susan Ryan, former Age Discrimination Commissioner and former Minister for Education and Youth in the Hawke Government, Graeme Innes AM, former Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Dr John Falzon, National CEO of St Vincent Paul Society, Graeme , Dr Megan Williams, Senior Lecturer, UTS Graduate School of Health and contributor to the NHMRC-funded Centre for Research Excellence on Offender Health at UNSW, and Dr Katherine Mills, Associate Professor and NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, and Director of Treatment Research, NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, UNSW.

They will also be joined in the studio by Tamara who featured in Struggle Street after becoming a victim of a vocational loan scam. She has now focused on creating a better life for her and her daughter by starting her own cleaning business. Also joining the conversation is Lele, who ran The Koha Shed, an organisation that was set up to help New Zealanders and other people who fell through the cracks.

SBS VICELANDs The Feed special, Growing Up Tough: Beyond Struggle Street, takes a look at the impact on children growing up amongst poverty, drug addiction and chronic unemployment. Hosted by Marc Fennell, the program will profile three young people who prove that with strength and resilience, it is possible to break the cycle of disadvantage.

In Brisbane, nine-year-old Kay-lee, one of the six surviving children of Norma who featured in Struggle Street, talks about the uncertainty and instability of her home life and how she is coping one year after her family were evicted from their home.

Tray is a primary school student from the northern suburbs of Adelaide; an area has been decimated by the decline of the Australian manufacturing industry. Trays dad is in jail and as a single parent, his mum Keirra struggles to cope. Can he break out of the cycle of inter-generational unemployment that grips the surrounding area?

Ashwa is a student in the western suburbs of Sydney. Shes an Iraqi refugee from the Mandaean minority who came out with her family in 2008. Ten years on, her parents dont work and are still struggling to adjust to life in Australia. Is Australia the land of opportunity that her family had dreamt it might be, or does life as a refugee migrant present its own struggle to overcome?

In order to raise further awareness of the help available to Australians affected by the issues raised in the series, SBS is working with a number of charities and organisations who will provide further context, information and resources, including the Social Policy Research Centre, and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

Struggle Street: The Conversation 9.35pm, Thursday 7 December on SBS

Growing Up Tough: Beyond Struggle Street 8.30pm, Friday 8 December on SBS VICELAND (SBS rpt 9:30pm)
Netflix has confirmed House of Cards will resume production without disgraced star Kevin Spacey.

Robin Wright will lead the sixth and final season, which was halted falling the recent headlines surrounding Spacey. 8 episodes will screen, down from 13 last season.

Writing out Frank Underwood will not be a problem given that in the Michael Dobbs book that inspired the UK original, Franks character dies, and feeds into the conclusion of season 5.

We are excited to bring closure to fans, Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos announced.

The news also gives certainty to the hundreds of production jobs associated with the show, all of which were hanging in the balance as Netflix and producers Media Rights Capital shut down production.

Meanwhile director Ridley Scott has already replaced Spacey in the film All the Money in the World with Christopher Plummer, due for release on December 22nd.

House of Cards will resume production in early 2018.

Source: Hollywood Reporter
European Economic and Financial Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici holds a news conference at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 12, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir (Reuters)

By Francesco Guarascio

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union finance ministers adopted a blacklist of 17 jurisdictions deemed as tax havens on Tuesday, in an unprecedented step to counter worldwide tax avoidance, although they did not agree on financial levies for the listed countries.

To discourage the use of shell structures abroad - which in many cases are legal but may hide illicit activities - the EU in February began screening 92 jurisdictions seen as possible tax havens. The move came in the wake of numerous disclosures of offshore tax avoidance schemes used by companies and wealthy individuals.

EU finance ministers approved a common blacklist on Tuesday made up of American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, South Korea, Macau, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

South Korea, which has a comprehensive free trade deal with the EU, was listed because it has "harmful preferential tax regimes," while the UAE does not apply minimum global standards against tax avoidance, the EU said in a document.

"This list represents substantial progress. Its very existence is an important step forward. But because it is the first EU list, it remains an insufficient response to the scale of tax evasion worldwide," EU tax commissioner Pierre Moscovici said after the meeting.

A second public "grey" list, or "watchlist", of 47 jurisdictions that have committed to changing their tax rules to abide by EU standards on transparency and cooperation was also adopted. It includes Switzerland, Turkey and Hong Kong.

Morocco and Cape Verde were moved from the blacklist to the watchlist at a late hour after making last-minute commitments to tax reforms, officials said.

The lists will be updated regularly.

Blacklisted countries may no longer be used by EU institutions for international financial operations, and transactions involving them could be subject to closer scrutiny.

Story continues

These penalties may have little effect in persuading the wealthiest tax havens to change course, however.

"Stronger countermeasures would have been preferable," EU Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis told a news conference after the meeting. Some states, like Luxembourg and Malta, opposed stricter sanctions, officials said.

The ministers ruled out imposing a common withholding tax on transactions to tax havens as well as other coordinated financial sanctions, but could do so at national level.

Britain had shown reticence over the process, EU officials said. No British overseas territories such as the Cayman Islands or Bermuda, nor the Channel Islands were put on the blacklist, in what was seen as a diplomatic victory for London. They were put on the grey list instead.

Bermuda was at the centre of the most recent large disclosure of offshore financial documents, the Paradise Papers.

Eight Caribbean islands recently hit by hurricanes, including Anguilla and the Bahamas, were given until March to comply with EU standards before a decision is made on their listing.

EU states have not been screened and will not be on the list. The commission said none of the 28 members of the bloc can be classified as a tax haven, as all have agreed to respect EU tax standards.

But anti-poverty and fair tax groups said that if screened against EU criteria, countries like Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Ireland would all be on the EU list.

"The list cannot just comprise third countries but must also contain EU jurisdictions," the German conservative vice-chair of the European Parliament's economic affairs committee, Markus Ferber, said in a statement on Tuesday.

TECH FIRMS, U.S. REFORM

EU ministers also adopted a common position on taxation of tech corporations like Amazon <AMZN.O> or Facebook <FB.O>, which have been accused of paying too little tax in the EU. Such firms reroute the booking of their profits to low-tax nations where they have headquarters, like Luxembourg and Ireland.

The common text, watered down after pressure from some countries, calls for considering a new corporate taxation system based on the "virtual" presence of a firm in a country. The system would allow for the taxation of online business where the companies have activities and not only where they are headquartered.

The commission is expected to present proposals in the coming months, which could include "temporary measures" like targeted taxes on transactions carried out by digital firms.

Temporary levies could be adopted before a global deal on taxing the digital economy. The EU would prefer tax reforms were coordinated with international partners.

The ministers also agreed on new rules forcing online shopping firms such as Amazon, Google <GOOGL.O> and Alibaba <BABA.N> to collect the value-added tax (VAT) on sales on their platforms, to counter possible tax fraud by firms using such platforms.

At the meeting, finance ministers also assessed the impact of reform in the United States that will slash corporate tax from 35 percent to 20 percent.

France, Germany, Italy, Britain and Sweden raised concerns about the U.S. move, an official who attended the meeting said. Ministers discussed whether some of the measures introduced in the overhaul were in line with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and treaties to avoid corporate double taxation.

EU states agreed to continue studying the measures and to decide "weather to react," the official said, without detailing which measures could be adopted.

Dombrovskis said EU ministers wanted to look into the "potential effect on trade" of the planned overhaul, echoing concerns raised on Monday by EU officials.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Additional reporting by Julia Fioretti and Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Hugh Lawson)
(Recasts to add context)

HOUSTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - ConocoPhillips will receive $337 million from Ecuador under a settlement of an arbitration case that the U.S. energy company brought over a 2009 confiscation of assets in the South American country.

A World Bank panel in February had ordered Ecuador to pay $380 million in damages to the oil and gas producer's subsidiary, Burlington Resources. The subsidiary had stakes in two blocks producing about 22,000 barrels of oil per day that were taken over by the government more than eight years ago.

The settlement includes an offset for a decision awarding Ecuador $42 million on its environmental and infrastructure counterclaims. Burlington is entitled to $24 million through a third-party contribution to the payment, ConocoPhillips said on Monday

ConocoPhillips also said it was pleased to reach a conclusion of the matter. It received $75 million on Dec. 1 from Ecuador and expects to collect another $262 million by April 2018.

In a statement, Ecuador's attorney general's office said, "The agreement between Ecuador and Burlington allows us to resolve this controversy and to reaffirm the Ecuadorean state's commitment to fulfilling its international obligations."

In 2012, the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes ruled Ecuador had unlawfully seized the investments and in February 2016 awarded damages. A stay of the award was lifted in August. (Reporting by Ahmed Farhatha in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Gary McWilliams in Houston and Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Jonathan Oatis)

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A gay-themed traffic light is pictured in Vienna, Austria (REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger)

Same-sex couples in Austria will be allowed to marry by the beginning of 2019, the countrys Constitutional Court has ruled.

Same-sex couples in Austria have been allowed to enter legal partnerships since 2010, but until now have not been able to marry.

The move brings the country in line with its neighbour Germany, and many other European nations including France, Britain and Spain.

In a statement, Austrias Constitutional Court, which ruled that the existing laws are discriminatory, said the distinction between marriage and civil partnership can no longer be maintained today without discriminating against same-sex couples.

It added that keeping the two institutions separate suggests that people with same-sex sexual orientation are not equal to people with heterosexual orientation.

Registered partnerships were introduced in the country in 2010, while step-child adoption and and full joint co-adoption were ordered in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

Under the courts ruling, registered partnerships will still exist but will be available to both same-sex and heterosexual couples.

Restrictions on same-sex marriage will expire on December 31, 2018.

However, the conservative Peoples Party and the far-right Freedom Party, which are in negotiations for a government coalition, both oppose same-sex marriage.

We are very happy, said The Homosexual Initiative Vienna (HOSI) chairman Christian Hoegl. We want to use the opportunity for a renewed call for a fundamental reform of marriage.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) requires member states to provide legal recognition, but does not require marriage to be opened to same-sex couples.

It is therefore up to each member state to introduce same-sex marriage or civil unions.

In May 2015, Ireland became the first country to legalise gay marriage by popular vote, with some 62% of the electorate voting in favour of legalisation.

Story continues

Austrias neighbour Germany voted to legalise same-sex marriage earlier in the year, despite chancellor Angela Merkel voting against it.

Since 2001, same-sex couples in Germany have been able to enter into civil unions, but not to marry.
FILE PHOTO - German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel speaks during a session of the Bundestag, German lower house of Parliament in Berlin, Germany, November 21, 2017. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt? (Reuters)

By Maria Sheahan

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany should be more assertive in setting foreign policy according to its own interests rather than to those of the United States, the German foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Traditionally close ties between Berlin and Washington have soured since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.

Trump is at odds with Germany over Iran and North Korea, has denounced Germany's trade surplus with the United States, accused Berlin and others of owing vast sums to NATO and worried partners by deciding to ditch the Paris climate accord.

The traditional view of the United States as having a protecting role was beginning to "crumble", Sigmar Gabriel told an audience of politicians and government representatives at the Koerber Foundation.

"The U.S.'s retreat (from its international role) is not due to the policies of only one president. It will not change fundamentally after the next elections," he said.

Germany should continue to invest in its partnership with the United States as a trading partner but must be more assertive in representing its own interests when the two countries are at odds.

Gabriel gave the example of sanctions against Russia that the U.S. Congress agreed on in the summer and which could ultimately affect Germany's energy supply as they affect Russian pipelines.

Gabriel also warned against ending the nuclear deal with Iran, saying this would increase the risk of war and affect national security, and against any move by the United Stales to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"Germany cannot afford to wait for decisions from Washington, or to merely react to them. We must lay out our own position and make clear to our allies where the limits of our solidarity are reached," Gabriel said in the speech, excerpts of which had been published by Sueddeutsche Zeitung ahead of time.

Germans see U.S. President Donald Trump as a bigger challenge for German foreign policy than authoritarian leaders in North Korea, Russia or Turkey, a survey published by the Koerber Foundation showed.

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Post-war Germany has pursued a cautious foreign policy embedded in the principles and institutions of the European Union, due to the legacy of World War Two but has gradually taken on a more active global role in the last decade or so.

Gabriel's Social Democrats (SPD) have said they will launch talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives on forming a government next week if members of his centre-left party gave him the green light at a congress this weekend.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan and Michelle Martin; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
By Aaron Maasho

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A German tourist was killed and his Ethiopian tour guide injured in an attack by gunmen in northern Ethiopia's remote Afar region, officials said on Tuesday.

The attack on Sunday evening took place while the tourist camped near the region's Erta Ale volcano, security officials told Reuters.

Government spokesman Negeri Lencho confirmed the incident.

"The perpetrators of the attack are being sought by security forces," he said, adding they were yet to identify who the attackers were.

The Afar province which borders Eritrea has long been prone to banditry and separatist rebels have operated there. Addis Ababa has said the rebels are backed by its northern neighbour, with whom it is at odds over an unresolved border dispute.

Five European tourists were killed and two others kidnapped alongside two Ethiopians in the same region in 2012, in an incident claimed by a group that has carried out sporadic attacks for over a decade.

The Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDUF) has fought a low-key insurgency to carve out a homeland from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.

Five years earlier, another five Europeans were kidnapped in the province - a barren, searingly hot corner of the Horn of Africa country where rocky hills rise above vast deserts below sea level.

(Reporting by Aaron Maasho,; Editing by Elias Biryabarema and Ed Osmond)
The last journey of Shashi Kapoor saw thousands of fans and the who's who of Bollywood braving the Mumbai rains to reach the Santacruz crematorium.

By India Today Web Desk: When veteran actor Shashi Kapoor died yesterday evening, most people were not informed that the actor's body would be brought back to his home. The legendary actor breathed his last at the age of 79 yesterday. He was at the Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai, and passed away after prolonged illness.

Shashi Kapoor had secluded himself from the outside world after the death of his wife Jennifer Kendal, in 1984. He lived a life filled with work, theatre and films.

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IN PICS: Ranbir, Saif, Amitabh, Abhishek and Shah Rukh at Santacruz for Shashi Kapoor's last journey

The Santacruz Hindu Crematorium in Mumbai saw thousands of fans, who braved the Mumbai rains and several warnings of a cyclone, to say goodbye to Shashi Kapoor, the star who straddled commercial and parallel cinema, and proved his mettle in Hindi and English films.

This is how the events took place:

1.45 pm: Suresh Oberoi, Jackie Shroff and director duo Abbas-Mastan share their memories of the legendary actor.

1.29 pm: Kunal Kapoor leaves the Santacruz crematorium.

1.28 pm: Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal's daughter Sanjana Kapoor and son Karan Kapoor leave the crematorium.

1.01 pm: Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi at the crematorium to pay their last respects to Shashi Kapoor.

1 pm: Rajeev Kapoor, Prem Chopra and Salim Khan reach the crematorium.

12.54 pm: Shashi Kapoor's body is wrapped in the tricolour inside the Santacruz crematorium.

12.47 pm: The Mumbai Police is trying its best to control the crowd at the Santacruz crematorium, where numerous fans of the actor have gathered to pay their last respects to the veteran actor.

12.44 pm: Shah Rukh Khan reaches the Santacruz crematorium.

12.43 pm: Shashi Kapoor's fans brave the Mumbai rain to pay their last respects to their favourite star.

12.39 pm: Since last night, all of Bollywood has been in shock and sorrow over the death of the most 'enigmatic and charming actor' that the Hindi film industry has ever seen.

12.32 pm: The Mumbai Police pays its last respects to Shashi Kapoor.

12.31 pm: Kunal Kapoor and Karan Kapoor, sons of Shashi Kapoor are with their father's body.

Shashi Kapoor

12.30 pm: Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan are at the Santacruz crematorium.

12.24 pm: Ranbir Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan reach Santacruz crematorium to pay their last respects to Shashi Kapoor.

12 noon: The entire Kapoor family, from grandchildren Kareena to Ranbir, to nephews Randhir and Rishi, along with the who's who of B-Town, made their way to pay their last respects to the Hindi film industry's most enigmatic and charming actor, Shashi Kapoor.

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11.45 am: Kapoor's last journey will see his body being taken first to the Prithvi Theatre, the child that he and Jennifer Kendal co-parented, and is now taken care of by their daughter Sanjana Kapoor. After Prithvi Theatre, Shashi Kapoor's body will be taken to the Santacruz crematorium for his last rites. ALSO WATCH: Sharmila Tagore mourns Shashi Kapoor's death

--- ENDS ---
By Antonio De la Jara

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The leader of an influential leftist bloc in Chile endorsed centre presidential hopeful Alejandro Guillier on Monday over conservative Sebastian Pinera in next week's run-off election.

Beatriz Sanchez, the flagbearer for the hard-left Frente Amplio coalition, said Pinera's suggestion that ballots had been tampered with in the first-round election had changed her mind about staying quiet on whom she would vote for in the run-off.

"That crosses the line and that's why today I've decided...to vote against Sebastian Pinera," Sanchez told journalists. "My vote will be for Alejandro Guillier."

Winning over Sanchez voters has been seen as essential for a Guillier triumph over Pinera in the second-round vote. As Frente Amplio's presidential candidate, Sanchez secured twice as many votes as expected by opinion polls and came two points short of moving onto the run-off election with Pinera.

But it was unclear if Sanchez' somewhat reluctant endorsement of Guillier would be enough to get her supporters excited about heading to polls Dec. 17. Last week, Frente Amplio refrained from endorsing Guillier and demanded he clarify his proposals.

Pinera, a former president who governed Chile between 2010 and 2014, had been expected to easily win this year's election before his disappointing performance in the Nov. 19 first-round vote.

On Monday, Pinera said on a local radio program that some voters had reported that ballots were pre-marked in favour of his rivals in the first-round election and that he would have more supporters supervising voting stations in the run-off vote.

Chile's electoral authority said it had received no complaints of irregularities and Pinera's remarks were widely criticized.

"Let's be responsible and not discredit our democratic institutions," outgoing centre President Michelle Bachelet said on Twitter.

Pinera said in an impromptu news conference later on Monday that he did not mean to cast doubt over election results but reiterated that he believed ballots had been tampered with.

(Reporting by Antonio de la Jara; Writing by Mitra Taj; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
The Armed Forces of Malta published a video on December 4 that they said showed the arrest of 10 people wanted in connection with investigations into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Officials said the operation, which was carried out in the harbor of Menqa, in Marsa, was a joint effort between the Armed Forces of Malta, the Malta Police Force, and the Security Service.

Caruana Galizia was killed on October 16 by a car bomb near her home in Bidnija. In 2016, she broke a story related to the Panama Papers, tying the prime ministers chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and then Minister for Energy and Health Konrad Mizzi to offshore shell companies, sparking a political crisis.

Police investigators brought in forensic teams from the FBI and their Dutch counterparts to assist in the operation on December 4, Malta Today reported. Credit: Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) via Storyful
A Rohingya refugee girl washes dishes in a tube-well near a toilet in Palongkhali refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, November 15, 2017. Picture taken November 15, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

Thomson Reuters

By Tom Allard and Ruma Paul

(Reuters) - Bangladesh plans to allocate more land for camps housing Rohingya refugees as concerns grow over a possible outbreak of disease in crowded, makeshift settlements clustered at the country's southern tip.

About 625,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to sanctuary in Bangladesh from violence, looting and destruction in neighboring Myanmar after government forces launched a counter insurgency following attacks by Rohingya militants on Aug. 25.

The swift exodus has taken the Rohingya refugee population to 837,000, making Bangladesh one of the world's largest, most crowded settlement of asylum-seekers.

More than 60 percent of the water supply in the camps is contaminated with bacteria as temporary latrines overflow into hastily-built, shallow wells, a World Health Organization survey showed. Faecal sludge in the settlements goes largely untreated.

"There is a high risk of a public health event, not just cholera and acute watery diarrhea," said Naim Talukder of the group Action Against Hunger, who is coordinating the efforts of 31 groups and agencies to manage water, sanitation and hygiene.

A Reuters graphic uses satellite imagery to document the mushrooming spread of the refugee areas. Data show the challenge of meeting international standards for water, sanitation and hygiene in the camps and spillover sites.

Click on the link for the Reuters Graphic - http://tmsnrt.rs/2AoMIaV

MORE LAND NEEDED

Most refugees live in flimsy bamboo and canvas shelters in an area crowded well beyond emergency standards, said Graham Eastmond, an official of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

"You are talking a third of the international standard," he said. "We need to decongest urgently and obviously, to do that, we need more land."

The IOM is among the bodies that have urged Bangladesh to free up more land and allow a wider spread of settlements.

"The government already allocated 3,000 acres of land for the Rohingya," Shah Kamal, a disaster management official, told Reuters. That figure is equivalent to 1,214 hectares.

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"Considering the current situation, the government is planning to allocate 500 acres more land for them," he added.

Last week, Bangladesh approved a $280-million project to develop an isolated and flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal to temporarily house 100,000 Rohingya, despite criticism from rights groups.

The overcrowding spells health and safety risks, Eastmond added, from rapidly spreading water-borne and communicable diseases to landslides and flooding, besides swelling the threat to vulnerable children and women.

Single women or children head about a fifth of households, preliminary findings of a population survey by the U.N. refugee agency and Bangladesh show.

By Nov. 11, there were 36,096 cases of acute watery diarrhea since Aug. 25, as infection rates climbed, the U.N. children's agency said last month.

Bangladesh, in partnership with U.N. agencies and charities, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in responding to the crisis.

New roads built by the army will open this month, boosting access for camp-dwellers, said Eastmond.

Yet just 23 percent of funding needs for water, sanitation and hygiene services are being met, Talukder said.

Bangladesh and Myanmar vowed to begin the voluntary return of the Rohingya to Myanmar in the next two months.

But the Rohingya will have to present identity documents in order to be accepted, said Myint Kyaing, a Myanmar labor and immigration ministry official.

Relief officials fear that few Rohingya, a stateless and long-persecuted minority in Myanmar, carried such documents in their desperate scramble to leave.

Hundreds of Rohingya villages have been razed, their land given to others and their crops harvested.

(Editing by Darren Schuettler and Clarence Fernandez)

See Also:
JOHANNESBURG, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The South African rand edged up on Tuesday ahead of third-quarter growth data, holding on to gains made in the previous session on investor hopes of a reform-friendly outcome at the ruling African National Congress (ANC) leadership conference. * At 0645 GMT the rand was 0.09 percent firmer at 13.5100 per dollar compared to a close of 13.5225 overnight in New York. * The greenback stalled in cautious trade as investors waited to see how the next step of the U.S. tax reform legislation proceeds. * Gold, a chief export for South Africa, was up 0.3 percent in early trade. * The race to succeed President Jacob Zuma as ANC leader looks tipped in current Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa's favour, with voting data on Monday showing him ahead of main rival Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. * A Reuters poll expects third-quarter GDP growth to come in 1.5 percent q/q from 2.5 percent in the previous quarter. * Government bonds were firmer in early trade, with the yield for the benchmark instrument due in 2026 down 5 basis points to 9.185 percent. * Stocks were set to open lower at 0700 GMT, with the JSE securities exchange's benchmark Top-40 futures index down 0.7 percent. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Sunil Nair)

See Also:
By Sonya Dowsett

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Supreme Court on Tuesday withdrew an international arrest warrant for Catalonia's former leader, in self-imposed exile in Belgium after an illegal independence referendum, in a move to bring his case back solely into Spanish jurisdiction.

Carles Puigdemont and four of his cabinet members went to Belgium when Madrid imposed direct rule on the wealthy northeastern region after an Oct. 27 declaration of independence by his local government.

The decision to withdraw the warrant leaves Puigdemont without an international legal stage on which to pursue his independence campaign. He is likely to be detained if he returns to Spain, pending investigation on charges of sedition, rebellion, misuse of public funds, disobedience and breach of trust.

The battle between Madrid and Catalan secessionists has hurt the Spanish economy and prompted thousands of companies to shift their legal headquarters outside of Catalonia, which accounts for a fifth of Spain's economy.

On Tuesday, campaigning began for the Dec. 21 Catalan regional election that Madrid called in an attempt to resolve the crisis by installing an administration in favour of Spanish unity.

PROXY VOTE

However, pro-independence parties view the election as a proxy vote on a split from Spain. Polls show both sides neck and neck on a high turnout.

A Spanish court issued the international arrest warrant for Puigdemont on Nov. 3.

On Monday, a Spanish court declared it would keep Puigdemont's former vice president Oriol Junqueras in custody in Madrid while he is investigated for his role in preparing the independence referendum.

Removing the international warrant takes Belgium's legal system out of Puigdemont's case. There could have been months of legal wrangling if appeals against his extradition were moved through the Belgian courts.

Investigating magistrate Pablo Llarena of the Supreme Court said it was important that just one legal entity oversaw proceedings against the former independence leaders to ensure they get equal treatment.

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The Belgian prosecutor said authorities were analysing the development but could not comment further at this stage.

Puigdemont's lawyer Paul Bekaert said legal proceedings in Belgium were now over. Puigdemont would be arrested if he went to Spain, he said.

Puigdemont's party, Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Spanish court said Puigdemont and his cabinet members had shown a willingness to return from Belgium to Spain to take part in the election.

Puigdemont gave a televised address from Belgium at a campaign rally on Monday, telling the central government in Madrid that his party would win the election.

"I'm very sorry I can't be with you now," he said to cheers from members of his pro-independence Junts per Catalunya party, which organised the rally.

(Additional reporting by Clement Rossignol in Brussels and Paul Day in Madrid; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
FILE PHOTO - Brazil's President Michel Temer arrives to the handover ceremony for the new General Director of the Federal Police, Delegate Fernando Queiroz Segovia Oliveira, in Brasilia, Brazil, November 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino (Reuters)

By Ricardo Brito and Rodrigo Viga Gaier

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The government of Brazil's President Michel Temer is far from assembling the coalition needed to pass a landmark pension reform, but potential supporters of the measure are now more organised, a key legislator said on Monday.

"We're still enormously far (from having the needed votes), but we have a party leader committed, a party president committed, one party that's set to commit," Brazil's lower house speaker, Rodrigo Maia, told journalists after an event in Rio de Janeiro.

Pension reform is the cornerstone policy in President Temer's efforts to bring Brazil's deficit under control. But the measure is widely unpopular with Brazilians, who are accustomed to a relatively expansive welfare net.

In order to curry support from Congress, Temer and his allies watered down their original proposal in November, requiring fewer years of contributions by private sector workers to receive a pension.

According to several government sources, Temer's allies have grown more optimistic in the last week about the reform's chances.

However, speed is essential for the bill's passage. A congressional recess begins on Dec. 22, and lawmaking thereafter will be hampered by politics, as lawmakers ramp up their campaigns for 2018 elections.

(Reporting by Richardo Brito and Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Additional reporting by Natalia Scalzaretto in Sao Paulo; Writing by Gram Slattery; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian state media on Monday said Israel had fired missiles at a Syrian military facility in the Damascus countryside, adding that Syrian air defence systems had intercepted three of the missiles.

"Our air defences are confronting an Israeli missile attack on one of our sites in the Damascus suburbs and three of the targets were downed," state news agency SANA said, adding the attacks happened at 11:30 p.m. Monday.

A witness told Reuters late on Monday three strong explosions were heard from the direction of Jamraya, west of Damascus. Another witness said thick smoke could be seen rising over the area.

Jamraya contains a military research facility which was hit by what was believed to have been an Israeli attack in 2013.

Israel in the past has targeted positions of Lebanons powerful Hezbollah group inside Syria where the Iran-backed group is heavily involved in fighting alongside the Syrian army.

On Saturday Syrian state media said Israeli missiles struck a military position south of Damascus, and in September Israel attacked a Syrian military site believed to be linked to chemical weapons production.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said they do not comment on foreign reports.

War monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, from its sources, said planes believed to be Israeli had fired missiles into the Jamraya area.

(Reporting by Kinda Makieh in Damascus, additional reporting by Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem,; writing by Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
By Ahmed Hagagy

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Qatar's Emir said on Tuesday he hoped a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Kuwait would help maintain stability in the region, Al-Jazeera TV said, though three Arab heads of state involved in a rift with Qatar stayed away.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain sent ministers or deputy prime ministers to the annual event. The countries and non-GCC member Egypt have imposed economic, diplomatic and trade sanctions on Qatar in a dispute that began in June.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said the summit took place in "highly sensitive circumstances". He and Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah were the only heads of state to attend the meeting.

"I am full of hope that the summit will lead to results that will maintain the security of the Gulf and its stability," Tamim said, according to the Doha-based Al-Jazeera.

Sheikh Sabah said in a speech at the end of the summit: "We proved once again the resilience of our Gulf institution and its ability to be steadfast, simply by holding into the mechanism of convening these meetings."

In his opening speech, the Kuwaiti ruler called for a mechanism to be set up in the Western-backed grouping to resolve disputes among its members.

Relations within the Gulf have soured since the four Arab states accused Qatar of supporting terrorism. Qatar denies the charges.

Kuwait, which had spearheaded unsuccessful mediation efforts since the rift began, had hoped the summit would give leaders a chance to meet face-to-face, two Gulf diplomats said.

Earlier, the UAE said it would set up a bilateral cooperation committee with Saudi Arabia, separate from the GCC, on political, economic and military issues.

UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan said the new committee would be chaired by Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, Mohammed Bin Zayed, state news agency WAM reported. Saudi Arabia has not yet commented.

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The proposal coincides with an escalation in a conflict in Yemen that involves Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Veteran former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed in a roadside attack on Monday after switching sides in the war and abandoning his Iran-aligned Houthi allies in favour of a Saudi-led coalition.

The GCC was founded in 1980 as a bulwark against bigger neighbours Iran and Iraq.

(Writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
Yemen has been plagued by civil war for the past two years. Sky News explains who is fighting who and why.

What's happening in Yemen?

Yemen is racked with a devastating civil war and massive humanitarian crisis.

UNICEF recently reported that a child dies every 10 minutes in Yemen . Some 400,000 children are at risk of starvation and another 2.2 million need urgent care.

Thousands of civilians have been killed, mainly during a Saudi-led air bombardment, and there has been starvation and outbreaks of cholera.

Who's fighting who?

Houthi rebels backed by Iran have taken much of the north of Yemen and the capital Sanaa, and are battling government forces holding out in pockets of the country and the southern city of Aden.

The government forces are backed by a Saudi-led coalition which is supplied by British arms companies and advised on targeting by the British military.

Its air campaign has done enormous damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure, but failed to dislodge the Houthis.

Who was Ali Abudullah Saleh?

In the words of one commentator on Twitter, the former president was the Tony Montana of Yemeni politics.

He was a political gambler and a survivor who ruled by playing one faction off against another. He is thought to have looted billions from the country in his time in office.

He said ruling Yemen was like dancing on the heads of snakes. He managed to do so for more than three decades, but in the end ran out of luck.

Forced out of office under international pressure in the wake of the Arab Spring, he threw in his lot with Houthi rebels who he had spent years fighting against while president.

This weekend he signalled he was about to change sides again but the Houthis got to him first, killing him in an ambush south of Sanaa .

What does his death mean?

If Saleh had deserted the Houthis and switched to the Saudi-backed government, he might have offered a chance of brokering a settlement between the two.

His manipulative brand of politics may well have been one of the factors behind his country's disintegration into war, but he also had the skills to weave alliances.

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His death removes a key figure and deal-maker from Yemeni politics. It is also like to be followed by retaliatory action by Saudi Arabia.

Increased airstrikes are almost certain but there is also the greater likelihood of ground forces being deployed by the Saudi-led coaltion for the first time.

What are the prospects for peace?

Nil.

Saudi Arabia was already furious at the launch of an accurate missile out of Yemen that fell near Riyadh International Airport on 5 November, blaming Iran.

Yemen's conflict is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran and tensions between them have rarely been so high.

Saleh may have been on the side of Saudi Arabia's enemies but he had signalled a return to the fold and his killing will also be blamed on Iran.

In the current climate, neither power can afford to look weak - which means a devastating civil war is only likely to get nastier.
The University of North Georgia (UNG) will host four commencement ceremonies to celebrate the students, families and friends of the fall 2017 graduating class.

Two UNG professors, Dr. Donna Gessell, professor of English, and Dr. Ben Wynne, professor of history, will be the featured commencement speakers. Both professors were honored earlier this year as 2017 UNG Distinguished Professors by the UNG Alumni Association.

Wynne will address the two ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 15 on UNGs Gainesville Campus in the Hugh Mills Physical Education Center. It will include associate degree candidates from all campuses, and bachelor's degree candidates from Gainesville and Oconee campuses.

The 5 p.m. commencement will include graduates from the College of Arts & Letters, College of Health Sciences and Professions and University College. The 8 p.m. ceremony will include graduates of the College of Education, College of Science and Mathematics, Mike Cottrell College of Business, and the Lewis F. Rogers Institute of Environmental & Spatial Analysis.

A native of Florence, Mississippi, Wynne earned his Ph. D. in history from the University of Mississippi, his M.A. in History with honors from Mississippi College and a B.B.A. from Millsaps College.

Wynne specializes in antebellum American history, history of the American South and Civil War history. He is the author of three books, Mississippis Civil War: A Narrative History, A Hard Trip: A History of the 15th Mississippi Infantry and In Tune: Charley Patton, Jimmie Rodgers and the Roots of American Music. He edited and annotated The Personal Observations of a Man of Intelligence: Notes of a Tour of North America in 1861, by James Fergusson.

Wynne also wrote introductions for reprints of The Rise the Confederate Government and The Fall of the Confederate Government by Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War by G.F.R. Henderson, Mosbys Memoirs by John S. Mosby, and Recollections and Letters of Robert E. Lee by Robert E. Lee. In addition, Wynne has contributed entries to more than 20 encyclopedias and reviewed books for numerous national and regional academic journals. He is a member of the American Historical Association, the Southern Historical Association and Phi Alpha Theta.

On Saturday, Dec.16, Gessell will address graduates at two commencement ceremonies on UNGs Dahlonega Campus at Memorial Hall Gymnasium. Graduate degree candidates from all campuses, and bachelor's degree candidates from the Dahlonega and Cumming campuses will be recognized

At 10 a.m. graduates of the College of Arts & Letters, College of Education and University College will be recognized. The 2 p.m. ceremony will recognize graduates from the College of Health Sciences & Professions, College of Science & Mathematics and the Mike Cottrell College of Business.

Gessell teaches composition, linguistics and literature at UNG. She earned her Ph.D. in English literature at Case Western Reserve University, where she also earned her M.A. Her undergraduate degrees, a B.S. in English education and B.A. in liberal arts, comparative literature, were earned cum laude from Ohio State University.



She has taught abroad at Zhejiang Normal University, China, in 2015, and for the cadet program in Tanzania in 2011.Teaching fulltime since 2013, she serves as graduate advisor for the English department and co-advisor for the Chestatee Review, UNGs literary and visual arts magazine. She serves as a board member of Lumpkin Literacy and chairs the Dahlonega Literary Festival.



Due to heavy anticipated attendance, tickets are required for each ceremony. Students who have applied for fall graduation may pick up their graduation packets, which include their designated number of tickets, at their home campus bookstore the week before graduation.

Graduates are asked to read all instructions and information in their packets and should arrive at least 45 minutes prior to the beginning of the commencement ceremonies. Graduates and guests should allow extra time due to increased traffic and parking on both campuses.

Doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of ceremonies and each commencement will last between 60 and 90 minutes.

Graduates, family and friends are also asked to share their success via social media using #UNG17grad; posts and photos using the hashtag can be viewed before, during and after the weekend's ceremonies.
The University of North Georgia (UNG) has been recognized by AffordableCollegesOnline.org (ACO), a leader in higher education information, resources and rankings, for its excellence in online learning.

UNG ranked 15th among the colleges and universities ACO listed as the best online colleges in Georgia. Only public, not-for-profit institutions were eligible for the ranking. The primary data points used to identify the best online colleges of 2017  2018 included:

Regional Accreditation

In-state tuition and fees

Percent of full-time undergraduate students receiving institutional financial aid

Number of online programs offered

Student-to-teacher ratio

The website evaluated UNG's seven online graduate degree programs, its 21:1 student-teacher ratio, a 52 percent online graduation rate, and an average cost of $3,364 in tuition and fees.

The UNG faculty are dedicated to developing and delivering high quality online courses and programs to achieve goals such as this recognition, said Irene Kokkala, Distance Education & Technology Integration (DETI) director. In turn, the DETI division supports these faculty efforts through a variety of means ensuring that nationally recognized standards are met.

Presently, in addition to its seven graduate programs, UNG offers one bachelors degree program, five associate degree programs, and six certificate programs online.

Undergraduate core requirements are offered online through eCore, the University System of Georgias fully online core curriculum; other courses are offered through UNG Online.

ACO has distinguished its ranking scale by using a Peer-Based Value metric, or PBV. A bang for your buck metric, the PBV compares the cost of a program to the cost of other programs with the same (or a similar) qualitative score. It also compares the qualitative score of the program to the score of other programs with the same (or a similar cost).

The website began in 2011 to provide quality data and information for potential students pursuing affordable higher education online alternatives. It offers free community resource materials and tools on topics such as financial aid and college savings, opportunities for veterans, people with disabilities, and online learning resources.

ACO features higher education institutions that have developed online learning environments that include highly-trained faculty, new technology and resources, and online support services to help students achieve educational and career success.




Australias Senate President Scott Ryan and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith

received National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan

during her official visit to Australia. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA



On November 29, 2017, the Vietnamese top lawmaker received

President of the Australia  Vietnam Friendship Society Kim Sampson. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA



On November 29, 2017, the Vietnamese leader met with representatives of Australian students

studying in Vietnam under the Australian Governments Colombo Program. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA



On November 30, 2017, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan visited

the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and witnessed

the signing ceremony of an action program between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology

and the Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA



On November 30, 2017, the Vietnamese top legislator met with

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA



On November 30, 2017, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan visited

the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research in Canberra. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA



On November 30, 2017, she paid a courtesy call to

Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove in Canberra. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA



On December 1, 2017, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met with

Governor of Western Australia Kerry Sanderson in Perth city. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA





On December 1, 2017, in Perth city, the Vietnamese leader had a meeting with Chief Justice

of Western Australia Wayne Martin and witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement

between the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the Supreme Peoples Court of Vietnam.

Photo: Trong Duc/VNA



On December 1, 2017, in Perth city, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan

met with President of the Western Australian Legislative Council Kate Doust and Deputy Speaker

of the Legislative Assembly of the Western Australia Lisa Baker. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA



On December 1, 2017, the Vietnamese top legislator addressed the Vietnam  Australia Business Dialogue.

Photo: Trong Duc/VNA On November 29, 2017, at the Australian Parliaments headquarters in Canberra,Australias Senate President Scott Ryan and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smithreceived National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Nganduring her official visit to Australia. Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn November 29, 2017, the Vietnamese top lawmaker receivedPresident of the Australia  Vietnam Friendship Society Kim Sampson. Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn November 29, 2017, the Vietnamese leader met with representatives of Australian studentsstudying in Vietnam under the Australian Governments Colombo Program. Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn November 30, 2017, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan visitedthe Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and witnessedthe signing ceremony of an action program between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technologyand the Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn November 30, 2017, the Vietnamese top legislator met withAustralian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn November 30, 2017, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan visitedthe Australian Center for International Agricultural Research in Canberra. Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn November 30, 2017, she paid a courtesy call toGovernor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove in Canberra. Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn December 1, 2017, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met withGovernor of Western Australia Kerry Sanderson in Perth city. Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn December 1, 2017, in Perth city, the Vietnamese leader had a meeting with Chief Justiceof Western Australia Wayne Martin and witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreementbetween the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the Supreme Peoples Court of Vietnam.Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn December 1, 2017, in Perth city, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Nganmet with President of the Western Australian Legislative Council Kate Doust and Deputy Speakerof the Legislative Assembly of the Western Australia Lisa Baker. Photo: Trong Duc/VNAOn December 1, 2017, the Vietnamese top legislator addressed the Vietnam  Australia Business Dialogue.Photo: Trong Duc/VNA
Thanks to seed funding, more Virginia Tech undergraduates will spend part of their time this year on research, unraveling the mysteries of dancing bubbles or ice nucleation or designing biomedical devices and swimming boats.

Nine interdisciplinary faculty teams across six colleges won $10,000 awards from the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), which will support 27 undergraduates.

The seed funding helps provide wages, research supplies, and travel to conferences.

For an undergraduate, working in a research lab offers a behind-the-scenes look at innovation and an opportunity to test-drive a career in science or engineering.

Were committed to supporting the experiential learning activities at the university and are excited to support interdisciplinary research experiences for undergraduates, said Vinod Lohani, a professor of engineering education in the College of Engineering and the director of education and global initiatives at ICTAS.

Its rewarding to see the intellectual and professional skills that students develop during their time in the lab, Lohani said. And its valuable for the faculty and graduate students, too, who learn how to be more effective mentors.

This is the second year of the seed-funding program. David Schmale, a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has won this funding two years in a row  last year to support on-campus undergraduate research involving flying samara seeds, and this year for an international project studying ice nucleation with a collaborator in Austria.

Schmale knows firsthand the impact undergraduate research can have on a students career.

I was fortunate to have a fantastic mentor when I was an undergraduate student. He allowed me to do independent research and allowed me to publish as an undergraduate, he said. And I also took advantage of an education abroad program and studied for a semester in Costa Rica and Panama. And that experience changed my life. I saw the world in a new way when I came back to the U.S.

Undergraduate research programs like this one, which provides funding for student stipends, create opportunities for a more diverse range of students.



The program is designed to increase Virginia Techs applications to two programs at the National Science Foundation that support undergraduate research: the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites and International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) programs, which bring students from around the country to study at Virginia Tech and give Virginia Tech students the opportunity to study internationally.



The seed funding from ICTAS helps new undergraduate research initiatives get off the ground and build up the infrastructure to be competitive for these national awards.

If you can show funding agencies that you can do what youre proposing to do, and youve set up all the communication lines, you have a much greater chance of the proposal being funded, Schmale explained. Thats what ICTAS has been really instrumental in doing for my program, and weve had a great record of turning these small investment projects into major federal grants.

The following research projects won ICTAS REU Seed Grants this year:

Dancing motion of bubbles through an acoustic cell-sorting application , led by Shima Shahab, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics; Billie Lepczyk, a professor of creative dance at the School of Performing Arts; and Rafael Davalos, the L. Preston Wade Professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics.

, led by Shima Shahab, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics; Billie Lepczyk, a professor of creative dance at the School of Performing Arts; and Rafael Davalos, the L. Preston Wade Professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics. Developing a digital game prototype to support systems thinking education in K - 12 , led by Alejandro Salado, an assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering; Aisling Kelliher, an associate professor of computer science; Anderson Norton, an associate professor of mathematics; Martha Ann Bell, a professor of psychology; and Miguel Nino, an instructional design and training manager at University Libraries.

, led by Alejandro Salado, an assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering; Aisling Kelliher, an associate professor of computer science; Anderson Norton, an associate professor of mathematics; Martha Ann Bell, a professor of psychology; and Miguel Nino, an instructional design and training manager at University Libraries. Design, manufacture, and optimization of a robotic boat , led by Sevak Tahmasian, an instructor in the department of biomedical engineering and mechanics; Shahab; and Caroline Jones, an assistant professor of biological science.

, led by Sevak Tahmasian, an instructor in the department of biomedical engineering and mechanics; Shahab; and Caroline Jones, an assistant professor of biological science. Decision sciences for resilient communities , led by Thomas Skuzinski, an assistant professor of urban affairs and planning; Tripp Shealy, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering; and Robin Panneton, the associate dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Science.

, led by Thomas Skuzinski, an assistant professor of urban affairs and planning; Tripp Shealy, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering; and Robin Panneton, the associate dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Science. Collecting observations and data analysis and encoding for the geosciences , led by Sarah Stamps, an assistant professor of geosciences; Zachary Easton, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering; and William Moore, as associate professor of atmospheric and planetary sciences at Hampton University.

, led by Sarah Stamps, an assistant professor of geosciences; Zachary Easton, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering; and William Moore, as associate professor of atmospheric and planetary sciences at Hampton University. Biosurface engineering , led by Maren Roman, an associate professor of sustainable biomaterials; Michael Bortner, an assistant professor of chemical engineering; and Yong Woo Lee, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics.

, led by Maren Roman, an associate professor of sustainable biomaterials; Michael Bortner, an assistant professor of chemical engineering; and Yong Woo Lee, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics. Cross-disciplinary research in bioinformatics and statistics , led by Liqing Zhang, an associate professor of computer science, and Xiaowei Wu, an assistant professor of statistics.

, led by Liqing Zhang, an associate professor of computer science, and Xiaowei Wu, an assistant professor of statistics. Undergraduate research on ice nucleation in Austria , led by David Schmale, a professor of plant pathology, physiology, and weed sciences.

, led by David Schmale, a professor of plant pathology, physiology, and weed sciences. Case Studies to Build Transdisciplinary Research Skills at the Undergraduate Level, led by Freddy Paige, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering; Joseph Wheeler, a professor of architecture; Walter Lee, an assistant professor of engineering education; and Denise Simmons, an assistant professor at the Myers-Lawson School of Construction.

Virginia Tech currently hosts three REU sites, on automotive engineering, biomechanics, and interdisciplinary water sciences, and three active IRES programs, on electric transportation systems, interdisciplinary water sciences, and bioinspired science and technology.

Research participation at the university is supported by the Office of Undergraduate Research, which works with students and faculty to help coordinate projects.

The students involved in the flying samara project won Virginia Techs undergraduate research competition and are drafting a manuscript for publication; Schmale and Shane Ross, a professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics, have submitted a proposal to the NSF to fund an REU site based on the research.

For Schmale, creating opportunities for undergraduate researchers is a way of giving back. Im coming full circle and thinking, what can I do for these undergraduates, just like my undergraduate research mentor did for me? he said. Lets create the next generation of biologists and engineers through rich research experiences that defined us in our youth.


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The woman has been absconding ever since her husband lodged a police complaint against her.

By Manjeet Sehgal: A video of a stepmother mercilessly beating her foster daughter after stuffing her in a gunny bag has surfaced

The videos is shocking and hair raising. The victim is a three and a half year old girl being stuffed by her stepmother in a gunny bag while she vigorously shakes the bag. The small girl can also be seen crying.

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The woman in this video is Jaspreet Kaur who has tormented her foster daughter in a similar fashion to know what was happening in her school.

In another shocking video, Jaspreet can also be seen slapping the victim mercilessly. There is a plaster on one of the victim's legs but she goes on slapping the poor child.

Manmohan Singh; Jaspreet's husband and father of the victim; has lodged a complaint against her.

Manmohan Singh told India Today that he got married the accused one and a half years ago. Jaspreet has a seven year old daughter from her first husband who died in an accident six years ago.

He added that he is repenting his decision to marry Jaspreet after he saw the video.

He has even accused Jaspreet of breaking the girl's leg

Manmohan Singh told the police that the matter was brought to his notice by his son who shot a video of his stepmom. Later Manmohan Singh himself shot two videos on his mobile phone.

Jaspreet has been staying at her parents' place for the last two months but she is absconding since the police complaint was filed against her.

The matter has also reached the Chandigarh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.The chairperson of the commission Harjinder Kaur has also summoned Manmohan Singh and Jaspreet Kaur.

Shocking Video: Stepmother puts girl in gunny bag, beats her mercilesly

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Banco Santander-Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides commercial and retail banking products and services in Chile. It operates through Retail Banking, Middle-Market, Corporate Investment Banking, and Corporate Activities segments. The company offers debit and credit cards, checking accounts, and savings products; consumer, automobile, commercial, mortgage, and government-guaranteed loans; and Chilean peso and foreign currency denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines, as well as mortgage financing services. It also provides mutual funds, insurance and securities brokerage, foreign exchange, financial leasing, factoring, financial consulting and advisory, investment management, foreign trade, treasury, and transactional services, as well as specialized services to finance projects for the real estate industry. In addition, the company offers short-term financing and fund raising, and brokerage services, as well as derivatives, securitization, and other tailor-made products. It serves individuals, small to middle-sized entities, companies, and large corporations, as well as universities, government entities, and local and regional governments. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 326 branches, which include 220 under the Santander brand name, 14 under the Select brand name, 7 specialized branches for the middle market, and 22 as auxiliary and payment centers, as well as 1,338 ATMs, including depository ATMs. Banco Santander-Chile was incorporated in 1977 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.
RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. provides reinsurance and insurance products around the world. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Bermuda with offices in Ireland, Australia, Switzerland, Singapore, and the US.

The company operates through two segments that include multiple underlying businesses and investment vehicles. The two main segments are Property and Casualty & Specialty. The company operates through intermediaries that include DaVinci Resinsurance Inc, Top Layer Reinsurance LTD, and RennaisanceRe Syndicate 1458 among others.

Top Layer Re is the first major venture and was started in 1999. It is a joint venture with State Farm targeting high layers of the US reinsurance business. DaVinci Re was formed in the wake of 9/11 to assist with capacity and it was given added capacity in the wake of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Medici was formed in 2009 and is an open-ended fund intended to spur investment in the catastrophe bond market.

The Property segment writes catastrophic insurance policies to insure insurance and reinsurance companies against natural and man-made catastrophes. These include but are not limited to hurricanes, floods, freezes, and terrorism.

The Casualty & Specialty segment provides a wide range of consumer products including business insurance, malpractice insurance, liability insurance, workers' compensation, mortgage insurance, and health insurance among others.

Among RenaissanceRes Specialty businesses is capital management. The firm offers 6 investment vehicles and has more than $11 billion under management making it the #1 ILS or insurance-linked asset manager in the US. In regards to its credit ratings, the firm and all of its vehicles carry an A or better rating from every credit rating agency.
Carter's, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, sources, and markets branded childrenswear under the Carter's, OshKosh, Skip Hop, Child of Mine, Just One You, Simple Joys, Carter's My First Love, little planet, and other brands in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Retail, U.S. Wholesale, and International. Its Carter's products include babies and young children products, such as bodysuits, pants, dresses, knit sets, blankets, layette essentials, bibs, booties, sleep and play products, rompers, and jumpers; and OshKosh brand products comprise playclothes, such as denim apparel products with multiple wash treatments and coordinating garments, overalls, woven bottoms, knit tops, and bodysuits. The company also provides products for playtime, travel, mealtime, bathtime, and homegear, as well as kid's bags and diaper bags under the Skip Hop brand. In addition, it offers bedding, cribs, diaper bags, footwear, gift sets, hair accessories, jewelry, outerwear, paper goods, socks, shoes, swimwear, and toys. The company operates 18,800 wholesale locations, including department stores, national chain stores, and specialty stores. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 980 retail stores. The company also sells its products through its eCommerce websites, such as carters.com, oshkoshbgosh.com, oshkosh.com, and skiphop.com, as well as other international wholesale accounts and licensees. Carter's, Inc. was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Raveena Tandon and Govinda were shooting for a special episode for Super Dancer Chapter 2 when the news of Shashi Kapoor's death broke.

By India Today Web Desk: Actress Raveena Tandon and Govinda were shooting for a special episode for Super Dancer Chapter 2 when they got the news of legendary actor Shashi Kapoor's demise.

The reality show's shoot was stopped mid-way and everyone on the set, stood in silence to pay respect to the great actor. Shashi Kapoor died at a Mumbai hospital after a prolonged battle with illness on Monday.

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Raveena posted a picture of Shashi Kapoor on Instagram and wrote, "Stopped the shoot on the sets of super dancer the minute we heard . All stood in silence to pay respects . Deeply saddened to hear about this.. One of the most finest stylish actor in the industry... You shall always remain in our hearts... #ShashiKapoor RIP."

Stopped the shoot on the sets of super dancer the minute we heard . All stood in silence to pay respects . Deeply saddened to hear about this.. One of the most finest stylish actor in the industry... You shall always remain in our hearts... #ShashiKapoor ?RIP A post shared by Raveena Tandon (@officialraveenatandon) on Dec 4, 2017 at 7:45am PST

Govinda and Raveena, who've worked together in a number films were there for the jodi special episode. They reminisced the old days and even danced to their popular number Akhiyon se Goli Mare from Dulhe Raja.

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Gates Archive

En espanol | Growing up, I never traveled very far. Summer vacations meant escaping the Dallas heat with family road trips to a national park. When I was in my mid-20s, I took my first trip to Europe, with my friend Mary.

We stretched our shoestring budget as far as we could  riding the rails, staying in hostels and having the time of our lives. The more I traveled, the more curious I got about the world.

In the fall of 1993, when I was 29, Bill and I made our first visit to Africa. We were recently engaged and had decided to go on a safari to celebrate. I will never forget how small I felt under that huge, stretching sky, surrounded by nature. The world seemed so much wider, and I wanted to take it in, as deeply as I could.
A lawsuit filed last week alleges a 5-year-old boy was poked with a dirty hypodermic needle during recess at an Albuquerque elementary school, and a school nurse failed to inform his mother.

The child was on the Mark Twain Elementary School playground in August 2014 when the needle pierced the skin on his ankle, according to the lawsuit. Although he went to see the school nurse, the incident was not promptly reported his mom, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in state District Court.

The childs mother noticed a mark on her sons ankle later that evening and spoke with the nurse the next day. The nurse at that point explained that the boy had been poked by a dirty needle, according to the lawsuit.

The boy was then taken in for HIV and hepatitis testing. It is not clear from the suit whether the boy suffered any long-term health implications, and his attorney declined to comment.

Named as defendants are Albuquerque Public Schools, Superintendent Raquel Reedy and Mark Twain Elementary School, which is located on Constitution near Louisiana.

The suit argues that the defendants failed to implement and follow safety policies, and that the way in which the school was operated put the child, and other students, at risk.

The mother also alleges the defendants were negligent in their supervision, instruction, training and retention of employees.

A spokeswoman for the school district said she could not comment on the pending lawsuit.
After sending the New Mexico Public Education Department a strongly worded letter about the exclusion of Rosa Parks and Malcolm X from the state end-of-course history exam blueprint, Albuquerque NAACP president Harold Bailey says his position has softened.

Bailey met with PED Deputy Secretary of Teaching and Learning Matt Montano on Monday morning, and he is now convinced that PED is committed to inclusiveness and diversity. But Bailey would still like to see both civil rights leaders put back on the test.

I got the feeling that he (Montano) was sincere, so Im hoping he will take a message back and they will do the right thing, Bailey said.

Montano told the Journal that his meeting with Bailey was extremely productive and said PED will continue to work with the NAACP.

It was a step forward in a saga that began in late October when Rep. G. Andres Romero, D-Albuquerque, spoke out about the history exam blueprint posted on PEDs website.

Romero, a U.S. history teacher at Atrisco Heritage Academy High School, highlighted the loss of items on the civil rights movement, Roe v. Wade and the atomic bomb attack on Japan. The test still includes Martin Luther King Jr., Russell Means and Cesar Chavez.

Other less controversial omissions include the Panama Canal, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and industrial mobilization during World War II.

Secretary of Education-designate Chris Ruszkowski has said PED is shortening the exam at teachers request and these topics are still part of the standards that should be covered in the classroom.

Montano reiterated that point on Monday.

I assured him (Bailey) that the history standards have not been altered, nor are any individuals within our nations history eliminated from the standards, he said.

Some Democratic lawmakers have accused PED of attempting to whitewash or sanitize history  a fight that came on the heels of PEDs now abandoned proposal to remove some references to evolution and the age of the earth from state science standards.

During a November meeting of the Legislative Education Study Committee, Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque, told Montano that Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955, is the reason I can sit here as a black woman and question you about what has been redacted.

Bailey applauded Williams Stapleton in a November letter to PED, which accused the state of holding a position that is shortsighted, offensive and inflammatory.

The Albuquerque NAACP believes that the Public Education Department has a record of making questionable decisions related to race and culture within an educational context, the letter states. African-American History is U.S. History and should be respected as such.

Bailey said his hourlong meeting with Montano at a local Starbucks changed his perspective, but he still believes PED needs to be careful about what it removes from exams. Restoring Rosa Parks and Malcolm X to the test would show that PED values diversity, Bailey said.

If that doesnt happen, Bailey will push for a meeting with Ruszkowski.

They have to be fair to all the groups, period, Bailey said.
SANTA FE  A former member of the state Public Regulation Commisson who pleaded guilty to embezzling public money has been accused of burglarizing property managed by his mother in downtown Santa Fe.

Santa Fe police have issued an arrest warrant for Jerome Block Jr., who stepped down from the PRC in 2011 as part of a plea deal, for one count of third-degree residential burglary. According to the Friday warrant, Block was caught on surveillance footage entering a condo Nov. 19 and leaving with items belonging to the couple staying there.

SFPD spokeman Greg Gurule said Monday that Block has not been arrested or turned himself in but said officers have been in telephone contact with him. Gurule couldnt say whether officers know where Block is.

In 2011, Block pleaded guilty to fraudulent use of a state-issued credit card, embezzlement and misusing public campaign money while he was on the PRC and was sentenced to probation. Block, whose father also served on the PRC, also admitted an addiction to prescription painkillers. He was elected to the PRC in 2008 and resigned as part of his 2011 plea deal.

According to the Friday arrest warrant, a woman staying at an Otra Vez condo on Galisteo Street and Water Street woke up and saw that her Apple iPad and husbands wallet were missing from the living room. She reported the theft to the property owner, Patsy Block, who told the woman that an iPad and the wallet had been deposited through the offices mail slot. The woman told officers that her husbands $6,700 watch, two gift cards worth $300 each and $380 in cash were missing from the wallet, but all his credit cards were still there.

Patsy Block later watched surveillance footage and saw that her son entered the couples condo the night of the theft, according to the warrant.

She told police that Jerome Block, 40, had worked for her for a few years and was familiar with the security guard who gave him a key to enter the gated property. She said her son had been in contact with the male victim about getting his watch back from the person hed sold it to but had yet to do it.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump and congressional leaders have scheduled a summit to begin sorting out their budget differences, top lawmakers and the White House said Monday, as a clash that could produce a partial government shutdown by the weekend hung in the balance.

The meeting, set for Thursday at the White House, comes just a day before federal spending expires thats needed to keep agencies functioning beyond midnight Friday night. Complicating the search for a pact are disputes over immigration, health and other issues folded into the year-end mix.

Top Republicans have wanted to push a bill through Congress this week keeping government afloat through Dec. 22, giving bargainers more time to seek a longer-term budget pact. But underscoring the balancing act leaders face, the hard-right House Freedom Caucus flexed their muscle late Monday and demanded that the temporary spending bill run until Dec. 30.

The conservatives said they worry that a vote on the spending measure before Christmas  when lawmakers are desperate to get home  would give Democrats more leverage to boost the packages price tag. In a brief drama, around two dozen of them withheld votes for a procedural measure advancing the GOPs prized, separate tax bill until House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., agreed to talk to them further about their concerns, said Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C.

The GOP will need Democratic votes to push the spending bills through Congress, another reason the pathway is unclear for averting a closure just weeks before the start of the 2018 election year. Even so, top Republicans expressed confidence that theyd approve the short-term measure this week, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., saying, We will pass it before the end of the week.

Hours before Trump and Capitol Hill leaders were to hold a budget meeting last Tuesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., abruptly called off the session. The cancellation came after Trump took to Twitter to vilify their stances on taxes, immigration and crime and say he saw no prospects for an agreement, and the standoff has exacerbated bitter feelings on both sides.

We hope the president will go into this meeting with an open mind, rather than deciding that an agreement cant be reached beforehand, the Democrats said Monday in a written statement.

The two Democrats pointedly said theyd accepted Trumps offer to meet with them. And in what seemed an attempt to isolate the president, they said they hoped hed be amenable to an agreement as negotiations with our Republican counterparts continue.

With the budget chafing under spending caps imposed by a 2011 bipartisan budget deal, Democrats want defense and domestic programs to get equal funding increases. Both sides say they want to provide money for a health insurance program that serves more than 8 million children and for states battered by recent storms.

Democrats and some Republicans are also demanding a plan to protect immigrants who arrived illegally in the U.S. as children.

Trump scuttled a program from President Barack Obamas administration that protected them from deportation, and he gave Congress until March to work out a new agreement. Trump expressed a desire to work with Democrats to extend that program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, but he and Republicans want border protection money in return and there have been no signs of progress.

Getting an immigration deal enacted in December would cause an eruption in House GOP ranks, where many conservatives oppose the idea.

In addition, some from both parties want to restore billions in federal payments to health insurers that Trump halted last autumn. There are also demands for money for battling opioid abuse.

White House spokesman Raj Shah and a spokesman for McConnell confirmed Thursdays meeting.

Whatever the length of the initial short-term spending measure, it seems likely that a second temporary bill stretching into January would also be needed for a final pact addressing spending, hurricane aid and perhaps immigration.

For Republicans, such an agreement would unlock a huge budget increase for the Pentagon  perhaps $70 billion for the 2018 fiscal year alone. Democrats would likely win less for nondefense agencies.

The Senate approved its near $1.5 trillion tax legislation before dawn Saturday, while the House passed a similar measure in November.

GOP leaders hope to send Trump a final tax package before Christmas, and theres a growing consensus that they have a strong chance to succeed. Both chambers bills give the bulk of their tax breaks to businesses and wealthier people and are headlined with a cut of the 35 percent corporate tax to 20 percent. They have modest differences over items like whether to reduce or fully repeal the tax on the most expensive estates.
SANTA FE  A federal agency spokesperson acknowledged Monday that Los Alamos National Laboratory is competing with the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to continue production of plutonium pits.

But the ranking members of the U.S. Senates Armed Forces Committee have weighed in to support keeping the manufacture of the grapefruit-sized nuclear weapons triggers, worth billions of federal dollars in construction and operational work, at Los Alamos.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a letter to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry that a DOE study raising questions about whether making pits should stay at Los Alamos is putting the long-term plutonium capabilities of the United States at serious risk and could produce long-term delays.

The senators also say in their Sept. 20 letter that the DOE is considering an option to resurrect plans for a big box building at Los Alamos to replace aging plutonium facilities, instead of smaller modular construction intended to hold down costs.

An earlier big box project crashed in 2012 after $450 million had already been spent on design and study, as cost estimates that started at $800 million ballooned to as much as $6 billion. That project, McCain and Reed wrote, was cancelled for good reasons the first time.

DOEs National Nuclear Security Administration is under a congressional mandate to make 80 pits a year by 2030 as part of an extensive nuclear weapons modernization plan. It has been studying whether LANL or somewhere else is the best place to reach that goal.

No new pits have been made since 2011, when LANL completed the last of 29 for Navy submarine missiles. The most ever made at Los Alamos in a year is 11. Meanwhile, LANL has faced scrutiny for safety lapses, including a recent incident involving plutonium and pit-making.

NNSA spokesperson Lindsey Geisler said Monday that the NNSAs study has identified two options  one at Los Alamos National Laboratory and one at the Savannah River Site  for further engineering analysis, which will be conducted by a team of external and internal experts.

On Friday, a summary of results page from the NNSA study was leaked showing estimates that the 80-pits-a-year goal could be reached quicker and cheaper at other sites, including Savannah River, instead of at Los Alamos. New Mexicos congressional delegation called the study deeply flawed from the start.

The McCain-Reed letter, released Monday by Sen. Martin Heinrichs office, says, We are concerned that NNSA is underestimating the cost and difficulty of relocating the unique and specialized skills required for plutonium handling to another location. The Senate leaders also said NNSAs delays in completing its location study will make it nearly impossible for NNSA to meet the statutory pit production requirements.
Clemy Garza and her father Julian employ more than 700 people at their 12 McDonalds restaurants, many of whom they recognize have long-term career goals that may not involve Big Macs.

Recent conversations at their restaurants have revealed an aspiring dental hygienist, a would-be engineer and a man who wants to one day run his own car wash.

The Garzas hope a new partnership between their company, Garza Enterprises, and Central New Mexico Community College will help put those employees on their desired professional path.

The partnership will leverage the support employees can get through a corporate-level McDonalds program called Archways to Opportunity. Qualified workers can get up to $750 per year in tuition assistance  up to $1,050 for managers  as well as help with English as a Second Language programs.

Resident tuition at CNM is $54 per credit hour, so that can pay for a lot of school, Clemy Garza said.

CNM, meanwhile, will offer concierge service for Garza employees who want to enroll at CNM, credits for prior learning they may have done on the job and even some customized ESL courses developed specifically for the McDonalds employees.

This is really testing all of our innovative, alternative approaches, said Samantha Sengel, CNMs chief advancement and community engagement officer, who noted that the goal is to expand the courses to employees from other McDonalds franchises.

The Garzas recently hired a retired Dallas school administrator as Archways coordinator for their network of restaurants, which are spread through the Albuquerque metro and northern New Mexico.

Shes specifically asking What is your dream? What is it you have always wanted to do?  Garza said, noting that she has already met with half the employees to help plot their future.

David L. Thomas, McDonalds corporate vice president of operations and franchising, said the company sees itself as Americas best first job and wants to contribute to its employees personal growth, even if it might take them away from the company.

Were making a commitment to the people who work for us that were going to do the right thing for them, said Thomas, who visited Albuquerque on Monday for a ceremony cementing the new partnership.

More than 30 Garza employees are now planning to use the tuition as

sistance to attend CNM this January. They will get special assistance from navigators designed to help them through every step of the process in becoming a student  and connect them personally to any college service they might need, according to CNM spokesman Brad Moore. Navigators have so far been available only for select students as part of a pilot program, and Moore said assisting the McDonalds employees will help refine the service before it expands to all new students in fall of 2018.

About 80 more Garza employees plan to take the non-credit ESL courses.
By Romita Datta Sengupta: Trinamool Congress (TMC) and CPI(M) have fought bitter battles against each other. But the Babri issue has made allies out of them as both the parties are in sync to mark the 25th anniversary of Babri Masjid demoation.

Babri masjid in ayodhya was demolished on 6th December 1992 by the right wing mob. Both TMC and CPI(M) will mark the 25th anniversary of the incident as the black day.

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While Trinamool Congress is holding a rally, CPI(M) is taking out a long march through the central part of the city to decry what they feel had been an attack on the secular fabric of the country.

"What would be a better way to attack the BJP but the 25th anniversary year of the Babri mosque demolition? BJP is not just dividing people on the basis of religion, but are also into person-shaming," said a Trinamool Congress leader.

Trinamool Congress is also planning to use the rally as a platform to attack BJP, especially Mukul Roy, the rebel Trinamool Congress leader who joined BJP sometime ago.

Roy had been virulent in his attack against Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhisekh. Abhisekh is the President of the Yuva Trinamool Congress and the verbal duel has been so intense that both; Abhisekh and Mukul Roy have filed defamation case against each other.

Mukul Roy has regularly attacked Abhisekh for his alleged link up with the Biswa Bangla logo.

Mamata Banerjee has come in full defence of the Biswa Bangla logo being her creation and a property of the government since she had given the MSME department to use the logo, but party supporters want to know what Abhisekh has to say in public.

The rally therefore is being convened under the students and youth wing of the ruling party. Abhisekh is the president of the Yuva Trinamool Congress. The party workers want to hear him answer the questions raised by the BJP leaders.

According to a Trinamool Congress leader, BJP's latest obsession it seems is to target Abhisekh, Union minister of State for heavy industries, Babul Supriyo a few days ago had alleged Abhisekh of having disproportinate assets as against his income.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M), without meddling into the logo controversy, has decided to focus on the demolition of the mosque and how the fascist forces are at work again by stirring up sentiments for building the Ram mandir at Ayodhya. The Congress will observe the day in the capital as it is busy with the Gujarat election.

Watch: Tamil Nadu: Men bomb DMK leader's house in Kanchipuram, terrify onlookers

--- ENDS ---

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WASHINGTON  In the cheerless days of the last recession, as Americans were spending less on Christmas trees, Oregons evergreen growers spotted an opportunity.

Demand had been growing for Northwest-grown firs in Mexico and the U.S. had a surplus. Agricultural officials from both countries forged a relationship that nearly doubled U.S. tree exports over four years, to $22.6 million in 2015. One in six of the states Christmas trees are now trucked south of the border.

Now, state officials are worried that their gains could become a casualty of President Donald Trumps decision to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement. If the U.S. ends up withdrawing from the agreement, as Trump has threatened, it could result in Mexico imposing a retaliatory tariff on the U.S. and pivoting to Canadian suppliers.

The administration does not understand the importance of U.S. agricultural exports and is putting billions of dollars of export sales at risk, unnecessarily, said Tim OConnor, executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association. Withdrawing from NAFTA would be devastating to U.S. agriculture and the U.S. economy.

Helmuth Rogg, the Oregon Department of Agriculture official instrumental in building the relationship with Mexico, said withdrawing from NAFTA would undo years of hard work. The state is now Mexicos largest supplier of Christmas trees.

The risk of getting rejected at the border and losing the trees and then a 20 percent tariff, I dont think that would work for our growers, he said.

The Trump administration is pushing for changes to NAFTA, which was established by the U.S., Mexico and Canada 1994 and now governs $1 trillion a year in commerce. Business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have opposed key U.S. proposals, such as one to raise regional content requirements for cars and a reported demand for the deal to expire after five years unless the countries agree to extend it.

But farm groups, while largely supportive of Trump, have tried to prevent the U.S. from leaving NAFTA and made the case for other free trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In one of his first acts as president, Trump pulled the U.S. out of that agreement.

The industry really needs these kind of trade agreements  TPP and NAFTA  to keep these markets moving, said Chris Aldrich of Natives Northwest Company, a wholesale vendor of Christmas trees in Washington state.

If NAFTA is scuttled, it would leave each country to set tariffs on imports. Thats what has the tree farmers anxious.

In 2009, the Mexican government imposed a 20 percent tariff on Christmas trees in retaliation for a U.S. ban on long-haul truckers from the country. That resulted in a 10 percent drop in demand for trees from McKenzie Farms, said CEO McKenzie Ken Cook. Last year, he shipped 250 truckloads of trees to Mexico.

While a NAFTA withdrawal would impact us greatly, Cook said hes not worried about his survival this year because a shortage of trees has stoked domestic demand and driven up prices. But a large percentage of U.S.-grown trees still go to Mexico.

Thats a lot of trees to find another place to sell, Rogg said.

Bob Schaefer harvests Christmas trees at the Noble Mountain Tree Farm using drones and helicopters. According to him, the Mexican government has made the industry in the U.S. jump through a few hoops to export there.

Theyve tried to protect their industry with import restrictions, he said.

Last year, Mexicos Environment and Natural Resources Ministry introduced new requirements for imported Christmas trees, adding ten more pests to the inspection list and reiterating the requirements that trees be sprayed with insecticides and mechanically shaken for a minimum of 15 seconds at 700 revolutions per minute before they are shipped.

Mexico growers estimate they will sell about 700,000 trees this year  roughly equal to the number the nation imports from the U.S, according to the National Forestry Commission.

We expect a positive outcome of the NAFTA modernization process, Raul Urteaga Trani, general coordinator of international affairs for Mexicos agriculture ministry, said in an email. Nevertheless, the current debate and threats of U.S. potential withdrawal of the agreement have made Mexican producers of Christmas trees increase domestic production.

Also, he said, Canadas suppliers could satisfy the Mexican demand for years to come.

Looking past the holiday season, a U.S. withdrawal from NAFTA would have dire implication for the entire agricultural industry, according to OConnor, of the U.S. National Christmas Tree Association.

If our trade negotiators fold up the tent and say, Were done here, this isnt working for us, all that agriculture trade is dead in the water and if that happens, those products sit in the domestic market and weigh on the supply, he said.
SANTA FE  The Santa Fe City Council decided Monday night to have it both ways  the council will start making arrangements to use ranked-choice voting in the 2018 municipal election, as ordered by a district judge last week, but at the same time city government will appeal the judges ruling to the New Mexico Supreme Court.

Those were the decisions Mayor Javier Gonzales announced after he and the council emerged from an closed executive session that lasted about 95 minutes. But in making the announcement Gonzales indicated a votes had been taken in secret  something thats not allowed under the law.

After the council voted publicly to waive executive privilege  to permit the mayor and councilors to openly discuss what took place in the closed session  Gonzales announced that by unanimous vote the council agreed to take the steps necessary to implement ranked-choice voting in March.

The mayors comments were met with applause by a few dozen supporters of ranked-choice voting who attended the meeting. But their enthusiasm was dashed moments later when Gonzales continued with his statement, saying that the council, in a 5-4 decision, also decided to appeal to the Supreme Court District Judge David Thomsons order to implement ranked-choice.

The state Open Meetings Act forbids votes from being taken in executive session. They need to start over and do it over again, Peter St. Cyr, executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, said when contacted by a reporter after the meeting.

But City Attorney Kelley Brennan was adamant that no vote was held in executive session. That was a misstatement, she said of the mayors announcement. We dont do that; were not allowed to do that.

When it was pointed out that the mayor said there had been votes and he even provided tallies, Brennan said she was just seeking consensus from the council. How would you suggest they direct me to take action, which is what executive session is for? she asked.

Maria Perez, one of the plaintiffs who filed the court complaint that led to Thomsons order, was disappointed.Its an insult to voters and a waste of taxpayer money to go back an appeal this, she said. In 2008, Santa Feans voted to implement ranked-choice voting, or RCV, as soon as the software to count votes was available and affordable. The council and mayor voted 6-3 in July to postpone RCV until 2020, out of concern the software still wasnt ready then and more time was needed to educate voters.

In September, the Supreme Court rejected a petition filed directly before the high court that sought to force the city to use RVC right away. The RCV plaintiffs then took their case district court. Last week, Judge Thomson ruled that the necessary software became available in September when the Secretary of States office certified it and it should be used in March.

The City Council will hold a public hearing Dec. 20 to get public input on how the ranked-choice voting process is to work. Under RCV, voters rank candidates in races with more than two candidates in order of preference. If no candidate gets a majority of first-place votes in an initial tally, voters second or lower choices come into play.
SALT LAKE CITY  President Donald Trump on Monday took the rare step of scaling back two national monuments in Utah, in a move cheered by Republican leaders who lobbied him to undo protections they considered overly broad.

The decision marks the first time in a half-century that a president has undone this type of land protection. Tribal and environmental groups oppose the decision and are expected to go to court in a bid to block Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

Trump made the plan official in a speech at the Utah Capitol, where he signed proclamations to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments.

Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington, Trump said. And guess what. Theyre wrong.

Environmental and tribal groups say the designations are needed to protect archaeological and cultural resources, especially the more than 2,030-square-mile Bears Ears site.

About 3,000 demonstrators lined up near the state Capitol to protest Trumps announcement. Some held signs that said, Keep your tiny hands off our public lands, and they chanted, Lock him up! A smaller group gathered in support.

Bears Ears, created last December by then-President Barack Obama, will be reduced by about 85 percent, to 315 square miles.

Grand Staircase-Escalante, designated in 1996 by then-President Bill Clinton, will be reduced from nearly 3,000 square miles to 1,569 square miles.

Both were among 27 monuments that Trump ordered Zinke to review this year.

In New Mexico, the Trump administration is considering changes to the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument near Taos. An Interior Department spokeswoman said Monday that its unclear when a decision will be made about the New Mexico monuments.

New Mexicos senators, Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both Democrats, denounced Trumps action and vowed to support legal efforts to block the move.

The presidents unprecedented move to drastically shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in southern Utah tears at the heart of Americas conservation legacy and is a direct assault on sacred lands and tribal sovereignty, Heinrich said.

Udall, vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said the decision is deeply insulting to Native Americans.

The president is lifting protections for tens of thousands of Native American sacred sites, putting them at risk, and opening them for coal, oil and gas development, Udall said. Trumps decision to rescind protections and create new boundaries was made in secret  the public had no opportunity to review the plans or the decision-making process, and the tribes were not consulted.

Mark Gallegos, the mayor of Questa and a Taos County commissioner, on Monday urged the White House to reconsider.

Nearly every local elected official, including myself, supported the designations of our national monuments, Gallegos said.

No president has tried to eliminate a monument, but some have redrawn boundaries, according to the National Park Service, most recently in 1963, when then-President John F. Kennedy slightly downsized Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico
SALT LAKE CITY  President Donald Trumps rare move to shrink two large national monuments in Utah triggered another round of outrage among Native American leaders who vowed to take the fight to court to preserve protections for land they consider sacred.

Environmental and conservation groups and a coalition of tribes began filing lawsuits Monday that ensure that Trumps announcement is far from the final chapter in the yearslong battle over public lands. The court cases are likely to drag on for years, maybe even into a new presidency.

Trump decided to reduce Bears Ears National Monument by about 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by nearly half. It earned him cheers from Republican leaders in Utah who lobbied him to undo protections by Democratic presidents that they considered overly broad.

Conservation groups called it the largest elimination of protected land in American history. The move comes a week after tribal leaders decried Trumps use of the name of a historical Native American figure as a slur.

At a White House event honoring Navajo Code Talkers last week, he took a political jab at Sen. Elizabeth Warren by referring to the Massachusetts Democrat as Pocahontas, mocking her claim of having Native American heritage.

Its just another slap in the face for a lot of us, a lot of our Native American brothers and sisters, Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez said. To see that happen a week ago, with disparaging remarks, and now this.

Trump also overrode tribal objections to approve the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines.

The Navajo Nation was one of five tribes that formed a coalition and spent years lobbying former President Barack Obama to declare Bears Ears a monument to preserve ancient cliff dwellings and an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites. Native Americans visit the area to perform ceremonies, collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual purposes, and do healing rituals.

The coalition of the Hopi, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni tribes and Navajo Nation sued late Monday to challenge the Bears Ears reduction. Two lawsuits have been filed to try to block the Grand Staircase decision.

Earthjustices suit called it an abuse of the presidents power that jeopardizes a Dinosaur Shangri-la full of fossils. Some of the dinosaur fossils sit on a plateau that is home to one of the countrys largest known coal reserves, which could now be open to mining. The organization is representing eight conservation groups.

Another lawsuit from three groups including the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology makes similar claims.

Meanwhile, two Utah congressmen said Tuesday that they will introduce legislation to create a modest national park at Grand Staircase and allow Native Americans and local residents manage the land in Bears Ears.

Trump, in a speech at Utahs Capitol with the governor and other politicians, said the states lands should not be managed by very distant bureaucrats located in Washington.

Your timeless bond with the outdoors should not be replaced with the whims of regulators thousands and thousands of miles away, Trump said. Ive come to Utah to take a very historic action to reverse federal overreach and restore the rights of this land to your citizens.

It marks the first time in a half century that a president has undone these types of land protections.

Utahs mostly Republican officials have lobbied Trump for months, saying the monuments closed off the areas to energy development and other access.

Environmental and tribal groups say the designations are needed to protect important archaeological and cultural resources. Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch said only Congress, not the president, has the power to reduce a national monument, which the tribal coalition argued in its lawsuit.

Additional legal challenges were expected from environmental groups and outdoor clothing company Patagonia.

Outside Trumps announcement Monday, roughly 3,000 protesters lined up near the state Capitol. Some held signs that said, Keep your tiny hands off our public lands, and they chanted, Lock him up!

A smaller group gathered in support, including some who said they favor potential drilling or mining there that could create jobs. Bears Ears has no oil or gas, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told reporters, though Grand Staircase-Escalante has coal.

Bears Ears, created nearly a year ago, will be reduced to 315 square miles. Grand Staircase-Escalante will be reduced from nearly 3,000 square miles to 1,569 square miles.

Both were among a group of 27 monuments that Trump ordered Zinke to review this year.

Democrats and environmentalists accuse Trump and Zinke of engaging in a secretive process aimed at helping industry groups that have donated to Republican political campaigns.

Zinke accompanied Trump aboard Air Force One, as did Utahs Republican U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee. Hatch and other state Republican leaders pushed Trump to launch the review, saying the monuments designated by the former Democratic presidents locked up too much federal land.

Trump framed the decision as returning power to the state, saying, You know and love this land the best and you know the best how to take care of your land. He said the decision would give back your voice.

Public lands will once again be for public use, Trump said to cheers.

Hatch, who introduced Trump, said that when you talk, this president listens and that Trump promised to help him with federal overreach.

No president has tried to eliminate a monument, but some have reduced or redrawn the boundaries on 18 occasions, according to the National Park Service. The most recent instance came in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy slightly downsized Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.

Trump signed an executive order in April directing Zinke to review the protections, which Trump is able to upend under the 1906 Antiquities Act. The law gives presidents broad authority to declare federal lands as monuments and restrict their use.

Zinke has also recommended to Trump that Nevadas Gold Butte and Oregons Cascade-Siskiyou monuments be reduced, though details are unclear. His plan would allow logging at a newly designated monument in Maine and more grazing, hunting and fishing at two sites in New Mexico.

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Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey in Salt Lake City and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
DETROIT  Democratic Rep. John Conyers resigned from Congress on Tuesday after a nearly 53-year career, becoming the first Capitol Hill politician to lose his job in the torrent of sexual misconduct allegations sweeping through the nations workplaces.

The 88-year-old civil rights leader and longest-serving member of the House announced what he referred to as his retirement on Detroit talk radio, while continuing to deny he groped or sexually harassed women who worked for him.

My legacy cant be compromised or diminished in any way by what were going through now, said the congressman, who called into the radio show from the hospital where he was taken last week after complaining of lightheadedness. This, too, shall pass. My legacy will continue through my children.

He endorsed his son John Conyers III to succeed him.

Conyers, who was first elected in 1964 and went on to become a founding member in 1971 of the Congressional Black Caucus, easily won re-election last year to his 27th term in his heavily Democratic district in and around Detroit.

But after being publicly accused by one woman after another in recent weeks, he faced growing calls to resign from colleagues in the House, including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

As the furor grew, he stepped down as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and the Ethics Committee began investigating him.

Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York said he was saddened by the resignation of his friend and mentor but added: There can be no tolerance for behavior that subjects women to the kind of conduct that has been alleged.

It will be up to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to set a date for a special election to pick someone to serve out the remaining year in Conyers two-year term. State Sen. Ian Conyers, a grandson of Conyers brother, said he plans to run for the seat.

On Monday, yet another allegation was lodged against Conyers, when a woman who said she worked for him for more than a decade, Elisa Grubbs, said he slid his hand up her skirt and rubbed her thighs while she was sitting next to him in the front row of a church.

Grubbs also said she repeatedly saw Conyers touching and stroking the legs and buttocks of other female staffers. Such behavior was a regular part of life while working in the office of Rep. Conyers, she said.

Grubbs is the cousin of another accuser, Marion Brown, who reached a confidential, taxpayer-funded settlement of more than $27,000 over allegations Conyers sexually harassed her. That settlement came to light in mid-November, setting off the cascade of allegations against the congressman.

At least two other women who worked for him have accused him of sexual misconduct.

This is about much more than one congressman, Grubbs attorney, Lisa Bloom, said in an email after Conyers resigned. Systemic change is urgently needed so no other women have to endure the retaliation, secrecy and delays my client Marion Brown and others experienced.

While Hollywood and media titans accused of sexual misconduct have been swiftly fired in recent weeks, including studio boss Harvey Weinstein and TV news hosts Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose, that has not been the case in Congress, where lawmakers have spoken of due process and clung to the argument that the voters have the final say.

Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold of Texas and Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen of Nevada have all rebuffed calls to step down, though Republican Rep. Joe Barton of Texas has said he wont seek re-election next year.

Conyers said in a statement read Tuesday on the floor of the House that he was resigning to preserve my legacy and good name.

He also complained that he was not being afforded due process to defend himself, and cited his health problems as another factor in his decision. He added that he hopes his retirement will be viewed in the larger perspective of his more than 50 years as a lawmaker.

Conyers regularly won elections with more than 80 percent of the vote.

He co-sponsored a 1972 resolution recommending President Richard Nixons impeachment for his conduct of the Vietnam War and regularly introduced a bill from 1989 onward to study the harm caused by slavery and the possibility of reparations to the descendants of slaves.

After a 15-year struggle, Conyers succeeded in establishing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday as a federal holiday in 1986. He employed civil rights legend Rosa Parks at his Detroit district office for more than two decades.

Word of Conyers resignation was met with sadness among House Democrats. The uproar had divided members of his party, especially those in the Congressional Black Caucus. Pelosi, too, had struggled, calling Conyers an icon before pressing days later for him to go.

Congressman Conyers has served in the Congress for more than five decades, and shaped some of the most consequential legislation of the last half century, Pelosi said following his retirement. But no matter how great the legacy, it is no license to harass or discriminate. The brave women who came forward  were owed the justice of this announcement.

The furor over Conyers unfolded as the sexual misconduct allegations against Franken and Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore sent members of both parties rushing to choose sides.

I think that we lose our moral authority if we also dont call out those we love who have done things that are bad, said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. I think we have to recognize and be able to hold the dueling possibilities that somebody can be a great man and have done great things for our country and for civil rights but also have done terrible things that require accountability.

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This story has been corrected to show that Barton, not Farenthold, has announced he wont seek re-election, and to show that Conyers career was nearly 53 years, not 52.

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Lardner contributed to this story from Washington. Associated Press reporter Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this story.

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PHOENIX  Police say seven protesters arrested at Sen. John McCains office in Phoenix will be facing trespassing charges.

The Arizona Republic reports the six men and one woman taken into custody are members of a group calling for Congress to pass a Dream Act, which would protect people brought into the country illegally as children.

The seven arrested were among 40 protesters urging McCain to sign a pledge asking Congress to adopt the Dream Act.

Mondays protest was among many at congressional offices across the country.

Senators are being asked by activists to oppose any omnibus spending bill that doesnt include a Dream Act.

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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
LA LUZ  Southern New Mexico is home to several historic sites and national treasures such as the Otero Mesa and White Sands National Monument, but Otero County is also home to a hidden gem that many people are not even aware exists.

Secluded in the Laborcita and Fresnal canyons in the foothills of the Sacramento Mountains lies the La Luz Pottery Factory, one of the most important historic sites in Otero County that was built in 1930 by Rowland Hazard III.

The once thriving pottery factory that has had a major impact in southern New Mexico is hoping to have the title of a National Historic Landmark in the near future due to its significance and contribution of making the small community of La Luz recognized worldwide.

The history of the La Luz Pottery Factory

Hazard, a native from Newport, Rhode Island, was traveling from New York to Santa Barbara, California, on his way to visit his mother in the early 1920s when he was forced to stop at the La Luz Lodge due to car troubles. Hazard was taken aback when he witnessed the sunsets behind the mountains and the beauty of the area and climate.

Described as a millionaire, Hazard returned to La Luz one year later and bought large tracts of ranch property, acquired water rights in La Luz and Fresnal Creeks and purchased the La Luz Lodge for his temporary residence.

During his time in La Luz, Hazard discovered high-grade clay deposits on the ranch and founded Aguadero Corp. in 1930 and began commercially producing pottery, especially roof tiles, at the La Luz Pottery Factory.

Hazard recruited and hired the Rodriguez brothers, Cornelio, Abraham and Ubaldo as principal potters. The brothers worked in La Luz during the summers and returned to their own pottery plant in La Jolla, California, in the winter.

Abraham and Ubaldo married local Alamogordo women. Abraham and Cornelio remained in Alamogordo the rest of their lives. Their work can be seen from the coasts of California all the way to southern New Mexico.

Pottery factory recognized nationally

Professor of Anthropology and New Mexico History at New Mexico State University-Alamogordo, Pete Eidenbach said the La Luz Pottery Factory is listed on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register in 1979. The site was donated to the Tularosa Basin Historical Society for long-term preservation.

Many people are supportive of the idea of making the La Luz Pottery Factory a National Historic Landmark because it gives it more prominence, said Eidenbach. Having this title the site would have more oversight by U.S. Congress. If its private they would just give it more money but it needs the status to get more exposure. The only landmarks in southern New Mexico is the Trinity Site and the Launch Complex 33 at White Sands Missile Range. We need a civilian one, it will give it more visibility. The more visitors we get, the easier it is to preserve it.

Many of the structures at the La Luz Pottery Factory remain in good and solid condition. The structures include a laboratory, showroom, two kilns, commissary, bunkhouse, clay processing structure and a blacksmith shop. The property contains 235 acres with water rights and the extensive clay pits.

One of the most prominent features of the La Luz Pottery Factory is the large kiln chimney. The outside of both kilns are covered with adobe bricks and reinforced with iron straps. The interior of the kiln and chimney are constructed with fire brick. The brick was designed to take thermal shock of extreme changes in temperature.

By the mid-1930s, the La Luz Pottery Company had expanded its product line to include floor tiles, urns and a variety of decorative pots based on designs from the Mediterranean. The company also printed a colorful catalog and even had a showroom in New York City, as well as selling ceramics in 44 of the 50 states and several foreign countries.

Tours offered to the public

Eidenbach said the historical site should have the recognition it deserves by becoming a National Historic Landmark.

Most of the country doesnt know our history, they just know Billy the Kid, he said. There is so much history in Otero County, especially at the La Luz Pottery Factory, it played a big part in this countys economy back in the 1930s and the pottery is still regarded as one of the best. Its very special and unique. Rowland Hazard and the Rodriguez brothers helped bring these communities into the modern age.

Eidenbach offers tours to the public of the La Luz Pottery Factory. For more information or to schedule tours, contact the Tularosa Basin Historical Society, 1004 N. White Sands Blvd., at 434-4438. Walking shoes and water is recommended for the tour.



2017 the Alamogordo Daily News (Alamogordo, N.M.)

Visit the Alamogordo Daily News (Alamogordo, N.M.) at www.alamogordonews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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WASHINGTON  President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown has produced a spike in detentions by deportation officers across the country during his first months in office. At the same time, arrests along the Mexican border have fallen sharply, apparently as fewer people have tried to sneak into the U.S.

Figures released by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday show Trump is delivering on his pledge to more strictly control immigration and suggest that would-be immigrants are getting the message to not even think about crossing the border illegally.

Even as border crossings decline, however, Trump continues to push for his promised wall along the border  a wall that critics say is unnecessary and a waste of cash.

The new numbers, which offer the most complete snapshot yet of immigration enforcement under Trump, show that Border Patrol arrests plunged to a 45-year low in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, with far fewer people being apprehended between official border crossings.

In all, the Border Patrol made 310,531 arrests in fiscal 2016, down 25 percent from a year earlier and the lowest level since 1971.

Officials have credited that drop to Trumps harsh anti-immigration rhetoric and policies, including widely publicized arrests of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

Theres a new recognition by would-be immigrants that the U.S. is not hanging up a welcome sign, said Michelle Mittelstadt, of the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute think tank. She pointed to Trumps rhetoric, as well as his policies. I think theres a sense that the U.S. is less hospitable.

But Mittelstadt also stressed that the numbers are part of a larger trend that began well before Trumps inauguration: Mexicos improving economy and more opportunities at home have stemmed the tide of people flowing across the border for work.

Youve really had a realignment in migration from Mexico, she said, noting that the numbers of Mexicans apprehended in 2017 fell by 34 percent from the previous year.

The decline in border crossings continues a trend that began during the Obama administration, and marks a dramatic drop from 2000, when more than 1.6 million people were apprehended crossing the southwest border alone.

Overall, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said, deportations over the last year dropped about 6 percent from the previous year  a number tied to the sharp decline in border crossings as well as a backlog in the immigration courts that process deportations.

But that number masks a striking uptick in arrests away from the border. Those arrests have sparked fear and anger in immigrant communities, where many worry the government is now targeting them.

ICE said the number of interior removals  people who are apprehended away from the border  jumped 25 percent this year to 81,603. And the increase is 37 percent after Trumps inauguration compared to the same period the year before.

The president made it clear in his executive orders: Theres no population off the table, Thomas Homan, ICEs acting director, told reporters in Washington on Tuesday. If youre in this country illegally, were looking for you and were going to look to apprehend you.

In February, former Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who now serves as Trumps chief of staff, scrapped the Obama administrations policy of limiting deportations to people who pose a public safety threat, convicted criminals and those who have crossed the border recently, effectively making anyone in the country illegally vulnerable to apprehension.

Trump campaigned as an immigration hard-liner, accusing Mexico of sending rapists and other criminals to the U.S. and promising to build a great wall on our southern border. As president, he has signed a series of travel bans aimed at curtailing who can enter the country, pushed to overhaul the legal immigration system and tried to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to share information about illegal immigrants with federal authorities. He has also pushed for funding for his border wall.

The new numbers, which include the last months of the Obama administration, provide new ammunition to Trump critics who question the need to spend billions of dollars on a border wall if crossings are already dropping. But officials insisted the wall was still needed.

Yeah, the traffic is down. Thats a good thing, said Ronald Vitiello, the acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. But, to take the 1,000 arrests a day to say that were finished, its not stating what the facts are. Were still arresting nearly 1,000 people a day coming across the border, he said.

Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi saw it differently.

The administration can try to twist these numbers into whatever they please, he said. But the fact remains that after unprecedented investments in border security over the last decade, the border has become harder to cross and fewer people are trying.

Despite the overall decline in border arrests, the numbers have increased every month since May and many of those apprehended have been families and unaccompanied children.

The actual number of illegal borders crossings isnt known because many people slip in undetected. Immigration authorities caught just over half of the people who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico in 2015, according to a report commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security. Thats much lower than the success rate DHS had cited publicly.

South of the Arizona border in the Mexican town of Nogales, many of the deportees who were eating breakfast Monday at a dining room run by a nonprofit group had been picked up in the U.S. far from the border.

We are seeing a lot of people now who have long established ties in the United States, said Joanna Foote Williams, the Kino Border Initiatives director of education and advocacy, as about 40 men and a few women ate eggs, refried beans and tortillas.

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Spagat reported from San Diego. AP writer Anita Snow contributed from Nogales, Mexico. Follow Spagat and Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/elliotspagat and https://twitter.com/colvinj
ATHENS, Greece  Demonstrators broke their way into Greeces Labor Ministry and clashed with riot police outside the prime ministers office Tuesday, in protest against a new agreement between the country and bailout creditors that includes limiting the right to strike.

The labor unions also called a general strike for Dec. 14.

Police fired tear gas outside the office of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras after protesters forced their way past a cordon and clashed with officers on duty.

Earlier, demonstrators forced open the shuttered entrance of the Labor Ministry on a busy commercial street in the center of the city.

The clashes occurred hours after finance ministers from the 19 eurozone countries backed a provisional agreement on the terms of a late-January bailout disbursement.

Under the provisional agreement, the government also commits to expand the privatization of a state power company and help speed up efforts to clear a huge backlog of banks soured loans  measures that are both politically unpopular.

Labor reforms are highly controversial in Greece, where unemployment remains over 20 percent and poverty levels have surged over the past few years since the country first required an international financial rescue in 2010.

A legal amendment to toughen strike rules was proposed in parliament as part of unrelated draft legislation late Monday and withdrawn hours later for further consultation.

Tuesdays protest was organized by a union control by the Greek Communist Party, which has led multiple protests against Tsipras left-led coalition government.

This government of dirty tricks. It has surprised everyone with its willingness to take instructions from the (bailout creditors), Communist Party deputy Christos Katsotis said.

Greeces largest labor unions have called a 24-hour strike against the proposed labor reforms on Dec. 14.

The government has promised to restore labor rights  but at the same time it is weakening the most fundamental tool of collective action, the right to strike, the General Confederation of Greek Labor, the countrys largest union, said.

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Follow Giannakouris at http://www.twitter.com/PGiannakouris and Gatopoulos at http://www.twitter.com/dgatopoulos
WASHINGTON  The special counsel investigation into possible coordination between President Donald Trumps campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election has cost more than $6.7 million so far, according to a financial report released Tuesday.

The release of the report by special counsel Robert Muellers office comes as the investigation appears to be gaining steam: Prosecutors have gained a key cooperator in their investigation and revealed that they are keenly focused on the actions of the president and his inner circle.

Of the overall price tag, only about $3.2 million was spent directly by the special counsels office. An additional $3.5 million was paid out by the Justice Department to support the investigation, though the special counsels office says that money would have been spent on ongoing probes anyway, even if Mueller had not been appointed.

Mueller incorporated several active investigations within the Justice Department including those of Trump campaign contacts with Russia, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manaforts business activities and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

The details of the expenditures related to Muellers investigation were laid out in a report released publicly by the special counsels office. The report covers from May 17, the date of Muellers appointment, through Sept. 30, the end of the federal fiscal year.

According to Muellers report, the special counsels office spent about $1.7 million for salaries and benefits and more than $223,000 for travel-related expenses. The majority of the travel costs stemmed from the relocation of Justice Department employees temporarily assigned to the expanding investigation.

The office also spent nearly $734,000 on equipment and about $363,000 on rent, communications and utilities.

Previous special counsel investigations, including probes of President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s, have also spent millions over a few months time.

A 1999 General Accounting Office report, for example, showed that independent counsel Kenneth Starrs office spent $6.2 million in the last six months of 1998, though its unclear if that amount included both direct expenditures by the special counsel and supporting agency costs. In the report released Tuesday, Muellers office noted that previous special counsels only reported direct costs and not those incurred separately by the Justice Department on their own expenditure reports.

The four-and-a-half year investigations headed by Starr and his successor, Robert Ray, cost more than $52 million in taxpayer funds as they probed Clinton and then-first lady Hillary Clinton.

A 2000 General Accounting Office report that detailed those figures said that $36 million came from congressional appropriations and $16 million from other federal agency costs. Starrs predecessor, Robert Fiske, spent an additional $6 million investigating the Clintons involvement in the Whitewater real estate deal, according to a May 1999 GAO report.

Starrs investigation turned over documentation to the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee, which impeached Bill Clinton in December 1998 on single charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related to his affair with intern Monica Lewinsky. A Senate vote in February 1999 failed to convict Clinton on those charges.

So far, Muellers team has charged four people as part of the ongoing investigation.

Last week, Flynn pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lying to the FBI and agreed to cooperate with Muellers investigators. George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, made a similar plea deal with Muellers prosecutors in October. Both men admitted to lying to the FBI about their contacts with Russians related to their work for Trump.

In addition, Manafort and his longtime business associate, Rick Gates, are currently facing several felony charges brought by the special counsels office. Those charges involve allegations of money laundering and other financial crimes related to their political consulting work in Ukraine.

In its report, Muellers team notes that it draws its funding from a revolving permanent, indefinite appropriation for independent counsels provided by Congress, as well as from non-reimbursed Justice Department agency expenditures and from intelligence agency appropriations.

In a statement, the special counsels office said it will release a similar expenditure report after March 31, 2018.

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Associated Press writer Stephen Braun contributed to this report.

__

Read the report: http://apne.ws/gSCjlpR
Ahmed Albanna, the UAE's ambassador to India, launched an appaimed at helping both Indians as well as visiting UAE nationals and said that his country stands by India in its fight against terrorism.

By Geeta Mohan: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to India Ahmed Albanna announced the launch of a new mobile app aimed at helping visitors from both nations. He also announced opening of three new consular offices in India in an effort to reach out and make visa application for Indians easy.

Ambassador Ahmed Albanna spoke of the advantages of the mobile app, saying, "The Embassy has created two applications on Apple Store and Google Play where you can access that under the name of United Arab Emirates Embassy, New Delhi,"

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A statement of the UAE embassy said, "The app is more like a map having key destinations/points along with proper guidance to help process/resolve the issue. For the UAE nationals, it provides services such as 'Twajudi' (service aimed at helping any national return in case of emergency), and help in the case of loss of passport."

The UAE is home to around 2.8 million expatriate Indians, many of whom are blue collar workers in the infrastructure sector.

"For Indian nationals, the app provides visa and attestation information to help in bridging the gap information to smoothening the overall process," the statement said.

Speaking on the importance to increase engagement with and services for Indians, the envoy announced setting up of three more consular offices that would enable Indians to procure visas with ease without having to travel far.

"Under the present circumstances, if people from Chandigarh, Chennai and Hyderabad want a visa to the UAE, they have to travel to either Mumbai or Delhi or Kerala. So to prevent hardship for the people, we are soon going to open our consular and visa centres in these cities," said Dr Ahmed Albanna,

After the constant high level engagement between India and UAE, the level of cooperation on security and strategic matters have also gone up. To a question on fighting terrorism and the recent release of Hafiz Saeed from house arrest by Pakistan, the envoy denounced terrorism and emphasised that the "information sharing" between the two countries is "regular" and has "increased".

"We exchange a lot of information and we have created a mechanism in terms of dissemination of information and exchange of information," Albanna said.

"We denounce terrorism, we denounce extremism. We work very closely with India, with many different countries in the world, to counter-attack all those organisations that have been listed or proscribed either by the UN or by some other countries or our own country as terrorist organisation and extremist organisation, and we work together to fight those organisations," he said.

--- ENDS ---
LAS CRUCES  A coalition of New Mexicans in support for Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte national monuments called on President Donald Trump to leave the states monuments alone.

Trump on Monday scaled back two sprawling national monuments in Utah, declaring that public lands will once again be for public use in a move cheered by Republican leaders who lobbied him to undo protections they considered overly broad.

Trump made the plan official during a speech at the Utah State Capitol, where he signed proclamations to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. Both monuments encompass millions of acres of land.

Bears Ears, created last December by President Barack Obama, will be reduced by about 85 percent, to 201,876 acres (315 square miles).

Grand Staircase-Escalante, designated in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, will be reduced from nearly 1.9 million acres (nearly 3,000 square miles) to 1,003,863 acres (1,569 square miles).

Both were among a group of 27 monuments that Trump ordered Zinke to review this year. Also in the review were the national monuments in New Mexico.

Both OMDP and RGDN enjoy wide public support, though some had called on the president to consider shrinking the size of the monument. Zinkes review did not call for reducing the size of either New Mexico monument, but did suggest the federal government and tribal leaders take a bigger role in management and more grazing, hunting and fishing at two sites.

Trumps announcement in Utah was met with protests. And Native American leaders say theyre vowing to fight Trumps order in court.

A small group voiced their concerns in front of Las Cruces City Hall on Monday.

Were here to stand in solidarity with the people who backed those (Utah) monuments to say that we believe that the action taken by the president is illegal and we expect for that to be challenged in court, said Billy Garrett, Dona Ana County commissioner and candidate for New Mexico lieutenant governor.

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, on its Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument website, said Trumps actions represent the greatest assault on Americas public lands in U.S. history.

Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante are unquestionably the types of places that the Antiquities Act was intended to protect for future generations, said U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., in a prepared statement. Dismantling protections for these landscapes sets a dangerous precedent that fuels an even larger campaign to attack many of our most treasured public lands across the nation.

No president has tried to eliminate a monument, but some have reduced or redrawn the boundaries on 18 occasions, according to the National Park Service. The most recent instance came in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy slightly downsized Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.



2017 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

_____
LA MARQUE, Texas  Authorities near Galveston say a police officer has shot and killed a man who threatened a woman with a sword and later attacked the officer.

La Marque police said in a statement that officers responded Sunday night to a home burglary report and the resident said an intruder threatened her with the sword.

Police Chief Kirk Jackson told The Galveston County Daily News that 62-year-old Gregory Ray Ham barricaded the woman in a room but then fled to a nearby building.

Jackson says officer Jose Santos and his police dog entered the building and were attacked by Ham, leading Santos to fire his weapon.

Ham died at the scene.

Both Santos and his dog were treated for injuries.

Santos was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
VATICAN CITY  The Vatican is heading into a regular review of its efforts to fight money laundering amid a mysterious firing at its bank and ongoing questions about Pope Francis ability to reform the Holy Sees finances.

The Council of Europes Moneyval committee is expected to issue a progress report Wednesday on the Vaticans compliance with international norms to fight money-laundering and terror financing, particularly at its bank.

A week before the Moneyval report, the Vatican abruptly fired the banks respected deputy manager, Giulio Mattietti, who had been instrumental in getting the Vatican its initial passing grade with Moneyval in 2012.

No reason was given. The bank, known as the Institute for Religious Works, has only issued a cryptic statement saying Mattietti left after due consideration and as part of normal administration procedures.

While unconnected, the firing followed the mysterious departure of the Vaticans first-ever auditor general, Libero Milone, in June. The Vatican initially said Milone had resigned, albeit two years into a five-year term. Only after Milone claimed the Vatican made trumped-up charges against him did the Vatican accuse him of having hired an outside firm to spy on Vatican officials.

No replacement has been named.

And in another blow to Francis financial reform plans, the Vaticans finance minister, Cardinal George Pell, took a leave of absence in July to face historic sex abuse charges in his native Australia. Pell denies the allegations. But his Secretariat for the Economy  created by Francis in one of his first major efforts to streamline the Vaticans finances  has been leaderless ever since.

The Vatican does have one positive note to show Moneyval: It recently put two former officials of the popes pediatric hospital on trial on embezzlement charges, precisely the type of prosecution Moneyval evaluators want to see as evidence of the Vaticans enforcement of its own laws on financial transparency and accountability.

The former hospital president was convicted of lesser abuse of office charges and sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence; the former hospital treasurer was absolved.

The Vatican submitted to the Moneyval evaluation process after it signed onto the 2009 EU Monetary Convention and in a bid to shed its image as a financially shady tax haven whose bank has long been embroiled in scandal.

In the prior 2015 evaluation, Moneyval urged Vatican prosecutors to actually bring charges in some of the 25 money-laundering investigations they had opened.
EDINBURG, Texas  A former monk has testified that an ex-priest accused of killing a Texas woman in 1960 confessed to him three years after the killing.

Dale Tacheny testified Monday in the murder trial for John Feit, who is accused of suffocating Irene Garza after she went to confession at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen. An autopsy determined the teacher and former beauty queen was beaten, raped while unconscious and asphyxiated.

Tacheny said the now 85-year-old Feit confessed to him in 1963, after the church sent Feit to a Missouri monastery where Tacheny worked. The former Trappist monk said Feit expressed no remorse during the confession.

Tacheny said he didnt initially report the crime because it was not my place to make a judgment. The 88-year-old said he instead tried to counsel Feit to change his behavior toward women. But in 2002, Tacheny went to police in San Antonio and reported what Feit allegedly told him decades earlier.

Investigators said Feit gave them conflicting versions of what happened the day Garza died in April 1960. They said Feit initially alleged he didnt take Garzas confession and that another priest was present at the time. But he later said he was alone and had taken Garzas confession, according to investigators.

Feits attorney argues there is no physical evidence linking his client to the killing. He also said Tacheny made assumptions about the crime when he reported it to police in 2002.
FORT MOHAVE, Ariz.  A northwestern Arizona man is accused of giving his 14-year-old daughter a gun and telling her to kill herself.

The Mohave County Sheriffs Office says 38-year-old Ulys Laffette Bell IV of Fort Mohave told deputies he had disciplinary issues with his daughter, handed her a handgun and told her to pull the trigger.

Sheriffs spokeswoman Sue Callahan says it isnt confirmed that the gun was unloaded at the time because authorities didnt learn about the incident Sunday until the girl told school officials about it on Monday.

Bell is jailed on suspicion of disorderly conduct with a weapon, child abuse and endangerment.

It isnt immediately known whether he has an attorney who could comment on the allegations.

Fort Mohave is 85 miles (137 kilometers) south of Las Vegas.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital on Wednesday despite intense Arab, Muslim and European opposition to a move that would upend decades of U.S. policy and risk potentially violent protests.

Trump will instruct the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, U.S. officials said Tuesday. It remains unclear, however, when he might take that physical step, which is required by U.S. law but has been waived on national security grounds for more than two decades.

The officials said numerous logistical and security details, as well as site determination and construction, will need to be finalized first. Because of those issues, the embassy is not likely to move for at least 3 or 4 years, presuming there is no future change in U.S. policy.

To that end, the officials said Trump will sign a waiver delaying the embassy move, which is required by U.S. law every six months. He will continue to sign the waiver until preparations for the embassy move are complete.

The officials said recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital will be an acknowledgement of historical and current reality rather than a political statement and said the citys physical and political borders will not be compromised. They noted that almost all of Israels government agencies and parliament are in Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, where the U.S. and other countries maintain embassies.

The U.S. officials spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity Tuesday because they were not authorized to publicly preview Trumps Wednesday announcement. Their comments mirrored those of officials who spoke on the issue last week.

The declaration of Jerusalem as Israels capital is a rhetorical volley that could have its own dangerous consequences. The United States has never endorsed the Jewish states claim of sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem and has insisted its status be resolved through Israeli-Palestinian negotiation.

The mere consideration of Trump changing the status quo sparked a renewed U.S. security warning on Tuesday. Americas consulate in Jerusalem ordered U.S. personnel and their families to avoid visiting Jerusalems Old City or the West Bank, and urged American citizens in general to avoid places with increased police or military presence.

Trump, as a presidential candidate, repeatedly promised to move the U.S. embassy. However, U.S. leaders have routinely and unceremoniously delayed such a move since President Bill Clinton signed a law in 1995 stipulating that the United States must relocate its diplomatic presence to Jerusalem unless the commander in chief issues a waiver on national security grounds.

Key national security advisers  including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis  have urged caution, according to the officials, who said Trump has been receptive to some of their concerns.

The concerns are real: Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital could be viewed as America discarding its longstanding neutrality and siding with Israel at a time that the presidents son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been trying to midwife a new peace process into existence. Trump, too, has spoken of his desire for a deal of the century that would end Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

U.S. officials, along with an outside adviser to the administration, said they expected a broad statement from Trump about Jerusalems status as the capital of Israel. The president isnt planning to use the phrase undivided capital, according to the officials. Such terminology is favored by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and would imply Israels sovereignty over east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians seek for their own future capital.

Jerusalem includes the holiest ground in Judaism. But its also home to Islams third-holiest shrine and major Christian sites, and forms the combustible center of the Israeli-Arab conflict. Any perceived harm to Muslim claims to the city has triggered volatile protests in the past, both in the Holy Land and across the Muslim world.

Within the Trump administration, officials on Tuesday fielded a flood of warnings from allied governments.

The Jerusalem declaration notwithstanding, one official said Trump would insist that issues of sovereignty and borders must be negotiated by Israel and the Palestinians. The official said Trump would call for Jordan to maintain its role as the legal guardian of Jerusalems Muslim holy places, and reflect Israel and Palestinian wishes for a two-state peace solution.

Still, any U.S. declaration on Jerusalems status ahead of a peace deal would harm peace negotiation process and escalate tension in the region, Saudi Arabias King Salman told Trump Tuesday, according to a Saudi readout of their telephone conversation. Declaring Jerusalem as Israels capital, the king said, would constitute a flagrant provocation to all Muslims, all over the world.

In his calls to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordans King Abdullah II, Trump delivered what appeared to be identical messages of intent. Both leaders warned Trump that moving the embassy would threaten Mideast peace efforts and security and stability in the Middle East and the world, according to statements from their offices. The statements didnt speak to Trumps plans for recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the head of the Arab League, urged the U.S. to reconsider any recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, warning of repercussions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Parliament such recognition was a red line and that Turkey could respond by cutting diplomatic ties with Israel.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he reminded Trump in a phone call Monday that Jerusalem should be determined through negotiations on setting up an independent Palestine alongside Israel. Meeting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said actions undermining peace efforts must be absolutely avoided.

Despite Trumps comments to world leaders, U.S. officials said an embassy announcement wasnt seen as imminent. Instead, they said Trump on Wednesday would likely sign a waiver pushing off any announcement of moving the embassy to Jerusalem for another six months.

Trump also will give wide latitude to his ambassador in Israel, David Friedman, to make a determination on when a Jerusalem embassy would be appropriate, according to the officials. Friedman has spoken in favor of the move.

Majdi Khaldi, Abbas diplomatic adviser, said Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital could end Washingtons role as mediator.

This would mean they decided, on their own, to distance themselves from efforts to make peace, Khaldi told The Associated Press in perhaps the most sharply worded reaction by a Palestinian official. He said such recognition would lead the Palestinians to eliminate contacts with the United States.

Changing Jerusalems status would be a stab in the back, Husam Zomlot, the Palestinians chief delegate to Washington, told the AP.

Palestinian political factions led by Abbas Fatah movement called for daily protest marches this week, starting Wednesday. East Jerusalem, now home to more than 300,000 Palestinians, was captured by Israel in 1967 and then annexed in a move most of the international community has not recognized.

___

Federman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Karin Laub in Amman, Jordan; Josh Lederman in Brussels; Matthew Pennington and Bradley Klapper in Washington; Elaine Ganley in Paris; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
At the urging of many in the criminal justice system, the state Supreme Court has amended its court orders that set deadlines for prosecutors to arraign, turn over evidence and bring cases to trial in Bernalillo County.

District Attorney Raul Torrez welcomed the changes but said his office will continue to struggle to meet even the extended deadlines unless it gets money for more prosecutors and other resources.

The Administrative Office of the Courts on Tuesday announced the rule changes, which were made after defense lawyers, public defenders, prosecutors and others worked for months to address issues with the case management order, or CMO.

The CMO, put in place in February 2015, was aimed at quickening the pace at which criminal cases were litigated in District Court in Bernalillo County. One of the goals was to address a Metropolitan Detention Center that was crowded and packed with men and women who hadnt been convicted of crimes and were waiting for trial.

The average daily population when the case management order went into effect in was 1,660, and that average dropped to 1,100 in October of this year, according to the Bernalillo County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Torrez, who took office in January, has said the CMO has been a burden to prosecutors and contributed to the citys rising crime rate  because so many cases were dismissed after prosecutors didnt meet the new deadlines. He urged the states highest court to make some changes to the rules.

Torrez said Tuesday that the rule changes, which will take effect Jan. 18, are an improvement, but added that they do not represent the kind of comprehensive change we were hoping for.

Torrez had wanted prosecutions in Albuquerque to be governed by rules in other judicial districts throughout the state, which dont have the same type of deadlines.

Matt Coyte, president of the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, said the changes address the concerns about the case management order and will show that the deadlines didnt harm the local criminal justice system as Torrez and others in law enforcement have contended.

An unintended benefit from these rule changes is the DA will no longer be able to point at the CMO as the cause of rising crime, he said in a statement. It will become evident the changes obtained by the state have absolutely no effect on crime rates.

One change is that judges wont sanction prosecutors  by dismissing their cases, for example  if there is a failure to transport a defendant to court that isnt the fault of the prosecutor. Torrez had said during public meetings that in at least one case a criminal defendant refused to be transported to court and then had the case dismissed.

The rule changes also say that after a case has been dismissed without prejudice or voluntarily dismissed by prosecutors, the same charges can be refiled without the need for a new probable cause determination. That means prosecutors wont have to present the case to a grand jury as long as they already had done so before the case was dismissed.

It should help conserve some of the limited resources we have, and it should help our law enforcement partners keep officers on the street, Torrez said.

But Coyte said he was concerned about how prosecutors would use that rule change.

Some of the changes open the rule to potential abuse, he said. For example, the state could routinely fail to meet case deadlines, then dismiss the case and refile it to obtain a brand new scheduling order. This would delay cases by months or even years.

Torrez said his office wont use such tactics.

Its not in our interest to try to do extra work in these criminal cases, he said. Were focused on being as efficient as possible.

Richard Pugh, the district defender at Law Offices of the Public Defender in Albuquerque, said the rule changes address Torrezs concerns but keep in place the goals of the case management order.

We are confident that these amendments to the local rule will resolve the concerns of the district attorney and provide for a more streamlined and effective criminal justice system, he said in an email. Overall, we believe the changes are positive.

Many of the other changes extended the deadlines for disclosing evidence and scheduling pretrial interviews. But its unlikely those changes will lead to any significant changes in how criminal cases are adjudicated, Torrez and Coyte said.

For example, prosecutors will have five more days for the initial disclosure of evidence if a defendant is in custody, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The changes that we saw today, while they were certainly appreciated, arent fundamentally going to alter the timelines or the resource constraints within the office, Torrez said.

Rule governing criminal case management pilot program by Albuquerque Journal on Scribd
A double murder suspect was apprehended by undercover officers Monday evening, just hours after he was released from the county jail for reasons that are unclear.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Simon Drobik said Angel Celis was arrested just 3 1/2 hours after the department was notified of his release  a turnaround time that he said was unheard of in fugitive apprehension.

Why Celis was released remains unclear, and spokeswomen for both the county and Metropolitan Detention Center did no respond to requests seeking details. Court records show that a judge in March 2016 ordered Celis to be held without bond.

Celis is accused of shooting and killing two women just hours apart in January 2016.

Drobik said Celis was found at a friend or familys southeast Albuquerque home.

They just go back to where they know, Drobik said.

Court documents show Judge Alisa Hart issued a warrant for Celis arrest at 3:30 p.m. Monday. And online Metropolitan Detention Center records show Celis was arrested around 7:35 p.m. at an address on east Central near Utah.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

WASHINGTON  Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke suggested Tuesday that President Donald Trump make no boundary changes for New Mexicos national monuments, and instead recommended altering their management plans to protect grazing rights and the ability to combat drug traffickers.

Zinkes recommendations for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte national monuments in New Mexico  and about two dozen other monuments around the country  came on the heels of Trumps announcement Monday that he would slash the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Escalante Staircase monuments in Utah, also on Zinkes recommendation.

My recommendation was not to make any revisions on the boundaries, of New Mexicos monuments, Zinke told reporters in a conference call, adding that his decision was based on input from New Mexicans ranging from the congressional delegation to conservationists to traditional grazing advocates and others. New Mexico was comfortable with the monuments, and I just want to make sure that we have the ability to actively manage the properties in perpetuity.

That New Mexicos monuments were spared a downsizing recommendation from the interior secretary came as something of a relief to environmentalists and conservationists in the state and in Washington. But the monuments proponents  and Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both D-N.M.,  still worried that vague instruction in Zinkes management suggestions could result in diminished protections in New Mexico. Udall urged advocates of the monuments to keep up pressure on the Trump administration.

While Secretary Zinke has assured me that he doesnt plan major changes, the question of New Mexicos monuments is now in President Trumps hands, Udall said. Until we see what the president will sign, this fight is not over, and New Mexicans should keep calling and writing and making their voices heard.

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance issued a statement saying, We believe any changes to the presidential proclamations creating these monuments are unwarranted, unwelcome, and illegal.

A coalition of the Hopi, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni tribes and the Navajo Nation sued late Monday to challenge the Bears Ears reduction, which cuts monument status for the rugged land in southeastern Utah by about 85 percent. Bears Ears features thousands of Native American artifacts, including prehistoric cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.

The White House told the Journal on Tuesday that it remains unclear when Trump will take final action on Zinkes New Mexico monument suggestions. While Zinke hasnt suggested reducing the New Mexico monuments size, changes to the proclamation establishing them could potentially reduce some protections put in place when former President Barack Obama established them in New Mexico.

Zinke told reporters Tuesday that some in New Mexicos agricultural community had expressed concerns that livestock grazing could be curtailed at the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument near Taos and that drug smuggling routes were a concern in the area near the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces along New Mexicos southern border.

Its making sure that the proclamation protects the long-standing culture of grazing in those monuments, Zinke said of his final report to Trump on the monuments. Along the border, were asking for our Border Patrol to give us a review of possible improvements that could be made to make sure they have the right rules in place so they can execute their mission.

One northern New Mexico ranching group has complained that the monument designation has reduced access to grazing lands. But Sarah Schlanger, Taos Field Office manager for the Bureau of Land Management, said in October that no roads have been closed since the Rio Grande del Norte monument was created and that roads have been maintained as they were previously. Schlanger also said that none of the areas grazing permittees had failed to renew of grazing permits because of the monument designation. The BLM manages the Rio Grande del Norte.

In the final monuments report released Monday, Zinke suggested that Trump alter the proclamations for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte to ensure compliance with the provisions and intent of the (Antiquities) Act while also prioritizing public access; infrastructure upgrades, repair, and maintenance; traditional use; tribal cultural use; and hunting and fishing rights.

Sharon Buccino, director of the land and wildlife program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the Journal that directive could be subject to broad interpretation.

On its facade, some of that is good, but what public access means to me is very different than it means to Secretary Zinke, Buccino said. It should be access for the many and not for the few to monopolize and destroy. With infrastructure  there are appropriate places for roads and inappropriate places. What you had with Obamas proclamation was essentially a pause on new road construction.

Udall and Heinrich on Monday echoed a complaint they made in September when a draft copy of Zinkes preliminary monuments report was leaked to the media. They contend the interior secretary seems to have relied on misinformation in compiling his suggestions for New Mexico. Heinrich, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Zinkes report reflects hearsay and erroneous data.

New Mexicos national monuments are vitally important to our tribes, the economy, and our way of life as Westerners  and Secretary Zinke should know that if it aint broke, dont fix it, Heinrich said.

Meanwhile, Pearce  the lone Republican in New Mexicos delegation  said he didnt think Zinkes recommendations went far enough with respect to the Organ Mountains monument, which is in his district. Pearce had suggested reducing the monument by as much as 88 percent.

The administration must do more to work with the surrounding communities and governments to respect the serious economic, security, and access concerns raised by the size and complexity of this monument, Pearce said.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Mag Strittmatter, executive director of The Action Center in Lakewood, Colo., one of the top organizations fighting poverty in the Denver metro area, has been named as the new president and CEO of Albuquerque-based Roadrunner Food Bank.

Strittmatter assumes the position being left vacant with the retirement of Meoldy Wattenbarger, who for the last 22 years led the states largest non-profit organization dedicated to ending hunger in New Mexico.

Her first day on the job will be Jan. 22.

The selection of Strittmatter was announced Tuesday morning by Roadrunner board chairman Mark Ryerson.

After a thorough search led by members of the board and key community members, we are delighted to bring Mag Strittmatter to Albuquerque and New Mexico, Ryerson said in a news release. Her passion and commitment to provide services for people in need truly stands out. We look forward to her ability to lead the Food Bank into a new era for the benefit of our low-income neighbors in a state that has one of the highest poverty rates in the U.S.

Strittmatter joined The Action Center as director of development and communications in 2002, and became executive director in 2006. The Action Center funds programs to provide food, shelter and clothing for low-income and homeless residents, as well as longer-term self sufficiency programs.

Under Strittmatter, the organizations fund raising increased by 600 percent and the staff grew from 14 to 50. A 2015 capital campaign led to the creation of a 14,500 square foot program services building.

Prior to working with The Action Center, Strittmatter served as director of development at several institutions of higher learning, including Colorado State University, the University of Colorado Foundation and Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Roadrunner Food Bank distributes food to 70,000 children, families and adults weekly through a network of statewide partners that includes regional food banks, food pantries, non-profit agencies, meal sites, and schools. In all, last year Roadrunner distributed more than 32 million pounds of food, of which 20 million pounds might otherwise have ended up in landfills.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) In a major move to further boost bilateral economic ties, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has operationalised a USD 75 billion sovereign fund for India of which USD one billion has already been transfered, the Gulf nations envoy said today.

Diplomatic sources said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE, in February to attend a global leadership summit.

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On the sovereign fund, UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Albanna said operationalisation of the USD 75 billion sovereign fund for India reflects UAEs commitment to significantly improve trade and investment ties.

He said USD one billion has already been transferred to Indias National Infrastructure and Investment Fund. It was not clear when the entire amount will be transferred or the conditions related to the investment.

Abu Dhabi has a sovereign wealth fund of about USD 800 billion. India has been eyeing the fund, parked with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, for its infrastructure sector.

The issue was discussed during Modis visit to UAE in August 2016.

Albanna, during a media interaction, said India-UAE cooperation was moving fast in various areas including in containing terrorism and radicalisation.

"We are working closely to defeat terrorism," he said.

The envoy said UAE will soon open visa and consular services centres in Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Chennai.

The UAE embassy has also launched a mobile app to help Indians living in the Gulf in dealing with visa and work related issues.

The ties between India and the UAE are on an upswing.

India is UAEs number one trading partner and the annual trade currently stands at around USD 53 billion. UAE, a major player in the Gulf region, is a strategically important country for India.

The country is home to around 2.6 million Indians who constitute nearly 30 per cent of its population.

The country contributes significantly to Indias energy security and was the fifth-largest supplier of crude oil to India in 2016-17. PTI MPB ZMN

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A statewide business advocacy organization has announced its priorities for the 2018 legislative session, a list that includes changing New Mexicos air quality laws.

The New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry presented the plan Tuesday to a group of business leaders from around the state. A written version of the list circulated at the event described the air quality strategy as the elimination of the state Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) standard and re-drafting of the state air quality regulations consistent with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, to make New Mexico competitive with other jurisdictions and alleviate unnecessary compliance costs.

ACI President Jason Espinoza has written that the standards are an outdated and unnecessary burden on industry.

Louis W. Rose, an attorney with Montgomery & Andrews and a member of a committee that prepared the legislative priorities, said the states current TSP standard is a vestige of the 1970s and does not reflect federal air quality standards.

From our perspective, its a regulation thats not necessary to protect health, and its an impediment to growth in some areas, said Rose.

The written version of ACIs legislative priority list noted that Dona Ana County has a pending non-attainment designation related to ozone emissions in the area. According to the document, ACI believes the county should be evaluated for potential relief measures because the countys proximity to Mexico negatively affects its attainment designation due to Mexicos lack of enforcement and lax environment air quality regulations.

Among the other items on the ACIs legislative priority list:

 Increasing investment in economic development programs like the Job Training Incentive Program, Local Economic Development Act and Rapid Workforce Development fund.

 Overhauling the states tax code, in particular reducing the corporate tax rate

 Incentivizing the national laboratories to create and continue community programs, particularly those focused on technology transfer

 Securing full funding for the states Medicaid system

 Making New Mexico a so-called right-to-work state, meaning private sector employees would not be required to join unions or pay union fees as a condition of their employment
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

The New Mexico Public Education Department has placed four low-performing public elementary schools  three within Albuquerque Public Schools  on a list for More Rigorous Interventions that could include closure or relaunch as charter schools.

Hawthorne Elementary School, at 420 General Somervell SE, and Whittier Elementary School, at 1110 Quincy SE, landed on the list after receiving six consecutive F grades since 2012.

Los Padillas Elementary School at 2525 Los Padillas SW has earned five consecutive Fs, as has Dulce Elementary School, near the Colorado border.

Under PEDs mandate, APS and Dulce Independent Schools have until Jan. 9 to choose one of four options to improve performance.

The options are outlined in PEDs plan to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act  a 2015 federal law that gives states more control of education policy:

 Close the school and enroll students in other area schools that are higher performing.

 Relaunch the school under a charter school operator that has been selected through a rigorous state or local review process.

 Champion parents option to move their children into higher-performing charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, online learning or homeschooling. This may also include the creation and expansion of state or local school voucher programs.

 Significantly restructure and redesign the school through steps like extending instructional time, changing the staff to include only top-rated educators or adopting state-selected curriculum approaches.

New Mexico Secretary of Education-designate Christopher Ruszkowski told the Journal that he imagines the districts will decide to restructure and redesign the four schools, rather than pick more drastic options like school closures or relaunching them as charters.

A full plan outlining the turnaround steps is due on Feb. 12. It must be approved by PED and will go into effect during the 2018-2019 school year.

If APS or Dulce Independent Schools fail to submit plans, the state will choose from the four options for them.

For Albuquerque, this is a gut check moment, Ruszkowski said. Albuquerque talks a lot about equity and access, but when you have kids trapped in a failing school for six straight years, I dont know what that means for equity and access.

He questioned why APS hasnt taken more action to improve these schools on its own, and said he expects the district will make excuses by citing the schools poverty rates and demographics.

In a message posted online and emailed to district employees, Superintendent Raquel Reedy said APS is committed to making sure our students get the best education possible.

Over the next few weeks, the three low-performing APS elementary schools will collect community feedback to come up with a plan, and Reedy stressed that the process will be transparent.

No surprises, she said in the message.

On Tueday, PED also announced two other categories of struggling schools, which are doing better than those on the More Rigorous Interventions list, but still need improvement.

The 86 Comprehensive and Improvement Schools  representing 32 districts and 15 state authorized charter schools  are in the lowest-performing 5 percent of high-poverty schools over a three-year average or have a graduation rate below 67 percent for two of the past three years.

If these schools dont improve by 2021, they will be moved to the rigorous interventions category.

And 111 Targeted Support and Improvement schools could be doing well overall, but have at least one low-performing subgroup, such as English language learners or special education students.

PED is allocating roughly $50 million in federal money, available across four years, to support the turn-around efforts at the More Rigorous Intervention and Comprehensive and Improvement Schools schools.

Of the $50 million, roughly $14 million comes from a new ESSA direct students services grant that will fund targeted academic interventions for specific populations of kids.

The grant is available to all schools in New Mexico, but preference will be given to the roughly 200 low-performing schools classified as MRI, CIS or TSI.

Reedy said these schools will be looking at ways to make significant changes to their educational approach so that students are more successful.

Whether your school is labeled MRI, CSI, TSI or another acronym, what matters most is that we work together as a community to improve the academic success of all of our students, she said in the message.

A closer look at the four low-performing schools

 Hawthorne Elementary: 523 students; 10 percent proficiency in math, 25 percent proficiency in reading

 Whittier Elementary: 347 students; 3 percent proficiency in math, 21 percent proficiency in reading

 Los Padillas Elementary: 218 students; 9 percent proficiency in math, 22 percent proficiency in reading

 Dulce Elementary: 390 students; 4 percent proficiency in math, 19 percent proficiency in reading
NEW ORLEANS  A strict Texas voter ID law with a complicated legal history has been remedied with a provision that allows people who lack a required photo ID to vote if they sign an affidavit stating there was a reasonable impediment to them getting one, the states solicitor general told a federal appeals court panel Tuesday in New Orleans.

The change renders moot any arguments against the law, passed in 2011 and reworked by the Texas Legislature in May after years of litigation, Scott Keller told a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The new law eliminates any lingering burden on voters who for some reason cannot obtain an ID, Keller said. The reworked version also created potential criminal punishments for anyone lying on the affidavit.

Tuesdays hearing came after the same Texas-based federal judge who blocked the tougher 2011 version of the law blocked the new version in August.

Opponents of the law said the injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos should be upheld. They echoed Ramos ruling that the law still requires IDs more likely to be possessed by white voters than Latinos or African-Americans.

The new law clarified that both U.S. passport books and cards would be accepted. But it didnt expand the list of seven acceptable IDs beyond those in the 2011 version of a law that critics said was the toughest voter ID law in the country.

Gonzales Ramos, who had likened the 2011 law to a poll tax on minority voters, said new criminal penalties for lying on the affidavit could scare away voters fearful of making an innocent mistake on the form.

Janai Nelson, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, raised similar concerns Tuesday, saying the affidavits warning could have a chilling effect on some minority voters.

It takes back the very remedy that the state has provided, she told the panel.

Judge Edith Jones frequently challenged the opponents  at one point noting that there was no evidence, amid thousands of pages documenting legislative work on the law, that discrimination was intended.

Chad Dunn, an attorney representing multiple challengers to the law, said the burden of proof was on the state to prove no discrimination was intended. He cited court precedents requiring that discriminatory provisions must be eliminated from the law root and branch.

Gonzales Ramos had issued a permanent injunction against the new version of the law. Texas persuaded a three-judge 5th Circuit panel to halt her order in September, pending the current appeal. That panel voted 2-1 for the stay, with Judge James Graves dissenting.

A new panel was seated for Tuesdays hearing: Judges Patrick Higginbotham and Jones, both nominees of President Ronald Reagan; and Graves, nominated by President Barack Obama.

Texas argues that the affidavit allowing those without IDs to have the opportunity to vote renders challenges invalid. The Texas Legislature has substantially amended Texas election law to provide a safeguard for voters who do not have and cannot reasonably obtain a qualifying photo ID, a brief for the state says. That substantial amendment alone moots the pending constitutional challenge.

Critics say changes to the law failed to fix what they say is its discriminatory intent, including its discriminatory picking and choosing of acceptable IDs. Texas law requires residents to show approved identification, including concealed handgun licenses. But, unlike such laws passed in other states with conservative legislatures, Texas rules dont recognize items such as state and federal employee IDs, university and IDs from college students  forms the NAACP Legal Defense Fund says in a news release are disproportionately possessed by voters of color in Texas.

Amid the numerous legal challenges since the law first passed six years ago, Texas held elections featuring court-ordered workarounds that temporarily allowed anyone without an accepted form of picture ID to vote by signing an affidavit stating why they faced a reasonable impediment to obtaining one. That work-around was incorporated into this years changes  with the stiff penalties that Gonzales Ramos found unacceptable.

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Associated Press reporter Will Weissert in Austin, Texas contributed to this story.

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Sign up for the APs weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv
Aakash Chatterjee is Senior Account Manager at WATConsult. He started his career in 2013 as an Account Lead at WATConsult and over the past four and a half years, he has worked on brands like Zee, HE Deodorants, SBI Mutual Funds, Mahindra Motorcycles, and Nikon Bestseller Group, among others. A perfectionist by nature, he believes that work not done perfectly is work not done at all.

What does it takes to climb up the ladder in advertising? Heres Aakash Chatterjee in his own words...

How did you get into the role you are serving?

Firstly, I must say that the journey has been wonderful so far. Sometimes, even I wonder how a science student (in school) changed tracks to get into photo journalism and eventually ended up in digital marketing. The credit goes to some great people who mentored me both personally and professionally to become what I am today.

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?

Two things. Firstly, Im good at understanding people dynamics, which is prime for any advertiser. By my father having a transferable job, I was exposed to different people, cultures and the varied Indian psyche. Secondly, Im a perfectionist (people who know me would vouch for me being a person with OCD). For me, work not done perfectly is work not done at all.

One campaign that you have worked on that you are particularly proud of? Please take us through the making of the campaign.

I honestly take pride in all the campaigns that I have been a part of. Who wont? Each campaign has contributed equally and immensely to whatever I have learnt till date.

To be specific, Im really proud to have executed the IPL 2016 campaign for Mumbai Indians. It was like living digital marketing on steroids for 60 days of your life. Everything is ad-hoc and the scale doesnt allow even the slightest of mistakes. The success of this campaign took a mix of some very basic, but important elements  People, Passion and Persistence!

While working on the creatives how do you prepare yourself? What goes on in your mind?

There is always set pattern to this for me:

The Brief: It all starts with decoding the brief. The aim is to understand what we are looking at and set the expectations right from the perspective of the consumers, the client and the agency.

The Research: A lot of my time goes into research. There is so much to be inspired from, all thanks to the internet. Research sets the base for any creative according to me.

The Creation: With the first two steps done right, creation becomes a breeze. Needless to say, I have always been supported by a very talented team who effectively put ideas to action.

The Introspection: I often play the devils advocate to make the work fool proof. I am open to criticism and advice. Good thing is that once you have answered all the questions, you start believing in the work like never before.

Icons in advertising you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?

Being a millennial, I have grown up watching the masterpieces by Indian ad legends like Piyush Pandey, Prasoon Joshi and Prahlad Kakkar, and I absolutely adore their work till date.

Globally, I follow the likes of Rodrigo Sobral, David Kolbusz and Dominic Goldman. Coming from a photography background, I am also a fanboy of the work by Fernando Decillis and Erik Johansson.

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?

As cliched as it may sound, I try making most out of my mundane routine. For specifics, these are few things that help keep my creative juices flowing:

Eat - Food is fuel to the body. Good food is fuel to the soul.

Drive - Im a petrol head. I learnt driving when I was 13 and its the best time of the day for me ever since.

Read - Not a books person, but I read a lot. From memes to business reports, I find productivity in everything.

Pets - I love pets (dogs to be specific). I believe, they are the best thing to have happened to humans ever.

Music - Whats life without a background score?

Do you think a career in advertising is a viable one in the long term?

Yes, provided you maintain the appetite for it.

What does it take to succeed in a career like advertising?

Not just advertising, to succeed in any field, you need to have the WILL to succeed, and the DRIVE to make it big!

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?

Get. Shit. Done. And do it to the best of your ability and things will follow.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

Cant disclose the master plan. All I can say is, its going to be worth the wait.

Is there any agency/ organisation that you would like to work with in the future?

Is Elon Musk hiring?!
Virtuous Retail South Asia(VRSA), institutionally owned developer-operator of community-oriented premium Lifestyle Shopping Centers has engaged ColourCraft Studio (CCS) to provide end-to-end creative and digital marketing strategy for its flagship centres at Bengaluru and Surat

Initially brought on board to orchestrate the launch of VR Bengaluru on digital and social platforms, VR has since then expanded the Agencys role into a more holistic and long-term partnership, which has been extremely fortuitous for both companies.

Commenting on acquiring this prestigious account, CCS Co-founder and Business Director, Aditi Gandhi said, Virtuous Retail is an immensely dynamic brand. The trust they have shown in us to handle not one but two of their biggest community centres in Bengaluru and Surat, is a huge opportunity for us to create large-scale, strategy-driven campaigns to establish Virtuous Retail as a master retailerto be reckoned with in the Indian retail space.

Jermina Menon, Vice President  Marketing, Virtuous Retail, said: Virtuous Retails vision for India is to create new social hubs for the urban consumer through "Connecting Communities"  a platform for cultural festivals, civic partnerships and collaborations with community stakeholders. One of our major requirements was to have a business partner which would collaborate and bring alive the companys core values and cultural beliefs. In ColourCraft we found the right fit of aligning our centres with our customers thru unique marketing programs. With this collaboration with ColourCraft Studio we hope to build not only our digital presence but also connect with the community that supports us.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that crime of genocide against the Muslim minority cannot be ruled out and Rohingyas should not be sent back to the country without sustained human rights monitoring.

By India Today Web Desk: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that in Myanmar, crime of genocide against the Muslim minority cannot be ruled out.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, while addressing a special session of the Human Rights Council, said that Myanmar government's actions to humanise the Rohingya Muslims will lead to more violence.

He urged the council to ask the UN General Assembly to authorise another UN investigation into the violence against the Rohingya community.

#Myanmar: UN human rights Chief #Zeid recommends #UNGA establish new mechanism to assist individual criminal investigations of those responsible for atrocities against Rohingya. Can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present??? https://t.co/u1d3PQzvcA pic.twitter.com/nCCabpGSi6- UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) December 5, 2017

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Thousands of Rohingya people , an ethnic minority, fled from Myanmar to escape getting persecuted by the Myanmar military. The ethnic minority has claimed that the security forces have raped, murdered and arsoned many. On the other hand, Myanmar government has refused to recognise Rohingya as one of the country's ethnic minorities and described them as Bengalis or illegal immigrants from neighbouring country- Bangladesh.

Zeid also said that Rohingyas should not be sent back to Myanmar without "sustained human rights monitoring".

Prosecutions for the violence and rapes against Rohingya "appear extremely rare", Zeid said. "Can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?," he told the 47-member state forum in Geneva.

In May 2017, the UNHCR stated that about 1,68,000 Rohingyas had fled Myanmar since 2012, when clashes with Buddhists erupted in the trouble-torn Arakan region.

Over 40,000 of those Rohingyas, who fled Myanmar, have entered India illegally, according to government's estimate.

Watch this video to know more about the Rohingya refugee crisis.

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December 5, 2017

Turkeys president has threatened to sever ties with Israel if the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned President Donald Trump against following through with electoral pledges to move the American embassy to the contested city. Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims, Erdogan stated in a televised address today, saying Turkey would consider breaking off ties with Israel altogether.

The comments prompted swift reactions from Israeli leaders. Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a senior partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus coalition government, said, Erdogan does not miss an opportunity to attack Israel. Israel will advance its goals, including the recognition of united Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel.  It's better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogans sympathy.

The war of words is likely to escalate should Trump, as some administration officials have suggested, announce tomorrow that the United States is relocating its embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim for their own.

France and the European Union have joined Muslim leaders in urging Trump to reconsider amid worries that the move could re-ignite a fresh orgy of violence in the Middle East and beyond. Bekir Bozdag, Turkeys deputy prime minister, apparently shares those concerns, saying Trumps actions would result in a major catastrophe. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin used more measured language on Twitter, saying that moving the American embassy to Jerusalem would be a fatal mistake and go against international agreements, UN resolutions and historical facts. We hope the US administration will avoid this mistake.

In a rare instance of solidarity with Erdogan, Turkeys main pro-secular opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) has also aired its misgivings. Ozturk Yilmaz, a CHP lawmaker who briefed reporters after meetings with White House officials, said that he had conveyed his partys concerns about a new intifada.

Whatever the outcome, Erdogan seems eager to seize on the affair to shore up his credentials as a global defender of Islam even at the risk of further tension with the United States and putting relations with Israel back on ice.

Soner Cagaptay is the director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the author of The New Sultan: Erdogan and the Crisis of Modern Turkey. He told Al-Monitor, Erdogans base is saturated. He barely reached 50% in the referendum [on replacing Turkeys parliamentary system with an executive presidency]. He will use this to stoke his conservative Islamist base and to project himself as an international actor who rallies global Islamic opinion behind him.

Before Erdogan and his Islam-based Justice and Development Party shot to single-party rule in 2002, Turkey and Israel were close allies. They held joint military drills, Israeli fighter pilots would train over the Konya plain in central Anatolia and Israeli tourists would flock to Turkey.

Erdogan began to steadily chip away at the once thriving alliance and relations collapsed altogether in 2010, when Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, part of a flotilla of ships carrying aid to the Gaza strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade. Nine Turkish activists were killed in the ensuing violence. Relations were downgraded and ambassadors withdrawn.

It took six years for the rift to end, with plenty of nudging from the Barack Obama administration.

Another row with Israel will only further diminish Turkeys rapidly shrinking standing in Congress, where the imprisonment since October 2016 of American pastor Andrew Brunson on outlandish charges of seeking to overthrow the Turkish government has provoked an outcry.

A delegation from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan federal commission, was allowed to meet Brunson a year after his incarceration in Izmirs Kiriklar jail. The commission's vice chairwoman, Sandra Jolley, reported that Brunson, who spent 24 hours a day in solitary confinement, had lost over 50 pounds and lives in a world of psychic and physical dislocation. A congressional staffer speaking on condition of strict anonymity told Al-Monitor, If Brunson dies in a Turkish cell, all hell will break loose.

But will the increasingly erratic Erdogan care?

Cagaptay warned that if Trump moves forward with his pledges, The optics could get really ugly. There will be lots of burnings of American and Israeli flags inside Turkey but also by thousands of members of the Turkish diaspora in Europe who support Erdogan. Cagaptay concluded, It will be another step in Turkeys drift away from the West.
December 4, 2017

Iran is calling for a dialogue between all Yemeni groups amid reports that a missile was launched from Yemen toward the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and that clashes have intensified between Houthis and followers of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed Dec. 4.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi said Dec. 3 that all domestic differences can be solved with dialogue," and that talks will close all the paths for foreign enemies to take advantage of the civil war in Yemen.

Yemens civil war has pitted multiple groups and countries against one another. Iran has supported Houthi militias that were previously aligned with Salehs forces, before turning on each other, leading to Salehs death. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the United States have backed various groups and a government in exile while conducting an air war and blockade on parts of the country, which have led to famine.

Iranian media outlets are reporting that the Houthis  whose official name is Ansar Allah  have launched a missile at a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi. The UAE denied this claim, yet Iranian media continue to cover the story extensively. According to Jahan News, a Houthi spokesman confirmed that a missile was launched at the power plant. According to the same article, a Houthi spokesman had previously said that Abu Dhabi will be the prime target of our missiles, and operations inside the territory of Saudi Arabia will increase.

Zaifollah al-Shami, a member of Ansar Allahs political office, told the Iranian-funded Arabic news channel Al-Alam that the missile was in response to the UAE targeting domestic Yemeni forces. We have previously said that we have missiles that can target all of the capitals of the invading countries, said Shami. The missile that was launched toward Abu Dhabi shows that the pressure and threats by Yemens enemies have been useless.

According to a source cited in the Jahan News story, Saleh had brokered a deal with Saudi Arabia in Abu Dhabi to return his family to power. Jahan reported that the Abu Dhabi missile strike and the Saleh-Houthi clashes came as a response to this deal. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, another member of Ansar Allahs political office, told news channel Al-Mayadeen that the missile strike was in defense of themselves. He also claimed that Saleh had given Houthi army positions to the Saudi-led coalition, which is conducting airstrikes in the country.

The alleged strike on Abu Dhabi was also an opportunity for the hard-line editor of Kayhan newspaper, Hossein Shariatmadari, to gloat over a previous headline that resulted in a two-day suspension of his paper. In November, Kayhan ran the headline, Ansar Allahs missile fires at Riyadh, the next target, Dubai, causing an uproar among Iranian media outlets. After reports of the latest Houthi strike on Abu Dhabi, Kayhan published a screenshot of that front page as their Dec. 4 front page. The article defended the controversial headline and said the publication was simply reprinting a promise made by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
December 5, 2017

The death of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has received extensive coverage in Iran, with media outlets and newspapers describing his fate as the result of his betrayal of the Houthis.

With the headline, The End of the Complicated Arab Politician, the government-run newspaper Iran wrote Dec. 5, In 2013, in the midst of Yemen's internal disputes between Ansar Allah [Houthis] and [Abed Rabbo] Mansour Hadis government, which led to Hadis escape to Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Saleh returned to the country and formed an alliance with national unity [government] forces and stood against Hadi and Saudi Arabia.

Iran daily added, Seemingly, following behind-the-curtain talks of Abdullah Saleh with Saudi Arabia and the [United Arab Emirates], this alliance had reached an end unilaterally and secretly a few months ago. But with serious conflicts between forces loyal to Abdullah Saleh and those of the national unity [government] in Sanaa [on Nov. 29], the end of their alliance and beginning of bilateral hostility went public.

The report continued, In the wake of the killing of Saleh, the people of Yemen expressed their satisfaction over his death and the thwarting of the conspiracy of the aggressors to cause internal sedition in the country.

Moreover, Kayhan newspaper  known to be the mouthpiece of Iranian hard-liners  argued Dec. 5, In recent days, Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces had triggered a new sedition in Yemen that led to the death of 40 people  a sedition that made the Saudis strangely excited.

The conflicts between Saleh and Ansar Allah loyalists were called a Welcomed Revolution by Saudi Arabia, and it was announced to the Saudi media that they are no longer allowed to call him the deposed Yemeni president. This action on the part of Saleh was interpreted by the Yemeni revolutionaries as a betrayal, because in the past three years, Saleh had declared that he would stay alongside the revolutionary forces, but eventually, this betrayal led to his death, reported Kayhan.

Taking the same stance as Kayhan  a rare occurrence  Reformist Shargh newspaper covered Salehs death with the headline, The Bloody Destiny of the Promise Breaker. With the death of Saleh, the situation in Yemen will also undergo a major transformation. Prior to Saleh's death, the tribes who were pro-Saleh tried to keep their control of their area against the Houthis. On the other hand, Mansour Hadi has also ordered his loyal forces to move toward the capital. It is not clear what would be the situation after this new development. Additionally, it has been said that the Houthis will take control of Sanaa by making the forces loyal to Saleh retreat, argued Shargh on Dec. 5.

Referring to the death of Saleh, the Reformist daily reported, It seems that [pro-Saleh tribes] did not come to his aid in the final war with the Houthis, and this eventually resulted in his death. Perhaps his approach to the Saudis can be considered as one of the reasons behind the dilemma of the former supporters of Saleh and [them] distancing themselves from him.  It is likely that his sons or nephews will replace him and once again make the Saleh loyalists consolidated and united.

Reformist Etemad daily wrote that, unlike the assumption of Saudi Arabia, the death of Saleh wont provide any opportunity for them to take over Yemen. Before his death, Ali Abdullah Saleh had become almost a useless person for all parties. To Saudi Arabia, he was not reliable, and after breaking his alliance with Ansar Allah, he was not considered reliable for Houthi leaders either. Moreover, his record of having power for nearly four decades in Sanaa made it unlikely that both himself and his relatives and tribes have any popularity among Yemeni citizens, argued Etemad on Dec. 5.

The Reformist newspaper added, Today, the Yemeni people are pleased with the killing of a dictator like Ali Abdullah Saleh, and they are prepared to resist any attack by the coalition under the leadership of Saudi Arabia. However, with the death of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Saudis may have imagined that they have a good opportunity for gaining final domination over the situation in Yemen, but ultimately they will not benefit from these developments.
December 1, 2017

BAGHDAD  International experts arrived in Baghdad Nov. 21 to assess the damage caused to the Darbandikhan Dam, southeast of Sulaimaniyah, as a result of the earthquake that hit Iraq and Iran on Nov. 12.

Minister of Water Resources Hassan al-Janabi told the media a day prior to the experts' arrival that the earthquake effects on the dam have sparked concerns. He pointed out that there is a need to reduce the water level in the dam reservoir for more safety.

On Nov. 19, the director general of the dams in the Kurdistan Region, Akram Ahmed, called on the federal government to provide the necessary funds for the restoration of the Darbandikhan Dam.

However, the parliaments Committee on Agriculture, Water and Marshlands announced Nov. 20, The Darbandikhan Dam is operational and the damage wasn't serious.

Parliamentarian Zeinab al-Taei, a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Water and Marshlands, told Al-Monitor that the World Bank is examining Iraq's request and mulling over a material contribution to the reparation works. He added, The financial crisis is affecting the effort put into the reconstruction of irrigation projects in the country.

Earthquakes are not the only danger threatening dams in Iraq. Over the past years, many dams served as battlefields between the federal forces and their allies on the one hand and the Islamic State (IS) on the other. Since its invasion of Iraq in 2014, IS occupied the areas where the dams are located.

On Aug. 17, 2014, US-led coalition aircraft launched a series of air raids against IS fighters near the Mosul Dam in northern Iraq. And an attack launched Dec. 14, 2016, on the Haditha Dam in western Iraq on the Euphrates River, west of Anbar province, was foiled by US intelligence agencies.

However, Aoun Dhiab, a senior expert and member of the advisory body of the Ministry of Water Resources, told Al-Monitor, The dams managed to overcome all these dangers.

He said, The Mosul Dam on the Tigris River, the Dukan Dam on the Lower Zab River, the Darbandikhan Dam on the Diyala River, the Hamrin Dam on the Diyala River, the Adhaim Dam on the Al Uzaym River and the Haditha Dam on the Euphrates River have overcome the threat of earthquakes and escaped the dangers of terrorist groups. However, this has not been confirmed yet officially by the ministry.

The Darbandikhan Dam on the Diyala River was affected by the 7.4-magnitude quake given its proximity to its epicenter, Dhiab added, as he pointed out that the Dukan Dam north of Sulaimaniyah was far from the epicenter and was not affected by it.

He said, The damage caused to the Mosul Dam is under control. In normal times, the dam foundations need regular cement injections based on the recommendation of the Swiss expert who supervised its construction in 1986, given the nature of the land on which the dam was built."

Dhiab also said, The ministry's reconstruction committee is working on repairing what IS destroyed in the Ramadi Barrage and the Euphrates Channel.

Iraqs dams are not only facing natural or human risks, there are also risks coming from neighboring countries amid increasing warnings about the collapse of giant Turkish dams due to earthquakes.

Parliamentarian Abdul Hadi Odeh, another member of the Committee on Agriculture, Water and Marshlands, told Al-Monitor, Any earthquake that causes damage to the dams in Turkey will have devastating effects on Iraq.

Odeh said, Iraq does not need new dams, and there are contingency plans for any harm that could affect the existing dams and pointed out the danger coming from the Turkish Ilisu Dam.

The dam will also prevent water from reaching large parts of Iraq and will reduce the level of water in Iraq, he noted.

Odeh added, Based on such concerns, Iraq agreed with Turkey that the Turkish authorities would inform the Iraqi authorities six months before the start of storage in the dam, which begins in March until September 2018.

During the last meeting with the minister of water resources in mid-November, we asked the Iraqi prime minister to intervene with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to find a way out of the expected crisis, he said.

He continued, The central and southern areas are suffering from severe drought, particularly in Dhi Qar, Basra and Samawah. Even drinking water declined, thus greatly affecting the lives of citizens and livestock in most areas of the Euphrates basin."

Asked about the reason behind the crisis, Odeh said, In addition to Turkish dams, the dams in western and northern Iraq on the Euphrates River allow limited water releases for agriculture, and the violations committed by farmers in terms of their water quotas reduce the water quotas required by citizens.

Odeh said, We explained to the minister of water resources the need to develop and mechanize the irrigation system in Iraq using modern technologies in order to overcome the water shortage crisis.

He also revealed, The national water security is in the hands of the regional countries because about 70% of the sources of water releases come from abroad, while only about 30% of them come from Iraq.

Iraqi water security seems to be closely related to the safety of its local dams, and there is a need to protect them from any incidents that could harm them. There is also a need to develop quick and efficient repair techniques.
December 5, 2017

The brutish and arrogant demeanor of Knesset member and coalition chairman David Bitan personified the reckless power of the coalition and the Likud Party until Dec. 3. Bitan was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's biggest political backer, in the Knesset and TV studios alike. He offered Netanyahu a sense of quiet confidence with his high-handed oversight of legislation intended to ensure the prime minister's personal survival.

Early Sunday morning, just before he could set out on another destructive task on Netanyahu's behalf  in this case, pushing the "recommendations law" forward  Bitan was summoned to a police interview that lasted about 14 hours. It was almost midnight when he was finally released. Although he tried to relay the sense that business would continue as usual, Bitan was already a lame duck when he limped out of the interrogation room, up to his neck in serious suspicions of corruption. Bitan is expected to be interrogated again on Dec. 6. As reports of these interrogations become clearer, it is not at all certain that he will be able to continue serving as chairman of the coalition.

Bitan's interview sent shockwaves through Netanyahu's coalition, and not only because he has played such a central role in maintaining the coalition. The interrogation took place in the midst of his efforts to pass the recommendations law, also known as the "Bibi law." The law would prevent police from sharing with the prosecution whether there are grounds for indictment. The bill was intended to protect Netanyahu as the investigation into some his affairs comes to a conclusion, by preventing the police from releasing any future recommendation to indict him. This scandalous law, which easily passed its first reading last week Nov. 27, marked the demise of any remaining shame among Netanyahu and the Likud. The legislation evoked a public and political uproar, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night to demonstrate against it.

Within the Likud, Knesset member Benny Begin took a bold stand in opposition to the law. He is the son of the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin, widely admired as a symbol of integrity. Although Begin was a lone voice in the Likud, his arguments opposing this piece of personalized legislation were met with attacks from Bitan, who accused him of aiding the opposition and called him "practically the 25th Knesset member of the Zionist Camp." The exchange only intensified the sense that the government is abusing its political power.

The neutralization of Bitan is not just a blow to the Likud and Netanyahu, who lost the champion he expected to complete the legislative process for him successfully. It also weakened his coalition. Knesset members from Kulanu, for instance, announced that they would vote against the current version of the bill. Within hours, it became clear that Netanyahu lacked a majority to pass it, so he withdrew. The bill was then toned down so as not to affect the current investigation into Netanyahu, but it is highly doubtful that the law will even be submitted for further consideration.

Netanyahu seems undisturbed by the hit he's taken in the media, solely concerned with damage control. Netanyahu is now busy stabilizing his coalition, concerned that things could spin out of control and lead to new elections. The first step was to distance himself from the recommendations law and the protests and buy some quiet.

Netanyahu has now turned to focusing on keeping his coalition intact. On Dec. 4, he had a long meeting with the chairman of Kulanu, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who had come under harsh criticism for supporting the bill. Despite the bad blood between them, Kahlon and Netanyahu have discovered over the last few days that they need each other. Neither wants an election now, so they are working together to turn down the heat. Their long conversation included ways to move forward with the 2019 budget as a sign that the coalition is still functioning and that its leaders are interested in its continued existence.

Later in the day, Netanyahu paid a visit to Bitan's office at the Knesset, a friendly gesture to the coalition chairman, who has problems of his own now that he is under investigation. Netanyahu must realize that from now on, Bitan, his champion, will have to devote his resources to his own survival. Netanyahu will have to recruit other forces to keep his coalition intact, which could also be the reason for his lengthy meeting with Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, the former coalition chairman who was Netanyahu's right-hand man until very recently.

Netanyahu needs to get his coalition functioning again as quickly as possible. He knows that the big storm still lies ahead, since the police are expected to recommend his indictment. He also knows that once that happens, he and the entire legal system will go into a tailspin.

Meanwhile, more corruption scandals have been linked to the Likud leadership. Netanyahu, Bitan and Minister of Welfare Haim Katz are not the only ones in trouble. The state attorney's office has also ordered an investigation into the affairs of Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Likud member Danny Danon. According to an investigative report that Channel 2 News aired last week that led to the investigation, Danon used public funds to pay for political activity from which he would benefit.

So far, Netanyahu has been able to roll with the punches and preserve the Likud's advantage. According to a poll released by Channel 2 News on Monday evening in the wake of the recommendations law tumult, the Bitan interview and the public protests, the Likud would win 24 seats and remain the biggest party if elections were held now. For the past few weeks, Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid came in as the second largest party with 22 seats, followed by the Zionist Camp with 18 seats. Netanyahu still has a big lead over Lapid and Zionist Camp leader Avi Gabbay in polls on who is most suitable to be prime minister.

Recently, Netanyahu has managed to overcome some complications in his coalition, including a crisis with the ultra-Orthodox parties over public Sabbath observance. Nevertheless, this week was a turning point for his fourth government. From this point onward, his coalition will be a lot more fragile and a lot less sure of itself.
December 5, 2017

The New York Times reported Dec. 3 that the new peace plan being hammered out these days by the White House would include an option enabling Jews to live under Palestinian sovereignty. US President Donald Trump already said back in February that as far as hes concerned, I am looking at two-state, and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has occasionally demanded in his speeches that Israels West Bank settlements be left in place within the framework of a permanent arrangement with the Palestinians, and the issue has even been brought up in negotiations with the Palestinians. Even the leader of the opposition Zionist Camp faction, Avi Gabbay, said, If you make a peace deal, you can find solutions that do not require evacuating settlements. If Arab villages can exist in the heart of the State of Israel, the political right argues, why should the future Palestinian state be Judenrein (free of Jews, in German)? So, in fact, why not one state for Jews with a Palestinian minority and another state for Palestinians with a Jewish minority?

The tragic Nov. 30 incident in the northern West Bank provides a relevant answer to this logical question. Several dozen residents of the Palestinian village of Kusra hurled stones at a group of two dozen Israeli youths and armed adults accompanying them who were marching on the outskirts of the village, slightly injuring two of them. One of the escorts opened fire and fatally wounded Kusra resident Mahmoud Zael Odeh.

Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli troops following the shooting. Two soldiers and six Palestinians were injured. The head of the Kusra village council, Abed Alazim Wadi, told Haaretz that settlers took advantage of the troops presence to damage property and homes in the village. It should be noted that the word settler is not synonymous with violent. For example, following is a report received by Ossim Shalom, a pro-peace organization of social workers, from Moris Shoshana, a resident of the settlement of Migdalim, adjacent to Kusra:

I have been living here for 27 years. I have gone into the village hundreds of times and nothing has ever happened to me and I never sensed danger. Some four years ago, during a terrible snowstorm that cut off all roads and power, our friends from Kusra came with snow plows and opened up the roads for us. Even at the time of the [second] intifada [2000-2005] we lived in relative peace. This morning, some youths from the settlement of Yitzhar showed up, accompanied by a few armed adults. They decided to undertake a bar mitzvah 'hike,' going armed into the village with only one goal in mind, to create a provocation.

I read in the news that the youths were attacked by 'terrorists.' This is a complete lie. It pains me to see good people, with whom we enjoy such good neighborly ties, depicted as monsters because some radical 'hilltop youths' [nickname for radical-right youth settlers] entered their home with the sole intention of setting off war. Its too bad that good people suffer because of warmongers. This is an amazing area and its a pity that radicals are destroying the quiet life enjoyed here by both Palestinians and Israelis.

Indeed, many among the Jews who live in the West Bank live peacefully with their Palestinian neighbors. They rail against those who disrupt their quiet lifestyle in the pristine nature where they have chosen to raise their children. This lifestyle is similar to the relationship between a horse and its rider. Will the resident of Migdalim still want to remain in that amazing area if the rider and horse change places and the settlement is handed over to Palestinian sovereignty?

Kusra made headlines because the latest clash there resulted in a fatality. However, such conflicts are routine. The only ones who assiduously document them and make them public are the researchers of the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Their latest report, spanning the period Nov. 7-20, provides an idea of the coexistence between Palestinian West Bank residents and the Jewish minority whose devotion to the biblical Land of Israel is stronger than their allegiance to the modern-day State of Israel. Following are some incidents the report describes:

A group of Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian farmers from Urif village who were harvesting their olives, injuring two in the head. Following the incident, another 40 Palestinian families farming in the area were ordered to leave their fields. In two other incidents, settlers reportedly harvested olive trees belonging to Burin Palestinian village farmers and stole a donkey belonging to farmers from the village of Jit. A number of additional incidents involving stone-throwing by settlers at Palestinian farmers were also reported. Groups of Israeli settlers entered, under the protection of Israeli forces, religious sites in Palestinian areas, triggering clashes that ended without injuries.

A 13-year-old Palestinian boy was assaulted and injured by Israeli settlers on his way home; Israeli forces fired tear gas into the yard of a school compound, injuring five children. According to Israeli sources, this followed the throwing of stones from the compound at Israeli settler vehicles. Three Israeli settlers were injured, and several vehicles were damaged as a result of stone-throwing by Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem and the West Bank. A 17-year-old Palestinian boy drove his vehicle into Israeli settlers in two separate incidents, injuring both.

Following the shooting death of the Palestinian resident of Kusra, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman wrote on Facebook that the use of weapons for self-defense is a moral value protected by the law in every democratic society. When these democratic values apply to an independent Palestinian state, the Palestinians will be the ones to decide whether they want armed Israelis wandering among them with weapons. Absent the right to bear arms, it would seem that even the Liberman family from the West Bank settlement of Nokdim would prefer to emigrate to the Jewish state.
Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal married in 1958, after much resistance from her family.

By India Today Web Desk: Legendary actor Shashi Kapoor passed away yesterday at the age of 79, in Kokilaben hospital, Mumbai. He is survived by his three children , Kunal, Karan and Sanjana.

We've been hearing much about his wife, Jennifer Kendal in the last two days. We've seen her pictures everywhere: a girl with sparkling eyes, with an electric personality to match, according to her family and friends. But, many today, aren't even familiar with her name.

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So, who was Jennifer Kendal?

AN ENGLISH BEGINNING

Jennifer was born in Southport, England in 1933. However, along with her sister Felicity, she spent most of her youth in India. Her parents ran a theatre company by the name of Shakespearana, which travelled around India, as depicted in the book and film, Shakespeare Wallah.

THE EPIC LOVE STORY

In 1956, an 18-year-old Shashi Kapoor met Jennifer Kendal in Calcutta. Jennifer was playing Miranda in 'The Tempest' as part of her father Geoffrey's Shakespeareana production.

Love bloomed between the two despite a four-year age difference, and the two got married by July 1958, after facing initial resistance from Jennifer's family.

According to reports, Shashi was under the strict guidance of his wife. "They would often have amazing food for lunch on Sundays. However, the only breakfast Shashi was allowed by Jennifer was a cup of coffee and two unbuttered toasts to maintain his lean physique. This was his routine for many years," family friend Rinki Bhattacharya once said.

They have three children, Kunal, Karan and Sanjana.

Together, they started the Prithvi Theatre in Bombay, 1978.

JENNIFER, THE ACTRESS

She was often called a mesmerising and enthralling actress. Shashi and Jennifer even shared screen space in a few films. In 1978, Jennifer won the award for Best Actress, for her performance in Junoon. Shashi Kapoor had produced, and acted in the film.

She did 36 Chowringhee Lane in 1982, and was received a BAFTA (British Academy for Film and Television Awards) nomination for her role.

UNIVERSE PLAYED A CRUEL TRICK

But fate had something rather cruel in store. By 1983 in Cannes, Jennifer was diagnosed with colon cancer. Geoffrey Kendal wrote in his autobiography, that after he got to know of his daughter's malady, he could not utter the word "cancer" for the longest time.

Yet, Jennifer stayed cheerful and strong. A close family friend, Anil Dharker, told Shashi Kapoor's biographer, "She started telling me about how they had tried to brighten up a room with wallpaper at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Bombay. And I asked, well, why did you go there? And she replied, 'Anil, don't you see? I've got the Big C.' That was it. That was how I came to know."

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Initially after the first surgery, it seemed as if she was recovering. However, after more hospital trips, the grim realisation came to the fore: The cancer had spread. She spent her last few months in London, at her parent's home.

LEAVING A BROKEN SHASHI BEHIND

Jennifer passed away in 1984, leaving a heartbroken Shashi behind. His son Kunal Kapoor told a friend at the memorial, "Dad took this boat out in the middle of the sea. When he got there, that was the first time he cried. Really, he wept."

Shashi was really shaken by her death, and his children say that he never fully recovered.

Simi Garewal wrote in Shashi Kapoor's biography, "Jennifer occupied-or Shashi surrendered to her-a large part of his personality. And they merged. With Jennifer gone, Shashi struggled, but couldn't find himself. That vast area of his personality that was Jennifer-now it lay empty. A void. I met him in London over dinner with Ismail Merchant and could see that he was floundering. He was different-not himself."

With no Jennifer to monitor his health, Shashi began to have a physical breakdown after her death, and indulged in food and drink, a Kapoor weakness. And so, his health rapidly deteriorated, and he was forced to move to Juhu, Mumbai, where his son, Kunal looked after him.

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The picture we get of Jennifer from biographies, newspapers and snatches of interviews, is of a vibrant, cheerful, strong, and iron-willed lady, and a powerful actress, who dedicated her life to looking after her family. And tragically, her life was cut short.

ALSO WATCH: Shashi Kapoor on life, movies and much more

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December 4, 2017

RAMALLAH, West Bank  Poultry farmers in the West Bank are suffering heavy financial losses as chickens smuggled in from Israel and Israeli settlements have sent prices plummeting far below what it costs West Bank farmers to raise the birds.

On Nov. 19, customs officials in Hebron in the southern West Bank seized 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds) of live chickens and 660 kilograms (1,455 pounds) of slaughtered chickens unsuitable for human consumption. On Nov. 15, the administration confiscated 1.5 metric tons (about 3,300 pounds) of live chickens in the city.

The thriving black market has pushed Palestinian authorities to take action. The Central Committee Against Smuggling of Poultry and Agricultural Products  a government body headed by the Ministry of Agriculture  decided Nov. 16 to form a joint operations team to prosecute smugglers in different provinces. The members of this body include the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of National Economy, the Customs Administration and various state security services.

The joint operations team aims to chase smugglers and support the poultry sector, which has been on the verge of collapse due to heavy losses caused by the large quantities of poultry products smuggled from Israel and the settlements," Ibrahim al-Qadi, the Economy Ministry's consumer protection director, told Al-Monitor.

He explained that poultry smugglers sell chicken for as little as 3-5 shekels per kilogram (43-71 cents per pound), forcing Palestinian farmers to sell local chicken at the same price.

Although this price is lower than the production cost of 8 shekels [per kilogram, about $1.14 per pound], not selling their poultry products would be more detrimental for [West Bank] poultry farmers, who would be forced to keep paying for chicken feed and see their stock go unsold, he added.

The average weekly consumption of chicken in the West Bank is 900,000 chickens. This number increases in the month of Ramadan to 1.2 million chickens, Qadi told Al-Monitor. According to our information, consumption of smuggled chickens increased by about 40% [just since midyear], rendering local chicken unmarketable.

Hebron is the province most targeted by smugglers, given its high population density and its proximity to the points of contact, smuggling areas and agricultural settlements, said Qadi.

Not a month passes without the Customs Administration announcing the seizure of large quantities of smuggled chickens. Louay Bani Audi, the director of public relations and information in the Customs Administration, told Al-Monitor that from January until November of this year, authorities confiscated 13 US tons of smuggled chicken, with 4 US tons seized in the month of Ramadan alone. (Ramadan 2017 ended June 26 in the Palestinian territories.)

He added that smuggling is carried out into Area C, which represents 60% of the West Bank. Chickens are smuggled through Israeli crossings and points of contact that are wide open to everything coming from Israel toward the West Bank without inspection, he said.

Explaining how the Customs Administration staff supervises and controls the points of contact, Bani Audi said, We rely on different methods. The most important is strengthening our intelligence activity, recruiting citizens to report suspicions, tightening surveillance measures by deploying undercover civilian security patrols on specific points and crossings and at the entrances of Palestinian cities and governorates.

The Agriculture Ministry regulates the poultry sector and market. Deputy Minister Abdullah Lahlouh told Al-Monitor that Israeli authorities allow smuggling and do not control or inspect products entering the West Bank, though they strictly control what enters Israel from the West Bank. The ministry is working to tighten its own surveillance measures, he said.

Smuggling activities in this sector are not limited to chicken for meat but also include laying hens. According to Abbas Melhem, the executive director of the Palestinian Farmers Union, For two years now, the price of an egg carton [of 30 eggs] right from the farmhouse has been varying between 4 and 8 shekels ($1.14 and $2.28), compared to a production cost of 12 shekels ($3.42). This means poultry farmers are already incurring heavy losses.

The Palestinian market has a surplus of eggs, because Israel has banned Palestinian egg imports.

As if smuggling didn't do enough damage, some Palestinian government policies are further harming poultry farmers. The government gives citizens random licenses to open poultry farms without taking into account consumption and saturation in the market, Melhem said. Statistics in 2016 by the Palestinian Farmers Union show that 740,000 laying hens crossed into the Palestinian market from Israel. From the beginning of this year until the end of August, about 450,000 laying hens and chicks were brought to the West Bank. He noted, "The judiciary is failing to deter smugglers, releasing detained smugglers on bail. We rather need heavy fines with long prison sentences to curb this activity.

Melhem added that the government does not offer support for troubled poultry farmers and some have gone out of business. The government is taking no action to stop large, monopolistic companies from exploiting the situation of farmers, he said.

Although efforts to combat poultry smuggling may help the collapsing market, poultry farmers will remain in dire need of supportive government policies such as tighter control over the market, tracking unlicensed farmers who buy smuggled chickens and efforts to ensure a cooperative relationship between farmers and large poultry companies.
December 4, 2017

The Donald Trump administration is pouring new weapons into Lebanon despite US budgetary uncertainty and political turmoil in Beirut.

Robert Karem, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, informed Congress in October that the Pentagon plans to supply the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with six US-origin MD-530G light attack helicopters. The proposal, which also includes communications equipment such as radios, satellite navigation and transponder beacons, is estimated at $110 million, according to congressional correspondence reviewed by Al-Monitor.

The arms package aims to give Lebanese troops an edge against Islamic State (IS) fighters and other militants massing in the countrys northeastern border region. It is provided through a train-and-equip fund used to build up foreign militaries that has allowed the United States to continue to arm its Middle East partners even as the Trump administration seeks to curtail foreign military support traditionally handled by the State Department.

Its reassuring to see that the calculus hasnt changed, Alia Awadallah, a Middle East researcher at the Center for American Progress, told Al-Monitor. The new equipment, she said, will go a long way toward improving [Lebanons] ability to tackle terrorist threats.

The Pentagon has sent nearly $350 million to Lebanon through the program over the past three years, according to congressional documents analyzed by the Security Assistance Monitor. That includes more than $200 million approved by the Barack Obama administration, including Bradley fighting vehicles, machine guns and night-vision goggles for Beiruts special operations teams. The Obama-approved assistance will also allow the LAF to fit recently delivered Super Tucano attack aircraft with smart bombs, hellfire missiles and guidance systems for rockets.

Pentagon officials also recently notified Congress of their plans to provide the LAF with an $11.25 million Scan Eagle, a surveillance drone that can help map out terrorist targets from the air. A small contingent of US special operations forces provide training to the LAF, but the Pentagon would not disclose their number.

The latest round of aid is part of a yearslong effort to boost LAF air power despite growing concerns that the Lebanese army isnt as independent from Hezbollah as it claims to be. In a 2014 report, the US Government Accountability Office found that US Embassy officials in Beirut had not fully complied with Pentagon security checklists for weapons provided to the LAF, which critics worry could fall into the hands of the Shiite militia. For now, the Pentagon remains committed to empowering Lebanese government forces against Sunni extremists.

These airplanes are not complicated; you can fly them six to 10 times a day, said John Venable, a former Air Force colonel and now a researcher at the conservative Heritage Foundation. They have the ability to precisely find and fix targets for air power. This is a huge benefit.

The Pentagon go-ahead came just weeks before Prime Minister Saad Hariri mysteriously stepped down during a trip to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 4, citing the growing influence of the Iranian proxy in running Lebanon. Hariri reversed his decision 18 days later upon returning from Riyadh amid widespread accusations that Riyadh had forced him to resign. The Pentagon told Al-Monitor that the political turmoil in Beirut would not impact US weapons supplies.

Surging weapons assistance to Lebanon from the Pentagon comes as Trumps State Department has hinted at across-the-board cuts to annual foreign military financing grants. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons budget request for the current fiscal year, for example, slashed weapons aid to Lebanon from $105 million to zero, part of a $500 million global cut. The Pentagons train-and-equip authority could fill in the gaps while drawing less public scrutiny than the State Department accounts.

What the Obama administration did was [filter] everything through the State Department, Venable told Al-Monitor. Approval [now] is going to go through much faster.

Total US security assistance funding to the LAF through State Department and Defense Department accounts has totaled more than $1.4 billion since 2005, according to US Central Command. That includes $160 million just in the past year, US Ambassador Elizabeth Richard said at an event marking the first-ever delivery of Super Tucano attack aircraft in October. With the Trump administration preparing to unveil an arms sales policy that promotes American manufacturers around the world, the United States appears in no rush to stop providing weapons to the Middle East.
December 4, 2017

WASHINGTON  Philanthropist and host Haim Saban seemed to be trying to put his high-profile guest Jared Kushner, Donald Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, at ease by addressing the elephant in the room at the top of their keynote conversation at the Saban Forum on Sunday. But the attempt to neutralize a sensitive subject quickly proved awkward, and highlighted how much the multiple Russia investigations underway may end up hobbling Trumps Middle East peace push, which he has tapped Kushner to lead.

Two days before the rare Kushner public appearance, Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty Dec. 1 to lying to the FBI about the nature of conversations he held with former Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak in December, and agreed to cooperate in special counsel Robert Muellers probe. An FBI statement of offense unsealed at Flynns plea describes Flynn being directed by a very senior official in the Trump transition on Dec. 22, 2016, to contact Kislyak to ask the Russians as well as other diplomatic missions to scuttle a planned UN Security Council vote on a resolution condemning Israeli settlement building. That very senior official was subsequently identified in media reports to be Kushner.

After introducing Kushner, Saban, the sponsor of the annual Saban Forum co-hosted by the Brookings Institution, praised Kushners interventions to try to derail the UN settlements resolution, which the Barack Obama administration had decided to abstain from, and urged the audience to give Kushner a round of applause. But there was only muted clapping from a few members of the audience packed into an elegant event room in Washingtons Willard Hotel, a block from the White House.

Youve been in the news about an issue that I want to personally thank you for, Saban said.

You and your team were taking steps to try and get the United Nations Security Council to not go along with what ended up being an abstention by the US, against a 50-year-old tradition, Saban said. To be honest with you, some people might criticize.  As far as I know, theres nothing illegal there. But I think that this crowd and myself want to thank you for making that effort, so thank you very much.

Thank you, Kushner said, almost inaudibly, after sparse applause.

But Kushner went on to give a modest, self-deprecating and largely sympathetic account of his small teams efforts to do the groundwork to try to pursue Trumps vision for the ultimate deal  an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal that would make way for the normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world. While offering few details of their vision, Kushner emphasized that he and Trump are focused on reaching a final settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict  not interim solutions or trust-building exercises. He also made clear that, from his perspective, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, are unwilling to make a tacit peace deal with Israel without seeing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict solved.

When you go to [the subject of] peace in the region, from the first discussions weve had with the Saudis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is something that they care a lot about, Kushner said. The king and the crown prince care a lot about the Palestinian people. They believe that the Palestinian people should have the same hope and opportunity as everyone else in the world.  And this has been a big priority for the king and crown prince.  They recognize that finding a solution to this problem is the only way that can be achieved. And so they have been very committed to doing this.

And its not just the Saudis, as well, Kushner added. Its really all of the people we have been talking with, whether its the Emiratis, the Jordanians, the Egyptians, the Qataris. Weve see a lot of countries really pushing very strongly to see if they can create a solution there.

Poking fun at his team being predominated by three Orthodox Jews who have spent most of their careers in real estate and bankruptcy law (including his top deputy, Jason Greenblatt  a longtime lawyer with the Trump organization  and Trumps ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who was previously Trumps bankruptcy attorney), as well as Dina Powell, an Egyptian American and deputy national security adviser for strategy, Kushner said the team has spent months listening to the different sides and trying to understand their positions for how a solution might be found.

My team in particular being three Orthodox Jews and a Coptic Christian has tried very hard to do a lot of listening, Kushner said. We have gone out of our way to do a lot of listening  with the Israelis, with the Palestinians  and then to decide how we can find areas of mutual agreement.

We have done the same with the different countries that are regional stakeholders, Kushner said. We have tried to find a solution that comes from the region as opposed to imposing something.

But Kushner said he did not think incremental solutions would work in the absence of a final Israeli-Palestinian deal, nor did he think Israel could achieve normalization with the Arab world without a final agreement with the Palestinians.

A lot of the issues that come up in the relationship on a day-to-day basis are causes of not having a final status agreement, Kushner said. If you solve the bigger issue, then a lot of the little issues  will be mitigated over time. And so we try to get everyone focused on the bigger issue.

The regional dynamics play a big role in what we think the opportunities are, Kushner said. As the Middle East has evolved, a lot of these countries look and say they all want the same thing: They want economic opportunity, they want peace for their people, and they look at the regional threats, and I think they see that Israel, who was traditionally their foe, is a much more natural ally to them than they were 20 years ago  because of Iran, because of ISIS [Islamic State], because of extremism. And Israel has a very powerful army, they have a great economy, they have a lot of innovation in their economy."

You have a lot of people who want to see it put together, but we have to overcome this  Israeli-Palestinian issue in order for that to happen, Kushner said.

Pressed by Saban, Kushner declined to say whether Trump would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel this week, as some reports have suggested.

Trump is still looking at a lot of different facts, Kushner said. He will be the one who wants to tell you.

Kushner came off as sympathetic but offered decidedly few details, especially since the administration had previously signaled that a roll-out of its peace plan could come early next year.

Kushner's presentation was "well-intentioned, short on details [and] remarkably similar to the contours of past administrations' plans," Shalom Lipner, a former official in the Israeli prime minister's office and a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, told Al-Monitor.

A senior former Israeli security official who attended the forum told Al-Monitor that it was his understanding that the administration had decided to push back unveiling its peace plan until March. One reason for the delay may be because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing his own legal investigations, may be preparing for early elections, in which he may run as a peacemaker.

There is consensus for early elections  to get a new  bulletproof political mandate before [possible] indictments are issued, said the former Israeli security official, speaking not for attribution. Netanyahu could run as a peacemaker, willing to embrace Trumps peace initiative. That is [partly] why there is a delay in submitting Trumps plan.

Contrary to reports that the Saudis had summoned Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to Riyadh last month to push him to accept Trumps forthcoming peace package, the former Israeli security official said they had summoned Abbas at Egypts request to try to get Abbas to agree to return PLO forces to Gaza, as part of Cairo-brokered efforts to try to facilitate the PAs control over Gaza.

What the Saudis did is give Kushner and Greenblatt a head start, the former Israeli security official said. That is, they provided a menu of steps that they are willing to take in order to help the process, some in visible ways, once they see evidence Israel is for real about peace with the Palestinians.

US negotiators have that deposit in their pocket  what the Saudis and Emiratis are willing to do vis a vis the Israeli public to convince them regional acceptance is round the corner, he said.

As for how Kushners potential legal exposure in the Mueller probe might complicate the administrations peace efforts, the former Israeli security official said it might be able to survive his distraction or even absence. Kushners function has largely been to translate the Greenblatt product to the president and  when [needed], to show up with Greenblatt and be the message that the Greenblatt team speaks for the president.

If you want to look for a silver lining, this administration has been accumulating pro-Israeli credentials, the former Israeli official said. When they table a deal, it will be very hard for this [Netanyahu] administration to say no.
December 4, 2017

A Syrian commander in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State who allegedly defected to Turkey has accused the United States of arming "terror" groups" fighting Turkey.

In the third segment of a serialized interview with Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency, Talal Silo, the former spokesman of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), kept up allegations, many of them contradictory, that the US-backed group was established as cover for the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The SDFs foundation was only theater. The United States gave the leadership to the Kurds and the PKK, Silo claimed, adding that many of the weapons provided by the United States wound up in the hands of the PKK and the United States did not keep track of them. The weapons go to the SDF and from there to the YPG. They reach the PKK from the YPG.

The PKK has been fighting for an independent Kurdish state and self-rule inside Turkey since 1984 and is listed as a terror group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States alike. Silo insisted that the PKK was the real boss of the YPG and SDF.

The US support for the SDF continues to poison relations between Washington and NATO ally Turkey.

Silo, an ethnic Turkmen from the town of al-Rai, which falls inside the Turkish-controlled Euphrates Shield zone in northern Syria, took particular aim at Brett McGurk, the US presidential envoy to the global anti-IS coalition. Silo claimed that McGurk had among other things deliberately misled Turkey about the YPGs role in Manbij, an Arab-dominated town on the Turkish border that was wrested from IS in August 2016.

The move sparked fury in Turkey because Manbij lies to the west of the Euphrates River and Ankara had declared YPG expansion beyond the river a red line. Silo charged that in Manbij, as in Raqqa, McGurk had wanted to convince Turkey that Arabs, not Kurds, were in the driver's seat when in fact it was the other way around. McGurk has long been a bete noir in Ankara over his perceived championing of the YPG. A pro-government columnist called on Turkish authorities today to issue a warrant for the star diplomat's arrest. "Those weapons McGurk gave the PKK were used against our children," wrote Ardan Zenturk for the Star.

Silo also echoed claims that the YPG and the United States had struck several deals with IS allowing fighters and their families safe passage out of Raqqa, Manbij and Tabqa and that some had found their way to the Euphrates Shield zone.

The US-led coalition has not formally responded to any of Silos allegations. A coalition spokesperson told Al-Monitor via email, We are not going to comment on something Silo allegedly said, using a news agency as a secondary source. But the spokesperson appeared to dispute Silos claims that the SDF was a uniquely Kurdish enterprise. The fight is still ongoing against [IS], an enemy responsible for the death, torture, mutilation and/or rape of tens of thousands of people over the past three years. Syrian Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians and people of other backgrounds in the ethnically diverse Syrian Democratic Forces have liberated millions of Syrians once under [IS] control.

The spokesperson made little effort to disguise the coalitions skepticism about Silos alleged defection. As for Mr Silos defection to Turkey, the Coalition did not know about Mr. Silos departure prior to his leaving the SDF. We have no further details concerning the circumstances surrounding his departure or his current status at this time.

A Western source with intimate knowledge of the coalitions operations in Syria was far blunter. Silo had not defected to Turkey but rather had been pressured into doing so through a combination of blackmail and financial incentives. Basically he was denied access to his family. This is a common tactic from Turkey. They refuse and threaten Syrians who want to return to SDF-controlled areas, the source told Al-Monitor.

Members of Silos family are thought to be inside Turkey, where they sought refuge when the civil conflict in Syria erupted six years ago.

A SDF commander told Al-Monitor that Turkish intelligence had been bullying Silo to defect for some time. He resigned as spokesman around five months ago under Turkish pressure but did not leave, and resumed his duties as spokesman a month later, the commander said. But the pressure resumed ahead of the final push to liberate Raqqa. There were threats against his family. Moreover, rebels with the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army allegedly threatened to seize land and other property owned by Silo in al-Rai.

A former officer in the Syrian army, Silo founded a small militia known as the Seljukian Army to join Turkey-backed rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. By his own admission, in August 2016, Silo decided to hook up with an Arab force allied with the YPG called Jaish al-Thuwar and traveled to Afrin, the YPG-controlled enclave. In October, the SDF was created and Silo became its spokesman. It made sense to pick a Turkmen because it sent a strong message that the SDF wasnt all Kurdish, the SDF commander explained. But he was a spokesman, thats all. His departure has not made any difference to us.

Silo has yet to divulge what prompted him to become part of the outfit that he is now so enthusiastically trashing. But a regional intelligence official claimed that Silo had been a Turkish asset all along. The official, speaking on condition of strict anonymity, told Al-Monitor, According to our information, Silo was working with [Turkeys national spy agency] MIT from the very start and they decided to pull him out. The SDF commander said there was no evidence that Silo worked for Turkey, so when he got in his armored jeep in mid-November and headed toward Turkish-controlled Jarablus, nobody gave it a second thought. He had tea with our [YPG] guys and then crossed over through Manbij unhindered. The Western source said that Silo had also likely been promised a significant financial inducement by Turkey.

Of all Silos assertions, one is indisputably true: that the United States knew of the YPGs close ties with the PKK from the very start. And the SDFs creation was to disguise the YPGs pre-eminent role. But over time, as the campaign moved into Arab-dominated territories, the number of Arabs in its ranks began to swell.

Silos contention that there are no Arabs in the SDF is at odds with his other claims that 80% of the SDF forces who died in Raqqa were Arabs and that Arabs within the SDF were given only light weapons by the coalition.

At the same time, Silo claimed that an unnamed American intelligence chief had traveled to northern Syria and pressed the YPG to create a Kurdish-controlled corridor all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. Yet Silo also revealed that the Americans had made no promises to support the YPG in Afrin. I even asked McGurk at our first meeting, Silo told Anadolu. He said as the US government they will not support Afrin. Connecting the broad swath of territory it controls east of the Euphrates River to Afrin, which falls to the west of the river, has long been the YPGs strategic goal. The dream of a Kurdish corridor running from Iraq to the Mediterranean would necessarily have to encompass Afrin, which is why Turkey keeps threatening to invade the enclave.

The SDF commander insisted that Turkey was using Silo to distract public attention from the ongoing New York trial of the Iranian-Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab.

The 34-year-old is a star witness for the prosecution against a senior executive for the Turkeys state-owned Halkbank, which is allegedly at the center of an oil-for-gold scheme that violated US sanctions against Iran. Since last Wednesday, Zarrab has been cataloguing the massive bribes he says he paid to senior Turkish officials to keep the scam running.

Getting Silo to expose US mischief in Syria helps drum up further anti-American sentiment inside Turkey and feeds the narrative that the Zarrab case is yet another American fabrication designed to weaken Turkey. But the former spokesmans pronouncements are almost certainly also linked to Ankaras efforts to pressure the United States to sever its ties with the YPG. The Western source observed, The interview is so contrived that its obvious hes speaking as a hostage, with that interview part of the broader deal. The source concluded, The only surprise is it took them nearly a month to put the interview together. A person who willingly defects would want to tell the story sooner. In fact, there is no story.
December 5, 2017

Turkey-EU ties are currently marked by mutual resentments and appear to be going nowhere. In a sign of the times, Brussels is withholding 175 million euros ($206 million) in pre-accession funds for Turkey, which on paper remains a candidate for EU membership.

Ankara, however, continues to defiantly say it doesnt need EU money or membership. It is, nevertheless, trying to develop ties with individual EU members, which seems to represent a search for another kind of relationship with Europe.

Meanwhile, cooperation between Turkey and the EU continues in key areas on the basis of existing institutional frameworks.

Although it claims that it doesnt need EU membership, Ankara refuses to end this bid unilaterally. Addressing the Bloomberg Global Business forum in September, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan challenged the EU again to close its door to Turkey, if it can.

They want Turkey to go, but we will not leave the rink," Erdogan said.

The EU has disregarded this challenge, citing strategic considerations that make it necessary for Ankaras membership bid to continue, despite the deterioration in Turkeys democracy.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has emerged as Erdogans principal European interlocutor today, told the Greek Kathimerini newspaper in September that while Turkey may have strayed from the democratic path, he wants to avoid a split because its a vital partner in many crises we all face, notably the immigration challenge and the terrorist threat.

Turkey also has serious issues with Europe that fuel domestic animosity against the EU. These include the support it says the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) gets from within Europe, despite the fact that the EU has listed this group as a terrorist organization.

The EUs refusal to classify the so-called Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization (FETO), a term Ankara uses to refer to Gulen followers, as a terrorist group is another sore point for Turkey. Ankara says this group was behind the failed coup against Erdogan in 2016.

The EUs Counterterrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove, who was in Ankara last week, told Reuters they were unlikely to change their position on FETO due to a lack of concrete evidence against the group.

Various EU countries, including Germany and France, are angry about EU citizens arrested in Turkey on what they say are trumped-up charges trying to link them to the PKK or FETO. They are accusing Ankara of holding these people as hostages.

None of this seems to augur well for the future of Turkish-EU relations. Yet there is an increased flurry of diplomatic activity between the sides. Using the institutional framework of Ankaras continuing status as an EU candidate country, both sides are addressing issues of mutual interest, regardless of where Turkeys membership bid stands.

Kerchoves talks in Ankara last week highlighted terrorism as one area where the sides believe cooperation has to continue, despite existing differences and mutual resentments.

Marc Pierini, a former EU envoy to Turkey and currently with Carnegie Europe, argued in a recent article, More than ever before, strong counterterrorism cooperation needs to be a central component of the overall relationship between the EU and Turkey.

Turkey was satisfied after the European Parliament moved in November to ban entry to its premises by individuals or groups sympathetic to the PKK or its affiliates. Turkey also was pleased over Berlins decision to ban PKK banners during pro-Kurdish demonstrations in Germany.

Ankara insists that much more has to be done, but these developments nevertheless suggest that EU-Turkish cooperation against terrorism is making headway.

Another key area of cooperation relates to the refugee and migration crisis. The EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos, who also visited Ankara in November, told Hurriyet Daily News in an interview that the migration deal between Turkey and the EU, agreed on in March 2016, was succeeding in substantially reducing irregular and dangerous arrivals.

Ankara has also reportedly worked out a new roadmap to speed up visa liberalization for Turks traveling to Europe, proposed under the 2016 migration deal. The EUs demand that Turkey review its terrorism law and narrow the scope of the definition of terrorist activities is the main obstacle facing visa liberalization.

Ankara has so far refused to do what the EU wants but is now said to be preparing a new roadmap that it hopes will satisfy the EU side, while not weakening Turkeys fight against terrorism. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is due to submit the plan to his European counterparts in Brussels next week if Erdogan approves it.

There is also the matter of the vast mutual economic interests enshrined in the EU-Turkey customs union, which the sides are trying to overhaul now, even if this is proving to be an uphill battle due to differences on issues like competition policy and the law on trade unions.

Not wanting to be left friendless in Europe, Ankara is also actively seeking new allies among EU members who it can lean on. France under Macron appears to be willing to play this role.

Even Yigit Bulut, Erdogans economic adviser who is known for his fanatically anti-Western sentiments, and who believes the center of the world is shifting eastward, is pointing to France now as a possible ally.

With regard to character, I believe it is easier for us to agree and establish a healthy relationship with the French, Bulut wrote in his column in the pro-government Star newspaper. However, he underlined that any steps in this context must be based on initiatives to be taken by both countries and not be a one-sided affair.

Since coming to power, Macron has maintained his dialogue with Erdogan over a host of issues, especially those relating to the Middle East. This comes at a time when Turkeys relations with Germany are at an all-time low.

Turkey also signed a letter of intent with France and Italy in November to strengthen cooperation on joint defense projects, including air and missile defense systems. This occurred against the backdrop of accusations aimed at Turkey for opting to buy Russian S-400 anti-ballistic missiles, which many in the West see as a sign that Ankara is straying from the European defense network.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was in London recently for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May. The UK and France are the only nuclear powers in Europe, and they represent two pillars of European defense. This also adds significance to Ankaras desire to develop ties with these two countries at a time when its links to the EU are fraying.

Erdogan is also due in Athens this week for talks aimed at increasing cooperation between the two countries. This heightened diplomatic activity shows Ankaras desire to maintain ties with the EU through member states that are more sympathetic to Turkey.

Ozlem Kaygusuz, who lectures on international politics in Ankara Universitys political science faculty, fears this overall approach will be to Turkeys disadvantage in the long run because it will weaken Turkeys EU membership bid further and relegate Ankaras relations with Brussels to the same subcategory as Russias relationship with the EU.

For Turkey, a country that is negotiating membership, to regress to such a position is undoubtedly very negative and may be irrevocable, Kaygusuz wrote in an article for the internet news portal Diken.

Turkeys failure to attain European standards of democracy and human rights, however, is ultimately to blame for the impasse in Ankaras bid for full EU membership. Nevertheless, cooperation with the EU in crucial areas and attempts to develop Turkeys ties with key European countries appear set to continue.
The Danish shipping giant is beefing up its cyber security, automation and big data analytics by hiring world-class talent for its India-based digital technology center, according to local media outlet The Hindu.



A.P. Moller-Maersk is boosting its AI, cyber security, autonomous and big data analytics staff.



A.P. Moller-Maersk said it is planning to hire more than 200 engineers to work on artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics at its new Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, India, according to local media outlet The Hindu.

The Danish shipping giant plans to undergo a digital transformation to improve hidden insights, drive automation and improve customer experience, The Hindu reported. Operational efficiency will play a large role in the transformation, including predictive maintenance, where sensors monitor the health of the ship and the goods inside the containers and send alerts.

It not only serves our customers better, we also have a massive impact on sustainability within the company, Navneet Kapoor, head of the Global Service Centres, A.P. Moller-Maersk, said in an interview with The Hindu.

We will invest in world-class talent around data and digital engineering and automation. We are aggressively hiring for those roles. Initially we are looking for experienced engineers. Later we will go to the (college) campuses, said Kapoor. The shipping company said the additional hiring would assist its sites in Manila, Philippines; Chengdu, China; and Chennai, Mumbai, and Pune in India.

Kapoor also noted that the firm is expanding and solidifying its information security after Junes massive cyber attack on Maersk Line and others.

Cybersecurity is very important for us and we are investing significantly in that area, said Kapoor.
Nokia devices in the OEMs current stable wont be getting support for Googles Project Treble initiative when they get their updates to Android 8.0 (Oreo), according to HMD Globals chief product officer, Juho Sarvikas. A customer found a page on Nokias support site that clarified that devices that didnt ship with Oreo on board would not support Project Treble, and when they reached out to Sarvikas over the matter, he put in the final word; no Nokia devices currently out will officially receive support for Project Treble. He also clarified that this doesnt mean much for most users, but that Nokia will have to work a little harder to get updates ready for its devices.

Project Treble, a modular Android base framework that makes updates easier, has been making its way to a number of Android devices lately as they get their updates to Oreo. According to Nokia and HMD, only devices that ship with Oreo on board actually have the full support of Google for Project Treble, and apparently the companies have opted to ensure that if their devices are going to use Treble, theyre going to have Googles backing. Essentially, Google has offered to partner with device makers to get Treble into their newer devices; in fact, its required with devices that launch on Oreo or later. Devices that launched with Android 7.0 (Nougat) or earlier, however, are entirely in OEMs hands, and theyre on their own with getting Treble working, if they choose to use it.

Project Treble is, as stated above, a modular framework that acts as a base for the Android operating system. It contains all of the key essential components that talk to and work with the kernel, which is a special file that hardware manufacturers build to allow their devices hardware to talk to Androids software layer. Project Treble is, again as stated above, a mandatory part of all devices launching with Android Oreo and above. It creates a consistent core that developers and OEMs can build upon, making customizing Android vastly easier. This means quicker, easier updates from OEMs, and an easier time building custom ROMs and kernels for enthusiasts.
Jio Reliances JioPhone is the first feature phone to receive support for the Google Assistant, the Indian division of the Alphabet-owned company announced Tuesday. The new version of the firms artificial intelligence companion is officially launching in India today and supports both English and Hindi, marking the first expansion of the Google Assistant to devices that arent generally considered smart. While the newly introduced service is a heavily streamlined revision of the actual Google Assistant, its core functionality is still here, with the platform being meant to provide users with a highly intuitive method for searching the World Wide Web. Voice-enabled queries and support for countless data services are just one of many reasons Google believes its new offering will prove to be useful to Indian consumers, with the company suggesting that many functionalities found in the initial feature phone port of the Google Assistant were designed for first-time Internet users.

Among other things, JioPhone owners can have the Google Assistant help them send text messages, make phone calls, search the Internet, play multimedia files, and launch any apps they might have installed on their device. The Mountain View, California-based tech giant didnt provide many details on how the new iteration of the Google Assistant came to be and it remains to be seen what its practical limits are. The wording of the companys announcement indicates that Internet of Things compatibility isnt part of the package, i.e. the newly introduced service likely cant be used for controlling ones smart home devices.

The KaiOS powering the JioPhone has a proven track record with voice-enabled assistants as it already features support for Jios own HelloJio. The operating system itself is essentially a fork of Firefox OS thats not only used by Jio but has also been featured on Alcatels OneTouch Go Flip and the Intex-made Turbo+ 4G. Its currently unclear whether other KaiOS-powered offerings will eventually receive Google Assistant support and if Google is looking into more feature phone candidates that could host its digital companion. The new revision of the Google Assistant was announced at Google Indias latest New Delhi event which also saw the introduction of Android Oreo (Go Edition) for low-end mobile devices.
Lenovos Motorola is apparently set to release a new Moto Mod for the Moto Z smartphone series, which seems to take the form of a limited edition Star Wars themed Style Shell. The product will reportedly be released exclusively in China, however, because this is a decorative Mod lacking any electronic components, it can technically be paired with smartphones in the Moto Z series regardless of variant and the region in which they were launched.

Disneys upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi is already creating massive ripples in the fabric of pop culture, and the mobile market wasnt left untouched by this phenomenon. Not long after the Star Wars-themed OnePlus 5T was unveiled for India recently, Motorola and Lenovo have apparently followed suit to collaborate with Disney in order to bring the image of the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces himself  Darth Vader  onto a limited edition Style Shell Moto Mod featuring the stylized letters SITH in an appropriate color scheme. Once again, this is a decorative Mod that lacks internal components, which means that even though it will be launched exclusively in China, prospective buyers elsewhere could technically be able to acquire it through online retailers willing to ship in other regions. And much like with previous Mods, this new limited edition item clips on the back of devices magnetically and should be compatible with all the Motorola devices in the Moto Z series, including the Z, Z Droid, Z Force, and Z Play, as well as the Moto Z2 Play. As far as pricing goes the accessory will be released in China for 129 Yuan which converts to $19.50 at todays conversion rate, but evidently, those who may be able to acquire the product from another region may be subjected to additional fees.

The Star Wars themed Moto Mod is not yet available for purchase but it should hit the shelves within the next couple of weeks, just in time for the first screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on December 15. The popularity of this new title could spawn additional limited edition devices and accessories, and a previous recent rumor already hinted at the possibility that Samsung may be preparing a Star Wars themed Galaxy Note 8 as well.
Netflix started experimenting with a bottom navigation bar in its Android app, with several users recently taking online to reveal theyve been encompassed by the test. The functionality appears to be close to finished as the popular on-demand video streaming service is now already said to have brought it to some users running the stable version of the Android app, with the first report on the matter coming from an owner of the Samsung Galaxy S6. While this state of affairs would usually signal that a global rollout has already started, the bottom navigation bar still appears to be unavailable to the vast majority of users in all parts of the world so while Netflix may be confident enough to bring it to select subscribers who didnt opt into any kind of beta tests and specifically stated they want to receive experimental features, it appears the company is still in the process of testing the functionality.

The redesign itself appears to be aimed at improving the ease of use of the Netflix Android app, situating the main navigation bar closer to your fingertips and making the service more convenient to use while holding the phone in a single hand. The aesthetic appears to be largely similar to the Netflix iOS app, save for the portion of the interface where the hamburger menu icon used to be situated. The bottom navigation bar features Home, Search, Downloads, and My Profile shortcuts, in that order, thus providing essentially the same functionality that the original hamburger menu did.

Like many other similar redesigns introduced by a wide variety of popular apps in recent times, Netflixs move is understood to be a response to the current smartphone market and the fact that majority of contemporary handsets are now close to the phablet category, i.e. they offer enough screen real estate for a comprehensive navigation bar, whereas placing many interactive elements near the top of the interface may actually be counterintuitive to users, especially as devices with taller aspect ratios are now becoming more popular. Netflix has yet to comment on the bottom navigation bar in any capacity but with the feature now being tested in the stable version of the app, it shouldnt be too far away from a global debut.
At Qualcomms Snapdragon Tech Summit, which is happening right now in Maui, Hawaii, the company is touting a number of different things that will be happening in the next few years, including 5G. Qualcomm has been at the forefront of getting 5G ready for mass adoption, and even unveiled the worlds first 5G modem earlier this year, in the Snapdragon X50 which is also in Qualcomms reference device for 5G. Qualcomm is also already doing a number of different trials with different carriers and network infrastructure companies, with this new modem. Which Qualcomm believes will help make 5G a reality in 2019.

For the mobile industry, 5G is the next big step, in terms of mobile networks. 4G has been around for quite a few years now, nearly a decade, and now its time to up the speed once again which is what 5G will be doing. Many believe that 5G will offer speeds about 100x faster than that of 4G networks. With speeds being measured in Gigabits per second instead of Megabits per second like 4G is currently. 5G is also going to allow for more bandwidth, which is important right now with more and more Internet of Things hitting the market, and customers adding more products to its WiFi network, which would normally bog down the network speed.

Qualcomm began running 3GPP-compliant trials with a number of carriers and other partners including Sprint, AT&T, NTT DoCoMo, Vodafone, Verizon, SK Telecom, Nokia, and ZTE to name a few. These trials started in the second half of 2017. So Qualcomm is already well on its way into getting 5G ready for the masses. Many may wonder why Qualcomm is so invested in 5G? Well, in order for your smartphone to be able to take advantage of 5G, you need the network, the network infrastructure, but also a modem to be able to take advantage of that new network. Which is where Qualcomm and the Snapdragon X50 come into play. The Snapdragon X50 can handle the speeds of 5G, which is actually a much tougher task to accomplish then you might think. Since 5G is using higher-bands than 4G LTE did, Qualcomm needs to adapt to that. 5G is using bands that are 28GHz and higher, while 4G LTE was and is used in 3GHz or lower bands. Which will also still be in use with 5G, so this modem needs to be able to work with a much wider range of bands.

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Now the Snapdragon X50 modem will likely not make it into a commercially available smartphone that can actually run on a 5G network. Since Qualcomm and other partners are not expecting consumers to really be able to use a 5G network until 2019, that gives Qualcomm time to come out with a newer modem (or two) that will be more energy efficient and work better with this new network infrastructure. That is actually why the reference device exists, the 5GNR Smartphone. Its not an interesting device really, its pretty plain when it comes to its design, but the reason it exists is the Snapdragon X50, which Qualcomm has already been testing for a few months, in seeing how it works with battery consumption, and network speeds.

5G in early 2019 is something people are really going to be excited about, but dont expect it to be perfect. If you had a smartphone when 4G LTE first started rolling out, about 8 or so years ago, then you remember the very bumpy ride it had in its early days. That will be the same with 5G, hopefully a bit smoother though.
Renders of the Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) have been leaked recently, providing additional details about the appearance of the upcoming handset from the South Korean smartphone manufacturer. Based on the leaked images, it seems that the smartphone will retain the home button placed below the display. Located above the display are the earpiece and the front-facing camera. On the top of the device is the headphone jack while on the bottom, users may find the microUSB port for data transfer and charging. On the back, the LED flash is located directly below the single rear camera. The power button is located on the right side of the smartphone and it is interesting to note that the back side of the handset is curved.

Even though the device has yet to be formally announced, Samsungs South Africa division has accidentally confirmed the existence of the Galaxy J2 Pro through its website last month.The device is expected to sport a 5-inch display, according to the leak, and it has a thickness of 8.6mm, width of 72.2mm, and length of 143.1mm. The handset will likely be powered by the Snapdragon 430 chipset from Qualcomm, which is comprised of an octa-core ARM Cortex A53 64-bit CPU clocked at up to 1.4GHz and the Adreno 505 GPU. Inside the device are 1.5GB of RAM and 32GB of internal flash storage that could be expanded by a microSD card. The smartphone will likely be shipped with Android 7.1.1 Nougat pre-installed, although the manufacturers proprietary skin, Samsung Experience UI, will likely run on top of Googles operating system.

The Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) has also been certified by both the Wi-Fi Alliance and the Federal Communications Commission, which are requirements for the commercial release of the handset to the United States. Two variants of the handset were certified by the FCC. One of them is the single-SIM variant with the model number SM-J250F while the other model supports two SIM cards, which can be identified by model number SM-J250F/DS. However, a variant carrying the model number SM-J250G has also been spotted in the GFXBench database. The certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance stated that the smartphone can only connect to Wi-Fi networks running on the 2.4GHz frequency and it supports Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n. It is expected that the handset will be released by early 2018.
Samsung Electronics started mass-manufacturing 512GB mobile flash memory chips, the South Korean tech giant said Tuesday, describing its latest offering as a storage solution for next-generation smartphones and tablets. The company unsurprisingly didnt name any specific models but its upcoming Galaxy S9 Android flagships are prime candidates for showcasing such a storage solution, especially since their top models arent likely to be in high demand compared to the base versions, i.e. the fact that mass production of the chips only started in December shouldnt prevent Samsung from delivering a limited quantity of handsets with 512GB of internal flash memory come late winter.

The companys new embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) storage solution comes in the form of 64-layer V-NAND chips with peak read speeds of 860MB/s and maximum write speeds amounting to 255MB/s, a notable improvement over its 256GB 48-layer chips. In terms of input/output operations per second, the offering has a 42,000 read IOPS and a 40,000 write one, Samsung said. Besides smartphones, the South Korean original equipment manufacturer also plans to implement its new chips into memory cards and solid-state drives (SSDs), although the mobile segment is a priority for the company, at least as far as first-party products are concerned. The chips will be made available to third-party manufacturers and Samsung expects automakers to start using them in the near future as various IoT and self-driving technologies become more integrated into contemporary vehicles. The production of the old 48-layer V-NAND chips will ramp up simultaneously with the new offerings as the Seoul-based chaebol expects increased demand for both in the near term, the firm said.

While the new 512GB chips are likely to be commercialized in the first half of the next year, they are expected to remain exclusive to the ultra-premium segment of the smartphone market for the foreseeable future, especially since even high-end flagships only recently transitioned to 64GB of native storage space as a starting point, with Apple being the last major OEM to make that jump with the iPhone 8 series which launched this fall. Should Samsung end up circumventing its own premium storage chips with the Galaxy S9 series, the company will likely commercialize the 512GB offerings with the Galaxy Note 9.
Pisen, a China-based company which specializes in accessories has now announced some new arrivals to its accessory line up. The timing here is not coincidental as Pisen has announced the introduction and the availability of some of these new products just in time for the Holidays. Something the company hopes consumers will keep in mind if they happen to be in the market for new accessories for themselves, or loved ones.

New wireless charger

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The first of the new accessories is the companys latest wireless charger. While there are already a number of wireless charger options available, the selling point with this one is just how portable it is. The company notes this wireless charger is only 1.23-centimeters thick and weighs in at just 72.5 grams. Making it an ideal option for those looking for a wireless charger that they can take with them. In fact to sum up how light and portable this one is, the company likens the weight of its wireless charger to 15 pieces of A4 paper. This charger meets all the usual standards and is listed as compatible with a number of wireless charging-equipped smartphones, including the latest flagship options from Samsung. In spite of now being announced, Pisen has yet to confirm when this wireless charger will be available to buy. Although it is currently offering those who subscribe through the side a code which can be used to take 30-percent off the price when it does become available. Those interested can subscribe through the link below.

New PowerCombo AC5000 Charger

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Those more in need of a traditional charger may want to check out the PowerCombo AC5000. This is a new charger from Pisen and one which looks to offer an all-on-one solution to wired charging problems. For example, at the superficial level this is a wall charger which by default includes a US plug. Although it also comes packaged with UK and Euro adapters for those who travel often. Speaking of which, what makes this wall charger a little different is that it also includes its own 5,000 mAh capacity battery. Which effectively means when the owner is away from a wall socket, the PowerCombo AC5000 has the ability to act as a power bank and still continue to provide a charge as needed. As for the charging ports, not only does this one come equipped with two USB Type-A ports, but also a USB Type-C port for newer devices. More info and the option to buy the PowerCombo AC5000 available through the link below.

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New ColorPower 1S Power Bank

If a wall socket that turns into a power bank is more than you need while on the go, then the ColorPower 1S power bank may be a better option for you. This is more of a traditional power bank and one which comes equipped with a 10,000 mAh capacity. Therefore should be sufficient enough to power most current flagship devices twice if not three times, before the power bank itself needs to be charged. With the Holidays here, it might also be worth noting that the company has released the ColorPower 1S in a Christmas Red color. Some of the additional features on offer include an ultra-slim design and an ability to simultaneously charge devices via its microUSB and lightning ports.
5G standardization is rapidly approaching, bringing what could be a massive influx of innovation and implication for a huge array of technologies, but it is also pouring some fresh salt on some relatively old wounds across the industry. The technology will, of course, be used to support everything from the growing wealth of connected devices referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT). However, it will also be driving many products outside of mobile devices or other novel electronics. That includes autonomous or human-assisted, semi-autonomous vehicles. It also includes new enterprise or customer relations tools driven by A.I. and connectivity, as well as some wider government-owned systems pertaining to public safety and smart infrastructure. There are no guarantees that any or all of the technologies envisioned for use on 5G networks will eventually become a reality but there is a very real possibility that it will open up a new front in the legal system between component manufacturers, infrastructure creators, and companies making consumer-facing technology.

The problems, as mentioned above, are not new. Organizations and companies have been battling it out with regards to which companies pay which for years, resulting in legal battles between companies that manufacture the hardware components required for devices to operate on the networks and companies making the final products. Beyond that, some of those component and infrastructure makers have ended up in legal battles with the court systems themselves. The disputes primarily come down to how the costs associated with developing and implementing advanced solutions are spread out across the industry. As a point of reference, up until this point  and likely going into the future  companies that are responsible for creating the products that consumers actually buy have paid licensing fees for use of the technologies that make network connectivity possible. That means that Samsung, LG, HTC, and other manufacturers are paying companies like Qualcomm and others in order to get tablets, smartwatches, smartphones, and more online. Since the whole system comes down to licensing, they are paying for every individual unit they create.

Some would argue, as Apple has in the currently ongoing battle between the iPhone maker and Qualcomm, that state of affairs already puts entirely too much power into the hands of a few companies. In fact, the argument has been made that it already results in unreasonable and discriminatory actions on the part of Qualcomm. The company, which is responsible for the predominantly used Snapdragon SoC and associated networking technologies, has even been caught up in anti-trust disputes with court officials over its licensing practices. Companies like Qualcomm would prefer to recoup the costs of researching and creating their intellectual property (IP) through licensing fees that are based on the overall usage and cost of the products they are used in. The chipsets required for smartphones, they claim, need to be connected on a more constant basis and that leads to a more costly development process. As a result, the licensing cost is often based on the overall cost of the devices themselves, with less expensive items that require less connectivity costing less. That, in turn, has resulted in further disputes between the technology companies. Some have sought to avoid paying the bulk of the licensing fees as renegotiations between those involved continue.

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Complicating matters further, there is a current divide among governing bodies as to how to handle the entire situation. The U.S. strongly favors supporting the patent laws and licensing, while many European agencies lean toward viewing the licensing practices as predatory. The opinions and rulings surrounding the various points of view could ultimately shift, but the divide means that every company or organization involved is forced to play by widely differing rules depending on the market in which the technology is being made, marketed, and sold. A continuation of that rift will almost certainly only serve to provide industry players on both sides of the argument with plenty of example cases to cite in their disagreements.

With that said, the wide range of possible technologies and, in particular, the increasingly large range of IoT-related products is likely to only make the scenario worse if a solution isnt found. One particularly poignant example of how that could be the case can be found in self-driving vehicles. They will, of course, already have access to a lot of data already from the various onboard sensors and machine-learning. However, theres a case to be made that because human lives and billions of dollars of product  in the case of autonomous shipping  will be involved, they will need to be far more connected. To begin with, they will ideally be connected to every other vehicle moving around them so that some form of communication can occur and the A.I. can effectively plan out driving routes. Moreover, they will be connected to the cloud to bolster computational power, receive necessary updates, and to access whatever other features manufacturers decide to include.

The advent of autonomous vehicles also shows a divide that could ultimately prove the point of those manufacturers responsible for the technology that makes up the networks themselves. The tech found in those vehicles will absolutely require a great deal more development, research, and testing than the chipsets used in something like a smartwatch or laptop. On the other hand, Qualcomm also recently released its new pricing tiers for licensing of its 5G IP and the figures represented by percentages under the pricing would and will equate to much higher costs for auto manufacturers. Thats because the overall cost of a vehicle is already substantially higher than that of a smartphone. Hypothetically, a Samsung Galaxy S8 using Qualcomms IP in order to connect to 3G, 4G, or 5G would cost around $23.56 per unit. Using the pricing of a current smart car, such as Teslas Model 3, that same technology would cost the manufacturer well over $1,000 per unit sold. So it seems more likely than not that this is one issue that wont be going away or solved anytime soon.
The very first text message using the SMS protocol was sent from one mobile phone to another on December 3 of 1992, meaning that as of this writing, texting is a 25 year old phenomenon. While the ability for consumers to type up a quick SMS message on a phone keypad is a bit more recent than that, and the texting explosion that led to the feature bloat that led to the proliferation of smartphones is even newer, the technology that officially kicked off the shift from cellular telephones having nothing but voice technology on board is now a quarter century old.

The text message itself was unique in that it was typed up on a computer, and sent via an early mobile phone. It was sent by Neil Papworth, an engineer with Sema Group Telecoms who was working on a project called the Short Message Service Centre, on contract from Vodafone UK. Papworth and his team had finished developing the initial draft of the technology, and he headed to a Vodafone UK cell site in Newbury to install the first incarnation of SMS technology. Once it was up and running, Papworth sent a test message to Vodafones Richard Jarvis. Jarvis was at an office Christmas party at the time that the message was sent, and it read, Merry Christmas. Upon receiving it, Jarvis knew that Papworth and his team had been successful in building out a messaging protocol that was compatible with traditional cellular voice networks.

In the intervening years, that same technology eventually led to WAP mobile web, the first protocol to allow consumers to access the internet on their cell phones. From there, WAP 2.0 and Java 2 Mobile Edition ruled the day, and largely held their own in the consumer market until companies like BlackBerry, Nokia, Microsoft, and Palm began to expand beyond the business realm. Apple later unveiled the first iPhone in 2007, and the following year saw the dawn of Android. Googles platform has a rich history of its own, following several trends in mobile tech that popped up in a relatively short time. Some, like LTE, are still around and more successful than ever, while others, such as WiMAX and strange device designs, have largely fallen by the wayside, bringing us to where we are today.
Turning arbitrariness into the norm is what sets a run-of-the-mill political system apart from a mature democracy. Some political leaders in Catalonia and Spain are trying to normalise a wholly extraordinary situation, namely when an election campaign kicks off with two political contenders out for the count because of the ideas they espouse and defend peacefully. One is on remand pending trial, the other faces a Belgian court of law.

The start of this election campaign has found Catalonias public opinion exhausted, but also outraged and eager to evaluate serious policies that can break the current deadlock.

Judge Llarena has released six of the Catalan ministers that have been held in custody for weeks, but is keeping Junqueras, Sanchez, Forn and Cuixart on remand. To quote Catalan PP leader Garcia Albiol, the Inquisitor that specialises in the secessionist heresy, prison is justified in their case because they have expressed no genuine regret. It is all par for the course. Abjuring ones democratic beliefs is considered a necessary condition for ones release, which proves to the world that theirs is a political indictment, indeed.

The latest data from Spains government pollster (CIS) shows that Catalonias public opinion is almost evenly split across the middle into two similar-sized blocks. Now we know that there is no silent majority, but a Spanish nationalist bloc that will stop at nothing, empowered as it feels by the States force and its opponents mistakes, and a pro-independence bloc which, with every day that it wallows in its consternation, sees a Ciudadanos win as an increasingly likely outcome on December 21.
Judge Llarena has ruled that Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras, Home Affairs minister Joaquim Forn plus grassroots leaders Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart (ANC and Ominium Cultural, respectively) must be kept in remand pending trial without bail. But he has set a bail amount of 100,000 for the release of ministers Meritxell Borras, Dolors Bassa, Josep Rull, Jordi Turull, Carles Mundo and Raul Romeva. Six out, four stay in. How come? Well, the judge believes that they are likely to reoffend with serious consequences. In his statement, Judge Lamela highlights the actions by Junqueras, Forn, Sanchez and Cuixart. Notice the language he uses: Their contributions are instrumental to a violent explosion which, should it reoccur, would leave no room for correction or satisfaction to those affected. What does the judge regard as a violent explosion? What he calls the siege of the HQ of the Catalan Finance Ministry on September 20.

The risk of reoffending demands a higher degree of caution and rigour by this magistrate when striking a balance between the defendants right to be free and the right of the community to go about their daily business in a context that is devoid of any foreseeable risk of actions that might cause irreparable damage, not merely to the peaceful coexistence of families and society at large and their freedom to conduct business, but also to the general publics physical integrity.

Judge Llarena concludes that, in the case of these four defendants, the risk that they might reoffend reflects the likelihood that they might engage again in acts that might cause serious, immediate and irreparable damage to the community. The danger, according to the judge, is not averted by the defendants formally shunning their previous strategy, but the unlikelihood of further attacks would have to be positively validated or the truthfulness of their change of heart would have to be confirmed one step at a time.

I am not a legal expert but, with all due respect for the judge, this sounds more like state retribution than justice. In other words, the judge claims that Junqueras is the leader of an organisation that stages violent demonstrations and Forn is the Home Affairs minister who looks the other way while Cuixart and Sanchez encourage the people to take to the streets. In other words, what everyone saw as a peaceful demonstration with the two grassroots leaders asking protestors to go home, the judge sees as attacks. And please dont talk to me about the Guardia Civils 4x4s. I was there. I saw them park their cars outside the building so that something might happen. I know and I can say this because I know it for a fact that the security personnel manning the headquarters of the ministry offered the Guardia Civil a parking space in the buildings underground car park, but they turned their offer down. And I know that, by the time the Catalan police might have managed to set a perimeter and move the people further away from the main entrance, it was already too late.

But the most outrageous sentence is the one I quoted earlier: Their contributions are instrumental to a violent explosion. I have said it many times before: the choice of words is of paramount importance. For instance, if someone suddenly asked you what might cause a violent explosion, you would undoubtedly answer a bomb. Who plants bombs? Terrorists do. The judge claims that a rally that went on for 17 or 18 hours was a violent explosion. He is saying that Junqueras, Forn, Cuixart and Sanchez are violent people and that everyone who dropped by the Rambla de Catalunya that day took part in a violent explosion. By using that phrase, he is looking to induce a particular mindset. The election campaign that just kicked off intends to present Catalonia as a violent nation that needs to be rescued by normal people.

As days go by, it is becoming increasingly clear that the images of Spanish Guardia Civil and police beating up voters on October 1 have backfired on them to the point that they have caused more damage to them than to the people they clubbed. They hate that the whole world has seen their baton charges and they are desperately trying to put the blame on the secessionist camp. If you are travelling to the march in Brussels this week, watch out for false flag provocateurs who might seek to discredit Catalan demonstrators in front of Europe. And to think that Catalans tend to value form over substance and independence supporters would much rather put together a concert 

They cant get away with calling us violent: we are not. Junqueras, Forn, Sanchez and Cuixart are not violent types and the best way to prove that is to have a campaign that is joyful, active, proud and committed, and go to the polls on December 21 wearing a big smile. And to win. We must turn our pain and our indignation into a victory at the polls.

Freedom for Jordi Cuixart, Jordi Sanchez, Oriol Junqueras and Joaquim Forn. And may those in Brussels be able to return home soon: Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comin, Clara Ponsati, Meritxell Serret and Lluis Puig.
Best Gifts For Her By Pamela Jean Noble

Model Pamela Jean Noble Shares The Best Gifts To Impress Your Leading Lady

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

The holiday season has officially begun! Along with the festivities and fun that come with this season, it is also a time to give to loved ones. Whether you are celebrating your first Christmas as a married couple, or you just recently started dating your lovely lady, now is the time to treat her to something special and show her how much you care.

Since shopping for the special gal in your life can often be a challenging feat we've called in special reinforcements to help you get through your gifting quest. Pamela Jean Noble is a model, actress, and fitness influencer. Having worked with numerous high profile magazines and brands, Pamela has her finger on the pulse of what's hot in fashion, beauty, and fitness. For this gift guide, she shared her expert insights on what to get your special gal this holiday season.

In addition, don't forget to check out our guides on The Top 25 Christmas Gifts For Her and Gift Ideas For Girlfriends for extra tips and gift ideas.

For The Beauty Fan

Let your glamour girl be surprised by your thoughtfulness by giving her a gift certificate for her choice of skin procedure at a medspa! From facials to peels, to lasers she will be grateful and you will be the hubby of the year! My personal medspa: Hospitality Medspa and Aesthetics! says Noble.

3D Silk Lashes

She will be surprised that you know what she likes and that you were able to select a good brand! She will be batting her eyes at you for this gift! says Noble. Nobles favorite is Amy June Lashes. The 3D Silk Lashes are 100% hand-tied silk fibers, layerable for a 3D effect, and reusable. Since this package includes 12 sets of lashes, she'll have a pair ready for each month of the year.

$95.00 for set of 12 at AmyJuneLashes.com

Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist - Dr. Debra Jaliman

Dr. Debra Jaliman, board-certified NYC dermatologists book Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist is something she probably wouldn't think of buying for herself but would be interested to read. Skin Rules is full of the same advice that Dr. Jaliman gives to her celebrity patients, from lasers to remove sun damage and turn back the clock, to suggestions for simple products, and habits anyone can adopt for a small outlay of time and money to change their looks today. After reading this, she'll feel like she had a one-on-one appointment with Dr. Jaliman herself.

$9.22 at Amazon.com

Slip For Beauty Sleep White & Pink Collection

This limited-edition two-piece set features a pure silk pillowcase and pure silk sleep mask. What does this have to do with skincare? Well, a lot. The anti-aging, anti-sleep crease, anti-bed head pillowcase and sleep mask were crafted from pure silk inside and out. Silk fibers are significantly less absorbent than many other fibers, so they will help keep her skin moisturized and keep her expensive face and hair products where they belong on her face and hair, not her pillow. If she loves facials and hair treatments, she's sure to love this gift.

$109.00 at Nordstrom.com

For The Workout Queen

Any girl who loves to be active loves getting brand new sets to show off at her favorite activity. One of my favorite brands for a little something different: Public Myth, says Noble.

Public Myth Pocket Jogger

The Pocket Jogger has a relaxed fit with a drawstring waistband and banded cuffed bottom. Its an ideal mix of style and comfort. Made with eco-friendly bamboo, the ultra-soft fabric while keep her cozy at home and at the gym.

$110.00 at PublicMyth.com

RBX Active Pullover Tunic

This workout gear is great for the fitness fanatic. The brand is as luxurious and on-trend as the most expensive brands in the marketplace but at an attainable price. This fleece cowl neck sweatshirt has a body-skimming fit and super soft material. She'll love throwing this on after an intense workout class.

$40.00 at Amazon.com

For The Fashionista

Unleash that giant smile as she unwraps a brand new outfit for her to sport just in time for New Years. The fact that you got her something cute without her having to guide you will impress her already! And you can never go wrong with: Jessica Rich Collection, says Noble.

Rebekah Lace Set

From Nobles fave, the Jessica Rich Collection, this Rebekah Lace Set is a gorgeous gifting option. This one-of-a-kind set was designed in-house by Jessica Rich and includes lace pants and a matching duster jacket with self-tie for closure. Versatile and oh so sexy.

$119.00 at Jessicarich.com

Koolaburra Boot By UGG

To keep her feet toasty and warm on your romantic winter outings you can't go wrong with a boot by UGG in a rosy hue. She'll be grateful for your gifting choice when the snowfall arrives and she can trek out in these and leave her heels safe inside.

$79.99 at Amazon.com

For The Adventure Seeker

If your girl loves to see new places, by far the most exciting thing she can unwrap is a gift to see a destination! Not only will you both get a vacation out of it but you will get her girlfriends seal of approval, when she tells them about your thoughtful gift! says Noble.

Skyroam Solis

If your girl is always on the go for business or pleasure, ensure she can stay connected with the Skyroam Solis. This dual 4G LTE global WiFi hotspot and power bank meets the most significant needs of travelers with fast LTE speeds, long-lasting battery, and mobile charging that will keep her powered up all day long.

$149.99 at Amazon.com

Raden A22 Charging Suitcase

Smart luggage is having a major moment as of late. Everyone wants luggage that doesnt just carry their belongings but makes their travels easier and more efficient. This carry-on has location sensors that sync to an iOS app to help her keep track of her bag and an ergonomic carry handle acts as a scale  meaning she won't be asking you to weigh yourself and then lift her bag and weigh yourself again.

This suitcase also has an integrated battery with two USB ports so she can keep her devices charged during long layovers.

$295.00 at Nordstrom.com

Related Readings

10 Best Gift Ideas According To Ashley Alexiss

10 Best Gift Ideas According To Raquel Pomplun

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Wotton + Kearney (W+K) has tapped an industry leader for a key task.



Leanne Ho, whos known for her work in the pro bono and legal assistance sector, has joined W+K to help develop the trans-Tasman firms pro bono practice.



The human rights lawyer is well-regarded in the private and not-for-profit sectors in Australia. Internationally, she is known for her work as a legal advisor to the United Nations.



Leanne has been influential in the development of our pro bono activities, firstly in the early stages of our community footprint when she was working at the Australian Pro Bono Centre, a highly regarded resource for emerging pro bono practices, and then subsequently through her leadership of projects with our pro bono partners, the Refugee Advice & Casework Service and the Seniors Rights Service, said Heidi Nash-Smith, W+Ks head of pro bono.



Ho will work alongside teams in the firms offices across Australia as they develop new programs with community partners. She will also support the firm with existing projects and casework, W+K said.



Ho was previously tapped by legacy Henry Davis York and Colin Biggers & Paisley for pro bono and responsible business consulting.





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kWh

For that, they need a stylish design, great aerodynamics, a low stance and, most importantly, the "wow factor." Try looking at the Aria FXE without nodding your head approvingly at its design. Hell, you might even raise both your eyebrows, surprised that a company you've never heard of could come up with something this good looking.There's a lot of dramatism in the FXE's exterior design, but it's of the good kind. We've seen lots of super and hypercars lately whose appearances fell into a specific template. They weren't bad designs, they were just a bit too... boring. Too predictable. They lacked the "wow factor."Aria FXE has a bit of Lamborghini to its styling, but the influences are discreet enough to grant it its own identity. The hybrid supercar is developed by Aria Group, a company that's been developing prototypes for the automotive and aerospace industries, but it is now looking to go into production itself.The FXE was introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show , but if its design looks familiar to you, it's because it was shown earlier this year as "Fast Eddie" - a bespoke car wearing a fictive Corvette -like logo and showcasing a set of HRE Performance wheels. It was a confusing appearance, but it all makes sense now.Aria wants to sell the FXE together with a less powerful and expensive version called the FX. The latter will be powered by a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 engine (probably of GM descent), but that's about as far as the info we have on the model goes right now. Given the engine choice, however, it should prove a blast for any petrolhead who enjoys a high-revving big displacement unit slotted inside a mid-engined supercar. Which is another way of describing any cold-blooded creature on this planet.The FXE, however, is a lot more high-tech than that. It still gets a 6.2-liter V8 engine, but this one comes with a supercharger as well for an output of 720 hp. As if that weren't enough, the FXE also uses two electric motors on each of the front wheels, bringing the combined available power to 1,150 hp.Using a dual-clutch transmission with manual shift mode and a lightweight construction built around a carbon fiber monocoque, the U.S. supercar can reach 60 mph in 2.7 seconds. If that doesn't seem impressive, you can write Tesla a letter of complaint about ruining stats forever with its second-gen Roadster.Top speed is said to be 220 mph (354 km/h) and, thanks to a 10battery pack, the FXE should even offer a few miles of all-electric range, for those times when you want to match the stealth fighter looks with a stealthy approach to your house as well.A high-performance hybrid supercar from a low-volume manufacturer - we've heard this recipe before, and it usually came with a very steep price tag. We're sorry to inform you that the Aria FXE makes no exception. The sum hasn't been settled yet, but it will definitely be in the seven-figure zone. Yes, ouch.
The reason for this fallout between the two is Cena's decision to sell the Ford GT hypercar he had bought from Ford after just two weeks or so of ownership. Normally, there wouldn't be anything wrong with that - you buy a car, it's yours, so you can do whatever you want with it.Except the Ford GT was different. The carmaker only intends to build 1,000 of them, so getting one involved sending an application, and if Ford thought you were worthy, it would allow you the right to wire $460,000 into the company's accounts in exchange for the keys to the hypercar. If Ferrari can do it, why couldn't Ford?Those lucky enough to be selected would also be required to sign a contract. In a day when terms of use are usually dispatched with a click of the mouse, it's easy to understand how some people might not bother to read through the contract. But we doubt Ford let John Cena get in his new car without forcing him to sit there and listen to everything that paper bound him to.Among other things, John was not to sell his car sooner than two years after receiving it. In other words, the company thought those $460,000 could come accompanied by a two-year deal of Cena serving as its brand ambassador. Well, it's not like they pulled the money out of his pocket, he agreed to it, so it's all fair play.Now that Cena "flipped" the GT for a profit, Ford allegedly tried to solve the situation amicably (no idea how exactly the company thought that would go. Perhaps convince the buyer to return the car?), but to no avail. Now, they will see each other in court.However, all this could have been avoided had Ford's contract been more carefully crafted. For one thing, the carmaker could have included a clause that would have essentially nullified the sale. They obviously thought what Cena did was a possibility, then why didn't they defend against it better? It's not like suing somebody like Cena, who is generally seen as a "good guy," is doing the company's image any service.And then there's the company's claim for damages, which are so vague and subjective, they are impossible to calculate. A simple inclusion of a liquidated damages claim would have made things a lot simpler for everyone involved - not to mention scare the hell out of any buyer if it were something like a few million dollars.Cena selling the Ford GT was what caused Ford to react, but the need for a lawsuit was all Ford's legal department's fault. We're pretty sure buyers will be shown a different contract from now on - unless Ford's legal department is paid by the hour, in which case the existing one is just perfect.
SUV

After a long wait, the #Lamborghini #Urus is here #latetedanslecul A post shared by latetedanslecul (@latetedanslecul) on Dec 4, 2017 at 10:26am PST

#lamborghinidesigndna #thenewbull #lamborghini #urus #carpassion #nicetomitja A post shared by Mitja Borkert (@mitjaborkert) on Dec 4, 2017 at 1:27pm PST

#Lamborghini #lamborghinidesigndna #urus #santagatabolognese #dnaoflamborghini #sincewemadeitpossible A post shared by Mitja Borkert (@mitjaborkert) on Dec 4, 2017 at 9:56am PST

The one that has captured our attention the most, hence its presence in the headline, is the Urus monster truck. Speaking of the title, we're not expecting anybody to spend $200,000+ on such a Raging Bull and then throw a lift kit under it. At least not without turning the whole thing into a six-wheeler with a bed (LM002 thoughts, anybody?)However, we could see some crazy shop out there coming up with a fiberglass body that would help an actual monster truck impersonate the Lamborghini Urus - here's to hoping such a stunt never takes place, with things remaining confined to our screens.After all, thanks to its air suspension, the Urus can bring its ride height to 248 mm, which makes for respectable offroading abilities.As for the second rendering, this brings an uber-minimalist approach. We're looking at a creation delivered by digital art label latetedanslecul. As we've shown you in the past, this label does exactly what its name says (you don't need to be proficient in French to figure out that the name translates to head in the bottom).And while some might regard such pixel play as an exaggeration, we feel this actually comes to confirm that Lamborghini's designers have done their job well - even in this... imploded form, you can instantly recognize the Urus as a Raging Bull.Speaking of which, while the world wide web was playing with the lines of the Urus, Lamborghini's head designer, Mitja Borkert, took to Instagram to connect theto its siblings.The penning executive's posts have quite an impact (some might mention the forced perspective label, though), which is why we added a pair of them at the bottom of the page.
The clip shows the Woking animal duking it out with a Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce and the pace difference between the two supercars is stunning.Keep in mind that the official output of the British missile, which points out to a 720 hp crank output, is a seriously conservative figure. To be more precise, third-party dyno runs have shown that the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 animating the McLaren delivers around 770 hp at the crankshaft.Factor in the scale footprint advantage the Big Mac has over the 750 hp Raging Bull and you'll know what to expect from such a drag race.Nevertheless, since we're talking about a drag strip surface that seems to be less than well-prepped, the all-paw hardware of the Lambo should've given it the edge during the take-off phase of the velocity battle.Keep in mind that, when such a McLaren has a proper surface under its wheels, it can deliver high-9s runs in the quarter-mile, while the sprint we see here involved a 10.1s adventure (you'll get to see the 720S' ET and trap speed towards the end of the clip).In fact, a 720S whose driver had used tire warmers prior to the drag strip stunt, delivered a 9.7s world record run, thus allowing the Macca to one-up its P1 big brother, along with the other two Holy Trinity members (Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder).This doesn't seem to happen, though - looking at the footage of the race, which was captured by a camera strapped to the Aventador SV, it's not clear whether the driver of the Italian exotic used the Launch Control feature properly.
Joe Biden has written a tough, newsy article for Foreign Affairs magazine that takes on the Kremlin, the White House and the social-media giants, as the former vice president stays in the mix amid planning for a 2020 run. Axios has an exclusive first look for you.

The big quote: "Social media companies such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google must provide greater transparency about who funds the political advertisements on their platforms, work harder to eliminate automated and bot-generated content, and invest in the technological and human resources to root out fake foreign accounts that spread disinformation."

Biden co-writes with Michael Carpenter, Penn Biden Center senior director and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, on "How to Stand Up to the Kremlin: Defending Democracy Against Its Enemies," in the forthcoming (January/February) issue of Foreign Affairs:

"The Russian government i s brazenly assaulting the foundations of Western democracy around the world."

i the foundations of Western democracy around the world." "Russia's assault on democracy and subversion of democratic political systems calls for a strong response. The United States and its allies must improve their ability to deter Russian military aggression."

and subversion of democratic political systems calls for a strong response. The United States and its allies must improve their ability to deter Russian military aggression." "Trump has made a habit of lavishing praise on Putin and even reportedly sought to lift sanctions against Russia shortly after his inauguration. We are not questioning Trump's motives, but his behavior forces us to question his judgment."

and even reportedly sought to lift sanctions against Russia shortly after his inauguration. We are not questioning Trump's motives, but his behavior forces us to question his judgment." "If this administration cannot or will not stand up to Russia , other democratic institutions, including Congress and civil society organizations, must mobilize."

, other democratic institutions, including Congress and civil society organizations, must mobilize." Biden calls for "the creation of an independent, nonpartisan commission [like the 9/11] to examine Russia's assault on American democracy."

"the creation of an independent, nonpartisan commission [like the 9/11] to examine Russia's assault on American democracy." "Putin and his cronies do not understand that the greatest strength of American democracy is an engaged citizenry. Even if the president refuses to act, we can."

Be smart: This message is a testament to the extent to which Russia has become the central partisan dividing line on foreign policy, in a reversal of the traditional positions.
News Corp is taking aim at the digital-ad dominance of Google and Facebook with a new platform to let advertisers reach audiences across all of its online properties. The new platform, called News IQ, will pull audience data from sites like The Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Barron's and give advertisers a way to reach specific audiences around safe content.

Why it matters: News Corp is the latest publishing company to launch a data-based advertising network to win back digital ad dollars from Google and Facebook. Disney, NBC and Vox Media, and Verizon and Oath have all similar steps.

While none of these new ad networks are as big as Google or Facebook's, they are hoping to offer more brand-safe content at scale  major selling point for advertisers spooked by terrorist content and suicide videos.

News IQ will launch globally over the coming months and years, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson tells Axios exclusively. "We're not going to stop at U.S. borders."

The product was built in Australia, where News Corp has a significant media footprint, and then brought to the U.S. The U.K. will be next. "There isn't another publisher that reaches the global English-speaking population at scale with this quality," says Jesse Angelo, Publisher and CEO of The New York Post and Chief of Digital Advertising Solutions for News Corp.

Launch partners will include Douglas Elliman, Seabourn Cruise Line, Fox Broadcasting Company, and the Dentsu Aegis Network, and more. The News IQ team will generate specific data on advertising impressions and traffic across all of the publishing properties. Angelo says the launch partners will be advertisers interested in "cleaning up the messy digital ad system."

News IQ will have a small corporate sales team, but will be sold through the individual brands so they can better use specific reader data. Such on a platform like Realtor.com, News IQ could use data to open up many more opportunities for advertisers.

"We'll have zip-code data and we will know when someone is just about to buy a home," says Thomson. "A new home means a new cable contract, a new supermarket, a new car maybe a new breakfast cereal. It's very distinctive data."

Bottom line: News Corp's ad network will reach 140 million in the U.S. and millions of more globally, according to comScore, but competing with Google and Facebook on scale and efficiency will be tough. Facebook says it has more than two billion monthly active users, and both Facebook and Google reach over 200 million monthly active users monthly, per comScore.
The population of Sumatran tigers  a subspecies of tiger found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra  fell 16.6% from 2000 to 2012, New Scientist reports. Only 400-500 tigers remain, according to the New York Times. The Sumatran tiger is critically endangered due to poaching and deforestation, which has left the animal with just a few places to live. The two are linked, with loggers clearing away trees in forests and creating paths for poachers to hunt tigers.

"We're really at a tipping point in terms of how much habitat is left that tigers need for their long-term survival," Matthew Luskin of the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore told the New Scientist. Over the past two decades, there has been a concerted effort to protect tigers in Indonesia from extinction.
Machine learning is a core technology driving advances in artificial intelligence. This week, some of its earliest practitioners and many of the world's top AI researchers are in Long Beach, CA, for the field's big annual gatheringthe Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS) conference. In all, some 7,700 people are to attend AI's version of high tech's glitzy South by Southwest conference, and the electronic device industry's even bigger annual CES conference.

It's NIPS' 31st year in what originally drew just a few hundred participants  computer scientists, physicists, mathematicians and neuroscientists all interested in AI. Terrence Sejnowski, a computational neuroscientist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and president of the NIPS Foundation, spoke with Axios about growth in the field and what's next.

How machine learning has grown since NIPS' start in the '80s: "Over that period what happened was a convergence of a number of different factors, one of them being the fact that computers got a million times faster. Back then we could only study little toy networks with a few hundred units. But now we can study networks with millions of units. The other thing was the training sets  you need to have examples of what it is you're trying to learn. The internet made it possible for us to get millions of training examples relatively easily, because there's so many images, abundant speech examples, and so forth, that you can download from the internet. Finally, there were breakthroughs along the way in the algorithms that we used to make them more efficient. We understood them a lot better in terms of something called regularization, which is how to keep the network from memorizing  you want it to generalize."

The role of hardware: "By far, right now, the most exciting part of the hardware development is special purpose digital chips that speed up and are able to enhance the learning. That is to say, the bottleneck right now for learning is the fact that you have to give it many examples. Basically it's applying the same simple operation over and over again.

"What's happened is that Nvidia and Intel, and a dozen other startup companies, are designing special purpose learning chips. Actually, Google already has one that's called TPU, tensor processing unit, which they're using in the cloud because of the fact that it's much more efficient in terms of the energy use and the speed. Without it they wouldn't have been able to roll out services using deep learning  things like language translation. There's literally billions of dollars that are being invested right now in digital hardware.

"The problem though is that, of course, if you want to put it into a cell phone you have to make it very low power. The next generation will be even lower power chips using analog VLSI [very-large-scale-integration]. That's being driven by the applications and the technology. The cell phone market is huge, we're talking about billions of chips out there that can be put into cell phones."

The coming challenge: "We can now put a million units with a billion connections and train it to do something. If you look in the brain, that's about five square millimeters of the cortex. What will eventually happen  and it is happening  is that we know that each part of the cortex is specialized for a different function. Each little patch, very tiny patch, has been dedicated to all these different functions, which we know are separate networks and are doing separate tasks, which is kind of a modular approach.

"If you look into the way the cortex works it's really interesting because all these areas are interconnected with each other. It's not like they're isolated from each other. Right? There are long range, and there are short range connections. The big challenge is the global organization of all of these, right now, modular networks that have been designed for one task each network. It'll happen. It's beginning to happen but it will require theoretical advances for how to organize all the information that is distributed over the entire cortex.

"This is a very exciting area in neuroscience right now because we have tools and techniques, like brain imaging, that we can actually see that happening, both during learning and also during memory consolidation during sleep. As we learn more about how the cortex organizes information globally, it should be possible to translate that into a global workplace built out of all of these chips that are being designed for all these special applications."

"There are a lot of other problems too, but it seems to me that the integration problem may be the key to general intelligence. That's something people like to talk about. They say, 'Oh, you solved these little applications but you haven't figured out how to get much more flexible behavior that involves integrating all that information.' My guess is that if we could figure out how the brain solves the global integration problem, we'll be on our way to understanding a little bit more about general intelligence."

Go deeper: NIPS is one of the AI hiring events of the year (Business Insider), a new approach to image recognition is being presented by AI pioneer Geoff Hinton (ScienceNews) and a daydreaming AI (MIT Technology Review).
5 December 2017 16:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Fuad Aslanov

The Armenian population, which witnesses the careless attitude of their government towards them, have already given up hope of having a normal leadership in the country.

For this very reason, tens of thousands of people leave the country every year, thus constantly reducing the population of Armenia. However, the government, probably, does not perceive this as a serious problem. Instead, the authorities continue to plunder the countrys internal resources and misappropriate billions of foreign currency incomes.

The outflow of population negatively affects the number of private money transfers as well as foreign investment into the country. The Armenian newspaper Zhamanak reports that the volume of net cash flows in January-September 2017 was by $1.8 million less than those that Armenia received in the same period last year.

Armenian economists, in turn, note that the change of heads of several government agencies in Armenia led to an outflow of capital, since some dismissed persons have powerful financial and other kind of resources.

It should be noted that since taking office last year, Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan promised the development of the Armenian economy due to a number of factors. In particular, he promised to bring investment in the country, but today it is not even felt when we take a look at the current state of the Armenian economy.

Currently, the investment indicator in Armenia is negative, that is, Armenians withdraw investments more than attract them. Obviously, few people dare to invest in the impoverished and corrupt country. Even the richest foreigners from affluent countries hesitate to invest their money in Armenia, known for extreme corruption and many other drawbacks. The Armenian businessmen themselves do not invest money in the countrys business spheres because they are afraid of losing the funds. They understand unreasonableness of investing in the Armenian economy which is heading towards a default.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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5 December 2017 14:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The ruling regime of Yerevan uses the Karabakh conflict as a factor of domestic rather than foreign policy, and is a cover for the leadership against the internal audience amidst a lot of unresolved problems in the country. President Sargsyans visit to the occupied Karabakh is part of this very policy.

Famous Polish expert, publicist, PhD in political science Jakub Korejba made the remark in his interview with Day.az while commenting on the visit of the Armenian President to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Last weekend, Armenian media reported that Sargsyan met with the command of military units of the Armenian Armed Forces stationed in the occupied Karabakh.

The ruling regime in Armenia often behaves in similar ways when things go wrong in Armenia. The state debt of Armenia is growing every month, but the socio-economic situation in the country is not improving. This suggests that the government is still actively involved in corruption and misappropriation of funds which should have been spent on the well-being of the Armenian population. Consequently, the state of the countrys economy remains poor. This leads to high unemployment and poverty rates as well as outflow of population in large numbers.

Obviously, all this bothers the Armenian population, which is long unsatisfied with the authorities. Therefore, from time to time, the Armenian government reminds the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan, thus trying to reduce the level of displeasure among the Armenian population and divert peoples attention from domestic problems.

Since the power in Yerevan is detached from the society and does not have a democratic legitimation, creation of an image of the enemy and defense of the state are the only way for Sargsyan to unite people around himself and stay in power, said Korejba.

Therefore, noted the expert, the ruling clique of impostors, deprived of the formal right to remain in power, needs the management of this conflict.

Therefore, Sargsyan will continue to warm up the conflict and provoke clashes, since without this war he and the rest of the mafia will become useless, as people will begin to pay attention to the effectiveness of power, that is, to its complete absence, Korejba said.

He added that for now, Armenia needs a leader, not the manager Sargsyan, who brilliantly solves problems created by himself, while robbing the whole country.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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5 December 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Kenneth Rogoff

As US President Donald Trumps administration throws sharp elbows in trade negotiations and systematically rescinds regulations introduced by President Barack Obama, one casualty is likely to be efforts to fight the global obesity epidemic. Left unchecked, rapidly rising obesity rates could slow or even reverse the dramatic gains in health and life expectancy that much of the world has enjoyed over the past few decades. And by forcing its food culture on countries like Mexico and Canada, the United States is making the problem worse.

One of the paradoxes of modern global capitalism is that whereas more than 800 million people in the world do not have enough to eat, an estimated 700 million people (including 100 million children) are obese. Of course, the two are not necessarily directly related. A considerable proportion of world hunger occurs in countries suffering from domestic strife or severe government dysfunction.

The obesity epidemic, however, has a much broader footprint, affecting advanced economies and most emerging markets. Although there is some connection between obesity and poverty within countries, it is notable that obesity rates in rich countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are among the worlds highest.

Recently, the US Centers for Disease Control estimated that a stunning 40% of all Americans are obese (defined as having a body mass index of 30 or higher), a figure that includes 20.6% of adolescents (12-19 years old). According to the CDC, the average weight of an American woman today is greater than the average weight of an American man in 1960 (166 pounds, or 75 kilos).

Back in 1960, the average weight of an American woman was 140 pounds, while the average weight of an American man today is 195 pounds. (Over the same period, the average height of Americans increased by only one inch, or 2.5 centimeters.) This same dynamic is playing out worldwide, with obesity rates soaring in Europe, Latin America, and even in China.

Although it is difficult to gauge the long-run health consequences, there is abundant evidence that obesity contributes significantly to higher rates of type II diabetes, heart attacks, and certain types of cancer. The health costs are staggering, estimated to be close to $200 billion per year in the US alone. And with rising childhood obesity rates worldwide portending significantly greater health problems in the future adult population, the costs are likely to rise considerably.

The causes of obesity are manifold and complex. Nevertheless, a growing body of evidence suggests that a culture emphasizing processed food and a generally sedentary lifestyle lies at the center of the problem. In emerging markets, rapid urbanization is another important factor, as well as a desire to emulate Western lifestyles.

Many governments have launched initiatives to improve nutrition education. Unfortunately, industry advertising typically dwarfs these efforts, as do US trade lobbyists own efforts to push processed and fast food on the rest of the world.

It is hard to ignore the fact that Mexicos adult obesity rate has soared since the adoption in 1993 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. While there are many causes, post-NAFTA direct foreign investment in the processed food industry and a surge in advertising are important contributors.

Mexican consumption of sugary beverages nearly tripled between 1993 and 2014, and a new tax on sugary drinks has muted demand only slightly since then. The other NAFTA partner, Canada, has similarly experienced a rise in obesity, partly because US imports have led to a sharp decline in the price of fructose.

It is unfortunate that government regulators have been so slow to try to reverse these trends by, for example, helping to educate the public on the science of nutrition. And, for too long, most government anti-obesity education has focused on mechanically regulating calorie intake, without taking into account that different foods have dramatically different effects on appetite (as David Ludwig, a professor at Harvard Medical School, emphasizes in his excellent new book Always Hungry).

Skeptics may point out that nutrition guidelines always seem to be morphing, with last years sin food becoming this years superfood, and vice versa. Though there is some truth to this, the fact is that nutrition research has made significant progress in recent decades.

The government has other tools at its disposal, besides education, for affecting peoples eating habits. They can and should place greater restrictions on advertising to children, as the UK, France, and several other countries have done; obesity in early years can lead to lifelong problems. Beyond that, Ludwig, Tufts Universitys Dariush Mozaffarian, and I have proposed instituting a tax on processed food, much the same way that tobacco is taxed. Proceeds from the tax could be used to subsidize healthier alternatives.

It is perhaps fantasy to expect the current US administration to consider any kind of anti-obesity strategy while it is still busy dismantling Obama-era policies. But that is all the more reason why countries entering new trade agreements with the US (for example, the post-Brexit UK, or post-NAFTA Canada) must be wary of any provisions that tie their hands in the war against obesity.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: The US Is Exporting Obesity

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5 December 2017 13:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The canned products of the Azerbaijani company Brightman BMC will be exported to the UAE and Bangladesh, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy reported on December 5.

Brightman BMC has reached a preliminary agreement on this issue with the networks of Al-maya and Lulu markets, as well as with Al-Ghamdi trading. The agreement was reached during the visit of the export mission of Azerbaijan to Dubai.

Within the framework of the mission, the Azerbaijani company Sunfood discussed with Al-maya and Lulu, as well as with the Al-Qudva network, the export of pomegranate juice and tea to the UAE, and the export of honey was mulled between Kerkom and Azeri.

The export mission of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs will be in Dubai until December 7.

The mission includes 20 Azerbaijani companies producing fruit juice, mineral water, fruit and vegetable production, dried fruits, canned foods, meat and meat products, honey, tea, milk and dairy products.

Producers of fruit and vegetable products that are part of the export mission will also participate in the largest profile exhibition WOP Dubai, which will be held on Dec.5-7.

According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the trade turnover with the UAE for 10 months of 2017 amounted to $29.28 million, which is 2.1 times less than the same period last year. The export of Azerbaijani products to the UAE increased by 58.5 percent as compared to the end of October last year.

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5 December 2017 18:32 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The State Committee on Property Issues of Azerbaijan held next auction on privatization of state property on December 5, which ended with the sale of 15 state properties.

One of the sold objects is a joint-stock company and 14 are non-residential areas. All of the privatized non-residential areas are located in Baku.

At the auction, some objects were also privatized electronically. Thus, three non-residential areas in the Narimanov district were privatized electronically.

The State Committee on Property Issues of Azerbaijan held the first electronic auction on July 4.

The privatized enterprises contribute to the economic efficiency in the country, while auctions allow citizens to create their own business by privatizing small objects at affordable prices.

The privatization process creates conditions for expansion of the activities of enterprises, increasing production volumes, opening new work places.

About 300 state properties and enterprises are planned to be privatized until the end of 2017.

Earlier, Chairman of the State Committee on Property Issues Karam Hasanov said that revenues from the privatization of state property to the state budget of Azerbaijan will exceed 100 million manats ($58.82 million) until the end of 2017.

Information about the auction is posted on the official website of the Committee, on the website privatization.az and on the facebook page.

The portal for privatization, launched in July 2016, reflects all necessary information about the facilities, their addresses, location, and even initial cost and aims at facilitation of the process. The website is available in two languages - Azerbaijani and English. Why Azerbaijan is special section available on the website explains the reasons and advantages of investing in the country.

The privatization process is designed to attract both foreign and local investors, as well as develop the business environment of Azerbaijan.

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5 December 2017 18:06 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The visitors of the 23rd Azerbaijan International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition and Conference (Bakutel 2017) will be able to receive e-signatures free of charge, the Information and Computing Center of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies told Trend.

The 23rd Azerbaijan International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition and Conference (Bakutel 2017) is being held at the Baku Expo Center on December 5-8.

The certificates for e-signatures are raffled off on a competitive basis in the "Electronic government" pavilion.

It is necessary to pass registration at the information booth and answer six questions about "e-government" and e-services to participate in the contest.

The visitors can receive a certificate for e-signature free of charge after answering the questions correctly.

E-signature simplifies the access of citizens to electronic services of state institutions that are available on the Electronic Government Portal. One can order the e-signature via www.e-imza.az website.

Currently, for Azerbaijani citizens the cost of e-signatures issued for three years is 18 manats. Moreover, individuals and legal entities engaged in entrepreneurial activities can get e-signatures for 36 manats and 72 manats, respectively, while employees of state institutions can get them for 58 manats.

(1.7001 AZN = $1 on December 5)

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5 December 2017 14:09 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Pakistan has been represented at the charity fair, organized by Women's Association in Islamabad.

The event brought together local companies, foreign embassies in Pakistan, Azertac reported. Each country demonstrated its cultural values, traditions, economy and tourism potential.

National pavilion featured various materials dedicated to the Azerbaijani-Pakistani relations, the aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, country's socio-economic development and tourism potential.



Guests also enjoyed souvenirs and delicious sweets. The participants of the charity fair showed great interest in the Azerbaijani pavilion and welcomed national folk music with applause.

Addressing the event, Pakistan's first lady Mahmooda Mamnoon Hussain praised the charity fair. She said that the event serves as a support for unofficial diplomacy and solidarity among nations and cultures.

The President of Women's Association, Ayesha Haq said that the organization helps the disabled people, people who suffered from various disasters. She also thanked the embassies and companies for their active participation. All the funds collected from the event will be sent to charity.

Pakistan is one of the oldest and closest allies and strategic partners of Azerbaijan in Asia. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is one of the first countries that recognized the independence of Azerbaijan on December 12, 1991.

The two countries also share common views on major regional and international issues and cooperate closely in the regional and multilateral forums, including the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Economic Cooperation Organisation.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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5 December 2017 15:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, the treasury of national culture, with over 14,000 unique exhibits, is nominated to the most prestigious award in the museum world - European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA).

The Judging Panel of the European Museum of the Year Award held its meeting in Polands capital Warsaw on November 16-18.

The judges determined the nominations for the European Museum of the Year Award 2018 (EMYA).

The museums of Great Britain, Turkey, Sweden, the Netherlands, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Andorra, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, Hungary, Greece and Finland are also nominated for the prize.

The announcement of the winners and the formal EMYA Award Ceremony will take place during the Annual Assembly of the European Museum Forum, on May 9-12 May 2018 in Warsaw.

The ceremony will take place in the POLIN - Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which was awarded with the European Museum of the Year Award in 2016.

With their intriguing array of radiant patterns revealed in artfully gradated color palettes, carpets continue to astonish art lovers and critics. Rug making is an ancient art form that goes back many centuries, some say many thousands of years.

Carpets have been always a part of Azerbaijani culture. They occupy a preeminent place among all the examples of national craftsmanship.

National carpets are known at international level, saved and stored at the world museums and private collections. Thanks to the care of the country, on November 10, 2010, the Azerbaijani carpet art was included into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.

Azerbaijan's Carpet Museum established in Baku in 1967, being the first carpet museum in the world is the very place that can familiarize all the interested with the unique examples of the national carpets.

The main purpose of the creation of the museum was to store, research, and demonstrate unique examples of the carpet weaving art, which are the Azerbaijans national heritage. The initiator of the museum was Latif Karimov  an outstanding scientist and carpet weaver, the founder of the science of Azerbaijan Carpet Weaving Art, artist and teacher, author of the fundamental work of national carpet.

A new carpet museum, designed in the form of a rolled carpet, opened in the Baku Seaside Park in 2014 and all carpets were transferred to this museum.

Today museum hosts many events, such as exhibitions, international symposiums, and conferences.

During its 50 years of existence, the museum has organized more than 30 exhibitions in different countries throughout the world.

The Museum operates as the site for the comprehensive research of traditional carpet weaving art and its popularization within world culture.

The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) was founded in 1977, by the now legendary Kenneth Hudson and Richard Hoggart, under the auspices of the Council of Europe, with the aim of recognizing excellence in the European museum sector, and of encouraging innovative processes in a museum world, which still took the more traditional view of focusing on collections rather than on their use for the benefit of society.

Every year, a rigorous judging process involves visits to up to 50 museums, culminating in an annual conference with up to 300 leading museum professionals, at which the candidates present their museums, the winners are announced, and the underlying values and innovative ideas in the European museum field are discussed, renewed and reinterpreted.

Since 1977, the European Museum Forum, as the longest running and most prestigious museum award scheme, has presented the European Museum of the Year Award and a series of related awards, and functioned as a continuous benchmark for best practices for the sector. Innovation, public quality and accessibility are the absolute criteria for the EMYA award and constitute the shared denominators for all the awards in the scheme.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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5 December 2017 10:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijan has been elected as a full-fledged member of the International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM) as the organization held its 42nd World Congress in New Delhi, India.

Chief of the Central Medical Department of the Ministry of Defense Natig Aliyeazerbaijanv was appointed as head of Azerbaijan's mission to the International Committee of Military Medicine.

The Azerbaijani delegation met with their counterparts from Turkey and the United Kingdom to discuss the issues of mutual interest on the sidelines of the Congress,.

The International Committee of Military Medicine was established in 1921 in the Kingdom of Belgium with an aim to fully safeguard the principles of the Geneva Conventions and ensure the exchange of scientific information on military medicine.

The main function of the ICMM, which includes 112 member states, is to encourage the exchange of technological and scientific experiences in the field of military medicine.

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5 December 2017 10:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The OSCE is expected to monitor the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on Dec.6, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said in a message on December 5.

The monitoring will be held under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative along the line of contact near Kurapatkino village in Azerbaijans Khijavand district, according to the message.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held bySimon Tiller and Ognjen Jovic field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, .

On the Azerbaijani territories occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring will be held by Mikhail Olaru and Ghenadie Petrica , who are field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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5 December 2017 18:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Another meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers to discuss the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group will be held in Vienna on December 6. Some experts are awaiting the meeting in the hope that it will bring some progress in finding peace to the long-lasting conflict, while others are pessimistic on its results.

Russian historian and political analyst Oleg Kuznetsov does not expect anything fundamentally new and positive from this meeting.

I can safely predict that the meeting of the foreign ministers will be reduced to a bravura demonstration of the allegedly new opportunities of Armenia in the negotiation process, he told Azernews on December 5. "That is why I believe that the meeting will be neither constructive nor fruitful."

The meetings of Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers and presidents on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have not yielded any serious progress so far due to the unconstructive position of Armenia on this issue. The Armenian government continues to play for time and avoids substantive negotiations in order to preserve the inadmissible status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Last weekends visit of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Nagorno-Karabakh, where he met with the command of military units of the Armenian Armed Forces stationed in the occupied Azerbaijani lands and observed military exercises conducted there also deserves attention in the developments around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Obviously, by this action, Yerevan has once again proved its reluctance to engage in serious talks to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Baku has repeatedly stated that existence of Armenian armed forces in Azerbaijans occupied territories prevents the settlement of the conflict and serves to intensifying the aggravation in the region.

Kuznetsov noted that Sargsyan does not pay attention to how the rest of humanity treats the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, and therefore he, with a clear conscience, visited the exercises of the Armenian troops held there.

After the battles in April 2016, when not a single native or resident of Nagorno-Karabakh was among the dead servicemen of the Armenian army (at least among the officially declared losses), the whole world realized that there is no fictional Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army in the conflict zone, but there are troops of the Armenian Armed Forces, said Kuznetsov. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Armenian president observes the exercises of his officers and soldiers in the territories that he considers his own.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Until now, Armenia controls fifth part of Azerbaijans territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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5 December 2017 10:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijan's export opportunities will considerably increase, said President Ilham Aliyev addressing the staff of the Baku Agropark in Zira settlement, Khazar district, after reviewing the complex's operations, December 4.

A beautiful agro-park was constructed on a 10-hectare area, said President Aliyev.

"The working conditions and productivity are good. The latest technologies have been applied. This enterprise increases the economic potential of our country. Export-oriented products are produced here, which is very important for diversifying our economy under the current conditions," said the President.

The head of state stressed that the development of agriculture is a priority issue.

"According to the information provided to me, greenhouse complexes are being created on an area of more than 400 hectares," President Aliyev said, adding that the agro-products to be grown there will be completely exported.

"We have provided ourselves with vegetables and the sphere that brings us the biggest income is connected with tomatoes. Exporting tomatoes for 10 months of this year brought us $130 million. Now imagine if at the next stage we put into operation greenhouse complexes on an area of 400 hectares - and that, of course, will happen - then our export opportunities will considerably increase. This means new jobs; almost 200 citizens are provided with jobs here. Women also work here, which is very important. I see that most of the working here are women and working conditions are good," the head of state said.

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5 December 2017 11:12 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Nine unexploded ordnance (UXO) were found in Jojug Marjanli village of Jabrayil region, Azerbaijans National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) told Trend on December 4.

The message says that during the past day an area of 36,860 square meters was cleared in the village, while 5,400 square meters were prepared for cleaning by special mechanical means.

ANAMA was established in 1998 for planning and coordination, management and monitoring of mine action related activities all over the country.

The problem of unexploded ordnance in Azerbaijan can be divided into the areas that are still under the occupation of Armenian forces and other areas of the country. Most of the unexploded ordinances are the result of Armenian aggression.

Jojug Marjanli village was liberated by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces from the Armenian occupation in April 2016. In late January 2017, President Ilham Aliyev ordered to restore the village. ANAMA professionals carry out the operation in the village with the aim to ensure full security for its residents.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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5 December 2017 11:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Aygul Salmanova

Baku hosted an event dedicated to the 46th anniversary of the establishment of the United Arab Emirates on December 4.

While making remarks at the event, the UAE ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohammed Ahmed Hamel Al Qubaisi noted the strong partnership relations that Azerbaijan and the UAE have.

"I would like to emphasize the friendly relations between the UAE and Azerbaijan, the diplomat said. Cooperation and mutual respect are based on these relations.

"This year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries," he said.

The ambassador added that the growing volumes of exchange between the UAE and Azerbaijan in such spheres as economy, tourism and culture, testify to the strong bilateral relations.

The number of tourists from the UAE to Azerbaijan reached 100,000 people in January-October 2017, he added.

"The UAE embassy in Azerbaijan established the Chamber of Commerce, the ambassador said. This year I have held two meetings of the Chamber of Commerce with the participation of approximately 40 trade partners and companies interested in increasing the trade index between our countries."

The event was further addressed by Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev who noted that the UAE has always supported Azerbaijan's fair position in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The UAE was among the first Muslim countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan, which was a significant support for the country, he said.

Mammad-Guliyev added that cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UAE is developing in many areas.

He added that the two countries also successfully cooperate within international organizations.

Azerbaijan attaches great importance to development of economic relations with the UAE, he said. The two countries have an economic commission. Its recent meeting was held in April.

Mammad-Guliyev said Azerbaijan welcomes the participation of the UAE in transport projects of the country.

Moreover, he stressed that Etihad Airways will launch the UAE-Azerbaijan flights in March 2018.

The United Arab Emirates is one of the first states that recognized the independence Azerbaijan. Since that time the ties between the two countries have fruitfully developed in various spheres. The relationship became much closer after the Embassy of United Arab Emirates was opened in Baku in 2011.

The countries are members of and cooperating within significant international organizations, such as the United Nations Organization, Islamic Conference Organization and other influential regional and international organizations. UAE supports Azerbaijan with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The two countries have also established the Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation and hold meetings and organize various business forums, their companies take part at the exhibitions both in the UAE and Azerbaijan.

The overall trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the UAE for the past two-three years amounted to approximately $70 million. Mainly Azerbaijan imports goods from the UAE, which are, in fact, re-exported from other countries. It is mostly metallurgical and chemical products, textiles, building materials, tobacco products, household equipment. Azerbaijan mainly exports to the UAE fruits, juices, nuts, metal semi-finished products and so on.

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5 December 2017 12:37 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The next round of negotiations on a new agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan will be held in mid-December, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev told Trend on December 4.

The negotiations will be sectoral, he said.

The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan in November 2016.

The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today.

The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.

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5 December 2017 10:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Bakutel 2017, a unique business platform where both specialists and professionals from various ICT fields can meet, is bringing together 192 companies from 20 countries this year.



The opening ceremony of the 23rd Azerbaijan International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition and Conference took place in Baku Expo Center on December 5.

Addressing the event, Ramin Guluzade, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, stressed that today Azerbaijan is turning into a regional transit center both in logistics and information exchange, adding that the work is underway to create a transit regional information highway in the country.

Negotiations and meetings held within the exhibition-conference will contribute to the further development of the ICT sector, the minister said. This event has been held for 23 years in a row. It is an important event that unites the people involved in the ICT sector.

He said that Bakutel exhibition-conference is the venue where leading business leaders and specialists meet, noting that during this event, important decisions are made regarding the further development of the ICT sector.

Moreover, Bakutel is the place for the presentation of the latest modern ICT solutions. New start-up projects will be demonstrated at the exhibition. The exhibition is also a good platform for exchange of experience, he said.

Iran's Minister for ICT Mohammad Javad Azeri Jahromi making the remarks at the ceremony stated that Iran is interested to cooperate with Azerbaijan in different spheres of economy, including information communication technologies (ICT) section.

The minister went on to say that there are several directions of cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan and interaction in transit of internet traffic from south of Iran to Azerbaijan onward in the northern direction -- to Russia -- represent one of them.

In accordance with the memorandum, the two countries cooperate in the field of cyber security, as well as in postal service and e-government. The postal operators of the two countries inked relevant agreements and set up transit of postal deliveries. The ongoing construction of railway communication between the two countries will also give impetus to the development of ties. In general we are interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan in different fields, the minister said.

ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao told reporters that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) highly appreciates contribution of Azerbaijan and Russia to ensuring cybersecurity at international level.

He noted that cyberattacks are threatening everyone and therefore cybersecurity is important.

Cybersecurity is among the most topical issues, especially amid transition to the digital economy, he noted, adding that the ITU is working on this issue, and, being an international organization, it highly appreciates the role of Azerbaijan, Russia and other countries in cybersecurity.

Houlin Zhao also visited Bakutel 2017 and shared his impressions of this annual event as its regular guest.

Zhao said that usually at Bakutel he sees stands of industry companies that offer their products and solutions, but this year he saw a lot of pavilions of state agencies as well. This is of great importance for foreign partners, he noted, adding that companies from about 20 countries are taking part in the exhibition.

He stressed that active participation of start-ups in the exhibition was very encouraging, adding that this contributes to the long-term development of small business in Azerbaijan.

Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communications of Turkey Ahmet Arslan told reporters that Bakutel 2017 is an excellent opportunity for the participating Turkish companies to demonstrate their achievements.

The minister noted that Bakutel becomes an increasingly important event every year.

As you know, Turkish companies take part in this event every year and show a special interest in this exhibition, he said.

Arslan noted that if to compare the level of development of telecommunications and information technologies in Turkey and in a number of other countries, one can see how this sphere advanced in Turkey.

The sector of telecommunications and information technologies is one of the most rapidly developing areas, he said.

The Turkish minister also congratulated Azerbaijan on holding the International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition and Conference.

As the main arena for presenting IT products and services, Bakutel has acquired status as the main business platform where new contacts and businesses are created.

This year the event gathered companies from Azerbaijan, China, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey, the U.S., UAE and others.

Among the event's participants are leading ICT companies of Azerbaijan, mobile operators, telecom operators, Internet providers, system integrators, distributors of well-known brands and radio and television broadcasting companies.

As much as 40 percent of this year's participants are regular exhibitors of exhibition. Bakutel 2017 will also welcome a number of new companies such as BMC Software, Hikvision, Nexus Telecom, Qmatic, etc.
5 December 2017 16:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Foreign ministers of the five Caspian littoral states  Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan  met in Moscow on December 5 to discuss the development of a document on the legal status of the Caspian Sea.

During the meeting, the FMs discussed a number of issues of the current agenda on the Caspian Sea.

Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mammadyarov, in particular, noted that prior to the 5th summit of the heads of the Caspian states to be held in Kazakhstan, it is necessary to exert maximum efforts to reach a consensus on all issues, which remain open, related to the status of the Caspian Sea.

The minister said that over the past period, the participants in the negotiation process have done a great deal of work on the draft Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, and the decisions and the agreements reached during the five-sided meetings at the highest level contributed significantly to the rapprochement of the positions of all the Caspian states.

They gave a powerful impetus to the negotiating process as a whole and are of historical importance for the further strengthening of good-neighborly relations, fruitful cooperation and keeping stability in the Caspian region, he said.

Mammadyarov further noted that the efforts made should serve to consolidate the result of many years of work on the draft Convention and create a comprehensive legal basis for interaction and cooperation of the littoral states in the Caspian Sea.

This fundamental legal document is designed to lay a solid foundation for the future architecture of relations in the Caspian Sea and will contribute to further strengthening of stability and security in the Caspian region, Mammadyarov noted.

He also added that the early signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea will serve to take more effective measures aimed at further cooperation on the conservation of the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea, including cooperation of the Caspian states in various fields.

After the five-sided meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a statement to journalists.

With great satisfaction, I declare that we have found solutions to all the remaining open key issues related to the preparation of the draft Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. The text of the document is, in fact, ready, he noted.

Lavrov said that the document is planned to be signed at the 5th Caspian Summit in Kazakhstan.

We hope that this can be done in the first half of the year, but the leadership of Kazakhstan will make the final decision on the timing of the summit, when it will be clear that all technical and legal aspects of work on the agreed text have already been completed, the FM said.

Further, Lavrov regarded the results of the meeting in Moscow as very positive.

We have completed our almost 20-year work on the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. This text will be submitted for approval by the heads of our states. We expect that they will support it, he noted.

The issue of determining the legal status of the sea became relevant after the collapse of the USSR, when the emergence of new subjects of international law - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan - raised the issue of delimitation of the Caspian Sea between the five littoral countries.

The difficulties in determining the status of the Caspian Sea are linked, in particular, with the recognition of it as a lake or sea, the delineation of which is regulated by different provisions of international law.

Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan hold to the principle of dividing into national sectors based on the median line principles since it is an international boundary lake, and leaving the sea surface for general use, i.e. they are for demarcation of mineral resources and the Caspian Sea shelf, but against dividing up its waters.

Iran seeks an equal division of the Caspian into five even sectors, mainly because most of the offshore energy resources are located away from the Iranian coastline. Turkmenistan also demands division of the Sea into equal parts between the pre-Caspian countries so that each country must have 20 percent of the sea.

The status of the Caspian remains a key topic of discussions at the Caspian states summits. The leaders of the five countries met for the first time in 2002 in Ashgabat. The second Caspian summit was held in Tehran in 2007, the third one in Baku in 2010, and the fourth summit  in Astrakhan in 2014. The Convention on the legal status of the sea is planned to be signed at the upcoming Astana summit.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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5 December 2017 17:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Aygul Salmanova

Baku hosted a seminar on a Common Transit Convention and a New Computerized Transit System (NCTS) started in the European Regional Office of the World Customs Organization (WCO) on capacity building on December 5.

The seminar was supported by the International Organization for Migration within the framework of the Eastern Partnership program of the European Union.

Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Chairman of the State Customs Committee Aydin Aliyev made remarks on large-scale projects implemented by the country to expand transit opportunities in the future that will create favorable conditions for increasing freight traffic and will make an important contribution to the development of international trade in general.

Aliyev underlined that joining the General Transit Procedure and the Trade Facilitation Convention was one of the important targets of the action plan of SCC for 2017-2021.

The Chairman of the Committee spoke about the steps taken to join the New Computerized Transit System in Europe, the benefits of this system Azerbaijan and the region.

Highly appreciating the participation in the seminar of customs officers of Serbia, Aliyev expressed confidence that the availability of large transit opportunities and experience in Serbia is an interesting example for Azerbaijan.

Darius Mrovich, the employee of Frontex, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States, spoke about the projects implemented by the organization and its structure, and said that the main goal of the organization is to facilitate border crossing of individuals and cargoes.

Then, the representative of the Customs Service of the Republic of Serbia Veselin Milosevic spoke briefly about the issues to be discussed at the seminar and discussed the benefits of NCTS. Milosevic expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan, the State Customs Committee on behalf of the country's government for supporting Kosovo's position on the WTO accession issue.

The three-day seminar will provide participants with detailed information by Veselin Milosevic, Olga Protic, and Vladan Vukovic on the Serbian transit system customs officers of the Republic of Serbia, the requirements of the NCTS system in Azerbaijan, the basic principles and benefits of NCTS, the National Project Plan and other issues.

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5 December 2017 16:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

World oil prices rise on Tuesday morning on the expectations of traders of data on statistics on oil reserves in the U.S.

Brent crude futures are up 0.03 percent at $62.47 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures are up 0.1 percent at $57.53 per barrel, RIA Novosti reported.

Market participants expect statistics on oil reserves in the U.S. In particular, the American Petroleum Institute (API) will publish its data on December 5, and the Energy Information Administration of the US Energy Ministry (EIA) - on December 6.

Now everyone will be watching the data on the U.S. crude stocks that will be published today and tomorrow, Reuters quoted Jeffrey Halley, a senior market analyst at OANDA.

At the same time, traders continue to win back the decision to extend the agreement to reduce OPEC + oil production by the end of next year, which was adopted last week.

OPEC and a number of non-member producers, including Russia, agreed on November 30 to extend the agreement on limiting raw materials extraction for another nine months, hoping ultimately to cope with oversupply and bring the market to balance.

As calculations showed, OPEC oil production in November fell by 300,000 barrels per day to 32.48 million barrels per day, which was the lowest level since May.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs, in turn, noted that the commitment of Saudi Arabia and Russia to the global pact is high, and therefore increased the forecast of spot prices for the North Sea blend Brent and the U.S. benchmark WTI to $62 per barrel and $57.50 per barrel in 2018, respectively.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers reached an agreement in December 2016 to curtail oil output jointly and ease a global glut after more than two years of low prices. OPEC agreed to slash the output by 1.2 million barrels per day from January 1.

Non-OPEC oil producers such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, Sudan, and South Sudan agreed to reduce output by 558,000 barrels per day starting from January 1, 2017.

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5 December 2017 12:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkey and Jordan will discuss bilateral relations during the visit of Jordans King Abdullah II to Ankara scheduled for Dec. 6, the Turkish media reported on December 5.

During the visit, Abdullah II will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discuss the development of military, economic and political relations between the two countries.

The sides also intend to discuss the issue concerning Palestine, the status of Jerusalem and aspects of the settlement of the Syrian crisis.

Turkey has been moving military equipment to its border with Syria since June 21. Military equipment is being deployed in Turkeys south-central Kilis province, which borders Syrian territories controlled by YPG and PYD groups.

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5 December 2017 11:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Irans economy is most probably going to become heavily reliant on gas, although gas already looms large in the country and has been a source of blessing for the government.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has in its World Energy Outlook 2017 it made a strong statement of how big the potential of Irans gas industry is: "In our projections, Iran leads gas output growth in the Middle East, adding 150bn cubic metres [a year] to the region's gas supply in the period to 2040," the agency has said.

Last year, when asked by Trend what comprised the Iranian economys propelling sections, government spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht put strong emphasis on petrochemicals, all of which is a gas-based business.

According to the Iran Petroleum Ministry, the proved natural gas reserves of Iran are about 1,201 trillion cubic feet (34.0 trillion cubic meters) or about 17.8 percent of world's total reserves, of which 33 percent is as associated gas and 67 percent is in non-associated gas fields. Iran has the world's second largest reserves after Russia. As it takes approximately 5,850 cubic feet (166 m3) of gas to equal the energy content of 1-barrel (0.16 m3) of oil, Iran's gas reserves represent the equivalent of about 216 billion barrels (3.431010 m3) of oil.

At present, Iran's gas production is around 200 bcmpy. Of this, less than 10bn cm/y is exported.

Meeting the growing domestic demand for gas is the priority for Iranian gas producers, especially because they have an eye on situations when, like the early 2010s, the country is under sanctions and relying on gas for running power plants, factories, vehicles, and warming buildings would be the safest approach.

But as output from South Pars expands and capacity starts climbing towards the forecast 350bn cm/y by 2040, the IEA anticipates "some export growth via links to Iraq and Oman, as well as further deliveries to Turkey and, much later on [in] the projection period, the start of a pipeline connection with Pakistan".

In July, Amir Hossein Zamaninia, Irans deputy oil minister for trade and international affairs, said Irans gas production would rise to 1 billion cubic meters a day by the end of the year from that times 800 mcmpd.

In the seventh month of the current fiscal year (September 23-October 21), gas power plants in Iran received a daily average of 196 mcm of gas. Iran has the worlds largest CNG-powered car fleet, near 4 million. Almost all cities and big villages in the country also use gas for warming.

Iran's gas production capacity in South Pars, the world's largest gas field in the Persian Gulf that stretches into Qatar's territory, has reached 575 million cubic meters per day. That constitutes nearly two-thirds of Iranian gas output capacity.

The country hopes to develop its South Pars deposit using the investment and technology of Total that became the first major Western energy firm to sign a deal after the lifting of economic curbs in January 2016.

Currently, Iran exports about 1 mcmpd of gas to its northwestern neighbor Armenia, according to a 20-year contract signed in 2004 and put to force in 2009.

Iran is also exporting about 30 mcmpd of gas to its other northwestern neighbor Turkey. This is based on an annually renewed contract.

Iran is also exporting about 14 mcmpd of gas to its western neighbor Iraq. Based on agreements, the exported amount should stay somewhere between 7 and 25 mcmpd.

The Ministry of Petroleum plans to increase Irans share of global gas trade to 10 percent, which would be 7 times the current volume.

Nevertheless, just this week Iran signed a contract with Oman over the export of 1.5 bcfpd of gas to Oman. The project is expected to go on stream by 2020.

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5 December 2017 12:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable with the participation of more than 100 companies including transnational ones opened in Kazakh capital on December 5.

Addressing the event, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev told investors which sectors of Kazakh economy are profitable for investment

Our policy on developing high-tech production, renewing the basic sectors of the economy and the agro-industrial complex, where we plan to heavily invest in the framework of the Third Modernization of Kazakhstan gives great opportunities for investors. We continue to diversify the economy and invite you to metallurgy, refining, chemistry and mechanical engineering areas. Kazakhstan has a large number of projects in the development of copper, gold, rare and rare-earth metals, including lithium and vanadium, phosphate raw materials and much more. For the further development of the manufacturing industry, we are interested in investing in geological exploration, new technologies for the enrichment and processing of raw materials, he said.

Sagintayev informed investors about large-scale modernization of the agro-industrial complex.

Today, Kazakhstan is one of the world leaders in the production of wheat and flour. We are strengthening this advantage, but we are also carrying out structural reform of the agrarian sector, diversifying the acreage in accordance with market demand. Scientific and technical, technological re-equipment of the entire industry has been started, including the introduction of the latest developments in the field of fertilizers, bioadditives and selection. All this provides great opportunities for investment in the food industry, he said.

The prime minister is also convinced that Kazakhstan is becoming an investment-attractive for the development of infrastructure, logistics, transport and related services.

Over the past three years, we have conducted large-scale infrastructure construction and created a short and economically advantageous transport and logistics shoulder for entering the key world markets. Our strategic goal is to make Kazakhstan a major transport and logistics hub in Central Asia. In the next two to three years, the government plans to increase transit transport up to two million containers and receive revenues from transit up to $5 billion. All transport and logistics infrastructure of Kazakhstan and our state program Nurly Zhol are associated with the Chinese mega-projects Economic belt of the Silk Road and One belt, one way. We invite you to invest in transport and logistics, to grow and earn with us, he said.

In general, Sagintayev added, the government is open to proposals and new ideas of investors.

He also called on foreign investors to buy stakes in top state and national companies within the framework of Kazakhstan's privatization program.

The second large-scale "wave" of privatization, which is taking place in Kazakhstan, offers great opportunities for investors. The government is implementing a policy of denationalizing the economy. And today more than 900 companies are being transferred to the competitive environment. The most attractive of them are the top 65 state and quasi-public sector companies, of which 57 are companies of national holding companies. I invite you to take part in privatization. And right now is the most profitable moment to do this, the prime minister stated.

Earlier, Minister for Investment and Development of Kazakhstan Zhenis Kasymbek noted that following the roundtable a number of agreements worth $3.5 billion will be signed.

The agreements envisage investments in absolutely different spheres -- mining and metallurgical complex, agriculture, transport and logistics etc.

He stressed that 12-13 documents will be signed today, including the $800 million contract in the agricultural sector and the final contract for the construction of the Big Almaty Ring Road.

There is also a large amount of agreements in the agricultural sphere between the regions and foreign companies. These are Iranian, Turkish companies and many others. There are also a number of Chinese industrial projects, which will also be signed, Kasymbek said.

In the first half of 2017 of $10 billion was attracted into Kazakh economy, according to the minister.

It is also noted that taking into account amendments to the legislation on attracting investments and the establishment of a new national investment company Kazakh Invest, it is planned to increase the volume of investment next year.

We expect that this year the growth of investments will be from 8 to 10 percent. We would like to keep these trends next year, he concluded.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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5 December 2017 14:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Russian group of companies Prodimex has launched a large-scale export program of sugar supply to Uzbekistan, according to the agroholding of the company.

To date, Uzbekistan received 50 wagons of sugar and new volumes are shipped daily, podrobno.uz reported.

In connection with the surplus of sugar in the country this season, we are forced to export it abroad. Uzbekistan is a potentially interesting market for us, the capacity of which is sufficient to exert a tangible influence on the situation, Vadim Yeryzhensky, deputy director of the Prodimex Group, said.

The agroholding explained that Russian sugar supplies to Uzbekistan were not carried out for 26 years.

Russia and Uzbekistan reached an agreement on the export of sugar by Russian producers during the visit of the Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev to the republic in September 2017. At the time, the agreement on deliveries between the Union of sugar producers of Russia and Uzbekzokovaktholding was signed.

This rapprochement was stimulated by the zeroing of the rates of duties and excises on the import of sugar and its derivatives into the country since September 15, 2017. Prior to that, for more than 15 years, a 30 percent rate operated in the country.

Uzbekistan has already started to receive beet sugar from Russia in order to close the emerging demand in the market.

Before the end of the year the country will need to import at least 120,000-150,000 tons of this product, according to experts estimates.

About 700,000 tons of sugar are produced in Uzbekistan annually. There are two factories in the country - Khoresm-Shakar (Khoresm Sugar Factory) and Angren Shakar, launched in 1998. It was planned that these two enterprises had to practically close the needs of the domestic market. However, due to the high cost of supplies of raw materials, the factories are not currently operating at full capacity.

Earlier, Uzbekistan decided to start construction of a new sugar plant. Russian investors will act as partners in this project, according to a source in the Uzbekzokovaktholding. A new industrial facility will be located in one of the free economic or small industrial zones in the Tashkent region.

The plant will work on raw materials supplied from Russia. Part of its products are planned to be exported to neighboring countries. The total cost of the facility may exceed $100 million.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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5 December 2017 16:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Uzbekistan plans to increase the share of information and communication technologies in the gross domestic product (GDP) to 5 percent.

This was announced by the director of Mirzo Ulugbek Innovation Center (MUIC), Farhad Ibrahimov, on December 5.

Our goal is to bring the share of the IT sector in GDP, which now stands at 2 percent, up to 5 percent by 2020. To do this, we have certain requirements that need to be met, the head of the center said.

It is necessary to pay attention to education at this stage most of all for the development of the industry, according to Ibrahimov.

We need to invest all our resources in education. And only after that we will go through further steps to attract international companies and create local companies. Our center in the near future will become one of the most developing and progressive, and will also be the locomotive of the entire industry. We hope that we will be able to turn our direction into the leading one and show how effectively to export our own intellectual abilities. Thus, we will be able to win success in the international arena and improve the state of the economy by attracting the same investment, he stressed.

MUIC was created in accordance with the presidential decree of June 30, 2017 and operates on the principle of extraterritoriality throughout the entire country to create the most favorable conditions for the development of production of ICT products and services. The service life of the innovation center is 10 years with the possibility of a subsequent extension.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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5 December 2017 15:48 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Moscow welcomes the decision of the United States to resume issuing visas in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok since December 11, but regrets that the visa service will be conducted only to a limited extent, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, RIA Novosti reported.

American diplomatic mission earlier informed that on December 11, U.S. consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok will resume interviewing for nonimmigrant visas.

We consider the promise of the Americans to resume issuing visas from December 11 at their consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok as a step in the right direction. Since August, residents of our regions had to apply to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, where the waiting period for compulsory interviews was also officially extended up to 85 days, but even for three months it was extremely difficult to enroll in the electronic queue. The American visa procedure was already very difficult and costly, taking into account the need for personal attendance at various stages, and then became almost completely impassable, the statement published on the website of the Foreign Ministry said.

Of course, we welcome the restoration of the former number of points where it is possible to apply for American visas. However, it is regrettable that, as the U.S. embassy explained, in practice visa service will continue to be carried out to a limited extent. It turns out that many trips can continue to break down, including within the framework of business, scientific, just family and friendships, the Russian ministry said.

In late July 2017, following another round of U.S. sanctions against Russia, Moscow ordered the U.S. to reduce the number of its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia to 455 people.

In response, the U.S. embassy in Moscow announced that non-immigrant visas will no longer be issued in the three U.S. consulates across the country, beginning on August 23. As of September 1, the only place Russians can interview for U.S. visas is at the embassy in Moscow.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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5 December 2017 16:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

A plant for the production of industrial batteries unique for the CIS countries will be built in Uzbekistan by the middle of next year, the press service of Uzvtorcvetmet JSC reported.

The production will be equipped with high-tech equipment from the South Korean manufacturer Unicor Co. Ltd.

Thanks to this project a huge potential for introducing new technologies and improving the reserves of energy sources will emerge in the areas of alternative energy, mobile communications, defense structure, the companys press service said.

Uzbekistan has favorable climatic conditions for the use of solar energy. Therefore, its use is relevant both for the purpose of ensuring energy security and improving the social and living conditions of the population.

The production of industrial batteries at the Uzvtortsvetmet enterprise will be of great importance in this sphere.

The construction of the new plant will, on the one hand, fully meet the demand within the country, on the other -- increase the supply of products for export, the project manager, Behzod Yunusov, said.

Uzbekistan enjoys vast potential in renewable energy, and 98.5 percent is solar energy, 320 sunny days per year. The World Bank estimates that Uzbekistan solar total potential is more than about 51 billion tons of oil energy, which cannot only save a lot of oil resources, but also improve the atmospheric environment.

The country adopted the program on the development of alternative energy sources in 2013.

In particular, construction of the several solar power plants with total capacity of more than two gigawatts, creation of the International Institute for Solar Energy and the construction of the facility on the photovoltaic panel production with the capacity of 100 megawatts is planned within the framework of the program.

Currently, oil and gas account for 97 percent, coal - 2.3 percent and hydropower - 0.7 percent in the structure of primary energy resources of Uzbekistan.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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5 December 2017 18:03 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkey is the only NATO member country that is really fighting against militants of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, the countrys media reported on December 5.

While Turkey is fighting the IS, the US is actively arming militants of the detachments of YPG (Peoples Protection Units) and PYD (Democratic Union Party), which, in fact, are the Syrian wing of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) terrorist group, Erdogan noted.

He added that the terrorists who left Syria penetrate Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula with the support of some countries.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has claimed more than 500,000 lives.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State, the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

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5 December 2017 19:17 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

More than 1.1 billion somoni (more than $125.4 million) is planned to be allocated from the state budget of Tajikistan for servicing the main external debt next year.

Financing of repayment of the countrys main external debt is determined in the amount of 1.6 percent of the GDP, or more than 1.1 billion somoni, according to the Tajik Finance Ministry.

Meanwhile, the government intends to attract external borrowing in the amount of about $850 million in the next three years, according to the Program of State External Borrowings of Tajikistan for the period of 2018-2020 approved by the lower house of parliament on November 15.

In particular, $196.5 million is planned to be attracted in 2018, $295.9 million in 2019 and $354.7 million in 2020.

The total amount of Tajikistan's external debt as of October 1, 2017 amounted to more than $2.8 billion, according to the ministry. Tajikistan borrowed most of these funds from the Chinese Export-Import Bank. There are also relatively large debts to the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the IMF.

At the same time, more than 5.8 billion somoni is planned to be allocated for the development of the real sector of Tajikistan's economy next year.

The largest part will be allocated for the development of the fuel and energy complex, as well as transport and communications.

The amount of financing of the fuel and energy complex in the budget for the next year is set at more than 348.3 million somoni. This indicator for the transport and communication sector will amount to more than 1.4 billion somoni.

These funds are also intended for the implementation of investment projects, including construction and reconstruction of roads and bridges, as well as hydroelectric facilities.

In the next year's budget, it is planned to allocate more than 676 million somoni for the development of the agriculture, fishing and hunting industry. This figure for industry and construction will make more than 132.3 million.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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5 December 2017 17:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Aygul Salmanova

Lankaran, an amazing pearl of the south of Azerbaijan and one of the most beautiful places of the country, holds preparations for an amazing tea, paddy, and citrus fruits festival considered to be the best delicacies of the region.

Speaking at the meeting dedicated to the preparation to the event, Taleh Garashov, Head of the City Executive Power, spoke about preparations for the festival. He emphasized the importance of mobilizing all forces for timely and quality implementation of the measures.

Deputy Head of City Executive Power, Head of Public Policy and Humanitarian Affairs Department Rasila Aliyeva informed about the implementation of the "Action Plan" for preparation for the festival of tea, paddy and citrus fruits.

Lankaran is truly one of the most picturesque corners of Azerbaijan. It is favorably distinguished from other cities by its excellent climate. Due to the special composition of the soil, good harvests of vegetable and citrus crops are grown here.

If you ask an Azerbaijani about the most fruitful region of his country, he will probably name Lankaran. The agriculture of the region is mostly known for its citrus and subtropical fruit-growing, and it is no coincidence that Lankaran is called the land of citrus plants, such as oranges, tangerines, lemons, pomelo and others.

True miracles of nature are waiting for everyone who will visit this part of Azerbaijan. Most people would think: what is unusual about the bushes of tea? This is how many of the guests of the country think until they step on the ground of Lankaran and see the endless plantations of tea bushes.

Tea plantations in the valleys of Lankaran await guests who can enjoy the magnificent scenery, the beauty of the mountains and valleys, the cordiality and hospitality of the locals. And be sure to taste Azerbaijani tea, which will give cheerfulness and health.

Lankaran is still famous for its paddy production. The fragrant Lankaran rice has been the most valuable food for locals for centuries. Rice products of Sadri, Anbarbu, Hashemi, Hasani, Akulya and other sorts of rice are distinguished with their aroma, taste and abundance.

Currently, the state support to the agrarian sector in Lankaran has also created enormous opportunities for the development of rodents living in the recession for a long time. If some 101 hectares area had been planted with paddy planted in the region in 2015, last year this figure doubled to 308.7 hectares. In the current year about 500 hectares are planted in the region, the figure is expected to double in the future.

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The American Health Council elected Melville, N.Y.-based North American Partners in Anesthesia attending anesthesiologist Dorina Leibu, MD, to its board of physicians.

Here's what you should know:

1. Dr. Leibu brings 36 years of experience to the board.

2. She earned her medical degree from Iasi, Romania-based Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy. She completed a residency at Paterson, N.J.-based St. Joseph's Medical Center before her fellowship at New York City-based Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

3. Dr. Leibu currently provides care at several facilities throughout New Jersey.

4. She is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiology, New Jersey State Society of Anesthesiology, New York Society of Anesthesiology and the Israeli Society of Anesthesiology.
In just one year, the sale of ransomware on the dark web grew more than 2,500 percent, meaning cybercrime has become a game everyone wants to play.

In 2016, the ransomware market on the dark web was $249,287, but by October 2017, it exceeded $6 million. And, in 2016, ransom payments totaled roughly $1 billion, up from $24 million in 2015, according to a Carbon Black report.

Although not all of the notable cyberattacks from this year can be attributed to ransomware, a type of malware that encrypts files until the victim pays hackers the requested ransom, malware campaigns and other vulnerabilities exposed data on millions of consumers in 2017.

Here are the 10 biggest malware campaigns and high-profile cyberattacks, reported by Becker's Hospital Review, that affected business operations around the globe in 2017. The incidents are listed in the order they were reported on.

1. HealthNow Networks. A former developer at HealthNow Networks  a shuttered healthcare telemarketing company in Boca Raton, Fla.  uploaded an unencrypted backup database to a virtual server on Amazon Web Services, exposing 918,000 healthcare consumers' records.

2. WannaCry. In May, a worldwide ransomware attack hit organizations across multiple continents, infecting FedEx and bringing down operations for at least 16 of the U.K. National Health Service's facilities. WannaCry exploited a vulnerability discovered and developed by the U.S. National Security Agency. Hackers requested at least $300 in bitcoin to unencrypt victims' files, and in August, they cashed out more that $143,000 from online wallets associated with the hacks. In the wake of the incident, NHS has committed nearly $26 million to boost security operations at NHS Digital, its information and technology arm.

3. Washington State University. The names and personal data of nearly 1 million people throughout Washington state were comprised when a back-up hard drive was stolen from a safe belonging to WSU's Social and Economic Sciences Research Center in April.

4. NotPetya. A worldwide cyberattack attack originally believed to be a ransomware variant called "Petya" infected computer systems in more than 60 countries June 27. Security researchers later determined Petya is not a ransomware and instead it's a "wiper," dubbing the attacks "NotPetya." The attacks compromised government systems in Ukraine, operations at pharmaceutical giant Merck and business at a Pennsylvania health system, as well as Nuance Communications, a voice and language solutions provider, which attributed nearly $68 million in losses to NotPetya throughout its latest fiscal year. Merck said it lost an estimated $135 million in sales to the cyberattack.

5. Verizon. Roughly 14 million Verizon customers' records were potentially jeopardized when a security researcher discovered customer files on an Amazon S3 storage server operated by an employee of Ra'anana, Israel-based Nice Systems, a third-party vendor used by Verizon in June. The company called the breach "overstated," adding there has been no loss or theft of Verizon or Verizon customer information. The company also emphasized customer PINs were not linked to accounts and were only used to verify customers at call centers.

6. Defray. Proofpoint threat researchers identified a "previously undocumented ransomware strain" in August that demands up to $5,000 in bitcoin from its targets. Researchers observed two targeted attacks involving the Defray variant, one struck the healthcare and education industries and another hit the manufacturing and technology industries.

7. Locky. A Gulf Breeze, Fla.-based cybersecurity firm observed more than 23 million emails delivering Locky ransomware in just 24 hours in August. AppRiver noted the emails included a ZIP attachment containing a file that initiated a sequence of events, eventually downloading the latest Locky ransomware. Locky was one of the most frequently detected ransomware variants in 2016, although it had waned in prevalence in recent months.

8. Equifax. The massive cyberattack that rattled Atlanta-based consumer credit reporting agency Equifax in July affected nearly 145.5 million people globally. Since the company waited until September to notify customers to the breach, lawmakers pushed for legislative reform and a number of senior-level and C-suites stepped down amid suspicious share selling activity. The company said it spent $87.5 million in the third quarter on recovery efforts.

9. Bad Rabbit. Bad Rabbit is a ransomware variant similar to NotPetya that affected media outlets in Russia and transportation and infrastructure organizations in Ukraine in late October. Computers became infected when users downloaded a fake Adobe Flash installer from infected websites, and hackers requested 0.05 bitcoin, or $284, at the time of the attacks.

10. Uber. Uber paid hackers $100,000 to cover up a cyberattack that affected 57 million riders and drivers in October 2016. The attack remained under wraps for just over a year until the ride-hailing company ousted its chief security officer and one of his deputies for their roles in the cover-up.

More articles on cybersecurity:

11 of the biggest healthcare cyberattacks of 2017

OCR: 8 tips to ensure former employees don't leak PHI

McAfee: 5 cybersecurity trends to watch in 2018
A research team from Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina rolled out field testing for a mental health app targeted toward victims of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, SDPB Radio reports.

About one in 10 individuals suffer from serious mental health symptoms for 30-plus days after a natural disaster, according to Ken Ruggiero, PhD, a nursing and psychiatry professor at MUSC. "We've done a lot of studies in the past where we have found that post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and sleep problems are very common after disasters," Dr. Ruggiero told SDPB Radio.

Dr. Ruggiero's research team has been developing the app for a year and a half. The app enables individuals to self-monitor their mental health after a natural disaster. If their symptoms last for more than 30 days, the app encourages them to call a national distress help line for crisis intervention.

After field testing the project, which has been rolled out to 5,000 participants, Dr. Ruggiero plans to work with the American Red Cross to launch the app at shelters nationwide.
William T. Richardson, president and CEO of Tift Regional Health System in Tifton, Ga., is retiring, effective January 2018.

Mr. Richardson has worked at the health system since 1988, when he joined as administrator of Tift General Hospital in Tifton. During his tenure as leader, Mr. Richardson grew "Tift General Hospital, a single community hospital, to Tift Regional Health System, a true network of care serving 12 counties in south central Georgia," said Jimmy Allen, chairman of the Hospital Authority of Tift County, in a statement.

Prior to joining Tift, Mr. Richardson was an assistant administrator at West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange and administrator at Bulloch Memorial Hospital in Statesboro, Ga. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Christopher K. Dorman, the health system's COO, will succeed Mr. Richardson. Mr. Dorman has served in his current roles since 2013, prior to which he was an administrator in a CEO development program at Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg, Va. He holds an MBA degree from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
Ensemble Health Partners, a Huntersville, N.C.-based revenue cycle consulting and solutions provider, plans to open a new regional headquarters in the Cincinnati area, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The company, which Cincinnati-based Mercy Health acquired in 2016, said its new 300,000-square-foot regional headquarters would create 1,100 jobs, according to the report.

Other project details, such as a specific location, are unknown. The company also did not disclose a cost estimate for the project to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

But Ensemble expects construction to commence in early 2018 and be completed in 2019, if things go as planned and tax incentives are approved, the report states.

Company spokesperson Nate Kaplan told The Cincinnati Enquirer the regional headquarters would create the 1,100 new jobs but also consolidate many of the company's existing jobs in the area.
Employees at Ellsworth-based Maine Coast Memorial Hospital voted to join the Maine Nurses Association, which is part of National Nurses United.

The vote, conducted via a secret ballot election this week, covers medical laboratory technicians, CT/radiology technologists, respiratory therapists and licensed practical nurses.

In a news release, the union said issues such as "safe staffing, retirement security, adequate equipment, and other patient and economic protections" prompted the vote.

Hospital leadership expressed disappointment with the vote.

"While we are disappointed with the results of the election and prefer to work with our employees directly, we remain committed to supporting this group and all of our employees," spokesperson Kelley Anne Columber said in a statement to the Bangor Daily News.

Before this week's vote, more than 100 nurses, medical technologists and social workers at MCMH were members of MSNA.
The World Health Organization will conduct a review of pharmaceutical giant Sanofi's dengue vaccine by year-end after evidence surfaced suggesting the vaccine could worsen the disease in some cases, according to Reuters.

The clinical trial data, disclosed by the French drugmaker, suggests the vaccine may increase the risk of infection and worsen the symptoms of dengue in the long-term for people who were not exposed to the virus prior to vaccination.

"The analysis confirmed that Dengvaxia [the vaccine] provides persistent benefit against dengue fever in those who had prior infection," said Sanofi in a statement. "For those not previously infected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection."

Dengvaxia has been approved in 19 countries, though a large majority of its sales have come from the Philippines through its government immunization program, which involved vaccinating more than 730,000 children, according to Reuters. On Monday the Filipino government ordered a probe into the immunization of these children. Pending review of the probe, the Philippines FDA ordered Sanofi to pull the vaccine off the market.
The Orthopaedic Institute for Children gave Orthopaedic Medical Magnet High School a grant to fund students' education opportunities. Both are located in Los Angeles.

Here are six insights:

1. The grant totaled $200,000.

2. The magnet school's students are from the inner city and surrounding areas of Los Angeles.

3. OIC and Orthopaedic Medical Magnet High School have been in partnership for some time. OIC representatives take part in the Los Angeles Unified School District's advisory committee to the school. Additionally, OIC physicians help design the school's curriculum.

4. The high school also offers after school programs, summer internships and volunteer experiences at OIC.

5. In addition, OIC researchers help the students with their science fair projects and hold seminars about medical careers.

6. The Orthopaedic Medical Magnet High School opened in 2004 and has a 95 percent graduation rate.
Ronald Lakatos, MD, is now a part of the International Association of HealthCare Professionals.

Here are five highlights:

1. The Leading Physicians of the World will highlight Dr. Lakatos in its publication.

2. In practice for 30-plus years, Dr. Lakatos currently treats patients at OhioHealth Orthopedic Surgeons in Columbus. He is affiliated with Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, also in Columbus.

3. He specializes in orthopedic spine surgery and reconstruction as well as adult degenerative spine conditions and trauma.

4. Dr. Lakatos completed his spinal cord injury fellowship at Dallas Spine Group.

5. He completed his trauma fellowship at Columbus-based Grant Medical Center.
A leaked draft deal which could see Northern Ireland avoid a hard trade border with the Republic would be "fantastic" news for thousands of companies here and attract investment, it's been claimed.

But a UK Brexit deal which could see Northern Ireland stay aligned with key EU laws and regulations after Brexit was scuppered amid a backlash from the DUP, with leader Arlene Foster warning it would not accept "any form of regulatory divergence" from the rest of the UK.

Northern Ireland Chamber president Ellvena Graham said businesses now needed clarity and pragmatism from negotiators. Seamus Leheny of the Freight Transport Association, said the proposals could "help attract inward investment" with Northern Ireland "a bridge between the UK and EU".

But Mr Leheny said checks would be required between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. He called the potential deal a good thing from the movement of goods and supply chains.

"It's fantastic, and what our members wanted.

"The question is, going forward, if Northern Ireland is aligned to the EU... what happens between Northern Ireland and GB?

"There would have to be checks between Belfast and Liverpool, for example."

Mr Leheny said, without some form of checks system at UK ports, goods could be brought into the EU through Northern Ireland, and into the Republic.

"We are anxious to find out the detail, but ultimately it's something we would welcome, that goods will not be inhibited across the border."

Ellvena Graham, president of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said there remains a lack of clarity for business here.

"The companies we work with want a trade relationship between the UK and the EU that is tariff free and which takes account of the all-island supply chain, particularly in the crucial agri-food sector.

"Northern Ireland Chamber has long been urging negotiators to reach a pragmatic agreement on withdrawal issues, so that we can move on swiftly to transition and trade talks." Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, said: "The UK Government's commitment is a sensible one.

"The priority continues to be to get a good deal for the UK and the EU which would mean that trade as we know it can continue without additional cost or barriers.

"On the event that this isn't possible, then aligning some standards on the island and having mutual recognition of a Northern Ireland origin status in both the UK's internal and the EU's single markets would allow goods to be freely traded.

"Administered and audited at the point of production, this would be a minimal burden on business."
Northern Ireland poultry giant Moy Park is off-loading a production plant in Dublin in a multi-million euro deal, it has emerged.

The Craigavon-based firm is selling its Ballymun plant to Irish meat processor Kepak. It's understood the move is part of Kepak's plan to mitigate the potential disruption of Brexit.

The Poppintree plant employs around 35 people.

Moy Park was sold earlier this year by former Brazilian owners JBS to US firm Pilgrim's Pride Corporation in a 1bn deal.

A spokeswoman for Moy Park said: "The Dublin facility has been sold to Kepak, one of Ireland's leading meat producers, which has been the site's primary customer for a number of years.

"We believe this is positive news to insure the continuity of operations at Dublin.

"We are grateful and thank our colleagues at Dublin for their dedication and commitment to the business as they transfer to Kepak without any changes to their contract."

She said the deal was unrelated to Pilgrim's' acquisition in September. There have been no other disposals since the takeover, she added.

Ahead of its takeover, Moy Park Holdings (Europe) revealed revenues for the second quarter of 2017 of 391.6m, up from 364.7m. Pre-tax profits were 11.5m, down slightly from 11.6m in the same quarter of 2016.

Speaking at the time of the acquisition by Pilgrim's, Moy Park chief executive Janet McCollum said the deal would bring "great opportunities" for her company including the prospect of accelerating its plans for growth".
Toys R Us has been selling toys in the UK since 1985

Toys R Us has been selling toys in the UK since 1985

Two out of four Toys R Us stores in Northern Ireland look set to shut down early next year as the retailer announces that it will close one-third of its UK outlets.

Toys R Us in Newtownabbey's Mill Road and its unit in Crescent Link, Londonderry, are earmarked for closure, according to a spokeswoman for the company.

She said the two remaining stores in Belfast's CastleCourt and at Sprucefield Retail Park could be downsized.

The toy retailer has entered into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), a legally binding agreement with its creditors to allow it to pay debts and continue trading while "repositioning" its model.

The move will mean the loss of up to 26 stores out of its total of 105 throughout the UK.

The stores are expected to close in the spring.

It is believed that the firm, which is part of Toys R Us Inc based in New Jersey in the US, will also axe 800 jobs.

However, the company said that it would make efforts to redeploy as many of its workforce as possible.

Steve Knights, managing director of Toys R Us UK, said the firm's smaller stores and online sales were experiencing growth but its larger outlets were operating at a loss.

He said that "... the warehouse-style stores we opened in the 1980s and 1990s, while successful in the early days, are too big and expensive to run in the current retail environment".

"The business has been lossmaking in recent years and so we need to take strong and decisive action to accelerate the transformation," he added.

"It is likely that the Toys R Us stores in Newtonabbey and Derry city will close in the spring of 2018.

"We will continue to honour gift cards and Take Time To Pay agreements and there will be no change to our returns policy.

"It is our intention to keep the Toys R Us stores in Sprucefield and Belfast CastleCourt open. We are reviewing options including downsizing the stores or rent reductions."

Substantial rental rates are thought to be behind the closures, combined with underperformance of out-of-town units.

The retailer is now awaiting approval of its CVA. This process is expected to take around two weeks and if approved, Toys R Us expects to see its rental payments "substantially reduce".

"The decision to propose this CVA was a difficult one, but we are determined that it is the best path forward to make essential changes to the business," added Mr Knights.

Just months ago the toy and baby product retailer filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Canada as it battled debts and increasing competition online.

It has also suffered falling like-for-like sales and it has struggled with debt since private-equity firms Bain Capital, KKR & Co and Vornado Realty Trust took it private in a $6.6bn buyout in 2005.

The company, which dates back to the 1950s, arrived in the UK in 1985 with just five stores.

Today it operates 84 stores and a further 21 concessions across the UK, employing a total of 3,200 people.
Sixty years after the epidemic here, Rotary International and the One Last Push campaign is bringing those affected by the disease together at a special event in Belfast Castle on Tuesday. Heather Scott, Breige Torrans and Christine Connolly tell Lee Henry about their lifelong friendship and why immunisation is vital.

Rotary and the One Last Push campaign is today co-hosting an event to mark the 60th anniversary of the Belfast polio outbreak of 1957. Some 297 people contracted the disease in what was the biggest epidemic in Northern Ireland, and one of the last, just as the vaccine was beginning to become available. Rosemary Simpson, is president of Rotary Club Belfast which, like all Rotary clubs, has been working to eradicate polio around the world since 1985.

Up until the Eighties, polio was still paralysing children in the UK and there are more than 120,000 men and women suffering from the after-effects of this devastating disease.

Rosemary says: "Many have forgotten what happened here in Belfast in the Fifties - or never knew how polio touched our city. Polio is just as cruel now as it was then. The difference is, today we can do more than just prevent it. We can end it."

'As a child I tried to remain as physically active as possible'

Christine Connolly, (60), lives in Greenisland with her husband Ronnie (63). They have one grown-up son. She contracted polio aged nine months. She says:

I contracted polio in July 1957, when I was nine months old. I had flu-like symptoms and my mother knew there was a polio epidemic and called the doctor, who thought she was an alarmist. But the symptoms got worse over a few days and I was treated in Belfast Children's Hospital.

In a way, I was lucky as I hadn't yet learned how to walk and the virus didn't spread through my body as quickly as it might have done. The disease left me with a 'dropped' right foot and I wore a caliper up to my right knee until I was 10-years-old.

At home I was never treated any differently. In those days, everybody started school together on the same day, but my mum and the headmistress decided that I would start the next day for my own welfare. My mum took me in and was talking with the headmistress, I suppose about how I would cope, but they turned around and saw me sliding down the banister and it was then that they realised I would be okay. When I was fitted with a caliper I was told I was very special, that lots of people were given bracelets to wear on their arms but I was so special that I was getting a bracelet to wear on my leg instead. I was pretty proud of it. I didn't know any better.

I still managed to do things that other children could do. I was as physically active as I could be. I used to do Irish dancing, for example. My two older sisters did Irish dancing and I followed them. It was all thanks to Harold Rankin and the others at the Northern Ireland Polio Fellowship. Harold in particular was very forward thinking.

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The Rotary Club was also heavily involved with the rehabilitation of children living with polio in Belfast. They organised parties for children with disabilities in Crawfordsburn Country Club. They put on an annual Christmas party. Everyone came away with a present and there were fireworks. Rotary is doing amazing work around the world trying to eradicate polio and they were very active in Northern Ireland when we were children.

Breige and I have been friends since the age of four. We met at the Northern Ireland Polio Fellowship. We have a great friendship, which has lasted nearly 60 years. I couldn't wish to meet a better person. I remember visiting her in Musgrave Park Hospital all those years ago and she never complained.

When I was about 20, I started to have very bad falls and pain in my legs. I hadn't been married long. At that time I was given a back brace to wear and another caliper. I got used to having falls, severe tiredness and finding it difficult to walk upstairs.

But having the support of my friends, who have lived through the same things, has been invaluable. We have so much to thank the Northern Ireland Polio Fellowship for and I would encourage other people who contracted polio in 1957 to get in touch with them and come out to our meetings and events. They're so enjoyable and it's good to know that there are others out there who have lived through the same thing.

Now there is a vaccine and if the right people do the right thing then no more children will ever contract polio. As a mother, I can visualise what people can be going through when there's no need for it. It can be eradicated and one day soon, it will be."

'I'd to wear calipers until I was 11, then I'd corrective surgery'

Heather Scott (61) lives in Belfast with her husband Paul. They have two grown-up children Roy (40) and Pauline (38). She contracted polio aged 14 months. She says:

The polio outbreak happened in 1957. Lots of children were affected by it in Belfast and I was 14 months old when I was diagnosed. I had only started walking but I was dragging my leg and I had a temperature, so my mammy took me to the doctor, who sent me over to the Belfast Children's Hospital because of the epidemic.

That was on July 11 and I was diagnosed on the Twelfth. I was then transferred to Purdsyburn and then to Greenisland Orthopaedic Hospital for 14 months. I don't have any memories of that time, thank God - it wasn't a nice experience for my parents - though there are photographs that exist of me in a cot.

When I eventually was released from hospital, my mammy said that I was frightened of grass and flowers because I didn't know what they were. I'd never been outside before, really. I'd only known the inside of a hospital.

I wore calipers until I was 11, when I underwent leg-lengthening surgery. My right leg was withered and short, which it still is and they attempted to lengthen it by splitting the bones and putting in screws. It was torture, physically very sore, and I spent five and a half months in Musgrave Hospital, Belfast, convalescing.

That Christmas, I got a bad infection and had to have skin grafts and after that it was just operation after operation, all corrective surgery. Swimming helped a lot. I had started swimming when I was three and then I continued when I started going to Polio House, which was run by the Northern Ireland Polio Fellowship.

That's where I met Breige and Christine. I'm the oldest child in my family and I say that I've known them longer than I've known my siblings. Harold Rankin, who was general secretary and welfare officer at Polio House, always told us to be as active as possible, because it would be better for us in later life and we really loved our time there.

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I remember Breige, Christine and myself driving all around Belfast in the little bus, picking up all the other children, and every Saturday night we met at the Ormeau Baths to swim. We really loved that. Today, we're all quite good swimmers as a result.

When we got married and had children, we lost touch, which lots of people do. We were all just so busy. Breige even moved away from Belfast for a few years. But we're all very close again, since she moved back, and are the best of friends, as are our wider families.

It was hard growing up with polio and as I've gotten older, my other joints and limbs have overcompensated for the parts of my body that were weakened by it. We're all getting worse, unfortunately. Polio affected us all in different ways. I walk with a crutch. Breige is in a wheelchair and Christine can't walk unaided.

But it's fantastic that we're so close to eradicating polio. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy - the hospitals, the operations, the pain. If telling our story can help one more child be vaccinated and help end this cruel disease, then we must do it."

'I slept in a plaster cast covering me from my neck to my hips'

Breige Torrans (62) lives in Glengormley. She contracted polio aged 20 months. She says:

As a toddler, I was often outside playing in the streets. For my sister's birthday, we had a little party, and when I started to feel sick, my mother thought I'd eaten too much ice cream. A locum doctor was called and I was sent to bed with flu.

It was two weeks before our family doctor saw me and realised how serious my condition was. I was blue-lighted in an ambulance to Purdysburn Fever Hospital, put behind glass in an isolation ward and diagnosed with polio. I was 20-months-old.

I spent three years in hospital, something like six months in an iron lung, and when I came out, I had a back brace and calipers on both legs. I was supposed to be in a wheelchair, but we lived in a two-up two-down and there wasn't the room for one, so my mother used to walk me up and down the corridor.

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I also had to sleep in a plaster cast, which was moulded to me and covered me from my neck to my hips. It was freezing. We didn't have central heating and it was very difficult to sleep. I eventually pleaded with the doctor to let me sleep without it and he agreed.

When I was five or six, I started going to Polio House. I would be picked up in the minibus on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, the last be to be picked up and the first to be dropped off. I've known Christine and Heather since my first trip.

I was able to get a job as a PA and shorthand typist after attending the College of Business Skills and started working in Belfast. There had been a number of explosions and all the buses were suspended, so I had to start walking home, which was difficult for me as I had a severe limp.

I remember a man in a car saw that I was having difficulty, stopped and asked where I was heading. I told I lived on the Antrim Road. He said, I'll drop you as close as I can. His kindness in giving me a lift saved me hours of pain.

Some employers were fantastic, others less so. I've also had breast cancer as well as the complications of Post-Polio Syndrome, including various falls, a broken back, operations and pain. I worked full-time for as long as I could but I have to slow down now.

I lived away from Belfast for a few years but moved back in 1994. It took about a year to settle back into the community. One day I ran into Eddie McCrory, who I knew from the minibus. He told me about the Polio Fellowship and its regular meetings rekindled my friendships with Christine and Heather."

Facts and figures about polio ...

What is polio?

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease. It is caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person's brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis.

For up to one in 100 people, the polio virus causes temporary or permanent paralysis, which can be life threatening.

There's no cure for polio, so it's important to make sure that you and your children are fully vaccinated against it.

Symptoms of polio

About 95% of people with polio won't have any symptoms and will fight off the infection without even realising they were infected.

A small number of people will experience a flu-like illness three to 21 days after they're infected.

Symptoms can include:

a high temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or above

a sore throat

a headache

abdominal (tummy) pain

aching muscles

feeling and being sick

During the epidemic in 1957, families couldn't go to hospital to visit and telephones were rare, each patient was allocated a number.

The Belfast Telegraph would then print a sheet on its inside front page giving updates on how patients with polio were doing, using the numbers to protect the identities of the patients.

Each 'number' was listed as either 'stable' or 'serious' or 'critical'. Reading the newspaper was the only way to find out how your relative or friend was doing.

One Last Push consists of people who contracted polio themselves and are still living with the effects of Post Polio Syndrome.

Post Polio Syndrome (PPS) is a neurological condition that can occur in people who have had polio.

For more details on today's event, which takes place from 8.30am-10.30am, tel: 0207 544 3602 or email: campaign@onelastpush.org.

Visit www. uk.onelastpush.org. To donate to Rotary and help end polio, visit www.endpolionow.org.

Northern Ireland Polio Fellowship, visit www.polio-ni.org.

British Polio Fellowship, tel: 0800 043 1935 or visit www.britishpolio.org.uk.
Nigel Dodds (C) speaks to journalists outside the Houses of Parliament in central London. Pic / AFP PHOTO / Tolga AKMENTOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images

Nigel Dodds has said the deal between the UK and the EU was "far too ambiguous" and did not reflect the discussion his party had held with the Conservative party.

He was speaking after Brext Secretary David Davis reiterated to the House of Commons Northern Ireland would not remain in the EU single market or customs union after the UK's departure from the EU after the collapse of a deal.

On Monday critical talks on brokering a deal on the first phase of the negotiations - on the divorce bill, the movement of people and the Irish border - collapsed at the last minute following a DUP intervention.

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DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said a text of the agreement was sent to his party "very late" on Monday morning which was "far too ambiguous".

He said the issues which "needed to be nailed down, were not nailed down".

"What matters is the text and the words," he said in a press conference outside parliament. "It is vitally important that text translate into what has been agreed. When we negotiated St Andrews and other agreements, that was always the test."

The North Belfast MP said there were areas that regulatory cooperation with the Irish Republic "made sense" in specific cases, "but not in terms of the single market and customs union rules as a generality".

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"Regulatory divergence was brought in by the Irish Government and there were sensible ways of dealing with the border - though technology and trusted traders and exemptions - which the EU had rejected."

He also rejected that his party had a veto over the talks and took aim at the Irish Government who he said were behaving "aggressively" and flexing their muscles. He said their actions were damaging relations which would take years to repair.

"And if they continue their aggressive stance they are endangering for themselves the outcome they themselves want to avoid," adding that Monday's events demonstrated the decision to leave the EU was the correct one.

Mr Dodds said the UK Government and others should have a "clear understanding" of the party position.

"We want to see a sensible Brexit and will continue to work through the issues with the government today and in the coming days.

"These issues are vital to our nation as a whole that we must work for as long as is necessary to ensure that they are got right.

"For us and indeed many in Parliament, the integrity of the UK comes first".
An employee adjusts a United Kingdom flag on a mast next to a European Union flag at the European Commission in Brussels

There has been a sham fight over the border since June 2016. The UK exercised an EU treaty right (article 50) to leave the EU. The ROI - with little internal debate - exercised the same right to remain a EU member state.

The UK does not want to put anything on the border. The ROI knows that - as a good EU member - it would have to impose the common customs tariff (the external trade frontier of the EU27). The sham fight has been Dublin trying to blame London, and the UK trying to manage Irish demands.

There is nothing inherently constitutionally threatening about "continuing regulatory alignment", the phrase yesterday which prevented a Brussels agreement.

One can have civil society continuing regulatory alignment, with a company or industry maintaining the standards demanded by the EU in order to continue exporting there. One can also have a NI continuing regulatory alignment, where Stormont (if returned) would have such a devolved power.

The DUP, however, has reacted to the idea of an east-west border down the Irish Sea, and sought to assert the continuing integrity of the UK. Nationalism once again wound up unionism.

Personally, I blame the British drafters in Brussels. They have always underestimated ideology when trying to deal with Irish questions. We know the UK is coming out of the internal market; it wants an association with the customs union; and Dublin will be compelled by Brussels to do its share of maintaining the protectionist bloc called the EU.

Austen Morgan is a barrister and the author of a legal textbook on the Belfast agreement
Simon Coveney said he does not want the Irish border to be used as a tool to pressurise the EU for broader trade agreements

The DUP was never shown a copy of the deal brokered between Theresa May's government and the EU, Sky News has reported.

Sky News Ireland Correspondent David Blevins said this was despite the party being in constant contact with the Tories. Earlier MP Jim Shannon said the DUP did not "misunderstand" the deal on the table.

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In the fall out from Monday's dramatic collapse Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the core elements of the scuppered Brexit deal must remain in place and Theresa May should be given the time to deal with "difficult political issues".

A deal was thought to be all but signed off on Monday before an intervention from DUP leader Arlene Foster. The DUP leader said there could be no regulatory divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said a deal was agreed and he was surprised and disappointed at its sudden break down.

On Tuesday morning, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the core elements of the deal that was in place should remain and his government would not be reversing out of it.

He said the Prime Minister would be given the time to manage "difficult political issues".

There was shock on Monday that the deal had seemingly not been passed by the DUP hierarchy before the negotiations reached such a crucial stage yesterday.

Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to talk with Arlene Foster again today and Downing Street has planned for her to return to Brussels on Wednesday in the hope of sealing a deal.

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Earlier on Tuesday, DUP MP Jim Shannon told the BBC his party understood the deal on the table and many in the Conservative party were aware of the party's stance.

He said: "There was no misunderstanding from our point of view.

"There were enough of those in the Conservative Party [who] knew our opinion.

"They understood where we were in relation to this issue and they withdrew the suggestion for an agreement which was put forward."
An employee adjusts a United Kingdom flag on a mast next to a European Union flag at the European Commission in Brussels

Q. What was supposed to happen?

A. Theresa May met Jean Claude Junker, the President of the European Commission, in Brussels for the latest round of Brexit negotiations.

The hope was that a draft proposal would have been agreed, allowing Northern Ireland to maintain "regulatory alignment" with the EU, preventing a hard border with the Irish Republic.

Q. What was the sticking point?

A. Ms Foster gave a fiery press conference, declaring any such deal had not been approved by her party.

She said: "The Republic of Ireland government is trying to unilaterally change the Belfast agreement without our impact and without our consent.

"Of course we will not stand for that."

Within 20 minutes of this conference, Ms May is understood to have halted the talks to make an emergency call to Ms Foster.

After a three and a half hour working lunch, the Prime Minister and Mr Juncker emerged to admit in a slightly awkward press conference they had reached a stalemate in the talks.

Q. What does "regulatory alignment" actually mean?

A. Regulatory alignment could mean both Ireland and Northern Ireland following the same rules governing trade, to ensure that goods can continue to move freely across a "soft" border with no customs checks.

But critics say this would effectively move the customs border between the UK and the Republic into the Irish Sea. This alarms the unionists, as they say it would mean Northern Ireland being treated as though it is part of a united Ireland instead as part of the UK.

Q. What other implications would "regulatory alignment" have for a post-Brexit UK?

A. Leaders of the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales as well as London Mayor Sadiq Khan seized upon the possibility of separate trading arrangements for different areas of the UK.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, a strident Brexit opponent, said: "If one part of the UK can retain regulatory alignment with the EU and effectively stay in the single market - which is the right solution for Northern Ireland - there is surely no good practical reason why others can't."

And Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "We cannot allow different parts of the UK to be more favourably treated than others.

"If one part of the UK is granted continued participation in the single market and customs union, then we fully expect to be made the same offer."

Mr Khan said the deal being discussed in Brussels would have "huge ramifications for London", which voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. "If Theresa May has conceded that it's possible for part of the UK to remain within the single market and customs union after Brexit  and a similar deal here could protect tens of thousands of jobs."

Q. What will happen next?

A. Pro-remain MPs, who now favour a "soft" Brexit, have seized on the sticking point over the Irish border question to say the simplest solution would be for the UK to remain in the single market and customs union - which would entail paying into the EU budget and accepting continued freedom of movement - an absolute red line for most Brexit supporters. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said he is prepared to give Ms May more time to reach an agreement.

The political situation in Northern Ireland remains delicate.

Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg accused Dublin of "promoting the creation of a united Ireland" by trying to force Britain's hand on the border issue.

Q. Could this mean the beginning of the end of Theresa May's premiership?

A. Pundits have been predicting Ms May will not last the course of the Brexit negotiations ever since she lost her majority at the June general election, having to rely on a 1bn agreement with the DUP to cling onto power.

This tenuous "confidence and supply" arrangement means the unionist party votes with the Government on all crucial matters of budget and finance, allowing the Prime Minister a slim working majority to get bills passed through the House of Commons.

The deal brokered between the Conservatives and the DUP was much criticised by opposition parties when it was made, with pundits predicting there would be trouble ahead.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said after the latest talks broke down: "The real reason for today's failure is the grubby deal the Government did with the DUP after the election."

Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: "The DUP must not be allowed to dictate the UK's Brexit negotiations. This again shows the Conservatives are in office but not in power."

Should the DUP decide to break the agreement and turn its back on the Conservative Party, Ms May would be left in an all but impossible position, unable to get any legislation through, undone by the coming together of the separate historical controversies of the Irish question and Europe - and with another general election on the cards.
Brexit Secretary David Davis has stressed to the House of Commons the "integrity of the UK comes first" in the ongoing Brexit talks and there will be no part of it remaining in the single market or customs union.

He also told MPs an agreement with the EU was close and the issues of maintaining a frictionless border on the island of Ireland would be dealt with in the second phase of the Brexit talks.

Mr Davis was speaking during an emergency question in the Commons. The Labour Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer described the collapse of the agreement on Monday, which he said was at the behest of the DUP, gave new meaning to the term "coalition of chaos".

David Davis stressed Northern Ireland would not remain in the EU single market or its customs union.

"We recognise as we exit the EU we must respect the integrity of the single market and the customs union. But we are equally clear we must respect the integrity of the United Kingdom," he said.

No UK Government would do so a foolish thing let alone a Conservative and unionist one. David Davis

He said there were ongoing talks and expected further meetings to take place later this week. He said he wanted to "rebut one falsehood stirred up by our political opponents".

"The suggestion we might leave the EU but leave one part of the United Kingdom behind still in the single market and customs market that is emphatically not something the UK government is considering," he said.

"So when the first minister of Wales or the first minister of Scotland starts banging the tattered drum of independence or the mayor of London says it justifies a hard border around the M25, I say they are making a foolish mistake.

"No UK Government would do so a foolish thing let alone a Conservative and unionist one."

The DUP tail is wagging the Tory dog. Keir Starmer

Sir Keir called on the government to reconsider its terms on leaving the EU with remaining in the single market and customs union put back on the negotiating table. He also said the March 29, 2019 exit date should be reconsidered.

"The DUP tail is wagging the Tory dog," Sir Keir said, "What an embarrassment.

"It's one thing to go to Brussels and fall out with those on the other side of the negotiating table."

Brexit talks were thrown into chaos when a deal was agreed in principle only for the UK to withdraw at the last minute after Prime Minister Theresa May and DUP leader Arlene Foster spoke on the phone.

Nothing will happen that will cause the break up of this great United Kingdom. Nigel Dodds

Speaking during the debate, DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds attacked the Irish government saying its actions had damaged relationships which would take a "long time to repair".

He said the sentiments echoed by Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and London Mayor Sadiq Khan about getting the same concessions as Northern Ireland in the Brexit deal showed unity.

"Any divergence political or economically from the rest of the UK would be politically damaging and economically catastrophic for all in Northern Ireland be they unionist, nationalist, remainer or Brexiteer.

"There is now an agreement the United Kingdom stands together and nothing will happen that will cause the break up of this great United Kingdom."

Mr Davis said the comments were "absolutely right".

"No surprise the DUP stand for a United kingdom and so does the Conservatives equally."
In spite of their considerable talents, the DUP leadership is not Carson and Craig. This is not 1913. Nor it is 1920 when the British House of Lords and Commons were stacked with Anglo-Irish unionists. It's not 1974 either when a slither of cowardice slipped down the backs of both the Home Secretary and Number 10 when confronted with what was then an act of open treason by loyalist thugs.

But things changed and time changes everything.

Mrs Thatcher had few characteristics to be admired but she, as the most conservative and unionist politician of them all, put an end to fanciful threats from the leaders of unionism when she faced down those opposed to the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985. Mrs Thatcher reminded both Paisley and Molyneaux that she, not they, was Prime Minister of the UK. And it is she who makes the laws that govern the relationships between the UK and other countries and that those decisions are made also on behalf of Northern Ireland.

As Mrs May edged towards a deal in the 'national interests' of the UK with the EU, the unionists started their age-old sabre rattling. Whilst the DUP may be propping up Mrs May in government, they don't speak for the majority of the voting public in Northern Ireland on anything. They can only speak for their own party political support.

The idea of free trade, particularly within key sectoral areas which are critical to our economies on both parts of Ireland, North and South, is logical and is a natural consequence not only of the expressed wishes of a democratic majority here but also because it maintains the integrity of the Good Friday Agreement of which the British Government is a co-guarantor.

The reaction of DUP members threatening to bring down a government may have started an unintended chain reaction, which will lead to the eventual end of the Union with Britain.

Demographic change shows that in less than20 years the Catholic community will have a voting majority in Northern Ireland. Another general election will probably make Sinn Fein the largest party in terms of MPs. The television pictures of unionists being broadcast across the UK telling the PM what they won't tolerate will only increase British voter frustration with their embarrassing and belligerent cousins in Northern Ireland. Unionists hysterically saying that they won't tolerate anything, which makes Northern Ireland different to other parts of the UK, would be hilarious if it was comedy night at the Apollo. Unionists have always made Northern Ireland different from the rest of the UK. Social legislation in Northern Ireland is a relic from the 1950s. We have a health, housing and education service that's different. We have a raft of equality legislation that's different and we have two large political blocs, which make the place ungovernably different too. We are more like the Balkans than the English borders.

The ambitions of the Tory party hierarchy brought about this Brexit shambles to the UK and a weak Prime Minister lost her authority by gambling on an unnecessary election and losing. Mrs May is the first British leader to find herself as ransomed to the fortunes of others since Richard the Lionheart.

Corbyn and the Labour party have a duty to step up to the mark now and offer support to the PM.

Novice Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will also have his mettle tested. Britain and Ireland need leadership from real politicians - not parochial cheerleaders. Mrs May, may risk a lot more, if she doesn't find her inner Thatcher soon.
Senior DUP sources have warned that the UK could be heading towards no deal on Brexit after a shambolic day in Brussels.

Theresa May pulled out at the last minute from an agreement with the EU after meeting fierce resistance from Arlene Foster's party.

She will be back in Brussels for further talks later this week but DUP insiders last night said the chances of a deal were diminishing rapidly.

"It's back to the drawing-board," a party source said. "Theresa May is caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of what she can do.

"We have made it clear that we will not tolerate any political or economic threat to Northern Ireland's position in the UK.

"There is no room for ambiguity in any deal and there is no confusion in Brussels, London or Dublin about our stance either."

A no deal scenario would spell disaster for the Republic with World Trade Organisation rules then applying.

Westminster sources also claimed the text of the proposed agreement had caused ructions among Tory backbenchers.

They said at a meeting yesterday with Mrs May's chief of staff Gavin Barwell, "several dozen" MPs had warned they wouldn't "agree to a border in the Irish Sea" and supported the DUP's position on "maintaining the constitutional integrity of the UK".

Crunch talks between Mrs May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker ended in Brussels yesterday without a deal after the DUP made clear it would not accept any arrangement which saw Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was "surprised and disappointed" by the break-up of talks just hours after all sides confirmed they were satisfied with a text which would guarantee "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and the Republic in order to prevent the imposition of a hard border.

Downing Street made no response to Mr Varadkar's claim. But it is understood that, as well as the impasse over the Border, disagreement remains over the role of the European Court of Justice in overseeing EU citizens' rights in the UK after Brexit.

Both Mrs May and Mr Juncker insisted they were "confident" of reaching agreement in time for a key summit of the European Council on December 14, when leaders of the remaining 27 EU states will decide whether enough progress has been made to start trade talks.

Some reports indicate that Mrs May will travel to Brussels again tomorrow to meet Mr Juncker and chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. Mrs May arrived for her lunchtime talks with Mr Juncker yesterday with expectations high for a breakthrough on the remaining "divorce" issues.

But the text of the draft agreement was leaked, the DUP refused to accept concessions made they said would effectively establish a customs border in the Irish Sea.

Speaking at Stormont, Mrs Foster said: "We have been very clear. Northern Ireland must leave the EU on the same terms as the rest of the United Kingdom.

"We will not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom."

Mrs May then broke off from talks with Mr Juncker to speak by phone with the DUP leader and it was shortly afterwards confirmed that talks were ending without a deal.

Ulster Unionist Party chairman, Lord Empey, said yesterday's events raised questions regarding "who knew what and when so the public can assess who is responsible for this shambles". He said the DUP were either not as influential as they claimed and were not consulted in advance by the government, or they were consulted but didn't appreciate the implications and were "asleep at the wheel".
A chef plans to provide a Michelin-standard Christmas feast for 150 homeless people in Belfast city centre.

Nathan Snoddon (25) says he wants to create a pop-up restaurant for the less fortunate as a leaving gift to his native land, before taking up a role as a senior Chef de Partie in the new London restaurant of Michelin-starred chef Ollie Dabbous.

After revealing his idea for the generous gesture on social media, Nathan, who is from Lisburn, says he has been inundated with offers of food and help from people and businesses wanting to support the less fortunate during the festive season.

"I trained in Michelin restaurants, and I want to provide a hearty, warm, Michelin-standard meal for 150 homeless people which shows them that people care," he told the Belfast Telegraph.

"I recently hosted another pop-up restaurant to demonstrate local produce in Comber, but it's the first time that I have done anything like this for charity.

"I am hoping to hold an open-air pop up restaurant in Custom House Square the week before Christmas, and I want to offer the people who come a really good experience, as well as a really good meal."

With his background in the catering industry, Nathan has been able to enlist a team of volunteers.

"I have been inundated with offers of help - I've got quite a few chefs and friends who are going to help me cook, and I will co-ordinate the operation," he explained. "I have been in touch with the Welcome Organisation to identify the people who would benefit most from this.

"The SOS Bus will be coming down, and I am hoping to borrow a few gazebos to put in the square.

"The band The Russian Dolls, who have supported Nathan Carter, will perform and there will be acoustic guitar players. There will be a great atmosphere."

Nathan, who has worked at restaurants in London, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and Asia, says he plans to spend a night on the streets of Belfast to better understand the problems faced by homeless people.

"I hope to speak to a number of homeless people, to hear their stories and to raise awareness," he continued. "A lot of people take for granted the fact that they can go home and have a good, warm meal with their families, but even in Northern Ireland today that isn't always the case. People don't always realise what's going on in their own town. It's upsetting that homelessness is still such a problem in Northern Ireland in 2017."

Nathan says that he hopes his pop-up restaurant will "give hope" to those most in need.

"If you can just make someone smile for one day or night you may give them hope," he continued.

"I am really looking forward to the event, I'm just buzzing.

"The more people who are involved the better - we are looking for volunteers to serve meals and to provide a listening ear.

"I am a little fish in a big pond, but I am trying to make a small difference."

To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/good-food-for-a-better-cause. To volunteer, contact Nathan on 07809176734
Arlene Foster has ruled out flying to London on Tuesday for crisis talks with the Prime Minister, according to reports.

This comes after the breakdown of negotiations between the UK and the EU on an agreement that would allow the Brexit process to move onto future trade arrangements.

On Monday Theresa May pulled out of a deal at the last minute with the EU after fierce resistance shown by the DUP to a proposed "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The Telegraph quotes a DUP source as saying they did not think "it would be productive" for the DUP leader to make the trip, and she would go over "when they are close to agreeing something".

The DUP's leader in the House of Commons Nigel Dodds is instead scheduled to meet with the government's chief whip Julian Smith to discuss the terms of Britain's EU exit.

The paper reports this puts Theresa May's plans to fly to Brussels later this week into doubt.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, senior DUP sources have warned a no deal Brexit could be on the horizon after the collapse of negotiations.

"It's back to the drawing-board," a party source said. "Theresa May is caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of what she can do.

"We have made it clear that we will not tolerate any political or economic threat to Northern Ireland's position in the UK."

Speaking in Westminster on Tuesday, Nigel Dodds said that there was "now an agreement that the UK stands together and nothing will happen that causes the breakup of this great United Kingdom".

He also hit out at Dublin for pursuing its own interests in "an aggressive and anti-unionist way".

The BBC reports Theresa May is expected to speak to Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill.
Harvey was handed a 20-month sentence by Judge Patricia Smyth, who said he had deliberately targeted his victims.

A 23-year 'confidence trickster' who scammed a total of seven people - including an older gay man and a single mother with dyslexia - has been jailed for 20 months on Tuesday.

Belfast Crown Court heard that Matthew Harvey's offending was linked to a gambling addiction and that after several successful wins he developed a taste for an extravangant lifestyle.

Harvey, from Bridge Street in Newry, was handed a 20-month sentence by Judge Patricia Smyth, who said he had deliberately targeted his victims. He will spend half his sentence behind bars, with the remaining ten months on licence.

Harvey's offending occurred between October 2016 and March 2017, when he was living in the North Down area. His criminality resulted in a loss of around 25,000 - 18,000 of which he scammed from one victim alone.

The victim - a gay man in his 50s with a well paid job - was contacted by Harvey on a dating website. Over the course of two months, the man handed over 18,000 in varying amounts at a time he believed he was developing a relationship with Harvey.

Between October and November last year, this man was told many lies by Harvey, including asking for money to pay for urgent medical care for his ill father and needing cash to cover the cost of his mother's funeral.

These claims were branded as "untrue" by a Crown prosecutor, who branded the lies as "rouses used to extract money."

The 23-year-old, who appeared before the court with 18 previous convictions, was told by Judge Smyth: "You deceived him in the most shocking way over a two-month period."

Other victims of Harvey's criminality included a woman he went to primary school with, and a single mother with dyslexia.

Between November 2016 and January 2017, he persuaded three people to take out telephone contracts in their own names. He then talked them into selling the phones at various electric shops - resulting in losses to both the individuals in question, and the stores where the phones were obtained.

The three victims were persuaded to take out contracts, with Harvey telling them he would change the payment and contract details into his name.

One of these victims was a 20-year old woman he met on the train. They struck up a friendship, with Harvey telling her he had been engaged but that his estranged fiancee was moving to Australia.

The friendship developed over several days, with the prosecutor revealing: "He gained her confidence and persuaded her to take out five telephone contracts in her name. On each occasion he convinced her they had taken out the wrong iPhone, sold it then took out a further contract in her name."

The woman then told her family, and later the police, about what had happened. She said didn't feel threatened, but as time went on she felt "increasingly under pressure" by a man whom she believed she was starting a relationship with.

In March 2017, Harvey targeted a single mother with dyslexia whose child had autism. He applied for two online loans in her name, and also persuaded her to take out a contract for an iPhone and iPad in her name.

Saying the items were for his church, Harvey told her he would transfer responsibility for the finance into his name, which he failed to do. Prior to taking out the contracts, he took her to a bar in Belfast where he bought her drinks.

When his offending came to light, he was arrested coming off a flight from Cuba. He subsequently admitted to multiple charges of fraud by false representation, as well as thefts.

Conan Rea, the barrister representing Harvey, said it was accepted by his client that the offending was "low, mean and despicable".

The barrister also told the court that while there was "no doubt" some of Harvey's victims were vulnerable, there was "no clear evidence of deliberate targeting because of such vulnerabilities."

Mr Rea said Harvey has a long history of mental illness, has ADHD and also has problems with both alcohol and gambling. This backdrop of gambling led to Harvey's offending, Mr Rea said.

Sending Harvey to jail, Judge Smyth said she accepted that the root of his offending was his gambling addiction, and that after several successes, he developed a taste for an "extravagant lifestyle."

Judge Smyth also noted both the number of victims, and the impact Harvey's offending has had on them.
Northern Ireland primary school pupils have been ranked sixth in the world for their reading performance in a major international assessment report.

The findings were revealed in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) which assessed 320,000 children in 50 countries.

Pupils in Northern Ireland were ranked in sixth place with Poland and ahead of them was Finland, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore and Russia.

The PIRLS is an international assessment of student performance in reading literacy and is carried out every five years since 2001 for pupils aged 9-10.

Reading literacy is defined as the "ability to understand and use those written language forms required by society and/or valued by the individual. Readers can construct meaning from texts in a variety of forms. They read to learn, to participate in communities of readers in school and everyday life, and for enjoyment".

For Northern Ireland 134 primary schools took part in the study with their performance score reaching 565 which was up on the previous score of 558 in 2011.

There was an increase in the proportion of pupils working at more advanced levels with 22 percent of pupils reaching the Advanced International Benchmark in 2016 compared with 19 per cent in 2011 (the international average is 10%).

The study also found that children in Northern Ireland have a positive attitude towards reading and find their reading lessons engaging.

In Northern Ireland two-fifths of children reported having 'many resources' for learning at home. A higher proportion of children here reported having this (42 percent) compared with the international average (20percent.)

Teachers of pupils in Northern Ireland were more likely to report pupils' lack of sleep as limiting their teaching than their pupils' lack of nutrition (55 percent compared to 22 percent resptively.).

The proportion of pupils whose teachers reported lack of sleep as a limiting factor some or a lot of the time was slightly higher in Northern Ireland than internationally.

The study also reported that children in Northern Ireland attend schools with an environment that is conducive to learning and that have sufficient technological resources.

The PIRLS study was carried out in Northern Ireland by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) for the Department of Education during 2016.

Chief Executive of NFER Carole Willis said: PIRLS provides a valuable and rigorous way for nations to benchmark their pupils reading literacy, which NFER has helped to deliver since the first study in 2001.

"It is good to see that Northern Ireland has continued to perform well in this latest 2016 round, and the insights the study provides will help policymakers and schools to build on their strengths and address areas where performance could be improved even further.

Department of Education Permanent Secretary, Derek Baker said: The PIRLS report highlights that our primary schools continue to perform strongly in reading. This follows the publication last year of another international report into trends in maths and science with local pupils once again achieving a very high standard in these subjects.

I am very pleased to note that primary school children are very positive about reading and enjoy their lessons. Helping our children to succeed is why we educate our children and I pay credit to all those teachers and principals who work so hard to make this happen. Parents and guardians also play a critical role in helping to develop their children from an early age by reading to them and supporting them with their school work.

"Results from these reports also show that primary schools have highly qualified principals and teachers with the majority stating they were very satisfied with their job.

Sinn Fein Education Spokesperson Karen Mullan congratulated schools, children and parents on the performances.

She said: "These fantastic results are a testament to the hard work of local schools, children and parents on excellence in reading and literacy."
An inquest into the death of a Dungannon woman has heard evidence about the use of a medication for treatment of mouth ulcers.

Michelle Donaghy, a sociology teacher from Glebe Crescent, died at Craigavon Area Hospital, on May 18, 2012.

The 35-year-old had been suffering from Bechet's, a rare disease, and coroner Joseph McCrisken heard that Michelle had been brought to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast by her mother Maureen Donaghy on May 16, 2012 after receiving a text message from her daughter saying that she had a "very bad" pain in her head.

In a statement, Mrs Donaghy said that she took her to the immunology centre at the hospital where Michelle had been receiving treatment and asked to see a doctor urgently.

She said that as Michelle had been unable to speak, she had to explain her symptoms to medical staff, saying that she was "very concerned" about the pain in Michelle's head.

Mrs Donaghy pointed out that previously she had been told to watch out for any serious pain Michelle experienced. She also reported that her daughter had not been able to eat or drink for two days. She said her daughter had not been able to tolerate a doctor shining a light to examine her eyes and she had been "screaming in pain".

Mrs Donaghy's statement went on to say that medical staff had wanted Michelle to show that she could drink water and a discussion followed about medication that she could take if she decided to return home.

However, when they returned home, she said that Michelle appeared to take a seizure and was rushed back to hospital.

Mrs Donaghy's statement added: "I feel that had the Royal kept her in overnight, Michelle would have had a far better chance."

Dr Raymond McKee, an intensive care consultant, told the hearing that Ms Donaghy had suffered a cardiac arrest while being transported to hospital, which would have resulted in brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

Counsel to the inquest Dr David Sharpe said one of the big concerns was that she may have taken Lidocaine and asked if it would have been administered in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Dr McKee said that there was no evidence that it had been administered during Ms Donaghy's hospital stay.

Dr David Edgar, consultant immunologist, told the hearing she had been admitted to hospital the previous August suffering from severe abdominal pain for which she had been given anti-inflammatory treatments. He acknowledged there had been difficulty in finding the exact cause of her symptoms.

Turning to the treatment of Michelle Donaghy's mouth ulcers, the coroner's counsel said that she had been prescribed Lidocaine initially by the Belfast Trust and then by Hammersmith Hospital in London.

Dr Edgar said Lidocaine would have been prescribed for its pain relieving properties. Immunology registrar Dr Niall Conlon told the hearing that Ms Donaghy's family had been unhappy with a number of aspects of her treatment previously. These included "poor control" of her symptoms, lack of improvement after assessment at Hammersmith Hospital and the level of care within the Belfast Trust.

Dr Conlon also spoke of a worsening of her mouth ulcers and said that Ms Donaghy would have experienced "considerable discomfort" and he accepted that she would have had difficulty tolerating fluids.

He remarked that a "relative stability in her physiological condition" on the night in question meant that it would have been acceptable to manage her condition as an outpatient.

Dr Conlon went on to say that he was aware that Ms Donaghy had been using topical Lidocaine. Asked if it could cause toxicity if it was used in "very large amount", Dr Conlon said that he had not come across that.

He also said that he was not aware of any medication taken by Ms Donaghy that could cause epileptic seizures.

Counsel to the coroner also asked consultant immunologist Dr Cathal Steele about the application of Lidocaine.

Dr Steele said that dabbing it on would provide "more focus and more control" than using a nozzle. The QC commented that there had been "no specific note about the use of the Lidocaine solution" from Hammersmith Hospital.

At hearing.
A new poll has found just under half of the Republic's voters want a united Ireland.

The results revealed on RTE's Claire Byrne Live on Monday night showed 49% in favour, 29% against, and 22% of respondents saying they 'Don't Know'.

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The research was carried out on behalf of Claire Byrne Live by Amarach Research and surveyed 1,000 people.

Respondents were also quizzed about their views on the impact Brexit was having on Anglo-Irish relations.

Asked if they felt the Brexit process was negatively affecting Ireland's relationship with Britain, 68% said they felt it was, 19% said they thought it wasn't, with 13% responding 'Don't Know'.

A majority of respondents (57%) said they feared a return to violence if customs checks are reintroduced at the border following Brexit.

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The new poll comes after a day of fraught negotiations in which a deal between the UK and the EU on the future of the Irish border was scuppered by fierce resistance from the DUP.

It had been thought the UK and EU had been close to agreeing on "regulatory alignment" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to avoid a potential hard border.

It is anticipated Prime Minister Theresa May will spend Tuesday in negotiations with DUP MPs in London in an effort to salvage the deal, before flying to Brussels later this week.

Previous polls in the Republic on the possibility of a united Ireland have returned mixed results.

A Sunday Business Post / Red C poll in October last year found 65% of respondents saying they would like to see Irish unity as a by-product of Brexit.

Last December, when Claire Byrne Live asked respondents if they thought it was "time to have a united Ireland", 46% answered yes, 32% answered no, with 22% responding 'Don't Know'.

In March, a poll of 1,200 adults in Ireland carried out on behalf of RTE's This Week programme asked respondents if they would back a united Ireland if it came with a pricetag of 9bn (7.95bn) a year.

Results found 33.1% saying they would vote in favour, 32.5% said they would vote against, while 34.4% said they were undecided.

In October, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told BBC's Spotlight programme there would need to be a bigger majority than 50% plus one in a poll to bring about a united Ireland, saying "I really think we should focus on making the agreement that we have work".
Investigations are ongoing into a vehicle collision in County Wexford in which four people were killed while on their way to a funeral.

The victims, a family from the US, have been named locally as Lily Ryan-Alexander and her husband Doug Alexander, along with their sons Doug Jnr and Steve Alexander.

It is understood that the family were travelling to the funeral of a relative when the collision happened.

Gardai say a car and a lorry collided on Monday evening near Lacken, New Ross on the N25 at around 6.30pm.

The family died at the scene of their injuries, the Garda said.

It is thought they had travelled from Illinois in the US to attend the funeral of Mrs Ryan-Alexander's sister Winnie Keevey in Wexford and were travelling to Ms Keevey's wake when the collision occurred.

Local priest Fr Sean Devereux told RTE: "The community is absolutely numbed by the tragedy and all that has unfolded.

"All we can really do, as a faith community, is offer support and to be with those who are bereaved and be with the Keevey family who have had this tragedy impacted upon them as they were grieving the passing of their mother."

He added: "It's just unimaginable really to think."

The road where the incident occurred remained closed on Tuesday while gardai continued to examine the scene.

Gardai have appealed for any witnesses to come forward.
Four members of the same family from the United States have been killed in horrific road crash in the Republic of Ireland.

The three males and a female were the occupants of a car that was involved in a collision with a lorry on the N25 near New Ross, Co Wexford.

They died just hours after arriving in the country.

A couple in their 70s and their two sons aged in their 40s, died when their car was in collision with a articulated lorry on a main road at around 6.30pm on Monday, December 4.

The four are all believed to be from Illinois and had flown into Shannon Airport earlier yesterday for the funeral of a relative in Co Wexford.

The scene of the crash remains sealed off by police who have closed a section of the N25 near Cushinstown.

Crash investigators could be scene working at the scene of devastation, carrying out measurements and other forensic work.

The articulated truck and car could be seen at the side of the road in their final resting positions following the crash. The cab of the truck turned sideways in the impact and jack-knifed, and was buried into the side of its own trailer.

The car that the family were traveling in could be seen just in front of the cab of the truck.

It's roof had been removed by emergency crews who arrived to treat the injured.

Initial indications are the crash happened on a bend in the road at the top of a hill.

Further down the road the spire of the Church of St Mary in Cushinstown can be seen.

It was to this church the family were due to travel at noon today to attend the funeral of local woman Winnie Keevey.

It is believed the woman who was killed in the crash was a relative of Winnie's.

Residents described the scene as "absolutely horrific" with debris scattered all over the roadside.

Gardai, New Ross Fire Brigade and a fleet of ambulances raced to the scene of the crash just off the N25 between Cushinstown and Begern Cross on the New Ross to Ballinaboola road.

Paramedics desperately tried to stabilise the condition of two critically injured people. However, two others were pronounced dead immediately.

They are understood to have been trapped in the car when emergency services arrived.

The other two casualties died before they could be transferred to University Hospital Waterford.

The lorry driver and his passenger avoided serious injury, although the driver was treated at the scene for severe shock.

Driving conditions were described as reasonable at the time, although visibility was somewhat restricted by mist and drizzle.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told Theresa May 'the ball is in your court' in terms of resolving the Brexit border issue.

Mr Varadkar also warned the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that agreement over a border deal will be between the UK government and the European Union - not one political party.

Speaking during leaders questions in the Dail on Tuesday, the Irish premier reiterated his "regret" that the UK Government had backed down from a proposal that Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland should continue to be aligned after Brexit.

The proposed agreement was put on hold after the DUP contacted Theresa May in Brussels when details of the proposal came to light.

Without referring specifically to the DUP, Mr Varadkar said: "There are many political parties in Northern Ireland and we will listen to and respect all political parties in Northern Ireland and recognise that the majority did not vote to leave the European Union."

He added: "This is very important, the negotiations are taking place between a sovereign government, the UK in one hand and the European Union of which we are part.

"The negotiations are not involving one or any political party. This agreement, if we come to it, will not be involving one political party to the exclusion of others."

The Taoiseach said that had the Stormont powersharing Executive not collapsed in January, Northern Ireland would have had a united, cross-community voice in terms of Brexit.

He added that people mistakenly think only one party speaks for the region.

Mr Varadkar admitted that relations between Ireland and the UK "have been strained in the last year or two" because of Brexit.

He added however that he believes Prime Minister Theresa May and her team are "negotiating in good faith".

"I look forward to hearing from them as to how they think we can proceed. The ball is now in London's court," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday deputy premier and Foreign Affairs minister Simon Coveney insisted that the Government would not change its position on the Brexit border deal that was in place on Monday.

Mr Coveney said the Government will work with the British Government on presentational issues around the text which had been agreed on the border, but the core meaning must remain.

He added that while the DUP should be listened to, one political party could not decide what is acceptable and what is not for the British and Irish governments and for the EU negotiators.

The next European Council summit is on December 14 and Mr Varadkar said he believes there is time to put the agreement back on track.

He said the agreement on Monday had three possible options - An EU-UK free trade agreement that would allow free trade to continue between Britain and Ireland; a bespoke arrangement involving technology; or, if all else fails, an ongoing regulatory alignment between the north and south.
Christine Keeler, the former showgirl at the heart of the Profumo affair which rocked the Establishment in the 1960s, has died aged 75.

Her son Seymour Platt said she died late on Monday night, having suffered from a lung disease for the last few years.

Ms Keeler had been a patient at the Princess Royal University Hospital, near Farnborough, before her death, a hospital spokesman confirmed.

Mr Platt paid tribute to his mother in a Facebook post on Tuesday evening.

My mother, the grandmother to my beautiful little girl, passed away late last night, he wrote.

She suffered in the last few years with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease but lost the fight.

As many of you know my mother, Christine Keeler, fought many fights in her eventful life, some fights she lost but some she won.

She earned her place in British history but at a huge personal price.

We are all very proud of who she was.

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Ms Keeler was at the centre of the 1963 political scandal, which enthralled and scandalised the nation, after having an affair with then-Secretary of State for War John Profumo.

He was forced to quit his job following lurid disclosures of high-society sex parties and claims he had shared his mistress with a Soviet defence attache.

Douglas Thompson  the journalist and author who worked with Ms Keeler on her memoir The Truth At Last  spoke of his shock after hearing of her death.

He remembered his friend fondly as a funny and bright woman, who he described as one of the most honest people I have ever met.

She believed absolutely everything she ever said about the Profumo affair, he told the Press Association.

She said what she thought, he continued. I think that honesty is very surprising.

Mr Thompson, who updated the book, published as Secrets And Lies in 2012, following the death of John Profumo, described Ms Keeler as a victim of the time, adding that she would probably have had her own TV show had the scandal happened today.

The interesting thing about her is she tried to escape it, he said.

I dont think she ever got away from it  that was a tragedy.

Mr Thompson added: She could never stop being Christine Keeler.
A Britain First supporter gave a Nazi salute and shouted "white power" before driving at a curry house owner, a court heard yesterday.

Marek Zakrocki (48) threatened to "kill a Muslim" then launched his attack outside Spicy Night in Alexandra Parade in Harrow, London, on the anniversary of the Brexit vote.

Zakrocki, who was originally charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and battering his wife.

Prosecutor Denis Barry said: "Mr Zakrocki had plainly, during the course of that afternoon, had far too much to drink.

"During the course of that evening he assaulted his wife, drove off in his work vehicle, insulted a series of passers-by and then drove his vehicle at the owner of a curry house, breaking the window of the restaurant.

"It's plain his conduct is likely to have been motivated by his views about our diverse society."

Earlier on June 23, he had got drunk on wine, grabbed his wife by the arm and threatened to "kill people" and himself.

During a rampage around Harrow, Zakrocki made a Nazi salute, pushed an unknown Asian man and shouted "white power, white power".

He was also heard to say: "I'm going to kill a Muslim. I'm doing it for Britain. This is how I'm going to help the country. You people cannot do anything."

The Polish-born window fitter ended up outside Spicy Night restaurant, blocking the road with his white van.

Following an altercation in the street, he started the engine and aimed the vehicle at restaurant owner Kamal Ahmed.

The court heard he used the van as a weapon against Mr Ahmed and twice mounted the pavement.

He was driving at 5mph and was effectively trying to pin Mr Ahmed against the restaurant window, which smashed.

Because of the increased state of alert at the time, officers arrested Zakrocki in a "hard stop".

Police found a Nazi coin in Zakrocki's pocket and a stash of Britain First flyers and newspapers at his home in Harrow.

In interview, Zakrocki appeared to be "fixated" by Muslims and said he had made donations to Britain First in the past.

Charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having a knife in Northolt Road, Harrow, were ordered to lie on file.

Judge Anthony Leonard QC remanded the defendant into custody for sentencing on January 12, warning he was considering a jail sentence.
Nine terror attacks have been prevented in the past year (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

A total of nine Islamist terrorist plots have been thwarted in the UK over the past year, the director general of MI5 has told Cabinet.

Andrew Parker told Theresa May and her senior ministers that the defeat of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria did not mean the terror threat was over, warning that social media was being used to encourage attacks in the UK and elsewhere.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the weekly meeting in 10 Downing Street that the pace of attack planning has increased significantly over the past year.

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Mrs May told ministers that the threat from terror was at an unprecedented level, despite the military setbacks experienced in its Middle East strongholds by Islamic State  also known as Daesh.

In a regular Westminster media briefing, the Prime Ministers official spokesman declined to discuss the details of the attacks that had been prevented over the past year, some of which are subject to forthcoming court proceedings.

But he confirmed that the subject of Mr Parkers presentation to Cabinet was the threat from Islamist-related terror.

A senior counter-terror police officer said earlier this year that 13 attacks had been foiled by security services since 2013.

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But the pace of plotting is understood to have been stepped up in a year which has seen deadly Islamist-inspired attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge, as well as the bombing of a Tube train at Parsons Green and a van driven into pedestrians outside a mosque in Finsbury Park.

Mr Parker said that nine terrorist attacks have been prevented in the past year, said Mrs Mays spokesman. There have been five attacks that have got through, four of which are related to Islamist terrorism.

The Prime Minister gave thanks to the tireless work of staff at MI5 to combat the unprecedented terrorist threat.

Ministers heard that, while Daesh had suffered major defeats in Iraq and Syria, that doesnt mean that the threat is over. Rather it is spreading to new areas, including trying to encourage attacks on the UK and elsewhere via propaganda on social media.

The Home Secretary said the pace of attack planning had increased significantly this year.

Amber Rudd said that the Government has been putting pressure on social media companies to remove terrorist material and progress was being made.

She pointed to recent efforts by Facebook, which last week said 83% of Islamic State and al Qaida content was being identified and removed within one hour.

The Home Secretary stressed there was more for social media companies to do.
Failure to complete the first phase of Brexit negotiations is costing UK pharmaceutical companies an enormous amount of money, industry representatives have warned.

With less than 18 months to go until the official date of EU withdrawal in March 2019, companies are having to make preparations now, with some setting up facilities and offices abroad at a cost of tens of millions of pounds, MPs were told.

Giving evidence to the Commons Business Committee, the chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, Mike Thompson, said the sector was in need of certainty from the Government now on issues like post-Brexit alignment of regulations with the EU and the terms of any transition period.

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Companies are concerned that separate regulatory systems for the EU and UK could add millions to their costs, and that potential delays at the ports could result in medicines having to be dumped.

Speaking a day after talks intended to move Brexit negotiations on to their second phase  dealing with future trade  broke down in Brussels, Mr Thompson told the committee: One of the challenges for us is that it is not unusual for politicians to think they dont need to do a deal until the absolute last minute.

But for business people, we have to plan ahead. The fact that we havent had the time to plan ahead has meant companies have had to take these contingency decisions, which is costing them an enormous amount of money.

He told MPs that the industrys message to Government would be: Can you please get into phase two as quickly as possible, because we need to have some decisions so we can plan to ensure the continuing supply of medicines to patients across Europe.

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The managing director of generic drug producer Xiromed, Peter Ballard, told the committee he cheered at lunchtime and groaned in the afternoon on Monday, as the prospect of a deal which might have kept Northern Ireland under single market rules was snatched away.

I felt if Northern Ireland was adopting that sort of system, it would necessarily apply to everyone else, said Mr Ballard. That is our very, very clear preference.

Other EU countries make up 44% of the 30 billion export market for UK pharmaceuticals, and there is little prospect of increasing market share in other parts of the world which already have established supply chains, said Mr Thompson.

Companies were concerned about the possibility of new tariffs pushing up the cost of medicines, but a greater anxiety was the introduction of delays into highly time-sensitive movements of products which are often moved across borders several times during the production process.

Quite a lot of them are temperature-controlled, so if you dont do it within a certain time period, you are out of spec and you have to throw them away, explained Mr Thompson.

We are imploring people to understand that medicines are different. If a car is held up at Dover, its important but its not life-threatening. If medicines cant get through, its life-threatening.

This is not an issue about UK patients versus European patients. This is about patients across the whole of Europe. Everybody is going to lose out here.

The chief executive of the Propriety Association of Great Britain, John Smith, said that any divergence between UK and EU regulations would cost the industry millions of pounds, as drugs might require safety testing and batch production on both sides of the Channel.

Asked if the companies would benefit from the UK having the freedom to set its own regulations, Mr Smith replied: Our strong view is if you go down that route, any opportunities are completely outweighed by the costs involved.

It would add significant costs to our overall business, to the tune of millions of pounds.
Theresa May should rethink her reckless red lines and consider remaining part of the customs union and single market, Labour has urged.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said there needed to be a UK-wide response to Brexit, after the Democratic Unionist Party refused to accept proposals on a customs border, leading to a deadlock in talks.

But Brexit Secretary David Davis said Labours policy on the customs union and single market had changed 10 times in the last year.

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Sir Keir, who asked an urgent question in the Commons on the negotiations, said: Labour is clear that there needs to be a UK-wide response to Brexit.

So the question for the Government today is this: will the Prime Minister now rethink her reckless red lines and put options such as a customs union and single market back on the table for negotiation?

Because if the price of the Prime Ministers approach is the break-up of the union and reopening of bitter divides in Northern Ireland then the price is too high.

Mr Davis pointed to comments made by members of the shadow cabinet on remaining in the single market and customs union, and said: So much for Labour policy on this matter, we can see why its changed 10 times in the course of the last year.

He continued: The suggestion that we might depart the European Union but leave one part of the United Kingdom behind still inside the single market and customs union  that is emphatically not something that the UK Government is considering.

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Mr Davis said the Government was in the middle of an ongoing round, and that, while progress had been made, a final conclusion had not yet been reached.

I believe we are now close to concluding the first phase of negotiations and moving on to talk about our future trade relations, he said.

There is much common understanding, and both sides agree that we must move forward together.

He told MPs the Government had always been clear that it wanted to protect all elements of the Good Friday Agreement to maintain the common travel area and to protect associated rights.

Mr Davis said the Government recognised that the integrity of the EU single market and customs union must be respected after Brexit, but added that it was equally clear we must respect the integrity of the United Kingdom.

But Sir Keir claimed the last 24 hours had given a new meaning to the phrase coalition of chaos'.

Its one thing to go to Brussels and fall out with those on the other side of the negotiating table; its quite another to go to Brussels and fall out with those supposedly on your own side of the negotiating table.
Brexit is firmly back at the top of the news agenda on Tuesday, as Theresa Mays crunch talks in Brussels ended without a divorce deal.

Claims that the Prime Minister pulled out of a deal at the last minute after meeting fierce resistance from the Democratic Unionist Party dominate the front pages.

The Daily Telegraph says Mrs Mays push for a deal ended in chaos following a damaging public row with the DUP over Northern Irelands future.

The paper calls it an extraordinary day in Brussels and describes a serious miscalculation over the DUPs response to a key negotiating point.

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The Guardian declares: DUP wrecks Mays Brexit deal, and says the PMs political weakness was brutally exposed to Brussels.

It also describes it as a day of chaos.

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The Daily Mirror, meanwhile, runs with the headline DUPED, and calls it an EU deal shambles.

The paper reports that DUP leader Arlene Foster refused to accept any arrangement which saw Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK.

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The i says Mrs May was within touching distance of an agreement before the negotiations were scuppered, while the Independent declares that the PM was humiliated as her plan was left in tatters.

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And the Times says Mrs May was warned she had just four days to salvage a Brexit deal or risk delays.

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Away from Brexit, the Daily Mail reports that nearly 200 paedophiles were arrested in the space of a week for stalking children on live-streaming apps.
Even by the sometimes extraordinary standards of Anglo-Irish communications, the developments in Brussels, London, Belfast and Dublin yesterday take some beating.

In a few hours it appeared that the basis of a Brexit agreement had been established in Brussels to allow all sides to move forward to more substantive talks.

However, before anything was officially announced in Brussels, the DUP placed a huge spanner in the works by firmly repeating that they wish to leave the EU fully as part of the UK, without any special arrangement on the Irish border which would dilute the current constitutional position of Northern Ireland.

The obvious question at the end of such a dramatic day is simply this: "Why was it all allowed to happen?"

There will be much point-scoring for such political bungling, but inevitably a great deal of blame must rest with the British Prime Minister, who seems to have not understood fully the unionist mindset so clearly represented by the DUP.

It is not as if Mrs Foster and her colleagues had a sudden rush of blood to their heads as the developments in Brussels gathered apace.

On the contrary, the DUP has made it crystal clear for some time now that they wish to exit from the EU on the same terms and conditions as all other parts of the UK.

This raises the question as to whether or not Theresa May was listening to the DUP or was understanding their message.

If not, this is a remarkable stance for a Prime Minister who depends utterly for the DUP's support to retain power at Westminster.

A withdrawal of support by the DUP and an almost inevitable general election is the last thing she wants in the middle of crucial Brexit negotiations. She and the Tories must also be acutely aware that the Labour Party is waiting gleefully for such a development.

Perhaps the only excuse to be made for Mrs May is that she has an almost impossible task, but that said, she really should have kept the DUP's position as one of her major priorities.

Down in Dublin there was similar chaos. Leo Varadkar is an experienced politician who has managed to secure the top job as Taoiseach and he must surely have been aware of the strength of unionist feeling, even if his deputy Simon Coveney has won few unionist friends since he took over as the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The Irish have said repeatedly that they are not using the Brexit situation to manufacture a back door to Irish unity by stealth. However, they now know the full ire of unionists who will not budge an inch on the position of Northern Ireland in the UK.

Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Northern Ireland's history must be clear about that.

Mrs May and the EU leaders have stated that there is still time to square this problematic circle before the summit next week.

This is a hugely complex situation, and people across Europe, as well as everyone in the British Isles, must be wondering how the politicians can produce a communique which pleases everyone.

It is said that politics is the art of the possible, and people must be given a sense of hope that an agreement can be reached between all the main parties.

This is a tall order, but failure at this stage is unthinkable. In the meantime, cool heads and measured language should be the order of the day.
First Secretary Damian Green is now being defended by some senior figures

At last, someone has jumped to the defence of First Secretary Damian Green over allegations - which he fiercely denies - that he had pornographic images on his office computer.

Two retired police officers, who should have known better, have said they found these images in profusion during an unrelated inquiry some years ago.

Now, I am glad to say, these two have been slapped down by Sir Peter Fahy, former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, and others of equal standing.

They have been told firmly that police rules about confidentiality extend into retirement and that, anyway, it is not the job of the police to concern itself with people's morality, especially when nothing illegal has occurred, even if these disputed allegations are true.

It is a pity nothing can apparently be done about these ex-officers, in a case which seemed to be turning into a witchhunt against a senior politician.

In any event, it will be a matter for the Prime Minister, once the current inquiry is completed, over what, if any, action requires to be taken.

What a splendid Christmas present for would-be shoplifters. Nottinghamshire Police have announced that in a bid to save money, they will not be investigating cases of shoplifting.

This follows the announcement by Bedfordshire Police that they would not be investigating such cases when the amount stolen was worth less than 100.

I fully understand that police forces are strapped for cash, but surely there are better ways of economising than giving the green light to petty criminals?

There are, surely, areas of police administration which could be eliminated without affecting what the police are supposed to do: catch criminals.

Shoplifting may be seen as a minor crime, but it occurs on a massive scale and is part of the reason prices in supermarkets are being kept higher than they'd otherwise need be (and it's still costing the supermarkets millions of pounds).

I do hope these two forces - and any others which may be thinking along similar lines - would review the situation.

There needs to be a sharp crackdown on shoplifters with stiff penalties available to the courts.

To give them an open goal like this is little short of madness.

Is the Labour Party about to abandon its proud boast as "the broad church" of British politics?

The expression is to indicate that the party would accept anyone to the left of centre, whether a hardline Left-winger, like John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor, or ultra-moderates (if that is not a contradiction in terms), like Frank Field.

Now, Momentum, a hardline band of activists, seems hell-bent on deselecting Labour MPs and councillors who are not Left-wing enough for their tastes.

Some 30 years ago, "legitimate" Labour destroyed Militant, who were adopting the same tactic. But Momentum seem much more deeply embedded and nothing is being done about it.

Now, moderates are warning traditional Labour values could die a slow death, unless ruthless action is taken, but they fear nothing will be done with Jeremy Corbyn at the helm.

Lord Hattersley, Labour's former deputy leader, is among those who have expressed anxiety about Labour's future in the face of this threat.

The party is riding high at the moment, well ahead of the Tories in the polls. They don't want to lose all that by allowing dogma to take over.

Brexit supporters now suspect the hard-headed men of Brussels are not only trying to bully Britain over the decision to quit the EU, but in doing so are deliberately putting the frighteners on any other member state which is tempted to follow suit.

Now, with the "divorce bill" possibly on the verge of being settled - although I would not risk my life savings on that claim - the next problem appears: the sticky question of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

And, although the EU just might cast a blind eye to the free movement of people to and fro across the border, the same could not apply to goods and services, with the UK outside the single market and the customs union.

Brussels have implied the entire negotiations could be in jeopardy if a way cannot be found to get Dublin to agree with whatever the UK proposes.

But does this really have to be such a difficult problem, as some anti-Brexiteers are claiming?

Surely a "bespoke" arrangement could be formulated to deal with this particular problem? Even Remainer Tony Blair has suggested that.

It is ironic that, all those years ago, the UK had to fight like tigresses to get into the old Common Market (remember General de Gaulle's, "Non, non, non"?) and now we are having to fight even harder to get out.

What terrifies Brussels more than anything else is that the UK's lead might encourage other member states that they would like to break loose, too.
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Haley Meek screens and sorts mountain mint seeds.

By Bonnie Blankinship

The grounds of University House, the official residence of the Bowling Green State University president, include a large, manicured lawn. But behind the green lawn is an equally important but less obviously tended space, a short-grass prairie that the University is carefully returning to its native state.

The acreage also functions as a learning lab for students in Dr. Helen Michaels' Restoration Ecology class , where they can observe and identify native and non-native plant species, encouraging the native varieties while destroying the non-native and "woody invasive" ones. The hands-on and laboratory experiences and field trips of the course complement the theoretical and conceptual background they learn in class.

Although in fall the prairie is brown and dry, it is still an important time for student service-learning. Recently they were out with Michaels on a gray and chilly day, collecting seeds of plants such as the fragrant mountain mint, big bluestem grass, pearly everlasting and wild bergamot, or bee balm, for replanting in the spring, when the prairie will be blooming with color.

Students observed as Michaels demonstrated the use of the improvised "tongs of death," as she humorously calls the large barbecue tongs fitted with disposable foam paint brushes saturated with an herbicide to kill the undesirable plants.

"These are great for selectively treating tissues of invasive species we don't want without damaging other plants," she said. The technique is part of the herbicide training students learn in class.

Armed with a sharp limb cutter, junior ecology and conservation major Tim Kleman tramped through the grass and brush seeking the woody invasives to saw off. He has experience in this type of removal from his service as the ecology director at the Boy Scout Camp Frontier in Pioneer, Ohio, and is expanding his skills through the Restoration Ecology class.

"These hands-on experiences are what give the students the skills they need to actually get a job, and it's clearly helping," Michaels said. "And the students seem to love it."

Student Katie Wallroff said the experiences have "given me a chance to explore nature in a new way."

BGSU President Mary Ellen Mazey said she is thrilled that the prairie at the residence can be used as a laboratory. "BGSU is committed to preparing students for their careers and for lifelong learning. The meadow provides a valuable learning experience for students, and I am so pleased that Dr. Michaels has incorporated the space in her teaching and research," she said.

The experiences in the course include observing controlled burns, a specialized land management technique, and instruction on how obtain official certification, also known as the "red card." Benjamin Bomlitz, a nontraditional student who will graduate in December, has interned with the Campus Operations grounds department and participated in a burn last year at the University's Poe Prairie site at Mercer and Poe roads.

The Poe Prairie, a tall-grass prairie, is different from the University House short-grass ecosystem and demands different treatment, as do wetlands and forest habitats.

Land management skills include deciding which technique to use, when and if to plant, and soil analysis. Students learn about not only the individual plants but how they function in a plant community.

A student from the 2015 Restoration Ecology class, Dylan Jacobs, volunteered with the Nature Conservancy for his service-learning hours and went on to complete his certification in controlled burns. He was hired as a seasonal employee and is now a permanent Nature Conservancy employee.

"The staff at the Nature Conservancy has allocated and invested considerable time in sharing their expertise and equipment to provide our Restoration Ecology class with hands-on, active learning experiences," said Michaels, an associate professor of biology.

This year, each student must perform 10 hours of service, mostly independently organized by them. In addition to the University House restoration and extensive work with the Nature Conservancy in Oak Openings and other of its sites, students also do invasive species removal plus forest vegetation analysis for wetland delineation at the University's Steidtmann Woods. Other activities include campus prairie restorations, seed collecting and herbiciding at Poe Prairie. They also perform similar work for the Wood County Park District, Toledo Metroparks and Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association.

"The service-learning also allows them to interact with agency people and helps them define their career path," Michaels said.

"I think this is a great experience because it is really insightful to see what people within this field do on a daily basis," said Rachel Chafee, a biology major. "I believe it's better to see it done and what the job actually entails instead of reading a job description that probably sounds more luxurious than it actually is. This class has really shaped my career path because now I know more about what I am interested in. I think the hands-on experience really solidifies the concepts that we learn within the classroom because we are not just reading words on pages, we are seeing the restoration process being done firsthand."

"This has given me a lot of experience with a lot of different skills," said Hayley Meek, a graduate student in biology specializing in ecology.

Back in the classroom another week, following Michaels' lecture the students clean and package the seeds they've collected, which will be planted in the spring. They strip the seeds from the dry stems, pushing them through layers of increasingly finer sieves in metal canisters until they are left with clean seeds that they place into labeled small plastic bags.

"I have learned a lot from The Nature Conservancy and the learning experiences during our field trips," Kleman said. "The hands-on experiences give a better understanding of restoration processes. Learning about restoration practices in lecture is ok, but to really understand how to do restoration you have to go out to do it. These hands-on learning experiences are also good to put on a resume."

The class includes both undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of majors including environmental science, biology and environmental policy. They also have varying career goals. Kleman plans to work in ornithology or fish and wildlife management. Alison Saltzman, a conservation biology major, plans to pursue a master's in education and teach high school biology, preferably in a vocational school like the one she went to. Shelby Cabrera, a marine biology major, would like to work in conservation for a government agency.
TUSCOLA -- The city school superintendent has put his name into the running for the regional superintendent position next year.

Candidate Michael N. Smith filed Nov. 27 for the Republican nomination for the lead position at the local Regional Office of Education.

"In  this day and age, with the challenges educators are facing, I think it is more important than ever for the regional office to mentor, lead and support our schools in the seven-county region, and I believe I am the person to do this, he said in a press release.

By 2019, Smith will have spent eight years as the Tuscola superintendent. Before then, he rose up the ranks in the Oakland school district, serving as Oakland superintendent for four years.

At the top of his list of focuses, Smith expressed interest in launching a plan to form a regional vocational high school, according to the release. He also wants to improve the Bridges program.

A regional safe school should not send students back to the home district because they arent able to handle student misbehavior, he stated on the subject.

Current ROE superintendent, Bobbi Mattingly, also a Republican, has said she is not going to run again and plans to retire after her current term is up. Mattingly has already expressed her support for Kyle Thompson, Regional Office of Education assistant superintendent, in the primary race.

Thompson, who also filed for the Republican ticket Nov. 27, announced his plans to run for election in May.
Canberra MP Gai Brodtmann says the federal government is showing contempt for Canberra in failing to intervene on high rates of flight cancellations to and from the capital.

Last month Canberra Airport boss Stephen Byron called on Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate cancellations three times worse than industry standards on services between Sydney and Canberra.

Qantas and Virgin are working to address flight cancellations.

Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development statistics showed flights between Canberra and Sydney topped the nation for cancellations in September, reaching 8.1 per cent.

The number of cancellations and delays are well above the national long-term cancellation rate of 1.4 per cent.
Household-name charities receiving overseas funding would be prevented from advocating for social and environmental causes if their activity is deemed political, under a Turnbull government plan.

The government on Tuesday announced a foreign influence and interference package to "strengthen our democracy and ... ensure that decisions are made based on Australia's national interest, not anyone else's."

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, flanked by Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Attorney-General George Brandis, announces the proposed laws on Tuesday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The measures include a bill to ban foreign political donations to all political campaigners, including interest and advocacy groups that "spend millions of dollars each year to influence voters".

The government will also seek to introduce a new class known as "political campaigners" into the Electoral Act. Such organisations would be forced to comply with the same disclosure and reporting requirements as a political party.
Linda Burney had had barely a month to begin to absorb the grief of losing her son, Binni, when she rose in Parliament on Tuesday, determined to honour his name.

She wished to explain her long-held support for same-sex marriage.

"I have never had a second thought," she said.

"It seemed to be so obvious."
Labor MP David Feeney has been caught out by the dual citizenship fiasco, admitting he has no documents to prove he renounced his British citizenship and pledging to refer himself to the High Court unless he can produce them this week.

The revelation raises the prospect of a byelection early next year in his Melbourne seat of Batman, which could easily fall to the Greens. It is also an embarrassment for the ALP, which has long claimed its processes were watertight.

The development came as the Turnbull government ramped up pressure on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to also refer Labor senator Katy Gallagher to the court.

A handful of other politicians on both sides are under renewed suspicion after the citizenship documents of all House of Representatives MPs were published late on Tuesday. As many as five others could also face the High Court, triggering a possible 'super-Saturday' round of byelections in early 2018.
With Labor on the verge of claiming victory following the Queensland election, one of its guiding leaders has resigned.

State secretary Evan Moorhead wrote to Labor administration committee members on Tuesday morning to advise he would tender his resignation, effective January 22, 2018.

Queensland Labor state secretary Evan Moorhead, a former MP, has tendered his resignation. Credit:Queensland Labor

"Leading the party that I love has been the greatest honour of my working life," he said.

"The election of Palaszczuk Labor governments in 2015 and 2017 sees the completion of the rebuilding project that commenced in 2012."
Washington: Donald Trump's former campaign chief Paul Manafort has apparently come up with a novel way to try to salvage his reputation amid money laundering and conspiracy charges.

As recently as last week, Manafort was ghost-writing an editorial with a longtime colleague with ties to a Russian intelligence agency, which sought to put a positive spin on his work for the Ukrainian government, according to prosecutors for Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Paul Manafort, a former campaign worker for Donald Trump. Credit:Bloomberg

The charges against Manafort relate to his work in Ukraine.

The piece flouts a judge's order "to not try the case in the press" and is grounds for denying Manafort's bid for freedom from house arrest, prosecutors wrote in a court filing Monday.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Alabama Republican Roy Moore in a US Senate special election, despite allegations from multiple women who accused the former state Supreme Court judge of sexual misconduct.

The move prompted the Republican National Committee and a pro-Trump fundraising body to change their minds and begin directing funding his way, boosting a candidate who had been largely cut off by his party.

Senate Republican leaders remained critical of Moore on Monday, warning that the former judge is likely to face an immediate ethics probe if he is elected next week. But the America First Action super PAC, following Trump's lead, announced that it would spent $1.1 million to elect Moore, while the RNC said it was returning to the field after pulling out in mid-November.

Moore has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward teenage girls  including a 14 year old  when he was in his 30s.
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They dont have a prayer.

The leader of a Kensington mosque stole more than $300,000 from members before storming the Islamic center with hired guards last month and barring worshippers from daily prayers, congregants claimed at a Dec. 1 protest outside the local religious institution.

Hes a wolf in sheeps clothing, said Maruf Alam, who worships at Masjid Nur al-Islam. This guy came in with a private security force and changed the locks.

A large crowd of parishioners and reps from other local Islamic-faith-based centers rallied outside the Church Avenue mosque between Chester Avenue and Story Street eight days after Imam Gauhar Ahmed and his private security allegedly seized the building and prohibited members from using it as a place for their five-times-per-day prayers.

Worshippers shouting He is a criminal while carrying signs that declared A thief cant be a religious leader at one point clashed with Imam Ahmeds security during the demonstration, before protestors charged the imam with a laundry list of crimes he allegedly perpetrated against his hapless flock.

The congregants claimed their once-beloved religious leader turned against them sometime after the 2008 financial crisis, when he started pushing a plan to expand the mosque as a scheme to collect members donations  which he actually spent on several Michigan properties for himself, according to another worshipper, who described the imams actions as crimes against Islam.

This is not Islam. Islam is never stealing money, said Khandaker Ahmed.

The parishioners said they filed a lawsuit in Civil Supreme Court upon realizing their leader was ripping them off, but claimed that they ultimately decided to show him mercy, agreeing to drop the case on the condition he step down as the mosques head on Aug. 8, Alam said.

But after his legal troubles cleared, the imam filed false documents with the citys Department of Finance, parishioners claimed, and portrayed himself as the mosques current president in order to gain ownership of the property, which he then invaded with his security force on Thanksgiving day before changing its locks.

The religious leaders coup devastated local worshippers, according to Alam, who called it outrageous.

He portrayed himself as a spiritual leader and did this maleficence to the community, he said. It took folks a while to understand it.

Imam Ahmed adamantly defended himself when reached for comment, claiming that the people who rallied outside his mosque werent actually congregants, but a hodgepodge of protesters organized by a more radical group of Muslims on a mission to defame him and win over his parishioners.

Theyre not a part of our religious understanding, he said. Theyre an extreme version of Islam.

Alam vehemently refuted the imams accusations of radicalization, however, calling him sick for smearing an entire community in order to salvage his reputation.

Thats the card hes playing, the radical card? Youre talking about hundreds of people and theyre radical, but youre a saint? he said. When someone makes a comment like that, its sick.

A Supreme Court judge actually granted a restraining order that Masjid Nur al-Islam honchos filed in 2015 against Imam Ahmeds then-accusers  who included Khandaker Ahmed, as well as another speaker at the rally, Simon Mahmud, and 13 others  which prevented them from acting as mosque leaders and harassing congregants.

The imam refuted his opponents claims on a point-by-point basis, beginning with the Michigan purchases, which he said the mosques board of directors, executive board, and members approved, voting in favor of opening the out-of-state sister location to further the house of worships religious and charitable missions.

And he admitted he agreed to step down in August if his critics dropped their lawsuit  even though he claimed the suit was frivolous and that his accusers actually blackmailed him into giving up his leadership position, although he declined to say how.

But his critics did not keep their end of the bargain and filed the suit, Imam Ahmed said, so he never abdicated from managing the mosque, and any allegations of a hostile takeover are just lies meant to besmirch him.

They never withdrew the case, so I maintained management of the property, he said.

Imam Ahmed said he hired the guards he arrived with on Thanksgiving day to shoo away squatters who refused to leave the mosque, and that the building will be closed for daily prayer until around Christmas to accommodate plumbing repairs at the property.

Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixs on@cn gloca l.com or by calling (718) 260-4505.
A US aircraft materials company has today announced it is to establish a European base at Shannon Free Zone Business Park in County Clare.



Jetpower is an aircraft materials company that combines access to all major engine and airframe platform components with solutions designed to improve the efficiency and performance of their partner customers.



Shannon Commercial Properties, the property arm of Shannon Group plc, has assisted Jetpower to secure a 25,000 sq ft premises at Shannon Free Zone, West. The facility provides warehousing and storage for engine parts which will then be transported to Europe and globally via Shannon Airport. It is the latest addition to the aerospace cluster at the Shannon Free Zone, where 50 aviation companies employ over 2,500 people between them.



Speaking this week, Managing Director at Shannon Commercial Properties, Ray ODriscoll said, "Were delighted to welcome a global company such as Jetpower as part of our growing aviation cluster at the International Aviation Services Centre (IASC). The companys decision to locate here further confirms Shannon as a leading hub for the industry. Our flexibility is a big part of our success; in this case, Shannon Commercial Properties was able to offer Jetpower a property solution that matches their growth strategy."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
The ESRI has today released a report which examines the difference between the skills possessed by employees and those required to do their job. The report also explores sources of future skilled labour supply, including Irelands ability to attract high-skilled migrant workers.



According to the report, 46% of full-time Irish employees believe their skills are greater than those required to do their job. This is the fourth highest rate of skill underutilisation out of 28 EU countries. Meanwhile, approximately 8% of Irish employees state that their skill levels are below what is required to do their job. While this is much lower than the rate of skill underutilisation, it is still relatively high by European standards.



The report also finds that Ireland attracts high-skilled migrant workers. The share of foreign-born full-time workers with third-level education in Ireland is the third highest in the EU, at 57%.

Commenting on the research, Research Officer at ESRI, Paul Redmond said, "Cultivating a skilled labour force is key to supporting a productive and competitive economy. As this analysis finds evidence of skill underutilisation in Ireland, policymakers must consider new approaches that harness the education and skills already acquired by workers."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
A new report launched today by Siemens has found that almost one third of Irish companies have no digital strategy.

The report highlights that Irish companies have yet to fully appreciate and unlock the value presented by Digitalisation, which involves integrating Big Data and New Business Models to deliver increased productivity and boost competitiveness.



According to the report, while 43% have defined digital strategies for portions of their business, less than one third has such a strategy for the company as a whole.



Furthermore, only 40% are confident their company has the skills required to evaluate emerging technology. Among the key barriers to implementation are funding required (67%), operating costs for licenses and software updates (57%), training employees (47%) and a lack of partners to implement new technologies (37%). One in 3 (33%) also laments the lack of tax advantages for investment in Digitalisation.



Two thirds (67%) say the development of new software and apps is the top tech trend for them, however only one third have actually implemented these. Meanwhile, 66% believe the digital technology of tomorrow will be cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things (IoT)  the integration of people, products and devices.



Speaking at todays event, the Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Hildegarde Naughton said, "Todays report from Siemens is a wake up call for us all to redouble our efforts to ensure that the Irish business community is a global leader in innovation. It is by both Government and business working together and investing together that we can ensure that Ireland is ready to reap the benefits of a digital future."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Scotland, Wales and London should all benefit from any special deal given to Northern Ireland to smooth access to European Union markets after Brexit, the three regions' most senior politicians said on Monday.

Most Scots and Londoners voted to stay in the EU in June 2016's referendum, unlike their compatriots in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Politicians in Scotland, Wales and the British capital have campaigned for Britain as a whole to stay in the EU's single market to smooth trade relations. Prime Minister Theresa May has ruled that out so far, saying Britain needed the freedom to make its own rules and trade deals.

But the three regions rallied to the cause again after Irish government sources said on Monday that the British government had agreed to maintain EU "regulatory alignment" for NorthernIreland, which is part of the UK but shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state.

May said there had been no overall agreement on Monday.

Keeping regulations in Northern Ireland similar to those in the rest of the EU make it less likely that the bloc would insist on border checks after Brexit.

But making an exception of Northern Ireland could make it difficult for May to argue that others cannot have the same. So far, she has argued that Brexit should follow a one-size-fits-all pattern for the whole of the United Kingdom.

"If one part of the United Kingdom can retain regulatory alignment with the European Union and effectively stay in the single market ... there is surely no good practical reason why others can't," Nicola Sturgeon, the head of Scotland's devolved pro-independence government, said on Twitter.

Sturgeon welcomed the outline of a deal that meant no return to a hard border in Ireland, but argued that such an agreement meant something similar for Scotland was even more vital.

"For Scotland to find itself outside the single market, while Northern Ireland effectively stays in would place us at a double disadvantage when it comes to jobs and investment."

A large majority of voters in Scotland, one of the UK's four nations with around 5 million people, voted to stay in the EU, as did Northern Ireland. Wales and England, the most populous nation, voted to leave, straining the structure of the UK and complicating negotiations to unwind four decades of political and trading links with the EU.

"Huge ramifications for London if Theresa May has conceded that it's possible for part of the UK to remain within the single market and customs union after Brexit," Sadiq Khan, London's mayor, said on Twitter.

Britain's capital, with a population of 8.8 million, voted by a margin of 59.9 percent to remain within the EU. Turnout was high by local standards at nearly 70 percent and Khan, from Britain's main opposition Labour Party, campaigned to stay in the EU.

Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones called for Wales to be allowed to continue to participate in the single market if other parts of the UK could.

May's government has up to now ruled out any special deal for Scotland, although the Scottish government published a year ago a plan for the northernmost part of the UK to remain in the single market even if Britain as a whole leaves. Its plan was, however, rejected as unworkable by the UK government. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
The tax waiver, rolled out in 2014 along with other state subsidies, have helped make China the worlds largest electric vehicle market with more than 500, 000 units sold last year, almost half of global output. Photo: Visual China

China is planning to extend a tax rebate on the purchase of new-energy vehicles as part of efforts to boost the countrys fledgling green transport industry, several sources close to policymakers told Caixin.

The government will continue to waive the current 10% purchase tax on new-energy vehicles  a category that includes hybrid cars as well as those powered exclusively by electric batteries or hydrogen fuel cells  until 2020, people with knowledge of the matter said. The current tax rebate policy is due to expire at the end of the year.

The tax waiver, rolled out in 2014 along with other state subsidies, have helped make China the worlds largest electric vehicle market with more than 500,000 units sold last year, almost half of global output.

But, lucrative state handouts have also led to overcapacity, prompting a government probe intolow-quality, blind expansion in the electric vehicle manufacturing sector in October, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Earlier investigations also uncovered widespread subsidy fraud where some companies tried to pass off conventional vehicles as new-energy models by installing an electric battery or falsified data to qualify for state support.

In a bid to weed out weaker players, China announced it will completely phase out subsidies to electric vehicle-makers by 2020. Beijing intends to slash subsidies by 20% starting next year, instead of waiting until 2019 as originally planned, sources close to policymakers told Caixin last month.

Instead, Beijing unveiled a quota system in September that requires all carmakers to ensure that a certain percentages of sales come from low- or zero-emission vehicles, starting from 2019. The quota will be gradually increased, forcing automakers to buy credits from other producers for every conventional car they make.

Contact reporter Mo Yelin (yelinmo@caixin.com)
Despite recent success in driverless-car technology in China, the industry still faces stiff regulatory hurdles. Above, self-driving buses operate during tests in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Saturday. Photo: IC

A state-owned bus company has run four buses with self-driving capabilities through a 1,200-meter (3,937-foot) predetermined route in downtown Shenzhen.

The test run marks a victory for the southern city as it seeks to burnish its image as a center of high tech in China and help drive the central governments efforts to develop the countrys fledgling self-driving-car industry.

Shenzhen is striving to be a leader in innovation as we continue to support the citys public buses to join this driverless trend, said Peng Haibin, secretary of the citys State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

The purely electric buses employed an autonomous driving system developed by a local tech company, Shenzhen Haylion Technologies Co., and the state-owned Shenzhen Bus Group, according to a statement from the bus company.

Although drivers still needed to intervene in some circumstances, the buses were by and large free to drive autonomously, said a company representative surnamed Luo. The buses have the capabilities to avoid pedestrians, vehicles and barriers, as well as safely change lanes and stop at designated locations.

Local government support for driverless technology in cities such as Shenzhen mirrors national efforts to advance the industry, which the central government has identified as one that can leapfrog Western competitors.

Autonomous cars were part of the Made in China 2025 program unveiled in 2015. The State Council, the countrys cabinet, has said it hopes to master the key technologies of the industry by 2025.

In recent years, Internet titans that include Baidu Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Tencent Holdings Ltd. and conventional automakers have been venturing into this new frontier.

As part of Baidus shift from making autonomous cars to developing driverless artificial intelligence technology, the company launched its Apollo open-source software platform for the autonomous car industry in April. In August, the search engine company announced a partnership with state-owned carmaker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile aimed at launching a semi-autonomous car by the second half of 2019.

However, there are still regulatory hurdles the industry has to overcome in China, where it remains illegal to test autonomous vehicles on the countrys public roads. In Shenzhen, the test was possible only because the buses had special license plates, Luo told Caixin.

However, those restrictions could soon to be removed. In September, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that it is working on regulations to give driverless car companies the green light to test vehicles on public roads.

A source close to the ministry has told Caixin that an outline of road-test rules for unmanned vehicles has been completed, though there isnt a clear timetable for its release.

Contact reporter Mo Yelin (yelinmo@caixin.com)
December 5, 2017

Ottawa, Ontario

Public Safety Canada

Drug-impaired driving has been on the rise in Canada since police-reported data became available in 2009 and is a major contributor to fatal road crashes in Canada. Young people continue to be the largest group of drivers who die in crashes and test positive for drugs.

Today, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, launched the Government of Canadas drug-impaired driving public awareness campaign to communicate to Canadians the risks associated with driving under the influence of cannabis and other drugs. Canadians will soon see ads in public spaces, on social media, on television and in movie theatres. Public awareness efforts will include evidence-based information on the risks of drug-impaired driving.

According to recent public opinion research, half of youth (50%) aged 16-24 believe that driving while under the influence of cannabis is more socially acceptable than driving under the influence of alcohol. Youth need to know the real facts about driving while impaired by cannabis or other drugs. The Government is making significant investments in public education to inform Canadians, particularly youth and young adults, about the health and safety risks of cannabis and other drugs. The current approach to cannabis does not work. It has allowed criminals and organized crime to profit, while failing to keep cannabis out of the hands of Canadian youth. That is why the Government of Canada introduced legislation to legalize, strictly regulate and restrict access to cannabis.

In addition to this campaign, the federal government will continue to engage young Canadians on social media and leverage partnerships with other levels of governments and organizations that are working toward the same goal to eliminate drug-impaired driving on Canadian roads. "Like" our Dont Drive High Facebook page for more information.
Ottawa, Ontario

December 4, 2017

Christianne Laizner, Vice-Chairperson, Telecommunications

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

Check against delivery

Good afternoon. I want to start my remarks by acknowledging that we are meeting on the traditional territory of the Algonquin nation.

Thats something that has really hit home for me since moving to an office with a view of the Chaudiere Falls on the Ottawa River. This area has been a special meeting place of Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The tradition continues, with the National Capital Region now a favourite meeting place for many national organizations.

I welcome this opportunity to spend time with members of the Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG)  valued CRTC partners who play a vital role in public safety.

I want to thank CITIG for hosting these annual workshops to strengthen communications interoperability. And for your valuable contributions to the Communications Interoperability Strategy for Canada.

I have come today to talk about the Commissions role in regulating the communications system that emergency responders like you require to do your jobs effectively and on which Canadians depend during emergencies.

I will outline our recent policy decisions on next-generation 9-1-1 as well as the expansion of emergency alerts to mobile devices. Measures that are designed to improve your ability to save lives and property, and to better inform Canadians of emerging threats.

I also will explain the Commissions jurisdictional limitations in advancing these goals, which demand that we work closely with a broad array of stakeholders to make them a reality.

But, before I put on my Commission hat, I first want to say as a private citizen how grateful I am that emergency responders are willing to put their own lives on the line to keep the public safe.

I know that you are among the first to put up your hands when calls for help come in  whether to respond to flooding in Calgary, Toronto and Gatineau, forest fires in Fort McMurray and northern B.C. or the rail disaster in Lac-Megantic. I know, too, that your passion for your vocation is not limited to Canada, but extends to providing help to people in need around the world.

All Canadians can be thankful that this countrys emergency responders can be counted on to show up in the face of danger and natural disaster to protect and save others.

Knowing the risks you take makes regulators like me determined to ensure you have the critical infrastructure you need to do your work

Next-generation 9-1-1

That, in essence, is what the Commissions recent regulatory policy on next-generation  or NG9-1-1  is all about.

We understand that, in todays connected world, no telecommunications service is more life-impacting or essential in times of crisis than those potentially life-saving three digits. As more and more Canadians use mobile devices to stay connected, it is vital they have the ability to call for help from mobile platforms  including along major transportation routes.

We also know that nobody needs timely access to critical data more than emergency responders. So, the CRTC wants to make sure that Canadas 9-1-1 system takes advantage of the latest technological advances to improve your situational awareness in order to increase public safety.

Let me provide a high-level overview of our NG9-1-1 policy, which was released last June.

In a nutshell, it will help to increase Canadians safety by giving them access to emergency services through technologically advanced networks.

It will introduce innovative, cost-effective solutions while ensuring that high-quality 9-1-1 networks continue to be reliable. Rest assured, current 9-1-1 services will continue to be fully supported during the transition.

Of importance to emergency responders, NG9-1-1 will deliver high-quality information, services and support to public safety answer points (PSAPs), to enable you to more effectively assist Canadians.

Our decision outlines the roles and responsibilities of telecommunications service providers, who own and operate the networks that deliver 9-1-1 calls to PSAPs. The CRTC regulates these services, as well as the dedicated networks used to deliver those calls under the Telecommunications Act.

The NG9-1-1 policy stipulates that large telecommunications carriers and wireless service providers are responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the new networks. We have made it clear that the networks need to be designed and built in a way that mitigates the risk of service failures and that protects the confidentiality of the information they carry.

The policy also lays out the transition steps and timing as we evolve from the current networks to NG9-1-1 networks  which will initially run in parallel.

The CRTC requires telecommunications carriers to enable NG9-1-1 voice, which is the delivery of voice calls over IP networks, by June 2020, and text messaging to 9-1-1 for all Canadians by the end of 2020. The CRTC is also recommending that municipal and provincial governments, and the PSAPs under their responsibility, make the necessary changes to align with these dates and begin offering these services as soon as possible.

Telecommunications service providers must complete the full transition to next-generation networks, and decommission existing 9-1-1 networks, by mid-2023. New services, such as the ability of Canadians to send photos and video, are expected to follow in subsequent years.

Just how quickly that happens will depend on the ability of PSAPs to support them and the recommendations we receive from the CRTCs Emergency Services Working Group. It is one of the sub-groups of the CRTCs Interconnection Steering Committee.

The Emergency Services Working Group is composed of telecommunication service providers, PSAPs and 9-1-1 industry specialists. They work together to address technical issues and the operational implementation of 9-1-1 services. The Working Group is currently defining the Canadian standards for NG9-1-1 capabilities. We encourage emergency responders to take part in these discussions to ensure your needs are considered and your voices heard.

Regional NG9-1-1 networks will be interconnected to form a national network. This will support the transfer of information, as well as increase the reliability and resiliency of the network. The Commission will need to consider interconnections between Canadian and U.S. networks at a later date. We will want input from CITIG on this topic, when the time comes.

More personal, and detailed, information is likely to be transmitted to PSAPs and emergency responders in an NG9-1-1 environment. So every effort must be made to ensure the networks are secure, to the maximum extent feasible.

Telecommunications service providers need to make sure that all information or data is used solely for 9-1-1 related communications. They have to develop procedures regarding the retention and destruction of personal information involved in NG9-1-1 services.



The other major issue covered by the decision is how the costs of this large-scale transformation will be recovered. The CRTC has retained full direct oversight of the carriers tariffs. The rates are to be established based on NG9-1-1 network providers costs, plus an approved mark-up.

I should point out that different jurisdictions are at differing states of readiness to implement NG9-1-1. This will impact the speed at which the new services are available to Canadians and emergency responders. Some provinces may need to enact legislation to address things like PSAP standards, funding, coordination and public education.

The latter point  public education  is especially important. Public awareness campaigns will be key to reducing Canadians confusion once NG9-1-1 services are available.

Canadians will need to be well informed of the introduction of NG9-1-1 services in a particular area and supported in their transition to the new system. This will be particularly crucial when dealing with populations such as people with disabilities, who may benefit from targeted outreach efforts.

Call for collaboration

Because other stakeholders have jurisdiction over important aspects of NG9-1-1, our decision included recommendations for action beyond our purview. Actions that will require collaboration and coordination among various levels of government, emergency responders, industry and the emergency management community as a whole.

Specifically, the Commission believes that the roll-out of NG9-1-1 in Canada would be more effective, efficient and consistent across the country if there were national coordination of PSAPs and emergency responders  something beyond the CRTCs mandate.

This issue was raised by many parties during our public hearing, and was considered carefully by Commissioners.

Our recommendation is contained in the NG9-1-1 decision. The Commission is of the view that, given the national leadership responsibility that Public Safety Canada is tasked with, the department is an appropriate organization to take on a leadership role in the national coordination of PSAPs and emergency responders transition to NG9-1-1.

The CRTC is keen to contribute its expertise to the proposed national coordination body and to collaborate with others committed to its success.

As many of you know, the Government of Canada is engaging a variety of stakeholders and developing implementation models for a potential Public Safety Broadband Network. Its objective is to provide a secure, high-speed wireless data communications network that can be used for emergency responders and public safety personnel.

The link between NG9-1-1 and the proposed Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN) is a natural one, since NG9-1-1 networks will capture emergency data and the PSBN will enable emergency responders to access it efficiently.

Both networks share the same goal of improving communications during emergencies through a nationwide Internet Protocol-based architecture.

The CRTC has recommended ongoing dialogue among Public Safety Canada, the Commission and NG9-1-1 stakeholders regarding the progress and timing of the rollout of the Public Safety Broadband Network. This will be essential to ensure a mutual understanding of how and when both networks may be interconnected.

So, I strongly encourage you to make sure your perspectives are included in these discussions.

The more we talk and work together, the better we can advance our shared goal of providing Canadians with the best access to emergency services.

Emergency alerting

The other topic I want to briefly mention before closing is wireless public alerting  yet another reflection of the need to keep pace with the increasing migration of Canadians to mobile devices.

Like NG9-1-1, the Commissions objective is to provide Canadians with a telecommunication system that safeguards the public in times of emergency  whether amber alerts, natural disasters or terrorist attacks.

Since 2014, the CRTC has required all broadcasters to participate in the National Public Alerting System.

They also have to register with the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination System. This system authenticates alerts issued by public officials and disseminates these messages to broadcasters for distribution to the public.

TV and radio stations interrupt their programs to broadcast emergency messages that alert their viewers and listeners to imminent dangers to life or property. Following consultations in 2016, we concluded that we need to expand emergency alerts to the mobile world.

The CRTC has directed wireless service providers to implement public alerting capability on their LTE networks by April 6, 2018. While that deadline is coming up soon, I want to clarify exactly what our policy requires.

Carriers are required to implement wireless public alerting capability by April 2018.

Telecommunications service providers must also ensure that 50% of the devices they sell by that date can receive wireless alerts. By April 2019, all devices sold must be alert-capable. Our objective with this requirement is to expedite the penetration of wireless public alerting compatible devices.

Service providers also need to notify their subscribers with non-LTE-compatible handsets that they will be unable to receive emergency alert messages on their mobile devices.

Finally, carriers will have to file annual reports, for the first three years, confirming the network implementation of alert distribution capability and interoperability with the system that aggregates and disseminates alerts.

Wireless service providers will be required to begin distributing emergency alert messages after we resolve several outstanding issues. These include the development of a schedule for tests, along with a public awareness and education campaign.

The Commission asked the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee to look into these matters. The Committee recently provided its reports on wireless public alerting for review. We need to examine them closely before releasing a final decision on the nationwide roll-out of wireless public alerting.

As with NG9-1-1, I would encourage you to continue to participate in the various CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee working groups. Make sure your views about wireless public alerting are heard, as it will have a direct bearing on your work once the system is fully operational.

Conclusion

Im sure we all agree that its important we develop a seamless system. One that ensures we get the right information to the right person, at the right time and in the right place, to deliver the right service to Canadians in their time of need.

I can assure you that we at the CRTC are working closely with our federal partners, other jurisdictions and important partners like you to ensure we achieve this goal.

Given the extraordinary dedication of emergency responders to serve Canadians to their utmost ability, I have no doubt about your determination to realize this objective.

I am equally confident that, working together, we can equip you with the communication system you need to do your jobs even better in the future.

I look forward to working with you as we do. Thank you.
Modified On Dec 12, 2017 02:13 PM By Raunak for Lamborghini Urus

The Lamborghini Urus packs a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission

Theres a new SUV from the house of raging bulls, the Urus, and it is making all the right waves! The Lamborghini Urus made its world premiere on December 4, 2017, on its home turf of Sant'Agata Bolognese, Bologna, Italy, at Lamborghinis manufacturing facility. It becomes the third offering in the Italian automakers lineup after the Huracan and the flagship Aventador S.

As is the case with all of Lamborghinis, the Urus too shares its name with a bull. According to the Italian automaker, the Urus, also known as Aurochs, is one of the large wild ancestors of the domestic cattle that we commonly see today.

But why would a supercar maker suddenly alter its path and ventured into a high-rider space? Because thats what people are buying nowadays and perhaps its the way forward for automakers. The Urus is no sluggish big piece of metal though -- it promises supercar-rivaling performance figures and better daily usability than its road-hugging siblings.

Lamborghini is not exactly new to making SUVs though. It had developed a rugged pickup-type SUV in the 1980s, the LM002 (check out the picture above), but it wasnt that popular. The Urus is the spiritual successor of the LM002 and is certainly the last of its kind, before electrification (zero emissions) becomes mandatory throughout the globe soon.

Let us talk about the figures first. The Urus draws power from a twin-turbocharged (twin-scroll turbos) 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine  a first-ever turbocharged engine in a Lamborghini  that puts out 650PS of max power (more than the Bentley Bentayga) and 850Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to an 8-speed torque converter unit. Nought to 100kmph comes in at 3.6 seconds, and it will keep on accelerating till 305kmph. It features an all-wheel-drive system with active torque vectoring (rear differential) and four-wheel steering. The Lamborghini Urus is underpinned by the Volkswagen Groups MLB platform, which it shares with SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga, Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne.

The Lamborghini Urus offers six driving modes: Strada, Terra (off-road), Neve (snow), Sport, Corsa and Sabbia (sand). The ESC (electronic stability control) interacts with the all-wheel-drive system in various modes to change setting accordingly, including the ride height, which is altered courtesy of its air suspension system. It features carbon ceramic brakes which offer an impressive braking performance of 100-0kmph in just 33.7m. Related: Lamborghini Urus To Launch On January 11

The Urus tips the scale just under 2200kg and its chassis is an amalgamation of aluminium and steel. Its coupe-like silhouette, rimless doors and rear diffuser remind you of the supercars from Lamborghini, while the lower part resonates its SUV DNA with hexagonal wheel arches and wide-opening front fascia. It rides on up to 23-inch wheels, which are largest in the segment and are shod with tyres specially developed by Pirelli.

Speaking of the Indian market, initial deliveries of the Lamborghini Urus will begin some time early next year. The Italian automaker is asking a price of around USD 200,000 (~ Rs 1.2 crore) in the USA, so since it will be a CBU import here expect its Indian price tag closer to Rs 3 crore!

Check out: Meet The 2020 Tesla Roadster: 0-96kmph In 1.9s, +400kmph, 1000km range!
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
People generally think of ex-military members as disciplined, polite, reliable, motivated, loyal, and responsible individuals. What people dont typically associate ex-military members with are serial killers.

In the past century, there have been approximately 400 serial killers in the U.S. who have killed anywhere from 2,526 to 3,860 victims, reports howstuffworks. And ex-military members are a larger part of that group than you might think. Read on to find out about seven men who served their countries  and went on to murder multiple people.

1. David Berkowitz

In 1977, New York City police arrested David Berkowitz after they stopped him and he said he was on his way to commit another murder, according to the website History. Over the span of about one year, he used a .44 caliber revolver to murder six people. He also injured seven others and committed random acts of arson. At one of these crime scenes, Berkowitz left a letter in which he called himself Son of Sam, claiming that demons and a dogs voice were telling him to kill people.

As for his military background, Berkowitz enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 18 in 1971. He served in South Korea and the U.S. and received an honorable discharge.

Next: The Milwaukee Cannibal

2. Jeffrey Dahmer

Between 1978 and 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys. His killings included acts of necrophilia and cannibalism, and he had a habit of preserving his victims body parts. In 1992, Dahmer was convicted of 15 of those 17 murders and sentenced to life in prison.

An alcoholic, Dahmer dropped out of college and took his fathers advice to enlist in the U.S. Army. In 1979, the Army deployed him to Germany as a medical specialist. Then, in 1981, they discharged him from service because his alcoholism was affecting his performance, according to Biography.

Next: The Candy Man

3. Dean Corll

Dean Corll, known as the Candy Man, abducted, raped, tortured, and killed at least 28 boys, according to Ranker. As a young boy, Corll worked in his familys Texas-based candy shop where he climbed his way up the ladder to vice president.

In 1964, the U.S. Army drafted Corll and he became a radio repairman. He had a spotless military record but applied for a discharge, citing that his familys business needed him. After 10 months of service, he received an honorable discharge in 1965.

Next: The British Jeffrey Dahmer

4. Dennis Nilsen

Across the pond, London native Dennis Nilsen  nicknamed the British Jeffrey Dahmer  murdered 15 young men between 1978 and 1983, according to the Daily Mail. He is currently serving a life sentence at Full Sutton Prison in East Yorkshire.

Nilsen joined the British Army before he went on his killing spree. He served as a cook in the Army Catering Corps for 11 years. He requested a discharge in 1972 and left the service with a General Service Medal.

Next: The Butcher of Rostov

5. Andrei Chikatilo

Andrei Chikatilo was a busy serial killer who murdered at least 52 women and children in Russian between 1978 and 1990, according to Biography. When he was arrested in 1992, he confessed to 56 murders but stood trial for only 53. The state executed him in 1994.

In 1957, the Soviet Army drafted Chikatilo. He served in Berlin in a communications unit until 1960 and left with a pristine service record. In addition to his military service, Chikatilo joined the Communist party.

Next: The Freeway Killer

6. Randy Steven Kraft

Between 1972 and 1983, Randy Steven Kraft raped, tortured, mutilated, and murdered 16 victims, primarily in California. However, despite being tried for 16 murders, popular opinion is that he might have murdered up to 51 boys and young men, according to Ranker. Kraft is spending his time these days in a California prison  on death row.

After he graduated college, Kraft joined the U.S. Air Force where he rose to the rank of Airman First Class. The Army discharged him on medical grounds in 1969 when he came out as gay.

Next: The Green River Killer

7. Gary Ridgway

Gary Ridgway murdered at least 49 women in Washington state before the law apprehended him in 2001. Known as the Green River Killer for dumping his bodies along the Green River, Ridgway began killing in 1982. In 2001, he pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder, according to Biography, and he is currently serving 48 consecutive life terms in prison. Ridgway served in the Navy, where he worked on a supply ship in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971.

Read more: Dangerous Serial Killers Are Still at Large in These States

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As U.S. tensions with North Korea escalate, Sen. Lindsey Graham has said he is concerned about a potential military conflict between the two nations.

According to The Christian Post, the Republican senator from South Carolina called North Korea the greatest immediate threat to the United States.

"We're getting close to a military conflict because North Korea's marching toward marrying up the technology of an I.C.B.M. [intercontinental ballistic missile] with a nuclear weapon on top that cannot only get to America but deliver the weapon," Graham said in an interview with CBS News.

Graham also urged the Pentagon to stop sending any American personnel to South Korea, due to its proximity to the volatile North.

North Korea has reportedly successfully tested several long-range missiles that could potentially reach the U.S. mainland, as ChristianHeadlines.com previously reported.

Graham added that the Trump administration aims "to deny North Korea the capability to hit America with a nuclear-tipped missile."

"Not to contain it. Denial means preemptive war as a last resort," he continued. "That preemption is becoming more likely as their technology matures," he explained. "Every missile test, every underground test of a nuclear weapon, means the marriage is more likely. I think we're really running out of time."

Graham believes President Trump is handling the North Korea situation in the best way possible: "Everybody before President Trump screwed it up, including Republicans," said Graham. "Now we need to get it right. And I think he's got the right approach. He's got the right team. I hope China will help us. We're running out of time."

Publication date: December 5, 2017
Jack Phillips' (and Our) Day in Court Today the Supreme Court hears perhaps the most important free speech and religious freedom case in our lifetime. It's time to pray and to speak up.

Today the Supreme Court hears perhaps the most important free speech and religious freedom case in our lifetime. It's time to pray and to speak up.

We've talked a lot on BreakPoint over the past few months about Christian cake decorator Jack Phillips. Well today, Tuesday December 5, he has his day in court. This morning, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

And John Stonestreet and I are asking you to pray. John, in fact, is outside the Supreme Court today, where he is speaking at a rally for Jack and for our free speech and religious freedom rights.

If you live near DC, you can attend the rally in person from 8amET till noon. If not, please join in virtually at the Facebook page of the Alliance Defending Freedom. We'll link you to it at BreakPoint.org.

Now the facts of the case are pretty straight forward:

As John has told you, Phillips is an artist who designs master cakes. His business, Masterpiece Cakeshop, is an expression of his faith. So when a same sex couple asked him to custom design a cake for their same-sex wedding, Jack declined, but he then offered them any cake or other product in the store. For the record, Jack has refused business before. Due to his religious convictions he won't, for example, design Halloween cakes or cakes that celebrate divorce.

At any rate, the couple was infuriated and hauled Jack before the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which fined him and ordered Jack and his employees to go through a "re-education" program.

Jack has since given up custom wedding cakes, a decision that has cost him 40 percent of his business.

Those are the facts. And I cannot overstate the importance of what's at stake. Will Christian artists, Christian business owners, have the freedom to participate in the public square without abandoning their Christian conviction? Or will the state compel them to use their talents and livelihoods to support that which violates their faith?

Given legal precedents, Sharif Girgis, writing at The Public Discourse, says that despite what you're hearing in the media, Jack has a strong case.

"For more than seventy years," Girgis writes, "the Supreme Court has said government can't force you to say, do, or make something that carries a message you reject." For example, the Court has ruled that the government can't compel Jehovah's Witnesses to salute the flag.

Girgis argues that "[f]orcing Phillips to custom-design and create same-sex wedding cakes is compelled speech: it forces him to create an expressive (artistic) product carrying a message he rejects . . . [and] it does so without serving the type of interest that our constitutional law would consider a legitimate ... justification for interfering with anyone's free speech."

So, Girgis concludes, "Colorado's decision violates Phillips's First Amendment rights."

Now friends, we must pray that the Supreme Court concludes the same thing. Please, today, right after you hear this broadcast or read the transcript, pray that the Court will uphold Jack's right to free speech and to practice his faith.

Pray especially for Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Kristin Waggoner, who will be making Jack's case before the Court. And pray also for Justice Anthony Kennedy, who may very well be the swing vote. He has been a champion of LGBT rights, but he has also ruled against the government compelling speech.

And if you are able, join with John at the prayer rally today by visiting ADF's Facebook page from 8AM to 11 AM this morning . . . or join the tweet fest on Twitter by following #JusticeForJack.

And please, share Sharif Girgis's article with people you know. We will have it for you at BreakPoint.org

The stakes couldn't be higher. Thank you for praying.

Jack Phillips's (and Our) Day in Court: Freedom of Speech, Religion, at Stake

Read more about the Masterpiece Cakeshop petition and what is at the heart of this freedom of speech case by checking out the resources linked below. And then please pray for wisdom and clarity for our Supreme Court justices as they hear this important case and come to a decision.

Originally posted at BreakPoint.
Defender of the Faith Defends His Integrity Ravi Zacharias is one of the leading defenders of Christianity in our generation.

Ravi Zacharias is one of the leading defenders of Christianity in our generation.

Born and raised in India, he was an atheist until the age of seventeen, when he tried to commit suicide by swallowing poison. At the hospital, a Christian worker brought him a Bible and asked his mother to read to him from John 14. When he heard verse nineteen, "Because I live, you also will live," he committed his life to Christ.

In 1966, he immigrated with his family to Canada, where he earned an undergraduate degree and a Masters of Divinity. He has been active in evangelism and apologetics for many decades, speaking in more than seventy countries and some of the world's most prestigious universities.

His ministry now has fifteen offices around the world and a global team of speakers. He has authored or edited more than twenty-five books on theology, apologetics, comparative religion, and philosophy. He has been married to his wife, Margie, for forty-five years.

A surprising headline

I have read his books and appreciated his ministry for many years. That's why this Christianity Today headline was such a shock: "Ravi Zacharias Responds to Sexting Allegations, Credentials Critique."

The second accusation is that Zacharias has used the title "Dr." even though he has no earned doctorate. He has received numerous honorary doctorates, a fact that has led publishers and ministries to refer to him as a "doctor." One claimed that he "holds three doctorate degrees."

His ministry explains that "neither Ravi nor his ministry has ever claimed he had an earned doctorate." His team will work to clear up any confusion regarding his credentials in the future.

The first allegation is the focus of my concern today.

According to a statement Zacharias released Sunday, he was speaking at a conference in Canada in October 2014. There he met a couple who expressed interest in his ministry. The wife asked him to reach out to her husband because he had questions about the Christian faith. Zacharias sent an email and book to the man.

Months later, she began contacting Zacharias using the email address he used to contact her husband. Then, "last year, she shockingly sent me extremely inappropriate pictures of herself unsolicited. I clearly instructed her to stop contacting me in any form; I blocked her messages, and I resolved to terminate all contact with her."

In April 2017, she and her husband sent Zacharias, through an attorney, a letter demanding money. Zacharias immediately notified his board and personally engaged legal counsel.

His attorneys filed a lawsuit against the couple, who requested mediation. An agreement was reached in November 2017 to resolve the issue and dismiss the lawsuit. As a result, Zacharias is legally prevented from discussing the matter further. But he strongly denies soliciting improper pictures from the woman or engaging in any immoral conduct with her.

In fact, Zacharias states, "In my 45 years of marriage to Margie, I have never engaged in any inappropriate behavior of any kind." He has made it a long-standing practice not to be alone with a woman other than his wife and daughters.

However, he adds, "I now realize that the physical safeguards I have long practiced to protect my integrity should have extended to include digital communications safeguards. I believeand indeed would counsel othersthat the standards of personal conduct are necessarily higher for Christian leaders."

Expect to be attacked

Ravi Zacharias's experience makes clear the fact that Satan wants to damage your witness and mine today.

If you're a Christian, you're a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Satan cannot have your soul, so he wants to keep you from winning other souls to Jesus. You have a spiritual target on your back.

Thus, you should expect your enemy to attack your integrity, knowing that this is an effective way to damage your witness. In this skeptical age, people are likely to accuse Christians of impropriety even if we have done nothing wrong. That's why Billy Graham was never alone with a woman who was not his wife. We must take the initiative to protect ourselves from those who would attack us.

If you were running for office, you would anticipate the attacks of your opponent. We should do the same with our spiritual enemy. If you wait until there's a problem, you'll have a problem.

So be proactive. Refuse to be in situations that could appear compromising, whether in person or through technology. And ask the Holy Spirit to protect you from words or actions that would weaken your witness.

Jerry Bridges: "The person who fears God seeks to live all of life to the glory of God." Do you fear God today?

Originally posted at the Denison Forum.
How to know when it's the right time to move on from your current church

Research has shown that a large number of Christians keep leaving their churches, all of them for various reasons. That said, is it right for any Christian to leave his church?

Let's talk about that.

Church matters

Many Christians nowadays leave their churches for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are valid, but those who stay in the church sometimes think ill of those who leave. With that in mind, I'd like to point out a few things that some might not realize:

The whole Body of Christ is composed of many churches around the world, not just one church. No single church can accommodate or handle each and every person that comes in. Not everyone who leaves the church leaves does so for a wrong or sinful reason. Some people leave the church because of very valid and understandable reasons. No church member should ever control another church member and decide where he or she goes to church.

Some might think that the church is perfect, but it is not. We have to accept the fact that no church is perfect, and cannot substitute the place of God in every Christian's life. Church is a gathering of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, but it cannot and should not take the place of a personal relationship with the Lord.

Reasons to leave

Now that we've got all of that established, when is it the right time to leave your church? The answer varies, but it all depends on the reasons why one should leave or not.

If the reason why we are leaving is because we got offended by a member or a leader, we should simply move to reconcile, not leave. If the reason is because we don't like the church worship style, then maybe we can just train ourselves to get used to it. There are times when we are the ones who should adjust, not the other way round.

Still, there are some valid, even very good reasons to leave. Here they are:

1) If the church teaches the wrong doctrine

This one is a no-brainer. If a church teaches things contrary to what Christ taught, then by all means, leave it.

Christ commanded all followers to make disciples by teaching them to observe what He taught. If a church doesn't do that, then there's no point in staying.

2) If sin is tolerated in the church

God commands all of His children to be holy because He is holy. When we work towards holiness, we will develop a very strong intolerance towards sin. We will work towards living a righteous life marked by obedience to God's word, and this means choosing not to sin, and repenting of sin if ever it is committed.

If the church starts tolerating sin like there's nothing wrong with it, then there's a problem there. Sinners should be restored to God, but sin should never ever be tolerated, much less excused, accepted, and encouraged.

3) If the church is abusive

There are some abusive church cultures where members are treated like commodities and are valued for their skills and contributions. Such churches have leaders that lord over the flock. If this is your church, then don't even think twice before leaving.

4) If the church's vision and mission isn't the right fit

Let's face it: not everyone can fit in the same mold. God is transforming all of us to become like Christ (see Romans 8:28-30), but that doesn't mean we are all going to fit in just one local church.

When you find that you don't fit with the church's vision or mission, then don't feel bad about it. You might be called to another church. Don't be afraid to go out and ask the Lord to lead you to the church where you will belong. There's nothing wrong with that.

A final note

Friends, if ever you do choose to leave your church for a very important reason, don't ever dare stop fellowshipping with other Christ-followers. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us of this very vital instruction:

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."
Mike Pence firms up support for persecuted Christians in meeting with Iraqi archbishop

US Vice President Mike Pence met with Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil on Monday before a visit to the Middle East next month.

The 'substantial discussion' focused on the needs of persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq as the prominent archbishop briefed the vice-president ahead of his trip.

'I updated him on the situation facing our people and expressed our hope that peace would soon come to Nineveh,' Warda said of the meeting, according to the Catholic News Agency.

'On behalf of our people, I expressed our gratitude for his promise of swift assistance to our communities who suffered genocide at the hands of ISIS.'

Pence described the meeting as an 'important dialogue' about President Trump's 'commitment to directly assist persecuted Christians and religious minorities in Iraq'.

It comes after Pence promised Pence the US will bypass the United Nations and give aid directly to beleaguered Christian communities in Iraq.

In a snub to the UN's humanitarian programme the US State Department will no longer fund their 'ineffective' relief efforts, Pence said in a speech in October. It will now funnel support straight to faith-based organisations after claims from religious leaders in the Middle East that bilateral aid failed to reach people on the ground.

The decision comes after religious leaders in the region claimed they saw little UN funding.
'The Crown' to return to Neflix with a second season on Dec. 8

"The Crown," a Netflix original series which portrayed the life of Queen Elizabeth II is returning to Netflix on Dec. 8 for its second season. Moreover, most of the characters from the first season is confirmed to return as well.

The first season took place during the earlier days of Queen Elizabeth's reign. However, season two of "The Crown" will feature a time jump. It will cover the events from the Suez Crisis and onwards. According to a report from Metro, the second season will take a darker turn.

The official trailer for season two was uploaded to Netflix's YouTube account last Nov. 6. The trailer began with narration. The voiceover mentioned the world, England, the British society, and how it has changed. The scenes moved to the returning characters and the possible problems that they would have to deal with.

The changing of the times and political beliefs of the people have threatened the monarchy and made it fragile. That being said, the next season of "The Crown" will reveal the struggles of the royal family as they aim at preventing a scandal that could ruin the noble clan. It appears that things would fall apart and emotions would run high for the main characters of the series.

The official description from Netflix's YouTube channel emphasizes some of the things the trailer has attempted to portray. "With the world undergoing great changes, a damaged British monarchy must confront its past to have a future."

Season two begins around the time of the Suez Canal crisis. It will end around the time of Queen Elizabeth II's retirement.

According to Express UK, season two will have 10 episodes, and it will be the last season to feature Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II. In the upcoming third season, Claire Foy will be replaced by Olivia Colman. The veteran actress Colman will take on the role as the older Queen Elizabeth II for the third and fourth season.
'The Young and the Restless' spoilers: JT and Jess return with Kevin and Traci; Jordan leaves town

Who will be coming to Genoa City, who will be leaving town, and who must watch their backs? "The Young and the Restless" spoilers reveal that some old and new faces will be popping in, perhaps to stir some conflict.

Starting with those arriving to Genoa City in the coming episodes, JT (Thad Luckinbill), Reed's (Tristan Lake Leabu) father, will mark his re-entry into "The Young and the Restless" on Dec. 12. Following JT is Jill (Jess Walton), who will be coming to town on Dec. 18.

Kevin (Greg Rikaart) will also be popping up in Genoa City as well as Traci (Beth Maitland). As to when they will reappear is uncertain, but they will be appearing in some or more episodes soon.

As for those who will be leaving, Lisa Guerrero has now wrapped up her stint as Kerry Forrest. She has definitely served her purpose and will now do some more reporting off-screen. Zack (Ryan Ashton) has also served his purpose and went out in a body bag by now. This villainous character ended up getting what was coming to him when Crystal (Morgan Obenreder) suddenly appeared and shot him.

As shocking as it might seem getting played out on screen, it was not much of a surprise. Ashton certainly agreed that it was the only way for Zack to go out. In an interview, he talked about his character's arc and when he knew that it was the end of the line for him. Ashton shared that the moment he found out that Zack was involved in a prostitution syndicate, he knew this was not going to end well for him.

Ashton even said that he was surprised that Zack lasted as long as he did, and that it was the right move to kill him off.

Another scheming character will also find himself out of town. Jordan (Darnell Kirkwood) has been revealed to have left Genoa City. He managed to get revenge on Hilary (Mishael Morgan) for exposing him. Then again, it is possible that leaking the nudes could blow up on his face, which is why he decided to disappear for a while.

However, there might be a big storyline coming. The buzz reveals that Jordan could come back with possibly another blow to Hilary. She would have to watch her back during this time, Jordan should do the same as Hilary could definitely turn the tables on him if he is not careful.

"The Young and the Restless" airs Mondays to Fridays at 1:30 p.m. EST on CBS.
The chief executive of the Fundraising Regulator has had his contract extended until next summer, according to an announcement from the independent watchdog.

In a statement released today, the Fundraising Regulator confirmed that Stephen Dunmore, who was due to stand down at the end of the year, has had his contract extended until June 2018.

The regulator said that the process for recruiting Dunmores successor will begin in the early months of the new year.

In the same statement the watchdog said that controversial chair Lord Michael Grade will also continue his tenure until Christmas 2018 and the process of recruiting his replacement will begin at some point later in 2018.

Grade said he was delighted that Stephen Dunmore will be continuing as chief executive into the new year.

Dunmore's term as chief executive has now been extended three times. Chair Lord Grade has also had his term of office extended at least three times.

A spokesman for the Fundraising Regulator said the extensions had been a "thought-through process, discussed by the board" and said it was part of a "long term strategy to stagger terms of departure so we don't lose all institutional knowledge in one go".

Terms of four board members extended

The Fundraising Regulator has also confirmed that it has extended the terms of four of its board members.

Margaret Moore, vice chair of the board; Suzanne McCarthy chair of the standards committee; Michael Smith chair of the complaints and investigations committee and David Cunningham have all had their terms extended by the Fundraising Regulator. Moore and McCarthy will stay on until March 2020, while Smith and Cunninghams terms have been extended until March 2019.

The regulator said: All these board members will be eligible to stand for another term once their terms are complete, as part of an open and competitive process.

Grade said: The Fundraising Regulator is committed to best governance practice and open competition for all board appointments and these changes will enable us to reach that goal without jeopardising some measure of continuity.

Regulator appoint board member for Northern Ireland

The Fundraising Regulator has also for the first time announced the appointment of a board member for Northern Ireland. It has named Walter Rader in the post.

Rader is currently the independent chair of the Youth Council for Northern Ireland and an independent member of Volunteer Now, a voluntary sector regional organisation.

He also has a long history of working in the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland, having previously been the regions director for the Big Lottery Fund between 2004 and 2010. He was also the chief executive and accounting officer of YouthNet and spent a number of years working as a social worker with the Belfast Education and Library Board between 1977 and 1983.

He is also a Charity Commissioner for Northern Ireland and chair of the Commissions Human Resources and Remuneration Committee.

Grade said: I am pleased to announce the appointment of Walter Rader as our board member for Northern Ireland. Walters immense experience and knowledge of the sector mean he is an excellent choice to represent Northern Ireland at the board table.
Heres a selection of emails and Facebook comments weve received in recent months. Please send correspondence to letters@cjr.org, along with your name, location, and any relevant affiliation. Letters is compiled by Glynnis Eldridge and Stacey Yu. Reader feedback has been edited for length and clarity.

Five ideas for more respectful media coverage after mass shootings

Good article. If I could add one more pointdont use exclusive when covering a tragedy. It is very insensitive and offending to victims and their families.

Carl Abraham, News Director at WNEP-TV, Scranton, Pennsylvania

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The media today: Roy Moore and the medias battle for trust

Media outlets deciding the guilt or innocence of any individual is a bad idea. Remember the Atlanta bombing? Or look up the periodic media lynchings of people who turned out to be innocent, especially during the 1950s and 1960s.

You talk about trust? How can anyone trust the media these days? Too many reporters and editors believe wholeheartedly in their assumptions. As a result, they not only dont question their assumptions, I doubt they know they have them. Ethically shaky, to say the least.

Now, in the case of Moore, the media has become judge, jury, and executioner. Its a dangerous place to befor themselves and for the country.

Jan Shaw, San Jose, California

ICYMI: Bad news for Vice, Mashable and BuzzFeed

Inside the fairy tale mind of Trump

I loved Jon Allsops analysis of Trumps language, but there is another way to look at it. Its the language of a salesman who is following the sales rule of ABCAlways Be Closing. Listen when he ends sentences or claims with, Believe me. Or, I can tell you this.

Hows this example from his recent speech in Huntsville, Its going to happen quickly, quickly, better. Right?

You see, he is always moving, even incrementally, to get people to agree with him. Its a well-known sales technique. We need to pay more attention to that, as well as his insults.

George Schwarz, Owner/Publisher (Retired) of The Amarillo Independent

How a star freelancer found her way from Marfa, Texas, to The New Yorker

A chill crawled across my skin when I read the anecdote about Rachel Monroe dropping her tape recorder into a swimming pool. Not because something like that happened to me when I was a reporter at USA Today (although it did) but by Monroes solution: She recreated a whole slew of quotes from memory. (When it happened to me, I sheepishly asked Nicole Kidman and Will Smith to do their interviews all over again, and they kindly did.) CJR reporter Chris ODonnell treats Monroes stunt as resourcefulness. Instead, it should have given ODonnell pause. A long pause. The simple fact is that it is impossible for a normal human being to recreate quotes in an interview after the fact. You might have a sense of what the person said, but youll never recapture the way she expresses herself, or even the way she talks.

A simple test: Interview someone, even briefly, and record the conversation. Just ask two or three questions. Now go into another room and type up as closely what you remember the person saying from memory. Now compare your results to whats actually on the recording.

The two will have about as much similarity as the beginning and end result of a game of Telephone.

I felt increasing chagrin as I read the rest of this hagiographic profile. My dismay was capped by the final sentence: Will this succeed or fail on its [sic] own merits? My God, are copyeditors extincteven at the Columbia Journalism Review?

Andy Seiler, retired reporter for USA Today

Q&A: Mac McClelland on the stigma surrounding mental health

How can the industry work to better address the stigma still surrounding mental illness within the journalism community?

A correction: The stigma you have been taught is surrounding mental illness.

Stigma, in its proper guise, is prejudice. Acting upon a stigma, in its proper guise, is discrimination. Without proper address, no problem can be solved. When journalists stop promulgating stigma and start addressing prejudice and discrimination we will know change has taken place.

Harold A. Maio, retired mental health editor

The Turnaround

I enjoyed listening to the podcast The Turnaround. I am 23 years old and figuring out what my career path through life will look like. This podcast helped me pinpoint a desire to become an interviewer. I learned a lot and am grateful for the podcast. I listen to Jesse Thorn on various other podcasts; he did a great job and its inspiring to observe an adult pursuing a passion rather than chasing a dollar.

Thank you for helping make this podcast happen and be available. I loved it!!

Bridget R. Burns, happy listener

A scrappy newspapers final cover lacks Voice

Bob Dylan long irrelevant?

Have you listened to any of his albums from the so-called Never-Ending Tour (1988present) era, which are the best of his career?

Albums like Oh Mercy (1989), Good As I Been To You (1992), World Gone Wrong (1993), Time Out Of Mind (1997), Love & Theft (2001), Modern Times (2006), Together Through Life (2009), Tempest (2012), Shadows In The Night (2015), Fallen Angels (2016) and Triplicate (2017)?

Have you attended any of the almost 3,000 (three thousand!) concerts he has played since 1988 (about a hundred shows per year, all over the world)?

Bob Dylan, long irrelevant? Bob Dylan is firmly rooted in the present with his eyes on the future, while The Village Voice is still hanging onto long forgotten ideals of the past (putting a 1965 photo of Dylan on the cover instead of a current photo says it all, really) and thats why its on the way out, while Bob Dylan still leaves the competition in the dust.

Andreas Volkert

Can the First Amendment save us?

I just wanted to compliment President Bollinger on his excellent piece Can the First Amendment Save Us? I have seldom read anything better regarding the First Amendment, and it is so important to publish works like this with a president like the one we have now.

Thank you for writing it!

David Burros

Propaganda or not, forcing RT to register sets a bad precedent

Do you really understand that FARA is the law, not just a policy of the Trump administration? If you read the law, you will find that RT without a doubt is subject to it.

FARA does not impose any editorial control on content whatsoever except for the identification of the foreign government that is putting it forth.

Expecting RT to tell the truth about who they really are is not playing into their hands. Its called full disclosure. Real journalists would support the truth and not want to disguise it. If you feel that disclosure of the truth about RT is a bad precedent, that says more about you than the legislators who wrote the law.

You imply that you want the US to ignore the law because RT is a Russian government operation. That my friend is playing into their hands.

We identify callers on our phones, broadcasters, advertisers, and even senders of mail but somehow foreign propaganda operators should not disclose who they really are too?

Your assertion that RTs role is to expose Western hypocrisy should have given attribution to its real author, Mao. That being said, lets not forget the hypocrisy of a Putin controlled so-called news channel or the hypocrisy of political activist academicians claiming to be seekers and teachers of the truth.

It is sad that your article so blatantly mischaracterizes this issue.

Jerry Kenney

Four facts every journalist should know when covering the opioid epidemic

Kenneth Feder and Noa Krawczyk do everybody a disservice by obfuscating the simple term harm reduction in point three of their article on what journalists should know about the opioid epidemic.

Contrary to their wordy description, The goal of addiction treatment is to restore a persons ability to lead a meaningful life, function productively, and stay alive, it can be summed up as a subset of the bigger thing that needs to be understood: harm reduction.

Here in New Mexico, where I work as the cops and courts reporter for the Rio Grande Sun, in the county that Forbes once called the heroin overdose capital of the world, we know what harm reduction is, what it means, and why its so important.

Recently working with a group of journalists on the issue of substance abuse, time and time again I had to explain why harm reduction does not mean getting people off drugs, it means keeping diseases at bay and keeping people from dying. Unfortunately, it did not matter how many times I explained the difference between harm reduction and treatment; the two were sadly conflated.

Harm reduction is just as important as treatment and is sadly maligned, something that the authors have done nothing to alleviate. There is so much more we need to be talking about when we talk and write about opioids. An elaborate definition of treatment is simply not sufficient.

Finally, the authors seem to be coming at addiction from the lens of the upper-middle class. Addiction, as I write about every single time someone in this county of 40,000 dies, and in 2016, that was 31 times, is not just about overcoming the chemical deficit that develops in the brain of a person with an opioid addiction. Addiction is about social circles, about the community, and it is about the underlying reasons that people want to get high in the first place.

Time and time again I talk to families that sent their son or daughter away to rehab, and child does fine, up until the point when they come back into the same environment that got them addicted in the first place. Sometimes thats even because of inter-generational drug use.

Finally, I must express how frustrating I find the lack of a comments section to be. It forces me to write a letter rather than have an open dialogue.

Wheeler Cowperthwaite, Reporter at the Rio Grande Sun in Espanola, New Mexico

Right too soon: the Orlando Sentinel on opioid epidemic

Your story about the Orlando Sentinels 2003 series on OxyContin hit the mark. I was a policy and press advisor to then-Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal at the time and talked extensively with reporter Doris Bloodsworth for the series. Bloodsworth sought out Blumenthal because he was an early critic of the firms hyper-aggressive, irresponsible marketing efforts, and she quoted him in at least one of her pieces.

It was very disturbing to all of us in the office when the series collapsed under an all-out attack by Purdue (Pharma). I was struck at the time by the companys utter ruthlessness and amorality. That said, the reporter and her editors made serious mistakes that allowed Purdue to take her and the series down.

I agree with the storys conclusion that the reckoning over OxyContin might have happened sooner if the series had stood up. In spite of the stories major flaws, much of what Doris reported was later confirmed.

Chris Hoffman, freelance journalist and former Connecticut Attorney General Policy and Communications Advisor

Is the quest for profits and clicks killing local news

I am a little behind in my reading and am generally the last person to come to the defense of the Philadelphia Inquirer, as a lifelong reader who is both saddened and angered by my hometown papers sad decline, but I think you took a cheap shot at the Inquirer in your spring issue when you wrote that The (Philadelphia) Inquirer moved its headquartersonce the biggest building in the cityto an abandoned department store.

The building the Inquirer left was mostly empty because it had primarily been occupied by its presses, and those presses had been moved years earlier. Also, that facilitys distinction as the largest building in Philadelphia ended before the 19th century drew to a close. As to the argument about moving farther away from its readers, the Inquirers move actually brought it closer to the action in Philadelphia. The new location in the abandoned department store is a five-minute walk to Philadelphias city hall, as opposed to the 20-minute walk required from the older building. The new location, while in the central business district, is in an area at least as densely populated as the old location. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians work in immediate proximity to the new location or travel on mass transit that runs directly under the new site, bringing people into and out of the central business district from other parts of the city and both near and far suburbsincluding suburbs across the river in New Jersey that are closer to Philadelphias central business district, and the new Inquirer headquarters, than some locations within the city itself.

Joseph Steinbock

ICYMI: The story the NYTimes, BuzzFeed didnt want to publish

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The Editors are the staffers of the Columbia Journalism Review.
Journalists at major outlets in America have grown used to their work being labeled fake news by the American president, but a handful of recent stories show that Trumps press bashing is catching on around the world. Last week, it was a Libyan broadcaster challenging CNNs harrowing report about slave markets in the country. Over the weekend, The New York Times quoted a government official from Myanmar dismissing the very existence of the nations oppressed Rohingya minority. There is no such thing as Rohingya, the official said. It is fake news.

After returning from his November trip to Asia, Trump specifically criticized CNN International, tweeting, CNN International is still a major source of (Fake) news, and they represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly. The outside world does not see the truth from them! Appearing on CNNs Reliable Sources, Baltimore Sun media critic David Zurawik said that the undermining of a respected and vital international news source is another way that Trump recklessly hurts us in the world.

ICYMI: Bad news for Vice, Mashable and BuzzFeed

Despite troubling survey results showing a lack of trust in the media among Americans, the US possesses institutions and constitutional protections that ensure a functioning free press. Trump can attack the reporting of CNN or The New York Times, and some of his die-hard supporters will surely believe him, but good journalism still gets results. The fear among some media watchers was that Trumps domestic attacks on journalists would free up authoritarian leaders in countries where the US has long been a vocal (if imperfect) advocate for the free press. The examples of Libya and Myanmar show that those fears were well-founded.

So while the focus of Trumps attacks is often domestic reporting about his own political fortunes, we shouldnt lose sight of the damage his words do to journalists in far more dangerous environments. Writing in this weeks New Yorker, Steve Coll argues that when the leader of a nation previously devoted to the promulgation of press freedom worldwide seeks so colorfully to delegitimize journalism, he inevitably gives cover to foreign despots who threaten reporters in order to protect their own power.

ICYMI: The story the NYTimes, BuzzFeed didnt want to publish

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Below, more on the impact of Trumps press attacks around the world.

A dangerous message: USA Todays Gregory Korte looks at how the press-bashing attacks from the American president have repercussions around the globe.

USA Todays Gregory Korte looks at how the press-bashing attacks from the American president have repercussions around the globe. From CNN attack to slavery denial: For GQ, Jay Willis explores how Trumps fake news attacks are providing a defense for people who have been exposed for promoting slave labor.

For GQ, Jay Willis explores how Trumps fake news attacks are providing a defense for people who have been exposed for promoting slave labor. Flashback: Writing for CJR in October, 2016, Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, warned about Trumps impact on the global free press. The Trump campaign has eroded US standing around the world, particularly when it comes to such issues as human rights and press freedom, he wrote.

Other notable stories

I dont think ever in my career have I felt more rage and disappointment and frustration that I felt through this weekend and through the last half of Friday, ABC News president James Goldston told staff during Monday mornings editorial call. CNN obtained an audio recording of the meeting, in which Goldston expressed his anger over Brian Rosss erroneous reporting.

The Wraps Jon Levine reports that MSNBC will not renew contributor Sam Seders contract after far-right media personality Mike Cernovich dug up an old tweet of Seders about Roman Polanski. Id echo those who have argued the move by MSNBC was an example of a corporation failing to understand the way smear campaigns work online.

Axios reports that White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley refused to take on-the-record questions from the press pool traveling with President Trump yesterday.

CJRs Mathew Ingram explains Civil, a journalism startup that is trying to take a quantum leap beyond the efforts of other platforms by inventing its own currency.

BuzzFeeds Katie Notopoulos explains how right-wing trolls engaged in a campaign to get her suspended from Twitter.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.
IN RECENT WEEKS, public radio reporter Bente Birkeland has broken a string of stories about alleged sexual harassment by male lawmakers at the Colorado Capitol that has turned the statehouse upside down. Just as harassment allegations have generated national headlines and rocked Congress, Hollywood and the media business, Birkelands work in Colorado has been consequential on a smaller, local stage.

Birkeland, who is based at KUNC in northern Colorado and whose reporting is carried by a network of 15 local public radio stations, published her first big scoop on November 10: a collection of sexual harassment allegations against Steve Lebsock, a Democratic member of the Colorado House of Representatives who is also running for state treasurer. Birkelands expose leaned on stories and comments from nine lawmakers, staffers, and lobbyists, and an on-the-record first-hand account from a Democratic female lawmaker to detail a history of alleged harassment by Lebsock.

RELATED: The story behind one of the best reported pieces of the year

The story had wide-ranging repercussions. Lebsock was swiftly stripped as chair of a committee, the governor called for his resignation, and follow-up reporting raised pressing questions about why Lebsock was elevated to chair when the House speaker knew of his behavior a year ago. State lawmakers are talking about reforming how the Capitol deals with harassment complaints. Since Birkelands bombshell, the story has expanded; The Denver Post published a thorough review of harassment at the state Capitolan eight-contributor, 75-interview pieceand reported new disclosures. (For his part, Lebsock has apologized, but also said in a statement that some alleged incidents have been significantly exaggerated and others are completely false.)

Since last year, according to a USA Today Network analysis, at least 41 lawmakersnearly all menin 21 states have been publicly accused by more than 100 people of some form of sexual misconduct or harassment. Women have described an unseemly atmosphere to reporters in statehouses from Boston to Sacramento. Kentuckys House Speaker resigned after The Courier Journal reported on a confidential settlement of harassment allegations by a female staffer; in Arizona, a powerful lawmaker was suspended after accusations became public in the local press; an Illinois senator lost his leadership post, as did a House member in Minnesota. In Ohio, two lawmakers stepped down and so did one in Tennessee. Floridas budget chairman faces accusations of harassment by six women.

Its mostly the approach you take. Just because Im a woman doesnt mean theyre going to talk to me. Its very, very delicate.

The (Arizona) Capitol Times reported on harassment allegations brought by multiple women against state representative Don Shooter. The women decided to publicly discuss the incidents after reporting from various news outlets, led by The New York Times and New Yorker, broke open sexual harassment claims from numerous women against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, according to the story.

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In Colorado, Birkeland, who has covered the Capitol for a decade, says her story about Lebsock came about organically, not from a tip or by following up on a social media posting. She also says she was as shocked as her listeners were to learn about what sources described to her as a pervasive sexualized culture under the gold dome in Denvera statehouse not typically accustomed to salacious scandal.

Since her first report on Lebsock, Birkeland has broken similar stories detailing sexual harassment allegations directed at two GOP Colorado state senators, and updated her reporting with details of additional harassment complaints. CJR sat down with Birkeland to talk about her recent reporting; our conversation has been edited for clarity.

Your first report on Lebsock set off a firestorm. What sparked it?

I was reading national things about some other statehouses and just started thinking, I wonder if theres a problem here. I actually didnt think there would be a big problem since we have one of the highest percentages of female legislators in the nation and we have for several years. So I kind of thought that wed be better. I was looking at states that dont have term limits and where it seems really corrupt. I was kind of going into it like, Oh, gosh, were not Illinois, were not Florida. I wasnt coming at it with someone specific in mind that I was trying to expose.

Where do you begin on such a sensitive story and going into it cold?

I just started talking to folks about the general culture and things just started coming up. For that first story everyone mentioned Lebsock to meall these different people that I talked to independently talked about him. I started corroborating things on background. I did a lot of reporting before I ever reached Faith Winter [the lawmaker who eventually went on the record]. She wasnt really on my radar at all for a long time. Maybe this worked to my benefit: I didnt have specific people I was targeting based on some tip.

No one came at me for the story and what was in it. This reporting goes through an attorney, its very, very, very highly vetted. There cannot be any hole, any crack.

Youre one of the few full-time female reporters at the Capitol. I know youre a great reporter before youre a female reporter, but do you think gender worked to your advantage on a story like this?

I think I had an easier time showing empathy and maybe being someone [sources] could relate to.

Its mostly the approach you take. Just because Im a woman doesnt mean theyre going to talk to me. Its very, very delicate, and its how you come at the story and how you talk to the sources, how you go back to them, how you make them feel comfortable. They have to trust you. You go back 20 to 30 times getting more information and more details. I think Im someone in the building that people respect. Im not always out there breaking these big stories but people feel like I have integrity and they can trust me.

I dont have enemies. I may not be best friends with everyone, but I have a very cordial, respectful relationship with everyone. It can help being a woman but men can definitely do this as well. No one has said they talked to me because Im a woman. But you have to approach it the right way no matter who you are. You have to have good relationships or some level of respect.

It can be a tough out there for reporters these days. Any backlash to your work?

No one came at me for the story and what was in it. This reporting goes through an attorney, its very, very, very highly vetted. There cannot be any hole, any crack. Because if theres any inconsistency or its not fully accurate or corroborated then thats the focus versus the content.

Can you describe your first conversation with a source for this series of stories?

I was just like, Hey, Im doing a story on this overall issue. What do you think our scene is like here? Do you think its pretty good?

The first person I talked to listed some names. I called the next person and said, Im hearing these names, and they had a story about one of them. Then someone else had a story about that person, and then someone else. That was Lebsock. His name was one of the ones who just rose to the top.

I had not interviewed [Lebsock] before. I did not have a personal professional relationship with him, he wasnt someone I talked to, hes just not someone I had an occasion to interview. Initially I thought, Ugh, I wish this wasnt all pointing to one person. That was just how the reporting unfolded.

ICYMI: The story the NYTimes, BuzzFeed didnt want to publish

I told a lobbyist, I wonder why no one has ever reported this, and she said, No one has ever asked us before.

How hard was it to get sources to go on the record?

Very hard. And its been way harder since that story broke.

That sounds counterintuitive to me.

People feel very uncomfortable and then they also just have personal and professional reasons for not wanting to be public. And so it hasnt been easier.

The dynamics are different [for the most recent stories]. The Senate has a one-seat [Republican] majority and every seat is very powerful. Theres a lot at stake politically, theres an election next year, theres a governors race. So theres a lot of forces bearing down on this. Its been the dark, dark underbelly of the Capitol that Ive been dealing with.

Youve been here for a decade. The indication is this type of behavior has been going on for a long time. Do you feel like you missed a story for 10 years?

I told a lobbyist, I wonder why no one has ever reported this, and she said, No one has ever asked us before.

Im not out drinking with lobbyists and being part of the gossip. Im not as tied into the lobbyist world as maybe I should be just in general. And so thats probably not something that really would have been on my radar. But, yeah, I mean it probably should have been done earlier, when theres people not feeling safe and quitting and [involves] aides and interns and theres not an objective process where you can even express a concern.

Lets say you didnt want to file a formal complaint. A lot of 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds arent going to be comfortable saying, Dont look at me that way. I definitely didnt realize it was as pervasive as it is, especially for the younger people in the building. And there is that power dynamic. The system is not really set up to protect them when you have to go to legislative leaders.

You can demote someone, you can take away a committee chairmanship or something, but unless an alleged victim wants to be public and be in the media  people arent going to call for someone to resign. So that makes it harder for people to come forward. What are they going to get out of it?

Do you think this reporting could change the system?

I honestly dont know.

Its going to be tough because you have power dynamics and you have young people and others with a lot of power. You dont have an independent HR. It does go through legislative leaders at some point. Even if they dont investigate the complaint, it goes through them, and some folks have told me thats problematic.

Unlike the private sector, you cant fire someone. You can demote someone, you can take away a committee chairmanship or something, but unless an alleged victim wants to be public and be in the media  people arent going to call for someone to resign. So that makes it harder for people to come forward. What are they going to get out of it? I know politics can get in the way of a lot of things, so I hope that this issue rises above that and people will realize theres a problem, across the political spectrum, and its not about calling out one party versus the other.

The legislature isnt in session right now, the Capitol isnt buzzing with people. But youre known as the reporter who broke this story and are doing more on it. Are some people avoiding you around here?

Im one of the only people in the building. There are staffers, but other than tourists its an extremely quiet time.

I walked into an office today and I did see several staffers did have this look of fear in their eyes, which is very weird for me because I feel like Im typically one of the least-feared reporters in the building. Thats not the goal here, but it is about holding people accountable, and people are doing things that they shouldnt be doing. So thats where the fear is coming from. If people are honest and forthright and acting with integrity theres not going to be fear. So its not me. I was the vessel that some people came through, so its really not about me at all. But I dont know how its going to impact my working relationships. These are my colleagues, too.

When I did interview the governor and I was just talking to him one-on-one, he seemed very appreciative of the work I was doing and he was encouraging. I was at a point where I was under a lot of stress and he was just kind of saying, Dont be stressed out, thats just going to slow you down. He was very encouraging, and it was nice to get that support.

Youre still on the harassment beat. Where does your reporting go from here?

I have so much stuff now that I cant report that people have told me. I feel like this is the moment, if youre ever going to get anyone to say anything. But still its extremely difficult. There are so many more stories I could report, but I dont have them corroborated or people dont want to go public. Despite the movement theres still so much fear and were just skimming the surface.

Its frustrating when you hear so many stories that you cant corroborate because people dont want to go public and you understand their reasoning and youre empathetic to them. And it is frustrating because you want to hold people accountable and systems accountable, and you may not get to.

This job is very, very stressful. Youre on pins and needles if someones going to get back to you and you go back to people so many times. Are they going to give you more? You want to be honest and straightforward and not push people into doing something they dont want to be doing, but you also have to be honest with, I cant report this then. Here are the facts I have, heres what I can go public with. This has to be corroborated. People have to understand the reporting process.

You cant just throw out some anonymous person slinging mud with no accountability, no witnesses, no corroboration. So I dont feel satisfied at all. Im glad with the light weve shown on this issue so far, but I dont feel comfortable, I dont feel like I can sit back and say, Wow, weve done our job. So thats really tough. If I dont get some of these stories Im chasing, I know I will always look back and wish I had.

ICYMI: NYTimes editor apologizes after article sparks outrage

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Corey Hutchins is CJRs correspondent based in Colorado, where he teaches journalism at Colorado College. A former alt-weekly reporter in South Carolina, he was twice named journalist of the year in the weekly division by the SC Press Association. Hutchins writes about politics and media for the Colorado Independent and worked on the State Integrity Investigation at the Center for Public Integrity; he has contributed to Slate, The Nation, the Washington Post, and others. Follow him on Twitter @coreyhutchins or email him at coreyhutchins@gmail.com.
A federal court in Ohio, faced with the question of whether a vacancy exclusion applied in the case of arson, a matter of first impression in that state, attempted without success to get the answer from the Supreme Court of Ohio, and then answered the question itself based on guidance from contract interpretation principles of Ohio and other states. The decision, filed November 21, 2017, is entitled Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Allstate Ins. Co., and is reported at 2017 U. S. Dist. LEXIS 192610.

Ripening the case for cross-motions for summary judgment, the parties stipulated to the facts of the case, which involved a fire set by an unknown arsonist on February 6, 2014, damaging a dwelling located in Poland, Ohio when it was vacant by the end of 2013, its owner having defaulted on his mortgage payments that year. Wells Fargo Bank was the insured mortgagee under a policy of homeowners insurance covering the residence, which policy was in force at the time of the fire.

The policy afforded coverage for three types of property damage. Coverage A provided insurance for damage to the dwelling; Coverage B for other structures protection, and Coverage C provided insurance for damage to personal property. Wells Fargo made its insurance claim for arson fire damage under Coverage A. Allstate denied the banks claim based upon the Coverage A policy exclusion stating, we do not cover vandalism or malicious mischief if your dwelling has been vacant or unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days immediately prior to the vandalism or malicious mischief. The issue separating the parties, therefore, was whether the exclusion, which defeated coverage for vandalism or malicious mischief, did so for damage caused by an arson fire.

The court observed that jurisdictions other than Ohio have decided this issue in conflict with one another. Several courts have held that an exclusion for vandalism and/or malicious mischief does not encompass arson, where the policy language distinguishes between arson, on one hand, and vandalism and/or malicious mischief, on the other. Some courts have ruled that arson is a species of vandalism or malicious mischief and therefore fire damage due to arson is excluded from coverage if the dwelling is vacant at the time of the fire.

Wells Fargo contended that general rules of contract interpretation afforded the court the principles with which it could decide the issue. Those principles, many of which depend upon the structure of the insurance policy and hold, for example, that insurance policy terms must be given the same meaning throughout the entire policy, pose the question of whether, when viewing the policy as a whole it appears that arson is or is not a form of vandalism or malicious mischief.

Even though Wells Fargo made its claim under Coverage A, which insured against all risks of direct physical loss (except as excluded by the policy), it pointed to the fact that, under the personal property insurance provided by Coverage C of the policy, which provided named peril insurance, fire and vandalism are treated as separate and different perils. Thus, the policy section describing Losses We Cover Under Coverage C, reads:

We will cover sudden and accidental direct physical loss to the property described in Coverage C  Personal Property, except as limited or excluded in this policy, caused by:

1. Fire or Lightning



8. Vandalism and Malicious Mischief.

We do not cover vandalism or malicious mischief if your dwelling has been vacant or unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days immediately prior to the vandalism or malicious mischief.

Under the personal property provision of Coverage C, therefore, fire and vandalism were treated by the policy as separate and distinct perils, said the court, summarizing Wells Fargos argument. Accordingly, Wells Fargo argued, arson is not a form of vandalism, but a form of fire.

Also on the side of finding coverage for the arson loss despite vacancy was an arson reward provision found in the policy, reading:

We will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to an arson conviction in connection with a fire loss to property covered under Section I of this policy. The $5,000 limit applies regardless of the number of persons providing information.

Wells Fargo pointed to this arson reward provision because it described arson as a fire loss, not as a vandalism or malicious mischief loss. Alternatively, Wells Fargo argued that the term arson is at least ambiguous as to whether it is a fire or vandalism loss, and any ambiguity must be interpreted against the drafter, here Allstate.

Allstate argued that the vacancy exclusion was not ambiguous and that based on the plain meaning of the terms arson, vandalism, and malicious mischief, arson is a form of vandalism or malicious mischief. Allstate also contended that the distinction between fire and vandalism, found in Coverage C did not apply to Coverage A, which, after all, was the coverage under which Wells Fargo made its insurance claim. The insurer argued that these two portions the policy should be read differently because under the all risk portion of the policy, every risk is covered unless it is explicitly excluded, whereas under the named peril spark portion of the policy only those causes of loss enumerated are covered. In rejecting this contention, the court stated that such an exercise would contravene basic principles of contract interpretation in Ohio. Insurance policies must be examined in their entirety, the court said, and a proper reading of the policy generally cannot be accomplished by relying on one provision to the exclusion of others.

Finally, the court pointed out that, When a term exists in multiple places in the contract, the term should be given the same meaning throughout the contract, unless another interpretation is clear from the language of the contract. Because the vacancy exclusion provision is worded using the same language in two parts of the policy, the court said, the provision should be read to exclude the same perils from coverage. Therefore, the court held, the vacancy exclusion provision could not be read to exclude fire loss coverage under Coverage A, but allow fire loss coverage under Coverage C.

The court accordingly granted Wells Fargos motion for summary judgment and denied that made by Allstate.
Just as entrepreneurs getting into the retail pot industry need a good lawyer, some of those lawyers might be wise to consult an attorney of their own.

Lawyers in the burgeoning business are entering a legal gray zone where the drug is permitted for some purpose in most states but illegal under federal law  in the same controlled substances category as heroin. Missteps could lead to prosecution for conspiracy, money laundering or aiding and abetting drug dealers.

Any lawyer that goes into this should be aware that a literal reading of federal law permits such a prosecution, said Sam Kamin, a University of Denver marijuana policy law professor, whose research five years ago found lawyers more susceptible to being disbarred than criminally charged for cannabis-related work. It probably makes sense for a lawyer to at least talk to a legal ethicist or get an opinion from a legal ethicist.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions reiterated his opposition to legal weed on Wednesday, and a congressional amendment prohibiting federal prosecutors from targeting medical marijuana is due to expire at the end of the year.

Sessions has not said if he will reverse a longstanding Justice Department policy not to interfere with purveyors complying with state laws but to focus prosecutions on trafficking, sales to minors, cartels and gangs in the business, violence or gun use in cultivation or distribution, and pot grown on public land.

Despite a few instances of lawyers being prosecuted in federal and state court  including a pending San Diego County case  more attorneys are jumping into cannabis law. Legal needs range from financing to permits, real estate, water law, intellectual property, contracts and banking.

With California allowing recreational pot retail sales Jan. 1, interested investors are reaching out to attorneys like Mitch Kulick to find out how to safely finance the potentially lucrative industry.

Kulick, a New York lawyer who offers his expertise in many states, recently gave his typical scare spiel to a real estate magnate about the possible legal consequences, and said he could only help mitigate risk so much.

At a certain point, you have to realize this is against the law. Theres no insurance policy to take away the risk, Kulick said he told the man. If I was already a billionaire, I might not be taking the risk.

Kulick, who once worked as a lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission and a major international firm, had to do a similar risk analysis and soul searching before deciding to commit to the higher cause, so to speak.

There has been a tipping point for many lawyers setting up boutique pot law firms and jumping from old-school law firms as demand for their services trumps fear of legal repercussions and the stoner stigma fades as more states legalize marijuana use.

Attorney Chris Davis, who grew up in Berkeley around friends and family who use the drug, found people operating in the shadows who wanted to go legit when he returned to California from New York two years ago.

So many people were asking how to go legal and how to worry less, said Davis, executive director of the National Cannabis Bar Association, which has about 300 members in the U.S. and Canada and is growing rapidly. It became impossible to turn people away.

Lawyers specializing in the business see themselves at the frontier. That leaves a fascinating opportunity to shape laws and regulations and the daunting prospect of the unknown.

Lawyers like things to be settled, Davis said. Its hard to get a lawyer to give you a yes or no answer. In the cannabis industry, there really is no yes or no answer.

Some state bar associations have given lawyers cover to counsel marijuana clients within the bounds of state law. Others say federal law keeps the area off-limits because ethical rules prevent them from helping clients commit crimes.

Attorney Larry Donahue had several medical marijuana clients at his firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, until the state bar issued a January 2016 opinion that said lawyers could be exposed to ethics charges for such work. Donahue had to terminate four or five clients.

It was a very chilling opinion, he said. It basically scared the hell out of us.

While prosecutions of attorneys are rare, a case in San Diego has gotten the attention of many lawyers, mainly because of aggressive tactics employed by the district attorney.

Attorney Jessica McElfresh was charged with several felonies alleging she helped a client hide evidence of marijuana manufacturing.

The case might have received less notice if prosecutors didnt unsuccessfully try to get around the sacrosanct lawyer-client privilege and seek communications with all her marijuana clients.

McElfresh, who vehemently denies the charges, said she knew specializing in pot law carried risks, but she couldnt foresee in a million years police raiding her house. She and her boyfriend and mother were escorted into her backyard, where she was handcuffed barefoot in her pajamas during the search.

She said she didnt take the risks some lawyers do by sitting on the boards of a clients company, owning a share in a business or introducing clients to one another.

I am one of the most conservative and boring people you would ever meet in cannabis law, she said. The only way I could have been more careful would have been not to engage in this area of law at all.

A new district attorney took office after McElfresh was charged and allowed five co-defendants facing similar charges to plead guilty last month to misdemeanors and get probation.

The San Diego district attorneys office wouldnt comment, but in a statement cited the recreational pot law passed by voters last year and the new administrations changing focus as part of the reason for the plea deals. Its not clear if that change will affect McElfreshs pending case.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A group of University of Nebraska-Lincoln students is working on an app to help Lincoln Public Schools teachers and administrators communicate better in emergencies.

LPS Security Director Joe Wright made a pitch to the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Managements design studio  groups of juniors and seniors who work with industry or those in the public sector to design software for specific uses. And they bit.

On Tuesday, the LPS board approved paying up to $50,000 for the students work on the app to allow school principals or district administrators to let teachers and other staff members know when theyve begun emergency procedures.

The district uses an emergency system that divides emergency responses into four categories: lockout (locking school doors to keep a potential threat out), lockdown (to protect from a threat inside by locking classroom doors, turning off lights and moving students out of sight), evacuate (for fires or tornadoes) and shelter (in case of tornadoes, bombs or hazardous materials incidents).

Each of those categories has an icon associated with it. Wright wants the UNL students to create an app that would allow those icons to be displayed on teachers phones or computers.

Now, principals communicate over the intercom, by radio or in person. The app would complement those forms of communication, Wright said. In an emergency, when a principal's voice comes over the intercom, teachers may or may not hear what is said.

Its another way to communicate, he said. The visual part is so important.

Students are still designing the software, but it could include a text line to let teachers know, briefly, what is prompting the lockdown, lockout or evacuation.

Wright, a former police officer, knew Public Safety Director Tom Casady had used the schools design studio, and knew it was a good, cost-effective way to get needed software technology.

The design studio in the Raikes school is a capstone experience for juniors and seniors that allows them to work with real companies to help solve real problems before they enter the workforce, said design studio director Mark Antonson.

LPS's project is one of 14 chosen for the design studio this year, Antonson said. A similar capstone experience for computer science and engineering students has 15 projects in the works.

You can buy security apps similar to the one Wright asked the students to design, but the yearlong process will allow him to work with students to design something specifically for LPS.

Antonson said LPS's proposal was appealing to the design studio because it was fairly independent from other systems at LPS, required the sort of innovation students can provide and serves an important societal function by helping keep students safe.

"Socially it's a very important project," he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on tour in China to discuss trade, but experts say significant hurdles stand in the way of progress.

Underlying the trip is the fact that Canada's trade prospects took a hit following U.S. President Donald Trump's threat in August to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement. And as uncertainty shrouds the future of NAFTA  which ties together the U.S., Canada and Mexico  Trudeau has an "urgent" need to diversify his country's trade relationships, according to Jeremy Kinsman, a former ambassador of the country and a distinguished visiting diplomat at Ryerson University.

But any attempt to pivot to China, Canada's third-largest trading partner after the U.S. and the European Union, appears fraught with difficulty.

Trudeau has set forth a so-called progressive trade agenda calling for agreements about labor and environmental ethics, gender equality and indigenous rights. But those are issues Chinese President Xi Jinping will be reluctant to discuss, according to Charles Burton, professor of political science at Brock University.

"It's very unlikely that the Chinese government will be prepared to set a precedent in linking non-economic factors" to a Beijing-Ottawa trade agreement, Burton said.

Concerns over human rights could become a key sticking point as Beijing continues to hold two Canadians wine merchants over an alleged customs breach, in a case that has sparked public outcry in the North American country, Kinsman said.
Starbucks is making a big impression in Shanghai: a 30,000-square-foot impression.

Opening Tuesday in the Chinese city is Starbucks' second Reserve Roastery, a "megastore" that is more of a mecca for coffee lovers than a traditional cafe.

The locations, which feature small-batch roastings of rare and exotic coffees, are under the careful watch of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. Schultz stepped down from his post in April to focus on those coffee bars and remained on as the company's executive chairman.

It is Starbucks' hope that the Roastery locations will become destinations for coffee drinkers rather than just a place to stop while you're at the mall. That's especially the goal as more customers swap their spending to online stores and visit brick-and-mortar shops less often.

The company has even enlisted the help of e-commerce giant Alibaba to create an augmented reality experience within the Roastery.

The company's flagship Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room opened in its home market of Seattle in 2014. Starbucks has said it could open as many as 20 to 30 Roastery stores around the world.

The Shanghai location is just one of five Roasteries expected to open before 2020. Roasteries are currently slated to open in Milan and New York in 2018 and in Tokyo and Chicago in 2019.
For Jon Long to come up with his million-dollar idea, he had to draw inspiration from his roots. When he was just a boy, the deadly disease Oak Wilt rampaged through his Austin, Texas neighborhood, strangling and ultimately destroying trees. Years later, after he graduated college, the problem still hadn't gone away, so Long decided to do something about it. He'd gone to college "without any type of direction other than to get a job and make money," he tells CNBC Make It. But he ditched his white-collar career path and decided to become a "tree doctor." His current business, "We Love Trees," was founded in 2007. It became so successful that it landed him an appearance on CNBC's "Blue Collar Millionaires." "They say money doesn't grow on trees," the arborist notes in the episode. "But for me it does."

Jon Long, founder of "We Love Trees" Blue Collar Millionaires | CNBC

Long started by reading as much as he could on the spread of Oak Wilt. His first business, Oak Wilt Specialist of America, was founded in 1998 and took off after he invested a total of $110,000 of his own money in the materials he needed to inject the trees with a fungicide called Alamo. When he bought his high-powered rock saw, he borrowed another $9,000 from his wife Paula. The investment paid off. After two years and after a lot of trial and error, Long says he made all that money back. As Long explains to CNBC Make It, there are four steps to his process, all of which can be completed in a single day. First, he and his two employees cut a trench around the tree deep into the ground with heavy machinery to suppress the disease's spread. Next, they inject the trunk and roots with fungicide. Then they remove the dead trees and replant more. Typically, the cost to the customer for all of that comes out to just over $10,000. "So if you do all four protocols on a day," he says, "You're really having a great day." But often, he'll spend one day trenching and injecting, and the next removing and replanting. Nonetheless, the tree doctor's profit margins are better than some actual doctors'. As "Blue Collar Millionaires" points out, "While the average physician's office nets about 10 percent, Dr. Long can make four times that  on a bad day." Long is the first in the area around Wimberly, Texas to offer the service in such a comprehensive way. "Prior to us coming into the market, Oak Wilt trenching was done by utility contractors that knew less about Oak Wilt than, normally, the home owners did," he says. "And the tree injectors were primarily arborists." "We married the two disciplines," he explains. "We married an arborist profession and a utility contractor profession." And because of the materials he had, including his rock saw that he uses for the trenching, he was able to provide a more efficient and much cheaper service than others for the customers, who are usually large-ranch owners investing a lot of money to save their trees.

Jon Long driving the rock saw Blue Collar Millionaires | CNBC
Japan Airlines is betting at least $10 million to bring back supersonic commercial flight at speeds that top those of the doomed Concorde.



The sum is going to Boom Supersonic, Japan Airlines said Tuesday, in hopes that the Denver-based upstart will successfully develop a plane that could cut flight times in half with cruising speeds of Mach 2.2  more than 1,450 miles an hour.

That would make the trip from San Francisco to Tokyo a more bearable five and a half hours, Boom's founder Blake Scholl.

Japan Airlines has options to buy up to 20 Boom aircraft. Last year, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson announced that his company had options on the first 10 Boom jets.

Long-haul airlines have been battling for rich customers by decking out their first classes with opulent suites.

But the promise of supersonic offers what Japan Airlines and at least several others could consider a more valuable luxury: travelers' time.

JAL's $10 million investment in Boom is tiny in the aviation world, but shows at least one airline's willingness to bet on a startup for future aircraft. The airplane manufacturers that dominate the market  Airbus and Boeing  recently boasted about multibillion-dollar orders as record numbers of travelers take to the skies. But even though their newer planes promise fuel savings, they do little to save travelers much time.

The airline is also providing some practical experience to help make Boom a reality. Under the agreement, it will help "refine" the aircraft's design and help determine what it would be like for passengers on board an eventual supersonic jet.

Boom's jets, which founder Scholl envisions in an all-business-class configuration, would be more economical than the Concorde, the founder expects. The final Concorde flight was in October 2003, as a deadly crash and economic downturn hurt demand for seats aboard the supersonic jet.

Boom is planning to test its designs on a one-third scale demonstrator plane, which it calls "Baby Boom," in late 2018 and expects the planes to be delivered by the mid-2020s.

Boom and Japan Airlines are considering transoceanic routes, but don't expect a cross-country trip to take less time. A 1973 U.S. law banned overland commercial supersonic flight.
Japan is preparing to acquire precision air-launched missiles that for the first time would give it the capability to strike North Korean missile sites, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Japan plans to put money aside in its next defense budget starting April to study whether its F-15 fighters could launch longer-range missiles including Lockheed Martin's extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER), which can hit targets 1,000 km (620 miles) away, said one the sources with knowledge of the plan.

"There is a global trend for using longer range missiles and it is only natural that Japan would want to consider them," he said. The sources asked to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to talk to media.

Japan is also interested in buying the 500 km-range Joint Strike Missile designed by Norway's Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to be carried by the F-35 stealth fighter, Fuji Television reported earlier.

Neither of those two items are included in a 5.26 trillion yen ($46.76 billion) budget request already submitted by Japan's Ministry of Defence, however additional funds would be made available to evaluate the purchase of these missiles, the sources said.

The change suggests that the growing threat posed by North Korean ballistic missiles has given proponents of a strike capability the upper hand in military planning.

Restrictions on strike weapons imposed by its war-renouncing constitution means Japan's missile force is composed of anti-aircraft and anti-ship munitions with ranges of less than 300 kms (186 miles).

Any decision to buy longer range weapons capable of striking North Korea or even the Chinese mainland would therefore be controversial, but proponents argue that the strike weapons can play a defensive role.

"We are not currently looking at funding for this," Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Tuesday at a regular press briefing.

"We rely on the United States to strike enemy bases and are not looking at making any changes to how we share our roles," he added.

Before he took up his post in August, Onodera led a group of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers that recommended Japan acquire strike weapons to deter Pyongyang from launching any attack on Japan.

North Korea has since fired ballistic missiles over Japan and last week tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that climbed to an altitude of more than 4,000 km before splashing into the Sea of Japan within Japan's exclusive economic zone.
The Senate's tax overhaul bill is a "huge tax increase" on certain businesses, said Robert Murray, chairman and CEO of coal giant Murray Energy.

Murray, who has been a big supporter of President Donald Trump, told CNBC he's specifically upset about the decisions to keep the alternative minimum tax and to take away the deduction for net interest expense as a cost of business.

He said the Senate legislation will raise Murray Energy's taxes by $60 million a year, "notwithstanding the other so-called benefits the Senate has proposed."

"This means that very capital-intensive, highly leveraged employers, like coal-mining companies, will be forced out of business, with tragic consequences for our families and for many regions of our country," Murray said in an interview with "Closing Bell" on Monday.

The Senate had planned to eliminate the AMT, as the House bill did, but last-minute changes kept the provision in the legislation. The House and the Senate now must reconcile their bills before sending a final version to Trump to sign into law.

Murray, who heads up one of the nation's largest coal-mining companies, is known for his dire warnings about the decline of coal.

In February, he said global warming is a hoax and repeated a debunked claim that the phenomenon cannot exist because the Earth's surface is cooling.

When asked what the effective tax rate of Murray Energy is, Murray replied, "We don't pay a tax rate right now because we have a lot of net loss carry-forwards. We have a lot of debt."

However, he said, whether the company has a tax rate is not the issue.

 CNBC's Tom DiChristopher contributed to this report.
A government nurse holds up a vial of Dengvaxia, the world's first licensed dengue vaccine on April 4, 2016 in Manila, Philippines.

The Philippines has ordered French drugmaker Sanofi to stop the sale, distribution and marketing of its Dengvaxia dengue vaccine in the country after the company last week warned it could worsen the disease in some cases.

The move comes days after the Southeast Asian nation suspended a government program to immunize hundreds of thousands of children with Dengvaxia following Sanofi's findings released last week.

"In order to protect the general public, the Food and Drug Administration immediately directed Sanofi to suspend the sale/distribution/marketing of Dengvaxia and cause the withdrawal of Dengvaxia in the market pending compliance with the directives of the FDA," the Philippine government agency said in a statement on its website released late on Monday.

The FDA also directed Sanofi to conduct an information dissemination campaign and said all drug establishments should report any incidence that showed Dengvaxia has caused death or serious illness to any person.

Sanofi officials said on Monday that there had been no reported deaths related to the vaccine which was used to immunize nearly 734,000 children aged 9 and over in the Philippines.

They have received at least one dose of the vaccine as part of a government program that cost 3.5 billion pesos ($69.13 million).

Dengvaxia, the first approved dengue vaccine, had been forecast by Sanofi to eventually bring in nearly $1 billion in annual sales.

But even recent more modest analysts' sales forecasts are now looking unattainable given the safety issue and clinical evidence revealing unequal protection against different strains of dengue.

The World Health Organization said on Monday it hopes to review safety data on Sanofi's dengue vaccine this month. The fears involve possible increased risk to people who had not previously been exposed to the dengue virus prior to vaccination with Dengvaxia.
The organization that makes the presidential transition guide said Monday that President Donald Trump's attorney took its manual out of context when he cited it to defend actions taken by the president's top advisors in the runup to Inauguration Day.

The lawyer, Ty Cobb, was quoted in a weekend report in The New York Times that documented close collaboration between senior members of Trump's transition team and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn in the period when Flynn discussed U.S. sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

"It would have been political malpractice not to discuss sanctions," Cobb said, according to the Times. "The presidential transition guide specifically encourages contact with and outreach to foreign dignitaries."

CNBC published the quote, citing the Times, in a Sunday article.

Cobb told CNBC that his quote in The New York Times was taken out of context in a way that changed its meaning. Cobb said that he meant that it would have been political malpractice not to discuss sanctions internally, among the transition staff. His reference to the presidential transition guide, he said, came much later in his interview with the Times.

The New York Times told CNBC on Monday, "Mr. Cobb was fairly and accurately quoted in our story."

But the notion that the transition guide encourages presidents-elect and their representatives to engage foreign leaders in policy talks stretches the intent of the guide, said Max Stier, president of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, which compiled the guide.
Patagonia, an American outdoor clothing and gear retailer, slammed President Donald Trump after he announced plans to shrink the size of two national monuments.

The California-based company on Monday modified its homepage to initially display a black screen with the message "The President Stole Your Land" to rally the public into joining its cause which, according to some local media reports, includes a possible legal action against Trump.

"In an illegal move, the president just reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history," Patagonia said on its website.

The White House released a statement on Monday detailing Trump's plans to reduce the size of two national monuments in Utah  undoing such land protections for the first time in 50 years, according to the Associated Press.

Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante sit on millions of acres of land.

Bears Ears, created last December by President Barack Obama, will be reduced by about 85 percent, to 201,876 acres (315 square miles). Grand Staircase-Escalante, designated in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, will be reduced from nearly 1.9 million acres (nearly 3,000 square miles) to 1,003,863 acres (1,569 square miles), the AP reported.
"At least he's trying," Ma added in an interview on " Squawk Box ."

"You may not agree with him," said Ma, the billionaire executive chairman of the Chinese e-commerce behemoth. But he urged people to give Trump a chance. "You can never achieve something within one year."

Americans should be patient with President Donald Trump because he hasn't been in the White House for very long, Alibaba founder Jack Ma told CNBC on Tuesday.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump railed that China was stealing U.S. jobs as he promised to keep work in America. Candidate Trump also vowed to call China a currency manipulator on his first day in office. But as president, Trump has been rather cozy with China, meeting President Xi Jinping in Beijing and in the U.S.

When asked whether the China is taking jobs, Ma said, "China is not stealing jobs; we are creating a lot of jobs." Earlier this year, Ma met with then-President-elect Trump and promised to bring 1 million small U.S. businesses onto its platform.

"A lot of companies succeed in China. Starbucks did excellent in China," said Ma.

"Microsoft did excellent in China," Ma continued. "IBM did excellent in China. And we do not see a lot Chinese companies do[ing] excellent in the States. So we should work together."

Ma spoke from Starbucks ' new 30,000-square-foot Shanghai Reserve Roastery megastore, where Alibaba created an augmented reality experience.
Apple CEO Tim Cook's recent remarks at a conference in China are drawing criticism from U.S. senators, including one who worries that the tech giant is not fulfilling its "obligation to promote free expression and other basic human rights."

The comments have fanned the flames of a relationship that's already facing scrutiny in Congress.

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, along with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, previously criticized Apple in October after reports that that the company removed VPN apps from the China App Store to comply with Chinese regulators.

Apple responded in a letter explaining that it had "questioned the legal basis of the request" and had provided formal comments on Chinese cybersecurity law "through trade associations." But when asked to provide a statement condemning the Chinese government's censorship, Apple told the senators that "actions are our most powerful statement."

Then, Cook made a surprisingly high-profile appearance over the weekend at the World Internet Conference in China, where he reportedly said that Apple and China "share" a vision for a "digital economy for openness" and "a common future in cyberspace."

After Cook's remarks at the trade show, Leahy said in a statement to CNBC: "American tech companies have become leading champions of free expression. But that commitment should not end at our borders. ... Global leaders in innovation, like Apple, have both an opportunity and a moral obligation to promote free expression and other basic human rights in countries that routinely deny these rights."

Leahy maintained his call for Apple to challenge Chinese "suppression."

"Apple is clearly a force for good in China, but I also believe it and other tech companies must continue to push back on Chinese suppression of free expression," Leahy said.

Apple is one of the most influential American technology companies in China  Google and Facebook , for example, have limited services there, and Apple is one of the few consumer electronics brands that sells a lot of products during Chinese shopping holidays like Singles Day.

Apple was not immediately available to comment on Leahy's response to the letter.
Sen. Deb Fischer said Tuesday she made a direct pitch to President Donald Trump about the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement to Nebraska and American agriculture during a White House meeting with a number of senators.

"During our conversation, I highlighted the significance of NAFTA to agricultural exports and related manufacturing jobs," Fischer said in a statement released following the meeting that focused on trade policy earlier in the day.

"I also stressed the need to safeguard the competitive advantage our agriculture producers and manufacturers have worked so hard to build," Fischer said.

"I had a good conversation with President Trump on the importance of trade to Nebraska and our country as a whole."

The Trump administration is renegotiating the NAFTA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.

In May, Fischer said, she gathered support for a letter from 18 senators to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer stressing the positive economic impact of NAFTA.
Bark, the parent company of BarkBox, the subscription service for dogs, is prepared to go public in as soon as six months, co-founder and CEO Matt Meeker told CNBC. It would also consider a potential sale.

The company has met with banks in recent weeks to discuss both options, sources familiar with the situation said. Bark confirmed the meetings, saying they are typical for a company at its stage to build relationships and gauge the market and opportunities, far in advance of any process.

If it does go public  a move that will be market dependent  Bark will welcome labeling itself in conversations with investors as a subscription box company. That identification would come despite the recent industry aversion to the label.

Ask a handful of businesses whether their service that allows the option of subscribing to boxes of goods is a "subscription box service," several will likely explain why they are not. Stitch Fix eschewed the label when marketing its public offering to investors, sources have told CNBC. (Stitch Fix offers customers the chance to buy without a subscription or change the frequency of their subscription.) Amazon similarly contends its Amazon prime wardrobe service is not a subscription box service.

Blue Apron's spectacular fall from grace has left investors skittish of such companies' ability to balance marketing costs and sales. Meanwhile, other companies like Techstyle, the owner of Kate Hudson's Fabletics brand, and Birchbox have tried to sell themselves, only to be met with similar concerns.

Birchbox declined to comment on acquisition rumors, but said it achieved profitability earlier this year.

But Bark believes, if built upon slowly and profitably, the business model helps a company anticipate sales and creates a direct line to its consumers.

"There are consumer subscription companies that have different dynamics," said Meeker.

"Costco is the gold standard of that.  Let's be upfront about it: Here is our annual retention rate, here is our cash. Because they are good, so let's just tell everybody it."

Bark expects to top $150 million revenue by the end of this year and reach $250 million in revenue by the end of next year. It has 500,000 subscribers and a 95 percent retention rate, which it attributes in part to extensive dog pampering. It became profitable the first quarter of this year.

It raised $60 million last May, in a round led by August Capital, bringing total funding to a relatively modest $77 million.

As to the inevitable Amazon question, Meeker says Bark views the retail juggernaut as "both a threat and potential partner." He said pet food  rather than Bark's treats and toys  is a more natural opportunity for Amazon, given its strengths and the larger size of that market.

"IPO investors will be interested in a company that has that growth and is profitable," said Kathleen Smith, a principal at Renaissance Capital, which manages IPO-focused exchange-traded funds.

"They will be pushing on issues that others have had though: logistics, the need to spend more to get new customers and new competition."

Should Bark take the M&A route, it would do so into an industry that  like all in retail  is going through rapid disruption. The $69 billion pet industry is supported by passionate "pet parents" who, it seems, will always spend on their dogs. As marriage rates among millennials decline, pet ownership is increasing.

These pet parents, though, are more willing to do their shopping online than industry stalwarts had expected.

Many traditional pet food or pet product companies are looking for ways to reach their shoppers beyond their stores, as they hope to fend off the ever-looming Amazon threat.

PetSmart's roughly $3 billion acquisition of Chewy.com earlier this year announced the industry's potential embrace of e-commerce. Though as a private company, Petsmart had more leeway to make such a gamble than many of its publicly traded peers.
The Senate passed tax overhaul legislation over the weekend, about a week after the House passed its bill. The two chambers must now work to reconcile their bills before sending a final version to President Donald Trump to sign into law.

"It's certainly good for banks but it's mostly good for the overall economy."

"I know it's not perfect for everybody," he said in an interview with " Closing Bell ."

The Republican tax overhaul plan is a "big deal" for the U.S. economy, BB&T CEO Kelly King told CNBC on Tuesday.

House Way and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (L) (R-TX) and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R) (R-WI), joined by members of the House Republican leadership, introduce tax reform legislation November 2, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Among other things, Republicans are looking to reduce the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent.

King said the tax cuts would significantly benefit BB&T , which operates more than 2,100 financial centers in 15 states and Washington, D.C.

"There will be a tax reduction that will allow us to invest more in services for our clients. It would allow us to invest more by giving back to our community. It will allow us to give more back to our associates. So it's kind of win-win for everybody," he said.

Investors agree. Financials are up more than 3 percent over the past week on optimism about tax reform.

King also believes there will be a "big payback" for the economy from small and medium-size businesses.

For the last 10 years, King said he's spoken to "hundreds and hundreds" of small business owners who have not invested in their businesses because of uncertainty over taxes and regulation.

"Now they are going to have not only just lower absolute taxes, they are going to be able to expense the new equipment to replace the old. I believe they will rush to do it. That will be stimulative to the economy and it will be robust," he said.
watch now

In a push to capitalize on its fastest growing North American market, Daimler-owned car-sharing service car2go just added Mercedes-Benz CLAs to its New York City fleet. Twenty new CLAs are joining car2go's tiny 550 smart fourtwo vehicles in the Big Apple, its second-largest market. Car2go grew by 70 percent year over year in the city, where it has operated for three years. "Transitioning to Mercedes-Benz in previous cities has gone very well, as the usage is two to three times that of the smarts," regional director Josh Moskowitz told CNBC. The NYC upgrade comes as car2Go tries to build momentum in the U.S., after several setbacks during the past five years.

Car2go added Mercedes-Benz CLAs to its New York City fleet on Tuesday Michael Sheetz | CNBC

"Two cities that I oversaw  Minneapolis-Saint Paul and San Diego  we closed operations," Moskowitz said. "We were, and still are, pioneers in this space, and along the way we've learned which cities can successfully support car sharing." As a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler, the company's profitability is kept under wraps. Car2go declined to disclose its financial information. Car2go is the world's largest car-sharing service by both members and vehicles, beating out Avis Budget Group-owned competitor Zipcar. Paul DeLong, president of car2go North America, said the slower development compared with Europe is "in a nutshell" due to countries overseas being "generally more progressive when it comes to mobility policy."

The next stop

"We are in advanced discussions with several major North American cities," DeLong said, noting car2go plans to open in additional North American locations next year. The company would not confirm further details. However, car2go did point to six major U.S. cities it does not have operations: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia.

The Daimler-owned car2go is in 11 North American cities Michael Sheetz | CNBC

Moskowitz said the company considers several criteria before launching a fleet  especially measurements of population density, total population, alternative transportation options and major destination points. "Car2go works where vehicle ownership is very low, where people don't own or have only one car but still need access," Moskowitz said. "We're seeing people starting families and wanting to live near the urban core but don't need a vehicle. Car2go fills that void."

The blueprint for the Big Apple

Car2go will take a gradual approach as it introduces the CLAs, and eventually GLAs, into the NYC fleet. The prime example, Moskowitz said, is Washington, where car2go introduced the Mercedes earlier this year.

The interior of one of the new car2go Mercedes-Benz CLAs Michael Sheetz | CNBC
WHEN: Today, Tuesday, December 5, 2017

WHERE: CNBC's "Squawk Box"  in Shanghai, China

Following is a CNBC interview with Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma, Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz, and CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC's "Squawk Box" (M-F, 6-9AM ET) today, Tuesday December 5th. The interview is tied to Starbucks China's expansion, including the launch of a new retail experience and partnership with Alibaba. Following are links to video from the interview on CNBC.com: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/12/05/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-china-isnt-stealing-jobs-its-creating-jobs.html, https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/12/05/starbucks-founder-howard-schultz-on-how-the-giant-coffee-chain-thrived-in-china.html, https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/12/05/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-we-believe-online-and-offline-retail-should-work-together.html.

All references must be sourced to CNBC.

BECKY QUICK: ANYWAY, BRADY IS JUST ONE OF MANY BIG GUESTS THAT WE HAVE TODAY. ANOTHER ONE IS COMING UP RIGHT NOW. LET'S GET TO ANDREW IN SHANGHAI WHO HAS A VERY SPECIAL GUEST TOO. ANDREW.

ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: HEY GUYS. WE ARE LIVE IN SHANGHAI. WE ARE AT THE LARGEST STARBUCKS IN THE WORLD. THE GRAND OPENING PARTY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW BEHIND ME. HOWARD SCHULTZ IS HERE ALONG WITH HIS FAMILY. ALL SORTS OF CHINESE BUSINESS LUMINARIES HAVE BEEN WITH US ALL MORNING. ONE OF WHOM IS JACK MA OF ALIBABA. WE SAT DOWN WITH HIM AND HOWARD SCHULTZ, THE OTHER NOW, I BEGAN THE CONVERSATION BY ASKING HIM AND HOWARD WHY SO MANY AMERICAN COMPANIES WHO COME HERE  IT FAILS ALL TOO OFTEN, BUT AT LEAST FOR STARBUCKS RIGHT NOW, THEY'VE MADE IT WORK.

HOWARD SCHULTZ: WE'VE BEEN HERE 18 YEARS, AND MANY PEOPLE DONT REALIZE THE FIRST NINE YEARS WE WERE NOT VERY SUCCESSFUL. AND SO THERE WAS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON US EARLY ON TO KIND OF CLOSE THE TENT AND SAY ITS NOT GOING TO WORK. I THINK WE HAD TO HAVE PATIENCE, AND WE HAD TO HAVE A DEEP COMMITMENT TO BEING LOCALLY RELEVANT AND UNDERSTANDING THE CONSUMER. BUT, AND, I DON'T WANT TO EMBARRASS JACK, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE FRIENDS HERE WHO CAN HELP YOU KIND OF NAVIGATE THROUGH SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND, AND, YOU KNOW, JACK AND I HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER. I SAID THIS THE OTHER DAY. I KNEW JACK BEFORE HE WAS JACK. AND WE'VE HAD GREAT CONVERSATOIONS ABOUT BUILIDNG A GREAT COMPANY, WHETHER YOU'RE BUILDING IT IN THE U.S. OR CHINA. AND I THINK THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE ACTUALLY MORE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN US THAN DIFFERENCES, AND THE CONSUMER, ALTHOUGH IT IS A CHINESE CONSUMER THAT DID NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT COFFEE, DID UNDERSTAND CUSTOMER SERVICE, DID UNDERSTAND A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO BE, AND I THINK ALSO BUILDING THE KIND OF COMPANY THAT WOULD BE VALUES-BASED AND THE CULTURE OF THE COMPANY IN WHICH WE CAN PUT PEOPLE FIRST. AND I THINK THAT GAVE US A LEG UP. WE DIDN'T COME HERE TO TAKE ANYTHING. WE CAME HERE TO GIVE BACK.

SORKIN: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS, AND A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES IN THE U.S. HAVE TRIED TO COME HERE UNSUCCESSFULLY, WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS GONE ON?

JACK MA: I THINK MOST OF THE TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES COME TO CHINA TO LEARN FROM STARBUCKS. FIRST, OUR HEART FOR THE CUSTOMER, FOR THE MARKET  WE LOVE THE PEOPLE, WE LOVE THE MARKET. SECOND, YOU SHOULD HAVE A GREAT TEAM, THEY HAVE A PATIENCE. AND THIRD IS THE PATIENCE. I'M DOING THIS FOR 10, 20 YEARS. AND THAT'S A GREAT PRODUCT. I WAS AMAZED BY STARBUCKS BECAUSE CHINESE PEOPLE DON'T DRINK COFFEE. WE DRINK TEA. I DON'T LIKE COFFEE. I LIKE TEA. BUT I LIKE STARBUCKS.

SORKIN: YOU'RE DRINKING IT, YOU'RE DRINKING COFFEE NOW.

JACK MA: COMING HERE. I RESPECT. I LIKE. I TOLD MY WIFE, "I DON'T LIKE COFFEE, BUT I LIKE STARBUCKS." BECAUSE THE REASON IS THAT I MET HIM FIRST TIME. I THINK WE DISCUSSED LONG. I LISTENED TO HIS TALK. AND WE DISCUSSED ONLY ABOUT THE VALUE, VISION, MISSION. AND THEN I TOLD MY TEAM IN THE PAST YEARS A LOT OF THE TIME MAKING STARBUCKS, A UNIQUE SAMPLE. EVERYBODY DRINK COFFEE IN THE WORLD, ALSO IN CHINA ESPECIALLY. NOBODY THOUGHT COFFEE COULD BE BUSINESS THAT WOULD BE A GLOBAL COMPANY. SERVE PEOPLE WITH HEART, NOT COFFEE. THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

SORKIN: TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON IN RETAIL HERE IN CHINA. YOU JUST HAD YOUR SINGLE'S DAY, BIGGEST EVER, AGAINST $25 BILLION DAY. THAT'S BEEN MOSTLY ONLINE DAY.

MA: YEAH.

SORKIN: BUT YOU GUYS ARE GETTING INTO THE BRICKS AND MORTAR SPACE.

MA: YEAH.

SORKIN: AS WELL.

MA: YEAH. WE'VE BEEN MOVING VERY AGGRESSIVELY. IN THE FOUR YEARS  FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN WE GROW SO FAST AND WE GOT A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT TRADITIONAL RETAILERS SAYING, "HEY, E-COMMERCE TAKES AWAY ALL OF OUR JOBS, ALL OF OUR BUSINESS." SO WE ASKED OURSELVES, ARE WE WANTING TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS OR ARE WE WANT TO KILL ALL THE RETAIL, TRADITIONAL RETAIL. WE THINK WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER. WE BELIEVE ONLINE AND OFFLINE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER. WITH THE DATA, WITH THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, WE THINK RETAIL -- TRADITIONAL RETAIL, HAS HUGE POTENTIAL IF WE DO IT PROPERLY, IF WE WORK TOGETHER. BUT THAT IS WHY WE'RE GOING AGGRESSIVELY IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS.

SORKIN: HE JUST GAVE UP ON ON-LINE RETAIL, AT LEASTDOING IT HIMSELF. HE HAS HANDED OVER SOME DEGREE TO AMAZON, AND AMAZON JUST CAME TO CHINA. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?

MA: AMAZON COMES TO CHINA. THEY'VE BEEN HERE FOR ALMOST 15, 20 YEARS. BUT YOU DO NOT SEE THEM HERE ANYWHERE.

SORKIN: BECAUSE?

MA: BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THEY DO PROPERLY HERE. IT'S THE MARKET  MAYBE 10 YEARS AMAZON BECOMES BIG AGAIN, I MEAN, IN CHINA. BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE PATIENCE, GREAT PEOPLE, GOOD SERVICES. AND I THINK WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER ONLINE AND STARBUCKS HAS -- PRESENTS A SHOP ON TMALL  AND THEY ARE USING ALIPAY. WE'RE WORKING SO CLOSELY.

HOWARD SCHULTZ: SO, YOU KNOW, THE ROASTERY OFFICIALLY OPEN TOMORROW. I'LL GIVE YOU A STATISTIC THEY GAVE ME AN HOUR AGO. WE SOLD ALMOST $2 MILLION OF MERCHANDISE AND COFFEE THROUGH ALIBABA IN THE LAST 48 HOURS. THE STORE HASN'T OPENED YET. IT'S INCREDIBLE. AND THE OTHER THING IS YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE TECHNOLOGY IN THE STORE IS BEING POWERED BY ALIBABA, SO THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'RE ESTABLISHING HERE IN CHINA IS JUST IN ITS EARLY STAGES OF WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER.

SORKIN: HOW DO YOU THINK ABOUT U.S. AND CHINA RELATIONS THESE DAYS AND HOW IT RELATES TO YOU DOING BUSINESS HERE AND YOU DOING BUSINESS IN THE U.S.? WE HAVE TWO LEADERS, BUT ONE OF THEM TALKS ABOUT AMERICA FIRST, AND PRESIDENT XI TO SOME EXTENT MAY BE TALKING ABOUT CHINA FIRST. THOUGH, OPENING AS WELL.

MA: I DID NOT SEE THE PRESIDENT XI SAY CHINA FIRST. PRESIDENT XI THINKS A LOT ABOUT THE "ONE ROAD, ONE BELT," AND BUSINESS SHOULD BE GROWTH TOGETHER, SHARED PROFIT TOGETHER.

MA: SO -- BUT DO YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING EVEN IN THE CONVERSATIONS AND THE OVERHANG OF THE CONVERSATION AROUND NORTH KOREA, FOR EXAMPLE AND HOW THAT COULD AFFECT YOU BEING HERE AND YOU DOING MORE? I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING TO DO MORE AND MORE BUSINESS IN THE U.S. AS WELL.

SCHULTZ: I THINK, ANDREW, UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF THE POLITICAL ISSUES THAT EXIST, I THINK THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT COMPANIES THAT HAVE A SHARED LEVEL OF VALUES AROUND SENSE OF HUMANITY - SO YOU CAN TAKE ALIBABA AND YOU TAKE STARBACKS, A CHINESE COMPANY AND AN AMERICAN COMPANY. PERHAPS WE CAN DEMONSTRATE THE KIND OF COOPERATION AND KIND OF TRUST AND BUILD A BRIDGE BETWEEN OUR TWO COMPANIES THAT PERHAPS THE POLITICIANS CANNOT DO AT THIS TIME, AND DEMONSTRATE TO AMERICA AND TO CHINA THAT WE ARE MUCH MORE THE SAME THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT. AND WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT.

SORKIN: CAN YOU DO THAT, THOUGH, IF -- IF THERE IS DISAGREEMENT AMONG THE COUNTRIES OVER THINGS LIKE NORTH KOREA?

MA: YES, OF COURSE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO IT. I THINK IF POLITICIANS AGREE GREAT. IF THEY DO NOT AGREE  BUSINESS STILL HAS TO GO ON, TRADE HAS TO GO ON. NOBODY CAN STOP THE BUSINESS, NOBODY CAN STOP TRADE. NOBODY CAN STOP THE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE BUSINESS. SO THIS IS WHAT WE THINK, AND THEY ARE SO GREAT ON THE OFFLINE, WE ARE SO GOOD ON THE ON THE ONLINE, THEY ARE SO GOOD IN THE STATES, WE ARE SO GOOD IN CHINA. WE SHOULD SET AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. THAT IMPROVING THE RELATIONSHIP, THE STRENGTHENING OF THE RELATIONSHIP, THIS IS WHAT WE THINK. BY WORKING TOGETHER, THE TWO COUNTRIES CAN DO IT A LOT.

SORKIN: DO YOU HAVE A TAKE ON NORTH KOREA? I KNOW YOU'RE SPONSORING, BY THE WAY, THE OLYMPICS THIS YEAR. I'M GOING TO BE IN SOUTH KOREA. YOU'RE GOING TO BE THERE AS WELL. AND IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG CONVERSATION THERE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN NORTH KOREA.

MA: YEAH. IT'S TOO COMPLICATED TO ME. I HAVE ENOUGH HEADACHE IN MY BUSINESS, I THINK WHEN I HEAR THAT NORTH KOREA, SAY, "OH, MY GOD, NORTH KOREA DID THIS, RUSSIA DID THIS, AND CHINA DID THIS, AMERICANS DID THIS." LEAVE THE JOB FOR PRESIDENT XI AND DONALD TRUMP, BECAUSE I'M FOCUSING ON MY BUSINESS.

SORKIN: OK, LET ME ASK YOU ONE QUESTION. LAST TIME I SAW YOU IN DAVOS, YOU SAID SOMETHING VERY PROVOCATIVE. PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD TALKED AT ONE POINT ABOUT THE U.S. -- OR, RATHER, CHINA STEALING JOBS FROM THE U.S. AND YOU SAID THAT WAS THE STRATEGY BY  THAT WAS THE STRATEGY BY THE LEADERS OF THE U.S. PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS TRIED TO CHANGE THAT. I'M CURIOUS IF YOU THINK HE'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL, WE HAVE TAX POLICY THAT HE'S TRYING TO PUT THROUGH, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE UNITED STATES?

MA: WELL I THINK AMERICANS ALSO SHOULD HAVE PATIENCE. MAYBE YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH HIM. WHEN HE SAID, "I WANT TO DO THIS," HE HAS BEEN PRESIDENT ONLY ONE YEAR OR SOMETHING, HE CAN NEVER GET  ACHIEVE SOMETHING WITHIN ONE YEAR. AT LEAST HE'S TRYING. AND FOR ME, I THINK THE CHINA IS NOT STEALING JOBS. WE ARE CREATING A LOT OF JOBS. A LOT OF COMPANIES SUCCEED IN CHINA. STARBUCKS DID IT EXCELLENT IN CHINA. MICROSOFT DID EXCELLENT IN CHINA. IBM DID EXCELLENT IN CHINA. AND WE DO NOT SEE A LOT OF CHINA'S COMPANIES DO EXCELLENT IN THE STATES. SO WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER.

SORKIN: WHEN YOU HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH GOVERNMENT HERE, HOW MUCH DO THEY TALK ABOUT TRUMP WITH YOU?

SCHULTZ: THERE'S A CONSTANT THEME ABOUT ASKING ABOUT THE PRESIDENT. AND I HAVE  I HAVE ONE STATEMENT THAT I CONSISTENTLY REPEAT, AND THAT IS: "I'M NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT POLITICS, AND I'M CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO CRITICIZE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES ON FOREIGN SOIL."

SORKIN: FAIR ENOUGH. BACK THERE WHEN YOU BUY COFFEE, YOU CAN PAY WITH ALIPAY, BUT YOU CAN ALSO PAY WITH WECHAT, WHICH HAS BEEN GROWING IN ITS MARKET SHARE. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO STOP THAT?

MA: WHY SHOULD I STOP THEM? FIRST, IF THERE IS ONLY ONE ALIPAY, ALIPAY -PAY CANNOT GROW THAT FAST. WHEN THERE IS FAIR COMPETITION, GROW FAST. NO MATTER HOW FAST IT GROWS, WE'RE STILL BIGGER, WE'RE STILL BETTER. SO WE HAVE A FAIR, HEALTHY COMPETITION. IT IS GOOD. AND WE DON'T WANT TO BE LONELY TO TALK TO THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE WE'RE THE ONLY ONE IF THERE'S TWO OR THREE, THEN WE HAVE THE RIGHT POLICY.

SORKIN: TALKING ABOUT CURRENCY THE TOPIC IS BACK IN THE U.S., I THINK HERE AS WELL, IS BITCOIN. AND WHAT SOME PEOPLE THINK OF AS THE MODERN, LIKE, TULLIP BUBBLE, OR IS IT A BUBBLE? AND I WAS CURIOUS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ARE GOING TO ACCEPT BITCOIN, DO EITHER OF YOU HAVE A TAKE ON WHETHER WE'RE IN A BUBBLE? OTHER PEOPLE HAVE CALLED IT A FRAUD. JAIME DIMON SAYS IT'S A RIDICULOUS THING.

SCHULTZ: I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT MYSELF. I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THIS COFFEE BUSINESS.

MA: I HAD THIS  JUST TWO DAYS AGO AT THE WORLD INTERNET CONFERENCE PEOPLE ASKED ME WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? I SAY, "HONESTLY, I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT IT, AND I AM TOTALLY CONFUSED,: AND EVEN IF IT WORKS, THE WHOLE INTERNATIONAL RULES AND LAWS ON TRADE ON FINANCE IS GOING TO COMPLETELY CHANGE. I DON'T THINK WE ARE READY FOR THAT. SO I THINK I'M FOCUSSING ON THE ALIPAY AND FOCUSED ON IMB, U.S. DOLLARS AND EUROS, AND THAT'S FAIR.

SORKIN: NOT YET.

MA: NO.

SORKIN: DO YOU SEE A DAY WHERE YOU COULD?

MA: WE HAVE A TEAM SPECIFICALLY TO STUDY THAT AND ALSO WE HAVE A TEAM BLOCK CHAIN TECHNOLOGY. WE'VE SPENT A LOT OF EFFORTS ON BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY AT ALIBABA, BUT BITCOIN, I SAY NOT FOR ME. I DON'T KNOW.

SCHULTZ: I CAN SEE A POINT IN TIME WHERE STARBUCKS BECOMES A CASHLESS RETAILER. AND I THINK THAT TIME IS NEARER THAN YOU THINK.

MA: LET ME SAY ONE THING. WE ARE NOT FOCUSED ON BITCOIN. WE ARE FOCUSED ON CASH SOCIETY FOR CHINA, AND EVERY COUNTRY WE'VE GOT. TRYING TO MAKE SURE THE SOCIETY IS MORE EFFICIENT, MORE TRANSPARENT, NO CORRUPTION THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.

SORKIN: I HAVE TWO FINAL QUESTIONS, AND I'M GOING TO EMBARRASS YOU WITH ONE OF THEM THERE'S A LOT OF SPECULATION IN THE UNITED STATES THAT THIS GENTLEMAN MAY ONE DAY RUN FOR PRESIDENT OR SHOULD RUN FOR PRESIDENT. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?

MA: I THINK HE SHOULD.

SCHULTZ: BE CAREFUL HERE.

MA: I RESPECT HIM A LOT HE IS A GREAT VALUE, VISION, AND IS VERY PARANOID FOR THE FUTURE. ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU CAN CHANGE. SEE THIS THING VERY -- I SEE SO MANY RETAILERS COMPLAIN ABOUT NEW TECHNOLOGY, AND THEY HATE TECHNOLOGY, THEY STOP, THEY JUST COMPLAIN. BUT HE IS CHANGING IT. I THINK THIS IS WHAT A COUNTRY LEADER SHOULD HAVE.

SORKIN: FINAL QUESTION, WE'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU DANCING LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON, CREATING MOVIES. WHAT'S NEXT, OUTSIDE OF  DOING MAGIC SHOWS  OUTSIDE OF RUNNING ALIBABA.

MA: WELL I  I TRY TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE THERE ARE THREE JACK MA. FIRST JACK IS, AH, HE IS GREAT, HE IS NOT GOOD. THIS IS PEOPLE'S IMAGINATION. SECOND JACK MA IS JACK MA, THE CEO AND FOUNDER OF ALIBABA GROUP. AND THIRD JACK MA IS MY REAL PERSON. I LOVE TO SING. I LOVE TO DANCE. I HAVE FUN. I LIKE WALKING AROUND THE STREETS. I'M THE THING YOU SEE  I'M MYSELF. MY REAL JACK MA COMING AROUND THESE DAYS.

SCHULTZ: I HAVE A FOURTH JACK MA. I'VE KNOWN JACK A LONG TIME, AND JACK OBVIOUSLY HAS BECOME EXTRAORDINARILY SUCCESSFUL AND INFLUENTIAL IN CHINA AND AROUND THE WORLD. THE FOURTH JACK MA, THE CORE JACK MA, IS A MAN OF HUMILITY, A HUMBLE PERSON, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK I HAVE SO MUCH RESPECT FOR HIM. HE HAS NOT CHANGED AT ALL.

SORKIN: HEY, GUYS. WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME, TOUCHED A LOT OF TOPICS. WE'RE GOING TO BRING YOU A LOT MORE NEWS HERE IN SHANGHAI FROM THE OPENING OF THE NEW STARBUCKS ROASTERY. WHEN WE COME BACK IN JUST A LITTLE BIT, WE ARE GOING TO INTRODUCE YOU TO A MAN THAT IS BEING REFERRED TO AS THE WARREN BUFFETT OF CHINA. PERHAPS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL INVESTOR IN CHINA. OWNS PIECES OF JUST ABOUT EVERY MAJOR CHINESE COMPANY AROUND. WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK WITH HIM IN JUST A LITTLE BIT FROM THE CAPITAL OF CHINA. I'M GOING TO SEND IT BACK TO YOU FOR NOW.

JOE KERNEN: ANDREW, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. COMING UP, WE'LL HEAR ALSO FROM STARBUCKS CEO KEVIN JOHNSON AND STARBUCKS CHINA CEO BELINDA WONG ON THE COMPANY'S EXPANSION IN ASIA. THEN AT 7:30 CVS IS BUYING AETNA, AS YOU KNOW, IN A MOVE THAT WILL ARGUABLY CHANGE THE FACE OF THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY. FORMER AETNA CHAIRMAN CEO, RON WILLIAMS, WILL JOIN US TO DISCUSS WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT IT. YOU'RE WATCHING "SQUAWK BOX" ON CNBC.

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Emma Martin

CNBC

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China's stock market is having a banner year, and Asia expert Stephen Roach sees reasons for investors to be optimistic  but not without a caveat.

If the right steps aren't taken, he warns, a stock market shock could come from outside its borders.

"There's just been a progression in the advances that North Korea has made in terms of nuclear weapons capability and in missile delivery capability. And now, we're at a really dangerous point," the Yale University senior fellow said Monday on CNBC's "Trading Nation."

Roach, who spent five years as chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, has been arguing that China's economy is in the early stages of a "long-heralded structural transformation." He's been closely following China's evolution into a services and consumer-oriented economy.

"My base case for the fundamentals of the Asian economy remain constructive," said Roach, who visits China five to six times a year. "China is in a period of addressing a lot of its structural challenges."

The Hang Seng stock index has surged more than 32 percent this year. There have been concerns that China's economy has been overheating, and too much speculation is baked into its stock market.

Roach doesn't share those concerns but says it's vital for North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions for China's growth story to continue.

"This is a potentially destabilizing threat with a very aggressive leadership that seems absolutely fixed on developing a capability and a presence in a nuclear club," he said.

Roach believes sanctions are necessary, and China could set up the most effective ones.

"China is North Korea's largest trading partner," he said. "There's no question that China has leverage."

China provides key items such as fuel and food to North Korea, which has been dealing with serious shortages.

"It's just a question of whether or not they have the willingness to use it or whether or not we have the ability to put pressure on them to use that leverage," Roach said.
The estate tax  addressed differently in the House and Senate tax overhaul bills  discourages savings, Sen. Chuck Grassley told CNBC on Tuesday.

"Death ought to not be a reason for having taxation. The people who saved are then punished," the longtime Iowa Republican said on "Squawk Box."

Grassley was chairman or ranking member of the Finance Committee for nine years through 2010. He remains a senior member of that tax-writing panel. He's also currently chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Grassley, a lifelong family farmer, has been a senator since 1981.

"We have so much in our tax code that encourages savings, he said. "But the estate tax works against that."

The Senate tax bill, which was passed early Saturday, mitigates the impact of the estate tax by doubling the exemption. The current exemption is $5.49 million for an individual and $10.98 million per couple.

The House, which passed its tax legislation last month, takes a similar approach, but goes a step further and repeals estate taxes altogether in 2024.

The treatment of the estate tax is an item that conference committee members are going to need to figure out as they work to craft and pass compromise legislation that can go to President Donald Trump for his signature.

However, on Monday, Grassley found himself defending comments over the estate tax that were published over the weekend as part of an interview in The Des Moines Register, Iowa's biggest newspaper.

Grassley was quoted as saying: "I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing ... as opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it's on booze or women or movies."

Critics were quick to say comments like these that suggest people struggling to make ends meet are wasting their money show that Republicans are out of touch with working Americans.

In a statement, Grassley said, "My point regarding the estate tax, which has been taken out of context, is that the government shouldn't seize the fruits of someone's lifetime of labor after they die."

"The question is one of basic fairness, and working to create a tax code that doesn't penalize frugality, saving and investment," he added.

"That's as true for family farmers who have to break up their operations to pay the IRS following the death of a loved one as it is for parents saving for their children's college education or working families investing and saving for their retirement," Grassley explained.
U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis briefs the media at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., April 11, 2017.

A federal government shutdown is looming after Friday if Congress fails to craft a deal on spending  and it could be bad news for the Pentagon and defense workers.

If it happens, military and civilian workers at the Department of Defense could end up going without paychecks. Analysts say a prolonged shutdown could also hit defense contractors and other businesses that rely on the Pentagon for revenue and lead to furloughs, impacting new projects and potentially costing the American taxpayers more money in the end.

The current so-called Continuing Resolution, or CR, reached in September doesn't cover the entire fiscal year and only funds operations of the federal government through Dec. 8.

"Regular procurement contracts would be paused," said Katherine Blakeley, a research fellow at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, D.C. "For defense, you can't spend money that you're not legally authorized to have."

The Aerospace Industries Association, the trade association representing more than 300 defense and aerospace companies, urged Congress and the Trump administration to do what it can to avoid a shutdown. There could be "negative impacts" even if the shutdown doesn't last long, according to a statement by the association.

"There are a variety of impacts from a government shutdown on the aerospace and defense industry," AIA said. "Some begin immediately, such as when federal facilities that are supported by civilian contract personnel are closed, leaving contractors nowhere to work. Others take longer to manifest, such as when contract payments are delayed as a result of the shutdown, which can cause work stoppages and other ripple effects. The end result is serious disruptions no matter how long the shutdown lasts."

But beyond defense contractors, the impact would be felt by DoD personnel who rely on a paycheck from the federal government.

"One of the biggest categories that would be impacted is people," said Blakeley. "Your uniform and civilian personnel would not get paid, but many of them would have to work anyway."

With rent or mortgages due, utility payments, car bills and families to feed, the immediate financial stress of the shutdown on workers at the Pentagon could be significant if a government shutdown lasts for more than a week.

In sheer numbers, it could affect more than 1.3 million men and women in the active-duty service and a civilian force that numbers in the thousands.

"We treat it like a political game but it's really breaking faith with all of our uniform and civilian people who support the Pentagon," said Blakeley.

Defense Secretary James Mattis warned in September that imposing the continuing resolutions is "a great burden on DoD's foundational capabilities, and immediately manifests itself in impacts on training, readiness and maintenance, personnel, and contracting."

If the shutdown does last longer there also could be impacts at military installations, including furloughs of nonessential workers. That could ultimately have ripple effects on local economies around the country because there are businesses, such as restaurants and dry cleaners, that serve people working at bases.

"In past shutdowns, including the longer shutdown in 2013, those people were paid retroactively," Blakeley said. "But there's no guarantee about that until Congress gets their act together and actually passes either a short-term spending bill or ideally a longer-term budget deal."

Cowen defense analyst Roman Schweizer said he doesn't believe that Republicans or Democrats want a government shutdown. "President Trump may or may not  that's sort of the wildcard in this," he added.

The Democratic leadership wants action taken to protect so-called Dreamers, about 690,000 young undocumented immigrants. The Obama-era DACA (or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program that protects them will expire in early March after the Trump administration rescinded it in September, and to get support for an end-of-year spending bill the Democrats want a solution on the DACA issue.

Regardless, Reuters reported Monday that House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York finally agreed to sit down this coming Thursday with President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress to avoid a shutdown. Even so, the Democrats continue to insist on protections for the Dreamers and also are seeking financial help for states to fund health insurance programs for low-income children, among other programs.

"We need to reach a budget agreement that equally boosts funds for our military and key priorities here at home," Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement. "There is a bipartisan path forward on all of these items."

The Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but the Democrats could potentially block a new government funding bill using a filibuster in the Senate if they don't get what they want with DACA. The Senate needs 60 votes to stop a filibuster, and the Republicans control 52 seats in the 100-member chamber.

"The positions of all the parties in Congress are so opposed on these bigger issues," said Blakeley, including whether to incorporate DACA into an omnibus spending package and whether to increase or cut defense spending and nondefense discretionary spending.

A group of House Freedom Caucus members is pushing for a stopgap funding measure to extend the government funding to Dec. 30 rather than the Republican plan introduced Monday for a CR to Dec. 22.

"They are concerned about getting jammed with a pre-Christmas tree bill because literally everyone hangs what they want on it," said Cowen's Schweizer. But he added, "I don't believe there's a big appetite for stretching it until the 30th. This is certainly a new wrinkle that the tea party guys have come up with."

Schweizer also said there could be another CR into January or the first week of February.

According to Blakeley, there's a risk in doing some short-term CR extensions that something may trip up the process and lead to a brief government shutdown.

"There's this procedural risk that you just won't get all your ducks in a row in time to have these short-term CRs," she said. "You might have kind of a day or two shut down in between."
Public opinion polls give little support for Trump's beliefs about the tax overhaul. While at least one recent survey has shown a slight improvement in the plan's approval rating, it remains deeply unpopular as the House and Senate move closer to passing a joint bill.

"I view it more than anything else as it's a tremendous bill for jobs and for the middle class," the president told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. "And I think people see that and they're seeing it more and more, and the more they learn about it, the more popular it becomes. And I think the end result will be even better."

The way President Donald Trump sees it, Americans are ecstatic about the Republican tax plans.

President Donald Trump, flanked by U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, Senator Jeff Flake and Senator Deb Fischer, speaks to reporters prior to a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans at the White House in Washington, December 5, 2017.

On Friday and Saturday  when significant media attention focused on the Senate's rush to pass its tax bill  only 29 percent of American adults polled by Gallup approved of the proposed tax changes. Fifty-six percent disapproved, while 16 percent had no opinion. Seventy percent of Republicans backed the plan, compared with only 25 percent of independents and 7 percent of Democrats.

An identical 29 percent of voters polled by Quinnipiac University from Nov. 29 to Monday said they backed the tax proposals. Fifty-three percent disapproved. That marked a slight increase in support from November, when 25 percent of voters approved and 52 percent disapproved in a Quinnipiac poll.

Two other recent polls have not shown strong backing for the tax plans. Only 29 percent of Americans responding to a Reuters/Ipsos poll in late November supported the proposals, while 49 percent opposed them.

The GOP proposals had an even approval and disapproval at 36 percent in a Politico/Morning Consult poll in late November.

Voters are also not buying the Republican argument that their plans primarily help the middle class. Sixty-one percent of respondents to the most recent Quinnipiac poll said the plan favors the rich at the expense of the middle class.

Republicans contend that their proposals  which would chop the corporate tax rate, at least temporarily trim individual rates and change or scrap numerous deductions  will spark business investment and boost job creation and wages.

House and Senate Republicans are poised to form a conference committee to hash out differences in the separate, but largely overlapping, bills they passed. If they can strike a deal on a final plan and pass it, they can send the proposal to Trump to sign into law.

The GOP hopes to approve a plan by Christmas.
"I have exposure to the most cutting edge AI, and I think people should be really concerned by it," billionaire Tesla and SpaceX boss said in July . "AI is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization...."

Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have recently issued terrifying warnings about the potential for artificial intelligence, should it go unchecked.

"Unless we learn how to prepare for, and avoid, the potential risks, AI could be the worst event in the history of our civilization," Hawking said at the Web Summit technology conference in November.



Monday, Alphabet Chairman and billionaire Eric Schmidt highlighted another area of potential for artificial intelligence, this one significantly less terrifying: making really good, innovative chocolate chip cookies. And that, he says, is awesome.

"Love this - a Pittsburgh baker invented a new cookie with the help of Google AI!" tweeted Schmidt.

"Over the past year, a small research team at Google has been experimenting with a new technology for experimental design. To demonstrate what this technology could do, our team came up with a real-world challenge: designing the best possible chocolate chip cookies using a given set of ingredients," says senior staff engineer Daniel Golovin in a blog post about the experiment.

To come up with the perfect chocolate chip cookie, Google engineers established the inputs: chocolate, flour, vanilla etc. Google employees would test a recipe, give it a numerical rating and then the system would recalibrate the recipe based on the feedback.

"We did this dozens of timesbaking, rating, and feeding it back in for a new recipeand pretty soon the system got much better at creating tasty recipes," writes Golovin.

Once the Google engineers had an AI perfected baseline cookie, they teamed up with Jeanette Harris of the Gluten Free Goat Bakery & Cafe. They added a couple of wildcard ingredients to the mix  cardamom and szechuan pepper  to see what their AI cookie-baking system would do. And the final product had to be gluten free.
House GOP has introduced a temporary stop-gap spending bill to fund the government until Dec. 22. The bill maintains current spending levels and includes a temporary protection for the Children's Health Insurance Program. (CNBC)



* Schumer and Pelosi to meet with Trump after canceling previous meeting (CNBC)

* Republicans had sought to discredit unfavorable analysis of GOP tax plan hours before vote (NY Times)

The Senate Banking Committee is expected to approve the nomination of Jerome Powell as Fed chair today, and then mark up a bipartisan bill to exempt small and mid-size banks from portions of the Dodd-Frank Act. (Seeking Alpha)

Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating alleged Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election, has asked Deutsche Bank (DB) to share data on accounts held by President Trump and his family, a source tells Reuters.



* Prosecutors say Manafort colleague has ties to Russian intelligence (Washington Post)

* Trump: 'I feel very badly for General Flynn' (CNBC)

* The president 'cannot obstruct justice,' Trump's lawyer says (CNBC)

The Supreme Court has allowed the third version of Trump's travel ban to go into effect while legal challenges continue. The decision means the administration can fully enforce new restrictions on travel from eight nations, six of them predominantly Muslim. (NY Times)



* US and foreign officials warn Trump not to call Jerusalem Israel's capital (Reuters)

U.S. outdoor clothing company Patagonia slammed Trump after he revealed plans to shrink two national monuments in Utah. It modified its homepage to initially display a black screen with the message "The President Stole Your Land." (CNBC)

President Trump formally endorsed Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore despite nearly a half-dozen allegations against Moore of sexual misconduct with minors. Both GOP senators and the White House have tempered their criticisms of Moore in recent weeks. (CNBC)



* Democratic Rep. Conyers won't seek re-election in wake of sexual harassment claims, says a family member (NY Times)

Netflix (NFLX) drama "House of Cards" will resume production of its sixth and final season in 2018 without actor Kevin Spacey amid sexual misconduct allegations. Instead, the final episodes will focus on co-star Robin Wright. (The Guardian)

Apple (AAPL) has succeeded in preventing Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi from registering its Mi Pad tablet computer as an EU trademark because the name was too similar to Apple's iPad. (Reuters)

Alphabet's (GOOGL) YouTube says it plans to add more people next year to review and remove violent or extremist content on the video platform amid criticism from advertisers and regulators for failing to police content. (Reuters)

Amazon's (AMZN) Australian arm took its first orders today, ending the suspense over its opening date and sending retail stocks higher. That happened amid complaints of limited product range and uncompetitive prices on the platform. (Reuters)

General Motors (GM) has launched GM Marketplace, which allows roughly 2 million owners of GM vehicles to press a button or two in order to order food or coffee they can pick up minutes later in a drive-thru lane. (CNBC)

In an effort to up its value game, the McDonald's (MCD) is bringing back Dollar Menu but with a twist. Now called the $1-$2-$3 Dollar Menu, it's set to roll out nationwide on Jan. 4. (USA Today)

Japan Airlines is betting at least $10 million to bring back supersonic commercial flight at speeds that top those of the doomed Concorde. (CNBC)
A stronger than anticipated OPEC-led commitment to extend production cuts will support prices through 2018, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs .

In a research note published late Monday, Goldman lifted its Brent price forecast for next year to $62 a barrel and its WTI projection to $57.50 a barrel. The revisions were up from $58 a barrel and $55 a barrel respectively.

While the OPEC-led deal "leaves room for an earlier exit than currently scheduled, we now reflect this resolve in our supply forecast, with full compliance for longer and a more modest exit rate," Goldman analysts said in the research note.

Oil prices have lost ground in the days following OPEC's deal with global producers last week. The 14-member cartel, Russia and nine other crude producers announced plans to extend their output cuts until the end of 2018.

The move was heavily telegraphed ahead of the decision, but oil producers had earlier indicated they could exit the deal if they feel the market was overheating.
A farmer holds a Greek flag in front of parliament during a protest against the government's tax and social security reforms on February 14, 2017 in Athens, Greece. Nicolas Koutsokostas | Corbis | Getty Images

The Greek government believes a deal with international creditors on its current debt pile is just around the corner, potentially paving the way for the embattled euro zone economy to finally stand on its own. "I think we will achieve a very, very good result very soon," Dimitris Tzanakopoulo, the Greek minister of state who is also the Greek government spokesperson, told CNBC in Athens on Monday. Its third bailout program, a 86 billion euro aid package ($102 billion), is due to finish in August of next year  meaning that Greece will not receive any more disbursements from its creditors after that date and will have, in principle, to finance itself in the public markets. In order to guarantee that market access won't be an issue after August, Greece hopes to get an agreement that will restructure its pile of debt before the summer  and thus, prove once more to investors that they can trust Greece after nearly a decade of financial crisis.

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"We will have an agreement before the end of the program. This is very important for us in order to be able to refinance our debt without official sector support, I think this is a precondition in order for us to do that," Tzanakopoulo told CNBC. The issue is highly contentions in Europe. Germany and institutions such as the European Stability Mechanism, which is a fund that helps euro zone countries that need to borrow, argue that Greek debt is sustainable in the coming years and it is therefore not a priority for creditors. "Europe, in the last months, has been quite destabilized not only because of Brexit, but Germany has no government and this is of course a concern," Tzanakopoulo added, noting that Greece needs a German government in order to continue progressing with all the bailout-related questions. Earlier on Monday, Dimitris Papadimitriou, Greece's minister of economy, told CNBC that European leaders have recognized that something has to happen with the Greek debt. "Even the outgoing (German) Finance Minister (Wolfgang) Schaeuble indicated that, in fact, Greece has done what it was supposed to do and more, and therefore we have to deal with the Greek debt," Papadimitriou said.

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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at the start of a joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2017.

A series of positive factors for the Greek economy are attracting U.S. investors back to the embattled euro zone nation, a government minister told CNBC.

"There are many American investors who are interested in participating in projects in Greece, because every clever investor would be interested in an economy that now starts to have positive growth rates," Dimitris Tzanakopoulo, Greek minister of state and the government spokesperson, told CNBC Monday.

Following a meeting between President Donald Trump and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in October, there's a renewed interest from the U.S. in shoring up its investments in Greece, especially in the energy sector.

Aside from a bounce back in economic growth, Tzanakopoulo said that Greece was "a pillar of stability in a region" and is winning back investors.

"(The region) has many, many problems, wherever you look there's destabilization, there is turbulence," Tzanakopoulo said in his office in Athens.

"We think we are one of the factors which will secure and guarantee stability in the region and this is something everybody knows, from the U.S. to our European partners," he said.

At the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, Greece is a key ally for many Western countries in the face of escalating tumult in Turkey and the rest of the Middle East.

In particular, the relationship between Ankara and the U.S. has been under intense strain, not only because Turkey blames the Western world for an attempted coup against the regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but also because of divergent views when it comes to dealing with the Islamic State.
Hawaiian Airlines is debating whether to launch basic economy class, a bare-bones product that other carriers love because passengers will pay more to avoid it.

The airline's challenge is how to offer a bare-bones class of service that doesn't insult passengers in the process, Hawaiian Airlines' CEO Mark Dunkerley told CNBC.

Hawaiian Airlines is tiny compared with other U.S. behemoth airlines, but its home market is growing rapidly amid a boom in tourism to the islands.

Cutting certain perks that are currently free could backfire, said Dunkerley, who is retiring early next year.


Although many of these significant players in this drama have in the past competed with one another inside the Fine Gael party, any resulting tension has vanished in the face of Brexit.



The U.K.'s departure does not just threaten Ireland's tens of billions of dollars in goods, services and FDI exchanged with its largest trading partner. According to many politicians I spoke to inside and out of government on both sides of the border, it also jeopardises the success of the Good Friday Agreement. And despite claims from members of Theresa May's Conservative Party that domestic political pressures have driven Varadkar to adopt a hardline approach at a moment when the British hope to conclude this phase of Brexit talks, that was not my impression after a week's reporting across Ireland.



Micheal Martin, the leader of the opposition party Fianna Fail, told me he and the prime minister have now developed a better understanding of each other thanks to the crisis. And when I asked him if he would continue to support Varadkar's minority government on Brexit, his answer was unequivocal. "We will of course," he said.



As May tries to thread the needle between Brussels and her own party's Brexiteers ahead of a leaders' summit on December 14, she may cast a rather envious eye across the Irish Sea. Life in Number 10 would be significantly easier if she could rely on that level of political cover from inside her own cabinet, let alone from the opposition benches.
Starbucks could very well be cashless one day, but technology won't replace its "humanity" in dealing with customers, Executive Chairman Howard Schultz told CNBC on Tuesday.

Schultz, who stepped down as Starbucks CEO earlier this year, said he could see a future where the U.S.-based coffee chain becomes a "cashless retailer."

"That time is nearer than you think," said Schultz, who spoke with "Squawk Box" at the opening of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai.

At the same time, he said, technological advancements won't get in the way of the relationship between customers and the barista. "We're a people company," he said.

"I don't see a day where artificial intelligence or robotics is going to replace the humanity of Starbucks," Schultz added. "The equity of the brand is based on that intimacy between our customers and our people. That's why we invest so much in our people."

Addressing the difficulty of the brick-and-mortar retail environment, Schultz said, "If you don't put your people first, and invest in your people, I don't think you can have that customer experience that customers are going to want to be attracted to and loyal to."

Schultz joined Starbucks in 1982 as director of operations and marketing. He served twice as CEO, a role he turned over to Kevin Johnson in April.

Johnson, who also appeared on CNBC from the Shanghai Roastery on Tuesday, was joined by Starbucks China CEO Belinda Wong. The U.S. coffee giant is opening one store every 15 hours in China, Wong said.
New Eurogroup President Portuguese Finance Minister Mario Centeno gestures during a press conference on his election as new Eurogroup chief at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium on December 4, 2017.

Portuguese Finance Minister Mario Centeno has won the race to be the next voice of the 19-country eurozone, a victory that marks a move away from the austerity mantra that has marked the recent crisis-ridden years in the single currency bloc.

Centeno, the overwhelming favorite, came out on top after two rounds of voting among his peers and will officially succeed Dutchman Jeroen Dijsselbloem on Jan. 13. His term as eurogroup president will last for two and a half years.

Following his victory, Centeno said he hoped to promote "inclusive" growth policies that will help "put an end to a period that was very difficult for Europe." Other priorities include bolstering the resilience of the eurozone, he said.

"We have a very unique time window to further prepare our economies and our societies better," Centeno said after seeing off the challenge from Luxembourg's Pierre Gramegna, Slovakia's Peter Kazimir and Latvia's Dana Reizniece-Ozola.

Centeno will take the helm at an opportune time. Whereas Dijsselbloem's five years in the post were marked by crises largely centered on cash-strapped Greece, Centeno's tenure starts off in relatively benign conditions. The eurozone economy is growing strongly, while worries over Greece's future in the bloc have subsided with the country poised to exit its bailout era next summer.

"We are facing different challenges today from the ones we faced a couple of years ago," he said.

Centeno's victory has the potential to symbolize a new era for the eurozone, all the more so as he comes from less-wealthy southern Europe. While eurozone governments still insist that countries must keep their public finances in shape, there's a greater acknowledgement that the austerity of the past few years has taken a heavy toll on people, particularly in countries like Portugal and Greece.

"We are confident this will represent a turning point for the future development of the eurozone and for the whole of Europe," said Gianni Pittella, leader of the S&D Group in the European Parliament. "We are finally overcoming the era of blind and stupid austerity that has left behind even more poor and divided societies across Europe."

One of those societies is Portugal. The country was one of four eurozone countries, along with Greece, Ireland and Cyprus, that had to be bailed out during the region's debt crisis. In 2011, Portugal required a 78-billion-euro ($93 billion) rescue after its budget deficit grew too large and international investors asked for hefty premiums to lend to the government.

In return for the financial lifeline offered by its partners in the eurozone and by the International Monetary Fund, the then center-right Portuguese government had to enact a series of spending cuts and economic reforms. Portugal exited its bailout program in 2014.

While the austerity strategy had the desired effect of putting Portugal's annual budget into better shape, the austerity demanded by creditors accentuated a deep recession and sharply raised unemployment. Following a backlash against austerity, the Socialist Party came to power in late 2015, with Centeno, a former Bank of Portugal analyst, taking the post of finance minister.

Centeno, who has eased up on austerity in Portugal by pushing more growth-oriented policies, said his aim would be to "generate consensus" among eurozone countries in the "challenging" period ahead.

As well as overseeing the end of Greece's bailout era, Centeno's agenda is likely to be taken up improving the eurozone's architecture. The debt crisis of the past few years clearly exposed the failings of the euro's construct.

Though a series of reforms, such as stricter controls on budgets, have made the eurozone more viable, there is a widespread belief that more needs to be done to prevent a repeat of the recent debt crisis. Achieving a consensus on how to do that is likely to be a key part of Centeno's work.

"This is the only way Europe has advanced in the past," Centeno said.

Achieving consensus isn't easy given that the governments of the eurozone come from a variety of political traditions with differing mandates and economic agendas.

Dijsselbloem, whose Labor Party fared poorly in Dutch elections this year and is no longer part of the coalition government in the Netherlands, was considered a skilled operator in bridging differences and maintaining a consensus, particularly over austerity.

That was especially the case during the Greek crisis of 2015, which saw the country nearly crash out of the euro before the newly elected left-led government in Athens agreed to a last-minute international bailout.

Dijsselbloem's advice to his successor was to keep the eurogroup "together and united" and to urge countries that use the euro to be wary of complacency in light of the recent economic upturn, which is expected to see the region grow at a decade-high rate.

"Particularly in this time, it's very easy to lean back and relax," he said.

Pylas reported from London.
Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri (L) greets his supporters upon his arrival at his home in Beirut on November 22, 2017. Hariri, back in Beirut after a mysterious odyssey that saw him announce his resignation in Saudi Arabia, told cheering supporters that he was staying.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri rescinded his resignation on Tuesday and said all members of the government had agreed to stay out of conflicts in Arab countries.

Hariri quit his job in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia a month ago but later said he might withdraw the resignation, providing all parties in Lebanon's government agree to adhere to the state's policy of "dissociation" from regional conflicts.

The Lebanese government said in a statement read by Hariri: "The cabinet thanks its leader (Hariri) for his position and for revoking his resignation."

"All (the government's) political components decide to dissociate themselves from all conflicts, disputes, wars or the internal affairs of brother Arab countries, in order to preserve Lebanon's economic and political relations," Hariri said.

His resignation offer thrust Lebanon back into a regional tussle between Riyadh and its main regional foe, Iran.

Lebanese officials said Saudi Arabia had coerced Hariri, a long-time ally of the kingdom, into resigning and held him there against his will until an intervention by France led to his return to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia denies this.

Iran backs the powerful armed Shi'ite group, Hezbollah, which is part of the Lebanese government and which Saudi Arabia accuses of sowing strife in the Arab world with support from Iran.

The cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the statement was agreed was the first since Hariri's resignation plunged the country into political crisis.
In this week's episode of CNBC's "The Profit," self-made millionaire Marcus Lemonis gave some crucial advice to two entrepreneurs struggling to keep their company successful, which can help any employee succeed: "Allow your creativity to breathe."

Lemonis told Eric Yelsma and Brenna Lane, the owners of the high-end jean manufacturer Detroit Denim, that upon his first assessment, he had reservations about investing in the company because he thought the owners were as "stiff" as the jeans they sold. Detroit Denim was founded by Yelsma in 2010 when he became "tired of the corporate rat race" and saw the opportunity to revitalize his city by tapping into local designers and fabricators.

Even after Detroit became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy, Detroit Denim's business slowly grew, reaching a quarter of a million dollars in revenue in 2016. All of the pieces sold in Yelsma's store are sourced from the United States and made in Detroit. Lemonis, who has invested over $15 million in the fashion business in the last several years, has monitored the manufacturing business in Detroit and felt confident that Detroit Denim "could be huge." But the biggest obstacle Lemonis found had kept the jean makers from pocketing bigger profits and growing store and online sales was the Detroit Denim team itself. "If [Eric] is ultimately going to be the leader of this business, he needs to motivate his people and how to listen to them, especially their ideas," Lemonis said. Lemonis provided these other pieces of advice to Detroit Denim that anyone can use to boost his or her success.

Be open to others' ideas

When Lemonis first arrived at the business, Yelsma made it clear that he only sold men's jeans and never wanted to  nor planned to  sell women's jeans. Lane, Yelsma's co-owner, partner and production manager, said launching a line of women's jeans was a natural next step, but Yelsma ultimately made the final calls. "Eric doesn't have fun or enjoy any process or any idea that is outside of his framework," Lemonis said.

Upon speaking with other employees, Lemonis noticed how they also had ideas to branch into womenswear and accessories aside from jeans. "Eric seems alarmingly rigid about that way he runs his business and the fact that other people have creative products and he's not even willing to offer them, he's constricting, strangling, the ability for the business to grow," Lemonis said. Instead, he was blunt and honest with what he thought the team should do. "I think everyone needs to lighten up," Lemonis said. "It's denim, it's supposed to be fun.'

Remind yourself and others of your motivation

"Growing up, I just had this curiosity with jeans and how things get made and it's got a fun history," Yelsma said. "When you think of blue jeans, you think America."

Yelsma said that when he started Detroit Denim, his idea was to make a pair of jeans in the way that he would personally want to buy them. But Yelsma also had a socioeconomic motivation as well. "Each thing we do brings a new opportunity into a pretty devastating area," Yelsma said about his company. "It's about hiring and training Detroiters." Lemonis noted that Yelsma's rigid approach to his business was not only for the sake of running a tight ship, but also tied to the mission he started his company with. "My initial thoughts were that Eric is all about himself, but the more I talk with him, I learned his real motivation is to be a part of the rebuilding of Detroit," Lemonis said. "That's the motivation I need to be able to push things forward."

'Allow creativity to breathe'

Out of the $325,000 Lemonis invested into Detroit Denim, he set apart $50,000 specifically for research and development in the creation of new products, buying textiles and trying new things to turn the new products "into real, high-margin moneymakers." "I think we have to work collectively with the team to allow the creativity to breathe," Lemonis said.
Microsoft finance chief Amy Hood was complimentary of Google's cloud computing unit on Tuesday, and had particularly flattering words for CEO Diane Greene.

Speaking at the 2017 Wells Fargo Tech Summit in Utah, Hood said that Microsoft has been seeing Google's rival cloud more frequently in a competitive setting.

Microsoft's Azure cloud service and Office 365 cloud-based productivity apps are in a high-stakes battle with the Google Cloud Platform and G Suite. In the public cloud business, both Microsoft and Google trail market leader Amazon Web Services.

In her Tuesday remarks -- which came after Wells Fargo analyst Philip Winslow specifically asked about Google -- Hood also praised Greene, the head of Google's cloud efforts for the past two years. Greene, who was formerly CEO of VMware, last week that she hired Diane Bryant from Intel to be operating chief of Google's cloud.

"We've seen more of them in the past few quarters than we've seen before," Hood said. "I think they're making a good effort. I think Diane Greene is an excellent leader and an established enterprise CEO."

Hood went on to say that Greene has "always been a winner."
Microsoft has long been known as an Intel and AMD shop.

But on Tuesday, the company is taking the rare step of unveiling a laptop that's powered by another chip giant: Qualcomm .

By selling Windows 10 PCs with Qualcomm processors, which dominate the smartphone market, Microsoft is aiming to reach a mobile audience that's been much more inclined to buy Apple and Android devices.

At an event in Hawaii, Microsoft showed new laptops from Asus and HP with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chips that use ARM's architecture. The PCs have a modem for LTE connectivity, so they don't have to exclusively rely on WiFi networks.

Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft's Windows and devices group, told CNBC that he uses his Asus NovaGo "always connected" convertible laptop for a week at a time on a single charge. That's very unusual at a time when most laptop and tablet batteries won't last longer than a day.

"In my day at the office, I walk around with one of these PCs and a phone," Myerson said, adding that he doesn't bring the laptop's charging cable along with him. He said that it's similar to his Fitbit wearable device, which he charges every four or five days.

While it's an experimental endeavor for Microsoft, over time this class of devices could present a challenge to AMD and Intel , whose processors have historically been the standard for Windows PCs. More than half of Intel's revenue comes from its client computing group, which includes PC and tablet chips.

For Qualcomm, teaming up with Microsoft represents another potential revenue opportunity, one that takes advantage of the research and development it's done for mobile devices, Cristiano Amon, an executive vice president, told CNBC.
President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, Dec. 04, 2017.

In the ways that directly affect their pocketbooks, President Donald Trump has forgotten what he calls "the forgotten people."

He forgot them on health care. Jettisoning his campaign pledge to "take care of everybody" regardless of income, he proposed cutting federal health subsidies for the hard-pressed blue-collar voters who put him into office.

He forgot them on financial regulation. Abandoning talk of cracking down on Wall Street executives who "rigged" the economy to hobble the working class, he seeks to undercut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has recovered $12 billion for consumers from financial institutions that exploited them.

And he forgot them on taxes. Discarding his vow to reshape taxation for average families at the expense of rich people like himself, he's working with Republican leaders to hand the biggest benefits to corporations and the wealthy.

Under the Senate-passed bill, the president would deliver a near-term tax cut to most middle-income families. The Joint Committee on Taxation in Congress says more than 70 percent of those earning $40,000 to $100,000 will see their taxes reduced in 2019 by at least $100.

But vastly larger tax cuts would flow to wealthy Americans and corporations. The corporate cuts are permanent; the individual cuts are temporary.

Thus by 2027, 8 in 10 households in the $40,000-to-$100,000 range would receive less than $100 or a tax increase. Even in 2019, more than 15 percent of them will see their taxes go up. Moreover, by eliminating the individual mandate to purchase health insurance under Obamacare, the Senate bill would raise premiums for some middle-income families who remain in the individual marketplace after healthier customers requiring fewer medical services leave.

The president insists cutting corporate taxes will ultimately benefit workers by generating a surge of growth, hiring and wage increases. But instead of a surge, the Joint Tax Committee and other mainstream forecasters say the tax-cut will generate only modest growth while adding $1 trillion to the national debt.

Added debt, in turn, heightens pressure for Congress and the administration to cut spending programs that benefit Trump's blue-collar supporters. Though candidate Trump promised to protect major entitlement programs, he and his party have identified them as targets.

Obamacare repeal efforts sought to cut hundreds of billions from Medicaid. That program covers health care, some opioid addiction treatment and nursing home expenses for millions of blue-collar workers and their parents.

The president has announced a forthcoming push for "welfare reform." His budget proposed cuts in Social Security disability payments, the principal income source for millions of people candidate Trump championed as casualties of unfair foreign competition.

Nor has Trump delivered on promises to upend U.S. trade policy to their benefit. He hasn't withdrawn from the North American Free Trade Agreement. Early in the tax debate, he jettisoned the House plan for a "border adjustment tax" that might have spurred domestic employment, after import-dependent businesses objected.

The huge infrastructure plan he pledged would create new construction jobs also has not materialized.

The president hasn't forgotten everything. In lieu of big financial benefits, Trump has steadily given "the forgotten people" one visceral commodity that research shows many of them value.

That commodity is affirmation of shared racial grievances. Research by the Democracy Fund after the 2016 election identified Trump's most important group of supporters as voters with strong identities as white Christians and negative feelings toward immigration, blacks and Muslims.

Trump keeps advocating a travel ban on residents of some majority-Muslim countries and a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration backs curbing legal immigration and ending protections for young illegal immigrant "Dreamers."

His attorney general halted federal efforts to change local law enforcement practices in response to complaints of excessive force against minorities. Indeed, the president once suggested explicitly that police rough up criminal suspects.

He praised "very fine people on both sides" after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that killed one counterprotester. He has maintained a running battle over Twitter with prominent African-American athletes about their protests against racial injustice.

As Trump's first year ends and Republicans face 2018 elections, most of his supporters have stayed loyal. But not all of them.

As he took office, a Gallup poll showed that 45 percent of Americans approved Trump's job performance. On Monday, 35 percent did.
Rep. John Conyers, the longest-serving member of Congress, retired Tuesday amid sexual misconduct accusations from former staff members.

The 88-year-old Democrat from Detroit previously rejected calls from his party leaders, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, to step down after a half-century career on Capitol Hill.

"I'm in the process of putting my retirement plans together," he told a Detroit radio show Tuesday morning from a hospital, where he was being treated for what his consultant has described as stress.

Later, he said: "I am retiring today." Conyers endorsed his son, John Conyers III, to replace him in Congress.

He later submitted a letter to Pelosi and House Speaker Paul Ryan, which read: "I have made the decision to retire from my position as the Member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's Thirteenth Congressional District effective today."

Conyers was the longest-serving member of Congress. He first got elected in 1964.

On Monday, Elisa Grubbs, who said she worked in Conyers' office from about 2001 to 2013, accused him of putting his hand up her skirt and rubbing her thighs when they sat in the front row of a church, according to The Associated Press. She added that she saw the congressman inappropriately touching other female staff members on "multiple occasions."

Another accuser, Marion Brown, reached a confidential settlement with Conyers but broke a confidentiality agreement to speak publicly about her allegations.

Conyers denies having acted improperly. He previously stepped down from his role as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. The House Ethics Committee is investigating the accusations.

Once Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder receives Conyers' resignation, he has discretion about when to call special primary and general elections to replace him, said Fred Woodhams, a spokesman for the Michigan secretary of state's office. The winner would serve the remainder of Conyers' term through January 2019.

In 2016, Conyers easily won the election to represent Michigan's 13th District, which includes parts of Detroit and its suburbs.

 The Associated Press contributed to this report
Bank of America announced Tuesday that it plans to buy back another $5 billion of its stock through the middle of next year, and that is proof enough that tax reform is bound to fail, according to New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer.

The bank had already planned to buy back $12 billion of its shares, and word about the extra purchases helped lift its stock price in early morning trading before it fell back.

Bank of America is buying back the stock, after getting approval from the Federal Reserve for the plan, after generating extra money by selling a U.K. cards business and after Berkshire Hathaway converted warrants to shares.

U.S. banks have been required to get Fed approval for share buybacks and dividend payments since the central bank began stress testing them after the financial crisis to make sure they had enough capital on hand to weather a severe downturn.

But Schumer says the buyback plan just underscores how major corporations are likely to use the tax cuts they are due under the tax reform being pushed by Republican members of Congress. That is to say, they won't be using their windfalls to expand business and create jobs.

"Big corporations can smell the huge tax cut they have coming, and rather than raising workers' pay or hiring new workers, they're buying back stock and prepping huge dividend payments," Schumer said in a statement. "CEOs have made no secret of their intention to spend a coming tax windfall on executive bonuses, stock buybacks and dividends."

A Bank of America spokesman didn't want to comment on the senator's view.

The markets normally view dividend payments and buybacks as a good thing. Bank of America's biggest shareholder, billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, converted crisis-era warrants into common shares of the bank this summer after the bank boosted its dividend.

Assuming it isn't needed to fund the immediate needs of the business or can't be put to better use acquiring something, buybacks are one way for a company to use extra cash, Buffett said in his annual letter to shareholders this year.

"Both American corporations and private investors are today awash in funds looking to be sensibly deployed," Buffett said in the letter. "I'm not aware of any enticing project that in recent years has died for lack of capital."
Democrats were haunted by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosis line on the Affordable Care Act: We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.

Early Saturday morning, Republicans upped the ante with their own corollary: Youll find out whats in the bill once we have a majority, presuming you can read the handwritten notes scrawled in the margin.

The sprawling, $1.5 trillion tax reform package before the Senate received approval after GOP leadership marshaled the adequate number of votes. Setting aside the merits of the bill, though, the opaque manner in which the legislation was crafted and passed by both houses of Congress is a shameful act obscured by darkness until the last minute.

Government is most effective when conducted transparently and in regular order. The mad dash to author a bill, one that would please at least 50 Republican senators, released just hours before the vote failed to meet either of those ideals.

Public hearings? There were none. The committee process? Nonexistent. Ample time for study? Some Democrats reported receiving a list of proposed amendments before even seeing a draft of the bill.

Oh, and the bill is forecast to increase the national debt  which was once anathema to Republicans and their apparently bygone era of being deficit hawks  by 7.5 percent, adding another $1.5 trillion on the existing $20 trillion total. Legislation that momentous must be thoroughly vetted before a vote.

Tax reform was one of Republicans major legislative priorities. But, for as important as party leaders claimed it to be for the country, this should have been done properly, not hurriedly. All 52 Republican senators shot down a Democratic effort to delay a vote until they had ample time to digest and comprehend a 479-page bill riddled with handwritten crossouts and notes.

Instead, Americans got a bill through the Senate before the measure got scored by the Congressional Budget Office.

Things didnt have to go this way. Republicans hold majorities in both houses of Congress, plus the White House. The requisite number of votes almost certainly still would have been there had congressional leaders managed this process in a transparent fashion.

Those who allowed this bill to remain hidden from the eyes of their constituents  including Nebraska Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse  should be ashamed for backing a series of actions that run counter to a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Rather than the thoughtful, open debate Americans deserved and needed from their lawmakers on a bill of this magnitude, they received silence until GOP senators obtained a majority of votes and raced through such enormous legislation.
For a startup, there are 60 seconds that can make or break you. At last week's Slush conference in Helsinki, Finland, entrepreneurs from early-stage startups to large tech companies agreed the minute-long "elevator pitch" is crucial for getting an investor's attention. Here are six tips from entrepreneurs who founded their own companies and mastered their elevator pitches.

Keep it short

An elevator pitch needs to be short  not longer than the length of time you would spend riding in an elevator. "I see investors typically seeing hundreds of startups every single day so you really want to stand out with a really short and easy to understand pitch," said Michael Bodekaer, co-founder and chief technology officer at Labster, an education tech startup that builds virtual 3D simulations. Bodekaer said he focused on shortening his company's pitch when he realized investors wanted to get to the heart of his idea within seconds.

Solve a problem

"We talk about how we're going to solve a problem, make a lot of money and mitigate risk," said Viola Llewellyn, co-founder and president of Ovamba Solutions, a financial technology (fintech) company focused on providing short-term capital to small and medium enterprises in Africa. Llewellyn said she reworked her company's pitch to focus on what investors want, like growth and risk protection. She said it's important to highlight why your company is a unique solution to an investor's problem. Sanna Westman, investment manager at VC Fund Creandum, agreed. "I'm interested in hearing what is really the value that you're going to bring," she said.

Mike Watson Images | Getty Images

Practice, practice, practice

"Crystallize your idea in your mind and be absolutely sure that you know what you're talking about," Llewellyn said. Llewellyn said one of the worst things you can do as a startup is go into a pitch meeting and "word vomit."

Use an analogy

Entrepreneurs said one of the best ways to get an investor's attention is to use an analogy to help them understand your idea. "I started over and used a simple example of something that made sense to them every day," said Michael Pryor. Pryor is co-founder of Trello, a web-based app that helps organize projects into different boards. He said he helps people understand how to use Trello using the analogy of "sticky notes on a wall." "Explaining your product in terms that people use every day is going to make it much more approachable," Pryor said.

More than 2,000 startups attended this year's Slush conference in Helsinki, Finland. CNBC | Benjamin Hall

Read the crowd

"Be willing to pivot," Ovamba's Llewellyn said. The entrepreneur said you have to be willing to reshape your vision and ideas based on the feedback received during a pitch. "Do not get Velcro-ed to your idea to the point that you cannot get pried off the pole because you're so attached to how brilliant your idea is."

Make it personal
Snapchat co-founders Bobby Murphy and Evan Spiegel at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), March 2, 2017 in New York City.

Snap shares rose 10.1 percent on Tuesday after Barclays said the social media company could hit a "turning point" next year.

The investment bank upgraded Snap to overweight from equal weight and raised its price target to $18 a share from $11, implying a 32.7 percent upside from Monday's close.

"We've been on the sidelines since the IPO, but feel now is a good time to start accumulating shares," Barclays analyst Ross Sandler said in a note Tuesday. "Snap may start hitting or exceeding consensus revenue estimates and accelerating growth in 2018 now that the pricing transition is [in the] late stage."

Sandler also said Snap could benefit from a narrative change away from 2017's "Facebook is killing Snap" to "these companies can co-exist" like Priceline Group and Expedia .

Snap shares have fallen nearly 45 percent since going public in early March, as the company has failed to meet investor expectations. Mounting pressure from Facebook has also pressured the stock lower.

Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal is an investor in Snap.
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Starbucks is opening one store in China every 15 hours, the company's China CEO, Belinda Wong, told "Squawk Box." China has become Starbucks' second largest and fastest growing market, and one the company expects to eclipse the U.S. market one day. Starbucks already operates more than 3,000 stores in the country and 2,000 more by 2021. The company on Tuesday company opened a 30,000-square-foot Reserve Roastery in Shanghai, its flashiest commitment to its growing Chinese business. It's the second Starbucks' Roastery to open and is twice the size of its flagship location in Seattle.

Exterior view of the new Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai, China. Justin Solomon | CNBC

"To us, we open 500-plus stores a year, but to us, it's not about 500. It's about opening a store 500 different times because you're in a different neighborhood and we've got to build that relationship with our customer," Wong said.

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson (l), Belinda Wong, CEO of Starbucks China (c), and Howard Schultz, Chairman of Starbucks. Justin Solomon | CNBC

Starbucks is now building more net new company-operated stores in China than in the U.S., said CEO Kevin Johnson, who replaced CEO Howard Schultz in April when the longtime leader transitioned into the role of executive chairman. In China, Starbucks' young baristas and shift supervisors receive a housing allowance subsidy, Wong said. The idea is to give those employees who have likely just finished college financial security.

Baristas working at the new Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai, China. Justin Solomon | CNBC
The Republican tax overhaul plan will "kill" property values in New Jersey and raise taxes, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., told CNBC on Tuesday.

While he supports tax cuts, Gottheimer said he has an issue with the changes to state and local tax deductions. New Jersey is one of the highest taxed states in the country. New York and California are also expected to be hit hard by the changes.

"This is an assault on New Jersey, another nail in our coffin," he said in an interview with "Power Lunch."

The original Senate bill proposed eliminating the ability to deduct all state and local taxes (known as SALT), but a last-minute amendment allows the deduction of up to $10,000 in state and local property taxes.

The House bill repeals the SALT deduction except for property taxes of up to $10,000.

Gottheimer believes the plan, which he called a "tax hike on New Jersey," will send jobs, people and businesses fleeing the state and will cause housing prices to plummet.

"People are calling our office off the hook," he said. "They think property values will go down somewhere between 15 and 20 percent."

"It also resets what you can suddenly afford every year," he added, noting that residents will have less money at the end of the year.

About 60 percent of homeowners in the state currently use the SALT deduction, according to Gottheimer. It will go down "a little bit" with the changes, "but not that much," he said.

The median home value in New Jersey is $315,900 and has annual taxes of $7,410, according to WalletHub.

He also argued that New Jersey is already paying more of its fair share in taxes.

For every dollar the state sends to the federal government, it gets back 33 cents, Gottheimer said.

"You look at Mississippi, they get back $4.38. So you've got a bunch of moocher states out there that are already taking from us and now they're trying to pile this on our backs too and increase our costs."

Supporters of the SALT elimination have said it would create a more level playing field among the states.

In an interview with "Power Lunch" last month, Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., said, "There's no reason in the world  that a couple with two children in Iowa pay more federal tax than the same couple with two children, same income, same deductions, in California."

The Senate and the House must reconcile their bills before sending a final version to President Donald Trump to sign into law.
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A massive overhaul of the looks set to get the green light by Christmas. But whether it will translate into a boost for U.S. President Donald Trump over the longer term remains to be seen, according to a former White House official. Tony Fratto, founder and partner of Hamilton Place Strategies and deputy press secretary during George W Bush's tenure at the White House, told CNBC on Tuesday that the tax reform plan was a "big win" for Trump and the Republican party. However, he added that it was uncertain whether this would lead to a bounce in the polls for Trump, or at the midterm elections for the GOP next year.

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"I think it's a big win for Congressional Republicans," Fratto said, calling it a "once in a generation opportunity." "They have been working on tax reform and tax reform proposals and ideas for a very long time, well before Donald Trump even ran for president let alone when he became president. But it gave them the opportunity when Trump won to try to get it across the line," he said. House and Senate lawmakers have begun wrangling over a tax reform plan that reconciles versions from both chambers. Sticking points have arisen, from a corporate tax rate to estate taxes. Still, Congressional Republicans hope to get a bill to Trump's desk by Christmas. Fratto thought that was feasible. "There are some differences between the House and Senate versions but I'm very confident that they're going to get them worked out before Christmas and get a bill to the president's desk (by then)," he said. "Whether this is enough to sustain the party going into the mid-term elections (in November 2018) is something we'll have to see. Is it enough to overcome those negative feelings (towards Trump in the polls)?" Tax reform plans center on cutting corporate tax rates and some individual tax rates, as well as changes to several tax breaks. The bill assumes that tax cuts will encourage economic growth and will boost tax revenues over time. Its detractors say the richest will benefit most and .

Going sour?

While the tax reform plans have been generally welcomed by businesses, the impact on voter sentiment is uncertain, particularly given that the effects of tax cuts could take years to filter through. The plans also come at a time when Trump's popularity continues to dwindle, with the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showing his approval rating in November at 41 percent  a new low. Asked whether Trump would get a popularity boost from the tax cuts, Fratto said that the legislation was a "win for now," but whether the president's traditional lower and middle-class supporters would react positively was yet to be seen.
Firefighters work to put out flames after it has engulfed a home on December 5, 2017 in Ventura, California.

High winds continued to fuel the Thomas Wildfire in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, on Tuesday. Firefighters battled the rapidly growing blaze throughout Monday night trying to contain the flames, as thousands of residents evacuated their homes.

The fire is another devastating blow for the state, which is still struggling to recover from catastrophic wildfires in Northern California's wine country in October.

Following are scenes of the wildfire throughout the night.
A number of news organizations, including Bloomberg, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, reported early Tuesday that prosecutors demanded records from the German lending giant in recent weeks.

"We have confirmed that the news reports that the Special Counsel had subpoenaed financial records relating to the President are false," Jay Sekulow said in a statement to NBC News. "No subpoena has been issued or received. We have confirmed this with the bank and other sources."

An attorney for President Donald Trump denied reports that prosecutors working for special counsel Robert Mueller issued a subpoena to Deutsche Bank for records of the president's business dealings.

The president has said that inquiries into his financial dealings would be a "violation" of the special counsel's mandate. Mueller is investigating ties between the president's top advisers and Russia.

Trump has repeatedly denied accusations that his campaign colluded with the Russian government.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders on Tuesday called the reports that Mueller subpoenaed Deutsche Bank "totally false."

"I think this is another example of the media going too far too fast," she told reporters at a press briefing.

Sol Wisenberg, a leading white-collar attorney who was deputy independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation, said it's typical for the subject of a subpoena to be informed that prosecutors sought his records.

But, he said, a financial institution cannot inform its client or anyone named in the subpoena if the prosecutor requests that the institution not do so.

Earlier on Tuesday a Deutsche Bank spokesperson told NBC, "DB takes its legal obligations seriously and remains committed to cooperating with authorized investigations into this matter."

The lender declined to say what constituted an authorized investigation, and whether the Mueller inquiry was included.
Donald Trump was wrong to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement but may soon change his mind, according to the CEO of aluminium giant Rusal.

Vladislav Soloviev told CNBC on Tuesday that the U.S. should continue to comply with the historic deal reached in Paris at the end of 2015.

World leaders committed to making sure global warming stays "well below" two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

At the beginning of June, however, Trump announced that the U.S would withdraw from the Paris agreement and commence talks to re-enter or negotiate a new accord.

Did Soloviev think that the U.S. president's actions made a big impact?

"I don't really, because I see a lot of governors, a lot of communities in the United States supporting that agreement," he said. "That's why I think, sooner or later, the Trump administration will recognize how it's important to come back to that (agreement)."

Indeed, Trump's decision has drawn criticism from some quarters, and action from others.

To give one example, Climate Mayors is a group of U.S. mayors committed to working with one another to boost local efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and support aims for "binding federal and global-level policymaking."

According to the group, 385 mayors  representing 68 million Americans  are committed to upholding the goals set out in the Paris agreement.
World is worried over US naming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Turkish foreign minister says 4:09 AM ET Wed, 6 Dec 2017 | 01:33

When it comes to the Middle East, it's not that the so-called experts are bad people. It's just that so much of what they "know" isn't so.

One of those misguided beliefs is that if the U.S. officially recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, tensions will inflame the Arab world and thrust the region closer to war. This thought is getting a lot more attention lately as reports say President Donald Trump may make that official recognition as soon as Wednesday.

You can already hear the gasps from everyone who has sent the president dire warnings about what will happen as a result. It doesn't matter that Jerusalem has been the functioning capital of the state of Israel in every way for more than 50 years. Apparently, it's the accepted fiction that it isn't the capital is what's keeping the peace in the Middle East.

Let's avoid the obvious joke about "maintaining peace and stability" in one of the world's most violent regions. Instead it's better to focus on the many historical reasons why most of the world's real and disingenuous responses to this now expected move are all wrong.

First, the fact is that one of the biggest problems in the on again/off again Arab-Israeli peace process is that the Arabs are often falsely convinced that Israel is just a temporary thing. Whether it's the disputed territories on the West Bank and East Jerusalem, or even downtown Tel Aviv, there's always been a running belief that with enough political and military pressure, the Jews will pack up and leave.

That's why good things happen when Arab leaders finally get the message that their best political and military might won't work and the Israelis are there to stay. That's exactly what happened when the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat figured this out.

First, Sadat's big gambit to launch a surprise attack with superior numbers in the Yom Kippur War failed. But he also failed to see how steadfastly President Richard Nixon and the U.S. would stand by Israel and resupply its defense forces during that conflict.

The result? Sadat realized peace was the better move and just four years later he made his historic visit to Jerusalem. Against most predictions from the pundits, peace between Egypt and Israel has now lasted for more than 40 years.

A similar result came about after the first Gulf War. Saddam Hussein attempted to destroy the U.S.-Arab coalition against him during that war by launching Scud missiles directly into Tel Aviv. But that gambit didn't work. Israel's promise to the U.S. not to interfere in the war held firm, and so did the overall focus on beating Saddam. Suddenly, King Hussein of Jordan realized that his better move was to cut ties with Iraq and make some kind of peace deal with Israel instead. He did just that in 1994.

Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel fits right into the pattern of the above examples. That's because it would be another strong sign of Israel's determination to continue to exist and flourish with the strongest possible support from Washington.

That's the history. The question remains "Why now?"

One simple answer is that President Trump campaigned on a promise to make this move and he wants to keep it before his first year in the White House is over.

But that would be a lot easier said than done if it weren't for the remarkable moves Saudi Arabia and Israel have made to accelerate their partnership since President Trump took office. Progress and open relations between the two countries continue with U.S. participation and approval. It's reached the point that the Israeli Defense Forces' chief of staff has even been quoted in Saudi newspapers as saying the two countries are now sharing intelligence.

In this context, it seems more than likely the Saudis will accept this move. While the Saudi state news agency officially still says the kingdom "hopes" President Trump won't make the move, the wording of the statement is far from the usual denunciations and threats we're hearing from other quarters. That's crucial, because the Saudis have for years been a major funding source of anti-Israel movements and terror. That started to change with the Iran nuclear deal and now the Saudis have reportedly cut off funding to the Palestinian Authority. The long-running problem of forging peace between Israel and its neighbors should be 50 percent easier now that the Saudis are no longer so invested in helping others fight that war.

The conventional wisdom on the Middle East is wrong again in this developing story. The simple fact is that when the U.S. stands up for Israel achieving peace gets easier, not harder. Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital would be another such move, and it would be long overdue.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
President Donald Trump's criticism of the FBI is getting some big time pushback.

But the people pushing back may have done more to hurt the FBI than anything coming out of the White House.

Just to recap, we learned this weekend that special counsel Robert Mueller removed a top FBI agent from his team after the Justice Department began examining whether the agent had sent anti-Trump text messages. The story became even more interesting when it turned out that same agent, Peter Strzok, helped lead the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of classified information on her private email account.

That triggered the Trump Twitter machine with a number of inevitable comments:

It was the "FBI in tatters" tweet that encouraged the most compelling Trump opponents to respond. Former Attorney General Eric Holder, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, and  most importantly  former FBI Director James Comey, all weighed in:

But each of these very similarly structured rebuttals actually made matters worse.

First, only the most obtuse observer would think President Trump's comments about the FBI were meant to include ordinary agents in the field. Comey et al seem to be intent on making sure the fight included as many people, innocent people, as possible.

Secondly, their comments completely glossed over the fact that the news of the Strzok removal was what President Trump was discussing. To be clear, this story constitutes a major image crisis for the FBI. Trump or no Trump, we now know there was enough evidence of blatant political bias to remove one of the most prominent agents working on two of the most important investigations of our time.

That's a big deal because Strzok had enormous reach for just one agent. Just since President Trump's tweet, published reports now say that Strzok is also the person who changed the key phrase in Comey's description of how former Secretary of State Clinton handled classified information from "grossly negligent" to "extremely careless." That change had significant legal ramifications that likely reduced the ability to prosecute Clinton.

After all that, Strzok was then put on the Trump investigation as a leader on Mueller's team. Didn't anybody worry about a possible conflict of interest by then? Wasn't there another good FBI agent available to share all these sensitive jobs? These are the questions damaging the entire FBI's credibility.

No, it's not fair to paint all the FBI's employees with that credibility cloud. But is that what President Trump was deliberately doing with his tweets? Probably not. Of course, that's where the president himself deserves real criticism. It's probably unrealistic to hope President Trump will somehow only start tweeting compliments and use softer language. But it's still possible to demand that he use his enormous power of public attention to be more exact and focus his fire on the right people. If President Trump wants to "drain the swamp," he needs to hone his attentions more precisely.

This tweet isn't the only sign of the administration's often too general and delayed efforts to make promised changes to the bureaucracy. The president's delayed removal of former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen was perhaps the most egregious example of that.

The result is that by being so imprecise, President Trump allowed Comey, Holder and Yates to deflect and even possibly obfuscate in their response. He could have avoided that by just focsuing on Strzok and Comey by name.

But the eerily similar responses from Comey and the others still feed the belief that top political appointees use the bureaucracy to carry out vendettas. This also increases the suspicion that they have more than a little to hide.

That's the kind of suspicion that sours people on all government. That's the kind of suspicion that hurts innocent federal workers. Oh, and most importantly for the president's Twitter opponents, that's the kind of suspicion that got Donald Trump elected in the first place.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
The United States will anger Muslim countries if it recognizes Israel's capital city as Jerusalem, Turkey's foreign minister warned Tuesday.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, as the Israeli capital could bring chaos to the region.

Trump will announce Wednesday that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and will move the U.S. embassy there, senior administration officials said.

Speaking to CNBC at the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, Cavusoglu said: "Israel is trying to normalize relations with other Muslim countries, so it will not serve Israel well. I hope there will be no such decision by President Trump."

The Turkish foreign minister added that he viewed a move by Washington to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital would be against the law.

"This can go as far as severing Turkey's ties with Israel. I am warning the United States not to take such a step which will deepen the problems in the region," Cavusoglu said. "We have to warn the United States that such a decision will be against the U.N. resolutions and international law and international agreements."

"As one of the P5 countries, I think the U.S. should respect UN resolutions more than anyone else," added the minister.
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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders briefed reporters on Tuesday afternoon, as the House and Senate prepared to huddle in a conference committee to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the Republican tax reform bill.

The briefing came one day after President Donald Trump formally endorsed Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, despite allegations by multiple women that Moore pursued them sexually when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. Two of the women allege that Moore sexually assaulted them when they were minors, which Moore denies.

Tuesday's briefing is also the first on-camera press briefing since Trump's former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI on Friday. As part of his plea, Flynn agreed to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Wells Fargo 's CEO Tim Sloan said he was optimistic about continued economic growth, which is expected to get a boost from tax reform.

This is the first year in a while there has been sustained growth into the second half, he noted. Speaking at a banking conference organized by Goldman Sachs on Tuesday, Sloan said customer activity at Wells Fargo already had "reasonable momentum," and the anticipated passage of tax reform in Washington could create "a little bit more" momentum.

The bank is trying to recover from a fake account scandal that affected 3.5 million accounts and has had ongoing repercussions. In October, Sloan said Wells Fargo would achieve the growth it had lost during the period. On Tuesday he reiterated the bank's goals to cut $4 billion of annual expenses by the end of 2019, about half of that targeted to be achieved by the end of next year.

Wells Fargo has also been reviewing operations to identify areas where customers may have experienced harm, including in auto insurance, mortgage rate-lock extensions and the freezing or closing of accounts. The results of that review are nearly complete, Sloan said.

Correction: The Well Fargo fake accounts scandal affected 3.5 million accounts. An earlier version misstated the figure.
Huthi rebel fighters inspect the damage after a reported air strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition targeted the presidential palace in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on December 5, 2017. Mohammad Huwais | AFP | Getty Images

The assassination of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh has changed the dynamics in the country's ongoing civil war, which is effectively a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, according to Middle East experts. Saleh's death on Monday came as he tried to flee the Yemeni capital Sana'a after he had broken an alliance with Iran-aligned Houthi rebels at the weekend, blaming the group for "recklessness" in Yemen. Before his death, Saleh had appeared to switch sides in the ongoing civil war to side with Saudi Arabia, which has led a coalition conducting airstrikes on Houthi rebels. Marcus Chevenix, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) analyst at TS Lombard, told CNBC that with Saleh dead, Iran was likely to be able to consolidate its influence in Yemen and that the war was not likely to end any time soon. "It's generally bad news for Yemen and probably good news for Iran," he said Tuesday. "I think we'll see the step-up of Iranian involvement in Yemen now and it will become very intense."

First revenge

Yemen has experienced a complicated civil war since 2015, with Saudi Arabia and Iran backing different sides in what is seen as a proxy war for regional and religious influence. Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and the West back Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who became head of state after an uprising against former president Ali Abdullah Saleh that started in 2011. Shia-majority Iran, on the other hand, is widely believed to have given financial and military support to Houthi rebels, a predominantly Shia group that has taken control of Sana'a and government ministries, pushing the Hadi government into exile. The rebels had also been allies, until last weekend, with forces loyal to Saleh in their battle against the restoration of Hadi's government. The war took a dramatic turn Monday with Saleh's assassination, which happened during a rapid escalation of violence in Sana'a after Saleh announced Saturday an end to a three-year alliance with the Houthis. Saleh then appeared to switch sides, allying himself with his former foes Saudi Arabia and President Hadi, saying that he wanted to "turn a page" and blaming the Houthis for Yemen's disaster. "Yemeni citizens have tried to tolerate the recklessness of the Houthis over the last 2.5 years but cannot anymore," Saleh said during a televised address, according to media reports. Then on Monday, Saleh was killed by the Houthis as he tried to flee Sana'a during intense street fighting between the rebels and forces loyal to Saleh. The Houthi rebel group said that Saleh had been killed for "treason."

Now what?

After Saleh's death, speculation is mounting over what will happen next in Yemen. By assassinating Saleh, Houthis have effectively created an enemy on two fronts  both in forces loyal to Saleh and those loyal to Hadi. TS Lombard's Chevenix said that Saudi Arabia could step up its bombing campaign against the Houthis but that Saleh's death, ultimately, had helped Iran because it simplified "the anti-Hadi cause" represented by Houthi rebels, taking away the forces loyal to Saleh.

Huthi rebel fighters are seen riding an armoured vehicle in front of the residence of Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa on December 4, 2017. Mohammed Huwais | AFP | Getty Images

"Now that Saleh is temporarily out of the picture, unless we see his son try to come back (as Saleh's successor), the Iranian proxy is now the only opposition to Hadi. They are the sole patron to the anti-Hadi government," Chevenix said. "Saleh's death now pushes Houthi rebels into needing more Iranian support too," he added. Ayham Kamel, head of risk consultancy Eurasia Group's Middle East and North Africa practice, told CNBC on Tuesday that the Houthis might only see a temporary boost following Saleh's death. "Houthi rebels get a short-term win because they were able to get rid of someone that opposed them, but the assassination of Saleh also delegitimizes the Houthi rebellion and it undermines its support base so Houthi rebels could also now grow weaker," he said. "They'll need more support from Iran, but they might also become a greater liability. There is a risk that Houthi rebels will be losing hearts and minds in Yemen."

No end to the conflict

The ongoing conflict in Yemen has caused widespread destruction and killed thousands of people, with the United Nations saying the death toll had reached 10,000 in mid- 2017. Yemeni civilians are bearing the brunt of the war, famine and disease. One U.K. charity, Save the Children, has estimated that 50,000 children could have died in Yemen by the end of the year due to starvation and cholera. The crisis has been exacerbated by an almost constant blockade, enforced by Saudi Arabia and its allies, on rebel-held parts of the country that has prevented access to food, aid and medicines.

Children sit amidst the rubble of a house hit by Saudi-led coalition air strikes two days earlier on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on November 14, 2016. MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
According to research from a U.K.-based cancer organization, people are twice as likely to live at least 10 years after a cancer diagnosis than they were 40 years ago.

Thanks to earlier detection, improved screening and innovative treatments, certain types of cancer are becoming more manageable than before. While the paradigm is shifting, cancer still remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

Medical professionals are now reviewing their approach to cancer care  which includes diagnostics and treatment innovation. A new approach ultimately needs to put the patient at the heart of care.

Astellas Pharma Inc., in partnership with CNBC Catalyst, hosted a special panel event at TEDMED 2017 in Palm Springs, California, to discuss and share insights into these important topics. The event explored the latest tools, techniques and technology innovations that can be applied today, tomorrow and in the future to improve care and outcomes for people living with cancer.

This panel event was a collaboration between Astellas and CNBC Catalyst. Astellas had no influence over the panel discussion at this event, nor were Astellas products discussed.
Only 9.45 percent of Columbia voters came to the polls on the extension of a sales tax that pays for local public safety and transportation projects like maintenance of fire trucks and stations and expansions and repairs of roads.
MOUNT PLEASANT  With all parties having signed on the dotted line  the Village of Mount Pleasant, Racine County and Foxconn Technology Group  the bills can finally be paid.

Throughout the negotiations and land acquisition process, several companies and consultants have been paid for using funds from the village, county and Racine County Economic Development Corp.

The Foxconn initiatives package, passed by the state Legislature, allows for $15 million in grants from the Wisconsin Department of Administration to be applied for to reimburse the local entities. So far, the village has received $2.5 million for those costs.

On Monday morning, Mount Pleasants Finance/Legal/License Committee approved reimbursing the county $500,000, RCEDC almost $155,000, and the village just over $110,000.

The committee also approved agreements with: Foth Infrastructure and Environment LLC, for work done on the sewer projects related to the tax incremental district related to the project; James Machnick, who has been working on land acquisitions; and Pitts Brothers and Associates, LLC, and G.A. Bock and Associates Inc., for real estate appraisal services.

Now the agreements and requests for payment go to the Village Board for final approval, which likely will be at the Dec. 11 meeting.

Claude Lois, village project director, said many of these agreements have been approved by the county and now need to be moved over to the village for payments. Some invoices apparently have been outstanding going back to August.

A financial bridge of sorts

Lois said the state grants will be used to pay for professional services until the tax increment finance district (TID) for the Foxconn development area is running. In a TID, increased property tax revenue is used to finance the infrastructure improvements that made the increased property value possible.

Well apply for that grant on a monthly basis until the TID increment comes in, Lois said. Once the TID is up and running well pay that grant back.

Lois said the grants are designed to cover any shortfalls.

Foxconn is planning to build a massive manufacturing campus southwestern corner of Mount Pleasant, with construction scheduled to start next year. The campus is expected to employ up to 13,000 people  excluding an estimated 10,000 construction jobs and many thousands more indirect jobs.

On Friday, the development agreement with Foxconn was signed by Village President Dave DeGroot, Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave, and Louis Woo, special assistant to Foxconn Chairman and CEO Terry Gou.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Every time a new Android version arrives, a new game begins: Which of the lovingly described fresh platform features will fail to live up to its hype and then end up fading out of the foreground  either to be phased out completely or just brushed aside and consigned to oblivion?

It seems like a funny thing to say, but when you look back at Android's history, you realize how many once-transformative-sounding features ended up fizzling and being forgotten soon after their grand debuts. Some remain buried in the software while others quietly vanished after a period of inertia, but they all share the fact that they're nowhere near the center-stage-worthy elements they once appeared to be.

(I've been worried for a while that Android widgets might end up on this list, incidentally, but Apple's high-profile adoption of the concept this year makes me hopeful that Google might start caring about it again for the first time since roughly 2011. Funny how that can happen, isn't it?!)

So grab some popcorn and get ready for a nostalgia-filled journey  one bound to be peppered with more than a few "Oh, right, what ever happened to that?!" reactions.

1. Slices

Our first faded Android feature found its way into our lives  in theory, at least  back with 2018's Android 9.0 Pie release. It was called, rather fittingly, Slices, and it sounded downright delicious at the time.

[Get fresh tips and insight in your inbox every Friday with JR's Android Intelligence newsletter. Exclusive extras await!]

Slices "could eventually reshape the way we find information and actions within apps," as one extraordinarily handsome and exceptionally modest writer put it. In short, the system was supposed to integrate pieces of apps directly into Android's search interface  so you could search for something like "Lyft" in your home screen search box or via the Google Assistant and see the current wait time for a ride, along with icons to actually order a ride, right then and there. Or you could search for a video on YouTube or another streaming service and then play it right in the results, without ever leaving that screen.

Instead of opening individual apps and then digging around to find info and perform actions, in other words, you'd just use one simple, consistent system interface to do it all. It was a whole new model of interaction, with endless possibilities and enormous implications. And the underlying Slices system would "iterate quickly," Google promised, with that initial framework serving only as a starting point for what was to come.

Now, let me ask you this: When was the last time you saw anything resembling Slices in action on your phone? The answer, I'm assuming, is somewhere between "Uh, what exactly is it, again?" and "Wait, does this guy actually expect me to respond out loud?" (Either response is perfectly acceptable.)

The issue with Slices, it seems, is that the system never quite progressed from its early seed-of-an-idea state. It technically still exists, but according to an interview published with two Android executives earlier this year, Google hasn't "found the fit for it just yet":

We don't think we['ve] found the right balance between effort for the developer and user features to make it make sense yet. It's something we're still really interested in. ... I think it's just the details of how to apply it and use cases are not quite there yet.

So maybe one day, Slices will makes its way off this list and into our virtual hearts. For now, though, it's tough to come up with a more appropriately dusty concept to kick off this collection.

2. Miracast

Mira-huh? Its name may be a distant memory for most of us nowadays, but a marquee feature of Google's 2012 Android 4.2 Jelly Bean release was support for a then-new wireless streaming protocol called Miracast. Heck, it was even described in some places as being the main "highlight" of that year's software.

Suffice it to say, Miracast never quite caught on as a standard, and Google eventually pivoted to its own proprietary Cast system as Android's streaming setup of choice. With 2015's Android 6.0 Marshmallow release, Miracast officially disappeared from the software entirely, to the immense disappointment of approximately seven people.

3. Lock screen widgets

Being able to put widgets on your lock screen was a "killer feature" of 2012's Android 4.2.

JR

Two years later, the capability itself was killed.

4. The tablet-specific user interface

Way back in 2011, Google made a big show of its new take on the tablet interface with the Android 3.0 Honeycomb release. Core system functions like the navigation buttons, notifications, and app drawer all existed in corners of the screen to make two-handed access easier than ever. It was a whole new world for large-screen ergonomics!

JR

Well, for about a year, anyway: In 2012, Android 4.2 brought the more traditional phone-like UI back to tablets. These days, the once-touted tablet-specific UI lives on only in a handful of long-abandoned relics such as the Motorola Xoom (pour one out...) and other old Android devices.

5. Live Folders

Here's one for the true Android veterans among us: In the ancient era of 2009, Google's Android 1.5 Cupcake release brought an amazing-seeming feature into the equation  a spiffy little somethin' called Live Folders.

As Google explained it in its Android Developers Blog, Live Folders "let [apps] display any source of data on the home screen without forcing the user to launch an application." That meant you could have a folder with a dynamic view of contacts, bookmarks, playlists, email, news stories, and so on  and any changes to the related data would appear in the folder in real-time. (Y'know, as if it were "live." Get it?)

If this concept sounds an awful lot like a widget, that's because it is. Support for third-party widgets was also added in Cupcake, and that setup clearly ended up being the more versatile and popular choice. Live Folders died with nary a peep alongside the arrival of 2011's Honeycomb release.

6. A built-in People hub

Google tooted its horn loudly about the relaunch and rebranding of Android's Contacts app with 2011's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich release. Our phones were about so much more than contacts, the thinking went, and so it made more sense to call the app People  and to have it act as a hub for all of our social communications.

The People app aimed to bring all of your contacts' social networking connections into single, centralized profiles. You could see a person's tweets or, yes, even Google+ postings right then and there  a "live window into your social world," as Google put it at the time.

Unfortunately, renaming Contacts to People mostly seemed to confuse people who couldn't figure out where their contacts had gone. By Lollipop, the app unceremoniously went back to its original name, and it didn't take long for the whole "single hub" thing to fade away, too  even if, here in 2020, such a notion seems more relevant and desperately needed than ever.

7. A native video-editing system

Video editing has never exactly been one of Android's greatest strengths, so the advent of a native system app for movie manipulation was a huge selling point for Honeycomb in 2011.

But oddly, Google seemed to give up on its aptly named Movie Studio app pretty much immediately after its birth. The app never got much in the way of updates or improvements, and after shipping sporadically with Android devices through 2012's Nexus 4, it just kinda silently evaporated  never to be replaced or so much as discussed again.

8. IR blaster support

'Twas a time when being able to use your phone as a remote was a serious selling point and point of differentiation for some Android device-makers. The feature was prominent enough that Google added official support for it in the platform with 2013's Android 4.4 KitKat release.

You can still find some phones that offer the ability to blast IR-style today, but it's an increasingly niche-style option and a far cry from the mainstream, box-worthy bulletpoint it once was.

9. Android Beam

Back at its 2011 debut, Google's Android Beam system was a genuine source of excitement  a "futuristic twist" that used the then-crazy-seeming new Near Field Communication technology to let you tap two phones together and transmit info between 'em like a wizard.

Let's all say it together: Whoaaaaaaa...

And, pardon my Keanu, but whoaaaaaaa again:

The problem: Despite the admirable marketing effort, Beam never quite worked particularly well, and numerous other systems for sharing proved to be simpler and more reliable. Beam officially got the boot with the arrival of Android 10 in 2019, and I'm pretty sure next to no one even noticed.

10. Daydream screensavers

Another Android 4.2 creation, Daydream introduced the ability to set a custom screensaver that'd show up whenever your phone was docked or charging. Boy, oh boy, was it the business when it first arrived!

Then, like the other features on this list, the spotlight went away  and Daydream got buried and forgotten. So much, in fact, that when Google announced Daydream as the name of its (now dead and gone) VR platform in 2016, hardly anyone seemed to make the connection.

Following the overlapping launch of that other Daydream, the original Daydream was quietly debranded and renamed simply to "Screen saver." It still exists beneath a few layers in the Android system settings, where tens of people find it and put it to good use every year.

11. Google Now/Now On Tap

Some things come and go for good reason  or at least with relatively minimal impact. But Google Now? Google Now was something special. It was something unique. It was something that brought Google's unique knowledge about our lives and our world together in a fantastically useful way. And Google Now On Tap had the potential to take its power even further and change the way we interacted with Android.

Google/Archive.org (Click image to enlarge)

But right when the Now services were on the brink of becoming invaluable, Google gave up on the concepts  without any real fanfare or as much as an announcement. The Google Now feed eventually morphed into a glorified news stream and lost its soul and sense of purpose. According to a 2015 report by the website Recode, most of the original Now team left Google over frustration "that the product, born within Android, was shuttered into search"  and that, following the decreased role of Google founder and former CEO Larry Page, was no longer being treated as a priority.

And while Google has slowly  veeeeerrry sloooowly  added some Now-reminiscent elements into an out-of-the-way area of the Google app known as Snapshot, it's never managed to reclaim the momentum or the magic of the once-promising but prematurely abandoned original.

The good news is that, well, this is Google we're talking about  so if we wait around long enough, it's entirely possible things will come full circle and at least some of these items will end up falling back into favor again. What can we say? For better and sometimes for worse, flipping and flopping is just part of the Google way.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter to get more practical tips, personal recommendations, and plain-English perspective on the news that matters.

[Android Intelligence videos at Computerworld]
Mozilla last week announced that revenue in 2016 exceeded $500 million, the first time it broke the half-billion-dollar bar, while development costs climbed 6% as the organization worked up Firefox Quantum, the revamped browser it shipped in November.

The bulk of the $520 million in revenue for the Mozilla Foundation came from royalty payments, with most of that coming, as usual, from deals struck for the default search engine spot in Firefox. Mozilla Foundation is the nonprofit that in turn runs Mozilla Corp., the commercial organization that creates and services Firefox for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.

According to Mozilla's just-released financial statement for 2016, $504 million, or 97% of all revenue, came from royalty payments. The percentage of revenue derived from royalties has never dipped below 91% - Mozilla's fortunes have always been tied to Firefox's search contracts - but 2016's portion was lower than the 99% record set in 2015.

Search deals composed 94% of the royalty total, Mozilla noted, meaning that the organization brought in $474 million from those agreements. That was about $63 million more than in 2015, a 15% increase.

The increase was modest compared to what Mozilla experienced in 2015, largely because 2016 was the second year of the contract with Yahoo that made that search engine the Firefox default in the U.S. and Canada. The deal, inked in late 2014, paid Mozilla $375 million annually, a $100 million-or-so-a-year jump over what the browser maker had been getting from Google for a global contract.

But while the Yahoo deal was to be for five years, or until late 2019, the contract gave Mozilla the right to skip out if Yahoo was sold. It was, to Verizon, which this summer completed a $4.5 billion acquisition of the former Internet giant. According to news reports, the new owner was required to pay Mozilla for the full length of the contract, or alternately, just the difference between Yahoo's $375 million and whatever Mozilla got out of a new partner.

Last month, Mozilla restored Google as Firefox's default search engine in the U.S. and Canada, and added Hong Kong and Taiwan for good measure. Neither company has revealed the financial terms of the pact. But if Verizon was forced to "buy out" the Yahoo contract, Mozilla's royalty revenues for 2018 and 2019 would likely spike as it adds that money to Google's payments.

(Because of the nearly 12-month lag in Mozilla's reporting, no one outside of the organization will know until late 2019, when the developer divulges its 2018 financials.)

Mozilla was quick to trumpet the switch in search revenue strategy, pointing out the 24% revenue increase between 2015 and 2016.

Most of Mozilla's expenses - 63%, the same percentage as the year before - were spent on software development, which climbed to $226 million, a 6% increase. Overall, expenses increased 7% year-over-year, slightly more than the boost from 2014 to 2015. The difference between that and the much larger increase in revenue meant that Mozilla's "profit" - it tagged the line as "net cash provided by operating activities" - once again jumped, from $80 million the year before to $108 million in 2016.

It's impossible to know how much the aggressive work on the Firefox browser in 2016 - which continued into this year as Quantum launched - added to the software development expense line. While it may have ramped up work on the browser, it also shut down its smartphone operating system project, Firefox OS, last year. In early 2017, Mozilla shuttered the remnants of Firefox OS, which had pivoted to an Internet-of-things (IoT) operating system. Those moves, and others, may have reduced spending on non-browser activities even while the browser itself consumed a larger piece of the revenue pie.

Mozilla's mounting "profit" - in just two years, it more than quadrupled - and a large rainy-day fund, signaled a solid financial foundation. The best evidence was the total in cash, cash equivalents and investments: That climbed to $399 million in 2016, up $101 million from the year before. With that in the bank, Mozilla could survive at its 2016 expense pace for more than 13 months even if all revenue suddenly vanished.

The clouds on Mozilla's horizons weren't mentioned in the financial statement, or the accompanying tax return. Nor were they new.

Firefox's share of the desktop browser market, the only space in which it is legitimately competitive, are again showing troubling signs. Although Firefox's user share, an estimate generated by analytics vendor Net Applications, hasn't collapsed, as happened in mid-2016, the trend has been ugly. In new data from Net Applications, which the California company produced after scrubbing as much "bot" traffic as possible, Firefox posted a November 2017 share of 11.4%; that represents a downturn of 23% since the same month of the year before. No other browser slumped that dramatically.

Other sources showed a major Firefox fall-off, too. Irish metrics company StatCounter, for instance, reported a 16% year-over-year decline in Firefox's usage share, a measurement of browser activity. Firefox's global share in StatCounter's November estimate was 12.6%.

Share is important to all browsers because the applications are revenue generators for their owners. Firefox's interest in share is especially keen, simply because other major makers have additional revenue streams; the search contracts Mozilla held in 2016 produced 91% of the organization's total revenue. If the browser continues to shed users, search firms such as Google will have less reason to pay Mozilla for the privilege of getting the default in Firefox.

That's always been Mozilla's Achilles heel, the reason it explored alternate means of making money - including in-browser ads that were in the end abandoned. And the share problem certainly was motivation for revamping Firefox last year and this, as developers added multi-process support - long a standard for Chrome - and then began replacing and upgrading key components such as the rendering engine, and overhauled the user interface (UI) to resemble Chrome and other putative rivals, like Microsoft's Edge.

It's too early to know what impact, if any, Firefox Quantum will have on Mozilla's share of the browser market. But the financial side of the equation looks rosier than ever, a strong sign that the open-source developer will continue to compete with its much bigger rivals.
A recent report from PayPlan and the Institute of Money Advisers found that 62 people were sent to prison last year for Council Tax debt. 18 of them owed money to Bradford Council  which topped the league table. Ten had Council Tax arrears with Sheffield, five with Coventry. All three of these are Labour councils incidentally  always so quick to tell us how compassionate they are.

Why should there be imprisonment for Council Tax debt but not for an electricity bill or being behind with the rent?

Non payment of Council Tax is a civil rather than a criminal offence  although that might not be a huge comfort to those who cant pay and find themselves banged up. For instance, Melanie Woolcock who was sent to prison, although Mr Justice Lewis later said:

There was no evidential basis on which the magistrates court could conclude that there had been culpable neglect in non payment.

There have also been a significant number of people locked up for not paying the TV Licence  astonishingly this is a criminal offence. Why should the state give itself these draconian powers while denying them to others who are trying to get hold of the money they are owed?

As Lord Denning said:

Be you ever so high, the law is above you.

So these anomalies need to be sorted out. Most of us would agree that incarceration is a more severe punishment than bankruptcy. Yet the PayPlan and the Institute of Money Advisers report says:

In 2015, ministers changed the minimum threshold for bankruptcy to 5000. However, the law allows people with council tax debt to be threatened with imprisonment for less than this.

The report adds that councils are positively encouraged to be litigious:

The litigious nature of council tax collection is out of step with the way that civil debts are dealt with in the civil court system. Local authorities have a choice about whether to use the courts, but council tax regulations encourage them to do so. Court action is permitted very early in the council tax collections process. There is an incentive in the regulations for councils to take people on benefits to court. People who are behind with their payments for utility bills are able to arrange payments directly from benefits to pay their water or energy supplier. But local authorities have to take someone to court to use the same process.

Citizens Advice has noted, in its analysis on The State of Debt Collection:

Different creditors are bound by different rules in how they go about collecting debt.Industries which are regulated, in particular, financial services, energy and water companies are bound by stricter rules governing debt collection practices than non-regulated creditors.Local authorities have guidance from DWP on collecting housing benefit overpayments, but this guidance only very briefly mentions affordability. HMRC publishes some information about recovery of tax credit overpayments, but this does not include any high level principles about how debt is collected. It is clear that regulated industries lead the way in terms of rules and guidance governing their debt collection. The only exception is the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) which provides relatively comprehensive guidance on how local authorities in England should collect council tax arrears. The guidance does not have the status that the rules issued by regulators have.

In 2013 the Government, when Sir Eric Pickles was the Communities and Local Government Secretary, issued some welcome guidance on Councils being too keen to use bailiffs. It is clear that they need to go further. The rule of law should be applied evenly  the municipal debt collectors should not have special privileges.

Another recent report  entitled Stop the Knock came from the Money Advice Trust. It says that:

Council tax arrears were passed to bailiffs on 1.38 million occasions in 2016/17, with around 810,000 referrals for parking fines and around 50,000 for Housing Benefit over-payments. There were around 86,000 referrals to bailiffs for unpaid business rates, around 2,200 for commercial rents and more than 22,000 for sundry/other debts.

From the data in the report we can see the figures for individual local authorities. For instance:

In 2016/17, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham instructed bailiffs to collect debts from individuals and businesses on 20,697 occasions.

That is likely to change from April next year. Hammersmith and Fulham Council will privatise debt collection for Council Tax. The firm that will be chasing the money, 1st Credit, will operate on Financial Conduct Authority standards to public debts  in the same way as when they pursue private sector debts.

Of course the proposal needs to be scrutinised. Will those who owe the Council money be made bankrupt even if the debt is below 5,000? What about other payments being chased? The Council says that the use of bailiffs is a medieval practice as regards to collecting overdue Council Tax. So why continue with the practice for parking fines? There is some PR from the Council about how ethical 1st Credit is but in the past they have been criticised by the Office for Fair Trading for being too quick to threaten legal action.

But the principle is welcome. The state is not good at debt collection  any more than it is at anything else. The lumbering, inflexible bureaucratic approach is both inefficient at gathering in the money and insensitive as to the human cost of how it is achieved. Often it is the Council that will have to deal with some of those human costs  if a family is made homeless or a child ends up in care. Going to court is a slow and expensive way to proceed. Often there are miscarriages of justice. Far better to intervene earlier  with well trained staff to negotiate payment of the sum owed on an affordable schedule.

For obvious reasons there must be limits to how lenient those owed money can be. If paying Council Tax became effectively voluntary that would be problematic. Unfortunately the balance is wrong at the moment and nobody benefits. The Government should iron out the unfair discrepancies. But local authorities should improve their conduct. Signing up to the Council Tax Protocol, produced by the Citizens Advice/Local Government Association is a start.

Yet legal changes and protocol signing still leave us with the woeful public sector culture, the big clunking fist. So contracting out the process is a bold and innovative idea. It need not be to a private firm  charities or social enterprises could get involved. With this radical privatisation proposal, Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council is showing the way.
Robert Halfon is MP for Harlow, a former Conservative Party Deputy Chairman, Chair of the Education Select Committee and President of Conservative Workers and Trade Unionists.

In the privacy of the ballot box, I voted to stay in the European Union. Despite believing that the EU was undemocratic, I thought it was better for the UK to be part of an alliance of democracies in an uncertain world, especially with the rise of extreme Islamism and Putins Russia.

I was also called by Oliver Letwin a couple of days before we had to make the decision in Cabinet, who argued that genuine subsidiarity had been achieved. Given that I worked for Oliver for a number of years before I became an MP, I have never known him knowingly to mislead. I felt an obligation of trust and loyalty to him and the Government of which I was a member.

However, one thing I have been absolutely clear about from the moment the referendum result came in was that it was my duty to follow the democratic will of my constituents (68 per cent of whom voted to leave), and the wishes of the country. Since then, I have done everything possible to make sure that we do all we can to leave the EU.

The reason for this is clear. A failure to follow the wishes of the people will create a deficit of trust in our political system. I think in areas where there was strong majority to leave, it would mean support potentially for new parties  possibly of an unsavoury kind  because the public would feel their faith in the current political system had been misplaced.

People voted to leave the EU, not to remain in a smaller part of it  whether that be the Single Market or the Customs Union. They voted to leave the EU, not to have a second referendum. I am genuinely dismayed by the activities of some Remainers who seem to be doing everything possible to thwart the democratic will of the people.

So we come to the issue of our divorce bill  of 40 billion. I find this particularly extraordinary for a number of reasons.

First, it is entirely wrong to call this a divorce bill. The fact is that Britain is leaving a club, of which there were benefits and subscriptions. Our country has given two years notice to make sure we have fulfilled any contractual obligations. When you leave a club in this way, it is not clear to me why we have to carry on paying subscriptions. We need to stop calling this a divorce bill and start saying we are leaving a club.

Second, it is not clear why the UK has to give money to the EU at all. The House of Lords has said that we have no legal and financial obligations to Brussels.

Third, the money we appear to be offering seems to be going up at auction-house amounts. It started at 10 billion (which most would find acceptable). Then, in the Prime Ministers Florence speech, we were told that it would be 20 billion. Now we hear the figure may be 40 or 50 billion with some reports even suggesting up to 90 billion. What are we getting in return for this?

Fourth, the Conservative argument since 2010 has been that given the state the last Labour Government left the economy, with the country on the verge of bankruptcy, we had to be the party of good housekeeping and take very tough decisions. The need for good housekeeping has had a significant impact in our communities up and down the country as we have successfully cut the deficit.

If we suddenly announced we have 40 billion for the EU, we undermine this argument. It suggests money can be found down the back of the Treasury sofa. This will make it very difficult to argue for good housekeeping at home.

Fifth, there is huge demand for spending on our public services. If there is 40 billion or more to be found, even in instalments, would it not be better to spend it on reducing income tax for the lowest paid, or on vital spending on our NHS or schools.

The Government must ensure trust in our democracy by following the wishes of the public by and leaving the EU. We also should make certain we have trust in our economy, too  and that when Conservatives make an economic case we keep to it. Boris Johnson was right when he said that the EU could whistle for a multi-billion post-membership payment.

The only caveat to all this is, of course, if it can be proved that giving 40 billion to the EU would mean a net benefit to the UK of many more billions of pounds. Otherwise, the UK should get back to the tough negotiating stance started by David Davis and the Prime Minister earlier in the negotiations: no deal is better than a bad deal.
Margaret Thatcher once said that Northern Ireland is as British as Finchley. This is true. But it did not follow then that the province was governed in the same way as her constituency  direct rule was in place  and it is governed even less like it now. Furthermore, one of the main consequences of the Blair devolution settlement is that neither Scotland nor Wales are governed like Finchley either. And the localism upheaval under David Cameron, complete with an uneven dispersion of new powers, has ensured that English local government is now mind-bendingly diverse.

But neither England, Scotland nor Wales have a joint Ministerial council, legitimised by an international agreement, to bring together those with executive responsibilities in Northern Ireland and the Irish Government, to develop consultation, co-operation and action within the island of Ireland  including through implementation on an all-island and cross-border basis  on matters of mutual interest within the competence of the Administrations, North and South. Those words are from the Belfast Agreement. And in them is to be found a cause of yesterdays Brexit talks volte-face.

The Republic and Northern Ireland trade less than a country and part of another that share a land border might be expected to do. But some parts of the economies of the two are effectively integrated  one of the fruits of the Agreement. The classic example is the single electricity market. What happened during the talks yesterday is not fully clear. But it is evident that the Government sought to build on those all-island and cross-border arrangements to solve the problem of how to deal with our only land border with the EU post-Brexit. The common position of the parties to the negotiations is that they want it to continue as it is to the fullest extent possible.

The Irish Government seems to have wanted no regulatory divergence. This would effectively mean continued Single Market and Customs Union membership for Northern Ireland. That, in turn, would inevitably lead to one of two outcomes. First, all of the UK remaining in both, contrary to Theresa Mays established position. Or, second, Northern Ireland alone remaining in both  leading to an east/west border rather than a north/south one. It is no exaggeration to say that such a change would be a significant step towards a united Ireland, and one that would threaten to unravel the jittery settlement that the Belfast Agreement formalised.

The Government appears to have pushed instead for, and got, an agreement on continued regulatory alignment. At this point, one must reach for ones dictionary. Alignment and membership are not the same  which will have been precisely why Ministers pushed for the words inclusion in the draft text: indeed, the first word implies some difference. As we say, what the Government proposed yesterday is not completely evident. But one version is that the Prime Minister sought to agree such alignment only for those areas in which Irish north-south co-operation run  and, crucially, to extend them to the UK as a whole, thus ensuring no east/west border.

It ought not to be objectionable to the DUP to continue what it has been doing since Ian Paisley became First Minister  namely, arranging certain parts of the provinces affairs on an all-island basis. None the less, we have a certain sympathy for Arlene Foster and her colleagues. They do not appear to have seen the draft text. The Prime Ministers account of it to them may not have been clear, and there may be elements to the draft which have not yet been publicised, but which the DUP found objectionable. Above all, Foster and her party have to watch their backs against those who would accuse them of selling out  a potent charge in Northern Ireland.

The old saying has it that Russia is never as strong as it looks, and never as weak as it looks. Old peace process hands, looking back on the run-up to the Agreement, might offer a parallel: the talks between the two governments and Northern Irelands parties were never as near collapsing as they looked and never as near completion as they looked. They lurched from joy to despair (depending on ones point of view). So it was yesterday afternoon. One moment, Diehard Remainers were damning May for embracing the Single Market; the next, they were damning her for not doing so.

It may be that the DUP, having made their protest, wring concessions from the Prime Minister  perhaps including yet more money for the province from what Paul Bew has called the Unknown British Taxpayer, the true hero of the Troubles. Foster would then be able to claim victory. The talks would move to the next phase  and to the next round of frustrations, impasses and quarrels. In the meanwhile, though, May would have reversed the narrative. Her qualities of doggedness, caution and reticence, so lampooned in the Westminster Village since last Junes election setback, would be hailed as the embodiment of the bulldog spirit (very briefly).

That is the optimistic reading of what has happened and could happen. The pessimistic one is no less likely and much more alarming. It is that Mays offer yesterday moved her Government closer to an EEA minus-type settlement than a Canada-plus style one. This would be compatible with the letter of Brexit, but not with the spirit  and would make any sensible new system of immigration control impossible. And we do not yet know precisely where she is on ECJ jurisdiction in relation to EU nationals. Such a shift has not been agreed by the Cabinet. It would be objectionable to a big slice of Tory MPs and Leave voters.

How would Boris Johnson react to such a development? Michael Gove? David Davis? Or Liam Fox, whose department could be deprived of much of its purpose? Yet if part of the Conservative Parliamentary would pull one way in such circumstances, much of the Commons would pull the other, including many Tory MPs. One logical way of proceeding, if no agreement is reached to move to the next stage of talks, would be to prepare for No Deal, as the shorthand has it, and to take the WTO route. But some Ministers believe that there is no Commons majority for this course, at least at the moment.

The Prime Minister has got used since last June to living dangerously. This morning, she is doing so more than ever. The coherence and operability of her Government is under a new and sudden strain. One part of the Conservative Party will want to stand with the DUP. Another will yearn for compromise  and EEA minus. This, potentially, is the stuff of which leadership challenges are made. Worse, the DUPs MPs could walk away from the confidence and supply deal altogether. That would not necessarily mean an election, since the Fixed-Terms Parliament Act is in place. But remember: it didnt prevent a poll last summer. No pressure, then, Theresa!
Like Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation do you have the ambition to make your home the brightest house on the block? Then get out your inflatable Santa and get into the Seaway Light Fight.

Just snap a photo of your decorated home and post it on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #SeawayLightFight for a chance to win a $500 gift certificate from Fines Home Hardware or a $250 gift certificate from S.G. Wells Ford.

Dave Cassell, Dealer Principal for S.G. Wells Ford says that he is a big fan of well decorated homes and will be on the look out for ones that stand out in his community.

I like lots of lights and a big snowman on the lawn, he said. Ill be out looking around to see who has the nicest house.

Follow #SeawayLightFight to check out all the Christmas Spirit in your neighbourhood. The prominent homes that get decorated on the busy main streets are always seen every year, but the Seaway Christmas Light Fight wants to see every home on every back street and rural area that is covered in Christmas Magic.

Scott Fines of Fines Home Hardware says that he loves to see his community get into the spirit of Christmas.

We love being a part of a small community, he said. With a small community comes great holiday cheer because all of the families that get together to celebrate at this time of year.

For full details on the contest check out the video below.
Princess Cruises hosted an event last week to celebrate its fifth anniversary of operations in Southeast Asia.

The event was attended by over 150 guests comprising travel agents, Captains Circle members and travel partners onboard Sapphire Princess which arrived in Singapore to start her homeporting season at Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

Princess has expanded its operations significantly since its ships started sailing in this region on world cruises and re positioning voyages over three decades ago, the company said.

Now the cruise line not only homeports in Singapore, it also carries out sales, customer service support, operations and marketing locally to meet the growing demand for its cruises.

We are delighted to be celebrating our 5th year of operations in Singapore serving the Southeast Asian market. We are grateful to all our travel partners, travel agents and our guests for their support, especially the travel agents who have been with us from when Princess Cruises began sailing in the region 30 years ago, said Farriek Tawfik, Director Southeast Asia, Princess Cruises.

Travel agents from Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia also attended the event where the Top Agents for 2017 were also honored at the event.

Guests were treated to a musical performance and Captain Paolo Ravera was on hand to host the champagne waterfall pouring. All guests were served champagne to toast the occasion.

Our presence in Southeast Asia has also increased awareness of fly-cruise amongst guests in the region. We do see a spike among our guests going on our cruises in Alaska which are increasingly becoming extremely popular as well as to cruises in Australia, Japan, Taiwan and the Mediterranean, Tawfik added.
Global Ports Holding plc (GPH) has announced the appointment of Colin Murphy as regional coordinator, Americas. Based in South Florida, Murphy will work to deliver GPHs strategy of acquiring cruise ports in the region as it seeks to expand its existing footprint of 14 ports in eight countries, according to a prepared statement. GPH describes itself as the worlds largest independent cruise port operator.

Murphy was previously with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) where he most recently held the role of senior vice president, destination and strategic development, during which time he oversaw projects including the development of Harvest Caye in Belize and the Bell Street terminal expansion in Seattle. In this role, Murphy was also charged with negotiating and managing all of NCLHs major port agreements, as well as relevant political relationships that impacted the ports operations.

Before his 19-year career with NCLH, Murphy worked at several major US tour operators, including Collette Vacations and Vantage Deluxe World Travel in Boston. Further relevant experience includes roles as chairman and vice-chairman of the operations committee at the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association and as a member of CLIAs global ports committee.

"I am delighted that Colin is joining GPH. His experience and expertise are a perfect fit for our ambitious expansion strategy in the Americas, as set out at IPO. As we look to collaborate with local and national governments in the region regarding possible cruise port acquisitions and development, Colin is perfectly placed to assist in negotiations on the ground, commented Emre Saym, CEO of GPH.

GPH has an established presence in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Asia-Pacific regions, including extensive commercial port operations in Turkey and Montenegro. The company operates 14 ports in eight countries, providing services for 7.8 million passengers reaching a market share of 25% in the Mediterranean annually.
Anton Chuvakin from Gartner recently blogged about the overall low maturity in cyber security. He made some interesting points. Especially on how vendors, investors and the media rely on flawed statistics, surveys and a fair dose of wishful thinking in assessing the security maturity of the average enterprise, projecting market growth and product viability.

I had the same experience, at Gartner and as a penetration tester. For example, I never conducted a project where I needed more than off-the-shelf open source tools and known exploits to breach an organization. Never had to grab deep into the trick box. Basic approaches were sufficient.

Even more surprising was the average reaction of the organizations being assessed. Often the findings were disputed, not understood or taken seriously. Based on feedback from other penetration testers, my experience is anything but unique  it is the rule.

Partially, this can be explained by the Dunning-Kruger effect, which states that people with little skill or knowledge overestimate their own ability. Another contributor is only having local knowledge. You dont know how good or bad others are at security, so you think you are doing well.

Lastly, theres a common misunderstanding about what constitutes good security. Many organizations have reduced this concept to a pure checkbox exercise, without understanding why the boxes must be checked. Good cyber security is not determined by an organization itself, or by comparison with other enterprises.

Good cyber security is measured by the success or failure of our adversaries. It is the attackers who determine most of the rules of engagement. IT securitys job is to prevent them from gaining access to the infrastructure, data and whatever else they consider valuable assets. Anything short of that, and the organization is in a security bad place.

Security maturity helps prevent adversaries from completing the full cyber kill chain. Yet there are many failings when it comes to understanding what maturity represents. Lets consider the top three.

1. Relying on prevention

Too many organizations rely on prevention, by putting their faith in antivirus, vulnerability management, intrusion prevention systems and firewalls. Cyber security professionals typically view Hollywood portrayals of protagonists breaching the firewall as unrealistic. Yet, in this case, fiction is closer to reality.

Lets be clear, there has never been a time in the history of computing when a pure preventative approach has been unbreakable. Hackers have always known about inherent weaknesses in signature based approaches, and have been incredibly innovative in devising evasion and bypass techniques.

That is not to say that prevention has no place in a modern security architecture. Prevention is one of the three pillars of threat management alongside detection and response. We prevent what we can. We detect and respond to the rest. The benefit of presenting a hardened attack surface means an adversary will have to work harder to gain access, and will be forced to create enough noise to be detected. Nevertheless, a purely prevention-based approach is about as effective as the French Maginot line was in keeping Germany out in World War 2.

This failing, sadly, will not die.

Machine learning has given the prevention faithful another lease on life. While it may improve the effectiveness of preventative approaches, the improvement is only marginal. True prevention requires a 100% detection rate without false positives and negatives. It also does not do well with the fact that there is an intelligent adversary who is able to adapt and evolve their techniques, tactics and procedures (TTP).

2. Relying on technology

This failing goes hand in hand with #1. This approach supplements prevention with monitoring techniques. The problem with monitoring is that it is deployed with the same mindset  wait for the technology to alert on threats. The Target and Home Depot breaches are good examples of this failing in action. In both cases, the organizations had alerts and indicators of the breach in progress.

Good security, and especially effective monitoring, requires people and processes. So while dedicated monitoring technologies increase the scope and volume of data sources being evaluated, they also increase the amount of false positives inherent in more basic detection approaches. As Augusto Barros recently wrote, we are nowhere near having a brain in the vat, a.k.a. true artificial intelligence, that would allow is to replace people and let monitoring run in a fully automated manner.

3. No management buy-in

Having the right technology, people and processes is fundamentally tied to one thing: management buy-in. If executives understand that cyber security is critical to the business, the organization will have a greater focus on it. In addition, good security requires teeth. It is still common for the average employee to be unaware, or wilfully ignore security best practices. Sadly, this extends to executives as well. Since executives are frequently the target of spear phishing attempts, and are typically responsible and liable for the consequences of a breach, this is a sure indicator of a lack of buy-in.

Organizations with a high security maturity have executives who get it, or are at least recognize they dont get it and are willing to consider and act upon advice from their security leaders.

This may sound easy, yet remains a stumbling block. Primarily because growth and profitability have been the main priority of most businesses, at the expense of good cyber security. This mindset must change. As a large number of recent breaches have demonstrated, good security is increasingly related to business success and continuity.

Management buy-in is not the last step in the security maturity curve, it should be the first.
Cyberattacks have become a global epidemic. Cybercriminals are now targeting organizations, critical infrastructure, and governments across the world with timely, sophisticated attacks.

Ransomware attacks such as Petya and WannaCry put critical functions across the world on hold earlier this summer, while the recent Equifax data breach has affected as many as 143 million Americans. With such attacks persisting, it is predicted that cybercrime damages will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021.

Cybercriminals are typically motivated by monetary rewards. In the case of ransomware attacks, cybercriminals target things like critical infrastructure and healthcare organizations and hold their data captive until paid. Other cyberattacks aim to steal personally identifiable information (PII) of consumers, such as financial records. This information can be sold on the dark web for a profit, then used in instances of identity theft, tax fraud, etc. Theft of this type of information has long-term effects, as personal information is not easy to change, nor is it easy to even track its misuse following a breach.

As these attacks and breaches continue to take place, government regulators around the world are realizing that while no one is immune to modern cyberattacks, there is still a lot that can be done to protect critical resources and market sectors. With this in mind, new regulations across Europe, Asia, the UK, and the US are being implemented to ensure proper security measures are in place to protect valuable data.

Recent Cybersecurity Regulations

Globally operating financial services firms have to be aware of new cybersecurity regulations and how they affect their business in order to navigate data rules and remain compliant, especially as they conduct business across borders. Compliance is especially crucial as the punishments for noncompliance typically include large fines.

Below are some of the most recent implemented or proposed cybersecurity regulations that will affect financial services firms.

China

Chinas Cybersecurity Law was put into effect on June 1, 2017. The Chinese government aims to use this law to better align with industry and global cybersecurity standards by placing additional requirements on network and system security. This law will directly impact the financial services sector as it is considered to be a critical information infrastructure (CII).

CII refers to sectors in which a data breach would compromise national security or public welfare. Under the Cybersecurity Law, CII entities must allow authorities access to data upon request. Financial services firms will also have to demonstrate that their IT infrastructure meets certain specifications and can pass standard cybersecurity tests and certifications. Additionally, data collected in China about its citizens has to be stored on servers within the countrys borders and cannot be moved abroad without permission. Lack of compliance can result in criminal charges and fines of up to 1 million yuan, or just over $150,000 USD.

Financial services institutions that do business in China need to understand and implement necessary cybersecurity measures, as well as the control and restrictions the government places on Chinese data.

Singapore

The Cyber Security Agency in Singapore proposed a draft of a new Cybersecurity Bill in July 2017. Although it still has to go through parliament, it is worth noting the potential regulations that will specifically affect banking institutions.

Similar to the Cybersecurity Law in China, the Cyber Security Agency in Singapore would have greater visibility and authority into how data is used, processed, and stored. The bill would require CII such as financial services to report any cyber incidents to the Commissioner of Cybersecurity, as well as any modifications of system design or security. Notably, privacy laws that keep banks from sharing confidential personal information are overruled by the Cybersecurity Bill, allowing the Cyber Security Agency to access any computer system relevant to an investigation. Lack of compliance can result in fines of up to $100,000 or in extreme cases, up to 10 years imprisonment.

European Union

The EUs General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will take effect on May 25, 2018. GDPR aims to put European citizens back in charge of their data. Consumers must now actively give consent to organizations that wish to process their data and can withdraw consent at any time. Consumers can also request their data be transferred to other organizations. Under GDPR, EU citizens also have the Right to be Forgotten, in which they can ask that data be completely erased, or not be processed. Additionally, GDPR requires organizations to implement data protection by design and default, making security a core focus at the outset of data monitoring programs.

Notably, GDPR applies not only to organizations in Europe, but also to all organizations that process and store data on European citizens, regardless of physical location. Due to the high volume of personal information stored and processed by financial institutions, regulating bodies will likely be keeping a close eye on their compliance efforts. Noncompliance can result in fines of 10 million, or 2 percent of worldwide annual turnover for lesser infringements. Severe infringements can result in fines of 20 million, or 4 percent of global turnover, whichever is higher.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom government has confirmed that its decision to leave the European Union will not stop its participation in GDPR. The UK is aligning itself with the measures put forth in GDPR through the Data Protection Bill, which updates the UKs 1998 Data Protection Act. As such, the regulations listed in the Data Protection Bill are largely the same as those in GDPR, with some minor changes addressing journalists and scientific researchers.

United States

The US is seeing an increased focus on cybersecurity at both the national and state level. Notably for financial services firms, the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) 23 NYCRR 500 cybersecurity regulation had its first compliance deadline on August 28th. Banks in New York now have to report any cyber incidents that could compromise data to the DFS within 72 hours. This includes disruptions by ransomware or DDoS attacks. Banks must also have a robust cybersecurity plan and employ a CISO to oversee security processes and maintenance. There are a series of compliance deadlines that financial services firms must meet over the next two years, with the full transition deadline set for March 2019.

Maintaining Compliance Around the World

Lack of compliance with these new regulations can result in heavy financial and business consequences. To ensure compliance, financial services firms should review each of these new regulations to understand exactly how their organization will be affected. While each law will require different cybersecurity measures be taken, improving visibility into data movement and use across your organization will be valuable universally.

Conducting a cyber threat assessment (CTA) can give financial services firms an in-depth look at their current security protocol, and areas in which they might be at risk. Conducting a CTA and making adjustments to security accordingly demonstrates to regulating bodies that financial services organizations have actively prioritized security and compliance.

For greater data visibility across distributed environments, financial services firms need to take an architectural approach to security. The Fortinet Security Fabric provides visibility, segmentation, and security automation across networks from endpoints to the core and into the cloud. As regulations increasingly require data to be made available to consumers and regulating bodies in a timely manner, such visibility into data movement and storage will be integral to compliance.

As cyberattacks continue to evolve as a global phenomenon and governments respond with individual regulations to protect their citizens, financial services, often seen as critical infrastructure, will need to adapt their IT and security infrastructure based on geography. As financial institutions transition to meet these new requirements, data visibility will continue to be key.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is in the news these days  for good reason. This sweeping new law applies to all companies that collect and process data belonging to European Union (EU) citizens, even if this is done outside of the EU. This includes companies with operations in the EU and/or a web site or app that collects and processes EU citizen data.

Key areas of the legislation cover privacy rights, data security, data control, and governance. The good news is the law will be pretty much identical in all 28 EU member states, meaning they only have to comply with one standard. However, the bar is set high and wide  forcing most companies to invest considerable resources to becoming compliant.

Failure to comply with GDPR could result in a hefty fine. If a company is found guilty of a breach that compromises an EU citizens data, the penalty could be up to 20 million euros or four percent of an enterprises worldwide revenue, whichever is larger! Putting that in perspective: a large enterprise could be fined hundreds of millions of euros for a single breach.

In addition, two pain points are conspicuous: a requirement to notify EU authorities within 72 hours of a breach, and another to prove your companys security approach is state-of-the-art.

Whats mandated by GDPR

Since all of the GDPR requirements have not been finalized, some organizations have adopted a wait-and-see approach. Lets consider the new obligations being introduced by this regulation:

Data control

To preserve subjects privacy, organizations must:

Only process data for authorized purposes

Ensure data accuracy and integrity

Minimize the exposure of subject identities, and

Implement data security measures.

Data security

Data security goes hand-in-hand with data control. GDPR puts security at the service of privacy. To preserve subjects privacy, organizations must implement:

Safeguards to keep data for additional processing

Data protection measures, by default

Security as a contractual requirement, based on risk assessment, and encryption

Right to erasure

Subject data cannot be kept indefinitely. GDPR requires organizations to completely erase data from all repositories when:

Data subjects revoke their consent

A partner organization requests data deletion, or

A service or agreement comes to an end

It is worth noting, however, that subjects do not enjoy a carte blanche right for their data to be erased. If there are legal reasons  specified in the regulation  an organization can retain and process a subjects data. Exceptions are few, however.

Risk mitigation and due diligence

Organizations must assess the risks to privacy and security, and demonstrate that theyre mitigating them. This requires they:

Conduct a full risk assessment

Implement measures to ensure and demonstrate compliance

Proactively help third-party customers and partners to comply, and

Prove full data control

Breach notification

When a security breach threatens the rights and privacy of a data subject or subjects, organizations must:

Notify authorities within 72 hours

Describe the consequences of the breach, and

Communicate the breach directly to all affected subjects

6 steps to GDPR compliance

To prepare for GDPR, organizations can use this six step process:

1. Understand the law

Know your obligations under GDPR as it relates to collecting, processing, and storing data, including the legislations many special categories.

2. Create a road map

Perform data discovery and document everything  research, findings, decisions, actions and the risks to data.

3. Know which data is regulated

First, determine if data falls under a GDPR special category. Then, classify who has access to different types of data, who shares the data, and what applications process that data.

4. Begin with critical data and procedures

Assess the risks to all private data, and review policies and procedures. Apply security measures to production data containing core assets, and then extend those measures to back-ups and other repositories.

5. Assess and document other risks

Investigate any other risks to data not included in previous assessments.

6. Revise and repeat

Repeat steps four to six, and adjust findings where necessary.

For CSOs, GDPR provides a good opportunity to upgrade the organizations security capabilities to both meet the regulations requirements and improve overall security vis-a-vis data confidentiality and privacy.
Are your brainwaves private, sensitive information? Most people probably never really gave it much thought because it is not something companies usually collect and store.

But if kids in school had to start wearing brainwave-detecting headbands that measure their attention levels in real time, couldnt that impact student privacy? The brainwave attention level results are shared with teachers, school administrators and are collected and stored by a private company.

Four years ago, in response to the education sector handing over sensitive student data to a private company to create a national database meant for businesses with public school contracts, Donna Lieberman, New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director, said, Turning massive amounts of personal data about public school students to a private corporation without any public input is profoundly disturbing and irresponsible.

Yet here we go again, but this time it is the detected and quantified brainwave data of 1.2 million students being handed over to the private company BrainCo. The company is using students data to create the worlds biggest brainwave database.

Collected brainwaves given to educators for real-time attention levels of students

The brainwaves are collected via Focus 1, hyped as the worlds first wearable device specifically designed to detect and analyze users attention levels. It works along with Focus EDU, which was described by BrainCo as the world's first integrated classroom system that improves education outcomes through real-time attention level reports.

"Big Brother" teachers would use the system to tell if kids are actually paying attention and theoretically tweak teaching styles to better capture attention. "Big Brother" school administrators would use the big data analysis to see if teachers are reaching the kids, identify best practices and supposedly even adjust class schedules around time periods when student concentrate the best.

Not all scientists agree

Even though BrainCo was founded by scientists and engineers from Harvard and MIT, that doesnt guarantee that the product can deliver on its promises. Max Newlon, a research scientist at BrainCo, told EdSurge:

We are trying to be the first company to quantify this invisible metric of student engagement. Teachers have an innate ability to know when their students are engaged, but we want to give them a superpower so they can track and quantify that over time.

BrainCo claims the EEGs collected via the headband can accurately translate brain signals into attention level.

As pointed out by NOQ Report, science disagrees as there is no evidence that EEGs can accurately determine precisely what a student is paying attention to, and teachers are not medical professionals trained to analyze brainwave data.

Theodore Zanto, who directs UCSFs neuroscience program, expressed concerns to EdSurge, saying there can be errors in recording EEG signals, which are even sensitive to muscle movement, and the data can be incorrectly interpreted.

I havent seen any data indicating you can dissociate [in an EEG scan] if someone is paying attention to the teacher or their phone or just their own internal thoughts and daydreaming, says Zanto. Students wearing the headset might be incredibly focused, but focused on the wrong thing, and you could get the same EEG measures.

Capturing brainwaves of 1.2 million students

Nevertheless, BrainCo inked a multi-million-dollar deal with China in May, selling the regime 20,000 devices.

Our goal with the first 20,000 devices, each of which will be used by multiple students in schools, is to capture data from 1.2 million people, said BrainCo CEO Bicheng Han. This will enable us to use artificial intelligence on what will be the worlds largest database to improve our algorithms for things like attention and emotion detection.

BrainCos research scientist Newlon did not rule out that students brainwave data might be used for a number of different things; the companys ultimate goal is to develop a brain-typing tool  converting thoughts to text.

With a goal like the brain-typing tool and detecting emotions, NOQ Report suggested, Just as with far too many of the money-making education schemes, all supposedly designed to assist teachers and improve learning, the main agenda is quite different than what is marketed to the schools.

No privacy policy, no details about how to delete students brainwaves

In theory, the company cares about privacy, telling The Daily Dot  which gave it a scathing review, We are the very first company concerned about the privacy of your brain wave. However, there is no privacy policy on BrainCos site.

Privacy attorney Emily Tabatabai said that under the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a provider needs to have procedures in place to address the collection of data, the deletion of data, how it will be used and shared.

The companys CEO failed to respond when EdSurge asked about its lack of privacy regulations in place. The privacy policy, in theory, is still being ironed out. Theres no information about how parents can request having their childs information deleted and no explanation about how families would be notified if their childs biometric data is breached.
Life Under Kim Jong Un

Recent North Korean escapees relate how the secretive country has changed under the Great Successor.



The Washington Post/November 17, 2017



By Anna Fifield

In North Korea, life only gets better if the state helps you. But these days, the state doesnt help. Were on our own.  The bride, now 23, from Hyesan. Escaped from North Korea in May 2017

When Kim Jong Un became the leader of North Korea almost six years ago, many North Koreans thought that their lives were going to improve. He offered the hope of generational change in the worlds longest-running communist dynasty. After all, he was so young. A millennial. Someone with experience of the outside world.



But the Great Successor, as he is called by the regime, has turned out to be every bit as brutal as his father and grandfather before him. Even as he has allowed greater economic freedom, he has tried to seal the country off more than ever, tightening security along the border with China and stepping up the punishments for those who dare to try to cross it. And at home, freedom of speech, and of thought, is still a mirage.



In six months of interviews in South Korea and Thailand, The Washington Post talked with more than 25 North Koreans from different walks of life who lived in Kim Jong Uns North Korea and managed to escape from it. In barbecue restaurants, cramped apartments and hotel rooms, these refugees provided the fullest account to date of daily life inside North Korea and how it has changed, and how it hasnt, since Kim took over from his father, Kim Jong Il, at the end of 2011. Many are from the northern parts of the country that border China  the part of North Korea where life is toughest, and where knowledge about the outside world just across the river is most widespread  and are from the relatively small segment of the population that is prepared to take the risks involved in trying to escape.

Some parts of their stories cannot be independently verified because of the secretive nature of the regime, and their names have been withheld to protect their family members still in North Korea. They were introduced to The Post by groups that help North Korean escapees, including No Chain for North Korea, Woorion and Liberty in North Korea.



But in talking about their personal experiences, including torture and the culture of surveillance, they recounted the hardships of daily life under Kim Jong Uns regime. They paint a picture of a once-communist state that has all but broken down, its state-directed economy at a standstill. Today, North Koreans are making their own way, earning money in an entrepreneurial and often illegal fashion. There are only a few problems in North Korea these days that money cant solve.



As life inside North Korea is changing, so too are peoples reasons for escaping.



Increasingly, North Koreans are not fleeing their totalitarian state because they are hungry, as they did during the 15 or so years following the outbreak of a devastating famine in the mid-1990s. Now, they are leaving because they are disillusioned.



Market activity is exploding, and with that comes a flow of information, whether as chitchat from traders who cross into China or as soap operas loaded on USB sticks. And this leads many North Koreans to dream in a way they hadnt before.



Some are leaving North Korea because they want their children to get a better education. Some are leaving because their dreams of success and riches in the North Korean system are being thwarted. And some are leaving because they want to be able to speak their minds.

A new Kim at the helm

Standing at the forefront of the Korean revolution is Kim Jong Un, great successor to the revolutionary cause of Juche [self reliance ideology] and outstanding leader of our party, army and people. Korean Central News Agency  Dec. 19, 2011

I could see how young he was, and I hoped that maybe things were going to get better. We were given some rations through our neighborhood association  we even got meat and fish  at the time he took over.

I remember how fat he was. He had a very fat face like a pig.

As the regime started preparing for Kims succession, it put out a song that everyone in the country was made to learn, called Footsteps. The idea was that Kim was following in the footsteps of his father and would lead the country into a glorious future.

We heard the song Footsteps and we were told to memorize it so [we] knew that he was going to be the leader after Kim Jong Il. We were told how great he was, that he could ride a horse when he was 5 years old and shoot a gun when he was 3. Of course we didnt believe these things, but if you laughed or said anything, youd be killed.

I was in my second year at the university when this person was introduced to us as our new leader. I thought it was a joke. Among my closest friends, we were calling him a piece of s---. Everyone thinks this, but you can only say it to your closest friends or to your parents if you know that they agree.

I created some kind of fantasy in my mind about Kim Jong Un. Because he was so young, I thought he was going to open North Koreas doors, but after he took power and I lived three years under him, life became harder.

Money talks

In theory, North Korea is a bastion of socialism, a country where the state provides everything, including housing, health care, education and jobs. In reality, the state economy barely operates anymore. People work in factories and fields, but there is little for them to do, and they are paid almost nothing. A vibrant private economy has sprung up out of necessity, one where people find ways to make money on their own, whether through selling homemade tofu or dealing drugs, through smuggling small DVD players with screens called notels over the border or extracting bribes.

North Korea technically has a centrally planned economy, but now peoples lives revolve around the market. No one expects the government to provide things anymore. Everyone has to find their own way to survive.

I had to drop out of teachers college when I was 19 because my father became ill so I needed to work. I started doing peoples hair at my house. All the women wanted perms. I charged 30 [Chinese] yuan for a regular perm or 50 yuan for a perm with better products. But it was still hard to make money. [Thirty yuan is about $4.50.]

We lived in the city center, but we rented some land in the foothills of the mountains and grew corn there. During planting and harvest season, we would wake up at 4 a.m. and walk three hours to reach the farmland. Wed take a little break for lunch or a snack, then work until 8 p.m. before walking home again. Doing the weeding was the hardest because we had to get rid of them by hand. And wed buy beans from the market and make tofu that wed sell from our house. Our profit was less than 5,000 won [60 cents at the black market rate] a day. But because the bean price fluctuates, sometimes we were left with nothing at all.

North Koreans first learned how to be entrepreneurs during the famine, when they had to make money to survive. While men had to continue to show up for work in dormant factories, women would turn corn into noodles and keep a little for themselves but sell the rest so they could buy more corn for the following day. Homeless children would steal manhole covers to sell as scrap metal. Markets began to appear and took hold. North Koreans used to joke you could buy everything there except cats horns.



These days, you can probably buy cats horns, too.

I had an aunt in Pyongyang who sold beans in the market there. I would buy what she needed from various farmers and get it to her. Id pay people to pack up the beans into sacks, pay porters to take them to the station, get them onto the train. You have to smooth the way with money. My uncle is in the military, so his position provided protection for my aunts business. Of course, my aunt was the main earner in the house. Its the women who can really make money in North Korea.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans now work outside the country, in lumber yards and garment factories and on construction sites, in China, Russia and other countries, earning foreign currency. Generally, two-thirds of their pay goes to the regime, and theyre allowed to keep the rest.

I wanted to earn money for my family and buy a house, so I paid $100 to bribe my way into an overseas construction job. I was sent to St. Petersburg. We lived at the construction site and would work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or sometimes until midnight in the summer, then wed go back to our dormitory to eat. We worked seven days a week, but we could finish early on Sundays  7 p.m.  and that was nice. My whole purpose for being there was to make lots of money and go home proud of my achievement. I still remember the first time I got paid. It was 1,000 rubles. When I finished work at 10 p.m., I went to the store and saw that a bottle of beer was 27 rubles. I thought, wow Im rich.

As the economy and the rules that govern it change, there are more and more gray areas that can be exploited. That means that illegal trade and activity have blossomed, too.

I did so many things that I wasnt supposed to do. I worked as a broker transferring money and connecting people in North Korea with people in South Korea through phone calls. I arranged reunions for them in China. I smuggled antiques out of North Korea and sold them in China. I sold ginseng and pheasants to China. And I dealt ice [methamphetamines.]. Officially, I was a factory worker, but I bribed my way out of having to go to work. If you dont operate this way in North Korea, you have nothing.

The salary for doctors was about 3,500 won a month. That was less than it cost to buy one kilogram of rice. So of course, being a doctor was not my main job. My main job was smuggling at night. I would send herbal medicine from North Korea into China, and with the money, I would import home appliances back into North Korea. Rice cookers, notels, LCD monitors, that kind of thing.

From the biggest cities to the smallest villages, there is now some kind of market building where people can sell their wares and keep their profits. Some are state-run, some are state-sanctioned, some are ad hoc. The markets have been retroactively legalized by the regime.



Money is now needed for nearly everything  even for the parts of communist life that the Kim regime crows about providing, like housing and schooling. Bribery and corruption have become endemic, undermining the regime by loosening controls and creating incentives that may not always be in line with Kims priorities.

Technically, you dont have to pay to go to school, but the teachers tell you that you have to submit a certain amount of beans or rabbit skins that can be sold. If you dont submit, you get told off continuously, and thats why students stop going to school. The kids are hurt just because the parents cant afford it.

I used to pay the teachers at my daughters school so they would look after her better than others. I would give them 120,000 won at a time  thats enough to buy 25 kilograms of rice  twice a year. If you dont pay the teachers, they wont make any effort.

I lived through all three Kims, but our life was not getting any better for any of us. We all have to pay for Kim Jong Uns projects, like Ryomyong Street [a residential development in Pyongyang]. We had to contribute 15,000 North Korean won per household [more than four months salary] to the government for that street.

My main business was selling ice. I think that 70 or 80 percent of the adults in Hoeryong city were using ice. My customers were just ordinary people. Police officers, security agents, party members, teachers, doctors. Ice made a really good gift for birthday parties or for high school graduation presents. It makes you feel good and helps you release stress, and it really helps relations between men and women. My 76-year-old mother was using it because she had low blood pressure, and it worked well. Lots of police officers and security agents would come to my house to smoke, and of course I didnt charge them  they were my protection. They would come by during their lunch break, stop by my house. The head of the secret police in my area was almost living at my house.

The ability to make money, sometimes lots of money, through means both legal and illegal has led to visible inequality in a country that has long touted itself as an egalitarian socialist paradise. This could be a potential source of disruption. Bean traders and drug dealers and everyone in between have the prospect of making a decent living. Those working only in official jobs, whether they be on a state-owned ostrich farm or in a government ministry in Pyongyang, earn only a few dollars a month and get little in the way of rations to supplement their meager salaries.

Skating rinks opened in 2013, and rollerblading became a really big thing. Rich kids had their own rollerblades. Wed carry them slung over our shoulders as we walked to the rink  it was a status symbol, a sign that you have money. I bought my rollerblades at the market. They were pink, and it cost 200 Chinese yuan. Thats the same price as 30 kilograms of rice. Its unthinkable for poor kids.

There were long periods where we didnt get paid. I once went for six months without getting any salary at all. We lived in a shipping container at the construction site. We were given rice and cabbage and one egg per person per day, and we had an electric coil in our container that we could cook on. We needed some protein because our work was so hard, so we started buying pigskin at the market because it was cheap. Washing was like a special occasion. But if you went to the bathhouse, you would miss out on work. Once I didnt bathe for two months. We didnt think anything of it. It was just the way we lived.

Cellphones are a big thing. To be able to afford a smartphone, you had to come from a rich family. Of course, there were some poor kids at my school, but I didnt hang out with them. I had an Arirang smartphone that cost $400. When boys came up to talk to me, Id check out their phone. If they had one of those old-style phones with buttons, I wasnt interested.

The markets are the distribution point not just for goods, but also for information. Chatter, rumors, illicit foreign media.

Women make their living in the market, and while theyre sitting there at the stalls, they talk. So the market is a great place to learn about the outside world.

I watched lots of [smuggled] movies and soap operas on USB sticks from the market. I would plug them into my TV. Vendors who are selling ordinary things like batteries or rice or whatever, they hide the USBs inside under the counter. When you go into the market you say to the vendors: Do you have anything delicious today? Thats the code. USBs are also good because they are so easy to hide, and you can just break them if you get caught.

In the past, if you watched Chinese movies on USBs you were okay. You got put in a labor camp only if you were caught with South Korean or American movies. But now, under Kim Jong Un, you get sent to a labor camp if youre caught watching Chinese movies, too. The police and the security services and government officials live better these days. The more people they catch, the more money they earn.

I was 8 years old when I started watching foreign movies. I always liked watching romantic South Korean dramas like My Fair Lady. I loved the way that women were being cherished. North Korea is a very male-oriented society, men never bother about taking care of women. And I liked to look at their fancy cars and houses.

My mom worked in the market selling home appliances, so she had a way to get DVDs. I watched Chinese, Indian and Russian movies, and lots of South Korean soap operas. I thought that if I got to South Korea, I could do anything I wanted.

Repression and disillusionment

It is impossible to overstate the pervasiveness of the personality cult surrounding the Kims in North Korea. Founding President Kim Il Sung, his son Kim Jong Il and his grandson, the current leader, Kim Jong Un form a kind of holy trinity in North Korea. There is no criticizing them or questioning the system  at least not without risking your freedom and the freedom of your entire family. Your life itself could be at stake.

I learned songs about the general and about the Kim family and how great Kim Il Sung was.

We got gifts on Kim Jong Uns birthday: candy and cookies and gum and puffed rice. I was so grateful to him for giving me all these sweets. We would stand up in class and say, Thank you, General Kim Jong Un.

We had ideological education for 90 minutes every day. There was revolutionary history, lessons about Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un. Of course, they taught us about why we needed nuclear weapons, and they would tell us that we needed to make sacrifices in our daily lives so they could build these weapons and protect our country, keep the nation safe. I was so sick and tired of hearing about all this revolutionary history, I was so sick of calling everyone comrade. I didnt care about any of that stuff.

Everybody knew that Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un were both liars, that everything is their fault, but its impossible to voice any opposition because we are under such tight surveillance. If someone is drunk and says Kim Jong Un is a son of a bitch, youll never see them again.

Its like a religion. From birth, you learn about the Kim family, learn that they are gods, that you must be absolutely obedient to the Kim family. The elites are treated nicely, and because of that they make sure that the system stays stable. But for everyone else, its a reign of terror. The Kim family uses terror to keep people scared, and that makes it impossible to stage any kind of social gathering, let alone an uprising.

We had education sessions when we would go back to the main building and into a big room where there were portraits of the leaders. Everyone had to bow and buy bunches of flowers to lay in front of the portraits. There would be a speech by the boss, who was a party member. We would hear about how Kim Jong Un had done this and this and that [he] was working so hard for the party and for the nation and for the people. I believed it up until the Kim Jong Un era, but this exaggeration was just too much. It just didnt make sense.

Every month there was special instruction about Kim Jong Un. It came down from Pyongyang to the neighborhood associations. We were told that Kim Jong Un wanted to know everything so that he could take proper care of everyone, help everyone. Nobody believed this because if Kim Jong Un knew we had no electricity and were eating corn rice [imitation rice made from ground corn], why wasnt he doing anything about it?

There was this story going around that Kim Il Sung had asked Kim Jong Un to get him an apple. Kim Jong Un asked for a shovel because he wanted to bring the whole tree. It was the kind of joke that the secret police would create. Instead of just doing top-down teaching, they would also create stories like this [about devotion to the regime] because they thought that their propaganda would circulate better as rumors and would seem more convincing.

North Korea operates as a vast surveillance state, with a menacing state security department called the Bowibu as its backbone. Its agents are everywhere and operate with impunity.



The regime also operates a kind of neighborhood watch system. Every district in every town or city is broken up into neighborhood groups of 30 or 40 households, each with a leader who is responsible for coordinating grass-roots surveillance and encouraging people to snitch.

People in each neighborhood association are always checking up on each other. If one family seems to be living better than everyone else, then all the neighbors try to find out how they are making their money. Everybody is sensitive because if someone seems to be living well, then people get jealous of that house. Nobody has to be asked to bring that wealthy family down and make sure that this wealthy family loses their money. When you see a family lose their house, that feels good. Thats why its important not to show off how wealthy you are.

Of course I thought about the outside world, but if you say, I want to go to China or South Korea, then it can be reported by an informant to the security services. You can think it, but you cant say it. You never know who is going to snitch on you. We often heard and saw how Chinese people had money because Chinese people used to come to North Korea to sell things, so we thought it would be nice to live there.

There were youth leaders who would patrol around, looking for things that we werent supposed to be doing. If you were wearing jeans or skinny pants, or if you had a manicure or your hair was too long, you would get in trouble. They would sometimes check your phone to see if you had any South Korean songs. I got busted for this, but I got out of it by buying them a box of 20 bottles of beer.

For those who ran afoul of the regime in ways that money could not solve, the punishment could be harsh.

When I was 16, I was staying at my grandmas house and there was a banging on the door late at night. Two secret police officers took me to the police station and asked me: Where are your parents? I told them I didnt know. It turned out that they had gone missing and I suspected that my moms business associates, when they realized this, planted a whole lot of stuff on her, said that she was the mastermind behind this big smuggling operation. The police yelled at me: Youre just like your mother. You probably have fantasies about China, too. They slapped my face about five times.

The first time I went to prison, I had been caught helping people make phone calls to their relatives in South Korea. I was sentenced to four months hard labor, building a road on the side of a mountain that they said we needed in case there was a war. The men did the digging and the women had to carry rocks and soil.

Escapees from North Koreas gruesome political prisons have recounted brutal treatment over the years, including medieval torture with shackles and fire and being forced to undergo abortions by the crudest methods. Human rights activists say that this appears to have lessened slightly under Kim. But severe beatings and certain kinds of torture  including being forced to remain in stress positions for crippling lengths of time  are commonplace throughout North Koreas detention systems, as are public executions.

I was interrogated again by the secret police, and they wanted to know about my mothers business. They were slapping me around the face again. They always go for the face. I was beaten severely that time. They pushed me so hard against the wall that I had blood coming from my head. I still get a headache sometimes. While I was there they made me sit with my legs crossed and my arms resting on my knees and my head always down. If you move at all or if you try to stretch your legs out, they will yell at you and hit you. I had to stay like that for hours on end.

In 2015, a money transfer went bad  the woman Id given the money to got caught and she ratted on me  and I was put in detention. I spent two months there. I wasnt treated like a human being  they beat me, they made me sit in stress positions where I couldnt lift my head. Two times they slapped my face and kicked me during interrogation, but I was not beaten up badly. Maybe because I was not a nobody, maybe they feared that I knew someone who could get back at them.

Starvation is often part of the punishment, even for children. The 16-year-old lost 13 pounds in prison, weighing only 88 pounds when she emerged.

We got up at 6 a.m. every day and went to bed at 11 p.m., and in between we would be working the whole time, shoveling cement or lugging sacks, except for lunch. Lunch was usually steamed corn. I was too scared to eat. I cried a lot. I didnt want to live.

Even though we were working so hard in prison camp, all we got to eat was a tiny bit of corn rice and a small potato. By the time I got out, I was so malnourished I could hardly walk.

It is this web of prisons and concentration camps, coupled with the threat of execution, that stops people from speaking up. There is no organized dissent in North Korea, no political opposition.

If you make problems, then your whole family gets punished. Thats why people dont want to make any trouble. If I get punished for my wrongdoing, thats one thing. But its my whole family that would be put at risk if I did something. North Koreans have seen that Kim Jong Un killed his own uncle, so we understand how merciless he can be. Thats why you cant have an uprising in North Korea.

The secret to North Koreas survival is the reign of terror. Why do you think North Korea has public executions? Why do you think they block all communications? Why do you think North Koreans leave, knowing that they will never see their families again? It shows how bad things are. All our rights as people have been stripped away.

If you speak out against the system, you will immediately be arrested. And if you do something wrong, then three generations of your family will be punished. In 2009, I heard there was a going to be some kind of coup launched in Chongjin and that all of the people involved were executed. When you hear about cases like this, of course youre scared. So instead of trying to do something to change the system, its better just to leave.

Some people do leave, but not that many. Its incredibly risky and logistically difficult to get around the border guards and the barbed wire. Unknown thousands cross into China each year. Some remain in China, almost always young women who get sold to poor Chinese men in the countryside who cant get a wife any other way. Some get caught and sent back  to certain imprisonment.

I had lived in China for 20 years, but someone must have reported me. I was sent back to North Korea, and I spent two and a half years in a prison camp. [After she had left once more for China], I knew I couldnt be repatriated again. I thought that it would be the end of my life.

But each year, a thousand or so North Koreans make it to South Korea. In the 20-odd years since the famine, only 30,000 North Koreans have made it to the southern side of the peninsula.



During the late 1990s and the early 2000s, almost all the North Koreans who fled were escaping out of hunger or economic need. But the explosion of markets has improved life for many. Today, more people are leaving North Korea because they are disillusioned with the system, not because they cant feed their families.

I was ambitious. I wanted to be a party member and enjoy all the opportunities that come with that. My dream was to make lots of money and be a high-ranking government official. Family background means so much in North Korea, but I had family in China and I realized that this would stop me from being able to follow my dreams. I left because I didnt have the freedom to do what I wanted to do.

I wanted to progress in life, I wanted to go to university, but because my mother had defected to China, it looked like I wouldnt be able to go any further. It looked like I would be stuck in North Korea where I was. I could have moved, lived, no problem, but I felt like I didnt have any future in North Korea. Thats why I decided to leave.

We were told in school that we could be anybody. But after graduation, I realized that this wasnt true and that I was being punished for somebody elses wrongdoing. I realized I wouldnt be able to survive here. So for two years I looked for a way out. When I thought about escaping, it gave me a psychological boost.

I hoped to work abroad as a doctor in the Middle East or Africa. But to work overseas you have to pass security screening to make sure youre ideologically sound and arent going to defect. Thats a problem that money cant solve and thats where I got blocked. I was very angry, very annoyed. I cursed our society. I am a very capable person, and I was a party member, but even I couldnt make it.

I worked for three and a half years, but I made only $2,000 during that time. We were allowed to work overseas for five years maximum, and I was hoping to save $10,000 and return home proud. I realized it wasnt going to happen, so I started looking for a chance to escape.

I was so disgusted with the system. I didnt have freedom to speak my mind, or to travel anywhere I wanted, or even to wear what I wanted. It was like living in a prison. We were monitored all the time by our neighborhood leader, by the normal police, by the secret police. If you ask me what was the worst thing about North Korea, Id say: Being born there.

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STORY LINK GBP EUR Exchange Rate Fluctuates amid Brexit Agreement Collapse and Mixed EU Ecostats

Eurozone Data Proves Mixed, GBP EUR Exchange Rates Eventually Capitalise

UK Services Data Disappoints, EUR GBP Exchange Rate Initially Climbs

GBP EUR Forecast: Irish Border Dispute Encumbers the Pound

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The Pound Euro (GBP EUR) exchange rate see-sawed today as markets responded to the collapse of negotiations between London and Brussels over the subject of the Irish border and some mixed ecostats from the Eurozone.Data from the bloc today was quite mixed, with the Eurozone Markit services and composite PMI assessment being positive, but retail sales through the bloc being negative.In regards to the former; the Eurozones composite reading printed at 57.5 in November, in-line with the flash estimate and toppling the previous months print of 56.This marked the strongest rate of expansion within the private sector in almost 7 years, with the rate of job creation climbing to its highest levels in 17 years and new orders demonstrating their best gains since February 2011.In respect to manufacturing, output soared the most that is has done since April 2000, whilst service sector growth also climbed to a six-month high.Whilst these figures were all positive - and broadly based  they were widely what the markets expected.On the other hand, the massive drop in retail sales was not expected.Retail sales throughout the bloc only rose by 0.4% year-on-year in October, down from the previous periods 4% gain and missing the market forecast of 1.5%.This was the smallest increase in retail trade since July 2014, news that eventually dragged on the Euro enough to push things into the Pounds favour.The IHS Markit UK services PMI demonstrated a fall to 53.8 in November, below the previous six-month high of 55.6 and below the forecast of 55.This was predominantly caused by a fall in the volume of new work, with business activity growing at a slower pace this period, and the rate of job creation largely remaining unchanged from the previous seven-month low.Duncan Brock from the Chartered institute of Procurement and Supply discussed the figures:Novembers data painted a disappointing portrait of a sector struggling against Brexit-related uncertainty and a weaker economic outlook, as fewer jobs were created and overall activity dropped back.The service sector makes up 80% of UK GDP, making this news all the more significant for investors.As a result, the Pound promptly fell.UK Prime Minister Theresa Mays carefully choreographed Brexit divorce deal with Brussels collapsed at the last moments on Monday when Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) rejected calls for Northern Ireland to be prevented from leaving the EU on the same terms as the rest of the UK.In this sense Mays efforts to finalise the agreement with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was deemed a failure by the markets, though Juncker seemed to remain optimistic:Despite our best efforts and significant progress it was not possible to reach a complete agreement today. This is not a failure; this is the start of the very last round.Juncker also asserted that he still expects that sufficient progress will be made in time for next weeks summit (14th-15th Dec), though markets were somewhat unconvinced.It should be noted, however, that market demand for the Pound picked up later into the day, after the DUP explained their fears of being absorbed by the EU, potentially giving the UK negotiators some bargaining power in future talks.

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Somerset County inundated with accidents after Tuesday snowstorm

Somerset County 911 dispatchers said they were inundated with emergency calls Tuesday because of the snow.
A 10-month criminal investigation appears to have come to an end Thursday with a 26-year-old Racine man being arrested and thousands of "fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone tablets" being recovered after two Racine homes were raided, the Racine County Sheriff's Office said Friday. Officers reported they found 3,622 fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone tablets equaling 16 ounces of fentanyl and 2.4 pounds of marijuana at two Racine residences following the execution of search warrants.
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The following companies are subsidiares of Community Health Systems: AF-CH-HH LLC, ARMC L.P., ASC JV Holdings LLC, Abilene Clinic Asset Holding Company LLC, Abilene Hospital LLC, Abilene Merger LLC, Access Center Services LLC, Affinity Cardio-Thoracic Specialists LLC, Affinity Cardiovascular Specialists LLC, Affinity Gastroenterology ASC LLC, Affinity Health Systems LLC, Affinity Hospital LLC, Affinity Orthopedic Specialists LLC, Affinity Physician Services LLC, Affinity Radiation Therapy Services LLC, Affinity Skilled Nursing LLC, Alabama HMA Physician Management LLC, Alaska Physician Services LLC, Alice Regional Hospital Community Alliance Inc., Alliance Health Partners LLC, Ambulance Services of Dyersburg Inc., Ambulance Services of McNairy Inc., Amory HMA LLC, Amory HMA Physician Management LLC, Angelo Community Healthcare Services Inc., Anniston HMA LLC, Arizona ASC Management Inc., Arizona DH LLC, Arizona Medco LLC, Arkansas HMA Regional Service Center LLC, Arkansas Medical Imaging JV LLC, BH Trans Company LLC, Bartow HMA LLC, Bartow HMA Physician Management LLC, Batesville HMA Development LLC, Batesville HMA Medical Group LLC, Bayfront Ambulatory Surgical Center LLC, Bayfront HMA Convenient Care LLC, Bayfront HMA Healthcare Holdings LLC, Bayfront HMA Investments LLC, Bayfront HMA Medical Center LLC, Bayfront HMA Physician Management LLC, Bayfront HMA Real Estate Holdings LLC, Bayfront HMA Wellness Center LLC, Bayfront Health Imaging Center LLC, Beauco LLC, Beaumont Regional LLC, Biloxi H.M.A. LLC, Biloxi HMA Physician Management LLC, Biloxi Health System LLC, Birmingham Holdings II LLC, Birmingham Holdings LLC, Birmingham Home Care Services LLC, Blackwell HMA LLC, Blackwell HMPN LLC, Blackwell Home Health & Hospice LLC, Bluefield Holdings LLC, Bluffton Health System LLC, Bluffton Physician Services LLC, Brandon HMA LLC, Brandon Physician Management LLC, Brandywine Hospital Malpractice Assistance Fund Inc., Bravera Urgent Care LLC, Brazos Valley Surgical Center LLC, Brevard HMA ALF LLC, Brevard HMA APO LLC, Brevard HMA ASC LLC, Brevard HMA Diagnostic Imaging LLC, Brevard HMA HME LLC, Brevard HMA Holdings LLC, Brevard HMA Hospitals LLC, Brevard HMA Investment Properties LLC, Brevard HMA Nursing Home LLC, Brooksville HMA Physician Management LLC, Brownsville Clinic Corp., Brownsville Hospital Corporation, Brownwood Asset Holding Company LLC, Brownwood Hospital L.P., Brownwood Medical Center LLC, Bullhead City Clinic Corp., Bullhead City Hospital Corporation, Bullhead City Hospital Investment Corporation, Bullhead City Imaging Corporation, Bullhead Medical Pl, Bullhead Medical Plaza Ltd., CDI JV LLC, CHHS, CHHS Holdings LLC, CHHS Hospital Company LLC, CHS Kentucky Holdings LLC, CHS PSO LLC, CHS Pennsylvania Holdings LLC, CHS Realty Holdings I Inc., CHS Realty Holdings II Inc., CHS Realty Holdings III LLC, CHS Realty Holdings Joint Venture, CHS Receivables Funding LLC, CHS Tennessee Holdings LLC, CHS Virginia Holdings LLC, CHS Washington Holdings LLC, CHS-ASC LLC, CHS/Community Health Systems Inc., CHS/Community Health Systems Inc. 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HMA LLC, Madison HMA Physician Management LLC, Madison Health System LLC, Marion Physician Services LLC, Marion Regional Healthcare System, Marshall County HMA LLC, Marshall County HMPN LLC, Martin Clinic Corp., Martin Hospital Company LLC, Mary Black Health System LLC, Mary Black HealthNetwork Inc., Mary Black MOB II Limited Partnership, Mary Black Medical Office Building Limited Partnership, Mary Black Physician Services LLC, Mary Black Physicians Group LLC, Mat-Su Regional ASC GP LLC, Mat-Su Regional Surgery Center L.P., Mat-Su Valley II LLC, Mat-Su Valley III LLC, Mat-Su Valley Medical Center LLC, Mayes County HMA LLC, Mayes County HMPN LLC, McKenna Court Homes LLC, McNairy Clinic Corp., McNairy Hospital Corporation, Medical Center of Brownwood LLC, Melbourne HMA LLC, Melbourne HMA Medical Group LLC, Mercy Cardiovascular Cath Lab LLC, Merger Legacy Holdings LLC, Mesquite HMA General LLC, Metro Knoxville HMA LLC, Michigan City MOB LLC, Middlebrook ASC LLC, Middlebrook Property Partners LLC, Midwest City HMA Physician Management LLC, Midwest Regional Medical Center LLC, Mississippi HMA Holdings I LLC, Mississippi HMA Holdings II LLC, Mississippi HMA Hospitalists LLC, Moberly Hospital Company LLC, Moberly Medical Clinics Inc., Moberly Physicians Corp., Mooresville HMA Investors LLC, Mooresville HMA Physician Management LLC, Mooresville Home Care Services LLC, Mooresville Hospital Management Associates LLC, Mooresville PPM LLC, Morristown Clinic Corp., Morristown Surgery Center LLC, Munroe HMA HMPN LLC, Munroe HMA Holdings LLC, Munroe HMA Hospital LLC, NC-DSH LLC, NOV Holdings LLC, NRH LLC, Naples HMA LLC, Natchez Clinic Company LLC, Natchez HBP Services LLC, Natchez Hospital Company LLC, National Healthcare of Leesville Inc., National Healthcare of Newport Inc., Navarro Clinic Asset Holding Company LLC, Navarro Hospital L.P., Navarro Regional LLC, New Cedar Lake Surgery Center LLC, Newport Physician Clinics Inc., North Okaloosa Clinic Corp., North Okaloosa Home Health LLC, North Okaloosa Medical Corp., North Okaloosa Surgery Venture Corp., Northampton Cardiology Clinic LLC, Northampton Clinic Company LLC, Northampton Hospital Company LLC, Northampton Physician Services Corp., Northampton Urgent Care LLC, Northern, Northwest Allied Physicians LLC, Northwest Arkansas Employees LLC, Northwest Arkansas HBP Services LLC, Northwest Arkansas Hospitals LLC, Northwest Arkansas Paramed Transfer LLC, Northwest Benton County Physician Services LLC, Northwest Cardiology LLC, Northwest HBP Medical Services LLC, Northwest Hospital Cardiac Diagnostics L.P., Northwest Hospital LLC, Northwest Imaging Associates LLC, Northwest Indiana Health System LLC, Northwest Physicians LLC, Northwest Sahuarita Hospital LLC, Northwest Urgent Care LLC, Northwest-Sparks Quality Alliance LLC, OPS Dupont LLC, Oak Hill Clinic Corp., Oak Hill Hospital Corporation, Oklahoma City ASC-GP LLC, Olive Branch Clinic Corp., Olive Branch Hospital Inc., One Boyertown Properties L.P., Open Air of MSLOU L.L.C., Oro Valley Hospital LLC, Osler HMA Medical Group LLC, PBEC HMA Inc., Pacific Group ASC Division Inc., Pacific Physicians Services LLC, Palmer-Wasilla Health System LLC, Palmetto Tri-County Medical Specialists LLC, Parkway Regional Medical Clinic Inc., Pasco Hernando HMA Physician Management LLC, Pasco Regional Medical Center LLC, Payson Healthcare Management Inc., Payson Hospital Corporation, Peckville Hospital Company LLC, Pecos Valley of New Mexico LLC, Pennsylvania Hospital Company LLC, Personal Home Health Care LLC, Petersburg Clinic Company LLC, Petersburg Hospital Company LLC, Phoenixville Hospital Company LLC, Phoenixville Hospital Malpractice Assistance Fund Inc., Physician Practice Support LLC, Piedmont Surgical Center of Excellence LLC, Piney Woods Healthcare System L.P., Polk Medical Services Inc., Ponca City Home Care Services LLC, Poplar Bluff Physician Management LLC, Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center LLC, Port Charlotte HBP Services LLC, Port Charlotte HMA LLC, Port Charlotte HMA Physician Management LLC, Porter Health Services LLC, Porter Hospital LLC, Porter Physician Services LLC, Pottstown Hospital Company LLC, Pottstown Hospital Corporation, Pottstown Imaging Company LLC, Pottstown Memorial Malpractice Assistance Fund Inc., Preferential Health Network Inc., Premier Care Super PHO LLC, PremierC, Professional Account Services Inc., Punta Gorda HMA LLC, Punta Gorda HMA Physician Management LLC, Punta Gorda Medical Arts Center Association Inc., QHG Georgia Holdings II LLC, QHG Georgia Holdings Inc., QHG Georgia LP, QHG of, QHG of Barberton Inc., QHG of Bluffton Company LLC, QHG of Cl, QHG of Enterprise Inc., QHG of Forrest County Inc., QHG of Fort Wayne Company LLC, QHG of Hattiesburg Inc., QHG of South Carolina Inc., QHG of Spartanburg Inc., QHG of Springdale Inc., QHG of Texas Inc., QHG of Warsaw Company LLC, ROH LLC, Rankin Cardiology Center LLC, Regional Cardiology Group LLC, Regional Clinics of Longview, Regional Employee Assistance Program, Regional Hospital of Longview LLC, Rehab Hospital of Fort Wayne General Partnership, Revenue Cycle Service Center LLC, River Oaks Hospital LLC, River Oaks Management Company LLC, River Oaks Medical Office Building LLC, River Region Medical Corporation, Riverview Regional Medical Center LLC, Rockledge HMA Convenient Care LLC, Rockledge HMA LLC, Rockledge HMA Medical Group LLC, Rockledge HMA Urgent Care LLC, Rockwood Clinic Real Estate Holdings LLC, Ronceverte Physician Group LLC, Rose City HMA LLC, Rose City HMA Medical Group LLC, Roswell Clinic Corp., Roswell Hospital Corporation, Russell County Clinic Corp., Russell County Medical Center Inc., Ruston Clinic Company LLC, Ruston Hospital Corporation, Ruston Louisiana Hospital Company LLC, SACMC LLC, SEPA Integrated Provi, SJ Home Care LLC, SS ParentCo. LLC, Salem Clinic Corp., Salem Home Care Holdings LLC, Salem Home Care Services LLC, Salem Hospital Corporation, Salem Medical Professionals Inc., Samaritan Surgicenters of Arizona II LLC, San Angelo Community Medical Center LLC, San Angelo Hospital L.P., San Angelo Medical LLC, Santa Rosa HMA Physician Management LLC, Santa Rosa HMA Urgent Care LLC, Scott County HMA LLC, Scranton Cardiovascular Physician Services LLC, Scranton Clinic Company LLC, Scranton Emergency Physician Services LLC, Scranton GP Holdings LLC, Scranton Holdings LLC, Scranton Hospital Company LLC, Scranton Hospitalist Physician Services LLC, Scranton Quincy Ambulance LLC, Scranton Quincy Clinic Company LLC, Scranton Quincy Holdings LLC, Scranton Quincy Home Care Services LLC, Scranton Quincy Hospital Company LLC, Scranton Quincy QRFS LLC, Sebastian HMA Physician Management LLC, Sebastian Home Care Services LLC, Sebastian Hospital LLC, Sebastopol LLC, Sebring HMA Physician Management LLC, Sebring Hospital Management Associates LLC, Select Specialty Hospital - Tucson LLC, Select Tucson Holdings LLC, Seminole HMA LLC, Seminole HMPN LLC, Seven Hills Community Medical Center Condominium Association Inc., Sharon Clinic Company LLC, Sharon Pennsylvania Holdings LLC, Sharon Pennsylvania Hospital Company LLC, Sharon Regional HBP Medical Group LLC, Shelby Alabama Real Estate LLC, Shelbyville Clinic Corp., Shelbyville Home Care Services LLC, Shelbyville Hospital Company LLC, Siloam Springs Arkansas Hospital Company LLC, Siloam Springs Clinic Company LLC, Siloam Springs Holdings LLC, Silver Creek MRI LLC, SkyRidge Clinical Associates LLC, Solis Mammography at Navarro Regional Hospital LLC, South Abilene Radiology LLC, South Arkansas Physician Services LLC, SouthCrest L.L.C., Southeast, Southeast HMA Holdings LLC, Southern Health Network Inc., Southern Texas Medical Center LLC, Southsi, Southwest Florida HMA Holdings LLC, Southwest Physicians Risk Retention Group Inc., Sparks PremierC, Spokane Valley Washington Hospital Company LLC, Spokane Washington Hospital Company LLC, Spring Hill HMA Medical Group LLC, Springdale Home Care Services LLC, Sprocket Medical Management LLC, St. Joseph Health System LLC, Starke HMA LLC, Starke HMA Medical Group LLC, Statesboro HMA Medical Group LLC, Statesboro HMA Physician Management LLC, Statesville HMA LLC, Statesville HMA Medical Group LLC, StrokeCareNow LLC, Summit Surgical Suites LLC, Supply Chain Shared Service Center LLC, Surgi, Surgical Center of Carlsbad LLC, Surgicare Outpatient Center of, Surgicare of Clarksville LLC, Surgicare of Independence Inc., Surgicare of Sherman Inc., Surgicenters of America Inc., Susitna ASC Holdings LLC, Susitna Surgery Center LLC, Tennessee HMA Holdings LP, Tennessee HMA Regional Service Center LLC, Tennova Medical Park Property Owners Association Inc., Tennyson Holdings LLC, Terrell Medical Center LLC, Texas Bay Area Clinical Services Inc., The Sleep Disorder Center of Wyoming Valley LLC, The Surgery Center LLC, The Vicksburg Clinic LLC, Timberland Medical Group, Tomball Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Tomball Clinic Asset Holding Company LLC, Tomball Texas Holdings LLC, Tomball Texas Hospital Company LLC, Tomball Texas Ventures LLC, Tri-Irish Inc., Triad Healthcare LLC, Triad Holdings III LLC, Triad Holdings IV LLC, Triad Holdings V LLC, Triad Hospitals, Triad Indiana Holdings LLC, Triad Nevada Holdings LLC, Triad of Alabama LLC, Triad of Arizona L.P. Inc., Triad of Phoenix Inc., Triad-, Triad-ARMC LLC, Triad-Arizona I Inc., Triad-El Dorado Inc., Triad-Navarro Regional Hospital Subsidiary LLC, Triad-South Tulsa Hospital Company Inc., Tucson Home Care Services LLC, Tug Valley Healthcare Alliance Inc., Tullahoma HMA LLC, Tullahoma HMA Physician Management LLC, Utilization Review Services LLC, VHC Medical LLC, Valley Advanced Imag, Valley Advanced MRI LLC, ValleyCare Cardiology Group LLC, Valparaiso Home Care Services LLC, Van Buren H.M.A. LLC, Van Buren HMA Central Business Office LLC, Vanderbilt-Gateway Cancer Center G.P., Venice HMA LLC, Venice Home Care Services LLC, Vero Beach Florida ASC LLC, Vicksburg Healthcare LLC, Victoria Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Victoria Clinic Asset Holding Company LLC, Victoria Hospital LLC, Victoria Texas Home Care Services LLC, Victoria of Texas L.P., Virginia Care Company LLC, Virginia Hospital Company LLC, VirtualHealthConnect LLC, WA-SPOK DH CRNA LLC, WA-SPOK DH Urgent Care LLC, WA-SPOK Kidney Care LLC, WA-SPOK Medical Care LLC, WA-SPOK Primary Care LLC, WA-SPOK Pulmonary & Critical Care LLC, WA-SPOK VH CRNA LLC, WA-SPOK VH Urgent Care LLC, WHMC LLC, Warren Ohio Hospital Company LLC, Warren Ohio Physician Services LLC, Warren Ohio Rehab Hospital Company LLC, Warsaw Health System LLC, Washington Clinic Corp., Washington Hospital Corporation, Washington Physician Corp., Weatherford Hospital Corporation, Weatherford Texas Hospital Company LLC, Webb County Texas Home Care Services LLC, Webb Hospital Corporation, Webb Hospital Holdings LLC, Wesley Health System LLC, Wesley HealthTrust Inc., Wesley Physician Services LLC, West Grove Hospital Company LLC, Western Arizona Regional Home Health and Hospice LLC, Wilkes-Barre Aca, Wilkes-Barre Behavioral Hospital Company LLC, Wilkes-Barre Behavioral Ventures LLC, Wilkes-Barre Clinic Company LLC, Wilkes-Barre Community Resi, Wilkes-Barre Holdings LLC, Wilkes-Barre Home Care Services LLC, Wilkes-Barre Hospital Company LLC, Wilkes-Barre Intermountain Clinic LLC, Wilkes-Barre Personal Care Services LLC, Wilkes-Barre Radiation Oncology LLC, Wiregrass Clinic LLC, Women & Childrens Hospital LLC, Womens He, Womens Health Partners LLC, Womens Health Specialists of Carlisle LLC, Woodland Heights Medical Center LLC, Woodward Clinic Company LLC, Woodward Health System LLC, Woodward Home Care Services LLC, Yakima HMA LLC, Yakima HMA Physician Management LLC, York Anesthesiology Physician Services LLC, York Clinic Company LLC, York Pathology Physician Services LLC, York Pennsylvania Holdings LLC, York Pennsylvania Hospital Company LLC, Youngstown Ohio Hospital Company LLC, Youngstown Ohio Laboratory Services Company LLC, Youngstown Ohio Outpatient Services Company LLC, Youngstown Ohio PSC LLC, and Youngstown Ohio Physician Services Company LLC.

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Credit Suisse Group AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial services in Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. The company offers wealth management solutions, including investment advice and discretionary asset management services; risk management solutions, such as managed investment products; and wealth planning, succession planning, and trust services. It also provides financing and lending solutions, including consumer credit and real estate mortgage lending, real asset lending relating to ship, and aviation financing for UHNWI; standard and structured hedging, and lombard lending solutions, as well as collateral trading services; and investment banking solutions, such as global securities sales, trading and execution, capital raising, and advisory services. In addition, the company offers banking solutions, such as payments, accounts, debit and credit cards, and product bundles; asset management products; equity and debt underwriting, and advisory services; cash equities, equity derivatives, and convertibles, as well as prime services; and fixed income products, such as credit, securitized, macro, emerging markets, financing, structured credit, and other products. Further, it provides HOLT, a framework for assessing the performance of approximately 20,000 companies; and equity and fixed income research services. The company serves private and institutional clients; ultra-high-net-worth individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and affluent and retail clients; corporate clients, small and medium-sized enterprises, external asset managers, financial institutions, and commodity traders; and pension funds, hedge funds, governments, foundations and endowments, corporations, entrepreneurs, private individuals, financial sponsors, and sovereign clients. As of December 31, 2021, it operated through a network of 311 offices and branches. The company was founded in 1856 and is based in Zurich, Switzerland.
Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. provides home and security products for residential home repair, remodeling, new construction, and security applications. It operates in three segments: Plumbing, Outdoors & Security, and Cabinets. The Plumbing segment manufactures, assembles, and sells faucets, accessories, kitchen sinks, and waste disposals under the Moen, ROHL, Riobel, Victoria+Albert, Perrin & Rowe, and Shaws brands in the United States, China, Canada, Mexico, Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America directly through its own sales force, as well as through independent manufacturers' representatives to wholesalers, home centers, mass merchandisers, and industrial distributors. The Outdoors & Security segment offers fiberglass and steel entry door systems under the Therma-Tru brand; storm, screen, and security doors under the Larson brand; composite decking and railing under the Fiberon brand; and urethane millwork under the Fypon brand. This segment also manufactures, sources, and distributes locks, safety and security devices, and electronic security products under the Master Lock and American Lock brands; and fire resistant safes, security containers, and commercial cabinets under the SentrySafe brand. It serves home centers, hardware and other retailers, millwork building products and wholesale distributors, specialty dealers, and remodeling and renovation markets, as well as locksmiths, industrial and institutional users, and original equipment manufacturers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America, Japan, and Australia. The Cabinets segment manufactures custom, semi-custom, and custom cabinetry, as well as vanities for the kitchen, bath, and other parts of the home directly to kitchen and bath dealers, home centers, wholesalers, and builders in North America under the AOK, Diamond Brands, Homecrest, Kitchen Craft, Omega, and EVE brands. The company was incorporated in 1988 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.
Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; prepaid programs and management services; commercial credit and debit payment products and solutions; and payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts. It also provides value-added products and services comprising cyber and intelligence solutions for parties to transact, as well as proprietary insights, drawing on principled use of consumer, and merchant data services. In addition, the company offers analytics, test and learn, consulting, managed services, loyalty, processing, and payment gateway solutions for e-commerce merchants. Further, it provides open banking and digital identity platforms services. The company offers payment solutions and services under the MasterCard, Maestro, and Cirrus. Mastercard Incorporated was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.
Orange S.A. provides various fixed telephony and mobile telecommunications, data transmission, and other value-added services to customers, businesses, and other telecommunications operators in France and internationally. It operates through France; Spain and Other European Countries; The Africa and Middle East; Enterprise; International Carriers & Shared Services; and Mobile Financial Services segments. The company offers mobile services, such as voice, SMS, and data; fixed broadband and narrowband services, as well as fixed network business solutions, including voice and data; and convergence packages. It also sells mobile handsets, mobile terminals, broadband equipment, connected devices, and accessories. In addition, the company provides IT and integration services comprising unified communication and collaboration services, such as LAN and telephony, consultancy, integration, and project management; hosting and infrastructure services, including cloud computing; customer relations management and other applications services; security services; and video conferencing, as well as sells related equipment. Further, it offers national and international roaming services; online advertising services; and mobile virtual network operators, network sharing, and mobile financial services, as well as sells equipment to external distributors and brokers. Orange S.A. markets its products and services under the Orange brand. The company was formerly known as France Telecom and changed its name to Orange S.A. in July 2013. Orange S.A. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.
Ingredion Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells starches and sweeteners for various industries. It operates through four segments: North America; South America; Asia-Pacific; and Europe, Middle East and Africa. The company offers sweetener products comprising glucose syrups, high maltose syrups, high fructose corn syrups, caramel colors, dextrose, polyols, maltodextrins, and glucose syrup solids, as well as food-grade and industrial starches, biomaterials, and nutrition ingredients. It also provides edible corn oil; refined corn oil to packers of cooking oil and to producers of margarine, salad dressings, shortening, mayonnaise, and other foods; and corn gluten feed used as protein feed for chickens, pet food, and aquaculture, as well as fruit and vegetable products, such as concentrates, purees and essences, pulse proteins, and hydrocolloids systems and blends. The company's products are derived primarily from processing corn and other starch-based materials, such as tapioca, potato, and rice. It serves food, beverage, brewing, and animal nutrition industries. The company was formerly known as Corn Products International, Inc. and changed its name to Ingredion Incorporated in June 2012. Ingredion Incorporated was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Westchester, Illinois.
The following companies are subsidiares of General Motors: 2140879 Ontario Inc., ACAR Leasing Ltd., ACF Investment Corp., AFS SenSub Corp., APGO Trust, Adam Opel GmbH, AmeriCredit, AmeriCredit Financial Services Inc., Annunciata Corporation, Argonaut Holdings LLC, Astyx Inc., BOCO (Proprietary) Limited, Banco GM S.A., Boco Trust, BrightDrop LLC, BrightDrop Solutions LLC, BrightDrop Vehicle Distribution LLC, CHEVYPLAN S.A. Sociedad Administradora de Planes de Autofinanciamiento Comercial, Cadillac, Cadillac Europe GmbH, Carve-Out Ownership Cooperative LLC, Chevrolet Deutschland GmbH, Chevrolet Otomotiv Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Chevrolet Sales (Thailand) Limited, Chevrolet Sales India Private Ltd., Chevrolet Sociedad Anonima de Ahorro para Fines Determinados, Controladora General Motors S. de R.L. de C.V., Cruise, Cruise LLC, Cruise Munich GmbH, DCJ1 LLC, DMAX Ltd., Dealership Liquidations Inc., Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK Overseas Corporation, EDS (Electronic Data Systems), GCAR Titling Ltd., GM (UK) Pension Trustees Limited, GM Administradora de Bens Ltda., GM Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters Ltd., GM Components Holdings LLC, GM Corretora de Seguros Ltda., GM Cruise Holdings LLC, GM Defense LLC, GM Eurometals Inc., GM Finance Co. Holdings LLC, GM Financial, GM Financial Bank, GM Financial Canada Leasing Ltd., GM Financial Colombia Holdings LLC, GM Financial Colombia S.A. Compania de Financiamiento, GM Financial Consumer Discount Company, GM Financial Holdings LLC, GM Financial Insurance Company, GM Financial Mexico Holdings LLC, GM Financial de Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.R., GM Financial del Peru S.A.C, GM Global Technology Operations LLC, GM Global Tooling Company LLC, GM Global Treasury Centre Limited, GM Holdings Australia Pty Ltd, GM Holdings U.K. No.1 Limited, GM Inversiones Santiago Limitada, GM Investment Trustees Limited, GM Korea Company, GM LAAM Holdings LLC, GM Mobility Europe GmbH, GM Personnel Services Inc., GM Philippines Inc., GM Protections LLC, GM Regional Holdings LLC, GM Retirees Pension Trustees Limited, GM Speciality Vehicles UK Limited, GM Subsystems Manufacturing LLC, GM Technical Center Korea Ltd., GM-DI Leasing LLC, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios Ltda., GMAC Prestadora de Servicios de Mao de Obra Ltda., GMCH&SP Private Equity II L.P., GMF Funding Corp., GMF Global Assignment LLC, GMF International LLC, GMF Leasing LLC, GMF Wholesale Receivables LLC, General Motors (China) Investment Company Limited, General Motors - Colmotores S.A., General Motors Advisory Services LLC, General Motors Africa and Middle East FZE, General Motors Asia LLC, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, General Motors Asset Management Corporation, General Motors Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd., General Motors Auto LLC, General Motors Automobiles Philippines Inc., General Motors Automotive Holdings S.L., General Motors Belgique Automobile NV, General Motors Chile Industria Automotriz Limitada, General Motors China LLC, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS LLC, General Motors Egypt S.A.E., General Motors Europe Limited, General Motors Financial Chile Limitada, General Motors Financial Chile S.A., General Motors Financial Company Inc., General Motors Financial of Canada Ltd., General Motors Global Service Operations Inc., General Motors Holden Australia NSC Pty Ltd., General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors IT Services (Ireland) Limited, General Motors India Private Limited, General Motors International Holdings LLC, General Motors International Operations Pte. Ltd., General Motors International Services Company SAS, General Motors International Services LLC, General Motors Investment Limited, General Motors Investment Management Corporation, General Motors Investment Participacoes Ltda., General Motors Investments Pty. Ltd., General Motors Israel Ltd., General Motors Japan Limited, General Motors LLC, General Motors Limited, General Motors New Zealand Limited, General Motors New Zealand Pensions Limited, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle Corporation, General Motors Overseas Corporation, General Motors Overseas Distribution LLC, General Motors Peru S.A., General Motors Research Corporation, General Motors South Africa (Pty) Limited, General Motors Taiwan Ltd., General Motors Technical Centre India Private Limited, General Motors Treasury Center LLC, General Motors Uruguay S.A., General Motors Ventures LLC, General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., General Motors de Argentina S.r.l., General Motors de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., General Motors del Ecuador S.A., General Motors do Brasil Ltda., General Motors of Canada Company, General Motors-Holden's Sales Pty. Limited, Global Services Detroit LLC, Grand Pointe Holdings Inc., Grand Pointe Park Condominium Association, IBC Pension Trustees Limited, Lease Ownership Cooperative LLC, Lidlington Engineering Company Ltd., Limited Liability Company "General Motors CIS", Maven Drive LLC, Millbrook Pension Management Limited, Monetization of Carve-Out LLC, Motors Holding LLC, Multi-Use Lease Entity Trust, North American New Cars LLC, Omnibus BB Transportes S. A., OnStar Connected Services Srl, OnStar Egypt Limited, OnStar Europe Ltd., OnStar Global Services Corporation, OnStar LLC, OnStar de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., P.T. G M AutoWorld Indonesia, P.T. General Motors Indonesia, PIMS Co., PT. General Motors Indonesia Manufacturing, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Company Ltd., Prestadora de Servicios GMF Colombia S.A.S., Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, Reliance Motor Car Company, Riverfront Holdings III Inc., Riverfront Holdings Inc., Riverfront Holdings Phase II Inc., SAIC GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors Co. Ltd., SAIC GM Dong Yue Motors Company Limited, SAIC GM Dong Yue Powertrain Company Limited, SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Company Limited, SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited, SAIC General Motors Sales Company Limited, SAIC-GMAC Automotive Finance Company Limited, SAIC-GMF Leasing Co. Ltd., Servicios GMAC S.A. de C.V., Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., Sidecar Technologies, Ultium Cells LLC, Vehicle Asset Universal Leasing Trust, WRE Inc., and Zona Franca Industrial Colmotores SAS.

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Two people identified by law enforcement as "persons of interest" in Sydney Loofe's disappearance remained in custody Friday, now at the Saline County jail in their hometown of Wilber.

A jail employee confirmed that Aubrey C. Trail, 51, and Bailey M. Boswell, 23, were both being held late Friday at the request of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The two were transported from the Taney County Jail in Forsyth, Missouri, sometime Friday. Forsyth is about five miles northeast of Branson.

Loofe, 24, remains missing.

Federal and state court records list no new charges against Trail or Boswell, and police haven't publicly accused them of any crime related to Loofe's disappearance.

Both had warrants for unrelated charges, however: Boswell for missing a court date last year in Lincoln, and Trail on newer allegations of being a habitual criminal and a felon in possession of a firearm. Trail's warrant remains under seal.

Loofe hasn't been seen since Nov. 15, when she and Boswell apparently met for a date after meeting online. Loofe's mother reported her missing the next day after she didn't show up for work at Menards in north Lincoln.

The FBI has set up a dedicated tip line specifically for information related to Loofe's case: 402-493-8688, option 1.

Thursday, Loofe's father pleaded for the public's help during a news conference at the Hall of Justice in Lincoln: "In my opinion, someone knows something," George Loofe said. "Please do the right thing."

He was joined by officials from the FBI, Lincoln Police Department, Saline County Sheriff's Office and the Nebraska State Patrol.

Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister responded quickly during the news conference when asked if there is still hope Loofe could be found alive.

Yes," the chief said. "Absolutely."
Greenhill & Co., Inc., an independent investment bank, provides financial and strategic advisory services to corporations, partnerships, institutional investors, and governments worldwide. The company offers advisory services related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, financings, private capital raising, and other similar transactions. It also advises clients on strategic matters, including activist shareholder defense, special committee projects, licensing deals, and joint ventures; and valuation, negotiation tactics, industry dynamics, structuring alternatives, and timing and pricing of transactions, as well as financing alternatives. In addition, the company provides restructuring advisory services to debtors, creditors, governments, and other stakeholders, and acquirers of distressed companies and assets; and advice on restructuring alternatives, capital structures, and sales or recapitalizations. Further, it assists clients in identifying and capitalizing on incremental sources of value; and on court-assisted reorganizations by developing and seeking approval for plans of reorganization, as well as the implementation of such plans. Additionally, the company advises on private placements of debt and structured equity, refinancing of existing debt facilities, negotiating the modification, and amendment of covenants, as well as acts as an independent advisor. It also offers financial advisory services to pension funds, endowments, and other institutional investors on transactions involving alternative assets; and advice to alternative asset fund sponsors for private capital raising, financing, restructuring, liquidity options, valuation, and related services. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Banc of California, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Banc of California, National Association that provides banking products and services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, retirement, and interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing demand accounts, as well as certificate of deposits. It also provides various commercial and consumer loan products, such as commercial and industrial loans; commercial real estate and multifamily loans; construction loans; single family residential mortgage loans; warehouse and indirect/direct leveraged lending; home equity lines of credit; small business administration loans; and other consumer loans. In addition, the company offers automated bill payment, cash and treasury management, foreign exchange, card payment, remote and mobile deposit capture, automated clearing house origination, wire transfer, direct deposit, and internet banking services; and master demand accounts, interest rate swaps, and safe deposit boxes. Further, it invests in collateralized loan obligations, agency securities, municipal bonds, agency residential mortgage-backed securities, and corporate debt securities. As of December 31, 2020, the company operated 29 full-service branches in Southern California. The company was formerly known as First PacTrust Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to Banc of California, Inc. in July 2013. Banc of California, Inc. was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, California.
The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.

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Freeport-McMoRan Inc. engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. The company primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals, as well as oil and gas. Its assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Tyrone and Chino in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. The company also operates a portfolio of oil and gas properties primarily located in offshore California and the Gulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2021, it operated approximately 135 wells. The company was formerly known as Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and changed its name to Freeport-McMoRan Inc. in July 2014. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
Aetna Inc. operates as a health care benefits company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Health Care, Group Insurance, and Large Case Pensions. The Health Care segment offers medical, pharmacy benefit management service, dental, behavioral health, and vision plans on an insured and employer-funded basis. It also provides point-of-service, preferred provider organization, health maintenance organization, and indemnity benefit plans, as well as health savings accounts and consumer-directed health plans. In addition, this segment offers Medicare and Medicaid products and services, as well as other medical products, such as medical management and data analytics services, medical stop loss insurance, workers' compensation administrative services, and products that provide access to its provider networks in select geographies. The Group Insurance segment offers life insurance products, including group term life insurance, voluntary spouse and dependent term life insurance, group universal life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance products; and long-term care insurance products, which provide the benefits to cover the cost of care in private home settings, adult day care, assisted living, or nursing facilities. The Large Case Pensions segment manages various retirement products comprising pension and annuity products primarily for tax-qualified pension plans. The company provides its products and services to employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups, and expatriates. Aetna Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut.
Ashland Inc. provides additives and specialty ingredients worldwide. It operates through Life Sciences; Personal Care & Household; Specialty Additives; and Intermediates and Solvents segments. The Life Sciences segment offers pharmaceutical solutions, including controlled release polymers, disintegrants, tablet coatings, thickeners, solubilizers, and tablet binders; nutrition solutions, such as thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and additives; and nutraceutical solutions comprising products for weight management, joint comfort, stomach and intestinal health, sports nutrition, and general wellness, as well as custom formulation, toll processing, and particle engineering solutions. The Personal Care & Household segment provides a range of nature-based, biodegradable, and performance ingredients; solutions for toothpastes, mouth washes and rinses, denture cleaning, and care for teeth; and household supplies nature-derived rheology ingredients, biodegradable surface wetting agents, performance encapsulates, and specialty polymers. The Specialty Additives segment offers rheology modifiers, foam control agents, surfactants and wetting agents, pH neutralizers, advanced ceramics used in catalytic converters, environmental filters, ingredients for the manufacturing of ceramic capacitors, plasma display panels and solar cells, ingredients for textile printing, thermoplastic metals, and alloys for welding. The Intermediates and Solvents segment produces 1,4 butanediol and related derivatives, including n-methylpyrrolidone. It offers its products to customers in a range of consumer and industrial markets, such as architectural coatings, construction, energy, food and beverage, nutraceuticals, personal care, and pharmaceutical. The company was formerly known as Ashland Global Holdings Inc. Ashland Inc. was founded in 1924 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.
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.
Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides newborn, maternal-fetal, pediatric cardiology, and other pediatric subspecialty care services in the United States and Puerto Rico. It offers neonatal care services, such as clinical care to babies born prematurely or with complications within specific units at hospitals through neonatal physician subspecialists, neonatal nurse practitioners, and other pediatric clinicians. The company also provides maternal-fetal care services, including inpatient and office-based clinical care to expectant mothers and unborn babies through affiliated maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists, as well as obstetricians and other clinicians, including maternal-fetal nurse practitioners, certified nurse mid-wives, ultrasonographers, and genetic counselors. In addition, it offers pediatric cardiology care services comprising inpatient and office-based pediatric cardiology care of the fetus, infant, child, and adolescent patient with congenital heart defects and acquired heart disease, as well as adults with congenital heart defects through affiliated pediatric cardiologist subspecialists and other related clinical professionals; and specialized cardiac care to the fetus, neonatal and pediatric patients. Further, the company provides other pediatric subspecialty care services through pediatric subspecialists, such as pediatric intensivists, pediatric hospitalists, pediatric surgeons, and pediatric ophthalmologists, as well as pediatric ear, nose, and throat physicians; and support services in the areas of hospitals, primarily in the pediatric emergency rooms, labor and delivery areas, and nursery and pediatric departments. As of February 17, 2022, it operated a network of approximately 2,700 physicians. The company was formerly known as MEDNAX, Inc. and changed its name to Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc. in July 2022. Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is based in Sunrise, Florida.
BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. It also offers ProxyEdge, an electronic proxy delivery and voting solution; data-driven solutions and an end-to-end platform for content management, composition, and omni-channel distribution of regulatory, marketing, and transactional information, as well as mutual fund trade processing services; data and analytics solutions; solutions for public corporations and mutual funds; SEC filing and capital markets transaction services; registrar, stock transfer, and record-keeping services; and omni-channel customer communications solutions, as well as operates Broadridge Communications Cloud platform that creates, delivers, and manages communications and customer engagement activities. The company's Global Technology and Operations segment provides solutions that automate the front-to-back transaction lifecycle of equity, mutual fund, fixed income, foreign exchange and exchange-traded derivatives, order capture and execution, trade confirmation, margin, cash management, clearance and settlement, reference data management, reconciliations, securities financing and collateral management, asset servicing, compliance and regulatory reporting, portfolio accounting, and custody-related services. This segment also offers business process outsourcing services; technology solutions, such portfolio management, compliance, fee billing, and operational support solutions; and capital market and wealth management solutions. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Lake Success, New York.
Citigroup Inc. is one of the worlds largest financial institutions. It is the 13th largest bank globally by assets and 8th by market cap with operations in consumer and institutional banking. In the US, Citigroup is the 3rd largest bank by assets and one of the Big Four deemed systemically important and too big to fail.

Citigroup Inc. was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York. The bank was run by Samuel Osgood who led the company with success for many years, even throughout the War of 1812. The bank was later renamed the National City Bank of New York in 1865 and by 1895 is the largest bank in the US. In 1913 it was the first contributor to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a few years later it began to expand into overseas territories.

The bank became the First National City Bank of New York after another merger in 1955 and then later, the New York part was dropped off as part of the 150th-anniversary celebration. By 1974 the company is known as Citicorp which is still the operational branch of the business and a global banking powerhouse. A merger with Travelers insurance group in 1998 resulted in the name Citigroup but the joint venture did not last. By 2002 Travelers was publicly traded once again but Citigroup retained the new name.

Today, the company is headquartered in New York, New York but boasts more than 200 million customer accounts in 160 countries worldwide. As of mid-2022, it operated 2,649 branches in the United States, Mexico, and Asia. The company reports nearly 725 branches in the US and 1499 in Mexico with the rest scattered throughout its territory. Total annual revenue topped $75 billion in 2022.

Citigroup is a diversified financial services holding company that owns Citicorp among other assets. The companys mission is to serve as a trusted partner providing responsible financial solutions to its clients. Citigroup provides financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. The company operates in two segments, Global Consumer Banking (GCB) and Institutional Clients Group (ICG).

The GCB segment offers traditional banking services including deposit and saving accounts, credit cards, personal loans, home loans, and investment services. This segment operates through local branches and digital means. The ICG segment offers wholesale banking products and services to corporate, institutional, public sector, and high-net-worth clients.
The following companies are subsidiares of Kroger: 84.51 HQ Building Company LLC, 84.51 LLC, Alpha Beta Company, Ansonborough Square Investors I LLC, Ansonborough Square Retail LLC, Ardrey Kell Investments LLC, Bay Area Warehouse Stores Inc., Beech Tree Holdings LLC, Bleecker Ventures LLC, Bluefield Beverage Company, Box Cutter Inc., CB&S Advertising Agency Inc., Cala Co., Cala Foods Inc., Cheeses of All Nations Inc., Country Oven Inc., Crawford Stores Inc., Creedmoor Retail LLC, Dillon Companies LLC, Dillon Real Estate Co. Inc., Dillons, Distribution Trucking Company, Dotto Inc., Edgewood Plaza Holdings LLC, Embassy International Inc., FM Inc., FMJ Inc., Farmacia Doral Inc., Food 4 Less GM Inc., Food 4 Less Holdings Inc., Food 4 Less Merchandising Inc., Food 4 Less of California Inc., Food 4 Less of Southern California Inc., Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer Inc., Fred Meyer Jewelers Inc., Fred Meyer Stores Inc., Glasswing Labs LLC, Glendale/Goodwin Realty I LLC, Grubstake Investments LLC, HT Fuel DE LLC, HT Fuel NC LLC, HT Fuel SC LLC, HT Fuel VA LLC, HTGBD LLC, HTP Bluffton LLC, HTP Plaza LLC, HTP Relo LLC, HTPS LLC, HTTAH LLC, Harris Teeter, Harris Teeter LLC, Harris Teeter Properties LLC, Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., Harris-Teeter Services Inc., Healthy Options Inc., Henpil Inc., Home Chef, Hood-Clayton Logistics LLC, Hughes Markets Inc., Hughes Realty Inc., I.T.A. Inc., IRP LLC, ITAC 119 LLC, ITAC 265 LLC, Inter-American Foods Inc., Inter-American Products Inc., J.V. Distributing Inc., Jondex Corp., Jubilee Carolina LLC, KCDE  2013 LLC, KCDE-2 LLC, KCDE-3 LLC, KCDE-4 LLC, KCDE-5 LLC, KGO LLC, KPF LLC, KPS LLC, KRGP LLC, KRLP Inc., KV Anderson LLC, Kee Trans Inc., Kessel FP, Kiosk Medicine Kentucky LLC, Kirkpatrick West Retail LLC, Kroger Community Development Entity LLC, Kroger Dedicated Logistics Co., Kroger Fulfillment Network LLC, Kroger G.O. LLC, Kroger HQ LLC, Kroger LM Real Estate Holdings LLC, Kroger Limited Partnership I, Kroger Limited Partnership II, Kroger MC Holdings LLC, Kroger MTL Management LLC, Kroger Management Co., Kroger Management  Corryville LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Athens I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign II LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Cincinnati I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Dallas I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Danville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Logansport I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Missouri I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Oak Ridge I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Olney I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Omaha I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Portsmouth I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Starkville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Topeka I LLC, Kroger NMTC Fremont I LLC, Kroger OZ1 Inc., Kroger OZ1 LLC, Kroger OZ2 Inc., Kroger OZ2 LLC, Kroger OZ3 Inc., Kroger OZ3 LLC, Kroger Opportunity Fund I Inc., Kroger Prescription Plans Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion AL LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion TX LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy FL 2 LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 2 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 3 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings I Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy LA LLC, Kroger Texas L.P., LCGP3 Home Cooking Inc., Latta Village LLC, Local Mkt LLC, Main & Vine LLC, Matthews Property 1 LLC, Mega Marts LLC, Michigan Dairy L.L.C., ModernHealth LTC, Murrays Cheese LLC, Murrays Cheese LLC, Murrays LIC LLC, Murrays Table LLC, Pace Dairy Foods Company, Paramount Logistics LLC, Pay Less Super Markets Inc., Peyton's-Southeastern Inc., Plum Labs LLC, Pontiac Foods Inc., Queen City Assurance Inc., RBF LLC, RGC Southeast Properties LLC, Ralphs Grocery Company, Relish Labs LLC, Rocket Newco Inc., Roundy's, Roundys Acquisition Corp., Roundys Illinois LLC, Roundys Inc., Roundys Supermarkets Inc., Second Story Inc., Shop-Rite LLC, Smiths Beverage of Wyoming Inc., Smiths Food & Drug Centers Inc., Southern Ice Cream Specialties Inc., Stallings Investors I LLC, Sunrise R&D Holdings LLC, Sunrise Technology LLC, TLC Corporate Services LLC, TLC Immunization Clinic LLC, TLC of Georgia LLC, The Kroger Co. of Michigan, The Little Clinic LLC, The Little Clinic Management Services LLC, The Little Clinic of Arizona LLC, The Little Clinic of Colorado LLC, The Little Clinic of IN LLC, The Little Clinic of Kansas LLC, The Little Clinic of Mississippi LLC, The Little Clinic of Ohio LLC, The Little Clinic of TX LLC, The Little Clinic of Tennessee LLC, The Little Clinic of VA LLC, Topvalco Inc., Ultimate Mart LLC, Ultra Mart Foods LLC, Vandervoort Dairy Foods Company, Vine Court Assurance Incorporated, Vitacost, Vitacost.com Inc., Woodmont Holdings LLC, and YOU Technology.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Jabil: AOC Technologies (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., AOC Technologies Inc., Badger Technologies LLC, Celetronix, Celetronix India Private Limited, Celetronix USA Inc., Clothing Plus Hong Kong Ltd., Clothing Plus MBU Oy, Clothing Plus Zhejiang Ltd., Clothing+, Eco.logic Brands Inc., Ecologic Brands, F-I Holding Company, GET Manufacturing, Green Point (Suzhou) Technology Co. Ltd., Green Point (Tianjin) Precision Electronic Co. Ltd., Green Point (Wuxi) Electronic Technology Co. Ltd., Green Point (Yantai) Precision Electronic Co. Ltd., Green Point Precision (M) Sdn. Bhd., Green Point Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Green Point Technology (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Green Prosperity Co. Ltd., Greenam Electricity (Proprietary) Limited, Inala, JCI Funding Ireland Designated Activity Company, JCI Labuan Limited, JN Global Holdings C.V., Jabil (Mauritius) Holdings Ltd., Jabil AMS LLC, Jabil Advanced Mechanical Solutions Inc., Jabil Advanced Mechanical Solutions de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil C.M. S.r.l., Jabil Canada Corporation, Jabil Chihuahua Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Circuit (BVI) Inc., Jabil Circuit (Beijing) Ltd., Jabil Circuit (Guangzhou) Ltd., Jabil Circuit (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Jabil Circuit (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Jabil Circuit (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Jabil Circuit Austria GmbH, Jabil Circuit Belgium N.V., Jabil Circuit Cayman L.P., Jabil Circuit China Limited, Jabil Circuit Financial II Inc., Jabil Circuit Holdings Limited, Jabil Circuit Hong Kong Limited, Jabil Circuit Hungary Contract Manufacturing Services Ltd., Jabil Circuit India Private Limited, Jabil Circuit Investment (China) Co. Ltd, Jabil Circuit Italia S.r.l., Jabil Circuit Limited, Jabil Circuit Luxembourg II S.a.r.l., Jabil Circuit Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Jabil Circuit Netherlands B.V., Jabil Circuit SAS, Jabil Circuit Sdn Bhd, Jabil Circuit Technology LLC, Jabil Circuit Ukraine Limited, Jabil Circuit de Chihuahua S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Circuit de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Circuit of Michigan Inc., Jabil Consulting Limited Liability Company, Jabil DR S.R.L., Jabil Defense and Aerospace Services LLC, Jabil Denmark Aps, Jabil Dutch Mexico B.V., Jabil EMS Switzerland GmbH, Jabil Electronics (Weihai) Co. Ltd., Jabil Energy (Namibia) (PTY) Ltd., Jabil Green Point Precision Electronics (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Jabil Green Point Technology (Huizhou) Co. Ltd., Jabil Guadalajara Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Healthcare DR S.R.L., Jabil Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Hungary LP Services Limited Liability Company, Jabil India Manufacturing Private Limited, Jabil Industrial do Brasil Ltda., Jabil International Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil International Treasury Pte. Ltd, Jabil Investment Pte. Ltd., Jabil Israel Ltd., Jabil Japan Inc., Jabil Korea International Limited, Jabil Limited Liability Company, Jabil Mexico Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Mexico Investment S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Monterrey S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Nypro Holding LLC, Jabil Nypro I LLC, Jabil Nypro II LLC, Jabil Nypro International B.V., Jabil Optics Germany GmbH, Jabil Poland Sp. z.o.o., Jabil Precision Industry (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Jabil Science & Telecommunication Trading (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Jabil Sdn Bhd, Jabil Services Korea Limited, Jabil Silver Creek Inc., Jabil South Africa (Pty) LTD, Jabil Switzerland Manufacturing GmbH, Jabil Technology (Chengdu) Co. Ltd, Jabil Technology and Trading (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Jabil Torres S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Tuttlingen Manufacturing GmbH, Jabil Umkirch Manufacturing GmbH, Jabil Vietnam Company Limited, Jabil do Brasil Industria Eletroeletronica Ltda., Kasalis, Kasalis Inc., Kuatro Technologies, Kuatro Ukraine LLC, Manna Renewable Energy Investments Two (Pty) Ltd, NP Medical Inc., NPA de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Nypro, Nypro Alabama LLC, Nypro Atlanta LLC, Nypro China Holdings Limited, Nypro DR LLC, Nypro Deutschland GmbH, Nypro France SAS, Nypro Guadalajara S.A. de C.V., Nypro Healthcare Baja Inc., Nypro Healthcare GmbH, Nypro Healthcare LLC, Nypro Inc., Nypro Iowa Inc., Nypro Limited, Nypro Monterrey Management S. de R.L. de C.V., Nypro Plastics & Metal Products (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Nypro Plastics & Molding Products (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Nypro Puerto Rico Inc., Nypro Research and Developments Limited, Nypro Spain Holding S.L.U., Nypro de Amazonia, Nypro de la Frontera S. de R.L. de C.V., NyproMold Chicago Inc., NyproMold Inc., NyproMold Investment Corp., PT Jabil Circuit Indonesia, Plasticast Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Plasticos Castella S.A.U., Radius Chicago LLC, Radius Hong Kong Limited, Radius Product Development Inc., Roosevelt Insurance Company Ltd., S.M.R. Metal Ltd., Shay Motion Ltd., Shemer Group, Shemer Motion (2009) Ltd., Taiwan Green Point Enterprises, Taiwan Green Point Enterprises Co. Ltd., Telmar Network Technology, TrueTech, Westing Green (Tianjin) Plastic Co. Ltd, Wolfe Engineering, Wolfe Engineering (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., and Yen Investments 140 (Proprietary) Limited.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Aramark: 1ST & Fresh LLC, AIL Servicos Alimenticios e Participacoes Ltda., AIM Services Co. Ltd., AMP Limited Partnership, ARA Catering and Vending Services Limited, ARA Coffee Club Limited, ARA Coffee System Limited, ARA Food Services Limited, ARA Marketing Services Limited, ARA Offshore Services Limited, ARAMONT Company Ltd., Active Industrial Unif, Alcatraz Hospitality, AmeriPride Services, American Snack & Beverage LLC, Aramark (BVI) Limited, Aramark Airport Services Limited, Aramark American Food Services LLC, Aramark Asia Management LLC, Aramark Aviation Services Limited Partnership, Aramark B.V., Aramark Beverages Limited, Aramark Business & Industry LLC, Aramark Business Center LLC, Aramark Business Dining Services of Texas LLC, Aramark Business Facilities LLC, Aramark CCT Trustees Limited, Aramark Campus LLC, Aramark Canada Ltd., Aramark Canadian Investments Inc., Aramark Capital Asset Services LLC, Aramark Catering Limited, Aramark China Dining Services (Shanghai) Limited, Aramark China Holdings Limited, Aramark Chugach Alaska Services LLC, Aramark Cleaning S.A., Aramark Cleanroom Services (Puerto Rico) Inc., Aramark Cleanroom Services LLC, Aramark Co. Ltd., Aramark Colombia SAS, Aramark Concessions Services Joint Venture, Aramark Confection LLC, Aramark Construction Services Inc., Aramark Construction and Energy Services LLC, Aramark Consumer Discount Company, Aramark Correctional Services LLC, Aramark Defence Services Limited, Aramark Denmark ApS, Aramark Distribution Services Inc., Aramark Educational Group LLC, Aramark Educational Services LLC, Aramark Educational Services of Texas LLC, Aramark Educational Services of Vermont Inc., Aramark Entertainment LLC, Aramark Entertainment Services (Canada) Inc., Aramark Executive Management Services USA Inc., Aramark FHC Business Services LLC, Aramark FHC Campus Services LLC, Aramark FHC Correctional Services LLC, Aramark FHC Healthcare Support Services LLC, Aramark FHC Kansas Inc., Aramark FHC LLC, Aramark FHC Refreshment Services LLC, Aramark FHC School Support Services LLC, Aramark FHC Services LLC, Aramark FHC Sports and Entertainment Services LLC, Aramark FSM LLC, Aramark Facility Services LLC, Aramark Food Service LLC, Aramark Food Service of Texas LLC, Aramark Food and Support Services Group Inc., Aramark Global Group S.a.r.l., Aramark Global Inc., Aramark GmbH, Aramark Gulf Limited, Aramark Gulf Limited Catering Services LLC, Aramark Healthcare Support Services LLC, Aramark Healthcare Support Services of the Virgin Islands Inc., Aramark Healthcare Technologies LLC, Aramark Holding Deutschland GmbH, Aramark Holdings GmbH & Co. KG, Aramark Holdings Ltd., Aramark Industrial Services LLC, Aramark Intermediate HoldCo Corporation, Aramark International Finance S.a.r.l., Aramark International Holdings S.a.r.l., Aramark Inversiones Latinoamericanas Limitada, Aramark Investments Limited, Aramark Ireland Holdings Limited, Aramark Japan Holdings Limited, Aramark Japan LLC, Aramark KSA LLC, Aramark Kazakhstan Ltd., Aramark Lakewood Associates, Aramark Limited, Aramark Management GmbH, Aramark Management LLC, Aramark Management Services Limited Partnership, Aramark Manning Services UK Limited, Aramark Mexico Group, Aramark Mexico S.A. de C.V., Aramark Monclova Manufacturing de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Aramark Monclova Support S.A.de C.V., Aramark Norway SA, Aramark Organizational Services LLC, Aramark Partnership Limited, Aramark Personnel Services, Aramark Peru S.A.C., Aramark Peru Servicios de Intermediacion SRL, Aramark Processing LLC, Aramark Property Services Limited, Aramark Qualified Opportunity Fund, Aramark Quebec Inc., Aramark RBI Inc., Aramark Rail Services LLC, Aramark Receivables LLC, Aramark Refreshment Group, Aramark Refreshment Services LLC, Aramark Refreshment Services of Tampa LLC, Aramark Regional Treasury Europe DAC, Aramark Remote Workplace Services Ltd., Aramark Restaurations GmbH, Aramark S&E/QCF Joint Venture, Aramark S.A., Aramark S.A. de C.V., Aramark S.R.O., Aramark SARL, Aramark SCM Inc., Aramark SM Management Services Inc., Aramark SMMS LLC, Aramark SMMS Real Estate LLC, Aramark School Catering Facility Ltd., Aramark Schools Facilities LLC, Aramark Schools LLC, Aramark Senior Living Services LLC, Aramark Senior Notes Company LLC, Aramark Service Industries (China) Co. Ltd., Aramark Services Inc., Aramark Services SA, Aramark Services of Kansas Inc., Aramark Services of Puerto Rico Inc., Aramark Servicios Industriales S. de R.L. de C.V., Aramark Servicios Integrales S.A., Aramark Servicios Mineros y Remotos Limitada, Aramark Servicios SRL, Aramark Servicios de Catering S.L., Aramark Servicos Alimenticos e Participacoes Ltda., Aramark Sports Facilities LLC, Aramark Sports LLC, Aramark Sports and Entertainment Group LLC, Aramark Sports and Entertainment Services LLC, Aramark Sports and Entertainment Services of Texas LLC, Aramark Sub Investments Limited, Aramark Technical Services North Carolina Inc., Aramark Togwotee LLC, Aramark Trademark Services, Aramark Trustees Limited, Aramark U.S. Offshore Services LLC, Aramark Uniform & Career Apparel Group Inc., Aramark Uniform & Career Apparel LLC, Aramark Uniform Holding de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Aramark Uniform Manufacturing Company, Aramark Uniform Services (Canada) Ltd., Aramark Uniform Services (Matchpoint) LLC, Aramark Uniform Services (Rochester) LLC, Aramark Uniform Services (Supply Chain), Aramark Uniform Services (Syracuse) LLC, Aramark Uniform Services (Texas) LLC, Aramark Uniform Services (West Adams) LLC, Aramark Uniform Services Japan Corporation, Aramark Venue Services Inc., Aramark WTC LLC, Aramark Workplace Solutions (UK) Ltd., Aramark Workplace Solutions Yonetim Hizmetleri Limited Sirketi, Aramark Worldwide Investments Limited, Aramark-Clarksville Club, Aramark-FINCO of Texas LLC, Aramark-Gourmet DPS LLC, Aramark-KWAME of St. Louis LLC, Aramark-SFS Healthcare J.V. L.L.C., Aramark/Dasko Restaurant and Catering Services S.A., Aramark/GM Concessions Joint Venture, Aramark/Giacometti Joint Venture, Aramark/Globetrotters LLC, Aramark/Gourmet HE-1 LLC, Aramark/Gourmet HE-2 LLC, Aramark/HF Company, Aramark/HMS LLC, Aramark/Hart Lyman Entertainment LLC, Aramark/Martin's Stadium Concession Services OPACY Joint Venture, Aramark/QHC LLC, Aramark/SFS Joint Venture, Avendra, Avendra Canada Inc., Avendra Gaming, Avendra Replenishment, Avoca, Avoca Handweavers Designs Limited, Avoca Handweavers Limited, Avoca Handweavers NI Limited, Avoca Handweavers Shops Limited, Avoca Handweavers UK Limited, Beijing Golden Collar Dining Ltd., Boompjes Hotel BV, Brand Coffee Service Inc., BuyEfficient, CDR Mantenimiento Integral S.A., Campbell Catering (Belfast) Ltd., Campbell Catering (N.I.) Ltd., Campbell Catering Holdings Limited, Campbell Catering Limited, Campbell Catering Ltd., Campbell Catering Services, Canadian Linen and Uniform Service Co., Canyonlands Rafting Hospitality LLC, Catering Alliance Limited, Caterwise Food Services Limited, Central Multiservicios S.R.L., Central de Abastecimiento Limitada, Central de Restaurantes Aramark Limitada, Central de Restaurantes Aramark Multiservicios Limitada, Central de Restaurantes S.R.L., Centrapal S.R.L., Centro de Innovacion y Servicio S.A., Cliff House Hospitality, Comertel Educa SLU, Comertel Residencia SLU, Comertel SA, Complete Purchasing Services Inc., Corporate Coffee Systems LLC, Crater Lake Hospitality, D.G. Maren II Inc., Delicious on West Street LLC, Delsac VIII Inc., Distributor JV Limited, Dongguan Best Property Management Co., Doyon/Aramark Denali National Park Concessions Joint Venture, Effective Partnerships Limited, Filterfresh Coffee Service, Filterfresh Coffee Service LLC, Filterfresh Franchise Group LLC, Fine Host Holdings LLC, Food JV Limited, Freedom Ferry Services, GTB Gastro Team Bremen GmbH, Gestion de Alimentacion y Limpieza Colectivadades SLU, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Concessions LLC, Glen Canyon Rafting Hospitality, Glenrye Properties Services Limited, Golden Collar, Good Uncle Services, Gourmet Aramark Services LLC, Guaranty Energy Group 1981, HPSI Purchasing Services LLC, Harrison Conference Associates LLC, Harrison Conference Services of North Carolina LLC, Harry M. Stevens Inc. of New Jersey, Harry M. Stevens Inc. of Penn., Harry M. Stevens LLC, Hunters Catering Partnership Limited, Institutional Processing Services, Instituto ICS S.A., Inversiones Aramark Chile Limitada, Inversiones Centralcorp Limitada, Inversiones Palm Limitada, Inversiones en Aseo y Mantenimiento S.A, Irish Estates (Facilities Management) Limited, L&N Uniform Supply LLC, Lake Tahoe Cruises LLC, Landy Textile Rental Services LLC, Lifeworks Restaurant Group LLC, Lotus Facilities Management, MESA, Masterplan, Medical Equipment Solutions & Applications Sagl (MESA), Mill Mount Weavers Limited, Muir Woods Hospitality, MyAssistant Inc., New Aramark LLC, Nissho Linen, North Rim Hospitality, Old Time Coffee Co., Olympic Peninsula Hospitality LLC, Orange Support Services Limited, Overall Laundry Services Inc., Paradise Hornblower LLC, Pelican Procurement Services Limited, Philadelphia Ballpark Concessions Joint Venture, Prem Hospitality Limited, Premgroup Franchise Services Limited, Premier Management Company (Dublin) Limited, Premier Partnership (Catering) Limited, Quebec Linge Co., ReMedPar, Restaura Inc., Rocky Mountain Hospitality LLC, Rushmore Hospitality LLC, SeamlessWeb, Seguricorp Servicios S.A., South Rim Hospitality LLC, Spokesoft Technologies Limited, Stuart Cabeldu Catering Limited, Sun Office Service Inc., Tarrant County Concessions LLC, The Aramark Foundation, The Original Food Company Limited, Travel Systems LLC, Trinity Hospitality Services GmbH, Trinity Hospitality Services SARL, Trinity Purchasing N.V., Vector Environmental Services Limited, Vector Workplace and Facility Management Limited, Veris Plc, Veris Property Management Limited, Veris UK Limited, WearGuard, Wilderness River Adventures, and Yosemite Hospitality LLC.

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The following companies are subsidiares of CVS Health: ACS ACQCO CORP., ADMINCO Inc., AE Fourteen Incorporated, AHP Holdings Inc., AMC - Tennessee LLC, APS Acquisition LLC, ASCO HealthCare LLC, ASI Wings LLC, AUSHC Holdings Inc., Accendo Insurance Company, Accordant Health Services L.L.C., Active Health Management Inc., Administrative Enterprises Inc., AdvancePCS SpecialtyRx LLC, AdvanceRx.com L.L.C., Advanced Care Scripts Inc., Aetna, Aetna (Beijing) Enterprise Management Services Co. Ltd., Aetna (Shanghai) Enterprise Services Co. Ltd., Aetna ACO Holdings Inc., Aetna Asset Advisors LLC, Aetna Behavioral Health LLC, Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health Premier Plan MMAI Inc., Aetna Better Health of California Inc., Aetna Better Health of Florida Inc., Aetna Better Health of Illinois Inc., Aetna Better Health of Indiana Inc., Aetna Better Health of Kansas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Missouri LLC, Aetna Better Health of Nevada Inc., Aetna Better Health of North Carolina Inc., Aetna Better Health of Oklahoma Inc., Aetna Better Health of Tennessee Inc., Aetna Better Health of Texas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Washington Inc., Aetna Capital Management LLC, Aetna Card Solutions LLC, Aetna Corporate Services LLC, Aetna Dental Inc., Aetna Dental of California Inc., Aetna Financial Holdings LLC, Aetna Florida Inc., Aetna Global Benefits (Asia Pacific) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bermuda) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Europe) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Middle East) LLC, Aetna Global Benefits (Singapore) PTE. LTD., Aetna Health Holdings LLC, Aetna Health Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Aetna Health Insurance Company, Aetna Health Insurance Company of Europe DAC, Aetna Health Insurance Company of New York, Aetna Health Management LLC, Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company, Aetna Health of California Inc., Aetna Health of Iowa Inc., Aetna Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Health of Ohio Inc., Aetna Health of Utah Inc., Aetna HealthAssurance Pennsylvania Inc., Aetna Holdco (UK) Limited, Aetna Holdings (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Inc., Aetna Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Aetna Insurance Company Limited, Aetna Insurance Company of Connecticut, Aetna Integrated Informatics Inc., Aetna International Ex Pat LLC, Aetna International LLC, Aetna Ireland Inc., Aetna Life & Casualty (Bermuda) Ltd., Aetna Life Assignment Company, Aetna Life Insurance Company, Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC, Aetna Network Services LLC, Aetna Partners Diversified Fund LLC, Aetna Pharmacy Management Services LLC, Aetna Resources LLC, Aetna Risk Assurance Company of Connecticut Inc., Aetna Rx Home Delivery LLC, Aetna Services (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Aetna Student Health Agency Inc., Aetna Ventures LLC, Aetna Workers Comp Access LLC, Alabama CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Alaska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Allina Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc., Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, American Drug Stores Delaware L.L.C., Arbor Drugs, Arizona CVS Stores L.L.C., Arkansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Badger Acquisition LLC, Badger Acquisition of Kentucky LLC, Badger Acquisition of Minnesota LLC, Badger Acquisition of Ohio LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Company, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc., Beauty Holdings L.L.C., Best Care LTC Acquisition Company LLC, Busse CVS L.L.C., CCI Foreign S.a R.L., CCRx Holdings LLC, CCRx of North Carolina LLC, CHP Acquisition LLC, CP Acquisition LLC, CVS 2948 Henderson L.L.C., CVS 3268 Gilbert L.L.C., CVS 3745 Peoria L.L.C., CVS AL Distribution L.L.C., CVS AOC Corporation, CVS AOC Services L.L.C., CVS Albany L.L.C., CVS Bellmore Avenue L.L.C., CVS Cabot Holdings Inc., CVS Cabot Holdings Inc.  Coram Clinical Trials Inc. 99.72%/Aetna Inc. .28%, CVS Care Concierge LLC, CVS Caremark Advanced Technology Pharmacy L.L.C., CVS Caremark Indemnity Ltd., CVS Caremark Part D Services L.L.C., CVS Caremark TN SUTA LLC, CVS Foreign Inc., CVS Gilbert 3272 L.L.C., CVS Health Applications LLC, CVS Health Solutions LLC, CVS Health Ventures Fund GP LLC, CVS Health Ventures Fund LP, CVS Health Ventures Management LLC, CVS Indiana L.L.C., CVS International L.L.C., CVS Kidney Care Advanced Technologies LLC, CVS Kidney Care Health Services LLC, CVS Kidney Care Home Dialysis LLC, CVS Kidney Care LLC, CVS Management Support LLC, CVS Manchester NH L.L.C., CVS Media Exchange LLC, CVS Michigan L.L.C., CVS Orlando FL Distribution L.L.C., CVS PA Distribution L.L.C., CVS PR Center Inc., CVS Pharmacy Inc., CVS Pharmacy Overseas Online LLC, CVS RS Arizona L.L.C., CVS Rx Services Inc., CVS SC Distribution L.L.C., CVS Shaw Holdings Inc., CVS Shaw Holdings Inc.  Coram Clinical Trials Inc. 99.72%/Aetna Inc. .28%, CVS State Capital L.L.C., CVS TN Distribution L.L.C., CVS Transportation L.L.C., CVS Vero FL Distribution L.L.C., CVS-SHC Kidney Care Home Dialysis of Austin LLC, CVS-SHC Kidney Care Home Dialysis of Los Angeles LLC, CVS-SHC Kidney Care Home Dialysis of Philadelphia LLC, CVS-SHC Renal Holdings LLC, Campos Medical Pharmacy LLC, Canal Place LLC, Care Pharmaceutical Services LP, CareCenter Pharmacy L.L.C., Carefree Insurance Services Inc., Caremark Arizona Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Arizona Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark California Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Florida Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Florida Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Hawaii Mail Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Hawaii Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark IPA L.L.C., Caremark Illinois Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Illinois Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Irving Resource Center LLC, Caremark Kansas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark L.L.C., Caremark Logistics LLC, Caremark Louisiana Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Maryland Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Massachusetts Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Michigan Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Minnesota Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark New Jersey Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark North Carolina Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ohio Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Pennsylvania Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark PhC L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Redlands Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Repack LLC, Caremark Rx L.L.C., Caremark Tennessee Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ulysses Holding Corp., Caremark Washington Specialty Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Alabama Mail Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Health L.L.C., CaremarkPCS L.L.C., Central Rx Services LLC, Cofinity Inc., Compscript LLC, Connecticut CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood Tennessee, Continuing Care Rx LLC, Coram Alternate Site Services Inc., Coram Clinical Trials Inc., Coram Clinical Trials Inc.  CVS Pharmacy Inc. 75%/Aetna Life Insurance Company 25%, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Alabama, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater D.C., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater New York, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Indiana, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Massachusetts, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Mississippi, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Nevada, Coram Healthcare Corporation of North Texas, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Northern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Utah, Coram LLC, Coram Rx LLC, Coram Specialty Infusion, Coram Specialty Infusion Services L.L.C., Coventry Consumer Advantage Inc., Coventry Health Care National Accounts Inc., Coventry Health Care National Network Inc., Coventry Health Care of Illinois Inc., Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc., Coventry Health Care of Missouri Inc., Coventry Health Care of Nebraska Inc., Coventry Health Care of Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Care of West Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Plan of Florida Inc., Coventry Health and Life Insurance Company, Coventry HealthCare Management Corporation, Coventry Prescription Management Services Inc., Coventry Transplant Network Inc., Credentials Inc., D & R Pharmaceutical Services LLC, D.A.W. LLC, Delaware CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Delaware Physicians Care Incorporated, District of Columbia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., E.T.B. INC., Echo Merger Sub Inc., Eckerd Corporation of Florida Inc., Employee Assistance Services LLC, Enloe Drugs LLC, Enterprise Patient Safety Organization LLC, EntrustRX, Evergreen Pharmaceutical LLC, Evergreen Pharmaceutical of California LLC, Express Pharmacy Services of PA L.L.C., First Choice of the Midwest LLC, First Health Group Corp., First Health Life & Health Insurance Company, Florida Health Plan Administrators LLC, Garfield Beach CVS L.L.C., Generation Health L.L.C., Geneva Woods Health Services LLC, Geneva Woods LTC Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Management LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Alaska LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Washington LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Wyoming LLC, Geneva Woods Retail Pharmacy LLC, Georgia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., German Dobson CVS L.L.C., Goodhealth Worldwide (Asia) Limited, Goodhealth Worldwide (Global) Limited, Goodyear CVS L.L.C., Grand St. Paul CVS L.L.C., Grandview Pharmacy LLC, Group Dental Service Inc., Health Care Management Co. Ltd., Health Data & Management Solutions Inc., Health Re Inc., Health and Human Resource Center Inc., HealthAssurance Pennsylvania Inc., Highland Park CVS L.L.C., Holiday CVS L.L.C., Home Care Pharmacy LLC, Home Pharmacy Services LLC, Hook-SupeRx L.L.C., Horizon Behavioral Services LLC, Idaho CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., IlliniCare Health, Indian Health Organisation Private Limited, Innovation Health Holdings LLC, Innovation Health Insurance Company, Innovation Health Plan Inc., Interlock Pharmacy Systems LLC, Iowa CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., JHC Acquisition LLC, Kansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Kentucky CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., LCPS Acquisition LLC, Langsam Health Services LLC, Lo-Med Prescription Services LLC, Lobos Acquisition LLC, Longs Drug Stores, Longs Drug Stores California L.L.C., Louisiana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., MHHP Acquisition Company LLC, MHNet Specialty Services LLC, MHNet of Florida Inc., Main Street Pharmacy L.L.C., Managed Care Coordinators Inc., Managed Healthcare LLC, Martin Health Services LLC, Maryland CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Med World Acquisition Corp., Medical Arts Health Care LLC, Medical Examinations of New York P.C., Melville Realty Company Inc., MemberHealth LLC, Mental Health Associates Inc., Mental Health Network of New York IPA Inc., Meritain Health Inc., Merwin Long Term Care LLC, Minor Health Enterprise Co Ltd., MinuteClinic, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Alabama L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Arizona LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Arkansas LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Colorado LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Florida LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Georgia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Hawaii L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Illinois LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Kentucky L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Louisiana L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maine L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maryland LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Massachusetts LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Nebraska L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Hampshire L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Mexico L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Ohio LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oklahoma LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oregon LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Pennsylvania LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Rhode Island LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of South Carolina L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Texas LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Utah L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Virginia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Washington LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Wisconsin L.L.C., MinuteClinic L.L.C., MinuteClinic Online Diagnostic Services LLC, MinuteClinic Physician Practice of Texas, MinuteClinic Telehealth Services LLC, MinuteClinic Telehealth Services of Texas Association, Mississippi CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Missouri CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Montana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NCS Healthcare of Illinois LLC, NCS Healthcare of Iowa LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kansas LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kentucky LLC, NCS Healthcare of Montana LLC, NCS Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, NCS Healthcare of Ohio LLC, NCS Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, NCS Healthcare of Tennessee LLC, NCS Healthcare of Wisconsin LLC, NIV Acquisition LLC, Navarro Discount Pharmacy, Nebraska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NeighborCare Pharmacy Services LLC, NeighborCare of Indiana LLC, NeighborCare of Virginia LLC, New Jersey CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Niagara Re Inc., North Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., North Shore Pharmacy Services LLC, NovoLogix LLC, OCR Services LLC, Ocean Acquisition Sub L.L.C., Ohio CVS Stores L.L.C., Oklahoma CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Omnicare, Omnicare Indiana Partnership Holding Company LLC, Omnicare LLC, Omnicare LLC  Aetna Inc 0.28%/CVS Cabot Holdings Inc. 49.86%/CVS Shaw Holdings Inc. 49.86%, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania West LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of the Great Plains Holding LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy and Supply Services LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of Tennessee LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of the Midwest LLC, Omnicare Property Management LLC, Omnicare of Nebraska LLC, Omnicare of Nevada LLC, Omnicare of New York LLC, Oregon CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., PE Holdings LLC, PHPSNE Parent Corporation, PP Acquisition Company LLC, PRN Pharmaceutical Services LP, PT Aetna Management Consulting, Pamplona Saude e Beleza LTDA, Part D Holding Company L.L.C., PayFlex Systems USA Inc., Pennsylvania CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Performax Inc., Pharmacy Associates of Glenn Falls LLC, Pharmacy Consultants LLC, Phoenix Data Solutions LLC, Precision Benefit Services Inc., Prime Net Inc., ProCare Pharmacy Direct L.L.C., ProCare Pharmacy L.L.C., Prodigy Health Group Inc., Professional Risk Management Inc., Puerto Rico CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Red Oak Sourcing LLC, Resources for Living LLC, Rhode Island CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Roeschens Healthcare LLC, RxAmerica, Schaller Anderson Medical Administrators Incorporated, Scrip World LLC, Sheffield Avenue CVS L.L.C., Shore Pharmaceutical Providers LLC, Silverscript Insurance Company, Soma Intimates, South Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., South Wabash CVS L.L.C., Specialized Pharmacy Services LLC, Stadtlander Drug Company, Stadtlander Pharmacy, Sterling Healthcare Services LLC, Superior Care Pharmacy LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Administrative Services LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, T2 Medical Inc., TCPI Acquisition LLC, TargetPharmacy, Tennessee CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Company, Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Texas Health + Aetna Health Plan Inc., The Vasquez Group Inc., Thomas Phoenix CVS L.L.C., Three Forks Apothecary LLC, U.S Healthcare Holdings LLC, U.S. Healthcare Properties Inc., UAC Holding Inc., UC Acquisition LLC, UNI-Care Health Services of Maine LLC, Universal American - Medicare Part D Business, Utah CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., VAPS Acquisition Company LLC, Value Health Care Services LLC, Vermont CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virtual Home Healthcare LLC, Warm Springs Road CVS L.L.C., Washington CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Washington Lamb CVS L.L.C., Weber Medical Systems LLC, Wellpartner LLC, West Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Westhaven Services Co LLC, Williamson Drug Company LLC, Wisconsin CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Woodward Detroit CVS L.L.C., Work and Family Benefits Inc., ZS Acquisition Company LLC, Zinc Health Services LLC, Zinc Health Ventures LLC, bSwift LLC, and iTriage LLC.

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Amnesty Intl urges govt to ensure safety, respect human rights during polls

Amnesty International Nepal has said that it is deeply concerned over the increasing rate of incidents of violence occurring lately across the country.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman as an investment bank catering to institutions and businesses. Among the firm's first products are the revolutionary use of commercial paper for entrepreneurs which opened a new method of finance for business and industry.

The original firm expanded to Goldman Sachs in 1882 with the inclusion of son-in-law Samuel Sachs and again in 1885 with a son and another son-in-law. The firm joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1896 expanding into trading of its own and in 1898 it was worth $1.6 million. The company began its work in the IPO market in 1906 with the initial public offering of Sears, Roebuck & Co., and then moved on to Ford and other prominent names of the time.

The 1930s brings a change of leadership and a new direction for the firm. The company shifted toward a purer play on investment banking and embarks on a campaign of acquisition that lasted until the present day. The company doesnt go public itself until 1999 and from that point on it will change into a bank holding company that not only offers investment banking services but takes deposits too, and in 2016 the company added consumer banking to its list of services.

Today, Goldman Sachs is a financial institution that provides a range of financial services for corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals globally. The company operates through four segments that include Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management, and Consumer & Wealth Management. According to US banking regulations, it is systemically important to the financial health of America.

The company is headquartered in New York, New York, and operates 6 regional headquarters as well. Regional headquarters are located in financial hotspots such as London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangalore, and Warsaw. Among its many prominent CEOs are John Corzine and Hank Paulson who both went on to successful work in government.

The company's Investment Banking segment provides a full range of financial advisory services as well as underwriting for the public markets. The financial advisory services include but are not limited to strategic advisory for mergers and acquisitions, divestiture, restructuring, and spin-offs. This segment is also engaged in middle-market lending and transaction banking. Underwriting services include IPOs, preferred stock, debt instruments, and bridge loans.

Goldman Sachs Global Markets segment facilitates market transactions for institutions, banks, brokerages, corporations, and governments. Services include execution, derivatives, financing, clearing, settlement, and custody.

The Asset Management segment manages client portfolios across the investment spectrum while the Consumer & Wealth Management segment provides advisory and banking services to consumers.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. manufactures and sells motorcycles. The company operates in two segments, Motorcycles and Related Products and Financial Services. The Motorcycles and Related Products segment designs, manufactures, and sells Harley-Davidson motorcycles, including cruiser, touring, standard, sportbike, and dual models, as well as motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel, and related services. This segment sells its products to retail customers through a network of independent dealers, as well as e-commerce channels in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The Financial Services segment provides wholesale financing services, such as floorplan and open account financing of motorcycles, and parts and accessories; and retail financing services, including installment lending for the purchase of new and used Harley-Davidson motorcycles, as well as point-of-sale protection products comprising motorcycle insurance, extended service contracts, and motorcycle maintenance protection. This segment also licenses third-party financial institutions that issue credit cards bearing the Harley-Davidson brand. Harley-Davidson, Inc. was founded in 1903 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500<sup></sup> urban office real estate investment trust ("REIT"), is the first, longest-tenured, and pioneering owner, operator, and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology, and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, with a total market capitalization of $31.9 billion as of December 31, 2020, and an asset base in North America of 49.7 million square feet ("SF"). The asset base in North America includes 31.9 million RSF of operating properties and 3.3 million RSF of Class A properties undergoing construction, 7.1 million RSF of near-term and intermediate-term development and redevelopment projects, and 7.4 million SF of future development projects. Founded in 1994, Alexandria pioneered this niche and has since established a significant market presence in key locations, including Greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. Alexandria has a longstanding and proven track record of developing Class A properties clustered in urban life science, technology, and agtech campuses that provide our innovative tenants with highly dynamic and collaborative environments that enhance their ability to successfully recruit and retain world-class talent and inspire productivity, efficiency, creativity, and success. Alexandria also provides strategic capital to transformative life science, technology, and agtech companies through our venture capital platform. We believe our unique business model and diligent underwriting ensure a high-quality and diverse tenant base that results in higher occupancy levels, longer lease terms, higher rental income, higher returns, and greater long-term asset value.
Centrica plc operates as an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, North America, and internationally. The company operates through British Gas Services & Solutions, British Gas Energy, Centrica Business Solutions, Bord Gais Energy, Energy Marketing & Trading, and Upstream segments. It supplies gas and electricity to residential customers, as well as offers energy-related services; and generates power from nuclear assets. The company also provides installation, repair, and maintenance services for domestic central heating, plumbing and drains, home electrical, and gas and kitchen appliances; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, as well as offers breakdown services. In addition, it is involved in the procurement, trading, and optimization of energy; procurement and sale of LNG; and supplies energy efficiency solutions and technologies to residential customers. Further, the company produces and processes gas and oil; develops new fields to maintain reserves; constructs, owns, and exploits infrastructure; and engages in the social enterprise investment fund activities. Additionally, it provides vehicle leasing, commercial, and insurance services, as well as energy management products and services; and operates a gas storage and franchise network. The company was formerly known as Yieldtop plc and changed its name to Centrica plc in December 1996. Centrica plc was founded in 1812 and is based in Windsor, the United Kingdom.
Oshkosh Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies worldwide. The company's Access Equipment segment provides aerial work platforms and telehandlers for use in various construction, industrial, institutional, and general maintenance applications. This segment also offers rental fleet loans and leases, and floor plan and retail financing through third-party funding arrangements; towing and recovery equipment; carriers and wreckers; equipment installation services; and chassis and service parts sales. Its Defense segment provides heavy, medium, and light tactical wheeled vehicles and related services for the department of defense. The company's Fire & Emergency segment offers custom and commercial firefighting vehicles and equipment; and commercial fire apparatus and emergency vehicles, such as pumpers, aerial platform, ladder and tiller trucks, tankers, rescue vehicles, wild land rough terrain response vehicles, mobile command and control centers, bomb squad vehicles, hazardous materials control vehicles, and other emergency response vehicles. This segment also provides aircraft rescue and firefighting, snow removal, and broadcast vehicles, as well as command trucks, and military simulator shelters and trailers. Its Commercial segment offers front-and rear-discharge concrete mixers for the concrete ready-mix industry; refuse collection vehicles and related components to commercial and municipal waste haulers; and field service vehicles and truck-mounted cranes for the construction, equipment dealer, building supply, utility, tire service, railroad, and mining industries. Oshkosh Corporation provides its products through direct sales representatives, dealers, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Oshkosh Truck Corporation and changed its name to Oshkosh Corporation in February 2008. Oshkosh Corporation was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Blasts targeting candidates continue unabated

Incidents of blast and attack on election rallies have continued in different districts.
Materion Corporation, through with its subsidiaries, produces advanced engineered materials used in semiconductor, industrial, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, consumer electronics, and telecom and data center in the United States, Asia, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Performance Alloys and Composites, Advanced Materials, and Precision Optics segments. The Performance Alloys and Composites segment offers advanced engineered solutions comprising beryllium and non-beryllium containing alloy systems and custom engineered parts in strip, bulk, rod, plate, bar, tube, and other customized shapes. This segment operates the bertrandite ore mine and refinery located in Utah that provides feedstock hydroxide for its beryllium businesses and external sale. The Advances Materials segment produces advanced chemicals, microelectronics packaging, precious metal, non-precious metal, and specialty metal products, including vapor deposition targets, frame lid assemblies, clad and precious metal pre-forms, high temperature braze materials, and ultra-pure wire. This segment offers its products from its facilities, as well as through direct sales offices and independent sales representatives. The Precision Optics segment designs and produces precision thin film coatings, optical filters, and assemblies. This segment sells its directly from its facilities, as well as through direct sales offices and independent sales representatives throughout the world. The company was formerly known as Brush Engineered Materials Inc. and changed its name to Materion Corporation in 2011. Materion Corporation was incorporated in 1931 and is headquartered in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.
National Bank of Canada provides various financial products and services to retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. It operates through four segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, Financial Markets, and U.S. Specialty Finance and International. The Personal and Commercial segment offers personal banking services, including transaction solutions, mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit, consumer loans, payment solutions, and savings and investment solutions; various insurance products; and commercial banking services comprise credit, and deposit and investment solutions, as well as international trade, foreign exchange transactions, payroll, cash management, insurance, electronic transactions, and complimentary services. The Wealth Management segment comprises investment solutions, trust services, banking services, lending services, and other wealth management solutions. The Financial Markets segment offers corporate banking, advisory, and capital markets services; and project financing, debt, and equity underwriting; advisory services in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, and financing. The U.S. Specialty Finance and International segment provides specialty finance products; financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Cambodia; and investment solutions, guaranteed investment certificates, mutual funds, notes, structured products, and monetization. It provides its services through a network of 384 branches and 927 banking machines. National Bank of Canada was founded in 1859 and is based in Montreal, Canada.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer that provides clothing, accessories, and personal care products under the American Eagle and Aerie brands. The company provides jeans, and specialty apparel and accessories for women and men; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections, as well as personal care products for women. It also offers graphic tees and other clothing products under the Tailgate brand name; and menswear products under the Todd Snyder New York brand name. As of January 29, 2022, the company operated 880 American Eagle stores, 244 Aerie brand stand-alone stores, and five Todd Snyder stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Hong Kong. It also ships to 81 countries through its Websites; and offers its merchandise at 260 locations operated by licensees in 28 countries, as well as provides products through its Websites ae.com, aerie.com, and toddsnyder.com. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bomb blast in school's playground

An IED went off at Chhireshwornath Municipality in Dhanusha on Tuesday afternoon.
Embraer S.A. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells aircrafts and systems in Brazil, North America, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Brazil, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Commercial Aviation; Defense and Security; Executive Jets; Service & Support; and Other segments. The Commercial Aviation segment designs, develops, and manufactures a variety of commercial aircrafts. The Defense and Security segment engages in the research, development, production, modification, and support for military defense and security aircraft; and offers a range of products and integrated solutions that include radars and special space systems, as well as information and communications systems comprising command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. The Executive Jets segment develops, produces, and sells executive jets. It also leases Legacy 600 and Legacy 650 executive jets in the super midsize and large categories; Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 executive jets in the midlight and midsize categories; Phenom family executive jets in the entry jet and light jet categories; Lineage 1000, an ultra-large executive jet; and Praetor 500 and Praetor 600, disruptive executive jets in the midsize and super midsize categories. The Service & Support segment offers after-service solutions, support, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for commercial, executive, and defense aircrafts; provides aircraft components and engines; and supplies steel and composite aviation structures to various aircraft manufacturers. The Other segment is involved in the supply of fuel systems, structural parts, and mechanical and hydraulic systems; and production of agricultural crop-spraying aircraft. The company was formerly known as Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. and changed its name to Embraer S.A. in November 2010. Embraer S.A. was incorporated in 1969 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Snap Inc. is a social media company operating globally. The company was founded in September 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy. Originally known as Snapchat, the company changed its name to Snap in order to represent its offerings better as it grew over the years. The companys headquarters are in Santa Monica, California and it is a very tightly held company. The original founders, Evan Speigel and Bobby Murphy own a combined 45% of non-dilutable shares with ownership transferable to the other upon death. The two remain active in the company today serving on the board and acting as CEO (Speigel) and CTO (Murphy).

The company was formerly known as Snapchat, Inc. and changed its name to Snap Inc. in September 2016. Snap Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Over the years it has been courted by most of the big tech companies including Facebook and Google but has always opted to remain a standalone company. The business went public in 2017 and raised $30 billion on its opening day which is about 10 times the expected amount.

Today, Snap operates as a camera company internationally. The companys main revenue streams are Snapchat, a mobile app for cameras and communications, and Spectacles, a wearable augmented reality device. Snapchat is a camera app that allows users to take pictures and tell stories, the platform also permits ad sales which is an integral part of the revenue and earnings. The companys mission? To empower people to express themselves in todays digital world.

Spectacles is a hardware device that can connect with Snapchat to deliver pictures and video from a point-of-view perspective. The company has since made three upgrades to the original version and has a Next Generation model available too. The Next Generation of Spectacles are not intended for sale but will be made available to creators who wish to push the boundaries of video and digital communications.

In October 2022 the company reported it had more than 347milion daily active users with more than 250 million engaging with AR each day. The platform had more than 250,000 Lens creators (Lenses are AR experiences) with more than 2.5 million lenses created. There were more than 6 billion lens plays each day and more than 75% of 13-34-year-olds in 20 countries were users.
Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets commercial aerostructures worldwide. It operates through three segments: Commercial, Defense & Space, and Aftermarket. The Commercial segment offers forward, mid, and rear fuselage sections and systems, struts/pylons, nacelles, and related engine structural components; and wings and wing components, including flight control surfaces, as well as other structural parts. This segment primarily serves the aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or engine OEMs of large commercial aircraft and/or business/regional jet programs. The Defense & Space segment provides fuselage, strut, nacelle, and wing aerostructures primarily for U.S. Government defense programs, including Boeing P-8, C40, and KC-46 Tanker. This segment also engages in the fabrication, bonding, assembly, testing, tooling, processing, engineering analysis, and training on fixed wing aircraft aerostructures, missiles, and hypersonics works, such as solid rocket motor throats, nozzles, re-entry vehicle thermal protections systems, forward cockpit and cabin, and fuselage work on rotorcraft aerostructures. The Aftermarket segment offers spare parts and MRO services, repairs for flight control surfaces and nacelles, radome repairs, rotable assets, engineering services, advanced composite repairs, and other repair and overhaul services. Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. has a strategic partnership with Sierra Space to enhance access to commercial space economy of the future. The company was formerly known as Mid-Western Aircraft Systems Holdings, Inc. Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.
Chinese man held with undeclared gold from TIA

Police on Monday arrested a Chinese man in possession of undeclared gold from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) from the Capital.
IDEX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides applied solutions worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Fluid & Metering Technologies (FMT), Health & Science Technologies (HST), and Fire & Safety/Diversified Products (FSDP). The FMT segment designs, produces, and distributes positive displacement pumps, small volume provers, flow meters, injectors, and other fluid-handling pump modules and systems, as well as offers flow monitoring and other services for the food, chemical, general industrial, water and wastewater, agricultural, and energy industries. The HST segment designs, produces, and distributes precision fluidics, rotary lobe pumps, centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, roll compaction and drying systems, pneumatic components and sealing solutions, high performance molded and extruded sealing components, custom mechanical and shaft seals, engineered hygienic mixers and valves, biocompatible medical devices and implantables, air compressors and blowers, optical components and coatings, laboratory and commercial equipment, precision photonic solutions, and precision gear and peristaltic pump technologies. This segment serves food and beverage, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, cosmetics, marine, chemical, wastewater and water treatment, life sciences, research, and defense markets. The FSDP segment designs, produces, and distributes firefighting pumps, valves and controls, rescue tools, lifting bags, and other components and systems for the fire and rescue industry; engineered stainless steel banding and clamping devices for various industrial and commercial applications; and precision equipment for dispensing, metering, and mixing colorants and paints used in retail and commercial businesses. IDEX Corporation was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois.
TrueBlue, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides specialized workforce solutions in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It operates through three segments: PeopleReady, PeopleManagement, and PeopleScout. The PeopleReady segment offers contingent staffing solutions for blue-collar, on-demand, and skilled labor in construction, manufacturing and logistics, warehousing and distribution, waste and recycling, energy, retail, hospitality, and general labor industries. The PeopleManagement segment provides contingent labor and outsourced industrial workforce solutions. This segment also offers on-site management and recruitment for the contingent industrial workforce of manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution facilities; and recruitment and management of contingent and dedicated commercial drivers to the transportation and distribution industries under the Staff Management, SIMOS Insourcing Solutions, and Centerline Drivers brands. The PeopleScout segment offers permanent employee recruitment process outsourcing services; and manages clients' contingent labor programs comprising vendor selection, performance management, compliance monitoring, and risk management. The company was formerly known as Labor Ready, Inc. and changed its name to TrueBlue, Inc. in December 2007. TrueBlue, Inc. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., through its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes high-performance coatings systems in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Transportation Coatings. The company offers water and solvent-borne products and systems to repair damaged vehicles for independent body shops, multi-shop operators, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) dealership body shops. It also provides functional and decorative liquid, and powder coatings used in various industrial applications, including architectural cladding and fittings, automotive coatings, general industrial, job coaters, energy solutions, HVAC, appliances, industrial wood, coil, and oil and gas pipelines; and coatings for building materials, cabinet, wood and luxury vinyl flooring, and furniture market under the Voltatex, AquaEC, Durapon, Hydropon, UNRIVALED, Tufcote, and Ceranamel for liquid coatings; and Alesta, Nap-Gard, Abcite, Teodur, and Plascoat brands for powder coatings. In addition, the company develops and supplies electrocoat, primer, the basecoat, and clearcoat products for OEMs of light and commercial vehicles; and coatings systems for various commercial applications, including HDT, bus, and rail under the Imron, Imron Elite, Centari, Rival, Corlar epoxy undercoats, and AquaEC brands. It also sells its product under the Audurra, Challenger, Chemophan, ColorNet, Cromax, Cromax Mosaic, Durapon 70, Duxone, Harmonized Coating Technologies, Imron ExcelPro, Lutophen, Nason, Spies Hecker, Standox, Stollaquid, Syntopal, Syrox, Raptor, U-POL, and Vermeera brand names. The company was formerly known as Axalta Coating Systems Bermuda Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. in August 2014. Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the electric utility, banking, and renewable/sustainable infrastructure investment businesses in the state of Hawaii. It operates in three segments: Electric Utility, Bank, and Other. The Electric Utility segment engages in the production, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. Its renewable energy sources and potential sources include wind, solar, photovoltaic, geothermal, wave, hydroelectric, municipal waste, and other biofuels. This segment serves suburban communities, resorts, the United States armed forces installations, and agricultural operations. The Bank segment operates a community bank that offers banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses, including savings and checking accounts; and loans comprising residential and commercial real estate, residential mortgage, construction and development, multifamily residential and commercial real estate, consumer, and commercial loans. This segment operates 42 branches, including 29 branches in Oahu, 6 branches in Maui, 4 branches in Hawaii, 2 branches in Kauai, and 1 branch in Molokai. The Other segment invests in non-regulated renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure in the State of Hawaii. Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. was incorporated in 1891 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Chitlang folk earning up to Rs100k a month

Homestay service providers in Chitlang are making a lot of hay these days, as more and more domestic tourists are visiting the relatively new tourist destination located at a distance of around 12 km from Thankot, Kathmandu.
Diamonds in the rough

Volunteering Australia, the apex body for the promotion of volunteerism within the commonwealth of Australia defines volunteering as time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain.
General people face difficulties after border sealed for elections

General public have been facing difficulties in travelling after the local administration sealed Nepal-India border for the parliamentary and provincial elections slated for December 7. The government has sealed the border for 72 hours from Tuesday.
Growing chill troubles poll officials

Local residents and officials deployed to conduct the elections to the federal parliament and provincial assemblies worry about increasing cold in high-altitude settlements of Ilam and Tehrathum districts.
When Claire Seremba completed her undergraduate degree in Women, Gender and Development Studies she, like many university graduates in Uganda, was not adequately prepared to build a career.

The priority was on school, not the outcomes, she recalls. Theres little support for creating connections within the working world.

Fortunately, Claire had the chance to volunteer at the Ministry of Education and Sports, which helped her gather information when she decided to pursue her masters degree. At first, she looked to Geneva because shes interested in working with the UN but her professor at Makerere University encouraged Claire to apply to Dalhousie.

I hadnt considered Canada until then, she says. I didnt know much about it. But when [International Development Studies] Professor [Matthew] Schnurr explained the program to me, I was very interested in the interdisciplinary setup.

Expanding horizons



The program draws on courses from Biology, Economics, Law, Political Science, Social Work and other fields, and has challenged Claire to move beyond womens issues and select topics that relate to Claires evolving goals.

Its got me thinking differently, which I like. I was one-minded, she admits, but now I have new interests.

Those new interests include the idea of returning to Uganda to help create career pathways for new graduates  but first she might pursue another degree. She expects to graduate with her Master of Arts in International Development Studies in spring 2018.

While shes eager to expand her academic focus, women and gender-related rights remain near and dear to Claires heart. So, when her first task as a peer educator with Human Rights and Equity Services was to help organize the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, it was a welcome opportunity.

Its a nice fit with everything Ive done in my past but its also a personal thing for me, she explains. Ive experienced violence and discrimination as a young woman. I was raised in an environment where women were not as valued and though thats changing more and more, theres still much to be done.

The peer educators came up with the idea of hosting a button-making party so people can show support with a customized message. People can wear personal action statements or advocate with their own voice to help destigmatize and break the silence, says Claire.

Wearing a button is just one of the ways members of the Dal community can present a united voice on the issue. Claire points out that the 16 Days also offer opportunities to get directly involved in the conversation. Many of the activities help create space for individuals who want to speak about their experience or inform themselves.

Serving others



Beyond campus, Claire was recently involved in the Canadian Bureau for International Education conference where she engaged with others about the different services and resources available to international students. Shes also worked with WUSC Dalhousies Student Refugee Program and has lent a helping hand to Feed Nova Scotia.

My grandmother taught me that you need to have a heart that gives and not for yourself. You were made to serve others so you should be a servant first and lift up others, especially when you enjoy more privilege.

Her current research project illustrates the intersection between her desire to improve career education and her fight against gender-based violence. Shes interviewing women in Uganda who have opened their own businesses, which for them is a brave decision thats beginning to improve the status of women within their communities.

The women often have to overcome so much resistance but eventually, people see they have the skills and they become successful. I love to hear their stories, she says with a smile. Theyve accomplished so much and Im inspired by their resilience.



Claire is studying at Dal as part of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship program. Established in 2012, the program is a national collaborative initiative that operates through the Rideau Hall Foundation, Community Foundations of Canada and Universities Canada.

Learn more about the program.
Mumbai: After well over a decade with Capgemini, Salil Parekh is returning home to head unsettled Indian software services firm Infosys, where he will seek to replicate his success in notching up record growth at the divisions he ran.

Alongside, Parekh has to help the bellwether of Indias USD 154 billion software services sector recover from a nasty public spat between its board and founders that led to the dramatic exit of the previous CEO, Vishal Sikka, in August.

Parekh joins Bengaluru-based Infosys in January from Paris-headquartered Capgemini, where he headed their core application services business in key markets like North America and the United Kingdom, and their cloud services and cloud infrastructure businesses. He also managed Sogeti - a unit of Capgemini focused on digital transformation.

As the CEO, Parekh will have to achieve growth while being careful not to antagonize Infosys founders, who own about 12 per cent of the company, but command an outsized say in its direction.

His priority will be to assure clients and employees of business continuity without rocking the boat, Harit Shah of brokerage Reliance Securities wrote in a note to clients after Infosys announced the appointment on Saturday,

The founders, led by Narayana Murthy, the doyen of Indias IT services sector, engaged in a lengthy public feud with Sikka on issues ranging from flights on private jets, to over-spending on a takeover, and on the pricey rent for his US office, to the largesse of payouts given to certain executives following their exits.

Sikka, widely known as an innovator in the global software industry, joined Infosys from German software maker SAP in 2014. He was the first outsider to be made CEO of Infosys.

The spat culminated with the exit of both Sikka and Infosys then chairman R Seshasayee in August, and the return of one of its founders, Nandan Nilekani, as chairman. Nilekani, a highly regarded industry veteran, had remained silent throughout the public confrontation led by Murthy.

For Parekh, the discord that led to Sikkas departure could prove to be beneficial, although he may have to work to convince Murthy.

Sometimes coming on the back of a controversial exit is easy, because expectations would be realistic, a tech industry consultant said.

Being hand-picked by Nilekani should give Parekh some cover. Two weeks ago, Murthy endorsed Nilekani, saying absolutely, all is well, with Nilekani at the helm.

In a statement on Saturday, Murthy wrote, I am happy that Infosys has appointed Mr. Salil Parekh as the CEO. My best wishes to him.

In Parekh, Indias No. 2 IT firm gets an executive with vast experience in some of its biggest Western markets and one who has led high-margin businesses like cloud services, where it is keen to accelerate growth.

His Capgemini colleagues say Parekh pushes people to work hard, believes in sharing information and cutting across hierarchy to deliver on projects.

IT services is a very different business from products and someone like Sikka who came with a mindset of doing new things constantly may not have been a good idea for a firm like Infosys, a senior executive at Capgemini said, declining to be named.

Parekh, though, is a core services executive who knows how to deliver projects within tight deadlines, with the resources at hand.
IBN seeks rights for two hydro projects

Investment Board Nepal (IBN) has asked the Energy Ministry for the implementation rights for the Betan Karnali and Bheri-1 hydropower projects as it has the sole authority to execute schemes with a capacity of 500 MW or more.
Users can soon pay their utility bills through the Google Tez app.

Google Tez, the UPI based payments app from Google, has added a new option to pay utility bills through its platform. Google announced the new feature for Tez at the Google For India event, held in New Delhi today.

Bill payments on the Google Tez app will allow users to pay landline bills, postpaid mobile bills, electric gas bills, DTH and more. Google has tied up with more than 70 billing partners for the same.

Not only will Google Tez allow bill payments, it will also remind users when a bill is due, so as to avoid duplicate payments. The app will also keep updating the payment status of bills automatically.

During the announcement of the new feature, Google also highlighted that the Tez app now has 12 million users in India. Caesar Sengupta, Vice President of Googles Next Billion Users announced that 70 per cent of UPI transactions in the month of November were completed through Tez, marking an important achievement for an app which is just a few months old.

Further, Google announced that the Tez app has carried out over 140 million transactions since launch. The app was announced in India on September 18 and the company revealed that more than 5.25 lakh merchants are already using the app.

Alongside bill payments, Google also introduced what it calls Spark animations on the Tez app. Spark is just a fun way of tagging an animation along with money transfers, much like Paytms lifafa feature.

Bill payments on the Google Tez app will be rolling out gradually starting next month.

Google also announced the Android Oreo (Go Edition) and its digital assistant for the JioPhone. The former is a light-weight Android version designed for smartphones with RAM between 512MB to 1GB, which will allow for a smoother overall Android experience. The JioPhone is now the first feature phone to feature the Google Assistant. The smart assistant will also recognise Hindi voice commands and will replace the Jio Voice app on the handset. You can read more about the Android Oreo (Go Edition) here and about the Google Assistant on JioPhone here.
We have rounded up everything Qualcomm is expected to announce at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit Keynote tonight at 12AM.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets have been at the forefront of mobile innovation. Every year, Qualcomm sets the agenda of innovation by unveiling its flagship Snapdragon chipset.The launchpad is Maui in Hawaii this year with the second annual Snapdragon Technology Summit Keynote to take place at 1:30PM ET (Around 12 midnight in India), and Qualcomm is all set to unveil its latest products that will power future devices. However, this year, there is a buzz about Qualcomm diving deeper into emerging technologies like virtual reality, automotive tech and more.

The keynote will be hosted by Qualcomm's EVP, Cristiano Amon who will be joined by key leaders in the hardware and software industry to unveil the company's roadmap for 2018. We have pondered over what could be possibly releasing tonight at the Snapdragon Tech Summit.

1. Snapdragon 845

This is a no brainer. The Snapdragon 845 will be the successor to the Snapdragon 835 which will power flagship devices in 2018. Qualcomm's next flagship mobile platform is rumoured to be clocked at 2.5GHz, which is only a minor speed bump over its predecessor but it will a vast improvement over the Snapdragon 835 because of new manufacturing technologies. It is expected that the Snapdragon 845 will be produced using TSMC's 7nm process. However, some are also saying Qualcomm will stick to the 10nm process for one more year and make an octa-core chipset that is a slight upgrade over the Snapdragon 835.

On the graphics side, the Snapdragon 845 is rumoured to have an Adreno 630 GPU while there will be a faster X20 modem capable of achieving gigabit speeds.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9 Plus could be the first smartphones to feature the latest Snapdragon chipset.

2. Snapdragon powered Windows 10 device

Ever since Microsoft demoed an ARM-based Windows 10 PC in collaboration with Qualcomm with an announcement that a Snapdragon 835 powered Windows 10 laptop will see the light of day by the end of the year. Well, it is the end of the year and all eyes will be on Qualcomm to give us the next generation of Windows devices. The laptop will likely feature Qualcomm's Gigabit modem. Qualcomm's Twitter handle has teased the product through a GIF that shows animated network bars beside a person relaxing at the beach with a laptop . The caption reads, "Leave the power cords behind. The SnapdragonSummit is about to shake up the WFH game. Cocktail umbrellas not included."

Leave the power cords behind. The #SnapdragonSummit is about to shake up the WFH game. Cocktail umbrellas not included. pic.twitter.com/n1AEiAoIVf  Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) December 2, 2017

From what we deciphered, Qualcomm will unveil a Windows laptop with Gigabit modem that will allow remote workers to work from anywhere.

3. A standalone wireless VR headset

Qualcomm had earlier demoed its advances in making a wireless VR headset. The company had demonstrated a prototype VR headset that doesn't need to be connected to a PC or a mobile device. Qualcomm had even announced an accelerator program to bring the product to people faster.

Its virtually impossible to keep our cool about what's coming. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/F2HdMgBYLq  Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) December 3, 2017

By the looks of yet another GIF posted on the company's Twitter handle, the VR headset is ready to be deployed. The GIF shows a lady connected to an untethered VR headset experiencing, what seems to be an underwater ecosystem. It is known that five VR headset makers have promised to bring out VR headsets powered by the Snapdragon 835 in 2018. Could tonight be the grand reveal of them all?

4. More secure facial recognition

The Snapdragon chipsets were already adept at recognising faces to authenticate. But by the looks of another GIF, that tech will be made more secure with the incorporation of iris scanning, something that the Galaxy Note 8 comes equipped with. The GIF shows a woman's eye being authenticated inside a mobile phone, which pretty much explains what's in store.

Wait til you see the eye-opening new stuff being unlocked at the #SnapdragonSummit in Maui. pic.twitter.com/fwDXt44Zzd  Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) December 1, 2017

5. Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing

Qualcomm's next generation mobile platform will feature AI and Natural Language Processing heavily. Once again, Qualcomm's Twitter handle has teased real time translation hinting on further strides in understanding natural language. Perhaps, the Snapdragon 435 will have an NLP chip much like the Moto X4 and could even feature an AI chip.
Apple and the Irish government have finally agreed a plan for the US tech giant to repay 13bn in unpaid taxes to the state, as a result of an EU ruling from last year.

Ireland will begin to receive the money at the start of 2018, despite resisting the calls to collect the taxes from Apple. Ireland's tax benefits to the US technology colossus were found to be illegal under EU state aid rules as they allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses.

It is more than a year since the European Commission, led by hardline competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, hit Apple with the order to collect the 13bn of back tax after it was accused of paying corporation tax rates of as low as 0.005% in the country. In October this year, the Commission referred Ireland to the EU Court for failing make Apple pay.

We have now reached agreement with Apple in relation to the principles and operation of the escrow fund, Irish finance minister Paschal Donohoe said on Tuesday.

We expect the money will begin to be transmitted into the account from Apple across the first quarter of next year, he added.

The ruling from the commission stated that the tax breaks afforded to Apple by the state were illegal as they allowed the company to pay much lower rates than Irelands tax rate of 25%.

Both Apple and the Irish government have reiterated their intent to appeal the decision, with the company saying in a statement to the Wall Street Journal it will recoup the money if successful.

We have a dedicated team working diligently and expeditiously with Ireland on the process the European Commission has mandated, Apple said. We remain confident the General Court of the EU will overturn the Commissions decision once it has reviewed all the evidence.

Apple has maintained that European authorities overstepped their mandate in the decision, as Vestager and her department pursue other multinational tech firms which use questionable tax practices on the continent.
The US and the South Korean air forces will beef-up and go ahead with their joint annual military exercises , a week after North Korea fired its most powerful test missile to date.

According to the US and South Korea, the aim of the exercises, known as Vigilant Ace, was to better prepare in case conflict did break out, with the aim of ensuring peace and security on the Korean peninsula.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an official from South Korea's Defense Ministry corrected his earlier statement to The Independent that the latest edition of the drills were to be the largest such exercises ever conducted. In total, 230 fighter jets were set to take part, including a large number of stealth aircraft.

North Korea responded via state media (KCNA), saying: "The US and South Korean puppet warmongers would be well advised to bear in mind that their DPRK-targeted military drill will be as foolish as an act precipitating their self-destruction."

In another sign of the rising tensions, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina stated on CBS: "Its crazy to send spouses and children to South Korea, given the provocation of North Korea. I think it's now time to start moving American dependents out of South Korea."

Echoing Graham, the White House's national security advisor HR McMaster recently said: "I think its increasing every day, which means that we are in a race to be able to solve this problem.

"There are ways to address this problem short of armed conflict, but it is a race because hes getting closer and closer, and theres not much time left."

In parallel, reports indicated that Russian marines were also set to carry out manoeuvres in the area bordering the North, with both Moscow and Seoul having called for calm and condemning Pyongyangs provocative missile tests.

Indeed, Russia went as far as warning that rising tensions could lead to conflict, with President Vladimir Putin calling for such a scenario to be avoided at all costs.
US President Donald Trumps bank records will be handed over to special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian meddling in last years presidential election.

After a subpoena from Muellers team of investigators, German bank Deutsche Bank will have to submit documents pertaining to its relationship with Trump.

Deutsche is the former real estate moguls biggest lender and his dealings with the bank were called into question during the election last year.

The bank has loaned Trump and his real estate business around $300m and had previously rejected requests from Democrats in the US Congress to hand over evidence related to its dealings with the President.

Muellers subpoena arrived just days after one of the most significant developments in the investigation to date, after former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI earlier this year and promised to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Mueller took over the investigation into Russian interference in the election in May with Trumps former campaign manager Paul Manafort having been arrested as a result.

The US President had consistently denied that he or anyone close to him or to his campaign was involved in any attempted interference from the Kremlin at any stage on the way to his 2016 victory.

However, the latest move from Mueller suggests that the FBI special counsel is making a beeline for Trumps finances as the next stage of his investigation.
Former leader of the Catalan government Carles Puigdemont has had the European arrest warrant that was placed on him lifted by the Spanish supreme court.

Judge Pablo Llarena withdrew the warrant for the arrest of Puigdemont and four other former members of the local government, after they fled to Brussels following weeks of turmoil in the north-eastern region.

As head of the government of Catalonia, Puigdemont issued a unilateral declaration of independence from Spain after a botched election which nevertheless saw a large minority of Catalans vote in favour of his party and the far-left ERC.

The judge added that Puigdemont and others will still face charges of sedition and rebellion if and when they return to Spain. If convicted of rebellion, Puigdemont could face a jail term of up to 30 years.

The lifting of the warrant came just weeks before the new regional elections which were due to take place, on 21 December.

Only one of the 13 leaders removed by the Madrid government after the unconstitutional declaration of independence was issued has said he will not stand in the new elections.

Six of the former Catalan ministers who were arrested last month were granted bail on Monday, but not ex-vice president Oriol Junqueras who will now likely have to run from prison.
Lack of designated home minister affecting security

Lack of steady political leadership at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) is one of the reasons behind security lapses, officials and observers said on Monday.
European stocks are trading slightly lower but are off coming off their worst levels of the session on the back of a dip in the euro's value as recent buying in the US dollar continues.

As of 1300 GMT the benchmark Stoxx 600 was down by 0.27% or 1.06 points to 386.41, alongside a fall of 0.38% or 50.33 points to 13,009.32 for the German Dax.

The Cac-40 on the other hand was retreating by 0.46% or 24.98 points to 5,364.31.

Economic data out on Tuesday revealed that the euro area's service sector continued to be in rude health, with IHS Markit's purchasing managers' index for November printing at 56.2, up from a reading of 55.0 in October, which was in-line with a preliminary estimate.

However, according to Eurostat Eurozone retail sales volumes plummeted by 1.1% month-on-month in October (consensus: -0.7%).

Spanish industrial production for October on the other hand surprised to the upside, with figures from the country's national statistics office, INE, showing growth of 0.6% versus September (consensus: 0.4%) and of 4.1% in comparison to the year-earlier level.

Later in the day, at 1330 GMT the US Department of Commerce was set to release its foreign trade numbers for the month of October, followed by the ISM Institute's service sector purchasing managers' index for November at 1500 GMT.

On the corporate front, Thyssenkrupp chairman Ulrich Lehner rejected calls from some investors for a break-up of the group, Handelsblatt reported.

In France, Carrefour and FNAC Darty unveiled a purchasing alliance for white goods and consumer electronics.

Elsewhere, Natixis reportedly said it was aiming to boost Asia's share of its corporate and investment banking sales to over 15% in the new few years.
Leave no one behind

During our travels across Nepal, we have met many extraordinary people who are committed to working every single day, with compassion and strength, to tackle gender-based violence in its many forms.
Royal Boskalis Westminster has been awarded a 5-year contract by the Comision Administradora del Rio de la Plata (CARP), for the capital and maintenance dredging of the Martin Garcia channel, located between Uruguay and Argentina in the northern part of the Rio de la Plata estuary.

The contract carries a total value of approximately 110 million Euro for the 50/50 joint venture with DEME. Signing of the contract is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

In 2016 Boskalis carried out a previous maintenance project on the channel (see top photo).

The Martin Garcia channel is the main access channel to Uruguay's second largest port, Nueva Palmira, as well as to the Rio Uruguay.

Deepening of canal

The main objective of the dredging program is to deepen the canal and subsequently maintain a depth of 34 feet over the contract period.

The capital dredging work will be performed in 2018, when approximately 6 million cubic meters of mainly sand and silt will be removed with two trailing suction hopper dredgers as well as approximately 500,000 cubic meters of clay and rock with a large backhoe.

The maintenance contract requires the annual removal of 5 million cubic meters of mainly sand and silt, over a subsequent period of four years and will be carried out with a trailing suction hopper dredger.

Argentina-Uruguayan river commission

The Canal Martin Garcia is a waterway between the River Plate and the Uruguay river, and is shared by Argentina and Uruguay.

The bilateral commission Comision Administradora del Rio de la Plata (CARP) oversees the River Plate basin, and among other issues, the upkeep of the Martin Garcia Canal which serves the Uruguayan coast.

This news item was originally published on the website of Boskalis.

Read also on this website

 Royal Boskalis develops electrical cutter suction dredger for Middle East work, 7 November 2017

 Boskalis takes new mega cutter Helios into service, 3 July 2017

 Expertise: Enabling delta life



More information

Boskalis

Papendrecht, the Netherlands

+31 78 696 90 00

www.boskalis.com
Left alliance candidate Bhatta escapes IED attack in Dadeldhura

An improvised explosive device was set off targeting left alliance candidate Khagaraj Bhatta at Mauriya in Alital Rural Municipality-8 late Monday evening.
Lets face it: Your website is central to your e-commerce business. Theres no way around that. Upgrading your website is one of the most important things you can do to bring in new customers and sell more products.

Sometimes, though, its difficult to know exactly how to improve your site. To help you out with that dilemma, here are three ways to refresh your website and boost your business without breaking the bank.

1. Reconsider the Design

The overall design of an e-commerce website has a big impact on customers  and on sales  so regularly rethinking and tweaking your sites design is vital.

Good Web design for an e-commerce site is something that would be a number of things done well, said Miklos Philips, principal lead for user experience at Toptal.

This would include a clear brand identity, the use of clear visual hierarchy, easy product search and browsing via clearly laid-out navigation and omnipresent search, he told the E-Commerce Times.

An e-commerce business relies on its site not just to sell products, but to communicate a brands identity and create an enjoyable shopping experience for customers.

Good design is important because it needs to instill in would-be customers trustworthiness and store credibility, said Philips. If the site appears poorly constructed and confusing, customers lose confidence in the stores ability to deliver on its promise.

Its not like you cant make sales with a poorly designed website, but incorporating effective, shopper-friendly design elements will offer long-term gains.

Good website design communicates your brand identity, builds trust in your company, creates a cohesive and pleasant shopping experience, and naturally guides shoppers towards purchase, said Alison Garrison, director of services for Volusion.

You can make revenue with not-so-good design, but you will make a lot more with thoughtful design that puts the shopper first and is based in solid conversion principles, she told the E-Commerce Times.

2. Make a Great First Impression

First impressions matter, since it doesnt take long for a customer to decide whether to stay or go.

It takes about 50 milliseconds  or only 0.05 seconds  for people to form an opinion about a website  that is, whether or not they like it, whether theyll stay or leave, and ultimately, whether or not theyll purchase, explained Garrison.

The homepage is the first thing customers see when visiting your site, so its important to pay particular attention to it, and to upgrade and improve its functionality as necessary. When rethinking your homepage, start at the top of the site and work down, looking at it as a customer would.

Consider the header and navigation, said Garrison. This is prime real estate and should include value propositions, such as free shipping and easy return policy, and trust builders, such as a phone number and trust badges.

On that first page, consider organizing the categories you offer  perhaps building them based on your customers requirements, such as gender, age or particular use cases, Garrison recommended.

Creative categorizing will make the homepage at once more appealing and more useful, drawing customers deeper into your site.

3. Add Autofill

Autofill has come a long way, and intelligent autofill technology can both streamline the shopping process and boost conversion rates.

In a word, consumer-friendly autofill depends on accuracy, said Karl Mattson, SVP of Growth for Fillr.

How often does the autofill correctly autofill all of the fields in a shopping check-out experience? The better autofill does this, the less a user has to manually correct or input text fields in a form, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Increasingly, autofill is used in mobile shopping apps, which is another good e-commerce upgrade to consider.

Autofill, long available only as a Web browser feature, is now available as a service that can be white-labeled into mobile shopping apps, explained Mattson.

This is an important, critical step forward for mobile app shopping conversions, he said.

Before, mobile app conversions were dependent solely on how well an app designer could create an easy-to-use checkout experience. Now that apps have the option of offering their own autofill as part of their conversion experience, autofill becomes an avenue whereby users can side-step the most frustrating part of mobile shopping  manually completing a complicated mobile e-commerce check-out, Mattson pointed out.

New advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning have made autofill better than ever, which makes it a smart upgrade.

Hand-in-hand with machine learning, autofill is evolving from a relatively straightforward text-based service to a technology that will become available across platforms  particularly voice-assistive platforms like Cortana and Seri, said Mattson.

As it expands to new platforms and uses, thanks to machine learning, autofill also continues to become smarter, he added. It is now more accurate, more contextually relevant and faster.
IBM on Wednesday announced IBM Cloud Private, a software platform that allows enterprise customers to run applications and store critical data in an on-premises, private cloud environment.

The new service employs a Kubernetes-based container architecture that supports both Docker containers and Cloud Foundry.

IBM also introduced new container-optimized versions of core enterprise software including Websphere Liberty, Db2 and MQ.

Companies in heavily regulated industries like finance and healthcare have embraced private clouds as they plan their transitions to public cloud environments, IBM said. Companies will spend an estimated US$50 billion per year on these efforts and grow private cloud business at an estimated rate of between 15 percent and 20 percent per year.

Innovation and adoption of public cloud services has been constrained by the challenge of transitioning complex enterprise systems and applications into a true cloud native environment, said Arvind Krishna, senior vice president for IBM Hybrid Cloud.

IBM Cloud Private brings rapid application development and modernization to existing IT infrastructure, he said, and allows it to be combined with the services of public cloud technology.

Building Blocks

IBM has played a key role in the development of cloud-based computing for the enterprise. It is a founding member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, and just last month open-sourced its WebSphere Liberty Code to support Java microservices. More than 12 million Java and enterprise developers are managing legacy WebSphere and Db2 applications, according to IBM.

IBM and Google last month announced plans to open-source the Grafeas project, which is designed to help developers deal with security issues when working with containers.

The Grafeas technology has been one of the key building blocks for IBM Cloud for many years, said Chip Childers, chief technology officer of Cloud Foundry.

Companies like American Airlines depend on IBM to provide an easy solution to deliver code to production, something Cloud Foundry Application Runtime excels at, he told the E-Commerce Times. This offering is a huge step in the right direction  it shows IBM doubling down on open source not just with Cloud Foundry, but also adding Kubernetes into the mix.

The Cloud Private software contains several key features to help enterprises manage their applications and data, IBM said, including the following:

Cloud Management Automation  streamlined management across cloud environments to help launch, monitor and manage services, and maintain security.

Security and Data Encryption  Security Vulnerability Advisor to scan for potential vulnerabilities and in-flight data encryption.

Core Cloud Platform  a container engine, Kubernetes orchestration, Cloud Foundry and essential management tools surrounding developer runtimes.

Infrastructure Choice  compatibility with systems from technology firms including Cisco, Dell EMC, Intel, Lenovo and NetApp, as well as IBM Power Systems, IBM Z, and IBM Hyperconverged Systems, powered by Nutanix.

Data and Analytics  integration with database services including IBM Db2, PostGreSQL and MongoDB.

Application Support and DevOps Tools  containerized versions of IBM WebSphere Liberty middleware, Open Liberty, MQ and Microservice Builder and other frameworks are included in software bundles. APM, Netcool and UrbanCode can be added for an additional fee.

Ready to Launch

IBM is running pilot programs with Finnish pension firm Illmarinen and Chiles Banco de Credito, according to spokesperson Joseph Collier. Illmarinen, which manages pensions that cover 900,000 people in that country, is expected to start regular production with Cloud Private by early 2018. BCIs schedule was not immediately available.

IBM has certain built in competitive advantages as it strives to expand its increasingly critical cloud computing business to compete against Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and other data and information companies, suggested Jeff Kaplan, managing director of ThinkStrategies.

IBMs greatest comparative advantage is its ability to appeal to its installed base of enterprise companies that have made enormous investments in traditional data center systems and software, and still believe they need to rely on private cloud resources to support their corporate operations and objectives, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The Cloud Private program is the newest example of how IBM embraces modernization technologies, Pund-IT Principal Analyst Charles King told the E-Commerce Times, to ensure the continued relevancy of its various platforms and services.
PHNOM PENH  Over 500 garment workers have held a demonstration in protest at the alleged withholding of annual bonuses by their employer. The payments, which should have been made to textile workers between 2010 and 2017, remain outstanding according to local press reports.

The Cambodian textile industry has become increasingly volatile in recent weeks, with action groups calling for global buyers not to boycott the nations ready-made garment (RMG) sector because of political turmoil in the country as a whole.
By Katherine Paul

At the height of the GMO labeling battle, we not-so-fondly referred to the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) as Monsantos Evil Twin.

Last week, a former GMA executive told Politico that to him, the food industry lobbying group seems like the dinosaur waiting to die.

For consumers who blame the GMA for engineering the defeat of four state ballot initiatives that would have required labels on genetically engineered foods, then teaming up with Monsanto and some Big Organic brands to ram through federal legislation that stripped states of the right to pass GMO labeling laws, visions of the GMA drawing its last bullying breath are accompanied by the sweet taste of karma.

Consumers can take satisfaction in the fact that theyve played a role in what some say is the diminishing power of the GMA over Washington policy.

For many, gratificationeven the delayed varietyis worth stirring up trouble in the marketplace if it results in brands cleaning up their acts on issues of health, transparency and accountability.

#GMAExitA Burgeoning Trend?

On Dec. 1, Mars, Inc., the sixth-largest privately held food company in the U.S., confirmed reports it will exit the GMA.

Mars is the fourth Big Food company to exit GMA this year. The first was Campbell Soup Co., which said in July that it wouldnt renew its membership. Campbell CEO Denise Morrison said at the time that Campbells had found itself at odds with some of [GMAs] positions.

One of those positions was GMO labeling. Campbell was the first company to publicly break with Monsanto and the GMA by announcing it would label GMO ingredients, even though not required to do so.

Nestle, the worlds largest food company, followed Campbell out the GMA door, announcing in October its own plans to quit the GMA at the end of this year (2017).

Last week Dean Foods quietly exited the trade group.

GMA executives interviewed by Politico downplayed the loss of some of the groups big-name members. But Politico was quick to point out that as one of the GMAs top dues-paying members, Nestles exit could deal a tough blow to the GMAs operating budget. Campbells doled out about $317,000/year to belong to the trade association Politico said, citing the companys financial disclosures.

It remains to be seen how many more companies will join the #GMAExit, or what the financial consequences may be for the GMA. But Politico calls the recent announcements part of a burgeoning trend as opposed to just a few one-offs.

GMO Labeling at the Heart of Consumer Demand for Transparency

Whats behind the splintering of the food lobby?

Politico reports that complacency and a lack of leadership are factors. But it also blamed an upheaval at the grocery store, where iconic brands are stagnating as millennials and moms seek healthier and more transparent products.

Nowhere was the issue of transparency more apparent than during the more-than-four-year battle for labels on GMO foods. More than 90 percent of consumers consistently supported laws requiring labels on GMO foods. Consumers felt so strongly that many were willing to boycott their favorite organic and natural brands, if those brands were owned by members of the GMA which poured $46 million into defeating GMO labeling in California alone.

Shortly after the narrow defeat of Californias Prop 37 in May 2012, the Organic Consumer Association (OCA) launched its Traitor Boycott. Initially, Campbells (Plum Organics, Wolfgang Puck), Dean Foods (Horizon Organic, Silk) and Nestle (Gerber Organic, Sweet Leaf Tea)which combined had dumped almost $4 million into the campaign to defeat labeling in Californiamade OCAs boycott list.

Campbells, which like many other companies subsequently contributed to defeat labeling in Washington State (2013), was eventually dropped from the list when the company decided not to financially support campaigns to thwart GMO labeling initiatives in Oregon and Colorado (2014).

Unilever, which remains a GMA member, stopped throwing money at subsequent efforts to defeat GMO labeling initiatives, presumably because the multi-national food giant didnt like that its poster child for social responsibility, Ben & Jerrys, was taking heat from consumers unhappy with Unilevers unholy alliance with the GMA. (Ben & Jerrys told consumers the Vermont-based brand supported labeling, yet it never contributed financially to the cause. OCA launched a new boycott of Ben & Jerrys in July, demanding that the ice cream brand go 100 percent organic).

After the Traitor Boycott was launched in May 2012, food companies were more skittish about ponying up donations to defeat labeling in Washingtonso much so, that the GMA broke the law by collecting donations from companies like Pepsi, Nestle, Coke, General Mills, ConAgra, Campbell and others, and hiding the source of those donations from the public. In a win for consumers, Washington fined the GMA $18 million last year for violating state campaign finance laws.

Today, the GMA says it has about 250 membersdown from the 300 it claimed in 2012. According to Politico:

The membership used to be listed on GMAs website, but it was taken down after a nasty battle over GMO labeling in California, during which a handful of GMA member companies were boycotted for spending millions to defeat a ballot initiative there.

OCA archived the list in 2012here it is.

Out With the Old, In With the Truth

GMO labeling isnt the only reason consumers have lost their taste for Big Food brands. Consumers have become increasingly wary of labels like natural, all-natural and 100% natural. Absent any regulatory or industry definition for the term natural, those labels are used by food companies (some of which have been sued by OCA) on products containing everything from Monsantos Roundup weedkiller to drugs like ketamine.

Increasingly, consumers are also questioning claims like antibiotic- and hormone-free and pasture-raised.

According to a recent report in Food Dive:

Almost half of consumers dont feel like they know enough about a product despite reading the label, and two-thirds of them think the manufacturer or brand should be communicating important information to help them make an educated purchasing decision

Only 12 percent of consumers trust brands to tell them whats in their food. Most consumers do their own independent research, via phones and personal computers.

Other consumer trends according to Food Dive?

Nearly 60 percent of consumers think brands need to advocate for them and their interests, and 24 percent said they have refused to buy a companys produce when its actions didnt align with their values. The most important issue area was the environment, where 71 percent said produce brands should be active.

By those standards Big Food, represented by the GMA, isnt doing too welland it shows. From Politico:

The top 20 U.S. food and beverage companies lost roughly $18 billion in market share between 2011 and 2017, according to a recent analysis by Credit Suisse.

Is it any wonder Big Food is also experiencing a mass exodus of CEOs?

The #GMAExit, plummeting market shares and CEOs jumping ship (or being pushed overboard) are signs that consumers are having a big pact. And advances like the proposed Regenerative Organic Certification, which intends to help consumers identify products produced to beyond organic standards, signal that more consumers are willing to reward producers whose methods promote soil health, animal welfare and social fairness, in addition to truthfully labeled, nutritious food.

We cant do much about the current state of affairs in Washington, DC these daysbut as consumers, we can exercise our power over food corporations, and the lobbying groups that represent them.

Clearly, were succeeding.

Katherine Paul is associate director of the Organic Consumers Association.
A Sea Shepherd team flew over the Gulf of St. Lawrence last week documenting an ecological disaster that very few people want to talk aboutespecially those in the Canadian government.

It has been 40 years to the month that French actress Brigitte Bardot first went to the ice floes in Canada to focus attention on the slaughter of baby seals at the behest of Sea Shepherd founder, Captain Paul Watson.

This year, actress Michelle Rodriguezbest known for her role as Letty Ortiz in the blockbuster franchise The Fast and the Furiousjoined the all-woman survey team known as Operation Ice Watch. The group was led by Sea Shepherd Toronto coordinator Brigitte Breau and also included Yana Watson, the wife of Sea Shepherd leader Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd advisory board member Clementine Pallanca and Canadian animal rights lawyer Camille Labchuk of Animal Justice.

[facebook https://facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1498200446859554/ expand=1]

The group was accompanied by a three-person documentary crew: French photojournalist Bernard Sidler, Australian videographer Jasmine Lord and Toronto-based Czech photographer Marketa Schusterova.

Since Captain Watson first founded Sea Shepherd 40 years ago in 1977, much has changed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Not all whitecoat seals are clubbed to death on the ice (shotguns are also permitted now), the kill quota is almost twice what it was then. Since 2011, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans has been allowing the slaughter of 400,000 seals they define as adult although many are no more than six weeks old.

Canadian seal products are banned in Europe and in the U.S. Regardless of the quota that has allowed sealers to kill 2.4 million seals over the last six years, only around 350,000 have actually been slaughtered in total because of a scarcity of markets.

However, there is one very significant change that the world needs to know.

Where is the Ice?

Harp seals cannot give birth to pups unless there is ice for them to be born upon. The team of Operation Ice Watch had trouble finding any substantial ice during its investigation.

Earlier in the week, the Operation Ice Watch crew found a couple of small patches along the coast of Cape Breton containing a few hundred seals and their pups. Two days later that patch was gone, broken up by high winds. It was found again two days later, more broken up and with fewer seals. Most likely the seal pups drowned.

There should be more than 200,000 seal pups in the Gulf yet no one seems to know where they are.

What the Operation Ice Watch team witnessed is something that Sea Shepherd has never witnessed beforea completely ice-free and seal-free Gulf. This alarming sight means that without ice, seal pups cannot be born. They are being birthed into the sea, only to drown or forced up on land where they have little chance of survival.

Despite the lack of ice, the Canadian government has issued a kill quota once again of 400,000 seals for the year 2017. This is an astounding figure when tens of thousands of seals may have already perished in the Gulf of St. Lawrence this year due for lack of ice.

Captain Watson and Sea Shepherd feel this should be declared a national emergency and a clear warning that climate change is accelerating faster than authorities anticipate.

Brigitte Bardot and Michelle Rodriguez: Posing With Seals Then and Now

Captain Paul Watson sent the all-female crew to the ice to commemorate the courage of Brigitte Bardot when she went to the ice in 1977 to focus international attention of the slaughter of seals. A photo of Bardot posting with a seal brought world attention to the cause and the need to protect harp seals. It became a pivotal point in the fight to stop this annual Canadian obscenity of cruelty and mass slaughter.

Bardot and Seal, 1977.

In recognition of Bardots famous picture, taken 40 years ago this March, Rodriguez posed with a whitecoat baby seal in her own 21st Century version of the iconic photo.

Michelle Rodriguez posed with a whitecoat baby seal in her own 21st Century version of the iconic photo. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

People listen to celebrities, said Captain Watson. Michelle has over 13 million friends on her Facebook page along with an international following. This helps to get the message out that now the seals are not just threatened by human hunting, but even more threatened by climate change and the loss of ice. Not content to kill the babies, mankind has now wiped out the nurseries.

However, unlike the ice conditions of 1977 which made Bardots photoshoot a relatively safe one, it was not so easy to recreate the shot in 2017. The ice was so broken up and thin that Sea Shepherds helicopter could not land. Rodriguez, along with Yana Watson, Sidler and Lord had to hop from one small pan of ice to another just to reach the seals.

Despite the challenges, Rodriguez was thrilled to meet the seals on the small patch of ice.

Seeing these beautiful creatures and understanding their place in the ecosystem, Im saddened the Canadian government has been so short sighted in failing to prevent a massive ecological catastrophe, said Rodriguez. Its sad to know the truth and watch the world turn a blind eye.
By Andy Rowell

Republicans may be celebrating their great tax rip off they sneaked through last Friday night, which included the hugely disputed proposal of drilling of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), but opening up Americas last true wilderness to oil exploitation is still far from certain.

Firstly, drilling in ANWR is deeply unpopular with the American public; secondly, it still has to get past the House, where some Republicans are opposed to opening up ANWR; thirdly, even oil industry consultants think drilling now is not economically sensible and fourthly any development will be fought tooth and nail in the courts.

All this means that any drilling is not going to happen any time soon. It is worth remembering that pro-drilling Republicans have tried more than 50 times to drill in ANWR already and they have failed.

Firstly, the American public are vehemently against the idea.

Monday, Yale Universitys Program on Climate Change Communication released a new survey that found that 70 percent of voters oppose drilling in the refuge. Those strongly opposed outnumber those who strongly support the policy by more than 4 to 1. Despite the gleeful scenes late on Friday night by the Republican leadership, a mere 18 percent of Republican voters strongly support the policy.

Secondly, the first hurdle any bill would have to overcome would be the House.

Before the Senate vote, 12 Congressional Republicans sent a letter to the leaders of both houses of Congress, objecting the provision which would allow ANWR.

They wrote, in part: Since the Refuge was originally set aside for the protection in 1960 by President Dwight Eisenhower, Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike have stood together to protect this unparalleled landscape.

They continued: For decades, Congress has voted to prohibit oil and gas development in the refuge, with the overwhelming support of the American public. Support for this protection remains strong today. After years of debate, the Arctic refuge stands as a symbol of our nations strong and enduring natural legacy.

If Congress opened up the area to drilling, they warn, the likelihood that lawsuits would accompany any development is high.

Since the vote, some Republicans have gone public. Miami Rep. Carlos Curbelo is one of those who signed the letter and who is co-founder of the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bi-partisan group working to address climate change.

His spokesperson, Joanna Rodriguez, said in a statement that Congressman Curbelo strongly believes the tax proposal is not the appropriate venue for addressing ANWR. He made that clear to House and Senate Leadership last week and will continue to work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle on legislation that focuses on reforming our tax code and giving South Florida families the chance to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks, not a debate about Arctic drilling.

If all the Republican members of the House who are members of the Caucus vote against the ANWR provision, then the bill is dead.

As the Miami Herald noted: The caucus includes 31 House Republicans, enough members to vote down a tax bill, since the GOP can only afford 22 No votes if all Democrats vote against the bill.

Curbelo may already be feeling the pressure. Monday, the Herald reported that a group of protesters from the Sunrise Movement, a climate change advocacy group, staged a protest in Curbelos office urging him to vote against a tax bill that sells out the Arctic.'

Sunrise Co-Founder Evan Web told the paper: If Representative Curbelo, the founder of the Climate Solutions Caucus, is serious about stopping climate change, protecting the vulnerable people of his district in South Florida, and protecting the Arctic from drilling, hell vote no on this Big Oil bailout of a tax bill.

Thirdly, we come down to simple economics.

The bottom line is the oil price is too low and Arctic drilling too risky for any company to rush in now and the foreseeable future.

Outside magazine noted: The strongest argument against drilling might be the numbers, because while Republicans have always wanted to drill in the refuge, doing so today makes about as little economic sense as it has in ANWRs 57-year history.

Big Oil always talks about ANWR being the holy grail of Arctic drilling that will bring untold riches, but the reality is likely to be very different. In October, a Center for American Progress analysis found that offering oil and gas leases in ANWR is likely to yield no more than $37.5 million in revenue for the U.S. Treasury over the next 10 years: short of the $1 billion to $1.8 billion that drilling proponents claim could be raised.

And then we come to the oil price. According to financial analysts who follow the energy industry, the average oil price at which drilling projects in the Arctic can break even is in the high seventies per barrel, much higher than the current average oil price of $57 per barrel.

The investment bankers, the ones likely to bankroll any drilling, think its a bad idea. Speaking earlier in the year, Goldman Sachs commodity expert, Michele Della Vigna, said We think there is almost no rationale for Arctic exploration. Immensely complex, expensive projects like the Arctic we think can move too high on the cost curve to be economically doable.

Even oil consultants question ANWR drilling too. Any discoveries in ANWR would face significant obstacles before reaching first oil, argued Alison Wolters, an analyst at the energy research firm, Wood Mackenzie. Oil companies would have to decide if they think the opportunity is worth the potential delays and a lot of legal wrangling and back and forth with regulators.

Jennifer Presley, the senior editor, Drilling Hart Energy, an oil and gas consultancy also recently outlined how: Doing anything in Alaska requires very deep pockets, and were not talking about $6 gallons of milk or $4 loaves of bread. With oil markets settling out at about $50/bbl oil prices and breakevens hovering at or below $50/bbl, is now the best time to consider opening even a tiny sliver of ANWR for exploration and drilling when oil can be had for far cheaper prices in places closer to home like the Bakken Shale or Permian Basin.

She added that I find the current timing for such an opening suspect.

Fourthly, as I pointed out Monday, the industry will be challenged every step of the way by scientists, environmentalists and First Nations.

Before the vote, 37 leading Arctic wildlife scientists sent a letter opposing drilling on the coastal plain Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Maria Cantwell, the Chair and Ranking Member respectively of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The letter stated: Based on our experience in the Arctic, we oppose oil exploration, development and production in the Arctic Refuge. Such activity would be incompatible with the purposes for which the refuge was established, including to conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity.

There is no doubt that, as the 12 Republicans outlined above, if drilling makes it through the House it will be challenged in the courts.

After the Senate vote, one of the co-signers, David Yarnold, called the provision to open up ANWR simply shameful.

Yarnold, who is also the president and CEO of the National Audubon Society, added The Arctic refuge isnt a bankdrilling there wont pay for the tax cuts the Senate just passed. The American people dont support drilling in the Arctic and its up to the House to reject this flawed bill.

And if the House passes the bill, expect a whole host of lawyers to be very busy.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Oil Change International.
As millions of U.S. citizens in

Puerto Rico continue to recover more than two months after Hurricane Maria hit, a new campaign aims completely rebuild the island in a sustainable manner.

Operation Taino Spirit Promise is a joint effort between Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, actress and activist Michelle Rodriguez and the non-profit group Taino Warriors.

According to a campaign press release provided to EcoWatch, organizers will team up with Puerto Rican NGOs to help deliver life-saving supplies to residents. A vessel will also retrieve

plastics and raw materials off the island to alleviate Puerto Ricos overflowing landfills.

Our mission is to help Puerto Rico help itself by partnering with local boots on the ground who are focusing on issues such as the environment, ecological farming, education, mental health, said Rodriguez in the short feature above.

As highlighted in the video, Puerto Rican non-profits have been intrinsic in providing relief to residents across the island. Such groups include Visit Rico, an organization dedicated to strengthening Puerto Ricos agricultural economy through sustainable agri-tourism.

Maria had wiped away around 80 percent of Puerto Ricos agricultural industry, explained Camille Callazo of Visit Rico in the clip. Thats why we created a fund for ecological farmers to keep motivated, feel hope, she says.

Another featured organization is Unidos Por Utuado, which provides water filters, portable solar panels with batteries and LED lights.

[We are] empowering people but doing it in a way that is renewable said C.P. Smith of Unidos Por Utuado.

The Category 4 hurricane was so devastating that parts of the island are still in the dark after the Sept. 20 storm struck. As of Monday, the island has reached 68 percent electric capacity



Portable solar panels Operation Taino Spirit Promise

Public health officials have warned of a mental health crisis on the island, with many residents showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Mayra Santos-Febres of Festival de la Palabra also noted in the video how her group provides books, creates workshops and uses art to get people out of their post-traumatic disorders so they can move [on] and get what they need.

We are in this for the long haul, looking at the long game, seeing what kind of opportunities there are to rebuild the way Puerto Rico functions, Rodriguez said. The cause is near-and-dear to the Fast and the Furious star, who has a Puerto Rican father and resided on the island during her youth.

In this era of

climate change, Sea Shepherd stands ready to assist the good and resilient people of Puerto Rico in their recovery from these destructive events, said Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd founder, president and CEO.

The indelible Taino spirit that lives in every Puerto Rican on the island and in the diaspora commands us to come together to help rebuild Puerto Rico said Puerto Rican-born Ivette Rodriguez, the founder of Hollywood-based Taino Warriors. We want to empower the younger generations and remind them of the greatness of their origins. We are thrilled that Michelle Rodriguez (no relation) and Captain Paul Watson are joining us on this mission.
California is burning again. A massive

wildfire fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds has spread some 31,000 acres in Southern California, destroying 150 structures and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate.

The outbreak comes not long after Octobers string of

devastating wildfires in Northern California that killed 44 peoplethe deadliest in state history.

The Thomas Fire started Monday night in Santa Paula and has burned into the city limits of Ventura, just north of Los Angeles, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. Five-hundred fire fighters are on site with additional fire resources en-route.

One person has been killed in a vehicle accident blamed on the fire,

CBS News reported. One firefighter has also been injured.

The fire is still out of control, the fire department said. The menacing blaze has been zero percent contained as of Tuesday morning.

The Incident Commander reported that winds are increasing, expect fire behavior to increase over the entire incident.

#UltimaHora: 436 hogares en peligro en Santa Paula, residentes ordenados a evacuar. 2,500 acres y 0% de contenido  MAS A LAS 11PM#Telemundo52 #ThomasFire

ALBERGUES: Ventura County Fairgrounds 10 W Harbor Blvd, Ventura, CA Nordhoff High School -1401 Maricopa Hwy, Ojai, CA pic.twitter.com/rVYxFtw5Mb  KVEA Asignaciones (@T52Asignaciones) December 5, 2017

The

National Weather Service warned that high wind watches with damaging gusts up to 60 mph will likely need to be

expanded for late Wednesday night into Thursday.

This has the

potential to be the strongest and longest duration Santa Ana wind

event we have seen so far this season, the agency said. The Santa Ana winds will

bring an extended period of extreme fire danger, with Red Flag

Warnings in effect for much of Los Angeles County and all of

Ventura County.

The fire growth is just absolutely exponential, Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people, and protect structures.

#ThomasFire  incident commander reporting winds are increasing, expect fire behavior to increase over the entire incident. #VCFD  VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) December 5, 2017

The wildfire also left thousands without power. But Southern California Edison said in its

latest update at 2:55 am that power has been restored to all of the 83,000 customers in the Santa Barbara county area who were without power, and most of the 180,000 customers who were without power in the Ventura county area.

The power company warned: Some customers in fire-affected areas should be prepared to be without power for days because of damage caused by the fire.

The latest

incident report from the Ventura County Fire Department as of 4 am stated:

The fire is still out of control and structures continue to be threatened throughout the fire area. Due to the intensity of the fire, crews are having trouble making access and there are multiple reports of structures on fire. Fire crews from many different agencies are actively working on the incident. There are 500 fire fighters on scene with additional fire resources enroute. There are approximately 100 Sheriffs Office personnel, as well as law enforcement officers from the Santa Paula Police Department, Ventura Police Department and California Highway Patrol assisting with evacuations and road closures. The County of Ventura, City of Santa Paula and City of Ventura have all proclaimed a local emergency.

We urge you, you must abide by these evacuation notices, Ventura County Sheriff Jeff Dean

told reporters Monday. We saw the disasters and the losses that happened up north in Sonoma and this is a fast, very dangerous moving fire.
EIA campaigners were at the 69th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee (SC69) in Geneva, Switzerland, last week.

A packed agenda saw a wide range of issues raised for discussion, from tiger farms and domestic ivory markets to management of seized timber stocks and guidance for demand reduction programs. Throughout the meeting, EIA were busy preparing and making interventions, lobbying delegates and coordinating with other NGOs, trying hard to maximize the effectiveness of CITES in preventing over-exploitation of wildlife worldwide.

Below is a short summary of some of the key issues EIA was working on, along with some major wins, losses and indications of high-stakes debates due up at the 18th Conference of the Parties (CoP18) in Sri Lanka in 2019.

Elephants

While we wanted to see Japan and Singapore commit to more robust actions to address their role in the ivory trade, we were happy to see that they continue to remain under the spotlight at CITES. Both countries will have to report on actions taken to reduce their role in ivory trade for the next CITES Standing Committee meeting in October 2018. In the coming months, we need to keep up the pressure to encourage Japan to close its domestic ivory market and for Singapore to take action against the individuals and businesses that use its port as a major transit point in the illegal ivory trade chain.



Netsuke, ivory ornaments and jewelery on sale in Tokyo, Japan EIAimage

Several CITES Parties, including Kenya, the EU and the U.S., stressed the need to continue to prioritize the fight to combat ivory trade in light of the high levels of poaching and ivory trafficking that remain a serious threat to elephants. The EU called on all parties to submit timely samples from large-scale ivory seizures for forensic analysis so it is possible to identify the source of the ivory concerned.

We are pleased about the adoption of a proposal submitted by African elephant range states calling on CITES Parties to report to the next standing committee on efforts to close their domestic ivory markets. EIA and other NGOs jointly made an intervention highlighting our expectation that by this time the UK and the EU would have adopted stringent action to close their own ivory markets. More information on how you can contribute to the ongoing public consultation on the closure of the UK ivory market is available here.

Tigers

At CITES CoP17 last year, several Decisions were adopted directing the secretariat to work with parties and other members of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) to scrutinize illegal trade in Asian big cats, including in captive-bred animals. Implementation of those decisions is in large part dependent on funding for consultants to undertake reviews and analysis and for the secretariat to undertake special missions. The desired outcome will be a report to the next standing committee presenting a series of time-bound, country-specific recommendations.

At SC69, the official documents clearly illustrated that there hasnt been any real progress in initiating those reviews. There was no official information of substance to discuss so no working group was established. Instead, parties and NGOs made interventions from the floor, expressing concern at the lack of urgency with which this issue is being addressed.

The EU has provided funding for the review and missions to examine tiger and other Asian big cat farming, and urged other parties to provide funding for the wider review of Asian big cat conservation and illegal trade. EIA and others echoed the comments of India, the EU and the U.S., which noted there is sufficient information already available in previous CITES reports. We pointed out that NGOs have sufficient information on tiger farming and trade for the secretariat to easily identify countries of concern.

We also drew attention to the fact that trade in farmed tigers is not just sustaining and stimulating demand for wild tigers but is driving poaching and trade in leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards and, increasingly, jaguars and African lions.

It was encouraging to hear that not just India but Thailand and Russia have also been collating stripe pattern profile images of tigers using camera traps and, in Thailand, of captive tigersall the more reason for any and all parties that have seized tiger skins to share images with these countries. Since Indias database holds camera trap images dating back to 2006, images from historical seizures should be shared. We were disappointed that despite this being recommended by the Global Tiger Forum and NGOs, SC69 did not adopt such a practical measure.

We and every other organization that has information on illegal trade in Asian big cats, including farmed specimens, and information on trade in jaguar and African lion entering the same physical and online markets (where they are often sold as tiger) should ensure the secretariat has all the evidence it needs to make some hard-hitting calls to action ahead of the next standing committee.

EIA had also prepared a CITES Appendix I Asian big cat pocket guide on behalf of the CITES secretariat, which was distributed to parties only at the meeting. The guide offers a quick reference to distinguish the different cat skins and other body parts from fakes, as well as quick reference checklists for officials dealing with poaching and trafficking incidents.

Totoaba

EIA was initially frustrated by the lack of teeth in recommendations to tackle illegal fishing and trade in totoaba, which is responsible for the imminent extinction of the vaquita. On behalf of nine NGOs, we called for a high-level mission to be conducted, with timebound actions to be enacted by the U.S., Mexico and China.



Totoaba maws openly on sale in Guangzhou, China EIAimage

In the final moments of the meeting, there was a turn in the tide when the Mexican delegation supported EIAs intervention. We will be closely following the high-level mission in February 2018, working to ensure it includes meaningful actions to fully protect the last remaining handful of vaquita. Read more about this last-minute glimmer of hope here.

Whales

A heated debate on Monday saw Japan criticized for hunting sei whales, an endangered species listed on CITES Appendix I. Taking Appendix I species from the high seas for commercial benefit is prohibited, but since 2002 Japans scientific whaling program has repeatedly been exposed as a commercial operation, with a government-endorsed program to boost demand for whale meat.

While many parties and NGOs noted there was already enough evidence to take action on the grounds of non-compliance, SC69 ultimately decided more information is needed and requested that Japan invite CITES to undertake a technical mission to gain more insight into the situation.

Pangolins

International commercial trade in all eight pangolin species was banned by CoP17 last year following proposals submitted by 18 pangolin range states. However, a controversial document presented to SC69 implied the possibility of continued international trade in stockpiles of pangolin, a situation which would seriously undermine the ban and goes against both resolutions adopted by previous CoPs and a long-standing CITES precedent.



Live pangolin outside restaurant, Kings Romans complex, Laos EIAimage

While the vast majority of countries opposed this possibility, including several African pangolin range states which spoke passionately in opposition, China pushed hard to keep the option open. An amended document, which clarified that stockpiles cannot be traded, was ultimately adopted by vote, with China, Russia and Kuwait voting against.

EIA was disappointed to see China acting against the express wishes of the CITES community to undermine the ban, strong enforcement of which is sorely needed to save the worlds most trafficked mammal.

Compliance measures

The government of Laos has been under suspensions of trade in particular species for several years, but despite this there has been little progress from the government in addressing the corruption and governance issue that have left the country a wildlife criminals paradise.

At SC69, Laos non-compliance was the subject of a working group in which EIA and other NGOs participated. The U.S. called for Laos to face full trade suspensions now, while the EU favored a warning and a time-bound process for specific remedial action to ensure Laos sets up proper CITES authorities and takes action to stop trade in parts and products of tigers (including farmed tigers), elephants, rhinos, pangolins and other wildlife.

Laos representatives agreed to a schedule that requires them to submit a time-bound action plan with indicators to implement the CITES recommendations by June 30, 2018. If there is no substantive progress, the secretariat has been given the mandate by the standing committee to recommend trade suspensions across the board.

With all the millions of dollars of aid flowing into Laos, and the steady flow of information from EIA and other NGOs regarding illegal wildlife trade, there is now little excuse for no further progress.
Man, injured in drunken brawl, dies

A former principal of Ratna Primary School at Singhari in Rainus Municipality, Lamjung, who was injured after being attacked by his inebriated friend, died during the course of treatment in Kathmandu.
Two federal agencies are grappling with how to guide schools on protecting students personal information while using educational technology. That increasingly delicate balancing act was front and center during a discussion Friday convened by the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Trade Commission.

At issue were such fundamental questions as:

 What counts as students personal information?

 How should schools and companies protect parents legal right to access and delete information collected online from young children?

 Should ed-tech vendors be allowed to use information collected in schools to improve their products and services, or does such activity constitute impermissible commercial use of student data?

 How can the nations school districts maintain direct control of the increasingly vast troves of student information they now regularly hand over to third-party companies they designate as school officials under federal law?

On those issues and others, the legal landscape is marked by considerable gray areas, said Thomas B. Pahl, the acting director of the FTCs bureau of consumer protection, during opening remarks at the event.

As a result, Pahl said, both the FTC and the Department of Education think further discussion, and perhaps additional guidance, is warranted. The discussion should provide a roadmap for potential next steps at the agencies, he said.

Modernize FERPA and COPPA?

Looming over the rapid expansion of educational technology in K-12 are two federal laws: the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, which enumerates parents rights with respect to their childrens educational records; and the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act, commonly known as COPPA, which regulates third-party operators of websites, apps, and digital services that collect information from online users who are younger than 13.

Read Education Weeks in-depth explainer on COPPA and schools here.

Those statutes are supposed to provide strong guardrails that protect students information, enshrine parents rights, and establish the rules of the road for schools and vendors.

But in an age when digital devices, online instructional resources, and a dizzying array of software, apps, and platforms can be found in most classrooms, many in the K-12 sector view FERPA and COPPA as antiquated, inadequate, or both.

We need more concrete guidance to stand on, said Chris Paschke, the executive director of data security for the Jefferson County, Colo., schools, which has been at the epicenter of the student-data-privacy fight for several years following its role in the high-profile fight over inBloom, a controversial data-sharing initiative that has since gone under.

One big source of uncertainty is the issue of parental consent. COPPA, for example, stipulates that operators of online services seeking to collect online information from children under 13 must obtain their parents approval. The Federal Trade Commission has previously indicated that the law does not preclude schools from acting as parents agents in providing that consent, so long as the companies they contract with provide notice to the school and to parents, and so long as the information collected is not being used for commercial or non-educational purposes.

Companies Use of Data

That stance has opened several cans of worms.

For one, COPPA generally takes a broad view of what counts as personal information, including some kinds of indirect metadata, such as persistent identifiers that can be attached to students in lieu of their names or ID numbers, and geolocation information that children generate when using some devices and services. FERPA, however, generally does not consider such information part of students legal educational record. The discrepancy can create conflicting obligations for schools.

Speakers at the FTC and Department of Education event were also sharply divided over whether companies should be able to use the information they collect about children (such as log records showing how a student interacts with a digital instructional tool) to improve their products.

David LeDuc, the senior policy director for the Software & Information Industry Association, described such uses as an educational win-win-win for companies, schools, and students. But George Mason University professor Priscilla M. Regan described those same practices as a secondary commercial use, saying they should be forbidden under the law.

Such disputes may seem technical, but they point to a larger problem with the way current federal laws are being enacted inside schools, said Jim Siegl, who serves as technology architect for the Fairfax County, Va., schools, but emphasized he was not speaking on behalf of his district at the event.)

When schools were given authority to grant COPPA consent for the use of educational-technology products, Siegl said, the idea was that they would serve as agents on behalf of parents. Instead, he said, they have too often become agents for outside companies.

Overwhelmed Parents

Faced with such a tumultuous national landscape, 40 states have responded by taking matters into their own hands, passing a total of 124 student-data-privacy related laws since 2013, said Amelia Vance, who leads the student privacy project at the Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington think tank.

The ed-tech industry has also pushed a number of self-regulation efforts, most notably the Student Privacy Pledge, a voluntary set of privacy and security commitments now agreed to by more than 300 companies.

And districts, schools, and individual teachers have, by and large, accelerated their adoption of new technologies, making it difficult to keep track of everything that students are usinglet alone what information is being collected, or how it is being used. In some districts, technology officials who seek to avoid using products and services with inadequate privacy and security policies find themselves being pressured by teachers or overruled by higher-ups, panelists at the discussion said. The challenges appear to be particularly acute in smaller and poorer districts.

The net result is that many parents are overwhelmed, said Rachael Stickland, the co-founder of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy. She described her own experience of having a classroom volunteer sign her child up without parental notification or consent for an online platform known as Edmodo, which later suffered a massive data breach that resulted in the personal information of millions of students being put up for sale on an unregulated part of the internet.

It seems completely inappropriate that the ed-tech industry gets a pass on using sensitive, personal student information [gathered] in a compulsory environment in order to refine their products and market them back to schools and children, Stickland said.

Signs of Progress

There have been signs of progress.

Melissa Tebbenkamp, the director of instructional technology for Missouris Raytown Quality Schools, said her district and some others have grown more assertive in their privacy and security demands of companies, refusing to work with vendors that dont meet certain minimum standards.

Were the customers, Tebbenkamp said. Theyre not making money without us.

Still, the road ahead wont be easy.

For all the growing pressure on the FTC and the Education Department to provide clarity, there are also risks associated with taking action now.

Does it really make sense, for example, to issue guidance on how existing laws might be harmonized before FERPA undergoes its long-rumored legislative update?

In addition, one-size-fits-all solutions might bring greater clarity, but they could also have unintended consequences and place new burdens on schools, said Francisco M. Negron, Jr., the chief legal officer for the National School Boards Association.

And still other experts warned that a host of emerging issuesfrom the growing ease with which supposedly anonymous data can be used to re-identify users, to the possibility that predictive algorithms might shut some students out of certain courses, career-placement services, or other opportunities, to the new ways in which data might exacerbate bias and discriminationcould soon swamp current concerns.

No timetable is currently in place for the two agencies to announce if and when theyll proceed with issuing further guidance.
Protest against Manx Gas charges next week

A group campaigning for the Island's gas supplier to change its pricing structure will hold a protest next week.

The campaigners will hold their final protest of the year outside Manx Gas's offices on South Quay at 1pm next Monday.

The group is against the way the supplier applies banded standing charges to its customers' bills.

Manx Gas insists it's standing charges mean lower bills during winter months, helping spread the cost of gas throughout the year.
1. Cocaine is a consistent contributor to overdose deaths, especially among blacks

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M17-1812

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

Drug overdose deaths due to cocaine occur in the non-Hispanic black population at a similar rate to heroin and prescription opioid-related deaths in the non-Hispanic white population. While strategies to address prescription opioid and heroin overdoses remain critical for all racial/ethnic groups, prevention efforts focused on reducing cocaine-related deaths among the non-Hispanic black population are also needed. The findings of a brief research report are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Rates of drug overdose deaths increased by 5.5 percent per year between 1999 and 2015, with most of these deaths being attributed to opioid use among non-Hispanic white persons. However, increases in rates of drug overdose deaths were also recently reported for non-Hispanic black and Hispanic persons. Whether these deaths were due to opioids or other drugs has been unclear.

Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Cancer Institute, both part of the National Institutes of Health, studied complete U.S. death certificate data between 2000 and 2015 to compare trends in rates and types of drug overdose deaths among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic persons and non-Hispanic white persons. They found that drug overdose deaths were a significant problem for non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white persons and a rarer but increasing problem among Hispanic persons. Cocaine-related overdose deaths in non-Hispanic black persons were on par with heroin- and prescription opioid-related deaths in non-Hispanic white women and men and was also an important contributor to deaths in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white persons.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. For more information or interview requests, contact the NIDA press office at media@nida.nih.gov or 301-443-6245. 2. New ACC/AHA hypertension guidelines may lack clarity, especially with regard to younger patients

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M17-3103

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

New 2017 hypertension guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) may lack clarity, especially with regard to younger patients. A commentary from the Hypertension Division, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The ACC/AHA guidelines stand out among the proliferation of hypertension guidelines because of their size and scope - 481 pages, 106 recommendations, 23 tables, and 11 figures representing countless hours of systematic literature review. With a lower diagnosis threshold of >/= 130/80 mmHg, the population-wide burden of hypertension will increase dramatically.

For patients under the age of 45, the prevalence of hypertension will triple for men and nearly double for women. However, these low-risk patients are not well-represented in existing trials of aggressive blood pressure lowering and the new recommendations lack clear guidance on how to treat them in specific situations.

According to the editorialists, the potential benefits of any guidelines must be considered along with their consequences, as guidelines are frequently used to inform policy and insurance reimbursement and may impact the physician-patient relationship. The most valuable conclusion clinicians can convey to their patients is that a guideline can never serve as a substitute for clinical judgment.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To speak with the lead author, Jordana B. Cohen, MD, MSCE, please contact Abbey Anderson at abbey.anderson@uphs.upenn.edu. 3. DNA sequencing may inform diagnosis and management of kidney disease

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M17-1319

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

Whole-exome sequencing - a technique used to analyze DNA from the protein-coding portion of the genome - was found to be useful in identifying the genetic cause of kidney disease and informing treatment during a pilot study. These findings suggest that DNA sequencing could become part of the routine diagnostic workup for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), potentially replacing time-consuming clinical tests. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

An estimated 14 percent of people in the United States have CKD, and between 10 and 25 percent of these individuals have a family history of kidney problems. Diagnosis typically relies on clinical tests. Even with a kidney biopsy, it can be difficult to identify different subtypes of the disease. As a result, the precise cause of kidney failure often remains unknown.

Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center performed whole exome sequencing in 92 adults with kidney disease to determine its utility. More than half of the participants had a family history of kidney problems. Most had been given a clinical diagnosis, but 16 individuals did not know the cause of their disease. DNA sequencing yielded a diagnosis in 22 of the participants, encompassing 13 different genetic disorders syndromes. In 13 individuals, including 9 in whom the cause of kidney failure was unknown, the genetic data either explained the original clinical diagnosis or prompted frank reclassification of the patient's disease. The researchers also identified three patients who harbored a mutation in a gene not previously associated with kidney failure, thereby defining a new genetic cause of kidney disease.

The authors conclude that whole exome sequencing may offer real clinical value in diagnosing and managing patients with kidney disease.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom. To interview the lead author, Ali Gharavi, MD, please contact Helen Garvey at hbg3@cumc.columbia.edu or 917-514-1317. 4. More than one in six patients readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of revascularization for peripheral arterial disease

Readmissions primarily related to procedural complications and patient characteristics, whereas differences in hospital quality had only a modest impact

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M17-1058

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

More than one in six patients is readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of a revascularization procedure for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Procedure- and patient-related factors were the most common reasons for rehospitalization, whereas variations in hospital quality had only a modest influence on the need for readmission. Findings from a nationwide cohort study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

More than 200 million persons worldwide are affected by peripheral arterial disease (PAD). These patients typically are older, have a high burden of comorbidities, and have lower projected life expectancy. Although surgical and endovascular revascularization procedures are shown to improve outcomes in these patients, little is known regarding the need for readmission following these procedures. Understanding the national burden of rehospitalization risk among recently revascularized PAD patients is of importance in the context of the success of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), which financially penalizes hospitals on the basis of higher-than-predicted 30-day readmission rates for select clinical conditions. Although the HRRP does not currently include PAD revascularization procedures, this program has considered expanding to include such treatments, and understanding the reasons for readmission can assist in determining whether interventions such as the HRRP may reduce these events.

Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center used a national readmissions database to determine rates, causes, and associated costs of nonelective 30-day readmissions among patients who underwent in-hospital PAD revascularization. They also standardized rates of readmission by patient characteristics for each institution in order to understand whether readmission risk varied between hospitals, a marker of hospital quality. The investigators found that more than 17 percent of patients were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. Readmissions were associated with high mortality risk and costs. Procedural complications were the most frequent cause of rehospitalization, particularly among patients who underwent surgical revascularization. After standardization for hospital case mix, there was only modest variation in readmission rates between institutions, suggesting that patient characteristics may be stronger drivers of readmission than differences in hospital quality. The authors conclude that clinicians need to recognize the special needs of the PAD patient population and that future investigation should focus on the development and implementation of programs to help better manage these patients outside the hospital.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. For more information or to interview the lead author, Robert Yeh, MD, please contact Teresa M. Herbert at therbert@bidmc.harvard.edu or 617-667-7305.

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Also new in this issue:

Should This Patient Receive Aspirin?: Grand Rounds Discussion From Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

R.B. Burns, K. Graham, M.S. Sawhney, and E.E. Reynolds

Beyond the Guidelines

Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M17-2162

Annals Graphic Medicine - Dear Doctor II

K. Councilor

Annals Graphic Medicine

FREE content: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/G17-0012
Treatment has potential to correct behavioral and physical deficits associated with the disease, Tel Aviv University researchers say

A new Tel Aviv University study reveals that hyperbaric oxygen treatments may ameliorate symptoms experienced by patients with Alzheimer's disease.

"This revolutionary treatment for Alzheimer's disease uses a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which has been shown in the past to be extremely effective in treating wounds that were slow to heal," says Prof. Uri Ashery of TAU's Sagol School of Neuroscience and the Faculty of Life Sciences, who led the research for the study. "We have now shown for the first time that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can actually improve the pathology of Alzheimer's disease and correct behavioral deficits associated with the disease.

"This research is extremely exciting as it explores a new therapy that holds promise as a treatment of Alzheimer's disease," Prof. Ashery says.

The research was conducted by PhD student Ronit Shapira of TAU's Faculty of Life Sciences; Prof. Beka Solomon and Dan Frenkel of TAU's Sagol School of Neuroscience and Faculty of Life Sciences; and Prof. Shai Efrati of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Assaf-Harofeh Medical Center. It was published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.

Patients who undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy for different conditions breathe in pure oxygen in a pressurized room or chamber. In this chamber, the air pressure is increased to twice that of normal air. Under these conditions, oxygen solubility in the blood increases and is transported by blood vessels throughout the body. The added oxygen stimulates the release of growth factors and stem cells, which themselves promote healing.

The TAU scientists used a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease and built a custom-made hyperbaric oxygen chamber suitable for small animals. Then, over the course of 14 days, the team administered hyperbaric oxygen treatment to the mice for one hour per day. After 14 days, the mice underwent a series of behavioral tests as well as tissue biochemical tests to understand how hyperbaric oxygen treatment affects the pathological hallmarks associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The treatment reduced behavioral deficiencies compared to the non-transgenic control mice, reduced plaque pathology by 40%, and reduced neuroinflammation by about 40%.

"There are serious clinical implications to this research," says Shapira, principal investigator of the study. "Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is a well-tolerated and safe therapy used in clinics around the world for various medical conditions, including neurological disorders. Although further research is needed to elucidate the underlying beneficial mechanisms of the therapy and to evaluate its beneficial effects in various Alzheimer patient populations, it holds great potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease."

"In this hallmark study, the beneficial physiological effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy were directly demonstrated on Alzheimer-affected brain tissue," says Prof. Efrati. "We assume that the main challenge in human use will be to initiate the treatment at early stages before significant amount of brain tissue is lost."

The researchers are currently testing the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on an additional mouse model of Alzheimer's disease to investigate the mechanisms underlying its impact on the disease.

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American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU) supports Israel's most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. For three years in a row, TAU ranked 9th in the world, and first in Israel, for alumni going on to become successful entrepreneurs backed by significant venture capital, a ranking that surpassed several Ivy League universities. To date, 2,400 patents have been filed out of the University, making TAU 29th in the world for patents among academic institutions.
When signals between the brain and one eye go awry, input from the other eye can become predominant, a condition called amblyopia or "lazy eye." Amblyopia is common and it is typically treated by forcing the less dominant eye to adapt, either through lab-based training or wearing an eyepatch. But new research suggests that people may be able to use wearable augmented-reality technology to reduce this visual discrepancy as they go about everyday activities.

The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

"With this altered-reality system, participants interact with the natural world that is changed through real-time image processing. The system delivers altered but complementary video to each eye in real time, forcing participants to make use of the visual inputs to both eyes cooperatively," explains lead researcher Min Bao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The altered-reality system can be considered as a special type of the augmented-reality technology, in which some aspects of the scene are altered before the video is delivered to the observer but no unnatural and nonexistent object (e.g. an arrow or a web page) is superimposed. Using augmented reality to alter visual input in this way avoids some limitations of lab-based training:

"This method manipulates the visual world electronically so as to incorporate training into everyday life," says Bao.

And the findings showed that improvement in ocular balance endured over a 2-month follow-up period:

"Several 3-hour adaptation sessions produced effects that strengthened when people returned to their normal visual environment after the training ended," Bao explains.

In their first experiment, Bao and colleagues recruited 10 adult participants who showed significant interocular imbalance. During a 5-day adaptation stage, the participants had a daily 3-hour training session, in which they wore an augmented-reality headset that showed them a slightly altered version of their surrounding environment in real time. The images presented to each eye were identical except for unique patches that were pixelated in each image. The training essentially forced participants to weight the input from each eye equally to be able to process and perceive the complete scene. Participants completed the adaptation training sessions in the laboratory as they engaged in typical everyday activities, such as watching movies, playing video games, eating, and walking.

To gauge change in ocular dominance over time, the researchers had participants complete a binocular-rivalry task before the adaptation phase, at the beginning of each training session in the adaptation phase, and at follow-up sessions 24 hours, 2 days, 3 days, 1 week, 3 weeks, 2 months, and 4 months after the last training session. In each trial of the task, the participants saw two images simultaneously, one presented to each eye. Each image featured a striped grating pattern, with the pattern in one image oriented in a different direction from the pattern in the other image. After seeing the images, participants pressed a key to indicate the direction of the pattern they saw (tilted counterclockwise from vertical, tilted clockwise from vertical, or mixed).

When different images are presented to each eye, people tend to perceive the images as alternating back and forth and they typically report seeing the image presented to their dominant eye a greater proportion of the time. Thus, the task should reveal any changes in ocular dominance over time.

And participants did show training-related changes in ocular dominance over time. The results indicated that the stimuli shown to the stronger eye became less dominant over time, effectively increasing participants' interocular balance.

Importantly, interocular balance continued to improve in the 2 months after training ended and the researchers continued to observe training-related improvement at the 4-month follow-up.

In another experiment, 18 participants who were actually diagnosed with amblyopia participated in a similar training procedure. Again, they showed improvement throughout the training phase and in the weeks that followed. On average, their improvement in visual acuity was equivalent to being able to read an additional 1.5 lines down on the standard logMAR eye chart.

Findings from a third group of participants indicated that the weaker eye showed improvement in various functions- such as dichoptic motion coherence, visual acuity, and interocular phase combination--as a result of training.

Bao and colleagues first introduced this novel method for reshaping ocular dominance via augmented-reality technology at the annual conference of Vision Sciences Society in 2014. They believe their new findings could have important implications for work in a variety of domains, including clinical ophthalmology, neuroscience, engineering, and product development. They plan to continue this line of research, investigating the exact mechanisms that drive these training-related effects.

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Co-authors include Bo Dong, Lijuan Liu, Stephen A. Engel, and Yi Jiang.

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 31371030, 31571112, and 31525011) and by the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grants KSZD-EW-TZ-003 and QYZDB-SSW-SMC030).

For more information about this study, please contact: Min Bao at baom@psych.ac.cn.

The article abstract is available online at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797617728126

The APS journal Psychological Science is the highest ranked empirical journal in psychology. For a copy of the article "The Best of Both Worlds: Adaptation During Natural Tasks Produces Long-Lasting Plasticity in Perceptual Ocular Dominance" and access to other Psychological Science research findings, please contact Anna Mikulak at 202-293-9300 or amikulak@psychologicalscience.org.
Following passage of the Senate tax reform proposal, experts at the AGS continue to voice serious concerns about how the proposal could jeopardize care for us all as we age.

Disappointed by Senate passage of a tax reform proposal that could curtail critical supports for older Americans and threaten important gains securing health coverage for more Americans, experts at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) continued to voice strong opposition to the bill and its impact on millions of older adults and caregivers.

"We remain deeply concerned about the impact of this flawed proposal--not only on federal programs important to older Americans but also on the availability of high-quality, person-centered, and affordable health care for us all as we age," noted AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA. "We at the AGS will continue to work tirelessly for solutions that can improve health, independence, and quality of life for all older Americans--despite the absence of these goals in the present proposal."

Independent analysts previously reported that both the House and Senate tax reform proposals could add up to $1.5 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. "Pay-go rules" would trigger automatic cuts of $136 billion from mandatory spending programs in 2018, including roughly $25 billion cut from Medicare. Though Republican legislators have vowed to protect important programs like Medicare, they have yet to articulate a clear plan for supporting the nation's largest insurer--as well as countless other programs at risk for automatic cuts.

The Senate bill also would repeal the individual mandate supporting health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Congressional Budget Office previously estimated that removing the mandate would leave 13 million more Americans without insurance.

In light of these concerns, the AGS continues to call for stakeholder input, public hearings, and ample opportunities for feedback on health and tax reform from the American public. "Doing so," said Lundebjerg, "is our best chance for a future when all of us can have access to high-quality, person-centered, and affordable health care."

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About the American Geriatrics Society

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals that has--for 75 years--worked to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists. The Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 5, 2017 -- The classic sparkling wine that has rung in countless new years with a bang may have more to its bubbles. Champagne is notable for its iconic cork popping, but the bubble acoustics also play a key role in determining how expensive that bottle should be.

Investigators Kyle S. Spratt, Kevin M. Lee and Preston S. Wilson, from the Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas at Austin, will be presenting their research the acoustical measurements of champagne bubbles during the 174th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, held Dec. 4-8, 2017, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

"The point of the project is to study the sounds that champagne bubbles make, and to see what we can infer about the bubbles from the sounds that they make," said Spratt. "Bubbles are very resonant. They basically ring like bells, and the frequency of that ringing depends in part on the size of the bubbles. There is a well-known notion that the quality of a sparkling wine is correlated to the size of its bubbles, and we are investigating whether the bubble size distribution of a sparkling wine can be obtained from simple acoustical measurements."

The team typically investigates the properties of bubbles and how they relate to underwater acoustics using a hydrophone, a piezoelectric transducer-based device that records underwater sound. They thought a similar technique might apply to the investigation of wine bubbles.

"When we came across the idea that bubbles play an important role in the quality of a sparkling wine, our first instinct was to drop a hydrophone into a glass and see what kind of sound we can hear," said Spratt.

Gathering data proved to be difficult due to the properties of the wine and its bubble mechanisms. "The process of taking measurements in a carbonated beverage was more challenging than we expected, mainly because bubbles form on the hydrophone itself and that can greatly affect the data that is collected," said Spratt. To prevent from altering the properties of the champagne bubbles, researchers resorted to using a very small hydrophone.

The champagne flute design is not just to look arbitrarily fancy, having a great deal of effect on bubble formation. "A wine glass is also a resonant object, so another challenge for us was to make sure that the characteristics of the glass itself weren't biasing our measurements in some way," said Spratt.

However, attempting to take measurements in other containers, especially Styrofoam, left little to be desired. "It turns out the bubble formation process on Styrofoam is completely different than on glass," he said. "So, if you ever have to resort to drinking champagne out of a Styrofoam cup, the bubbles will be quite different."

The applications of this work could prove useful for aiding in the quality assurance testing of sparkling wines and other carbonated beverages. Using the acoustic properties of the bubbles as an indicator for wine quality could prevent errors in commercial manufacturing or packaging that may not be detectable by taste alone.

"The direct application would be as a simple tool that could be used to monitor the bubble size distribution in sparkling wines," Spratt said.

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Abstract: 2pPA1: "Champagne bubble acoustics," by Kyle S. Spratt, Kevin M. Lee and Preston S. Wilson, is at 1:00-1:15 PM CST, Tuesday Dec. 5, 2017 in Balcony L in the New Orleans Marriott. https://asa2017fall.abstractcentral.com/s/u/KWLSmDbRs-4

MORE MEETING INFORMATION

USEFUL LINKS

Main meeting website: http://acousticalsociety.org/content/174th-meeting-acoustical-society-america

Technical program: https://asa2017fall.abstractcentral.com/index.jsp

Meeting/Hotel site: http://acousticalsociety.org/content/174th-meeting-acoustical-society-america#hotel

Press Room: http://acoustics.org/world-wide-press-room/

PRESS REGISTRATION

We will grant free registration to credentialed journalists and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend, contact Julia Majors (jmajors@aip.org, 301-209-3090), who can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips or background information.

LIVE MEDIA WEBCAST

A press briefing featuring will be webcast live from the conference Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in room Studio 1 at the New Orleans Marriott. Time to be announced. Register at https://www1.webcastcanada.ca/webcast/registration/asa617.php to watch the live webcast.

ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

The Acoustical Society of America exists to generate, disseminate, and promote the knowledge and practical applications of acoustics. Two society meetings are held each year throughout the U.S. and Canada where acousticians can exchange information with various other researchers. For more information: http://acousticalsociety.org/
NCs Thapa among 11 injured in blast

Nepali Congress leader Gagan Thapa survived a bomb attack in the Capital on Monday morning.
BOSTON - Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a vascular condition that prevents blood flow to the extremities, currently affects 8.5 million people in the United States. A study of nearly 62,000 hospitalizations nationwide has found that more than one in six patients with PAD who undergo revascularization procedures to restore blood flow to blocked leg arteries and other arteries outside of the heart are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days.

Led by researchers in the Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the large-scale analysis determined that 30 percent of readmissions following peripheral revascularization were related to complications associated with the procedure, while differences in hospital quality accounted only modestly for readmission risk.

The findings, which will be published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on December 5, suggest that strategies to help prevent readmissions should focus on high-risk patients with PAD, including those who live with other serious health conditions, such as diabetes. Interventions related to post-procedure care might halt the need for readmission, such as early clinic follow-up and post-discharge nursing.

Peripheral arterial disease prevents blood flow to the extremities and vessels outside the heart. PAD most commonly involves the legs, which can cause pain and difficulty walking and in advanced cases can lead to infection or amputation. Revascularization procedures - including surgical bypass operations and endovascular procedures in which balloons and stents are placed in the arteries with catheters to open blockages - can significantly improve patients' quality of life and disease outcomes. However, limited data from earlier research of older Medicare patients have suggested that, like patients who undergo coronary bypass surgery, patients with PAD who undergo lower extremity bypass surgery are at high risk for readmission.

"With this new study, our aim was to determine the burden of nationwide readmissions following both endovascular and surgical revascularization procedures for patients with peripheral arterial disease," said first author Eric A. Secemsky, MD, MSc, an investigator at the Smith Center at BIDMC and a vascular medicine and intervention fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. "We also wanted to identify potential causes of readmissions, both at the patient and institutional level, in order to identify areas for intervention and prevention."

"In recent years, there has been an increased focus on preventing hospital readmissions as a way to improve health care quality and decrease costs," explained Robert Yeh, MD, MSc, the study's senior author, Director of the Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

As part of the federal healthcare reform, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) financially penalizes hospitals for higher-than-expected readmissions for key conditions. "In this new work focused on patients with PAD, we confirmed that not only are readmissions expensive, averaging $11,000 per patient, but they also leave patients at risk for the development of further complications and potential setbacks to their recovery."

The authors used the Nationwide Readmissions Database, which includes data from 22 states and represents nearly 50 percent of all U.S. hospitalizations. Patients with public and private insurance, as well as patients who self-pay, are represented in the database.

"We found that in 2014, there were 61,961 hospitalizations during which a patient with PAD underwent a peripheral revascularization procedure to treat their condition and were later discharged," said Secemsky. "We were surprised to find that the 30-day hospital readmission rate was 17.6 percent, meaning that more than one in six PAD patients - whether they underwent bypass surgery or endovascular intervention - had to return to the hospital following their procedure."

Further analysis showed that nearly 30 percent of patients were readmitted due to procedural complications. "Some sort of issue related to the procedure, maybe a related infection or problem with a stent, was causing patients to have to return to the hospital," said Secemsky. In addition, approximately eight percent of patients developed sepsis, a bacterial infection of the bloodstream, and 7.5 percent of patients were readmitted as a result of complications related to diabetes, a common problem among patients with PAD.

The authors went on to assess whether differences in hospital quality contributed to variations in readmissions risk for patients with PAD. "Using data from the 1,085 hospitals included in this data set, we created a new analytic model to examine readmission rates between institutions that took into account differences in patient populations," explained Secemsky. These results found that differences in hospital quality accounted only modestly for readmission risk, suggesting that penalizing hospitals with greater than expected readmission rates may not be the only effective approach at reducing readmissions.

"Moving forward, as clinicians and researchers, we need to recognize the special needs of the PAD patient population," added Yeh. "If we can find ways to identify patients at highest risk of readmissions, we can implement practices or develop programs to help them better manage their condition outside the hospital and avoid the need for readmission."

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In addition to Secemsky and Yeh, coauthors include Changyu Shen, PhD, and Linda Valsdottir, MS, of the Smith Center for Outcomes Research; BIDMC investigators Marc Schermerhorn, MD, Brett J. Carroll, MD, and Bruce Landon, MD, MBA; and Kevin F. Kennedy, MS, of Saint Luke's Mid-America Heart Institute.

This research was supported by the Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding.

BIDMC is in the community with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, MetroWest Medical Center, Signature Healthcare, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Community Care Alliance and Atrius Health. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Jackson Laboratory. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit http://www.bidmc.org.
BOSTON - Healthy adults mounted strong immune responses after receiving an investigational whole inactivated Zika virus vaccine, according to interim analyses of three Phase 1, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), and Saint Louis University School of Medicine. The findings were published today in The Lancet.

"This is the first report of the immunogenicity of the Zika purified inactivated virus vaccine--or ZPIV--in humans," said co-senior author Dan Barouch, MD, PhD, the Director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at BIDMC and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Previously, we demonstrated that ZPIV protected mice and monkeys against Zika virus."

The ZPIV vaccine candidate was developed by WRAIR as part of the US Department of Defense response to the 2015-2016 outbreak of Zika virus in the Americas, and it was advanced to a Phase 1 trial in November 2016. "The Zika epidemic underscored the need for the development of a safe and effective vaccine," said Dr. Barouch.

In the trials, a total of 67 healthy adult volunteers received two injections, four weeks apart: 55 received the ZPIV vaccine and 12 received a placebo. Investigators measured participants' immune responses by monitoring levels of Zika virus-neutralizing antibodies in the blood.

In nearly all individuals immunized with the investigative vaccine, ZPIV produced neutralizing antibody responses at two or four weeks after the last dose. By day 57, 92 percent of vaccine recipients mounted strong antibody responses against Zika virus, with levels of virus-neutralizing antibodies in the blood exceeding the protective thresholds observed in prior animal models.

When the researchers injected mice with antibodies from vaccinated people in the study, the animals were protected against subsequent exposure to Zika virus, unlike mice that were injected with antibodies from participants who received placebo. The investigators also noted that the vaccine was safe and caused only mild or moderate reactions.

"Zika virus has the potential to be like other viruses that are dangerous in pregnancy--think measles, mumps or rubella--that were knocked down significantly by effective vaccines," said co-lead author Kathryn Stephenson, MD, MPH, the Director of the Clinical Trials Unit at BIDMC's Center for Virology and Vaccine Research and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "These Phase 1 ZPIV studies are an important step towards bringing an effective Zika vaccine to fruition. Unfortunately, we continue to need these studies because the threat of a resurgent Zika outbreak is very real."

The trials are ongoing and differ in their design, with each hoping to answer separate questions regarding responses to ZPIV. The trial at BIDMC is evaluating three different ZPIV dosing schedules, while the trial at Saint Louis University is evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of three different vaccine doses. The trial conducted at the WRAIR Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Md., is assessing the impact of pre-existing flavivirus immunity in volunteers who had been vaccinated against yellow fever or Japanese encephalitis - both viral cousins to Zika - prior to receiving ZPIV.

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The research team included investigators from a variety of institutions, including BIDMC, WRAIR, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis VA Medical Center, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, The Emmes Corporation, and University of Vermont Medical Center and Larner College of Medicine.

This work was supported by the US Military HIV Research Program through a cooperative agreement between the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., and the US Department of Defense. The work was also funded by the US Defense Health Agency. This study was supported in part by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Preclinical Services Vaccine Testing Contracts. The work was also funded in part by the Vaccine Treatment Evaluation Unit at Saint Louis University and with the support of the Harvard Catalyst Clinical Research Center at BIDMC.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding.

BIDMC is in the community with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, MetroWest Medical Center, Signature Healthcare, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Community Care Alliance and Atrius Health. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Jackson Laboratory. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit http://www.bidmc.org.
Protein found in the body could be measured to test for suicide risk at doctor's office

BINGHAMTON, NY - Women with a history of suicide attempts exhibit different levels of a specific protein in their bloodstream than those with no history of suicide attempts, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

Graduate student Anastacia Kudinova and Brandon E. Gibb, professor of psychology and director of clinical training at Binghamton University, recruited 73 women as part of a larger study focused on risk for depression and anxiety in families. They put the women into two groups -- 34 women had a lifetime history of suicide attempts and 39 women had no lifetime history of suicide attempts. The researchers tested plasma levels in both groups for BDNF, or brain-derived neurotropic factor, a protein found in the brain and periphery that is critical to the creation and functioning of neurons and the ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken over time. They found that women with a history of suicide attempts displayed lower circulating levels of BDNF than women with no history of suicide attempts.

This evidence suggests that the level of BDNF found within a woman's circulatory system serves as a promising biomarker for suicidal behavior.

"For this experiment, it was really important to understand that women with a history of suicide attempts who are not in a current suicidal crisis still have a BDNF marker that shows up lower," said Gibb. "This suggests that BDNF is not just a marker of a person's current suicidality or mood, but is actually a stable marker that may be able to predict risk of future suicide attempts."

Kudinova, a graduate student in Gibb's lab who designed and conducted the project, said: "Another key finding is that this was independent of a number of factors that could potentially influence BDNF levels -- the participant's current suicidality and mood; lifetime history of other mental health conditions, such as anxiety and substance use disorders; lifetime smoking history; BMI; body temperature; age; and ethnicity - which highlights the robustness of the results and adds to the value of BDNF as a promising biomarker for suicidal behavior."

According to Gibb, the implications of this research have far-reaching effects.

"Testing BDNF levels can be incorporated into the standard blood test your primary care physician runs at annual checkups," said Gibb. "Just like cholesterol levels help to determine levels of risk for heart disease, eventually doctors could have mental health tests that determine suicide risk."

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Binghamton University professor Terrence Deak and staff scientist Molly Deak contributed to this research.

The paper, "Circulating Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and History of Suicide Attempts in Women," was published in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior.
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have shown for the first time that dark fiber - the vast network of unused fiber-optic cables installed throughout the country and the world - can be used as sensors for detecting earthquakes, the presence of groundwater, changes in permafrost conditions, and a variety of other subsurface activity.

In a pair of recently published papers, a team led by Berkeley Lab researcher Jonathan Ajo-Franklin announced they had successfully combined a technology called "distributed acoustic sensing," which measures seismic waves using fiber-optic cables, with novel processing techniques to allow reliable seismic monitoring, achieving results comparable to what conventional seismometers can measure.

"This has huge potential because you can just imagine long stretches of fibers being turned into a massive seismic network," said Shan Dou, a Berkeley Lab postdoctoral fellow. "The idea is that by using fiber that can be buried underground for a long time, we can transform traffic noise or other ambient vibrations into usable seismic signals that can help us to monitor near-surface changes such as permafrost thaw and groundwater-level fluctuations."

Dou is the lead author of "Distributed Acoustic Sensing for Seismic Monitoring of the Near Surface: A Traffic-Noise Interferometry Case Study," which was published in September in Nature's Scientific Reports and verified the technique for monitoring the Earth's near surface. More recently, Ajo-Franklin's group published a follow-up study led by UC Berkeley graduate student Nate Lindsey, "Fiber-Optic Network Observations of Earthquake Wavefields," in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL), which demonstrates the viability of using fiber-optic cables for earthquake detection.

What is dark fiber?

Dark fiber refers to unused fiber-optic cable, of which there is a glut thanks to a huge rush to install the cable in the early 1990s by telecommunications companies. Just as the cables were buried underground, the technology for transmitting data improved significantly so that fewer cables were needed. There are now dense corridors of dark fiber crisscrossing the entire country.

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a novel technology that measures seismic wavefields by shooting short laser pulses across the length of the fiber. "The basic idea is, the laser light gets scattered by tiny impurities in the fiber," said Ajo-Franklin. "When fiber is deformed, we will see distortions in the backscattered light, and from these distortions, we can measure how the fiber itself is being squeezed or pulled."

Using a test array they installed in Richmond, California - with fiber-optic cable placed in a shallow L-shaped trench, one leg of about 100 meters parallel to the road and another perpendicular - the researchers verified that they could use seismic waves generated by urban traffic, such as cars and trains, to image and monitor the mechanical properties of shallow soil layers.

The measurements give information on how "squishy" the soil is at any given point, making it possible to infer a great deal of information about the soil properties, such as its water content or texture. "Imagine a slinky - it can compress or wiggle," Ajo-Franklin said. "Those correspond to different ways you can squeeze the soil, and how much energy it takes to reduce its volume or shear it."

He added: "The neat thing about it is that you're making measurements across each little unit of fiber. All the reflections come back to you. By knowing all of them and knowing how long it takes for a laser light to travel back and forth on the fiber you can back out what's happening at each location. So it's a truly distributed measurement."

Having proven the concept under controlled conditions, the team said they expect the technique to work on a variety of existing telecommunications networks, and they are currently conducting follow-up experiments across California to demonstrate this. Ongoing research in Alaska is also exploring the same technique for monitoring the stability of Arctic permafrost.

Added Dou: "We can monitor the near surface really well by using nothing but traffic noise. It could be fluctuations in groundwater levels, or changes that could provide early warnings for a variety of geohazards such as permafrost thaw, sinkhole formation, and landslides."

Using fiber for quake detection

Building on five years of Berkeley Lab-led research exploring the use of DAS for subsurface monitoring using non-earthquake seismic sources, Ajo-Franklin's group has now pushed the envelope and has shown that DAS is a powerful tool for earthquake monitoring as well.

In the GRL study led by Lindsey in collaboration with Stanford graduate student Eileen Martin, the research team took measurements using the DAS technique on fiber-optic arrays in three locations - two in California and one in Alaska. In all cases, DAS proved to be comparably sensitive to earthquakes as conventional seismometers, despite its higher noise levels. Using the DAS arrays, they assembled a catalog of local, regional, and distant earthquakes and showed that processing techniques could take advantage of DAS' many channels to help understand where earthquakes originate from.

Ajo-Franklin said that dark fiber has the advantage of being nearly ubiquitous, whereas traditional seismometers, because they are expensive, are sparsely installed, and subsea installations are particularly scarce. Additionally, fiber allows for dense spatial sampling, meaning data points are only meters apart, whereas seismometers typically are separated by many kilometers.

Lindsey added: "Fiber has a lot of implications for earthquake detection, location, and early warning. Fiber goes out in the ocean, and it's all over the land, so this technology increases the likelihood that a sensor is near the rupture when an earthquake happens, which translates into finding small events, improved earthquake locations, and extra time for early warning."

The GRL paper notes other potential applications of using the dark fiber, including urban seismic hazard analysis, global seismic imaging, offshore submarine volcano detection, nuclear explosion monitoring, and microearthquake characterization.

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The research was funded by the Department of Defense through the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program as well as by Laboratory Directed Research and Development funding.

Other co-authors on the GRL paper are Barry Freifeld of Berkeley Lab, Douglas Dreger of UC Berkeley, Martin and Biondo Biondi of Stanford University, Steve Cole of OptaSense Inc., and Stephanie James of Sandia National Laboratories. Lindsey is supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Other co-authors of the Scientific Reports paper are Freifeld, Thomas Daley, Michelle Robertson, John Peterson, and Craig Ulrich of Berkeley Lab; Anna Wagner of the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory; and Martin.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.

DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
The rationale for the Goldwater Rule -- which prohibits psychiatrists from publicly commenting on the mental health of public figures they have not examined in person -- does not hold up to current scientific scrutiny, a new analysis finds.

Perspectives on Psychological Science is publishing the analysis, which concludes that the Goldwater Rule is not well-supported scientifically and is outdated in today's media-saturated environment.

"We reviewed a large body of published scientific literature and it clearly showed that examining someone directly is often not necessary if you compile other valid sources of information," says Scott Lilienfeld, lead author of the analysis and a professor of psychology at Emory University.

As examples of those sources, the authors cite interviews with family members, friends and others who know a person well, and extensive public records such as media interviews, biographies, YouTube videos, social media accounts and other material that may reveal a person's longstanding behavioral patterns. The authors also report that direct interviews are subject to a host of biasing factors that are difficult to eliminate, including efforts on the part of interviewees to create positive impressions.

"Even though it is often possible to make a reasonably valid psychiatric diagnosis at a distance, that doesn't necessarily mean that a mental health professional should," Lilienfeld cautions. "Such a diagnosis should only be made with great discretion and after a thorough investigation."

The Goldwater Rule, implemented in 1973 by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), gained new attention after Donald Trump entered the political arena. Some mental health professionals have expressed serious concerns about Trump's mental health, most notably in the new book "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President."

The Goldwater Rule takes its name from an incident during the failed presidential bid of Barry Goldwater. A 1964 article in a now defunct magazine declared, "1,189 Psychiatrists say Goldwater is Psychologically Unfit to be President." Many of the psychiatrists described the candidate in terms such as "emotionally unstable," "cowardly," "grossly psychotic," "paranoid," "delusional" and a "dangerous lunatic." Some of the psychiatrists went so far as to offer diagnoses of Goldwater, including schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Goldwater lost the election to Lyndon B. Johnson, but went on to successfully sue the magazine for libel.

"Many psychiatrists who commented on Goldwater in that article crossed an ethical line," Lilienfeld says. "A lot of unfair statements were made about him that were poorly supported or unwarranted."

The APA later responded by passing what came to be known as the Goldwater Rule, in part to protect public figures from humiliation and in part to safeguard the integrity of the psychiatric profession. The Goldwater Rule may have been more defensible at the time it was implemented, Lilienfeld says, because much less information was available on public figures.

Times have changed, however, particularly with the advent of the Internet and social media.

"If someone is running for the most powerful position in the world, behavioral professionals should be able to speak out if they take the time to properly investigate a candidate," Lilienfeld says. "There should be a high threshold for doing so, but psychologists and psychiatrists should not feel gagged if they want to contribute to a national conversation about a presidential candidate or current president."

While the authors of the analysis recommend abandoning the Goldwater Rule, they add that mental health professionals should avoid making diagnoses of celebrities in general, simply for the sake of prurient interest.

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Lilienfeld's co-authors are Joshua Miller from the University of Georgia and Donald Lynam from Purdue University.
When you are hospitalized and the regular doctor is out sick, on vacation or at a scientific conference, you are increasingly likely to receive treatment not from the doctor's colleague or another hospital staff physician but by an outsider hired to fill in like a substitute school teacher.

The growing trend--a multi-billion-dollar industry--is fueled by physician staffing shortages and shifting employment patterns.

But do these temps--so-called "locum tenens" physicians--provide the same level of care as the doctors they are filling in for?

The answer appears to be "yes," at least when it comes to death rates in the month following treatment, according to research led by Harvard Medical School published Dec. 5 in JAMA.

The findings, based on a review of millions of Medicare hospitalization records, provide the first insight into this booming business. The results show that patients treated by substitute doctors and regular hospital staffers had similar death rates in the 30 days following hospitalization.

Yet, the researchers caution, there were some small but statistically significant differences in other measures. Patients treated by substitute physicians had somewhat higher spending and slightly longer hospitalizations.

"Our findings so far are reassuring, but some of the trends we found demand that we look more closely at how the system works in a more granular way," said study senior author Anupam Jena, the Ruth L. Newhouse Associate Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School.

Temporary docs might pick up shifts at a number of different hospitals around a single metropolitan area or they might travel across the country to work in a rural hospital far from their home, Jena explained.

These doctors generally do not have any relationship with their patients, are not familiar with the local community, and may never have worked with the hospital's electronic health records system, hospital staff or local network of facilities where patients may be discharged to after hospitalization, the researchers said.

The researchers analyzed 1.8 million Medicare hospital admissions that took place between 2009 and 2014, using algorithms that allowed them to compare the results for doctors working with similar patients at similar hospitals. Nearly 40,000 of the 1.8 million admissions received care by substitute doctors. In that time frame, one of 10 physicians was replaced by a substitute doctor.

Patients who received care by substitute physicians were no more likely to die within a month of hospital admission--8.8 percent of those patients died--than those who received care by regular staff physicians--8.7 percent died in that group.

However, when the researchers analyzed various sub-groups within the overall sample, they noticed some concerning trends: Hospitals that used substitute physicians less often had somewhat worse patient mortality outcomes. Daniel Blumenthal, Harvard Medical School instructor in medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and the study's first author, said the finding might be due to the geographic remoteness of these hospitals, to limited financial resources or to a lack of robust support systems to help temporary doctors plug in to the hospitals' systems.

"As the market place shifts and employment patterns fluctuate, we owe it to our patients to make sure that the way we cover for doctors who are out of the office is safe and effective," Blumenthal said.

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Co-authors included Andrew Olenski, of Columbia University and Yusuke Tsugawa, of the University of California, Los Angeles.

This study was supported by funding from the Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (Dr. Jena, NIH Early Independence Award, Grant 1DP5OD017897).

Additional disclosures:

Jena reports receiving consulting fees unrelated to this work from Pfizer, Hill Rom Services, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Precision Health Economics. Blumenthal reports receiving consulting fees unrelated to this work from Precision Health Economics and Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

About Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School has more than 11,000 faculty working in 10 academic departments located at the School's Boston campus or in hospital-based clinical departments at 15 Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and research institutes: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Hebrew SeniorLife, Joslin Diabetes Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and VA Boston Healthcare System.
Paleontologists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich correct a case of misinterpretation: The first fossil "Archaeopteryx" to be discovered is actually a predatory dinosaur belonging to the anchiornithid family, which was previously known only from finds made in China.

Even 150 million years after its first appearance on our planet, Archaeopteryx is still good for surprises. The so-called Urvogel has attained an iconic status well beyond the world of paleontology, and it is one of the most famous fossils ever recovered. In all, a dozen fossil specimens have been assigned to the genus. Archaeopteryx remains the oldest known bird fossil, not only documenting the evolutionary transition from reptiles to birds, but also confirming that modern birds are the direct descendants of carnivorous dinosaurs. LMU paleontologist Oliver Rauhut and Christian Foth from the Staatliches Museum fur Naturkunde in Stuttgart have re-examined the so-called Haarlem specimen of Archaeopteryx, which is kept in Teylers Museum in that Dutch city and has gone down in history as the first member of this genus to be discovered. In the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, Foth and Rauhut now report that this fossil differs in several important respects from the other known representatives of the genus Archaeopteryx. In fact, their taxonomic analysis displaces it from its alleged perch on the phylogenetic tree: "The Haarlem specimen is not a member of the Archaeopteryx clade," says Rauhut, a paleontologist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at LMU who is also affiliated with the Bavarian State Collections for Paleontology and Geology in Munich.

Instead, the two scientists assign the fossil to a group of bird-like maniraptoran dinosaurs known as anchiornithids, which were first identified only a few years ago based on material found in China. These rather small dinosaurs possessed feathers on all four limbs, and they predate the appearance of Archaeopteryx. "The Haarlem fossil is the first member of this group found outside China. And together with Archaeopteryx, it is only the second species of bird-like dinosaur from the Jurassic discovered outside eastern Asia. This makes it even more of a rarity than the true specimens of Archaeopteryx," Rauhut says.

Made in China

The Haarlem specimen was found about 10 km to the northeast of the closest Archaeopteryx locality known (Schamhaupten) a full four years before the discovery of the skeleton that would introduce the Urvogel to the scientific world in 1861. Schamhaupten was once part of the so-called Solnhofen archipelago in the Altmuhl Valley in southern Bavaria, the area from which all known specimens of the genus Archaeopteryx originated. Its taxonomic reassignment therefore provides new insights into the evolution of the bird-like dinosaurs in the Middle to Late Jurassic. "Our biogeographical analysis demonstrates that the group of dinosaurs that gave rise to birds originated in East Asia - all of the oldest finds have been made in China. As they expanded westward, they also reached the Solnhofen archipelago," says Christian Foth. Thus, the fossil hitherto incorrectly assigned to the genus Archaeopteryx must have been one of the first members of the group to arrive in Europe.

Around 150 million years ago, the area known today as the Altmuhl Valley was dotted with the coral and sponge reefs and lagoons of the Solnhofen archipelago, and the open sea lay to the West and South. The Haarlem fossil was originally recovered from what was then the eastern end of the archipelago, quite close to the mainland. Unlike Archaeopteryx, anchiornithids were unable to fly, and might not have been able to reach areas further offshore. On the other hand, all true fossils of Archaeopteryx found so far were recovered from the lithographic limestone strata further to the west, closer to the open sea. Based on the new findings, Rauhut argues that other known Archaeopteryx fossils may need reassessment: "Not every bird-like fossil that turns up in the fine-grained limestones around Solnhofen need necessarily be a specimen of Archaeopteryx," he points out.

The authors of the new study have proposed that the Haarlem specimen be assigned to a new genus, for which they suggest the name Ostromia - in honor of the American paleontologist John Ostrom, who first identified the fossil as a theropod dinosaur.

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New Rochelle, NY, December 5,2017--A new study describes a unique bioengineered tissue construct, or organoid, into which colorectal cancer cells are embedded, creating a model of the tumor and surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). Researchers can use this model to study how the physical features of the ECM affect the behavior, growth, and even susceptibility to chemotherapy, as described in an article published in Tissue Engineering, Part A, peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Tissue Engineering website until January 5, 2018.

This article is the winner of the 2017 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Outstanding Student Award, which will be presented at the TERMIS Americas meeting on December 6th to coauthor Mahesh Devarasetty, PhD, Wake Forest School of Medicine.

In the article entitled "Bioengineered Submucosal Organoids for in vitro Modeling of Colorectal Cancer," coauthors Devarasetty, Shay Soker, PhD and colleagues from Wake Forest School of Medicine and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, report on the method they developed to produce the submucosal organoids using primary smooth muscle cells embedded in collagen hydrogel. This approach yielded a tumor ECM with aligned and parallel fibers, creating a topography around the tumor similar to what is seen in tumors in the body. The authors propose that in the future these organoids could be made using a patient's own cells for personalized medicine applications.

"Our increasing understanding of tumor architecture is guiding the development of tumor extracellular matrix 'mimics' that better reflect the tumor microenvironment and thereby create more realistic systems for assessing tumor cell behavior in response to treatment," says Tissue Engineering Co-Editor-in-Chief Peter C. Johnson, MD, Principal, MedSurgPI, LLC and President and CEO, Scintellix, LLC, Raleigh, NC.

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Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R01CA180149, R33CA202822, and P30CA012197. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About the Journal

Tissue Engineering is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online and in print in three parts: Part A, the flagship journal published 24 times per year; Part B: Reviews, published bimonthly, and Part C: Methods, published 12 times per year. Led by Co-Editors-In-Chief Antonios G. Mikos, PhD, Louis Calder Professor at Rice University, Houston, TX, and Peter C. Johnson, MD, Principal, MedSurgPI, LLC and President and CEO, Scintellix, LLC, Raleigh, NC, the Journal brings together scientific and medical experts in the fields of biomedical engineering, material science, molecular and cellular biology, and genetic engineering. Leadership of Tissue Engineering Parts B (Reviews) and Part C (Methods) is provided by John P. Fisher, PhD, University of Maryland and John A. Jansen, DDS, PhD, Radboud University, respectively. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed online at the Tissue Engineering website. Tissue Engineering is the official journal of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Tissue Engineering website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy, and Advances in Wound Care. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
BOZEMAN -- A program at Montana State University that works to support underrepresented undergraduate students has received $1.2 million to continue the program for another five years.

The grant from the U.S. Department of Education will provide funding for MSU's McNair Scholars Program, which is designed to support undergraduates who are minorities or who are first-generation and low-income students.

The goal of the program is to increase the number of students from those underrepresented groups who go on to earn doctorates and become university professors, according to Shelly Hogan, director of the McNair Scholars Program at MSU and the grant's principal investigator.

The program supports 25 undergraduates each year and is now recruiting students for its ninth cohort, Hogan said.

"We are honored to receiving funding to continue our McNair Scholars Program," Hogan said. "The program provides students effective preparation for graduate school success by offering a key sequence of services."

Those services include support for students' undergraduate research projects, regional and national conference presentation experiences, research stipends, personalized faculty/mentor-matching, graduate school admission workshops, seminars and academic advising.

Formally known as the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, the McNair Scholars Program is named for Ronald E. McNair, who grew up in poverty and segregation to become a nationally recognized physicist and a NASA mission specialist astronaut. McNair died when the space shuttle Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986. Congress established the McNair Program in his honor.

The McNair Scholars Program is one of several TRIO programs that operate in Montana, including Talent Search, Upward Bound and Student Support Services. MSU houses the only TRIO McNair Scholars Program in the state of Montana.

Since it began at MSU in 2009, 136 students have participated in the McNair Scholars Program, Hogan said. Of those, 64 percent have been from Montana, 81 percent have been identified as both first-generation and low-income, and 41 percent are underrepresented minorities. Eighteen percent of MSU McNair scholars are American Indians, and 20 percent are identified as low-income, first-generation and minority.

In addition, 73 percent of McNair scholars at MSU study science, technology, engineering or math, and 61 percent of those STEM scholars are female.

Finally, 62 percent of MSU's McNair scholars have enrolled in graduate school. Hogan said those schools have included MSU and Harvard, among others.

All of those numbers help show the impact of the McNair Scholars Program at MSU, Hogan said, and, importantly, behind those numbers are dozens of students who have benefitted from the support.

"The McNair Scholars Program at MSU - and other McNair programs across the country - help prepare and educate the next generation of innovators, scientists and teachers," Hogan said. "For me personally, it is especially rewarding to hear our McNair scholars say, upon acceptance to a graduate school program, 'This is real. I know I can do it, and I belong.'"

Katie DesLauriers, a McNair scholar who earned a bachelor's degree in community health and a master's degree in family and community health, both from MSU, said the McNair Scholars Program has been "life-changing." DesLauriers is originally from California but completed high school in Bozeman.

"As a non-traditional and first-generation college student, I had no idea what I was walking into the day I set foot on campus," she said. "The idea of a bachelor's degree seemed daunting, and the thought of a master's degree beyond my realm of possibilities. The McNair Scholars Program changed all of that for me."

Through the program's support and through the mentorship of Dawn Tarabochia, a professor in the Department of Health and Human Development, DesLauriers said she learned as an undergraduate student how to conduct research and navigate academia.

Working on her own undergraduate research helped her to excel in her master's program, she added. And beyond the undergraduate research component, mentorship and financial support, the program provided benefits that are difficult to quantify.

"Ronald E. McNair's own story inspired me, and because of his legacy, I was able to excel as a student," DesLauriers said.

DesLauriers now works as the student support specialist for the MSU McNair Scholars Program and is preparing to apply to a doctoral program at MSU.

On Monday, Dec. 4, MSU will host its McNair Scholars Research Symposium from 5 to 7 p.m. in Ballrooms B and C in the Strand Union Building. The event is free, and members of the university community and the public are encouraged to attend, Hogan said.

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For more information about the MSU McNair Scholars Program or the research symposium, call 406-994-5072 or visit http://www.montana.edu/mcnair.
BOZEMAN - A Montana State University professor has received the highest honor given by the American Society for Engineering Management.

Bill Schell, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, was named an ASEM Fellow at the organization's annual international conference, which was held Oct. 18-21 in Huntsville, Alabama. The award recognizes professional accomplishments, distinguished service and longtime membership with ASEM.

"It is very exciting and fitting that Prof. Schell has been selected as a fellow," said Dan Miller, head of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.

"Not only has he has established himself as the MSU expert in engineering management and leadership, he has developed a tremendous national reputation," Miller said. "This selection acknowledges his far-reaching contributions."

Schell, who serves as an associate director at MSU's Montana Engineering Education Research Center, is one of only 72 ASEM members to have received the award since 1988. He is one of four ASEM fellows named this year.

After earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial and management engineering at MSU in 1997 and 1999, Schell led a successful career in engineering management with Wells Fargo, American Express and Livingston, Montana-based PrintingForLess.com. In 2010, he returned to MSU to teach and played a key role in restructuring the curriculum for the industrial and management systems engineering program and creating a new degree option: the engineering management minor. While at MSU he has published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers and received roughly $500,000 in research funding.

In 2015, Schell helped establish the MSU student chapter of ASEM and has since served as the group's adviser. During that period, the number of student chapters around the country has roughly tripled under his leadership as ASEM's national student membership director.

According to ASEM Executive Director Paul Kauffmann, the fellow award is intended to recognize not only Schell's contributions to ASEM but also his positive impact within the field of engineering management.

"Bill is a real leader in thinking about leadership - how engineers can develop an understanding of what leadership is and why it's important in the workplace," said Kauffmann, who is an emeritus professor at East Carolina University and a visiting professor at MSU's College of Engineering.

"He has really moved the body of knowledge forward," Kauffmann said.

In 2014, Schell received ASEM's Eschenbach Award, which recognizes the best paper published in the organization's Engineering Management Journal. The study, which he co-authored with Sandra Kuntz, associate professor in MSU's College of Nursing, investigated how the leadership behaviors of nurses and engineers helped improve health care.

At the ASEM conference in October, Schell and collaborator Bryce Hughes, an assistant professor in the Department of Education in MSU's College of Education, Health and Human Development, received the Merritt Williamson Award, which recognized the best paper presented at the conference. Their study was titled "Are Engineers' Leadership Attitudes and Experiences Different than Other Students?"

Also at the conference, an engineering student Schell advises, Katie Kelly, won ASEM's graduate student scholarship. According to Schell, that's the second time an MSU student has won the scholarship out of the three times that it has been awarded.

"These awards highlight our strength in engineering management here at MSU," said Schell, who added that he is honored to have received the award so early in his career. "The potential to educate better engineers who will make a difference in the world - that's why I'm here."

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Nepali mission initiates rescue of workers

The Nepali migrant workers, who have been stranded in Kuwait without jobs and many without valid stay permits for months now, finally have some semblance of respite with the government initiating the process to bring them home.
The investigational Zika purified inactivated virus (ZPIV) vaccine was well-tolerated and induced an immune response in participants, according to initial results from three Phase 1 clinical trials. Scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), part of the U.S. Department of Defense, are developing the vaccine as well as leading one of the trials. WRAIR also is co-funding the trials together with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The results will appear on Dec. 4 in The Lancet.

"A vaccine is urgently needed to help prevent Zika infection, which can cause birth defects and other developmental abnormalities in babies born to infected women, as well as a constellation of other health problems in infected adults and children," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "We are encouraged by initial clinical trial results that indicate the ZPIV vaccine is safe and immunogenic, data that support additional clinical testing of the vaccine to determine its ability to prevent Zika virus infection."

The ZPIV vaccine candidate contains whole Zika virus particles that have been inactivated and therefore cannot replicate and cause disease in humans. However, because the protein shell of the inactivated virus remains intact, it can be recognized by the immune system.

Of the 67 adult participants in the initial studies, 55 received the investigational vaccine and 12 received a placebo. The investigational vaccine was administered with an adjuvant (a compound that helps induce a stronger immune response) containing aluminum salts. All participants received two intramuscular injections of the same dose four weeks apart. The trial was double-blinded, meaning neither the investigators nor the participants knew who received a placebo.

Investigators tested participants' blood samples periodically and detected antibodies to Zika virus in more than 90 percent of individuals who received the experimental vaccine, within four weeks after the last dose.

While Zika experts have not precisely determined the concentration of antibodies needed to protect against congenital infection, animal model studies are helping to provide useful insights. Researchers investigated the possible mechanism of vaccine protection by transferring the vaccinated participants' antibodies into mice and then purposely infecting the mice with Zika virus. Results indicate the antibodies provided robust protection against Zika viremia (detectable virus in the blood).

"Zika remains a threat to U.S. military personnel and families of service members. We aim to develop a vaccine to protect the military, as well as the global community," said Col. Nelson Michael, Zika program leader at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

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The vaccinations were administered at three sites: the WRAIR Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Maryland; the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, part of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston; and the Center for Vaccine Development at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, a NIAID-funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU). The VTEU network can rapidly enroll large cohorts of volunteers and has conducted hundreds of clinical trials, many of which have contributed to vaccine licensure.

Additional research on the candidate vaccine will examine dosing, schedule and prior immunity. Specifically, WRAIR is examining the impact of pre-existing immunity by vaccinating participants with a yellow fever or Japanese encephalitis vaccine before beginning the ZPIV vaccine regimen. Those viruses, like Zika, are members of the flavivirus family. An additional study at Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico includes participants who already have been exposed naturally to a flavivirus, such as dengue. Saint Louis University seeks to identify the optimal ZPIV vaccine dose by assigning participants to receive a high, moderate or low dose, whereas Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is testing various dosing schedules.

NIAID is developing additional Zika vaccine candidates, including an experimental DNA vaccine, which is currently in Phase 2 trials at sites in the United States, Central, and South America. In addition, NIAID is helping to develop an investigational mRNA Zika vaccine (a gene-based platform similar to DNA vaccines) and a live-attenuated vaccine candidate designed to protect against Zika and all four strains of dengue virus.

More information about the Phase 1 trials of ZPIV can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov under the following identifiers: NCT02963909, NCT02952833, NCT02937233, and NCT03008122.

Reference: K Modjarrad et al. Preliminary aggregate safety and immunogenicity results from three trials of a purified inactivated Zika virus vaccine candidate: phase 1, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. The Lancet DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)33106-9 (2017).

NIAID conducts and supports research--at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide--to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
A single dose of lithium chloride, a drug used to treat bipolar disease and aggression, blocks the sleep disturbances, memory loss, and learning problems tied to fetal alcohol syndrome, new experiments in mice show.

Published in the journal Neuroscience online Nov. 26, and led by researchers at NYU School of Medicine, the new study found that giving the drug to newborn mice 15 minutes after "binge" alcohol consumption eliminated the hyperactivity and sleep deficits seen when rodents exposed to alcohol became adults. Moreover, the researchers report, lithium chloride-treated mice were much less likely to show the 25 percent drop in memory and cognitive test scores seen in untreated mice given the same amount of alcohol.

"Our study showed that lithium chloride prevented many of the damaging neurological effects of alcohol abuse on the still-developing brain, especially the impact on the parts of the brain controlling sleep," says co-senior study investigator Donald Wilson, PhD.

Mice given alcohol just after birth are a good model for measuring the impact on human fetal development because the brains of mice pups achieve developmental milestones after birth that are comparable to those in other mammals, including humans.

Wilson, a professor at NYU Langone Health, cautions that it is too early to propose lithium chloride as a treatment or preventive therapy for fetal alcohol syndrome. The drug is "likely far too risky for pregnant mothers," with known organ toxicities, he says. Further experiments would have to proceed under strict medical supervision to ensure the safety of mothers and children.

A more likely future therapy, says co-senior study investigator Mariko Saito, PhD, would be one that takes advantage of chemistry related to the action of lithium chloride, but with fewer side effects. "Lithium chloride is known to block many pathways that lead to brain cell death, while promoting others that lead to survival, like brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF," says Saito, a research assistant professor at NYU Langone. Further experiments are needed, she says, to determine if chemicals that stimulate BDNF production also blunt the effects of alcohol abuse in newborn mammals.

Of equal importance, the study brings scientists closer to determining if fixing sleep issues tied to fetal alcohol syndrome alone is key to countering the other developmental effects tied to alcohol abuse, says co-lead study investigator Monica Lewin, MS, a doctoral student at NYU Langone.

Among the study's key findings was that mice given lithium chloride after alcohol consumption and mice that never consumed alcohol had the same duration of undisrupted sleep of about 10 hours per day, while untreated mice given alcohol woke up as many as 50 times per hour. Sleep disturbances in animals and humans have long been linked to cognitive and emotional damage.

Recent work by the same group of researchers showed that such disruptions in sleep were also a hallmark of fetal alcohol syndrome, both in animal models and in people. Mice that slept better and longer, whether suffering from alcohol abuse or not, had better brain function than those that slept more poorly. The brain damage associated with fetal alcohol syndrome is believed to afflict one in 33 newborns in the United States and occurs when the developing fetus' mother drinks large amounts of alcohol.

Wilson says the team next plans to investigate if lithium chloride can blunt other forms of neurological damage, such as that resulting from trauma and stroke, both of which can kill large groups of brain cells.

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Funding support for the study was provided by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grant R01 AA023181.

Besides Wilson, Saito, and Lewin, other researchers involved in this study, which was performed jointly at NYU Langone and at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, NY, are co-lead study investigator M. Ilina, and study co-investigators Judith Betz, Kurt Masiello, and Maria Hui.

Media Inquiries:

David March

212-404-3528

david.march@nyumc.org
When comet 45P zipped past Earth early in 2017, researchers observing from NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, or IRTF, in Hawai'i gave the long-time trekker a thorough astronomical checkup. The results help fill in crucial details about ices in Jupiter-family comets and reveal that quirky 45P doesn't quite match any comet studied so far.

Like a doctor recording vital signs, the team measured the levels of nine gases released from the icy nucleus into the comet's thin atmosphere, or coma. Several of these gases supply building blocks for amino acids, sugars and other biologically relevant molecules. Of particular interest were carbon monoxide and methane, which are so hard to detect in Jupiter-family comets that they've only been studied a few times before.

The gases all originate from the hodgepodge of ices, rock and dust that make up the nucleus. These native ices are thought to hold clues to the comet's history and how it has been aging.

"Comets retain a record of conditions from the early solar system, but astronomers think some comets might preserve that history more completely than others," said Michael DiSanti, an astronomer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and lead author of the new study in the Astronomical Journal.

The comet--officially named 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova--belongs to the Jupiter family of comets, frequent orbiters that loop around the Sun about every five to seven years. Much less is known about native ices in this group than in the long-haul comets from the Oort Cloud.

To identify native ices, astronomers look for chemical fingerprints in the infrared part of the spectrum, beyond visible light. DiSanti and colleagues conducted their studies using the iSHELL high-resolution spectrograph recently installed at IRTF on the summit of Maunakea. With iSHELL, researchers can observe many comets that used to be considered too faint.

The spectral range of the instrument makes it possible to detect many vaporized ices at once, which reduces the uncertainty when comparing the amounts of different ices. The instrument covers wavelengths starting at 1.1 micrometers in the near-infrared (the range of night-vision goggles) up to 5.3 micrometers in the mid-infrared region.

iSHELL also has high enough resolving power to separate infrared fingerprints that fall close together in wavelength. This is particularly necessary in the cases of carbon monoxide and methane, because their fingerprints in comets tend to overlap with the same molecules in Earth's atmosphere.

"The combination of iSHELL's high resolution and the ability to observe in the daytime at IRTF is ideal for studying comets, especially short-period comets," said John Rayner, director of the IRTF, which is managed for NASA by the University of Hawai'i.

While observing for two days in early January 2017--shortly after 45P's closest approach to the Sun--the team made robust measurements of water, carbon monoxide, methane and six other native ices. For five ices, including carbon monoxide and methane, the researchers compared levels on the sun-drenched side of the comet to the shaded side. The findings helped fill in some gaps but also raised new questions.

The results reveal that 45P is running so low on frozen carbon monoxide, that it is officially considered depleted. By itself, this wouldn't be too surprising, because carbon monoxide escapes into space easily when the Sun warms a comet. But methane is almost as likely to escape, so an object lacking carbon monoxide should have little methane. 45P, however, is rich in methane and is one of the rare comets that contains more methane than carbon monoxide ice.

It's possible that the methane is trapped inside other ice, making it more likely to stick around. But the researchers think the carbon monoxide might have reacted with hydrogen to form methanol. The team found that 45P has a larger-than-average share of frozen methanol.

When this reaction took place is another question--one that gets to the heart of comet science. If the methanol was produced on grains of primordial ice before 45P formed, then the comet has always been this way. On the other hand, the levels of carbon monoxide and methanol in the coma might have changed over time, especially because Jupiter-family comets spend more time near the Sun than Oort Cloud comets do.

"Comet scientists are like archaeologists, studying old samples to understand the past," said Boncho Bonev, an astronomer at American University and the second author on the paper. "We want to distinguish comets as they formed from the processing they might have experienced, like separating historical relics from later contamination."

The team is now on the case to figure out how typical their results might be among similar comets. 45P was the first of five such short-period comets that are available for study in 2017 and 2018. On the heels of 45P were comets 2P/Encke and 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak. Due next summer and fall is 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, and later will come 46P/Wirtanen, which is expected to remain within 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) of Earth throughout most of December 2018.

"This research is groundbreaking," said Faith Vilas, the solar and planetary research program director at the National Science Foundation, or NSF, which helped support the study. "This broadens our knowledge of the mix of molecular species coexisting in the nuclei of Jovian-family comets, and the differences that exist after many trips around the Sun."

"We're excited to see this first publication from iSHELL, which was built through a partnership between NSF, the University of Hawai'i, and NASA," said Kelly Fast, IRTF program scientist at NASA Headquarters. "This is just the first of many iSHELL results to come."

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More information about NASA's IRTF: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/

More information about comets: http://www.nasa.gov/comets

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NASAGoddard/status/933076043858173954

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A NASA-led team has found evidence that the oversized planet WASP-18b is wrapped in a smothering stratosphere loaded with carbon monoxide and devoid of water. The findings come from a new analysis of observations made by the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes.

The formation of a stratosphere layer in a planet's atmosphere is attributed to "sunscreen"-like molecules, which absorb UV and visible radiation coming from the star and then release that energy as heat. The new study suggests that the "hot Jupiter" WASP-18b, a massive planet that orbits very close to its host star, has an unusual composition, and the formation of this world might have been quite different from that of Jupiter as well as gas giants in other planetary systems.

"The composition of WASP-18b defies all expectations," said Kyle Sheppard of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, lead author of the paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. "We don't know of any other extrasolar planet where carbon monoxide so completely dominates the upper atmosphere."

On Earth, ozone absorbs UV in the stratosphere, protecting our world from a lot of the Sun's harmful radiation. For the handful of exoplanets with stratospheres, the absorber is typically thought to be a molecule such as titanium oxide, a close relative of titanium dioxide, used on Earth as a paint pigment and sunscreen ingredient.

The researchers looked at data collected for WASP-18b, located 325 light-years from Earth, as part of a survey to find exoplanets with stratospheres. The heavyweight planet, which has the mass of 10 Jupiters, has been observed repeatedly, allowing astronomers to accumulate a relatively large trove of data. This study analyzed five eclipses from archived Hubble data and two from Spitzer.

From the light emitted by the planet's atmosphere at infrared wavelengths, beyond the visible region, it's possible to identify the spectral fingerprints of water and some other important molecules. The analysis revealed WASP-18b's peculiar fingerprint, which doesn't resemble any exoplanet examined so far. To determine which molecules were most likely to match it, the team carried out extensive computer modeling.

"The only consistent explanation for the data is an overabundance of carbon monoxide and very little water vapor in the atmosphere of WASP-18b, in addition to the presence of a stratosphere," said Nikku Madhusudhan a co-author of the study from the University of Cambridge. "This rare combination of factors opens a new window into our understanding of physicochemical processes in exoplanetary atmospheres."

The findings indicate that WASP-18b has hot carbon monoxide in the stratosphere and cooler carbon monoxide in the layer of the atmosphere below, called the troposphere. The team determined this by detecting two types of carbon monoxide signatures, an absorption signature at a wavelength of about 1.6 micrometers and an emission signature at about 4.5 micrometers. This is the first time researchers have detected both types of fingerprints for a single type of molecule in an exoplanet's atmosphere.

In theory, another possible fit for the observations is carbon dioxide, which has a similar fingerprint. The researchers ruled this out because if there were enough oxygen available to form carbon dioxide, the atmosphere also should have some water vapor.

To produce the spectral fingerprints seen by the team, the upper atmosphere of WASP-18b would have to be loaded with carbon monoxide. Compared to other hot Jupiters, this planet's atmosphere likely would contain 300 times more "metals," or elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. This extremely high metallicity would indicate WASP-18b might have accumulated greater amounts of solid ices during its formation than Jupiter, suggesting it may not have formed the way other hot Jupiters did.

"The expected launch of the James Webb Space Telescope and other future space-based observatories will give us the opportunity to follow up with even more powerful instruments and to continue exploring the amazing array of exoplanets out there," said Avi Mandell, an exoplanet scientist at Goddard and the second author of the paper.

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For more information about NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

For more information about NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer
A new joint study led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has warned about the extinction of Sumatran tigers in Sumatra, Indonesia, due to destroyed habitats.

The scientists found that while tiger population densities have increased in well-protected forests in Sumatra, 17 percent of the tigers' habitats were deforested from 2000 to 2012 to make way for oil palm plantations.

Published in Nature Communications on 5 Dec, the new paper suggests anti-poaching efforts has helped to increase tiger population densities. In short, the conservation efforts work, but only if tiger habitats are well protected at the same time.

Dr Mathew Luskin, a research fellow at NTU's Asian School of the Environment, led the study in partnership with researchers from the Smithsonian Institute and the San Diego Zoo Global in the United States, as well as the Fauna and Flora Institution in Indonesia.

"Our results are a mixed bag for tigers. The loss of key tiger habitats is causing significant conservation challenges for Sumatra - and in particular for this critically endangered species," explained Dr Luskin.

Dr Mathias Tobler from San Diego Zoo Global, who is the senior author of the study, said, "Safeguarding the remaining expanses of primary forests, such as Gunung Leuser National Park, is now absolutely critical to ensuring tigers can persist indefinitely on Sumatra. Large-scale reforestation is unlikely. If we are going to save Sumatran tigers in the wild, the time to act is now."

Dr Stuart Davies, Director of The Center for Tropical Forest Science - Forest Global Earth Observatory (Forest-GEO) at the Smithsonian Institute, said, "This study illustrates that long-term, field-based observations are essential to supporting the conservation of our most iconic and threatened animals and plants."

How the study was conducted

Obtaining information on the rare, stealthy predators is not easy - especially in dense uncharted jungles.

The research team spent a year conducting expeditions through remote forests, mounting hundreds of motion-activated cameras. On the resulting footage, tigers are identified by their unique pattern of stripes, allowing the researchers to track their movement.

There are about 618 tigers estimated to be left in Sumatra and the scientists calculated that a Sumatran tiger's territory size, also known as home range, is about 400 square kilometres.

This is up to four times larger than the average tiger's home range in regions such as India, where it is about 100 square kilometres. Sumatran tigers may need larger areas to find rare prey species such as muntjac deer.

The team developed new methods to estimate the number of tigers in each remaining patch of forest in Sumatra.

Tiger densities were 47 percent higher in primary versus degraded (logged) forests. Tigers could prefer primary unlogged forests or there might be less poaching there.

They found that there are now only two habitats large enough to host viable tiger populations over the long term: Gunung Leuser and Kerinci Seblat National Parks.

The study suggests that the population density of tigers has doubled over the last 15 years due to effective anti-poaching programmes. However, packing more tigers into disappearing forest does not reduce the threat of extinction.

The scientists are also concerned that the forests included in the study may have the best protection and are not representative of the 'average Sumatran forest'. They urged a cautious interpretation of increasing densities.

Between 1990 and 2010, Sumatra lost 37 percent of its primary forest. The clearing of pristine lowland forest has disproportionately reduced tiger numbers.

"The erosion of large areas of wilderness pushes the Sumatran tigers one step closer to extinction, so we hope this serves as a wake-up call," Dr Luskin added.

Associate Professor Fidel Costa, Acting Chair of NTU's Asian School of the Environment, said this paper is one of several new projects where NTU leverages on the Smithsonian Institution's unique research legacy and capacity in the region. "Together with the Smithsonian, NTU aims to provide the scientific research expertise necessary for Asian countries to conserve their biological heritage, such as tigers," Prof Costa explained.

"Our ongoing research include examining the secondary effects of losing tigers for other animals, such as their prey species, and even for tree communities. And the future findings will provide actionable insights into current conservation efforts, helping to guide policymakers on how to improve these efforts to better protect our environment for future generations."

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Media contact:

Lester Kok

Manager

Corporate Communications Office

Nanyang Technological University

Email: lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg

About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and its Interdisciplinary Graduate School. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London.

NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes - the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering - and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI).

Ranked 11th in the world, NTU has also been ranked the world's top young university for the last four years running. The University's main campus has been named one of the Top 15 Most Beautiful in the World. NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore's medical district.

For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg

San Diego Zoo Global

Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is inspiring children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the internet and in children's hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.
CORVALLIS, Ore. - As the West tallies the damages from the 2017 wildfire season, researchers at Oregon State University are trying to learn more about how embers form and about the blaze-starting potential they carry.

Preliminary findings indicate the diameter of the branches that are burning is the biggest single factor behind which ones will form embers the most quickly and how much energy they'll pack.

"Increased population in the wildland-urban interface means increased risk to life and property from wildland fires," said Tyler Hudson, a graduate student in the College of Engineering. "Spot fires started by embers lofted ahead of the main fire front are difficult to predict and can jump defensible space around structures."

Research shows smaller-diameter branches are better at producing embers, also known as firebrands.

"Embers are wildfires' most challenging mode of causing spread," said David Blunck, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. "By understanding how embers form and travel through the air, scientists can more accurately predict how fire will spread. We have a multiscale approach that involves burning samples in a laboratory setting, larger burns - burning 10-foot-tall trees - and then working with the U.S. Forest Service to participate in prescribed burns."

In his lab, Blunck's research group controls multiple parameters which can influence generation rates: fire intensity, crosswind velocity, species of tree, diameter of the sample, fuel condition (natural vs. processed), and moisture content of the fuel.

"Fire intensity had little effect on the time needed for ember generation," Hudson said. "And natural samples and dowels with similar diameters can have quite different ember generation times."

Using samples of Douglas fir, western juniper, ponderosa pine and white oak with diameters of 2 and 6 millimeters, the researchers determined that 2-millimeter samples generated embers roughly five times as fast as 6-millimeter samples.

This trend can be explained by the observation that the bending stress is proportional to 1 divided by the cube of the diameter - thus, the larger the diameter, the smaller amount of bending stress and a lesser likelihood of breakage, and ember creation. Moreover, smaller diameters have less fuel that needs to be burned.

In the field, researchers can track embers' energy "from the time they leave the tree until they get to their destination," Hudson said, using techniques ranging from infrared videography to measuring scorch marks on squares of fire-resistant fabric placed on the ground at varying distances from the fire.

Blunck, Hudson and fellow mechanical engineering graduate student Mick Carter presented their preliminary findings in April at the 10th edition of the biennial U.S. National Combustion Meeting in College Park, Maryland.

In August, Blunck was among a group of collaborators receiving a $500,000 grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology "for the development of a computer model that will define patterns for firebrand distribution during wildland-urban interface fires and their likelihood of igniting nearby structures."

This past fire season in Oregon, roughly 2,000 fires combined to burn more than a half-million acres - that's about 1,000 square miles, an area the size of Rhode Island.

One of the most devastating of those blazes was the Eagle Creek fire in the Columbia River Gorge, which scorched nearly 50,000 acres and threatened the historic Multnomah Falls Lodge - and provided a terrifying illustration of what embers can do.

"The fire jumped the river and started burning in Washington because of embers," Blunck said. "We estimate that the fire jumped 2 miles across the river."

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New book Come On! proposes an overhaul in the way that governments, businesses, financial systems, innovators and families interact with our planet

The human footprint is increasing fast and will - if not reversed - eventually lead to a collapse of the global economy. So say the authors of the new book Come On! which proposes an overhaul in the way that governments, businesses, financial systems, innovators and families interact with our planet.

Now, in cooperation with more than 30 members from the Club of Rome, authors Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacker and Anders Wijkman, the sitting co-presidents of the Club, suggest possible solutions to the global ecological and social crises. At the core is the suggestion to develop a new Enlightenment for a Full World": we can no longer depend on a societal model that was developed for a world of less than one billion people.

Humans and farm animals constitute 97 percent of the bodyweight of all living land vertebrates on earth so it's not surprising that the remaining 3 percent of wildlife struggles to compete for land and for survival. Alongside an environmental crisis are social, political and moral crises. Billions of people no longer put trust in their governments, poverty has deepened in many countries, in the US the middle-class is rapidly shrinking.

Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacker argues: "Our shared wellbeing on a healthy planet demands a rethinking of reigning philosophies and a new Enlightenment that could seek inspiration from old traditions." Measuring our success on GDP growth has proven inadequate to the task and it also masks a growth in inequality between rich and poor. New indicators such as a Genuine Progress Indicator could more accurately measure economic welfare.

The present model of development is seriously flawed. Profit maximization - under the principle of shareholder value first - and saving the planet are inherently in conflict. The new Enlightenment must be characterized by a vastly improved balance between humans and nature, between markets and the law, between private consumption and public goods, between short-term and long term thinking, between social justice and incentives for excellence.

Advances in technology will be crucial. We need technology disruption in many sectors, not least to curb greenhouse gas emissions. But disruption must be balanced by efforts to support the losers, both among companies and employees.

This book comprises many practical examples, success stories and opportunities for the "Full World". A move towards a circular economy can help overcome mineral scarcity, significantly lower carbon emissions and increase the number of jobs. Regenerative agriculture will help stop soil erosion, enhance yields and build carbon in the soil. Efforts have to be made to rein in the financial sector by increasing capital reserves and control of money creation. Some insights can come from the Hopi tradition in North America, which developed sustainable agriculture and maintained a stable population size while avoiding wars.

"This book is hard stuff. Politically, it is very uncomfortable. But the fresh and original thought within it should be seen as an invitation to 'come on' and join on a fascinating journey of testing new ways to make the full world a sustainable and prospering one," says co-author Anders Wijkman.

Civil society, the communities of investors, and the research and education communities should become strong players in the necessary transformation.

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Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacker and Anders Wijkman are co-presidents of the Club of Rome.The Club of Rome is an organization of individuals who share a common concern for the future of humanity and strive to make a difference. It is made up of notable scientists, economists, representatives from business, high level civil servants and former heads of state from around the world. In 2018 the Club of Rome will celebrate 50 years since it was founded.

Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacker, Anders Wijkman

Come On!

Capitalism, Short-termism, Population and the Destruction of the Planet

1st ed. 2018, XIV, 220 p. 46 illus., 42 illus. in color.

Hardcover $29.99,  24,99, 19.99 ISBN 978-1-4939-7418-4

Also available as an eBook ISBN 978-1-4939-7419-1
Springer and the international Mathematical Research Institute MATRIX, which is based in Melbourne in Australia, have signed a collaboration agreement to publish a new book series. The cooperation further strengthens Springer's relationship with the mathematical sciences in Australia, while also bringing the work of MATRIX and Australian mathematicians to an international audience.

The MATRIX Book Series draws on the expertise of internationally renowned editors David Wood (editor-in-chief), Cheryl Praeger, Jan de Gier, and Terence Tao. The first book in the series, the 2016 MATRIX Annals, documents the scientific activities at MATRIX during its inaugural year. It is due to be published at the beginning of 2018.

The research institute MATRIX was established in 2015 as a dedicated venue for Australian and international researchers as well as industry partners to collaborate on research problems in the mathematical sciences and their applications to science and industry. The directors of MATRIX are Jan de Gier, professor at The University of Melbourne, and David Wood, professor at Monash University.

MATRIX mirrors similar institutes in other countries such as the Banff International Research Station in Canada, Oberwolfach in Germany, the Newton Institute in the UK, and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in the US.

David Wood said: "The Australian mathematics community has recognized for many years the need for an Australian residential institute for research in the mathematical sciences. The launch of MATRIX fills this gap. MATRIX hosted five research programmes in 2016, all with great success. Organisers and participants from across Australia and overseas have embraced the vision for MATRIX, as indicated by their enthusiastic contributions to this book."

Martin Peters, executive editor for mathematics at Springer remarked: "It was a great success for the Australian mathematical sciences community to establish MATRIX and we are very happy to work with them by publishing the high-quality MATRIX Book Series. This will allow researchers worldwide to benefit from the MATRIX scientific programmes, and it will deepen our relationship with the Australian mathematics community."

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Japanese fish experts have identified and clarified the biological name of the world's heaviest bony fish ever caught. The 2,300 kilogram whopper is a Mola alexandrini bump-head sunfish, and not, as originally thought, a member of the more commonly known Mola mola ocean sunfish species. The study was led by Etsuro Sawai of Hiroshima University and is published in Ichthyological Research, which is the official journal of the Ichthyological Society of Japan. The journal is published by Springer.

Bony fish have skeletons made of bone rather than cartilage, as is the case for sharks or rays. Ocean sunfishes count among the world's largest bony fish, and have for centuries attracted interest from seafarers because of their impressive size and shape. Specimens can measure up to three meters (total length), and many weighing more than two thousand kilograms have been caught. Instead of a caudal fin, sunfish have a broad rudder-like lobe called a clavus.

In this study, Sawai and his team referred to more than one thousand documents and specimens from around the world - some of which date back 500 years. Their aim was to clarify the scientific names for the species of the genus Mola in fish.

Ocean sunfishes can be classified into three species which Sawai's team temporarily called Mola species A, Mola species B, and Mola species C, respectively. Of the three species, the scientific name of Mola species C was officially named Mola tecta in July 2017.

In this study, the researchers studied, dissected and measured 30 specimens of the remaining two Mola species (Mola species A and Mola species B) including fresh and preserved samples from different collections in the world. Information was obtained from photographs and from historic and recent records. The team set out specific morphological characteristics, and made notes on the distribution of the different species. This led them to conclude that the species names Mola mola (Mola species B) and Mola alexandrini (Mola species A) should be used. They also proposed "bump-head sunfish" as the new common name for Mola alexandrini because of the very prominent shape of its head.

"For the same reason, we adopt the already proposed Japanese common name Ushi-manbo. 'Ushi' means 'cow', and refers to the head profile of the fish," Sawai explains.

They also solved a case of mistaken identity. The Guinness World Records lists the world's heaviest bony fish as Mola mola. However, Sawai's team found a female Mola alexandrini specimen of 2,300 kilogram and 2.72 meter caught off the Japanese coast (Kamogawa, Chiba) in 1996 as the heaviest bony fish ever recorded. Through their investigations, Sawai's team re-identified it as actually being a Mola alexandrini based on its characteristic head bump, chin bump and rounded clavus although this specimen was identified Mola mola until now.

"Therefore, the world's heaviest bony fish that has been actually weighed and recorded to date is a specimen of Mola alexandrini, not Mola mola," says Sawai, who believes that there could be even bigger examples of this species alive in the ocean. In 2004, a 3.32 meter female Mola alexandrini specimen was caught off one of Japan's islands (Aji Island, Miyagi), but it was not weighed.

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Note: researchers involved in this work are affiliated with Hiroshima University, the University of Tokyo and Murdoch University.

Reference: Sawai, E. et al (2017). Redescription of the bump-head sunfish Mola alexandrini (Ranzani 1839), senior synonym of Mola ramsayi (Giglioli 1883), with designation of a neotype for Mola mola (Linnaeus 1758) (Tetraodontiformes: Molidae), Ichthyological Research DOI 10.1007/s10228-017-0603-6
With the U.S. population aging rapidly, more resources are being dedicated to understanding how doctors make decisions while caring for critically ill, older patients at the end of their lives. If faced with an elderly, critically ill patient who has expressed the wish not to be intubated, for example, which factors affect the doctor's decision about whether to abide by the patient's preference? In a study recently published in Medical Decision Making, researchers from The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and the University of Pittsburgh used a simulated patient encounter describing a man in his late 70's with metastatic cancer and worsening vital signs to study the decision-making process of 73 hospital-based physicians at three major academic mental centers.

"There's a lot of variation in the treatment of seriously ill, older patients at the end of their lives," said Dartmouth Institute Professor and senior author Amber Barnato. "Some of this variation is likely driven by the doctor's own beliefs and biases regarding end-of-life treatment. So, if we're able to get a deeper understanding of how doctors' decision-making processes work, potentially we can identify opportunities and strategies to promote treatment that aligns with patient preferences."

The doctors participating in the simulation were given a chart before entering the room, including a discharge summary from a recent lengthy hospital stay, a report of a one-week old CT scan, and the assessment and plan from the patient's ER admission. The patient--accompanied by his caregiver wife--had a "do not intubate" order from the nursing facility from which he was admitted, but the order was not transferred to the hospital. In the scenario, the patient and his wife knew he was terminally ill and had approximately 3 to 6 months to live. The patient's preferences were to avoid readmission to the ICU and/or intubation, and to receive comfort-focused treatment, such as pain medication. The patient wanted to make his own decisions, independent of the doctor, however, he is unable to speak more than one or two words at a time. The patient's wife was more passive in decision making and would accept the doctor's recommendation for a treatment plan.

The scenario was designed to induce the experience of time pressure for decision making in two ways: The patient's vital signs met standard criteria for "rapid response team" upon the doctor's entry into the room, and the patient's vital signs steadily deteriorated over the course of the simulation. The simulation ended when the doctor made a treatment plan or 30 minutes had elapsed, whichever came first. After completing the simulation, the doctors watched a video of their encounter while completing a debriefing interview, which was designed to reveal more about their decision-making process.

Sixty percent of the doctors treated the patient with comfort-focused care (according to his preferences), the remaining doctors did not--including 10% of the doctors who actually intubated the patient.

The researchers found that the mental model of doctors who provided treatment that wasn't aligned with the critically and terminally ill older patient's preferences differed in three key ways from physicians who did provide treatment according to patient wishes: They focused on the reversibility or emergent nature of the situation, on inferred rather than explicitly stated patient preferences, and on their own comfort level and preferences. For example, on inferring patient preferences, intubators inferred consent when the patient or surrogate did not question or object to the doctor's treatment plan. As one intubator said, "... It felt like I had no resistance ...towards aggressive care, so I continued to get more aggressive and escalate care."

The researchers stated that identifying differences in doctors' decision-making processes, or mental models, could help health systems design ways to promote care that was in line with patient preferences, such as the employment of well-structured communication protocols, simulated learning exercises, or focusing on the way young doctors are trained.

"It's important that we recognize how stressful and complex physician decision making can be, particularly in end-of-life situations," Barnato said, "and that we find ways to support it so that all patients at the end of their lives can get the treatment they prefer."

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To read the full study: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0272989X17738958
Onions dearer due to price rise in India

Onion prices in Kathmandu have shot up because they have become dearer in India and not because of crooked middlemen, the Department of Supplies Management (DoSM) said. The southern neighbour is Nepals largest supplier of the indispensable vegetable.
A team of surgeons at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, led by Hyunsuk Suh, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, have performed the first robot-assisted radical neck dissection in the United States using the bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA), a surgery that involves removing all of the lymph nodes on one side of the neck. The results were published today in the journal VideoEndocrinology.

Dr. Suh and the endocrine surgery team at Mount Sinai are the only surgeons in the country currently utilizing the BABA technique to treat benign and malignant thyroid disorders. His current study explores the use of BABA to remove metastatic cancer in the lateral neck. In the published case, Dr. Suh performed surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System and removed 59 lymph nodes from a female patient; two lymph nodes tested positive for cancer. This patient was diagnosed with thyroid cancer over a year ago and underwent a conventional thyroid surgery through the neck, but her cancer spread to the lymph nodes, requiring more extensive surgery. In an effort to avoid a significant neck scar, she opted for BABA.

The BABA technique entails the surgeon making two incisions along each areola and two incisions in the skin creases of the armpit. Robotic instruments, including an endoscope (a medical device with a light and camera) are then inserted into the incisions. Once a working space within the neck area is created, Dr. Suh preserves the critical structures before removing the diseased lymph nodes or thyroid gland. This minimally-invasive procedure leaves a hidden scar compared to the conventional approach where the surgeon makes an incision on the neck.

"This is the ideal procedure for patients who want to avoid a visible neck scar and maintain confidentiality," says Dr. Suh. "Following surgery, most patients can return home the same day."

Dr. Suh says the use of the robotic platform provides excellent visualization of anatomic structures, and the robotic instruments allow for maneuvers that are safer and more accurate. He's performed 40 robotic thyroidectomies at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Dr. Suh studied the BABA approach at Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea where it was developed.

"Surgical innovations must entail safe and sound outcomes as well as added benefits to the patients. Robotic thyroidectomy is yet a FDA off-labelled procedure in the US, but through ongoing advancement and proper implementation, BABA technique will have great impact in the field of thyroid surgery," says Dr. Suh.

"Dr Suh is one of our star recruits who brings a new skill set to our growing remote access thyroid surgery program", says Dr. William B Inabnet III, FACS, Chair of Surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Dr. Suh joined the Mount Sinai Endocrine Surgery Program, which has a long tradition of performing hidden-scar endoscopic thyroid surgery, including the transoral approach. That technique involves removing the thyroid gland by making three small incisions inside the mouth underneath the lower lip.

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About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services -- from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.

The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is in the "Honor Roll" of best hospitals in America, ranked No. 15 nationally in the 2016-2017 "Best Hospitals" issue of U.S. News & World Report. The Mount Sinai Hospital is also ranked as one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Geriatrics, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Ear, Nose & Throat, and is in the top 50 in four other specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 10 nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report in "Best Children's Hospitals."

or more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
(New York - Dec. 5, 2017) -- Mount Sinai researchers have found a positive relationship between the brain network associated with working memory -- the ability to store and process information relevant to the task at hand -- and healthy traits such as higher physical endurance and better cognitive function.

These traits were associated with greater cohesiveness of the working memory brain network while traits indicating suboptimal cardiovascular and metabolic health, and suboptimal health habits including binge drinking and regular smoking, were associated with less cohesive working memory networks.

This is the first study to establish the link between working memory and physical health and lifestyle choices.

The results of the study will be published online in Molecular Psychiatry on Tuesday, December 5, at 4 am EST.

The research team took brain scans of 823 participants in the Human Connectome Project (HCP), a large brain imaging study funded by the National Institutes of Health, while they performed a task involving working memory, and extracted measures of brain activity and connectivity to create a brain map of working memory. The team then used a statistical method called sparse canonical correlation to discover the relationships between the working memory brain map and 116 measures of cognitive ability, physical and mental health, personality, and lifestyle choices. They found that cohesiveness in the working memory brain map was positively associated with higher physical endurance and better cognitive function. Physical traits such as high body mass index, and suboptimal lifestyle choices including binge alcohol drinking and regular smoking, had the opposite association.

"Working memory accounts for individual differences in personal, educational, and professional attainment," said Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Working memory is also one of the brain functions that is severely affected by physical and mental illnesses. Our study identified factors that can either support or undermine the working memory brain network. Our findings can empower people to make informed choices about how best to promote and preserve brain health."

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This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01 MH104284-01A1) and European Unit FP7 program (IMAGEMEND 602450; IMAging GEnetics for MENtal Disorders) projects, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the National Institute for HealthResearch (NIHR; Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHSFoundation Trust and King's College London) and the Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung (eMED SysAlc01ZX1311A).HCP data are disseminated by the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging at the University of California, Los Angeles.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest integrated delivery system encompassing seven hospital campuses, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai's vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 10 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in four other specialties in the 2017-2018 "Best Hospitals" issue. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital also is ranked in six out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 12th nationally for Ophthalmology and 50th for Ear, Nose, and Throat, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Storytelling promoted co-operation in hunter-gatherers prior to the advent of organised religion, a new UCL study reveals.

The research shows that hunter-gatherer storytellers were essential in promoting co-operative and egalitarian values before comparable mechanisms evolved in larger agricultural societies, such as moralising high-gods.

Storytellers were also more popular than even the best foragers, had greater reproductive success, and were more likely to be co-operated with by other members of the camp, according to the research published today in Nature Communications.

The researchers, led by Daniel Smith, Andrea Migliano and Lucio Vinicius from UCL's Department of Anthropology and funded by the Leverhulme Trust, based their findings on their study of the Agta, an extant hunter-gatherer group descended from the first colonisers of the Philippines more than 35,000 years ago.

They asked three elders to tell them stories they normally told their children and each other, resulting in four stories narrated over three nights. They found the stories about humanised natural entities such as animals or celestial bodies promoted social and co-operative norms to co-ordinate group behaviour.

One, about the male sun falling out with the female moon before settling their differences over who should illuminate the sky by agreeing to share the duty, one during the day and the other during the night. The story promotes sex equality and co-operation between the sexes, which is common among forager societies.

The UCL study showed that 70% of a sample of 89 stories from seven different hunter-gatherer societies concerned reinforcing and regulating social behaviour.

"These stories appear to co-ordinate group behaviour and facilitate co-operation by providing individuals with social information about the norms, rules and expectations in a given society", according to Daniel Smith.

Consistent with this interpretation, Agta camps with a greater proportion of skilled story-tellers possessed increased levels of co-operation.

Almost 300 members from 18 Agta camps were also asked to choose who they would most like to live with, with skilled storytellers nearly twice as likely to be nominated as less skilled individuals.

Potentially because they receive increased social support in return for telling stories, the study found that skilled storytellers had on average 0.53 more children than those who were not skilled, demonstrating the reproductive benefits of being a good storyteller.

The authors state that storytelling may have been pivotal in organising human social behaviour by promoting co-operation, spreading co-operative norms and representing punishment of norm-breakers.

"Hunter-gatherer religions do not have moralising gods and yet they are highly cooperative towards the whole community. Thus, storytelling in hunter-gatherers was a precursor to more elaborate forms of narrative fiction such as moralising high-gods, common in post-agricultural populations", said Andrea Migliano, the last author of the paper.

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New research by a team of scientists and archaeologists based at the Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of Copenhagen suggests that the 15,000-year-old 'Natufian Culture' could live comfortably in the steppe zone of present-day eastern Jordan - this was previously thought to be either uninhabitable or only sparsely populated.

The hunter-gatherers of the Natufian Culture, which existed in modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria between c. 14,500 - 11,500 years ago, were some of the first people to build permanent houses and tend to edible plants. These innovations were probably crucial for the subsequent emergence of agriculture during the Neolithic era. Previous research had suggested that the centre of this culture was the Mount Carmel and Galilee region, and that it spread from here to other parts of the region. The new study by the Copenhagen-Weizmann team, published in Scientific Reports, challenges this 'core region' theory.

The new paper is based on evidence from a Natufian site located in Jordan, c. 150 km northeast of Amman. The site, called Shubayqa 1, was excavated by a University of Copenhagen team led by Dr. Tobias Richter from 2012-2015.

The excavations uncovered a well-preserved Natufian site, which produced a large assemblage of charred plant remains. These kinds of botanical remains are rare at many other Natufian sites in the region, and enabled the Weizmann-Copenhagen team to obtain the largest number of dates for any Natufian site yet in Israel or Jordan.

"We dated more than twenty samples from different layers of the site, making it one of the best and most accurately dated Natufian sites anywhere. The dates show, among other things, that the site was first settled not long after the earliest dates obtained for northern Israel, ca. 14,600 years ago. This suggests that the Natufian either expanded very rapidly, which we think is unlikely, or that it emerged more or less simultaneously in different parts of the region," Dr. Richter reports, adding:

"The early date of Shubayqa 1 also shows that Natufian hunter-gatherers were more versatile than previously thought. Past research had linked the emergence of the Natufian to the rich habitat of the Mediterranean woodland zone. But the early dates from Shubayqa show that these late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers were also able to live quite comfortably in more open parkland steppe zones further east. Some of their subsistence appears to have relied heavily on the exploitation of club rush tubers, as well as other wild plants. They also hunted birds, gazelle and other animals," says Tobias Richter.

Precise dating methodology

The dating was undertaken by Professor Elisabetta Boaretto at the Weizmann Institute of Science using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, or AMS, dating. Boaretto is head of the D-REAMS lab in the Weizmann Institute - one of the few labs in the world that works with the technology and methods to analyze even the smallest organic remains from a site and precisely date them.

Using a specially designed mass spectrometer, Boaretto is able to reveal the amount of carbon-14 in a sample down to the single atom. Based on the half-life of the radioactive carbon-14 atoms, the dating done in her lab is accurate to around 50 years, plus or minus. For the analysis of the specimen from Shubayqa, the team was able to select only short-lived plant species or short-lived plant parts, such as seeds or twigs, to obtain the dates. This ensured the highest possible accuracy for the dates.

Boaretto says that the "core area" theory may have come about, in part, because the Mt. Carmel sites have been the best preserved and studied, until now. In addition to calling into question the idea of the Natufian beginning in one settlement and spreading outwards, the study suggests that the hunter-gatherers who lived 12,000 to 15,000 years ago were ingenious and resourceful. They learned to make use of numerous plants and animals where ever they were, and to tend them in a way that led to early settlement.

The authors say that this supports a view in which there were many pathways to agriculture and "the 'Neolithic way of life' was a highly variable and complex process that cannot be explained on the basis of single-cause models."

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Read the research paper 'AMS Radicarbon Dates Suggest Complex Origins of the Late Epipalaeolithic Natufian in the Levant' in Scientific Reports.

Read more about the Late Epipalaeolithic and Early Neolithic Occupation of the Black Desert project

Contact

Dr. Tobias Richter

University of Copenhagen

Faculty of Humanities

Phone: +45 51 30 28 59

E-mail: richter@hum.ku.dk

Dr. Elisabetta Boaretto

Max-Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaelology and Anthropology

E-mail: Elisabetta.Boaretto@weizmann.ac.i
Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the United States. Thirty to 50 percent of multiple myeloma patients have extra copies of the gene that encodes the enzyme ADAR1. Using a database of multiple myeloma patient samples and information, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that high ADAR1 levels correlate with reduced survival rates. They also determined that blocking the enzyme reduces multiple myeloma regeneration in experimental models derived from patient cancer cells.

The study, published December 4 in Nature Communications, also suggests that a class of commercially available drugs could be used to dampen ADAR1 activity, and ultimately prevent progression or relapse in multiple myeloma.

"Despite new therapies, it's virtually inevitable that a patient with multiple myeloma will experience relapse of the disease at some point," said senior author Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, Koman Family Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and chief of the Division of Regenerative Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "That's why it's exciting that this discovery may allow us to detect the disease earlier, and address the root cause."

The enzyme at the center of this study, ADAR1, is normally expressed during fetal development to help blood cells form. ADAR1 edits the sequence of RNA, a type of genetic material related to DNA. By swapping out just one RNA building block for another, ADAR1 alters the carefully orchestrated system cells use to control which genes are turned on or off at which times.

ADAR1 is known to promote cancer progression and resistance to therapy. In previous studies, Jamieson's team described ADAR1's contributions to leukemia. The enzyme's RNA-editing activity boosts cancer stem cells -- a special population of cells that can self-renew, giving rise to cancer, increasing recurrence and allowing some cancers to resist treatment.

In their current study, the team investigated ADAR1's role in multiple myeloma. Analyzing a database of nearly 800 multiple myeloma patient samples, they discovered that 162 patients with low ADAR1 levels in their tumor cells survived significantly longer over a three-year period compared to 159 patients with high ADAR1 levels. While more than 90 percent of patients with low ADAR1 levels survived longer than two years after their initial diagnosis, fewer than 70 percent of patients with high ADAR1 levels were alive after the same period of time.

To unravel exactly how ADAR1 is connected to disease severity at a molecular level, the researchers transferred multiple myeloma patient tissue to mice, creating what's known as a xenograft or "humanized" model.

"This is a difficult disease to model in animals -- there isn't a single gene we can manipulate to mimic multiple myeloma," said co-senior author Leslie A. Crews, PhD, assistant professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "This study is important, in part because we now have a new xenograft model that will for the first time allow us to apply new biomarkers to better predict disease progression and test new therapeutics."

Using their new model, Jamieson, Crews and team found that two events converge to activate ADAR1 in multiple myeloma -- a genetic abnormality and inflammatory cues from the surrounding bone marrow tissue. Together, these signals activate ADAR1, which edits specific RNA in a way that stabilizes a gene that can make cancer stem cells more aggressive.

They also found that silencing the ADAR1 gene in the xenograft model reduced multiple myeloma regeneration. Five to 10-fold fewer tumor cells were able to self-renew in mice lacking ADAR1, suggesting a new therapeutic target.

Clinical trials that specifically test ADAR1-targeted therapeutics for their safety and efficacy against multiple myeloma are still necessary before this approach could become available to patients. To advance their initial findings, Jamieson and Crews are exploring ways to leverage ADAR1 to detect multiple myeloma progression as early as possible. They are also testing inhibitors of JAK2, a molecule that influences ADAR1 activity, for their ability to eliminate cancer stem cells in multiple myeloma models. Several JAK2 inhibitors have already been approved by the FDA or are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of other cancers.

"Several major advances in recent years have been good news for multiple myeloma patients, but those new drugs only target terminally differentiated cancer cells and thus can only reduce the bulk of the tumor," said Jamieson, who is also deputy director of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center, director of the CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic at UC San Diego and director of stem cell research at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health. "They don't get to the root cause of disease development, progression and relapse -- cancer stem cells -- the way inhibiting ADAR1 does. I like to call our approach 'precision regenerative medicine.'"

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Study co-authors also include: Elisa Lazzari, Phoebe K. Mondala, Nathaniel Delos Santos, Qingfei Jiang, Heather Leu, Shawn A. Ali, Anusha-Preethi Ganesan, Christina N. Wu, Caitlin Costello, UC San Diego; Amber C. Miller, A. Keith Stewart, Mayo Clinic; Gabriel Pineda, UC San Diego and National University; Mark Minden, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network; and Raffaella Chiaramonte, University of Milan.
Technique uses the power of artificial neural networks to address several types of flaws and degradations in a single image at once

From phone camera snapshots to lifesaving medical scans, digital images play an important role in the way humans communicate information. But digital images are subject to a range of imperfections such as blurriness, grainy noise, missing pixels and color corruption.

A group led by a University of Maryland computer scientist has designed a new algorithm that incorporates artificial neural networks to simultaneously apply a wide range of fixes to corrupted digital images. Because the algorithm can be "trained" to recognize what an ideal, uncorrupted image should look like, it is able to address multiple flaws in a single image.

The research team, which included members from the University of Bern in Switzerland, tested their algorithm by taking high-quality, uncorrupted images, purposely introducing severe degradations, then using the algorithm to repair the damage. In many cases, the algorithm outperformed competitors' techniques, very nearly returning the images to their original state.

The researchers presented their findings on December 5, 2017, at the 31st Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems in Long Beach, California.

"Traditionally, there have been tools that address each problem with an image separately. Each of these uses intuitive assumptions of what a good image looks like, but these assumptions have to be hand-coded into the algorithms," said Matthias Zwicker, the Reginald Allan Hahne Endowed E-Nnovate Professor in Computer Science at UMD and senior author of the research presentation. "Recently, artificial neural networks have been applied to address problems one by one. But our algorithm goes a step further--it can address a wide variety of problems at the same time."

Artificial neural networks are a type of artificial intelligence algorithm inspired by the structure of the human brain. They can assemble patterns of behavior based on input data, in a process that resembles the way a human brain learns new information. For example, human brains can learn a new language through repeated exposure to words and sentences in specific contexts.

Zwicker and his colleagues can "train" their algorithm by exposing it to a large database of high-quality, uncorrupted images widely used for research with artificial neural networks. Because the algorithm can take in a large amount of data and extrapolate the complex parameters that define images--including variations in texture, color, light, shadows and edges--it is able to predict what an ideal, uncorrupted image should look like. Then, it can recognize and fix deviations from these ideal parameters in a new image.

"This is the key element. The algorithm needs to be able to recognize a good image without degradations. But for an image that is already degraded, we can't know what this would look like," said Zwicker, who also has an appointment at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). "So instead, we first train the algorithm on a database of high-quality images. Then we can give it any image and the algorithm will modify the imperfections."

Zwicker noted that several other research groups are working along the same lines and have designed algorithms that achieve similar results. Many of the research groups noticed that if their algorithms were tasked with only removing noise (or graininess) from an image, the algorithm would automatically address many of the other imperfections as well. But Zwicker's group proposed a new theoretical explanation for this effect that leads to a very simple and effective algorithm.

"When you have a noisy image, it is randomly shifted or jittered away from a high-quality image in all possible dimensions. Other degradations, such as blurring for example, diverge from the ideal only in a subset of dimensions," Zwicker explained. "Our work revealed how fixing noise will bring all dimensions back in line, allowing us to address several types of other degradations, like blurring, at the same time."

Zwicker also said that the new algorithm, while powerful, still has room for improvement. Currently, the algorithm works well for fixing easily recognizable "low-level" structures in images, such as sharp edges. The researchers hope to push the algorithm to recognize and repair "high-level" features, including complex textures such as hair and water.

"To recognize high-level features, the algorithm needs context to understand what is in the image. For example, if there is a face in an image, it's likely that the pixels near the top are probably hair," Zwicker said. "It's like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. If you're only looking at one piece, it's hard to place that part of the image in context. But once you find where the piece belongs, it's much easier to recognize what the pixels represent. It's quite clear that this approach can be pushed much further still."

###

The research paper, "Deep Mean-Shift Priors for Image Restoration," Siavash A. Bigdeli, Meiguang Jin, Paolo Favaro and Matthias Zwicker, was presented on December 5, 2017 at the 31st Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems in Long Beach, California.

This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Award No. 200021-153324). The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views of this organization.

Media Relations Contact:

Matthew Wright

301-405-9267

mewright@umd.edu

University of Maryland

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

2300 Symons Hall

College Park, MD 20742

http://www.cmns.umd.edu @UMDscience

About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 7,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $150 million.
AMHERST, Mass. - Statisticians Leontine Alkema, Niamh Cahill and Chuchu Wei at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with others, today released new estimates and projections of modern contraceptive prevalence (mCPR) and other family planning outcomes for the 69 poorest countries of the world.

They are the focus countries of the Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) initiative, a global partnership that supports the rights of women and girls to decide, freely and for themselves, whether, when and how many children they want to have. The overall goal of FP2020 is to reach 120 million additional users of modern contraceptive methods in the world's poorest countries by 2020, the "12020 goal." The new estimates and projections appear in the current issue of The Lancet.

The authors report that in 2017, the mCPR among women of reproductive age who are married or in a union in FP2020 focus countries was 45.7 percent, while unmet need for modern methods was 21.6 percent and the demand satisfied with modern methods was 67.9 percent. At the regional level, Asia has seen the mCPR among women of reproductive age who are married or in a union grow from 51 to 51.8 percent over the period, "which is slow growth, particularly when compared with a change from 23.9 percent to 28.5 percent across Africa," they add.

For this work, Alkema, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, with Cahill and Wei there and collaborators from Avenir Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, updated their Family Planning Estimation Tool (FPET) to assess current levels of family planning indicators among women of reproductive age who are married or in a union, and changes between 2012 and 2017.

A separate analysis assessed whether recent mCPR levels exceeded pre-FP2020 expectations. Alkema explains, "The FP2020 initiative started in 2012. With FPET, which is a statistical model to obtain estimates and projections of family planning indicators, we were able to construct pre-FP2020 expectations for recent trends based on the data available in 2012." Based on this assessment, at the country level, the authors found that 63 percent of countries that have made a commitment to FP2020 exceeded these expectations for modern contraceptive use. "Country success stories include rapid increases in Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Chad, as compared to what was expected" the researchers write.

The study reported on mCPR, unmet need for, and demand satisfied with modern methods of contraception among these women. Modern contraception methods include female and male sterilization, oral hormones, an intrauterine device, male and female condoms, injectables, an implant, vaginal barrier methods, the standard days method, lactational amenorrhea method and emergency contraception.

The researchers measured mCPR as the percentage of women who report themselves or their partners as currently using at least one modern contraceptive method. They define unmet need for modern methods as the percentage of women who want to stop or delay having a child but who are not currently using a modern method of contraception. Demand satisfied with modern methods is the proportion of women who want to stop or delay having a child and use a modern method of contraception.

The authors report that between 2012 and 2017 the number of women of reproductive age who are married or in a union who use modern methods increased by 28.8 million. Alkema and colleagues conclude that while "the estimate of additional users up to 2017 for women of reproductive age who are married or in a union would suggest that the 12020 goal for all women is overly ambitious, the aggregate outcomes mask the diversity in progress at the country level. We identified countries with accelerated progress that provide inspiration and guidance on how to increase the use of family planning and inform future efforts, especially in countries where progress has been poor."

The analysis was carried out for the world's poorest countries, which are the focus countries of the FP2020 initiative. The FP2020 initiative is an outcome of the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning, where more than 20 national governments made commitments to address the policy, financing, delivery of and socio-cultural barriers to women accessing contraceptive information, services and supplies. Donors pledged $2.6 billion in funding.

###

This work was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through a grant to UMass Amherst and Connecticut-based Avenir Health.
PITTSBURGH (December 5, 2017) ... Two junior faculty members in the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering were among a class of early-career researchers recognized for their nascent research in energy storage. James McKone and Christopher E. Wilmer, both Assistant Professors of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, along with their peers were honored as new Fellows at the first Scialog: Advanced Energy Storage meeting in Tucson, Arizona, Nov. 2-5, hosted by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement.

Drs. McKone and Wilmer were among Scialog's outstanding 58 early-career researchers from U.S. academic institutions. According to Scialog, these rising stars participated in intensive discussions aimed at developing proposals for seed funding of transformative energy storage systems and novel research ideas to greatly improve efficiencies in advanced batteries, supercapacitors and related systems.

Each Scialog brings together researchers from across traditional disciplinary boundaries - AES in this instance attracted chemists, engineers, materials scientists and physicists. Unlike most conferences, almost all the meeting time is devoted to carefully crafted breakout science discussions to explore novel ideas and develop a vibrant network of Scialog Fellows to advance basic research, which in turn can be applied to solve major societal problems.

"I am tremendously proud of James and Chris, who are among Pitt's outstanding young researchers in energy," noted Steven R. Little, the William Kepler Whiteford Professor and Department Chair of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. "Their exploration of next-generation energy storage systems not only broadens the University's portfolio, but also further establishes Pittsburgh as a nexus for energy R&D and innovation."

The conference yielded 35 competitive proposals, the most for any Scialog, created by teams of Fellows newly formed at the meeting. One of the goals of Scialog is to rapidly catalyze new collaborations, and members of each team are required not to have previously collaborated. Winning teams will be announced by the end of the year, according to RCSA Senior Program Director Richard Wiener.

"Research Corporation chose to focus on advanced energy storage," Dr. Wiener said, "because we believe this critical area of science requires major breakthroughs in fundamental understanding of electrochemical and physical processes that will lead to a new era of technological advance."

###

About Dr. McKone

Dr. McKone's research group studies fundamentals and applications of electrochemistry, photochemistry, and solid-state/materials chemistry with an emphasis on renewable energy and sustainability. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and music from Saint Olaf College in Northfield, MN and PhD in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he was advised by Harry Gray and Nathan Lewis. Prior to Pitt, Dr. McKone was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University under Hector D. Abruna and Francis J. DiSalvo.

About Dr. Wilmer

Dr. Wilmer's research focuses on the use of large-scale molecular simulations to help find promising materials for energy and environmental applications. He is the principal investigator of the Hypothetical Materials Lab at Pitt and leads his team in solving energy and environmental challenges with complex, hypothetical nanostructures called "molecular machines." He earned his bachelor's degree in applied science from the University of Toronto's Engineering Science--Nanoengineering program, and his PhD in Chemical Engineering at Northwestern under the mentorship of Randall Q. Snurr.

While at Northwestern, Dr. Wilmer took an interest in developing new technologies through entrepreneurship and co-founded NuMat Technologies, which designs porous materials that could be used to make better natural gas fuel tanks for vehicles. In 2012, the company won the Department of Energy's National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition, while Dr. Wilmer was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Energy. He has authored more than 20 publications and holds more than 500 article citations, and is cofounder of Ledger, the first peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. For more information visit Dr. Wilmer's website at http://www.wilmerlab.com.
A research group in Japan announced that it has quantified for the first time the impacts of three electron-scattering mechanisms for determining the resistance of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor devices in power semiconductor modules. The university-industry team consisting of researchers from the University of Tokyo and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has found that resistance under the SiC interface can be reduced by two-thirds by suppressing electron scattering by the charges, a discovery that is expected to help reduce energy consumption in electric power equipment by lowering the resistance of SiC power semiconductors.

Electric power equipment used in home electronics, industrial machinery, trains and other apparatuses requires a combination of maximized efficiency and minimized size. Mitsubishi Electric, a leading Japanese electronics and electrical equipment manufacturer, is accelerating use of SiC devices for power semiconductor modules, which are key components in electric power equipment. SiC power devices offer lower resistance than conventional silicon power devices, so to further lower their resistance it is important to understand correctly the characteristics of the resistance under the SiC interface.

"Until now, however, it had been difficult to measure separately resistance-limiting factors that determine electron scattering," says Satoshi Yamakawa, senior manager of the SiC Device Development Center at Mitsubishi Electric's Advanced Technology R&D Center.

Electron scattering focusing on atomic vibration was measured using technology from the University of Tokyo. The impact that charges and atomic vibration have on electron scattering under the SiC interface was revealed to be dominant in Mitsubishi Electric's analyses of fabricated devices. Although it has been recognized that electron scattering under the SiC interface is limited by three factors, namely, the roughness of the SiC interface, the charges under the SiC interface and the atomic vibration, the contribution of each factor had been unclear. A planar-type SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (SiC-MOSFET), in which electrons conduct away from the SiC interface to around several nanometers, was fabricated to confirm the impact of the charges.

"We were able to confirm at an unprecedented level that the roughness of the SiC interface has little effect while charges under the SiC interface and atomic vibration are dominant factors," says Koji Kita, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Engineering and one of scientists leading the research.

Using an earlier planar-type SiC-MOSFET device for comparison, resistance was reduced by two-thirds owing to suppression of electron scattering, which was achieved by making the electrons conduct away from the charges under the SiC interface. The previous planar-type device has the same interface structure as that of the SiC-MOSFET fabricated by the electronics maker.

For the test, Mitsubishi Electric handled the design, fabrication and analysis of the resistance-limiting factors and the University of Tokyo handled the measurement of electron-scattering factors.

"Going forward, we will continue refining the design and specifications of our SiC MOSFET to further lower the resistance of SiC power devices," says Mitsubishi Electric's Yamakawa.

This research achievement was announced at the 63rd International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco, California, on December 4, 2017.

###

Conference:

63rd International Electron Devices Meeting

Collaborating organization:

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Links:

Kita Research Group, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Advanced Technology R&D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Research contact:

Associate Professor Koji Kita

Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 JAPAN

Tel: 81-3-5841-7164

Fax: 81-3-5841-7164

Email: kita@scio.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Press contacts:

Yayoi Miyagawa

Public Relations Office, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 JAPAN

Tel: 81-3-5841-1790

Fax: 81-3-5841-0529

Email: kouhou@pr.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Niels Meinke

Public Relations Division

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Tel: 81-3-3218-2831

Email: prd.gnews@nk.MitsubishiElectric.co.jp

http://www.MitsubishiElectric.com/news/

About the University of Tokyo:

The University of Tokyo is Japan's leading university and one of the world's top research universities. The vast research output of some 6,000 researchers is published in the world's top journals across the arts and sciences. Our vibrant student body of around 15,000 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students includes over 2,000 international students. Find out more at http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/ or follow us on Twitter at @UTokyo_News_en.

About Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

With over 90 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment. Embracing the spirit of its corporate statement, Changes for the Better, and its environmental statement, Eco Changes, Mitsubishi Electric endeavors to be a global, leading green company, enriching society with technology. The company recorded consolidated group sales of 4,238.6 billion yen (US$37.8 billion*) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. For more information visit: http://www.MitsubishiElectric.com

*At an exchange rate of 112 yen to the US dollar, the rate given by the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market on March 31, 2017
What are crows saying when their loud cawing fills a dark winter's evening? Despite the inescapable ruckus, nobody knows for sure. Birds congregate daily before and after sleep, and they make some noise, but what might be happening in those brains is a mystery.

Curious about these raucous exchanges, researchers at the University of Washington Bothell are listening in. They are placing equipment on the roof of their building -- a meeting place for some of the thousands of crows that sleep in nearby campus trees -- and using a sort of computerized eavesdropping to study the relationship between calls and the birds' behavior.

"With audio alone, our team is able to localize and record the birds remotely, and in dim light that makes this situation less suitable for video tracking," said Shima Abadi, an assistant professor at UW Bothell's School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. "It's still a challenging task, but we can use the audio signals to look for patterns and learn more about what the birds may be communicating."

Abadi's background is in ocean acoustics; some of her previous research tracks whales using underwater microphones in the ocean water. For this project she teamed up with a colleague in biology who studies the local crow population with his undergraduate students.

"They're incredibly raucous, and make this cacophony every night, and people wonder: What are they saying? And that's a great question to ask on this campus," said Douglas Wacker, an assistant professor of biology at UW Bothell.

Wacker earned his UW doctorate studying song sparrows. After joining UW Bothell in 2012, it was only natural that he study the roughly 15,000 crows that migrate to the North Creek Wetlands on campus each evening in fall, winter and spring.

People walking through campus can't fail to hear the not-always-melodious sound of the birds.

"Crows make a variety of different calls, some of which we understand the functions of fairly well, and others not as well," Wacker said. "Their normal 'caw' calls are not necessarily well understood -- we don't know what information they might be conveying."

He and Abadi have nearby offices. They decided last year to collaborate on an interdisciplinary project that blends his biology background with her acoustics expertise.

While the field site on the roof of the faculty members' building is convenient, this project poses technical challenges. These crows call in a noisy environment, where it is tricky to separate their vocalizations from different birds and other surrounding sounds. What's more, crows are intelligent. They will change their behavior if they think humans are watching, or even if unfamiliar equipment is nearby.

That's why the high-tech approach, worthy of an avian CSI, is needed.

The team of mostly undergraduate students has been perfecting its audio recording technique. They placed four audio recorders in a 10-foot square in a parking lot, and then placed a speaker playing a crow call in one of the quadrants. The recorders have precise time stamps to calculate when the sound waves arrive, and then software compares the times to pinpoint where the sound was generated.

The students figured out a way to focus on the highest-quality audio to triple the accuracy of the source locations. They can now use the recordings to locate the source of the call to within 6-12 inches, or about the size of a bird.

About 50 to 100 crows might assemble in the pre-roost gathering at dusk on the roof of the science building. Their incessant cawing during flight quietens to just the occasional outburst while on the roof. With Abadi's help, the team is working to develop a user interface and computer techniques that pick out particular calls, so they do not have to manually pick through hours of cawing but can focus on the most interesting events.

Derek Flett, a senior undergraduate student in mechanical engineering, will describe the team's efforts Dec. 5 at the Acoustical Society of America's annual meeting in New Orleans.

This winter they plan to use the equipment in the wild -- that is, on the roof -- to monitor real groups of crows. Eventually they hope to combine the audio surveillance with video, so they could study how birds might react to particular sounds.

They have also begun to test their theories by playing particular calls and then seeing whether the crows react in the predicted manner.

The idea that the calls contain meaning is plausible, Wacker said. The number of caws, or the length of the pauses between caws, could say something about food sources or possible dangers.

"If a bee can do a dance to tell other bees where food is located, then certainly a highly intelligent bird -- in a family with other bird species that are capable of insight learning, recognizing themselves in a mirror, recognizing faces and passing that information on to subsequent generations -- could be capable of communicating complex information," Wacker said.

The other co-author on the work being presented in December is Virdie Guy, an undergraduate in mechanical engineering. The research was funded by a UW Royalty Research Fund.

###

For more information, contact:

Wacker

425-352-3723

dwacker@uw.edu

Abadi

425-352-3835

abadi@uw.edu
Petrol bomb explodes at NC district Prezs house

A Molotov cocktail went off at the house of Nepali Congress (NC) Kapilvastu district president Dunika Prasad Bhusal at Kopuwa in Banganga Municipality of Kapilvastu district on Monday night.
Police open fire in Bardiya after fracas over distributing money to voters

Police resorted to baton-charge and air-firing in Bardiya district following a heated dispute between cadres of Nepali Congress and left alliance on Monday night.
Tuesday, December 5, 2017

PublicRelay

As technology brings stakeholders closer to their beloved brands, the immediate and direct communication platforms intended to nurture the brand-stakeholder relationship are leaving little room for miscalculated brand communication strategies. Add to that the propagation of social media newsfeeds that are extending the lifecycle of news, which can spotlight and prolong any misalignments.



Just in the past year, weve seen an iconic beverage brand miss its mark with a controversial commercial, a groundbreaking international restaurant chain still reeling from a food-safety crisis, and a consumer credit reporting company suffering reputational damage from a security breach. To respond effectively to such instances and navigate tactfully through news cycles, its essential that communications strategies are insight-driven and that business executives are maintaining a focus on stakeholder sentiment. This way of thinking is essential to the success of media communicators tasked with cultivating a brands voice and building a positive brand perception.



Below are four goals from best in class brand communicators. Aim for these goals in order to effectively act and react to evolving stakeholder sentiment and news cycles:

1. Influence, Align and Incorporate Business Objectives into Brand Communications

Good brand communicators dont just create positive publicity. They create meaningful media coverage, real relationships and stakeholder sentiment that aligns with and supports broader business objectives. By tying communications strategies back to corporate goals (such as growing thought leadership in a key area, improving corporate social responsibility or improving customer/investor perceptions), proactive professionals can improve brand value and deliver relevant and impactful results. In todays environment, this requires business objectives and media communications strategies to work in synergy, influencing one another. Business leaders must recognize these strategies as a means to empower the company brand and meet corporate goals.

2. Get to Know ALL of Your Audiences

With a business mindset in hand, a successful communicator can turn their attention to stakeholder engagement. The first step is for the media communications team to utilize all available market and customer intelligence to gather as much intel as possible about their most important audiences. Recognizing who is the recipient of the intended message is crucial to crafting a strategic campaign.



In the past, media communicators relied merely on demographic data. Today, we must be more granular  not only to identify stakeholder drivers, but also to unveil and pinpoint niche audience groups that werent traceable before. Simply relying on generic characteristics isnt enough to determine factors that influence stakeholder behavior and interests, which are essential for any strategy to be truly targeted. Armed with this intelligence, PR strategists can now deconstruct the audience profile  whats important to them, what their brand demands are, what the customer concerns are  thus creating a more intimate experience with consumers. By mining the data in such a way, intelligence morphs into targeted action that can drive results or mitigate damage should a crisis break.

3. Hack the Media Landscape by Tracking Sentiment and Adjusting

Once you visualize the end goal and understand all of the characteristics that make up your most important stakeholders, you need to assess the battlefield. The 247 news cycle is constantly reacting, responding and keeping up with viewers and readers attention span. Therefore, to penetrate the morphing cycle, its essential to assess the opportunities and most effective strategies and activities to align with media narratives.

This is where media sentiment is essential to detect the lifecycle of news. Deciphering the tone and sentiment of coverage provides context to news cycles, as it provides a more granular understanding of authors and outlets  what issues are spiking their interest or what type of stories are prompting them to veer from their traditional reporting style. For example, detecting sarcasm in a reporters story is an indicator of the level of interest and engagement attaching them to the issue and the potential of follow-up or additional stories that your brand can pursue. By contextualizing content and media interest, we can envision how a brands intended message fits in, adjusting its delivery accordingly.

4. Rethink How You Measurement Efficacy of Your Media Communications Strategy



How does a good brand communicator determine if their media strategy hit the mark? Or if they reacted adequately to or recovered from a publicity issue? Once media campaigns are complete, its time to provide the boardroom with a clear and concise view of the effect on corporate strategy. If campaigns are data-driven, data-based evaluation is built in from the beginning, making it easier and more accurate.



For many years, communicators would measure their outcomes in a simple numeric form  a number of hits, a percentage of the industry narrative, etc. But as PR strategies work in lockstep with the boardroom, its not enough to simply deliver a metrics report thats overwhelmed with disparate numbers. Instead, it must present measurable outcomes, weaving data points into context and correlating the data with the stated business goals. In other words, yesterday one would present a coverage report; today they must explain the value of the results, translate the report into a context of corporate goals and measure a campaigns impact on the brand-stakeholder relationship. By adding context to these metrics, they become relevant to business leaders and support the boards decision-making process.



However, measurement is more than a look backward after the completion of a campaign to evaluate the outcomes; its an active tool during a campaign that helps determine if a course correction is needed, identifying whats working and what isnt, in order to readjust your strategy in real time. The longer you measure against business goals like brand and reputation drivers, the better able you become to predict outcomes.



If moving the needle is the expectation a good brand communicator starts off with, then measuring the grounds gained is the qualifier of a media campaigns success, once it crosses the finish line.

Get Real Media Intelligence About Your Brand Communications

Ready to take your media intelligence to the next level? PublicRelay uses a combination of cutting edge technology and expert human analysis to deliver media intelligence you can count on. Top brand communications rely on us to track the progress of their media strategies.

Contact PublicRelay today to get started!
From: Michelle Dim-St. Pierre For Immediate Release: Dateline: Atlanta , GA Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Being Tactful ?Facebook, the giant tool of social media, keeps many of us busy all day long. It was not long ago that people spent time on Facebook trying to reconnect with the worldpeople searched for others from their past and quickly brought them to their present. Nowadays, Facebook serves as a place where people market themselves or their business, while others find it as a comfort zone where they can express themselves or find sympathy. Sure enough, in no time, people learned everything about everyoneyuck. About three months ago an acquaintance of mine posted on Facebook. As I read the post, I noticed that he made a significant spelling error. It was not an autocorrect error or a typo It was a mistake.



Finally, I sent him a private message, telling him he should edit his post so it would be errorless. I even went as far as to include in my message what would be the right word to use. I reread my message several times and finally pushed the button to send it. ontemplated whether I should bring this to his attention. I didnt want to hurt his feelings or embarrass him in public.Finally, I sent him a private message, telling him he should edit his post so it would be errorless. I even went as far as to include in my message what would be the right word to use. I reread my message several times and finally pushed the button to send it. Seconds later, my Facebook friend sent me a message, thanking me for bringing this spelling issue to his attention. Similar to that incident, look what happened to me. Two days ago, I posted my Blog #50 late at night. As always, I included a few photos to create a more attractive blog. The next day an acquaintance of mine posted a comment to my blog page stating, Watch your grammar dear. Wow, that was loud, I thought. I rushed to check my blog and noticed that one of the images I included had text in itand it had a grammatical error. Obviously, she was right. Not only was there a grammar mistake, but also as an author, I shouldnt post anything that doesnt convey proper English. I kept my response to her on the lighter side as I tried to put some humor in it and also admitted guiltIt is not my English lol. But you are right, I shouldnt have posted it. I was sure that this would satisfy her, and decided not to replace the image. The correct way: ARE SWEET.



Surprisingly, that was not the case. The picky acquaintance had more to say. She went on and on, hanging me in public. At that point, I found it more than just loudI thought it was rude. I replied to her post, telling her to move on, that she made her point very clear and that there was no need continue. Not only did I think she was rude, but I was also upset. What got to me the most was that juvenile game of Ping-Pong that I went through with her. Surprisingly, that was not the case. The picky acquaintance had more to say. She went on and on, hanging me in public. At that point, I found it more than just loudI thought it was rude. I replied to her post, telling her to move on, that she made her point very clear and that there was no need continue. Not only did I think she was rude, but I was also upset. What got to me the most was that juvenile game of Ping-Pong that I went through with her. Finally, I put my emotions aside and hid the entire dialog with her so that no one else would see it.



Apparently, removing it from my page didnt wipe it off my heart or from my memory. People are odd, I thought. Does she go around commenting on every grammatical mistake she sees on Facebook? Because that would require more hours than a full-time job.

What I truly wanted to tell her is that you dont build yourself a hill by digging a hole for someone else.



What would you do? Would you bring it to someones attention in a private or public?





Michelle


Tuesday, December 5, 2017

PR Genome Webinar

Webinar Overview

2017 was the year of AI. Suddenly, it seems like every marketer has an artificial intelligence strategy, every tech company is pitching its AI capabilities, and every agency is boasting about its AI capabilities. Lets get real though. How are AI and machine learning impacting the communications field? How are PR professionals using it, and what applications of it will be most relevant over the course of the decade? How will it change media relations, and how wont it? Will AI be used to craft releases, create pitch strategies, generate content, and even serve as your next boss? These panelists will give a sense of whats really coming in 2018 and beyond.

Moderator

David Berkowitz David Berkowitz

Chief Strategy Officer

Sysomos

David Berkowitz is the chief strategy officer of Sysomos, the insights-driven social platform. His previous roles include serving as chief marketing officer at Publicis Groupe agency MRY and vice president of emerging media at Dentsu agency 360i. Mr. Berkowitz has contributed more than 500 columns to outlets such as Advertising Age, MediaPost, and VentureBeat, and he has penned his Serial Marketer blog since 2005. He has spoken at more than 300 events globally. | Follow David:

Panel

Rowan Benecke Rowan Benecke

Global Chair, Worldwide Technology Practice

Burson-Marsteller

Rowan Benecke is the Chair of Burson-Marstellers Global Technology Practice. As a member of Burson-Marstellers global executive leadership team, Rowan is responsible for the overall strategic direction, business management, client relations and team development of the agencys Technology Practice across dozens of offices in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Rowan specializes in partnering with senior executive teams to tell compelling stories about their brands, customers and products within the context of technology trends and issues that drive global business. He has more than 20 years of experience developing award-winning strategic communications programs for consumer and technology brands in the United States, Asia and Europe.

Rowan has managed communications campaigns for a broad range of established and emerging brands around the world. His current client work includes leading Burson-Marstellers global relationships with Avaya, Huawei, Intel, Oracle and Zebra Technologies.

Rowan previously held executive management roles in North America, EMEA and APAC with other leading global agencies while living in New York, Madrid, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Sydney, Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago. Rowan is now based in New York City. | Follow Rowan: @rowanbenecke

Allyson Hugley

President, Measurement and Analytics Practice

Weber Shandwick

Allyson Hugley is the President of Weber Shandwicks Measurement and Analytics Practice. Her responsibilities include leading measurement and analytics work across the global network, spearheading agency thought-leadership in this area and providing analytics and insights counsel to the agencys top global accounts. Allyson is a frequent speaker at PR industry conferences, as well as being a guest lecturer at New York University and The City College of New York on the topic of PR measurement and analytics.

Since joining Weber Shandwick in 2011, she has led analytics and program evaluation projects for clients across a variety of sectors including financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and materials, government, telecommunications, and consumer packaged goods. She has also developed award-winning communications research and evaluation programs.

Allyson is a member of the Market Research Council (MRC) and the former co-Chair for the North American chapter of the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communications (AMEC). She has also served on AMECs board of directors. The Network Journal recognized Allyson among the 25 most influential black women in business for 2015. This year, she was also recognized by PR News as one of the Top Women in PR and inducted into their PR Measurement Hall of Fame. In 2012, she was listed among PRWeeks Top 40 under 40. That same year, she received an honorable mention for PR News Measurement Person of the Year.

Prior to joining Weber Shandwick, Allyson was the Senior Vice President of Insight Creation at MSLGROUP and before that a research manager at Scholastic. She started her career at RoperASW (now GfK), where she was a senior research director responsible for consumer intelligence, corporate communications, message effectiveness and audience measurement research. | Follow Allyson:

Scott Varland

SVP, Marketing Innovation

M Booth

Scott came to M Booth with more than 15 years of experience developing branded marketing and building experiences to span the web, mobile and emerging platforms. He has created award winning campaigns and products for clients including MillerCoors, Kia, LOreal, Sony, Red Bull and HBO.

As SVP Marketing Innovation, Scott is responsible for guiding clients from strategy to execution across an ever expanding set of consumer touch-points. Prior to joining M Booth, Scott led the Creative Technology teams at IPG Media Lab and Ansible Worldwide, two special business units within IPG Mediabrands. He also co-founded Socialbomb, a venture-backed product development studio focused on mobile, social and second screen applications and experiences. Socialbomb was first to market with a Facebook integrated photo sharing application for iPhone, and went on to build products and web applications for dozens of clients ranging from TV networks and CPG brands to the U.S. government. In May of 2013, Socialbomb was acquired by Refinery29, a media and lifestyle brand. | Follow Scott:
Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Sometimes its better to hop off the treadmill.

My colleague and friend Ann Latham is a pro at creating effective meetings. One of her secrets is to ensure that everyone is always moving forward toward an identified goal. No wheel-spinning allowed! So when I read her recent post about treadmill verbs and how they bog down meetings, I immediately drew a parallel to philanthropy.

Treadmill verbs describe those actions that can bog us down and keep us from moving forward  all in the name of doing good work. Youll doubtless recognize words like learn, review, study, and plan. Destination verbs, on the other hand, are words that describe forward movement and accomplishment. Think of words like approve, decide, confirm.

Its not that philanthropy doesnt require a good dose of treadmill verb activity. As grantmakers, we need to plan, scan, meet, discuss, listen, review and more in order to do our work effectively. The problem comes when we continue to engage in these activities and are unable to move past them. Hence, were stuck on a treadmill of our own making rather than making forward strides.

Think of your work as a journey. Focus on your destination, what you want to accomplish (whether in a multi-year grant initiative or in todays meeting), and how youll know when youve arrived. Then, think about the activities (verbs) that will speed you down the path youve laid out, and which will keep you running in place.

Heres a challenge:

Take a look at the list of treadmill verbs and destination verbs below. Feel free to add your own to either list. Pay attention to how often you hear or say each of them in the context of your work over the next week or so. Then, start inserting destination verbs into your own conversations in place of treadmill verbs whenever you can.

My bet is that youll begin to see some movement and forward momentum where things may have stalled out before!

Treadmill verbs

Conduct due diligence

Learn

Report

Review

Listen

Discuss

Meet

Scan

Communicate*

Disseminate*

Plan

Facilitate

Weigh

Destination verbs

Approve

Decide

Authorize

Agree

Confirm

Impact

Change

Arrive

Share*

Elect

Fund

Leverage

*Some verbs can be either treadmill verbs or destination verbs, depending on the context.

Again, its not that treadmill verbs are bad activities  we need them to do our work thoroughly and effectively. But when too much of our time and effort are spent on treadmill verb activities, we deny ourselves the ability to deliver the kind of impact we want and our communities deserve. So get off that treadmill and make some real strides!

 2017 Kris Putnam-Walkerly. All rights reserved. Permission granted to excerpt or reprint with attribution.

______________________________________________________________________

Kris Putnam-Walkerly, MSW, has helped to transform the impact of top global philanthropies for over 18 years. A member of the Million Dollar Consultant Hall of Fame and named one of Americas Top 25 Philanthropy Speakers. Author of the award-winning book Confident Giving: Sage Advice for Funders, which was named one of The 10 Best Corporate Social Responsibility Books. For more ways to improve your giving, visit Putnam Consulting Group.

______________________________________________________________________

Could You Benefit From a Trusted Advisor?

Kris Putnam-Walkerly serves as a trusted advisor to foundation leaders and high-wealth donors across the globe. As an advisor, Kris transfers learning to leaders and their teams so they build their own internal capacity to be successful in their work. Whether you are the CEO of a larger foundation, the sole staff member charged with decision-making, or a high-net worth donor, the questions Kris can address cover a broad spectrum of professional and personal issues.

Kriss clients report immediate and dramatic improvement in both personal performance and philanthropic impact. As an advising client, youll have unlimited access to Kris during regular business hours by phone, Skype, email and, when desired, face to face. With over 18 years of experience working with top global philanthropies, Kris understands how to build an impactful organization that integrates your philanthropic passions and the challenges that must be overcome to get there.

Learn more about this and other services offered or contact Kris today to begin a trusted advisor relationship.

Delusional Altruism Diagnostic Quiz

Is your philanthropy suffering from Delusional Altruism?

Although you and your organization may have the best of intentions, you may be unintentionally impeding your philanthropic effectiveness.

Weve designed an evaluation tool just for you: Our Delusional Altruism Diagnostic (DAD) shows you where you may be coming up short and where youre already doing things right.

In just a few minutes, you can complete the DAD yourself or with your team. I guarantee that by completing this diagnostic quiz, youll have a better understanding of how delusional altruism is manifesting itself in your organization so you can start eliminating it.

Take the Delusional Altruism Diagnostic Now
From: American Evaluation Association (AEA) For Immediate Release: Dateline: Washington , DC Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Carolyn Camman, Christopher Cook, Andrew Leyland, Suzie OShea, and Angela Towle of the UBC Learning Exchange, which is a little bit of the University of British Columbia in the heart of Vancouvers Downtown Eastside (DTES). Its a bridge for mutual understanding and learning between the University and a neighbourhood rich in community, art, and history, but whose residents face challenges, including homelessness, poverty, gentrification, and stigma. The UBC Learning Exchange acts as a member of the community, giving back to residents through community-based programming alongside experiential learning opportunities for students and support for community-based research.

The Learning Lab supports members of the DTES community to engage in activities and scale-up their involvement by offering creative and educational activities in a flexible, low barrier format. In keeping with the arts-based principles of the Learning Lab and community engagement mission of the Learning Exchange, when it came time to make the results of a recent evaluation accessible to a community audience, the answer was obvious: put on a show!

Voices UP! is a theatrical performance co-written and co-performed with the community members who contributed to the original evaluation. It not only communicated evaluation results, but deepened the evaluation itself. Through writing and performing the play, the cast learned more about evaluation and shared new stories and insights. Over its four-performance run from Spring 2016 to Fall 2017, the show evolved and grew.

Hot Tip: Theres growing interest in using arts-based methods in evaluation. Live theatre is a dynamic and engaging approach that encourages people to connect with findings viscerally and immediately as part of a dialogue between performers and audience. In post-performance talk-back, one person said, It was neat to hear the participants reflecting on what they had just done as well as what it meant to them to be a part of it. Another commented that seeing the impact of the program was more persuasive than reading about it from a report or grant application.

Lessons Learned: A performance doesnt have to be polished or professional to be effective. Community members speaking in their own words is powerful and there are many creative techniques (like puppets!) that can bring evaluation findings to life. Having a conversation with the cast and giving introductions to audiences before performances about different ways theatre can look helped set appropriate expectations.

Rad Resources: To keep Voices UP! going even after the curtains come down for the last time, the Learning Exchange staff and cast of program patrons came together to tell their story one last time, this time in a comic book. You can download this resource online for free:



About AEA The American Evaluation Association is an international professional association and the largest in its field. Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products and organizations to improve their effectiveness. AEAs mission is to improve evaluation practices and methods worldwide, to increase evaluation use, promote evaluation as a profession and support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action. For more information about AEA, visit www.eval.org. Hello! We areandof the UBC Learning Exchange, which is a little bit of the University of British Columbia in the heart of Vancouvers Downtown Eastside (DTES). Its a bridge for mutual understanding and learning between the University and a neighbourhood rich in community, art, and history, but whose residents face challenges, including homelessness, poverty, gentrification, and stigma. The UBC Learning Exchange acts as a member of the community, giving back to residents through community-based programming alongside experiential learning opportunities for students and support for community-based research.The Learning Lab supports members of the DTES community to engage in activities and scale-up their involvement by offering creative and educational activities in a flexible, low barrier format. In keeping with the arts-based principles of the Learning Lab and community engagement mission of the Learning Exchange, when it came time to make the results of a recent evaluation accessible to a community audience, the answer was obvious: put on a show!Voices UP! is a theatrical performance co-written and co-performed with the community members who contributed to the original evaluation. It not only communicated evaluation results, but deepened the evaluation itself. Through writing and performing the play, the cast learned more about evaluation and shared new stories and insights. Over its four-performance run from Spring 2016 to Fall 2017, the show evolved and grew.Theres growing interest in using arts-based methods in evaluation. Live theatre is a dynamic and engaging approach that encourages people to connect with findings viscerally and immediately as part of a dialogue between performers and audience. In post-performance talk-back, one person said, It was neat to hear the participants reflecting on what they had just done as well as what it meant to them to be a part of it. Another commented that seeing the impact of the program was more persuasive than reading about it from a report or grant application.A performance doesnt have to be polished or professional to be effective. Community members speaking in their own words is powerful and there are many creative techniques (like puppets!) that can bring evaluation findings to life. Having a conversation with the cast and giving introductions to audiences before performances about different ways theatre can look helped set appropriate expectations.To keep Voices UP! going even after the curtains come down for the last time, the Learning Exchange staff and cast of program patrons came together to tell their story one last time, this time in a comic book. You can download this resource online for free: http://learningexchange.ubc.ca/voicesupcomic It was created using the same participatory process as the original performance and tells the story of how Voices UP! came to be, with tips and insights for anyone interested in using theatre methods to tell their evaluation story. Look up readers theatre and ethnodrama for more ideas about turning evaluation and research into plays.Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org . aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.


From: Ad Council For Immediate Release: Dateline: New York , NY Tuesday, December 5, 2017







Every year, we recognize the industries and individuals who support the Ad Council and our public service campaigns at our Annual Public Service Award Dinner, but this year we wanted to do more than that.

We wanted to make sure we recognized the everyday individuals who have been personally impacted by the work that we do  putting a human face to the large-scale issues we deal with and providing inspiration to change-makers everywhere.

Through the power of cinematography and detailed storytelling, we highlighted four inspiring women from our campaigns  Ashley Garcia (Adoption from Foster Care), Samantha Jacobs (Hunger Prevention), Jeannette McCoy (Love Has No Labels) and Ella Griffith-Tager (Learning & Attention Issues)  who have made a difference not only in their own lives, but are also creating a brighter future for others.

If you think your single voice doesnt count, remember these remarkable stories, Lisa Sherman, President and CEO, The Ad Council, said. Each of these remarkable women have transformed adversity into strength, they remind us why we act and of the worlds incredible capacity for good.

To see their uplifting stories, check out the videos below, and have some tissues ready!

Ashley Garcia Rivera

Samantha Jacobs

Jeannette McCoy

Ella Griffith-Tager

The post

Every year, we recognize the industries and individuals who support the Ad Council and our public service campaigns at our Annual Public Service Award Dinner, but this year we wanted to do more than that.We wanted to make sure we recognized the everyday individuals who have been personally impacted by the work that we do  putting a human face to the large-scale issues we deal with and providing inspiration to change-makers everywhere.Through the power of cinematography and detailed storytelling, we highlighted four inspiring women from our campaigns  Ashley Garcia (Adoption from Foster Care), Samantha Jacobs (Hunger Prevention), Jeannette McCoy (Love Has No Labels) and Ella Griffith-Tager (Learning & Attention Issues)  who have made a difference not only in their own lives, but are also creating a brighter future for others.If you think your single voice doesnt count, remember these remarkable stories, Lisa Sherman, President and CEO, The Ad Council, said. Each of these remarkable women have transformed adversity into strength, they remind us why we act and of the worlds incredible capacity for good.To see their uplifting stories, check out the videos below, and have some tissues ready!Ashley was adopted from foster care at the age of 16  a time when she assumed she was too old to be adopted. With the help of her mom, Ashley then started Suitcases of Hope, a charity dedicated to providing necessities and encouragement to foster children and teens.Samantha is a mother of three who depends on a local food pantry to help feed her family. Shes on a mission to show the human side of the hunger epidemic in the United States and assist those who are going through the same situation as her family.Jeannette recently starred in the Ad Councils Emmy-nominated Fans of Love PSA for Love Has No Labels. As a Puerto Rican lesbian woman and a survivor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, she champions diversity and inclusion.Twelve-year-old Ella dreams of being a rocket scientist one day, and shes not letting her dyslexia hold her back. In fact, she has become an advocate for others with learning and attention issues and has taught college students about what its like to have dyslexia.The post Why We Love What We Do: The People Behind Our PSA Campaigns appeared first on AdLibbing.org


SALEM, Ohio  Livestock producers now have extra time to report their livestock emissions to the federal EPA, although they should probably begin working on their recordkeeping.

A federal appeals court has granted an extension of the reporting deadline, giving producers until Jan. 22 to report their livestock emissions, if those same emissions fall under EPAs hazardous substances list.

For farmers, the two most likely hazardous substances are ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. If emissions exceed the 100-pound threshold, farmers are required to notify the EPA within 24 hours, through its National Response Center.

The rule is part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA).

The EPA had sought an exemption for most farms, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down the EPA ruling in April 2017. The deadline had previously been Nov. 15, but the EPA announced it would not require reporting until the court released its ruling on the extension.

How to calculate

The big question is how do you track livestock emissions and how do you calculate the exact amount. The calculation differs based on the type of animal you keep, the type of setup at each farm and how waste is handled.

There is a tremendous amount of variation on that, said Maurice Eastridge, an Ohio State University dairy specialist.

Acceptable calculation

The EPA, trade groups and land grant universities are working on some acceptable calculations farmers can use. You can learn more by visiting their websites or working with your states livestock association.

The EPA provides specific formulas farmers can use to calculate emissions, but at the same time, admits that calculations will be difficult.

EPA recognizes that it will be challenging for farmers to report releases from animal wastes because there is no generally accepted methodology for estimating emission quantities at this time, according to the EPA website. EPA understands that farmers may need to report their releases in broad ranges that reflect the high degree of uncertainty and variability of these releases.

For the most available information, visit www.epa.gov/epcra/cercla-and- epcra-reporting-requirements- air-releases-hazardous- substances-animal-waste-farms.
COLUMBUS  The American Guernsey Association is partnering with Holstein Association USA to appraise Guernsey cattle throughout the United States.

The new multi-breed classification program will be conducted by Holstein association trained appraisers and coordinated with the two breed associations staff jointly to provide an opportunity for more Guernsey breeders to classify cows on a regular schedule.

We have been exploring this program with Holstein since July following our national convention meeting, said Doug Granitz, American Guernsey Association CEO/executive secretary. The process has shown clearly to us that Holstein is committed to a multi-breed program which will value and ensure the integrity of the uniqueness of the Guernsey breed.

He said the partnership will give the Guernsey breed access to a wide range of state-of-the-art services and feedback to members so that they can make informed breeding and management decisions.

Their current program aligns nicely with our own breakdowns and offers in depth trait breakdowns and research traits that will provide more information for our breed and breeders.

Begin in February

Training sessions will be scheduled this winter for Holstein Association USA classifiers, under the direction of members of the Guernsey type committee.

Holstein Association USA classifiers will begin scoring in select Guernsey herds in February, with the full schedule instituted in March. Additional training will be held at the Holstein Association USA classifier conference this spring.

A full multi-breed classification schedule, as well as a linear traits brochure is available on the usguernsey.com website.
Poll deployments hit essential services

Essential services in Bardiya have been affected after the District Election Office mobilised government staffers, including health workers, on election assignments.
The ADBA Scottish National Conference returns in March to Edinburgh at a time of major shifts in the UK and abroad.



It will be a timely opportunity to bring together the Scottish AD community to discuss pressing issues, growing opportunities and policy changes that specifically affect the Scottish AD industry.

FarmingUK assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this page.

The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis, and should be independently verified before travel.
Unauthorised mountain bike trails in Scotland are presenting problems for farmers and rural estates, according to an initiative exploring the issue.

Problems created by the unauthorised construction of mountain bike trails in Scotland is being highlighted in a new awareness campaign.

Care for the Countryside, an initiative organised by Scottish Land & Estates, is warning of the safety risks posed by poorly constructed self-built trails.

The past decade has witnessed the popularity of mountain biking in Scotland reach an all-time high, with purpose built facilities alongside Scotlands liberal access laws contributing to a boom in interest from riders of all ages.

However, this period has also seen an increase in the number of unauthorised trails, obstacles and jumps being built by riders themselves on rural estates and farmland.

They are often created with limited knowledge of how this might affect other users, the potential environmental damage and the range of mountain bikers who might use the trail.

Liable

As well as potentially proving dangerous for riders, unauthorised trails present a liability for businesses and landowners who are duty-bound to risk assess the trail and develop a management strategy.

This could involve removing any inappropriately dangerous obstacles from their land once discovered.

Without following a due process, farmers and landowners could face the risk of being held liable should an accident occur.

Building trails, even if it is only using hand tools, is not covered in either the Land Reform Act or the Scottish Outdoor Access Code  and cannot be considered as responsible access.

One estate that has experience of mountain biking is Sutherland Estate, near Golspie, which had experienced footpaths being more heavily used by mountain bikers. In response to the demand, new signage was erected to focus access takers onto certain routes on the estate.

Proposals were also brought forward for a purpose-built mountain biking facility, which was developed through a community company, Highland Wildcat. Since Highland Wildcat was established in 2005, over 18km of trail has been constructed at a cost of 600,000.

'Not fit for purpose'

Bruce Taylor of Scottish Woodlands, who manages the Sutherland Forest Estate at Golspie, said the Highland Wildcat trails have been a "huge success" over the last decade.

The estate recognised there was an issue with mountain bikes being used on walking routes and that demand existed for better facilities for riders. Not every estate will be able to enable such a development on their land, but it is worthwhile to try and work through the issues where a positive outcome can be achieved.

Karen Ramoo, Policy Officer at Scottish Land & Estates, said that whilst the popularity of mountain biking in Scotland in recent years has been welcomed by rural communities, there are association issues.

Mountain bikings popularity brings with it associated issues for farms and estates, however. We have witnessed a significant increase in riders constructing their own unauthorised trails and we are concerned that these trails are not fit for purpose and can present a real danger to riders and to other access takers, Ms Ramoo said.

A landowner could be liable if a trail was discovered and they didnt apply an appropriate management to the trail, leading to a rider or other access taker sustaining an injury. It can also present a real problem in terms of caring for trees, land and biodiversity.
@haiderkhanhaider I don't know whether to thank you for this picture or for ensuring I keep the towel on :)

A post shared by Vidyut Jammwal (@mevidyutjammwal) on Aug 29, 2017 at 12:25am PDT
Shashi Kapoor Was A Thorough Gentleman

Asha Parekh who worked with him in films like Pyaar Ka Mausam, Kanyadaan and others told Quint, "What a lovely thoughtful courteous and kind person. Shashi Kapoor was a thorough gentleman. Not just me, he looked after all his heroines so beautifully".

Shooting Memories

"I think I did four films with him. Out of these, two films Nasir Husain's Pyar Ka Mausam and Mohan Sehgal's Kanyadan are remembered to this day... I remember during the shooting of Kanyadan in Kulu, I strayed into the wilderness with some of the crew. Shashiji came looking for us. He was so upset that we had wandered away. Anything could've happened because there are bear roaming in the area."

A Chivalrous Hero

Asha was quoted as saying, "I've seldom come across a more caring and chivalrous hero. I had the privilege of working with both Shammi and Shashi Kapoor. They both were unique, so different from one another. And they both had a great sense of rhythm".

Girls Just Swooned Over Him

"I remember his absolutely out-of-this-world sense of rhythm in the song Ni sultana re pyaar ka mausam aaya... Girls just swooned when Shashiji danced. And he had the most amazing marriage. His wife Jennifer Kapoor was just the most perfect wife I had ever seen. She looked after her husband and after all of us when we were shooting together."

He Lost His Will To Look After Himself After His Wife Passed Away

"I think Shashiji lost his will to look after himself after his wife passed away. It was sad to see him suffer so much in his final years. He was on dialysis, just like his brother Shammiji before him. I had gone to see him in hospital a few years ago with my friends Waheeda Rehman and Nanda."

It Was Heartbreaking To See Him On A Wheelchair

"The last time I met him was when he got the Dada Phalke Sahib award. He had become so frail. To see my hero who out-danced me in Pyaar Ka Mausam on a wheelchair was heartbreaking. Shashi Kapoor was the last of my heroes. Now they are all gone."

Is Shashiji Really Gone?

Zeenat Aman who shared screen space with him in films like Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan said, "Oh my God! Is Shashiji really gone? I did some of my most enjoyable and unforgettable films with him."

Her Earliest Memories Of Shashi Kapoor

"I remember when I was studying at the St Joseph's Convent. Shashiji came with his wife to perform a play in our school. All of us schoolgirls were in a swoon. He was devastatingly handsome. Later he lived down the same road as me. And we'd bump into one another."

He Was A Terrific Co-Star

"I think the first film that we worked on together was Roti Kapada Aur Makaan. It was a very important film for me. And Shashiji was a terrific co-star in what was a very complex role for me with shades of grey. The film was a big hit."

He Was A Veteran Of Comic Timing

"The one that we had most fun with was Chori Mera Kaam a few years later. It was a comedy and we improvised like crazy almost every scene was filled with dialogues that we thought up on the spot. Shashiji was a veteran of comic timing. I was new to comedy. But because he was so supportive I could pull it off. That was what defined Shashiji's attitude: a sense of ongoing generosity towards his co-stars."

The Satyam Shivam Sundaram Chronicles

"My God! What an uproar that film created. Shooting the film was not easy. I remember Raj Saab kept calling Shashiji a taxi'. He meant the number of films that Shashiji was doing at that time. Rajji very firmly told Shashiji he didn't want the taxi'. He wanted Shashiji's full attention. Both of us had to be fully focused on this one film. Every gesture every nuance every movement of Shashiji and I were done by Raaj Saab. He would tell us where to stand, how to walk, how to sit... everything. We were mere puppets. The approach to our roles in Satyam Shivum Sunderam was quite the opposite to what we did in Chori Mere Kaam".

When Shashi Kapoor Was Shy About Taking Off His Shirt

"I remember Shashiji was shy about taking off his shirt under the waterfall in Satyam Shivam Sunderam when were shooting the song Yashomatimaiya. He didn't think he had the physique to pull it off."

Zeenat Aman On Her Last Encounter With Shashi Kapoor

"I last met him at the Prithvi Theatre when he was honoured for receiving the Dada Phalke award. Though he was unwell I could see the look of warm recognition in his eyes. He held my hand warmly and I knew he remembered all the wonderful times we had shared while shooting."

It's A Friend I Have Lost

Sharmila Tagore worked with him in movies like Waqt, Suhana Safar, Aa Gale Lag Jaa and others shared with Indian Express, "I knew Shashi for a long time, I'd say we were friends. So today, it's a friend I have lost. I had just started dating Tiger (Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi) when we were shooting for Aamne Samne (1967) in Shimla. Tiger visited me on the sets where he met Shashi; they instantly became friends. Later, we three also spent time together in Africa, while shooting for My Love (1970)."

The Fun Banter

"On the sets, we would indulge in a lot of banter. He would introduce himself saying, Hi, I am Shashi Kapoor, and I would say, So sorry to hear that'."

A Kind Human Being

"I learnt a lot from Shashi. He had the habit of talking to everyone, from the technicians to the electricians. One day, I was asked if I could shoot for longer than planned and I refused. He told me that if I could extend, the junior artistes will get paid for another half shift. That made me realise that filmmaking was also about crew members other than the stars."

He Wasn't The Same Person After Jennifer's Death

"Amitabh Bachchan was supposed to do Utsav (1984) but when he had an injury, Shashi stepped in. He also produced the film. He picked projects that were different and of a certain quality. He had a vision and understanding of what is good.

He later went through tough times, when he owed people a lot of money. It took some time but he paid them all back. He was an honourable man who is loved by everyone in the industry, not one person will have a bad thing to say about him. Shashi's contribution towards theatre is also commendable. He didn't let Prithvi whither off after Jennifer. But after her, he wasn't the same person. He had been so ill for so many years that this perhaps is a relief."

Poonam Dhillon

"I worked with Shashi uncle in my very first film, Trishul. He was extremely helpful and humble. He spoke to everyone, from the director to co-actors, line man and the spot boy. On the sets, he was very funny and hands-on.

One thing that always struck me about him was that he never left the sets once he was there. He would never go to his room and leave instructions to call him when the shot is ready. I met him about two years ago. He still had the same charm and wit. He said, "Kya baat hai, badi achchi lag rahi hai" in the same flirty way that he used to earlier. I could see that even though he was confined to a wheel chair, he still had the same zest for life and his eyes still twinkled with the same intelligence."
Ileana D'Cruz, who has worked with Ajay Devgn on two films - Baadshaho and forthcoming Raid- has said working with the actor is easy as he does not behave like a superstar.

Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, Raid set against the backdrop of the 1980s will feature Devgn as an incometax officer hailing from Uttar Pradesh.

"We are almost done with it (the film). Working with Ajay has been really smooth. He is one of those people who is just so easy to work with. You forget the fact that he is this big superstar, because he is super easy to work with," Ileana told reporters.

The "Barfi" actor said the film is backed by solid content and she is happy to have bagged a "great role" in the movie.

"It is a great role for me, it is very different. It is set in the 1980s, so it is very interesting, I think I have done so many films from 1970s and 1950s, and now 1980s. It was a great experience working with Raj Kumar Gupta as well," she said.

"I think it is something that people want to see now, they want great stories, great content. So, the film has got great content," Ileana added.

This year has been fairly good for Ileana as both her releases "Mubarakan" and "Baadshaho" did well.

"I think it's gone by really fast. I don't believe that so much has happened. I had two great films that released, really different films. I do feel it's been a really good year for me," she said

She was speaking at Star Screen Awards.

Credits: PTI
Recommended Video

Shashi Kapoor Funeral; Saif Ali Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Ranbeer Kapoor | FilmiBeat

The Indian film industry mourned the death of actor Shashi Kapoor, as friends and admirers -- led by Lata Mangeshkar, Simi Garewal and Aamir Khan -- recalled his passion for cinema, while paying homage to a man known for his easy charm and good nature.

The actor, aged 79, breathed his last at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital at 5.20pm on 4th Dec.

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, a close friend of the actor, mourned his death. "I just received the news that Shashi Kapoor ji has passed away. I am really saddened. He was a good human being. My heartfelt condolences," she posted on Twitter.

Actor Aamir paid his respects to the actor, saying he was not just a "great star and a passionate filmmaker", but also a "wonderful human being".

"His work has always given Indian audiences great joy. His contribution to Indian theatre was huge, Prithvi theatre is the favourite venue of both performers and audiences alike. His passing a sad day for all of us. My condolences to Sanjana, Kunal, Karan and everyone in the family. May his soul rest in piece," Aamir wrote on Twitter.

Yesteryear actor Simi Garewal said she was deeply saddened by the demise of her friend.

"Am deeply saddened by the passing away of my co-star Shashi Kapoor. The last of that generation of Kapoors gone. A gentleman and friend gone. An era gone... All that remains are his films and precious memories," she tweeted.

Veteran actor and his co-star in several films, Shabana Azmi, posted on Twitter a black-and-white picture of the actor, with the caption, "We will miss you ...".

Noted film critic Aseem Chhabra, who penned the authorised biography on Shashi, "Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, the Star", tweeted, "I am heartbroken! It was expected but the loss of #ShashiKapoor has left me feeling very low, very empty."

Actor Saira Banu remembered him as a "bubbly person". "I remember him as a bubbly person. He was full of fun, full of jokes and at the same time he was really a smart person," Banu, legendary actor Dilip Kumars wife, told PTI.

Veteran actor Moushumi Chatterjee remembered him as a great actor and jovial person. "He was a gem of a person, a very nice human being. He was a very protective person. He was a very talented hero. I learnt a lot of things from him in the beginning of my career," she told PTI.

Leading Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar recalled the late actors classic line from "Deewar" and said it inspired aspiring artistes.

"Innumerable Bollywood dreams came to life watching your iconic dialogue, Mere paas maa hai. Your tremendous contribution to cinema will always be remembered," he tweeted.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said Shashi Kapoor revolutionised Indian theatre. "Shashi ji also contributed to the theatre movement hugely. Prithvi Theatre is like a shrine... His contribution to the alternate cinema movement is also huge," he wrote.

Director Hansal Mehta tweeted, "RIP Shashi Kapoor. The charming man, the brave producer, the lovely actor, my neighbour is no more."

Actor Ajay Devgn wrote, "You wont be forgotten. Rest in peace #ShashiKapoor ji." While Sanjay Dutt said the veteran actor would never be forgotten by his fans. "Shashi Kapoor ji you will be missed always," the actor tweeted.

Actor-writer Vinay Pathak posted one of the late stars photographs on social media and described him as his personal "Prithvi Theatre genie". "Nothing but diligence beauty and innocence... He was my Prithvi Theatre Genie! The stage is silent Truly a sad day!" he posted.

Actor Boman Irani tweeted, "Handsome is that handsome does ... He was. He did. He lives on."

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai said working with Shashi Kapoor was a learning experience for him. "I worked with him in two movies. Gautam Govinda and Krodhi in late 70s. And learnt a lot from him like work ethics, discipline, time planning, compassion and above all his love and passion for good cinema and theatre development," Ghai tweeted.

A host of artistes paid homage to the late actor at his residence today. Among them were the Bachchans -- Amitabh, Aishwarya and Abhishek -- Rani Mukerji, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Boney Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor.
A Change In Release Date For Professor Dinkan..

Earlier, the makers of Professor Dinkan had planned to release the big movie during the Vishu Season of 2018. Now, according to the reports, the film has been pushed further.

Slight Changes In The Script?

According to a report by Times Of India, the makers of the film are re-working on the script of Professor Dinkan, to make it more of a family entertainer. Professor Dinkan has its script penned by popular director Rafi.

Dileep's Next Project After Kammarasambhavam?

The report also adds that Professor Dinkan is expected to be Dileep's next project after the much awaited venture Kammarasambhavam, the shoot of which is currently progressing. The big budget venture is being directed by Ratheesh Ambat.

Kammarasambhavam..

The filming of Kammarasambhavam is currently progressing in Theni. Dileep has already joined the sets of the movie and according to certain reports, 20 days of shoot is left for the movie. Reportedly, the makers are planning to release Kammarasambhavam during the Vishu season.
Regarding Her Relationship With Puneesh...

In an interview to IE, Bandgi said, "Our love was completely true and I have no complains if it has gone against me. I completely enjoyed my stint in the show and that's what matters to me."

Bandgi Adds

"And I don't have any regret of whatever happened between me and Puneesh. I won't say it was right but it happened in the emotion and I won't analyse or cry over spilled milk now."

Bandgi Will Continue Her Relationship With Puneesh After The Show

"I also have no qualms in accepting that I will continue my relationship with him after the show. I will wait for him as long as need, as I want him to come back with the winning trophy."

Bandgis Father Hospitalised!

It has to be recalled that while she was in the Bigg Boss house, there were rumours about her personal life in the outside world. It was said that her father was hospitalised because of her and Puneesh's extreme PDA.

Bandgi Thrown Out Of Her Mumbai Flat!

It was even said that her landlord threw her out of the Mumbai flat. Her boyfriend, Dennis Nagpal claimed that Bandgi dumped her.

Bandgi Refutes All Rumours!

Bandgi clears all the rumours, "Everything was just a fake rumour. My father was hale and hearty all this while. No show is important than my father and if he would have been unwell, the makers would have informed me."

Regarding Her Ex-Dennis & Her Society

"As for the boyfriend, I dumped him before the show and since I was away, he got the opportunity to speak whatever he felt like. And my landlord has not thrown me out, everyone in the society is actually excited to welcome me."

Dennis Nagpal Wrote

Now that Bandgi is out of the house, the viewers will be eager to know what her ex Dennis has to say! Post Bandgi's eviction, Dennis took to social media, "First people congratulated when she went in the house, now people are congratulating when she's coming out of the house  Such is life! #BB11 #BiggBoss11."
Karan Patel

"Another charming and legendary soul departs for the heavenly adobe. RIP Shashi Kapoor sir ...! May your dimpled smile continue to spread the selfless kindness of yours in the heavens too ...! "

Nakuul Mehta

"I was once told that he showed up as audience at one of our stagings at Prithvi. That pretty much has been the high point of my career, yet. Thank you for your movies & keeping it real in the times of adrenalin charged angry young men. #ShashiKapoor."

Mohsin Khan

"It rains as we weep #shashikapoor A Superstar..A family Man."

Upen Patel

"#shashikapoor I know he will meet his beloved Wife up there in the heavens and they'll be together once again and for eternity."

"RIP #ShashiKapoor ... one of my fav actors of hindi cinema .. thank you for inspiring me .. you will live on through your cinema xxx"

Karanvir Bohra

Sharing this picture, KVB wrote, "My heart aches to see legends leave this mortal world and join among the angels.#shashikapoor sir you, your legacy, your charm wool be missd for ever."

Vivek Dahiya

Posting this picture, Vivek wrote, "An inspiration and reference point for all aspiring actors. #ShashiKapoor, personified charm & grace. His performances carved in my memory forever, especially Deewar & that heartfelt line.."Mere pass Maa Hai." #RIP #AnEndOFAnEra."

Ajaz Khan

"May God bless the soul of veteran actor #Shahi_Kapoor. No one could ever say the way he said 'Mere paas....Maa hai ' #ShashiKapoor."

Sophie Choudhary

Sharing this picture, Sophie wrote, "This is how I want to remember him..the smile that won millions of hearts, the charmer, the gentleman, the enigmatic, handsome movie star whose films I grew up watching..RIP Shashiji ..Heartbroken but when I think of u in ur movies, all I want to do is smile #ShashiKapoor."

Ekta Kapoor

"The king of romance, whose charm left every women in awe. The jewel of our industry #ShashiKapoor ji is no more. You will be missed Sir. RIP"

Raj Nayak

"He personified charm & grace. A brilliant & handsome actor. His performances etched in my memory forever, especially Deewar & that heartfelt line.."Mere pass Maa Hai." You will be missed Sir! #RIP #ShashiKapoor."
All of a sudden, the moon is looking attractive again.

After years of hearing anyone and everyone talk about how America needs to go to Mars, in 2017, talk began shifting back to whether visiting the moon -- and maybe even setting up a way station there -- might not be the best first step toward an expedition to Mars.

Elon Musk's SpaceX wants to go to the moon, and once its new Falcon Heavy rocket begins flying, it should be powerful enough to get there. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has plans to visit the moon as well and is likewise building a rocket that could eventually make the trip. Meanwhile, over at NASA, the team building the new Space Launch System was hoping to try a moonshot as early as next year -- proving that NASA remains relevant to the space race in the 21st century, and blazing the trail before Musk or Bezos could steal its thunder.

Or not.

Hurry up and wait

For the second time this year, NASA has pushed back the maiden flight of its Space Launch System (SLS). Citing technical problems with welding on the rocket's core stage, among other issues, NASA announced in April that SLS will not launch next year as planned, but in 2019 instead.

Last week, NASA revised its schedule once again. While the agency says there's still a remote possibility that the SLS rocket could launch by December 2019, it now looks like June 2020 is more likely -- and the first manned voyage by the SLS may not take place until 2023 .

What is the Space Launch System?

Nearly twice the size of the Space Shuttle -- standing 322 feet tall on its launchpad -- and costing an estimated $23 billion in development costs over the seven years it's taken to build, NASA's Space Launch System will be the most powerful spaceship the agency has built since its Apollo program of the 1970s. All of most of the biggest names in space (with the notable exception of SpaceX) have been roped into its construction -- with Boeing (BA -1.52%) serving as prime contractor on the project, Aerojet Rocketdyne (AJRD 1.97%) building the main and second-stage engines, Orbital ATK (OA) contributing a pair of solid rocket boosters to give SLS extra liftoff oomph, and Lockheed Martin (LMT -0.22%) building the Orion space capsule that sits atop the SLS.

And at an estimated cost of $500 million to build and launch each SLS rocket, there would be a lot of loot for these partners to share in.

What was the original plan?

As recently as a couple of years ago, the SLS was on track to make its first, unmanned launch -- Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) -- on Sept. 30, 2018. The spaceship was to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shoot its Orion space capsule past the moon, and then swing back home to splash down to Earth 20 days later. A few years later, EM-2 would send the SLS back out to the Moon's neighborhood again, this time on a manned mission aimed and with the possible goal of capturing and studying a passing asteroid. Fast-forward another dozen years or so, and the SLS might be ready to make an attempt at reaching Mars.

The SLS will justify its high cost -- again, about $500 million per launch -- by boasting the largest payload capacity of any rocket on Earth. Yet SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, now expected to conduct its first launch early next year , should be nearly as capable, and at a far more attractive cost.

According to SpaceX's website, a Falcon Heavy launch should cost $90 million per launch -- 18% of the SLS's cost. The SLS can carry 70 tons of cargo into orbit; Falcon Heavy, 64 tons -- or 91% of the SLS's payload. What's more, a planned upgrade to "Block 5" Merlin engines that are now in the works should improve Flacon Heavy's engine thrust by "almost 10%," reducing the SLS's payload advantage over Falcon Heavy to essentially nil.

What it all means to SpaceX -- and to ULA

Now here's the thing: In outlining his space policy last year, advisors to now-President Trump seemed to express a preference for funding one single space launch platform for reaching the moon. Given the sizable difference in the cost for SpaceX to launch its big rocket, versus what it would cost Boeing-and-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance to launch the SLS, this might induce the administration to choose SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to reach the moon if (a) the rocket works and (b) it's as cheap as Elon Musk is saying it will be.

If Falcon Heavy launches as planned next year, it could answer both these questions simultaneously and throw a serious monkey wrench into NASA's plans to keep funding Boeing, Lockheed, Aerojet, and Orbital's efforts to build it a workable SLS. Although it was disappointing to see Falcon Heavy's launch pushed back -- as recently as last week, we were still expecting to see it launch in December -- SpaceX's big new rocket should still beat the SLS into orbit by at least a year, and maybe even two years.

This will give Musk a lot of time to demonstrate to the president, and to NASA, that he has a rocket nearly as good as -- and a heck of a lot cheaper than -- the SLS, all ready and waiting to visit the moon, and years before NASA and its contractors get the SLS ready for prime time.

Final point: Don't forget about the BFR

What's more, by the time the SLS is ready to begin launching, SpaceX may have an even bigger, even better rocket to compete with it -- the massive "BFR," which Musk says could be ready as early as 2020. If that one is ready for demo by the time Musk says to expect it, then the SLS may be just one more delay away from getting shut out of the space race entirely.
Security heightened for Thursdays vote

The district administration is geared to foil security threats on December 7, the polling day for the second phase of federal parliamentary and provincial assembly elections.
Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years.
The latest December proof sees much stability once again, with front-runners retaining their positions in the proven and genomic listings.

The Catlane herd continues to dominate in the British Friesian rankings while the Danish Jersey breed takes the top nine places in the Spring Calving Index.

See also: Top 10 bulls from the new August bull proof run

Proven bulls (download pdf)

Genomic bulls (download pdf)

Spring calving index (download pdf)

Other breeds (download pdf)

Proven bull list

The number one position in the new profitable lifetime index (PLI) rankings for daughter-proven Holstein bulls is held by long-term leader Gen-I-Beq Lavaman.

This bull has almost 100 more UK daughters contributing to his figures, since they were published by AHDB Dairy last August, now clocking up more than 1,000 milking in the UK.

He earns a PLI of 690, reflecting his balanced breeding profile, with a very high predicted transmitting ability (PTA) for protein percent (+0.18%) and low daughter maintenance costs (-9).

In second position is a bull which makes his debut in the proven bull rankings: Mocon. Bred in Germany to a daughter of Snowman, his sire is Morgan, giving him both Bookem and Shottle in his pedigree.

With a PLI of 679, Mocon has a PTA which combines high weight of milk (839kg) and protein (28.5kg), alongside low cell counts (-23) and favourable daughter maintenance (-19), reflecting his daughters smaller than average stature.

Teemar Shamrock Alphabet edges up to third place with outstanding fitness attributes including daughter fertility (Fertility Index 21.1) and good calving ease (both direct and maternal). Low maintenance costs (-23) and a high lifespan index of +0.7 help to earn him a PLI of 668.

Cell count and fertility improver, S-S-I Shamrock Mystic holds on to fourth position (PLI 640), closely followed by VH Cole Clark, another fitness specialist with 21.2 FI, +0.8 Lifespan and a PLI of 634.

Genomic young sires

One of the top milk quality improvers of the Holstein breed, Mr Rubi-Agronaut, leads the way among genomic, young sires in the new AHDB Dairy indexes, with a December 2017 profitable lifetime index (PLI) of 812.

Retaining the position he has held throughout the year, Agronaut transmits fat and protein percentages at +0.22% and +0.09% respectively, and also has the highest type merit of the top 20 sires at +3.12. This type score reflects the new emphasis on bulls with smaller stature in Holstein UKs newly revised type merit formula.

Climbing into second place is Claynook Casper (Hang-Time x Bombero). Like all of the top PLI sires, Casper scores strongly for both daughter fertility (fertility index +13.4) and daughter lifespan (LS +0.7 lactations).

VH Balisto Brook holds on to third spot, transmitting a massive weight of fat at +40.5kg and excellent udder health, with -36 for somatic cell count and -6 for mastitis.

Fourth ranking is Peak AltaDepot, another strong udder health bull, who also has excellent daughter fertility (+17.6) and the highest lifespan index in the breed at +0.9. This indicates his daughters last nearly a full lactation longer, on average, than those of a bull with a zero score for LS  a benefit which will accumulate down the generations.

Former number one sire, Westcoast Perseus holds his position in the top five with a PLI of 788 and high protein percentage (+0.11%), and stands ahead of the first brand new bull in the top 10. This new entry, Progenesis Doctor, rates very favourably for reducing maintenance feed cost for his daughters (-6) and has a high milk predicted transmitting ability (PTA) at 811kg.

Spring calving index

The Jersey breed continues to dominate the ranking for spring calving index (SCI). Designed to identify those bulls whose daughters are suited to spring block calving systems which place a heavy reliance on summer grazing, it is the bulls which excel for milk quality, daughter fertility and have low maintenance costs which stand out from the crowd.

Expressed on an across-breed basis and therefore using a different scale from those used for each individual breed, an impressive nine of the top 10 bulls are Danish Jerseys. It is Denmarks long-term emphasis on breeding efficient and healthy cows which is reaping rewards for UK grazing systems.

The sole outsider is the breed-leading British Friesian bull, Catlane Caleb, who weighs in at number 10, with a particularly impressive daughter Fertility Index.

Other breeds

The domination of the British Friesian bull rankings by the Catlane herd continues unabated, as the removal from the market of long-term leader Catlane Chad makes way for his herd-mates. Bred in the heart of England close to Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, it is Catlane Caleb who rises to the top of the profitable lifetime index (PLI) ranking published today (5 December, 2017) by AHDB Dairy.

Moving up from second position, Caleb is a low volume, high milk quality bull who transmits excellent fat and protein percentages (+0.33% fat and +0.15% protein). He also offers calving ease (his dCE of 1.7% is the best in the top five) and improves the fertility of his daughters (fertility index 5.6).

Higher production is on offer from the number two British Friesian, Kirkby Major, who weighs in with a predicted transmitting ability (PTA) of 255kg milk, 17.9kg fat and 12.1kg protein. Representing the best milk solids transmission in the top five, Major also offers good udder health and positive type merit (TM). His PLI is 370.

Remaining at number three is the high type merit Kirkby Jupiter with a PLI of 362 and TM of 2.44.

In fourth position is the only new entrant to the top five, Catlane Cromwell. With a PLI of 344, Cromwell is the best improver of udder health and daughter fertility at the top of the ranking.

Unchanged in fifth position is Skyhigh Patrol with a PLI of 323. His PTA shows a good cross-section of milk solids, fitness and Type Merit (TM 1.69).

Jersey

The Jersey breed sees little re-ranking since the August proof run, with VJ Hilario retaining his number one position with a PLI of 572. Offering high production (PTA milk of 318kg and protein of 15.5kg are the best in the top five), he also transmits good udder health (-17 SCC index) and outstanding daughter fertility (fertility index 15).

New in joint second place is Golden GDK Vivaldi with a PLI of 543. Offering remarkably high weights of fat and protein (31.9kg and 15.3kg respectively), he will also improve milk quality with +0.44% fat and +0.18% protein. Adding good feet, leg and udder traits into the mix, he scores a type merit of 1.1.

Moving up from third to share second place is the exceptional fitness bull, Danish VJ Tudvad, with a PLI of 543. His udder health transmission is the best in the top five (-27 SCC, -4 Mast) while he is also good for daughter fertility and a solid improver of percent fat (+0.38%).

Fourth and fifth placed Jerseys are both bulls from the top five in the previous proof run in the shape of Sunset Canyon Dazzler (PLI 538) and VJ Link (PLI 522). Both bulls offer a combination of production, fitness and fertility while Dazzler has the best leg, feet and udder traits and the highest overall type merit (TM 1.9) in the top five.

Ayrshire

The Ayrshire top five is dominated by red bulls from the Nordic countries which represents little change since the previous proof run. With all transmitting the good daughter health and fertility for which this region of the world is renowned, their scores for mammary conformation do not always reach the level for which the Ayrshire breed has built its reputation.

VR Gunnarstorp Backen Gobel continues to lead the way with a PLI of 564. Offering solid production and exceptional daughter fertility, he holds his lead over Pell Pers, who remains ranked second (PLI 491).

The high type Gunnarstorp remains in third position (PLI 451, TM 2.1) while fourth-ranking VR Oyoja Storegayord Hasl Hat (PLI 447) transmits the highest weight of milk, fat and protein in the top five.

Rounding off the red-and-white top five is VR Dansjo Haslev Hammer with a PLI of 439.
[This article originally appeared on Game Design Aspect of the Month under the topics of Branching Narrative and Story Frameworks]

In the book, How Games Move Us: Emotion By Design, by Professor Katherine Isbister, discusses the dating sim Love Plus at length as an example of emotional design with non-playing characters (NPCs). Love Plus traces the journey of a budding romance, but unlike in real life, there's no fear of actual rejection. The player will always end up "loved" because the NPCs, even when snippy, are always in love with the player. As in romance novels, lovers rejoice after many trials and tribulations.



The player has a choice of 3 different girls, who will react differently according to their personalities. During the initial phase, the Friend Zone, there may even be Jealousy Events as 2 girls discover they both share affection for the same person, the player.



Alas, this brings us to that popular conflict in the realm of romance, the love triangle.



Within the mindset of "a series of interesting choices," we wouldn't want each potential lover to be the same. We want a fulfilling love but not the same one. Each branch of the narrative should lead to love, but because of who we are and our personalities, the journey is not the same. I wrote about this relationship distinction in Interchangeable He And She when discussing a hypothetical change to replace all female pronouns with male ones to include a gay romance option. If the story doesn't lead to love, then it's a tragedy, but one that should be brought forth by clear decisions driven by character traits.



Otherwise, the ending feels forced. The author hadn't taken the care to find a logical means for breaking up the love triangle without making someone act out of character or become a sudden, unmotivated asshole. In the world of linear storytelling, I feel cheated out of a good story when the prince who had been such a caring and devoted childhood friend suddenly becomes a backstabbing fiend so that the girl can fall in love with that other guy in the last 10 pages of the novel.



I find the most interesting love stories are when I'm not sure where the story will go. Both potential lovers are good choices and therefore, it's a very hard choice for the protagonist. I'd be equally happy with either choice as long as it's understandable.



That's often the problem with OTP (One True Pairing) stories. There may be a love triangle, but there's no comparison to the OTP. The other person is such a bad, bad choice that who in their right mind would prefer that person? We start to wonder what's wrong with the protagonist that he or she can't see the obvious. By recasting the protagonist as player, it's easier to see that we would want each potential love affair to be a serious potential love affair.



Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose work has spanned 10 years in the industry. Her credits include 1999 IGF winner Terminus, 2007 PC RPG of the Year The Witcher, and Wizard 101. She is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG.
Mikheil Saakashvilis supporters do not let law enforcers transfer Saakashvili to relevant department - GeorgianJournal
Asus Zenfone 3 spotted with Android Oreo: Is the update coming soon? News oi -Samden Sherpa From what we have come across lately, it looks like Asus is testing the Android Oreo version internally before giving out the release dates.

Taiwanese technology firm, Asus had earlier promised that it would be bringing the latest version of Google's Operating System Android Oreo to several of its devices. Asus had specifically said that it would bring the update for Asus ZenFone 3 and 4 smartphones at some point. However, the company did not give any firm ETA for the release of the major OS upgrade.

While the rollout date has been a mystery, it seems that the company is gearing up to launch the update soon. From what we have come across lately, it looks like Asus is testing the OS version internally before giving out the release dates.

Well, few screenshots have popped up online and these alleged images show the new ZenUI that is based on Android Oreo. The images have been shared on the Asus Zenfone Blog, and it basically hints that this is Zenfone 3 (ZE520KL) running Android Oreo. Interestingly, the Zenfone 3 with model number ZE520KL is currently available in India.

Talking about the new UI, there are no such noticeable upgrades that we can figure out from the screenshots. But reports say that the upgrade will bring native Android Oreo features like Picture-in-Picture mode, improved background limiting and some 'notification updates amongst others.

Asus' blog doesn't really reveal much about the device but we are expecting to see other Android Oreo features like Notification Dots, Autofill and Smart Text Selection that will also come with the update.

Meanwhile, there's a possibility that the same ZenUI skin will be applied to the ZenFone 4 as well.

We are still waiting for the company to officially announce the release date. All in all, with this appearance it looks like the company could release the update soon.

Source

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Thai Airways marks 50th year in Nepal

Thai Airways on Monday celebrated its 50th anniversary of operation into Nepal. The carrier started its first flight to Nepal on December 4, 1968.
Huawei 5G smartphones to be unveiled in 2019 News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu

At the World Internet Conference held in China, several Chinese tech giants discussed their plans for the future in the research and development area.

According to MyDrivers via GizmoChina, at the conference, Yu Chengdong, the Huawei CEO hinted that the company is in plans to launch a 5G smartphone in the second half of 2019. Within that time frame, it is clear that the 5G technology would be functioning fine and would be rolled out by several mobile carriers across the world.

Right now, the 5G technology is being tested on prototypes such as the ZTE Gigabit phone. Also, ZTE, Qualcomm and China Mobile announced the successful completion of the test of the world's first 5G New Radio System.

The Huawei CEO, Yu Chengdong further revealed that the past couple of decades have marked the era of rapid development in terms of mobile telecommunications industry. He further noted the fact that the smartphone development has paved way for tremendous changes in the lives of people. He also revealed that 5G and artificial intelligence technology are the upcoming trends.

Huawei has already started the AI journey with the newly introduced Kirin 970 SoC that is capable of rendering AI. The company is believed to launch hardware products those are capable of supporting 5G connectivity in 2018. And, in the following year that is 2019, the chipset from Huawei will pave way for the launch of 5G smartphones.

The previous reports have tipped that the commercialization of the 5G technology is important for several companies such as Nokia, Huawei, and Ericsson that make network equipment gear. Moving to the new networks will ensure to enable new mobile services and new business models but the same can pose challenges for the other industries that are unable to invest in upgrades.

Unlike 3G and 4G, 5G connectivity will not only delivery fast phone or computer data but also link up machines, cars, crop and cargo equipment to the internet. Let's wait until 2019 to witness the emergence of 5G to take over 3G and 4G standards.

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First Afghan UH-60 pilots graduate

By Tech. Sgt. Veronica Pierce, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs / Published December 04, 2017

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Six Afghan Air Force members became the first ever AAF UH-60 Black Hawk pilots, after graduation from Aircraft Qualification Training during a ceremony at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 20, 2017.

Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air advisors and Afghan Air Force leaders were in attendance to congratulate the pilots during this historic ceremony.

"I am happily announcing that today a new page is opening in Afghanistan Air Force life," said Maj. Gen. Abdul Raziq Sherzai, Kandahar Air Wing commander. "In the past years, due to civil wars, our Air force capabilities reached to almost zero. Today we can see, that we are not far from standing on our own feet."

This endeavor is part of a larger modernization program. The Afghan Air Force will more than double their fleet of aircraft over the next seven years. Plans include the introduction of AC-208 attack aircraft and UH-60 Black Hawk assault helicopters, along with additional A-29 attack aircraft and MD-530 attack helicopters.

The first AAF Black Hawk pilots are experienced aviators coming from a Mi-17 background, making the transition from one rotary wing aircraft to another virtually seamless. The six graduates volunteered to be the first to make the shift.

"Today I'm very excited that it is my graduation day," said AAF Capt. Jamshid Rezaye. "I cannot express my feeling right now, because I get to serve the Afghan people."

For future Black Hawk pilots, the UH-60 flight training is approximately 16 weeks long, six weeks for Aircraft Qualification Training and 10 weeks for Mission Qualification Training.

The AAF is expecting to have four qualified crews by fighting season 2018, and 32 crews by fighting season 2019.

Fourteen UH-60 pilots will train at Fort Rucker, Ala., in 2018 with an additional 21 in 2019, and 25 in following years.

Individuals are selected for pilot training based on their qualifications and position vacancies. The two main individual qualifications include flight physicals and English language ability.

The transition of airframe for the AAF pilots will provide firepower and mobility, significant offensive factors enabling the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces to break the stalemate against insurgents.

Advisors from TAAC-Air will work with contract support to oversee continuation training in country. TAAC-Air leverages train, advise and assist activities in concert with strong personal relationships, to create professional Afghan Airmen capable of planning, leading, employing and sustaining decisive airpower operations.

"As TAAC-Air we look for three things: capable, sustainable and professional. The Mi-17 is no longer sustainable as it is becoming obsolete," said Lt. Col. Trenton Alexander, 441st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron commander. "The UH-60 is sustainable, [allowing] us to meet our three tiers of capable, sustainable, and professional."

AAF modernization is essential for increasing AAF competence, instruction and education with merit-based advancement of its best leaders. Modernization of the Afghan Air Force will mitigate gaps in Afghan aerial fires and lift capabilities.

Once Afghan pilots graduate and become mission ready, all combat missions will be flown and led by Afghans. Coalition members are not involved in Afghan combat missions, which was not the case a year ago, but today the Afghans do it on their own, according to advisors.

"I congratulate my young and patriotic pilots for this success and completion of their course," Sherzai said. "I'm expecting these young pilots to use these modern and new helicopters, fighting bravely and strongly against the enemy and against terrorists."

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Officials Provide Details of Latest Strikes Against ISIS

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 4, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 33 strikes consisting of 49 engagements between Dec. 1 and yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the most recent strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Yesterday in Syria, coalition military forces conducted five strikes against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal, engaging three ISIS tactical units and destroying two ISIS vehicles, two heavy weapons and three fighting positions.

On Dec. 2, coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal, engaging 11 ISIS tactical units and destroying eight ISIS vehicles, a heavy weapon, an ISIS fighting position and five explosive hazards.

On Dec. 1, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal, engaging 13 ISIS tactical units and destroying four ISIS vehicles, a tactical vehicle, an ISIS fighting position, an indirect fire weapon and a heavy weapon.

Strikes in Iraq

Yesterday in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of two engagements near Rutbah that destroyed an ISIS-held building.

On Dec. 2, coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of four engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Asad, a strike destroyed two ISIS supply routes.

-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed two ISIS-held buildings.

-- Near Taji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

There were no strikes reported in Iraq on Dec. 1.

Previous Strikes

Additionally, a strike consisting of one engagement was conducted on Nov. 30 near Abu Kamal. The strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS vehicle.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

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US, eight partner nations participate in world's largest combined airborne operation

By Spc. Alicia Pennisi December 4, 2017

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- The U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) is hosting the 20th Annual Randy Oler Memorial Operation Toy Drop, which is the largest international airborne operation conducted worldwide. U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers from the 350th Human Resources Company supported the event.

Operation Toy Drop is an annual joint service and multi-national training event where airborne Soldiers exercise their jump skills and maintain their focused readiness under the direction of jumpmasters from partner nations and potentially earn their foreign jump wings. With almost 4,200 Soldiers jumping, each flight and Soldier must be carefully slotted and inserted into each manifest.

This year, eight countries are participating, including Colombia, Canada, Latvia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Germany and Poland. Toy Drop is scheduled to run from November 30 to December 8, 2017.

Building solid relationships with our NATO allies is a pivotal part of this exercise. Strengthening foreign bonds while potentially being able to earn the coveted foreign jump wings makes the exercise a win-win for the U.S. and participating nations.

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Barnes, a Special Warfare Training Group NCO says this operation serves as a great training platform, while giving back to the community, that also allows Soldiers to try and earn their foreign wings.

"It builds relationships with our NATO allies and also for the soldiers it's important because they're allowed to wear them on their Army service uniforms."

The Netherlands was just one of eight partner nations who participated in the exercise. Despite the language barrier, training and safety structure remained consistent with the United States Army airborne operations.

"The team that we have right now actually all work at the Dutch airborne school, essentially, so they're all cadre at an airborne school in the Netherlands. They're very well prepared, they've got a lot of experience, they're are all free-fall qualified as well; they have a massive amount of parachute jumps."

"They're very well-prepared, they're very well-versed with how we conduct our airborne operations and they're very proficient with what they do as well."

Established in 1998 by then Staff Sgt. Randy Oler, a USACAPOC(A) Soldier, Operation Toy Drop started as a training event, airborne operation and community relations event. The first Toy Drop had more than 1,200 Soldiers participate with 550 toys donated.

Today, the event allows Soldiers to train on their military occupational specialty, maintain their airborne readiness while increasing their overall readiness, and potentially earn foreign jump wings.

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Al Mayadeen: Yemen confirms ex-president Saleh killed

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 4, IRNA -- Yemeni interior ministry on Monday confirmed that former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been killed in clashes with the country's popular forces, the Arabic-language media reported.

Yemen's interior ministry in an official statement issued today confirmed that Abdullh Saleh was killed while confronting the Yemeni popuolar forces in a bid to support the Saudi-led coalition, the Arabic-language Al-Mayadeen TV said.

While the Media affiliated to Saudi-led are still claiming that Saleh is alive, Al Mayadeen's footage showed Saleh's dead body.

Al Mayadeen also quoted Yemeni forces as saying that Saleh was killed in a region under aerial control of the united Arab Emirates (UAE).

1430**2050

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Secretary General: Alliance to further boost cooperation with EU

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

04 Dec. 2017

NATO foreign ministers are to hold two days of talks beginning Tuesday (5 December 2017) to discuss the Alliance's continuing adaptation in the face of diverse and evolving security challenges.

Speaking at a press conference at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said ministers would explore means of expanding cooperation between NATO and the European Union. That cooperation, which is already at "an unprecedented level", will help the two organisations respond to challenges such as cyber attacks, terrorism and the need to improve military mobility.

The Secretary General also said that ministers would discuss global threats like that posed by North Korea's weapons programmes. North Korea is "undermining the global non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament regimes," he said, and "the whole world needs to apply maximum pressure".

Also on ministers' agenda will be NATO's role in projecting stability and fighting terrorism. Acknowledging what the Alliance has already done  including boosting its training mission in Afghanistan, and working with partners like Jordan and Tunisia to strengthen their defences  Mr. Stoltenberg said ministers would consider how NATO's role in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS "should evolve, as the Global Coalition moves from combat operations to stabilisation efforts."

In addition, the Alliance will hold a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission, giving ministers the opportunity to exchange views with "one of the Alliance's closest partners", the Secretary General said  including on "areas where we could cooperate even more closely, such as Black Sea security".

The Ministerial meeting will conclude with a discussion on NATO's Open Door policy and "how best to support those countries which aspire to join our community of shared security and shared values."



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NATO Deputy Secretary General participates in the Rome Mediterranean Dialogues

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

04 Dec. 2017

NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller visited Rome on Friday (1 December) to participate in this year's MED-Mediterranean Dialogues, addressing security challenges facing the Middle East and North Africa. Speaking on a panel with officials from Morocco, Turkey, and the UK, she emphasised the importance of cooperation for securing peace in the region.

Talking about how NATO works with partners in the region, Gottemoeller stressed that "we have the tools" and highlighted the renewed effort of the Alliance on their implementation. "Projecting stability means enhancing our cooperation with our partners in the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Gulf, through the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative," she said. "We need to bring together NATO Allies and partners to do everything we can to project security and stability to the region."

During her visit, Ms. Gottemoeller held meetings with Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry, the Advisor to the King of Morocco, Youssef Amrani, and the Secretary General of the Italian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Elisabetta Belloni.

The Deputy Secretary General also met the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit. She stressed the value of dialogue between NATO and the League of Arab States and praised the positive steps that have been taken to strengthen this cooperation.

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USS San Diego Departs Souda Bay, Greece

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS171204-05

Release Date: 12/4/2017 9:55:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Justin Schoenberger USS San Diego Public Affairs

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (NNS) -- The amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) departed Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece, Nov. 30 after a scheduled port visit.

During San Diego's five-day port visit, the crew hosted commander, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), Marine Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, who held an all-hands call to thank the crew for the role they played in advancing the national objectives while in the region.

"I want to thank San Diego for how you guys separated from the [America Amphibious Ready Group] and everything that you've done in support of AFRICOM over the past two and a half months," said Waldhauser. "We could not do what we needed to do on the ground without San Diego being here and we appreciate San Diego's hard work, dedication, and timeliness that you guys all provided."

Speaking to the U.S. Marines assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) was significant to Waldhauser, who formerly served as the commanding officer of the 15th MEU, and his words resonated with the crew.

"It was pretty awesome that AFRICOM came on board to talk to all of us about what we're doing here in U.S. 6th Fleet," said U.S. Marine Cpl. Angel Vargas. "It's even better than I thought when I found out he was once the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit's commanding officer."

In addition to the visit from AFRICOM, the port visit allowed the crew to conduct maintenance on the ship and provided some time to relax, and enjoy the scenery of Souda Bay and the surrounding areas.

"We've been out at sea for a while," said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Colby Duchesne. "Souda Bay is a beautiful place and I am glad we had the opportunity to experience it again."

While in port, San Diego took the opportunity to complete preservation projects to reduce corrosion on the ship.

"We've been painting most of the side of the ship during our time in port," said Seaman Daniel Roberts. "The ship looks really good and I can see how much hard work is put into it."

The port visit came at a convenient time for the deployed Sailors and Marines aboard San Diego as it provided them the opportunity to complete some holiday shopping.

"I'm glad we had the chance to pull in prior to the holidays", said U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Dana Cisneros. "Even while deployed and on the other side of the world from our home, we had the ability to go out in town and get gifts for our friends and families to spread some joy during this festive season."

San Diego is deployed with the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 15th MEU to conduct maritime security operations and theater security cooperation in efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

The America ARG and 15th MEU provide senior U.S. military leadership and partners with a flexible force which can rapidly respond to contingencies and crises within the region. With ships, aircraft, troops, and logistical equipment, the ARG/MEU is capable of conducting a wide range of military operations including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The America ARG, led by Commander, Amphibious Squadron 3, consists of the San Diego, the America-class amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), and the Harpers Ferry-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52). They operate with embarked forces of the 15th MEU, the "Wildcards" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23, and detachments from Assault Craft Unit 5, Naval Beach Group 1, Beachmaster Unit 1, Fleet Surgical Team 1 and Tactical Air Control Squadron 11.

The 15th MEU is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force comprised of a ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 5th Marines; an aviation combat element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 161 (Reinforced); a Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 15.

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Iwo Jima Conducts Largest Replenishment in 2 Years

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS171204-04

Release Date: 12/4/2017 9:50:00 AM

From USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) conducted their largest replenishment-at-sea in more than two years Dec. 1, receiving 181 pallets of supplies from the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Big Horn (T-AO 19).

Previously, the largest replenishment-at-sea for the ship took place during Iwo Jima's last deployment in 2015.

"We had a good idea that this vertical replenishment (VERTREP) was going to be a long evolution, but the team effort led to a very successful, effective, and safe replenishment," said Cmdr. Richie Jenkins, Iwo Jima's supply officer. "Whenever you have this amount of cargo coming to the ship, it tests the endurance of the entire crew aboard. With that said, this evolution was an across-the-board success in that it provided critical sustainment following a month of operations at sea and gave a glimpse of what we'll likely face on deployment. We are better prepared for what we can expect on deployment, as we may be conducting these as frequently as once a week."

Maneuvering the 181 pallets required significant planning for the personnel on the flight deck, hangar bay, in passageways and in the air.

"The flight deck on a United States Navy ship can be one of the most dangerous places to work," said Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Jerry Pryuer. "In this type of environment, with all the equipment in the air above you, it's even more imperative to keep your head on a swivel. Safety played a key part here today, and we didn't lose one pallet or have a single injury. That alone shows that today was a great success."

Jenkins added the VERTREP provided another opportunity for the blue-green team to work together and continue the relationship that has been building since Iwo Jima and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) began training earlier this year.

"All the supplies, food and mail that came here was for the Sailors and Marines aboard," said Jenkins. "They worked together just as they have over the past few months while performing Defense Support to Civil Authority and executing our pre-deployment training exercises as we prepare for next year's deployment. This really was a team effort, and I'm proud of how they came together to accomplish this major milestone."

Iwo Jima, components of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 26th MEU are conducting a Combined Composite Training Unit Exercise that is the culmination of training for the Navy-Marine Corps team and will certify them for deployment.

The Iwo Jima ARG embarks the 26th MEU and is comprised of Iwo Jima, the dock transport ship USS New York (LPD 21), the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 21), Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 8, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28, Tactical Air Control Squadron (TACRON) 22, components of Naval Beach Group (NBG) 2 and the embarked staff of PHIBRON 4.

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Afghan lawmakers approve 11 cabinet nominees, reject one after months of stalemate

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 02:45PM

Afghanistan's parliament has approved nearly a dozen nominees for ministerial posts after months of deadlock in the embattled unity government.

"Of 12 nominees that the government presented to us, 11 were approved and became ministers," parliament chairman Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi said on Monday, adding, "We congratulate the approved ministers."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ibrahimi noted that the lone female in the group nominated for the post of minister of mines was rejected.

Afghanistan's power-sharing unity government was formed following the disputed 2014 presidential election. It has since been weakened by infighting between rivals. Political quarrels between factions loyal to President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah have also seen several officials abandon the fragile government.

Over half of the cabinet's 25 ministerial posts have remained unfilled for months. Many of the posts, including the crucial defense and interior chiefs, have been left vacant after the ministers were fired by parliament for a range of offences, including incompetence and failure to manage their budgets.

The Interior Ministry post has been left vacant since August after the former minister resigned.

In April, the Afghan defense minister and his army chief resigned days after one of the deadliest-ever Taliban attacks on a military base triggered calls for officials to step down. The coordinated attack left over 100 soldiers killed or wounded in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

The developments come as Afghan forces have been struggling to beat back the Taliban and other militant groups operating across the violence-wracked country.

Afghanistan is engulfed by violence and many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops.

The United States and its NATO allies invaded the country in 2001as part of Washington's so-called war on terror.

The Taliban were removed from power but they have been engaged in militancy across Afghanistan for the past 16 years, killing government officials, security forces, and civilians.

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CIA chief: Saudi, Israel may set up 'joint military headquarters'

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 11:06AM

CIA Director Mike Pompeo says Saudi Arabia is working directly with Israel on confronting "challenges" in the Middle East, suggesting that the two sides could go as far as setting up "a joint military headquarters."

Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California, Pompeo cited Daesh, Iran and "failed states" as posing a challenge to both Saudi Arabia and Israel, advising the two sides to develop their relationship.

"We've seen them [Saudis] work with the Israelis to push back against terrorism throughout the Middle East, to the extent we can continue to develop those relationships and work alongside them  the [Persian] Gulf states and broader Middle East will likely be more secure," he said.

"It is incredibly important that in the Middle East, where we have failed states, where you have ISIS, where you have Iran, that we have got to develop a stronger coalition of countries that are willing to work together to confront these challenges," he added.

Both Israel and Saudi Arabia are alarmed by the growing power of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement which has been key to breaking the grip of Takfiri terrorists and other militants on territories in Iraq and Syria.

Pompeo called for building "a strong coalition that can operate  frankly I think with a joint military headquarters that can... target the terrorists in that region, that can basically work together to try to provide stability."

Saudi Arabia's closeness to Israel has come in the wake of Riyadh's aggressive policies under its new rulers who have launched a destructive war on Yemen.

The kingdom has also ratcheted up its hostile rhetoric against Iran, threatening to draw a possible future conflict inside the Iranian territory.

Saudi Arabia has further been associated with Takfiri groups wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraqi for years.

With Daesh almost eliminated, the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia and their allies are said to be shoring up Nusra Front terrorists in Syria.

Last month, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said Tel Aviv had had covert contacts with Saudi Arabia, in the first official acknowledgement of such relations.

"We have ties that are indeed partly covert with many Muslim and Arab countries, and usually [we are] the party that is not ashamed," he said in an interview on Army Radio.

Yaacov Nagel, who stepped down as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's internal security adviser earlier this year, said Saudi Arabia was ready to sacrifice Palestinians and their demands for closer ties with Israel.

"They don't like [the Palestinians] more than us or less than us," he said, adding the Saudis "don't give a damn" about the Palestinians.

Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab governments that have official diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv and host Israeli missions. The rest of the Arab governments have no open diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime.

Netanyahu, however, has said his regime had ties with the Arab world, and that the relations were improving.

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US military families must evacuate South Korea: Sen. Graham

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 08:03AM

US military families living in South Korea must leave the country as soon as possible, warns Senator Lindsey Graham, amid a missile standoff with North Korea that the lawmaker says risks military confrontation.

Speaking to CBS on Sunday, the South Carolina Republican said the idea of sending spouses and children to the South was "crazy" and only American troops should be sent there.

"So, I want them to stop sending dependents, and I think it's now time to start moving American dependents out of South Korea," he said.

There are currently around 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea in part to counter what Washington describes as North Korea's aggression.

The US military has an evacuation plan in place for the peninsula that it has tested on several occasions to simulate war conditions.

Graham's comments came after Pyongyang successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), ending over 60 days of quiet after frequent missile tests came to a halt in September.

Hailing the missile and its ability to deliver nuclear warheads across the world, Pyongyang said Washington had been "jolted" by the strengthening of North Korea's nuclear force and could attempt to commit "robber-like" provocative acts.

Washington reacted to the latest launch by warning that Pyongyang's leadership would be "utterly destroyed" if its pursuit of a long-range nuclear missile led to a military clash.

"We're getting close to a military conflict because North Korea is marching toward marrying up the technology of an ICBM with a nuclear weapon on top that can not only get to America, but deliver the weapon," said Graham, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The senator said he was confident in the Trump administration's ability to manage the heightening tensions.

"He's [Trump] got the best national security team of anybody I have seen since I have been in Washington," said Graham, who entered Congress for the first time in 1995.

Following the test, Trump said he had talked to President Xi Jinping of China about Pyongyang's "provocative actions," and his Chinese counterpart had vowed that additional major sanctions would be considered against North Korea.

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Congo mobilized former militants to suppress anti-government protests: HRW

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 07:45AM

Human Rights Watch says the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) mobilized former militants from Uganda and Rwanda last year to suppress protests against President Joseph Kabila, who refused to step down at the end of his constitutionally mandated two-term limit.

The New York-based rights group said in a report that senior Congolese security officers recruited "over 200 former M23 rebel fighters from neighboring countries to quash protests" against Kabila in December 2016.

The security forces acting with recruited militants killed at least 62 people and arrested hundreds between 19 and 22 December 2016, according the report.

During the protests, HRW said, "M23 fighters patrolled the streets of Congo's main cities, firing on or arresting protesters or anyone else deemed to be a threat to the president."

The M23 fighters were given explicit orders to use lethal force, including at "point-blank range" if necessary, it added.

The organization's Central Africa director, Ida Sawyer, said, "Covert operations to recruit fighters from an abusive armed group to suppress any resistance show how far President Kabila and his coterie are willing to go to stay in power."

She also urged the DRC government to "end all unlawful use of force against protesters and allow peaceful political activities by activists and the political opposition."

Kabila, who has been in power since 2001, refused to step down after his second elected term officially expired on December 20, 2016, prompting deadly violence across the African state.

Opposition forces demand the president cede power by the end of this year and fresh, early election be held.

Congo's electoral commission has, however, said it cannot complete preparations to ensure a secure, transparent presidential election until the end of 2018 at the earliest.

The central African country, with a population of almost 77 million, has long been plagued by violence. Fierce battles are underway between the government soldiers and militant groups, while inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly over the past year.

Seeking safety, tens of thousands of people have escaped to neighboring Zambia, according to United Nations figures, where they are facing "hugely underfunded" aid operations. The UN has also warned that the unrest was causing a growing influx of refugees into Zambia.

A spokesman for the UN Refugee Agency, Babar Baloch said around 80 percent of the new refugees were women and children.

He said that the refugees have been "driven out by the extreme brutality of rampaging militias, with reports of civilians being killed, women being raped, private property looted and houses torched."

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Muslims mull emergency meetings on Trump's move against al-Quds

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 06:47AM

Jordan has initiated a diplomatic campaign to mobilize Arab and Muslim states against an expected US move to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital.

President Donald Trump reportedly plans to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel in a speech on Wednesday in an apparent bid to offset his pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

A senior Jordanian diplomatic source said Amman, the current president of the Arab League, would invite members of the Arab summit and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to convene an emergency meeting if the recognition is extended.

Member countries are to "discuss ways of dealing with the consequences of such a decision that raised alarm and concern," the source said.

The diplomatic source said Trump's decision "could ultimately hamper all efforts to get the peace process moving and holds a very high risk of provoking Arab and Muslim countries and Muslim communities in the West."

The entire Jerusalem al-Quds is currently under Israel's control while the regime also claims the city's eastern part which hosts the third holiest Muslim site.

The city has been designated as "occupied" under international law since the 1967 Arab War, which Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.

Jordan is the custodian of Jerusalem al-Quds' Muslim holy sites, making Amman sensitive to any changes of status of the occupied city.

"It is essential no unilateral decisions are made that would change the historic status quo of Jerusalem [al-Quds] as an occupied city whose fate needs to be determined in final status talks within an overall peace package," the Jordanian source said.

Trump's controversial declaration on Sunday drew criticism from the Palestinian Authority, with the PA President Mahmoud Abbas warning that any change in US policy on Jerusalem al-Quds would seriously undermine peace efforts and harm Palestine's interests.



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Egyptian forces kill 5 militants northeast of Cairo

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 07:11PM

Egyptian security forces have killed five suspected militants during a raid on a desert hideout to the northeast of the capital Cairo.

Egypt's Interior Ministry made the announcement in a statement on Monday, saying the militants had been killed in a shootout in an area located between Ramadan city and Bilbeis town in the Nile Delta province of Sharqiya.

The security forces came under heavy fire as they surrounded the hideout, which forced them to "deal with the source of the shooting," the ministry said, adding that the incident led to the deaths of five unidentified militants and apprehension of six other people.

The statement noted that the militants had been training to use firearms at the site, where security forces found bomb-making materials, assault rifles and ammunition for possible terrorist attacks.

The ministry said they also arrested six other "elements" from the same group who were observing "some vital buildings in preparation to carry out a series of hostile operations against them" in Cairo and the southern province of Assiut.

The ministry did not link the militants or those arrested to any specific group.

Over the past few years, militants have been carrying out anti-government activities and fatal attacks, taking advantage of the turmoil in Egypt that erupted after the country's first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was ousted in a military coup in July 2013.

The Daesh-affiliated Velayat Sinai terrorist group has claimed responsibility for most of the assaults. The group later expanded its attacks to target members of Egypt's Coptic Christian community as well as foreigners visiting the country. That has prompted the government to impose a state of emergency and widen a controversial crackdown that critics say has mostly targeted dissidents.

Egypt saw its deadliest attack in the country's recent history last month, when militants claimed the lives of more than 300 people at a North Sinai mosque. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which had the hallmarks of the Velayat Sinai terrorist outfit.

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Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh not honest in defending nation: Ansarullah

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 07:10PM

Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement says the country's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, "was not honest" in his confrontation with the Saudi-led military coalition as he was collaborating covertly with Riyadh, describing Saleh's era as the "worst" in Yemen's history.

Mohammad al-Bukhaiti, a top figure in the Political Council of Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Monday, hours after Saleh was killed in clashes between his militia and the Houthi fighters on the outskirt of the capital Sana'a.

The Houthi official described the death of Saleh on Monday as a landmark and major turning point in Yemen's history since a "dangerous plot against the nation" had been foiled by Yemeni forces.

"Today Yemen is witnessing a historic phase, maybe one of the most historic phases... The most dangerous conspiracy against these people was toppled," he added.

"We also have the end of the era of Saleh which was the worst era in the history of Yemen. We have entered a new phase. I would add that we have filled the gaps inside the country," he noted.

"Because Saleh wasn't honest in confronting the aggression, he was collaborating with this aggression secretly and not publicly or overtly," he added.

"We were correct when we accused Saleh of conspiring. We were also honest when we said that Saleh isn't participating in confronting the aggression, and using the card of internal sedition in Yemen will have an impact in confronting the aggression," he noted.

"Despite internal sedition, despite all this, the front against the aggression has not been affected... despite many of the fighters being preoccupied by defusing this sedition," he further said.

"This shows that those fighting the aggression are the Yemeni people led by Leader of Yemen's Ansarullah movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. And there is a popular will in confronting this aggression and against this aggression. Were it not for a popular will.. a real popular will... we will not have succeeded in persevering against this foreign aggression and amidst the political divisions and sedition," he further stated.

The people support the Houthis

"But the people were able to overcome this because the will of the people is in support of the leadership of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and against this aggression.

"This historic moment will have a lot of repercussions. At the local level we will be able to fill all of the gaps...and will be able to focus on confronting the foreign aggression... and also they haven't realized that this was the last tool they had," he also noted.

"Using the new cruise missiles against the UAE will also have a big impact on changing the future of Yemen and the whole region," he stated.

Sedition in Yemen has ended

"We believe this sedition has ended because Saleh was collaborating with the aggression but secretly, and so when the popular base of Saleh's General People's Congress became confident that he was working with the aggression, his popularity increased," he added.

"We allowed Saleh to participate in confronting the aggression... which he didn't do... so his popularity increased, so his danger also increased, but today after he announced joining the aggression and after he described confronting the aggression as a useless battle, he was exposed," Bukhaiti, noted.

"The popular leaders of his party were stunned and shocked by his statement. Just the day before he said he was against the aggression and in the period of one hour he announced that battling this aggression was useless," he also said.

"The supporters of the party had become vigilant. This now pushes more and more people to battle front because Saleh was disputing or preventing many of those in his party from going to the front and fighting the aggression."

"The countries launching the aggression used all of their cards. At the beginning by their direct military intervention they would sway the battle in their favor, but this did not happen," he added.

"So they once again depended on some Yemeni components to support them. But this also did not lead anywhere. When they were incapable of confronting the Yemeni fighters on the borders Saudi Arabia tried to use Yemeni fighters to protect its own borders, but this card also did not achieve any successes," he noted.

"So trying to use a foreign aggression, using political divisions, all of these cards didn't achieve success. So what remained was to pin their hopes on the internal crumpling or collapse and suffering of the Yemeni people," he further said.

"When Saleh spoke he did not only speak of changing his stance from confronting the aggression to one who was calling for the aggression but he actually gave the impression that the success of sedition and treason against us would translate to the end of the war and the end of suffering," he added.

"Now this card has fallen, the card of sedition has fallen from Saleh's hands," he said.

"Trying to us the economy as a weapon also didn't have any impact on the country and increased the Yemeni peoples' hostility towards this campaign," he added.

He added that the talks with Saleh's party may be possible after they chose a new leader.

"What is required no is that the honorable clean leaders in Saleh's party must be in the forefront and chose a noble leadership," he said adding that if they do so they will be supported.

Bukhaiti also denied reports of ongoing clashes in the capital Sana'a, stressing that they were lies being spread by foreign news agencies.

"These are absolute lies, we only here the bombings from the Saudi warplanes... which are now bombing the civilians," he said.

Yemen's Interior Ministry issued a statement on Monday, confirming the death of Saleh, during clashes in capital Sana'a.

The ministry added that Yemeni forces, backed by fighters from the popular Ansarullah Houthi movement, were in full control of all positions previously held by Saleh's militias in Sana'a.

Hours later, Leader of Yemen's Ansarullah movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised message that the movement had managed to thwart a major threat to the country's security by defeating the plot hatched by Saleh and his forces.

He added that despite his early pretense about being opposed to Saudi aggression, Saleh finally changed course and took sides with the aggressors.

Noting that recent positions taken by Saleh were openly in favor of Yemen's enemies, the leader of Ansarullah said Saleh's positions, which were backed by a united media front of the enemies even took members of his own party by surprise.

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Zimbabwe's new president urges public unity to revive ailing economy

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 06:52PM

Zimbabwe's new president has called for public unity to revive the African country's ailing economy as his new cabinet took the oath of office.

Emmerson Mnangagwa made the appeal after he swore in the 22-member cabinet at State House in the capital Harare on Monday.

"I have sworn in a new cabinet just to finish the term of the former president, which is a period of six to seven months," Mnangagwa said.

"I believe with my team we will stand up to the challenge," the president added, noting, "I want them (Zimbabweans) to be united, we must grow our economy."

Mnangagwa has drawn criticism for appointing officers from the military which played a key role in the events leading to his ascent to power. The cabinet includes Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, who was appointed agriculture and lands minister, and Major General Sibusiso Moyo, who is now in charge of foreign affairs.

He also brought back many faces from era of former president Robert Mugabe, a move which could disappoint Zimbabweans who had been expecting a broad-based government and a break with the past.

In addition, Mnangagwa also reinstated prosecutor general, Ray Goba, who was named under Mugabe in September, but whose appointment was rescinded the following month.

On November 23, Mugabe finally succumbed to pressures and stepped down after 37 years in power.

The resignation came several days after army chiefs put military vehicles on the streets of Harare and placed the 93-year-old leader under house arrest. Many Zimbabweans celebrated the end of Mugabe's rule.

A day after, his sacked deputy, Mnangagwa, was sworn in as the country's interim president, vowing sweeping changes and seeking to attract foreign investment to revive the moribund economy in the south African country.

The new president has issued a three-month ultimatum for the return of funds siphoned out of the country by individuals and corporates.

Mnangagwa is Zimbabwe's second president since the country gained independence from British colonial rule in 1981.

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Quds status change to lead to catastrophe, Turkey warns

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 04:28PM

Turkish authorities have warned that any change in the current status of Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds, as proposed by the United States, would lead to a major catastrophe in the region.

"If the status of Jerusalem (al-Quds) is changed and another step is taken ... that would be a major catastrophe," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Monday, adding, "It would completely destroy the fragile peace process in the region, and lead to new conflicts, new disputes and new unrest."

The remarks came amid reports that the administration of US President Donald Trump was considering recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's new capital.

Experts say Trump is seeking to compensate for a withdrawal from his pledges during last year's election campaign that he would move the US embassy in the occupied Palestinian territories from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.

The entire Jerusalem al-Quds is under Israel's occupation, including its eastern neighborhood, which is home to al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.

The international community views Israel's grip on East Jerusalem al-Quds, which took place in the Six-Day War of 1967, as an "occupation." It also insists that the fate of the city should be decided in negotiations.

Palestinian authorities have warned against the ramifications of a US potential recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital, trying to rally international support against it.

Bozdag said the move would create a new mess for the Middle East region.

"It would not benefit anything. Rather than open new doors, it would drag the region into a new disaster," said the official, who also serves as the spokesman of the Turkish government.

Turkey allowed a restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel in June 2016, six years after an Israeli raid on a Turkish aid ship bound for the besieged Palestinian Gaza Strip that left several people killed.

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U.S., South Korean Militaries Launch Joint Air Exercises

December 04, 2017

The U.S. and South Korean militaries have begun their largest-ever joint air exercise with five-day Vigilant Ace maneuvers involving more than 230 aircraft.

North Korea has called the drills are an "all-out provocation" that could lead to nuclear conflict "at any moment."

"The U.S. and South Korean puppet warmongers would be well advised to bear in mind that their [North Korean]-targeted military drill will be as foolish as an act precipitating their self-destruction," the North's ruling party Rodong newspaper wrote.

The North's KCNA state news agency, citing a Foreign Ministry spokesman, also said that Washington was "begging for nuclear war by staging an extremely dangerous nuclear gamble on the Korean peninsula."

The annual Vigilant Aced drill, which began on December 4 and will run through December 8, will feature six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and F-35 jets among the aircraft taking part, a South Korea-based U.S. Air Force spokesman said.

Some 12,000 U.S. Marines, Navy, and other personnel will join South Korean troops in the drills.

The U.S. military said the joint exercise will enhance readiness and the operational capabilities of efforts to ensure peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on November 28, the latest in a series of launches that have raised tensions with the United States and its regional allies.

The Pentagon said initial assessments indicate that it was an intercontinental ballistic missile, a move that would be in violation of United Nations resolutions.

The U.S. military has some 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea to deter North Korean aggression.

Senator Sounds Warning On U.S. Military Families

Meanwhile, in Washington, an influential U.S. senator and hard-liner on North Korea says the U.S. military should begin moving family members out of longstanding bases in South Korea in the face of raised tensions with Pyongyang.

Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) told CBS Television's Face The Nation program on December 3 that it was "crazy to send spouses and children to South Korea, given the provocation of North Korea."

"South Korea should be an unaccompanied tour. So, I want them to stop sending dependents, and I think it's now time to start moving American dependents out of South Korea," added Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Graham said he had confidence in the Trump administration's ability to handle the U.S.-North Korea standoff.

"He's got the best national security team of anybody I have seen since I have been in Washington," said Graham, who has served in Congress since 1995.

Graham also said the United States moves closer to "preemptive war" with every new test of a missile or nuclear weapons by the North Koreans.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-south-korea -military-exercises/28894515.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Explainer: Taliban 'Special Forces Unit' Bursts Into Spotlight With Deadly Attacks

Frud Bezhan December 04, 2017

On the increasingly crowded battlefields of Afghanistan, a feared, commando-style Taliban unit is gaining attention for a series spectacular, deadly attacks on Afghan security forces.

Known as "Sara Kheta" -- Red Unit or Danger Unit in Pashto -- it is said to be the Taliban's elite special-forces group. Unlike regular Taliban fighters, analysts say the outfit is better trained and armed and is sent on special operations targeting bases and posts of the Afghan National Army and police force.

The so-called Red Unit's rise has raised concerns among government forces struggling to fend off the Taliban since the withdrawal of NATO troops in 2014 and suffering record casualty rates on the battlefield.

When did it emerge?

The first mention of a Taliban "special-forces unit" was in June 2015, when Taliban fighters published photos on social media purportedly showing a training camp where recruits were being trained on heavy machine guns and antiaircraft guns.

In December 2015, the Taliban said it was unleashing its special forces to eliminate fighters allied with the militant group Islamic State (IS) that had emerged in Afghanistan earlier that year.

In August 2016, Afghan military officials confirmed the existence of the Taliban's Red Unit in the southern province of Helmand.

But the unit has fought its way to greater prominence in the past month or so. On November 1, the Taliban uploaded photos of the unit on its official Telegram account. The photos show members of Red Unit in new uniforms and armed with the kind of tactical assault gear worn by soldiers and law enforcement teams around the world.

Weeks later, Afghan officials blamed it for a spate of attacks on November 13 and 14 during which dozens of Afghan security personnel were killed in the southern province of Kandahar and the western province of Farah.

On December 3, Afghanistan's intelligence agency said the commander of the new unit, Mullah Shah Wali, also known Mullah Naser, was killed in an air operation in Helmand Province the week before.

How is it different from other Taliban units?

"What distinguishes this force from other fighting units is its intensive and longer training, the degree of vetting, its tactics, weapons and equipment, and structure," says Borhan Osman, senior Afghanistan analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG).

"The unit is mainly used for quick interventions, high-value targets, special operations, or offensives such as capturing a highly strategic area, breaking major sieges of regular Taliban forces, jailbreaks, and escorting important leaders," Osman adds.

Military analysts estimate the size of the unit at anywhere from several hundred to up to 1,000 fighters.

Those tactics and capabilities were on show in the November attacks when Afghan officials said the unit, equipped with lasers and night-vision gear, attacked police checkpoints and army bases and rapidly left the scene to avoid NATO air strikes. On November 14, the unit drove a pickup truck loaded with explosives into a police checkpoint point and then launched attacks on 14 nearby posts, killing over two dozen police officers.

In Farah Province the same day, Taliban units with night-vision scopes killed eight police officers in their beds early in the morning. Three police officers in the province were also killed in night attacks around the same time.

The U.S. military has equipped many Afghan soldiers with night-vision equipment, but police forces rarely possess them.

"The Red Unit and regular Taliban forces use the same types of weapons: small arms, RPGs, and machine guns," says Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the Long War Journal. "Typically, the Red Unit has newer weapons, and is occasionally seen with night-vision devices that have been seized from Afghan forces."

The unit is believed to equipped with the Taliban's most advanced weaponry, including 82-millimeter rockets, laser pointers, heavy machine guns, and U.S.-made M-4 assault rifles. They are also known to have used and possess dozens of armored Humvees and Ford Ranger pickup trucks stolen from Afghan forces.

Ahmad K. Majidyar, a South Asia and Middle East expert for the Washington-based Middle East Institute, says it is misleading to call the unit a special-forces outfit because it lacks elite commando capabilities of even the Afghan Special Forces, let alone advanced elite commando units such as the U.S. SEAL Team Six.

"The Red Team is more a heavily armed group used in surprise attacks against vulnerable Afghan security check posts," he says. "It also has well-trained snipers that aid ordinary Taliban militants in their attack against the Afghan forces."

The unit has also spread from southern Afghanistan, where it was established, and has expanded into eastern and western regions.

How much of a threat is it?

"The Red Unit poses a significant threat to Afghan forces," Roggio says. "It has had great success on the battlefield when going head to head with Afghan units."

Roggio says the unit operates like shock troops, often leading assaults on Afghan district centers, military bases, and outposts.

The NATO-led mission in Afghanistan has said it has not seen any evidence of the Taliban possessing advanced weaponry like night-vision equipment, which Afghan officials say the militants have purchased on the black market or have accumulated after overrunning Afghan army bases.

But Afghan military officials have confirmed the unit's capabilities.

Kandahar's powerful police chief, General Abdul Raziq, has said the Red Unit is part of the Taliban's "new approach and new tactics," adding that it was "well equipped and highly armed."

Majidyar says he expects the Red Unit to come under increasing pressure if President Donald Trump relaxes U.S. rules of engagement.

"The Taliban will suffer more significant losses on the battlefield in the coming months," he predicts.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-special-forces -emerge-deadly-attacks/28896629.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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NATO Chief Says Alliance Will Maintain Focus Despite Tillerson 'Rumors'

RFE/RL December 04, 2017

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has praised Rex Tillerson for what he called a "strong personal commitment" to the alliance and said "rumors" that the U.S. secretary of state could lose his job would not affect meetings this week in Brussels.

Stoltenberg spoke on December 4, ahead of Tillerson's expected arrival for a December 5-6 NATO foreign ministers meeting and talks with Belgian officials.

The NATO chief said that the Western military alliance "and NATO ministers are able to focus on the core tasks of the job we have to do despite any speculation and rumors."

He praised what he said was Tillerson's "strong personal commitment to the transatlantic bond and to NATO."

Tillerson's December 4-8 trip to Europe comes days after The New York Times and other media published reports, citing unnamed sources, of a White House plan to force him out as secretary of state.

Tillerson is scheduled to attend NATO, EU, and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meetings and to hold bilateral talks with Belgian and Austrian officials in Brussels and Vienna on December 5-7. He is due to make a stop in Paris on December 8 for meetings with French officials.

An encounter with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also planned on the sidelines of a meeting of the OSCE in the Austrian capital.

Ahead of his European tour, Tillerson stressed Washington's commitment to European security, especially as Russia continues what he called its "aggressive behavior."

Speaking at the Wilson Center think tank on November 28, Tillerson said Russia's military interventions in Georgia and Ukraine, and interference in European elections and politics were unacceptable.

Growing Cloud Or 'Fake News'

Two days after the speech, U.S. media reported that the White House had a plan for CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson.

U.S. President Donald Trump rejected the reports as "fake news," while Tillerson called them "laughable."

Ahead of Tillerson's arrival, U.S. envoy to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said that "there has been no change whatsoever" in planning for two days of talks between Tillerson and his NATO counterparts on December 5-6.

The president and the secretary of state have often contradicted each other in public statements regarding major international issues.

Tillerson has also been accused by Democrats and some Republicans of weakening U.S. diplomacy by planning staff cuts and not filling major positions at the State Department.

Meanwhile, some European leaders have expressed concern over Trump's "America First" rhetoric and mixed signals sent by U.S. officials regarding NATO and the European Union.

An EU official involved in diplomacy with White House officials told the Reuters news agency that "it seems [Tillerson] has no mandate, that the guillotine is hanging over his head."

"It leaves Europe just as doubtful as before about Trump," the official added.

"The chaos in the administration doesn't help in the current geopolitical climate," a French diplomat was quoted as saying.

In Brussels, Tillerson will participate in a December 5-6 NATO foreign ministers meeting and will also meet with EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and foreign ministers of the bloc to discuss "U.S.-EU cooperation on major global issues," the State Department said in a statement.

On December 7 in Vienna, he will attend the opening and first plenary sessions of the OSCE Ministerial Council -- the central decision-making and governing body of the organization.

War In Ukraine

Ukraine "will very much be on the agenda" during the OSCE talks, a senior State Department official said on December 1, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The secretary really has a heart for...the safety and security of the Ukrainian people in the east in the occupied territories who continue to be the target of military operations with the encouragement and participation of forces from the Russian Federation," the official also said.

Fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 10,000 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.

Several cease-fire deals announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed at resolving the conflict -- have failed to hold.

The OSCE has deployed an unarmed Special Monitoring Mission to the country (OSCE SMM) to observe and report on the situation.

Discussions about deploying a peacekeeping force have heated up since September, when Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed deploying UN peacekeepers along the line separating Ukrainian government forces and the Russia-backed separatists.

The plan swiftly drew criticism from both Kyiv and the West, largely because of concerns that deployment only along the front line would cement Russian control over separatist-held territory and do nothing to stop Russia from sending fighters and weapons into Ukraine. Putin later said he was open to adjustments to his initial proposal, but no agreement has been reached.

"It needs to be an outcome that would have a UN force encompassing the contested area and not just ratifying the gains that the Russians have made on the ground," the State Department official said.

The official said that a meeting between Tillerson and Lavrov was tentatively scheduled for December 7 on the sidelines of the OSCE meeting in Vienna.

"We have a fairly robust set of discussions under way with the Russians on a lot of global issues" including North Korea's missile and nuclear programs and the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, the official said.

Tillerson is to meet with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz to discuss "combating violent extremism, curbing nuclear proliferation, promoting democratic and economic reform in the Western Balkans, and deepening bilateral trade ties," the State Department said.

It said Tillerson was set to travel to Paris on December 8 to discuss "our deep cooperation on issues of mutual concern" around the world, such as Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, and North Korea, with senior French leaders.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, AP, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nato-russia -ukraine-tillerson-maintain-focus- despite-rumors/28896616.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Kremlin Asserts Putin Was Not Influenced By Flynn-Kislyak Meeting

RFE/RL December 04, 2017

The Kremlin says that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to hold off on retaliating against new U.S. sanctions last year was made "absolutely independently," without any influence by Michael Flynn.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments on December 4, three days after Flynn -- who briefly served as U.S. national security adviser under President Donald Trump -- pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia.

Flynn also agreed to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the actions of Trump's inner circle during the 2016 U.S. election campaign and after he took office on January 20.

U.S. prosecutors said Flynn and Sergei Kislyak, then the Russian ambassador to the United States, in December 2016 discussed sanctions that President Barack Obama's administration had imposed on Moscow for alleged interference in the election.

The United States at the time accused two leading Russian security agencies of involvement in cyberespionage, and ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and the seizure of two Russian diplomatic country retreats.

That was followed in January by a U.S. intelligence-community report saying that the Russian government undertook a concerted effort to influence the 2016 election in favor of Trump.

Putin said on December 30 that he would wait to see how relations developed under Trump -- who was president-elect but was weeks away from taking office -- before responding to the new sanctions.

After U.S. lawmakers passed a bill imposing additional sanctions on Russia, Moscow went ahead and took what it said were retaliatory measures in July, ordering a drastic cut in U.S. diplomatic personnel.

In his comments on December 4, Kremlin spokesman Peskov insisted that Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador did not influence Putin's response to the U.S. sanctions.

He said the Russian president didn't know of Flynn's alleged request to refrain from an immediate response.

Flynn was not in a position to ask Kislyak to do anything, Peskov said, calling the idea "absurd."

The spokesman insisted that Putin's decision not to respond immediately to the U.S. sanctions "could not have been connected to any requests or recommendations."

Also on December 4, Trump renewed criticism of Mueller's investigation and said that he felt "very badly" for Flynn.

"He's led a very strong life, and I feel badly about it," Trump said before heading off on a trip to the state of Utah.

Flynn faces up to five years in prison for the charge of lying to the FBI, but his sentencing could also depend on the extent of his cooperation with investigators.

He was forced out as national security adviser in February, after just 24 days in the post, amid revelations that he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Kislyak.

Flynn is the fourth person to be criminally charged in connection with the investigation.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate, Rick Gates, were indicted in October on charges that included conspiracy and lying to federal agents.

Former foreign-policy adviser George Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents and is cooperating with Mueller's investigators.

Russia denies it meddled in the U.S. election, despite what U.S. intelligence officials say is powerful evidence, and Trump denies there was any collusion between his associates and Russia.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-us- kremlin-denies-putin-influenced-flynn- kislyak-meeting/28896444.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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EU Commissioner Tells Bosnia 'High Time' To Make Reforms

RFE/RL's Balkan Service December 04, 2017

The European Union's enlargement commissioner has urged Bosnia-Herzegovina to implement concrete reforms if it wants to join the bloc, warning that the window to becoming a member could close.

Johannes Hahn said on December 4 that Bosnia had not made any of the reforms or changes agreed with the EU and international creditors since the bloc accepted the Balkan state's membership application in September 2016.

"It is absolutely high time now to deliver on what has been agreed. Otherwise, the window can be closed again and this is not something we all would like to see," Hahn told a news conference after meeting political leaders in Sarajevo.

Bosnian Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic said he hoped that the country's political leaders will reach a compromise on outstanding issues by early January.

The ethnically divided country has so far not responded to the European Commission's questionnaire on its readiness to join the bloc.

The questionnaire is used by the commission as a tool to gather information necessary for forming an opinion on a country's capacity to comply with EU membership criteria.

Hahn urged government and opposition leaders to stop appealing to ethnic nationalism, and said the bloc would be looking for evidence of European values.

"Without that understanding one cannot make any progress," he said.

Since the Bosnian war ended in 1995, Bosnia has been split into two entities -- the ethnic Serb-dominated Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosniaks and Croats.

The two entities are linked by joint state-level institutions, including a tripartite presidency that must reach consensus before decisions can be made.

Hahn said he understood the "complexity" of the situation, but insisted that there was no more time for any "excuses."

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/bosnia-eu-commissioner- high-time-make-reforms/28896569.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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President Hadi Urges Yemen to Unite Against Houthis After Saleh's Death - Media

Sputnik News

16:35 04.12.2017(updated 21:48 04.12.2017)

The Houthis have allegedly gained control over Sanaa announcing the "end of crisis" earlier in the day after the six-days clashes with the forces loyal to the murdered ex-President Saleh.

Yemeni President Mansour Hadi has urged all Yemenis to rise against the Houthis after the shocking killing of the rebels' former ally, ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in his TV address broadcast by Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television.

According to local media reports citing Yemen's Interior Ministry, the Houthis have allegedly gained control over Sanaa announcing the "end of crisis" following the death of Saleh after his residence had reportedly been blown up earlier in the day.

Abdul-Malik Badreddin Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels has hailed the day of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's death as "extraordinary and historic," saying as quoted by a rebel-controlled TV channel, "I congratulate all the sons of our dear nation The plot has been completely defeated." He added that the Houthis had been engaged in fights against Saleh and certain units loyal to him, but not against the GPC.

The announcement came after Yemeni President Mansour Hadi had allegedly ordered forces to retake the country's capital of Sanaa, according to AFP news agency, citing a presidential source.

According to the deputy head of public relations at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Anastasia Isyuk, comment to Sputnik, "Sana'a witnessed a night of very heavy clashes  the fiercest since the violence erupted last week. The violence claimed the lives of 125 people and wounded 238."

She added that several ICRC-supported medical facilities, namely Al Jumhouri hospital, Kuwait hospital and Al-Thowra hospital, had received 104 injured and 98 dead, or 53 percent of the total casualties.

Earlier in the day, Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr said that the government had proposed to offer an amnesty for those, who cut ties with the Houthi rebels.

Six Days of Heavy Fighting Between Former Allies in Sanaa

Clashes between the former allies  the Houthis and supporters of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have been ongoing in the southern districts of the Yemeni capital for six days after the former president's General People's Congress (GPC) party said that the rebels had attempted to carry out a coup and forbade loyal servicemen to obey their orders.

In a Saturday speech, described by the Houthis as "deceitful," Saleh announced that he was ready to turn "a new page" in relations with the Saudi-led coalition, which had been fighting the Houthi movement since 2015 at the request of President Hadi.

On Sunday, the coalition reportedly carried out five air strikes

on Houthi outposts in the south of Sanaa, however, no confirmation has followed so far.

During his more than 30-year rule in Yemen, Saleh feuded and repeatedly fought with Ansar Allah. After his removal as a result of the "Arab Spring" in 2012, he took the side of the Houthis in an uprising against the new government, which began in 2014. He and his loyal military together with the Houthis formed a united front in the war against the government forces and the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which supported the government.

 Sputnik

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Unverified Graphic Footage Allegedly Shows Corpse of Yemen's Ex-President Saleh

Sputnik News

15:43 04.12.2017(updated 21:49 04.12.2017)

Photos and video appeared shortly after reports from a Houthi commander to Sputnik Arabic about the killing of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Monday.

An extremely graphic video allegedly showing the corpse of Ali Abdullah Saleh has surfaced on social media.

The video shows a man's body resembling Saleh. However the authenticity of the footage and the identity of the man are yet to be confirmed by the authorities.

According to Sky News Arabia, citing military sources, Saleh was shot dead in his head by the rebels in a settlement near Sanaa, while attempting to flee from the capital to the country's Marib province.

Saleh's son has reportedly been injured and captured by the Houthis, while Yasir Awadi, the deputy chair of Saleh's party dubbed General People's Congress, was killed like the former president.

Abdul-Malik Badreddin Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels has hailed the day of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's death as "extraordinary and historic," saying as quoted by a rebel-controlled TV channel, "I congratulate all the sons of our dear nation The plot has been completely defeated."

Earlier in the day, the Houthis blew up the house of the former President in Sanaa.

The attack took place following a six-day fight in Yemen's capital between the Houthi rebels and the forces supporting ex-President Saleh.

While delivering a speech on Saturday, Saleh announced that he was ready to turn a "new page" in relations with the Saudi-led coalition:

"I call upon the brothers in neighboring states and the alliance to stop their aggression, lift the siege, open the airports and allow food aid and the saving of the wounded and we will turn a new page by virtue of our neighborliness," said in a televised address as quoted by RT.

Saleh's statement was dubbed "deception" by the Houthis, who were in alliance with the former President.

Ali Abdullah Saleh was sworn in as Yemen's President in 1990 following the merger of North and South Yemen. In wake of the "Arab Spring" Saleh was ousted, and succeded by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Throughout the Yemeni Civil War he had allied with the Houthi rebels, who had been fighting against the Saudi-backed forces of Hadi ousted in 2015.

The Yemen Civil War began in 2015 between the Shiite Houthi rebels and the forces loyal to the government of Hadi. Later the Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against the Houthis in order to bring Hadi back to power, and had been carrying out massive indiscriminate airstrikes in Yemen since then. The coalition has repeatedly been accused of committing war crimes.

 Sputnik

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Missing Argentine Sub's Crew Informed About Device's Failure in Sept. - Reports

Sputnik News

14:41 04.12.2017

While relatives of the missing submarine's crew demand the continuation of searches for possible survivors, new details about the sub's technical state have emerged.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The crew of the missing Argentine submarine San Juan with 44 crew members on board reported in September that the submarine's snorkel, a device which takes in air from the surface and ensures submerged operation, failed, causing water to enter into the vessel, the Clarin newspaper reported, citing the Argentine Navy report.

However, according to the outlet, important parts were not flooded and the submarine was scheduled for repair works in 2018.

According to the newspaper, the country's Defense Minister Oscar Aguad knew about the report several days ago after an internal investigation had been launched.

A day earlier, Argentine Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi reported two possible areas of location for the missing sub, currently probed by experts. According to him, the searches are being complicated by bad weather conditions.

San Juan Crew's Families Take Streets

At the same time, up to 300 distressed family members and friends of the missing submarine crew have taken to the streets in the city of Mar del Plata, gathering around the Argentine Navy base, with the crowd stretching for seven kilometers (4.3 miles), La Gaceta newspaper said.

The protest was triggered by the Navy's November 30 decision to halt the weeks-long operation to rescue the crew of the missing submarine, continuing, however, the search for the sub itself.

People reportedly chanted "search and rescue," "faith and hope," "do not forget about the San Juan submarine."

"We demand the presence of President Macri. We want to listen to him, express our doubts and let him feel what we have been going through since November 15," the mother of one of the submarine's sailors told the newspaper.

The ARA San Juan sub stopped communicating during a routine patrol in the South Atlantic off the coast of Argentina on November 15 with some media reports suggesting that an explosion could have taken place on board the submarine.

About 28 ships, nine planes and 4,000 people from 18 countries were involved in the search efforts in an ocean area covering 557,000 nautical miles.

 Sputnik

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Yemeni Houthi Rebels Blow Up Ex-President Saleh's House - Reports

Sputnik News

13:50 04.12.2017(updated 20:01 04.12.2017)

Photos and an extremely graphic video allegedly showing the corpse of Ali Abdullah Saleh has surfaced on social media, however, authenticity of the footage and the identity of the man are yet to be confirmed by the authorities.its

Houthis' forces' representative Yahya al Mehdi has told Sputnik Arabic that former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh had been killed, confirming Iranian media Alalam reports. The head of a department of the Yemeni army, which is in alliance with the Houthis, Yahya al Mahdi has also confirmed to Sputnik the death of Saleh.

According to Yahya al Mahdi, Saleh was killed several several hours ago on the Sinhan-Maareb highway amid his secret movements through the country. A representative of the Yemeni troops loyal to the rebels, explained in a comment to Sputnik that the Houthis had been monitoring the movements of Saleh in order to detain him since Saturday, adding that the clashes between the rebels and the guards of Saleh started after an attempt to detain the former official.

The rumors of his death have been first denied by the Yemeni General People's Congress (Saleh's party) cited by Saudi media, who later confirmed the report after an unverified footage of Saleh's killing has emerged.

Previously, Reuters reported citing local residents that Houthi rebels had blown up the house of ex-President Saleh in Sanaa.

While the current whereabouts of Saleh reportedly remain unknown, the attack comes amid a six-day heavy fighting in the Yemeni capital between the forces loyal to the ex-president and the rebels.

In a Saturday speech, described by the Houthis as "deception," Saleh announced that he was ready to turn "a new page" in relations with the Saudi-led coalition, listing two demands.

Following the surprise breakdown of the alliance between Saleh and the rebels, the Saudi-led coalition welcomed Saleh's announcement and a day later allegedly bombed Houthi positions in the city, with no official confirmation of the airstrikes following so far.

At the same time, clashes between the former allies  the Houthis and supporters of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have been ongoing in the southern districts of the Yemeni capital for already six days after an alleged attempt by the rebels to seize the city's main mosque.

Amid the ongoing "street war" in Sanaa, the Houthis reportedly seized studios of the Yemen Today broadcaster, owned by Saleh, trapping some 20 employees inside over the weekend.

The Saudi-led coalition has started an operation in Yemen in 2015 at the request of the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels allied with Saleh forced him into exile.

During his more than 30-year rule in Yemen, Saleh feuded and repeatedly fought with Ansar Allah. After his removal as a result of the "Arab Spring" in 2012, he took the side of the Houthis in an uprising against the new government, which began in 2014, when and his loyal military together with the Houthis formed a united front in the war against the government forces and the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which supported the government.

 Sputnik

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Yemen Gov't Ready to Offer Amnesty to Those Who Cut Ties With Houthi Rebels - PM

Sputnik News

12:43 04.12.2017(updated 14:13 04.12.2017)

The announcement comes after the former ally of Houthi rebels, ex-Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, announced that he was ready to turn "a new page" in relations with the Saudi-led coalition.

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr said that "the president [Mansour Hadi] proposed to offer an amnesty for those, who had fought for the Houthi rebels, but decided to leave the movement."

The statement comes after ex-Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh announced Saturday that he was ready to turn "a new page" in relations with the Saudi-led coalition if the latter stopped attacking his country.

The decision was labeled "deceitful" by the Houthis and prompted clashes between the movement and Saleh's supporters in the southern Sanaa. On Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition allegedly bombed Houthi positions in the city, but no official data on casualties has been provided so far.

However, the International Committee of the Red Cross said that the several-day-long clashes left dozens dead and hundreds injured, aggravating an already complex situation that is regarded as one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent times.

 Sputnik

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US Using Political Pressure to Draw Balkans Into NATO - Russian Foreign Ministry

Sputnik News

11:39 04.12.2017(updated 11:40 04.12.2017)

119

The director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of European Cooperation has explained to Sputnik Moscow's position on NATO expansion in the Baltics and the UN peacekeeping mission in Donbass.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The United States is using political pressure to draw the Balkan states into NATO, Moscow is concerned about such attempts, Andrey Kelin, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of European Cooperation (DEC), told Sputnik.

Kelin said Washington's key efforts were currently "aimed at fully mastering the western Balkans, and, after Montenegro, to draw other countries into its orbit too."

"We do not perceive this calmly, because any wave of NATO expansion, especially under the conditions of poor relations that currently exist, is an additional factor complicating European security," he said.

Commenting on the mid-November Pentagon statement that it had approved the $10.5 billion sale of Patriot missile defense systems to Poland planned to be delivered in 2019, Kelin has said that Moscow would take appropriate measures in response.

"We previously offered NATO some kinds of cooperation in the missile defense sphere that could remove this negative effect, but all our attempts and all our proposals were rejected. So we will certainly not just simply take this into account in our defense planning, but we will also take appropriate measures that will restore stability in Europe," Kelin said.

The official pointed at Finland and Sweden engaging in close cooperation with NATO, adding that Moscow was monitoring this situation.

Airspace Over Baltic Region

However, the senior diplomat has mentioned that the situation in the airspace over the Baltic region has calmed down.

"We know that NATO aspires to make this cooperation [with Finland and Sweden] strong enough to include them in its sphere of influence. At the same time, we know that there are quite independent forces both in Helsinki and Stockholm, which oppose entering NATO and stand for preserving the current status quo. We see the opportunities to work on enhancing security in the Baltics at a non-alliance level, and these opportunities are being used. It is extremely important nowadays, when there are many more warships, aircraft, and, therefore, military incidents are more probable," Kelin said.

The senior diplomat noted that Stockholm had confirmed during recent consultations that the situation over the Baltic airspace has become less tense.

"Following the adoption on the ICAO's [International Civil Aviation Organization] initiative for certain rules of conduct for so-called state aviation, which pertains to military aviation, the situation has calmed down, and no serious air incidents have been registered in recent days," Kelin explained.

NATO decided to boost its presence in the Baltic region as part of its strategy to increase its eastern flank capabilities during the 2016 summit in Warsaw.

Although Finland and Sweden are not NATO member states, the countries, along with Australia, Georgia and Jordan, are NATO's enhanced opportunities partners, which are distinguished by their considerable contribution to the alliance's operations and activities.

Concerns Over Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2017 Drills

The diplomat also touched upon NATO's concerns over the September Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2017 drills.

"Why do our Western partners worry, when they carry out large-scale drills themselves? For sure, it does not contribute to stability. We are convinced that in order to ensure predictability we have to exchange information on our drills and we are doing this via the NATO-Russia Council (NRC)," Kelin said.

Answering a question on whether or not Russia will further carry out drills similar to Zapad-2017, the high-ranking diplomat stated that it should be addressed to Russia's General Staff. Kelin, however, noted in this regard that while the Zapad-2017 military exercises were carried out, NATO conducted more than a dozen drills in Europe.

The Western states repeatedly raised concerns with regard to the joint drills, saying that the Russian troops, deployed in Belarus for the military exercises, were likely to stay in the country afterward, which was repeatedly refuted by Russia. Moscow confirmed that all Russian servicemen who had taken part in the drills left Belarus after the event.

NATO's presence in Eastern Europe has been rising after the eruption of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, with the alliance using the alleged Russian interference in Ukrainian internal affairs as a pretext. Moscow has repeatedly voiced its protest over NATO's military buildup, saying that it will undermine regional stability and result in a new arms race.

Russia's Position on Donbass

Kelin has also outlined Moscow's position to the disputed issue of UN peacekeeping contingent in Donbass.

"Our position is that the UN operation should be carried out in support of the OSCE mission. The work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission has been on for quite a long time, it has its shortcomings, in particular, its reports are not always objective, but on the whole, we consider it is necessary there," Kelin said.

Asked whether Russia really does not intend to abandon its original position on peacekeepers, he said that "at the moment our position here is absolutely firm, it is absolutely justified, based on the implementation of the Minsk agreements."

This stance has been recently voiced by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has said that the UN peacekeeping forces would be deployed in Donbass after a disengagement of troops and military equipment of the conflicting sides, it should be agreed upon with Kiev and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics (DPR and LPR).

 Sputnik

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Paramount that civilians are protected in Yemen, underscores UN

4 December 2017  Voicing concern over the dramatic escalation in fighting in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and surrounding areas, that have reportedly killed about one hundred people and injured many more, the United Nations called on the parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure that civilians are not harmed.

"It is paramount that civilians are protected, that the wounded are afforded safe access to medical care, and that all sides facilitate life-saving humanitarian access," Stephane Dujarric, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told reporters Monday at a regular press briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York.

"We remind all parties to the conflict that deliberate attacks against civilians and against civilian and medical infrastructure are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes."

At the briefing, the UN spokesperson also said that relief workers in the city are not able to reach those in desperate need of help due to the sheer scale of violence and that there have been reports that ambulances have been attacked.

Renewing the Organization's call on warring parties for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sana'a, he added: "We cannot overemphasize that there is no military solution to the Yemen conflict. [We] stand ready to facilitate a negotiated political settlement that is inclusive, fair and sustainable."

Earlier today, Jamie McGoldrick, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, highlighted the severity of the crisis and called for an urgent humanitarian pause to allow civilians to seek assistance, aid workers to reach them, and for the wounded to be evacuated.

"The streets of Sana'a have become battlegrounds and people are trapped in their homes, unable to move out in search of safety and medical care and to access basic supplies such as food, fuel and safe water," he said in a statement.

"I call on all parties to the conflict to urgently enable a humanitarian pause on Tuesday, 5 December, between 10.00 AM and 16.00 PM to allow civilians to leave their homes and seek assistance and protection," he added.

Mr. McGoldrick also urged UN Member States with leverage on the parties to the conflict to step up their engagement "for the sake of the protection of the civilian population."

Further in the statement, the senior UN relief official also stressed that deliberate attacks against civilians, humanitarians and health-care personnel, as well as against civilian and medical infrastructure, are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes.

UN rights chief appoints experts to investigate violations and abuses in Yemen

In related news, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Monday appointed members to the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen, established by the Human Rights Council in September this year, to monitor and report on the situation in the war-torn country.

In the resolution, the Geneva-based Human Rights Council the highest intergovernmental forum on human rights within the UN system  requested the experts to carry out a "comprehensive examination of all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights and other appropriate and applicable fields of international law committed by all parties to the conflict [] and to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations and abuses and, where possible, to identify those responsible."

The members appointed Monday are Kamel Jendoubi (Tunisia), who will serve as chairperson, Charles Garraway (United Kingdom) and Melissa Parke (Australia).

"The group's creation is an important step toward accountability and ending impunity for the serious violations of human rights committed by all sides in Yemen amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the country, and ensuring justice and remedy for the victims," said the UN rights chief, in a news release announcing the appointments.

According to the release, the experts will submit a comprehensive written report to the High Commissioner by September 2018.

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Yemen's Former President Saleh Killed After Houthis Stop His Motorcade

By Edward Yeranian December 04, 2017

It was a bitter end for the former president who had ruled the north of Yemen and then a united north and south for nearly 34 years. His death came at the hand of Houthi militiamen who were pursuing him and a number of close aides as they attempted to flee fighting inside the capital Sanaa. Amateur video released by Houthi media show the former president with an apparent gunshot wound to the head, being carried off in a blanket.

Members of his political party claimed Saleh had been killed at point-blank range, after his three-vehicle convoy was stopped by Houthi militiamen. One of his sons was also reportedly shot and taken captive by the Houthis.

Arab media claimed Iranian drones detected the former president's motorcade leaving Sanaa and alerted the Houthis, who said Saleh was fleeing to territory under control of the Saudi-led coalition. He had broken with the pro-Iranian militia group on Saturday by offering to negotiate with the coalition.

In a televised speech Monday, Houthi leader Abdel Malek al Houthi declared victory against Saleh.

He said the Houthis have put a stop to a massive plot, which represented a serious threat to the country and to its stability and security, as well as the unity of its people, by handing it over to its enemies, after they had failed to capture it in nearly three years of battle.

Houthi went on to blast Saleh for betraying the loyalty of those he had worked with and claimed the ordinary people of the capital could not understand how he had changed sides after three years of denouncing the Saudi-led coalition.

The rebel leader claimed many ordinary Yemenis were shocked by (Saleh's) calls for strife, combat, upsetting peace and security, and he says he tried in a fraternal and peaceful way to avoid the current conflict by talking (with Saleh).

As president of Yemen, Saleh had fought the Houthis in five conflicts between 2005 and 2012, before allying with them in 2014 after the Saudi-led coalition launched a military operation to restore the internationally-recognized president, Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi, after the Houthis had deposed and arrested him.

Former U.S. Diplomat David Mack, now with the Middle East Institute, told VOA Saleh was "one of the smartest political operatives in the Arab world," and the former president believed he had been unjustly driven from office by countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in accord with the United States.

Mack told VOA, before news of Mr. Saleh's death, the former president "wanted to have one chance to restore his reputation, which has been terribly, terribly damaged during the past decade.

"He has gone from having the reputation of being this supremely capable political operator within Yemen, to being somebody who was just out for personal power and was prepared to see tremendous suffering of the Yemeni people in the process," Mack said.

The whereabouts of Saleh's son, and political heir, Tareq, who was leading the fight against the Houthis in the capital at the head of the Presidential Guard regiment remain unclear. The former president's supporters have suffered serious military setbacks during the past 48 hours.

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Airstrikes, Battles in Yemen's Capital as Rebel Alliance Unravels

By VOA News December 04, 2017

Airstrikes struck Yemen's capital, Sana'a, overnight and into Monday with witnesses saying the bombings hit Houthi rebel positions.

A Saudi-led coalition that has launched airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen since March 2015 is the only force known to conduct strikes on Sana'a.

Robert Mardini, Middle East regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said "the night was tough" in the city with massive clashes that included airstrikes and artillery. He reported Yemenis were trapped in their homes and that an ICRC medical warehouse was hit.

The violence comes as an alliance between the Iran-backed Houthis and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh appears to have fallen apart.

The two sides joined ranks three years ago and swept across Sana'a, forcing the country's internationally recognized President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to flee the country and seek the military intervention led by Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis' political office accused Saleh of staging a "coup" against "an alliance he never believed in" after he offered to initiate talks with the Saudi coalition. In a televised speech, Saleh asked for an end to the siege on Yemeni ports and offered, in exchange, to "turn a new page" and "deal with them in a positive way."

Clashes between fighters loyal to Saleh and the Houthis first erupted last week when Saleh accused the rebels of storming his giant mosque in Sana'a and attacking his nephew, the powerful commander of the special forces, Tarek Saleh.

David Mack, a former U.S. diplomat, has dealt with Saleh who was removed in 2012 after more than 30 years in office. Now with the Middle East Institute, Mack described Saleh as "one of the smartest political operatives in the Arab world," and someone who felt he was unjustly pushed from power by members of the Gulf Cooperation Council backed by the United States.

"He still wanted to have one chance to restore his reputation, which has been terribly, terribly damaged during the past decade," Mack told VOA. "He's gone from having the reputation of being this supremely capable political operator within Yemen to being somebody who was just out for personal power and was prepared to see tremendous suffering of Yemeni people in the process."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged warring parties in Yemen to stop all ground and air assaults. The U.N. said the sharp escalation of armed clashes and airstrikes in Sana'a has already resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries, including civilians.

Fighting is restricting the movement of people and life-saving services within Sana'a city. Ambulances and medical teams cannot access the injured and people cannot go outside to buy food and other necessities, the U.N. said. Aid workers are unable to travel and implement critical life-saving programs at a time when millions of Yemenis rely on assistance to survive.

Yemen is one of the Arab world's poorest countries and has become a humanitarian catastrophe with more than 10,000 people killed in the fighting and at least 2 million displaced. A cholera outbreak has infected nearly 1 million people.

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Analysts: Egypt Needs Comprehensive Strategy to Counter Growing Insurgency in Sinai Peninsula

By Noor Zahid, Mohamed Elshinnawi December 04, 2017

Faced with a growing threat from terrorists, Egypt needs a better approach to combat the issue, some leading Washington-based anti-terrorism experts told VOA.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi last week ordered his security forces to use "all brute force" to restore "security and stability" in the troubled Sinai Peninsula in three months.

The order came after a deadly terrorist attack on a crowded Sufi mosque last month that left more than 300 worshippers dead in the northern Sinai village of al-Rawdah  the deadliest assault by Islamic extremists in Egypt's modern history. Among the 305 dead were 27 children; another 128 people were wounded.

El-Sissi's government has been engaged in a bloody war against an increasingly violent insurgency in northern Sinai, where several militant groups, including Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, have been active for the last few years. The militant groups regularly target police, security forces and the minority Coptic community in the region.

The militant campaign in the peninsula accelerated after the Egyptian military overthrew elected Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Since then, nearly 1,000 security personnel have been killed in more than 1,700 terror attacks across the peninsula, according to the Washington-based Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

Analysts say the attack on the Sufi mosque indicates that the government's current approach to eradicating terrorism is not successful and the country needs a comprehensive strategy rather than setting a time limit for defeating the growing militancy.

"It is almost exactly the opposite of what you want to do; in an insurgency, setting a time limit might play well politically back in the home office, but it almost never works. It usually emboldens the rebels," David Des Roches, an associate professor at the National Defense University in Washington, told VOA. "What it basically says to the insurgents is all you have to do is lay low for three months, then you can come back with strong force."

Des Roches added that giving a deadline to security forces, and allowing them to use brute force, tends to push aside the judgment and discretion needed to tackle insurgents, as well as alienating local populations, which could intensify the insurgency.

Excessive force

Local Bedouin in Sinai have accused government forces of indiscriminately bombing their villages as militants frequently hide among the local population.

Des Roches said poorly designed campaigns hurt civilians "that may be passively supporting the insurgency or may be neutral" and these people "tend to be pushed over into the insurgents' side."

Michael O'Hanlon, a defense and foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington, echoed Des Roches's views and said setting a deadline could be counterproductive in the fight against insurgents.

"You give young men weapons and give them a sense that they are being asked to use all means necessary to brutally root out a problem and they will sometimes overdo it," O'Hanlon told VOA, adding that the excessive and indiscriminate use of force in population areas where insurgents might be residing could create more problems for the government instead of eradicating militancy.

As part of the government's counterinsurgency measures, hundreds of houses in the Rafah region, which borders the Gaza strip and Israel, have been razed by the Egyptian military, displacing more than 10,000 people, according to media reports.

"What you have to do is to be patient in developing intelligence, and you have to build networks of informants; you have to build trust with the local population to provide you information," O'Hanlon added. "The application of force is the easier part; the harder part is developing intelligence and the better your intelligence, the less you will do in the way of collateral damage."

Concerns of locals

Analysts believe that besides the military measures, combating the insurgency requires addressing the economic, religious or political concerns of local people.

"To create, first of all, a sense of fair political participation, representation, have some of their own people in the government listen to those people," O'Hanlon said. "Same thing for the security forces; they have to be balanced, include some of the people from whatever region that is an issue, then it has to be some sense of economic hope and a sense of a future worth working for."

Analysts say the conflict is causing worsening conditions for civilians in the region, which already is one of the most underdeveloped in Egypt and has largely been neglected by the central government in Cairo.

Jobs and economic opportunities are scarce and the government's counterinsurgency measures have effectively cut off communication, imposed long curfews, and blocked chat and internet calling applications in the region. An entry to the major city of Arish, for instance, requires proof of residency there.

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S. Sudanese Opposition Politicians, Activists Embrace 'Troika' Statement

By Waakhe Simon Wudu, Michael Atit December 04, 2017

South Sudanese activists and opposition politicians say they welcome the decision by the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway to support a revitalization forum on South Sudan's 2015 peace agreement, set to start later this month Addis Ababa.

The "troika" -- as the three countries are known -- says if the forum is going to be successful, it must be inclusive.

The three countries funded and facilitated the 2015 peace deal. But just days after its signing, the cessation of hostilities agreement was violated by both government forces and opposition fighters.

In its statement, the troika called on all parties to recommit to the deal and participate in the high-level revitalization forum, which U.S. officials have said is the last chance for President Salva Kiir's administration to restore peace and stability in South Sudan.

Jame David, executive director of the Foundation for Democracy and Accountable Governance, told VOA's South Sudan in Focus the troika should assert itself more in the implementation of the peace agreement.

"The troika should not jump away from this process and entirely push [it] to the South Sudanese people because they were part of the agreement, they have the resources, they have every opportunity to pressure these parties to the agreement to move the process forward," said David.

He said it's also important for there to be a mechanism to hold all parties accountable, such as the East African regional bloc IGAD. Western sanctions imposed on government and rebel leaders have not been effective, he said.

"We believe that most of these guys are people who do not have interest of going to Britain, to Washington or even to any of these European cities, but if we move towards a process of creating regional sanctions I think it will be very effective," David told VOA.

The revitalization forum was proposed by IGAD heads of state in June as a last-ditch effort to revive the 2015 peace agreement.

Joseph Ukell Obango is the leader of the opposition United South Sudan African Party. Obango says his party agrees with the troika that the government and armed opposition must declare a permanent ceasefire before engaging in the revitalization forum.

By declaring a cease-fire, Obango said, all warring parties would demonstrate their commitment to reaching a compromise at the forum.

"You cannot go for any negotiation while people are fighting. The government has actually declared a unilateral declaration of ceasefire and this is not working," said Obango.

He added opposition parties in South Sudan want to see the warring parties commit to respecting the cessation of hostilities agreement they signed in 2015.

"But if we come with a position that 'I can't compromise,' then this is where we are going... into what people are calling us now, a failed state," said Obango.

Steward Soroba Bubudia, chairman of the United Democratic Party, welcomes the troika statement but said he doubts that threats to impose more sanctions on those blocking the peace process will make a difference.

Soroba said previous sanctions slapped on leaders from both warring parties in the past have not worked.

"Sanctions are there, but they are not implemented and nobody on the ground can implement these sanctions. They are defied. The only solution is the international community should grab who is an obstacle to this and take steps towards him or her," said Soroba.

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Arab Leaders Warn Against US Recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli Capital

By VOA News December 04, 2017

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says he told U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of the "dangerous consequences" that would follow if the United States recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"Such a decision would trigger anger across Arab Muslim worlds, fuel tension and jeopardize peace efforts," Safadi said on Twitter.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to make an announcement this week concerning his administration's policy on Jerusalem.

Trump's son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner said at an event Sunday the president had not yet made up his mind.

"He's still looking at a lot of different facts," Kushner said.

U.S. officials said last week that Trump was expected to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, but put off deciding to move the U.S. embassy to there from its current location in Tel Aviv.

Israel seized control of Jerusalem in the Six Day War in 1967, and later annexed east Jerusalem -- a move never recognized by the world community. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, while Israel contends the entire city is its undivided capital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned Sunday that either moving the embassy or the recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital would be a threat to the Middle East peace process.

An Abbas advisor said he spent much of Sunday calling several world leaders to "explain the dangers of any decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem or recognize (Jerusalem) as Israel's capital."

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the U.S. is "playing with fire."

Hamas has called for a new intifada -- an uprising -- if the embassy is moved.

A law enacted under former President Bill Clinton calls for the U.S. Embassy to move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem unless the current president signs a waiver every six months to block the move in the name of national security. Every president has signed the waiver since the law was created in 1995, including Trump.

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Trump Had Been Told Flynn Had Misled FBI, Reports Say

By Steve Herman, Peter Heinlein December 04, 2017

The White House's chief lawyer told President Donald Trump in January he believed then-national security adviser Michael Flynn had misled the Federal Bureau of Investigation and lied to Vice President Mike Pence and should be fired, "a source familiar with the matter" said Monday, reported CNN.

White House counsel Donald McGahn, however, according to the source, did not tell the President that Flynn had violated the law in his FBI interview or was under criminal investigation, CNN reported.

Trump's personal lawyer, John Dowd, said Sunday that the president knew in late January that Flynn had probably given FBI agents the same inaccurate account he provided to the vice president about a call with the Russian ambassador, according to the Washington Post.

Sally Yates, who was acting attorney general, has testified before Congress that she declined to answer when McGahn asked her how Flynn did in his FBI interview, adding she informed told him that the national security advisor's conduct was problematic in itself and the lawyer could visit the Justice Department to read for himself the underlying information.

In Congressional testimony, James Comey has stated Trump asked him to go easy on Flynn before the president fired Comey as director of the FBI, the lead domestic intelligence and law enforcement agency in the United States.

"If the reporting is true, and if Comey's testimony about what occurred at the February 14th meeting is credible, the President's actions meet the plain definition of obstruction of justice," according to attorney Bradley Moss, who is deputy executive director of the James Madison Project, which promotes government accountability. "Such behavior could destroy his presidency."

Moss tells VOA he expects Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the probe into alleged ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia, will likely ultimately conclude "that any action against the president can only be handled by Congress through impeachment. If the evidence is damning enough, will the Republicans turn on Trump? No one really knows."

But Trump lawyer John Dowd contends a president cannot technically be charged with obstructing justice "because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution's Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case," according to the Axios online news site.

Former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz agrees. "You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate and who not to investigate," Dershowitz said in comments to Fox News.

Trump again expressed sympathy on Monday for Flynn, saying the former Defense Intelligence Agency director had been treated unfairly by investigators looking into Russia's influence on the 2016 presidential election.

"I feel badly for General Flynn. I feel very badly," Trump told reporters. "He's led a very strong life. And I feel very badly."

Flynn, last Friday, entered a guilty plea to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador  a conversation that occurred weeks before Trump's inauguration.

The president compared Flynn's lies with comments made by his presidential rival Hillary Clinton when asked by federal investigators about her emails.

"Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI. Nothing happened to her. Flynn lied and they destroyed his life. I think it's a shame," Trump said Monday as he departed the White House on a trip to Utah.

The president noted Clinton was not under oath when she spoke to the FBI, while Flynn was.

Comey testified in July before the House Oversight Committee that "We have no basis to conclude she lied" to agents investigating her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

Trump's comments come as legal experts and investigators are also parsing a tweet that appeared over the weekend on his Twitter account.

Trump tweeted that he "had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!"

Dowd says he drafted the tweet himself, calling it "my mistake," explaining that he then passed it to White House social media director Dan Scavino, who posted it to the @realdonaldtrump account.

Ned Price, who was a special assistant to President Barack Obama on the National Security Council staff, questioned whether Trump's seemingly incriminating tweet could have been written by someone else. "It seems as implausible as it is convenient to President Trump," Price told VOA.

"The idea that a lawyer would draft that  without any input from or clearance by Trump  doesn't strike me as believable," said Price, a former CIA senior analyst and spokesperson. "Add that to the long list of cover-ups."

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Zimbabwe's New President Mnangagwa Swears In Cabinet

By Sebastian Mhofu December 04, 2017

Zimbabwe's new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has sworn in his Cabinet. He immediately called for unity as his government attends to the broken economy.

It is the first time in Zimbabwe's 37-year history the oath is not being led by Robert Mugabe.

The 75-year-old Mnangagwa answered some questions following the ceremony.

"The new Cabinet is just to finish the term of the former president [Robert Mugabe] which is a period of six to seven months. It has been hectic and I believe that my team will withstand the challenge. I want them [Zimbabweans] united, we must grow our economy," he said.

Mnangagwa took power last month in a military-led coup after the 93-year-old Mugabe fired him as vice president.

The new president has not indicated if he will seek a fresh term in elections expected by middle of next year.

A few meters from the State House, street vendor Vengai Muhwahwa commented about the new Cabinet.

He said he hopes the government addresses the problem of cash shortages at banks instead of relying on plastic money, and he said it must create jobs. He said street vendors want to be chased by employers so that we get off the streets."

Next to him is another street vendor, Silas Mawera.

He said the composition of the new Cabinet is OK, and Zimbaweans are expecting it to quickly address the economy so vendors do not have to remain in the streets.

Besides attending to the economy, Zimbabwe's new president must unite his own ZANU-PF party, which was divided for years over who should succeed Mugabe.

Many party members backed Mnangagwa, but others supported Mugabe's wife Grace. The Mugabes have been granted immunity from prosecution and remain in Zimbabwe, living as private citizens.

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Critics: Tanzania's Magufuli Bulldozes Too Much

By Mohammed Yusuf December 04, 2017

In his two years in office, President John Magufuli has brought many changes to Tanzania, though critics say not all of them are for the better.

Magufuli has been criticized for being arrogant and autocratic when dealing with opponents, either perceived or real.

In this speech, the Tanzanian president warned those who looted public money.

"They should be careful. I can decide in two or three days to change the currency," he said.

During five years as minister of works, Magufuli earned his nickname, the Bulldozer, for his habit of pushing aside any obstacle in order to get what he wants.

As president, he often takes a similar approach. In April, he fired more than 9,000 government workers over fake education certificates.

His no-nonsense ways can get results. For instance, the government is building a railway, roads, and pipelines to connect the country to neighboring Uganda.

But his methods leave activists and the opposition concerned.

Opposition lawmaker Zitto Kabwe said Magufuli's approach is shortsighted.

"We have a president who hates multiparty democracy. He might be developmental, he would like to see the country going forward, but he hates democracy, and without democracy, development is not sustainable, because without democracy the institutions of accountability, the inclusive institutions that will enable the country to move forward will not develop," said Kabwe.

Human rights groups have accused the government of using repressive legislation to muzzle the media and civil society.

The laws have been used against Maxence Melo, the co-founder of Jamii Forums, a whistle-blowing website.

The website was dedicated to exposing corruption in Tanzania. But Melo was accused of obstructing an investigation and failing to register the website with the state.

Melo said the authorities need to stop seeing critics as enemies.

"You need the media to fight corruption. Whatever fight he [Magufuli] is trying to fight, the anti-corruption kind of drive, it is the same thing as we the media revealed. We are the ones who made sure this thing is getting to the parliament," said Melo.

Political analyst Azaveri Luwaitama said the ruling CCM party is afraid of losing power, after 56 years of rule.

"The reality on the ground between 2010 and 2015 was that this party had lost its legitimate appeal to being inclusive. So they organized an election and made sure that they won, but there is uncertainty. So they are trying to crush the opposition so that they can sort out things within themselves," said Luwaitama.

In the 2015 election, President Magufuli received 58 percent of the vote, a big drop from previous elections in which 80 percent of Tanzanians voted for the CCM party.

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'Joint Military HQ' Would Help Israel, Saudi Arabia Fight Terrorism - CIA Head

Sputnik News

22:31 04.12.2017

Strained relations with Iran and the common threat of terrorism are the factors building a bridge between Saudi Arabia and Israel, according to Mike Pompeo.

Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California, the CIA chief said that Saudi Arabia is directly working with the Israelis to "push back against terrorism throughout the Middle East."

Citing Daesh, Iran and "failed states" as posing a challenge to Saudi Arabia and Israel, Pompeo advised the two sides to develop their relationship even further, hinting that a joint military headquarters can provide stability.

"We've seen them [Saudis] work with the Israelis to push back against terrorism throughout the Middle East, to the extent we can continue to develop those relationships and work alongside them  the [Persian] Gulf states and broader Middle East will likely be more secure," Press TV reported Pompeo as saying.

He called for building "a strong coalition that can operate  frankly I think with a joint military headquarters that can target the terrorists in that region, that can basically work together to try to provide stability."

Last month, Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz publicly confirmed that Israel had clandestine contacts with Saudi Arabia amid common concerns over Iran.

"We have ties that are indeed partly covert with many Muslim and Arab countries, and usually [we are] the party that is not ashamed," he said in an interview on Army Radio.

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces' chief of staff, Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, told Saudi newspaper Elaph that Israel was willing to exchange knowledge with Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab countries and swap intelligence information to confront Iran, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Hence, Pompeo's statements seem to support what Israeli officials have been saying, even as Saudi officials have publicly denied any increased cooperation without progress on the Palestinian negotiations first.

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir told Egypt's CBC television station that "there are no relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. There is the Arab peace initiative, which shows the road map to reach peace and establish normal [ties] between Israel and Arab states," the Jerusalem Post reported.

However, according to some reports both Israel and Saudi Arabia are alarmed by the growing power of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, which has been vital in the fight against terrorists and other militants in Iraq and Syria.

"Saudi Arabia has also increased its hostile rhetoric against Iran, threatening to draw a possible future conflict inside the Iranian territory," Press TV reported.

Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab governments that have official diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv and host Israeli missions. The rest of the Arab governments have no open diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime.

 Sputnik

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Yun-9 'ready for combat' after training in S.China Sea

People's Daily Online

(Global Times) 08:14, December 04, 2017

Transport aircraft completes training in S.China Sea

The domestic-made medium-sized military transport aircraft Yun-9 is ready for combat mission, which will boost China's effort in safeguarding maritime rights, military experts said on Sunday after the aircraft completed exercises in the South China Sea.

The Yun-9 is now able to undertake combat missions after a fleet of the transport aircraft finished training in the South China Sea, Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) announced on Saturday on its official WeChat account.

It was the first long-range maritime exercise of the medium-sized transport aircraft, the PLAAF said.

The PLAAF didn't say on which date that the training was carried out, or the number of aircraft involved.

The Yun-9 completed its air-drop missions without assistance from ground control and the crew prepared procedures to cope with any emergency, Liu Bao, a PLA officer said, according to the PLAAF post.

"As the backbone transport aircraft of the PLA, the Yun-9's combat readiness means China has the ability to ensure military supplies reach offshore and even open seas," Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The Yun-9 will support China's mission to safeguard oceanic sovereignty and security, Wang said, adding maritime rights of the South China Sea always face challenges.

The aircraft, with more advanced features than its predecessor the Yun-8, should be the best-equipped transport aircraft in the PLA, said Wang. It can also be produced in greater number than the large-size transport aircraft the Yun-20, Wang explained.

The Yun-9 costs less than the larger Yun-20 transport aircraft and is more adaptable to airports, and is able to supply weapons, personnel and goods over medium-distances, another military expert told the Global Times on condition of anonymity on Sunday.

The training session demonstrated that the Yun-9 is reliable to finish its transportation missions. The Yun-9 can land on small islands if necessary, the expert said.

The Y-9 transport aircraft is manufactured by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, a company affiliated with Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The aircraft can carry a payload of up to 20 tons and 98 soldiers. Its flying range is up 4,200 kilometers, according to Aerospace Knowledge in October.

The transport plane flew from a military airport in Southwest China's Sichuan Province in the morning, landed on an island in the South China Sea around noon and returned the same night.

The medium-lift transport aircraft Y-9 has also undergone several other major training exercises in extreme weather, after it formally entered service with the PLA in 2016.

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North Korea: US, South Korea drills all-out provocation

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 02:53AM

Tensions simmer on the Korean peninsula as Pyongyang describes the US and South Korea's largest ever aerial drills as an "all-out provocation."

The five-day Vigilant Ace drill kicked off on Monday five days after the North tested an intercontinental ballistic missile said to be capable of hitting the US mainland.

"The US and South Korean puppet warmongers would be well advised to bear in mind that their DPRK-targeted military drill will be as foolish as an act precipitating their self-destruction," said the North's ruling party Rodong newspaper on Sunday.

The article was published one day after a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said that US President Donald Trump and his administration are "begging for nuclear war."

Around 230 aircraft including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters are taking part in the drill which also includes F-35 fighters and some 12,000 US service members.

On Wednesday, Pyongyang test-launched its "most powerful" ballistic missile following a two-month lull in missile tests.

The Hwasong-15 missile flew higher than any other missiles launched by the North ever, according to North Korean state media, which also said the missile ended up landing in Japanese waters after traveling 960 kilometers and reaching the height of 4,500 kilometers.

The test triggered a UN Security Council meeting in which the US ambassador to the United Nations threatening to "utterly" destroy the regime if war breaks out.

"The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war, not farther from it," said Nikki Haley. "If war comes, make no mistake: The North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed."

North Korea says it needs to develop its missiles and nuclear weapons as a deterrent against hostility by the US and its regional allies.

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Red Line for North Korea Questioned Amid Massive War Games

By Daniel Schearf December 04, 2017

As the United States and South Korean air forces on Monday launched their largest ever joint drills, questions are being raised whether North Korea's missile test has shown it has already crossed what Seoul deems a "red line"  having a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile and what can be done about it.

The five-day annual Vigilant ACE military exercises this year involve more than 230 warplanes and 12,000 U.S. military personnel joining with South Korean troops.

While such large-scale joint exercises are routine, and scheduled well in advance, the drills begin less than a week after Pyongyang successfully launched its most advanced ICBM and declared itself a nuclear weapons power, a status the U.S. has called unacceptable.

South Korea's air force says the drills will include simulated attacks on mock North Korean nuclear and missile targets.

Red line

North Korea's test of the Hwasong-15 missile last week showed ruler Kim Jong Un's ICBM program is more advanced than many previously believed and already capable of hitting the continental U.S.

Pyongyang has claimed the missile is nuclear ready  a subject of debate among experts, most of whom argue it is months or even years from perfecting. But South Korea does not believe the assertion.

"The government does not accept the North's 'unilateral' claim to completing its nuclear program," said South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun at a Monday briefing. "We are making efforts to resolve the North's nuclear issue peacefully with the international community."

Seoul says it has not verified that North Korea's missile has capabilities such as re-entry, precise guidance to terminal phase, and warhead operation.

If Pyongyang demonstrates those advances, it would cross what President Moon Jae-in in July called a "red line" for possible U.S. military action  having a functional, nuclear-tipped ICBM.

Pyongyang might soon cross that line, if it hasn't already.

"It now appears that the Hwasong-15 can deliver a 1,000-kg payload to any point on the U.S. mainland. North Korea has almost certainly developed a nuclear warhead that weighs less than 700 kg, if not one considerably lighter," wrote ballistic missile analyst for the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS's 38 North program, Michael Elleman, shortly after the test.

Potential for war

U.S. officials have warned they will not allow Pyongyang to threaten the U.S. with a nuclear missile, raising the possibility that Washington could launch a preemptive attack on North Korea.

Pyongyang denounced this week's drills as preparation for such an attack, as it always does, and warned the U.S. is driving the peninsula to the "brink of nuclear war," according to North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency.

But North Korea is not alone this time in warning that the two sides are getting closer to war.

White House national security adviser HR McMaster on Saturday said the chance of war with North Korea was "increasing every day."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday called for the Pentagon to move U.S. military dependents out of South Korea because conflict with Pyongyang was getting closer to reality.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy North Korea if it attacks the U.S. or its allies. But it is not clear if Washington is ready for the heavy death-toll and destruction in South Korea - with half its population within Pyongyang's artillery range  that would likely result from a preemptive attack to destroy North Korea's nuclear and missile facilities.

"Red line responses don't have to be military but they should be significant and painful politically and economically, if not militarily," said Pacific Forum CSIS in Honolulu President Ralph Cossa. "They are also most effective if spelled out in advance and then acted upon."

Hawaii on Friday tested nuclear alarm sirens not used since the end of the Cold War in the 1980s.

U.S. missile defense

Despite the warnings of war, and the Hwasong-15's demonstrated reach, the Pentagon has said North Korea is not yet a threat to the continental U.S.

U.S. missile defense includes the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), also used in South Korea and Guam, the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) in Alaska and California, Patriot missiles in Japan, and the U.S. navy's ship-based Aegis system.

U.S. missile defense has a checkered test record, successfully intercepting a mock warhead about half the time, noted 38 North's Elleman.

"If five missiles are fired, and the US responds with four interceptors per NK (North Korean) warhead, all five warheads would be destroyed about 80% of the time. In other words, the expectation would be that at least one warhead will evade the defenses 20% of the time."

Peace in our time?

With North Korea's nuclear missile program advancing much faster than expected, time is running out to avert war, said HR McMaster on Sunday.

Multilateral diplomatic options haven't gained any traction with Pyongyang since it refused nuclear inspectors in 2008 and withdrew from a deal on ending its nuclear programs made with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States.

"I think diplomatic policy or six-party talks are over and North Korea is focusing on whether it can have negotiations with the U.S. or not, and it does not consider six-party talks at all," said head of the World Institute of North Korean Studies Ahn Chan-il. "It's because the (purpose) of the six-party talks is to stop the operation of North Korea's nuclear program. So, even if the six countries gather and talk, they cannot reach anything as North Korea has almost become a nuclear power state."

"I suspect we will just see more and more sanctions," said Pacific Forum president Cossa. "The U.S. seems to be warning that it will seek ship inspections and more intrusive maritime measures, but it's unclear Beijing and Moscow will go along."

More optimistic analysis has suggested North Korea's declaration of having "completed" its nuclear ambition may signal Pyongyang will turn towards its decrepit economy and away from further nuclear provocation.

"In order to reach both nuclear and economic development, it requires a huge budget, technology, labor, and resources," said Ahn. "But the pressure and sanctions of the United Nations are reaching their highest and it is remote to prepare such conditions to realize Kim Jong Un's hope."

North Korea experts will be watching Kim's annual New Year's Day speech closely for any clues on how much closer Pyongyang intends to push the red line between peace and war.

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Iran's missile programs are not negotiable: FM spokesman

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 4 December 2017 / 13:48

Tehran (ISNA)  Certainly, Iran is taking a firm stand on its defense and missile programs and such issues are not negotiable, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi emphasized.

"French officials, other officials, who want to speak about Iran's affairs need to pay attention to the deep developments that have come to pass in the region in past decades and the big changes between the current situation and the past," Qassemi said Monday.

"They should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran will definitely not negotiate on defense and missile issues," he added.

End Item

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Iran tells France missile capability non-negotiable

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 11:48AM

Iran has advised France to be careful in its views about the Islamic Republic after President Emmanuel Macron called for talks on Tehran's ballistic missiles.

"French statesmen and other statesmen who speak about Iran's affairs need to pay attention to the deep developments that have come to pass in the region in past decades and the big changes between the current situation and the past," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Monday.

"They should analyze the issues more carefully in their words and statements because the Islamic Republic of Iran will definitely not negotiate on defensive and missile matters," he added.

About other regional issues, the spokesman said, "our French friends also need to be more careful," hoping that the necessary grounds would be paved for the meeting of Iranian and French officials in "the not too distant future."

Iran, he said, has so many things about multiple issues to tell French officials in order to allow them to have "a more precise and deeper analysis of the issues of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the region."

Tehran wanted to make French leaders "recall that Iran is the only country that has paid a heavy price to combat terrorism in the past years," Qassemi added.

"They should remember that if Iran had not stood up to the terrorists, not only would they have left their devastating impact on the region, but they could also have committed horrendous crimes in the streets across Europe and other parts of the world, similar to what happened in some European cities in previous years."

Iran, the spokesman said, "stood up to terrorism and terrorists through proper policymaking and using all its power, and managed to push them away from the battlefield to a great extent."

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France, Germany Want Iran To Reverse Regional 'Hegemonic Temptations'

RFE/RL December 04, 2017

The French foreign minister has said France and Germany agree that Iran must "roll back" its ballistic-missile program and its "hegemonic temptations" across the Middle East.

Jean-Yves Le Drian made the comments in Paris on December 4 at a joint press conference with his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said that Tehran will "definitely not negotiate on defense and missile issues," according to state media.

Le Drian and Gabriel told reporters that Paris and Berlin would continue to defend the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers.

"We agree that we need rigorous implementation and a full respect of commitments taken by all the parties" to the deal, the French minister said.

Le Drian insisted that the accord "guarantees that the Iranian nuclear program will not be diverted to serve military purposes."

Iran and six world powers -- Britain, China, Germany, France, Russia, and the United States -- signed the deal providing Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities.

But U.S. President Donald Trump refused to certify that Iran was complying with its obligations under the accord, though international inspectors say it is.

Trump also threatened to pull out of the deal, accusing Iran of "not living up to the spirit" of the agreement, in part for its continued testing of ballistic missiles and its support for extremists in the Middle East.

The United States has imposed several rounds of sanctions on individuals and entities over Tehran's missile program and other "destabilizing actions."

Iran denies the U.S. allegations and says its missiles are needed for self-defense and that its nuclear program has purely peaceful aims.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-france-germany-urge-tehran-reverse- regional-hegemonic-temptations/28896519.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Non-Negotiable: Iran Refuses to Discuss Its Ballistic Missile Program

Sputnik News

18:16 04.12.2017

Tehran has responded to Paris' idea of adding the Iranian missile program to the 2015 nuclear deal. The Islamic Republic reiterated its stance that the issue of its missile program is beyond debate.

"French statesmen and other statesmen who speak about Iran's affairs need to pay attention to the deep developments that have come to pass in the region in past decades and the big changes between the current situation and the past," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Monday as quoted by Press TV.

He noted that Paris should analyze the issues more carefully in statements because the Islamic Republic of Iran would definitely "not negotiate" on defensive and missile matters.

Qassemi noted that that French leaders should keep in mind the fact that the Islamic Republic is the only country to have paid a heavy price to stand up to terrorism.

In November, President Emmanuel Macron called for amending a nuclear agreement with Tehran to cover Tehran's ballistic missile activity.

Macron said that Iran's ballistic missile program was "very worrying" and said additional measures against the Islamic Republic should be included in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which should not be canceled.

Iran insists that its ballistic program has a purely defensive nature, is the most important component of the country's sovereignty and believes that the entire matter is non-negotiable.

In July 2015, the European Union, Iran and the P5+1 group of nations comprised of the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

 Sputnik

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Pentagon Chief: Pakistan Must 'Redouble' Efforts to Fight Extremism at Home

Sputnik News

23:28 04.12.2017

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis has urged Pakistani leaders to "redouble" their efforts against militant and terrorist groups operating out of their country. The US has accused Islamabad of weakness in its response to Islamic extremism, a charge to which Pakistan has taken exception.

In a press release at the conclusion of his Sunday visit, Mattis praised Pakistan's progress on fighting radicalism but insisted that they needed to do more. "The Secretary reiterated that Pakistan must redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country," the Pentagon said in a statement.

Mattis met with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with the chiefs of both the army and the national intelligence branch. It was his first visit to Pakistan as defense secretary, and prior to the trip he outlined that his goal was to find "common ground" with Islamabad regarding the ongoing US military action in neighboring Afghanistan.

"We have heard from Pakistan leaders that they do not support terrorism. So I expect to see that sort of action reflected in their policies," Mattis said. He added that he did not think it wise to pressure the Pakistanis into doing what the US wanted, and instead to work out a compromise of some kind.

"We're committed [to] the war against terror," Abbasi said during his own press conference. "Nobody wants peace in Afghanistan more than Pakistan. Both Pakistan and the United States have common stakes in securing peace and security in Afghanistan for the long-term stability of the border region."

The US, however, has consistently questioned Pakistan's commitment to rooting out extremists and has accused Pakistan's intelligence service, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of harboring, training, and sometimes even leading terrorist groups. The 2011 Guantanamo Bay military files published by WikiLeaks described the ISI as an unofficial terrorist organization.

In August, US President Donald Trump announced his revised policy towards Afghanistan, which included a specific callout of Islamabad's policies regarding terrorism. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said at the time. "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists."

"No partnership can survive a country's harboring of militants and terrorists who target US servicemembers and officials," Trump added. "It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace."

One hundred days have passed since Trump's proclamation, which also saw an October visit to Islamabad by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Like Mattis, Tillerson reiterated the president's push for Pakistan to increase efforts to defeat militant and terrorist groups within its borders.

Abbasi made similar comments in response to Tillerson. "We are committed in the war against terror. We have produced results. And we are looking forward to moving ahead with the U.S. and building a tremendous relationship," he said in a statement.

But US officials disagree. General John Nicholson, Jr., commander of US Forces Afghanistan since March 2016, has denied that Islamabad has puts its money where its mouth is. "We have been very direct and very clear with the Pakistanis. They identified certain steps that they were going to take. We have not seen those changes implemented yet."

 Sputnik

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Mattis Tells Pakistan to 'Redouble' Efforts to Confront Militants, Terrorists

By William Gallo, Ayaz Gul December 04, 2017

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis urged Pakistan on Monday to redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country, emphasizing "the vital role" Islamabad can play to work with Washington to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan.

Mattis arrived in Pakistan on a day trip and went into meetings with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and the military chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Top Cabinet members and the country's spy chief, as well as national security adviser, also attended.

Mattis came away from the visit "confident and optimistic," according to a senior U.S. defense official who characterized the meetings as "straightforward" and "focused on rebuilding trust."

"Rather than present a list of charges," Mattis focused on finding common ground, the official said. "The secretary has too much respect for Pakistan's military to believe they can't or won't" address U.S. concerns about militants, he added.

A U.S. statement issued after the talks said Mattis recognized Pakistan's sacrifices in the war against terrorism and called for increased efforts toward regional stability and security.

"The Secretary emphasized the vital role that Pakistan can play in working with the United States and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan that brings stability and security to the region," it said.

U.S. and Afghan officials allege the Taliban and the Haqqani Network are using sanctuaries on Pakistani soil for orchestrating attacks on the Afghan side of the border.

'Committed to its resolve'

Abbasi's office also issued its own statement that quoted the prime minister as telling Mattis that counterterrorism operations have improved national security and Pakistan would continue the campaign to consolidate the gains it has achieved over the past four years.

"The Prime Minister reiterated that there are no safe heavens in Pakistan and the entire nation was committed to its resolve on eradicating terrorism once and for all in all its forms and manifestations," it said.

Earlier, Abbasi, while opening the meeting with Mattis, said "nobody wants peace in Afghanistan more than Pakistan." He added that the United States and Pakistan "share the same common objectives."

Before his visit to Islamabad, Mattis said he did not plan to "prod" Pakistan, but expected it to adhere to its promises to combat terrorism. He also expressed hope for a collaborative approach.

"I believe that we [can] work hard on finding common ground and then we work together," Mattis said.

In October, Mattis warned the United States is willing to work "one more time" with Pakistan before taking "whatever steps are necessary" to address its alleged support for militants.

Islamabad denies supporting militants, saying Washington is scapegoating Pakistan for its own failures in Afghanistan, where the United States remains in a stalemate after 16 years of war.

Tougher stance

Before Mattis' visit, other Trump administration officials took a harder public stance on Pakistan.

Speaking at a defense forum Saturday, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said, "We are going to do everything we can to ensure that safe havens no longer exist," if Pakistan does not heed the U.S. message on militants.

Since 2004, the CIA has conducted drone strikes  mostly against al-Qaida and Pakistani Taliban targets  in northwest Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.

The United States is considering expanding those strikes, along with several other measures, according to media reports.

Other options include downgrading Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally or sanctioning individual Pakistani leaders suspected having ties with the Taliban.

But any kind of punitive action wouldn't take place for at least a few weeks at minimum, predicts Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst with the Woodrow Wilson Center.

"I think [the administration] wants to give the Pakistanis a bit more time to see if they're responding to the various demands the United States made of them when it comes to cracking down on terrorists," said Kugelman.

One of the likelier U.S. responses, according to Kugelman, is expanding not only the geographic scope of the drone war, but also widening the type of targets the United States goes after.

"I think we could start seeing the U.S. trying to target more Haqqani Network and Afghan Taliban targets," especially in the sparsely populated Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, he said.

The Trump administration has also threatened cut off aid to Pakistan. Since 2002, the United States has given over $33 billion in assistance to Pakistan. But the aid has already been cut sharply in recent years.

Pakistani leverage?

If ties were to deteriorate, the United States also has much to lose. Pakistan controls U.S. military supply routes to landlocked Afghanistan, and could close them down, as they did in 2011. The United States would also like Pakistan to scale back its nuclear modernization, improve ties with India, and stay engaged in the broader fight against Islamic militants.

But despite the risks, Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, warns Washington appears to be running out of patience.

"For many years we were trying to hold out hope that the Pakistanis would change their mind about Afghanistan and our role there," he said. "But those kinds of hopes aren't as prevalent anymore. And on balance, therefore, I think we are closer to using some of those tougher methods."

Mattis, who is on a regional tour that also took him to Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait, wouldn't elaborate on timing for any possible U.S. action.

However, following the meetings, a U.S. defense official warned: "Our patience is not unlimited."

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Russian Prosecutors Seek 10-Year Sentence For Ex-Economy Minister

Current Time TV December 04, 2017

MOSCOW -- Russian prosecutors have recommended a 10-year prison term for former Economy Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev for extortion, while the defendant asked the court to acquit him and called for perjury charges against the head of state oil giant Rosneft.

The developments came as the sides delivered their closing arguments in the high-profile Moscow trial and Ulyukayev, accused of demanding and taking a $2 million bribe from a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, made his final statement before the verdict.

"I ask you to find Aleksei Ulyukayev guilty of bribe-taking," prosecutor Boris Neporozhny told the court, which adjourned until December 7 after the proceedings.

In addition to a 10-year prison sentence, he asked the court to fine Ulyukayev 500 million rubles ($8.5 million), strip him of all state awards, and bar him from holding government positions.

The prosecution said in its closing argument that it had been proven that Ulyukayev demanded and accepted $2 million in cash from Rosneft CEO Sechin in exchange for Ulyukayev approving the sale of state-controlled oil company Bashneft to Rosneft.

Ulyukayev repeated what he had said earlier: that he was framed. He asked the court to acquit him and urged the authorities to prosecute Sechin for what he claimed was "false reporting to law enforcement."

Ulyukayev's lawyer, Timofei Gridnev, also called for an acquittal in the case.

"Ulyukayev could not demand a bribe from Sechin because he could not in any way influence the decision on Bashneft's privatization," Gridnev said.

Ulyukayev, the highest official to be arrested in Russia since Putin came to power in 2000, has maintained throughout that he is innocent.

Sechin was summoned to the trial four times but never showed up, saying that he was busy with work connected to Rosneft. At hearings, the prosecution used his written statements given to investigators.

Sechin's failure to appear in court has attracted additional attention to the case, which has highlighted rifts between members of Russia's ruling elite ahead of a March 2108 election that is expected to hand Putin what could be his last Kremlin term.

Sechin is a longtime former deputy Kremlin chief of staff and is seen as one of Putin's closest allies.

Prosecutors said the bribe was paid on November 14, 2016, at Rosneft's compound in Moscow. They contend that Ulyukayev was caught red-handed, with $2 million found in a locked bag in the trunk of his car.

Ulyukayev was immediately arrested, and he was fired the next day by Putin. He is under house arrest pending a verdict and sentence.

Ulyukayev contends that he was set up, saying he believed the bag contained a gift of wine from Sechin. In his final statement, he repeated his argument that the bribery case was "a provocation" and that he was framed by Sechin.

He asserted that Sechin's behavior -- including his persistence in inviting Ulyukayev to Rosneft's offices and his failure to report to court despite four summonses -- proved that the case is unfounded.

With reporting by Current Time TV, RFE/RL's Russian Service, Interfax, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ulyukayev-trial- closing-arguments/28894697.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Syria govt. still unsure to participate in Geneva talks

Iran Press TV

Mon Dec 4, 2017 05:53PM

A source close to the Syrian government says Damascus is still unsure whether to participate in the eighth round of the UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva.

"For the time being there has been no final decision. Damascus is still thinking about the feasibility of its participation," the government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Monday.

"As soon as a decision is reached, it will be made public through the usual diplomatic channels," he added.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's UN ambassador and chief negotiator, told reporters in Geneva on Friday that his team would fly back home and that "Damascus will decide" whether they would return to the UN-backed talks, which are to be resumed on December 5.

Ja'afari said there were "big problems in this round of talks," pointing to a last month statement released by the opposition insisting that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should step down before any peace deal can be reached.

"The language was provocative, irresponsible politically speaking," the Syrian government's chief negotiator said, warning that if the opposition delegation sticks to such language "there will be no progress."

Previous rounds of negotiations over the past five years have failed to achieve a tangible result, mainly due to the opposition's insistence that Assad should cede power.

That condition seems no longer tenable due to Syria's continued victories against foreign-backed militants in the recent past.

Russia, along with Iran and Turkey, has been mediating a parallel peace process between Syria's warring parties in Astana, Kazakhstan, since January.

In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on November 20, Assad said he was "ready for dialogue with all those who want to come up with a political settlement."

Moreover, Russia plans to hold an all-Syrian congress, known as the Syrian National Dialog Congress, in Sochi, which would involve drawing up a framework for Syria's future structure, adopting a new constitution and holding elections under UN supervision.

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Ankara Steps Up Threats Against Syrian Kurdish Enclave

By Dorian Jones December 04, 2017

For security reasons, Turkey is ratcheting up its threat to intervene militarily against Kurdish forces in Afrin, a Syrian region on Turkey's border.

Analysts say doing so could potentially bring Turkish forces into a confrontation with the United States and Russia, which back the Kurdish fighters, known as the YPG. Ankara considers the YPG militia, which controls Afrin, of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which is waging a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey.

"Afrin is an obsession at this stage with Turkey," says political columnist Semih Idiz of Al Monitor website. "Because of its proximity to the Turkish border, and if it remains in the Kurdish hands, it enables the Kurds to have a kind of corridor, which could eventually link with northern Iraq and then have a way to the sea," he added.

"Whenever a threat is posed to Turkey from Afrin or another region, we will enter without hesitation. We will clean out the terrorists," warned Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Wednesday. The warning is backed by the steady buildup of Turkish forces on Afrin's Turkish and Syrian borders.

Ankara tightened its grip around Afrin following a deal with Russia and Iran.

The agreement allowed Turkish forces to enter the nearby Syrian Idlib enclave, controlled by rebel forces fighting the Damascus regime as part of an effort to create a de-escalation zone. Idlib borders Afrin, giving the Turkish forces a key strategic advantage.

"The movement into Idlib, Turkey's primary aim, is to control Afrin, from the west-southwest," observes Haldun Solmazturk, head of the 21st Century Turkey Institute, an Ankara-based research group. "Turkish military action and deployments have only served to this aim." Many of the Turkish forces deployed in Idlib are massed on hills overlooking Afrin.

Ankara, however, faces major diplomatic obstacles before it can launch any military operation against Afrin.

"The Kurds are supported by the U.S. and to some extent Russia," observes columnist Idiz, "if you recall when Turkey acted against the Kurds in Afrin. Russia immediately sent in observers, and deployed them between the Kurdish and Turkish forces."

Washington's backing of the YPG forces has been a major point of contention with NATO ally Turkey.

"On the issue of the YPG,Turkey does have a case; at the end of the day this is a security threat for an ally, and the United States at least publicly did not seem to care much about it and at the end of the day that may be really the core matter (of tensions)," notes international relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbul's Kadir Has University.

Following a conversation last month between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump, Ankara said Washington was ready to change its policy of arming theYPG. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis suggested Washington will move away from arming Syrian Kurdish fighters as part of a wider shift from a military-led to a diplomatic-led approach in Syria.

Ankara opposes the U.S. arming the YPG, which bore the brunt of the fighting to clear Islamic State forces from their self-proclaimed capital in Raqqa, Syria.

Despite the U.S. comments, Erdogan has continued his attacks on Washington. In using an Arabic term to describe Islamic State, Erdogan Sunday told supporters, "Whoever established Daesh and armed them, and wreaked carnage in the country (Syria), is now arming and controlling and guiding YPG." The comments were widely interpreted as an indirect reference to the U.S.

Analysts suggest Ankara is pressuring Washington in order to gain a freer hand against the YPG; but, even if such pressure succeeds, Moscow remains.

"I don't really see Russians at least at this juncture letting the Turks enter Afrin and breaking the rule of the YPG there," said international relations expert Ozel. Russian forces continue to be deployed in the Afrin region. Both Washington and Moscow are continuing to court the Syrian Kurdish forces, which control around a quarter of Syrian territory.

Questions also remain over whether the Turkish military is capable of launching an offensive into Afrin.

"AKP is very open about invading Afrin," said political consultant Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners. "But the Kurdish canton, which is heavily fortified, I am sure, is going to be valiantly protected, which could turn into a bloodbath," he said.

Much of Afrin is mountainous and the YPG forces have had many years to build up fortifications.

"It's not feasible at all; there is no legal ground, there is no political ground," says Solmazturk, who was a former general in counterinsurgency operations. "Militarily, I believe the Turkish army is currently overstretched to intervene militarily into Afrin; the Turkish army is already involved in Iraq, in Syria, in two to three places in Syria."

Ankara maintains its forces are more than capable of intervening in Afrin. Analysts say the rhetoric may be a way for the ruling AK Party to gain votes as elections are due in two years.

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'Tens of Thousands' of Unexploded IEDs Remain in Raqqa

By William Gallo December 04, 2017

It will take years to remove improvised explosive devices left behind by Islamic State fighters who fled Raqqa, the Syrian city that served as the capital of the terror group's self-declared caliphate.

A coalition official involved in the U.S.-led anti-IS campaign estimated "tens of thousands" of unexploded IEDs remain in Raqqa, which was captured by U.S.-backed forces in October after nearly three years of Islamic State rule.

"The scale of this is unprecedented," the official said Monday. "These are high-end, factory-made" IEDS. Many of the bombs are disguised as common household items such as vacuum cleaners, and some houses have six to seven bombs each, he said.

But officials are optimistic about the progress against Islamic State. A total of 7.7 million people in Iraq and Syria have been "liberated" from the terror group, according to a U.S. military handout.

"The physical caliphate has been destroyed ... but I don't want to confuse this with the ultimate defeat of ISIS. We're a long way from that," the coalition official told reporters in Kuwait who are traveling with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. ISIS is an acronym for Islamic State.

In the past year, U.S.-backed forces have captured Raqqa and Mosul, the group's former stronghold in Iraq. But pockets of resistance remain, especially along the Euphrates River.

"There are still some pockets able to provide some resistance," said the coalition official, citing as an example a 200-person Islamic State "counterattack" on coalition forces just days ago.

A major concern is that many of the underlying causes of the conflict, such as Sunni grievances against Shiite policies or the continued rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have not been fully addressed.

"I absolutely have a concern" about those unresolved issues, the official said, stressing there's no guarantee of peace. "A lot depends on the actions of the [Syrian regime]," he added.

The official declined to say how many U.S. troops are in Syria. Officially, there are 503 U.S. troops there, but a recent quarterly report by the Pentagon's personnel agency suggested there may be nearly three times that many.

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NCSIST, private sector form company for defense technology transfers

ROC Central News Agency

2017/12/04 16:41:09

Taipei, Dec. 4 (CNA) The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) and the private sector have formed a joint venture company to transfer technological know-how from NCSIST to the commercial market, Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Chen Chung-ji () said Monday.

The company was established in late November to transfer the results of defense technology and weapons research and development by NCSIST, a government defense research and production agency, for the mass production of precision spare parts and to push related products in international markets, according to a Liberty Times report published Monday.

While confirming the report, Chen said the company aims to promote the development of the domestic defense industry and drive the growth of research and development of weapons and technological infrastructure in both the public and private sectors.

The project has received strong support from Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (), Chen told reporters.

However, he declined to reveal further details about the company citing protection of trade secrets.

According to the newspaper report, NCSIST's investment of about NT$30 million (US$1 million) gives it less than 40 percent of the joint venture and no operational rights, though it does have several seats on the board of directors.

Meanwhile, ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu () said that given the private sector holds a 60 percent stake in the company, NCSIST has no control of its profitability.

Wang also questioned whether the company will become another Taiwan Goal Corp., a firm that was secretly set up in January 2008 with shareholders that included the MND and state-owned firms under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The launch of Taiwan Goal drew flak, with lawmakers asking whether it had been registered as a private arms procurement firm to avoid legislative oversight, with the MND controlling less than 50 percent, although most of its funding is believed to have come from the MND and state-owned companies.

It was disbanded later that year amid controversy over public funding and private sector profits.

Meanwhile, Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Chiang Chi-chen () characterized the company as the product of a backroom deal because NCSIST, as a non-profit institution, invested government funds but failed to make its finances transparent.

NCSIST deputy head Ma Wan-june () said in response that the new company will focus on technical cooperation and not be involved in arms deals.

NCSIST's main role is to provide technology while private companies will be responsible for production, Ma added.

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Evelyn Kao)

Enditem/AW

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Google has launched Google Go, a streamlined version of the Google Search app designed primarily for Android Go Edition devices. The app has currently released only in India and Indonesia.

Google Go is designed to make searching simpler and easier for those on slow connections or new to the internet. Opening the app shows you options to search, do a voice search, search for images, search for GIFs, videos, translation and more.

You can also place shortcuts for your favorite services here and you can choose from a massive list. If you have an app for that service tapping its icon will just launch the app or otherwise it will take you to its website.

The app is also designed to search in two languages at once and with a one tap you can swap the search results between the two languages.

Apart from that, Google also announced for the JioPhone. Launched earlier this year, JioPhone is a basic feature phone launched by Reliance in India that's meant to bring fast 4G internet connectivity to the masses. Being a feature phone, there aren't a lot of apps on it but you can now get Google Assistant on it in English and Hindi, making it easy to do searches or use other phone functions like calling, texting, playing music and videos using just your voice.

Source
Several months ago we reported that HTC is planning to launch three more phones by the end of 2017. We already saw the U11+ and the U11 Life, so now its time for the last one, codenamed HTC Ocean Harmony. The device was listed by CCC, meaning that at this point a launch is inevitable.

According to the listed specs, the chipset will be Snapdragon 652, coupled with 4 gigs of RAM and 64 GB storage. The phone, codenamed HTC 2Q4R400, is expected to have 5.99 bezel-less screen like the one in HTC U11+. This looks like a toned down device and most likely will be a budget option of the current flagship.

Chinese media suggests the lite phone will have another version with Snapdragon 660 and will cost a bit more. The 652-powered HTC is going to have a price tag of CNY2,599 or almost $400 while the more powerful variant will be CNY3,599 or about $540.

Via 1  Via 2 (in Chinese)
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For whatever reason, it looks like Samsung is ready to change the branding for its A series smartphones. The successors to the Galaxy A5 (2017) and A7 (2017) will not be called A5 (2018) and A7 (2018), as you'd expect. A few days ago we found out that the latter of those two is actually going to go by the name A8+ (2018), and now it's time to see what its sibling will be named.

It turns out that the device we've so far been referring to as the Galaxy A5 (2018) will be sold by Samsung as the Galaxy A8 (2018). It has the model number SM-A530, which means it's definitely supposed to be next in line from the A5 (2017), which is SM-A520.

The reasons for Samsung's change of strategy in this regard are not known yet, but perhaps it has something to do with making sure that the A series handsets are in line in terms of naming with the flagship S line - so you have the S8 and S8+, and now the A8 and A8+ to complement those in the mid-range.

Both the A8 (2018) and the A8+ (2018) are expected to ship with Infinity Displays, employing the very popular 'tall' 18:9 screen aspect ratio - with 1,080 x 2,160 resolution. A rear placed fingerprint scanner will be found on both. The A8 should be powered by an Exynos 7885 SoC or Snapdragon 660 (depending on market) paired with 4GB of RAM, and its display size will be 5.5".

Source | Via




Haiti - Economy : Comparison of Price at the pump Haiti versus DR





The Ministry of Economy and Finance informs that for the period from 18 to 24 November 2017 the Fuel Prices are always cheaper in Haiti than in the neighboring Republic, if the price difference between the two countries is reduced for the gasoline and kerosene, rising respectively from 71.83 gourdes and 31.78 gourdes (period from 11 to 17 November 2017) to 67.12 gourdes and 31.23 gourdes (period from 17 to 24 November 2017). On the other hand, the difference increased slightly for diesel because of the increase of the price of this product on the Dominican market; from 37.83 gourdes to 38.86 gourdes.



It should be noted the appreciation of the gourde in relation to the Dominican peso: 1.3006 gourdes for 1 pesos (period from 18 to 24 November) against 1.3102 gourdes for 1 pesos (period from 11 to 17 November).



Haiti - Dominican Republic (DR) Fuel Price Difference, period from 18 to 24 Nov 2017 :



Gazoline: 224.00 (HT) versus 291.12 in DR, 67.12 Gdes cheaper in Haiti

Diesel: 179.00 (HT) versus 218.86 in DR, 38.86 Gdes cheaper in Haiti

Kerosene: 173.00 (HT) versus 204.23 in DR, 31.23 Gdes cheaper in Haiti



https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/comparaison-produits-petroliers-18-24-novembre-2017.pdf



Obviously this kind of information that aims to demonstrate, that despite increases in fuel prices in Haiti, they remain lower than our neighbors, remains convincing. Indeed, the ministry forgets to specify that the increases in fuel prices in Haiti weigh much more heavily on the budget of Haitian citizens whose average income "per capita" is 5 times lower than that of the Dominicans...



HL/ TB/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Justice : The mayors of the Nippes engage in the fight against corruption





The ULCC determined to move forward in the fight against corruption and in its fight for the moralization of life and public action realized in the city of Miragoane the third exit of the training seminar and information executed for the benefit of mayors of the department of Nippes, around the theme "Towards the involvement of local elected representatives in the fight against corruption".



During these two days of symposium, various topics were discussed. The first day focused on the declaration of assets, prescribed legal which is, according to the remarks of Major David Basile, Director General of the Unit against the Corruption (ULCC), the first act of transparency of an elected. This intervention was followed by a workshop around the asset declaration form itself, including how to fill it out. He recalled that the ULCC had already organized a training for the benefit of two executives of the National Federation of Mayors of Haiti (FENAMH) to support mayors who wish it. The second day tackled the issues related to the legal and regulatory framework of local authorities as well as the local budget implementation modalities. The two speakers of the second day reviewed the law of 12 March 2014 in its preventive and repressive aspects.



Speaking at the closing ceremony on behalf of the Director General of the ULCC, his chief of staff, Major Francois-Marie Sandry Charles-Pierre, emphasized on the moral fundamentals that should guide mayors in the exercise of their responsibilities "You are the ones who, in your areas of expertise, are in a position to change things or make them change, in the right way, for trust, respect, esteem, prestige, honor. We are all people of honor. Be models of virtue in your respective communities, and say well, that all that you will do well in your communes, will be for the benefit of the realization of the general interest."



The President of AmaNippes, Mr. Wilnor Pierre, Mayor of Petit-Trou de Nippes, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, invited them to work toward a common goal : the eradication of corruption in the communes. At the end of this seminar, the mayors of the Nippes, like their peers in the West and Artibonite, signed an ethical act against corruption. This document, conceived by the ULCC, is a personal commitment to the fight against corruption and a bias towards the moralization of life and public action. Through this act, drafted in 11 resolutions, the mayors of the Nippes made various resolutions consisting, among other things, of preventing and repressing corruption in their local administrations, rationalizing the management of local public resources and restoring the confidence of their communities in their respective administrations.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Barry and Shona try out the new Luxe screens. Photo: Collins Dublin

He's currently the toast of Hollywood and has been tipped for the top after appearing in a string of acclaimed movies.

However, actor Barry Keoghan (24) has credited his family and friends for helping to keep him grounded during his dizzying ascent up the showbiz ladder.

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He has also had stunning girlfriend Shona Guerin by his side for most of the publicity whirlwind of the past 12 months.

"It is hard to keep your head sometimes. I just make sure I surround myself with good people," he said. "They keep you in check, keep your feet on the ground. You hear a lot of talk of 'you're great' and that can lead you to lose your head a little and distract you. I've stayed friends with the boys I've known since I was 10. My family helped a lot as well."

The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Dunkirk star has had ever-supportive girlfriend Shona at his side.

She has accompanied him to a lot of the red-carpet premieres and events both here and Stateside.

He first met the Killarney native on a night out in the Kingdom earlier this year. The pair have been inseparable ever since.

"It's all new to me and it's new to her too and we're experiencing it together," Barry said. "In the space of only two weeks she met Harry Styles, Nicole Kidman and Tom Hardy and it's overwhelming for her.

"For someone to be brought into all that, it's nice to do it together.

"To be honest, I still get awestruck when I meet my heroes and the people I admire. I think that's only natural."

Barry plans to enjoy a nice Christmas at home in his native north inner city home. Then he'll be jetting off again to the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Utah at the end of January.

Audacious

There he will see the world premiere screening of his new movie, American Animals, which tells the story of four young men who attempt to pull off one of the most audacious robberies in US history.

The former Love/Hate star took time out from his schedule yesterday to help unveil the new Luxe screens at Odeon Blanchardstown.

The screens are the first of their kind of the country.
The US Supreme Court has handed a victory to President Trump by allowing his latest travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries to go into full effect, even as legal challenges continue in lower courts.

The court, with two of the nine justices dissenting, granted his administration's request to lift two injunctions imposed by lower courts that had partially blocked the ban.

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It is the third version of a contentious policy that Trump first sought to implement a week after taking office.

The court's action means that the ban will now go fully into effect for people seeking to enter the United States from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad. Lower courts had previously limited the scope of the ban to people without certain family or other connections to the United States.

Trump's ban also covers people from North Korea and certain government officials from Venezuela, but lower courts had already allowed those provisions to go into effect.

It capped a busy day for the President, who had earlier lobbed new criticism at the special counsel's Russia investigation, saying he feels "very badly" for former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Mr Flynn last week pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about reaching out to the Russians on the president's behalf.

"It's a shame," Mr Trump said of Mr Flynn's situation, adding that it's "very unfair" and that Mr Flynn had "led a very strong life".

Treatment

The president tried to contrast Mr Flynn's treatment with that of his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton, who he said "lied many times to the FBI and nothing happened".

"Flynn lied and they destroyed his life," Mr Trump said.

Mr Flynn is co-operating with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Even as Mr Trump sought to minimise Mr Flynn's misdeeds, the Kremlin insisted that Mr Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US had not influenced President Vladimir Putin's response to sanctions imposed by Mr Trump's predecessor.

Mr Flynn was forced to resign in February following reports that Obama administration officials had informed Mr Trump's team that he had discussed sanctions on Russia with ambassador Sergei Kislyak, a fact at odds with the assertions of Vice-President Mike Pence.

Mr Trump unleashed a string of tweets over the weekend in which he criticised the FBI. In one, the president again denied directing former FBI boss James Comey to stop investigating Mr Flynn.
Angela Neiland at the inquest into her son Tristans death. Photo: Collins Dublin

The coroner at the inquest into the death of six-year-old Tristan Neiland has returned a narrative verdict - a decision welcomed by the boy's mother.

The child, from Cabinteely, Dublin 18, had a number of health issues and was in weekend respite care when he was found unresponsive by staff.

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Whatsapp Angela Neiland holding a photo of her beloved boy. Photo: Collins

Speaking after the inquest, Tristan's mother, Angela, welcomed the verdict.

"We note that Tristan's death and the circumstances surrounding it has resulted in changes being made in the Carmona Services. In that context, Tristan's death has not been in vain," she said.

"I miss him. Every single day," Mrs Neiland added.

Tristan, who suffered from epilepsy, asthma and global development delay, was in weekend respite care at the St John of God Carmona Respite Service in Dun Laoghaire when he was found unresponsive by staff.

Seizure

His mother told Dublin Coroner's Court that her son suffered from seizures, mostly at night and in the early morning. Mrs Neiland said her son could not breathe during a seizure and needed oxygen at the onset, she said.

Mrs Neiland said she understood her son would be "constantly monitored" using a sats monitor, which measures oxygen saturation levels. She brought the sats monitor to the Carmona centre and left clear instructions for its use.

Mrs Neiland told staff the sats monitor should only be attached once her son was "deeply asleep" as it could otherwise disturb him.

"My understanding was he would be constantly monitored. His seizures generally last from three to five minutes. If any longer than seven minutes, it becomes a medical emergency and an ambulance must be called," Mrs Neiland said.

Staff at the facility put Tristan to bed at 8.30pm on January 5, 2013. He was due to be checked every 15 minutes.

Tristan was checked around five times between 9pm and about 11pm. There was a baby monitor in his room and the door was left slightly open.

There was no sats monitor attached to him because staff were of the opinion Tristan was not deeply asleep, the inquest heard.

When a staff member checked on Tristan shortly before 11pm he was found unresponsive.

A nurse immediately began cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and an ambulance was called.

Tristan was rushed to Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin, where he was pronounced dead the following day.

Apologised

Pathologist Dr Maureen O'Sullivan gave the cause of death as sudden, unexplained death in epilepsy.

St John of God Community Services apologised to the Neiland family for the shortcomings in Tristan's care and outlined a number of changes made at the facility since the child's death.

Following a full systems review, the centre no longer accepts children with "high medical needs" and individual care plans with risk assessments for each child are now conducted, along with more stringent staff training.

Returning a narrative verdict, Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane endorsed the changes that have been implemented at the Carmona centre since Tristan's death.
How good are these two guys, Penn State fans? It may surprise you ...
Dhaka  On 29th November, few fanatics kidnapped Christian missionary Walter William Rosario (age- 42 years) of minority community from Nator district of Bangladesh. He was working as the Principal of Saint Luis High School at Jonel. Missionary Rosarios family has accused that fanatics were demanding ransom for his release. On learning about kidnapping of missionary Rosario, a complaint was lodged with Boregram police station. Advocate Ravindra Ghosh, the President of Bangladesh Minority Watch contacted police officers at Boregram police station as he heard about the kidnapping and demanded inquiry into the case. Advocate Ghosh contacted even Superintendent of Police Biplab Bijoy Talukdar of Nator District and demanded that Christian missionary should be immediately released and the culprits should be arrested.

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Hindus, a minority in Pakistan and Bangladesh, are facing violence, according to members of the community staying as refugees in Delhis Yamuna Pusta and Kapasheda areas. They have questioned the silence of human rights activists on the persistent humanitarian crisis in their home countries.

Geeta, who came from Pakistan and lives as a refugee in the Kapasheda area, recalled how her husband was killed and her house torched. One evening, several men came to the mohalla (locality) where we used to live in Pakistan. They started abusing us in the name of religion and beat up the family members, including me, with sticks. They set my house on fire and this claimed the life of my husband, Geeta said.

Geeta added: Neither police nor any human rights activist helped me or my community. Instead, we were tortured for approaching human rights activists and the police. The entire Hindu community is facing violence in Pakistan.

Manoj, who also came from Pakistan and now lives as a refugee in the Kapasheda area, told The Sunday Guardian: I watch on TV that every day, one or the other human rights group globally is protesting against violence in the name of religion, but no one is speaking for the Hindu community which is also facing violence. We miss our country. Life as a refugee in this camp is miserable, but we are forced to live here because in our home country, being a Hindu is kind of a crime. We were beaten, tortured and forced to leave our own country, said Manoj.

The situation of Hindus is no better in Bangladesh. Richa Kumari, a 45-year-old Hindu woman who had fled seven years ago from Bangladesh, said: One day, a group of men entered all Hindu residences and attacked us. First, they snatched our phones and then all the men in the area were tied and beaten up brutally. They raped women and looted their jewellery. We approached human rights groups. They came and assured us of justice, but nothing happened since then, Richa told The Sunday Guardian.

Pradeep Sharma, who runs a school for children of Hindu refugees in the Kapasheda area, told The Sunday Guardian: Human rights activists and agencies have been speaking against violence everywhere. The only blind spot has been the plight, or rather the genocide, of Hindus in neighbouring countries like Pakistan or Bangladesh.

The vibrant and ever watchful civil society in India has turned a blind eye to this human tragedy. This is astonishing given that many activists are vigilant about caste violence perpetrated against the traditionally disadvantaged classes and minorities, as they should be, but the cause of Hindus in Indias backyard is being ignored, Sharma added.

According to a survey report of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) published in 2016, when Pakistan was created in 1947, Hindus constituted about 15% of the population of West Pakistan (current Pakistan). By 1998, it became 1.6%, a decline of about 90% in about 50 years. Subsequently, the population of Hindus declined further to 1% and is now only half per cent. The genocide of Hindus is not limited to Pakistan. According to the 2016 UNCHR report, by 1971, when Bangladesh was born out of East Pakistan, Hindus were a fifth of Bangladeshs total population, but only 6% Hindus remain now.Rana Dasgupta, secretary, Hindu-Buddha-Christian Oikya Parishad of Bangladesh, a human rights advocacy group, told The Sunday Guardian: From 1975 onwards, religious minorities, mainly Hindus, have been subjected to discriminatory property laws, restrictions on religious freedom and violence perpetrated by both state and non-state agencies. There had been three times more incidents of violence against minority communities in the first three months of 2017 than in all of 2016.

However, Pramod Shukla*, an activist, denied the allegation that human rights groups are silent about violence against the Hindu minority in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Source : Sunday Guardian
ALPHARETTA, GA.  The Rainmaker Group (Rainmaker), a leading provider of cloud-based hospitality revenue and profit optimization software, today announced that Fontainebleau Miami Beach has selected a comprehensive solution suite, including guestrev, grouprev, revcaster and revintel, to optimize hotel revenue and drive competitive advantage at the 1,504-room property. The agreement expands Rainmaker's footprint in the luxury hotel and resort market.

Fontainebleau Miami Beach, South Florida's most iconic resort, hosts thousands of guests each month and is a popular destination for both business and leisure travelers. The property's management team wanted a comprehensive revenue optimization suite that would allow them to analyze total guest value, streamline group pricing processes and gain an edge on the competition. They also wanted a cloud-based software suite that would offer predictable IT costs and an accelerated return on investment. After an extensive review of vendors and solutions, they selected the Rainmaker suite based on features, functionality and ease of implementation.

"Our property is unique, with a variety of room categories and large group demand," said Phillip Goldfarb, president and chief operating officer at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. "After a diligent search, we determined that the Rainmaker suite would meet all our revenue optimization goals. We look forward to using the solutions to automate our group pricing process, gain insight into our revenue operation, and make more informed and profit-driven business decisions."

Fontainebleau Miami Beach has implemented the following revenue and profit optimization solutions from Rainmaker:

guestrev , an intuitive and easy-to-use revenue management solution that analyzes total guest value across a hotel or casino property to forecast and price rooms;

, an intuitive and easy-to-use revenue management solution that analyzes total guest value across a hotel or casino property to forecast and price rooms; grouprev , an innovative group pricing solution that streamlines the process of responding to group RFPs by analyzing historical data, future demand and price sensitivity to recommend the best pricing for group business;

, an innovative group pricing solution that streamlines the process of responding to group RFPs by analyzing historical data, future demand and price sensitivity to recommend the best pricing for group business; revcaster , a powerful rate shopping tool that gives hoteliers access to real-time actionable market data, so that rates can be set against the competitive landscape; and

, a powerful rate shopping tool that gives hoteliers access to real-time actionable market data, so that rates can be set against the competitive landscape; and revintel, an intuitive business intelligence solution that improves day-to-day revenue management by mining various data sets and providing deep insights at a granular level.

"Fontainebleau Miami Beach is one of the world's most popular and well-known resorts, and we are thrilled to partner with them to optimize hotel revenue and drive competitive advantage," said Tammy Farley, president of The Rainmaker Group. "Revenue management technology plays a critical role in ensuring a hotel's business growth and sustainability, and our solutions offer a complete and integrated package. In selecting our solution suite, Fontainebleau is making a strong commitment to driving guest bookings, outperforming their competitors and increasing profitability."

Situated on 20 oceanfront acres, Fontainebleau Miami Beach is one of the most architecturally and historically significant hotels in the world. The property includes more than 1,500 luxury guest rooms and suites, 12 restaurants and lounges, an exclusive collection of retail shops, a 40,000-square-foot award-winning Lapis spa, and a dramatic oceanfront poolscape. The property is also home to the world-renowned LIV nightclub, which recently underwent a $10 million renovation.

About Rainmaker

The Rainmaker Group, a Cendyn company, is the premier provider of revenue and profit optimization solutions to the hospitality industry. Rainmaker's intelligent profit platform helps hotels, resorts and casinos optimize revenue, drive increased profitability, save valuable time & outperform competitors. As part of Cendyn, Rainmaker offers a complete set of software services for the industry, aligning marketing, sales and revenue teams to optimize their strategies and drive performance and loyalty across their business units. To learn more about Cendyn and its suite of hotel revenue management and profit optimization solutions, visit LetItRain.com or www.cendyn.com.

About Cendyn

Cendyn is the leading innovative cloud software and services provider for the hospitality industry. With a focus on integrated hotel CRM, hotel sales, and revenue strategy technology platforms, Cendyn drives sales, marketing and revenue performance for tens of thousands of hotels across the globe. The Cendyn Hospitality Cloud offers a complete set of software services for the industry, aligning marketing, sales and revenue teams to optimize their strategies and drive performance and loyalty across their business units. With offices in Boca Raton, Atlanta, Boston, San Diego, London, Munich, Singapore, Sydney, Bangkok and Tokyo, Cendyn proudly serves clients in 143 countries, delivering over 1.5 billion data-driven, personalized communications on behalf of their customers every year. For more information on Cendyn, visit www.cendyn.com.

Dana Glaze

Marketing Manager

470-440-2041
Phu Quoc, Vietnam -- The travel industry's leading awards programme is preparing to welcome the elite of global hospitality to Vietnam for its Grand Final 2017.

The red carpet event will take place the evening of Sunday 10th Decemberalongside the World Spa Awards, at the glamorous JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay  with hundreds of industry leaders from across the region and around the world in attendance.

World Travel Awards Founder and President, Graham E. Cooke, said: "This is the final stage of our Grand Tour 2017. We have toured the world during our seven regional Gala Ceremonies, and now we welcome the pinnacle of international hospitality to Vietnam to compete for the global titles.

"With just a few short days to go until the event, we are putting the finishing touches in place and I look forward to greeting our guests on Sunday at the fabulous JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay for what, I know, will be a night to remember."

Enviably situated on the pristine island of Phu Quoc, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay is a hidden gem off Vietnam's south coast. Famed architect Bill Bensley has designed the resort to pay homage to the fictional historic Lamarck University, with a whimsical ambiance that is utterly unique.

"We are extremely proud and honoured to host both the 24th annual World Travel Awards Grand Final and the 3rd annual World Spa Awards at the incredible JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay," said Ty Collins, General Manager at JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay.

"A lush resort that is a destination unto itself, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay embodies the academic narrative across its enriching experiences of true luxury. As a host of the two prestigious events, we look forward to celebrating the pinnacle of the both the global tourism and spa industry during a spectacular Gala Ceremony event at our hotel resort."

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Each year World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region.

World Travel Awards Gala Ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries, and international print and broadcast media.

For more information about World Travel Awards, please visit the official website www.worldtravelawards.com

About World Travel Awards

WTA was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

Today, the WTA brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Each year, WTA covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region.

WTA gala ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries and international print and broadcast media.

For more information about WTA visit worldtravelawards.com.

World Travel Awards

+44 (0) 20 7925 0000

World Travel Awards
Global tourism and culture leaders and stakeholders will convene in Muscat, capital city of the Sultanate of Oman, next 11-12 December to discuss the relation between tourism and culture. The event co-organized by UNWTO and UNESCO is held in the framework of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 and follows up on the first World Conference on Tourism and Culture held in 2015, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. More than 20 Tourism and Culture Ministers have confirmed participation.

The Conference will explore ways to build and strengthen the partnerships between the Tourism and Culture sectors in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs).

"Cultural tourism is growing, in popularity, in importance and in diversity embracing innovation and change. Yet, with growth comes increased responsibility, responsibility to protect our cultural and natural assets, the very foundation of our societies and our civilizations" said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

"Tourism is a key resource for local communities and for heritage preservation. Heritage, tangible and intangible, is a crucial to providing social stability and identity. Linking culture and tourism in the sustainable development process is vital if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals" said UNESCO Assistant Director General for Culture, Francesco Bandarin.

Ahmed Bin Nasser Al Mahrizi, Minister of Tourism of the Sultanate of Oman highlighted that the host country will "ensure the success of the conference, convened for the purpose of exchanging experiences and ideas for achieving the sustainable tourism development."

The first session of the Conference will be a Ministerial Dialogue on Tourism, Culture and Sustainable Development that will address the policy and governance frameworks necessary to foster sustainable development models. The promotion of cross-cultural exchanges and the safeguarding of tangible and intangible heritage will be also analyzed as a tool to enhance the contribution of Tourism and Culture to the 17 SDGs. A Special Dialogue will be dedicated to Cultural Tourism as a Factor of Peace and Prosperity.

The Conference is complemented with three round tables. The first one on 'Tourism development and protection of cultural heritage and promoting responsible and sustainable tourism management at World Heritage sites'; the second on 'Culture and tourism in urban development and creativity' where encouraging innovation in cultural tourism products and services through creative industries will be tackled. The third session will explore the relevance of cultural landscapes in tourism and the integration of natural and cultural heritage philosophies and procedures for sustainable tourism development.

Some of the confirmed speakers include H.E. Ms. Eliza Jean Reid, First Lady of Iceland and H.E. Shaika Mai Bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa, President of Bahrain Authority for Culture, both Special Ambassadors for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals and H.R.H. Princess Dana Firas, President of Petra National Trust (PNT), Jordan & UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

About The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency fostering tourism as a vehicle for equal, inclusive and sustainable development. Working with its Member States, international organizations and the private sector, UNWTO promotes safe and seamless travel for all. UNWTO also works to make tourism the foundation of trust and international cooperation and a central pillar of recovery. As part of the wider UN system, UNWTO is at the forefront of global efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including through its ability to create decent jobs, promote equality and preserve natural and cultural heritage.

Follow UNWTO on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin.

Rut Gomez Sobrino

Principal Media Officer

(+34) 91 567 81 60

UNWTO
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- In childhood, "Follow the Leader" was a fun and interactive game. In business, however, followership determines a person's livelihood and it can impact one's opportunity for advancement within the organization. Following the wrong type of leader can also be problematic. If the manager is too passive, employees may lack motivation to perform. If the leader is too aggressive, staff may lose self-confidence and end-up hating a job they were once eager to perform.

In the last of her 6-course Hospitality Leadership Webinar Series, Dr. Linda Herkenhoff will deliberate on "Leadership and Followership." The 45-minute "Bee School" class, produced by workplace communication company Beekeeper, will discuss the importance of leading others to lead themselves. According to the renowned MBA professor and senior management expert, the rules of followership or "being guided and directed by a leader in the work environment," can have a direct correlation to employment success. Having the willingness to express ideas, the courage to assume responsibility and the courage to challenge those in authority are strong characteristics of followers who will make great leaders.

Bee School Course No. 6 "Leadership and Followership" will be streamed on Tuesday, Dec. 12th at 2:00 p.m. EST. To register for the free course, click here.

"It's easy to find articles or take classes on leadership; after all, being the leader is what many people aspire to," said Corey McCarthy, Beekeeper Head of Global Marketing. "What people may not realize is that being an effective follower takes just as much skill as being a good leader  plus it takes a lot more courage. This course packs a powerful message for hospitality workers in both roles. Participants wanting to climb the corporate ladder will hear why it's important to be a resource for the leader and how followers can help leaders be their best. Establishing a relationship with the leader and viewing him or her realistically without criticizing will go a long way towards personal development and professional advancement. Participants will even learn that it's okay to disagree with the boss . . . occasionally. The best leaders were once exceptional followers."

During the webinar, Dr. Herkenhoff will reveal "10 Rules of Followership" crafted by Colonel Phillip S. Meilinger, United States Air Force, and Dean of the School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. Colonel Meilinger holds a BS from the US Air Force Academy,

an MA from the University of Colorado, and a PhD in military history from the University of Michigan. A command pilot, he has served as a C-130 aircraft commander and instructor pilot in both Europe and the Pacific. After a tour at the Air Force Academy, he was assigned to the Doctrine Division of the Air Staff at the Pentagon.

Here's are a just few of Colonel Meilinger's rules for followership:

Don't blame your boss for an unpopular decision or policy; your job is to support, not undermine. Fight with your boss if necessary; but do it in private, avoid embarrassing situations. Accept responsibility whenever it is offered. Make a decision, then run it past the boss; use your initiative. If you see a problem, fix it.

"Calling someone a 'born leader' is complementary, but it is rarely accurate," McCarthy said. "At Beekeeper, we believe in 'developing leaders' by giving them tools that will direct their performance, keep them interested in work, and motivate their self-potential.

"We hope all those who participated in Bee School 2017 enjoyed the continuing education experience," she said. "The 2018 Hospitality Leadership Webinar Series will be announced soon."

About the Professor

Dr. Herkenhoff is a full-time professor in the Graduate School of Business at Saint Mary's College of California where she teaches Leadership and Organizational Behavior and Quantitative Analysis. She serves as the Director of the Global MBA program where she supervises social service projects in countries at the base of the economic pyramid. These projects strive to balance people, planet, and profit.

Her varied career includes 16 years as a geophysicist for Chevron, VP of Human Resources for EDS, and a consulting role for senior management at Bechtel. Additionally, she was the past Executive Director of Human Resources for Stanford University.

Dr. Herkenhoff's university degrees include: B.S. in Geophysics from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, MBA from Saint Mary's College, Masters in Engineering from U.C. Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Management at the University of Western Australia.

ABOUT BEEKEEPER

Beekeeper empowers frontline businesses and their workers with the digital solutions they need to do their best possible work. Founded in 2012, Beekeeper's mobile-first platform was designed and built for deskless employees who  despite representing 80% of the global workforce  have been chronically underserved when it comes to workplace technology. With Beekeeper's Frontline Success System, companies can automate paper-based processes, communicate with employees in real-time from anywhere, and improve the engagement, productivity, and safety of frontline teams.

Website: www.beekeeper.io, Blog: www.beekeeper.io/blog, LinkedIn

Barb Worcester

PRpro for Beekeeper

440-930-5770
Stockholm  SKYE Hotel Suites Parramatta, a five-star hotel and one of the newest property additions to Sydney, Australia, has partnered together with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality and Intelity to provide its guests with state-of-the-art digital key functionality. With the implementation of ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access in 72 of its apartment-style suites, along with the use of Intelity's downloadable mobile app, the property can now allow guests to quickly and conveniently enter their room with a swipe of their mobile device.

"As a hotel that was created to provide its guests with a modern and chic experience, implementing mobile access technology made complete sense to us as it represents one of the most popular and in demand service trends within hospitality today," said Wayne Taranto, director of hotels & suites at the SKYE Hotel Suites Parramatta. "Yet as a new technology, we wanted to make sure that we could rely on vendors with a reputation for excellence, reliability and the ability to ensure total guest satisfaction, which is precisely what we have found in working with both ASSA ABLOY Hospitality and Intelity."

Designed to streamline the check-in experience by allowing guests to sidestep front desk lines to receive a guestroom key, ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access operates using Seos technology to provide a service that is as secure as it is convenient. At the SKYE Hotel Suites Parramatta, the solution works by generating an encrypted digital key that is transmitted to guest smart devices and safely stored in a key vault on Intelity's guest-facing mobile app. When presented to the appropriate door lock, the app then transmits digital key information via Bluetooth and over a secure communication channel, ensuring only authorized users are able to gain access.

"Hotels all over the world are seeing that mobile guest engagement is one of the most solid ways to build customer loyalty, and they are eager to deploy the latest mobile tools to help with that dynamic interaction," said Intelity CEO and President David Adelson. "Through our integration partnership with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, Intelity is equipping the SKYE Hotel Suites with all the components needed to enable the mobile guest journey, including Mobile Check-in and Mobile Key. With Intelity's MiKEY mobile app, SKYE Hotel Suites guests can bypass the front desk, go straight to their rooms and use their smartphones to unlock the hotel's Bluetooth-enabled ASSA ABLOY Hospitality door lock. This joint technology is adding considerable value to travelers and it's providing the hotel with a direct communication link to guests. The SKYE Hotel Suites is among the first properties in Australia to go live with MiKEY, and with ASSA ABLOY Hospitality as our valued partner, we anticipate many more installations to come in the future."

ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access and Intelity's mobile app were additionally implemented alongside VingCard Signature RFID door locks, a future-proof platform able to be effortlessly upgraded to mobile access functionality whenever needed and offering the latest in secure keycard encryption technology. With Visionline also installed, hotel employees further gain an advanced security access software solution that provides for more secure and efficient hotel operations. The system provides the ability for front desk staff to remotely monitor all room access attempts in real time, and allows users to instantly deactivate any key suspected of being stolen or used in an unauthorized manner. Visionline is integrated with a hotel's PMS platform and is also responsible for generating and assigning digital guestroom keys.

For more information about ASSA ABLOY Hospitality and its comprehensive line of electronic in-room safes and locking solutions, please visit www.assaabloyhospitality.com.

For more information about Intelity, please visit www.intelitycorp.com.

ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Media Contacts:

Andrea Mane, Plan A Public Relations & Marketing, Inc., Tel: +1 (407) 905-0608, [email protected]

Riise Walker, Marketing Manager, ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, Tel: +1 (972) 692-3167, [email protected]

Intelity Media Contact:

Barbara Worcestor, PRPro, Tel: +1 (440) 930-5770, [email protected]

About ASSA ABLOY Hospitality

The global leader in hotel security technology for nearly 40 years, ASSA ABLOY Hospitality is a part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, a publicly listed company with 47,000 employees. With products installed in properties all over the world, securing millions of guestrooms globally, the company's comprehensive range of security and technology solutions is comprised of VingCard electronic locks, Elsafe in-room safes, integrated software platforms and advanced mobile access solutions. Its latest innovation, ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access provides advanced security for hotels and augments the stay experience for today's tech-savvy guests. Operating with secure Seos technology, Mobile Access allocates guestrooms and generates encrypted digital keys over a secure channel. This allows users to bypass the front desk and access their assigned guestrooms via their personal smart phones and watches. In order to provide best-in-class customer service, ASSA ABLOY Hospitality offers support in more than 166 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.assaabloyhospitality.com.

About Intelity

Intelity, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is the creator of the world's first and most widely used integrated guest services platform, ICE (Interactive Customer Experience). With certified integrations to all major hotel back-end management systems (POS, PMS, Ticketing, Spa and Room Controls), Intelity's ICE is a centralized property-automation system that delivers concierge-level services, guest request tracking and fulfillment, business-intelligence analytics, marketing/messaging capabilities, and a full content management system. Since beginning operations in 2007, the Inc. 5000 company has gained a reputation as a leader in hospitality technology with installations across six continents, including most major brands and many celebrated independent properties. Intelity recently received Best Mobile App in Hospitality from Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards and World's Leading Hotel Brand App from the World Travel Awards. For more information, please call 1-888-RevPAR-1 (1-888-738-7271) or visit www.intelitycorp.com.

Andrea Mane

President, Plan A PR & Marketing

407-905-0608
They're tech-savvy, experienced-focused and expect a certain level of personalization from booking to check-out. Here are five trends shaping customer thought patterns right now, and how your brand can harness them

1. Customers are prioritizing new experiences over consistency

"Access is becoming the new ownership our bling isn't our house or our car, it is the theatre of Instagram and the experiences we are having in the world." So says Airbnb founder Brian Chesky, whose $30bn global rental giant is now offering a range of tours and learning experiences from truffle-hunting to pottery classes.

Hotel groups have been making moves of their own, such as Conrad's Stay Inspired initiative, which offers a series of "under-the-radar experiences not found in a guidebook". Similarly, Marriott has experimented in recent years with pop-up rooftop bars (London's Roofnic), locally-sourced food and independent coffee shops in lobbies, helping to transform how the brand is perceived among younger demographics.

This isn't just an on-property challenge  it extends into the digital world too. Instead of just writing up experience initiatives in blog posts and events calendars, harness them in your merchandising. Identify the prospects that might be interested in them, and serve up related offers that will encourage conversions and drive up booking values.

2. Customers are increasingly empowered yet brand disloyal

The advent of one-click shopping, on-demand services and price comparison sites have all conspired to make today's consumers the savviest in history. They expect same-day delivery, know where to hunt for the best deals, and demand more from companies than ever before. Despite becoming more discerning, their brand loyalty has slumped. A recent study by Accenture (pdf) found 77 percent of respondents admitted retracting brand allegiance quicker than they did three years ago.

Hoteliers can combat this consumer promiscuity by allowing guests to choose specific rooms, providing access to log in and save their preferences or employing a virtual concierge to deal with customer queries while booking.

3. They're willing to book direct  if you give them a reason

OTAs still wield significant power. On average 40% of independent hotel bookings go to an online travel agent, with digital direct bookings accounting for only 15% of the distribution mix. But there's clear evidence that consumers are willing to change their behavior, not least from the positive results of recent direct booking campaigns (which we looked at in detail in our last post).

The key is to give customers a reason to go direct, and deliver a great experience when they come to you. Hotel digital offerings could be working harder here. According to a study by SalesCycle, 29 percent of guests abandon online bookings because of difficulties with the booking process, so if you aren't already user testing and/or A/B testing your booking pages, get started now  Voyat's platform includes automated A/B testing on offer and booking cue overlays, and we'll look at some common pitfalls of testing in an upcoming post.

Incentives can also work, but there are questions about the long-term wisdom and sustainability of blanket discounting. Our intent-based targeting allows you to determine a traveler's preferences and automatically deliver suitable offers when they arrive on site  so you're immediately framing your incentives around hotel services and experiences, not unsustainably cheap room rates.

4. They're not afraid of personalization (quite the opposite, in fact)

You're travelling to Montreal for a speaking engagement, and you fire off a tweet about it at the airport. When you arrive in your hotel room, there's a 'Good Luck!' card from the concierge lying on the bed. Creepy? Not necessarily  it's par for the course in hotels that monitor customers' social media feeds as a personalization tactic. One Hong Kong hotel places an Annie Leibovitz coffee-table tome in your room if they discover you're a photography fan, and Marriott's M Live (its "global marketing real-time command center") can use geo-fencing to unearth guests' Facebook posts about on-property birthday celebrations.

While this could be seen as eavesdropping, it appears many guests don't mind  a 2016 Accenture report found 75 percent of consumers are more likely to buy from retailers who recognize them by name.

The information gathered about a guest's language, occupation or hobbies through social media intelligence can help hoteliers offer more bespoke services. Likewise, data gathered on guests during their stay can determine whether they need a newspaper delivered every day or if their minibar needs replenishing with a favorite type of lager  or in the case of some guests, completely emptied. Hoteliers can also offer a customized experience online by observing customers' browsing and on-site behavior. Voyat helped Florida's Beachwalk Resort register an 88 percent conversion uplift on targeted traffic by offering selected visitors $50 food/beverage credits.

5. They want a fast, always-on digital experience, both in and out of the property

According to Google, 53 percent of mobile-users abandon their visit if a website takes longer than three seconds to load. With Google also taking ranking signals from page speed, it's more important than ever to ensure your digital offering performs well across all devices  particularly as you begin to layer on personalization and conversion optimization elements that can slow down load times.

Away from core websites, some hotel brands are communicating with time-constrained guests via mobile messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and the Chinese giant WeChat. Fast, intuitive and trackable, mobile chat platforms aren't just potential replacements for calls down to reception  they can also be a conduit for concierge services while guests are off-property, giving the hotel a greater role in the overall trip experience.

About Voyat

Voyat, an Intent Media company, helps hospitality brands use data science to instantly target the right customer at the right time with customized communications in order to drive direct bookings and enhance customer interaction. Created by a unique mix of hoteliers and technologists, the Voyat eCommerce Optimization Platform enables data-driven, personalized and beautifully designed messages that reach the right audience at the right time. Voyat helps more than 150 hospitality brands around the world reduce their reliance on OTAs while boosting the high-margin segment of their business.
The new construction will feature both Studio 6 and Motel 6 brand offerings in the same location, and it is currently slated for completion in early 2019.

G6 Hospitality announced the signing of a franchise agreement with HKV Hospitality, LLC to develop a new property in Austin, TX. The new construction will feature both Studio 6 and Motel 6 brand offerings in the same location, and it is currently slated for completion in early 2019.

Conveniently located outside downtown Austin, the brand-new Motel 6/Studio 6 property will consist of four floors with 98 total rooms and features enhanced architecture along with a large social area for optimum guest relaxation and enjoyment. The modern accommodations showcase the brands award-winning Phoenix design, sleek wood-effect flooring, flat-screen televisions, pedestal beds, granite bathroom countertops, and bold color scheme. Additionally, the dual-brands first new construction property will offer all the necessary comforts of home  including a fully-equipped kitchen with a microwave, refrigerator, and cookware, guest laundry, expanded cable, Wi-Fi, and parking  combined with the great services and rates for which G6 Hospitalitys Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands are best known.



Left to Right: Dean Savas, Jim Amorosia, Vijay Patel, Alan Rabinowitz, Rob Palleschi, and Richard Schaeffer

 As the hotel landscape continues to diversify and evolve, we are constantly pursuing creative ways to provide our guests with trusted economy lodging options that cater to their unique lifestyle needs, said Rob Palleschi, Chief Development Officer, G6 Hospitality.  We are confident that the decision to offer the best of our Motel 6 and Studio 6 offerings in one location will further drive the G6 Hospitality brand in a positive direction towards significant product growth, both domestically and internationally.

The new Motel 6/Studio 6 property is owned by franchisee Vijay Patel, who is the current President and CEO of Lakeway Hospitality, LP. Patel has been responsible for the overall growth and success of various branded hotel properties throughout Texas.

 We are excited to announce our newest venture with G6 Hospitality as we continue to expand lodging options throughout the state of Texas, said Patel.  Our freshly built dual-brand property is situated on a major artery connecting the airport area to downtown Austin, making it an excellent option for travelers looking for a clean, comfortable and affordable place to stay in a prime location  whether for one night or an extended period of time.

With its established network, a robust pipeline of more than 60 new construction locations throughout North America, and the strong appeal of its Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands, G6 Hospitality continues to position itself as the leader of the economy lodging segment in the U.S., Canada and soon to be in Latin America.
The hotel is 10 minutes from Isle of Palms, with easy access to other popular beaches like Folly and Sullivan's Island. Close attractions include Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, Boone Hall Plantation and Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park.

Home2 Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) All Suites portfolio, announced yesterday the opening of Home2 Suites by Hilton Mt. Pleasant Charleston. This newest property brings the brand one step closer to its 200th property milestone. Designed for travelers who want to maintain their normal routine, the pet-friendly hotel features 122 suites and a range of value, tech-focused and eco-conscious amenities. Home2 Suites by Hilton Mt. Pleasant Charleston caters to the five million visitors who travel to the greater Charleston area every year.

"In the same way Mt. Pleasant has something to offer every kind of traveler, we also look forward to empowering our guests with the opportunity to customize their stay," said Sandra McLoone, general manager. "Our convenient, comfortable and value-driven amenities make this possible by providing visitors a welcoming experience that has them feeling right at home while they visit the area."

Owned and managed by OTO Development, a Spartanburg SC-based Johnson Management company, Home2 Suites by Hilton Mt. Pleasant Charleston offers all-suite accommodations with fully equipped kitchens and modular furniture, providing guests the flexibility to customize their suite to their style and preference. The hotel also features complimentary Internet, inviting communal spaces, and trademark Home2 Suites amenities such as Spin2 Cycle, a combined laundry and fitness area; Home2 MKT for grab-and-go items; and the Inspired Table, a complimentary daily breakfast that includes more than 400 potential combinations. Guests can also enjoy an outdoor saline pool, fire pit and grill area.

Located at 1650 James Nelson Road just off Hwy. 17, Home2 Suites by Hilton Mt. Pleasant Charleston offers guests aconvenient place to stay. Towne Centre shopping center is directly across the street and it's only a three-minute walk to Starbucks. The hotel is 10 minutes from Isle of Palms, with easy access to other popular beaches like Folly and Sullivan's Island. Close attractions include Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, Boone Hall Plantation and Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park. A short drive over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge connects the hotel to historic downtown Charleston, and Charleston International Airport is 15 minutes away.
Al Majaz Waterfront in Sharjah

Minor Hotel has signed a management agreement with Basma Group and ARADA for a new Anantara resort in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

Scheduled to open in mid-2020, the 233-key Anantara Sharjah Resort will be located on a prime beachfront location in Sharjah, approximately 30 minutes' drive from Dubai International Airport and 15 minutes' drive from Sharjah International Airport. The new-build resort will offer a selection of accommodation options including Deluxe Rooms and Luxury Suites. Facilities will include multiple dining options with a specialty restaurant located on a pier, a male and female spa and wellness centre, a kids' club, a swimming pool and a ballroom able to accommodate up to 540 guests for a banquet.

Basma Group and ARADA will be the joint owners of the hotel, with the latter playing a developer management role in the delivery of the property. Both companies are headquartered in Sharjah, under the chairmanship of HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi.

The third-largest emirate in the UAE, Sharjah is an established tourism destination which is growing significantly in popularity. Home to great beaches, it is well known for its commitment to art, culture and preserving the local heritage, with an impressive selection of museums, art galleries and beautifully restored traditional areas. The Sharjah tourism authority is continuing to enhance the tourism and hotel industries, with the Emirate having adopted a long-term development strategy aimed at diversification of the economy and becoming a cultural and leisure centre for the region.

Sharjah International Airport accommodates a number of international carriers as well as regional airlines and is the official hub of Air Arabia, the Middle East's first low-cost carrier.

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Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas was launched by Minor Hotels in 2001 and currently operates 39 properties in 12 countries. The luxury brand has nine hotels and resorts in the Middle East  six in the UAE, two in Oman and one in Qatar. In addition Anantara has further properties under development in the region including in the UAE and the brand's first properties in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco.

At the signing, which took place yesterday in Sharjah, William E. Heinecke, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Minor International PCL, said, "We are delighted to be partnering with Basma Group and ARADA to bring our luxury Anantara brand to Sharjah. There is a huge opportunity within the luxury segment in this fast-growing destination and we are confident that Anantara will be well received within the market."

HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Basma Group and Chairman of ARADA, said: "Anantara is one of the world's most prestigious luxury hotel brands, and this new property marks yet another hospitality milestone for Sharjah. We're looking forward to launching the Anantara Sharjah Resort in 2020, and delivering on our commitment to providing exceptional new destinations to the residents of Sharjah, as well as tourists to our fast-growing Emirate."

Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotels, also commented, "Anantara is very well established in the Middle East market and adding a resort in Sharjah is a great opportunity to further extend the brand in the region and reach new markets. We look forward to working with Basma Group and ARADA to bring the new resort to market and to ensuring its success as one of the leading hotels in the emirate."

Minor Hotels currently operates 13 properties in the Middle East across four of its brands  Anantara, AVANI, Tivoli and Oaks  and has a further strong pipeline in the region across these four brands.
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been appointed by German real estate company Bayerische Hausbau to manage Rosewood Munich, which will open in early 2023 as the brand's first property in Germany and seventh property in Europe.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been appointed by German real estate company Bayerische Hausbau to manage Rosewood Munich, which will open in early 2023 as the brand's first property in Germany and seventh property in Europe.

Housed in two landmark, historical buildings comprised of the former headquarters of the State Bank of Bavaria (19 th century) and the adjacent Palais Neuhaus-Preysing, a former grand aristocratic residence (early 18th century), Rosewood Munich will be ideally situated on Kardinal-Faulhaber-Strasse in the heart of the historic city center. The hotel will be located within walking distance of several of the city's most popular sites and destinations, including central Marienplatz square, the Residenz city palace, Bavarian State Opera, and the Maximilian- and Theatinerstrae shopping districts, as well as world renowned museums offering guests exceptional access to one of Europe's most noteworthy travel and business destinations and important cultural capitals.

Rosewood Munich will blend the most exemplary features of traditional German architecture with modern and contemporary elements, creating a warm and convivial atmosphere that captures the spirit of the destination. The hotel will offer 132 spacious guestrooms and suites designed to complement the property's original facade and iconic stairways, which remain well preserved and contribute to the city of Munich's ensemble of historical buildings.

The property will boast an inviting lobby lounge and two distinct dining venues, which include a full service restaurant and a vibrant bar. Rosewood Munich will also feature a full service spa, which will house five treatments rooms, as well as an indoor pool and fitness area. Additionally, the hotel will include extensive meetings and events spaces to accommodate a variety of private gatherings, conferences, and special events for up to 400 guests.

"With its rich history and distinct culture, Munich is an ideal destination for Rosewood's ever-expanding global portfolio, and we are thrilled to bring our guiding 'A Sense of Place' philosophy to this dynamic city," says Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer of Rosewood Hotel Group. "Combining the long standing traditions and heritage of Bavaria with the dynamism of modern Germany, Munich offers guests a unique glimpse into the distinct character of the region and gifts all who visit access to a fascinating European adventure, making it the perfect destination for Rosewood's affluential explorers seeking authentic and meaningful travel experiences."

"We are pleased to have gained an internationally renowned partner for our project in Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. The objective of the project is to offer the city an entirely new hotel experience: a hotel in the most exclusive hotel segment that will provide a contemporary interpretation of the historical charm of the buildings," says Dr. Hermann Brandstetter, CFO Bayerische Hausbau.

"We want to enhance the historical part of Munich with a unique hotel concept and open the doors of the buildings, with their unmistakable historical charm, to both international guests and the people of Munich  the restaurant, the bar and the spa will, of course, also extend a warm welcome to Munich's residents."

Rosewood Munich will join Rosewood's distinctive European properties including Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco in Tuscany, Rosewood London, and the newly reopened Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris. Additional upcoming properties in Europe include Rosewood Vienna, Rosewood Edinburgh, and Rosewood Hotel, Grosvenor Square in London.
2017 has been a year where many people, both in the United States and abroad, have used Twitter as a means to air their grievances about a number of social issues. Politics, violent acts of terrorism and sexual assault have all been on the radar in what can safely be pegged as a world-weary 12 months for the social media platform. However, according to Fader, the years most popular tweet is one that spreads a message of love, tolerance and, ultimately, hope.

Posted by former President of the United States Barack Obama, the above response to the violence that occurred in Charlottsville, Virginia, as a result of a White Nationalist protest gone awry, is the most liked tweet of the year, as well as the one with the second-most retweets. The message reads as follows: No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion Unsurprisingly, the tweet is also the most liked in the history of the social media site.

Ariana Grandes heartfelt response to the Manchester bombing attack that took place outside a venue that she was performing at came in as the second most-liked tweet of the year, while Barack Obamas supportive post for John McCain rounded out the Top 3. Elsewhere, K-Pop group BTS were the most tweeted-about celebrities in the music business, in terms of U.S.-based statistics. Nicki Minaj and Chance the Rapper also managed to crack the Top 5 for musicians. Check out the entire list below.

Most Tweeted About Musicians (U.S.)

1. BTS

2. Nicki Minaj

3. Harry Styles

4. Chance the Rapper

5. Niall Horan

6. Fifth Harmony

7. Justin Bieber

8. Shawn Mendes

9. Rihanna

10. Ariana Grande

If youre in the mood to look back on the year that was in music, check out our list of the Hottest Albums of 2017 now!

Barack Obama
Murda Beatz, though just 23 years of age, has already made a name for himself as one of the most sought-after producers in hip-hop. His beats have helped elevate material from the likes of Gucci Mane. Migos, French Montana, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott and, of course, Drake. Born in Fort Erie, Ontario, there was a Canadian connection when he and Drizzy linked up on the rappers most recent album/playlist More Life, and now hes bringing you a version of their popular collaboration that would do well in a grade school music class.

Captioning the video with Found This Recorder From Grade 4 Historically By Yours Truly Young Murda, the young producer plays out the instantly recognizable loop from Portland, one of the smash hits off of Drakes aforementioned long-form project. With a few simple moves of his finger, he transforms a blue recorder into a device thats capable of interpreting arguably Beatzs biggest hit of his career so far. If the producers success is an indication of anything, its this: just because youre playing a recorder, doesnt mean youll be branded as not cool for the rest of your life.

In other Drake news, the rapper recently showed MF DOOM some love via his Instagram page, sparking intense rumors of an upcoming collaboration between the two of them being in the works. With Pierre Bourne already said to be working on some Drizzys next album, the anticipation continues to build for the Canadian icons next studio offering.

Drake
Yesterday (December 4th), Joyner Lucas came through with a remix of Lil Pumps hit single Gucci Gang. Spitting bars that were so fire they have the power to heat a small country, the fan response was enthusiastic from Lucas fan base, but decidedly not so from those who support Pump, many of whom felt that the older rapper was taking a shot at the young Florida phenom. Before any rumors of a beef got out of control, Joyner took to Twitter and explained that, no, the remix was in no way a shot at Pump or his success.

Issuing a long tweet as an explanation, Lucas got the following on the record:

For the record, Im a fan of @ lilpump .. everytime I remix someone beat I always have fun, he said, letting his followers and, by association, the hip-hop community know that he did what did in good fun. Im actually a pump fan. My remix wasnt a diss. Wasnt a diss to @ LifeOfDesiigner on panda or @ 1future on mask on or @ kendricklamar on DNA. I jus be goin off havin fun. Its always love.

Whether or not the rap world takes this justification at face value, the fact remains that Lucas has been on a tear over the past week. His Gucci Gang was just one of the excellent tracks hes put out recently, with Im Not Racist being the other notable piece of work. Make sure you check that out as well and peep our video interview with Joyner below.

Do you buy his explanation of the Gucci Gang remix? Let us know in the comments.

Joyner Lucas
Now that LaVar Ball has pulled his son LiAngelo out of UCLA, the Big Baller Brand is moving forward with plans to unveil his first signature shoe, the Gelo 3, according to ESPN. Of course, there was never a Gelo 1, or a Gelo 2, but thats not going to stop LiAngelo and LaVar from dubbing his shoe the Gelo 3.

The former UCLA freshmans first signature will add to BBBs growing lineup of sneakers that already includes Lonzos ZO2 Prime, and 16-year old LaMelos Melo Ball 1. As of now, there are no further details regarding the Gelo 3, but one would assume theyll carry a hefty price tag just like the aforementioned BBB signature shoes.

LiAngelo, 19, never stepped on the court for the UCLA Bruins this season after he was arrested in China for shoplifting prior to their season opener against Georgia Tech. As a result of his indefinite suspension, LaVar pulled his son out of the school this week and has vowed to make LiAngelo way better for the draft than UCLA ever could have.

However, several ESPN analysts including Jay Bilas and Adrian Wojnarowski, dont believe theres any chance LiAngelo gets drafted in June. Theres also a growing belief that LiAngelo and his younger brother LaMelo, who is now being home-schooled, opt to play overseas in the meantime.

Gelo
One of the most acclaimed hip-hop producers praises the father of Travis Scott in the latest Rap Radar interview on Tidal.

Travis, born Jacques Webster, apparently had some cool, down to earth parents. Premier sites the Goosebumps rappers father, Jack, as the man who taught him how to play the drums, calling him one of his OGs from when he was a kid in Texas, explaining how Travis grandmother was a special force in the community he grew up in.

[Jacks] mom was my English teacher and shes one the flyest people in my neighbourhood to this day, Mrs Webster, he adds, sending a RIP to her husband. They were the first to have everything in our neighbourhood, they were the first ones with a pool table, first ones with a VCR. I was like damn they can record Soul Train and play them.'

As Premiere got older he explains how Jack and his brother were always playing drums and bass in their house and are the ones who would teach him how to play the instruments. Jack taught him drums and Travis (who the current rapper is named after) taught him the bass.

Thats a lot that has something to do with my production style to this day, he says. Watch the clip below.
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To culminate the 60th Anniversary of the ICAO NACC Regional Office in Mexico City, which was celebrated throughout 2017, ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu (top, centre) met with the offices Regional Director Mr. Melvin Cintron (top, far left) and staff (bottom) last week to deliver a much-appreciated message on how ICAO must be more transformational and focused on performance- and results-oriented approaches.

Dr. Liu underscored that this is what States expect from ICAO, and that it is what the Organization is delivering  in large part through improved Regional Office support under the No Country Left Behind initiative. She also expressed the commitment of ICAOs Leadership to the Organizations staff, and congratulated the NACC team for its exemplary results in 2017.

Ambassadors, Directors General of Civil Aviation, Industry leaders and NGOs participated in the Mexico City ceremonies, including ICAOs former Council President, Mr. Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez (top, centre left).

A main highlight of the celebration was the NACC offices 60 Opportunities for young women in aviation initiative, whereby it sought to have States and organizations commit to creating or providing at least 60 new opportunities for bringing young women into aviation technical field as well as creating executive positions for women already in the aviation field, in keeping with the ICAO and United Nations vision on gender equality. The initiative was able to meet its goals and all that took a leadership role in making these results happen were duly congratulated. It was attended by the Director General of Mexicos Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Mr. Miguel Pelaez Lira (top, centre right), and Ms. Shaesta Waiz (top, far right), founder of Dreams Soar, an initiative to encourage women to pursue studies and careers in aviation.

While in Mexico for these events, Dr. Liu met with the Minister of Tourism of Mexico, Mr. Enrique de la Madrid, and discussed the important inter-relationship between tourism and aviation, as well as the contributions of each to sustainable economic development. The Secretary General also visited Mexicos Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she met with its Director General for the United Nations, Ambassador Luis Javier Campuzano and thanked the State for its continued hosting support for the NACC Regional Office.

She lastly attended the official opening of the Aviation Photo gallery in Mexico City Airports Terminal II, curated and coordinated by the Mexican Service Provider, SENEAM.


Thailand National Day

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson: "On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I offer my heartfelt greetings to the people of the Kingdom of Thailand on your National Day, December 5th. We remember the late King Bhumibol Adulyadejs deep and enduring friendship with the United States and we look forward to further nurturing that friendship under the leadership of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

"Next year marks the 200th anniversary of the flourishing U.S.-Thai relationship that has brought so many benefits over time to our two nations and to the region. Additionally, we look forward to Thailand holding elections next year. Whether as a partner for security, public health, or commercial growth, Thailand remains a trusted U.S. friend and ally in Asia. I would like to convey our warmest regards to all the Thai people and wishes for a peaceful and prosperous year to come."
This School Dropout Now Owns Four Houses; Know Her Secret Here
DUP leader Arlene Foster has accused the Irish government of refusing to allow them access to critical text relating to a solution to the Irish border after Brexit.

Ms Foster said she didnt see the text until just before it was signed off by UK Prime Minister Theresa May in Brussels.

It committed Northern Ireland to regulatory equivalence to that of Ireland and the rest of the EU.

Ms Foster said the DUP had requested from Theresa May to see the wording on several occasions.

We spoke on Sunday evening, didnt have text, and the text landed with us late on Monday morning, she told Sky News.

She said: There have been reasons given to us as to why we werent given the text until so late on.

One of those reasons is that the Irish Government wouldnt allow them to share that text.

The Irish government has refuted the claims as impossible, a spokesperson for the Taoiseach has told Independent.ie.

A statement from the Irish government said: 'The Irish government had no role whatsoever in the negotiations conducted by the British Government. It therefore had no involvement in any decision on which documents should go to the dup.'

Arlene Foster says wed been in discussion with the Conservative Party right throughout and wed asked for the text on a number of occasions, only to be told that there was no text at that particular occasion.

That left us in a very difficult position, we had to look at the text and try to understand what the ramifications of the text were.

Once we had the time to do that, we realised that in no way could we sign up to that text, because essentially it was making a red line down the Irish Sea.

In another interview with RTE, Ms. Foster said the British negotiation team told her that the Irish government prevented the DUP seeing the deal.

A British government spokesperson said they had no comment on the matter.
Arlene Foster and deputy leader Nigel Dodds during the DUP's annual conference at the La Mon hotel in Belfast

Anglo-Irish relations have been set back by the Irish government's "aggressive and anti-unionist" approach in Brexit talks, the DUP has claimed.

Nigel Dodds, the DUP's Westminster leader, warned relationships in Northern Ireland linked to devolution have also been damaged and said they will "take a long time to repair".

Mr Dodds added his party's approach of seeking to "stand strong for the Union" and Northern Ireland's place within it should come as no surprise.

His remarks came in the Commons after the DUP refused to accept proposals which would have shifted Northern Ireland's customs border to the Irish Sea.

Mr Dodds said: "It should come as no surprise that the Dublin and Irish government wishes to advance its interests.

"The way it has gone about it in such an aggressive and anti-unionist way is disgraceful and has set back Anglo-Irish relations and damaged the relationships built up within Northern Ireland in terms of the devolution settlement - and that is going to take a long time to repair.

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"Secondly, it should come as no surprise that the Democratic Unionist Party stands strong for the Union, stands strong for Northern Ireland's place within the Union under the terms of the devolved settlement, and we will not allow any settlement to be agreed that causes the divergence politically or economically of Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom.

"Because to do so would not only be politically damaging but would be economically catastrophic for everyone in Northern Ireland - unionist, nationalist, Remainer or Brexiteer.

"The reality is that one of the good things that came out of yesterday is that from all sides of this House - Labour, Conservative, backbenchers, Ruth Davidson, Carwyn Jones, everybody - there is now an agreement that the United Kingdom stands together and nothing will happen that will cause the break-up of this great United Kingdom."

Brexit Secretary David Davis replied: "He's dead right. There's no surprise the Democratic Unionist Party stands for the United Kingdom - so does the Conservative and Unionist Party equally."
First news of a deal, then suddenly no deal. What is going on?

It was a dramatic day. We woke to news that a deal was possibly some way off and then came the sudden revelation that a draft text of an agreed wording was doing the rounds on the thorny issue of how to deal with the Border. The UK had agreed to allow Northern Ireland to retain the same regulatory rules as the EU, we were led to believe. Tanaiste Simon Coveney told us to expect a positive statement from the Taoiseach. Then that statement was postponed as British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker were meeting in Brussels. That was the first hint that there might be a hitch.

Expand Close Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met with DUP leader Arlene Foster earlier this year. Photo: www.doug.ie / Facebook

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Whatsapp Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met with DUP leader Arlene Foster earlier this year. Photo: www.doug.ie

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What happened?

The DUP happened. The Unionist response was swift and, perhaps not surprisingly, not welcoming of a deal that would potentially see a form of economic border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Arlene Foster, flanked by senior colleagues, gave a statement at Stormont that poured cold water on the plan, and reportedly gave Mrs May pause for thought. After a phone call between Mrs May and Ms Foster, there was suddenly no deal, at least for now.

What exactly does the deal allow for in relation to the North? What is regulatory alignment?

We havent yet seen any document, so were light on detail. Essentially though, we understand it allows for the alignment of regulatory issues and rules between Northern Ireland and the Republic, ie Northern Ireland and the rest of the EU. That, in theory, would mean trade could continue as it is now across the island, avoiding the need for any customs checks or potentially costly paperwork. It would also maintain existing standards.

The British Irish Chamber of Commerce noted last week in its proposal to avoid a hard Border that 80pc of Border checks currently conducted in Ireland, on goods traded with third countries, are to ensure that goods being imported comply with EU standards and regulations. This is most notably required for the import of medicines and in the area of animal health, it said. Only about 20pc of checks are for traditional customs measures. If you have regulatory alignment, then that ensures, at least in theory, that there is no need for Border checks.

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I thought the buzz phrase was no regulatory divergence. Where did the phrase regulatory alignment come from? Is that a fudge?

No, says Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. He stressed that it didnt matter what you called it, the meaning was the same. In effect, Northern Ireland would remain a de facto member of the single market and customs union in all but name. But regulatory divergence was in a draft circulating over the weekend, but the text was changed to regulatory alignment. It is understood it was viewed as a softer form of language.

So it would essentially be special economic status for Northern Ireland?

Effectively, yes. And it means the Border will be down the Irish Sea, hence unionist anger. To many, that has always been the only way to avoid a hard Border on the island. But if it does get the go-ahead in the form that we currently understand, it is, in a way, a messy compromise that raises a number of questions.

Northern Ireland, outside of the EU, would have the same regulatory rules and standards as the Republic, a different jurisdiction still in the EU. Potentially, though, if Britain doesnt mirror the single market, it means that Northern Ireland would see regulatory divergence between it and the rest of the UK. In that case, could it mean it will become more burdensome  and possibly more costly  for firms in Britain to sell goods into Northern Ireland? And of course, in terms of standards, how do you ensure that goods that do not comply with EU standards in Britain post Brexit, do not make it into the Northern Ireland market, and then over the Border into the Republic?

There will inevitably have to be Border checks on goods or food products either leaving Britain bound for the North, or arriving at ports and airports in Northern Ireland. Even in that case, how can the EU be sure that the checks are rigorous enough, as they will have to be carried out by UK customs, and not EU? What would happen, for example, if a case of Irish lamb destined for the restaurants of Paris was found to contain a leg of New Zealand lamb that found its way into Northern Ireland from Britain, and onwards over the open Border into the Republic?

It wouldnt be good for brand Ireland. Those finer details will have to be thrashed out in phase two, if a deal gets done in the next few days.

Are there any economic opportunities?

For Border businesses in the Republic and Northern Ireland, it is of course a good arrangement. It could also make Northern Ireland an attractive location for foreign investment, as the only UK region with a special connection to the EU, assuming of course that a comprehensive free trade or customs partnership arrangement is not agreed in the second phase.

If agreed, it will also be a diplomatic coup for the Government, as its long-held position will have been secured. But were not there yet. Mrs May was positive on a deal being done, but she faces considerable challenges.

Do you think she can get the DUP on board?

The Taoiseach was clear that the Government will not accept a change to the agreed wording that alters its meaning. So Mrs May has little wriggle room in her talks with the DUP.

Its worth saying that it seems remarkable that the DUP was not already on board if the wording of a text was agreed that was acceptable to the Irish Government.

The challenges are also not just from the DUP. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon jumped on the idea that if Northern Ireland can have a special economic deal, so can Scotland. London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones also made similar calls. Mrs May has a huge task ahead of her in the coming days.
At times of crisis it is common to proclaim that we are at a crossroads: a moment of decision that foreshadows a profound change, but are we at the end of the road when it comes to nature in the hills of Ireland?

The National Parks and Wildlife Service has assessed all the habitats of our uplands, as bad. Overgrazing, uncontrolled fires, forestry plantations and turf-cutting are the chief culprits.

BirdWatch Ireland has identified nearly all the birds which were once characteristic of the uplands as either of high or medium conservation concern. Golden eagles, Curlew, Nightjar, Red Grouse, Twite, Ring Ouzel, Hen Harrier and more have disappeared from areas where they were once common, or are teetering on the verge of outright extinction.

This is a nightmare scenario for vast areas of our countryside which are so central to our heritage, landscape and rural communities. Is there any way back? Yes  but first we need to challenge some commonly held assumptions.

The first is that burning vegetation will solve the problem. So-called controlled burning is not a feature of Irish farming. In 2016 only one permit was issued by the NPWS for a controlled burn, and that was in Boleybrack in Co. Leitrim where the local gun club is trying to rescue the last of its red grouse.

In Britain, controlled burning is to promote grouse numbers. It is associated with illegal persecution of birds of prey while studies have documented the pollution, erosion, carbon emissions, flooding and loss of biodiversity which have arisen from it. It has nothing to do with sheep farming and so is no place for Irish farmers to be looking for inspiration.

Another assumption is that sheep are needed to maintain the hills. There is no evidence for this. Even light sheep grazing on blanket bogs has been shown to damage the vegetation, while the need to keep all vegetation at a grazable height (that is, grazable for sheep) promotes the urge to set fires, causing widespread devastation.

In the past, cattle were common on Irish hills and, because they avoid the wetter areas of blanket bog, are much more compatible with nature conservation aims.

The final assumption is that allowing the hills to go wild would somehow damage the environment. This is also untrue.

Irish hills are naturally prone to having belts of Birch woodland, with not only heather but a range of other species. There are few upland birch forests in Ireland today but the uplands of Norway are clothed with them. And theyre amazing places for hiking, camping and fishing.

They also happen to have plenty of farmers, proving that grazing animals are not incompatible with forests.

Fire is not a feature of these places  there is simply no need. Farmers earn extra money here from not only their animals, but by harvesting wood fuel and renting land to tourists. Our uplands could be the wonderful places they once were. They could be full of wildlife, enthralling places for people to visit, and provide incomes for farmers.

To get there we need engagement from politicians who can prioritise funding for the NPWS, high nature value farming, agri-forestry, and the native woodland scheme. It can be done with no extra public money  all it needs is political will.

Padraic Fogarty, is IWT Campaigns Officer and author of 'Whittled Away - Ireland's Vanishing Nature' that would be great.
Awards and certificates were presented to over 600 graduates of Teagasc Ballyhaise College, Co Cavan, by Director of Teagasc, Professor Gerry Boyle and CEO of LacPatrick Dairies, Gabriel DArcy.

This is the final of a number of such events across the Teagasc Agricultural colleges to take place this autumn.

Numbers graduating from Teagasc colleges and Regional Education centres are exceptionally high, with overall certificates being issued surpassing 5,000 in 2017.

Director of Teagasc, Professor Boyle outlined that in the last four years numbers of students completing certificates with Teagasc Ballyhaise have increased year on year.

He said over 1200 certificates have been received by graduates since the autumn of 2013 and this year we have a further 710 certificates being received by graduates.

"The college has a long history, running since 1906 and indeed many of our students parents, grandparents and great grandparents were former students here in the college.

"Teagasc are committed to improving facilities in the college with a continuation of investment in Ballyhaise house. The roof has been completed and a new biomass heating system has been installed during 2017.

Ballyhaise College Principal, John Kelly pointed out that in the early years of the college less than 40 students attended the college each year. This academic year 348 students enrolled on first year courses with now over 1,000 learners attending the various courses on offer in the college.

CEO of LacPatrick, Gabriel DArcy outlined the importance of agriculture to the region.

He said Ireland has a long history of food production and its climate and in particular our rainfall, will ensure that agriculture will continue to be a vibrant part of the rural economy.

He told the graduates that education was the first step in becoming successful farmers and he encouraged families of the graduates to allow them to be part of the decision making on farms and to embrace their ideas in the home business.

Gabriel also reminded everyone present that despite the economic uncertainties at present that a growing world population will need to be fed and that our region will always have a significant role in providing food.

There has been continued high numbers of students completing the one year Level 5 Certificate in Agriculture as well as the second year Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farm Administration. Forestry continues to be popular with many students receiving either a Level 5 or Level 6 Certificate in Forestry. Students receiving Certificates for part-time courses have increased significantly in the last 3 years.

Half the graduates that received certificates were either, from the Part-time evening course, or the Distance Education Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farm Administration (Green Cert), a record for the college.

Overall student of the year went to Philip Meehan, Dundalk, Co Louth, who also received his Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Dairy Herd Management on the night.

Philip came back to Ballyhaise as a part-time night student, progressed onto the dairy course and has now progressed again into DkIT were he is currently completing an honours degree in agricultural.

Oliver Tierney, Ballyhaise Assistant Principal congratulated Philip acknowledging the great example that he has shown to all, of how you can come back to education by night and progress all the way to having a degree.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, today confirmed that the next installment of payments under the 2017 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Greening has now commenced.

In mid-October my Department began issuing 70pc advance payments under the BPS to farmers across the country. Regular pay runs have been in place since to ensure that these payments are processed as efficiently as possible.

"I am happy to confirm that the 30pc balancing payments under the BPS have now commenced on schedule.

The rollout of balancing payments brings the total paid under the Basic Payment Scheme to 1.106bn, and 121,000 farmers have received a payment to date.

In addition, over 90,000 farmers have been paid a total of 194m under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme to date.

The Minister said in recent months my Department has been issuing payments to farmers across a range of schemes including BPS, ANC, Knowledge Transfer, GLAS, and the new Sheep Welfare Scheme.

"I am very aware of the importance of these schemes for the farming community, and they provide a significant financial boost for both individual farmers and the wider rural economy.

Payments under the 2017 National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme will also commence in the coming week following payment of the BPS balancing payment.

The Minister confirmed that his Department is continuing to prioritise the processing of outstanding cases, saying

"I can confirm that every effort continues to be made to clear for payment the small percentage of outstanding cases. Regular pay runs will continue in December in order to process cases as quickly as possible. I am particularly pleased that we have continued to process payments at a rate that compares very favourably to the systems in place in other Member States.

The Minister concluded by urging farmers who may have outstanding queries from his Department to respond as soon as possible.

In this way I can ensure the quickest turnaround of cases for payment"the Minister said, and it remains a key priority for my Department to process these payments in as timely a manner as possible.

"With this in mind, my Department will continue to roll out online application for BPS to all farmers in 2018.

In 2017, some 114,000 farmers applied online and the steady growth in online applications reflects the fact that more and more farmers are availing of the benefits that online application offers.
Bishop Heahmund played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the TV hit Vikings, which is filmed at Ashford Studios

Profits at the Irish movie studio where the hit series 'Vikings' is filmed last year almost tripled to 1.59m.

That is according to the second set of accounts with the Companies Office filed by Joe and Shelley O'Connell's Ashford Studios Ltd.

The accounts show that the company recorded profits of 1.59m last year after profits of 507,503 in 2015. During 2016, the company's cash pile increased from 1.56m to 2.374m.

Filming on the latest series of 'Vikings' commenced in September after a call was put out in August by the production company seeking hundreds of extras.

The accounts show that remuneration for directors last year totalled 319,223. Staff costs, including directors' salaries, totalled 528,288.

Earlier this year, Ashford Studios lodged plans for a 90m extension.

The proposal has the potential to create 1,500 movie-related jobs and includes plans to construct four new film studios of 40,000 sq ft each, a TV studio, offices and a visitor centre.

The application for Kellystown, Ashford remains on hold after Wicklow Co Council requested further information on the proposed extension.
Cork-based retail and wholesale group Musgrave, which controls the SuperValu chain in Ireland, has agreed a deal to buy La Rousse Foods from Aryzta.

Troubled Aryzta, which has embarked on a major process to turn around its business under new chief executive Kevin Toland, put La Rousse Foods up for sale a few months ago.

Aryzta bought La Rousse, which sells fine food to hotels, restaurants and catering firms, in 2015 for between 20m and 30m. It acquired the firm from Switzerland-based businessman and chef Marc Amand, who had worked in the Patrick Guilbaud restaurant in Dublin before establishing La Rousse in 1992 with his future wife.

In its 2015 financial year, La Rousse posted turnover of 36.3m and a 1.5m pre-tax profit.

The sale of La Rousse to Musgrave requires approval from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

With offices in Dublin and Belfast, La Rousse serves more than 1,500 customers.

Musgraves intention is that La Rousse Foods will continue to operate as a standalone brand following its acquisition.

La Rousse Foods is an excellent strategic fit for our business and complements our market-leading foodservice offer, said Musgrave chief executive Chris Martin. The acquisition forms part of our Growing Good Business strategy, which focuses on growing our brands in the food market across the island of Ireland.

Aryzta holds its annual general meeting in Dublin on Thursday.
Business Editor of the Irish Independent Donal O'Donovan with Gretchen Friemann and Adrian Weckler winners of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, 11th Annual Business Journalist Awards, in association with open eir. Pic:Mark Condren 4.11.20

THE Irish Independent scooped two awards at the 11th annual UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards yesterday.

Gretchen Friemann, Senior Business Correspondent for the Irish Independent, won Business Interview of the Year for her interview with Permanent TSB CEO Jeremy Masding.

INM Technology Editor Adrian Weckler won Technology Reporter of the Year at the awards, sponsored by open eir, for his investigative work into the dark web.

For the first time, a female journalist won the Outstanding Achievement Award.

This was presented to Ingrid Miley, RTE's Industry Correspondent, for her contribution to business journalism across both radio and television in a career spanning almost 40 years.

The Smurfit Awards are run in conjunction with the Business Journalists Association of Ireland, whose chair is Irish Independent Business Editor Donal O'Donovan.

INM Editor-in-Chief Stephen Rae extended his congratulations to the winners and paid tribute to INM's business team led by Group Business Editor Dearbhail McDonald.

"INM is committed to providing the highest quality business coverage and these awards, recognising excellence within the business team, acknowledge that commitment," said Mr Rae.

Other winners included Mark Paul and Ciaran Hancock of 'The Irish Times' for Business Story of the Year; Brian Carey of 'The Sunday Times' for business analyst; Ian Kehoe of the 'Sunday Business Post/RTE' for his TV documentary about vulture funds; Mark Tighe of 'The Sunday Times' who won Specialist Business Reporter and Peter O'Dwyer, Ireland Edition of 'The Times' who won Upcoming Reporter of the Year.

'Breathtaking' and 'exceptional'

Business Interview of the Year: The judges described Gretchen Friemann's interview with Permanent TSB CEO Jeremy Masding as "an extraordinary piece which captured the subject's emotion and the journalist's insight in a breathtaking fashion".

Read more: 'I gave you 1.3bn back. I gave you Irish Life!'

Technology Reporter of the Year: The judges described Adrian Weckler's article 'You are now entering the Dark Web' as "exceptional journalism - and unputdownable".
AIB has said that any challenges in its provision in respect of the tracker mortgage scandal are not expected to have a "material impact".Stock image

AIB has said that any changes in its provision in respect of the tracker mortgage scandal are not expected to have a "material impact".

In a trading update released today the bank said it had progressed well with its work on the tracker mortgage examination and made a substantial provision in this regard in 2015.

The news helped propel the bank's share price to highs not seen since its partial IPO earlier this year, although the stock has since pared back those gains. In early morning trading the shares hit a peak of 5.76. The stock is now trading at 5.60 at the time of writing.

"The bank continues its work which is subject to review by the Central Bank. Any change in provisioning levels, as we conclude, is not expected to have a material impact," a statement from AIB said.

Earlier this month it was revealed that AIB is set to face sanctions from the Central Bank for overcharging thousands of customers on tracker mortgages.

It takes to five the number of lenders facing enforcement proceedings from the Central Bank, including Permanent TSB, Ulster Bank, KBC Bank and Bank of Ireland.

AIB has already admitted to 4,600 tracker overcharging cases, setting aside 190m to cover the cost of putting customers back on low tracker rates, refunding them overcharged interest and paying compensation.

The bank said today that it was continuing to focus on actively implementing sustainable solutions for customers in financial difficulty who engage with it.

In its trading update AIB said that it had experienced a strong third quarter and was on track to deliver a full year financial performance in line with market expectations.

The banks Net Interest Margin (NIM) of 2.57pc for the nine months to September 2017 was up 3bps from the NIM of 2.54pc experienced in the first six months of the year.

Meanwhile new lending drawdowns in the Republic of Ireland increased 15pc in the three month period, with mortgage lending recording a growth of 29pc in drawdowns.

Impaired loans at the bank were 7.3bn at end of September, down 20pc from 9.1bn at year end 2016.

In June this year AIB completed a partial IPO which saw the Government sell a 28.8pc stake to investors for 3.4bn.

Commenting on the results, Bernard Byrne, CEO of AIB, said that the bank continued to deliver sustainable profitability and create a strong balance sheet.

"As we approach the end of the three year 870m investment programme, we continue to focus on understanding better our customers' needs, becoming more efficient and sustainably delivering for both our customers and our shareholders," Mr Byrne said.
The Government will start to collect around 13bn in disputed back taxes from US tech giant Apple early next year.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has said he will put out to tender for a firm to manage the money in January and hopes to collect it "across the first quarter" of 2018.

The announcement comes two months after the European Commission said it would sue the Government for not collecting the money quickly enough. Under EU rules, it should have been gathered by January 3, 2017.

This comes a full 15 months after the EU found that Apple had enjoyed decades of illegal tax breaks in Ireland.

The Government and Apple have both appealed that decision.

However, EU rules say the money has to be held in trust until the case is finished, which could take years.

The EU has said it will not withdraw its complaint over delays in recovering the money before it is paid back in full.

"We hope that we can work constructively with the Irish authorities to make sure that recovery is completed as soon as possible," said a commission spokesperson, adding: "That would also allow us to close this procedure."

EU officials point to similar cases concerning Starbucks in the Netherlands and Fiat in Luxembourg, where the money was recovered more quickly.

But Mr Donohoe said the Apple case was more "difficult", given the "scale of the fund and the uniqueness of this issue". He added that the Government was making "significant progress".

Ahead of a meeting with EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager in Brussels yesterday, Mr Donohoe said Ireland was committed to "defending" its position in court.

"Across the period in which we are defending the ruling, we will be complying with our obligations in terms of collecting the money from Apple," the Finance Minister told reporters.

He said he would be able to give more detail on the final amount to be collected later this month.

A spokesperson for Apple said that it was working "diligently and expeditiously with Ireland on the process" and that it was "confident" the court would overturn the EU's August 2016 finding.

The Commission said at that time that Ireland had offered massive tax breaks to Apple, allowing it to pay as little as 0.005pc tax one year, well below Ireland's 12.5pc corporate tax rate.

In October, it took the Government to court for failing to claw back any money, a decision which the Department of Finance said at the time was "extremely regrettable".

The commission said Ireland acted illegally by giving Apple benefits that amounted to unfair competition.

"The commission's case against Ireland has never been about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government gets the money," Apple said in a written statement.

"The United States government and the Irish Government both agree that we've paid our taxes according to the law," it added.
From Hawaii to Australia to Belgium, the debate rages. Across the world, regulatory authorities are talking about Battlefront 2. Not about whether its any good but whether its controversial loot boxes constitute gambling.

Star Wars owner Disney and Battlefront publisher EA have been stung into action by the consumer backlash and regulatory scrutiny. Buying loot boxes with real money has been taken off the table for now in Battlefront 2 but the reputational damage has been done. Perhaps its just as well  its not actually a great game. It would be a shame if a terrific Star Wars shooter was overshadowed by corporate greed.

Instead, Battlefront 2 is merely adequate. Highly polished and jam-packed with fan-pleasing glimpses of favourite characters and locations, these aesthetics have been yoked to a middling single-player campaign and a slightly improved multiplayer.

The campaign almost tells an interesting story, portraying the chaos within the evil Empire from the perspective of one of its own. But it rather too rapidly descends into cliche and, despite the undoubted allure of exploring Star Wars lore up close, the actual gunplay lacks the satisfying heft of genre kings such as Destiny, Battlefield or Call of Duty.

Multiplayer fares better. There are 20 vs 20 on-foot battles that evolve into an entertaining ebb and flow of competing objectives. And there are novel starfighter aerial battles. But these are skewed by the overly complex upgrades system which is fed by those obnoxious randomised loot boxes. At least for now, the boxes are earned solely by grinding through endless matches. But, unlike in other microtransaction-laden games, they can grant a competitive advantage with their items, which would be a real pay-to-win problem if cash purchases are restored.

Well done, EA, youve managed to turn what could have been a minor success into a PR disaster.

Deadbeat Heroes (XO/PC)  Age: 12+

Theres something odd going on at the heart of Deadbeat Heroes. It sets up an amusing comic-book scenario of comedy villains who need a good duffing up by a series of heroes who are handy with their fists.

Each level consists of a series of rooms that must be cleared of the goons and their bosses in sequence. Take down a boss and you acquire their special powers  such as a snowball weapon. All fine, and quite fun, even when it gets suddenly very challenging.

But fail and not only do you have to replay the level from the start, inexplicably, youre also kicked back to the beginning of the previous level. Its just one of a series of bizarre design decisions that spoil what was shaping up to be a low-cost indie delight.
The upcoming new series of Dancing on Ice is getting a revamp but there were no hints about its new look in the first promo.

Instead it stars two polar bears who lumber onto an icy lake and struggle to keep their balance before working together to finally pull off some impressive moves.

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The dialogue-free trailer (they might dance, but polar bears don't talk lads) plays out to The Impossible Dream and it couldn't be more festive if it tried.

The polar bears' movements are convincing thanks to the fact they are based on the motion capture of real figure skaters in Sweden.

"We wanted this film to be full of warmth, Christmas fuzz and most of all magic and with Kirk and the team at Goodbye Kansas, we found our magicians," said ITV Creative exec Tony Pipes.

The show has taken a four year break but will return in the New Year. Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield will be back as hosts while the judges will be Ashley Banjo, Jason Gardiner, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
A garda near the scene of the crash just off the N25 between New Ross and Ballinaboola, Co Wexford. Photo: Patrick Browne

The scene of the crash just off the N25 between New Ross and Ballinaboola, Co Wexford. Photo: Steve Humphries

The scene of the crash just off the N25 between New Ross and Ballinaboola, Co Wexford. Photo: Steve Humphries

Four members of the same family from the US died in a horrific crash just hours after arriving in the country.

A couple in their 70s and their two sons aged in their 40s, died when their car was in collision with a articulated lorry on the main New Ross to Wexford road at around 6.30pm yesterday.

Expand Close The scene of the crash just off the N25 between New Ross and Ballinaboola, Co Wexford. Photo: Steve Humphries / Facebook

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Whatsapp The scene of the crash just off the N25 between New Ross and Ballinaboola, Co Wexford. Photo: Steve Humphries

The deceased have been named as Lily Alexander and her husband Doug, along with their sons Doug (jnr) and Stephen.

The four are all believed to be from Illinois and had flown into Shannon Airport earlier yesterday for the funeral of a relative in Co Wexford.

The scene of the crash remains sealed off by gardai who have closed a section of the N25 near Cushinstown.

Garda crash investigators could be scene working at the scene of devastation, carrying out measurements and other forensic work.

The articulated truck and car could be seen at the side of the road in their final resting positions following the crash.

The cab of the truck turned sideways in the impact and jack-knifed, and was buried into the side of its own trailer.

The car that the family were traveling in could be seen just in front of the cab of the truck.

Its roof had been removed by emergency crews who arrived to treat the injured.

Initial indications are the crash happened on a bend in the road at the top of a hill.

Further down the road the spire of the Church of St Mary in Cushinstown can be seen.

It was to this church the family were due to travel at noon today to attend the funeral of local woman Winnie Keevey.

It is believed the woman who was killed in the crash was a relative of Winnie's, and that she had travelled from the Illinois area of America with her husband and two grown up sons to attend the funeral.

The funeral of Winnie Keevey was still due to take place today.

Locals described the scene as "absolutely horrific" with debris scattered all over the roadside.

Gardai, New Ross Fire Brigade and a fleet of ambulances raced to the scene of the crash just off the N25 between Cushinstown and Begern Cross on the New Ross to Ballinaboola road.

Paramedics desperately tried to stabilise the condition of two critically injured people. However, two others were pronounced dead immediately.

They are understood to have been trapped in the car when emergency services arrived.

The other two casualties died before they could be transferred to University Hospital Waterford.

The lorry driver and his passenger avoided serious injury, although the driver was treated at the scene for severe shock.

Driving conditions were described as reasonable at the time, although visibility was somewhat restricted by mist and drizzle.

Local parish priest Fr Sean Devereux said the family who died was due to attend a funeral at the Church of St Mary in Cushinstown this morning.

"We're just very shocked and saddened. The whole community is numbed by this tragedy.

"The people who died were coming to attend a funeral here.

"It's terrible that someone in America now has to hear this news coming through from so far away."

Local Fine Gael Councillor Willie Fitzharris said it appeared both vehicles had been travelling in the same direction when the crash happened.

"Obviously it's terrible and my heart really goes out to the family of the victims. It seemed the two vehicles involved were travelling in the same direction as each other. The whole town is just shocked and horrified.

"I was at a meeting in New Ross this evening and saw five ambulances arrive at the scene," he added.

"It's very difficult to understand how this could have happened but there has been a few minor accidents in the vicinity in recent times. Coming up to Christmas just adds to this tragedy."
A dispute over whether University College Dublin (UCD) is entitled to a 15pc shareholding in a company involved in developing commercial processes for global pharmaceutical giants has come before the Commercial Court.

Applied Process Company Ltd, set up in 2011, now employs more than 100 people, expects to double its workforce in the next five years, and is set to achieve revenues of almost 18m by the end of this year, it was stated in court documents.
A youth found guilty of the false imprisonment of former tanaiste Joan Burton during the Jobstown protest has had his conviction overturned on appeal.

Jason Lester (18), from Brookview Close, Tallaght, Dublin, was aged just 15 when he took part in the protest in November 2014 and later ended up arrested, questioned and then put on trial last year.

He became the only person to be found guilty of false imprisonment of the former Labour leader and one of her assistants during the controversial protest.

However, yesterday - following a three-year fight to clear his name - he won his appeal against the guilty verdict.

In his non-jury trial last year at the Dublin Children's Court the then 17-year-old had denied falsely imprisoning Ms Burton and her adviser Karen O'Connell for three hours in cars at the Fortunestown Road in Jobstown in Tallaght.

The Dublin west TD and former minister for social protection had been at a graduation ceremony at An Cosan adult education centre when a water protest took place outside.

She and her adviser told the trial that they were too frightened to get out of Garda cars surrounded by people shouting abuse, throwing missiles and banging on windows.

He was found guilty last year - at the age of 17 - following his trial, which went on for a week at the Dublin Children's Court, but he was spared a custodial sentence.

He faced a possible two-year sentence, however on October 21, 2016, Judge John King imposed a conditional discharge providing the youth did not re-offend in the following nine months.

The youth, now aged 18, appealed the verdict and the case was listed in the circuit court yesterday.

His defence said the State's application was that the appeal would not be opposed.

He also said that though the appeal came from the Children's Court, his client, who did not address the proceedings, was now aged 18.

Judge Patrick Quinn said he was allowing the appeal and agreed to grant legal aid to the youth's lawyers, who cited the complexity of the case.

Speaking outside court, the teenager said he had always maintained his innocence and had now been exonerated.

He also said that the legal proceedings had seen his "health and family life" suffer.

"Today, my convictions for two counts of false imprisonment have been overturned," Mr Lester said.

"The past two years of court proceedings have been extremely stressful.

"They have taken a toll on my health and my family life.

"I was prosecuted for the serious offence of false imprisonment when I was only 15 years old, for taking part in a legitimate political protest.

"I have always maintained my innocence and today I have been exonerated.

"I would like to thank my family for their continued support, the general public, the people of Tallaght and my legal team for all the work they have done on this case."

In October charges against 10 of the 11 Jobstown water charge protesters were formally dropped at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

In June, six men, including Solidarity TD Paul Murphy, were found not guilty by a jury of falsely imprisoning the politician and her adviser following a nine-week trial.

Charges against a seventh man were dropped halfway through that trial.
A man who sexually assaulted a seriously drunk and almost unconscious woman at a festival has been jailed for ten months.

Steven Hennessy (38), who was also highly intoxicated, was observed by a nearby group to be putting his hand inside the trousers of the woman who looked like she was about to pass out.

The victim, who is entitled to anonymity, only became aware of what had happened when she woke up in a medical hut and found out a man had been arrested for sexually assaulting her.

Hennessy, formerly of Hollybank Road, Drumcondra, Dublin and originally from Carlow, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sexual assault of the woman at a location in Dublin in September 2016. Hennessy has no previous convictions.

Today Judge Martin Nolan noted the victim was seriously drunk and in an almost unconscious state. He said Hennessy had put his hand under her clothes by her vaginal area.

He noted that Hennessy was also severely intoxicated and was not fit to be interviewed by gardai until the following day. He said this did not help Hennessy and commented that people were responsible for their acts, drunk or not.

Judge Nolan noted it could be said Hennessy had almost perfect mitigation. He outlined his co-operation and admissions, followed up by a guilty plea and expression of true remorse.

He said Hennessy had a good work record and had lost his job as a result of his behaviour. He noted Hennessy had brought a substantial sum of money to court as a token of remorse and was unlikely to re-offend.

Judge Nolan said he had to decide if he deserved an immediate custodial sentence despite this.

He said the general principle was that a custodial sentence was always mandated in such cases unless there were exceptional circumstances. He said he did not find such circumstances in this case. He said exceptional circumstances might include extreme youth or something like that.

The judge said Hennessy was a mature man when he committed the offence. He accepted that he would probably not have committed the offence except for his intoxicated state, but noted inebriation and intoxication affords no defence.

Judge Nolan imposed a sentence of two years imprisonment and said by reason of the mitigation he was going to suspend the final 14 months on strict conditions.

He said, in relation to the 10,000 brought to court by Hennessy, that as he was not disposed to impose a non custodial sentence, he was not going to deal with the issue of compensation or financial penalty. He said that was a matter for the civil courts.

Judge Nolan said the offence had been a reprehensible act despite the excellent mitigation.

Detective Garda Adrian Buckley told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that the victim did not really remember anything until she woke up in a medical hut and found out that a man had been arrested for sexually assaulting her. She was unsure how she ended up on her own.

She was shocked and embarrassed and had no recollection of anyone being intimate with her.

Det Gda Buckley said earlier in the evening a group of friends had observed two people sitting opposite them. The accused man was sweaty and his pupils were out of his head. He had his arm around a girl who was swaying and looked like she was about to pass out.

They saw the man put his hand down the girl's pants and saw what they believed to be a penetrating action with his hand moving in and out. One of the group went over to Hennessy and told him this was completely inappropriate. He asked Hennessy where the girl's friends were.

Security staff were alerted and found the girl in an unresponsive state. Hennessy told security staff he had just wanted to feel her down there. He was arrested but was unfit to be interviewed.

Hennessy made full admissions during garda interview. He asserted that she had been awake but accepted he should have asked her if she consented. He said it had been stupid drunken bravery.

Hennessy said he was 100pc sorry and told gardai it was not like him at all.

The injured party did not wish to make a victim impact statement.

Tony McGillicuddy BL, defending, said Hennessy had brought to court 10,000 token of remorse as compensation for the woman without prejudice to her rights to take other legal recourse.

He submitted in mitigation that Hennessy had made full admissions, followed by an early guilty plea. He has no record of offending and has a good and solid family background.

Mr McGillicuddy said Hennessy, who has degree in business and French and a stock broking diploma, had an excellent work history but had recently lost his job. He said his client's job prospects were poor at the present time.

He said a psychologist's report outlined that Hennessy did not have a hostile attitude to women and was suffering from mild depression. He said there was a risk factor identified in relation to alcohol which Hennessy would have to deal with. He was attending counselling.

Counsel said Hennessy was identified as at low to medium risk of sexual re-offending in the report which also outlined that he realised the wrong he had done.

Mr McGillicuddy said Hennessy had a long way back to put his life back together. He asked the court not to impose a custodial sentence but to deal with it in some other manner.
College entry rates from State-funded schools are continuing to close the gap with the fee-paying sector.

There has been a seven-fold increase in the number of publicly funded schools to record 100pc progression to third-level since 2010.

A nationwide, school-by-school breakdown of the number of pupils going on to study for a degree is published today with the Irish Independent.

The tables in the annual Feeder Schools supplement provide a snapshot of "who went where" and confirm the growing appetite for higher qualifications, which are regarded as essential.

For years, private schools stood out in these so-called "league tables" because of the high transfer rates of their pupils to third-level. The 2017 figures follow the familiar pattern, with about half the country's 51 fee-paying schools recorded as sending all their pupils to higher education. Many others are very close to that.

The tables also reveal the ongoing surge in participation at third level by pupils in the free education sector, which covers about 670 schools. This year, almost 80 of these schools are showing progression rates of 100pc - up from 11 in 2010, and from 58 last year.

And in many other schools in the Free Education Scheme, progression rates of 80pc and higher are increasingly the norm. Within this sector, the cohort of all-Irish schools do particularly well, a picture that has also been evident in previous years.

Schools in disadvantaged areas continue to lag behind, with many showing a third-level participation rate of around 20-25pc or lower. However, there are impressive examples, such as St Dominic's Ballyfermot, Dublin, where 49pc of students are recorded as progressing to college.

The figures also confirm a geographic breakdown in terms of college entry. There is a pattern in Ireland of school-leavers attending the most convenient third-level institution, although in many cases the cost of living away from home is an important factor.

A notable feature of these tables every year is the high number of people from fee-paying schools who attend university, which focus on honours degrees, rather than institutes of technology, which offers honours degrees and lower-level programmes.

There is a high concentration of private schools in south Dublin with a very high proportion of their pupils going on to University College Dublin in particular.

These schools also send large numbers to Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology and Dublin City University. The picture is similar in Cork, where University College Cork appears to be the college of first choice for the majority of local school-leavers.

So, while the overall numbers going to college are rising, there are issues about a social divide, with certain segments of the population almost exclusively attending university, where they have access to courses leading to careers in elite professions such as medicine and law.

The college entry data for pupils from disadvantaged areas shows that they are less likely to attend university.

Other figures confirm that, on average, more SUSI maintenance grants are awarded to students in institutes of technology than to students who enrol in university, with UCD and TCD having the lowest proportion of grant-holders.
Gardai at the scene of the accident on the N25 between New Ross and Ballinaboola, Co. Wexford. Picture: Patrick Browne

Four US tourists have died after an horrific collision between a car and an articulated lorry in Wexford.

Gardai have confirmed that three men and a woman lost their lives in the crash. They are all members of the one family.

The accident occurred just outside New Ross shortly after 6.30pm with a portion of the car understood to have been crushed underneath the truck.

Wexford locals indicated that the group may have been in Ireland to attend the wake of an Irish friend or relative.

It is understood the vehicle was travelling in convoy with another car when the tragedy occurred.

Such was the severity of the collision, an entire section of the N25 road was closed to allow for a major operation by Wexford emergency services.

Locals described the scene as "absolutely horrific" with debris scattered all over the roadside.

Gardai, New Ross Fire Brigade and a fleet of ambulances raced to the scene to assist the injured.

Paramedics desperately tried to stabilise the condition of a number of critically injured people at the scene.

Two people were pronounced dead immediately at the scene.

They are understood to have been trapped in the car when emergency services arrived.

Two others died before they could be transferred to University Hospital Waterford (UHW).

Initial indications are that several of the deceased are US nationals believed to have been holidaying in Ireland.

New Ross in Wexford is a popular stop for many US tourists because of the Dunbrody famine ship and the area's famous links to President John F Kennedy.

The collision occurred just off the N25 between Cushinstown and Begern Cross on the New Ross to Ballinaboule road.

Driving conditions were described as reasonable at the time though visibility was somewhat restricted by mist and drizzle.

The lorry driver and a passenger in the lorry avoided serious injury.

The driver was treated at the scene for severe shock.

Motorists were urged to avoid the area given the road closure and the lengthy diversions in place.

Gardai stressed that the section of road involved is expected to remain closed for some time.

The scene was sealed off to facilitate a full garda investigation into the cause of the tragedy.

Garda accident scene investigators were last night preparing to begin a painstaking examination of the section of road involved to determine the precise circumstances of what happened.

New Ross gardai urged anyone who witnessed the collision or the movements of the vehicles involved before the accident to contact them.

Two US tourists died in an horrific head-on collision in Cork two months ago as they were driving from the Cliffs of Moher to view Blarney Castle.
Gardai have raided the home of gangland figure Jason 'Jay' O'Connor as part of their investigation into the murder of the latest victim in the Hutch/Kinahan feud.

The operation happened over the weekend after officers received information that O'Connor was one of the last people to see murder victim Kane McCormack (24) alive, last Friday evening.

O'Connor was in hiding last night after his associates were linked to McCormack's murder. His body was dumped in a Co Meath field on Saturday afternoon, just two hours after he was reported missing by his girlfriend.

"An investigation team from Ashbourne Garda station has raided the home of O'Connor in relation to the murder," a senior source said last night.

"He was not arrested and his current whereabouts are unknown. It is believed that he has gone to ground."

It comes as the Irish Independent can reveal McCormack's suspected killer is a 37-year-old criminal from Finglas in Dublin who is closely linked to O'Connor and his gang.

The Finglas man previously served a lengthy jail sentence for an extremely violent offence that happened in a pub in the area he is from.

Sources say that McCormack "would not have trusted this man" and only went in a car with him to Co Meath because he felt comfortable with another dangerous individual.

Gardai now believe that McCormack's murder had been planned for at least three weeks and that the father-of-one had been "lured into a false sense of security" after being brought at least once before to the location where he was shot dead.

"He thought he was on the way to do a job, do a hit. At one stage his killers had even enlisted one of his most trusted associates in an attempt to fool him," a source said.

"McCormack was the father of a five-year-old boy - no one has yet been able to tell the child what has happened to his dad," the source added.

McCormack's murder is the thirteenth in the bitter feud.

Yesterday, the Irish Independent revealed his killers were paid 40,000 by the Kinahan cartel to carry out the shooting. The murder was ordered after members of the crime group learned McCormack was threatening to avenge the murder of his father, Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan.

Gardai have confirmed McCormack was shot three times, in the back of his head and in his back.

CCTV forms a major part in the investigation, which is being led by Co Meath detectives. They are confident of making arrests in the coming weeks.

McCormack was well known to gardai and had links to the Hutch gang, as well as other dangerous criminals in Dublin's drugs trade. McCormack, originally from Clonee, Co Meath, survived an attempt on his life earlier this year, after which gardai provided him with security advice.
A nurse who called a wheelchair-bound patient suffering from dementia "a dirty Jew", before slapping him on the arm, has had her registration cancelled.

Marilyn Rillera (57), who had been working in the Maynooth Community Care Unit in Kildare, before returning to her native Philippines, was bringing an 87-year-old patient to the toilet in December 2015 when the incident happened.

A fitness-to-practise inquiry held by the Nursing and Midwifery Board heard that the patient tried to hit Nurse Rillera but she held his arm and told him: "You can't hit a woman, what are you, you dirty Jew."

The inquiry heard that she denied saying "dirty Jew" and said she had told him he was dirty. However, a care assistant who was helping to bring him to the toilet said she was "100pc certain" that the nurse said "dirty Jew".

The inquiry found her guilty of professional misconduct and she was struck off.
Tom Curran with his late partner Marie Fleming, who passed away last December

An estimated ten Irish people travel overseas every year to avail of assisted suicide, right-to-die campaigner Tom Curran has claimed.

Tom cared for his partner Marie Fleming full-time for more than 15 years before she died from multiple sclerosis in December 2013, before her passing they fought a lengthy court battle as they challenged the ban on assisted suicide here.

When asked on Newstalk Breakfast how many Irish people go to Switzerland to access assisted suicide every year, he said: "There are a lot more now than we are aware of, there are people going there all the time.

"Dignitas release their figures but they're just one clinic.

"About ten per year."

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Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, he spoke candidly about why he feels it is important that people with prolonged and life limiting illnesses should be able to end their own lives.

Mr Curran, who is from Arklow in Wicklow, said: "Any of the places where it (euthanasia) has been brought in the medical professional seemed to go along with it without any difficulty at all.

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"In all cases there is a conscientious way of opting out of these situations, it is a moral question, there are a lot of morals involved and it's a very divisive issue.

"So if people don't want to get involved that's the whole point, it's not a medical issue but a civil rights one - to help people do it for themselves and to end their suffering.

"This is a rational person deciding that they don't want a prolonged, painful end to their life, they want to take control of it themselves."

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After a debate on Newstalk Breakfast yesterday about whether doctors would feel coerced into assisting with suicide if it's legalised here, Mr Curran said he doesn't feel that medical professionals need to be a part of euthanasia.

He said: "I don't think it's necessary for a doctor to be involved.

"The concept of the part a doctor can play is they can decide if someone is thinking rationally enough to make this decision and are capable of understanding the decision they are making.

"For instance, in Switzerland - the only place in the world people can travel to for assisted death - Dignitas isn't run by two doctors but two barristers, they're all voluntary people who work there and the assistance is provided by volunteers, they're not medical people.

"Unfortunately, I think that over the years, and particularly with advances in medical science, death has become medicalised and it was never like that, it should be a family celebration of a life."
A garda near the scene of the crash just off the N25 between New Ross and Ballinaboola, Co Wexford. Photo: Patrick Browne

The scene of the crash just off the N25 between New Ross and Ballinaboola, Co Wexford. Photo: Steve Humphries

The scene of the crash just off the N25 between New Ross and Ballinaboola, Co Wexford. Photo: Steve Humphries

Gardai at the scene of the fatal crash between a rental car and a truck which saw four members of a family killed in Cushinstown Co Wexford. Pic Steve Humphreys

The roof of a BMW at the scene of the fatal crash between a rental car and a truck which saw four members of a family killed in Cushinstown Co Wexford. Pic Steve Humphreys

Tributes have been pouring in for four family members who lost their lives in an 'absolutely horrific' crash on Monday night.

Lily Alexander, her husband Doug and their two sons Doug Jr and Stephen were killed in the two-vehicle collision on the main New Ross to Wexford at around 6.30pm yesterday evening.

The four family members are all believed to be from Illinois and had flown into Shannon Airport earlier yesterday for the funeral of a close relative in Co Wexford.

Lily and Doug, pictured above, were aged in their seventies and their two sons were aged in their forties.

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One of their sons, Stephen 'Steve' Alexander (49) was an award-winning police officer.

He leaves behind two daughters, aged 11 and 10.

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A statement from his police department reads; "Officer Alexander was a 17 year veteran with the Bolingbrook Police Department. He received his associate's degree in Criminal Justice from the College of DuPage and graduated from the Cook County Police Academy in 2001 as class valedictorian.

"Officer Alexander was assigned to the Bolingbrook Park District as a park patrol officer. He was also an assistant team leader for the Raid Entry and Containment Team and was the lead department instructor in defensive tactics and use of force".

Meanwhile, Doug Jr was a dad of two young daughters, aged six and seven, and had played in a rock band for the past 20 years.

Kent Kaled, a close friend of Doug Alexander Jnr, told Independent.ie: "We're all devastated. His death has blind-sided us completely."

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Doug was a member of Kent's rock band Network for the past 20 years.

"Doug played guitar and sang. He was an all round great guy and a wonderful dad to his two young daughters. Doug lived with his wife Marian, who is from Ireland, and their two girls," said Kent, who lives in the Chicago area.

"Doug's mom and dad were big fans of the band and came to a lot to see us perform. Doug's dad was very musical and had played guitar in an Irish showband," he said.

Friends and family also paid tribute to the much-loved family online.

A friend of Doug Jr wrote; "Im devastated. Rest In Peace Doug Alexander. No words can express how much you meant to me in my life. You were my brother always picking me up at the lowest points in my life... Love you."

Another wrote; "Oh my, he was truly a beautiful soul so Im sure his whole family was just as special. So sad."

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While another added; "Doug was a beautiful person who always put a smile on my face, this is so sad."

Their local mayor in Bolingbrook, Illinois, Roger Claar told local media that the village are still trying to piece together the information about the family tragedy.

"This is out of left field for us," Claar said, speaking about Lily and Doug's son Stephen.

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"I've heard nothing but good things about (Stephen). He was a great guy, a popular guy, competent. He was a well-liked guy. We've lost a fine officer."

Gardai are now investigating the crash, and closed a section of the N25 near Cushinstown.

This morning, the articulated truck and car could be seen at the side of the road in their final resting positions following the crash.

The cab of the truck turned sideways in the impact and jack-knifed, and was buried into the side of its own trailer.

The car that the family were traveling in could be seen just in front of the cab of the truck.

Its roof had been removed by emergency crews who arrived to treat the injured.

Initial indications are the crash happened on a bend in the road at the top of a hill.

The vehicles have since been removed from the scene.

Further down the road the spire of the Church of St Mary in Cushinstown can be seen.

It was to this church the family were due to travel at noon today to attend the funeral of local woman Winnie Keevey.

It is understood Lily Alexander was a sister of Winnie's, and that she had travelled from the Illinois area of America with her husband and two sons to attend the funeral.

The funeral of Winnie Keevey took place today.

Locals described the scene as "absolutely horrific" with debris scattered all over the roadside.

Crash

Gardai, New Ross Fire Brigade and a fleet of ambulances raced to the scene of the crash just off the N25 between Cushinstown and Begern Cross on the New Ross to Ballinaboola road.

Paramedics desperately tried to stabilise the condition of two critically injured people. However, two others were pronounced dead immediately.

They are understood to have been trapped in the car when emergency services arrived.

The other two casualties died before they could be transferred to University Hospital Waterford.

The lorry driver and his passenger avoided serious injury, although the driver was treated at the scene for severe shock.

Driving conditions were described as reasonable at the time, although visibility was somewhat restricted by mist and drizzle.

Local parish priest Fr Sean Devereux said the whole community is "numbed".

"We're just very shocked and saddened. The whole community is numbed by this tragedy.

"The people who died were coming to attend a funeral here.

"It's terrible that someone in America now has to hear this news coming through from so far away."

Local Fine Gael Councillor Willie Fitzharris said it appeared both vehicles had been travelling in the same direction when the crash happened.

"Obviously it's terrible and my heart really goes out to the family of the victims. It seemed the two vehicles involved were travelling in the same direction as each other. The whole town is just shocked and horrified.

"I was at a meeting in New Ross this evening and saw five ambulances arrive at the scene," he added.

"It's very difficult to understand how this could have happened but there has been a few minor accidents in the vicinity in recent times. Coming up to Christmas just adds to this tragedy."
A British MP has been branded "utterly clueless" after discussing Irish politics on TV last night.

Tory MP Bernard Jenkin appeared on Sky News to discuss the crunch Brexit negotiations surrounding the Irish border issue.

Unfortunately for Mr Jenkin, it seems like he should have brushed up on his facts about Ireland before the segment.

He said: If you listen to Bertie Ahern, if you listen to Enda Kelly  these are two former Taoiseachs, Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland.

"They havent quite played ball like the present Irish Prime Minister."

Of course it wasn't long until social media users noticed that not only had he mixed up former Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny's name, but he had also claimed that Northern Ireland is led by a Taoiseach:

Just an FYI @bernardjenkin. Bertie Ahern and Enda KENNY (not Kelly) are former Taoisigh of the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland!!



But if you're happy to be utterly clueless on prime time TV, go right ahead.  David Donohoe (@dvddnh) December 5, 2017

Taoiseachs of NORTHERN Ireland.??????

Enda KELLY !!!!!!!  Pat Griffin (@PatGrif21889883) December 5, 2017
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during a press conference at Government Buildings in Dublin following Brexit negotiations. Laura Hutton/PA Wire

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told the Dail he believes that it is up to London to act in efforts to break the deadlock on Brexit.

Mr Varadkar also reached out to the Democratic Unionist Party  who have blocked an emerging compromise to avoid a hard border following Brexit.

The Taoiseach insisted that his Government had no hidden agenda and also wanted to protect the interests of all communities in the North where the majority had voted against Brexit in the June 2016 referendum,

We dont want a border in the middle of the Irish Sea any more than we want to see one at Newry, the Taoiseach said.

Mr Varadkar again insisted that the EU and the UK had signed off the compromise about the border on Monday. This is in spite of reports to the contrary from London.

The Taoiseach agreed with Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin, that it would be much better if the power-sharing executive and parliament were up and running in Belfast.

In a rare goodwill gesture, Sinn Fein Gerry Adams leader wished the Government well in the ongoing negotiations.

But he warned that the DUP and the English Tories must be faced down.
Though she would squirm at the mere suggestion of it, Lorraine Keane has to be the personification of what it means to be an ideal woman.

This accomplished broadcast and print journalist, presenter and panellist is emotionally generous and perceptive. She glows with good health, while being blessed with two talented daughters, and a "rock-solid" rock-star husband. She also comes from a family of six girls and one boy. Apparently, there was much love, laughter and music in their Rathfarnham home; and this continues to this day.

And while Lorraine is immensely grateful for all the wonderful gifts in her life, she also understands that she has a responsibility to help improve the lot of those who face seemingly impossible odds.

That is why she allocates a month every year to altruistic endeavours. This means she has to pack her bags, say goodbye to Emelia (14) and Romy (11), as well as her musician husband Peter Devlin, before heading off to places devastated by natural disasters or torn apart by political conflict. "I don't look forward to these trips," she says. "We go to places that are rife with poverty, disease and hardship. It is so heartbreaking."

Nonetheless, Lorraine will then do what she does best; she will don her journalism hat and swing into action. She will coax stories from the broken people who have endured them first-hand. She will listen carefully, she will empathise, and she will make sure those harrowing stories are recorded for posterity.

She will hold hands with wounded women and men; she will smile while playing with damaged children.

She will then come home and do charity events and media interviews, trying to persuade us to reach deep into our pockets so we may make the lives of those suffering people better.

"It can be absolutely harrowing," she says. "When I went to the Philippines, after the tsunami, I met people who had lost absolutely everything. I mean everything - their families, homes and businesses. It was so tragic. Fortunately, they came together as a community and started rebuilding their lives with the help of the wider world.

"But when I went to Haiti, 11 months after their devastating earthquake, it looked like it had only happened the day before. Only a small amount of the money raised internationally got through to the people who needed it. Corruption was a big problem there. That is why NGOs [non-governmental organisations] are so important on the ground after a disaster strikes. These people are really making a difference in Haiti."

Currently, Lorraine is focused on empowering women in disadvantaged countries. As she prepares for a trip to Tanzania for LIFE magazine, she is looking forward to meeting some very poor women who spied a business opportunity and took action.

"Their village was close to a major road, with no places for refreshment," explains Lorraine. "The women asked World Vision for coffee beans so they could grow their own crop. Once they had harvested it, they began selling their brew to parched travellers. They plan to expand the business by opening a beauty parlour and hairdressing salon. I can't wait to meet the members of this enterprising women's collective."

Lorraine says this is part of the Women Mean Business initiative, which encourages women in developed countries to support women in disadvantaged ones.

So, given that Lorraine leads a busy life, staying healthy is essential. And while that might have been her ideal, it wasn't always a reality for her. "Some years back, I started to suffer from sleeplessness," she explains, "and I began to feel fatigued and irritable. I thought it was because I was trying to juggle too many things.

"So, I wasn't too surprised when I experienced reduced libido - you'll hardly feel romantic when you're stressed-out and tired."

When Lorraine was asked to try a particular product aimed at mature women's hormonal issues, she balked at the idea. "I'm not in my 50s, so why would I pretend to need a product like that?" she asked. She was then called upon to consider the symptoms of a typical perimenopausal woman. And having heard the list, she realised she very definitely fell into that category.

After further research, she agreed to start taking Cleanmarine MenoMin. According to the Wicklow-based manufacturers, this product regulates hormonal activity, maintains mucous membranes and helps alleviate the symptoms of perimenopause - the stage in a woman's life just before menopause hits - and full menopause.

Lorraine is convinced Cleanmarine MenoMin does what it says on the packet. "It definitely improved my sleep patterns, my irritability and my libido," she volunteers. "It has everything in it that women whose fertility is dropping should be having - like krill oil, omega 3, and essential B vitamins. I now believe I have been perimenopausal since my 30s.

"An important factor in my life is that I don't 'do' suffering or illness. I will usually look for a remedy, and then get on with things. The fact that I didn't do anything about these hormonal symptoms until now annoys me."

So Lorraine is now an active member of the Let's Talk Menopause campaign. "Even in this day and age, women feel that menopause is some dirty little secret. Why is that the case?" she asks. "Perhaps it's because we're living much longer. In the past, when menopause struck, it heralded the final stage of life. But that is so not the case any more.

"Menopause can begin when a woman is in her early 40s, which, these days, is not even halfway through life. When you come out the other side, you should celebrate," she says. "You don't have PMT, period pains, irritability, and none of the inconveniences that all those things bring any more. So, you should be embracing menopause, not dreading it, and you certainly shouldn't be hiding from it."

With that she dons a beautiful, soft, apricot-coloured coat she bought in a sale recently. "It was reduced by a third," she says with unbridled glee.

And she heads off to yet another appointment in her action-packed, fulfilling and generous life.

Following her return from Tanzania, Lorraine (and Liam Cunningham) will host a Women Mean Business fundraising afternoon tea at the InterContinental Hotel, Simmonscourt Rd, D4, on Thursday, November 30. Tickets, 50. See worldvision.ie
Every family has their own time-honoured Christmas traditions. Some go sea swimming on Christmas morning; some don't get out of their pyjamas for the entire day.

Some families feel duty-bound to play Monopoly; some families only consider it to be Christmas when they're sitting in front of the television, turkey sandwich in hand, watching Doctor Who.

Festive traditions bring a sense of order to the chaos that is Christmas but, more than that, they bring families closer together - both literally and figuratively.

Traditions are a team sport, and a reminder that every family member is a key player. They remind us that family takes precedence over all else; they shape our family narrative, and they give us a sense of security and grounding.

Maybe that's why family traditions - the Christmas ones especially - are ingrained so quickly. If you buy matching Christmas pyjamas for the children two years running, well, it's fairly safe to assume that you'll do it every year thereafter.

The new traditions that we start now are likely to stick, not just in this generation, but in the generations thereafter. So it's worth thinking about the foundations that you are building.

Sure, traditions are meaningful by their very nature, but some make more impact than others. Here we suggest a few family traditions that promote a mindful, peaceful, charitable Christmas.

Do a digital detox - Most people would like to try a digital detox but they struggle to find a quiet time to log off in an always-on world. If you've been contemplating a hiatus from screens and social media, consider the stretch between St Stephen's Day and New Year's Eve. It's the ideal time to put your phones and tablets in a drawer and experience life without the security blanket of an iPhone interface.

Practise random acts of kindness - Pay for someone's petrol; leave a book on a bench with a note inside; give an extra-generous tip... Otherwise, why not create a Random Acts of Kindness advent calendar for your children? Instead of getting a treat every day, they get to give a treat to someone else.

Reimagine Black Friday - Just as we now dedicate a day to shopping during the festive season, why not try dedicating a day to not shopping too? Eat food that's already in the cupboards (there will be more than enough) and leave the car at home. It's a little reminder that we're in control of money during a season when money tends to take control of us. A 'spending fast', as it is known, is the antidote to the rampant consumerism of Christmas.

Make a family charity donation - People who give money to charity are proven to be happier and healthier than those who don't. So if you want to have a truly contented Christmas, consider a group donation to a charity that the whole family supports.

Write a gratitude list to Santa - A study out of the University of Illinois, which sampled 900 adolescents aged between 11 to 17, established a clear link between gratitude and materialism: the more gratitude the teenagers practised, the less materialistic they were.

Why not introduce your younger children to the practice of gratitude by encouraging them to write a list of all the things they're grateful for alongside their letter to Santa? It might help lower their Christmas morning expectations too.

Go on a nature walk - Children get stressed over Christmas too - only their triggers are more likely to be the sensory overload of flickering lights and the bombardment of more toys than they have time to play with. A nature walk in a local woodlands should help keep them grounded and relaxed, plus they can help you find pine cones, willow and berries to decorate the house.

Get to know your neighbours - The festive season is the ideal time to build your local support network and reach out to neighbours with whom you exchange little more than a nod during the year. Push a card through their letter box or drop them in a box of chocolates. It's a little gesture that will go a long way.

Reimagine Christmas Eve - Pub culture is slowly losing its grip on Irish society, hence more and more families are eschewing the traditional trip to their local on Christmas Eve in favour of something a little less raucous. Why not look to other cultures for inspiration? The French have Reveillon, a night-time feast that goes on for hours. Icelanders have the 'Christmas Book Flood': as one of the most literate nations in the world, they swap books on Christmas Eve and read late into the night.

Plan an adventure - We're all familiar with the anti-climatic feeling that sinks in as the festive rush starts to slow down. The best way to counteract this feeling is to have something to look forward to. With your nearest and dearest around you, take a day in late December to plan ahead, whether it's a theatre trip, a dinner or a mini-break. January is considerably easier when there's something fun on the horizon.
A young mother from Phoenix, Arizona has tragically passed away just one day after contracting the flu.

Alani Murrieta was 20-years-old and had no pre-existing health conditions when she started feeling unwell.

She was rushed to hospital after she began encountering breathing difficulties and was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia by doctors who quickly put her on a ventilator.

However, the mother-of-twos condition had already deteriorated beyond repair and she died eight hours later.

Murrieta and her young children began to feel ill on Monday when her sister promptly took them all to the doctor, explains Murrietas aunt, Stephanie Gonzales.

They diagnosed them with the flu, sent her home with flu meds, she told Fox10.

Shortly after, when Murrietas condition had worsened, she returned to the hospital and was given an x-ray.

It was then that doctors realised she had pneumonia.

"They were trying to resuscitate her, and they tried for several minutes and they told my sister there was nothing else they could do, that she was gone, said Gonzales.

Murrietas family are raising funds via GoFundMe to help make the necessary arrangements after her sudden passing.

Alani (Joie) passed away suddenly yesterday afternoon from the flu that turned into pneumonia, the page reads.

Our family is devastated that she is gone. Alani was a beautiful loving mother just 20 years old with two young boys AJ 2 years old and JR 6 months old.

So far, the page has generated more than $15,000 (11,183) for Murrietas family.

Flu is a common infectious viral illness that is typically spread via coughing and sneezing, according to the NHS.

It is particularly common in the UK during the winter months and symptoms can include a chesty cough, aches and pains and a fever.

It typically lasts no longer than a week; however, in rare circumstances such as Muriettas, fatal complications can arise.

According to the Oxford Vaccine Group, an average of 600 people die from complications of flu every year in the UK.
The key to Los Angeles lies in its neighbourhoods, says Pol O Conghaile. And DTLA is one of the hottest in America.

The Nickel Diner's grill is sizzling.

Around it, sitting in burgundy leather banquettes by wooden tables, customers are tucking into a mix of pancakes, egg scrambles and Flat Iron steaks. Ceiling fans whir lazily. A Virgin Mary statuette is embossed in velvet.

I wasn't sure this was the place, until I stepped inside and saw a sign.

It said: 'This is the place. There is no place quite like this place anywhere near this place, so this must be the place.'

Boxed into a block near the corner of 5th and South Main, the Nickel Diner (nickeldiner.com) is a space where the ghosts of Downtown LA past, present and future seem to meet. Desserts are chosen from a display stand of shellacked cakes, and the brunchtime crowd veers from a hipster in a 'Free Winona' T-shirt to older folk who wouldn't look out of place in Making a Murderer.

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I order Gio's chilaquiles, a steaming heap of fried tortillas, poached eggs, black beans, avocado and pickled onions.

"It's a Mexican dish," says the waiter. "You'll love it."

I tuck in, and I do.

Outside, a short walk could take me to some of the most recognisable skyscrapers in the States. Or it could take me to Skid Row.

The next shop window could hold a pawnbroker or a poodle in mid-pamper session; the next block a splash of street art or a wedding chapel.

My next meal could be a hangover-slaying taco from a food truck, or 'day boat scallops' served with morels, nettles, spring garlic and lemon in the spanking new Redbird (redbird.la), housed in the former rectory of St Vibiana's Cathedral.

It's a thrilling, visceral, in-the-moment mix.

Some strips, like Restaurant Row on 7th Street, could be in any big American city. Others, such as the bazaar-like Santee Alley (three-piece suit with a free shirt and tie for $99, anyone?) or Bunker Hill, with buildings ranging from the Art Deco Edison Building to Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall, couldn't be anywhere else.

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Once upon a time, Downtown was the heart of Los Angeles, home to its old movie palaces, grand department stores, fashion district and later its commercial towers. As the city sprawled, however, the historic centre deteriorated into a giant parking lot by day, a no-go area by night.

Now, things are changing once again.

DTLA's revitalisation is not a new story; lofts, galleries and restaurants have been gaining ground for years. But the sense of a neighbourhood in mid-flip - neither one thing nor the other, but a thrilling cocktail of both that nobody seems quite able to predict or control - is tantalising.

There are pricey penthouses and gritty thrift shops. The Ace Hotel has rebooted the old United Artists Building; Urban Outfitters the Rialto Theatre.

The Last Bookstore (lastbookstorela.com, see video), with its labyrinth and tunnels made of books, is both nostalgic and forward-thinking, the perfect spot to pick up your souvenir copy of The Big Sleep or Less than Zero.

As I shoot a photo outside, yet another homeless person pushes his possessions past in a trolley. Everything feels like it's in flux. I'm excited, conflicted, pumped with adrenaline.

LA is back on the Irish radar of late - Ethiopian Airlines is flying direct from Dublin, Aer Lingus resumes its direct service in May, and WOW Air is offering one-stop fares via Iceland. There are lots of reasons to visit - from iconic draws like Venice Beach and the Walk of Fame to Universal Hollywood's new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The city is sunny and diverse (people from over 180 countries call it home), but it's also enormous and the traffic is a snarling mess.

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To get under its skin, you need a neighbourhood focus.

And that neighbourhood should be Downtown.

You want movie magic? Forget Hollywood. A movie reccie here takes me to locations from Dark Knight Rises, Heat (the Citigroup Center was the scene of De Niro's fateful final robbery) and most memorably, Bladerunner.

The iron-laced stairways and birdcage elevators of the 19th-century Bradley Building - a "fairytale of mathematics", as one critic called it - was the set for J.F Sebastian's apartment complex, and it's free to enter.

I discover that you can actually walk through the stainless-steel folds of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I step into the lobby of the LA Times building, photographing its famous globe. The Broad (thebroad.org), LA's new contemporary art museum, marries a fish-scale-like exterior with a breathless collection of instantly-recognisable pieces.

Imagine standing in front of Andy Warhol's Elvis, Jasper Johns' American flag, or Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog. Well, here you can - and it's free too.

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Finally, to the food. By now, Downtown's random scattering of restaurants has blossomed into a full-on dining scene. Within a few blocks, you can eat yolk-spurting egg sandwiches at Eggslut (eggslut.com) in the Grand Central Market, or rustic, new American cuisine by Timothy Hollingsworth at Otium (otiumla.com).

There, a svelte and sweetly-presented glass bowl of amberjack with yuzu and smoked tangerine, dished up in Osvaldo Maiozzi's boxy, beautiful, mezzanine-layered space, feels like the polar opposite of my Nickel Diner experience.

In fact, there's just a five-minute cab ride between the two.

Downtown measures around five square miles, but surrounded by freeways, it feels like a city - even a timezone - in itself. Go see, before it closes this intriguing chapter.

This is the place, all right.

Getting there

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I flew direct from Dublin with Ethiopian (ethiopianairlines.com; from 480 return).

Its Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a super aircraft with big, dimmable windows, lots of overhead room and USB chargers at every seat. Two 23kg bags are included, though food and service are otherwise pretty standard.

Ethiopian doesn't use US Preclearance in Dublin - this makes check-in quicker, but you obviously need to be processed in LAX.

All told, excellent value.

Where to stay

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I stayed as a guest of the Ace Hotel (acehotel.com; from $279 plus tax). A reboot of the historic United Artists Theatre, it epitomises the second (or should that be third?) coming of DTLA, with stripped-back rooms, a photo-booth and vintage guitars in reception, hip staff and an uber-cool rooftop bar.

If you don't stay, make a point of stopping by for a cocktail.

For more, see discoverlosangeles.com and @discoverla.
Barry Keoghan (R) and girlfriend Shona Guerin attend the Headline Gala Screening & UK Premiere of 'Killing of a Sacred Deer' during the 61st BFI London Film Festival on October 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for BFI)

Barry Keoghan and Shona Guerin at the Dublin Premiere of the film Dunkirk at the Lighthouse Cinema in Dublin. Pictures Brian McEvoy

Barry Keoghan (R) and girlfriend Shona Guerin attend the Headline Gala Screening & UK Premiere of "Killing of a Sacred Deer" during the 61st BFI London Film Festival on October 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for BFI)

Shona Guerin and Barry Keoghan at the The Killing of a Sacred Deer Irish premiere at The Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin

Barry Keoghan and Shona Guerin attends the "DUNKIRK" New York Premiere on July 18, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

He's currently the toast of Hollywood and has been tipped for the top after appearing in a string of acclaimed movies.

However, actor Barry Keoghan (24) has credited his family and friends for helping to keep him grounded during his dizzying ascent up the showbiz ladder.

He has also had stunning girlfriend Shona Guerin by his side for most of the publicity whirlwind of the past 12 months.

"It is hard to keep your head sometimes. I just make sure I surround myself with good people," he said. "They keep you in check, keep your feet on the ground. You hear a lot of talk of 'you're great' and that can lead you to lose your head a little and distract you. I've stayed friends with the boys I've known since I was 10. My family helped a lot as well."

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The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Dunkirk star has had ever-supportive girlfriend Shona at his side.

She has accompanied him to a lot of the red-carpet premieres and events both here and Stateside.

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He first met the Killarney native on a night out in the Kingdom earlier this year. The pair have been inseparable ever since.

"It's all new to me and it's new to her too and we're experiencing it together," Barry said. "In the space of only two weeks she met Harry Styles, Nicole Kidman and Tom Hardy and it's overwhelming for her.

Expand Close Barry Keoghan (R) and girlfriend Shona Guerin attend the Headline Gala Screening & UK Premiere of "Killing of a Sacred Deer" during the 61st BFI London Film Festival on October 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for BFI) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Barry Keoghan (R) and girlfriend Shona Guerin attend the Headline Gala Screening & UK Premiere of "Killing of a Sacred Deer" during the 61st BFI London Film Festival on October 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for BFI)

"For someone to be brought into all that, it's nice to do it together.

"To be honest, I still get awestruck when I meet my heroes and the people I admire. I think that's only natural."

Expand Close Barry Keoghan (R) and girlfriend Shona Guerin attend the Headline Gala Screening & UK Premiere of 'Killing of a Sacred Deer' during the 61st BFI London Film Festival on October 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for BFI) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Barry Keoghan (R) and girlfriend Shona Guerin attend the Headline Gala Screening & UK Premiere of 'Killing of a Sacred Deer' during the 61st BFI London Film Festival on October 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for BFI)

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Barry plans to enjoy a nice Christmas at home in his native north inner city home. Then he'll be jetting off again to the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Utah at the end of January.

There he will see the world premiere screening of his new movie, American Animals, which tells the story of four young men who attempt to pull off one of the most audacious robberies in US history.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Barry Keoghan and Shona Guerin attends the "DUNKIRK" New York Premiere on July 18, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) Barry Keoghan and Shona Guerin at the Dublin Premiere of the film Dunkirk at the Lighthouse Cinema in Dublin. Pictures Brian McEvoy / Facebook

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The former Love/Hate star took time out from his schedule yesterday to help unveil the new Luxe screens at Odeon Blanchardstown.

The screens are the first of their kind of the country.
The United States and South Korea went ahead with large-scale joint aerial drills yesterday, a move North Korea had said would push the Korean peninsula to "the brink of nuclear war", and ignoring calls from Russia and China to call them off.

The drills come a week after North Korea said it had tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States as part of a weapons programme that it has conducted in defiance of international sanctions and condemnation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was "regrettable" that all parties had not "grasped the window of opportunity" presented by two months of relative calm before the North's most recent test.

China and Russia had proposed that the United States and South Korea stop major military exercises in exchange for North Korea halting its weapons programmes.

Beijing formally calls the idea the "dual suspension" proposal.

The annual US-South Korean drill, called Vigilant Ace, will run until Friday, with six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to be deployed among the more than 230 aircraft taking part.

North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country called US President Donald Trump "insane" on Sunday and said the drills would "push the already acute situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war".

F-35 fighters will also join the drills, which will include the largest number of fifth generation fighters ever to have taken part, according to a South Korea-based US Air Force spokesman.

Around 12,000 US service members, including from the marines and navy, will join South Korean troops. Aircraft taking part will be flown from eight US and South Korean military installations.

South Korean media reports said B-1B Lancer bombers could join the exercise this week. The US Air Force spokesman could not confirm the reports.

Mr Trump said last week that additional major sanctions would be imposed on North Korea after Pyongyang's missile test.

Earlier last month, Mr Trump put North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that allows the US to impose more sanctions.

Provocative

Russia has accused the United States of trying to provoke North Korean leader Kim Jong-un into "flying off the handle" over his missile programme to hand Washington a pretext to destroy his country.

Speaking at a news briefing in Beijing, Mr Wang said China consistently opposed any behaviour that elevated tensions.

"Measures that don't abide by or are outside the UN Security Council resolutions lack basis in international law and damage the rights of United Nations members," he said when asked about the prospect of further US sanctions against North Korea.

China's Air Force said yesterday that its surveillance aircraft had in recent days conducted drills in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea to "improve combat-readiness and safeguard the country's strategic interests".

Meanwhile, three commercial airline crews reported seeing the intercontinental ballistic missile fired by North Korea last week, it was revealed yesterday.

Two Korean Air pilots and staff on a Cathay Pacific flight all reported seeing a flash of light on November 29, the day of the missile launch. They are believed to have seen the missile blowing up or falling apart. It remains unclear how close the explosion was to the flights.

However, it has raised concerns about whether airlines should consider changing routes to better protect customers, given escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Senior US political figures have warned that time is running out to solve the impasse and suggested evacuating the wives and children of US soldiers in South Korea.
Pupils had to ask staff for toilet roll each time they needed to visit the lavatory, school inspectors found.

An Ofsted team also discovered that it was "common practice" at Park Avenue Girls' School in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, not to provide soap for hand-washing "or suitable drinking water".

The Muslim independent school was rated inadequate in a formal report which also found pupil safeguarding to be "ineffective" and education outcomes below standard.

Following a visit carried out in October, Ofsted found that: "At the time of the inspection, it was not the school's common practice to provide soap for pupils' hand-washing, toilet roll in the toilets or suitable drinking water.

"Toilet paper is available from the school office when pupils request it.

"Pupils told inspectors that they sometimes avoided using toilets for the whole school day because of this."

The report continued: "During the inspection, leaders began to put toilet roll into the toilets, provide soap and suitable drinking water."

Too many pupils, of whom there are 34 on the roll, "attain below their capabilities", particularly the most able.

The school had developed systems to be able to monitor pupils' development and progress, but these were "not yet having a strong impact".

Inspectors, who published their report at the end of November, also "found published sectarian material in a storeroom behind the school office".

The headteacher, who was unaware of the literature, "confirmed that he planned to destroy the material".

Ofsted "did not find any evidence that this sectarian material had influenced teaching or learning in school".

The report also found that pupils were "well-prepared for life in modern Britain" and the school did "promote fundamental British values in their lessons".

It added: "Pupils study a range of world religions. Inspectors observed them discussing these in detail, with sensitivity, understanding and respect, thereby acquiring an effective understanding of why different people's faiths are important to them."
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was detained at an apartment in Kiev on Tuesday, dragged out by masked officers while his supporters protested on the street and tried to stop the police van from leaving.

It is the latest twist in a prolonged feud between the Kiev authorities and Saakashvili, who was drafted in to become a regional governor after the 2014 Maidan protests but quickly fell out with his one time ally President Petro Poroshenko.

More to follow...
A hunter has died after being attacked by the wild boar he was trying to shoot, police in Germany said.

The man, 50, was on a boar hunt with a dozen others near the north-eastern town of Greifswald on Sunday when he was attacked by the male boar.

Witnesses said that he fired off a shot and then moved into some reeds, where he apparently encountered the pig.

Police said the man suffered serious injuries to his left thigh and fell into nearby water. He died in hospital and has not been identified.

Police said the boar's whereabouts were unknown, and it was not clear if the animal was injured.

About 500,000 wild boars are killed each year in Germany. Experts say that is not enough to stop the population from growing.
Three men were charged in Malta on Tuesday with murder over a car bomb blast that killed anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, according to a statement read out in court.

Caruana Galizia died instantly when her car was blown up as she drove out of her home on October 16, a killing that shocked Malta and raised concern within the European Union about the rule of law on the tiny Mediterranean island.

Ms Caruana Galizia's reporting focused heavily on corruption on the EU island nation.

Europol, the European Union's police agency, sent a team of organised crime experts to help Maltese police investigate the assassination, joining the FBI and Dutch forensic experts.

Just before her death, Ms Caruana Galizia, 53, had posted on her closely followed blog, Running Commentary, that there were "crooks everywhere" in Malta.

The island nation has a reputation as a tax haven in the European Union and has attracted companies and money from outside Europe as well.
The City watchdog has launched an investigation into Moneybarn, a car loans firm controlled by the troubled subprime lender Provident Financial.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) probe will focus on processes applied to customer affordability assessments for car finance and the treatment of consumers in financial difficulties.

Provident Financial Group aims to act responsibly in all its relationships, and to play a positive role in the communities it serves.

The company will work collaboratively with the FCA to investigate the remaining concerns and resolve any outstanding related issues as soon as practicable, the group said in response to the news.

The FCA granted Moneybarn authorisation to conduct consumer credit activities in 2016, since which the watchdog has encouraged the firm to make a number of improvements, including to the way it deals with future loan terminations.

News of the investigation follows a brutal few months for Provident, which has issued a string of profit warnings, seen its shares tank and has had to announce the death of executive chairman Manjit Wolstenholme.

In October the firm revealed it would book heavy annual losses at its consumer credit business, but claimed that it is making progress with a turnaround plan.

As part of efforts to shore up the business, Provident launched a new home credit model in July with the aim of moving from self-employed door-to-door agents to full-time customer experience managers.

Shares in Provident, which has around 2.5 million customers, have taken a hammering on the London Stock Exchange this year.
Fever-Tree has signalled its intent to conquer the US market by appointing a North American chief executive and setting up a headquarters in the region.

The mixer maker said that the establishment of the office, to be headed up by Charles Gibb, will help it tap the significant opportunity the US premium mixer sector represents.

Mr Gibb, who joined Fever-Tree as global strategy director in August 2017, is a drinks industry veteran.

He has held senior roles at Moet Hennessy, Diageo and Bacardi, while for the past nine years Mr Gibb has served as president and CEO of Belvedere Vodka.

He will hope to replicate the groups success in the UK, where shares have rocketed following a series of profit upgrades.

Fever-Tree, which specialises in selling mixers such as ginger beer and Sicilian lemonade, makes over half its annual revenues from outside the UK, with key overseas markets being the US, Spain, and Belgium.

Chief executive Tim Warrillow said: The North American premium mixer market is still at a relatively early stage but the trend towards spirits premiumisation and the increasing focus on simple long drink mixability is accelerating and represents a significant opportunity for Fever-Tree, as the pioneer of the premium mixers segment.

As part of the move to establish an office in the US, Fever-Tree has given notice to Brands of Britain, its agent in the country.

In the second quarter of 2018 Fever-Tree will directly manage the current distribution network.
Lebanese PM Saad Hariri shocked the nation with his bizarre resignation in a televised broadcast from Saudi Arabia last month (Hussein Malla/AP)

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has revoked his resignation following a consensus deal reached with rival political parties, marking an end to one of the most bizarre interludes in Lebanese politics.

The announcement came at the end of the first cabinet meeting to be held since Lebanon was thrown into a political crisis following Mr Hariri's stunning move a month ago.

Mr Hariri announced his resignation in a November 4 televised broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing the Iranian-backed Hezbollah's meddling in regional affairs as a main reason for stepping down.

The nature of the announcement raised suspicions that it was orchestrated by Saudi Arabia, his main backer.

The move thrust Lebanon to the forefront of the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran and shattered the national unity government that Mr Hariri headed.

Following French mediation to bring Mr Hariri out of Saudi Arabia to Paris for a brief visit, he returned to Lebanon on November 21 and put the resignation on hold to allow for consultations.

Tuesday's cabinet meeting, attended by Mr Hariri, endorsed a statement that calls on rival Lebanese groups to distance themselves from regional conflicts and the internal affairs of Arab countries.

"The Lebanese government, through all its political components, disassociates itself from any conflicts or wars, as well as the internal affairs of Arab countries to protect Lebanon's political and economic relations with its Arab brothers," Mr Hariri said.

He then said he had rescinded his resignation.

It is not clear what, if anything, the agreement entails.

Mr Hariri has complained about the Shiite militant Hezbollah group's meddling in regional affairs, including the affairs of Gulf countries - a reference to Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is fighting Shiite rebels supported by Iran.

Hezbollah denies having a military role in war-torn Yemen.

Two days before Mr Hariri returned to Lebanon, the group said its fighters are coming back from Iraq now that Islamic State has been defeated there.

Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to shore up president Bashar Assad's forces.

AP
Rigby Group has snapped up Bournemouth Airport from Manchester Airports Group for an undisclosed sum, helping raise its profile in the south.

Bournemouth Airport  which currently offers flights to 22 European locations  serves as a base for Ryanair and TUI, and handled 700,000 passengers in 2016.

Rigby Group said the takeover helps boost its position as a highly credible alternative to the major London Airports.

It adds to a portfolio that already includes Norwich, Exeter and Coventry Airports, alongside contracts to operate Solent, City of Derry and Blackpool airports.

Founder and chairman Sir Peter Rigby said the acquisition was an important landmark in the groups strategy.

Not only does it expand our catchment to include the major regions of South England, but also focuses operations on a core market poorly serviced by the major aviation players.

Rigby says it plans to grow both commercial and passenger activity at Bournemouth Airport by leveraging its own scale, contacts, and expertise to power continued progression  having itself served 1.7 million passengers in the year to March.

Manchester Airports Group chief executive Charlie Cornish assured that the facilities  which Rigby said supports the equivalent of 900 full time jobs  were in good hands.

RCA has a detailed integration plan in place to ensure a seamless transition of ownership and operations at Bournemouth which will maintain business as usual for passengers and customers, he said.

We wish the new owners every success and are confident that the airport will continue to flourish as we continue to focus on improving Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports.

It is the latest UK airport deal to take place this autumn, following the takeover of Leeds Bradford Airport by Australian investment management firm AMP Capital in October.
King Michael reigned until communists forced him to abdicate in 1947 (Octav Ganea/AP)

King Michael I, Romania's former monarch who was forced to abdicate by the communists in the aftermath of the Second World War, has died aged 96.

Michael, who played a pivotal role in Romania's switch to the Allied cause following a coup in 1944, spent decades in exile working as a chicken farmer and aircraft pilot.

He finally got his citizenship back in 1997, eight years after the collapse of communism.

Michael's death leaves only two people alive who headed their nations during the war - former King Simeon II of Bulgaria, and the Dalai Lama of Tibet, both of whom were children at the time.

In a statement, the Romanian royal house said Michael died in his residence in Aubonne, Switzerland.

Michael had been suffering from leukaemia and another type of cancer and last year withdrew from public life, handing over his responsibilities to his oldest daughter.

President Klaus Iohannis declared "days of mourning", saying Michael "wrote the history of Romania".

Michael, a great-great-grandson to Britain's Queen Victoria, acceded to the throne in 1927 when he was six years old after his father Carol II eloped with his mistress and abdicated.

After three years Carol returned to the throne and stayed there until abdicating again in 1940 and Michael became king for a second time.

Michael reigned for seven years until he was forced to abdicate.

Michael's reign is best-remembered for his coup on August 23 1944, against pro-Nazi leader Marshal Ion Antonescu, which took Romania into the war on the side of the Allies.

For this, he was awarded Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit by US President Harry S Truman and was decorated with the Soviet Order of Victory by Joseph Stalin.

Romania's switch gave the Soviets the opportunity to advance into the country.

After the war, Michael was little more than a figurehead as the Soviets installed a communist-led government and Romania became part of the Warsaw Pact.

Many thought that he would remain in exile in London after his arrival for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to his cousin Prince Philip of Greece in November 1947.

However, he was summoned to the Elisabeth Palace in Bucharest and told to sign a pre-typed abdication or else 1,000 soldiers would be executed.

The communist government abolished the monarchy on the day of his abdication.

Romania's was the last monarchy in the Warsaw Pact countries to fall.

Michael was then stripped of his citizenship.

After his abdication, Michael settled with his wife and five daughters in Switzerland and later Britain, where he worked as a test pilot and chicken farmer.

On December 25 1990, a year after the revolution that overthrew the Communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, Michael and several other members of the royal family entered Romania for the first time in 43 years.

Using a Danish diplomatic passport, Michael was able to obtain a 24-hour visa.

He intended to reach Curtea de Arges Cathedral, pray at the tombs of his royal ancestors and attend the Christmas religious service.

However, Michael and his companions were stopped by tanks, taken to the airport and forced to leave the country.

In 1992, however, the government allowed Michael to return to Romania for Easter celebrations, where more than a million people turned out to see him.

His popularity alarmed President Ion Iliescu, and Michael was forbidden to visit Romania again for five years.

A year after Mr Iliescu's defeat to President Emil Constantinescu in 1996, the Romanian government restored Michael's citizenship, allowing him back into the country.

Savarsin Castle in western Romania was returned to him, while the Elisabeth Palace in Bucharest was made his residence.

Though Romania remains a republic, the royal house looks after the family's properties and bestows honours.

Michael's relations with the country's leaders following his return were often uneasy.

In 2010, President Traian Basescu accused Michael of being a traitor for abdicating and signing an armistice with the Soviets.

On his 90th birthday in 2011, Michael addressed parliament for the first time in 65 years and attacked the country's post-communist leaders.

"Tomorrow's world cannot exist without morals, without faith and memory. Cynicism, narrow interests and cowardice mustn't occupy our lives. They remind us too much of the years before 1989," he said while sitting on a throne-like chair.

Romanians associate their royal family, particularly Michael, with elegance and dignity, in sharp contrast to their views of the political class.

Born on October 25 1921, Michael married Anne of Bourbon-Parme in 1948. She died in August 2016.

They are survived by five daughters, the eldest of whom, Princess Margareta, will succeed him as head of the royal family.

As great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, Michael was also related to the Danish, Spanish, Norwegian and Swedish royal families.

AP
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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Supporters wave Catalonia flags during an event of the political platform 'Junts per Catalunya' to mark the official start of the electoral campaign (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A Spanish judge has withdrawn international arrest warrants for ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four members of his former cabinet who have been fighting extradition from Belgium.

A Supreme Court spokesman said that the five could still be arrested if they go back to Spain, however, because they are still being sought for possible crimes related to the independence bid in north-eastern Catalonia.

In a surprise move, Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena said that individual warrants do not apply anymore because the alleged crimes were a group action, according to new evidence.

He also said that the probed politicians have shown their "intention to return to Spain" in order to run for regional elections in Catalonia.

But Mr Puigdemont's Belgian lawyer said that the Catalan separatist leader was not planning to return to Spain immediately.

"For the moment he stays in Belgium," lawyer Paul Bekaert told the VTM network, adding that he assumed the extradition process in Belgium against the five Catalans would be ended now.

The five Catalans are facing rebellion, sedition and embezzlement charges among others for their roles in staging an illegal independence referendum that led to an independence declaration in the region's parliament.

The crimes are punishable in Spain with decades in prison.

Spanish, European and international arrest warrants for the five who fled to Belgium were issued on November 3, after members of Mr Puigdemont's government who remained in Spain were jailed on provisional charges.

The Spanish court spokesman said that the judge's decision applies to both European and international warrants, not to the domestic ones.

Two ex-cabinet members, including former vice president Oriol Junqueras, and two separatist activists remain in custody.

Tuesday's decision seemed to leave up in the air the battle in Brussels over extradition for the five Catalan separatist politicians.

A decision had been announced for December 14, but the Belgian prosecutor's office said it was assessing the new situation.

The Belgian judge could have chosen to rule against the Spanish request or agreed to send the five back as requested, or reduced the number of crimes that Spain could try them for.

That possibility was mentioned by the Supreme Court judge in a nine-page document issued on Tuesday to withdraw the warrants.

Responsibility should be shared among all the defendants, Mr Llarena said in the document, adding that diminished charges would mean a "distortion" for those already facing the probe in Spain.

Mr Puigdemont is leading his party's campaign for the December 21 election called by Spain's government in an attempt to find a democratic fix to the nation's worst institutional crisis in nearly four decades.

Campaigning officially began on Tuesday and early polls are predicting a close race between the parties for and against independence, foreshadowing a scenario of difficult post-electoral deals to end the deadlock.

AP
Palestinians pray near the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's old city (Mahmoud Illean/AP)

Vociferous Arab and Muslim opposition is building to any possible US recognition of contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital, as European leaders expressed concern about harm to fragile Middle East peace efforts.

President Donald Trump informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a phone call on Tuesday that he intends to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a holy city whose Israeli-annexed eastern sector the Palestinians seek as a future capital.

Mr Abbas's office said the Palestinian leader warned Mr Trump of dangerous repercussions for Middle East peace efforts, as well as security and stability in the region and the world.

The statement did not say if Mr Trump gave a timeline for the intended move.

US officials familiar with planning for a possible announcement on Jerusalem said they expect Mr Trump to speak on the matter on Wednesday, although the specifics of what he will say were still being debated.

The officials, along with an outside adviser to the administration, said they expected Mr Trump would make a generic statement about Jerusalem's status as the "capital of Israel".

They said they did not expect the president to use the phrase "undivided capital", which would imply Israeli sovereignty over east Jerusalem, which is not recognised by the United Nations.

They also said Mr Trump planned to sign a waiver delaying for another six months a US legal requirement to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

But they said Mr Trump would probably give wide latitude to David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel, to make a determination on when such a move would be appropriate.

Mr Friedman has spoken in favour of the move.

As discussions continued on Tuesday, pressure from numerous quarters against full-on recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital appeared to have led to the possibility that Mr Trump include comments in his speech that might mitigate the impact of the announcement.

Among the ideas under discussion were Mr Trump giving a nod to Palestinian aspirations to have the capital of an eventual state in east Jerusalem or endorsing the concept of a two-state solution, something he has yet to do. It remained unclear whether any such comments would be included.

Jerusalem is home to the third-holiest shrine of Islam, along with the holiest site in Judaism and major Christian holy sites.

It forms the combustible centre of the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Any perceived harm to Muslim claims to the city has triggered large-scale protests in the past, both in the Holy Land and across the region.

Meanwhile, opposition to any US policy change towards Jerusalem is building in the Arab and Muslim world.

Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the head of the Arab League, urged the United States to reconsider any recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Such a step would be a "dangerous measure that would have repercussions" across the region, he said during a Cairo meeting of Arab League representatives.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told parliament that US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was a "red line" and that his country's response "could go as far as us cutting diplomatic ties with Israel".

Israeli education minister Naftali Bennett played down the threat, saying that "at the end of the day it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogan's sympathy".

Majdi Khaldi, an Abbas diplomatic adviser, said recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital could end Washington's role as mediator between Israelis and Palestinians.

"If the Americans recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, then this would mean they decided, on their own, to distance themselves from efforts to make peace and that they will have no credibility or role in this issue," Mr Khaldi said.

Should recognition occur "we will stop our contacts with them because such a step goes against our existence and against the fate of our cause", Mr Khaldi said.

"It targets Muslims and Christians alike."

Palestinian political factions led by Mr Abbas's Fatah movement called for daily protest marches this week, starting on Wednesday.

Key Washington ally Saudi Arabia also spoke out strongly against such a possible step.

Saudi Arabia, a regional powerhouse, is crucial to any White House plans to promote a possible Middle East peace deal.

Saudi Arabia expressed its "grave and deep concern" about possible recognition.

In a statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the foreign ministry said that the kingdom affirms the rights of Palestinian people regarding Jerusalem, which it said "cannot be changed".

On Monday, the Organisation for Islamic Co-operation, which has 57 member states, said US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital would constitute "naked aggression" against the Muslim and Arab world.

In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron said he reminded Mr Trump in a phone call on Monday night that the fate of Jerusalem should be determined in negotiations on setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Mr Macron said that he expressed concern about any possible unilateral US moves and that he agreed with Mr Trump "to speak again shortly on this subject".

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who was meeting with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson in Brussels, said any actions that undermine Middle East peace efforts "must be absolutely avoided".

East Jerusalem, now home to more than 300,000 Palestinians, was captured by Israel in 1967 and then annexed to its capital, a move most of the international community has not recognised.

Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as a future capital.

Israel's current government, unlike its predecessors, rejects the idea of partition of the city.

Under international consensus and long-standing US policy, the fate of the city is to be determined in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Trump recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital would upend Washington's traditional approach to the conflict.

It was not immediately clear what Mr Trump could hope to gain from such a step, while downsides include alienating crucial Arab allies, from Saudi Arabia to Jordan.

AP
Bengaluru, Dec 5 (IBNS) The Mayor of Bengaluru, Sampath Raj, and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Tuesday announced that London and Bengaluru will lead a global partnership of up to 20 other world cities on tackling air pollution in urban centres.

The C40 Air Quality Network, will allow city leaders, from India and around the world, to share ideas, nurture innovation and drive ambition in the global effort to improve the quality of the air in cities.

C40s new Air Quality Network will be co-chaired by the Mayor of London and the Mayor of Bengaluru, working with up to 20 other global cities to develop solutions to the international air pollution crisis. Bangalore will host a workshop for global cities to share best practice in tackling air quality in 2018

Six Indian cities, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata & Mumbai, are members of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, an alliance of more than 90 of the worlds greatest cities committed to urgent action on climate change and air pollution. As C40 members these Indian cities will have direct access to the learnings from the Air Quality Network, in addition to specific air quality content in other C40 networks, including those on transport, buildings and energy, and waste.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said: Air pollution is a global problem that harms the lives of millions of people. Only by working together will we help beat this international health crisis and protect people from breathing in air so filthy it damages their lungs and causes diseases. Im proud today to announce London and Bengaluru will be leading a new air quality partnership.

"We hope to work with key cities across the world and in India, including with our good friends here in Delhi.

Im doing everything in my power to clean up Londons lethal air from introducing the worlds first toxicity charge for more polluting cars and bringing forward the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, to cleaning up our bus and taxi fleet. Im pleased my ambitious work will soon be boosted by new state-of-the-art air quality sensor monitoring technology that will help deliver the most comprehensive data on toxic pollution ever.

Air pollution is responsible for 6.5 million premature deaths globally every year according to the WHO. There were nearly 1.1 million early deaths in India in 2015 due to air pollution. This is a global crisis, with 80% of urban dwellers breathing air that does not meet WHO health standards.

Mayor of Bengaluru, Sampath Raj, said: The City of Bengaluru is symbolic of the pace of urbanization we are seeing in India and in the global south. The citys population has grown from 3.5 million in 1985 to nearly 11 million today. While this rapid growth has made the City of Bengaluru the driver of economic growth in the region, creating millions of jobs and market opportunities, the city has also experienced deteriorating air quality as a result of increased traffic congestion, and construction works."

"As the Mayor of the City of Bengaluru I am keeping a close eye on quality of life in the city and air quality is one such indicator that directly impacts the health and well-being of our citizens," he said.

"C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group has been working with and helping Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) over several years now in exposing us to sustainable urban development best practices. We are extremely excited to be co-leading C40s new Air Quality Network along with London. Together with Londons Mayor Sadiq Khan, I look forward to bringing together mayors from cities around the world and sharing our lessons learned, to tackle the urgent need to address air quality in our cities.

Mark Watts, Executive Director, C40, said: The toxic emissions that cause air pollution are also contributing to climate change that threatens to cause devastation to the worlds cities."

Mayors recognise how urgently they need to act to clean the air we breathe in our cities, and Im delighted that Bangalore and London are bringing cities together to accelerate action. The C40 Air Quality Network will help transform the way that air pollution is tackled in cities across India and around the globe.
He was delivering the 2nd Convocational address of Swami Rama Himalayan University, in Dehradun, Uttarakhand today.

The Governor of Uttarakhand, Krishan Kant Paul, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Trivender Singh Rawat, the Minister of State for Higher Education, Uttarakhand, Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat, the Vice Chancellor of Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dr. Vijay Dashmana and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.



The Vice President quoted Swami Rama as saying, If I cannot serve the God within you, then going to temples, churches and masjids is all hypocrisy.

He further said that this conviction led Swami Rama to create Love, Serve, Remember as the motto of University, inspiring students, faculty and staff to serve their fellow beings selflessly and lovingly.

The Vice President said that Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) is developing integrated and cost effective approaches to health care that address not only the needs of the local population but can serve as a model for the country as a whole.

He further said that HIMS is providing multi-super specialty and tertiary care services to the rural masses of Uttarakhand and adjoining states.

Its heartening to note that over 9,000 children with cleft lips and palates have been provided free plastic surgery under the Smile Train Project, he added.



The Vice President said that the Cancer Research Institute of the University is addressing all aspects of cancer control and is well equipped to become the premier cancer centre in the region and a nodal point for referral of cancer patients.

He further said that Nurses play a vital role in the care and treatment of patients and pleased to hear that the Himalayan College of Nursing is providing diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programs in nursing.

The Vice President reminded the graduates that personal skills like effective communication, self-management, innovation, emotional intelligence, self-awareness - will empower them to anchor onto the right purposes in life.

He further said that Government of India has ambitious plans to transform India into a competitive, high-growth, high productive middle income country by diversifying its economy from being largely agro-based to a manufacturing and service-based economy.

He advised them not to be mere job-seekers but try to become job creators.

Be creative, innovative, unconventional and try to explore unchartered territories and dedication, passion, commitment, hard work, discipline and perseverance will make realize their dreams and achieve their goals, he added.

Following is the text of Vice Presidents address:



I am delighted to be here for the second convocation of Swami Ram Himalayan University (SRHU). Set amidst these serene surroundings, the campus with its clean and green ambience has created the right setting for imparting professional and higher education.

Though SRHU, a State University, is only 4 years old, the sponsoring Society, Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT), has been rendering invaluable service to the residents of Uttarakhand and the nation over the last 28 years, having been established by Shri Swami Ram, a great humanitarian, philosopher, teacher, author and yogi par excellence. I was told that this place was a barren land 28 years ago and today it has bloomed into a beautiful township. This is all due to the grace and blessings of this great visionary.



Shri Swami Ram used to say If I cannot serve the God within you, then going to temples, churches and masjids is all hypocrisy. This conviction led him to create Love, Serve, Remember as the motto of HIHT, inspiring students, faculty and staff to serve their fellow beings selflessly and lovingly, remembering that the same Divinity dwells in all. I feel privileged and honoured to visit this temple of education, compassion and love, established by this great saint.

Today, inspired by the lofty ideals of Swami Ram, the Swami Ram Himalayan University is providing quality higher education with graduate, postgraduate and Ph. D programmes in Medicine, Nursing, Paramedical Sciences, Biosciences, Engineering, Management, Economics and Commerce.



I am happy to hear that the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) is developing integrated and cost effective approaches to health care that address not only the needs of the local population but can serve as a model for the country as a whole and for underserved populations worldwide.

I am happy to hear that through its 1000-bedded hospital, HIMS is providing multi-super specialty and tertiary care services to the rural masses of Uttarakhand and adjoining states at affordable prices. Its heartening to note that over 9,000 children with cleft lips and palates have been provided free plastic surgery under the Smile Train Project.



It is gratifying to note that the Medical Council of India in 2014 has designated the Department of Medical Education, as a Regional Medical Education Training Centre. I am told that this unit is continuously involved in faculty development programs and in developing innovative teaching and assessment tools.

It is heartening to know that the Cancer Research Institute of the University is addressing all aspects of cancer control such as prevention, early detection and treatment, education, research and community services. CRI is well equipped to become the premier cancer centre in the region and a nodal point for referral of cancer patients from Uttarakhand and neighbouring states. I am also very happy to hear that ICMR has recognized the Cancer Research Institute as a collaborative centre for research purposes.



We often hear that healing and healthcare has ceased to be patient-centric and that patients are needlessly burdened with unnecessary diagnostic tests, procedures, long hospital stays and low quality medications.



My advice to the medical graduates is to transform your medical practice into an ethical practice keeping the welfare and well-being of the patients.

Ancient Indian doctor, Charaka had rightly said Not for self, not for the fulfilment of any earthly desire of gain, but solely for the good of suffering humanity will I practice my art and so excel all. Those who sell the treatment of diseases as merchandise gather the dust and neglect the gold.



Nurses play a vital role in the care and treatment of patients, providing the much-needed compassionate touch. I am pleased to hear that the Himalayan College of Nursing (HCN) is providing diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programs in nursing.

The education imparted at HCN will go a long way to ameliorate the nursing shortage of our country. While nurses face many challenges in the workplace like long working hours and having to perform non-nursing roles, a positive work environment, workload balance, good recruitment and retention policies can help mitigate these challenges.



It is good to note that HCN is dedicated to creating empowered nurses who are encouraged to not only provide patient care, but are also involved in community development, patient advocacy and counselling.

A shared, strong and committed vision of the management students can play a significant and influencing role in shaping the nation and its economy. I am told that in the Himalayan School of Management Studies (HSMS) at SRHU, students are not trained just in the art and science of management but are also imparted ethical values and are encouraged to grow holistically by nurturing a culture of continuous learning, research and innovation. This approach will help develop value-based leaders for a meaningful engagement with business and community. To make students employable and industry ready, it is laudable that industry-academia partnership platforms like conclaves, roundtables and seminars are being held frequently to bridge the gap between the two and to also identify the most effective strategies to develop employees with industry-specific skills.



The hill districts of Uttarakhand have tremendous potential. The vast natural resources add to the States attractiveness as an investment destination, especially for tourism, agriculture and healthcare industry. The skill development courses of HSMS in hotel management will equip the youth with the skills necessary to boost eco-tourism in the State.



I would like to remind the graduates of HSMS that personal skills like effective communication, self-management, innovation, emotional intelligence, self-awareness (knowing ones capabilities and limitations) -- will empower you to anchor onto the right purposes in life, both in business and for philanthropy.



From times immemorial, engineering has played a pervasive role and evolved continuously to meet the needs of human civilization. It is central to the well-being and economic development of every nation. In the context of a developing country like ours, engineering plays a particularly important role in the development of the infrastructure and in eradicating poverty and unemployment. Engineering like many other disciplines has to keep pace with rapidly changing technological advances and I am glad that the curricula is being constantly updated and new courses are being added to meet the emerging challenges. The relatively new fields of Nanotechnology, Logistics, Biotechnology and high-performance computing have opened a vista of opportunities for upcoming engineers.



I am pleased to share with you that the Government of India has ambitious plans to transform India into a competitive, high-growth, high productive middle income country by diversifying its economy from being largely agro-based to a manufacturing and service-based economy. These ambitious plans will result in an increased demand for skilled labour. The Governments recent skill gap analysis concluded that by 2022, over 100 million skilled workers will be needed in the 24 key Sectors of the economy.

Another serious concern which I would like to highlight is the migration of youth from rural to urban areas in search of better livelihood. This trend needs to be reversed by implementing the vision of former President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He formulated the concept of PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) to arrest the migration of people from villages to cities. Here, I would like to appeal to industries, corporate and NGOs to supplement the efforts of the governments in all-round development of villages, which are the basic cultural units of Indian society. The answer to combating migration lies in nurturing entrepreneurship, providing vocational training and encouraging small and medium enterprises.



I am pleased to know that SRHU is doing its part in closing the skill gap through its paramedical degree programs and by collaborating with IL&FS to impart high quality skill training programmes. I am told that SRHU is also working in close collaboration with Industries Association of Uttarakhand (IAU) to promote entrepreneurship skills among students.



As mentioned earlier, basic amenities must be provided in the rural areas and it is heartening to note that the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust is providing healthcare and educational services to 1200 villages. I am told that it has provided safe drinking water to over 325 far-off villages in mountainous regions and has constructed toilets for 14000 rural families, 40 schools and 10 Anganwadi centres.

I was very happy to know that humanities and yoga are an integral part of the curriculum for students and new faculty and that they are exposed to the teachings of Shri Swami Ram through the Science of Joyful Living program of lectures and practicums. Such programs can help them overcome the stresses and strains of modern life and provide them with the know-how to become more creative and dynamic individuals.



My dear young friends, today is a momentous day in your lives. It is an important day because you will be receiving your medals and degree certificates. But remember that it is not the end of your learning. In fact, life is a continuous learning process and as you step out of the portals of this institution and face new challenges, every moment will make you learn new things. Formal education will enable you to find employment, but the real challenge will be when your life-skills are tested. You should face life with equanimitybe it disappointments or most ecstatic moments-you must face them with complete composure. Dare to dream big and work hard to realize your dreams. Let not a few disappointing incidents deflect you from your path.



Apart from moulding the character of the students, todays education must make them multi-skilled and prepare them to face the challenges of tomorrow in a technologically-changing world. The emphasis must be on a holistic development of an individual.



Friends, today India is the fastest growing large economy and you have abundant opportunities. My advice to all of you is not to be mere job-seekers but try to become job creators. Be creative, innovative, unconventional and try to explore unchartered territories. Dont be afraid of setbacks. Dedication, passion, commitment, hard work, discipline and perseverance will make realize your dreams and achieve your goals.



India is placed in a uniquely advantageous position demographically as about 65 per cent of the population is below the age of 35 years. This demographic potential has to be fully harnessed to further spur the economic growth and develop the New India into one of the leading economic powers in the world.



Dear students, you are the future of our nation and are ideally equipped to serve our nation with the professional education you have received at Swami Ram Himalayan University. We need dedicated doctors, nurses, managers and engineers to weed out corruption in our country and make India a developed nation.

My advice to you as you step out into an exciting world of infinite possibilities is to be active and agile, responsible and responsive, receptive and positive.



My dear students, keep learning even after you leave the University so that you are constantly updated and you are the front runner and pace setter in your field. Keep the welfare of humanity as the ultimate test of how you use the knowledge and skills you acquire.



Once again, my sincere congratulations and best wishes!



May God bless you all!



JAI HIND!
Mumbai, Dec 5 (IBNS): Parents of LGBTQ children in Mumbai have come together to form a support group that aims to offer support to other parents

The second meeting of the Parents Support Group was held recently in Mumbai with even greater participation of parents of LGBTQ children. The day long meeting was attended by 13 mothers and fathers who discussed amongst themselves about taking ahead the support group in an organized manner.

They have named their group Sweekar: The Rainbow Parents and hope to become a nodal point for networking, advocacy and outreach for parents of LGBTQ children.

Starting with sharing of personal stories of how they came to know about their childs sexuality and how they made the journey of acceptance, the parents then discussed ways to involve more parents, and also planned future activities of the group. The conversations were held in Marathi, Hindi and English.

The meeting was facilitated by Solaris Pictures, as part of its outreach activities for the upcoming feature film Evening Shadows (Surmaee Shaam) directed by Sridhar Rangayan.

Chitra Palekar, mother of a lesbian daughter, said, Sweekar: The Rainbow Parents is a group formed by the parents of the LGBTQ children with the aim of supporting each other to accept ones child fully and be happy as a family."

"The members of this group met to share their own acceptance stories; to freely express their concerns in the safe and confidential space; exchange information about related issues and empower each other through solidarity. We hope more and more LGBTQ parents will join the group and through acceptance of their own children, transform the perceptions of the society.

Padma Iyer, mother of equal rights activist Harish Iyer, said: This meeting was an eye opener for me. We heard some soulful touching stories about the parents. The fact that we were just parents meeting parents helped us open up. There were facilitators who helped with their expertise in furthering and shaping the conversation but this is precisely a parents driven initiative."

Aruna Desai, mother of a gay son who has also contributed to the film Evening Shadows and is one of the co-producers, said: "Being a member of a parents group has made a difference in many ways but the obvious is being able to meet others like me. It is a place where we feel completely accepted and do not have to defend. We can discuss all kind of problems of parents as well as children go through and have combine solution for it."

First time attending the meeting, Arundhati Sanyal, another mother who is proud of her gay son, said, The group discussed the difficulties faced by their LGBTQ children and were trying to find solutions for the same. In doing so they are trying to protect the human rights of their LGBTQ children.

Echoing the sentiments, Pradeep Divgikar, father of Sushant Divgikar, said, The frank and free discussions led to sharing and caring, which are so integral to the ethos of this Group. The day long meeting cum workshop witnessed a greater degree of camaraderie between the parents who vouched to provide unflinching support and commitment to children from the LGBTQ community and parents who are struggling to come to terms with their sexuality and consequent acceptance, fearing societal stigma and ostracism.

It was decided to have a more focused and structured approach as a Group to become more effective and relevant, he added.

Sridhar Rangayan, who was one of the facilitators of the meeting along with Saagar Gupta, creative director at Solaris Pictures, said: "It was heartening to see a greater participation this time by parents who are making this group happen. I know how much courage and emotional strength each of them need to be out there, supporting their children."

"It was really touching to hear each one of them, and we hope the Sweekar banner will fly high and encompass more parents to give them strength and solace, he said.

Solaris Pictures has offered 10% of the money they raised through crowdfunding for the film Evening Shadows (Surmaee Shaam) which is a feature film about a mother-son bond that has to withstand the ravages of harsh truths. The film stars Mona Ambegaonkar, Ananth Mahadevan, Devansh Doshi, Arpit Chaudhary and others.

The first meeting of the parents support group was held earlier this year in February and had 10 parents participating.

Trailer of film Evening Shadows (Surmaee Shaam):
New Delhi, Nov 5 (IBNS): With Cyclone Ockhi expected to make a landfall over Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his party members to offer assistance to people in the affected areas, according to media reports on Tuesday.

"With #CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens," the PM tweeted.

With #CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

In another tweet he said, "Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected."

In a tweet on Tuesday afternoon, Skymet Weather said, "Severe #CycloneOckhi has now weakened into a #Cyclone and is currently over East-Central Arabian Sea about 390 km SSW of #Surat and 230 km WSW of #Mumbai."

Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

Cyclone Ockhi is expected to make landfall near Surat and the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat as a deep depression early on Wednesday, media reports said quoting the Met Office.

The Met office also said that Gujarat is very likely to experience a wet spell during the next four days.

"Heavy rainfall might occur in Valsad, Surat, Navsari, Bharuch, Dang, Tapi, Amreli, Gir-Sonath and Bhavnagar districts on December 5," it said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held an urgent meeting with senior officials to take stock of the preparedness, media reported.

High alert has been issued in Gujarat and Maharashtra in view of Cyclone Ockhi . Sea conditions to remain rough to very rough along and off north Maharashtra and South Gujarat coasts till Wednesday, media reported.

Ockhi, named by Bangladesh under the the tropical cyclone naming system initiated by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in 2000, battered parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep islands and claimed over 20 lives in the southern states.

Owing to the expected landfall in Gujarat, election rallies to be addressed by BJP chief Amit Shah and others near the Saurashtra coast in Rajula, Mahuva and Sihor have also been cancelled, reported NDTV.

Meanwhile, as the storm hit Maharashtra,the state government has declared precautionary holiday for schools and colleges in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Sindhudurga, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts.



Image: AIRNews/Twitter
New Delhi, Dec 5 (IBNS): Assets over rupees 20 crore of NCP leader and former Deputy CM of Maharashtra Chhagan Bhujbal and others have been attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), according to media reports on Tuesday.

ED is probing into alleged money laundering cases instituted against Bhujbal and others.

The assets were provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), media reported.

Nearly Rs 178 crore as been attached under this case, media quoting ED said.

In September last, a special Anti-Corruption Bureau court had allowed ED to transfer two cases against Bhujbal to the PMLA court, according to media reports.

In 2015, two 'Enforcement Case Information Reports' were filed under the PMLA by ED against Bhujbal, allegedly for illegal transactions of nearly Rs 900 crore, pertaining to the Maharashtra Sadan scam and Kalina land allotment case, and a housing project in Navi Mumbai.
New Delhi, Dec 5 (IBNS) : The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred the final hearinng in the long-pending Ayodhya-Ram Janambhoomi case till Febuary 8, 2018 after a specially constituted bench sat a day before the 25th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, reports said.

A three-judge Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer will hear the case.

The dispute was triggered after the 16th Century mosque  Babri Masjid  was demolished by thousands of activists associated with right wing groups on December 6, 1992.

The specially constituted Supreme Court bench will hear a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court in four civil suits.

The High court, in 2010, had decided that the disputed land of 2.77 acre will be divided in three-way among the parties  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara, and the Lord Ram Lalla. The court ordered each party a third of the land at the site. After that the stakeholders in the case had moved the apex court.

Calling the verdict "strange, the Supreme Court, in May 2011, stayed the operation of the order. It observed that the decree of partition was not sought by the parties not prayed by anyone.

Recently a group of civil rights activists also moved the apex court seeking intervention in the Ayodhya dispute and urged it to consider the issue saying it is not just a dispute over property but has several other aspects which would have far-reaching effects on the secular fabric of the country.



Key words : SupremeCourt,FinalHearing,AyodhyaCase,RamJanamBhoomi,BabriMasjid

after the Allahabad High Court directed the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla to settle for a three-way division of the 2.77-acre disputed site.


New Delhi, Dec 5 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and newly elected mayors from the state.



Modi wished the newly elected mayors for their new roles.

He also shared image of his meeting with the mayors and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

Modi tweeted: "Had a wonderful interaction with the newly elected Mayors of UP belonging to the BJP. Congratulated them and wished them the very best as they begin their responsibilities towards contributing to UPs and Indias development journey. @BJP4UP."

BJP scripted a major victory in the recently concluded civic polls in the state.

Image: Narendra Modi Twitter page
New Delhi/Mumbai, Dec 5 (IBNS): Two opposition Chief Ministers came out to support BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who was detained after he joined a farmers protest in Maharashtra, on Monday.

Since his detention, Sinha has been sitting on a dharna, media reports said.

Accusing the Maharashtra government of apathy towards farmers of the Vidarbha region, Sinha told media that he is not going to end the protest till all the demands of the farmers are met.

Sinha told The Indian Express, I am determined to stay here till all demands are met. The excuse about NAFED purchase is not valid as BJP-ruled states like MP and Gujarat have been procuring the produce through their own procurement systems. Why cant the Maharashtra government then do it?

Maharashtra is ruled by Sinha's BJP.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee have come out in support of Sinha.

Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi CM, tweeted: "Why has Sh Yashwant Sinhaji been arrested? Insane. He shud be released immediately."

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said :"I am concerned about @YashwantSinha Ji former Union Finance Minister in jail. I am sending our MP Dinesh Trivedi to meet him. @YashwantSinha is fighting for the cause of farmers. He has our full support."

I am concerned about @YashwantSinha Ji former Union Finance Minister in jail. I am sending our MP Dinesh Trivedi to meet him. @YashwantSinha is fighting for the cause of farmers. He has our full support  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 5, 2017

Several cotton and soyabean farmers are demanding compensation for damage to crops by pests from the state government. Sinha is leading their protest.


New Delhi, Dec 5 (IBNS): Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh expressed happiness about his participation in 5th Regional Coordination meeting of ICARDAs South Asia & China Regional Program on Strategic Partnership towards enhancing Food and Nutritional Security in South Asia & China.

The representatives from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Egypt, India, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sudan participated in this meeting where South-South cooperation in agricultural research for development was discussed. It is being organised at NASC Complex, Pusa in New Delhi.

Singh said that this forum presents an invaluable opportunity for Member Countries to once again reaffirm their commitment towards ensuring food and nutritional security through alleviation of poverty and hunger, in the region, as well as globally.

"Indias strengths in agriculture are many and diverse. We boast of one of the strongest national agricultural research systems in the world. Geographically, we have the second-largest arable area, and as many as 127 diverse agro-climatic zones, thereby giving India global leadership in several crops. We are second globally, in terms of production of rice, wheat, fish, fruits and vegetables. India is also the worlds biggest milk producer. Even our horticulture sector has shown an average growth of 5.5% annually over the last decade," he said.

"Despite all this, challenges persist in Indian agriculture. Farmers are our primary stakeholders, and keeping this in mind, we have launched many new initiatives to increase our farm yield and double our farmers income by raising their socio-economic status," he added.

The Union Agriculture Minister said that India has taken up the initiative for the establishment of 150 Seed Hubs for pulses, ensuring timely availability of sufficient quantity of quality seeds.

"The establishment of seed hubs for other crops is also being undertaken," he said.

Singh said that Indian approach to partnership with African nations in agriculture is driven by the aim of South-South Cooperation through research for development, capacity building, access to Indian market, and support to Indian investments in agriculture in Africa. ICARDA has considerable experience of working closely with most African countries to deliver science-led technologies for the benefit of farmers, and can act as a catalyst in this endeavor under an India-Africa-ICARDA initiative.

Singh also said that some coordinating centres like the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) are being implemented to ensure food and nutritional security in the country. India envisages ICARDAs Food Legume Research Platform (FLRP) under this domain as well. India and ICARDA have had a long-standing collaboration in the field of agricultural research and development, which has only strengthened significantly over the years.

The Union Agriculture Minister said that at present ICARDA collaborates with 8 ICAR institutions and 15 State Agricultural Universities, and has introduced several thousand landraces, wild species and newly developed breeding lines to India of the its mandated crops, and shared with its partners.

Singh further informed that India remains one of the biggest global importers of ICARDA germplasm for research.

Singh said this year, India-ICARDA collaboration peaked another level when the Union Cabinet of India, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved granting an international status under the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947, to ICARDA in India, and supported the establishment of Satellite Hubs in West Bengal (exclusively for pulses) and Rajasthan (for NRM research on forages including spineless cactus, management of rangelands and silvi-pasture, developing models for improving crop-water productivity and conservation agriculture).
New Delhi, Dec 5 (IBNS): President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday addressed the 83rd Convocation of the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Agra.

Addressing the students, the President said the University had an illustrious history going back nearly nine decades and had produced Presidents, Prime Ministers and stalwarts in many walks of life.

He urged the students to see the convocation not as the end of a journey but the commencement of a new phase of responsibility and learning.

He also said that many people had contributed to their education  their parents, teachers, family members, and others in government and society.

"These people had contributed to giving the graduating students an opportunity that millions in our country are unable to get. Therefore, it was the duty of the graduating students to pay back society in some way, and work for the cause of humanity," said he.

The President noted that the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University has adopted a primary school, taken responsibility for education of underprivileged children in a model school, run cornea transplant programmes and organised blood donation camps.

He appreciated such efforts and said they were commendable. Such efforts made students sensitive and responsible towards society.

The President expressed confidence that the University would continue to play a meaningful role in preparing our younger generation for the challenges of the 21st century.




Patna, Dec 5 (TheBiharPost/IBNS): A little Dalit girl in Bihar was allegedly raped just after she objected to stealing of radishes from her field, according to a report in the local media.

The horrible incident took place at Machiaon village in Kaimur, a south-western district, on Sunday.

As per the report, the seven-year-old girl had gone to her field on Sunday to inspect radish plantation when she found a man stealing radishes which she objected.

In a fit of rage the accused Lalu Sharma dragged her in the nearby bushes and raped her, according to a report in the Hindustan Times.

The police have arrested the accused and announced to speedily try the case. As per the report, the victim is enrolled in class two.

Earlier in October this year, a 14-year-old Dalit girl was raped by two youths in Saran districts of Bihar while she was going to meet natures call.

Again in August this year, two Dalit girls were kidnapped and allegedly gang-raped for four days by five persons in Kaimur district.

The victims were kidnapped when they had gone to the nearby forest to collect firewood.

http://thebiharpost.com
New Delhi, Dec 5 (IBNS): J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, on Tuesday spoke to Shankar bhai Chaudhary and Dr C Vijayabaskar, Health Ministers of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu respectively and assured them all the support from the Centre for combating the ongoing cyclone Ockhi.

Nadda stated that the Centre will provide full cooperation and assistance to the Cyclone affected states in its efforts to provide relief in cyclone affected areas.

He stated that the Health Ministry is geared up with all the necessary resources and a team of doctors has been put on standby for the cyclone affected areas to extend all necessary support to strengthen their efforts towards disaster management in the States.

The Union Health Minister stated that the Centre is ready to extend all assistance to the State in terms of preventive and relief measures for managing the situation.

Nadda further said that the Health Ministry will provide all help to the government of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu in dealing with the situation and has directed the officials in the ministry to stay in touch with the states health departments for any assistance.

Cyclone Ockhi is expected to make landfall near Surat and the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat as a deep depression early on Wednesday, media reports said quoting the Met Office.

The Met office also said that Gujarat is very likely to experience a wet spell during the next four days.

Meanwhile, media reports stated that about 5000 people have been shifted in Gujarat as the state itself to combat the cyclone.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his party members to offer assistance to people in the affected areas, according to media reports on Tuesday.

"With #CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens," the PM tweeted.

In another tweet he said, "Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected."

High alert has been issued in Gujarat and Maharashtra in view of Cyclone Ockhi . Sea conditions to remain rough to very rough along and off north Maharashtra and South Gujarat coasts till Wednesday, media reported.

Ockhi, named by Bangladesh under the the tropical cyclone naming system initiated by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in 2000, battered parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep islands and claimed over 20 lives in the southern states.
Mumbai, Dec 5 (IBNS) : Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor, who died in Mumbai on Monday, was cremated with state honour on Tuesday as a huge multitude, including his family and the film fraternity,bid him adieu.

The last rites of the actor was performed at noon the Santacruz Hindu crematorium where a three gun salute was given to him.

Earlier, the actor-producer's body was taken to the crematorium from his Juhu home in an ambulance.

His three children -- sons Kunal and Karan and daughter Sanjna -- were there as were other members of the Kapoor family.

About a dozen policemen draped the actor's body in tricolour. Then a minute's silence was observed.

Shashi Kapoor, who had worked in more than 100 films, was 79. He had been battling a kidney ailment.

Kapoor was a three-time winner at Indias National Film Awards.

He was the youngest brother of legendary Raj Kapoor and son of Prithviraj Kapoor, one of the leading figures in in the modern school of acting in India.

His wife, English actress Jennifer Kendal, predeceased him in 1984.
With winter season witnessing a strong demand for air travel, the airline is offering discount of up to 30 percent to guests enabling them to enjoy substantial savings.



Guests can choose their favourites from amongst winter hotspots such as Amsterdam, London, Paris in the West to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore in the East. Closer home, guests can travel via Jet Airways direct flights to 11 destinations in the Gulf including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh, Sharjah, besides Colombo, Kathmandu and Dhaka next door.

Jet Airways will be offering the discounted fares on the prevailing lowest base fare. With the sale applicable for travel in Premiere and Economy, enhanced savings on global travel will allow guests to experience Jet Airways famed in-flight service and hallmark hospitality that are its true value propositions.



The seven-day fare sale  from December 05 to 11, 2017, will be valid for international travel commencing from January 15, 2018 onwards. Valid for travel on Jet Airways direct flights on its international network, the special fares are offered on a first-come-first serve basis. However, guests will have the flexibility to alter their travel plans at an additional charge.



Gaurang Shetty, Whole time Director, Jet Airways, said, This sale offers a great opportunity for guests in India to take advantage of these attractive fares and the upcoming holiday season to create exciting getaways with their loved ones and family members.


New York, Dec 5(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday proposed sweeping management reform to Member States in the General Assemblys main administrative and budgetary body, including the adoption of an annual budget cycle, the granting of the power for him to redeploy resources within the approved budget, and the elimination of duplicate functions currently undertaken by different departments.

Reform is not an end in itself. The purpose of reform is simple and clear: to best position the United Nations to do the work that Member States ask us to do, said Guterres in his remarks to the Fifth Committee.

He said that his reports to the General Assembly outlined reform of the peace and security architecture, development system reform and management reform aimed at simplifying procedures and decentralizing decisions, with greater transparency, efficiency, agility and accountability.

Elaborating on the management reform, Guterres proposed moving from a biennial to an annual budget, and shortening the planning and budgetary cycle from five to three years.

He also asked Member States support to grant him additional authority to redeploy resources up to 20 per cent of a section within the budget parts, not between parts. This would enable the UN Secretariat to better respond to changing demands while preserving the principle that resources allocated for particular pillars of the Organization should be used for those pillars.

The UN chief also proposed that the scope of the commitment authority for unforeseen and extraordinary expenses be broadened to cover unforeseen events in the areas of development and human rights, beyond peace and security.

As for the duplicative functions undertaken by different departments, he proposed establishing a Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance with a clear policy, strategy and compliance role, which will be complemented by a Department of Operational Support focusing on operations, services, transactions and surge support to entities in weak environments.

Regarding the Umoja enterprise resource planning system and the global service delivery model, he proposed that these functions be carried out in two or three centres and to undertake a strategic assessment of locations.

He also proposed streamlining and simplifying human resources rules, processes and procedures to ensure timely recruitment, deployment and staff development.

Guterres stressed that achieving gender parity and increasing geographical diversity are important aspects of his refor

He said within his Executive Office, gender parity has been achieved in professional position while geographical diversity has also been substantially increased.

This shows that the two goals are not mutually exclusive but reinforcing. It also shows what I am able to do with greater managerial authority, he said.

UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Dec 5(Just Earth News): Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the killing on Monday of a Mauritanian peacekeeper and the wounding of three others of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) by anti-Balaka militia in Bria in the country s east.

According to a statement issued by a UN spokesperson, the attack occurred at a checkpoint staffed by MINUSCA peacekeepers near an internally displaced persons site in the town.

This brings to 14 the number of peacekeepers killed in targeted attacks in the Central African Republic since January 2017.

The Secretary-General offers his deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of the victim and to the Government of Mauritania. He wishes a swift recovery to the injured, said the statement.

Through the statement, Guterres recalled that attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime. He urged the Central African authorities to swiftly investigate this incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Secretary-General reiterates the determination of MINUSCA to protect civilians and contribute to the stabilization of the Central African Republic, the statement said, adding that the UN chief urged all parties to cease violence and work together to bring peace and stability to the country.

Clashes between the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, which are mostly Christian, plunged the country of 4.5 million people into civil conflict in 2013.

Photo: MINUSCA

Source: www.justearthnews.com
India using technology as weapon in war against poverty: PM Modi | After PM Modi-Rishi Sunak meet, UK gives go-ahead to 3,000 annual visas for Indians | Supreme Court orders retrial in 2018 Kathua rape-murder, accused to be tried as adult | Delhi murder: Accused Aaftab Ameen Poonawala was inspired by crime show Dexter | 'Will expose the reality of how Pakistan treated me': Singer Adnan Sami
Lahore, Dec 5 (IBNS): At least six people were killed in a bomb blast that rocked Mir Ali area of Pakistan on Tuesday, media reports said.

Eight others were injured in the blast.

The bomb was planted in a motorcycle parked along the side of a road, Geo News reported.

The injured people were shifted to DHQ hospital for treatment.


Rohingyas have faced decades of statelessness, policies of dehumanizing discrimination and segregation, and the horrific violence and abuse, along with the forced displacement and systematic destruction of villages, homes, property and livelihoods, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein.



Given all of this, can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present? he told the Human Rights Council in Geneva in a special session convened in response to the ongoing exodus of Rohingyas from Myanmar to Bangladesh.



Ultimately, this is a legal determination only a competent court can make. But the concerns are extremely serious, and clearly call for access to be immediately granted for further verification, he added.



The High Commissioner urged the Council to consider making a recommendation to the UN General Assembly that it establish a new impartial and independent mechanism, complementary to the work of the fact-finding mission into the latest wave of violence and abuses, to assist individual criminal investigations of those responsible.



By 2 December, an estimated 626,000 refugees  or more than half the estimated number of Rohingya living in Rakhine state  had fled to Bangladesh since October 2016, and particularly since August 2017. The Myanmar Government has said its latest campaign in northern Rakhine was in response to attacks by insurgents.



The High Commissioner reported that his Office (OHCHR) had sent three teams to Bangladesh this year to monitor the situation and interview refugees. He said witnesses reported acts of appalling barbarity committed against the Rohingya, including deliberately burning people to death inside their homes; murders of children and adults; indiscriminate shooting of fleeing civilians; widespread rapes of women and girls; and the burning and destruction of houses, schools, markets and mosques.



Zeid said he had reported to both the Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council about the persistent allegations of serious human rights violations by security forces. Yet, he added, prosecutions for alleged acts of violence against them, including sexual violence  whether committed by security forces or civilians  appeared to be extremely rare. Refusal by international as well as local actors to even name the Rohingyas as Rohingyas  to recognize them as a community and respect their right to self-identification  is yet another humiliation, and it creates a shameful paradox: they are denied a name, while being targeted for being who they are, he added.



The world cannot countenance a hasty window-dressing of these shocking atrocities, bundling people back to conditions of severe discrimination and latent violence which seem certain to lead in the future to further suffering, and more movements of people, Zeid said.



UNICEF/Brown







Source: www.justearthnews.com












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Prince Harry is marrying Meghan Markle. Prince William may one day take the throne. The Queen is 91-years-old and still going strong.

So what's the point? Well, the world's obsession with royalty is like a flame that will never extinguish. This explains why the Queen of Bhutan is such a favourite of the internet.

Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen  #bhutan #  #queenjetsun A post shared by Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema (@her_majesty_queen_of_bhutan) on Dec 2, 2015 at 5:06am PST

Also read: Prime Minister Shri Narendra ModiThe Royals May Be In Town Meeting PM Modi, But It Is The Adorable Young Prince Of Bhutan Who Stole The Show!

Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck is just 27-years-old. She is the world's youngest queen. She became a monarch when she was just 21-years-old after she married His Majesty (Druk Gyalpo) Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, also known as the Dragon King.

As we all joyously await the coming of the Bhutanese New Year known as 'Losar', we revisit an archive photograph of Their Majesties, released last Losar in February 2015  #Bhutan #Majesty #KingJigme #QueenJetsunPema #Wangchuck #Blessed #NewYear #Losar #Snow #Beautiful A post shared by Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema (@her_majesty_queen_of_bhutan) on Jan 11, 2016 at 10:38pm PST

An avid Instagrammer, she often shares pictures that give her followers a sneak-peek into her life and everything she holds dear. Here, take a look at some more photos.

Also read: The Young Crown Prince of Bhutan Looks Adorable As He Poses For The Royal Calendar

Bike-riding with His Majesty.

Their Majesties enjoy a bike ride ~ February 2010 #bhutan #kingkhesar #queenjetsun A post shared by Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema (@her_majesty_queen_of_bhutan) on Nov 30, 2015 at 12:02am PST

Her Majesty is the UNEP Ozone Ambassador, and also the Royal Patron for the Royal Society for Protection of Nature.

Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen Addresses an Ozone Day celebration in September 2012.  Her Majesty is the UNEP Ozone Ambassador, and also the Royal Patron for the Royal Society for Protection of Nature. Her Majesty has also worked closely with agencies like the National Environment Commission, and for arious environmental causes. #bhutan #queenjetsun #jetsunpema #enironment #ozone A post shared by Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema (@her_majesty_queen_of_bhutan) on Dec 4, 2015 at 2:22am PST

Interacting with students during a royal visit to the school.

Her Majesty with the students of a class in Changbangdu School, Thimphu, during a visit to the school in 2012.  #dragonqueen #jetsunpema #school #children #thimphu #bhutan A post shared by Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema (@her_majesty_queen_of_bhutan) on Dec 5, 2015 at 6:48am PST

Posing for the shutterbugs to welcome 'Losar' - the New Year.

As we all joyously await the coming of the Bhutanese New Year known as 'Losar', we revisit an archive photograph of Their Majesties, released last Losar in February 2015  #Bhutan #Majesty #KingJigme #QueenJetsunPema #Wangchuck #Blessed #NewYear #Losar #Snow #Beautiful A post shared by Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema (@her_majesty_queen_of_bhutan) on Jan 11, 2016 at 10:38pm PST

Her Majesty and His Majesty with their son, His Royal Highness The Gyalsey.

Meeting with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Lingkana Palace.

His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Lingkana Palace, after the Royal Audience at the Tashichhodzong. #Bhutan #KingJigmeKhesar #QueenJetsunPema #RoyalVisitBhutan A post shared by Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema (@her_majesty_queen_of_bhutan) on Apr 14, 2016 at 8:12am PDT

Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen lights a butterlamp at the inauguration of the 2nd Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition.

Her Majesty graces a ceremony to unveil the Wheelchair Accessibility Adaptation of the Centenary Park.

Spending time with His Royal Highness.

Celebrating New Year!

Her Majesty on her birthday.

Meeting with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

1 November 2017: The Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said it was an honour to be introduced to His Royal Highness the Gyalsey and to welcome His Royal Highness on his first visit to India. On the second day of the Royal Visit, Prime Minister hosted a dinner at his residence in honour of Their Majesties. #HisMajesty #KingJigmeKhesar #HerMajesty #QueenJetsunPema #HRH #Gyalsey #India #Bhutan A post shared by Her Majesty Queen Jetsun Pema (@her_majesty_queen_of_bhutan) on Nov 1, 2017 at 4:07pm PDT

Safe to say, this royalty has her social media skills on point!
This might not be the best time to say this but I'm not clumsy. Far from it. I pride myself in taking great care of my gadgets and gear. I swear.

iPhone 8 Plus meets the ground

So what went so horribly wrong with my handling of the iPhone 8 Plus? Before you start blaming it on butter fingers, let me point you to the iPhone 8 Plus' slippery glass back panel, and how it can make the iPhone 8 Plus wriggle out of your hand like a fish out of water at the most untimely of moments.

In the Uber (3 times from 2 feet)

I've had the iPhone 8 Plus slip out of my hand while travelling in an Uber on three occasions. When I'm fully awake, I try to read stuff or watch videos on my iPhone 8 Plus nestled in my hand resting on my left knee -- or if I'm feeling adventurous, I try to balance the 8 Plus on my knee, with the phone's right edge reclining against the left front seat and left edge cosying up to the rear left door. However, it's when I get drowsy that the knee-seat-door cosy trinity turns into an overpowering Bermuda Triangle, instantly crashing the phone down to the car floor.

Tiny dent on the bottom edge of the iPhone 8 Plus

In the train (5 times from 2.5 feet)

Early morning red eye trains are a double-edged sword. I try to aim for the window seat, and on days when I'm successful I prop the iPhone 8 Plus on the window sill, catching up on news and stuff. But something about the comfy window seat and cold morning breeze has me nodding off in a wink. I just can't help it. Of course, it invariably leads to me waking up to a crash and bang sound of the iPhone 8 Plus lying on the train's hard metal floor. This has happened way too many times for comfort, much to my embarrassment. Ouch.

iPhone 8 Plus fallen on the train

On the bed (3 times from 3 feet)

For some inexplicable reason, I like to charge my phone while it's lying on my bed. Who doesn't, duh? The charging cable dangles precariously from the edge of the bed to the wall socket, tugging at the iPhone 8 Plus like a sweetheart. There's a fair bit of tension between the two ends. And whenever the iPhone 8 Plus gets an incoming call, the phone vibrates to cause a tug of war with the cable, inching closer to the edge with every vibration. I either wake up or enter my bedroom with a start upon hearing the tumbling iPhone 8 Plus noise.

Another tiny dent into the bottom edge of the iPhone 8 Plus

On the table (2 times from 3.5 feet)

My mum has a strict no-phones-at-the-dinner-table policy, especially on evenings when the family eats dinner together. What message or phone call can be so urgent that it can't wait for half an hour, she argues. She questions my life decisions at the dinner table, wondering why I choose to photograph the tasty plate of puran poli or hot curry in front of me instead of digging right into it -- yeah, my mom's not a fan of Instagram, but how did you guess? Anyways, twice the iPhone 8 Plus has come crashing to the hard marble floor, slipping off our dining table's slippery plastic sheet. What did my mom say on both of those occasions? "Serves you right!"

Hard to see bumps on the iPhone 8 Plus

Heart in my mouth slips (2 times from 4 feet)

There remain two occasions in the past 10 weeks where my iPhone 8 Plus took more than just a minor scratch. Once, when I had temporarily kept the phone on top of a car -- a still Santro -- and it slipped and fell on a chipped cement road. Secondly, when I was trying to hurriedly get out of a car, and the iPhone 8 Plus just flew out of my shirt's front pocket -- it spun through the air in full slow motion and hit the road at a really awkward angle, as I stood there in horror. It resulted in the following screen fracture.

hairline screen fracture on the iPhone 8 Plus

Phew!

I know the iPhone 8 Plus comes in a strong, aerospace-grade 7000 Series aluminium shell, and that it has a new steel substructure underneath, and has the most "durable glass ever in a smartphone." But all of that doesn't mean anything if the phone doesn't withstand daily knocks and bumps.

tiny scratches on the edge of the glass back panel on iPhone 8 Plus

Apart from a couple of hairline fractures on the iPhone 8 Plus' screen and rear glass panel, and two or three hard-to-see knocks on its curved edge, I'm glad the iPhone 8 Plus has survived crashing down on a variety of surfaces -- marble, metal, hard plastic, jagged rock and rough cement -- with only tiny imperfections to show for its troubles. Despite the additional glass surface on its back, nothing has shattered or ended up in a catastrophe, which is what I was fearing the most. Thanks to its tough build quality, I'm glad to see the iPhone 8 Plus has weathered the battle of knocks and bumps quite well.

And it lives to fight another (clumsy?) day.
The Google Doodle is a pretty cool outreach program from the search giant, giving recognition to not just popular festivals and events, but also highlighting the contributions of great scholars and leaders, both past and present.

Today, Googles doodle celebrated 50 years of kids coding, when the first programming language for children was introduced to the world.

Celebrate #CSEdWeek & 50 yrs of kids coding languages by checking out our VERY FIRST coding #GoogleDoodle!  https://t.co/Kr7pjrLXOr pic.twitter.com/V0aJFBBAM2  Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) December 4, 2017

To help celebrate the event, as part of Computer Science Education Week, the doodle contains a furry little bunny that you can program to pick up carrots. The first doodle ever to feature coding, it uses Blockly, a simple programming language that involves arranging action blocks in sequence to execute commands.

The format of todays coding doodle is based on Scratch, an existing programming language for kids. The doodle was made by not just the Google team, but also Blocklys team and MIT Scratch working in tandem. Its a throwback to the forerunner of kids programming languages, Logo. In that, defining actions made a green turtle move around a black screen and draw lines. The program was the first to make coding more accessible to kids for use in school curriculums.

Back when programming languages like Scratch were first introduced, most people still questioned just how useful it would be and what applications it could have for a child's future. Today, we know just how much we rely on technology. it's in everything from the phones in our pockets to our computers at home, in our cars, our banks, and so many other places. The number programming jobs have been steadily rising for years as companies look for app developers, software programmers, cyber security researchers and much more.

In fact, it's even more so in India than places like the US and UK. Back in 2016, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected that employment for computer programmers would decline by 8 percent by 2026. Yet, that wasn't because the tech sector would have too many coders, but because companies would begin looking beyond US shored for cheaper programmers to outsource to.
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Lockton, a privately held, independent insurance broker, has hired Michael Garner to its employee benefit team as a vice president and producer in the Hartford, Conn., operation.

Garner has more than 10 years of experience as an employee health and benefits producer and consultant, working with companies to help them attract and retain employees through market-leading benefit programs.

In this role, he will be responsible for generating new client relationships and will provide oversight and leadership to ensure client satisfaction and overall retention. While his primary focus will be employee benefits, he will aim to broaden his client relationships by facilitating introductions to Locktons property and casualty and financial service practices.

Prior to joining Lockton, Garner was a principal with Ovation Benefits (now OneDigital Health and Benefits). He has also been a sales representative at Rogers Benefit Group and at Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Source: Lockton

Topics Connecticut
A state panel formed to consider issues surrounding the legalization of recreational marijuana is resuming its work this week.

Wednesdays meeting of the task force will focus on public safety and criminal justice issues involving legalization. Presentations are scheduled from representatives of the Delaware police chiefs council, state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, and public defenders office.

While eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use of marijuana, Delaware could become the first state to implement legalization through the legislative process.

The panel is expected to issue its report and recommendations early next year.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Hyperion Insurance Group announced that Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ), the long-term institutional investor and pension fund, will acquire a significant minority stake in the group.

Investing more than US$400 million in new growth equity, CDPQ will become a long-term growth partner in Hyperion alongside General Atlantic. Hyperion management and employees will remain the largest shareholder group.

Hyperion will also launch a debt refinancing, which will extend and reprice its existing term loan facility to 2024 and include the issuance of additional primary debt. In addition, Hyperion will extend its existing undrawn revolving credit facility.

The CDPQ investment and the debt raising will leave Hyperion well placed to execute on its medium term growth strategy from a strongly capitalized position, providing more than US$300 million of additional capital for the companys global growth strategy and investments, the company said in a statement.

Selective acquisitions with a strong cultural fit will continue to play an important role in Hyperions growth strategy and the group has a number of deals in the pipeline, Hyperion said.

CDPQ is a fantastic partner to support us on the next leg of our journey, commented David Howden, CEO of London-based Hyperion.

CDPQ has a deep understanding of insurance markets and a significant international portfolio, which means it will deliver valuable insight to help direct our future plans, whilst remaining supportive of our independence and of our resolute focus on putting our clients at the centre of everything we do, he added.

Since General Atlantics initial investment in 2013, the groups revenue has grown by almost five times, Howden said, noting that the companys earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) has increased from 36 million ($48.5 million) to more than 150 million ($202.1 million).

GA has been more than just an investor, it has been an active and collaborative growth partner whose intellectual capital, significant technological expertise, global resources and experience have played a central role in our success over the past four years, and I am delighted that they will continue to do so.

We are pleased to partner alongside David Howden, his management team and General Atlantic to continue Hyperions track record of success, said Stephane Etroy, executive vice president and head of Private Equity at CDPQ.

Hyperion has a very strong entrepreneurial culture that has consistently yielded superior organic growth. This transaction allows us to support the group in its global growth strategy while at the same time benefiting from a stable and counter-cyclical industry, together with a high-quality partner who shares our long-term vision, she continued.

Morgan Stanley & Co LLC acted as financial adviser to Hyperion and General Atlantic for the transaction and Weil, Gotshal & Manges served as legal adviser. Linklaters LLP served as legal adviser for CDPQ.

The equity transaction is subject to regulatory consents.

About Hyperion

Hyperion is a leading international, employee owned insurance group. It comprises broking divisions Howden and RKH, and underwriting division DUAL. Hyperions businesses operate across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, employing over 3,800 people in 37 countries.

Source: Hyperion
A former high school cafeteria worker in Missouri has won a $340,000 judgment in her lawsuit alleging she was discriminated against by the Independence School District.

Amy Stubbs filed the lawsuit after she was fired as a cook in the cafeteria at William Chrisman High School in May 2015. Her daughter attended the school.

The Kansas City Star reports Stubbs alleged her daughter was sexually harassed at the school and the district didnt do enough to protect her. Stubbs contended she was disciplined and eventually fired for complaining to district officials.

The school district said in a statement that Stubbs was fired for posting comments on social media about a security issue at a school building. The district says it plans to appeal the verdict.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Missouri
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said last Friday it would not act on a proposal to require hardrock mining companies to show they can afford to clean up their sites.

EPA is confident that modern industry practices, along with existing state and federal requirements address risks from operating hardrock mining facilities, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement.

The financial responsibility proposal, issued by the administration of President Barack Obama, was supported by Democrats and environmental groups, but opposed by the mining industry and Republicans.

It would have required companies mining metals such as gold, silver, copper and lead to show they had the financial means to clean up their sites once they finished mining by issuing bonds or buying insurance. It was partly aimed at taking the burden off Washington to clean up sites when miners declare bankruptcy.

It represents the latest move by Pruitt, an appointee of President Donald Trump, to reverse or weaken a series of regulatory actions by the Obama administration, often at the request of the affected industries.

The agency faced a court-ordered deadline of Friday, Dec. 1 to take final action on the proposal.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska who chairs the Senates Energy and Natural Resources Committee, praised the decision.

Im pleased the EPA took all of the facts into consideration and decided against imposing new, duplicative and burdensome financial assurance requirements for hardrock mines, Murkowski said in a statement.

(Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by Mary Milliken)

Related:

Topics Pollution Mining
American International Group said Tom Bolt will join the company as chief underwriting officer, General Insurance. He will be responsible for developing a global framework for underwriting standards, authority and structure that is aligned with AIGs overall risk appetite.

Bolt has 30 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance industry. He joins AIG from Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, where he has been serving as president and CEO of the U.K. and Southern Europe, and as a member of Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Ltd.s board of directors, since March 2016, when Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Ltd. began its specialty insurance unit to Europe.

Prior to Berkshire Hathaway, Bolt was director of Performance Management at Lloyds of London and managing director of Marlborough Managing Agency at Lloyds. Before joining Lloyds, he spent 25 years at Berkshire Hathaway in a variety of senior executive roles.

Bolt will report to Peter Zaffino, chief executive officer, General Insurance, as a member of the General Insurance Executive Leadership Team. He is expected to join the company in January 2018.

Zaffino said Bolt will play a key role in building AIGs data and analytical capabilities to empower underwriters.

General Insurance includes Commercial, Personal Insurance, and U.S. and international field operations. The unit was created in a reorganization by CEO Brian Duperreault in September. AIG reorganized its underwriting businesses into three main segmentsGeneral Insurance, Life & Retirement, and its standalone technology-enabled platform that it recently named Blackboard. The company no longer has Commercial and Consumer segments.

Topics Excess Surplus Underwriting
Workers compensation insurer, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., plans to launch of its own health care network for policyholders, called WorkWell, TX. Within this new network, all aspects of claims and care will be managed by Texas Mutual.

The company said WorkWell, TX, which will launch on Jan. 1, 2018, will contract directly with providers chosen for their proven results and experience in occupational medicine. The network will focus on producing positive outcomes and providing care that helps those who are injured on the job recover and return to a productive life.

The network will also offer Centers of Excellence, which will provide injured workers with access to exceptional specialty providers. Regardless of an injured workers location, Texas Mutual will provide transportation and accommodations to a Center of Excellence if the patient chooses to receive care there. This takes away geographic limitations and helps injured workers access top-notch medical care, no matter where they are located.

This network is an ideal fit with our vision of building a stronger, safer Texas by developing innovative, responsive partnerships, Texas Mutual CEO Rich said in the companys announcement. Most importantly, WorkWell, TX will allow us to ensure quality at every stage of care for an injured worker, ultimately allowing them to return to the life they love.

Texas Mutual currently offers a health care network option for policyholders through a third-party administrator. Employers can expect to use WorkWell, TX just as they have used the existing network. WorkWell, TX will serve the same counties, and those who enroll in the new health care network will continue to receive a premium discount.

Employees of Texas Mutual policyholders who are injured on or after Jan. 1, , will be treated in the WorkWell, TX network, while those injured prior to Jan. 1 will continue to be treated in Texas Mutuals existing network. The process for reporting injuries will remain the same for employers insured by Texas Mutual.

Source: Texas Mutual Insurance co.

Topics Texas Workers' Compensation
On December 1, 2017, Coverys finalized the acquisition of Global Insurance Management Company, Inc. (GIMC), headquartered in Plantation, Fla.

GIMC and its insurance subsidiary, Healthcare Underwriters Group, Inc., provide medical professional liability insurance for physicians and healthcare providers in Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas.

Coverys, a provider of healthcare professional liability insurance and risk services, said it continues to expand its delivery of products and services to meet the demands of the changing healthcare market.

According to Gregg L. Hanson, CEO and president of Coverys, the company will expand and grow GIMCs products and services with the acquisition.

Joshua Salman, CEO and president of GIMC, said the acquisition expands its service offerings to a core group of hospital and physician policyholders and provides the ability to issue policies in all 50 states.

Sherman & Company LLC served as financial advisor and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP served as legal advisor to Coverys. Sandler ONeill + Partners, L.P. acted as exclusive financial advisor and Thompson Hine LLP served as legal advisor to GIMC.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Florida
Hospitals in Mississippi and Alabama are suing more than a dozen pharmaceutical companies, claiming the companies deceptively marketed and sold opioids.

The Clarion Ledger reports the class-action federal lawsuit was filed Nov. 30 in Mississippi by Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb, Mississippi; Infirmary Health Hospitals, Inc., based in Mobile, Alabama; and Monroe County Healthcare Authority, based in Monroeville, Alabama.

The lawsuit says hospitals have faced expenses for treating opioid addicts because companies pushed highly addictive, dangerous opioids, falsely representing to doctors that patients would only rarely succumb to drug addiction.

The hospitals claim monetary losses as damages, saying they never would have had contact with these patients, and the patients would not have opioid conditions, but for the opioid epidemic created and engineered by Defendants.

Purdue Pharma makes OxyContin, the pill receiving the most claims of deceptive marketing. Purdue said in a statement that it denies the lawsuits allegations and the company is working to solve the opioid public health crisis.

Another defendant, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., said in a statement it provides resources to doctors, pharmacists and patients about responsible pain management and is working to develop non-opioid chronic pain treatment.

A representative from another defendant, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, said the lawsuits are legally and factually unfounded and that the company has acted in the best interest of patients, including warning labels on each product.

Another defendant  Endo Health Solutions Inc. and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.  also denied the allegations and said it has ceased opioid promotion.

Don Barrett, an attorney from Lexington, Mississippi, is representing Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center. In the 1990s, Barrett worked on the tobacco lawsuits that yielded billions of dollars in damages for the state.

Hospitals are the front-line troops in the opioid battle, Barrett told the newspaper. Hospitals have lost billions treating opioid-related medical problems. Yet they have been thus far ignored. Americas hospitals will be ignored no longer.

Barrett said the class-action lawsuit represents all U.S. hospitals that have treated patients with health issues related to the use of opioids.

Topics Lawsuits Mississippi Alabama Manufacturing
Western Security Surplus has named Sherif Azer a senior broker in its Los Angeles, Calif. office.

Azers focus will be commercial lines, property and liability with the placement of excess and surplus brokerage, and managing general agency risks.

Azer has 11 years of experience in wholesale at both Bass and Hull & Co.

WSS provides retail brokers a line of commercial and personal lines products, with access to both admitted and non-admitted markets.

Topics California Agencies
A two-year investigation has netted 22 suspects in an auto fraud ring in California that cost insurers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Brothers Angel Topete, 36, and Joshua Topete, 34, both of San Martin, Calif., were arrested on numerous felony charges for allegedly running an organized auto insurance fraud scam involving more than 20 individuals and 18 staged collisions netting conspirators $210,000 in fraudulent auto insurance claims.

Silicon Valley Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force investigators initially received information about the crime ring in 2015. The two-year investigation revealed the Topete brothers conspired with family, friends and associates who posed as insurance consumers and filed fraudulent claims with six different insurers for collisions that were either staged or never occurred at all.

Evidence revealed many of the claims involved salvaged vehicles, new insurance policies and variations of a name used on other similar claims. In some cases, suspects purchased insurance policies and then intentionally crashed cars into one or more vehicles owned by co-conspirators. All parties then filed fraudulent claims, which resulted in insurers paying the full value of the vehicles after it was declared a total loss.

To date, 18 of the 22 suspects have been arrested and booked. Many are due in court this week.

The Silicon Valley Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force is comprised of investigators from the California Department of Insurance Fraud Division, the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office, and the California Highway Patrol.

This large ring of family and friends allegedly conspired to defraud insurers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in a statement. The cost of insurance fraud is shouldered by consumers who pay higher premiums when insurers pass along their losses. Working with our task force partners is critical in combating the multi-billion dollar problem of insurance fraud.

Topics California Auto Fraud
What is a Unitized Fund

A unitized fund is a type of investment fund structure that uses pooled money to invest with individually reported unit values for investors. Assets in the pool are managed to a specific objective, often with concentration in one stock. Investors are provided with a daily unitized value for their portion of the investment.

Unitized stock funds increase the efficiency of employee stock offerings in benefit plans such as ESOPs. Their unit price can be generally compared to the price of the company's stock.

Key Takeaways A unitized fund is a way to pool assets from several investors often in a focused investment such as a single stock.

Pensions and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) that offer workers company stock often use a unitized fund structure to increase efficiency in managing these shares.

Unitized funds will typically hold cash or other assets in a small amount in addition to the focused investment, so that the unit value will often differ slightly from the actual shares by themselves.

Insurance companies in the U.K. may also use a unitized fund structure to segregate managed investments on behalf of policyholders.

How Unitized Funds Work

Unitized funds are often used in employee benefit plans such as pensions. Employers can offer unitized stock funds that include the companys publicly traded stock. This type of unitized fund will typically also include some cash. A unitized fund provides for greater efficiency in managing company stock purchase plans offered to investors. Since the fund is composed of company stock with some cash holdings its unit value will vary from the companys stock share value in the market.

Pension funds may also use a type of unitized structure to offer convertible investments between defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Participants are given the option to set up individual sub-accounts within a unitized structure. This gives investors greater flexibility to transfer and exchange assets within their plan.

Unitized Funds in Insurance

Insurance companies may also use unitized funds. The fund represents a collective investment with unit-linked fund options for the investors. Funds invested are associated with investment towards an insurance plan. In a unit-linked fund, the investor designates investment in a specified unit-linked fund which is part of a broader collective investment. Unit-linked fund investments vary across the fund however the investments of many unit-linked funds are managed collectively together. An investor receives reporting on their individual unit-linked fund investment which may vary from the values of other funds in the collective.

The total value of all the funds comprehensively is reported as the total assets for the collective investment. These types of funds can usually be found in offshore financial centers in the UK and the British Isles.

Unitized Fund Considerations

Generally, an investment company may also use a special unitized fund structure for fund management if it complies with securities regulation in their individual country. Overall, the structure can provide for efficiency in purchasing shares of securities in the fund. With this type of fund, investors assets are pooled and the fund calculates a unit value for each participant. The unit value typically serves as a comparable value or a personal balance for the investor.

Unitized funds are typically offered as an alternative to mainstream investment options. Investors should closely examine the prospectus of these types of funds to understand their structure. They can provide for efficiencies when managing pooled assets investing in concentrated positions. In other cases, they require complex record-keeping and may include high administrative expenses.
In Person U Wirathu: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi a Threat to National Religion and Identity

U Wirathu attends a press conference in Yangon in 2016. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

In an interview with The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, ultranationalist monk U Wirathu offered his personal views on the current situation in Rakhine State and the governments legal action against nationalist Buddhist monks. The Irrawaddys senior reporter Zarni Mann met with U Wirathu at the Dhama Thaharya Kyaung at Masoeyein monastery.

The Army and the government have been criticized for their handling of the conflict in Rakhine State. What is your view?

The government has been unreliable on this matter. So, we have had to rely solely on the Tatmadaw [Myanmars military]. Personally, I fully support [military chief] Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and I believe him when he says the Tatmadaw will provide full protection to minorities in Rakhine State in order to protect them from genocide. When it comes to protecting the national identity, we only have him to rely on.

But the Armys actions in relation to the conflict in Rakhine State have resulted in fresh sanctions and condemnation.

Ive read about that. I have to say it is inappropriate. This sort of operation [like the one the military is conducting in Rakhine] should be the responsibility of the government, not the Tatmadaw. The institution most responsible for handling such conflicts is the government. Taking action against the Tatmadaw rather than the government is a mistake.

Nonetheless, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been stripped of numerous honors and awards over her handling of the Rakhine situation.

No. No. What I want to say here is that taking action against the Tatmadaw by violating the countrys sovereignty is wrong. Taking action against our countrys leaders like this is unfair. What the international community should do is to talk with the government to find the best solution. Im against any intervention like that by foreign countries.

Again, it is absolutely unfair to strip Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of her honors and awards. The Westerners are childish to do this. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not seek those awards and honors. It was they [the West] who awarded her and honored her. Stripping her of the honors and targeting people with sanctions or taking other such actions is inappropriate.

The government is now implementing the recommendations included in the report of Mr. Kofi Annans commission in accordance with international standards and human rights. Isnt this a good development?

The report is satisfactory to all sides [but] it is not perfect. Initially the commission said the reports recommendations should be implemented as soon as possible. Later it said only the most urgent recommendations should be implemented immediately. So it is difficult for me to say if it is good or not. However, one thing I can say is there are many suggestions in the report that threaten the stability of the country. For example, it recommends that the government give citizenship to those who are not entitled to citizenship. Its proposal that the government amend the 1982 Citizenship Act poses a threat to the country. If the government agrees to do this, we will have to oppose it. I believe Buddhist monks and their supporters will take to the streets should the government agree to these recommendations.

However, many Myanmar citizens fled to a neighbouring country during the conflict. Shouldnt they have a chance to return to their homes?

I never said no one can come back. Everyone who deserves to come home must have the chance to do so. There are clear rules and regulations for this process, requiring that documents be checked. Anyone who can present the proper documents should be allowed to come home.

Pope Francis recently visited our country. As his visit came amid the criticism over the human rights issue in Rakhine State, the international community hoped he would address this. However, the pope did not mention the Rohingya explicitly and was widely criticized for that.

The pope is a religious leader. He is doing what religious leaders should do, which is to tell people to love each other, to help each other and to be patient. However, he did use the term Rohingya before visiting us. And afterwards, when he was in Bengladesh, he used the term Rohingya. So to me, this means he is using his position as a religious leader to act as a political figure, rather than acting as a religious leader.

On the other hand, I have to question the international community on this point. Is it an abuse of human rights not to use the word Rohingya? The people of this country dont accept the term Rohingya, so the Pope did not use it [here]. We have nothing to say regarding his diplomatic behavior. Personally, I do not like the way he used Rohingya before and after visiting our country.

In the past, you supported Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. What changed? Do you believe as some nationalists do that she is using human rights to oppress religion and nationalism, in particular through a series of lawsuits against nationalist groups?

We feel that we are being deliberately targeted. I believe we are being oppressed and that one day Buddhism and the Myanmar national identity will be replaced by other religions and by foreigners. I now see her as a threat to the countrys religion and national identity.

When the State Sangha authorities declared Ma Ba Tha an unlawful association, the Mandalay divisional government reportedly ordered that the groups signs be taken down. However, some nationalists are reportedly still displaying them.

They [the authorities] are the ones who do not understand the law, which is why they issued that order. Maybe they believe they can intimidate us by issuing such orders. What I do know is that Ma Ba Tha would not have any problems if Ma Ha Na and the government obeyed the law. They are acting like scarecrows. Ma Ba Tha is not an unlawful association. People label Ma Ba Tha as unlawful based solely on the statement from Ma Ha Na; they are blinded by it. If they really see Ma Ba Tha as unlawful, they should take their claim to the courts. We are still working under Ma Ba Tha.

At a meeting last month the State Sangha authorities reportedly considered an appeal against the ban on you conducting public sermons. What is the status of that appeal?

Theres nothing special about that. I just did it as a test, because we heard many different views [concerning the ban] in the town  apart from Gabaraye [i.e., the State Sangha]  that the decision to ban me had been made by a few senior monks. Some monks said that if they had been at the meeting, there would have been no ban. Id like to know what would happen if all 47 senior member of Ma Ha Na were present. What I discovered was that in gatherings at Gabaraye, all views are the same. When talking about the 47 senior members of Ma Ha Na, even my teacher cant be trusted.
Lifestyle Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

The Irrawaddy

Air Kanbawza Lethwei Fight | Dec. 10

Myanmar, French and Japanese boxers will compete in this Lethwei challenge fight.

Dec. 10, 2 pm. Theinbyu Stadium. Tickets between 10,000 and 30,000 kyats at 01-557787, 01-8605145.

Zero Platform: International Performance Art Festival | Dec. 8-10

This event will feature two days of performance art and a one-day seminar. More than 30 artists from Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Finland, Poland, Germany and Belgium will participate.

Performances Dec. 8-9, 4 pm to 8 pm. Thakhin Mya Park. Seminar Dec. 10, 1 pm to 4 pm. New Zero Art Village, Pane-Nae-Gone Village, Hmawbi Tsp.

Book Fair | Dec. 7-17

Yangon University Library will showcase rare books to celebrate the universitys 97th anniversary.

Dec. 7-17. Yangon University Library.

Myanmar International Fashion Week | Dec. 8-10

This event will showcase the latest fashion and jewelry items.

Dec. 8-10, 6 pm to 9 pm. Shwe Htut Tin Ground. Tickets at 01-553711, 01-551143, 01-400760

808 Festival Yangon 2017 | Dec. 9

Boombox Cartel, Coone, DVBBS, Timmy Trumpet and Vini Vici, BG b2b Blacklix, BG X Hane and Kitty will perform.

Dec. 9. Thuwunnabhumi Event Park, Upper Pansodan Street. Tickets 25,000 kyats to 75,000 kyats at 09-43174433

Festive Christmas Performance | Dec. 9

This event features carol singing with a performance by the Orchestra for Myanmar and a special guest conductor from Poland, Maestro Wojciech Czepiel.

Dec. 9, 7 pm. Holy Trinity Cathedral, Bogyoke Road, next to Bogyoke Market. Free entry for people of all faiths.

Nay Myo: Solo Poetry Day | Dec. 9

The respected poet and artist will recite old and new poems.

Dec. 9. 2 pm. Yangon Book Plaza, 5th Floor, Thanzay Market, Lanmadaw Tsp. Tickets 5,000 kyats. (Admission includes Nay Myos new book, a drink and entry into a lucky draw to win one of his paintings.)

Property Show | Dec. 9-10

High-end flats will be on sale at discounted prices at this event.

Dec. 9-10, 9am to 7 pm. LOTTE Hotels & Serviced Apartments, No. 82, Sin Phyu Shin Avenue, Pyay Road, 6 Mile.

Morning Glory Exhibition | Dec. 6-10

Hundreds of paintings by more than 40 female artists tackling a range of subjects will be showcased at this exhibition.

Dec. 6-10. Myanmar Artist and Artisan Association, Bogyoke Market.

Warm Sunshine Exhibition | Dec. 8-12

This art exhibition features modernist works by Nay Myo.

Dec. 8-12. Ahla Thit Art Gallery, No. 17, University Avenue Road, Bahan Tsp.
Burma Analysis: Under Pressure, Aung San Suu Kyi to Seek Chinese Investment

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her delegation meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials in Beijing in Dec. 1, 2017. / State Counselors Office via Facebook

Myanmar is in Chinas embrace today. Facing political pressure and the threat of sanctions over the situation in Rakhine State, the government is seeking Chinas diplomatic and economic support.

It seems China will not hesitate to assist Myanmar. However, Myanmars approach will be cautious and calculated as it also fosters other friendships in the region.

The government of Myanmar and its powerful military consider China an important and strategic partner but dont want to be seen as relying heavily on China alone.

The government is expanding its economic cooperation with other countries including Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, India and Japan. Singapore remains the top investor, having invested more than US$4 billion this fiscal year, followed by Vietnam with $1.3 billion. However, while important regional allies, they are not political heavyweights in the international arena with the clout to protect Myanmar.

Even so, Myanmars armed forces will be cautious with China, given that it has provided arms and logistical support to rebel groups in the north for decades. Its not clear just how much trust and confidence Myanmars generals have in Beijing.

In the 1990s, when the regime was desperately looking for jet fighters and ammunition, China sold low-grade jet fighters, weapons and ammunition to Myanmars junta. The generals have diversified since then, purchasing jet fighters and military hardware from others including Russia, India, Pakistan, Israel and some Eastern European countries. Today, Myanmar is expanding military and defense cooperation with India, Russia, Japan and Thailand.

Nevertheless, one can see more military cooperation between the Peoples Liberation Army of China and Myanmars armed forces. The China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) and the Myanmar Army have pledged to expand collaboration with a view to growing defense trade and related technologies.

NORINCO announced the plans in a press release on Nov. 28, although the agreement was reached a few days earlier, the company said, in meetings between NORINCO President Wen Gang and Myanmar Army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

In its press release, NORINCO said it had a long history of cooperation with Myanmar and that it was looking to continue to provide the countrys army with defense products and services and to continue to expand and enhance areas of cooperation.

The US was preparing to help train Myanmars army officers and expand military-to-military engagement, but violence and allegations of human rights violations in Rakhine State have shut down the contacts while the US Congress considers imposing sanctions.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis recent visit to China indicates that the two countries will strengthen economic ties. In a meeting with Suu Kyi, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged her to further expand bilateral cooperation.

The China-Myanmar economic corridor is new, proposed in November when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid a visit to Naypyitaw.

The corridor will arrive in three phases, expanding to Mandalay, Yangon and the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone in troubled Rakhine State. It is part of a grand plan to boost connectivity between four countries: Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar.

The project will connect Kunming in China with Kolkata in India, then add Mandalay, Dhaka and Chittagong. It is part of Chinas grand geopolitical and economic strategy, connecting Beijing straight to the Indian Ocean.

Neither is India being left out of Myanmars own geopolitical rebalancing. Suu Kyi wants her country to continue strengthening economic and political ties with India too. She studied in India, where her mother served as ambassador in the 1950s.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Myanmar in September, when he backed Suu Kyis government and offered assistance and development initiatives for Rakhine State.

Mandalay Region Chief Minister Zaw Myint Maung has been to Kolkata seeking Indian investments in central Myanmar (he has also accompanied Suu Kyis on her latest visit to China).

India shares a 1,600-km border with Myanmar along four northeastern states. Some Indian militants seeking separation and autonomy are based in Myanmar. Myanmars army leaders have promised to push them out, but neither the region nor the Indian rebels are priorities for the government or the military.

Beijing Looks to Restive Rakhine

During her visit to Beijing and meetings with Chinese leaders, Suu Kyi is believed to have discussed several economic projects and existing contracts signed under previous governments, including the regime that ruled the country until 2010. They include the controversial Myintsone project suspended under President Thein Sein, the Letpadaung mining project, and the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port and related pipeline and railway projects in the area.

The China-Myanmar corridor will no doubt boost Chinas trade and political influence. Moreover, planned highways, railroads and pipelines will give China direct access to the Indian Ocean. It will be interesting to see what the government can renegotiate with China to benefit its impoverished country, Rakhine State and the people.

The contracts are under review and it is believed that the current government has been trying to renegotiate them with China.

Unsurprisingly, China has backed Myanmar over the crisis in Rakhine State from the start; it has even offered to mediate.

In the first week of November, a Chinese delegation visited Rakhine State to assess the situation. The delegation, from Chinas Asean Economic and Cultural Association, was accompanied by Myanmars Hintha Akari Co and seen meeting several key leaders.

Interestingly, during the trip the Chinese delegates said one planned project was to help Myanmar extend and strengthen fencing along the states border with Bangladesh.

It seems China is shifting its attention to Rakhine State.

So, while the West  the US in particular  considers imposing targeted sanctions on Myanmars generals and scaling back ties with the military, China is thinking of building highways and railroads.
Burma They Are Bringing Her Down

Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi receives her honorary degree at Oxford University on June 20, 2012. / Reuters

YANGON  The Oxford City Council stripped Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of its Freedom of the City award last Monday, an honor it bestowed on her in 1997. She collected the award in person in 2012, after 15 years under house arrest.

Oxford has a long tradition of being a diverse and humane city, and our reputation is tarnished by honoring those who turn a blind eye to violence, Councilor Mary Clarkson said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The city joined a number of other British institutions that have stripped the state counselor of honorary titles given in recognition of her long struggle for democracy and her fight against oppressive military rule in Myanmar, all referencing the latest crisis in Rakhine State.

Following orchestrated attacks by a Muslim militant group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, against police posts and an army base on Aug. 25, Myanmars 72-year-old de facto leader has faced strong international censure for failing to criticize the militarys response and to speak out against violence toward Rohingya Muslims.

Subsequent clashes and security operations by the Myanmar Army have left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, including more than 620,000 Rohingya who have fled to Bangladesh amid reports of killing, rape and arson by the military.

During a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Naypyitaw on Nov. 15, the state counselor insisted that she has not been silent about the humanitarian crisis.

I think what people mean is that what I say is not interesting enough. But what I say is not meant to be exciting, its meant to be accurate. And its aimed at creating more harmony and a better future for everybody, not for setting people against each other, she said at the time.

We mustnt forget that there are many different communities in Rakhine, and if they are to live together in peace and harmony in the long-term we cant set them against each other now. We cannot make the kind of statements that drive them further apart. This is the reason why we are very careful about what is said.

Among the groups and institutions criticizing her governments response to the Rohingya crisis, those in the UK seem to be the most active.

Last month, the London School of Economics voted to revoke an honorary presidency awarded to her in 1992. Before Oxford, the city councils of Glasgow and Sheffield stripped her of their own freedom of the city awards.

Oxford Universitys St. Hughs College, from which Daw Aung San Suu Kyi graduated in 1967, removed her painted portrait and name from its common room. One of Britains largest trade unions, Unison, has suspended an award it had given her.

The Irrawaddy interviewed scholars, politicians and activists to find out why they believe Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is being stripped of her awards and what they think of the practice.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, associate professor and director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Thailands Chulalongkorn University

Some places and people in the UK undoubtedly and understandably feel betrayed by ASSK [Aung San Suu Kyi]. They had huge and unrealistic expectations for her to come into power under democratic rule and take Myanmar forward. However, Myanmar is beset with deep-seated structural problems  e.g. internal conflicts  that precede and transcend Ms. Suu Kyi. She can only do so much, and she is achieving a democratic transition like she was supposed to. But it is premised on a compromise with the Tatmadaw. She cannot have the cake and eat it, too. She cannot just come to power and kick out the army overnight.

Its like these UK places withdrawing her recognition because they feel jilted, a deep disappointment in the face of the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine. The Rohingya issue gnaws at the collective conscience of the international community. They want quick answers and are quick to blame. They can blame the Tatmadaw and [Senior General] Min Aung Hlaing, but they have already been blamed aplenty. They can relate more by blaming Ms. Suu Kyi because they are familiar with her.

Its like the international community has put her up on the highest pedestal and made her into a global democracy icon, way beyond what she is capable [of] and what the reality on the ground would countenance. And now they are bringing her down.

The withdrawals of honors in the UK also reflect the facile views these institutions held of her in the first place. The world is complicated. Rakhine is an intractable mess.

Of course anything to do with the Tatmadaw does not go down well with international stakeholders. There is so much baggage and ill will regarding the armys misdeeds in the past. That ASSK is working with the Tatmadaw and Min Aung Hlaing taints her in the eyes of [the] international community.

At the same time, I do think ASSK can take more risks on the Rakhine crisis. She can leverage her immense moral authority against the army for a more acceptable outcome. Moreover, she has shown that she is a poor executive, with no message and no messenger  i.e. the virtual absence of a decent communications team. She micromanages too much, does not have a grand strategy, and does not know how to be [the] transitional and transformative leader her country needs at this time. And she has not groomed others to help and succeed her.

AI Haj U Aye Lwin, chief convener for the Islamic Center of Myanmar and member of the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State

We appreciated the Western nations very much for their help and support for democracy in Myanmar. But their actions right now could put the democracy that they want to flourish in reverse. If the democratic forces are weak, the dictatorship will come back.

In her first public address [on the Rohingya crisis], the state counselor already said that she condemned any human rights violations and unlawful violence and that action would be taken against anyone, regardless of race, religion, or political standing, who violated human rights. She also said she would speak with those who have fled and those who have stayed in the state.

She invited diplomats and officials to observe the problem too. She has done all of this under difficult circumstances. In her second public address [on the Rohingya crisis], she spoke of the repatriation of refugees, houses to be rebuilt for the residents in the state, and programs to improve their lives. She had already formed the committees to implement the programs as well, as per the commissions recommendations.

I would like to tell them [Western critics] to consider carefully the conditions in Myanmar. There are forces trying to exploit religion for political gain, especially the hatred of Muslims. So speaking out however they want to is not essential. It is only important to do the things that need to be done to resolve the problems. They need to understand that. They are doing it to give moral support [to the refugees], but they are blaming the democratic forces and weakening them, which makes the dictators happy.

U Thant Thaw Kaung, founder of the Myanmar Book Center and Myanmar Book Aid and Preservation Foundation, a leading book importer and distributor in Myanmar

No one asked when they gave those awards. In Myanmar there is not only the Rakhine issue. We will show the world by our actions what needs to be done, as the state counselor said.

Ko Mya Aye, a prominent Muslim political activist since the 1988 uprising

It is not good for the image of the state counselor or for our country. We felt upset. But it will all be over if we resolve everything fairly and justly.

I think it depends on the institutions and student unions in the UK. I dont know on what norms and standards they based their decisions. I assume that both accurate news and fake news reaches them. And accurate and fake information reaches the state counselor too.

Myawaddy Mingyi Sayadaw, a senior Buddhist figure

Is it a small thing that Daw Suu has done? Who says she doesnt deserve those awards? Compared to her, those titles are too small. It is too childish to withdraw what they gave. Wait and see. Only those who revoked the awards will lose their dignity in the end, not her.
Burma Wild Elephants Destroy Home, Crops in Ngapudaw Township

A wild elephant wanders around Dipayone Kwethit village in Ngapudaw Township. / The Irrawaddy

PATHEIN  Two herds of hungry wild elephants destroyed a house and crops in a village in Irrawaddy Regions Ngapudaw Township on Monday.

According to locals, each herd included at least five elephants. The herds arrived separately from the east and west of the Pathein-Mawtin Road in the townships Dipayone Kwethit village on Monday evening.

The two herds were only about 500 feet from each other. They seemed to be starving. They came close to the fences of our houses and ate bananas and other crops. Because they came so close to people, Forestry Police had to fire shots to scare them away, said Tin Chaung village tract administrator U Tun Lay, who helped police drive the wild elephants away.

A house in Dipayone Kwethit was destroyed by elephants that had wandered into the backyard to eat crops. The elephants were not aggressive toward villagers, local residents said.

The elephants approached the fences of our houses, but didnt appear to be hostile. It seems they had been chased by a group of elephant poachers, said U Tun Lay.

When one household scared them away, they went to another house. If that house scared them off, they went to the next one. The villagers were too scared to sleep that night [on Monday]. They made noises and lit fires [to keep the elephants away from their houses], he added.

The elephants were still in the woods near the village on Tuesday morning, he said.

An elephant-scaring team was on its way to the village on Tuesday, Khun Pyone Naing, head of Ngapudaw Township Forestry Department, told The Irrawaddy.

The team, formed in June this year and made up of non-governmental organization workers, Forestry Police offers and Myanma Timber Enterprise staff, is tasked with scaring away elephants from human settlements and protecting them from poachers. It conducts regular patrols in forests, and when necessary drives away wild elephants with the help of domesticated elephants.

Such places are frequently visited by wild elephants. We will drive them back into the forest with the assistance of domesticated elephants, Khun Pyone Naing said.

For the time being, Forestry and local police are providing security for the village.

According to local residents, wild elephants usually visit farms in search of food from the time of the paddy harvest in November until around May, just before the rainy season starts.

Elephants have seen their habitats shrink dramatically due illegal logging in recent decades, said Sai Zaw Oo, a supervisor at the Myanmar Elephant Lovers Association, which is based in Ngapudaw Township

So, they come to human settlements to eat paddy, banana and other crops grown by humans. And this has led to human-elephant conflict he said.

At the same time, this has given elephant poachers the opportunity to hunt wild elephants that come and search for food, he added.

Last year, four local villagers were killed in elephant-human conflicts that erupted after the animals started eating crops near Ngwe Saung Beach in the west of Pathein Township, according to the Ngwe Saung Beach police station.

On Nov. 30 Forestry Department personnel had to drive away a wild elephant after it destroyed a house and killed a pig in Kyaukphya village tract in the west of Pathein Township.
Tuesday, Dec 5th, 2017 (4:36 pm) - Score 739

Last week the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) managed to cause a storm by announcing the closure of 62 branches for 2018, although at the time the bank said online banking would still allow remote customers to access their accounts. But a new report warns of problems with broadband connectivity.

According to the Press and Journal, many of the branches being targeted for closure exist in areas where the availability of superfast broadband is considered to be weak or virtually non-existent (e.g. Tongue, Kyle etc.). Unsurprisingly quite a lot of the closures also appear to affect parts of the Scottish Highlands and Scotland in general.

The newspaper includes a quote from the MP for Banff and Buchan, David Duguid, who warns that the banks claim of keeping people connected to their accounts online could become very difficult indeed if you dont have a reliable broadband connection.

A Spokesperson for RBS said: More and more of our customers are choosing to do their everyday banking online or on mobile. Since 2012 the number of customers using our branches in Scotland has fallen by 44%. Only 1% of our customers in Scotland now use a branch regularly while the number of regular mobile users has increased by 39% since 2015. As customers continue to change the way they bank with us, we must change the way we serve them, so we are investing in our more popular branches and shaping our network, replacing traditional bricks and mortar branches with alternative ways to bank.

Now lets put all of this into some context. The 428m Digital Scotland (DSSB) project with BT (Openreach) aims to extend fixed line high speed fibre broadband (FTTC/P) coverage to 95% of Scottish homes and businesses by the end of March 2018, although that drops to just 86% for the rural Highland and Islands region.

Crucially were not entirely sure what the target speed for that 95% figure represents, although the current coverage of superfast broadband (30Mbps+) in Scotland is around 92-93% depending on your data source. Obviously this is a national average figure and so some areas, such as quite a few parts of the Highlands, are still trialling well behind.

Back to the bank closures. None of this will come as much of a surprise because many of the areas set to lose local banking services also tend to be locations with sparse populations, such as rural highland communities. Over the past few years weve also seen a similar decline in post offices, pubs and other rural services from such communities, where the cost of maintaining those facilities has become challenging (example).

The counter argument here is that you dont strictly need a superfast connection in order to conduct online banking (banking sites should work fine with 1-2Mbps). A far bigger concern is likely to come from elderly users, many of which prefer to talk with a human than fiddle with unfamiliar internet connectivity. Actually most of us like the option of talking with a human, not only pensioners, although increasingly to get this from your bank it means having to travel a fair bit further (e.g. into a larger town).

As this point the UK Government might step in to point out that their roll-out of superfast broadband is on-going and should cover around 98% of UK premises by 2020, while its hoped that the remaining 2% can be catered for via a 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO). The latter assumes that the Government can find a way through some of the current regulatory and competition concerns (example).

Meanwhile Scotland has separately set itself the target of reaching 100% coverage of 30Mbps+ broadband by 2021 (here) and the contract for this could potentially go out to tender before Christmas. However thats unlikely to help those isolated communities that will begin to suffer from the RBS closures next year, although many can still get broadband thats good enough for basic online banking.. if far from perfect.

NOTE: RBS is 72% owned by British taxpayers after a 45bn bailout in 2008.
Tuesday, Dec 5th, 2017 (1:50 pm) - Score 860

The Superfast Staffordshire project with Openreach (BT) claims to have succeeded in its original Phase 2 contract goal, which aimed to make fixed line FTTC/P superfast broadband (24Mbps+) networks available to order by 95% of premises before the end of 2017 (c.97% in terms of the raw fibre footprint).

So far the scheme, which is supported by the Governments Broadband Delivery UK programme, has enabled around 74,000 premises (homes and businesses) in Staffordshire (England) to be put within reach of a superfast broadband network (out of 80,937 contracted under the Phase 1 + 2 deals for superfast speeds).

The above figure rises to more than 477,000 when combined with commercial roll-outs by private sector businesses (e.g. Openreach and Virgin Media) and take-up in related BDUK areas has recently increased to 39.7% (June 2017). All of this has been funded by an investment of around 32 million (8.06m from local councils, 9.12m from BDUK and 14.77m from BT).

Mark Winnington, Council Leader for Economic Growth, said: Reaching this important milestone in the run-up to Christmas and ahead of the Governments national target date is a terrific achievement and shows our commitment to make this important technology available to as many parts of Staffordshire as quickly as possible. Were using a combination of technologies and co-funding solutions to ensure even residents and businesses in the smallest, most remote parts of our county have access to this essential technology.

Steve Haines, Openreachs MD for NGA, said: The broadband landscape across Staffordshire has been transformed in recent years so that the great majority of households and businesses can now get superfast speeds. And we are most certainly not stopping there. Were committed to going further with superfast and ultrafast broadband. Increasingly high-speed broadband is no longer a nice to have  it is a must have. Reaching this important milestone at this busy time of the year is particularly good news for people wanting to use the internet more than usual for online shopping and click and collect services.

As usual its important to point out that the 95% figure (this is up from 70% in 2013) is an estimate and real-world experiences can still differ due to various reasons, such as slow wifi, poor home wiring, local cabinets being full to capacity and general network congestion etc. In addition, the upgrade is not automatic and you have to order the faster service in order to benefit.

A quick look at Thinkbroadbands most recent projection, which tends to take a more cautious approach in its data analysis (we like that), puts the figure slightly lower on 94.06%. This is roughly in keeping with other BDUK projections that tend to be roughly 1 percentage point ahead of TBBs estimates. We believe that, using the Governments more optimistic gauge, the national UK coverage target of 95% has also now been hit.

However the work in Staffordshire does not stop at 95% and a 1.7m extension deal, which was signed in June 2017, has already confirmed that the next superfast target is 96%+ coverage by the end of 2018 (here). The first premises to benefit under this additional deployment will go live from next Summer 2018 and the existing rollout is also still on-going.

UPDATE:

The Superfast Staffordshire team have noted to us in the comments that the 94.06% TBB superfast coverage figure refers to Staffordshire only and does not incorporate the City of Stoke, but you do get to a little over 95% once stoke is factored into the data.
Tuesday, Dec 5th, 2017 (8:22 am) - Score 6,985

The BBC has announced that their video streaming iPlayer service will, from Sunday 10th December 2017, release the full TV series of Blue Planet II in 4K (UltraHD) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) video quality as part of an initial trial. But youll need a good broadband connection and the right kit to view it.

Avid readers will recall that the BBC has tested 4K and HDR content on their iPlayer service before, albeit only with a brief teaser clip at the end of last year from the related TV series of Planet Earth II (here). The original test was also only available to TVs that supported the BBCs own HDR standard (HLG  Hybrid Log-Gamma), which could be found on certain 4K displays from Hisense, LG, Panasonic, Philips and several brands by Vestel.

Today 4K and HLG supporting devices are much more common, which means that the latest 4K trial will find its way to around 400 TV models, as well as Rokus 4K Streaming Stick+ and the Sky Q platform (although streaming on Sky wont support HDR). Sadly neither Apple nor Amazons latest streaming boxes are able to offer compatible iPlayer apps, while Sonys latest ZD9 and A1 TV sets will also be excluded.

NOTE: Netflix and Amazon use different technologies for HDR (HDR10 and Dolby Vision).

Broadband Speed

The next most obvious question to answer is, how fast does your broadband connection need to be in order to stream the new content? Unfortunately the BBC still hasnt given us a clear answer on that, which is perhaps because the technology is still in a state of active development. Nevertheless we can try to take a quick stab at figuring it out.

At present the BBC iPlayer service recommends a download speed of just 2.8Mbps (Megabits per second) for their HD video streams, which falls to 1.5Mbps for standard quality. This is roughly in keeping with other platforms, although Netflix and YouTube do tend to suggest up to around 5Mbps for their best 1080p HD quality (1920 x 1080 pixels). Experiences will of course vary, depending upon the video content and connection.

The huge quality increase with 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) tends to push this up and Netflix recommends a speed of 25Mbps (Amazon is the same, although YouTube suggests 15Mbps). In practice the use of pre-caching and the dynamic nature of video bit rates mean that a 15Mbps connection might still offer a fairly smooth experience (i.e. less complicated scenes may only need 5Mbps and others could ramp to 30Mbps+). Wed say this is a reasonable expectation for the BBC too.

The big unknown here is how much extra strain their HDR content will put on those figures, although weve seen some people with a 15-20Mbps connection managing to play last years 4K + HDR test just fine and so the above is probably still a fair assumption. Lest we forget that the codecs are always improving and over time speed requirements for 4K video streaming will come down.

Just to put this in some extra perspective, a 1 hour episode running in 4K could potentially gobble around 7-11GB (GigaBytes) of data on a 25Mbps requirement. Ive given a variable figure because the Bitrate of the video stream will fluctuate depending upon the content being displayed and any change in your own connection (quality may automatically reduce if your speed drops), thus its always difficult to be precise.

Matthew Postgate, BBC Chief Technology and Product Officer, said: The extra quality that Ultra HD, HDR and the wider range of colours brings to audiences is unparalleled. Blue Planet II is the first programme weve shown in such high quality and perfectly demonstrates how the BBC is pushing the boundaries of digital innovation. Making the full series available in Ultra HD and HDR on BBC iPlayer is the next step in reinventing the BBC for a new generation, and theres not a better place to start than with the stunning Blue Planet II.

The series is due to be released to iPlayer immediately after the final episode of Blue Planet II is broadcast on BBC One this coming Sunday. Sadly we dont have any HDR supporting kit in-house to test the performance, but if anybody out there does then please try to track how much speed the stream requires and report back.

At present around half of the active broadband connections in the UK should be running off a service that is fast enough to support 4K streaming and its estimated that similar 25Mbps capable connectivity is available to order by 94%+ of premises. However, in the real-world there are often complications that can disrupt such connectivity, such as slow WiFi, poor home wiring, full to capacity street cabinets, network congestion and so forth.

Some readers may also be concerned about the new content putting a strain on broadband ISPs, which can in extreme cases result in network congestion that may impact service performance. Most of the time ISPs are able to adapt to such increases in demand and since the bulk of people will have already watched the TV series then this may help keep real-world use manageable.

UPDATE 10:23am

Weve managed to get a few more details from the BBC. Apparently Blue Planet 2 on iPlayer will run at 25fps via DVB-DASH adaptive bitrate streaming and HEVC (Main 10 Profile, Level 5.1) compression, primarily because it supports the 10-bit data path required for the HDR television signal.

The BBC said that the highest HD quality they currently deliver on iPlayer is 1280720 at 50 fps (720p/50) at around 5Mbps. By using HEVC, they can increase the resolution to 1600900, and add both wide colour gamut and HDR for the same bitrate (note: this isnt yet at 4K quality, but see below).

A table produced by the broadcaster for their 4K test states that the top quality will require a speed of about 22.7Mbps. So even if you have broadband below 20Mbps your UHD TV should still be able to get better resolution, wide colour gamut and HLG high dynamic range, said the BBCs Principal Technologist, Andrew Cotton.

Using this technology an ordinary Full HD stream on iPlayer with HDR enabled (1920 x 1080 pixels) would require a connection speed of around 7Mbps. Remember real-time video bit rates will vary a lot, so you wont always need the top speed.

We should add that when the BBC encodes an episode they create up to 11 different versions at different image resolutions, which means they can target different bandwidth internet connections (from 480 x 270 and up to 3840 x 2160 pixels). They also include stereo audio encoded as AAC-LC at 128 kbit/s.

Some further details have now been made available here about supported devices.
One in five kids under the age of 12 already have their own smartphones, according to a new report which found the youngsters use their phones to stay in touch, particularly those starting high school, and for when they are getting to and from school alone.

According to research by comparison website finder.com.au, the main reason these children own a smartphone is thanks to their parents having a spare one lying around, with hand-me-downs common among families.

Parents being able to contact their child as needed was the next most common reason, finder.com,au notes, citing statistics that 290,000 kids will start high school in 2018, many with their own smartphones.

The survey covered 2005 parents and with less than three weeks until Christmas, Alex Kidman, tech expert at finder.com.au, says he suspects many parents would be considering smartphones as gifts for their children  but he advises parents to take time and prepare themselves before taking the plunge.

Over 290,000 children will start high school in 2018. If a phone is on the back-to-school list, some families might consider adding it to the Christmas present list, he says.

It can be a mixed blessing. Your children are easier to reach, it's true. But giving your child a smartphone can open the door to many problems such as sky high bills or online risks.

Its important that children have a good balance between screen time and other activities. The last thing you want to do is distract them from homework or just being kids.

While kids who travel to and from school by themselves is a leading factor for kids having a device, this is closely followed by children who started high school  and one in ten (10%) got a phone because they kept pestering their parents.

Kidman also advises parents to stick to prepaid SIMs and budget or second-hand phones.

If it is a Christmas present, you dont have to fork out over $1,000 for a new iPhone.

Just like your parents gave you a bomb of a first car, do the same with smartphones  there are plenty of budget phones out there that wont break the bank.

Or consider giving an old fashioned mobile phone without Internet instead to see if they can do without a smartphone for as long as possible.

Kidman cites a separate finder.com.au survey conducted earlier this year which showed that 44% of Aussies think 13 to 15 is the best age to get a phone.

And, research reveals that a further 24% believe kids are ripe for their first phone between 10 and 12, while over a quarter (28%) think kids should wait till they are 16 to 18.

Proferring his advice that smartphones won't break the bank, Kidman suggests a range of cheap phones:
Anthony James joins the company as chief marketing officer, Tim Scott as head of strategic engagements, and Rob Vass as business development manager.

"The successful listing of Ixup [in November 2017] concluded the prologue of the Ixup story. We are now executing and it's an exhilarating time to be building what, we believe, will become the global standard in data collaboration," said executive chairman Tim Ebbeck.

"We are actively attracting great talent to the team to bring that belief to life.

"IXUP is a globally significant technology and having awesome people to drive growth and revenues is vital to our success. That's why I'm so excited to welcome Anthony, Tim and Rob to IXUP."

James joins the company from Trinity Consulting Services where he was head of strategy, innovation and growth.

He previously held senior roles at DDB Group, Sample Central, Creata, Fujitsu and Zivo. Earlier in his career James worked for IBM and CSC.

He holds degrees in computer science and business, both from UTS.

Head of strategic engagement Tim Scott will join Ixup in January from consulting firm Versent where he is business development manager. He previously held a variety of sales-related positions at Oracle, IBM, and SAP.

Scott holds a degree in business from UTS.

Business development manager Rob Vaas joins IXUP from Turning Point Solutions where he was group general manager, responsible for the business operations across Australia, Asia and the UK.
A survey of retailers released on the day online giant Amazon made its Australian debut claims that 95% of Australian online retailers plan to sell using the company's Australian platform in the next 12 months.

Retail and wholesale management platform provider Neto said that within that percentage, 18% were forecasting that three-quarters of their sales in 2018 would come from Amazon and other online marketplaces.

After months of speculation, Amazon finally announced on Tuesday that it would begin trading in Australia.

The Neto survey covered 200 retailers and was done in the three days prior to Amazon's launch; it queried retailers as to whether they intended to sell on Amazon or other online marketplaces this year.

A statement from Neto said the results indicated that online marketplaces had become a key factor in Australian retailers growth plans, with 39% of retailers saying they would sell in as many marketplaces as possible in 2018.

The reason most commonly cited was the reach and popularity of marketplaces to "put them in front of more potential customers".

The survey found that retailers were also optimistic about how much sales would come through online marketplaces. While 18% predicted more than 75% of sales would come from Amazon and other online marketplaces next year, 50% still predicted between 5% and 25% would come from Amazon and other marketplaces over the next 12 months.

Ive been consistent in my view that Amazon and online marketplaces are a strategic opportunity for retailers, said Neto founder and chief executive Ryan Murtagh.

The marketing machine that is Amazon and the quality of customer experience that Australian online shoppers will now demand and expect, is a great outcome for every retailer selling online. There is a huge amount of growth coming for Australian eCommerce and every retailer savvy enough to embrace the power of online and marketplaces such as Amazon will get a share of that growth.

Commenting on Amazon's launch, Forrester analyst Zhi Ying Ng said incumbent Australian retailers would now face stiff competition, and be forced to offer customers more variety at competitive prices, and potentially same-day delivery at no cost.

"(They) will also be under immense pressure to accelerate existing digital initiatives, especially around smarter use of data and analytics in order to personalise products, services and experiences to customers," Ng said. "Most will start by improving their website's user experience to make it easier to navigate, and move on to improve supply chain and delivery capabilities."

But, she added, it would not be all clear skies ahead for Amazon. "(It) still faces a number of challenges, including logistical challenges. Australia is a vast country and its population is spread over a large area.

"To reach Australian consumers who live outside the metro area in the country without having to pass on extra delivery costs and without delivery delay will be Amazon's challenge. Local players with strong and established delivery networks and capabilities could potentially blunt the disruption that Amazon may cause."

Ng said Australia had not seen many digital disruptors in its retail market, and as a result the retail sector was now ripe for disruption.

James Chin Moody, the co-founder and chief executive of parcel courier service Sendle, said: "We cannot ignore that this is a new era for online retail in Australia. Amazon brings both opportunities and threats for Australian small business.

"On one hand, more people than ever will be shopping online. On the other, small business will need to come to terms with the challenge of making shipping simple, reliable and affordable. Sendles role is to help small business thrive and we stand ready to be the champion of small business logistics in Australia."
The NBN Co will have to continue maintaining the Telstra HFC cable network even if the condition of the cable network makes it impossible to be used for the national broadband network.

This is one of the conditions of the deal which NBN Co signed with Telstra for use of its HFC network, the Australian Financial Review reported.

NBN Co is paying Telstra $5 billion in infrastructure payments, $4 billion in disconnection payments and $2 billion in Commonwealth agreements for the HFC network.

Current network issues have led to the NBN Co postponing connections on the HFC network for anything from six to nine months.

And if it comes to HFC being ditched altogether, it will be a further black mark for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as he was the one who championed the idea of using cable to get the NBN project over with faster.

At the moment, the Telstra HFC network is used by NBN Co, Foxtel and Telstra itself. The NBN signal travels at a low frequency, the other two at higher frequencies. Apparently, at lower frequencies the signal does not travel all that well.

The AFR said that NBN Co had confirmed that it was contractually bound to maintain the Telstra HFC network for as long as the telco wanted to use it for transmitting pay TV.

Turnbull was so much in favour of HFC that he renegotiated the agreements Labor had made with both Telstra and Optus to jettison their HFC networks in favour of the fibre NBN that the party championed.

The report said that there had been a bid within the NBN Co to minimise the use of HFC because some signals from Foxtel channels were causing interference with NBN broadband data transmissions.

As iTWire has already reported, Labor shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland has questioned why the decision to postpone HFC connections took place last month when there were indications two years of technical issues in using HFC for NBN connections.
Noting the lack of an iPhone X model in October hurting iOS market share on nearly a global basis, Kantar also points to "Chinese challengers" being "squeezed out in home market".

The latest smartphone OS data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reveals that "in the three months ending October 2017, iOS share fell in key markets, making clear the impact of the flagship iPhone X not being available to buy in the month of October".

"And, as Windows continued to drop in share, Android was able to gain 4.3 percentage points in the big five European markets, 8.2% in the USA, and 7.5% in Japan. Urban China remained a bright spot for Apple, with its share edging up 0.5% in the latest three months to reach 17.4%."

Normally Tamsin Timpson, who looks after Kantar in Asia, has sent through good detail on the Australian stats, but in the absence of that, for the time being, we can see Android gaining 4.6% market share in Australia to 60.3%, while Apple fell 0.2% from 39.3% market share at the corresponding time last year to 39.1% as of Kantar's survey period.

Larger falls were seen in other markets, as can be seen in Kantar's chart below, and Kantar has an explanation as to why it might be happening.

Naturally, we'll have to see what the market share figures are like once stats including the iPhone X sales period are made public in about three months time from Kantar, but Dominic Sunnebo, Global Business Unit director for Kantar, said: "It was somewhat inevitable that Apple would see volume share fall once we had a full comparative month of sales taking into account the non-flagship iPhone 8 vs. the flagship iPhone 7 from 2016.

This decrease is significant and puts pressure on the iPhone X to perform. Considering the complete overhaul that the iPhone X offers, consumers may be postponing their purchase decisions until they can test the iPhone X and decide whether the higher price, compared to the iPhone 8, is worth the premium to them.

As of October 2017, 35.3% of Apples installed base customers across Europe and the US had owned their iPhones for more than two years  up from 30.1% a year earlier and signifying considerable pent-up demand within Apples base. In pure value terms, it is likely the iPhone X average selling price will more than make up for a dip in sales of older iPhone models.

And what about China?

"Urban China, a market once overrun with new challengers, is maturing," we're told, "with the top five players all posting strong growth and the long tail of challenger brands falling away rapidly. In the three months ending in October 2017, the top five brands  Huawei, Xiaomo, Apple, Vivo, and Oppo  made up 91% of sales, compared to 79% a year earlier.

Chinese brands like Meizu, LeTV, Coolpad, ZTE, and Lenovo were once on the same trajectory as like like of Xiaomi, but any momentum they once had has abruptly stopped, with many struggling to get past a 1% share.

Samsungs performance in China continues to deteriorate, with its share now down to just 2.2% of that market."

Here's Kantar's chart  please turn phone horizonal if viewing on mobile to see the full image:
Technical experts who have closely followed the rollout of the NBN say Telstra's HFC network will need considerable work done on it to meet the needs of NBN customers.

Last week, NBN Co, the company rolling out the national broadband network, said that network issues would mean a delay in HFC connections of anything from six to nine months.

Dermot Cox, an HFC expert and business consultant, told iTWire the HFC platform was fine, but "running out of capacity, yes. In need of field workforce training, yes; in need of robust NBN Co workforce craft practices, yes".

"My observation is that NBN Co's engineering needs time to catch up, increase the bandwidth from 750MHz to 862MHz, finalise plans to deploy new cable modems and turn on DOCSIS 3.1 early in 2018," he said.

"They need to update some HFC amplifiers and do node splits (reduce the customers in a node-serving area) in those areas of hot demand: again, normal everyday events for a network operator, but for NBN Co they have to move much faster than Telstra ever did"

Cox said because massive new connections had been connected recently, NBN Co had to use the bottom end of the bandwidth spectrum. "...this low end spectrum is susceptible to noise', and so caused some cable modems to reset. This is no different to other broadband technologies."

He said that as far as he was concerned, the key insight in NBN Co's announcement was the reference to customer experience. "Anecdotally, it hasnt been as smooth as say how Foxtel or Telstra delivered new Pay TV or cable broadband services to its customers via their construction partners; across the same platform," he explained.

Damien Ivereigh, chief executive of Tasmanian ISP Launtel, said his understanding was that there were multiple issues. "Some are physical connectivity (poor cables, bad joints etc). However, the biggest issue seems to be that the bandwidth that has been allocated to NBN Co to avoid the existing Telstra Foxtel services has turned out to be less capable than expected. The HFC is a bit like the copper PSTN services there is a 'co-existence' period where the NBN has to 'share' the bandwidth with Foxtel until the Foxtel services are turned off.

"Whether they already have some technical solution to this problem or it's a 'go back to the drawing board' moment to come up with one, I am unclear. Given that the issue seem to be a transition one, rather than a long-term one, I have no reason to believe that NBN Co will end up scrapping (use of) the HFC altogether. Indeed, there are enormous political pressures on NBN Co and the government not to scrap it. (Prime Minister) Malcolm Turnbull extolled the virtues of using the HFC network on numerous occasions."

As iTWire reported on Tuesday, Turnbull was the one who championed the idea of using cable to get the NBN project completed faster.

Mark Gregory, an associate professor in the School of Engineering at RMIT University, said the problem had arisen because there was a mismatch between older equipment in the HFC network and the new ARRIS equipment.

"NBN Co has rushed to add customers before completing the upgrade to the new equipment and adding DOCSIS 3.1, hence many of the issues. The Telstra network should be able to be used when the upgrade is completed, not before," he said.

"The Telstra Foxtel cable network was built to have about a 30% connection rate in the suburbs where it was rolled out. The cable was not connected to multi-dwelling unit buildings (apartments) and some streets and cul-de-sacs were bypassed. The Telstra/Foxtel HFC deal means that Foxtel retains access to the HFC and this limits the frequency bands available for NBN traffic."

Gregory was of the opinion that the HFC network should have had remediation work carried out prior to being used to connect consumers to the NBN. "The NBN is anticipated to have about 70% to 80% connection rate in a suburb, which requires the HFC network to be rebuilt with more fibre, nodes and coaxial cables," he pointed out.

"To provide the capacity needed for this connection rate, the upgrade to DOCSIS 3.1 is required and the equipment for this upgrade is not expected to become available to NBN Co until Q2 2018."

He said the figures provided by NBN Co were "designed to be difficult to understand", and it was "the ongoing secrecy and lack of transparency that should be of concern to consumers".

While the NBN Co chief executive Bill Morrow has pledged that the six-to-nine-month HFC delay would not have an impact on the 2020 deadline for completion of the network, Gregory said this was unlikely.

"The overall effect of the delay is to push back the earnings from HFC connections and potentially cause NBN Co to miss the 2020 deadline for completion," he said.

"It is highly unlikely that the NBN will be completed in 2020. NBN Co has previously reported the cost for remediation work and the DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade so the key outcome of the delay is that NBN Co's revenue forecasts for 2018 to 2021 are now inaccurate as the HFC connection revenue will be frozen at its current level until new connections occur in Q2 2018," he said.

Gregory, who has been a critic of the multi-technology technology mix which was introduced by the Coalition Government in 2013, said the HFC network could have had remediation work completed so that consumers without reasonable broadband in HFC areas could be connected as an interim solution while fibre-to-the-premises was rolled out elsewhere.

"At the point the FttP rollout was completed outside the HFC areas, the HFC network should be replaced with FttP utilising an aerial/underground build approach," he added.

Rod Tucker, Laureate Emeritus Professor at the University of Melbourne and a member of Labor's Expert Panel that advised on the NBN, said while NBN Co had not provided a detailed technical explanation for the delay, it seemed that the root cause was the need to juggle allocation of RF spectrum on the coaxial cable part of the network.

"This has been necessary because Foxtel continues to use part of the RF spectrum for their pay TV services. As a consequence, NBN Co was forced to use a previously untested portion of the spectrum," he said. "Unfortunately, it appears that some coaxial connectors and even some amplifiers have not behaved as expected in this previously untested regime.

Tucker said it was surprising that NBN Co did not see this problem coming. "It seems likely that NBN Co didnt thoroughly test their HFC technology system before installing it in the field. And it is even more surprising that it took so long for the company to admit that they had a problem," he said. "The fact that they are talking about a six-to-nine-month delay underlines the fact that the problem is serious and potentially expensive."

But he expressed "reasonable" confidence that NBN Co would be able to fix the problem and eventually deliver a DOCSIS 3.1 service that operated as it should. "But at what cost?" he asked. "In hindsight, and taking into account the money wasted when the Optus HFC network was ditched, it may well have been cheaper in the long run for NBN Co to not use HFC in the multi-technology mix."

Robin Eckermann, an adjunct professor at Canberra University and one of the people behind the TransACT network, said he had interpreted the delay as relating to the need to "tighten up" on certain engineering aspects of Telstra's HFC network to assure its performance  "most likely relating to minimising exposure to noise ingress".

"Noise ingress and the shared nature of the capacity were two major considerations when we were confronted with the choice between HFC and FttK/VDSL for implementing TransACT's vision of an open, advanced full-service network back in 1996," he said. "Coax cable has a finite capacity that is shared among all users  so a major determinant of performance potential is the number of users on each coax segment.

"Because the HFC networks were engineered first and foremost for broadcast video delivery, maximum cost-efficiency was achieved by engineering large serving areas, with amplifiers boosting the signals over longer distances. However, coax also works like a giant antenna, picking up interference in the area - and amplifiers boost both the signal and the noise. This sets practical limits on segment length and hence the maximum number of users that could be served from one HFC node."

Eckermann did not anticipate fundamental problems that would undermine NBN Co's intentions to use HFC as one of its delivery technologies  "though installing lead-ins to homes that have never been connected is an additional cost that doesn't generally apply when re-using Telstra's copper in FttN or FttK areas".
Enterprise CIOs are gobbling up a vast buffet of advanced cloud services in the post-pandemic era.

In the aftermath of that unprecedented time, the cloud has evolved from a single-purpose compute and storage IaaS that saved business from global collapse into a far more complex platform capable of supporting a new class of advanced applications and dubbed by CIOs as the next-generation engine of innovation.

Historically, the cloud has been deployed by organizations in a tactical manner, such as through data center consolidation. However, organizations of today view cloud as a highly strategic platform for their digital transformation needs, says Sid Nag, a vice president and analyst at Gartner, noting that the cloud is now the foundation to all digital transformations.

In this post-pandemic era, CIOs, CTOs, and data scientists have tapped into so many layers of the cloud that its clear no three-point checklist will convey the abundance of business benefits gained. Following are several examples of how companies from a range of industries are making the most of the cloud today.

McDermott cloud platform fuels new revenue streams

When a giant contractor of offshore oil rigs and liquid natural gas (LNG) facilities invests heavily in building sustainable, low carbon-footprint structures and products, its a sea change.

For oil rig constructor McDermott International, that transformation has been fueled by its adoption of the cloud, where massive data and analytics services have not only enabled the company to build its rigs and LNGs more sustainably and efficiently, they have enabled McDermott to productize these blueprint for partners, adding new business opportunities for the company.

These were products built for internal use but now software customers are asking for it so that has become a revenue stream for us, says McDermott CIO Vagesh Dave, noting this internal shift to sustainability is enabling his customers to move away from gasoline. Now, when engineers are designing an oil platform or LNG facility, they can actually pick one with lower carbon content.

Dave says IT advancements in the cloud and related services have transformed McDermott  and its industry  into innovation engines. Moreover, analytics on McDermotts cloud-based data platform provide the company with key insights about business trends and real-time shifts in its supply chain.

Suppose were looking at a large shipment from Italy, and youre looking at supply chain dependencies, the data predicts there may be a spike there, Dave says, adding that this information is very valuable to McDermotts customers.

McDermott is also using AI and visual analytics to detect incorrect configurations or defects in its designs, and it is training AI models to analyze bids from suppliers according to pre-set conditions. Such automations could provide McDermott a significant productivity boost, Dave says.

Liberty Mutual expedites data science in the cloud

Liberty Mutual is one of the most advanced cloud adopters in the US. And that is in no small part thanks to the vision of CIO James McGlennon, who has built a robust hybrid cloud infrastructure primarily on Amazon Web Services but with specific uses of Microsoft Azure and, lesser so, Google Cloud Platform.

Liberty Mutuals cloud infrastructure runs an array of business applications and analytics dashboards that yield real-time insights and predictions, as well as machine learning models that streamline claims processing. In fact, 60% of the insurers global workloads run in the cloud, delivering significant savings in hardware and software purchasing, but the big benefit comes in the form of business insights from analytics that are immeasurable, McGlennon says.

Liberty Mutuals data scientists employ Tableau and Python extensively to deploy models into production. To expedite this, the insurers technical team built an API pipeline, called Runway, that packages models and deploys them as Python, as opposed to requiring the companys data scientists to go back and rebuild them in Java or another language, McGlennon says.

Its really critical that we can deploy models quickly without having to rebuild them in another platform or language, he adds. And to be able to track the effectiveness of those machine learning models such that we can retrain them should the data sets change as they often do.

The insurer uses, for example, Amazon Sage Maker as well as Python to build machine learning models. Liberty Mutuals IT team has also created a set of components called Cortex to enable its data scientists to instantiate the workstations they need to build a new model so the data scientist doesnt have to worry about how to build out the infrastructure to start the modeling process, McGlennon says.

With Cortex, Liberty Mutuals data scientists can simply set their technical and data-set requirements, and a modeling workstation will be created on AWS with the right data and tools in an appropriately sized GPU environment, McGlennon explains, adding that he is also focused on technologies that will define the next generation of cloud-based applications, including IoT devices and sensors that, in conjunction with the insurers cloud-based computer vision models, could help generate more data for its clients insurance claims.

Koch Industries embraces multicloud networking

Integrating a new network after an acquisition can be a sizable headache for any CIO. But for Koch Industries, a $125 billion global conglomerate that has acquired five companies in two years, connecting those acquisitions networks to its own sprawling network has been a challenge of another magnitude.

Traditionally, to integrate its acquisitions, Koch would flatten the acquired companys core network, says Matt Hoag, CTO of business solutions at Koch. While this approach makes connecting the network easier, it is a slow, arduous endeavor that gets more complex as more companies are acquired, he says.

Cloud deployments typically come in the form of multiple accounts, including multiple LAN segments that need to be connected. This encompasses not only VMs but also many other services offered by the cloud provider, he says.

The major tasks involved range from deploying core IP routing, to enabling connections among virtual workloads within a multitenant cloud, to connecting multiple clouds, to ensuring remote users can connect to the companys cloud estate. Its the kind of challenge few, if any, enterprises can take on without a partner today.

Hoag brought in partner Alkira to help tackle the challenge, as using a third-party platform to handle the abstraction of networking into a software service would vastly reduce the complexity for his own IT team, he says.

Hybrid and multicloud networking, such as Kochs, represents the next level of cloud maturity, says IDC analyst Brad Casemore, who adds that its a category in which most enterprises are woefully behind. While compute and storage infrastructure have largely aligned with cloud principles and the needs of multicloud environments, Casemore says, the network has not kept pace. 

Theres little doubt, however, that hybrid, multicloud networking represents the next level of cloud maturity, says Casemore, who adds that its a category in which most enterprises are still behind but will likely evolve to as the digital infrastructures of enterprises mature.

National Grid taps cloud to become intelligence connected utility

The cloud is one of the core ingredients driving National Grids digitization efforts, which Global CIO Adriana Andi Karaboutis equates to the energy giants core goal: To build the intelligent connected utility.

Karaboutis is the chief architect of the $20 billion British multinationals digital transformation in the UK as well as in New York and New England. She is also working with two governments to shore up cybersecurity of several NATO power grids.

Its one of the most stressful, but challenging jobs, securing and transforming critical national infrastructure, says Karaboutis, who is excited to be a player not only in securing grids against cyberattacks but also in transforming the global energy grid in an era of epic technological advancements to slow climate change.

And the cloud is critical to accomplishing these goals, she says. National Grid is a big Microsoft Azure cloud customer making extensive use of the companys advanced data analytics, cybersecurity, and AI tools.

For instance, National Grid is applying Microsoft machine learning (ML) algorithms to optimize its vegetation management effort to prune plans as part of project Copperleaf to prevent fires and other catastrophes. It is also using geospatial technologies in concert with Azure artificial intelligence to make the right decisions about how to maintain undersea cables and to make routing and investment decisions, she says.

The utility is also exploring ways to deploy ML algorithms to better manage electricity outages that still occur during power surges, such as during commercial breaks from the World Cup or royal weddings.

Not all data will be migrated off premises  just the data that makes sense running in the cloud, she says.

I call it cloud density in the right way, Karaboutis adds. All of our investments are about value. And in so many cases, its not pure ROI and cost savings but its removing hidden costs and shared costs of managing technical debt, like not having to do upgrades. Its about increased security to the state. Its about capacity management and resiliency. All of that together is how were measuring the value of going to the cloud.
VMware today released a new version of its NSX virtual networking software that aims to make it easier to manage network requirements of cloud-native and application-container-based applications.

The move represents the latest example of a network vendor evolving its automation tooling to operate in not just traditional data center and campus networks, but increasingly in cloud environments that cater to a faster-pace of application development.

+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: What SDN is and where its going +

VMware has two separate versions of its software-defined networking (SDN) software. The more popular and widely-used version named NSX integrates with VMwares vSphere virtualization management software and the companys popular ESXi compute hypervisor.

In 2016 VMware announced another version named NSX-T, which supports hypervisors other than ESXi, including the Kernel Virtual Machine (KVM). Its meant to run in public and private cloud environments and in recent months VMware has extended NSX-T to support application container networking too.

This week, at Pivotals SpringOne Platform conference in San Francisco, VMware is announcing NSX-T 2.1, which supports Pivotals Cloud Foundry platform as a service  a container-based application-development platform.

Cloud environments, and particularly those that that use application containers, present unique challenges from a networking perspective says IDC data center networking research director Brad Casemore. Application containers  which developers use to package applications into modular components  have very short life spans compared to virtual machines. They sometimes run for mere seconds at a time, compared to virtual machines that can be live indefinitely. There are typically a large number of containers that make up a microservices-based application; dozens of containers can run in a single virtual machine, for example.

Its not just about the network architecture and topology supporting container runtimes. Operationally theres an even greater impetus for more extensive automation, Casemore says. If youve got an environment thats that vibrant, that subject to change, with processes starting up and ending, processed in a distributed microservices environment, you cant be doing things manually.

Cisco, Juniper also manage container networking

There is a broad market of container management platforms, Casemore says. Cisco, for example, recently rolled out support for containers and container managers, including Kubernetes, Docker Data Center and Mesos in the 3.0 release of its Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) SDN. Juniper supports containers with its Contrail SDN, Nuage supports them with its VSP, and there are a variety of startups such as Tigera and Weaveworks that also aim to solve container networking issues.

VMware group product marketing manager Matt De Vincentis says many container runtime platforms such as Docker, Pivotals CF, Red Hats OpenShift and even the open source Kubernetes software include basic inter-container network functionality. He says using a platform like NSX-T makes it easier to manage containers at scale and integrate them with other network services such as firewalls and load balancers.

Meanwhile, container adoption is nascent, but growing quickly. According to a 2016 Voice of the Enterprise survey by 451 Research, only 25% of respondents were using containers and of those only 34% described their usage of the technology as broad. As organizations more fully embrace application containers and start running them in production, Casemore believes organizations will begin realizing pain points of managing their network requirements.
Celebration was in the air at Timrod Library's Big Book Sale on Nov. 5 that featured raffles, bake sales, Summerville Bugs-in-a-Rug demonstrations, servings of casserole, okra soup and decorative goods provided by Hanahan Sweetgrass Basket Weavers. Proceeds from the special deals on hundreds Read moreBrimming with books!: Timrod Library's Fall Book Festival reels in bibliophiles and history buffs
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

A public opinion poll on German foreign policy carried out by the Koerber Foundation for its annual Berlin Forum has a bombshell finding:

Germans are more disturbed about Trump and see relations with him as a bigger challenge than relations with North Korea, Russia, or than the Syrian Civil War. Only immigration is seen as a slightly more difficult challenge by Germans than dealing with The Orange One. Coming just after Trump in the degree of challenge he represents to Germany is Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan.

When asked which country was most or second most important to Germany, nearly two thirds or 63% said France.

The US came trailing after with only a plurality at 43%.

Emmanuel Macron is more important to Germans than Trump, and seen in a positive light while Trump is seen as an obstacle at an obstacle course.

But even more striking, the Germans are so over the British, who are pulling out of the European Union. Germans think Russia (11%) and China (7%) are both more important to their nation than Britain (6%).

Not only is France more important than the US in the eyes of these German respondents, but 90% want *more* cooperation with France. 78% want more cooperation with *Russia*. (So the Germans are just like Trump himself?) And 69% want more cooperation with China.

Only 61% want more cooperation with the United States under Trump, and fully 34% actively want *less* cooperation with Washington.

Its official. Trump is the skunk at the party.

52% of Germans think the relationship between the US and Germany is somewhat bad.

Remember I said that Erdogan comes second after Trump as a challenge for Germany? Well, some 74% want to end accession talks about Turkey joining the European Union. They want to end any special relationship with Ankara over the way Erdogan has been behaving. And remember, they find Trump more of a challenge than they do Erdogan.

Germans overwhelmingly see their security future as entangled with a joint European Union security force; only 9% see it as connected to the United States. If Trump was trying to make NATO hated in Europe, he appears to have succeeded.

Germans dont want a big foreign policy role. But they do think they have a role to play in the Middle East.

The most important conflict where people think Germany should be actively promoting a resolution is ISIL (46%). But 21% want to help resolve the outstanding issues in the Syrian civil war, and 15% want to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Via

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Related video added by Juan Cole:

German police use water cannons on political protesters
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Congratulations!

After months of planning, you are now a proud parent. Starting today the rest of your life will change. No longer will you worry about getting reservations at the in restaurant.  or any restaurant. Nope. You wont have time. Nor will you have energy. Both will get zapped, and that is okay.

Instead, you will be figuring out breastfeeding, bottle feeding, sleep schedules, diaper changes, educational and interesting toys for a baby that just stares. And all of this is okay. In fact, it is better than okay, it is great! You are now on the next stage of your journey.

As this journey begins, you may feel overwhelmed. Not just physically and emotionally, but also financially. Questions such as Do I need to set up a 529 college plan now? or What about life insurance? pop in and out of your head. No one wants to think about this stuff when you bring a child home, but you have to. While the 529 may not be urgent, having life and disability insurance is if you are not financially independent.

Parent finances

So today we will discuss a few things to get your financial house in order and discuss parent finances, because at the end of the day the nursery is important, but so is the bank statement. So here are a few financial steps to consider as you become a parent.

If this is the first time you are thinking about your finances, dont fret. I suspect you are not alone. My plan below follows steps that are different than if you did not have kids, but despite the order, all steps are applicable to either kid full or kidless people.

Life insurance

This is probably the most important thing you can do on day 1 of having your child if you are the breadwinner. In reality, you should have done it when you found out you were having a kid. Why?

A term-life insurance policy will protect your family from financial disaster if you die (and are the breadwinner). Term-life insurance will pay out a fixed amount from as low as $50,000 (probably even lower) to millions of dollars if you die. My term-life policies near $3 million in fact. That is the life insurance part of it.

Term means that it is a contract/insurance policy for a set amount of time. Typically people purchase term-life insurance until they are 65 years old. By then most children are grown and no longer depending on their parents for financial support. Additionally, most people are retired by then or at least drawing Social Security.

Term-life insurance should not be confused with whole life insurance. Chances are you do not need a whole life insurance policy and definitely not until you have figured out some other financial matters. If someone is trying to sell you a whole life policy, thank them and walk away. You do not need it at this point in your financial planning. Sam talks about whole life in the comments of How much life insurance do I really need and the White Coat Investor has written about it various times. We are not going to go through whole life insurance for this article, but I thought you should at least be warned.

How does term-life insurance work?

Well for a low monthly or annual fee (and they are typically quite reasonable), you are insured for a set amount (say $500,000). If you die, then your beneficiary (typically your spouse, your child, or a trust.) gets a lump sum of tax-free money. That money is theirs, and they can do with it as they please.

How much do you need?

Everyones situation is different. I personally have student loans in the six figures and a mortgage that is higher than that. My spouse is not currently employed as she is raising our son. If I die, she will be hit with a big loss of income and have at least the mortgage to pay down (thankfully my federal student loans will be forgiven). So I chose to get a policy in the millions. For your family, a few hundred thousand may be enough.

I would recommend calculating your debts and your post-tax monthly income. You should have at least enough to pay down your debts and likely at least 3 to 5 years worth of income. If your spouse has a job and earns a decent paycheck, then the income becomes less of an issue. Still, your death would likely lead to time off of work. All of this should be considered in your amount purchased.

So considering that term-life insurance is not too expensive, you should buy a policy until you are 65 years old or when you expect to be retired with the kids out of the house. You do not need a whole life insurance.

Disability insurance

Arguably as important as term-life insurance. I do not know if the chances of dying or having a permanent disability are higher, but you should be covered for both. Disability is a very real concern and can have a lifelong impact on your family.

It can happen to you!

You dont think it can happen to you? Well, dont be so confident. I have a very fit friend who was visiting Mexico with his wife and 6-month-old son. He was walking on the shoreline, barely in the water. His wife ran upstairs to change their childs diaper. In that short time, a big wave came and knocked him into the ocean. Bam. He was immediately paralyzed from the neck down; he could not move. Screaming for help every time he could and holding his breath as the waves came over him. Eventually, some bystanders heard him and pulled him into shore. To make a long story short, he was taken for surgery and now is no longer paralyzed. He is, however, out on disability and has been for a little over a year.

Did he think he would ever be taken out by a wave while standing 1 foot in the water? No way. Is he lucky he has disability? Really lucky. The point is that you have to insure for catastrophe.

How much disability insurance do you need?

This is also a personal decision. The insurance pays out tax-free. So for me in a high tax state like California, a policy that pays 60 percent of my income for disability would leave me with a take-home pay higher than my current salary (thanks to taxes). Most policies cover 50 to 65 percent though I am sure you can buy more if you want.

Own-occupation

You should get a disability insurance that is own-occupation. This indicates that if you are disabled (say as a pilot) that they will pay you because you can no longer be a pilot. Sure you can go get a desk job, but the disability insurance will still pay out. This becomes important for doctors particularly.

If you are a surgeon and you can no longer do surgery, you want to be considered disabled even if you can still work in a different high-paid position. There are policies out there that do not state own-occupation. If you are disabled from your primary job, the insurer may force you to take another type of job and not pay out the disability. This is a bad idea, consider the potential difference in take-home pay between your current job and another job you might be able to do, you should not buy these policies.

Disability insurance is more expensive than life insurance, but a necessary piece of the puzzle. Shop around, find an own-occupation policy, and determine if you need 50 to 65 percent of your income if you are disabled.

Wills and trusts

A bit more complicated, but something to consider, is setting up a will or living trust. There are many reasons to do this and Financial Samurai recently discussed some of the benefits to do so, so I wont go over the semantics in detail.

Why set up a will or trust?

For us, the main purpose was to lay down a plan for what will happen to our son if my wife and I die. Who should raise him? What do we want done with the money from our life insurance plans, retirement accounts, etc.? Should our son get them at age 18 or older. It lays down a guideline for his guardian.

Another reason to set up a trust is to avoid probate (this is not true with a will). As discussed in the benefits of a revocable living trust, probate can get expensive. Plus it ties up the funds until they have gone through the legal system. In some cases, this can take months.

I personally set up a trust using LegalZoom which turned out cheaper than using a lawyer. Do what is comfortable for you but consider this important step, particularly if you have numerous assets.

529 plans

Another common concern amongst new parents is preparing a college fund. While I think paying for your childrens college is amazing, it is not necessary. I would recommend first paying down your own high-interest debts and funding your retirement accounts such as a 401k (enough to at least receive an employer match) and Roth IRAs, before considering funding a 529 plan for your kids. Your future financial health should be managed before their potential college fund for 18 years from now. If you can afford to pay for your kids school, then great. Now you can consider a 529 plan.

What does a 529 plan do?

It allows you to put after-tax dollars into an investment account for your children. If those funds are then used to pay for education, they can be used tax-free. Meaning you do not pay any capital gains taxes on the interest earned. If you do not use the funds for education or pull them out early, you will be taxed on capital gains plus a 10 percent penalty.

What state should you set up a 529 in? First I would look at your home state. When I lived in New Orleans, I went with Louisiana Office of Financial Assistants plan because there was a match from the state. For my income bracket it ended up being about $100 per year per account (mine and my spouses), but that ended up being an extra $200 a year. The match is better for individuals with lower incomes.

I have since moved to California, and there is no tax advantage to having an account within my state at my income. So what did I do? I opened up a plan through the Utah Educational Savings Plan. Why Utah? They offered low-cost Vanguard plans and have a fairly good reputation. These offerings were better than the offerings in Louisiana when I was no longer a permanent resident. You can choose any of the 50 states, and some research may be worth your time.

Sums it up

So that about sums it up. Congratulations, you are a parent. To recap you should:

Buy a term life insurance policy to cover at least your debts and a year or two of income.

Buy disability insurance to cover at least 50 percent of your post-tax income.

Set up a will or trust to provide a guide for your childrens guardians in case you and your spouse die and to provide protection of your assets.

Set up a 529 plan once you have handled your own high-interest debts and arguably retirement investments such as a 401k (to get at least a company match) and Roth IRA.

What are your thoughts on these steps? How many of you set them up?

Dads Dollars Debts is a cardiologist who blogs at his self-titled site, Dads Dollars Debts.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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The present state of our nation can be traced back over the past five decades to the concerted efforts of specific entities, their goals based on profit and power, who set specific plans in place to maximize their control of same. Over the past 40 years, two such plans were woven together as they brought us to our present war on physicians and patients.

One plan was created by increasing private prisons during the Nixon administration for the expressed purpose of incarcerating minorities charged with drug abuses and calling it a war on drugs. Nixons intended outcome  that of getting minorities off the streets and severely impacting their ability to live normal lives outside of prison  also suited the plans of other groups seeking political and economic control.

Despite this war, drugs continued to take over our nation as the greed for profit and power grew exponentially. Some groups saw the established financial success of physicians as a major threat to their own self-serving plans. They deduced that chronic pain patients, now finally receiving acknowledgment and treatment for their pain, could be both blamed as a source of street drugs and used to help bring down honest physicians. We were shown statistical reports that prescription drugs were the cause of overdose deaths in specific regions of our country. But when the deaths began to occur in white middle-class families, public outcry to increase the efforts of the war on drugs became deafening. There had to appear to be some effort to control the drugs, so draconian measures were set  in some states by law, in others by regulation  that targeted the legitimate physicians who prescribed for pain patients.

Ultimately, patients were often cut off without warning from their pain treatment. For pain patients, it is a return to the terrors of intractable pain, inability to function productively in society and a potentially horrible death.

Despite the efforts of those who speak against punishing patients and physicians and the evidence showing the futility of this approach to the war on drugs, this situation continues to threaten the lives of both patients and their physicians.

Despite scientific proof that substance abuse disorder is an illness of the brain and can usually be well managed by an addiction specialist, legislators and law enforcement officials alike still only see drunks and addicts and still, after decades of failure, claim that incarceration/punishment is the only way to fight the war on drugs.

Despite, also, the logic that if you are fighting a war against a crime, you go after the source of the crime, rather than innocent bystanders. Without getting rid of the sources of the drugs, how much good is it going to do to punish the people who use them? We know that heroin and fentanyl are the greater causes of overdose deaths, yet we still hear and see propaganda about prescription drugs being the cause, in efforts to justify continuing the incarceration/punishment solution to the problem. Legitimate physicians are still blamed for the proliferation of death-dealing drugs.

The results? Consider the facts that every year more than 400 physicians commit suicide, that thousands of chronic pain patients suddenly deprived of their medication have either committed suicide or gone to the streets to get their medication, and many of these patients have also suffered unintended overdose deaths.

The over-reaching legal restrictions on prescriptions and the law enforcement mentality that believes physicians are guilty until proven innocent, are not the only reasons physicians are either opting out of practicing medicine or opting out of life altogether. If you are a physician, who has spent at least half the normal human lifespan studying and preparing to make life better for those who suffer, life may be becoming a nightmare.

Insurance companies dictate what treatments are allowable, as well as how often, and how long such treatments will be permitted. They do not refer to medical societies for their information. They refer to bottom-line profit indexes. Legislators who pass laws (when medical board regulations would more properly suffice) that limit what physicians can prescribe, and how often  arrange that selected physicians offices and lives will be disrupted, the physicians in question treated as guilty of crimes before having a chance to be proven innocent. Those who are erroneously charged with the felonies that have been put in place as a weapon in the war on drugs never quite regain their previous public status of innocent, even when proven so.

Does it matter that these laws have only created chaos and confusion, betrayal and mistrust? Does it matter that physicians were already reeling from finding themselves backed into corners where they had to sign on to corporate health care entities that are run by non-medical administrators who decree when and how often they work, how many patients they will see for how long and paychecks determined based on computer-run quotas and outcomes? And finally, adding to the fears of losing their practices, their licenses and meaning attached to their lifes work, physicians in increasing numbers are being attacked and/or killed by frustrated, angry patients or their relatives.

Why is this ethically, morally and even logically erroneous approach to our drug crisis  which must be separated in our minds from medical care for chronic pain patients  continuing to exist as a modus operandi? Why are physicians who serve our communities targeted as criminals at worst and problem employees who must be managed at best? Sociologically, physicians have historically belonged to one of the highest prestige vocations in America. Their demotion to the present state is not through the fault of their own but through others sociopathic need for profit and power.

It is in our best interests to respect and protect the lives and vocations of our physicians. We must insist on humane treatment of chronic pain patients and their physicians. And we must fight the war on drugs on its proper battlefield.

Marylee M. James is a sociology professor and a former nurse. She can be reached at Says Who?? Verstehen, through shared perspectives.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 53F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 24F. Winds light and variable.
Stuff reports:

A report published in the prestigious New Zealand Medical Journal has attacked acupuncture businesses for widespread abuse of rules around advertising claims. Report author Daniel Ryan, who is a member of the Society for Science Based Healthcare, also said ACC should withdraw funding for acupuncture treatments because they dont work and they are now costing taxpayers $33 million a year.  Ryan searched acupuncture business websites in New Zealand for illegal claims that acupuncture can treat or prevent serious conditions. Section 58(1)(a) of the Medicines Act bans any advertisements that claim a treatment can prevent, mitigate or cure from a list of about 40 named serious conditions. Ryan found that for the 101 included websites, the three most frequent claims were around the treatment or prevention of mental illness, infertility and arthritis (all on the list). Combined, these claims appeared on 73 per cent of the websites. He also found 11 per cent of sites claimed acupuncture could treat or prevent cancer, 23 per cent made diabetes claims, 19 per cent targeted thrombosis and 14 per cent offered help for heart disease.

Thats an outrageous level of deceit in those websites. Acupuncture can have some therapeutic benefits such as pain relief, but if most of the providers in NZ are touting it as preventing arthritis and infertility then they are in danger of being seen as quacks.

Ryan said ACC subsidises acupuncture treatments at $67 an hour. He said ACC spent $33.2 million on acupuncture claims in the 2016/17 financial year and a total of $210 million had been spent over the last decade. Ryan said the best scientific evidence suggested acupuncture was no more than a theatrical placebo. We need to ensure that taxpayers money is only used to pay for evidence-based treatments, he said. The government needs to review its funding of acupuncture and stop wasting money. He called for the two acupuncture professional bodies to revoke practising certificates from acupuncturists which made advertising claims that breached Section 58 of the Medicines Act. Without the practising certificates, the acupuncturists couldnt access ACC money.

That seems a very sensible idea.

But Roberts said Acupuncture NZ wouldnt do that. The only reason we would remove someones practising certificate is if they were in breach of gross misconduct  so if there were complaints about the actual treatment being provided. We wouldnt remove someones certificate just for some complaints on whats on their website. We would continue to work with them to improve the website.

How about you give them three months to stop deceiving people and then yank their accreditation if non compliant?

And if Acupuncture New Zealand is unwilling to do that. then maybe a new regulatory body is needed.

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I dont normally blog on columns by Rachel Stewart as she has the habit of threatening to break my legs when I do. However her column on free speech and hate speech is too important to not respond to. The views she expresses are I am sure not unique to her, but many on the left would share them  which concerns me.

Stewart wrote:

Of late, and for some unknown reason, theres been a noticeable surge in openly expressed opinions held by racists, sexists and homophobes.  Last week a column appeared in the Otago Daily Times by one Dave Witherow. In it, he expressed his contempt for te reo Maori being spoken in everyday discourse, and on Radio New Zealand. He called supporters of te reo Maori boring bigots and argued that inflicting te reo on the entire population is contemptuous. Thats the brief version of an extremely ugly rant. Regarding the column, Don Brash wrote on Facebook that I found myself in strong agreement. Im utterly sick of people talking in Maori on RNZ in what are primarily English-language broadcasts.

The response to the Witherow column has been so over the top it is not funny. He has been declared a racist (along with Brash) for wanting less te reo on National Radio. The reaction on Twitter has been as if this is the greatest threat to civilisation since the industrial revolution.

Now before I also get declared a racist my personal view is it is a good thing to include some conversational te reo in broadcast media. You can overdo it, but it is a nice way to have more people acquainted with the language. When picking an early childhood centre for our son, one of features we liked in the one we chose with they had a strong commitment to biculturalism and te reo.

But just because you dont agree with National Radio including more te reo in its broadcasts, that in no way makes you a racist. Heres what I regard as a racist:

Someone who says they would never hire someone of a particular race

Someone who says they dont want to associate with someone of a particular race

Someone who says that all members of a particular race are stupid/violent etc

Someone who doesnt want to live with someone of a particular race

Basically racists are those who treat the group characteristic of a race as more important than the individual.

Now yes there is also structural racism, but that is different to personal racism. And what we see on the left is a growing tendency for anyone who disagrees with a left policy to improve a racial inequality to be deemed a racist. So basically they are saying if you disagree with anything we put forward as worthy, then you are racist. It is an attempt to close down honest debate.

Don Brash said we dont need more te reo on National Radio as taxpayers fund around 17 Maori language radio stations already plus Maori TV. That is a point one can debate. You can accept the Crown has a duty to promote the Maori language, but disagree that National Radio is the right vehicle for it. And there is a sliding scale between the occasional kia ora and say half of the broadcast being in te reo (which would lose many listeners as so few understand it). Again this is an issue that should be debatable without the pitchforks.

But Stewart goes further. She says:

Am I overstating it to call it hate speech? Hate speech is language that attacks a person or group on the basis of attributes such as race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, or gender. I think it fits the bill.

No hate speech is not saying you think there is too much te reo on National Radio. Hate speech is saying:

Kill all the Jews

Wipe out the Hutus

Bash up the fags

Lynch the n*****s

If you want an example of what gets close to or meets the definition of hate speech read this article on the trolls sent by the Daily Stormer to a Jewish women:

You have no idea what you are doing, six million are only the beginning.

Death to Tanya was repeated more than 30 times followed by: This message came from Satan Your King. 

One photoshopped an image of her young son to make it appear as if he was being crushed by Nazi trucks, and sent the image to him.

There are only 6000 Jews in the entire state of Montana, yet theyre 100 per cent of the people trying to silence Richard Spencer by harassing his mother. So Then  Lets Hit Em Up.

Now even that stuff may not meet the very high threshold to be hate speech. It is hateful but that is different. But to call a column saying there should be less te reo on National Radio as akin to hate speech is worrisome.

Surely theres got to be a limit to the principle of free speech when whats being expressed is harmful to certain groups. Or does the principle of free speech  hate-filled or not  trump all?

All speech can be deemed harmful to certain groups? Attacking a politician can be harmful to members of the political party that support him. Denigrating columnists as old white men can be harmful to old white men.

Yes free speech should trump censorship except in the very limited cases of advocating violence (something Stewart herself has actually done!)

Well, as an opinion writer myself, Im firmly of the view that free speech is a cornerstone of democracy. Absolutely. But I struggle with what basically amounts to gratuitous hate speech passed off as worthy discourse. It isnt.

Which is saying free speech but 

Maybe, if your media platform is consistently seen to be enabling hate speech, its nothing short of complicity? Sure, the platform is not actually saying the offending words, but theyre handing over the microphone, that they plugged in, to the very people who do say the words.

So lets not just censor the columnists who say things we dont like, lets go after the publishers also.

Hate speech in New Zealand remains largely unenforced. It is prohibited under the Human Rights Act 1993, and Dame Susan Devoy this year called for politicians and others to address the problem, saying: We need people at the very top to take some leadership on this. And I agree. I also know its fraught and complicated, and some academics at universities worry about robust debate being curtailed; believing freedom of expression to be sacrosanct. But surely New Zealanders have the intellectual heft to solve it? Columns like Witherows will continue to appear with monotonous regularity, and hurt whole sectors of society in the process. It is deeply divisive rhetoric, and the media knows it. But divisive sells.

Again advocating less te reo on National Radio is not hate speech. It is insulting to true hate speech.

This mindset is part of how Trump got elected. A spectrum of society starts to say that your views are racist/sexist/homophobic and you must not be allowed to state your opinion in public. And then they even suggest your views are so terrible that they must be labelled hate speech and you potentially face criminal sanctions for daring to disagree with the liberal orthodoxy.

And the backlash to this is what fuels people like Trump. He may have many many flaws, but at least he is standing up to the speech bullies. People see US universities becoming places to denounce speech, not support it.

And Im not suggesting that Witherow (and his ilk) be locked up for his hate speech. But I am suggesting that  and maybe Im being naive, given the financial constraints on journalism these days  any editor worth their ethical salt would have rejected it.

Some small mercy that Stewart doesnt think you should go to jail for advocating less te reo on National Radio. Maybe just a fine?

Now while these views are shared by many on the left, it is not universal. Was pleased to see Gordon McLauchlan do a robust response.

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By Kang Seung-woo



Korea has basked in the spotlight of becoming one of the world's biggest research and development spenders for years.



However, taking a deeper look into the achievement, the nation's spending on R&D is seemingly going in the wrong direction in the time of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with the nation doing little about artificial intelligence (AI). AI is referred to as a key element of the industrial trend.



According to Eurostat, the European Union's statistical office, Monday, Korea's R&D intensity, or expenditure as a percentage of its gross domestic product (GDP), amounted to 4.23 percent last year.



This was higher than countries in the EU as well as other major economies according to its 2016 top R&D spender report. The spending stood at 67.6 trillion won ($62.1 billion).



The non-EU members on the list were the United States, Japan, China and Russia. Eurostat used 2015 data of the countries.



Also, the Ministry of Science and ICT said last month Asia's fourth-largest economy has the second-highest R&D intensity of 4.24 percent next to Israel's 4.25 percent in 2016, based on OECD data.



The ministry said Korea spent 69.4 trillion won on R&D activities, which is the fifth-highest in the world. The figure is slightly different from that of Eurostat as the two surveys used somewhat different criteria in measuring the size of research expenditures.



While the private sector's spending amounted to 52.3 trillion won, or 75.4 percent of the total, the public sector spent 16.4 trillion won, accounting for 23.6 percent. The remainder came from foreign investors.



Critics in the industry of information and communications technology question where the government's R&D spending went, with little invested in AI development.



AI has become a buzzword in Korea ever since the five-match go event between Google DeepMind's computer program AlphaGo and human champion Lee Se-dol, last year, where the AI took a stunning 4-1 victory.



"The public sector spent 16 trillion won on R&D, but its budget on AI was a mere 600 billion won," an official of the sector said.



"Google invests 4 trillion won in AI and there are nine global companies -- six from the U.S. and three from China. I wonder where the government's spending goes."



Despite its status as a global ICT power, Korea is still viewed as an underdog in AI development.



The government has come under public criticism that it is doing little, while the country lags behind other nations in preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.


Security cameras, from 360-degree to flat lens types, on display at a store in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Jan. 25, 2015. / Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan





A security camera monitors a red-light district in Cheongnyangni-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, Jan. 19. / Korea Times file
Sales of smoky coal will be banned throughout the country from 2019 as Ireland is set to become the first country in Europe to stop the sale of this type of solid fuel.

The rollout of the ban will begin in Autumn next year and a total ban will come into effect in 2019. Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten TD has said he intends to allow coal distributors 12 months to sell off existing stocks before the total ban is put in place.

CPL Industries Europes largest manufacturer of solid fuel has welcomed Minister Naughtens smoky coal ban.

Mr Minett CEO of CPL stated Ireland has taken a lead in Europe to become the first country to go entirely smokeless. It is a major initiative that will not just deliver clean air but will help save thousands of lives. Air pollution causes some 1,500 deaths (European Environmental Agency) every year in Ireland. The recent research from CRAC (Centre for Research in Atmospheric Chemistry) at University College Cork shows small particle (PM) pollution is a major issue in many towns and villages where there is no ban currently.

Burning smoky solid fuel is the main cause of small particle pollution in Ireland. Pollution can reach up to 15 times higher than the WHO limit in early winter evenings in Irish towns. Small particles can get into our respiratory system bringing carcinogenic chemicals. They also enter our arteries leading to a build up of plaque causing strokes and heart disease. A ban will eliminate most small particle pollution in Ireland.

We strongly welcome that the ban will be extended nationwide before the 2018 heating season. We have made substantial investment in a new plant in Foynes to supply the Irish market with an alternative to smoky coal. Our plant is in full production and is capable of manufacturing some 150,000t a low smoke eco-friendlier solid fuel."
As construction activity on the much anticipated 233m Center Parcs Longford Forest resort in County Longford ramps up, the company has announced it has formally awarded two major construction contracts to Dublin based construction firm John Sisk & Son.

The contracts for the construction of the 470 lodges and 30 apartments as well as the state-of-the-art centre buildings  housing the iconic Center Parcs Subtropical Swimming Paradise, restaurants, bars and shops  have now been formally awarded to Sisk following a competitive tender process that concluded recently.

Sisk will join current contractors Roadbridge on site early in January 2018.

Construction on Center Parcs Longford Forest has been underway since earlier this year when Limerick based firm Roadbridge broke ground on the infrastructure contract which comprises the earthworks, road and path networks, utilities, drainage system, building platforms and the lake.

With all three of the major construction contracts now in place, employment on site at Center Parcs Longford Forest during the construction phase is likely to exceed 750 people.

The forest resort, which is due to open in 2019, will have capacity for up to 2,500 guests and employ up to 1,000 people in permanent jobs once operational.

Awarding the contracts to Sisk, Martin Dalby, CEO of Center Parcs, said: The appointment of Sisk is another hugely important milestone for Center Parcs in Ireland and we are excited about working together and seeing our designs come to life.

The next phase of the project will see an increase in the numbers of contractors on site, many of whom we expect to come from the local area.

The positive economic impact of our project is significant and this announcement comes on the back of the news that, thanks to our presence, natural gas will be coming to Longford.

Welcoming the news, Stephen Bowcott, CEO of John Sisk & Son, said: We allook forward to the positive impact this will have on the region and to working with all the key stakeholders.

Contractors interested in making contact with John Sisk & Son on this project can email siskdoccontrolCPLodges@sisk.ie.
Local News, Crime, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 05 2017

Kevin Singleton-Lee, Jerome Simpson, and Daniel Green Issued Over $175,000 in Fraudulent Checks as Part of a Scheme to Defraud Account Holders and Small Regional Credit Unions.

Utica, NY - December 5, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the convictions of Kevin Singleton-Lee (a/k/a Kev Escobar), Jerome Simpson, and Daniel Green for their roles in a check-kiting scheme that spanned Onondaga, Schenectady, and Oneida Counties. A joint investigation conducted by the Attorney Generals Office and the New York State Police uncovered that ringleaders Singleton-Lee and Simpson, with the aid of Green, issued over $175,000 in fraudulent checks and used social media to recruit financially vulnerable individuals to cash the fake checks using their personal accounts, before emptying these accounts of all their assets.

"We have zero tolerance for those who exploit financially vulnerable New Yorkers for their personal gain," said Attorney General Schneiderman. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring fraudsters to justice and protect consumers from falling victim to these scams."

New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said, These convictions demonstrate that people who take advantage of vulnerable individuals and our financial institutions will be held accountable for their actions. I want to thank our partners at the Attorney Generals Office for their work to bring this case to a close and effort to help recover the funds that were taken.

Between December 2015 and August 2017, Singleton-Lee, Simpson, and Green targeted over a dozen different branches of small, local or regional credit unions and banks throughout Central New York and the Capital Region, and recruited over 50 account holders to assist in their check-kiting scheme. During the almost two-year period, the defendants presented and cashed over 100 fraudulent checks, ranging in amounts from several hundred to several thousand dollarstotaling over $175,000.

To perpetuate their scheme, Singleton-Lee and Simpson first arranged for the creation of bank accounts in the names of businesses, which were often fictitious, including Jones Maintenance and Watkins Homecare. Then, Singleton-Lee, Simpson, and Greenrelying heavily on Facebook and other social media outletstargeted numerous college students, young single parents, and other vulnerable and unsuspecting young adults, and recruited them to cash forged checks in the name of those businesses. In exchange for either cashing the forged checks or depositing them into their personal accounts, the account owners were promised a portion of the check proceeds as a fee.

After the checks were deposited and funds became available, Singleton-Lee, Simpson, and Green drained the accounts of the available balances before the checks were returned and the financial institutions discovered them to be worthless. In some instances, the defendants even assumed the identities of the account holders without their knowledge and consent, accessed their accounts using personal information the defendants required for asserted security purposes, and withdrew funds through ATM transactions.

Ringleader Singleton-Lee was charged separately in Onondaga and Oneida Counties. On November 4, 2016, Singleton-Lee pleaded guilty before the Honorable Anthony F. Aloi in Onondaga County to two counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and one count of Identity Theft in the First Degree, all Class D felonies. On November 17, 2017, Singleton-Lee was sentenced by the Honorable Matthew J. Doran to 4 2/3 to 14 years in state prison, which consisted of consecutive terms of 2 1/3 to 7 years for his convictions for Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and a concurrent term of 1 to 3 years for his conviction for Identity Theft in the First Degree. Singleton-Lee was ordered to pay $100,000 as imposed by confessions of judgment.

Today, Singleton-Lee pleaded guilty in Oneida County Court to one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a Class E felony, before the Honorable Robert L. Bauer. On February 6, 2018, Singleton-Lee will be sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison to run consecutive to his Onondaga County sentence, for a combined sentence of 6 to 18 years in state prison. Singleton-Lee will also be ordered to pay $26,874.27, as imposed by confessions of judgment.

Simpson was previously convicted of one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree in Schenectady County Court. On November 20, 2017, Simpson was sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison by the Honorable Louise K. Sira and was ordered to repay $47,880.64 as imposed by confessions of judgment.

Green was previously convicted of one count of Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class E felony, in Onondaga County Court before the Honorable Anthony F. Aloi. On October 3, 2017, Green was sentenced by the Honorable Matthew J. Doran to time served and four years probation, and ordered to repay $9,900 as imposed by confessions of judgment.

The Office of the Attorney General thanks the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit and Financial Crimes Unit, the Schenectady Police Department, the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office, and the Utica Police Department for their invaluable assistance on this case.

The criminal cases against Singleton-Lee, Simpson, and Green are being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General John R. Healy and Andrew J. Tarkowski of the Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau. The Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau is led by Bureau Chief Stephanie Swenton and Deputy Bureau Chief Joseph G. DArrigo. The Division of Criminal Justice is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Margaret Garnett.
School & Education, Local News, Business & Finance

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 05 2017

Fisher Stone, P.C. A NYC & Long Island Based Business Startup Law Firm Is Educating & Engaging Entrepreneurs On The Fundamentals of Starting And Operating A Business.

Long Island, NY - December 5, 2017 - Fisher Stone P.C. launched an exclusive entrepreneurs only program for business owners and startups. The program features classes, programs and documents that are the lifeline of any startup. The courses are available at their Manhattan office and are open to startups from Westchester to Fisher Stone P.C. launched an exclusive entrepreneurs only program for business owners and startups. The program features classes, programs and documents that are the lifeline of any startup. The courses are available at their Manhattan office and are open to startups from Westchester to Montauk . To register for this free program simply call or visit them today at: Fisher Stone, P.C. 25 Broadway, Fl 9, New York, NY 10004 , 212-256-1877.

This law firm has a 3-step road to startup success. It all starts with the Fisher Stone, P.C "Business Starting Line". This course is designed to cover the nuts and bolts or A to Z of starting any type of new business. It's specifically useful for tech, bio and financial startups as well as real estate developers . It covers topics like incorporation strategies, taxes, crowdfunding, venture capital, trademarks and much more.

The next step was coined by Fisher Stone as the "Entrepreneur Membership". If you make the cut as a viable startup you will join an exclusive networking group of like minded individuals to exchange ideas and help each other grow. You may even decide to do business with one of them. A course member was quoted as saying " I felt really lonely as a young tech entrepreneur and had nobody to talk to in an open down to earth manner that can help me grow, feel good about myself and have a little fun too".

Last but certainly not least is the "Bootstrapping kit". Startups are buried in paperwork from every aspect of the business pyramid. Businesses usually don't know where to start and what documents work for their company model. They also have no clue if it's paperwork that can be filled out by themselves or if it requires an attorney. They also seldom have a clue on the pros and cons of letting an attorney fill out certain paperwork that they can technically fill out themselves.
CNN Money, Monday, December 4, 2017 4:14 PM

Australia's competition regulator is investigating whether Facebook and other tech titans are harming consumers, content creators and advertisers, CNN Money reports. As in many other countries, Australias media industry has been upended by the rise of digital platforms, CNN notes. Print newspapers have for years suffered declines in advertising revenues as companies shift their spending online, much of it to tech giants like Facebook and Google.

Read the whole story at CNN Money 
by Tanya Gazdik , December 5, 2017

Audi is teaming with Reddit and returning to the tarmac with Olivia Munn and Issa Rae for new episodes of Think Faster.

Episodes three and four will stream live today at 3:30 p.m. PT and tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT from Willow Springs International Raceway in California.

Hosted by journalist and producer Selema Sal Masakela, Munn and Rae ride in the hot seat of the Audi R8 where they will be challenged to answer viewers "Ask Me Anything" (or AMA) questions at speeds up to 130 mph.

Munn is best known as Sloan Sabbith on the television series The Newsroom and Psylocke in the film X-Men: Apocalypse. Rae is a writer, producer and actress best known as the creator of the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl.

People can watch the broadcast live from Audi of Americas YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, as well as Audis Reddit profile page.

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San Francisco-based MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER created Think Faster in partnership with Reddit. Autosport Labs provided auto telemetry and race capture systems for the Think Faster production, providing real-time data from the Audi R8 that will be used during the live broadcasts.

The episodes follow the first two Think Faster broadcasts earlier this fall, which featured Elizabeth Banks and Adam Scott.
by Thom Forbes @tforbes, December 5, 2017

The Apple Heart Study app, which launched last week in collaboration with the Stanford University School of Medicine, is the latest indication that the face of medicine is increasingly digital and will be monitoring our every move  and variation from the norm  with the ardency of a helicopter parent. Its also a huge business opportunity just entering its adolescence.

The Apple Heart Study is open to anyone 22 or older with at least a Series 1 Apple Watch and an iPhone 5s model or later. Participants cannot be taking anticoagulant medications or be diagnosed with an atrial flutter.

The way Apple explains it, a sensor inside the watch uses green LED lights flashing hundreds of times per second and light-sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood flowing through the wrist. The sensor has an optical design that gathers signals from four distinct points on the wrist. Using software algorithms, the Apple Watch can isolate heart rhythms from other noise, and identify an irregular heart rhythm, writes Edward C. Baig for USA Today.

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The study is the latest aiming to tap the ubiquity of mobile devices to monitor or improve health, and it is Apples most aggressive attempt to elbow into the $3.2 trillion U.S. health-care market, write Peter Loftus and Tripp Mickle for the Wall Street Journal in a piece that also looks at the high drop-out rates and privacy issues that must be addressed by telemedicine proponents. But Apple is increasingly a believer and had steadily beefed up its health team.

While Apple has sold 30 million watches since the product made its debut in 2015, it hopes to boost sales of the device by bolstering its health-care capabilities in addition to its timekeeping and fitness-monitoring functions. The company also could push further into medical-records management, glucose monitoring and more, they observe.

Everyone is looking at the fact that about a fifth of the economy is health care, Cardiogram Inc. co-founder Brandon Ballinger tells Loftus and Mickle.

In a piece for CNBC, Christina Farr blends the proposed CVS acquisition of Aetna with the news out of Apple to make the case that were on the cusp of the mainstreaming of virtual medicine.

Telemedicine, or virtual medical consults by phone or video, has been the next big thing in health care for more than a decade. But year after year, countless studies have found that telemedicine companies are held back by a lack of awareness among consumers, Farr writes. Now, thanks to a marketing boost from behemoths like Apple, Aetna and CVS, telemedicine might finally take off.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration last week approved AliveCors KardiaBand, an electrocardiogram reader that replaces a regular band on an Apple Watch Series 3 and is paired with an app that can detect atrial fibrillation and abnormal heart rhythm. It cost $199 and requires a subscription to a service that costs $9.99 per month or $99 annually. It continually monitors a wearers heart rate. Earlier EKG readers did so only on demand.

The KardiaBand comes equipped with a sensor which, when touched by a user, gets the EKG reading in under half a minute. Users can choose whether the reading should be forwarded to a physician. KardiaBand also makes use of artificial intelligence to analyze as well as predict the heart rate of a user based on data obtained from both healthy and sick people, Lou Simms reports for CCT News.

The FDA has made an effort to collaborate with tech companies that want to make it easier to produce devices and software that consumers can use to monitor their health. Recently, Apple, Fitbit, Samsung, and Johnson & Johnson were announced as just a few of the companies participating in the FDA's precertification pilot program under its Digital Health Innovation Action Plan, writes Valentina Palladino in her reporting about KardiaBran for Ars Technica.

All of the companies involved with this program will help the FDA set guidelines for approving health and medical software that devices can use. Instead of approving and further monitoring individual devices, the FDA appears to be more interested in the software that these devices run, Palladino continues.

There have been a couple studies conducted using just the Apple Watchs built-in heart rate monitor to detect an abnormal heart rhythm, notes Sarah Buhr for TechCrunch. This spring, UCSF and Cardiogram conducted one such study, concluding the Apple Watch could detect an abnormal heart rhythm with 97% accuracy when paired with an AI-based algorithm called DeepHeart.

Later, the same eHealth study concluded the Watch could also detect sleep apnea and hypertension with similar accuracy using its built-in sensor.

One wonders if processing all this information about how well our bodies are functioning wont result in elevated blood pressure and loss of sleep in and of itself. Worth a study, at any rate.
by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, December 5, 2017



News Corp. this morning unveiled a brand safety and premium audience platform, enabling advertisers and agencies to target their audiences and content programmatically.

Dubbed News IQ, the new ad platform leverages News Corp.s 140 million U.S. unique users and represents the first time the company has integrated all of its first-party data, publishing properties and data science tools via a single interface.

This is a platform that will not only simplify the supply chain, but offer greater precision and scale in a trusted environment, which advertisers expect, states Art Muldoon, co-CEO of Dentsu Aegis Networks Amnet U.S. unit, which is among the charter customers using News IQ.

Other charter users include Douglas Elliman, Seabourn Cruise Line and Fox Broadcasting.

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Details about what technology and data differentiates the platform were not available at press time, but the company said News IQ will leverage first-party data of some of the launch partners, including a top luxury retailer in collaboration with Mastercard Ad Intelligence, to create bespoke marketing and advertising solutions.

The company did not disclose how the platform ensures brand safety, other than the fact it is built on News Corp.s own content and audience reach.

It also said News IQ would be offered as a complement to the News Corp. video ad platform Unruly.
by Melynda Fuller , December 5, 2017

The latest numbers from Magazine Media 360 Brand Audience Report, released by MPA: The Association of Magazine Media, show an increase in total audience over the 126 media brands monitored.

The report covers platforms and formats that include print and digital editions of publications, web, mobile traffic and video.

The latest report shows a 5.1% increase in total audience across brands in October 2017, compared to a year ago.

Video continues to dominate the digital landscape, with a reported 32.1% increase over the last year. The report also showed an increase in audience migration from web to mobile. While web viewers declined by 8.3%, mobile saw an increase of 10.5%. However, the decline in web viewers slowed from previous months.

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Perhaps the most astonishing number in the report is the overall increase in mobile web unique viewers. MPAs combined brands saw a 54% growth in this area. Seventy-eight percent of their brands also saw an increase in mobile audiences of at least 10%.

The report notes the increase in mobile numbers is due, in part, to comScore enhancement of its Mobile Metrix methodology.

At years beginning, comScore used methodology that underestimated the numbers being sent to sites via mobile applications. However, recent changes have elevated and corrected those numbers.

Changes include a more inclusive measurement of mobile operating systems, including iOS, that also monitor browser activity taking place within an app.
by Alex Weprin , December 5, 2017

In response to concerns about extremist and inappropriate content appearing on its platforms, YouTube plans to significantly increase its efforts to eliminate such content, and to tighten its advertising rules.

Earlier this year, YouTube faced criticism after advertising appeared next to content from extremist groups advocating violence. Last month, parents groups reacted strongly after users noticed inappropriate content marketed toward children appearing high in search results, fully monetized by YouTube.

Since June, the company has removed more than 150,000 extremist videos, although the company acknowledges that there is more work to be done.

In both cases, the content slipped through the cracks of YouTubes human reviewers and machine-learning software.

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In a blog post, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki laid out the companys plans to solve those problems.

For starters, YouTube will add to its roster of human reviewers -- for a planned total of 10,000 by the end of 2018 -- who will work in concert with machine-learning software to identify inappropriate content. The company also plans to increase its transparency to make clear what content is appropriate, what content is not, and how it enforces those guidelines.

Perhaps most notably for advertisers, YouTube plans to tighten its rules about what channels and videos can be monetized.

We want advertisers to have peace of mind that their ads are running alongside content that reflects their brands values, Wojcicki wrote. Equally, we want to give creators confidence that their revenue wont be hurt by the actions of bad actors.

While YouTube is the largest free video service in the world, that scale comes with a cost, as the company has learned in recent months. YouTube has proven itself resilient despite the controversies, but as bad actors continue to try and take advantage of its service, the need to crack down becomes even more apparent.

"Our past research on YouTube found that children entering child-friendly search terms were confronted with highly offensive content in the text commentary posted by other site users," said Parents Television Council President Tim Winter in a statement. YouTube continues to be a site that needs constant monitoring and todays announcement should assist with that goal."
by Larissa Faw , December 5, 2017

Horizon Media is expanding into Canada for the first time with a new office in Toronto.

This expansion is designed to better serve and bring greater local market insights to Horizon clients with Canadian operations.

Kevin Kivi, formerly with MediaCom Canada, will lead the new Horizon office as senior vice president and general manager, Horizon Media Canada.

In this role, Kivi will partner with senior leadership at Horizon Media to grow the agencys Canadian footprint and lead Canadian client teams as well as serve on Horizon Medias executive board.

Kivi will report to Horizon CEO Bill Koenigsberg. Kivi, with nearly two decades of industry experience, has worked with clients such as Mars Wrigley Inc., Dairy Queen, Shell, Bayer, Procter & Gamble, Adidas, Kraft, General Mills, and Cadbury Schweppes.

"We are in a unique position to be able to establish the Horizon Media brand in the Canadian market," says Kivi, alluding to the fact he has strong local connections and will be aided by the support and resources behind the broader Horizon network. "We also plan to pitch Canadian-only accounts in the future," he says. "We think that our offering presents a new option for Canadian brands seeking a new media agency option in the Canadian market."

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The decision to head North was largely client driven. Horizon Media currently handles over $8 billion in client investments. "We have a good number of clients with international operations, and the greatest concentration of these are in Canada," says Vinnie OToole, executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer, Horizon Media. Toronto's position as a key business center in Canada helped to determine the selection of the agencys Canadian headquarters.

Additional new talent will join Horizon Media Canada in coming months. "We will continue to assess our hiring needs as we roll out the business," says Kivi.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 5, 2017

Siding with tech companies, a federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit that sought to hold Twitter, Facebook and Google responsible for a mass shooting in Dallas.

The lawsuit stemmed from a shooting in July 2016, when Micah Johnson killed five police officers in Dallas. Rick Zamarripa, the father of one of the officers who was killed, and Demetrick Pennie, a police officer who responded to the shooting and subsequently suffered emotional distress, sued Twitter, Facebook and Google.

Zamarripa and Pennie alleged that the terrorist group Hamas spread propaganda on the tech companies' platforms, and that Johnson was "radicalized" partly as a result of that material.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero in the Northern District of California dismissed the lawsuit on Monday, ruling that Zamarripa and Pennie had not shown a connection between the tech companies' alleged support of Hamas and the shooting.

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"The Court agrees with defendants that the complaint must be dismissed for failure to establish that any purported "support" provided to Hamas was a substantial factor leading to the Dallas shooting," Spero wrote.

Spero also ruled that the Communications Decency Act immunized the tech companies from most of the claims. That law broadly says that interactive services providers aren't responsible for crimes by users.

Other judges have issued similar decisions. In May, a federal judge in the Eastern District of New York dismissed a lawsuit that sought to hold Facebook responsible for terrorist attacks in Israel. And last year, a judge in California ruled that family members of people killed by ISIS could not proceed with a suit against Twitter.

Despite those rulings, victims continue to bring new lawsuits accusing tech companies of enabling terrorism. As recently as last week, Google, Twitter and Facebook were hit with new lawsuits relating to the December 2015 attack in San Bernardino, California.
by Larissa Faw , December 5, 2017

Mcgarrybowen is acquiring digital agency Swirl to further strengthen its digital capabilities. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The San Francisco-based company will now operate as Swirl Mcgarrybowen. The 20-year-old Swirl focuses on digital advertising and design, social, e-commerce, CRM and technology, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and app development.

The 175-person shop's client roster includes Microsoft Stores, CA Technologies, Juniper Networks, eBay, and HTC.

Swirl co-chief executive officer John Berg will remain as co-CEO, president, reporting to Simon Pearce, CEO, U.S. mcgarrybown. Tom Sebastian will maintain his role as Co-CEO, and will take on the added role of global head of content for mcgarrybowen, while Tasha McVeigh, will continue in her current role as chief culture officer. Swirl founder, Martin Lauber, will focus on business development.

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Swirl will remain in its current location in the Presidio section of San Francisco and will work closely with mcgarrybowens San Francisco office, which serves key clients, Intel and Clorox, among others.

When we engaged in our initial discussions with Swirl, we were attracted to their human-based insights and how they create meaningful interactions with todays consumers, says Pearce. Swirl's "strong data-driven approach and unique digital execution" combined with mcgarrybowens brand platform will elevate the way we build brands, and "our clients will benefit with a higher return on their marketing investment.

MediaLink was a strategic partner to mcgarrybowen in the acquisition.
by Larissa Faw , December 5, 2017

Advertising industry veteran Nancy Hill is diving back into the ad world with her new consultancy Media Sherpas.

Hill, who was previously president and CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As), wants to guide companies to reach their potential by "sharing some of the best practices Ive established throughout my career," she says. "I consider myself a personal trainer for businesses, in the sense that I strive to bring out the best in everyone I work with."

Media Sherpas will offer a range of services, including consulting on operations and financials, defining and promoting company culture and values, identifying revenue growth opportunities, and talent development initiatives including diversity and inclusion.

Hill, now based in Cleveland, has particular expertise with the latter issues, as she personally led the 4As work on diversity, including recruitment, talent development and media-buying guidelines.

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Among Hills first clients is Marcus Thomas, a Cleveland, Ohio-based independent ad agency with 170 employees that works with brands including the Ohio Lottery, Dexcom and Troy-Bilt. Hill will assist the Marcus Thomas leadership team with strategic planning and a range of other initiatives.

Hill says she selected the Sherpa name because sherpas help others get to the summit during mountain-climbing expeditions but don't get the glory for it.

An Adland veteran, Hill began her career in advertising in 1983 at Doner/Baltimore, followed by work at TBWA/Chiat/Day, Hill Holliday, BBDO and Lowe New York. Her client experience has included Verizon Wireless, TeleTV, Replay, TiVO, LucasArts, HBO, SiriusXM, Motorola, Cisco Systems, Dell Computers and AOL.
Ever since the allegations of sexual abuse surfaced against actor Kevin Spacey, things have not been good for 'House Of Cards' and Netflix.

Amidst reports of scrapping the show, Netflix has now come to an agreement to resume the production of this political thriller and the shooting of season 6 will start in early 2018.

The indefinite pause on the show's production has now finally been lifted and the final season is now coming back with a bang on Netflix, but without the conniving protagonist Frank Underwood. In fact, it's also been rumoured that Netflix is planning to launch a 'House of Cards' spin-off.

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Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix, said it will be a good creative conclusion to the series. Sarandos was further quoted as saying, We're really excited about bringing some closure to the show for fans.

Netflix will start production on last season of House of Cards next year. Will be a "good creative conclusion" says content boss Ted Sarandos.  Peter Kafka (@pkafka) 4 December 2017

According to Variety, the producers were contemplating to kill Frank Underwood, the devious, Machiavellian politician and focus on his wife in the final season.

'House Of Cards' was Netflix's first original series that made its debut in 2013. Within no time the show's popularity was hitting the roof, for reasons everyone knows  amazing plot, impeccable performance and most importantly, Frank Underwood.

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Although it's difficult to imagine 'House of Cards' without Spacey, fans can be assured that they are not losing out on any thrill because Claire Underwood, in the later seasons has shown what all she is capable of and that she truly deserves to stand equal to Spacey's character.

From a lobbyist running an environmental nonprofit organization to climbing up the ladder to sit on positions like Second Lady of the United States, First Lady of the United States, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Vice President of the United States and finally the 47th President of the United States; we don't think there's anything this woman can't do.

 Media Rights Capital

Since the beginning of the series, we knew that Claire wasn't going to be a trophy wife and that she will have her own storyline. And with her performance, she proved that Claire, who is often called as 'ice-queen', will stop at nothing to get what she wants and probably that's what makes us want to see more of her. Honestly, we can't wait to see how the story unfolds, now that Claire Underwood is not under Frank's thumb.

In fact, Wright once stated that she felt Claire Underwood was the equal of Frank Underwood and demanded and equal pay for her performance. Well, given that she was the first actress to win a Golden Globe Award (Best Actress for Television Series Drama) for a web online-only series, we think she deserves all the credits for making us love and hate Claire.

 Media Rights Capital

This last season of 'House of Cards' will be shorter than the rest and will have eight episodes, but like they say good things come in small packages, so we can't wait for this last season to release.

Recently, Kevin Spacey came out as gay on Twitter and apologized publicly, after he was alleged of sexually assaulting actor Anthony Rapp, when he was 14-year-old. Media Rights Capital, the studio behind the show, said they were deeply troubled by the news concerning Kevin Spacey.
Officials say the device was known as an "unexploded ordnance," or an explosive weapon that did not explode and still posed a...
The Defense Department is looking at potential sites for the placement of the THAAD anti-missile system on the West Coast to guard against the increasing threat from North Korea, according to two members of the House Armed Services Committee.

At the Reagan National Defense Forum in California over the weekend, Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, and Adam Smith, D-Washington, told Reuters that the DoD's Missile Defense Agency [MDA] is surveying West Coast sites for the deployment of the Army's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System.

Earlier this year, a full battery of Lockheed Martin THAAD launchers became operational south of Seoul in South Korea despite objections from China and Russia.

MDA has yet to receive an order to install THAAD on the West Coast, MDA Deputy Director Rear Adm. Jon Hill told Reuters, but Rogers, chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, said, "It's just a matter of the location, and the MDA making a recommendation as to which site meets their criteria for location" and environmental impact.

Both Rogers and Smith said the number of sites for THAAD deployment on the West Coast had yet to be determined.

Currently, the continental United States is primarily shielded by the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system (GMD) in Alaska and California, as well as the Aegis system deployed aboard U.S. Navy ships.

Also at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the White House national security adviser, warned of the approaching threat of war with North Korea, but added that Americans traveling to the Winter Olympics beginning in South Korea on Feb. 9 will be safe.

"I think it's increasing every day," McMaster said of the potential for conflict, "which means that we are in a race, really, we are in a race to be able to solve this problem."

However, McMaster said that the emphasis of the Trump administration's national security team, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, is on a diplomatic solution to the crisis brought on by North Korea's repeated nuclear and missile tests.

North Korea has conducted 15 missile launches this year. Last Tuesday, North Korea test launched a Hwasong-15 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile [ICBM] that flew 10 times higher than the International Space Station. Analysts estimated that it had the range to hit Washington, D.C.

"There are ways to address this problem short of armed conflict, but it is a race because he's getting closer and closer, and there's not much time left," McMaster said, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

With every missile launch or nuclear test, Kim has improved his country's capabilities, McMaster said.

However, the increasing threat should not imperil the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, about 50 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone, he said.

Americans traveling to the Olympics "should feel safe because we have an extraordinarily ready and capable military, and that military is getting stronger every day," McMaster said.

Following on McMaster's comments on the North Korean threat, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, went on CBS' "Face the Nation" program Sunday to urge that military dependents be withdrawn from South Korea.

"We're getting close to a military conflict because North Korea's marching toward marrying up the technology of an ICBM with a nuclear weapon on top that can not only get to America but deliver the weapon," Graham said.

"I'm going to urge the Pentagon not to send any more dependents to South Korea," he said. "South Korea should be an unaccompanied tour. It's crazy to send spouses and children to South Korea, given the provocation of North Korea."

Graham also said that the U.S. might strike first to prevent a North Korean launch. "The policy of the Trump administration is to deny North Korea the capability to hit America with a nuclear-tipped missile, not to contain it," he said.

"Denial means pre-emptive war as a last resort," Graham said. "That pre-emption is becoming more likely as their technology matures."

According to the 38 North website, run by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins' School of International Studies, the Hwasong-15 ICBM launched by North Korea last Tuesday was "considerably larger" than previous missiles test launched by the North.

"Initial calculations indicate the new missile could deliver a moderately sized nuclear weapon to any city on the US mainland," the 38 North website said.

"The Hwasong-15 is also large and powerful enough to carry simple decoys or other countermeasures designed to challenge America's existing national missile defense [NMD] system," the website said.
In a potential boost for Air Force space and weapons programs, President Donald Trump has nominated former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin to become the Pentagon's first under secretary of defense for research and engineering.

Griffin, an advocate for human space exploration and a mission to Mars, led NASA from 2005 to early 2009.

NASA proponents, such as Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, argued for Griffin's retention but President Barack Obama replaced him with retired Marine Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr., a former astronaut.

After NASA, Griffin, a 68-year-old physicist, was named an eminent scholar and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

The White House announcement late Monday of the nomination said Griffin most recently had been chairman and chief executive officer of Schafer Corp., an aerospace firm.

The firm's website says its military aerospace teams have focused on weapons systems development and deployment in space.

If confirmed by the Senate, Griffin's arrival at the Defense Department will be part of the congressionally mandated shake-up of what had been the office of the under secretary of acquisition, technology and logistics, or AT&L.

By Feb. 1, the office of AT&L was to be split into two separate jobs -- the under secretary for acquisition and sustainment, or A&S; and a new under secretary for research and engineering, or R&E, who would essentially be a chief technology officer.

The split was opposed by Frank Kendall, the former head of AT&L, who left the Pentagon when President Donald Trump took office.

"I don't think the break-up is a good thing," Kendall, who was the chief weapons buyer at the Pentagon for nearly five years, said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies last January.

"I am not a believer in acquisition magic," he said. "It's all about hard work and attention to detail. He also cautioned against naming someone to his job with a business background but no experience at the Defense Department or in military service.

Kendall, a West Point graduate who left the Army as a lieutenant colonel, noted the unique culture of the military and the sometimes conflicting needs of the services. "Bringing somebody in who does not have the experience working in that environment I think is a disservice," he said.

In August, Ellen Lord, a longtime top executive at Textron Systems, was confirmed by the Senate as the new head of AT&L. She is slated to become the new under secretary for acquisition and sustainment when the split of the acquisitions office takes place in February.

One of the questions remaining from the musical chairs shake-up at the Pentagon is what will happen to several semi-independent research offices, such as the futuristic Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA])and the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, or DIUx.

They could now be folded into Griffin's new office as under secretary for research and engineering.

Griffin's background suggests he will be on the same wavelength as Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command.

At the Reagan National Defense Forum in California over the weekend, Hyten said that future conflicts "will move into space."

"If it does move into space, our job will be the same as it is in any other domain -- to deter that conflict to make sure that conflict never happens, but if it does happen, to figure out how to fight it and win," Hyten said.

At the same forum, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson backed up Hyten and said the Air Force needs to move more quickly, noting the service needs to "stop studying things to death and get capability in orbit for the warfighter."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The U.S. Army has begun fielding its new sidearm that will replace the M9 pistol, but weapons officials remain tight-lipped about the new ammunition that promises to make the Modular Handgun System more lethal than its Cold War predecessor.

One of the major goals of the MHS effort is to adopt a pistol chambered for a more potent round than the current 9mm.

During the summer of 2015, Army officials revealed that a new Defense Department policy would allow the service to use "special-purpose ammunition" for the MHS program, a significant break from its past devotion to ball ammunition.

In January, the Army selected Sig Sauer to produce the XM17 full-size MHS and the XM18 compact MHS. Sig Sauer partnered with Winchester to provide the ammunition.

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Winchester is the largest commercial supplier of small-caliber ammunition to the U.S. military, company officials maintain. The firm has been supplying the M882 9mm ball round to the military for more than 30 years, according to Winchester officials.

The new Winchester XM1153 is a 147-grain jacketed hollow point bullet and "currently the principal go-to-war ammunition" for MHS, Lt. Col. Steven Power, head of Product Manager Individual Weapons, told defense reporters at a recent round-table discussion.

The Nov. 30 press event came two days after soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, became the first Army unit to receive the MHS.

Winchester officials maintain that its XM1153 is "about 25 percent better than the M882 [ball] round from a lethality standpoint."

Beyond that, weapons officials remain reluctant to describe in detail how they quantify that performance percentage increase or how the Winchester round was selected over other projectiles tested in the competition, which included calibers larger than 9mm, such as .40 caliber.

"When you talk about capability in systems that protect our soldiers, we just as a matter of policy try not to talk about that because it can be useful to adversaries," Power said, adding that ballistic gelatin testing was one of the types of testing used to measure the size of the wound cavity left by the bullet.

Army officials would not talk about the composition of the round or the types of barriers it is designed to penetrate -- a sharp contrast to the unveiling of the service's M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round

The Army replaced the Cold War-era M855 5.56mm round in 2010 with the new M855A1 EPR, the result of more than a decade of work to develop a lead-free round.

Army officials were very open about the M855A1 and invited reporters out to a range to show off the performance of the new round, which features a steel penetrator on top of a solid copper slug, making it is more dependable than the current M855, Army officials have said.

The M855A1 delivers consistent performance at all distances and penetrates 3/8-inch-thick steel at ranges approaching 400 meters, tripling the performance of the M855, Army officials say.

But at the Nov. 30 MHS event, Army weapons officials said the M855A1 was an Army-led engineering change proposal. By contrast, the Winchester XM1153 9mm jacketed hollow point round was chosen under "source selection," which prevents the service from discussing it in detail.

"This was a source selection event so because it is source selection sensitive, we can't share all of the information that was gathered there," according to Daryl Eastlick, deputy of the Lethality Branch at the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia.

The testing involved Army Research, Engineering and Development Command and Army Research Laboratory, Eastlick said.

"They both worked together during the source selection process to give us the technical information we needed to understand what that lethality was," he said.

"They did that through a very rigorous process that includes shooting ballistic gelatin and using modeling and simulation to understand what it would do on different shot lines and how it performs actually in reality."

Weapons officials say they will likely be less transparent about capability specifics in the future.

"Some of the programs we are moving forward with -- that kind of started with MHS but more so with others -- you are going to kind of see us being less transparent when it comes to our capability," Power said.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
My wife's father is retired Army. Does she have commissary privileges?

This is a very common question, actually. One we get frequently. One retiree wanted to know if his daughter and son-in-law, who live near a base, can shop at the commissary. Another was like you -- he figured that since the commissary rules say only active-duty service members, Guard and Reservists, medical retirees, retirees, Gold Star widows and service-connected disabled veterans and all of their respective dependents are granted commissary access that they could get in, too.

The good news is those rules are correct. All of those people and their dependents, including children, can use the commissary.

The bad news is that the military has a very specific definition of "dependent," and rarely does it include children of qualified shoppers who are over 21-years-old or married.

It also doesn't include children who are not receiving the bulk of their support from the qualified user. That means if a military member is divorced and is not providing over half of his children's support, his children do not have commissary privileges, according to Defense Department officials.

Those rules mean that your wife has not been eligible to shop at the commissary since she was 21 or, if you married before she turned 21, since the day of your wedding. The same rule applies to all of her other previous military benefits like health care (although there is an option to extend health care for a few years if she is an unmarried full-time student).

The only time an unmarried "child" over 21 can qualify to use the commissary is if they are incapable of self-support thanks to a mental or physical illness that existed before they were 21 or if they are still a full-time student. Even then, full-time students can use the commissary only until they are 23.

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Were in week number 5 of the National Geographic Channels new 8-part event series The Long Road Home and weve got a preview clip from Tuesday night's episode titled A City Called Heaven. Based on ABC News journalist Martha Raddatzs best-selling book, the dramatic series chronicles April 4, 2004, the day that is known as the Iraq Wars Black Sunday. The First Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, Texas, was ambushed in Sadr City, Baghdad. The series follows the men in action and the reactions of their families back home in Texas.

In Tuesday's episode 6 (we got two episodes on premiere night, so the math is correct), we learn the story of Army soldier Tomas Young. This episode flashes back to Tomas' life before deployment and flashes forward to his struggles to cope with his injuries after he returns from Iraq.

Some viewers may know Young from the documentary film "Body of War," which chronicled his efforts at recovery and his activism against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We've got a clip from this week's episode. Tomas (played by Noel Fisher) realizes that he can't move after a bullet severs his spine during a firefight.
Japanese pitcher Shohei Otani announced that he will play for Japans Nippon Ham Fighters rather than sign with a MLB team this winter, according to Yasuko Yanagita of Hochi Shimbun (via Twitter). The 18-year-old hurler seemed likely to come stateside for quite some time but recently started leaning towards remaining in Japan.

The Dodgers, Rangers, and Yankees were among the teams known to be in on Otani. The Dodgers reportedly would have been shocked if the right-hander signed with an MLB team other than them, but they were skeptical that he would come stateside at all. The Nippon Ham Fighters have come out as the victor after selecting Otani with the first overall pick in the NPB draft.

The 64 right-hander was often compared to Yu Darvish by MLB scouts. Otani boasts a strong fastball that has been clocked in the 99-100 mph range and could have been the first top NPB draft pick to make the direct jump from high school in Japan to the U.S.
The Rangers have agreed to re-sign righty Tony Barnette to a one-year deal, according a team announcement. Hell receive a $1.5MM guarantee, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter).

Texas had previously declined a $4MM option on Barnette, paying him a $250K buyout and putting him back onto the open market. He had played for the prior two seasons with the Rangers after signing with the club following a lengthy stint in Japan.

Barnette, 34, excelled in his first MLB campaign in 2016. (He had never touched the majors before going to Japan in 2010.) Over 60 1/3 innings, he worked to a 2.09 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9.

Things turned south, however, in 2017. He boosted his K rate to 8.9 per nine, along with his swinging-strike rate (from 11.5% to 13.0%). But Barnette also allowed 3.5 free passes per regulation game and saw his ERA skyrocket to 5.49.

In the end, the relationship will continue. The 34-year-old Barnette will help boost the depth of the Texas bullpen, much as recent signee Doug Fister will for the rotation. While that has been a priority, the Rangers likely still have interest in some higher-end additions for both sides of the pitching staff.
One of the most ameliorating moments that characterized the much-publicized 'Ahyesi' album launch of Celebrated contemporary Highlife Musician;Kwabena Kwabena on Thursday November,30,2017 at the +233 Jazz bar & Grill in Accra was the auction sales.

During the auction of the album,Vitamilk became the highest bidder by buying the Album for GHC10,000

Vitamilk ,a beverage manufacturing company in Ghana has been the official sponsor of the Adansie hitmaker for barely four years now.

A representative from Vitamilk company who presented the money to Kwabena Kwabena explained that:

I think as a brand ,Kwabena Kwabena has represented us so wellfor such an occasion as a brand, we want to show our appreciation for his talent... for that we are buying the CD at GHC10,000.00.

Mediator of the launch, Nana Ama Mcbrown together with Kwabena Kwabena lauded Vitamilk for their generosity.

Other dignitaries like former Minister, Honorable Dzifa Gomashie and celebrities who honored the occasion also bought some of the CDs at an undisclosed amounts.

The Ahyesi album launch, which was mediated by popular Kumawood actress; did not only witness energetic live performance from Kwabena Kwabena and his band, but from multiple award-winning contemporary Highlife musician Ofori Amponsah,M.anifest and Asantewaa

Songs on the 'Ahyesi' album include:,Tuamudaa,Obi Asa,Ensesa,Adansie,Adonai,Matwen abre ,Yedo Ye ho,Obaa and Siwagede.

Kindly watch how Vitamilk presented the money to Kwabena Kwabena in the video below!
African American Concept (AFAM), a US-based hair product giant, has held yet another successful trade show at the Trade Fair Centre, La, in Accra.

This years edition succeeded in drawing 2,500 hair stylists, and for the first time 400 barbers joined the fast-growing show.

Among the high-profile dignitaries who graced the event that showcased seven brands of AFAM were Second Lady Samira Bawumia, H.E Robert Jackson, US Ambassador to Ghana, Philippa Baafi, among others.

The Vice President of AFAM, Korkor Akoto, pointed out in a post event interview that his outfit will fly on the successes of last Tuesdays edition to add one more pavilion to next years event.

Korkor Akoto, who is also the International Sales Manager of AFAM, indicated that next years edition will include fashion, make-up and competing brands, saying, We have the numbers and we believe in sharing, we have 10 skeletal staff in Ghana, and l must admit, they are doing okay as far as distribution is concerned.

Mrs Bawumia lauded the efforts of the hairdressers and barbers in enhancing looks.

She mentioned that this is a noble profession, and it is our prayer that you succeed. Government is providing platforms to ensure that you succeed; when that happens, it places you in a position to employ people, that is job creation.

I will do all l could to support you in your respective fields of endeavour.

H.E Jackson praised AFAM profusely for their track record, having been in business for 30 years. He revealed that job creation in Ghana and his native country remains his top most priority.

The US ambassador also commended AFAM for being a trusted supplier to the Ghanaian market.

There was a reduction on AFAMs products to the professionals for their clientele for Christmas.

The annual event will be replicated in Kumasi, Cape Coast and Takoradi next year.

This years saw an all expense-paid trip to the US (Chicago) plus a $1,000 spending money special raffle draw opportunity for one of the hair stylists.

Some AFAM products include Vital Olive, Shea Butter and Soy Organics.
Kwabena Kwabena has launched his fifth studio album titled 'Ahyesi' at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra.

The album launch which was emceed by actress Nana Ama McBrown attracted a number of personalities, including former Minister of State Dzifa Gomashie.

The night also witnessed energetic performances from supporting artistes such as Ofori Amponsah, M.anifest and Asantewaa.

Kwabena Kwabena's latest 10-track album has songs such as 'Tuamudaa', 'Obi Asa', 'Ensesa', 'Adansie', 'Adonai', 'Matwen Abre', 'Yedo Ye Ho', 'Obaa' and 'Siwagede'.

He joined the music industry in 2006 with the release of his maiden album titled 'Aso'.

Three of the songs were used in the soundtrack of Sparrow Productionss ' The Perfect Picture '.

The song won him the 2006 Ghana Music Award for best male vocal performance and best songwriter.

He has performed with international musicians like Hugh Masekela and he has featured on more than 30 songs by other musicians.

He has worked with a number of local musicians such as Daddy Lumba, Samini, Sarkodie, Okyeame Kwame, Efya, Becca and a host others.
Photo credit - Queen's Young Leaders- Social Media Assets

05.12.2017 LISTEN

Three young Ghanaians have been named as part of the winners for Queen Elizabeth's Young Leader Awards 2018.

The three, Alimatu Bawah Wiabriga, Derick Omari and Shadrack Frimpong per the criteria for the award are doing inspirational work in their various communities.

Alimatu is the co-founder of CowTribe, which uses mobile technology to provide animal health services to rural livestock farmers. The platform has helped to link farmers with veterinary services more quickly and easily, via a simple booking app.

Derick is working to raise levels of IT literacy within his community. He is the founder of Tech Era, a programme which introduces underprivileged children in Ghana to technology. To date, it has trained 80 students to use computers and solve problems with robotics. Derick hopes to reach more than 4,000 students in rural Ghana in the next three years and to establish 12 robotics clubs in high schools.

Shadrack is a social entrepreneur working to improve the lives of people living in rural communities in Ghana. He is the founder of Cocoa360, which runs a free girls school and medical clinic in his community, funded by proceeds from a community cocoa plantation.

With 17 paid staff members, 90 students and an annual reach of 2,500 patients, the Cocoa360 model has already benefitted many lives in rural Ghana.

"It is a huge blessing to have been chosen for the Queens Young Leader Award. This is a significant endorsement of the amazing hard work that my team and my community members have done (and continue to do) to enable Cocoa360 pursue its life-changing mission" Shadrack Frimpong said in an interview with modernghana.

The award aims to honour 60 exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth to become the Queens Young Leaders according to information on queensyoungleaders.com.

It adds that the Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of young people aged 18-29 who are taking the lead to transform the lives of others and make a lasting difference in their communities.

The Programme, it pointed out aims to create new and exciting opportunities for young people, enabling them to step up as leaders and improve the lives of many others in the Commonwealth.

As well as receiving their Award from Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace, winners will receive a bespoke Awards package, which includes a year of training and mentoring from the University of Cambridge.

Award winners will also take part in a week-long residential programme in the UK, during which they will spend two days attending workshops at the University of Cambridge, meet with senior UK political and business leaders, and receive guidance from well-established social action projects.

The Award scheme was launched in 2014

Copyright (2017) Modern Ghana

All rights reserved. This article, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, paraphrased or used in any manner whatsoever without giving full credit to modernghana and the author of the article. However, it could be used in brief quotations and in reviews.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

A Facebook post by JoyNews has led to the misinterpretation of what was meant to be a solid response to recent news of congestion in schools and has now been taken completely out of context by various media houses and bloggers.

The post with the caption LACK OF TOILET FACILITIES: At least you have the rubber bag -Education Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh tells SHS students was published JoyNews online on the 30th of November 2017 and has now been shared, with the truth twisted and distorted to the detriment of the image of the minister.

What the minister said was a side comment after a presentation of facts that debunked incorrect assertions that the implementation of the Free SHS policy had caused congestion, leading to some students having to empty their bowels in polythene bags. His exact words were"

There are few schools still in Ghana here, that are secondary schools that have no toilets; that is not the result of free SHS. So when you see some people portray that some people say when I go I do it in a rubber bag and walk 45 minutes (at least you have the rubber bag).

Obviously this is different from what has been reported and circulated. Certainly the Minister did not tell students to defecate in rubber bags. This deliberate distortion is wicked and malicious and clearly designed to take attention away from the solid and concise presentation by the Minister on the Free SHS programme. One can only wonder what motivated the decision to focus on this otherwise insignificant side comment by the Minister.

The Ministry of Education will like to caution media houses spreading this wrong information to desist from doing so further and also to quote the Minister correctly.

Media houses and bloggers are also advised to adhere to the standard procedures of journalism and publishing by double checking the facts of a story before posting to avoid misleading the public on sensitive issues.
B-systems Limited, one of Ghana's foremost enterprise software development companies has launched its flagship software; the Collateral Registry Software (CRS) in Zambia.

The project undertaken in collaboration with the World Bank/IFC is a public sector reform initiative which among other functions enables businesses and individuals that do not have access to traditional collateral like land or real estate to use movable assets such as machinery to access credit.

This brings to six, the Sub-Saharan Africa countries, the company has deployed its software in with the support of the World Bank Group - after Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

The CRS system was launched in Lusaka, Zambia on 17th November 2017 by Miss Kayla Siame, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry on behalf of the Zambian government.

Deputy Governor, Administration, Bank of Zambia, Dr Tukiya Kansaka-Mabula stated at the launch This occasion symbolizes a significant step in enhancing the legal and institutional infrastructure that fosters financial inclusion and access to finance.

We need not relent in our efforts in order to sustain these gains and improve the statistics on financial inclusion in general and access to credit by SMEs particularly on lending secured by a movable property.

In the World Bank Groups 2018 Doing Business report, Zambia was ranked second globally in the Getting Credit category  just after New Zealand. Small businesses in the country, however, continue to struggle with access to credit facilities by financial institutions  necessitating the launch of the Secured Transactions Law and Collateral Registry Software to facilitate the process.

Zambias B-systems Collateral Registry System is hosted by the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) and can be accessed at www.pacra.org.zm/mprs.
The Ningo Prampram Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) has condemned the use of unauthorized methods in farming and fishing.

'We have come a long way as a nation and we have to dedicate ourselves to good agricultural practices by avoiding negative practices that derail the gains made over the years,' he said.

Mr. Jonathan Doku said this on Friday during the 2017 farmers' day celebration at Ablekumah in the Ningo-Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

He observed that the use of light and chemicals for fishing was against the laws of Ghana and therefore asked persons involved in such activities in the district to be prepared to face the law.

He said, 'The adoption of archaic methods of farming, uncontrolled bush burning and the use of prohibitive chemicals in light fishing which have a retrogressive effect on our survival as a people must be discarded.'

He observed that since there was a ban on light fishing, there was the need for a concerted effort to fight the menace.

He therefore pleaded with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture to intensify the fight against light fishing by ensuring that the Marine Police teamed up with the watch dog committees to police Ghana's territorial waters.

The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Mr. Sam George Nartey, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said even though light fishing was a major threat to fishing in Ghana, he believed government should also concern itself with the issue of pair trawling which was the main threat to the fishing stock of Ghana.

He said that 'Ghanaians do not have pair trawlers and therefore government should fight foreigners who were destroying the Ghanaian fishing industry by engaging in this activity.'

He asked that 'if government gives license to foreigners to operate in our waters, they should monitor them to ensure they practice the right fishing methods to save the industry.'

This year's farmers' day celebration, which was on the theme, 'Farming for food and jobs', saw 43 year old Mr Joseph Awuley Eyum coming up as the overall best farmer for the Ningo Prampram District.

He received a double door fridge, a wheel barrow, one bundle wire mesh, four pairs of wellington boots, one knapsack sprayer, one watering can, one bicycle, one shovel, four cutlasses, one Pre-set radio, a gallon, half piece of cloths and a respirator.

GNA

By Alexander Nyarko Yeboah, GNA
05.12.2017 LISTEN

Niamey (Niger), Dec. 4, GNA - Dr. Vera Songwe, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, has called for a pause on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiation processes with the European Union until the finalisation of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) framework was completed.

She said the 'strategic pause' would allow countries already implementing their EPAs to continue honouring their commitments but help to avoid a situation where divergent provisions in the different Agreements provide for a fragmented trading arrangements between the EU and different African regions.

'The CFTA should be the priority for African countries, in terms of trade,' she said at the official opening of the fourth Meeting of African Ministers of Trade in Niamey, Niger.

It was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, African Integration and Nigeriens abroad under the distinguished tutelage of President Issoufou Mahamadu of Niger, a champion for African Free Trade Zone.

The objective of the meeting is to conclude the outstanding issues of the Modalities for Tariff Liberalisation that were adopted at the third Meeting of AU Ministers of Trade in June 2017 and consider the draft texts of the CFTA Agreement, protocols, annexes and appendixes, expected to come to fruition by the close of 2017.

Dr Songwe, doubling as the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), said Africa could re-approach the EU once the CFTA was established and use the framework as a coherent pan-African arrangement with the EU that better support the continent's integration agenda and intra-African trade.

She said the vehicle for the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) through which African trades with the United States, is likely to evolve into a negotiated reciprocal arrangement in the coming years, as the new US administration's approach to trade policy appear to prefer bilateral engagements, in which it could levy its economic heft.

'it is vital we adopt a harmonised continental approaches on beyond the AGOA agenda to ensure we address the challenges and opportunitiesby standing together, we can better safeguard our collective interests,' the Under-Secretary-General said.

Dr Songwe said Africa's trade is growing rapidly with emerging economies including China, India, Brazil and Turkey, which accounted for over 24 percent growth in 2016, a departure from its traditional partners, namely, the EU and the US, which together only accounted for nine percent in 2000.

She said an ambitious CFTA, is not only necessary for Africa meeting its economic ascendancy but also to mitigate the effects of a changing world trade architecture and economic transformation.

Madam Aisha Abubarkar, Nigeria's Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment and Chairperson of the African Union Ministers of Trade, said operationalising the CFTA would unlock the achievement of the AU's agenda 2063, inuring to the socio-economic development of Africa.

She said, 'It is better to focus on the bigger picture. We cannot fail and we shall not fail.'

Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairman of the African Union Commission, said his outfit is adopting multi-tasking approaches to solving the myriads of continental challenges including unemployment and migration for the 65 percent of Africa's youthful population, who are seeking non-existing jobs by traversing the Sahel and the Mediterranean Sea and perishing in droves.

He said development cannot flourish in conflicts and wars, and AUC is more determined to resolve conflicts in the continent, no matter how huge the task is.

President Mahamadou said, 'It is time for Africa to depart from the penchant for colonial legacy trade patterns of raw materials exportation to semi-processed and finished commodities to feed Africa and the world.

He called for the integration of international labour standards, the participation of civil society, parliamentarians, the private sector and the academia as essentials in the implementation of the CFTA as the first phase reaches completion.

He said some implementation issues are expected to be addressed in 2018, which include rules of origin, guidelines for the implementation of trade remedies and matrix lists of liberalisation of trade in goods as well as market access for goods and services would be factored into the draft agreement and agenda.

He said the CFTA would leverage Africa into 'an integrated, prosperous and peaceful entity, driven by its businesses and citizens and represent a dynamic force in global business, affecting the world stage.'

CFTA is aimed at creating a single market for goods and services, with free movement of business persons and investments, paving the way for accelerating the establishment of the Continental Customs Union and the African Customs Union with trade area expected to gross over a billion people and a continental GDP of over 3-trillion dollars.

GNA
Jamiya Bauleni is one of the people claiming to have fallen victim to a wave of alleged vampire attacks that have triggered deadly vigilante violence in Malawi.

She recounted her experience before barefoot children in Ngolongoliwa village in the country's south, which has been at the heart of recent panic over rumours of vampire activity.

Her story is part of a long line of similar testimonies in Malawi, where belief in witchcraft and vampire activity is widespread and rouses revenge mobs that kill those suspected of black magic.

Bauleni, a 40-year-old single mother with one child, said that an attacker sucked her blood on the night of October 2 at her home in Thyolo district.

"This is not hearsay," she told a fascinated crowd as people edged closer to listen. "I know my blood was sucked."

"I saw light on the corner of my roof. I failed to stand up from my bed and felt something piercing my left arm," she said, pointing near her breast.

Bauleni, who makes a living selling wild pea stew, said that before she fell unconscious she heard someone fleeing the scene.

She was taken to a clinic and later discharged after being given vitamin supplements, but she chose not to report the attack.

'Like a needle'

The latest bout of vampire rumours allegedly originated in Mozambique and spread across the border to Malawi's districts of Mulanje and Phalombe, according to the United Nations.

At least seven people have been killed in Mulanje district after being hunted down, police say.

A view of Ngolongoliwa Village in Thyolo district, where reports and rumours of vampires are rife. Vengeful gangs have been inclined to target the rich

As public anger over supposed vampires grew, UN workers and US Peace Corps volunteers were pulled out of the region in October but they have now returned.

One purported victim, Florence Kalunga, 27, says she was sleeping alongside her husband in their home when she saw a light "like fire".

"I heard the door open. I felt something like a needle in my finger," she said.

The people targeted by vengeful mobs are often wealthier individuals in rural parts of the southern African country, where grinding poverty and poor educational standards are the norm.

Entrepreneur Orlendo Chaponda narrowly avoided an attack when 2,000 villagers, some carrying machetes and stones, stormed his home in Thyolo on September 30.

"They said I was keeping blood suckers," said Chaponda, who was out at the time. "They could have killed me if they found me."

He called the police who fired tear gas to disperse the crowd after a five-hour standoff.

"There is no truth about blood suckers, but jealous people and thugs want to take advantage to attack rich people," Chaponda said.

"If you have a nice car, you are a bloodsucker."

'Rich versus poor'

Anthony Mtuta, assistant lecturer in anthropology at the Catholic University of Malawi, said the roots of the vampire scares were in "economic hardships and inequalities".

"It's the rich versus the poor. The poor believe the rich are greedy and are sucking the blood of poor people," he said.

Maize miller Orlendo Chaponda, standing outside the mill on his farm, was rescued from an attack by hundreds of armed villagers by a rapid police response to his call for help

Malawi is largely reliant on foreign aid, but some locals view the assistance with suspicion.

"To villagers, the thinking is that no gift is for free... you pay back through blood," said Mtuta.

He has researched the vampire phenomenon and has warned that violence would "resurface unless the government learns how to handle contemporary issues".

McDonald Kolokombe, a clerk at the state-run Likhubula forest reserve, noted that the number of tourists visiting the Mulanje area had collapsed since mid-September.

"The communities rely on visitors to feed their families working as tour guides, porters and selling curios," he said.

"We are starving because of a bad rumour about blood suckers," added amateur tour guide Eric Yohane. "It is a big lie."

Malawi's national blood transfusion service -- the only institution mandated by the government to collect blood for hospitals from volunteers -- says that rumours of vampire activity have also begun to set back activity.

"This issue has affected us a lot. It has prevented us from going to collect blood in the affected areas," said Bridon M'baya, medical director of the service.

At least 250 people have been arrested in Malawi over the mob violence, and 40 more arrested over similar crimes in neighbouring Mozambique.

Malawian President Peter Mutharika was even forced to step in and insist that the government had the situation under control.

"There is no evidence of blood suckers. It's a lie meant to destabilise the region," he said recently. "Those spreading rumours will face the law."
Scores of physically-challenged persons share the busy pedestrian walks in Accra.

With a practiced begging they should be able to inspire sympathy to buy lunch. Several dozens will not. Several will go hungry.

The Accra Rehabilitation Centre is working to change this narrative about the physically-challenged.

About 50 people who have varied forms of disabilities are learning vocational skills which can give them a life different from their counterparts who live on alms.

And this is where Beryl Richter found Kofi Raynold Asare, 26 year old trainee. Kofi was born with cerebral palsy- and a creative power of drawing.

He started drawing at 12 years old. And not even his ineffective hands could stop him for he learnt to scribble using his mouth.

Unlike most children with cerebral palsy, Kofi had the opportunity to be enrolled in this school thanks to occupational therapists at the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Centre at Begoro in the Eastern region.

He wore a constant smile when I met him and he showed me the results of this unusual collaboration between his lips and sticks.

Kofi Asare loves drawing, and can draw almost everything, creating shapes and images and making well guided brush strokes with his mouth. His dream is to open his own art gallery.

People who live with disabilities suffer stigma at every stage of their lives. Kwaku Antwi has lived through years of being scorned and disrespected.

Seven years ago he enrolled here for training. Today, he is a technical instructor at this rehab centre, a position he has held since 2014.

Kwaku Antwi has this message for government and other physically challenged people.

Meanwhile, former manager of the facility, Stephen Dombo has called on people to desist from giving money to the physically challenged who beg on the street. According to him, this defeats the purpose of making them financially independent.

He therefore called on families to enroll their disabled relatives at the centre.

Kofi Asare and Kwaku Antwi are just two of the over thousand people who have been trained by this rehab centre since its establishment in 1962.

There's indeed so much that can be achieved by individuals who have skills. People living with disabilities can be discouraged from begging on the streets if this rehab centre continues to support the skills development of the disabled in our society
05.12.2017 LISTEN

Barely few weeks the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) ended its fourth Unity Walk in Tarkwa of the Western Region, the party is not relenting its effort in organising its grassroots and is again sending message to its members of another one.

The party is set to organise its fifth (5th) 'Unity Walk' in Techiman of the Brong Ahafo Region the home soil of the immediate past First Lady of Ghana, Mrs. Lordina Mahama on Saturday December 30, 2017.

The Unity Walk' is aimed at closing the ranks of the umbrella family and building bridges that were broken in the party before and during the 2016 electioneering.

Report gathered from the organisers, indicating that the former President John Mahama will lead the Unity Walk in Techiman with his former appointees.

The former President John Mahama has not declared his intention about leading the party again in 2020 general elections, but inside critics believe the Walk and other moves being made the former President are indications of a desire to hold on to the party leadership hence so far majority of his former appointees, some national executives and all the ten Regional Chairmen have openly endorsed him to lead the party.

The NDC party will have its Presidential Primaries in November next year, 2018 to elect its Presidential Candidate for the 2020 general elections.

The 'Unity Walk' is under the theme, "Mobilisation of the grassroots, a shared responsibility".

The 'Unity Walk' forms part of recommendations made by the Prof. Kwesi Botchwey committee after the party suffering a humiliating defeat in the general elections held on December 7, 2016 at the hands of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

At the recent edition of the 'Unity Walk' held in Tarkwa, former President John Mahama said a number of reforms being carried out by the are part of initiatives to implement recommendations made by the Prof. Kwesi Botchwey committee.

The other presidential hopefuls such as Mr. Sylvester Mensah, Mr. Stephen Atubiga, Hon Albert Abban Bagbin, Dr. Ekow Spio Garbrah, Prof Joshua Alabi among others missed in actions in Tarkwa's Unity Walk and it is likely the same thing will happen in Techiman.

Source: Daniel Kaku
The Ghana Health Service is expected to vaccinate all students of the Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) in the Ashanti region following the death of three of their colleagues in a suspected case of meningitis.

The three included two first-year students and one final year student.

The students died after they were rushed to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Hospital on Friday, December 1, for emergency treatment.

The latest deaths at the school has caused fear and panic among parents, some of whom have threatened to withdraw their wards from the school.

Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu Sarkodie told Starr News that they are awaiting autopsy reports to establish the real cause of the deaths.

Dr. Sarkodie added that measures are being put in place to vaccinate all students to prevent any further death.

He added that the Ghana Health Service is also liaising with school authorities to decongest the school to prevent any further infection.

This is the second time students of Kumaca have died from suspected meningitis after three died under similar circumstances in April this year.

Authorities of the school on Monday barred journalists from accessing the school on the back of the incident which they say is denigrating the reputation of the school.
Born on the 24th of june , 1985, there is something about him making him great against all odds and negative perception people have about holistic medical practitioners, what truly separates him from others- is that he is the same Medical Practitioner when you meet him and whom everyone would tell you pretty much the same good thing: medical brilliance, evidence based, scholar and objectivity devoid of what he termed as practicing medicine based on emotions. His level of medical brilliance and humility is astonishing. Sometimes you are left wondering how God could deposit this set of qualities in one young man but he always give credit to a prophesy he received from Prophet Christopher Yaw Annor at the Holy Ghost Temple of the International Central Gospel Church.

Personal Statement

"Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time." My role as a specialist in prostate cancer is to provide an invaluable service to patients of diverse backgrounds and beliefs using holistic medicine. Also as a policy maker, I want to use Medical Politics to influence decisions in Government for total holistic healings in health care. I want to see a country where cancer treatment is not luxury, a country where there is national recognition of all cancers as major health challenge and policies to address it. I want to see a rapid change and development in the Dangme land. The future you picture is the future you will feature, the YOU you see is the YOU you will become. Therefore picture a great future to feature and desire a great YOU to become and the almighty God will see to it that you have featured in the future you have pictured and have become the YOU you have desired

Biography

Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu was appointed a research Professor of Prostate Cancer and Holistic Medicine at Da Vinci College of Holistic Medicine, Larnaca City, Cyprus in 2016 at the age of 31. He is an author, Health journalist, Editor, features writer and columnist in the Chronicle Newspaper. He is also a visiting Professor of Alternative Medicine at the Green Center for Alternative Medicine Practitioners, Lagos, Nigeria. He is the National President of the Alternative Medical Association of Ghana, (AMAG) and the Director of Dr. Nyarkotey Alternative Medical College, Ghana, affiliated to Da Vinci College of Holistic Medicine in Cyprus. Dr. Nyarkotey PhD in alternative Medicine revealed the rightful use of alternative medicine in men diagnosed with prostate cancer. His Postdoctoral research brought the Hibiscus tea into the medical limelight in Ghana as the best tea for Mens Prostate health. The second Postdoctoral research which was a short term appointment work funded by Dangme media titled  A Look At Dangme Community Parliamentary Voting Pattern: A Comparative Review Of Elections Held In The Various Constituencies And What Is Likely To Happen In 2016 Between NDc And NPP In The Dangme Constituency also revealed a five shaky seats which predicts shaky for the National Democratic Congress brought the Dangme political terrain into the national focus. The research came to pass and the NPP won the first seat in the Dangme land.

Dr. Nyarkotey pushed for the declaration of fathers day in Ghana as a national Prostate cancer awareness day which is at the implementation stage now at the Ministry of Health. He has also called for a new Ministry to take charge of Traditional and Alternative Medicine in Ghana. Dr. Nyarkotey aims to find a cure and preventive medicine for prostate cancer using evidence based alternative medicine which he coined the new medical term Allopathic Alternative Medicine

Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey is a graduate of the India Board of Alternative Medicine, Kolkata, India. He received his Doctor of Philosophy in Holistic Medicine with research interest in Prostate Cancer with research topic: The Impact of alternative medicines in Ghanaian men of African descent diagnosed with prostate cancer and the use of the local plant-Croton membranaceus-An observational study

He has currently enrolled in his second Doctorate program: Doctoral of Science (DSc) in Holistic Medicine at Da Vinci College of Holistic Medicine, Larnaca City, Cyprus where he is also a faculty member as Research Professor of Prostate Cancer and Holistic Medicine with a research focus on  Cancer and Immunology : The Role of Holistic Urology in the black community

Clinical & Academic Positions

Research Professor of Prostate Cancer and Holistic Medicine

Da Vinci College of Holistic Medicine, Larnaca city, Cyprus

Visiting Professor of Alternative Medicine

Green Center for Alternative Medicine Practitioners, Lagos, Nigeria

Visiting Lecturer in Holistic Medicine

Global Doctors and Life Scientist International, Takoradi, Ghana

Appointed as the National President of the Alternative Medical Association of Ghana (AMAG)

Education & Training

Doctor of Science (DSc) in Holistic Medicine

Da Vinci College of Holistic Medicine, Larnaca City, Cyprus- Ongoing

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Alternative Medicine-India Board of Alternative Medicine Academy, Kolkata, India- 2016

Masters of Science (MSc)-Prostate Cancer

Sheffield Hallam University, UK, 2013

Diploma in Psychosocial Counseling- Akona School of Counseling Ghana, 2016

Certificate in Medical Sonography

Radford University, College, Ghana-2012

Bachelor of Arts in Theology- Systematic Bible Training School, Ghana,2012

Clinical Medicine Practice

Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu is a registered alternative Medical Practitioner with specialty in Naturopathic Urology/Oncology by the Alternative Medical Practice Council, Ghana. He is also an ultrasound expert, renowned Prostate Cancer expert, ambassador, Policy maker and Cancer Psychologist focusing 100% on Mens prostate health. Dr. Nyarkoteys holistic, naturopathic approach is exclusive for people combating Prostate Cancer and other cancers, Prostatitis, Bladder Pain / Pelvic Pain and Male sexual dysfunction. His research, writings and professional passion are exclusive to these conditions: Cancer of the prostate, Enlarged Prostate, Prostatitis, Male sexual dysfunction, Pain (specifically pelvic pain) and urinary incontinence. Treatments include: medicinal herbs, individualized nutrition, supplements and massage.

Dr. Nyarkotey Integrative Approach to cancer management specializes in integrative (Western & Eastern, Conventional & Natural) treatments for Prostate and other Cancers and Urological conditions have helped lots of patients diagnosed with prostate cancers in Ghana. Dr. Nyarkotey individualizes the treatments to the patients needs from least invasive to more aggressive. As a Prostate Cancer Planner for Patients, Dr. Nyarkotey is passionate with staying up-to-date on cutting-edge prostate cancer research. With Dr. Nyarkotey, you will know if doing nothing (or Active Surveillance) is best for you. If you need medical treatment, he knows all the main players and can facilitate a visit both in Ghana and abroad. Paramount of all, Dr. Nyarkotey doesnt do any of the medical treatments for prostate cancer. In other words, his recommendations are 100% objective and bias-free. An organized health summary and a strategic action plan facilitated appointments with treatment experts, a customized anti-cancer lifestyle protocol

Academic Medicine

His research interests are black race and prostate cancer, Doppler for prostate cancer diagnosis, Holistic Urology, Naturopathic oncology and integrative approach to cancer management. Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu research on the Hibiscus tea brought the plant to the limelight of Medical Sciences. His research on Vitamin D deficiency as the main enemy in black men high incidence of prostate cancer also brought awareness of black race as major risk factors in prostate cancer in black men

Achievements

Dr. Nyarkotey is the Director of RNG Medicine Research Lab, RNG Prostate Research Center and Holistic Hospital at Tema Community 18 and also doubles as the founder of Mens Health Foundation Ghana, the peak national body of prostate cancer in Ghana creating awareness on prostate cancer. Dr. Nyarkotey is also the director of Dangme Media, publishers of Dangme Newspaper, the first community based newspaper in the Dangme community.

Dr. Nyarkotey studied the first ever Program in Prostate Cancer organized by Sheffield Hallam University, UK and Prostate Cancer UK. Dr. Nyarkotey reviewed the literature Role of Safety and efficacy of active surveillance in the treatment of prostate cancer and critiqued the paper on grounds why it can be a calculated gamble for black men. As a masters student in prostate cancer, One of his assignment in the prostate cancer module The Prostate cancer screening debate looking at the potential harm and benefits of the PSA test and the introduction of the Prostate cancer risk management program (PCRMP) in the UK by the NHS as a policy guidelines was regarded as outstanding by the course leader, Catherine Holbon of the faculty of health and Wellbeing and eventually I was made to get in touch with the regional ambassador for Topic of Cancer in South Yorkshire, Mr. Denton Wilson, a prostate cancer community champion in the UK and he is also the director of Prostate Cancer Awareness UK. Concurrently with his work in Prostate cancer and medical ultrasound, he developed the concept of using mobile ultrasound as part of the prostate cancer screening in Ghana to assess prostate volume

Some selected Awards

Rising Medical Star/Writer Personality Award FN Business Awards 2017 Social enterprise of the Year-Mens Health Foundation Ghana FN Business Awards 2017. Young Health Researcher of the Year-Health Legend Foundation Africa 2017 Nigeria Legend Award-Optimun Health Foundation , Nigeria, 2017 40under40 Ghana Achievers Nominee-2017

Some selected Publications

Raphael Obu (2014)An Evaluation Of The Factors That Might Influence The Mortality And Qol Of Ghanaian Men; Including The Impact Of Cultural Issues And A Healthy Relationship. Global Research Journal Of Public Health And Epidemiology: Issn-2360-7920, Vol. 1(2) PP 012-017, February, 2014

Raphael Obu (2014). Men's Health Foundation .International Research On Medical Sciences Vol.2(4), Pp. 039-046, September, 2014 Raphael Obu (2014) Investigating The Impact Of A Healthy Relationship On Ghanaian Men Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer And Cultural Issues In Ghana-A Discussion Paper On The Physical And Psychosocial Effects Of The Disease And Its Treatment. Grjphe, Vol. 1(1) Pp 001-007, January, 2014

Patents

Dr. Nyarkotey currently has filed for three patents for localized prostate cancer, womens health and hypertension using natural compositions.

Religion

Dr. Nyarkotey is a Christian and worship at the Holy Ghost Temple, Adenta-Fafraha.

Relationship.

Dr. Nyarkotey is currently single
On 29th November 2017 Mr. Malik Kweku Baako, the Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, expressed confidence that Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyomes latest foray to the Africa Court and the consequential orders from that court to stay the execution of the judgment and orders I obtained against him at the Supreme Court to refund the over GHS51million unconstitutionally paid to him by the previous Government was just a transient irritation  he will vomit the money. I have written about the corrupt stratagem being adopted to substitute the Republic of Ghana for me as the plaintiff in the substantive case. I have raised the red flags for President Akufo Addo and his team to be alert to the dangers ahead and the ultimate plans of Woyome and his mentors waiting in the wings for a possible positive outcome at the Africa Court.

Mr. Kweku Baako is reported to have raised the very important issue of the missing linkthe people involved in the payment of the GHS51.2 million judgment debt. He is reported on Ghana Web of 29th November 2017 to have queried: Those political functionaries, ministers, deputy ministers and party top shots who facilitated that payment, we havent yet looked at them. A thorough investigation into the conduct of these people should be initiatedhow did they sit for one person to swindle them and the entire nation. Mr. Baako is further reported to have expressed his incomprehension of how public officials allowed this to slip by and why until now nothing has been done to them.

The whole country will recollect that when Woyome was being tried before the sham Court of the irredeemably corrupt High Court Justice John Ajet-Nasam, I continued to insist that it will be difficult to secure a conviction of Woyome in the case without prosecuting those who aided and facilitated the commission of the offence with which he was charged. The New Patriotic Party both in and outside parliament shared the same sentiments as did Mr. Kweku Baako throughout the trial.

Nothing epitomizes corruption in the annals of the history of this country better than the circumstances and context of the Woyome case, and its trial by an irredeemably corrupt High Court Justice. Accordingly, one understood the promise by President Nana Akufo Addo and his party to fight corruption to include dealing with the residual matters relating to what Mr. Kweku Baako now calls the missing link.

No reasonable person expects President Nana Akufo Addo to personally investigate and deal with suspects in fulfillment of his promises of fighting corruption and dealing with past corruption which substantially contributed to earning him the Presidency. This is a function of his appointees to whom he has assigned ministerial responsibility for security and intelligence, law and order, and particularly justice.

The change of Government brought about by the electorate who demonstrated their hatred for corruption in the body politic offered the chances for the new Government to reopen the case and find the real facts, which the previous Government suppressed because it was itself complicit in the commission of the suspected crimes. Eleven months down the line nothing has been done or is being done to the knowledge of the public to redeem the Presidents promise on this outstanding matter.

One of the problems faced by some of the appointees of the present Government is the ability to go beyond the biased advice being proffered to them by the senior public officers they inherited from the previous Government. A conscientious and knowledgeable Minister should be able within the first three months in office to know how many of his officers were recently promoted by the outgoing Government and their role in cover ups in the Ministry. The inability of any Minister to understand the composition and promotional history of his senior public servants upon whom he depends for advice within the first three to six months means that he may be working with moles planted before the demise of the previous Government.

A simple analysis of the staff list in any Ministry including transfers within a period will easily give any Minister a birds eye view of how very junior staff wormed their way into acting senior positions above their very senior and competent colleagues and were later promoted in the election year, just in case the ballot was lost. This may provide an opening into the dependability and professionalism of some senior public servants in calling the Governments attention to residual issues needing urgent redress.

The Woyome criminal trial was conducted before a pertinently and irredeemably corrupt judge who did not feel shy chasing accused persons around Accra to collect bribes. This matter is recorded on video and Ghanaians who cared to watch saw now disgraced Justice Ajet-Nasam plainly executing his endemic behavior of taking bribes and corrupting his judgments in criminal cases.

The manner the case was prosecuted by the Government and its lawyers clearly facilitated the verdict pronounced by the irredeemably corrupt former Justice Ajet-Nasam of the High Court whom the whole world now knows sold justice for cash and had a penchant for chasing accused persons for payment.

In any civilized system of criminal justice administration, the Woyome trial should have been vacated at the instance of the Republic because of the overwhelming evidence that now disgraced Justice Ajet-Nasam did not have the capacity to administer impartial criminal justice by virtue of his internalized endemic corrupt nature. The disgraced former Justice did not even challenge the case of bribery and corruption so glaringly made against him on video because he was guilty to high heavens. But the Government of the day simply allowed him to disappear for corrupt services previously rendered to it.

But the same law officers who deliberately chose to prosecute Woyome without his co-suspects knowing very well that they were likely to lose the case as a result are still those in position to compromise the execution of the Presidents promise of fighting corruption. Furthermore, the same senior law officers who thwarted the execution of the judgment and engaged in various spurious agreements with him while their more senior court going colleagues were in the Supreme Court trying to execute the judgment are still those in position to advise the present Government on outstanding matters related to the case.

As a result of lack of progress in the execution of the Woyome judgment I obtained in the Supreme Court and my concerns about how the residual criminal matters were not being handled by the present Government, I wrote a letter dated 5th October 2017 to the Attorney General and copied the Chief of Staff at the Presidency on the execution of the Supreme Court Judgment. Nobody bothered to formally acknowledge even the receipt of my letter from the Attorney Generals Office.

I observed in that letter that:

There are other aspects of this Woyome case which your Government if it is really bent on fighting corruption could pursue in addition to the judgment and order under reference. Unfortunately you have the misfortune of working with some officers who have earned their mid-night promotions protecting the looting and covering up of the activities of the previous Government. They have no interest in pointing out residual matters in this case to your Government unless your Government has a personal commitment, the energy and industry to fish out those matters by yourselves.

I wish H. E. the President and you Gods guidance in all your genuine efforts to protect the national purse from looters of all kinds and hues holding various political party cards as an insurance against crime.

I was talking about Mr. Kweku Baakos the missing link and why it might not be receiving the attention of the Government as promised by the President. Mr. Kweku Baako and I have been talking about this missing link for years and this is the only Government that can deal with it if indeed it has a commitment to fight corruption. Thank you, Mr. Kweku Baako, for not allowing the matter of the missing link in the Woyome criminal saga to die a natural death for lack of any public voice to remind the Government of its compact with the electorate on 7th December 2016.

Mr. President, remember that the buck on fighting corruption stops with you whether it succeeds or fails.

Martin A. B. K. Amidu

4th December 2017
Water is life and Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL), the countrys leading total beverage business and partners through its flagship community investment programme Water of Life (WoL), have commissioned an ultra-modern water facility at Nsawam. It forms part of the companys ambition to build thriving communities in areas where it operates.

The facility which can produce about 24,000 liters of water a day was funded by GGBL and the Jaldhaara Foundation at a cost of $100,000. It will provide access to sustainable clean drinking water to an estimated 10,000 beneficiaries within Nsawam and adjoining communities; who in recent times have experienced acute water shortages.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony to unveil the facility, Gavin Pike, Managing Director for GGBL said sustainable access to clean drinking water and sanitation is the bedrock for building strong and thriving communities. It is prerequisite to the realization of the socio-economic well-being of every community.

For us, we continue to lead the way in providing water to communities where we operate. In the last few years, we made a commitment to refocus our investments to communities where we source local raw materials for production. One of such areas is Nsawam, which has had to deal with acute water shortage during the dry season, he said.

He noted that water is an important resource for GGBL as a total beverage business; adding The volumes produced from our sites is produced with water sourced from some water stressed areas. Therefore, replenishing water in these areas, remains a top business priority.

He further urged the community to ensure the facility is safeguarded to better serve the people of Nsawam and its environs for years to come.

Gabriel Opoku Asare, Corporate Relations Director for Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited, noted that GGBL acknowledges the role water plays in growing communities and works assiduously to replenish water it takes from the society.

Our strategic approach to water stewardship set out in our Water Blueprint, ensures we invest in communities by building projects that are community owned and capable of becoming self-sufficient. Since 2007, we have made significant contributions to over 70 communities across Ghana, with over 600,000 people in water stressed areas benefiting from these projects, he remarked.

Mr. Joseph Obeng Poku, who represented the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, commended Guinness Ghana and partners for the project and disclosed that Government is ready to partner the private sector especially in areas involving water and sanitation, in order to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The commissioning ceremony was also attended by representatives from the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mr. Isaac Kwadwo Buabeng, Municipal Chief Executive of Nsawam, Mr. Seth Akwaboah, CEO of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Management of GGBL, Nana Okoanadwo Afutu-Dompre II the Chief of Nsawam, and relevant stakeholders, among others.
At a recently held 6th Ghana Industry and Quality Awards- 2017 function organized by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Sterling International Ltd was adjudged Best Company in the Chemical Sector.

His Excellency Nana Akufo- Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, was the Guest of Honour at the Award ceremony which was held at the State Banquet Hall on 11th November, 2017

The Ceremony was organized to celebrate and honour member Companies for quality made in Ghana products whilst marking the 59th year of AGI and 60th Anniversary of Ghanas Independence.

Sterling International Ltd came out at the top from all the shortlisted Companies in Chemical Sector, after a process of vetting and evaluation by the AGI Awards Technical Committee consisting of experts from CSIR, GSA and the Ministry of Trade and Industries.

Sterling International has received several Gold and Platinum awards since 2011 from Ghana Export Promotion Authority ( GEPA) for export excellence and repatriation of highest export proceeds in Ghana from Exports. The Company has been cited consistently for manufacturing best quality Automotive Refinish paints, Marine, Protective, Industrial Coatings, adhesives and sealants for the export market.

His Excellency the President of the Republic, accompanied by the Honourable Mr. Allan Kyeremateng, Minister of Trade & Industries and his deputy Honourable Mr. Ahomka- Lindsey, who delivered the keynote address stated that the government had engaged AGI in discussions on a partnership in rolling out the One District One Factory programme aimed at value addition to our raw materials, generate employment and reduce poverty in the rural communities.

Mr. James Asare-Adjei, President of AGI commended the Award winners for their achievements. He also commended the Ghana Standards Authority for extending a helping hand to the Association to ensure that international quality standards are met by our Local Industries.

In a comment, Mr Arun Patil expressed his attitude to the Association of Ghana Industries for the recognition and honor done to the company and attributed the achievement to pursuit of Research and Development, excellent team work and Quality Assurance.
Be careful there Stephen, Aaron my tour guide and Jewish friend said to me while I walked boldly to the spiritual arena.

You send mortar fire down the plains to consume living things, the security forces and the rabbis will descend on us like ants he further said to me.

My whole life is dependent on what I do now as a professional and registered tour guide and I would not like it to go down the tubes Aaron said with straight face.

Was it a joke or he meant it? Was it factual or farce that I could command fire from the cliff of the mount down the valley and it shall come to pass. Oh how serious can that happen?

Wow! What made Aaron to issue that warning to me? I looked around; lo and behold I stood at the traditional site of the contest where Prophet Elijah commanded fire from heaven that consumed Baal worshipers.

That alone shouldnt let Aaron my tour guide and friend ran to warn me. Or there was more to it than that.

Well, I realized I stood right under the giant monument erected to mark the spot of the traditional contest of Mukhrata.

Filled with the Holy Spirit I decided to emulate the great prophet, I raised my hand pointed to the plains and straight up to heavens, brought it down and pointed at the plains again just to degree, declare and proclaim.

Believing I could be filled by the spirit of God which made Prophet Elijah defeated the 5,000 worshipers of Baal it could be possible I might perform same miracle, a new version of the story which might be dangerous so Aaron ran to stop me from emulating the Prophet Elijah.

Having stopped me from commanding fire from the heavens laughter burst out from us which attracted other tourists around the monument to the spiritual arena.

It was time to command fire from the heavens to consume my enemies Aaron. Laughter burst out from us.

There Aaron shared series of testimonies told by tourist after their visit to Mukhrata and commanded fire from heavens to burn their enemies which came to pass.

Mukhrata or the Camel range, rising to 1,650 feet stretches along the Plain of Esdraelon and falls steeply to the Mediterranean leaving only a narrow coastal plain.

The Prophet Isaiah describes the excellence of Camel [Isaiah 35:2] which is among the most beautiful and fertile areas of the Holy Land, Israel.

The Canaanite inhabitants worshiped Baal and his consort Ishtar who were adopted by Israelites.

Elijah the prophet challenged the priests of ball to prove whose god was more powerful and when he won, the Israelites abandoned the Canaanite deities and false prophets were slaughtered [1Kings 18].

Mukhrata, the traditional site of the contest, is today marked by a Carmelite Monastery built in 1886.

Are you curious in stepping foot in the arena of the spiritual contest where Prophet Elijah defeated Baal worships, please join Very Reverend Joseph Owusu Atuahene of Ghana Methodist Church of Toronto and his team as they prepare to tour the Holy Land Israel come September 2018.

040
On Farmers Day, December 1, Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL) launched the Odehye Beer, a beer celebrating Ashanti heritage, progress and future.

The total beverage business says the new product is a testament to its pioneering work in local raw materials usage and support for local farmers.

Odehye Beer, locally produced in Ghana is distributed in the Ashanti Region and available in 625ml and 300ml bottles.

Marketing and Innovations Director of GGBL, Melanie Ramsey, said Innovation is at the very core of our business. The Ghanaian consumer is evolving, becoming more sophisticated and aspirational yet very much rooted in culture and heritage.

It is in line with this that we forge into a new era with the people of Ashanti Region to launch Odehye Beer - the first truly local beer that celebrates royalty in an everyday way.The uniqueness of Beer lies in the carefully selected raw materials sourced locally and brewed in the Ashanti Region to the highest quality standards for all the royal people of the entire region.

Commenting on the launch, Gavin Pike, Managing Director of GGBL said the beer is inspired by the best of Ashanti culture  a spirit of bravery, courage, valour, power and wealth that drives success against all odds.

Our flagship brewery is located in the heart of Ashanti-Kumasi and I am even more delighted to announce that out of every sale of a bottle of Odehye, a dedicated amount will be given back to the region to provide potable water to vulnerable communities. Odehye is the new beer made for our people; from our land. This is ours, he said.

Odehye is brewed with 70% local raw material in pursuit of the companys ambition to use more local raw materials to create sustainable livelihoods for local farmers in Ghana.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

The confession from the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11, that he is a member of freemason in Ghana and very proud of it, has gone viral thereby making more people curious about the origin and beliefs of Freemasonry.

Otumfuos latest confession as member of the freemasonry society in Ghana is swelling the debate about the origins and history of Freemasonry, its basic doctrines and goals, the secret passwords and oaths, the supreme Masonic word, the satanic symbolism and rituals and many more.

The Asantehene as was reported by Ghana web was speaking at the recent launch of a new book about the society, written by Brother Gyesie, the Honorary Grand Warden of the Freemason Society of Ghana.

I am a proud freemason and I confirm that principles and tenets of freemasonry that we are taught in the Lodge, especially in the areas of governance and accountability have always stood me in good stead in my daily functions as Asantehene according to the report Otumfuo revealed.

Though the debate about freemasonry as a secret cult has been on for a while.

Majority of Ghanaians both home and in foreign destinations were not all that much curious about the society until photographs of former president J.A.kufuor and the Asantehene went viral on social media.

I became curious too about the origin and beliefs of the freemasonry after the story of Otumfuos confession broke on the news media on December 1, 2017.

Hold on, a sub editor from a Christian book publishing company in America told me on the phone having given them a call to find more about the freemasonry.

Sir, Kindly hold on and I will let one of our counselors speak to you soon the sub editor, further asked me to wait on the line an answer.

Hello brother Stephen, sorry for keeping you waiting but we are happy you gave us a call concerning the origin and beliefs of freemasonry and finding out more about the society.

Brother Stephen, we as a Christian book publishing company will like to advise you to read one of our books written about the freemasonry and we believe will enlighten you about the society.

The title of the book is Freemasonry: The Invisible Cult In our Midst written by Jack Harris, thank you the sub editor concluded our discussion on the phone.

The following morning, with the foreword by Reverend R. Alan Streett together with the outline forwarded to me, I dashed down to Agape Christian Market Place in Toronto and picked up a copy of the book FREEMASONRY: THE INVISIBLE CULT IN OUR MIDST as directed.

After reading the whole 145 pages of the book if I should make my decision clear, I will say there is no need for me as a Christian to join such secret society.

According to Reverend R. Alan Streett as the foreword read, Freemasonry: The Invisible Cult In Our Midst, is a straightforward expose of the Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, more popularly known as Freemasonry.

He noted that Mr. Jack Harris, the author of this interesting book, is an expert witness to the teachings and practices of this worldwide organization.

For a number of years he was a Master Mason, rising to the position of Worshipful Master Mason, the highest elected office in Blue Lodge Masonry.

He also passed through all the degrees of York Rite, the so-called Christian branch of Freemasonry. Mr. Harris, therefore, speaks on the subject of Freemasonry as one having authority.

The author concisely explains to the reader the basic doctrines and goals of freemasonry; showing how they deviate from Biblical Christianity. All the secret passwords, oaths, obligations and grips of Freemasonry are herein revealed, including the supreme Masonic word, known only to Master Masons.

If you have ever been curious about the origin and beliefs of freemasonry, FREEMASONRY: THE INVISIBLE CULT IN OUR MIDST IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

READ THE OUTLINE FOR THE BOOK.

A former worshipful Master of a Masonic lodge, Jack Harris authoritatively speaks about one of the most deceptive cults in United States today.

This secret organization has entangled ministers, elders, deacons, trustees, Sunday school teachers, and people all over the world in a web of lies and satanic rituals-all of which are veiled with the language of the Bible.

Revealed in this book are..

1. The origins and history of Freemasonry

2. Its basic doctrines and goals

3. The secret passwords and oaths

4. The supreme Masonic word

5. The satanic symbolism and rituals.

When contrasted with the truth of the Bible, Freemasonry is easily exposed as a satanic cult.

Discover how you can share the light of Christ with those living in darkness of Freemasonry and how they can be set free from its snare.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? [2 Corinthians 6:14].

PLEASE GET YOUR COPY NOW AND YOU WILL BE BLESSED.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 4, 2017  To achieve structural transformation on the continent, Africa must look for homegrown solutions and learn from its own experience, participants at the 12th African Economic Conference (AEC) heard Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This, according to high-level speakers from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is key to unlocking Africas potential and advancing its prosperity.

The three agencies, therefore, pledged their readiness to support the continents pursuit of an African agenda for stronger democratic states and rapid structural transformation that positively impacts on human development.

In his official opening address, the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, advocated for strong democratic states with zero tolerance for corruption and mechanisms for wealth-sharing.

Conferences such as this are important in order to learn from experience and adapt practices to each countrys socio-economic conditions. There are no specific policy templates that work everywhere, he stressed.

Executive Secretary of ECA, Vera Songwe, called on leaders, economists and policy-makers to look beyond the standard indicators of good governance.

There is a growing consensus that African countries require a more conducive governance environment for them to be able to pursue better public policies and ultimately to achieve better outcomes, including structural transformation and inclusive development, she said.

Celestin Monga, Vice-President, Economic Governance and Knowledge Management, at the African Development Bank, called for greater focus on addressing the economic loss caused by institutional inefficiencies and incompetence.

Monga stressed how corruption endangers economic growth, but pointed to the 30% loss due to lack of strong institutions, noting how difficult it is to address this when people are hungry.

A lot of governance work has not been very helpful to Africa as it is often seen as a precondition, Monga continued. We cannot expect a country with US $300 GDP per capita to have the same governance system as a country with US $78,000. You cannot compare Burundi to Switzerland.

This is why the AfDB is rethinking governance in Africa, Monga said, stressing that good governance is also about learning.

Experts agree that notwithstanding overall improvement in governance especially in human development and political participation, the African regions performance still lags behind other regions and hampers the successful reorientation of its economic activities.

Maintaining growth of 5% should be seen as a favourable development. There have been setbacks, but Africa is gradually getting governance right, said Lamin M. Manneh, Director of the UNDP Regional Service Center for Africa, on behalf of Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa.

Co-organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) under the theme Governance for structural transformation, this years conference focuses on the achievement of structural transformation in Africa with an emphasis on developmental governance.

About 500 researchers, policy-makers and development practitioners attended Day 1 of the conference.

The AEC provides an opportunity for participants to assess the impact of current economic and political governance strategies on economic transformation, poverty, inequality and human development in Africa.

Delivering the keynote address, Richard Joseph, Professor at Northwestern University, underscored why bold policy interventions must emanate from Africa.

In Africa, this is the time for relative autonomy in dealing with policy issues, he said.

The AEC offers in-depth presentations of policy-oriented research by both established academics and emerging researchers from the continent and beyond, who debate and recommend policy options on how governance in Africa can better support the continents structural transformation.
Government is in the process of drafting a bill to be presented to Parliament for the establishment of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium and Bauxite Development Authority, to reflect President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos commitment to establishing an Integrated Aluminium Industry to serve Ghana and Africa.

The Authority will play the important role of promoting responsible mining, and regulating the development of the industry. The Authority will be responsible for the development of the necessary infrastructure, including rail, roads and energy, industrial parks, and associated social infrastructure to support related businesses in the sector and the industry as a whole.

The Vice President of the Republic, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia disclosed this at the ongoing Regional Forum on the extractive industry in Ghana, co-sponsored by the Government of Ghana and the Uongozi Institute, which is under the office of the President of Tanzania.

The three-day Forum is under the theme Enhancing Value Addition in the Extractive Sector in Africa: Why is It Important and How Can it be achieved, and brings together participants and experts from across Africa, Asia, Europe and America.

Explaining governments decision to convene the forum, Vice President Bawumia said President Akufo-Addo was committed to moving our extractive sector beyond the old paradigm as part of the vision to move Ghana beyond aid.

The building of the integrated aluminum industry, he emphasised, is part of the government strategy to encourage the private sector to create and capture more value from our resources.

As we deliberated on this paradigm shift and trying to make a break from the past, in drafting this new bill we thought it was very very important to get the best minds across the continent and in the world to discuss the whole issue of value addition. One of the rationales for us as the presidency collaborating with the UONGOZI Institute on this was to bring the best minds together. You are the experts here, you are the thinkers, so we brought you here to basically deliberate quite rigorously on the best way forward.

We don't have all the answers. We want to learn from best practice and the experiences of other countries and thinkers in this area. We have very high expectations so that we can make good decisions at the end of the day.

Citing figures from industry experts, Dr Bawumia said it was imperative for Africans in general and Ghana in particular to add value to her raw materials in order to reap bigger benefits.

According to industry estimates, the price per carat increases roughly eightfold from rough diamond to polished gem-quality diamond. The earning margins are much higher in the upstream sector (16-20%) than in the middle market sector (1-8%).

The value of bauxite increases nearly 6 times of refined into alumina and nearly 33 times if converted into aluminum metal alloy. Given the various stages of the value chain, I know which part I want to be in.

The Vice President challenged the participants to deliberate extensively on the difficulties associated with value addition and come up with recommendations suited to the continent.

While value addition is a laudable initiative, its implementation is not without challenges. Hence the need for this conversation.

We should come out of this round table discussion with an extensive report on policy recommendations on how African governments can add value to our vast natural resources, bauxite in the particular case of Ghana, and with a clear road map on how it should be implemented

The push for Value Addition is also in recognition that exporting the resources in raw form and taxing only profits, in effect, export jobs, denies us the opportunities to gain any substantial part of the revenues generated from the range of activities along the value chain.

As the 2nd largest gold producing country in Africa after South Africa and the 10th largest globally, why has Ghana been unable to successfully add value to its gold? Why are we still in the raw material export silo of our minerals? Is it a question of technology, of financing or of human resources? Or is it a question of leadership?

What are the hindrances to promoting value addition to Africas extractive resources? What ought to be the role of government in promoting value addition to its natural resources? These and more should engage your attention, Dr Bawumia stated.
Sanctions imposed on 9 stations still hold pending outcome of hearing

Case adjourned at the request of the NCA

Case is yet be heard

Accra, 4th December, 2017  The Electronic Communications Tribunal has adjourned the case in which the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) had filed an appeal at the Tribunal seeking redress for nine (9) of its members affected by the September 2017 sanctions. It will be recalled that some 131 stations with various regulatory infractions were sanctioned by the National Communications Authority (NCA) in September with penalties ranging from fines to revocation of authorisations imposed on them.

The Electronic Communications (Rules of Procedure of the Electronic Communications Tribunal) Regulations 2016, LI 2235 states in Regulation 9 headed Effect of an Appeal that:

(1) An appeal shall not operate as a stay of execution in respect of the decision or order appealed against except where the tribunal otherwise determines.

(2) Despite sub regulation (1), an appellant may reply to the Tribunal by motion on notice for a stay of execution of the decision or order that the appellant has appealed against.

(3) A decision or order that is the subject of an appeal shall be stayed when an application under sub regulation (2) is pending.

(4) The Authority shall stay the execution of a decision or an order where

the Tribunal makes an order under sub regulation (2) to that effect; or an application under sub regulation (2) is pending.

It was based on this that the Tribunal adjourned the hearing at the request of the NCA. It is instructive to note that, the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) is a voluntary association which is representing just 9 out of the 131 stations the NCA sanctioned in September.

The stay of execution thus applies to the nine appellants whose authorisations would have been revoked after a deadline. The sanctions as imposed on the rest of the stations still hold until the NCA announces otherwise.

The nine radio stations being represented by GIBA will have a stay of execution until the substantive case is heard. They are Mascott Multi-Service Limited (Atlantis Radio 87.9FM), Supermax Media Company (Max 102.9FM, Kalvice Company Limited (Kaleawo 107.3FM), Network Broadcasting Limited (Radio Gold 90.5FM), Progress Multimedia Limited (Radio Hogbe 106.5FM), Digital Broadcasting Systems Company Limited (Vision 90.9FM), Singwado Broadcasting Company (Radio Silver 92.3FM), Trickie FM Limited (Trickie 99.5FM) and Gary Express Service Limited (Beach 105.5FM).

The Authority wishes to inform the public that until the hearing is concluded, efforts will be made to ensure compliance from all Licencees and Authorisation Holders.
The Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, has cautioned Ghanaian soldiers who go on peace-keeping operations not to engage in any sexual activities with residents of their operational area since that is against the rules and regulations of the United Nations (UN) peace-keeping operations.

He said Ghanas image in the UN Peace-keeping mission is held in high esteem and so every effort must be made to guard and protect that enviable record.

Mr. Nitiwul said any Ghanaian soldier who would engage in any acts of indiscipline while on peace-keeping mission would be sacked from the Ghana Armed Forces, irrespective of the persons rank.

The Defence Minister was speaking at a durbar of all ranks held in his honour at the Third Battalion of Infantry in Sunyani as part of his maiden visit to the barrack. The occasion was used to interact with the soldiers and brief them about efforts by government to address their concerns.

He was accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lt. Gen Obed Boama Akwa, Air Vice Marshal Maxwell Mantsebi-Tei Nagai, Chief of Air Staff, Brig.-Gen Musa Wahjah who is the GSO and Brig. Gen. Cosmas Alhassan, the General Officer Commanding Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, among others.

Mr. Nitiwul further advised the troops to desist from partisan politics and rather focus on their core mandate as enshrined in the 1992 constitution of Ghana.

The Minister disclosed that Operation Vanguard, the Joint military-Police Taskforce set up by government to deal with illegal mining activities will extend their operations to the Brong Ahafo Region next year.

Governments desire to end illegal mining activities across the country still remains unabated and in the light of this, Operation Vanguard would extend its operations to the Brong Ahafo Region come early next year.

The Defence Minister re-echoed the need for the military to join forces with other security agencies to clamp down on smuggling of cocoa to neighboring countries, secure Ghanas borders and also check illegal lumbering activities.

Touching on the welfare of the officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Minister said government has started the re-generation project which is meant to improve the well-being of the soldiers.

Under the project, he said, existing structures at the various barracks which are in deplorable state would be renovated while new accommodation facilities would also be provided to improve their living conditions in the barracks.

He also announced plans to provide each of the barracks with new buses next year to augment their current fleet of vehicles.

The Minister later inspected works on some on-going projects at the barracks and the Sewage Treatment Plant there which has not been functioning since 2008, among other facilities.

The Commanding Officer of the Third Battalion of Infantry, Lt. Col Daniel N.K Adjetey, for his part thanked the Minister and his entourage for their visit.

(Richard Boahen  [email protected])
Alhaji Abdul-Salam Akate, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Akate Farms and Trading Company Ltd, has been honoured with an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the Central Ukrainian Technical University.

The top university, which had seen Dr Akate's splendid works, conferred on him the 'Ambassador of Business Entrepreneur in West Africa for 2017,' during a colourful ceremony in Kumasi, Ashanti Regional capital, recently.

The academic honour is to praise and also motivate the Akate Farms boss, whose invaluable contributions over the past three decades, had led to the creation of jobs and growth of Ghana's economy.

The award ceremony was part of the International Conference Awards 2017/18, and it was held at the College of Science Auditorium at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.

Dr. Akate was accompanied by a retinue of his workers, family members, loved ones and several people, from all corners of the country, who had benefitted from his largesse over the past 30 years, as he received the award.

Other Awards

It was the third time this year that Alhaji Akate had been honoured by a reputable institution for his extraordinary contributions towards the development of businesses and enhancement of human lives in his country.

The West African Nobles' Forum recently conferred on him, the 'Nobles International Award for 2017' for being an eminent West African, who upholds the virtues of honesty, integrity and accountability.

He was also the proud recipient of the 'Diamond Jubilee Business and Financial Services Excellence Award-2017' in recognition of his outstanding contribution through agriculture (poultry) to the economic development of Ghana.

Akate Farms History

Akate Farms started its operations at Buokrom-Dote in Kumasi in 1987 with 800 commercial birds and 1,500 layers and since that time, the company has grown to become a giant in the poultry industry in Ghana.

It has now opened branches in Accra and Cape Coast in the Greater and the Central Regions respectively, where it is providing professional services to thousands of customers on a daily basis.

Akate Farms can now boast of 350 permanent workers and hundreds of casual ones.

Aside the poultry industry, Akate Farms is also making strong waves in other areas in the agricultural sector.

The company now owns a 6,000-acre maize farm in the Northern Region, which has provided direct work for 1,500 people.

Akate's Secret

Dr Abdul-Salam Akate, who was the National Best Farmer for 2007, disclosed that the fear of God, humility, respect for all manner of people that meet on daily basis, truthfulness to his business partners and hard work are the secret behind his success in business.

The Akate Farms CEO, who is noted for using his resources to sponsor hundreds of brilliant but needy students, urged up-and-coming businessmen and women to be truthful and hardworking, adding, There is no shortcut in life.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

The Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services (CRS), a technologically driven, total physical rehabilitation service provider has developed the Limb Project to seek sponsorship for fund to help provide prosthetic rehabilitation services for under privileged amputees.

The sponsorship from individuals and institutions are targeted at children of school going age and individuals with the capacity to go back to economic activities to help themselves and their families.

Mr Joseph Thompson, the Founder of CSR, told the Ghana News Agency that the overarching objective of the project was to annually solicit funds to treat at least 30 amputees between the ages of three and 50 years.

He said the sponsoring institution or individual may recruit and bring amputees for them to be rehabilitated or task CRS to identify and recruit such amputees that lack the financial capacity to pay for such services.

He said prosthetic rehabilitation services have been available in Ghana, since the 1950's, when it was introduced by the government to take care of war veterans from the Second World War.

He said the number of people who were in need of the service kept increasing and the materials used for making prosthetic devices have also become more advanced and expensive.

'This has made it expensive for patients to purchase such services,' he added.

Mr Thompson said recent changes in life style and its attendant peripheral vascular diseases like diabetes were leading to more amputations in young adults from the ages of fifty upwards with rampant road traffic accidents, industrial accidents, domestic accidents and snake bites still causing more amputations in individuals.

He said most of these amputees were either people of school going age or people who have the ability to return to economic activities to take care of themselves and their families.

'The sad thing is that after amputation, most people who cannot afford the cost of artificial legs are unable to fit back well into the school system or employment environment due to their challenge,' he added.

He said CRS intends to bring physical rehabilitation services into the patient's immediate community, right at their doorstep, adding that CRS maintained a high calibre of professionals, who have long service experience in their various professions.

CRS makes use of the latest certified and appropriate technology to ensure patient and client satisfaction and with the understanding that the rehabilitation needs of individuals vary widely, even for people with similar health conditions.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

A corn miller arrested for attempting to murder his girlfriend has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in hard labor by a Kumasi Circuit Court.

Joseph Koranteng Oddei, 22, was additionally ordered to pay compensation of GHC10,000.00 to the victim.

The court, presided over by Mrs. Lydia Osei Marfo, gave the punishment after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

Police Inspector Eric Asare said the incident happened on October 22, at about 1745 hours, at Bomso in Kumasi.

The convict and Grace Anambono had been sexually-involved but the relationship got strained.

On the said day, the lady together with the sister visited a friend at Bomso and were returning to Besease, where they reside when they met Oddei.

He called the victim aside, told her that his grandmother wanted see her and she obliged.

Suddenly, the convict pulled out a machete and threatened to hack her to death.

Scared for her life, she took to her heels. He run after her, caught up with her and inflicted multiple wounds on her - head, neck, back and right hand, until she fell to the ground.

Oddei took her for dead, dropped the machete and attempted to flee but was hotly pursued by some neighbors.

He managed to take refuge at a nearby local FM Radio station and the police were called in to take him away.

The victim was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where she was kept on admission for days.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

Dr Kofi Sutherland, District Director of Health Service of the Wassa East district, has urged Ghanaians to erase the misconception that HIV/AIDs no longer exist and urged the citizenry to always protect themselves to prevent the further spread of the Virus.

According to him, AIDs was now a chronic disease just like diabetics, and people should encourage their neighbours, co-workers and friends to still practice the ABC and D of prevention and in addition test for their status in order to start Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) early to supress the virus, which would enable infected persons to live longer and end the epidemic by 2030.

Dr Sutherland, who said this during the district World AIDs day celebration at Wassa-Ekutuase, in the Wassa East district of the Western Region, stressed that, abstinence, being faithful to one un-infected partner, condom promotion and drug (ABCD) were still very relevant in the prevention of HIV/AIDs in the country.

Touching on the theme, 'The right to Health: Know your HIV Status-Seek early treatment', Dr Sutherland said when it is carefully looked at, it is in agreement with the National Aids control programme and the UNAIDS 90-90-90 aspirational target, which call for 90 per cent of people living with HIV to be aware of their HIV infection by testing to know their status.

He said the inspiration target is also ensure to that 90 per cent of all people living with HIV(PLHIV) receive Anti-Retroviral Therapy with another 90 per cent of people on ART to achieve viral suppression within 12 months, which is aimed at ending the AIDs epidemic by 2030.

Dr Sutherland explained that the Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS globally in 2015, indicated that 36 million people were living with HIV/AIDs, out of the number, 67 per cent were living in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA)

He said new HIV infections stood at 2.1 million with 75 per cent living in Sub Saharan Africa, with 17 million PLHIV in SSA

The District Health Director further explained that deaths due to AID was 1.1 million, with most coming from SSA, adding that, children less than 15 years living with HIV stood at 1.8 million with majority from SSA.

He said children less than 15 years newly infected cases stood at 150, 000 whiles AIDS related death among under 15 years was 110.000, with majority in Sub Saharan Africa.

Dr Sutherland said in Ghana, the median ANC HIV prevalence in 2016 was 2.4 per cent, noting that, the 2016 HIV prevalence by region varied, with the lowest being 0.7 per cent in the Northern region and the highest being 2.7 per cent in the Brong-Ahafo region.

He said the prevalence in the Western region was 2.5 per cent and that the Wassa East district from January to date recorded 29 new cases made-up of 24 female and five males.

He said the facts about HIV/AIDs, pertaining its transmission, sign and symptoms as well as prevention and management still remained the same and urged parents to give attention and care to their children, saying that, ' be interested in their friends and instill in them discipline'.

'The youth should be obedient, focused on their studies and get role models in life to reduce peer influence' he added.
Mr. John Kwesi Agyabeng, a former Member of Parliament for Agona East Constituency was on Friday adjudged the overall District Farmer at the 33rd National Farmers' Day celebration held at Agona Duotu.

The former MP who was also a former District Chief Executive (DCE) for the then Agona District under President Agyekum Kufuor regime started his farming career in 1998.

He took home a double-decker fridge, two wellington boots, a bicycle, four plastic chairs, one knapsack spray machine, half piece of cloth, five cutlasses and a certificate.

Police Superintendent Ebenezer Ewudzie Sackey, Agona Swedru Divisional Police Command Pay Master won the second best runner's up farmer in the Agona East District.

The theme for this year's celebration was 'Farming for Food and Jobs".

He took home a table top fridge, two wellington boots, one knapsack spray machine, three plastic chairs, a standing fan, half piece of cloth, four cutlasses and certificate of honour.

In all 10 farmers and fishermen were awarded for their hard work and selfless services to the country.

Addressing the farmers, Mr. Dennis Armah-Fremong, Agona East District Chief Executive (DCE) commended the farmers for the hard work and dedication which had contributed to the socio-economic advancement of the nation.

The DCE said the farmers apart from producing foods to feed the nation's population also provided raw materials for local industries and exported some to earn foreign exchange.

He stated that the theme was also tandem for policies and programmes under President Nana Akufo-Addo's government, which aimed at not only producing sufficient food to feed the citizens of the country but also creating employment.

The DCE disclosed that under the planting for food and jobs programme, the government had supplied over 1,000 bags of fertilizers and vegetable seeds at subsidized prices to farmers in the District.

He stated that under the same policy, the government had supplied over 68 mini bags of improved maize seeds which could increase maize production from 1.65 metric tonnes to 2.00 metric tonnes per hectare next year.

Mr Armah- Fremong said the proposal for the establishment of a factory in the Agona East has been selected among the 187 approved nation-wide, saying that a sod cutting ceremony would soon be held early next year for the commencement of the one district one factory.

He hinted that to ensure the success of the one district one factory policy, the Agona East District Assembly has put in place adequate measures to construct roads, provision of water, electricity and other facilities to enhance implementation of the programme.

The Function was chaired by Nana Kojo Amoakwa V, Krontihene of Nyakrom Traditional Area and Chief of Agona Duakwa.

He called on the Ghana Cocoa Board and National Security to launch full-scale investigations into the alleged adjustment of weighing scales used to cheat cocoa farmers by the purchasing clerks of Licensing Buying Companies.

According to the Chief, cocoa farmers in the Agona East District have been complaining about the alleged deductions of five to seven kilos on each bag of cocoa by LBCS when farmers sent their dry cocoa beans to the depots for sell.

He commended the government of the NPP for the initiative of the planting for food and jobs, adding that the policy was laudable and it would create wealth and jobs to reduce poverty.

Mr. John Agyabeng, Agona East Best Farmer, on his part praised the government for the honour done him and called on the youth to involve themselves in agriculture.

He called on Ghanaians to patronise the local foods, especially local rice which was best and could also boost the economy and expressed regret that many Ghanaians have resort to use of foreign rice popularly known as perfumed rice.

At Agona West, 10 farmers received various awards with Mr. Issac Asare from Agona Nkum emerging as overall best farmer in the Municipality.

Mr. Asare took home a motor bike, four plastic chairs, two wellington boots, cassette radio, full piece of cloth, two knap sack spray machines, four cutlasses and a certificate.

Mrs. Justina Marigold Assan, Agona West Municipal Chief Executive said under the planting for food and jobs, a total of 456 acres of land have been identified for the cultivation of maize and vegetables to improve the quality of life of farmers.

She said the government had also supplied fertilizers and seeds of maize and other crops to over 2000 farmers in the Municipality

The MCE said the Assembly has supervised the distributions of seedlings and 1368 bags of fertilizers to 370 farmers in the Municipality under the planting for food and jobs programme.
The Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, the Accra Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Church has implored the youth not to engage in perilous journeys outside the country in search of greener pastures.

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sale of African youth as slaves in Libya, emphasised that the thought of the existence of greener pastures only in foreign countries is a mirage, hence the need for the youth to concentrate on personal development and growth here, in Ghana.

'I am pleading with Ghanaians, the greener pastures are here in Ghana, God has given us such a blessed country called Ghana, although there are challenges, you are the one who can make it greener, there is no greener pasture anywhere, not in Europe, America, Asia and nowhere else except where God in his own infinite wisdom has planted you.

'I beg you my sons and daughters please do not let anybody deceive you, you have seen it with your own naked eyes the sufferings your brothers are going through in the desert, being eaten up by wild animals, pirates and drowning in the Mediterranean.

'If you stay here in Ghana on our own land and you farm our land, you will not drown, you will not suffer wild animals like Hyenas and Jackals attacking you, amongst others, so please let us stay and make the best of our country,' he said.

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, therefore, admonished the youth to work hard to contribute their quota to the development of Ghana.

A video that shows African migrants sold as slaves in Libya sparked a global outcry. It has come to light that hundreds of Africans are being auctioned in modern slave markets for $400 per person as Libya is the main transit hub for illegal immigrants and refugees seeking to reach Europe.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

A 30-year-old electrician who after continuously defiling a 14-year-old girl and rendering her paralysed at Ashalley Botwe, on Monday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

Emmanuel Ampah charged with defilement pleaded not guilty and the court presided over by Mrs. Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku remanded him into Police custody to reappear on December 14.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Agnes Boafo said the complainant is a contractor and father of the victim.

ASP Boafo said the accused person is a family friend to the complainant for the past three years. Ampah has been visiting the complainant's family anytime he so wishes.

The prosecution said Ampah was also fed and given assistance by the complainant when in need.

ASP Boafo said the complainant took the victim to the hospital when he realised that for about eight months the victim could not walk properly and became paralysed with swollen feet.

The prosecution said during the medical examination, the Medical Doctor found out that the victim had been defiled several times and that she had sex a week to the day she was brought to the hospital.

The prosecution said the victim further disclosed to the Medical officer that a male adult has been defiling her since 2015 and that when the accused defiled her the first time, the accused warned her that he had planted juju in her mother's room that her mother and sister would die if she screamed.

For the fear of losing her mother and younger brother, Prosecution said the victim kept the ordeal to herself and Ampah continually defiled her anytime he came to the house

ASP Boafo said Ampah confessed to the complainant when he was quizzed, while the victim's father recorded the accused confession.

In the said recordings; the Prosecution said Amaph indicated that he had tried on two occasions to have sex with the victim after fondling her breast.

The prosecution further said the matter was reported to the Police and accused was arrested and the victim issued with a medical report form to seek further treatment.
Education, so to speak, has been the backbone of every successful nation on this planet (Earth). Therefore it is a step in the right direction for any government to seek to make it free and accessible to all.

Let us however be honest, it is not least surprising to see the opposition NDC loyalists moving heaven and earth to punch holes in the well-embraced poverty alleviation Free SHS with the view to bringing it down.

As our elders would put it: se obi anwowoa oni wo (literally means no one can take care of you better than your own parents).

We know those who have a record for scrapping pro-poor policies  nursing and teacher trainees will bear testimony. I wish to assure them that Free SHS will be sustained, that Free SHS is here to stay. The overwhelming majority of Ghanaians support the choice that I have made in implementing Free SHS (Akufo-Addo).

I could not agree more with the preceding statement of fact by President Akufo-Addo. Absolutely, there is unobjectionable evidence of NDCs idiosyncratic antipathy towards every social intervention proposed and implemented by the NPP government.

Obviously, the NDC operatives do not want their opponent to score political points through the poverty reduction policies, and hence fighting tooth and nail to neutralise the positive effects of such social interventions. Indeed, that is an isolated thinkers selfish mindset that does not promote nation building in anyway.

Disappointingly, however, the NDC faithful have ridiculously been holding on to the ideals of social democracy. And, if that is not a deliberate ploy to deceiving the unsuspecting Ghanaians, what is it then?

Isnt it ironic that after they had vigorously campaigned and voted against the poverty alleviation Free SHS, though unsuccessful, the NDC loyalists now have the temerity to put up needless resistance over the schematic arrangements of the free SHS?

Let us face it, though, it can never be deemed as short-sightedness or shiftiness if any forward-thinking government decides to roll out free SHS to the benefit of its citizens in adherence to the international human rights provision on free secondary education, which is detailed in Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economics, Social and Cultural Rights.

How bizarre?

Dearest reader, if the NDC operatives are not against the Free SHS, how could they keep fighting so hard to discredit the policy, despite the associated benefits of the newly implemented Free SHS?

Let us therefore admit, the opposition NDCs never ending and needless protestations against the Free SHS implementation are becoming extremely nauseating, so to speak.

Well, much as the minority NDC operatives are on a mission to placate their ever so peeved party supporters, they cannot continue to play on the minds of discerning Ghanaians.

As a matter of fact and principle, some of us can neither be hoodwinked nor proselytised by the minority NDCs gratuitous and sugar-puffed gimmicks.

Being in Opposition is not just about opposing the Government. There are occasions when the Opposition agrees with the Government, if the solution proposed by the Government has wide support, and is soundly based, then its only natural for the Opposition to agree (Dr Brash).

How on earth would a supposedly responsible opposition keep convening at breakfast lounges with a view to playing down the associated benefits of the newly implemented Free SHS?

Regrettably, however, we (Ghanaians) have over the years been handing our destiny into the hands of terrible economic managers, who have only succeeded in sinking the economy deeper and deeper into the mire.

If we stroll down memory lane, the previous NPP government pragmatically introduced social interventions such as the free Maternal Care, the School Feeding Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Mass Transport System, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the National Youth Employment Programme, now known as GYEDA, the Savana Acceleration Development Authority (SADA) amongst others.

Disappointingly, however, the erstwhile NDC government succeeded in running down those crucial social interventions to the dismay of discerning Ghanaians.

Dearest reader, this is not an attempt to hyperbolise the sorrowful state of the aforementioned social interventions following NDC governments eight years of mismanagement.

But if anything at all, we can all bear witness to scandalous corruption cases involving SADA, GYEEDA and how the other social interventions were managed abysmally under NDC government.

You would think that individuals who pride themselves as social democrats will be extremely empathetic to the needs of the masses, but this is not the case with the NDC apparatchiks.

Bizarrely, though, they only sing along the social democratic rendition and then turn their back on the masses. It is an illustrative case of social democrats who do not know how to initiate and manage social interventions.

Trust me, should Ghanaians make a calamitous mistake and hand over the poverty alleviation Free SHS programme back to NDC Party in the near future, the supposedly social democrats will gleefully revert the comprehensively free policy to their much touted progressively free (whatever that means).

K. Badu, UK.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

Teachers are abusing freedom of association in Ghana . One can count about not less than four teacher unions for teachers in Ghana.Is it because of disunity, lack of common purpose or sheer greed to take advantage of one another by taking money from them in the form of dues?Instead of teachers to rally themselves under one umbrella and face the government squarely on the negotiating table, they will be presenting divisive fronts. This easily gives the employer the opportunity to have its own way when pushing through policies which might not favour teachers.

Has anything extra ordinary changed since the mushrooming of many teacher unions from the mother union? It is just the old tune being played.The only difference is the end of year souvenirs given; as one gives diaries and calenders, the others will be giving bags of rice(5kg) and tins of tomato paste. It is as if some teachers just want the opportunity to lead a group and by so doing, will have the privilege to come in contact with government delegates, then have their links. For others too,it is just an opportunity to have access to other teachers monies through their dues, invest it and rip off the benefits for themselves while the contributors suffer.

Teachers need to wise up.Many teacher unions without common and definite purpose breeds only multiple problems to teachers.These associations are only contributing to the worsening of the plight of teachers.Teachers in Ghana should think of a formidable and working association that will have their welfare and progress in the profession as their ultimate goal. They must desist from contributing to the splitting and creation of other teacher unions.

This clarion call does not necessarily say the mother teacher union is doing everything right. Definitely, something will call for aggrieved union members to decide to split from the mother union. Sometimes, it seems members of this mother teacher association are strangers to the same association they pay dues to. For paying monthly dues of significant monetary value, teachers only receive diaries, calenders and something of value less than a months dues as end of year souvenirs.

Teachers deserve better than this.The teacher will surely not be happy. Even if the monies taken in the form of dues are used for other things which will benefit members, why not communicate it to them? Why not create the avenue and opportunity for members to also enjoy from the returns made from the associations investment? What is the essence of the public relation officer?Some teachers even claim that they do not enjoy investments of the mother association like hostels as members .

The kind of treatment they are subjected to when they want to use such facilities makes them regret even paying dues to such a union. Worst of all, it is perceived that leadership of the mother union will only take issues of the teachers welfare serious only when it affects them. The union can help purge members of this perception by their actions and unflinching commitment. The reality on the ground is that there is a gulf between leadership of the mother union and members.

A critical example is how the mother union handled the three months salary arrears paid to newly trained teachers of the 2013 and 2014 year groups. It took the effort of a few young vibrant teachers to make their voices heard on various media platforms before the mother teacher union joined the fight. It is as if leadership do not know the actual problems facing teachers in the classroom especially the young ones.All is not lost yet.

The mother union can make amends.They can some innovations to make them more attractive. They are doing very well in certain areas which deserves commendations like their partnership with international teacher unions to provide professional development programs for (some) members. But there is more room for improvement.

Teachers need to come together. They need to define a common goal and have a workable blueprint towards achieving it. Leadership should not distant itself from the members. They should work for members not themselves. They should not be seen acting only when issues are of concern to them but should be proactive to even know the problems of newly trained teachers and fight for them. Teachers must stop putting themselves into various groups and forge behind only one effective and efficient teacher union. If nothing at all,just look at the doctors and the others who find themselves in one union and the better deals they get from government.This is not a call to just the leaders of these unions but to all teachers: think of only one teacher union. Remember,divided you fall but together you can get better deals and policies from the government.

Okota-Wilson Nicholas [email protected] 233 541 55 6858

okotawilson.wordpress.com
The Presbyterian Worship Centre (PWC), Accra, has donated an assortment of foodstuffs and clothing worth GH10,000 to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.

The items presented to the hospital on Friday, December 1, 2017, include bags of rice, cartons of milk and tomatoes, beverages, bars of soap, packets of sugar, among many others.

The Resident Minister of the Legon Presec-based PWC, Rev Erasmus Mensah Laryea, in a brief remark to handover the items to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, said the donation formed part of activities marking the churchs fifth anniversary celebration.

According to him, it was also in fulfilment of the Christian and social responsibility.

He said the hospital became a beneficiary of the donation after the church became aware of the many challenges facing mental health delivery in Ghana.

A senior nursing officer at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Jacinta Kufe, who received the donation on behalf of the hospital, thanked the church, saying it would help meet the needs of the inmates for this Christmas season.

At least, they will be able to have a feel of the Christmas, she said and appealed to other institutions and individuals to support the hospital during this festive season.

BY Melvin Tarlue
Fidelity Bank has rewarded five more lucky customers in the Fidelity 10x Richer Promo held in Tamale during the 4th draw of the promotion.

A total of GH25,000 was given out to five customers.

They included Richard Osei Boakye of the KO Methodist Branch; Annabel Arthur of the Nungua Branch; Paul Yeboah of the Adum Branch; Felix Osei Boahen of the Berekum Branch; and Zakaria Mariama of the Tamale Branch.

Deputy Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Julian Kingsley Opuni, expressed appreciation to customers for transacting business with his outfit over the years.

Mr Opuni stated that Fidelity Bank believed every Ghanaian of bankable age should have the opportunity to experience world-class banking in Ghana and in their respective towns and homes.

He said the bank has collaborated with its strategic partners to embark on a number of programmes to improve the lives of the people in communities in Northern Ghana.

He added that a couple of weeks ago, Fidelity Bank, in partnership with USAID and SNV-Netherlands Development Organization, launched the USAID-Smart Agri-Finance Project to provide access to affordable, inclusive banking services in Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) zone, primarily for women.

The project will also improve efficiency and linkages along the targeted value chains, as well as promote inclusive banking, mobile finance and agricultural lending in Ghana.

There is one more monthly draw and a grand draw to be held.

The grand draw will offer three lucky customers the chance to have their coupon balance multiplied by 10X10 to walk away with a total of GH150,000.

In all, Fidelity Bank is rewarding customers with cash prizes of almost GH300,000.

New customers will be required to open current or savings accounts with a minimum deposit of GH500 or multiples of GH500.

The money must stay in the account for a minimum of one month or more to qualify for the draw.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

At least three people are dead and scores of injured passengers in critical condition following a Tuesday dawn head-on collision between a bus and cargo truck at Kubease on the Accra-Kumasi highway.

Some passengers of the bus were trapped for minutes in the mangled frontage of the Kia Grandbird bus with the registration GT 3335-16, 3News correspondent, Kojo Carrey reported from the scene.

The driver of the cargo truck with registration GR 2207  W and his assistant (mate) died instantly due to the magnitude of the accident that happened between 2:00 and 3:00am Tuesday, our corresponded said.

The dead being put in a pick-up truck

The make of the truck is not clear because of the impact of the accident, Carrey said, adding the Police first arrived at the scene and called in the Ghana Fire Service which had the logistics to cut open the mangled vehicle to rescue the trapped passengers and also removed the dead bodies.

One of the dead trapped in the vehicle

The injured have been sent to a nearby health facility for medical attention.

Our correspondent said the Police couldnt tell whether there were other dead people apart from the three others, noting some could be in coma.It is not clear what caused the accident but initial assessment by the Police on the ground suggested the driver of the bus who was sleeping, veered off its lane and crashed the truck head-on.

The accident spot was spilled with blood from the injured and the dead

The bus was travelling from Accra towards Kumasi while the truck, which was loaded with cereals, was moving towards Accra.

According to a police assessment, the bus driver may have been sleeping because he came into the lane of the cargo truck, Carrey reported.

For over two hours, the Accra-Kumasi road was blocked at the accident spot causing heavy vehicular traffic at both ends of the road. It was until the road was cleared at about 5:20am that the traffic begun to flow, Carrey reported.
As part of Governments commitment to fulfill its railway expansion project, Hungarys Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, His Excellency, Peter Szijjarto has pledged to ensure cooperation between his government and Ghanaian companies to help develop the railways sector.

According to him, credit lines of 140 million euros were available for Ghanaian businesses for joint venture projects with a minimum of 50 per cent Hungarian participation.

Last Friday in a meeting with Ghanas Minister for Railway Development, Honourable Joe Ghartey, Peter Szijjarto revealed the Hungarian government had offered 100 scholarships to Ghanaian students for training in Hungary, to strengthen their expertise in the railway sector .

He said Hungarian companies have expertise in several areas relevant for running an efficient and effective railways sector including technology, security and safety.

Commending Honorable Joe Ghartey and his government, for the initiative to expand Ghanas railway network, Peter Szijjarto revealed his government, with similar agenda had taken a number of bold decisions including reducing corporate taxes to 9 per cent, which had led to a number of major corporations setting up in Hungary.

Briefing the Hungarian Minister, on his part, particularly on governments agenda to developing modern railway network, Hon Joe Ghartey, explained that as part of the first phase, the Akuffo Addos government was focusing on the Western Line from Sekondi Takoradi to Kumasi, the Eastern Line from Accra /Tema to Kumasi and the Central Spine from Kumasi to Paga.

The Hungarian Minister was also briefed on the Tema to Akosombo Line and steps so far taken to construct a railway line from Accra to Ouagadougou.
The 2018 budget demonstrates government's effort to transform the economy via the agriculture sector. Numerous projects and programmes have been outlined and aimed at addressing the persisting challenges in the sector; access to finance, low mechanisation, post harvest losses, low technology uptake, etc. For instance, about GH 100 million has been allocated towards the implementation of the Ghana Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL), a Bank of Ghana initiative aimed at incentivising banks to give credit facility to the agriculture sector. There is also a decision to purchase various types of machinery, rehabilitate dams and support livestock and poultry farmers. The budgetary allocation to the Planting for Food and Jobs programme have been increased from GH 560.5 million to GH 700 million. These aforementioned programmes look good on paper and have the potential to boost agriculture. The onus, however, lies on the government to effectively implement them

Tourism

The 2018 Budget highlights the government's commitment to improve tourism infrastructure, as well as the promotion and marketing of tourism. The 2017s budget reduction in capital expenditure by approximately 74 percent was of much concern, because such resources are necessary to ensure the ongoing development of tourism infrastructure in tourist sites such as proper sanitation, signage, and good roads. While the government leaned towards working alongside PPPs to achieve this, public investment still plays an important component, if not greater role. The 2018 budget still maintains PPPs to facilitate the infrastructure drive, for example, in developing standards for new tourism enterprises. However, the increase in CAPEX, which marks an increase of about 1,577 percent from the 2017 budget (From GH 1 million in 2017 to GH 16.7 million in 2018), reflects the governments realisation that increased spending in tourism has great potential to drive economic growth, and that its own investment and development in the sector is consequently, very important. Going forward, it recommended that government continually seek private partnerships to invest in good roads and other infrastructure that will attract the needed private sector investment. Government should also provide incentives to private businesses that will for instance, want to invest in the ecotourism and historical sites.

ENERGY

Energy Bond, Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM) and Electricity Tariff reductions

Proceeds from the Energy Sector Levy (ESL) increased from GH 1.6 billion in 2016 to GH 1.9 billion in 2017 (projected revenue by year end 2017) and is expected to reach GH 2.1 billion in 2018. Efforts on the part of government to reduce the energy sector debt have been laudable considering that the debt has been reduced to GH 5 billion from GH 10 billion via payments made through the Energy Sector Levy (ESL) as well as via the proceeds of the energy bond (proceeds were however unspecified in the budget). However, the energy bond-cash waterfall mechanism-electricity tariff reduction, combination of policy initiatives, is an intricate one which needs to be carefully handled or else gains from debt reduction will be quickly eroded.

The Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM) which focuses on allocating and paying collected revenues to all utility service providers and fuel providers[1], prima facie, does not immediately deal with all the factors that lead to the accumulation of debt including excess generation capacity, technical and commercial losses of the distribution utility, government non-payment of utility bills as well as inadequate diversified sources of fuel supply for growing thermal generation. As long as these factors exist, the CWM approach may not yield desired results and the likelihood of further debt accumulation remains.

Careful consideration must also be given to the impetus towards reduction in electricity tariffs in light of the above. Though government's move to reduce electricity sector tariffs on the surface, looking at only short to medium term gains has the appeal of reducing the tariff burden of consumers, there is the potential of jeopardizing debt restructuring efforts through the ESLA and energy bonds. Insofar as the energy sector levy is built into the electricity tariffs, if tariff reductions will affect the Energy Debt Recovery Levy, the Public Lighting Levy and the National Electrification Scheme Levy, then the electricity tariff reduction strategy may potentially upset debt restructuring efforts. Further, the tariff reduction strategy must not circumvent automatic tariff adjustment which is a key pivot of the debt restructuring effort.

If the factors that led to debt accumulation are not dealt with thus further debt is accumulated, and enough revenue is not raised to support the operation of the CWM given the persistence of the debt accumulation factors as well as reduction in electricity tariffs, debt restructuring gains will be eroded and the government will be issuing bonds for a long time.

Ministry of Special Development and Initiatives

The allocation of GH 423 million to the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives towards capital expenditure (capex) for the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Program (IPEP) from the Road, Rail and Other Critical Infrastructure Development priority area of the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) is a bit worrying; especially considering the fact that only GH 150 million (a reduction from the 2017 budget allocation of GH 177.8 million) was allocated to capex for rail infrastructure and GH 200 million to capex for road infrastructure. Earlier caution had been given in our analysis of the 2017 budget concerning the vagueness of the Other critical infrastructure aspect of the priority area because it gives room for the thin spread of the ABFA. There is no comprehensive policy document that details the projects the IPEP would cover (even though some of government's flagship projects have been listed) yet the programme has been allocated GH 423 million. It will be useful for the government to clearly justify this allocation by presenting the details of the programme that warrant this allocation.

National LPG Cylinder Recirculation Policy

The government's move to push forward with the LPG cylinder recirculation model is commendable. In rolling out the policy next year however, the government has to be mindful of the fact that gas explosions still remain largely a function of safety measures than location of gas filling stations. Therefore gains from the recirculation model risk being eroded if critical steps are not taken to strictly enforce safety measures at the bottling plants to be established. Further, there is the need to harmonize the work of all relevant oversight bodies including the National Petroleum Authority, the Ministry of Planning (Town and Country Planning) and the Ghana Standards Authority and to ensure proper monitoring and supervision in the performance of their roles. This is to both ensure that safety measures are upheld and that communities do not develop around bottling plants. The business model for rolling out this policy must be robust to ensure sustainability of the policy overtime and also to rope in the existing 307 Bulk Road Vehicle operators and 647 gas filling stations. It is also necessary to reconsider and fast track the recapitalization of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company which has been unduly delayed. This will ensure the security of supply of LPG cylinders as well as serve to reduce imports of cylinders. Finally, it is important to segregate the market into industrial, commercial and residential segments in order to adequately meet the needs of these segments while avoiding LPG shortage and the development of a black market.

Sydney Casely-Hayford, [email protected]
Students of the Tamale School of Hygiene in the Northern Region have started leaving the campus to register their displeasure over government's failure to pay their allowances.

When DAILY GUIDE visited the Tamale School of Hygiene in the Northern Region, the students were seen leaving the school for their various homes.

The over 900 students of the various schools of hygiene have resolved to stay out of the classroom to press home their demand for their allowances.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that students of the various school of hygiene across the country were asked to go through some processes in order to get their allowances after several meetings with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders.

They were asked to open bank accounts, register for Ezwich cards and fill some forms so as to receive their allowances.

However, the payments have not been made by the government.

Last week, students of the Schools of Hygiene schools across the country embarked on a peaceful demonstration over their allowances.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, the SRC President of the Tamale School of Hygiene, Joseph Adams, said the government has failed to fulfill its promise to pay the allowances.

Mr. Adams stated that the students, especially those coming from other parts of the country, use the allowances to finance their education.

According to him, the delay in the payment of their allowances has brought untold hardship to them.

We gave the school authorities an ultimatum and today all the students will leave to our various homes.

Meanwhile, students of the Tamale School of Hygiene are expected to sit for their end of semester examinations next week.

Efforts to contact the school's management to comment on the matter proved futile.
A twenty-two-year-old Ghanaian, Farid Abdallah is languishing in a Libyan Prison after his dream of traveling over the Mediterranean Sea from the North African country to Europe was truncated by bad weather and perhaps fate.

His worried father came to the DAILY GUIDE to narrate the ordeal of his son after receiving a text message from him last Friday evening; a story he said, he is unable to tell the young man's mother.

The family's mental torture has been compounded by the recent pictorial evidence about what foreigners, Ghanaians inclusive, are going through in Libya.

The message the father received reads Salamu Alaikum father. It is me, Farid. Hope everybody is doing well there. Father, thank God that I am still alive but the problem now is that for the past two months, I am in a prison in a town called Zawiya Boesa near Sabrata. Please, I need your help father.'

Farid's story started with his trip to Kumasi where he said he was going to meet a connection man over his planned trip to Europe through Libya. 'Upon reaching Kumasi, he did not return to Accra to brief me but proceeded to Libya.'

He called his father to tell him that he had reached the shores of Libya but because the sea was rough the trip was put on hold.

'I told him to see an uncle's son in that country for possible assistance. I started seeking my cousin's number so I could give him the contact. I received a call and a man speaking in Akan told me that my son had been arrested during a raid by some Libyans. My son in Italy called to tell me that he had received a call from someone in Libya who said an amount of GH2500 be deposited in a certain account in Ghana before my son would be released. I found the message unusual and so ignored it.'

Farid's father discovered that there are some Ghanaians behind some of the ordeals being suffered by their compatriots as in the case of a Ghanaian fronting for the imprisoned Farid.

My son completed the Dagbon Senior High School in Yendi. I need the assistance of all to have my son released and returned to Ghana, the disturbed father pleaded.

Farid's father came to the offices of the DAILY GUIDE in the company of a certain man, Zulkarnaini, a resident of Nima who said he had returned from Libya a few months ago after working there for a year.

He said he went there following his engagement with an agent who recruited him and others to go and work there as tailors to specifically do embroidery in a workshop.

'When we arrived there, the terms of the agreement were varied and so I decided to return but the Libyan and a Ghanaian accomplice refused to allow me to return. They demanded I work to cover the cost of my trip from Ghana to Libya which under the dangerous circumstances, I obliged. Eventually, I left Libya but even then we were dumped at an airport for many days during which we suffered from the elements.

Please do all that you can to have the young man released because the prison there is terrible. Libya is a dangerous country. A foreigner could just be picked up in the streets and a ransom demanded; failure to pay which can result in torture or even death at the hands of the rebels.'

A certain Ghanaian at the Ghanaian embassy simply called 'Teacher' facilitated his acquisition of a travel certificate back to Ghana, he said.
A Technical Committee set up by government for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has initiated preparations to present and submit Ghanas progress report on the SDGs to the next United Nations (UN) General Assembly in October 2018.

This was made known by Minister of Planning, Professor George Gyan - Baffour at the 2017 Impact Africa Summit: Ghana on SDGs on Thursday November 30 at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra where he delivered the opening address on behalf of government as the Special Guest of Honor.

Technical Committee.

The Technical Committee made up of diverse public institutional representation, civil society groups and the private sector according to the Planning Minister has the responsibility of implementing the decisions of the High Level Ministerial Committee inaugurated by President Nana Akufo - Addo in September for initiating and facilitating activities for achieving the SDGs.

Professor Gyan Baffour who is also the Chair of the High Level Ministerial Committee indicated that the Technical Committee has already developed indicators for measuring Ghanas SDG performance. This has been ratified by the respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies.

The Minister further mentioned that government has aligned the SDGs and its targets with Ghanas national development priorities and aspirations as embodied in The Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (CPESDP) 2017-2024: An agenda for jobs: creating prosperity and equal opportunities for all recently presented to Parliament.

This agenda is organized under four goals including creating opportunities for all Ghanaians, and safeguarding the natural environment and ensuring a resilient built environment. The rest are maintaining a stable, united and safe society and building a prosperous society.

According to the Minister, all the seventeen SDGs can be matched to the Goals of the Agenda for Jobs. Also, a matrix has been developed matching the relevant SDGs targets to the indicators of Medium-Term Development Planning Framework (MTDPF), 2018-2021, which is the medium term action plan for the Coordinated Programme.

Call to Action.

Professor Gyan - Baffour charged organizers of the Impact Africa Summit on SDGs to support in building the local momentum for implementing and achieving the SDGs and also strengthen the means of localizing and sustaining the gains that will be made in the implementation the SDGs.

Impact Africa Summit: Ghana on SDGs.

The Impact Africa Summit: Ghana on SDGs presents the biggest platform for government officials, senior diplomats, academia, local and international business executives, youth groups, civil society, the media among others, to share ideas and identify strategic means for the implementation and realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana.

A key component of the summit is the Impact Africa Awards which is to celebrate and award illustrious sons of the land who have and continues to make a significant impact on the socio - economic development agenda in Ghana in different fields.

The Impact Africa Summit is an initiative of the International Perspective for Policy & Governance (IPPG) in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with support from the Diplomatic Community, Ideal Capital Partners & Africa Investment Group International.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

Time was  in the 1960's and '70s  when Africa appeared regularly in the world press; especially, the British press. The situation has changed radically, because newspapers are cutting costs all over the place.

The trouble in the 1960s and '70s was that the owners of the newspapers that covered Africa often thought that Africa was a country. Not only that  their foreign correspondents somehow managed to persuade them to believe that this one country of their imagination, vast though it was, had one capital and it was situated in Johannesburg,South Africa!

Johannesburg, their highly-valued foreign correspondents argued to the newspapers' bean-counters, was cost-effective. It was almost like home, only cheaper. The weather was generally like summer in Europe and America; the food combined the best in UK, Dutch and to a lesser extent, German and French cuisine. And it was half the cost because  labour employed in the kitchens was unbelievably cheap. But above all, things worked in "Joburg"!

What they didn't specify to any great extent was that apartheid job reservation laws made it extremely cheap to employ even skilled blacks as general underlings; household help especially  something no foreign correspondent would be able to afford at home, even if his proprietor was loaded like Lords Beaverbrook and Rothermere or other Lord What's-his-name.

But enjoying a good Western lifestyle in Johannesburg had its risks: if a foreign correspondent had views that were the slightest bit liberal and which therefore obliged him to look report unfavourably on the racial situation in South Africa under its then apartheid regime, he would be thrown out of the country. Or he would be followed everywhere he went, on a daily basis, by the not-so-subtle plain-clothes policemen of the police state that South Africa was.

To avoid this unpleasant situation and continue to be welcome in apartheid South Africa (it was rumoured) some of the foreign correspondents took the precaution of allowing the relevant officials of the South African Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of information to read their dispatches beforethey were sent by cable to the UK or the US or wherever. This was something they would never do on home territory, but you know? Abroad is abroad!

These correspondents invariably took the advice of the South African officials and removed words and sentences that might not please the authorities (South African Ministers in charge of enforcing apartheid laws.) Some of the correspondents did not need to go through this voluntary censorship at all, for they were quite paternalistic about the human rights of the blacks (if not as racially prejudiced as their hosts, the apartheid-mongers).

With time, the independent African countries to the north of South Africa got wise to the existence of a South African enclave within the Africa Correspondent fraternity, and they began to refuse visas to journalists based in South Africa. Ghana under Nkrumah led the way  it eventually obliged anyone arriving in Ghana from South Africa to sign a paper denouncing apartheid, before being allowed entry. However, this did not deter the more resourceful journalists: they normally carried passports from acceptable Western countries like the UK, the USA and Canada, and would fly first to London London or Paris or New York, before flying to Ghana, Guinea, Mali or some of the other more anti-colonial West or Central African countries.

The trick did not work too well, however, for the by-lines of some of the correspondents who were prejudiced against black-ruled countries betrayed the fact that they were almost permanently domiciled in South Africa. So, eventually, the stratagem was adopted of foreign correspondents migrating almost enmasse from Johannesburg to Nairobi, Kenya (a country which, under Jomo Kenyatta, did its best to dilute, if not hide the racism that had sparked the Mau Mau rebellion in the 1950s.) There, the correspondents managed to put flesh on some of the practices that Evelyn Waugh had satirised in his extremely funny book about foreign correspondents entitled Scoop.

In Nairobi, so much drinking was done mainly at the Hilton Hotel bar or watering hole that some of the correspondents began to believe that stories they had heard from fellow journalists the night before had originated from the diplomats and businessmen who acted as the sourceof many of the stories about Kenya and black Africa they published. So, a journalist would ask did you hear that (say) Emperor Bokassa/Idi Amin/Other Terror-monger had his political opponents chopped up into little bits and fed to crocodiles in his private pond?

Such a story would gain in horror as it was recycled around the tables at the Nairobi Hilton and elsewhere for a week or two. And then  it would appear in print: one journalist would have taken the plunge! The story would be attributed to diplomatic sources or usually reliable sources or travellers recently arrived from the benighted country, causing angry cables to the other correspondents from their foreign editors, querying how they could have missed such a story!

My very good friend, the late Richard West, who had spent a lot of time in the company of foreign correspondents, once told a group of us a story that bore all the mark, not of the Nairobi Hilton, but of the Lagos Bristol Hotel. A foreign correspondent had arrived in Lagos with a demand from his foreign editor that he should chase stories about the massive corruption that was occurring in Nigeria.

Now, the correspondent chanced upon a very good story indeed  as he drank at the Bristol Hotel bar, he happened to be within earshot of a Nigerian lawyer who was briefing a visiting counterpart about how his client intended to make a packet of money: he was on the verge of landing a huge contract for the importation of cement into Nigeria.

The beauty of the contract lay in the fact that at the time [the oil boom years following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war] so much cement was being imported into Nigeria that the ships bearing them could not all be easily unloaded at Apapa port and were forced to queue up for miles on the sea. All a cement importer had to do was to present complicit Government officials with a manifest not only for the cost of the cement allegedly on board the ship but also, massaged figures denoting demurragecharges covering the long period the ship was detained in Nigerian waters, unable to discharge its cargo.

The journalist added some imaginative details to the story (such as a claim he made that some of the ships stayed in Nigerian waters for so long that the cement they carried caked up!) and wrote a fantastic report entitled The Great Lagos Cement Armada.

He then rushed it to the Lagos Cable Office. Only to be told that the cable lines were down ( i.e.: inoperative).

The journalist then tried to find a traveller to take the story abroad by air and mail it to his newspaper. The paper would reward such a traveller well, he knew.

But there were no flights out of Lagos because  the airport had been closed by a strike!

In exasperation, the journalist coined a phrase to encapsulate how a foreigner in West Africa often got thwarted by forces he could not control: The WAWA Syndrome.

WAWA, Richard West explained, stood for: West Africa Wins Always.

The peals of laughter that greeted Richard West's story lasted for at least five minutes. No-one cared whether the story itself was apocryphal or not. For it was a story that we would nowadays say 'clicked' every cliche: bad African telephone lines; patchy electricity supplies; periodic shortages of water; sweaty taxis; unreliable tradesmen  all these conspired together to make West Africa Win Alwaysagainst the poor visitor.

I have been reminded of these Nairobi Hilton stories by a report published by the London Times newspaperon 1 December 2017. Entitled Macron eyes former British colony Ghana as jewel of Francophone Africa the story, byCharles Bremner, claims that :On his visit to Ghana, [French President]Emmanuel Macron had broken new ground on a trip to Africa... by visiting Ghana, a Commonwealth member and a former jewel in Britains colonial empire.

[Macron, Bremner continued] is trying to make France Europes main broker on the continent at a time that an inward-looking Britain is in retreat... [He] chose Ghana for his foray into the Commonwealth because its economy is growing fast, but it is also surrounded by French-speaking nations, and the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, is a democratically respectable Francophile. Mr Macron is the first French president to make an official visit to Ghana.

Mr Macron, who travelled with Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, saluted his Ghanaian counterpart as the embodiment of a new generation of African leaders who believe in a new narrative for the future of their youth. [Macron] is determined to reverse a loss of French influence in recent decades, reflected by the increasing adoption of English, notably in hitherto Francophone Rwanda and Gabon.

You may ask, So Akufo-Addo is to be used by Macron as his instrument in renaissance of French influence in Africa? Where was Charles Bremner when Macron was wooing Akufo-Addo? Has Charles Bremner seen the speech Akufo-Addo made when he addressed Macron at the official dinner? SEE:

https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Akufo-Addo-schools-France-President-Macron-606291?video=1

Other than that, does the mere fact that Akufo-Addo speaks fluent French make him an Francophile? What exactly does being a Francophile mean? If you love or even adore some things that are French, does it mean that you would automatically become an instrument of French policy? If that were so, then Akufo-Addo's education at Oxford University would not only make him an Anglophile but a British stooge? How does Charles Bremner square that circle? Can a British stooge turn round to become a French stooge in the Brexit era of all times?

Charles Bremner's report represents 'neo-colonial' wishful thinking, concocted from (probably) the bar of the George The Fifth Hotel in Paris! TheTimes, once a paper that published great foreign reporting, must not become a rag full of stories of the type that used to emanate from the Nairobi Hilton Hotel bar . That does not befit it.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

Founder and Leader of Open Arms Ministries/Jesus Chapel in Kumasi, Apostle Kofi Nkansah-Sarkodie, is angry about the use of His Excellency for heads of State and members of the diplomatic corps.

The General Overseer of Jesus Chapel in Kumasi said besides God and Jesus no human is excellent. If you are not excellent you cannot be called His Excellency he said explaining that he was not being disrespectful to any person in authority.

He said in Kumasi at a press conference recently that until the second coming of Jesus no fallible and mortal being should henceforth assume to be excellent.

Brother Saint Sark said since no mortal is excellent no President should be accorded the title His Excellency.

Characteristic of the Minister of the Gospel, Apostle Nksansah-Sarkodie referred to Job 37-22;

Psalm 8- 1; Psalm 148:1-2; Psalm 11-13 and Hebrews 1-1- 4 to buttress his argument.

In a similar vein, Apostle Nkansah-Sarkodie in September 2016, called on the Asanteman Council to consider changing the title Otumfuo bestowed on its King.

The Minister of the Gospel explained at a press conference in Kumasi that 'Otumfuo' which translates as Almighty God is not appropriate to be used by chiefs and mortals.

According to the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, the use of the title Otumfuo by any person is in conflict with divinity because no mortal can pass for Almighty God and that only God, the creator of Heaven and Earth is Almighty.

Apostle Nkansah-Sarkodie, alias Brother St. Sark who claims to be a representative of Jesus in Ghana has, however, suggested the title Ohenpon for occupants of the Golden Stool.

The church leader also said the title of Odeneho (literally meaning Independent) should not be adopted by chiefs because no chief or traditional ruler or any individual person is free and independent of the providence of God Almighty and that is it improper to claim independence by title.

Apostle Nkansah-Sarkodie explained that the use of such title as the King of Kings is blasphemous since only Jesus Christ of Nazareth and the son of the Living God qualifies for such a title.

The Kumasi based pastor and radio evangelist said any person who tries to assume such titles would faces the wrath of God. Col. Gaddafi of Libya tried it and met his untimely and disgraceful death, he explained.

Meanwhile, Brother Saint Sark has ruled out any coup detat in Ghana because the office of the Presidency is guided by Holy angels of Jesus.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba has urged Churches to raise more disciplined, selfless and God-fearing human resources for the development of the nation.

According to the Minister, the role of the Church in nation building cannot be underestimated, hence the need for them to be active participants and strengthen their partnership with the Government to accelerate development.

Speaking as the Guest of Honour at the 130th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service and Annual Harvest 2017, Madam Otiko Djaba commended the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for their immense contribution to the development of Ghana, spiritually and materially.

She said that the Presbyterian Church was one of the earliest churches that has contributed immensely to the development of Ghana in diverse ways. The Church, according to the Minister, has been much effective in partnering with successive Governments to developing a quality human resource for the country with schools like the Aburi Girls SHS, the PRESEC SHS at Legon and the many PRESECs across Ghana, the Krobo Girls SHS etc.

Several Hospitals and the Nursing Training institutions at Bawku and Agogo among many others that have churned out great men and women in all fields of national endeavour be it political, academia, in the medical field, legal and business.

The quality of believers raised in the churches of today can positively impact a nation; because these are the same people we meet as civil servants, legislators, security personnel, health personnel, teachers and political leaders etc.

"I thus entreat the Presbyterian Church of Ghana to continue to stand for the truth and speak against the ills in our society and speak also for the vulnerable or the poor in society. This is where I agree with King Lemuel in the book of Proverbs 31:8-9 which says; 'Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed Speak up for the poor and helpless and see that they get justice'.

The Minister further charged the Church to bring up their children in the way of God to enable them to grow as responsible citizens with moral uprightness.

As it is the wish of this Government to hand over all the mission schools back to the churches, let us ensure that we instil the proverbial values of 'self-discipline, respect and hard work' which distinguish Presbyterians from all others, into our children so they come out as very good and responsible citizens.

Madam Otiko Djaba called on parents to take advantage of the free SHS policy of the Government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo and send their children to school, since education is the key to development of every society.

She frowned against the high prevalence of teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS in the Krobo area of the Eastern Region as a whole, and charged the people especially the youth to avoid premarital and casual sex, be faithful to their partners and protect themselves from dangers.

Sermon of the day was preached by Rev. Dr Victor O. Abbey, the Ag. Moderator General Assembly, Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers  Ghana (COPEC GH), Duncan Amoah, has revealed that he has received threats from some of those behind the diversion of premix fuel to stop talking on the matter.

According to reports, in January 2017 about 148,000 litres of premix were diverted. In February, 54,000 liters; April, 297,000 litres; May 364,000 litres; June, 270,000; July, 459,000 litres; August, 648,000 litres and October, 1,107,000 litres.

Mr Amoah, argues that authorities must be able to trace and deal with the culprits because the premix fuel could end up with Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) who will mix it and sell to consumers as petrol.

The resultant low-grade fuel can damage the engine of cars and other equipment. Mr Amoah told Class91.3FMs Executive Breakfast Show on Tuesday, 5 December that he has been receiving threats on his advocacy.

Unfortunately other people have issued threats; I have received a couple of them, Moro, [indicating] dont talk about it, leave it. Meanwhile, the unfortunate thing is that when your cars are smoking badly, when your engines are underperforming, when there is a crank in your engine, you will think the automobile company did not do their work well but it is because someone is deliberately diverting premix not to Burkina Faso but some fuel station interested in the profits, he said.

He explained that there is a tracking system for fuel transportation and authorities should not find it difficult to track the culprits and prosecute them for the diversions.

There is tracking on these trucks; the NPA (National Petroleum Authority) will be able to tell exactly when, where and which station even bought these products.

It doesnt even take 24 hours to extrapolate the report if you need it. The BVR tracking system allows you to tell when a hatch or valve is opened, where product is discharged [and] Ghanaians are interested in knowing which stations the products were sent to, he explained.

There is a grand cover-up; people have engaged in this and they are not angels but humans like you and me. Those who signed for the product that it has been received when the product didnt come, why are they not arrested? Why is nobody being asked to account?

The filling stations that may have bought the fuel to add to the existing stock and sell to unsuspecting public, those ones are being blamed, if you recall, the statement says the OMCs have been banned but those who signed that they have received the product, is it because of a party connection that is why nobody can be asked questions? Is it because some people, as usual would have some money to make from the system and when they do, if you talk too much you will be exposing those people so you need to shut up? he questioned.
South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa enjoyed a sharp lead on Tuesday in the contest to become the leader of the ruling African National Congress party.

A majority of party regional delegates backed Ramaphosa ahead of an elective conference to be held in Johannesburg which will select a successor to ANC chief President Jacob Zuma between December 16 and 20.

Ramaphosa leads his closest rival, Zuma's ex-wife and former African Union Commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, by 529 regional delegates according to a provisional official tally released on Tuesday. He currently has 1,859 pledges to her 1,330.

They have been embroiled in an increasingly bitter proxy battle, with allies of the two trading insults and allegations in recent months.

The successful contender will go on to contest presidential elections in 2019 as the ANC candidate.

Other hopefuls include parliament speaker Baleka Mbete and presidency minister Jeff Radebe -- although they are seen as outsiders.

There are 4,731 branch delegates in all who will make up roughly 90 percent of the votes that will be cast at the elective conference to pick a new leader.

The remaining votes are reserved for delegates from the ANC's Women's, Youth and Veteran's branches as well as provincial executive committee members.

Branch delegates can change their votes up until the conference.

Ramaphosa, 65, is a former trade union official turned successful entrepreneur who is the preferred contender of the business community.

They hope that he will be able to extricate South Africa from a spiral of high-unemployment, slow growth and soaring debt.

He will face-off against 68-year-old Dlamini-Zuma who previously held a string of ministerial posts and went on to chair the African Union Commission. Her detractors have suggested that she could shield her ex-husband Zuma from any corruption prosecution. He faces a slew of graft allegations and the possible reinstatement of 783 corruption charges related to a 1990s arms deal.

ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe sought to alay fears that divisions within the party could spill into the open at the elective conference.

"Contestation for leadership must strengthen the ANC rather than weakening it," he said.

"We are working very hard to ensure that the conference is steady and successful."
Nigeria's former president Goodluck Jonathan was a "vital witness" in the corruption case of his party's spokesman, a court was told on Tuesday.

But officials have made three unsuccessful attempts to serve the former head of state with a summons to appear at the trial of Olisa Metuh, the Federal High Court in Abuja heard.

Metuh is charged with receiving 400 million naira ($1.1 million, 940,000 euros) from Jonathan's national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

Dasuki is accused of using some $2 billion in defence funds earmarked for the fight against Boko Haram to help fund Jonathan's re-election bid in 2015.

The Dasuki case is the highest-profile prosecution of President Muhammadu Buhari's campaign against endemic corruption.

Metuh maintains Jonathan was aware of the payment and his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, said the presence of the former president would determine whether his client had a case to answer.

"We have earlier indicated that former President Goodluck Jonathan is a vital witness in this case.

"We have said that the need for (Metuh) to testify will only arise after we have appraised the evidence that will come from our next witness (Jonathan).

"We submit that it is only when former president Jonathan has testified that we will know whether the defence for the first defendant has been sufficiently made."

Jonathan is not thought to have been questioned about any of the allegations. Etiaba told reporters outside court that it was "not asking for too much" for him to testify.

But prosecutor Sylvanus Tahir said Jonathan's presence "should not be used as a ploy to arm-twist or tie down the hands of the court" and the defence had enough testimony.

An aide to Jonathan told the court bailiff that the ex-president would be available to receive the summons next Monday.

Dasuki, who is also using Jonathan as an alibi, denied illegally channelling the security funds to prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party when he appeared at the Metuh trial in November.
The Management and staff of Opportunity International Savings and Loans (OISL) organised a 5 kilometer health walk and spent the rest of the day with students and staff of Akropong School for the Blind to celebrate the International Day for Persons with Disability.

According to the Deputy CEO, Mr. Samuel Afful, the aim of observing this day is to increase awareness and understanding of disability issues and offer staff of OISL the opportunity to interact with Persons with Disability (PWDs). Mr. Afful expressed his admiration for the discipline exhibited by the students and lauded the efforts of the teachers and mentors for their selfless service.

He also assured the school that Opportunity International will continue to support persons with disability in diverse ways as has been done over the years.

To mark the day, OISL repainted three blocks of the school and donated food items totaling GHS30, 000 as part of its corporate social responsibility.

The Assistant Headmaster, Mr. AtsuHomadzi on receiving the donation on behalf of the school expressed appreciation to OISL for the show of love and concern for the welfare of the students. He reiterated that, disability is not inability as boldly inscribed on the wall of the assembly hall. Rather, PWDs require empathy but not sympathy such that they should not be pitied but be provided with opportunities to enable them overcome their disabilities and become responsible citizens. Mr. Homadzi appealed to other benevolent organizations for support.

Reverend AfumBaah, the School Chaplain was also full of praise for the prompt response of OISL to his appeal for a facelift of the school building.

Opportunity International Savings and Loans is the only financial institution that has a dedicated product specifically tailored for people with disability.

To date, over 500 PWDs have benefited from the companys concessional loan dubbed empowerment loan across the country.

Opportunity International has been in collaboration with the Ghana Federation for Disability Organizations over the past four years supporting them in diverse ways to enjoy meaningful lives.
Deputy Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, says the Akufo-Addo administration has succeeded in turning the economy around over the last 11 months.

Contributing to a debate on the 2018 budget statement, he cited increased revenue generation, a slowdown in the rate of debt accumulation and rise in GDP figures as the evidence that the economy is doing better today than under the previous government.

In our law courts, we will say Res Ipsa Loquitur. Ghanas economy has turned around. Our energies ought not to be spent denying this. Let us spend our energies embracing this turnaround, consolidating it and now building inclusive, job filled growth poles on it, the MP for Ofoase Ayirebi told the house.

Below is the full statement

Mr Speaker, on November 15, 2017 the Finance Minister presented the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of government for the year ending December 31, 2018. This he did in accordance with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution. Following the reading of the Budget Statement which was themed  Putting Ghana Back to Work , several debates have come up on the floor of parliament between the sitting administration and the main opposition party.

Mr Speaker, Thank you for the opportunity given me to contribute to the debate on the 2018 Economic and Financial Policies of the Government of Ghana. As Ghanas democracy deepens, it is my hope that our development policy debates will focus less on disputing our national data or twisting same around to represent absurd positions. Instead, I pray for the day when our debates will focus on how to build on what we have achieved in the last budget and not how to wish the successes away with propaganda.

That is why Mr Speaker, I will be using my time to point out 5 empirical facts that show what we have accomplished as a nation in this 1st year of the Akufo-Addo administration. And I will tell this house, particularly my friends on the other side, not to yield to temptation to wish away what we have collectively achieved as a nation.

1) First is the issue of GDP and Non-oil GDP growth

Mr Speaker, Ghana in the year 2011 recorded a GDP growth of 14% of which the President of the day, H.E. the late John Evans Attah Mills of the NDC described as unprecedented. In built of that 14% growth was oil which was discovered under the tenure of HE John Agyekum Kufuor. Nonetheless, our friends from the opposition side were happy to count it as part of their GDP growth achievements. Today, we are being told by the same NDC that oil included in GDP should be discounted for no reason.

Mr Speaker the NPP government targeted a non-oil GDP growth of 4.6% by the end of the 2017 fiscal year based on the economy that we inherited. Non-oil GDP growth has gone up by 4.0% from January to September this year and is estimated to hit 4.8% by year-end. That is the mark of a government that is investing heavily in non-oil sectors as well in getting the growth that we desire. We are targeting a non-oil GDP growth of 5.4% in 2018 and about 6.8% GDP growth with oil.

Our friends from the opposition have again made the argument that if indeed we have stabilised the economy, then the Fiscal Stabilisation Levy should be removed. Mr Speaker Economic stability is not an event but an exercise that must be maintained over a period and so even if the NPP government has managed to stabilize the economy, it is important to build buffers that would ensure that in the medium to long-term, this stability is maintained. That is why the Fiscal Stabilisation Levy has been maintained.

2. The challenge of a debt overhang inherited at the beginning of 2017

Mr Speaker the NPP when in opposition always warned against reckless borrowing. Huge annual deficits in the period preceding our assumption of office led to an annual debt accumulation at a rate of 36% year on year. This left us with a debt overhang calculated at 73% of GDP as at December 2016. The Akufo-Addo administration has used a number of tactics in its first year to reduce the debt overhang and created fiscal space for investment in the growth-enhancing initiatives.

Servicing of debts & arrears

We have paid about GHa9.7 billion in interest payment through September this year in order to ensure that part of the debt that we inherited will begin to break down. The NDC which has been making the argument that we have not done much had paid only GHa7.9 billion at this same period last year. We have paid about GHa760 million in net arrears clearance compared to GHa641 million paid by the NDC same period last year.

Slowing down the rate of debt accumulation

Mr Speaker, this Akufo-Addo government has been cautious of the rate at which it accumulates debts and for that matter reckless borrowing has been avoided.

Quick rise in GDP

The tactics used by the Akufo-Addo administration within these 10 months has begun to manifest through an uptick in GDP. We took off from about 3.5% GDP growth, we projected 6.3% and seeking to end the year 2017 at 7.9%.

Reprofiling our debt

The interest burden of Ghanas debt has also been reduced from 45% of tax revenue to 43.9% in September 2017 and is projected to further reduce to 41.8% at the end of 2017. A combination of all these strategies has brought our debt-to-GDP ratio to 68% and we are hopeful to meet our end-year target of 70.9%. (So debt to GDP will not automatically go up just because you have heard of government activity on the capital markets. It is the net of our debt position as against our GDP)

Is this not good for Ghana? This is good for Ghana and no amount of Propaganda can wish it away. Our Focus should be on how to sustain and build on it.

3. Primary Balance has moved from negative to positive

Mr Speaker, the primary balance is what measures the difference between the revenues you raise domestically and expenditure items except for interest payment. When the countrys primary balance is in deficit, it means that you are borrowing to satisfy wages and salaries, interest payments etc. Primary balance in 3 out of the past 4 years (2013-5.4%, 2014-3.9% and 2016-1.4%) has been in deficit. The evidence before us speaks for itself. H. E. Akufo-Addo and the NPP government assumed the reins of power and the primary balance is back to a surplus of 0.3%.

If someone says government borrowed to pay salaries, let them be reminded that a nation with positive primary balance does not finance its salary and interest payments from new borrowings. This is a significant achievement and no amount of Propaganda can wish it away.

4. Government has failed to meet its revenue targets & thus has failed

Mr Speaker in the year gone by the government of the day set itself a revenue growth target of 26% and missed it by 11%. The NPP government, on the other hand, set a bold revenue growth target of 33.5% and we are not short by even 10% today. It is the revenue that we have raised that has encouraged us to fund the many social initiatives that we have spoken about. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) suggests that developing economies must hit a tax to GDP ratio of between 14% and 15% to accelerate development. In as much as it is important to grow revenue aggressively, it does not necessarily mean piling nuisance taxes on people. That is why even in the year when we have removed taxes, we are still able to achieve revenue higher than what the previous government did.

From January to September 2017, we have raised revenue of GHa37 billion compared to GHa35 billion raised by the Mahama-led government during the same period last year.

If someone says government missed revenue targets and has become a failure, this is empirical evidence that as ambitious as our revenue targets are, we have achieved a significant portion of it and have used its proceeds judiciously. And no amount of Propaganda can wish this achievement away.

5. This government is not spending, is not spending on Capital Expenditure and cannot achieve growth.

- GDP growth does not come from capital expenditure alone, but from the summation of Consumption (household spending), Investment (firms spending), Government Expenditure (government spending) and Net export. As government spends on critical sectors, making prudent Investments (be they private and public flow into this new stable economy) coupled with increase in exports over imports, you bet our GDP will grow. That is why even for they who claimed to spend more in 2016, we have achieved higher growth than they did. That is prudent economic policy.

- Mr Speaker this government chooses to spend heavily on human capital initiatives because new research shows that investment in people is not social spending. It actually contributes to GDP. President Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank has stated that governments that do not invest early in a skilled, healthy, productive workforce are undermining their current and future economic growth. We need to help countries understand that investments in human capital are just as critical as investments in hard infrastructure if they actually want to spur economic growth and compete effectively in the short, medium and long-term.

So Mr Speaker as we spend 400 million on Free SHS in 2017, and 1.2 Billion in 2018, we have invested in the earliest part of peoples lives and this will make a big difference in our countrys ability to compete. This investment will establish the social foundations that can act as a bulwark against instability, violence and conflict as indicated by President Kim.

- But Mr Speaker, the numbers do not support the narrative that this government is not even spending.

- And oh by the way Mr Speaker if our friends had not left us arrears of about 3.2 billion, interest payment requirements of 13.2 billion and another over 7 billion in outstanding debts all totaling 23.4 billion, just maybe we would have been able to spend this 23.4 billion more in addition to our capital expenditure budget of 7.1 billion in 2017.

- As prudent as we can be Mr Speaker, we are spending to drive growth in the critical sectors of the economy.

If someone says government is not spending, this is empirical evidence that our spending is efficient and leads to growth. And no amount of Propaganda can wish this achievement away.

Conclusion

Mr Speaker, the evidence shows that the Ghanaian Economy is back on a path of stability. This is something we all ought to be proud of.

In our law courts, we will say Res Ipsa Loquitur. Ghanas economy has been turned around. Our energies ought not to be spent denying this. Let us spend our energies embracing this turnaround, consolidating it and now building inclusive, job filled growth poles on it.

We must now focus on consolidating this recovery so it is not washed away at the slightest jolt of external shocks.

- The Finance minister intends to continue on the path of Fiscal Discipline and seeks to bring his deficit from almost 10% to 6.3% and further to 4.8% this year. We must encourage him to keep to his word. Indeed we must support him. For this is the only way to keep our debt from ballooning on one hand and keep growing our GDP through high efficiency and targeted expenditure in the productive sectors.

- The Finance Minister in the 2018 Budget chooses to remain audacious in revenue mobilisation without necessarily adding on new taxes but being more efficient in the existent tax handles. We should support and encourage him to succeed at this. Our domestic revenue mobilisation must stretch for the optimal so that we have enough resources to move our nation forward. That is when Ghana beyond aid will see the light of day.

- He seeks to be accurate in expenditure forecasts and firm in expenditure management. He has demonstrated he can do that in 2017. Let us not be in a hurry to throw it away. It is healthy for our economy.

- It is good to be in a hurry to fulfill promises as we are doing, but not be in a hurry to rack up more debts on the national debt stock and put debt at unsustainable levels

The Finance Minister and the Economic Management Team have done their bit. They have spelt out a clear economic policy direction. The challenge now rests on CEOs of Agencies, Directors of MDAs, ministers and other appointees who are charged with executing the growth agenda for 2018 and beyond. I ask that we are reminded that our duty is now to execute on time and within budget so that we all may witness the coming beauty of Ghana soon. Our task is to execute within time and at minimal cost. It is to get things done in accordance with this policy direction.

If we do this without ifs and buts, selflessly and with utmost good faith, the prayer we say in this chamber every morning will be answered; we will see the coming beauty of Ghana in our lifetime.

I thank you, Mr Speaker
A German citizen was killed during an attack at a volcano near Ethiopia's volatile border with Eritrea, Germany's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The lava lake at Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia's arid Danakil depression is a popular tourist destination, despite a history of kidnappings and killings of visitors to the area.

"The Foreign Office confirms one deceased German national during the attack at Erta Ale," the ministry said in a statement without offering further details.

Ethiopia's government did not immediately respond to requests for comment and no group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Danakil lies near the country's contested border with Eritrea, a one-time territory that voted to leave in 1993 and that fought a devastating two-year war with Ethiopia, which ended in 2000 and left tens of thousands dead.

The two countries remain enemies and support different armed groups in an effort to destabilise each other.

In 2012, five European tourists including two Germans were killed, and two others kidnapped, at Erta Ale by the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDU) rebel group after a gun battle at the volcano.

The kidnapped tourists, also Germans, were released after less than two months in captivity.

In 2007, ARDUF seized five European tourists and eight Ethiopians. The Europeans were released after 12 days to the Eritrean government, while the Ethiopians were freed almost two months later.
Master Quaku Praise, a student of Preventive Basic School in Aflao, has emerged the winner of the 2017 Godigbeza quiz competition organized by Values for Life (VFL-Ghana) in collaboration with the Aflao Traditional Council and Gallery GM.

The quiz competition is one of the activities lined-up towards this year's Godigbeza Festival celebrated by the people of Aflao.

Master Quaku by his performance has also won for himself an opportunity to travel to Sao Tome with a former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie.

His travel expenses will be borne by Gallery GM, an NGO set up by internationally acclaimed artist, Sarah Gusten-Marr.

Gallery GM has been collaborating with VFL-Ghana to run some of its activities with the two promoting the "Culture Crossings" project interested in giving young artists support and exposure.

Praise was one of eleven candidates that emerged from the 52 candidates who contested for the first round in an essay competition held at the Preventive and Border Schools.

Master Foster Bansah, a student of Wudoaba M/A Basic School came second while Martey Selasi, a student of Border Basic School came third.

For their prizes, each was given a branded VFL-Ghana bag containing; an android kiddy tablet, 10 exercise books, an Ewe - English Dictionary, Epistles to my Bubune (collections of letters), The Bloody Ingrate (story book), Nsempiisms (A collection of poetry, storytelling and satire), Love brewed in the African Pot (Africa's sensational film hit - Now a comic strip), This is Ghana (Tourism book), a food flask, a cutlery set, a portable radio set and a watch.

In addition, the three will embark on sightseeing and an educational trip to Accra.

As a sign of motivation the other contestants, the 4th to the 11th positions were also presented with 10 exercise books, portable radio set and cowbell products. They would also be going on a day's trip to see UHAS, Ho Polytechnic, Adaklu Mountain and 66 Artillery Regiment in Ho.

The rest of the participants were also not left out as they received exercise books and cowbell products.

Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the CEO of VFL-Ghana in her closing remarks commended the Chiefs and Queens in Aflao Traditional area for their immense support.

She advised all participants not to look at their inability to be in the finals as the end of the world but prepare more for the next competition and also to see this as an opportunity to work hard for greater things academically.

She counselled the students not to take the opportunity provided them for granted and should count themselves blessed to be the ones in their family to be in school at this material moment.

She reminded them that they needed to show appreciation to their parents by taking their studies seriously and come out with flying colours.

She said VFL-Ghana would continue to champion the development of children through the provision of various social systems and interventions to empower and improve lives of children, youth and women in society through the Arts, Culture, Tourism and Digital Innovations; and this quiz competition is one of its activities.
The hunger-striking leader of a Moroccan protest movement that rocked the country's north was rushed to hospital Tuesday during a hearing at a Casablanca court, one of his lawyers said.

Detained Nasser Zefzafi was attending a hearing at a court of appeal Tuesday morning with 53 co-defendants when he said he "felt faint", Abdessadek El Bouchtaoui told AFP. The judge halted the hearing.

An unemployed 39-year-old, Zefzafi became a leading figure in Al-Hirak al-Shaabi, or the "Popular Movement" that broke out in late 2016, calling for jobs, unemployment and an end to graft in Morocco's neglected northern Rif region.

Zefzafi -- who was arrested in May after allegedly interrupting a preacher at a mosque to call for further protests -- launched a hunger strike last Wednesday along with some 30 other detainees.

It was Zefzafi's first such strike since his detention.

Other jailed Hirak activists earlier held a month-long hunger strike which they suspended in October.

They face trial on various charges including "undermining the internal security of the state".

Rights group Amnesty International says authorities have arrested "hundreds" of Hirak demonstrators, including minors, and that over 400 remain in custody.

A Moroccan court last week sentenced El Mortada Iamrachen, a member of the movement, to five years in jail for "defending terrorism" and incitement over comments on Facebook, Moroccan media reported.

Originally sparked by the death of a fishmonger crushed in a rubbish truck as he tried to salvage a confiscated fish, the Hirak demonstrations snowballed into a major challenge to the authorities.

In response, security forces launched a crackdown, slinging the alleged leaders of the mainly young protesters in jail in May and June.

The Rif has long had a tense relationship with the central authorities in Rabat, and was at the heart of Arab Spring-inspired protests in Morocco in February 2011.

King Mohamed VI relinquished some of his near-absolute control through constitutional reforms following those protests.
MTN Ghana Foundation, a philanthropic arm of MTN has invested a whopping 13.4 million dollars into its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives to improve the lives of approximately three million peoples across the country in 10-years.

Since its inception in 2007, the Foundation has funded and implemented 142 projects and smaller initiatives in areas such as education, health and economic empowerment in all the 10 administrative regions in Ghana.

The Foundation as part of its achievements is celebrating a10year anniversary under the theme, Celebrating 10 Years of Brightening Lives; Inspiring a Brighter Future.

Speaking at a forum organized by members of Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA) in Accra, the Senior Manager In-charge of Sustainability and Social Impact at MTN, Gina Asare Fiagbenu said 80 projects including ICT Library, dormitories, classrooms, scholarships, and youth development and leadership have been established in the education sector.

She noted that 52 projects including hospitals, wards, maternity blocks, surgeries and CHPs compounds has been implemented in the health sector while 10 projects including micro enterprise, ICT incubation, Shea butter, Oil palm, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Telecoms Funding have been witnessed in economic empowerment of mostly women.

Mrs. Fiagbenu added that 16 schools, 21 ICT Centres, 15 Hospitals and Health centers, 3 dormitories, 5 libraries, 25 boreholes and 3 disability projects have been built in various sector of the country.

According to her, over 1,000 scholarships, 60 TIAP beneficiaries, donated 16 incubators, sponsored 6 National Best Teacher Awards and 3 enterprise development, 3 business incubation and coding, and 6 capacity building programs all within the 10 year period.

She indicated that the special projects of the Foundation includes the Green initiative where 27percent of total waste generated have been recycled, MTN Heroes of Change and Save a life (a blood donation exercise) campaign which enabled the Foundation collect 6000 pints of blood to increase storage capacity of the National Blood Bank.

The Senior Manager In-charge of Sustainability and Social Impact stressed that the Foundation has bagged several awards as Best CSR Company of the year in 2010 by GIPCs Ghana Club 100 Awards, Best CSR Award in 2011 by 1st Mobile World Ghana Telecoms Awards, the Africa CSR Award in 2011 by 18th Africa Achievement Awards, Best CSR Award in 2012 by 2nd Mobile World Ghana Telecoms Awards, CSR Company of the Year Award in 2016 by Ghana CSR Excellence Awards, Ghana CSR Excellence Award for Sustainability, Environment and Social Impact in 2016 and CSR Company of the Year in 2017 by GITTA.

Mrs. Fiagbenu posited that this chain of awards demonstrates the Foundations effort in the sustainability and continuous efforts in brightening the lives of millions of Ghanaians across the country.

As part of its efforts in celebrating its 10year Anniversary, she emphasized that the Foundation will roll out activities such as Talks on Breast Care, Prostate Care, health screening for sugar and Cholesterol, entrepreneurial session with experts and rep your school day for staff of MTN after the official launch of the Anniversary celebration.

According to her, there will be a Jama competition among schools and groups, time with scholarship beneficiaries, community driven CSR activities in three business districts, thought leadership event and many more.

She intimated that during the celebration, the Foundation will hand over the Maternity Unit of Tema General Hospital, launch of Assistive Technology Project, Teacher Improvement, handing over of Juaso Palm Oil Visit of Ghana, launch of Anniversary Scholarship Project to benefit 300 students, Nhyiaeso Basic School Project with multimedia, New Juabeng Secondary, MTN Reading Project, Takoradi Polytechnic ICT Center sod cutting and Baby Hampers Distribution in three business districts.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has dismissed claims by the Minority in parliament that the 2018 budget statement is illegal.

He said in accordance with the law, he came before Parliament as mandated to present the revised outlook.

...it appears to me that members on the Minority side have their interpretation of how a revised budget outlook should be presented, he said in Parliament Tuesday.

The Minority has said the figures contained in the documents were founded on figures from the 2017 mid-term budget review which was not approved by the House.

This they say constituted a breach of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act. Parliament today approved the budget statement ahead of a full approval for the appropriations bill in two weeks.

Closing the debate on the 2018 budget statement, Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu accused the minister of overstepping his authority.

Haruna Iddrisu and members of the Minority

Minister, you overstepped your authority in reversing these numbers. When you came to Parliament you said you came for information purposes, therefore if you now have a revised budget, on whose authority was that? he quizzed.

When you come for mid-year review and you want to revise numbers you come by section 28 and 29 for supplementary estimates for a resolution of this house.

You dont have the resolution of Parliament, you can use your numbers and have your way but respect the laws and Constitution of Ghana, the Tamale South MP said.

But Mr. Ofori-Atta says he did nothing wrong arguing that the PFM Act of 2016 stipulates in section 28 that the Finance Minister is expected to provide:

A presentation of a revised budget for the unexpired term of the financial year and the implications of the revised budget are for the medium-term fiscal and expenditure framework if necessary.

The Finance Minister said as the Ministry is going by the PFM Act for the first time it welcomes the input of both sides of the House.
The Bemuhene of Ajumako Traditional Area in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District of the Central Region, Nana Akyeremfo XII, has been adjudged the overall best farmer, 2017, followed by Mr. Kweku Saah as the second runner-up.

A physically challenged farmer, Mr. John Donkoh and others including best staff of the District Agric office were also rewarded at the recent Farmers Day Celebration.

The Ajumako District Chief Executive, Rev. Kwesi Nyarko, addressing the gathering, indicated, MMDAs are expected to also understate the agricultural project with a budget that would support Ghc 10,000.00 to 20,000.00 farmers to cultivate an average of ten acres of the crops within the next four years.

Government as part of effort to boost the economy has introduced planting for jobs and investments, targeting about three to five million farmers in the cultivation of seven identified cash crops within the next four to ten years.

The crops included cashew, Shea nut, mango, rubber, oil palm, citrus and cocoa of which Ajumako has chosen oil palm, cocoa, coconut, and cassava.

He added that plans were well advanced to roll out the other initiatives such as Planting for Jobs and Investments,

According to him, as part of government plans to create ready market for the massive harvest of farm produce expected this year, National Buffer Stock Company has been revitalized to procure, store and distribute the outputs from the Planting for Food and Jobs.

He collaborated the statement of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development minister, that the countrys fish stock continued to deplete as a result of bad fishing practices, thus, appealed to fisher folks to desist from such practices to replenish the fish stock, whilst asking Ghanaians to say no to bad fish.

Rev.Kwesi Nyarko commended the contributions of farmers and reminded Ghanaians to thank farmers and fishers for every meal that is consumed.

He used the celebration which coincided with the celebration of the World Aids Day on the theme, the Right to Health: Know your HIV status, seek early treatment, to encourage Ghanaians to seek early treatment, which was the only to the country could eliminate AIDS by the year 2030 as stipulated by UNAIDS.

The Ajumako District Director of Health Services, Madam Doris Ahelegbe, observed, the current national HIV prevalence among women attending antenatal clinics is 2.4%, which represents a rise from the 2015 prevalence of 1.8% and the 2014 prevalence of 1.6%.

She indicated, HIV prevalence in urban areas was higher with 2.5% than rural areas with 1.9%, with age distribution of 5.6% for 45-49 years, 35-39 years with 3.5%, and 15-19 years being the lowest at 0.6%, with HIV prevalence among STI clients at 5.4%.

According to her, HIV prevalence in the central region for 2016 was 1.8% with Ajumako Enyan Essiam District recording 45 and 63 new cases for 2015 and 2016 respectively, through the various means of testing , such as during ANC, voluntary testing and for TB patients, adding, the district has already recorded 34 new cases as at half of the year 2017.

She said the directorate as part of efforts to address the situation, has intensified Public Health Education to impress upon people to reduce the frequent change of sexual partners, learn to recognize STIs symptoms, and seek early appropriate treatment.

Additionally, they have made efforts to prevent mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV by testing all pregnant women and testing of all TB cases.

Madam Ahelegbe called on stakeholders to help secure an Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre in the district since its absence, makes monitoring of such patients difficult, as they are always referred to our Lady of Grace Hospital, in Esikuma Odoben Brakwa.

The District Director of Agriculture, Mr.Alfred Yaw Gokah, noted, two hundred and seventy-six (276) farmers made up of one-hundred and ninety (190) males and eighty-six(86) females benefited from the supply of improved cassava planting materials.

He added that 707 bags of NPK fertilizers, 358 bags of Urea and 432 kilos of seed maize, costing 59,193.50 were supplied to the beneficiary farmers, which about fifty-three percent of the costs of inputs supplied have been recovered.

He commended the government of Ghana for subsidizing the inputs despite the numerous challenges and activities undertaken to help increase food production for the citizenry.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

The recent homosexual comment made by President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the Aljazeera News Network, has received different reactions, condemnations, and vilifications from the section of the Ghanaian public.

The latest to react to the Presidents  homosexual bound to happen in Ghana  comment was the Founder and Leader of the Action Peoples Congress [ APC] Party, Dr. Hassan Ayariga.

The APC Founder, Dr. Hassan Ayariga accused President Nana Akufo-Addo of creating a fertile ground for homosexuality to flourish in Ghana, when he addressed a cross section of newsmen in Accra on Tuesday.

Dr. Ayariga added that the comment by President Nana Addo will give voice to the advocates and proponents of homosexuality to gain grounds in Ghana which will lead to a call for the passage of a law to make the act legal in the country.

The Presidents comment clearly gives hope to the secret homosexuals in the country to thrive and expand their society, thus, creating a clear campaign platform for those already in the act to lure more youth into the practice.

The comment Dr. Ayariga maintained will enable the influx of other international communities which have already accepted the practice into Ghana so as to increase their membership since that is the only way to have their freedom in Ghana.

He said the simple thing the President should have done was a Capital No to the question on homosexuality posed by the Aljazeerah journalist, without any explanation.

He, therefore, called on the President to clarify his stand on gayism and lesbianism in Ghana and let the people know that homosexuality is seriously frowned upon by the countrys constitution and therefore has no place on Ghanaian soil.

He also condemned Mr. Gaby OchereDarko, a leading NPP activist at the Presidency for coming to the defense of the President following the uproar created by the Presidents comment in the section of the public.

President Nana Addos comment made many Ghanaian and African leaders furious as he has failed to follow the line of his predecessors such as former Presidents Kufuor, Mills, and Mahamarespectively, who have all voted against the institution of gayism and lesbianism in Ghana

The imperialists after failing to persuade our former leaders to accept homosexuality in Ghana have now found a friend in our current President and if care is not taken it will signal the beginning of the doom of Ghana as a nation.

The APC leader also bemoaned the obvious support being given to these gays and lesbians at the behest of the Presidency.

He disclosed that soon after the comment, the President received the Luxembourg Prime Minister, a known gay activist whilst Vice President Bawumia also hosted the Dutch Prime Minister.

This camouflage acceptance of the unnatural behavior by our government has now threatened to destroy our society as the effects are beginning to manifest," Dr. Ayariga explained.

He said Ghana as a nation of value, culture, and heritage should not give in to the pressure of the west to implement and make homosexuality legal in the country. This he said will spell doom for the country and its inhabitants especially our future leaders.

The western countries could capitalize on the Presidents comment and use homosexuality as a yardstick to finance the struggling free senior high school flagship project of the government. What they will do is to force us to allow homosexuality to be practice in Ghana and in return receive financial support for the free SHS program, he explained.

President Nana Addos comment is in another way creating an avenue for foreign homosexuals to invest more resources in Ghana and get the chance to operate and win more souls into the homosexual society.

To this end, he cautioned parents to pray for their children against such negative act which is frowned upon by the two leading religions in the country and to also find out the kind of friends their children spend their times or go out with.

Dr. Hassan Ayariga also questioned why the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, an astute Muslim is silent on this comment made by his boss, the President.

"Islam, the beloved religion of the Vice President is totally against homosexuality and therefore we expect Dr. Bawumia to do same."
Hon Frederick Opare Ansah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Suhum Constituency in the Eastern Region, has donated over 700 street light bulbs and some cement to all most all the communities to lighten up their streets to ward off criminals.

The Member of Parliament made the donation of street lights and cement to the assemblymen and the unit committee at the electoral areas to support completion of ongoing schools projects in the constituency to support self-help projects.

The MP said aside from the donation made, Ghanaians should have confidence in the Akufo Addo government since he comes to restore hope and turn the fortune of the economy for the citizens to earn a better living.

Hon. Opare Ansah speaking to the media, he said that he believes that since the youths are the mainstay and the bedrock of this our dear country, he has done tremendously well to improve upon the educational facilities to enable Suhum develop its manpower and human resources for the future.

He stated that his outfit has lobbied the GETFUND to put up a six-classroom block each at Anomasa, Adidiso and BrongDensusu.

On logistics, he also donated computers to all Senior High Schools in the constituency and to about 70 Junior High Schools including the private school with the 3in1 colour canon printers. At the education directorate, he gives motorbikes for all the circuit supervisors in the constituency to help the deliver their work more efficiently.

The fourth time MP assured them of further donation whenever the need arose.

The recipients of the items also expressed gratitude to the MP for the gesture.
05.12.2017 LISTEN

Versatile Ghanaian youngster, Patrick Fynn has grabbed a nomination in "Discovery of the Year" category of the 2017 edition of the continents most coveted awards for young achievers and change makers.

He is one ofover 140 young Africans selected from 25 countries as finalists for the 2017 Africa Youth Awards.

Patrick Fynn as a burgeoning writer, medical practitioner,leaderand entrepreneur has over the years chalked enviable successes in various endeavours. As an influencer he has played significant roles in social change, life empowerment, artsand health promotion projects.

Among a list of recognitions for his prolificacy is the "Student Author of the Year"award in honour of his best seller motivational book, "You Are On Your Own"and numerous thought-provoking articles.

He is brand ambassador for One Health Unit, a health service provider in Ghana and also works as Public Relations Officer for Firm Bridges Communications and IT firm, Vokacom.

Launched in 2014 and currently in its 4th Edition, the awards has become a recognised platform for young Africans to showcase what contributions they have made to the success of the continent thus far, and the potential that they possess to take Africa to the next level across various key industries.

Nominees which span across 23 categories include: 51 females, 73 Males and 17 organisations in Africa and the Diaspora.

The shortlisted nominees were announced by Africa Youth Awards on 4th December, 2017 and winners will be publicly announced on 1st January, 2018.

Voting which can be done on www.africayouthawards.org/vote is expected to end on 17th December.

According to Terser Adamu, COO of Africa Youth Awards, this years nominees demonstrates the army of young people who have taken the destiny of the continent into their own hands for positive results. He also encouraged Africans to support the nominees as the continent awaits the announcement of the winners.

Below is the full list of the shortlisted nomineesof the 2017 Africa Youth Awards

ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR

BirweHabmo Farida Nabourema Kasindeetumba smith Louise Kanza Omoyeleisaac success PatsonMalisa

AFRICAN YOUTH OF THE YEAR (FEMALE)

Anne Kansiime Bella Nshimirimana Dr Faith KudakwasheNyamukapa Farida Nabourema PhindileSithole-Spong TebogoLebanna

AFRICAN YOUTH OF THE YEAR (MALE)

Ihab Amir IyaTraore Kwame Antwi-AgyeiOpoku Millard Ayo OluwaseunOlogunwilliam Seth Kwame Boateng

AWARD FOR ACADEMICS

Anna lefatsheMoagi DikelediAndronicaMokoena Dr. Mrs Yakama Manty Jones Lang Loum Ngozi Marion Emmanuel

AWARD FOR AGRICULTURE

GninlnagnonKone Joshua Ayinbora KwabenaBoateng Nathalie KpanteGambah OlawaleRotimiOpeyemi Pride Machingauta

AWARD FOR DIASPORA ACHIEVEMENT

Ashley A. Opoku Benjamin Fernandes FatoumataKebe Katche Corinne LudovicBiyong Yvonne Amponsah

AWARD FOR EDUCATION

Boubacar Mohamed Mahmoud Eric Pentsil Gabriel Tekpetey OusseynouditIbrahimaCamara Racheal Kalaba Stephen Creppy

AWARD FOR TECHNOLOGY

Camidus DrCADx Flutterwave Jamii RoamSmart Tress

AWARD FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

Bella Nshimirimana Kwame Antwi-AgyeiOpoku Masereka Charles Yoronimu Rose AggreyMmbaga Thato Edison Diako Victor Moinina

BLOGGER OF THE YEAR

Adekeye . E. Tosin ElormBeenie Gilbert Rwabigwi Jonilar Nancy Sumari Salawu Ibrahim

DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR

Caroline Ngata LameckKiula Nadia Owusu NjikiDjemi Michele Valerie OlalekanAbdulqudusAkintomide OluwaseyiAdemo Omar Said Abdel-AzimMostafaSharawy Patrick Fynn

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

AigbeOmoregie Clarisse Iribagiza JokateMwegelo SandileShezi Sangu Julius Delle ShaleenManhireNullens

FASHION PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Daniel Odonkor MaajoaAsabeaYeboah Matthew Rugamba Shahbaaz Sayed Yusuf TetaIsibo

HEALTH PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Aisha Ojone Abu Benson Owusu EnowAwah Georges Stevens Jack HisardNyalando Landry NdrikoMayigane Richard Selormey Runcie C.W. Chidebe

LEADER OF THE YEAR

BokangMolelle KiruhuraBabu Patrick KitsoBapaki Ngang Ernest Che Raphael Obonyo Zakaria El Hamel

LITERARY EXCELLENCE AWARD

BotlhaleBoikanyo ChiziteremNdukwe-Nwoke Diana Mpyisi Dr. Samuel Tinagyei JovitaEfehiObadolagbonyi NoViolet Bulawayo SylvanusBedzrah UpileChisala

MEDIA PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Millard Ayo Musah Kofi Idriss Ngwane Hansel Masango NwabisaMatyumza Salma Msangi SibabalweSesmani

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Hanane El Khader Ihab Amir Nasty C SaadLamjarred Shatta Wale Vanessa Mdee

PUBLIC SERVANT OF THE YEAR

Anna lefatsheMoagi DikelediAndronicaMokoena KadioKadio Eric Meshack Omega Omido Ogunshola Michael

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR

Girls Effect initiative Hope Alive Africa Initiative Kente Master TECO project Wadi Ben Hirki Foundation (WBH) Smithmai Company T limited

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

DillionPhiri Franck Verzefe Jennifer Richard Shigoli KagisoMadibana Melvin SongweShuye PinkrahKwaku Kingsley

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS

Dr. Franklin Armah Sharp MakosiMusambasi ManthomengEulaliaPeahoane Namnkunda hope mwijuka Peter Njodzeka RoselyneNyakona Ukpohor Excel

STARTUP OF THE YEAR
Conflicts, violence and disaster across Africa forced some 15,000 people to flee their homes every day in the first half of the year, international monitors said Wednesday.

A total of 2.7 million Africans were internally displaced within their own countries in the first six months of 2017, a report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) found.

They join the estimated 12.6 million internally displaced people (IDPs) living in African countries at the end of 2016.

That number does not include those who have fled across borders to seek refuge, with UN figures showing there were more than 5.6 million refugees in Africa by end of last year.

Internal displacement has soared in a number of countries where conflicts have worsened, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and South Sudan Wednesday's report showed.

Nearly one million people were displaced inside DR Congo in the first half of the year -- more than the total for 2016.

And more than 200,000 people fled their homes in Central African Republic -- four times as many as a year earlier.

"Behind the numbers lie the blighted lives of people forced to leave their homes, often at a moment's notice and in the most traumatic of circumstances," said the two organisations.

'A worsening situation'

Internal displacement has also soared in Democratic Republic of Congo due to a wave of bloodshed in the central Kasai region

People who flee inside their own country often receive "little protection and assistance from their governments," it said.

And in poor countries and places with weak governance, most IDPs "live in conditions of extreme vulnerability, and are often at risk of further upheaval and long-term impoverishment."

The report said conflict and violence spurred 75 percent of all new displacement across Africa, up from 70 percent in the same period a year earlier.

"This dire and clearly worsening situation demands a new approach that goes beyond humanitarian action to address the causes and long-term implications of internal displacement," IDMC chief Alexandra Bilak said in the statement.

Reversing this trend would require "early action on conflict prevention and peace-building, and overall economic and political development," she said.

And reducing risk could also help slash the number of people displaced by natural disasters.

"Effective risk reduction measures help to reduce the impact of disasters, the number of people they displace and the length of time it takes them to rebuild their lives," it said.
Nigeria Farmers Group and Cooperative Society (NFG-CS) has built a six-room structure for a primary school in Gaate, a rural community in Nasarawa State.

Mr Redson Tedheke, the National Coordinator of NFG-CS, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gaate on Monday that the gesture was part of the corporate social responsibility activities of the group.

He said that the group had also engaged over 250 members of the community, mostly youths, to work in its 2,000-hectare maize farm which was located in the community.

He said that the gesture was in line with the mission of the cooperative group to engage in food production and job creation.

The NFG-CS is a rural community-based farming initiative, and we have decided to empower the community and make life better for the residents because they are our hosts.

The single building in the school is getting dilapidated and it is not safe for children to study in such an environment; so we decided to construct a new building for them, he said.

Besides, Tedheke said that the group was also constructing a community centre, which would serve as an amusement centre, for the villagers.

He stressed that the group had decided to source workers for all its projects from the community so as to empower the residents economically.

The maize farm and building project have created opportunities for over 250 indigenes of this community, particularly youths and women.

Apart from the technical inputs by professionals on the farm, every other activity, ranging from crop planting to harvesting, is done by members of the community.

Some youths have been trained and they work here daily with the farm management, while others are in charge of the security of the farm, he added.

Mr Gabriel Apeh, the head of labourers in the farm, said that each of the workers received a daily wage of about N1, 500, adding that this had been very helpful to the engaged persons.

He also noted that since the establishment of the farm early this year, trading activities within and outside the community had improved significantly.

He said that supplies of many items and consumables in the farm were handled by local traders, which had also enhanced their economic standing.

The traditional ruler of Gaate, Alhaji Ibrahim Adamu, said that the establishment of the farm in Gaate had boosted economic activities in the community.

He also commended the group for the construction of the block of classrooms and the civic centre.

This farm has created a lot of jobs for our people and it has also brought hope to us, considering the harsh economic realities in the country.

The group repaired our road; it also gave our people a functional borehole and many other things.

I urge the state government to come and assist the group, especially in providing security, so that the organisation can remain in our community for a long time, said.
Review of CI.133 will aid in ...
Joshua Davis AC Police Booking Photo View Photos

Angels Camp, CA  On Friday afternoon a search warrant was served in the 1000 block of Old Franke Mine Road, related to a man arrested on November 22 with a human skull in his trunk.

The search warrant is part of an ongoing investigation to determine if additional human remains are at the property of Joshua Davis of Murphys and to search electronic devices such as cell phones, computers, etc for related evidence. Members of the Calaveras County Sheriffs Office, Calaveras County Probation, and the Angels Camp Police Department assisted with the service of the search warrant. Three people, including Davis, who is a under felony probation, were detained during the service of the search warrant.

Some bones were located on the property, however the Police Department says they do not appear to be human remains, and may possibly be animal remains. The bones collected at the site are currently under investigation to determine if they are human.

Several cell phones, and other electronic devices were seized, as well as several types of weapons and ammunition that, as a felon, Davis is prohibited from possessing. He was also charged with a tear gas weapon violation.

The search noted several county code violations on the property, including numerous vehicles, building code violations, and inhabited travel trailers parked on the property. Calaveras County Code Enforcement was contacted to evaluate the situation.

On the day the warrant was served the Angels Camp Police Department was notified by the Calaveras County Coroners Office that the human skull recovered in November from Davis is believed to be remains from a Native American. Deborah Grimes, of the Calaveras County Miwok Tribe is spearheading efforts to determine if a construction site in Angels Camp where work was stopped may be a Native American burial site.

During the service of the search warrant the Police Department reports Davis told the investigating officer he recovered the human skull from this construction site that is under review. The area is currently cordoned off.

Davis was transported and booked into the Calaveras County Jail on an outstanding warrant that was issued for his arrest on December 1 and on additional charges related to weapons violations discovered at his residence. The other two people that were detained during the service of the search warrant were not taken into custody.

The investigation will continue, to determine the origin of the additional bones that were found, as well as whether there is any information related to this investigation on any of the seized electronic devices.

More about Davis initial arrest and previous charges Violation of Probation, Driving on a Suspended Driver License, Possession of Methamphetamine and Disturbing or Removing Human Remains are here.
Tree Mortality In Sierra Nevada View Photos

Sonora, CA  With new state funding coming to Tuolumne County to battle the tree mortality epidemic, $420,400 was placed into the countys reserve fund.

At todays board of supervisors meeting, it was noted that just over $420,000 had been set aside and available to cover a 25-percent local match required for available California Disaster Assistance Act tree mortality funding. However, CAL Fires leadership team recently announced that $6-million was approved in the Governors budget to serve as matching funds for 10 high hazard counties. Tuolumne Countys share from that pot will be just over $806,000.

Board Chair Sherri Brennan praised county staff, and supervisor Randy Hanvelt, for leading the local tree mortality response, and helping to secure the money. She added, This really is a tribute to the tremendous effort that Tuolumne County has put on.

The board voted 5-0 to place the $420,000 in earlier tentative matching funding into the general reserve fund, bringing the countys reserve balance to $2,049,914.
We had stuck our necks out yesterday and said it was likely that that Theresa May would be unable to deliver a deal on the Irish border in Brussels yesterday. We also said shed given a few days more to try to stitch up a deal but that effort would fail.

Our forecast is holding up well, since as readers who have been following Brexit no doubt know, the negotiations were halted in the afternoon thanks to the DUP publicly repudiating the tentative Ireland deal based on a leak of some key language, and May has run back to the UK to try to stitch things back up. According to The Times, May has until Friday at the latest to get a deal back on track.

However, we were gobsmacked to see how humiliating the days developments were for May and even to some degree even for EU figures like Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, who were clearly blindsided by the Tories coalition partner, the DUP, going into scorched earth mode against the UKs Irish border solution. The blow up made it acutely visible that key parties to Brexit want things that are utterly incompatible.

The immediate sticking point is that the position of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on the border issue cannot be reconciled. As we stressed yesterday, the UK leaving the EU means there has to be a hard border somewhere.

The Republic opposes a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland (NI). Normally that might not be fatal since per Article 50, a Brexit deal requires the approval of a qualified majority, so Ireland could not veto a pact all by itself. But the EU has committed itself to defending the Republics interests, and it cant back away from that pledge (or at least not quickly enough to resolve the current impasse).

NI, or more precisely, the DUP, the Tories coalition partner, had ruled out finesses to prevent the establishment of a hard border on land, such as having NI remaining in the single market, since they would increase the political integration of Ireland and also entail the creation of a hard border at sea.

It was hard to imagine any way to come up with a solution. Politico and the Daily Mail reported that the fudge that the EU negotiators and May had agreed upon and the Republic had accepted was, per Politico:

In return for giving the go-ahead for sufficient progress, May would agree to ensure Northern Ireland remained aligned with the Republic of Ireland over regulations affecting north-south border issues like farming, agriculture, energy and transport. Dublin, in turn, would drop its demand for Northern Ireland to effectively remain in the single market and customs union, something unacceptable to Brexiteers.

The Daily Mail says this plan was even broader in its reach:

Mrs May is thought to be proposing an arrangement which would require the whole UK to retain regulatory alignment with the EU on a narrow range of issues that affect the Irish border. These include energy, agriculture and transport.

Quite honestly, I dont see how a no hard border somewhere arrangement can possibly work. Even applying an 80/20 or 95/5 prioritization of aligning rules for the thing that go across the Republic/NI border now does not solve the problem of Northern Ireland becoming a route for smuggling goods in that dont comply with EU regulations. Lets start with small size, high value good like pharmaceuticals. We already have a big problem in the US with what amount to bootleg pharmaceuticals getting into our distribution channels, such as medications past their sell-by date relabeled or repackaged to appear current, and dosages upmarked to sell at higher prices (eg, a 50 mg dose repackaged and sold as if it were 150 mg).

Richard North pointed out another reason this sort of thing wont work:

The UK imports goods from all over the world and, apart from EU goods, applies border controls of varying sophistication, as well as the official controls on animals and foods, and other products. But once we leave the EU, to us, EU countries have to be treated the same as all other countries with which we trade, under exactly the same terms. This is a matter of WTO rules  the ones that so many ultras are so keen to pursue. The WTO non-discrimination requirements mean that, if we apply no checks to EU goods at the Northern Irish border, then we cannot apply them anywhere else. It really is as simple as that.

Needless to say, it was obvious to anyone paying even a little bit of attention to who wanted what on Ireland that the DUP would balk at this scheme. As our PlutoniumKun wrote:

Im a bit astonished that anyone would have thought the DUP would buy the deal, theyve been absolutely consistent (one thing you can say about Ulster loyalists, is that they dont change their minds easily). And its not much of a secret that theyve been getting large sums of money from pro-Brexit rich funders. I dont have a particularly high opinion of Mays acumen, but even she and her advisers couldnt possibly think the DUP would give in without a fight.

Richard North was also having trouble making sense of what had transpired:

.there are some crucial, unresolved inconsistencies in this narrative to the extent that it hardly seems to hang together. First, and most important, it relies on the idea that Mrs May went to Brussels with a proposal that she must have known that the DUP would not accept  and then had to be dragged out of her meeting with Juncker to be told this. Now, over months that Mrs May has been prime minister, we have largely come to terms with her incompetence. But it is nonetheless difficult to believe that, with the well-known and frequently rehearsed position of the DUP, she could go to Brussels with a proposal she must have known would by rejected by this Northern Ireland party. This is carrying incompetence to a new level. Secondly, while much has been said of the Whitehall/Dublin deal, as far as I am aware, the full official text has not been made public. All we have to go on is an early negotiating text leaked to RTE News and sight of a key phrase in the joint text. Further, we do not know whether this deal, apparently agreed between the UK and the Irish Republic, was necessarily agreeable to Brussels As it stands, there is no possible way that Brussels could accept a situation where there was a soft border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, with no controls over goods from the mainland UK. This would open a back door into the Single Market which would be completely unacceptable to the remaining EU Member States This, then, leaves us with two implausible options. On the one hand, Mrs May went to Brussels with a proposal she knew the DUP could not accept, or she went with a proposal that the EU could not accept There is little doubt, however, that Mrs May did go to Brussels expecting a deal. She had booked time in Parliament today, asking the Speaker to clear several hours for a major statement on the outcome of her talks. This has now been cancelled.

And the negotiations didnt just fail, they blew up spectacularly. From the Daily Mail:

10.27am: Jean-Claude Juncker meets with his chief negotiator Michel Barnier and EU Parliament representative Guy Verhofstadt. He says they are working for a fair deal. 11.10am: David Davis says todays talks are the culmination of seven months work by both sides and that Britain hopes to get agreement on sufficient progress on divorce issues at the meeting. 11.16am: Irish broadcaster RTE reports on a leak of the draft agreement suggesting the UK will agree there will be no regulatory divergence between the Republic and Northern Ireland. 12.09pm: European Commission confirms the plan for the May-Juncker lunch is to get as close as possible to a deal. 12.40pm: May arrives at the talks and poses for pictures with Juncker ahead of lunch. 12.44pm: EU Council President Donald Tusk tweets Tell me why I like Mondays and says he was encouraged about the prospects for a deal following talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar. 12.45pm: DUP MP Sammy Wilson accuses the Irish government of leaking claims about regulatory divergence and claims the UK government will not sign up to them. 1.30pm: Nicola Sturgeon seizes on the leaks to demand Scotland gets access to the same terms as Northern Ireland. 2pm: Arlene Foster appears in front of cameras at Stormont to denounce any deal that separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the UK. 2.30pm: Varadkar postpones a statement in Dublin on Irelands position in the talks. 3.12pm: Reports emerge Foster and May have spoken by telephone during a break in the May-Juncker lunch. 3.57pm: Juncker appears alongside May to confirm there would be no deal today but that he remains confident. 3.59pm: May insists she is confident we will conclude this positively but announces talks will reconvene later in the week. 4.15pm: DUP MP Sammy Wilson appears on TV again to brand the deal a unionist nightmare. 5.10pm: Tusk tweets a picture of himself and May, warning time is tight but agreement is still possible. 5.20pm: Varadkar finally makes his appearance in Dublin, confirming Britain was ready to sign up to an agreement. He said Ireland was ready to sign and was surprised and disappointed Britain could no longer sign up.

The other wee problem with whatever it was exactly that May was proposing regarding alignment would have been anathema to the hard Brexiteers and the press barons. To them, one of the most important reasons for the UK to extract itself from the EU is to free itself from evil Eurocrats. Having NI or even worse, the UK have to continue to harmonize regulations with the EU is unacceptable to them.

In other words, the sketchy Ireland arrangement bears a worrisome resemblance to all of those Eurozone kick the can deals in the 2010-2012 period, when there seemed to be a new mini-crisis every few months or so, and Eurozone leaders would do the bare minimum at the 11th hours to keep things from falling apart. If Richard Norths surmise is wrong, that the EU negotiators actually would accept verbiage that was viable from the Irish end, that would be because the negotiators were so keen to get to the next phases of trade talks that theyd give a flawed deal a waiver in the hopes something could be cobbled together in the context of the trade talks.

But as we stressed yesterday, Barnier was slapped down before in trying to move to the trade negotiation phase because France and Germany (and others) deemed that the preliminary issues had not been resolved. So the state of play in Brussels could also reflect the negotiating team trying to get its principals, the EU member states, to be more accommodating to the UK, at least on negotiating process.

It is over my pay grade to envision how things can move forward from here. It is hard to come back from such a public blow-up. May, who was already a dead woman walking, has been further damaged by this miscalculation. Yet the last thing the Tories want is new elections, since Labour could win a majority. May is meeting today with DUP leader Arlene Foster, but by all accounts, the DUP was apoplectic over what was leaked about the deal, and it seems doubtful that theyll be talked out of the tree, particularly since May had reportedly spent a half-hour on the phone with her from Brussels trying to address her objections before the UK-EU talks had to be suspended.

The wags in the Financial Times comment section may have the best take:
By Thomas Fazi, a writer, activist and award-winning filmmaker. He is the author of The Battle for Europe: How an Elite Hijacked a Continent  and How We Can Take It Back, published by Pluto Press. He is a regular contributor to Social Europe Journal, il manifesto, Green European Journal and other journals. He collaborates with the Italian civil society network Sbilanciamoci!. His website is thomasfazi.net. Originally published at openDemocracy

After Emmanuel Macrons election in France, many (including myself) claimed that this signalled a revival of the Franco-German alliance and a renewed impetus for Europes process of top-down economic and political integration  a fact that was claimed by most commentators and politicians, beholden as they are to the Europeanist narrative, to be an unambiguously positive development.

Among the allegedly overdue reforms that were said to be on the table was the creation of a pseudo-fiscal union backed by a (meagre) euro budget, along with the creation of a European finance minister, the centre-points of Macrons plans to re-found the EU  a proposal that raises a number of very worrying issues from both political and economic standpoints, which I have discussed at length elsewhere.

The integrationists (unwarranted) optimism, however, was short-lived. The result of the German elections, which saw the surge of two rabidly anti-integrationist parties, the right-wing FDP and extreme right AfD; the recent collapse of coalition talks between Merkels CDU, the FDP and the Greens, which most likely means an interim government for weeks if not months, possibly leading to new elections (which polls show would bring roughly the same result as the September election); and the growing restlessness in Germany towards the 13-year-long rule of Macrons partner in reform Angela Merkel, means that any plans that Merkel and Macron may have sketched out behind the scenes to further integrate policies at the European level are now, almost certainly, dead in the water. Thus, even the sorry excuse for a fiscal union proposed by Macron is now off the table, according to most commentators.

At this point, the German governments most likely course in terms of European policy  the one that has the best chance of garnering cross-party support, regardless of the outcome of the coalition talks (or of new elections)  is the minimalist approach set in stone by the countrys infamous and now-former finance minister, Wolfgang Schauble, in a non-paper published shortly before his resignation.

The main pillar of Schaubles proposal  a long-time obsession of his  consists in giving the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), which would go on to become a European Monetary Fund, the power to monitor (and, ideally, enforce) compliance with the Fiscal Compact. This echoes Schaubles previous calls for the creation of a European budget commissioner with the power to reject national budgets  a supranational fiscal enforcer.

The aim is all too clear: to further erode what little sovereignty and autonomy member states have left, particularly in the area of fiscal policy, and to facilitate the imposition of neoliberal structural reforms  flexibilisation of labour markets, reduction of collective bargaining rights, etc.  on reluctant countries.

To this end, the German authorities even want to make the receipt of EU cohesion funds conditional on the implementation of such reforms, tightening the existing arrangements even further. Moreover, as noted by Simon Wren-Lewis, the political conflict of interest of having an institution lending within the eurozone would end up imposing severe austerity bias on the recovering country.

Until recently, these proposals failed to materialise due, among other reasons, to Frances opposition to any further overt reductions of national sovereignty in the area of budgetary policy; Macron, however, staunchly rejects Frances traditional souverainiste stance, embracing instead what he calls European sovereignty, and thus represents the perfect ally for Germanys plans.

Another proposal that goes in the same direction is the German Council for Economic Experts plan to curtail banks sovereign bond holdings. Ostensibly aimed at severing the link between banks and government and ensuring long-term debt sustainability, it calls for: (i) removing the exemption from risk-weighting for sovereign exposures, which essentially means that government bonds would no longer be considered a risk-free asset for banks (as they are now under Basel rules), but would be weighted according to the sovereign default risk of the country in question (as determined by credit rating agencies); (ii) putting a cap on the overall risk-weighted sovereign exposure of banks; and (iii) introducing an automatic sovereign insolvency mechanism that would essentially extend to sovereigns the bail-in rule introduced for banks by the banking union, meaning that if a country requires financial assistance from the ESM, for whichever reason, it will have to lengthen its sovereign bond maturities (reducing the market value of those bonds and causing severe losses for all bondholders) and, if necessary, impose a nominal haircut on private creditors.

As noted by the German economist Peter Bofinger, the only member of the German Council of Economic Experts to vote against the sovereign bail-in plan, this would almost certainly ignite a 2012-style self-fulfilling sovereign debt crisis, as periphery countries bond yields would quickly rise to unsustainable levels, making it increasingly hard for governments to roll over maturing debt at reasonable prices and eventually forcing them to turn to the ESM for help, which would entail even heavier losses for their banks and an even heavier dose of austerity.

It would essentially amount to a return to the pre-2012 status quo, with governments once again subject to the supposed discipline of the markets, particularly in the context of a likely tapering of the ECBs quantitative easing (QE) program. The aim of this proposal is the same as that of Schaubles European Monetary Fund: to force member states to implement permanent austerity.

Of course, national sovereignty in a number of areas  most notably fiscal policy  has already been severely eroded by the complex system of new laws, rules and agreements introduced in recent years, including but not limited to the six-pack, two-pack, Fiscal Compact, European Semester and Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure (MIP).

As a result of this new post-Maastricht system of European economic governance, the European Union has effectively become a sovereign power with the authority to impose budgetary rules and structural reforms on member states outside democratic procedures and without democratic control.

The EUs embedded quasi-constitutionalism and inherent (structural) democratic deficit has thus evolved into an even more anti-democratic form of authoritarian constitutionalism that is breaking away with elements of formal democracy as well, leading some observers to suggest that the EU may easily become the postdemocratic prototype and even a pre-dictatorial governance structure against national sovereignty and democracies.

To give an example, with the launch of the European Semester, the EUs key tool for economic policy guidance and surveillance, an area that has historically been a bastion of national sovereignty  old-age pensions  has now fallen under the purview of supranational monitoring as well. Countries are now expected to (and face sanctions if they dont): (i) increase the retirement age and link it with life expectancy; (ii) reduce early retirement schemes, improve the employability of older workers and promote lifelong learning; (iii) support complementary private savings to enhance retirement incomes; and (iv) avoid adopting pension-related measures that undermine the long term sustainability and adequacy of public finances.

This has led to the introduction in various countries of several types of automatic stabilizing mechanisms (ASMs) in pension systems, which change the policy default so that benefits or contributions adjust automatically to adverse demographic and economic conditions without direct intervention by politicians. Similar automatic correction mechanisms in relation to fiscal policy can be found in the Fiscal Compact.

The aim of all these automatic mechanisms is clearly to put the economy on autopilot, thus removing any element of democratic discussion and/or decision-making at either the European or national level. These changes have already transformed European states into semi-sovereign entities, at best. In this sense, the proposals currently under discussion would mark the definitive transformation of European states from semi-sovereign to de facto (and increasingly de jure) non-sovereign entities.

Regardless of the lip service paid by national and European officials to the need for further reductions of national sovereignty to go hand in hand with a greater democratisation of the euro area, the reforms currently on the table can, in fact, be considered the final stage in the thirty-year-long war on democracy and national sovereignty waged by the European elites, aimed at constraining the ability of popular-democratic powers to influence economic policy, thus enabling the imposition of neoliberal policies that would not have otherwise been politically feasible.

In this sense, the European economic and monetary integration process should be viewed, to a large degree, as a class-based and inherently neoliberal project pursued by all national capitals as well as transnational (financial) capital. However, to grasp the processes of restructuring under way in Europe, we need to go beyond the simplistic capital/labour dichotomy that underlies many critical analyses of the EU and eurozone, which view EU/EMU policies as the expression of a unitary and coherent transnational (post-national) European capitalist class.

The process underway can only be understood through the lens of the geopolitical-economic tensions and conflicts between leading capitalist states and regional blocs, and the conflicting interests between the different financial/industrial capital fractions located in those states, which have always characterised the European economy. In particular, it means looking at Germanys historic struggle for economic hegemony over the European continent.

It is no secret that Germany is today the leading economic and political power in Europe, just as it is no secret that nothing gets done in Europe without Germanys seal of approval. In fact, it is commonplace to come across references to Germanys new empire. A controversial Der Spiegel editorial from a few years back event went as far as arguing that it is not out place to talk of the rise of a Fourth Reich:

That may sound absurd given that todays Germany is a successful democracy without a trace of national-socialism  and that no one would actually associate Merkel with Nazism. But further reflection on the word Reich, or empire, may not be entirely out of place. The term refers to a dominion, with a central power exerting control over many different peoples. According to this definition, would it be wrong to speak of a German Reich in the economic realm?

More recently, an article in Politico Europe  co-owned by the German media magnate Axel Springer AG  candidly explained why Greece is de facto a German colony. It noted how, despite Tsipras pleas for debt relief, the Greek leader has little choice but to heed the wishes of his colonial masters, i.e., the Germans.

This is because public debt in the eurozone is used as a political tool  a disciplining tool  to get governments to implement socially harmful policies (and to get citizens to accept these policies by portraying them as inevitable), which explains why Germany continues to refuse to seriously consider any form of debt relief for Greece, despite the various commitments and promises to that end made in recent years: debt is the chain that keeps Greece (and other member states) from straying off course.

Even though the power exercised by Europes colonial masters is now openly acknowledged by the mainstream press, it is however commonplace to ascribe Germanys dominant position as an accident of history: according to this narrative, we are in the presence of an accidental empire, one that is not the result of a general plan but that emerged almost by chance  even against Germanys wishes  as a result of the euros design faults, which have allowed Germany and its satellites to pursue a neo-mercantilist strategy and thus accumulate huge current account surpluses.

Now, it is certainly true that the euros design  strongly influenced by Germany  inevitably benefits export-led economies such as Germany over more internal demand-oriented economies, such as those of southern Europe. However, there is ample evidence to support the argument that Germany, far from having accidently stumbled upon European dominance, has been actively and consciously pursuing an expansionary and imperialist strategy in  and through  the European Union for decades.

Even if we limit our analysis to Germanys post-crisis policies (though there is much that could be said about Germanys post-reunification policies and subsequent offshoring of production to Eastern Europe in the 1990s), it would be very naive to view Germanys inflexibility  on austerity, for example  as a simple case of ideological stubbornness, considering the extent to which the policies in question have benefited Germany (and to a lesser extent France).

Germany (and France) have been the main beneficiaries of the sovereign bailouts of periphery countries, which essentially amounted to a covert bailout of German (and French) banks, as most of the funds were channelled back to the creditor countries banks, which were heavily exposed to the banks (and to a lesser degree the governments) of periphery countries. German policy, Helen Thompson wrote, overwhelmingly served the interests of the German banks.

This is a telling example of how Germanys policies (and the EUs policies more in general), while nominally ordoliberal  i.e., based upon minimal government intervention and a strict rules-based regime  are in reality based on extensive state intervention on behalf of German capital, at both the domestic and European level.

As Andy Storey notes, not only did the German government, throughout the crisis, show a blatant disregard for ordoliberalisms non-interference of public institutions in the workings of the market, by engaging in a massive Keynesian-style programme in the aftermath of the financial crisis and pushing through bailout programmes that largely absolved German banks from their responsibility for reckless lending to Greece and other countries; German authorities have also been more than happy to go along with  or to encourage  the European institutions exercise of unrestrained executive power and the more or less complete abandonment of strict, rules-based frameworks  Storey is here referring in particular to the ECBs use of its currency-issuing monopoly to force member states to follows its precepts  to maintain the profitability of German banks, German hegemony within the Eurozone, or even the survival of the Eurozone itself.

Germany (and France) are also the main beneficiaries of the ongoing process of mezzogiornification of periphery countries  often compounded by troika-forced privatisations , which in recent years has allowed German and French firms to take over a huge number of businesses (or stakes therewithin) in periphery countries, often at bargain prices. A well-publicised case is that of the 14 Greek regional airports taken over by the German airport operator Fraport.

Frances corporate offensive in Italy is another good example: in the last five years, French companies have engaged in 177 Italian takeovers, for a total value of $41.8 billion, six times Italys purchases in France over the same period. This is leading to an increased centralisation of European capital, characterised by a gradual concentration of capital and production in Germany and other core countries  in the logistical and distribution sectors, for example  and more in general to an increasingly imbalanced relationship between the stronger and weaker countries of the union.

These transformations cannot simply be described as processes without a subject: while there are undoubtedly structural reasons involved  countries with better developed economies of scale, such as Germany and France, were bound to benefit more than others from the reduction in tariffs and barriers associated with the introduction of the single currency  we also have to acknowledge that there are loci of economic-politic power that are actively driving and shaping these imperialist processes, which must be viewed through the lens of the unresolved inter-capitalist struggle between core-based and periphery-based capital.

From this perspective, the dichotomy that is often raised in European public discourse between nationalism and Europeanism is deeply flawed. The two, in fact, often go hand in hand. In Germanys case, for example, Europeanism has provided the countrys elites with the perfect alibi to conceal their hegemonic project behind the ideological veil of European integration. Ironically, the European Union  allegedly created as an antidote to the vicious nationalisms of the twentieth century  has been the tool through which Germany has been able to achieve the new European order that Nazi ideologues had theorised in the 1930s and early 1940s.

In short, the European Union should indeed be viewed a transnational capitalist project, but one that is subordinated to a clear state-centred hierarchy of power, with Germany in the dominant position. In this sense, the national elites in periphery countries that have supported Germanys hegemonic project (and continue to do so, first and foremost through their support to European integration) can thus be likened to the comprador bourgeoisie of the old colonial system  sections of a countrys elite and middle class allied with foreign interests in exchange for a subordinated role within the dominant hierarchy of power.

From this point of view, the likely revival of the Franco-German bloc is a very worrying development, since it heralds a consolidation of the German-led European imperialist bloc  and a further Germanification of the continent. This development cannot be understood independently of the momentous shifts that are taking place in global political economy  namely the organic crisis of neoliberal globalisation, which is leading to increased tensions between the various fractions of international capital, most notably between the US and Germany.

Trumps repeated criticisms of Germanys beggar-thy-neighbour mercantilist policies should be understood in this light. The same goes for Angela Merkels recent call  much celebrated by the mainstream press  for a stronger Europe to counter Trumps unilateralism. Merkels aim is not, of course, that of making Europe stronger, but rather of strengthening Germanys dominant position vis-a-vis the other world powers (the US but also China) through the consolidation of Germanys control of the European continental economy, in the context of an intensification of global inter-capitalist competition.

This has now become an imperative for Germany, especially since Trump has dared to openly challenge the self-justifying ideology which sustains Germanys mercantilism  a particular form of economic nationalism that Hans Kundnani has dubbed Exportnationalismus, founded upon the belief that Germanys massive trade surplus is uniquely the result of Germanys manufacturing excellence (Modell Deutschland) rather than, in fact, the result of unfair trade practices.

This is why, if Germany wants to maintain its hegemonic position on the continent, it must break with the US and tighten the bolts of the European workhouse. To this end, it needs to seize control of the most coveted institution of them all  the ECB , which hitherto has never been under direct German control (though the Bundesbank exercises considerable influence over it, as is well known). Indeed, many commentators openly acknowledge that Merkel now has her eyes on the ECBs presidency. This would effectively put Germany directly at the helm of European economic policy.

Even more worryingly, Germany is not simply aiming at expanding its economic control over the European continent; it is also taking steps for greater European military cooperation  under the German aegis, of course. As a recent article in Foreign Policy revealed, Germany is quietly building a European army under its command.

This year Germany and two of its European allies, the Czech Republic and Romania, announced the integration of their armed forces, under the control of the Bundeswehr. In doing so, the will follow in the footsteps of two Dutch brigades, one of which has already joined the Bundeswehrs Rapid Response Forces Division and another that has been integrated into the Bundeswehrs 1st Armored Division.

In other words, Germany already effectively controls the armies of four countries. And the initiative, Foreign Policy notes, is likely to grow. This is not surprising: if Germany (the EU) wants to become truly autonomous from the US, it needs to acquire military sovereignty, which it currently lacks.

Europe is thus at a crossroads: the choice that left-wing and popular forces, and periphery countries more generally, face is between (a) accepting Europes transition to a fully post-democratic, hyper-competitive, German-led continental system, in which member states (except for those at the helm of the project) will be deprived of all sovereignty and autonomy, in exchange for a formal democratic facade at the supranational level, and its workers subject to ever-growing levels of exploitation; or (b) regaining national sovereignty and autonomy at the national level, with all the short-term risks that such a strategy entails, as the only way to restore democracy, popular sovereignty and socioeconomic dignity. In short, the choice is between European post-democracy or post-European democracy.

There is no third way. Especially in view of the growing tensions between Germany, the US and China, periphery countries should ask themselves if they want to be simple pawns in this New Great Game or if they want to take their destinies into their own hands.

-

Some portions of this article previously appeared in this article published by Green European Journal.
Yves here. Historically, one of the reasons for owning a Mac was that the Apple OS was far more secure than Microsofts. Microsoft had lost control of its kernel, making it vulnerable to viruses and hacks, while OSX was a proprietary version of Unix, which was rugged and more attack-resistant.

The Apple OS has gotten worse and worse with every supposed upgrade as Apple has tried to make the desktop OS integrate into its phones, which simply serves to make those machines more kludgey. I was inconceivably at least as memory constrained with 16 GB of RAM on my new-ish laptop shortly after I got it in 2016 than I was on my aged MacBook Air running a seriously out of date version of the OS with a mere 4 GB of RAM. Thats a disgrace.

Apples stunning security breach is yet another warning to users. Apple has gotten away with this nonsense because the Windows OS is still more cumbersome and requires more tech tinkering and Linux boxes require that users become technically proficient, when most computer owners just want tools that work, and dont want to have to fool around under the hood. But another incident like this, and even the geekery-averse will have to think seriously about abandoning Apple.

By Michael Olenick, a research fellow at INSEAD

In an epic security meltdown last week, Apple handed the keys to anybody who could get a few seconds of physical access to a logged-in Mac regardless of what security level the logged-in person had. This also allowed ordinary users to bypass any enterprise restrictions.

First, some background. All operating systems have a hierarchal system of user security. Mac OS is a Unix variant, originally built from BSD. Like all Unix variants the top-level user, which has access to everything, is called root. Even people with administrative rights have fewer privileges because root is so powerful it is easy to accidentally destroy ones computer. System administrators and computer programs sometimes need root level access and, when required, they invoke it for a short amount of time. A hackers holy grail is root access.

Apple allowed anybody who could touch a Mac that was logged in to gain root access and, later, invisibly control the Mac indefinitely. Our hacker would first go to System Preferences, click Users & Groups, and create a new administrative user. Then theyd click back one level and enable remote login. After the 5-10 seconds this would take theyd skedaddle, doing the rest of their work at their leisure.

Remotely, the hacker would download the contents of a hard drive or install a key logger to capture username/password combinations for more secure systems. They could add other programs making it impossible to get rid of them without reinstalling everything. They could use the microphone to eavesdrop. If the user had access to other systems the hacker might be able to quietly take control of those too through private keys stored on their computer. Only strong two-factor authentication on remote machines or, say, bank accounts would prevent a complete takeover, assuming it is enabled.

To gain root and create their user the hacker, when prompted for a password, would type root and leave the password blank. This wouldnt work and theyd try again; the second time would work. Thats the vulnerability Apple somehow missed.

I tried this on three separate Macs and it worked. One report said it could take up to seven tries for the root/blank password trick to work. Maybe, but it always worked on the second try for me.

How obvious is the ability to change a computer with this exploit? My eleven-year-old daughter used it to remove all parental controls from her own login. Shes a smart brat kid  this made me realize shes outgrown the need for parental controls  but also illustrates that a masters degree in isnt required to dream up exploits for this bug.

To their credit Apple rolled out a patch that fixed the bug about 18 hours after it was discovered. Except they later rolled out an update to the operating system and restored the bug. The original fix didnt work a second time so Apple eventually remotely fixed all the Macs (theoretically). Of course, if a hacker created a phantom user and took control remotely the patches would not undo the fake user.

Before a well-deserved harangue about quality control, or lack thereof, Id urge all Mac users to 1) click on the Apple menu, 2) choose Users & Groups, and 3) see if there is anybody there they do not recognize (and, if so, call Apple: your computer is hopelessly and compromised without a system wipe). If you do not have a compelling need to log in to your Mac remotely disable it: Apple menu -> Sharing -> unclick Remote Login (actually, unclick everything unless youre sure you know why its clicked). To make sure the bug is patched click the lock on the user screen and replace the username with root but leave the password blank. Then try to click OK a few times. If the key eventually opens go to the Mac app store and update your Mac immediately.

Now, the harangue.

Apple  seriously?! Since the untimely death of Steve Jobs the company has been off their game. Its not only this boneheaded move: despite a quarter-trillion dollars in the bank Apple has repeatedly failed to do anything interesting in about five years.

Maybe theyre waiting to repatriate money from Europe. Snooze. They could have purchased a European car company, no repatriation required, and had an Apple electric car on the streets by now. Tell Carl Icahn to piss off  Jobs would have  and knock it off with the stock buybacks: theyre pure waste. Apologize to employees for the oversight and build a daycare in the new $5 billion headquarters (Jobs probably wouldnt have, but whatever). It can be a collection of low-rise buildings in the park in the center of the spaceship, a reminder about the importance of playfulness and magic. Start from scratch with an Apple watch thats more like a customized wristband. Recognize that the sticks darting from the earbuds look ridiculous. Catch up by adding OLEDs to all iThings. Reassure the desktop group they still matter but that they have to wake up and try harder. Add touch to Mac OS and make an iMac with a pivoting stand like the Surface.

The root security bug is an obvious severe process failure but I think the flaw runs a lot deeper: Apple management just doesnt seem to care anymore. The company lacks a passion that once fueled users even in the darkest days. Every senior person is insanely rich and just doesnt seem to give a shit. The money might explain things but every senior person at Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix is also ridiculously wealthy and they still seem to care. Even Microsoft management seems to be waking up: their Surface Studio computer is genuinely cool.

Lower level employees are friendly and competent. When the High Sierra upgrade destroyed a colleagues computer Apple employees spent hours patiently talking to and texting her; they eventually restored it. Contrast that to Dell: family members bought my daughter a new Dell as a present from the US. It intermittently will not turn on and has been a brick for weeks. Nobody has been able to resolve the problem and Dell customer service is abysmal. But just because competitor computer makers are godawful doesnt mean you have to be too. Besides, it makes better business sense to not nuke a computer with an update in the first place rather than providing friendly and helpful employees to spend hours restoring it.

There are countless articles comparing Apple CEO Tim Cook to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who succeeded Bill Gates. Ballmer, like Cook, raised revenue but sat idly by while Microsoft was clobbered in search, mobile, social, cloud, and virtually every other new tech development during his tenure. Now were watching Cook languish. I cant tell Siri next song (well, I can but it doesnt understand). iCloud is awful. The iPhone X looks suspiciously like a Samsung Galaxy from a few years ago. And, oh yeah, my eleven-year-old rooted the family Mac in seconds.
NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Rose Gottemoeller, spoke about Women, Peace and Security as part of a panel discussion at the Canadian Mission to the European Union on Tuesday (5 December 2017).

The event was organised by the Government of Canada, Women in International Security, and the German Marshall Fund. Other speakers included Ms. Chrystia Freeland, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Helga Schmid, Secretary General of the European External Action Service, and Mr. Simon Gimson, Vice President of the International Crisis Group.

Asked what NATO is doing to improve gender balance and the role of women in peace and security, Ms. Gottemoeller explained that NATO is working to improve gender balance within the organization while focusing on gender issues in the field. This is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do  the effective thing to do.

During the discussion, Ms. Gottemoeller emphasised NATOs efforts in Afghanistan and Kosovo, where NATO has deployed gender advisors to support efforts to include women in peace and security, highlighting the need to better enable womens inclusion. In Afghanistan, for example, this includes building barracks for female soldiers.

While welcoming significant progress at NATO, the Deputy Secretary General noted the importance of continued attention to  and resources for  including women in peace and security.
The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, delivered a keynote speech today at an event sponsored by Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Harmel Report.

Secretary General Stoltenberg said the Harmel Report has stood the test of time because it is historically important and currently relevant. The conclusions of the 1967 Report are summarized as the dual-track approach in which NATO maintained a strong defence and deterrence posture, but also engaged in meaningful dialogue to ease tensions.

In the past few years, Secretary General Stoltenberg said, NATO has implemented the biggest increase of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War  But we have not forgotten the lessons from the Harmel Report about the need for dialogue as well. After two years without any meetings, the NATO-Russia Council has met six times since April 2016. In our meetings we have discussed a range of topics, such as Ukraine, Afghanistan, and transparency and risk reduction. Our dialogue with Russia is not easy. But that is exactly why it is so important.

Secretary General Stoltenberg also noted adaptation as a wider theme of the Harmel Report, underscoring that this was another example of the reports continued relevance. The report makes clear that a dynamic and vigorous Alliance must constantly adapt to changing conditions. And NATOs adaptability remains one of our greatest strengths. We continue to adapt to the most serious security challenges in a generation.
NATO Foreign Ministers are meeting today (5 December 2017) to begin two days of talks on NATOs adaptation ahead of the Brussels Summit next July. I expect we will agree to take NATO-EU cooperation to a new level, said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Ministers will also discuss global security challenges, including North Korea, and NATOs role in projecting stability beyond its borders. Allies will also hold a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission, to review the security situation, Georgias reform progress and areas for further cooperation.

Read NATO Secretary General opening remarks here.
(Natural News) As researchers continue to make advances in artificial intelligence, or AI, the louder and more frequent the calls are becoming to not simply tread lightly with the technology but to abandon it completely.

And why? Because many fear that the technology will someday turn on humans and wipe all of us out.

One of the most vocal in promoting this theory has been entrepreneur and Tesla founder Elon Musk who, with scientist Stephen Hawking, wrote an open letter to the tech industry in 2015 warning that AI would not only put tens of millions of people out of work, but likely will make self-learning robots far more intelligent than humans in the long run. And when that happens, they say, well be at risk of extinction from killer robots.

This warning was recently repeated, albeit in a somewhat less dramatic way, by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who told a million Russian school children via satellite video link in September that AI is the future for all of mankind.

Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become ruler of the world, he said.

Turns out that these men may be exactly right.

In an essay published on the website of the IMDEA Networks Institute  a networking research organization with a multinational research team engaged in cutting-edge fundamental scientific research  containing a superintelligence AI system is theoretically impossible, meaning it could not be taught or forced to protect or defend humans.

Machines that learn and make decisions on their own are proliferating in our daily lives via social networks and smartphones, and experts are already thinking about how we can engineer them so that they dont go rogue, the essay says.

Some of the suggestions made thus far include training self-learning machines to ignore specific kinds of data and information that might allow them to learn racism or sexism and coding them so that they demonstrate values of empathy and respect.

But according to some new work from researchers at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, as well as other schools in Spain, the US, and Australia, once an AI becomes superintelligent think Ex Machina  it will be impossible to contain it, the essay says.

What would a superintelligence program look like? It likely would be one that contained every other program that exists, complete with the ability to obtain new programs as they become available. (Related: Elon Musk warns AI could wipe out humanity.)

Then again, since AI is self-learning, at this stage the superintelligence robot, computer or device would be able to produce its own coding and programming, and in real time. Thats how fast these kinds of machines would learn  then produce and react.

Right now the thought that machines can rule the world is nothing more than a theory. But its one that has some very smart people very concerned about where AI will take us, and not too long in the future.

Putin may not have alluded to military applications for AI in his chat with Russian school children, but dont think for a moment he isnt thinking about how to adapt the technology to existing (and future) weapons systems.

Rather than just building killer robots that can learn at an accelerated speed, imagine standard weapons systems that think and adapt on the fly.

Take ICBMs, for instance. At present, missiles have some ability to adjust in flight, thanks to satellite-fed data links. That makes them more difficult for anti-missile systems to hit.

But what if incoming ICBMs could spot threats and adjust to them in real time, without human intervention? They would become far more deadly and accurate  and far harder to defend against.

AI research is likely to deliver a revolution in military technology on par with the invention of aircraft and nuclear weapons, Gregory Allen wrote for CNN. In other words, Musk is correct that each country is pursuing AI superiority and that this pursuit brings new risks.

J. D. Heyes is a senior correspondent for the Natural News network of sites and editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

CNN.com

IMDEA.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A Texas State University (TSU) student of Hispanic descent is doubling down on a blatantly racist editorial piece he recently penned for the campus newspaper The University Star that openly calls for the death of all white people.

Entitled Your DNA is an abomination, the anti-white, hate-filled rant written by Rudy Martinez (whos pictured here alongside a screen capture of his article in print form) is arguably the most in-your-face call for white genocide yet to hit modern American academia.

Martinez makes no bones about calling all white people an aberration, stating plainly: Remember this: I hate you because you shouldnt exist. In his shameless call for ending whiteness and white people in America, Martinez further mocks what he envisions as millions of cultural zombies roaming around a vastly changed landscape  a reference to his fantasy of stripping all white culture from the country, leaving white people with no identity.

Not surprisingly, news of TSUs publishing of this venomous hate speech quickly went viral, calling into question why TSU would agree to publish such shamelessly racist content in the first place. Seeing that it was obviously garnering terrible press for the San Marcos-based institution, the article was declared to have been pulled, even though it had already been published in print form.

Not long after, the universitys president, Denise M. Trauth, openly condemned the column as racist, saying she was troubled by its publishing. She further called Martinez article abhorrent and contrary to the core values of inclusion and unity that our Bobcat students, faculty, and staff hold dear.

Hey white students attending Texas State and their parents: How about a massive class-action lawsuit?

This is nice and all, but thus far Martinez has not been punished for spewing his racially-motivated diatribe of anti-white poison. Presumably because hes brown as opposed to white, Martinez is not only getting away with spreading anti-white hatred at TSU, but hes also quite proud of it, insisting publicly to news media that doesnt regret a thing.

The article speaks for itself, Martinez told The College Fix in the aftermath of his article gaining national attention.  Though my language, especially when I claim to have only ever met 12 decent white people, could be deemed as hyperbolic (just barely), it has accomplished its goal: starting a conversation and outing racists.

Ironically enough, the only racist whos been outed by this pathetic stunt is Martinez himself, who clearly has some kind of chip on his shoulder. Furthermore, his brown skin has afforded him the entitlement of being able to print such garbage without consequence, which says a whole lot about TSUs lack of commitment to protecting its white students against this type of hate.

If it had been a white person who wrote a column condemning illegal immigration, for instance, such content likely never even would have been published. And can you imagine what would have happened had a white person written an article condemning Mexicans as being an inferior race that drags everything down to third-world status? Such a student probably would have been expelled and possibly even murdered by social justice warrior (SJW) terrorists.

But because Martinez belongs to the protected class of Latino, his actions have afforded him free publicity along with an empty statement of disappointment, a.k.a. silent approval, from his schools president. The white student population at TSU would do well to consider filing a collective class-action lawsuit against this joke of an institution, and withdraw and enroll elsewhere while theyre at it.

After all, if theres anything that shouldnt exist for the betterment of society, its phony institutions of higher learning like TSU that coddle anti-white racists like Martinez while giving them platforms to spread their genocidal rhetoric.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

DailyMail.co.uk

LongRoom.com

TheCollegeFix.com

NaturalNews.com
Press Release

Sensapure Flavors, formerly a division of The Genysis Group announced that it has been spun of as an independent flavor house in conjunction with the sale of Genysis Brand Solutions to Nellson Nutraceuticals, LLC (Nellson).

As part of the agreement with Nellson, Sensapure Flavors will continue to provide powdered flavorings to Genysis Brand Solutions. Additionally, within the next few months, Sensapure Flavors will relocate to a nearby facility to accommodate the needs of the growing business.

Over the years of sourcing specific flavors from the global providers for our nutraceutical brand partners, we realized that no flavor houses were focused on serving the supplement nutrition industry, said Jeff Reynolds, founder and CEO of Sensapure Flavors. The flavoring needs of the nutraceutical industry are complex and ever changing. Being able to launch this company with a leader in the industry like Genysis Brand Solutions is a win/win, Reynolds continued.

In preparing to operate as an independent company and to support the anticipated growth of the business, Sensapure has hired certified flavor chemists (a first for a Utah based nutrition company) as well as a team of industry veterans in the nutrition space. The process of creating natural and artificial flavors involves literally thousands of extracts, chemicals and oils and then getting those ingredients into a powder form where they can by combined with active ingredients such as protein, amino acids, and others requires a process called spray drying.

The new Sensapure facility, located in the Pioneer Square Business Park at the intersection of I-215 and 2100 South in Salt Lake City, will have over 30K sq ft dedicated to flavor labs, flavor manufacturing and offices for the Sensapure team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The flavor labs will consist of a flavor creation lab (used for

In addition to the Utah headquarters, Sensapure has secured a location in Southern California, for a flavor technology office, with the same suite of flavor laboratories. This R&D lab will open in the spring of 2018. The Utah campus will also house Dyad Labs, an analytical testing lab also spun off as part of the transition. An open house of the Utah facility is scheduled for Spring of 2018.

About Sensapure Flavors:

Sensapure Flavors is a flavor house that services the nutrition and supplement industry with exciting flavor technology and unmatched applications experience. Born in a manufacturing company that understand the ever-changing needs of the nutraceutical industry, Sensapure combines new flavor technologies with deep product application experience. Focused on powdered flavors, initially, Sensapure expects to be able to serve all flavoring aspects of the dynamic supplement and functional nutrition space soon.
Union leaders representing more than 3,000 Oakland city employees said Monday that the workers will go on strike Tuesday to protest what they allege are the city's unfair labor practices.

Leaders of Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers said they offered to enter informal, pre-impasse mediation with the help of former San Francisco Mayor and California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, but the city refused their offer.

Oakland city spokeswoman Karen Boyd and a spokesman for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the unions' statement that they will go on strike because the city rejected their mediation offer.

In a statement on Friday night, the city said, "Due to significant staff shortages, a strike will force the city to close nearly every city facility starting on Tuesday morning."

However, the city said sworn police and fire personnel won't participate in a strike since they are represented by other unions.

Earlier Monday, SEIU Local 1021 chief negotiator Rob Szykowny said Local 1021 and other unions that represent city employees would be willing to

postpone a strike if the city agrees to give workers a 4 percent pay increase for one year and continue talking about an agreement for two additional years with Brown acting as a mediator.

Schaaf didn't comment earlier Monday on the possibility of a one-year deal and working with Brown as a mediator, but issued a statement in which she said, "We will continue to work hard to avert a strike."

"We value our city employees and there is no doubt our workers deserve increased compensation. Yet the City of Oakland cannot offer more than it can afford, and it cannot come at the expense of the services we provide," Schaaf said.

She said, "All city employees and residents deserve a financially stable and sustainable Oakland."

Szykowny said if employees go on strike, it would be because of what he described as "multiple unfair labor practices" by the city, workplace conditions, understaffing levels and cost of living concerns.

Szykowny said SEIU Local 1021 and other unions have been negotiating with the city for seven months but haven't been able to reach an agreement yet.

Local 1021 represents more than 2,000 public works employees, parking enforcement officers, Head Start instructors, and early education teachers.

Local 1021 spokesman Chris Flink said if that union goes on strike, IFPTE Local 21, which represents about 1,000 professional and technical employees, including engineers, building inspectors and planners, would engage in a sympathy strike.

In addition, 20 city employees who belong to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers would respect Local 1021's picket lines, according to Flink.

Oakland city officials said in the statement they issued on Friday night that they made a "last, best and final offer" that includes wage increases of up to 6 percent over three years, including 4 percent for the first year of their proposed contract.

The city said it also will continue to provide fully-paid family health care benefits and absorb all pension and health care-related rate increases.

SEIU Local 1021 conducted a half-day strike on Nov. 2 that shut down Oakland libraries, senior centers, child care programs, park and recreation centers and other city services.
Si Si Han, the 46-year-old woman who was killed Saturday when a box truck rammed into a Bay Bridge toll booth where she was working, wasn't supposed to be at work that day.

A co-worker had called out sick, so Si Si stepped up to fill the shift," according to her husband Ryan Saw. "While the shift time originally started at 5:30 a.m., she was asked to come in earlier, starting at 5 a.m."

Saw said that he dropped Han off to work and had just returned home when he received the life-changing phone call that his wife had just died.



Han, a 10-year Caltrans employee, died when a truck, driven by Daniel Berk, crashed into vehicles in line to pay toll  triggering a chain reaction  and then veered into toll booth No. 14 around 5:10 a.m. Han was declared dead at the scene.

Berk, 32, of Foster City, was ejected from the rented truck and landed on the ground after the collision on the Oakland side of the bridge. He was hospitalized with major injuries and arrested later in the day for allegedly driving under the influence and involuntary manslaughter.

A GoFundMe campaign was launched Tuesday to help Saw and the couple's 10-year-old daughter, Ashly. Saw, of San Lorenzo, created the fundraiser, which has a goal of $25,000.

Born in Myanmar, Han  who Saw said was always ready with a sweet smile, generosity and kindness  moved to the United States in 2002. It was here that the pair got married. They had their child in 2007 and also moved Hans mother into their home in the same year.

This tragic news has affected her huge family located in the Bay Area and across the United States, Saw continued. We are all still in utter shock, devastated, and at a complete loss of words.

All donated funds during a time of inexpressible loss, Saw said, will be used for funeral expenses and to help him ensure that Ashly is able to pursue a higher education.

As of Tuesday, seven people have raised $450.

One lane at the Bay Bridge toll plaza remains closed.
What to Know The Rye Fire broke out Tuesday morning in elevated fire weather

Evacuations were ordered for schools and homes

Multiple large wildfires were burning in Southern California

This story is no longer being updated. For the latest information on the Rye Fire, click here.

A wind-fueled brush fire scorched at least 5,000 acres with 5 percent containment in the Santa Clarita area Tuesday, prompting evacuations of schools and 1,300 homes.

A stretch of the 5 Freeway reopened in both directions before 2:30 p.m. after being shut down for several hours as a precaution. However, westbound lanes of State Route 126 from Copperhill Drive to the 5 Freeway remained closed.

The blaze was reported about 9:30 a.m. in the 25000 block of Rye Canyon Loop, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The so-called Rye Fire was burning in light to medium fuels amid heavy winds, adding to two other large wildfires burning simultaneously in Southern California.

As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Rye fire had not reached Simi Valley, but it had breached the Ventura County line.

These locations have been evacuated:



Rancho Pico Junior High School, West Ranch High School and Oak Hills Elementary School. Students were being bused to College of the Canyons. A general evacuation center was set up at Valencia High School

West Creek Academy was closed for the remainder of the day and Trinity Classical Academy in Valencia was evacuating students

Valencia Travel Village RV park in the 27900 block of Henry Mayo Drive in Castaic

Santa Clarita Valley International Charter School in Castaic

Rye Canyon Loop and Kelly Johnson Parkway in Santa Clarita

The Westridge housing community

In addition, the Simi Valley Police Department announced that schools in the Simi Valley Unified School District will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 6.

Evacuees of the Westridge area of Stevenson Ranch were allowed to return home before 6 p.m., city officials said. Eastbound lanes of Newhall Ranch Road remained closed.

All classes starting at 5 p.m. or later at both campuses of College of the Canyons were canceled.

About 500 firefighters were battling the blaze. No injuries were immediately reported.

Power was interrupted to 2,090 customers in the Santa Clarita area, according to Southern California Edison. Due to the outages, and some 9-1-1 calls to the sheriff's Santa Clarita station were being re-routed, the sheriff's department reported.

City officials said workers had cleared about 46 trees that were toppled by strong winds.



[LA] Rye Fire Erupts in Santa Clarita

Police asked Simi Valley residents to be ready to evacuate if the fire spreads southwest.

Earlier in the day, the northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway were closed at Magic Mountain Parkway while southbound lanes were closed at Hasley Canyon Road.
What to Know As of Wednesday, 55,000 acres have been scorched and over 50,000 residents have been evacuated.

150 structures have been destroyed and 2,500 others are threatened.

There are 1,100 firefighters battling the blaze.

This story is no longer being updated. For the latest information on the Thomas Fire, click here.

Fueled by fierce fast winds and tinder dry conditions, the Thomas Fire burned hillsides in Ventura County for a third day Wednesday, scorching 55,000 acres, prompting tens of thousands of evacuations, destroying 150 structures, jumping through the 101 Freeway and prompting a state of emergency.

"The prospects for containment are not good," said Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen.

The fire, burning just south of Thomas Aquinas College, killed a family pet and injured a firefighter. The college issued a fire alert Monday around 8 p.m. and evacuated all students to nearby homes as a precaution.

Dr. Bob Pazen watched his hillside house burn from a safe distance Tuesday off Foothill Road. He wasn't sad. He put the destruction into perspective.



"It's insured. My wife is safe. Our dog is safe. It's a structure. You can always replace it."



When his grandson, Orion Garman, heard about his grandparents' house burning, he ran over to see if they were OK.

"This is just devastating," he said. "So many memories -- Christmases, Thanksgiving. I'm just dumbfounded."



He said his grandmother is devastated the house is gone.



But they're going to be OK.

"They can come to my house. We have enough space for them. They're well taken care of."



He couldn't fathom the destruction. He had just visited the house on Thanksgiving two weeks ago.



"I never thought this would ever happen," he said.

Mike Connor sifted through the rubble of two burned-down houses in another part of Ventura on Tuesday, his and his in-laws up the hill.



He spent the night shuttling up and down the hill to try to save the homes.



"It was just ember control," he said. "Embers were flying through and it seemed like we were going to be OK.



But the embers leaped onto the house and into attic, a telltale sign, he said that the battle's been lost.



Connor, a builder, vowed to rebuild.



"Everyone is healthy. Everyone is out. All the animals were out. I chased the chickens out this morning. And there's no roasted chickens."

More than 50,000 homes were evacuated and 20,000 people remained without power Tuesday. That figure was down from 200,000 customers who were in the dark Monday night because of transmission line problems associated with the fire.



The fire spread extremely quickly. The Ventura County Fire Department tweeted that the fire was moving fast and was burning in steep terrain with 25 to 30 mph winds.

At least 150 structures were damaged, according to the fire department. One of those was the Vista del Mar Hospital, an 83-bed mental health facility at 801 Seneca St. All patients were evacuated safely, but the majority of buildings were left to be nothing but smoking husks. The apartments on the skirts of the facility had not yet been threatened by 6 a.m.

"Oh my god, just devastation for these people," said Leticia Broida, an employee. "The whole hospital is gone."



Mandatory evacuations were ordered for west Ventura shortly before 1 a.m., Tuesday. Multiple homes and buildings were reportedly burned in the area and palm trees were on flames behind Ventura City Hall.

Officials issued another mandatory evacuation just before 11:30 p.m., Tuesday for beach communities along the 101 Freeway from Highway 33 to Bates Road in Ventura County.

Due to the intensity of the blaze, fire crews were reportedly having difficulties accessing the burned areas.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office advised residents to go to vcemergency.com for the most up-to-date information.

While red flag warnings are now scheduled to expire Friday, "long range computer models are showing the possibility that the Santa Ana winds could persist into Friday or Saturday, which may require the extension of the red flag warning," according to an NWS statement.

Patrick Healy, Gordon Tokumatsu and City News Service contributed to this report.


Two 18-year-old men have been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a 32-year-old Redwood City man while he was trying to sell a cellphone to them at a gas station in unincorporated San Leandro last month, Alameda County sheriff's officials said.

Marcus Fortune, a San Leandro resident and the alleged shooter, was arrested in his hometown last Thursday and Jordan Patton, the alleged accomplice, was arrested outside his San Francisco home on Nov. 19, according to Deputy Kurtis Imperial.

Patton was charged shortly after he was arrested and Fortune was charged and arraigned on Monday. Both teens are scheduled to return to Alameda County Superior Court in Dublin on Tuesday to be assigned attorneys and possibly enter pleas.

Fortune and Patton are charged for the fatal shooting of Daniel Carlos at the 76 gas station at East 14th Street and 159th Avenue, near the Bay Fair BART station, at about 1:15 p.m. on Nov. 18. Carlos was pronounced dead at the scene.

Carlos was between jobs but used to work for Tesla and is survived by his wife and their 5-year-old daughter, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly said.

Kelly said the deadly shooting was "shocking" because it was in broad daylight at one of the major intersections in Alameda County where there's a lot of vehicle and foot traffic.

Alameda County Sheriff's Office

Carlos met the suspects through an online app called "letgo" on which people list items that they want to sell, Kelly said.

Imperial wrote in a probable cause statement that the arrangement to sell a new iPhone to the suspects was made by a relative of Carlos who was with him during the transaction but wasn't injured.

The relative stayed inside his car while Carlos waited outside with the cellphone, according to Imperial.

When Carlos handed the cellphone to the two suspects, they both began to run out of the gas station's parking lot, the relative said, prompting Carlos to chase them, according to Imperial.

Carlos "was subsequently shot and killed by one of the suspects as they fled with the cellular phone," Imperial wrote.

Several witnesses provided similar descriptions of the suspects and one witness saw the suspects enter a white Nissan Maxima with no license plates, the deputy wrote.

In addition, footage from a nearby surveillance camera depicted distinctive features on the Nissan, according to Imperial.

Additional investigation helped deputies identify Fortune and Patton as the suspects. Patton was driving the Nissan when he was arrested on Nov. 19, Imperial said.

Patton told investigators that he was the only person who drove the Nissan on Nov. 18 and denied being in the area where Carlos was killed and denied any knowledge of or involvement in the homicide, Imperial wrote.

However, when deputies searched the Nissan they found a cellphone, which was still in its box, that was the same model and color of the phone that was stolen from Carlos, according to Imperial.

Deputies also found dark-colored clothing that was similar to what the suspects were believed to be wearing at the time of the shooting.

When deputies searched Fortune's residence in San Leandro after he was arrested, they found a black .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun and several unexpended .40-caliber bullets, Imperial wrote.

Some of the bullets contained the same manufactured head stamp brand that was located on the expended .40-caliber shell casing that was found at the murder scene, according to Imperial.

Fortune admitted to investigators that he was involved in the shooting and said the meeting with Carlos "was a planned take and go," Imperial wrote.

He refused to identify Patton as a co-participant, instead saying he was with another person and said "things were not supposed to go down that way," Imperial wrote.
Another generous donor recently left more than loose change in a Salvation Army red kettle in downtown Boston.



Salvation Army officials said an anonymous donor dropped a diamond-and-gold fish pin brooch in a kettle at Downtown Crossing on Nov. 29. The 18K gold brooch with 32 diamonds, valued at nearly $5,000, is the first such gift to the Salvation Army this season.

"The kind soul that donated this brooch is emblematic of the generosity and charity we see in Massachusetts every holiday season," said Major David B. Davis, The Salvation Armys Massachusetts Divisional Commander.

Anonymous donors have been leaving jewelry in red kettles since 2014 when a local widow dropped her valuable wedding ring into one.

The trend continued for the next two holiday seasons, with a Rolex watch and dozens of precious jewelry items donated across the state. According to the Salvation Army, nearly $70,000 in proceeds were collected from jewelry donations since 2014.

The Salvation Army said the brooch, along with any other jewelry they receive this year, will be auctioned off with proceeds going to provide vital programming and services for thousands of children, families and seniors in the region.

The Salvation Army is hoping to meet their statewide Red Kettle Campaign goal of $3.5 million this year.
Gov. Bruce Rauner officially has a primary challenger with Republican state Rep. Jeanne Ives filing candidate petitions on deadline day.

Ives says Illinois needs a new path after Rauner signed measures including providing state health insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortions.

Rauner said Monday that he's in the best position to win the general election and dismissed Ives as a "fringe" candidate. He refused to say whether he'd debate her.

During an event Monday, Rauner said "I am not in charge," attacking Democrat Speaker of the House Mike Madigan for much of Illinois' political state.

"He's been in charge for 35 years," Rauner said.

"We would have lower property taxes in this state, we would have term limits in this state if I was in charge, he added. "I am not in charge. I'm trying to get to be in charge."

Ives, who has so far received conservative support after Rauner's flip flop on the abortion bill, claims Rauner didn't fight Madigan and instead "put in Mike Madigan's economic and social agenda."

Among those endorsing Ives Tuesday was State Sen. Dave McSweeney, who called Rauner a "failed governor."

"[He] is not in charge," McSweeney told NBC 5. "You saw him admit it yesterday."

Also, Democratic Sen. Michael Hastings of Tinley Park filed petitions Monday to challenge longtime Secretary of State Jesse White in the primary.

Hastings says he has respect for White but was unsure if he was going to seek a sixth term. He'll "wait and see" before making a final decision.

White's campaign director Rocco Claps says there's no doubt White is running.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan opened a civil rights investigation into the practices of a transportation company that runs shuttle buses from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to the Chicago area Monday after the company sent a racially-charged ad insulting the schools Chinese students.

Suburban Express, which services six universities in the Midwest, sent customers the email ad on Saturday morning to promote its Christmas break bus schedules.

The ad, which has since drawn significant criticism, listed 11 reasons students should choose the company for rides from the schools central Illinois campus to various stops across Chicagos suburbs.

Among those reasons  which included clean buses and experienced drivers  was Passengers like you. You wont feel like youre in China when youre on our buses.

Shortly thereafter, Suburban Express sent a second email once the first received some negative feedback.

Titled Apology, the additional message served as a commentary on the University of Illinois international population that some derided as equally, if not more offensive, than the initial ad itself.

We made a remark based on the fact that our competitor mostly handles Chinese international students, the second email read. The remark is being interpreted as a slap in the face of all non-caucasians for some reason, and that it [sic] not how it was intended.

We must concede that we disagree with the way the University of Illinois is being run. U of I is a state school that is funded by taxpayers and is built on land granted by the people of the State of Illinois. As such, we believe that the mission of the University of Illinois should be providing high-quality, affordable education to the citizens of Illinois, the message continued.

U of I mismanagement over the past few decades has put them in a financial bind. To solve the problem, they admit large numbers of international students who pay higher tuition, the company said, before incorrectly stating that nearly 20 percent of the schools students were from China  a figure that the message claimed places a variety of burdens on domestic students.

Roughly 11,000 of the schools 45,000 current students are international, NBC News reported, with about 6,000 of the total undergraduate and graduate student population coming from China.

We agree that having a healthy mixture of different cultures and ethnicities is valuable. But were not comfortable with the idea of selling our university to the highest foreign bidder, the message added, concluding, In any event, we did not intend to offend half the planet.

The university issued a strongly-worded statement Sunday rebuking the Suburban Express ad.

The company has a long history of taking advantage of students, staff and faculty, school administrators claimed, adding that the email once again demonstrated the companys disregard and disdain towards the values of inclusivity that define our university.

The message specifically insulted members of our Chinese, Asian and Asian American communities who are a vital and valued part of every aspect of both the University of Illinois and our local cities. These types of racist and bigoted statements attacking any members of our community deserve nothing but condemnation from all of us, the statement from the schools Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs said. School officials said the institution has no business relationship with Suburban Express and that the company was not allowed to pick up or drop off passengers on university property.

We cannot prevent a private company from operating in our community, the statement read. But we can, loudly and unambiguously, say that the opinions expressed by Suburban Express are offensive, bigoted, insulting and in direct opposition to the values of this university. And we would encourage any potential future customers of this transport company to carefully investigate its record and customer concerns before using its services.

While the school did not offer specific details on its allegation that the company has taken advantage of the university community, this weekends events were not the first time Suburban Express practices sparked controversy.

Founded in 1983 by Dennis Toeppen, who was a sophomore at the University of Illinois at the time, Suburban Express filed more than 100 lawsuits in 2013, seeking payment from customers the company alleged violated the terms of a written contract they agreed to when purchasing their fare. Those infractions ranged from boarding a bus at the wrong stop, using duplicate tickets, or seeking a refund, among others. The company later dropped those lawsuits, filed in Ford County.

Suburban Express continued to use its website to chastise customers, using a now-deleted Page of Shame on which the names, addresses and contact information of so-called bad customers were posted, an archived version of the site shows.

The site contained dozens of what the company designated as fare cheaters and customers with dishonored payments, as well as people who were banned from using the service. Some of the customers names were accompanied by descriptions, such as morally and ethically challenged, in our opinion, or in the case of one student, We believe customer is mentally unstable based on her activities on the internet forum Reddit.

Suburban Express went on to designate an entirely separate page to the students posts on Reddit and Wikipedia, alleging that she had a full-blown obsession with the company and seemed to specialize in making unsubstantiated claims about every topic she discusses, in response to the student negative online reviews of the company.

Also on the banned list was an entire family from suburban Highland Park, on the basis that We find them to be generally unpleasant, if not insane, people and we do not want them anywhere near our buses or offices, the website read.

That family was involved in a dispute with Toeppen in 2014 that resulted in two misdemeanor charges of electronic harassment against him, after a then-student posted online about a 2013 incident he witnessed in which a bus driver yelled at another customer, according to the Champaign News-Gazette.

Toeppen was found not guilty in 2016, the News-Gazette reported.

Suburban Express addressed that case, as well as the lawsuits and the controversial email campaign in a yet another statement issued Sunday.

The company claimed it has consistently held students to their commitments and promise in an approach that has not been popular with cheaters, a small number of which the company claimed has taken to social media to amplify their complaining and anger.

The statement then drew a connection between the 2013 incident that led to the criminal case and the racially charged ad, saying the altercation involved an employee of a subcontracted bus company making an inappropriate comment to a non-english-speaking-customer.

We agreed that the comment was inappropriate and we promptly apologized, the company continued. Nevertheless, a student agitator made it his full-time job to tell the world that Suburban Express is racist based on the comment which we agreed was inappropriate, and for which we apologized.

The statement went on to say that the entire spectacle caused many students from countries in Asia to abandon Suburban Express and ride a competing company.

We were very saddened by the loss of those riders. We meant them no harm, and we felt we were being unjustly punished, the company added. When we wrote a recent promotional email, we mentioned that Suburban Express riders would not encounter Chinese exchange students on our buses. That's because they all ride our competitor now. It was an ill-advised statement to make, because it upset the very people we were sad to have lost.

Suburban Express said the organization welcomes students of all nationalities and anyone who says otherwise is trying to further their own agenda, before apologizing for the insensitive statement.

Still, the email sparked widespread condemnation.

The editorial board of the Daily Illini, the University of Illinois campus newspaper, posted an editorial decrying the email and encouraging students to seek other forms of transportation rather than support a vile company such as Suburban Express.

Equating the benefits of allowing fuzzy slippers and refundable tickets with the ability to board a bus with passengers that look like you (which apparently just means not-Asian) is frankly dehumanizing and disgusting to our Asian classmates and friends, the schools Asian Pacific American Coalition said in a response posted on Facebook.

Chicago Alderman and former gubernatorial candidate Ameya Pawar also joined the chorus of those condemning the companys message, writing on Facebook, This is not an apology.

This is an unbelievably offensive and bigoted response. Shame on you, Pawar continued. Since you serve O'Hare International Airport, I am going to call for a hearing on your business practices. In them [sic] meantime, you may want to issue a real apology.

While the questionable practices of Suburban Express are nothing new for the student community at the University of Illinois, derogatory references to Asian students are a new low, and completely unacceptable, the Illini Democrats added Saturday. To suggest that international students value is purely economical is a bigoted attack on the diversity of our campus. International students never have presented a variety of burdens to our community, unlike Suburban Express.

The group called on Madigan to open an investigation, which her offices Civil Rights Bureau did Monday, according to a release from the Illinois attorney general.

Madigan issued a subpoena to Suburban Express over potential civil rights violations, seeking documents, records and information that will help determine whether the companys policies and practices violate the Illinois Human Rights Act.

I am concerned that this advertisement may reflect that Suburban Express is discriminating against potential customers, Madigan said in the release. Under the law, access to transportation must not be impacted or based on a persons race or national origin. My office is investigating to determine whether Suburban Express policies and practices violate the law.

Suburban Express was directed to reply within 30 days, Madigan said, adding that anyone wishing to file a complaint may do so online or by calling the Civil Rights Hotline at (877) 581-3692.
There are some new security measures are coming to Bradley International Airport.

The drivers who take passengers to parking lots or to area hotel will soon be subject to screenings that are more strict. The board of directors from the Connecticut Airport Authority, which operates Bradley Airport, said the policy change is about passenger safety.

Beginning in January 2018, more of the drivers who give rides from the terminal will be needing more of a security clearance. The tougher security measures will be specifically for any driver using the already-restricted roadway just outside the Arrivals area on the lower level of the terminal.

"It's going to impact anyone that has access to that roadway," Kevin Dillon, the executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA), said.

Dillon said the new security policy will require background checks, and even a check of the federal 'No Fly' list, for every driver who is cleared to use that curbside passenger pick-up area. Until the CAA board approved the policy on November 27, that was not the case.

"We noted that there was a deficiency on the background checks that we do on those folks that have access to what we call the inner restricted roadway here at the airport," Dillon said.

The particular stretch of roadway is not open to the public. It is typically used by taxis, shuttles and rental car buses. Many, but not all, of the hired drivers who use the road are already subject to background checks.

But with the policy change, even shuttle drivers for hotels or off-site private parking lots will get that same scrutiny. Those who have been convicted of any of dozens of criminal offenses within the last decade may be disqualified from operating for any ground transportation business at Bradley.

"I think it's probably a good idea," Anja Duffy, a Bradley Airport passenger who lives in Holyoke, Massachusetts, said. "There have been a lot of vehicular attacks so I think that extra layer makes sense."

The new CAA policy does not hold Uber and Lyft drivers to the same requirements because ride-sharing service drivers are not using that specific restricted roadway.

Michael Lindsey, president and CEO of Lindsey Limousine based in Windsor, believes all drivers who transport passengers to and from Bradley should have to meet the same requirements.

"Just 30 feet away, lies what is referred to as the 'outer roadway curb' which is open to the public and most recently Uber and Lyft," wrote Lindsey. "These companies are doing essentially the same thing as the contracted companies - like us, yet will be exempt from this new policy."

Paying for and performing the added background checks will be the responsibility of the companies, not the CAA.

Dillon said there could be consequences for those employees and companies that do not comply.

"Their right to operate here at the airport would be restricted until we can make the determination that they're actually compliant," Dillon said.

For thirty days, public comment on the new policy is being accepted. If no changes are made, it will go into effect on January 5, 2018.

"We know that it will be a burden or them to put all those employees through the background checks, so we want to be reasonable how we implement it," said Dillon.

Read the Ground Transportation Driver Requirements and Background Checks Policy here:
A Bristol, Connecticut woman who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge related to her involvement in an IRS impersonation scam that impacted more than 500 people between the U.S. and Canada has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.

Nancy Frye, 51, of Bristol, entered her guilty plea in a Hartford federal court in June, She was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Court records show Frye was paid about $500 a day as a runner for those in the scam posing as IRS agents.

The agents would call taxpayers, threatening with lawsuits or fines unless they made payments. Frye and others she recruited would then collect the money that was wired to specific bank accounts.

Between October 2015 and June 2016, Frye had collected about $588,000 in wired funds from 574 victims.

Since October 2013, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has received reports of more than 2.1 million impersonation related calls with more than 12,400 victims reporting losses of nearly $62 million.

Frye is due to report to prison on Jan. 8.
A Texas police officer has died after being shot multiple times by a suspect while serving a warrant.

A San Marcos city official said the officer, identified as 58-year-old Kenneth Copeland, died Monday afternoon following the altercation in San Marcos, about 30 miles south of Austin, Texas.

The San Marcos Police Chief Chase Stapp said Copeland had been with the department for 19 years.

A San Marcos police officer is dead after being shot while serving a warrant Monday, police say.

A news release from the city says a suspect is in custody and is being treated for a gunshot wound after a standoff with SWAT members from the San Marcos police and Hays County Sheriff's Office. Right now it's unclear if the wound was self-inflicted or if the suspect was shot by police.



According to the release, the officer was serving the warrant with other officers and was wearing a protective vest. He died from his injuries about 3:50 p.m. after being transported to the Central Texas Medical Center.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a statement shortly after the shooting happened.

Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change.
The crew of a Cathay Pacific flight saw what it believes was North Korea's latest missile test last week, the second airline to report sighting it.

Cathay said Monday that the flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong reported witnessing the apparent re-entry of the ICBM that North Korea launched before dawn Wednesday.

The missile was far from the plane, and operation was unaffected, Cathay said, adding that it had informed other carriers and relevant authorities.

"At the moment, no one is changing any routes or operating parameters," the Hong Kong-based airline said in a statement. "We remain alert and (will) review the situation as it evolves."

The North Korean missile was fired very high up, reaching an altitude of 4,475 kilometers (2,780 miles) before falling back into the Sea of Japan about 950 kilometers (600 miles) from where it was launched. It was in the air for 53 minutes.

The Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated a greater range than other missiles North Korea has tested. One expert estimated its range at more than 13,000 kilometers (8,100 miles) if launched on a standard trajectory, which would put Washington, D.C., within reach.

Korean Air pilots on two different planes also reported seeing flashes of light believed to be the North Korean missile when they were flying over Japan, airline spokesman Cho Hyun-mook said.

The flights, one from San Francisco and the other from Los Angeles, were both headed for Incheon, the main airport serving Seoul, South Korea.
Yemeni rebels killed their erstwhile ally Ali Abdullah Saleh, the country's former president and strongman, as their forces battled for control of the capital, Sanaa, officials said. The collapse of their alliance throws Yemen's nearly 3-year-old civil war into unpredictable new chaos.

The circumstances of Saleh's death were unclear but Houthi officials said their forces caught up with him as he tried to flee Sanaa.

A video circulating online purported to show Saleh's body, his eyes open but glassy, motionless with a gaping head wound, as he was being carried in a blanket by rebel fighters chanting "God is great" who then dump him into a pickup truck. Blood stained his shirt under a dark suit.

It was a grisly end for a figure who was able to rule the impoverished and unstable country for more than three decades and remained a powerhouse even after he was ousted in a 2011 Arab Spring uprising. His death recalled another Arab leader killed in the midst of his own country's uprising, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, whose body was shown in a video being abused by rebels who killed in him 2011.

Saleh's death was announced by the rebels, known as Houthis, who have been fighting Saleh's forces for the past week. Two of Saleh's associates have confirmed his death and a third official from the government of Yemen's internationally recongnized president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, has also confirmed the death.

"The leader of treason has been killed," Houthis' TV network al-Masriah said.

Saleh allied with the Houthis, and the support of his loyalist military units was key to helping the Houthis overrun the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, driving out Hadi's government. But in recent months, the alliance frayed amid Houthi suspicions Saleh was leaning toward the Saudi-led coalition backing Hadi.

Hadi's forces, trying to take advantage of the collapse of the alliance, announced they would march on Sanaa.

But even without Saleh's loyalists, the rebels remain a powerful force and it is unclear how much the break with Saleh weakens them. Over the past year, the Houthis had steadily undermined Saleh and reduced their need for him, winning military commanders over to their side and boosting their own forces.

A major question now will be whether Saleh's loyalists  and tribes that support him  can rally to fight the Houthis after his death.

Several Houthi military officials said Saleh was killed as he headed along with top party leaders from Sanaa to his hometown of Sanhan, nearby. Houthi fighters followed him in 20 armored vehicles, attacked and killed him and almost all those with him, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. A Houthi media official, Abdel-Rahman al-Ahnomi told the Associated Press that Houthi fighters killed Saleh as he tried to flee to Saudi Arabia though the province of Marib, to the east of the capital.

The Saudi-led coalition had hoped that Saleh's break with the Houthis would be a turning point, isolating the rebels. Over the past days, fighter jets from the Saudi-led coalition pounded Houthis positions, throwing support behind Saleh and fueling divisions with Houthis. Hadi's government had expressed willingness to turn "a new page" with whoever stands against the rebels.

The fighting left Sanaa divided. The Houthis dominate the northern part of the city, while Saleh's forces hold the southern part, with much of the current fighting concentrated around the Political District, home to ministries and foreign embassies. The Houthis appeared to be targeting the homes of Saleh's family, political allies and commanders.

Civilians living in the area are largely cut off from the outside world.

Yemenis huddled in basements across Sanaa overnight as airstrikes echoed across the city. Suze van Meegen, Sanaa-based protection and advocacy adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the violence left aid workers trapped inside their homes and was "completely paralyzing humanitarian operations."

"No one is safe in Sana'a at the moment. I can hear heavy shelling outside now and know it is too imprecise and too pervasive to guarantee that any of us are safe," she said.

"The night was tough," Robert Mardini, the regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, posted on his Twitter account. "Massive urban clashes with heavy artillery and airstrikes. Yemenis stuck in their homes, too scared to go out. Reduced access to water, health care, food and fuel."

In southern Sanaa's Fag Attan neighborhood, the Houthis used tanks, artillery, and anti-aircraft guns to try to take out snipers loyal to Saleh, damaging or destroying several buildings.

Residents said the night was shattered by the sounds of gunfire and children screaming.

"It's like horror movies," said Bushra, a local woman who asked that her last name not be published for fear of retribution. "I have lived through many wars but nothing like this."

Witnesses said the bodies of slain civilians and fighters littered the streets, as no ambulances were able to reach the area. The ICRC says at least 125 people have been killed and some 240 wounded in Sanaa since the fighting began Wednesday.

Jamie McGoldrick, of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, described the fighting in Sanaa as "another dark chapter of life here." Speaking from Sanaa, McGoldrick said that humanitarian agencies are close to the front lines and that aid workers are also sheltering in basements. He called for a humanitarian pause to the fighting to allow civilians to escape.

During his more than 30 years in power, Saleh was known as the man who "dances on the heads of snakes" for his mastery of shifting alliances, playing both sides or flipping sides in the multiple conflicts tearing apart Yemen.

In the 2000s, he was a key ally of the U.S. in the fight against al-Qaida, taking millions of dollars in American aid to hunt down the group's branch  even as he was accused of striking alliances with the militants and using them against his own enemies. During his rule, he fought multiple wars against the Houthis in northern Yemen, only to side with them against his own former vice president-turned-successor, Hadi, after he lost power.
Approximately 43,000 customers were experiencing power outages Tuesday night as wind-fueled wildfires continued to burn across Southern California.

Southern California Edison said that the number of those affected could fluctuate depending on the Thomas, Creek, Sylmar and Rye fires.

A 31,000-acre fire scorched through the Ventura County hills north of Los Angeles Monday night and several other fires broke out Tuesday amid Santa Ana winds.

The fire  named the Thomas fire  was burning out of control just south of Thomas Aquinas College. The college issued a fire alert Monday around 8 p.m. and evacuated all students to nearby homes as a precaution.

By 5 a.m., about 180,000 people were without power in the Ventura county area and 83,000 customers in Santa Barbara county also lost power, SCE said at 12:30 a.m. By 7 a.m., that number dropped to 20,000.

As of Tuesday night, 43,000 customers were experiencing outages

Officials noted that some customers would be without power for days due to damage to transmission lines.

The Thomas fire was initially reported as 500 acres. By 4:40 a.m., the blaze reached 31,000 acres, prompting officials to order mandatory evacuations for over 27,000 residents, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. The blaze was advancing into the city limits of Ventura and toward Highway 33 and 500 firefighters were on the scene.

Other firefighters from Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties were headed to the area to help battle the blaze, The Associated Press reported.

"The fire growth is just absolutely exponential," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. "All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people, and protect structures."

There were multiple reports of structures on fire. Officials at first said a person's death was associated with the fire, but Ventura County spokesman Bill Nash said early Tuesday that death was a family pet, not a person.

One firefighter was injured, but details on his condition weren't immediately available.



Winds exceeding 40 mph and gusts over 60 mph have been reported in the area and are expected to continue, the National Weather Service said.

--The Associated Press contributed to this story
A 13-year-old California girl was set to be taken off life support Monday after attempting to take her own life a week prior, following years of bullying by her middle school peers.

Mesa View Middle School in Yucaipa, California, mourned the death of eighth grader Rosalie Avila with a candlelight vigil last week, where hundreds of Avila's peers, teachers and loved ones attended.

Avila was described as a loving and warm individual who was a great artist and always got good grades. Her family said she loved the snow as much as she loved the beach and enjoyed singing. Her dream was to become a lawyer so she could make the world a better place.

"My daughter had the whole world," her father, Freddie Avila said in tears. "Now, I just have to think about what she could have done or what she could have become. Now it's just a memory."

Rosalie's father recalled the heartbreaking moment he realized his daughter's devastating action on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017.

"I woke up and there was screaming," he said. "I had to find my daughter .. .in her room."

Rosalie was taken to Loma Linda Children's Hospital in extremely critical condition. Although earlier reports citing the school district and family members stated that Rosalie had passed away Friday, her family later clarified that she would be taken off life support Monday around 9:30 p.m. Her aunt Olga told NBC4 that the family plans to donate eight of Rosalies organs.

Mesa View Middle School expressed their sorrow through a memo on their website.

"No one can fathom the heartbreak and confusion that we are certain many of our students and families are feeling right now," the school said on the statement. "Crisis counselors and intervention teams will be available and supporting our students throughout the district in the upcoming days."

The school district released an additional statement Monday saying that they are working closely with detectives at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department to assist in the investigation into allegations of bullying.

The statement also acknowledged that social media posts "disrespecting Rosalie and her family" have begun to spread online. "These posts are being handled by the appropriate authority," according to the news release.

The school was aware of Rosalie's bullying and she had been in counseling, according to her aunt. She detailed in a journal how she was bullied and named those who were mean to her.

"It's not right to bully other kids," her aunt, Sandra Zebaneh said. "It's not right to call them names, not right to make fun of what they are wearing. It's horrible. Please stop the bullying."

If you would like to donate to a GoFundMe account set up to help funeral costs for Rosalie Avila, you may do so here. Note that GoFundMe deducts 2.9 percent of all funds raised, plus 30 cents per donation, in the form of payment processing charges.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 provides people in distress, or those around them, with 24-hour support. The Crisis Text Line allows people to text 741-741 to connect with crisis counselors.
We are no longer updating this story. Our latest updates on the Thomas Fire can be found here.

Last updated at 11:34 a.m. with state of emergency and latest evacuation orders.

Firefighters on the ground and in the air are battling a fast-moving brush fire raging across 45,000 acres in Ventura County, destroying 150 structures and forcing 27,000 people to flee their homes, fire officials said Tuesday morning.



Based on perimeter and initiation:

3,729 acres/hr

62 acres/minute

1 acre/second

Roughly a football field a second https://t.co/mjuX4D9bLo  Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) December 5, 2017

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Ventura County because of the fire.

Officials had earlier said a person's death was associated with the fire, but Ventura County spokesman Bill Nash said early Tuesday that death was a family pet, not a person. One firefighter was injured, but details on his condition weren't immediately available.

The fire, dubbed the Thomas fire, was first burning just south of Thomas Aquinas College. The college issued a fire alert Monday around 8 p.m. and evacuated all students to nearby homes as a precaution.

"The fire growth is just absolutely exponential," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. "All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people, and protect structures."



More than 8,000 homes were evacuated and 20,000 people remained without power Tuesday. That figure was down from 200,000 customers who were in the dark Monday night because of transmission line problems associated with the fire.



The fire spread extremely quickly. The Ventura County Fire Department tweeted that the fire was moving fast and was burning in steep terrain with 25 to 30 mph winds.

At least 150 structures were damaged, according to the fire department. One of those was the Vista del Mar Hospital, an 83-bed mental health facility at 801 Seneca St. All patients were evacuated safely, but the majority of buildings were left to be nothing but smoking husks. The apartments on the skirts of the facility had not yet been threatened by 6 a.m.

"Oh my god, just devastation for these people," said Leticia Broida, an employee. "The whole hospital is gone."



[LA - STRINGER UPDATED 12/25] Photos: Thomas Fire Burns in Ventura, Santa Barbara Counties

Mandatory evacuations were ordered for west Ventura shortly before 1 a.m., Tuesday. Multiple homes and buildings were reportedly burned in the area and palm trees were on flames behind Ventura City Hall.

Due to the intensity of the blaze, fire crews were reportedly having difficulties accessing the burned areas. Multiple agencies are responding to the fire.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office advised residents to go to vcemergency.com for the most up-to-date information.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department was also assisting in the firefight.

The cause of the fire was unknown.

[NATL-LA GALLERY UPDATED 12/20] 2017 California Wildfires in Photos

Mandatory Evacuations

Nearly 8,000 homes were ordered to evacuate Tuesday from Santa Paula to Ventura.

Residents in Santa Paula, east of Dickenson Road, north of Monte Vista Drive along Highway 150 and South of Thomas Aquinas College to the area of Say Road.

Residents in Santa Paula, west of Dickenson Road to Atmore Road, north of Foothill Road and west to Wheeler Canyon Road

Residents in Upper Ojai, north of Highway 150 from Koenigstein Road west to the Dennison Grade, north to Reeves Road, east to McAndrew Road and north to Grand Avenue.

Residents in Santa Paula and Ventura, north of Foothill Road west to Wheeler Canyon Road, north to Canada Larga Road and east to Barlow Canyon Road

Residents in Ventura, south of Highway 33, east of Main St, north of Foothill Road and Hall Canyon Road and west of Canada Larga Road

Residents in Ventura, east of North Ashwood Avenue along Loma Vista Road to North Victoria Avenue south of Foothill

Residents in Ventura County, east of hwy 33 west of Creek Road south of Ojai Valley Inn south of Hwy 150

Residents in Ventura County, north of Canada Larga along Hwy 33 to south of Casitas Vista and north along Casitas Vista Road to Lake Casitas

Ojai, Thacher School 5025 Thacher Road, Ojai has been evacuated

Ventura, Vista Del Mar Hospital has been evacuated and patients will be transported to LA area facilities by ambulance.

Voluntary Evacuations

Residents in the City of Ventura south of Loma Vista, east of Day Road, West of Victoria Avenue and north of Telegraph Road

Residents in the City of Ventura, east of Victoria north of Loma Vista South of Foothill west of Wells Road.

Evacuation Shelters

There are two evacuation shelters available to residents who were displaced. The first shelter was at the Ventura County Fairgrounds at Miners Building located at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura. All types of animals are also welcome at this shelter.

The second shelter was at Nordhoff High School at 1401 Maricopa Highway in Ojai.

A third shelter was set up at the Oxnard College Gymnasium, located at 4000 S Rose Ave. in Oxnard.

Road Closures

The California Highway Patrol closed Highway 150 in both directions -- at Sisar Road, at Stonegate Road, and at Santa Barbara Street -- as firefighters battled the blaze.

Soft road closures were issued for Wheeler Canyon Road at Foothill Road, Highway 150 at Reeves Road and Highway 150 at Santa Barbara Street.

School Closures

Santa Paula School District, Oxnard School District, Port Hueneme School District, Ventura Unified School District, Mesa Union School District, and Ojai Unified School districts were all closed Tuesday due to the fire.

Power Outages

About 20,000 customers remain without power Tuesday morning.

The Ventura County Air Unit posted a video to social media showing an aerial view of the Thomas fire burning in Santa Paula on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017.

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Police say they stopped a man from carrying out a planned mass shooting at a Florida Islamic center.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams announced Monday that police arrested 69-year-old Bernardino Gawala Bolatete after he tried to buy a gun silencer from an undercover officer.

Police began investigating Bolatete after receiving a tip from a confidential source that Bolatete was planning a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida.

An undercover officer contacted him and arranged the sale of the silencer. During taped conversations, Bolatete repeated his plans for the shooting.

He was arrested Friday after the silencer was delivered.

Williams said Bolatete already had the weaponry necessary to carry out the attack.

Bolatete is being held by the FBI and more charges could be filed. It was not known if he has an attorney.

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations welcomed the arrest.

Violence and hate crimes against Muslims in Florida are real. Two mosques were targeted with arson in less than six months. Bolatete is an anti-Muslim extremist who was allegedly preparing to massacre innocent Muslims on an American center of worship in what could be construed as an act of terrorism," CAIR-Florida Communications Director Wilfredo A. Ruiz said in a statement. "This should concern not only Muslims, but all Florida residents regardless of faith."
Crews were able to put out an early morning fire inside a Little Haiti convenience store Tuesday  the second such fire at the business within a week.

Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll told reporters the fire broke out inside the store located off North Miami Avenue and 62nd Street just before 4 a.m. No one was hurt in the blaze, which started near the rear entrance by a door where the window had been broken out.

Carroll said it was the second time crews had to respond to a fire at the business, with the earlier blaze located near the same location of the business where the latest one took place.

Officials have not yet said whether the fires were intentionally set as their investigation continues.
What to Know The coywolf is larger than most coyotes - up to 75 pounds. They have different coloring, with more gray in their coats, than coyotes

Experts say people who encounter a coywolf should make a lot of noise and wave their arms to make themselves seem bigger

Don't feed wildlife or feed pets outside, even if it's just birds

Police are cautioning residents to stay away from a large hybrid coyote thats been wandering around a New York City suburb.

The Clarkstown Police Department in Rockland County posted the warning about the "coywolf" -- part coyote, part wolf  on Facebook, along with a photo, early Monday after the creature was seen near Congers.

The coywolf is larger than most coyotes - up to 75 pounds. They have different coloring, with more gray in their coats, and live across the northeast, from New Jersey to Maine.

Experts say people who encounter a coywolf should make a lot of noise and wave their arms to make themselves seem bigger. Don't feed the animals or feed pets or other animals outside, even if it's just birds. Encourage neighbors to avoid feeding wildlife, and keep cats indoors if concerned.

Clarkstown police say they would summon a licensed trapper or even shoot the animal if it were acting aggressively. Otherwise, it will likely just go back into the woods.
What to Know SUNY Oneonta freshman Daniel William Michaels, of Dix Hills, died from cardiac arrest after someone noticed him blacked out on a couch

Preliminary toxicology reports indicate the business and econ major had a mix of amphetamines, benzodiazepines and alcohol in his system

He had last been at a house where members of a fraternity live; the frat, Alpha Pi, isn't recognized on campus

A Long Island college student died after being found slumped over at a house party off of a State University of New York campus with a fatally toxic mix of drugs and alcohol in his bloodstream over the weekend, according to a published report.

SUNY Oneonta freshman Daniel William Michaels, of Dix Hills, died from cardiac arrest after someone noticed him unconscious on a couch at a house where members of a fraternity lived early on Saturday, according to The Daily Star of Ostego County.



School officials say the fraternity, Alpha Pi, isn't recognized by SUNY Oneonta.

A coroner said preliminary toxicology report indicates that Michaels, who was studying business and economics, had a mix of amphetamines, benzodiazepines and alcohol in his system. A full toxicology report is set to be released in four to six weeks.

According to the newspaper, students called 911 after someone picking up another student saw Michaels on the couch. But before police arrived on scene, someone else drove the unconscious 18-year-old to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they were investigating how he might have obtained the drugs and where else he was earlier in the night. But foul play is not suspected in the case.

SUNY Oneonta President Nancy Kleniewski announced Michaels' death in an email to campus over the weekend.

Family members said that this wasn't the first tragedy for the family: Michaels' twin brother Justin was killed after a cherry tree fell on him at a day camp when he was 4 years old, in 2004.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the fraternity to which the residents of the house where Michaels was found belonged . The home's residents were members of Alpha Pi, an unrecognized, underground Greek group.


What to Know Friends, family and officials confirmed the victim's identity as Marcos Angamarca-Yupa, a 29-year-old construction worker from Ecuador

The victim's godfather says he was shot in a courtyard on Grove Street in Irvington after two suspects came up and demanded cash

The man's wife and 8-year-old son watched in horror as he was shot in the head after offering to give the robbers his phone, relatives said

A father was shot and killed in front of his wife and 8-year-old son in New Jersey in an apparent robbery late Monday, witnesses and family members say.

The man's godfather, Alberto Alvarez, said one of the victim's relatives watched from a window while the shooting unfolded inside a courtyard area on Grove Street in Irvington. Alvarez said the victim parked his car to close an electronic gate when two suspects came in demanding money from him and his wife. He offered up a cellphone, but the suspect shot him in the head, Alvarez said.

Friends, family and officials confirmed the victim's identity as Marcos Angamarca-Yupa, a 29-year-old construction worker from Ecuador.

Police and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office swarmed the area, video shows.

A next-door neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, tells NBC 4 New York that she heard shots ring out and then came outside and saw the victim on the ground with his wife and son hysterically crying over him.

"I saw the wife on the floor hysterically crying and his son hysterical," she said. "I just saw him laying there and I called 911.



A crowd of people were seen praying and lighting candles in the area early Tuesday. It wasn't clear if there were any suspects in custody.

Yupa's wife Carmen Huerta could barely speak between sobs at her home Tuesday, saying, "This can't be happening to me."

"I can't believe somone has done this," Yupa's sister cried. "To rob him for a couple of dollars is no reason to take his life."

The family's landlord, Pedro Quezada, said Yupa was a "great father."

"They went everywhere together, they were such a nice family. The little child, he saw everything, and it's hard," Quezada said as he started to cry.

A spokeswoman with the prosecutor's office said they are still gathering the details in the case and will release more information as soon as possible.
Murders are down in New York City this year but rape reports have increased in what police officials are calling the Harvey Weinstein effect.

Reported rapes were up 15 percent in November compared to the same time last year, from 96 to 111, NYPD officials announced at their monthly crime statistics briefing Monday.



October and November saw back-to-back months of double-digit increases in the number of reported rapes, which NYPD Compstat Chief Dermot Shea suggested may be attributable to the news about infamous rape cases.

"It would be difficult to ignore what's going on in the media in the last couple months," Shea said.



While not all the rapes that have been reported recently took place this year -- 285 of them were from other years, and are older cases -- the surge of victims coming forward suggests survivors are feeling more confident they will be believed in the wake of recent sex assault allegations that have toppled some of Hollywood's most powerful men.

Other factors are at play as well, according to the NYPD: human trafficking is on the rise, and officers have been added to the special victims squad.

Meanwhile, police officials estimate there will have been fewer than 300 murders in New York City by year's end, the first time in modern recorded history that's happened.

As of Dec. 1, there have been 259 murders in New York City. Last year at this time, there were 313. The number of murders in the city is on pace to stay below 300 for the year to date.

Police Commissioner James O'Neill credits the public for embracing the neighborhood policing strategy in helping bring down murder numbers. Under that strategy, cops spend a third of their time walking the beat, and police who live and work in the precincts even call in tips to their neighborhood beat police officers directly.

Transit crimes are up 9.4 percent, from 216 to 232.
What to Know A young NYC man went to Florida to visit an 86-year-old woman he randomly befriended on Words With Friends

He posted photos of the sweet meeting afterwards; the tweet got more than 1 million likes in just a few days

Words With Friends posted on its official account as well: "We can't get enough of this! Amazing!"

A 22-year-old Harlem man recently met up with an 86-year-old woman who lives in a Florida retirement community that he befriended on the app Words With Friends, and the unlikely meeting between two strangers that has captured hundreds of thousands of hearts across the nation.

The man, identified as Spencer by his pastor Amy Butler of New York City's The Riverside Church, according to NBC affiliate KGW, tweeted photos of the heartfelt meeting after his visit on Friday.

Heartfelt Meeting Between 'Words With Friends' Strangers Goes Viral

"so last summer i randomly met this 80 y/o woman on words with friends. we played 300+ games together and she actually ended up becoming a good friend of mine. today i got to go to florida and meet her in person," Spencer tweeted.

The tweet, featuring photos of him and his Words With Friends bud, Roz, smiling and embracing, has gotten more than 1 million likes and nearly 250,000 retweets since it was posted Friday afternoon.

Butler, who facilitated the meeting and traveled with Spencer for the meeting, responded on social media as well, tweeting, "Sweet day today with Spencer and his #wordswithfriends friend, Roz, watching them bond in person for the first time. #relationshipschangeus," according to KGW.

Words With Friends posted on its official account as well: "We can't get enough of this! Amazing!"

Click through the gallery above to see more photos from the visit between Spencer and Roz.
An investigation is underway after two men were found dead inside a motel in Wilmington, Delaware.

Delaware State troopers and medics were called to the Day One Motel (formerly known as the Printz Motel) on the 5000 block of Governor Printz Boulevard around 2:30 p.m. Monday for a report of two men who appeared to be dead inside one of the rooms. When they arrived they found both victims and pronounced them dead at the scene.

An autopsy on both men, who have not yet been identified, will be performed to determine an exact cause of death. No arrests have been made and detectives are currently conducting interviews and collecting evidence.

If you have any information on the incident, please call Detective M. Csapo at 302-741-2729. You may also call the Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or submit your tips on the Delaware Crime Stoppers website.
A Pennsylvania State Police corporal shot during a traffic stop is out of the hospital as he continues to recover.

Cpl. Seth Kelly, who was critically injured in a roadside confrontation last month, spent nearly a month being treated at St. Luke's University Hospital.

State police announced Monday that Kelly had been released from the hospital.

"Our sincere thanks to all of the doctors, nurses and staff who have aided in his recovery over the past month," police wrote on Facebook.

Officials say Kelly, a 13-year veteran, was helping another trooper arrest a man they suspected of driving under the influence of drugs when a fight broke out Nov. 7. Kelly was shot in the neck, shoulder area and leg during the fight.

The suspect, 22-year-old Daniel Clary, was shot several times and hospitalized. He has since been released into police custody.

Clary is facing charges including attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault.

State police continue to encourage anyone wanting to send holiday wishes to Kelly to do so at Cards for Corporal Kelly, c/o PA State Police, 654 Bangor Road, Nazareth, PA 18064.


Drugs are being blamed for the sudden deaths of two Temple University business school students who died within a week of each other.

The Philadelphia Medical Examiners Office said Monday that both 24-year-old Michael Paytas and 20-year-old James Orlando died from accidental drug intoxication. The office said it will not release the type of drug found in each man's system. They also did not say if there is any connection between the deaths.

Paytas, a fourth-year marketing major, died Nov. 27 after being found unresponsive at Temples Paley Library. Orlando, a third-year student, was found dead in his off-campus apartment Saturday morning.

Foul play isn't suspected in either case, police said.

Philadelphia police had no further information about either man's death.

Temple says it's grieving the deaths of the students. The university offered students counseling support at Tuttleman Counseling Services.

"These tragedies have affected us all, and we send our deepest sympathies to their families, friends and fellow students. All of us in the Temple family feel the weight of these losses, and we keep their families and other loved ones in our thoughts and our prayers," the university said in a statement.

Temple urged students, faculty and staff to look out for each other, especially during the "anxiety-inducing" end of the semester.

Jillian Bauer-Reese, a Temple University professor who struggled with substance abuse and is five years sober, told NBC10 drug and alcohol abuse has been an ongoing problem she's seen in her classroom.

"I mean I felt heartbroken for their families but I was not surprised," she said. "As a faculty member, I absolutely see substance use every semester in my students."

According to data from 2015, police made 12 drug arrests on and off Temple University's campus and issued 80 drug abuse violations.

"I've had students get out of rehab and then return back to school and then go back to using and nod out in my class," Bauer-Reese said.

Drug awareness studies show that as abuse rises, so does treatment, which is what Bauer-Reese is hoping for.

"There's not really a communication strategy on Temple's part for what needs to happen when we encounter students who are in these situations," she said.

Officials continue to investigate the students' deaths.


U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican who helped craft the Senate tax bill passed in the dead of night Saturday, called it a "tremendous legislative accomplishment" that will benefit "virtually all lower- and middle-income taxpayers."

"We fundamentally restructured the tax code so American workers and businesses can compete in a global economy," he said while speaking from his Old City Philadelphia offices Monday morning.

Toomey touted the finer points of the bill, which would double the standard deduction for the first $24,000 of earned income, eliminate the individual mandate on Obamacare and lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent.

"Our [corporate tax code] is a glaring outlier that makes the U.S. less competitive," he said.

In Pittsburgh, demonstrators gathered ahead of Toomey's news conference in protest over the bill, which passed while most Americans slept.

The Senate bill inched forward strictly on party lines with just one Republican, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, voting against it. Meanwhile, Democrats decried the bill, saying none of them had time to read the proposed legislation before voting late Friday night into early Saturday morning.

"The Democrats can say what they want," Toomey shot back Monday.

The nearly $1.5 trillion tax bill gave President Donald Trump a major push towards fulfilling one of his biggest campaign promises. It offers the boldest rewrite of the nation's tax system since 1986.

But Toomey has come under fire for pushing an endowment tax change that would largely benefit just one institution - Hillsdale College, a private Michigan school that has a reputation for being unfriendly to LGBTQ students and refusing to follow Title IX rules aimed at protecting students against sexual assault.

The two-term Republican spoke at the college in 2008 and defended his amendment by saying that it would benefit any private college that does not accept federal funds for tuition aid, like Hillsdale.

When asked by NBC10 why he focused so much energy on the small provision, which failed to be included in the final Senate bill, Toomey said the amendment had been "wildly mischaracterized."

Instead, colleges like Hillsdale are "saving American taxpayers" by not accepting federal funding.

"It's all the more important the endowment ... be used to off-set the cost of tuition," he said. "My hope is that more colleges pursue this."

With the Senate bill passed and a House version pending, legislators must now reconcile the two before Trump can sign into law.
A pit bull that stole the hearts of San Diego viewers after she was grazed in an officer-involved shooting now has a name and a home--just in time for Christmas.

The 13-month-old pit bull's name is Catalina. She was last seen by her owners around Thanksgiving.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, Kevin Meza, 22, got in a high-speed chase with deputies in Valley Center on Nov. 26. It led to a deputy-involved shooting during which Catalina was accidentally shot in the back right leg.

When the puppy was spotted by her family on television after the pursuit, they were shocked.

If Christmas is made for surprises, Salina Hurtado said she couldn't be happier with what the family is getting this year.

"My whole family was happy. My husband and my daughter were just glad she was safe and not in any danger," Hurtado told NBC 7.

Catalina is currently at a Carlsbad animal shelter, where she is expected to make a full recovery.

"Most people think pit bulls have bad names but Catalina is all nice. She is always friendly and loving," Hurtado said.

Deputies rescued Catalina from the back of a stolen van over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

Investigators said deputies fired at the van after Meza rammed a squad car and hit a second car head-on.

Hurtado said Catalina escaped her yard around Thanksgiving without a microchip or registration.

"A lot of people have or they wanted to adopt her. No. She has her home she is coming home to us," Hurtado said.

The Hurtado's have vaccination records, puppy pictures, even videos before Catalina went missing.

Still, without the chip, anyone else who has more convincing credentials, has 14 days to come forward.

"I just want my dog back. They proved that we're the owners so I didn't understand why they had to keep her," Hurtado said.

But a county spokesperson said if Catalina had a microchip, the mystery of ownership would already be solved.

If no one else comes forward, Catalina will return home to the Hurtado's with doctor bills and boarding fees.

A GoFundMe page has been started to pay her medical bills.
The D.C. government has ordered the shutdown of three Five Guys restaurants in the city because the owners failed to pay sales taxes, officials say.

The owners of three Five Guys restaurants in Northwest, Northeast and Southwest D.C. failed to pay more than $530,000 in sales taxes that they charged customers but never handed over to the city, the Office of Tax and Revenue announced Tuesday.

The locations ordered to close are at 1400 I St. NW, near the McPherson Square Metro station; at 1300 Second St. NE, near the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro station; and in L'Enfant Plaza.

A corporate spokewoman for Five Guys said the company is working with the franchise owner of these three locations "to resolve the issue as quickly as possible." The other Five Guys locations in D.C. are open and have normal business hours, she said.

"We apologize to our customers for this inconvenience," the spokeswoman said.

Calls to the three locations went unanswered.

City officials made multiple attempts to collect the taxes, a statement from OTR said.

Officials warned that companies that do not remit sales taxes face "seizures, bank levies and additional sales tax certificate revocations."

Five Guys' first location opened in Arlington, Virginia, in 1986. The company says they now have more than 1,500 locations worldwide.

Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story.
A second home at a retreat for wounded warriors broke ground in Virginia to assist military members, who were injured, and their families.

Serve Our Willing Warriors will build the second home next to the first in Haymarket, Virginia, after the first home proved to be a success for one Army sergeant and his family. Sgt. 1st Class Jon Meadows encountered an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Meadows said he thought about taking his own life.

"I just didn't like myself, Meadows said. I just did not like me."

Meadows said a phone call his wife, Melissa, got saved his life. The two of them plus family and friends spent the next six days at the Willing Warriors retreat.

"I was so relaxed and enjoyed myself from the moment I walked through the door," Jon Meadows said. "They took me on a helicopter ride that was, like, awesome. I loved it. It was great. I mean, it was fantastic."

The retreat offers stays for wounded warrior families, an escape from the exhausting routine of hospitals and treatment.

Bull Run warrior retreat is a gift, said Melissa Meadows. And it's a gift that keeps on giving, because once you're part of the family, you're part of the family."

"That's mom, dad, sister, brother, friends, caretakers," said Serve Our Willing Warriors president and co-founder Shirley Dominick. "Let them come and have a week together and bond and reconnect."



The second home will provide double the number of wounded warriors that can be helped. Funding for the new house came from a $300,000 donation from the PenFed Foundation.

Foundation credit union president and CEO James Schenck flew Blackhawk helicopters in the Army in Korea and said helping the warrior retreat meant a lot to him personally.

"To come out to the Virginia countryside with your family, with your kids, and have a warm place to spend time together to refresh and rebuild, there's nothing like it, Scheneck said. It made a real impression on me."

"It gave me a sense of hope and made me want to carry on and try a little harder with my life and push on," said Jon Meadows.
Two people are dead and two others hospitalized Tuesday after farming equipment struck a natural gas line that exploded in northern Illinois, officials said.

Lee County Emergency received a 911 call at 9:02 a.m. reporting an explosion and fire at the northeast corner of Nachusa Road and Route 38, Lee County Sheriff John Simonton said.

Preliminary investigation shows farm workers were installing field tile in the area. A tractor pulling a tiling plow got stuck, another tractor tried to free it and a large explosion occurred upon the accidental striking of a natural gas pipeline, Simonton told reporters.

The conditions of both people injured in the explosion had stabilized.

The wind blew the fire's flames away from nearby homes and helped put the inferno out, Simonton said.

Kindor Morgan shut the gas off, helping to finally extinguish the fire.

The scene was secured by 1:15 p.m.

The Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office also said that it has investigators at the scene.

Nachusa is about 95 miles (152.88 kilometres) west of downtown Chicago.
President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Wednesday despite intense Arab, Muslim and European opposition to a move that would upend decades of U.S. policy and risk potentially violent protests.

Trump will instruct the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, U.S. officials said Tuesday. It remains unclear, however, when he might take that physical step, which is required by U.S. law but has been waived on national security grounds for more than two decades.

The officials said numerous logistical and security details, as well as site determination and construction, will need to be finalized first. Because of those issues, the embassy is not likely to move for at least 3 or 4 years, presuming there is no future change in U.S. policy.

To that end, the officials said Trump delay the embassy move by signing a waiver, which is required by U.S. law every six months. He will continue to sign the waiver until preparations for the embassy move are complete.

The officials said recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital will be an acknowledgment of "historical and current reality" rather than a political statement and said the city's physical and political borders will not be compromised. They noted that almost all of Israel's government agencies and parliament are in Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, where the U.S. and other countries maintain embassies.

The U.S. officials spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity Tuesday because they were not authorized to publicly preview Trump's Wednesday announcement. Their comments mirrored those of officials who spoke on the issue last week.

The declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a rhetorical volley that could have its own dangerous consequences. The United States has never endorsed the Jewish state's claim of sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem and has insisted its status be resolved through Israeli-Palestinian negotiation.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the Trump administration continues to believe there's "a very good opportunity" to achieve Middle East peace despite Trump's decision. Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Tillerson said people should "listen carefully" to Trump's speech, and said Trump is "very committed" to the peace process.

The mere consideration of Trump changing the status quo sparked a renewed U.S. security warning on Tuesday. America's consulate in Jerusalem ordered U.S. personnel and their families to avoid visiting Jerusalem's Old City or the West Bank, and urged American citizens in general to avoid places with increased police or military presence.

Trump, as a presidential candidate, repeatedly promised to move the U.S. embassy. However, U.S. leaders have routinely and unceremoniously delayed such a move since President Bill Clinton signed a law in 1995 stipulating that the United States must relocate its diplomatic presence to Jerusalem unless the commander in chief issues a waiver on national security grounds.

Key national security advisers  including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis  have urged caution, according to the officials, who said Trump has been receptive to some of their concerns.

The concerns are real: Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital could be viewed as America discarding its longstanding neutrality and siding with Israel at a time when the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been trying to midwife a new peace process into existence. Trump, too, has spoken of his desire for a "deal of the century" that would end Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

U.S. officials, along with an outside adviser to the administration, said they expected a broad statement from Trump about Jerusalem's status as the "capital of Israel." The president isn't planning to use the phrase "undivided capital," according to the officials. Such terminology is favored by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and would imply Israel's sovereignty over east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians seek for their own future capital.

Jerusalem includes the holiest ground in Judaism. But it's also home to Islam's third-holiest shrine and major Christian sites, and forms the combustible center of the Israeli-Arab conflict. Any perceived harm to Muslim claims to the city has triggered volatile protests in the past, both in the Holy Land and across the Muslim world.

Within the Trump administration, officials on Tuesday fielded a flood of warnings from allied governments.

The Jerusalem declaration notwithstanding, one official said Trump would insist that issues of sovereignty and borders must be negotiated by Israel and the Palestinians. The official said Trump would call for Jordan to maintain its role as the legal guardian of Jerusalem's Muslim holy places, and reflect Israel and Palestinian wishes for a two-state peace solution.

In his calls to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II, Trump delivered what appeared to be identical messages of intent. Both leaders warned Trump that moving the embassy would threaten Mideast peace efforts and security and stability in the Middle East and the world, according to statements from their offices. The statements didn't speak to Trump's plans for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Majdi Khaldi, Abbas' diplomatic adviser, said Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital could end Washington's role as mediator.

"This would mean they decided, on their own, to distance themselves from efforts to make peace," Khaldi told The Associated Press in perhaps the most sharply worded reaction by a Palestinian official. He said such recognition would lead the Palestinians to eliminate contacts with the United States.
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for two missing fishermen whose boat sank off the coast of Nantucket after confirming the rescue of two other members of its crew.

The Misty Blue, a 69-foot vessel out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, issued a distress call shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, according to the Coast Guard. Four people were reportedly aboard the ship, which sank approximately 10 miles south of Nantucket.

Two Coast Guard aircraft and multiple ships were diverted to search for the Misty Blue. Two members of its crew were rescued by good Samaritans aboard the Enterprise, a ship that was passing.

The rescued fishermen were transferred to the Coast Guard Cutter Steelhead. Their conditions were not immediately clear.

The fishing boat and the other two crew members have not been found. Coast Guard officials said after 8:30 p.m. they were continuing to search by air and by ship.

No further information was immediately available.
As powerful men fall, and more women speak up about sexual misconduct, some students in Maine are hoping to learn from the "Me Too" movement.

Every freshman and sophomore at Mount Ararat High School in Topsham, Maine took part in an "Awareness Day" Tuesday. It included sessions about sexual harassment, consent, assault, and gender stereotypes.

"We think this topic is important and we want our peers to hear about this," said Dalton Streeter, a senior at the high school.

Dalton, and a handful of other student leaders, recently attended a training by nonprofit Boys to Men.

"Our work makes the connection between the healthy emotional development of boys, the benefit of gender equality, and the need for all of us to come together to end violence against girls," said Boys to Men Executive Director Matt Theodores.

The students from Mount Ararat found the training so helpful, they asked to have every student at their school receive it.

"We all just wanted to bring it back to our school to spread the message to change the whole culture at our school," said student Hayden Libby.

The students, along with facilitators from Boys to Men, discussed scenarios about healthy and unhealthy relationships. They defined consent and debated gender stereotypes.

Theodores says demand for their training has skyrocketed in recent years. And in recent months, their work has never seemed so important.

"It's an interesting time," said Theodores, referring to the number of high profile men who have lost powerful positions due to sexual misconduct allegations, and the many women who have come forward to say they too have experienced harassment or assault.

"It's really encouraging to see a group of students not accepting the culture that's being handed to them," said Theodores.

The students said they're spreading the word about consent and respect, in the hopes that instead of saying "me too," they'll someday say "no more."

"Our generation is the one that's going to change it," said student Meriwether Stockford.
A Massachusetts State Police trooper was injured when his cruiser was struck from behind by another motor vehicle on Interstate 93 southbound in Randolph late Monday night.

The trooper was working a detail and was in his cruiser protecting a road crew when his vehicle was struck at 11:35 p.m.

The driver of the other vehicle was also injured.

Both the trooper and the other driver were transported to area hospitals. Their conditions are unknown.

The crash remains under investigation.

No further information was immediately available.
A Rhode Island woman is facing charges after police say she purposely dropped her child, breaking the child's arm, to "teach her a lesson."

WJAR-TV reports that Dignailis Estrella, 26, of Johnston, was arraigned on Monday and charged with first-degree child abuse.

Woonsocket Police said Estrella had described her child's fall in a phone call with her incarcerated ex-boyfriend, who then reported Estrella to authorities. Police say the child's punishment happened after a family argument.

Authorities believe the child was injured in March.

The Department of Children Youth and Families has taken the child into custody.

Estrella is being held without bail in violation of her probation for a previous conviction.
What to Know Massachusetts police are searching for two men who fled an Attleboro home Monday night in a burgundy Jeep after a fatal shooting.

Police said the 34-year-old victim had been shot multiple times inside the home on South Avenue. He later died at the hospital.

Police said the shooting was drug-related and that the victim told police on the 911 call that the suspects were there for his marijuana.

A California man was fatally shot in a Massachusetts home Monday night, but told officers before he died that his attackers were there for his marijuana, according to police.

Attleboro police said officers responded to a home on South Avenue just before 11 p.m. after a man reported he had been shot multiple times.

When officers got inside the home, the 34-year-old victim was in cardiac arrest and they began performing CPR on him.

The victim, identified as Thomas Pomare, of Santa Barbara, California, was then taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police are looking for two men whom witnesses say fled the shooting scene in a burgundy Jeep. They reportedly sped off toward nearby Interstate 95.

Tuesday night, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office announced that Christopher Johnson of Attleboro had been arrested and charged with misleading a criminal investigation.

Authorities said the shooting was drug-related.

"The victim did call 911 stating on the tape that they were here for his marijuana. So we believe there was some type of marijuana distribution operation going on inside the home," said Attleboro Police Chief Kyle Heagney.



The Bristol County District Attorney's Office and state police are handling the investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact state or Attleboro police.



"It's unfortunate that we have a 34-year-old male that is deceased by gunshot and it's telling on how this marijuana is going to turn out for our Commonwealth unfortunately," Heagney said.

Johnson will be arraigned Wednesday in Attleboro District Court. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
A Vermont state trooper's use of deadly force against a suspect was found to be legally justified, because that officer reasonably thought the man was about to kill him or other cops.

The announcement came Tuesday from Rutland County States Attorney Rose Kennedy, following separate reviews from her office and the office of Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan, whose office agreed with Kennedys assessment.

"The killing of Michael Battles was justifiable homicide, under the law," Kennedy said at a press conference in Rutland.

The announcement means Trooper Eric Vitali will face no criminal charges for shooting and killing a man early in the morning of September 1 in Poultney.

Police said they were called to a home on Finel Hollow Road in the late afternoon of Aug. 31 for the report of a woman who appeared badly beaten, and afraid for her life.

Michael Battles, 32, had a lengthy criminal record, Kennedy noted, and was suspected of a charge of felony domestic assault.

A standoff followed, in which Vermont State Police personnel said an agitated Battles was threatening them, and was believed to have access to multiple weapons, including a muzzleloader, compound bow, and knives.

"At one point, Mr. Battles is heard stating that he had nothing to live for, and that coming outside would not end well," Kennedy said, reading from her report about the case.

Kennedy said when Vitali, from a snipers position, spotted a silver-colored object in Battles hand, he shot through a window once, and killed him.

What the trooper thought was a handgun turned out to be a BB gun that looked like a more powerful firearm.

"Trooper Vitali was certainly justified in looking at this through a scope and believing it was a real weapon," Kennedy said, pointing to a photo of the BB gun projected on a screen at the press conference.

Right after the fatal shot, four other troopers, who Kennedy said might not have known with certainty where the first bullet came from, also opened fire at the home.

Those officers were identified as Sgt. Lyle Decker, Trooper Michael Anderson, Trooper Christopher Brown, and Trooper Matthew Cannon.

The four other troopers fired more than two dozen rounds, Kennedy said, though none struck Battles.

Decker, Anderson, Brown, and Cannon, will not face criminal charges for their actions that day either, Kennedy said, since their actions were also deemed justified under the law.

"We must be scrutinized by the public on this," acknowledged Col. Matt Birmingham, the commander of the Vermont State Police. "Its why theres independent review by elected officials on these shootings, and thats an important part of the process. But we also we can change training, where we can change policy, where we can improve on tactics. These are conversations that are happening with police executives all over the country."

Birmingham said while the outside legal review by Kennedy and Donovans offices are complete, an internal review is still underway.

Kennedy said some responding officers thought Battles was exhibiting signs of impairment, in the form of slurred speech.

A toxicology report found the following substances in Battles blood stream, according to Kennedy: caffeine, alprazolam, buprenorphine-free, delta-9 THC, methylphenidate, norbuprenorphine, ritalinic acid, sertraline, and desmethylsertraline.

Benzodiazepines and cannabinoids were found in his urine, the states attorney added.

She could not say whether or not the chemicals in Battles system came from legitimately-prescribed medications or substances that were legal for him to have.

When the shooting happened, all five troopers who discharged their weapons at the scene in Poultney on Sept. 1 were placed on administrative leave, which is department policy in a case like this.

The men were all cleared by a clinician in the weeks following the event, and are back at work, Birmingham said.
Nine-year-old's Togs and Tents widens its appeal

AN appeal created by a Thatcham boy to help homeless people in West Berkshire has been boosted following a cross-border partnership.

Nine-year-old Cohen Roberts launched Togs and Tents last month after being shocked by the number of homeless people living on the streets during a family trip to London.

He said that one man, clad in a very thin blanket on such a cold day, motivated him to help.

He said: I was really sad to see so many people without a home.

They were just sleeping on the freezing cold floor and some didnt even have any covers.

My mum told me that people can become homeless for all sorts of reasons.

I couldnt stop thinking about how unhappy I would be if I was them, so I decided to help.

Following help from his mother Alaina, Cohen is asking for people to donate much-needed winter clothing, sleeping bags and tents for him to deliver to local homeless charities.

Donations have been pouring in at donation points in Thatcham and the appeal has now spread to neighbouring Hampshire.

GO Outdoors, Basingstoke, has now been added to the list of collection points for donations.

The outdoor specialist is showing support by offering a 10 per cent discount on clothing to anyone who donates winter clothing, outdoor shoes, small tents or sleeping bags to the cause.

GO Outdoors regional manager Matt Robinson said: It is an absolute pleasure to be a part of such an important cause and is great to see so much support for it.

As the UKs biggest outdoors stores, the partnership makes complete sense and we hope it encourages more and more people to get involved.

At only nine-years-old, Cohen is an inspiration and we could all learn a thing or two from his generosity and determination to make a difference to other peoples lives.

All donations will be passed on to the Camrose Centre in Basingstoke and Loose Ends charity in Newbury.

The Togs and Tents appeal is asking anyone interested in helping to take donations to any of the following locations: GO Outdoors Basingstoke, Thatcham Town Council Offices, Thatcham United Reformed Church and Francis Baily School.

More information can be found on the Togs and Tents Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TogsandTents/
The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) today announced the Cancer Therapeutics Innovation Pipeline (CTIP) initiative and the first 10 projects selected in CTIP's inaugural round of funding. CTIP aims to support the local translation of Ontario discoveries into therapies with the potential for improving the lives of cancer patients. The funding will create a new pipeline of promising drugs in development, and attract the partnerships and investment to the province necessary for further clinical development and testing.

"Ontario congratulates OICR on this innovative approach to driving the development of new cancer therapies," says Reza Moridi, Ontario's Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. "The Cancer Therapeutics Innovation Pipeline will help ensure that promising discoveries get the support they need to move from lab bench to commercialization, and get to patients faster."

The 10 projects, selected from 49 applications across Ontario, were evaluated by an international panel of drug discovery and development experts, and target a wide range of cancers, including brain, liver and kidney cancers, as well as leukemia.

Drug Discovery eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"The quality of the projects put forward demonstrates the depth of talent and innovation in Ontario's biology and drug discovery sectors," says Dr. Christine Williams, Deputy Director of OICR. "We were very pleased with the tremendous response to this initiative. We congratulate the outstanding scientists involved and look forward to working with them in advancing their innovations toward the clinic."

Beyond financial support, CTIP projects will benefit from the guidance of the Therapeutics Pipeline Advisory Committee (TPAC), a group of experts from industry and academia. This group will provide the awardees with advice on the strategic direction of their projects and, together with OICR's commercialization partner, the Fight Against Cancer Innovation Trust (FACIT), assess the readiness of the innovations for partnerships.

Several projects aim to treat brain cancer, including two targeting an aggressive form of paediatric brain cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), which is resistant to chemotherapy and currently has no effective treatment. One of those projects, led by Dr. Cynthia Hawkins at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), will use the disease's unique underlying biology to help uncover drugs to target and destroy DIPG cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed.

"CTIP funding will allow us to use high-throughput screening to find drugs that can target the unique biological features of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma cells," says Hawkins. "But beyond that, the support and expertise of those involved in CTIP will help us to work collaboratively to attract the partners needed to translate these discoveries into therapies that can help children diagnosed with this devastating disease."

OICR will continue to seek out new projects for its CTIP portfolio through future funding rounds.

Source: https://news.oicr.on.ca/2017/12/oicr-launches-groundbreaking-cancer-therapeutics-innovation-pipeline-to-drive-cutting-edge-therapies-to-the-clinic/
Nearly half of the 13 million older adults hospitalized annually in the United States are unable to make their own medical decisions and rely on surrogates, usually close family members, to make decisions for them. However little is known about how these surrogates respond to the demands put upon them. A new study from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute explores predictors and frequency of surrogate decision-maker distress and has found high levels of both anxiety and depression.

The researchers report that provision of high levels of emotional support to surrogates during their family member's hospitalization was associated with more effective decisions and lower surrogate anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress.

While emotional support (such as, "hospital staff really listened to me when we talked") was associated with decision quality, surprisingly provision of information ("I [surrogate] received as much detail about my loved one's care as I needed") was less important.

The researchers note that their study provides a detailed look at the relationship between clinician communication and psychological well-being of the family member. While this observational study does not prove causation, it raises the question of whether improved emotional support of surrogates could lead to both better decisions for the patient and better psychological outcomes for the surrogate.

"Family decision makers face emotional, ethical and communication challenges that differ from personal decision making. It is not enough to provide good information; family members also need emotional support when making difficult decisions," said corresponding author Alexia Torke, MD, the IU Center for Aging Research associate director, Regenstrief Institute investigator and IU School of Medicine associate professor of medicine, who led the study.

"As the population ages and more and more family members are thrust into the role of surrogate decision makers, appropriately supporting these family members will become a public health imperative," she said. Dr. Torke is the associate division chief of general internal medicine and geriatrics at IU School of Medicine and is also affiliated with the IU Health Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics and Daniel F. Evans Center for Spiritual and Religious Values in Healthcare.

A total of 364 patient-surrogate pairs from three hospitals were enrolled in the study. The average patient age was 82. Six out of ten patients were female and nearly three out of ten were African-American. Surrogates' average age was 58 and 71 percent were female. Two thirds of surrogates were the patient's adult children; 17 percent were the patient's spouse.

As many as 15 percent of the surrogate decision makers were found to suffer from clinically high levels of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress even six to eight weeks after the family member's hospitalization. Some of the surrogate distress experienced during the acute illness resolved, but remained high for over 10 percent of surrogates. Surprisingly, anxiety and depression was not significantly higher for those making decisions for ICU patients than for other inpatients.

"Even though high quality information is associated with overall satisfaction with the hospital stay, information without emotional support may be harmful to surrogates," said Dr. Torke. "Improved emotional support could lead to both better decisions for the patient and better psychological outcomes for the surrogate. Physicians, nurses, chaplains and social workers can provide emotional support to family members. This study points to the fact that this support is very important."
Machine vs. Human: who makes the best lullaby to get us to sleep?

Over half (54 percent) of us struggle to get to sleep at night and 10 percent of us experience insomnia according to AXA PPP healthcares third annual State of the Nation online survey with YouGov.

With the number of reported sleep problems on the rise, its no secret the nation is struggling to sleep at night. In a bid to help this growing issue, healthcare cover provider AXA PPP healthcare has taken the essence of the humble lullaby and given it a 21st Century reinvention using the latest in artificial intelligence technology and leading musical composition. The outcome? Two new, modern musical lullabies to help us sleep better.

Lullabies have been used, across cultures, since 2000BC to lull us to sleep. Lulling is the process of sending a person into slumber, typically through soothing sounds or movements and most commonly associated with parents singing to babies.

By examining the components of popular lullabies, AXA PPP healthcare has produced two lullabies that can be enjoyed by adults or children. The difference is that one has been composed and played by humans and the other created by an Artificial Intelligence machine.

Leading musician and academic, Bede Williams, who is Head of Instrumental Studies at the University of St Andrews, commissioned internationally renowned composer of contemporary classical music, Eddie McGuire to write an original lullaby. They created Lyrical Lullaby which was recorded at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and it brings together an interpretation of what a modern lullaby, to ease adult or child to sleep, would be.

How we process music and how it helps us to get to sleep can be understood from a number of different perspectives. There are numerous studies from a neuroscientific perspective highlight how listening to music can induce real emotions, which Williams discusses.

Parts of our brain that are related to emotion have a direct line between each other and in doing so, music can therefore literally enter into us and influence the way we feel. An important part of this process is how our understanding of music is connected to body movement or embodied cognition. Fast, lively music makes us want to move, whilst slow, sedate music helps us wind down.

Lots of people report of a falling sensation as they fall asleep, and many lullabies mimic this by containing melodies made up of descending patterns in the notes. Lyrical Lullaby has this essential feature and many other musical devices which can induce in us a state of restfulness. [Bede, Williams]

In a complete contrast to how Lyrical Lullaby was developed, the second piece of music, simply called Lullaby, has been developed through a revolutionary artificial intelligence process that can compose music without human input. Jukedecks technology uses deep learning, which is based on layers of artificial neural networks inspired by the structure of the brain. The networks are trained on sheet music in computer-readable format from which they learn the elements of music, such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and structure.

Founder and CEO, Ed Newton-Rex, discusses how the machine developed a track that was as close in harmony and structure to that of a human lullaby.

An artificial neural network is essentially a representation of the neurons and synapses in the human brain - and, like the brain, if you show one of these networks lots of complex data, it does a great job of finding hidden patterns in that data. We showed our networks a large body of sheet music, and, through training, it reached the point where it could take a short sequence of notes as input and predict which notes were likely to follow. Once a network has this ability, it essentially has the ability to compose a new piece, as it can choose notes to follow others its already composed.

We trained our networks on traditional folk music, because folk music and lullabies share lots of the same musical elements. When the system had composed the lullaby in sheet music form, we had a human producer turn that sheet music into an audio track, as we think AI is at its best when computers and people work together. [Ed, Newton-Rex]

Understanding why we sometimes struggle to sleep and how we can help ourselves sleep better is something that Dr Mark Winwood, Director of Psychological Services for AXA PPP healthcare, helps patients with on a regular basis.

Lulling is certainly not a new technique, and any parent will have some understanding of the mesmerizing effect singing a lullaby can have to help a baby or child drift off to sleep. So why not apply the same approach to adults? Many people struggle to drift off to sleep every night, whether this is from a sleep disorder such as insomnia or due to short term factors in an individuals life that is impacting their ability to sleep.

Music can be used to reduce sympathetic nervous system activity; decrease anxiety, blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate; and possibly have positive effects on sleep in regards to muscle relaxation and distraction from trivial thoughts. [Dr Mark, Winwood]

In general, adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep but the exact amount varies from person to person. Different people need different amounts of sleep, and this depends on your age, your lifestyle, your genes and what youre used to.
Blood pressure in the elderly gradually begins to decrease about 14 or so years before death, according to a new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine.

Researchers from UConn Health and the University of Exeter Medical School in the U.K. looked at the electronic medical records of 46,634 British citizens who had died at age 60 or older. The large sample size included people who were healthy as well as those who had conditions such as heart disease or dementia.

They found blood pressure declines were steepest in patients with dementia, heart failure, late-in-life weight loss, and those who had high blood pressure to begin with. But long-term declines also occurred without the presence of any of these diagnoses.

"Our work highlights the importance of conducting research evaluating older patients like those seen in physician practices everywhere," said George Kuchel, one of the study authors and director of the University of Connecticut Center on Aging at UConn Health.

However, Kuchel emphasized, "I would be very concerned if anyone were to interpret our article as suggesting that hypertension should not be treated in late life or that they should stop their blood pressure medications."

The findings should make both doctors and researchers carefully consider what dropping blood pressure really means for older patients, he added.

Doctors have long known that in the average person, blood pressure rises from childhood to middle age. But normal blood pressure in the elderly has been less certain.

Some studies have indicated that blood pressure might drop in older patients and treatment for hypertension has been hypothesized as explaining late-life lower blood pressures. But this study found blood pressure declines were also present in those without hypertension diagnoses or anti-hypertension medication prescriptions.

Further, the evidence was clear that the declines were not due simply to the early deaths of people with high blood pressure.

More research is needed to figure out why blood pressure declines in the elderly in this way. "Observational studies such as ours need to be followed by rigorous clinical trials in order to guide clinical care guidelines," said Kuchel.
Patients with congenital heart disease are up to 85 times more likely to suffer from atrial fibrillation as adults. The researchers behind a study, published in the journal Circulation, are now advocating more frequent screenings of the most vulnerable groups.

- We need to identify those who have the most increased risk of complications. Today they are young adults and we are not sure what will happen once they get into their 50's or 60's, says Zacharias Mandalenakis, cardiology researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden, and cardiology consultant at Sahlgrenska university hospital.

By cross-checking data from the patient register, the cause of death register and the total population register, the researchers have managed to identify 21,982 people with congenital heart disease, born in 1970-1993. Also included in the study are 219,816 gender, age and county matched control subjects.

They are all born during a period of great advancements in healthcare with early diagnoses and efforts, heart operations on newborns, repeat surgeries as needed and so on. A patient group under the microscope but with unanswered questions regarding the future.

- They survive and cope rather well but unfortunately they develop other heart problems, such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure. It is a challenge for us to discover it early and take preventative actions, says Zacharias Mandalenakis.

The group with the most complex congenital heart disease proved to have the highest relative risk of atrial fibrillation; 85 times higher than the control subjects. One out of twelve in this group developed atrial fibrillation and out of those subjects one in ten developed heart failure.

Once all the severity degrees of congenital heart disease were added together the risk of atrial fibrillation was 22 times higher than in the control subjects. In patients with congenital heart disease and atrial fibrillation, the risk of heart failure was eleven times higher than in those with congenital heart disease but without atrial fibrillation.

Four out of ten people with congenital heart disease had undergone at least one operation. The group of operated subjects had an almost fourfold increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation compared to those with congenital heart disease who had not undergone surgery. The risk was the highest for subjects with an atrial septal defect (ASD), regarded by many as a minor heart defect.

- We have previously used clinical practice as a reference but with this study we have discovered sub-groups that we need to pay special attention to, and perhaps administer anticoagulation or antiarrhythmic treatment to prevent them from being affected by heart failure, stroke or premature death, says Zacharias Mandalenakis.

As someone who is clinically active at the university hospital's so called GUCH unit, with national care in the area of congenital heart disease, he can attest to the preparedness that many patients themselves have.

- They try to exercise a lot and stay healthy in other respects, and we keep in very good contact with our patients. As soon as something happens, that they experience breathlessness or heart palpitations, they seek help immediately, he explains.
The International Coordinating Group (ICG) on vaccine provision for yellow fever has provided 1.4 million vaccine doses for an immunization campaign that starts on Saturday (2 December) to help control an ongoing yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria.

The Government of Nigeria, supported by World Health Organization and partners, is expected to vaccinate 1.3 million people to contain the outbreak in affected areas. The vaccines, funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will be administered in parts of Zamfara state where cases of the deadly disease have been confirmed.

WHO is working with the Government of Nigeria to address the low immunity among affected populations that is giving rise to cases of yellow fever, said Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu, WHO Representative in Nigeria.

The release of 1.4 million doses from the global stockpile builds on earlier efforts in October that reached 874 000 people in Kwara and Kogi states.

The outbreak has evolved from one confirmed case in August to 30 confirmed cases in Kogi, Kwara, Kano and Zamfara states; a total 276 suspected cases have been reported in fourteen states as of 21 November.

A pre-emptive campaign to protect people in areas at high risk of yellow fever transmission is being planned in the coming months.

The International Coordination Group (ICG) coordinates the timely and equitable provision of vaccines during outbreaks. It maintains an emergency stockpile of 6 million doses of yellow fever vaccine, funded by Gavi, which is continually replenished. In 2017, 5,900,220 doses of the global stockpile have been deployed for emergency vaccination campaigns.

Last year we saw the largest yellow fever outbreak in 30 years hit Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo; we cannot afford to see a repeat in West Africa, said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The global vaccine stockpile is our last line of defense against the growing threat of yellow fever outbreaks. Of course, the most important long term strategy is high coverage of yellow fever vaccination in the routine immunization program. This shipment will protect over a million people in Nigeria, saving lives and, we hope, prevent a potentially devastating outbreak.

Through the Eliminating Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy and Program, WHO and partners are supporting the Nigerian Government to assess epidemic risk, roll out vaccination campaigns, engage with communities and deliver other response activities. WHO also continues to support laboratory and surveillance activities and efforts to build long-term capacity in countries at risk of yellow fever epidemics.

WHOs response to the yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria is part of broader efforts by the Health Emergencies program to build the capacity of the Government of Nigeria to manage health emergency risks, to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected people.
The investigational Zika purified inactivated virus (ZPIV) vaccine was well-tolerated and induced an immune response in participants, according to initial results from three Phase 1 clinical trials. Scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), part of the U.S. Department of Defense, are developing the vaccine as well as leading one of the trials. WRAIR also is co-funding the trials together with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The results will appear on Dec. 4 in The Lancet.

"A vaccine is urgently needed to help prevent Zika infection, which can cause birth defects and other developmental abnormalities in babies born to infected women, as well as a constellation of other health problems in infected adults and children," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "We are encouraged by initial clinical trial results that indicate the ZPIV vaccine is safe and immunogenic, data that support additional clinical testing of the vaccine to determine its ability to prevent Zika virus infection."

The ZPIV vaccine candidate contains whole Zika virus particles that have been inactivated and therefore cannot replicate and cause disease in humans. However, because the protein shell of the inactivated virus remains intact, it can be recognized by the immune system.

Of the 67 adult participants in the initial studies, 55 received the investigational vaccine and 12 received a placebo. The investigational vaccine was administered with an adjuvant (a compound that helps induce a stronger immune response) containing aluminum salts. All participants received two intramuscular injections of the same dose four weeks apart. The trial was double-blinded, meaning neither the investigators nor the participants knew who received a placebo.

Investigators tested participants' blood samples periodically and detected antibodies to Zika virus in more than 90 percent of individuals who received the experimental vaccine, within four weeks after the last dose.

While Zika experts have not precisely determined the concentration of antibodies needed to protect against congenital infection, animal model studies are helping to provide useful insights. Researchers investigated the possible mechanism of vaccine protection by transferring the vaccinated participants' antibodies into mice and then purposely infecting the mice with Zika virus. Results indicate the antibodies provided robust protection against Zika viremia (detectable virus in the blood).

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"Zika remains a threat to U.S. military personnel and families of service members. We aim to develop a vaccine to protect the military, as well as the global community," said Col. Nelson Michael, Zika program leader at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

The vaccinations were administered at three sites: the WRAIR Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Maryland; the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, part of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston; and the Center for Vaccine Development at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, a NIAID-funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU). The VTEU network can rapidly enroll large cohorts of volunteers and has conducted hundreds of clinical trials, many of which have contributed to vaccine licensure.

Additional research on the candidate vaccine will examine dosing, schedule and prior immunity. Specifically, WRAIR is examining the impact of pre-existing immunity by vaccinating participants with a yellow fever or Japanese encephalitis vaccine before beginning the ZPIV vaccine regimen. Those viruses, like Zika, are members of the flavivirus family. An additional study at Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico includes participants who already have been exposed naturally to a flavivirus, such as dengue. Saint Louis University seeks to identify the optimal ZPIV vaccine dose by assigning participants to receive a high, moderate or low dose, whereas Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is testing various dosing schedules.

NIAID is developing additional Zika vaccine candidates, including an experimental DNA vaccine, which is currently in Phase 2 trials at sites in the United States, Central, and South America. In addition, NIAID is helping to develop an investigational mRNA Zika vaccine (a gene-based platform similar to DNA vaccines) and a live-attenuated vaccine candidate designed to protect against Zika and all four strains of dengue virus.
Bich-Thu "Lisa" Pham has become a familiar face at this Vietnamese community center, setting out her Affordable Care Act insurance materials in a small office several afternoons each week. She also holds enrollment sessions at local Vietnamese shopping centers and near Vietnamese-owned nail salons, and every Sunday morning she assists members of her own Vietnamese congregation in Fort Worth who want to sign up for coverage.

She's a "rock star" in her ability to get Vietnamese residents in the greater Fort Worth area insured, said Daniel Bouton, who directs health services at Community Council of Greater Dallas, the nonprofit organization that receives federal funding to assist northeast-central Texas consumers sign up for ACA coverage.

It's an important mission in Texas, where the Vietnamese uninsured rate runs nearly twice the national rate. Dallas-Fort Worth is home to the fourth-largest Vietnamese population in the U.S., with nearly 72,000 residents, and the Houston area ranks third, with nearly 104,000 residents, according to a Census Bureau analysis of 2010 data.

Nationally, 7.7 percent of Vietnamese residents were uninsured as of 2016 versus nearly 20 percent in 2010 prior to the ACA, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, a nonprofit advocacy organization. (Among all Americans, the uninsured rate last year was 8.8 percent.)

But the rate among Vietnamese Texans is 14.2 percent, although that is a steep drop from 27.4 percent in 2010.

In California, which has the nation's two largest metropolitan Vietnamese communities, the rate was 16.6 percent in 2010 and 4.2 percent last year.

Along with sometimes limited English-speaking proficiency, signing up Vietnamese-Americans can involve other challenges, including in some cases a lack of credit history, said Cathy Phan, who has worked on ACA enrollment in the Houston area for the Asian American Health Coalition-Hope Clinic. Part of the ACA's verification process includes running a check with a credit reporting agency, she said.

"We see that a lot  especially with newly immigrated Vietnamese community members," Phan said. "Over in Vietnam, everybody still uses cash. I think the general cultural mentality is you don't really want to go into debt  you want to avoid it as much as possible."

'It's My Duty'

Throughout the year, Pham makes the Vietnamese community center east of Fort Worth one of her regular stops. The center, which offers meals, a game room and prayer rooms, serves as a hub for resources about local services. People have learned to seek her out there, said Pham, an ACA navigator since 2013.

The 67-year-old Pham, who moved to the United States in 1975, jokes that her husband is lobbying her to follow in his footsteps and retire. She's held various jobs through the years, including as a software engineer and a translator at a local hospital, along with raising three children. To work as a federal navigator, a paid full-time position, she completes certification training annually.

In that role, she signs up uninsured residents across Fort Worth and Arlington. She particularly enjoys using her bilingual skills to help fellow Vietnamese-Americans sort through not only their ACA options, but also whether they qualify for other public health programs, such as Medicaid.

"I see a lot of people, they don't speak English and they don't know what's going on," Pham said. "I feel like it's my duty to share [information] with them."

On a recent November afternoon before her appointments began, Pham gave a short spiel to potential clients about the federal health law, including this year's condensed sign-up period.

One of her appointments was with Mua Thi Nguyen, a 61-year-old thyroid cancer survivor. Nguyen had been reluctant to switch from her individual private insurance policy, worried that she wouldn't have sufficient access to cancer specialists if the malignancy returned. But her income dropped and her premium reached slightly more than $1,000 each month, Nguyen explained, speaking some English and some Vietnamese.

After running the numbers, Pham showed Nguyen that she qualified for significant federal subsidies that would bring her monthly premiums to $422 for a "gold"-tier plan and $73 a month for a "silver" plan that included no deductible. Nguyen, uncertain about which policy to select, opted to go home and mull over her options.

Signs Of Funding Strain

The Trump administration severely reduced federal funding for outreach and navigator services this year. Bouton's group took an 18 percent cut, receiving $1.8 million compared with $2.2 million last year to serve the 56-county region, which stretches east to the Louisiana border and north to Oklahoma.

The choice was made to retain as many navigators as possible, and slash the marketing budget, Bouton said. So, this year, the operation has 35 navigators, including two new Vietnamese speakers, compared with a total of 40 previously. There's no radio advertising for the 2018 enrollment season, and no ads in local movie theaters, he said. Thus, Vietnamese-targeted marketing has been eliminated as well, including advertising in a local newspaper and printing new promotional placards in Vietnamese.

Another funding casualty has been the Fort Worth ACA enrollment office, which closed this fall. That worries Pham. Some of her Vietnamese clients had become accustomed to going there and might not have transportation options to reach other sites such as the community center, she said.

Pham and other Texas navigators have only six weeks, through Dec. 15, to sign up people through the federal ACA exchange.

Their counterparts serving the more sizable Vietnamese communities in California aren't facing similar constraints. California operates its own state exchange and enrollment there stretches through Jan. 31, which was the deadline for the federal exchange last year.

Leaders at two California-based groups providing health services to Asian communities said they were concerned that recent reports in San Francisco and other areas about detention and deportations by U.S. immigration officials of Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrants might have a chilling effect.

"We're still at the very beginning of this sign-up, so we'll see how it plays out," said Thu Quach, director of community health and research at Asian Health Services in Oakland, Calif. "But we know from the past, that anytime there's concern that there are policies that target immigrants, it's caused a lot of impact in the community around signing up for anything."

They don't speak English and they don't know what's going on. I feel like it's my duty to share [information] with them. Lisa Pham

Bilingual Outreach

Bilingual navigators, such as Pham, can bridge a critical communication divide. Nationally, 46 percent of Vietnamese have limited English proficiency, meaning they speak the language less than "very well," according to Census data analyzed by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum.

An individual's comfort level with English also can influence which ACA plan he or she selects. In the Houston area, Vietnamese residents sometimes are willing to pay higher premiums for access to more Vietnamese-speaking physicians, said Phan, with the Hope Clinic.

At the Vietnamese community center here earlier this month, a 61-year-old woman walked in asking about ACA coverage. Hong Vu, who spoke very little English, told Pham that she'd been insured until a few months before, when her husband had suffered a stroke and she quit her job to care for him.

Vu passed her Social Security card and other paperwork across the desk. But since Vu didn't have a credit history, Pham couldn't immediately establish an account. Instead, she took photos of Vu's documents to forward to federal officials.

Several days later, after Vu's identity had been verified, she returned to the community center to discuss insurance plans, Pham said.

Vu qualified for "bronze" plan coverage for herself, which after subsidies would cost $115 a month. Unsure whether she could afford the premium, Vu decided to talk it over with her husband.

Vu did end up getting the coverage, meeting Pham at another enrollment session at a Vietnamese shopping plaza. "She worried about if she gets sick in the future," Pham said, "so that's why she said she wanted to have the peace of mind."
Forty two babies are stillborn in Australia every week, and 60 percent of them are recorded as unexplained.

Australia ranked poorly in reducing its stillbirth rate over the past 15 years.

Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland researchers undertook a global review of stillbirth reporting and classification, seeking ways to improve procedures.

Dr Hanna Reinebrant from UQs Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth said the study found stillbirths were most commonly categorized as unexplained, other and haemorrhage.

If we cant explain why a stillbirth has happened, its impossible to know what to target to prevent it in future, Dr Reinebrant said.

She said the Australian Government should establish national guidelines for investigating stillbirths.

Its important to establish a cause of death to help parents understand what went wrong and to guide clinical care for any future pregnancies.

It would also help in developing prevention and education programs for women.

Researchers reviewed 85 reports on stillbirths across 50 countries and found wide variations in investigation and classification systems, with only 13 considered good quality.

Stillbirths were defined as the loss of a baby at 28 weeks gestation or more.

Placental problems are frequently reported across middle and high-income countries, but we found that in low-income countries, labor complications and infection were most common, Dr Reinebrant said.

The World Health Organization has set a global target of 12 stillbirths or fewer per 1000 births by 2030, but Dr Reinebrant said even high-income countries needed to reduce their stillbirth rates.

Australia has the 15th lowest rate in the world, with 2.7 stillbirths for every 1000 births, behind countries like Iceland (1.3), Finland (1.8), Japan (2.1) and New Zealand (2.3).

Australia ranked poorly in reducing its stillbirth rate over the past 15 years.

We urgently need to address the reporting and categorizing of stillbirths so we can better understand what causes stillbirths and improve outcomes for families, Dr Reinebrant said.
Madagascars unprecedented outbreak of pneumonic plague is slowing down but the response must be sustained, WHO cautioned on Monday (November 27).

The worst of the outbreak is over, but we must stand ready to detect and respond to new infections until the end of the plague season in April 2018, said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

According to data published by the Madagascar Ministry of Health, the number of new infections has been in steady decline in recent weeks. This indicates that measures taken to contain the outbreak have been effective, but more infections of both bubonic and pneumonic plague are expected until the end of the plague season in April 2018.

I congratulate the Government of Madagascar for the way it has worked with partners to contain this outbreak. This is just the type of leadership needed to prevent outbreaks spiraling out of control, Dr Tedros added.

Between 1 August and 22 November, the Madagascar Ministry of Public Health reported a total 2348 cases, including 202 deaths. Nearly all identified plague patients and almost 7300 contacts were provided with treatment free of charge.

It is a tragedy that a disease from the Middle Ages, that can be easily treated, could threaten an entire country and kill more than 200 people. There is far too little funding for plague research, prevention and preparedness, and this year thousands of people in Madagascar have suffered as a result, said Dr Peter Salama, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program.

Although plague is endemic to Madagascar, this outbreak is unprecedented in terms of speed and reach  occurring in non-endemic areas such as densely populated cities, with a higher proportion of pneumonic versus bubonic cases.

In response, WHO rapidly released US$ 1.5 million in emergency funds, delivered more than 1.2 million doses of antibiotics, and trained more than 4400 people to work as contact tracers to help prevent plague from spreading further in hard-hit areas.

WHO and partners are supporting the Government of Madagascar to coordinate the response, provide clinical guidance, identify and treat patients and their contacts, and strengthen exit screening at airports and ports to reduce the risk of international spread.

More than 135 WHO and Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) staff have been reassigned or deployed to Madagascar to respond to the outbreak.

Ongoing support to sustain the response is required for comprehensive case finding, active contact identification and treatment, rodent and flea control, and ensuring safe and dignified burials.

WHO will continue to assist national health authorities to maintain surveillance and response capabilities and to effectively manage future outbreaks.
First look - Han Solo's first "wife" Sana Starros in her first solo series

The Marvel Comics' original character Sana Starros gets her own series
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